Yearly Review

It is that time of year again, yearly review time. Normal people do it on January 1, I do it on July 2 - it's my thing (and probably a billion other people's thing, but who cares about them, this is MY blog that I never write in anymore, but I digress).

So what can I really say about this last year. It was a year back to watching TV and movies, and I can honestly say that the year off totally changed the way I watch. I saw three movie this year worth my time and have not seen one show that I would spend once a week on (even Wipe Out, sorry Adam and the rest of the world). What are those three movies? Book of Eli, Henry Poole Is Here, and Toy Story 3. Thinking about going off of them again, but I think it would be hard to entertain Adam because I would have to start putting on skits - and I can only do so many one woman shows in a lifetime, and I think I used up 75% of my limit in high school.

I use to say that even numbered ages were the bad years and odd numbered ages were the good ones. And if you look at ages 18-29 you would have to agree with me. So entering 30 I was a little apprehensive. The first strike against me was that I was moving from St. Louis back to Stillwater, and that is enough to make the even numbered age the worst thing in the world. Going back to school and trying to get back into that groove without much support, leaving my best friends I have ever made behind. But something strange happened - I got married. So I guess the even/odd year curse is over (if you believe in that sort of thing). Let me repeat a crucial part of that last idea - I GOT MARRIED. A miracle in and of itself. Me. ME! Without weeping and gnashing of teeth, without months on end of daily vomiting and wondering if this was the right thing for me, without a year of counseling and prayer about what ifs and running thinking this all must be a mistake. I actually went into it quite naturally, and quite logically. I came, I saw, I conquered (so to speak). Every step we took from friends, to more than friends, to the first kiss, to the ring, to the altar seemed right and in the right time (even if that was only 9 months). We prayed about it and everything just seemed to fit, so if it fits why back up, and as I have always said "if you know let's go." It was a joke to me because I thought I would never know, so I could say that - well I guess I was wrong. The funny thing about marriage for me is this - fears I use to have a gone, only to be replaced by a different set. A set that seems more irrational than the original set.

The only event of 30 that might make it in the list of the 18-29 year cycle was loosing my granddad. I have said all I really want to say about that event. I miss him a lot and just when I think I am moving on I have a dream with him in it and I miss him like the first day all over again.

School is hard and it is only going to get harder. Time is short and this paper I'm writing is long. How long? Who knows yet? I do know this, if I spent half as much time working on it as I do waisting time (like blogging, or reading blogs, or looking at pictures on facebook) then I would be about done. It all boils down to time really. Not that any of it is hard, it is just finding the time to work on it when classes go on around me, or I am gone for 2 days with work, or Adam comes home and I would rather hang out with him then write 3 paragraphs on the perfect growing media for green roofs (80% lightweight inorganic material, 20% organic material, by the way).

On The Water

Background: I am working in the Zoology department this summer helping another masters student on their thesis. She has money in her budget to pay someone to help her collect data . . . I do not. Her research is something about nutrient loading in lakes and that consists of driving out to 25 or so lakes over the course of the summer, getting in a boat, going out to the middle, taking sediment and lake bottom samples and driving home. Yesterday was our practice run at Sooner Lake near Stillwater.

Actual Blog: A few minutes before 5am I got the call. Superman died. When you are a kid the adults in your life are sometimes seen as superhuman with their size, their power, and the way other people act when they walk in the room. I have several superheroes in my life, and yesterday one went home. My grandad was bigger than life, fishing, days on the boat water skiing, solving the worlds problems, sail boating, strong opinions, life lessons, strong hands, big love. I didn't really think about it much yesterday, I didn't really let myself. The funny thing is, at the end of the day I did the very thing that I remember most about him, I went out on the water. No skiing, or fishing, just boating. The end of the day, calm water, just boating. I think that was the best way to celebrate his life - and I didn't even set out to live my day that way.

Spoofs

Since Lady Gaga is up in arms over American Idol (don't know why, don't care just saw the headline) I thought I would post this:

Almost as good as Justin Timberlake on SNL spoofing Beyonce's Single Ladies:



Or you can have the kid that is crying because he ISN'T A SINGLE LADY:

Slowing Down

Why is it that when you have less to do it takes you the same amount of time as if you had a lot to do? I will never figure that out. I would have way more free time in my life if I would work as fast and diligently when I had 3 things to do than when I have 8 things to do. Maybe it is just me, but I'm going to take a stab that it isn't.

Another running day today. I'm sticking with my original plan that I had at the start of the week!!! Two miles this time but at a terrible pace. 24 minutes for the two miles. NOW, it was a trail run - but yeah, it is pretty bad. I did check my times from Tuesday to find that while I only did run 1.5 miles I did it at an under 11 minute mile pace - which is a bit fast for me, so I am using that as an excuse. Maybe I just need to build back up like I did before. Start all over with the Podrunner Intervals. Part of me thinks this would be best, but the other part knows that I can run at least two miles each time and maybe 3 if I was running on good fuel. Maybe I will have to pull that out after we get back from our trip.

I have decided that Ryan Hall is my favorite runner . . . or his wife Sara. What the heck, I will pick them both one male and one female, that is how it should be right? He has been touted as the best American marathon runner in a long time. The trick to that is, he hasn't really won many races. I think that is why I like him. He is picked to be the one to beat, and many do. I also read an article about him in the November Runner's World (I'm a bit behind) that talked about what organization he runs for. World Vision! WORLD VISION! I think that solidified it for me. Many thought he would win the New York Marathon. He didn't, but one of the men in his training camp did - Meb Keflezighi. In the article (written before the race) Meb said of Ryan, "Ryan understands that God has blessed him with a talent. His strong faith and commitment let him conquer the ultimate distance - the marathon." Oh, and he also takes 2 hour naps on his easy training days. That has to put him at the top of my list.

8 days. Not that I am counting.

Poor Showing

What a poor showing I had today on my run. I have been doing the school walk thing for the last couple of weeks - but that ends up being only about 2-3 days a week. So I decided that this week I would walk to school 3 days, run the other 2, and then run on Saturday. So I went to Boomer today do a little bit of a run. It is a 3 mile circuit and so I thought it would be nice to see how far I could go running compared to the 3 mile walk to school. 1.5 miles. That is IT! I had to walk the rest. When I was rested a bit I thought I would run again, but I was running into the wind. You know, the wind that comes sweeping down the plains - well it stinks.