INAH: Maybe Dizzy

Maybe it's the still-sick-after-a-week-of-being-sick, maybe it's the news that I'm going back to 1st shift tomorrow after a day of being on 2nd (again), maybe it's the 10 hours in front of the computer while wearing polarized sunglasses, maybe it's the entire pot of coffee I drank today, maybe it's the poorly lit and poorly coned 192-to-I95 ramp-that-almost-resulted-in-a-wreck-with-a-construction-truck-tonight, maybe it's the haven't-exercised-in-three-weeks, maybe it's the too-much-to-do-before-bed-to-go-to-bed, but I'm feeling dizzy. INAH.

JOURNAL: Off the course.

It's 4:45pm, and I'm already home. This week at work hasn't worked out very well. And it's only Tuesday.

The week started with a confrontation with a drama princess co-worker. It was too early in the week and too early in the day to have to put up with something like that. I confronted her back. And it has been awkward since. She gets over things quickly, but I feel like a dog peed on my leg and just walked away.

And today, my goal was to implement some changes to all our systems, but there were seemingly constant resource conflicts, and my screws were coming loose, so I bailed. I left work early with the intent to go in later tonight to put in what would be half a third shift. This really is kind of ridiculous since tomorrow is one of our TM club's speech contests.

In some vent-letting yesterday, I learned of a TM member's reluctance to help the club with a simple task. I already kinda sensed waning interest in the club, but the fact that this person put up such a "I'll be helpful" front to me... makes me feel unappreciated and like the Little Red Hen.

I'm realizing more and more how difficult it is to read people, and perhaps I should just prepare myself and allow myself the mistakes I'm going to make with them. I'm just afraid that prolonged exposure to this kind of environment will turn me into a greater cynic than I already am, and that's not the type of person I want to be.

Hence, that's the reason I had to bail today. I knew that I could get more done without anyone else around. I knew that my current assignment didn't really require working with anyone else (lots of waiting for people though). And I should have acted earlier and decided earlier to adjust my schedule. Also, my days have been too busy lately, and I need some time to myself -- perhaps sometime this weekend. But right now, I need to start a Boston Butt slow-cooking, finish some minutes, and get some dinner and a couple hours sleep.

Good luck everybody.

GYM: Blahlley Voll

The title eludes to this evening's sentiment. I can't even really describe it. Tonight was frustrating. I was at the office on time and stayed a couple hours afterwards to handle some Toastmasters matter, which was nice, quiet, productive. Then I'm at home just long enough to change into gym clothes and microwave a couple hot dogs (dinner, no buns), and drive over.

I wasn't playing well, but it wasn't just that. I just wasn't having any fun playing against one of the teams, and I just had to get out of there. So I'm home at 9:10pm and catching up on The Amazing Race, something that's pleasant. I'm about to go grab a beer and make it even more pleasant.

Anyways, that's all I have to report for today. I'll be sure to catch up on older posts at some point.

RUN: 2.32 miles @??:??, Home<-LL->WM, Melbourne, FL

(reused map)
I left work early to race the sun. I got the lawn mowed before the sun went down, and I trimmed/edged in the dark (so quick). Afterwards, I was warmed-up and just took off to WM & back. It was the first time in a long time that I felt light on my feet. And I actually ran the mile there "without stopping". I made a pit stop at WM and chatted with the greeter who had recognized me from another late-night WM run (for headphones that other time). Then I ran the mile back home without stopping. I actually sprinted the last stretch, and it felt good to actually push myself.

Endorphinized, I was able to sing a full Anthem in the shower, and my mind and fingers were clear for a lot of typing -- a big change from this morning when I was having a bad/blah day at work. It all changed tonight with some happy emails/contacts that really brightened my day.

I have a lot to do: article writing, blog posts, weekend packing, photo orders. Still, tonight I mowed the lawn, went for a run, showered early, had dinner (and a couple beers), did a load of laundry (wash, dry, fold), clipped coupons, and caught up on Project Runway.

