Word of the day:
DOUGHTY
Adj.: Marked by fearless resolution; valiant; brave.
I have made a fearless resolution: I am training for the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, New York on Sunday, October 4th. I have a new running blog that I'm using to help keep myself on track and get feedback from friends and other runners. Come follow my new blog!
Outside of running, this week has been a tough week. The running has been great. The insane amounts of unstructured free time, however, have not been so great. I need structure to my days. I can't do this free time thing anymore. My job at the Harlem School of the Arts starts on Monday, and I couldn't be more excited. I'll be working Monday/Tuesday 9am-noon and Wednesday/Thursday 9-10am. It'll give me just enough structure in the mornings to keep me sane, while still allowing me the time to spend a good chunk of my summer outside doing things.
Here's my summer to-do list. Please feel free to add suggestions in comment form!
~Spend more time at the High Line
~Ride my bike at least 4 days a week
~Go to the Astoria Park pool
~Go to the floating pool in the Bronx
~See some outdoor movies
~Go running along the Hudson River
~Spend a lot of time in Central Park
~Go kayaking on the Hudson through the Downtown Boathouse
~Go canoeing or kayaking on the East River through the Long Island City Community Boathouse
~BE OUTSIDE
Friday, July 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Once upon a time...
Word of the day:
ONEIRIC
Adj.: Of, pertaining to, or suggestive of dreams; dreamy.
Honorary word of the day:
GRAVID
Adj.: Being with child, pregnant.
(I've called this the "honorary" word of the day because it doesn't pertain to me, but to my sister. I couldn't pass it up because I'm so very excited about my niece-or-nephew-to-be, but if it were my only word of the day, it might cause some worry on the part of you, my dear readers, in terms of to whom the word refers... Hence, "honorary.")
I've been having some weird dreams over the past couple days. Last night I had one in which I was out at a restaurant somewhere that was supposed to be downtown Milwaukee, maybe the Third Ward area, and I was alone and realized I had no way to get home, because obviously I don't own a vehicle. I tried calling family but first there was no answer, then my cell phone stopped working so I tried to find a pay phone. Then I noticed that a cop was outside so I asked him for help, and he said that if I drove the car he was impounding over to some random sketchy place in not-so-great-neighborhood Milwaukee I could get a lift home from the person I was delivering the car to. (Weird.) Then a cab came by so I asked if he could take me to my parents' house, and he agreed and we zoomed away and at one point ended up flying through the air over some sort of speed bump and then landing on the road like we were in a car-racing video game. It all went kind of out of order, because I think after that image I was back in the restaurant still trying to find a way to get home... But that's the last I remember. What a funky dream.
Contrary to what you may think, since I rambled on quite a bit about my weird dream, the word of the day isn't actually about my recent dreams. Instead, it refers to the fact that I feel like some of what's been happening in my life of late isn't quite real. So many things are going right, I'm having a hard time wanting to talk about them all for fear that something -- and a very specific something -- might disappear, as if my talking about it excitedly could result in it being taken away from me.
I feel like I was just going along, living my life as usual, and suddenly I've woken up and I'm in a relationship with a wonderful person. Intellectually I remember how it came about, with all the typical insecurities and uncertainties about the beginnings of dating someone, but emotionally I don't remember feeling anything but secure and content and happy and lucky and blessed and hopeful.
So there's that.
There's also my kickass new apartment that I love. I'll post pictures soon, once I feel the place looks respectable enough to show to the public.
Then there's my work life. I had an incredible review from my boss 2 weeks ago, and have been slowly adding more and more to my occupational plate as opportunities have been presenting themselves. I'm now going to be the head coach for 7th/8th grade girls' volleyball in the fall. I'm working at the Harlem School of the Arts this summer, just two mornings a week, but they've tentatively asked me if I'd be interested in working their Saturday program during the school year. I have three new piano students for the fall -- kids who are my students at school and will now also be my private piano students. I had my first lesson today with one of them, and it was incredible.
