Mine are my own.
They are trimmed short.
They naturally grow in a nice shape, but I sometimes file them to square them off a bit.
The tips are white.
The cuticles are OK - not too rough, but sometimes non-existent.
They aren't particularly ridged or bumpy.
They are a nice cap to my somewhat manish hands.
My hands are like my dad's.
Hers are trimmed severely short when they're not chewed to the quick.
We don't let them grow, for when they are too long, they are tools with which she can scratch her skin until it bleeds.
Her nail bed is wider than mine.
Her fingernails are not like mine, but they are beautiful.
Her hands are like her dad's.
The stand in's are fake.
They are long and pointed.
They are professionally polished weekly, and completely replaced every month or so.
They are painted in garish designs and colors.
The cuticles are perfect.
They are flashy and perfect.
They require a lot of maintenance and fuss.
They are shallow.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Is this legit?
Last night was attempt #3 at bikram yoga. At this rate, Ben has spent $6.67 per session for me. The drop in fee is $15, so we're already paying less than 1/2 price on a per class basis. Of course, the groupon was 20 sessions for $20 ($1 per class), so I have a ways to go. I am running out of time, though. I think I need to average 2.5 times per week from here on out. I think I can do it, though. There's a convenient 8:15 class. I can get the kids ready for bed, and head out at 8, while Scooter is still up and Bubba is (hopefully) either in bed or not long for the world before bed.
The classes are 90 minutes long in a room heated to 105 degrees. I know I've already gone over that part, but seriously. 105 degrees. I'm not generally a sweaty person, but I can soak a towel in 90 minutes. Each class taught at the Hall Street Studio is billed as a beginner class, which makes it not scary for those of us who are pretty awful at yoga. But the beauty of the practice of yoga is that beginner to advanced yogi, the poses are the same. It's really just the level of flexibility, balance and poise that you acquire over your weeks, month, years of practice determine your status. Not necessarily the level of the class you're in. I'm clearly a beginner, though. I wobble at the thought of tree pose (Tad Asana); I'm out of breath after balancing stick (Tula Dan Da Sana); I can't even begin to complete fixed firm (Supta Vaj Rasana).
Anyway, there are 26 poses that are done every class, in a specific order. Each pose is generally done twice (or 4 times, if done twice on each side). As we slowly ease ourselves into each pose, the instructor usually tells us what each pose does for us - more than the standard, "this pose strengthens x or stretches y" but things like, "this pose massages the ascending and descending colon." or " this pose cures insomnia, depression and colds/sinus/allergies and glandular defects."
Really? For real? Compressing my thyroid and balancing my hormones will really cure the common cold? I'm a skeptic as far as those claims go. But I will say that hot yoga might help with insomnia. I have been sleeping super soundly lately. Of course, the crazy schedule of the past week or so might also be helping on that front. I know it's only been 3 sessions, but I do feel more grounded and inner peacey-er. But that might also be due to having the whole family under one roof, again...I'll see how it goes after a few more sessions.
The classes are 90 minutes long in a room heated to 105 degrees. I know I've already gone over that part, but seriously. 105 degrees. I'm not generally a sweaty person, but I can soak a towel in 90 minutes. Each class taught at the Hall Street Studio is billed as a beginner class, which makes it not scary for those of us who are pretty awful at yoga. But the beauty of the practice of yoga is that beginner to advanced yogi, the poses are the same. It's really just the level of flexibility, balance and poise that you acquire over your weeks, month, years of practice determine your status. Not necessarily the level of the class you're in. I'm clearly a beginner, though. I wobble at the thought of tree pose (Tad Asana); I'm out of breath after balancing stick (Tula Dan Da Sana); I can't even begin to complete fixed firm (Supta Vaj Rasana).
Anyway, there are 26 poses that are done every class, in a specific order. Each pose is generally done twice (or 4 times, if done twice on each side). As we slowly ease ourselves into each pose, the instructor usually tells us what each pose does for us - more than the standard, "this pose strengthens x or stretches y" but things like, "this pose massages the ascending and descending colon." or " this pose cures insomnia, depression and colds/sinus/allergies and glandular defects."
Really? For real? Compressing my thyroid and balancing my hormones will really cure the common cold? I'm a skeptic as far as those claims go. But I will say that hot yoga might help with insomnia. I have been sleeping super soundly lately. Of course, the crazy schedule of the past week or so might also be helping on that front. I know it's only been 3 sessions, but I do feel more grounded and inner peacey-er. But that might also be due to having the whole family under one roof, again...I'll see how it goes after a few more sessions.
who's a big boy pirate?
Bubba has been on a pirate kick for a few weeks, now. Yeeargh, matey! And as he slips deeper into his pirate imagination, he's been showing us how much he's grown up. His balance is getting really good - he often walks the plank. He can independently play as well as turn on his bedroom light, open the fridge for yogurt, pick out a spoon, etc. He's almost self-sufficient.
Also, he's gone almost 2 weeks without a binky. He's a big boy. He'll remind you he's a big boy at every opportunity, too. "I not fun. I Big Boy!" "I not silly. I'm a pirate!"
But as any parenting column, newsletter, book, or expert will tell you, growth comes in fits and spurts. And sometimes, with those spurts come regressions. Your child's vocabulary might double one week, but with it, they become crabby, or won't eat, or as in our case, stops potty training.
Apparently, with maturity comes a desire to be lazy. He can make his own breakfast, but he'd rather fake-cry than sit on the potty. If you ask him if he wants to make pee pee on the potty, he'll say, "No. I want diaper." Shoot. He knows what he's doing, but he's doing it anyway. So yesterday, we pulled out the stops. He went to school in big boy underpants. Since he refused to "go" on the potty before we suited him up in his spiderman, cyclops, and ironman underpants (it's super grouper underpants), I had no idea when the last time he "went" was. But we took a chance and headed to school with 2 extra pairs of shorts and 2 extra pairs of underpants.
Monday is daycare pay-day. Generally, I love paydays, but daycare payday is the day I shell out money for daycare, and it's never a really fun time. But yesteray was even worse. There I was, waiting for my credit card to go through, (yes, I put daycare on credit. I pay it off each month, and over the course of a year, that's over 15,000 miles!) while Bubba fidgeted and squirmed all over a padded chair. Oh, Lord. Please don't let Bubba pee all over a carpeted office area...
After we successfully negotiated the strange, new world of underpants on padded chair, we walked (wiggled) our way to the classroom. I immediately announced to his teacher that he was wearing big boy underpants. She asked when he last "went." I didn't know. But I did bring lots of extra clothes! She said OK and that he was ready to do this. All the while, Bubba was dancing/squirming/gyrating all over the big todds room. Apparently, big boy underpants feel different than a diaper. In a good way.
We did it again this morning. The report from daycare yesterday was "good." He had 3 accidents (he only has 3 pairs of underpants), but each time, it was just a little bit. His teacher said it was enough to make his underpants wet, but not enough to really soak his shorts/socks/shoes. She said that a lot of times, kids will really let it go, but Bubba would go a little, then realize what was happening and stop until he made it to a potty.
Plus...based on his behaviour, he needs to leave big Todds. He's turning mean. He'll hit his friends and not listen to the teachers. Apparently, if he would get potty trained and move up to pre-school, that behaviour would clear itself up. That's the anecdotal evidence they've seen with other kids, at least. I hope that's what it is. I really don't want to be the parent of a bully. Especially since I know he's a really sweet boy. So we did it again today. I think we need to buy some more big boy underpants, so we don't have to wash and wear the same 3 pairs of underpants every day.
Also, he's gone almost 2 weeks without a binky. He's a big boy. He'll remind you he's a big boy at every opportunity, too. "I not fun. I Big Boy!" "I not silly. I'm a pirate!"
