When I was in college, I fell asleep in class so much that I literally could take notes while dozing off. The notes usually weren't all that coherent. One time I woke up to find the words "green" and "God" scrawled in the mix of more economic/math-y words. Um.. my subconscious is spiritual and artistic? The only time that my sleeping habit was mildly embarrassing, was when during a night class when the lights were off for slides (equals zero percent chance anyone would stay awake), the teacher spoke directly to me in answer to a question I'd asked earlier in class. I don't think he really noticed or cared that I was asleep, but it was just not fun to wake up to the professor saying, "Sarah, this is the answer to your earlier question." Another time, I startled myself so much once I woke up that my immediate reaction was to raise my hand up in the air as if to ask a question. I think the professor's back was turned so it was just the kids sitting next to me who thought I was a weirdo. Maybe my hand-in-the-air reaction is more of an insight into how much I liked to talk to my teachers, and ask questions, and that they all actually knew my name, but that's another topic for another day.
The thing is, this sleeping habit was not only restricted to class. I basically fell asleep any time I was sitting down and not actively engaging: Sunday sermons, car rides (while riding, never driving), movie theaters, etc. My friends were both amused and amazed at my ability to sleep anywhere. But guys, I have had a revelation in the past couple years: that was not normal - I have just been sleep deprived my whole life.
I started my daily coffee habit one semester of college when I had an 8 am multi-variable calculus class every day, and a few years later was already so dependent on caffeine that I would get headaches when I didn't have a cup in the afternoons as well. I worked hard in college, but still was really social, involved in sports, part-time jobs or other extracurriculars, meaning I rarely made it to bed before midnight and usually was up by 7. Many nights 1-3am was a more typical bedtime.
Post-college, I got a job in DC, commuted an hour each way, started part time graduate classes, and got old. (Seriously, it was amazing how even a few years after undergrad, no amount of unfinished schoolwork was worth staying up past midnight.) Still pounding coffee, falling asleep on the commute, and eating just to to stay awake in class, I just thought how I felt was normal, since that's how my life had been for ten years. A few times in between hitting the snooze, I would dream that I was so tired that I actually slept through an entire day and was waking up say, on Wednesday instead of Thursday. My mom, after hearing of Rip Van Winkle, would actually say things like this to my brother-in-law when he fell asleep on the couch, "Jimmy, wake up. It's Christmas time. You slept through the whole year."
But then my life changed: I moved to DC, finished grad school and got married all within a few months. No more commute. No more school. And a lot more sleep. Our "compromise" in marriage for the first year or two was that I adapted to Jason's earlier bed time and he adapted to my later wake up time. If only we could resolve everything that way! But! I finally got the full amount of rest (ok.. sometimes more) than my body needed for a consistent amount of time, and it was amazing! Revelation upon revelation! I no longer struggled to stay awake. Deciding to exercise instead of napping was no longer torture. I felt great, and my health, while never awful, was the best it's probably ever been! I knew what it felt like to be alive! For some reason, I always just assumed that 7 hours was all I needed, but it's not! (This was no shock to my dad, who would often have to wake me up because my alarm had been going off for so long and so loudly that he could hear it one floor away with headphones on. He and my mom did not understand how the fact that I never had enough sleep was news to me.)
Alas, all good things must come to an end. Since our commute time was extended again with the move back to Maryland, I have more frequently needed that second or third cup of coffee. I cannot really blame the commute, however. We get up earlier, and although I'm not staying up doing work, we have actually been going to bed later because my dad, a notorious night owl, has gotten us hooked onto a few different TV series that he doesn't start until after he gets back from evening meetings. I guess going to bed late isn't as bad when it's for fun reasons.
Now, I will say that even during the times of my life I was getting less sleep, it was still more than some people get. I certainly had the choice as to how to spend my time when some people may not. Moms of young kids, people with grueling work schedules, and plenty of other people have a much tougher schedule, so if that is you, how do you do it!? You have my serious respect and sympathy. I'm not trying to complain, and I know that on many levels this is so trivial, but I am just fascinated that I just never even knew I was sleep deprived so much of my life until now! I mean, I feel like a real adult now because I actually wake up ON MY OWN SOME WEEKEND before 8 am, filled with the same amount of wonder as Pinocchio at being a real boy. So that's it. That's my story. I never know it wasn't normal to be so tired - what else in life am I missing? Is tofu actually tasty? Or is Game of Thrones really that good? What else do I think is normal that isn't?
Showing posts with label life stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life stories. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
That One Time My Picture Was on a Bus
There is no good way to slyly drop this in, but guys, my picture is on a bus. Depending on who you are, this is either amazing or mortifying. I think it's somewhere in the middle, closest to hilarious. So there is my in-the-open brag, none of this fake #humblebrag. I don't think this really counts as being famous, and honestly, I'm not sure that anyone looks good when their picture is that big. It's hard enough for me to look good in tiny pictures or real life.
Friends on Instagram already know this. So I wanted to explain a little why I'm on a bus. Plus, I think this is the only time I can say, "I've got something exciting I've been wanting to tell you about but couldn't share any pictures until they've been professionally released" since I likely won't be publishing a book, collaborating with Target, or have my home in a magazine or whatever "surprise projects" other bloggers work on.
The picture I'm in is an advertisement for Capital Bikeshare. Capital Bikeshare has been around in DC for a few years, and it is my favorite way to get around the city. We know that driving is awful, and for short distances, public transportation still doesn't always cut it. Not all metros go where I need, or they aren't direct, or the wait for the bus is the same amount of time it takes just to walk. Enter Bikeshare. You pick up a bike from a dock close to you, have an awesome time enjoying the outdoors and burning calories, park at a dock by your destination! It's often cheaper, faster, and much more pleasant than any other system. It's even better than using your own bike since you don't have to worry about locking it up or for making one way trips. There's a fee that varies depending on whether you want to join for the day, month, or year. It's really only a bad option when you have to carry stuff that wouldn't fit in the bike basket or during bad weather (too rainy or too hot and sweat soaks through your work clothes). There's docks all over the city, and they've been doing some serious expansion into neighboring counties.
Now this is where I come in. With the expansion, Bikeshare wanted to do some advertising. They send monthly newsletters to members and the one I got last summer had this blurb in it:
Do you want to be able to say you’re a “model” on singles dating sites? Are you totally average looking, yet surprisingly photogenic? Then we want you! We are currently looking for models with the ability to ride a bike for an upcoming Capital Bikeshare photo shoot.
Average looking? That's me! Photogenic? Not always me! But sometimes! Do I look awesome in a helmet? Um...Plus, I figured the helmet would enhance the forced and awkward smile I often have in pictures.
The requirements were to submit a picture (it certainly doesn't reflect well on our culture that they felt the need to note it should be a fully clothed picture), and those chosen to participate would get a free annual membership and lunch provided. C'mon, I love Bikeshare, but I don't give away my time for free! Although I will give it away for fun perks!
