The public high school nestled in the center of the borough serves five districts. During my four years at this school, it seemed as if there was an even distribution of family incomes represented by the student body. My cohort, of the 450 students in my class, included 100 or so students who enrolled in AP classes for the better part of their high school experience. I'd estimate that the majority of these kids would be excluded from free tuition were they to be accepted at Harvard.
For this reason, it's not uncommon to see high school students, obviously still in puberty, hurtling down the road in their parents' late model BMW X5 or Lexus RX 330. My vehicle of choice was a 2000 Toyota Sienna XLE, a very, very late model soccer mom-mobile, may it rest in peace. Back in high school, I had the privilege of driving this fine "desert sand" vehicle to and from school. Without fail, my copilot, Miss Diva-in-Training would push our departure closer and closer to 7:15, the last possible minute to leave and still be on time. We would hurtle down the hill at 40 miles per hour in rain or snow, for there are no other weather patterns where I live. It is during these briefer and briefer trips that I found my idol, Running Lady.
Every morning, we would pass a tall, thin blonde woman in her late fifties happily jogging on the side of the road with a happy yellow lab. She was always stylishly dressed in the latest activewear, presumably from lululemon. I assume this because it is expensive, but worth every penny, but I digress. There she was, a vision of middle-aged fitness in lavender and black. After accidentally nearly killing her a few times, I knew that I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. That and alive.
With this in mind, I was very excited to begin my journey to be like my role model and start running again. I noticed that the local drunk kids prefer Nikolai liquor, whatever that is, as evident by a count of two bottles within two miles. I am also very proud to report (again, I know) that during my 6+ mile run, I only walked up one hill, which was vertical. Good for me! So far, no shin splints and the hips and knees are feeling fine. I like to think that I am well on my way to achieving my goal.
Running Lady (I bet your name is Marsha), wherever you are, may you live a long and accident-free life! May your joints never wear out and may your dog always be happy and well-hydrated!
Showing posts with label Diva-in-Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diva-in-Training. Show all posts
Saturday, December 24, 2011
A Christmas rat, perhaps?
It's Christmas Eve and the family has already broken through the Xmas goodies. The Doctor called it Xmas because we are having "fake Christmas," or December 24th Christmas. The next order of business: to exit the premises by 3:30 pm for Florida. A few quotes:
"How will we wake up the Diva and the DJ? Let's get Pepper (one of the three guinea pigs). She's the scurriest!" What a precious awakening.
"No, Tweenie, you cannot bring all your Christmas presents to Florida. They will rip off the wrapping paper and we [are too cheap] to pay for more baggage."
"Ah, yes, a Christmas hound." The beagles enjoyed a good frolic through the wrapping paper before they headed off to the kennel. That was not their best Christmas surprise, to be sure. Poor babies.
In my rushing around the local strip mall for essentials such as medication, Timothy hay (we also own three guinea pigs), and gluten-free goodies, I stopped by the small animal cages at PetCo. Unlike those of us who have a plane to catch rather than a Christmas eve service to stumble into half an hour late, much of the western world is taking advantage of one last shopping day. With regard to pets, 'tis the season to find a furry little friend under the Christmas tree or the Hanukkah bush. In other words, domesticated animals are in very high demand. This is taking into account that birthdays and animal feedings occur at an equal rate undifferentiated from other times of the year. Of all the animals to be found under the tree, the common white rat, Rattus norvegicus, is not one of them. Regardless of the high demand for pets, the supply of rats exceeds the demand for the beasts. This is what we call a surplus. There's your principles of microeconomics lesson of the day, a "simple gift" from me to you.
On a brief personal note, I gave myself a fantastic Christmas present. It is probably the best so far in my brief adult life. I gave myself the gift of fitness. Since being home, I went to the JCC-happy Hanukkah!-and worked up to running/jogging/continuously moving more than six miles! This is a most appropriate gift before a beach trip. I built up my willpower, pushed my boundaries, and held off gratification. Excellent.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!
"How will we wake up the Diva and the DJ? Let's get Pepper (one of the three guinea pigs). She's the scurriest!" What a precious awakening.
"No, Tweenie, you cannot bring all your Christmas presents to Florida. They will rip off the wrapping paper and we [are too cheap] to pay for more baggage."
"Ah, yes, a Christmas hound." The beagles enjoyed a good frolic through the wrapping paper before they headed off to the kennel. That was not their best Christmas surprise, to be sure. Poor babies.
In my rushing around the local strip mall for essentials such as medication, Timothy hay (we also own three guinea pigs), and gluten-free goodies, I stopped by the small animal cages at PetCo. Unlike those of us who have a plane to catch rather than a Christmas eve service to stumble into half an hour late, much of the western world is taking advantage of one last shopping day. With regard to pets, 'tis the season to find a furry little friend under the Christmas tree or the Hanukkah bush. In other words, domesticated animals are in very high demand. This is taking into account that birthdays and animal feedings occur at an equal rate undifferentiated from other times of the year. Of all the animals to be found under the tree, the common white rat, Rattus norvegicus, is not one of them. Regardless of the high demand for pets, the supply of rats exceeds the demand for the beasts. This is what we call a surplus. There's your principles of microeconomics lesson of the day, a "simple gift" from me to you.
On a brief personal note, I gave myself a fantastic Christmas present. It is probably the best so far in my brief adult life. I gave myself the gift of fitness. Since being home, I went to the JCC-happy Hanukkah!-and worked up to running/jogging/continuously moving more than six miles! This is a most appropriate gift before a beach trip. I built up my willpower, pushed my boundaries, and held off gratification. Excellent.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!
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