11:00 AM - I was at Emma's today. It was blue skies and hot and humid by the time we started the run at eleven at the Lanesborough entrance to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. Temperature was 78 at the start and 85 at the finish. Phew! We saw a bunch of bikers on the trail and saw the scooter man as well as the grandpa with the jogging stroller with his granddaughter. Emma is such a trooper. She wasn't sure she was up for a longer run but she made it and we ran very consistent miles. Afterwards I had to run to drive to work as I worked the evening shift tonight, but not before I watched Usain Bolt slaughter the competition, running a 19.19 200m new World Record! That guy is insane and so young. (He turns 23 tomorrow.) Thankfully I carried a water bottle out on the trail, as it got hot hot hot! Both of us were sweating and burning by the end. Splits were:
- Mile 1: 10:37
- Mile 2: 10:52
- Mile 3: 10:46
- Mile 4: 10:46
- Mile 5: 10:29
- Mile 6: 9:57
Total Time: 1:04:01 Total Distance: 6.06 miles Average Pace: 10:34
Yesterday was a troubling day to say the least. Had to get work on the car done, oil change, tire rotation and inspection and then went and got a hair cut, bought some clothes for student teaching and a couple other errands. Was worried my car wasn't going to pass inspection because there is a crack in the headlight for the high beams which equated to about an inch of water seeping in during the last rainstorm. Not sure how the crack got there but it looks like someone hit it, perhaps backed into it at work?! Anyways it passed inspection, but after leaving I realized it still had the August 2009 expiration sticker in it and I was like wtf mate? So I brought it back and they apologized, etc. etc. Thankfully, driving to see Emma made the day a whole lot better!
So Wednesday night at 6:30 there was a free performance at Jacob's Pillow in Becket, MA as part of the Inside/Out 2009 Festival Season there. We drove to the lot and walked through the grounds which were very pretty. I want to go back there to explore the buildings and maybe see a show and grab a bite to eat! Wednesday's free performance was at the outdoor stage amongst the stunning backdrop of the western Berkshires. It had rained pretty bad the hour before, but as we got there the weather cleared and the crew was squigying the stage off. The performance was done by Dr. Janaki Rangarajan who specializes in Bharatanatyam (South Indian Classical dance form). She has been dancing since the age of four and has toured the world performing and instructing others. Her dances are representative of those that were done by women that danced in the temples in the 1930s in India. Her performance consisted of three separate dances, Ranganjali, Swarajati, & Keerthana. It was really fun and she was a really great dancer. She had a cool dress and was doing these sweet rapid eye movement and facial expressions. I was actually surprised at the number of people that showed up for the free performance. There were a lot of older couples and also young fathers/mothers. Most of the kids couldn't keep still and were allowed to run around and play on the rocks in the woods. A couple of kids kept climbing on the rock Emma and I were sitting on and this one girl sat next to Emma. A lady up front turned and looked at us from her seat and kept saying, "Emma there's a seat down here for you. Emma come here." And Emma was puzzled and trying to figure out how she knew her. Turns out the girl's name was Emma! What makes it even freakier, later during the last dance a boy came up and sat to the left of me and was just chilling with his mom near by. He had crocs on like me, though his were real with the cool little monster creature additions in the holes. Turns out as he was leaving I heard his name... Benny! No joke! How weird was that?! After the performance there was a question and answer period and then we made our way back out to the car and then to Emma's work at the CIP program. Helped Emma set up her office. She is such a diligent worker! They are going to be so happy they chose her as Social Thinking Coordinator! Can't wait for the next date on Saturday when we go tour Copake Country Club, hopefully where we're getting married! | 
