I have a part-time job. I will be working in a library and getting paid, so even though the job is not ideal, it is still great. I start in just a few days, and I am a little bit excited!

I have also volunteered at the local public library for a few hours. That will start next week as well. Both of these will get me out of the house and mingling with real people. I have been feeling a bit isolated lately, too much time locked inside.

Given the lateness of sunrise one might assume summer is nearly over. The forecast high for today suggests otherwise. 107. In my short, three year residence here, this is the hottest and driest summer. Most residents have given up on keeping their lawns green, though there are the occasional spots where the watering continues. It gets expensive quickly though. Especially if you factor in the high cost of AC which becomes a neccesity not a luxury at 107. I often wonder how the old timers managed before AC when cooking required the use of wood/coal stoves. Misery.

I am actually sitting outside this morning, enjoying the weather. It won't be long before the sun rises and it becomes necessary to move inside, but for now it is pleasant to sit out here.

A few crickets are cricketing, one bird has begun its morning cry, though it sounds like it needs coffee more than I do.

I need to rake the back yard again (4 bags of leaves last week). They are dropping leaves to try to help conserve water. Kinda like us humans lose excess clothing in the heat.

Some good news: Carol passed her dissertation defense. She has some changes to make before final submission to the grad school, but she is essentially a PhDer now. She resists the title Dr. claiming it is not official just yet, but she really is a Dr.

I woke u this morning to discover that we were getting some rain. Not sure how much we got, but it was a refreshing break from the monotony of heat. The real bonus, of course, is that I did not have to water plants for the first time in two months. It was not enough to break the drought, but it sure is welcome.

From May 9

This little fella has been hanging out in our back yard for the last few weeks. Big Texas toad, though not really very big. If I were a kid I would be making it a pet and be giving it a name.

Weather remains warm. No rain since June 21 and none forecast this week. Might get day time highs below 100 next week, which would be the first time in three weeks. I would whine, but this is summer in Texas and yah gotta expect such things. 'Sides, I kinda like it.

Our okra patch is thriving, but that is about all. The front lawn is a brown burnt out patch of sand, the back yard is not much better. Half the potted plants are dead and the others are struggling. Though the purslane is doing ok.

I take Carol to the airport this morn to go to Chapel Hill for her thesis defense. Wish I could be going to, but it ain't to be. I will add a post with her progress later this week (defense is Tuesday afternoon, so positive vibes for her would be welcomed).

I have settled into a routine/rut lately. Up early (sleep light and short), run 3 times a week (4, 4, 10), and spend the rest of the time looking for work and lazing about. Well, the lazing about has some value, but it is not all that interesting.

Summer has settled in firmly. Daytime highs of 100 (and more at times) and lows of 80. We have not had rain for ages and could use some, but it makes it easier to run in the early morning when it is dry like this as the humidity is much lower. I am usually at the park by 6 and done around 7 for my short runs. The longer ones take me up to 2.5 hours depending on the temperature. The hotter it gets, the slower I go. I am still a very slow runner (penguin for sure) but I am doing the distance. I have found I need to use some Gu on the long runs to maintain my energy. I am also very happy to be using a Gutr which keeps most of the sweat out of my eyes. Last year, when I began running, sweat would run into my eyes and make running miserable. The Gutr has really helped me out this year.

Carol has a date for her defense (Aug. 9) and is working her whatsits off. I am constantly amazed by the amount of work she does (dissertation and teaching 3 summer classes). I do not know where she finds the energy as I don't really feed her all that well.

This is our 3rd summer in Texas and my 3rd year of driving around. I was reminded of this as I registered our car last night. Interestingly enough, there is an option to register a car for three years. I suspect that would be great if one had just purchased a new car and was planning on staying in Texas for a long while. The car has been a bit costly this past month. I had to replace two tires and the big serpentine belt. Hopefully, it will run (knocks on wood three times) like one of those old Swiss cookoo clocks that I wish I could afford. I still remember this one I saw on a CBC noon news show. It was amazing, and was priced at over 100,000 Canadian dollars.

Hopefully, the next time I update my blog I will be providing some good news. And I hope it won't be long.

On days like this (102) I love my ac!

First official 5k

I ran my first official 5k this morning. The weather was not bad, a little humid (100%) but not too warm (65), and a slight breeze near the end. My time was 36 minutes or there about, I noticed the time as I crossed the finish line but forgot all the minutia (seconds, hundredths).

There were a lot of people in the run, I would guess a couple hundred. It felt weird running in a huge crowd after spending so much time running alone, but it was also energizing. My run was no different than my usual run, though I had more adrenalin at the start. There were two hills, not big ones thankfully, on the course which were hard on me as my usual runs do not include hills.

It was so humid that my glasses fogged up early in the run and with the mist on the last half mile, I had limited visibility. I have yet to decide if I want to run another, though I did enjoy this one. We will see how I feel in a few days.



Before the run:

From first 5k

Middle:

From first 5k

End:

From first 5k