The Writing At Large
04 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
There is something difficult in writing for me. It never used to be that way. When I was younger, I would sit down at my computer and spend hours just writing. The stories weren’t always good. Some were downright terrible, in fact. But, I wrote. I never wrote about my life… Well, I did. It was sporadic and usually full of angsty teen girl whining. I’m not saying there weren’t actually issues I was trying to solve, but they were never as dramatic as I made them seem. Many of those journals and entires have gone by the wayside these days. Periodically I’ll find one when I am cleaning, but when I do, they usually hit the trash. Many of those things are not necessary to remember any more. Or it’s possible that since then I’ve developed a more adult perspective and whiny one holds no draw for me. The point is this, since I started (and finished) college… I’ve found my draw to write diminish.
I often find myself wondering why I no longer write as I did. Perhaps it was the papers I had to write. Or the stories (fictional) are no longer as unique as they once seemed. Whatever the reason, it has been a long time since I’ve felt the tug to write…about anything. It’s a sad fact and one I hope to remedy with this blog. I’m hoping that if I take the time each day to write, perhaps it will bring back that urge again. It’s not as though I have nothing to say, it is just that it gets lost in my mind. I guarantee you, it is all very profound.
So here is the beginning…again…
Day ???: Woes of a Sick Person
23 Sep 2009 2 Comments
in School, This and That Tags: Break, Coughing, Day Off, Exhausted, School, Sick
Bronchitis. As in, I have it. To say it has slowed me down would be an understatement. I developed the cold first, in my chest, about three or so weeks ago. While the cough lessened a little, I can’t seem to shake it. Obvious it is worse at night when I lie down or whenever I do anything require physical exhertion. Aleka finally forced me to go back to the doctor. Turns out I have bronchitis. Now I have an inhaler and antibiotics to help. Apparently it can take up to 8 weeks to heal fully from this. The doctor said I need to take it easy until my lungs get a bit better.
So, I will probably be taking it easy with the exercise for the next week and updating about school instead. More later.
Day ??: Exhausted
02 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in This and That Tags: Break, Exhausted, School, Work
First off, I appreciate all the comments I’ve gotten. I have continued to train, though I haven’t been documenting it. Life, it can be said, has intervened. Or rather, life has gotten more complicated. The semester has started (early) for me. We have a part called pre-fall where we will be in the classroom’s we’ll be student teaching in this spring. We help set up the classroom, then work with the class for the first two weeks. I’ll write more about this went I have more time.
This week I am taking a few days off. The reasons for this are…
1. I am, as the title suggests, exhausted. I am estintially at the school from 8-4, then at my job from 4-8. It gets to be a long day.
2. I seem to be coming down with a sinus “thing”… schools are, after all, cesspools. No matter the school, I usually get sick. So, trying to nip it in the bud.
3. Work is stressful at the moment. The less said about this, the better. I have no need to air the dirty laundry that exists. Partly, because you can never be sure who will read this. And partly because I don’t find this issue warrants or thought on my side.
With that said, I need to get back to work. I actually have homework to do this evening. Woe is the world.
Day 10/11: Continuation
20 Aug 2009 5 Comments
in Gym Time, running, This and That Tags: Elliptical, Gym, marathon, running, Time
Yesterday went well at the gym. I did intervals on the elliptical machine. Unlike the treadmill, the elliptical doesn’t change speeds unless you do. However, the resistance and incline do change. Each interval was about 2 minutes. It felt fairly good. Towards the end it got difficult, but if you don’t push yourself you won’t make progress. On that note, I’m glad the marathon is so far off. I was talking to this girl who followed the training plan for a marathon on Grandma’s Marathon website. It was a 14 week program, or something. I’d rather have quite a few months to train, that way I can build up slow.
After working out (and the reason I didn’t blog), I went to the movies with Aleka. We saw the new movie District 9. The movie was amazing! It gets gory and it definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. There were a couple times I had to look away because it was just too grim and vomit-inducing to watch. However, the parallels drawn can’t be missed. They make a very good point about how humans deal with “outsiders.”
Today it rained. A lot. There were tornadoes in Minneapolis, which is surprising. The rain was amazing. It absolutely poured. After work, I went to the gym again. Tonight it was running and strength for the arms. The progress I make on the running feels slow. I know I can’t expect miracles overnight, but it bugs me how easily winded I become when I start running. I know it takes time to build up endurance and strength in your legs, but still. I was lifting 65 lbs on the bench press today. I was impressed with myself for that. And I worked on doing dips without assistance. Kathleen helped me a little. It’ll take time to do dips completely unassisted.
Time to go play on the Wii.
