Monday, December 24, 2007

Now Hiring

I often have business ideas pop into my head. Usually, they are for other people. I've actually found one that could entertain me. Worm the personal historian? As in, someone hires me, I write their history, publish it in some manner - video, book, website - and then get paid. Why on earth did I think of such a thing? I have a research seminar coming up this next semester and we get to research any topic of our choosing. My usual stubborn self wants to do something with the Korean War. So I decided to peruse the local history archive, the Colorado Historical Society, and the Denver Public Library to get a general idea of what primary source information is out there. Nadda. Zilch. None. Big Fat Goose Egg. Not only does that suck like a vacuum, but it's incredibly depressing. In my quirky little brain, red lights were flashing, and it was like "Hey, not fair, someone should do something about that." The rabbit trail began...first it was like, I could track down Korean War veterans to record their story, then it just snowballed into an all out, choose your own adventure, rent your own historian type of thing. So, if anyone out there cares to be my guinea pig, just let me know.

My managerial position is already taken. I'll probably need a fax machine. And a forklift. Why? I don't know, I've just always wanted one. Oh, and a personal jet too. Do you think it's too late to tell Santa?

Sunday, December 23, 2007

101 in 1001

It's a bad thing to have time on my hands. As I was surfing the internet last night, I came across this Day Zero Project. Basically, the idea is that a person sets 101 goals to be completed in 1001 days, or a few months shy of 3 years. Reading up on some examples and what not, it was entertaining to see other people's lists and their goals. I particularly liked "Do a cartwheel, correctly" and "Color an entire coloring book." Most people know that I'm the procrastinator of all procrastinator's, but I can accomplish things when I set my mind to it. It would be more fun to suck some other people into this whole thing though. My powers of persuasion are at work...girlie girls?? You know you want to!

I'll keep thinking about it. Until then, I think I need some junk food or something to go along with this Christmas music that I'm listening to!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

A new post and a new blog!

It's like Christmas or something, right? Not only am I back at the helm of Worm's Word following a mind numbing semester, but I just fired up a new blog. Why? Apparently, I have nothing better to do with my time. Please visit Worm's Eye View daily. For reals! Ultimately, you'll get a new photo everyday. Everyone out there that knows what a procrastinator I am can stop laughing now. I know it's a stretch, but you don't have to laugh at me! A girl can try, can't she?

As for the 3.5 month disappearance...it really needs no explanation. Although, had I kept at it, I'm sure I would have had some funny, dramatic, coffee-induced blogs along the way. Maybe next semester. The reading list for next semester should be a little shorter so that may help me out some. I can provide some highlights from fall semester though. (I realize "highlights" is an exaggeration. Work with me here.)

  • Playing in cemeteries can be a lot of fun. It's not as creepy as most would think. It made me think about how cool genealogical work could be. Too bad I couldn't research my own family instead of 30 some people I really could care less about. Knowing that Arthur Takamine was the "Potato King" of Denver's Denargo Market and Tadaatsu Matsdaira was the first Japanese American in Colorado only serves to crown me champion of a local Jeopardy match.
  • No matter what Gavin Menzies says, China did not discover America in 1421. His book, cleverly entitled 1421: The Year China Discovered America, is a farce. Complete bologna. Seriously, Oscar Mayer should hire the guy. The most entertaining 6 hours of the semester was ripping apart his book from the sources on up. It really drove home the fact that if you write well enough and "dumb" enough, the general public will believe anything you say.
  • The West, as in America and Europe, is single-handedly to blame for the Middle East's, or the Orient's, inadequacy in modernizing, getting along, and generally, solving their own problems. For reals. An entire semester of beating that into my head - yeah, I didn't buy on day one, I still don't buy it 12 books later.
  • The Civil War isn't over. The battle continues and reading about the wacky southerners and their ongoing obsession and misunderstanding of the Civil War was fascinating. Tony Horwitz's Confederate in the Attic was a fun read but also alarming. It's a tad scary to think that even today, there is still a large number of people that think the South should rise again. I'm not talking about Dukes of Hazard rednecks either. It's sad really. Ignorance is not bliss...it's pathetic.
  • Grading sucks. If for some reason I ever consider being a teacher, someone slap me and remind me of the miserable hours upon hours that I spent grading undergraduate essays and exams. I fear for the future of this country.
Alrighty, I don't want to overdo it on my first day back! Comments are always welcome! After all, this thing doesn't pay any bills.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Mr. Rogers doesn't know squat.

Forget sweaters and trains and puppets (Someone was smoking something when they thought up that show), a cute dog is all one needs for a decent relationship with neighbors. Before Brinkley moved in, I knew of only Bob and Peggy Sue who share the same entryway cubby thing with me. For a year and half, I would have guessed it was just the three of us living in this huge complex because the place was like a ghost town. I never saw anyone else. Ever. In the month that I've had Brinkley I've realized that there is quite an eclectic mix of people that live in my complex.

Now I don't know names but people are recognizable and have been assigned descriptors until the day that I do learn their names.
  • Tall Freaky Guy is always wearing headphones and leaves for work at 10:00 every night. He always says hi to Brinkley and gives him a pat on the head when he walks past. Tall freaky man returns at about 5:45 in the morning. He always says hi to Brinkley when he walks past and gives him a pat on the head.
  • Old Business Man leaves for work at 7:30 in the morning. He must not like dogs because he never says hi to Brinkely but says hi to me. We have a cordial "Good morning" exchange and he continues on to the parking lot. I then wonder what he thinks about my pajamas. If I had my glasses on maybe I could read his expression.
  • Red Headed Younger Business Man walks a black lab through Brinkley's territory every other morning or so. He's not nice, nor his dog. Maybe if he had a nice dog like Brinkley, he'd be nicer. Or maybe he just doesn't like my pajamas.
  • Spotty Dog Lady is Brinkley's favorite. I know this because every time she says Hi, he pees. She loves Brinkley because he reminds her of the spotted dog from children's books that climbs under fences.
  • Then there's the Smoker. He introduced himself once but I forgot his name. He lives at the opposite end of the building and is always out on his patio smoking. He always calls Brinkley a she and I in a very creepy way, hits on me. I don't much care for him.
  • Springer Man is the nicest because he thinks I'm the Dog Whisperer or something. He walks his springer spaniel by every few days. He's always very impressed at how well behaved Brinkley is and says that I must be really good with him if he acts so well at such a young age.
I'm thinking of dressing Brinkley up and taking him around for trick-or-treating. Maybe he could snag us a few Snickers with his cuteness. Yes, I'm perfectly fine with exploiting my dog for the purpose of chocolate consumption!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Who doesn't love history?

As I was leaving class yesterday and walking out of the classroom building, I passed a class that was still in lecture. It had a powerpoint presentation of some sort. Long steps on how to do some equation or something. I had to chuckle to myself because I thought about how boring that must be day in and day out given the conservations that had just occurred in my Material Culture class. We had been discussing how changes in material culture can reflect larger changes in society. Our area of focus was the eve of the American Revolution when there was an increase an individualization. Houses got bigger because people wanted their own rooms and privacy. Ceramics flourished because instead of sharing one trough for food, people got their own place settings. Lots of things we take for granted today were just developing then. The professor told a story about working at Colonial Williamsburg and how they have butt scrapers as some of the material culture there. Butt scrapers being just that, rudimentary, reuseable toilet paper. Butt scrapers were chunks of bone with each person's named scratched on them... because of course, you wouldn't want to use someone else's butt scraper. It's hard to believe that everyone doesn't want to major in History with stories like that circulating in class. I know I'll never quite look at toilet paper the same way ever again!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Falling off the wagon.

