A Sad Day At The Vet

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I took the girls to the vet today to have their nails trimmed. As we were waiting in the lobby, an elderly gentleman dressed in overalls and a worn baseball cap shuffled in leading a tired and aged cocker spaniel. The woman at the front desk came right out and took the leash and said to the dog, "C'mon sweetheart."

As they walked away, the man stood and watched them go. "I hate to see that happen," he mumbled more to himself than to me. I was pretty sure by then what was happening but as he caught my eye, I raised my eyebrows in a question and he gave a quick nod. 

"I'm so sorry," I said. 

The man blinked back a few tears, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to step back into the cold air. 

There just wasn't a whole lot more to say. 

Using the Blog to Make Friends

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People sometimes ask me why I blog. I have no good answer. When I started this blog, oh so many years ago, the thought was that I would use it to promote my book, Lessons In Stalking. (See the promotional link? Subtle, yes?) The idea was I would write about my journey of book promotion. However, after the fifth, "I did a book signing. Three people showed up," entry, I decided a new focus was desperately needed. 

I started writing about daily life. Which is the worst possible thing you can do on a blog, according to the experts. It's the "No one cares you ate tuna fish for lunch," rule. Or in my case the, "No one cares you ran yet another mile. Stop the self-congratulating and go shower, already," rule. 

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Uwharrie Mountain Run... Not For Me

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It's time to come clean. I am dropping out of this Saturday's 20-mile Uwharrie Mountain Run. There was a chance the race was going to be cancelled due to inclement weather and I hoped this might help me save face, but no such luck. An e-mail from the race director came through last night with the subject line "THE RACE IS ON!!"

Here are my reasons for backing out:

  • We already have snow accumulation on the ground. As I type this, more snow and freezing rain is falling. Uwharrie is a treacherous run during dry conditions. Running downhill on loose gravel covered in ice scares me. 
  • I'm not ready. I have done minimal trail running and no hill work. 
  • I need an attitude adjustment. Running the mountain requires a big dose of "bring it!" attitude which is missing from my mental make-up. 
  • I want a friend. It's more fun to suffer and struggle through one of these things when you have a partner to push you. 

I'm disappointed in myself. Sitting out the race because of the weather is probably the smart call, but I know that I lucked out with that excuse. I would have run it if the weather had been clear, but I know I'm not ready and I'm just as happy to have an excuse to bail. 

What I'm looking at for Saturday instead is a 20-mile run on the treadmill. I'm hoping I can get to Greensboro to run with the group but we'll see what Mother Nature holds in store for us.

Meanwhile, it's absolutely stunning outside. A fresh inch of snow on the trees and rooftops and big, fat, flakes continue to fall. 

I haven't given up. Next year, Uwharrie, be warned.

I'm comin' for ya. 

What's Up In Dena's World?

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This week has our favorite writer feeling frazzled. To get a grip on life (and because she has, like, ZERO energy to come up with anything more creative), here's a quick peek behind the wizard's curtain:

WORK

  • 2 newsletter articles
  • Developmental edit on book due to editor
  • Write, rewrite, rip apart and write again children's book for client
  • Conduct interviews, interviews, interviews for other book for client
  • Transcribe interviews, interviews, interviews
  • Write book from interviews, interviews, interviews
  • Compose query letter and sample columns for magazine I want to work for as a columnist
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