benjerin.com Blog

Monday was pretty uneventful.  Just work for both of us, then the gym for Erin. 

Tuesday was even more uneventful, other than the fact that I made a double-batch of my Poppa’s Consumer Reports Chili.  It was the best batch I have ever made and it fed us well for the entire week!

Wednesday, after work, Christy and I walked 5 miles in training for our breast cancer walk.  Only found two bulldawg sculptures.  We are running out of sculptures that we can walk to.

Thursday, I went shopping with Emily.  The main purpose was to find what I need for my Halloween costume.  Not only did I have great success with that, but I found some other fun new clothes as well.  Seriously, I think I have a problem.  I really have way too many clothes!

Benjy had been working very long days in Atlanta all week, so he was given the day off on Friday.  Friday evening we attended a performance by the Song and Dance Ensemble of West Africa.  We both enjoyed the performance, although I wished there had been a little more dancing.  My favorite song was “Kousan” (”an instrumental saying no matter how well you do in life, one must always strive to do better for the happiness of others around you”).

I woke up early Saturday morning (ugh!) to go on another training walk for the ”In Their Shoes” breast cancer walk.  We walked 12 miles, which took 3 hours and 15 minutes.  This is the last “long” walk we will do before the official 13.1 mile walk on November 8th.  Saturday evening, I traveled to Atlanta for Jessica’s “Progressive Fall Fiesta”.  I’d never heard of a progressive party before this, but it was a lot of fun.  Jessica and her friend Anna did a great job with the fall theme.  Cucumber sandwiches were cut in the shapes of leaves and acorns, potato chips were dipped in white chocolate and decorated as leaves, there were chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.  The food was delicious!  A few of us even got to play a good game of Catch Phrase!  Benjy had gotten his fill of driving to and from Atlanta the last couple of weeks for work, so he decided to stay in Athens for the night.  He visited a friend’s house to watch some of the Virginia Tech football game, but mostly spent the evening at home with the doggies.

This morning, I had brunch with Jessica and a couple of her friends before driving back to Athens.  I had to be back in time for the Jack-o-Lantern Jog.  It was an anniversary of sorts because the Jack-o-Lantern Jog last year was the first ever road race that Christy and I did together!  Last year we were walkers and finished in 54:48.  This year we are runners!  I finished in 40:31 and Christy kicked my butt finishing in 38:59!  I was just so excited to run the whole 4 miles and improve my time by over 14 minutes!  I had never run more than 3.1 miles before!  One unpleasant thing about the race this year were that the yellow jackets were out of control, and they were all over me for some reason.  I got stung on the thigh 30 minutes before the race started.  What do these things have against me?!  Benjy did a few house chores, we both napped, then we went grocery shopping.  Now I’m pooped and ready for bed!

Another cool blog to check out:  Bill and Susan are traveling to Mexico with family friend Ba Rea as she tracks migrating monarchs.  Ba is keeping a blog at http://monarchchaser.wordpress.com/.   I believe they will in Mexico for about 3 weeks, and I expect/hope to see lots of photos on this blog. 

This week’s assignment:

1. Locate organizations near you that support the hungry.  Find out what those organizations need and help provide it.
2. Donate your time and volunteer at a food pantry/distribution center, a local soup kitchen, or a homeless shelter.
3. Go through your pantry and gather up canned and dried foods to donate.
4. Create or support a local canned food drive.
5. Purchase and hand out fast-food gift cards to homeless people.  Buy extra cards to have on hand for spontaneous giving.

My attempt at the assignment:

1. This morning, while assisting at a United Way meeting, I learned about a United Way agency called “Full Plate”.  This organization collects excess food from local restaurants and university dining halls and distributes it to people in need in the Athens area.  I was so impressed with this agency and the work they do.  I’ll find out more about how I can help, other than United Way fundraising.
2. After some research, it appears that the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia only has one volunteer opportunity a month that I’m eligible for.  The next opportunity is November 4th and I will be too busy voting.  So I have registered to help on December 2nd.  Also, Christy recently told me that she was interested in helping at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.  I have just asked her to coordinate something we can do together some time soon.
3. I don’t have a pantry…or very much canned or dried food.
4. See number 3.
5. Nah.

