I watched a piece on ESPN before the Cal State v. U Conn women's game today that gave me an idea for a new long term fitness/life goal. I want to participate in next year's Krispy Kreme Challenge. The tag line for the event is "4 miles, 1 hour, 12 doughnuts, 2400 calories". It's a charity event at NC State benefitting the North Carolina Children's Hospital. The goals is to run downhill two miles from the Belltower to the Krispy Kreme, eat a dozen doughnuts, and run back uphill two miles... in under an hour... without puking. Anyone who wouldn't want to do this is crazy... right?!
Laurel (one of the other grad students in our lab group) had asked me the Friday before if I wanted to join her this year, and I remember thinking with some shame "I don't know that I can run four miles." I was housesitting during the event, so I couldn't have gone even if I wanted to. But next year? I'll be ready. I'll train. And I'll eat. Anyone want to split a box?
Sport's Illustrated "102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate": #85
Sunday, March 29, 2009
A Starting Point
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius
I got an e-mail from my racquetball coach tonight saying that class was canceled tomorrow due to a death in the family. My prayers are with his family, but I know that means that I won't be pushing my body through the fourth round of our single player ladder tournament. [In a ladder tournament, you move up a court if you win, down if you lose; the highest court is the challenge court, the lowest court has been dubbed "Siberia" - definitely want to stay out of that one.] I've recently set some fitness goals for myself, including running a 10 minute mile. When better to get a read on your cardiovascular health then after a veggie burger, fries and two Shirley Temples?! (Forgive me, it's Sunday.) Anyway, the result? 11:31, and I KNOW I can do better! I did a 5 minute warm up, and ran for another 15 minutes afterward at a 3 mph pace.
Thoroughly pumped, and listening to some of the kickin' tunes Anna put on my I-pod, I came back to my apartment, grabbed my garbage and recycling to take down. I sorted to the beat, and started to run back. Two steps in, I turned my ankle and ate concrete, which was almost as delicious as that Shirley Temple.
Gotta love it.
P.S. HI MOM!!
I got an e-mail from my racquetball coach tonight saying that class was canceled tomorrow due to a death in the family. My prayers are with his family, but I know that means that I won't be pushing my body through the fourth round of our single player ladder tournament. [In a ladder tournament, you move up a court if you win, down if you lose; the highest court is the challenge court, the lowest court has been dubbed "Siberia" - definitely want to stay out of that one.] I've recently set some fitness goals for myself, including running a 10 minute mile. When better to get a read on your cardiovascular health then after a veggie burger, fries and two Shirley Temples?! (Forgive me, it's Sunday.) Anyway, the result? 11:31, and I KNOW I can do better! I did a 5 minute warm up, and ran for another 15 minutes afterward at a 3 mph pace.
Thoroughly pumped, and listening to some of the kickin' tunes Anna put on my I-pod, I came back to my apartment, grabbed my garbage and recycling to take down. I sorted to the beat, and started to run back. Two steps in, I turned my ankle and ate concrete, which was almost as delicious as that Shirley Temple.
Gotta love it.
P.S. HI MOM!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Public Indecency and A Fear Overcome, Part 2
Today I enjoyed what felt like a very public shower, while singing "Apples and Bananas" and "I have a lovely bunch of coconuts". Well, the chorus of the second one at least - I never did hear more than the Lion King version 'til tonight (if you don't know what I'm referring to, click here).
"I said... Mu-mpfx, que pasa?!"
"I said... Mu-mpfx, que pasa?!"
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Public Indecency and A Fear Overcome
[[Warning: This is a true, dramatic, and PG-13 rated story. No names have been changed to protect innocent booty. Roughly specific times are given for dramatic effect.]]
Back in January, I went to my first Racquetball PE class. Since all we did was go over some basics, I opted to get on one of the ellipticals for 20 minutes and work up a real sweat. Afterwards, I adjourned to the locker rooms for a shower. To my surprise, the showers I found were... open. Six shower heads, one open doorway. Opposite the showers is a mirrored wall for us sassy girls to do our makeup and blow dry our hair. From the mirrors, you can see almost straight into the showers. Fortunately, no one else was around that morning - so I hopped in for an approximately 25.7 second scrub down. Comfort with my body has never been my strong suit.
That night, as I was reflecting on the first day of my second semester of graduate school, I thought of Leslie's experience in Japan going to the baths with one of her former students and that student's mother. These baths are a relaxing place to be experienced in the nude. I thought of my own experiences with my high schoolers. I love them dearly, but I'm hard pressed to imagine a situation with which I'd be less comfortable with them. Impressed by Leslie's confidence and (in my personal opinion) epic bravery, I shared with her my frightening public, very UNrelaxing, "bath" experience, and promised to pluck up my courage, sing a show tune and enjoy a longer shower.
Every day after Racquetball for the past 2+ months, I have hiked up my canary yellow towel and grinned as I choose a Broadway-inspired selection on my march from my locker down to the showers. Amazingly, it wasn't until this Wednesday that anyone was actually in the shower with me. As I turned into the recessed chamber, another girl followed after me and took the shower head across from mine. "Bring it on!," I thought to my self-consciousness, like a poker player raising the stakes in a bluff. I turned on the water, flung the towel over the rail, hummed my Broadway tune... and beat my previous 25.7 seconds stand. 93.2 seconds in, another girl game in and took the shower head down from mine. Both of them stayed in their bathing suits, though one did pull hers down to rinse off. "Ha!" I laughed, humming faster and keeping my huddled body turned to the wall. "They don't have a naked best friend on their side to give them confidence!" (Yes, I'm aware of how perfectly lesbian I sound. I don't care.) I finished, toweled off, and carried on with my day.
