Busy busy

My social calendar seems to swing between extremes - for many weeks or months I'll have nothing but free time, then will come a season when I have events on the calendar every night! Now is one of the busy times, but it's been fun.

I met some 'virtual' friends who came to DC for a visit - two sets of them, actually - now my mom is arriving, followed soon by her husband and then by my brother and sister-in-law to round out a nice family visit.

Once this is finished the traveling begins: a trip to Miami for a conference in April, a visit to northern Michigan in May, another visit to Michigan for a wedding in August, Italy in September, Las Vegas in November. Then the holidays.

Yikes. This year is already flying by.

Day to Day Pain

Still trying to get my groove back. It's still pretty much right around the 6-7 month mark since my injury and I miss the days when I could pound out 7-miles before dinner on a Tuesday night. For now 30-40 minutes is about average for a weekday run but I want to get it up to an hour.

On Sunday J and I had our first 'long' run in a while and it felt good, but my poor arm aches after all that. I'm tired of living in day-to-day pain... but I guess this is what rehabilitation is...

Internet Adventures

Not THOSE kinds you pervs :)

Since I moved in a little over two years ago I have had the fortune of picking up a very strong free internet signal. Obviously this is not safe (virus!) not, probably, ethical, but since I'm in bare-bones-budget mode until my student loans are finally paid off, I took the freebie.

A couple days ago my free wireless hub disappeared so I'm forced to call Comcast and order service like the rest of us.

Everything works - except my router, which is old and burned out. So I'm wired up, old-school, until my new router arrives in the next couple days.

Scooter Logistics

Riding a scooter comes with its own set of logistics and prep! For example, I have to be diligent about monitoring the weather to make sure I don't get caught in the rain. If I ride to work in the morning and it's raining in the evening I would basically have to leave it there, take metro home, and get my scooter the next day.

I also have perpetual helmet-hair now. Yikes. I need to be prepared with a clip or ponytail holder and re-do my hair after the helmet comes off. This also applies to clothes - certain skirts are rideable but mostly (especially in the winter) I have to wear pants and bring a skirt with me to change into at work!

Helmets and earrings do not get along! I need to remember to remove earrings before I put my helmet on, otherwise taking the helmet off is really unpleasant.

It's been a learning curve but overall I love having a cute little scooter to cruise around town on!

Trip to Baltimore

J and I like to take day trips on the weekends - we run in battlefields or national parks and explore little towns as far as West Virginia. Yesterday we stuck relatively close to home and drove up to Baltimore for a run in Druid Lake Park and then a stop at Lexington Market for a great Italian sandwich (shrimp salad for him).

The day was cloudy and not ideal for photography, but we decided to swing by Green Mount Cemetery... browsing cemeteries is another thing we like to do together.

Home Ownership Rulz

So, my windows suck. They don't close well (I have to stand on the windowsill so I can put my full weight (via my FOOT) on the window to get it to close enough to lock it... otherwise it springs back up a little), they don't latch at the top (in fact a strong gust of wind blew my window INWARD when the latch that allowed you to tip it inward for cleaning broke), they're very drafty and almost impossible to raise and lower.

Even the window inspector had a hard time opening and closing them. They've been like this for years, but with spring approaching I really want easygoing windows to enjoy the nice weather.

The panes themselves don't need to be replaces but I do need new balance rods and some other parts. I was really worried about the cost but it's not nearly as bad as I thought.

Expecting? Close to $1500. Final estimate? $760.13. I can deal with that, but it's still a huge hunk of change!

Nice Week

Every eight weeks I work a 'late' shift at our headquarters building - 10:30-7pm. It makes for a really nice break in the routine. I can stay up as late as I want and not set an alarm. Because I'm accustomed to waking early I naturally wake up around 7am and still have plenty of time to read, make coffee, practice yoga, go for a run, practice my banjo, or meet a friend for breakfast without feeling rushed.

This morning I got up around 6:40am and had a nice big cup of coffee with whole milk. At 7:30 I left for a run and got in a little after 8am. By 8:30am I was cooled down and showered. I turned off the news, read for an hour, practiced my banjo, turned the news back on, surfed the web, and had a nice scooter ride into work.

I wouldn't want to work during the whole middle part of the day as a matter of course, but once every two months is just about when I'm craving a difference in pace, so it works out well.

Resurrection

I've been struggling with writing the blog ever since my long haitus imposed by my broken arm. But I'm back (if anyone's still here).