But as any parenting column, newsletter, book, or expert will tell you, growth comes in fits and spurts. And sometimes, with those spurts come regressions. Your child's vocabulary might double one week, but with it, they become crabby, or won't eat, or as in our case, stops potty training.
Apparently, with maturity comes a desire to be lazy. He can make his own breakfast, but he'd rather fake-cry than sit on the potty. If you ask him if he wants to make pee pee on the potty, he'll say, "No. I want diaper." Shoot. He knows what he's doing, but he's doing it anyway. So yesterday, we pulled out the stops. He went to school in big boy underpants. Since he refused to "go" on the potty before we suited him up in his spiderman, cyclops, and ironman underpants (it's super grouper underpants), I had no idea when the last time he "went" was. But we took a chance and headed to school with 2 extra pairs of shorts and 2 extra pairs of underpants.
Monday is daycare pay-day. Generally, I love paydays, but daycare payday is the day I shell out money for daycare, and it's never a really fun time. But yesteray was even worse. There I was, waiting for my credit card to go through, (yes, I put daycare on credit. I pay it off each month, and over the course of a year, that's over 15,000 miles!) while Bubba fidgeted and squirmed all over a padded chair. Oh, Lord. Please don't let Bubba pee all over a carpeted office area...
After we successfully negotiated the strange, new world of underpants on padded chair, we walked (wiggled) our way to the classroom. I immediately announced to his teacher that he was wearing big boy underpants. She asked when he last "went." I didn't know. But I did bring lots of extra clothes! She said OK and that he was ready to do this. All the while, Bubba was dancing/squirming/gyrating all over the big todds room. Apparently, big boy underpants feel different than a diaper. In a good way.
We did it again this morning. The report from daycare yesterday was "good." He had 3 accidents (he only has 3 pairs of underpants), but each time, it was just a little bit. His teacher said it was enough to make his underpants wet, but not enough to really soak his shorts/socks/shoes. She said that a lot of times, kids will really let it go, but Bubba would go a little, then realize what was happening and stop until he made it to a potty.
Plus...based on his behaviour, he needs to leave big Todds. He's turning mean. He'll hit his friends and not listen to the teachers. Apparently, if he would get potty trained and move up to pre-school, that behaviour would clear itself up. That's the anecdotal evidence they've seen with other kids, at least. I hope that's what it is. I really don't want to be the parent of a bully. Especially since I know he's a really sweet boy. So we did it again today. I think we need to buy some more big boy underpants, so we don't have to wash and wear the same 3 pairs of underpants every day.
Friday, August 26, 2011
It's hard to believe
A week ago, I left work early, extremely frustrated over a few things I'm (still) working on. Ben's friend came into town. We went camping. Today, I am preparing to head out of town to get Scooter. Yes!!!
We made it. 1st summer down. Almost. I leave tomorrow around 9am, and I get back with Scooter on Sunday at 10:30am. Next week is a busy one full of dentist appointments, car appointments, hair appointments, and school open houses. Ben and I also have to get our picture taken for a promotional thing, since Ben won a trip to Cancun. I'm almost dreading the prospect of next week. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have 1 more week with Scooter to kind of decompress before the crazy starts?
Speaking of which, I signed her up for soccer. The team in our area is one of 6 that gets sponsored by the Timbers, which is Portland's MLS team. The Timbers' season runs from March-October, and during some of their early games, they invite the kids to accompany the players onto the field. Hopefully, Scooter will get a chance like that sometime. It seemed like all of those special game days were during the summer, though.
I'm also about to sign both kids up for swim lessons. Bubba is still too young for just about every other activity (unless one of us was a stay at home parent and could take him to a 9:30am class in the middle of the week). Pretty soon, though, he'll be 3, which opens up tumbling, soccer, more swimming, and a whole host of other fun things to do.
So, yeah...word from the lawyer is that the appeal won't likely be wrapped up until Feb or March of 2012 - 18 or 19 months after we started down this long, winding, dangerous road, and either the month or the month after Vicky is due. Surprisingly enough, from what I saw on skype last night, while they were trying to get it to work, she's not huge, yet. I'm thinking back to how I looked at this time in 2008 (Bubba was born in Feb 2009), and it seemed like I was ENORMOUS. But then again, he was my 2nd, and it seemed like w/ #2, my body knew what to do, which means it packed on the pounds much quicker.
Considering Vicky did most of the skyping w/ Scooter last time Scooter was with us, I'll be able to monitor the weight gain with equal parts disinterest and fascination in the coming months.
We made it. 1st summer down. Almost. I leave tomorrow around 9am, and I get back with Scooter on Sunday at 10:30am. Next week is a busy one full of dentist appointments, car appointments, hair appointments, and school open houses. Ben and I also have to get our picture taken for a promotional thing, since Ben won a trip to Cancun. I'm almost dreading the prospect of next week. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have 1 more week with Scooter to kind of decompress before the crazy starts?
Speaking of which, I signed her up for soccer. The team in our area is one of 6 that gets sponsored by the Timbers, which is Portland's MLS team. The Timbers' season runs from March-October, and during some of their early games, they invite the kids to accompany the players onto the field. Hopefully, Scooter will get a chance like that sometime. It seemed like all of those special game days were during the summer, though.
I'm also about to sign both kids up for swim lessons. Bubba is still too young for just about every other activity (unless one of us was a stay at home parent and could take him to a 9:30am class in the middle of the week). Pretty soon, though, he'll be 3, which opens up tumbling, soccer, more swimming, and a whole host of other fun things to do.
So, yeah...word from the lawyer is that the appeal won't likely be wrapped up until Feb or March of 2012 - 18 or 19 months after we started down this long, winding, dangerous road, and either the month or the month after Vicky is due. Surprisingly enough, from what I saw on skype last night, while they were trying to get it to work, she's not huge, yet. I'm thinking back to how I looked at this time in 2008 (Bubba was born in Feb 2009), and it seemed like I was ENORMOUS. But then again, he was my 2nd, and it seemed like w/ #2, my body knew what to do, which means it packed on the pounds much quicker.
Considering Vicky did most of the skyping w/ Scooter last time Scooter was with us, I'll be able to monitor the weight gain with equal parts disinterest and fascination in the coming months.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
So, yeah. Crater Lake.
It was pretty awesome. Ben and his friend were there for a photography extravaganza (photogvaganza?). As such, they were hoping for some clouds in the evening we were there. So as not to disappoint, there was a short (20 minute?) thunderstorm just before sunset. The sky did some amazingly strange things. Bubba and I were tired, so we mostly stayed in the car, which also gave me a chance to listen to a little music of my choosing. And my choice?
Sky Phenomenon by Jens Lekman, of course. Please excuse the accent (radder?). He's Swedish...
I've kind of been stuck on him for a while, now. Ben still hasn't given him a listen, but I think he'd like Jens. Ben doesn't generally take music advice from me. Mostly b/c he hears me singing horrible 1990s songs all day long. I figure if I can get someone else to suggest Ben give Jens a listen, he'll end up coming around. Kind of like M Ward...Of course, if Ben reads this, he'll insist that he discovered M first. He may have. But I doubt it.
But seriously...that sky was crazy awesome. I hope some of Ben's photos turned out. I'd post one or two of my own just to kind of give you an idea of how insane it was, but I didn't bring my camera to the photogvaganza. Not that I'd be able to compete w/ the hubby or the hubby-buddy in that department, anyway. A link to Ben's friend, Buck's blog, in case you want to check out his photography and purchase a print.
And a sampling of the sky from that night. Buck was so kind as to let me post one of his photos. I might re-visit this in the future to put one of Ben's up as well.