I submitted the only picture I had of just me on my phone (the one right above), which while not the most flattering, probably was the best representation of how my "pose for the camera" moments would turn out. Pretty average yet photogenic. Plus, these ads always try to be ethnically diverse, so I figured I was a good candidate because most people can tell I'm not white, but they can't tell what I am. Kind of like how Jennifer Lopez plays an Italian girl in "The Wedding Planner." Even though she's Latina, Hollywood thought she could represent other races. Of course, Jennifer Lopez ain't got nothing on my ability to look average, so they picked me, not her, to do the shoot. Ok I'm getting carried away, but whatever the case, I got an email a week or so after submitting my picture saying I was in and requesting my availability. It actually ended up that the shoots took place during the government shutdown last October, so I had the time to do two shoots with them. One around the Mall/ Capitol area, and one in Silver Spring/ Takomah.
The guy managing the project, Matt, suggested bringing a casual outfit and a professional one, assuming you can bike in them. It took me ridiculously long to decide what to wear. My hair really didn't matter under the helmet, so that was easy, and I just went a little heavier on the makeup in hopes it would read better on camera.
We met super early both days to be sure to take advantage of the morning light. The photographer, Sam Kittner, was friendly and professional. I've since seem some of his beautiful photos in exhibits and the results of this shoot, and his pictures are outstanding. There were a few other "models" there. Matt would tell Sam what kind of shot he was looking for then Sam would have us ride past him for the shot in various configurations. It'd be the same 20 yards three or four times and then a lot of waiting or biking to the next scene.
Looking good on a bike is no joke. Insert joke about how hard it is to be a model here. Sam did his best to coach us "average people" on trying to smile and pose naturally, but it was a little hard to bike steadily, avoid traffic, look ahead and smile all at the same time. Or trying to look like you are engaged in a conversation with your best-Bikesharing-friend without actually making funny shapes with your mouth. Overall both days were beautiful, and I was happy to be biking, so biking in circles wasn't really a bad way to spend the day. The only "incident" was when the first day's shoot was over; I followed a few of the other bikers back to where our cars were. There was too much stop and go and hesitation in the middle of traffic with too many other people, and I ran pretty hard into the back of a stopped cab. A little bit of yelling, but no damage done.
Once the photo shoots ended, I didn't hear anything. Sam gave me access to some of the pictures he took, and I kind of forgot about this whole thing until a friend saw my picture on a bus and took the picture at the top of the page! In my hometown! Where we're living right now! I think I laughed for ten minutes straight, so I share all this so you can join in laughing with me at me. In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes open for anywhere else my picture may show up!
And if you're interested, here are a few of the other pictures Sam took. He took a ton, so these are the ones of me I thought turned out best. They all looked great, but it wasn't Sam's fault that I had weird expressions in some of them!
The requirements were to submit a picture (it certainly doesn't reflect well on our culture that they felt the need to note it should be a fully clothed picture), and those chosen to participate would get a free annual membership and lunch provided. C'mon, I love Bikeshare, but I don't give away my time for free! Although I will give it away for fun perks!
I submitted the only picture I had of just me on my phone (the one right above), which while not the most flattering, probably was the best representation of how my "pose for the camera" moments would turn out. Pretty average yet photogenic. Plus, these ads always try to be ethnically diverse, so I figured I was a good candidate because most people can tell I'm not white, but they can't tell what I am. Kind of like how Jennifer Lopez plays an Italian girl in "The Wedding Planner." Even though she's Latina, Hollywood thought she could represent other races. Of course, Jennifer Lopez ain't got nothing on my ability to look average, so they picked me, not her, to do the shoot. Ok I'm getting carried away, but whatever the case, I got an email a week or so after submitting my picture saying I was in and requesting my availability. It actually ended up that the shoots took place during the government shutdown last October, so I had the time to do two shoots with them. One around the Mall/ Capitol area, and one in Silver Spring/ Takomah.
The guy managing the project, Matt, suggested bringing a casual outfit and a professional one, assuming you can bike in them. It took me ridiculously long to decide what to wear. My hair really didn't matter under the helmet, so that was easy, and I just went a little heavier on the makeup in hopes it would read better on camera.
We met super early both days to be sure to take advantage of the morning light. The photographer, Sam Kittner, was friendly and professional. I've since seem some of his beautiful photos in exhibits and the results of this shoot, and his pictures are outstanding. There were a few other "models" there. Matt would tell Sam what kind of shot he was looking for then Sam would have us ride past him for the shot in various configurations. It'd be the same 20 yards three or four times and then a lot of waiting or biking to the next scene.
Looking good on a bike is no joke. Insert joke about how hard it is to be a model here. Sam did his best to coach us "average people" on trying to smile and pose naturally, but it was a little hard to bike steadily, avoid traffic, look ahead and smile all at the same time. Or trying to look like you are engaged in a conversation with your best-Bikesharing-friend without actually making funny shapes with your mouth. Overall both days were beautiful, and I was happy to be biking, so biking in circles wasn't really a bad way to spend the day. The only "incident" was when the first day's shoot was over; I followed a few of the other bikers back to where our cars were. There was too much stop and go and hesitation in the middle of traffic with too many other people, and I ran pretty hard into the back of a stopped cab. A little bit of yelling, but no damage done.
Once the photo shoots ended, I didn't hear anything. Sam gave me access to some of the pictures he took, and I kind of forgot about this whole thing until a friend saw my picture on a bus and took the picture at the top of the page! In my hometown! Where we're living right now! I think I laughed for ten minutes straight, so I share all this so you can join in laughing with me at me. In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes open for anywhere else my picture may show up!
And if you're interested, here are a few of the other pictures Sam took. He took a ton, so these are the ones of me I thought turned out best. They all looked great, but it wasn't Sam's fault that I had weird expressions in some of them!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
But Now I See
It's been over a year since I've had my LASIK. I am sure you have been checking for updates since then about the outcome. Well, you probably haven't as even I forget about it, but since I had my last follow-up appointment with them a few weeks ago, I figured I should give a final update.
As a reminder, I got LASIK last year at Katzen Eye Group. It was pretty touch and go. Ok, it wasn't. It went perfectly and everyone was wonderful. I went back for my two month, six month and yearly check ups. Twice the Doctor had me read the 20/15 line (as in the line better than 20/20) and I passed! I think for the 20/15 it's really my educated guesses that are so good, not my vision, but there you have it: my vision is great!
The only other differences is that my eyes have remained pretty dry. I use eye drops first thing when I wake up, but that's it for the day. I also think driving at night is a little harder. I think the lights are more fuzzy and it affects my depth perception. I don't notice it all the time, then again, I've barely had to drive at night for much of the past couple years, so that could be the real problem. Those irritants are totally worth not needing to make contacts part if my morning and evening routines. I don't crush my glasses with my face when falling asleep on the couch. I don't have to buy new eye ware, bring them on trips, or worry about leaving anything behind.
