Running with the Rotation of the Earth
UN-believable! I felt like I was on the biggest virtual reality treadmill in the world.
Seriously. Well, seriously, because I guess I was. Running on the spinning Earth. But knowing, I was running on the spinning Earth, and noticing it and realizing the bigness of the whole thing. (Geez, today really is turning out to be quite a sapfest–it’s like I have overly emotional sentimental hormones coursing thru my body or something…)(Make it stop!)
Anyboohoo, for about ¼ of a mile, I seemed to be running in the same direction the Earth was spinning. It sounds crazy. It was awesome, and it felt incredible and strange. More importantly, I didn’t fall down from the weird effect, AND I’m not high or drunk.
If I had run the other way on the trail, I never would have noticed it. I started off in the other direction. 3.6 and counting down or backwards. I like to do it that way so it seems like I have less to go. Like, instead of running to the 2 mile mark, I only have “less than” 2 to go…make sense? Doesn’t matter.
At any rate, when I got to the space between the ½ mile mark, running toward the ¼ mile mark (going backwards) the trail opens up into a big field. No trees, just flat grass on the side. Nothing around. Just the trail in the middle of all that ground and sky. And as I looked up at the clouds, they seemed to be moving in front of me, rolling forward like giant cotton balls, and I was running with them on the surface of the Earth. It really felt like a giant treadmill with a slow motion moving picture show in front of me. I never even lost my balance! And then it was over.
I was back on the ground with the rest of the world, just running. Time sped back up and regulated. I made it to the end, walked to the car and drove home.
And here I am. Friday afternoon. The sun is still shining and I’m waiting on my son.
After I changed, I jumped back on the scale and weighed within .2 (that’s point 2) of the weight I wanted to start from on my 20 pound adventure. So I’ll start from here. Close enough. I am officially declaring myself even. Oh, what a feeling.
Back to hard boiled eggs and yogurt with granola. It was delicious. For real. Apparently, diet DOES make the difference. I felt a million times better running today than I did two days ago. The difference is the crap I DIDN’T eat. Ugh! How many times until I learn??
As usual, I had my music with me. I set it to shuffle on my ALL GYM play list and let it rock. 272 songs, and the following twelve rolled off the hard drive and into my head. I’m including them below. In order, as they played. It’s good for a 4 mile run. Right to the end, if you’re slow like me. Give it a chance. I was impressed. Luck mostly, but sometimes things just…work.
Today is the day!
It’s Friday. It’s beautiful. The sun was shining through my children’s window in such a way that it makes you feel like everything will be ok.
Not to say that anything is bad…it’s just that kind of day. If you can’t take the sap this early, I understand. Check back later for the post about my Wednesday Church experience. No cheese included. That’s kind of weirdly ionic huh? Sun=Peace. Church=No peace.
Back to today:
I found a dime, walking the kids to school (separate post).
I took a shower, fresh shampoo, fresh soap, fresh fragrance…I feel really clean, like, squeaky clean, AND I used a new deodorant that smells like Florida! The good Florida. Beachy, sunny, oceany, sexy southern sultry, steam off the street…man I miss that place…
Anyway, I’m posting a bit, catching up. Update the daily life and what I’m doing. I’ve been busy with actual out-of-the-house stuff. Had to get more school related paperwork, make 10 different appointments for body checks, myself and the kiddies, run to the drug store for cards and snacks and special lunch for my daughter who has 5th grade picnic, take the boyfriends mom to the doc, pick up prescriptions, take the mom back to the doc, talk to my mom, my sis, my niece, my ex, my exes ex….you know, just stuff.
One school year ends, another begins. My son is going into 6th grade! Jr. High! So exciting. He’s visiting the school today to see how it looks, get a feel for lockers, and changing classes, and being a teenager. Then he gets to have Basketball Pizza Party after school. Still no trophies though. He says Tuesday. I haven’t forgotten. I have the post all ready, just need to throw in the pictures. I know every single one of you is dying to see those Bowling and Basketball trophies. Stay tuned!
I have one more doc trip with the BF mom’s today at noonish, then I can hit the trail and wait for my daughter to get home.
