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By kilax, April 16, 2012 5:17 pm

Ha ha ha. The title is kind of funny, because Dates is our nickname for Data. I am not talking about senior citizens going on dates. I make me laugh. Moving on…

When my parents surprised me by visiting in March, my mom commented on how skinny Data is. I told her that Data is in perfect health and the vet has commended him on his weight for the past few years (after he lost a pound or two per the vet’s recommendation). I politely told my mother she wasn’t used to seeing a fit cat, since their cats are more… robust. 

Ha ha. 

But I did ask the vet during Data’s routine check up on Friday if we should be concerned about his weight. 

And yikes, I am happy we asked – Data has lost a pound over the past year. That’s 10%* of his body weight. We haven’t changed his diet. He’s been getting fed the same amount of food for the past few years. What is wrong with Dates?! 

The vet said Data is a senior cat now (at the old age of 8) and that thyroid issues are common for senior cats… so maybe Data has a thyroid issue. And maybe that is why he’s lost a pound. 

This was all a surprise to me! I didn’t think Data was “senior.” I think he’s a hyper little punk. 

Anyway, I am going to take him in next week for blood work (and a teeth cleaning, boo yah). Until then, he’ll be enjoying a bit more food at breakfast and dinner.

So there you have it. A lot of information about my cat that you never cared to read. 

Where does your pet fall on the health chart?

From here

I can say, Data is the only one in the family who has an issue with being underweight. But he might not be the only one with a thyroid problem! I found out recently that quite a few of the women in my family have thyroid issues. Could that explain why I hit the wall every afternoon, can’t stop yawning and feel like I could fall asleep at any moment? It surely couldn’t be my poor diet, or all the running I do… (<– sarcasm).

*Or something, I am not so good at math these days. 

Comments (43)

By kilax, April 9, 2012 4:48 am

Yesterday I decided to depress myself by digging my shorts out of my closet and trying them on. 

They still don’t fit. 

The ones I bought, oh, three summers ago?!

You know… never worn? Are these even still in style?

I haven’t worn (non-running) shorts for a few summers. I just wear these stupid capris (photo from 7/8/11). Because they fit. But they look stupid. 

I am going to wear normal shorts this summer, dammit! But now the question is… do I try to lose 15 pounds to fit in to these (not a bad idea, I need to lose weight…) or go through the pain and suffering of shopping for shorts?

What would you do – buy new shorts or try to fit in to the ones you have? Does anyone else have a shorts dilemma?

Seriously, I need to lose weight, so this is not a bad idea for motivation. It probably won’t work as motivation, but it’s a good idea. 

Also, other things that made me feel a bit sad this weekend – old photos from college. I was trying to clear some space on my external hard drive for new photos and I deleted some photos from Europe taken by my classmates (mostly random shots I am not in). I was in a few photos, looking awkward…

That’s me all the way on the left, in Barcelona, having the time of my life. Not. Seriously, I am not anti-social or shy, but I did not really connect with anyone in college. Not in that “best girlfriend” sort of way. You can tell by how I am sitting with these people that I felt like I didn’t belong. Awkward…

This whiny posts makes me sound like I had a sad weekend. I didn’t. It was quite nice! I just wanted to share these two thoughts. 

Comments (19)

By kilax, April 5, 2012 6:20 am

Mostly running related… er… oops. 

• The new winner for the 13.1 Chicago [Half] Marathon is Cary! Cary, please send me an email (kilax@ilaxstudio.com) and I will send you the info on signing up.
• Also! If you have not already registered for the 13.1 Chicago [Half] Marathon or accompanying Karhu 5K, here is a $5 off registration code - 131BLG5. Register here! The code expires 4/22.
• I really liked Erin’s post on Tuesday about making running FUN. This post came at the perfect time, as that is my goal with running right now. And I plan on accomplishing it by being more of a social runner, and actually using my running club membership. So far I am off to a good start. I ran with Maggie Tuesday night (had a blast!) and some club members Wednesday am. I’ll run with Katie on Saturday. What makes running fun for you?