One note: no eye group can guarantee results that last forever, since age would naturally change many people's vision anyways (ex: need for reading glasses). Some doctors have guarantees regarding future treatments. Mine guaranteed your eye sight for two years provided nothing happened that could alter your eye sight anyways (apparently pregnancy can do this - what in the world!). Another doctor I had a consultation with guaranteed free "touch up" LASIK surgeries, but the catch was that you had to go there for annual checkups forever after the surgery. My experience for the consultation wasn't a confidence builder though, and I didn't want to be locked in to going to him. Plus, the doctor I ended up going with had a Keurig, fridge full of free drinks, a nice little goody bag on surgery day for you and your driver, and so many free eye drop samples that I haven't had to buy any all year (and I use them every day). You know that sealed the deal for me, whether it was logical or not.
I am only a tiny bit sad I don't have an excuse for some cool hipstery glasses, but that is just because I am attracted to pretty, shiny things like a magpie. Or maybe because I'm quick to be discontent. Or really it's probably because I know too many hipsters.
Despite the minor minor inconvenience of losing my chance to be in the Warby Parker club (I know they have non prescription lenses, but can't really justify the cost), I've been thrilled with everything. The only situation LASIK hasn't helped me in is when I'm looking for something that is right in front of me. Ever have one of those moments?
Me: Where's my coat?
Other person (usually Jason or my mom): Did you look in the coat closet?
Me standing in front of coat closet: Yes!
Other person comes over, takes a look and pulls pit the item: Here it is right in front of you.
Me: Oh.
So yeah, doesn't help with those situations, but I guess you can't expect a doctor to be a miracle worker.
As a reminder, I got LASIK last year at Katzen Eye Group. It was pretty touch and go. Ok, it wasn't. It went perfectly and everyone was wonderful. I went back for my two month, six month and yearly check ups. Twice the Doctor had me read the 20/15 line (as in the line better than 20/20) and I passed! I think for the 20/15 it's really my educated guesses that are so good, not my vision, but there you have it: my vision is great!
The only other differences is that my eyes have remained pretty dry. I use eye drops first thing when I wake up, but that's it for the day. I also think driving at night is a little harder. I think the lights are more fuzzy and it affects my depth perception. I don't notice it all the time, then again, I've barely had to drive at night for much of the past couple years, so that could be the real problem. Those irritants are totally worth not needing to make contacts part if my morning and evening routines. I don't crush my glasses with my face when falling asleep on the couch. I don't have to buy new eye ware, bring them on trips, or worry about leaving anything behind.
One note: no eye group can guarantee results that last forever, since age would naturally change many people's vision anyways (ex: need for reading glasses). Some doctors have guarantees regarding future treatments. Mine guaranteed your eye sight for two years provided nothing happened that could alter your eye sight anyways (apparently pregnancy can do this - what in the world!). Another doctor I had a consultation with guaranteed free "touch up" LASIK surgeries, but the catch was that you had to go there for annual checkups forever after the surgery. My experience for the consultation wasn't a confidence builder though, and I didn't want to be locked in to going to him. Plus, the doctor I ended up going with had a Keurig, fridge full of free drinks, a nice little goody bag on surgery day for you and your driver, and so many free eye drop samples that I haven't had to buy any all year (and I use them every day). You know that sealed the deal for me, whether it was logical or not.
I am only a tiny bit sad I don't have an excuse for some cool hipstery glasses, but that is just because I am attracted to pretty, shiny things like a magpie. Or maybe because I'm quick to be discontent. Or really it's probably because I know too many hipsters.
Despite the minor minor inconvenience of losing my chance to be in the Warby Parker club (I know they have non prescription lenses, but can't really justify the cost), I've been thrilled with everything. The only situation LASIK hasn't helped me in is when I'm looking for something that is right in front of me. Ever have one of those moments?
Me: Where's my coat?
Other person (usually Jason or my mom): Did you look in the coat closet?
Me standing in front of coat closet: Yes!
Other person comes over, takes a look and pulls pit the item: Here it is right in front of you.
Me: Oh.
So yeah, doesn't help with those situations, but I guess you can't expect a doctor to be a miracle worker.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
The Best Kind of Prize
"The best kind of prize is a sur-prise." That is a line from the newer Willy Wonka movie with Johnny Depp. It's slightly creepy, but the original is too in ways I never noticed as a kid. But I digress. Back to surprises... boy, did we get a one a few weeks ago. Two days after saying our final goodbyes for nine months, Jason's job was changed, and he came back home.
Bam! So that was way different than what we expected all year. Seriously, one day I'm saying a tearful goodbye, and the next week I'm picking him up from the airport.
We're glad, of course, that we doesn't have to go through the challenges that come with being apart all year. It's a big relief, and I'm so grateful for everyone who has shared in that joy with us. At the same time, it's a little disappointing for Jason not to get the job he was excited to do. He's been preparing for so long and thought the experience may have helped in the future. And clearly the planner in me is going crazy. We've been preparing all year for this! We moved! Oh good, now he will get to watch the World Cup with me. But we moved! Where will we live now? What about my plans?
"My plans." We had scenarios A, B, and C totally worked out and, wouldn't you know, this was the one thing we did not plan for. God is slowly teaching us the truth of Psalm 16:9, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."
We aren't totally sure what the next year looks like right now. There are a lot of "wait and see" type things happening, so I still can't plan more than a couple months. It sometimes drives me crazy, but it's also exciting that the world is our oyster, if you will.
We were attempting to talk about where we might live in a few years, which was proving impossible with all the unknowns. Jason just laughed that we weren't seeing the obvious lesson, "Maybe God is just teaching us that we can't plan everything right now."
So we are doing our best to plan wisely and hold those plans loosely. And at least one thing is sure about the summer: we will be watching more soccer Jason even knows.
Bam! So that was way different than what we expected all year. Seriously, one day I'm saying a tearful goodbye, and the next week I'm picking him up from the airport.
We're glad, of course, that we doesn't have to go through the challenges that come with being apart all year. It's a big relief, and I'm so grateful for everyone who has shared in that joy with us. At the same time, it's a little disappointing for Jason not to get the job he was excited to do. He's been preparing for so long and thought the experience may have helped in the future. And clearly the planner in me is going crazy. We've been preparing all year for this! We moved! Oh good, now he will get to watch the World Cup with me. But we moved! Where will we live now? What about my plans?
"My plans." We had scenarios A, B, and C totally worked out and, wouldn't you know, this was the one thing we did not plan for. God is slowly teaching us the truth of Psalm 16:9, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."
We aren't totally sure what the next year looks like right now. There are a lot of "wait and see" type things happening, so I still can't plan more than a couple months. It sometimes drives me crazy, but it's also exciting that the world is our oyster, if you will.
