Woo hoo! It's Friday! Which means it's time for some Yvie and then time for some fun!
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| That's right, it's this kind of day today... |
All right! Let's get this weekend started!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wednesday Fail
Hey all.
So I only got half of my Wednesday Weird post written for today. So instead, I offer up this awesome video my dad sent me.
Seriously, it's awesome. Watch it. WATCH IT.
Serious.
So I only got half of my Wednesday Weird post written for today. So instead, I offer up this awesome video my dad sent me.
Seriously, it's awesome. Watch it. WATCH IT.
Serious.
Monday, June 25, 2012
In Which We Garden
A few weeks ago I promised some readers (*cough* Maria *cough*) photos of the veggie garden exploits this year and now that things are growing fairly well and I've gotten some better photos I figured today's a good day for them.
These pics are a few weeks old, so the garden's much more fuller and filled out now. We've got blossoms on the cantaloupe and tomatoes and should see them on the zucchini any day.
These pics are a few weeks old, so the garden's much more fuller and filled out now. We've got blossoms on the cantaloupe and tomatoes and should see them on the zucchini any day.
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| long shot of the entire garden along our front fence |
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| this is just a close up of the garden after we expanded it this year. You can see how much bigger we made it, from back to front, where the dirt color changes. The plants on the right is the garlic, which you plant in Oct. Next to it is green onions. We have no idea where they came from. They just popped up this spring. Kind of a nice (and delicious) surprise |
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| Left, potatoes in a tater bag. Top to bottom, clockwise, asparagus, peas, cucumber, zucchini |
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| top to bottom, clockwise: peas again, soybeans, cucumbers |
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| Top to bottom, clockwise: peas, yellow onions, green onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots in their nice little rows |
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| Top to bottom, clockwise: green onions, garlic, corn, cantaloupe, watermelon |
The watermelon is having a tough time of it. We've got two plant left, and they're fighting, but really anything could knock them out. We just have to cross our fingers. Also something mowed the top off of one our corn stalks (it's growing back) and has been snipping off the tops of the soybeans. Probably rabbits. But otherwise things are looking good.
We've got plans to plant another crop of peas, once this one is done, since we like eating them the most. Corn and soybeans are new for us this year. As is the watermelon. I really hope we get some corn, because that would just be cool. And since we love edamame, I really hope we get some soybeans. There's a bit of a monopoly on soybeans, so it's really hard to find soybean seeds, but we found some at seedsavers.
And that's it. How about you? Doing any veggie gardening this year? How's it going?
Friday, June 22, 2012
In Which We Reveal Another Cover!
WOO HOO! Another Cover Reveal day!
Today is kind of a double whammy, because not only am I pals with the author from QT Forum, but I'm pals with the cover artist too (Because, of course, it's VIC!)
BAM! Time to see the cover for Kimberly Ann Miller's TRIANGLES!!
Isn't it AWESOME??!
Anyhoo, here's the info on the novel:
A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?
In the Bermuda Triangle--a lot.
Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who's practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser's suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she's full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that one of these "alternate realities" could become permanent.
She just has to ask herself one question--how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?
Sounds tantalizing, right? Release date is June 18th, 2013 by Spencer Hill Press. So put it on your calendars!
Also, if you're a reviewer, you can request an ARC, using the reviewer form on the SHP website. ARCs should ship in early 2013.
So there you have it!! A brand new, beautiful cover! CONFETTI!
Today is kind of a double whammy, because not only am I pals with the author from QT Forum, but I'm pals with the cover artist too (Because, of course, it's VIC!)
BAM! Time to see the cover for Kimberly Ann Miller's TRIANGLES!!
Isn't it AWESOME??!
Anyhoo, here's the info on the novel:
A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?
In the Bermuda Triangle--a lot.
Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who's practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser's suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she's full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that one of these "alternate realities" could become permanent.
She just has to ask herself one question--how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?
Sounds tantalizing, right? Release date is June 18th, 2013 by Spencer Hill Press. So put it on your calendars!
Also, if you're a reviewer, you can request an ARC, using the reviewer form on the SHP website. ARCs should ship in early 2013.
So there you have it!! A brand new, beautiful cover! CONFETTI!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Wednesday Weird: North American Giants
One of my all time favorite Broadway musicals is Into the Woods. I mean, fairy-tale retellings, all wrapped up together? It's the original Once Upon a Time. With awesome songs.
One of the songs happens when Jack comes back from climbing the bean stalk and sings Giants in the Sky:
One of the songs happens when Jack comes back from climbing the bean stalk and sings Giants in the Sky:
Then of course, later, some giants come down and wreak havoc and kill a crap load of the characters, including the play's narrator.