Monday morning, Benjy woke up with a fever of 102.9.  He felt miserable and decided to stay home from work.  I called him every couple hours to check on him and try and talk him into going to the doctor.  Fortunately, his fever was steadily decreasing throughout the day.  By the time I got off of work, his temperature was 98.6.  So instead of taking him to the doctor, I went to the gym.  I wanted to take my barbell class that I hadn’t taken in two months.  I used light weights, but I still had serious soreness for the next two days.  After the gym, I went to the grocery store to stock Benjy up on Gatorade (electrolytes) and fruit.  Benjy’s fever was back over 101 that night.

Tuesday morning, Benjy woke up with a slight fever, somewhere around 99.5, but decided to go to work anyway.  Despite the fever, he was feeling much better and didn’t want to miss anymore work…or be made to go to the doctor.  His fever was gone again by Tuesday evening.  My evening was spent running errands.

Wednesday evening, Christy and I went on yet another training walk for the “In Their Shoes” Breast Cancer Walk.  We walked 8 miles and saw four more bulldawg sculptures.  Pictures are here.  As of this week, I have walked 68 miles in training and I reached my $1,000 fundraising goal!  I’d love to surpass my fundraising goal if anyone out there is still interested in donating.

Thursday, just as I was healing from the soreness of Monday’s barbell class, I went back to the gym for a “Step and Sculpt” class.  It feels so good to be “back on the wagon”!  After a shower, Benjy and I headed for the UGA Observatory Open House.  We arrived just in time to learn that it was too cloudy for star-gazing through the 24″ telescope.  A lecture was planned instead.  We decided to skip the lecture and try again at next month’s open house.

Friday night, we went to Cine, a real nifty movie theatre in downtown Athens that often shows independent and foreign films.  Another plus, they serve alcohol.  Yet another plus, it is usually not crowded at all.  We saw the movie Burn After Reading.  I really enjoyed it!  I thought the acting was superb and the story was absurd but so entertaining.  Benjy was equally impressed with the acting, but less impressed with the way the story was filmed.  He thinks it might be one of those movies that he’ll enjoy more the second time around.

Saturday morning, I had to wake up early for the Scarecrow 5K.  It ran the entire thing, which I rarely do, and I finished just under 30 minutes, at 29:54.  I was very happy with my time.  Out of twenty-one 5Ks, I had only finished under 30 minutes three other times.  After a shower, I got Benjy to join me for the Watkinsville Fall Festival.  We were a little disappointed with the festival.  There was a lot to look at, but not much that piqued our interest.  Also, it was a bit too crowded for our taste.  I’m sure the festival was a blast for people with children.  By the time we got home from the festival, it was time for a nap.  And by the time we woke up from our nap, it was time to go over to Laci and Alan’s house for dinner.  We watched the Virginia Tech football game, ate some delicious and nutritious food, and helped them build the first fire in their new house.  It was lovely as usual.

Today we slept in, but just a little.  I had another 5K to run!  This one was in the afternoon, but it was at Tallulah Gorge State Park, which is about an hour away.  I met my friends Angela and Richard, and their friend, Praful, for the 5K.  We all really enjoyed the race.  The weather was perfect.  The trail was relatively flat, very scenic and shady.  Richard and Praful finished 2nd and 3rd in their age group.  Angela and I placed 5th and 6th.  I finished just under 30 minutes again, 3 seconds slower than yesterday, 29:57!  We were all pretty happy with our results.  After we recovered from the race, and Richard and Praful received their rewards, we hiked the South Rim trail to check out some overlooks of the gorge.  The leaves are all starting to change and the views were beautiful as always.  I love Tallulah Gorge!  After the hike I parted ways with Angela, Richard and Praful to head back to Athens.  Benjy and I had plans to eat dinner at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, since they were donating 15% of their sales to Athens Canine Rescue tonight.  Oh, the things we will do for a good cause!

