Speedway

Today my friend Julie and I ran on a racetrack. A historic racetrack just a few miles from my house. Who knew?

Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsborough was one of the first 2 NASCAR racetracks, built in 1949, the inaugural season for NASCAR. It is now a nature trail, Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail to be exact, with the center oval filled with 40 year old trees. The main trail is .3 miles from the parking lot and is a .7 mile oval. There are several other surrounding trails, a total of 3 miles. Not hilly at all, it's my favorite surface to run on...mulched with crushed gravel and pine needles. The trail is beautiful, coursing along the Eno River. You can even see the old grandstands and the flag stand where the checkered flag was once waved.

You might be wondering if being on a speedway made us speedier. Well, not really but it was cool nonetheless. Check it out.

Pet Adoption

We recently adopted another dog from the Orange County Animal Shelter. I have to say, it was a very pleasant experience, and as they say, such a deal!

The adoption fee for dogs is $113, or $138 including a microchip. Wow. Microchip for $25? It was way, way more than that at the vet for our other dog. And to top it off, this fee included neutering (or spaying) which would cost a few hundred dollars elsewhere. Our dog also had his first shots and exam there.

The staff was extremely helpful, patient and understanding. They guided us through a few "meet and greets" and provided us with as much background as they could for our new friend.

While I know that not every dog is right for every family (I really encourage you to research the breeds they identify your dog as prior to adopting), you can see what they have online from day to day. Certain breeds will go quickly (within a day) so hop to it!

Jerry Brown...or shall I say Scary Brown?

In this recent article, I discovered that former California Governor Jerry Brown is actually running for Governor of California again. Interesting.

As you might know, Brown has an odd history with politics...he dated Linda Ronstadt while he was the Governor, and was actually called "Gov. Moonbeam". He ran for President 3 times. The last time, in 1992, he was famous for having a 1-800 number for fundraising. Very unconventional at the time.

What you may not know, is I have had a personal run-in with the former Governor. In early 1993, my friend Becky and I were eating in a small cafe in San Francisco. I noticed Brown sitting in the corner with a somewhat skanky looking blond woman. I nudged my friend, who couldn't quite place him ("is that a famous podiatrist?"). We happily went on eating our gourmet sandwiches until a while later someone stepped on my foot. I looked up and low and behold, it was Jerry Brown. Stepping on my foot. You know what he said? Instead of "Excuse me" or "I'm so sorry" or even "Pardon me" he said "Oh, sorry, well, how could I not step on your foot... it's so big!"

Stunned. Flabbergasted. Shocked. Speechless. I'm not a big fan of Arnold, but given the choice (which I am not) I would certainly not vote for the 72 year old Moonbeam-foot stepper-insulter for Governor. I just don't think anyone that socially inept should be hold office.

In case you are wondering, yes, I have big feet, but they were only a size 10 (at the time). Now they are a tiny bit bigger....