Travel Brain

In a hurry to leave for the airport yesterday, I rushed out of the house without turning off the coffee pot. In fact, I hadn't even had a chance to pour myself a cup. It was 11am when I left home. Perhaps this caffeine deprivation explains this memory lapse?

Approaching the airport, I realized my mistake and frantically called the apartment manager, who asked if I would release permission for someone to enter our unit to turn it off. (Why else would I have called, exactly?) Thankfully, I had brewed just the right amount of coffee, because when Mark got home late that night, the machine was still on, but had enough liquid in it to prevent the fire I had feared. Did I mention that I had made a call earlier with this concern? Oh, right. There was a Work Order note next to it stating that the machine had not been found to be on. I guess the glowing red light on the ON switch wasn't a clear enough indication. :)

Then last night, twelve hours after my hurried departure, I finally arrived at my hotel room in Ottawa, Ontario. As I unpacked my 1-Quart Liquids and Gels Bag, I quickly realized that I had forgotten to pack toothpaste. It was 2am at this point, the hotel gift store was closed (obviously), and I didn't want to bother the front desk.

Instead, a brilliant idea came to me as my eyes landed on the miniature bottle of mouthwash sitting on the sink. Too tired to care, I took a swig and proceeded to "brush" my teeth with my new-found liquid toothpaste. And then I flossed. My dentist would be so proud, wouldn't he?

To top it all off, I also managed to pack two workout shirts and zero workout pants. Guess that's an excuse to sleep in tomorrow morning.

Quality Friday: Bag It!

Lately, I have been very conscious of how many plastic bags we bring home with us. A few months ago, while at the local Safeway, I picked up one of their reusable bags, and we have been making an effort to use it regularly. In instances when one bag isn't enough, we've opted for paper over plastic, but I recently learned that paper bags aren't the answer, either.

On a recent grocery shopping trip, Mark mentioned that we might want to buy a second bag for $1, but I pushed back, saying that we didn't really need it. What I probably meant was that I hadn't yet found the right bag to purchase.....

Last week while in Vancouver, I decided to stopped in at a fun home and housewares store to browse a bit during one of my lunch breaks. (Downtown Vancouver has GREAT shopping, for those of you who like that sort of thing. Yes, Why I Love Vancouver, Part 3.)

What I found was a fantastic bag by Reisenthel that I just couldn't resist!

This City Shopper is larger than the Safeway bag, and made of sturdy polyester with a reinforced bottom that I'm convinced will NEVER break. Its the perfect shape for me, because it carries like a large purse (and even has an inside pocket for your wallet and keys, and a small cell phone pocket). Notice the little rectangle clipped on to the handle? This is a second bag that can be unfolded to use when the larger one runs out of room!

Have I mentioned that its also cute and stylish? Why would anyone want to carry plastic bags, when they can carry this? Admittedly, Mark laughed at me when I came home with it. "The $1 bag wasn't necessary, huh?" he commented. ;)

I know it sounds silly, but I realize that I'm just more likely to use it for multiple purposes because I actually enjoy carrying it around. My new bag has made its way with me on two quick grocery trips, to Target, and even to the pet store. And the old grocery bag now lives in Mark's car for when he needs to pick things up on his way home.

Last week, we also made great use of another reusable Reisenthel bag, given to us by dear friends as a Thank You after their recent visit. We took it wine tasting with us, and in addition to saving from having to toss two more cardboard carrying cases, also got many a compliment along the way.


I know its just a start, but I hope that in this small way we can help to keep from generating more unnecessary waste - one bag and box at a time.

Why I love Vancouver, Part 2

Here are the photos that I promised, taken about a year ago on my very first trip to Vancouver.

Spring and Fall are the best seasons to visit, and if you're able to stay in a hotel that's right on Coal Harbor, these views are at your doorstep (or out your hotel window):

The snow-capped North Shore Mountains as seen from the walking path along Coal Harbor.

Gorgeous rhododendron bushes in lush, green, Stanley Park.

A swan in the Lost Lagoon.

Sunset on the English bay.

The petrol station and seaplanes in Coal Harbor. (Yes, this was taken from my hotel window.)

See? Isn't is just gorgeous? If you don't believe me, you just might have to go and check it out for yourself!

