I am transcribing bird migratory information for the Bird Phenology Program. Through 1880 until 1970, birdwatchers from around North America apparently recorded their observations on cards and sent them in to the USGS. They've held onto these cards, some 6 million of them, for years, and have now decided to put them all in digital form. They have a system where volunteers can logon to their computers, view the cards (that other volunteers have scanned in), and type in the information. What better way to volunteer than by sitting on your own couch? I'm pretty excited. I like birds, and I've been wanting to find ways to volunteer. Its also kind of neat, looking at cards writen by people over a hundred years ago. Pretty amazing.

This broccoli is from my vegetable garden in my backyard. Its very good. It has a nutty flavor, not bitter or sharp like broccoli from the store. Jon and I ate it raw for breakfast. I'm very excited about my garden. I have a lot of vegetables planted, but only a few of each plant. This is the first year I've tried a garden, so I want to see what works and what doesn't. Broccoli works.

I love pizza. It is my favorite food. I like plain cheese best, and Papa John's is my favorite chain. I also like varieties from Rocco's or Mellow Mushroom's. Again, I prefer veggie toppings over meat.

The pic a few posts down is orange, so here's a blue one. This was taken with Jon's camera in his room, which is blue. Ever since I got contacts people have been noticing how big my eyes are. They were always that size. The freckles on my nose are from running and training in the sun all year long. I wear sunscreen all the time, but freckles just happen.

Karyn and I went to a showing of the documentary "Who Does She Think She Is" tonight. Its about women artists struggling to reconcile their art and their families and our society's views of what they should do/be. There were also four local women artists there to discuss their opinions of the film and thier lives. It was tons of fun. I'm not very artistic, and I don't have any gender inequality issues, or any kids, but it was still very interesting. There were a lot of good points made. I loved the intelligent discussions we had. I'm so glad I went.

I'm talking to Jon on the phone, hence the smile. So this is a picture of virtual Jon as well as me :). I don't know why I'm orange, something with the lighting obviously. Its kind of cool.

I'm snuggled up on the couch. Its nice to be snuggled up on the couch. Monday's is pretty much the only day I make a point to watch TV, because I love the show Heroes. It was wierd last season, but now its great again. Good job, writers/producers/whoever. I do end up watching TV on other nights, but its usually National Geographic, or History channel, or HGTV, or CSI or Law & Order. Or sports.

I've been playing in the dirt today. I planted several perennials in my front yard. It was pretty tiring. With perennials you have to wait for the reward - the flowers. Not like annuals, which are usually in bloom when you plant them for instant gratification. I planted some perennials two years ago, and they have some really nice flowers now. Unfortunately there's only about 3 of them.

I planted some shrubs last year and the year before, and a tree as well. I think they're growing, but very slowly.

This is my Road ID bracelet I just bought. I go running and biking by myself a lot, and most running shorts don't have pockets, so I don't carry ID. The bracelet has a metal tag with my name, emergency phone numbers, medical allergies, blood type, and organ donor status. I was reading the testimonials on the website (http://www.roadid.com/), and people were saying how they collapsed while running, or got hit by a car on a bike (one guy even hit a deer while on his bike), and their ID gave the paramedics the info they needed. At first that made me nervouse, because I don't want to get hit by a car, but that's silly. Emergencies happen, and in order to get through them you have to be prepared. Putting down that I was an organ donor also made me a little nervous, but again I told myself I was being silly. Doctors want to make sure I keep my organs, but if I can't, at least someone else should have a chance. I think organ donation is important, so I put it on my ID.

I went running today with my ID (3.5 miles, and I felt great), and nothing bad happened. Everyone should have an ID if they go out without a wallet, rather its running, hiking, surfing, kayaking, etc. Besides the bracelet you can get an anklet, a dog tag, or a shoe tag. You make sure your pet has ID in case they get lost, you should do the same for yourself.

I had a dentist appointment today. No cavities, but I've never had a cavity. That's not my problem. I had some kind of periodontal thing, like extreme gingivitis. The bone around my jaw was degrading, so they had to cut back my gums, clean everything up, and even injected some material to act as bone replacement. They did my whole mouth, and then relocated some tissue to build up my gums in some places. They did a great job, one of the dental hygenists couldn't even tell the work had been done, she thought I was just normal. I don't have any recurrance either. The dentist said he should have taken before and after pics, I'd make a great advertisement.

