Ms. News Goat

Billy & I bought a kit a couple of years ago, complete with sushi guide, chopsticks, rice paddle, and bamboo rolling mats. We brought it home, put it on the bookshelf… and there it’s sat ever since. Til this weekend, that is…

Our end result wasn’t the prettiest sushi I’ve ever seen, but it was yummy. Glad we finally tried making it. I don’t know if we’ll do it again though—as we were scouring our local Asian market for some of the supplies, we passed by their deli section. The sushi they made not only looked great, but it was way cheaper than the supplies we ended up buying… plus they’ve already done all the work!

Yesterday I took a Creative Cards class at my local scrapbook store. Billy gave me a gift certificate to take a class there for my birthday last year, and I kept waiting for the right chance to use it. I had hoped for something technique-oriented—especially on chalking or inking—but they just didn’t offer those classes on weekends when I was available. The other options (besides the monthly card class) were all scrapbook-related… and while I’m sure I could learn interesting things there, I’m just not into scrapbooking. And I really don’t want to be either—seems too involved and time-consuming. Finally I decided the store was gonna go out of business before I used the gift certificate, so I’d try out the card class.

I’m glad I did. The cards we made weren’t necessary my style, but they did go over chalking and had some interesting products I hadn’t used before… gel pens, dimensional laquer, and some really nice markers. I also liked a couple of the non-standard cards we did—one “matchbox” card that had a notepad inside, and one folder that had room for cards and envelopes inside. I’d like to do these types of classes regularly—at least a couple of times a year—so I can try out some of the new gadgets and get some new ideas.

So far this year, I’ve run 111.3 miles. I passed the 100 mark on March 1st. I’ve decided I’ll give myself some sort of running-related reward for each 100-mile “milestone”—for this first one, I’m going to order a Shoe ID. I’ve been wanting one for a while, and the Creek Classic race packet included a coupon for a couple of dollars off one.

And once I reach the 500 mile mark…? Then I get one of these!

Billy and I signed up for Yukon’s Citizen Police Academy, and have attended two class sessions so far. I guess it’s partly intended to be community relations on the police department’s side (we’re all in this together, etc.)... but what’s cool is that if we continue through the end, we can become certified as part of the local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). So far, we’ve met the police chief and seen the drug dogs in action. Coming up are sessions on drugs, gangs, CPR, and gun safety. It’s a neat class—and best of all, it’s free!

Doing good on this resolution so far. In February I read Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing, by Les Edgerton, which had some good advice on writing. I also read Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris. I still haven’t read any fiction, which was what I intended with this goal… but maybe next month.

I ran Edmond’s Creek Classic 10K today. I didn’t come in last, but I wasn’t far from it. Midway through the race, I decided it wouln’t be so bad if I did come in last. Somebody has to, after all. And it makes everyone else feel better—they can all say, “At least I didn’t come in last!”

For anyone else training for a 10K, I highly recommend Ian Macneill’s Beginning Runner’s Handbook. He does a nice 13-week program to take you from being a walker to being a runner. Billy & I used this program, and we weren’t really ever sore. There were times we looked at the next week’s schedule and were sure we were in over our heads… but we always did fine.