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By kilax, April 24, 2014 6:09 am

• I am finally reading Born to Run! Gina really liked it, and thought I would to, so she gave me a copy! I’ve heard so many rave reviews of this book! Have you read it? What did you think?

• We started watching Saving Mr Banks last night. I am really enjoying it! The difficulty of the main character reminds me a bit of some people I know in real life, ha ha. Now Steven and I need to watch Mary Poppins. Neither of us have ever seen it – have you seen Mary Poppins?
• Data has been so darn cuddly and sweet since we came back from Dallas late Tuesday night! Normally, he is that way for about 20+ minutes after we walk in the door, but he is still acting like that this morning! Aww!

• This weekend, I noticed my purse had an attached strap inside of it, with a clasp at the end. I decided to attach my wallet to it, and wow, it’s now super easy to get my wallet out of my purse! Don’t have to dig around anymore. Ahh, the simple things. Ha ha. 

• Awhile ago (gosh, it was the last time I did a RTT!), I mentioned I hadn’t been sleeping well for a few months. I hope I am not jinxing it, but I am finally starting to sleep for longer periods of time at night! A few sleep related questions – if I have a crazy nightmare with someone in it, should I let them know? Ha ha. I had a tornado dream Wednesday morning, with someone from my past in it. And, what do you do when you can’t shut your mind off to fall asleep? The #1 thing that usually works for me is to think about something I have to plan/figure out, and don’t want to. My brain is so good at shutting those things out of my mind that it puts me to sleep (I know, not so much a good thing when it comes to planning/problem solving). 
• Speaking of dreams, yesterday I wasn’t sure if I had a discussion with Steven in real life, or in a dream I had on the train ride to work. It must have been in real life, because when he picked me up from the train that evening, we went grocery shopping, which is what I wanted to ask him about. Um… let’s just say I was a bit tired yesterday morning. 
• Tonight is our first meeting with our softball team, and our first game should be May 15th! I didn’t realize how much planning and organization would go in to it (duh, right?) but I know the games will be a lot of fun. I wonder what position I will end up playing!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 59

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By kilax, April 23, 2014 6:19 am

Typically when a visit with Gina and family ends, I feel super down because it will be so long before I see them again, or worse – I don’t even know when I will see them next!

But not this time! We know we will see them in LESS THAN A MONTH(!!!!!!!) when they come to Chicago for the Soldier Field 10 Miler. And after that, we will see them in two and a half weeks at my snister’s wedding! Okay, don’t even ask me how I will feel when we part in June. I will probably be a basket case. 

Our trip this past weekend to Dallas was perfect. It coincided with many celebrations – Gina’s birthday on Friday, Easter on Sunday, the Boston Marathon/Śmigus-Dyngus on Monday, and an early birthday for Luca on Tuesday! Oh yeah, the title of the post:

Raffie needed a friend! Raffie, meet Guntherrrrrrrrrrrr* (said with rolling Rs and purring noises). Ha ha. 

Guntherrrrrrrrrrrr showed up at the doorstep late Saturday night and it was too hard to just leave him in the box until we gave him to Luca on Tuesday, so we had a bit of fun hiding him in places to scare Gina and Steve. 

I think the bathroom may have been the most successful hiding spot, based on the scream I heard from downstairs when Gina saw him in there, and, um, based on Guntherrrrrrrrrrrr’s rapid decent from the second level to the first level. Ha ha ha!

The sad thing is that he’s too big to come to Chicago in May. I am sure we will find something else to be goofy about – we always manage to!

And that is one of the things I love about spending time with Gina, Steve and Luca – all the jokes and goofiness. Our time together is so upbeat, care-free and stress-free! I always feel so relaxed around them. Then it’s back to the grind… but only for a bit!

I love sharing nap time with Luca! I hope he never grows out of naps…

*5 out of 5 moms interviewed said getting Luca another giant stuffed animal was a good idea. Or, at least, that I should do it. 

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By kilax, April 17, 2014 6:21 am

If we’ve eaten in a restaurant together before, you’ve likely heard this story.

Years ago, I was eating out with three other people who ordered a similar meat dish while I ordered some pasta veggie dish. The waiter came by to ask the typical “how is everything?” and I responded with “good.” My dish was good.

