I'm overwhelmed with just the thought of how busy I'm going to be this month. And I thought I was busy these past 2 weeks... My sister and the kids have been visiting. They leave in less than 24 hours. It's been lovely seeing them.
A month ago, I tipped over on my bike with my feet clipped in, put my hand out to catch my fall, straight-armed and locked, and jammed my elbow pretty bad. Heard the joint crack and everything. No broken bones, but the next day, I had about 60* of range of motion between flexion and extension thanks to the inflammation in my elbow joint. It took 2 weeks to be able to extend my arm fully and bear full weight on it while extended again. This isn't the same elbow I had hurt before, this was "my good arm" that I managed to fuck up. I have full use back now, but it's still a touch tender in some spots and have to take it easy or else it gets inflamed and sore again if I overwork it. The shoulder was a slower realization that it got affected in the fall, and I found out when I finally got in to see my Chiropractor 10 days post-fall that some ribs got shoved out of place too. My elbow was not in alignment and carpal bones were an utter mess... all he said was "oh boy" when he felt them. When I went back the next week, I asked him about the "oh boy" reaction and asked if it was really that bad. He just shook his head and said "You were like a zigzag when you came in". Even now, if you were to lightly set your hand over my shoulderblade while I rotated my shoulder, you can feel my muscles do this crunchy-popping thing... and you can hear it too. My shoulder muscles are still inflamed, so they don't move smoothly yet and I've got one serious knot in my shoulder. But it's slowly improving.
Because of the injury, I'm playing catch up on my massage practice hours. Not to mention, I've got 3 weekends of class this month instead of 2. Finals in the last week. A wedding to be a bridesmaid in on the last Friday. Possibly missing at least half a day of class for the spa day the bride wants me to be sure to join for. Have to figure out how to make up for that and keep up in class.
Oh, and I've found out that I will officially no longer be watching the boy child starting Sept 1st. I'm kind of relieved because I'm reaching the end of my patience with the mom and her ridiculously spacey and forgetful mind. It's hard working for someone like that. But I'm stressed out about figuring out a replacement family to fill in the hours that I would have been watching him starting next month. My hours are already reduced to as little as I can get by with from a share situation. I can't manage with the income of working for just one family. I can barely manage now, and I'm working a minimum of 3 hours more than I will be starting next month.
We'll see how I manage this month
A month ago, I tipped over on my bike with my feet clipped in, put my hand out to catch my fall, straight-armed and locked, and jammed my elbow pretty bad. Heard the joint crack and everything. No broken bones, but the next day, I had about 60* of range of motion between flexion and extension thanks to the inflammation in my elbow joint. It took 2 weeks to be able to extend my arm fully and bear full weight on it while extended again. This isn't the same elbow I had hurt before, this was "my good arm" that I managed to fuck up. I have full use back now, but it's still a touch tender in some spots and have to take it easy or else it gets inflamed and sore again if I overwork it. The shoulder was a slower realization that it got affected in the fall, and I found out when I finally got in to see my Chiropractor 10 days post-fall that some ribs got shoved out of place too. My elbow was not in alignment and carpal bones were an utter mess... all he said was "oh boy" when he felt them. When I went back the next week, I asked him about the "oh boy" reaction and asked if it was really that bad. He just shook his head and said "You were like a zigzag when you came in". Even now, if you were to lightly set your hand over my shoulderblade while I rotated my shoulder, you can feel my muscles do this crunchy-popping thing... and you can hear it too. My shoulder muscles are still inflamed, so they don't move smoothly yet and I've got one serious knot in my shoulder. But it's slowly improving.
Because of the injury, I'm playing catch up on my massage practice hours. Not to mention, I've got 3 weekends of class this month instead of 2. Finals in the last week. A wedding to be a bridesmaid in on the last Friday. Possibly missing at least half a day of class for the spa day the bride wants me to be sure to join for. Have to figure out how to make up for that and keep up in class.
Oh, and I've found out that I will officially no longer be watching the boy child starting Sept 1st. I'm kind of relieved because I'm reaching the end of my patience with the mom and her ridiculously spacey and forgetful mind. It's hard working for someone like that. But I'm stressed out about figuring out a replacement family to fill in the hours that I would have been watching him starting next month. My hours are already reduced to as little as I can get by with from a share situation. I can't manage with the income of working for just one family. I can barely manage now, and I'm working a minimum of 3 hours more than I will be starting next month.
We'll see how I manage this month
I went climbing for the first time in 5 months (week of xmas was the last time) on Friday night. It felt soo good to be back on a wall. I took it easy but did alright considering it had been so long.
And then on Saturday, I did a 30 mile bike ride. Took a snack and sun break near my turn around point at Gasworks Park with a view across the water of Seattle and the Space Needle (out of frame to the left in that pic). It was a beautiful, dry, and sunny day out and the park was crowded, but it was a nice break. It's kind of fun to go to a park and see a bunch of kites being flown.
With those 2 activities combined, I am sore everywhere in my body. Legs, hips, feet, stomach (oh boy, it hurts to laugh), sides and front of my upper chest, shoulders, forearms... I haven't been this sore in a long time. But it feels really good.
