Word of the Day - 7/23

Definition of SIMILE : a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as

Yep, I'm totally doing the simile thing these days. I've been busy as a bee, busy as the day is long, busy as lightning, as a child at play, a ticking clock, as busy as... well, you get the idea.

RUN LIKE THE WIND

Last week, after I wrote my Random Pics post, I began an 8-week training program for a sprint triathlon. It's in September, which doesn't give me a lot of time. This tri includes a 1/4 mile swim, 9.8 mile bike ride and finishes with a 5K. I actually started training last year, but got sidelined by an injury, which meant I spent most of the summer in PT. With that behind me and some urging from friends in our ward, I've started anew. Because of that, much of my free time has been spent on a bike, on the road/treadmill, in the pool; wherever and whenever I can find time to fit in some running, cycling or swimming. And thus, my beloved blogging time has made way for this little diversion.

Yesterday, I planned to do my run early in the morning, but being slammed at work and not getting it done on Tuesday, I had to log in some hours yesterday. Mom invited me up for lunch, so we jumped in the car and headed north to my parents house. I brought all my gear and took Benjamin on a quick 30-minute run; it's much easier to run there, as I don't have to fight my way up the steep slope of Seattle Hill - I was feeling a bit lazy, I suppose.

HOT AS THE DEVIL'S KITCHEN

Lunch with mom always consists of two things: Jasmine Thai & Stanwood Cupcakes. For lunch, I ordered Pagoda Basil, which is my favorite. We headed up to McDonald's for a Happy Meal and playground for Benjamin, so my lunch was not terribly hot (temperature-wise) by that time, but they must have thrown in the whole bottle of red peppers because all I could taste was HOT HOT HOT. The brown rice was good, as was the Phad Thai - which I took in between bites to temper the flaming entree.

SWEET AS PIE

(or Cupcakes, in this case)

{Courtesy of Stanwood Cupcakes}

Stepping into the cupcake shop always reminds me of my Baskin Robbins days; the smell of sugary goodness floats in the air (they serve ice cream, as well as cupcakes and cookies). The vibrant black and white checkered floor and red accents make this little store a visual treat as well. The shop belongs to their bishop, so while we were picking out our order, my dad walked in to get his daily dose of licorice ice cream.

As for the cupcakes, I bought a 1/2 dozen. Mom wanted to try their S'mores cupcake, and then we rounded out the order with these flavors: Peanut-Butter/Chocolate, Boston-Cream, Chocolate & Cream-filled (swirled Hostess-like), Strawberry Cream, Red Velvet and Chocolate Ganache. They were cute, but the one I tried (Hostess) had barely a dot of cream in the center. My mom's was bursting, so it just looks like a quality control thing. Plus, one of the toppings looked like they didn't get the consistency right on the frosting, as it looked like it was sliding off the top. They are a relatively new business, so I figured they are still working out product quality & consistency. Overall, they were super cute and the taste was good too. My awesome babysitters were the excited, lucky recipients of these tasty treats!

CRY LIKE A BABY

Thanks to a sweet deal on Living Social, we snagged tickets to Harry Potter via Fandango for $4.50/each. Plus, the most convenient time for us was the 6:20 show, which was in Digital Projection. Thanks to some sweet friends, we dropped off Benjamin for a fun play date with Jilly & Jason while we headed for Alderwood Mall's theater. We were both so excited to go out alone; it had been terribly overdue.

Dave hasn't read any of the books, but we've both been waiting for this movie for a long time. We rented the HP 7.1 a couple of weeks ago to remember where we would start with HP 7.2. For me, the books will always be much better than the films; it's been a fun ride to follow these characters and their magical adventures for the past decade. The last book in this series was especially amazing; I believe it was a 700+ page-turning nail biter, and I loved every page of it.

But, as with all good things, it must come to an end. I must admit that as certain memorable scenes unfolded, they left me a bit misty-eyed. There is sadness in endings, real or imagined. However, some fellow moviegoer was profoundly touched by This End; she sobbed through an entire scene. I think she was pretty young. Dave thought it was kind of funny and I did too, but in retrospect, I think I sort of get her sadness. For her, these characters became real - perhaps friends, in a strange way; and the loss of any, though fictional, was keen. Oh, to be such an author, a creator of something so special that it affects people in such an incredibly intense way. Hats off to you, Ms. Rowling; well done.