May the 4th be with You

Of course I'm going to post on Star Wars Day, people. Anybody know what the deal is with runDisney's Star Wars "Light Side" Half Marathon weekend? It's usually held in January, but registration still hasn't opened yet. It's odd because the Princess Half Marathon isn't until February, but that registration process has already opened.

That's all I have to say about Star Wars today.

I went running this morning. First time in a LONG time. It went about as well as I could have expected. Worse, actually, but I'm not too worried about it right now. I'll improve. There's a lake near me that offers the closest thing to a 400m running track open to the public (I've mentioned this before, but the high school tracks are kept locked down here in FL). Crescent Lake is a ten minute walk from my house and actually has a 1.10 mile loop, so I decided I'd try training there this time around.

I haven't done one of these types of posts in a while:

THINGS SEEN ON TODAY'S RUN

• One of my kickball teammates. Oh yeah, I joined an adult co-ed kickball league over the winter. Our team was decent, but we didn't win the season. The summer league starts up again next week, and I've been recruited to play shortstop again. Anyway, I was only moderately embarrassed to be caught running so slowly by someone I know.
• A lady walking her cat. Ok, she was actually walking her dog, but her cat was following closely behind her. Kitty didn't want to be left out of the fun happening at the lake.
• A Florida softshell turtle. They say they only come out of the water to lay eggs.
  
• Quaker parakeets! I haven't seen these guys in quite some time, and I just chalked it up to all the various ways people are ruining the environment around here. I didn't get a photo of the ones I saw this morning, but here's one I'm borrowing from the internet.
• Ducklings   

Speaking of birds, I've acquired a lovely pair of Yard Doves over the last week. 

What is a Yard Dove, you ask?  Well, it's one of those birds they release at weddings that are referred to as doves, but are actually just white homing pigeons. They are trained to fly up to 500 miles back to their original home once released - doves just aren't smart enough to do that. 

One of these little birdies showed up last Wednesday night, and I went outside to inspect further, as I did not recognize it as a typical Florida bird that hangs out in my yard. When I went outside, the bird didn't retreat as most birds usually do. He just went about his business, continuing to eat whatever seeds he found out in our lawn. 

He's been back every day this week, and showed up with a mate on Monday. So I guess we're wedding dove owners now. We've affectionately named them Dovey and Pidgey McDoveFace, and Ben's already looking into how to get into the wedding dove business. 

Project Pup

Today I brought my dog in to have him screened to become a certified therapy dog for a local nonprofit called Project Pup. Members of this group bring well-mannered pets to visit with the sick and elderly at nursing homes and hospitals. I've really been looking forward to counting myself and my dog, Joey, among their members.

Look at me - all kinds of volunteering for things lately.

Ben, Joey, and I left bright and early for his appointment at a nursing home... a good thing too, as we missed our exit on the way there. Normally, it's not a big deal to miss an exit, but when you miss the last one in St. Petersburg, Florida, you're stuck going on a really long bridge to Tampa.

Oops.

So we went from being 15 minutes early to being 5 minutes late really quickly. My anxious self was certain the Project Pup volunteers weren't going to let us in.

But they were, of course, very nice and understanding. The volunteers reviewed his paperwork and then gave us instructions for the screening.

Joey's first test was to meet and greet one of the volunteers, who was sitting in a wheelchair. I lead him up to her and asked if she would like to pet the dog. She nodded, and I picked Joey up to her level (Joey's a little bit too small for someone in a wheelchair to reach him).

Next, Joey had to greet a volunteer using a walker. Same drill... ask the guy if he wants to pet the dog, pick up him so he can say hello, and move on our way. Only this time, the volunteer knocked the walker onto the ground with a loud crash to see if he could rattle Joey.

My dog didn't even flinch. So proud.

And then the real test began... meeting actual residents of the nursing home.

He was a huge hit.

EVERYONE wanted to meet Joey, even the nurses. We met one nice elderly lady who was confined to her bed and asked if Joey could sit on the bed with her. I asked the screener if that was acceptable, and she shared that if the residents ask for it, it is definitely ok. So I picked Joey up and placed him on the bed, and he wasted no time laying down right next to her for some snuggles.  The resident was all smiles, and her daughter took a few photos of her mom with my pup.

