This weekend was an absolutely perfect weekend for running! It was in the 55-60 degree range (that's around 12-15C for my Canadian friends). So pretty much perfect weather. I got a nice 6 miler in on Sunday and was pleased to look at my garmin and see that my fastest miles were my last 2. Woo hoo!
Now that the CFA exam is behind me, I am shifting my focus back to running. Sure, I ran while I studied, but it was more of a stress-relief activity. I wasn't working to improve my pace or to become a stronger run. I was just running to keep myself from losing my mind!
Now I am ready to push myself and become a stronger runner. So how do I go about doing that?
I have decided to try another running club. This will be my 3rd club that I'll be trying out. Maybe you remember the first one - you know, the one where the guy showed up wearing a khaki kilt? Then there was the one I tried last summer where I could not seem to find anyone in my pace group. I kept going in the hopes that eventually I would find someone in my pace group, but had no luck.
The third time is a charm, though, right? That is what I am telling myself. In July I'll join a local club called Club Run. The membership is $75 for July-October, which I think is really reasonable. There are 3 work-outs per week with coaches. I think this is really going to be good for me!
Besides wanting to improve my time and hopefully achieve a sub-2 hour 1/2, I am also hoping to make some new friends through this group. While I am blessed with having running friends across the US and Canada, I don't have any running friends in Minneapolis/St. Paul. It sounds like this group goes out for brunch after the Saturday long run, and will occasionally grab dinner after some of the weeknight runs, so I think I will *hopefully* make some new friends!
I'm sure I will let you know how it goes after I attend my first work-out. Fingers crossed that there are no kilt-wearing runners...
Do you prefer to run/exercise alone or with others? I actually really like running alone, but I know I need to run with others if I want to improve my pace/level of fitness!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wine and Love v6
Here is this week's wine and love, concept thought up by the lovely Nora!
Wine:
Wine:
- My amazing ability to get sinus infections at inoportune moments (not that there is ever a good time to get sick). I got a sinus infection the week of Christmas, right before leaving for Paris, and the week of the CFA exam. It was lovely answering questions with a pounding sinus headache.
- Missing the cut-off for canceling my bus pass for July by 2 days. There goes $76.
- The chaos that is my condo right now. Boxes, boxes, everywhere! I move 3 weeks from tomorrow!!
- Tuesday night was exhausting. I ran way too many errands in one night and it was over 100 degrees.
- But then Wednesday sucked even more. I couldn't find a dress in my closet that I recently had altered. No idea where it could have gone. Then I got a speeding ticket on the way to my park & ride (first speeding ticket ever, so pissed at myself). So I then missed my bus so got to work later than I like to. To calm myself down, I pulled out "The Art of Racing in the Rain" and got to a super sad part and then proceeded to cry. On a packed bus. Mortifying.
- Getting my first article published at work last week. The article is about an investment product called STRIPS. I won't bore you with an explanation of what they are because I know it's only interesting to me. My boss and I had lots of laughs trying to come up with a good title for the article that wasn't risque. Because you couldn't really entitle it, "Stripping for money" or "Intro to Stripping" or "Finding Value in Stripping" for obvious reasons.
- Cutting into an avocado that is PERFECTLY ripe! Yea! Now if they would just come down in price a bit!
- Peach black iced teas from Caribou. Be still my heart. And they started a frequency program, every 8th drink is free, which is a good deal, I think!
- The fact that I move in 3 weeks. Yes, I am a bit stressed by all I have to do, but I am going to be done with suburbia very soon!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Learned a Lot
Remember when I said I totally fell in love with Amos Lee last month? This is one of my favorite songs off his newest album.
Spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling
Spent a lot of time talking to walls
Spent a lot of time chasing that old time feeling
Spent a lot of time waiting on your call
It's all about the lessons you learn through heart break. You see, I've been dating for 14 years. 14 YEARS. That is a long time. I have siblings and friends that dated for about 1/4 - 1/2 of that time. So yes, I've dated a lot, but I have also learned a lot.
And I've learned a lot
really learned a lot
broken down on my bedroom floor
yes I've learned a lot
really learned a lot
I hope you found what you were looking for
Here are some of the lessons I've learned over the last 14 years:
- If they care, they will call; if they don't, they won't.
- Trust your gut instinct. Don't dismiss a feeling that something doesn't feel right.
