merry christmas!

"Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles." ~Author Unknown

freezer buns

the ladies' bathroom is 63 degrees right now. seriously. i looked at the thermostat. it doesn't let me do anything to it other than tap my frozen finger on it in a meager attempt to let the furnace know that it's freezing in there. brrr. that is one place i particularly don't like it cold.

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fear

so i was talking to my boss about likely trying snowboarding next week. she had tried it once and was telling me about it. meanwhile the president of the company walks by and tells us about his experiences with it (tried it for 3 days in vail). he encouraged me to pad my tailbone (he ended super bruised by the end of the trip) and not use my wrists to break a forward fall... things i already had an idea about, but that were even more solidified after talking to him. then he tells us about a girl that was on the trip with them. she had just gotten strapped into her board, first day of a five day trip, first thing in the morning, not even gone up on the chairlift yet, had wristguards with her but hadn't yet put them on. she fell forward and... broke both wrists. both. wrists. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! i'm sure i'll do alright and hopefully won't end up with anything broken, but there is a chance. add to that the fact that it's easier to snowboard in powder and there certainly will not be powder where we're going (chestnut mountain in galena), and i'm definitely staring down a challenge. i'll be bringing my insurance card with me for sure.

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i need to read more

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." - Mark Twain

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candidates and their gadgets

from the "who really cares" file...via Reuters
i think this is how voters age 18-35 should decide whom to vote for. i know i find this information invaluable!

The Associated Press asked the presidential candidates to name their favorite electronic gadgets.

Their answers:

DEMOCRATS:

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: iPod

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: iPod

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: BlackBerry

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: BlackBerry, “my Crackberry.”

REPUBLICANS:

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: CD player

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: “Probably my laptop. Or my bass guitar and amplifier.”

Arizona Sen. John McCain: Razr cell phone and the TV remote

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: BlackBerry

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson: iPod

iPods and Blackberries seem to be the top items. What the heck is
Giuliani doing with a CD player? 1995 called and it wants it’s portable
music technology back. McCain’s still using a RAZR and his tv remote,
he needs an upgrade as well.

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another good quote

this quote reminds me of a few people i used to know...

You are not superior just because you see the world in an odious light.
- Vicomte de Chateaubriand

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great quote from the dalai lama

"In the West, you have bigger homes, yet smaller families; you
have endless conveniences -- yet you never seem to have any time. You
can travel anywhere in the world, yet you don't bother to cross the
road to meet your neighbors...I don't think people have become more
selfish, but their lives have become easier and that has spoiled them.

They have less resilience, they expect more, they constantly
compare themselves to others and they have too much choice -- which
brings no real freedom."

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oh yes

christmas vacation goodness!

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rawr!

it's a draggin. i can't believe it's only 2:15. ack! today is going so slowly. hopefully it hurries up. i'm antsy to get home and relax!

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dang ding

so, i went out this morning to brush the snow off my car, and much to my surprise, the vw emblem on the front grille was askew. i tapped it and it popped out. evidently one of the clips in the grille that holds the emblem in place snapped. no idea how. so now it looks super dumb. i called the dealership to find out the cost of a replacement. i knew it would be higher than i wanted to hear, but they said it would be $190 just for the part. now, keep in mind that this is only for the grille insert, not the whole front end or for the emblem or anything. it's about 18" long and 6" high plastic. highway. robbery. i didn't even bother getting a service quote. i'll end up trying to find a replacement online or something and do it myself (which actually means with heath's help). i've already solicited my brother in law's help in finding a replacement. the biggest challenge will likely be the color. the part only comes in black or primer grey, so it wouldn't match the green of my car. i'll have to weigh my options and cost when it comes to that situation.

it got me thinking, though, that it is just crazy to charge that much for a piece of plastic. even if i did have a ton of money to blow, i wouldn't pay that. i feel bad for people who have no knowhow or resources and have to go through a body shop or the dealership. thank goodness i have people to help me with this. if you find anything for me online, let me know. it's a 2004 vw jetta. maybe i'll get some sort of pimp chrome one. teehee.

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packed weekend

heath and i had quite a busy weekend, but it was a lot of fun. friday night, i treated heath to a nice dinner at vermilion to celebrate his birthday (a day early). saturday, we lounged a bit in the morning due to a change in the plans. heath's parents were planning on visiting, but the weather was pretty icky that day, so they're going to try to come a different time. so, we cleaned a bit, and i finished up making our tree skirt. i think it turned out really good. an unfortunate step in the process, however, was having to walk to the fabric store. in the sleet. i figured it wouldn't be too too bad, but by the time i got there, i was soaked. ick. i made it back with the supplies i needed, and finished things up.

later, heath noticed that the local movie theater was playing the golden compass. it isn't supposed to come out until next friday, but they must have had some advanced screening. there's been a fair amount of controversy surrounding this film because the books it is based on were written by an atheist and apparently have a very anti-church (especially catholic church) message. there was pretty much no mention of religion in the movie. there was an anti-authority message, a message that people should be allowed to make up their own minds, and an entity that could be interpreted as sort of a religious body (the magesterium), though they never made reference to anything religious. it was quite an entertaining movie, and definitely did not wrap up at the end, thus leaving it open to sequels (and potentially encouraging viewers to read the other two books to find out what happens, which may be a source of some of the outcry from christian groups. personally, i didn't see anything in this movie that sent a message of there being no god. it didn't say either way, but i suppose i may be naive and if one were looking for that kind of message, he or she could probably find it if they looked hard enough (as with anything else - see: confirmation bias). i'm curious to read the books myself to find out what all the drama is all about. much to the surprise of some of the critics, i won't be transformed into an atheist simply by watching this movie or reading this book. much as i don't think that there is really a hogwarts or ministry of magic. i know this is a bit different, but in my humble opinion, there is nothing wrong with exposing yourself to diverse points of view and belief systems. if you are secure in your faith, then why be afraid to learn about others. ignoring the other viewpoints won't make them go away. feel free to disagree and say that i shouldn't be supporting these messages by seeing the movie or considering buying the books, but i honestly see no harm in finding out for myself what the big deal is, rather than basing my understanding of the situation and my opinion on some inflammatory email written by somebody with an agenda (for either side). okay, end of rant.

so after the movie, we came home, which was great because the weather was still fairly nasty. yesterday, we hung out a bit, then went to the gym to work out. we played 1 on 1 basketball, which was interesting since i hadn't played in years. i actually gave heath a run for his money and he was looking a little worried for a while there. he hit some big shots from the outside to beat me, but said he was surprised by how i played (yay go me!). it was fun, but it beat me up. we grabbed lunch at potbelly's and headed home to shower.

then we went to see the trans-siberian orchestra at the allstate arena. drama ensued. first, traffic was insane. the ramp to get to the arena is incredibly poorly designed so we were going to be late for the 3pm show. we finally got to the arena at 3:05, hustling to get in without missing much, and when we had our tickets scanned, they stopped us. oops. tickets were for the 7:30 show. well, crap. we had already paid our $15 to park (highway robbery), and now we had 4 hours to kill before our show. luckily there was a target nearby, we browsed a bit, then walked to chili's for a very unhealthy dinner. back to target. bought me a sweater. then we ended up going over to krispy kreme for donuts and something to drink. at about 7pm, we wandered back to the arena (brrr!), and enjoyed a really fun show. they definitely entertain. lots of lights, electric guitars, fire, etc. very cool, though. there were a number of songs that they did that i was very impressed with. of course they do their christmas songs, but they also did their interpretation of a number of classical songs (flight of the bumblebee, canon in d, etc.). i thought they did a great job with those. we ended up getting home pretty late, so we're beat today, but it was a lot of fun!

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agony

i don't have a ponytail holder with me today. my hair is driving me nuts. heath would enjoy this.

listening to...

straight line by silverchair. i like this song, but today i love it. it's helping to block out the chatty cube dwellers around me!

thanksgiving cleaning

so, my goal for tonight is to do some serious going through of the drawers. i've got too much stuff again, and i failed to handle the summer to fall transition smoothly. i'd like to bring up piles of clothes for my sister to go through, knowing full well that the vast majority will end up at goodwill (which is great because then somebody will make good use of them). i know it's sort of rushing things to get it done tonight, but oh well! i want it done and there's not much on tv tonight anyhow. :)

thanks to heath, the laundry is pretty much done and the apartment is quite clean since he spent his day off yesterday taking care of the place, even though he wasn't feeling well (what a guy!). so, there isn't much cleaning to do in general. much to his dismay, i'm going to make another big mess (but a temporary one, i promise, and one that will address the issue of the closet vomiting my shoes and sweaters lately).

congratulations are in order!

very exciting news!

i FINALLY have a zero balance on the most naggiest of credit cards. this isn't the card that had the highest balance or highest interest rate (ah, wait, it DID have the highest interest rate - double congrats for me), but this was the card that had been all too easy to use even after i vowed to "not use credit cards anymore." it was the one that i stupidly kept in my wallet, and pulled out to pay for this and that, then got irritated when i saw the charges had wiped out the payment i had made the month prior. grrr. this one was extra challenging, too, because they didn't have a website where i would have to STARE at my indiscretions.

i don't have all my debt paid off yet, but am getting a lot closer. basically, i've learned my lesson and now know how painful this debt thing is. i was in too deep, but have made huge progress climbing out. by the end of the ordeal, it will have been several years (YEARS) of living more frugally than i should have to based on my salary so that i could rid myself of the weight this puts on my shoulders. it will be worth it. i hate having the debt hanging over my head, so i just got in the habit of throwing money at it every month until it goes away. bear in mind that i've made a point of not completely restricting myself from fun (see: triathlon stuff, trip to mexico, possible trip snowboarding), but have still steadily made progress in a positive direction. as we all eventually learn (and i wish i learned it faster), balance is everything. i've even got a savings plan and a plan for paying for school if/when i go back next fall. life aint cheap, but at least i pay with cash now! i can't even imagine what it will feel like to have it all paid off... i'll probably go ahead and buy myself some laser eye surgery or something!

he's obviously summoning or identifying prostitutes...

how ridiculous is this?

some people have WAY too much time on their hands coming up with ways in which to be offended. i've seen some questionable things lately, but this is one of the most ludicrous.

kindle

saw this on amazon.com this morning. it's a new product that is essentially a big improvement on e-books. this device allows you to purchase and read newspapers, books, blogs, etc. all on one device that is about the size of a paperback. it connects wirelessly to the network (over cell phone lines, so no wi-fi hotspot needed, and no fees for connecting to the network) and allows you to download content wherever you are. seems pretty cool, but is also sort of pricey and i haven't investigated enough to know if it ONLY shows materials you've purchased directly from them. because if that is the case, that's where they get ya, of course. kinda cool, so i thought i'd pass it along.

note to self

when wearing glasses, do not blow on your hot tea in attempts to cool it down, for you will end up with foggy lenses.

foul moods all around

venting:

how on earth can somebody feel justified in giving ME the bird after THEY completely cut me off? yes, i honked but only because he swerved into my lane and about took out my right front fender. my guess is that it was probably because he was in a mercedes and thus is entitled to drive like a moron; therefore, it would be inappropriate for him to not cut me off then act like it's my fault for being in the way. oh boy did i give him a dirty look when i passed him later. yeah, that will show him!

this after i saw a woman completely lose her cool and freak out on a guy in bed bath and beyond because he allegedly cut in front of her on their way to the newly opened register. i was actually really glad to get back to the office after running errands today!

we can walk the streets safely again

possibly. on my way to work, i saw a dead animal in the middle of the road. as i approached it, i noticed it was black and white and upon sniffing the air thereabouts, confirmed that it was a skunk. now, i don't know if this is the gigantic mutant skunk that heath almost ran into (on foot), but it might have been. either way, it is one less skunk haunting the streets of evanston.

on an entirely unrelated note, i'm stupidly hungry right now. it's all i can do to not run down to the break room and buy poptarts.* i had oatmeal, but am hungry again. grr. maybe i'll go buy a healthy something out of the vending machine...

*on monday i bought poptarts and proceeded to have far too much difficulty with them. one of them slipped between the side of the toaster and the little shelf that raises and lowers your toasting food. this led to serious poptart carnage and ended up costing me about 5 minutes digging the gooey shards out of the toaster with a (plastic) fork. so i'm scared of them now, despite their deliciousness.

shout out

heath and i made a lot of progress this weekend on the apartment. we put the last few things into storage on saturday to clean the place up for guests that night. then yesterday, we went down to the storage area and completely revamped the whole thing. we decided on a bunch of other stuff to get rid of (donating what we can), consolidated some boxes of stuff, and reorganized to put the holiday stuff in the front and the camping stuff in the back. it was a big job, but was worth it as we will have a much easier time finding and accessing the things we need to get to.

a big shout out to heath for all his hard work. he did a really good job getting everything in the storage unit efficiently. he took the lead on figuring out how to pack our stuff all in there, and, as hard as it is for me to admit it, he did a better job than i would have. i just get too impatient with that stuff and would have gotten it "good enough" but not as good as it needed to be. so, i just wanted to thank him again for what a great job he did.

the drawback to going through the storage unit is that i ended up bringing some stuff BACK to the dining room (doh!) to put into piles to donate, sell, or further organize. it's frustrating to have this kind of stuff back in the dining room, but i want to go through all of it this week, if i can and get it taken care of, rather than just jamming it back into the storage closet. i'm trying to be good about not storing/keeping stuff we don't want/need.

daily gratitude

today i'm grateful that i noticed before anybody else today that my sweater was on backwards. oops. it was really itchy in a meeting and icouldn't figure out why until i felt the tag through the fabric. i got it turned around.

back in the saddle

i'm starting my new training plan today, so will be tracking that sort of thing on my triathlon blog. feel free to check it out if you'd like. i need some accountability!

daily gratitude

wednesday, october 31: i'm grateful that i live in a neighborhood where kids get dressed up and go around trick or treating. it was fun to walk around last night and see the costumes and the halloween decorations. some streets got really into it. hopefully when i have kids someday, i'll live somewhere that they can easily go around and trick or treat.

thursday, november 1: i'm grateful for fall. the colors are so pretty right now. i want to get outside some more this weekend and enjoy it more.

daily gratitude

yes, i've fallen behind on the gratitudes in the past week. heath and i were out of town for a funeral for several days, and were exhausted when we got home saturday night. we ran in the trick or treat trot on sunday morning, which was fun (lots of people ran the race in costumes!), but didn't do much for our fatigue levels!

so, here's my catch up.

wednesday, october 24: i'm grateful that heath and i were able to take off work and go out to spend time with his family. i'm grateful that i was able to meet heath's grandfather before he passed away.

thursday, october 25: i'm grateful that there were so many happy memories shared and for how many people came out to show their support.

friday, october 26: i'm grateful that heath and i were able to spend a lot of time with heath's grandma and bring her some company and comfort.

saturday, october 27: i'm grateful that i feel comfortable around heath's family and get along with them so well, and for heath letting me know he appreciated me being out there with him during this time. i'm glad i could be there for him.

sunday, october 28: i'm grateful for being in shape enough to run that 5k despite not really training enough for it (though i wasn't exactly a speed demon).

monday, october 29: i'm grateful for heath for bringing us home a cute halloween decoration (since we weren't able to decorate as much as we'd have liked earlier). i'm also grateful for big, deep, vintage bath tubs. i finally took a bath for the first time in our apartment, and it was awesome! the tub is big and deep enough that i don't feel like i'm all sticking out of it. i can actually just lounge and enjoy it. i think i'll be doing that a lot more now that it's getting chillier outside.

tuesday, october 30: i'm grateful for my commute. yes, it sucks to be in the car for 40 or so minutes each way (longer lately with construction), but i get to have a scenic drive every day. instead of letting the traffic annoy me (or the crazy drivers), i'm trying to take in the scenery. right now it is very beautiful, as most of the colors are at their peak. this is my favorite time of year. hopefully the weather is good this weekend, and i can spend some time outdoors enjoying the crisp air and bright colors.

riviera maya vacation

heath wrote up a nice summary of our trip here. i've just been lazy in linking to it.

