why i hate clubs and why i should have clobbered that guy

I've never worn hats in my life, but a few weeks ago, I impulsively bought this hat at Kohl's. I love it. So last night after our lovely dinner of stuffed peppers on the grill, Regis and I wander down to Patrick's for a glass of wine. I wear the red hat. As we walk in, two of the characters sitting at the bar, start hooting about the Red Hat Club. I snorted. No, I am not a member of any Red Hat Club and I don't think those old ladies wear over-the-knee boots with three inch heels, I say. What the hell.

The younger guy comes over later to say he meant no offense but his mom is in a Red Hat Club so he just thought...I say keep walkin' pal, you are just digging yourself in deeper.

I'm not fond of clubs. Since I quit the Girl Scouts in sixth grade, I've been resistant to clubs. I was a member of a garden club for a while but it started to feel oppressive when there were expectations.

I can see myself wearing a hat and going out to a bar and having a good time but the part where everybody has to wear the same color on their head is where I draw the line. Clubs are not for me.

Regis and I had a most wonderful day yesterday. We went to Mankato and did some fun things, had a nice lunch at Pappageorge, drove up to LeSueur and stopped at the Cheese Shop for some Dubliner and a few other cheeses we've grown to like, and we cooked peppers on the grill again.

We chopped one of these peppers and added it to the cheese/Andouille sausage mix that we stuff them with. Holy cow, they were smokin' hot. I'm not sure I'll do that again.

Today is race preparation day. The forecast is for chilly rain tomorrow which makes the clothing choices critical. I don't like to be cold so I'm planning layers of things that can be taken off and either discarded or tied around my waist. I have to eat something along the way so I'm planning to take a peanut butter sandwich. It's worked for me before. I bought some of the gel things that some runners use but they look like big packets of cake frosting. Ugh.

Kristine, my friend from the Pulse, is also doing the half-marathon. We talked yesterday and we share the same goal: to finish and be vertical. Neither of us want to ride to the finish line in the Sag Wagon.

Maybe I should wear the red hat in the race tomorrow. That would be a good one.