Our wheeling weekend was great. Marc and I left town around noon on Friday and made it up to Cliffdell around 4:00. We enjoyed some cocktails while we waited for Jo and Andy, then grabbed some dinner. After dinner, there were more drinks and some hot tub action. It was cold out, which made the hot tub on the deck and the fireplace inside quite delightful.
Saturday we slept in, got breakfast, and then met up with the other seven trucks for some wheeling around Moon and Funny Rocks. There was lots of other offroad traffic that day--there was some rally or something going on. After a few hours, the four of us split off from the group since we had to go in a different direction to get back to our cabin. Again, we enjoyed the warm fire inside, and Marc made some of his beef stew for dinner. We introduced Jo and Andy to Settlers. I somewhat purposely helped Marc win so that we could get back in the hot tub. The noobs did really well for noobs, though. We were impressed!
Today we slept in (again) and got breakfast (again) before we left town. It was an awesome weekend--except for the crappy, rainy weather on the drive back home. On that note, it doesn't seem like it was too long ago that I was still sunbathing in the backyard. All of a sudden, though, it changed to winter in the NW. Marc got our fireplace going, so we're enjoying that now.
As I've written about before, I volunteer with a group from work at the Oregon Food Bank each month. Earlier this month when I was there, they told us about the "Cans Film Festival" which Marc and I "attended" today after work. Basically, bring 3 cans of food, and you get to see a free movie. We saw 3:10 to Yuma. I'd heard good things about this movie, but Westerns really aren't usually my thing. I think the last Western I saw that I actually wanted to see was Young Guns II. That's right folks. Summer 1990. Some of my fellow 13-year-old friends and I spent many hours worth of babysitting money buying tickets to that movie. Over and over again. I'm pretty sure I saw it at least 7 times in the theater. Why? Because I had a ginormous crush on Christian Slater. Kiefer Sutherland wasn't bad either. I remember giggling a lot at that movie but not much else.
Now it's time to watch an hour of My Name is Earl and The Office. Then I have to pack for this weekend. Busy night!
After swimming competitively for nine years when I was younger, I gained a pretty good understanding of how my body likes to perform. I tend toward sprinting rather than endurance. I come out strong, but poop out pretty easily. I've found the same thing to be true with running. Today's workout was a 10 minute run, 3 minute walk, and another 10 minute run. Even though I was tired after work today (I didn't get enough sleep, and I worked through lunch), I really busted butt in the first 10 minute segment. We had our fastest laps ever. It was a relief to walk for a few minutes, and then it was REALLY hard to start running again. And I was much slower in the second run segment. I almost think it would have been easier to keep running the whole time. Those workouts are coming soon... I think we've about met the end of the built-in walking breaks. Now we need to find a 5K to sign up for.
We're watching the Star Wars episode of Family Guy from the other night. Even though I don't get the whole Star Wars obsession, this show is pretty hilarious. (I keep telling Marc that we need to devote a day to Star Wars and watch all the movies back-to-back. But then the question is, do we start with Episode 1 and go straight through, or start with Episode 4 and watch in the order they were actually released? Does this make me sound really nerdy? Dammit...) My favorite part is when all the X Wing fighters call in. Red October? Classic. Simply Red? Who even remembers them? Haha.
Tonight we become slaves to the television again. I love TV. I also love the summer when everything goes into reruns so that I can sleep more. I'm excited to see what happens with our old favorites and some of the new offerings this year, though. Tonight we're watching Chuck, Heroes, and Journeyman while the Media Center records How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, and Two and a Half Men for tomorrow afternoon's viewing. I'm really looking forward to Thursday with Earl and the Office. It's a good thing we got this comfy, new couch cuz I'll be spending a lot of time sitting on it.
Today marks the four year anniversary of the day that Marc and I tied the knot in Las Vegas. Time has flown by. We celebrated by getting Chinese takeout for dinner. :) This weekend, though, we're splurging on a Whistlin' Jack cabin in lieu of camping for the PNWX Rocktoberfest year-ending trip. It ought to be fun! While everyone else is freezing their putooties off, we'll be warm and cozy in a hot tub. Can't wait...
