Kenneth Gladney

What's with all the sudden searches about birthers and hitting my blog post on Ed Hale and the the suit over the birf certificate?

Hey, if your an ignorant wingnut, BITE ME. If you're just trying to get educated, then good for you.

I have lots to say on the stupidity of Tea Baggers disrupting the health care debate, but I have to go to bed, because I am too sad from seeing how this douchebag, faker Gladney decided to get a lawyer and cry how the "union thugs" beat him up. So now Fox News is giving him air time and manipulating the video.

I hate this. Our country is in sad shape. Please don't let them win.

I'll write more truths tomorrow. The more people who speak the truth, the more we silence the squeaky wheels.

Some fun stuff.

Others at the walk have much better video and pictures than I got. Here's a cute one:




Also, Men with Heart posted a wonderful slideshow. It's 8 minutes long, but really shows you the whole event start to finish.

Day 2: Spare the hose, douse the walker

"Sunshine On my shoulders Makes me happy"

…Provided I have adequate sunscreen on. (Read about Day 1 here)

Saturday morning, we were determined to get back to camp earlier than we did Friday. We set our alarm to be up at 5:30, for a 6:30 breakfast call, and to be on the course by 7:00. Of course, I slept like crap, snoozed for 15 minutes because Wendy was in the shower, and by the time we stopped at the medical tent, hit the porta-potty, and filled our water bottles, it was almost 7:30 AM. We were warned there was a big hill on the route today, between Pit Stops 1 & 2. They were offering to bus people who didn’t feel they could make it up to the top. It sounded very ominous. However, despite all the doom and gloom, we made it up no problem. There were several plateaus along the mile-long climb.

Shaws in Belmont had employees outside their store handing out water, iced tea, candy and gum to walkers as we passed. It was so nice!

The weather was much, much nicer. Although, the heat comes with its own challenges. Despite the constant reminders to drink, and guidelines on how much you should be drinking, people still end up with an IV and red-carded off to the E.R.. The mantra at each pit stop is “Eat, drink, pee!”.

One of the fun things about the 3 Day is that you get to be juvenile, and let the little things amuse and delight you. Like Smuckers Uncrustables PB&J sandwiches to eat at pit stops, Purple flavored Gatorade instead of icky Blue Frost, and getting stickers for your credentials. Men dressed as Cleopatra and angels telling you to keep going, singing “Sweaty women” to the tune of Roy Orbison. You smile and thank police officers, as random women ask to press the alert horn, or to be cuffed for a scavenger hunt picture.

We realized early on in the day (based on the route card they give us with mileage and where the pit stops are) that the last pit stop/cheering station was at a Friendly’s. We spent a good portion of that day’s walk with the image of an ice cream cone dangling on a stick in front of us as we walked. I wanted vanilla soft serve in a cone with sprinkles. They only had chocolate so I had to settle for regular ice cream but that was just fine. As we got to the last few miles of the day, we came across a family handing out Hoodsie and Sundae cups. Jen tried to protest saying, “Oh, no thank you, I just had ice cream.” But the dad said, “How can you turn down a Hoodsie from a kid?”

Dad for the win! We all took cups. I got a fudge sundae cup. What was even cooler? A group of kids with trash bags a block or so later.

We ended up back at camp at 6:30, which was no surprise given we had fallen further and further behind at each pit stop, and pretty much closed lunch. Oh well. It’s not a race. I still showered before eating dinner. With both ice creams I wasn’t hungry in the least, and had had enough fluid that I was fairly confident I wouldn’t pass out nekkid in the showers. The only reason to be back at camp sooner is that you can take advantage of some of the activities. I spent dinner listening to the “3 Day Rock Star” finals and icing my feet while I ate. Jen went to visit the remembrance tent, and Wendy was with her daughter who was part of the youth corps. I grabbed fresh ice, and went back to the tent to call Dave and the kids and go to sleep. It still ended up being near 10:00 before we were tucked in. I slept like a rock, despite a 1:30 AM need to pee.

Quote of the day: “It’s gonna take me days to remember to flush!”


