How can it be the end of January already?! Remember when you were in elementary school and each year really did feel like an eternity? Everything could change in the 6 weeks between report cards, and by that time you barely even remembered who you’d been 6 weeks before.
I think I still manage to pack lots of life into my time, but it seems to zip by at an ever quickening pace and I’m not sure if it’s that I’m finally becoming an American or just older (maybe a bit wiser…but don’t hold me to that).
So since I last found time to sit down and write I’ve:
-picked my oh so lovely brother up from the airport
-enjoyed having a crazy swimming buddy again (see above) who’s willing to jump into Barton Springs, McKinney Falls, our lake…in December
-spent a week back in good ole East TX
-went to Beth & Matthews wedding (and danced with both the bride and groom, not at the same time)
-hiked up to the highest point in TX
-camped in below freezing conditions with very limited camping supplies
-made s’ mores with x-mas tree peeps
-transferred all my work webpages from one site to another, organized a rappelling cleanup, and realized I’ve already got projects that I’m working on for the fall
-done 2 live broadcasts and 3 other tv interviews (and just a bit of bragging time…was told by one of the camera men that I should consider a job in pr)
-joined the Capital Metro Citizen Advisory Committee
-had the flu
-gave my number to a good looking stranger in a bar, and went out on a date (shocking I know)
-volunteered at 2 tree plantings
-and tomorrow I’m running another half-marathon
Of course I also managed to fit in lots of live music, dinners with friends, and time in coffee shops but somehow I want more. That’s not normal, is it?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Friday, December 14, 2007
Anti-wrinkle Cream
Do I need it, at just 26? Maybe…at least that’s all I can think since older guys asking me out seems to be a trend not just a once in a while mistake. And not high school older where they’re like a whole two years older, but like oh I don’t know…more along the lines of they were finishing college while I was in nappies older.
Being 26 and dating (or not dating) is awful! I CAN NOT tell how old people are, and can’t get over the idea that I could conceivable date someone in their late 30s which means that they’re almost 40, and I remember when my parents were in their 30s and watched “30 Something”, it’s just terrifying. Plus, I feel like an ageist snob, and how do you tell a guy that even though he’s exactly what would look good on paper for you: outdoorsy, a community leader, volunteers all the time, sweet, enthusiastic, never married before but would like to settle down in a few years, owns gorgeous land, loves to travel…that you won’t go out on a date because you think that he may be too old (but really you have no clue how old he might be)? Hmmmmmmmmmmm
And I know I’m not alone in this. An alarming pattern has surfaced among my single girl friends of being asked out by much older guys who don’t see a problem with the fact that they have grandchildren and we still have grandparents that we visit.
So anti-wrinkle cream seems to be the only logical solution (but it’s not that logical since I don’t think I have wrinkles yet, but I do have some gray hairs so maybe I should pluck those), or maybe I just need to act even younger. Nope I’ve got it, I’m just going to become a nun until I’m in my 50s and then dating someone in their 70s might not seem so extreme?
Being 26 and dating (or not dating) is awful! I CAN NOT tell how old people are, and can’t get over the idea that I could conceivable date someone in their late 30s which means that they’re almost 40, and I remember when my parents were in their 30s and watched “30 Something”, it’s just terrifying. Plus, I feel like an ageist snob, and how do you tell a guy that even though he’s exactly what would look good on paper for you: outdoorsy, a community leader, volunteers all the time, sweet, enthusiastic, never married before but would like to settle down in a few years, owns gorgeous land, loves to travel…that you won’t go out on a date because you think that he may be too old (but really you have no clue how old he might be)? Hmmmmmmmmmmm
And I know I’m not alone in this. An alarming pattern has surfaced among my single girl friends of being asked out by much older guys who don’t see a problem with the fact that they have grandchildren and we still have grandparents that we visit.
So anti-wrinkle cream seems to be the only logical solution (but it’s not that logical since I don’t think I have wrinkles yet, but I do have some gray hairs so maybe I should pluck those), or maybe I just need to act even younger. Nope I’ve got it, I’m just going to become a nun until I’m in my 50s and then dating someone in their 70s might not seem so extreme?
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Golden Glasses
Forget looking at the world through rose colored glasses. I’m a runner and all I see is gold. No not the gold medal kind (finishers medal is just fine with me), but truly seeing the world with a golden glow.
