Arrrrgh. I've been trying to upload our vacation pictures but it's starting to drive me crazy. From the slow uploads, to the sites throwing the pictures out of order, to the total upload limits. Arrrgh. So although I'm sure you're all in agony waiting to see our vacation pictures, you'll have to wait a wee bit longer.
In the mean time, I thought I'd write a little bit about our trip, beginning with our first three days, which we spent in England. We left on a Friday evening -- running a wee bit late for our plane. We flew on Virgin Atlantic, which we loved. We didn't sleep much on the overnight flight but we were determined to make the most of our first day in London. We couldn't check into our hotel, a small place a half block from Marble Arch, right away, but we were able to drop off our bags, change clothes and brush our teeth! Then we hit a nearby coffee shop for breakfast and caffeine. We jumped on the tube and made our way to St. Paul's Cathedral. I have a huge soft spot for St. Paul's because when I lived in London, my dorm room looked across the Thames right at the cathedral's enormous dome. So I was happy to see it again. We wandered around the grounds and headed inside only to discover there was a 10 pound charge to look around! So we took a quick glance while backing out of the ticket line. If you don't know, the exchange rate between dollars and pounds is lousy right now. A pound costs nearly $2, so our visit would have been $40! We looked around the crypt (free) and then set off in search of Rob's ancestor -- Sir Rowland Hill.
Rob is a distant relation of the legendary British postmaster. Fortunately, the St. Paul's gift shop worker we asked just happened to be an expert on Sir Rowland Hill and pointed us precisely to the nearby statute of him. We were so excited to take a picture of Rob in front of the statute but a giant truck was parked right in front of it. Unbelievable! But we were able to angle a couple pics around it a bit. Then we jumped in a taxi to see a few sights by car -- we drove down the Strand, home of the Savoy Hotel and the Royal Courts of Justice; we drove through Trafalgar Square; and we ended up at Parliament and Big Ben. We stared across the river at the London Eye, which was new to London since I lived there way back in 1998-99! Then we walked across the street to Westminster Abbey, one of my favorite places in the world. You really have to see it to believe it, and I was thrilled that Rob was equally impressed as I always am. You are just swimming through history there, with the tombs and memorials of kings, queens, poets, scientists, and great people known and unknown around every corner. We even found the memorial bust for Sir Rowland Hill!
We were a little rushed though because we had a lunch date with my friend Philip, my favorite friend from my LSE days. We hadn't seen each other since Philip's wedding in Monroe, Lousiana, to the lovely Ashley in the spring of 2005. We got to see Philip and Ashley and their baby Blair (so beautiful) at a great pub in their neighborhood on the north side of London. I was really excited for Rob and Philip to get to know each other a bit more, as I've always thought of them as kindred spirits, especially in their football-loving ways. (Philip loves the Broncos as much as Rob loves the Giants.) We had a fantastic time and I was thrilled to learn that Philip and his family are moving to Atlanta soon, so hopefully it won't be another two years until we see them again. I can't believe Philip is a dad -- I can't believe we're all grown up! I knew Philip back when he had a tongue ring. In fact, when my friend Erica and I set out to get navel piercings in NYC several years back, it was Philip I called for a piercing salon rec. Now he's an investment banker, a husband, a dad, and about to live in the Atlanta suburbs. But he's still wicked cool. :)
After lunch, we checked into our hotel, showered and napped. Mmm sleep. Then we headed back out to the new Tate Modern, just steps away from my old dorm in Southwark but it was still under construction when I was there. We got there by way of the Millenium Footbridge, which was pretty cool at dusk, despite the steady drizzle. The Tate was great and had a cool exhibit on cities around the world. After the museum, we wandered over to my dorm where the light in my old room was on! And I was FLOORED to see a Starbucks next door. Back in the olden days, there was nothing at all nearby, certainly not hot caffeinated beverages! Then it was off to a gastropub for dinner, which was divine, especially the cold pea mousse. Seriously. This vacation was all about sleeping on the cheap but eating freely, and we did that particularly well our first night in London. We walked from the gastropub for about 20 minutes through the Knightsbridge area and past Harrod's. Then we headed back to the hotel and hit the sack as exhaustion was setting in!
Whew! I'm not sure I can keep up with this level of detail, nor that it's very interesting... but at least this lets you know why we were so exhausted when we got back from vacation. So much to see, so little time, and Type A Katherine taking the touristing helm. Tomorrow I'll try to post some pictures and some of the highlights of the rest of our trip. No promises on the pictures though. The internet seems to hate me right now.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Almost home
Rob in front of a "small" aging cask in a port cellar in Gaia, just across the river from Porto.
Me at a vineyard in the Douro Valley. No picture can do the scenery justice.As for now, we are currently sitting in the Radisson Lisbon -- just five minutes from the airport -- and our hotel room is the size of our three previous hotel rooms combined (London, Lisbon, Porto). Tonight was a splurge because we are getting up at 4:45am to head over to the airport for our flight, so we wanted to be as close as possible.
We have had an awesome vacation. It's been jam-packed with sightseeing from start to finish. We have a few hundred pictures and a few extra pounds (not just of souvenirs) to show for it. Thank goodness for Operation Portugal because now we're just heading home back to our old pre-OP selves instead of the biggest versions of ourselves to date. :)
It's about time for our 5 hours of sleep to begin, so we'll sign off with a few quick lessons about travelling through Portugal:
1. A phrasebook is cool and all, but when you're staring down a menu in Portuguese, you really want a Portuguese-English dictionary in your bag.
1a. When in doubt, just gesture your way into asking the waiter to give you his or her favorite dish. It's always good.
2. There are not stones as slippery as the stones of Lisbon's cobbled sidewalks anywhere else on the planet. Shoes with traction -- yet light if you're visiting in the hot August sun -- are a must.
3. If the guidebook describes an area as "a neighborhood of contrasts" or at any point uses the word "melancholy," you may not want to go there, especially your first night in the city, especially at night.
4. Speaking of guidebooks, have three with you. Compare info. Only rely on the info when it's in at least two. Otherwise you'll be standing in front of boarded up buildings that used to be restaurants and outside train stations that no longer run trains.
5. Listen to some Portuguese before you go abroad. You won't believe what it sounds like in person. Nothing in your language book will prepare you. You still won't understand anything. But at least you'll be prepared for understanding nothing.
6. Portugal is beautiful and wonderful and worth all the struggles.
Much more to come! Can't wait to be back in touch with you all.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Blogging - Portugal Style
In case you didn't know, you are currently reading a nova mensagens. That's what blogger.com calls a new blog post in Portuguese.
Our vacation is going great and we are surviving our total and complete ignorance of the Portuguese language. Sortof. :)
Here is a quick picture. We will post in more detail soon. This internet connection is not ideal.
This is us at the Palace de Pena in Sintra, which is just a short train ride from Lisbon. The views were just stunning. We took this using our new jobi (sp??) -- thanks for the tip Adam and Valerie!
Our vacation is going great and we are surviving our total and complete ignorance of the Portuguese language. Sortof. :)
Here is a quick picture. We will post in more detail soon. This internet connection is not ideal.
This is us at the Palace de Pena in Sintra, which is just a short train ride from Lisbon. The views were just stunning. We took this using our new jobi (sp??) -- thanks for the tip Adam and Valerie!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
And we're off!
I don't think we'll post before we ship off to London, although we might blog from the road. If not, we're back on August 28.
For now I'll leave you with this pic of Rob outside Nick's Diner. Imagine the agony of seeing this sign with just one dollar in your pocket.... :)
For now I'll leave you with this pic of Rob outside Nick's Diner. Imagine the agony of seeing this sign with just one dollar in your pocket.... :)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Reunion Central
This past weekend was jam-packed with reunion fun as we had both my judge's clerk reunion and my family's annual reunion to attend, with the slight problem of them being six hours driving time away from each other. Saturday afternoon was a bbq at my judge's home in the Chicago suburbs, which was full of excellent food. I had to say goodbye there to my co-clerk Peter, who was hitting the road on Monday morning to head back to the East coast. His last day at work was Friday. He's been an awesome colleague and it's been sad not having him around this week.
We left the Chicago area around 5:30pm on Saturday, straight from the bbq, and hit the road for Cleveland. We stopped, as we typically do for long road trips, at Cracker Barrel and picked up a book on cd. (If you don't know this trick, it's great. You can "buy" a book on cd from Cracker Barrel and return it within seven days to any other Cracker Barrel, where you'll be refunded the price of the book minus about $3.50.) Rob left me to pick the book on my own and I admit I made a terrible choice -- The Second Horseman by Kyle Mills. You know a book is bad where part of the plot centers around protagonists trying to avoid nuclear war and you find yourself thinking it'd be fine if the bombs go off because at least then the book would be over. There's also a character who's rabidly anti-Semitic, but it's couched in these falsely intellectual terms and you don't really know he's a villain until late in the book... so before you get to that point, the character's rants leave a really bad taste in your mouth that jolts you out of the book. I have to blame some of the bad opinion on the fact that we listened to an abridged version (the last 30 minutes just made no sense at all so there must have been a lot left on the cutting room floor) and on the person who performed this particular book on cd. His style made everything sound schticky. And the voice he gave the main female character was like a caricature of a little old lady cartoon voice... only problem was that the character was supposed to be a young, bad-ass CIA agent. The voice was so ridiculous that it kept making us laugh, even at the many points in the book where she and the hero are about to be killed.
Anyway, we arrived in Cleveland at about 11:30pm and hung out at my grandma's for a while. A little after midnight my Uncle Tom (who is in his 50s) tried to get a game of "SPUD" going. Awesome late night game that's kindof a combo of "HORSE" and dodgeball. The game, which involves yelling, was interrupted by my grandmother shouting out her window that the game was too loud and we had to stop... which led to my Uncle Tom throwing the ball in frustration and saying, "Aw Mom, that's ridiculous!" My cousin Paul, Uncle Tom's 27-year-old son, was very amused.
We checked into our hotel a little before 2am and headed back to Grandma's around 10am. We met up with Libby and Colin to begin our morning as heathens. Most of the family was at mass, which included a baptism of my newest cousin Marcus. But we heathens who aren't so comfortable in a Catholic church had planned on doing breakfast together, so we stuck with that plan. We decided to just drive down Lorain Avenue, a main street near my Grandma's house around 220th Street, straight towards downtown where we'd later be catching an Indians game and just stop when we found something good. After passing up "Hobo Joe's," we stopped around 41st Street at Nick's Diner. From where we parked, the front of Nick's was blocked by cars. Rob ran across the street first, turned around grinning and said, "In about ten seconds you guys are going to realize this was a great idea." Indeed! In front of Nick's was a sign advertising their $1.99 breakfast -- 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon or sausage, home fries or grits, and toast of your choice. An extra buck got you coffee. Not exactly keeping with Operation Portugal, but who's going to buy a $4 omelet (also a great deal though) with that special staring at you. Colin and Libby, gentle eaters they are, pondered sharing the special, but Rob and I let them know how wrong that would be. So we all got the special plus coffee or tea and an OJ for Colin -- our total bill was $16. Unreal. And it was delicious! Score one for the heathens.
We made it to the game just as it got underway. It was the Tribe versus the Yankees and apparently someone forgot to tell the Yankees fans that Jacobs Field is not Yankee Stadium. Holy crap there were a lot of Yankees fans. (I'm not sure I can forgive my dad for letting his girlfriend show up in a Yankees hat... a pink Yankees hat no less. ;) They cheered so loudly after their team would make good plays, you'd think it was the hometown fans cheering and do a double take to make sure you hadn't missed something good. The game was reasonably close and the Indians needed a win to maintain their standing at the top of the AL Central. But the Cleveland fans in attendance could hardly be bothered to cheer their team through the closing innings. That's not to say there was a ton to cheer about. Leaving the tying runs on base in each of the closing innings is appalling. But sheesh! Don't let "Let's Go Yankees" cheers in the Jake go unanswered!!! At the top of the ninth, the Indians had two outs and two strikes on Jeter. So what would any home team fan do in that situation? You stand up and cheer on your pitcher, that's what! And what did I do? I got up and screamed my head of from the very top back corner of the stadium and tried to get some noise going. The M-nariks are always good for noise. But we need the fans in actual shouting distance of the field to do their part. And what did the rest of their Cleveland fans do? They sat on their hands in silence. Seriously. SERIOUSLY! And what did the Yankees fans do? They cheered on Jeter -- loudly. And what did Jeter do? Well, you can figure out the rest. Damn Jeter. Damn Yankees.
Bottom of the ninth, 5-2 Yankees, but the Indians show some life. They score a 3rd run, leaving men on second and third with no outs. You can pop fly your way into extra innings from that position. The Cleveland fans gave some half-hearted cheers, but nothing worthy of the fight their players tried to get going. So we the fans deserved the result we got. Three straight outs and the runners never moved. Devastating. I'd blame it on our heathen morning, but my Uncle Matt's priestwas with us at the game, so surely that cancelled out our debaucherous morning!
After the game, we went back to Grandma's, soaked with sweat from the sun and humidity. We watched my Uncle Dan zoom by us on the highway. Hee hee. I had an excellent chat with my cousin Andrew (who's 15) about Harry Potter. Rob, Andrew and I started kicking around a soccer ball in the backyard and nearly a dozen more cousins flocked over. So we played a multi-generational monkey-in-the-middle-type game, as my cousin Judy and her two oldest kids joined the game too. Those are the best moments of M-narik reunions to me, the random playing. When I was growing up, nothing beat time with my cousins. I still love playing games with my cousins and I love seeing all my younger cousins (the youngest is just a couple months' old) play with my older cousins' kids (the oldest of that generation is nearing the end of high school). So cool.
Finally, we began the long trek home. Shout out to Rob who drove the entire trip -- about 5.5 hours each way. So that's 11 hours of driving in about 30 hours just so I could spend a day with my family.
Work on Monday was a little strange. A new law clerk has moved into my old office while I'm working down the hall for my bonus weeks with my judge. I spent a lot of Monday playing tour guide for the two new clerks who started. Then yesterday was a lot of catching back up on work. The new clerks seem absolutely great and are so diligent. Makes me realize how much they have to look forward here. In just a couple more weeks, I'll be leaving behind about 60 bench memos at around 4000-7000 words a pop, 22 opinions drafted initially by yours truly (but later undergoing major revision by the smartest person in chambers) with the shortest still over 10 pages, a smattering of dissents, countless pages of PFR recommendations, and a million other little things. I wish I could do it all over knowing everything I know now, but of course if I knew last year exactly how much work was facing me down, I might not have survived!
Back to work I go.
We left the Chicago area around 5:30pm on Saturday, straight from the bbq, and hit the road for Cleveland. We stopped, as we typically do for long road trips, at Cracker Barrel and picked up a book on cd. (If you don't know this trick, it's great. You can "buy" a book on cd from Cracker Barrel and return it within seven days to any other Cracker Barrel, where you'll be refunded the price of the book minus about $3.50.) Rob left me to pick the book on my own and I admit I made a terrible choice -- The Second Horseman by Kyle Mills. You know a book is bad where part of the plot centers around protagonists trying to avoid nuclear war and you find yourself thinking it'd be fine if the bombs go off because at least then the book would be over. There's also a character who's rabidly anti-Semitic, but it's couched in these falsely intellectual terms and you don't really know he's a villain until late in the book... so before you get to that point, the character's rants leave a really bad taste in your mouth that jolts you out of the book. I have to blame some of the bad opinion on the fact that we listened to an abridged version (the last 30 minutes just made no sense at all so there must have been a lot left on the cutting room floor) and on the person who performed this particular book on cd. His style made everything sound schticky. And the voice he gave the main female character was like a caricature of a little old lady cartoon voice... only problem was that the character was supposed to be a young, bad-ass CIA agent. The voice was so ridiculous that it kept making us laugh, even at the many points in the book where she and the hero are about to be killed.
