Blinded By The Light

Oh, it's been a mighty fine week!

On Monday, our accountant returned our income tax return - and we got a whole $32 refund! Great news for us since we've had to PAY extra the past couple of years. (I'm only whining a little. We're truly blessed to be surviving this economic crisis in good financial, physical, and personal health.)

Tuesday night, I completed a tempo run on the track in a really decent time - and should be back in shape and ready for the Riverwalk 5Mile run in two weeks. I also finished Week 2 of my 100 pushups a day and 200 situps a day routine, and included 50/50s on the stair stepper, too!

Wednesday morning, Gianni confirmed he had to attend a 4-day conference in Charlotte the first week of May. I told him that I would go with him; we thought we'd travel the weekend before and explore the area. During his meetings, I figured I could find something to do; at least it would be a mini-vacation for us. (But I wasn't really looking forward to the trip.)

You see, I really want to visit my sister at The 7MSN sometime this spring. (And I will get there! I need to ride Hank, pet Deets, help trim Wynonna's toenails, and watch Alan and George proudly pull their little cart!) Or I thought maybe I'd travel up to D.C. and see Tracey and Alex, see the Cherry Blossoms, try to fit in some sightseeing while playing with my dive buddies, and run a 5K or 10K race. But alas, no races in the area that I could find. And Gianni really wanted me to go with him to Charlotte.

But Thursday and Friday I had IT meetings at City Hall. Unemployment is high; the economy is down. Yet there I was yesterday, writing paperwork to (maybe) promote myself into a new position. I became addicted to GIS software (Google Earth was only a start) at the PD two years ago when I started mapping out our city grids for a dispatch map. Now the PD may create a new position, GIS Analyst for Public Safety. And I was asked to write up the details because my great bosses/friends, Donna and Nancy, want me for the job. Yeah and Tee-Hee!

So, on a whim, I checked out The Boss' website, hoping maybe he was playing in D.C. or Albuquerque so I could use that as another reason to travel this spring or summer. Guess what? Bruce is in concert at a smallish stadium in Greensboro, NC (about 92 miles north of Charlotte) on the weekend before Gianni's business trip.

And we have 2 tix to the Bruce Springsteen concert in Greensboro on Saturday, May 5! More later on why Bruce is definitely The Boss. But, if you saw him and E Street perform at Super Bowl halftime, you already know that.

I've been so excited since I got the tickets I've been "Blinded by the Light." All you need to do is check out the lyrics and melody to this song - the first one by Bruce that I ever heard. It made me appreciate his genius - way back in 1973 - when he released it. I've been a fan ever since.

Didn't Think I Would Run, Did You?

Yup. I did it.
Finally ran -- and quite well for having been OFF for 20 days! -- last Friday after procrastinating all day. Of course, when I ran again yesterday before the Super Bowl, it was very painful and a whole different story. But I did manage to finish almost 5 miles, at the slow/easy pace I wanted. The trick is not stopping -- during a run, or between run days. Once in motion, things are easy. Kicking them into motion is a pain.

I need a new challenge. Or two. Check out the two new icons and links at the left. WHY? I need my "own thing".

I so admire and respect Alex for his cave diving exploits and experiences (as well as his technical blogging). If I ever want to be his partner on "The Amazing Race", I just need to do this. Wouldn't that be a hoot? Watching Alex and I on national television as "The Dive Buddies" while we race around the world?

And I am so proud of Tracey! When I first met her, I showed her all about my REEF fish counting project. And now she has been selected by REEF as one of their "Advanced" counters to do research for their Grouper Project in Grand Cayman! And she can identify and count fish far beyond what I have ever been able to do. Oh, for the chance to humbly sit by her side in St. Croix when she leads a REEF trip down there in May (I hope, I hope)!!

Then, of course, my sister Linda. Everything she does in her life is something to respect and admire. I really want to visit the 7MSN sometime this spring and do a "dude ranch" kind of thing with her. And maybe because I've been sick for the past 3 weeks, I need to get back into some resemblance of FIT so I can tote bails of hay and pull loco weed with her - while I'm refreshing my horseback riding skills and running around the ranch.

SO ....., this is for me.
This year (hey, I know it's February; I just wasn't into making "resolutions" at the New Year) I will:

1. Run a 10:00 pace - consistently - for at least a 5K.
2. Complete the 100 pushups challenge.
3. And the 200 situps challenge.

The way I figure it, by next January, I'll be looking at a whole 'nother level of Half Marathons or some other wild and crazy challenge.

Still think I would do well on "Survivor".

