Friday Foolishness
Hi there! I’ve been thinking about some absurd conversations I’ve had with my kids recently, and figured I would share. I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I dislike showering. Don’t worry- I DO shower, but it just seems like such a time-suck. i have to get all wet, and THEN I have to dry myself off. Strangely, after I dry myself I still feel damp. What is going on? Do we need new towels? Why can’t we have a machine we could walk through that would dry us instantly? Surprisingly, we have not gotten to the “foolish” part of this topic yet. When my son was home this summer I was grumbling, as I’m wont to do, about the shower situation, and my son came up with a brilliant idea- “Mom, you should get a buzz cut!” WHAT??? He explained that it would make the after-shower drying process much easier, and best of all, it would be the “ultimate rejection of vanity.” Well… I think that every time I put on a crop top for running is the ultimate rejection of vanity for me, but we’ll leave that for now. The buzz cut idea was so terrible, I had to laugh. I think he was semi-serious though! Don’t worry- I’m not going to do it (yet! Who knows what could happen as I get older and even more eccentric?) Moving on. Our cat, Muffin, is usually very affectionate, but every once in a while she’ll get into a mood. A few months ago she hid under the bed for several days and refused to come out. (I think she was coming out while we weren’t around- but for the most part she seemed to be scared of something). My daughter was convinced that Muffin was frightened because there was a ghost in the house. Again, I think she was semi-serious about this, and even invited some friends over to help find the ghost. Apparently the “ghost” left on its own because Muffin eventually resumed her regular activities. Another time, Muffin went through a phase where she kept meowing strangely at me. Not her usual meow, but almost an elongated yowl. This time, my daughter said “I think she’s trying to tell you that you have cancer.” NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE. I don’t want to hear that! I did a quick body/health history scan- let’s see, I just had a mammogram and pap test, both were fine, my most recent colonoscopy was completely fine, due for another one next summer, no strange pains or symptoms… I do not have cancer! Er, hopefully. Kids! I wonder what’s coming up next. Do you believe in ghosts?- I don’t. Or, if there are ghosts, I’m not worried about them harming me in any way. Should I get a buzz cut? – Hahahahaha. Please don’t say yes. Top photo by Buddha Elemental 3D on Unsplash
Scenes from Wednesday
Well- my Wednesday turned out to be everything I hoped it would be! Starting with a relaxing time at the car dealership… Remember how I was hoping for a time-consuming but inexpensive repair, so I would be forced to sit there longer? Guess what! There was a factory recall on the battery, so they had to fix that and it was FREE. I got over two hours of “me” time. The car place in a HIGHLY ADVANTAGEOUS location- very close to Fleet Feet, Trader Joe’s and Barnes and Noble. Seriously- all those place are right nearby. I went to Fleet Feet and got these: New running fuel! Ucan is a low-glycemic, sugar-free, slow releasing energy. I’ve never used it, but I’ll give it a try this weekend. I’m definitely looking for something different than the usual sugary gels. Next… Barnes and Noble! I had a gift card (from a client) and I got this: I CANNOT WAIT to read it. Well, actually I am going to wait- I’ll probably start it next month or maybe in November. But it’s waiting for me… I’ve absolutely loved every book in this series so far. THEN, Trader Joe’s! Unlike previous years, I didn’t get a lot of seasonal items. I did get a can of pumpkin, and some apple cider hand soap. Other than that I loaded up on my usual favorites- soy milk, nuts, almond butter, etc. After all that excitement, I needed a nap. Engie was disappointed that there were no cat photos in my last post, but I’ll tell you why. Foxy is so hard to get a photo of! He’s very active, so all my photos turn out to be orange blurs. Here he is relaxing with me though: And here’s Muffin (different day, I was wearing my black cat pajamas!) Charlotte is too cranky to pose, but my next goal is to get a shot of all three cats together. How was your Wednesday? What would you buy with a gift card from Barnes and Noble? Top photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Reading (and Feeling Scattered…)