Anyway, we arrived in Cleveland at about 11:30pm and hung out at my grandma's for a while. A little after midnight my Uncle Tom (who is in his 50s) tried to get a game of "SPUD" going. Awesome late night game that's kindof a combo of "HORSE" and dodgeball. The game, which involves yelling, was interrupted by my grandmother shouting out her window that the game was too loud and we had to stop... which led to my Uncle Tom throwing the ball in frustration and saying, "Aw Mom, that's ridiculous!" My cousin Paul, Uncle Tom's 27-year-old son, was very amused.
We checked into our hotel a little before 2am and headed back to Grandma's around 10am. We met up with Libby and Colin to begin our morning as heathens. Most of the family was at mass, which included a baptism of my newest cousin Marcus. But we heathens who aren't so comfortable in a Catholic church had planned on doing breakfast together, so we stuck with that plan. We decided to just drive down Lorain Avenue, a main street near my Grandma's house around 220th Street, straight towards downtown where we'd later be catching an Indians game and just stop when we found something good. After passing up "Hobo Joe's," we stopped around 41st Street at Nick's Diner. From where we parked, the front of Nick's was blocked by cars. Rob ran across the street first, turned around grinning and said, "In about ten seconds you guys are going to realize this was a great idea." Indeed! In front of Nick's was a sign advertising their $1.99 breakfast -- 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon or sausage, home fries or grits, and toast of your choice. An extra buck got you coffee. Not exactly keeping with Operation Portugal, but who's going to buy a $4 omelet (also a great deal though) with that special staring at you. Colin and Libby, gentle eaters they are, pondered sharing the special, but Rob and I let them know how wrong that would be. So we all got the special plus coffee or tea and an OJ for Colin -- our total bill was $16. Unreal. And it was delicious! Score one for the heathens.
We made it to the game just as it got underway. It was the Tribe versus the Yankees and apparently someone forgot to tell the Yankees fans that Jacobs Field is not Yankee Stadium. Holy crap there were a lot of Yankees fans. (I'm not sure I can forgive my dad for letting his girlfriend show up in a Yankees hat... a pink Yankees hat no less. ;) They cheered so loudly after their team would make good plays, you'd think it was the hometown fans cheering and do a double take to make sure you hadn't missed something good. The game was reasonably close and the Indians needed a win to maintain their standing at the top of the AL Central. But the Cleveland fans in attendance could hardly be bothered to cheer their team through the closing innings. That's not to say there was a ton to cheer about. Leaving the tying runs on base in each of the closing innings is appalling. But sheesh! Don't let "Let's Go Yankees" cheers in the Jake go unanswered!!! At the top of the ninth, the Indians had two outs and two strikes on Jeter. So what would any home team fan do in that situation? You stand up and cheer on your pitcher, that's what! And what did I do? I got up and screamed my head of from the very top back corner of the stadium and tried to get some noise going. The M-nariks are always good for noise. But we need the fans in actual shouting distance of the field to do their part. And what did the rest of their Cleveland fans do? They sat on their hands in silence. Seriously. SERIOUSLY! And what did the Yankees fans do? They cheered on Jeter -- loudly. And what did Jeter do? Well, you can figure out the rest. Damn Jeter. Damn Yankees.
Bottom of the ninth, 5-2 Yankees, but the Indians show some life. They score a 3rd run, leaving men on second and third with no outs. You can pop fly your way into extra innings from that position. The Cleveland fans gave some half-hearted cheers, but nothing worthy of the fight their players tried to get going. So we the fans deserved the result we got. Three straight outs and the runners never moved. Devastating. I'd blame it on our heathen morning, but my Uncle Matt's priestwas with us at the game, so surely that cancelled out our debaucherous morning!
After the game, we went back to Grandma's, soaked with sweat from the sun and humidity. We watched my Uncle Dan zoom by us on the highway. Hee hee. I had an excellent chat with my cousin Andrew (who's 15) about Harry Potter. Rob, Andrew and I started kicking around a soccer ball in the backyard and nearly a dozen more cousins flocked over. So we played a multi-generational monkey-in-the-middle-type game, as my cousin Judy and her two oldest kids joined the game too. Those are the best moments of M-narik reunions to me, the random playing. When I was growing up, nothing beat time with my cousins. I still love playing games with my cousins and I love seeing all my younger cousins (the youngest is just a couple months' old) play with my older cousins' kids (the oldest of that generation is nearing the end of high school). So cool.
Finally, we began the long trek home. Shout out to Rob who drove the entire trip -- about 5.5 hours each way. So that's 11 hours of driving in about 30 hours just so I could spend a day with my family.
Work on Monday was a little strange. A new law clerk has moved into my old office while I'm working down the hall for my bonus weeks with my judge. I spent a lot of Monday playing tour guide for the two new clerks who started. Then yesterday was a lot of catching back up on work. The new clerks seem absolutely great and are so diligent. Makes me realize how much they have to look forward here. In just a couple more weeks, I'll be leaving behind about 60 bench memos at around 4000-7000 words a pop, 22 opinions drafted initially by yours truly (but later undergoing major revision by the smartest person in chambers) with the shortest still over 10 pages, a smattering of dissents, countless pages of PFR recommendations, and a million other little things. I wish I could do it all over knowing everything I know now, but of course if I knew last year exactly how much work was facing me down, I might not have survived!
Back to work I go.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Top Chef
Not much time to go into thoughtful detail, but I was a little annoyed by tonight's Top Chef episode. Cooking in a slim-fitting button down shirt is not the same challenge cooking in a low-cut top and heels. Not even close, for reasons ranging from physical to psychological to societal. And I was bothered that the judges pretended like it was. If I think of something more articulate to say about it I will, but I have been ranting about sexism quite a bit these days. So I'll leave at that for now.
Counting down
Tonight we had a lovely chicken tikka masala dinner, prepared by Rob obviously. Resa and Nick came over to join us, which means our house is a little cleaner is right now than it is usually. I also had my first Scooter's tonight since we began our "Operation Portugal" campaign to get in shape... which has been reasonably successful for me and wildly successful for Rob. So it wasn't entirely undeserved. Although I still have a ways to go.
Tonight it also feels like we're counting down to all kinds of things. Technically Friday should be my last day at work, but I'm actually staying a little bit longer to help get a few more opinions issued... and because I don't want to leave :). Nevertheless, I'm done with all my official work on Friday, which is a very nice milestone to hit. This weekend is the Wood Clerk reunion, so we'll be busy with that all day Friday and Saturday. We hit the road on Saturday evening for Cleveland, as this weekend is also the M-narik family reunion. So we'll arrive late Saturday night but we'll be around on Sunday to chill with the family. Our family is heading to the Cleveland Indians game on Sunday afternoon -- 50 tickets strong! Can't wait to see the Yankees lose!
Then of course, on the 17th we leave for Europe. London for three days, Portugal for eight. I'm kindof freaking our about the whole Portuguese thing. Have you ever looked at a Portuguese phrasebook? It is not exactly what I thought it'd be. Between the two of us, Rob and I have French and Spanish down -- at least well enough to travel. But I recently realized that the last time I was some place where I didn't speak any of the language at all was 1996 when I went to Italy for spring break to visit my then-boyfriend who was studying abroad. One day I was on my own for lunch while he was in class and I was so nervous about not knowing a word of Italian that I'm pretty sure I just went without food for the afternoon.
In hindsight I know how silly that was, but my lack of language-risky trips since then can't just be a coincidence (Mexico three times, France twice, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, the Bahamas, living in London). Clearly I'm playing it safe. I just hate butchering languages. I feel like I'm disrespecting an entire culture. Even when I lived in London for a year and obviously spoke the language, I felt like my American accent was disrespectful. So I'm nervous about saying anything Portuguese. We have a phrasebook. I think I'll be able to get "yes" "no" "thank you" and "I don't speak Portuguese" down before we get there. But even those little things are unfamiliar in such a new way. I hope that at the very least I figure out how to say "thank you" well.
Despite the language anxiety, I can't wait for the vacation. I've been reading our new guidebooks and our trip is quickly evolving from a chilled out, relaxing tour into a sightseeing-packed race through the streets of Lisbon and Porto. There's so much I want to see and do! And I hope that this trip takes away a little of my silly worries about going somewhere where I don't speak the language. After all, Rob and I have India on our list of places we want to visit in the next couple years! Not to mention Greece, Eastern Europe, and half a dozen other countries in Asia. I think I need to just get over myself.
Tonight it also feels like we're counting down to all kinds of things. Technically Friday should be my last day at work, but I'm actually staying a little bit longer to help get a few more opinions issued... and because I don't want to leave :). Nevertheless, I'm done with all my official work on Friday, which is a very nice milestone to hit. This weekend is the Wood Clerk reunion, so we'll be busy with that all day Friday and Saturday. We hit the road on Saturday evening for Cleveland, as this weekend is also the M-narik family reunion. So we'll arrive late Saturday night but we'll be around on Sunday to chill with the family. Our family is heading to the Cleveland Indians game on Sunday afternoon -- 50 tickets strong! Can't wait to see the Yankees lose!
Then of course, on the 17th we leave for Europe. London for three days, Portugal for eight. I'm kindof freaking our about the whole Portuguese thing. Have you ever looked at a Portuguese phrasebook? It is not exactly what I thought it'd be. Between the two of us, Rob and I have French and Spanish down -- at least well enough to travel. But I recently realized that the last time I was some place where I didn't speak any of the language at all was 1996 when I went to Italy for spring break to visit my then-boyfriend who was studying abroad. One day I was on my own for lunch while he was in class and I was so nervous about not knowing a word of Italian that I'm pretty sure I just went without food for the afternoon.
In hindsight I know how silly that was, but my lack of language-risky trips since then can't just be a coincidence (Mexico three times, France twice, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, the Bahamas, living in London). Clearly I'm playing it safe. I just hate butchering languages. I feel like I'm disrespecting an entire culture. Even when I lived in London for a year and obviously spoke the language, I felt like my American accent was disrespectful. So I'm nervous about saying anything Portuguese. We have a phrasebook. I think I'll be able to get "yes" "no" "thank you" and "I don't speak Portuguese" down before we get there. But even those little things are unfamiliar in such a new way. I hope that at the very least I figure out how to say "thank you" well.
Despite the language anxiety, I can't wait for the vacation. I've been reading our new guidebooks and our trip is quickly evolving from a chilled out, relaxing tour into a sightseeing-packed race through the streets of Lisbon and Porto. There's so much I want to see and do! And I hope that this trip takes away a little of my silly worries about going somewhere where I don't speak the language. After all, Rob and I have India on our list of places we want to visit in the next couple years! Not to mention Greece, Eastern Europe, and half a dozen other countries in Asia. I think I need to just get over myself.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Um, Whaaaat????
Okay. Whoa. Not cool.
Tonight was supposed to be the "season finale" of Making the Band 4. We were promised a band would be made. So excuse me for, well, expecting a band to be made! Instead, the episode closes with Diddy asking the viewers to vote online for their favorite boy-band-member-wannabe and then he'll pick the band live on August 26. Um, what???
First and most importantly, I'll be out of the country that night! So double that not cool. Second, I just tried to vote and I just see a blank page with ads on it. How on earth am I supposed to ensure that Brian A. and Robert make the band if I can't vote right away?
Hopefully if you click on the link above, you'll get a real voting screen. Trust me. Robert and Brian A. are rock stars.
Tonight was supposed to be the "season finale" of Making the Band 4. We were promised a band would be made. So excuse me for, well, expecting a band to be made! Instead, the episode closes with Diddy asking the viewers to vote online for their favorite boy-band-member-wannabe and then he'll pick the band live on August 26. Um, what???
First and most importantly, I'll be out of the country that night! So double that not cool. Second, I just tried to vote and I just see a blank page with ads on it. How on earth am I supposed to ensure that Brian A. and Robert make the band if I can't vote right away?
Hopefully if you click on the link above, you'll get a real voting screen. Trust me. Robert and Brian A. are rock stars.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Happy anniversary
Today (August 5) marks the five-year anniversary of Rob's and my first date. Kindof. The benefit of hindsight helps us call it our first date. Given the date, and the fact that I'm taking a break from drafting a not-so-interesting opinion, I figured I'd write a quick post about Rob.
As for our first date, well, Rob and I met through friends in July 2002. Inspired by the 2002 World Cup, my roommate Carly, Rob's friend Christian, and Rob decided to drag a couple friends to a park in Virginia for some informal soccer. I was one of those friends, unaware that Rob had already been informed about me and my single status. The day turned out to be a lot of fun. Rob and I disagree to this day about whether I was flirting with him or not. (Correct answer = no!) But I admit I did take notice. That day's game turned into regular Sunday games with our small group, which led to regular group scheduling emails, which led to some trash talk about football vs. football (that is, American football vs. soccer) with Rob and I solidly in the football (that is, American football) camp. And that led to one of us somehow suggesting we watch a NY Giants pre-season football game together. Recently, I tried to search through my old email to figure out who actually suggested it, as I had saved every single email between me and Rob. Unfortunately, lame MSN hotmail starts deleting emails around 4.5 years old. Boo!! Glad I've switched to gmail.
No matter, the date was set. Although we hadn't called it a date. And it was a Monday night. I remember Carly telling me to have fun on my date. I insisted it wasn't a date, but she replied, "Yes it is!!!" Rob picked me up early so we could take some swings at nearby batting cages. He made me choose the beer for the evening, which was a huge dilemma because I have the worst taste in beer. I think I picked Yuengling. Not one typically in our fridge these days. Hmm. After the batting cages, we got to Rob's house and ordered pizza. The game came on, but we were pretty chatty through the first quarter. Then we played some pool. (Rob's housemate had a pool table. Sweet.) I definitely flirted. But I still didn't know if it was a date. Eventually Rob drove me home, pretty late, and while I was pondering whether this had been a date or not, Rob asked when I was leaving on vacation. I was leaving on Thursday morning. He asked if he could see me again before I left. I think I knew it was a date then. We went out again in the 48 hours before I left. We went to Two Amy's. And that was definitely a date.
In hindsight, the Monday date, the August 5th date, was a total date. The biggest clue, which I didn't fully understand at the time, was the fact that Rob didn't watch the game. Did you catch that? My husband, the world's biggest NY Giants fan, the man who wouldn't notice fireworks in the next room if the NY Giants are on the television screen, didn't watch the game. Yup, in hindsight, that makes me grin like crazy. Just to know he liked me that much. Because I liked him that much too.
Still sometimes, I'm amazed it all worked out. After all, I walked in with baggage galore and with not much faith in relationships generally. Actually zero faith. Rob took it all in stride. Somehow he turned it around. So much so that this girl who, before she met Rob, had stated with much certainty that marriage would not be on her horizon, ended up married just three and a half years later. Who knew.
Well, actually Roxanna knew, but she says she was worried I wouldn't figure it out myself. :) Somewhere along the line Carly knew. After all, she's the one who told Rob about her single roommate. Mark knew. When I told him about Rob, Mark just gave me this look. A "duh" look if ever there was one. And Rachel and Claire couldn't stop telling me how great he was. Good thing I have such smart friends!
Rob said the other day that I make him look too good on this blog. If that's true, then I suppose this sappy post is no exception. But if you'll forgive the sappiness (and I suppose you will if you've read this far), I must say that I really only speak the truth about Rob. That's not to say he is perfect or that our relationship is without flaws. So to be fair... I'll point out a flaw. Rob loves to distract me in the middle of very important television moments, like Diddy and Laurie Ann's fight on Making the Band 4, which is so annoying. Not that I'm blameless. (See previous reference to Making the Band 4, which was not a joke.) But seriously. We fight. Definitely. We're both lawyers! We get on each other's nerves, as strong-willed people tend to do.
