Running: An addiction, An Infatuation, An Inexplicable Desire

I am completely obsessed with running! It's an addiction, an infatuation, an inexplicable desire to lace up my running shoes and put one foot in front of the other every chance I get.  This past weekend I ran the Distance Dare at the Winter Park Road Race, which was a two miler followed by a 10K for a total of 8.2 miles. It was great fun racing with my running friends! Afterwards we not only had our beer tickets for free beer, we also happened upon others giving away their beer tickets. By 9:00AM I had ran two races for a total of 8.2 miles and had two beers. We ran into a bunch of people from my Ragnar team, so we chatted for a bit. When we left the beer area, we walked around the different vendor tents and stopped to enjoy free breakfast and coffee! The races were awesome and the after party was even better!

On Sunday, I met up with some of my running friends that didn't do the race on Saturday. We ran 8 miles and were lucky enough to see two bald eagles during our run! My running friend, Badass Doreen, made an excellent breakfast for us to enjoy after our run. Her husband crafted homemade cappuccinos to go with the heart shaped waffles that were absolutely perfect.

The people I run with are a fantastic group of individuals that support and challenge one another. Some people in our group are going through a shitty period of time in their lives, and it's encouraging to see us stand together in friendship and understanding. We are not alone. Sure we are running friends, but I think we might be regular friends, too. We went to see Beauty and Beast together. Next week, we are going to Paint with a Twist and the week after that a bunch of us are going to surprise the lady in our group that's in a play by showing up to see her show after we have a potluck dinner. 

Well, I said I was obsessed with running.  I ran a total of 16 miles this past weekend and I'm not training for anything specific. It was just for fun! At the moment, there is no place I'd rather be than out on the road pounding the pavement with each step I take. It's liberating for it to be as easy as it should be without any unnecessary struggle. I feel strong. I feel awake. I feel alive. I don't typically buy race photos, but when I saw the picture below I couldn't help myself.  I want to remember how great I felt in that moment, and even now. It captures the pure joy I find in running.

I jumped over the finish line of the two miler before the start of the 10K. Is it just me, or does it look like I still have hops from my basketball playing days? I think it looks like I'm flying!

Operation Cross-Train

Sure I just ran 14 miles on Saturday without walking funny afterwards, but I want to get in better shape.  I know, you're probably rolling your eyes. Don't get me wrong...it's a beautiful thing to run over a half marathon and not be sore. However, I think I need to add some cross-training into my workout routine. The gym I joined months ago still hasn't opened yet. It's waiting on a final inspection that keeps getting postponed for one reason or another. Yeah, it's annoying. I think it'll be worth the wait when it finally opens though.  

Arms:
I bought a personalized tank-top to wear on race day, so I need to start lifting weights and doing push-ups to tone my bat wings. I want to look fit in my race day photos.

Core:
I just tipped the scale yesterday at 158lbs. I've been eating everything in sight and I'm actually gaining weight. I've gained nearly 20lbs in about four months. Dare I say I'm getting fat?  Anyway, it's time to start working out my food baby.

Legs:
Since the NYC Marathon will have a lot of bridges and hills, I need to start strengthening my legs outside of my running schedule. I'm thinking lunges, squats, and jumping exercises will do the trick.

The race is a little over two months away. Even though my excitement is building, I find myself slightly nervous for the first time. I don't know if I can explain my sudden nerves. Perhaps it's because running it is starting to seem like more than just a dream. It's moving from a strong desire to run the NYC Marathon, to reality. I'm really going to run across that finish line in Central Park! Someone pinch me. I can't believe I'm really doing this.  I know it will likely be the most difficult race I will ever run. For me, the nerves I'm feeling are a good thing because it shows that I hold the race and the course in high esteem.  If your dreams don't scare you, dream bigger! I don't know that I'll expressly admit to being scared, but I certainly wouldn't deny it.