- The one who cares the least has the most control. A detectible misbalance (regardless of whether you are the one who cares more or less) puts a not-so-good spin on the relationship.
- You can not buy the other person's affections by being the perfect girlfriend. It's not about being perfect. It's about being perfect for each other.
- If you aren't happy on your own, you won't be happy in a relationship. In the beginning? Yes. But in the long run? Unlikely.
- It is far better to be single than to be in an unfulfilling relationship.
- This quote is totally true: "Relationships--of all kinds--are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost."
Oh and darling
Instead of running
I think it might be time to sit down
and deal with the pain
Late at night I sit and listen to the freeway
rolling like a river on a distant shore
nobody told me that living was easy
I ain't living in fear anymore
It's taken years, but I recently realized that I have let go of the wounds of past relationships.
I have let go of the bitterness. I have let go of the "Whys" and the "How could yous" and instead of focusing on the disappointments of past dating experiences, I'm shifting my focus to appreciating the lessons I've learned along the way.
I'll close with this great quote about forgiveness and letting go of things that has really resonated with me:
"We are chained to that which we do not forgive... Imagine a ship trying to set sail while towing an anchor. Cutting free is not a gift to the anchor. You must release that burden, not because the anchor is worthy, but because the ship is."
What have you learned through your years of dating?
And PS - isn't Amos Lee dreamy? I mean, he's the total package in my opinion. Great voice. Plays the guitar. Has adorably disheleved hair. Wear glasses. What's not to love?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Ten on Tuesday
Another set of questions, hosted by Chelsea of Roots and Rings!
1. What type of phone do you have? Do you like it?
I recently got an iPhone, which I really like. Except the touch screen. I swear, I could have sent an email on my blackberry blind folded. I can look directly at the screen and still screw up half the words. Have not adjusted to the touch screen!
I also have a blackberry for work, but it's primarily for email.
2. How old were you when you got your first cell phone?
I was 21.
3. How many cell phones have you owned since your first?
Maybe 4?
4. How much is your average monthly phone bill?
It is right around $74. I never go over my minutes. Ever. I think $74 is pretty reasonable for a smart phone. Luckily I get almost 25% off because of an employee discount program.
5. When you were a kid/teenager, were you allowed to have a phone in your room?
I think when I was a junior or senior they let me have a phone in my room?
6. Do you like talking on the phone or do you despise it? Or somewhere in-between?
I am not really a phone person... I prefer email and text messages because I am awkward on the phone. Except at work, I can talk on the phone. But outside of work, not so great on the phone. But I have some dear friends who live far away so I do make time to talk to them as often as we can.
7. Do you text a lot? Is texting/talking while driving illegal where you live? Are you guilty of it anyway?
Yes. I am big on texting. It's my preferred method of communication. It is illegal to text and drive. I did it quite a bit on my blackberry because I could send an entire text without looking at the phone once. Now I try not to text and drive since I am horrible at typing on my iPhone. But i have done it a couple of times.
8. What sort of texting keyboard does your phone have? Touch screen, slide out, or something different? Do you care?
Touch screen.
9. Look at the last call in your call log – who is it? What were they calling about? Who calls you the most?
The last call was from my friend Amanda. We went to a movie last night and she called to tell me to get seats for us as she was going to be a little late due to traffic. (We saw Bridesmaids, which was hilarious!)
10. What is the longest phone call you can recall having?Probably a phone conversation with my high school boyfriend. He lived an hour away so we talked on the phone A LOT. And it was long distance. Not sure how I got away with that. I think there were some discussions about very expensive phone bills. I think we would talk for hours upon hours. Ah, young love.
1. What type of phone do you have? Do you like it?
I recently got an iPhone, which I really like. Except the touch screen. I swear, I could have sent an email on my blackberry blind folded. I can look directly at the screen and still screw up half the words. Have not adjusted to the touch screen!
I also have a blackberry for work, but it's primarily for email.
2. How old were you when you got your first cell phone?
I was 21.
3. How many cell phones have you owned since your first?
Maybe 4?
4. How much is your average monthly phone bill?
It is right around $74. I never go over my minutes. Ever. I think $74 is pretty reasonable for a smart phone. Luckily I get almost 25% off because of an employee discount program.
5. When you were a kid/teenager, were you allowed to have a phone in your room?
I think when I was a junior or senior they let me have a phone in my room?