Apparently, though, everyone else at my table was really displeased with their food, and had wanted to say something (which I did not know). But then didn’t, since I said “good.” Then they proceeded to be cranky (somewhat with me) the rest of the night, while eating their bad (?) food.

For whatever reason, this experience really stuck with me. I was made to feel shamed for that “good” response. Since then (and it was, what, oh… maybe 10 years ago?!) I’ve always paused a bit when a waiter asks how everything is. If I look around the table and it looks like no one is going to answer, then I will. Or if someone is displeased and I know it, I’ll let them speak. Or speak for them, if they don’t want to say anything. Ha!

Really though, that is what the issue was – for some reason, me saying my food was good make the others feel like they couldn’t say what was “wrong” with theirs. Why are people so shy about that?

Maybe it’s because I am always asking for modifications with a vegan diet, and sometimes sending food back, that I just don’t think it’s a big deal. Smile, be polite when you ask… and again – don’t make it in to a big deal. It’s just food! You’ll be fine (unless you have some crazy serious allergy, of course). I feel like, as a paying customer, it’s okay to ask to have something “fixed,” if it didn’t come out how you asked. And hopefully, people don’t abuse that!

Post Bachelorette Party Red Robin! From L to R: Ashleigh, Jason, Kelsey, Jacquie, me, Christinklebot, Mamba and Will.

Oh gosh, this is making me think back to my days as a McDonald’s manager, and how this huge multi-generational family came in every Sunday, and always came up with issues to try to get free food. We non-lovingly called them “the Family.” As in “Kim, the Family’s here!” Which was my signal to go assist my cashier and whomever was putting the order together to make sure it was perfect. Then I would save the order receipt so when the Family came back claiming they didn’t get something, I’d show them they didn’t order it/pay for it. OJ is expensive, y’all! Ha ha.

Do you have any hesitation asking a waiter to fix something that’s “wrong” with your dish? Do you get annoyed when they ask “how is everything?” when your mouth is full of food?

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By kilax, April 16, 2014 6:47 am

Growing up, did your parents ever call you someone else’s name (probably a sibling’s) by accident? What was that name? Do you do it now to your kids, or pets (as that is the discussion that actually inspired this post), or anyone else?

This probably doesn’t happen to only children? You guys tell me! But growing up (and now), my mom and other family members sure did call us by the wrong names quite often from time to time. Our names are Nicholas, Kimberly, Anthony and Christina. But sometimes you were called by another sibling’s name. Sometimes names were combined – Ant Kim, Ant Nick, Ant Chris (not sure why Anthony always came to mind first). Ha ha, even this weekend, my mom was looking right at me, and called me Christina! I ignored her of course, just to be a brat. 

This came up at work, after I asked my coworkers if people ever call their pets by the wrong sex (Data is not a “she” or “her,” dammit!). They said no, but one person said they do get their own pets’ names mixed up, the same way their parents used to mix up their sibling’s name with theirs. Ha ha. Maybe that trait is hereditary!

I sometimes get people’s names mixed up and call them by a different student’s name when I am teaching class. Hey, lack of oxygen to the brain, give me a break! And, very oddly, when Steven and Nick (my brother) are together, I sometimes swap their names by accident. Weiiiiiiiiiird. 

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By kilax, April 15, 2014 4:33 pm

Saturday was my snister’s big day!

Christina and her bridesmaids (L to R: Kelsey, Amber, Kim, Christina, Jacquie, Ashleigh)

Okay, not the big BIG day, but a big LITTLE day – her bridal shower and (first*) bachelorette party!

I didn’t think about it until Monday, but this was actually the first bachelorette party I’ve ever been to! Is that crazy… or not?! Either way, it was so much fun! But let’s start at the beginning!

We held the bridal shower and the bachelorette party on the same day to make it easier for people who had to travel (ha ha… that would be me!). The party was in a city hall close to our hometown. I planned the party with my mom, and came to learn how much I love to delegate tasks. Ha ha! I asked my mom to do the decorations (because I am so NOT crafty) and she did a spectacular job!

Mom also brought game prizes and put together some goodie bags. 

Well, geesh, did I do anything?! Ha ha. Yes. I brought cookies from Maria’s Oven to help fill the goodie bags:

And organized all the food and games with help from the bridesmaids and my grandmas, and hosted the party!

