peer pressure

Today is Thanksgiving Day and a holiday. At 9:00 a.m. I was happily ensconced in front of the computer, with no plans whatsoever, as we'd had our turkey feast last night at a friend's. I'd mildly entertained the thought of going to the gym. Nah. It's too rainy to venture out I reasoned, even if it's just to the car then to the gym. Then Sharon, my sometime running partner, phoned. Once again the old competitive thing kicked in: "If it's not too wet for her then its not too wet for me." Off we went.

Well, it poured on us for an hour and a half and during that time Sharon had to take a serious detour so she could almost puke, Zappa fell into a raging creek and I had to drag him out by the collar, and Macy, Sharon's young German Shepherd, slipped and fell when we were on the boardwalk and lay there whining like a big baby. I thought she'd broken something. It took all of five minutes for her to completely lose her limp and start tearing after Zappa again, who had to suffer the indignity of a hosing-off after coming home. As Woody Allen once said, "I was a lot more attractive when the evening began." All in all, we've had more pleasant outings, but rarely one that made me feel more holier-than-thou once we'd returned home! It was also good to discover that the local running club had added a narrow metal grid to the boardwalk which (necessarily, being a wetlands trail) runs through the wooded part of Burns Bog, so that we could actually use it in the rain (see picture of boardwalk being built here). I feel fortunate to live smack up against "...the largest undeveloped urban landmass in North America. It is also the only known raised peat bog in a Mediterranean climate." I'm guessing the author means "mediterranean" in the sense of "landlocked" (thanks to my OED), not a fabulous, sunny seaside resort area in southern Europe. That's an understatement on a day like today!

While on the subject of peer pressure, check this website out. I have been acquainted with Sonja, a Norwegian living in Sweden, via the internet, for years now and am absolutely knocked out by the jewellery she has recently started making (and selling ... hint ...). This is the ultimate in wearable art -- and way too good for the Art*o*mat: