Some People...

... take themselves WAY too seriously. They can't take a joke or make light of any situation and are constantly trying to be the most politically correct person they can be. It's annoying that humor is having to take a backseat because our society has completely brainwashed everyone into thinking that you can't make jokes or laugh at a situation (none of it being hurtful to any one person or to any group of people) or believe in something because you may offend someone else.

I am not afraid to offend. I believe in what I want because that is my right as an American. I can think things are funny if I want to and no one can tell me that it is wrong. We all have the same intrinsic basic sense of humor and logic. I can meet with other people who think the same way I do and believe the same way I do and laugh, cry, get frustrated with the same things I do and I shouldn't feel like that's going to be a problem for anyone else. I don't have to believe what someone else does or accept is as "correct" when I don't think it is. I'm not going to disrespect them and their beliefs, but when did it become okay to let other poeple dictact who we can be?



I'm all for being open minded... I think that it comes with respecting others and trying to learn all you can in this life; however don't try to shove your thoughts/beliefs/etc on me and then tell me I have no right to even have an opinion about it. I think I am pretty good about letting people live how they want to live (unless it is negatively affecting me, but that is a different story), so I expect the same courtesy.

I'm not asking for people to tolerate hate or anger, etc. I'm just asking for the open-mindedness and aceptance that is requested by others of me.


Thanks for letting me vent!

Training Update

Ok, so I have been diligent in my rehab schedule for my ankle and it is really starting to pay off! It doesn't look completely perfect yet- a little swollen and bumpy- but the bruising is completely gone and I can actually put my full weight on it.

Given this, I decided to run outside yesterday evening so I plugged in my iPod and away I went. My goal was to just test out my ankle and make sure that I wasn't going to further injure it; I was thinking I'd run maybe a mile or so. I checked my miles a couple of songs in and I had already run almost two miles so I decided I'd keep going. My ankle was feeling great, but I was paying extra attention to my steps so I didn't trip or slide and be back at square one. A few more songs went by and I was almost at three miles, so I kept on. It got a little uncomfortable a little after the 3 mile mark, but I figured I'd gone that far, i could make it home. I reached the corner of my neighborhood before I had to stop and my total mileage was 3.9! WOOT!

I was so excited and feel like this half marathon thing is actually not going to be so bad.

Tip- athletic tape is working WAY better for my ankle than all the stupid braces and compression bands I've used and is WAY more comfortable.

Tips for Girls on the Go

I was talking with my coworker today about the horrible toll that traveling takes on your skin. She just came back from abroad and was complaining about her really dry flaky skin. She said it was getting worse since she had no exfoliant on her trip with her and she was in a place where she couldn't just go out and buy any old facial scrub.

I have totally been in this situation... a few months ago when I had to spend a few weeks in Boise, ID. My skin is used to the humid moist air of Portland, and wasn't ready for the cold dry air of Idaho. After a couple of days there my lips where so chapped and my skin was really starting to get flaky. I had armed myself with some great moisturizers, but the problem was I still had all the dead dry skin stuck to me. It was really late at night when we were done working and nothing was open, so I was trying to figure out what to do to help with what I had. And here is my miracle travel exfoliant:

Take the little sugar packets they leave in your hotel room by the coffee maker; one or two should do for face and lips. Add a little of your own moisturizer to it and make a paste (or you can use the moisturizer they leave in the bathroom, too). You can also use the little plastic cups and coffee stirrers as a mixing container so your hands don't get all gross and so you don't get sugary lotion all over the place. I used a little of my facial moisturizer and also some Vasoline. Once you have a gritty paste, gently rub on your face and lips to buff away the dead skin. Then rinse and moisturize. VOILA!

For sensitive skin, use less sugar and more moisturizer so you don't irritate the skin. For really chapped lips use straight Vasoline with the sugar and make a thicker paste.

As I think of these odd tricks and tips, I'll post more!

The Zombie Apocalypse

I was walking out to start my car this morning as usual to defrost it when I noticed him. Standing about 10 feet in front of my car (which was parked at the curb across the street and not in a driveway) was a guy in a fairly nice winter coat and pants and some new sneakers. I normally wouldn't find this to be too unusual since a lot of people are taking public transportation or just out for walks in this area in the wee hours of the morning, however this guy was doing nothing. Just standing there. He was facing away from me and towards a fence... not moving or anything...

My first thought? ZOMBIE. Yeah... completely irrational but that is one of my only un-shakeable and completely unfounded fears. Don't know where it came from; I don't really watch horror movies (except vampire ones) and I haven't read any horror/sci-fi books but I just can't shake the paranoia I have of a zombie apocalypse in my lifetime. The mere mention of zombies can give me a mini panic attack.

Anyhow, so my second thought was... "ok, he hasn't heard you yet... what weapons do you have on you?"... the answer being none because I don't walk around heavily armed. I figured that I could get to my car without him hearing me because he didn't seem the least bit startled when the neighbor's dog started barking maniacally. So I slowly made my way to my car and unlocked it manually- as quietly as I could manage. I kept my eyes on this strange man the WHOLE time I was walking and unlocking to try and see a reason for him to stand there so still and silent. I could see no good reason for it. Once I got in my car, I immediately locked the doors and started it, thinking I could run him over if he came at me now.

He didn't even flinch at the sound of my engine or the sight of my bright headlights in the early darkness. I was completely perplexed. So I got my phone out just in case and turned the defrost on and just sat... my eyes still fixed on what was now clearly an undead person.

And then he moved. He reached up to his head and removed the white earbud headphones from his ears, made a sound similar to a click with his mouth and then said,"Come on, Buddy" as he looked past the closest fence to a grassy area where a tiny little poodle mix dog came gently prancing up to the sidewalk.

And I almost laughed out loud at my ridiculousness. My blood pressure is still sky-high this morning from my near apocalypse experience.

Babies, Babies, Babies

So if you run in the same circles I do, it seems as if everyone either just had a baby or is currently pregnant. At this point I'm a little scared to drink the water because I may wake up one morning and you'll just have to call me Mary...

But all of this new life (or soon to be) has given me quite a bit to think about. I'm happy for my friends who are finding themselves quickly morphing into responsible adults... but mostly because I can steal their babies for a couple of hours, have my fun, and give them back. Really, though, it is incredible to see a fresh little life and the joy that it brings not just to the immediate family but to whole communities. I'm thankful for those of you who are hardworking busy parents who are doing everything they can to teach their little ones love, kindness and respect.

I may not have children (yet) but I really do appreciate you all and my own parents for all that they have done!

The "Tryer"

There are some people that I just want to walk up to and say "Bless your heart..." and give them a hug. I have an acquaintance whom I've sort of known for about a year or so. I see this person here and there often and we make small talk; we aren't "best friends", but we have mutual respect I think. Anyhow, I was perusing the interwebs the other day and ran across this person's blog so I read a couple of the most recent postings. I found it pretty interesting as I've never had a deep conversation with this person so I felt as if I was getting a little deeper view of who this person is. And then I started to feel really bad. Not that this person has a particularly hard or sad life or anything like that, but I did realize that this person wants nothing more than for people to think highly of them and seems to put all of their effort into that rather than just focusing on what really makes them happy. They are trying so hard to be accepted when I think that if they just relaxed, life would kind of fall into place a little better... without so much effort and stress. I also think part of it (from what I've seen and read) has to do with self-imposed standards that are based on unrealistic ideals. It's like they feel they NEED to be a certain way or people will think less of them.

Now, you can't just walk up to someone and say "hey, I don't know you all too well, but I think you should do blank, blank and blank in your life because I know what's best for you", but I really want to let this person know that they are really cool, even when they don't try and that people like them no matter what.

Anyway, I feel like we could all be better to the people we care about and to our not so close acquaintances. I've got a new goal and that is to make sure that I let people know that I appreciate who they are and what they do and that I know them.

STELLA

is coming to town. If you've never been priviledged to experience the comdey excellence, you should. I can hardly contain myself. I need a little humor right now. Care to join?

Time to get out the puff paints and make my "I LOVE DAVID" shirt. Because really, who doesn't?

HALF MARATHON

... here I come!

Despite my recent injury, I have decided to run the Helvetia Half Marathon. I know that some folks have been talking about maybe doing it, and I really want to do it. I feel like I just need to prove to myself that I can. Plus, I really don't want to suck at the Hood to Coast later this year.

I have to let people know I'm doing this so that I don't quit. Seriously... I figure if I tell people, I won't let myself NOT run this race. I've put myself on a pretty rigorous rehab schedule for my ankle- which is healing quite nicely now (pics to come?) so I will start actually running in two weeks.... TAKE THAT 2 month healing time. Hydrotherapy... and some great homeopathic rememdies are my saving grace. Of course, I'm going to take it slow until I know I'm not in danger of reinjuring myself, but I'm so excited.

Also, I've kind of debated with my resolutions for this year, but basically I want to run as much as I can. I feel as if my health in general will improve naturally if I just go with one thing.

I love company, so if you are wanting to join the race, or just run... feel free. I'm not the best or the fastest, but I want to do it.

Many Things on My Mind Today

1. Why I shouldn't Be Out in Public:

Because I am probably the clumsiest person EVER. No really. And right now it's even worse because I'm already limping around because of aforementioned ankle. I was at Fred Meyer buying cereal- I had coupons and they were on sale so how could I say no?- and walked (hobbled) over to the natural foods section. They have these black non-slip mats where the computer stations are and there is a station in one of the natural food aisles, so as I was slowly shuffling my way down the aisle and COMPLETELY paying attention (I really was trying to be super aware as to not reinjure myself and even saw the freakin' obstacle-mat but just couldn't avoid it) my bad foot caught the edge of the mat. I tried to steady myself with my cart, but then realized that carts have wheels as it started to roll away from my body... so I was slowly being stretched out in the aisle... foot still by the mat, hands on cart. Luckily no one was in the aisle to see this ridiculous scene and my only consolation is that I don't think anyone really ever looks at those security tapes unless they have a good reason too. Maybe I gave them a good reason to. Oh well.

2. Movies- where are the good ones?

I'm just biding my time until the next Underworld: Rise of the Lycans movie comes out, but really, I haven't seen an awesome, blow your hair back exciting movie in such a long time. It's got me a little depressed. I love movies. I despise getting all excited for one and then being disappointed. Got any rental suggestions?

3. I Need a Hair TRIM- not a CUT.

I have a lady that I love to go to for all my hair needs, but she is usually booked up unless you make an appointment WAY ahead of time, so random decisions to have one's hair done is never really possible with her. I've gone places to get those in-between trims until I can get in to see my lady, but inevitably the person with the scissors goes overboard even if I say "only cut off 1/2 inch of hair please" and halfway through I look at the ground to see 4 inch locks of my hair on the floor. So I may resort to cutting my own hair again, but I hate doing that because I can't do what I want to do with it so I just end up trimming the ends and not getting the shape I want. I'm not sure if I can make it another day with my current cut, I just may have a breakdown. I'm going to guilt my sister into cutting it before she goes back to school.... or bribe.

4. All I Want to Do is Listen to Music...

Good music. I'm getting tired of what I have so if you have suggestions please let me know.

5. French Braids-

Can someone show me how to french braid MY OWN hair? I like it braided, but I just can't do it on myself. Actually, I'm crap at doing other people's hair in french braids as well.

Ok... now I feel a little better.

The Gory Details

As you can see, it's no longer baseball sized or even golf ball sized. The swelling is less on my ankle and now more all over my foot/ankle/calf.

