Hodge Podge

I love calling posts "Hodge Podge."


So, I am on vacation through Tuesday!  Consider this post a quarterly progress report for the weekend.  In no particular order, the last 48 hours have included:

• A visit to the mall, to my beloved Marshalls and past the Lands End Not-Quite-Perfect Store, which is obviously a great spot for browsing.  The Not-Quite-Perfect Store seems to be the final stop specifically for returned monogrammed and personalized merchandise, but the thing is, this store seems to keep the price higher than you'd expect for such items.  Then again, it's kind of a treasure trove for bargain hunters with a good sense of humor.  For example, today I saw a robe with "Flimmy" embroidered on the front in a lovely violet script.  Why didn't Flimmy want that robe?  I also saw a youth cotton crewneck t-shirt with "Girls Extra-Large" embroidered across the front.  I have a better idea of why that one didn't sell.
• Social running! A friend and I have been trying to coordinate a run together for literally more than a year.  This morning, we finally made it happen!  Success!  Seven miles, a new trail, lots of fun.
• Elite running: Not me, obviously!  I'm talking about in Houston this morning, for the Olympic Trials marathon.  It's not like I went out on a limb, but I was very excited that my three picks for the U.S. women finished one-two-three and will race in London this summer!
• I started my next sewing project. I hope to have positive things to report - or at least progress to report - soon.
• Red Bull Crashed Ice: Reader, if you live in the Twin Cities, you can skip the next few lines, because I think everyone in the metro area has been bombarded with coverage of this thing.  If you haven't heard of it yet, it's totally crazy!  It's this tournament of sorts - a national championship, actually - with a course that starts at the top of the hill at the Cathedral in St. Paul and curves treacherously for about a half-mile down to the finish line.  Up to four skaters race down this course simultaneously at top speed, and there are bumps and hills and various obstacles (not the least of which is their own competition) that impede their progress.  Holy moly, it's intense.  The skaters flip into the air!  There were tons of spectators for the elimination round last night, when we were there.         

Here's the start of the course, which is near where we stood:

Here's the view just past us, which gives a better glimpse of the ice conditions:

And by the end, I had gotten a close-up photo of the ice:

Obviously, it should go without saying that this activity is not on my 101 in 1,001 list.  But it was definitely fun to watch.

• And finally, snow!  This afternoon, the skies dropped about an inch of big popcorn snow on the sidewalks.  Josh and I went for a walk.  It was pretty. Maybe skiable, snowshoeable snow is not far behind?

And now it's Broncos time!  Reader, how is your weekend going?  What are you up to?