I ran around Lady Bird Lake today and took the trail less traveled, aka east of IH-35. I managed to loose the trail twice, but the pain of those mishaps vanished when I was running with the sun on my back and a golden glow surrounded me. The sun filtered through the amber cypress and sycamore leaves (I’ll take fall colors whenever they get here…even if we had to wait until December) and glistened off the water on both sides of the trail.
I wish I could have captured the light to give all of you some running motivation, but trust me it’s worth it. “My” patch of sycamores/bald cypress is on the north side of the lake between the old Holly Power Plant and Pleasant Valley. There’s also another beautiful section of bald cypress on the south shore behind the Austin American Statesman offices.
Happy trails to you…
I ran around Lady Bird Lake today and took the trail less traveled, aka east of IH-35. I managed to loose the trail twice, but the pain of those mishaps vanished when I was running with the sun on my back and a golden glow surrounded me. The sun filtered through the amber cypress and sycamore leaves (I’ll take fall colors whenever they get here…even if we had to wait until December) and glistened off the water on both sides of the trail.
I wish I could have captured the light to give all of you some running motivation, but trust me it’s worth it. “My” patch of sycamores/bald cypress is on the north side of the lake between the old Holly Power Plant and Pleasant Valley. There’s also another beautiful section of bald cypress on the south shore behind the Austin American Statesman offices.
Happy trails to you…
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
South TX Safari
In Botswana I wrote every week and felt like I had something to share, but now that I’ve settled into a hum drum adult life it seems like things just aren’t that exciting but I think I’m completely wrong. The mass email I got the most positive comments about from Botswana was about waiting in line at the post office, and how much more day-to-day can you get than that? So it’s simply a psychological phenomenon of changing perception. Yesterday I went for a run around Lady Bird Lake and had a man in his 50s or 60s in full running gear skip towards me…yes skip, you would NEVER see that in Nac but somehow it fits into the Austin landscape…perception.
So for Thanksgiving we made the trip to find our oh-so-scattered/distant Texan cousins in the hopes that they’d share some jellied cranberry sauce with us (Which reminds me that for some reason I missed cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving! Must go back and repeat it really.).
South TX really should cash in on the eco-tourism trade, and not the game farming/lets go shoot an imported African deer trapped inside and enormous fence, but the kind where you go and look at animals ...odd concept I know. Folks get sooo excited about seeing an impala or two, why not some of our south TX species instead? Around Hebbronville I saw javelinas, Mexican eagles, a fox, a lone coyote, a stunning herd of deer, and what I was most excited about wild turkeys. It was like being in a game park and would have been easy to forget that we were simply cruising down a lonely stretch of very straight road. If I’d had a camera my album from the weekend would have looked a little somethin’ like this:
So for Thanksgiving we made the trip to find our oh-so-scattered/distant Texan cousins in the hopes that they’d share some jellied cranberry sauce with us (Which reminds me that for some reason I missed cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving! Must go back and repeat it really.).
South TX really should cash in on the eco-tourism trade, and not the game farming/lets go shoot an imported African deer trapped inside and enormous fence, but the kind where you go and look at animals ...odd concept I know. Folks get sooo excited about seeing an impala or two, why not some of our south TX species instead? Around Hebbronville I saw javelinas, Mexican eagles, a fox, a lone coyote, a stunning herd of deer, and what I was most excited about wild turkeys. It was like being in a game park and would have been easy to forget that we were simply cruising down a lonely stretch of very straight road. If I’d had a camera my album from the weekend would have looked a little somethin’ like this:
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Rantings/Runnings of a Mad Woman
Forget Remember, remember, the fifth of November…from now on I’m always going to remember the 11th. On November 11th I ran my first half-marathon. Why you ask? Because I couldn’t find a triathlon that fit into my schedule and I figured running is waaay harder than swimming or biking, so the half marathon’s actually a bigger challenge. Sometimes my logic astounds me.
Better yet somehow I talked two friends into joining the madness with me. Well actually I talked three into it, but Gillian proved that she has more sense then the rest of us combined and decided against it in the end. We spent Saturday night in a hotel 0.3 miles from the Alamo (thank you Trang you brilliant woman), woke up to a 6am wake up call, stumbled into my fancy new socks and then to the starting line, and KA-BOOM cannons exploded in front of the Alamo. Forget some piddely little shot-gun start, this is Texas!