6. Do you like talking on the phone or do you despise it? Or somewhere in-between?
I am not really a phone person... I prefer email and text messages because I am awkward on the phone. Except at work, I can talk on the phone. But outside of work, not so great on the phone. But I have some dear friends who live far away so I do make time to talk to them as often as we can.
7. Do you text a lot? Is texting/talking while driving illegal where you live? Are you guilty of it anyway?
Yes. I am big on texting. It's my preferred method of communication. It is illegal to text and drive. I did it quite a bit on my blackberry because I could send an entire text without looking at the phone once. Now I try not to text and drive since I am horrible at typing on my iPhone. But i have done it a couple of times.
8. What sort of texting keyboard does your phone have? Touch screen, slide out, or something different? Do you care?
Touch screen.
9. Look at the last call in your call log – who is it? What were they calling about? Who calls you the most?
The last call was from my friend Amanda. We went to a movie last night and she called to tell me to get seats for us as she was going to be a little late due to traffic. (We saw Bridesmaids, which was hilarious!)
10. What is the longest phone call you can recall having?Probably a phone conversation with my high school boyfriend. He lived an hour away so we talked on the phone A LOT. And it was long distance. Not sure how I got away with that. I think there were some discussions about very expensive phone bills. I think we would talk for hours upon hours. Ah, young love.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Je suis fatigue!
So... I said I would take a couple of days off from blogging. But here I am!
The test is over. Finished. Finito. I feel good about it - or as good as I can feel. I am resisting the urge to analyze how it went. I have an idea of what my score could potentially be and am pretty confident it should be in the passing range (whatever that is, it's not published and is determined every year). I don't want to jinx it and say I definitely passed. Instead I will say, the odds of me passing are good. I will find out in August. It's out of my hands now!
It was pretty funny to see the guy to girl ratio on test day. I am going to say it was probably 80% men. Possibly more. I was definitely the only girl in a dress (it's what I feel most confident in). I definitely developed some test rituals. Besides wearing a dress, I wrote the exam with a pink #2 pencil. And I decided it would be good luck to eat lunch at a French restaurant (Nicoise salad, fresh squeezed lemonade. Mmm). If I pass the test, I will repeat those rituals next June when I take level 2 (here's hoping I am taking level 2 and not re-taking level 1!!)
Oh and the CFA institute should totally host some sort of speed dating event. There were some good looking guys there! Ha! Maybe they could hold it over the 2 hour lunch break. ;) Although as I used to say in my math program when I was totally the minority, it might be another case of "The odds were good, but the goods were odd."
When I walked out of the exam room, I felt about 100 x's lighter. I wanted someone to high five me! I wanted to skip! I headed to my aunt & uncles where I was greeted with wine! And then a champagne toast! And then a yummy Mexican meal with margaritas! It was such a fun night - lots of laughter, lots of sighs of relief on my part.
Yesterday, the exhaustion set in. I don't think I let myself really feel exhausted until the test was over because I didn't have time to think about how tired I have been lately or to re-adjust my schedule.
I sat down and thought about all the things that have happened this year. Since January 1st, I...
- healed a broken heart
- visited Abby in Tucson
- visited Nora in St. Louis
- started a new job
- celebrated my 30th birthday with a fabulous French-themed party
- spent a week in Paris and chronicled my adventures here
- visited Becky in DC, ran a horrible race with Charbelle, and met Jess, another DC-area blogger
- studied for and passed the Series 7
- found a tenant to rent my condo and a condo to rent downtown!
- studied for (and hopefully passed) level 1 of the CFA
Le sigh. That is freaking lot to pack into 5 months!
It's no wonder I am exhausted. Looking back, I may have slightly over-scheduled those first 5 months of the year. I can't say I would change a thing. I'm just really, really tired.
I have to get through the next 4 weeks of packing/moving/settling in... (luckily some friends have offered to help. My friends rock!) And I have plans to go to my parents lake cabin every weekend this month, so I will get some much-needed R&R on the weekends.
But after the move? I need to take time to do things I enjoy instead of doing things I HAVE to do. I plan on doing a whole lot of running. I want to watch all 6 seasons of SATC whilst knitting (not in one sitting, of course, but over the course of a couple of months.) I want to take walks with girlfriends around the local lake or along the river. I want to try new recipes. I want to dine al fresco and drink wine on my balcony. I want to check out my new, fun, vibrant neighborhood.
