Reverse Reverse

Oh how the tables have turned: those who were once deemed the workers in our house have bypassed the management level and are now royal.

If you are not aware of the former worker/management delination of our household, no worries, all you need to know is that my daddio was selected to be KING OF THE MARDI GRAS MARATHON this year!

How exciting is that? He and my mama are coming into town so he can run the marathon with me and now they will be feted and VIPed all around town for Marathon Weekend! So fun!

Now there's just a little bit of pressure for me to not slow him down as he takes his victory lap of a marathon around town!

I'm sure he'll make a splash as King and be sure to check out the article about him in the race program! Love you Daddio!

Ouchie but AWESOME

A summary of today's run:
number of tshirts soaked through from the rain {and maybe a little bit of sweat}: 2
number of blisters created: 3
bliss of runner's high: PRICELESS

C is for Commitment

I am officially running the NOLA Mardi Gras Marathon February 28, 2010.

She really, really did it!

Miss Tulip did it! She graduated from beginner puppy obedience! It was a very exciting moment in all of our lives. While she is not the best behaved dog I have ever encountered, she is actually pretty good most of the time. She sits all the time, including sometimes when you just look at her and she thinks you maybe want her to sit. She lays on command AND will stay laying for up to 30 minutes [mostly without protest]. If you had the [some maybe would say dubious] pleasure of meeting Tulip before puppy school, you know this is progress indeed!

Still no retrieving of tennis balls and she has developed a pogo stick habit which can be annoying and is quite difficult to curb, BUT I received the nicest compliments about her last week. First, she and I were walking to the park and she stopped and sat at the corner like she's supposed to before we cross a street. A woman was crossing the street towards us with her dog. Instead of creating a dog-dog introduction in the midst of Mag, I decided to test Tulip's patience and obedience. The dog approached, came all the way over and sniffed Tulip and she STAYED LIKE A CHAMP! Her little bottom bones stayed glued to the ground and while her tail was mightly protesting, she stayed sitting and just gazed up at me the entire time, waiting upon my release command. The woman with the dog exclaimed 'Wow-your dog is so good! That must have taken a lot of work!' It did, but it was worth the compliment!

Then, the next day, 2 of the hairstylists from the salon next to our house were sitting on their stoop. I was walking with Tulip and the girls stopped me and said 'You know, she has gotten so good! We used to die laughing everytime you walked by because she was such a tiny little thing pulling you so much it looked like a comic come to life. Now she just strolls along next to you and even sits and waits next to the car while you unload groceries or books!' Now this was seriously high priase because they really did laugh at us all the time. And rightfully so, because the sight of a baby Tulip pulling me around would have made me laugh too! And considering they see us walking/running with her at least twice a day, if not many more on the way into the car and such, they are pretty good judges of her improvement!

That said, she is still her lovely minxy self, still causing trouble at every possible turn!

Thinking outside the box and off the palette

This artwork was propped up in the hallway where I did my week with the LA Green Corps. I found the piece beautiful to begin with and loved that it was made with paint chips. Yep, the kind you get at the hardware store. The artist used them as the medium. It's like an entirely new approach to impressionism and pointillism. You can't tell but the piece was actually nearly as tall as I am and about as wide as a standard door-frame. I especially love the blue sky :)

So fresh and so green [green]!

Ladies and Gentleman, please prepare yourself, it's one of the best weeks of the year again...HOMECOMING!!!!

This year is sure to be a blast: Ratch and Rek are heading up the marketing of the festivities and everyone is ready to go! The Court is all set: 2 XO's maintaining the legacy, 3 Admissions Interns, 3 Orientation Leaders, 1 HC Court legacy [may the Moss family forever live on at Tulane], 1 of my FIJI babies, 1 FIJI baby girlfriend who is amazing, 5 USG Senators, and a lot of Tulane spirit and involvement (and yes, I am aware that my previous numbers do not add up to 10-some people fit more than one distinction). Who will win? Only time will tell as the winner is revealed at halftime on Saturday. I hope this Court has a wonderful week enjoying the honor. I am glad the game returned to the Dome so the winners will march across that astroturf and feel an intangible bond to this city, this wonderful place that has so changed us all. And most of all, I hope the court laughs as much as we did.


Happy Homecoming!

My ode to Henri (which must be pronounced en francais, of course)

Dear Henri,
Please do not come into the Gulf. I would so appreciate you avoiding this whole region like the plague. Now I am aware this plea is counter to those I have sent up to the hurricane forces that be before. But I have a few claims I would like to level against your plan to pay us a visit:

1. I know, you are probably feeling neglected by the lack of attention on hurricanes this year. I, however, was not one of the "out of forecast, out of mind" legions. No, I actively cheered on and hoped for a little mild tropical disturbance to come our way over the summer and beginning of school. All through those long, hot months of June, July, and August I waited. No hurrication. The school started and I was even hopeful then of a weekend away.

2. Your time has come and past. Practice exams are in 2 weeks and I barely have time to sleep, much less pack up my, Em, and Tulip's lives and vacate for a week. No time at all.

3. Law school is stressful enough, thank you very much, without you lurking out there in the Atlantic. Your menacing presence is not helping me out, and hurricanes are really only fun when they help you out: when they are strong enough to get classes to cancel, but too weak to cause serious harm and damage. And a key component of hurricane fun is when they either delay school or get you out of exams/assignments, etc. The only thing your visit, dear Henri, would do for me is guarantee Saturday classes for the rest of the semester. And maybe some night ones as well. And since I am already doing school work at those times, I don't need your help in this matter.

4. And you would really throw a wrench into the sailing schedule if you paid a visit.

All in all, I appreciate all of the good you and your kin have done over the years: Gustav was great last year and Ivan was fine too. Both were perfectly timed at the beginning of the school year or just a few weeks in. Both caused little damage to NOLA. Neither were during my 1L year.

So you see Mr. Henri, this just isn't a good time for you to come around. Maybe next year, around the middle of August? Everyone likes a break from the heat and summer grind 'round about that time.

Truly,
Your number #1 fan cheering on your turn up into the Northern Atlantic