so today i went to the MU to check my mailbox, deposit a check, go to the post office, etc. those things you do when you do that sort of thing. as i emerged from the bookstore exit (where i parked my bike) i hear someone say:
"excuse me sir, but i see that you're wearing a purple shirt today. did you know that purple is the color of royalty?"
i can't hear the man's response
and there is another exchange i've now forgotten, and then,
"would you like to use your royalty to save the world with me today?"
and then i realize, he's one of those people that try to chase you down to join something, or sign up for something, or give money to something. i dislike these people very much. set up your table, put up a sign, and let me decide if i want to sign up for it on my own accord. don't badger me, chase me, try to persuade me; this only serves to make me angry and try to get away from you faster. i figure this is why they hire young people to do this job, because the rest of us know that if we see someone coming in our general direction, to quickly change course and avoid as necessary.
turns out, the guy was for greenpeace, which is a fine organization. but i don't want to sign up for anything. good thing he didn't come for me. i would have had to smile and say no thank you and walk away very quickly.
as i was riding my bike away, i noticed another greenpeace guy where i was going to be biking in moments. luckily, he turned to someone coming down the stairs of the MU before he had a chance to try to tackle me in the grass and convince me his cause was a good one. ok maybe that last part was just a fantasy. i don't even know if he was cute or not. maybe he wouldn't even know how to tackle.
as i left the MU area, i turned onto 26th street and headed toward jefferson. i passed a guy on a bike, biking with no hands and no helmet, and TEXTING while he was cycling along. this means he wasn't even looking at the road. at all. seriously?
as i was approaching the intersection, a girl pedestrian stepped off the curb, without stopping, without even looking up to check for traffic, cars or bikes or otherwise. she just blindly walked out into the intersection. i'm sure she felt like she had all the right to do so, as she was in a crosswalk. but really, didn't her mother teach her to look both ways first? have people here become SO complacent, SO righteous that they think they are each the center of the universe? that someone else will always be looking out for them? that someone else will always see them and avoid them? my goodness.
and then, there's me. as i was walking home from the gym, i became mesmerized by some people playing flag football. not that any of them were anything to look at, nor do i really care about the sport that much. the refs had REALLY loud whistles and people were running around which i think caught my eyes and ears. anyway i was walking home along the street because there is no sidewalk that connects where i work to the gym, and i guess i got lost in the moment and began to veer into the middle of the road, right as the quarterback was being chased down and was about to make some amazing pass or have his flags ripped off. just then i realized there was a car coming down the road, and that maybe i should get back on my side. self righteous, indeed.
--------------------------
on a side note, i have wicked leg envy. the gym has made this feeling in me resurface. i mean, i just envy people with nice looking, smooth, shapely legs. i may be tainted by popular culture and media and whatever, but there are some people (namely women) whose legs really attract my attention. i'm sure the people who have them know they look that good. i'm sure they shave every day and use lotion and go to the gym every day and never eat junk food (or maybe they do and their metabolism is so high that it just melts right off). anyway, i have extreme leg envy. i could say i have body envy too but i'll save that for another day.
on another gym related topic, each day i've gone to the gym (2 days in a row now) i've seen the same girl there. she's always on the treadmill, running. when she runs, it sounds like she's stomping. and she runs at a good clip. and she's always on before i start and always still on after i leave. i have a sneaking suspicion she ignores the "please only work out for 30 minutes" rule. she seems to be looking around to see if anyone else is interested in her machine while she's on it, but has never gotten off while i've been there. in fact i would venture to guess she's there every day and runs for an hour. we'll see. i'll keep tabs on her in my gym report.
i didn't bring any cds from home today, so looks like it's either tori amos or the ipod.
-----------------------
gym report:
20 minutes spin cycle (sounds like laundry to me)
3x10 @ 70lb leg curl
3x10 @ 70lb leg extensions
3x10 @ 150lb leg press
3x10 @ 65?lb squats (i used the big bar plus 2 10lb weights on the ends)
10 minutes abs /stretching
weight: 160.6
stomper: 2 days in a row
10 November 2009
09 November 2009
one point five
this weekend was a blast. jon and i drove to california and danced in sacramento friday night, to the great bear trio and erik weberg. and then saturday we danced for 12 hours (approximately) to hot cider, southwest passage, and the great bear trio, and callers joyce miller, joe michaels, and erik weberg. this was all fine and good, and i probably drank about a gallon of water / gatorade thoroughout the day. and did a fine amount of sweating, as is evidenced by my large bag of sweaty clothing now in the laundry pile.
but what really gets me is that i weighed myself before we left for CA, and then weighed myself on the same scale today. i weigh 1.5 pounds less than when i left. 1.5 lbs. that's it?! i danced, aerobically, for nearly 15 hours over the past several days. and 1.5 is all i lost? now some would say, well, you were burning fat which is light and building muscle which is heavy. that may be true. but still! 1.5 lbs is the amount of water you could drink in a sitting. i was very disappointed.
i went to the gym today, and weighed myself on their scale. theirs says i weigh 4 lbs more than i did this morning (different scale). granted, at the gym i was wearing clothing and had eaten at least 1 meal for the day and had some water and some tea to drink. i plan to use the gym scale in the future, for local reasons only.
i'm not actually obsessed with my weight. someone in college once told me, "it's not what you weigh, but how you look." and for me, it's more about fitting into my clothes. ideally, i'd love to get back to 145-155. have a little ways to go before that happens. but not much. and i could get more muscular. it's a dream, but perhaps a possibility now that i've rejoined the gym.
speaking of the gym, i thought maybe i'd start keeping track of workouts on here. if i remember. if i log on. if i think of it.
11/9
military press, 30lbs, 3x8
20 minutes spinning cycle, no monitor
10 minutes abs, stretching
weight: 162
-----------------------
on an unrelated topic, i haven't yet begun to tackle the music project. but i'll get to it. tomorrow is a new day. plus i might remember to bring some cds to listen to at work! trying to decide what to listen to first is the toughest thing. i could begin at the beginning, the end, the soundtracks and mixes, the contra dance music, the other dance music...but it's all very exciting!
but what really gets me is that i weighed myself before we left for CA, and then weighed myself on the same scale today. i weigh 1.5 pounds less than when i left. 1.5 lbs. that's it?! i danced, aerobically, for nearly 15 hours over the past several days. and 1.5 is all i lost? now some would say, well, you were burning fat which is light and building muscle which is heavy. that may be true. but still! 1.5 lbs is the amount of water you could drink in a sitting. i was very disappointed.
i went to the gym today, and weighed myself on their scale. theirs says i weigh 4 lbs more than i did this morning (different scale). granted, at the gym i was wearing clothing and had eaten at least 1 meal for the day and had some water and some tea to drink. i plan to use the gym scale in the future, for local reasons only.
i'm not actually obsessed with my weight. someone in college once told me, "it's not what you weigh, but how you look." and for me, it's more about fitting into my clothes. ideally, i'd love to get back to 145-155. have a little ways to go before that happens. but not much. and i could get more muscular. it's a dream, but perhaps a possibility now that i've rejoined the gym.
speaking of the gym, i thought maybe i'd start keeping track of workouts on here. if i remember. if i log on. if i think of it.
11/9
military press, 30lbs, 3x8
20 minutes spinning cycle, no monitor
10 minutes abs, stretching
weight: 162
-----------------------
on an unrelated topic, i haven't yet begun to tackle the music project. but i'll get to it. tomorrow is a new day. plus i might remember to bring some cds to listen to at work! trying to decide what to listen to first is the toughest thing. i could begin at the beginning, the end, the soundtracks and mixes, the contra dance music, the other dance music...but it's all very exciting!
05 November 2009
this and that, hopes and fears, rough and tumble
well, trying to post every month was a good idea. in my mind, i'm writing this blog all the time. it's the thing of actually getting onto a computer and blathering all the stuff rattling around in my brain onto the screen, that's the actual problem.
music related:
the other day while biking or driving perhaps, i revisited the idea of listening to all my cds in alphabetical order again. last time i did it, or at least, started it, i was living in minnesota. i had gotten the idea from a guy i worked with during the summer of 2000 in iowa. so maybe i started my quest in 2001 or possibly 2002. and this project is not just listen to the album once and call it good. it's listening to each cd at least 2-3 times on repeat, until i feel comfortable that i've heard the all songs in their entirety.
and i got from ABBA - michael jackson while in MN. this worked out great because i had my own office where people only occasionally came in to use equipment. so i was never bothering anyone but myself with listening to my fabulous music.
when i moved to CA in 2003, i thought i'd continue my quest, though i wasn't working alone in an office anymore, and most people in CA didn't seem to "like" my music. so at home, i think i got from jack johnson through toad the wet sprocket. not to mention, throughout this time, getting new CDs for the collection, and attempting to assimilate them into the bigger picture.
so this means, i must have stopped off around U, which at the time may have had keith urban (quite good), and usher (i know, i know! i recycled it. i think.) and then led into V, W, X, Y, and Z. for V i'm sure i've got vertical horizon, w includes water street blues band, i don't think i have any X cds, Y is trisha yearwood, yo yo ma, and pete yorn, and Z has zela (minneapolis!). i know i'm not remembering a bunch that i have...but i might have had 10-20 cds to go (not to mention soundtracks, dance mixes, other personal mixes, etc) when i moved to nevada, which squashed all hopes of completing the project.
so now i'm in a place where i think i can start up the project again. but it's been like, 8 years or something since i started it. i think my new quest will be to begin at the end and work backwards. i still have about 30 cds in my "need to assimilate" pile, as well as contra dance cds which have entered the picture...maybe i'll shoot for a stack (of some given number) a week and see where that takes me.
because the work i'm doing now, for the most part, i can listen to music on my headphones and not bother anyone. except myself, sometimes.
---------------
on becoming a musician, maybe:
this past weekend (halloween) jon asked me to join his band ('stainless') as part time percussionist and to play guitar on the hambo. having been associated with the dance community for so long, i knew that i would not feel uncomfortable, or get stage fright, while doing so, and i thought it might be a good opportunity for me to try things out. and wow, what fun! the band was receptive to my playing, and people seemed to like the percussion because it helps keep the steady beat that's so nice to have while dancing. we got lots of compliments about the band, how it was better than some other contra dance bands, and had a good solid sound.
afterwards, rich told me that i should apply for megaband. i hadn't really thought much of it before, but a couple of my friends might be partaking in the activities this year, so i figured, why not. i emailed the coordinator and she put me on the waiting list for guitar and percussion. who knows, maybe i'll get in. i don't have dreams of being some kind of front row player, but it might be really cool to be up there hearing the complete sound. though, i think you get the best sound being out on the dance floor! well, i'll give it a shot.
in the meanwhile, jon and i have been working on our music together. a few nights ago, he practiced fiddle and i worked on some chord changes on guitar. i thought it went surprisingly well, and i felt like i might really be getting it after just a short time. then again, my fingers have been numb for the subsequent few days. actually, i think it's just my index finger at this time, which means i'm more likely to try again knowing i can endure the pain.
---------------
girl stuff:
sometimes i really, really hate being a woman. there's all this crazy crap you have to deal with, being emotional and sensitive. in the past, i've mostly let it slide or dealt with it on my own time. or not. perhaps i just stored it away. and every so often, i'd start crying for no apparent reason and then be over it.
as i've gotten older, i've tried to pay attention to what processes my body goes through before cramps are imminent. i never thought of myself as much of a PMSer, biting peoples heads off or throwing tantrums or anything. my mom said that she used to have lower back pain or something. i've tried to pay attention to that, but i don't think i get it. one thing that happened this time, though, was that i got strangely overwhelmed by negative thoughts the day before it happened. i just felt like everything i was doing was wrong, and that i was messing everything up, and who would want to hang around with me anyway?
and then ensues the crying. when i feel bad about myself, what else is there to do but cry? i think a few other women are with me on this one. but being overwhelmed by crazy hormonal levels is really just not fun.
i've always had troubles with cramps. maybe as early as i started having them. and have tried numerous ways to fight them off.
a few things i've learned:
-multi vitamins on a regular basis help a lot. now if i could only remember to take them.
-naproxen sodium works OK if i take it for a day before i think i'm going to get the cramps. this works fine if you have a predictable schedule (i'm not so lucky).
-ibuprofen works great if i can take enough of it, and rest for about 1/2 hour after i've taken it (with food, of course).
-tylenol does diddly squat. don't bother.
-breathing and relaxing are key. my brother once said something wise, he may have stolen from someone else, but he said "it's not pain if you don't let it hurt you." this reminds me of everclear's song lyric "they can't hurt you unless you let them." anyway, i think the cramping can be a very positive feedback system (and i don't mean in a good way). if i react to the pain, it increases, which increases my reaction, and soon enough i'm writhing on the floor in pain (reminds me of college, bleck). knowing that it's happening, it's best if there's a place to lay down, breathe, relax, and remind myself that it won't last for long, it will fade soon, it's just a wave of pain, i can handle it, etc. it also helps if i've taken some ibuprofen at this point. what's best is if i'm at home or mostly just NOT at work, where i can lay down and fall asleep for awhile.
-sleeping is the BEST way to kill cramping!
