The Joys of Childhood and the Cold Weather

We're in Tahoe and there's wireless in the room. With a free moment, it's time to blog. Just a wee bit. Am I hooked on this or what?

The weather outside is gorgeous. The sky is blue, the sun is shining and it is 37 degrees F. Last night it got down below 30. Yowza! I can't remember the last time I've felt so cold. My last winter on the East Coast was in 2001. It's kind of invigorating.

The kids are having a blast. They've seen Santa, watched the tree lighting ceremony, gotten all kitted out for the cold in layers upon layers of clothes. They've been in the lovely, heated outdoor pool. ("I'm the greatest swimmer, Mama!" said my little P.) Their noses have gone all red with the cold and the teeth and chins have chattered.

Today we are going to take them snow tubing and then ride the cable car up to the top of the mountain! Yes, SNOW! They are so excited, and, because of that, we are too.

I'm getting dirty looks. (Why is she blogging?) Time to go.

Happy Run-niversary to Me

One year ago, on Thanksgiving Day, I put the turkey in the oven and decided that this was the day that I was going to start running.

Today, I went for an anniversary run to celebrate a year of running. In that year, I have gone from not being able to run more than a minute at a time to finishing a half-marathon in just over a two and a quarter hours. I've run in one 12K race, done one sprint triathlon and that half-marathon. I've lost about 15 pounds in that time and gotten my cholesterol levels down from scarily high to normal. I'm getting really close to breaking the nine-minute mile barrier.

Most of all, I've proven to myself that, if I put my mind to it, I can do something I didn't think I could before.

I can make time for myself.

I can conquer the Dish.

I can run 13.1 miles.

I can.

And I will keep going.

Today I Give Thanks

For:

• my children, who make me laugh and sigh, sing and cry, shout and scream with joy and frustration and who remind me that my capacity to love is boundless
  
• my husband, who makes me laugh at the beginning and the end of the day and is my partner as we navigate this path called life
  
• my parents, who are always there for me, even when I don't call them as often as I should
• my brother and the rest of my family, who remind me that I have roots in many countries and homes in all of them
  
• my friends, who round out my world and inspire me, whether I see them everyday or just a few times a year
• good health, mine and that of those that I love
• aikido and running and swimming and biking, because they get me out of my chair, away from my desk and keep my mind sane and my body healthy
• my job, because it continues to challenge me and bring me into contact with great people all over the world (and it helps pay the bills!)
  
• this blog, because through it, I've gotten back into writing again

For all these and more, I am truly thankful.

Sensei is 75 Today

Long may he live and continue to inspire and teach us the art and philosophy of aikido.

1. Harder and stronger is not always better.
2. Get out of the way of conflict.
3. Do not meet aggression head on. Blend and redirect.
4. Center yourself and move from your center.
5. Breathe.

He's a kind and generous man with his knowledge. I am lucky to learn from him.

The Leaky Faucet

I know I've written about what a sensitive boy my dear D is and how he can cry at the drop of the hat. Today, I realized that he probably gets this from ME! Didn't I just blog about crying at the end of a NOVA program? Then I realized that I _always_ cry when I watch sad movies, even when I've seen the sad scenes a dozen times and know that they're coming. Even certain moments in animated flicks will get a tear out of me. You know the scene in 'Cars' where Lightning McQueen stops short of the finish line, drives out to the infield and pushes The King, banged-up and broken, across the line? Yup, Sob City.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The Baking Season Has Begun

It's time to channel my inner Martha Stewart again. There's something about the chill in the morning air and it getting dark just past 5 pm and that lovely feeling of warmth when stepping inside the house when it's cold outside that makes me just want to fire up the oven and bake something.

On Monday, I tried to make cinnamon rolls for the first time ever. YUMMY! With the Internet at my disposal, I found a recipe that looked easy enough. D (who had Veterans' Day off) and I were as happy as clams mixing up the dough, rolling it out and punching it down. There's nothing quite like the smell of cooking or baking wafting through the house to really make it feel like a home. Aaaaaaaaaaah. The result? A big thumbs-up! I will be making these again.

For next week, I'm going to attempt my first ever pumpkin pie. I've been baking apple pies for years and I love them but I haven't quite conquered my fear/dislike of that traditional Thanksgiving dessert that M does love - the punkin pie. This is the one I'm going to make. Already, I'm hopeful because there is no clove (ick) in the recipe.

Then it will be time for Christmas cookies: peanut butter kiss cookies, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip. All the more reason to keep running.

Now I'm hungry.

Time to go raid the fridge.

Progress

• katate tori shihonage
  
• yokomen uchi shihonage
  
• tsuki kotegaeshi
  
• ryote dori tenchinage
  
• suwariwaza ryote dori tenchinage
  

What do all these techniques have in common?

At the very end of class today, R Sensei called on me to get up in front of the class and, with CC as my uke, demonstrate them, one after the other. I had no idea I was going to be asked to do this.

I should have been petrified, but I wasn't. I recognized the words, knew what techniques they represented and did them. I didn't do them perfectly but I didn't hesitate either. It just felt good and natural and not scary. In fact, it was fun.

What a great way to break up my crazy-busy work day.

(And now, back to writing my talk for tomorrow...)