But the topper of yesterday, that made the whole entire day just fantastic, is that Hydrophilic called me up offering me a ticket that had freed up to go see 25th Hour last night at Seattle International Film Festival. SIFF was doing a tribute to Edward Norton by playing 3 of his movies: Fight Club, American History X, and 25th Hour. Turns out, Edward Norton came to town to present all 3 of the movies during their showings this Friday and Saturday. I sat maybe 30 feet away from Edward Norton as he spoke about the film and Spike Lee for about 10 minutes. It was holy shit awesome!
Hydro is by far my favorite person today cause he's just plain ol' awesome. Now I'm off to grab dinner with him 
*Update*
Fried Avocado in chickpea batter is brilliant. So yummy.
This whole weekend has been great. Today I got to sleep in, eat good food with good company (even if the staff is weird), Hydro introduced me to Dr. Who, which I will have to get around to watching in about a year... after finish massage school because I bloody won't have the time for it while going to school, studying/practicing massage for school, working, biking, occasionally climbing, and somehow managing a bit of a social life, but I definitely want to see more when I have the time. But yes, this weekend has been the best weekend I've had in quite a while. I've been in such a good mood today that I felt like I was radiating happiness half the day. It's pretty good stuff, ya know?
And then on Saturday, I did a 30 mile bike ride. Took a snack and sun break near my turn around point at Gasworks Park with a view across the water of Seattle and the Space Needle (out of frame to the left in that pic). It was a beautiful, dry, and sunny day out and the park was crowded, but it was a nice break. It's kind of fun to go to a park and see a bunch of kites being flown.
With those 2 activities combined, I am sore everywhere in my body. Legs, hips, feet, stomach (oh boy, it hurts to laugh), sides and front of my upper chest, shoulders, forearms... I haven't been this sore in a long time. But it feels really good.
But the topper of yesterday, that made the whole entire day just fantastic, is that Hydrophilic called me up offering me a ticket that had freed up to go see 25th Hour last night at Seattle International Film Festival. SIFF was doing a tribute to Edward Norton by playing 3 of his movies: Fight Club, American History X, and 25th Hour. Turns out, Edward Norton came to town to present all 3 of the movies during their showings this Friday and Saturday. I sat maybe 30 feet away from Edward Norton as he spoke about the film and Spike Lee for about 10 minutes. It was holy shit awesome!
Hydro is by far my favorite person today cause he's just plain ol' awesome. Now I'm off to grab dinner with him *Update*
Fried Avocado in chickpea batter is brilliant. So yummy.
This whole weekend has been great. Today I got to sleep in, eat good food with good company (even if the staff is weird), Hydro introduced me to Dr. Who, which I will have to get around to watching in about a year... after finish massage school because I bloody won't have the time for it while going to school, studying/practicing massage for school, working, biking, occasionally climbing, and somehow managing a bit of a social life, but I definitely want to see more when I have the time. But yes, this weekend has been the best weekend I've had in quite a while. I've been in such a good mood today that I felt like I was radiating happiness half the day. It's pretty good stuff, ya know?
I think I've finished getting all my little knick-knacks for my bike. The most recent editions are a water bottle holder, bike lock, a little computer to track my speed and distance (among other things), a case that straps underneath the back of my seat to carry my things, and a waterproof riding jacket that I can bundle up and tuck away. Being in Seattle, with our constantly changing weather, the waterproof jacket is much needed. I ended up getting a bright, sun-shine yellow jacket. As much as I dislike to and shy away from wearing flashy colors, I'll make an exception when it comes to my safety while riding. I finally got to take my new bike out for a 2nd time yesterday and that jacket was incredibly helpful seeing as it sprinkled and drizzled on me most of the ride. It was my only day off to myself for at least another week, so I did my ride anyways, rain or shine.
Since I managed 14 miles last weekend and felt like I could have done more, my goal for this ride was 18-20 miles. I did 20.2 miles in 2 hours 20 mins!
And that included about 30 minutes worth or combined breaks. During the first half, I was averaging 12mph, but on the way back, I was doing 14-15mph most of the way. On top of that, during the last 1/2 mile home, through my neighborhood, there are several hills and I've always had to get off the bike and walk some of them during the few times I've ridden in the past. This time, I stayed on the bike the whole time and didn't get off once to walk them. The whole ride felt like such an accomplishment and I felt pretty darn proud of myself when I got home. It felt really good. The next time I have a good 4 hours to spare for a ride plus a bath afterwards (a hot bath does wonders, I never get sore muscles the next day), my goal is 24-26 miles. At this rate, if I keep it up, I definitely think I'll be able to do the 2-day, 200 mile ride from Seattle to Portland next July (2011).
As for work, I'm not particularly fond of the guy the boy-child's mom just started dating. There's just something about him that I don't get the most awesome vibes from. For one, the guy literally just filed for divorce less than 2 weeks ago and she's been dating him for 2 or something months now. He also has a 4 year old kid with his wife and when he filed the papers, she tried to flee out of state with the kid. Cops were involved and she was ordered to stay in state. Drama drama already. The mom is quite naive for a 40 year old woman and has a history of picking the wrong guys it seems and I fear for her that this guy really is a douche too. He just kind of looks douchey too. A little over a week ago, he showed up at the house right after the mom did and as the were both standing in the kitchen while me and the 2 kids were just 8 feet away with just a counter and a table between us, and he got the grand idea to get kissy with the mom in front of me and the kids. I diverted my eyes as soon as I saw what he was about to do and turned my back to focus on the kids and getting the girl-child ready to go. I didn't want to see, and it felt very disrespectful, a bit too much too soon. From my peripheral vision and what I could hear, it seemed like the mom tried to stop him at first out of respect to me, but was unsuccessful. I don't know if I should bring it up to the mom, or just deal with it. I just don't want this to turn into a similar situation that I had to deal with when I started working for a particular family 4 years ago. That was the only job I've ever quit, and I was with them for less than 3 months. I don't want her dating drama to affect me and my job.
