Finally Fashionable

I was in Macy's yesterday and what did I see for sale?? A fake butt! It was like a padded bra for your heiny. Why in the world would women want to make their buttocks look larger???? But then I turned it around and realized how much money I was saving by already having my own built-in padding . . .

Happy 2008 everyone! I hope the year treats you well!

Now Here's the Real Kicker . . .

Dear State of Oregon,

How is it you have that much money left over, yet always manage to ask me for more? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to get my kicker check, but you gave me and all my friends a lot of money. Not just a little chump change, but a significant amount. I can't help but wonder if you took too much in the first place? No new taxes for you, State of Oregon, no new taxes.

Sincerely,

Able Cable

In the Land of Singleton

Yes, I continue to live in the land of Singleton. Here are some of the daily comments you get while visiting this land:

From friend at the gym: So are you seeing anyone?
From the Executive Admin at work: Will you be bringing anyone to the holiday party?
From Mom: Did you meet anyone interesting on the plane ride yesterday?
From Grandma: Have you met anyone nice at work?
From my older brother: You're not getting any younger . . .
From my friend after telling her a story: Well, was the man cute?
From another friend: You are too picky. Try harder.

The comments from Mom and Grandma might sound general enough, but trust me, they both meant, "Have you met any men?"

It's constant. I get comments just like these every single day (pun intended). I do just fine living in Singleton as there are many perks, yet the comments are a drag. A co-worker told me the other day that I'm an inspiration to singles. Is that a good thing? Does that mean I've perfected singlehood to the point that it's all I'm ever going to be good at? I stay very busy and have a full life, and I think that's the point she was trying to make, but I'd rather strive to be an inspiration to all, not a select group. Single or otherwise, go out and live life! And while you're busy living, please be conscious that the daily comments made to those of us in Singleton aren't always appreciated.

Celebrating T Day

What's this? Christmas music already playing on the radio? I'm never quite ready . . .

I hope you all had a nice Turkey Day! I did. I ate. I slept. I ate some more. I slept some more. Goes without saying that this week I'll be eating nothing but fruits and veggies and working out daily! I refuse to be one of those stats that says the average American gains 5-7 pounds over the holidays. Yikes!

After having four wonderful days off, it kinda sucks to have to come back to work . . .

I Would Have at Least Shaved my Armpits

I had my usual Masters Swim training yesterday morning. As usual, I went to my designated slow lane, anticipating seeing some of the other women who usually swim with me. However, none of them showed up, meaning the other lanes were over crowded. The coach decided to have some fun with me, so moved three of the HOTTEST men over into my lane. So three HOT boys . . . and me, in my swimsuit with an ugly swim cap on. In other words, I was NOT HOT. :) Even with all my charms, there was no way it was going to overpower the swim cap / swimsuit combo! :)

You can bet they were nice to watch swim! I warned them that I was slow, but they were cool. In general, they lapped me left and right and then left again. However, there was one point where we were using the kickboards. The guys were kicking like crazy and it was like I was in a jacuzzi with all the bubbles and waves they were creating! But here's the kicker (excuse the play on words!) -- I had to kick at half my normal speed as to not run into them! I'd never seen people try to hard to move forward, yet despite all the activity, move so slowly. I secretly smiled!

The Opera

Is it wrong that I just had to look up how to spell "opera"? I kept spelling "Oprah". Anyway . . .

I went to my first opera last night -- Cinderella! It was sung in Italian, but thankfully they had subtitles for me to follow. It was wonderful, and I truly enjoyed it, yet found it humorous as well.

They would flash one phrase up on the screen in English, while the actors would sing about that phrase forever and a day. Let me give you an example, translated for your reading pleasure. Picture the English phrase "She had a pretty face" . . . here's how they expressed it:

Ah, what a pretty face!
What a pretty face!
What a pretty face!
Pretty, pretty, pretty face!
Ah, what a pretty face!
Face, pretty, face, pretty, face, pretty, face!
Ah, what a pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty face!
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, face, face, face, face!
Ah, what a pretty face!

Then the chorus would chime in and everyone would sing about the pretty face.
Face!
Pretty!
Face!
Pretty!
Pretty face, pretty face, pretty face, ahhhhhhh, pretty face!

You get the idea . . .

Teacher for a Day

I contacted Oregon Mentors a few months ago and expressed an interest in helping lead a resume writing / interviewing workshop. They connected me with Madison High School. I went there yesterday afternoon to teach my first class!

I was a little worried about being back in high school again. What would I wear? Would the kids make fun of me? Would I be "cool" enough? All those worries and insecurities that I used to have back when I was their age. I'm happy to say that I was proud and confident and other than some silly boys making cat calls to me as I was leaving, felt pretty good about the day.