We were attempting to talk about where we might live in a few years, which was proving impossible with all the unknowns. Jason just laughed that we weren't seeing the obvious lesson, "Maybe God is just teaching us that we can't plan everything right now."
So we are doing our best to plan wisely and hold those plans loosely. And at least one thing is sure about the summer: we will be watching more soccer Jason even knows.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Guess I Should Change the Tagline
How was 2013 for you? I hope it was good, but I know for some people it wasn't. It was good for us. We did a lot of fun trips (I know, I've been that person this year who keeps subjecting you to vacation pictures over and over), tried to enjoy the amenities of living in DC, and stayed really busy. It's awesome because we've been busy with all good things, but I think I can count on one hand the number of weekends we didn't have plans that involved leaving DC for work, trips, family or moving.
Oh yeah, moving. We moved. The weekend before Christmas, so Christmas was a little less magical and a little more stressful. We got a small pre-decorated tree, but didn't do any other decorating, and even sent presents off to family early in the month, so it didn't feel very Christmasy. Plus, we moved all our stuff, but with all the friends and family coming into town, didn't lived out of boxes for two weeks before we unpacked.
The story is, Jason will be gone most of this year for work, so we thought it made the most sense to move in with my parents, who live in the suburbs of DC, where I grew up. Um, yeah, let me be the first to admit I'm almost 30 and living at home and dragged my husband into it too. God sure has a sense of humor because I always vowed not to live with my parents while married, despite my mom's constant offers of their basement apartment. Now, we've moved in and we aren't even in the basement - we're in my old room. (I think the only sure thing in life is that I will inevitably do the exact things I swear not to.) We never planned on staying in DC long term, but don't know what the future holds. So we went through the process of finding renters for our condo, moving and are now getting used to suburban life. (We say some variation of "Ah, so much traffic!" or "Driving everywhere stinks" most days.)
It's not all tough. I'm really thrilled to be closer to family, a good friend, and their adorable kids. The doubled/tripled commute time will allow for more reading. (Can you tell I'm grasping for some positives?) I've also got some projects and girls' trips planned while Jason is gone, and being able to save up this year is a crucial step in our financial plans. (Still an economist, so of course finances are a consideration.) We joke about the situation, but we're actually pretty grateful that my parents are willing to make it work and that we have the kind of relationship that we can even envision living with them for a while.
So that's our year. The elephant in our room is that I'll miss Jason like crazy. I'm sure it will be hard. But I'm also sure that God is faithful to keep his promise to work for our good. Not our comfort. Not our ease. But certainly for our good.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Us
"I want you to be the last person I see every night, and the first person I see every morning."
With that he gets off the bench and on one knee in front of me and fishes something sparkly out of his pocket. It's getting dark, but my eyes are so watery I can't see it clearly anyway.
"I know you wanted me to wait, but I can't wait any longer. Will you marry me?"
The tears are running down my face now. "Yes!"
With that he gets off the bench and on one knee in front of me and fishes something sparkly out of his pocket. It's getting dark, but my eyes are so watery I can't see it clearly anyway.
"I know you wanted me to wait, but I can't wait any longer. Will you marry me?"
The tears are running down my face now. "Yes!"
Monday, August 12, 2013
Bad Times at Good Stuff
When it comes to being out and about, especially when traveling, I consider myself pretty aware of my surroundings. Maybe even slightly paranoid. Paranoid as in: I lock the doors to the car when I go inside to unload groceries in case someone walking by tries to run away with my Costco bundle of toilet paper. (Since that's so easy to run away with!)
Monday, May 20, 2013
Too Much Nature
Fortunately and unfortunately, our lives are not all great food and fun travel. Sometimes normal nuisances are the most exciting part of our week. Last week we got to experience nature in a way that was a little too close to home, literally.
(I always think if the show Monk when I talk about "nature" in a negative way. We like Monk.)
First, for some context, we live in a basement apartment. So we definitely get more bugs than in our former, 3rd story apartment, but at least we can stomp around as much as we want without our downstairs neighbors complaining. So the first thing that happened last week was that one morning as Jason was opening the blinds he saw a baby bird in our window well staring back at him, chirping away. We figured it would fly out, but it was still there by the time we were ready to leave for work, and I started dreaming up scenarios of how it probably couldn't fly, and it would starve if we didn't do something about it, and maybe we should have a pet bird. Jason opened the bedroom window to try to pop it out the top of the window well when we realized that (1) dang, the little guy sure could hop fast and (2) there were actually two birds in there. It is kind of an awkward motion you have to make with your arms to simultaneously grab a jumping bird while trying to keep it from jumping into the house via the open window.
Long story short (or shortened since I have already dragged it out quite a bit), our initial attempts, though entertaining, were unsuccessful in the short amount of time we had. I was a little worried about leaving them. I mean, they were kind of cute, so i didn't want them to die, and let's be honest, I especially didn't want them to die so close to our house and make things smelly and dirty. They were still there when we got home from work so Jason opened the grate covering the top of the window well and scooped up the birds while the adult birds screeched at him rather violently. Baby birds rescued! (Ok, that was still a long story.)
Our second encounter with nature occurred the next day when I was home alone for a few hours. I was sitting on our couch when out of the corner of my eye I saw a mouse dart across the floor and run BEHIND THE VERY COUCH I WAS SITTING ON! Obviously I did what anyone stereotypical woman does: jumped onto the coffee table, called my husband, and then called my mom.
I kind of surprised myself with how afraid of this mouse I was. I've had them in our houses before, but I think this time was more unsettling since I couldn't exactly close the basement door and retreat to another level of the house. I even started to give myself a headache worrying about this mouse so much.
Jason said if I got traps from the hardware store he'd set them when he got home so I immediately went to our local Ace. I got the regular snap mouse traps and disposable latex gloves so we wouldn't actually have to touch the mouse once it was caught. The salesperson and a nearby shopper said in their experience the mice were too clever for the snap traps and resorting to the glue traps was the only thing that had worked for them. I did buy some just in case, and spent the rest of the afternoon in various stages of horror since googling "humane ways to dispose of mouse in sticky trap" was much more traumatizing than helpful.
Once I got home I saw the mouse scurry behind our TV stand and screamed to myself about it. I tried to think positively like how it was probably afraid of me too, and it is probably friendly like the mouse in ratatouille (well I guess he's a rat), and how it kind of looked like our neighbor's pet gerbil, all the while trying to keep an eye on it in the corner behind the TV stand. It's actually a delicate balance to try to get close enough to see it while staying as far away as possible. I decided I could not wait for Jason any longer and needed to take matters into my own hands. While wearing work gloves (because I was afraid of the traps snapping on my finger, obviously), I used peanut butter to set the traps. (Apparently cheese isn't actually as much of a mouse thing as cartoons make it out to be.) The mouse was still behind the TV stand so it made sense to me to put the trap as close to that as I could. However, I was really afraid if I got too close it would be startled into attacking me. I resolved this dilemma by using a pole to slide the mousetrap across the floor towards the TV stand. Somehow the mouse did not immediately jump into the trap as I was expecting, so the remainder of the afternoon I avoided any potential mouse attacks by standing on my kitchen step stool to do dishes and sitting on the kitchen counter.