Since I managed 14 miles last weekend and felt like I could have done more, my goal for this ride was 18-20 miles. I did 20.2 miles in 2 hours 20 mins!
And that included about 30 minutes worth or combined breaks. During the first half, I was averaging 12mph, but on the way back, I was doing 14-15mph most of the way. On top of that, during the last 1/2 mile home, through my neighborhood, there are several hills and I've always had to get off the bike and walk some of them during the few times I've ridden in the past. This time, I stayed on the bike the whole time and didn't get off once to walk them. The whole ride felt like such an accomplishment and I felt pretty darn proud of myself when I got home. It felt really good. The next time I have a good 4 hours to spare for a ride plus a bath afterwards (a hot bath does wonders, I never get sore muscles the next day), my goal is 24-26 miles. At this rate, if I keep it up, I definitely think I'll be able to do the 2-day, 200 mile ride from Seattle to Portland next July (2011).As for work, I'm not particularly fond of the guy the boy-child's mom just started dating. There's just something about him that I don't get the most awesome vibes from. For one, the guy literally just filed for divorce less than 2 weeks ago and she's been dating him for 2 or something months now. He also has a 4 year old kid with his wife and when he filed the papers, she tried to flee out of state with the kid. Cops were involved and she was ordered to stay in state. Drama drama already. The mom is quite naive for a 40 year old woman and has a history of picking the wrong guys it seems and I fear for her that this guy really is a douche too. He just kind of looks douchey too. A little over a week ago, he showed up at the house right after the mom did and as the were both standing in the kitchen while me and the 2 kids were just 8 feet away with just a counter and a table between us, and he got the grand idea to get kissy with the mom in front of me and the kids. I diverted my eyes as soon as I saw what he was about to do and turned my back to focus on the kids and getting the girl-child ready to go. I didn't want to see, and it felt very disrespectful, a bit too much too soon. From my peripheral vision and what I could hear, it seemed like the mom tried to stop him at first out of respect to me, but was unsuccessful. I don't know if I should bring it up to the mom, or just deal with it. I just don't want this to turn into a similar situation that I had to deal with when I started working for a particular family 4 years ago. That was the only job I've ever quit, and I was with them for less than 3 months. I don't want her dating drama to affect me and my job.
I bought my bike last week!
It needed some adjustments, so I finally got to pick it up on Saturday. It's beautiful. I brought it home, turned it upside-down on my kitchen floor, played with the gears, spun the wheels and just sat back smiling.
Fortunately, Sunday gave me a few dry hours in the afternoon and I got to take it for a ride on the Burke-Gilman trail. I did exactly 14 miles and definitely felt like I could have done more by the time I got home, if I had the time. Plus the sky was looking kind of gloomy on my way back so I was expecting rain... that never came. Turns out I definitely probably could have managed more, physically at least, because my legs are hardly sore today. It's supposed to rain all week, so that's going to put a damper on trying to go for another ride before the weekend. Oh well. It's supposed to be sunny again next Sunday, so I'm crossing my fingers for that and want to see if I can push myself to at least 18 miles.
I have an open invitation from 1 of my employers to join them on an RV trip at the end of July to Iowa where the dad will be participating in a 442 mile ride across Iowa, border to border. A few other participating bikers are paying for them to bring out their RV as their transportation and for sleeping during the week long ride. I wouldn't be able to do it anyways because of school and having to watch the other kid. If I didn't have school or another job and decided to join, I could buy a day pass and participate in just 1 or 2 days of the ride, but I still don't think I'd be ready for 50-80 mile rides by that time. But I'm tempting myself with the goal of doing the STP next Summer. All in the past week, I've already had a few people suggest doing it this year (mid July), but there's no way I'd be ready for a 2 day, 200 mile ride so soon. Besides, it's sold out, no spots left. But next year is a good goal to have, I think. Motivation to progress in my riding, get fitter, and make the $1500 I've spent on the bike, supplies, and gear worth it
I <3 my bike
It needed some adjustments, so I finally got to pick it up on Saturday. It's beautiful. I brought it home, turned it upside-down on my kitchen floor, played with the gears, spun the wheels and just sat back smiling.
Fortunately, Sunday gave me a few dry hours in the afternoon and I got to take it for a ride on the Burke-Gilman trail. I did exactly 14 miles and definitely felt like I could have done more by the time I got home, if I had the time. Plus the sky was looking kind of gloomy on my way back so I was expecting rain... that never came. Turns out I definitely probably could have managed more, physically at least, because my legs are hardly sore today. It's supposed to rain all week, so that's going to put a damper on trying to go for another ride before the weekend. Oh well. It's supposed to be sunny again next Sunday, so I'm crossing my fingers for that and want to see if I can push myself to at least 18 miles.
