I've done a decent amount of looking back lately - which has been both good and bad. Some memories are fun to revisit, like looking at pictures of the day my nephews were all born. Some memories are not as fun to revisit, like looking back at past relationships that have ended.
So today is a good day for another looking forward post!
Today I will have dinner with 3 of my best girlfriends from college, one of which now lives in NYC. It's not very common for us 4 to see each other, so I am so excited for tonight! I can't wait to catch up over wine! Hopefully the weather cooperates so we can sit outside!
This week I will have dinner with my aunt and cousin at Ecopolitan, a restaurant I have been wanting to try out for a long time now! It's a raw food restaurant that is gluten free friendly! My cousin has raved about it so I can't wait to check it out!
This month I will get together with some co-workers from The Pysch Experiment. While I do not miss job one bit, I do miss the people I worked with. It will be great to catch up!
This year I will go on a mini-vacation with my girlfriends to celebrate our upcoming 30th birthdays! I can't wait to figure out where we will go for our long weekend getaway! Perhaps we will start the planning process at dinner tonight.
What are you looking forward to today, this week, this month, and/or this year?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Ten on Tuesday
1. What does your car say about you? If you don’t have a car, what kind of car would be your daily driver?
I drive a 2003 Silver Honda Accord. I guess my car probably says that I am practical and economical.
2. To this point, what has been your purpose on this planet?
Oh boy, that's a bit deep for a Tuesday morning. I think my purpose so far has been to be a good person, to follow the platinum rule (treat others as they would like to be treated), and to live by the standards of my Catholic faith.
3. If you could trade places with any person for any amount of time, who would it be?
I would like to trade places with a performing artist to see what it's like to sing to an audience and hear them sing the words of a song you have written back to you.
4. What is your favorite kind of cake? If you don’t like cake, what is it about it that you don’t like?
My favorite kind of cake is carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I haven't tried making a gluten free version of this, but I think it would work out ok.
5. Would you have wanted to live in your parents’, grandparents’ or great-grandparents’ generation or only your own?
That's a tough question. Each generation has its pros and cons. I would like to see what it was like to live in the 50s for fashion reasons - then I could dress like Betty Draper of Mad Men. So that would probably be my grandparents' generation since my parents were pretty young in the late 50s/early 60s.
6. Do you have any home remedies for illnesses, cleaning or otherwise?
I can't think of anything earth shattering. Sip regular coca cola when you have a stomach ache. If you are a female, eat yogurt when you are on antibiotics. That's all I can think of right now!
7. What is your ideal weather situation?
Sunny, cloudless skies, 80 degree temperatures, a light breeze, and little-to-no humidity.
8. What is your best attribute (physical or personal)?
Physical = my eyes or my legs from the knee down
Personal = I am very disciplined/focused
9. Do you text or surf while driving?
*hangs head* I am guilty of texting while driving. I know this is terrible and so dangerous. I am working on breaking this habit, though...
10. How long have you known your best friend?
I don't really have 'one' best friend. I have a group of best friends. Aside from my cousin who I have known for 28 years, I have known all of my other closest friends since freshman year of college, so a little over 10 years.
I drive a 2003 Silver Honda Accord. I guess my car probably says that I am practical and economical.
2. To this point, what has been your purpose on this planet?
Oh boy, that's a bit deep for a Tuesday morning. I think my purpose so far has been to be a good person, to follow the platinum rule (treat others as they would like to be treated), and to live by the standards of my Catholic faith.
3. If you could trade places with any person for any amount of time, who would it be?
I would like to trade places with a performing artist to see what it's like to sing to an audience and hear them sing the words of a song you have written back to you.
4. What is your favorite kind of cake? If you don’t like cake, what is it about it that you don’t like?
My favorite kind of cake is carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I haven't tried making a gluten free version of this, but I think it would work out ok.
5. Would you have wanted to live in your parents’, grandparents’ or great-grandparents’ generation or only your own?
That's a tough question. Each generation has its pros and cons. I would like to see what it was like to live in the 50s for fashion reasons - then I could dress like Betty Draper of Mad Men. So that would probably be my grandparents' generation since my parents were pretty young in the late 50s/early 60s.
6. Do you have any home remedies for illnesses, cleaning or otherwise?
I can't think of anything earth shattering. Sip regular coca cola when you have a stomach ache. If you are a female, eat yogurt when you are on antibiotics. That's all I can think of right now!
7. What is your ideal weather situation?
Sunny, cloudless skies, 80 degree temperatures, a light breeze, and little-to-no humidity.
