Braaaaaains! Zombies want brains. And exercise?

Looks like I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna lace up my sneakers and enter the world of competitive running. Just last month I posted a picture for my photography project about how I should get off my lazy butt and start running again to shed the pounds my regular workouts weren't getting rid of. I knew that by publicly posting that I wouldn't be able to make any more excuses. So for weeks I've added piddly little two-mile runs to my regular workout routine. No results yet, alas, but upon discovering that there will be a zombie-themed 5k in my hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia I got to thinking that perhaps it's something I can do. Even stranger is that I find myself actually wanting to do it, excited about the idea.

Of course, my nascent running "skills" involve my crawling along at a snail's pace so I don't expect anything from myself but to finish the run. Not to mention that Charlottesville has a huge running community so I'll be up against pros. Oh, and did I mention the hills? Oh yes, the wonderful hills that made learning to drive stick shift that much more fun will also add an extra challenge to the run. One which I can't train for since I live in New Jersey now. Instead I'll count on an even slower time and more fatigue than I'm accustomed to. No matter how poor my time will be I'm still happy to have something to work toward and can't wait to see the zombies out and about in costume. It should be a blast!

9 Days 'Til Halloween!

I'm heading out of town today for a weekend trip back home so I'll be offline during that time. Rest assured I'll keep taking my photo a day pictures and will catch up with you all once I'm home. I'm heading down to Virginia to supply desserts for and helping out with a book club discussion my mom's hosting. I'm bummed that the book club meeting and Charlottesville's 1st annual zombie 5k couldn't have been scheduled for the same weekend as I would have happily participated. Either because I like the exercise or because I'd be running in terror from the hoards of the undead. The run was last weekend and looks to have been a success, raising money for central Virginia's independent film production and promoting Danger. Zombies. Run. I worry that there may still be zombies lurking on the streets of my hometown and that more are on their way. Especially since the University of Virginia campus is touted as having some of the finest braaaaaaaaaains in the country. Maybe their publicity department should cut back on the self-aggrandizing press releases until this zombie plague is under control.

If this becomes an annual event I just might make the pilgrimage back home every year for this kind of fun!

Fun With Etsy Treasuries

I've seen clever and beautiful Etsy treasuries cropping up all over the blogging community over the past few months. While I assume that everyone else has already come up with the best treasuries, I decided to try my hand at it when I discovered The Spunky Diva's weekly treasury party. Although my favorite treasuries to view are the ones that focus on one or two colors and combine a variety of elegant items featuring those colors, I wound up going with theme treasuries instead since that's how my brain works. It's actually a lot of fun to put these together, like window shopping with the added bonus of getting to share your favorites with the world. Or at least the ten people who will bother to view your treasury.

Treasury #1: Sharktopus!

In honor of SyFy's original movie, Sharktopus, airing tonight. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like: part shark, part octopus, all terror! If the trailer isn't enough to grab you, Sharktopus' writhing tentacles and sharp, pointy teeth surely will.

Surprisingly, it was a lot easier to find quirky octopus-themed items than shark ones. I'm seriously considering buying that octo-pi mathematics tank for myself.

Treasury #2: Homesick for Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia's one of those places where you grow up and can't wait to leave. And then once you do you realize nowhere else will ever compare. Here's a tribute to the place I called home for 23 years and miss dearly.

Again, there are several items on there I'd love to own, especially that gorgeous photograph of the University of Virginia that I discovered was taken by a guy I went to high school with. Such talent!