Photo from Maggie – don’t we look like Runner’s World cover models?

• Of course, my other goal with being more of a social runner is to forget about pace (which I generally don’t worry about too much anyway) and just run the pace of the group. But! I do plan on signing up to run with some fasties too. So we’ll see what that does. 
• Guys, I need your input. I am not sure what to do with my Sunday Training posts. I’ve been keeping them for a few years, as I like to use them as a log of what I am doing, and also for reference (What should I wear when it’s 19°F? How much water will I need when it’s 85°F?). BUT – they are getting so damn boring. I enjoy writing them as the week goes by, but I don’t even feel like proof-reading them. They’re too long! I have a few ideas on how to shorten the training posts. What information would you want me to keep in them? Photos, pace, weather, how the run felt…? Something else? Nothing? 
• Last April I tried doing the monthly fashion challenge but lost interest in it after we had a death in the family and I got kind of depressed. Er… anyway, I am trying it again! I have been taking pictures of my outfits each day to post one large “30 Days of April Outfits” post at the end of the month. I wasn’t going to mention it because I though that would make it not happen (see goals post). Hmm, but I guess I just did. So, the goal with this is to wear something different every day. And my personal goal is not to look like a slob on the days I don’t have to go in to the office. 

Other Random Thoughts Thursday Posts: XII, XI, X, IX, VIII, VII, VI, V, IV, III, II, I.

Comments (26)

By kilax, April 4, 2012 9:12 am

Really, Data, really? Is that where you want to sit today? Right in front of my laptop?

FWP.

Total FWP – I really need three monitors to do my work today. But I only have two. I know someone who has three and isn’t home right now…

Don’t Steven’s three monitors suit me well?! Too bad I can’t hook up to them.

You probably think it’s ridiculous that I say I need three monitors. But I need at least three programs open right now – Google Docs, AutoCAD and Excel, and it’s nice to have them full screen. And I hate switching back and forth between windows. BARF. Unproductive and inefficient. If I’m gonna go paperless, I need more monitors. Yeah, FWP.

How many monitors do you feel like you need to do your job most efficiently (if you have a job that uses a computer)?

Comments (29)

By kilax, April 3, 2012 4:17 am

I am going to try a First World Problems (FWP) post, inspired by Run Gingerfoxxx, Run (Sara), of course. Sara – let me know how bad this is and I will never do one again. Whereas you are cute and funny, I am obnoxious.

FYI: this is supposed to be funny. Please humor my attempt at humor.

1. I wasted 10 minutes yesterday trying on 10 different jackets/sweaters over this dress so I could wear it to the office. Nothing worked. How can my closet be so full of clothes yet so empty?

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

2. My brother keeps coming to town on business and we meet him for dinner he pays for appetizers on the company tab. We are all getting fatter.*

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

3. Katie recommended this book to me. I ordered it “gently used” for $3 on Amazon Prime and it came in one business day. But is has someone else’s writing in it!!!

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS (actually, that doesn’t bother me, I think it’s funny)

4. I have so many new magazines and books I don’t know what to read.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

5. I had a delicious glass of wine at dinner last night and have NO idea what is was. I just asked the waitress to bring me something fruity. Now I am upset I have no idea what I was drinking, because I loved it.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

6. I have been using pixlr.com on my (husband’s old) laptop to edit photos since I broke my laptop in December of 2011 and it had Photoshop on it. My husband bought me a new laptop at the end of January and set it up with Photoshop in the middle of March and I still have not turned it on to use it. Because I am lazy.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

7. I don’t have a picture for items #6, and now this one (and #14) and that bothers me. I’m all about consistency!!!

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

8. I have a Canon Point and Shoot that takes wonderful photos but I continue to subject you all to these awful iPhone photos. Barf! And they are not even edited in Photoshop!

