Abby's Dream Recap 2: "Epic Dream"

I had this dream back in 2009 or so and typed out the whole thing in an AIM conversation with John. He kept it so that he could put it on facebook and then I found it this week on my computer. So in this you can see John's reactions, too. We've always referred to it as my "crazy epic dream."

Abby: I had the most cracked out dream. Ok. I dreamt that there was a movie of the war requiem

John:  What?

Abby:  And that it took place in your house in Knoxville with your roommates, plus some more people. At one point this 3 year old (or younger?) kid, that was hanging around the house for some reason, turned out to be a demon and one of your roommates had to fight it, apocalypse style.

The baby sprouted these red and orange gigantic feathers, and the two of them started fighting to the death. But then they decided after a while that they shouldn't be enemies. Meanwhile, one of the bedrooms became consumed with fire.

John:  WHAT THE HELL, this is so epic!

 Abby:  Mysteriously, [actor] Carl Weathers had been beaten to death (not sure by who) and rolled up in a carpet and put in the room so people went in to get his body out. And you were all in the kitchen, gathering things to take with us when we fled and trying to decide what to do. Suddenly the house began to flood quickly. We were submerged in water. Then everyone was taken to safety in one of those motorized rafts, except for the demon baby and your pseudo roommate who had fought him.

They were unconscious in the house, underwater, but not yet dead. One of you knew that there were these giant slugs, more like fish, that could help rescue them because they would try to eat them but they wouldn't actually kill them.

Someone from the raft went down into the chimney, into the house (underwater). The slug fish had half-eaten the demon baby and your friend so he picked the fish up by their tails and dragged all of it to the surface in the end. My final image was of everyone having survived, and the demon baby and your roommate had the fish still attached to them at the waist, so they looked like mermaids.

And then I woke up and I was like, damn, I'm glad I slept for that entire dream.

Abby's Dream Recap 1: "I have many forms."

I've always had really crazy dreams, both scary and completely awesome. At this point, John is sick of hearing about it, so I've decided to post a few of them on the blog from time to time. 
So here goes! In related news, John and I had just started watching American Horror Story. Coincidence? 

The last night that I was at SMT, I dreamt that I had already returned home from the conference. I walked into our living room and saw the recliner chair rocking back and forth, as though someone had just stood up from sitting in it. But John was nowhere to be found and I realized that it was moving on its own. When I said to myself, "What the hell..." the chair immediately stopped moving and changed color slightly, as though the transparent thing that had been making it move had moved on.

Then, I confronted John about it and he sheepishly revealed that he had performed some kind of conjuring ritual while I was gone, and it had gone awry. As we talked, one of our metal folding chairs (normally positioned at John's desk) began moved toward us, still folded up, and I knocked it over when it came close. John and I clung to each other in fear as we watched this happen. 

I asked, "How can we sleep here tonight, after all this? What is this thing?"

A female voice answered, "I have many forms."

And I woke up.

SMT 2013: Charlotte

Last weekend was the SMT's Annual Theory-a-thon in Charlotte. While I was there, I also heard people refer to it as Theory Camp and Theory Christmas. Theory Camp I understand, but Theory Christmas...that's too much. 

Anyways, it was a productive, fun, and also exhausting conference, per usual. I got to reconnect with lots of people from IU, though none of the students in this IU department ad were present, including Mark: 

I got to see my former classmate, Drew (shown below), give a paper about baroque dance that was great! He also played piano in his presentation to demonstrate different conceptions of baroque meter, and his playing is excellent. Presentations with live performance are always the best. 

The DJ and Bryn were present with little Trudy and it was great to hang out with Mama DJ for a bit in between sessions! Trudy is cuter in real life than in pictures, if you can believe it. 

This year's conference had included several great pedagogy sessions, though I was sad to miss Bryn's as it was on Sunday morning, during my flight (but you can check out the materials here!). I found those sessions particularly inspiring and I'm going to try to incorporate some more new tech/media into my teaching. I love the idea of having a short, weekly podcast to introduce the topic of the week for my students. 

I also somehow managed to do a bunch of personal work during the conference weekend. My plan was to go to things when I wanted to, but not to force myself to go to any sessions just because I was there. The result was that I had a little extra time on my hands to write, especially Wednesday afternoon before everyone else arrived. I had the hotel room to myself and got all kinds of stuff written before my roommate, Anna, arrived. It turns out that an expensive hotel room that does not include internet is a good place to get stuff done because you don't have the internet to offer distractions. It did give me the idea to get a few fun colleagues together, rent a cabin (or cottage, as the locals always say) somewhere pretty, then work all day and have fun in the evening. It would be sort of like an informal writing retreat! 

