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....

Baby Tender Love

Before you think this is a strange title for a blog, you have to hear about my doll. The Christmas when I was four, I received this doll, Baby Tender Love, along with her changing table. She was dressed in this exact outfit (which I always thought my Mom sewed for me but alas, the Internet has proved me wrong). The coolest thing about said doll (in an era when dolls had to do something to be cool): she pees. To be more specific, you put water in a bottle in a hole in her mouth, and it runs out her bottom. (Come to think of it, I think she had diapers, too, but I only had a limited amount of them so I basically had to feed her over the sink).

So guess what? I still have Baby Tender Love. My two daughters have never, ever liked dolls. They are now much too old for dolls, but my eleven year old recently took a babysitting class. Required supplies: a baby doll. Ha.

The day of the class I hunted down the doll and sent it off with A. She proclaimed it "creepy" but passed the class anyway. Now, she REALLY hates it and freaks out every time I just happen to accidentally leave it in her room, maybe under her covers... What's the big deal? So her skin is rubber and her limbs don't move. She was MY doll and I loved her. No idea why kids today can't see that.

Spinning. It's not your regular cycle.

My friend Julie invited me to a class this morning at the Y called CardioPump. It consisted of about 45 minutes of spinning and then about 55 minutes of weights. Wow. I learned a few important things this morning.
1. A spinning class is in no way, shape or form like spinning on a stationary bike.
2. Despite what I told myself before entering the class, you can't fake it.
3. They make you (gasp) stand up on the bike (and it makes your quad scream).
4. Always, always bring a towel.
5. Channeling your inner Lance is helpful.
All in all, a crazy good but hard work out. I'll definitely try and go again...that is if I can walk tomorrow.

Pentago

My kids got a great new game for Christmas. Amongst all the other electronically powered toys like Zero Gravity Cars, Rockband and various Wii games, they received an extraordinary game called Pentago.

Pentago is so simple it's brilliant. "Minutes to Learn, Years to Master" is it's tag line and couldn't be more true. Two players, two colors of marbles and a board with sections that twist. Place a marble, twist a section. Try to get 5 of your marbles in a row. Easy to play but lots of strategy if you really want to think about it. This game has received numerous awards, all well deserved in my opinion. Check it out, great for all ages.

It's the LAW, people!

Today was a rainy, cold, dark day. On my trip from my office in Chapel Hill to the Surgery Center in Durham, I saw 8 (EIGHT) cars without their lights on. On the way home, I saw an additional 3, one of which was a Town of Chapel Hill vehicle.
According to North Carolina State Law, and the law of many (if not all) other states, if you have your windshield wipers on, you MUST HAVE YOUR LIGHTS ON. Get with it people!