170.83 -- I believe

So inspired was I by one of my friends' recent blog posts, that I am lifting the idea from her.

*ahem*

I believe...

• That the first spoonful of a new jar of peanut butter is always the best.
• That music can make almost any experience at least a little bit better.
• That good friends can do the same.
• That the fact that someone famous said something does not make it true.
• That water is better, yes... but caffeine is not the devil.
• That having a degree does not make you smarter.
• That reading does.
• That staying close to far flung friends isn't impossible, that it does take some effort, and that it's worth it.
  

This was fun! What do you believe?

643.52 -- Never Ending Story

Months ago, when I was sharing the good news of our new house with family, friends, and pretty much everyone else, one of my former coworkers said, "Congratulations! You'll never be bored again!" I laughed with her at the time, but I'm beginning to understand that she wasn't joking. Even on the day after Christmas, Matt preferred to spend his time in the basement working on our soon-to-be new half bath. For clarification, I had nothing to do with this project, except to fetch beer and make dinner. Matt got help from his friend (and several unwieldy power tools).

I didn't take a "before" picture, but this is pretty much what it looked like... minus the gaping hole in the floor.

Then came connecting the new pipe. The far end near the wall is where the commode will be.

Then they backfilled the hole with some of the original gravel and cement chunks. Pictured is Matt using all weight to tamp down the debris.


Finally it was time to mix and pour the cement. Next up, the walls :)

796.426 -- Running

I like running. I was liking it less about a month ago when I re-started after about 5 years of minimal physical activity. Nevertheless, I'm liking it again, more than I did 5 years ago, though I'm still not up to the level I was. Oh to be able to run two miles in 18 minutes! It seems like I'll never get there, but I'm trying to stay positive.

Helping me stay on the wagon (or running behind it?) are a few accouterments. They might help you, too. The first was the iPod. I fought the popularity of the iPod for a long time, but iTunes has it all over other media players in my opinion.

The second was the treadmill. I cannot run outside. The cool air sets my lungs on fire in minutes. Plus I don't look cute when I'm working out, I look sweaty. Thanks to craigslist, I got a great deal on a barely used treadmill. Someone else's failed New Year's resolution was my good fortune.

Third, my new arm band for my iPod allows me to pound "pavement" to some great tunes. Due to 12 years in band, however, I needed music that plays at the same bpm that I run. (Curse my impeccable rhythm.) This is when I discovered jogtunes, which has been the savior of my workouts. After finding that Shake It by Metro Station was exactly the speed I needed, I looked it up on jogtunes to find more just like it. As luck would have it, I now have enough music to keep me going for a solid two miles (if I can make it that long on any given day).

P.S. If you have an iPod and want some great free music for your running (or any other) workout, try the PodRunner and PodRunner Intervals podcasts. They are free of charge, and a new one is published every week. Today I used PodRunner Intervals Gateway to 8K, but I only got through 2/3 of it before I had to stop. *sigh* I'll get there.

025.3 -- Just like a real library!

You may recall my joy at having input my, er, our entire library into Shelfari last year. That excitement, complete as it was, has been surpassed. A few days ago, I discovered GuruLib. It's a lot like Shelfari, except that you can also add DVDs, CDs, software, and games to your library. More importantly, it's a snap to set items to "Out" if you loan them to people. And specify a due date! The downside is that it's not as pretty as Shelfari, but I'm getting over that. The reality is that we loan out our DVD collection more than our books, and it's tough keeping track of what's where. GuruLib has solved that problem. View our GuruLib library here.

Not only do I now have a complete home library, but I was able to use my newest nerdy toy to input our DVDs. Enter CueCat, the friendly little personal barcode scanner. Sure, I could have entered the title or ISBN into GuruLib and done a regular old search. But what's the fun in that?

For anyone wondering, this CueCat has already been "declawed." For Mac users, I'm interested to know how Delicious Library stacks up... the fact that you can hook up your iPod would make adding digitally purchased songs much easier!