Did I Miss Valentine's Day?

Our weather turned uncharacteristically cold again. So Valentine's Day was cold, rainy, and windy and we escaped to the movies. Today was tough for walking. We enjoyed the movie a bunch. I just can't quite remember the name right now. It's the one with the dad explaining the story of his relationship with his daughter's mom and the other relationships that led up to that one. You know, the little girl is the same one from that oddly funny movie about the family that goes across country so she can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant...Hey, that's the name of the other movie. The girl does a really good job but nobody will win an Oscar. It's not that type of movie, but we both cried a little. I was surprised. Ok. So I'm tired, but it was a good day. A good Valentine's Day and we got the paperwork turned in for the National Honor Society so the deadline pressure is over. I think I'll take a walk.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Four Mile Walk!

I had walked about a mile through the normal routine of life earlier today and decided to go for a good walk with the dog. I went down Cacatua St. I like the neighborhood and was daydreaming about moving a few blocks to this semi-hidden group of homes. I had a jacket and walked about a mile and started to get hot, so I headed for home and as I did so, I took off my jacket and carried it.

The thought occurred to me that I could simply open the door and put my jacket on the stairs and continue on my way instead of calling it quits. By the time I reached home I had walked about a mile and a half and as I left the doorstep without a jacket in the cool January air for round two, my stamina kicked in. I walked out to the main drag in our neighborhood and then down to the school my son attended through 2nd grade and all the way back around to the main drag again, further west than I had been 20 minutes earlier and then back home for an additional 2 1/2 miles. I walked four miles during a single walk [!] and now have walked over 5 miles on the day with probably a mile or two more between now and 9:30.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

---

Almost forgot...use a pedometer!

Click on the title of this post for Dr. Positano's advice - Don't Self-Diagnose Colds And Flus.

Walking Shelter Island

My friend Mary and I had lunch at the Blue Wave Bar and Grill near Humphrey's on Shelter Island in San Diego. The Fish Tacos were Mmm Mmm Great. Mary had a coupon from the Entertainment 2008 coupon book so it was 2 for 1. The regular price would have been worth it, so it was quite a bargain when you include the beautiful, calming view of the marina.

After lunch Mary and I walked Shelter Island as well as a nearby Fish Market for about 2 miles. I rounded the bell at the far end of Shelter Island and could just make out the names of the two ships nearby - the Robert Gordon Sproul and the Thomas G. Thompson. I also took note of the statue of the Pacific Spirit, a representation of a young woman. The sun was shining, the sky was clear and it was cold for San Diego in January. According to Mary, I only feel that way because I'm from here. I can't disagree. I like it in Southern California. Mary is a diabetic in her 60's who has managed her diabetes recently through diet and she hasn't walked a lot lately. She told me that this walk was no problem for her and as an RN I expect that she knows how to accurately assess her health situation. If Mary can walk, you can walk. In fact, we'll probably walk again Saturday.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

---

Click on the title of this post to see a third party review of the Blue Wave Bar & Grill.

One Mile To Start The Day

I woke up slightly early and got myself and Mellow out the door before 6. Socked in. Fog so thick I couldn't see 200 feet. As I write this an hour later it's light, but the fog and surrounding darkness combined with the street lamps reminded me of something that made it seem different than the fog at sunset the other day and I realized what it was while we were out in it - the movie poster from The Exorcist! How's that for a morning wake up call?! After Mellow did his thing we walked back and checked the front door to make sure I locked it[!] and then "once more into the breach" we went to finish our mile. Now I realized that I had another comparison in mind for the foggy night/morning - Mr. Tumnus and the lamppost from the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. That was a more pleasant thought to my mind. I love the ethereal quality of fog. I was inspired to think of a possible beginning to a screenplay that's been rolling around in my mind for months. I find sooner or later walking helps me think if I don't have earbuds in. Sometimes it's not thinking or planning per se, but music that comes to mind.

Yesterday I was driving to what I consider historic Carlsbad and an German artist on NPR was talking about her time getting to know the Beatles back when Stu Sutcliffe played with them and they still had the slicked back hair in the "style of Marlon Brando". She was really moved by the way the Beatles all treated her like an intelligent person as they got to know her and not just a pretty girl. I started humming From Me To You as I listened to this interview and drove past the Encina power plant and it stayed with me all during my walk. My dad always called it 101 and that's what I call it most of the time, though I do slip into using Pacific Coast Highway sometimes. It becomes Carlsbad Drive near Fresco Trattoria, where I started my walk. This neighborhood is the general area of my (Friday Noon) Toastmasters Club, Expressions Unlimited, where I have been speaking nearly eight years.

I used Google Maps to see how far Fresco Trattoria is from 101. Google Maps says 128 feet, but I would say 60 feet or less. It's on the North side of Carlsbad Village Drive and they have a parking lot that I found helpful. I went inside and asked the owner(?) for a take out menu and he was friendly (good sign!) while he answered the phone. I asked if it was ok to park in his lot while I took a 15 minute walk and he said sure. If you go here to walk, you may want to park in his lot, but be sure to ask him (and ask for a take out menu!).

I walked toward the Pacific and turned left on the street that runs along the ocean. As I passed the surf shop I veered right, though not down to the beach. I walked along 101 to another set of stairs that go down to the beach and turned around across the highway from 3430 Carlsbad Drive, a residence that I noticed simply as a point of reference for this blog post. Google Maps says this is 1/2 mile and I found walking that even the slightly longer route I took was less than 1/2 mile. For you horse racing fans, the round trip was around 7 furlongs (7/8 of a mile). I shortened my walk because I remembered something I needed to do at home, but I'll be back again soon. The sun was shining and there were lots of people walking in this area. I realized that I will need sunscreen in the future. All during this walk that Beatles tune was in my head. This was really a Southern California afternoon with the sunshine and little breeze, though a little cool, even for January. I was almost run off the sidewalk by two different kids on tricycles with their moms. There was a group of adult surfer buddies talking about high school kids that can't read. One said his wife is a high school teacher and I concurred as my wife is a middle school teacher. The ocean was wavy, but not rough (I'm not a surfer, hence the non-surfer description. Heck, I even used hence.) On the way back I saw a woman with a small enclosure on the grassy area close to the surf shop with a sign that read Australian Shepherd Puppys. I stopped and talked briefly and found out that her name, Marianne, is even spelled the same as my wife's and that that spelling is becoming rarer. She had what appeared to be several Australian Shepherd magazines (who knew?) laid out and I asked how much the puppies were. She said $500 and that she had sold several last weekend. So, if you want an Australian Shepherd, you can give Marianne Bosch a call at 760.433.9880. She had two adorable pups left yesterday. When I got back to Fresco Trattoria my car was still there and there was no sign of a tow truck, so the owner(?) was good to his word.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.