Friday, I had some extra time in my day after a meeting with my Soil Chemistry lab group and professor, so I stopped by the gym for 35 minutes on the elliptical (score one for increased cardiovascular fitness!). When I went back to the locker room, I noticed a scale down the hall (this is a large place, mind you). "What the heck, no one's around," I decided, and traipsed my way down to weigh in. Down 9.5 pounds from that first day of Racquetball. Humming whitely something about how good it feels to be a gangsta, I turned and noticed something white fluttering down another hall. "That's odd," and, for the second time in a minute, "What the heck, no one's around, I'll check it out."
There's a row of personal showers with shower curtains.
For the exposure and confusion of the women who have witnessed my self confidence build at their eyeballs' expense, my profound apologies.
Back in January, I went to my first Racquetball PE class. Since all we did was go over some basics, I opted to get on one of the ellipticals for 20 minutes and work up a real sweat. Afterwards, I adjourned to the locker rooms for a shower. To my surprise, the showers I found were... open. Six shower heads, one open doorway. Opposite the showers is a mirrored wall for us sassy girls to do our makeup and blow dry our hair. From the mirrors, you can see almost straight into the showers. Fortunately, no one else was around that morning - so I hopped in for an approximately 25.7 second scrub down. Comfort with my body has never been my strong suit.
That night, as I was reflecting on the first day of my second semester of graduate school, I thought of Leslie's experience in Japan going to the baths with one of her former students and that student's mother. These baths are a relaxing place to be experienced in the nude. I thought of my own experiences with my high schoolers. I love them dearly, but I'm hard pressed to imagine a situation with which I'd be less comfortable with them. Impressed by Leslie's confidence and (in my personal opinion) epic bravery, I shared with her my frightening public, very UNrelaxing, "bath" experience, and promised to pluck up my courage, sing a show tune and enjoy a longer shower.
Every day after Racquetball for the past 2+ months, I have hiked up my canary yellow towel and grinned as I choose a Broadway-inspired selection on my march from my locker down to the showers. Amazingly, it wasn't until this Wednesday that anyone was actually in the shower with me. As I turned into the recessed chamber, another girl followed after me and took the shower head across from mine. "Bring it on!," I thought to my self-consciousness, like a poker player raising the stakes in a bluff. I turned on the water, flung the towel over the rail, hummed my Broadway tune... and beat my previous 25.7 seconds stand. 93.2 seconds in, another girl game in and took the shower head down from mine. Both of them stayed in their bathing suits, though one did pull hers down to rinse off. "Ha!" I laughed, humming faster and keeping my huddled body turned to the wall. "They don't have a naked best friend on their side to give them confidence!" (Yes, I'm aware of how perfectly lesbian I sound. I don't care.) I finished, toweled off, and carried on with my day.
Friday, I had some extra time in my day after a meeting with my Soil Chemistry lab group and professor, so I stopped by the gym for 35 minutes on the elliptical (score one for increased cardiovascular fitness!). When I went back to the locker room, I noticed a scale down the hall (this is a large place, mind you). "What the heck, no one's around," I decided, and traipsed my way down to weigh in. Down 9.5 pounds from that first day of Racquetball. Humming whitely something about how good it feels to be a gangsta, I turned and noticed something white fluttering down another hall. "That's odd," and, for the second time in a minute, "What the heck, no one's around, I'll check it out."
There's a row of personal showers with shower curtains.
For the exposure and confusion of the women who have witnessed my self confidence build at their eyeballs' expense, my profound apologies.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
6928 miles
I lost my passport and only discovered it Friday night, when I was supposed to leave Saturday morning. Just 6928 miles and a passport separate me from Leslie and Tokyo. It would be difficult to describe the 'missed connection' that I would have to post on Craigslist to sum up the emotional disconnect I've been having this week. I have started the process of getting my government issued identification back, which should all arrive within the next two months. That's put me up for Japan in...May! As Mr. Gartenberg told Mom, I'll get to look forward to it twice.
I've decided that, past my own irresponsibility for not checking on my passport a month ago, there is a reason for me not going to Japan this week. I'm convinced that there is some experience that I am supposed to have here, or not to have there, this week. I don't know if I'll be able to recognize it, or if it is one of those "butterfly effect" sort of moments that I will never be able to put my finger on, but I am convinced that it will happen.
That said, my Spring Break so far? Sleeping, working on GIS assignments for after the break, cleaning up from the frantic tearing apart of my apartment with Mike looking for said passport, getting lunch and spending time with Jaimie and the twin girls she nannies for, Thursday is craft night at An's, and on Friday, I'll be spending all day in "Mrs. Junior's" kindergarten classroom playing 'teacher's assistant assistant'. If anyone has any insight, or added ideas for what to do with my time, I'd love to hear them!
I've decided that, past my own irresponsibility for not checking on my passport a month ago, there is a reason for me not going to Japan this week. I'm convinced that there is some experience that I am supposed to have here, or not to have there, this week. I don't know if I'll be able to recognize it, or if it is one of those "butterfly effect" sort of moments that I will never be able to put my finger on, but I am convinced that it will happen.
That said, my Spring Break so far? Sleeping, working on GIS assignments for after the break, cleaning up from the frantic tearing apart of my apartment with Mike looking for said passport, getting lunch and spending time with Jaimie and the twin girls she nannies for, Thursday is craft night at An's, and on Friday, I'll be spending all day in "Mrs. Junior's" kindergarten classroom playing 'teacher's assistant assistant'. If anyone has any insight, or added ideas for what to do with my time, I'd love to hear them!
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