But at the end of the day, that stuff just fades out. Seriously. I'm beyond lucky to be married to someone who is my best friend, my biggest supporter, my greatest motivator, my most loyal defender... someone who is incredibly smart, wickedly handsome, insanely funny, endlessly kind... someone who makes me laugh more than I've ever laughed, makes me more comfortable in my own skin than I've ever been, makes me so eager to come home every day... someone who spent his last semester of law school at a new school so I wouldn't have to move to Philadelphia all alone, then three years later quit his wonderfully stable and hard-earned government job to move to Chicago with me so I could take my dream job... someone who is as liberal as I am, someone who thinks a feminist wedding is the only way to go, someone who thinks having an ambitious wife is awesome, someone who takes kids seriously for the individuals they are, someone who wants to make the world a better place. And did I mention that he is a really good cook and looks damn good swinging a baseball bat and has a truly wonderful family? I mean seriously, you can't even make stuff up this good. I found the best guy. The BEST. And it started five years ago today.
I don't really know if I believe in the divine or fate or anything like that, but I can't imagine how a life partner could possibly fit me better than Rob does. And after all, according to our niece Lauren, Rob is "the funniest man in the world," so how could I go wrong? (Awww, and right now The Beatles are playing on the Yahoo music station I've got on. Now that's fate.) Back to work.
As for our first date, well, Rob and I met through friends in July 2002. Inspired by the 2002 World Cup, my roommate Carly, Rob's friend Christian, and Rob decided to drag a couple friends to a park in Virginia for some informal soccer. I was one of those friends, unaware that Rob had already been informed about me and my single status. The day turned out to be a lot of fun. Rob and I disagree to this day about whether I was flirting with him or not. (Correct answer = no!) But I admit I did take notice. That day's game turned into regular Sunday games with our small group, which led to regular group scheduling emails, which led to some trash talk about football vs. football (that is, American football vs. soccer) with Rob and I solidly in the football (that is, American football) camp. And that led to one of us somehow suggesting we watch a NY Giants pre-season football game together. Recently, I tried to search through my old email to figure out who actually suggested it, as I had saved every single email between me and Rob. Unfortunately, lame MSN hotmail starts deleting emails around 4.5 years old. Boo!! Glad I've switched to gmail.
No matter, the date was set. Although we hadn't called it a date. And it was a Monday night. I remember Carly telling me to have fun on my date. I insisted it wasn't a date, but she replied, "Yes it is!!!" Rob picked me up early so we could take some swings at nearby batting cages. He made me choose the beer for the evening, which was a huge dilemma because I have the worst taste in beer. I think I picked Yuengling. Not one typically in our fridge these days. Hmm. After the batting cages, we got to Rob's house and ordered pizza. The game came on, but we were pretty chatty through the first quarter. Then we played some pool. (Rob's housemate had a pool table. Sweet.) I definitely flirted. But I still didn't know if it was a date. Eventually Rob drove me home, pretty late, and while I was pondering whether this had been a date or not, Rob asked when I was leaving on vacation. I was leaving on Thursday morning. He asked if he could see me again before I left. I think I knew it was a date then. We went out again in the 48 hours before I left. We went to Two Amy's. And that was definitely a date.
In hindsight, the Monday date, the August 5th date, was a total date. The biggest clue, which I didn't fully understand at the time, was the fact that Rob didn't watch the game. Did you catch that? My husband, the world's biggest NY Giants fan, the man who wouldn't notice fireworks in the next room if the NY Giants are on the television screen, didn't watch the game. Yup, in hindsight, that makes me grin like crazy. Just to know he liked me that much. Because I liked him that much too.
Still sometimes, I'm amazed it all worked out. After all, I walked in with baggage galore and with not much faith in relationships generally. Actually zero faith. Rob took it all in stride. Somehow he turned it around. So much so that this girl who, before she met Rob, had stated with much certainty that marriage would not be on her horizon, ended up married just three and a half years later. Who knew.
Well, actually Roxanna knew, but she says she was worried I wouldn't figure it out myself. :) Somewhere along the line Carly knew. After all, she's the one who told Rob about her single roommate. Mark knew. When I told him about Rob, Mark just gave me this look. A "duh" look if ever there was one. And Rachel and Claire couldn't stop telling me how great he was. Good thing I have such smart friends!
Rob said the other day that I make him look too good on this blog. If that's true, then I suppose this sappy post is no exception. But if you'll forgive the sappiness (and I suppose you will if you've read this far), I must say that I really only speak the truth about Rob. That's not to say he is perfect or that our relationship is without flaws. So to be fair... I'll point out a flaw. Rob loves to distract me in the middle of very important television moments, like Diddy and Laurie Ann's fight on Making the Band 4, which is so annoying. Not that I'm blameless. (See previous reference to Making the Band 4, which was not a joke.) But seriously. We fight. Definitely. We're both lawyers! We get on each other's nerves, as strong-willed people tend to do.
But at the end of the day, that stuff just fades out. Seriously. I'm beyond lucky to be married to someone who is my best friend, my biggest supporter, my greatest motivator, my most loyal defender... someone who is incredibly smart, wickedly handsome, insanely funny, endlessly kind... someone who makes me laugh more than I've ever laughed, makes me more comfortable in my own skin than I've ever been, makes me so eager to come home every day... someone who spent his last semester of law school at a new school so I wouldn't have to move to Philadelphia all alone, then three years later quit his wonderfully stable and hard-earned government job to move to Chicago with me so I could take my dream job... someone who is as liberal as I am, someone who thinks a feminist wedding is the only way to go, someone who thinks having an ambitious wife is awesome, someone who takes kids seriously for the individuals they are, someone who wants to make the world a better place. And did I mention that he is a really good cook and looks damn good swinging a baseball bat and has a truly wonderful family? I mean seriously, you can't even make stuff up this good. I found the best guy. The BEST. And it started five years ago today.
I don't really know if I believe in the divine or fate or anything like that, but I can't imagine how a life partner could possibly fit me better than Rob does. And after all, according to our niece Lauren, Rob is "the funniest man in the world," so how could I go wrong? (Awww, and right now The Beatles are playing on the Yahoo music station I've got on. Now that's fate.) Back to work.
Friday, August 03, 2007
It's been a long week
Not a lot of time for posting this week. My clerkship technically ends next Friday (although I'm going to hang around a wee bit longer to help my judge), so I have a bunch of work to complete by then. Fortunately, we've squeezed in a little fun. We took in a Cubs game on Monday night -- good game, but the home team lost -- with Rob's former co-worker Erin and several of her friends. We all went out for pizza afterwards and it was a very relaxing night all around.
Then on Wednesday night, we grilled out with our friends Tim and Emily. They didn't let us do anything, so it was a total treat of yummy food for us! We also got in a couple rounds of bocce ball. Then Tim and Emily surprised me with a birthday present and a birthday cake. Wow! I think the last time a friend made me a birthday cake was when Roxanna threw me a surprise party when I turned 17 in France (which was an exceptionally well-played and fun surprise). But I also think that cake was more like cake soup... awesome cake soup, but cake soup nonetheless. Remember, Rox? :) Baking in another language is not easy.
Anyway, it was a great surprise on Wednesday. I didn't have an actual birthday cake this year, although my co-clerks got me some delicious cupcakes. In the middle of a very hectic week that has me at my lowest sleep levels of the last few months, cake was just what I needed.
All this work of course means not much treadmilling for me. Rob is still putting me to shame. I've temporarily given up on our stats, which conveniently coincides with my dramatic decline in exercise. Hmmm. Something pseudo-Freudian about that, right?
This weekend has lots more work in store, but also lots more planning for Portugal! So that at least will be fun. I can't wait for vacation!!!!!
Then on Wednesday night, we grilled out with our friends Tim and Emily. They didn't let us do anything, so it was a total treat of yummy food for us! We also got in a couple rounds of bocce ball. Then Tim and Emily surprised me with a birthday present and a birthday cake. Wow! I think the last time a friend made me a birthday cake was when Roxanna threw me a surprise party when I turned 17 in France (which was an exceptionally well-played and fun surprise). But I also think that cake was more like cake soup... awesome cake soup, but cake soup nonetheless. Remember, Rox? :) Baking in another language is not easy.
Anyway, it was a great surprise on Wednesday. I didn't have an actual birthday cake this year, although my co-clerks got me some delicious cupcakes. In the middle of a very hectic week that has me at my lowest sleep levels of the last few months, cake was just what I needed.
All this work of course means not much treadmilling for me. Rob is still putting me to shame. I've temporarily given up on our stats, which conveniently coincides with my dramatic decline in exercise. Hmmm. Something pseudo-Freudian about that, right?
This weekend has lots more work in store, but also lots more planning for Portugal! So that at least will be fun. I can't wait for vacation!!!!!
More women and workplace research
Here's another frustrating conclusion from a study of gender in the workplace. Men can get angry, but women can't. In fact, it's a bonus for men to get angry, while it's a big liability for women. Even better for women, the more senior you are in the workplace, the worse you are perceived for being angry... which is not true for men. There's a tiny silver lining. If you have a good reason to be angry, then you aren't punished as much. But you're still punished.
Now back to regular blog programming...
Now back to regular blog programming...
Monday, July 30, 2007
Gender discrimination food for thought
This topic is always on my mind: how and when to negotiate for more.
This article kindof blew my mind and also reinforced what I think a lot of women know is true. Sure you can ask for more, but that may end up getting you less in other dimensions. It turns out that when a woman negotiates for more pay, the employer's opinion of the woman goes down. When a man negotiates for more pay, the employer's opinion of him is unchanged.
Two excerpts from the article:
"'What we found across all the studies is men were always less willing to work with a woman who had attempted to negotiate than with a woman who did not,' Bowles said. 'They always preferred to work with a woman who stayed mum. But it made no difference to the men whether a guy had chosen to negotiate or not.'"
And:
"Women were less likely than men to negotiate when they believed they would be dealing with a man, but there was no significant difference between men and women when they thought a woman would be making the decision. The applicants, in other words, were accurately reading how males and females were likely to perceive them."
Wow. This is the kind of research that happens when you don't start with the assumptions that girls and boys are just different and we shouldn't bother questioning why. Very insightful.
This article kindof blew my mind and also reinforced what I think a lot of women know is true. Sure you can ask for more, but that may end up getting you less in other dimensions. It turns out that when a woman negotiates for more pay, the employer's opinion of the woman goes down. When a man negotiates for more pay, the employer's opinion of him is unchanged.
Two excerpts from the article:
"'What we found across all the studies is men were always less willing to work with a woman who had attempted to negotiate than with a woman who did not,' Bowles said. 'They always preferred to work with a woman who stayed mum. But it made no difference to the men whether a guy had chosen to negotiate or not.'"
And:
"Women were less likely than men to negotiate when they believed they would be dealing with a man, but there was no significant difference between men and women when they thought a woman would be making the decision. The applicants, in other words, were accurately reading how males and females were likely to perceive them."
Wow. This is the kind of research that happens when you don't start with the assumptions that girls and boys are just different and we shouldn't bother questioning why. Very insightful.
Success!
I will post more soon but I wanted to quickly post to say that Rob's and my own donations combined with all of yours helped us meet our goal of raising $1000 for the Teb's Troops 5K on Sunday. It looks like the event itself raised about $40,000, which means we raised 1/40th of that! We were also the second highest fundraisers for the 5K. Whoo hoo! Thank you so much for your support. We were really proud to be such a big part of this event and it's all because of our awesome friends and family!
As for the run itself, we pretty much ran the full 3.1 miles. We walked just after the aid station at 1.6 miles to drink our water. Then I made Rob walk with me for about a minute at around 2.5 miles. We finished with an 11:45 mile pace, which is a bit faster than I run any significant distance on the treadmill. And we finished ahead of all the folks who walked (but not many who ran). I am proud to say that no strollers beat us though. So I consider it a success in multiple directions. Technically I crossed the line ahead of Rob, and they logged our times that way, but that's a little unfair since Rob could have easily finished in much less time without his slowpoke wife dragging him down! I told Rob after the race that he definitely has a nerd for a wife... seeing as I had to load up on allergy meds before the race (which didn't entirely work) and run carrying an inhaler. What an unathletic dork I am! Our future kids better get Rob's genes in the athleticism department.
In other news, the ACS convention was great fun. Made me wish I had some free time to do a bit more academic writing. It was also nice to see so many folks who I've gotten to know through the years because of ACS, as well as other friends, former co-workers, etc. I'll post later some more substantive things about the conference. There was a particularly great panel on the idea of "backlash" and whether Supreme Court rulings really ever lead to backlash or whether we just think they do. (The answer is generally the latter... who knew?) A couple of the panelists had some amazing things to say, which I took down verbatim. So I'll share them soon.
I have to admit, though, I was so glad to be home on Saturday night. Four days without seeing Rob -- way too much! I have no idea what we'll do when I'm doing a trial for a month in Alabama or somewhere else way far away. We're way too co-dependent these days. :)
As for the run itself, we pretty much ran the full 3.1 miles. We walked just after the aid station at 1.6 miles to drink our water. Then I made Rob walk with me for about a minute at around 2.5 miles. We finished with an 11:45 mile pace, which is a bit faster than I run any significant distance on the treadmill. And we finished ahead of all the folks who walked (but not many who ran). I am proud to say that no strollers beat us though. So I consider it a success in multiple directions. Technically I crossed the line ahead of Rob, and they logged our times that way, but that's a little unfair since Rob could have easily finished in much less time without his slowpoke wife dragging him down! I told Rob after the race that he definitely has a nerd for a wife... seeing as I had to load up on allergy meds before the race (which didn't entirely work) and run carrying an inhaler. What an unathletic dork I am! Our future kids better get Rob's genes in the athleticism department.
In other news, the ACS convention was great fun. Made me wish I had some free time to do a bit more academic writing. It was also nice to see so many folks who I've gotten to know through the years because of ACS, as well as other friends, former co-workers, etc. I'll post later some more substantive things about the conference. There was a particularly great panel on the idea of "backlash" and whether Supreme Court rulings really ever lead to backlash or whether we just think they do. (The answer is generally the latter... who knew?) A couple of the panelists had some amazing things to say, which I took down verbatim. So I'll share them soon.
I have to admit, though, I was so glad to be home on Saturday night. Four days without seeing Rob -- way too much! I have no idea what we'll do when I'm doing a trial for a month in Alabama or somewhere else way far away. We're way too co-dependent these days. :)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Weekend adventures and soon off for more...
I've tried to post twice now in the past couple days, but I've been rejected either by blogger.com or my laptop. If you've ever seen my laptop, you'd understand. The bottom left quarter of the screen flashes pretty much non-stop these days, which means if you're on the computer too long you can get a migraine. Just trying to keep the computer hanging on a couple more months though...
Anyway, my birthday was fantastic... and apparently way more people read this blog than I knew because I got more happy birthday emails this year than I have in a long time. I should make public announcements of my achievements more often!
Friday after work we jumped in a rented PT Cruiser. We don't trust the panda (our car, which looks like a panda, have we mentioned it before?) for long journeys, much like we don't trust my computer for long stretches computering. The drive to Saugatuck was pretty easy. About two and a half hours, but it would have been less had we not been leaving the city at rush hour on a Friday. We stopped at Taco Bell for dinner and had the friendliest drive-thru attendant in the world take our order. Seriously. Funny jokes, enthusiasm, and more. Cracked me up. Let's hear it for northern Indiana.
We got to our B&B in the late evening. It's called the Seymour House and they treated us very well all weekend. It was too dark to see much on the grounds when we arrived, but we were treated to delicious homemade cookies right away. After settling in, we jumped back in the car and headed into Saugatuck (we were a couple miles south) and wandered around a few of the stores that were still open. We bought a sweatshirt for Rob because it was rather chilly. We bought a wicked cool outdoor rug made entirely from recycled plastic that we're going to put on our deck. Then we got some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted at Kilwin's. The flavor was Saugatuck Mud, I believe. We also were amazed by the display case there, which includes chocolate dipped twinkies and caramel and chocolate coated rice krispie treats. Whoa. Back at the B&B we explored the shelves full of movies and picked the old Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca to watch. I like old scary movies because the style is different enough that I feel the suspense but don't get terrified like I do from today's scary movies.