Anyways, here are tonight's pics:


[eop]

RUN: 2.00 miles @??:??, Home<-LL->WM (TheraFlu), Melbourne, FL

Tonight, I made another literal run to Wal-Mart -- this time for some TheraFlu and some ear buds. Honestly, my throat started killing me once I headed home from work. As for the ear buds, I'd just misplaced all of the ones I have. Usually, ear buds run for $10, but there were two that happened to be marked down to $5... good timing I suppose. As for the TheraFlu, I brought a coupon.

The weather was nice. Not as chilly at this weekend, but nice and calm. I intended on running to the Avenue light and back but decided just to head home. 2 miles is good enough for today. I ran 2 miles yesterday at the Merritt Island ProHealth HealthPlex last night after the SCR board meeting.

Anyways, today at work, Fischer was in the office with me and my officemate Kendal when another coworker came in and started throwing bubble gum at us. He hit Kendal directly in the eyeglass lens -- if she was wearing contacts today, she would've had a serious eye injury. But that's not the end. He proceeded to aim for Fischer and my faces.

Fischer then went off on him -- not only for hitting Kendal, but for the overall childish behavior this other coworker was exhibiting -- and forcefully told him to get out of the office... which was something he of course didn't do... seriously, what a d**chebag (and Fischer called him that to his face).

I was pretty calm about it before, but in retrospect, I'm pretty angry about it. That type of behavior (which includes the persistence) should not be tolerated. Perhaps my complaining here comes as part of my procrastination of preparing for tomorrow's speech. But seriously, the guy was a total d**che.

Anyways, I took a TheraFlu packet in some hot water, and my throat's still not feeling right. I'm going to take a long hot shower then get back on this speech.

I'll post pictures from the run later on.

[reserved for running pics]

[eop]

RUN: 2.32 miles @??:??, Home<-LL->WM, Melbourne, FL

Yes, tonight I ran on my own for the first time in probably over a month -- I had two [Disney] races since then, and yes, I am very far behind in postings and will [hopefully] eventually have time to write those up soon.

Anyways, I ran in the rain after getting home from volleyball -- no happy hour tonight. Volleyball really kinda sucked. Most of the regulars were there (no Cara or Vivi), which was nice, plus HB wasn't there to tantrumize, but DB/ED and SG were there acting stupid. And SP, who I previously thought well of, was making peacock noises all evening like a jerkette. Seriously. I had to tell her that that kind of behavior was dick-ish.

Side note: Monday at work, I [quite-loudly] called someone a jackass and an a##h### -- because he comes into my office and provokes me and my officemate with political stuff. He's known as the "Mini Rush Limbaugh" and as disturbing as that already sounds, he does have a radio platform to spout unsubstantiated statistics (total bs). Anyways, I wasn't going to any of his crap, so I told him off. I probably could've had to handled it... differently... but meh.

Yeah, it's been one of those weeks so far but I've also managed to be more productive nonetheless, so it kinda balances out.

Getting back... it's been a couple weeks since I've played, and I was on-and-off. The team of regulars rocked the rotational play. Also, I've been finding myself a bit distracted on the court. Susan knows. And I have mixed feelings about it all. Oh well. I realize that I don't need the extra drama.

Anyways, I'm making a lot of progress on my project at work. Most of the coding is done, and I'm transitioning onto testing, which is a drag but necessary -- time to get refreshed on operations. I'm glad that I'm able to stay busy at the office, but the thing is, there's a lot of project at home for me to do too. That said, I'm going to end this post here and give you a couple sweaty ceddy pics (did you miss them?):

don't make me angry
ran to walmart for cooking spray
more people need to see the bottom of my foot
[eop]

GYM: Cecky Volleyballl

Today after work, I went up to Cocoa for the SCR Monthly Board Meeting, which went quite smoothly, and I don't think that the minutes will be too difficult to write. I went straight to the gym for volleyball, where yeah, there wasn't the creepy old guy, but the mix was just... unfocused and progressively frustrating. There was only 15, so there were no teams, which I think would've helped with the focus, but no. And to think that I was looking forward to playing tonight. It was still nice to see some people there, but Dah.
...
Seriously, you can't have CBJ and a couple of teen-aged girls on the same side of the court at the same time; CBJ was fine, but the girls were valley damsels. I was seriously ready to just play some volleyball. The hormone stew that was tonight also involved someone who usually plays well but tonight was donkey. It was absolutely frustrating, and I wanted to leave early -- I had minutes to transcribe and a speech to write.