Just in case the kids got out of control, I practiced my snap-point. This is something a teacher friend of mine uses to get her students' attention. Let me tell you, she used it on me once and had my attention right away! Thankfully I didn't have to use it on any of the kids, but sure wanted to use it on some of the teachers I met that day. They were highly disorganized and just plain rude. Despite that, I found what I already knew to be true -- I really enjoy leading classes and discussions.

I am passionate about helping our younger generations get started in their career search and believe strongly that there is a huge need for it.

Thai Food

So I've been reading quite a few books about dieting. Not diet books, but books about how our body processes foods. Basic premise is that we don't need to count calories, we don't need to chose non-fat things, we don't need to stress about every single little calorie. We just need to consume non-processed, whole foods that we prepare ourselves, with the base being fruits and vegetables, along with some lean meats and dairy. I've been getting back into cooking lately and love it. And I haven't counted a single calorie, nor gained a single pound. Lovely! It's still weird to consume full-fat milk items . . . I'm a product of the low- and non-fat 80s and it's amazing how much my brain was trained by that.


I've been making lots of soups and various vegetable concoctions. But the other night, I decided I wanted some thai takout. OMG, it was like giving cocaine to an addict! So yummy! :) OK, back to the soups . . .

Did I mention I got a Tivo? It's the best thing ever. I love seeing what shows it thinks I'll like. It recorded E! True Hollywood story for me the other day. Umm, I didn't even know I got that channel! Danger! How did Tivo know I would be sucked in?! I also love being able to see my pals, Oprah and Ellen, every day. I told someone how much I love Ellen and he was all surprised. I might be conservative and all, but liberal/straight/homo/hetero, that gal is damn funny!

Pole Position

I wonder if Emily Post has written anything about Blogger etiquette? I went to LiveWire on Saturday with a couple of friends, one of whom I know, the other I sort of know . . . but only because I read her blog. I'd never met her, so what's the etiquette here? I already know where she works and random little life events because I read her blog. But she doesn't know this. Do I pretend I don't know? Tell her I do know?

I think I know who has access to this blog and reads it, but I also know that it's public domain and I try to not forget that! It is weird when friends come up to me and make a comment about something going on in my life, even though I've never directly told them. They've read it in my blog! :)

I was driving back home from The Farm a few days ago and it was dark out. I-5 had just been repaved and they put shiny new reflectors on the road. It felt like I was driving in the Atari game, Pole Position. Only the road was straight, so it was like a really boring game. :) (edit: It occured to me at midnight last night that I might actually be thinking about the wrong game. Night Rider, maybe? I don't know, people, it's been 25 years since I last played it. But it's the one where the car was at the bottom of the screen and the road moved around it. Argh, the things that keep me up at night!) :)

This one's for you, Cush!

I love step aerobics, especially if the instructor plays good dance music. Last night I imagined I was on "So you think you can Dance?!" while stepping away. Yes, I am goofy. No, I can't dance. But the name of the show isn't "So you can Dance!", it's "So you _think_ you can Dance?!" And that's all that matters. I think, therefore I can. ;)

I have also been waking up at the butt crack '0 dawn for my Masters Swim class. I mostly love it. There's always that inner groan (sometimes outward as well) when the alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m., but once I'm up and in the water, I'm happy. It used to be that swimming 100 yards was a challenge. Now, it's a piece of cake! Mmmmm . . . now I'm thinking about cake . . . .

More Funny Physician Names

I started keeping a little list of funny doctor names:

Dr. Skylizard
Dr. Aswad
Dr. Precious Jewel
Dr. Buttram
Dr. Criss Cross (will make you jump! jump!)

Yes, my humor is sophomoric, but you love it!

Next?

So now that my tri is over, I have been thinking about what I'm going to do next to change up my workout routine. I've been thinking for quite some time about joining a Masters Swim program my gym offers. My hangup -- they meet at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus 8:00 a.m. on Sundays. Yikes! I also thought I'd suppliment the other days by doing pilates in the morning, thereby leaving all my evenings free to pursue other things. This change was going to be effective starting this morning.

My alarm went off this morning. Time for pilates! Yeah, not so much. I turned it off and fell back asleep. Hmmmmm . . . might have to rethink this plan . . .

No, actually I'd like to seriously give the swimming program a try. I think if I did lap swimming for an hour and a half, three times a week, I'd be in pretty good shape. It just would have been smarter to start this during the summer months when the rising sun helped wake me up.

I did it! I did it! I did it!

If you haven't already figured it out, I did it!!! I have successfully completed my first triathlon!

I was wide awake by 1:30 a.m. this morning. It was the kind of awake where I just knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. I was one if the first to arrive at the park at 5:15 a.m. I wasn't alone -- there were a few others who couldn't sleep either! I got all set up and chatted with some of the other women. Many of us were there for the first time, so I quickly realized I wasn't alone in my apprehension.

