Day-off chores & errands

--Take the wife's car for inspection. While there, I had them run the numbers on getting a complete overhaul of my car's suspension: Better than two K! Yikes, but still far less than a new car.

--Got a haircut. I have two choices when I go: 1. A new place where there are televisions all over the place, all with sports on. The barbers are mostly (if not all) young single-mom types. 2. An older guy, who is semi-retired and works out of a rundown shop. I go to the second place whenever it is open, which is about half the time. Today we were having the usual banter, "Short enough for you"? "A little tighter, please". Followed by the usual, "Happy to take more off sir, I can't put it back though." I'm not sure why I responded as I did and before I said it, I did think it possible that it would come off as morbid, but I said it anyway and tried to say it with a slight hint at humor. "In Heaven, you will get the power to put hair back on" I said with a smile. I am guessing that he was touched by this since he became subtly more friendly after that. It is good to make a human connection sometimes.

--Put together a powerpoint showing that some Vibram Five Fingers shoes I ordered are counterfeit.

--Went to work. Hey isn't this a day off? Yes, but there was a tech service appreciation lunch and it would seem churlish to skip it.

--Came home and sanded more of the wainscoting in our family room. There was a black walnut stain on the pine and it sucks all the light out of the room.

Did a 7.85 mile run.

Running with the dog. Barefoot, kind of...

Last Summer I took the puppy for a 4-mile run most mornings. She would pull at the leash the whole way, so I knew she was not being over exerted. She is a breed built for comfort, not speed, so I wanted to be careful.

This Summer she is just not the same dog. She got run-over last fall and by late winter was recovered, but really out of shape. So on Tuesdays, when I work from home, I take her on a couple of miles slow jog.

In order that I get something out of it fitness-wise I wear these sort of foot gloves made by Vibram.  It feels like you are barefoot--without tearing-up your feet. They make you run like you're barefoot since they've no padding at all. You cannot land on your heel as you would in normal running shoes. The result is that you build-up strength in your foot and calf and this is supposed to ward-off injuries from distance training. I know my calves were very sore the first few times I ran in these things.