I think I need a sponsor of some kind. I need a coin. I need a swift kick in the caboose!! The first week of school managed to put the stops to my somewhat frequent running. I ran on Monday. That was it. Even then, it was a simple two mile run. I'm kicking myself...ok, maybe I'm not - that would require too much leg movement.

I refuse to fall off of the wagon. It's too painful to get back on, dang it. At some point this summer I reached 5 miles. That seems so long ago. I shall not wither a way to a graduate student stuck in the library. I'm going to approach this like someone quitting smoking or losing an incredible amount of weight - baby steps not cold turkey. As long as I keep baby stepping along, I just won't stop running cold turkey. I can enjoy brief moments of athleticism amongst the many moments of reading until my eyes bleed. Grad school is a lifestyle change, I need to slowly adjust my schedule, not expect great things to happen over night. I'll soon be battling too demons though... school and cold weather! *sigh*

Bring it on! If there's one thing I learned from Little House on the Prairie it's to never lose sight of the wagon!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

I love weeds!

Hey all,

It's me, Brinkley! Wow, I can't believe I've been home for 3.5 weeks already! Mom says I'm growing like a weed. I don't know what that means but it must be good because I love weeds - they're delicious!! I try to grab some every time Mom takes me outside but she never lets me eat them. She never lets me eat anything outside. She says rocks are yucky but they're really not. She should try them sometime!

My favorite thing to do is chase Milo, but don't tell Mom that. Sheesh, does she get after me when I try to chase Milo. I won't hurt him, I just think it's funny to see the panic in his eyes and here him hiss. I also really love to chase the pheasant wing around. It takes a lot of concentration because there are so many smells outside. I try my best to keep my eyes on it and not move. Sometimes I can't resist though and have to chomp on it. It tastes SO good. I can't wait to find a real bird out in the fields.

Everyone loves me! Anyone that passes has to stop and pet me and tell Mom how cute I am. I try to sit still and behave so that Mom gives me hugs when they leave for being a good dog! I've learned to sit....mostly. Now I'm trying to learn "down" which is hard because I love being up so I can see everything. Mom says I'm doing a good job though and that I'll get it!!

I also had my first trip to the Vet the other day! A few pokes but nothing terrible. It wasn't such a bad place. I get to go back again so that should be fun! I like riding in mom's car. It's a good time to nap and rest up for the fun place she ends up taking me! Well, I better go. Milo is in sight and I can't just let him walk by unnoticed!!

~Brinkley Miles

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

This is just weird.

It's 10 a.m. and I am at home. It's just weird. I'm dancing around to music, cleaning, yelling "Brinkley, No!" every five minutes, and watching the time slowly tick away! Yes, I'm cherishing the moment. I realize this is only the beauty of the first week of classes where nothing has truly been assigned yet. I'll take whatever I can get.

Something else that's weird...the thoughts that bounce around in my head while I'm running. In the short time span of a two mile run, I have some pretty entertaining (at least to me!) thoughts. I decided to write a few down, just to have record of the randomness that keeps me running and helps to pass the time.

"Ok, the first five minutes is always a pain. Just keep running."

"Those people need to mow. I'm glad I don't have a yard. It would never get mowed."

"Ouch! Stupid crab apple. That had to of been the biggest crab apple ever. Right in the middle of the forehead. Son of monkey! I even ducked!"

"MMM, someone's barbecuing. That smells so good. I should barbecue more. I don't have anything TO barbecue. I should go to the store."

"I'm going to need to put gas in the motorcycle tomorrow. That would suck to run out. I'm lucky that hasn't happened yet."

"Holy crap! My shadow is huge! I must be 30 feet tall! NBA here I come."

"Hmmm, you'd think I'd be sick of this song by now. I should really change the tunes on this thing. I say that every time I'm out here. Grrr."

"I wonder if these people notice that I turn around in front of their house every other day or so. It's like the dog on the invisible leash. I can't go any further than their driveway or I'll get shocked!"

"Ugh. This has to be the dumbest sport ever. I hate running."

"Duck! Ouch. Holy crap - that was like the same *!@$in' branch! Stupid branch. I should go rip it off the tree. I'm sure the homeowners would appreciate that!"

"What was that joke...What did the man say after he walked into the bar? OUCH! What a stupid joke. Stupid branch."

"Jason's Deli sounds soooo good right now. Focus, you're almost done!"

"Blah. That sucked. Done and over with though. Maybe tomorrow will be better."

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Proof that I'm never growing up.

Tomorrow is the day! The much anticipated sequel to High School Musical hits the Disney Channel airwaves tomorrow night. And I'll be plopped in front of my TV just like every 12 year old in the country! Then to get the full geek effect, I watch the encore showing immediately following it!

Nothing makes for good television like teen angst and cheesy songs!

Go Wildcats!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

This textbook thing is a tad ridiculous.

So far the count is 23 books purchased for the upcoming semester. And I still have a few more to buy. I'm thinking of tallying some page numbers or something and making myself a countdown for survival and the end of the semester. Or maybe just counting down from 23 is enough. It looks like the average is about 400 pages per book. So, yeah, counting down from 10,000 plus isn't quite as appealing.

GTA training has been an adventure. Basically it has been 9 hours of redundant warnings that most incoming freshman are drastically below average in writing ability and that grading will take patience beyond all patience, and lots of what we don't have - TIME. Due to a massive grant, the history department has a huge incoming class of like 20 students. We all were lectured, er, I mean welcomed by the faculty. Their advice was this... We're scholars, not students. Reading is now our life. Yes it is hard. Initiative will get us through.

The pep talk just managed to freak me out. I only have a few more days of freedom and sanity before it all starts. I'm ready, but I'm SO not. The piles of books are watching me now.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

A boy and his toys.

Everywhere I look, there is a dog toy. They have names too. We've got Pig, Froggie, Jack, Giraffe, Hedgie, Harley, along with bone, ball, and rope. Brinkley must have two dozen dog toys spread around the house. Either he wants none or he wants them all. Furniture seems to be his favorite toy replacement but there are the moments where he gathers toys together as if creating his own little toy harem. If I could read his mind he's probably laughing and yelling, "They're mine. They're ALL mine!!"

He probably thinks his name is "Brinkley, No!" because those are the two most often used words of my vocabulary these days. He had his first bath adventure the other day after a long day visiting his grandparents. I would have taken pictures but my arm was pinned down my a wet Brinkley trying to climb to safety. He actually did fairly well so there is some hope that maybe one day he'll leave said limb alone.

I've also decided that he may have some type of evergreen fetish. There are smallish evergreen bushes that line the path from our condo door to the lovely green grass where Brinkley does his business. About 3 or 4 times a day, Brinkley has the urge to launch himself into these bushes as fast as a his uncoordinated body will allow. He dives in head first, does a few bounds, and then darts across the sidewalk and dives into the next unsuspecting bush. He criss-crosses in the same fashion all the way back to the door. It also must be some unbarked of puppy rule that's it necessary to grab one last twig or rock to bring to the door on the off chance that I won't notice. I always notice- after all, I didn't pay $5.99 for a squeaking lobster so he could chew on a free twig.

