Beware of Ninja Cat

My next post was going to be about my MS ride last weekend, but this week has been crap. I've officially dubbed it as "Big Steaming Pile of Poo" week. It's a month until IMFL so maybe I should call it "Little" instead of "Big" just in case, but I'm going to be optimistic that the next month will be better than this week.

At any rate, instead of complaining about my crap week, I thought I'd share an amusing Youtube video. There's a bit of an introduction so you don't think the video is completely random and I am insane - although those two things aren't mutually exclusive. My best friend's son got a Nintendo DS for his birthday and he was so excited to play with it the next day that he woke up early and stood next to his sleeping dad until Daddy woke up. My friend said it was kind of creepy, and I commented that it was like a cat when it wants to be fed. He said it was exactly like that. I was telling Brian about the Nintendo and relating the story when Brian asked if I had ever seen the Ninja Cat video. I hadn't so here it is for your viewing pleasure. It's much better than reading about my week.

Skirt power

What do you do when you've had a somewhat crappy day, are freaked out by your impending Ironman, missed meeting your running group, and would rather go to bed than go for a run, but don't want to squander the beautiful weather you've been blessed with? No, it's actually not a rhetorical question. If you happen to be a woman - or Joey, you can put on a running skirt. It is impossible to be bummed out while wearing a cute, snazzy running skirt. If you think I'm lying just try it out. That is exactly what I did this evening. I donned my latest Skirtsports acuisition - a red skirt with white racing stripes. That's right - red AND racing stripes. Everyone knows those two things make you faster so put them together and that's double the speed. That's my theory, I'm sticking to it. I topped off the outfit with my NYC marathon singlet for more motivation, and pulled on my Zoot running shoes. I really can't explain why wearing a running skirt gives such a lift, but it really does. I guess it's the cuteness factor. I've also noticed that lots of people smile when I wear skirts to the gym, and the college guys are way more attentive when I run the stadium steps in a skirt. Too funny! Brian said I looked way too cute to get sweaty so I considered the outfit a success, and headed out the door for a lovely evening run. I'm still feeling blah, but not nearly so bad, and I'm glad I got the workout done.

Super cute new skirt!

Mind games

I enjoy brain teasers. Every so often I'll get on a kick and go looking for some fun puzzles to play around with. The other day I did a google search - I can't remember what term I used - and the Mensa website came up. I decided to check it out. Surely the Mensa people have some fun puzzles. They didn't have a whole lot on the site, but there was a Mensa workout - a 30 question, 30 minute test similar to an IQ test. Since IQ tests are basically logic puzzles, I went ahead and took it. With my results came a statement that said "you would have a very strong chance of passing the Mensa test and joining Mensa." I laughed, and went looking for another game to play.

The next day when I was driving Brian to work, I did something silly - as is the norm - and he started laughing at me. I was laughing too, and I mentioned the test, and said that he might be married to a genius. He replied that even if that was true, if the Mensa people spent one day observing me - not interacting with, just observing - they would not offer me membership. We both started laughing because it's probably true. He pointed out that there was a reason my nickname is SB. I won't share the meaning because it could be considered insensitive to a segment of the population and certainly isn't politically correct. In case you are thinking that was a mean thing to say, it really wasn't. Most of you don't ever get a full dose of me. Certainly not the way Brian does.

At any rate, this exchange reminded me of a Colbert Report segment I had seen recently. Really, don't try to follow my thought process, it'll just give you a headache. I love Stephen Colbert. The more I watch the show, the more I'm sure we think alike. Pay close attention to the end of the segment. That is definitely something I would do. "Curiosity killed the cat" is a proverb that applies to me. Enjoy!

If you want a little more Daily Show/Colbert Report funniness, follow this link. Stephen and Jon both end up cracking up at the end of the segment.

Make it stop!

Every Tuesday evening, I meet a group at the UF Stadium to run the stadium stairs. It's a hard workout, but a lot of fun. Yesterday the UF marching band was on the field in full uniform complete with the band front, baton twirlers, cheerleaders, and Albert and Alberta - the Gator mascots. It looked like they were doing shooting some video footage, maybe for media relations. At any rate they looked fantastic and at first I was excited at the idea of having the marching band playing while I was running the stairs. However, it soon became apparent that they were only going to play one song - the theme from Idiana Jones. Now this is a well written piece of music and is certainly energetic enough to run to, but after about the 8th time through, I started to get tired of it. By the end of the workout, I wanted to beat the band director sensless. I now have the song stuck in my head.

Football Fun

I was treated to the sight of ESPN's College Game Day setting up in front of the UF stadium during my Saturday morning long run. The UF stadium aka Ben Hill Griffin Stadium aka The Swamp is usually where I make my first pit stop on my long run. On a typical Saturday, there isn't a soul to be found, but it's football season. I couldn't believe the number of people that were up and about especially considering the game didn't start until 8 p.m. If I was tailgating for 12 hours before a game, I don't think I'd make it to kickoff. At any rate, it was fun running through the crowds. Although people kept looking at me like I was nuts - perhaps because I was carrying a waterbottle instead of a beer bottle. The only downside was that the stadium was closed so I had to pit stop at the track instead. No biggie since it's only a half mile further and it's on my route, but I really had to pee.