I have an open invitation from 1 of my employers to join them on an RV trip at the end of July to Iowa where the dad will be participating in a 442 mile ride across Iowa, border to border. A few other participating bikers are paying for them to bring out their RV as their transportation and for sleeping during the week long ride. I wouldn't be able to do it anyways because of school and having to watch the other kid. If I didn't have school or another job and decided to join, I could buy a day pass and participate in just 1 or 2 days of the ride, but I still don't think I'd be ready for 50-80 mile rides by that time. But I'm tempting myself with the goal of doing the STP next Summer. All in the past week, I've already had a few people suggest doing it this year (mid July), but there's no way I'd be ready for a 2 day, 200 mile ride so soon. Besides, it's sold out, no spots left. But next year is a good goal to have, I think. Motivation to progress in my riding, get fitter, and make the $1500 I've spent on the bike, supplies, and gear worth it
I <3 my bike
Holy moly. I get to go to this place for dinner tonight:
Sutra
It's an all vegan restaurant. They change their menu every few days and all ingredients are organic, local, and seasonal which is just awesome. They have 1 or 2 seating times each night, meaning everyone in the restaurant gets served at the same time... each course.
Tonight's menu:
First Course
Nettle Leek Miso Soup with a roasted garlic, turnip, and yellow beat cake served with plum wine sundried tomato sauce
Second Course
Pickled fiddlehead fern, red radish, watercress and miners lettuce salad with Meyer lemon tarragon hempseed dressing finished with candied hazelnuts
Third Course
Alder smoked asparagus, chili white cardamom cashew cheese Black Sesame Mung Bean Crepe with sautéed lacinato kale finished with a morel porcini marjoram demi-glaze
Fourth Course
Almond cherry (Theoâs) chocolate coconut ice cream with a Cacoa nib crystallized ginger brittle
I first heard of this place about a year ago and have been wanting to check it out for a while. Oh my, what a treat! I'm super excited What can possibly make the evening even better? Sitting across from a guy with swoon-able eyelashes. Yes, eyelashes are all the matters Let's see if I can manage to keep my hands from shaking like a leaf on this 2nd date with him. But seriously, 2nd date and the guy is taking me to this place? He's earning extra points already... and he's far from being vegan himself.
In other news, I've been shopping around for a road bike. I spent about 7 hours yesterday wandering between bike shops all over Seattle, checking out bikes, asking questions, and trying to learn more so I can figure out what I want/need. Hydrophilic joined me for the last 2-3 hours of that adventure. Before yesterday, I knew next to nothing about road bikes. I now have a decent idea of what to look for and so far my top 2 picks are:
Giant Avail
Redline R750
Both are $800 at the shops I went to. I'm leaning a little more toward the Giant and will probably go with it in the end since they're so similar in make, material, and components, plus the Giant caught my eye immediately. I only came across Redline in 1 shop. I still have several weeks to look because it seems other things are now calling my financial attention first, so I can't afford to buy a new bike yet. My car creaks in the front axle area when I turn and it's starting to sound worse and take even less turning to get it to creak lately. I'll be making an appointment to take it in next week. And then I have 2 parking tickets now that need to be paid off, one of which was acquired yesterday. And then I have to figure out how to pay for a $630 medical bill that didn't get covered by insurance, that plopped into my lap this week. Ugh, I really hate medical bills. Every time I open one, I feel like crying. I just wish my body was healthy and worked properly. It'd be so much less stressful. For now, I'll stick with the mountain bike my sister left behind for me when she moved out of state. I finally got around to getting the tires fixed again after not riding for a few months, and plan to start going for rides again this weekend. I've been too lazy lately and the urge to start moving again has returned.
Edit:
Thanks to Hydrophilic's research, seems the Redline is better quality and the better buy. I guess I'll be test riding each quite a bit in the coming weeks to see how I feel riding each.
Sutra
It's an all vegan restaurant. They change their menu every few days and all ingredients are organic, local, and seasonal which is just awesome. They have 1 or 2 seating times each night, meaning everyone in the restaurant gets served at the same time... each course.