Ever since I started running this past year, I’ve had some problems with what I assume is some sort of allergy.  Every now and then, after a run, my nose will explode.  It will just start running like crazy and I’ll have a burning sensation in one or both of my nostrils that causes nearly non-stop eye-watering and sneezing. I really don’t like this reaction!  I hope I figure out how to prevent this in the future, but for now I’ve got to pop some Benadryl and try to go to sleep!

I’m speechless…and horrified.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/10/16/baby.named.sarah.cnn

This week’s assignment:

1. Select a soldier you know or one who is related to someone you know.
2. If you don’t know a soldier, ask a friend, fellow student, co-worker, pastor, or military chaplain to help you make a connection.  Make sure they provide proper mailing instructions.
3. Grab some paper, an envelope, and a pen.
4. Write a letter from your heart that expresses your gratitude, shows your support, and provides encouragement.  Share a little bit about yourself and ask questions.  Avoid such topics as death, killing, and politics.
5. Include your e-mail or mailing address in case the recipient wants to write back.
6. Send the letter.

My attempt at the assignment:

I don’t personally know any soldiers.  Can anyone refer me to someone they know?  I will reach out at work and see if I can make some connections there.  I know I love getting personal letters in the mail.  And I also know how happy a letter can make someone while they are far from home.  I’m really anxious to complete this assignment!

“Your letter might be the only thing that makes a soldier smile that day.”

Monday, Benjy had to work at Young Harris and spent the night out of town.  I spent the evening absorbed in a new tetris-like video game.  I was trying to take advantage of having the Xbox to myself.

Tuesday, Christy and I walked 6 miles training for “In Their Shoes”, we saw several more bulldog sculptures.  Click here for pictures.  Benjy got back into town late, so I spent a couple more hours in a video game trance.  Not productive at all.

Wednesday, Benjy was back at Young Harris for another long day of work, but they didn’t have to spend the night this time.  It was raining cats and dogs all day long, so I had to deal with some soaking wet dogs and lots and lots of mud when I got home from work.  I spent the rest of the evening curled up on the couch.  The rain made me feel especially lazy.

Thursday, I finally made it to the gym.  I think it had been over a month since I went.  The gym manager is letting me post some flyers about “In Their Shoes” and I’m also hoping the gym will make some sort of contribution.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Friday, since Benjy had already worked over 40 hours, he was given the day off.  While he was home for the day, he downloaded yet another new tetris-like video game, Zuma.  Once I got home from work, I was hooked within an hour.  Fortunately we had plans for human interaction that evening.  Daniel was hosting a beer tasting at his place.  A small group of us sampled and shared our opinions on 10 different beers.  Three homebrews were included in the tasting, and I liked some of them the best.

Saturday morning, I woke up way too early (6 am) to go on a group training walk for “In Their Shoes”.  We walked 8 miles and there were hills aplenty.  I was pooped by the time I got home, so I took a wonderful nap.  Benjy was sleeping in super late because he was feeling under the weather with a fever, achiness and swollen lymph nodes.  Once Benjy and I woke up for the day, we spent an embrassing amount of time playing Zuma.  Later that night, we caught up on several episodes of “Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles”.

Today Benjy is still feeling icky and has spent most of the day wrapped up in blankets and a scarf…and it was almost 80 degrees today.  He was really upset that he has felt so sick during his 3-day weekend!  I only ventured out of the house for the “Five at Five” 5K.  My body was very unhappy during the run because I have NOT been fueling it properly.  Christy and I pinky-swore that we would “get back on track” with eating right and counting our calories on SparkPeople…starting tomorrow!  I have gained about 8 pounds since I stopped tracking back in early June.

