Can you donate more?

Hey people, Noah needs your help. I know you've all got an extra $25 to give to a good cause! In his own words:

Team Cuttler formed many months ago to help cut out cancer by raising $150,000 through The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man & Woman of the Year campaign. To reach that goal, we've relied on the support of online donors and fundraising events across the country, most recently in Atlanta, San Francisco, Davis and Washington D.C.

At the halfway point in our ten-week campaign, with the help of hundreds of supporters and dozens of volunteers, Team Cuttler has raised tens of thousands of dollars. Our efforts are making a real impact on blood cancer research, education and patient services. Now your donation is as critical as ever.

Please help us raise $2,000 by Friday, May 18th by donating today at http://www.active.com/donate/ncamwoy05/teamcuttler.
Every $25 contributed awards you a raffle ticket for our quarterly drawing. This quarter ends May 29th and the prize is a $100 giftcard to Starbucks. The largest quarterly contributor will be recognized in the Team Cuttler Newsletter and Cut Out Cancer Blog - cutoutcancer.blogspot.com!

It looks like my legs are all better, a pretty quick recovery after the marathon. Saturday was our TnT coaches run, in combination with the San Francisco team, in Mill Valley. It was the longest run for the Rock 'n' Roll runners before their taper begins. I've grown to enjoy this run even though the first time I ran there, my very first 20 miler ever, wasn't as much fun. They change the route sometimes and Saturday they had the route I like; out to Blackie's Pasture and then over to Tiburon. I was a little disappointed knowing that I wouldn't be able to do the whole run.

I got up early, too early if ya ask me, got ready for the run and drove over there. I never remember exactly how long it takes but this time with no traffic, it only took about 45 minutes. I wanted to get there early because I didn't know which group I'd try to run with -- or start with. Also wanted to get there early because parking can become a problem if you get there too late! I had to decide whether to start with the earliest group, those going my speed but running 20 miles, or to wait for the half marathoners who would be running more my intended mileage. I asked Coach Al how far he thought I should go, he pondered a moment, then said I should run about 10 miles. !!!Wha???? Here I was thinking I should try for 4-8 miles, depending on how my legs felt. Looks like neither of my coaches is letting me slide these days. So I decided to try for 8 anyway. Heh heh. One shouldn't ask for advice one isn't prepared to follow!

I saw one of our captains who I thought was my speed, maybe a bit faster. She's coming off an injury and has slowed down from that and was planning on running 8 miles so I joined her. She has slowed down, mostly because her injury isn't healed and she's still in discomfort. Or, pain. We ran 4 enjoyable miles together, then I decided that I felt sooooo good that I'd go for another mile before turning around. Dummy. I had forgotten just how hilly that last mile is. But it was a beautiful day, sunny, cool, breezy, I was feeling no pain, so wtf.

A lot of this run is very, very pretty. We got a view of the bay, with San Francisco and the Bay Bridge in the background. But I almost missed the biggest Anita moment. Trish pointed out an egret -- or heron? -- standing by the edge of the water, as still as a statue. As we ran up closer it spread it's great wings and took flight. Just stunning, nature at it's showiest.

For the whole run I had Mama Lisa's voice in my brain telling me I wasn't allowed to walk any hills. Darn, even when she isn't there I can hear her! So for the first 4 miles I ran the hills, except the one short one that the San Francisco coach had told us all to walk, it's too steep. Since I had slowed to Trish's pace running up the hills was actually not too bad. When I continued on I sped up considerably but still continued running the hills. That was much more difficult. And tiring. And painful. I could feel every one of them in my calf muscles, and feel every downhill in my quads. Ouch. I only walked one other hill, a long steep one that happened, coincidentally, to be during my regularly scheduled walk break. Hmmm? Oh, I started 9:1 for the last 6 miles. Every other walk break was on a downhill or flat but luckily the worst hill was a walker. No really, it was a legitimate walk break! I was darn tired when I finished but impressed that I had managed 10 miles within a week of running a marathon.

I hung around, cheering in all the runners, congratulating them on their incredible achievement. Nineteen to twenty miles is nothing to sneeze at. It's quite an accomplishment for all of them and the longest most of them had ever run. So I stayed there, dreading the drive home, talking with friends, having a nice morning. After the last runner had returned, most of the people were gone, I got in my car so I could go sit in traffic.

And sit. Although it had taken only 45 minutes several hours earlier, it took me just under an hour and a half to get home. Most of that time I talked with my sis on the phone so it didn't drag too badly. Nevertheless I was happy to get home finally. I needed a shower, food and a nap, stat!

This weekend I was supposed to get rid of my old, broken television. Because it's too big for me to move it's still sitting in my dining room, face against the wall. I had received a flier on my door from a neighbor who was doing a recycling drive to benefit cancer and his eagle service leadership project. He had included an email address so I contacted him about whether he could come pick it up; he was very agreeable and we set tentative times for the pickup for Friday night or Sunday morning. I didn't get a final confirmation from him but waited around Friday evening and all Sunday morning. Yeah, he never showed. Never emailed, even in response to my latest query. Damn. Time for Plan B. I don't have a Plan B.

While I was waiting for the kid I cleaned the house. And I dusted everything on my bookshelves. No, I didn't pick up each and every book. That's crazy talk! I have many, many MANY books. As in 7 bookcases, 6 shelves on 3 of them and 7 shelves on 4 of them. Full of books, often double rows on the shelves. And lots of stuff on the shelves in front of the books; pictures, figurines, bears, more bears, etc. Being the conscientious housekeeper that I am, I thoroughly dust the bookcases at least once a -- decade? No, more frequent than that, maybe twice a year. Or once. And a little more frequently than that I dust around things. If I spent more time in that room I'd probably keep it cleaner. Yeah, because cleaning is my life. Not. At least, not since I divorced the anal-compulsive needs-to-clean-the-house-spic-and-span every-single-damn-Friday-night shithead. I think every cleaning urge in my body must have been expended during the married years, with nothing left over. I'm lucky I actually use a dust cloth and vacuum at all anymore.

I worked a bit in the garden. It smells wonderful, with the jasmine and peonies in full bloom. I can open my back slider and sit on my sofa and still feel like I'm outside. Without the sun or the bugs or the wind.

I got some knitting done too! Superlong wrap is coming along. And along. It doesn't look like the picture, probably because I switched the yarn to the skinny alpaca. I'm hoping after I finish it (some day) and block it that it'll open up more. I also started on a new instant gratification project. Shhhh -- don't tell the other side of my brain, I'm supposed to just be finishing some off my existing projects. But I told Monica that I'd knit her a hat for Stitch 'n' Pitch. I knit 3 different hats last year, for Pam, Sandy and me. I'm trying some of the (crap) yarn we got at that game, a strange orange/black boucle-ish acrylic. This is supposed to be my fun project? I've only knit a few rows. If I think it's ugly after a couple of inches I'll rip it out and use my malabrigo. Now THAT would be a fun project!

I haven't had a Gratuitous Bear of the Day in a while since I had a bunch of other pictures. I'm feeling it's time for a change. The next group of bears were sold individually at, of all places, Safeway. Hey, I should be safe from bear temptations when I'm grocery shopping! It's hard enough staying away from chips and ice cream, now I had to watch out for the bear aisle too? So this was a set of, I can't recall exactly what they were called, but it was something like lucky charm bears. They each have a little bead necklace that can be removed and worn by person as a bracelet and that's supposed to bring you luck in the trait the bear embodies (which is embroidered on her foot). I've left the necklace on the bears, since I certainly don't know what I'd do with more health, success, love, courage, happiness or wealth! Um, right. So today, here is Ms. Happiness.