Anyhoo. What does this have to do with Wednesday Weird? Simple. Today we're talking about North American Giants. Because forget the giants in the sky. They're not nearly as interesting and weird as the giants that lived among us.
Now. I don't mean people that are born as giants, those occasional people who grow to extreme heights and typically die young because their hearts can only support them so long.
No. I'm talking about actual races and peoples that lived in North America and were giants.
The Paiute Indians of Nevada told tales of the Si-Te-Cah, which they said were red-haired men and women with light colored skin as tall as 12 feet who lived in the area when the Paiute first arrived. They said that these human giants liked to eat the Paiute, which as you can imagine, pissed them off.
Finally, the tribes of the area joined together to put an end to the Si-Te-Cah. They ambushed the giants and killed most of them and the remaining giants took refuge in a cave. So the Paiute piled the entrance to the cave with brush and set fire to it. Any giants that then tried to escape were shot with arrows until all the Giants were killed that way or were asphyxiated in the cave.
Great story, right?
In 1911 bat guano harvesters (harvesting for fertilizer I assume, right? Anyone know for sure? Just curious...) started working in Lovelock cave (formerly known as Horse Shoe cave in the 1800s). After digging out like 4 fee of bat guano, they began to find broken arrows fired into the cave.
And then they found the giants.
Even in shrunken, mummified conditions, the skeletons ranged in height from 8 feet to just under 12 feet (depending on the source, heights listed vary. Some sources say heights only ranged from 6.5 feet to 8 feet. Still quite large).
This whole shebang is cool on it's own. But it's not the only time giant human skeletons and remains have been discovered in North America.
In 1931 two giant skeletons were found in Humboldt lake bed. Both skeletons were wrapped in a gum treated fabric. The first skeleton was 8 and a half feet tall, the second was just under 10 feet.
In 1877 prospectors outside of Eureka Nevada found a human leg broken off four inches above the knee cap including the foot. This leg was found sticking out of solid red quartzite rock dating from the time of the dinosaurs. They measured from heel to knee at 39 inches. The owner would have stood over 12 feet tall.
These are seriously just the top of a huge iceberg of giants found in North America. A quick google search and you can come up with dozens more. Here's a list (though it's uncited. I had a list, with citations I was going to post, but now I can't find it. Sorry). Unfortunately, it's hard to find the remains found in North America in any museums. I've heard most of them are snatched up by the Smithsonian and never put on display, but who knows how true that is.
But that's not to say that North America is the only place the remains of giants have been found. Peru especially has a lot of uncovered giants, and you can see them in Peruvian museums if you're up for some travel. There's also the Breitenwinner cave on the German/Swiss border as well as these bones in turkey:
Though singular bones and bodies are still fascinating, they're easy to discount as genetic abnormalities. It's much more interesting, to me anyway, when there are multiple bodies discovered, hinting at a separate species or race.
So, what are your thoughts on North American giants? Or giants in general?
Monday, June 18, 2012
In Which I Hodge-Podge
Hey all -
Just a quick post today, with some updates and junk.
Just wanted to give a heads up that Dark Moon Digest #6 (where my short story Hole Ridden appears) is now available in ebook format.
Click here for Kindle
Here for Nook.
I know a few of you were waiting until it became available in e-format before purchasing and I promised I'd let you know when it was available.
Now I've done so.
This weekend is 4th Street Fantasy, which I attend every year with the awesome Hannah. It's going to be super fun and great and I'm excited. BUT! I'm also bummed because Brave comes out this weekend and I really wanted to see it, but now I'll have to wait and find some other time.
Sigh.
June is a crazy month for me. July should hopefully be calmer, but not August. Not at all.
How are things with you? Is June busy for you or have you been lazing out in the sun, enjoying the summer?
P.S. Fun fact! I spelled "available" wrong every single time in this post. Skills: I haz them.
P.P.S. I'm watching the Ultimate Spiderman cartoon on Disney channel, which was pretty entertaining until Hulk showed up. MJ actually asked Hulk if she could interview him. What. The. Eff. Umm, bad news, MJ, I distinctly remember ultimate Hulk eating a nurse in the comics. Just swallowing her whole.
Just a quick post today, with some updates and junk.
Just wanted to give a heads up that Dark Moon Digest #6 (where my short story Hole Ridden appears) is now available in ebook format.
Click here for Kindle
Here for Nook.
I know a few of you were waiting until it became available in e-format before purchasing and I promised I'd let you know when it was available.
Now I've done so.
