Smug Marrieds: Overheard Conversation

/

Overheard conversation in the Harris car as we passed a sign in front of a church that read: HOT DOG DINNER THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT, 7:30 PM. 

Dena: Hot dog dinner… yuck.

Blair (in his best southern drawl): And on the 7th day, God made hot dogs and he saw that it was good.

Dena: Eat a wiener for God?

Blair: People will be lined up for it.

Dena: Get your ballpark franks!

Blair: Please. There are no ballpark franks going on at a church hot dog dinner.

Dena: Get your red-dye #5 dogs!

Blair: Thass right. We don’t go in for no high-falutin’ stuff ‘round he-ah.

Dena: I’m going to hold the vegetarian equivalent. “Eat some edamame for God.”

Blair: Woman, you may as well just send people straight to the devil. 

-----------------------------

I don't know... do you think we're in danger of becoming too cerebral?

Cheers,

Dena

Grandfather Mountain Marathon: SPECTATOR RECAP

/

Today's race recap will be a little different in that I wasn't the one to run the race. Blair "One & Done" Harris yesterday completed his first marathon at Grandfather Mountain, "One of America's Toughest Marathons." In short, he did GREAT. Ran the entire way, only used 4 out of 5 Gu's, and was still upright and coherent upon finishing. (The same can not be said for me and many of my marathons.) 

Since Blair's idea of a race recap is something like, "I got through it," I thought I'd fill the space with what I experienced as my first time being a sidelines cheerleader at a marathon. 

Read More

The Smug Marrieds Guide To Marathon Running

/

This weekend marks Blair's debut as a marathoner. He's running Grandfather Mountain, a race which boasts the tag line, "One of America's Toughest Marathons."

You wouldn't catch me running this race on a dare. The course begins at 3,333 feet and climbs to an elevation of 4,279 feet. Up, up, up, ow, ow, ow. But Blair insists he's going to be a "one and done" marathoner, so his rationale is why not make it count?

Observing Blair over the last 16 weeks, I've been amused by the differences in how we approach our training. So here for your reading pleasure, I offer...

Read More

Let Them Eat... Wait, That's Not Allowed On This Diet

/

Just when you thought ALL the funny material that could ever be written about cats already existed, a new book comes along to challenge your perspective and make you ask, "Huh. Are more jokes about overweight tabbies really necessary in my life?" 

The answer is yes, yes they are. I'm happy to announce that Ten Speed Press/Random House has picked up the contract on my next book. Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? A Diet Book for Cats will be released in Fall 2013. 

Similar to the set-up of my last book where each chapter parodied a popular self-help book on the market, this book attacks human diets and exercise plans and examines them from a cat's pont of view, which is is to say the diets are viewed while napping upside down over the edge of the couch. 

Needless to say, I've spent a whole lotta time this summer reading diet books. Paleo, South Beach, Atkins, Raw Food, Slow Carb, Dukan, all carb, no carb, fasts, cleanses, celebrity diets... there's no lack of material to pull from.

Read More