Sky Phenomenon by Jens Lekman, of course. Please excuse the accent (radder?). He's Swedish...
I've kind of been stuck on him for a while, now. Ben still hasn't given him a listen, but I think he'd like Jens. Ben doesn't generally take music advice from me. Mostly b/c he hears me singing horrible 1990s songs all day long. I figure if I can get someone else to suggest Ben give Jens a listen, he'll end up coming around. Kind of like M Ward...Of course, if Ben reads this, he'll insist that he discovered M first. He may have. But I doubt it.
But seriously...that sky was crazy awesome. I hope some of Ben's photos turned out. I'd post one or two of my own just to kind of give you an idea of how insane it was, but I didn't bring my camera to the photogvaganza. Not that I'd be able to compete w/ the hubby or the hubby-buddy in that department, anyway. A link to Ben's friend, Buck's blog, in case you want to check out his photography and purchase a print.
And a sampling of the sky from that night. Buck was so kind as to let me post one of his photos. I might re-visit this in the future to put one of Ben's up as well.
Monday, August 22, 2011
When life hands you a toilet...
...pee in it. A friend and I made up that little tidbit of wisdom in high school, and it totally sums up my day.
Today was a long one. Our car got towed last night. We live in an apartment complex. We rent TWO parking spaces (one for each car). We pay money every month for the privilege of parking outside. And we got towed because we forgot to put the little hangy tag on the rear view mirror. Poop.
I drove to work today for the first time in months - since December or so. I walked outside, got in my car, pulled out and left without noticing that the Subaru wasn't where it was supposed to be. Ben called me at work (from his friend's phone, since he lost his this weekend) to give me the news. I left work, raced home, and we spent the next couple of hours tracking down the car. I had to high-tail it back to work because I had a doctor's appointment, which is ridiculous. I agonized over finding a doctor. Normally, I'd opt for one close to home. I took a chance on one down the street from my work. If I had chosen one closer to home, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but as it was, I was 8 minutes late, and they have a 10 minute limit, after which they cancel your appointment. I made it just under the wire. Ugh.
When I left work, I searched the 2+ block parking lot for my car. I had forgotten that I had moved it after I returned from the morning jaunt and was looking in the area in which I originally had parked. I called Ben panicking that the car had somehow gotten towed, even though I have a work sticker on my window. After that, I was later than I wanted to be to pick up Bubba. When I got home, I had a letter from the lawyer waiting for me. $5,000 retainer due for the appeal. The ex filed his notice of intent to appeal late last week. I got the notification today. Ugh!!! And I was unable to skype with (or even talk to) Scooter tonight. Bummer of a day.
When I looked in the fridge, I realized that Ben had taken the last 2 beers with him on his trip to the coast. So I did what any sane person would do. I broke open the mini bottles of vodka that I had received as a gag gift from work 5 years ago. There was a full pitcher of lemonade in the fridge, which was a perfect compliment to this awesome (sarcasm, here) day. The one bright note was skyping with the in-laws (until skype crapped out on us).
I thought it was bad that I forgot my camera on our "photography" trip to Crater Lake this weekend. It turns out, that was only the beginning. Tomorrow's agenda includes calling the lawyer's office to officially put them on retainer for the appeal (it's treated as a separate transaction for billing purposes). After that, I guess it's just a long wait until this thing gets resolved once and for all. On the plus side, there's only 5 days until Scooter flies back with me.
Today was a long one. Our car got towed last night. We live in an apartment complex. We rent TWO parking spaces (one for each car). We pay money every month for the privilege of parking outside. And we got towed because we forgot to put the little hangy tag on the rear view mirror. Poop.
I drove to work today for the first time in months - since December or so. I walked outside, got in my car, pulled out and left without noticing that the Subaru wasn't where it was supposed to be. Ben called me at work (from his friend's phone, since he lost his this weekend) to give me the news. I left work, raced home, and we spent the next couple of hours tracking down the car. I had to high-tail it back to work because I had a doctor's appointment, which is ridiculous. I agonized over finding a doctor. Normally, I'd opt for one close to home. I took a chance on one down the street from my work. If I had chosen one closer to home, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but as it was, I was 8 minutes late, and they have a 10 minute limit, after which they cancel your appointment. I made it just under the wire. Ugh.
When I left work, I searched the 2+ block parking lot for my car. I had forgotten that I had moved it after I returned from the morning jaunt and was looking in the area in which I originally had parked. I called Ben panicking that the car had somehow gotten towed, even though I have a work sticker on my window. After that, I was later than I wanted to be to pick up Bubba. When I got home, I had a letter from the lawyer waiting for me. $5,000 retainer due for the appeal. The ex filed his notice of intent to appeal late last week. I got the notification today. Ugh!!! And I was unable to skype with (or even talk to) Scooter tonight. Bummer of a day.
When I looked in the fridge, I realized that Ben had taken the last 2 beers with him on his trip to the coast. So I did what any sane person would do. I broke open the mini bottles of vodka that I had received as a gag gift from work 5 years ago. There was a full pitcher of lemonade in the fridge, which was a perfect compliment to this awesome (sarcasm, here) day. The one bright note was skyping with the in-laws (until skype crapped out on us).
I thought it was bad that I forgot my camera on our "photography" trip to Crater Lake this weekend. It turns out, that was only the beginning. Tomorrow's agenda includes calling the lawyer's office to officially put them on retainer for the appeal (it's treated as a separate transaction for billing purposes). After that, I guess it's just a long wait until this thing gets resolved once and for all. On the plus side, there's only 5 days until Scooter flies back with me.
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Saga Continues...
My son still has that last binky. Monday night, we couldn't find it. It took FOREVER, but we finally located it, and he went to bed nicely.
Tuesday, he lost binky privileges. He had trouble listening at school, so he lost his pre-dinner mickey mouse clubhouse movie. That was pretty devastating. Then...he had trouble at the Nike store. What's left to lose? Binky. Oh, man. He actually took it quite well. We got ready for bed. He put his head on his pillow, closed his eyes nicely, and opened his mouth for his binky. I had to tell him that he didn't get a binky because he didn't listen at the store that evening. And you know what? He was OK with that. I mean, he cried for about 3 minutes, but after that, he flipped and flopped and cuddled with lamby and hippo until he fell asleep.
Wednesday, the binky was lost again. And this time, I didn't make any effot to find it. I mean, I did a cursory feel around his bed, and a quick look under, but then I just told him that I couldn't find it. He had trouble falling asleep, but he stayed in his bed and flipped around until he fell asleep. We're making slow progress.
Last night, Ben put the boy to bed. I had to run to the grocery to pick up food for our camping trip this weekend. Apparently, the binky is still lost. Bubba said he'd wait until I came home because then I'd find it (like I did on Monday, I guess). But he was asleep when I got home. Success!!!
The goal here is to have him off the binky before Scooter gets back from her dad's (AUG 28!!). I don't want him to be wailing in his bed about not having binky when Scooter's trying to fall asleep. The sensitive issue is that Ben's friend is coming into town today, and I also don't really want Bubba crying for hours on end when he's here, either. But I think we've turned a corner on this thing. I think we might be making baby steps in the right direction. I'm hoping.
Tuesday, he lost binky privileges. He had trouble listening at school, so he lost his pre-dinner mickey mouse clubhouse movie. That was pretty devastating. Then...he had trouble at the Nike store. What's left to lose? Binky. Oh, man. He actually took it quite well. We got ready for bed. He put his head on his pillow, closed his eyes nicely, and opened his mouth for his binky. I had to tell him that he didn't get a binky because he didn't listen at the store that evening. And you know what? He was OK with that. I mean, he cried for about 3 minutes, but after that, he flipped and flopped and cuddled with lamby and hippo until he fell asleep.