On Saturday I went to the parties and snapped this picture of several senior theorists playing poker at the end of the Yale reception.

Then John went to AMS almost right after I got back from SMT. Bobo and I had the weekend to ourselves and we filled our time with walks in the gray weather.

This was our first fairly cold weekend - highs in the 30s - and it's starting to feel like winter, even if it still looks like fall. 

Bobo has her winter wear all ready to go. She's wearing her red, heavier coat in the photos above. And below you can see her knit sweater for moderately cold weather. As you can see, she loves them both. 

Silver Dolphin's Halloween Haunt/Crystal Ball, Annual Fall Time Trial

A couple of weeks ago my swim coach emailed us to say that the London Silver Dolphins decided to open their annual fall time trial (aka, unofficial swim meet) to Triathlon Club swimmers and other people at Western. I'd like to enter some meets in the spring, but I wanted to have a practice meet sometime beforehand, so I gladly signed up.

The goal of the meet is to come closest to your predicted time, though I was more interested in seeing what on earth my times would be. I haven't timed myself since I last did summer swimming in 2001, so I needed to establish some new baselines to work from. A few weeks ago at Triathlon practice we timed ourselves and I did a 50 free in 42 seconds, so I used that to guess some more times. Here's what I did: 

100 IM

Predicted time: 1:40. 

Actual time: 1:32. 

Holy crap! I can't believe I swam that fast. It was hard. I rarely sprinted while running unless I was at the very end of a 5K where I was trying to PR. But I'm so glad I did it. I love 100 IM - it's just the right amount of IM. But that much hard butterfly made my abs REALLY sore.

100 Free

Predicted time: 1:30

Actual time: 1:19:51. 

Again, I was so happy with this time. I thought it would be MUCH slower and I was pleasantly surprised. The photo below is just before the first turn (I'm the one with the blue head in lane 5).

50 Free

Predicted time: 00:41

Actual time: 00:37:52
Wow, this was MUCH harder than I remembered (pretty much the theme of the day), but I also loved it. I breathed probably 4 times, which is more than I would have done years ago, but I was generally happy with how this went. Also, my swim coaches helped me figure out how to keep my goggles on when diving off the block by putting them under my cap and pulling the cap over the edge of the goggles. I have a lot of work to do if I really want to be able to sprint again and improve this time, but I also feel like a better time is completely within my reach.

I also managed to get into the lane on the end so that John could take pictures.

Now that I've done it again, I'm excited to enter some meets in the spring. I'm thinking of registering as an independent Silver Dolphin so that I can keep training with the tri-club but have some company with the team for meets. 

John was kind enough to come with me (especially since I spent so many cold, rainy hours with him in Indy for the marathon), and I was reminded how many boring long stretches swim meets have. Unlike when I was a kid, no one seemed to have a deck of cards to play War and there was no snack bar where we could go get a Ring Pop. But the UWO Swim Team was there to volunteer as timers and other meet workers and they walked around with buckets of Halloween candy from time to time. From what I could tell, the Silver Dolphins are a nice bunch and I hope to swim with them again.
Now I have some times to beat!

Little Molls

Sadly I have to tell you that Molly, aka, Little Molls, aka, La Molita, passed away last week. 

I felt like I should write about it because she and Toby are regulars on this blog, but I've also put it off. She was an old dog - my parents got her while I was a senior at Interlochen -  but it was still a shock that she was fine the weekend of the marathon and gone a few days later. Apparently her spine was deteriorating without us knowing it. She certainly didn't let on until the very end. 

Suddenly I feel like I have a completely inadequate amount of photos of her. 

She was a lucky girl to have been rescued by my parents. They treated her like royalty. Every dog should be so lucky, and in return, Molly was always so sweet. And she was lucky at the end not to have suffered for more than a couple of days, if that. But I know we're all sad to lose her and we'll miss her so much. I'm glad she got to meet Bo, but I'll be sad to be without all three dogs this Christmas. In fact, I don't think it will fully sink in until we visit for Christmas.

I'm also glad she got to meet so many of my friends and family over the years, especially at the wedding. She loved walking with my dad at IU and chasing squirrels on the President's lawn.