-birth control pills might be an option, but for the same reasons as the multi-vitamins don't always work, i would have to get on some kind of regular rhythm of actually taking them. i tried in college and it just didn't work out for me. plus, i guess i didn't like the idea of keeping all my eggs bundled up inside. overcrowding doesn't work so well in nature, why would it work so well inside me? if i ever did decide to have a kid (not likely), i sure would want them to come out normal and not all deformed because the egg had been crowded inside for too long.
so i suffer with the pain. sometimes it's not so bad. sometimes, it's knockout bad. people start to notice when i don't feel well, and i'm reminded of high school, where this one girl on my volleyball team would get them so bad, you could just look at her and know something was wrong. sometimes i feel like i'm super pale. other times, my body is overheating but my hands are freezing. and sometimes the pain is so strong it makes me hunch over while i'm walking, and limp a little bit. i know that part of this is me reacting to it, and if i would just calm down and relax it would be so much easier to deal with. this doesn't work so well when i've already taken the max dose of medication and am still in pain, and can't just go lay down because i'm at work or at the soup kitchen where people are relying on me to do my job.
---------------
other stuff:
life is good! aside from crampiness, i'm generally happy with my life at this time. and i'm about to go to california to do a 12 hour dance! we've got several books on CD, and several music cds to listen to, and endless topics to discuss...i'm hopeful this trip will be a good and memorable one. plus, i'll bring the ice packs in case my feet decide they just can't go another step...because i will not stop dancing until the midnight bell has rung!
grass valley, here we come!
music related:
the other day while biking or driving perhaps, i revisited the idea of listening to all my cds in alphabetical order again. last time i did it, or at least, started it, i was living in minnesota. i had gotten the idea from a guy i worked with during the summer of 2000 in iowa. so maybe i started my quest in 2001 or possibly 2002. and this project is not just listen to the album once and call it good. it's listening to each cd at least 2-3 times on repeat, until i feel comfortable that i've heard the all songs in their entirety.
and i got from ABBA - michael jackson while in MN. this worked out great because i had my own office where people only occasionally came in to use equipment. so i was never bothering anyone but myself with listening to my fabulous music.
when i moved to CA in 2003, i thought i'd continue my quest, though i wasn't working alone in an office anymore, and most people in CA didn't seem to "like" my music. so at home, i think i got from jack johnson through toad the wet sprocket. not to mention, throughout this time, getting new CDs for the collection, and attempting to assimilate them into the bigger picture.
so this means, i must have stopped off around U, which at the time may have had keith urban (quite good), and usher (i know, i know! i recycled it. i think.) and then led into V, W, X, Y, and Z. for V i'm sure i've got vertical horizon, w includes water street blues band, i don't think i have any X cds, Y is trisha yearwood, yo yo ma, and pete yorn, and Z has zela (minneapolis!). i know i'm not remembering a bunch that i have...but i might have had 10-20 cds to go (not to mention soundtracks, dance mixes, other personal mixes, etc) when i moved to nevada, which squashed all hopes of completing the project.
so now i'm in a place where i think i can start up the project again. but it's been like, 8 years or something since i started it. i think my new quest will be to begin at the end and work backwards. i still have about 30 cds in my "need to assimilate" pile, as well as contra dance cds which have entered the picture...maybe i'll shoot for a stack (of some given number) a week and see where that takes me.
because the work i'm doing now, for the most part, i can listen to music on my headphones and not bother anyone. except myself, sometimes.
---------------
on becoming a musician, maybe:
this past weekend (halloween) jon asked me to join his band ('stainless') as part time percussionist and to play guitar on the hambo. having been associated with the dance community for so long, i knew that i would not feel uncomfortable, or get stage fright, while doing so, and i thought it might be a good opportunity for me to try things out. and wow, what fun! the band was receptive to my playing, and people seemed to like the percussion because it helps keep the steady beat that's so nice to have while dancing. we got lots of compliments about the band, how it was better than some other contra dance bands, and had a good solid sound.
afterwards, rich told me that i should apply for megaband. i hadn't really thought much of it before, but a couple of my friends might be partaking in the activities this year, so i figured, why not. i emailed the coordinator and she put me on the waiting list for guitar and percussion. who knows, maybe i'll get in. i don't have dreams of being some kind of front row player, but it might be really cool to be up there hearing the complete sound. though, i think you get the best sound being out on the dance floor! well, i'll give it a shot.
in the meanwhile, jon and i have been working on our music together. a few nights ago, he practiced fiddle and i worked on some chord changes on guitar. i thought it went surprisingly well, and i felt like i might really be getting it after just a short time. then again, my fingers have been numb for the subsequent few days. actually, i think it's just my index finger at this time, which means i'm more likely to try again knowing i can endure the pain.
---------------
girl stuff:
sometimes i really, really hate being a woman. there's all this crazy crap you have to deal with, being emotional and sensitive. in the past, i've mostly let it slide or dealt with it on my own time. or not. perhaps i just stored it away. and every so often, i'd start crying for no apparent reason and then be over it.
as i've gotten older, i've tried to pay attention to what processes my body goes through before cramps are imminent. i never thought of myself as much of a PMSer, biting peoples heads off or throwing tantrums or anything. my mom said that she used to have lower back pain or something. i've tried to pay attention to that, but i don't think i get it. one thing that happened this time, though, was that i got strangely overwhelmed by negative thoughts the day before it happened. i just felt like everything i was doing was wrong, and that i was messing everything up, and who would want to hang around with me anyway?
and then ensues the crying. when i feel bad about myself, what else is there to do but cry? i think a few other women are with me on this one. but being overwhelmed by crazy hormonal levels is really just not fun.
i've always had troubles with cramps. maybe as early as i started having them. and have tried numerous ways to fight them off.
a few things i've learned:
-multi vitamins on a regular basis help a lot. now if i could only remember to take them.
-naproxen sodium works OK if i take it for a day before i think i'm going to get the cramps. this works fine if you have a predictable schedule (i'm not so lucky).
-ibuprofen works great if i can take enough of it, and rest for about 1/2 hour after i've taken it (with food, of course).
-tylenol does diddly squat. don't bother.
-breathing and relaxing are key. my brother once said something wise, he may have stolen from someone else, but he said "it's not pain if you don't let it hurt you." this reminds me of everclear's song lyric "they can't hurt you unless you let them." anyway, i think the cramping can be a very positive feedback system (and i don't mean in a good way). if i react to the pain, it increases, which increases my reaction, and soon enough i'm writhing on the floor in pain (reminds me of college, bleck). knowing that it's happening, it's best if there's a place to lay down, breathe, relax, and remind myself that it won't last for long, it will fade soon, it's just a wave of pain, i can handle it, etc. it also helps if i've taken some ibuprofen at this point. what's best is if i'm at home or mostly just NOT at work, where i can lay down and fall asleep for awhile.
-sleeping is the BEST way to kill cramping!
-birth control pills might be an option, but for the same reasons as the multi-vitamins don't always work, i would have to get on some kind of regular rhythm of actually taking them. i tried in college and it just didn't work out for me. plus, i guess i didn't like the idea of keeping all my eggs bundled up inside. overcrowding doesn't work so well in nature, why would it work so well inside me? if i ever did decide to have a kid (not likely), i sure would want them to come out normal and not all deformed because the egg had been crowded inside for too long.
so i suffer with the pain. sometimes it's not so bad. sometimes, it's knockout bad. people start to notice when i don't feel well, and i'm reminded of high school, where this one girl on my volleyball team would get them so bad, you could just look at her and know something was wrong. sometimes i feel like i'm super pale. other times, my body is overheating but my hands are freezing. and sometimes the pain is so strong it makes me hunch over while i'm walking, and limp a little bit. i know that part of this is me reacting to it, and if i would just calm down and relax it would be so much easier to deal with. this doesn't work so well when i've already taken the max dose of medication and am still in pain, and can't just go lay down because i'm at work or at the soup kitchen where people are relying on me to do my job.
---------------
other stuff:
life is good! aside from crampiness, i'm generally happy with my life at this time. and i'm about to go to california to do a 12 hour dance! we've got several books on CD, and several music cds to listen to, and endless topics to discuss...i'm hopeful this trip will be a good and memorable one. plus, i'll bring the ice packs in case my feet decide they just can't go another step...because i will not stop dancing until the midnight bell has rung!
grass valley, here we come!
25 September 2009
complain excuse whimper whine reason
this has got to stop.
aside from the fact that i deal with complaining, excuses, whimpering, whining, and reasons all week while in the field, i have started to do it to my friends. anytime i talk with friends, i talk about work and how annoyed / angry / frustrated i am with my co-workers. this must stop. my friends probably can't take much more of it. though they do seem to find it amusing. i can see how it would be amusing to someone that didn't have to live it. in fact, when i tell it, sometimes i'm even amused and think, wow, how can someone put up with so much silly stuff every week, and still feel like they're accomplishing work?
anyway, new resolution. no more talking about work to friends. instead, i'll ask them how their day went. it's got to be better than mine. i'll keep my complaining for my journal. it doesn't seem to mind how much i whimper and whine about things.
happy weekend! i look forward to dancing, corvallis fall festival, visiting with friends, and some serious relaxing. and hopefully, showing off my outstanding arm bruise :)
peace, love and turtles...
aside from the fact that i deal with complaining, excuses, whimpering, whining, and reasons all week while in the field, i have started to do it to my friends. anytime i talk with friends, i talk about work and how annoyed / angry / frustrated i am with my co-workers. this must stop. my friends probably can't take much more of it. though they do seem to find it amusing. i can see how it would be amusing to someone that didn't have to live it. in fact, when i tell it, sometimes i'm even amused and think, wow, how can someone put up with so much silly stuff every week, and still feel like they're accomplishing work?
anyway, new resolution. no more talking about work to friends. instead, i'll ask them how their day went. it's got to be better than mine. i'll keep my complaining for my journal. it doesn't seem to mind how much i whimper and whine about things.
happy weekend! i look forward to dancing, corvallis fall festival, visiting with friends, and some serious relaxing. and hopefully, showing off my outstanding arm bruise :)
peace, love and turtles...
21 September 2009
cyclist gets hit by a car...door.
today was not the greatest of days, but there are plenty of reasons to be thankful.
i tried to leave for work around noon, and when i got to the top of my driveway realized i had a flat front tire. back down to the house to pump it up.
had a smooth ride downtown to the library where i made a copy of my license for some bank documents, and returned a book on tape i had borrowed and paid my $0.65 fine for returning it late.
biked to chipotle to get a burrito bowl for lunch. they're so tasty and it's 1.5 meals for me. got a drink. decided to go toward work to eat under a tree. opened my wallet to put my credit card away and realized i'd left my license at the library in the copy machine. went out to my bike and realized my cup was going to fall out of the bike water bottle holder. used a bungee cord to strap it in. the top popped off as i biked across the street and beverage started spilling. biked down the hill holding the beverage cup safely, with no more spillage. at this point i also realize how hot it is outside. and i'm worried about my license.
got to the library, just as a man was going to use the copy machine. he opened the top, found my license, looked at it as i came careening across the room saying, "hi, that's mine!" and he gave it to me and smiled and i went back outside. at this point i was sweating profusely and starving, so i went across the street to central park to eat my lunch in the shade. at this point i realized that my burrito bowl had leaked onto my, of course, white long sleeve shirt, and had left some salsa stains on the arm. guess i'd clean it when i got to work.
a strange speaking man with dark skin came and i think asked me how i was doing. i said "fine, thank you." and continued eating my lunch. then i think he asked me if he could sit here, and i thought, well, i didn't want him sitting with me, i was trying to cool off and get to work and didn't really feel in the mood for small talk with a stranger. but it is a free country and there are no limits about where people can sit, so i said, "sure, you can sit anywhere you like." thankfully he sat one tree away from me, and set up a blanket since i guess he was going to take a nap.
when i was done eating, i packed up the rest of my lunch, put it into a plastic bag i found in my backpack, and headed back up monroe st. toward campus. i'm feeling calmer about the fact that i got my license back, i paid my fine, i made my copy, i ate my lunch in the shade (it's hot out there!), and managed to repackage my lunch in a way that would not spill anymore in my backpack.
i'm cruising up monroe, past clodfelters, mcmenamin's, jamba juice, and shortly thereafter, WHAM! a woman opens her car door at the exact moment i'm biking past. i ram into the door, yell "ugh!", fall off my bike into the street. realize, holy crap i'm in the street, jump up, and pick up my bike, get out of the middle of the street. no cars coming. the girl gets out of her car and says, "oh my god, are you ok? i'm so sorry! i'm not used to bikes on the road!" i look at myself and realize no blood seems to be gushing out of anywhere and i'm in no particular amount of pain. i'm shaken, and shaky, but i'm not bleeding. the seat on my bike is tweeked sideways, and the chain is off, but otherwise, things seem fine. i say, "i'm fine. did i mess up your car door?" she says, "oh my god, no, you didn't, don't worry about that, are YOU ok?" and i think, and then say, "yeah, i'm fine, thanks." i don't know what happened to the girl after that, i kind of stopped paying attention to her.
the whole thing was a blur. i was biking, i saw the door opening at the split second it was too late for me to turn or stop or do anything. i just hit it because there was nowhere else to go. i was keenly aware of the sounds around me, and somewhere in my senses knew there wasn't a car next to me, but wasn't sure if there was one coming up behind me. i'm so glad there wasn't. but it happened so incredibly lightning fast. i guess that is how most accidents happen.
