6 miles . . .

I finally got my booty back on track with my training schedule for the ING half-marathon. Today I got in 6 miles at the Silver Comet trail. It was super crowded there today, which is to be expected on a lovely January day in the high 50s. Hopefully, work will calm down a bit and I will be able to get myself into the gym in the mornings before work.

Tomorrow I'm seeing The Queen. It is my goal, as usual, to see each of the movies nominated for Best Picture before the Oscars ceremony. So, I must see Babel and Letters from Iwo Jima before the ceremony. It's been so crazy lately that I still haven't seen Blood Diamond or The Pursuit of Happyness. Hopefully, I can get those in before the ceremony,too.

I'll try to let you know what I think of The Queen.

A funny thing happened . . .

I was visited at work today by a sales rep for an office supply company. We had previously talked and he was coming in to work up an order of supplies. As we were talking about music and other general stuff, I mentioned one of my favorite bands Self. Most people I meet aren't familiar with Self as they were a local band from the Nashville/Murfreesboro area. They had two fairly big songs in the late 1990s, "Cannon" and "So Low", "Cannon" being the most popular. The lead singer now does production work in L.A. and the band recorded "Stay Home" which was on the Shrek soundtrack. Anyway, he immediately recognized the band! Turns out, we went to the same school for our undergraduate degrees, lived very close to one another and actually hung out at some of the same bars/clubs. We started naming friends and we actually knew a few of the same people. We're still trying to figure out how we never actually met or were introduced to one another since we're almost positive we've probably hung out together before. It was kind of a reminder of the small world we live in, I suppose. He seems like a pretty cool guy.

Other than that, I'm still trying to get over a cold I've had for about a month. It just won't go away! I've got a 6 mile long run this Saturday, which will probably be a tad painful because I didn't do my 5 miler last weekend. I have no excuse -- I just refused to go run outside in the weather. Truthfully, I wasn't hydrated enough to run on Saturday and then by the time Sunday rolled around it was really cold and rainy. So, 6 miles on Saturday is my goal!

Thoughts on the Golden Globes . . .

So, last night I watched the Golden Globes. There were only a few of the awards that I was interested in, and those are the ones I will discuss here. There were some beautiful dresses, but I'm not a fashion expert by any means so I'll leave those alone. I will say that I thought Jennifer Garner looked super skinny and not in a good way. She looked very gaunt, and the dress did nothing to help her figure at all. (Just my opinion!)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls

I so wanted Mark Wahlberg to win this award. I thought he was wonderful in The Departed. Granted, I haven't seen Dreamgirls, but will.

Best Television Series - Drama
Grey’s Anatomy

I was very pleased that Grey's won. I couldn't decide if I wanted Grey's or Heroes to win!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Hugh Laurie - House

I was very sad that Michael C. Hall didn't win this award for Dexter. Michael does an amazing job with the character Dexter. I like Hugh Laurie as well, but really wanted to see Michael win this award.

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Ugly Betty

I was so happy that Ugly Betty won last night. It's my favorite new show this year. I challenge anyone who's not watching it to at least try it -- it's so good. It's very funny and sweet, the writing is great (and very witty), and the actors do a wonderful job with the very lovable characters.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty

Again, I'm very happy that America Ferrera won! I don't watch Desperate Housewives or The New Adventures of Old Christine, but I do watch, and love Weeds. I would've been cool with Mary-Louise Parker winning, but I'm so happy that America Ferrera was recognized for Ugly Betty.

Okay, that's my two cents on the Golden Globes, and it's nothing spectacular I know. I look forward to finding out the Academy Awards nominations on the 23rd. I always like to make sure I've seen all the Best Picture films prior to the Oscars.

(12 of 12) 2.0: January

I'm excited that Chad Darnell decided to do "12 of 12" again this year. Hopefully, I can remember to do all 12 this year! If you're new to "12 of 12" check out Chad's site for the rules.

Without further ado . . . my Friday!


7:00 a.m.: Normally I am up at 5:00 a.m. on Fridays for bootcamp, but this week has been crazy at work, so I slept in a little bit.


7:45 a.m.: Before heading into work, I stop at Publix to pick up some more cold medication.


8:30 a.m.: Once at work, while getting settled into my desk, I check the "Fulton Co. Daily Report" website to check the latest legal news.


5:00 p.m.: On my way home from work, the picture doesn't show a lot of the detail of the sky (it's kinda difficult taking a picture while driving), but the sunset was very pretty.


5:45 p.m.: This is the new Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. It's still being built, but is to be the new home of the Atlanta Opera.


6:15 p.m.: After dropping my things off at home and picking up the B&N 20% off coupon I received this week I head to Barnes & Noble to pick up a book they were holding for me.


6:45 p.m.: This is my fabulously exciting book purchase. Okay, so maybe not. Since I'm training for a series of half-marathons in preparation for what will hopefully be my first full marathon in the fall, I thought this would be a great guide to help with my training.


7:15 p.m.: Dinner is on. I'm not allowed to have a real grill because I live in an apartment, so it's a stovetop grill pan for my steak.


7:25 p.m.: While dinner is cooking, I fold and put away a load of laundry.


7:30: I also hop online to get directions to one of the Chattahoochee River Recreational Areas where I have a group run tomorrow morning.


8:00 p.m.: While eating dinner, I watch "Little Miss Sunshine". Hysterical! Rick James' "Superfreak" may never be the same for me again.