She and Toby weren't exactly best friends, but I know it's an adjustment for him, too, being the only dog. He'll mark her absence in his own way, I'm sure. 

It's hard to imagine ever meeting another dog as sweet and as easily loving as Molly. She was so good.

Indianapolis Marathon and Half Marathon, 2013

Last weekend, John, Kira, and Kira's mom, Karen, ran the Indianapolis Marathon (and Half Marathon, for Karen) in Historic Fort Harrison. John wrote his own race report for the event, so I thought I would post that here. My version of the story is a lot more boring: I stood outside in the rain for 3 hours, waiting for them to finish and hoping that none of them had hypothermia. And I got a cold. Kira also had a huge PR that I hope she will write about at some point on her blog. The end. 

So heeeeere's Johnny!

I know I don't post much on the blog, but I wanted to write up a report for my first ever full Marathon. In September of 2012 Abby and I ran our first half marathon with friend of the blog Kira. Ever since then, the thought of a full seemed increasingly plausible. I trained for the half using the 10k plan out of Run Less, Run Faster. I know it sounds silly to use a 10k plan for a race that is twice that distance, but the 10k plan included long runs of ten miles at an aggressive pace. Knowing that I could run ten miles in about seventy-five minutes, I figured that I could at least finish the half and I even ran a 13 mile long run on my own to confirm this. After doing well in the half and loving the atmosphere a full seemed increasingly attractive. 

In February of 2013 I decided that I would attempt to train for a full marathon: the Indianapolis Marathon. I consulted friends such as Kira who had run a marathon, and I also decided on a few rules. If I was going to train for a full I had to: 1use the roller everyday, stretch for 10+ minutes after all workouts, and I had to avoid injury by strength training. There were certainly a few days when I forgot to roll, but I'm sure I averaged a good home roll at least 6 days a week, often more. Training for the marathon went well, and come October I felt strong and confident. 

The day of the race finally came, and I lined up on a cold and rainy Saturday morning in Lawrence, IN to run 26.2 miles. The previous Saturday had been spent in bed as I tried to get over a cold. It lingered all week, but by Friday, I was confident I could at least start. I had four tiers of goals: 1 Finish the marathon; 2 finish in under four hours; 3 finish with the 3:30 pace group; 4 finish under 3:30. I had trained for a 7:45 pace, but I didn't expect to be able to execute a 3:23 for my first run, and many experts advise against having time goals for your first marathon This turned out to be good advice. 

The first 13.1 miles really whizzed by. I know that sounds crazy to anybody who's never run that far, but after training on my own for 15 mile, 18 mile, and 20 mile long runs, having people to run with and fans to cheer us on felt amazing. I posted a 1:44:18 for the half, right on schedule for my third tier goal! This, however, was to prove the end of my 3:30 dreams. Soon after 13.1, I started to feel tired and tight in three danger zones: my glutes, hip flexors, and ham strings. Previous experience had taught me that combined stress in these areas indicated fatigue. Under similar circumstances in a few training runs, I had ended early because of such feelings. At around 15.5 miles I attempted to stretch my hamstrings, only to find them especially tight. I knew I was in trouble. 

For the remaining 11 or so miles, my pace became erratic and I battled leg cramps. The worst stretch was from 15.5 to 20 miles. During this stretch, I was not at all convinced I could finish the race. I knew that if the pain increased, I would have to drop out. Furthermore, I had ditched my shirt, as planned, but the stopping and starting contributed to a lower than planned core temperature. Basically, the race was far from over, I experiencing new pain, and I was running shirtless in 45 degree weather. Not ideal. 

I basically just kept running. at a little turn around, I saw my 3:30 pace friends, one of whom yelled "Enjoy it!" I took his advice, focused on my first tier goal of finishing, and set about moving in bursts. Once my watch read 32KM (20 miles), I knew I would be able to finish. It was still difficult. At one point I had to ask a volunteer to help me tie my shoe because I had to remove a pebble. My hands were too cold to tie them back on. I just kept going, and attempted to enjoy myself. I had never run farther than 20 miles, so every new mile was an accomplishment. I clung to such thoughts like an emotional life preserver as I kept moving, and other runners kept passing me. 