i move my bike off to the side of the road between the road and sidewalk. i put the chain back on, readjust the seat, and then think, "wow, i'm so, SO lucky no cars were coming!" i then check my mouth and don't feel any teeth missing or taste any blood. i look at my hands and there's no blood or scrapes. my left elbow feels weird and i look and there's a bit of a scrape there. a little one, nothing big or gushing. my right bicep, however, has a larger bruise/scrape (but no blood) and that is the sorest thing on me. i am thankful i was wearing a helmet. and i am thankful i played rugby and learned how to fall. my legs are nearly free of any damage from the incident. in fact, i think i landed completely on my left side: ankles, knees, hips, shoulders. the only thing that was uncovered was my elbow, which got the scrape.
anyway, biked over to the MU and went to the bathroom to wash my elbow, and began thinking about the magnitude of luck i had just encountered.
i was hit only by a stationary vehicle
i was not RUN over by a moving vehicle
i didn't get a concussion
i hardly got injured
no ambulance was necessary, nor name exchange
my bike hardly got injured
the girl's car was uninjured
my pride only got injured a little bit
when i got to work, i borrowed an ice pack from the ladies in the office, where one of them told me about her incident with a parked car door opening into the bike lane. she maimed the door pretty bad, and ambulances were called and there was hospitals and doctors involved.
my arms are tender, and there's a sore spot on my left knee, but i feel very fortunate, despite this crazy, crazy incident.
thanks be to god, or whomever is looking over me!
i tried to leave for work around noon, and when i got to the top of my driveway realized i had a flat front tire. back down to the house to pump it up.
had a smooth ride downtown to the library where i made a copy of my license for some bank documents, and returned a book on tape i had borrowed and paid my $0.65 fine for returning it late.
biked to chipotle to get a burrito bowl for lunch. they're so tasty and it's 1.5 meals for me. got a drink. decided to go toward work to eat under a tree. opened my wallet to put my credit card away and realized i'd left my license at the library in the copy machine. went out to my bike and realized my cup was going to fall out of the bike water bottle holder. used a bungee cord to strap it in. the top popped off as i biked across the street and beverage started spilling. biked down the hill holding the beverage cup safely, with no more spillage. at this point i also realize how hot it is outside. and i'm worried about my license.
got to the library, just as a man was going to use the copy machine. he opened the top, found my license, looked at it as i came careening across the room saying, "hi, that's mine!" and he gave it to me and smiled and i went back outside. at this point i was sweating profusely and starving, so i went across the street to central park to eat my lunch in the shade. at this point i realized that my burrito bowl had leaked onto my, of course, white long sleeve shirt, and had left some salsa stains on the arm. guess i'd clean it when i got to work.
a strange speaking man with dark skin came and i think asked me how i was doing. i said "fine, thank you." and continued eating my lunch. then i think he asked me if he could sit here, and i thought, well, i didn't want him sitting with me, i was trying to cool off and get to work and didn't really feel in the mood for small talk with a stranger. but it is a free country and there are no limits about where people can sit, so i said, "sure, you can sit anywhere you like." thankfully he sat one tree away from me, and set up a blanket since i guess he was going to take a nap.
when i was done eating, i packed up the rest of my lunch, put it into a plastic bag i found in my backpack, and headed back up monroe st. toward campus. i'm feeling calmer about the fact that i got my license back, i paid my fine, i made my copy, i ate my lunch in the shade (it's hot out there!), and managed to repackage my lunch in a way that would not spill anymore in my backpack.
i'm cruising up monroe, past clodfelters, mcmenamin's, jamba juice, and shortly thereafter, WHAM! a woman opens her car door at the exact moment i'm biking past. i ram into the door, yell "ugh!", fall off my bike into the street. realize, holy crap i'm in the street, jump up, and pick up my bike, get out of the middle of the street. no cars coming. the girl gets out of her car and says, "oh my god, are you ok? i'm so sorry! i'm not used to bikes on the road!" i look at myself and realize no blood seems to be gushing out of anywhere and i'm in no particular amount of pain. i'm shaken, and shaky, but i'm not bleeding. the seat on my bike is tweeked sideways, and the chain is off, but otherwise, things seem fine. i say, "i'm fine. did i mess up your car door?" she says, "oh my god, no, you didn't, don't worry about that, are YOU ok?" and i think, and then say, "yeah, i'm fine, thanks." i don't know what happened to the girl after that, i kind of stopped paying attention to her.
the whole thing was a blur. i was biking, i saw the door opening at the split second it was too late for me to turn or stop or do anything. i just hit it because there was nowhere else to go. i was keenly aware of the sounds around me, and somewhere in my senses knew there wasn't a car next to me, but wasn't sure if there was one coming up behind me. i'm so glad there wasn't. but it happened so incredibly lightning fast. i guess that is how most accidents happen.
i move my bike off to the side of the road between the road and sidewalk. i put the chain back on, readjust the seat, and then think, "wow, i'm so, SO lucky no cars were coming!" i then check my mouth and don't feel any teeth missing or taste any blood. i look at my hands and there's no blood or scrapes. my left elbow feels weird and i look and there's a bit of a scrape there. a little one, nothing big or gushing. my right bicep, however, has a larger bruise/scrape (but no blood) and that is the sorest thing on me. i am thankful i was wearing a helmet. and i am thankful i played rugby and learned how to fall. my legs are nearly free of any damage from the incident. in fact, i think i landed completely on my left side: ankles, knees, hips, shoulders. the only thing that was uncovered was my elbow, which got the scrape.
anyway, biked over to the MU and went to the bathroom to wash my elbow, and began thinking about the magnitude of luck i had just encountered.
i was hit only by a stationary vehicle
i was not RUN over by a moving vehicle
i didn't get a concussion
i hardly got injured
no ambulance was necessary, nor name exchange
my bike hardly got injured
the girl's car was uninjured
my pride only got injured a little bit
when i got to work, i borrowed an ice pack from the ladies in the office, where one of them told me about her incident with a parked car door opening into the bike lane. she maimed the door pretty bad, and ambulances were called and there was hospitals and doctors involved.
my arms are tender, and there's a sore spot on my left knee, but i feel very fortunate, despite this crazy, crazy incident.
thanks be to god, or whomever is looking over me!
31 July 2009
in the nick of time
in trying to get at least one post per month, here's july.
it's been hot. really, really, REALLY hot here in oregon. the last week corvallis hit 100 at least 3 or 4 days in a row. and the house just didn't cool down a few nights, even with fan in window. when the heat finally broke and it was 85-90 degrees, it felt like heaven.
i have been working out. it feels good to do so. cardio kick is an OK class, strength training is enjoyable, cycle fit is easy on my knees but a sweaty workout, but step strength REALLY makes me sweat. when the kneecaps start sweating, you know you're working hard. all of the classes except the cycle class really work the core muscles too. so tuesdays and thursdays i've been getting 2x core workout. it's too bad the classes only go for 2 more weeks and i'll only be around one more week. i was just getting into it. now i guess i'll have to try to motivate myself. not as easy. maybe i can get someone to come to the gym with me? then again, maybe not.
am reading a few books lately:
on cd - snow falling on cedars by david guterson
there's a lot of detail and the author goes on and on and is outlining everyone who ever lived in the town's lives. i'm only on disc 3 and there's 10 i think. not sure if i will continue. but it's ok listening in the car on road trips.
in hardcover - robert fulghum's maybe, maybe not. i like the style because it's short stories. i like the fact that nothing is for certain. that we have struggles and have to deal with them and that we never know if we're doing it right or not. we just have to keep trying and working it out. and sometimes the right thing happens, and sometimes it doesn't.
in paperback - the relationship cure by john gottman
learning a little more about communicative styles and my own emotional heritage. turns out the issue i struggle with the most is love, both showing it and receiving it. who knew?
also in paperback - a walk in the woods by bill bryson
haven't started reading this one yet but it's on the horizon in my 'free' time to read out loud.
it's been hot. really, really, REALLY hot here in oregon. the last week corvallis hit 100 at least 3 or 4 days in a row. and the house just didn't cool down a few nights, even with fan in window. when the heat finally broke and it was 85-90 degrees, it felt like heaven.
i have been working out. it feels good to do so. cardio kick is an OK class, strength training is enjoyable, cycle fit is easy on my knees but a sweaty workout, but step strength REALLY makes me sweat. when the kneecaps start sweating, you know you're working hard. all of the classes except the cycle class really work the core muscles too. so tuesdays and thursdays i've been getting 2x core workout. it's too bad the classes only go for 2 more weeks and i'll only be around one more week. i was just getting into it. now i guess i'll have to try to motivate myself. not as easy. maybe i can get someone to come to the gym with me? then again, maybe not.
am reading a few books lately:
on cd - snow falling on cedars by david guterson
there's a lot of detail and the author goes on and on and is outlining everyone who ever lived in the town's lives. i'm only on disc 3 and there's 10 i think. not sure if i will continue. but it's ok listening in the car on road trips.
in hardcover - robert fulghum's maybe, maybe not. i like the style because it's short stories. i like the fact that nothing is for certain. that we have struggles and have to deal with them and that we never know if we're doing it right or not. we just have to keep trying and working it out. and sometimes the right thing happens, and sometimes it doesn't.
in paperback - the relationship cure by john gottman
learning a little more about communicative styles and my own emotional heritage. turns out the issue i struggle with the most is love, both showing it and receiving it. who knew?
also in paperback - a walk in the woods by bill bryson
haven't started reading this one yet but it's on the horizon in my 'free' time to read out loud.
29 June 2009
so, so tired
and miles to go before i rest.
i'm just plain tired.
i did get some sleep this weekend. but it was not enough.
today i've got a serious case of the mondays. and it is hard to focus on something detail intensive like my own scientific research when all i can think of is how comfortable my bed would be right now.
*drowsy eyes*
only 8 hours until i rest. they can't pass quickly enough.
zzzz...
i'm just plain tired.
i did get some sleep this weekend. but it was not enough.
today i've got a serious case of the mondays. and it is hard to focus on something detail intensive like my own scientific research when all i can think of is how comfortable my bed would be right now.
*drowsy eyes*
only 8 hours until i rest. they can't pass quickly enough.
zzzz...
25 June 2009
officially official
i'm sore now.
two more classes today sealed the deal.
cycling on some really cool fitness cycles for an hour straight - 26 miles in 66 minutes
new hip hop dance moves for an hour
now i can barely walk.
calgon, take me away! at least i have some naturopathic sports gel to help ease some of my agony. it's not really agony. more general, whole body stiffness. walking is all of a sudden a really good stretching ritual.
tomorrow and friday: field work! i think i can, i think i can...
what i really hope is that we don't have to do super steep hiking over hill and dale tomorrow...
good night.
two more classes today sealed the deal.
cycling on some really cool fitness cycles for an hour straight - 26 miles in 66 minutes
new hip hop dance moves for an hour
now i can barely walk.
calgon, take me away! at least i have some naturopathic sports gel to help ease some of my agony. it's not really agony. more general, whole body stiffness. walking is all of a sudden a really good stretching ritual.
tomorrow and friday: field work! i think i can, i think i can...
what i really hope is that we don't have to do super steep hiking over hill and dale tomorrow...
good night.
24 June 2009
it's about...time!
i am ready to start a new beginning, and i finally have time for it. it has already begun.
i started writing in my blog again. this in and of itself is a step forward for me. i'm happy to be back and to be thinking and cataloging and wondering about things.
michael and i have parted ways. this was agony and a blessing. i'm living in a new place. the room is extremely small but overall i love having a place to call my own.
i have begun unpacking / reorganizing my things. in the past few years i've lost track of some things that i thought were important, like keeping things simple, not accumulating too much, and staying organized. so i'm about to write the books on how to keep my stuff together in an orderly fashion. this is a quest of self discovery and finding out what i think i can really live with or without.
each category of stuff has some kind of optimal limit of "amount". how many flannel shirts do i really need? this goes on for socks, t-shirts, and other assorted "dress" clothes that i just don't think i'll wear again. i started the process of sorting clothes before i left michael's house - a sort of spring cleaning. i didn't finish, however, because i moved out. so now i'm unpacking all the sorted piles and dealing with them. again, trying to set an optimal limit on how many of each thing i need. how many long sleeve shirts do i need? how many work shirts? how many pairs of pants? shorts?
so far the limit has been loosely based on what fits right now and what doesn't. i find myself in one of those in between sizes that is not really one size (the size i've been for 13 years) and not quite the next size up (though, those clothes are looser and more comfy sometimes). my issue with that is purely pride. i don't WANT to wear the next size up, and i don't WANT to have to go out and buy new clothes.
the solution may be to lose some weight. i would not say i consider myself overweight. but i have just enough little bit extra to make some pants tight in the legs / waist. i am certain this is a quandry all women face. however, most other women are fine with going shopping and getting new clothes. in this way i'm stubborn. no new clothes! i already have enough old ones that are still in good shape! people have suggested goodwill. this way i don't have to spend much money on new clothes. it's the principle, however, of going and buying bigger clothes, that is the real issue for me.
in order to accomplish this "lose a few pounds to get my pants to fit" idea, i decided to buckle down and join the gym. seeing as i hate running outside by myself, and i don't really care for trail running (i always seem to twist my ankle...and i dislike hills though i like the view from the top), i thought i would try going to the gym and seeing what happens.
in general i dislike the gym because the sweat feels fake. it feels slimy. maybe the air circulation in all previous gyms was just bad and didn't allow for proper drying of sweat like being outside in the sun does. (maybe i will start bringing a towel.) in any event, i joined for the whole summer. till october 2nd, actually, which is EXACTLY the weekend of homecoming at hartwick, which i plan to attend. if i can find someone to play tennis with me on a regular basis over the summer, i can really see this going somewhere.