The Sprint waves went first, followed by my SuperSprint waves. The water was cold, but not bad -- 70 degrees. I did a mix of strokes and managed to keep calm, but can now really see why some people freak out during this part of the race. With all those bodies in the water, it's easy to get hit and it can be challenging to see very far in front of you. I made it to the exit spot and ran the 0.10 mile up to the transition area. It was a little weird running in my bathing suit . . .

At the transition point, I did my best to dry off, but it was hard to put my pants on because I was a little wobbly on my feet. I even had to sit down to put on my shoes and socks. My friends were there, cheering me on the whole time! Then I was off for the bike ride portion.

I was feeling pretty good about the bike ride. However, at about the halfway point, I made a poor gear change and my chain popped off! I had never had this happen before and had no idea how to fix it. I took a look and tried to move it, but couldn't get it to budge. A couple ladies stopped and tried to help, but no one could get it. I ran with the bike to the next point where there were helpers and they called a policeman over. He said he'd fixed 15 chains today, but mine was the worst. I told him that I like to do things right! He finally managed to fix it for me, which was great, although this all took 10-15 minutes and many people were passing me. If he hadn't fixed it, I would have been disqualified. That would have upset me GREATLY and it was at this point I realized just how badly I wanted to finish this race. I hopped back on and made my way back to the transition area.

I dropped off my bike and took off for the run. As I reached the start of the trail, my whole back siezed up. I did my best to stretch it out and grabbed some Gatorade and one (or both) of those things worked because I was soon back in action. The run was hilly, but I managed.

Crossing the finish line was the best! Not only were my friends there to cheer me on, but many others were as well. I felt wonderful afterwards! I love endorphans!

After a nice lunch, I drove back home and took a much-needed shower. I smelled of sweat and lake!

This was a great day! I almost had an "ugly cry" (as Oprah calls it) when I was about a 1/4 mile away from the finish line. I started thinking about why I really decided to do this race in the first place -- to celebrate my return to health. How wonderful that I feel back to normal and strong enough to complete a race like this. However, the sobbing was throwing my breathing pace off, so I had to shake that off and keep my eye on the finish line. I did it!!!

Officially Body Marked

I drove up to Federal Way, WA, this morning to go to the pre-event event. I was totally overwhelmed, almost to the point of tears. They give you all your supplies, mark your actual skin (in very permanent ink!) with tons of numbers so they know who you are, and provide a pre-race talk. I'm alone on this race, which is a big part of why I felt so overwhelmed today. I have to remember quite a few things and have tons of different types of gear ready and working. Yes, I'm alone. My friend backed out a few days ago. I, however, did not. I'm doing this thing. A really nice lady who sat next to me during the course talk really calmed me down. She's done the race a few times, so gave me some great tips. On of those included walking part of the course and driving the bike course today so I would know what to expect tomorrow. I know I can do the physical part (well, except for the hills); it's the mental part that will be the real killer.

Afterwards, me and my arm marking went to the mall for some shopping and a movie. When I say my arms are marked, I mean they are really marked! All I have with me are short sleeved shirts, so got tons of comments. I feel like I am in a gang or something!

A couple of friends will greet me at the finish line and for that I am eternally grateful. There are supposed to be about 1,000 women there tomorrow. I'm in the 13th wave and jump in the cold water around 8:15 a.m. I think I have all my gear, I'm as ready as I'll ever be, so off I go. . . .

End of Summer

Yes, if you want to get technical, summer doesn't end for another couple of weeks. But come on. It ends this weekend. Some might question if we in Oregon even had a summer . . .

Ever since I moved to Portland five years ago, I have gone to the free Oregon Symphony concert down on the waterfront. It's wonderful! And I realized last night that it is an end-of-summer trigger for me.

They always end the concert with the 1812 Overature. For those of you who know the piece, it ends with large cannons going off. The last four years, I have nearly jumped out of my skin when the Howitzers go off. I always try to plan for it, but will all the ebs and flows of the song, it's hard to know (for me) exactly when the cannons are supposed to go off. This being the fifth year, I was sure I was going to have it down. I kept plugging my ears in anticipation . . . only to have to uncover them when I realized that no, it wasn't quite time. I had to laugh at myself . . . this great piece of music and here I am, plugging my ears. . . .

Bring on the next season!

Training Update (or, What Have I Gotten Myself Into?)

Race day is getting very close. Let me tell you, it's hard to come back from 10 days of not working out! I'm working out mornings and evenings and things are slowly coming back, but the first few days it was like I'd never worked out a day in my life. I feel like a movie plot: the underdog girl with no chance of completing her race trains and trains (Rocky theme music inserted here). Will she make it? Will she succeed? Will she be able to walk the next day? Stay tuned . . .

Oh, I meant to type about my beer drinking in the Czech Republic! I drank beer. Not once, not twice, but FOUR times. Next thing you know, I'll be petting cats and talking to birds.