Tonight's menu:
First Course
Nettle Leek Miso Soup with a roasted garlic, turnip, and yellow beat cake served with plum wine sundried tomato sauce
Second Course
Pickled fiddlehead fern, red radish, watercress and miners lettuce salad with Meyer lemon tarragon hempseed dressing finished with candied hazelnuts
Third Course
Alder smoked asparagus, chili white cardamom cashew cheese Black Sesame Mung Bean Crepe with sautéed lacinato kale finished with a morel porcini marjoram demi-glaze
Fourth Course
Almond cherry (Theoâs) chocolate coconut ice cream with a Cacoa nib crystallized ginger brittle
I first heard of this place about a year ago and have been wanting to check it out for a while. Oh my, what a treat! I'm super excited
What can possibly make the evening even better? Sitting across from a guy with swoon-able eyelashes. Yes, eyelashes are all the matters Let's see if I can manage to keep my hands from shaking like a leaf on this 2nd date with him. But seriously, 2nd date and the guy is taking me to this place? He's earning extra points already... and he's far from being vegan himself.In other news, I've been shopping around for a road bike. I spent about 7 hours yesterday wandering between bike shops all over Seattle, checking out bikes, asking questions, and trying to learn more so I can figure out what I want/need. Hydrophilic joined me for the last 2-3 hours of that adventure. Before yesterday, I knew next to nothing about road bikes. I now have a decent idea of what to look for and so far my top 2 picks are:
Giant Avail
Redline R750
Both are $800 at the shops I went to. I'm leaning a little more toward the Giant and will probably go with it in the end since they're so similar in make, material, and components, plus the Giant caught my eye immediately. I only came across Redline in 1 shop. I still have several weeks to look because it seems other things are now calling my financial attention first, so I can't afford to buy a new bike yet. My car creaks in the front axle area when I turn and it's starting to sound worse and take even less turning to get it to creak lately. I'll be making an appointment to take it in next week. And then I have 2 parking tickets now that need to be paid off, one of which was acquired yesterday. And then I have to figure out how to pay for a $630 medical bill that didn't get covered by insurance, that plopped into my lap this week. Ugh, I really hate medical bills. Every time I open one, I feel like crying. I just wish my body was healthy and worked properly. It'd be so much less stressful. For now, I'll stick with the mountain bike my sister left behind for me when she moved out of state. I finally got around to getting the tires fixed again after not riding for a few months, and plan to start going for rides again this weekend. I've been too lazy lately and the urge to start moving again has returned.
Edit:
Thanks to Hydrophilic's research, seems the Redline is better quality and the better buy. I guess I'll be test riding each quite a bit in the coming weeks to see how I feel riding each.
My time in Atlanta went swimmingly. It was so good to see the kids and my sister. I missed them so much. Taking care of the kids on my own for 5 day was easier than expected, but still quite the test. Waking up at 6:30am, making breakfast for my 6 year old nephew while he watches cartoons, packing his lunch while he eats, waking my 2.5 year old niece and getting both of them in the car at 7:30am and dropping my nephew off at school... was not quite my idea of a morning. But we managed pretty well. Passed the time with my niece by playing, watching TV/movies, and snacks until lunch, then tucking her in for naptime around noon, did dishes and cleaned or watched Dexter, woke her by 2:30 to get her into the car again to go pick up my nephew from school at 2:45pm. Home for snacks, playing inside, watching TV/movies, going outside to play in the grassy area in the middle of the cul-de-sac with the neighbor kids, inside for dinner, playtime before tucking my nephew into bed by 9pm, hanging out with my niece until I tucked her in between 10 and 11pm, and I tried to get to bed shortly thereafter. My sister texted me last night saying "I'm not sure what you did with 'the girl-child' while we were gone, but she's going to be with very little fussing all by herself. Thank you. It's really nice to have that time alone." Which is funny, because on my first night alone with the kids, my niece acted like that's exactly how she always did it... let me tuck her in and walk out of the room to let her fall asleep on her own. I sometimes asked her if she wanted me to lay with her and she said no and told me to please leave her alone haha. When I mentioned letting her fall asleep alone to my sister on the phone on day 2 or 3, my sister's response was "Aw, she's getting so independent". Either way, I'm glad I could help, whether I intended to or not, with that transition for my niece.
Throughout the days I was there, I passed my time catching up on most of all 4 seasons of Dexter or juggling. In the past month, I've managed to improve my juggling by 7fold. When I was in 3rd grade (give or take a year), a couple of classes in my school gathered in the lunchroom (with all the tables folded and shoved against the wall), they gave us little scarves, and taught us how to juggle. I've remembered how to ever since, but never got very good. Over the years, I'd try every so often. I would almost always hesitate on the first toss and manage maybe 20 tosses at most on a really good try. About a month ago, I found 3 medium sized wiffle balls in the room of the little girl I watch and tried to see how good I could do while she and the other little boy (who joined us 3 days/wk in Jan) played together. I managed to get 28 tosses with those awkwardly large, hole-filled, balls. A few days later I stopped by the climbing gym to say to people since I'm still not climbing and one of the guys happened to have little mini juggling balls and let me play with them while he climbed. That totally started it... I went and bought some balls a few days later and have been practicing a ton ever since. Last I counted, on Friday, my new personal record is 170 tosses. I've also been practicing juggling against the wall, which I tried a few times before years ago, but it's much harder and I haven't really counted, but I would guess the best I've managed is around 40 tosses. It's made me curious about trying partner juggling, but I'm not sure I know anyone else who can juggle well. And I've been working on transitioning from normal juggling to against the wall, and back again, and also mixing up the normal juggling by holding 1 ball and tossing 2 balls in one hand, and then reintroducing the 3rd all in one fell swoop. It's been fun and my roommate has even asked me to teach her. I might be a little obsessed with this little hobby of mine, but mostly it's a fun challenge and it's done wonders for my hand-eye coordination
I was talking about languages to someone the other night and they mentioned Livemocha as a good, free, Rosetta-Stone style, language learning website. Let's just say that I'm getting ahead of myself by adding too many languages. Mostly, I want to learn Swedish and Italian so I "enrolled" in courses for those. But then I added Spanish because it'd probably come in handy and it'd be nice to be able to speak and understand a little more with my friend in Argentina. And now I've added French out of curiosity, but it's much more on the back burner. I also looked into Icelandic, for which they only had beginner's 101 level, and holy crap is it difficult. Nevermind.