I have to run, even though I’m plodding out there like a hippo in the heat. It’s pathetic. It feels pathetic. Every step, I just want to stop. But now I have to go to the doc’s this Monday and I don’t want to weigh too much. If you are still following my, “Lose 20 lbs. by Warrior Dash” extravaganza, here’s the update: I have to lose 2 pounds just to get down to the original weight I wanted to lose 20 from. So I’m working on that, but nature is battling against me. It’s like the perfect storm of weight gain. Natures gift wreaking havoc, bad dinners, late nights, early mornings…It sucks. I have to stop eating and try to live on coffee and breath mints until Monday for my “fake weight” at the doc’s, and then work on the real thing next week. I know, I know, It’s not healthy, it’s not a good example, but who cares. Those medical records follow you around FOREVER! I can’t be overweight every single time! It’s soul crushing! The good thing is that I am actually about 20+ lbs. down from the last time I was there, so it still looks good, but for my personal self and all you people—still too heavy. Plus, I can’t be running around an obstacle course with flabby arms and a weak belly. I want to look all cut and sexy covered in mud and sweat and swamp water. Wouldn’t you?
Now that I’ve really sidetracked…let’s see…the BF is playing Poker with the buds later, so dinner is all me and the kids. So how many people out there think it’s going to be chicken breast and brown rice. Uh huh. More like Taco Bell and Baskin Robbins…see what I’m up against? I guess I’ll just eat and throw up. Not. Please check the following post about that BAD IDEA. I just tell myself, don’t eat THAT much. Am I a F…ing idiot??? Sometimes.
I’m so far behind here. Let me wrap this up. School, Exercise, Posting, Dinner, Weekend Parties, Movies, Popcorn, Ice Cream…that sound about right.
Church post, Flower post, Money post, Mason New Toy Post, Cool Word, Quote, and Music List.
No trophies, no weight loss.
Pictures WILL be included.
Chicago is sunny and 70. It really is a beautiful day.
Check back here later for a laugh or two, but get outside if you can.
Later gators!
Sunday Morning
After re-reading that questionable Friday/Saturday ranting post, I feel as if I may have been drunk and crazy while typing.
It’s weird because it doesn’t make alot of sense, and it looks all scattery. I wasn’t even a little intoxicated. In fact, I didn’t drink anything alcoholic all day. Just coffee and water.
Let’s just say that I was, and never go back.
The party for my nephew was rocking. Not at all lame or boring. (Here’s to you J and A!) The presents were a hit of course, and the food was good. My sissy had cupcakes and mini-eclairs as birthday cake. ALWAYS an excellent choice. You can never go wrong with desserts you can put into your mouth whole. We stayed too late, and then stayed up a little later after we got home. Had to do something to work that pastry out of the system…
The only thing I didn’t get to do was play my music. Boo Hoo. I really don’t mind, I can always use it at my nieces graduation party we will be hosting in 2 weeks (8th grade–so it’s perfectly aged)
I will post it later for the masses. It’s really a good combo, and this is the season for it. I’ll even throw in the Mud Bug Boil play list, another one for the same family that I slaved on and never got played, but it’s good for the older mixed crowd. I had yesterday’s list named Birthday Party, but I guess I’ll just trim it up to Party or Popular Party or something that indicates a “younger” type party, but not baby, or kegger…don’t you love when I type the exact thing I’m thinking? I know Amanda does. That’s what makes this so interesting and exciting that people would want to read it over and over, and then post a comment about how very cool and interesting it is, because I’m just SO exciting and NOT stupid. Ha.
Take a look at the picture below. It is a helicopter that you control on an arm and try to pick up a cargo box with. My brother, the engineer, got it for my 4-year old nephew as his birthday present. Two hours later and one battery change in, he (my brother) finally figured out how to make it pick up the box. The pick-up hook attached to the underbelly of the helicopter actually EXTENDS. One more time around, and…hooked! Up it went. I took photo proof so all those years of schooling wouldn’t be a complete waste…Next time, Tom, just buy the kid a talking firetruck.
Here’s to you my brother:
Unbreakable…
The new Dodge Challenger has but one arch enemy; one adversary; one nemesis in all the land…
The new Chevy Camaro.