Friday, August 10, 2007

The Forgotten War no more...

As the next semester looms overhead, I find myself once again contemplating what it is exactly that I'm looking to get out of this whole grad school thing. A friend of mine recently posted a blog about her looming return to FSU to finish her Master's in Theatre and so much of what she wrote rang true with my own experiences. Grad school is probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. It's beyond the "challenging" I thought it would be. It's an entirely different level of challenging.

There's the saying that people go to grad school to delay entry into the real world - to live safely in the bubble of academia. The thing is though, there is NO bubble. Life goes on - bills still need to be paid, work still continues, and family obligations still exist. It's hard to explain the pressures of grad school to people, especially my family. Heck, I never understood all the spazzy grad students until I became one. It's just not a matter of going to class and having homework. I'm consumed by this. The amount of reading really is as ridiculous as it sounds. Chances are if I'm not reading, I SHOULD be reading. Weekends aren't breaks, they are the saving grace for the never-ending task of catching-up on the week before. It's an emotional roller coaster knowing that you are expected to be at your intellectual best every single day. Expectations are high, professors are incredibly demanding, assignments are ridiculous for the time period alloted, and there is not a moment from the beginning of the semester to its end that doesn't make one feel like the most inadequate person in the room.

So why am I putting myself through this? Now that I've started, why would I not finish? Seriously, knowing how hard it was and that I pulled myself through it, will be an amazing feeling. Over the summer I've been really thinking a lot about what I want to do after graduation, even though it is still three semesters and another internship away. In some respect, whether in archives or the museum field, I'd like to do something related to the Korean War. The so-called Forgotten War is the least studied, least memorialized, and certainly the least talked about. I have a problem with that. Growing up, it was a badge of pride to say both of my Grandpas fought in the Korean War. What that entailed for them, I don't know. I never asked. Now that I know more about history and am more aware of how we've come to be the country that we are, that neglect really disturbs me. They deserve better. With hope, I'll have the chance to rectify that with my grandpa that's still alive. The Korean War encompasses so much and has what seems to me, endless possibilities of research. I moved on that thought earlier this summer and started googling...it worked.


I got an email this morning from the Research Director of the Korean War National Museum. I volunteered a while back to help with a project that he has been working on. Plans and databases have been made so now it's time for me to actually get to work. I am officially a Professional Research Associate with the Korean War National Museum. And that's why I keep doing it all. I'll keep reading until my eyes bleed and keep drinking enough coffee to appear awake and intelligent. I'll keep putting my nose to the grind stone, and I'll keep shrugging off anyone's misunderstandings of what it is I am voluntarily putting myself through. I'll keep doing it for me, and I'll try my best not to let that get in the way of the "real life" I'm supposedly avoiding.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Take this job...

and shove it! Is it the 16th yet? I absolutely despise my job right now. Long story short - I was given a power point presentation to assemble for our boss's going away party. I've known him for 6 years, everyone else has known for about 20 years. No one felt like working on the power point so as with everything no one wants to work, they all pawned it off on ME. So I busted my ass for days working on all these really cool PhotoShop graphics, making the boss into Superman and Andy Griffith and stuff to put in the slideshow etc.. It was great. Everyone thought I was doing a wonderful job and now everyone is suddenly interested and have completely screwed with the basis of the presentation. It was great but now it looks like a 7 year old put it together because NO person in this office knows anything about simple graphic design concepts...stuff like making the font match and having 3 or 4 simple colors. That's just the tip of the iceberg on why I hate this place right now. I'm done in a week though - down to 20 hours a week! And 10 of those will be all by myself on Sundays so hallelujah! I hate stupid people. Stupid should hurt.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

LSD - does a body good.

Picture me splashing through tall grass and mud while running up a hill. Screen goes black and the "running is my anti-drug" logo pops up. LSD definitely has nothing to do with narcotics but a long slow distance run! I pulled a 5.1 mile run this morning that was humid but great! Longest run yet - woohoo! I was at one point running through tall grass and mud this morning because the trail had been flooded out after our flash flooding the other night. I'm pretty sure that during my sloshing around is when I lost the half of a Power Bar that I had in my back pocket. I really could have used that after about 45 minutes or so. I'm really drained now. A nap may be in order later today!

Ok, now on to something that deserves to be blogged about! I did a google image search of trail running to see if I could find some muddy runner or something, and THIS is what I found as #2!


I'm seriously considering becoming a full time trail runner now. And on the off chance that you actually noticed the words down at the bottom of the ad, it says "Runners, yeah, we're different."

Thursday, August 2, 2007

The world is just one big chew toy.

Grabbing anything and everything, whether at Brinkley level or not, has certainly made the world into one gigantic chew toy. After only a few days it's no longer a simple "NO!" and move on. It's now a "NO!" followed by picking whatever it is up and putting it up and out of sight or behind closed doors. I've got to hand it to the little guy, he's relentless. If he eventually focuses on hunting and running like he focuses on those things that he can't have or chew on now, then he'll be a world class gun dog and marathoner!

Speaking of marathoning... ok, not so much - I've got a four mile run planned for tonight. I'm hoping the weather holds out. The storm clouds seem to be building already. I'm exhausted but I know I need to get out there and run. Too bad I can't take the energizer dog with me when I go. Instead he'll just be recharging for another go at Milo while I'm gone.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Hello, August!

I finished July with a 3.3 mile run last night. That brought my total for July to 38.4 miles! I did the lake route but in the reverse direction from usual which did help to mix it up a bit. I've been ditching the watch at home for most runs lately. I really have no reason to keep track of how fast I am. No miracles are going to happen. It's not like I'm suddenly going to break a 10 minute mile or anything. I'm just running to get better and feel healthier, stronger. I don't think I'll worry about watching the clock until I start training for something more serious than a 5k.

While I don't know if it's feasible, I'm going to shoot for 50 miles for August! May as well try, I've got nothing to lose but weight! He he.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Goodbye, July!

Good grief, where did the month go? This summer has gone by so ridiculously fast. It's been a great summer though so that makes it all ok I suppose. I'm debating whether or not to quit everything (school AND work) to become a stay at home mom! It would be great until the savings disappeared!! I feel so bad leaving Brinkley in the mornings! He's doing really good with the crate training though. Last night he didn't even whine when it was time for bed. He was one tired puppy! We went to play with all of his cousins last night at the folks' house. There was lots of good food and family fun to celebrate some birthdays and an anniversary. Spice cake AND chocolate creme pie made up my dessert! Hmmm, maybe my mom can make Boston Creme Pie!?!? No, I haven't entirely given up on that! It's a food that even the thought of it makes my mouth water!

Anywho, Brinkley and I have had some good first days with only one pottie accident, which was entirely my fault because I wasn't paying attention. He loves all of his toys and Milo is even warming up to him a bit. He's three days for three now on spilling his entire water dish all over the carpet, so it's location will change very soon! He apparently likes empty dishes more than full ones. I'll post some Brinkley photos when I get the time...or maybe I'll just have him do it!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Bark! (translation = hello!)