13 miles is a looooong way. We went through poor neighborhoods covered in litter, rich neighborhoods with historic homes, back and forth over the river walk, through downtown twice, through the Mission state historic park, and ended in the Alamo Dome. When I was in England I ran 13 miles with my Dad and had the insane idea that it wasn’t so bad and that I could do a full one. At little after the 9 mile point when the half and full courses split all illusions of wanting to do the full marathon evaporated (along with gallons of my sweat leaving me covered in salt). I couldn’t have been more grateful that I only had 4 miles to go, and those poor folk had to face 17 more miles!
After 1 hour and 52 mins of running I raced across the finish line, stumbled into the arms of lovely volunteers who hung a finishers medal around my neck, removed my timing chip for me, and handed me bottled water.
Memory is a fantastic thing. I groaned for three days after the race as I tried to sit/stand or climb stairs, but as soon as the pain faded I remembered the sense of accomplishment and started talking folks into the 3M Half Marathon in January. So who’s in?
Better yet somehow I talked two friends into joining the madness with me. Well actually I talked three into it, but Gillian proved that she has more sense then the rest of us combined and decided against it in the end. We spent Saturday night in a hotel 0.3 miles from the Alamo (thank you Trang you brilliant woman), woke up to a 6am wake up call, stumbled into my fancy new socks and then to the starting line, and KA-BOOM cannons exploded in front of the Alamo. Forget some piddely little shot-gun start, this is Texas!
13 miles is a looooong way. We went through poor neighborhoods covered in litter, rich neighborhoods with historic homes, back and forth over the river walk, through downtown twice, through the Mission state historic park, and ended in the Alamo Dome. When I was in England I ran 13 miles with my Dad and had the insane idea that it wasn’t so bad and that I could do a full one. At little after the 9 mile point when the half and full courses split all illusions of wanting to do the full marathon evaporated (along with gallons of my sweat leaving me covered in salt). I couldn’t have been more grateful that I only had 4 miles to go, and those poor folk had to face 17 more miles!
After 1 hour and 52 mins of running I raced across the finish line, stumbled into the arms of lovely volunteers who hung a finishers medal around my neck, removed my timing chip for me, and handed me bottled water.
Memory is a fantastic thing. I groaned for three days after the race as I tried to sit/stand or climb stairs, but as soon as the pain faded I remembered the sense of accomplishment and started talking folks into the 3M Half Marathon in January. So who’s in?
Monday, October 15, 2007
Thankful
Yesterday should by any account have been a challenging day, but somehow it wasn't that stressful and I still feel happy...there must be some medical explanation for this. Bad things come in 3s: 1) Had man expose himself to me while I was running on an isolated part of Shoal Creek Trail, 2) had half of my front tooth fall out while flossing my teeth, 3) bike stolen.
At the end of the day I went and laid out by Barton Springs and watched the bats swooping over the water and clouds with lightening roll in. I knew I should be a bit upset, but all my friends think it's comical because when I start talking about it I can't stop laughing and oddly enough after an hour of laying out watching the clouds I felt very thankful. Things to be thankful for:
-A few years ago I would have been too depressed for any of the things to have happened. I wouldn't have been out running 8 miles so I wouldn't have run into the weirdo, I would have been too lethargic to take care of basic hygiene (like flossing) so my tooth would still be there, and there's no way I would have had a fantastic job that I love to ride my bike to or the energy to ride a bike so my bike wouldn't have been stolen. It's an amazing change.
-I have a wonderful boss who'll let me use flex time today to talk to the cops and make my dental appointments.
-I'm stable financially, so while I'd rather use the dental money on a flight...I do have money to fix my tooth and to buy a new bike.
-I have wonderful friends who did everything from tell me they love me without a front tooth, to offer wine on the porch, to understanding that I had to reschedule some things, to joining me for swimming/playing in Barton Springs after my hour of quiet time.
-Places like Barton Springs. In the middle of the city I can find quiet and safe spots at night to sit by the water and think.
-Great lazy days. It was a wonderful day! After working so many days in a row I needed time to just do what I wanted and catch up on chores. Friday night spent it with Ara/Sarah. Saturday: planted a butterfly garden with a group of volunteers, worked a little bit, took a nap, caught up on a bunch of chores, met Friends to watch an outdoor swing competition and drink wine, jumped on a trampoline, danced goofily to Russian music with friends in the living room. Sunday: ran 8 miles, volunteered in a creek for a short time, made myself a lovely sandwich fresh mozzarella/fresh basil/tomato/sea salt/crusty bread/garlic/olive oil, took a loooooong nap, read in bed, was contacted by a close friend from High School who I haven't heard from in years, lay out/swam in Barton Springs.