Needless to say, he passed his test with flying colors. I never had a doubt.

And for one hour today, I had my mind on something other than my own depressive thoughts. My dog not only helped other people smile today, he reminded me there are still things to look forward to in life.

I can't wait for our first volunteer gig together. He's going to make so many people happy.

Anyway, I couldn't take photos of him at the nursing home, so here's a few of his graduation party:

Celebrating at Dog Bar St. Pete

Bart the French Bulldog. My second favorite patron after Joey.

Joey fell in love with Bertha the Japanese Chin.

Bart. I just can't take how cute he is.

Better slow down on that wine, Joe.

I told you so.

The garbage will do

Timehop reminded me that it was the 16th anniversary of the "More Cowbell" sketch on SNL:



 I think of this sketch every time I turn on my metronome app to help my cadence during a run.

Two weeks ago I deactivated Facebook because it was making me feel like garbage. I never intended to permanently say goodbye. I just planned on going back to it when I felt good about myself for a change. Like maybe after I hit that sub 2 half marathon goal.

But I learned that completely eliminating Facebook from your life is much harder to do than you think. About 3 days after declaring that I had deactivated my account, I was informed that I was actually still visible on FB. You know all of those third party apps or emails you sign up for that allow you to authenticate using Facebook? Well, I have a lot of those. It's just so easy to register for other platforms using Facebook. So whenever I wanted to use one of those other websites/apps/products/etc., it meant I'd automatically be logged back into Facebook.

What this means is that I can't completely fall off the radar. It doesn't mean I have to addictively check it every hour like I used to. I'd say my (short) FB detox has been good for me. After all, in just two weeks, I have noticed some improvement in my mood. I have definitely noticed an improvement in my focus.

But I've also missed out by not being on FB. I haven't kept up on what's going on in my friends' lives. My blog traffic has suffered since I'm not cross-posting in my FB groups. And I've missed out on social opportunities here in St. Pete.

It's been pretty difficult making new friends here in FL since my husband and I moved from NJ, partly because we both work from home and partly because we've moved around so much since we got here. Now that we're settled, we've got to start making local connections. I did get out today to my first meeting of Project Pup, a volunteer organization that certifies therapy dogs (I've got a screening appointment for my Joey next month).

Anyway, what do you think the first thing they told me to do was when I arrived at the meeting? "Like" them on Facebook.

Alright, Fakebook, you win. I'm back. But I'm going to make you work for me now.

Today's exercise: Rest.

Four Legs - Part II

Thanks for hanging in there while I wax poetic about cats. Completely understand if you didn't run right out and adopt a cat yesterday... that's what today's post is for.

I hope this is not the first time you are hearing that pet ownership is good for your health. There's tons of research out there that supports the fact that cats and dogs make your heart happy in many ways. I'm just documenting here what I've personally found to be helpful since cat ownership was forced upon me.

1. 24/7 emotional support: Something about a warm, purring kitty on my lap makes everything seem right in the world. It's comforting to know something loves me whether I can run a sub 2:00 half marathon or not.
2. Stress reduction: When they aren't waking up my house guests or scratching up the furniture, they can actually be pretty fun. Breaking out the laser pointer or a game of "Cat Fishing" on the iPad can be entertaining for them AND for me.
3. Better self-esteem: I'm proud of the work we did to solve our feral cat problem. I also feel really good about adopting unwanted pets. I just feel needed, ya know?

Of course, all of the above also applies to my dog, Joey, a 9-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel we adopted three years ago. 

And - as a self-proclaimed dog person - he kinda helps me even more than the cats do.

For one thing, he makes sure I get some extra movement daily, a must for someone with a desk job. We take ten-minute walks together four times each day. (Note I said walks... Joey was made for warming up my lap, not running laps. You might want to check out this article if you're looking for a running companion). He's also good for my social life. I've gotten to know my neighbors really quickly because they always love coming over to say hello to him.

I have an appointment in May to screen him for participation in a program called Project Pup - if he passes, I'll be able to bring him into nursing homes, children's hospitals, etc. for therapeutic puppy visits with patients. 

Cats and dogs have really added something to my life, so I'd strongly encourage you to go out and adopt.