Hello everyone! Brinkley Miles is the name! Brink for short. My mom told me that I'd be famous. She said she was posting my pictures all over this thing called the internet. I don't know what that is but she said people sure thought I was cute. I told her that I was handsome, not cute...that's for girl pups! Yuck! My mom came to visit on Sunday. She says that we'll finally be going home this Sunday. I can't wait to go home. She probably has lots of stuff that I can chew on. She even has a cat named Milo that I can chase around and harass. That will be loads of fun. Gosh, is it Sunday yet? I sure wish I knew what days were.

~Brinkley

That's how it ends?? Really?

After blazing through 759 pages to find out the fate of Harry Potter, I was slightly disappointed. While I'm not going to go into the details because I know there are people out there that would kill me if I told them things before they had the chance to find out for themselves, I'll just say that for all of the hype and the build-up to Harry and Voldemort's final match-up, the Potter story ended with a fizzle rather than a bang, in my opinion. Maybe it's because I've only been finished with the book for less than 24 hours and I'm still a tad bitter about some of the directions taken - namely the overly sappy and unnecessary Epilogue. *sigh* I will miss Harry Potter. And maybe one day upon a repeat reading, I'll think this book provided a rightful and fitting end to the story of the boy wizard that captured my imagination for as long as it did.

Friday, July 20, 2007

I'm no longer a patient person!

At least for the next 9 days, I'm no longer a patient person! I've spent all of 45 minutes with my future son and I'm hooked. The time is creeping by slower than it did when I was waiting for my much anticipated Washington D.C. vacation. I have everything a dog could possibly need - squeaky toys, chew toys, bouncy toys, soft toys, toys that look like lobsters, toys for teething. I have treats, food, cute dishes, leashes, and a bed. Most importantly, I have love!! Cheesy, yes! But I'm TOTALLY okay with that because I'm finally getting a dog! Woohoo! Sure, it's not a beagle named Copper or a golden retriever named Simon, but there's a quote on my friend's myspace page that says, "Sometimes on the road to your dream, you get lost and find a better one." That's not to imply the only dream I have in life is owning a beagle named Copper, etc., but sometimes the best things in life just fall into place. Sure, I'd been thinking about getting a dog (for like 2 years now), but it was this little guy that finally made me cave and say, yeah, I'm ready and I don't care what other people are telling me I should or shouldn't do. Even though he doesn't have a name yet, I know we'll be just fine. I may lose some shoes and other various belongings along the way but that's what makes it all the more fun!! If only it could be the 29th already!!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Springside Sage: Wisdom not included.

I've finally painted my bathroom after only 18 months of indecision! Springside Sage was the color of choice. Unfortunately it didn't come with additional sage for the mind. I could have used that wisdom last night when I decided to start painting at 9:30. While I was certainly proud of myself for accomplishing the task, now that it's the day after and I'm running on only a few hours of sleep, I think the painting should have waited. Once again, I vote for mandatory naps!

While painting, I watched (mostly listened to) Sweet Home Alabama. It's another favorite movie of mine that I can never get enough of. I like all of the South/Civil War jokes that are made throughout the movie. Maybe I can use the movie as "research" next semester when we talk about how the civil war is still the most prominent thing that drives southern culture and collective memory. Repeat viewings would be absolutely necessary!

*sigh*

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Phil Collins is stalking me!

It's on the radio right now. For reals - second time this morning.

You cant hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
Just trust in a good time
No matter how long it takes...

That's just freaky.

Monday, July 16, 2007

"You Can't Hurry Love"

"Oh! You just have to wait. Love don't come easy. It's a game of give and take..."

All day long, over and over in my head, this song kept repeating itself. It's one of those days. I said the heck with my run for the evening so that I could watch Runaway Bride. It's one of those feel good movies that gets better each time I watch it. It has some of the best lines and the chemistry between Gere and Roberts is so much fun to watch. All of the characters are hilarious. It's like the Stars Hollow of the big screen. Living in an oddball small town like Hail, Maryland would be so much fun. Guaranteed smiles everyday knowing that you could listen to "Wake up with Flem" on the radio and visit Curl Up & Dye for your daily fix of quirkiness!

Just the whole idea of "getting your ducks in a row" and not turning in your running shoes until you find the one person that causes you to suddenly forget how to climb a fence is pretty heart warming. And I needed that today.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

All Dirt 5k Race Report

If there ever is a chance of me winning some type of running award, it will probably be for this race. I'm not sure the total number of 5k participants because runners were mixed in with the dualthoners but there weren't many. Maybe the women ahead of me were older; maybe there were only 3 runners total for the female 20-29 age group; maybe I really was the only one on the trail?? At times it certainly seemed like it after everyone left me in the dust, zooming up the side of the mountain at the start of the race.

The trail was fun! It was about a foot wide and had various switchbacks between ravines and over creeks. It was fun dodging rocks and running through the tall grasses. The trail provided a great view of the lake and much more pleasing smells than suburbia!

For a brief moment, I know with absolute certainty, I was last. Then the runners ahead of me started dropping like flies. I've seen a shirt that reads, "Is it rude to count out loud as you pass people?"...or something like that. After seeing the look on their faces as a slowly trudged pass, I can confidently answer yes to the question now. The pack dwindled as the 5k'ers went one way and all others went another way. Towards the end, I passed one more runner. It was an uphill finish which was very hard! I was breathing incredibly hard and the people towards the end weren't cheering or anything unlike with the Firecracker 5k. There were very few spectators. Most people standing around were part of the Dualthalon or the team relay so there wasn't much hoo-rah at the end. The clock read 35:00-ish but I'm waiting to see the posted results. Maybe enough flies dropped that I can pull a top 3 or 5 finish. LOL - I'll take it however I can get it!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Bleh, I say.

My "To Do" list seems to be growing faster than I can take care of anything on it. That's not so great considering that I have under 4 weeks now until the responsibilities of school get piled on top of everything. Bleh, I say. I love school. It's one thing I know that I'm good at. But I could really use a vacation before it all begins. A real vacation - not one to PoDunk, America or one that gets cut short because someone close to me has a heart attack. Yeah, I know it's not going to happen. Bleh, I say. Being pulled in 20 directions isn't fun. There are only so many hours in the day and lately it seems, other than sleeping, the time I get running is about my only "me" time. I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm just saying "Bleh." I like the variety that my chaotic schedule provides, I just wish I could just stop the clock every once in a while.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

I Don't Like Mondays

Mondays usually don't faze me. Maybe it's because Monday really isn't my Monday because of my screwy schedule. Sunday has been my Monday for a while now. Yesterday, however, was most definitely a Monday in every way possible. And just like everything else in my life, I can relate my craptastic Monday to something on The West Wing. Yes, I'm that obsessed. Good television can do that to a person.

The Season 4 opener has a musical montage at the end set to a song called, "I don't like Mondays." And in grand Sorkin fashion, the gloomy song is juxtaposed to one of the most loved President Bartlett speeches in which he says, "The streets of heaven are too crowded with Angels tonight..." after a pipe bomb killed 44 people on the Kennison State campus. It always makes me think of Sam saying, "Oratory should raise your heart rate. Oratory should blow the doors off the place." Yeah, it should. Too bad there's not much of that around these days. Anywho, crappy Mondays always remind me of the montage. The clip below only covers the speech, the montage is longer...

