They’ve finally posted the results from the 2004 Shamrock Run, and my official time is as follows:
Whoo-hoo! I think a sub-12-minute pace is pretty good for my first event. The rest of the numbers I don’t really care about right now.
I made it:
One hundred seventy-four and a half pounds this morning.
Feels pretty good. Another milestone, another goal reached. I should be happy.
…Dammit, I was going to post something but I forgot what it was.
It was short and sweet, and quite possibly funny. But now it’s gone.
Ah, well, time for work. Bleh.
Another beautiful Sunday. Looks like spring is here.
I had a meeting with a client this morning at a coffee shop in my neighborhood (plug: the Ugly Mug, at SE 13th and Nehalem, which is also a free wireless node through Personal Telco Project). After the meeting, I wanted to head downtown, so I walked from there, along the Springwater Corridor trail on the east bank of the Willamette.
The trail is 3.8 miles from the Sellwood Bridge to the beginning of the Eastbank Esplanade, so I figure it’s at least 5 miles total from my house to downtown. I did that distance, walking, in about two hours, and I wasn’t hurrying. To run it I should be able to do it in… I don’t know… an hour and a half? Is that optimistic?
It would be the farthest I’ve ever run at one time. But I’m getting used to overcoming previous milestones…
I’m feeling down on my diet this week. I was going to allow myself an extra 200 calories per day (for a total daily limit of 1800), but I ended up at least 200 calories over that, even. My weight has remained steady all week. My experiment in engineering a “soft landing” to my ideal weight was a bust.
At least my weight didn’t go up. That would have been even more depressing.
So, next week, I’m sticking with the 1800 calories per day, instead of upping it another 200 calories, and hopefully my willpower will return.
Maybe I was simply affected by spring break… Yeah, that’s it.
Exercise, I did pretty good. I did hear from “coach” this week, and she proposed a schedule close to what I was planning for myself, at least time- and distance-wise, although she advised against the 5-mile run I was planning.
Also except she included swimming on one of my non-running days. I planned on doing the swimming, but decided against it at the last minute. No, really, last minute.
Would you believe I decided against it at the last hour? Last day?
You caught me: I decided against it as soon as she proposed it. I haven’t told her yet, but if she reads this page she’ll know.
But I ran three easy runs, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, of two, three, and three miles each. Monday was in my neighborhood, and the others were along the Esplanade. Todays run was good; it was pouring down rain last night, so I was worried I’d end up running in the gym, but this morning dawned without precipitation. There was even some blue sky up there.
I have no idea what my time was. Maybe I should invest in a watch or something. Nah, I’m just happy right now to be able to complete the course I set for myself.
Saw “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” again. Had to go back and see it to catch all the subtleties I missed the first time around. I’m not going to give anything away here, but this is a movie that invites multiple viewings; it’s not just about figuring out the tricks, it’s actually deep.
Wonderful, wonderful movie. And Beck’s song only adds more layers to the meaning.
Sadly, the tale of the little shipment that went to Deutschland has nearly come to a close.
The tracking information page shows that it actually made it to Portland today, in time to be delivered. I wasn’t in the office when it was here, but the receptionist, having been briefed by me, refused the shipment and it is now on it’s way back to its point of origin.
Once it’s there, the major online retailer will issue me a credit, and the story will draw to a close. They have not responded to the email I sent them yesterday, and now there seems to be no point to their responding at all. But it would have been great if they had at least acknowledged that there had been a major screw-up. If I was pushier and had more time, I’d harrangue them for a credit over and above what they owed me; after all, it wasn’t just an inconvenience to me, it caused problems for my client (and actually cost me money, since I could have charged her my hourly fee for installing Windows 2000).
I dunno. I’m going to wait and make sure that I actually get my credit. Story’s close to finished, but not quite done.
It’s apparent, though, that I will never know exactly what happened. I’m dying of curiosity.
The universe must be trying to tell me something.
Two days ago I met a friend for coffee, and after she ordered, I ordered a small (12 oz) soy chai tea. Well, the barrista there is cute, so I flirted with her, and when she made my drink, she gave me a medium instead, without offering an explanation beyond a wink.
I really was only counting on the calories from the small, but, since Mrs. Moon didn’t raise an impolite son, I accepted with a “thank you” and drank it. It was gooooood.
Well, this morning, I was at yet another coffee shop (Portland is the center of the microbrew beer and coffee shop craze, nevermind what Seattle says), and once again ordered my usual small soy chai. The girl behind the counter is also cute, so I flirted with her, too, and sure enough, when I went around to the bar to pick up my drink, I’d gotten a medium.
I think the lesson here is that flirting is bad for my diet.
I replied to the major online retailer with whom I am engaged concerning a shipment gone terribly, terribly awry:
I emailed your company today regarding this order, and pointing out that, even though the package originated in the US, and was to be shipped to a US address, it has somehow ended up in Germany.
I am not making this up.
Here is the UPS tracking number so that you can confirm for yourself:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Your company’s response to this was to ask me to refuse the shipment when it arrives.
I have several problems with this. First, since the package has gone on a European vacation, I have no idea if and when it will arrive. Let me repeat that: I have absolutely no assurances that the package (for which I paid for 2nd day air shipping) will return to the country of origin.
Second, since your company will not refund me the purchase price of this order until YOU receive it back, that means that I am out the approximately $260.00 that I paid for the software and the assurance from your company that I would receive it two business days after ordering it. Again, the time this will take is uncertain. I am not pleased by this.
At first, I was willing to give your company the benefit of the doubt. However, your dismissive response has angered me, and now I expect that this matter has gone beyond a simple matter of a return.
I expect a more personal response to this extraordinary matter. I await your correspondence.
Brian Moon
I can’t wait for the response to this.
Update on the shipment that’s taking the long way:
The major online retailer (or, more correctly, their Customer Service) has emailed me back, telling me to refuse the shipment. That, they say, is “the easiest way to return the shipment without having to arrange for it to be shipped back”.
Couple of problems here. First, the shipment is still in frickin’ Germany and stalled at some point. There’s no telling when it will get its passport cleared or whatever and make the long trek back to the States. Heck, for all I know, it’s getting plastered on shot after of shot of schnapps, or, mythical-supreme-being forbid, Jagermeister in some sleazy dive bar, instead of waiting patiently while UPS uniformed mechanics work feverishly ’round the clock to repair the “mechanical failure” that’s preventing the cargo plane from lumbering down the runway and back Stateside.
It would be so easy at this point to blame terrorists. Imagine that? A cargo plane being hijacked by German separatists or something? Nah, there’s really no way to tie politics into this little story at all. My life may be cool, but it’s not that cool.
Where was I..? Oh, right. Second, while clicking around the website of the major online retailer, I managed to click a link that made the major online retailer that I wanted to return the package. Oopsie. So, today, a UPS driver arrived to pick up the package. Yeah, that one: the package that hasn’t arrived yet. And, of course, I wasn’t there, so the receptionist was confused and almost gave the UPS driver yet another package I’m sending back (this one a GPS unit I’d bought on eBay that didn’t work), which would have caused even more confusion. Luckily, I managed to dodge a bullet on that one, and the UPS driver didn’t pick up the wrong package.
But it looks like UPS is going to be back tomorrow, to pick up the package that hasn’t arrived yet.
And, meanwhile, FedEx hasn’t picked up the second package.
My life? Shipment hell. Thankyouverymuch.