Our middle cat, Miji, is a big jumper. She's the one who can reach past the peephole on the front door when she jumps straight up from the ground. Today, there was a huge bug (which we thought and later verified was a praying mantis) on the screen door, and Miji was jumping against the glass door in a futile attempt to get it. I apologize for the shakiness. I don't have a steady hand, and the tripod wasn't handy.
If you know Marc, you know that while he may have been alive for 35 years, he's still 10 years old at heart. Yesterday morning when I got up, I never would have thought that by the time I fell asleep that night, I'd be able to say I had a robot crawling on me, but that's exactly what happened. Marc came into the bedroom last night as I was about to fall asleep, set his new robot right on top of me, and said, "I want to see how well it does offroad." He then proceeded to have the thing crawl around on my legs for a few minutes before he said goodnight and left me alone. And before you ask, No, we did not actually spend $90 on that robot. Fortunately, we had a couple of $80 gift cards that Marc redeemed credit card points for. I got a sweet pair of headphones to replace the ones I've been using at work for the past 4 years. Marc got the robot.
I forgot about this. I was in such a mood for laughter today that these really struck me as hilarious. Be sure to click the link to the first batch of graffiti finds, too.
Yesterday's "calm down" walk, early bed time, awesomely deep night of sleep, and consideration that lots of people have much worse days at work than I do (like some of my friends who are nurses in IC or cardiac units) helped me adjust my attitude. Plus, I had a better day at work today (I finished some things!), which was extra-valuable because this afternoon's run was a doozy. Two 8-minute runs were in our intervals today. This is an increase from the 5 minute runs we topped out at previously. Even better--we kind of sprinted the last minute of the last interval. That hurt, but in an oh-so-good way. I'm really liking this whole running thing...
I like getting things done. When I know there's a task to do, I commit myself to doing what it takes to make it happen. Somehow I've balanced this with being a pretty good procrastinator throughout my life, though the more I think about it, the more I think I'm not as much of a procrastinator anymore.
This is why everything at work is really bothering me right now.
Things are really busy. There are about 15 things to do on my list. Everything involves different people. Everything is a different priority. Everything shifts in importance every day. I can't get ANYthing finished. Whenever I start or continue working on something, something else pops up. It's messing me up, and it's making me grumpy. So to Marc and all of my coworkers, I apologize for my crappy mood lately. I wish I could just stay at work for about 48 hours straight and get tons of stuff done so I wouldn't be so stressed out.
I was really frustrated today when I got home and realized I needed to do more work tonight. I hadn't logged on to my computer remotely since I bought my second monitor, so I wasn't sure how that would work. It ended up working better than I thought it would. Then, since we don't have a punching bag for me to take my frustrations out on and today isn't a running day, I went for a walk. It was nice outside, and I rocked out on the Shuffle. It was good.
I'll go to bed early tonight and hopefully get a really good night of sleep so that I can attack the day tomorrow with a better attitude. And hopefully I'll finish something so I can feel at least some small sense of accomplishment.
I took the day off work yesterday, and we finally went to the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest. Going in the middle of a work day was good and bad. Good: It wasn't crowded, and it was pretty easy to park. Bad: The average age of the attendees was higher than the combined age of me, Marc, and Greg. But that's okay. We went purely for food. Bratwurst. Funnel cakes. Fudge. Yum yum yum. We also got to watch the Glockenspiel. Standing rght behind us was a spitting image of an Oompa Loompa from the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie. Freaky.
We got back to town in time to hang out with Rey and Phil--first at the Roadhouse and then at the Bay. It was a day of gluttony.
This morning we ran. I've decided that it's a heck of a lot easier for me when I run in the morning instead of at the end of the workday. Now I'm debating changing my hours at work so that I can do my running before work. We'll see...
Today is Marc's 35th birthday. I celebrated by having a pretty bad day at work. When I got home, we went running. Then we met up with the happy hour gang from work for... happy hour. And then dinner. Now my belly is full, it's past my bedtime, and I'm outta here.