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Run, Worm, Run!

The Firecracker 5k was just a jog in the park - literally! I'm happy, no...I'm ecstatic! When the alarm went off this morning I wasn't too thrilled but I got to moving and then I got excited. There were way more people at the race this year than a few years back when I went to watch. The newspaper said they were expecting 800 or more. There were definitely more of us than that.

I was quite a ways back in the pack when the race started. It's a fun start, it just kind of goes down a hill and you kind of curve off onto the road by the lake. After one trip around the lake, it's back down the same road with the start line and back down the hill and then out for a wider loop around the park and golf course.

I didn't have any major problems along the way. I just settled in at my pace and tried to not let all the crazy people bug me. I did grab a water at the 2 mile marker. Water up the nose wasn't very fun, but it did clear the sinuses, which helped! I was beginning to notice the heat on the last stretch back to the lake. There wasn't as much shade then. I started to speed up a bit but probably not as soon as I should have or as hard as I should have. The last 500 yard stretch up the hill to the finish was fun. There were a lot of people hollering and stuff so that's always a good time.

I didn't hit my watch right away so when I did later down the chute it was 34:20. Not too shabby. That doesn't include the 30 seconds or so it took to actually get past the start line at the beginning. The official time will probably around 35:00. I'll take it! They have another race on the same course in August that I'll shoot for. I'll try to improve my time now that I've actually run the course!!

Now I can just kick back and take the rest of the day easy! The history geek in me really wishes that I owned 1776 The Musical so that I could jam out to some, "Vote for Independency!" Ah well, bring on the fireworks!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

My boys are back!

Yes, my boys. Hanson. The pinnacle of my fangirl geekiness is my hidden fascination with these boys. Successfully putting their "mmmBop" days behind them, they are releasing their fourth album The Walk on July 24th. That makes me happy. I can proudly admit that I wasn't a fan during the long-haired "mmmBop" days but discovered them when they hit their rock like stage a few albums later. I think the last CD that I actually purchased was their last one.

I'm enjoying their Underneath Live DVD at the moment - great stuff. It seems I'm much more comfortable airing my oddities these days and I can guarantee that if they ever come within the state lines again for a show, I'm SO there. I'm seriously debating whether or not to buy the shirt from their website that says, "Hanson - Freshly Squeezed Rock 'N' Roll." I love me some cheese!

iWantOne!


I just said no to Furbies. I refused to participate in Beanie Baby mania. I even managed to avoid the Tickle Me Elmo. I'm not so sure however that I'll be able to avoid the iPhone craze. I was playing around on the Apple site (bad, Worm) and I've decided that I need an iPhone. Yes mom, just like a need another hole in my head! When I read about the plan through my carrier Cingular, er, I mean AT&T (talk about a company with an identity crisis!) I didn't realize it came with the unlimited data thing. Spiff! If only the phone itself didn't have that $499 price tag. I figure by the time my phone is up for renewal, the price will have dropped a tad and I'll get some type of discount for renewing, again. Just imagine - I could blog from anywhere, anytime. What's that?? You're willing to donate to the cause! Perfect! Simply address all checks to Worm, One Door Shy Of the Nuthouse, Colorado!

Sunday, July 1, 2007

I Ain't Quittin' You!

I've seen Brokeback Mountain. I've also seen what seems to be the hundreds of spoofs of the infamous, "I wish I knew how to quit you" line. None of them top Owen Wilson's perfectly delivered "I Ain't Quittin' You!" line in Night at the Museum. I have no idea why I didn't expect it coming though. After watching the little sparticus man Octavius yell, "Save yourself" and cowboy Owen yell his Brokeback line, I'm not sure any other response would have been as hilarious. I laughed loud enough that it scared my cat right off the back of the couch. It was a fun movie. If I ever work for a museum, I'd love for that to happen to me! It would be even better if I could pick just what in the museum came to life! While I'd love to play fetch with Rex and wander about with Teddy Roosevelt, hanging out with Neanderthals wouldn't be much fun - I get enough of that in real life!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Firecracker 5k or Bust!

It's official - I'm going to run the Firecracker 5k on Wednesday. I couldn't resist. It's a flat course and in town. I may not set a PR but at least I'll get a nice 3.1 mile run in first thing in the morning! I'm already nervous. Will I cramp? Will I go out too fast? Will I have to walk? Will I be last? Gotta love it. While I was at the running store I also signed up for the All Dirt 5k in two weeks. That should be interesting. My evening's plans kind of fell apart so I'm not so patiently waiting for the temperature to drop so I can go running. When all else fails - RUN! Niiiiiice stress buster.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Me and my cheese!

Most internet quizzes that determine your personality based on random questions are pretty laughable - and predictable. I once took one to find out which Gilmore Girl I was most like. Color me shocked when the person I was most like turned out to be the person I clicked to be my favorite character. I was impressed with the sandwich personality match up - it's like the internet read my mind...especially on the ham sandwich part - yuck!

You Are a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

You are a traditional person with very simple tastes.
In your opinion, the best things in life are free, easy, and fun.
You totally go with the flow. And you enjoy every minute of it!

Your best friend: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Your mortal enemy: The Ham Sandwich

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Another craptastic day in the neighborhood.

I haven't felt this grumpy in a long time. I feel like death on a triscuit. I slept until 10:00 (oops) and all I want to do is go back to bed. It's cloudy here and lightly sprinkling, so basically the weather isn't helping my mood much. My run last night was great... at least in terms of me finally running 4 miles. Everything else about my run sucked. Along the way I thought I was going to die. At one point I stopped, bent over, fully expecting to leave my afternoon snack on some New Englander's front lawn. I'm sure they would have appreciated that. I really should have taken better notes the first time around because I know I had this same feeling once before. (Note to self: Just say no to bananas before ANY run.)

I stayed up too late watching The Departed. It's one long frickin' movie! Basically it's 2.5 hours of the Boston Mafia vs. Boston Cops - lots of rats, shoot 'em ups, whispering calls, text messages, and f-bombs. The Bostonian accents were probably the most entertaining part of the whole movie. It was predictable. I wasn't on the edge of my seat or anything. In the acting department, I was a tad disappointed with Matt Damon. Leonardo DiCaprio wiped the floor with him in that respect. They are in two different leagues in my opinion.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Naps should be mandatory.

I hadn't planned on taking a nap yesterday, it just sort of happened. There I was reading about the Korean War and enjoying the cool breeze from my air conditioner and then lights out! I couldn't have fought off that nap with all of MacArthur's army on my side. It was a good nap too. I didn't toss and turn. It was the nice deep sleep kind of nap. It really made me wish that naps were mandatory, like in preschool.