And then of course there's the running. The past 2ish weeks have not been great because the end of the year + my night class = kicking my butt... But I've still been getting my training runs in for the most part. Last night I ran from my apartment across the Queensboro (59th street) Bridge, over to Central Park, up the west side of the park to 85th street, across the park, then back down the east side to 59th and over to Lexington, where I got on the subway to go back home. All of that was 7 miles, although looking at it on a map it seems like it should've been more... But when I got home I felt so good that I had created a pretty tough route for myself and had finished it and wasn't in any pain at all.
So there's all that.
The part that I'm worried about right now is my spiritual life. I'm not having doubts or crises of faith or anything like that. My faith, I feel, is stronger than ever, because I'm so incredibly thankful for all the wonderful things that have been coming my way. But that doesn't really explain why I've only gone to church twice in the past 2 months. I've been going just about every week for 6-7 years. I think some of it may have to do with the fact that I don't feel like I'm getting much out of going when I sing in the choir. I love singing in the choir, but I've started feeling like I really am just on display and am so conscious of how I look and sound and act when I'm up there, which is the opposite of what I want to focus on at church. I don't want to give up the choir entirely, but I think I really can't sing in it every week. I need to have weeks where I'm just a member of the congregation, there to pray and think and learn and be part of the general community, rather than perform for them, which is how I've started to see the choir. Many of the people in it are not Catholic, and are "hired guns" as it were, which may contribute to my feelings of "showiness" at times. I'm praying about this a lot lately, and I don't want to allow myself to just not go to church. There are people who turn to God only in times of need. I'm not saying that people who do that are bad or wrong, but just that I've never been like that. I turn to God for help in times of need, but for celebration in times of joy. This happens to be a time of joy in my life, and I don't want to let myself forget the celebration and thanksgiving.
Well, as this was my first post in a month -- a month that seems to have flown by without even being noticed -- it's only appropriate that it's the length of a novella. Congrats to you if you made it this far.
A bientôt.
ONEIRIC
Adj.: Of, pertaining to, or suggestive of dreams; dreamy.
Honorary word of the day:
GRAVID
Adj.: Being with child, pregnant.
(I've called this the "honorary" word of the day because it doesn't pertain to me, but to my sister. I couldn't pass it up because I'm so very excited about my niece-or-nephew-to-be, but if it were my only word of the day, it might cause some worry on the part of you, my dear readers, in terms of to whom the word refers... Hence, "honorary.")
I've been having some weird dreams over the past couple days. Last night I had one in which I was out at a restaurant somewhere that was supposed to be downtown Milwaukee, maybe the Third Ward area, and I was alone and realized I had no way to get home, because obviously I don't own a vehicle. I tried calling family but first there was no answer, then my cell phone stopped working so I tried to find a pay phone. Then I noticed that a cop was outside so I asked him for help, and he said that if I drove the car he was impounding over to some random sketchy place in not-so-great-neighborhood Milwaukee I could get a lift home from the person I was delivering the car to. (Weird.) Then a cab came by so I asked if he could take me to my parents' house, and he agreed and we zoomed away and at one point ended up flying through the air over some sort of speed bump and then landing on the road like we were in a car-racing video game. It all went kind of out of order, because I think after that image I was back in the restaurant still trying to find a way to get home... But that's the last I remember. What a funky dream.
Contrary to what you may think, since I rambled on quite a bit about my weird dream, the word of the day isn't actually about my recent dreams. Instead, it refers to the fact that I feel like some of what's been happening in my life of late isn't quite real. So many things are going right, I'm having a hard time wanting to talk about them all for fear that something -- and a very specific something -- might disappear, as if my talking about it excitedly could result in it being taken away from me.
I feel like I was just going along, living my life as usual, and suddenly I've woken up and I'm in a relationship with a wonderful person. Intellectually I remember how it came about, with all the typical insecurities and uncertainties about the beginnings of dating someone, but emotionally I don't remember feeling anything but secure and content and happy and lucky and blessed and hopeful.
So there's that.
There's also my kickass new apartment that I love. I'll post pictures soon, once I feel the place looks respectable enough to show to the public.