I'm seriously having a beer tonight in the shower then going to get to work.

JOURNAL: Square One Volleyball

Today's been a bit of a letdown. I guess it's the normal swing of life, and I'm just in a "meh" interval. I've been near-D&T at work because my project has taken a change of direction and and I am feeling unappreciated. There was also an instance today where I troubleshot a problem to its source and wasn't given any glimpse of encouragement.

In both cases, I was lucky that someone else was around that acknowledged my good deeds. When I discovered the missing cabling, Dan was there to give me a pat on the back. And when I was feeling down, Kendal was there to give me a much-needed hug. I do feel lucky that there will always be someone around who can cheer me up.

Still, I wished that I could've gotten more done today. The last code cut-off is this Friday, and even though I've taken a backseat on the coding at the moment, I still have to read up for when I have to perform the action items to come.
...
-----
I got home feeling drained, but like the end of last week, things balanced out in that I got quite a bit done with the blog. I set up for expanded posts (I think they look good), and I started planning for future entries, setting deadlines. I was feeling into it so much that I went to volleyball late.

I took the long way to the gym, and this evening there were seven to nine of us there for the duration. The reason this post is named "Square One" is because it was one of those nights where I felt like the newbie all over again.

The same guy who harassed me before was chastising me again tonight about how I was "holding" the ball. He didn't sugarcoat his criticism. Cara have me a smile and a quick, kind clarification, and on the next play, I buried a serve right in front of him. I like how court karma works.

CBJ wasn't there and my other source of +reinforcement only made a brief appearance, so I sensed that my mantra was "tread lightly". It was a bit ho-hum, but it was enough of a reality check to open my eyes to other opportunities.
-----
Now I'm back home, it's 10:33pm, and I'm going to quickly go and take a shower, ice some pulls, and prepare for tomorrow. I may draft some ideas about the next posts on my list -- HM Red Shirts (retro) and Saturday's PH Fireworks events.

It's a long week, and I need to conserve some sanity and get some more rest.

Here are tonight's sweaty Ceddy kitchen pics:

JOURNAL: INAH & Lower Expectations [Abridged]

Today was a rough day. It was my first day back after a week-long business trip, a busy but joyous first half of the weekend, followed by a scratchy/fumey-throated second half of the weekend+Monday. I actually made myself a breakfast sandwich this morning and got to work on time, but things just got progressively more trying and the late afternoon culminated in an overwhelming feeling that brought me to the edge of becoming unsightly and left me needing to vent.

And I did. If I hadn't, then this entry probably wouldn't've been post-able.

...

The pessimistic/realistic part of me would tell myself to keep expectations low for the rest of the week, but the part of me that keeps my spirits "alive" doesn't want to feel like it has to sacrifice hope for pleasant surprises and successes. Perhaps, this hope is better reserved for the parks and that I should surrender to the weight of the all-too-true "it's only a job" mantra.

This is where I would've put an *INAH*, but I did just go to the gym and haven't taken a shower yet, and still have endorphins coursing through my veins. Plus I'm reflecting on a new interest. Maybe I'llGAH soon?)

[and just for record, I... ran to the gym; jogged 2 1/2 laps on top; did 4 sets of ProStretches per foot; ran 1.04 miles on the treadmill (in 9:30); completed two sets of the following: lateral raises, dips, chin-ups, lat pulldowns, and tricep extensions; ran 5 more laps on top; then ran home]

RUN: 2.97 miles@??:??, Home<-->WM+, Melbourne, FL

This afternoon I had a doctor's appointment for a earache/headache that I've had for 3-4 weeks. A couple weeks ago, I went to see another HFMC doctor; she prescribed me migraine medication -- didn't help. Then last week, I had a brain MRI done -- and the results came back normal. The pain persisted.

