A Monarch Minute October 12, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Uncategorized.2 comments
So I’ve been pretty busy lately. I spent two wonderful days in the Lower 9th Ward this week at an Institute for Sustainable Communities network meeting, have been preparing for a week of advocacy presentations in Chicago and a funders tour in the 5 Bayous and a possible trek to DC following Chi-town. And on top of all that, I even managed to get a little fishing in yesterday thanks to BW, and although I didn’t manage to get any fish in the boat, I’m happy that BW did.
I also happened to be passing my favorite photog spot, and even though I really needed to be making 12,000 copies and burning 100 DVDs, I decided to stop for a few minutes and see if my friends Mr. Osprey and Mr. Eagle might swing by to say hello. Although they didn’t stop by that day, they did swing by the boat yesterday for a very quick flyby.
Yes, that is an osprey and an eagle. Really, I swear. And this photo reminds me of a recent post I made about the importance of never, ever leaving home without my camera. Well, let’s just say that if you live in south Louisiana, you should never, ever leave home without your camera, but you should also make sure you’ve got the right lens locked in place cause you just never know. Oh well, better luck next time.
So, anyway, back to my quick stop at my favorite photog perch…while Mr. Eagle and Mr. Osprey didn’t stop by that day, another winged creature did.
For more Monarch Minute photos, click here.
To view the video I’ve been making copies of, click here.
And to check out the photos from my amazing and inspiring trip to the Lower 9th Ward, click here.
Next stop…the Windy City. Later gators!
That Is Some Serious BS September 14, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Friends, Michigan Football, Training.Tags: Gilda's Club, Gilda's Gang, iTreadmill, Mardi Gras Marathon, Michigan Football, rochester, Rochester Marathon
9 comments
So a big, huge congratulations to my half marathon hero Bethany Snyder (aka BS)! Yesterday marked her completion of half marathon number 5 with a fantastic time of 3:22:18. Now that’s what I call some serious power walking. And that’s not even a personal record. She once walked a 2:59. I didn’t even know people could walk that fast.
And not only did BS train and compete. She helped train a great group of folks known as Gilda’s Gang from the Gilda’s Club of Rochester, NY. Gilda’s Club is a kind of support group/clubhouse where men, woman, and children can share their hopes and fears, wisdom and information, and learn together about living with cancer. The team raised over $30,000 for this tremendously important organization. Way to go Gilda’s Gang!
So I finished up my second week of training yesterday for the upcoming Mardi Gras Half Marathon on February 28, 2010. On Saturday I was supposed to do a combination of running and walking 5 miles. Now…I’m going to be honest and let you know that that didn’t happen. Yep, I am a big loser. But I have some excuses (yeah, I know, no excuses). But it was totally raining like cats and dogs and I’m too much of a wousse to train in the rain. Yes, I could have gone to a gym to train, but I’m too poor to join a fitness club. And yes, I could have gone over to the Rec Center and done laps around the B-ball court, but it was set up for a wedding reception and I would have needed to do hurdles over chairs and tables. So I figured the best alternative was to kick back, watch a tremendously exciting Michigan-Norte Dame game while stuffing my face with jambalaya and washing it down with a few Bud Light Limes.
After a fitful, guilt-ridden sleep, I decided I would do my 5 miles no matter what on Sunday. So when I got a phone call at 7:30 AM with an offer to go to the Saints-Lions game, what did I do? I know what you’re thinking, but nope, as hard as it was, I turned it down and missed out on my chance to go to the Superdome for $6 sausage poboys, $7 nachos, $8 beers and priceless people watching. Nope, no pain no gain right?
So after the gym returned to it’s normal status from the wedding reception the previous night (yes, I did get to listen to “Play That Funky Music White Boy” and “Down of the Bayou” while trying to sleep in my home on wheels next door), it was time to do some laps. And from my calculations, it was going to take 100 laps to complete my 5 miles . Ugh…so boring. It really needs to stop raining in southern LA so I can get back to training outside along the picturesque Bayou Petit Caillou.
So I started off walking. Then did a little running. Then a little more walking. And a little more running. And guess what? My knees might just not be up to running the MGM. I think I might need to slow down on the running and focus more on walking instead for a while. I know I joke about feeling old from time to time, but honestly, this is really the first time that I actually do feel old. And no, I don’t like it one bit.