I think when it's all said in done, I will look back on the first 6 months of this year and think - "I don't know how you did it, but you did it. Now let's not do it again."
Is there a period of your life that you look back on and wonder how you fit it all in?
The test is over. Finished. Finito. I feel good about it - or as good as I can feel. I am resisting the urge to analyze how it went. I have an idea of what my score could potentially be and am pretty confident it should be in the passing range (whatever that is, it's not published and is determined every year). I don't want to jinx it and say I definitely passed. Instead I will say, the odds of me passing are good. I will find out in August. It's out of my hands now!
It was pretty funny to see the guy to girl ratio on test day. I am going to say it was probably 80% men. Possibly more. I was definitely the only girl in a dress (it's what I feel most confident in). I definitely developed some test rituals. Besides wearing a dress, I wrote the exam with a pink #2 pencil. And I decided it would be good luck to eat lunch at a French restaurant (Nicoise salad, fresh squeezed lemonade. Mmm). If I pass the test, I will repeat those rituals next June when I take level 2 (here's hoping I am taking level 2 and not re-taking level 1!!)
Oh and the CFA institute should totally host some sort of speed dating event. There were some good looking guys there! Ha! Maybe they could hold it over the 2 hour lunch break. ;) Although as I used to say in my math program when I was totally the minority, it might be another case of "The odds were good, but the goods were odd."
When I walked out of the exam room, I felt about 100 x's lighter. I wanted someone to high five me! I wanted to skip! I headed to my aunt & uncles where I was greeted with wine! And then a champagne toast! And then a yummy Mexican meal with margaritas! It was such a fun night - lots of laughter, lots of sighs of relief on my part.
Yesterday, the exhaustion set in. I don't think I let myself really feel exhausted until the test was over because I didn't have time to think about how tired I have been lately or to re-adjust my schedule.
I sat down and thought about all the things that have happened this year. Since January 1st, I...
- healed a broken heart
- visited Abby in Tucson
- visited Nora in St. Louis
- started a new job
- celebrated my 30th birthday with a fabulous French-themed party
- spent a week in Paris and chronicled my adventures here
- visited Becky in DC, ran a horrible race with Charbelle, and met Jess, another DC-area blogger
- studied for and passed the Series 7
- found a tenant to rent my condo and a condo to rent downtown!
- studied for (and hopefully passed) level 1 of the CFA
Le sigh. That is freaking lot to pack into 5 months!
It's no wonder I am exhausted. Looking back, I may have slightly over-scheduled those first 5 months of the year. I can't say I would change a thing. I'm just really, really tired.
I have to get through the next 4 weeks of packing/moving/settling in... (luckily some friends have offered to help. My friends rock!) And I have plans to go to my parents lake cabin every weekend this month, so I will get some much-needed R&R on the weekends.
But after the move? I need to take time to do things I enjoy instead of doing things I HAVE to do. I plan on doing a whole lot of running. I want to watch all 6 seasons of SATC whilst knitting (not in one sitting, of course, but over the course of a couple of months.) I want to take walks with girlfriends around the local lake or along the river. I want to try new recipes. I want to dine al fresco and drink wine on my balcony. I want to check out my new, fun, vibrant neighborhood.
I think when it's all said in done, I will look back on the first 6 months of this year and think - "I don't know how you did it, but you did it. Now let's not do it again."
Is there a period of your life that you look back on and wonder how you fit it all in?
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wine and Love v5
Wine:
- Coming down with a cold last Friday. Not so great timing for that. Better last weekend than this coming weekend, but still... Super annoying.
- Stress.
- Going to home improvement stores, like Home Depot. I despise going to places like this, but it was a necessary evil as I have a few projects to complete before moving out.
- All this CFA craziness will be over after Saturday. I'll be celebrating with my parents and aunt & uncle on Saturday night. I think a lot of margaritas will be consumed (well, by me, maybe not by the others!)!
- I got to help my nephew celebrate his 6th birthday yesterday!!
- My new iPhone! There are some things I miss about my blackberry (like having an actual keyboard - I don't like the touch screen keyboard), but I do love my new phone. And access to great aps, like Words With Friends - my user name is ldotz - look me up if you have this ap!
- Organizing my closet during my study break this weekend. It was nice to do something that made me feel 'in control'. And my closet looks fantastic right now.
