Although he already declared his retirement from marathon running, Brad leaped into the serious runner category two days ago: he lost his first toenail on Tuesday night.
Before I go on, please know that losing a toenail from running is NOT painful and it is a common occurrence for people who run long distances. It sounds much worse than it really is (from what I know from others). My friend and running inspiration, Susannah, first introduced me to this phenomenon years ago. I've known many people who have lost toenails from running only half marathons. So after completing two marathons, I wonder why I haven't had this experience yet.
Brad and I both developed a couple of funky toenails during marathon training, but while one of his continued to loosen after the race, and finally fell off two days ago, my nails are still firmly attached.
I must not be pushing myself hard enough.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
on being a hermit
After years of denial, events of this summer have forced me to finally acknowledge the end of one phase of life and the beginning of a new one. Gone are the days of flitting around as a social butterfly and acting as everyone else's social coordinator. I have officially evolved into somewhat of a hermit, sometimes a cantankerous one.
I mostly blame Brad for my transformation. He can be a bit of a curmudgeon when forced to attend social outings that hold no interest for him, and unlike me, he's never been concerned with his social calendar. As long as I've known him, Brad has preferred to stay in rather than go out on most occasions and I'm afraid that his attitude has finally rubbed off on me.
During high school, college, and my early 20s, I delighted in making sure that my friends and I were always well entertained. I was the one who volunteered to go to Lake Michigan's front at noon on July 3rd to camp out all day in the heat and reserve a large space for my friends and I to enjoy the Taste of Chicago's amazing fireworks display that night. Before the Internet's birth, I began the round of phone calls on Tuesday nights each week to coordinate schedules and plan our Friday and Saturday night excursions. My roommate in Chicago and I hosted numerous parties and dinners during our two years living there. I can't recall many, if any, Friday or Saturday nights during those years when I sat at home with nothing to do. Believe me, at that time I would have been devastated to face such a predicament.
I've gradually let go of a few social commitments over the last ten years as my priorities and activities have changed, but this summer has really shown me that I am not only in danger of becoming a hermit, I fear that I've fallen in love with my reclusive lifestyle and may never turn back!
This summer has been the most low-key season of my entire life. My Thursday evenings are free because I teach only during the fall and spring semesters. Our church small group has taken a summer hiatus, thus freeing up every other Tuesday night. Our co-ed softball team folded, which provides Brad and me an average of two free evenings each week as well as an occasional Saturday. Brad and I only have one wedding to attend this year. We've already taken our brief vacation. Marathon training is finished, and I don't have any other big projects on my plate, such as writing a dissertation. Although the house projects seem to never end, my Twilight obsession taught me that it's okay to prioritize reading time over my to-do list sometimes. Life still went on even though the house was dusty, the menu simple, and the ugly curtains still dominating the living room! I've only had one week this summer of social commitments every single night, and while I enjoyed seeing different groups of friends each night, it darn near killed me. I will not overschedule myself like that again.
Sadly, I find myself even avoiding summer events that have somewhat become traditions, just because I'd prefer to go straight home after work and not leave the house.
We've had a fair amount of company this summer, but even those social obligations have been subject to restrictions. I only promise gracious hospitality to overnight guests for a maximum of three nights. No open-ended stays are allowed at Hotel Blondie. I need to know when you're leaving. I find myself scheduling dinner parties and BBQs earlier in the evening than I used to, in hopes that guests will leave at a decent hour so that I can retire at my desired bedtime. If this behavior continues, before I know it I'll adopt my friend's husband's practice and just start distributing coats and purses unsolicited when I'm ready for people to leave. I do admire his courage!
I have two things this summer that I've never had before: a relatively open schedule and time on my hands.
I think that I am in love.
I mostly blame Brad for my transformation. He can be a bit of a curmudgeon when forced to attend social outings that hold no interest for him, and unlike me, he's never been concerned with his social calendar. As long as I've known him, Brad has preferred to stay in rather than go out on most occasions and I'm afraid that his attitude has finally rubbed off on me.
During high school, college, and my early 20s, I delighted in making sure that my friends and I were always well entertained. I was the one who volunteered to go to Lake Michigan's front at noon on July 3rd to camp out all day in the heat and reserve a large space for my friends and I to enjoy the Taste of Chicago's amazing fireworks display that night. Before the Internet's birth, I began the round of phone calls on Tuesday nights each week to coordinate schedules and plan our Friday and Saturday night excursions. My roommate in Chicago and I hosted numerous parties and dinners during our two years living there. I can't recall many, if any, Friday or Saturday nights during those years when I sat at home with nothing to do. Believe me, at that time I would have been devastated to face such a predicament.
I've gradually let go of a few social commitments over the last ten years as my priorities and activities have changed, but this summer has really shown me that I am not only in danger of becoming a hermit, I fear that I've fallen in love with my reclusive lifestyle and may never turn back!