A superhero rivalry forged in the 70’s; depicted with copycat body styles and similarly hued skin paint. Both left for dead, but brought back now to battle each other for American supremacy. If you favor one, you tend to dislike the other. I’m not really sure why that is, but it holds true for me.
I’m all about the Mopar, cool as hell, and popular with all the fast, Hemi-power people. Six pack and all that…without the flashy graphic help of a cool movie…ahem…
But, the new Camaro did receive quite a boost last year thanks to a certain yellow Bumblebee, in a Transforming motion picture flick…and that’s the only one I’ve ever seen. And I’ve never seen one on the street. And I’ve never seen it in red.
Until yesterday.
Saturday afternoon, on my way to my sissy’s…we stopped at the oasis for a coffee and there it was in the parking lot. I barely had time to get my camera out before it sensed the enemy and took off.
The picture is grainy and from a distance. I tried to get it, but it was too fast. I am not really fond of the Camaro but you have to keep an eye on your enemies… Vigilance is key; Complacency is death.
I’ll get her next time.
Friday Afternoon and I’m about to start the party…Scratch that…Saturday Style now…
Catchy huh?
Update:
It WAS Friday: (from last night):
It is Friday. There is going to be a party. I’m not starting it though. I’m going to it. I’m bringing the music. It’s tomorrow. It’s also Memorial Day Weekend kickoff night. I know alot of people are confused because it seems like Memorial Day is a weekend too early. Me included. Plus the BF is off of work today so that just threw my whole lazy tv/computer schedule right off the track. The kids are gone now for the weekend with their daddy and apparently the BF thinks I mean something else with that saucy headline. We can get to that soon enough, but first a recap of the day, because I know how much everyone enjoys reading about my daily life. (Especially my sister. Haha.)
After the kids went to school, we were supposed to hit a “spin” class. Luckily, I am still in the dark about what that might be…the BF had a killer migraine until noonish, when I forced him up and out to go to my favorite running trail in the woods. Nothing cures a splitting headache faster than walking around in the broiling midday sun for four miles. And it was hot. We are in the midst of freaky spring here in Chicago. It’s the time of year when outdoor temps soar from 40 to 90 overnight, and everyone rejoices for summer and takes off all their clothes, and buries the heavy sweaters until suddenly, on a random afternoon, 1 week later, the temperature mysteriously begins to drop 10 degrees per hour and by the next day it’s raining and 39 and everyone in the city has pneumonia.
Summer in the city. Catch it!
We did the exercise, got food, went home.
The kids arrived from school, packed themselves up, made their beds, and left with their dad for the weekend.
We went to a funeral wake; sad.
And then to various stores, for fixing items we need, for all the things that broke this week.
My sister had texted me early morning to create a music play list for her son’s party. Fun, kid, modern, with an 80’s twist. Nothing obscene or graphic and vulgar. So while the BF took pills and waited for his head to stop hurting, I sifted thru all the fun music I could think of and made up a pretty good party mix. (Then we went exercising–I’m messing up the time-line a little bit–jumping back and forth.)
I wanted to post last night but I got sidetracked with a mini emergency and let the night go after it was resolved.
Current Notice: It’s Saturday!
Still can’t post though because I have to go to the party right now! I spent the morning, cleaning up…my personal self…my back yard…my bird feeders…laundry…I even planted some seeds for the front of my house! (I use the word “planted” loosely, as I really just shook a bunch of seeds out of a can onto the dirt and then watered them.) I’ll post progress pictures as the days go by. That will be fun! Expect a picture of wet dirt and the flower can soon! (It’s all for you sissy!!–I know how much you love my play-by-play days!!)
Look, how are YOU spending your long weekend??
Anyway, I’ll be heading out. I need to stop at the Starbucks to get a coffee, so I need to go now.
Check back in a few hours. I’ll have the list of the party music and let you know how it all turned out.
Enjoy your Saturday!
(Last years flowers are below, to brighten up the place while you wait!)
There IS death in the cup…Beware!
Death in the cup by way of Vodka and Pepsi. Aren’t I smart?