I intend to write more posts, but shorter ones. Maybe including some pictures, I'm not sure. I'm having a hard time being inspired lately despite having just completed a very long and intense photography course. I think I'm just tired of the soggy brown grass, gray skies, and leafless trees. Even a trip to the Botanic Gardens didn't cheer me up - there were hardly any flowers in bloom there, either.

Oh well. Spring is coming. It's March, the air is milder. I even went running with bare legs the other day; it was lovely.

So please, if anyone's out there... stay tuned.

Nice Deal!

My main grocery store, Harris Teeter, has a new electronic coupon program. So along with store sales and manufacturer coupons, they also offer coupons that you load directly onto your club card and come off automatically at the register! These can be combined with paper coupons to make for a great deal.

Here's one I did today:

Cracker Barrel cheese is on sale 2/$6.

Today I loaded an e-coupon off of HT's website for B1G1 free.

Well, the non-sale price came off at checkout!

So it was $6-$4.49 = $1.51 so $0.75 each!

Not bad :)

What A Week

1. I was officially discharged by my orthopedist. She wants me to wait one more month before starting any weight-bearing exercises, but I am fully healed. I have hard bone growth and excellent range of motion for my stage. Yippee!

2. Snow Day!! Both my place of work and the university where I was going to be guest lecturing closed today! I celebrated by going for a walk with my camera. I was going to go to the zoo but the trains were full and slow... so I walked through an exhibit at the Natural History museum and took the long way home from there.

I did some much-needed deep cleaning, laundry, ate lunch, and have the whole day stretching out ahead of me.

3. Significant Other is, unfortunately, gone for the whole weekend! But I have some plans with a few friends and I think the time will go by at a nice pace.

Better Sleep, More Running, Less Eating

Hello 2011!

Better Sleep: for the past several years now I've been getting up very early to be at work by 6-6:15am. However, this is no longer working for me. I love getting off work at 2:30 but by the time I've run, showered, eaten, and unwound it's 5pm and I'm in for the night. By 8pm I can barely keep my eyes open, but by 1am I'm wide awake again and then I can't get back up when my alarm goes off.

So, I'm moving everything back a little. I want more time in the morning. I don't want to rush out the door in 15 minutes because I just can't get out of bed in time. So I'm getting up at 6am and spending a whole hour in the morning watching the news, drinking coffee, just having my own leisure time before leaving for work. And I want to try to stay up a little later so that I'm sleeping a solid 8 hours, not five hours followed by two awake followed by two more in a half-sleep state.

More Running: I'm still against medical advice as far as running does. It's not a matter of the shock absorption, my orthopedist just doesn't want me to trip and fall. But I just can't take it anymore. So I've been running, slowly, carefully, wearing my fracture brace, just getting out there and trying to revive some semblance of my former self. It feels good, but I have a long way to go to get back to my fighting form.

Less Eating: When my arm was broken I fell into a bit of a self-pitying state. I was depressed so I splurged to comfort myself. Why shouldn't I have a hot chocolate? I broke my arm. Why shouldn't I have frozen yogurt for dinner? I can just order a pizza, it's easy and I can't cook anyway.

Etc.

So now I'm back to no pastries for breakfast, no donuts at work (you laugh but we have them often!), black coffee only (no lattes), smaller portions.

Hopefully if I can get these three elements working together my life will start to come back together again.

I'm Fat

But getting thinner! Today I went running for the first time in 19 weeks. This was, unfortunately, Against Medical Advice, but I just couldn't take it anymore.

My orthopedist isn't actually concerned about the act of running, i.e. the shock absorption role that the arms and upper body take. She doesn't want me to trip and fall, that's the danger. So I went to the National Arboretum where there's a beautiful paved, dry road with no cars, and ran slow.

Very slow. And not too far. But run I did and I feel a lot more confident now about my body's strengths and abilities. I'm excited to get my body strong again and in shape. I run for so many more reasons than weight control and it's hard to find other activities that fill the role of running.

I definitely need to replace my shoes, though, they're totally dead.

Musings

I hate those naps where the clock says you slept but you don't feel like you did. I was exhausted after work today so I laid down for a few minutes. Ninety later I woke up but I couldn't be sure that I had acually slept until I looked at the clock. What a let-down!

