Tag super moon blah

Cindy and I were up at 4AM for Saturday’s race.  We had the truck all loaded up Friday night so we could get out the door quickly.  It didn’t take long once we got on site for things to start coming loose at the seams.  There evidently was some miscommunication between the race charity organizer and the running club race director in regards to where the race registration area was going to be located.  We had already started set up on one side of the park when the charity organizer came and told us we were supposed to be set up somewhere else.

I told the woman that I just confirmed the location a couple days ago and that we would not have time to move everything around.  She had already set out a number of signs pointing 5K runners to the other location so we had to have someone go and relocate the signs pointing to where we actually were.  There was also more confusion in regards to how we would utilize space after the race for awards.  It was like they thought we were going to be in the way of the festivities for the big charity walk that followed.

I found this odd since the race course was changed this year specifically to put the race and walk in the same vicinity per their request.  In retrospect it would have been better if they left things alone.  The entire morning was filled with a lot of frustration as we muddled through various issues.  When the awards ceremony were conducted it was done at practically an auctioneer type pace because they wanted us out of there asap.  The whole event was just not well executed.  My timing portion of the event went smoothly with no missed runners that I am aware of.

When we got home Cindy cleaned the coop while I cleaned up the post race work.  I then joined her outside to tend to chores.  I had not weed whacked the property since we got home from the road trip plus I had other stuff to do.  Despite the early wake up and timing the race I somehow had enough energy to trudge away in the increasing heat and humidity.  I was not feeling very enthusiastic however, feeling like I was assigned to a prison work detail.

Mid-afternoon we went and picked up the dogs whom I hadn’t seen in something like 3 weeks.  When it came time to load them up Nicki was acting hesitant, like she didn’t feel like going.  She does the same thing when we try to load her up at the house to go back to Ali’s so I think at this point she just doesn’t like the hassle of changing locations.  Nicki is really slowing down.  Every step she takes looks painful and I swear she sleeps 90% of the day.  It makes my heart heavy.

Originally Cindy and I talked about going to the movies on Saturday night. As evening approached that plan changed as we both were dragging from the early alarm followed by a day of labor.  I could almost guarantee that I would drift off if I was sitting in a dark movie theater so we decided to just stay put and continue catching up on our big backlog of DVR content.

Before settling in for the night I headed back outside late in the afternoon to rip out a large bush on the garage side of the house.  This bush was one of two that I planted shortly after the house was built.  I ripped out the first one years ago because it was getting overly large and was causing issues accessing the utility boxes.  This second bush was even larger.

The bush required regular trimming to keep it looking half decent and even after doing so I still was not really pleased with the outcome.  I made a command decision that if I didn’t like the way it looked why am I keeping it?  Up until this point the answer that would have come back is sentimental value, it had been there almost as long as the house.  Well at that point in time, perhaps aided by my super full moon bad mood, sentiment had lost it’s grip on me as I cut the bush down to the ground with loppers and pried out the roots with a shovel.  Cindy will put something in that spot that is more visually appealing and less maintenance heavy.

Sunday morning despite skies that were looking threatening we pushed off for our 20 mile Dunkin Donuts ride.  I want to try to make sure I get a decent cardio session in on the weekends since I plan on phasing out my Wednesday lunchtime cardio in favor of more resistance training.

We had Cindy leading on the way there.  When behind, I typically like to stay back several feet so I get my own view of the road ahead.  Well maybe 8 miles into the ride I was tailing a little closer than normal.  I saw a decent sized pebble fly into and out of my field of vision followed immediately by a loud pop, it had punctured my front tire.

I immediately pulled off and Cindy stopped and doubled back as she heard it as well.  Luckily we had a spare tube with.  The stone had poked through the sidewall.  I stuck a patch on the inside of the tire before we put the new tube in to reinforce the repair.  A quick couple blasts with a CO2 cartridge inflated the tire and we were back on the road. Believe it or not this was the first time I had a conventional flat while riding.  I once had the spokes on a rear tire break but I never flatted myself.

After fixing the flat Cindy suggested we just turn around and head home as the skies to the west were looking very gray.  I told her we were close to DD and I didn’t want to fall short of my predetermined goal.  I told her I was sure we would beat any rain (we did), despite not really knowing for sure.  The ride back was into a steady head wind that I lead for the entire 10 miles.  I dropped gears and upped my cadence to compensate.  By the time we got in the driveway I was spent.

I cooled off with a dip in the pool which Sadie appreciated as it gave her an opportunity for some splash time which she always likes.  Although Sadie is still quite mobile, I can tell she is getting older.  It used to be she would literally run around the pool until my fingers were shriveled, wanting just one more splash.  Now after a few minutes I can tell she has had enough and is ready to lay down.

Cindy and I did a Home Depot run to pick up sand for the chicken run and top soil for the chicken holes.  The hens have dug out some huge holes they use for dust baths.  Some of the holes are to the point where they are on the verge of displacing the castle stone border they are dug next to.  Somehow we need to find a way to get them to dig holes in areas of the yard where it has less impact.  By the time we got to Home Depot I was feeling like a battery that has a direct short across it’s terminals.  I was exhausted.  Simply dumping the dirt and sand out of the back of the truck when we got home felt like a large undertaking.

Later in the day when I spread the sand I almost wound up beating up the chicken run. I hit my head three times going into and out of the doorway when I I forgot to duck.  After the third time I punched the 2×4 cross member, as if it was intentionally getting in my way.  Yes, I was in a bad mood.

This low energy feeling persisted throughout the rest of the day.  As I watched the Eagles game I was repeatedly drifting in and out of alertness.  The Eagles played better in the first half but unfortunately returned to utter offensive ineptness in the second half, scoring zero points and having to hold on to close out the Jets after building a 24-7 halftime lead.   Sure I was glad to get a win but overall the performance did not make me feel like the Eagles have a solid foundation to build the rest of the season upon.

My fantasy team is in utter shambles. (0-3)  Early injuries have wrecked my roster and I have some fantasy players that are not coming close to living up to their predicted productivity.  Roddy White has been the biggest offender, the wide receiver for the Falcons.  Yesterday the Falcons scored 39 points and White somehow managed to not contribute one speck to it, earning an unbelievable zero points.  I am so frustrated I feel like I should just cut him to make a virtual point which will mean absolutely nothing to anyone else but me. Of course the second I cut him he will blow up and have a huge game, guaranteed.

After the game my feeling of sluggishness continued.  Cindy and I watched five back to back episodes of Fear the Walking Dead, a testament to my laziness.  We stayed up to try to catch a good glimpse of the Super Moon which was mostly obscured by cloud cover. My mood issues that correlate with the phase of the moon have been well documented in the blog. My mood/state of mind during this latest phase has been as dark as I can recall in a long time, perhaps testament to the proximity of the moon.  Very little feels right/good during these periods of time.  Hopefully my feelings brighten as the weeks goes on.