Turned out the weekday course at my Massage School that I was going to sit in on for Fridays got bumped back a month, which I was warned of in case the class didn't fill up enough in time. So now I start my Friday class on June 11th, and my weekend course the next day. It's kind of nice to have an extra month to prepare myself, and it kind of feels more fitting that the my classes start at the same time now.
Hope all is well for everyone
Throughout the days I was there, I passed my time catching up on most of all 4 seasons of Dexter or juggling. In the past month, I've managed to improve my juggling by 7fold. When I was in 3rd grade (give or take a year), a couple of classes in my school gathered in the lunchroom (with all the tables folded and shoved against the wall), they gave us little scarves, and taught us how to juggle. I've remembered how to ever since, but never got very good. Over the years, I'd try every so often. I would almost always hesitate on the first toss and manage maybe 20 tosses at most on a really good try. About a month ago, I found 3 medium sized wiffle balls in the room of the little girl I watch and tried to see how good I could do while she and the other little boy (who joined us 3 days/wk in Jan) played together. I managed to get 28 tosses with those awkwardly large, hole-filled, balls. A few days later I stopped by the climbing gym to say to people since I'm still not climbing and one of the guys happened to have little mini juggling balls and let me play with them while he climbed. That totally started it... I went and bought some balls a few days later and have been practicing a ton ever since. Last I counted, on Friday, my new personal record is 170 tosses. I've also been practicing juggling against the wall, which I tried a few times before years ago, but it's much harder and I haven't really counted, but I would guess the best I've managed is around 40 tosses. It's made me curious about trying partner juggling, but I'm not sure I know anyone else who can juggle well. And I've been working on transitioning from normal juggling to against the wall, and back again, and also mixing up the normal juggling by holding 1 ball and tossing 2 balls in one hand, and then reintroducing the 3rd all in one fell swoop. It's been fun and my roommate has even asked me to teach her. I might be a little obsessed with this little hobby of mine, but mostly it's a fun challenge and it's done wonders for my hand-eye coordination
I was talking about languages to someone the other night and they mentioned Livemocha as a good, free, Rosetta-Stone style, language learning website. Let's just say that I'm getting ahead of myself by adding too many languages. Mostly, I want to learn Swedish and Italian so I "enrolled" in courses for those. But then I added Spanish because it'd probably come in handy and it'd be nice to be able to speak and understand a little more with my friend in Argentina. And now I've added French out of curiosity, but it's much more on the back burner. I also looked into Icelandic, for which they only had beginner's 101 level, and holy crap is it difficult. Nevermind.
Turned out the weekday course at my Massage School that I was going to sit in on for Fridays got bumped back a month, which I was warned of in case the class didn't fill up enough in time. So now I start my Friday class on June 11th, and my weekend course the next day. It's kind of nice to have an extra month to prepare myself, and it kind of feels more fitting that the my classes start at the same time now.
Hope all is well for everyone
Today is the first day my kidneys aren't causing me much obvious discomfort. I spent Friday and all weekend being careful how I moved or not moving much at all to save myself from pain. Each day has been a little better than the last. Yesterday I walked around for 1-2 hours and the movement of walking jostled them quite a bit so they were more sore in the evening then they were in the morning. So it's nice to feel like they're making more progress today.
Last night was great. I got to see Conan O'Brien on his tour! I begged, pleaded, and jokingly guilted Hydrophilic into giving me his spare ticket because I missed out on buying my own before they sold out. It paid off and I got to go! (Thanks!!!) Reggie Watts was the opening act. He did this skit and I will have it stuck in my head for the rest of the week
On Saturday, I fly to Atlanta for 10 days. My sister and her hubby are having their first vacation alone together in over 6 years and they're going to Mexico. Her hubby's work sends their employees on vacation every year and this year is Mexico. My sister had to pay a bit to go, but I'm glad she'll have a chance to get away from the kids for a few days. Which is where I come into play. For about 5 days of my visit, I'll be watching my 6 year old nephew and 2 1/2 year old niece (3 in July) on my own. I haven't seen them since last July (besides video chat here and there). I'm really excited to see them, and although I take care of kids for a living, the thought that I'll have so many more responsibilities than usual, watching them 24/7, and literally signing papers to turn over power of attorney and guardianship over them to me while my sister is gone... it's pretty nerve wracking. Still, I know we'll manage, we'll do great, and the kids are great kids and love me. I'm excited for all the hugs and kisses I'll get from my niece, and for the sound of my nephews laughter and to see those beautiful blue eyes again.
