Summer cut

Otis was in dire need of a hair cut, so today we loaded him into the car and took him up to Broadway Dog Spa where our favorite groomer, Michelle, worked her magic. Now THAT dog is ready for the Fourth of July!

Have you seen my running mojo?

I seem to have lost my running mojo. Perhaps I dropped it in Las Vegas or in New York while I was on back-to-back business trips? Or maybe I left at my parent's house, right next to the glider on the front porch, where it was easier to crack open a cold beer and enjoy the afternoon breeze than going to the gym. In any case, I've been having trouble getting back into the swing of things after a few week's respite.

Since February, I'd been running 3-4 times a week. And combined with trying to eat healthier (better food choices and smaller portons), I've dropped 16 pounds. So far, I've been able to keep the weight off, but just feel sluggish when I think about lacing up my running shoes.

Perhaps there's hope? This afternoon, I went to the Boston Sports Club where I decided to mix it up by decreasing the time I was going to run, but amping up the intensity. I was buoyed by Podrunner, a new podcast I've discovered that provides free music mixes for "runners, joggers, power walkers, cyclists, aerobics, or anyone who can use nonstop, fixed-tempo music when they train." Creator Steve Boyett is a California-based DJ who's created a series of high-energy mixes, all programmed at between 130 and 180 beats per minute. Thanks to you, DJ Steve -- I completed today's (shortened) run and may be on my way out of my running stupor. Fingers crossed...

Our upstanding, greedy, infested, and hilarious airline industry

I stumbled across several interesting stories today, all related to air travel.

UPSTANDING
There's an Irish airline company that's considering deeply discounted tickets - about $8.00 each - to customers who are willing to stand during the entire flight. So instead of the traditional, comfortable seats with all of that wonderful legroom, Ryanair is thinking about replacing the last 10 rows of seats with a standing area. I'm envisioning rows of tight, claustrophobia-inducing high-backed walls to lean against. Interesting idea, but can you imagine standing up for the duration of a long, coast-to-coast flight? If these cheap, standing-room-only tickets ever became available, would you consider buying a ticket? By the way, Ryanair is also thinking about charging customers $1.50 every time they use the restroom.

GREEDY
During the first quarter of 2010, the U.S. airline industry made more than $760 million from baggage fees. When it comes to air travel, I'm a pretty efficient packer. But on a recent week-long business trip to Las Vegas, I had to check my suitcase on both the outbound and inbound flights, and incurred a $50 fee for doing so. And it's just getting worse. On August 1, Spirit Airlines is going to charge travelers $45 for carry-on bags that don't fit under your seat! This MSNBC article talks about ways to bypass luggage fees (i.e. join a frequent flier program, ship your bags, buy new lighter suitcases, or take the train!!).

INFESTED
If you thought putting up with chatty seatmates and bossy flight attendants was bad, wait until you hear this one. A US Airways flight from Atlanta to Charlotte had to return to Atlanta when maggots began falling on the passengers. (I shuddered as I typed that sentence.) Seems a bag in an overhead bin was filled with infested meat and the maggots "wormed" their way out into the cabin (shudder #2). The bin was cleaned and the plane took off again a half-hour later, but was taken out of service in Charlotte so it could be fumigated.

HILARIOUS
You still with me? On a happier note, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the movie "Airplane!", the hilarious send-up of everything airline-related. It became the highest-grossing comedy in box office history, a title it held until "Ghostbusters" came out four years later. Remember these classic "Airplane!" quotes?

Ted: My orders came through. My squadron ships out tomorrow. We're bombing the storage depots at Daiquiri at 1800 hours. We're coming in from the north, below their radar.
Elaine: When will you be back?
Ted: I can't tell you that. It's classified.

Rumack: You'd better tell the Captain we've got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.
Elaine: A hospital? What is it?
Rumack: It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.

Captain: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

Rumack: Elaine, you're a member of this crew. Can you face some unpleasant facts?
Elaine: No.

[an epidemic of food poisoning is sweeping the plane]
Captain: What is it, Doctor? What's going on?
Rumack: I'm not sure. I haven't seen anything like this since the Anita Bryant concert.

Another Friday funny

Now this is just sad (hiccup!)

How many cocktails did Liza have before her segment on the home shopping network?

Is this a joke?

So I’m reading Boston.com the other day and come across an article on fun outdoor games. I’m looking at the photo of a game called “Ladderball” when my eyes wander over to the right; specifically to two ads in the sidebar. You may need to click on the picture to make it readable. Is this a joke someone’s played on Boston.com?

Try this "old-fashioned" pork roast

I was watching Cook's Country on PBS over the weekend and saw them prepare a terrific-looking pork roast. (Thanks to Cooking with Kim for posting the recipe -- saves me a lot of re-keying.) The recipe takes all day to cook; in fact, you'll want to prepare it the day before you want to enjoy it because it needs to chill in the fridge overnight. But let me tell you -- it's worth it. Really tender, flavorful pork - it was perfect with our homemade coleslaw from the book "The Thrill of the Grill" and new baked beans recipe from The Barefoot Contessa.