Confession: I don’t enjoy cheesy shower games, so I tried to come up with some that were the least painful… for the attendees anyway (not for Christina, muah ha ha)! I was really pleased with how they turned out! We did a game each between eating (appetizers and main course) and presents/cake and I thought that went well. The games were:

1. Sharing a favorite memory with the bride – I had everyone write a favorite memory with Christina, without their name on it. Then when I had them all, I passed them out and people had to figure out whose memory they got, then read it and introduce that person and memory to the group. I know, it sounds painful, but it was a fun way to get everyone to know one another. I thought it was fun. 
2. Draw the bride a dream wedding dress (Mom’s idea) – Wow. This turned out to be so much fun. I didn’t realize I was sitting with a bunch of artists! Everyone came up with amazing designs for Christina!

3. The (almost) Newlywed Game – I sent Christina’s fiancé, Will, a list of fifteen questions and he answered them via video! So we’d ask Christina the question, then watch the video to see what Will’s response was. Some of the questions were: “What is Wills favorite movie?” “What is Will’s most annoying habit?” “What is Will’s favorite thing about Christina?” For every question Christina got wrong, we made her chew another piece of gum. Muah ha ha! She did really well and it was so fun to watch!

4. How Well Do You Know the Bride Quiz (from Christina) – Christina had these tear-out sheets with a fun questionnaire about her and Will. I learned that she thinks her first kiss was to a guy named Robert. Ha ha. And that she doesn’t have a favorite perfume or band!

After the party we cleaned up, packed up, and headed to Des Moines for a painting at Pinot’s Palette and hotel slumber party! I have to give a shout out to Erin at Pinot’s Palette. She was helpful and responded quickly to emails. She made setting up the painting party easy and stress-free! And I thought it was super cool that Christina got to choose which painting we would all do from a huge list. She chose (via bridesmaid vote) “Tree of Life.”

None of painting party attendees had ever done one of these BYOB(&food) painting classes before! So it was fun for me to see everyone be excited about it, and especially to see how their paintings all turned out!

I had made a previous deal with my mom that we would trade paintings at the end of the night since I am a horrible artist and she is not. So we made jokes with each other (as we had back-to-back easels) during class about “Oh man, you should see how your painting looks now!” Hee hee. But! I ended up liking mine and keeping it!

Someone said my yellow spots looked like hashtags which got my mom to ask what a hashtag was. Apparently, Mom was at a work meeting where hashtags were referenced and everyone laughed and she missed the joke! Now she is in the know. 

After the painting party we went to our hotel. I found a hotel suite with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a full kitchen and living room! It was perfecto!

And I was super excited we ended up getting the hotel hot tub all to ourselves. I had been looking forward to soaking in it for weeks!

The hot tub closed at midnight but we stayed up much later than that, just chatting and goofing around (we now have a Śmigus-Dyngus inside joke… who would’ve thunk it?!). It was so fun to get to know Christina’s bridesmaids and friends! It really made me even more excited for her wedding on June 14th! But man, I just hope that day does not go by as fast as the parties did (what am I talking about? of course it will!).

We actually hung out a bit the day after the party too – bummed around the hotel in the morning, then hit up a few shops before having lunch together and splitting our separate ways. The next time I see Christina will probably be at her wedding. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Exciting!

*She is having another with her local friends in May. 

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By kilax, April 10, 2014 6:18 am

Does anyone else have a mostly project based work setting, with (somewhat) definite beginnings and ends to each project?

For some odd reason, I was thinking about work this morning as I drove to meet a friend for a run, and how one project, which was supposed to be a 5K effort project, had turned in to a marathon. Or maybe an ultramarathon. A poorly executed one.

In the running world, I prefer the comfortable steady pace of longer distances, over the sprint of a 5K, or even a 10K.

In the work world, I do well under pressure, and enjoy a “sprint” 5K effort from time to time. But I prefer* to stay around half marathon effort most of the time – going along at a decent pace, still having time (or enough glucose in my system) to think things through.

What I apparently don’t like at work, is the longer distances. Getting lost on the course. Losing my timing chip and starting over. Deciding to run the course twice. Dragging things out. That would be fun doing it with a friend… but I didn’t sign up for an adventure race. It just feels inefficient. 

