So I started my training yesterday. Monday's a cross-training day so I figured I'd take the long way home... instead of cutting straight across the island to my house (two miles) or even to the cafe I hang out in (two-and-a-quarter) and then to my house (one-and-a-half) I decided to do a loop around the southern part of the island, from Thames Street (downtown Newport... think wharfs and boats and a tourist for every seagull dropping) to Broadway (the part of downtown I hang out in) via a beautiful (but apparently ten frigging miles long) road called Ocean Drive... that and the two miles to get there and the three miles at the end, plus a couple side roads I had to take, and my little workout wound up taking me just over an hour. Gorgeous day, though. Didn't have my camera with me, but I'll be doing a ride like this every week until September. Today, just an easy three miles and I think I may cheat and do it in the gym... I need practice keeping a steady pace, and treadmills are pretty good at that.

Didn't finish that book yesterday, but I came close. I got distracted by a vicious one-two punch featuring the new Peanuts collection and "Robot Chicken." I'd been telling people for years that the only reason I watched "Family Guy" occasionally was for the random pop-culture references they'd throw in. Nice to see that someone made a show based on nothing but that. But, I'm almost done and if you believe it, the book has got even better... I know that in a month I'll have to go back and read it again with a pencil or two in hand. (I thought about doing that this time, but one, I want to finish the book (a trait that the author mentioned about twenty chapters back) and two, the whole book would be underlined. After I've let it settle, I can probably go back and pick out the stunning parts.

Oh yeah, and it's my birthday today. Was going to take the day off but one of my friends is still in DC finishing up her degree, one has to work all day, and one is taking finals this week. I was actually faced with the prospect of staying home and having nothing better to do but clean and sort stuff on my birthday, and I decided that work was a better choice. Pretty sad. Ah well... I'll be able to do something later. But if anything happens tonight, I'll take pictures.