Monday, April 15, 2013

Better Run


Running and I have a love hate relationship. Which is to say that I love what running does for me but I hate, hate, HATE lacing up and doing it. Of course it's not unusual to love the results of something you don't want to do...giving up junk food or sitting down to write for instance. Any time I plan a run I make an excuse: "what if I lifted instead? what if I walk around the grocery store for an hour, does that count?" I'm sure it all counts for something, but not what I'm trying to accomplish.




A few days before leaving for Atlanta I woke up promising myself that after breakfast and some indulgent Pinterest-ing I would hit the trails. But upon rolling out of bed my mental block had other plans.




A thought occurred to me as I was staring down at my old, ripped up Asics. One of my best pieces of advice that always works: get dressed, walk out your front door. If you still don't feel like working out after you've gone through all the effort to prepare, then don't. I reasoned that even if I got out my front door and just took a walk down to Lake Shore my legs would recognize the familiar rhythm and know what to do. And they did.




For twenty minutes and I zipped up and down the sidewalk along with honking rush traffic and a homeless man that called me "pretty lady". Aw shucks! Of course he followed it up by asking if I was alone, to which I unapologetically about-faced and sprinted back to my apartment. Sweaty, panting, blissfully satisfied  Now that it's starting to warm up around these parts picking up running might not be such a bad idea.


Sunday, April 14, 2013

Sunday


This trip to Atlanta was everything I needed...

















...and nothing I didn't.


E and I kicked around the city drinking frozen Jack and Cokes and enjoying the general splendor of the weather and Final Four fans all flooding the city at once. We ran the Color Run, went to a Braves game, completed a scavenger hunt through a cemetery (despite my total lack of word search skills), saw some impressive aquatics at the Georgia Aquarium, ate a lot of ice cream and played Settlers of Catan. It's okay to admit that you're jealous because I continue to be bummed that I can't go back and do it all over again this weekend.


Until my next adventure I suppose.




Have a great Sunday everyone!


-K.K.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

On My Mind



Image Via


Packing my little carry on and taking the orange line to the airport straight after work. This trip has been in the making since last January when Miss E moved and I could not be more excited about running the Color Run, eating ice cream, and kicking around the city with my friends. Arrivederci Chicago and here I come Atlanta!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

En Route



One of my guilty pleasures now that I live in the city is taking my car for a drive on the weekend. I'll take the long way to run errands past the lake, near downtown, looking out at the giant Ferris Wheel on Navy Pier. I never thought I would miss driving, but I was spoiled with great road trips as a kid so maybe that has something to do with it. Reading books and magazines aloud, playing eye spy, putting on the Chicago Bulls mix tape and jamming along (don't even pretend you didn't root for the dream team).


Road Trip Summer 2013





Strangely enough, the very start of Route 66 is right outside my window at work, and
having been bitten by the travel bug quite some time ago sometimes I want to hit the open road Thelma and Louise style...except for all the murder...but Brad Pitt can totally come.


Headed anywhere fun this summer? Can I come too?


Monday, April 1, 2013

Sort-Of Spring




On mornings when I have the day off and where there's no particular agenda except some minor errands to be run, and spring is peaking ever so slightly through the 38 degree weather, I like to think of my old job at the zoo. I sold tickets, and normally around this time we processed a lot of field trips and early morning arrivals, most notably on "Senior Tuesdays" where bus loads of the senior-ist of citizens would show up and enjoy the peace and quiet of a mostly uncrowded zoo.




One morning a gentleman showed up bright eyed and bushy tailed and parked himself at my window before I even had a chance to settle in and count my change. Usually it's distracting when someone wants to talk to you prior to opening because your brain hasn't had time to prepare the "customer service" attitude and you feel that they should know that in advance. Terrible, but you know what I mean. In any case he was funny, charming, at not at all senior-like. We joked around a bit and I asked him what he was doing at the zoo so early. "It doesn't look like it, but I'm already retired. And some mornings, as a retired person, you just have to wander around and hope that someone gives you coffee." I laughed; what a fantastic aspiration. Low and behold two hours after opening he wandered out, coffee cup in hand, and made his way back to the parking lot.





My point being, that on a sort of spring day like this, I just want to pull on my jeans, wander the neighborhood, and hope that someone can give me coffee somewhere along the way.