back to the gym. i have been testing out "fit" classes this week, since it is free week and you can go to as many as you want for free (pass for the rest of the summer is $29. why this isn't included in the gym cost, i have no idea.)
here's what i've done so far:
monday - cardio kick
tuesday - step sculpting, strength without boundaries, dance scene
the cardio kick was intense, and i envisioned severe butt pain on tuesday. but i didn't have hardly any pain. did i not do it hard enough? maybe i need to punch harder and push myself harder. i'm sure the teacher will do that for us. she seems good like that. she's very enthusiastic!
the step sculpting was maybe my favorite, but it was only 45 minutes. still good. it takes some coordination of practicing which foot to step with at any given time, but i liked it. this teacher has the least personality of all the teachers so far.
the strength class was all about how many implements you can use to work out without having a home gym. we used a yoga ball, a step, a mat, a leg band, a longer leg band with handles, dumbells, and a bench-press type pole with weights on either side. i get her methodology, and for sure she's working on weight and resistance training, which is something new for me. she is also very perky and always saying, "here we go! you can do it! nice work!"
the dance class was somewhat of a let down. i had taken funky street style dancing at ucdavis, and the teacher there was very into a warm up and isolations and really getting us ready before we started any kind of routine - that is where i perfected my running man, my terminator, my michael jackson thriller move, and my c-walk. the girl yesterday was very nice and seemed to be a good dancer, but we did like, a few warm up stretches and immediately started into the routine she wants to work on. and for one day, we were at my maximum amount of new moves learned that i was sure i wouldn't remember them all (but i did). one new thing we learned was happy feet, which i guess i've done before but it didn't come back as easily as i'd hoped. still, not sure i'll go back to that one.
tonight i will try cycle fit class, and pop hop fusion dance class.
i have yet to try the yoga class or the core conditioning class, but there just wasn't time and a lot of them overlap. i think i will buy the unlimited all summer pass, and just go as often as i can.
what surprises me the most is how NOT sore i am. i figured, with all the movement and the weights and dips and kicking, i would be in severe pain. tuesday i was feeling a little tightness in my back and shoulders, but nothing unmanageable. after the 3 classes yesterday, i have a little soreness in my shoulders and a little stiffness in my legs. but really? i worked out for 3 solid hours yesterday and this is all i have to show for it? my arms aren't even sore and i was sure they would be after doing all these arm exercises with weights. maybe i need to use heavier weights! lord! i'm going to be so buff!
wait, i don't get buff. this i learned in college. well at least i'll have muscles, even if no one can see them but me.
ok i just did an arms over the head and lean back in the computer chair stretch. i can feel some soreness in my abs. which i expected.
another thing i want to start working on is having a routine. of course this is all shot to heck this week (and probably for the next 3 weeks...and then past that cause i'll be on vacation), because work is eating, eating, eating up my days. running an experiment where i need to have solutions running for 30 hours over 2 days. i don't have to be with them all the time, but i don't like to leave them for too long either in case something happens and there's a fire or explosion or whatever. so the last few days i've been getting up at 530am and going to bed around 130am.
for anyone who knows me, this is definitely not enough sleep for me. i need more like 7-8 or more hours on a daily basis. right now i feel a little bit like a zombie, and i'm certainly not being productive. but being here counts as work so i'm getting a bunch of hours. and in the middle of all that, i take breaks to go to work out. however i haven't been eating regularly.
back to routines. perhaps once these next 2-3 crazy weeks are over, i can start normalizing myself again. get up at given time. do some regular morning type activities, like eat, shower, get dressed, pack lunch, take vitamins (i did take a vitamin today!) then bike to work - which is amazing because it is downhill and SO FAST! work for some normal amount of hours. like 8-10/day. go to the gym sometime during the day or play tennis if that works out. go home at a regular hour by bike, which is a workout in and of itself. make dinner. have my evenings to do home type things which i have been neglecting this past week, like sorting things, organizing things, work on photo albums or scrap books.
one thing i've been able to keep up with even through splitting up and moving is dancing. and then i wonder partially if the reason i've been not very sore from the working out is because my core is strong from dancing. could this be the reason for all my strength? who would have thought? anyway i'm doing that and having fun with it. and now i get to dance with lots of partners in a given night, which is even more fun!
well, i think i'll go get back to work. i've got more to write, but probably should get something productive done before the day is completely over.
peace and turtles!
i started writing in my blog again. this in and of itself is a step forward for me. i'm happy to be back and to be thinking and cataloging and wondering about things.
michael and i have parted ways. this was agony and a blessing. i'm living in a new place. the room is extremely small but overall i love having a place to call my own.
i have begun unpacking / reorganizing my things. in the past few years i've lost track of some things that i thought were important, like keeping things simple, not accumulating too much, and staying organized. so i'm about to write the books on how to keep my stuff together in an orderly fashion. this is a quest of self discovery and finding out what i think i can really live with or without.
each category of stuff has some kind of optimal limit of "amount". how many flannel shirts do i really need? this goes on for socks, t-shirts, and other assorted "dress" clothes that i just don't think i'll wear again. i started the process of sorting clothes before i left michael's house - a sort of spring cleaning. i didn't finish, however, because i moved out. so now i'm unpacking all the sorted piles and dealing with them. again, trying to set an optimal limit on how many of each thing i need. how many long sleeve shirts do i need? how many work shirts? how many pairs of pants? shorts?
so far the limit has been loosely based on what fits right now and what doesn't. i find myself in one of those in between sizes that is not really one size (the size i've been for 13 years) and not quite the next size up (though, those clothes are looser and more comfy sometimes). my issue with that is purely pride. i don't WANT to wear the next size up, and i don't WANT to have to go out and buy new clothes.
the solution may be to lose some weight. i would not say i consider myself overweight. but i have just enough little bit extra to make some pants tight in the legs / waist. i am certain this is a quandry all women face. however, most other women are fine with going shopping and getting new clothes. in this way i'm stubborn. no new clothes! i already have enough old ones that are still in good shape! people have suggested goodwill. this way i don't have to spend much money on new clothes. it's the principle, however, of going and buying bigger clothes, that is the real issue for me.
in order to accomplish this "lose a few pounds to get my pants to fit" idea, i decided to buckle down and join the gym. seeing as i hate running outside by myself, and i don't really care for trail running (i always seem to twist my ankle...and i dislike hills though i like the view from the top), i thought i would try going to the gym and seeing what happens.
in general i dislike the gym because the sweat feels fake. it feels slimy. maybe the air circulation in all previous gyms was just bad and didn't allow for proper drying of sweat like being outside in the sun does. (maybe i will start bringing a towel.) in any event, i joined for the whole summer. till october 2nd, actually, which is EXACTLY the weekend of homecoming at hartwick, which i plan to attend. if i can find someone to play tennis with me on a regular basis over the summer, i can really see this going somewhere.
back to the gym. i have been testing out "fit" classes this week, since it is free week and you can go to as many as you want for free (pass for the rest of the summer is $29. why this isn't included in the gym cost, i have no idea.)
here's what i've done so far:
monday - cardio kick
tuesday - step sculpting, strength without boundaries, dance scene
the cardio kick was intense, and i envisioned severe butt pain on tuesday. but i didn't have hardly any pain. did i not do it hard enough? maybe i need to punch harder and push myself harder. i'm sure the teacher will do that for us. she seems good like that. she's very enthusiastic!
the step sculpting was maybe my favorite, but it was only 45 minutes. still good. it takes some coordination of practicing which foot to step with at any given time, but i liked it. this teacher has the least personality of all the teachers so far.
the strength class was all about how many implements you can use to work out without having a home gym. we used a yoga ball, a step, a mat, a leg band, a longer leg band with handles, dumbells, and a bench-press type pole with weights on either side. i get her methodology, and for sure she's working on weight and resistance training, which is something new for me. she is also very perky and always saying, "here we go! you can do it! nice work!"
the dance class was somewhat of a let down. i had taken funky street style dancing at ucdavis, and the teacher there was very into a warm up and isolations and really getting us ready before we started any kind of routine - that is where i perfected my running man, my terminator, my michael jackson thriller move, and my c-walk. the girl yesterday was very nice and seemed to be a good dancer, but we did like, a few warm up stretches and immediately started into the routine she wants to work on. and for one day, we were at my maximum amount of new moves learned that i was sure i wouldn't remember them all (but i did). one new thing we learned was happy feet, which i guess i've done before but it didn't come back as easily as i'd hoped. still, not sure i'll go back to that one.
tonight i will try cycle fit class, and pop hop fusion dance class.
i have yet to try the yoga class or the core conditioning class, but there just wasn't time and a lot of them overlap. i think i will buy the unlimited all summer pass, and just go as often as i can.
what surprises me the most is how NOT sore i am. i figured, with all the movement and the weights and dips and kicking, i would be in severe pain. tuesday i was feeling a little tightness in my back and shoulders, but nothing unmanageable. after the 3 classes yesterday, i have a little soreness in my shoulders and a little stiffness in my legs. but really? i worked out for 3 solid hours yesterday and this is all i have to show for it? my arms aren't even sore and i was sure they would be after doing all these arm exercises with weights. maybe i need to use heavier weights! lord! i'm going to be so buff!
wait, i don't get buff. this i learned in college. well at least i'll have muscles, even if no one can see them but me.
ok i just did an arms over the head and lean back in the computer chair stretch. i can feel some soreness in my abs. which i expected.
another thing i want to start working on is having a routine. of course this is all shot to heck this week (and probably for the next 3 weeks...and then past that cause i'll be on vacation), because work is eating, eating, eating up my days. running an experiment where i need to have solutions running for 30 hours over 2 days. i don't have to be with them all the time, but i don't like to leave them for too long either in case something happens and there's a fire or explosion or whatever. so the last few days i've been getting up at 530am and going to bed around 130am.
for anyone who knows me, this is definitely not enough sleep for me. i need more like 7-8 or more hours on a daily basis. right now i feel a little bit like a zombie, and i'm certainly not being productive. but being here counts as work so i'm getting a bunch of hours. and in the middle of all that, i take breaks to go to work out. however i haven't been eating regularly.
back to routines. perhaps once these next 2-3 crazy weeks are over, i can start normalizing myself again. get up at given time. do some regular morning type activities, like eat, shower, get dressed, pack lunch, take vitamins (i did take a vitamin today!) then bike to work - which is amazing because it is downhill and SO FAST! work for some normal amount of hours. like 8-10/day. go to the gym sometime during the day or play tennis if that works out. go home at a regular hour by bike, which is a workout in and of itself. make dinner. have my evenings to do home type things which i have been neglecting this past week, like sorting things, organizing things, work on photo albums or scrap books.
one thing i've been able to keep up with even through splitting up and moving is dancing. and then i wonder partially if the reason i've been not very sore from the working out is because my core is strong from dancing. could this be the reason for all my strength? who would have thought? anyway i'm doing that and having fun with it. and now i get to dance with lots of partners in a given night, which is even more fun!
well, i think i'll go get back to work. i've got more to write, but probably should get something productive done before the day is completely over.
peace and turtles!
18 December 2008
happy holidays
there's much to catch up on.
a nearly waste free thanksgiving - we had 14 people for thanksgiving dinner, and requested that people bring their own plastic containers to take home leftovers. we had a few leftovers ourselves, but the best part was that we filled *maybe* 1/4 of a brown shopping bag with garbage. i was SO pleased! stay green, oregon!
new job - i started my new job in wood science and engineering. i spent the first several days finding obscure glassware and other lab supplies in a huge lab with mislabeled drawers, and the next several days grinding up wood samples with a dremel tool. first lesson learned: it's a good idea to wear dust colored clothing when you're going to be doing a dusty job.
first snow - it snowed for real here over this past weekend. and it's snowing again at this very moment. snow is so pretty. i love it. but the city i live in has no clue how to handle it. so they did nothing. result: very icy roads the past few days!
holidays - well i have my holiday letter written, but not edited for grammar or space for a photo. and now it will have to wait till i get back to CT to see my family, though they have a super speedy printer and maybe i can even do a color photo! we'll see. in the meanwhile i'm working on labels and such.
party party party! - i've learned you just can't party enough, especially around the holidays when all your friends are heading out to be with their families. last week i think i went to parties 6 nights in a row! saw miracle on 34th street which a very sweet play, and have been hanging with friends and taking it easy...
another first - where i'm usually known for being the drink lady at the soup kitchen, this week they needed help on the front line. so i became a salad server! it was crazy! actually it was not that difficult. i was able to still help out the kid working the drink table, and serve up salad fast enough that no one went without. we ended up with tons of leftover hot dogs and spanish rice. most people couldn't make it because of the weather.
that's about it for now, a very brief update. happy holidays! stay warm people!
a nearly waste free thanksgiving - we had 14 people for thanksgiving dinner, and requested that people bring their own plastic containers to take home leftovers. we had a few leftovers ourselves, but the best part was that we filled *maybe* 1/4 of a brown shopping bag with garbage. i was SO pleased! stay green, oregon!
new job - i started my new job in wood science and engineering. i spent the first several days finding obscure glassware and other lab supplies in a huge lab with mislabeled drawers, and the next several days grinding up wood samples with a dremel tool. first lesson learned: it's a good idea to wear dust colored clothing when you're going to be doing a dusty job.
first snow - it snowed for real here over this past weekend. and it's snowing again at this very moment. snow is so pretty. i love it. but the city i live in has no clue how to handle it. so they did nothing. result: very icy roads the past few days!
holidays - well i have my holiday letter written, but not edited for grammar or space for a photo. and now it will have to wait till i get back to CT to see my family, though they have a super speedy printer and maybe i can even do a color photo! we'll see. in the meanwhile i'm working on labels and such.
party party party! - i've learned you just can't party enough, especially around the holidays when all your friends are heading out to be with their families. last week i think i went to parties 6 nights in a row! saw miracle on 34th street which a very sweet play, and have been hanging with friends and taking it easy...
another first - where i'm usually known for being the drink lady at the soup kitchen, this week they needed help on the front line. so i became a salad server! it was crazy! actually it was not that difficult. i was able to still help out the kid working the drink table, and serve up salad fast enough that no one went without. we ended up with tons of leftover hot dogs and spanish rice. most people couldn't make it because of the weather.
that's about it for now, a very brief update. happy holidays! stay warm people!