I arrived for my appointment 10 minutes early, but the doctor was an hour late in seeing me. And what was supposed to be a 45 minute consultation to establish a primary, was in actuality 15 minutes of: Me: "My ear hurts" // Dr: "But everything looks fine. How do you feel about chiropractors?" // Me: "I don't like them."

During those 15 minutes, the doctor asked me 5 or 6 times how long I've had these headaches. I know that he was just trying to see if I'd change my answer -- I know their tricks. It would've been fun except that I'd been waiting for an hour.

I left the clinic feeling even less confident about my medical coverage, d&t, angry and frustrated but tired. I decided to head to the mall -- I had a Chic-fil-a coupon.

I ordered sweet iced tea and got a 4-pc chic-n-strips for free. I haven't had iced tea in years because it'd usually leave my throat scratchy. But with all that I've gone through with my ear and foot, what's a scratchy throat? Anywyas, the girl behind the counter was nice, and I appreciated it.

I walked the mall, food in tow and drink in hand. I stopped in front of the pet store and watched the puppy in the window as it slept. As I stood there for what seemed to be a long time, the thought of how much I needed a pet re-entered my mind. A lump started forming in my throat, pressure built up behind my eyes, and I knew that I had to move along or I'd cause a scene.

Then as I walked across the mall, a couple of ladies (obviously lesbians) rushed past me searching for what I knew was the community room. I deduced that a TLR meeting was happening, and for a split second I considered joining them. But as they entered the room and slid the clear sliding door shut behind them, instinct steered me away -- I knew there would've been nothing for me there.

[TLR is The Living Room, Brevard's LGBT center. I could elaborate on the reasons why I'm not active with that organization but it would have to be in a separate post. The short answer is just that I feel no connection to the local gay "community".]

I got back to the food court, got a refill of tea, and sat down to finish my food before I headed home.

-----
So I was told by the doctors that they couldn't find anything wrong with me, and deep down, I had the suspicion that could a possibility. Deep down, I suspected that I already knew the cause of my headaches.

I've had the bum foot (noted to be inflamed, otherwise still undiagnosed) for a few months now (since late May). And as a result, I've reduced my training significantly -- from three-to-five times a week to one maybe two (including the races that I registered for months in advance). I believe that this lack of running is the cause.

Asides from the aerobic benefits of running, running helps with stress -- it keeps my body loose and relieves the tension in my muscles. So with a more sedentary lifestyle, my muscles -- particularly the muscles in my neck -- have become a bit rigid, putting a strain on circulation.

So, tonight I decided to do something about it. I went out for a run.

Yeah, I thought about stopping by WM on the way home, picking up a 6-pack, and just drinking the rest of the evening away, but I could always do it another time with friends, but tonight, it was dark and cool and not raining (I mowed my lawn yesterday... first time in about a month... while the grass was still quite wet). I had to just do it.

And the run was fine. I started out slow, then after the roundabout, I picked up the pace and sprinted to the side of WM, my form looking really good. I stretched a little then continued with an easy pace around WM+. I started to feel the extra pressure on the 2nd metatarsal of my left foot, and more pronouncedly on the last mile -- I was wearing my old Reeboks with the green insoles. But I didn't stop.

I'll give it another couple days before I try another run. And I really should put ice on my foot.

Anyways, no jumping pic tonight -- I'm too out-of-shape for that -- just one sweaty ceddy pic below. I took a corresponding "from behind" picture, but my love handles showed a little too much so I'm withholding:

-----
So, it's kinda back to square one. I'm not dead yet.

JOURNAL: Complaining again

It's after work, and the day's been quick but dragging -- a mix of one big frustration (and I didn't handle it all the best (again)) and a big denouement. And now at home, the back of my neck continues to be incredibly tight. I'm body-and-head tired, and I don't have the energy or desire to scream out.

I ran yesterday plus I saw lightning driving home so I'm off-the-hook there. And all I have planned is a bubble bath and a viewing of last night's Wipeout, which should be good.

