Victory... Victory at all costs... Victory at any cost

The funniest thing happened last week.

Now you probably know I'm a runner. I've run a couple of marathons, and while I'm no Boston-qualifier, I love the thrill of the pulse and the finish-line flourish.

Well. The past two weeks I've suffered from what has been called Washington DC's worst pollen in ten years. So when the annual Victim's Rights run came to campus, as it does every year, and my department coordinated registration and t-shirts, and I coughed up a lung that morning, I decided to walk instead of run. Which I did with my friend Sheila. Sheila and I chatted it up the whole time--it was a pleasant morning, and we talked about the state of the history department, her current success at defending her dissertation and now working full time at the Center for History and New Media, and all sorts of things. When we walked across the finish line, some man asked if we were students. Sheila just graduated, but I gave them my name. We sat down with our running friends and ate sandwiches during the little awards ceremony.

Lo and behold, they called my name. I was the first place student walker! Complete with a trophy! I don't know whether to be proud or not, being a runner... but the trophy earned a place of honor above my computer.

I AM, however, proud of my victory at the Lunt annual Easter Eggstravaganza a couple of weeks ago, when my hearty egg, named Eliza R. Snow, won the egg crack-off...

Yes--I did decorate her Martha Stewart-style, although you can't see the fine design in this action shot.

Check out the winning bracket! Intense competition, I tell you.