Winding Down

See that countdown timer over on the left side of my blog? It's scary. Watching the seconds tick down until Disney. For the last 2 months, my life has been centered on Half-Marathon training - even when we traveled to Cozumel for 13 days and I was scuba diving. I had to schedule my runs before and after dive days so I wouldn't get "bent." Did it, too -- ran once out past the airport onto a gravel road where horses and campesino cowboys rode right towards me, headed for the big Mexican Independence Day parade; and again up north, at night, past the lighthouse and beach partygoers drinking beer and margaritas while I panted heavily, looking for water.

Guess it's that time of year when I start to "wind down" and think about the past: where we've been, where we're headed. I've been reminiscing about friends and family a lot recently. Always think a lot about my FBI friends and family - Brian (who has hopefully recovered from kidney stone surgery) and Faye; Allen (who calls me every year about this time); my former L.A. partner, Rich; Kenny D. (who is trying to get a crime scene job with the PD where I work now), Susan and Erich (now in Sofia, I think; I lose track of which embassy she is at!); Chaplain James Quinn, and my fellow runners on L.A. "Baker to Vegas" relay teams.

Family: Linda, my multi-talented sister, whose 7MSN blog I read every morning, before the paper - in fact, instead of the paper. I'm so excited because I should be receiving our Christmas gift from Linda today: even though I didn't win the Great 7MSN Giveaway, I asked for a canvas print of Micio for Christmas, and we collectively designed a really cool image. Mom and Dad (the best Micio pet-sitter!): we're planning a new traditional holiday here at the Villa: salmon on the grill, with baby potatoes, cranberries, and Whole Foods fruit tart. We saw J.P. while we were in Tampa on Tuesday night; he's headed up to New Jersey to visit Pat, Jr., and all the "Ants" at Christmas (we were invited, too, but we're not crazy; it's TOO COLD). The Antonas make me think of Claudia and Kevin and how much fun we had with them during our L.A. visit in September. And they make me think of Nolia and her family - I wish I would have taken the time to see them while we were in Tampa; I'm really concerned about how they are faring in these hard economic times - but I just couldn't face dealing with their marital difficulties.

Especially since Gianni and I celebrated our 13th wedding Anniversary yesterday! Where has the time gone? This is us, all dressed up for Thanksgiving Dinner in Cozumel. Kind of funny in retrospect: I'm not wearing a red dress (like I did for my wedding, but I'm still wearing red - a Mexican shawl this time!) Seems like it was just yesterday that we were packing up the condo and furnishings in L.A., getting married on Catalina Island, and traveling across country to Florida. A whole new life in Florida. New friends, new "family", new experiences.

Here's a picture of our "new family" at dinner one night in Cozumel:
Me on the left, with Andrew & Serena, Alex & Tracey, Gianni, and DAD! What fun we had eating tapas, laughing and planning our next trip.

Which brings me back full circle: past and future. I'm thinking Cozumel again next year (of course). Italy again? Fiji? First, of course, there's Orlando and Disney: and, I repeat, take a look at that countdown timer clock over there on the left. How much longer do I have to train? Gotta run hills tonight .... oh no, my aching calf!

Indulging Other Addictions

It's always good to have more than one passion. Or addiction, as the case may be.

First, I've become semi-obsessed with learning everything there is to know about blogging these days - an extension of my nerdy computer addiction. Hence, the photos, links, videos and continual re-editing of colors and stuff on this blog page. Second, my sidebar statistics and obsessive ruminations in various posts are evidence of another of my passions: running.

Third, I was out all afternoon yesterday in the yard with my trees and plant, listening to the birds chirping as they build their nests. This is a close-up photo of a nest built by our Florida mockingbirds in "Claudia," the Sabinea Carinalis, Carib Wood shrub (a native Dominican tree) in our back yard. (Yes, we named this very pretty, showy tree after our daughter! In fact, all of our trees have family member names. That will be a future Blog subject.) It's time to start "hurricane proofing" for the season, and I love getting sweaty and dirty when I pull weeds and dig in the mud.

And Fourth. Well, it's pretty obvious from my banner headline that scuba diving is one of my most serious passions. It has been, for 21 years now. So, today, while I'm packing for my liveaboard dive trip next week on Peter Hughes Sun Dancer II - to Belize - I thought I'd show you my dive gear and how I try to pack a whole lot of dive toys into a lot of little space.