The next day, after a fantastic homemade breakfast and some nice conversation with our fellow B&B guests including a gentleman from Louisiana named Scuddy, we wandered down the road to a small beach that's part of a county park, recommend by our B&B owners. Excellent recommendation because the beach was beautiful and we shared the space with just a dozen or so other people. We had brought with us some badminton rackets and birdies we'd picked up in Saugatuck and tried to play for a good while, but playing badminton on a windy beach means you can't ever really get a rally going. After we were done with the beach we went to a pick-your-own farm, Earl's Berry Farm, where we picked a ton of fresh blueberries. The farm also has an ice cream shop with homemade desserts. By this time it was mid-afternoon, so we decided to split a bowl of peach cobbler for lunch. It was out of the this world good. I told Rob that if we hadn't been in public, I totally would have licked the bowl. I kid you not.
We headed back to the B&B to change clothes and meet up with Resa and Nick who were soon arriving at a nearby B&B to chill with the birthday girl. Resa saved the day by arriving with a copy of the new Harry Potter book for me, which I had not been able to locate in the surrounding area. Phew!!!! (If you have not read the Harry Potter books, you must. They are so fun and so uplifting and so genuine. Sure there may be better literature out there, but if you're an adult whose love of reading traces back as far as you can remember, these books will bring you right back to that joy.)
Our foursome then set off to a nearby Michigan winery, which we were told was by far the best in the area. On our way Resa warned that Michigan wines aren't quite like Napa and Oregon wines. I don't have a very refined palate when it comes to wines, so I didn't think much of it. Then we tasted the wines. Oy. Some were very good, but others were truly awful. I mean really, really tastes-like-dirt awful. You get to pick 5 wines to sample off their list so I decided to try the five of the more expensive ones in hopes that I wouldn't get any bad ones. Not a winning strategy. But we did find a nice pinot grigio we all liked. We bought a bottle and enjoyed it outside in the vineyard's picnic area.
Then it was off to Saugatuck. We did a bunch of window shopping in the very fun and unique shops. We had dinner at Restaurant Toulouse, which was absolutely great. Rob, Resa and Nick had the waitress put a candle in my bread pudding and sung happy birthday to me. Awww. We spent the rest of the night at a piano bar in Saugatuck which Rob did not want to patronize with me the night before, but because it was my birthday, he was forced into submission on Saturday. It was a ton of fun -- I love singing along to cheesy music and Resa is the ideal partner for such an endeavor. Resa told the piano guy that it was my birthday, so I got another happy birthday song. Awww again. All in all it was an excellent evening. I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying birthday.
Sunday the four of us headed south a little to South Haven and were amazed by the gorgeous beach there as we strolled down the pier to the lighthouse. Then Resa and Nick headed to their friend's lake house in Indy while Rob and I hit the road. We stopped at the Michigan City outlets on the way back to pick up a few things for Portugal. Rob drove the whole way home so I could read Harry Potter (what an understanding husband!), although I did put the book down when we stopped at Steak 'N Shake for food. I love Steak 'N Shake.
We were home early evening on Sunday and we cannot wait to go back to southwestern Michigan. It's beautiful and peaceful. The stars at night are overwhelmingly bright. Everyone was friendly and seemed happy to meet you. It was a great weekend.
Now after just a few days home, I'm off to DC tonight for the ACS convention. I'm sneaking out early on Saturday though to get home in time to run the Teb's Troops 5K on Sunday morning.
Whew. That was a lot of updating to do! I'll do OP stats later, but I can give you a preview: I've been sitting on my butt while Rob's been kicking butt. And eventually I'll post a review of Harry Potter, which I finished on Monday. I'll put it behind a link or something so I don't give anything away in case any of you are fans!
Anyway, my birthday was fantastic... and apparently way more people read this blog than I knew because I got more happy birthday emails this year than I have in a long time. I should make public announcements of my achievements more often!
Friday after work we jumped in a rented PT Cruiser. We don't trust the panda (our car, which looks like a panda, have we mentioned it before?) for long journeys, much like we don't trust my computer for long stretches computering. The drive to Saugatuck was pretty easy. About two and a half hours, but it would have been less had we not been leaving the city at rush hour on a Friday. We stopped at Taco Bell for dinner and had the friendliest drive-thru attendant in the world take our order. Seriously. Funny jokes, enthusiasm, and more. Cracked me up. Let's hear it for northern Indiana.
We got to our B&B in the late evening. It's called the Seymour House and they treated us very well all weekend. It was too dark to see much on the grounds when we arrived, but we were treated to delicious homemade cookies right away. After settling in, we jumped back in the car and headed into Saugatuck (we were a couple miles south) and wandered around a few of the stores that were still open. We bought a sweatshirt for Rob because it was rather chilly. We bought a wicked cool outdoor rug made entirely from recycled plastic that we're going to put on our deck. Then we got some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted at Kilwin's. The flavor was Saugatuck Mud, I believe. We also were amazed by the display case there, which includes chocolate dipped twinkies and caramel and chocolate coated rice krispie treats. Whoa. Back at the B&B we explored the shelves full of movies and picked the old Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca to watch. I like old scary movies because the style is different enough that I feel the suspense but don't get terrified like I do from today's scary movies.
The next day, after a fantastic homemade breakfast and some nice conversation with our fellow B&B guests including a gentleman from Louisiana named Scuddy, we wandered down the road to a small beach that's part of a county park, recommend by our B&B owners. Excellent recommendation because the beach was beautiful and we shared the space with just a dozen or so other people. We had brought with us some badminton rackets and birdies we'd picked up in Saugatuck and tried to play for a good while, but playing badminton on a windy beach means you can't ever really get a rally going. After we were done with the beach we went to a pick-your-own farm, Earl's Berry Farm, where we picked a ton of fresh blueberries. The farm also has an ice cream shop with homemade desserts. By this time it was mid-afternoon, so we decided to split a bowl of peach cobbler for lunch. It was out of the this world good. I told Rob that if we hadn't been in public, I totally would have licked the bowl. I kid you not.
We headed back to the B&B to change clothes and meet up with Resa and Nick who were soon arriving at a nearby B&B to chill with the birthday girl. Resa saved the day by arriving with a copy of the new Harry Potter book for me, which I had not been able to locate in the surrounding area. Phew!!!! (If you have not read the Harry Potter books, you must. They are so fun and so uplifting and so genuine. Sure there may be better literature out there, but if you're an adult whose love of reading traces back as far as you can remember, these books will bring you right back to that joy.)
Our foursome then set off to a nearby Michigan winery, which we were told was by far the best in the area. On our way Resa warned that Michigan wines aren't quite like Napa and Oregon wines. I don't have a very refined palate when it comes to wines, so I didn't think much of it. Then we tasted the wines. Oy. Some were very good, but others were truly awful. I mean really, really tastes-like-dirt awful. You get to pick 5 wines to sample off their list so I decided to try the five of the more expensive ones in hopes that I wouldn't get any bad ones. Not a winning strategy. But we did find a nice pinot grigio we all liked. We bought a bottle and enjoyed it outside in the vineyard's picnic area.
Then it was off to Saugatuck. We did a bunch of window shopping in the very fun and unique shops. We had dinner at Restaurant Toulouse, which was absolutely great. Rob, Resa and Nick had the waitress put a candle in my bread pudding and sung happy birthday to me. Awww. We spent the rest of the night at a piano bar in Saugatuck which Rob did not want to patronize with me the night before, but because it was my birthday, he was forced into submission on Saturday. It was a ton of fun -- I love singing along to cheesy music and Resa is the ideal partner for such an endeavor. Resa told the piano guy that it was my birthday, so I got another happy birthday song. Awww again. All in all it was an excellent evening. I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying birthday.
Sunday the four of us headed south a little to South Haven and were amazed by the gorgeous beach there as we strolled down the pier to the lighthouse. Then Resa and Nick headed to their friend's lake house in Indy while Rob and I hit the road. We stopped at the Michigan City outlets on the way back to pick up a few things for Portugal. Rob drove the whole way home so I could read Harry Potter (what an understanding husband!), although I did put the book down when we stopped at Steak 'N Shake for food. I love Steak 'N Shake.
We were home early evening on Sunday and we cannot wait to go back to southwestern Michigan. It's beautiful and peaceful. The stars at night are overwhelmingly bright. Everyone was friendly and seemed happy to meet you. It was a great weekend.
Now after just a few days home, I'm off to DC tonight for the ACS convention. I'm sneaking out early on Saturday though to get home in time to run the Teb's Troops 5K on Sunday morning.
Whew. That was a lot of updating to do! I'll do OP stats later, but I can give you a preview: I've been sitting on my butt while Rob's been kicking butt. And eventually I'll post a review of Harry Potter, which I finished on Monday. I'll put it behind a link or something so I don't give anything away in case any of you are fans!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Weekend plans and an important reminder!
How on earth is it possible that tomorrow I'm turning 31? I don't mean to imply that 31 is old. Rather that I feel far too uncertain about my life course to be reaching what seems to be an age where you should have a plan. I guess I do have a plan of sorts, but I'm not settled into it yet. My plan really doesn't start until I start at my law firm in September. But maybe that's enough -- to be very close to beginning my plan, even if I only know the first couple steps in the plan.
Anyway, tomorrow is the big day. I'll be a full year into my 30s. After work today, Rob and I are heading to the Michigan side of Lake Michigan for the weekend. We're staying at a B&B just outside Saugatuck (okay, that definitely sound likes something you do when you turn 31). Resa and Nick are coming to Saugatuck tomorrow morning to chill with us. So it should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to taking a Midwest road trip. I'm hopeful that at some point tomorrow I can buy the new Harry Potter book. It was so nice of JK Rowling to release it on my birthday! I will be avoiding spoilers like crazy. Of course Rob, who has not read a single HP book but who's been dragged to all the movies by me, has already read the online spoilers. I've made him swear not to say a word to me about the book. Someone spoiled book six's twist for me, which was a bit of a bummer.
Not much else to report in our lives, but for some reason the past seven days have brought some true insanity for some of my favorite people. So here's to hoping the insanity is only temporary. These are not my stories to tell, but I'm sending public love in the direction of folks who need it right now.
Before you go, there is one important reminder to be made! A week from Sunday is the Chicago 5K to benefit Teb's Troops, the organization formed by some of the law school classmates of Tricia E. Black ("teb") after Tricia was diagnosed with late stage melanoma in 2005. Tricia lost her battle with cancer in July 2006. Rob and I are trying to raise $1000 in pledges for our 5K participatin to support of this awesome organization and we are SO CLOSE. So if you have a dollar to spare, we'd be so grateful if you helped us reach our goal. You can make a donation here. If you're in Chicago, you can also sign up to run the race here.
Tomorrow I get to turn 31. Tricia, who was one of my kindergarten carpool mates 26 years ago, passed away less than three months after her 30th birthday last year. I don't mean to be grim; just sharing a fact that gives me great pause. There is no way to explain the arbitrariness of it. But there is something we can do. There is no reason we cannot find a cure for all late stage cancers if we throw enough resources behind that goal. It is a personal cause for Rob and me for many, many reasons and we would love your support.
Anyway, tomorrow is the big day. I'll be a full year into my 30s. After work today, Rob and I are heading to the Michigan side of Lake Michigan for the weekend. We're staying at a B&B just outside Saugatuck (okay, that definitely sound likes something you do when you turn 31). Resa and Nick are coming to Saugatuck tomorrow morning to chill with us. So it should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to taking a Midwest road trip. I'm hopeful that at some point tomorrow I can buy the new Harry Potter book. It was so nice of JK Rowling to release it on my birthday! I will be avoiding spoilers like crazy. Of course Rob, who has not read a single HP book but who's been dragged to all the movies by me, has already read the online spoilers. I've made him swear not to say a word to me about the book. Someone spoiled book six's twist for me, which was a bit of a bummer.
Not much else to report in our lives, but for some reason the past seven days have brought some true insanity for some of my favorite people. So here's to hoping the insanity is only temporary. These are not my stories to tell, but I'm sending public love in the direction of folks who need it right now.
Before you go, there is one important reminder to be made! A week from Sunday is the Chicago 5K to benefit Teb's Troops, the organization formed by some of the law school classmates of Tricia E. Black ("teb") after Tricia was diagnosed with late stage melanoma in 2005. Tricia lost her battle with cancer in July 2006. Rob and I are trying to raise $1000 in pledges for our 5K participatin to support of this awesome organization and we are SO CLOSE. So if you have a dollar to spare, we'd be so grateful if you helped us reach our goal. You can make a donation here. If you're in Chicago, you can also sign up to run the race here.
Tomorrow I get to turn 31. Tricia, who was one of my kindergarten carpool mates 26 years ago, passed away less than three months after her 30th birthday last year. I don't mean to be grim; just sharing a fact that gives me great pause. There is no way to explain the arbitrariness of it. But there is something we can do. There is no reason we cannot find a cure for all late stage cancers if we throw enough resources behind that goal. It is a personal cause for Rob and me for many, many reasons and we would love your support.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
OP
I'm doing a bit of guesstimating here, but here's about where we are after tonight.
Kat's Stats
updates through 6/18: 7.50 miles
TOTAL: 36.42 miles
Rob's Stats
updates through 6/18: 15.00 miles
TOTAL: 53.27 miles
We'll be back to official record-keeping after this update! :)
Kat's Stats
updates through 6/18: 7.50 miles
TOTAL: 36.42 miles
Rob's Stats
updates through 6/18: 15.00 miles
TOTAL: 53.27 miles
We'll be back to official record-keeping after this update! :)
Monday, July 16, 2007
Good long weekend
We had a great weekend. Friday night we caught the new Harry Potter movie, along with half the country, and loved it. Then Saturday (after I spent the morning and early afternoon quickly buying a new outfit from dress to shoes to purse... ah procrastination) we went to the wedding of our friends Kate and Chris. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast. It was an amazing collection of people -- such a tribute to the happy couple, who are two of the most exceptional people I know. It was also great to catch up with some friends I haven't seen that often this year and meet a ton of new, fun people. Rob and I were so flattered just to be a part of the crowd. We lasted until 1:30am and the party was still raging when we left.
I need to update our OP stats, but I've kindof lost track of our progress in the last several days. So I'm going to try to figure it out by tomorrow. In the mean time, I can say I've done very little while Rob's done a ton. Rob's discipline with working out is incredible. I'm lagging way behind in that department. But I can say that I have some actual leg muscles for the first time in, well, ever. Not much, but some. Whoo hoo!
I need to update our OP stats, but I've kindof lost track of our progress in the last several days. So I'm going to try to figure it out by tomorrow. In the mean time, I can say I've done very little while Rob's done a ton. Rob's discipline with working out is incredible. I'm lagging way behind in that department. But I can say that I have some actual leg muscles for the first time in, well, ever. Not much, but some. Whoo hoo!
Holy mother of...
Click here, scroll down and watch the screen flip between a before and after shot of Redbook's cover with Faith Hill. Pay attention to the size of her arm, the size of her face, the color of her skin, her back... and well everything. I have no words.
Friday, July 13, 2007
And on the side...
Some of you know that I used to write pretty regularly for a soccer website, and still write for them from time to time. With the Women's World Cup less than two months away, I'll probably get to write a bit more in the next couple months. Today I've got this article up. It's a preview of the US-Norway game this Saturday.