Why I Love Vancouver, BC

This week finds me back in what is quickly becoming one of my favorite cities of all time. With each of my six visits over the past year, I have found myself loving Beautiful British Columbia more and more. I realize (in perusing my previous blog entries) that I've never really shared just why I *heart* Vancouver, save a brief mention with no follow up, and a single photo that doesn't even begin to do it justice.

Sadly, my pictures have no way of finding their way onto my computer at the moment. This time, however, I PROMISE to post them when I get home. And when I do, I guarantee that you'll begin to see just why I adore this place.

Enough about what I can't show you, though!

Today's reason for loving it here? They have the coolest running lounge, which I visited today after a L O N G day week at work requiring a mind-clearing run. I've gotta give it up to Nike and their marketing team for this fabulous place. They don't sell anything, rather they're outfitted with Apple computers and snacks, running gear (all Nike, of course) and storage lockers to provide a service that I, for one, truly appreciated.

So how does it work? Basically, I stopped by, laced on a pair of new shoes, powered up an IPod Nano to test out their Nike+ Training system (guess who wants one now?), borrowed a jacket, and headed out for a 7K group run through Stanley Park. And on my return, I was handed some Gatorade and a towel and offered a selection of post-run NutriGrain bars and smoothies. Seriously, what could be better?

This afternoon's running path. Photo from http://www.seestanleypark.com/.

Sourpuss

Apparently, Mark and I aren't the only ones in our house that enjoy this San Francisco treat.

Imagine our surprise when Kate jumped up on a nearby chair,

joined us at the table,

and stealthily "stole" her share.

I've never know a cat to like sourdough, but Kate sure does. That, and olives.

Okay, time for an update

I've been battling the longest cold that I can remember in recent years (12 days and counting), and I am sick of being sick! My cough is starting to die down, my voice is almost back to normal, the eye infection is gone, and hopefully I'll be rid of what remains, soon.

On top of being sick, a recent promotion at work has kept me more than busy. I feel like all I've done in the past two weeks is work and sleep. And work. And sleep.

As a result, I realize that I've failed to share some of the fun we've been up to. So here you go:

Two weekends ago...
Melissa and Steven came to visit us, and we had a great time catching up with dear friends. Wine tasting was at the top of our list of things to do (surprise, surprise!) and we enjoyed our first introduction to Sonoma County wines. We discovered that the feel of the Sonoma tasting rooms is different from Napa - more relaxed and laid back, generally providing more personal attention, and often the tastings are free!

Our first stop in Sonoma.

We were all quite happy with many of our findings, including a newfound favorite. Honestly, every SINGLE wine we tasted at Williamson was delicious, prompting us to join our first wine club!

Other weekend highlights included a trip to Bodega Bay on the California coast, enjoying Mark's performance in a concert at school, more wine tasting in Napa, and visits to Muir Woods and other San Francisco highlights.

For once, I didn't take a single picture on my camera, letting the true photographers do all the work. Melissa has posted a few more photos here (and I'm looking forward to getting a hold of the rest sometime soon!).


And last weekend...
The temperatures soared into the 80's - even in San Francisco! As much as I love warm weather, I was feeling sick enough to want to simply sleep all day. Thankfully, my husband rescued me and suggested a leisurely afternoon drive into SF on Saturday, where we enjoyed walking along the bay, soaking up the sun, and some of our favorite San Francisco eats.

Yes, it was even warm enough to head to the pool for a few moments on Sunday (or, rather, sit by the pool as I tried to catch up on work)!

And the verdict is....

Thank you for your interest in the 2008 Nike Women’s Marathon. Unfortunately, your name was not selected through this year’s random drawing process. We received over 30,000 registration entries, and we can only accept 20,000 runners.

I guess I can't expect to win EVERY random drawing:) Honestly, I'm not sure whether to be disappointed or relieved. A little bit of both is to be expected. Whereas I had started to psyche myself up for another training season, the truth is that thought of scheduling long runs into my life again does make me cringe a little.

When I signed up, I felt great about taking myself out of the decision process, so I should be okay with this response, right?

Well then why does this part of the e-mail catch my eye?

But there is good news: there are other ways that you can still participate. Team In Training. Training. Support. Inspiration. Team in Training, our partner through race beneficiary — the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, still has registrations reserved. If you would like to participate in the 2008 Nike Women’s Marathon through Team in Training, call 800.482.TEAM or check out the link below. Participate with Team in Training »