Czech Out Time

I had one more heading to use (Czech your fly!), but am nearing the end of the trip and needed to use this one up. :)

I have no idea where I left off, but I think I was in Telc last time I wrote. There was a music festival there, so each night we attended concerts -- in a castle nonetheless! The music was a mix of both Czech and English versions of songs. Very cool. Also took a bike ride towards a castle while there. I say "towards" because yours truly is a nether-region whimp and the saddle was becoming a bit too much for me. I made it a fair clip, but sent Laura on her way to report back to me after she reached the top.

Back in Prague for the next few days. We went to Terezin today, which was a concentration camp. Very interesting; powerful. We thought we had the bus trip back home all figured out, but after sitting for over an hour waiting for it, finally decided we were SOL and that no more busses for coming for the day. The idea of getting the true experience and spending the night in the concentration camp wasn't too appealing, so we tried to hitch a ride. We couldn't find anyone, but finally one of the Czech ladies who worked at the camp convinced her husband to give us, along with two other American girls, a ride to the nearby train station. We were all so thankful for this ride because this was a very desolate town and there wasn't much of anyone living there. We aren't even sure we could have got a taxi out of there!

Unsure what tomorrow holds. We might just stay put in Prague or we may venture out to a nearby town for a day trip. With it being Sunday, we are going to make extra sure there's a way to return back to Prague!

I fly back on Monday. It's been a good trip! I can't believe I have to go back to work bright and early Tuesday . . . Dyaque!

Czech Pointe

Just a quick greetings from Telc! We stopped in the tourist info spot to print some info off for our bike ride tomorrow, so thought I'd blog for just a second. While still in Cesky Krumlov, did a nice canoe trip down the Vlatva river yesterday, followed by a quick hike up to the church overseeing the town. Great views!

I am almost sleeping at night . . . probably will be right on schedule just as the trip ends! :) All is going well and thoroughly enjoying myself!

Czech This Out

Greetings from Cesky Krumlov! After our walking tour, which covered tons of Prague yesterday (Old Town, New Town, Jewish Quarter, Castle, boat ride, tram ride), Laura and I hopped on a bus for this smaller city today. I actually like it better than Prague. Quieter, with fewer tourists. Fairytale like. We enjoyed a traditional Czech midevil meal (including Grog!) and then wandered the streets for hours . . . spending all the way. Tomorrow, assuming the weather holds, we will take a three hour canoe ride and possibly bike our way back to the city.

We leave for Telc and the music festival the day after tomorrow. Hopefully that bus ride won't make me as naseaus and the bus driver won't yell at me in Czech! I have no idea what he said to me, but by the look on his face, it wasn't very nice! :)

Czeching in

I keep saying to myself, "I can't believe I'm really here!" But I am!

No problems getting here. The flight to Atlanta was fine, and I walked up and down between terminals (1 mile each direction) during my four hour layover to get some exercise.. The flight to Prague was surprisingly empty, so I actually got to stretch out over two seats. I slept a little bit, but not much. After taking a taxi to the hostel, I promised myself I would only lay down for 10 minutes . . . that quickly turned into a 3 hour nap! Oops. Laura arrived and we hit the town for dinner and an evening walk. We are joining a walking tour today because we decided we know very little about the history of this country and thought it'd be nice to get some education.

There was a brief thunderstorm yesterday, but the sun is out this morning. I barely slept last night, but it seems to be enough that I can get moving today. Hostel has free internet, making life even better!

Packing light

Packing update -- I'm packing tonight for my big adventure! I am determined to do it all in one carry-on bag, plus maybe a backpack for day trips . . . and treasures that I must bring home. I used to only do carry-on, but as the years go by, my "must take" list gets bigger and bigger. How the heck does that happen? Maybe yet another indicator that we do all indeed one day become our parents? I have gone back to just the basics for this trip and so far, have fit most everything into the carry-on . . . leaving the backpack completely empty! Sound the horns! This might be a miracle!

Basics update -- Speaking of back to basics, I have recently discovered the joys of Craigslist. I have so far sold 4 items. The people actually come to my home, hand me money, and take away my stuff. Excellent. I have removed bag after bag of unwanted items from my home. I absolutely love that feeling. Still have too much"stuff", but it's progress.

Training update -- the bike is currently getting fitted with road tires . . . "slicks" as the pros call them. I've been told by many people that this will make me go faster and be far easier than my "nubbies". Good. I'm tired of getting passed up by kids and old ladies. Unless that's really just me being slow, which is entirely possible. ;) When I get back from the Czech Republic, it's nothing but training for a month straight until the Big Day. I'm not only determined to be in better shape, but also lose these 3 lbs that seem to be creeping on. And then more. Always need to take off more.

AC update -- If AC were a man, I'd marry it.