Jason finally came home and witnessed the perpetrator zipping into the utility closet, so he thought that putting the mousetrap in there would be more effective. His idea was a good one, because when we got home that night, it had been caught. Jason emptied the trap and that was that.
So, it's not like I wanted the mouse to die out of hatred for them, but since there didn't seem to be any other options once this one knew how to get in our house (we suspect through a connecting walls we can't access) just bringing him back outside wouldn't solve the problem. I think for the rest of the night I interrupted our conversation every few minutes to express how relieved I was especially that we didn't have to resort to the glue traps. All the tension I hadn't even realized was in my back and shoulders started to dissipate. So that is the story of the mouse in our house. And with all this rhyming I'm thinking I could change the ending and make it into a children's story.
(I always think if the show Monk when I talk about "nature" in a negative way. We like Monk.)
First, for some context, we live in a basement apartment. So we definitely get more bugs than in our former, 3rd story apartment, but at least we can stomp around as much as we want without our downstairs neighbors complaining. So the first thing that happened last week was that one morning as Jason was opening the blinds he saw a baby bird in our window well staring back at him, chirping away. We figured it would fly out, but it was still there by the time we were ready to leave for work, and I started dreaming up scenarios of how it probably couldn't fly, and it would starve if we didn't do something about it, and maybe we should have a pet bird. Jason opened the bedroom window to try to pop it out the top of the window well when we realized that (1) dang, the little guy sure could hop fast and (2) there were actually two birds in there. It is kind of an awkward motion you have to make with your arms to simultaneously grab a jumping bird while trying to keep it from jumping into the house via the open window.
Long story short (or shortened since I have already dragged it out quite a bit), our initial attempts, though entertaining, were unsuccessful in the short amount of time we had. I was a little worried about leaving them. I mean, they were kind of cute, so i didn't want them to die, and let's be honest, I especially didn't want them to die so close to our house and make things smelly and dirty. They were still there when we got home from work so Jason opened the grate covering the top of the window well and scooped up the birds while the adult birds screeched at him rather violently. Baby birds rescued! (Ok, that was still a long story.)
Our second encounter with nature occurred the next day when I was home alone for a few hours. I was sitting on our couch when out of the corner of my eye I saw a mouse dart across the floor and run BEHIND THE VERY COUCH I WAS SITTING ON! Obviously I did what anyone stereotypical woman does: jumped onto the coffee table, called my husband, and then called my mom.
I kind of surprised myself with how afraid of this mouse I was. I've had them in our houses before, but I think this time was more unsettling since I couldn't exactly close the basement door and retreat to another level of the house. I even started to give myself a headache worrying about this mouse so much.
Jason said if I got traps from the hardware store he'd set them when he got home so I immediately went to our local Ace. I got the regular snap mouse traps and disposable latex gloves so we wouldn't actually have to touch the mouse once it was caught. The salesperson and a nearby shopper said in their experience the mice were too clever for the snap traps and resorting to the glue traps was the only thing that had worked for them. I did buy some just in case, and spent the rest of the afternoon in various stages of horror since googling "humane ways to dispose of mouse in sticky trap" was much more traumatizing than helpful.
Once I got home I saw the mouse scurry behind our TV stand and screamed to myself about it. I tried to think positively like how it was probably afraid of me too, and it is probably friendly like the mouse in ratatouille (well I guess he's a rat), and how it kind of looked like our neighbor's pet gerbil, all the while trying to keep an eye on it in the corner behind the TV stand. It's actually a delicate balance to try to get close enough to see it while staying as far away as possible. I decided I could not wait for Jason any longer and needed to take matters into my own hands. While wearing work gloves (because I was afraid of the traps snapping on my finger, obviously), I used peanut butter to set the traps. (Apparently cheese isn't actually as much of a mouse thing as cartoons make it out to be.) The mouse was still behind the TV stand so it made sense to me to put the trap as close to that as I could. However, I was really afraid if I got too close it would be startled into attacking me. I resolved this dilemma by using a pole to slide the mousetrap across the floor towards the TV stand. Somehow the mouse did not immediately jump into the trap as I was expecting, so the remainder of the afternoon I avoided any potential mouse attacks by standing on my kitchen step stool to do dishes and sitting on the kitchen counter.
Jason finally came home and witnessed the perpetrator zipping into the utility closet, so he thought that putting the mousetrap in there would be more effective. His idea was a good one, because when we got home that night, it had been caught. Jason emptied the trap and that was that.
So, it's not like I wanted the mouse to die out of hatred for them, but since there didn't seem to be any other options once this one knew how to get in our house (we suspect through a connecting walls we can't access) just bringing him back outside wouldn't solve the problem. I think for the rest of the night I interrupted our conversation every few minutes to express how relieved I was especially that we didn't have to resort to the glue traps. All the tension I hadn't even realized was in my back and shoulders started to dissipate. So that is the story of the mouse in our house. And with all this rhyming I'm thinking I could change the ending and make it into a children's story.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Freddie Awards
Fresh after graduating college, bright-eyed with dreams of making fast money buying and selling stocks, I bought stock in Freddie Mac and Washington Mutual Bank upon the recommendation of a friend in the industry. A few months later, one of them was bailed out by the government and the other went bankrupt. I have not bought stock since. I kind of forget now where I was going with that story, but I think it is to say, I haven't always been good at managing and maximizing my return on investment, if you will. It hasn't been until recently I've started to realize that I should be getting something for what I'm spending. One big area I try to do that is travel.
I usually used whatever airline and hotels were cheapest. I thought the cost savings was better than keeping track of points. However, the more I started looking into the potential for reward travel, the more I wish I had started sooner. It definitely takes some time, but my favorite way to get help is by letting the professionals do the research and depending on them for special offer alerts. In other words I follow The Points Guy blog. "The Points Guy," whose real name is Brian, is extremely thorough in covering all the frequent flyer and hotel programs out there, alerting you to point deals such as lucrative credit card bonuses and providing solid analysis on what programs are worth (in terms of your money and in relation to the various options). I can go into what methods I personally use later, but there is a story in all of this: I've become an avid Points Guy follower, both of his blog and on twitter and sometimes even instagram, and in my constant quest to get free stuff I entered a contest of his and I won!