Dinner's going to be a salad and maybe a chicken breast, with a mango for dessert. When I'm stressed at work, I don't tend to eat well... so after a Twinkie, a cookie, half-a-cannister of Cheetos, and an entire bag of pork rinds (not to mention a sugar-loaded RaceTrac coffee concoction), I'm just ready to lay out.

Anyways, I realize that a good portion of the anxiety is pre-stress from the weekend and from next week's Toastmasters speech, and from a whack sleep pattern, and from trying to get back to running, and the trying to get the house in order. There's just so much, and I wonder how I dealt with all this during those other-years here.

Perhaps, I just need to ignore-ignore-ignore. Also, not everyday has to be exciting but... yeah, I need to discover those simple pleasures again, and try to be more content and less worn-on-the-sleeves.

Anyways, I guess I'm hoping to get caught up on another entry or two tonight all depending. Maybe I'll head to bed early too. The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile will be in town tomorrow, and I want to go and get my inappropriately-shaped Weinermobile whistle.

MOVIE: The Dark Knight

[This entry is ridiculously ATF. My sister has to be the only person who hasn't seen this movie by now.]


Last night, my friend Chuck and I went to the Rave to catch the midnight showing of The Dark Knight. There were three showings at 11:59pm (all sold out), with more showings at 12:10am, 12:35am, and some at the 3am and 6 am hours. And I was impressed by how the Rave management handled seating, filling up theatres one at a time, and letting in people enter the theatres in small groups so the movie-goers wouldn't have to be frantic about finding seats and management can see how many seats were left.

Anyways, now about the movie...

The movie was incredible in its story telling. It presented a lot of new ideas (e.g., the Joker's "social experiments") and made a lot of strong choices in plot that were followed with the conviction necessary to make them work.

Yeah, the movie was "dark" in many senses of the word, and it pressed the theme/idea that Gotham City was in need of a hero, of a white knight, of hope -- the allusion to our country's current situation strong. I could've became D&T/disallusioned from it but instead I focused on and was mesmerized by the acting talent -- definitely and especially Heath Ledger as the Joker -- psychotic and holds your attention hostage every moment he's on screen. The other actors, though how big-named they all were, didn't hold a candle to Heath's performance ( this is seriously the same person we saw in Brokeback Mountain? the departure was sick).

Anyways, the midnight-movie-showing experience was nice, though there were some annoying girls with cell phones a few rows in front of us that made me want to rethink chivalry.

Some news about the next movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise is that it is tentatively titled The Caped Crusader and Cher is slated to play the Catwoman. The cast will also include award-winning actors Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.

Here are a couple shots from TDK:

JOURNAL: Brevard Animal Control for President

It's 4:10am, and the neighbor's dogs are barking. Who are you going to call?

I'm not so much angry this time as I'm once again thinking "Seriously?". After a look at the cellphone for time, I'm really glad that I went to bed at 10pm -- early for me. I was just exhausted from the long work week and went to bed early so I could wake up in time for the office's Saturday run on the Melbourne Causeway... and I think I've succeeded?

I called Brevard Animal Control (321-633-9880, option 1) and left my information. It was my second time calling them -- and for the record, I've called the Brevard County Dispatch twice, the neighborhood president once, and the community management company once. Afterwards, the dogs were still barking strong, and I was pretty much awake, so I put on a shirt and pants, my Wal-Mart-brand Crocs, and ran around the corner to the offending house's front door.

The lights were on all-throughout the house and the inside front door was open. I could see the Jack Russell in the middle of the hallway barking, and I can still hear the boxer/pit-bull barking in their backyard (along with yet another dog back there whining). Without much plan on what I'd say, I rang the doorbell and waited... nothing. Did they just get in? Was anyone home?

Sense settled in me -- I really didn't want to deal with those people, not at this time -- so I rang their doorbell twice more and just quickly ran off.

Yeah... I'm handling the situation (at least I'm not doing nothing about it), and realize that they will be out by the end of the school year (start of June), but I'd think it'd be great if they were forced to leave before then. Seriously, for the neighborhood association to let this go on for so long is a damn shame, and I don't feel any bad for my lawn not looking 100% nice.