P.S. We finally caught a rat last night.  I really hope it was the only one!

First, I apologize that I may have bombarded some of you with too much information about In Their Shoes.  I have mailed letters, posted on myspace and facebook, and sent emails.  And now I’m coming here to blab about it some more.  I just wanted to update everyone on my progress.

So far I have walked 51.5 miles in training and I have raised $696.80 towards my $1000 goal.

Thank you SO much to everyone who has contributed already!  Keep your eye out for something special in the mail after the walk (November 8th)!

This week’s assignment:

1. Write “Please do not rent or sell my name” next to your name whenever you enter a contest, make a purchase or donation, join a buyer’s club, order a product by mail, subscribe to a magazine, or return a warranty card.
2. Call the customer service number of the company or organization that is sending you unwanted mail and ask to be removed from their list.
3. Remove your name from several national mailing lists through the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service.  You can register online or by mail.
4. Contact major consumer credit bureaus to have your name removed from mailing lists used for credit offers.

My attempt at the assignment:

1. I have a hard time believing that this will work, but I’ll give it a try.
2. I’ve been planning on doing this for a while.  I need to actually get started.  Also, I’ve been unsubscribing from all the junk e-mails as well.
3. I think I tried this before.  But I guess it couldn’t hurt to try again.
4. Will do.

Monday was uneventful.

Tuesday, we went out to dinner with friends.  We were celebrating our friend Josh’s return to Athens.  There was lots of drinking, eating and rejoicing!

Wednesday, Benjy and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary.  We went out for a sushi dinner then came home for a movie.  We watched “Baby Mama“.  We thought it was funny and I’ve decided that I am an Amy Poehler fan.

Thursday, Christy and I walked 5 miles to train for “In Their Shoes”.

Friday, Benjy and I watched “Grease“.  I wanted to watch the movie to study up for a Halloween costume I have planned and Benjy had never seen the movie before!

Saturday morning I headed out for an 11 mile walk with Christy.  Once again, we were training for “In Thier Shoes”.  And to make the looong walk more interesting, we decided to try and see some the bulldog sculptures in the “We Let The Dawgs Out” exhibit.  To see pictures from our adventure, click here.  We have several more training walks planned where we will try to see the rest of the sculptures.  We actually ended up walking 11.5 miles, and with all the picture stops and one potty stop it took us about 4.5 hours.  When I got home, I was ready for a serious nap…and a foot massage!  Benjy went to a friend’s house to watch the Virginia Tech football game, then stopped by Blockader to pick up homebrew supplies, then went for a haircut.  Saturday night, we watched yet another movie, “The Woodsman“.  This movie deals with a pretty disturbing subject, but it is an excellent movie!

This morning, Benjy and I spent a couple of hours cleaning out the carport/shop.  Apparently our collection of cardboard, birdseed and empty dog food bags has created quite the hot spot for rats.  Ew!  I was emptying out a trashcan that had a few empty dog food bags a long with some other paper trash, and I almost peed my pants, because apparently I had disturbed a nest and the rat came scurrying out right as I was dumping the trash/nest into our larger trashcan.  The traditional snap traps are not working.  A couple of nights ago, Benjy had the rat corned in the carport/shop and was trying to figure out exactly how to kill it.  The rat got desperate enough that it ran out of the corner, directly at Benjy, bounced off of Benjy’s leg, and scurried away.  Ick!  I really can’t wait until we’ve gotten rid of this pest! 

Anyway, after a couple of hours cleaning out what I now call “the rat room”, I headed out for a 5K.  I had an especially hard time with this one, since I really haven’t been eating right or running regularly.  I still placed 2nd in my age group.  Once again, I owe this to the fact that very few people usually show up in my age group.  Benjy says he’ll start running with me someday soon.  We need to get him some good running shoes first.  I can’t wait!

Ok, now I’m going to go play video games, when I should be doing something more productive!