Tuckered Out

It’s Friday?  Really.  This has been such an odd week.  I’ve been a lazy bum all week.  I’ve slept in, run not a step, and cleaned not an inch.  I don’t care about much of anything right now.  I’m just plum tuckered out.  Part of me thinks I’m fighting off something...my head has been pretty congested the last few days.  Another part of me thinks my body is telling my mind to stop stressing about so many things.

I know I’m behind by a week or two in posting my 365 photos.  I haven’t missed a day, I’m just lagging behind in uploading, editing, and posting.  I’ve made it much further this time than I did the last time I challenged myself to try a photo a day.  At least that is some progress!

I need a match and some lighter fluid ... the endless clutter is once again driving me nuts.  Why do I have an attachment to so many useless things??  This place would feel like a mansion without all my piles of junk.

Ok, I must stop rambling and get ready for work.  It’s amazing how sleeping in until 9 pretty much eliminates the possibility of me doing anything productive before work.

Tuesday Tidbits

•  I’ve done very little today.  I spent most of the day playing on the computer, watching Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition, and reading blogs.  The only productive thing I did online was check my account balances.  After sitting on my arse all day accomplishing nada, I did go to jujitsu.

•   Jujitsu is coming along just fine.  I’m getting better at a lot of things but think it will still be a while before I get my yellow belt.  It will be well earned whenever I do get it!  I really wish I could go two times a week but my work schedule does not cooperate when it comes to evening activities.  Blah.

•   Camping this past weekend was super fun!  I love camping with the girls.  We always manage to find a good campsite and make the most of it when it doesn’t go exactly as planned.  I think the best part of the whole weekend was that the mosquitos were almost non-existent!!  The horseflies made their appearance but they didn’t seem to bug me as much as mosquitos do.  

•   The silver bullet took a beating this weekend.  Not only did I hit a big rock or two a couple of different times but it could use a bath inside and out.  I don’t know when I’ll ever own a smaller SUV (Chevy Equinox, please!) but it sure will be wonderful when it comes time for camping. 

•   I’m not ready to go back to work this week.  I’m sick of the heat and having to wear my vest in the heat.  Even though I drink a lot of water during the day, I lose about two pounds of water weight during the day.  Blah.

•   I need to make an eye doctor’s appointment and not just because I got a little reminder postcard in the mail.  My right eye has become significantly more blurry in the last six months.  Yet another prescription change is on the horizon, I’m sure.  Oh joy. 

•   If another Facebook friend announces they are engaged, having a baby, or buying a new house, my head might explode.  Don’t get me wrong, I am happy for them but oy, social networking sucks sometimes.  It’s weird to think that two of my roomies from Disney World just had babies...super adorable babies at that.  I have no super adorable babies.  I do, however, have barf spots and a pee spot left behind by my damn cat this weekend.

•   Mr. Miles was lazier than me today.  He spent 99.9% of his time sleeping on his dog bed.  The other .01% was spent peeing.  While he loves to camp, he’s a dog of luxury.  Two nights sleeping on the ground was enough for him!

•   A crazy thought entered my head today.  It involves running.  I’m not sure I’m ready to share my thought just yet.  But it makes me slightly excited, which is a good thing given my extremely mundane life as of late.  See barf and pee example above.

•   I’ve started watching Wings streamed via Netflix on my phone before bed.  It’s crazy to think that I used to listen to a Walkman with big huge headphones before bed.  Now I can watch a television from the 90s on my phone without it being plugged into anything.  Why Wings?  I have no idea.  I searched for a few of my favorite shows and of course they are unavailable.

•   I’m getting sleepy.  Very sleepy.  But I don’t want to go to bed because that means my weekend is over.  I don’t want it to be over.  Sigh.  Good night, all. 

Campin'

The weekend is finally here!!  I got home from work on time and have been packing up to go camping this weekend with my most favorite girls in the world.  Brent and Jason headed up to the hills earlier this evening to hopefully grab a camping site for us.  The girls and I will head up in the morning!!

I absolutely love our group camping trips every year.  I’m looking forward to catching up on everything and planning our fall adventures.  Hopefully the mosquitos will not find us appetizing.  Brinkley knows something is up and I’m pretty sure he’ll be thrilled when I tell him to load up.  

I’ve got most stuff backed up.  I’ll having a few last minute things to pack in the morning.  My plan is to squeeze in a morning run before the girls get here.  Steady progress - even a short run is better than no run!

