Jill: One, Two, Skip a few (or a bunch)

There I go again, getting all busy and forgetting to blog. Sometimes life just creeps up on you that way.

A couple of quick updates:

1. I got new running shoes! Yay!
2. I am finally over the bronchitis and intestinal virus that has been ruining my running. Yay!
3. The club members are seriously talking about running again.  Yay! 

Jill: Why I love Running

Ok, so the title of this post is very misleading because I really don't love the actual act of running (see club membership rule #1).  What I do love about running is the community. Before I started doing any kind of running, I was on the sidelines cheering for my husband who is a real runner.  I loved the enthusiasm and support of the running community even then and was often teary eyed at the finish line as I got to witness many, many people cross for many, many different reasons. So when I saw this posted over at Running is Funny, I may have cried a bit (or a lot).  This is what makes running so much fun. Could you imagine this happening to everyone during a race? That would be epic.

Jill: Music Monday

I'm not sure I can explain how sad/pissed I am. After another week of bronchitis misery, I surrendered, took the day off work, and went to the doctor last Thursday. I then started the slow process of getting better with the help of my new prescriptions. So while I was finally making progress on that front, I awakened an old back injury yesterday and can't find any comfort in sitting, standing, walking, or laying in bed. My running prospects are virtually nonexistent at this point which really sucks because I actually have time set aside twice a week for running during my Girls on the Run practices. 

So while I'm not usually a fan of angry music because I generally don't enjoy when my music yells at me, angry is how I am feeling today. These are two "angry" songs that still end up on my running playlist from time to time.

 Down with the Sickness by Disturbed

And just because it's October which means all things Halloween, here is a softer version of that song from the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead (I have a soft spot for all things zombie):

Down with the Sickness by Richard Cheese 

Seriously. Check that guy out. I mean, his last name is Cheese for goodness sake!

One Step Closer by Linkin Park (probably my favorite angry band)

Jill: Music Monday

This pretty much sums up my Monday so far:

Our girls weekend away was super successful. There was a ton of food and wine, zip lining in the rain (thanks to Chase, Andrew, and Bayer from the Zipline Tour for a great time despite the rain), and good times spent in the hot tub at our cabin in Red River Gorge. I lost and then subsequently rescued my debit card after dropping it from the Skylift near Natural Bridge.  I ate so much food this weekend, from Mexican to the Red River Rockhouse (super awesome place--highly recommend) to Smashburger, that I feel (and probably look) like this:

I would normally say that I will feel better after a run or other workout this week, but my husband and I have been busy breeding superbacteria in our lungs. The result is that I have had an ongoing case of bronchitis that makes my lungs sound like I have been smoking like these two all of my life:

So while I can't run to these songs at the moment, I am eagerly looking forward to when I can breathe and run again. There's no particular reason why I picked these two songs other than the fact that they are currently collecting dust on my playlist.

Counting Stars by OneRepublic

Best Day of my Life by American Authors

Jill: News You Can Use

I'm patiently counting down the minutes until the club members and I leave for a girls weekend trip.  While this trip doesn't include running, husbands or children, it will definitely include wine, zip lining, a cabin, a hot tub, and wine. It is also supposed to include rain which brings back bad, bad memories for us. Despite the rain, I am pretty sure I am sitting at my desk looking like this:

I'm probably freaking out the students too. Did I mention I work in an all-boys school now?

Anyway, before I depart, I wanted to leave you with this week's really important news. Enjoy!

• Should we worry about arsenic levels in our red wine? Probably not.

• If you are into gadgets for your wine drinking, then this article is for you.  We don't really care around here.  We just want the bottle opened. 

• If you live in or near Wausau, Wisconsin, a new cheese shop is opening.   

• Maybe you live near Twin Falls, Idaho? You are getting a new cheese shop too!

• In Italy, there are cheese thieves.  For real. 

• Finally! Validation that my favorite cheese, goat cheese, is healthy. 

• October means Oktoberfest which means Beer Cheese!  

• Don't fork out too much money for your running shoes.  

Jill: Music Monday, Dave Matthews and Wine

Grocery shopping is usually a semi-stressful event involving the heavy bribery of both my children and often leaves me needing some wine when I return home.  However, last week I was able to sneak in an evening trip to the store alone while the husband handled bedtime. I never thought I would look forward to grocery shopping, but these unexpected moments of solace and quiet are really quite exciting nowadays.  One of the benefits is being alone in my car which allows me to put this song on full blast:

S.O.B by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

(an amazing running song)

Another benefit is that I am able to hear the music and advertisements that are playing in the background at the store.  Normally, I would probably tune those out as well, but as I was standing in an aisle contemplating how long I could possibly stretch out this trip, a few distinct words caught my ear. Specifically, "Dave Matthews" and "wine."  And as I started to really pay attention, I learned something amazing.  Dave Matthews, one of my all time favorites, had partnered with a winery to create his own wine brand. The brand is named after one of my all time favorite Dave songs, The Dreaming Tree, and the store I was currently standing in was now carrying it. I took it as a sign. I was meant to be alone that night so that I could become aware of this wine's existence and purchase a bottle (or four). 

It's so pretty that I haven't had the heart to open it yet. I'm sure that won't last long. Our new dog needed to be acknowledged also. Her name is Taylor, after Taylor Swift, which is fitting for Music Mondays.

Here's where you can find out more about this endeavor: Dreaming Tree Wines

Even though it's not a great song for running, I have to post the song as well because I love it.

And finally because Music Mondays are supposed to be about good running songs, here's a few more of my very favorite Dave Matthews Band songs that are less sad and much more upbeat:

Two Step

 

Stay

Jill: News You Can Use

Another work week is in the books, and my hubs and I have big weekend plans. We are getting all dressed up and heading out to the Blue Door Bash, a fundraiser for our local boys and girls clubs. The best part? Our kids are sleeping over somewhere else for the night. We aren't sure if we are more excited to get dressed up and do adult things together or if we are more excited at the prospect of sleeping in naked.

Either way, here's some really useful news for your weekend reading:

• I bet these scientists had a great time "testing" the wines. In all seriousness, I love when science is awesome.

• Forget beer. These wines are great with BBQ.

• More science! This time explaining why cheese gets stinky. As an aside, my kids love this parody book of fairy tales:

 

• We are clearly driving the economy with our love of cheese. So much so that this cheese factory in Iowa is expanding.

• My running hero this week.