It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon here in southwest Florida, although still a bit too warm for my November tastes. I'm learning to enjoy my weekends with as much unstructured and unscheduled time as possible. Last Saturday was a delightful unstructured day. A new friend of mine (the one from the Everglades excursion) and I went to a local carnival. Now, here's the thing...I LOVE carnivals. The food. The people. The rides. The lights. I can easily spend an entire day wandering through the crowds. He's no carnival slouch. The first thing we did was walk through the entire place, scoping out the rides. Then the fun began. We rode almost every ride there (except for the kiddie attractions and the broken Tornado). The Wild Claw. The Scrambler. The Orbiter. The Space Oddysey. The Swings. The Pharaoh's Fury. The Ferris Wheel. The Giant Slide. The Haunted House. The Avalanche. It was all good. How can you top a ride that uses centrifugal force to plaster your body against...

I'm feeling an intense ache today. It's deep within, and the best way I can describe it is like the way it feels to eat just a tiny amount of food when you have been so famished you didn't even realize you were hungry. Yep. I think that's it. I spent eleven hours yesterday with one of the most interesting people I've ever met. We hopped in an old Jeep without doors and cruised down US41 with plans to go to a shooting range. After missing our turn and ending up halfway to Miami, we did some Old Florida touristy things like visit the Florida Skunk Ape Museum (where I got to hold a 60 pound albino python). Eventually, we found the shooting range, and I was able to prove that I'm not a bad shot. (I was actually told that I was a natural with a gun.) Later, he made dinner for me that consisted of fish and lobster he caught himself. It was absolutely delicious. I'm impressed. I hope he feels the same way. If I've learned anything from dating, I've learned ...

I went to my favorite yoga class this morning. If you're ever in southwest Florida you should stop by to see this place. It's a bit Dharma-esque in both the setting and nature of the people who visit, and it's certainly worth the time just to explore the grounds. I like it. During the meditation portion of the class, I pray. Today--sitting in the rays of the morning sun, listening to the leaves rustle in the wind--I was overcome with gratitude. You know the kind of gratitude that rises from your belly and washes over your body? That's it. I am daily amazed at the wonders around me. A body that has pushed and prodded through races and intense yoga classes. A job that gives me the opportunity to give back to a community. A bevy of friends who make me laugh. A dog that greets me each day like I'm the greatest person on the planet. A family who loves me. A world of opportunity, if I'm willing to accept it. I feel so blessed. All I could do this morning was thank my...

I finally made it to the running store this weekend and walked out with a new pair of running shoes designed to correct my supination, a water bottle belt, sample tubes of glucose gel, stuff to prevent blisters on my feet, and a running-themed car magnet. I feel like a real runner now...it was the magnet that did it! Running and I have had a love-hate relationship lately, and I won't bore you with all the details. The thought of running more than 4 miles right now is a bit overwhelming, mostly because I'm desperately afraid of boredom. You see, I really can't listen to music when I run. It bores me. I can't read when I run (that's only possible on a treadmill anyway). My mind is so crammed these days that it can't even begin to unwind. Yet, I love the way my body is changing. I can finally feel the bones in my hips again. My rear is lifting before my very eyes. My knees are starting to get a knobby look to them that I see only on runners. You should see my legs....