This weekend is 4th Street Fantasy, which I attend every year with the awesome Hannah. It's going to be super fun and great and I'm excited. BUT! I'm also bummed because Brave comes out this weekend and I really wanted to see it, but now I'll have to wait and find some other time.
Sigh.
June is a crazy month for me. July should hopefully be calmer, but not August. Not at all.
How are things with you? Is June busy for you or have you been lazing out in the sun, enjoying the summer?
P.S. Fun fact! I spelled "available" wrong every single time in this post. Skills: I haz them.
P.P.S. I'm watching the Ultimate Spiderman cartoon on Disney channel, which was pretty entertaining until Hulk showed up. MJ actually asked Hulk if she could interview him. What. The. Eff. Umm, bad news, MJ, I distinctly remember ultimate Hulk eating a nurse in the comics. Just swallowing her whole.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Wednesday Weird
Sorry about not having a post on Monday. I was so busy this weekend with house repairs and my cooking club, and then Twin and I watched a movie (Big Year) that I just completely forgot to write one.
But I'm back now, with my usual serving on Wednesday Weird to offer up.
Today we're going back to cryptids. The week is another one of my favorites: the Thunderbird.
Thunderbirds, besides being a Native American legend (which may be connected, natch) is the name given to a large, condor-like bird reported throughout North America since we started keeping records.
They're typically described as large, dark colored birds with wingspans over fifteen feet long. As a reference, the current living bird with the largest (known) wingspan is the Marbou stork with a span of 13 feet (the albatross is close second, with a wing span of 12 feet).
The most famous sighting of a thunderbird is the Lawndale Incident, occurring in 1977 with multiple eye witnesses.
On July 25th 1977, 10 year old Marlon Lowe was playing in a field by his house with two friends. Two giant birds flew overhead and one swooped down and snatched the boy, carrying him several feet before dropping him, possibly due to his mother's screams. There were 7 witnesses to this event, all of whom described the same thing: two black birds with long curled beaks, white rings around their necks and wingspans of over 10 feet. Marlon's mother compared the size of the bird to an ostrich, though she said it looked more like a condor.
There were several more sightings of the birds in the area before the sightings ceased.
There really aren't any living birds large enough to carry a human child that large, at 10 years old (though there are plenty of eagles that have killed smaller children, as human infant skulls have been found in eagle nests. The African Crowned Eagle is one (and there is record of one trying to carry off a 7 year old), but so possibly are the Harpy Eagle and the Goden Eagle (which is a North American bird, btw) Here's an awesome article on living badass birds of prey, if you're interested ).
One of the likely contenders for the identity of the Thunderbird is the recently extinct Teratorns. Alive during the ice age, their remains are almost always found with human habitations, which suggests they had plenty of interaction with Native Americans of the time. Their bones have been found from California to Florida and are numerous at the La Brea tar pits.
Besides the Lawson Incident, there are frequent, and numerous sightings still to this day, across the US.
But I'm back now, with my usual serving on Wednesday Weird to offer up.
Today we're going back to cryptids. The week is another one of my favorites: the Thunderbird.
Thunderbirds, besides being a Native American legend (which may be connected, natch) is the name given to a large, condor-like bird reported throughout North America since we started keeping records.
They're typically described as large, dark colored birds with wingspans over fifteen feet long. As a reference, the current living bird with the largest (known) wingspan is the Marbou stork with a span of 13 feet (the albatross is close second, with a wing span of 12 feet).
The most famous sighting of a thunderbird is the Lawndale Incident, occurring in 1977 with multiple eye witnesses.
On July 25th 1977, 10 year old Marlon Lowe was playing in a field by his house with two friends. Two giant birds flew overhead and one swooped down and snatched the boy, carrying him several feet before dropping him, possibly due to his mother's screams. There were 7 witnesses to this event, all of whom described the same thing: two black birds with long curled beaks, white rings around their necks and wingspans of over 10 feet. Marlon's mother compared the size of the bird to an ostrich, though she said it looked more like a condor.
There were several more sightings of the birds in the area before the sightings ceased.
There really aren't any living birds large enough to carry a human child that large, at 10 years old (though there are plenty of eagles that have killed smaller children, as human infant skulls have been found in eagle nests. The African Crowned Eagle is one (and there is record of one trying to carry off a 7 year old), but so possibly are the Harpy Eagle and the Goden Eagle (which is a North American bird, btw) Here's an awesome article on living badass birds of prey, if you're interested ).
One of the likely contenders for the identity of the Thunderbird is the recently extinct Teratorns. Alive during the ice age, their remains are almost always found with human habitations, which suggests they had plenty of interaction with Native Americans of the time. Their bones have been found from California to Florida and are numerous at the La Brea tar pits.