And maybe that is where I am getting off track. Comparing charted courses to something un-charted. Bad metaphor, bad! Oops! I have no excuses for the connections my brain makes in the early morning. Or why I decide to share them here. It looks like I just wanted to get a little frustration off my chest. 

What’s your preferred work pace? Or life pace?

As I was thinking about this more, I started to think about the things that hit us in life at such a fast pace there is nothing we can do about it. Ugh. But I won’t get all morbid.

*My preferences don’t mean anything, I realize, just dreaming, here.

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By kilax, April 8, 2014 6:28 am

Combing Data, then cleaning his fur off the comb

Cutting this white thread off of the band of my exercise tights/capris/shorts with teeny scissors

Screwing in a new wallflower* the correct way on the first try

Cleaning muck off the back of my boots

Cleaning out the lint trap

Seeing geese on top of the homes in my neighborhood

A bracelet that sits flat on my wrist

Putting something on the correct side, when it has an “L” and “R” designation on it

Adding numbers to my miles tracked spreadsheet, and seeing the overall number increase

Seeing this message in my inbox

What’s on your “simple pleasures” list?

*Is it just me, or does the electronic part of these things only seem to last a year or even a few months? Seems I am buying new ones each year. Annoying. 

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By kilax, April 7, 2014 11:47 am

Ha ha. Um, figuratively. Not literally!

Have you ever noticed that you don’t like a song the first time you hear it, but the more you hear it, and the more familiar it becomes… you may start to like it? Then you can’t get it out of your head, and you have to download it and listen to it on repeat over and over and over… and do a little dance with your cat to the song and take a picture and send it to your friends?

This happens to everyone, right? Well, at least the first part of that paragraph? Maybe not so much the acting like a fool and documenting it and sending it out…

I am actually not thinking about music I hear on the radio, but rather, the music I browse through online when searching for tunes for the strength class I teach. I get emails from runhundred, as well as look on fitness websites and browse iTunes top download lists.  I must have been clicking on songs to sample that I had previously heard and didn’t want to download, because something was so familiar about them… I was like, “Oh! Do I like this song? Should I download it?!” Then, “No! You played that before and didn’t like it! It’s just familiar!” Ha ha. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up downloading those songs down the road. Sometimes, it just takes awhile for things to grow on you.

Which made me think. It was only that I couldn’t remember the name of the song I disliked that I was clicking on it and inadvertently giving it a second chance. And then it tricked me by sounding familiar. Ha ha. 

But I wonder if I am the type of person to try something more than once, if I don’t like it. To give it the opportunity to grow on me. For example… I tried a Spartan Race and found out it wasn’t my thing. Same thing with Ragnar. I doubt I will do those again (you never know, though!). 

Yet, some things, I have tried to get used to doing. Like, going to the shooting range. Shooting a gun doesn’t come naturally to me. And I don’t naturally enjoy it. But I am trying to learn how to do it, and trying to find a way to have fun with it. 

So… maybe I am “one and done” for somethings and not others? Hey, at least I try new stuff!

Do you let things “grow on you” and purposefully give them a second chance? Or do you tend to make a decision after one experience?

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By kilax, April 3, 2014 5:04 am

The newest issue of SELF magazine was in our mailbox yesterday. When I saw it, I immediately had to open it and read the tutu mention for myself.

Eh. Kind of silly. Were these two lines of text supposed to be funny? No one really thinks a tutu makes them run faster… why publish that? 

It doesn’t matter. SELF did something nasty when they asked the woman in the photo (Monika Allen) for permission to publish it, then wrote something mean – SELF broke the female code.

Heh. I am not taking about the female code of supporting one another in any endeavor (no matter what you wear*) – which we should do.

I’m talking about the female code of keeping gossip behind closed doors. You know, if you don’t have anything nice to say, keep quiet… and tell it to someone else, privately. Later.

This whole situation feels like something out of Mean Girls. It’s like, ooo, the burn book is out and it turns out Regina George thought tutus were “so fug” all along! Sting!

SELF actually let a true, snarky, judgy side show, which is probably part of the reason people feel so upset (uncomfortable?) about it. We’re not supposed to be that way! We’re supposed to play nice! None of us have mean, judgy thoughts, ever! Hmm.