8. What is your best attribute (physical or personal)?
Physical = my eyes or my legs from the knee down
Personal = I am very disciplined/focused
9. Do you text or surf while driving?
*hangs head* I am guilty of texting while driving. I know this is terrible and so dangerous. I am working on breaking this habit, though...
10. How long have you known your best friend?
I don't really have 'one' best friend. I have a group of best friends. Aside from my cousin who I have known for 28 years, I have known all of my other closest friends since freshman year of college, so a little over 10 years.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Marathon Madness Monday: Week 1
My training for the 10/10/10 Portland marathon commences today.
Today I begin an 18 week journey that will prepare me to run those grueling 26.2 miles. It’s hard to believe that the human body is capable of such a thing. But I’ve done it before, and I will do it again.
And this time around, I am such a smarter runner. Oh, how naïve I was back in 2006. I didn’t know about the wonder that is Body Glide. I didn’t know about the importance of a proper taper in the final weeks of training. I didn’t know how painful those 26.2 miles were going to be - especially the last 6.2.
It will be different training for this marathon, knowing what to expect on race day. I imagine it’s probably akin to the way a mother feels as she prepares for the birth of her second child; she knows the pain she is going to experience, but at the same time, she knows it’s all worth it in the end.
As I train for this race, I will be in good company, albeit virtually. Lauren & Amber are both running the Portland Marathon with me, and Gracie is running a marathon around the same time. It'll be comforting to know that I have friends who are going through the same trials and tribulations of marathon training.
It will be a different experience from my marathon training in 2006. When I trained for the 2006 marathon, I was running away from the heart ache resulting from my break up with The Charioteer. I was running to cope. I was running to create a physical pain that would take the place of that heart ache.
This time, I am running for me. I am running to prove to myself that I can do this again - I can run 26.2 miles.
Let me tell you – it’s a much better feeling to run for yourself v. running to escape something.
I know the next 18 weeks are going to be challenging, but the masochist in me is looking forward to watching myself grow as a result.
Each Monday, I’ll do a brief recap of the previous week of training. I will try not to bore you to tears as I know now everyone shares my passion for running!
Here’s to the start of a healthy, successful training program!
Today I begin an 18 week journey that will prepare me to run those grueling 26.2 miles. It’s hard to believe that the human body is capable of such a thing. But I’ve done it before, and I will do it again.
And this time around, I am such a smarter runner. Oh, how naïve I was back in 2006. I didn’t know about the wonder that is Body Glide. I didn’t know about the importance of a proper taper in the final weeks of training. I didn’t know how painful those 26.2 miles were going to be - especially the last 6.2.
It will be different training for this marathon, knowing what to expect on race day. I imagine it’s probably akin to the way a mother feels as she prepares for the birth of her second child; she knows the pain she is going to experience, but at the same time, she knows it’s all worth it in the end.
As I train for this race, I will be in good company, albeit virtually. Lauren & Amber are both running the Portland Marathon with me, and Gracie is running a marathon around the same time. It'll be comforting to know that I have friends who are going through the same trials and tribulations of marathon training.
It will be a different experience from my marathon training in 2006. When I trained for the 2006 marathon, I was running away from the heart ache resulting from my break up with The Charioteer. I was running to cope. I was running to create a physical pain that would take the place of that heart ache.
This time, I am running for me. I am running to prove to myself that I can do this again - I can run 26.2 miles.
Let me tell you – it’s a much better feeling to run for yourself v. running to escape something.
I know the next 18 weeks are going to be challenging, but the masochist in me is looking forward to watching myself grow as a result.
Each Monday, I’ll do a brief recap of the previous week of training. I will try not to bore you to tears as I know now everyone shares my passion for running!
Here’s to the start of a healthy, successful training program!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Music, Books, Miles, and Looks of May
Happy Friday, everyone!
Each month, I usually do a monthly re-cap post that I borrowed from Nora. It's time to switch it up, though. Going forward, my re-cap post theme will "Music, Book, Miles, and Looks". Those are 4 elements of my life that are very important to me!
I'm a bit late on posting a re-cap, June just came upon us way too fast!
Music:
I'm loving Crystal Ball by Pink - favorite phrases are:
- Love just needs a witness, and a little forgiveness, and a halo of patience, and a less sporadic pace, and I'm learning to be brave in my beautiful mistakes.
- Oh I've felt that fire and I've been burned, but I wouldn't trade the pain for what I've learned.
Also loving Set Down Your Glass by Snow Patrol. It has fabulous lyric, like - "I'm shaken, then I'm still. When your eyes meet mine, I lose simple skills. Like to tell you all I want is now.
The whole album (A Hundred Million Stars) is fantastic.
Books:
May was a good reading month for me. I read:
- The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thaddeus Carhart - Loved it, book review can be found here.
- Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser - Total waste of time and money. Hesser is a pretensious name-dropper in my opinion. It's so awesome that she's on first name basis with Jeffrey Steingarten (obnoxious judge on Iron Chef). So awesome that she seemed to bring him up as much as possible. And gasp! How awful that her boyfriend ordered lattes after dinner. Apparently this is a faux pas in the food review circle. Not in my world.
- American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld - Fabulous book. You can read my thoughts here!
- Paris Time Eight by Deirdre Kelly - Meh. The editing of this book was so pour, I am tempted to contact the publisher to point out the numerous spelling and gramatical errors.
- Swimming by Nicola Keegan - This book fell a bit flat for me. I might just not be 'deep enough' to appreciate it, though. Who knows.
Miles:
Total miles ran = 74
That's pretty mediocre, but I purposely gave myself some extra days off because I know when marathon training commences on Monday, I will only get one day off each week. So I gave myself permission to slack!
Looks:
I'm coveting this top by Anthropologie... but not enough to shell out $88. I think it'd look great paired with my skinny jeans & a pair of flats.
Even though the wedding wasn't quite a smashing success, my dress for the wedding was definitely my favorite outfit for the month of May!
Each month, I usually do a monthly re-cap post that I borrowed from Nora. It's time to switch it up, though. Going forward, my re-cap post theme will "Music, Book, Miles, and Looks". Those are 4 elements of my life that are very important to me!
I'm a bit late on posting a re-cap, June just came upon us way too fast!
Music:
I'm loving Crystal Ball by Pink - favorite phrases are:
- Love just needs a witness, and a little forgiveness, and a halo of patience, and a less sporadic pace, and I'm learning to be brave in my beautiful mistakes.
- Oh I've felt that fire and I've been burned, but I wouldn't trade the pain for what I've learned.
Also loving Set Down Your Glass by Snow Patrol. It has fabulous lyric, like - "I'm shaken, then I'm still. When your eyes meet mine, I lose simple skills. Like to tell you all I want is now.
The whole album (A Hundred Million Stars) is fantastic.
Books:
May was a good reading month for me. I read:
- The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thaddeus Carhart - Loved it, book review can be found here.
- Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser - Total waste of time and money. Hesser is a pretensious name-dropper in my opinion. It's so awesome that she's on first name basis with Jeffrey Steingarten (obnoxious judge on Iron Chef). So awesome that she seemed to bring him up as much as possible. And gasp! How awful that her boyfriend ordered lattes after dinner. Apparently this is a faux pas in the food review circle. Not in my world.
- American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld - Fabulous book. You can read my thoughts here!
- Paris Time Eight by Deirdre Kelly - Meh. The editing of this book was so pour, I am tempted to contact the publisher to point out the numerous spelling and gramatical errors.
- Swimming by Nicola Keegan - This book fell a bit flat for me. I might just not be 'deep enough' to appreciate it, though. Who knows.
Miles:
Total miles ran = 74
That's pretty mediocre, but I purposely gave myself some extra days off because I know when marathon training commences on Monday, I will only get one day off each week. So I gave myself permission to slack!
Looks:
I'm coveting this top by Anthropologie... but not enough to shell out $88. I think it'd look great paired with my skinny jeans & a pair of flats.
Even though the wedding wasn't quite a smashing success, my dress for the wedding was definitely my favorite outfit for the month of May!
I plan to brush the dust of an evening with the exes off this dress, and get some use out of it again this summer!
Any great music, books, or looks you'd like to share with me?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Creatures & Comforts
Yesterday was just not my best day.
I haven't been feeling well since Saturday night. I thought maybe the stomach issues were from the stress of Saturday night. But then I started getting such terrible headaches. Headaches so bad my teeth and jaw bone hurt. The pressure was so bad, I was almost wishing my very own Dr. McDreamy would come along and drill a hole in my head.
I kept waiting to feel better, but towards the end of the day yesterday, I resigned to the fact that I most likely have a sinus infection and made a doctor's appointment for this morning.
After getting off the phone with the doctor's office, I kind of wanted to just lay my head on my desk, but instead, I just sort of let my head hang to stretch out my neck muscles and at that moment, I saw a mouse run across the floor of my cube.
Ahem. Did you catch that? A mouse ran across the floor of my cube.
I screamed. And not quietly. It was probably reminiscent of the time I screamed when a mouse ran across my room in high school. I screamed so loud that time, my dad thought there was an intruder in the room.
I know it is irrational, but I am petrified of mice and other little creepy crawly creatures. No thanks. I like my work space vermin free. I hope they get this little problem under control soon.