P.S. if you click on the pictures they get bigger. :)

Next- Day 3: Walking on Sunshine

The Komen 2009 Breast Cancer 3 Day, Day 1: Raindrops keep falling on my head

"I'm a-walking in the rain
Tears are falling and I feel the pain…"

Walking in the rain is one thing. Walking in a monsoon is another. That’s what the weather was like last Friday morning as the sun rose over Farm Pond in Framingham, MA. We heard the meteorologists were calling it a nor’easter. Call it whatever you want, it was raining reeeeaaaally hard, and I along with 1500 women and men were about to walk 20 miles in it.

We made a sea of ponchos, cheering as we made our way out of the opening ceremonies and out onto Rt. 135. The ponchos keep you dry for the most part. However they don’t cover your sneakers. The problem with wet shoes in a situation like this is that moisture softens the skin of your feet. Moisture + friction = blisters. People were trying various unique ways of keeping their feet dry. There were inverted ziplocks taped to legs. Some used plastic grocery bags or baggies on the inside of their sneakers, and tied or banded around their ankles. Others planned ahead and bought those rubber foot condoms to put over their sneakers. Some abandoned sneakers altogether in favor of flip flops. That seemed risky to me. Plastic rubbing against wet skin, over, and over, and over with each step? Blister city of you ask me. Maybe if you had trail sandals like Teva or Reefs…

You wouldn’t believe what goes into caring for you feet for an event like this. Everyone kind of does something different. Key #1: change socks often, at least once if not twice a day. 2) Lubricate with Glide or Vasoline. 3) Add powder if necessary. The problem with last Friday was that you could change your socks as much as you wanted, if your sneakers were soaked, the socks would eventually get wet. Then there’s the type of sock; There’s the padding camp, vs. the lightweight, wicking camp. I went with padded socks and found out my feet were sweating too much. I ended up with heat rash, and some hot spots. A hot spot is when you notice a patch of skin getting red and warm from friction. You have to cover it to keep it from getting worse. I’ve been lucky enough to never have to deal with blisters on the walk. I’ve been militant about taking care of my feet. I think the majority of people who end up with debilitating blister problems actually haven’t been properly fitted for sneakers. You should actually be wearing them a ½ to a full size larger than your shoes. You should have plenty of toe room. Then you need to see what kind of support you need based on how your foot strikes the ground.

I did end up with a small blister on my big toe after the end of Day 2, but it didn’t cause me any grief.

I did find a walking partner: Wendy, who I met two years ago on a walk. She had no team this year, so she gladly joined mine. Together, we met Jen moments into the walk. She was walking alone, so we invited her to join us. I felt like I was paying it forward, as I had been adopted by Wendy and her friends when I was alone.



The rain was really awful, as was the wind. We hopped into the first D&D we saw because we needed the bathroom and knew the 1st pit stop would be crowded. Once the crowd starts to spread apart it gets a little easier. Reports had the rain stopping around 8:00 AM. I wasn’t holding my breath. It finally showed signs of slowing around 11:00. We passed a cheering station at the Star Market in Wellesley, and Wendy’s sister and kids were there handing out candy and cheering for us. Jus had hot chocolate! Mmmm.

Lunch wasn’t until like mile 12. It was after 1 o’clock by the time we got there. The rain had started again so they opened a gym at Lasell College in Newton. Got to take off the sneaks, stretch out, and use a real bathroom!! Whoot!

I tried putting pieces of plastic trash bags over my dry socks and under my sneakers. It made a lovely fashion statement. It lasted another 4 or 5 miles, then I ditched it. Too hot. I was steaming my feet.

The sun finally came out. Ponchos were tossed. The last mile to camp was up hill. I couldn’t believe we weren’t back at camp until 5:30. But the crew, Pink Angels, and Men With Heart were all there to cheer us on those last few yards.

Other highlights of Day 1:
The three somewhat-elderly men with pink pom-poms on their sneakers who kept appearing on the route to cheer. They gave us hugs toward the end on that last mile. They were there each day, in the morning and the evening.

Bertucci’s on Washington St, in Wellesley had staff outside with cups of ice water and fresh hot rolls for the walkers. It was a huge treat, as lunch was several miles and hours away!

Thank God for artificial turf. I can’t even imagine having to camp in the mud that would’ve existed on a normal athletic field.

Next: Day 2 “Sunshine on My Shoulders.

Breast Gal Walkin'

The 3 Day is here!