This is all (well most, anyway) of my stuff. Clockwise, from upper left: a purple shorty surfer's suit (for warm water diving); buoyancy compensator (vest to hold my dive tanks, with pockets for tank banger, flashlites, dive sausage, REEF fish ID book, magnifiying glass); pink diver's tool box (see detailed info, below); bright yellow/green fins (with neat orange lycra fish sox!); blue 3 millimeter wetsuit (for repetitive dives, cooler water); regulator and dive computer (with hoses); black-skirted dive mask (black is better for looking cool in underwater dive photos, and my old-age eyes see better with black); 2 underwater writing slates (one for logging dive info; one for counting fish!); and 2 underwater dive lites ("two is one, one is none" - an old Marine/SWAT motto.)

My gear weighs about 20 pounds. Which makes it tough flying these days, because my wheeled dive bag weighs 23 pounds. With weight limits of 50 pounds, that means I have only 7 pounds for clothes, bathing suits, sundries, books, and other "stuff." So, I have to pack VERY lightly. To be honest, I take along a mesh carry-on dive bag for most of my land stuff and my regulator/computer. I don't mind having to rent dive equipment if my bags are lost somewhere, but I really want my own regulator (the breathing thing that goes in your mouth) and Suunto dive computer when I'm diving. You'll note that, even underwater, I'm still doing nerdy computer techy things. Besides, these two pieces of equipment cost about $1500.

My dive computer is hard to see in this photo - but it is waaaay cool. It has a compass attachment: not that I ever use it; I'm pretty good at "just knowing" where I'm at. And it is also air-integrated, keeping track of how much air I've used, how fast I'm using air, and how much air I have left until I suck my tank dry -- which has never happened, by the way. For every dive, the computer also keeps track of time underwater, depth of dive, oxygen and nitrogen used and warning limits, times between dives, planning info for next dive, and a symbol about when I'm allowed to fly again. That comes in handy when you're on a liveaboard boat, like I will be next week, diving 5 times a day. Serious, addictive diving.

Oh. Before I go pack, I really must explain my pink dive tool box. I've had it for the entire 21 years I've been diving. It's waterproof and has really neat stuff inside it that every diver needs. On the cover is my DAN sticker. I've been a member of DAN for 21 years, ever since I started diving. Best darned resource and insurance to have. It's comforting to know DAN personnel can make arrangements for you to fly to the nearest recompression chamber if you get "bent," and they can also get you (and your significant other) home if there is a dive "accident." DAN doctors gave me great advice on combining my running training with diving, too.

On the inside (left) of my dive tool box we have: a laminated card with dive computer info (I can never remember exactly which button to push for everything); blue tube of spray-on stuff for cleaning masks and glasses; a REEF creature id book; and a back-up regulator cover (with black masking tape because it cracked in the heat while in Curacao).

On the inside (right), we have: a large-toothed purple comb (untangling curly hair after diving 5 times a day is tough); black film container with extra O-rings (for air tanks), cotton balls, rubber bands, and regulator port covers; "all-in-one" dive tool (with various sized Allen wrenches, screwdrivers, and other tools); yellow wrist strap with clip buckle for dive lites; blue skinny tube with back-up reading glasses; SPIT (mask defogger); large orange carpenter pencil sharpener (for fish counting pencils); white bottle with Soft Scrub (to clean dive slates); roll of black electrical tape (good for everything!); pair of pliers; ten extra orange tie-wraps (for temporary attachment of night lites and other gear to vest); large yellow pencil sharpener (a backup since blades always get rusty); round blue pot of silicone (for O-rings); blue night dive stick (hangs on tank as a marker for finding buddies); spare carpenter pencil (gotta be able to count those fish!); Swimmer's Ear (for immediate, after-dive water blockages); and tube of toothpaste and toothbrush.

As for the toothbrush - here's an homage to my best dive friend and buddy, Tracey. This is Tracey looking mighty fine in her super duper dry "wetsuit" on the deck of our room in Utila last October. (Note the fashionable purple dive socks.) I was having major problems with my dive mask during this REEF dive trip. It kept fogging up all week long, and nothing seemed to work to clear it for more than 2-3 minutes. A real pain when you're trying to identify fish as part of a group of professional fish counters. I was getting really good at improvising new mask clearing skills when one of the ladies reminded me of the old toothbrush/toothpaste trick. (You need to "clean" new masks with toothpaste to get all the pre-manufactured glass sheen off of it.)

Sure enough, late during the week, I grabbed my toothpaste and the nearest toothbrush (which just happened to be Tracey's) without even thinking and started scrubbing away. It worked great on my mask, too. No more fogging up. Fortunately, adhering to that old Marine/SWAT rule (see above), I had packed an extra toothbrush and gave it to Tracey for the rest of the week. She was so gracious about the whole thing. And we laughed and laughed.