I'd be perfectly content with having to roll out a little nap mat every afternoon for a little timeout, refresher nap. Maybe that's what the world needs - just one mandatory nap everyday. It could have a domino effect ... less disgust and stress with work could lead to less road rage, fewer accidents and cheaper car insurance. People would be refreshed, have more energy to exercise and become healthier, leading to cheaper health insurance. People then could use their new healthy bodies to commute to work by bicycle, making us all less dependent on oil and ultimately ending the war and saving the earth from global warming!! We could all play and nap safely in our own separate corners of the world. Oversimplified and quixotic??? Just a tad, I know. Maybe I'll call up Obama or someone and tell them my plan to save the world. We could start with a grassroots campaign. "Stop the war. Take a nap." "Guns for pillows." "Have you had your nap today?"

Sunday, June 24, 2007

The glass is half full...

While the working six days a week thing is getting old, I have managed to think of one upside to being stuck inside the office for 10 hours every Sunday. Working keeps me safely inside my climate controlled office - ok, freezing office - for a majority of the day. By the time I finally get home, it's a much better temperature for running. I had a great run this evening which is encouraging following my craptastic run yesterday. My pants are looser! And I'm not nearly as stiff and sore by day's end as I usually am. Progress! I love it! I finally broke 10 miles for the week. I came in at 11.3 miles!

Netflix rocks! Have I said that before?

The first movie of the weekend was kind of a disappointment. I'd heard such wonderful things about Memoirs of a Geisha that I probably had my expectations too high. It was good, just not excellent. In all of my Japanese studies it never seemed that there was ever anything close to resembling a fairy tale ending for any geisha. Entertainers yes, prostitutes no - that's what all the Ivory Tower types say. For once Hollywood probably tells the more realistic side with men bidding on a geisha's virginity. It's an odd happy ending in that geisha gets her man kind of way - kind of like Pretty Woman but with an eastern Asia, mid-20th century twist. It may be one of those movies that would be better upon second viewing. Only one worm thumb up.


I know I've already professed my geekiness once before in this blog with admitting my love for N'Sync and thus, Justin Timberlake, but in a totally unbiased opinion, JT can act! Ok, so maybe it's not entirely unbiased. It's hard to be unbiased when someone is that hot! Drugs, f-bombs, cigarettes, tattoos, guns, and one 15 year old kid that gets popped - perfect combination! Seriously, I had a glimmer of hope that Frankie (JT) would pull through in the end and save the kid from being riddled with bullets, but then the movie wouldn't be based on a true story, and we can't have that now can we? I actually felt sorry for Frankie. Me, sorry for a criminal?? Hmm, again, JT can act. And he's hot. All tattooed up and everything. Grrr. Two worm thumbs up!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Someone pass the Kleenex.

Bleepin' allergies. This is what I get for actually working. I set a deadline at work to get this massive project done before the fall semester starts, which ultimately means that I have to get my rear out of the office and into the field. Apparently the field wasn't happy to see me because over the past week and half my allergies have gradually been getting worse. A crummy night of sleep last night (thanks to my pain in the arse cat) probably didn't help my situation. Today has been, by far, the most craptastic of allergy days.

And it's dorrito casserole night at the folks' place. Basically it means the forces of nature are working against me for a run tonight. Not only will I be bogged down from the greasy, cheesy dinner, but I won't be able to be breathe through my nose - should be a good time, yeah? I'll just keep reminding myself that a short run is better than no run.

It's been a while since I've had a movie mention. No worries - Netflix and I still remain friends. I even bumped up to three movies at a time for the summer. Earlier this week I watched Blood Diamond. I'm not the biggest fan of Leonardo DiCaprio but usually end up liking whatever film he is in, Blood Diamond continued that trend. The rough Aussie accent was a bit distracting at first but by the end I thought the whole movie had been well acted. I don't normally just sit down and watch a movie, but I couldn't help but plop for the last 30 or so minutes of this film. It was a great story with a good message that wasn't overly preachy. I was never a big fan of diamonds to begin with, but if on the off chance I do end up getting married in this lifetime, I think I'll forgo the traditional diamond ring. That's probably not surprising to the people who actually know me.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Give me fuel...

I have no energy. Zilch. None. I'm munching on a PowerBar and hoping beyond on all hope that it's the magic ticket today. It's been almost a week since I ran. I have a charlie-horse pain in my left calf that's gradually been getting worse. I think it's my body protesting to my being a bum and half the last 6 days. Camping was fun but I ate too much junk food while I was gone. I'm sure that's going to come back to haunt me. I'm ok with that though because campfire smores are totally worth it!

And I'm now officially under the month-to-go mark before my second ever 5k. I better pick it up a notch if I don't want to look like a complete granny-with-a-walker when it comes time to run. I should probably try hitting a dirt trail or two before then too. I'm sure I'd run much faster when I started seeing all the rattlesnakes that hang out up by the reservoir. Four minute miles would be a snails pace compared to what I'd be running!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

More Rain??

I got to take a trip down memory lane on Monday - literally. I'm house-sitting near where I used to live back when I first started running a few years ago so I decided to run one of my old routes. Even though I've only been running for a couple months now, I felt much stronger running the short route this time around than I ever did running it before. Maybe it was just in my head, but the 2 miles were easy, and I'm certain that I was running faster than I ever did back then.

Last night it was raining cats and dogs so I didn't get in the run I had planned. I'm really sick of the rain. So instead of running, I watched RV with Robin Williams. Hilarious movie! It makes me want to rent an RV and travel across the country with my family. I think we could put the family in the movie to shame though with the amount of misadventures my family would run into. Between my dad stopping to look at every animal we passed, my mom stopping to let the dogs out every half hour and me stopping at every coffee shop and bookstore along the way, it would take us weeks just to get out of the state.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Cancer sticks made pretty.

I can only hope that someday down the road, the greedy nut jobs that came up with the new color scheme for the Camel cigarettes realize just how much of a disservice they have done for society. Nothing says sleek and sexy like cigarettes marketed like the latest perfume. No.9? As in love potion number 9? Smooth advertisement. I'm sure the execs bought this one hook, line, and sinker. It brings back the days of Joe Camel and Camel Cash - explicitly marketing towards the younger generation. I could think of a handful of people who would kill to get their hands on these cigs just because the box would match the latest Razor phone. The sad part is that none of them are 18. I'm sure it will only be a couple months before the box is decked out in yellow or orange and has the stylish name of Deuce or Ace for the younger male crowd. The kicker - it's illegal advertising. The lawsuits have already begun but it's comparable to trying to put out a wild fire simply by spitting on it. Although to Camel, I'm sure it makes no difference whether the campaign sticks around or not because the 1,000s of new smokers they will gain just in the campaign's inevitably short life will far outweigh any legal costs.

Every 6.5 seconds, someone in the world dies of a smoking related disease - in the U.S. that means 340 people a day. 1/3 of all youth smokers will eventually die of a tobacco related illness. As long their customers keep dying, companies have to keep recruiting. Big tobacco spends $36 MILLION per day on advertisements. Sadly, the pink camel is but a drop in the bucket.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

"Power Ballads" are the greatest.

Another close to a successful week. I'm pleased with how well my running has been going. I had a strong week. So far I think I'm sitting at about 7.0 miles total for the week. And I think I may have a few more left in me! I hope. I'm really liking the lake route. It's nice and hilly so it helps break up my stride a little bit and use different muscles. I'm still working on the new play list for my .mp3 player. It needs some serious work. I have my certain "power ballads" though. Yes, power ballads. What else should I call them? These are the ones, without fail, that give me the extra boot in the caboose and get me over the hill or to the next mile marker.