Random bit o’ fun for the day - all this talk about the debt ceiling and budget talks and stuff made me think of The West Wing.  Anything can relate to The West Wing if I think about it long enough.  And I figured it’s been a while since I showed some West Wing love on the blog so here’s this...

Another thing that has been on my mind lately - Chicago.  Another big city I get to visit this year, even if only for a very short time.  I’m in charge of tracking down a hotel.  I’m thinking we need a hotel near the famous Magnificent Mile so that I can run on its wonderful trails!  Waterfront run with a skyline view sounds like a great way to take in the city and create a positive running memory!  We shall see...

Also in thinking about Chicago, I’m thinking I need to read a few fun books set in the city to get in the Chicago state of mind.  Devil In The White City has always been on my Must Read list so I’m thinking that’s my first book to take on!

Ok, back to camping.  I really must get some sleep if I have any hope of tackling a run in the morning.  Night, all!

Rough Run

My intentions were good - run around the lake.  That’s a great way to start the work week, right?  I struggled getting out of bed.  My body wanted another hour and a half of sleep.  I think Brink’s did too.  I gave him a hard time for letting me doze off for another thirty minutes before finally rolling out of bed at 7:30.

This time last year I was working noon to 8pm and sleeping until 10.  These days I fight off my laziness every morning and get up “early.”  The single motivation to get me up is that I have to run and I have to do it before the sun and heat start to bake everything.  

Brink and I got up to do our normal routine on running mornings.  I drink water, a few sips of coffee, and eat a spoonful of peanut butter.  I try to coax Brink into eating a few kibbels and drinking on demand.  He usually ignores me.  We go outside so he can do his business.  I wait for number two.  We don’t go running unless there is a number two.

When we come back inside I get my running clothes on and my shoes.  This is when Brink starts to get super antsy.  He knows these clothes and these shoes.  He knows we’re going running...not to the park, not for a walk, not for a ride...running.

So after the usual routine we headed out the door for a loop around the lake...at least 2.65 miles, if I was feeling good I was going to keep running into the neighborhood and make it 3.  We started off slowly but about a half mile into the run, I knew something was wrong.  I felt hotter than normal.  I wasn’t breathing hard but I already felt completely exhausted.  My legs didn’t feel heavy or sore so I kept going thinking it’s just a rough patch and I can run through it.  Bad runs happen but I can normally push through them. 

I couldn’t push through it.  I slowed to a walk thinking a walk break might help to reset my insides and convince them it was running time not sit on the couch and be lazy time.  We ran for another quarter mile or so...another walk break.  Ran some, walked some.  Then Brinkley had to poop - this is never any fun because I have to somehow get the bagged tied to the leash so it won’t fall off or bang me in the legs as we run.  We both enjoyed the break from running but we picked it back up again once the bag was secured.

At about the two mile mark I was done.  I convinced myself it was the run that was just was not going to happen.  I was completely sapped of energy and my hands and fingers had swollen from my dehydration...the key ingredient to my highly unusual horrible run.  We walked back to the house defeated but not discouraged. 

Brink wasn’t on his game and he knew I wasn’t either.  We both looked tired and thirsty, which is far from normal.  Lesson learned - hydrate.  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  

Tomorrow is a new day - one that will find me hydrated probably!

Tuesday Tidbits

This weekend has been a busy one.  Sunday Brent and I did some extreme couponing, snagging some free stuff and super cheap stuff.  Razors, Scotch Tape, and some super strong Post-It notes for labeling boxes - free!! We also got some permanent markers and crayons.  I have a Moxon craft planned with my super cheap Crayolas!

We celebrated Dad’s birthday on Sunday with some fruit tree planting at Green Acre.  Seven trees - apple, pear, cherry, and plum all line the back fence.  It was a lot of work in super muggy heat but they all turned out looking great!  The soil back there is awesome for growing stuff.  Hopefully the trees take off! Dairy Queen was a great way to celebrate Pops’ birthday too!!  So tasty!

While planting trees I got to do some goat wrangling...or unwrangling.  The neighbors goat managed to get on the other side of the fence and subsequently get its a head stuck in the fence.  I unstuck it, Moxon petted it, Brinkley sniffed it, and Becky and I lifted it over the fence back to where it belonged.  Moral of the story, I still want goats.  I’ve got to figure out a way to get me a couple of acres.

I went running on Sunday morning.  An easy mile and half - no hard breathing or panting at the end!!  It’s getting much easier and I love feeling so accomplished when I’m all done!!  It’s a great way to start the day.  Never did I imagine I would become a morning runner but it works into my morning routine almost seamlessly. 

