Benito�s family is at their Houston home and a-okay, as they�re a couple counties over from the hurricane�s path. No worries there.

So off in my previous hometown people are swarming to get out before the big rains and winds hit, and here I am at work, complaining about how much my belly hurts because I ate too many cookies.

Such is life.

Last night was a very good night. After work (during which I didn�t run) I walked to the grocery store to pick up some groceries. I lured Benito to my place with some promised food, and I delivered with something rice-y, coconut-y, jalapeno-y, and mustard seed-y. He liked it, but I think it needed more jalapeno or mustard seeds. I guess I�m just used to everything I make tasting like Cajun spice.

Then again, Benito grills turkey bacon with Cajun spice on it. He�s pretty accustomed to simple tastes...

I don�t know what we have planned for tonight, but I bet it involves a Tivo-ed episode of LOST, a Netflix DVD of some sort, the bottle of Shiraz I bought last night, and lounging on the couch in our underwear.

Sounds like a good night to me.

Last night I was a superstar of the treadmill. My coworker and I exchanged treadmill workouts for those with ADD who need to be messing with the buttons to keep occupied. (The workouts are posted below for those interested. Skip the indented part if you don�t care.)

Incline

Set the �mill to any speed

Minutes 1-2 = 1� incline
Minutes 3-4 = 2� incline
Minutes 5-6 = 3� incline
Minutes 7-8 = 4� incline
Minutes 9-10 = 5� incline
Minute 11 = 4� incline
Minute 12 = 3� incline
Minute 13 = 2� incline
Minute 14 = 1� incline
Minute 15 = 0� incline

Speed

Start at a nice easy pace (50% full capacity) and work your way up from there. I�ll use 4.5 mph as an example since numbers are easier to see than capacity workouts.

Minutes 1-2 = 4.5 mph
Minutes 3-4-5-6 = 5.0-5.5-6.0-6.5 mph
Minutes 7-8-9-10 = 5.0-5.5-6.0-6.5 mph
Minutes 11-12-13-14 = 5.0-5.5-6.0-6.5 mph
Minutes 15-16-17-18 = 5.0-5.5-6.0-6.5 mph
Minute 19 = 7.5 mph
Minute 20 = 5.0 mph

For the past week I�ve been increasing my minutes running each day, so I knew I had to run for at least 50 minutes yesterday. After dinner settled, Benito and I changed into workout clothes and headed to the workout room. He lifted weights as I did the incline workout twice and the speed workout once. The speed workout sufficiently kicks your ass if it�s the right intensity for you, and I did my minute 19 at something like 8.5 miles per hour.

Sure, it�s not an incredibly impressively fast pace when you take into account that I�m only running it for two minutes (I know above it only says to run it for one minute. Whatever, I have to be an overachiever...), but that�s really trucking it on the treadmill.

Three more weekends until the marathon. I�m pretty sure I�ll be fine.

I�ve had a little back and forth conversation with heelandlass about music. I know she�s really with it with what�s up and coming and hip and all that. I, on the other hand, have a relatively quiet household with just the TV playing Law and Order in the background.

I�ve never really been all that into music. I enjoy some radio songs, but I rarely feel the urge to buy an entire CD of one group. Maybe it�s because only the radio songs are anything decent or because I get bored of hearing the same voice and sounds over and over again. But whatever it is, it�d gotta be a mix CD if I�m going to listen to it.

On the downside of mix CDs that aren�t made by me for me, there are always a few great songs followed up by a complete clunker that completely kills any flow that might be there. Whether it�s a bad association, just a poor mix of fast and slow songs, or a simple dislike for the music, I still find myself not as into the music as the very kind person who burned me a CD.

If you opened my 5-disc CD player right now I think this is what you�d find:

-- A mix CD of all songs by Jack Johnson, John Mayer, and Ben Harper

-- Nora Jones� CD from a couple years back

-- A Fiona Apple mix CD from a Diarylander who�s no longer around

-- Dre 2001

-- Either Ben Folds Live or a mix CD titled �Joanna�s Rockin� Country Tunes� (written in jest when I burned the same CD as a Texas souvenir for a friend returning to Venezuela)

I�m by no means on top of things musically, but I have my hearing instead of a stack full of CDs or memories of concerts long passed.

Har har.

I think I just wanted to test my brain to see if it could remember what was in a CD player last opened four months ago.

Success!

On that note, I�m going home. I�ve had enough work for today.