To Be A Fly On That Wall...

I am a people watcher. I like seeing others interact with each other. Because of this, I have seen some interesting things. I have been privy to two encounters at two different restaurants where something weird has happened between two customers at one table that just make you wish you were sitting closer so you could hear whatever shit is hitting the fan...

A few years ago I was with a friend at a chain restaurant in North Carolina and from my booth I was able to witness a weird thing happening at a booth about 20 feet away from our table. A woman and man were sitting across from each other at their table and the man was contently eating his meal seemingly without a care in the world. The woman, on the other hand, was staring at the man with tears in her eyes and looked like she would just break down any moment.

I was giving a play-by-play to my table and we were all fascinated. What could possibly be happening just feet away from us?! No speaking was noticeable. Just the man with his meal and woman with her tears. She even got up at one point, I believe to go to the restroom and when she came back she seemed a little more put together, but it wasn't long before those big doe eyes were filled with tears again, but this time in apparent anger.

Was he cheating on her? Did he come to break up with her in a public place so she wouldn't make a scene? Who knows?! The possibilities are endless and it just makes you imagine what could be said...

The latest bit of crazy happened this morning while my roommate and I were out for breakfast. We were standing in line at this mom and pop place waiting for a table to open up. This woman came in and basically cut in front of us. Lovely, right? So we finally get to the front of the line, with this woman still ahead of us, and its only a matter of time before we get seated.

This woman was constantly on her phone, calling people, texting, etc. However, she said she was a party of two, as were we, but we were sat first because her second person wasn't here. We giggled as we passed her and started to order our food. Other people were being seated before her again because she was still alone, but that didn't stop her from chatting away on her mobile.

Finally, her person arrived, and the hostess joked with her that she should tell him to meet her there 30 minutes before she said she would be there so he would be on time. Luck would have it that they were seated right behind us. My roommate was able to watch the play by play and let me know what was happening and then all of a sudden she looked up and looked stunned.

I turned around and saw the woman had gotten up so I turned to my roommate and asked if the crazy lady went to the bathroom. Apparently not. She had stood up and just walked out of the restaurant and her guest looked a little dumbfounded but got his jacket and left the restaurant as well. I took over the watch as I could see them both in the parking lot. They each got into their separate cars and left the parking lot in two different directions.

The hostess was shocked and watched the couple leave. They had ordered coffee but never touched it. It didn't seem like many words were spoken if any. She cleaned up the table quickly and the next couple sat down.

We really have no idea of what went down behind us, but we have our speculations. Here's mine:

Crazy lady was constantly on the phone and texted because she was letting everyone of her friends and family know that she was leaving her husband. He had just pissed her off one too many times. Finally, the last straw was nearly being stood up at breakfast. We he finally showed up, he tried to act like nothing was wrong. Finally, she had enough, said they were through and to expect divorce papers and she was out the door. The shell-shocked husband was stunned but quickly got over it by thinking "thank god" and left himself in the new revelation of freedom.

What do you think?

Training: Week 2

Not much to report on the running front. My injuries seem to have taken a back seat this week, which I am grateful for. If I keep up a faster pace, my strides are longer and that relieves the pressure on my knee and ankle. So I'm currently increasing my endurance at the faster pace so I keep injury free!

Unfortunate news about this week was the I ended up getting a pretty harsh cold that knocked my training back a few days as I couldn't breathe well and my body was achy. I kept up my strength training as best I could at home, but the gym was out this weekend.

Stay tuned for next week's update!!


PS - See new races that I've added to my year of running:

O'Hartford 5K - March
IronHorse Half Marathon - June
Old Wethersfield 10K - August

Goals

So, I've realized over the last week that training for this marathon, while fulfilling and good for me, is hard and sometimes sucks. I have to set goals or milestones for me in order to reach my ultimate goal of finishing my first marathon.

Some people workout with buddies, others have a trainer to work with. With me, it's just that: me. So I have to set my own guidelines.

I have a training journal that sets up my week for me with what I need to accomplish along with places for me to put how I'm feeling, whether or not I actually did what I was supposed to do, etc. It's a pain at times to look down and see that I need to get to the gym, but its that constant reminder of what I need to achieve.

I have also gone through running websites to locate running events in my area of me to participate in so I keep my training constant. I have now committed to at least 4 races (which includes the marathon).