pictures of the trip are posted here. they are sort of dark, but still turned out alright. the one below is my favorite. we took it while we were snorkeling down the river.

daily gratitude

(i've been so busy that my only posts have been these. at least it's something... heath posted on our mexico vacation here. i'll have pictures and a post soon. life is fairly hectic right now, so posting will be light. hopefully things settle down once we hit november.)

i'm grateful for my family. i think i've said it before, but i'm grateful for how thoughtful and caring they are. the past couple of days i was reminded how supportive they are and the extent to which they make time and effort to show their concern/caring whenever anybody in the family (or close friends or family of friends - you get the idea) faces a challenging or sad situation. these days few people think outside of their immediate worlds and individual troubles, but my family takes the time to communicate their care for people who are hurting, sometimes even when they've never actually met those people. it's very appreciated.

daily gratitude

catch up again

saturday, october 20: i'm grateful that i got to go to the illini football game (and tailgate) with heath and his friends. it was quite an experience, since i went to such a small college. i had a lot of fun despite the drunken idiots behind us.

sunday, october 21: i'm grateful that i went to a small school. while there are certainly draws to a big state school, i'm glad i went to the tiny private one that i went to. heath walked me around the u of i campus, and it was really pretty and impressive. there was SO much to do there. however, there were also curse words written in sidewalk chalk on campus, and a lot of litter in the street from the students partying the night before. i'm sure that it's only a portion of the students that are littering/vandalizing/tipping over trash cans, but i never really remember that happening at hope at all. like i said, there are pros and cons. i think that given my temperament, hope was a great fit.

monday, october 22: i'm grateful for my boss (or bosses? nobody knows who i report to at the moment!). my workplace is a fantastically understanding place, but that's all i can say about that.

daily gratitude

today i'm grateful for having a thoughtful boyfriend. he called me at work and when i asked him what we should have for dinner, he out of the blue suggested that we go see this movie i've been really wanting to see (the darjeerling limited) and grab dinner. i had pretty much forgotten that it was playing and probably wouldn't have remembered until it was too late and gone from theatres. it's not a movie he's dying to see, either. he'll probably enjoy it, but it's certainly not at the top of his must-see list. it was very sweet and means a lot to me that he was thinking of me and suggested this. not many guys would be so mindful and thoughtful. thanks hon!

daily gratitude catch up

i realize that i have neglected my daily gratitude entries. part of this was that i was busy, the other part was that i was out of town on vacation, so here is my quick catch up:

friday, october 12: i'm grateful that i was paying attention while riding along in the airport transfer van and spotted our resort. as a result, we ended up getting dropped off at the right hotel, and not the one they were erroneously planning on bringing us to, which was another 45 minutes away!

saturday, october 13: i'm grateful that i took spanish in high school. even though it was many years ago, i remembered just enough to get by with the folks that spoke minimal or no english. even heath was impressed from time to time. i really should try to get better at it, so i can communicate more effectively.

sunday, october 14: i'm grateful that we bought an underwater camera before we left home because they cost $35 at the ecological water park we visited! i'll elaborate on this experience when i post about the vacation.

monday, october 15: i'm grateful that we planned to do nothing this day. we were both tired from the trip to xel-ha on sunday, and were more than pleased to sit around on the beach and by the pool and at the pool bar for the entirety of the day. i'm also grateful for shade and aloe-vera gel.

tuesday, october 16: i'm grateful that we didn't check any bags, so we were able to get out and on our way out of the airport faster through immigration and customs. i'm also grateful that we had three solid days with minimal worry and lots of relaxation and fun because a good portion of the stress comes back pretty much right away when you get back from vacation. we didn't want to come home! i'm trying to hold onto as much of that relaxed feeling and mindset as i can.

today, october 17: i'm grateful for cup-o-soup. yum. it's totally helping me cope with my 3pm (well 4pm actually) cravings. too much sodium, though, so it will have to be an infrequent indulgence.

halloween

work is having a halloween dress up day. i've never really dressed up for halloween for work before, but my place of employment isn't typical (e.g., there were punishments for people that showed up to the 80's party without dressing the part). any suggestions?

daily gratitude (1 day late)

okay, i missed a day, but am making up for it here.

i'm grateful for my health. i've been very fortunate that i don't have to try very hard to keep myself healthy. though i'm thankful for my health, i know i need to be better to myself, including shifting my diet to be more balanced (it's not awful, but could be better), and making sure that i keep exercising. i've kind of gotten lazy since my race, and have noticed the effects of my inactivity on my mood, energy level, and how well i generally feel. went back to the gym last night and felt really great. i just need to stick with it better than i have been. i've got some goals in mind for running and cycling for next year. i want to do a few time trials over the summer to supplement triathlons.

daily motivator

i have this thing on my google home page that has a daily inspirational message on it. i thought they were pretty good (there is a more elaborate message if you click on it), so i went to the website, where they have html that you can add to your own site if you want. so i stuck it up there at the top. it's kind of obnoxious there, but it gets smooshed if i put it on the side, and it won't be visible on the bottom. any suggestions?

fantasy football noob week 4 & 5

so, what i learned in week 5 was to not hold my breath on guys listed as "game time decision" because 0 points is just plain baaaad. also, just had some bad luck. if i had swapped out any one of the guys on my bench that weren't on a bye week, i would've won this week. ouch. ANY one of them. hopefully i fare better next week when carson comes back from his bye week. also addai should be healed up after his bye week next week, so fingers crossed for week 7! i'm now 3-2 in my league, which isn't too bad, considering i've never played before. i'll have to make sure to set my team up thursday night and hope nothing significant happens before the games on sunday and monday. :)

daily gratitude

i'm grateful for all the fun stuff i've been able to do lately and all the things coming up that are planned. when i got here this morning, i mentioned my upcoming trip to mexico this weekend, and somebody pointed out that since i've started this job, i've had like 9 vacations. now, he was counting things like camping (which don't require a day off) and my triathlon (not so much a vacation, but time away from home doing something exciting nonetheless). although not all my excursions have involved a plane ride or time off work, i have had lots of fun over the summer and have some cool things coming up this fall that i'm already looking forward to.

daily gratitude

i'm grateful for all the experiences i've had. sometimes i feel like
i've failed at certain things or wasted my time in one way or another,
but i need to remember that all those experiences were valuable in
shaping who i am and where i am headed. it's important for me to focus
on how i've learned from my past and remember that i made certain
choices for good, valid reasons and that they were the right thing to do
in my life. when i look at where i'm at, things are really great for me
right now. as i look to the future, i can see several doors in various
areas of my life that are ready to open for me if i am willing to do
what i need to take advantage of them. i have to take the initiative and
pursue these things and not let self-doubt or fear (or regret from the
past) get in the way of my success. it's scary to put yourself out there
sometimes, but i need focus on the fact that the greatest rewards and
most happiness will come when i take some risks. i'm fortunate for the
opportunities i've had and that are waiting for me, and i won't let
myself get in my own way like i have for the past few years!

(a while ago, i said that i wanted to start a daily post on what i'm
grateful/thankful for in my life because i don't appreciate things
enough. so here's the first one. i imagine that some will be "grander"
than others, but the idea is to force me to think about what i'm
grateful for and to take the time to appreciate those things, big or small.)

restless

ever feel like you can't sit still? that's me currently. i couldn't
figure it out, then i realized that it was because i went and got a
double mocha cappuccino out of the machine in the exec's kitchen. no
wonder i'm all jittery and stuff! i'll probably crash sometime in the
next 30 min. wow am i not used to caffeine anymore... it was delicious,
though. :)

conditioner

this morning, i used a conditioner that you are supposed to leave on
your hair for three minutes before rinsing it out.

i think i may have forgotten to rinse it out.

which would explain why my hair was harder to dry and why it feels funny
this afternoon.

i should really pay closer attention to my shower tasks.

travel drama

i understand the value of e-ticketing. less postage, faster, easier,
etc. it's great. i love it.
however, the e-tickets need to have clear instructions and also should
have the relevant information that you need. i just got off the phone
with the agency through which we bought our upcoming vacation to mexico.
the reservation confirmation that was emailed to us contained basic
information about our flights, hotel name, the fact that we purchased
transfers, and the cost of the trip. good, great, fine. they got our
order. however, both heath and i wondered if there were going to be any
documents mailed to us or a follow up email with more detail such as
confirmation numbers, instructions, etc.

so today i called and was essentially made to feel like i MUST not
travel much because i should KNOW that despite there not being any
confirmation numbers on the document, that it WAS our e-ticket. or
rather, all our e-tickets. the guy interrupted me countless times, was
condescending and barely spoke english. when i tried to explain that it
was unclear that it was the e-ticket since the confirmation numbers
weren't in that email, he restated that that is why he just TOLD them to
me. ugh. it was annoying. i try to not get annoyed by this stuff as much
anymore, but this was just one of *those* calls. when i asked to speak
to his supervisor, he stated that he was the supervisor. and i said
"that explains a lot" and hung up. not the most mature, i know, but i
wasn't really appreciating being interrupted and talked down to.

regardless, heath and i are very much looking forward to this vacation.
very much. very very much. can't wait. only 6.5 more days of work until
we get to go!

fantasy football noob week 3

my record is now 1-2. i lost pretty bad this time around. next time remind me to save changes when i make a lineup change. it's not good to realize at 7pm that the change you *thought* you made at 10 am didn't really happen, and as a result, your consistently unproductive receiver continued to be consistent in his lack of productivity and isn't on the bench where he belongs and where you swear you put him that morning. i meant to put in devery henderson, since the saints are more than overdue for their offense to show up, and, hey, he couldn't do any worse that that lump i have in currently. didn't help that steve smith had a bum week and how could carson palmer repeat what he did last week. addai had a solid performance, as usual, but that was about it. plus my opponent this week had randy moss, whom i had the option to keep at the beginning of the year, but sadly didn't. who'd have known he would be having a monster start to this season. well i guess if you think about it, he finally has a star qb throwing to him. his decline in recent years must have had more to do with his surroundings than age or losing his touch. ah well, there's always next week. even if devery henderson has a fantastic night tonight, i don't think it would matter. he'd need to score over 36 fantasy points to have overcome my margin of loss. not likely. i can't feel too bad even if he does. at least i didn't bench kevin curtis like heath's opponent did...

and now just for entertainment's sake, a completely real (and unfortunate) ad featuring carson palmer, last week's hero... this'll teach him to give me less than 20 points!

fantasy football noob week 2

week 2 went much much better than week 1. i won my matchup, but it took a phenomenal week to do it. many thanks to the fella below (carson palmer) who threw for six touchdowns and 400 yards. also big props to steve smith's 3 touchdowns and bunches of yards. heath didn't fare as well, losing to the league leader (and now only undefeated team). i'm still working on learning more about who to play when and trying to pick up some good backups for my bye weeks. i don't expect a particularly strong showing since this is my first season, but my core of keepers should keep me from being totally embarrassed week to week.

too cute

i know a lot of people out there hate when people put clothes on dogs, but this is pretty cute. make.com featured a way to make a dog sweater out of a sock. obviously this is only going to work on little dogs, like yorkies or something else teensy. enjoy!


disclaimer: i have to admit that the dog doesn't look thrilled in that picture, so i wouldn't subject a dog to this unless they liked it. mostly, i thought it was clever to think of making it out of a sock.

drugs are scary

i came across this quiz this morning. see if you can match up the side effect to the prescription medication. i only got 5/10.

ugh

on my drive to work this morning, as i was going through an intersection, i saw a guy stopped at the cross street drop a piece of paper out his window. sir, the world is not your trashcan. how people can have such disregard for their world is beyond me. apparently it was just too inconvenient to take it to a garbage can later. that slip of paper had to be out of his car. now. it was obviously not accidental, and he did it as casually as if he were dropping it into a wastebasket. this was what bothered me the most, that it didn't even appear to cross his mind that it might be wrong to do this.

i admit i'm not as good to the environment as i should be. i probably produce more carbon emissions with my commute and generate more garbage with how i live than is necessary, but at least i put trash where it belongs. it's been made clear in a number of ways that the world is hurting and that we need to take better care of it. at this point, people should be making efforts to be more "green" (and a lot of them are). yet, i consistently see people like this that won't even contribute at a basic level by not littering. these people need a swift kick, and to be put on litter picking up duty.

rant over.

fantasy football noob week 1

so, i am playing fantasy football for the first time this year. heath invited me to play in a "keeper" league he is in. they had some drop outs from last year, so i took one of the open spots. we all pitch in $20, and the winners of the regular season and playoffs get prize money at the end of the season.

now, i already liked watching football, but i've only been watching it sporadically for the last few years, and i have very limited knowledge about the players and teams. i'm trying to learn as much as i can. thankfully, i'm a fast learner and wasn't completely boneheaded my first week. my biggest mistake was not playing marshawn lynch. that whole "don't start a rookie in week 1" advice wasn't so helpful this time around. this week i was matched up against heath (of course), and thing were looking good after thursday night's game. however, the rest of my players failed to perform well on sunday, and heath had tony romo, who had the game of his life and put up 40 fantasy points. cuh-raz-ay. i don't recall what the final score was, but it wasn't pretty. hopefully next week, i get a better performance out of my guys. i have some great players, and some of them did really well this week. joseph addai, steve smith, and carson palmer are my stars, and i should be able to count on fairly consistent performances out of them week to week. the rest of my players were under their predictions. part of what i need to keep a better eye on is how the defenses are on the teams my players are playing against. also not helping was that this week was the one that my defense (baltimore) happened to be playing against my quarterback's team (cincinnati). last night i was very torn on who to cheer for.

being on a fantasy football league totally changes the way i watch the games now. i get torn because i'll have a guys on both teams that are playing eachother, so i end up rooting for the individual players rather than a team in general. it's pretty fun. we'll see how i do this week. so far, i'm predicted to lose by about 10, but heath was projected to lose to me by about that much, so you can't put too much stock in those numbers.

healthy eating

saw this on a blog today. i've realized that i'm not feeding my body as well as i should be, which is probably contributing to me having less energy and just feeling kind of blah. heath and i have both said that we want to start being healthier. the tips below were timely and were good enough that i wanted to share them. some of them are no brainers, but they are all useful. also, i'm going to start tracking my meals on fitday.com. that should help keep me honest about my calories and exercise and everything!

1. Start thinking in terms of ‘nutrient density.’ Huh? What does that even mean? It means you’ve gotta start thinking proportionally. Choose foods that give you the most nutrients per calorie. Like skim milk instead of ice cream for calcium. An orange instead of orange juice for fiber. (Apparently, juices aren’t even that good for us. It’s way better just to eat the actual fruit and have a glass of water. Who knew?) A can of tuna instead of beef for protein. The goal is always to get more nutrients for the same amount of calories. For me, this way of thinking was revolutionary.

2. Get salad dressing on the side. I almost fell out of my chair when the professor announced that the number one source of fat in a woman’s diet was salad dressing. All the naïve women dieters think, ‘oh I’ll just have a salad,” without analyzing what actually goes into to that yummy mixture of mesculan greens.

3. Diet soda is baaaad. It can’t be rationalized. Diet soda drinkers had the same amount of diabetes as people who drank regular soda. The fake sweetness in diet soda messes with your palate, and your body reacts to it as if it were real sugar anyway. Diet sodas have also been proven to make you crave more sweets. They also limit you from getting good, healthy sugars. Like how many of us have ever downed a Diet Coke and then craved the nutritious sugary goodness of an apple? Yeah, it’s never happened. Instead, we crave salty chips or fries.

4. Fiber is fabulous, but not without water. I pop fiber pills and invest in whole-wheat products all the time. We all know fiber is invaluable to our digestive system. What I never knew though is that fiber can’t be digested by itself. You need to be super hydrated in order for it to work. So start downing water.

5. Dried fruit is not necessarily our friend. Grapes and raisins have the same amount of calories, but raisins contain no water, and therefore aren’t as filling. So you eat way more raisins than you would grapes, consuming perhaps twice the amount of calories, while grapes would have made you full ten minutes ago. Dried fruits also tend to be artificially sweetened (more bad news).