I love to write, but every time I produce something for public consumption I get nervous knots in my stomach. Sometimes my editors change little things about my articles that I wouldn't have changed or the posting messes up the formatting a bit or I make a grammar error that no one catches or I just plain get something wrong, even if I think I've checked and rechecked and rechecked my facts. I actually have to talk myself into re-reading my work once it's put on the site... I'm so nervous I'll hate it on review. I'm hoping that by being a little more public about my writing, I'll force myself past the anxiety of being a writer, imperfections and all. So here goes. :)
Update: Well, it took me all day to get myself to re-read it. I just sent a grammar correction to my editor and tried to ignore my editor's changes in the paragraph breaks.
I love to write, but every time I produce something for public consumption I get nervous knots in my stomach. Sometimes my editors change little things about my articles that I wouldn't have changed or the posting messes up the formatting a bit or I make a grammar error that no one catches or I just plain get something wrong, even if I think I've checked and rechecked and rechecked my facts. I actually have to talk myself into re-reading my work once it's put on the site... I'm so nervous I'll hate it on review. I'm hoping that by being a little more public about my writing, I'll force myself past the anxiety of being a writer, imperfections and all. So here goes. :)
Update: Well, it took me all day to get myself to re-read it. I just sent a grammar correction to my editor and tried to ignore my editor's changes in the paragraph breaks.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
OP Update
Kat's Stats
this week so far: 4.65 miles
TOTAL: 28.92 miles
Rob's Stats
this week so far: 4.76 miles
TOTAL: 38.27 miles
this week so far: 4.65 miles
TOTAL: 28.92 miles
Rob's Stats
this week so far: 4.76 miles
TOTAL: 38.27 miles
Manning Up...
Not sure why I'm in the mood to post this, but I thought some stats comparisons were in order:
2006 NFL Season Stats -- Peyton vs. Eli
QB rating: 101.0 vs. 77.0
TDs: 31 vs. 24
Yards: 4397 vs. 3244
Interceptions: 9 vs. 18
Super Bowl wins: 1 vs. 0
Okay, maybe the comparison isn't totally fair. Maybe we should compare Peyton's stats from his third season in the NFL to Eli's 2006 numbers. For Peyton that was 2000.
3rd NFL Season Stats -- Peyton vs. Eli
QB rating: 94.7 vs. 77.0
TDs: 33 vs.24
Yards: 4413 vs. 3244
Interceptions: 15 vs.18
Super Bowl wins: 0 vs. 0
So I guess Eli shouldn't feel too bad. Peyton didn't win a Super Bowl in his third season either.
GO COLTS!
2006 NFL Season Stats -- Peyton vs. Eli
QB rating: 101.0 vs. 77.0
TDs: 31 vs. 24
Yards: 4397 vs. 3244
Interceptions: 9 vs. 18
Super Bowl wins: 1 vs. 0
Okay, maybe the comparison isn't totally fair. Maybe we should compare Peyton's stats from his third season in the NFL to Eli's 2006 numbers. For Peyton that was 2000.
3rd NFL Season Stats -- Peyton vs. Eli
QB rating: 94.7 vs. 77.0
TDs: 33 vs.24
Yards: 4413 vs. 3244
Interceptions: 15 vs.18
Super Bowl wins: 0 vs. 0
So I guess Eli shouldn't feel too bad. Peyton didn't win a Super Bowl in his third season either.
GO COLTS!
July 28, 2007 - Mark Your Calendar
In just over 2 weeks, the NY Giants take the field to begin their 2007 Training Camp. For all true fans of sport, this is a monumental day. It is widely accepted that the NY Giants are the preeminent sporting franchise in the universe. The autumn provides two fantastic opportunities to enjoy life to its fullest... NY Giants football... and the World Series. I for one can't wait!
Also, July 28 marks the start of my campaign to watch the NY Giants play the Miami Dolphins in London's Wembley Stadium on October 28, 2007. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to watch the Giants play in Wembley stadium (well, it's been a dream of mine since the game was announced... which has felt like a lifetime). I mean, how awesome will that game be?! The campaign consists of me convincing Katherine that this game is not only worth all of the money it requires, but also convincing her that I won't get arrested during the post-game celebration. I'm pretty confident everything will go smoothly, but then again, Katherine seems to think I'm crazy when it comes to the Giants. But what does she know... she roots for the wrong Manning ;)
Also, July 28 marks the start of my campaign to watch the NY Giants play the Miami Dolphins in London's Wembley Stadium on October 28, 2007. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to watch the Giants play in Wembley stadium (well, it's been a dream of mine since the game was announced... which has felt like a lifetime). I mean, how awesome will that game be?! The campaign consists of me convincing Katherine that this game is not only worth all of the money it requires, but also convincing her that I won't get arrested during the post-game celebration. I'm pretty confident everything will go smoothly, but then again, Katherine seems to think I'm crazy when it comes to the Giants. But what does she know... she roots for the wrong Manning ;)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Thought-provoking book review
Salon.com's review of this book just captured a lot of my personal dilemma about private practice versus an activist career. I'll be reading this book very soon. Here's a passage from the review:
"Compared with our parents at the same age, we're working longer hours for less money, reduced job security, slashed benefits and fewer social services. Over the last four decades, as the income gap has exploded, opportunities for social mobility have declined -- dramatically."
Ugh. And how about this:
"Brook's analysis is strongest -- and most shocking -- when he compares the current situation to the experiences of the previous generation. The 1960s and 1970s were a high-water mark of social mobility in the United States, with education serving as the great equalizer. In those days a Pell Grant covered nearly three-quarters of a student's college tuition; today, the portion has fallen to one-third. It's difficult to fathom that many high-quality public schools like CUNY and Berkeley were once free, and private ones reasonably priced. Brook points out that Ronald Reagan instituted tuition at Berkeley -- reversing a 100-year-old tradition -- only after the Free Speech Movement of the early 1960s, a ploy to punish radicals. "In the end," Brook writes, "tuition and other conservative economic policies did more to undermine student activism than any CIA-style investigation ever could.""
Wow. Exactly. So what on earth are you supposed to do if you want to save the world but you don't want to give your kids less than your parents gave you? That thought hits me every day. Not to mention the fact that a private practice career means that Rob and I also will be able to give security to our extended families in case anyone needs it. Which impulse do we follow when they all seem selfish for different reasons? It's a whole different spin on the work-life balance debate.
"Compared with our parents at the same age, we're working longer hours for less money, reduced job security, slashed benefits and fewer social services. Over the last four decades, as the income gap has exploded, opportunities for social mobility have declined -- dramatically."
Ugh. And how about this:
"Brook's analysis is strongest -- and most shocking -- when he compares the current situation to the experiences of the previous generation. The 1960s and 1970s were a high-water mark of social mobility in the United States, with education serving as the great equalizer. In those days a Pell Grant covered nearly three-quarters of a student's college tuition; today, the portion has fallen to one-third. It's difficult to fathom that many high-quality public schools like CUNY and Berkeley were once free, and private ones reasonably priced. Brook points out that Ronald Reagan instituted tuition at Berkeley -- reversing a 100-year-old tradition -- only after the Free Speech Movement of the early 1960s, a ploy to punish radicals. "In the end," Brook writes, "tuition and other conservative economic policies did more to undermine student activism than any CIA-style investigation ever could.""
Wow. Exactly. So what on earth are you supposed to do if you want to save the world but you don't want to give your kids less than your parents gave you? That thought hits me every day. Not to mention the fact that a private practice career means that Rob and I also will be able to give security to our extended families in case anyone needs it. Which impulse do we follow when they all seem selfish for different reasons? It's a whole different spin on the work-life balance debate.
Chicago Summers
While visiting Chicago last summer I was struck by the universal euphoria that engulfs this city during summer. Not having spent a full winter in Chicago I thought these people were nuts. Summer is great, but how great can it possibly be? For me, summer was that time you boarded yourself up in A/C pumped rooms, awaiting sunset so you could actually venture outside (notice I didn't say "do something outside," that would still cause sweat to cascade down your brow and drench your erstwhile clean clothes. Even at night lounging is the only real option).
But Chicago is very different. Sure the winters are brutal, but they only serve to set the mood for the enjoyment of summer! The weather during summer is almost always perfect. Even when it gets "hot," it's not nearly as hot as anywhere on the east coast. Plus, there are literally a million different things to do. There are street festivals every weekend. Plus you have 2 baseball teams. That's right, most nights I can watch not one, but two baseball games. The Cubs take precedence of course, but baseball is baseball, so I'll watch it all. Also, most bars have sizable beer gardens so there are ample opps to chill and enjoy the beautiful weather WHILE WATCHING BASEBALL.
As K's previous post showed, this past weekend was one of our better Chicago weekends. The good news is, we didn't even scratch the surface of what Chicago offers during the summer. We still have 2 months to go, but I'd say we've already had a summer's worth of fun to date!
But Chicago is very different. Sure the winters are brutal, but they only serve to set the mood for the enjoyment of summer! The weather during summer is almost always perfect. Even when it gets "hot," it's not nearly as hot as anywhere on the east coast. Plus, there are literally a million different things to do. There are street festivals every weekend. Plus you have 2 baseball teams. That's right, most nights I can watch not one, but two baseball games. The Cubs take precedence of course, but baseball is baseball, so I'll watch it all. Also, most bars have sizable beer gardens so there are ample opps to chill and enjoy the beautiful weather WHILE WATCHING BASEBALL.
As K's previous post showed, this past weekend was one of our better Chicago weekends. The good news is, we didn't even scratch the surface of what Chicago offers during the summer. We still have 2 months to go, but I'd say we've already had a summer's worth of fun to date!
Weekend highlights
Lots of new experiences this weekend. On Saturday, we finally made it to a Chicago Fire game, which was surprisingly easy to get to. Just past Midway airport. The stadium is new and there's really not a bad seat in the house. We recommend sections 113-115, though, where we moved for the second half. They are some of the cheapest tickets, but give you a great view of the whole field. We also were enticed by the ice cream nachos for sale, but sadly they were sold out by the time we decided to try them.
On Sunday, it was Nick's birthday, so Resa arranged for a surprise trip to Korean BBQ where we and eight of their friends all gathered. If you've never had Korean BBQ, you are missing out! It's awesome. I first enjoyed it with some of my more cultured friends in my NYC days. Love love love it. Resa and Nick go so often that the staff at Chicago Kalbi knows them. They were very excited it was Nick's birthday.
After dinner, we went to play whirlyball. Seriously. At first I wasn't going to play, I was feeling a bit apprehensive. But we needed one more player for even teams. If you've never heard of it, it's basically like lacrosse in bumper cars... and the bumper cars have no breaks, so you have to hit someone or a wall to stop. It was actually ridiculously fun, until last night when the soreness from being bashed into and the bruises from the steering rod and the seatbelt buckle all started setting in. Maybe I'm too old for whirlyball. I also almost got my hand crushed to smithereens when I moronically reached my hand instead of my ball-catching-thing (what do you call that??) out of my car and grabbed the ball from in front of my bumper right before someone smashed that bumper into the wall. Totally having flashbacks of that idiotic moment. Ugh.
That was not the end of the fun, as the whirlyball place also has laser tag. (Not to mention air hockey, darts, pool, etc.) So our whole crew trotted off for a session of laser tag... but it turned out the team we were playing shows up for battle every Sunday night. Whoa! Then there was also the little matter of no one explaining things like guarding your bases and hitting the other team's targets, so we started out quite quite disorganized. We started to figure it out during the second game, but we were still slaughtered and we were all drenched in sweat from running and wearing the laser pack. But the good thing about laser tag is that once you are hit too many times, you can run back to base and recharge, so you're never out of the game and you really don't care about winning, just playing. This coming from crazy over-competitive me! (Okay, I wanted to win, but I wasn't sad that we didn't as I would have been if we were playing, oh, Trivial Pursuit. :)
On the whole, I preferred laser tag to whirlyball. It's non-stop sprinting and ducking, so it's also a darn good work out. I've still got some weird numbness in my thumb from holding down one of the buttons on my laser gun though. As lame as this may sound, we are definitely going to go play laser tag again some time.
Oh, and I beat Rob at air hockey. Worth mentioning because when it comes to really anything that involves coordination, Rob is always victorious. So that was pretty sweet.
On Sunday, it was Nick's birthday, so Resa arranged for a surprise trip to Korean BBQ where we and eight of their friends all gathered. If you've never had Korean BBQ, you are missing out! It's awesome. I first enjoyed it with some of my more cultured friends in my NYC days. Love love love it. Resa and Nick go so often that the staff at Chicago Kalbi knows them. They were very excited it was Nick's birthday.
After dinner, we went to play whirlyball. Seriously. At first I wasn't going to play, I was feeling a bit apprehensive. But we needed one more player for even teams. If you've never heard of it, it's basically like lacrosse in bumper cars... and the bumper cars have no breaks, so you have to hit someone or a wall to stop. It was actually ridiculously fun, until last night when the soreness from being bashed into and the bruises from the steering rod and the seatbelt buckle all started setting in. Maybe I'm too old for whirlyball. I also almost got my hand crushed to smithereens when I moronically reached my hand instead of my ball-catching-thing (what do you call that??) out of my car and grabbed the ball from in front of my bumper right before someone smashed that bumper into the wall. Totally having flashbacks of that idiotic moment. Ugh.
That was not the end of the fun, as the whirlyball place also has laser tag. (Not to mention air hockey, darts, pool, etc.) So our whole crew trotted off for a session of laser tag... but it turned out the team we were playing shows up for battle every Sunday night. Whoa! Then there was also the little matter of no one explaining things like guarding your bases and hitting the other team's targets, so we started out quite quite disorganized. We started to figure it out during the second game, but we were still slaughtered and we were all drenched in sweat from running and wearing the laser pack. But the good thing about laser tag is that once you are hit too many times, you can run back to base and recharge, so you're never out of the game and you really don't care about winning, just playing. This coming from crazy over-competitive me! (Okay, I wanted to win, but I wasn't sad that we didn't as I would have been if we were playing, oh, Trivial Pursuit. :)
On the whole, I preferred laser tag to whirlyball. It's non-stop sprinting and ducking, so it's also a darn good work out. I've still got some weird numbness in my thumb from holding down one of the buttons on my laser gun though. As lame as this may sound, we are definitely going to go play laser tag again some time.
Oh, and I beat Rob at air hockey. Worth mentioning because when it comes to really anything that involves coordination, Rob is always victorious. So that was pretty sweet.
Monday, July 09, 2007
OP stats
We had a busy weekend, which I'll blog about soon. In the mean time, Rob is a treadmilling machine.
Kat's Stats
weekend: 5.03 miles
TOTAL: 24.27 miles
Rob's Stats
weekend: 7.11 miles
TOTAL: 33.51 miles
Kat's Stats
weekend: 5.03 miles
TOTAL: 24.27 miles
Rob's Stats
weekend: 7.11 miles
TOTAL: 33.51 miles
One DC Pic
Rob's friend Jason passed this picture along from our DC trip the other weekend. Rob and Jason have been friends since grade school. All grown up these days. (PS Check out Rob looking super fly sans glasses!)
Friday, July 06, 2007
Intervals
Last night Rob and I tried but failed to see Transformers. Alas, we got our movie times wrong. So maybe we'll catch it this weekend. We ended up renting the movie Miss Potter with Renee Zellweger playing Beatrix Potter, the famous author of children's books. The story itself was great -- I had no idea what a rebel she was in so many aspects of life. (Don't read the wikipedia entry if you plan on seeing the movie, it'll spoil you!) But I couldn't help but see Zellweger's Bridget Jones character shining through from time to time. She really only knows one way to be British, so her voice and mannerisms were almost distracting. Emily Watson is in the movie in a supporting role and I couldn't understand why they didn't cast her as Potter. I still enjoyed the movie though. Period pieces are always gorgeous.
Staying in meant that I got to work out last night. I tried interval running for the first time. I switched speeds every quarter mile for almost 2 miles and it seemed to go pretty well, so I'm going to keep at it to see if it'll help me build endurance.