I’ll have to do a separate recap of my Tuesday.  It was a fun-filled Moxon day that included movies, donuts, swimming, and putt-putt.  I hope when he’s a teenager he’ll still be willing to have an Auntie Worm day every once in a while.

My morning run today was an early one.  Moxon arrived at 7:45 so I needed to wake up even earlier to fit my run in.  My lack of sleep had my convinced as soon as the alarm went off that I wasn’t going to attempt the 2.65 mile run around the lake.  I went for the short loop and knocked out 1.5 miles, did some pushups, sit-ups, lunges, and called it good.  Tomorrow is the lake loop (which means I should probably go to sleep soon).

I’ve been harvesting from my patio garden.  Lettuce and carrots!  The basil is still pretty short.  Once the other stuff is out of it’s way it will probably take off, I hope.  I never got flowers planted because of the painters.  I think I’ll aim for some foliage to brighten up the patio for a bit.  I still have dirt leftover from my online Lowe’s dirt purchase from months ago.  Darn painters!

I’m getting sleepy now.  Off to bed I go.  I have some running to rest up for!

Dallas

A few days ago I read online that TNT is bringing back Dallas.  As in the awesome night time soap opera revolving around the Ewings and Southfork ranch.  At first I thought it was a remake but it’s more of like opening up a whole new chapter a few decades later.  Squee!

While I was a little too young to remember Dallas when it originally aired on television, I do vividly remember getting home from work at 11pm in high school and watching Dallas reruns on CMT while I did my Algebra 2 homework.  I’d sit on the couch, Mom sat in the recliner, and we’d watch Dallas.  With any luck my math homework was finished by the end of the episode and off to bed I went. 

I remember a lot of the drama.  I often had to ask my mom questions to catch me up on the back story.  The drama cracked me up and I still remember a lot of it.  And its cliffhangers!  And the dream season.  I hated JR.  And Sue Ellen.  

Well, JR and Sue Ellen are back.  Even if Larry Hagman looks like he has one foot in the grave, he sure didn’t pass up an opportunity to continue his role as the unscrupulous oil tycoon.  Bobby is back too!

The plot of the new show does not differ from the old one.  The good son and bad son continue to duke it out, as do their handsome and grown-up offspring, John Ross and Christopher!!  I will be watching, how about you?!!  Summer 2012 - mark your calendars!!

We did it!

Much cuter than a snake!!

Mr. Miles and I ran 3 miles today! THREE!  That’s almost a 5k.  That’s a record for us.  And I haven’t reached that in about 4 years.  It was a good run, not great, but good.  I’ll take it.  70 degrees doesn’t seem hot but it sure does induce some major sweating!!  

Brink did A LOT better with his haircut.  I could tell he was happier and a little cooler.  We had another first today - we ran right over the top of a snake!  And didn’t realize it until we were over it and it was slithering its pink tongue at us!!  I should have stopped to take a picture but we were in a groove and I didn’t want to jinx anything by stopping.

I had sweat pouring down my face by the end of the run.  My hair was so wet it looked like I had taken a shower.  It was wonderful!  Brinkley got lots of praise, although I’m pretty sure he knew we went farther than ever before.  He did that doggie strut he does that makes him looks so proud!

182.5

It’s no secret that I get to enjoy a four day work week.  It does help me stay sane after the non-stop go, go, go, serve, serve, serve of the work week.  While it bugs me that I only get one day to meet all of my family and friend social obligations, I do get a lot of free time to do things or try to do things... if laziness or grumpiness hasn’t paralyzed me.

I was reading a blog this morning and the blogger mentioned how she was changing from a five day work week to a four day...giving her 52 additional free days in the year to pursue her farming dreams.  Something about that struck me.  So I did the math.  Three days off each week translates to 156 days off a year.  Add in some personal days and a few holidays and I’d say I’m closing to reaching 182.5 days off in a year.  That’s half a year.  HALF!  

I only work half of the year.  That makes work sound like it’s a piece of cake.  And quite frankly, make me feel like a lazy, unsuccessful bum on my days off.  Why is my To Do list or Bucket List so long if I have all that time off??!!  

All my thinking about hours and days of year made me think of Rent and one of my favorite songs “525,600.”  It’s a song on my running playlist.  And it always makes me dig deeper...and wish I could sing.

Anywho, I think that’s an interesting motivator.  When work gets hectic, I’ll just remind myself how easy I really have it!  What’s half a year?