Musings Outside Starbucks

Once again (at this writing), I am sitting outside of a Gainesville Starbucks during the mid-afternoon. This one is on Newberry Road and is probably the best-run Starbucks in Gainesville. The manager was chatting one morning with some joggers who happened to work at LifeSouth (a non-profit blood-donation organization), which is just down the road a little bit. One thing led to another and the suggestion was made that Gainesville hold its own marathon race. And from this conversation eventually came the result that LifeSouth is sponsoring a marathon here in Gainesville soon on Sunday, February 24. The running course crisscrosses all over Gainesville, and the race should be fun to watch. A five kilometer (about 3.1 miles) race is scheduled to accompany it as well. I'm considering whether or not to enter it (the 5K race, that is). But I first have to get used to running on outdoor surfaces, not just on a treadmill like I've been doing. This may take more time than I have to prepare for that race, so I may just pass it up for a future race. I would like to know where the 5K course will be, though.

The weather here this afternoon is beautiful, slightly cool in the shade with a moderate wind and no clouds in the sky. Something tells me, though, that this idyllic setting won't last too much longer, and, as they like to say on The Weather Channel, conditions will eventually deteriorate. This has to be one of the mildest winters I've ever experienced in Gainesville. And being someone who likes cool, dry weather, I feel vaguely cheated out of something I've come to expect each year. The plants around me seem to sense the impending end of winter already (and this posting will ironically occur on Groundhog Day), with a fine film of pollen covering my car to greet me this morning. Over the past few years, I had been increasingly suffering from pollen allergies. But then I started doing something that, on the surface, didn't make sense: I began to spend more time outdoors where the pollen was and less time in the air-conditioning. Whether or not this reversed my allergies or something else did, the fact is that this past year marks an improvement with my allergies. I wonder if anyone out there has had similiar experiences.

Well, I guess I'd better get up and head for work now. Too bad I don't have a "reset" button that I can push tomorrow morning to get today's weather again!