Spooky Season Planning
It’s official- I FINALLY got my Halloween decorations up- let the spooky season begin! I’m also reading this book to give me more spooky vibes. I’m definitely feeling less scattered now that I’m back from my trip. I’m ready to start planning for NaBloPoMo and beyond! Yesterday SHU did a post about her “big rocks” of 2026. She has to plan a lot farther in advance than I do- if I want days off from work I can request them as late as one month in advance- but it’s still fun to think about what’s coming up. My big adventure will be in March- I’m planning to run 60 miles on my 60th birthday (because that’s how everyone wants to spend a birthday, right???) It’s a timed race on the actual day of my birthday, where you run as much as you can/want to in a certain amount of time (and the time allotted is definitely more than enough for me to complete 60 miles). So I’m excited about that one! I also have my eye on a 50K in January. BUT, I potentially have some other things going on that month. If my daughter makes all state, I’ll be taking several days off work to go to Tampa. She’s also doing an event later in the month at University of Miami- last year I drove her down to Miami in the morning, went to work, then drove back to Miami, and THEN had to do it again the next day, and I almost lost my mind- driving back and forth to Miami is THE WORST. This time I’d like to request time off work for that event. I’d also like to go back and visit my son in the summer, and we talked about making the short trip from Evanston to Highland Park, the town where I grew up. I haven’t been back in years and years, and I want to see it again. But that also depends on his summer schedule, and we won’t know that for a while. So! I’m realizing that, apart for my race in March, I can’t make plans until other people solidify their schedules. That’s okay- it’s still fun to start thinking about it. Do you have Halloween decorations up? How far in advance do you plan your trips?
Reading (and a Bookish Blunder)
I’ve had some good and varied reads lately! First, I finished this book: It was interesting, and a little hard to describe, possibly due to the fact that I didn’t always understand what was going on. It’s a sci fi/mystery mashup with a bit of horror and romance mixed in. Two agents are thrown together in the investigation of a dangerous substance called “Prophet.” It turns out the agents have a complicated past, present, and possible future together. The relationship between the two was my favorite part of this book- but I did enjoy the investigation as well. It got intense and scary at the end, so after that I was looking forward to something lighter. Here’s the problem though. I started the book and thought, “Wow, they really throw you right into this.” There was no explanation of who the characters were or any background like that- I almost felt like I was starting the story in the middle. Well, I don’t mind that… I kept reading and after a couple chapters finally figured out that I had gotten the SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES. Don’t ask me HOW I made that mistake, but I did. And, I was on an airplane, and it was the only book I brought with me. ARRRG! I had no other choice but to keep reading. As the book went along, it did reference things that happened in the first book (which means that I don’t want to go back and read that one now, since I know the entire plot). And, I can’t really describe much of the plot of this one without ruining parts of the first book for anyone who hasn’t read it. Sigh. Let’s just say that this series has been compared to Harry Potter. Now, we all know Harry Potter is in a class by itself, but I get the comparison. The main character is a twelve year old girl living in the magical world of Nevermoor. There’s mystery, suspense, and interesting creatures and characters. It was a very fun read- I recommend it, but for the love of God, please start with THE FIRST BOOK, which is The Trials of Morrigan Crow. After that, I dove into one of the books I bought on my trip: In this book, a Scotland Yard inspector is laid up with a broken leg, and decides to delve into history, and the mystery of Richard III. What really happened to the princes in the tower- did Richard kill them, as everyone has been taught to believe? Let’s look at the quote on the cover: “One of the best mysteries of all time.” AHEM. I’m going to push back on that. I think part of the problem is that I don’t really… well, care about Richard Plantagenet and that period of history. It’s not compelling to me to find out what happened to those princes 550 years ago. But, I’m not finished yet. Tey could pull off a stunning ending to this book and I’ll eat my words. I’ll report back soon! Have you read any of these? Would you ever read a series out of order? – Normally I would NOT do such a thing! Top photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash
Chicago Trip Recap!