Worm's Top 5 "Power Ballads!"

1. "We Didn't Start The Fire" by Billy Joel
Maybe it's the history geek in me, maybe it's the fact that this song inspired me to go grad school, maybe it's just that it's someone shouting really loud and the rythm is fast, but I love this song!! I know I'm holding pace if I struggle just a little to sing along.

2. "Jet Airliner" by Jefferson Airplane
This is the unexpected one. Thanks to the final season of The West Wing and a kick ass video montage featuring the hustle and bustle of campaigning for President, this song always gets me in a happy, funky mood.

3. "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard
This is the cheesiest of all cheesy songs and I'm still trying to figure out why it always gets me running faster....and wanting to shout "POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME!!"

4. "Me and My Gang" by Rascal Flatts
It's like country N'Sync. As long as they don't start doing coordinated dance moves in their videos, I think I'll be ok.

5. "Lean on Me" by The Temptations
It's one of those determination songs. I just wish I weren't out in public when I was running so that I could belt out the lyrics! "We all need somebody to lean on..." Sometimes by the end of the run, I could really use somebody to lean on. This song usually fixes that problem!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

One job that I would not want...

I will never be a morning runner. Ever. I'm just go to wave the white flag and say never again. I love sleep too much to disrupt it by bounding out of bed and running. I've skipped running the last few days because of thunderstorms in the evening. I think the weather will hold out today so I may be able to get back out there finally.


I've found a job to add to the list of ones that I would never want. I was reading news articles this morning and came across one about construction workers uncovering a mass grave in Ukraine. Not so surprisingly, it's from the Holocaust near an area that Hitler was using for a camp in 1941. I know construction is a great trade and all, especially here in the U.S., but I just can't imagine some of the things that have been unearthed in Europe. A construction worker in Europe would almost have to expect a discovery like that every time a project was started. Whether it was the millions that died in "no man's land" during the trench warfare of The Great War or the millions more taken during WWII, it seems that every area would have remains of some kind.

In the young life of the U.S., we've lost soldiers and civilians during war time but it's nothing like that of Europeans. And most of our casualties were overseas, in the same "no man's land," alongside the British and French corpses. The only significant loss of life on the home front would have been during the Civil War when streams and rivers literally ran red with blood. The bloodiest day of fighting on U.S. soil saw only 23,000 casualties at the Battle of Antietam in 1862. I say only because really 23,000 compared to the million or more casualties taken at numerous battles during WWII is just a drop in the bucket. Some 72 MILLION deaths are scattered across Europe from World War II alone. Add on the 19 million from WWI and it seems that not an inch of ground would go untouched by death.

What I find interesting though is the battlefields of the Civil War, Revolutionary War, and Pearl Harbor are preserved. The mass graves of Gettysburg, Antietam, and Vicksburg are hallow grounds, forever preserved from the forces of construction. Construction workers in a America typically don't have the problem of uncovering mass graves. If Europe enshrined all their battlefields, it seems as though no one would have anywhere to live.

Yes, one article made me think this much. I just think Americans take a lot for granted. Sure, we have had a rough and tumble history for only being 230 years old, but it's probably a walk in the park to what most countries have experienced.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

"Pop" Coincidence

A hidden gem in the mass of romantic comedies, Music and Lyrics starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore was funny and charming. I'd never heard of the movie, but based on previous selections, Netflix recommended it. So who am I to disagree with Netflix? Maybe they figured I needed some direction after choosing Tristan and Isolde and History Boys all on my own.

Playing a "has been" 80s pop star, Grant lands a duet with the teenie bopper of the moment who's similar to the psycho Britney Spears not the post Mickey Mouse club, JT's girl, Spears. Required to write the song they are going to sing together, Grant's character discovers his oddball plant waterer (Yeah, I said plant waterer. I so need me one of those!) has a hidden talent with words. He ropes her into being the lyricist for the song he composes. It's a humorous little adventure that has Grant pathetically shaking his booty around like a parent two generations shy of coolness while also playing the hero by writing his own song to get the girl. I'm still trying to figure out if Grant did his own singing. It kind of sounded like him. The songs were in good spirit. Certainly not Grammy worthy but for an unheard of movie, they weren't too bad!

One of the songs that had made Grant's character famous in the 80s was called "Pop!" The film even had a VH1 style flashback thing at the beginning of the movie with a cheesy music video and all. Anywho, the connection of the day - there always seems to be a connection - is two-fold. Stay with me here... remember, a movie about a has been and a song named "Pop!" So my family's annual garage sale was yesterday and an N'Sync shirt of mine was sold for the purpose of a white elephant present. I'd hang my head in shame but I have no regrets! The three concerts of theirs that I went to were incredible! Ok, laugh if you must. I'll wait. So, back to the connection...I'm almost certain that N'Sync can be considered a group of has beens, excluding JT, of course, AND they had a song named "Pop!" Coincidence much! And just for the record, N'Sync's "Pop" is way better than the one in this movie! For reals, y'all.

Friday, June 1, 2007

What day is it?

Ok, it's time for a collective yawn! Yaaawwwnnnn! Is it only Friday? This has been an incredibly long week. At least I can say that it's been a long week that included running!! I even squeezed in some biking, which was a painful experience all on its own. I'll hold that fun for later though.

I ran the same lake route again on Wednesday after work. Thankfully, it was thunderstorm free. It was so much easier the second time around. I dropped two minutes off my time! I'll just pat myself on the back for staying properly hydrated and fed prior to the run. My one recurring thought throughout the run was, "Different song. Different song. Mmmm, Boston creme pie. Different song." Ever since I got lost on the East coast on Monday, I cannot get Boston creme pie off my mind. If I knew how to bake a Boston creme pie, I'd do that. But I don't know how, so the goal for my lovely Friday night is to change the playlist on my .mp3 player! I sure know how to paint the town red.

I've decided that the saying about once you learn how to ride a bicycle, you'll never forget, or however it goes, needs revised. Sure, a person may always know how to ride a bicycle, but a person needs to be reminded of the pain it can cause riding again after a long, long time. I just think the disclaimer tacked on there would be helpful, you know, lower expectations. I had a goal - I'd get to a certain point and see how long it took me to get there. That way I could roughly estimate how long it would take me to ride to work. I figured it'd be a piece of cake, just a nice ride in the park. I was cursing the man who designed the bicycle around mile two! I'm convinced I was riding uphill both ways! The world must have shifted on its axis or something. I'm sucking wind, even some bugs, like no other. My legs were burning, and joggers were passing me... ok, so maybe it wasn't that bad. Runners were passing me! I've gained an entirely new admiration for Lance Armstrong after that adventure. I shall trudge on though.

Last night I watched Freedom Writers. Two worm thumbs up! By far, the best movie I have seen by way of Netflix this year. Pirates 3 was pretty great but that's a whole different category of movie. I like movies that are about inspiring teachers. Maybe that's part of the reason why I was disgusted with History Boys. Yeah, that memory isn't going away any time soon. Anywho, there's something about reading and learning and seeing the "light bulb go off" that is just really cool to watch on screen. It was nice to see history used in a relevant way as well. It always makes me cringe to hear someone say history doesn't matter because it was in the past and it's over. Well, using the Holocaust to teach about hatred during the L.A. riots makes history pretty darn relevant. The acting was excellent too. I'd never seen Hilary Swank in a film before and I was impressed. It kind of grumped me out that Patrick Dempsey's character had to be an ass but the world does have it's very share of meanie heads. Pair this one up with The Ron Clark Story and it would make a very inspiring night. Or at least make you have faith that not every kid from the hood is on a dead end path.