What did I win? Well, every year, there an award ceremony for frequent flyer and hotel programs called the Freddie Awards. (Maybe that's why I started talking about Freddie Mac?) Last year there was a contest for a reader to join The Points Guy for the awards ceremony, but it was in NY, and as fun as it sounded, traveling to NY on a weeknight sounded kind of stressful. This year though, the awards were in DC (well... the tri-state area), so I entered and, along with four other readers, won!
I know most ceremonies aren't exciting to most people, but when you are as crazy about points as I've become, the combination of dinner, the chance to pick up some more travel tips, and meet someone who I basically online stalk, is definitely my cup of tea. Actually, that's not entirely true. It is true that I online stalk his blog and travel advice, but I actually get really nervous to meet people that are "celebrities" in my head. (You thought I was going to take back the "stalking" part rather than the "meeting" part, right? One time I met John and Sherry from Young House Love during a book signing and had to rehearse the one sentence I wanted to say who whole time I was in the book signing line. "I always refer to you as 'my friends, John and Sherry' and my husband always has to remind me I haven't actually met you." That was the line that was so hard for me to remember. Although Sherry did reply, "Now you've met us. You have this moment - forever." I think she had signed too many books and smiled for too many photos at that point. I still loved it.)
So last Thursday, I found myself at the Gannett/USA Today building in Tyson's Corner, VA. It's actually quite a nice building with a peaceful lake out front. The only bummer was that it was only one ticket, so I had to go without Jason. It was quite a pleasant surprise to roll up to valet parking and a red carpet. Before we go any further, let's talk about this red carpet. I think before winning a chance to go to the Freddie's, I had heard them described as the "Oscar's of the travel industry." So naturally when I won, I was totally unsure what to wear (#girlproblems). Maybe this was my chance to wear the long, formal gown I had bought for 90% off sale "in-case-of-emergencies." (Quick! We need to attend this gala ASAP! It was during a lot of the inaugural balls, and it was cheaper than most normal dresses, so can you blame me?) Alas, though the event was very nice, it was not quite Oscar-level formality, which meant I will save my dress for another day.
I checked in after my walk down the red carpet (no, no paparazzi). There was a nice spread of charcuterie and passed hors d'oeuvres. Everyone was very friendly, though when introducing myself, I felt a bit out of place since everyone else was a points blogger, super frequent traveler, worked with an airline or hotel, or worked for one of the former. I chatted with a lot of people who were experts at the points systems. Some people were retired and traveled for leisure. Someone else lived on one coast and worked on another. Everyone was an expert on points.
Brian was an extremely kind host, so I got over my talking-to-"famous"-people-anxiety immediately. He was easy to find even before getting to my table since he's 6'7". I got to sit by him during the dinner and award portion of the evening and really enjoyed chatting with him and the other guests. It was hard to hear much of the ceremony, but the big winners for North America were American Airlines and Marriott. At the end of the night there was a dessert bar and some goody bags to bring home filled with nice swag. More free stuff!
The more I travel and read blogs like The Points Guy, the more addicted I find myself to the points systems. Seriously, can I get a job planning travel for other people and managing their points accounts? Because I love it! I've started doing things like checking fares constantly, strategizing where and how to get elite status, and doing my best to maximize rewards any time we spend money (especially online). Everyone's priorities may be different, so do what's best for you, but even if you travel a little, it's worth at least signing up for the free loyalty programs. So now that I've become a travel nerd (I definitely track my points on a spreadsheet), and because you know I like free stuff, it was a fun evening. And now I can associate the word "Freddie" with something way better than my Freddie Mac stock failure.
I usually used whatever airline and hotels were cheapest. I thought the cost savings was better than keeping track of points. However, the more I started looking into the potential for reward travel, the more I wish I had started sooner. It definitely takes some time, but my favorite way to get help is by letting the professionals do the research and depending on them for special offer alerts. In other words I follow The Points Guy blog. "The Points Guy," whose real name is Brian, is extremely thorough in covering all the frequent flyer and hotel programs out there, alerting you to point deals such as lucrative credit card bonuses and providing solid analysis on what programs are worth (in terms of your money and in relation to the various options). I can go into what methods I personally use later, but there is a story in all of this: I've become an avid Points Guy follower, both of his blog and on twitter and sometimes even instagram, and in my constant quest to get free stuff I entered a contest of his and I won!
What did I win? Well, every year, there an award ceremony for frequent flyer and hotel programs called the Freddie Awards. (Maybe that's why I started talking about Freddie Mac?) Last year there was a contest for a reader to join The Points Guy for the awards ceremony, but it was in NY, and as fun as it sounded, traveling to NY on a weeknight sounded kind of stressful. This year though, the awards were in DC (well... the tri-state area), so I entered and, along with four other readers, won!
I know most ceremonies aren't exciting to most people, but when you are as crazy about points as I've become, the combination of dinner, the chance to pick up some more travel tips, and meet someone who I basically online stalk, is definitely my cup of tea. Actually, that's not entirely true. It is true that I online stalk his blog and travel advice, but I actually get really nervous to meet people that are "celebrities" in my head. (You thought I was going to take back the "stalking" part rather than the "meeting" part, right? One time I met John and Sherry from Young House Love during a book signing and had to rehearse the one sentence I wanted to say who whole time I was in the book signing line. "I always refer to you as 'my friends, John and Sherry' and my husband always has to remind me I haven't actually met you." That was the line that was so hard for me to remember. Although Sherry did reply, "Now you've met us. You have this moment - forever." I think she had signed too many books and smiled for too many photos at that point. I still loved it.)
So last Thursday, I found myself at the Gannett/USA Today building in Tyson's Corner, VA. It's actually quite a nice building with a peaceful lake out front. The only bummer was that it was only one ticket, so I had to go without Jason. It was quite a pleasant surprise to roll up to valet parking and a red carpet. Before we go any further, let's talk about this red carpet. I think before winning a chance to go to the Freddie's, I had heard them described as the "Oscar's of the travel industry." So naturally when I won, I was totally unsure what to wear (#girlproblems). Maybe this was my chance to wear the long, formal gown I had bought for 90% off sale "in-case-of-emergencies." (Quick! We need to attend this gala ASAP! It was during a lot of the inaugural balls, and it was cheaper than most normal dresses, so can you blame me?) Alas, though the event was very nice, it was not quite Oscar-level formality, which meant I will save my dress for another day.
you can see the red carpet a little as well as our somewhat dry but pretty dinner
I checked in after my walk down the red carpet (no, no paparazzi). There was a nice spread of charcuterie and passed hors d'oeuvres. Everyone was very friendly, though when introducing myself, I felt a bit out of place since everyone else was a points blogger, super frequent traveler, worked with an airline or hotel, or worked for one of the former. I chatted with a lot of people who were experts at the points systems. Some people were retired and traveled for leisure. Someone else lived on one coast and worked on another. Everyone was an expert on points.