Wednesday, the binky was lost again. And this time, I didn't make any effot to find it. I mean, I did a cursory feel around his bed, and a quick look under, but then I just told him that I couldn't find it. He had trouble falling asleep, but he stayed in his bed and flipped around until he fell asleep. We're making slow progress.
Last night, Ben put the boy to bed. I had to run to the grocery to pick up food for our camping trip this weekend. Apparently, the binky is still lost. Bubba said he'd wait until I came home because then I'd find it (like I did on Monday, I guess). But he was asleep when I got home. Success!!!
The goal here is to have him off the binky before Scooter gets back from her dad's (AUG 28!!). I don't want him to be wailing in his bed about not having binky when Scooter's trying to fall asleep. The sensitive issue is that Ben's friend is coming into town today, and I also don't really want Bubba crying for hours on end when he's here, either. But I think we've turned a corner on this thing. I think we might be making baby steps in the right direction. I'm hoping.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Bikram
My husband subscribes to a service called "Groupon." I recently joined, too. It will email deals and specials in the area in which you live with the caveat that a certain number of people need to take advantage of the deal in order for it to be in effect. Generally, it's stuff like winery tours and restaurant deals, which really aren't our cup of tea, so to speak. Mostly b/c we don't generally go to restaurants that charge $100 per meal (but if we did, you bet $59 for a meal would be a deal). This past April, a deal came over for a trial at a Bikram yoga place down the block from our house. For $20, you could either get unlimited sessions for a month or 20 sessions, that had to be used within 60 days of the 1st visit. We chose the latter. Basically, I had until the end of September to use my first session, and then 60 days after that, I had to use my last session. I used my first one on Saturday. We decided that $1.00 per session was a pretty good deal, considering their drop in fee is $15 per class. They also have unlimited memberships, and an annual membership for $900, if I decide that I want to convert to a yoga lifestyle. I don't think I do.
It was in the 70s on Saturday. It was lovely. Until I walked inside the yoga studio. Actually, the outer office and locker area was really nice. It was inside the yoga-yoga part that was unbearable. They heat it to 105 degrees. I'm not sure why. I would guess it has something to do with the heat helping blood flow and circulation and muscle relaxation and stretching. It almost took my breath away. But I survived. I bumbled my way through tree pose and lotus pose and cobra etc...And then, 90 minutes later, it was over. Whew! And I think just to make sure I'm not making Ben pay $20 for a $15 session, I'll go again.
Friday was the IBM personal computer's 30th birthday. Until then, computers were of the mainframe variety, and not accessible to the average person. The argument could be made that at $3,000 (adjusted for inflation), it still wasn't very accessible. Aug 12 1865 was the first time disinfectant was used during an operation. English surgeon Joseph Lister was a pioneer in surgical cleanliness, and Listerine was named after him.
On Saturday, the Berlin Wall was erected (50 years ago). Alfred Hitchcock and Annie Oakley were also born on the 13th of August. Also, Florence Nightingale died in 1910 on Aug 13.
On Sunday, the Social Security Act had its anniversary. FDR signed it into law in 1935. Also, the National Resurrect Romance Week started. Be creative and show your honey you love them every day this week (because, apparently, we should ignore our loved ones every other week of the year).
Today is Julia Child's birthday. Also, Liberia was founded by freed American slaves in 1824. Woodstock was first celebrated 42 years ago. Also, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and The Dormition of Theotokos is today.
Happy happy. Hope I don't die at yoga tonight.
It was in the 70s on Saturday. It was lovely. Until I walked inside the yoga studio. Actually, the outer office and locker area was really nice. It was inside the yoga-yoga part that was unbearable. They heat it to 105 degrees. I'm not sure why. I would guess it has something to do with the heat helping blood flow and circulation and muscle relaxation and stretching. It almost took my breath away. But I survived. I bumbled my way through tree pose and lotus pose and cobra etc...And then, 90 minutes later, it was over. Whew! And I think just to make sure I'm not making Ben pay $20 for a $15 session, I'll go again.
Friday was the IBM personal computer's 30th birthday. Until then, computers were of the mainframe variety, and not accessible to the average person. The argument could be made that at $3,000 (adjusted for inflation), it still wasn't very accessible. Aug 12 1865 was the first time disinfectant was used during an operation. English surgeon Joseph Lister was a pioneer in surgical cleanliness, and Listerine was named after him.
On Saturday, the Berlin Wall was erected (50 years ago). Alfred Hitchcock and Annie Oakley were also born on the 13th of August. Also, Florence Nightingale died in 1910 on Aug 13.
On Sunday, the Social Security Act had its anniversary. FDR signed it into law in 1935. Also, the National Resurrect Romance Week started. Be creative and show your honey you love them every day this week (because, apparently, we should ignore our loved ones every other week of the year).
Today is Julia Child's birthday. Also, Liberia was founded by freed American slaves in 1824. Woodstock was first celebrated 42 years ago. Also, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and The Dormition of Theotokos is today.
Happy happy. Hope I don't die at yoga tonight.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
I wish I had some potatoes...
Actually, I DO wish I had some potatoes. The CSA's potatoes that they send us are divine. Alas, this week will be fresh basil, onions, cucumbers, carrots, and kale. Ben can redeem his last batch by making delicious kale chips later this week.
Bubba goes to daycare. We know this. What you may not know is the size of the operation over there. They have 2 baby rooms (I think divided between 0-6 months and 6-18? months), 2 toddler rooms (little todds - 18-24 months, and big todds - 24-30 months), 2 preschool rooms (I believe 3 yr old and 4 yr old), and then before and after school care. Bubba's in big todds. He's almost 30 months, but they don't allow kids to move up until they're day time potty trained. So he might be there a while. I'm OK with that, as I've seen kids that look about 6 in his class before, and he's just two and a half, but it would be nice to get that fat discount off child care costs...
Anyway, the daycare often posts up art projects that the various rooms do on the wall in the hallway heading back to the baby/todds wing. This week, there are paintings (of ??) on the wall with "I wish I had" statements made by the Preschool 2 room (the older preschoolers). My 3 favorites are: "I wish I had potatoes," "I wish I had a real wolf puppy," and "I wish I had a rope so I could catch people."
Kids (even other people's) really crack me up.
Bubba has been pretending the couch is a truck lately. He'll pile blankets up to make the truck cab, and sit on the pile while making sweeping arm motions (steering?), and punching imaginary dials and buttons on the back of the couch (the radio?). Every few seconds, we wave "hi" to people. "Hi Mickey Mouse!" (pronounced, 'mickehmouse') "Hi Dora" (pronounced 'dooo-rah') and "Hi Tinkerbell!" (pronounced 'tinkehbeyo') ring out while we all smile and wave. Once in a while, he'll correct us, 'tinkebeyo not hee-yah. tinkebeyo outside.' But usually, it's great fun.
We're on the down slope until Scooter comes back. 18 days, down from 63. Scooter said that she's not looking forward to school starting, but I'm chalking that up to nerves. That child never has been a fan of change.
And onto the days...today is the birth anniversary of Herbert Hoover. He was born in West Branch, IA. I'm probably one of 22 people who have taken the tour of his homestead and the Herbert Hoover national library. He was the first US president born west of the Mississippi, and one of 2 elected w/o having held elected office before the presidency. Today was also the day the Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846. It was named after James Smithson (from Great Brittan), who bequeathed the money to create an establishment "for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men" to the US. It's a big deal these days.
