Things That Go Bump in the Night!

Happy Halloween!!!

Everyday is Halloween - Ministry

well i live with snakes and lizards
and other things that go bump in the night
'cause to me everyday is halloween
i have given up hiding and started to fight
i have started to fight

well any time, any place, anywhere that i go
all the people seem to stop and stare
they say 'why are you dressed like it's halloween?
you look so absurd, you look so obscene'

o, why can't i live a life for me?
why should i take the abuse that's served?
why can't they see they're just like me
it's the same, it's the same in the whole wide world

well i let their teeny minds think
that they're dealing with someone who is over the brink
and i dress this way just to keep them at bay
'cause halloween is everyday
it's everyday

o, why can't i live a life for me?
why should i take the abuse that's served?
why can't they see they're just like me
it's the same, it's the same in the whole wide world

o, why can't i live a life for me?
why should i take the abuse that's served?
why can't they see they're just like me
i'm not the one that's so absurd

why hide it?
why fight it?
hurt feelings
best to stop feeling hurt
from denials, reprisals
it's the same it's the same in the whole wide world

Last night's still life. Still working on shadowing techniques. Teach has a goulish sense of humor. I like it!

Viola!!!

After all this time here is *real* evidence that I have been in drawing class since the end of September.

I was quite trepidatious about going to class this evening. Last Wednesday I had a really hard time. We were to draw a still life using scale and I.could.not.do.it!!! Maybe it was being constrained to drawing within a rectangle. Maybe it was the fact that I am not a very spatial person and cannot draw in 3 dimensions. (Forget kinesthetic abilities). I was absolutely unable to measure the scale of the still life set in front of me and transfer it to paper. I was so frustrated, I couldn't even get started and almost packed up my stuff and left, never to return to class again.

With a little encouragement from my friends and co-workers, I set off for class. Tonight we were to practice shading. First we worked with grey scale and practiced drawing a sphere. Then we each choose a drawing to copy.

Meet Xavier. He still needs a bit more work, but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome so far : .)

She runs.

There are voices in my head, with names like fear and doubt,

and they hide, mocking me.

But when the pounding of my heart becomes deafening,

They all just disappear.

- From a Nike Ad

I felt like getting out for a run this morning. My retirement didn't last very long : .) I set off for Rancho San Antonio Park, the home of my favorite Bay Area trail run by far.

I had forgotten how great it is to run solo. No worries about slowing anyone down, the ability to set your own pace and think your own thoughts. No schedule to meet, no need to maintain a breathless conversation while trying hard to keep up.

My warm-up typically takes about 4 miles, so I started out slow and just took it easy. The portion of the trail closest to the parking lot is quite populated even at this early hour, and I was hoping to leave the groups of chattering hikers behind as soon as possible.

The trail starts out pretty flat with some rolling hills, along the way, I passed a quail family that scattered like pachinko balls as I ran by, and three deer who were enjoying their breakfast. After a couple of miles, I started up the biggest hill, a one mile stretch with about a 1000 foot rise. In a few minutes, I came around a bend in the trail and could see the Silicon Valley spread out below me, NASA and the bay off to the northeast and downtown San Jose to the south. It didn't take me much longer to crest the hill and I took a quick break to catch my breath and drink some water. I was so very proud that I ran the entire way up the hill. I started back down the trail, the glorious downhill that leads to the valley. As I hit the cover of the trees, I heard a rustling in the leaves and stopped to listen...But all I could hear was silence. So amazing. Silence, loamy earth, and the scent of bay leaves.

Around another bend I saw a group of Asian ladies practicing meditation. I consider myself lucky to live in an area with such diversity. On the trail, I passed Japanese, Chinese, East Indian, Middle Eastern, European, and American hikers and runners, big and small, all ages.

I especially love trail running because you have to pay attention to your footing, the uneven surfaces force you to use your core to maintain your balance. Boy was I surprised when WHAM!!! Ow, ow, ow! I twisted my ankle. Within a few tentative steps, I decided I could finish my run, but I was worried about an injury since my runing buddies and I signed up to run the California International Marathon 4 person relay in December.

I think I'm okay : .)

Photo courtesy of MadRetz

I hate running.

This morning the city of San Jose hosted the Inaugural San Jose Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon.

After running this and the two other 1/2 marathon's and finishing the triathlon since June, I am done, D.O.N.E. I'm hanging up my running shoes.

My body is tired, I'm chaffed in places I won't discuss here, I got charlie horses in both my calves and my shins (a first!), and my kidney's hurt. It was a hard race for me. (Weird that I finished this race faster than Disneyland. I even had to walk a bit of it.)

It was exciting however, when this guy passed me at my 5 mile marker, his 12. His stride was as wide as he was tall, he was so fast and graceful!!! If you look closely at this picture, you'll notice that neither of his feet are touching the ground. He was literally FLYING!!!

Okay, I'll be realistic. I'm just going to take some time off. I'm way too addicted to the endorphins to actually quit running.

See you on the trail!

Photos courtesy of race photographer and #1 cheerleader MadRetz

Scout's Honor!

I am so gonna post some of my work from drawing class, I just need to make time to scan/photograph my pages. Teach still has the self portraits, so as soon as she gets those back to us, I'll post that too!!!

We did studies of plastic animals of our choosing on Monday. We had to draw the animal in 4 different positions and then anthropomorphize it and put it in some environment. That was fun and I was pleased with the outcome. I have to say, for all my classmates who said on the first day of class that they can't draw, "TAKE IT BACK!" They're all doing so well! So much creativity and so many clean lines!

Anyway, more on that later, I just wanted to post an update since I don't have anything else going on at the moment and I'm so digging art class!