2010 has been off to a good start, albeit not exactly what we'd expected. And I'm a bad blogger -- there are things I meant to recount, to recap, both for the few friends who've found there way here and for my own recollections.
I just came in from my "long run" and realized it had been more than a month since I updated.
First? The friend I mentioned in my last post did reply to my email. And left me with a huge grin on my face when I read it, even though I still need to reply in turn.
We started off the year with El Bandito joining a group of internet friends for a 57mile bike ride. After not having ridden more than 25miles in a day for years.
On a fixed gear, no less. Crazy man.
I did a lovely solo hike that same afternoon. Saw a coyote a few feet from the trailhead. Dipped in and out of fog and sun and got a little bit muddy and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It had been far too long since I'd played on the trails by myself. I discovered I tend to move faster alone, which amused me.
January is flying past -- I looked at the calendar today and realized we've had 4 dinners (and one brunch) with friends, volunteered doing groundskeeping work at the zoo, gone to an astronomy lecture, and dealt with landlords and insurance inspections...
...and I've gone hiking thrice (once with a friend where we got thoroughly wet and yet laughed most of the drive home), spent hours on the trapeze, started a weekly pilates class, met friends for walks multiple times and lunch twice, and have done almost all my training runs for the 5K (one, my shoes were still in my luggage, 150miles away from my final destination. stupid airlines. the second one I missed because I decided an actual rest day might be a good idea, having had hard physical workouts for >8 days in a row). Signing up for the 5K worked, at least in as much as it has motivated me to actually get out and run.
But the biggest thing of 2010 so far was the addition of a new feline member of the household. Our delightful yet neurotic cat N. (never name a cat after a neurotic ballet dancer -- it's too predictive!) hadn't coped well as an only cat after our beloved gray gato died in October. He'd taken to screaming at us for attention, but frequently being unwilling or unable to calm down enough to accept it. He and our elderly girl hadn't really gotten along, but apparently her presence in the house helped keep him calm. So we'd been thinking of bringing in another cat -- we had looked a few times, but weren't ready.
I'm not sure I was ready yet.
But a friend rescued a kitten off the side of the freeway. Covered in grime and dirt. Gorgeous little orange tabby polydactyl, probably about 5 months old. Fearless and intrepid. He got a clean bill of health from the vet's office after a weekend of being quarantined in our bathroom (at one point, he fell or jumped straight into my shower. I'm not sure which of us was more startled; I scooped him up quickly enough that he never really got upset), and cat integration is going remarkably well. And N. is definitely calmer with a second cat in the house. Weird.
And on a completely different note: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/index.cfm
and http://photos.pih.org/home2.html
They do good work. Help them if you can.
