Another Reason to Love My Neighborhood

On Saturday morning 33,000 runners participated in the Monument Avenue 10K. I live a block off the route and went out to see as much as I could before needing to be at the office to prepare for the big campaign kickoff.

I really shouldn't disclose that I cried there on the sidewalk sipping my herbal tea and watching the runners. These events always make me emotional. It's a triumph of the human spirit to train and execute a plan. It's a little slice of America for a neighborhood to gather together on the sidewalks and cheer for others. It just makes me happy.

(first in the chair division coming down the road with other elite runners)

The most fun thing about this race, in particular, is that many people dress up. I wasn't quick enough to snap a photo of a Robert Palmer + back up dancers with inflatable guitars ensamble, but I did one of my very favorite of the morning....

I Knew It!!!

If you haven't heard me tell the story of the day I was approached by a foreign spy in DC, ask me sometime. The paranoid side of me doesn't want to give the details online. But... when I saw this story today, it brought back the memory.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Russias-Vladimir-Putin-Snapped-In-Disguise-While-Working-As-KGB-Officer-During-Reagan-Visit/Article/200903315244360?lid=ARTICLE_15244360_RussiasVladimirPutinSnappedInDisguiseWhileWorkingAsKGBOfficerDuringReaganVisit&lpos=searchresults

Danny Boy - The Muppets

You can't go wrong with Beaker and Animal, but this is as good as it gets.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

The Ides of March

I'm making a very public post to compensate for a very private misstep.

Since September of 1995, I have known that March 15th, the Ides of March, is Megan's birthday. Megan should go into advertising, because she had the brains to link her B-Day to a landmark. Despite her blog post reminding folks, I knew it ahead of time.

I got to see Megan after much too long of a hiatus this past November. I've been looking forward to the Ides to shower a little love her way. When I didnt' get a card off in time, I planned on calling her.

Well, as luck would have it, I spent the day (3/15) preoccupied. By the time the evening rolled around, I was on a two hour drive with two cats just hoping to keep their behavior in check. My hands were used on the wheel and cats, and the phone... well.... let's just say I would have either needed 3 hands, or surely driven off the highway.

And so it passed. The Ides of March, that is.

So, Megan, I'm sorry. I'm not sorry I had so many great thoughts and memories about you this week. But, I am sorry I didn't convey them to YOU.

I'll always be grateful for 2204 Taylor Hall. I'll never forget your witty writing style, your taste in music, your humor and our laughs. Crosstitching and chinking away on glass at ALL hours of the night: adventures in CO: top secret soda runs: dressing up in riduculous things: requesting Starship: finding out that Steve Sharp transcends radio stations: abysmal matchmaking skills ;-): beautiful kids: a smile that lights up a room. I treasure the things I've come to gain a personal testimony of because of knowing you. You really are a light to those around you. I miss ya'!

In Like a Lion

This is the current view out my living room window. I've noticed through my life that the old adage "in like a lion, out like a lamb" holds true for the month of March.

In NM, March was full of high winds. Dust devils and massive clouds of dirt flying overhead were commonplace. In fact, my elementary school had a rather sparse gravel playground (which allowed our imaginations to fuel our games). Normally in March, we played some sort of "parajumper" where we flared our windbreakers out like wings and allowed the wind to carry us and slam us into the chain link fence. It's really strange to type that now, but I promise... it was fun.

Now, the first decent snow in Richmond is just beginning to fall. We should get somewhere between 2 and 10 inches, depending on which radio or TV station you're paying attention to. It's long overdue. Welcome to town, March.