So as I ticked off lap after lap, I decided that if Bethany and Gilda’s Gang could do a half marathon, I could certainly do a half a half in their honor. So after 2:05: 23, the old iTreadmill on my iTouch read 6.55 miles. Yep, I do need to pick up that pace and I pledge to keep working on it, but can I just tell you how wonderful it was to look at my training schedule this morning and see the words “blissful day off” for today?
And if it weren’t raining for 40 days and 40 nights in southern Louisiana, I’d go fishing this morning to celebrate. But alas, I guess I need to find me a pirogue and paddle to work instead.
BS–Did you ever know that you’re my hero? And PS, I hope you don’t mind me ripping those pics off your blog. I just love the smiling pic of you at the Houston Marathon.
Training: Day 2, 178 Days to MGM September 3, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Friends, Training.Tags: iTouch, iTreadmill, marathon, mardi gras, Mardi Gras Marathon, Training
6 comments
Alright, first off, thank you so much to all who have sent me positive encouragement in my quest to train for the Mardi Gras Half Marathon via blog comments, facebook posts, emails, and phone calls! I so appreciate your well wishes and hope you keep them coming.
Day one of training began at 6:00 AM yesterday morning with what I thought was a nice 2 mile trek around the neighborhood. Upon my return to my home on wheels, I was thoroughly proud of myself and believed I had made wonderful time. When I left for the office however, I decided to drive the route I had just walked to make sure I had indeed fulfilled my full 2 miles. And, drat, I was off by a good eight-tenths of a mile. No wonder it went so quickly. Eight-tenths is no chump change when we’re only talking 2 miles.
So I decided I had plenty of time to put in another mile before my co-worker arrived for the start of our work day and hit the pavement once again.
I am now armed with iTreadmill on my iTouch so I can keep detailed track of my training including miles, pace, step count, calories burned, etc. So we shouldn’t have any more miscalculations. And even more important, it’s going to keep me honest by keeping a history of my training. Apparently I can even email this information on demand to anyone who requests it.
So Day 2 of training went off without a hitch with a beautiful, unseasonably cool morning breeze. I made exactly 2 miles and threw in just enough running to bring my overall pace down by about a minute and a half. So just what is my pace? Um, yeah, well, not ready to share that bit of information just yet. I mean, come on, it’s only day 2.
Now, on the smoking end…well, let’s not talk about that quite yet.
On a completely different note, why does the WordPress blog spell check feature not include the word blog in it’s dictionary? Things that make you go hmmmm.
To Run or Not To Run September 1, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Friends, Training.9 comments
Oh man, why am I doing this post? If I write this post it means that I need to commit to this and I’m not sure if I’m ready. I mean I think I’m ready. I should be ready. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. Actually like a whole year. But, geez, now if I tell you what I want to do, it will be out there and I won’t be able to retract it. Well, that’s not entirely true I guess. I could just delete this post at a later date if I change my mind. Although changing my mind isn’t really what it would be about. It would actually be admitting that I don’t have the will power to see this through. And well, I don’t want to be that person. So here goes…
I, Diane Snoopy Huhn, vow to run the Mardi Gras Marathon on February 28, 2010! (Please note that I have yet to decide whether it will be the full- or half-marathon. That will be determined at a later date. Let’s see how the first few weeks of training go before I go completely insane and commit myself to 26.2 miles.)
There. I did it. Oh man…am I up to the challenge? Yes, yes, alright, I know I need to do this. I really want to quit smoking and I think this is the motivation I need to make that a reality.
BS–You with me? (And for my other 4 regular readers, BS is someones initials. Someone that I admire a great deal and someone that I’m hoping can make sure I live up to this commitment.)
Alright, so if this post suddenly disappears…I will deny everything!
Yep, I’m going to hit the “Publish” button right………………………………now!