Day 9: Hilarious
18 Aug 2009 1 Comment
in Gym Time, This and That Tags: Laughter, Strength, Stupid People, Swimming
There is no better way to end a day than with laughter. I’ve grown up in a family that values laughter and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Laughter has gotten me through tough moments in my life: my parents divorce, the passing of my grandparents, the passing of pets, stress, and depression. Somehow, if I’m able to laugh, it lets me realize that life isn’t that bad and it will get better. I read somewhere today (http://women.webmd.com/guide/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter) that laughter can be good for you health. Those of us who laugh a lot know the benefits of a good hearty laugh. This is a long way of saying that while parts of my day were kind of ugly, it all ended with a good laugh.
Today I had 2 ups and 2 downs. Since I feel like being optimistic, I’m going to say today was a good day… mostly because it started and ended well. Here are the ups and downs:
Up #1: I finally had an appointment with a sleep doctor. She did a consultation with me in regards to how much I sleep, my energy levels, my reasons for visiting, etc. The long and short of it is that I sleep too much because I always feel exhausted or I can’t sleep at all… so hypersomnia vs. insomnia. They set me up with a sleep study (ie: sleeping in one of their labs). It isn’t until September, but as with the therapy… it is always the first step that is the hardest.
Down #1: Upon waking from my nap, I found that I had slept funny and had a decidedly achy neck. It made it hard to turn my head. I’m hoping with heat and cold, I can relax the muscle.
Down #2: We are still short handed at work. Today wasn’t as busy as it’s been, but it was still hectic. I ended up running 90% of the reports by myself because the person filling in wasn’t familiar with how to run them.
Up #2: As I mentioned in a previous post Meat-Head McImpatient Face was annoyed because I did not turn fast enough. Well, I saw him at the gym today. As Kathleen and I were winding up our core and leg workout, he came over to the mats to do push-ups. First, he started by saying (to himself, I assume) “Okay, here we GO!” He proceeded to do the push ups that require you to clap your hands while in the air. He grunted loudly as he did them and at end he goes “Fuck!” Either because he was frustrated or congratulating himself, I know not. After that, he spoke with some other guys and went on ad nauseum about his fantastic new exercise routine and diet. Since he hadn’t inflated his ego nearly enough, he then came back over to the mats to speak to another guy. He proceeds to tell this guy (who may be a friend, I don’t know) loudly, that his girlfriend was here. How this other guy should meet her because she was REALLY hot. He repeated this piece of information several times. It was at this time that Kathleen and I decided to leave because his ego was making it hard to breathe. Then we had a good laugh about him. He was just so pompous.
Now, I’m going to go watch Scrubs and prepare for bed.
Day 7/8: Rain/Success
17 Aug 2009 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: No Injuries, pain, Rain, Roller skis
Yesterday it rained. A lot. After about 7pm, the sky opened up and it poured. Aleka and I were going to go for our walk, but in the time it took us to walk down two flights of stairs (all of 1 minute), a downpour started. The rain kept going for most of the evening. Instead, we drank a bottle of wine and watched The Lord of the Rings and ate chocolate pudding. It was nice, though not very athletic. So, that’s two days in a row that I’ve been a bit slug-like.
Today, I went roller skiing for the first time in almost five years. I had to dig them out of my attic, which was disgusting, and then I had to hose them off. Anytime I go into the attic, it makes me feel gross. I always imagine things (like spiders) are crawling all over my skin. I think it’s because I have a rather over-developed sense of fear towards spiders. More specifically, I am convinced there are Black Widows and Brown Recluses hiding out in wait for me. In any case, I had to reach into a pile of dusty stuff (from getting our roof re-done) to get me skis. I nearly had a heart attack trying to grab them.
After I calmed down and made it back to the apartment, I had to get all my gear together to go. This includes: roller skis, ski boots, poles, and helmet. I seem to have forgotten how bulky these things can be. Interestingly, my ski boots have this scent that never fails to remind me about ski races. They don’t smell overly funky or anything, they just smell like racing and skiing. It’s weird.
Kathleen and I ended up going over to Como and around the lake then back. It was little weird being on them again and I was definitely a bit unsteady at first. But, some of the motions came back without too much work. I have to learn how to do it efficiently again, but it feels a little like riding a bike again after a long absence. And I only fell twice. Both times into the grass. I guess that is something.
Tomorrow, swimming again.
Day 6: Day Off
15 Aug 2009 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Day Off
I am taking the day off today. Since I have worked long hours all week and there are people in town visiting, I am taking the opportunity to visit with them. I also need to get up at 5:30 am tomorrow for work. Thus, just a short post this evening. Aleka and I are planning to go for a walk tomorrow, so that should be nice. Good exercises in its own way.