Then there's my work life. I had an incredible review from my boss 2 weeks ago, and have been slowly adding more and more to my occupational plate as opportunities have been presenting themselves. I'm now going to be the head coach for 7th/8th grade girls' volleyball in the fall. I'm working at the Harlem School of the Arts this summer, just two mornings a week, but they've tentatively asked me if I'd be interested in working their Saturday program during the school year. I have three new piano students for the fall -- kids who are my students at school and will now also be my private piano students. I had my first lesson today with one of them, and it was incredible.
And then of course there's the running. The past 2ish weeks have not been great because the end of the year + my night class = kicking my butt... But I've still been getting my training runs in for the most part. Last night I ran from my apartment across the Queensboro (59th street) Bridge, over to Central Park, up the west side of the park to 85th street, across the park, then back down the east side to 59th and over to Lexington, where I got on the subway to go back home. All of that was 7 miles, although looking at it on a map it seems like it should've been more... But when I got home I felt so good that I had created a pretty tough route for myself and had finished it and wasn't in any pain at all.
So there's all that.
The part that I'm worried about right now is my spiritual life. I'm not having doubts or crises of faith or anything like that. My faith, I feel, is stronger than ever, because I'm so incredibly thankful for all the wonderful things that have been coming my way. But that doesn't really explain why I've only gone to church twice in the past 2 months. I've been going just about every week for 6-7 years. I think some of it may have to do with the fact that I don't feel like I'm getting much out of going when I sing in the choir. I love singing in the choir, but I've started feeling like I really am just on display and am so conscious of how I look and sound and act when I'm up there, which is the opposite of what I want to focus on at church. I don't want to give up the choir entirely, but I think I really can't sing in it every week. I need to have weeks where I'm just a member of the congregation, there to pray and think and learn and be part of the general community, rather than perform for them, which is how I've started to see the choir. Many of the people in it are not Catholic, and are "hired guns" as it were, which may contribute to my feelings of "showiness" at times. I'm praying about this a lot lately, and I don't want to allow myself to just not go to church. There are people who turn to God only in times of need. I'm not saying that people who do that are bad or wrong, but just that I've never been like that. I turn to God for help in times of need, but for celebration in times of joy. This happens to be a time of joy in my life, and I don't want to let myself forget the celebration and thanksgiving.
Well, as this was my first post in a month -- a month that seems to have flown by without even being noticed -- it's only appropriate that it's the length of a novella. Congrats to you if you made it this far.
A bientôt.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
BIG NEWS!!!
Word of the Day:
CORUSCATE
Verb: To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle.
In my last post I alluded to a few things going on in my personal life that I couldn't talk about yet. Well, I have received the official "okay, you can tell whomever you want now!" from my sister, so here it is... On or around December 29th, I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT!!! Hurray! :) I can't wait to spoil the heck out of this child. Sigh.
My previous entry was the night before the "Healthy Kidney 10K" (6.2 miles) in Central Park, and I have to say, I was so ridiculously pleased with how well I ran. I finished in 1:01:55, which makes it a 9:59 mile. I still can't really believe it. I *never* run that fast. When I do 5+ miles, I tend to run around a 10:30-11:15 mile. But a 9:59 mile? For 6.2 HILLY miles??? Crazy! I had a terrible run a couple days later, but then I got over it and the next one was better.
This past weekend Jocelyn and I visited my friend Lauren in Danvers, just north of Boston. Jocelyn is running the Rock 'n Roll Marathon in San Diego this weekend -- her first!!! -- and has been a big part of my inspiration and motivation to run. We went on a 6-mile run Saturday morning, and in the middle of it I had a minor revelation. The first mile or two of a run are always really hard for me. My feet feel awkward, my legs feel tired, and my shorts ride up where they shouldn't... But then around mile 3, I get into the zone. My body starts working without me. I'm just going. THAT is why I love running. When I'm having a particularly hard run, I need to remember that -- to push past the first mile or so and focus on the high that comes later on. At some point I hope to figure out a way to get more out of the first mile or two so they're not so hard, but for now I'm just learning so much about myself and about running and I love that. By the last half mile or so on Saturday, I was getting MORE energized. With every step, my energy level was increasing, and I felt like I could've kept going for another 6 or 7 miles. (I hope I have that feeling in, oh, say, September when I'm running my half marathon...)
