Naughty kitty

I've heard it said that you are not a cat owner, you are cat owned.
I suppose that is true.
I have three cats. Each one has its own naughty habit.
Minnie has this one.

Unwinding the toilet paper

Why in the world does she love to do this? I've come home to find entire new rolls of toilet paper unwound. And although I have NEVER caught her doing it, I know it is Minnie that is the culprit. But just because she's the one doing the deed, I am sure she has accomplices.
In my mind, I see Felix egging her on saying "Faster! Faster! You can beat your last time!"
As the weather turns cooler, I keep thinking I will be faster, faster, beating my last time.
That hasn't quite happened yet.
You would think on a cool morning like today I would finish my training run or walk a little faster, if only to get back into a warm house!
I have noticed that hunting for stray coins on my walks and runs has become more problematic. The falling leaves are keeping hidden treasure hidden!
I've begun to realize the pig might be getting quite thin this fall and winter, and then I found a nickel and a penny in the grocery store parking lot this week. Yesterday, I found a penny on my walk.
Now if I can just find a way to remember to keep the bathroom doors shut all the time!

Run Like Hell

I ran one of my favorite races this morning, the Run Like Hell 5K that starts and finishes in Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.
Oakland is an historic cemetery and absolutely beautiful. Golfer Bobby Jones is buried there, as is Margaret Mitchell of "Gone With the Wind" fame.

The lion statue dedicated to unknown Confederate soldiers

The race includes a costume contest, and it is fun to see lots of people running in costumes. This was about as dressed up as I was willing to get this morning, since the starting temp was 37 degrees!

Lisa wearing the Ted's Montana Grill bison hat

I'm wearing the Ted's Montana Grill bison hat, which I got at the Ted's Montana Grill Bison Stampede 5K several years ago. Unfortunately, the race is no more, but I love that hat!!
The weather has really changed here in Atlanta this week. Much cooler temps. I could see the change on my running route, too. :)

Getting ready for Halloween

The Run Like Hell 5K is usually the weekend of Halloween, but for some reason it was a week earlier this year. So I don't have a Halloween run this year (well, the Run Like Hell is STILL a Halloween run.)
So I guess I get an "off" weekend next week as far as organized races. But I'll still run like, well, hell.

I love to eat and run

This was a busy week, full of restaurant events at work during the week, and running on the weekend.
I had a great pleasure of attending the opening of Southern Art, a new restaurant by chef Art Smith, in Atlanta.
I had the even greater pleasure of sitting with him at the preview lunch! He shared stories of his childhood, his recipes, his family. It was really enjoyable.
Unfortunately for this blog, my iPhone bricked out after I uploaded a new Facebook update and I could not take any photos of the yummy food. Let me just say, however, if you are in Atlanta and try out Southern Art, be sure to have some of Addie Mae's chicken & dumpling soup. (Addie Mae is Art Smith's mother, and I am sure glad she shares her recipes with him!)
Later that night I headed over to The Melting Pot for a new menu preview.
My friend Gina was there, so we got caught up and had a really yummy meal. My iPhone was working by that time, so here is a sample of the goodies we tried.

Cheesy fondue. Mmm...

A wedge salad. That's a big ball of blue cheese next to the tomatoes. My favorite!

Steak, pork, buffalo chicken, lobster and ravioli made up the main course.

All manner of sweets to dip in the chocolate for dessert.

Later in the week, I attended Aqua Vino, an annual fundraiser at The Georgia Aquarium. The food was from several local restaurants and I don't think I missed a sample from any of them. It was dark, so my phone wouldn't take very good pictures. But I did get a shot of this friend, who was up against the window to say hello.

The octopus's garden

Saturday I ran the Dunn Run 5K in Sandy Springs -- and found a Sandy Springs penny along the route for my piggy. But the bigger haul came when I found my first paper money, a $1 bill, in the Target parking lot later that day. It wouldn't even fit in the small piggy bank! Now piggy has something to stand on. I am now more confident I will be able to have a cup of coffee at the end of the year.
This morning's run was over to the horse farm. Many of the horses were out in the fields, enjoying the lovely morning. It has been such beautiful weather here in Atlanta the past couple of days. Perfect running weather.
Perfect to eat and run.