Last night was great. I got to see Conan O'Brien on his tour! I begged, pleaded, and jokingly guilted Hydrophilic into giving me his spare ticket because I missed out on buying my own before they sold out. It paid off and I got to go! (Thanks!!!) Reggie Watts was the opening act. He did this skit and I will have it stuck in my head for the rest of the week
On Saturday, I fly to Atlanta for 10 days. My sister and her hubby are having their first vacation alone together in over 6 years and they're going to Mexico. Her hubby's work sends their employees on vacation every year and this year is Mexico. My sister had to pay a bit to go, but I'm glad she'll have a chance to get away from the kids for a few days. Which is where I come into play. For about 5 days of my visit, I'll be watching my 6 year old nephew and 2 1/2 year old niece (3 in July) on my own. I haven't seen them since last July (besides video chat here and there). I'm really excited to see them, and although I take care of kids for a living, the thought that I'll have so many more responsibilities than usual, watching them 24/7, and literally signing papers to turn over power of attorney and guardianship over them to me while my sister is gone... it's pretty nerve wracking. Still, I know we'll manage, we'll do great, and the kids are great kids and love me. I'm excited for all the hugs and kisses I'll get from my niece, and for the sound of my nephews laughter and to see those beautiful blue eyes again.
Well, this has been a fun week for my body
Monday I woke up after 3 hours of sleep to discover that I had a UTI. Couldn't get back to sleep. I've never had a UTI before, no clue how I got it, and turns out they're pretty damn lame. Got an appointment with my naturopath who gave me "Bladder Tea" and an herbal tincture.
Tuesday morning I woke up with only 6.5 hours of sleep because the UTI kept me up. Mild improvement, but not by much. Didn't have to work, but had a dentist appointment to get fillings and had Physical Therapy in the afternoon. My mouth, especially my lower jaw, takes a bit extra to get numb so I had to get extra shots after I stopped them mid-drill because I could feel it. My jaw is still a bit sore and I had difficulty opening my mouth to eat for the following 2 days.
Wednesday morning was rough with only 4.5 hours of sleep. Midday, my sister called asking if I'd watch the kids after work. So I ended up watching kids from 9am till 10pm, with a 30 minute drive in between. I was utterly exhausted by the end of the day and the UTI was still around.
Thursday morning was better as I got about 8-9 hours of sleep finally. Almost helped out a pregnant mom of a 2 year old that I work for on occasion in the afternoon but on my way there, she called to say that the kid had fallen asleep and wasn't sure how long so she may or may not need me. I opted out of that job in order to make another visit to the doctor as I had been feeling some occasion warmth and slight twinges in my sides. Doc gave me some high potency cranberry and probiotic drink mix packets and a prescription for antibiotics in case it gets worse.
Friday morning I woke up with a stiff left abdomen. As I started to get ready for the day, I gave myself the back-thump test... yep, tender kidney. The feeling was a cross between feeling massively constipated in that area and feeling like your ribs are stabbing you in the kidney. Filled my prescription first thing in the morning on my way to work. Boy-child's grandma offered to watch him and his mom insisted so that I could have an easier day with just the girl-child. I spent much of the afternoon letting her have too much screen time (computer games and TV) while I sat on the couch, not wanting to move much, with my laptop on my lap. Moving was not much fun, nor was breathing in deeply. I said my fair share of "Oomph"s, grunts, and groans whenever I had to move. Fortunately, it wasn't full blown... no fever (maybe low grade, hard to say), chills, or nausea, just a lot of discomfort. By late afternoon, the antibiotics had kicked in and moving wasn't quite as painful.
Now this morning... kidney #2 has decide to join in and say "ouch". So now I have a double kidney infection, though mild as it can be at least. This is fun
Monday I woke up after 3 hours of sleep to discover that I had a UTI. Couldn't get back to sleep. I've never had a UTI before, no clue how I got it, and turns out they're pretty damn lame. Got an appointment with my naturopath who gave me "Bladder Tea" and an herbal tincture.
Tuesday morning I woke up with only 6.5 hours of sleep because the UTI kept me up. Mild improvement, but not by much. Didn't have to work, but had a dentist appointment to get fillings and had Physical Therapy in the afternoon. My mouth, especially my lower jaw, takes a bit extra to get numb so I had to get extra shots after I stopped them mid-drill because I could feel it. My jaw is still a bit sore and I had difficulty opening my mouth to eat for the following 2 days.
Wednesday morning was rough with only 4.5 hours of sleep. Midday, my sister called asking if I'd watch the kids after work. So I ended up watching kids from 9am till 10pm, with a 30 minute drive in between. I was utterly exhausted by the end of the day and the UTI was still around.
Thursday morning was better as I got about 8-9 hours of sleep finally. Almost helped out a pregnant mom of a 2 year old that I work for on occasion in the afternoon but on my way there, she called to say that the kid had fallen asleep and wasn't sure how long so she may or may not need me. I opted out of that job in order to make another visit to the doctor as I had been feeling some occasion warmth and slight twinges in my sides. Doc gave me some high potency cranberry and probiotic drink mix packets and a prescription for antibiotics in case it gets worse.
Friday morning I woke up with a stiff left abdomen. As I started to get ready for the day, I gave myself the back-thump test... yep, tender kidney. The feeling was a cross between feeling massively constipated in that area and feeling like your ribs are stabbing you in the kidney. Filled my prescription first thing in the morning on my way to work. Boy-child's grandma offered to watch him and his mom insisted so that I could have an easier day with just the girl-child. I spent much of the afternoon letting her have too much screen time (computer games and TV) while I sat on the couch, not wanting to move much, with my laptop on my lap. Moving was not much fun, nor was breathing in deeply. I said my fair share of "Oomph"s, grunts, and groans whenever I had to move. Fortunately, it wasn't full blown... no fever (maybe low grade, hard to say), chills, or nausea, just a lot of discomfort. By late afternoon, the antibiotics had kicked in and moving wasn't quite as painful.