On a different note...
I'm slowly putting my fall schedule together, which seems odd at this point since it's not even June, but it needs to be done. Tonight I made my 3-year plan for grad school courses, so hopefully I'll be all set there. It's an interesting mix of classes, and I'm sure some of it will change, but I really don't have a lot of classes to take, so it'll be pretty simple scheduling. I've decided not to take another class on top of my Fieldwork, because I have a feeling I'll be plenty busy as it is... I'm going to be gaining at least one new piano student, as well as coaching volleyball again at school. I would love to have a healthy personal life despite all the work/school commitments, so hopefully that won't be too hard.
Hopefully I will continue posting relatively often and won't have to do massive life-update entries all the time. Mayhaps I'll even be able to get back to my real writer's voice, as opposed to the "here's all the stuff that's going on, I'll make it brief" thing I've been doing lately. What a concept! Anyway... I'll leave you with some pictures from Memorial Day weekend. :)
Lauren and I at the Sam Adams Brewery
Slim, the sexiest pirate in Salem
Jocelyn and I, searching for witches in Salem
Jocelyn, Lauren, and I soaking up the sun in the jacuzzi
Jocelyn and I at the pool
John and I on the Great Lawn in Central Park after some bike-riding, baseball-throwing fun on Memorial Day
CORUSCATE
Verb: To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle.
In my last post I alluded to a few things going on in my personal life that I couldn't talk about yet. Well, I have received the official "okay, you can tell whomever you want now!" from my sister, so here it is... On or around December 29th, I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT!!! Hurray! :) I can't wait to spoil the heck out of this child. Sigh.
My previous entry was the night before the "Healthy Kidney 10K" (6.2 miles) in Central Park, and I have to say, I was so ridiculously pleased with how well I ran. I finished in 1:01:55, which makes it a 9:59 mile. I still can't really believe it. I *never* run that fast. When I do 5+ miles, I tend to run around a 10:30-11:15 mile. But a 9:59 mile? For 6.2 HILLY miles??? Crazy! I had a terrible run a couple days later, but then I got over it and the next one was better.
This past weekend Jocelyn and I visited my friend Lauren in Danvers, just north of Boston. Jocelyn is running the Rock 'n Roll Marathon in San Diego this weekend -- her first!!! -- and has been a big part of my inspiration and motivation to run. We went on a 6-mile run Saturday morning, and in the middle of it I had a minor revelation. The first mile or two of a run are always really hard for me. My feet feel awkward, my legs feel tired, and my shorts ride up where they shouldn't... But then around mile 3, I get into the zone. My body starts working without me. I'm just going. THAT is why I love running. When I'm having a particularly hard run, I need to remember that -- to push past the first mile or so and focus on the high that comes later on. At some point I hope to figure out a way to get more out of the first mile or two so they're not so hard, but for now I'm just learning so much about myself and about running and I love that. By the last half mile or so on Saturday, I was getting MORE energized. With every step, my energy level was increasing, and I felt like I could've kept going for another 6 or 7 miles. (I hope I have that feeling in, oh, say, September when I'm running my half marathon...)
On a different note...
I'm slowly putting my fall schedule together, which seems odd at this point since it's not even June, but it needs to be done. Tonight I made my 3-year plan for grad school courses, so hopefully I'll be all set there. It's an interesting mix of classes, and I'm sure some of it will change, but I really don't have a lot of classes to take, so it'll be pretty simple scheduling. I've decided not to take another class on top of my Fieldwork, because I have a feeling I'll be plenty busy as it is... I'm going to be gaining at least one new piano student, as well as coaching volleyball again at school. I would love to have a healthy personal life despite all the work/school commitments, so hopefully that won't be too hard.
