March Miscellanea

Monday was St. Patrick's Day, and I was amazed at how much I was able to do in one day. I made corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker; I worked both jobs from home; I edited an article for Wayfare magazine; I went on a short (less than three miles) trail run to and from Springhill Geologic Park; I got a mint shake from Arby's (after McDonald's was out of Shamrock Shakes); and watched Song of the Sea, finishing in time for the new episode of Spring Baking Championship. Phew! If only I could be so efficient every day.

(Other holidays where I have fit so much have included Halloween 2014, when I worked, ran, went grocery shopping, picked up my car, visited my grandparents, got pumpkin shakes, and watched The Munsters' Revenge. And also Thanksgiving 2017, when I ran twelve miles, went in the hot tub, and cooked, all before Thanksgiving dinner.)

Tuesday I drove in the snowy conditions to our in-office meetings. The Utah Historical Society is building a new museum, set to open in May 2026, and every month the museum team hosts a staff piñata day with trivia for different counties. If you get the trivia right, you get a swing at the piñata. This week we had Juab County, and our director said, "We should have a playlist for every county. What would be a playlist for Juab County?" And I chimed in, "The Killers made an album about the town of Nephi!" The trivia guy said, "That might be one of the questions." They let me have the first swing because I knew the album was called Pressure Machine.

I try to do cardio every day, and this week I was able to do five kinds of cardio in six days. Monday was the trail run. Tuesday and Thursday I swam with the recreational swim team. Wednesday I went hiking in the snow. 

Friday I went street running. And Saturday I went biking up to the top of the Summerwood neighborhood. As I was going up a very steep road, a woman walking her dog said, "Good for you." I do always feel accomplished when I go up there. I should bike more often, but I prefer running.

One advantage of being single and living with my parents is that I have plenty of money to spend on silly things. I bought a new bike pump that works for both presta and schrader valves. My bike currently has one of each tire, and I want to punch someone in the face whenever I have to use the presta adapter. So hopefully having a better pump will help.

I also have a large collection of holiday pillowcases I have made with different fabrics. Since Joann is going out of business, I splurged on various seasonal fabrics for pillowcases: sunflowers and bees, both of which I associate with Pioneer Day; happy gumdrops with candy canes; Addams Family silhouettes; apple pie; fireworks; and anthropomorphic hot dogs, ketchup, and mustard.

And here are this week's dreams.

Mark plays with a handheld tool with a spinning blade

Mark walks up office stairs with a shoe on one foot and a sock on the other

Mark wants to swim to the high school mistletoe donation drive, but they drain the water

Mark pulls garbage from the snow in the yard

Mark hoses down the basement, getting water in the record player

on a neighborhood walk, Mark sees a red monkey, a flamingo, and a hummingbird

Mark asks Google Gemini if there is a movie about Cawnpore (this week I was doing research about a massacre in Cawnpore, India, in 1857)

Mark goes to the vet with his three cats, Reggie, Bentley, and Sean

Mark triggers a trespassing alarm in a parking garage while holding empty boxes