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

9. I reached 99 turns in DrawSomething with Steven. What is going to happen now?!!??!? The anxiety is making me cray cray!!! Also, I am playing with so many people I bet my NOT unlimited data is through the roof. Oopsie.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

10. People don’t get my “That shit cray” reference. I must be hanging out with the wrong people.

From here

FIRST WORLD GANGSTA PROBLEMS

11. Gas is expensive and we only put premium in my car.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

12. In the middle of writing this post, my website stopped working. My host (powweb) is a piece of crap. I had to waste 20 minutes with them just to find out my site would be down for a few hours.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS (but seriously, this crap pisses me off)

13. I went to bed after 11:00 pm last night since I was working on this stupid post and the stupid host problem. I had to get up at 4:00 am. Now I think #1 is going to happen all over again, but with a different outfit. And yeah. I am tired.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

14. I have to work all five days this week (instead of four).

THAT JUST SUCKS

Alright, tell me your first world problems!!!

Wow, I could have kept going with this list. That is scary. If you want to read an actual useful list, read this, which my sister sent to me!

*Actually, we paid for this appetizer, but we talked about this during dinner and I thought it was funny.

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By kilax, April 2, 2012 4:38 pm

My sister had a special retirement cake made for my dad.

I was scrolling through some pictures my aunt Sue gave me and saw these two of my dad and the cake next to its inspiration:

Aww, Dad, you are too cute! Look at the itty bitty car cake on the car. Aww…

When you go to an afternoon open house what kind of food are you most looking forward to consuming?

CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE (<--- that is my answer)

I could not eat the fancy car cake or the sheet cake (contained eggs and dairy), but since I am a brat, my mom’s mom made me a special vegan cake. My family loves me, they really do!

Kid, quit eyeing my cake! (Ha ha, I gave some to his mom and she fed it to him. He ate vegan cake! Ahh! SCARY!!!)

More photos from the party, me and the sibs (don’t say we look alike!) and Dad:

Note to self: white tights make you look 5. And chunky.

All the girlios (moi, my SiL Courtney, Christinkle wearing very high heels, Mombina, and SiL Amber):

General Party Excitement:

Steven was there too!

Comments (14)

By kilax, April 2, 2012 5:13 am

I know practically every study about goals says that setting really specific ones and a plan on how to get there leads to success, but that just does not work for me.  The more specific my goal is (and especially if it has a deadline*), the more time I tend to spend dreaming about life after reaching that goal, rather than focusing on the present and what it takes to get to that goal. 

With my 12-week then 4-week 5K training cycle I felt like I really focused on being in the present and enjoying the speedwork that would earn me a 5K PR. But the truth is I daydreamed a lot too, about reaching that PR and how accomplished I would feel.

I guess that is what makes not reaching it kind of a letdown – I had really been living in the future with that one. Lesson learned. 

Don’t think I take running super super seriously – I don’t. I enjoy it. And I am not upset about my failed 5K attempts.

But I like a challenge every now and then! I need to find a better way for me to challenge myself [in running]. 

I guess making all this goal talk about running does make me seem upset – I’m not. It just reminded me how I struggle with goals with everything in my life. Work, my health, my relationships, and so on. Every time I set a weightloss goal for myself, I seem to engage in self-sabotage. Rather than making huge goals at work, things kind of fall in to my lap (this probably has to do with my work ethic, but I am not actively seeking things). I actively think about bettering my relationships but I don’t have set plans, I kind of go with the flow. The more specific and announced my goals are, the more I mess them up. 

Eeks. I am going to stop here and hope that some of this makes sense to someone. 

Does setting really specific goals with date or event deadlines work for you? 

Thanks to my Fools 5K spectators (Aunt Sue, Dad and Steven)!

*Be to xxx weight by xx-xx-xx date, race xx:xx in xx race

The winner of the 13.1 Chicago [half] Marathon Giveaway is #15, Pam! Pam, please contact me at kilax@ilaxstudio.com and I will work on getting a registration code for you!