Luckily this all happened at the end of the day, so I was able to leave immediately after the mouse-capade.
I got in my car and realized it would be foolish to go to this running event. Yes, it would be a great way to meet some other local runners, but between my upset stomach and the ridiculous headache, I knew I'd be in no position to be a chatty Kathy.
But it was National Running Day, so gosh darn it, I was getting a run in. So as much as I wanted to crawl into bed, I laced up my shoes and pounded out a quick 3 miles.
When I got home last night, I was in need of some comfort food. Going gluten free has been the best change for me, but I still don't quite have 'go to' comfort foods. My old stand-bys like saltine crackers and chicken noodle soup are off-limits. I've slowly found some replacements over the last year, but they still don't quite do the trick like saltines or chicken noodle soup.
My new comfort foods/drinks are:
I haven't been feeling well since Saturday night. I thought maybe the stomach issues were from the stress of Saturday night. But then I started getting such terrible headaches. Headaches so bad my teeth and jaw bone hurt. The pressure was so bad, I was almost wishing my very own Dr. McDreamy would come along and drill a hole in my head.
I kept waiting to feel better, but towards the end of the day yesterday, I resigned to the fact that I most likely have a sinus infection and made a doctor's appointment for this morning.
After getting off the phone with the doctor's office, I kind of wanted to just lay my head on my desk, but instead, I just sort of let my head hang to stretch out my neck muscles and at that moment, I saw a mouse run across the floor of my cube.
Ahem. Did you catch that? A mouse ran across the floor of my cube.
I screamed. And not quietly. It was probably reminiscent of the time I screamed when a mouse ran across my room in high school. I screamed so loud that time, my dad thought there was an intruder in the room.
I know it is irrational, but I am petrified of mice and other little creepy crawly creatures. No thanks. I like my work space vermin free. I hope they get this little problem under control soon.
Luckily this all happened at the end of the day, so I was able to leave immediately after the mouse-capade.
I got in my car and realized it would be foolish to go to this running event. Yes, it would be a great way to meet some other local runners, but between my upset stomach and the ridiculous headache, I knew I'd be in no position to be a chatty Kathy.
But it was National Running Day, so gosh darn it, I was getting a run in. So as much as I wanted to crawl into bed, I laced up my shoes and pounded out a quick 3 miles.
When I got home last night, I was in need of some comfort food. Going gluten free has been the best change for me, but I still don't quite have 'go to' comfort foods. My old stand-bys like saltine crackers and chicken noodle soup are off-limits. I've slowly found some replacements over the last year, but they still don't quite do the trick like saltines or chicken noodle soup.
My new comfort foods/drinks are:
- mashed potatoes
- baked potatoes
- plain white rice
- elbow -shaped quinoa pasta
- regular Coke
Last night I had a baked potato and it seemed to hit the spot. What I should really do is make some chicken stock and freeze it - then I can just add some quinoa pasta and make my own chicken noodle soup on the days when I am needing some comfort food!
Here's hoping the doctor prescribes me some strong drugs today so I can be back to my normal self soon.
What are your favorite comfort foods?
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
National Running Day
Did you know today is National Running Day?
It's sort of fitting that it falls so close to the starting of my marathon training - which kicks off on Monday!
Running has become a huge part of my life; it almost borders on being a bit of an obsession or addiction. I figure there are much worse things to be addicted to, though!
So today, in honor of National Running Day, here is a list of just a few things I love about running!
- Running makes me feel Athletic: I was always the kid that got picked last in gym class. When I was in basketball in 5th & 6th grade, the only basket I made was for the opposing team. “Athletic” was never a word that described me… until I discovered running! I still have a hard time saying I am athletic, but the fact that I can run 10, 13.1, or even 26.2 miles without collapsing must mean I am athletic!
- Running keeps me healthy: During grad school, I did a horrible job of balancing a full time job, school in the evenings, a boyfriend, and running. Stupidly, I cut out running completely and really paid for it on the health front. I learned my lesson - cutting out running is not a good idea. It helps me stay at a healthy weight, I sleep better, and I now have toned calves to show for all the hard work I've put in!
- Running ties in well with my type-A personality: Training for a big race like a marathon or a half-marathon takes hard work, dedication, and a whole lot of planning (at least the way I approach training). This will sound weird to the non-planners out there, but I am comforted by the fact that, starting on Monday, I know exactly how far I need to run each day (or when to rest) for the next 18 weeks!
- Running calms me: Since I have a type-A personality, I am a bit on the high strung side. Running gives me an outlet for pent up stress and frustration. Sometimes I use my runs to think through issues that are bothering me. Other times, I use my runs to take a break from the inner monologue that marches through my brain all day long.