9:55 p.m.: Off to bed for me. Yes, I know, it's early, but I have to be up early in the morning for a group training run!


Bonus Pic-New: For Christmas I received the Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS training watch. I'm very excited about it. It details the mileage, total time, pace per minute and a few other things during your runs! I adore it and immediately knew this was my bonus picture as soon as Chad announced the topic.

I Know What You're Thinking . . .

You're thinking that LawGirl has already flubbed up on one of her 2007 goals because she hasn't posted in a few days. However, if you'll recall, my goal was 3-4 times per week. I have 4 days left this week, including today. So there!

This week has been a little odd. Just like last week, my Monday was evidently switched to Tuesday. I rather liked my Mondays as they were! I have been productive at work this week, which is good. Today, I helped land a client that could prove to be very profitable for my office, so I'm excited about that.

Friday is the first 12 of 12 of 2007 and I'm really hoping I can remember to participate all 12 months.

I'm determined to get out on Saturday to see the Titanic Exhibit. Then, I'm meeting a friend for a late lunch that afternoon.

On the running side of things, I found another half-marathon that I would love to do. Unfortunately, it's May 19. That's three in and 8-9 week period. This one is The Twisted Ankle Trail Run. The race is limited to 150 runners for the full marathon and half-marathon, so 300 total runners. The only pavement is at the beginning and very end of the race, the rest is through the trails of the Chattahoochee National Forest. If I feel really, really good after the ING, I might sign up. The entry fee is actually cheap for a half-marathon. If not, I'll definitely keep it in mind for 2008.

A Video . . .

I used to watch SNL regularly, but haven't in a very long time. I was this close to recording SNL when Justin Timberlake was on it a couple of weeks ago. The last time he was host was really funny. Alas, I didn't set my Tivo to record and missed one of the funniest skits I've ever seen!

Here's the short, and be warned, it's probably not very safe for work, unless you're completely alone in the office: "D*ck in Box"



Allow me to supplement this entry. I've just been told by a friend that I'm way late on this! I don't care, I think it's funny anyway!

Change in days . . .

Did I miss a huge memo or news story? Somehow, the day of the week I know as Wednesday has evidently been switched to Monday. Seriously, were that possible I would've sworn this morning was a Monday morning. I take I-285E to work in the morning. Anybody in Atlanta knows how bad I-285 can be anytime of day, especially during rush hour. Just as I merged onto the interstate I heard the traffic report: All lanes are blocked on I-285 Eastbound due to a 4-5 car accident. Seriously? I couldn't have heard the traffic report during the 30 seconds prior to getting on the interstate, when I still had the opportunity to go a different way? Needless to say, the 25 minute drive took me an hour. Once I made it to work, I had to correct a form document which has all sorts of little text boxes -- I hate dealing with text boxes. Getting that done took the better part of the morning. I really wanted to be productive today, but it just didn't happen.

On a better note, I received tentative good news from the physical therapist today. He poked and prodded by heavily bruised foot (hello . . . those bruises are painful!) and had me do some resistance exercises to test out the area. He also performed an ultrasound in order to rule out a stress fracture. He really made me nervous because he told me that if I had a stress fracture I would know the moment he started the ultrasound. Evidently soundwaves vibrating on fractures are very painful. Thankfully, there was no pain during the ultrasound -- or any of his tests for that matter. He suspects I actually have only a bad sprain which is healing nicely. I've been cleared to run -- thankfully -- but must start off with a slow pace. If it bothers me, I have to call and make another appointment.

So, tomorrow's bootcamp should give me a good idea of how it is. We're doing "bleacher creature" tomorrow which is done entirely on the stadium stairs and there is only a minimum amount of running. It will be a good starting point. Hopefully, I'm feeling strong enough with it on Saturday morning that I can join in on the 10K training run!

Also, dear, dear Helen! The Arnica Gel works great! Thanks very much for the recommendation!

Okay, time to make dinner and burn a couple of running CDs! (Aren't you proud I remembered Helen?)

Blah . . .

Not much to report. I had a productive work day today, which was nice. It went downhill after lunch just a bit, but not too much.

I was referred to a physical therapist for my foot. I have an appointment tomorrow. I'm really hoping the therapist gives me some home exercises to work on and clears me to run! I have to get back into training!

I've been playing with Photoshop tonight. I received some artistic inspiration!

I'll update you guys on the therapy session sometime after the appointment!

My NYE . . .

Seriously, last night's improv show at Dad's Garage was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life! I have been to a couple of plays there, but never the improv shows. I will have to check out more of them. The entire ensemble was to funny! We had a really good time and the crowd was great. They have improv shows every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, so hopefully I can see more. One of my best friends is a volunteer at Dad's Garage and he's going to be starting improv classes soon. Who knows, maybe I'll be there cheering him on!

After the champagne toast at the end of the show, my friends and I drove to the home of another friend who was having a small party. I was the designated driver. There was only one other person there not drinking and we had so much fun laughing at everybody else. My two best friends and I can get a bit dirty when we're sober -- we took it to a whole other level last night. It was bad, yet very funny!

Thankfully, my foot is feeling much better. It looks awful because it's bruised all along the top of my foot and it's multi-colored. I am however hopeful that I'll be able to run soon. The Trainstrong members who have signed up for the ING are doing group runs on Saturday morning. This Saturday they're running a 10K and I so hope I'm up for it!

Today, I'm just lounging around the house. I might watch a couple of movies or get some reading done. We'll see as the day progresses.