Tomorrow morning I will be at Farm Pond in Framingham at 6:30 AM with 2000 of my new closest friends. We will embark on our 60 mile journey over 3 days to help raise money and awareness for breast cancer. I plan to blog and Facebook along the way, so please check in. There are cheering stations along the route, and I have listed them here. If you are around Friday or Saturday please consider coming by to show your support. Bring a hat, water and maybe even a beach chair! Let me know if you think you will come and I can give you an idea when I might be passing through the area.

Send sunny thoughts. Rain rain go away!

Cheering Stations
Public cheering stations are a great way to show your support along the route to encourage walkers and let them know that you are with them every step of the way. Seeing familiar faces cheering them on can provide that extra burst of energy that gets them to take that next step or go the next mile. Create banners, hold up signs, bring some music and make some noise - anything to make them smile, get energized and keep walking.

Friday, July 24:

9:00 am - 11:30 am
Hunnewell Playground
Parking at Stars Market, 448 Washington Street
Wellesley MA 02482

11:15 am - 3:00 pm
Learning Prep School
1507 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02465

Saturday, July 25:

10:15 am - 3:30 pm
YMCA-Greater Boston Area: North Suburban Family Branch‎
175 Lexington Street
Woburn, MA 01801

10:45 am - 4:00 pm
Lexington Town Center
Green Area next by the Buckman Tavern
(Massachusetts Avenue between Hancock Street & Meriam Street)
Lexington, MA 02420

11:30 am - 5:45 pm
Friendly’s Restaurant
1111 Lexington Street
Waltham, MA 02452

Sunday, July 26:

8:15 am - 11:15 am
Cambridge City Hall
795 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139

Cluck cluck

I'm going to New York this weekend. As in "the City". I say that because to many people, just saying New York could mean "Upstate", and "Upstate" is not "the City". Though I suppose technically, New York could mean Long Island, but anyone going to Long Island would be from Long Island, and call it Long Island. (Pronouced: lawngeyeland.) Because Long Island is also not the "City."

And all of this is just a mindless preamble to a post about my lil' sister. You see, she has decreed the next month shall be "All Amy, all the time". ;-). Sissy understands the above paragraph. Actually, I remember visiting her office once, and they had transcribed literal spellings of common Tri-State area phrases, like "fugeddabowdit". (n.b. That was from memory, and not necessarily an actually New Yorker's spelling.)

Amy does epitomize New York. I've now lived up here longer than I ever lived in NYC. I lost most of my accent. I lost my walk. I lost that NYC swagger and mojo. Although in all honesty, I'm not sure I ever had any. Not like my sisters did anyway. Biggest Sissy could sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. Lil' Sissy would make sure you were happy with your purchase on the way out, making sure to tell you "how great your outfit was, by the way, and where did you get it?"

We are going to get sangria and chicken this weekend, at Pio Pio. Did you know that "pio pio" is the sound a chicken makes in Spanish? Amy taught me this. Also, apparently, her oldest daughter---who is 3, thinks the name of the restaurant is actually "Pio Pio-Rice-&-Beans". (I guess it's good she doesn't think the name of the restaurant is "Pio Pio-mas-sangria-por-favor".)

So, over sangria and rice and beans, Amy will supply me with insanely amusing anecdotes for me to blog about. Though we also have to do the Celebrity Death Watch.

Mama say, mama sah, mama koo sah

It was a Princess Di moment. It was that big. He was that big. And unfortunately because of everything that happened in the last 15 years that impact somehow became diminished. After that point he went through life almost encouraging the farcical image the world has begun to have of him.

But I remember sitting on Terri's stoop in 1979, listening to my copy of "Off the Wall". I was a still a total disco babe then, listening to Disco 92 and Jay Thomas in the morning. I loved that album. I think I loved it more than Thriller. But now if you ask me, I think Thriller has more hits I like.

Sissy Amy called me last Thursday afternoon. I was running around like a nut, trying to get the kids the carnival and pack up my stuff to fund raise for the walk at the same time. I had just talked to her like an hour or two ago.

"Hey, what?" I asked, as I answered the phone.
"So, does Michael Jackson dying trump Farrah?"
"...WTF are you talking about??"

I put on CNN while she said TMZ was reporting he was dead, and with all the little shit reporters they have everywhere they were usually always right.