6. Occasionally indulge in the unhealthy things you like rather than eating the ‘low fat’ equivalent. I wanted to kiss my nutritionist professor on the mouth when she announced that if you’re obsessed with Ben and Jerry’s, it’s A-okay to enjoy a small portion every once in awhile. A large, low fat tub of frozen yogurt won’t be as satisfying, usually resulting in eating a lot more of it. And eating more of something that’s theoretically ‘low fat’ isn’t necessarily the best route. She pointed out many eaters view a ‘low fat’ label as an excuse to over-indulge. Most of these ‘low fat’ items aren’t that good for us either!

labor day weekend / six month-iversary

heath and i had a very eventful labor day weekend. ironically, as outdoorsy as we typically are, we were very urban this time around.

friday night after work, we decided to walk up to downtown evanston for sushi at koi, where i had sake for the first time. i had it cold, but i think i would like it better hot. it was definitely strong, and they give you plenty of it. the food was good, as was expected, and we happened to be seated in the same spot as we were last time we went there. after dinner, we wandered up to the movie theater to catch superbad, since we had heard it was incredibly funny. it was. it was pretty dirty at times, but was well done and had a nice ending. after the movie, we were wandering back home, and decided to stop at nevin's pub to have a beer (shandy for me -- my new favorite incognito girly drink) and play some darts. heath beat me three (?) times in a row at cricket, but at least i hung in there, making it a close game every time.

saturday, we got up and went to the farmer's market, then came home and did a lot more picking up and unpacking around the apartment. yes, still unpacking. we made a ton of progress this weekend, and are getting down to the last few things. the place is starting to look more like a home and less like a box depository.

in the afternoon, we watched the illini football game (more on that in a later post) and i made eggplant parmesan with some of the stuff we got at the farmer's market. we had a nice dinner with a bottle of gewurztraminer from round barn winery in michigan. after dinner, heath gave me a gift to mark us being together for six months. it's a really lovely silver necklace from tiffany & co (somewhere i never thought i'd ever own anything from). you can see it in the picture i posted below. he also had planned something special for sunday and monday, but that was still a surprise. (as a side note, i had given him an authentic ron santo cubs jersey the wednesday before when we went to see the cubs lose to the brewers.)

sunday morning, we packed up and hopped on the purple line to head into chicago. we got off at grand, and dropped our bags off at a hotel. we got some lunch at su casa, a mexican place in the area, before walking south along michigan avenue. we got on the trolley (it was PACKED), and
took that down to the museum campus. through work, heath has a membership to the field museum, and neither of us had been there in quite a while, so we headed there. it sounds dorky, but it was a lot of fun. i learned a lot about how much has changed regarding what scientists know about dinosaurs since i was a kid. they also have redone large portions of their permanent exhibits, which were a lot of fun to look at. the museum closed at 5, so they kicked us out. we saw the line for the trolley and felt sick. we were about to take a cab, then realized we could just slum it and take the bus ;). it was a good choice, since it was air conditioned, and less crowded than the taxi (totally worth $1.75). however, as it chugged up state street, we came to a stop, the lights went out, and the driver hopped off and started walking around the bus. weird. also, there was some beeping. weird. turns out it was a fire alarm. what?! shouldn't the bus driver have told us to get off the bus? oh well, there was no fire, but we got off and walked the rest of the way back to the hotel, which was fine because it was only a few blocks. the weather was great. we were wishing we had worn shorts instead of jeans all day, but it was alright. the river and the lake were beautiful shades of green and blue, respectively. :P we got back to the hotel and went down to the pool and spa and hung out there for a while. it was very relaxing and a lot of fun. then we headed back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner.

we got pretty dressed up and walked to the hancock building to eat at the signature room, which is on the 95th floor. it was already dark, so the view was amazing. we were seated by the window, but the view was partially obscured by one of the big black cross beams. it was still
really cool, though. dinner was fantastic. heath had several lobsters in various formats and i had a filet mignon that seriously melted in my mouth. overall a very romantic and relaxing dinner. after dinner, we considered going up to the lounge (on the 96th floor), but decided to go walk around and find somewhere else to hang out, since that lounge can get kind of snobby and was likely beyond packed at that point.

we walked down the streets, trying to figure out where to go to have a drink or two, and ended up coming across the redhead piano bar. fortunately we were dressed up, so they let us in (telling us how great we looked on the way in - how fun is that?!). we found a small table right away and listened to the pianist go through billy joel, elton john, coldplay, johnny cash, and all sorts of songs. we had a couple of drinks, people watched, and had a great time.

monday morning, we slept in since we were exhausted. by the time we checked out, it was pretty much lunchtime, so we tried to figure out where to eat. we settled on espn zone since it was sort of on the way back to the train and would be pretty fun. we had a bite to eat and then played some of the arcade games: bowling, air hockey, basketball, that old school hockey game with the plastic puck in the plexi dome (you know the one i mean), various racing games, and whatever else looked fun. it was definitely a good place to stop to just goof off and have fun.

the train ride home took forever, since somebody had apparently jumped on the tracks south of the station we were at. trains were mega delayed. it was hot and stuffy in the underground station, and was getting more and more crowded by the minute since there was a cubs game that was going to start in about an hour. fortunately, we had our suitcases to use as chairs and i had a couple magazines. that helped take the pain out of the wait. we let the lemmings cram themselves onto the first two trains that came into the station, knowing that due to the delay and backup, there would likely be a bunch of trains all in a row. we got on the third train and tucked ourselves into the end seats in one of the cars, where we could read in peace and our suitcases would be out of the way. once we finally got home, we rested and then did some more unpacking, making even more headway. it was a great weekend, despite the drama that sometimes accompanies public transit in chicago. it was really nice of heath to plan the little getaway for us.

next weekend: back to camping!

new career choice

private equity or hedge fund manager.

average salary: $657,000,000

nevermind that i don't even know what those jobs would entail.
probably a lot of golf.
after thoughtful consideration, i've determined that i'm down with that.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/28/news/economy/ceo_pay_workers/index.htm?eref=rss_topstories

camping trip

last weekend heath and i went camping in michigan at warren dunes state
park again. this time, heath's brother, luke, and his girlfriend,
rebecca met us there for the weekend. this trip started off absolutely
horribly.
1) we got a later start than anticipated, so we didn't get to the
campground until 10:30 pm, which meant setting up the tent and
everything in the dark.
2) when we got to our reserved site, we found that it was now a lake.
there were 3-5 inches of standing water on the entire site. so we had to
go get a new one from the booth, which, thankfully, was open.
3) we realized that when we left in such a hurry, we failed to bring
flashlights. yeah. whoops.
4) luke and rebecca were coming via a slightly different route than us,
and ended up getting stuck on 80/94, which was completely closed in both
directions due to flooding. they ended up being on the road for an
ungodly amount of time, and arriving at the campground at 3:30 in the
morning.
5) while at the campsite and trying to figure out luke and rebecca's
progress, heath could not have had a harder time getting a cell phone
signal, so calls kept dropping, adding to the frustration.
6) it rained overnight that night so everything we had left sitting out
was soaking wet by morning.

so that was the bad part. by late morning on saturday, things started to
turn around. poor rebecca, who had never been camping, was (rightly so)
not loving the whole wet/tired/crappy experience so far. once the sun
started to come out, things improved. we had lunch on the campfire,
managed to get some of our stuff to start drying out, and everybody's
mood improved. we hiked around a bit, and climbed the big dune near the
campground. after that, we decided to drive over to the beach and hang
out there (since we were all still sort of tired and worn out from the
challening 12 hours previous). we got to the beach and the waves were
HUGE! huge as in they would literally knock us down, great for
bodysurfing and inadvertently removing swimsuit tops and bottoms if one
failed to be diligent. it was a lot of fun, even though we got knocked
around a bit too much from time to time. after the beach, we went back
to shower and eat. unfortunately, heath had to be on his phone and
laptop for several hours dealing with a work issue. once that was over,
we sat by the fire a bit longer and hung out before going to bed. sunday
was pleasant, too, we slept in and got to picking up the site to get
ready to go home.

overall, it ended up being a really nice time. we had a lot of fun with
luke and rebecca and laughed a ton despite the horrendous beginning of
the trip. we're hoping to go camping again before winter comes, possibly
in two weeks out near where heath grew up. hopefully it won't be
immediately following torrential downpours!