Hopefully I will continue posting relatively often and won't have to do massive life-update entries all the time. Mayhaps I'll even be able to get back to my real writer's voice, as opposed to the "here's all the stuff that's going on, I'll make it brief" thing I've been doing lately. What a concept! Anyway... I'll leave you with some pictures from Memorial Day weekend. :)
Friday, May 15, 2009
Run run run...
Word of the day:
GAMBOL
Verb: To dance and skip about in play; frolic.
Word of the day 2:
RISIBLE
Adj.: Capable of laughing, disposed to laugh; worthy of laughter, amusing.
Wow, I haven't posted in ages. So much has been going on, I just haven't even had a chance. The rest of March, all of April, and half of May have zoomed by...
Upon rereading my last post, I have to say that I am so proud of myself. In late March, I was getting excited by the fact that I could run 2.5 miles on a treadmill. Now my longest run is 7 miles, and I run outside whenever possible, rather than on a treadmill. I ran a 5k for women with cancer on my birthday (May 2nd), and now I'm running the "Healthy Kidney" 10k tomorrow morning. I will now be doing a lap of Central Park (6 miles) with my friend Erin every Wednesday after work. We ran it this past Wednesday in just over an hour, which ended up being about 10:30/mile. I'm officially addicted to running, and do actually consider myself a Runner -- with a capital R. I joined NY Road Runners, and will be getting a subscription to Runners World. I'm going to run the Queens half marathon in September, and my goal is to run a marathon sometime within the next 2 years... maybe a year if I really train.
The euphoric high that comes from running is something that I've never felt before, even with music, which has always been a spiritual thing for me. There's something about propelling yourself with only your own body and being part of the surroundings that people walk by... I can't explain it, but now I finally get it. I get what my sister and my dad have been doing all these years, and I'm so happy that I do.
In other news...
I'm moving! Only 2 blocks, literally -- my new apartment has the same street number as my current place, I'm just moving 2 blocks west in Astoria, from 30th st to Crescent st. I'll be moving into a fairly large studio, which is super exciting! My current roommate, Mandy, will be living on my couch for a month and a half or so until she moves in with her boyfriend, which will be a nice little extra bit o' cash for me, since I can't really afford to move right now!
Speaking of which... I wasn't planning on working this summer, because I really want to do a lot of curriculum work and had talked myself into thinking that wouldn't get done if I had a job. But that's crap. I'll be teaching 4-9 year old music classes at the Harlem School of the Arts from 9-noon on Mondays and Tuesdays from July 7-Aug 14. I'm really excited for the job, especially for the student population I'll be working with.
There's so much other stuff going on that I can't even begin to talk about, nor do I generally talk about it here in this blog. I guess I'll just say that I'm excited about what's going on in my personal life, and even though I have no idea what exactly *is* going on or what to call it, I really like whatever it is. Other than that, there's still more stuff going on, but I'll have to elaborate another time.
For now I'll leave it with this: I fucking love the Milwaukee Brewers, and I'm so glad the baseball season is in full swing. (Ha, full swing. I didn't even do that on purpose.) Baseball is partially responsible for my lack of blogging in the past nearly 2 months. Also a culprit is my graduate school work, which I still have to finish. My class ended on the 7th but I still have a 5-page paper due. Oops. Good thing the professor said he'd accept things until the 18th. (Although if he'd said everything had to be in by the 7th, I would have done it... I'm just a world-class procrastinator.)
Time for sleep. I'll post soon again, really.
GAMBOL
Verb: To dance and skip about in play; frolic.
Word of the day 2:
RISIBLE
Adj.: Capable of laughing, disposed to laugh; worthy of laughter, amusing.
Wow, I haven't posted in ages. So much has been going on, I just haven't even had a chance. The rest of March, all of April, and half of May have zoomed by...
Upon rereading my last post, I have to say that I am so proud of myself. In late March, I was getting excited by the fact that I could run 2.5 miles on a treadmill. Now my longest run is 7 miles, and I run outside whenever possible, rather than on a treadmill. I ran a 5k for women with cancer on my birthday (May 2nd), and now I'm running the "Healthy Kidney" 10k tomorrow morning. I will now be doing a lap of Central Park (6 miles) with my friend Erin every Wednesday after work. We ran it this past Wednesday in just over an hour, which ended up being about 10:30/mile. I'm officially addicted to running, and do actually consider myself a Runner -- with a capital R. I joined NY Road Runners, and will be getting a subscription to Runners World. I'm going to run the Queens half marathon in September, and my goal is to run a marathon sometime within the next 2 years... maybe a year if I really train.