In injury recovery news, I just can't take it anymore. I need to run. This weekend will be the first time out in almost 19 weeks. I'm going to go back to basics - a 5-minute run/1-minute walk rotation for about three miles. Just slow, gentle, easing my way back in. I know it will be a struggle and I'm prepared to be frustrated.

Resolutions

Man, I love New Year's resolution time. Here we go:

1. Stop interrupting people. This is a terrible habit.
2. Pay off 15k of my student loans. At that point I hope to just knock the remainder off with my savings.
3. Develop a consistent running regimen. I don't care so much about mileage volume but consistency is key.
4. Follow my simple Bible in one year plan. Already started.

Christmas Dinner 2010

Okay, so photographing food is really hard! But here are my best shots from Christmas dinner.

Christmas medley of red peppers and green brussels sprouts:


Lots of roasted garlic:




Lobster tails ready for the broiler!


Finished product... flatiron steaks, lobster, brussels sprouts and red peppers with sauteed onions and bacon crumbles:

Christmas Eve 2010

Christmas is lovely in Washington, DC. The city clears out and for three days everything is peaceful and quiet.

We are taking advantage of having an excuse to make great food! Here was the menu:

Antipasti: soprasetta and salama with tuna, olives, and sweet peppers; St. Andre triple creme cheese and toasted baguette.


Main Course: homemade chunky crab bisque with toasted baguette.


Dessert: mini-mousse, lemon tart, and mixed berry tart.


Today we're going to go for a long, brisk walk and then hunker down for another day of eating, reading, napping, and documentary-watching.

Trying to Get Back in the Game

Well, this injury has been quite the learning experience. I'm really not supposed to run for another four weeks, but I've been cleared to walk. So I'm power-walking around the National Mall and feeling like a complete idiot. See, I always make fun of people who walk because, just run already! And I pride myself in having a strong body and a stronger mind.

Now, here I am, my pride (wanting people to know that I'm better/stronger/healthier/tougher than I look) and self-centeredness (assuming that everyone is judging me for walking rather than running) are coming through full blast. Yet I just can't help feeling this way. I really miss running. I want to run. It's frustrating to have to hold back. But for four more weeks I'll do it.

I've also started practicing my banjo again. Boy howdy have I regressed! My playing is slow, laborious, and non-expressive - but it's playing. So my goal is to play at least twenty minutes per day for the next few weeks and gradually increase my time and tempo.

In some ways I appreciate the down time. I always wind down in winter anyway - spend more time inside, more time reading, more time thinking - so I don't *really* need the additional enforcement, but it's better to have an authority figure to obey rather than beat myself up for not doing enough.

I'm looking forward to the Christmas and New Year's weekends. More to follow as those unfold.

Good Day

I had a good day at work today. It started early (0430h) but I got a lot accomplished and really helped some people.

Also, it's snowing! Just a few inches, which is causing a widespread panic, but it looks lovely. Not having a car makes snowfall a very stress-free event. Right now I'm drinking a beer, watching it fall, admiring the Christmas lights that are coming up on my block, and mentally digesting my day.

I feel good.

Recovering

I've been sidelined with an injury for the past few months and finally feel good enough to get back into the swing of things, exercise-wise. Currently I can only walk, but walking I am. At work I take a half-hour walk in the late morning and call it my lunch break. It's been going well, so I'm going to start adding another hour of brisk walking after work, around the National Mall.

It feels strange to walk and not run. I love running and walking is slow, a little boring, and feels to me like an under-achievement. But it's all I can do and frankly I'm just thrilled to be at the point where I CAN walk for exercise.

I'm not necessarily looking forward to that first run, but I am looking forward to the point where I can run easily again. It'll take some time to get there but I'm ready for the work.

Jury Duty

I served jury duty today. I enjoy jury duty. I've only sat on a civil case before, but the experience was enlightening.

I really believe that jury duty is an essential civic duty and I get irate when people complain about it. Yes it's inconvenient. No, you are not important enough to be exempt just because.

Put yourself in the position of a crime victim. Or the position of a mom, dad, brother, or sister of a defendant. Suddenly you have a lot riding on the jury. How would it feel for people to be trying to get out of it, for people to just go along with whatever the majority says in deliberation? There's a lot at stake and it deserves to be taken seriously.

We're trying to have a society here, people! Serve. Take it seriously. Don't complain. And hope you are never on the other side of the jury box, because you could be - either in the defendant's chair or on the stand as a victim.