17 November 2008
another first
another weekend is behind me. i actually had a pretty good one.
went salsa dancing on friday night which, with a little music and a little help, i was able to get right back into. i haven't danced salsa regularly since the summer of 2000. i think i might actually go again this friday night. why not?
saturday was a challenging day, for personal reasons. but by saturday night i was dancing my feet off, and felt a whole lot better.
and then sunday, why, kirsten was having a pre-birthday taffy pull! i had never made taffy before, so it was an interesting process. learning about the boiling sugar getting past the "hard ball" stage but not quite to the "soft crack" stage...buttering plates, grating chocolate and cardamom, dripping in some vanilla...and after some stirring and cooling and buttering of hands, we all grabbed our taffy and started pulling. it's almost the opposite of kneading bread. but we pulled it, let it fall in a pile, picked it up, pulled it apart, let it fall back on the plate...repeat repeat until it gets cool enough to sort of stick together...then we rolled it out and cut it into pieces and let it cool further. meanwhile i had to taste some to make sure it came out OK.
i made chocolate-vanilla-cardamom first, and vanilla-peppermint later, which i colored purple. why not? other batches included:
peppermint
chocolate-cardamom-hazelnut
chocolate-hazelnut
chocolate-coconut
and much wax paper ripping and wrapping and twisting later, we had a pile of delicious taffy to split up and enjoy!
yet another first for me is rereading the harry potter series. what? reread? i barely have time to read. but, this series did grab me, and as such, i started rereading. book one, which i think took me several weeks to read last time? this time, 2 days. emilie was right, it does go faster the second time. maybe because i skip words or know what's going on or recall the movie while i'm reading. we'll see what happens as i progress through the books.
it's a sunny day. i am feeling my spirits lift already. though i'm still tired.
cheers.
went salsa dancing on friday night which, with a little music and a little help, i was able to get right back into. i haven't danced salsa regularly since the summer of 2000. i think i might actually go again this friday night. why not?
saturday was a challenging day, for personal reasons. but by saturday night i was dancing my feet off, and felt a whole lot better.
and then sunday, why, kirsten was having a pre-birthday taffy pull! i had never made taffy before, so it was an interesting process. learning about the boiling sugar getting past the "hard ball" stage but not quite to the "soft crack" stage...buttering plates, grating chocolate and cardamom, dripping in some vanilla...and after some stirring and cooling and buttering of hands, we all grabbed our taffy and started pulling. it's almost the opposite of kneading bread. but we pulled it, let it fall in a pile, picked it up, pulled it apart, let it fall back on the plate...repeat repeat until it gets cool enough to sort of stick together...then we rolled it out and cut it into pieces and let it cool further. meanwhile i had to taste some to make sure it came out OK.
i made chocolate-vanilla-cardamom first, and vanilla-peppermint later, which i colored purple. why not? other batches included:
peppermint
chocolate-cardamom-hazelnut
chocolate-hazelnut
chocolate-coconut
and much wax paper ripping and wrapping and twisting later, we had a pile of delicious taffy to split up and enjoy!
yet another first for me is rereading the harry potter series. what? reread? i barely have time to read. but, this series did grab me, and as such, i started rereading. book one, which i think took me several weeks to read last time? this time, 2 days. emilie was right, it does go faster the second time. maybe because i skip words or know what's going on or recall the movie while i'm reading. we'll see what happens as i progress through the books.
it's a sunny day. i am feeling my spirits lift already. though i'm still tired.
cheers.
06 November 2008
the one that didn't get away
this weekend, michael came home with the hind leg of an elk his hunting buddy got last week. so this past monday, we spent the afternoon / evening, cutting up the leg into steaks and such. we ended up with a bowl of not-quite usable pieces, and so last night we made elk burger. this is the first time i've ever dealt with an animal quite in this way, and while i thought i might be grossed out by it, i wasn't. so now i know where my food comes from. at least, this food, and all the food we got out of the garden this year. while we were making the burger last night at gathering together farm, i thought i might like to work there next year. maybe it's in the cards. could i work there part time?
i have been somewhat busy with working and not working for the past several months, and have just not taken the time to blog about any of it. but maybe i can change that. still have the slow connection that doesn't really make for uploading photos, but i could write more and keep the 2 people who may or may not read this up to date on my life.
this blog thing is hard, too, because i want to be honest and yet, i don't want to be too open about my life. certain things just need to stay off the universal internet. why? so feelings don't get hurt. but then i'm only presenting one side of myself and then people don't know the true me. but then maybe they don't need to.
*shrug* just another day, i guess...
hope to post more soon!
i have been somewhat busy with working and not working for the past several months, and have just not taken the time to blog about any of it. but maybe i can change that. still have the slow connection that doesn't really make for uploading photos, but i could write more and keep the 2 people who may or may not read this up to date on my life.
this blog thing is hard, too, because i want to be honest and yet, i don't want to be too open about my life. certain things just need to stay off the universal internet. why? so feelings don't get hurt. but then i'm only presenting one side of myself and then people don't know the true me. but then maybe they don't need to.
*shrug* just another day, i guess...
hope to post more soon!
17 June 2008
where does the time go?
it has been ENTIRELY too long since i last wrote on here. this must end. but not right now.
since march a lot of things have happened.
i went to the dentist.
i got a new job
i went to CT and my grandma died
i went back to the job
i took a cross country road trip with kirsten! (map coming soon hopefully!)
i resumed the job again.
i interviewed for another job...and got it! starting end of july.
till then i am working like crazy.
our kitchen is finished, now we need to put stuff back in it. a long process.
the garden is in! things are looking good. we have 23 pepper plants! and 2 tomatillos! and 5 tomatoes! and a bunch of other stuff!
i got a new gas grill! i am SO pumped about it. i could grill every night. it's SO GREAT. really great. awesome even. YAY!!!
that's all i can think of for right now. hope to put up some pictures and more detailed entries about things soon...maybe...if i get to it... :)
since march a lot of things have happened.
i went to the dentist.
i got a new job
i went to CT and my grandma died
i went back to the job
i took a cross country road trip with kirsten! (map coming soon hopefully!)
i resumed the job again.
i interviewed for another job...and got it! starting end of july.
till then i am working like crazy.
our kitchen is finished, now we need to put stuff back in it. a long process.
the garden is in! things are looking good. we have 23 pepper plants! and 2 tomatillos! and 5 tomatoes! and a bunch of other stuff!
i got a new gas grill! i am SO pumped about it. i could grill every night. it's SO GREAT. really great. awesome even. YAY!!!
that's all i can think of for right now. hope to put up some pictures and more detailed entries about things soon...maybe...if i get to it... :)
10 March 2008
BACKPOSTING
HEY ALL YOU BLOG READERS OUT THERE.
I GOT A LITTLE BEHIND, BUT I POSTED SOME BLOGS THIS EVENING.
THEY ARE DATED FROM THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY.
PLEASE GO BACK AND READ THEM IF YOU'RE AT ALL INTERESTED IN WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING THESE PAST FEW MONTHS!!
AND FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT!
peace, love, and turtles...
I GOT A LITTLE BEHIND, BUT I POSTED SOME BLOGS THIS EVENING.
THEY ARE DATED FROM THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY.
PLEASE GO BACK AND READ THEM IF YOU'RE AT ALL INTERESTED IN WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING THESE PAST FEW MONTHS!!
AND FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT!
peace, love, and turtles...
the kitchen where soup is made and served
it’s a funny place sometimes.
i go there on wednesdays.
my main job there is to prepare the drinks and then serve them. it sounds easy but it can get tense when i run out of things like milk or coffee or a certain kind of juice. people can be a little cranky sometimes, and you’d be surprised how many people have certain things they can’t / won’t drink.
i have been going for almost a year now. i see many of the same people every week. and some only come once and are gone.
there are regulars. i know them by what they like to drink.
i go there on wednesdays.
my main job there is to prepare the drinks and then serve them. it sounds easy but it can get tense when i run out of things like milk or coffee or a certain kind of juice. people can be a little cranky sometimes, and you’d be surprised how many people have certain things they can’t / won’t drink.
i have been going for almost a year now. i see many of the same people every week. and some only come once and are gone.
there are regulars. i know them by what they like to drink.
- the "coffee in a cup" lady
- the guy who only drinks water
- the guy who takes multiple trips through the line and only drinks water
- the guy who drinks milk with his meal, and coffee afterwards
- the guy who thinks i look like ellen degeneres, who drinks milk
- there used to be this one lady who always wanted 4 milks
- the couple who always get apple juice for the lady, milk for the guy
- the guy who always says "i'll take milk if you have it" (we always have it)
- the guy who can't drink anything made with city water except coffee
- the guy who always asks if we have orange juice
- the guy i refer to as "the milk man" because he always says "leche"
- there are 2 guys who look very different who always drink coffee with 1 cream, 2 sugars
- the guy who wears the carhartt coveralls who either drinks coffee exclusively (and lots of it) or occasionally tea
some people only drink coffee and lots of it. some people only drink juice. some people can't have citrus. it's very amusing sometimes.
of late, there's been some controversy about how old i am. i have white hair, in streaks on top of my head. and there's one guy who asked me 2 weeks ago if i was 60. then last week, he wasn't sure if i was over 40 or under 40. but he started calling me old timer.
the guy in the carhartts always makes some comment about my tie dye shirts. i wear them to cheer up the place, it could use a little color. anyway one time he asked me if i was a hippy and i didn't know how to answer. i said no, but then i thought maybe yes, and he said we needed more hippies around. then last week he asked me if i drove a volkswagon micro bus. i said no. he said i should get one and paint peace signs on the side of it.
anyway, wednesday is a day i always look forward to. the kitchen always smells so good when we get there, and i get a ride from margrete, my diagonally across the street neighbor. the dynamic in the kitchen is interesting because everyone is older than me. that is not what makes it interesting, but everyone has such dynamic personalities. there's margrete, who is german. then there's pat, who is always making jokes about me dancing or playing rugby or running out of milk. pat is the dishwasher and is quick witted. marilyn is just very nice and is generally smiling and in a good mood. tom scrapes the dishes, and always smiles when i bring him something to wash. and there's vicki and marge who work very hard, and bob and his wife who do most of the cooking along with dorothy.
together we're a great team!
the kitchen remodel project
well we decided it was time to do something different with the kitchen. it started off as just a plan - to reface the cabinets and get new doors and drawers made.
on friday we decided to re-do the whole entire thing. there was unscrewing and sawing and drilling and all sorts of things, and the next thing you know, the berlin wall came down (literally) and we had an open kitchen leading to the living room. on saturday we rebuilt the wall. on sunday we screwed down the drywall. today there was mudding and taping, and tomorrow will be sanding.
in order to prepare for this kitchen project, many things had to be accomplished. before anything could actually happen, we had to clean the kitchen out. but before that, we had to take the cabinet doors off. which turned out to be harder than just unscrewing the hinges because the hinges were so painted over that we couldn’t get to the screws. so michael cut new slots in every screw in the entire kitchen, and i unscrewed the hinges and removed the doors.
the following week included a lot of emptying cabinets and shelves, sorting things into categories, and boxing up all the things we keep in the kitchen. you wouldn’t believe it, but almost all the boxes i used to move my stuff from CA to here were used in boxing up this kitchen. i guess that means there was a lot of stuff. we were able to come to an agreement on a few things that we just don’t need anymore. so now everything is in one of 2 rooms, in one of many, many boxes. and the drawers are laid out on a spare bed so we can still get to them when we need to.
what i didn’t like, was on the day of the removal of everything, the 2 guys (dan and michael) that were doing the work were making comments about me not helping out. um, excuse me, but where were you both the whole previous week when the cabinets needed to be emptied and packed up? where were you when the strategizing about where things needed to go to be accessible was happening? where were you when the actual boxing of things was happening? not only was i annoyed at their ignorance, i was plain angry that they considered me to be a non-helper. because anyone who knows me, knows i'm everyone's #1 helper. i just didn't want to be in the way of all the ripping and shredding and downright testosterone that was happening in such a small space.
on friday we decided to re-do the whole entire thing. there was unscrewing and sawing and drilling and all sorts of things, and the next thing you know, the berlin wall came down (literally) and we had an open kitchen leading to the living room. on saturday we rebuilt the wall. on sunday we screwed down the drywall. today there was mudding and taping, and tomorrow will be sanding.
in order to prepare for this kitchen project, many things had to be accomplished. before anything could actually happen, we had to clean the kitchen out. but before that, we had to take the cabinet doors off. which turned out to be harder than just unscrewing the hinges because the hinges were so painted over that we couldn’t get to the screws. so michael cut new slots in every screw in the entire kitchen, and i unscrewed the hinges and removed the doors.
the following week included a lot of emptying cabinets and shelves, sorting things into categories, and boxing up all the things we keep in the kitchen. you wouldn’t believe it, but almost all the boxes i used to move my stuff from CA to here were used in boxing up this kitchen. i guess that means there was a lot of stuff. we were able to come to an agreement on a few things that we just don’t need anymore. so now everything is in one of 2 rooms, in one of many, many boxes. and the drawers are laid out on a spare bed so we can still get to them when we need to.
what i didn’t like, was on the day of the removal of everything, the 2 guys (dan and michael) that were doing the work were making comments about me not helping out. um, excuse me, but where were you both the whole previous week when the cabinets needed to be emptied and packed up? where were you when the strategizing about where things needed to go to be accessible was happening? where were you when the actual boxing of things was happening? not only was i annoyed at their ignorance, i was plain angry that they considered me to be a non-helper. because anyone who knows me, knows i'm everyone's #1 helper. i just didn't want to be in the way of all the ripping and shredding and downright testosterone that was happening in such a small space.