Had such a good day yesterday, just hanging out at home, and posting silly stuff on the internets, and then I had to go and ruin it by trying to eat myself to death and drinking the vodkas and the pepsi’s.
Seriously, I thought that I would have to go to the hospital. I stuffed every last single piece of pizza into my mouth that I could ferret out of the large pizza box. If you’re hand was anywhere near the zone of the pizza box you would have gotten hurt. Then, I was chugging down Pepsi and Vodka, it was good, better than popsicles and vodka, but even more filling.
By the time I was done sucking every last drop of Pepsi from the 2-liter and picking every crusty olive and onion off the cardboard and watching the last episode of 2½ Men/Season 3 (CLIFF hanger!), I was over. I was paralyzed and in a food coma. Not even a coma, because in a coma I would have been sleeping. This was like being pregnant again. A giant ball in the middle of my stomach that I couldn’t move or manuever with. I wanted to go and make myself throw up just to relieve the pressure, but I couldn’t stand.
And now I was thirsty as hell. The pizza we get has, like, every ingredient you can think of except sardines. So obviously, you can get kind of parched from all the salt. So I tried to sip water, but it was so good and hydrating. Now I’m water-full on top of full-full. I put the kids to bed and laid down. The BF tried to be nice and rub my belly, but I didn’t want anybody or anything touching it.
I was actually thinking about those sitcom shows that have people who eat too much laying around with their shirts up and pants off, moaning and groaning all droopy eyed and turning green and running toward the toilet getting ready to vomit. I felt exactly like that. I even thought, “Hmm, I guess this is an actual reality.” I have never eaten that much in my whole life. Or maybe I have but my stomach is smaller now, it doesn’t really matter, because obviously I didn’t die, but I have made a vow to never eat that much again. Or crap food. I will however, continue to drink vodka with various mixers, it’s not the alcohols fault for cry-yie!
In honor of my new vows to health, I went immediately to the trail after the kids went to school, and ran my still-bloated ass around the track for 3+ miles. It wasn’t pretty. It was hot and I was sweating pizza grease. That IS as gross as it sounds. I think I could smell sausage…YUCK.
I ate one banana so far, and drank a whole pot of coffee. That’s how I de-tox. Do it your way, I’ll do it mine.
It’s 5 pm and I am heading out to buy 2½ Men/ Season 4. Then I’ll be eating Chinese with the BF. (I’ll actually only be eating white rice, but I can smell it and that’s just as good.)
Tomorrow, the BF is off work and I guess we are doing a “spin” class. First time for both of us. That should be fun, she says sarcastically. It always looks hard. Those people are always sweaty and beat looking when it’s over. I’ll let you know.
And in case you were wondering about a weight update…didn’t gain a pound. Didn’t lose anything either, but I think that’s ok. I should have died with all that food I ate, but it didn’t stick. I might not get so lucky next time. Better stay on the safe side. Besides I still have 2 days before the day I deemed my official weigh in. Which will always be 2 days from today…hahaha.
I actually have a playlist to put out, in honor of all the colorful things that would have spilled into the toilet if I had enough nerve to make myself throw up. I don’t. Bulimia is not for me. The list is called,
And it was originally for all those crayons I picked up off the trail a few weeks back. So you decide which personal event in my life you’d like to associate it with. It’s like a mystery ending web post! Exciting!
The picture below is a memory-refresher. Crayons on a table.
The actual list will be posted shortly. Wait for it now, it’s 99 songs long. I went a little crazy with color. You can use it for more than running, or you can use it for a week of running…again…your choice! (“Choose your own ending”, that’s what those books are called)
Enjoy the picture.
Relive the memory of how I got them,
and the memory continues here,
and check back in say, 7 hours. It’s 5:20 now, I have to drive and eat and watch tv, and then type 99 songs in a row and add color and links and finally hit publish. It WILL be worth the wait.
Update!
I actually got 101 songs. Thought of two more typing the list–2 great songs that bring it all together at the end.
And it’s in under the 7-hour mark. Goodnight Chicago.
Birthday Trains and Firetrucks
My nephew’s birthday is this weekend and we are going for a party. I always get the best presents. Mostly because my sister buys the thing he wants and then I give her money. She loves to shop and I really don’t. Then she wraps it up and calls to tell me how much. She left me a message last night, so I’m all done!