Wish me luck! Have a great weekend everyone!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Music, Books, Miles, and Looks of May
Music:
Turning Tables by Adele - The music industry is benefiting from the fact that I am taking the CFA. I keep rewarding myself for studying by buying albums. My latest purchase is Adele's new CD. I think she has such a gorgeous, soulful voice.
Enchanted by Taylor Swift - Since I based this post off the lyrics from this song, I feel like this should be one of my top songs from the month. I will say, Taylor Swift does not sound awesome live - at least not in this video... And if you listen to it, it cuts away to interviews half way through... but at least it gives you an idea of what the song sounds like.
Books:
The Blue Orchard by Jackson Taylor - This was the May blogger book club book. I didn't love the book and struggled with it a bit... but it was a fairly fast read and the blogger book club discussions were interesting. This month we are reading "Something Borrowed". I am not sure if I will like this book as I know it deals with infidelity and I don't think that's a light/funny/cute subject... But we'll see what I think of it!
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - I really liked this book - it was a book that Nora recommended I read and she was spot on with this recommendation. It's set in Barcelona and is about a young boy that discovers a book that is being systematically destroyed so that no copies will remain.
Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard - This was a fun, light read, which is just what I needed. It tells the story of a young girl in her upper 20s who falls in love with a Frenchman and moves to Paris. I kind of want her life. Similar to other books I've read that were set in France, each chapter concludes with a couple of recipes. Definitely a fun book for a Francophile to read!
Miles:
It was a better mileage month for me, but still not great. Total miles were around 50 I think? Which doesn't sound like much to most runners, but it's good enough for me... Right now I just don't have the time to put in a lot of miles each week, but that will change when I finish this test! I mean, I will gain about 15-20+ hours of my week back so I will have NO EXCUSE not to run.
Looks:
This is one of the dresses I bought last month. Actually, I bought this dress in 2 colors - the brown pictured here and then an olive green color. Yes, I take a Mr. Rogers approach to dresses. I realize it's boring, but oh well! I work with a bunch of men and most of them don't pay attentioned to what I wear so they would never really notice that I have the same dress in 2 different colors. I pair it with a cardigan and some flats. Perfect summer outfit in my opinion.
Turning Tables by Adele - The music industry is benefiting from the fact that I am taking the CFA. I keep rewarding myself for studying by buying albums. My latest purchase is Adele's new CD. I think she has such a gorgeous, soulful voice.
Enchanted by Taylor Swift - Since I based this post off the lyrics from this song, I feel like this should be one of my top songs from the month. I will say, Taylor Swift does not sound awesome live - at least not in this video... And if you listen to it, it cuts away to interviews half way through... but at least it gives you an idea of what the song sounds like.
Books:
The Blue Orchard by Jackson Taylor - This was the May blogger book club book. I didn't love the book and struggled with it a bit... but it was a fairly fast read and the blogger book club discussions were interesting. This month we are reading "Something Borrowed". I am not sure if I will like this book as I know it deals with infidelity and I don't think that's a light/funny/cute subject... But we'll see what I think of it!
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - I really liked this book - it was a book that Nora recommended I read and she was spot on with this recommendation. It's set in Barcelona and is about a young boy that discovers a book that is being systematically destroyed so that no copies will remain.
Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard - This was a fun, light read, which is just what I needed. It tells the story of a young girl in her upper 20s who falls in love with a Frenchman and moves to Paris. I kind of want her life. Similar to other books I've read that were set in France, each chapter concludes with a couple of recipes. Definitely a fun book for a Francophile to read!
Miles:
It was a better mileage month for me, but still not great. Total miles were around 50 I think? Which doesn't sound like much to most runners, but it's good enough for me... Right now I just don't have the time to put in a lot of miles each week, but that will change when I finish this test! I mean, I will gain about 15-20+ hours of my week back so I will have NO EXCUSE not to run.
Looks:
This is one of the dresses I bought last month. Actually, I bought this dress in 2 colors - the brown pictured here and then an olive green color. Yes, I take a Mr. Rogers approach to dresses. I realize it's boring, but oh well! I work with a bunch of men and most of them don't pay attentioned to what I wear so they would never really notice that I have the same dress in 2 different colors. I pair it with a cardigan and some flats. Perfect summer outfit in my opinion.
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