Bubba goes to daycare. We know this. What you may not know is the size of the operation over there. They have 2 baby rooms (I think divided between 0-6 months and 6-18? months), 2 toddler rooms (little todds - 18-24 months, and big todds - 24-30 months), 2 preschool rooms (I believe 3 yr old and 4 yr old), and then before and after school care. Bubba's in big todds. He's almost 30 months, but they don't allow kids to move up until they're day time potty trained. So he might be there a while. I'm OK with that, as I've seen kids that look about 6 in his class before, and he's just two and a half, but it would be nice to get that fat discount off child care costs...
Anyway, the daycare often posts up art projects that the various rooms do on the wall in the hallway heading back to the baby/todds wing. This week, there are paintings (of ??) on the wall with "I wish I had" statements made by the Preschool 2 room (the older preschoolers). My 3 favorites are: "I wish I had potatoes," "I wish I had a real wolf puppy," and "I wish I had a rope so I could catch people."
Kids (even other people's) really crack me up.
Bubba has been pretending the couch is a truck lately. He'll pile blankets up to make the truck cab, and sit on the pile while making sweeping arm motions (steering?), and punching imaginary dials and buttons on the back of the couch (the radio?). Every few seconds, we wave "hi" to people. "Hi Mickey Mouse!" (pronounced, 'mickehmouse') "Hi Dora" (pronounced 'dooo-rah') and "Hi Tinkerbell!" (pronounced 'tinkehbeyo') ring out while we all smile and wave. Once in a while, he'll correct us, 'tinkebeyo not hee-yah. tinkebeyo outside.' But usually, it's great fun.
We're on the down slope until Scooter comes back. 18 days, down from 63. Scooter said that she's not looking forward to school starting, but I'm chalking that up to nerves. That child never has been a fan of change.
And onto the days...today is the birth anniversary of Herbert Hoover. He was born in West Branch, IA. I'm probably one of 22 people who have taken the tour of his homestead and the Herbert Hoover national library. He was the first US president born west of the Mississippi, and one of 2 elected w/o having held elected office before the presidency. Today was also the day the Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846. It was named after James Smithson (from Great Brittan), who bequeathed the money to create an establishment "for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men" to the US. It's a big deal these days.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
colonies, birth, death, voting, dogs, sisters and kids
I've lost all creativity. So today will just be a listing of the days since Friday, Aug 5:
Friday: Scooter's birthday! 1st English colony in North America (Newfoundland). Raoul Wallenberg date of birth (1912). Wallenberg was a Swedish architect who is credited with savig 100,000 Jews from certain death by Nazis in WWII. He's the second person in history to be granted honorary American citizenship (posthumously).
Saturday (Aug 6): Electrocution was first used to carry out the death penalty on this day in 1890, at Auburn Prison in Auburn, NY. Apparently, they botched the job, and it was reported that they could have done a better job with an axe. Kind of makes you think... This was also the aniversary of the birth of Alexander Fleming (1881). He discovered penicillin and received a Nobel Prize. Also the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. More than 205,000 civilian deaths are linked to that event. Happily, though, Aug 6th is also the anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to thwart attempts to discriminate at the polls. It was extended in 1975, 1984 and 1991.
Sunday: Started "Assistance Dog week." So if your dog is of assistance to you, hats off! Sunday was sisters' day. I did not recognize or give appreciation to my sisters that day, although I guess I should have...
Monday: Started "Exercise with your Child Week." I guess I need to exercise with Bubba this week. Scooter got a bike at her dad's for her birthday. Maybe I should encourage them NOT to bike with her. I've found that it's like reverse psychology to get anything done over there... Yesterday was also Happiness Happens Day. It celebrates the Secret Society of Happy People. Um...that society shouldn't be secret. We need more happiness in the world. Aug 8, 1844 was the day Brigham Young was chosen to lead the Mormons after Joe Smith was murdered. And in 1974, Nixon resigned on TV. First time ever for a US pres.
Today is Tisha B'av or Fast of Ab. It commemorates and mourns the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. It's also the UN's International Day of the World's Indigenous People. So...if you're indigenous: Good day to you! Otherwise, I guess you should be ashamed for moving. And in 1483, Pope Sixtus IV celebrated the frist mass in the Sistine Chapel, which was named after him.
Friday: Scooter's birthday! 1st English colony in North America (Newfoundland). Raoul Wallenberg date of birth (1912). Wallenberg was a Swedish architect who is credited with savig 100,000 Jews from certain death by Nazis in WWII. He's the second person in history to be granted honorary American citizenship (posthumously).
Saturday (Aug 6): Electrocution was first used to carry out the death penalty on this day in 1890, at Auburn Prison in Auburn, NY. Apparently, they botched the job, and it was reported that they could have done a better job with an axe. Kind of makes you think... This was also the aniversary of the birth of Alexander Fleming (1881). He discovered penicillin and received a Nobel Prize. Also the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. More than 205,000 civilian deaths are linked to that event. Happily, though, Aug 6th is also the anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to thwart attempts to discriminate at the polls. It was extended in 1975, 1984 and 1991.
Sunday: Started "Assistance Dog week." So if your dog is of assistance to you, hats off! Sunday was sisters' day. I did not recognize or give appreciation to my sisters that day, although I guess I should have...
Monday: Started "Exercise with your Child Week." I guess I need to exercise with Bubba this week. Scooter got a bike at her dad's for her birthday. Maybe I should encourage them NOT to bike with her. I've found that it's like reverse psychology to get anything done over there... Yesterday was also Happiness Happens Day. It celebrates the Secret Society of Happy People. Um...that society shouldn't be secret. We need more happiness in the world. Aug 8, 1844 was the day Brigham Young was chosen to lead the Mormons after Joe Smith was murdered. And in 1974, Nixon resigned on TV. First time ever for a US pres.
Today is Tisha B'av or Fast of Ab. It commemorates and mourns the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. It's also the UN's International Day of the World's Indigenous People. So...if you're indigenous: Good day to you! Otherwise, I guess you should be ashamed for moving. And in 1483, Pope Sixtus IV celebrated the frist mass in the Sistine Chapel, which was named after him.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Do you feel the heat, yet?
This past year has been tough, financially. Neither my husband nor myself have lost our jobs, thankfully. Nevertheless, it has been a struggle. For 10 months, we made a mortgage and rent payment, and for 8 months, we made child support payments. Also, our child care cost went up, we had to pay for a storage unit, and flights for me back to Omaha 2 or 3 times a month. Oh, yeah, we also paid a lawyer nearly $40,000. Things are starting to swing back our way. I haven't been to Omaha since May (although I've paid for Scooter to go back, and for me to accompany her on her trip back to Portland). But still...that's only 2 roundtrips over 3 months. We no longer pay for a storage unit, and most importantly, we no longer have a mortgage.
Not that this ship is completely righted itself, yet. I still have barely anything going to savings at the end of the month, but at least we're back in black (as they say). We still have lawyer's fees. But they've dwindled from thousands each month to hundreds. We still pay for daycare. We still pay rent and utilities, etc.
I've watched with some smugness as the ex's house has sat on the market. It took us what, 6-7 solid months to sell our house? That was starting late in the summer/fall and finally selling in the spring. His has been on the market since April, so it's evilly satisfying to see it languish on the market through summer (supposedly high time for real estate). In the past 4 weeks, 3 houses on his street have sold. Not his. There are still 3 other houses with identical floorplans as his for sale in his neighborhood.
They moved into their newer, bigger house in July. Pretty soon (September?) they'll have the pain of a double mortgage. They are also insisting on going through with this appeal, of which the majority of the financial burden falls on the side who is appealing. And this time, they have a lawyer that actually requires payment. Also in September...the child support obligation for him starts up. Based on the thermometer readings coming from the midwest of late, I'd say they've been running the a/c, too. That can't be cheap.
Man, I'm a totally horrible person, but I kind of like this. I'm generally not the type of person to wish ill on someone, but I'll make an exception in this case. I mean, it's really just the same thing as I went through last year. I went through financial purgatory because of decisions he made. Now, it's nice to see him have to suffer the consequences of his actions. I can only hope his house sits empty through winter...