Hey there! For some reason, I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed lately. Sunday was especially bad, and when I mentioned it to my daughter she suggested it was the negative energy from the lunar eclipse. Well… it’s as good a reason as any, I guess. Anyway, I did finish a book, and that made me feel good. I REALLY liked this! Can I just say that I wish I could discuss this in person with everyone I know, just so I can say the name “Nnedi Okorafor” over and over again? It’s such a cool name! In this book, Zelu is a young, disabled, Nigerian-American woman whose life has hit rock bottom. She’s lost her teaching job and can’t get her novel published. Then, in a burst of inspiration, she writes a sci-fi novel called “Rusted Robots.” We have a novel within a novel, alternating chapters of Zelu’s life and chapters of her sci-fi bestseller. Now- if you’re thinking, “I don’t want to read a sci-fi story called ‘Rusted Robots!’ That sounds idiotic!” Well- think again. The “Rusted Robots” story is REALLY interesting, as is the story of Zelu’s life. The two stories go together in a fascinating way, especially at the end. This was another book where I googled “what happened at the end?” I knew what I thought happened, and was surprised to see that not everyone agrees. To me, it seems clear, but it is a twist. If anyone has read this and wants to email me, let’s talk! Here’s a question: do you enjoy starting a new book? I used to HATE finishing a book and having to start a new one- but now I love it. I love to have several choices and sit down with all of them, reading a couple pages of each and then deciding on one to read next. Here are the three I’m sitting down with tonight: Hopefully I’ll start to feel better as this week goes on. Wednesday I’m getting my car serviced, which I’m actually looking forward to. I’ll show up with my laptop, book, journal, and Earl Grey tea (obviously) and thoroughly enjoy the fact that I HAVE to sit there for a couple hours. Maybe I’ll get really lucky, and there will be a time-consuming (but inexpensive) repair that will take extra time, so I can sit there even longer (you know I’m feeling overwhelmed if I’m HOPING to be detained at the car dealership!) Anyone else feeling weirdly out of sorts lately? Have you read any of these books? Top photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- I Did Yoga!!!
Several years ago, I had a Peloton membership and I was doing yoga all the time (Denis was my favorite instructor). I loved it! But… apparently I have fragile and delicate wrists, and they got so sore I had to stop the yoga (I really need healthy wrists for my job!) Last week when I mentioned my aching low back, Wendy recommended a Yoga With Adriene video. So I tried it- and I loved it! Yoga doesn’t have to include down dogs and planks, who knew? I CAN do yoga, after all! Of course there were also runs and other workouts… thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown. Let’s get into it! Monday I started the day with a 4 mile run…. And then later on, got out my yoga mat. Wendy recommended a specific video, but while browsing through the choices, I found an Adriene video for hips and low back release. Yes, please! It felt SO GOOD!!! At least, while I was doing it. Afterwards my back hurt again, but I’m not expecting miracles. Tuesday In the morning I did the Caroline Girvan dead bug workout and all my hip stability exercises. In the afternoon, I did the same yoga video for hips and low back. Wednesday 8 mile run! I did this in a nearby park with a cross country trail. Part of this run was on the trail, and park on paved paths through the park. I really lucked out and it was cloudy- still super hot, but cloud cover really helped. Later in the day I finally decided to do the video Wendy recommended, Yoga for Pelvic Floor. This was GREAT. The muscles of the pelvic floor are so, so important- they’re kind of like the core of our core. I’ll come back to this one- but I also want more focus on my hips and hamstrings. Thursday Leg day! First I did my hip stability exercises at home, then went to the gym where I focused on squats and hip thrusts. Friday 3 mile run on very sore legs- those squats really kill me! Later in the day I did Adriene’s yoga for low back and hamstrings- boy, my left hamstring is REALLY tight! I think it was this video that had some down dogs- I just did them on my fists, rather than putting my hands flat on the floor. At night- high school football game! The field was so wet, the band played their halftime show on the track. And- now that we’re state champions, we have some non-district games sprinkled into our schedule. For this game, a team from New Jersey came down, ranked seventh in the country- eek. We lost, but it was close! 21-14. It was humbling to be beaten (after being undefeated last season) but it won’t count against us in the standings. Saturday 4 mile run before work! Later in the day I went back to Adriene’s hips and low back release video. So good. Sunday On tap- sleeping in! Pancakes! Football! Hip stability exercises and more yoga. The yoga feels so, so good and I need it- I’m determined to keep up with it. My hip and hamstring felt good while running this week, but my low back is still bothering me. I’m hoping the yoga will help over time. How was your week? Do you like yoga? Anyone else have “delicate” wrists?