09 March 2008
an unusual assortment
friends
one thing i really really enjoy about living here and not being involved with the university, but rather with the dance community, is the friends i've made in just the past year.
they're great. i love spending time with them on a very regular basis. at least 1-2 times a week, sometimes more, we get together and have dinner. sometimes we have dinner and a movie. sometimes we just eat and talk. sometimes there's only 2 of us, sometimes there's 10. sometimes we go running. sometimes we set out to run and just walk and talk. and on the weekends, we generally contra dance together. and if we are dancing out of town, we carpool together. it's a special thing i've never really had anywhere else. i cherish them very, very much.
---
physical me
i am thinking about getting active again but am not sure what i should do. i know the best way for me to do so is to get involved with a team. but what? on the weekends i dance. during the week i have been keeping track of my steps per day. even going for a walk helps me feel better sometimes.
---
mental challenges
i have been getting back into doing sudokus, jumbles, and crossword puzzles again. i like the patterns and i like the way it feels to have my mind working. maybe that means i’m ready for a job.
---
visual/audio entertainment
on movie nights with friends, we've recently watched:
- hillary and tenzing - climbing to the roof of the world
- lord of the rings - the two towers (this dvd kept skipping around, it was very challenging to get through, not knowing if we'd see the next scene in order or from 1/2 hour ago)
- a mighty wind (turns out, i LOVE this soundtrack. i must have it. the songs have been stuck in my head for days.)
i have been doing some reading:
- reading – three cups of tea by mortensen and relin
- listening – on the road by jack kerouac
turns out, listening to a book on cd is hard for me to do while trying to do housework. i keep moving from room to room and feel like i’m missing something every time i leave and so i have to rewind. it’s much more ideal for me to listen while on a long distance drive.
one thing i really really enjoy about living here and not being involved with the university, but rather with the dance community, is the friends i've made in just the past year.
they're great. i love spending time with them on a very regular basis. at least 1-2 times a week, sometimes more, we get together and have dinner. sometimes we have dinner and a movie. sometimes we just eat and talk. sometimes there's only 2 of us, sometimes there's 10. sometimes we go running. sometimes we set out to run and just walk and talk. and on the weekends, we generally contra dance together. and if we are dancing out of town, we carpool together. it's a special thing i've never really had anywhere else. i cherish them very, very much.
---
physical me
i am thinking about getting active again but am not sure what i should do. i know the best way for me to do so is to get involved with a team. but what? on the weekends i dance. during the week i have been keeping track of my steps per day. even going for a walk helps me feel better sometimes.
---
mental challenges
i have been getting back into doing sudokus, jumbles, and crossword puzzles again. i like the patterns and i like the way it feels to have my mind working. maybe that means i’m ready for a job.
---
visual/audio entertainment
on movie nights with friends, we've recently watched:
- hillary and tenzing - climbing to the roof of the world
- lord of the rings - the two towers (this dvd kept skipping around, it was very challenging to get through, not knowing if we'd see the next scene in order or from 1/2 hour ago)
- a mighty wind (turns out, i LOVE this soundtrack. i must have it. the songs have been stuck in my head for days.)
i have been doing some reading:
- reading – three cups of tea by mortensen and relin
- listening – on the road by jack kerouac
turns out, listening to a book on cd is hard for me to do while trying to do housework. i keep moving from room to room and feel like i’m missing something every time i leave and so i have to rewind. it’s much more ideal for me to listen while on a long distance drive.
05 March 2008
spring is coming
spring weather in the willamette valley of oregon means warm days and cool, usually clear nights.
it’s just march and the crocus and daffodils are blooming, and the daphnes are just about to be on. i'm imagining in california the buckeye's have already leafed out.
we’ve been doing a bit of yard work, including mowing the lawn, hoeing the massive amounts of weeds in the garden, reclaiming the garden from the lawn that keeps trying to take over, and pruning the plum, pear, and apple trees, and kiwi and grape vines.
the lunar eclipse happened on a wednesday a couple weeks ago, which is the exact day my friends and i usually go running. instead, we went on a walk and enjoyed the early evening light, and by the time the sun went down we could see the moon eclipsing, and the sky was clear. we drove to a better viewing spot together, and managed to see the earth move in between the sun and moon. it was a pretty neat thing to see, and it was nice that it was at an hour that wasn’t unreasonable like the last one, which happened between 130-5am. plus, it's much more fun to share those sorts of experiences with other people, vs sleeping in a cot on the porch, alone aside from the cat sleeping on my feet. which, was good in its own way. (to see pictures from last summer's eclipse, reference back to my august 2007 blog archives. i didn't take any photos this time.)
it’s just march and the crocus and daffodils are blooming, and the daphnes are just about to be on. i'm imagining in california the buckeye's have already leafed out.
we’ve been doing a bit of yard work, including mowing the lawn, hoeing the massive amounts of weeds in the garden, reclaiming the garden from the lawn that keeps trying to take over, and pruning the plum, pear, and apple trees, and kiwi and grape vines.
the lunar eclipse happened on a wednesday a couple weeks ago, which is the exact day my friends and i usually go running. instead, we went on a walk and enjoyed the early evening light, and by the time the sun went down we could see the moon eclipsing, and the sky was clear. we drove to a better viewing spot together, and managed to see the earth move in between the sun and moon. it was a pretty neat thing to see, and it was nice that it was at an hour that wasn’t unreasonable like the last one, which happened between 130-5am. plus, it's much more fun to share those sorts of experiences with other people, vs sleeping in a cot on the porch, alone aside from the cat sleeping on my feet. which, was good in its own way. (to see pictures from last summer's eclipse, reference back to my august 2007 blog archives. i didn't take any photos this time.)
03 March 2008
to do-s galore
i’m always making to do lists.
they aren’t always in one place.
so then i have these to do notes to myself all over the house.
sometimes they're lost. sometimes they're found.
and sometimes things get checked off, and sometimes they don’t.
what happens to things that never get done? were they that un-urgent?
do other people have this problem?
they aren’t always in one place.
so then i have these to do notes to myself all over the house.
sometimes they're lost. sometimes they're found.
and sometimes things get checked off, and sometimes they don’t.
what happens to things that never get done? were they that un-urgent?
do other people have this problem?
02 March 2008
a celebratory weekend
leap day was my radio birthday, and march 1st was michael’s birthday.
we started the weekend off right by having lunch with one of michaels friends at osu. and then we invited all our friends to go get pizza with us at our favorite pizza place. and then people came over for ice cream, and they stayed till midnight so we could sing happy birthday.
and then saturday we had a contra dance, and then had a big group sleepover with our friends. our friend em has a house with a bunch of beds, so we dragged all the mattresses down to the living room, and lined them up so we could all sleep together in one big line of beds. we ate popcorn and talked, had a fire in the fireplace and roasted marshmallows for s’mores. and we all fell asleep approximately 10 seconds after we all laid down.
and then sunday we woke up and had special breakfast, then we came home and did garden work all day, then michael, his daughter and i went to the depot for a delicious fish dinner.
what a weekend!
(no wonder we had post-party let down the next day!)
we started the weekend off right by having lunch with one of michaels friends at osu. and then we invited all our friends to go get pizza with us at our favorite pizza place. and then people came over for ice cream, and they stayed till midnight so we could sing happy birthday.
and then saturday we had a contra dance, and then had a big group sleepover with our friends. our friend em has a house with a bunch of beds, so we dragged all the mattresses down to the living room, and lined them up so we could all sleep together in one big line of beds. we ate popcorn and talked, had a fire in the fireplace and roasted marshmallows for s’mores. and we all fell asleep approximately 10 seconds after we all laid down.
and then sunday we woke up and had special breakfast, then we came home and did garden work all day, then michael, his daughter and i went to the depot for a delicious fish dinner.
what a weekend!
(no wonder we had post-party let down the next day!)
29 February 2008
happy radio birthday to me
this only happens once every 4 years, but i’m happy to say that this is the third (or 12th) anniversary of me getting my dj license at wrho 89.7fm, “the voice of hartwick college” in oneonta ny.
it was the birth of bert, sister kristen, the nameless one, the captain...
it was the beginning of bert and the brown shoes, brother joe and sister kristen, the nonexistent truth...as well as football, soccer, field hockey, and even a lacrosse game...
and so many hours on air, for regular 3 hour weekly shows, subbing in for other people, 18 hour shows - alone and with others, the 48 hour show, the daylight savings marathon, the "welcome freshmen" shows, the spring weekend nights on frisbee field...
it was the freshman takeover, with my fellow djs - joe, dawn, brian, missy...
it was meeting new people, and making friends i wouldn't have made elsewhere - martin, brad, mathew, jorge, eric f, jj, shaun, jim, eric d, amy, kevin
it was making sure everyone in the organization felt welcome, including the non-students - wolfman, charlie the k, jerry k, irwin, mike w, mike s, uncle bill, the other guy who was on fridays before uncle bill took his place...
it was countless hours of hanging around in the station during other people's shows, or even when no one else was on the air.
it was listening to music that had just been released, and only to the college audience...and some of it was amazing and some of it was so, so awful...
i have so many fond memories! i loved WRHO. and will forever.
it was the birth of bert, sister kristen, the nameless one, the captain...
it was the beginning of bert and the brown shoes, brother joe and sister kristen, the nonexistent truth...as well as football, soccer, field hockey, and even a lacrosse game...
and so many hours on air, for regular 3 hour weekly shows, subbing in for other people, 18 hour shows - alone and with others, the 48 hour show, the daylight savings marathon, the "welcome freshmen" shows, the spring weekend nights on frisbee field...
it was the freshman takeover, with my fellow djs - joe, dawn, brian, missy...
it was meeting new people, and making friends i wouldn't have made elsewhere - martin, brad, mathew, jorge, eric f, jj, shaun, jim, eric d, amy, kevin
it was making sure everyone in the organization felt welcome, including the non-students - wolfman, charlie the k, jerry k, irwin, mike w, mike s, uncle bill, the other guy who was on fridays before uncle bill took his place...
it was countless hours of hanging around in the station during other people's shows, or even when no one else was on the air.
it was listening to music that had just been released, and only to the college audience...and some of it was amazing and some of it was so, so awful...
i have so many fond memories! i loved WRHO. and will forever.
26 February 2008
face vs. house
in this situation, the house always wins.
i was putting firewood into the woodbox by the backdoor. we have 2 steps from the landing where the door is to the ground level, where the wheelbarrow is. so i have one foot on the 1st step and one foot on the ground. lean to the wheelbarrow, grab some logs, pivot and put them in the box, pivot back. repeat. until i get sloppy and forget my spatial reality, and WHAM-O, i smash my face into the corner of the house. i yell. i spit. i rub my head. i go inside. my tooth feels rough.
i chipped my tooth putting wood in the wood box. and spit out the piece.
luckily it wasn’t visible, and i went to the dentist a few days later and everything looks fine.
but just in case anyone was wondering, i wouldn't recommend going head to head with the corner of the house. it just doesn't feel that good.
i was putting firewood into the woodbox by the backdoor. we have 2 steps from the landing where the door is to the ground level, where the wheelbarrow is. so i have one foot on the 1st step and one foot on the ground. lean to the wheelbarrow, grab some logs, pivot and put them in the box, pivot back. repeat. until i get sloppy and forget my spatial reality, and WHAM-O, i smash my face into the corner of the house. i yell. i spit. i rub my head. i go inside. my tooth feels rough.
i chipped my tooth putting wood in the wood box. and spit out the piece.
luckily it wasn’t visible, and i went to the dentist a few days later and everything looks fine.
but just in case anyone was wondering, i wouldn't recommend going head to head with the corner of the house. it just doesn't feel that good.