Day 5: Motivation
14 Aug 2009 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Band-aids, Birkie, Motivation, Roller ski, Ski, Skiing
This blog has turned out to be rather motivating in an unexpected way. Before, when I was training for the triathlon, it didn’t matter if I skipped the gym for the day because the only person who knew was myself or Kathleen. Some breaks do need to occur for illness (like the two weeks before the triathlon and injury), but for a while I was busy and it was easy to make excuses to skip. As I document each day, however, I find it is harder to talk myself out of going to the gym. Mostly because I hold myself accountable in the this blog. This may change as grad school starts in September, but for now… it can be motivating. I do take days off because everyone who trains needs one. Mine is Saturdays, simply because I work from 6:30 until 5:30, and by the end of the day I am exhausted. But I have to get back to a 5-6 day/week schedule.
I haven’t mentioned this prior, but aside from the marathon I am also doing the America Birkebeiner (Birkie), which is a 50 kilometer ski race held in Hayward, WI each year. This will be my first year doing it. I’ve done a distance this long once before, but it took me quite a while, as Kathleen could attest to. Hopefully night won’t fall on me as I finish this time around. To get a better understanding of the distance, 50 kilometers equals about 31 miles. I figure if I can ski 31 miles, I can run 26.2. I don’t know if this is true or not, but we shall see.
So, since the skiing will come first (the Birkie takes place in February and the marathon in June), I will also be roller skiing until the snow flies, then skiing. Now, I will be the first to admit that I strongly dislike roller skiing. The main reason? No brakes. It is like attaching two flat boards, with two wheels apiece, to your feet and going down a big hill. The only stopping mechanism is to run into the grass or drag one ski. Urgh. I am so not balanced enough for this. I suppose I ought to start buying band-aids now.
Now for bed…since today was rather exhausting.
Day 4: Bad Day
13 Aug 2009 2 Comments
Today was not a very good day, in the general sense. It was a day where one thing went wrong and I kept noticing everything else that went badly. To begin with, I did my laundry. While at the laundromat, there was one very unhappy child who wailed for almost two hours straight. To be fair, if I was two, hanging out in a laundromat would make me a little crabby too. While doing laundry, my basket handle broke. Stupid cheap plastic basket. At work, we were short-handed because one of my co-workers is very ill. We will, it seems, be short-handed for an undetermined amount of town. I don’t blame anyone for this… it was just one more thing. While at the gym, I just didn’t feel well. Tired and sore, so my workout didn’t end up feeling very good.
I expect tomorrow to be spectacular to make up for the problems of today. Of course, this is entirely up to me and how I preceive the world around me tomorrow. I’ve decided I want it to be a good day.
As I left the gym tonight, and attempted to make a left turn, there was a car behind me that honked because I paused all of thirty seconds. Now, the man driving the car workouts at the same gym I do. He stays in the weight section all night, lifting and grunting (loudly) for the entire gym to hear. Part of me suspects this is his way of saying “look at me, look at my bulging and over-sized muscles.” He made sure, after I turned, to honk once more for effect. While he appears to stretch his muscles regularly, I think he should try stretching and expanding his mind. What an idiot. See…just one more thing to add to my day.
It is extremely hot and muggy. I need a shower before bed and I might sleep out with the AC tonight. If Aleka (roomie extraordinaire) were here tonight, we might have to fight who got to sleep in the living room. However, the apartment is allllllllll mine.
Time for a shower, a relaxing book, and some gooooooood sleep.
Day 3: Side Benefits
12 Aug 2009 2 Comments
Today I still hurt. This isn’t surprising given the number of new exercises I started yesterday. My thighs hurt the most from the workout. Walking doesn’t hurt, but bending over or crouching are almost completely out of the question. By proxy, so is going down stairs. I hope that tomorrow I will hurt less. It is like any new exercise regime, the first few days (possibly weeks) hurt, then it gets easier.
When I went to the gym tonight, I used the elliptical machine. My body (and legs) nearly cried at the thought of actual running. So I went for about 40 minutes and did about 3.5 miles. It will be back to the treadmill tomorrow, I have no doubt. A funny thing I saw at the gym today, two guys (younger than me) using the elevator to go up one floor to use the elliptical machines. It seems self-defeating if the stairs are too hard.
One side benefit I came to realize tonight (aside from the boost of endorphins)… the time I work out gives me time to thinking over issues in my daily life. Today I was really stressed about my job. And it was nice to just sit and think while I worked out. I was still frustrated after the workout, but I felt more able to handle the problems at my job calmly.
Alas, tacos call me to the dinner table.