What’s It All About? August 20, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Ramblings, Uncategorized.Tags: environment, meaning of life, philosophy
8 comments
So I’ve been feeling fairly philosophical lately. You know, just kind of thinking about life and what’s it all about. And since I’ve been kind of struggling with a case of writer’s block I was thinking that maybe the meaning of life would make a good blog posting. I’m not exactly sure what it is about this writer’s block thing. I mean it’s not as if I have felt completely uninspired or something. I’ve actually had a bunch of experiences lately that I wanted to share with you all, but every time I sit down at my computer to tell you about a marsh planting or a beach sweep or a trip to the state capitol or to let you know about the fun and exciting projects I’m working on like re-designing our volunteer program or hitting the road in my home on wheels for a nationwide environmental tour, my brain just shuts down on me and I find myself staring at a blank computer screen. And then my mind starts to wander and I end up someplace that I hadn’t expected to. Kind of like right now.
I mean, how did I get here? I sat down to write about the meaning of life and now I’m just rambling on and on about some inane dribble banging around in my head. I mean, I guess it’s better that I’m actually writing something. Right? Something is better than nothing, yes? Maybe not. Seriously, who wants to read a bunch of weird, stream of consciousness rants by someone like me. I guess it’d be different if I really had some interesting insights or something, but as you are sorely aware, I do not have anything close to some brillant words of wisdom to offer you. I mean, I thought I did. I had totally made the decision to sit here and write until I could share some wonderful revelation about the meaning of life with you and I haven’t really even said one thing about it.
I know I should just buckle down and stay focused on the task at hand. Maybe I need to make myself an outline. Yep, that’s probably the ticket. You can never go wrong with a good outline. Isn’t that what they always taught us in school? Think it threw before you write. You know, I’m always confused by the word “threw.” I mean, is it “think it through” or “think it threw” or “think it thru”. I’m pretty sure it’s not that last one. But I can never remember the difference between “threw” and “through”. Do you only use “threw” if it’s like “I threw the ball” or “a piece of debris came threw the windshield”? Reminder to self, I should go back and review my vocabulary notebook from middle school. Do I even have that anymore? I bet my mom has it somewhere squirreled away. Maybe I should call her. Geez, I haven’t call my mom in a while. I’m a bad daughter. Hold on a sec. I’ll be right back. I need to call my mom.
Ok, my mom says “hi!” to everyone.
Alright, where was I. Oh yes, the meaning of life. Here goes.
The Meaning of Life
by Diane Huhn
Ummmm…well…I guess, ahhhh…mmmm…
I think it’s a good idea to try to be nice to other people and try to do good things for others and always have a good topic sentence to work with.
The End.
Thank you for stopping by. Have a nice day! And remember…happiness is a warm sunny day at the beach. Hey do you remember those “Happiness is” posters they used to have in the 80s? They always seemed to have those pictures of kittens or puppies on them. They were just so adorable and you just wanted to eat them up. Well, not literally eat them up cause that would be really weird. And really gross. Shoot! I’m doing it again. Just say no to stream of consciousness writing. It’s never a good idea! And now I’m late for work. Well, not really late. But now I’ve only got like 15 minutes to get ready instead of 30. Darn it!
I’m a Slacker May 20, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Coastal Restoration, Friends, Photography, Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Yep, I’ve definitely been slacking on the blog front. And I’m not too sure if I’m going to be able to get this post up this evening. I’m barely getting an interweb signal even while sitting outside. And yes, I could walk over to the Gym and grab one, but I’m tired. Plus it’s dark and well, it’s scary in there at night. I don’t want to say it’s haunted or anything, but there are definitely some things over there that go bump in the night. And, well, I don’t really want to meet one of them in person. I think I’ve watched too many episodes of Ghost Hunters!
So what have I been doing since my last post? Well, after a wonderful day of shrimping with my good buddy Kevin, I headed to Plaquemines Parish for a quarterly meeting of the Institute for Sustainable Communities Gulf Coast Network. I had a good time and enjoyed touring Plaquemines Parish for a couple of days. Hats off to the excellent folks over there who are really making a difference and rebuilding stronger, more thoughtful communities.
I laid very low over the weekend, did laundry, watched some movies, cleaned, cooked, and was just generally lazy.
Yesterday I was honored to be part of a tour of Terrebonne Parish to highlight coastal land loss and erosion issues for members fo the Equity and Inclusion campaign (and ate a ton of Kevin’s Jambalaya). Yep, I know you’re jealous. And today I caught up on emails and paperwork and such and just returned home from in interesting BISCO meeting. And now I’m sitting outside stealing, I mean borrowing, someones interweb signal while sipping on a little vino.