This summer has been the most low-key season of my entire life. My Thursday evenings are free because I teach only during the fall and spring semesters. Our church small group has taken a summer hiatus, thus freeing up every other Tuesday night. Our co-ed softball team folded, which provides Brad and me an average of two free evenings each week as well as an occasional Saturday. Brad and I only have one wedding to attend this year. We've already taken our brief vacation. Marathon training is finished, and I don't have any other big projects on my plate, such as writing a dissertation. Although the house projects seem to never end, my Twilight obsession taught me that it's okay to prioritize reading time over my to-do list sometimes. Life still went on even though the house was dusty, the menu simple, and the ugly curtains still dominating the living room! I've only had one week this summer of social commitments every single night, and while I enjoyed seeing different groups of friends each night, it darn near killed me. I will not overschedule myself like that again.
Sadly, I find myself even avoiding summer events that have somewhat become traditions, just because I'd prefer to go straight home after work and not leave the house.
We've had a fair amount of company this summer, but even those social obligations have been subject to restrictions. I only promise gracious hospitality to overnight guests for a maximum of three nights. No open-ended stays are allowed at Hotel Blondie. I need to know when you're leaving. I find myself scheduling dinner parties and BBQs earlier in the evening than I used to, in hopes that guests will leave at a decent hour so that I can retire at my desired bedtime. If this behavior continues, before I know it I'll adopt my friend's husband's practice and just start distributing coats and purses unsolicited when I'm ready for people to leave. I do admire his courage!
I have two things this summer that I've never had before: a relatively open schedule and time on my hands.
I think that I am in love.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
can you say Judy Blume???
I just discovered the list of authors slated to attend this year's National Book Festival on September 26th and I am most excited to see Judy Blume's name! The Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret author made such an impression on me as an adolescent. My book club even read that coming-of-age tale only a few years ago so that we could laugh about our own puberty-related stories (yes, it's easy to laugh now, 20 years later) and share our admiration for Judy's influence on our lives during those rocky years.
A number of other authors that my book club has read are scheduled to attend:
A number of other authors that my book club has read are scheduled to attend:
- Julia Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies
- Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper
- Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle
- David Wroblewski, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
- Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran
Monday, July 13, 2009
silky smooth
What is it about hair, either in abundance or dearth, that inspires humility?
Whether you fight a constant battle with a receding hairline or you should buy stock in the latest waxing products, or both, I suspect that most people have hair issues at some point in life.
Consider my trip to the salon last week. I decided that it was time for my semi-regular eyebrow and lip waxing appointment. As a very fair-skinned blonde, I consider myself lucky that I don't have to wax my face as regularly as many of my brunette friends do. Although my minimal facial hair is very light in color, I still fear looking or feeling fuzzy, so I prioritize professional removal every few months and then I meticulously maintain my facial landscape by plucking, trimming, and tweezing in between appointments. Let me assure you that I am diligent about this maintenance. And, even if I slacked off in my personal grooming habits, I know that Brad would be the first to tell me the minute I sprouted anything close to a 'stache.
Imagine my shock and horror when the waxer attacked my entire face. TWICE. It was as if my face had sprouted a forest and he deemed it his personal responsibility to remove every single sign of growth. I don't understand how I have eyebrows left at all. He slapped piping hot wax in huge quantities all over my face. Although I asked him to focus only on my eyebrows and upper lip, he slathered wax around my entire mouth and spread it out towards my cheeks, where hair is nonexistent. TWICE. And then he went to town with a tiny set of tweezers after he nearly waxed me to death. He plucked every little hair that he could find. Although this procedure normally takes less than five minutes, this man spent at least 20 minutes working on my face.
Perhaps this man is a new employee and I was his very first waxing appointment. Or maybe my facial hair really was that bad.
I didn't know whether to feel insulted (I KNOW that I did not have anything close to a moustache) or grateful (he DID work so hard on me and used twice as much wax as he should have).
I erred on the side of feeling grateful. I gave him a larger-than-normal tip and left the salon enamored with the feel of my silky smooth face. Maybe I won't wait so long until my next appointment.
Whether you fight a constant battle with a receding hairline or you should buy stock in the latest waxing products, or both, I suspect that most people have hair issues at some point in life.
Consider my trip to the salon last week. I decided that it was time for my semi-regular eyebrow and lip waxing appointment. As a very fair-skinned blonde, I consider myself lucky that I don't have to wax my face as regularly as many of my brunette friends do. Although my minimal facial hair is very light in color, I still fear looking or feeling fuzzy, so I prioritize professional removal every few months and then I meticulously maintain my facial landscape by plucking, trimming, and tweezing in between appointments. Let me assure you that I am diligent about this maintenance. And, even if I slacked off in my personal grooming habits, I know that Brad would be the first to tell me the minute I sprouted anything close to a 'stache.