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By kilax, March 31, 2012 10:24 am

A friend and I often talk about how our therapy sessions are really good, but that we promptly forget most of what was discussed when we leave, and should really start talking notes. I remembered that and took a voice memo on my phone after my session on Thursday, because I wanted to share some thoughts with you. Then I remembered this same friend told me she thinks people can relate to my blog because I write like how I talk. So true… as this is just a transcription of that voice memo (hence all the run-on sentences)!

Some of the things I have been working on with my therapist are so basic, but really things I need to work on. It’s good to have someone focusing on that with me, giving me their undivided attention.

I’ve mentioned before how obsessed I am with my schedule – that I am always looking forward to the future. But recently I’ve really seen how that’s inhibiting me from enjoying the present, so a lot of our focus has been on taking time to breath, noticing what’s going on around you, meditating, being in the present moment. Don’t always be thinking about what’s next, what I’ve got to do next, what’s going on tomorrow, what’s going on in a week… which is really hard for a planner like me who wants to be responsible, but I’m finding out that when I do just enjoy a moment or get lost in it it leaves me feeling so good!

And that’s not to say that I don’t do that now, but that I would like to do it more. When I spend time with friends now, or family, I can zone out, and really focus on them, but I can’t focus on a task at work, a task at home. I can’t sit still, I can’t just enjoy a movie without thinking about something else, so it’s been really good to work on those things.

And hopefully(!!!), as I work on them more it will make me less anxious, and help me accomplish the overall goal, which is to quit eating emotionally, which all my anxiety, and pressure and worry about schedule and other thing as well, not just schedule, make me do. And if I am overeating, I would like it to be because I am enjoying my food, not because I am just trying to numb myself. So, it’s really been interesting to me trying to focus on being in the moment, getting lost in the moment and I was wondering what are some of the things that you get lost in the moment of, maybe on a daily basis or like me, do you struggle to really enjoy things at face value at what they are?

It was really hard not to edit this, but I wanted to purely transcribe it! I tried to do some editing with the punctuation, but I think it kind of breaks it up.

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By kilax, March 22, 2012 12:18 pm

I love working from home, but when the weather is so nice and I am sitting in front of the open window, it’s totally torturous not to be outside. *

And then! THEN! A group of runners goes by! 10 of them! JEALOUS! (creepy stalker photo of 6 of them below)

As Gingerfoxxx says, First World Problems (which I abbreviated FWP in the post title).

Maybe next time I see a large group like this I will sprint outside and join them. “Oh hai, I’m Kim…”

Really though, I could run at home during lunch, but I found that when I did that, I was thinking about stupid work crap and it was ruining my run and creating a bad vibe that I associated with my neighborhood. When I run during lunch at the office, I am with other people so my mind is able to wander. But then there is the whole “make it back to the office on time” stress.

Not really sure where I am going with this blog post… oh, here we go!

If you work from home, are you able to separate your work life from your private life?

It comes and goes for me. I don’t leave my computer or tablet on when it’s non-business hours, and I have gotten really good about not checking my smart phone for messages (also during non-business hours). But I am unable to relax completely during lunch, and I have to turn everything off and put it away when I am done working so I don’t think about it.**

*But it’s a thousand times better than being in the office.
**But, it’s still a thousand times better than being in the office.

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By kilax, March 19, 2012 6:48 am

And no time to write!

I feel like I have a lot to tell you guys:

• All about my awesome trip to NYC with Erin.
• Our crazy plane ride home.

• That my two best friends met!

• How it feels strange to be in NYC and not be with Gina and Steve (not bad, just weird).
• The surprise visit from my parents.

• That my favorite coworker found my blog. Hi, favorite coworker.
• That the Target Pharmacy did not put my prescription in my bag and I did not realize it until this morning… and they thought I was lying when I called about it. Sigh.
• That I have one giveaway and one review/giveaway coming up.
• How happy I am that most of my team is not in the office today. Nice and quiet…

But I don’t have time to write. I’d rather catch up on all your blogs first… maybe tonight. Geesh. That week away really set me off! What are your first priorities when you get back from time away? Mine tend to be going through my email inbox! And laundry. Always laundry.