Kat's Stats
7/5: 2.52 miles
TOTAL: 19.24 miles
Rob's Stats
7/5: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 26.40 miles
Staying in meant that I got to work out last night. I tried interval running for the first time. I switched speeds every quarter mile for almost 2 miles and it seemed to go pretty well, so I'm going to keep at it to see if it'll help me build endurance.
Kat's Stats
7/5: 2.52 miles
TOTAL: 19.24 miles
Rob's Stats
7/5: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 26.40 miles
Thursday, July 05, 2007
So true
I love this opening paragraph from a salon.com article today:
Anger gets a bad rap. It's the universal disguised denunciation ("Why are feminists so angry?"), the wink-and-nudge code word to signal contempt while fronting as pity for the deranged. That label gives those at whom the anger is directed a get-out-of-jail-free card to abandon the debate since anger is, in one fell swoop, deemed irrational. Neat trick that, changing the subject from the offense that provoked the response to a feigned disgust over the angry person's "unseemly" behavior.
Anger gets a bad rap. It's the universal disguised denunciation ("Why are feminists so angry?"), the wink-and-nudge code word to signal contempt while fronting as pity for the deranged. That label gives those at whom the anger is directed a get-out-of-jail-free card to abandon the debate since anger is, in one fell swoop, deemed irrational. Neat trick that, changing the subject from the offense that provoked the response to a feigned disgust over the angry person's "unseemly" behavior.
Happy 4th!
We had a fun and relaxing day off yesterday. We headed a few miles north to Rogers Park (a Chicago neighborhood) where our friend Fritz lives. Our friends Ali and Eddie brought dragged their grill with them to join us. We feasted on brats, burgers, and chicken, along with loads of veggies and bean salads. Yum. Then we jumped in Fritz's car and headed up to Evanston for some fireworks. Fritz is a former cab driver (a college job... how cool is that?), so driving with him is an adventure, literally. He doesn't have much patience for pedestrians.
By some miracle, we found a parking spot that seemed too good to be true. But the car wasn't towed or ticketed while we were away! Then we walked across the Northwestern campus to the beach where we sprawled out on some blankets and watched fireworks. We were so close to the fireworks that it looked like they were falling down on top of us. It looked like multi-colored stars were raining on you. We'll definitely be heading back there again next year. Fantastic. (Although we did get a tiny bit of ash fluttering down on our faces.)
Not much else to report except that Ali and Eddie make Rob and I feel like crazy slackers in the running department -- they're training for the Chicago marathon, so they run 20 miles a week. It's been, what, three or four weeks of logging miles and I haven't hit 20 miles yet. We leave for our trip on August 17, which means we've got just six more weeks to complete OP. So I'm setting out the new goal of 10 miles per week, which should put me over 75 miles by the time we leave. In the mean time, here's our totals:
Kat's Stats
7/4: 2.51 miles
TOTAL: 16.72 miles (weak!)
Rob's Stats
7/4 and another run a couple days ago: 4.74 miles
TOTAL: 24.03 miles (getting close to a marathon! :)
By some miracle, we found a parking spot that seemed too good to be true. But the car wasn't towed or ticketed while we were away! Then we walked across the Northwestern campus to the beach where we sprawled out on some blankets and watched fireworks. We were so close to the fireworks that it looked like they were falling down on top of us. It looked like multi-colored stars were raining on you. We'll definitely be heading back there again next year. Fantastic. (Although we did get a tiny bit of ash fluttering down on our faces.)
Not much else to report except that Ali and Eddie make Rob and I feel like crazy slackers in the running department -- they're training for the Chicago marathon, so they run 20 miles a week. It's been, what, three or four weeks of logging miles and I haven't hit 20 miles yet. We leave for our trip on August 17, which means we've got just six more weeks to complete OP. So I'm setting out the new goal of 10 miles per week, which should put me over 75 miles by the time we leave. In the mean time, here's our totals:
Kat's Stats
7/4: 2.51 miles
TOTAL: 16.72 miles (weak!)
Rob's Stats
7/4 and another run a couple days ago: 4.74 miles
TOTAL: 24.03 miles (getting close to a marathon! :)
Monday, July 02, 2007
Back in Chi-town
We are back in Chicago after a weekend in DC. Lots of fun was had, which we sadly did not document because I forgot my camera. Argh! Our friend Peter (from Rob's law school days) hosted us in his new condo, which we want to steal from him because it's so awesome. We got in on Friday night -- a bit too late to go out, but we hung out on Peter's awesome roof deck for a while. Saturday morning we headed to my uncle's place in the suburbs to sort through some boxes of stuff we still have there. (Amazing how we seem to have left behind a trail of things in various places in the DC area.) Then Rob headed to his friend Jason's house while I headed to the Mall to meet Carly at the Folklife Festival.
The Folklife Festival was about Northern Ireland, Mekong, and Virginia roots this year, and it was as random as it sounds. The Cantonese wedding songs were kindof cool. The Vietnamese opera was hard to follow. The NorthernIreland football (that'd be soccer to us on this side of the pond) exhibit was just a few jerseys, although there was an area for kids to kick soccer balls around. The staged reading from Great Expectations was just odd. With not much actually to do at the festival, we headed into the National Gallery for air conditioning and plopped down with some gelato in the basement cafe there. Much more entertaining.
Afterwards, Carly and I stopped in the gift shop so I could buy a birthday present for Rob's and my nephew Daniel, who just turned eight on Thursday. (I thought we'd be seeing Daniel the next day but he and his dad were at an Orioles game while the rest of the family gathered in Virginia on Sunday.) Then I realized I really needed presents for all five nieces and nephews since we aren't great at sending birthday packages, so I couldn't show up with presents for just one of the kids. Kids have eagle eyes about present evenness! This significantly extended our time in the gift shop as I stressed over the right presents for kids ages 2-8. I remember not comprehending, at age 7, why my aunts and uncles would buy me toys I'd recently outgrown. Didn't they know how old I was? Well, I know how old my nieces and nephews are, but I still don't know what's age-appropriate, let alone cool. Plus, I get very concerned about buying toys that are too passive or perpetuate stereotypes or who knows what other thing. This is always a dilemma for me with our older niece Lauren because she loves princessy things, but I can't bring myself to buy any of it, yet I still want to get her things she likes. In the end it was a book about castles for Daniel (8), a make-your-own flower magnet art kit for Lauren (6) (art projects are often my default with Lauren, since she loves them... my sister-in-law Kyle teases me for buying "aunt presents," which I believe means "presents that make a mess for mom when the aunt's not around" ;), a shared set of foam MC Escher lizards that can be linked and unlinked a million ways for Aidan (5) and Bryson (4), and a book with faces and colors for Lillian (2). I swallowed my worry about castles and lizards for the boys versus flowers and colors for the girls, knowing (hoping) that the castle book would make its way to Lauren and the lizards would make their way to Lillian as toys usually get handed down to the younger siblings. Then, realizing that Aidan and Bryson would still want their own presents, I picked up mini kaleidoscopes for all of the kids so everyone could have something to call "mine." End of shopping.
For dinner we dragged Carly and Peter with us to Brasserie Beck, a French/Belgian restaurant downtown. Super delicious food. I walked out so full I thought I was going to explode. I had an interesting (in a good way) herbal-tasting sauvignon blanc with my meal and a great grilled trout filet. Then we settled into some tables at Buffalo Billiards to hang out with friends who popped in and out through the rest of the night. Randomly, my legal writing instructor was with a group of friends at the same bar, sitting right next to us. So he and I caught up for a few minutes. Small world. It was great to see friends and it made me nostalgic for our DC days, especially with so many friends heading to DC to settle there in the coming months. My cousin Angela, my friend Elliot and I played one of the longest games of pool ever because we were all so terrible, which was highly entertaining. Around 1am, Rob and some of his friends were ready for another bite to eat while I was ready to collapse. So Rob and Peter and I took a cab to Peter's, where they let me out, while they headed on to The Diner to meet Becky, Ben and Brian, who took their own cab. (Just noticing we divided up alphabetically. Weird.) And I went to sleep.
Then up a 7:30am to get to my uncle's by 8:30am to have breakfast with him since we were so rushed on Saturday morning. My uncle had slept through his alarm after staying up all night finishing a puzzle (something very M-narik about that), so it was more like a morning hello than actual breakfast, as my uncle had to go to his morning softball game at 9:30am. Rob and I headed out for a Pezold family day. Rob's grandmother was in town visiting with Rob's sister Tori and her family, who live in Leesburg, and Rob's dad and his wife Teri, who live in Alexandria. So we all converged upon Bob (Rob's dad) and Teri's house in Alexandria, with Tori and her family coming over and Rob's sister Kyle and her daughter Lauren coming down from Wilmington, to spend the day hanging out. It was perfect weather and we had a great bbq.
As always happens, I was reminded that hanging out with my nieces and nephews rocks beyond words. The older three serenaded us with song after song for a while, with Lauren and Aidan making up new songs for us by the end. So much fun. Lauren and I engaged in some "walking on the ceiling," which means I carry her around upside down, holding her around the waist, and she has her arms outstretched, hands skimming the ground, feet pointed up into the air, and we sing "walking on the ceiling, walking on the ceiling, walking on the ceiling...." I did this once with Lauren years ago and she insists we "walk on the ceiling" (yesterday, though, we "walked on the sky" since we were outside) every time she sees me even though she's now 6 1/2 and it's getting harder to lift her upside down these days! Only a few months left, I'm afraid. It cracks me up that she has from the beginning remembered the little melody for singing "walking on the ceiling" that I made up and she starts singing it as soon as she gets flipped upside down in my arms. Yesterday, Aidan and Bryson also got turns "walking on the sky." Needless to say, after a few walks with each of the three kids, my arms were very tired.
We headed to the airport around 5pm and finally got home around 10pm last night. Very tired and happy to be back.
Oh, and the presents were all a hit. Especially the kaleidoscopes. Phew!!!
The Folklife Festival was about Northern Ireland, Mekong, and Virginia roots this year, and it was as random as it sounds. The Cantonese wedding songs were kindof cool. The Vietnamese opera was hard to follow. The NorthernIreland football (that'd be soccer to us on this side of the pond) exhibit was just a few jerseys, although there was an area for kids to kick soccer balls around. The staged reading from Great Expectations was just odd. With not much actually to do at the festival, we headed into the National Gallery for air conditioning and plopped down with some gelato in the basement cafe there. Much more entertaining.
Afterwards, Carly and I stopped in the gift shop so I could buy a birthday present for Rob's and my nephew Daniel, who just turned eight on Thursday. (I thought we'd be seeing Daniel the next day but he and his dad were at an Orioles game while the rest of the family gathered in Virginia on Sunday.) Then I realized I really needed presents for all five nieces and nephews since we aren't great at sending birthday packages, so I couldn't show up with presents for just one of the kids. Kids have eagle eyes about present evenness! This significantly extended our time in the gift shop as I stressed over the right presents for kids ages 2-8. I remember not comprehending, at age 7, why my aunts and uncles would buy me toys I'd recently outgrown. Didn't they know how old I was? Well, I know how old my nieces and nephews are, but I still don't know what's age-appropriate, let alone cool. Plus, I get very concerned about buying toys that are too passive or perpetuate stereotypes or who knows what other thing. This is always a dilemma for me with our older niece Lauren because she loves princessy things, but I can't bring myself to buy any of it, yet I still want to get her things she likes. In the end it was a book about castles for Daniel (8), a make-your-own flower magnet art kit for Lauren (6) (art projects are often my default with Lauren, since she loves them... my sister-in-law Kyle teases me for buying "aunt presents," which I believe means "presents that make a mess for mom when the aunt's not around" ;), a shared set of foam MC Escher lizards that can be linked and unlinked a million ways for Aidan (5) and Bryson (4), and a book with faces and colors for Lillian (2). I swallowed my worry about castles and lizards for the boys versus flowers and colors for the girls, knowing (hoping) that the castle book would make its way to Lauren and the lizards would make their way to Lillian as toys usually get handed down to the younger siblings. Then, realizing that Aidan and Bryson would still want their own presents, I picked up mini kaleidoscopes for all of the kids so everyone could have something to call "mine." End of shopping.
For dinner we dragged Carly and Peter with us to Brasserie Beck, a French/Belgian restaurant downtown. Super delicious food. I walked out so full I thought I was going to explode. I had an interesting (in a good way) herbal-tasting sauvignon blanc with my meal and a great grilled trout filet. Then we settled into some tables at Buffalo Billiards to hang out with friends who popped in and out through the rest of the night. Randomly, my legal writing instructor was with a group of friends at the same bar, sitting right next to us. So he and I caught up for a few minutes. Small world. It was great to see friends and it made me nostalgic for our DC days, especially with so many friends heading to DC to settle there in the coming months. My cousin Angela, my friend Elliot and I played one of the longest games of pool ever because we were all so terrible, which was highly entertaining. Around 1am, Rob and some of his friends were ready for another bite to eat while I was ready to collapse. So Rob and Peter and I took a cab to Peter's, where they let me out, while they headed on to The Diner to meet Becky, Ben and Brian, who took their own cab. (Just noticing we divided up alphabetically. Weird.) And I went to sleep.
Then up a 7:30am to get to my uncle's by 8:30am to have breakfast with him since we were so rushed on Saturday morning. My uncle had slept through his alarm after staying up all night finishing a puzzle (something very M-narik about that), so it was more like a morning hello than actual breakfast, as my uncle had to go to his morning softball game at 9:30am. Rob and I headed out for a Pezold family day. Rob's grandmother was in town visiting with Rob's sister Tori and her family, who live in Leesburg, and Rob's dad and his wife Teri, who live in Alexandria. So we all converged upon Bob (Rob's dad) and Teri's house in Alexandria, with Tori and her family coming over and Rob's sister Kyle and her daughter Lauren coming down from Wilmington, to spend the day hanging out. It was perfect weather and we had a great bbq.
As always happens, I was reminded that hanging out with my nieces and nephews rocks beyond words. The older three serenaded us with song after song for a while, with Lauren and Aidan making up new songs for us by the end. So much fun. Lauren and I engaged in some "walking on the ceiling," which means I carry her around upside down, holding her around the waist, and she has her arms outstretched, hands skimming the ground, feet pointed up into the air, and we sing "walking on the ceiling, walking on the ceiling, walking on the ceiling...." I did this once with Lauren years ago and she insists we "walk on the ceiling" (yesterday, though, we "walked on the sky" since we were outside) every time she sees me even though she's now 6 1/2 and it's getting harder to lift her upside down these days! Only a few months left, I'm afraid. It cracks me up that she has from the beginning remembered the little melody for singing "walking on the ceiling" that I made up and she starts singing it as soon as she gets flipped upside down in my arms. Yesterday, Aidan and Bryson also got turns "walking on the sky." Needless to say, after a few walks with each of the three kids, my arms were very tired.
We headed to the airport around 5pm and finally got home around 10pm last night. Very tired and happy to be back.
Oh, and the presents were all a hit. Especially the kaleidoscopes. Phew!!!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Off to DC
First... it was back to the treadmill tonight, but not for quite as much distance as before due to stupid asthma. So Rob's running away with the lead right now, literally.
Kat's Stats
6/28: 2.38 miles
TOTAL: 14.21 miles
Rob's Stats
6/28: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 19.29 miles
In other news, we're off to DC this weekend. So if you're gonna be in DC too, let us know! (Hopefully we've already successfully stalked all of those of you who live in DC, but maybe some of you other folks just happen to be jetting through the District as well this weekend.) We're looking forward to checking out our old town and hoping not to get stuck for an extra 22 hours this trip.
Kat's Stats
6/28: 2.38 miles
TOTAL: 14.21 miles
Rob's Stats
6/28: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 19.29 miles
In other news, we're off to DC this weekend. So if you're gonna be in DC too, let us know! (Hopefully we've already successfully stalked all of those of you who live in DC, but maybe some of you other folks just happen to be jetting through the District as well this weekend.) We're looking forward to checking out our old town and hoping not to get stuck for an extra 22 hours this trip.