Brian was an extremely kind host, so I got over my talking-to-"famous"-people-anxiety immediately. He was easy to find even before getting to my table since he's 6'7". I got to sit by him during the dinner and award portion of the evening and really enjoyed chatting with him and the other guests. It was hard to hear much of the ceremony, but the big winners for North America were American Airlines and Marriott. At the end of the night there was a dessert bar and some goody bags to bring home filled with nice swag. More free stuff!
The more I travel and read blogs like The Points Guy, the more addicted I find myself to the points systems. Seriously, can I get a job planning travel for other people and managing their points accounts? Because I love it! I've started doing things like checking fares constantly, strategizing where and how to get elite status, and doing my best to maximize rewards any time we spend money (especially online). Everyone's priorities may be different, so do what's best for you, but even if you travel a little, it's worth at least signing up for the free loyalty programs. So now that I've become a travel nerd (I definitely track my points on a spreadsheet), and because you know I like free stuff, it was a fun evening. And now I can associate the word "Freddie" with something way better than my Freddie Mac stock failure.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I Once Was Blind
Good news: I am not typing this by braille! I had my LASIK and survived! I just wanted to alleviate the suspense that I'm sure was created after my last post.
I'm just going to back up a bit and say that I've been planning on getting LASIK done for over a year, but laziness and business and hesitation has made me put it off until now. Jason had it done a few years ago at the Katzen Eye Group. I decided to go there also. Even though it is a bit of a drive to Baltimore, it was worth the extra drive time to me to go to a doctor I had a personal recommendation for and who also made me feel at ease. I don't get anything for saying this, but I'd definitely recommend them.
Overall, it was a painless process. They gave me a Valium a few minutes before the surgery to "take the edge off." I was a little concerned while sitting in the waiting room that it wasn't going to be enough and actually asked the receptionist, "Shouldn't I be taking the Valium now? How long does it take to feel the effects?" I needed the full effect! Also in the waiting room, I tried to look at pictures of Jason just in case, you know. I started scrolling through my phone pictures for one last look at my hubby: food pictures, my niece, more food pictures, my god daughter, a purse I want to buy, more niece pictures, finally Jason making a funny face.
The surgery itself was weird, because you know what is happening but can't feel anything and can only see a blinking light. In my Valium-induced haze I could hear the doctor describing his every step while using a device to keep my eyes open, and the nurse counting down the number of second they were running the laser. I pictured myself looking a little bit like Mel Gibson in "Conspiracy Theory" when they taped his eyelids open although I'm pretty sure I actually looked the opposite of Mel since I was hugging a turtle shaped pillow, and at one point I asked if my eyes were open when they were actually closed.
The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, both because I napped and everything literally was blurry to me, but I could wake up the next morning and actually see things that were farther than 5 inches from my face, an experience I haven't had for over a decade! Since then I've still been seeing good and get to wear some pretty cool protective goggles around the house. Actually, I only have to wear them while sleeping, but find myself rubbing my eyes when I'm not supposed to, so I'd rather be on the safe side and just wear them whenever I'm at home. They kind of look like safety goggles you wear when doing construction projects, so the good news is I'm ready for any emergency drilling or sawing the next few days. Huge thanks to my mom for driving me on surgery day and Rose for driving me to the post-op appointment and to everyone else praying and caring for me!
I'm just going to back up a bit and say that I've been planning on getting LASIK done for over a year, but laziness and business and hesitation has made me put it off until now. Jason had it done a few years ago at the Katzen Eye Group. I decided to go there also. Even though it is a bit of a drive to Baltimore, it was worth the extra drive time to me to go to a doctor I had a personal recommendation for and who also made me feel at ease. I don't get anything for saying this, but I'd definitely recommend them.
Overall, it was a painless process. They gave me a Valium a few minutes before the surgery to "take the edge off." I was a little concerned while sitting in the waiting room that it wasn't going to be enough and actually asked the receptionist, "Shouldn't I be taking the Valium now? How long does it take to feel the effects?" I needed the full effect! Also in the waiting room, I tried to look at pictures of Jason just in case, you know. I started scrolling through my phone pictures for one last look at my hubby: food pictures, my niece, more food pictures, my god daughter, a purse I want to buy, more niece pictures, finally Jason making a funny face.
The surgery itself was weird, because you know what is happening but can't feel anything and can only see a blinking light. In my Valium-induced haze I could hear the doctor describing his every step while using a device to keep my eyes open, and the nurse counting down the number of second they were running the laser. I pictured myself looking a little bit like Mel Gibson in "Conspiracy Theory" when they taped his eyelids open although I'm pretty sure I actually looked the opposite of Mel since I was hugging a turtle shaped pillow, and at one point I asked if my eyes were open when they were actually closed.
The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, both because I napped and everything literally was blurry to me, but I could wake up the next morning and actually see things that were farther than 5 inches from my face, an experience I haven't had for over a decade! Since then I've still been seeing good and get to wear some pretty cool protective goggles around the house. Actually, I only have to wear them while sleeping, but find myself rubbing my eyes when I'm not supposed to, so I'd rather be on the safe side and just wear them whenever I'm at home. They kind of look like safety goggles you wear when doing construction projects, so the good news is I'm ready for any emergency drilling or sawing the next few days. Huge thanks to my mom for driving me on surgery day and Rose for driving me to the post-op appointment and to everyone else praying and caring for me!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Potential Last Post
Two things are happening right now: one, Jason is out of town, and two, I am getting LASIK next week. How are these two things related? Let me tell you. It means I am getting carded every time I order a drink now. Part of the prep process for LASIK is that in order to get my eyes to their normal shape, I can’t wear contacts. Therefore I am wearing the glasses I have had since right about the time I could legally drink, and which apparently make me look even younger than that. "Oh, you're my age, you just look younger," one waiter told my sister-in-law and me. I actually think the glasses have less to do with appearing underage than the absence of my husband. It’s not that Jason looks “old,” but he is definitely over 21, and I think the association puts servers more at ease since in addition to looking legal drinking age, he apparently must not look like a cradle robber either. I know part of it is that the restaurant business needs to do their job, and I certainly am glad they are doing their part to follow the law, but it kind of gives me a fake-underage-drinking guilt. At this point everyone older than me gets mad and says I’ll be so glad that I look younger than I am at a later point in life.
Of course, I miss Jason for more than the impact on my gastronomic life. I have had to make my own coffee, every noise at night is a burglar, and I been watching excessive amounts of Downton Abbey... not that that last one is a bad thing. Because of his schedule, I only get to talk to him once a day or sometimes every other day, usually very late at night when my brain is done thinking. I’ve started making lists of all the “practical things” I need to ask him. (Although I make these lists anyways when he is here and working 20 feet away from me. It takes extreme self control to not take advantage of working together to interrupt him every time I have a question or exciting thought. Instead, I have my list and try to just interrupt him once a day... or probably twice.)