Ode to my AC

Is it any coincidence that Able Cable and Air Conditioner start with the same letter?
No, because both make life better!

The seven day forecast calls for 90 degrees plus?
No, don't worry, don't fuss!

After four years of not sleeping through the hot summer night
I finally have an AC that keeps everything right!

Training update

I "ran" my second 5K last weekend -- the OHSU Tram Run. We took the tram up to the top of the hill and ran down it! I jokingly say "run" because my friend walked it while I jogged by her side. Obviously, I was "running" pretty darn slow.

The very next day, I went for a 10 mile bike ride! I love it! I have been feeling that the biking part was going to be the worst, but lately I've been wanting to ride more often and actually am enjoying it. I'm going again tomorrow and cannot wait!

Have a happy and safe Fourth!

B-Ditty

Happy Birthday to ME! Another year older, although sometimes I question if I'm really another year wiser. :) I think 32 will be a good year! To start it off right, I _finally_ got AC installed in my sweatbox apartment. I cannot begin to tell you just how happy this makes me. Happy, Happy, Happy!!! It's supposed to be in the 80s today, but Able Cable will get her beauty sleep tonight without any problems!

In other news, I'm going to Prague! The Czech Republic has been on my to-see list for many years and an opportunity opened up for me to "czech" it off my list. I'm leaving in only a month, so have already started the planning process.

The party plans for today include leaving work early for a massage and pedi. From there, off to PGE Park to join friends at a Timbers soccer match. I will have my usual wish as I blow my candles out today (but I can't tell you 'cuz then it won't come true!), and off I go into the next year!

I may be blonde . . .

but I'm anything but stupid. I actually had to use that line on a first date tonight. These are but a sampling of the questions he posed this evening:

Do you know where Indiana is? (and even though I said, "Yes", he went on to then describe the map of the US and tell me exactly where it is.)
I used to live in Florida. You know where that is, right?
Do you know who Michael Jackson is? Elvis?
I have a twin sister, but we're not identical. You do know that boy and girl twins can't be identical, right?
I used to live with my sister, but you know we didn't sleep together, right?
Women are not as mature as men until they are past the age of 25, don't you think?

I considered ending the evening after the first 10 minutes, but then thought, "Hmmm . . . kinda curious just how bad this can get. I'm going to wait and see 'cuz damn, this will make for good blogging!" I can't make this stuff up, people . . .

To leave a call back number, press 5

As part of my job, I get the pleasure of leaving lots of voicemails. Drives me crazy to hear the system-generated voicemails!! How many of you out there have ever pressed "5" to leave your call back number? I'll bet it's none of you, so why do they even put that option in there?! :) I really wish they'd shorten those messages because trust you me, it's gets old to listen to them time and time again!

I probably need to update you on my tri training. Or lack thereof! :) Nah, I've been slowly but surely working on it. I've now officially been on my bike three times and it's getting easier. Now that the days are longer, I'll be able to ride it after work. The biking part remains the hardest event for me, but I'm sure more practice will make it easier. A friend of mine sent me a 12 week training schedule (goal of schedule is to complete, not compete, which is right up my alley) and now I just need to follow it!

I ordered an AC unit yesterday!! After four summers of sweating during the summer in my hot upstairs apartment, I am finally giving in. A neighbor is going to install it for me and I really hope it works. It's an old building, so I'm not even sure if I'll be able to have it on with other appliances without blowing a circuit . . .

Cheers!

e post

I am bored. Here I sit in the great city of San Fran yet am stuck at a boring conference. Blah. Kinda cool that I can post via my cell phone but that won't keep me entertained for too long. You should see the pharmaceutical reps .. Perfect suits, perfect hair, etc. I once concidered being a rep but am too far from perfect, I think! :)

Walked around the city last night ... Uphill and downhill. Was great!

SF

Another flight, another blog. You should know the routine by now. Heading down to San Fran (I understand the locals hate it when I call it that) for a conference. Gotta find me (uh, sorry, my company) some doctors! Hopefully there will be enough time to get out and have some fun as well.

Cheers!

Perfect . . . even after 10 years

I had my mini college reunion last Friday night and am still smiling! It was perfect! I was sure people would start leaving around 11:00, but we all managed to stay out until about 2:00 a.m.! Who says we can't still party like college students! I love all my friends and they bring me true happiness. The photos are hilarious and a riot to go through the next day. It went off far better than I ever could have imagined.