With that thought, and knowing I really have to PACK NOW -- I'll sign off with a big THANKS to Tracey for the toothbrush (and being a great dive, fish-counting buddy); to Gianni (for letting me go off and indulge my addiction diving next week); and to Alex/Andrew - who will be joining Tracey and me next week on the boat and taking fantastic photos. I already know it.

Game On, Sista!

As if I don't have enough to do -- now I am in this competition with my sister, Linda. Again! It seems like we were always competing with each other for something or other while we were growing up in Brooklyn, Ohio. Boys. Interesting things to do and/or get into trouble doing. Dad's attention (here in about 1958).

It's probably because we were (and are still?) so different than each other. I mean, really. There I was: Miss Prim and Proper, mathematical, logical, future wannabe Astronaut, eventual Fed. There was Linda: hippie, extremely creative, wildly anti-establishment. I still marvel that I managed to pass security clearances to get into the Bureau. I was certain some of Linda's liberal notions and activities would lead to my rejection.

Anyway. I thought we had stopped competing long ago. In fact, I very distinctly remember a long walk in Alexandria, Virginia -- back about 1990 -- when we decided to stop competing. And when Linda finally visited the Villa here for dad's surprise 80th birthday, about the only thing we competed for were tequila shots for our margaritas. Gotta hand it to Linda: her creativity extends not only to photography, animal herding, Web design (and just about anything else), but to making horses douvers and "Margaritas to Die For." Of course, the honky tonk bartending she did out there in Albuquerque probably didn't hurt none.

But this one is just too fun to pass up. So I accept the challenge.

Linda tagged me today with a game called “MEME.” Here's the rules:

• Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
• Post the rules on your blog.
• Post seven random or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
• Tag seven people and link to them.
• Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.
  

SEVEN RANDOM / WEIRD THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I love to stand on my head. It's my favorite yoga pose - Shirsashana.
2. I do math problems in my head when I'm running: always working the numbers for pace, distance, time until I drop into exhaustion.
   
3. I've been counting fish for REEF since 2001: I am a Level 3 Fish counter, have conducted 74 fish surveys in 4 Caribbean regions, spent 63 hours underwater, and identified 185 different types of fishes -- the most common: Bluehead Wrasse and Stoplight Parrotfish.
4. My favorite food is sushi. (I know. I know. Kind of a conflict with #3.) If I don't eat raw fish at least once a week, I go into withdrawal.
   
5. My husband tells me I should be a "Beta Tester." I break things: stuff around the house, mechanical objects, and (this is really bad) computers.
6. I'm a "Sex and the City" addict: I TiVo the girls and watch reruns over and over - especially Carrie and Alexsander Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov).
7. I sometimes regret "retiring." I loved every minute (well, almost) of my 21 years with the Bu. There's a lot of things I could still do.

Well, like Linda, I don't know a whole lot of people who blog - so tagging seven others may be tough. But here's a start:

• The 7MSN Ranch --- Linda's Ranch: 7 Miles South of Nowhere Place
• TraSea Dives --- Tracey's Place: My Best Dive Buddy
  
• Alexander's Addictions --- Tracey's Hubby (and My Other Best Dive Buddy) Alex's Hangouts (or Hang Ins)
  
• The Infinite Knot --- Jeremy's Family: Cousin of Claudia (my stepdaughter) and Gianni's niece
  

I also have a secret game plan I'm implementing. We'll just see who gets the most hits/responses! Game On Sista'!

Death, Destruction and No More Ds!

I've been killing ants for two weeks now. We returned from Cozumel only to find our house had been invaded by thousands of tiny black ants. Weird - they didn't like food on the counter (tomatoes, bananas, crumbs). They just loved climbing up the wall alongside our sink, hanging out around an electrical outlet, and crawling all across my marble counter while I was trying to read my morning newspaper, check my email, or blog.

We finally had to call in a professional exterminator two days ago. Now I'm cleaning up thousands of DEAD ants. They are everywhere in the house. But at least they're dead.

It's had me thinking a lot about Death these days. Lots of that going around this week. What's up with Hollywood? Two young actors have died in the past couple of days. Then there is Brit and LiLo -- certainly on their own path of Destruction these days.

When I went in to work yesterday, I learned that the husband of one of the ladies I work with had (finally) succumbed to the ravages of cancer and mercifully died. It horrifies me to think about Gianni dying - but at least we talk about it and have planned ahead for our ultimate demises. We signed up a long time ago for long-term care insurance so that neither of us will have to take care of each other when we're Drooling and in Diapers.

And let me tell you right here - no funerals for me! The very last thing I want is to be laid out in a casket in some room filled with thousands of flowers and memorabilia while people solemnly view my dead body and express what they think is appropriate to Gianni or whoever is still around to mourn me. No siree.