His favorite things at the moment are trains and firetrucks, which is so like me, because I love firefighters and guys in uniforms! I bring it up because I created an awesome play list on his behalf. I thought of it while I was doing the traveling roads one and now I have an excellent excuse to roll it out today! It’s sunny and 80° here in Chicago. Throw on some cute shorts and run your lazy butt down past the firehouse, we have exercising to do.
In honor of my nephew and our shared interests, here is:
It’s hot.
And because there was so many darn songs, I threw in a little “Extra Heat”
FYI, I know you want to know…he’s going to be four (4) this weekend.
(Firefighters are still hot, even if he doesn’t care.)
Dinosaurs Alive!
We were there. It was awesome. Dinosaurs are cool. It’s the new exhibit at Brookfield Zoo. Took pictures and posted them below.
The signs around the area are hilarious and I love them. I’m using this one to make a t-shirt so I don’t forget what I’m trying to do…
Registered!
To go to school! It’s official and all that good stuff!
I sat on my couch until 12 Noon and then drove to the school. The Orientation/Registration wasn’t until one, but I didn’t want to be late for any reason. Now, that might sound crazy to you, but I was not the first one. There was probably 10 or more people waiting already! Freaks alive! We are a nervous bunch! But I’ll tell you, from my personal experience alone, I worked my ass off for three years going to work all day, and school at night. I studied until all hours and weekends and breaks at work. I got the best grades I could and the highest scores. I cried tears over this stuff, just to get to THIS point. Now I have two more years of specific nursing studies and I can’t relax now!
I pretty much burned up 3½ hours of adrenaline, nerves and sweat at the school registering, paying, filling out all the forms, and buying uniforms and books. I was shaking so bad I could barely hand the cashier my money. I checked and double checked everything I might need before I left. I have to start class next week and I have no room for error. Walking out of the school, down the steps, towards my car, after it was all over, I called the BF to tell him I was official, and I could barely leave the message. Once I got to the point of being scheduled and paid for, I was crying. I hung up and just let it flow. It was 80 degrees outside and sunny as hell and I felt relieved and happy. Sunshine and tears were burning my eyes and itching my cheeks and maybe I looked kind of strange, but it’s ok. There’s enough sad things to cry over, for sure, so when something is overwhelmingly good and it’s something that you really really wanted and got…then when else can you cry?
So, in the end, I went home and waited for my kids and BF and my second brother and wife and we went and ate pizza and drank beer! It was a lovely end to the day!
And as an extra bonus, I got an awesome body massage from the BF after the kids were in bed! Unexpected and sooooo nice and a happy ending. It was a good night.
That’s enough mush for now. I have to go and stare at my very first actual nursing textbook; Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends & Management, some more. I’m sure I’ll dread even looking at all my books in about 6 months, but for now, I just want to carry it around and keep it close.
After that, (the book is sitting next to me on the couch), I have to run over to the Target and buy like, 5 more alarm clocks, so I’m not late going to classes.
Alright, that’s really all about it. Mindless posting for the rest of the day and week until I can’t find the time to do it anymore. I’ll probably go run at some point too. Gotta keep up the training and it burns nervous energy.
Thanks for hanging through the goo until the end!
Drinking New York Coffee in a New York Coffee Cup
Tuesday morning.
Went shopping at the Jewel yesterday for some house groceries and supplies and I found a new coffee! Well, it’s not new, but I’ve never bought it, and never in this GIANT canister. It was the same price as the other stuff and I got 5 more ounces!
It’s called Chock Full O’ Nuts! It’s a New York Coffee, “The Heavenly Coffee”. I don’t know what that means since I’m from Chicago but who cares, it’s chock full of good flavor AND I’m drinking it from my NY Coffee Cup. We are multi-cultural over here.
So, I’m going to post some stuff like this until its time to go. I have an orientation to go to for school! A little nervous. Not out-of-control, but too much to do anything else but sit and type and watch the clock. School starts again next week! Back in the groove…
Have a cup of coffee on me…View the pictures below!
just shy of pretty 