2nd worst ever

2nd worst commute of my life tonight. ridiculous storms ripped through northern illinois today, from the far south suburbs of chicago up to the wisconsin border. trees were ripped from the ground all over the area, there was high standing water in areas that were already flooded from earlier this week, downed powerlines, part of a roof on lake shore drive (pictured below. more pictures here). as i drove home, the tornado sirens went off, and i was rerouted way off my normal route several times, and my usual 35-40 minute commute took close to 2 hrs. scary hours. it was a huge downpour for most of the time and i couldn't wait to get home.

poor heath is making his way back from champaign, where he has been for the last few days for work. he's stopped of south of the city to wait out the next wave or so of the storm to see if driving conditions/roads/etc improve enough to make the rest of the drive. i'm hoping he can make it home because i miss him, but if it's too dangerous to drive, and he has to get a hotel for the night, i'd rather have him do that than drive in unsafe conditions.

hopefully the weather is good enough for our camping trip this weekend. i'm mainly hoping it stops in time that we don't have to set tents and stuff up in the rain!

still single?

i found this list posted on a website and thought it was fairly humorous. all you married's out there are already safe, but those of us who are still single should take heed....

http://radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2007/08/100_reasons_youre_single_1.php

Why are you still single? Possibly because you...

1. Call Grey's Anatomy simply "Grey's"
2. Have entertained the notion that "the Axe Effect" is real
3. Own tie-dyed gym clothes
4. Purchased your dining room set with Marlboro Miles
5. Are only gay when you're drunk
6. Have written poetry inside a Starbucks
7. Wink in a rakish manner each time you tell a joke
8. Have a ferret on your shoulder
9. Call sex "the squishy squish"
10. Are Courtney Love

11. Hug amusement park mascots
12. Address acquaintances as "guy"
13. Use emoticons in handwritten letters
14. Own a "It's Not Going to Suck Itself" T-shirt
15. Initiate line dances
16. Have only one pickup line: "Why the long face?"
17. Posed shirtless for your MySpace page
18. Can't stop missing Anna Nicole
19. Scream out Wheel of Fortune answers
20. Call your therapist from work on speakerphone

21. Won't travel anywhere out of "blading distance"
22. Sleep on WWF sheets
23. Begin stories with, "I'm not a stalker, but ..."
24. Snack on Bac-Os
25. Know someone who knows someone who knows the Geico caveman
26. Flash devil horns in wedding photos
27. Eat with one arm guarding your plate
28. Refer to your PDA as a "Crackberry"
29. Have a dartboard in your kitchen
30. Own a calendar featuring babies dressed as cowboys

31. Call October "Rocktober"
32. Keep a dream journal
33. Own slot-machine gloves
34. Are the president of a fan club
35. Weave and distribute friendship bracelets
36. Have a "lucky" garter hanging from your rearview mirror
37. Prefer the "fist bump" when meeting strangers and always insist they "lock it in"
38. Refuse to remove your Bluetooth earpiece during sex
39. Take off work each year to celebrate Cinco de Mayo; are Irish
40. Have a disturbingly high thetan count

41. Display your framed degree from bartending school
42. Have been edited out of several Girls Gone Wild videos
43. Converse with angels
44. Refer to Target as "Tar-Jay"
45. Have ever said: "That's sooo Sagittarius"
46. Feel most comfortable in Tevas and jorts
47. Have a five o'clock shadow, on your ass
48. Wear a "No Spin Zone" windbreaker
49. Cry when you listen to Belle and Sebastian, then, still tearful, blog about it
50. Use an electronic device to smoke pot

51. Call underwear "panties"
52. Have more than zero stuffed animals on your bed
53. Live by two sartorial rules: pleated, stonewashed
54. Display samurai swords in your office
55. Think the energy crisis can be solved with crystals
56. Have ever dressed up as a penis or tampon for Halloween
57. Own a 60-inch flat-screen plasma television but sleep on a broken futon
58. Have taken more than one cell phone picture of your genitals
59. Close all correspondence with "Prayerfully Yours"
60. Consider Maroon 5 sort of "your group"

61. TiVo'd the entire run of Criss Angel Mindfreak
62. Use the word "scrumptious"
63. Have a Tasmanian Devil "tramp stamp"
64. List "Dungeon Master" on your business card
65. Carry an All Things Considered tote bag
66. Wouldn't be the person you are today without Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie
67. Subscribe to any massive multiplayer online gaming experience
68. Take advantage of the eight-at-a-time Netflix option
69. Have a rhyming nickname
70. Sold your forehead to goldenpalace.com

71. Have a "LaRouche '08" bumper sticker
72. Have taken a course on improving your oral sex technique
73. Will do anything for "shits and giggles"
74. Collect throwing stars
75. Have a bedside stack of Sudoku books
76. Can only make love to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
77. Are infamous among your coworkers for your dead-on Baba Booey impression
78. Own all 24 volumes of Now That's What I Call Music!
79. Are O.J. Simpson
80. Have a screensaver of you posing with your Frisbee golf bros

81. Refuse to drink any beer that hasn't been "beechwood aged"
82. Have cellulite on your face
83.  Refer to yourself as a "vagitarian"
84. Have a Web shrine devoted to a long-deceased pet
85. Consider riddles a great way to break the ice
86. Purchase meals solely for their tie-in products
87. Get visibly angry during Apple vs. PC debates
88. Are known among your girlfriends as "Heavy Flow"
89. Feel you've found the deeper meaning behind Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
90. Own all the Matrix novelizations

91. Raise iguanas
92. Posted your profile on Sean Hannity's "Hannidate"; are black
93. Have a "Peeing Calvin" decal on your hatchback
94. Work at Radar
95. Are learning to play the bagpipes
96. Don't like Insane Clown Posse's music per se, but think their philosophy is sound
97. Phone in long-distance radio dedications
98. Posted a Craigslist "Missed Connections" ad to find the kid who groped you on the subway
99. Believe the mouth is self-cleaning
100. Have had something on your face since the late '90s

testing... testing... some new things

evidently, there is this cutesy feature by which you can post to your blog via email, so i'm giving it a try. this will be handy if i feel the need to blog something while away from a computer, since i can email from my cell phone. such a nerdy girl i am.

on an unrelated note, but one i wanted to blog about nonetheless. i received some sad news about a family member earlier today. sometimes things like this happen, but i think it hit a lot of us extra hard because of what a happy time everybody had last weekend at my cousin, Jason's wedding. it's hard to live this far away from the rest of my family at times like this. i feel like i want to be there to give support, despite not really knowing what i would do to be supportive in this situation. i hope that everybody in my family knows that even though i don't live right there, i am thinking about them, and am (usually) kept in the loop with any big news. thank goodness for the internet. it certainly has the ability to shorten the miles. i know that if we didn't have blogs and picture sites, i'd be missing out on a lot of what happens with my sister, ron, and lucy. i know that mindy and i are a lot better about emailing each other and keeping in touch now that we have the blogs.

new feature: i'm going to try to be good about sticking to this, and it should be easier if this mobile blogging thing works. i'm going to try to post a positive thing every day. something i'm thankful for or that made me smile. i find that sometimes i focus too much on the negative and forget to appreciate the positive as much as i should. i'm sure we've all been there, and know that when we take time to consciously acknowledge goodness and happiness around us, things improve across the board. so, going back to my last paragraph, today's happy thing is that the internet allows me to keep in closer contact with my friends and family who live far away. my hope is that my parents get some high speed internet someday so that they can be more in the loop with our blogging etc.

update: it worked!

chicago traffic

since heath and i will be venturing to michigan this weekend for my cousin's wedding, i thought i'd take a look at the chicago traffic situation, since the city itself lies immediately between us and the road to michigan. beautiful, no? don'tcha just love all the red and little caution signs everywhere?! i think we'll be waiting a few hours before getting on the road tonight.

frivolous lawsuits rule

this has to be the best one. ever.