17 February 2008
dance dance dance the night away
this weekend was the corvallis contra dance camp. michael and i were able to pull ourselves together, though it was looking a little questionable for m at the beginning because he’d been sick for the past 2 weeks after dancing fool.
we danced friday night, saturday morning, saturday afternoon, saturday evening, sunday morning, sunday afternoon, and sunday evening.
michael says we danced 23 hours overall, including not just contra dance, but waltzing, and learning salsa rueda. and it ended up that there weren't enough men during the rueda lessons, so i ended up having to dance lead for most of it. hopefully i will remember how to follow one day when i actually dance it at a club.
there were many fun dancers at this camp as well. several new faces, some young people - children, who were having a GREAT time, and who really knew what they were doing - as well as many familiar fun faces.
the bands - THE GREAT BEAR TRIO and THE KITCHEN BAND were just amazing. they knew just when to really make things move and we were all rocking away for hours on end, sweating through the gatorade like we were on one of their commercials.
this camp reiterated the fact that i really need new dance shoes.
being that it was an in-town camp, we also hosted to guests at our house. it would seem they had an enjoyable stay.
we danced friday night, saturday morning, saturday afternoon, saturday evening, sunday morning, sunday afternoon, and sunday evening.
michael says we danced 23 hours overall, including not just contra dance, but waltzing, and learning salsa rueda. and it ended up that there weren't enough men during the rueda lessons, so i ended up having to dance lead for most of it. hopefully i will remember how to follow one day when i actually dance it at a club.
there were many fun dancers at this camp as well. several new faces, some young people - children, who were having a GREAT time, and who really knew what they were doing - as well as many familiar fun faces.
the bands - THE GREAT BEAR TRIO and THE KITCHEN BAND were just amazing. they knew just when to really make things move and we were all rocking away for hours on end, sweating through the gatorade like we were on one of their commercials.
this camp reiterated the fact that i really need new dance shoes.
being that it was an in-town camp, we also hosted to guests at our house. it would seem they had an enjoyable stay.
13 February 2008
recipe reader
i don’t like reading much.
well i guess it isn’t that i don’t like to do it, i just don’t make time to do it.
i’m not that creative of a chef either. i mean, i can make the basic stuff really well, but i don’t have a real creative streak when it comes to cooking.
but, in the last few months, i’ve realized that i like looking up recipes and printing them off, or looking in cookbooks and finding recipes that sound interesting. and i really enjoy reading the recipes.
making the dishes, well that’s a different story.
the things i’ve made seem to have turned out well, and people usually say “yum!” or at least they don’t say “yuck!” and spit it out. or else my friends are just super polite and would eat it even if it tasted like sawdust.
however, when it comes to the motivation to make something new, going shopping is not high on my priority list of “fun” things to do. plus, i’m always very worried that things aren’t going to end up tasting good anyway. this is probably an unrealistic worry, as i mentioned in the previous paragraph – no one has not eaten what i’ve made.
i might also have a tendency towards making things that i am fairly confident will be delicious. especially if they’re dips or sauces. these are my favorite things to make:
- basil pesto
- tomatillo salsa
- any dip that uses cream cheese or sour cream, most recently spicy crab dip
i'm not intending this to be a recipe sharing forum or anything, but if anyone has any meal or sauce / dip ideas they've tried successfully, i'd be open to hearing about it.
in the meanwhile, i think i'll go open betty crocker and see what i can find for dinner tomorrow. or maybe we'll just order pizza. :)
well i guess it isn’t that i don’t like to do it, i just don’t make time to do it.
i’m not that creative of a chef either. i mean, i can make the basic stuff really well, but i don’t have a real creative streak when it comes to cooking.
but, in the last few months, i’ve realized that i like looking up recipes and printing them off, or looking in cookbooks and finding recipes that sound interesting. and i really enjoy reading the recipes.
making the dishes, well that’s a different story.
the things i’ve made seem to have turned out well, and people usually say “yum!” or at least they don’t say “yuck!” and spit it out. or else my friends are just super polite and would eat it even if it tasted like sawdust.
however, when it comes to the motivation to make something new, going shopping is not high on my priority list of “fun” things to do. plus, i’m always very worried that things aren’t going to end up tasting good anyway. this is probably an unrealistic worry, as i mentioned in the previous paragraph – no one has not eaten what i’ve made.
i might also have a tendency towards making things that i am fairly confident will be delicious. especially if they’re dips or sauces. these are my favorite things to make:
- basil pesto
- tomatillo salsa
- any dip that uses cream cheese or sour cream, most recently spicy crab dip
i'm not intending this to be a recipe sharing forum or anything, but if anyone has any meal or sauce / dip ideas they've tried successfully, i'd be open to hearing about it.
in the meanwhile, i think i'll go open betty crocker and see what i can find for dinner tomorrow. or maybe we'll just order pizza. :)
03 February 2008
a dancing fool
life state = washington!
well i can check another state of the list of states i’ve never been to. on feb 1 we went up to seattle washington for a contra dance camp called “dancing fool”. apparently a frank zappa song.
anyway, we hit tons of traffic going up there, which was almost unbearable. and there was no side road to get onto, so we just had to sit in it: one sort of minor accident and one pretty major, multiple car accident that smashed the barrier into our side of the highway.
the dance itself was brilliant. we danced for 18 hours over the course of a friday night, saturday day, and sunday morning. needless to say, i trashed my dance shoes and my feet, my energy and my smile, but it was worth it on so many levels. there were hundreds of good, fun, daring, risky, high energy, playful dancers to meet and dance with, and i would definitely go again in a heartbeat. as long as i get new shoes.
and then we returned to corvallis where we both promptly got sick. michael got the flu, i got some variant. oh goodie.
well i can check another state of the list of states i’ve never been to. on feb 1 we went up to seattle washington for a contra dance camp called “dancing fool”. apparently a frank zappa song.
anyway, we hit tons of traffic going up there, which was almost unbearable. and there was no side road to get onto, so we just had to sit in it: one sort of minor accident and one pretty major, multiple car accident that smashed the barrier into our side of the highway.
the dance itself was brilliant. we danced for 18 hours over the course of a friday night, saturday day, and sunday morning. needless to say, i trashed my dance shoes and my feet, my energy and my smile, but it was worth it on so many levels. there were hundreds of good, fun, daring, risky, high energy, playful dancers to meet and dance with, and i would definitely go again in a heartbeat. as long as i get new shoes.
and then we returned to corvallis where we both promptly got sick. michael got the flu, i got some variant. oh goodie.
24 January 2008
and so it goes...
well it's a gray, cold january here in oregon and for me, it's been a series of highs and lows, both physical and emotional. after a great new years contra dancing party in west hartford, which is maybe the best way to start off the year, michael and i hit a couple more contra dances in greenfield mass before returning to our cold, western state.
the weather, for me, has never played much of a role in my mood, aside from the fact that i don't think of going outside to play if it's pouring rain, or even just raining a bit. this year, however, has proved to be slightly different. perhaps it's that i'm paying more attention to my mood, and someone i know who lives in portland oregon has kept mood journals over the years and notices a definite down-trend during the cold, dreary, wet, winter months. i've never done that, thinking that i would be bias towards myself, making myself think i was feeling gray even if i wasn't. but this year, i have had a series of days where i've asked myself if i'm feeling depressed. am i sad? am i feeling low because of events that have happened or just because there's no sunlight? hard to say, but sitting around thinking about it sometimes makes it worse. attitude is everything, they say, and i'm not going to let myself get down just because it's easy.
in sadder news, rachel's cat midnight died on monday. it was an extremely hard day for all of us, emotionally, because she showed up sunday night and the cat was having a hard time walking and not eating and hardly drinking anything. we knew the end was near, we just didn't know how long she had. and then rachel went to class on monday and on her drive back from portland, the cat coughed and seized a little bit, and then just stopped breathing. it was sad in that the cat had been with rachel since childhood, and was her home companion and friend. i felt sad not just because of the loss of life and a loved one, but because i realized what she represented to rachel - a piece of her life, gone forever. there was a lot of crying, periods of calm, followed by more sad thoughts and more crying. i had a headache after that for hours. we buried midnight under the light of the nearly-full moon, at almost midnight...and may she rest in peace in our hearts and minds as well.
in happier news, then, my friend shelley from san francisco came to visit on tuesday! she was en route to hawaii via seattle, but was in portland on a stopover and stayed for the night. we had a great time chatting, snacking, laughing, and generally talking a lot. during the day she was here, there was napping, sitting by the fire, drinking tea, going for a walk downtown, shopping at the co-op, and dinner with my friend emilie. the next day i drove shelley back to the airport, and we spent some time reading the comics and looking at the security line before she decided to head through. she got security scanned for making last minute arrangements, and apparently her sandal set off one of the security detectors. as far as i know right now she is in hawaii and in a happy place. she was just what i needed after monday's events.
however all that driving put me in a weird place, physically and mentally. i enjoyed it because i was able to listen to some of my old radio shows on tape, and laughed about how silly i was then, and how much fun it was to be on the radio. memories came flowing back and i was in a good frame of mind. when i got home, i realized the house was empty with michael gone to las vegas, so i called kirsten and paul who came over for dinner, guitar playing, looking at pictures, and snuggling with the kitties. when they left around 9, i thought it seemed early to be tired, but then i proceeded to fall fast asleep on the couch. vivid dreams of college homecomings and contra dancing and later on i was in possession of some special magical device that could protect my friends and i from hail the size of golfballs that also had razor blades on it. i just had to focus real hard on what i wanted to happen and it would. meanwhile there were bad guys abounding trying to hurt me for one reason or another, and there was just a lot going on so i was glad when the phone rang and i woke up.
a contra dance friend, dan, called today. he wanted to come and check our kitchen, which he is going to redo for us, to check on the location of the window and some cabinet and drawer specs. he had been to portland last night, at which time he had visited a museum with an exhibit about contra dancing. he picked up one of the promo cards and brought it back, and he showed it to me...and it was ME on the card! taken last january in new hampshire, i knew that there was someone taking pictures, and i knew that he was somewhat of an artist, this photographer. he had exhibits around the walls of the hall where we danced. anyway, i was shocked to see myself on the front of this card, promoting his gallery. while it is a cool photo - i'm in the ray of sunlight shooting through the one open window - i'm not making a very attractive face, and it appears i have a serious double chin going on. i shouldn't complain, i'm practically a star!
http://www.dougplummer.com/#/dance/At%20The%20Dance/7/
it's cold in the house. think i'll go sit by the fire. then it's on to big project, getting "my room" cleaned out a little and set up in a way that would make me feel like spending more time in there.
hope all is well for you all in blog world.
the weather, for me, has never played much of a role in my mood, aside from the fact that i don't think of going outside to play if it's pouring rain, or even just raining a bit. this year, however, has proved to be slightly different. perhaps it's that i'm paying more attention to my mood, and someone i know who lives in portland oregon has kept mood journals over the years and notices a definite down-trend during the cold, dreary, wet, winter months. i've never done that, thinking that i would be bias towards myself, making myself think i was feeling gray even if i wasn't. but this year, i have had a series of days where i've asked myself if i'm feeling depressed. am i sad? am i feeling low because of events that have happened or just because there's no sunlight? hard to say, but sitting around thinking about it sometimes makes it worse. attitude is everything, they say, and i'm not going to let myself get down just because it's easy.
in sadder news, rachel's cat midnight died on monday. it was an extremely hard day for all of us, emotionally, because she showed up sunday night and the cat was having a hard time walking and not eating and hardly drinking anything. we knew the end was near, we just didn't know how long she had. and then rachel went to class on monday and on her drive back from portland, the cat coughed and seized a little bit, and then just stopped breathing. it was sad in that the cat had been with rachel since childhood, and was her home companion and friend. i felt sad not just because of the loss of life and a loved one, but because i realized what she represented to rachel - a piece of her life, gone forever. there was a lot of crying, periods of calm, followed by more sad thoughts and more crying. i had a headache after that for hours. we buried midnight under the light of the nearly-full moon, at almost midnight...and may she rest in peace in our hearts and minds as well.
in happier news, then, my friend shelley from san francisco came to visit on tuesday! she was en route to hawaii via seattle, but was in portland on a stopover and stayed for the night. we had a great time chatting, snacking, laughing, and generally talking a lot. during the day she was here, there was napping, sitting by the fire, drinking tea, going for a walk downtown, shopping at the co-op, and dinner with my friend emilie. the next day i drove shelley back to the airport, and we spent some time reading the comics and looking at the security line before she decided to head through. she got security scanned for making last minute arrangements, and apparently her sandal set off one of the security detectors. as far as i know right now she is in hawaii and in a happy place. she was just what i needed after monday's events.
however all that driving put me in a weird place, physically and mentally. i enjoyed it because i was able to listen to some of my old radio shows on tape, and laughed about how silly i was then, and how much fun it was to be on the radio. memories came flowing back and i was in a good frame of mind. when i got home, i realized the house was empty with michael gone to las vegas, so i called kirsten and paul who came over for dinner, guitar playing, looking at pictures, and snuggling with the kitties. when they left around 9, i thought it seemed early to be tired, but then i proceeded to fall fast asleep on the couch. vivid dreams of college homecomings and contra dancing and later on i was in possession of some special magical device that could protect my friends and i from hail the size of golfballs that also had razor blades on it. i just had to focus real hard on what i wanted to happen and it would. meanwhile there were bad guys abounding trying to hurt me for one reason or another, and there was just a lot going on so i was glad when the phone rang and i woke up.
a contra dance friend, dan, called today. he wanted to come and check our kitchen, which he is going to redo for us, to check on the location of the window and some cabinet and drawer specs. he had been to portland last night, at which time he had visited a museum with an exhibit about contra dancing. he picked up one of the promo cards and brought it back, and he showed it to me...and it was ME on the card! taken last january in new hampshire, i knew that there was someone taking pictures, and i knew that he was somewhat of an artist, this photographer. he had exhibits around the walls of the hall where we danced. anyway, i was shocked to see myself on the front of this card, promoting his gallery. while it is a cool photo - i'm in the ray of sunlight shooting through the one open window - i'm not making a very attractive face, and it appears i have a serious double chin going on. i shouldn't complain, i'm practically a star!
http://www.dougplummer.com/#/dance/At%20The%20Dance/7/
it's cold in the house. think i'll go sit by the fire. then it's on to big project, getting "my room" cleaned out a little and set up in a way that would make me feel like spending more time in there.
hope all is well for you all in blog world.