Let my wishes be known right here.

1. Burn my body.
2. Give my ashes to Tracey and Alex (somehow I know you guys will do this) in a little tin box.
   
3. T and A [Aside: Oooh, I just realized how that looks; did you guys ever consider your joint initials might be considered obscene?]:
   
• Please take me down on a reef somewhere in the open ocean (preferably Bequia).
• Open the box and let me finally swim with the Angelfishes.
• Tracey: Count every fish in the area.
• Alex: Take photos.
4. Back on land (with Gianni, if he's around), hoist a margarita, beer, or glass of red wine and remember all our fun times together.

Of course, all of this D and D has been aggravated by the fact that I sliced open my finger yesterday with a BIG knife while I was trying to remove a property tag from a laptop computer. Lots of blood - but not much pain. Made me question my own life (and stupidity!)

So, between the great Ant Destruction, Dental visits (the crown I had replaced last Friday was VERY painful!), and Death reminders -- well, I've decided to skip the rest of my theme "D" week. I need to move on to E - quickly.

Alexander's Queen Angel

She's so pretty.
This is why I dive .... to gaze into the eyes of Queens.
Thank you, Alex , for this photo and for all of your other great ones!

Chichen Itza

So many C's. So little time. Christmas. Cozumel. Chichen Itza. Claudia (I really owe her a long Chat!)

Where has this week gone?
One week ago today, Tracey, Alexander, Gianni and I were climbing all over the ruins, gazing into ceynotes, Jeep driving through the jungle, and eating grilled Mexican feasts in Tulum.

Today, I'm back to fighting ants, visiting my accountant, working on computer inventories, and (hopefully) running my 2.5 miles tonight. Love my new Audi - but I'm thinking that shifting gears a whole lot during the past few days aggravated a muscle I probably overused while running the other night. And then, of course, I had to do HOT Yoga last night. Which was actually pretty fun. I needed it - for a whole lot of reasons.

Primarily because I keep forgetting to stop and BREATHE. I feel "frantic". About my weight. About getting back into a 5K running schedule. About my yard and all the weeds and plants I need to prune because of the bad weather. About downloading all my dives in my computer. About editing and uploading all my photos from Cozumel (and Utila!) About all the new tasks I've been assigned at the PD. About all the ideas I have and paperwork I need to do for Kat Eyes. About trying to plan our next vacation -- and wondering if anyone really wants to go to St. Vincent; tired of trying to convince people to come along.

So much to do, now that I'm back at home. Must be this New Year thing, plus being away for the holiday. It is so easy to be right back there (at least in my head) --in Cozumel, playing with my friends and Gianni at Punta Sur. Enjoying a wonderful New Year's Eve dinner and Mexican fiesta.

I feel Sooooooo far behind. Cozumel was like living in another world. It was so peaceful and charming. I dream of having a second home there where family/friends can all gather and we can have fun exploring new things together. I love speaking Spanish. I love diving the Cozumel reefs and counting fish. I love the sunsets. I love the friendliness of the Mexican and Mayan people. I love the food - Oh, the margaritas! And the fresh fish. And salsa to die for.

Funny story. Last night in Cozumel we went to dinner at La Chosa and had wonderful chips in their special cheese salsa sauce. It's so special, I bought a bottle -- salsa sauce from La Chosa, NO label, stored in a recycled clear plastic water bottle. And, yup, managed to sneak it in my backpack, under my regulator, past 3 security (2 x-ray machines and a hand check) at the airport in Cozumel. So much for terrorists.

A Week of A

Appetites. Apathy. Anhedonia (at least about the holidays).
Angelfish.

Those A's would be me. Today, at least.

I've been self-studying my Appetites.
Literally -- for food.
Figuratively -- for running.
Both have become Addictions. And I can't seem to find a balance between them. It's always a struggle.

I've been so Apathetic about my business. Scared to send out letters and promote myself, my reputation, my skills. Afraid no one will want to hire me.

Christmas just doesn't mean much to me anymore; it does not bring me the same pleasures as it once did. But it should. Classic definition of Anhedonia. I feel guilty because I have so much in my life. I am blessed with good health, a loving husband, parents who are still alive, enough money to enjoy vacations and a wonderful home. I don't find pleasure in the gift-buying craziness; the insanity of holiday songs, trees and decorations appearing before Thanksgiving. And so I Avoid the whole holiday experience as much as I can. Guess that's why I often chose to work on Christmas.

And Angelfish. Always fish. Really looking forward to diving in Cozumel with Tracey and Alex during New Year's holiday. Doing yoga on the beach. Eating sushi (fish again!)