link

be sure to read all the way through to the end to see the list of defendants for previous lawsuits filed by this fella. for the record, michael vick was already crossed out for my fantasy football draft, but now i think i'll have to DOUBLE cross him out. at least somebody is finally calling vick out on a personal level. enjoy.

thank you

i wanted to set this out as a separate post from the race report, particularly since that post grew to be so long.

i am so lucky to have the people that are in my life. they were unbelievably supportive leading up to and during the race.

heath was there pretty much daily, especially in the last two months. at times, i struggled with self-doubt and worry about being able to do this race, and i can be pretty bull-headed, so putting up with me in those funks was no small task. i appreciate his patience as i worked to handle what i was facing. he was definitely the tough-love guy when i needed it, and yeah, i needed it at times. he was there for everything i needed (which included a lot of carrying things around) and never complained about any of it.

my parents and sister and ron were saved from having to deal with that as much, and were able to just be amazing supporters. i know how proud they are of me for this, and it meant so much to me that they got up so early to drive down for the race. all of them (and lucy), along with heath did a lot of sitting around that day. i was out on the course for long stretches, and it must've been fairly boring for them at times, but they didn't seem to mind at all. it meant the world to me to have them all at the finish line and after the race with me.

my extended family also sent words of encouragement. my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents wrote little notes to me (along with a few sketches) to wish me luck in my race. knowing that they were thinking of me from afar was really something amazing. i got a couple of congratulatory cards from grandparents after the race, too.

i had so many friends and family donate money to the leukemia and lymphoma society on my behalf. their donations are going to a great cause, and i'm so grateful that i was able to make my goal so quickly with their support!

i write this thank you in specific reference to the triathlon, but in actuality, this support is always there, and always has been. whatever i've faced or accomplished, my family and loved ones have been there to support and congratulate me. of course they are proud of me for this big accomplishment, but they have always been proud of me, for anything i've done, small or big. it gives one tremendous strength to know that they have that love and support.

so, thanks for everything, always. i know i tend to take it for granted because it's always been there, but when i step back and look at what an interested, involved, supportive family i have, i realize that it is quite rare, and that i'm really truly lucky.

whirlpool steelhead 70.3 race report (finally!)

Okay, I think keeping everybody waiting for over a week is long enough. Just a warning, this is going to be a long post…extremely long…

Overall, this race went better than I could’ve ever imagined. I’d be lying if I said I was anywhere near 100% compliant with my training regimen, but I still managed to make it through the race without too much difficulty. Yes, I walked good portions of the run, but I’m okay with that, since the most important thing to me was just to finish the race, and I did that with plenty of time to spare.

The week leading up to the race, I tried to really focus on telling myself that I could cover the distance. The bike ride, was, after all, only a ten mile bike ride done 5 and a half times or so, right? And the run? That was merely doing a 10K run twice, plus some change. The swim, just swim till you get to the end. Easy. So, I basically convinced myself that 70.3 miles, was, in fact, not really all that far to go. It was good because it helped me get through the race, but now, after more than a week, it is just sinking in just how far that really was, and it sort of freaks me out a little that I was able to do it.

The 1.2 Mile Swim:

I was running a little late getting to the swim start (whoops!), but managed to line up and get my wetsuit on and zipped up with a few minutes to spare before they called my wave: Wave #5, red swimcaps, leaving at 7:15. It was probably best that I didn’t have a ton of time to stand there and stew and get nervous. I walked up to the edge of the water and waited for the horn. We all splashed our way in, some girls diving in when it was still too shallow, then getting up and running some more before re-diving in. Once it got to about thigh deep, I started doing the dolphin dives, where you dive in to go forward, then stand up and dive in again. Once it got deep enough, I started to actually swim. This was the ONLY time during the race that I felt like quitting. I don’t know if it was the wetsuit, or my nerves finally catching up with me, but I felt like I couldn’t breathe. No matter how much I tried to calm myself down, I felt like I was gasping for air. I unzipped the top of my wetsuit a couple inches, and did the breast stroke for a bit. I looked for a kayak or sea-doo or somebody to rescue me. It’s probably good there were none around, or I might have quit. Instead I just kept going. I abandoned the dual-sided breathing technique I had worked so hard for, and breathed every other stroke, always breathing to the right, where I could sight the buoys and the shoreline (which seemed forever away). The swim went South to North, with the sun in our eyes as it rose above the treeline. I got into a rhythm and noticed I started passing some of the people in my wave (red caps). I was being passed, too, but that was okay, since I knew stronger groups were behind me and that was inevitable. I ended up losing track of time in the water. I just went buoy to buoy until I got to the end. It could’ve been 10 minutes or 2 hours, I had no idea how long I’d been swimming. I figured though, that due to my problems at the beginning, I was probably way off my pace. I was okay with that, and just wanted to get through the swim. After massaging out a calf cramp after the last buoy on the last stretch into shore (ouch!), I made my way onto the beach, walking up toward transition. I glanced at my watch, and it was somewhere around 50 minutes, which is not as far off my pace as I feared. It gave me a boost for getting on the bike. I didn’t let myself think about how much I had yet to go ahead of me.

Transition 1

I got into transition, and managed to yank my wetsuit off. I took my time to make sure I had everything. Put on my cycling shoes (after rinsing my feet a bit), put on my helmet and sunglasses, changed my mind and decided to proceed sans gloves. They didn’t want to go on over my wet hand anyhow. I made sure I had enough food and unracked my bike. I failed to notice that I had my cleat covers still on my shoes (doh!), so that made clipping in a bit of a challenge, but I yanked them off and was on my way.

The 56 Mile Bike Ride:

It was shady and smooth for the first portion of the bike section. I settled in right away and felt good. I was in my small chainring (= harder, faster gears) for most of the race (save for some of the hills), and felt great. I got to the 10 mile marker before I knew it and still felt really strong. I lost my chain on a hill between 10 and 15, but got it back on and kept going. At the mile 15 marker, it hit me that I was really going to be able to finish the race. I kind of got a little emotional, and was really excited. Even though I had been telling myself, especially in the week leading up to the race, that I was going to be able to finish, there was that lingering doubt in my mind and it disappeared right then. I felt like I was flying along. I managed to eat enough and hydrate enough, though Gatorade did not taste good at all to me. I was getting passed by lots and lots of guys, who had made up the time gap from their later swim starts. So many people were so friendly as they passed, having brief conversations, telling me I was doing great. That type of support and sportsmanship does wonders. You don’t feel so alone out there, despite it being an individual sport. I tried to remember to take in the scenery. Through the rolling hills, there were lots of fruit farms, and it was such a pleasant day. There were stretches of rougher pavement, which were painful, but then there were stretches that felt like I was just flying on. I was cruising over 20mph without even feeling it. Before I knew it, I was at the halfway point, and still felt great. By the time I got to mile 40, though, my legs started burning. My thighs were getting tired. I ate some more to get some more fast carbs in me, and dealt with the headwind I was suddenly facing. Ugh! And more hills. I got a little discouraged for a stretch. Then I reminded myself: “You are biking 56 miles. It’s SUPPOSED to hurt.” I changed my perspective and realized I should be grateful that I didn’t start hurting until the 40s, when I could have been hurting at mile 20! At this point in the race, I was so close to being done, that I just had to push through. Some of the hills at the end were toughies, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I just kept pedaling. I saw my family cheering for me as I made my way to the bike dismount in front of transition. I had made it through the longest portion in under my goal time of 3 and a half hours.

Transition 2

I took my time in transition 2 so that my legs would feel good on the run. I had stretched on the bike from time to time, keeping the hamstrings and calves as loose as I could. I racked my bike, yanked off the helmet and shades, changed into my running shoes, grabbed some food, and my visor and started the brisk walk to the run exit. I saw my family again as I left for the run.