Lastly, I've told others about these races so I actually do them. I even have a coworker/good friend who has said that he would even come out and cheer me on. That's really what I need. So now I'm taking that a step further and announcing on my blog that I intend to run at least these 4 races:

Cupid's Chase 5K - February
ShamRock & Roll 5K - March
1/4 Marathon (11K) - April
Full Marathon (26.2mi) - October

I'm hoping to add at least one more race (hopefully a 10k to a 1/2 marathon) in the summer months to keep the incentive alive. Check back as I update my progress and race information.

Now I just have to finish...

The Ability to Have One Night Stands (or lack thereof)

So, the random topic for this evening comes from my roommate...

Have you ever had a true one-night stand? You can really only yes or no to this question. There is no maybe. It's kind of like that Yoda quote from Star Wars: "Do or do not. There is no try." There is no half way on a one-night stand. Either you did it or you didn't.

Did you know that originally, a one-night stand referred to a single night theatre performance from a group or a tour? According to Wikipedia it did (yes, we're getting technical here and looking up shit...although the source leaves something to be desired). It now is more commonly known as a sexual encounter where the two people involved do not want to continue the relationship beyond the one night together. Also according to Wikipedia, this is meant for relationships of a sexual or romantic variety, but I think you should consider that friendship is a relationship as well.

That being said, if you continue a friendship with someone you had a one-night stand with, is it really a one-night stand? It joins the list of other age-old questions like, if a tree falls and no one is around to hear it...you know the rest.

If you fall into this category of continuing relationships of any variety after a so -called single encounters, is it a bad thing or a good thing that you are incapable of having a one-night stand?

What about this: what if you really want something to be a one-night stand on your end, but on the other end, that other person wants more or even worse, starts stalking? Then does that still count as a one-night stand as you are wanting nothing to do with the other person?

I leave you with this contemplation: I've heard people say a lot of things from "I really want a relationship" to "I just want to have a fun for one night."

All I can say in either case is, be careful what you wish for...

Babies, Babies and More Babies

'Tis the season to get pregnant...or at least that's what it feels like to me.

I know babies are conceived and born all the time, but apparently this year has been about people I know specifically getting pregnant. There are two people at my job with who are pregnant. A playwright and a designer who I am working with this year are also pregnant. A former Grad School classmate got married and pregnant this year. Just recently I found out about a friend and his new wife who have just gotten pregnant. And finally tonight, I got a text message informing me that one of my own cousins is now expecting her first child!

I was thrilled when I got this news, ecstatic actually. I get a new cousin (a second cousin to be exact) and I couldn't be happier. I've actually been waiting for her to get pregnant for some time, so it makes it me so happy to see them starting a family.

But it made me realize just how many people have gotten pregnant over this past year! Some who had been married for awhile...others who just recently were married...but they have all begun their lives together and now have begun having families...

So it seems to boil down to the fact that 2009 was the year of making babies and 2010 will be the year of having them!!! Good luck to all!

For those of you who read this (as I'm sure so many of you out there do...right) and ponder whether or not to have a family...think on my roommate's words of wisdom: "don't drink the water!" Or you can think on mine: "be careful...it may be contagious!"

Frogs = Fertility

In the Native American culture, the Zuni Tribe specifically, frogs are linked to fertility.

A little background now: the Zuni Indians are known, like other pueblos, for their crafts. I speak specifically about their fetishes. For those of you who have your minds in the gutter, a fetish is a carving made from rock or precious stone. Years ago, a hunter would take a rock with him when he was out hunting that was in the shape of what he was tracking for luck. As the years passed, fetishes became an art form and craftsmen carve the rocks and stones into beautiful figurines.

Now, back to the fertility frogs...each of the animals that are carved have meanings behind them. There are dozens, but here are some examples: the figure of a bear represents strength, the coyote symbolizes trickery and laughter, the turtle is for Mother Earth, the fish is purifying, the mountain lion is for leadership and resourcefulness, the rabbit protects women during child birth and the frog symbolizes abundance and fertility.

When my parents moved out to the southwest, my mother started a collection for me. I began to learn more and more about the carvings and the carvers who made them. My mother would also tell me stories that she had learned. One stuck out to me...that women who were trying to get pregnant would place a fetish of the frog under their pillow or on their bedside table to help promote fertility. I currently have two frog fetishes that I have hidden away, as I do not want to get pregnant at this time.

However, without thinking, I just bought a calendar to put in my bedroom to replace last year's. It hangs next to my bedside table.

It's a calendar of frogs...gulp.