20 December 2007
'tis the season to...crave dairy?
i don't know what it is about this time of year, this year, but for some reason i have been craving dairy products like it's nobody's business. milk, egg nog, cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream...luckily i'm ok with lowfat on some of those things, but i'm wondering why. why dairy. is my body not getting something it needs that dairy can provide?
in other news, the running and situps have been going extremely well. although i weighed myself on the scale at the mall the other day and it said i weigh almost 180 which i know cannot be true. i do not weigh 20 pounds more than i usually weigh. that is not possible without going up a pant size. i did have on shoes, pants, a sweater, and a jacket. perhaps that stuff weighed more than i figured. in actuality i think i've been between 155-165 for the past 12 years. i may have gotten down below 150 when i was playing rugby and running all the time for 6 months or something.
what else is new. i'm in CT for the holidays which is pretty great. i'm especially happy about this high speed internet connection! it's so different than what i have back in OR (but i am grateful to have anything at all, m!) my family is doing well and i'm looking forward to seeing the extended family on christmas and beyond. and i really am hoping we'll have a white christmas. really, really hoping for that.
i also am planning to go contra dancing, 3 times this weekend! that should be great, seeing the old gang again and actually getting to dance in my hometown once! a rare yet wonderful event!
so for now i should sign off, work on my christmas letter for an hour or so, and then go for my run, do my situps, wrap some presents, and whatever else strikes my fancy! my brother and i are doing our shopping trip tonight. should include some fabulous gifts, like beano, gas-x, nighttime breathe right strips, and other things that just get the gang to laugh on christmas morning!
in other news, the running and situps have been going extremely well. although i weighed myself on the scale at the mall the other day and it said i weigh almost 180 which i know cannot be true. i do not weigh 20 pounds more than i usually weigh. that is not possible without going up a pant size. i did have on shoes, pants, a sweater, and a jacket. perhaps that stuff weighed more than i figured. in actuality i think i've been between 155-165 for the past 12 years. i may have gotten down below 150 when i was playing rugby and running all the time for 6 months or something.
what else is new. i'm in CT for the holidays which is pretty great. i'm especially happy about this high speed internet connection! it's so different than what i have back in OR (but i am grateful to have anything at all, m!) my family is doing well and i'm looking forward to seeing the extended family on christmas and beyond. and i really am hoping we'll have a white christmas. really, really hoping for that.
i also am planning to go contra dancing, 3 times this weekend! that should be great, seeing the old gang again and actually getting to dance in my hometown once! a rare yet wonderful event!
so for now i should sign off, work on my christmas letter for an hour or so, and then go for my run, do my situps, wrap some presents, and whatever else strikes my fancy! my brother and i are doing our shopping trip tonight. should include some fabulous gifts, like beano, gas-x, nighttime breathe right strips, and other things that just get the gang to laugh on christmas morning!
06 December 2007
getting through some things
i have yet to blog about my trips to arizona, new york, connecticut, or hawaii, nor have i written anything about thanksgiving, not going back to work, my new running/exercise regimen (see sidebar), or about the massive cleaning project i'm beginning...but all in due time. just don't want people to think i've dropped off the planet. oh, and i'm also getting christmas card / letter stuff together, and collecting addresses, and...you get the idea.
dog alarm clocks
you know how some people have those clocks that have sounds on them to wake them up in the morning? you know how some people have those cds with dogs barking to the tune of "jingle bells" or some such thing? you know how some people really love their dogs so much, they leave them at home for hours at a time, and they get lonely, and then they start barking? and then the neighbors dogs start barking? and then other neighbors dogs start barking? and then the whole neighborhood which probably has like 10 dogs are all barking or howling?
yeah, that's what got me up this morning. let's say i was NOT pleased. that's why we have cats.
yeah, that's what got me up this morning. let's say i was NOT pleased. that's why we have cats.
01 November 2007
i love carmel.
i just do. i love it. i wish i'd gone trick or treating, and i would have said "i don't want your candy unless it has carmel in it." delicious.
11 October 2007
and then...poof!
(not much time to write right now, nor will there be any time soon, so here's the update.)
time has been slip, slip, slipping away, in the best of possible ways of course, but it seemed that i had all the free time in the world, which all of a sudden was reduced to hardly any free time at all. i went from biking everywhere to living out of my car. and from a leisurely lifestyle with my only commitment being soup kitchen on wednesdays at lunchtime and hanging out with the cats in the garden, to on the go, busy busy busy all the time. alternate titles for this post included "where does the time go" or "and then there was none", and so forth.
i started playing rugby for the oregon state university womens rugby club, collectively known as the black plague, although when i asked what they say when they cheer at games, they said "go beavs" which is the oregon state university mascot (the osu beavers)(at least it isn't the oregon ducks. what's so tough about a duck?) we practice 3 nights a week. back to back practices, not all that fun, i have to say.
i got a new job! i have been working at the oregon state university vegetable research farm for the past 2 weeks, on hazelnut breeding research. this namely means i have been crawling around on my hands and knees, collecting hazelnuts that have fallen to the ground and putting them in a bucket. however, my inquisitive nature makes me ask a lot of questions, and so i've learned a lot more about hazelnuts than probably the rest of my co-workers.
yesterday was my birthday! it was a beautiful, gorgeous, just about perfect day (we ate lunch during the torrential downpour) and the sunset was really peaceful. some people even remembered my birthday with cards and/or emails and/or phone calls. so far, 30 isn't so bad.
the next few weeks include some exciting adventures, which i'm sure everyone is looking forward to hearing about. all in good time, all in good time...
time has been slip, slip, slipping away, in the best of possible ways of course, but it seemed that i had all the free time in the world, which all of a sudden was reduced to hardly any free time at all. i went from biking everywhere to living out of my car. and from a leisurely lifestyle with my only commitment being soup kitchen on wednesdays at lunchtime and hanging out with the cats in the garden, to on the go, busy busy busy all the time. alternate titles for this post included "where does the time go" or "and then there was none", and so forth.
i started playing rugby for the oregon state university womens rugby club, collectively known as the black plague, although when i asked what they say when they cheer at games, they said "go beavs" which is the oregon state university mascot (the osu beavers)(at least it isn't the oregon ducks. what's so tough about a duck?) we practice 3 nights a week. back to back practices, not all that fun, i have to say.
i got a new job! i have been working at the oregon state university vegetable research farm for the past 2 weeks, on hazelnut breeding research. this namely means i have been crawling around on my hands and knees, collecting hazelnuts that have fallen to the ground and putting them in a bucket. however, my inquisitive nature makes me ask a lot of questions, and so i've learned a lot more about hazelnuts than probably the rest of my co-workers.
yesterday was my birthday! it was a beautiful, gorgeous, just about perfect day (we ate lunch during the torrential downpour) and the sunset was really peaceful. some people even remembered my birthday with cards and/or emails and/or phone calls. so far, 30 isn't so bad.
the next few weeks include some exciting adventures, which i'm sure everyone is looking forward to hearing about. all in good time, all in good time...
05 September 2007
this muggle's DONE reading the harry potter series
...to be updated as i progress...
i began reading the harry potter books and watching the harry potter movies. being someone not really into reading, i thought it gave me a good reason to read something when it was just too hot out to do anything else. so my friend emilie and i have been renting the movies on tuesday nights, and then she gives me the book of the movie we just watched.
what? you're thinking...why do you read the book after the movie?
i learned this the hard way. if i read the book and then watch the movie, 9 times out of 10, i'm disappointed by the movie. this way, i let the movie stand on its own, and then fill in the details and further my understanding of the movie by reading the book. it makes sense to me.
anyway here's my impressions so far:
1. harry potter and the sorcerer's stone
movie - 2 thumbs up
that's it for the books, now i just have to wait patiently for the movies to come out!
i began reading the harry potter books and watching the harry potter movies. being someone not really into reading, i thought it gave me a good reason to read something when it was just too hot out to do anything else. so my friend emilie and i have been renting the movies on tuesday nights, and then she gives me the book of the movie we just watched.
what? you're thinking...why do you read the book after the movie?
i learned this the hard way. if i read the book and then watch the movie, 9 times out of 10, i'm disappointed by the movie. this way, i let the movie stand on its own, and then fill in the details and further my understanding of the movie by reading the book. it makes sense to me.
anyway here's my impressions so far:
1. harry potter and the sorcerer's stone
movie - 2 thumbs up
book - 309 pages, 10 days = ~31 pages a day
2. harry potter and the chamber of secrets
movie - 1 thumb up, 1 thumb down
book - 341 pages, 8 days = ~43 pages a day
3. harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban
movie - 2 thumbs up
book - 435 pages, 9 days, = ~48 pages a day
4. harry potter and the goblet of fire
movie - 2 thumbs up for action, only 1 thumb for sticking to the book
book - 734 pages, 14 days = ~52 pages a day
5. harry potter and the order of the phoenix
movie - not out on video yet
book - 870 pages, 9 days = ~97 pages a day
6. harry potter and the half blood prince
movie - not out yet
book - 652 pages, 21 days (been busy!) = ~31 pages a day
7. harry potter and the deathly hallows
movie - not out yet
book - 759 pages, 16 days = ~47 pages a day
that's it for the books, now i just have to wait patiently for the movies to come out!
30 August 2007
lunar eclipse
while i wasn't able to stay up all night - or rather, wasn't able to fully wake up every 1/2 hour from 2am-530am (even though i set an alarm clock), i did manage to get up a few times to snap some photos of the lunar eclipse, which occured on august 28th.
i believe it's the first lunar eclipse i've ever bothered to a. pay attention to, or b. take photos. i did use the opportunity to sleep outside in a mummy sleeping bag, which i've decided is just not a good fit for me unless it's freezing cold out. plus the cat was sleeping on my feet, which was fine except i didn't want to disturb his sleep as well as mine. :)
so although the set is a little incomplete, since my desire to stay in bed is greater than the desire to get up, here's what i have.
130am ------------------- 200am
215am ------------------- 230am
400am #1 ------------------ 400am #2
i believe it's the first lunar eclipse i've ever bothered to a. pay attention to, or b. take photos. i did use the opportunity to sleep outside in a mummy sleeping bag, which i've decided is just not a good fit for me unless it's freezing cold out. plus the cat was sleeping on my feet, which was fine except i didn't want to disturb his sleep as well as mine. :)
so although the set is a little incomplete, since my desire to stay in bed is greater than the desire to get up, here's what i have.
130am ------------------- 200am
215am ------------------- 230am
400am #1 ------------------ 400am #2
i had a little more trouble with the 400am ones, simply because there was so little light, i had to keep the shutter open significantly longer than the others, and my hand, even though the camera was on the tripod, just wasn't super still.
24 June 2007
back
i'm in connecticut again, but not exactly what i had planned. i'd originally figured i'd come home for my usual 4th of july trip, and to stay for 2 weeks and visit with my parents, grandma, and grandpa.
however on father's day i called home to find out how things were going, and my mom said, sadly, that my grandfather had just been diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to his liver. that pretty much sent me into complete sadness and despair, and i flew home nearly immediately.
i am now spending many days and some nights over at his house with him, since he lives alone (his wife, my other grandma, died in 1995).
grandpa and i have been close since i got out of college in 1999, and maybe even before that. we enjoy a good lunch together, generally a noodle side dish, or some grilled cheese and tomato soup. we talk about things, stories of the past, about life and lessons we've learned, people we've met, things we've seen, and i fix his computer and show him how to work his dvd player. he is still incredibly sharp and can learn things even at 94 years old. and still has a great memory.
it has been very difficult to hear this news and know that he will now not get better. hospice has become involved and they will help keep him comfortable. he has always said he doesn't want to burden anyone, nor does he want to *be* a burden to anyone, so i'm not sure how long this will go on. he has a strong will to live and has survived many many things in his lifetime. he has had a wonderful life with so many blessings, and he knows that and appreciates it.
i love him so much.
however on father's day i called home to find out how things were going, and my mom said, sadly, that my grandfather had just been diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to his liver. that pretty much sent me into complete sadness and despair, and i flew home nearly immediately.
i am now spending many days and some nights over at his house with him, since he lives alone (his wife, my other grandma, died in 1995).
grandpa and i have been close since i got out of college in 1999, and maybe even before that. we enjoy a good lunch together, generally a noodle side dish, or some grilled cheese and tomato soup. we talk about things, stories of the past, about life and lessons we've learned, people we've met, things we've seen, and i fix his computer and show him how to work his dvd player. he is still incredibly sharp and can learn things even at 94 years old. and still has a great memory.
it has been very difficult to hear this news and know that he will now not get better. hospice has become involved and they will help keep him comfortable. he has always said he doesn't want to burden anyone, nor does he want to *be* a burden to anyone, so i'm not sure how long this will go on. he has a strong will to live and has survived many many things in his lifetime. he has had a wonderful life with so many blessings, and he knows that and appreciates it.
i love him so much.
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