I looked back at what I blogged last year at this time and was surprised that I didn't post anything on or around 9/11. That was a very interesting time in my young life. Before I get into how my life changed six years ago, I just want to mention my agreement with my new idol, Saint Gasoline, about how it's a bit ridiculous that we as a society focus on remembering only the worst things in our history. There are lots of important and less tragic events that we could focus on. Not that we should ever forget events like 9/11, but instead of dwelling on the negative, it'd be interesting to see what we could accomplish by focusing on positive change in our lives.
And now I'll contradict all that by reliving the events of "6 years ago Mindie."
In August 2001, I told Kevin I wanted a divorce. Right after that, I met Marc in Colorado at the second Gathering of Xterras. Leaving him after a week, not knowing when (or if?) we'd see each other again, almost made my heart break. I got home to Kentucky, did laundry, repacked, and flew off to Atlanta for work. At the time, Kevin was working in NYC. We arrived in our respective cities on Sunday 9/9.
Tuesday morning, I was sitting in a meeting room with a dozen or so other students at the local PwC office when one of the other employees from the building came in and quietly interrupted our instructor. After a few seconds of whispering, the instructor asked us all if we had any family living or working in NYC. Then he told us about the plane flying into the North tower.
I don't remember exactly what happened next. I know class was over and did not ever resume. We all left the room to watch the footage on TV in the lunch area. I tried calling Kevin. I didn't think he was in the same part of town as the WTC, but I didn't know for sure. The lines were completely jammed trying to call that area though. I called and talked to Marc. I worried about my friend Jason, the Secret Service agent who worked at one of the smaller WT buildings that collapsed later that day.
I watched on TV as the South tower got hit and as the South tower and later the North tower collapsed. It still gives me chills--the really bad kind--when I think about it. I remember the collective gasps from everyone in the room. I remember crying.
I have no recollection of how or when I got back to my hotel room. A bunch of people in class were from the same area in Pennsylvania and rented a 10 passenger van to drive home that day. I was obviously not flying anywhere, and I didn't get lucky with vehicle rentals either. The next few days are a blur. I don't remember leaving the hotel except for a dinner out with a college friend one night. I really don't have any idea what I was doing the whole time. Friday morning, I talked with a car rental place that had a car for me. I caught a cab from Dunwoody (north of Atlanta) to the airport (south of Atlanta). I waited in line. I felt badly for the guy in front of me who told the rental agent that he'd be returning his car in San Jose, CA. Wow... 2,500 miles by himself...
I got my rental Sentra and took off. Once outside of the city, there was little traffic on the road. All the plates were from other states; I could tell they were mostly rentals. A random group of us maintained 85-90 MPH for a good chunk of time. The whole trip took about 4.5 hours instead of the usual 6+. I just wanted to be home.
Kevin was driving home from NYC at the same time, and we arrived within an hour or so of each other. If ever there had been a doubt about where my life was going next, I knew right then that I wouldn't be going anywhere with him. The tragedy had struck a cord deep in my soul. Even if I didn't end up with Marc, I knew my life was meant to take a different course than the one I was on.
A month later, I moved out. A month after that, I moved to Oregon. I wondered then and I still wonder now how long I would have dragged my feet if something so horrible hadn't shaken me up and given me the strength to change the course of my life. I wonder where I'd be right now if that had never happened. Who knows.
9/11 really is one of those days that I'll always remember exactly where I was even if I can't remember all the details about what I did next. It changed so many lives, and I credit it fully with changing mine--fortunately for the better.
Now, seriously, go read some comics and blogs from my idol. They'll make you laugh. If they don't make you laugh, then there's just no hope for you.
I've found that one of the best ways to make myself follow through on something is to tell people what I'm going to do. With how well our running routine is going, it doesn't seem at all out of the question to complete a half-marathon in a year. Heck, maybe we'll even be ready for a marathon by then. (Okay, probably not, but it's fun to fantasize.) Marc may regret offering up this idea, but I might have to hold him to it.
Maui. September 2008. Our choice of a measly 5K, a half marathon, or a full marathon. I want to do it--the half marathon, that is. We're not going to make it to Hawaii for our annual trip this year, so now I'm planning ahead for next year's trip with a purpose. I'm excited already!
This story, though not my own, is too funny not to share. I'm going to leave details/names out of this to protect the no-so-innocent, but it should still be just as entertaining.
