Eat Drink Run Woman

When I was 12 one of my older brothers moved back in while he was attending community college. He’s an artist, and at the time he was painstakingly working on a huge (4′ x 5′) painting of a Balinese woman. Around that same time I brought home a new kitten — an intruder our older cat detested. He would chase the poor kitten around the house any chance he got.

One morning as my brother was taking a shower there was a huge commotion in his studio (which was right next to the bathroom). I pounded on the bathroom door, “Dan! The cats just knocked over your painting!” He bounded from the shower (just barely covering himself with a towel) and darted to the studio expecting to see destruction. Instead, he saw the painting propped on its easel intact.

In my mid 20s my boyfriend at the time received the following voice mail message: “Hello, this is Myra Manes. Could you please give me a call at (206) xxx-xxxx. I’ll be here until 7 p.m.” He called the number, but when he asked for Myra the woman on the other end told him, “Oh my no, she’s long gone.” “But she said she’d be there until 7 p.m.,” he said. “Sir, you’re calling a funeral home, asking for Myra Manes.” (Say it out loud).

The date of both of those events? April 1. 🙂

I thought this could go one of three ways: 1) I’d post and no one would read it (or at least comment). 2) people would get the joke right away, or 3) they’d take it seriously and express their shock and sadness for seeing me go. Being the attention whore I am, I was hoping for #3. But when I opened my email this morning to see the heartfelt comments, I got all verklempt. Perhaps I had taken it too far!

Thing is, there’s a reason many of you fell for it — so much of what I wrote IS true. Remember my post on dodging housework? Well, my office pretty much looks the same one year later. I’ve only written one post per month for the past four months over at Ovens to Betsy. I check running forums and blogs first thing in the morning, then immediately upon returning home from work. And ClifShots and ShotBlocks have become a fifth food group.

That said, rest assured I’m STILL obsessive runner gal, although I’m TRYING to become a bit more balanced. (Although depending on what my physical therapist tells me tomorrow, I may be Eat Drink Lounge Woman for a while). I’ve got too much invested — both financially and mentally — to give up now. (Not only have I paid for registrations for myself and my darling for the North Olympic, we’re also entered in the Royal Victoria Marathon in October!)

For those of you who thought I was serious and wished me well, my sincere thanks. Your support truly keeps me going. However, perhaps the BEST response would have been, “BUCK UP! SNAP OUT OF IT! QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF AND LACE UP THOSE SHOES!” But of course, you’re too nice for that!

So assuming I haven’t ticked everyone off with my prank, you can expect to read more of my trials and tribulations as I follow my quest for Boston.