Not that this ship is completely righted itself, yet. I still have barely anything going to savings at the end of the month, but at least we're back in black (as they say). We still have lawyer's fees. But they've dwindled from thousands each month to hundreds. We still pay for daycare. We still pay rent and utilities, etc.
I've watched with some smugness as the ex's house has sat on the market. It took us what, 6-7 solid months to sell our house? That was starting late in the summer/fall and finally selling in the spring. His has been on the market since April, so it's evilly satisfying to see it languish on the market through summer (supposedly high time for real estate). In the past 4 weeks, 3 houses on his street have sold. Not his. There are still 3 other houses with identical floorplans as his for sale in his neighborhood.
They moved into their newer, bigger house in July. Pretty soon (September?) they'll have the pain of a double mortgage. They are also insisting on going through with this appeal, of which the majority of the financial burden falls on the side who is appealing. And this time, they have a lawyer that actually requires payment. Also in September...the child support obligation for him starts up. Based on the thermometer readings coming from the midwest of late, I'd say they've been running the a/c, too. That can't be cheap.
Man, I'm a totally horrible person, but I kind of like this. I'm generally not the type of person to wish ill on someone, but I'll make an exception in this case. I mean, it's really just the same thing as I went through last year. I went through financial purgatory because of decisions he made. Now, it's nice to see him have to suffer the consequences of his actions. I can only hope his house sits empty through winter...
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Parenting Lesson #34
As much as I like to think I'm the end all be all when it comes to parenting, I must admit that in reality, I'm kind of a poor parent. My almost two and a half year old still takes a binky at night time. I know, I know! It's kind of terrible and pretty much a failure on my part as a mother. I had one child who never took a binky. I never gave her one, she never realized she needed one. She never had one. And then, I had a child who had problems sleeping through the night. With #1, I prided myself on how well she slept, how well she ate, how well she did everything. With #2, I realize that #1 was a fluke. Some kids are just nice, complacent kids. Others have minds of their own from day 1.
So here we are 30 months later, and he still has a binky. I recently read that a good way to get rid of the habit was to cut pieces off the sucky part until there's nothing left: it's just the plastic piece with the handle. And if he needs the lovey, he has it for comfort, but no more ruining his teeth with the sucky part. We thought we'd try it out last night. He was in kind of a crummy mood all night, and usually, his solace comes in the form of laying nicely with his eyes closed so he can have his binky. So that's where we were. Him screaming and so sad, but bucking up long enough to lie down in his bed, close his eyes, and open his mouth, ready for the sweet comfort of his binky. He got it, gave two sucks, popped it out and said, "It not working!"
More tears and anguish followed. "It not working, mama! It not working! It's broken! I tell daddy..."He hopped out of bed to show Ben. "It's broken, daddy! It not working!" Ben suggested that he throw it away. Bubba agreed, walked straight to the trash can, and threw it in. Unfortunately, that did nothing to calm him down. Even worse, he knew we had one more binky in the house. So he asked for it. And you know what? He got it.
Have I turned into one of those parents who'll do anything to get her kid to stop crying? Sometimes. But I'll take comfort in the fact that we've gone from a household of 7 binkies to a household of 1. And soon, I'll be clipping the end off that one, too.
So here we are 30 months later, and he still has a binky. I recently read that a good way to get rid of the habit was to cut pieces off the sucky part until there's nothing left: it's just the plastic piece with the handle. And if he needs the lovey, he has it for comfort, but no more ruining his teeth with the sucky part. We thought we'd try it out last night. He was in kind of a crummy mood all night, and usually, his solace comes in the form of laying nicely with his eyes closed so he can have his binky. So that's where we were. Him screaming and so sad, but bucking up long enough to lie down in his bed, close his eyes, and open his mouth, ready for the sweet comfort of his binky. He got it, gave two sucks, popped it out and said, "It not working!"
More tears and anguish followed. "It not working, mama! It not working! It's broken! I tell daddy..."He hopped out of bed to show Ben. "It's broken, daddy! It not working!" Ben suggested that he throw it away. Bubba agreed, walked straight to the trash can, and threw it in. Unfortunately, that did nothing to calm him down. Even worse, he knew we had one more binky in the house. So he asked for it. And you know what? He got it.
Have I turned into one of those parents who'll do anything to get her kid to stop crying? Sometimes. But I'll take comfort in the fact that we've gone from a household of 7 binkies to a household of 1. And soon, I'll be clipping the end off that one, too.
Where's the day go?
Tuesday was the anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence. I guess it really didn't happen on the 4th of July, when it was adopted by congress. But really, you have to think...back then, it took a while for stuff to happen. Nowadays, everyone would have put an electronic signature on some email, and it'd be done in a matter of seconds. Religious freedom was also granted to Lutherans in Germany in 1552 on Aug. 2. Congrats!
Wednesday was the day Columbus set sail for India. He actually ended up bumping into the Bahamas, but whatever. Good for him. Also, Primetime Live premiered in 1989. Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer were the first hosts.
Today is Coast Guard day. So thank your local (if there is one near you) coast guard. I always think of them as the crossing guards of the ocean. Today's also Barack Obama's birthday. He's 50, and if you believe his birth certificate, he was born in Hawaii. Kind of makes me wonder what I'll accomplish in the next 15 years...probably not the presidency. Not on purpose, anyway. Today was also the Queen Mum's birthday. I know this not because of the calendar that my work sends me every month but because one of my good friends also has a birthday today, and I like to call him Queen Robama. I'm clever like that. Champagne was invented today by a monk named (this is so cliched) Dom Perignon. I guess we know where that champagne got its name. I wonder if it's the same recipe...
A man just walked through my area looking for someone who doesn't work in this area. It's a little disconcerting, considering I work in a controlled access room. Not only do you need an id to get into the building, you need a key to get out of the stair well, and you need an access code to get into the room I'm in (with 29 other cubes). Even the bathrooms have a separate key code. Seriously. I worked here for 4 months before I broke down and asked someone what the code to the bathroom was up here, but any old jokey can come in off the street and wander around where I work with sensitive information on my screen all day? That sounds about right...
Wednesday was the day Columbus set sail for India. He actually ended up bumping into the Bahamas, but whatever. Good for him. Also, Primetime Live premiered in 1989. Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer were the first hosts.
Today is Coast Guard day. So thank your local (if there is one near you) coast guard. I always think of them as the crossing guards of the ocean. Today's also Barack Obama's birthday. He's 50, and if you believe his birth certificate, he was born in Hawaii. Kind of makes me wonder what I'll accomplish in the next 15 years...probably not the presidency. Not on purpose, anyway. Today was also the Queen Mum's birthday. I know this not because of the calendar that my work sends me every month but because one of my good friends also has a birthday today, and I like to call him Queen Robama. I'm clever like that. Champagne was invented today by a monk named (this is so cliched) Dom Perignon. I guess we know where that champagne got its name. I wonder if it's the same recipe...
A man just walked through my area looking for someone who doesn't work in this area. It's a little disconcerting, considering I work in a controlled access room. Not only do you need an id to get into the building, you need a key to get out of the stair well, and you need an access code to get into the room I'm in (with 29 other cubes). Even the bathrooms have a separate key code. Seriously. I worked here for 4 months before I broke down and asked someone what the code to the bathroom was up here, but any old jokey can come in off the street and wander around where I work with sensitive information on my screen all day? That sounds about right...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Are you sure you're sure?
Over the past year (give or take), I've had several conversations about a court dispute I'm involved in. They generally go like this:
Me: Well...here's the latest..(blah blah blah)
Other Person (OP): What?! That's kind of insane.
