USC Quench the Fire 5K Run & Walk 2008. Hosted by USC School of Medicine to benefit the USC Pain Center.

The first of hopefully, 52 races in the next year.  All dependant on the availability of a SoCal race of course, but I have high hopes.

I didn't do so bad or so good. It's been 2 months since I've done any serious running, so this was my intro back into the good life. My time: 29.04.

Good news! I managed to get there early enough to score a size small shirt. Something that is impossible to do if you don't show up an hour and a half early.

So also running in the race, besides me, were about 12 police cadets in training. So they started behind me, and ran in a block, a block.  They were chanting the entire way. Imagine how incredibly creepy and motivating it is to be chased and gained upon by a chanting cube of collectivism with a leader carrying a sharpened twelve foot metal pole.  Freeeaky.  My heart was pounding; I couldn't help it.

I managed to finish before them. Barely. Rude fellows too. Pushed their way through the line after we all finished. Couldn't wait to get back to forming forming a square again

I won a prize in the ensuing raffle. 2 gift cards to Jamba Juice. Also, after the race, Whole Foods served Zico. This stuff is pure coconut water. And I am officially a now a convert. I hate the sweet energy drinks and this stuff isn't sweet, but it's really yummy. Mmmmm. I'm buying more for surzez.

On Saturday, I walked outside of my coffee shop and right into a parade. The Montrose Annual Christmas parade to be exact.  The same dull parade that occurs across all towns across all states. Here comes the senator, here comes the homecoming queen, here comes a badly choreographed, out of tune JV marching band, here comes some boycotts.  Why again are parades interesting, again? People had literally CAMPED out for hours prior. For what? Is it imperative to have a front row seat for getting waved at?

After I left the parade, I made my way to The Department of Water and Power Griffeth Park Light Festival. The festival is 2 miles round trip worth of Christmas lights. You walk your way through it.  The combined popularity of the event along with the short exits off of the highway have made my trip home from work a traffic nightmare for the last week. So I decided to visit the enemy of my commute.

I too, had to wait in a long line off the exit. Bout a half hour to hour wait at around 7ish when I went. The traffic bottleneck turned out to be a badly managed 4 way stop.  Parking was plenty once you got to it.  As were the churros and hot chocolate.  Which I gladly paid $4 dollars for the pleasure of snacking on while I walked under lighted tunnels and past displays of New York, an airport, a waterfall...

Overall, worth doing. Its free. The parking is free as well. It's not overly crowded. Just don't go if you are having one of those "I hate all children, ever" days. Which I wasn't having, thank heaven. Hence, I just lightly crushed toes of kids in my way instead of the customary backhand.

This is me at the hospital. Otherwise known as Frank G. Wells, my office building at Disney. Temporarily turned into a hospital for the filming of Brothers and Sisters. Very cool. Got to see Sally Field, Calista Flockhart and more... We all work on the first floor of this building and got to watch as they turned the corridor outside our window into a hospital environment. A new girl came into work and was actually wondering why they had an emergency room on the studio lot.

Price of getting car to not smoke: $475.  Price of getting engine washed so that mechanics can find the oil leak easily: $65. And nothing about the experience was priceless. But the cost was well worth it, regardless.  I can't tell you what was wrong with it. The mechanic told me, but all I could hear was. "Wrah, Wreah, Blah, Wraaah, Oil Pan Blah." 

I am no longer scared or embarrassed to drive around LA. And with my new found automobile freedom, I'm thinking about taking up a new goal. How about 52 5ks in 52 weeks! This is something that I can take advantage of while in LA. Since the metropolitan area is quite big enough to be having at least 3 or 4 races every weekend. I could make this into a serious hobby since I'm no longer afraid to drive and since driving is sooooo freaking cheap lately.  It's something I've been thinking about. Keep posted to see if I actually do it.

On my way to work on Monday I was putting on my makeup in the car while driving like I normally do. Only I had forgotten that I had put my cute white sunglasses on.  I smeared a large glob of foundation right on my lens while trying to makeup the underparts of my eye.

In other less significant news, my favorite coffee shop got rid of their children's play area. YAY!! They also have still managed to maintain a light classical music background instead of succumbing to societal pressure to force the Jolly, Holly, Holiday down my throat.

Oh! Also, I got an Iphone. And some cookies from my company on the SAME Day. It was very exciting. Even though most of the cookies will probably get thrown away. What am I going to do with 100 cookies.  The Iphone, I paid for myself, but it was nonetheless exciting to see it come in the mail. And it has almost already paid for itself in the form of increased productivity. My life needs some serious management, and I'm outsourcing the responsibility of that to the Iphone. It makes apps for it.