Writer's Block Unblocked

I had been struggling with writer's block. I totally wish I could share online what I just wrote, but I won't. It was a major break through that has turned into a new project. I read the few paragraphs I wrote to Kim and Kelly and they were both very intrigued. It's literally out of this world.  As Kim said, "Look out for the leader of the Shits!" 

Making Time

On June 1st, 2015, potentially my first day of unemployment, I wish to start making time for my hobbies again. I want to start making time to run. I worked almost 54 hours this week, so when I was home I was too exhausted to even think about going for a run. I miss it. I miss the road. I miss the time by myself. I miss the high.

I want to start making time to take lessons using my Spanish Rosetta Stone. Maybe if I start soon, I'll eventually learn another language.

I want to start making time for clowning. I love to volunteer clown and I love to make people smile. Plus, I miss my clown friends.

I want to start making time to have some fun. I want to take naps. I want to go to movies. I want to go ice skating. I want to go bowling. I want to hang out with friends. I want to go dancing. I want to try new restaurants. I want an adventure!!!!

Netflix is My Stress Relief

At first I thought I was going to blog about pissing off a customer, but I'm trying not to let that unintentional incident stress me out. Therefore, I will learn from my manager's mistake and put it behind me. So, I'm going to blog about the Netflix shows I've been watching for stress relief. The following shows don't take much brain power to watch and I'm able to keep up with the characters easily. That's why they have been my go to shows after a long day of work or school.

I just finished watching the two seasons of Orange is the New Black for the second time. I wanted to refresh my memory before season three premieres this June. The ladies at Litchfield Penitentiary find themselves in an unbelievable amount of drama. Like Piper Chapman, I would also probably study for prison because I would want to be as prepared as possible. A lot of good that did Piper...She said the wrong thing to the wrong person and was served a used tampon sandwich for lunch and then she was starved out! lol Although I relate the most to Piper's character, she is not my favorite.  My favorite characters are Alex, Nicky, Taystee and Poussey.  I wonder how accurately the show depicts a prison. I certainly don't believe I would survive such confinement. If I ever had to serve time, I don't think I would come out the same person I went in. Piper says, "I'm scared that I'm not myself in here, and I'm sacred that I am."  This show has great character development and I find the ridiculous positions that some of the ladies find themselves in hilarious. I think it's highly entertaining.

I recently started watching Parenthood and I must say I am pleasantly surprised that I like it. I'm only three episodes into the first season, but so far I plan to keep watching it.

Saved By The Bell is so addicting. I love watching episodes because it takes me back to when I was a kid.

Superhero Sketches

I tend to be a sucker for superheroes. Given the time and money, I could totally see myself stopping by the comic bookstore every Wednesday to check out the new releases. Spiderman, Superman, Green Arrow, The Flash, Ironman, Captain America...etc. I love them! Batman is really the only one  that I don't care for. Anyways my fascination with these superheroes have inspired my latest drawings.

Green Arrow


 I like the tv show Arrow on the CW, which follows Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow so that's what inspired the drawing above. I'm stoked about the spinoff of The Flash that's supposed to be premiering next week on the CW!

Itsy-Bitsy Spiderman

Who doesn't love Peter Parker as Spiderman? I impressed myself with this one. It took some time to get the webbing the way I wanted it on the costume, but it was totally worth it.

This Too Shall Pass

Stress is attacking me from different angles. I'm packing up to move back in with my parents in a few weeks. I've got exams looming in the near future. I'm concerned about insurance wanting to know why I'm taking Cimzia in order for them to decide if they'll still offer coverage. (I'll blog more about that once I know more in about a month). I'm anxiously waiting for the Department of Education to complete their review so that I can apply for graduation as well as apply for my last class in the spring. I'm worried for family who might be losing their house to foreclosure soon.  Despite all of it, I'm actually in high spirits because I feel amazing! I feel strong and I feel sharp! I enjoyed a glass of wine while enduring my online class at double speed tonight. It really is the only way to make it through the class period without giving up on the lecture. While enjoying wine and listening to my lecture I drew a work of art that I named "This Too Shall Pass." It pretty much sums up my sentiments about supply chain management and insurance. Hashtag side-boob, hashtag stick figure syndrome. lol