Besides the Lawson Incident, there are frequent, and numerous sightings still to this day, across the US.
So what do you think? Are there unidentified giant birds living in North America?
Friday, June 8, 2012
Friday Fun
Woo Hoo! It's Friday and you know what that means?
Yvie time!
Also the weekend and the fun. Let's get to it!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
In Which I Give A Shoutout!
GRAND OPENING!!!!
Today is the day that Sketcher Girl Studios, LLC officially opens for business!
In celebration of this momentous event, Vic Caswell (owner/operator) is hosting a give-a-way.
Using the "Contact Us" form on the site, send her the secret word from the end of this post and you'll be entered to win.
Sketcher Girl Studios is a freelance illustration company with a focus on book cover design. Vic Caswell has produced the covers of Emily White's debut novel ELEMENTAL, as well as it's sequel FAE (release date not announced yet), and Kimberly Ann Miller's debut novel TRIANGLES (releasing June 2013).
SGStudios is passionate about books and getting them out there and into the hands of the readers who will love them. Vic will read your book. She will work with you to ensure that the design you end up with is something you love. She doesn't use stock photography, so you are guaranteed an image that is original and she offers full legal usage of her cover images. So, if you want to print it on swag, and sell that, the money goes straight to you.
Her prices are competitive- affordable for small press publishers as well as self-publishers.
She also provides other services- such as: tattoo design, logo design, header design, artistic prints, children's book illustration, and pretty much anything illustration that you can think up.
Stop by and drop the secret word: Mischief, for your chance to win one of these nifty prizes...
such as: postcard sized prints of her work titled PERCHED CREATURE, one of two copies of ELEMENTAL by Emily White, a ten dollar Amazon gift card, an original painting, and free labor on a book cover (costs may be incurred for props/ models/ wardrobe) and more!
Links:
Sketcher Girl Studios
SGS on Facebook
Testimonials:
Vic Caswell is brilliant! Not only is she super easy to work with, but the things she comes up with are so amazing. She was able to take the half-coherent ideas I was kind of able to articulate and come up with exactly what I was thinking of. I loved working with her on both my books' covers and I can't wait to work with her again!- Emily White (author of ELEMENTAL from Spencer Hill Press)
"I'm loving my new logo!!! Victoria Caswell did a MARVELOUS job and was such a joy to work with. She made the process effortless and I swear she could read my mind. So, if you need some work done, please send it her way! You won't be sorry!" ♥ Nancy Fennell (owner of Scents of Adventure)
Using the "Contact Us" form on the site, send her the secret word from the end of this post and you'll be entered to win.
Sketcher Girl Studios is a freelance illustration company with a focus on book cover design. Vic Caswell has produced the covers of Emily White's debut novel ELEMENTAL, as well as it's sequel FAE (release date not announced yet), and Kimberly Ann Miller's debut novel TRIANGLES (releasing June 2013).
SGStudios is passionate about books and getting them out there and into the hands of the readers who will love them. Vic will read your book. She will work with you to ensure that the design you end up with is something you love. She doesn't use stock photography, so you are guaranteed an image that is original and she offers full legal usage of her cover images. So, if you want to print it on swag, and sell that, the money goes straight to you.
Her prices are competitive- affordable for small press publishers as well as self-publishers.
She also provides other services- such as: tattoo design, logo design, header design, artistic prints, children's book illustration, and pretty much anything illustration that you can think up.
Stop by and drop the secret word: Mischief, for your chance to win one of these nifty prizes...
such as: postcard sized prints of her work titled PERCHED CREATURE, one of two copies of ELEMENTAL by Emily White, a ten dollar Amazon gift card, an original painting, and free labor on a book cover (costs may be incurred for props/ models/ wardrobe) and more!
Links:
Sketcher Girl Studios
SGS on Facebook
Testimonials:
Vic Caswell is brilliant! Not only is she super easy to work with, but the things she comes up with are so amazing. She was able to take the half-coherent ideas I was kind of able to articulate and come up with exactly what I was thinking of. I loved working with her on both my books' covers and I can't wait to work with her again!- Emily White (author of ELEMENTAL from Spencer Hill Press)
"I'm loving my new logo!!! Victoria Caswell did a MARVELOUS job and was such a joy to work with. She made the process effortless and I swear she could read my mind. So, if you need some work done, please send it her way! You won't be sorry!" ♥ Nancy Fennell (owner of Scents of Adventure)
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Insecure Writer's Support Group
Here we are again! The first Wednesday of the month, for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.