But alas, I am tired and have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow so good night and good luck.
Since I haven’t posted in a while, here a few photos from my adventures over the past week including one of me that just looks, well, downright scary. But seriously, check out the size of those shrimp. They were delicious!
That’s What I’m Talking About May 13, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Uncategorized.6 comments
Gas for the boat, $35. Twelve pack, $13. Sunscreen, $6. Boudin balls, $4. Shrimping on a Tuesday, priceless.
It’s the Little Things October 29, 2008
Posted by dianehuhn in Ramblings, Relief Work, Uncategorized.1 comment so far
It’s the little things that are going to send me over the edge. For example, the other morning I headed over to the Rec Center where we house volunteers to hand out the job order for the day. The teams are supposed to up and ready to load tools by 8:00 AM. Well, it was 7:45 AM and I wasn’t seeing any sort of activity around the place except for a few gecko’s running around in search of their breakfast. When I walked in to the bunk room, everyone was fast asleep. So I stomped around a little bit and got the team leader to get her crew in to action. I don’t think anyone got a shower or much of a breakfast, but they were ready in 15 minutes.
So after sending them on their way, I stopped by the office to try to print a couple of forms. Since I can’t get my computer hooked up to the network printer, I did my usual routine of emailing the documents to myself, logging in to my co-worker’s computer, logging in to my email, downloading the documents, sending them to the printer, logging out of my email, and logging off from the computer.
Then I decided to head down the bayou to the job site to see how things were going. It was controlled chaos, but things were getting done. Then I found out that the homeowners, the sweetest, most adorable, elderly couple you could ever meet, still had about 4 inches of mud in their shop building. Since we had a few extra hands I decided I’d head back up the bayou and load up a few extra shovels and a wheel barrow and other miscellenous tools needed to muck the place out.
I went to the driver’s side door of my truck only to remember that the lock on that side is broken. OK, no problem, head over to the passenger side. Alright, now it’s time to listen to a little Zydeco on the Rajun Cajun radio station during my 15 minute trip up the bayou. As I’m singing along to some song about a mean old Cajun woman, I notice that the Check Engine light has come on and I’m watching the needle for the heat gauge zoom to H. OK, well, I’m just pulling in at the tool shed and surely there’s got to be some anti-freeze in there since there’s just about everything else under the sun in there. OK, no anti-freeze. Well, I’ll head back down the bayou in my car to the auto parts store. Grab some anti-freeze, head back up the bayou, and fill up the coolant tank. Then I check the oil and it’s a little low, but we do have some oil in the shed. So I set the bottle down on the seat for a second only to realize that the bottle is leaking. Alright, no problem, I’ve got a towel I can throw on the seat.
Ok, now I can load up the tools and I’m ready to head back down the bayou to the work site. Walk to the driver’s side only to remember the lock is broken. Opps, almost out of gas. No problem, I’ll head up the bayou to Marty J’s (part truck stop, part convenience store, part restaurant, part liquor store, part casino, and all around landmark for navigation–”head up the bayou past Marty Js”, “head down the bayou and hang a left at Marty Js”, etc.). I walk in, hand the clerk the donated gift card for miscellenous operational purchases, and ask for $60 worth of fuel. Sorry, the card is denied. Of course, I’ve just used it at the auto parts store and I’m starting to think we might only be able to make one purchase on it a day. Why…I don’t know, but one day it will work fine, later it will get denied, and then the next day it will work fine again. So, I pay cash for enough gas to get me back to the work site and back. I pump the gas, go to the driver’s side to get back in. Yep, the lock is still broken. That’s pretty much a good representation how every minute of my day goes around here.
On a positive note, I did get to do a little kayaking on Sunday. Wish I’d had more time, but I look forward to some extended paddling trips throughout the year.
For pictures from Week 6, click here.
HTV September 3, 2008
Posted by dianehuhn in Uncategorized.add a comment
Information on the Houma area coming in on HTV at http://www.mogulus.com/htvhouma. Signal gets a bit sporadic at times, but a good source of info when up and running.
Information on Pearlington at http://www.pearlington.blogspot.com/.