The 13.1 Mile Run:

I still felt as if I had a ton of energy as I took off on the run. I think part of that is due to not allowing myself to think ahead to how much was left. I just wanted to take one mile at a time. I started out at an easy pace and quickly came to the bottom of a large-ish hill that was quite steep. Knowing that my calves would probably seize up if I tried to run it (which happened in my last triathlon and was horrible!), I decided to walk up it as a warm up. When I got to the top, we were already almost at one mile. I started to jog again and got a sip of water and Gatorade at the first aid station. I just kept going along, trying to enjoy the experience. I would now say that running is my weakest sport of the three. I walked a lot more than I wanted to. The one nice thing about walking was getting to chat with other people that were also walking. I met a number of people out there and everyone I talked to was very friendly. The course winded up some roads and into the Whirlpool corporation campus. The paved path turned through the woods and around and through a marshland type area. It was really pretty and pleasant. I still felt pretty good as I got to the 6.5 mile mark (halfway!) and began my 2^nd loop. I liked that it was looped since then it meant that I knew exactly what to expect for the second half and how much was left. I wound through the paths again. The ice cold sponges at the aid stations were wonderful. The day was slightly overcast, which was great, since I could feel myself really heat up when the sun would come out. My stomach started to give me a little bit of an issue around mile 8, but I had some banana, which seemed to help, and felt a 2^nd (3^rd? 4^th?) wind around mile 9.5. There were some kids with water guns out on the course, which was a lot of fun. They loved squirting us and we appreciated the cool down. By the end of the race, my tri top was soaked, but I think it was as much water as it was sweat. The last couple miles were long. Around mile 11, my legs came to a stop without my permission. It was a weird sensation. I literally felt like they just disobeyed me, “I didn’t tell you you could stop!” It just became a bit more effortful to keep them moving. But I was so close, and I knew we got to run DOWN that big hill (the one I walked up at the beginning). As I turned the corner at the bottom of the hill, I could hear the music and the announcer and it felt so amazing to know how close to the end I was!

The Finish:

One last left turn, and there it all was. Kind of a dune valley, lined on both sides with people cheering, waiting for their friends and loved ones to finally turn that corner. I saw my family as I approached the finish line. 7 hours, 10 minutes, and 32 seconds. It was such a great feeling to get to the end. I had actually finished this race that had been looming since February. This race that a month ago I was terrified of. I got my finisher’s medal, and my towel. They had a bucket of ice cold Berry flavored Gatorade rain, which is my favorite. The guy dunked my towel in the ice bucket for me and I got a cookie and plum from the finisher tent. I saw Sarah (Heath’s friend’s wife, who stayed with the night before) wave to me from the medical tent, where she was working. She later said that I looked a lot better than a lot of people that cross the finish line. She also told us of a few people that had to discontinue due to injury, dehydration, or other reasons. I’m so thankful that I made it through without any of those difficulties. It would be so hard to train for so long only to have something like that derail your race.

After the race:

I found my family after I left that tent, and they all gave me hugs, despite me being so gross and wet. I was still flying high on my adrenaline and endorphins, so I felt really good. We sat in the pavilion and waited for my turn at a massage, which took too long so didn’t happen. I stretched a bit and talked with my family, who had sat there all day waiting for me and being there to see me at every opportunity they could. I got some food, but wasn’t very hungry. Then I started to get tired. You can see in some of the pictures Mindy took how tired my eyes look. I also started to get cold. After a little while, we gathered up, and went back to transition so I could pick up my bike and gear. We walked the mile or so back to the cars, and said our goodbyes. Heath and I headed back to Dan and Sarah’s so I could shower and we could get back on the road to head to Elgin for Heath and Dan to race the extra muddy version of the Muddy Buddy.

In the end I raised $2360 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Being part of Team in Training is really special, and I recommend it to anybody who is thinking about it. There are a wide variety of races that you can train and raise money for. Wearing that uniform made me feel really good about the cause I was doing this for. You are definitely part of a larger community as part of Team, and you have that much more support and fans on the course and cheering from the sidelines. It was great!

Oh, but I had the WORST tan lines EVER!

soon

soon, i will have another post. i know it's been about a week since the Big Race, but between travel, being exhausted, and other general business things, i've not had time to blog. i also want to make sure i do it justice, and not throw a post together without putting some thought into it. i do have notes jotted down. for a brief rundown, check my sis's account of it and check out her pics.

we have a houseguest coming tonight (eek! the place is a semi-mess), but i should be able to find some time this weekend to put together something for y'all.

t-minus

three days until the big race. i'm pretty nervous, but getting excited, too. i'm going to be packing up my tri-bag tonight and trying to get everything organized and ready to go.

i'm trying not to think about the numbers for the distance i'll be covering, but it's a challenge not to. i keep trying to focus on crossing the finish line and thinking about the kind of mindset i'll have to have to get there. at a certain point, it becomes as much or more of a mental challenge than a physical one. trying to keep myself going for 7 or so hours is going to be tough. i'll likely do what i normally do, which is break it down into segments. the swim will be to get from buoy to buoy. then i'll break the 56 mile bike ride down into distance segments, maybe 10 mile chunks. the run will be broken down by water stations, which are going to be approximately every mile. i tend to divide the total distance by some number and then figure out what proportion of the race i have gone and what i have remaining. it's sometimes discouraging, but doing the math in my head is a good distraction. i'm also going to focus on enjoying the scenery and singing in my head. the main thing i have to do is shut my brain up when i feel like quitting, which i certainly will feel at some point.

i've got some new songs that i'm going to be putting on a cd. for every tri i've done, i've made a cd that includes songs that are motivating to listen to in the car on the way to the race and in the days around the race. the song of the moment is paralyzer by finger eleven. i'd heard it on the radio a few times, but had sort of forgotten about it when heath pointed it out to me last night on his myspace project playlist, so now i know who it's by and can add it to the others i have lined up.

my family sent me some very pretty flowers at work yesterday to show their support, which was really nice. also, my grandparents sent me an email to let me know that something is coming in the mail from my extended family on my mom's side (i guess they were too excited about it and couldn't wait to let me know!), with little notes from everybody wishing me luck. i'm looking forward to getting that. hopefully it arrives today. it's so great how supportive people are being.

i'm definitely trying to keep my mindset more on excited and less on nervous. when i think about what i'm going to be doing, it is really a great feeling. i can't wait to cross the finish line. it's for a great cause and it also represents a lot of things personally for me. without going into the personal details, just stepping up to the starting line is an indication of how much i've grown and changed, especially in the last year, and have taken tremendous strides toward really living the life i want to live. the only way i won't finish the race is if i miss a time cutoff or if i get carted off in an ambulance. let's hope and pray that i cross the finish line upright with a HUGE smile on my face!

my left foot

yesterday, heath was planning on going fishing with a friend of his. due to some last minute switching, i ended up going along with them. i haven't been fishing in awhile, so it was a lot of fun to go out there. i borrowed heath's 2nd rod and reel and his other fishing stuff, but i want to definitely get some of my own for future ventures. we got a much later start than anticipated, so it was too late to rent a boat. as a result, we did some shore fishing, but the lake was really busy where we were at (near a main launch). mark and heath had a couple of bites, but i had nothing. even though we had no luck, it was still a good time to just get outside and have a break from the usual stuff.

the highlight of the afternoon was when i miscast (whoops) and my line went over a giant log sticking out of the water up the shoreline by where heath and mark were standing. being the smart girl that i am, i walked up the shore that way rather than reeling it up into the log. being not that smart of a girl, i failed to see the big mucky hole between me and them. in went my left foot.

up. to. my. knee. ew.

so i yanked my leg back up out of it, but my adorable mary jane croc was no longer on my foot. crap. since i was only able to deal with one disaster at a time, i gave my pole to heath, who, rightly, found this very amusing. then, i had to work up the nerve to reach down into the shoe-eating muckhole (up to my elbow! ew!) to try to fish my croc out. to add to the fun, heath kept reminding me that whatever was in there was probably gone by now. thanks.

i managed to feel around and find the back strap of the croc and yank it out. it was completely coated with and filled with sludge. thankfully they are all rubbery and stuff, so i was able to just rinse it off in the lake water. but, overall, ew.

oh, and the line didn't end up getting tangled. heath had it all reeled in by the time i retrieved my muck shoe.

we'll probably go fishing again soon, maybe out by heath's parents' where his boat is (yeah, you read that right, my boyfriend has a boat. jealous? :P), or back up to where we were yesterday and just rent a boat. next time, i'll be more careful where i step.