I was just short of 25 miles when I stopped again. Another runner who had been with me for some time encouraged me to continue, saying "Oh, come on!" He said this in a good way, as in "you're so close, don't stop now." I started running again. About .75 miles to the finish, I saw Matt, the 3:30 pacer appeared and ran toward me. He matched my pace (something like an 11 minute mile) and started pouring encouragement into me. 
"This is your first marathon," he said. "You're already faster than most everybody who runs a marathon," he said. "Do you have someone waiting for you at the finish with a jacket?" 
I probably could have finished without Matt, but when he appeared and started running with me, I felt like I could be proud of what I had done. I will never forget seeing him and the unconditional support he offered. With less than half a mile to go, he asked if I could make it on my own. I said I could and he left to go run with others. I don't think I sped up, but I kept running, even passing a few people before the final turn. Once in the finishing chute, I saw and heard Abby. As usual she was angrily screaming at me to run faster and finish. I heard my name called out, and then heard the beep as the mats registered my chip. Total time: 3:51:12. 

All in all, it was and continues to be an amazing experience. I keep remembering that I actually ran a full marathon. I don't know for sure what happened with my legs. I usually do some dynamic stretches at about 2-3 miles, but I skipped that. It was also a bit colder than I had been training, and it rained a lot. I also stopped to pee twice during the first half and ran hard to catch the group (a serious tactical error). Whatever the cause of my troubles, I still managed to finish (and I trounced that lying son of a bitch Paul Ryan, a goal that helped keep me moving). I think the training plan I used worked wonderfully, and I love how I only had to do three runs a week (plus cross training and strength. I loved having Abby there to catch me at the end and to think for me when I was too exhausted to remember to put my pants on. And I can't wait to do it again. 

Pre-race photos:

Lining up in the corrals: 

Abby, warming her gloves by the fire, during the race:

Awesome race sign:

Post-race photos:

Northern Beers

We were so lucky that of all the people who could have shown up for our reunion, our friends Ethan and Josh were there. 

We had drinks at our former choir director's house one night and dinner there the next. His dogs were super friendly and climbed on my lap immediately - I didn't object, of course.

On Saturday, we decided to set off to see some beautiful Norther Michigan sites and to visit an ice cream place we used to love - Moomer's. I thought the stuffed (but real) animals in this display might like to taste my ice cream.

Michigan has always seemed like a beer wonderland to me, and this area was no different. Kira and I discovered a particularly impressive beer list at the Hofbrau (another old haunt) the first night we were in town. I had a great Vanilla Java Porter (delicious!) by Atwater, a brewery in Detroit. It's amazing to me that a remote, sort of truck stop kind of place like the Hofbrau would have such great beer. And yet, Michigan. 

Along with visiting Moomer's on Saturday, we went to Shorts Brewing in Bellaire, MI, per my request. I love the beer of theirs that I've tried in Ann Arbor and I was excited to try whatever they had on hand. Lucky for me, everyone else was up for a little road trip because it took an hour to get there.

Kira and I split a flight of tasting portions and I took diligent notes in the same notebook I used in Asheville before my voice came back. My friend Josh was rather impressed with my note taking - he said I was a beer connoisseur, though I told him it's mostly John's interest rubbing off on me. 

Shorts had a long list of beers on tap to try, and (not sure if you can see in this picture) all of the tap pulls were little legs wearing shorts...of course.

Visiting Shorts was everything I hoped - they had great and weird beer and great food. My favorite beer would have to be the OMGWTFBBQ, that tasted like bbq sauce with a sweet and smoky aftertaste. They also had a great and also weird bourbon barreled IPA that tasted first like hops and then like bourbon. But it was also good! 

After a stop at Moomer's, we decided to try another brewery in Traverse City - Right Brain Brewery. 

Kira and I also shared a flight here. We liked the Shrute Farms beet beer (yeah, as in, Dwight Scrute), though it was very earthy (like a beet). None of the rest really blew my skirt up, but I did like the special pour of their bourbon barrel ale that I requested. 

I loved getting to try all the fun Michigan beers and I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of them at the little grocery store in Interlochen. I was able to get some of Shorts' Soft Parade and Autumn Ale to take home. 

The next day, Kira and I set off for Canada. We stopped in Cadillac for breakfast at Cheryl's, and if you're in the area, I would highly recommend it. They have great breakfast specials with a view of the lake and delicious homemade cherry-rhubarb jam that I was able to get in a take-out container. If I make it back to Interlochen in another 5 or 10 years, I would definitely stop at Cheryl's again.