White Minnesota

When we got below the clouds, the view of Minnesota was spectacularly ... white! There is still snow on the ground, and the lakes are frozen. There is even snow on the sidewalks of the city. It was cold this afternoon (33 degrees), but the wind stings cheeks and makes eyes water. I should have taken my coat and hat!

I met two of my colleagues for dinner at Palomino, and we tried to get back to our hotels via the skywalks, but found that they close at night on Sundays. So we had to go to street level and walk back to the hotels. It was only a couple of blocks, but I was glad to get indoors again!

Shipping Fever

This is it: countdown week. By this time next Sunday - Easter Sunday - I'll be sitting in my hotel room in Minneapolis skyping home. I'm working Tuesday thru Saturday, so won't have any free time after tomorrow to make sure everything fits in my roll-on. I'm still deciding, actually, whether to check a suitcase. Probably should - that way there will be room to bring back the inevitable conference freebies, and I can pack my mini Swiss Army knife.

There's much to do at work - I've set up a blog for the library's conference attendees to record their notes from conference sessions, but need to publicize it before we leave and tell folks how to post. Trying to avoid having to type a a report after we return, because I know I'll forget something important. Next I want to collect everyone's cellphone numbers, and see which conference sessions they will be attending, so we can cover the greatest number with the least duplication.

At home, I also have much to do. Because Minn is cold, I need to think carefully about what I'm packing - I'll need a coat, gloves & hat, boots, no swimsuit this time, plus the laptop, a good book, and something to do (I think some knitting or crocheting). I need to get my miles in for the half-marathon, clean the fish tank, pay some bills, and decide what to do on Saturday for M, L, and P for Easter, since I'm leaving early Easter morning.

And in between, I'm learning to use i-Tunes and my new iPod shuffle. I've downloaded a book to listen to on the airplane, and some nice Hawaiian music. I'm beginning to understand how L can spend $18 at a time! Of course, my iTunes library is pretty slim at the moment, but that book will keep me occupied for a while.

The Walk to Nugget

I intended to walk 3 miles after work last evening, which I estimated would take about an hour. But M suggested we have Chicken Salad for dinner, which required crunchy chow mien noodles to top it with. "Why don't you walk down to Nugget and get some?" he suggested - so I did. It took me longer than I expected: 45 minutes of brisk walking. I called him as I left the store to let him know I'd be a little late getting back, and he said, "change of plans - we don't have enough chicken."

Ooohhh!

So I walked 45 minutes back with a can of crunchy chow mien noodles, a bottle of lite soy sauce, and a packet of Chinese chicken salad seasoning - then heated up leftover spaghetti for dinner, which we consumed at about 8:15 p.m. And the battery in my Zen Nano ran out of juice, so I couldn't even enjoy the consolation of a good story.

Google Pedometer said it's 2 miles to Nugget, 4 miles RT. My right knee has been complaining all day. I wonder if I'm actually going to make this half-marathon! My training plan shows a 5 mile walk this weekend - hope I can do it! The gel ice-pack is my friend!

Evening Time, Work is Over Now

My walking schedule, up to now in the mornings, has had to expand to evenings. This is such a beautiful time of year - warm enough to wear short sleeves, but cool enough to be able to work hard and sweat. The number of miles I walk is increasing each week, and includes one long walk (Mondays) and one moderate walk (TBD) and three shorter walks of about an hour and a half each. The long walk will gradually increase in distance until I am walking the entire half-marathon in practice.

Last night after work, I walked along the Sacramento River Levee just before sundown, and enjoyed the flowering trees, new grass, blue sky, and yellow sun. My cell phone can't really capture the lighting - so I will be carrying my "real" camera on walks in the future.

Right now, I'm listening to a book, "Blink, the Power of Thinking Without Thinking", while I walk. It keeps me from noticing how l-o-n-g the walk is, and from paying too much attention to my feet and knees. I'm already looking for my next book - maybe a good mystery - for when this one is finished. I use the library's downloadable audiobook collection and transfer the files to my Zen Nano MP3 player.