Me: Yeah.
OP: I don't get it
Me: I don't either. But even if we've lost every "battle," we won the war. I still have physical custody.
OP: Yeah. I guess the wheels of justice are slow and awkward, but in the end, they get the job done. It's nice to know that the system "works" in a way...
We are still struggling through some bits and pieces, but at least the order that we're living under is the right one. Not so for this woman (so far, anyway). That news article blew my mind.
A (a man) was married to B and had 2 kids.
B killed those 2 kids in their sleep, was convicted, and served time in a mental institute. She's currently seeing a therapist.
A married C and had 2 kids.
A and C divorced.
A re-married B (the same woman who killed his first 2 kids), and LIED about it to C. He also made the kids LIE to C about who was living in the house, to the point that they even made up a name for B so C wouldn't know who it was.
B's therapist called child protective services b/c the therapist knew what was going on.
No matter, C lost custody of her kids to A and B. Yeah. They're living with a convicted child killer who encouraged the kids to lie. Not only that, but before B killed her children, she gave no indication that anything was wrong. All the friends and neighbors thought that she was a super-mom. A's reasoning now is that B is in therapy, and there are no indications that anything is currently wrong.
Even the judge that decided this said that he wouldn't want his kids around B. But that was a parent talking, and not a legal issue.
Hm...I'm stumped. Does the system work? I guess only time will tell...
Me: Well...here's the latest..(blah blah blah)
Other Person (OP): What?! That's kind of insane.
Me: Yeah.
OP: I don't get it
Me: I don't either. But even if we've lost every "battle," we won the war. I still have physical custody.
OP: Yeah. I guess the wheels of justice are slow and awkward, but in the end, they get the job done. It's nice to know that the system "works" in a way...
We are still struggling through some bits and pieces, but at least the order that we're living under is the right one. Not so for this woman (so far, anyway). That news article blew my mind.
A (a man) was married to B and had 2 kids.
B killed those 2 kids in their sleep, was convicted, and served time in a mental institute. She's currently seeing a therapist.
A married C and had 2 kids.
A and C divorced.
A re-married B (the same woman who killed his first 2 kids), and LIED about it to C. He also made the kids LIE to C about who was living in the house, to the point that they even made up a name for B so C wouldn't know who it was.
B's therapist called child protective services b/c the therapist knew what was going on.
No matter, C lost custody of her kids to A and B. Yeah. They're living with a convicted child killer who encouraged the kids to lie. Not only that, but before B killed her children, she gave no indication that anything was wrong. All the friends and neighbors thought that she was a super-mom. A's reasoning now is that B is in therapy, and there are no indications that anything is currently wrong.
Even the judge that decided this said that he wouldn't want his kids around B. But that was a parent talking, and not a legal issue.
Hm...I'm stumped. Does the system work? I guess only time will tell...
Monday, August 1, 2011
Is this good or bad?
I can't really tell. On the one hand, it has always bothered me that my insurance required me to pay for 100% of any birth control I wanted to take, but it would offer full coverage for prenatal visits and delivery of babies. It woud also partially cover fertility treatments. You'd think an insurance company would not cover prenatal, delivery or fertility treatments because they have to pay out a lot for that kind of stuff. You'd think they'd want to cover birth control b/c it would save them the costs of things like prenatal visits and delivery later. It's almost like they were encouraging me to have 20 kids...
But on the other hand, I'm sure this will be another reason to raise premiums. When companies are required to cover more services, they make it work by charging more for their coverage. So I guess it's a good and bad...
In other news, today is the first day of August, which makes this a very busy day. It's the anniversary of the last entry in the diary of Anne Frank. It's also Lughasadh, which is a Wiccan holiday - the first harvest or something. Today was Herman Melville's birthday, as well as Maria Mitchell's birthday. She was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was also the first female professor of astronomy in the US. Today is National Minority Donor Awareness Day, which is supposed to promote awareness in minority groups to organ donation. This is also the start of Psychic Week...but I bet you already knew that (wink). Also the start of breast feeding week. It's beneficial and important. The Polio vaccine also first became available to the American public in 1956. The world wide web was suggested this month in 1990 at the European Labratory for Particle Physics. This group is pretty awesome. They developed HTML and the URL as well as the first graphical web browser. And last but not least, Ramadan starts today. So you can fast if you want to.
But on the other hand, I'm sure this will be another reason to raise premiums. When companies are required to cover more services, they make it work by charging more for their coverage. So I guess it's a good and bad...
In other news, today is the first day of August, which makes this a very busy day. It's the anniversary of the last entry in the diary of Anne Frank. It's also Lughasadh, which is a Wiccan holiday - the first harvest or something. Today was Herman Melville's birthday, as well as Maria Mitchell's birthday. She was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was also the first female professor of astronomy in the US. Today is National Minority Donor Awareness Day, which is supposed to promote awareness in minority groups to organ donation. This is also the start of Psychic Week...but I bet you already knew that (wink). Also the start of breast feeding week. It's beneficial and important. The Polio vaccine also first became available to the American public in 1956. The world wide web was suggested this month in 1990 at the European Labratory for Particle Physics. This group is pretty awesome. They developed HTML and the URL as well as the first graphical web browser. And last but not least, Ramadan starts today. So you can fast if you want to.
Well, I finished...
This race recap will not be as eloquent as the one I did after my first tri in 2007. This is more of a cautionary tale about what happens when you are ill-prepared to do what you should be overly prepared to do. We got up at 4:30 in order to leave the house at 5. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive to the race. We had a redbox movie to return, but the place where we rented it had locked the doors to where the redbox machine was. We ended up returning the movie in Philomath, OR...about an hour and a half away from where we live.
By the time we got to the race site, it was 55 degrees outside, with a slight breeze. Ben and I were freezing. He in shorts and a t-shirt, and I in my brand new tri suit with workout capri pants and a long sleeved top over it. Only Bubba was prepared for the weather in warm pants, a t-shirt and a long sleeved shirt on top. I got checked in, and went about staking claim to some real estate in the transition area. Much time was taken in planning out towel, gatorade, and shoe placement. My bike was hung on the rack. Pre-race briefing was held. After pre-race, Ben, Bubba and I explored a small portion of the run/bike trail. Basically, the whole run portion was a logging trail. Double track, gravely, but mostly dirt. And it was up hill for the first 1/2 mile.
The water temperature was 68 degrees. That's a little colder than ideal, but not horrific. A lot of people had wet suits on, though. I waited as long as possible before actually stepping foot in the water. The bottom of the reservoir was muddy and rocky. It made me wish I had some water shoes on, but really, those just slow you down. This was my first competition in my new suit, and it seemed to work pretty well in the water. The shorts were awesome. The top seemed to stretch more than a regular swim suit, and I experienced a bit of drag around the neckline, arm openings and the pockets in the back. I won't complain, though, as any time it cost in the water was more than made up for in the transition (in theory). The mass start was a little strange. There were less than 60 swimmers, and we all kind of lined up along the "beach" area such that nobody was behind anyone else. I thought I had made a good choice in positioning myself along the shore, but in retrospect it's pretty obvious I picked a bad line.
Regardless, the gun was fired, and we were off (I'm the manish looking one in the light gray top and black bottoms). I had a decent start, but the cold water mixed with the colder air assaulted my arms and shoulders. There may or may not have been a little bit of current the closer I got to the turn around buoy. I was dragging. I made it around (counter clockwise), and the swim back was easier. I hauled myself out of the water and into transition. The goal was 17 minutes for that 800 meter swim. I made it out in 18:16, but I'm sure because of my line, it was longer than 800 meters. Mistake #2: sitting down to put socks and shoes on. It makes you want to relax a little and probably slowed me down overall. Also....trying to put on that long sleeved shirt while wet. Bummer. But I was able to down some gatorade and an energy gel and I was out in a little over 3 minutes.
