Attention: Weekend Runners in Central Park

Why does that lady run around the park with light green face paint on? Is it to protect her skin from the sun…or is it some kind of hydrating facial mask? I have seen her for years and the curiosity has finally gotten the best of me. Does anyone have any idea?

Oh yeah!....and does anyone else find the supposedly "easy" way harder to run (clockwise) than the "harder" way (counter clockwise)?? Just wondering....

I am everyday PEOPLE

THE PHONE RINGS......
Me: Hey
My Friend: I can’t freakin’ believe you are in PEOPLE magazine
Me: I know! Crazy, right?

Yes, it is true. Lil ole me, former butt-of-red-headed joke-after-tom-boy-joke (at least until high school)….I am in PEOPLE magazine.

[It is the one with the kidnapped boy on the cover, January 29, 2007. I am on page 39.]

For the last couple of years it has been my superficial-fantasy-wish (as opposed to my wishes for things less shallow) to appear in US Weekly. Yes, people, I read, more like dissolve, US Weekly. I fully admit it and have no qualms about it. The celebrity gossip world is like therapy for me and helps me get out of my head for the time that I am scouring it. Some people have PlayStation3, fantasy football, MaryJane….I have my celebrity gossip.

Back to the point….Although PEOPLE is not US Weekly, I am still completely flabbergasted over this. While I don’t think many men read PEOPLE, and suspiciously I have been getting some winks from women in the last week, maybe you studs out there will quickly pick it up on the sly or browse through it on the down-low at your local Barnes and Noble to check it out.

Regardless….if this is my 10 seconds of quasi-US Weekly fame, I am thoroughly enjoying every second of it.

Playlistism: Discrimination based on the music on someone's computer or iPod playlist

I had six easy and satisfying runs last week; Three, 6-7 milers; Two, 8-9 milers; and One 12-13 miler. And (yes, you are allowed to start a sentence with “And”) I owe it all to the tunes on my current playlist [as well as Starbux (which is liquid crack) and some superior new cool-weather running wear].

This wide-ranging and eclectic mix consists of the following, which when you think about it, is kind of is analogous of how all over the place I am at times…
1) Black Parade- My Chemical Romance
2) The Kill- 30 Seconds to Mars
3) Me & U- Cassie
4) She Wants to Move- N.E.R.D.
5) Face Down- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
6) The Way I Live- Baby Boy Da Prince
7) King Without a Crown- Matisyahu
8) Back that Thing Up- Juvenile
9) Juicebox- The Strokes
10) Regulate- Warren G & Nate Dogg
11) The Mixed Tape- Jack’s Mannequin
12) Boston- Augustana

Obviously, I have about 80 more songs on the list but you get the drift…..
Stay warm out there.

Random Thoughts on a Friday

I know this sounds like I am accepting an Oscar or something, but I am deeply humbled and appreciative of the emails I have received thus far. It is hard to imagine that are so many warm, good-hearted people out there who are receptive to me and want to get to know me a little bit better. (OK- enough with the kissing-a** bit)

In that vain, I have, off-the-cuff, compiled this list of random-isms about me. (I still can’t believe people are actually going to read this, which I guess is why I am being so open.)

1) My grandparents mean the world to me
2) I have a soft spot for underdogs
3) I write a thank-you card to everyone who gives me anything and do it in a timely manner
4) I sometimes have trouble “filtering”…meaning, I will say what’s on my mind when it’s on my mind…even if they have nothing to do with each other (kind of like this list)
5) I feel more comfortable hanging with guys than I do with girls
6) I find it difficult to sit through a long movie in a movie theater but have no problem lying on my couch all day
7) I want a Wheaten Terrier or Labradoodle, but not sure if I should
8) I could eat baba ganoush and guacamole everyday; Most of the time I just want the condiment rather than the food
9) I am slightly jaded when it comes to guys for no good reason, but a true believer in “the one,” which I find to be paradoxical
10) I always mean well…I would never want to purposefully hurt anyone even if they deserve it
11) I volunteer with the elderly, drafting wills, health-care proxies and other legal documents
12) I have a ton of friends, but only a handful that I trust
13) I will not think twice about spending money on a gift or a pair of shoes, but relish saving 50 cents at the drugstore
14) I feel more confused about what I feel passionate about career-wise than I did 5 years ago;
I feel much less confused about what I want in a man than I did 5 years ago
15) I am extremely sensitive to others feelings, sometimes to a fault
16) I have recently discovered that the Midwest breeds some good-looking men
17) I can’t swallow pills…I need to chew up food, stick the pill in the food and swallow the clump together. (I know, I know… this ends up being larger than the pill itself.)
18) There are times I do not go out at night because I would rather wake-up early and get in a good long run
19) Music effects me; I mean, it can literally change my mood
20) I never quite understood whether to use affect or effect when stating something as I did just above
21) I love NYC, consider myself a city-girl and don’t see myself leaving. But as long as I’ve felt that way, I’ve always had this nonsensical vision of myself falling in love and moving to a farm…I know, random, huh????

Until the next time…..Be Well.