Eyes be Good
I had my latest eye apppointment this morning and all is well. In fact, all is really well. My eyes are now fully corrected to 20/15 and nary a complication persists. So now I can officially join the growing legion of people whose life has been changed forever. Let the glasses free experience commence in earnest. Woo Hoo.
And a HUGE Thank You to the best wife on the planet! She was a savior and took very good care of me during my "healing" process. Although I'm pretty laid back, I was less than pleasant during the "contact lens" stage of my recovery. So thank you honey, you're the best!
And a HUGE Thank You to the best wife on the planet! She was a savior and took very good care of me during my "healing" process. Although I'm pretty laid back, I was less than pleasant during the "contact lens" stage of my recovery. So thank you honey, you're the best!
My newest cousin
Meet Marcus, born yesterday in the wee hours of the morning. My 21st cousin (if my math is right) from my Dad's side of the family, not including my six cousins-in-law. He's the sixth child (3rd son) of my Uncle Matt and Aunt Margie. All eight members of their family have the initials MMM.
My Uncle Matt is now tied with my Uncle Dan and Aunt Barb with six offspring, but one behind my Uncle Tom and Aunt Margaret, who have seven. Although I suppose my Uncle Dan and Aunt Barb get some kind of bonus for also having 11 grandkids already, all of whom are older than my youngest three cousins!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
OP update
Rob has surged into the lead.
Kat's Stats (unchanged)
TOTAL: 11.83 miles
Rob's Stats
6/25: 2.37 miles
6/26: 2.7 miles (whoa!)
TOTAL: 14.55 miles
Kat's Stats (unchanged)
TOTAL: 11.83 miles
Rob's Stats
6/25: 2.37 miles
6/26: 2.7 miles (whoa!)
TOTAL: 14.55 miles
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Party pics
Much more fun... Resa also sent me some photos from the party on Saturday. Here's Resa and Nick opening presents.
And here's the beautiful gift Resa and Nick received from their friends Brooke and Matt. Brooke is a graphic artist who specializes in vector art, so she turned a photo she'd taken of Resa playing Nick's hair into this gorgeous vector painting.
(Not that there's a huge commercial market for pictures of Resa and Nick, but please don't reproduce without permission.)
:(
Self-pitying post here. Some of you might not know that I have asthma. It's never been too terrible and, although I am pretty sure in hindsight I've always had it, I wasn't even diagnosed until I got to college. I think the pollution in Philly was a little worse than in Indy, so that's when I had my first big asthma episode. I spent a few years on daily meds (lots of steroids, which kindof freak me out) and by the end of college, I hadn't had one of my bad episodes (which compared to lots of people with asthma are really, truly not that bad... no intubation, no hospital stays, just short visits) in about a year. Eventually, with doctor approval, I stopped taking daily meds and just use my rescue inhaler before I exercise.
This was all working fine until a couple months ago when I got this cough I couldn't kick. Probably allergy related, as my allergies have morphed from just cats 15 years ago to cats and dust and pollen these days. Fun. My chest has felt a bit tighter lately. I started using my inhaler about once a week in non-exercise settings. I had a couple mini episodes that I calmed my lungs out of with my inhaler. I also discovered I'm allergic to some cherries a couple weeks ago and that set me off too. How annoying is that -- allergic to an awesome fresh fruit? Oh well.
Well, last night I was up late working and around 12:30am my chest felt extra tight. The inhaler wasn't working. I finally got in bed around 1:30 to try to relax, but my chest just felt worse. I'm a worrier by nature anyway, which isn't a good characteristic for an asthmatic as relaxing is half the battle. So I sat there a little while trying to figure out if I was in bad shape or just freaking myself out. I walked downstairs and tried to cough through it (sometimes works), drank some water (sometimes helps). But nothing. At 2:30am I woke up Rob and asked him to drive me to the ER.
Rob dropped me off at the ER door to find some middle of the night parking nearby and then joined me inside. The nurses and doctors helped me right away. The bonus of walking in and saying you can't breathe, I suppose. The ER wasn't very busy, though, and the staff was very friendly. I think the hospital is called the Illinois Masonic Hospital, which is just a few blocks away from us. Thumbs up from me. They hooked me up to a hard-core nebulizer and pumped me up with steroids. They took a chest x-ray, which was all clear. I took some more steroids in pill form. And by 4:30am, my chest was still a little tight, but clearly not getting worse. Breathing was not difficult, although still not ideal. My peak flow was about 350, but headed up. Someone my age, gender and height should probably be closer to 500, but I think my normal isn't much more than 450 anyway. So all things considered, I was fine. I was also armed with new prescriptions for daily asthma meds. Boooo.
Rob was great through our ER visit. He kept me laughing, which was certainly relaxing. And while I got to call in sick today, poor Rob still had to get up a couple hours later and work all day. Of course, me being me, I had my co-clerk Mike email me an opinion I was working on so I could finish the draft and turn it in today. Although I'm quite sure it's the worst one I've ever done. My judge told me I could just give her what I had and she'd work on it from there, so I just added the changes I was making last night and did that. But I generally make most of my improvements at the end of the writing process. I hate showing other people my flawed or incomplete work product. Makes me crazy.
Anyway, that's our unwanted adventure of the week, and hopefully of the month.
This was all working fine until a couple months ago when I got this cough I couldn't kick. Probably allergy related, as my allergies have morphed from just cats 15 years ago to cats and dust and pollen these days. Fun. My chest has felt a bit tighter lately. I started using my inhaler about once a week in non-exercise settings. I had a couple mini episodes that I calmed my lungs out of with my inhaler. I also discovered I'm allergic to some cherries a couple weeks ago and that set me off too. How annoying is that -- allergic to an awesome fresh fruit? Oh well.
Well, last night I was up late working and around 12:30am my chest felt extra tight. The inhaler wasn't working. I finally got in bed around 1:30 to try to relax, but my chest just felt worse. I'm a worrier by nature anyway, which isn't a good characteristic for an asthmatic as relaxing is half the battle. So I sat there a little while trying to figure out if I was in bad shape or just freaking myself out. I walked downstairs and tried to cough through it (sometimes works), drank some water (sometimes helps). But nothing. At 2:30am I woke up Rob and asked him to drive me to the ER.
Rob dropped me off at the ER door to find some middle of the night parking nearby and then joined me inside. The nurses and doctors helped me right away. The bonus of walking in and saying you can't breathe, I suppose. The ER wasn't very busy, though, and the staff was very friendly. I think the hospital is called the Illinois Masonic Hospital, which is just a few blocks away from us. Thumbs up from me. They hooked me up to a hard-core nebulizer and pumped me up with steroids. They took a chest x-ray, which was all clear. I took some more steroids in pill form. And by 4:30am, my chest was still a little tight, but clearly not getting worse. Breathing was not difficult, although still not ideal. My peak flow was about 350, but headed up. Someone my age, gender and height should probably be closer to 500, but I think my normal isn't much more than 450 anyway. So all things considered, I was fine. I was also armed with new prescriptions for daily asthma meds. Boooo.
Rob was great through our ER visit. He kept me laughing, which was certainly relaxing. And while I got to call in sick today, poor Rob still had to get up a couple hours later and work all day. Of course, me being me, I had my co-clerk Mike email me an opinion I was working on so I could finish the draft and turn it in today. Although I'm quite sure it's the worst one I've ever done. My judge told me I could just give her what I had and she'd work on it from there, so I just added the changes I was making last night and did that. But I generally make most of my improvements at the end of the writing process. I hate showing other people my flawed or incomplete work product. Makes me crazy.
Anyway, that's our unwanted adventure of the week, and hopefully of the month.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Party Success!
We've been running around like crazy for two weeks to get our place ready for Resa and Nick's engagement party this past Saturday night, which was a huge success! My mom made a million tons of food (including 6 pies and 6 dozen cupcakes) for the 50+ people who came in and out through the evening. Rob and I learned how to make sangria -- let's hear it for googling "sangria recipe" -- and it actually turned out pretty well. Resa and Nick got some amazing presents. All the parents successfully hung out for the first time. Our great-uncle Joe even made an appearance. Awww! Lots of folks took pictures, so we'll post them once they get passed our way.
I don't think I realized how little we'd slept until the party shut down around 10:30pm on Saturday and Resa's crew prepared to hit a nearby bar. I was too exhausted to even contemplate going out, although Rob did rally for an hour. After the clean-up was done, I crawled into bed and was asleep within seconds. Even after a full night's sleep, I slept all afternoon on Sunday too.
So that's why we've been a little absent lately. Hopefully we'll catch up with everyone we've been missing soon. We did manage to sneak in a nice brunch with Mark, who was in town for the AMA conference, on Saturday morning. We even got to treat Mark to a post-brunch Scooters run, which he seemed to enjoy. I wish like crazy that Mark & Chris lived closer to us so we could see them more, but with Chris heading to med school in NYC, and Mark's continued insistence that no other cities will do besides NYC, that seems an unlikely wish.
In other news, Rob's eyes seem great. He can see better than I can... grrr. :) And yesterday we got back to Operation Portugal, which we desperately needed after eating pie and cupcakes all weekend long. Slow and steady progress...
Kat's Stats
6/24: 2.43 miles
TOTAL: 11.83 miles
Rob's Stats
6/24: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 9.48 miles
Back to work now...
I don't think I realized how little we'd slept until the party shut down around 10:30pm on Saturday and Resa's crew prepared to hit a nearby bar. I was too exhausted to even contemplate going out, although Rob did rally for an hour. After the clean-up was done, I crawled into bed and was asleep within seconds. Even after a full night's sleep, I slept all afternoon on Sunday too.
So that's why we've been a little absent lately. Hopefully we'll catch up with everyone we've been missing soon. We did manage to sneak in a nice brunch with Mark, who was in town for the AMA conference, on Saturday morning. We even got to treat Mark to a post-brunch Scooters run, which he seemed to enjoy. I wish like crazy that Mark & Chris lived closer to us so we could see them more, but with Chris heading to med school in NYC, and Mark's continued insistence that no other cities will do besides NYC, that seems an unlikely wish.
In other news, Rob's eyes seem great. He can see better than I can... grrr. :) And yesterday we got back to Operation Portugal, which we desperately needed after eating pie and cupcakes all weekend long. Slow and steady progress...
Kat's Stats
6/24: 2.43 miles
TOTAL: 11.83 miles
Rob's Stats
6/24: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 9.48 miles
Back to work now...
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Progress
Rob's eyes are doing better and we're hopeful that he'll have perfect vision as promised by the end of the next few days. Fingers crossed!
Rob's been able to start treadmilling again. (I'm just going to keep using treadmill as a verb until it catches on, Alan. ;) And I did a little treadmilling myself tonight after a couple days off due to work and other distractions.So...
Kat's Stats
6/21: 2.50 miles
TOTAL: 9.40 miles
Rob's Stats:
6/21: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 7.11 miles
I did another slow two-mile run today, which is encouraging. I mean, let's face it, we're not making miracles, but this is the most we've exercised since we started dating way back in 2002! Definitely a small victory. Rob's lost more than 10 pounds and I've made some progress in that area too, but I'm going to leave the numbers out.
In other news, my co-clerks, my judge and I had lunch today with Judge Posner (also of the Seventh Circuit) and his three clerks. One of his clerks and I had been trying to set it up for ages, so it was a bit of a miracle when we found a date that worked for both of our uber-busy bosses! It was a lot of fun, and especially nice to have some casual conversation with one of the most impressive judges on our court. Although he can be rather fierce on the bench, Judge Posner is incredibly nice and funny in a non-adversarial setting. Judge Posner and Judge Wood are also both brilliant, so just getting to listen in on their conversations is a treat. I have less than two months left at my clerkship. This year has gone so fast and I'm going to miss my job so much when I'm done. And now, back to an opinion I have to finish drafting...
Rob's been able to start treadmilling again. (I'm just going to keep using treadmill as a verb until it catches on, Alan. ;) And I did a little treadmilling myself tonight after a couple days off due to work and other distractions.So...
Kat's Stats
6/21: 2.50 miles
TOTAL: 9.40 miles
Rob's Stats:
6/21: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 7.11 miles
I did another slow two-mile run today, which is encouraging. I mean, let's face it, we're not making miracles, but this is the most we've exercised since we started dating way back in 2002! Definitely a small victory. Rob's lost more than 10 pounds and I've made some progress in that area too, but I'm going to leave the numbers out.
In other news, my co-clerks, my judge and I had lunch today with Judge Posner (also of the Seventh Circuit) and his three clerks. One of his clerks and I had been trying to set it up for ages, so it was a bit of a miracle when we found a date that worked for both of our uber-busy bosses! It was a lot of fun, and especially nice to have some casual conversation with one of the most impressive judges on our court. Although he can be rather fierce on the bench, Judge Posner is incredibly nice and funny in a non-adversarial setting. Judge Posner and Judge Wood are also both brilliant, so just getting to listen in on their conversations is a treat. I have less than two months left at my clerkship. This year has gone so fast and I'm going to miss my job so much when I'm done. And now, back to an opinion I have to finish drafting...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Updates on Rob's eyes
Rob went back to the doctor again today and got the protective contacts taken out, which were making him insane with discomfort. While the doctor seems confident that everything will be fine, the abrasions on Rob's eyes still haven't totally healed, which means another trip to the doctor next week to check in again. I hate that there's nothing I can do to make Rob more comfortable in the mean time. I am really frustrated and hate not really understanding the science behind this. But I'm sure my frustration pales in comparison to Rob's.
We're getting good at waking up at 4am for scheduled eye drops though, so maybe this is good training for parenthood some day. If parenthood involves just one scheduled wake-up during the middle of the night after which you can go right back to sleep, then we are so ready. Ha. ;)
Anyway, please think healing thoughts about Rob's eyes!
We're getting good at waking up at 4am for scheduled eye drops though, so maybe this is good training for parenthood some day. If parenthood involves just one scheduled wake-up during the middle of the night after which you can go right back to sleep, then we are so ready. Ha. ;)
Anyway, please think healing thoughts about Rob's eyes!
Ask and ye shall receive...
I know, I know. You are all dying to see a picture of me in my giant purple bridesmaid dress. I found one that isn't horrible and another that, well, everyone else looks so nice in it that I'll publicly embarrass myself and post it.
Libby finally sent out some more pictures from her wedding, so here are some cute ones. I can only download small images because of pesky copyright things.
This is at Libby and Colin's apartment getting ready the day of the wedding. I think Libby was annoyed I was getting all sentimental and hovering around her. :)
Here I'm helping Libby get her dress on. I like the abstract twin-ness of this picture.
All the bridesmaids in a pretty row. I have the worst posture. I'm always rolling my shoulders forward and slouching.
Awww. Me and my husband, Libby and her brand new husband, and Resa with her almost fiance (they got engaged the next day).
Libby finally sent out some more pictures from her wedding, so here are some cute ones. I can only download small images because of pesky copyright things.
This is at Libby and Colin's apartment getting ready the day of the wedding. I think Libby was annoyed I was getting all sentimental and hovering around her. :)
Here I'm helping Libby get her dress on. I like the abstract twin-ness of this picture.
All the bridesmaids in a pretty row. I have the worst posture. I'm always rolling my shoulders forward and slouching.
Awww. Me and my husband, Libby and her brand new husband, and Resa with her almost fiance (they got engaged the next day).
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
If you remember The Dairi Burger...
Then you need to read this blog. My friend Robin is re-reading her collection of Sweet Valley High books and reviewing them in all their ridiculous glory online at her new blog. Flippin' hysterical if you read the books as a wee lass, as I did.