The next day was a little rough for some, as my dear friend, Dave, summarized in an e-mail to me this morning:

So, then vs. now:
10+ drinks (I guess...my memory is fuzzy. Not sure why :)) vs. 7
Bounced out of bed vs. fall out of bed
No headache vs. headache
Bike into class the next day vs. vacuum the house
Tackle the day at full speed vs. take a nap on the couch
Do it again the following night vs. crash on the couch @ 8:00pm

10 Years?

Has it really been 10 years since I graduated from college? In some ways, it feels like it was just yesterday, yet it other ways, it feels like it's been forever. I'm organizing a mini college reunion with the friends I hung out with the most during those years. We are meeting up this Friday, and just thinking about seeing everyone again brings back a flood of memories. I can still envision the bar we all went to every Thursday. I can picture everyone's faces, I can hear the music, the whole works. The memories are so vivid that I can almost just take myself back in time and imagine myself still there. No way has it been 10 years! :) Have I accomplished what I set out to do within those 10 years? I had pictured myself married with children by now, yet am so incredibly thankful that I didn't hit that goal. I am pleased with where I am in my career, I am happy and healthy, and I have the most wonderful friends and family . . . yes, I guess I have accomplished something with those 10 years. Go Beavs!

Funny names

Here are some names I've come across over the last few months that still make me laugh:

Phat Ho
Christian Tramp
Dick Wiggle (OK, so his real last name was Wigle, but in my version, he'd spell it with two g's)
Dr. Weiwei (and he's a urologist, of course!)
Dr. Doubledee (think he has man boobs?)

There have been others, so if I can remember them, I'll be sure to share my sophomoric humor with the rest of you in a later post. ;)

Ergo

So I got a new ergodynamic setup at work. I've never been in so much pain! Why can't I just slouch all the time? Now I have to be all prim and proper and 90-degree-angley! :)

I don't have any of my usual muses on life to share with you today. I'm a little down, but there's some old school rap on the radio and I'm going to just dance my way back up! "Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn . . ."

_SOON_

My grandmother has always put the pressure on me to go to church. Therefore, I made sure to send her some of my new business cards and let her know I am now working for a Catholic organization. Sure, it's not the same as going to church, but I was happy I could at least share with her the mission of my new company.

Here's what Grandma wrote back to me on this year's Easter card: "Your business cards are great! I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying your new position. Also - I hope you end up marrying a Catholic doctor. I would love to hear that soon."

You all don't know my grandma, but she's totally serious. No joking from that woman. And the emphasis under the word "soon" is all her's. I'll see what I can do, Grandma!

Found it!

I finally found a triathlon to replace the one I originally wanted to do! http://www.uswts.com/wa/welcome.htm

It's perfect -- still an all women event, it supports a cause I can get behind, and it's not until September, which means I still have ample time to get ready! The distances for the Super Sprint are pretty short, so I don't think it will be a huge problem. Yipeee!!! I signed up for it today!!

Don't tell me I can't . . .

Ever notice that when someone tells you that you can't do or think something, that you then can't help but do or think it anyway? Put me in a Catholic church and tell me to think holy thoughts, and I can promise you that I'll be thinking anything but! I read on someone's blog today that one shouldn't write about what they eat for lunch on their blogs ('cuz it's darn boring!). That's grand advice, except that as I was eating lunch today, all I could think about was blogging my thoughts on consumption. And the author was right -- they were boring thoughts. But I'm going to write about lunch anyway today:

Noodles from TJ's -- needed meat included.
Edamame -- ummm, where's the salt? HATE having edamame without enough salt on them.
Diet Coke -- why, oh why, can't they have Pepsi products downstairs?!

OK, I'll never write about my lunch again. But I won't make any promises about what I'll think about in church . . . :)

Cell phone charger

I realized on my way to the airport this morning that I'd forgotten my cell phone charger. No biggie; I'll just shut it off and deal. But I realized today just how hooked I am on that device. I went to the mall after work today and found a Cingular store. I was talking to the sales man about finding the cheapest way to charge my phone when I got distracted by the display of nice, new phones. Ohhhhhh! I then remembered how much I hate my phone and asked him which of the new phones he recommended. He said the Blackberry Pearl . . . and here's the clincher . . . went on to tell me it now comes in RED! So here I was, complaining about having to spend $27 on a charger and ended up spending way more. Yeah, way to stick it to the man! :)

LOVE the Davenport hotel in Spokane. Not only am on laying on the world's most comfortable bed while watching the flat screen TV, but one of the staff just rang the doorbell (yes, the doorbell) on my door and offered me some peanut brittle!

OK, now I'm going to program everything into my new phone! It's probably going to take me hours to learn how to use it! :)

I'd like to tell PDX where to stuff my saline solution

As usual, I had to fly today. I haven't flown using only my carry on luggage since the whole "liquid ban" took place, but I was bound and determined to figure it all out and not check my bags this morning. Trust me, it's not easy to get 5 days worth of stuff into a carry on, but I perservered!

I was concerned about my contact lense solution as it's in a container larger than the 3 oz. limit. I looked in a few different stores and even looked online, but it's only available in that one size (I use a specific kind). But I read on TSA's website the following information:

Saline solution - You are allowed to carry up to 3 oz., of eye drops in a clear, one-quart plastic bag. Volumes greater than 3 oz. must be declared to the Security Officer and cannot be carried in your clear, one-quart bag.