Anywho, it's been 30 minutes since my call to BAC, and I don't hear the dogs barking as much anymore. So, you know who you can call at 4am.

-----
[Heh, I just thought about it... lights were on, but nobody home. What an appropriate assessment.]

WORK: Sick Sick Day

I took today off of work as a sick day. Last night, I noticed that the lymph nodes under my jaw were swollen, and my throat wasn't feeling kosher. I was getting warmer, and a headache appeared.

So I drank a lot of water and went to bed [relatively] early. I woke up 7 hours later not feeling any better, so I emailed the office. I went back to bed for another 3 hours, woke up, then passed out for another 3 hours, after which the swelling had subsided but my throat and headache persisted.

I'm continuing to drink lots of water and hope that it clears up soon. I'm heading to work tomorrow regardless (wanting to get some stuff accomplished there). And I hope that my co-workers will cut me some slack and ease up on the antagonism... I won't be playing.

INAH: _________

Today was a bummer -- one of those "many little things", "everyone's unloading", "I need someone to cut me some slack" sort of days.

But I don't really want to remember today for those things, so here are three things that I liked about today:

1) going to the dentist. i went in this morning to get my molar crown... (can't think of the word)... installed, and my dentist is cute.

2) talking to my favorite security person on the phone. nothing woo. i locked up the office and would always call in to be sure, and just a familiar and friendly voice is much appreciated.

3) talking with my sister. my sister does a lot and has to deal with more drama than me, so she gives me perspective. also, when she tells stories, i can imagine being up there, and the escape is nice.

I guess that the thing that bummed me out about today was that I was tired, a little dehydrated, and not getting very positive vibes from co-workers. I miss my co-worker's who's on vacation all this week... he's my local sanity-check. It's just a job, and it's just another day.

Tomorrow is Toastmasters, and I'll probably be more surly than usual, though it'll be an opportunity to be consciously professional (which could end up coming across as intimidating, so maybe *shrug*).

Anyways, my right knee is really hurting so no running. It'll just be food, drink, video, and bed tonight.

RUN: 4.66 miles @41:28, (Mystery Location), Mtn Time

[again, only a blank 'satellite'-version.]

Tomorrow morning I'm flying back to sunny (or rainy?) Florida, so tonight I headed out for my last run in _mystery location_. I wanted to run to take advantage of the training benefits -- i.e., the high elevation and the hills -- even though it was late (8:00 pm-ish) and SO Cold. Plus, the 12+ hour shifts I've been putting for these past four days have taking its toll on me and tonight I was (and still am) one cranky bitch.

I miss the comfort of being around my things, being in the same time zone as my family and friends, and having access to the Internets during the day.

Once I'm home/back at the office, I will miss the friends I've made here in _mystery location_, how people here always bring food to the office to share, and the free coffee available 24/7 at the hotel.

Anyways, I'm not D&T so much as I'm just cranky and NingAH. I'll be better once my little sister arrives (in less than 24 hours) for spring break again for the fifth (?) year in a row.

Alright, one more blog entry to catch up on, then it's bed for four hours.

-----
UPDATE (sweaty ceddy photos):

JOURNAL: Sarno Wal-Mart

The Wal-Mart on Sarno is dumpy.

I just went there on my lunch break to pick up some food and the new Jack Johnson CD, and there was an incredibly noticeable aura of... rednecks and old people.

I'm just too accustomed to the swanky "Viera Wal-Mart" experience, where the store is clean, and the people are... well, clean.

Anyways, it wasn't a very good out-of-office experience, hopefully the drive home will be nicer.

JOURNAL: I hear your pain

Dear Cindy,
I too have a sucky neighbor (backyard, caddy-corner) who has a "needs to shut the hell up" dog. It would be a long walk to go over and ring their doorbell, but asides from that, I already heard horror stories of how much of a bitch those people are. And although I'm in a "bring it on bitch" fightin' mood, I really don't need the extra agitation. So instead, I pulled out the garden hose and was about to spray it down then decided to just shine a flashlight in that direction -- as a "what the hell's going on there?"/"you better watch your back(yard)!" gesture. That seemed to shut the dog up for now.

