As I wrote some time ago, I was due to take part in a half marathon in mid-November. I am happy to say that I completed the run in a very decent amount of time – actually quite a bit faster than I had anticipated.
A couple of weeks prior to the run, I twisted my knee at the end of a long run. I visited a physiotherapist friend of mine to get some treatment… she suggested I not run, which was, of course OUT OF THE QUESTION! I had trained so hard (well, sort of) and I had the comedian Eddie Izzard as my mentor during my training sessions. Though Eddie is not aware of my existence, I was so inspired by his feat this summer: 43 marathons in 51 days…how nuts is that!??
With Eddie in mind, I would like to say that I enjoyed the run anyway, but I really didn’t. 20 minutes in, I was in a lot of pain and I had to run one legged for the next 11.1 miles, which despite the beautiful views and the endorphins was about as fun as a kick in the shins.
1 Hour and 40 minutes later, I choked back tears of relief as I crossed the finish line and I chanted the words ‘never again’.
However, as we know the body forgets pain (think – child birth) and about a half hour later I had already decided that I needed to do that again, but this time with a normal knee.

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We are currently in Denmark with the family. The City has been buzzing with coverage of COP 15 ‘The Climate Summit’ and its been very interesting to listen to all the news broadcasts about the decisions being made (and not made) by so many world leaders all gathered in little Denmark.
On Friday, unlike a usual day at the office, Mr Obama kept us waiting. First we waited for hours to hear President Obama’s speech on Danish TV and then in the evening after seeing Eddie Izzard in Sweden we found the bridge between Sweden and Denmark closed for a short time while Obama’s plane took off from Kastrup airport.
Denmark has always been a very green place to live. To be honest, it was a bit of a culture shock for Ronnie and I, when we first arrived in the U.S to see how people lived; Tumble driers on constantly, air-conditioning pumping, huge cars. However, I think things have changed in the last few years. We, like most people we know are steadily becoming more conscious of how we live and how we consume – electricity, gas, products.

For most, this last year’s economic climate has only strengthened this. There is irony in that silver lining!

Giant Globe in Raadhuspladsen

Coca Cola Poster Designed by Andrew Bannecker

What Global Warming?

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It’s that time of year again. Early fall and time for Teague’s annual check-up. The three girls have summer birthdays, but Teague’s mid-September birth puts us right on the cusp: some years, we schedule early enough to miss it and others, we are just in time. This year, we hit it right on the nose: flu shots had arrived.

My ambivalence towards the flu shot is evident from my children’s medical records. There are years when all three got the shot, years when no one got the shot, and years when the one who happened to be at the office got the shot. However, I suspected that this year might be different. Our new pediatrician happens to also be my neighbor. Although not as convenient as the kids assumed it would be when they believed we could now walk down our driveway to appointments, it brings me great peace of mind to have a professional so close. But now my flu shot indecision would be exposed. And I was quite confident avoidance would not be an option.

I double-upped on appointments: Teague’s seven-year and Jase’s two-month check-ups. I arrived with all four kids. When my five-year-old Reese asked if Teague and Jase would be getting shots. I gave my standard disclaimer, “I don’t know, we’ll have to see,” while dreading the inevitable.

The doctor asked, “Have they had their flu shots yet?” as she perused their files. She commented on the irregularity of their flu shot history and added, “Well, since you’re all here, why don’t we just take care it today?” And here we go…
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We’re really lucky to work in a building that is nestled at the bottom of a hill. The view from out of our window is full of trees, making for a peaceful and unusual place to work. It also makes for a perfect playground for our new friend Bob, the bobcat.

Bob sat outside my window last week for a few hours as he thought about how to catch a squirrel or a mouse or perhaps even a leaf that caught the sunlight. He was pretty serious about his stalking, he crept deftly along the ground as the hair behind his ears stood to full attention.

After some serious scientific research and calculation, the office is divided between thinking that he weighs 40 lbs (us) and 20 lbs (them). Let’s just say that Bob is a big ole cat. He did seem really friendly, and at the end of the day, I think he just wanted to lay in the sun for a bit. I can’t really blame him.

I don’t know if bobcats can read, or even if they would read a blog if they could…but if you’re reading this, Bob, you are welcome back anytime. I would have left a snack out for you if I had known you would be here…

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