This Too Shall Pass



Drawing No. 2 - The Apple of My Eye

I've made a conscious decision to try to draw one new thing every week. I must say sharing my drawings has been less intimidating than sharing things I write. Perhaps because it's less personal for me. Frankly, with drawing I don't care if I'm criticized because I know I have a lot of mistakes to make in order to learn better techniques. As I look at the apple I drew I can't help but be amazed that I actually drew that.  I still haven't made it to the store to buy a pencil sharpener and a proper eraser, so I drew this with a borrowed, sharpened pencil from UCF's College of Business testing center that I swiped on Saturday after my exam. Fear not, I'll return it later this week. It just might be in exchange for a better sharpened pencil. =)

The Apple of My Eye

My New Hobby

Even though I'm in the middle of taking three classes this semester, I've decided to add another subject to my plate of things to learn, drawing. Now, if you know me, you know my ability to draw consists of a smiley face, stick people, a flower, and a bird.  Well, that's about to change. I've purchased a kit that includes different kinds of pencils, a sketch pad and a book called 'The Art of Drawing.'  I had no idea there are so many different ways to hold a pencil and numerous shading techniques. Today, I drew a horse.

First, I made a grid on my sketch pad, and then I blocked out the horse. The photo to the right has an outlined head and a blocked out body. By this point I evaluated it and thought there is no way I can draw because even my blocking looks horrible, but I kept with it.

After I finished blocking, I began outlining it. That's when it really started coming together. Yeah, I drew skinny ass legs, but I was impressed with my outline. The outline looked way better than the blocking did.






Once I was done outlining, I started to shade. I used a dull No. 2 pencil because I haven't been to the store to buy a pencil sharpener and a proper eraser, so that's all I had to work with. When I need a pencil at school, I borrow one from the testing center. I am impressed with the finished horse I drew. I can't wait to improve and see how proper drawing tools enhance the techniques I'm learning.



My Novel Idea...Shhh

As you may know I hope to write a book one day. I've been working with this one idea for a while and for the sake of my future New York Times bestseller's content not getting stolen let's call it Betty.  I've got the main idea, but I've had writers block for months with lack of continued development to the point where I almost deleted it and said the heck with it. The only thing worse than constipation is mental constipation. Finally, after a new prompt from The Secret Storytelling Society, my new writing group on Facebook, acted as a writing laxative, I have made a major development in Betty. Betty has broke the waterline if you know what I mean!  I'm super excited and feel like this could be the huge creative break I've been waiting for! Betty is alive and well with her characters, setting, theme, plot, and conflict under construction I've got a decent blueprint to work with now. I'll probably be working on Betty for years to come and that's okay. After all, I haven't even finished my first draft yet. Trust me when it's finished, it will be epic! Betty is like my secret baby. It'll take a lot of time, love, and hard work to raise her.

My Grandma's Hall

My computer is getting worked on to get some bugs fixed. While I was on my old computer I found this poem I wrote many years ago. It was inspired by my grandma's hall lined with pictures and the stories she tells about each photograph. I came up with a somewhat fictional story to go with it.

 

MY GRANDMA’S HALL

Walking down my Grandma’s hall

We went back in time

Her whole life is hanging on these walls

She said, welcome to the good ole days

It’s black and white and my hair looks gray

Ooh, but it was blonde

This is your granddad holding my hand

God, I’ll never stop loving that man

Yeah love is the best thing on this earth

May God bless his soul

The best will always go first

 