The euphoric high that comes from running is something that I've never felt before, even with music, which has always been a spiritual thing for me. There's something about propelling yourself with only your own body and being part of the surroundings that people walk by... I can't explain it, but now I finally get it. I get what my sister and my dad have been doing all these years, and I'm so happy that I do.
In other news...
I'm moving! Only 2 blocks, literally -- my new apartment has the same street number as my current place, I'm just moving 2 blocks west in Astoria, from 30th st to Crescent st. I'll be moving into a fairly large studio, which is super exciting! My current roommate, Mandy, will be living on my couch for a month and a half or so until she moves in with her boyfriend, which will be a nice little extra bit o' cash for me, since I can't really afford to move right now!
Speaking of which... I wasn't planning on working this summer, because I really want to do a lot of curriculum work and had talked myself into thinking that wouldn't get done if I had a job. But that's crap. I'll be teaching 4-9 year old music classes at the Harlem School of the Arts from 9-noon on Mondays and Tuesdays from July 7-Aug 14. I'm really excited for the job, especially for the student population I'll be working with.
There's so much other stuff going on that I can't even begin to talk about, nor do I generally talk about it here in this blog. I guess I'll just say that I'm excited about what's going on in my personal life, and even though I have no idea what exactly *is* going on or what to call it, I really like whatever it is. Other than that, there's still more stuff going on, but I'll have to elaborate another time.
For now I'll leave it with this: I fucking love the Milwaukee Brewers, and I'm so glad the baseball season is in full swing. (Ha, full swing. I didn't even do that on purpose.) Baseball is partially responsible for my lack of blogging in the past nearly 2 months. Also a culprit is my graduate school work, which I still have to finish. My class ended on the 7th but I still have a 5-page paper due. Oops. Good thing the professor said he'd accept things until the 18th. (Although if he'd said everything had to be in by the 7th, I would have done it... I'm just a world-class procrastinator.)
Time for sleep. I'll post soon again, really.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Strength in Numbers
Word of the day:
SCINTILLA
Noun: A tiny or scarcely detectable amount; the slightest particle; a trace; a spark.
I can't quite find the words I want in order to describe how I've felt lately. The best I can do right now is "I feel great." But that doesn't begin to explain it. For the past 3-4 months, I've been going to the gym 4-5 times a week. Initially I was using a slightly higher-impact version of an elliptical machine, and then lifting weights. For the past month and a half-ish, I've been running 2 or 2.5 miles on a treadmill and then lifting. I have never been able to run before in my life. Seriously. Never. I know I've lost weight these past few months, but the number on the scale isn't even what's important to me anymore. (Okay, the number is important. -26 pounds since October. Hell yes.) But what's even more important than that is how I feel, and I feel amazing. I ran 2.5 miles today in 27 minutes, and I felt good (almost) the whole time. I was nowhere near dying at the end. I can definitely push myself to run 3 miles in 30 minutes. Maybe not on a regular basis, but I can do it. This feeling of empowerment is absolutely incredible.
And it's infectious, throughout my life. I was by no means unhappy before, but it's so much easier for me to see what is important now. It may sound strange, but this commitment to being healthy and getting into shape has inspired in me a new level of commitment to other aspects of my life. I'm not even going to say "I hope I can keep this up," because I know I can. At this point, I can't *not* keep it up. I'm addicted to running, I can't stomach the thought of eating the way I used to... I'll never go back.
My inspiration for all of this has come from both my sister Jen and my dear friend Jocelyn. Jen ran all through high school and completed her first marathon years ago. She was a certified personal trainer in LA (until she decided she hated people who have personal trainers in LA), and she's still *my* personal trainer. Jocelyn is training for her first marathon, and is going to run my 5K with me on my birthday. It's thanks to these 2 unstoppable, strong, independent ladies that I have gained the strength I needed to change a large part of my day-to-day lifestyle.