Here you can see the difference between my "good" ankle and the sprained one. So just imagine a golf ball protruding from the outside of my left ankle and that's what it would have looked like right after I did it. Don't worry... I'll take more pics as the bruise changes and the swelling moves so you can see my sad body try to deal with this.

Yeehaw 2009!

If the past couple of days is any indication of how 2009 will go, can we just fast forward to 2010? Please?



1. Ok, so I knew it would happen eventually, but I was just counting on the declining economy to save me; my townhouse sold so I had to move. Yuck. And, might I add, that it sold for far too much- more than I would have paid for it, but I absolutely LOVED that house. I also hate packing things up and lugging them back down the three flights of stairs. I have heavy furniture and boxes of clothing and shoes that outweigh me. I had to do this all with a sprained ankle.



2. I sprained my ankle VERY badly. I thought I broke it and so did the ER doctor until they took about a million x-rays. I was walking down my upper flight of stairs carrying a very light box and was almost to my living room landing when I hit the last stair wrong, heard a gigantic gut-wrenching POP-CRACK and went sprawling into my living room still holding on to my box of stuff. My first instinct was to get up off the floor, but as soon as I moved my leg I realized that I was going to need to stay down. Then I realized that the loud sound I heard wasn't my box of stuff hitting the floor, it was me. I rolled over and slid my boot off (my first thought was if I broke my ankle they would have to cut my boot off of my hugely swollen foot- and I had just gotten them for Christmas so I would be damned if my boot was to lay in pieces on the ER floor). Before I took my sock off I could see the golf-ball sized lump on my ankle- and it was growing ever larger. Luckily I had my cell phone in my pocket so I got it out. For about two seconds I thought about calling 911, but then I began to think logically so I called my mother who said she would be right over and not to move. So I did the only thing I could think of doing and rolled a couple feet to my couch and put my leg up on it to keep it elevated and from getting any bigger. And then I felt it. It was so strange how delayed the pain was, but it was so bad I thought I was going to throw up or pass out, or both.

My mom got to my house about 10 minutes later (but it felt like two years later), put ice on my now baseball sized lump and made a splint from cardboard and bubble wrap. We drove to the ER and waited forever for a doctor to see me- but it was a little busy. They liked my mom's homemade splint and especially liked the bubble wrap, but they had to cut it off of me to look at my ankle. As soon as the doctor looked he said,"I want to say that it is definitely broken, but we have to get some x-rays first". So they wheeled me into the x-ray room and took pictures from every possible angle of my foot and ankle. Seriously, they just kept moving me around and taking more and more x-rays. Then they came back and said it wasn't broken but that it was severely sprained and that I was going to have to keep it wrapped, on ice and in a stabilizer for a while. The estimated healing time is 2-3 months...

I almost choked. I just bought a gym membership. I'm training to run the Hood to Coast race this summer. I'm just getting to where I like running again because it's getting easier for me. AUGH! I was told to pretty much stay off of it for the first couple of weeks and then use it minimally until it has healed. I'm going to do all I can to speed the healing process up. If you have any good tips let me know! For now I'm just going to have to settle with mat Pilates (only the moves where I don't have to stand or put much weight on my feet) and swimming only with my arms (we call these 'pulls', and they are a great upper body workout and anaerobic exercise.


3. I feel like I'm on hold in life. I've totally said this before however I feel like I'm ready to move forward with certain things and when I start to, I only get so far before someone puts the brakes on it and I'm stuck again. It's like waiting on the starting blocks for the race to begin- every muscle twitching and ready to fire and propel you forward but when you finally have the go ahead, you hear the false start whistle and you have to start over and wait again. GAH! I need the advanced copy of my life so I can read ahead and see that it turns out ok.

Also, I should have taken pictures of my ankle when it first happened, but I didn't. I will take some later tonight and post them for your grotesque enjoyment. The bruising has started to subside a little and the swelling has gone WAY down, but it also seems as if the swelling has started to spread out and make my whole foot puffy instead of just my ankle.

I wonder if they will give me my x-rays if I ask...