It really is a lovely life.
At the end of the day I went and laid out by Barton Springs and watched the bats swooping over the water and clouds with lightening roll in. I knew I should be a bit upset, but all my friends think it's comical because when I start talking about it I can't stop laughing and oddly enough after an hour of laying out watching the clouds I felt very thankful. Things to be thankful for:
-A few years ago I would have been too depressed for any of the things to have happened. I wouldn't have been out running 8 miles so I wouldn't have run into the weirdo, I would have been too lethargic to take care of basic hygiene (like flossing) so my tooth would still be there, and there's no way I would have had a fantastic job that I love to ride my bike to or the energy to ride a bike so my bike wouldn't have been stolen. It's an amazing change.
-I have a wonderful boss who'll let me use flex time today to talk to the cops and make my dental appointments.
-I'm stable financially, so while I'd rather use the dental money on a flight...I do have money to fix my tooth and to buy a new bike.
-I have wonderful friends who did everything from tell me they love me without a front tooth, to offer wine on the porch, to understanding that I had to reschedule some things, to joining me for swimming/playing in Barton Springs after my hour of quiet time.
-Places like Barton Springs. In the middle of the city I can find quiet and safe spots at night to sit by the water and think.
-Great lazy days. It was a wonderful day! After working so many days in a row I needed time to just do what I wanted and catch up on chores. Friday night spent it with Ara/Sarah. Saturday: planted a butterfly garden with a group of volunteers, worked a little bit, took a nap, caught up on a bunch of chores, met Friends to watch an outdoor swing competition and drink wine, jumped on a trampoline, danced goofily to Russian music with friends in the living room. Sunday: ran 8 miles, volunteered in a creek for a short time, made myself a lovely sandwich fresh mozzarella/fresh basil/tomato/sea salt/crusty bread/garlic/olive oil, took a loooooong nap, read in bed, was contacted by a close friend from High School who I haven't heard from in years, lay out/swam in Barton Springs.
It really is a lovely life.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Crazy, certifiably nuts, flat out looney
…that’s me. Why do I commit to soooooooo many things? I got an email from a fellow volunteer today and he wrote, “Jessica, even if you WERE triplets, there would not nearly be enough of you to go around. :o)” Why do I do so much?
Today:
-6:30am-7:30am, woke up got ready
-7:30am-8am, rode bike to work
-8am-noon, work
-Noon-12:15pm, walk around Lake Bird Lake
-12:15pm-4pm, work
-4pm-4:30pm, ride bike home
-4:30pm-5:00pm, take check for cedar logs out to McKinney Falls
-5:00pm-5:30pm, go home and grab something to eat
-5:30pm-6:15pm, driving and meeting volunteer at KAB’s Tool Shack
-6:15pm-6:30pm, driving
-6:30pm-7:30pm, answering Friends of McKinney Falls emails about workday on Saturday
-7:30pm-7:45pm, travel home
-7:45pm-8:00pm, change clothes
-8:00pm-8:45pm, tennis
-8:45pm-9pm, travel & changing
-9pm-10pm, swimming at Barton Springs
CRASH
And that doesn’t even go into all the things I’m supposed to get done today at work, and the couple of minutes it took me to write this and vent.
I know a lot of it is temporary because I have a couple of big events the next two weekends, but still….WHY?
Today:
-6:30am-7:30am, woke up got ready
-7:30am-8am, rode bike to work
-8am-noon, work
-Noon-12:15pm, walk around Lake Bird Lake
-12:15pm-4pm, work
-4pm-4:30pm, ride bike home
-4:30pm-5:00pm, take check for cedar logs out to McKinney Falls
-5:00pm-5:30pm, go home and grab something to eat
-5:30pm-6:15pm, driving and meeting volunteer at KAB’s Tool Shack
-6:15pm-6:30pm, driving
-6:30pm-7:30pm, answering Friends of McKinney Falls emails about workday on Saturday
-7:30pm-7:45pm, travel home
-7:45pm-8:00pm, change clothes
-8:00pm-8:45pm, tennis
-8:45pm-9pm, travel & changing
-9pm-10pm, swimming at Barton Springs
CRASH
And that doesn’t even go into all the things I’m supposed to get done today at work, and the couple of minutes it took me to write this and vent.
I know a lot of it is temporary because I have a couple of big events the next two weekends, but still….WHY?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