Don't worry, I promise I won't write another sappy feel-good post for a while. Rereading this, I'm getting a little nauseous.
SCINTILLA
Noun: A tiny or scarcely detectable amount; the slightest particle; a trace; a spark.
I can't quite find the words I want in order to describe how I've felt lately. The best I can do right now is "I feel great." But that doesn't begin to explain it. For the past 3-4 months, I've been going to the gym 4-5 times a week. Initially I was using a slightly higher-impact version of an elliptical machine, and then lifting weights. For the past month and a half-ish, I've been running 2 or 2.5 miles on a treadmill and then lifting. I have never been able to run before in my life. Seriously. Never. I know I've lost weight these past few months, but the number on the scale isn't even what's important to me anymore. (Okay, the number is important. -26 pounds since October. Hell yes.) But what's even more important than that is how I feel, and I feel amazing. I ran 2.5 miles today in 27 minutes, and I felt good (almost) the whole time. I was nowhere near dying at the end. I can definitely push myself to run 3 miles in 30 minutes. Maybe not on a regular basis, but I can do it. This feeling of empowerment is absolutely incredible.
And it's infectious, throughout my life. I was by no means unhappy before, but it's so much easier for me to see what is important now. It may sound strange, but this commitment to being healthy and getting into shape has inspired in me a new level of commitment to other aspects of my life. I'm not even going to say "I hope I can keep this up," because I know I can. At this point, I can't *not* keep it up. I'm addicted to running, I can't stomach the thought of eating the way I used to... I'll never go back.
My inspiration for all of this has come from both my sister Jen and my dear friend Jocelyn. Jen ran all through high school and completed her first marathon years ago. She was a certified personal trainer in LA (until she decided she hated people who have personal trainers in LA), and she's still *my* personal trainer. Jocelyn is training for her first marathon, and is going to run my 5K with me on my birthday. It's thanks to these 2 unstoppable, strong, independent ladies that I have gained the strength I needed to change a large part of my day-to-day lifestyle.
Don't worry, I promise I won't write another sappy feel-good post for a while. Rereading this, I'm getting a little nauseous.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Ceeeeelebrate good times (come on!)
Word of the day:
DIATRIBE
Noun: A bitter verbal attack or speech.
If you've spoken to me in the past 30 days, you've heard my diatribe against Verizon internet. Well, as of this afternoon -- Friday, March 20th, only a month and a day after our internet was cut off -- we are back in business. Holy crap, a month is a long time to go without internet. I hope it doesn't disappear in the near future, but I believe Verizon to be capable of any amount of trickery, so you never know. For now, I am connected. Party on, Wayne.
DIATRIBE
Noun: A bitter verbal attack or speech.
If you've spoken to me in the past 30 days, you've heard my diatribe against Verizon internet. Well, as of this afternoon -- Friday, March 20th, only a month and a day after our internet was cut off -- we are back in business. Holy crap, a month is a long time to go without internet. I hope it doesn't disappear in the near future, but I believe Verizon to be capable of any amount of trickery, so you never know. For now, I am connected. Party on, Wayne.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
"I WANNA ROCK!" say both Twisted Sister and Kristin
Word of the day:
FETTLE
Noun: A state or condition of fitness or order; state of mind; spirits -- often used in the phrase "in fine fettle."
I am definitely getting into a groove. I've never felt this healthy in my life. I've been pushing myself pretty hard in terms of eating healthy and being much more active. My goal is 15 minutes of activity a day (whether that's a trip to the gym or simply getting off the subway a couple stops early and walking), but I've been trying to get to the gym at least twice a week. This week, I've turned into a machine. I've gone to the gym three days in a row now, and have only missed a day or two in the past week. I wasn't going to go today because I only got 4 hours of sleep last night and needed a nap, but instead I watched last week's episode of Biggest Loser (which I'd missed because I was sick) and that made me think, "What the hell are you doing, Kristin? Get your ass to the gym!" (I'm such a sap, I cry a TON during that show, every episode haha.)