So I get up to the screening area and I pull out my quart size plastic bag filled with all my appropriately sized products, along with my saline solution, which is outside of the bag, just as they told me to do. I declared its presence! Guess where that saline solution is now???? The garbage can. I tried to explain to the guy that he was wrong and even made his supervisor come over. But I lost. And Able Cable doesn't like to lose! Needless to say, the Portland Airport will be getting a nasty gram from me. And a bill for the $20 I'm going to have to spend to get another bottle, which yes, I'll have to transfer into a smaller bottle and throw the larger bottle away . . . again.

On another note, I have pretty new shoes today. (For all the men reading this, yes, I am a woman and I can rant one minute and then be distracted by pretty shoes the next.) :-D

Let's add in one more state today

Here's a list of the states (and yes, for this exercise, DC is a state) I've been in over the last few weeks:

Oregon (probably a given)
California
Arizona
New Mexico
Texas
DC
Virginia
Maryland
Nevada
Utah
Washington

That's 11 different places! Craziness. Is it any wonder why I just feel like staying home for awhile?!

I did it!!

I'm happy to report I ran my first 5K today! It was actually pretty great. Weird to have all these people running around me, but kinda cool at the same time. Trisha made signs for us to wear on our backs that said "wish me luck, it's my first time" (in honor of St. Patrick's Day) and so as people passed us (and boy oh boy, they did pass us), they wished us luck. :-D I would do a fun run again!

All sorts of upset

Would you believe the registration for the Seattle Danskin Tri was just closed a few days ago?!!! And I missed it!!!! The darn event doesn't even happen until August and they closed registration in February? Well, that's just screwed up! I know there are plenty of other tri's to sign up for, but really had my heart set on that particular one. Frick.

No title

One of my mini pleasures is to create titles to my blog, but my head is so tired (and hungover) that it's just stopping my creative juices from flowing. Vegas can do that to you! I've been in a sensory overload state for the last 6 days. My hands are all cracked and red from lack of moisture. Give me my Pacific NW!

I really hadn't gone out much during my trip here, but decided I'd better prove to my new co-workers that I'm not a complete loser. I usually put off letting new people see me drunk and dancing until I've know them for quite some time, but broke that rule last night! We had a good time at an outside bar. At least it was one way to get some exercise.

The food journal starts again when I return home. I'm also thinking of starting up my morning Pilates routine again since I now don't start work until 8:00. Three weeks of traveling is NOT good! I can't believe I'm supposed to do the Shamrock Run next weekend. I'm really not ready and my hip still hurts a bit. I'll see what I can do about it this week, but must admit I'm more than a little worried that I won't be able to cross the finish line. I'm reading The Secret and according to it, all I have to do is imagine myself successfully finishing the race and it will just magically happen. . . .

Money lost gambling: $250
Money spent on alcohol: $75
Getting to sleep in my own bed tonight: Priceless

Vegas, baby

On the road *again*. Our fearless traveler has now found herself in the siniest of all sin cities -- Vegas. So many people told me how jealous they were that I was going to be here for a whole week, but I've been here so many times over the years that it's just lost any thrill. I've been here since Sunday and haven't even left the hotel. I promise to do better the next few days and not be a complete loser! :) Blackjack tonight!!

There was free wine available after the seminar yesterday. Need I say more? You all know just how great I must be feeling today. :} Free Wine and Able Cable are two things that go together well!

Wish me luck!

Let us pray . . .

Started my new job today! What better way to start than with . . . prayer? As I now work for a Catholic organization, it is common practice to pray before each meeting. That will take some getting used to for sure! I've always been told to not bring religion into the workplace.

I've been running! And I've been hurting!! If anyone out there in Blogger Land has a cure for the hip pain I'm experiencing, please bring it on. (And no, simply not running is not an answer.)

I'm going to "pray" that my latest "prey" is a good one! Is it possible . . . ?

Snow?

I've been watching the weather reports for the last week and seems to be a decent possibility that 6-8 inches of snow is going to fall in the DC area starting Monday night. Therefore, I decided to fly out a couple days earlier (tomorrow). I know the storm might not hit, but if it did, I'd be sure to be stuck out here longer and I really have some things I need to get back home for.

So, brief catch-up: Got to see Brian and meet his family last night, which was very cool. Cousin Nancy picked me up today and brought me out to her home in Virginia. She and her husband, Jim, took me out for a very nice lunch. After a bit more time back at their home, we headed off to College Park, Maryland, to see my Great Aunt and Uncle. This was truly the highlight of the whole trip and the real reason I came all the way out here. It was soooo wonderful to see them!! We talked a lot about my family, especially my grandfather, who we all miss terribly. My Aunt and Uncle are getting up in years, but are still as sharp as ever. Almost started crying many times with all the remembrances. Also almost puked again due to all the curves on the road!! :) How fitting that my adventure could have both started and ended with vomit! Ha! :)

Great trip and I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be to start my new job back home. Oh, no, I never did go running. Much making up to do on that end!!

