Even Snow Flakes Are Bigger in Texas

Trapped in the courthouse, I could see the promised Snow blowing in sideways, even if it was 5 hours late! It was sticking to the roofs and resettling into the lone set of shoe prints on the sidewalk below. Finally word filtered through, the county judge had closed all county functions early!  In the parking lot the TDI had a covering of snow! Once home I changed into thicker wool socks, boots, jeans and 2 jackets to go out and play. Snow isn't common in this part of Texas.

 Zach charged out the  back door to come to a screeching halt, alternating having one foot in the air at all times for a quick bathroom break. Scottie Zach is a rescue  that made his way into my heart and home from New Orleans. Initially he wasn't keen on wet cold feet. I leashed Zach and we were off, out the front door for a walk to the park. The first park didn't have much snow, but lots of mud, so we walked on to the next park. I should have dressed a little lighter! Scrapping snow together until I had enough to begin rolling it around was exercise! I got hot. I can feel the backs of my thighs today. I was determined to build a snowman, though! After the base was created I took a break to play with Zach.

 Everyone needs a dog to clown and play with. I laughed so hard my face hurt. People came up and videoed him being such an exuberant loon. Before playing in the snow, Zach had always been indifferent to the idea of 'fetch'. Now he was hurling his low-slung form across the white, brown and green splotched ground with intense focus, snatching the snowball into his teeth and shaking it to bits before returning the dog-slimed iceball in his mouth to my feet. He even began jumping up to 'catch' snowballs.  A group of college students from India clapped and cheered Zach on. At some point Zach noted that the flakes were falling from the sky... this lead to a fiendish dancing Scottie rushing about on hind legs snapping and jumping for flakes in the air. Once he was soaked through and his tongue was hanging almost to the ground, I went back to scrapping and rolling and squashing snow into a snowman shape.

 When dark arrived, we reluctantly began walking back to the house. Along the way, Zach spotted a stunned chilled goldfinch in the road. I took off my woolen, scooped it up in a gloved hand and tucked the wee bird into my hat and hand for the rest of the walk. Once home, I fixed my frozen guest up in a small box, still inside the hat, on a heating pad, locked in the bathroom away from curious Scots & malicious Manx. I packed my swim bag, hoping there would still be snow in the morning. Imagine how surreal it would be to swim in the heated outdoor pool and see snow on the ground! Sadly, the snow was melted into ice and the pool was closed due to icy roads. I rode my bike on the rollers for an hour instead of going to the pool. Happily, the feathered guest launched himself immediately after I wired his box to a tree and released the tape.

Routine: Or Getting Organized

 I made it to the pool this morning! It helps to have the bug back.

 Last night after Body Flow, I packed my swim bag(clothes for work, girly stuff) & got my swimsuit out.  Then I got my gym bag ready for my functional weights session during lunch. Next  was kitchen work. Prepping cat, dog & my own breakfasts, & getting lunch & snacks together.Slightly before my 4 AM alarm rang, I rolled over to check my phone for time. Close enough, so I hopped out of bed. A few minutes later Scottie Zach & I were out the door to discover the dark before the day.

 These predawn forays into the neighborhood are increasing my endurance and my boldness. Today we went along the creek near my house  until we hit a main road then came back along the trail. Scottie Zach was in high-spirits, running backwards to encourage my speed. We both slowed down respectful of a striped skunks abilities that we couldn't outrun. That skunk was the only being we saw the entire walk run.

Back at the house to transition for a morning swim. I wriggled into my swimsuit, damped my hair down & sleeked it with conditioner then pulled it into a pony tail.(I am hoping this keeps me from getting green hair.) Next was breakfast for everyone.Teeth Brushed, 1/2 of my crock pot oatmeal(thanks to @holisiticguru recipe!)packed for after swim snack, I was ready, but first I had to get Mollie to come inside. Now running late, I pulled out of the driveway, car packed with 3 bags for the day.

 At the pool I slipped into a lane, waved & said 'howdy' to the swimmer in the next lane(thought it was @ZenTriathlon) and started off with a few rounds of breast stroke. Then, I swam with my fingertips on a board practicing bubbles and breathing for most of forty-five minutes.  The last 15 minutes I swam without the board. This is an improvement, believe it or not. The was less swallowed air to be burped out!  In the locker room, my lack of routine was discovered.

 I forgot my shampoo & comb, and lotion. OK I can do without this stuff. I had planned to wear a pony tail all day after my hair dried any way.(Needed to be comfortable for our Office Olympics!) Dry enough to wriggle into clothes.. my true lack of organization showed. Remember I packed all my stuff for the day yesterday while dinner was cooking. There I was winter boots, jeans and a Waco Outback Bicycles t-shirt.. & no skivvies. No time to go home and no place open on the way to work to pick-up a pair.  Luckily, I don't think anyone from work reads my blog...

 I'll either improve or need to leave a bag full of assorted spares for Anything.  I could  have forgotten my pants... HA!

Food and Sleep: The Days After a Night Out

Food and Sleep

Yesterday, after a trip to Golds gym during lunch  & a shower to fluff up..  I was off to the Houston House of Blues for  a show. Even with planning for the infamous traffic, we got stuck in a jam, so ended up dining at The Hobbit Cafe rather than the Cuban place planned. With home baked whole grain breads, locally grown veggies an a host of vegetarian delights, along with a tasteful collection of deluxe micro-beers beers, I felt everyone could discover a pleasurable meal that Chrisitne Lynch might even consider a reasonable occasional indulgence.