Every picture has a story

Every memory has a thousand words

We have history running through our veins

Stories that have never been heard

And hiding inside all these frames

Are lessons someone else already learned

Every picture has a story

Every memory’s worth a thousand words 

Turning to the other side

She was out of breath

And as she wiped the tears from her eyes

She said, it don’t seem that long ago

We prayed for rain and the crops to grow

But it was too late

That’s our house behind my mom and dad

I won’t forget the hard times we had

Yeah, some of the memories still hurt

But we made it through

I know it could have been worse 

Every picture has a story

Every memory has a thousand words

We have history running through our veins

Stories that have never been heard

And hiding inside all these frames

Are lessons someone else already learned

Every picture has a story

Every memory’s worth a thousand words 

Someday I’ll walk down my hall

And go back in time

Grandkids will see my life on the walls

And I’ll say, these were the good ole days

There was right and wrong and some mistakes

Ooh, but it was fun

This is my Grandma standing with me

She’s who I hoped to grow up to be

Yeah, the best line that I ever heard

Was when Grandma said

Love’s the best thing on this earth 

Every picture has a story

Every memory has a thousand words

We have history running through our veins

Stories that have never been heard

And hiding inside all these frames

Are lessons someone else already learned

Every picture has a story

Every memory’s worth a thousand words 

Walking down my Grandma’s hall

We went back in time

Miss Write

One of my hobbies is writing. I like to write anything that's nonsense to thought provoking. I use writing as a release. It’s another one of my endless therapies. Here’s a quote from Flannery O’Connor, “I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.”  I use writing as way to work out my feelings and thoughts about life.  I pen my feelings in poems. I scribe fictional short stories from prompts I find online to help satisfy my craving to be creative. I commit ink to a page in order to scream at the world without letting a sound escape my lips. I scribble about the people in my life.  Of all of the writing I’ve done in the past few years I don’t have much to show for it because I rarely save anything I write. The therapeutic part of writing for me is getting it onto paper and letting it go. Whether it goes by way of the delete button or a basketball shot into the trash can, it usually goes. My writing makes me feel vulnerable and I think throwing it out is the way I protect myself from criticism. I don’t make a habit of writing for others, I write for myself. Perhaps, someday soon I’ll throw caution to the wind and share one of my writings. In fact, I vow to share the next fictional short story I write using a prompt from the Internet. Let’s just hope I don’t forget to share it before it’s deleted from existence. 

A Craft By the Uncrafty

 

              This project was inspired by a few crafts I saw on Pinterest. One was a black and white striped canvas with a huge red heart made of buttons in the center of the canvas. The other was a Mod Podge photo transfer onto a canvas. I put the two ideas together and made it my own to make as a gift for my bestie as a Christmas, graduation and moving away gift. I'm not naturally crafty, so the fact that it turned out exactly as I hoped it would means that it was pretty easy. The most difficult part of the whole project was waiting for it to dry.

 

          First, I used a sponge brush to paint Mod Podge Photo Transfer Medium on the photo side of a the picture I chose.  This is important: I reversed the picture before printing it on a laser printer. After, I had the Mod Podge on the photo, I put it face down on my 8 by 11 canvas. I used an old AAA card to smooth it out to get rid of the air bubbles. It required 24 hours to dry and that was the hard part, waiting. This is our favorite picture together because it's one from around the time we first met. Plus, our smiles don't get any bigger than this. It may have also been the first time I  ever got drunk. Basically, it's special to us.



 

              Second, after the long 24 hours of waiting, I used a sponge and soaked the picture on the canvas in water for two minutes before using the sponge to rub off the paper to reveal the photo. It took a few times of letting it dry and repeating the soaking and rubbing. To my surprise, it WORKED!

        
                Third, since I wanted black and white stripes I used painter's tape to outline my stripes. I used black acrylic paint with a sponge brush to paint the stripes. Next, I removed the tape and painted clear gloss Mod Podge over the entire canvas as a finish after the black had dried of course.  At this point, I couldn't believe that I hadn't messed it up yet.

                 Lastly, I spelled out the title of the song we always jam and dance to in the car that also represents our friendship with fancy stickers, "Stuck Like Glue."  Then, I hot glued matching buttons around the photo as a frame! The buttons symbolize holding us together no matter where life takes us.  This is exactly how I envisioned it before I started! The red one is mine and the pink glittery one is hers.  This is so crafty that I may even start claiming to be crafty.