I remember in sixth grade, whichever girl in our group of friends got the latest SVH book first would be the most popular girl as the rest of us lined up to borrow it. After all, none of us could get to the bookstore without parental intervention and the books arrived in the library months behind their publication. You only got the book it for 24 hours, so you had to read fast... lucky girl who got the weekend slot though! Some of our crew would bump their best best friends up the borrowing list. Much drama ensued. The best part of it all was the cruel hand of fate... since the Wakefield twins are Elizabeth & Jessica and my identical twin sister's name is Elizabeth, I can't even tell you the jokes I got about being the dumb/mean/bratty/spoiled twin. Never got called the stylish or popular twin. Probably because Libby had that cornered in real life already. ;) Oh middle school days!
Anyway, Robin's reviews are great and they'll give you flashbacks to your insecure adolescent days of SVH-reading. What garbage we ingested!
I remember in sixth grade, whichever girl in our group of friends got the latest SVH book first would be the most popular girl as the rest of us lined up to borrow it. After all, none of us could get to the bookstore without parental intervention and the books arrived in the library months behind their publication. You only got the book it for 24 hours, so you had to read fast... lucky girl who got the weekend slot though! Some of our crew would bump their best best friends up the borrowing list. Much drama ensued. The best part of it all was the cruel hand of fate... since the Wakefield twins are Elizabeth & Jessica and my identical twin sister's name is Elizabeth, I can't even tell you the jokes I got about being the dumb/mean/bratty/spoiled twin. Never got called the stylish or popular twin. Probably because Libby had that cornered in real life already. ;) Oh middle school days!
Anyway, Robin's reviews are great and they'll give you flashbacks to your insecure adolescent days of SVH-reading. What garbage we ingested!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Kids Learn Gender Roles Very Early
I don't think this is a new insight generally, but this study does add a new dimension to it. Apparently two-year-olds shown videos of, for example, both a man and a woman applying lipstick or both a man and a woman putting on a tie pay more attention to the atypical video (that is, man applying lipstick or woman putting on tie). The researchers theorize that this is because the typical scenarios are already very familiar to the two-year-olds, while the atypical ones are not, and kids that age tend to pay more attention to the unfamiliar.
So I wonder if this study also shows, to some degree, that if we expose our kids to all kinds of different people (nothing dangerous, obviously), they'll grow up being more accepting of differences because those differences won't feel unfamiliar to them as they start to understand the world in more complex ways. Maybe that's reading to much into the study, but maybe not. After all, it seems like at some point in childhood kids learn that some differences are bad or at least inferior. Maybe this kind of insight points to a means of heading that off at the pass.
So I wonder if this study also shows, to some degree, that if we expose our kids to all kinds of different people (nothing dangerous, obviously), they'll grow up being more accepting of differences because those differences won't feel unfamiliar to them as they start to understand the world in more complex ways. Maybe that's reading to much into the study, but maybe not. After all, it seems like at some point in childhood kids learn that some differences are bad or at least inferior. Maybe this kind of insight points to a means of heading that off at the pass.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
More Eyes News
Rob had his follow-up appointment this morning for his eyes. While it looks like everything is fine, the doctor had to put a contact lens in each eye so Rob's epitheliums (epithelia?) could heal better. Rob's spent a lot more of today with his eyes closed. Apparently even blinking can slow the healing. Rob has to head back to the doctor again tomorrow to see if the contacts can come out. It'll be our third trip to the suburbs in three days. Hopefully they won't try to keep us there. Seriously though, this is not an abnormal complication. Rob still says that "with regard to the procedure, it's less painful and quicker than getting your teeth cleaned." In fact, Rob says "the procedure is virtually pain-free." He doesn't want anyone dissuaded by his healing process! He's already very excited by his new vision when his eyes are open. We are also becoming eye drop experts. Lots of eye drops involved in the five days post-surgery.
On a side note, Rob is unable to work out for several days, so his Operation Portugal is on standstill. I tried to do an even better workout today for both our sakes. (Rob's beating me in both mileage and weight loss, so I need to start bringing up my side of our team average. Ha ha.) I thought I'd see if I could run a full two miles at a slow pace. I did it, running just over 13-minute miles, and it felt pretty comfortable. Hopefully this'll make me feel comfortable trying interval training soon.
Kat's Stats
6/17: 2.55 miles
TOTAL: 6.90 miles
Not much new to report. We've had a weekend of chilling for the sake of Rob's eyes. We've done a lot more planning of our London leg of our summer trip, though. Now we're thinking of a day trip to Bath. Even though I lived in London for a year, I never made it to Bath, which is just over an hour away by train. It'll be nice for me to see something new since I've seen a lot of the London sites before. Although I can't imagine I'll be anything but thrilled to be in my old stomping grounds again.
On a side note, Rob is unable to work out for several days, so his Operation Portugal is on standstill. I tried to do an even better workout today for both our sakes. (Rob's beating me in both mileage and weight loss, so I need to start bringing up my side of our team average. Ha ha.) I thought I'd see if I could run a full two miles at a slow pace. I did it, running just over 13-minute miles, and it felt pretty comfortable. Hopefully this'll make me feel comfortable trying interval training soon.
Kat's Stats
6/17: 2.55 miles
TOTAL: 6.90 miles
Not much new to report. We've had a weekend of chilling for the sake of Rob's eyes. We've done a lot more planning of our London leg of our summer trip, though. Now we're thinking of a day trip to Bath. Even though I lived in London for a year, I never made it to Bath, which is just over an hour away by train. It'll be nice for me to see something new since I've seen a lot of the London sites before. Although I can't imagine I'll be anything but thrilled to be in my old stomping grounds again.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
The Eyes Have It
I thought a pun in the title was appropriate since I'm blogging about Rob. This morning Rob had Lasik eye surgery. I have been freaking out about it, as is my nature, but I'm very excited for Rob to be glasses-free. Everything seemed to go well. We arrived at the doctor's office out in the suburbs around 10am for a 10:30am appointment. Around 11am they took him in for the surgery and they'd previously told us he'd be done about 12:15pm, so I drove over to a nearby bookstore to pick up some London guidebooks (we hit London for three days before we go to Portugal). (Valerie, I also picked up The History of Love on your recommendation.) I didn't want to sit in the waiting room because I knew I'd, well, continue freaking out.
I arrived back at the doctor's office at 11:45am and immediately felt like the worst wife on the planet because Rob was sitting, all finished, in the waiting room with dark sunglasses on. My husband had surgery (okay, eight-minute surgery) and I wasn't there when he was done!!! Pathetic! And totally true to character because I am constantly late... so of course when I arrive a half hour early that turns out to be late as well. Rob was in good spirits, though, and actually felt badly that I'd felt badly as he didn't know it'd be so quick and he'd told me to go to the store for a little while. Aw.
I led Rob out to the car, as you're not allowed to open your eyes for four hours after the procedure. We had to put one kind of eye drops in right away before we hit the road. I don't really understand why they don't do that in the doctor's office, but since you do these eye drops every 30-60 minutes for the first few hours, maybe they're trying to make sure you don't have to pull over for more drops whiledriving.
Anyway, Rob said the procedure was very efficient and he didn't feel a thing, which is both creepy and amazing. The doctor gave him Tylenol PM so he could sleep for a few hours once we got home, but right now I think Rob's tossing and turning a bit upstairs. He's not really a sleep-during-the-day person. He has to wear an eye shield for sleeping and showering for the next several days, which is pretty crazy looking. So of course I took pictures. I'll download them soon.
In the mean time I'm just relieved the procedure is over and that everything seems okay (knock on wood). It's also a little funny that Rob's going to be glasses-free for the first time in two decades while I'm about to the point of needing glasses regularly for the first time in my life. Just adds to my nerdy disposition, I suppose.
I arrived back at the doctor's office at 11:45am and immediately felt like the worst wife on the planet because Rob was sitting, all finished, in the waiting room with dark sunglasses on. My husband had surgery (okay, eight-minute surgery) and I wasn't there when he was done!!! Pathetic! And totally true to character because I am constantly late... so of course when I arrive a half hour early that turns out to be late as well. Rob was in good spirits, though, and actually felt badly that I'd felt badly as he didn't know it'd be so quick and he'd told me to go to the store for a little while. Aw.
I led Rob out to the car, as you're not allowed to open your eyes for four hours after the procedure. We had to put one kind of eye drops in right away before we hit the road. I don't really understand why they don't do that in the doctor's office, but since you do these eye drops every 30-60 minutes for the first few hours, maybe they're trying to make sure you don't have to pull over for more drops whiledriving.
Anyway, Rob said the procedure was very efficient and he didn't feel a thing, which is both creepy and amazing. The doctor gave him Tylenol PM so he could sleep for a few hours once we got home, but right now I think Rob's tossing and turning a bit upstairs. He's not really a sleep-during-the-day person. He has to wear an eye shield for sleeping and showering for the next several days, which is pretty crazy looking. So of course I took pictures. I'll download them soon.
In the mean time I'm just relieved the procedure is over and that everything seems okay (knock on wood). It's also a little funny that Rob's going to be glasses-free for the first time in two decades while I'm about to the point of needing glasses regularly for the first time in my life. Just adds to my nerdy disposition, I suppose.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Operation Portugal: Kat's Updates
Well, I didn't treadmill last night because my stomach hurt. (I sound like a little kid, I know.) So I decided I'd get up early to do some treadmilling this morning. When I told Rob this plan last night, he laughed and told me he'd pay me $50 if I actually woke up early to exercise, as I'm not really big on the whole concept of being awake in the morning at all. I already owe Rob $20 because I thought Healdsburg was Sonoma. (Although in my defense, Healdsburg is in Sonoma County, so I wasn't incorrect when I said "We were in Sonoma" when referring to when we were in Healdsburg, but that's the lawyer in me.) Rob's promise last night, then, meant I'd be back on the plus side, ignoring that whole "marital property" concept... and that fact that we both can transfer money in between our bank accounts whenever we want.
Somehow I managed to wake up this morning only about 15 minutes later than planned, which is HUGE for me. I exercised. And I discovered that exercising in the morning feels horrible. Ugh. My feet felt like lead. I wanted to collapse on the treadmill and take a nap. I didn't even make my full 2.25 miles, keeping me behind Rob's mileage. Grrr.
My stat update:
6/15: 2.1 miles
TOTAL: 4.35 miles
I definitely appreciate Valerie's interval training suggestion because, let's face it, I'm a fitness moron. I think I'll try that tomorrow when I work out... some time after noon. Maybe that'll improve my distance per workout so I can gain on Rob. And, Claire, good luck on your 5K. If you walk any of it, just know that if I were there, I'd be walking that part and then some. :)
Somehow I managed to wake up this morning only about 15 minutes later than planned, which is HUGE for me. I exercised. And I discovered that exercising in the morning feels horrible. Ugh. My feet felt like lead. I wanted to collapse on the treadmill and take a nap. I didn't even make my full 2.25 miles, keeping me behind Rob's mileage. Grrr.
My stat update:
6/15: 2.1 miles
TOTAL: 4.35 miles
I definitely appreciate Valerie's interval training suggestion because, let's face it, I'm a fitness moron. I think I'll try that tomorrow when I work out... some time after noon. Maybe that'll improve my distance per workout so I can gain on Rob. And, Claire, good luck on your 5K. If you walk any of it, just know that if I were there, I'd be walking that part and then some. :)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Operation Portugal: Rob's Stats
6/13: 2.37 miles
6/14: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 4.74 miles
Looks like I'll have to walk a little longer tonight to keep up! :)
6/14: 2.37 miles
TOTAL: 4.74 miles
Looks like I'll have to walk a little longer tonight to keep up! :)
Operation Portugal: Logging the Miles
Rob and I were saying the other night that we should start posting the miles we log on our treadmill to keep track of our progress. So I'll start with last night as day one, even though I had some good miles before yesterday. I want to be 100% accurate.
6/13: 2.25 miles
TOTAL: 2.25 miles
Right now I walk and run on the treadmill. My standard is to walk a little over a mile, then run a little less than a mile, and then walk slowly to cool down for about a quarter mile. This takes my short, little legs about 35 minutes. I try to run the last quarter mile at a fast pace for me, which is probably laughably slow to be considered a sprint... a ten-minute-mile pace... but it feels like one to me. I love the little "track" graphic on the treadmill that you loop every time you hit another quarter-mile. I divide it up into six points so if I want to go a mile, I know I just have to count to 24 reeeaaaalllly slowly. Seems more bearable that way, as none of the points are too far apart. Is it obvious that exercise is not my thing?
The only time in my life I worked out regularly was at the end of my days in NYC. I'm convinced something about NYC makes you skinnier because the further I get from it, the more I weigh, while my friends who still live their keep getting thinner. Hmm. I'm sure it's all about the city and has nothing to do with my more sedentary lifestyle and increased consumption of food and alcohol. Anyway, for about two months in 2001 I worked out with some regularity. Of course, I only once ran over two miles straight. The combination of wimpiness and asthma does not lend itself well to cardio, but I tried. And when I ran those two miles, I was running at a ten-minute-mile pace without struggle. Given how that pace feels now, I'm more impressed now with my 2001 short stint of exercising regularly than I was at the time. So I hope that the current stint takes me back to that golden era (for me).
This time, I have a pre-Portugal (mid-August) goal as well, which I know I keep mentioning. I want to run the entire Teb's Troops 5K at the end of July. (We are soooo close to our fundraising goal for the 5K. Yea!) When we ran our last 5K, I had to walk a couple minutes. And when we ran our 8K, I had to walk a bit more than that. I hope that with (hopefully close to) daily treadmilling the next few weeks, I'll be able to increase my running a wee bit at a time, so by the time the 5K comes it'll be a piece of cake to run (slowly) start to finish. For those of you in Chi-town, definitely sign up to run with Rob and me. We'd love the company and it's for an excellent cause.
So the count is 2.25 miles... we'll see if posting the miles publicly shames me into success!
6/13: 2.25 miles
TOTAL: 2.25 miles
Right now I walk and run on the treadmill. My standard is to walk a little over a mile, then run a little less than a mile, and then walk slowly to cool down for about a quarter mile. This takes my short, little legs about 35 minutes. I try to run the last quarter mile at a fast pace for me, which is probably laughably slow to be considered a sprint... a ten-minute-mile pace... but it feels like one to me. I love the little "track" graphic on the treadmill that you loop every time you hit another quarter-mile. I divide it up into six points so if I want to go a mile, I know I just have to count to 24 reeeaaaalllly slowly. Seems more bearable that way, as none of the points are too far apart. Is it obvious that exercise is not my thing?
The only time in my life I worked out regularly was at the end of my days in NYC. I'm convinced something about NYC makes you skinnier because the further I get from it, the more I weigh, while my friends who still live their keep getting thinner. Hmm. I'm sure it's all about the city and has nothing to do with my more sedentary lifestyle and increased consumption of food and alcohol. Anyway, for about two months in 2001 I worked out with some regularity. Of course, I only once ran over two miles straight. The combination of wimpiness and asthma does not lend itself well to cardio, but I tried. And when I ran those two miles, I was running at a ten-minute-mile pace without struggle. Given how that pace feels now, I'm more impressed now with my 2001 short stint of exercising regularly than I was at the time. So I hope that the current stint takes me back to that golden era (for me).
This time, I have a pre-Portugal (mid-August) goal as well, which I know I keep mentioning. I want to run the entire Teb's Troops 5K at the end of July. (We are soooo close to our fundraising goal for the 5K. Yea!) When we ran our last 5K, I had to walk a couple minutes. And when we ran our 8K, I had to walk a bit more than that. I hope that with (hopefully close to) daily treadmilling the next few weeks, I'll be able to increase my running a wee bit at a time, so by the time the 5K comes it'll be a piece of cake to run (slowly) start to finish. For those of you in Chi-town, definitely sign up to run with Rob and me. We'd love the company and it's for an excellent cause.
So the count is 2.25 miles... we'll see if posting the miles publicly shames me into success!
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