Bizarre. And surreal. Because it was the furthest thing from your mind. Not that I should really give a shit, because he was a musician far removed from my everyday life but still...

It was a Princess Di kind of moment. This icon of a generation---my generation. Michael Jackson--- who defined music videos; who was appointment television before there were DVR's. He was the man who pushed the envelope, who inspired fashion, not to mention countless performers to come after him. I listened to Justin Timberlake's "Future Love Sex Sounds" and said, "he's totally copying 80's Michael Jackson."

And while my kids seem to "get it", I can tell they don't. And that is when I realized. I am over forty years old, and I have over decades watched as "legends" of stage and screen died. I've watched retrospectives and said, "awe". Paul Newman, Bea Arthur, and countless others have had their obits published in recent years. But while I could appreciate their talents and impact on entertainment, I didn't live through their comet blaze across the sky. Those of us born after 1965 watched the taillights of the baby boomer generation's entertainers fade to black. But they didn't belong to us. MJ belonged to us. He was disco, pop, and MTV. He was an Elvis for the 80's. He is to my kids what Elvis was to me.

He's the first one we've lost. Him and Farrah- who launched a million young boy's fantasies. Who inspired a hairstyle decades before Jennifer Anniston. And not withstanding what happened in this man's troubled life, the impact he had on pop music and culture is immeasurable.

One TV analyst said, "But, could you really imaging Michael Jackson being 80 years old?" And no I couldn't. Not that that's any justification for a life shattered by drama, abuse, and most likely drug addiction. His soul at least is at rest. And God knows, he had a lot of it.

Interesting Tidbit of the day

Did you know the internets are not kosher?!!! It’s true. Your average, uber-orthodox, Jewish friends can’t surf the Web like you and I do, because while searching for a licensed plumber they might stumble across an ad for low mortgage rates with a woman dancing back and forth for no apparent reason, or pictures of T.V.s and other assorted instruments of pleasure not allowed in the orthodox universe. Que Horror!

That has all changed now, my friends, with the introduction of “Koogle”.

A play on words with the fabulous noodle dish and Google, the site “omits religiously objectionable material, such as most photographs of women which Orthodox rabbis view as immodest”. And of course, there is no posting or shopping on the Sabbath. Koogle won’t let you.

Damn. Now I want Kugel.

(Reuters)

Grub and booze

I’m trying to decide between cleaning the house, and walking 10 miles. I suppose I could clean the house first, then walk, but that’s only marginally less taxing on my body and psyche. I also need to come up with a design for my “team” tee shirts, and get in touch with Wendy, my lone teammate. Not too mention fund raise more. Crap it’s only 6 weeks to the event!

We went to a wine tasting last night to benefit the library. Maintaining the town library has always been important to me. It always seems to be the thing that has to take cuts, and has been asking for upgrades for ages and never gets approval. It was held at Oak Grove Farm, and pretty much everyone there was as old as the historic farm. After tasting six or eight wines, of which three were decent, we high-tailed it over to our favorite bistro for an little shot of martini vitality. And a lobster fig pizza. Seriously good stuff.

Here are some wine rec’s, some from last night, and a few that I’ve read about and had recently.

Crios Torrontes-2008 from Argentina, a nice rich white that would pair well with appetizers and a seafood dinner. $12

Pine and Post- a Washington state label- This is a bargain. It’s a $9 3 for $25 special that pretty good, especially for the party/BBQ season. Try the Chardonnay and Merlot.

Altovinum Evodia 2007: is 100% Spanish Garnacha grape, and for $12 another really nice drinkable red for steaks, burgers, etc.

Sleeping on the interstate

Training for this walk is time consuming. Walking miles and miles can be very boring. You do some with friends, but even your closest, physically fit friends don’t want to go 8-10 miles with you.

Even with the music going, your mind has little to do but think about things. I spend many mornings pondering what I have to do once I get home and shower. I mentally tick off a grocery list. Then there is the introspection that comes with solitude, which isn’t always wanted. I get to obsess over how I’m ruining my kids lives, why aren’t you writing or blogging anymore, blah blah.

I have to try to plan my walks so every 3 or 4 miles I pass somewhere to pee, or buy more water if I am out. Usually I make Dunkin Donuts the last stop before home so I can grab an iced coffee for the last mile and a quarter.

