Wonky Weekend, 8/13 & 8/14

<p><strong>Mindi</strong> - nice racing by you and the fam!!  Have fun at the game</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Kath</strong> - woot for new stuff!!   I'd (()) the grion issue but....boys get all excited bout that kind of thing </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Bob</strong> - after 20 miles I nap...I don't do all that stuff!!  wow!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Lora</strong> - I couldn't see that pic on my phone when I posted yesterday - that is freaking awesome!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Moon</strong> - piano moving ??? wow!  And those pancakes at Hell's Kitchen were amazing.  I am still trying to coordinate a sunday long run with breakfast there afterwards.  man...those things are like crack!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well, I did 15 this morning with 11-14 at GRP (which is supposed to be 847).  We ran from Lake Harriet along trails to Target Field (where the Twins play), got our picture taken, one guy threw some pitches (in one of those machines) and we almost went in a bounce house (deal breaker was that we would have had to take off our shoes).  They had an under 18 world series today for a program that promotes baseball in inner cities and we got there before the first game (unknown to us) and we had all the attention of the people in the plaza.  "Is there a race?  A half marathon?"  Ha!  I'll post our picture on Facebook...it is awesome.  The run went GREAT. Overall pace was 909 - my fastest  long run EVAH and those 3 miles were 822, 834 and 844.  I got dropped from our group (who were running 8s at that point..holy carp) but gutted it out.  feeling good about that one....I need a nap before lifting though.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>

<p>I've been on the go most of the weekend.  I took a semi-last minute trip up to my hometown on Friday after work to hang with my family and see my brother and his family one last time before they head back to Nebraska.  I don't get to see them often enough, they won't be back until after Christmas.  Then yesterday, I came back this way and spent the evening with my sister who lives about an hour away.  We played games with a friend of theirs, plus I brought down some of my homemade ice cream (the sweet corn with mixed berry sauce).  My brother in law gave me a taste of his <a href="http://www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?id=f2f5d102-82aa-4971-ba34-452dc736573c" target="_blank">Sam Adams Utopias</a>.  It drinks much more like a cognac than a beer, not surprising given it's ABV is 32% (yes, that would make it 64 proof).  It costs $250 or so, he got it from a friend as a graduation present.  Holy Moses!  It was good but I had less than 1 oz, maybe even less than 0.5 oz and that was plenty. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Today, I'm vegging at home.  A friend from work gave me tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mint.  I am making ice cream with the mint, the mixture is currently steeping in the fridge for a few hours.  I think I am going to make pesto with the basil, and make pasta with the tomatoes and pesto for dinner.  I haven't made homemade pesto before, but have had it fresh and I can't wait to have it tonight.  So much better than from the jar.</p>

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Ailarie</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/74858/wonky-weekend-8-13-8-14#post_2010104"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><p><br>
Does this mean that you won't have to get up at insane hours of the morning to turn it off when you're making stuff? </p>
<p> </p>
</div>
</div>
<p><br>
Yes, and no. heh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My current kiln is manual, which means that dials that control the temperature have to be turned up by hand. When I fired over night I had to get up & go out to the garage to turn the dials up every few hours. The last year though, 9x out of 10 I loaded the kiln in the evening, and the next morning got up at 5am to turn it on, and Dh turned it up during the day according to the schedule I left for him. The kiln shut off on it's own when it reached temperature.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The new kiln is computerized, which means I can program it to turn itself up. Which means I can have a more gradual increase in heat (as opposed to low, med, hi, & hi fire dials), which is better for the pots - makes them stronger. I'll still have to get up early turn it on, but otherwise it should finish the firing on it's own. Still won't leave it unattended, but it won't need as much tending.</p>
<p> </p>
<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Brandy</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/74858/wonky-weekend-8-13-8-14#post_2010111"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p><strong>Kath</strong> - woot for new stuff!!   I'd (()) the grion issue but....boys get all excited bout that kind of thing </p>
<p> </p>
<p>my fastest  long run EVAH </p>
<p> </p>
</div>
</div>
<p><br>
1) *snort*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2) <img alt="notworthy.gif" id="user_yui_3_3_0_8_131335997539917" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/notworthy.gif">   Your training has been really impressive lately.</p>
<p> </p>