Random thoughts running

A Calgary spring miracle. Three inches of snow gone by afternoon yesterday so today I was back on the hill. With music loud in my head - drowning out the sound of my breathing there is space for random thinking. Some thoughts I understand and some I don't. Start with the things I don't. I was thinking about horses again - why do I do that so much on the hill. Am I back at age 8 pretending I am a horse. Anyhow thoughts went to the barn and the time I cleaned the horses stalls just for the heck of it. There was almost a foot of straw and manure - gushy and smelly. I worked for several hours with pitchford, shovel and wheel barrel. It was great to find the floor and felt so good to see it. WHere did that thought come from?

Lots of random thoughts on the trails. Deep an important learning?.......Well probably not. Here are some of the observations and what I thought about on the hill. Well used trails that don't get much sun have the most ice and snow on them. High trails have less ice than low trails especially the ones that are wide and pave. They are really icy. Its important to look up from dodging dog poo and rocks to see the sun rise over the prairie. Sometimes not so well used paths get you to better place. On the other hand just going off the trail trying to find a short cut usually just gets you more lost and in more briers. Saskatoons grow the best on the less used path in the direct morning sun. The temperature must be different for me than the Chinese grandma with her toque and hat and dog. I guess when you move fast you need less help to stay warm. Sometimes when you think too much its hard to run. Sometimes when you think a lot its easier.

I figured it out

I have wanted to do this for a probably about 5 years and I have finally figured it out. Its not as hard as it looks. Of course it takes some ab strength but its more about focusing on the right muscles and holding them tight than it it being amazingly strong. Its all about focus. I couldn't find a old lady like me so I chose an old strong guy. Do you think he's cute?

Last night

We had Norm Nelson, our financial advisor, over last night so we could buy RRSP's. ORdinarily the 28th is the deadline. This year is leap year so we were actually a day early. He reminded us that he had come over exactly one year ago. I wonder what I will be doing the day before I die. Last minuting is such a pattern.

I am doing this bibliography - 150 annotations of things that I have read. I of course are including anything that I have every read since there is no way that I can read that many books and articles and write about them between now and June and still live my life. Anyhow, when it has been 8 years since I read this article, I couldn't exactly remember what is said. Its kind of funny to see what I have underlined. It was the right stuff but I know that it just wasn't as meaningful then as it is now. I read it, thought it was great but only now am I seeing the usefulness of the application. I am reading 2 Nephi - the Isaiah stuff. Its still not sinking in but there is no underlines either.

Missing Cleo

Today I couldn't go running - the hill is covered in fluffy snow. Yesterday I cried as I was running, thinking of Cleo. I am missing her again today. I am in my office supposed to be doing my annotated bibliography for the fourth day in a row. This is truly deadly for an extrovert. I have the space heater on so I don't waste heating the whole house. I wish that Cleo was here sharing the time with me. Her company was comforting. There is a part of me that is just non-verbal and kinaesthetic. A need to express feelings without words. Animals have always been a part of and an answer to that need. Cleo was especially good about that. I also shared that closeness with Misty, my pony. She was an amazing personality. So impatient - always in a hurry to get where we were going. She had no ideas of her limitations - her size. She would race anyone and usually win. If I fell off she would stop immediately and give me a dirty look - get on board and lets finish this! I read in one of my endless articles on organizational learning that what sets us apart from animals is our ability to reflect. Don't get me wrong - I think reflecting is great but sometimes I think it gets in the way. Cleo just caught squirrels, birds whatever. Misty raced and won even though she was only 12 hands high. Red, our Arab stallion, opened gates and doors. Thunderhead rounded up cows on his own just for fun. No constraints - just did it - just for fun. Maybe I need to do more of that.

Thanks Mary et al

Wow! Isn't Mary making me look good. The new redesigned look a result of her artistic and techno genius. Its wonderful to be saved by grownup children. Gillian saved me last week. We were working on a tedious and potentially time consuming project - developing assessment questions for job profiles in a succession planning process. I know I have a tendency for theoretical perfection rather than pragmatic realism. I started to get absolutely buried in detail. Jill looked at what I had done and cut right to the chase and we developed a really workable format that fit perfectly within the time frame we were being paid for. Sam's company has created beautiful business cards for my company Capability Connections and is in the process of redesigning the website. If it weren't for the terribly slow client (me) that would have been done. As I enjoy my ipod running and all the cool music on it, I have Greg to thank. Erin is my inspiration as a runner - thanks again for the cool running shirt. Anne is now my model for skiing. She is learning to swoosh turns. Maybe I can too.

Concept redesign

It has been a long time since I have posted. The original purpose of my blog was to do my personal history and connect it with my thoughts. It seemed like an easy thing to do but in the end I never really got to it. I decided when I was running this morning that I need to a way to connect with people and just let people know what is happening to me. I joined Facebook today - got invited by Kathleen Nelson. I did the profile thing and then got stumped on how to post - have a page, all that stuff. The same thing happened with Linked In. I replied to Tagged another networking site when I was requested to be a friend of Vilma Roderigez. Same problem I have no idea how to use these things. So I guess a blog is perfect for my technology disabled self - one way communication.

So what has been happening - running through my head. Well the election in Alberta is one thing. We (andy, anne and I ) actually went to a meet the candidate session - the liberal in our riding. He was really great! Andy is doing some volunteering and I am going to vote liberal instead of my usual ND. Even the conservatives are saying they could lose 10 seats in Calgary and others are saying as many as 18. That would be unbelievable. Its amazing how much like sheep Albertans are - unhappy but still voting the same way. Its like this province really likes dictatorships.

On the personal front. I vacillate back and forth between loving taking this doctorate and being stressed and sick about it. The former happens when I actually get to do some reading and research which was yesterday. The latter feelings happen when I don't. It really is a matter of faith as the spirit told me when I started. Blessings come when I need them. Two of my morman consultant friends just out of the blue gave me things that will be so much help it is unbelievable - one a reference to a software program to manage references/ bibliographies and the other a key book that will be huge in terms of what I want to learn. I just have to keep going and praying and doing what I can do.

On the family front, take a look at this. Two Alenes - 54 years apart