The other thing that makes me a little worried about having Jason gone while getting LASIK is that if I go blind, I won’t have had a good last long look at his face. Instead the last time I was his face was a quick goodbye at the airport. I’ll have to look at some pictures. Luckily for me, I have some experience of how it feels to suddenly go blind. I was alone in the house one night some years ago when everything suddenly went pitch black – like, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face black. So I had the logical thought, “Did I just go blind?” I was relieved a few seconds later to find that I could in fact see my phone light up when I hit the buttons, and the power had just gone out. (By the way, I am so sorry if anyone actually has experienced losing their sight or knows someone who has. The doctor also reassured me that while sight loss is a risk of LASIK, it is a very very one.) Hopefully the surgery will be fine and this will not be the last post I can see to type, but in case it is, you know why.
All of that to say, I will be very relieved once my husband is home and LASIK is over. I’m not that thrilled about the surgery itself so have been wondering if stiff drink beforehand will help calm my nerves, but given the current suspicions about my drinking habits and the early nature of my appointment, downing anything stronger than espresso at 9 am might just make it worse.
Of course, I miss Jason for more than the impact on my gastronomic life. I have had to make my own coffee, every noise at night is a burglar, and I been watching excessive amounts of Downton Abbey... not that that last one is a bad thing. Because of his schedule, I only get to talk to him once a day or sometimes every other day, usually very late at night when my brain is done thinking. I’ve started making lists of all the “practical things” I need to ask him. (Although I make these lists anyways when he is here and working 20 feet away from me. It takes extreme self control to not take advantage of working together to interrupt him every time I have a question or exciting thought. Instead, I have my list and try to just interrupt him once a day... or probably twice.)
The other thing that makes me a little worried about having Jason gone while getting LASIK is that if I go blind, I won’t have had a good last long look at his face. Instead the last time I was his face was a quick goodbye at the airport. I’ll have to look at some pictures. Luckily for me, I have some experience of how it feels to suddenly go blind. I was alone in the house one night some years ago when everything suddenly went pitch black – like, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face black. So I had the logical thought, “Did I just go blind?” I was relieved a few seconds later to find that I could in fact see my phone light up when I hit the buttons, and the power had just gone out. (By the way, I am so sorry if anyone actually has experienced losing their sight or knows someone who has. The doctor also reassured me that while sight loss is a risk of LASIK, it is a very very one.) Hopefully the surgery will be fine and this will not be the last post I can see to type, but in case it is, you know why.
All of that to say, I will be very relieved once my husband is home and LASIK is over. I’m not that thrilled about the surgery itself so have been wondering if stiff drink beforehand will help calm my nerves, but given the current suspicions about my drinking habits and the early nature of my appointment, downing anything stronger than espresso at 9 am might just make it worse.
Monday, November 5, 2012
26.2 done
So it's done. Marathon over. 26.2 or actually according to my GPS device 26.9 for me. (I've heard courses are measured on the inside track, so unless you are far enough ahead of the crowd you can hug all the turns, it ends up being longer.) I finished in 4:23, so I was extremely happy with that. I know most people can run faster (in fact 50% of the people in my age group can), but I think because my husband kept telling me that I could go faster than I thought I could, I did. My family told me that I looked great although I've seen the pictures, so I know they are just incredibly loving.
I don't think you can actually even see me in this picture, but it is my favorite one from the day because you can see how crazy and supportive my mom is when she saw me.
Some of my favorite things from the race were creative signs the spectators held out ("If Obama can run, so can you", "You run better than metro", "This was a good idea 4 months ago"), awesome fan and community support (including someone handing beer out at about mile 24), and although it sounds cheesy, the pride it gave me in our military and our nation's capital. Plus, I got a really cool medal at the end and didn't feel guilty about not exercising all week.
Will I do it again? There were definitely times at miles 20-25 that I thought "never again." Now that it's over though, I have toyed around with the idea. Maybe if it weren't for all the time that goes into training!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Lessons Learned while Marathon Training
Due to a series of fortunate and unfortunate events, I am running my first marathon in less than two weeks. It's the Marine Corp Marathon, which is supposed to be a good one for beginners. For all the other beginners out there, here are some tips I have learned along the way:
I often wonder to myself how this became a hobby for so many thousands of people when the event is named after the legendary Greek runner who ran so hard to deliver the message that the Battle of Marathon was won that he died. I also often wonder why this is a hobby for me in particular when my goal for finishing is simply not to die. Well, that and to beat that girl whose matching outfit is so my cuter than mine.
- Don't run a marathon unless you want to spend your entire weekend running, or thinking about how you have to spend so much time running. I lazily put off my "long runs" (such a relative term), for Sunday mornings, which inevitably means I spend the entire day Saturday dreading the run, and then the entire day Sunday actually running. "Alright honey, I'll see you IN FOUR HOURS. What's that? My mom wants to take me out for lunch? I can't because even if I leave at 8 am, I won't be able to meet mom until dinner time." Obviously, your significant other needs to be on board since you will no longer be available for golfing, brunch, or anything else more fun and relaxing.
- Don't run a marathon if you want to look good. I know other people can do it, but seriously, I do not look good while running. It's not that I can't also wear cute, matchy running outfits, but I really don't see a point in buying matching stuff when the non-matching stuff I already have will do. Also, in order to keep my hair out of my face, my body running on proper nutrition and hydration, I wear a bright blue sweat band to hold my hair back and my navy blue shorts with bulging pockets filled with snacks, holding a water bottle in one hand and ipod in the other, hair going crazy despite my sweatband. Add leggings under my shorts for cold days and the fact that sometimes I trip and you get the picture.
- Don't run a marathon if you want to lose weight. I was a little excited when I started training at the though of getting in what I though would be the best shape ever of my life. Turns out that all that running makes me really hungry - as in I am hungry all the time for the next THREE DAYS after my longer runs. Another pitfall for me is that for some reason when I have 2-3 miles left to go, I start thinking about how good a donut would taste. I blame it on the fact that my body actually does need to have refined carbs and sugars at that point (so I've heard). However, because of this, I have actually ended one of my runs by going straight to the cupcake bakery by our house. Needless to say, I have not lost noticeable weight and potentially have been gaining.
- Do have a good playlist. I am telling you this because I do not. Since it's a little hard to always be shuffling through songs on the go, I end up listening to either the Beastie Boys or TobyMac every weekend for hours because I need something with a beat and they are the only "rap" music I have. They were good choices for a few weeks, but they are also now in my top most played itunes list. I am kind of wishing I had thought to load an audio book onto my ipod as I could have learned a new language by now.
I often wonder to myself how this became a hobby for so many thousands of people when the event is named after the legendary Greek runner who ran so hard to deliver the message that the Battle of Marathon was won that he died. I also often wonder why this is a hobby for me in particular when my goal for finishing is simply not to die. Well, that and to beat that girl whose matching outfit is so my cuter than mine.