Actually- I spent most of my time in Evanston (just north of Chicago, where my son lives) and in the suburb south of Chicago where my sister lives. But I flew in and out of O’Hare, and we drove down Lakeshore Drive the first night, which took us right past downtown. Now. There was a LOT going on this weekend. There was a big No Kings protest happening on Saturday, and as if that weren’t enough, it was also “Family Weekend” at Northwestern. AND, to further complicate matters, the forecast showed rain all weekend. Let’s just see how it all played out! I got in on Friday afternoon and went straight to Evanston. My son was at home eating lunch, so I got to see where he lives (he shares a floor of a house with two other students- it looks like a typical place where three college guys live!) Then he went to his orchestra rehearsal. Because it was Family Weekend, the rehearsal was open to the public, but I had a couple things to do first. My son lives WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE of a Trader Joes AND a used bookstore. WHAT. That’s a dream combination right there. I went to Trader Joe’s for some dinner supplies, and then browsed in the bookstore. I liked this sign on the store window. Then I watched part of his rehearsal… and then we drove to my sister and brother in law’s house! It was a long drive because we drove right past Chicago during rush hour, but that’s okay- we had lots to talk about. We had dinner, and then discussed the next day (Saturday). My sister was worried that the protest could be dangerous, but my BIL was determined to go. Here he is making one of their signs! My son didn’t want to go (he had an orchestra concert Saturday night and it didn’t seem like a great thing to combine with a possibly violent protest) and well… let’s just say I’m a coward. I wanted to spend time with my son, and walk around downtown Evanston. My sister kindly gave me an out by saying it gave her peace of mind to know that if they weren’t able to return home that night for any reason, I would be there to take care of their cat. We headed back to Evanston, and while the brave people protested, my son practiced a little and here’s what I did: I hit up two more bookstores, and bought three books! Then my son and I walked to the lake. Now, at this point you might be asking, HOW WAS THE WEATHER??? It was… not as cool as I was hoping for, but with everything going on, we were grateful it wasn’t cold, or rainy. It was around 70 degrees, which was just fine for walking around. The leaves were kind of fallish- some were changing, some were still green. My son and I spent most of the afternoon walking and talking, and then we met up with my sister and BIL for dinner. The protest was 100% peaceful, and they said it was uplifting and exhilarating to be around so many like-minded people. Hooray! After dinner we went to my son’s concert, which was AMAZING. The Northwestern orchestra is so good! It was so much fun to see my son play (he had some solos) and know that he’s living his best life- playing in a symphony orchestra is his eventual dream job. Sunday morning we woke up to this: A quick note- I did end up running on this trip, on Saturday morning. This meant (since I traveled with just a backpack) I only had my running shoes, to run in, walk around all day, and then wear to the concert. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked just fine. But I was VERY glad I didn’t plan to run Sunday morning! After breakfast I headed to the airport. And then a few hours later, I was home! It was a little surreal to be back in this: It seemed like I was gone much longer than two days, which means it was a great trip. Now I’m sad that it’s over, but I’ll be back! Welcome to the new Tuesday Topics, hosted by Jenn at Runs With Pugs and Jenny at Runners Fly! Once a week, we come together to share random topics about running, fitness, and life! Use the weekly prompt or write on your own topic! Nest week’s topic: Free topic You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter
Weekly Rundown- Hints of Fall!
Well, it was quite a week! I had a great long run, and also went up to Chicago to see my son! I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown. Let’s get right into it! Monday 4 mile run. The strap to my headlamp broke so now I have to hold it in my hand, sigh! Can’t wit till we turn the clocks back… Tuesday Since I’m a Cool Walking Blogger, I started the morning with a 2 mile walk. Finally seeing some Halloween decorations in my neighborhood… I followed this walk with the Caroline Girvan deadbug workout. Wednesday Long run! This run was really important, because last week I ended up bailing on my long run, so I really needed to complete this one. I’m happy to say I felt like a completely different person this week! Everything felt great- but the trail was REALLY overgrown in places. I ended with 12.5 miles and felt like I could have kept running forever… except for a weird feeling in my SI joint. Seriously? Does there ALWAYS have to be something wrong??? In the evening I did Adriene’s yoga for lower back pain. That felt good. Thursday My original plan was to do a leg day at the gym this morning, and run again at night (front loading workouts before my trip)… but my SI joint was saying “no” to that. Instead I walked 2 miles… …followed by upper body strength, and then Adriene’s low back yoga video again at night. Friday Travel day!!!!!!!! Lots and lots of walking- in the airport, and then I walked all around Evanston with my son. Fun day! Saturday 4 mile run! It wasn’t cold, but it was definitely cooler than Florida. This was a tough run because my sister’s neighborhood has HILLS. And then… SO MUCH WALKING. Again I walked all around Evanston with my son. More on the trip coming up soon- I had so much fun. Sunday Travel home (boo hoo!) The trip was a whirlwind, but we did a lot, so it seemed longer than two days. I get home in the afternoon and will do SOMETHING… yoga? a walk? upper body strength? We’ll see. How was your week? Have you ever been to Chicago?