Imagine my shock and horror when the waxer attacked my entire face. TWICE. It was as if my face had sprouted a forest and he deemed it his personal responsibility to remove every single sign of growth. I don't understand how I have eyebrows left at all. He slapped piping hot wax in huge quantities all over my face. Although I asked him to focus only on my eyebrows and upper lip, he slathered wax around my entire mouth and spread it out towards my cheeks, where hair is nonexistent. TWICE. And then he went to town with a tiny set of tweezers after he nearly waxed me to death. He plucked every little hair that he could find. Although this procedure normally takes less than five minutes, this man spent at least 20 minutes working on my face.
Perhaps this man is a new employee and I was his very first waxing appointment. Or maybe my facial hair really was that bad.
I didn't know whether to feel insulted (I KNOW that I did not have anything close to a moustache) or grateful (he DID work so hard on me and used twice as much wax as he should have).
I erred on the side of feeling grateful. I gave him a larger-than-normal tip and left the salon enamored with the feel of my silky smooth face. Maybe I won't wait so long until my next appointment.
Friday, July 10, 2009
books win every single time
Gentle readers, I must query you:
Have you ever read a book, then watched the movie (or vice versa) and preferred the movie more than the book?
If so, please comment and tell me which book you liked better as a movie.
You see, movies have never done it for me. And I don't think that they ever will. Growing up in the middle of nowhere fostered my overactive imagination and movies simply never live up to the visions that live in my head while I read.
Because I know my own biases, I didn't expect to like the movie Twilight more than the books. But I feel too kind when I say that this movie is an absolute disgrace to Stephenie Meyer's creation. The actress that plays Bella is cold, awkward, uptight, and not very likable, completely unlike the Bella in the book. And some of my favorite lines and scenes from the book are either nonexistent or completely taken out of context so that they don't make sense in the movie. Viewers are also not privy to as many thoughts and feelings in the movie, so the relationship between Edward and Bella seems forced and very random. Sadly, the romance is completely missing.
Sigh. On second thought, I may stay at home in November when the second movie comes out. My time would be better spent rereading book two instead of watching it on screen.
I will say that Robert Pattinson is kind of a cutie:).
Bottom line: Please do not let the Twilight movie turn you off from the books. I promise that the books are worth your time, so much so that I may read the series again as soon as I can slog through Cokie's book.
Have you ever read a book, then watched the movie (or vice versa) and preferred the movie more than the book?
If so, please comment and tell me which book you liked better as a movie.
You see, movies have never done it for me. And I don't think that they ever will. Growing up in the middle of nowhere fostered my overactive imagination and movies simply never live up to the visions that live in my head while I read.
Because I know my own biases, I didn't expect to like the movie Twilight more than the books. But I feel too kind when I say that this movie is an absolute disgrace to Stephenie Meyer's creation. The actress that plays Bella is cold, awkward, uptight, and not very likable, completely unlike the Bella in the book. And some of my favorite lines and scenes from the book are either nonexistent or completely taken out of context so that they don't make sense in the movie. Viewers are also not privy to as many thoughts and feelings in the movie, so the relationship between Edward and Bella seems forced and very random. Sadly, the romance is completely missing.
Sigh. On second thought, I may stay at home in November when the second movie comes out. My time would be better spent rereading book two instead of watching it on screen.
I will say that Robert Pattinson is kind of a cutie:).
Bottom line: Please do not let the Twilight movie turn you off from the books. I promise that the books are worth your time, so much so that I may read the series again as soon as I can slog through Cokie's book.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
and the daisies will rise again
After a gruesome beheading by pesky critters only days after planting, one lone Gerber daisy has fought back and bloomed again.This resurrection has taken months. And thus far, only one Gerber plant is brave enough to blossom again, but I have faith that with my diligent watch and care, the others will soon follow suit.
The red spots on the leaves in the picture are red pepper flakes that I have scattered EVERYWHERE to try to deter the squirrels. I monitor the situation day and night. While I still chase the nasty creatures from the yard each time I enter it, thus far they've left the pretty yellow bloom alone.
They must be too busy gulping down my just-ripened cherry tomatoes whole to notice the flower.
I may not harvest enough ripe cherry tomatoes for a salad this year, but I'm determined to keep this bloom intact and beautiful.
Wish me luck.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
the best of the best
Because:1. I love books, and
2. I also love lists...
... I am always a sucker for any type of best books list. Newsweek recently analyzed ten top books lists to create their own top 100 books of all time, a meta-list of sorts.
I was particularly pleased to see that Charlotte's Web by E. B. White made the cut. That book made such an impression on me as a child that I have read it over and over throughout my life. To this day, I can recite the last paragraph of the book from memory. I bawled from the first message in the spider's web ("some pig") through the end of the movie when it came out two years ago. I'm thrilled to see that others recognize the book's greatness.
I am happy to at least recognize most of these titles, although sadly, I've read few of them. What do you think of Newsweek's picks?
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