Waiting for my Fish to Poop

The title really has nothing to do with anything I'm going to write about today, but it was the subject of one of the most random and hilarious conversations I've had in a long time, so I felt obliged to share. Last night, my friend and former roommate Tina was late to book club because her beta fish was sick. Apparently the poor fish is constipated, and the solution is to feed it a pea and hope that gets things moving. So, scout's honor, the conversation went a little like this: "I'm sorry I'm late, but I was waiting for my fish to poop." At which point my mind immediately went in two different directions. Being an avid animal lover and fostering fond memories of my own dearly departed beta fish, Quincy, I was very sympathetic. However, I might not have expressed my sympathy as well as I meant to because "waiting for my fish to poop" triggered Jason Mraz's "waiting for my rocket to come," and I had a hard time focusing after that. Needless to say, it was a very silly conversation, but I do hope her fish poops soon. And that I eventually get a different song stuck in my head.

Last night was the kickoff of book club! I'm very excited about this new venture. My brain has spent the last two years in a perpetual state of worn out, probably because school forced me to spend all of my waking hours either reading or writing research. I love to read, but I was too tired to read anything of substance so it's been nothing but Harry Potter and chicklit for a long time. I know this sounds a little backwards, but since I've finished school, I've longed to read books that made me learn. Our first book club read was The Kite Runner, which deals largely with politics in Afghanistan. It was a tough read, but also a beautiful story, and I highly recommend it. Then the best part... last night, 4 of us girls got together, discussed the book, discussed lots of other things, drank two bottles of wine and laughed a whole lot. Pretty close to a perfect night, and I can't wait for our next meeting in January. We're taking it easy and reading Marian Keyes next -- one of my fave authors!

One more piece of news -- this morning I signed up for the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run. It's in Washington, DC in April. Pretty excited about this too. It will definitely be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to being in training again. I did a half marathon a few years ago, and that was definitley the time in my life when I felt the healthiest and most in tune with my body. This time around, I resolve to condition my whole body, so that means lots of strength training in addition to the running. (In case you haven't noticed, I'm a very goal-oriented person.) Ask me how the training's going periodically, k? I may be in need of a sharp kick in the rear by then. The race registration actually says that if I run slower than 14-minute miles, I'll be asked to leave the course. Wow, harsh! So, there you go. Must be able to run at least 10 consecutive 14-minute miles by April in order to avoid embarrassment and wear my race t-shirt with pride.

Well, busy day so must get back to it. First I'm going to hit the treadmill and take the perfect dog for a walk. Then, lunch with my favorite husband, followed by more work, and tonight, I'm going with a friend to see A Christmas Carol. Fun stuff! Until then, "I'm just a drug store prophet with my hand in my pocket and I'm waiting for my rocket to come... well, it started way back in NYC..."