All this work seems to be paying off, finally. On Sunday, I officially hit my first big milestone: I'm down 15 pounds since the beginning of November. Almost a whole pants size. WOO.
What I need now are music suggestions! I like to change up my workout playlist every so often, and it seems like I need to lose some of the stuff that's too familiar and get some new, upbeat jams. These days I've been rocking out to a lot of hair metal. My last playlist was a bunch of pop crap, some of which pissed me off and some of which did not... The one before that was high-energy Foo Fighters songs. It runs the gamut, basically. Here's my current playlist (which I put on shuffle):
Aerosmith - Walk this Way
Aerosmith - Dream On
Alice Cooper - No More Mr. Nice Guy
Alice Cooper - School's Out
Bad Company - Rock and Roll Fantasy
Bad Company - Ready for Love
Black Mountain - Don't Run Our Hearts Around
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Boston - Let Me Take You Home Tonight
Boston - More than a Feeling
Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
Doobie Brothers - Black Water
ELO - Don't Bring Me Down
Fleetwood Mac - World Turning
Foreigner - Cold As Ice
Guns 'N Roses - Paradise City
Guns 'N Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine
Guns 'N Roses - November Rain
Iggy & the Stooges - Search and Destroy
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll
Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
Journey - Wheel in the Sky
Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Motley Crue - Same Old Situation
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me
Queen - Killer Queen
Ram Jam - Black Betty
Tesla - Love Song --> I have fallen in love with this song (appropriately enough)
Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Van Halen - Runnin' with the Devil
INPUT PLEASE!
FETTLE
Noun: A state or condition of fitness or order; state of mind; spirits -- often used in the phrase "in fine fettle."
I am definitely getting into a groove. I've never felt this healthy in my life. I've been pushing myself pretty hard in terms of eating healthy and being much more active. My goal is 15 minutes of activity a day (whether that's a trip to the gym or simply getting off the subway a couple stops early and walking), but I've been trying to get to the gym at least twice a week. This week, I've turned into a machine. I've gone to the gym three days in a row now, and have only missed a day or two in the past week. I wasn't going to go today because I only got 4 hours of sleep last night and needed a nap, but instead I watched last week's episode of Biggest Loser (which I'd missed because I was sick) and that made me think, "What the hell are you doing, Kristin? Get your ass to the gym!" (I'm such a sap, I cry a TON during that show, every episode haha.)
All this work seems to be paying off, finally. On Sunday, I officially hit my first big milestone: I'm down 15 pounds since the beginning of November. Almost a whole pants size. WOO.
What I need now are music suggestions! I like to change up my workout playlist every so often, and it seems like I need to lose some of the stuff that's too familiar and get some new, upbeat jams. These days I've been rocking out to a lot of hair metal. My last playlist was a bunch of pop crap, some of which pissed me off and some of which did not... The one before that was high-energy Foo Fighters songs. It runs the gamut, basically. Here's my current playlist (which I put on shuffle):
Aerosmith - Walk this Way
Aerosmith - Dream On
Alice Cooper - No More Mr. Nice Guy
Alice Cooper - School's Out
Bad Company - Rock and Roll Fantasy
Bad Company - Ready for Love
Black Mountain - Don't Run Our Hearts Around
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Boston - Let Me Take You Home Tonight
Boston - More than a Feeling
Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
Doobie Brothers - Black Water
ELO - Don't Bring Me Down
Fleetwood Mac - World Turning
Foreigner - Cold As Ice
Guns 'N Roses - Paradise City
Guns 'N Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine
Guns 'N Roses - November Rain
Iggy & the Stooges - Search and Destroy
Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll
Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
Journey - Wheel in the Sky
Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Motley Crue - Same Old Situation
Poison - Talk Dirty to Me
Queen - Killer Queen
Ram Jam - Black Betty
Tesla - Love Song --> I have fallen in love with this song (appropriately enough)
Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
Van Halen - Runnin' with the Devil
INPUT PLEASE!
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