Usually I'm heavier on the giving support bit. Because I'm a firm believer in having a positive attitude, even when things are bringing you down. And usually I'm in a good mood and want to spread it around a bit.
And that still holds, but I thought today I'd switch it up a bit and talk about something that is dragging me down.
Rejections, yo.
As you may know, I've started querying Break Free. And it's going well and I'm cautiously optimistic (as usual. Positive attitude and all that). But no matter how confident you are and how great your MS is (or you think it is) you're still in for rejections once you start querying.
And when you query your second MS there's something else that turns a regular query rejection into something slightly worse. When you get a query rejection from an agent who read your previous MS. That hurts extra hard, especially when you know the new MS is so so so better!
Sigh.
I just have to remember that I don't need every agent to love it. I just need one.
How are things with you?
Usually I'm heavier on the giving support bit. Because I'm a firm believer in having a positive attitude, even when things are bringing you down. And usually I'm in a good mood and want to spread it around a bit.
And that still holds, but I thought today I'd switch it up a bit and talk about something that is dragging me down.
Rejections, yo.
As you may know, I've started querying Break Free. And it's going well and I'm cautiously optimistic (as usual. Positive attitude and all that). But no matter how confident you are and how great your MS is (or you think it is) you're still in for rejections once you start querying.
And when you query your second MS there's something else that turns a regular query rejection into something slightly worse. When you get a query rejection from an agent who read your previous MS. That hurts extra hard, especially when you know the new MS is so so so better!
Sigh.
I just have to remember that I don't need every agent to love it. I just need one.
How are things with you?
Monday, June 4, 2012
In Which I Run A 5K (With Zombies)
So I originally posted about Run for Your Lives here, but our race was this weekend and it was both terrible and awesome. It was me, Twin, Brother and our dad competing in the race. Our mom was spectating and trying to snap pics when she could
To start off, I don't really know if there's any sort of way to effectively train for this. I mean, you start by running up a massive hill while dodging zombies, and that pretty much wiped everyone out. Then it was a trek, still uphill. At that point I know we were all thinking this race would be too difficult for us, but after that trek it got really fun. There was a lot of walking, but we did tons of sprinting around zombies.
The obstacles included:
A mud slide
Walls to climb over
Smoke house with electric shock wires
Monkey bars over a water pit
Tubes to crawl through
Barriers to crawl under
A river to walk through
Wall with a rope to climb
Wooden lattice to climb
Balance beam
Cargo net
Giant water slide
Electric fence to crawl under
Zombies to dodge
To start off, I don't really know if there's any sort of way to effectively train for this. I mean, you start by running up a massive hill while dodging zombies, and that pretty much wiped everyone out. Then it was a trek, still uphill. At that point I know we were all thinking this race would be too difficult for us, but after that trek it got really fun. There was a lot of walking, but we did tons of sprinting around zombies.
The obstacles included:
A mud slide
Walls to climb over
Smoke house with electric shock wires
Monkey bars over a water pit
Tubes to crawl through
Barriers to crawl under
A river to walk through
Wall with a rope to climb
Wooden lattice to climb
Balance beam
Cargo net
Giant water slide
Electric fence to crawl under
Zombies to dodge
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| Brother and me, sliding down the mudslide right past the zombs |
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| Twin and Dad heading over a wall (zomb on the left) |
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| smoke building, filled with hanging electric shock wires. Brother got shocked in the knee |
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| Me coming out of the building while Twin avoids zomb |
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| Twin kicking butt on the monkey bars (not pictured, me, in the water, cleaning off mud) |
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| Giant water slide at the end. 2 seconds of Wheee! Followed by 3 seconds of stark terror. Ends with a smash into a pool of water. Felt like you were a hammer smashing an anvil |
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| Top to bottom: Twin, Dad, me, crawling under electric fence. I got no further and had to be pulled out by twin (stalled on slippery mud while getting shocked) |
The cargo net, for me, was the worst. It wasn't that it was so hard to climb up (it was) but that I was just a bit too short to manage it well so when I got to the top, I had troubles reaching the net on the other side with my foot.
We made it really far with our flags but we finally got snagged towards the end, in the final fields of zombies who were really trying hard to get your flags at that point.
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| Before pic |
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| After pic |
So it was exhausting and I'm bruised and banged up and sore, but I would totally do it again. I think the earlier you run, the better, since the course is still fresh and things like the mud slide are really fun instead of painful due to rocks and stuff.
So. First 5K down. Boosh.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Friday Fun
Yes!! Yvie is finally back, after what seems like forever!!
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| Get outta here George! This is my time to shine! |
Time to launch you, my ape-friends, into the weekend with a healthy dose of internet fun!
Here we go!
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