Breakfast with Andy

Friday morning I had a great breakfast meeting with Andy Warhol.
Because of my job, I got to attend the media preview of the High Museum of Art's upcoming exhibit "Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters."
Coffee + chocolate croissant + modern art = bliss.
My love of modern art started early.
My father is an artist. I grew up with his abstract art and sculpture.
I remember going to art fairs in the New York City area where Dad would show his art and hope to sell something. What a tough life to be an artist. Dad had a family to feed, so he could not give 100 percent to his artwork, but I know he would have rather done that than work in the factory.
Yet, it provided me a wonderful framework for art appreciation. Not everyone gets modern art.
Truth be told, there are some types of art that I don't care for.
Byzantine art leaves me, well, flat.
But modern art. Well, I LOVE modern art.
Friday morning it was nearly heaven to wander around and see the artwork, some of which is on loan from the Museum of Modern Art in New York (one of my favorite places to go in the city.)
What fun to see Andy Warhol's iconic "Campbell's Soup Cans."

Andy Warhol, "Campbell's Soup Cans."

(c) 2011 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

 The exhibit also has his "S&H Greenstamps" painting and I had to laugh when I saw it because I'm just old enough to REMEMBER S&H Greenstamps.
I got my first blender out of college by saving S&H Greenstamps! It wasn't long after that the little green stamps disappeared forever.

Another artist in the exhibit is Jackson Pollock. I like Jackson Pollock's work.

Jackson Pollock, "Number 1A"

(c) 2011 Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

In fact, I named my cat Pollock after the artist.
Pollock is my "found" kitty. She was dumped in my neighborhood and is declawed. It makes me so angry that people would dump a declawed -- or any -- animal, but particularly one that cannot defend herself.
She is a tortoiseshell cat and has about the darn ugliest coat you can imagine. She looks like Jackson Pollock himself threw paint on her fur. No rhyme or reason to its pattern. Hence, her name!
She even has a white tip on the end of her tail that makes me think of a paint brush.
But she has the most beautiful gold eyes and he is the sweetest animal I think I've ever had.

My Pollock. You can just she the white tip of her tail in this photo.

I could have spent all morning at the High Museum in Atlanta, but alas, work called.
The exhibit runs Oct. 15 through April 29, 2012 and if you are in Atlanta and love modern art as much as I do, go.
I'll be back as well. I'll be the one gazing at the art with a big grin on my face.

Float like a firefly

I had great fun over the weekend participating in the Firefly Run 5K in Atlanta.
This race started and finished at Piedmont Park, and it was at night. This is one of my few night runs that I've done. I think this one was by far the most fun.
I ran with my friend Rachel, who was organized enough to get us all kinds of glowing objects to attach to our heads, fingers and necks. The race fee included some LED lights that flashed that we attached to our arms and legs.

Rachel and me before the race

Once the sun began to set, the glowing began.

One of the firefly 5K emblems that glowed

At the starting line, the race started with the song "Fireflies" by Owl City. That was fun. And then it was really great to see this swarm of blinking LED lights running up Piedmont Road (clearly I wasn't in front!! ha!)

Me and Rachel, post-race and aglow

All dressed up for a rave. ha ha

We joked that with all of our glow stuff we looked like we were headed to a rave.

Gals dressed as true fireflies

"Ready for the rave" Rachel

"Lit up" Lisa

I think I'll run this one again next year. The one thing that really glowed after this race was me, and how I felt that evening!

The Seventh State

I have participated in another 5K in another state.
On Sept. 24 I walked the Komen Race for the Cure in Greenville, S.C., with friends and family.
It was a wonderful, if quick, trip.
I drove up the Friday before and then had dinner with my mother, sister from New York and a family friend.
We were up early Saturday for the walk. It was a bit overcast, but it did not rain, which was wonderful.
The 5K started and finished at Flour Field, where the minor league Greenville Drive play.
I even found a penny as we walked to the starting line! The piggy got fed a South Carolina penny. :)

Leslie, Jody, Mom and Candace

Me and Jody

Doing another 5K in another state was just fun. A new venue allowed me to see a little of a new city. And it was a day of celebration with friends and family. Can't ask for anything better than that.