Julie and Julia

I did something very unusual today. I actually went to a movie! I'm not a big fan of movies. For some reason, they make me feel anxious and I have a difficult time sitting through them. But I love food and Julie and Julia opened on Friday, so off to the movies we went (it was also a hundred bazillion degrees outside).

We went to the 2:00 showing and after about 5000 commercials about nothing, they started the trailers. These are always anxiety-inducing because they are typically violent or suspenseful. The movies I won't be seeing this fall? The Lovely Bones and 2012. I'd be having nightmares for weeks!

Fortunately, Julie and Julia was neither violent or suspenseful (well, it could have been, but I had already read the book). Meryl Streep did an outstanding job playing Julia Child. The movie was delightful. I laughed, I cried (well, not really, but I did get teary-eyed more times than I'd like to admit) and I got very hungry. The movie, like the book, has inspired me to pull out my copy of Master the Art of French Cooking again and start cooking. The timing is poor, though, since August is upon us with a vengeance. Even though Julie Powell probably sauteed and roasted her way through August in New York (perhaps without air conditioning), I'm just not up to it. And the thought of eating cream- and butter-laden foods this time of year does not sound appealing. But once the weather turns? I'll be trying to master the art of French cooking once again.

Running News
Running takes a lot of effort these days. I went for what was supposed to be a 13-mile trail run yesterday and quit after seven miles. It was very humid and I was totally drained. It was fun, though.

This morning's run wasn't much better; too humid and hot. Oh well, that's August in Virginia for you.

Even though Tom's been saying that he probably won't run a 100-mile race, he actually signed up to run the Arkansas Traveller in October. I knew he'd do it sooner than later. I wasn't expecting him to run one quite this soon. And sadly, I won't be there to support him since it's the same weekend as the Hunt Country Yarns PJ Party knitting retreat. Oh well...

I was going to start running intervals this coming week to try to work on improving my speed, but it feels like I've pulled something in my thigh. Today's run was a little painful and I think my body is telling me in no uncertain terms that I need to start practicing yoga on a regular basis. So, tomorrow morning, after feeding the cats at some ungodly early hour, I will not go back to bed. I will knit for a while, then do some yoga. We'll see how long I can keep that up.

Knitting News
Knitting? What knitting? Move along...there's nothing to see here. Actually, as soon as I finish writing this entry, I'm going to try to find a comfortable place to sit and knit. That's easier said than done, since the TV room and the living room are adjacent and Tom's watching television (watching TV, unless it's a cooking show, makes me anxious). Even listening to TV music makes me anxious. Sheesh, what a wimp!

Anyway, I'm still working on the same project that I've been working on. I'm satisfied with how it's turning out, but I'm ready to be done with it. Unfortunately, I still have a long way to go. And then I'll work on a pair of socks for Tom. They were supposed to be summer socks, but summer will be long gone by the time I finish the first one.

Since I've started running, my knitting has dropped way off. They say the Hash Harriers are a drinking club with a running problem. I think I've become a knitter with a running problem! I need to find a way to knit and run at the same time; that would be much more productive.

Okay, enough rambling. It's time to put yarn to needles and knit before it get too much later.

Have a great week!