Next up: a 12 (or 15??) kilometer "mountain biking" course. My bike training this year has consisted of biking to the gym and spin class. But even so, I really think my biking cardio has WAAAY improved these past few months. The problem with this race was the "mountain biking" component. Even though there wasn't any single track on this course, it was definitely not a road race. Most of it was as described earlier: double track dirt paths filled with rocks. The rest of it (all of the downhill portions) were just straight gravel. Not your run of the mill gravel, either. The rocks (boulders?) were, generally, the size of my fist. But they were loose like gravel. So it was bumpy and skiddy and altogether terrifying. I'm terrified of mountain biking. But the first half was uphill. There was a short uphill (that we had checked out after the pre-race briefing), then a shorter down hill followed by a mile of uphill. It then leveled off for a while, before going uphill some more. There were several leveling off spots followed by steep (or not so steep) uphill sections. During on such section, I was slowing down, so I shifted into an easier gear. Before I knew what was happening, my front tire whipped out from under me and I fell off my bike. My handlebar (?) hit me in the chest, leaving a red crescent shape. I also got a few bruises on my left shin and knee and a bruise on my right forearm.
After that, I was determined to use the granny gears, if necessary, so as not to slow down that much. As it turns out, my front derailleur is weird, and I lost my chain the next 2 times I tried to shift to easier gears. Happy bonus: I'm now comfortable with extremely minor bike repair. I also learned that the rear brake does not, in fact, stop you (or even slow you down at all) when the down hill is steep. I saw a lot of skid marks on the hair pin curves on the way down, which freaked me out. I think going down was the worst part of the race. I was too scared to go fast, even though it would have been a good opportunity for me to make up time. The goal was to finish this leg in 75 minutes. In reality, it took me 72.
The next transition was pretty awesome. Shoe switch went off w/o a hitch, and it was only kind of hard to take that sticky long-sleeved shirt off. My legs were dead, though, and since the bike and run portions overlapped for a mile and a half or so, I knew what I was about to do. Happy news: I didn't walk! I actually passed someone! Sad news: I got passed. I saw a snake and screamed like a girl while jumping out of the way. Even news: the goal was to finish this leg in 30-35 minutes, and it took me 34:25. One bonus (maybe sad news?) was that my upper arm fat would collide with my armpit fat that got pushed out from the tight tri tank. It made this strange, slapping, armpit fart noise which might be embarrassing for some people, but for me, it entertained me and took my mind off the pain of running.
So all in all, I was slower than the 2007 sprint tri, on a shorter route, but I'm actually happier with my performance (I'm number 127). And I'm kind of excited about the next one. Not that I've committed myself to anything, yet...
PS: pictures and/or video will be posted soon.
By the time we got to the race site, it was 55 degrees outside, with a slight breeze. Ben and I were freezing. He in shorts and a t-shirt, and I in my brand new tri suit with workout capri pants and a long sleeved top over it. Only Bubba was prepared for the weather in warm pants, a t-shirt and a long sleeved shirt on top. I got checked in, and went about staking claim to some real estate in the transition area. Much time was taken in planning out towel, gatorade, and shoe placement. My bike was hung on the rack. Pre-race briefing was held. After pre-race, Ben, Bubba and I explored a small portion of the run/bike trail. Basically, the whole run portion was a logging trail. Double track, gravely, but mostly dirt. And it was up hill for the first 1/2 mile.
The water temperature was 68 degrees. That's a little colder than ideal, but not horrific. A lot of people had wet suits on, though. I waited as long as possible before actually stepping foot in the water. The bottom of the reservoir was muddy and rocky. It made me wish I had some water shoes on, but really, those just slow you down. This was my first competition in my new suit, and it seemed to work pretty well in the water. The shorts were awesome. The top seemed to stretch more than a regular swim suit, and I experienced a bit of drag around the neckline, arm openings and the pockets in the back. I won't complain, though, as any time it cost in the water was more than made up for in the transition (in theory). The mass start was a little strange. There were less than 60 swimmers, and we all kind of lined up along the "beach" area such that nobody was behind anyone else. I thought I had made a good choice in positioning myself along the shore, but in retrospect it's pretty obvious I picked a bad line.
Regardless, the gun was fired, and we were off (I'm the manish looking one in the light gray top and black bottoms). I had a decent start, but the cold water mixed with the colder air assaulted my arms and shoulders. There may or may not have been a little bit of current the closer I got to the turn around buoy. I was dragging. I made it around (counter clockwise), and the swim back was easier. I hauled myself out of the water and into transition. The goal was 17 minutes for that 800 meter swim. I made it out in 18:16, but I'm sure because of my line, it was longer than 800 meters. Mistake #2: sitting down to put socks and shoes on. It makes you want to relax a little and probably slowed me down overall. Also....trying to put on that long sleeved shirt while wet. Bummer. But I was able to down some gatorade and an energy gel and I was out in a little over 3 minutes.
Next up: a 12 (or 15??) kilometer "mountain biking" course. My bike training this year has consisted of biking to the gym and spin class. But even so, I really think my biking cardio has WAAAY improved these past few months. The problem with this race was the "mountain biking" component. Even though there wasn't any single track on this course, it was definitely not a road race. Most of it was as described earlier: double track dirt paths filled with rocks. The rest of it (all of the downhill portions) were just straight gravel. Not your run of the mill gravel, either. The rocks (boulders?) were, generally, the size of my fist. But they were loose like gravel. So it was bumpy and skiddy and altogether terrifying. I'm terrified of mountain biking. But the first half was uphill. There was a short uphill (that we had checked out after the pre-race briefing), then a shorter down hill followed by a mile of uphill. It then leveled off for a while, before going uphill some more. There were several leveling off spots followed by steep (or not so steep) uphill sections. During on such section, I was slowing down, so I shifted into an easier gear. Before I knew what was happening, my front tire whipped out from under me and I fell off my bike. My handlebar (?) hit me in the chest, leaving a red crescent shape. I also got a few bruises on my left shin and knee and a bruise on my right forearm.
After that, I was determined to use the granny gears, if necessary, so as not to slow down that much. As it turns out, my front derailleur is weird, and I lost my chain the next 2 times I tried to shift to easier gears. Happy bonus: I'm now comfortable with extremely minor bike repair. I also learned that the rear brake does not, in fact, stop you (or even slow you down at all) when the down hill is steep. I saw a lot of skid marks on the hair pin curves on the way down, which freaked me out. I think going down was the worst part of the race. I was too scared to go fast, even though it would have been a good opportunity for me to make up time. The goal was to finish this leg in 75 minutes. In reality, it took me 72.
The next transition was pretty awesome. Shoe switch went off w/o a hitch, and it was only kind of hard to take that sticky long-sleeved shirt off. My legs were dead, though, and since the bike and run portions overlapped for a mile and a half or so, I knew what I was about to do. Happy news: I didn't walk! I actually passed someone! Sad news: I got passed. I saw a snake and screamed like a girl while jumping out of the way. Even news: the goal was to finish this leg in 30-35 minutes, and it took me 34:25. One bonus (maybe sad news?) was that my upper arm fat would collide with my armpit fat that got pushed out from the tight tri tank. It made this strange, slapping, armpit fart noise which might be embarrassing for some people, but for me, it entertained me and took my mind off the pain of running.
So all in all, I was slower than the 2007 sprint tri, on a shorter route, but I'm actually happier with my performance (I'm number 127). And I'm kind of excited about the next one. Not that I've committed myself to anything, yet...
PS: pictures and/or video will be posted soon.
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