I could go on and on, but I will stop there as I know not everyone shares my passion for running!
Today I will be celebrating National Running Day by running with a group at my favorite local running store, Marathon Sports. The run is being led by some pretty elite runners (one guy placed 9th at Boston this spring!), so I will be a bit out of my league, but I am guessing there will be some people there close to my pace group.
Do you enjoy running? If so, what do you love about running?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Adventures in Awkwardness: Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Two Exes and a Wedding
Last week, unbeknownst to me, I had relocated to a little land called Denial.
I was trying to use the power of positive thinking to talk myself out of the fact that going to a wedding with my 2 exes wouldn't be awkward. I thought with the right dress and the right attitude, the evening would be fun.
I had positive interactions with both exes in the weeks leading up to the wedding. In fact, I had thought that The Charioteer had grown and changed quite a bit in the last 4 years since we dated. Since we started working together about 2 months ago, it had seemed like we were on the pathway of renewing our friendship. So I had envisioned an evening of great conversation and laughter.
Saturday night was a heavy, heavy dose of reality.
For those of you who have seen (500) Days of Summer, the evening reminded me of this scene:
The evening was a reminder of why I am no longer dating either of these two men. I was reminded of how much work it was to carry on a conversation with The Charioteer. And how one-sided those conversations tended to be. I felt more alone sitting next to The Charioteer in a room full of people than I would have felt had I been sitting in a room by myself.
That is not a good feeling.
I kept the tears at bay until I got in the car for the 3+ hour drive home. Parts of that drive were spent in tears. Tears of sadness. Tears of frustration over how, all these years later, these exes still get to me. Tears of fear that it will never be my turn to say "I do".
After a couple of phone conversations with a couple of great girlfriends and some encouraging Blackberry messages from my mom (I love that my mom bbms!), I felt more calm and centered.
As difficult as this was, I probably needed this dose of reality. The human mind has an amazing ability to forget pain and discontent; I had started to forget why I chose not to be with these 2 men. I had started to forget about the qualities they both possess that make them such poor matches for me.
The chapter of the book of these two men was finished long ago, but it warranted a re-read.
Whenever I start to feel despair about my future and wonder how I will ever find my way to my Mr. Right, I keep those feelings at bay by focusing on a bible verse that my grandma emailed to me shortly after my break-up with The Deux (yes, my 80-something grandma emails - how cool is that?):
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
So for now I will go on living my life, focusing on the things that make me happy. Focusing on becoming the best possible version of myself. Focusing on believing that he is out there.
Last week, unbeknownst to me, I had relocated to a little land called Denial.
I was trying to use the power of positive thinking to talk myself out of the fact that going to a wedding with my 2 exes wouldn't be awkward. I thought with the right dress and the right attitude, the evening would be fun.
I had positive interactions with both exes in the weeks leading up to the wedding. In fact, I had thought that The Charioteer had grown and changed quite a bit in the last 4 years since we dated. Since we started working together about 2 months ago, it had seemed like we were on the pathway of renewing our friendship. So I had envisioned an evening of great conversation and laughter.
Saturday night was a heavy, heavy dose of reality.
For those of you who have seen (500) Days of Summer, the evening reminded me of this scene:
The evening was a reminder of why I am no longer dating either of these two men. I was reminded of how much work it was to carry on a conversation with The Charioteer. And how one-sided those conversations tended to be. I felt more alone sitting next to The Charioteer in a room full of people than I would have felt had I been sitting in a room by myself.
That is not a good feeling.
I kept the tears at bay until I got in the car for the 3+ hour drive home. Parts of that drive were spent in tears. Tears of sadness. Tears of frustration over how, all these years later, these exes still get to me. Tears of fear that it will never be my turn to say "I do".
After a couple of phone conversations with a couple of great girlfriends and some encouraging Blackberry messages from my mom (I love that my mom bbms!), I felt more calm and centered.
As difficult as this was, I probably needed this dose of reality. The human mind has an amazing ability to forget pain and discontent; I had started to forget why I chose not to be with these 2 men. I had started to forget about the qualities they both possess that make them such poor matches for me.
The chapter of the book of these two men was finished long ago, but it warranted a re-read.
Whenever I start to feel despair about my future and wonder how I will ever find my way to my Mr. Right, I keep those feelings at bay by focusing on a bible verse that my grandma emailed to me shortly after my break-up with The Deux (yes, my 80-something grandma emails - how cool is that?):
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
So for now I will go on living my life, focusing on the things that make me happy. Focusing on becoming the best possible version of myself. Focusing on believing that he is out there.
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