Sigh. We all do. We just keep them to ourselves or… don’t put them in public places. It’s painful to see someone ridiculed in public forum. It doesn’t feel good to be ganged up on, or bullied. And what good does it do?!** Typically, at the individual level, it makes the person saying the “nasty” things feel better about themselves, especially if they can get their friends to agree. But when a magazine does it, well… what? It was just done to be mean. Or maybe funny? Hey, but it got their name out there!

I think SELF actually did us a favor in publishing this – they showed us part of their true self. Or, at the least, part of someone’s true self, on the editorial staff. Actions like this (public ridiculing) really say a lot about who you are. And I don’t know about you, but I appreciate it when the people I know in real life, show their true side like this, rather than hide it. It helps me decide who to spend my time with. 

So, the lesson from SELF – show your true self! Let all those mean thoughts out! And um, see how many friends you are left with. 

*Or how you look, who you love, what you do, what kind of car you drive or don’t drive, whether you have kids or don’t, whether you prefer pancakes or waffles… you get the idea. 
**Apparently, give Allen’s tutu business a lot of press!

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By kilax, April 1, 2014 6:19 am

And why you should remind me if you parked your car in my driveway. 

I don’t recall if I mentioned this here, but on Steven’s birthday in December, we were driving through a parking lot and collided with a moving plow. My car’s in the shop now, having minor front bumper damage repaired. So we’re using a rental car. Tangent: rental cars always feel so odd to me, compared to the ride I’m used to in my car. I’m used to a stiffer ride that puts me in control (twss) and this rental’s so loose (twhs?)! 

Anyway! I have cars/driving on the brain! And with today being April Fools’ Day* I feel a bit cautious, driving. Why? Most car accidents/collisions/whatevers I’ve had, have been on a well known** holiday:

• Election Day (Nov 7, 2000) – a semi lost control of its brakes and hit me, totaling my car. Luckily, I was driving a huge Olds and it just smashed the back of the car in half, otherwise… I’d probably be dead. I called my parents for a ride and still made it to the orchestra concert on time! No comment on the election. Ha.
• New Years Day (Jan 1, 2011) – I slid in to a parked car in an icy/snowy movie theater parking lot. The kicker about this one is that the owner of the other car waited f-o-r-e-v-e-r to make the claim, then lied about additional damage to the car! Since I took photos at the scene (always have a camera, even back then) and had proof of what was actually damaged, no insurance money for the liars (at least that I recall). Ha! Also: this is the day I became vegetarian. Aww. Sorry I didn’t want any turkey, mom. At least I took you to see The Family Man?
• Halloween (Oct 31, 2005) – a drunk driver rear-ended me while I was stopped at a red light. Still annoyed about this one. The driver tried to pay me off. I called the cops and the driver fled the scene. I gave the cops his license plate number and they did nada. Grr.
• MLK Day (Jan 15, 2007) – I spun out on icy bridge in Rockford. Luckily, no one hit me, but I did damage my car a bit. A really nice man at a rest stop helped me pull my bumper off so I could make the drive home. 

And now you see why I feel overly cautious when driving on holidays. 

Wait a minute! What is my excuse for what happened on March 1, 2011, when I backed in to a car that I parked in my own driveway***?! Maybe I broke the holiday curse, then! Although, that was my first ever Efit class… so, it marks an anniversary?! Super awwwwww!!! Ha ha. 

Do you tend to give dates special significance? Would you remember crap like this?!

Yeah, in case you can’t tell, I do give dates special significance****. For whatever reason, I have a really good memory about dates, so much that Steven can ask me when we did something, and I will be able to call up the exact day (from memory, usually). Or someone can ask what I was doing on an exact day and I can tell them (again, from memory). Useful tool? Not that often, ha ha! It does help me when I am searching for pictures, since I organize them in folders, by date. 

*So watch out for tricksters online… and in real life!
**”well known” because it seems like most days are made-up holidays now
***Man, so many of these old posts are totally cringe-worthy!
****Luca’s birthday (April 27, 2011) is one of these days for me. It’s the same day I found out I got in to the NYC Marathon, which seemed very appropriate, as he was born in Manhattan. It’s also the day before my maternal grandpa passed away, so… we’ll just say that was an emotional week.