< 2 days and Counting...

A very thoughtful person sent me this picture with the following comments/instructions:
I have no idea how this works, but if you stare long enough you should be able to see the ocean.
Needless to say, I've been staring for quite some time and I've yet to see the ocean in this picture! What I do see is an amazing speciman of a man without any visible tan lines... wowza yowza :-) But speaking of ocean... this picture was meant to get me all pepped up for this weekend which will end with me spending 2 nights on the Oregon coast in a wonderful oceanside condo, relaxing, hiking along the coastlines, etc., etc. I admit that I'm starting to feel a bit nervous about the race, but it's all normal. It's all about the strategy, pace, and mental mode of mind over matter/body. Classic case of [wo]man versus self. Tonight is nothing but relax and go to bed early in order to follow the 2 nights before race rule. Most excellent indeed...

...The Countdown Begins...

Time is flying by sooooo fast! The 2004 Hood-to-Coast Relay is this Friday and I'm hoping I will be able to sleep this week because I am as excited as a little girlie the night before Christmas and I know I'm getting what I want. Ah, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be well-prepared for the race due to lack of consistent training stemming from the fact that my house has been a literal sweat box and the temperature outside was suffocatingly hot. Well, things have cooled down and the runs after sunset have all led up to me being ready and waiting to tackle the roads of Oregon like a mad woman! That and the fact that I went on a unintentional (yeah, I got lost and a 1 hr run turned into a little over 2 hrs) long-ass run yesterday morning at a higher altitude contribute to this chicky's body being geared and willing to run the extra mile - pun definitely intended :-) I received the same leg assignments as last year which equal to:
Leg 1 - 5.95mi, Very Hard
Leg 13 - 4.1mi, Very Easy (makes up for the very hard...)
Leg 25 - 3.75mi, Easy
Estimated finish time for me - 7:45a and trust me, I will have no problems crackin' a cold brewsky and walkin' around with a container of Pringles under my arm as I chill and bask in the fact that I finished and can drink my beer in pleasurable exhaustion. Ah, the sweet relief that beer brings... just thinking about it makes me wanna pop a cold one right now, but no... I must wait... the anticipation alone will make that post-race beer taste all the more glorious. Yum Yum, Drool Drool
Then the rest of the weekend will be spent on the beautiful Oregon coast and then the wonderful seafood dinner Sunday night. I will have to defend my crown and glory of being the only XX chrome to down not 1, but 2 whole oysters shooters from the half-shell. I'm sooooo excited :-) Is it evident?
Pre-shoutout to Miss Elle Boogie for agreeing to watch my Boy for me. Hopefully the humble abode won't be too steamin' hot...

Think Before Speak

I suffer from a disease called, "Speak before Think". I'm pretty good about keeping the outbreaks under control, but every once in a while the disease gets the best of me. Today is a prime example why I should refrain from speaking aloud amongst groups of people.

The story unfolds...
The web team and I went out to lunch today and while returning to the mode of transportation (a.k.a. S's Satan-mobile), people began calling their seats. Usually someone will call "Shotgun" and it stops at that. Well, not being one to be silent when in a crowd, I proudly proclaimed, "Back door"! In my mind, this translated to me sitting in the backseat by the door. Spoken aloud, my innocent stake claiming turned totally perverse. Damn... will I ever be able to overcome this disease?

Bloody Buddy?

Tonight signifies a continuing saga of after-work bloody maries. A tradition started some weeks ago by the founding members: Katy Kat, Elle Boogie, and myself. Definitely a great way to say "hasta" to the work week and "bonjour" to the weekend. To commemorate this splendid event, Katy Kat & I have been passing wonderful notes back and forth to each other throughout the day. These jests all took place while we were hard at work (of course)!

Recount - Fond Memories

The sound of Katy Kat's heart beat at 2:20p
Bluh-Dee Bluh-Dee Bluh-Dee Bluh-Dee

Mental image in Princessa's mind at 2:45p


Mental image in Katy Kat's mind at 2:45p (response to Princessa's)


Mental image in Katy Kat's mind at 3:00p


One Hour to Go... 4:00p


Katy Kat tops 'em all... 4:08p

Pats on the Back - To Me from Me

Lately, I've been pretty busy with work. But... in all the activity, I've been having some fun with some new web pages/sites.

Pat #1
Recently, Microsoft® came out with its Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows® XP. While at HP, I happened to get involved in a project to create a web page on the HP site announcing SP2 and then the follow-up pages. If you go to www.hp.com look at the bottom of the splash page and there is a link to » Windows XP SP2 Update. This link takes you to the page I am responsible for. Pretty cool!?!

Pat #2
This really isn't a pat, but rather a statement that my precious boy Blue is famous! He is the wonderful face on the 'Contact Us' page for Intermountain Pet Hospital. A great place for dogs, cats, and all animals! They even have a Pet Lodge for the overnighters. Purr-ty cool :-)

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis

Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.
- Anais Nin