Next time I'll use the hose.
~Your Tired Brother.

JOURNAL: INAC

Yeah, I don't know about this week. Emotionally, I feel like I've been going downhill and that now I'm very backed-up -- so many unresolved feelings and issues. And the current and projected near-future pressures continue to mount, and I need a release, either forced or involuntary to get over this functional block.

Work hasn't been spectacular -- the politics of it wears on me quickly -- and now I have to prepare for a meeting with my group leader to assess my performance and progress towards my "career goals".

Add to that a speech for next Wednesday's Toastmasters that I haven't even nailed down a topic for.

And it's a short weekend. I stayed in town last weekend, and this time around I have an early Saturday morning obligation with meeting that afternoon that I'll probably guilt myself into attending. Then it'd be a short visit to Orlando where I'd be tempted to indulge in a frivolous escape (I REALLY need a complete day off).

And on top of that is the planning for numerous upcoming trips that are going to more expenses (as I try to ignore how much I'm paying for in gas). I could go into how I'd like my car to get a tune-up (squeaky belts) but it's a futile issue at the moment. BAH.

I haven't run all week, and I'm going to experience a shift in my diet next week, so I'm not feeling like I'm taking care of myself as well as I should, and my only hope is to think of it as temporary neglect (much like with many other things) -- this is where a partner would come in handy, but it's not going to be anytime soon that that's going to happen.

It's just having a lot of things on my mind with no outlet of release. I heading D&T, but that's where I am right now.

I'll try to make the next post something more fun.

RUN: 2 miles @??:??, Home <-LL-> WM

Tonight's run was a late start... 9:40pm-ish - I had put in an extra hour at work then had some empanadas as an after-work snack.

I ran to Wal-Mart to buy a new tube of toothpaste - I have too many tubes at home already (I bought in bulk and on impulse) then regretted it after reading on its label "should not be used for more than 4 weeks at a time" (wtf?).

Anyways: running. Wal-Mart. toothpaste.

The shopping was easy -- within seconds, I had what I wanted in my hand (wait, that doesn't sound right). Then I walked over to the Wii...

40 minutes of Super Mario Galaxy later...
I head to checkout. When I walked outside, I had my headphones on, so I didn't notice it right away, but a teenaged girl (one of many) in a car parked in front of the store, was serenading me (and badly) with some rock ballad I didn't stay long enough to recognize. I just smiled then sprinted off.

Then, approaching the roundabout, I heard a quick honk and saw a truck pointed at the roundabout stopped as if dumbfounded... There was a car driving the wrong way (clockwise). The car proceeded to exit east onto Wickham but on the wrong side of the divided street (WTF?). Seriously, what's the deal there? I hope the driver was British... there's just no other excuse.

After that, I continue home, and pretty much sprinted the last two-thirds-of-a-mile (and then really tearing the last tenth). I know that I need more sprint workouts, but just putting in some miles in tonight is big for me. And even though 40 minutes was probably too much time to rest, I don't feel bad for having that quality Wii-time.

Anyways, I don't want to think about packing for the Ohio trip or about Christmas cards. And I particularly don't want to think about all the holiday parties at work - the same person who came into the office sick three weeks straight is organizing a "Chinese Gift Exchange". I don't usually get offended easily, but something about the seemingly incredibly arbitrary qualifier bothers me. I sort of "Replied All" to the event notice with:

"I hope that the 'Chinese' is describing the 'Gift' and not the 'Exchange'."
then sort of regretted it. I think that it was a combination of the two: the source and the substance. The situation just seems so toxic.

I should just mind my own business and not be such a drama queen.

That's about it for today - I scheduled a meeting for a design review and am starting on another design investigation. Oh, and Pat won the Top 3@3 this afternoon. I'm thinking that I should just give up on my dream of being caller #7 for the "24 Days of Christmas" contest because WA1A radio contests are like heroin in my veins. Seriously.

Anyways, here's the obligatory kitchen pic for tonight's run:

Not-so-sweaty CeddyI thought that I'd make it to bed early, but I've still got a slice of pie and ice cream to eat before bed.