DC-licious!

Greetings from DC! Today was great! Very cold, but the sun was shining and the crowds were few -- perfect! I hiked around Arlington Cemetary (caught tail end of guard changing and Eternal Flame), saw a bunch of famous monuments, and went to the Museum of Natural History. The museum did a good job of putting things in perspective. I got to see meteorites, information on evolution, charts showing how much the earth has changed and how recent we humans are in the whole scheme of things. I didn't get lost once today!!! This is a first. :)

The hotel has free washers and dryers available, so I decided to do a load tonight. Out of socks, so timing is perfect! I put everything into one load and what did I end up with? That's right, white shirts that were no longer white. I haven't made this mistake forever! I've got the whites re-washing now, so let's hope they return to their normal color. I thought I could defy the laws of laundry, but alas, could not.

I'll tour more museums tomorrow and am meeting up with a friend I haven't seen since high school for dinner.

Hey Santa Fe

I had always wondered about the state of New Mexico so am very happy to finally see it. It's just not a state you hear about too often. Now I know why! There's a whole lot of nothingness out there, with Santa Fe acting like an oasis. Santa Fe itself is amazing! Very beautiful. I kinda feel like I'm in Mexico, only everyone has money and there's no one begging me to buy chicle.

Daniel drove me up Canyon road yesterday (2/6), which is where all the art galleries are, along with some great pueblos. We looked in about 10 of the galleries. I liked some of the art, but of course didn't understand some of the pieces. After that, he dropped me off back downtown so I could do some shopping. Everything is very expensive and I don't like turqouise, so didn't buy much of anything. People are very friendly . . . maybe today I'll just hang a sign around my neck that states, "I'm from Portland. I am here for a vacation. Yes, it is beautiful!"

Oh, I came up with my million dollar idea, although my cousin shut it down. . . . colored deoderant! You know how the white deoderant gets on your black shirt? Well, why not make the deoderant black in the first place!!! Problem solved! But as Max pointed out . . . your armpit would then be stained black. Oh, minor setback! :)

Quick!

Only have a few minutes before I catch my flight to Albuquerque and head off to Santa Fe. Trip going very well! Was wonderful to catch up with my cousins. Making fun of my puking episode just never got old for them . . . :) That's family for ya!

Quick update, although mostly just for me so I can match stuff up with photos later. I'll try to expand upon stuff at a later date:

Day 1: Glendale for Ryan’s 21st b-day. Meth Man on airplane.
Day 2: Spent day in Lancaster. Went for a 5 mile hike (through garbage). Caught up with Kent, Maxine, and Shari
Day 3: Caught up with Ryan and Kyle. Ryan made crepes for breakfast. Max and Kris hit the road for the 8 hour drive to Tucson. Max got pulled over, but thankfully just a warning.
Day 4: Got to meet Max’s horse, Kashi, and see the beautiful place she was staying at. Went for a drive through a national park and saw all the different kinds of cactus. Ate Mexican food. Watched Superbowl. Commentators are dumb.
Day 5: Flight to Santa Fe via Albuquerque to meet up with Daniel.

Gotta catch my flight! Can't believe I have to leave this 75 degree weather for snow . . .

Day 1: Vomit

Note to self: If you know you suffer from motion sickness and you are given a choice between taking the road through the mountain or the highway to get home, I don’t care how much longer the highway option is – always take the nice, flat highway.

Off I go!

Picture this: I'm on my laptop at the airport, drinking my Starbucks, with my i-Pod in my ears. Yesiree, I might even send someone a text message just to prove to the world that I am hip and with it. Ha! :)

I'm officially unemployed!!! I only have 19 days left until I start my new job, and I'm bound and determined to make the most of it. Therefore, I'm off on a nice vacation!!

I'm heading out on a 2 week trip to visit some friends and family. First stop, Burbank, CA. I'll be joining my 2nd cousin, Ryan, on his 21st birthday party. From there, one of my 1st cousins and I will drive down to her hometown of Tucson, AZ. After that, I'm off to snowy Santa Fe for a few days with a friend of mine. Finally, I head over to DC, where I'll spend a couple days on my own, but then eventually meet up with more family. That's more flying than I usually care to do, but a necessary evil for the adventurer in me.

If I put it in writing, maybe I'll have a better chance of it happening: I will make sure to run while away from home. I have to be ready to be in the St. Patty's Day run next month!

Happy to have you all out there in Blogger Land along with me. I'll try to keep the updates coming, but I'm only as good as the free internet access I can steal! ;)