I'm testing out the cushion I made for my window seat. It's very comfy, and doesn't look too bad either. I sewed a giant pillow case around a piece of foam cut to fit. It only took about 2 hours (well, it the back end isn't sewn up yet--I'm considering using velcro so I can take it off to wash it). It was fun breaking out my sewing machine. I'm still learning to sew, so practice is good. I only messed up a couple of times.

I spent about $130 on fabric, thread, and foam (including the extra yard of fabric I had to go get after I made a mistake). How much do custom cushions cost? Was it worth it to make my own? I guess if nothing else, I have a feeling of accomplishment.

Now I need to do something about that floor.

These are the scars I have from shoulder surgery. They are about the length of my thumbnail, and there is a third one on the backside of my shoulder. I had a Bankhart repair of my right shoulder. Basically there is a gasket around your shoulder, that holds your arm bone (humorus?) to your shoulder blade. I tore mine off in the front, one of the 7 dislocations must have done it. The doctor drilled into my shoulder blade, sank in some anchors, and reattached the gasket. It didn't hurt much, and as you can see there are hardly any scars. It was about 4 months ago, and I can just now move my arm above my head again. I still can't reach very well in some directions, and have very little strength, but that will all come with time. I graduated from physical therapy this week (my therapist, Marie, is awesome), and hopefully next week the doctor will clear me for more activities.

Then I get to go fix my left shoulder :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Dinner cooked over a grill just tastes better than cooked in the oven. I grill my dinner most nights when the weather is nice. There's no special occasion or weekend needed. Tonight is a Tuesday. It really doesn't take that long to heat up the coals. Tonights dinner is a grilled chicken breast and Greek green beans with tomatoes, followed by a bowl of ice cream, banana, and chocolate sauce. The banana makes it healthy, right?

NatGeo has a show on about the pyramids, and they used some "revolutionary 3D software developed by Dassault." Hmmmm....wonder what that could be.

I LOVE Cadbury Cream Eggs. Spring is really here when they start appearing in the stores, they are one of my favorite signs of the season. They are a rediculous amount of sugar, but they are just soooo good. I like to bite of the small end of the egg and suck out the insides before eating the rest of the shell.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

This is the new back porch light I installed today. I was just replacing an old, outdated one, so it wasn't very hard. Not like I was adding a new fixture or anything (although I've done that before). My house hasn't been updated since the 70's, so I'm doing a lot of work around it. I like learning how to care for my house, and I like making it look better. When I'm done, this place is going to be awesome.

I was crazy productive today. Besides installing the new light, I installed an under-cabinet mounted toaster oven, replanted my lemon tree, planted some radish seeds and a tarragon plant, went for a bike ride, bought groceries, did laundry (and even folded it), bought foam and fabric to make a cushion for my window seat, and cleaned the litter box. When you get a productive feeling, you just have to go with it, because you never know when it will end and when it will come back.

Today I made my victorious return to the racing scene! I did my first race after having shoulder surgery last year. It was the St Patrick's Day 5k, which was on March 14, which is pi, and also Karyn's birthday. A bunch of us ran the race. Karyn ran slow with me and took pictures of all of the crazy people (which may have included us).

My time was 41:16, which is my worst 5k ever (not counting the 5k at the end of the tri, which really doesn't count). I did very little walking, and my shins hurt, but not as bad as on Thursday. I did a warm up, and stopped to stretch a few times during the race. Its not like I've ever been fast anyway, I think my best 5k time is around 36 minutes. There was one guy dressed as a leprechaun that I think did the Buffalo Boogie last year, and passed me then. I finished before him today, so that makes me feel better.

This is a picture of me taken with Karyn's "multi-hundred dollar super fancy crazy cool professional camera with the awesome paisley strap", which is the camera's official name. It was taken using some high speed function (i think). I look like a ghost :)

I think I have shin splints. :( I'm not sure, because its hard to describe something you feel. My shin hurts a lot when I run. My left one hurts more, I think because my right one is exercised by my foot using the pedals when I drive. I usually try to power through the pain and run anyway, but there is a lot of limping and wimpering involved. I probably should stop running, but thats no fun. Today I did cut my run short, walked home (most of the way), and took the shortcut home. I was waiting for the abs class to start one day, and in the weights class before it the instructor showed an exercise to strengthen shins. I've been doing them, and my shins do get tired from it. Thats the muscle that hurts when I run, so I guess it is shin splints. Boo.