Now this morning... kidney #2 has decide to join in and say "ouch". So now I have a double kidney infection, though mild as it can be at least. This is fun
On a semi-whim, I ordered a Ukulele last night.
A Soprano Ukulele to be exact, which is the smallest size with a 13in scale length and 21in total length. Five minutes after I ordered it and a book of Beatles sheet music that I randomly came across, I asked myself "Why the fuck did you just buy a ukulele? You're musically inept, what are you going to do with a ukulele?". Another 10 minutes later, I realized the answer. One of my very good friends is getting married at the end of August and I'm one of her bridesmaids. She, along with her whole family, love the Beatles. To the point that when her cousin got engaged and brought the fiance home for Xmas, the men in the family quizzed him (all in good fun) about essential things necessary to fit in and be accepted into the family, and one of the questions was to name all the Beatles members. So I've since come up with the plan to learn some Beatles songs and surprise her by playing one or two of them for her at some point during her wedding "weekend" as a bit of a wedding present to her. So I'm going to give my capacity and ability to learn something new... an instrument... a good fighting chance. I've got 6 months to learn and perfect at least one or two songs. I think I can manage that. Now...improving my singing voice is another story heh
What's quite ironic is that at work today, the girl-child kept randomly saying "Ukulele", just as a fun word to say. I think at one point she said "Ukulele, what fun!". I don't think I'd ever heard her say the word before, let alone knew that she was aware of what it was, but she knew perfectly well that it was a small stringed instrument played kind of like a guitar. I couldn't understand her reasoning for knowing about it or why she felt like saying it randomly several times throughout the afternoon. I just found it funnily ironic that the day after I buy a Ukulele, the kid decides to play with the word out of nowhere.
I'm really quite excited for it to be delivered in a few days and to start learning to playing it
A Soprano Ukulele to be exact, which is the smallest size with a 13in scale length and 21in total length. Five minutes after I ordered it and a book of Beatles sheet music that I randomly came across, I asked myself "Why the fuck did you just buy a ukulele? You're musically inept, what are you going to do with a ukulele?". Another 10 minutes later, I realized the answer. One of my very good friends is getting married at the end of August and I'm one of her bridesmaids. She, along with her whole family, love the Beatles. To the point that when her cousin got engaged and brought the fiance home for Xmas, the men in the family quizzed him (all in good fun) about essential things necessary to fit in and be accepted into the family, and one of the questions was to name all the Beatles members. So I've since come up with the plan to learn some Beatles songs and surprise her by playing one or two of them for her at some point during her wedding "weekend" as a bit of a wedding present to her. So I'm going to give my capacity and ability to learn something new... an instrument... a good fighting chance. I've got 6 months to learn and perfect at least one or two songs. I think I can manage that. Now...improving my singing voice is another story heh
What's quite ironic is that at work today, the girl-child kept randomly saying "Ukulele", just as a fun word to say. I think at one point she said "Ukulele, what fun!". I don't think I'd ever heard her say the word before, let alone knew that she was aware of what it was, but she knew perfectly well that it was a small stringed instrument played kind of like a guitar. I couldn't understand her reasoning for knowing about it or why she felt like saying it randomly several times throughout the afternoon. I just found it funnily ironic that the day after I buy a Ukulele, the kid decides to play with the word out of nowhere.
I'm really quite excited for it to be delivered in a few days and to start learning to playing it
I went to a We Were Promised Jetpacks show Tuesday night. It was my second time seeing them live and it was awesome. The openers were Bear Hands (alright) and The Lonely Forest (Washington locals, great band, also 2nd time seeing them... got to see them at Bumbershoot this past year). This time I managed to squeeze to the very center front within the first half of Jetpacks' set (got pretty close for Lonely Forest too) and got some good pictures with my fabulous new Rebel camera I'm still sorting through them and will post some next time, but I've got this for you now...
Once inside the venue, I went upstairs and immediately spotted this guy who seemed like such an odd sight to see inside a concert venue during a show. He just sat there at the table, on his laptop, with his fabulous hat (and headphones on underneath) for at least Bear Hands' set. Besides cropping, I didn't edit anything. And because the right side of the pics are being cut off here, right click to view the full image.
I had the camera set on a short wall at the top of the stairs with a railing bar above it with just enough room for my lens to peak through between, so my camera was somewhat hidden from his view... I assumed, but I think he noticed me looking over at him a bit...
My birthday is on Friday, I don't know what to think about that
I'm still sorting through them and will post some next time, but I've got this for you now...Once inside the venue, I went upstairs and immediately spotted this guy who seemed like such an odd sight to see inside a concert venue during a show. He just sat there at the table, on his laptop, with his fabulous hat (and headphones on underneath) for at least Bear Hands' set. Besides cropping, I didn't edit anything. And because the right side of the pics are being cut off here, right click to view the full image.
I had the camera set on a short wall at the top of the stairs with a railing bar above it with just enough room for my lens to peak through between, so my camera was somewhat hidden from his view... I assumed, but I think he noticed me looking over at him a bit...
My birthday is on Friday, I don't know what to think about that