So, another week down. Another busy day off ahead of me. For now, I think I'll pop in my next Netflix movie and veg for a bit. I'm really enjoying this no classes, no homework thing!!

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Conspiracy and cookies.

There is no way I can sit through a three and half hour movie without doing something else at the same time. Watching Titanic in the theater doesn't count because I was in high school and my friends and I had sneaked half a convenience store's worth of sugar in with us. Resigned to being stuck inside last night because of craptastic weather and too stubborn to head to the gym to run on the treadmill, I decided I'd take a "rest day" after running my longest distance in 6 months on Monday. So while baking oatmeal dark chocolate chunk cookies, I watched the movie of the evening, Oliver Stone's JFK, a brain buster that is supposed to get you thinking about who killed JFK and why.

Now, I'm a JFK assassination conspiracy geek. I own the Warren Commission Report, I've read the autopsy (the photographs=nasty stuff), I've seen the Zapruder film like a million times, and I've read enough books about the subject that I could write my own screenplay. I'd been putting off watching the movie because I figured it would never live up to my expectations. Turns out that I was right. It didn't come close. I was especially annoyed at the diatribe about extra protection being called off and the Secret Service being understaffed that day as if to make them appear like their hands were clean in the whole subject. Maybe the information about the agents in the trailer car getting smashed and partying until 4am on Nov. 23rd wasn't available in 1991 when the movie was made, but I really doubt that. Had they not been hungover, maybe they could have spotted a rifle propped out a window or up on the grassy knoll. Or maybe they would have been sharper in the mind to notice the motorcycle cops were trailing behind rather than beside the President, leaving him to become a sitting duck. Or maybe... I'll stop now before I ramble even more. The movie could have been better, MUCH better. I'll just leave it at that.

The cookies were good though. I'm sure I'll be cursing them this evening on my run.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Lost in the suburban jungle.

My plan was just to take a quick little run around the lake and loop back home. After a nice warm up, I crossed the street and headed up the hill. This was new territory for me. I'd charted my path with the trusty Google pedometer thingy bopper. My memory was telling me that it was about a 1.5 mile loop around the lake. All I had to do was pick the right path whenever confronted with a fork in the road. And that's what I did.

The rolling hills were a nice change of pace. The drivers speeding by at 45mph or so were a tad worrying, especially when I ran out of sidewalk and had to hop onto the asphalt. For about a quarter mile I felt like I had been displaced to the East coast. Along the shoreline there was a little sailboat and some little ivy league style crew boats lined up. It made me think of Boston. I'd like to go back to Boston some day. And eat Boston Creme Pie while in Boston. It just seems like it would be superior there than anywhere else.

I could see the lake during most of the run so I knew that I'd at least stayed to the right as planned. I noticed a traffic light through trees and thought, "That's not right." I glanced behind me, as I often do, just to make sure no creepy Home Alone vans are following me and noticed a runner and his golden retriever hot on my tail. The din of the dog tags got closer. I was surely going to be passed, but they went left and I went right and that's when I began to think that something had gone wrong. My thoughts..."Landings??? You've got be kidding me? I'm so not where I should be." I was about a mile past where I thought I was going to come out. FUN! So I head east thinking that I'll just keep running until it hurts and then I'll walk.

I kept plugging along. I was in the groove. I wasn't breathing hard and my .mp3 player and various other random thoughts, like Boston Creme Pie, kept me running. I made it all the way to where I began without stopping for a single walk break!! 32:36 minutes. Woohoo! It had to have been at least 3 miles, I thought. According to the stupid Google thing, it was 2.7 miles, which, once again, confirms my turtle tendencies! So me running the Boston Marathon - at least any time soon - may be a bit of a stretch. I guess I can take comfort in knowing that I can tackle a Boston Creme Pie any day of the week!

Monday, May 28, 2007

....definitely the road less traveled.

After a weekend of fun with the girls I managed to go running yesterday. It probably wasn't the greatest idea to head out running in the afternoon with only coffee and a turkey sandwich in my stomach. It was incredibly hot. Ok, I know 85 degrees isn't hot, but I don't spend much time outdoors during the daylight hours these days so it was hotter than I expected. Mix the heat with being dehydrated and you get me struggling for most of the three miles. Water is my friend, heat is not. At least I managed to run instead of calling it a day and plopping on the couch.

I got some quality time with my nephew last night. He's growing like a weed. My brother needs to stop watering him or something. It turns out that my brother's neighbors are the parents of a bunch of kids we went to elementary through high school with. So they ended up popping over to say Hi. All of their kids that we went to school with are married and have kids. Now that my brother and his wife are the perfect white picket fence family, I always feel like the freak of the family when it comes to the updating other people on the family going-ons. My parents can brag about their grandson, and even my Idaho brother being a cop now. My story always seems to be the same - single, no kids, still in school, and a few cats shy of becoming the freaky cat woman/old maid.

It's all good though. I'll get there eventually - in a very long, roundabout way. I just wish there wasn't this weird stigma attached to still being in school. My mom always says, "I don't know where you got that gene for liking school so much." Neither do I, but I'm glad I have it because it terrifies the crap out of me to think about where I'd be now if I hadn't gone to UW or decided to go back to school to get my Master's. I just have that feeling I wouldn't be as happy and optimistic as I am now had I taken another path.

Oh, and working all day, by myself, in this huge building, is incredibly boring.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Ivory Tower Inadequacy

It amazes me how one hallway can be so intimidating while at the same time be so welcoming and inspiring. It makes no difference what time of day, what my mission is or how long I'm there, a visit to the History department is always a thought provoking trip. I get this overwhelming feeling that I'm surrounded by so many intelligent people and that I'm so entirely inadequate to be in the same league with any of them. That's not to imply that I am in the same league - I'm not. I realize they are professors, and I'm a meager student. It just seems like that even after years of studying, I'll never reach their level of expertise. That certainly won't discourage me from trying though. Any visit to the department just leaves me more motivated to try harder. I always say to myself when leaving, "I'm just going to have to work harder. And read more!"

Dr. Smoak was the only person I passed in the hall today. Of all the people I had to pass, it would be him. I'm in awe of this guy. I've only had one class with him and was convinced that if that's what it takes to be a professor, I could never hack it. He's the type of guy that if you were to see him on the street, you'd know he was smart. He looks the part. He's not very gregarious though, which is very odd for a history professor. I think that adds to his mystique. Anywho, I had a horrifying thought while walking back to my motorcycle....What if I'm appointed as his GTA in the fall? It was the most overwhelming "Holy Chickens" moment ever, causing me to stop briefly in panic. "I'm just going to have to work harder. And read more! ... I'm just going to have to work harder. And read more!" That may become my new mantra in life. I'll have it printed on t-shirts. Maybe I can sell them to other inadequate graduate students.