One thing about walking around town is that you notice more things than you do driving. I’ve enjoyed people’s gardens and the seeing different variety of flowers. I’ve discovered houses I never new existed set way back off the road. Unfortunately I’ve seen more roadkill than one person needs to in a lifetime, a gross variety of flattened garden snakes, squished chipmunks, skunks in the middle of the road… I wonder who cleans that up? Or does it just sit there until the wildlife takes care of it?

Speaking of wildlife, our neighborhood has a coyote. Fun huh?

See this is why I’m not writing or blogging. This post is supremely boring. Bonus points for the song the post title comes from.

Man I suck

So I get all apologetic about not posting, and then make this big deal about revamping the blog, and promising I'll post everyday.

Yeah right. I wouldn't believe me either anymore. The killer is, I waste more time bitch slapping stupid people who comment on news stories at Boston.com. Time and energy I could be writing those same thoughts here.

The thing is, the stupid people don't read them here. I don't have an audience. What's an attention whore to do?

Have faith in herself that's what!

I can write.
I write well.
I can get an audience.
I need to start writing again.
I should keep a journal.
Maybe that novel will eventually appear.

School is almost out. 'Tis both a curse and a blessing as many of you with school-age children know. The lack of alarm and the lure of the mattress. The lazy days, but alas, you also have to feed them lunch. But... we have a new pool going in. We have WiFi and laptops. Sweetness.

Now all I need is a pool boy... ;-)

Rocky Mountain High

First of all, no one warned me that when my $40 Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer traveled from Boston to 10,000 ft above sea level it was going to erupt like Mount St. Helens. There was no stopping it. It poured all over my hands, the counter, and the sink basin. Same for my travel night cream.

So, while my skin may not have been beautiful, (after burning even with SPF 55 on) the scenery was. I couldn't get over the moutains. White-peaked, and stone faced against the bluebird sky---they were breathtaking. I could've looked at them all day. But that would've made it hard to ski without crashing into something or someone. hee hee. I think one run from top to bottom was more than I ski in the morning at Sunday River! I did some steep bump runs and felt really good.

The snow was amazing. The first day we got there, there was about 4-5 fresh inches. It made it hard for the kids to practice their events, but me and my MissDemeanors loved it. With three kids compting in almost all the events they were elegible for, my skiing was pretty limited, but we grabbed some runs in when we could. I made it to the top of Copper, but never got down the back bowls. I took some tree runs with the Littlest One. Thought I was going to die, as usual. But I made it out unscathed and triumphant. Took a steep bump run off the rim with hubby---it was a blast!.

When we weren't skiing we were hanging out in Copper's Center Village, either listening to awards, (of which Maine grabbed several! More to come...) or drinking beers and margaritas. It was very cool than the kids all pretty much hung out with each other---either at someone's condo watching movies, or at the Woodward gymnastics center, and the grown-ups could socialize.

Tomorrow I will give a full wrap up of how the kids did, how The Maine Mountain Series did, and oodles of pics and video.

Off to Copper, CO!

I'm headed for a Rocky Mountain High folks. For those of you who don't know (as I have been shouting it to the roof tops) Dave and the kids are competing in the USASA National Championships in Snowboarding. The plane leaves this afternoon!

Send super good vibes for my East Coast competitors who tend to have the deck stacked against them vs. their western mountain counterparts who are on the snow many more months of the year and can train more. I will most certainly update the blog and Facebook with news, photos, and video!

xoxo
G.

Walking the Walk

I'm doing it again.

I didn't do it last year, and I regretted it. But life was really hectic with the move.

It is the Breast Cancer 3Day Walk to benefit the Susan G Komen for the Cure. This amazing event has over 1000 people, women and men walking 60 miles over three days. We live, camp and eat together. It is a blast-- well, as much as punishing your body like that can be...

As a woman at risk, with a daughter, this cause is important to me. I have added the donation "widget" to my side bar. Please click the link and donate if you can. Even better? Walk with me. This year, I finally did it and registered as "Team Tough Titties". LOL If I can do it, you can. The training can be time consuming, and the fund raising a little intimidating, but it's all worth it. I think there will be a team training blog too, that I will link here.

Cheers!