But if you can't, there are other ways to help your local animal shelter. When my husband and I started the Dale Road Cat Project, we were flying solo - but as word got out, we got some help, even from those who couldn't adopt a kitten. People donated to the cause - money towards our spay/neuter costs, food, towels (kittens are incredibly messy), cages... there were even a few who gave their time to come sit and play with the kittens, which was incredibly important in getting them used to people (a friendly kitten gets adopted more quickly than a timid one).

So if you have even a little bit to give, consider swinging by your local shelter.

Ok, I'll step off my litter box... I mean soap box... now.

Today's exercise: Rest

Four Legs - Part I

So despite my admonition on Sunday's blog post, you should adopt cats. I'm going to focus on cats for this post, and though you may not think it 100% relevant to running/Star Wars/my usual blog fodder, it is relevant to health. I'll tell you why in Part II tomorrow.

To start, you should know two things:

1. I do not like cats. And I own two. So I don't want to hear you say "I'm not a cat person." Tough. Adopt one anyway.
2. Ok fine. You can feel free to substitute dogs. Or Rabbits. Chinchillas. Miniature ponies. I really don't care. All pets are good for your health. 

My love/hate relationship with cats began in early 2012 when I made the following seemingly innocuous observation to my husband:

"There's a cat in our yard."

Had I any foresight into the series of events that followed this particular random cat sighting, perhaps I might have cut our time living in New Jersey even shorter than it already was.

We would see aforementioned cat trotting around frequently, but she wanted nothing to do with people. Definitely feral. Our neighbor - a kindly elderly handicapped woman - took it upon herself to feed this poor feral kitty, and our neighborhood birds were thankful for it.

Within 6 months... the cat gave birth to three kittens under our neighbor's shed. (One of these kittens - Zelda - would later find her permanent home with us.)

And then 6 months after that... she gave birth again.

Oh, and by the way - her original three kittens (including Zelda) - also had kittens.

You don't have to be an actuary to do the math. Our feral cat population was growing exponentially, and we'd be overrun unless someone intervened.

Unfortunately, the outlook is hopeless for feral cats and kittens when Animal Control is involved, and shelters usually won’t take feral cats. Our elderly neighbor couldn't do much, and the rest of our block had no interest in getting involved.

So my husband and I took it upon ourselves to start the Dale Road Cat Project. The project essentially became our privately funded trap/neuter/release (TNR) program, where we spent countless hours carting adult feral cats off to a low-cost clinic (Planned Pethood) to have them fixed.

I created the website to help find homes for their kittens. No need to go through the whole site if you don't have time - these are my two favorite stories:

1. Evolution of the Cat Hunter - or why the Garfield comic strip is not the right place to learn how to trap cats.
2. One of These Things is Not Like the Others - yes, even mother cats are assholes.

By the end of our time on Dale Road, we had TNR'd 11 adult cats and adopted out their 22 kittens to good homes.

If you think it heartless to re-release the adult cats back outside, you have to understand that these are wild animals. They've always lived outside, and it takes a really patient person to try to domesticate them. Adult cats are hard enough to adopt out as it is... nobody is going to take a mean one to boot. So at least we ensured they could not continue to procreate during their time outdoors.

The exception to the rule? Our Zelda.

She ended up staying with us much longer than the other adult cats because we needed her to play surrogate mom to some of the really little kittens that we captured. Because she was with us for 3 months, we were worried she might forget how to be an outdoor cat. She's been with us for 2.5 years now, and she's finally becoming a pet instead of that random roommate we never see.

So I don't know that I've done a very good job here of "selling" you on a cat, but you can imagine how grateful we were for those willing to adopt. And even though they drive me up a wall sometimes with their claws and persistent meowing, our cats certainly have some positive traits I can't ignore:

1. Entertainment. Break out a laser pointer around a cat one day and you'll see what I mean.
2. Pest control. Zelda hunts and eats the bugs that find their way into our house. Bonus points to her for getting the spiders, because I have severe arachnophobia.
3. Affection. I could do without being covered in white cat hair, but I'll put up with it since they like lap time so much.

There are so many unwanted cats out there. I hope you do find space in your home for one.

Today's exercise: 4 mile Treadmill "F-*k it" Run, 10 min/mi