Hobbit Cafe makes it own breads and the interior smells like your grandmas kitchen on fifteen different days all combined into one short visit. I ordered a sandwich packed with veggies and a fresh fruit side. But there was also a huge platter of sprouts, veggies, salsa & guacamole & chips. I ate some, then I ate a few more. I should have put 1/2my dinner in a to-go-box.. but I had skipped my evening snack on the ride in, not wishing to eat in front of others with ought to offer them...(was This simply an excuse?) And the beer... I enjoyed a Left Hand Milk Stout!  It was the most incredible beer I've had to date.. I should have switched to only water at the show.. rather than 1 more Guinness( As I must whisper... it didn't compare being in a CAN). Really, I learned a few lessons for better utilization next time, but don't feel too badly here.


The House of Blues is situated in a nice area of downtown Houston, close the the Convention Center, with a comfortably dark cheery interior, perfectly sized for interactive, even intimate shows. A quick parking & brisk walk and I was in. I had missed the first band Architects. Frank Turner & His Band were on next. I wrangled a Guinness & enjoyed an impromptu dance with a Viking throwback, who promptly introduced me to his cohorts, including a guy with a Mohawk( I resisted the urge to ask to touch his hair!) I had buddies now, for the mosh pit! I'll definitely be adding this band to my Pandora collection and buying a cd or three. The singer had an emotional voice and incredible energy! The bass guitar was worth watching simply because he was drinking Heineken & getting knockered. I kept wondering when he was going to fall over. Ditching my jacket I headed for front & center. Celtic rock mosh isn't like metal or death metal-mosh. There's a kind of warm, fuzzy, connected feeling to all the jumping, sweat, smashing & spinning. I love it. Stage presence and energy, Flogging Molly has in excess!  They gave unstintingly to to the crowd & the energy boomeranged back to the band infinitely increased. Sadly the show had to end, if only so I can anticipate another great show in my future.

Dripping sweat off my bangs, soaked completely through, I rejoined my companions for the drive back to Aggieland. Everyone wanted snacks & water, so we pulled into a gas station. I had planned ahead... but there are probably ways I could have done better(aside from not going!) I stayed in the van & asked for a water. In my bag I had a mix veggie, mango & ginger smoothie with protein powder added, & a salmon cup. Whislt everyone else is eating Hershey's, Little Debbie's(this was even a 1-time triathlete), & ice cream sandwiches, I was sporking up my salmon. I think it was good that I planned ahead & packed healthy snacks, yet I failed with food earlier in the evening, while still at dinner.


  I couldn't sleep last night been wound up from all the fun & music. This morning I was a whimpering, sleepy, sullen, when I stumbled towards the shower. And Thursdays are 'work family' breakfasts here in IT... Breakfast offerings included an overabundance of  breakfast tacos in assorted meaty varieties, tangelos, grapes, two kinds of doughnuts & a Mardi Gras cake. The set-up for a fall is all in place and all self-created. Holding back, I selected 2 tacos, doctored them up with salsa  and added both colours of grapes to the plate, along with a stout cuppa Scottish Breakfast tea. I was holding back. I didn't get a doughnut or ... well not then anyway....

 For myself, it seems that when one is sleepy, one is hungry. Does any one else experience this phenomena? Apparently so, yet the debate rages on in circular fashion. What came first? Lack of sleep, or overeating/extra hunger sensations? Regardless of which may be contributing to the cause the treatment may be the same.... Always eat healthy well planned small meals and snacks that are within your lifestyle diet needs and consistently get a goodly amount of sleep. I hadn't realized the impact of being sleepy on the next day... I was tired, knees sore from the mosh & it was extra-cold for this part of Texas... I ended up eating another breakfast taco a few more grapes & a corner off the King Cake. Planning ahead doesn't just include packing snacks for the night of an event so avaliable food/drink alternatives exist to reduce or mitigate impact from the fun activity..it also needs to extend to the next day or 2... Being sleep deprived, sore, tired, (or even hungover) all affect energy levels for planned  exercise, and hunger levels(or at least perceived hunger). The two days after the event, portion control was difficult to maintain an awareness of. I ate too much and only realized it because I was uncomfortably full later. Sensations of fullness increased sleepiness leading to a choice for sleep rather than exercise.  These are all primitive triggers from my cave-man ancestors that I need to be aware of and possibly mostly ignore. In this modern world, I have more to fear from over-eating than I do from under-eating. My body is an incredibly efficient energy storage system that I need to convert to a wasteful energy burning model!


 I am not sure how to plan ahead to deal with the sleepy-hungries the day after an event out. Its possible that all one can do is be aware that you will be plagued by these sensations and to ignore them. Do some of you make a choice to not engage in any activities of social nature when training for an event? I am trying to approach this as a lifestyle adaptation... so my preference is for incorporating these events (how could I skip a Flogging Molly show?) into life. By incorporating social venues into the month, I remove any ideas of deprivation. I did OK picking a restaurant.. I could have made better choices within the restaurant and better choices at the show... as much as I was sweating 2 stouts wasn't even going to provide any bit of blurry. I am wondering what you do? How often?