Its cold and rainy today, and I'm snuggled up in a sweatshirt. I hate being cold, but snuggly is nice. I do like cold, rainy days, they're kind of exciting. Warm sunny days are great, but they're just calm and normal.

I used to hate running. It took running regularly for over a year and a half before I could admit that I liked it. People who run always seemed to strong and powerful. Thats how I feel when I'm out running. It kind of amazes me that I'm part of that club now, because I never thought I was that kind of person. When I can't run (or even when I'm just going for a walk instead) I'm jealous of the runners. Out of breath, sweating, sore, tired, its great. When I am running, I like meeting other runners, making eye contact as we pass by, maybe a giving a tiny nod or half smile. Its like a secret handshake.

I love to cook. Breakfast, dinner, dessert, etc. I'm pretty good at it too, and I like trying new dishes. One day I would like to take professional cooking classes. The Fort Worth Culinary School seems to have a good program, I just need to save up a lot of money,

Dinner tonight is ratatouille. My dad doesn't like it because it doesn't have any meat. I'm ok without meat. I like hamburgers and steaks, and fish and seafood, but chicken and pork are just eh. I like veggies a lot more than most meats.

Running hurts. I did 3 miles today, but most of it was walking. It took me 45 minutes. Its hot and dry again today. My shins got really sore, and my feet started cramping up, which I've heard is a sign of dehydration. I wasn't sweating as much as I thought I should either.

I almost turned around at the one mile mark, but I decided to push it to do 3 miles (my original plan was 4). I'm doing a 5k next weekend, and I want my body to know what 3 miles is, so I don't hit a wall at mile 2.5. Also, the 5k is in the afternoon, so I'm getting acclimated to running in the heat of the day. At least during the race they will have water tables. I drink like a fish when I run. The sloshing in my stomach doesn't bother me at all, I'd rather be fully hydrated.

This is me in my glasses. Basically its late, I'm getting ready for bed, and I need to take a picture.

Jon and I went for a bike ride this morning. Its the first time I've ridden my bike since the triathlon last October. We took it easy, and I felt great. I love the exercise endorphin rush. It was very windy though. I actually had to pedal downhill. I hope we go for a lot more rides, its a ton of fun.

I am sooo tired. I left work early today to go to the abs class. Its been a while since I've done any crunches, and I could feel my lower back doing most of the work. I hope it doesn't hurt tomorrow. I would love to take the abs class again, but I ususally have to work late to make up time for PT.

After abs I went running on the trail. I did about 2 miles. It was hot, and dry. The last time I ran (earlier this week) I wore a sweatshirt and gloves. The water fountain on the trail isn't turned on yet, so there was nothing to drink. So because I'm so exhausted, you get a picture of my feet.

This is my boyfriend Jon. I could say so much about him, but it would take so much space. I'll summarize: he's wonderful.

This is my good little schoolgirl pose. I'm taking Spanish classes at the community college. I love taking classes and learning stuff.

I live in Texas, so understanding Spanish is pretty important. I would also love to travel one day, so knowing other languages seems like a good idea. I want to go to Macchu Picchu in Peru. Ever since I saw a picture of it in my fifth grade social studies book, I've wanted to visit it.

Today needs a happy picture. This is my birthday present, a bonsai tree. Its a 7 year old Chinese Elm. I also got a 3 year old Baby Jade tree. I've wanted a bonsai tree for quite a while, so I'm very happy. I hope I don't kill them.

And look, its not a picture of my hand! It did take me 7 tries to get a good shot though.

Sunday breakfasts are special. I like this tradition of Jon's. Today was breakfast at Starbucks. I don't like coffee, but I love hot chocolate. I like coffee shop breakfasts, listening to jazz while enjoying a hot beverage. I don't know how to describe it, but its nice.

My boyfriend saw my blog, and asked where the pictures of me were. I contend that a picture of my hand or foot or ear or whatever counts as a picture of me. I am holding the camera after all, so its not so easy to always take a pic of my face. So Jon took this pic of me and Archie, to save you from another pic of my hand. Archie is investigating the lemon tree.