A month or two ago, one of the departments at work did an 80's day where a bunch of people came to work dressed for the decade. It was suggested for one guy--let's call him Walt--to come dressed as Don Johnson, even though he doesn't look a thing like Don. Being quite the joker, Walt went along with it. He went to Men's Warehouse and bought a white suit, some bright colored shirt, and shoes. He slicked his hair back. He looked as much like Don Johnson as someone who doesn't look like Don Johnson could.
Evidently, it was quite the scene.
Fast forward a few weeks. A small group of people in the aforementioned department decided to plan a lunch at a nice little local Italian joint. One of the guys--we'll call him Duncan--basically dared Walt to get some more use out of his Don Johnson clothes and dress up for lunch. Walt responded that he would be happy to dress up as Don Johnson for lunch if someone called the restaurant and told them that Don Johnson was going to be in town and wanted a low-key lunch at a nice local place. Duncan accepted the challenge and notified the restaurant.
When the group arrived for lunch, they were immediately escorted to a private room in the back of the restaurant with a table set with all the nice dinner plates and glasses--during the lunch buffet. The owner and his wife just happened to be there. Employees kept peeking around the corner into the room. The bartender had printed out a picture of Don Johnson that Walt autographed. They were so blinded by the glory of having a 1980's TV star in their restaurant that they apparently didn't notice how unlike Don Johnson Walt actually looked. They bought it! And that's not all they bought. The owners comped the meal even after repeated declines by my coworkers who had realized long ago that they were in WAY too deep. As Walt walked out, the cashier completely turned her back on the customers she was helping so that she could say goodbye to the "star."
Walt's wife went back later that day and insisted on paying for their meal. I think if I had been with them that day, I'd be afraid to ever step foot in that restaurant again. I would have been mortified if I'd been there, but it sure is hilarious to hear about it after the fact.
I always think of fabulous things to blog about when I'm at work or in the car. I never remember them by the time I get home. So tonight I'm going to put down in words some of the things I want to do and places I want to visit in the near future. I'd like to be ambitious and say I'll do these things in the next year, but to play it safe, let's give it three years. Or maybe five.
Things I want to do: 1. Skydive (again). I haven't been since my 21st birthday. I also went twice while I was living in Orlando in 1997. 2. Visit Spain. I don't know why. I don't really know anything about the country, but it seems appealing. Either that or go back to Switzerland. 3. Rent a houseboat at Lake Shasta. 4. See a taping of the David Letterman Show. I talked to and have a picture with Rupert Jee, but that's the closest I've gotten to seeing Dave live. And that's not really very close. 5. Go river rafting. It's so accessible in this part of the country, but we still haven't managed to go.
And some less specific things I want to do: 1. Explore more caves. Especially near St. Helen's, there are tons of caves in this area. I want to climb around more of them. 2. Read more books. I go through phases. Sometimes I make lots of time for reading and go through a book or two a week. Then I take a month or two hiatus. 3. Get out of the "Beaverton Bubble" more often. There's so much in this city I haven't experienced. 4. See friends I haven't seen in forever--mostly out-of-towners. You know who you are.
You know those boxes that have distorted letters and numbers in them that you have to type in when you submit various web forms? I hate them--at least the bad ones. Some aren't THAT bad. I always feel retarded when I try to read the characters. A good 80% of the time, I screw it up when I first try or else I have to request a different code. The ones that really make me mad are the ones with scraggly lines through the characters I'm supposed to read. I understand their function--kind of--but does it have to be so freakin' hard?
Then again, maybe I'm the only one with this issue. That's very possible.
Today marks the end of all my extra days off. Though I still have more than a week of vacation racked up, I don't have anything else scheduled for now. Boo. However, we had quite a nice weekend. Let's recap.
- Friday: Met up with some guys from work for happy hour. My favorite bartender made me awesome drinks with vodka, watermelon pucker, vodka, some Sprite, and more vodka. Yum! I won't mention the X-rated name for this drink though.
- Saturday: Headed up to Andy and Jo's house for Andy's 30th birthday party. A few other folks from PNWX went, too, and we met several of Andy and Jo's friends and family. Perfect weather and great BBQ food! That night we stayed with Brian and Kim in the Gig.
- Sunday: Met up with Jess and Craig for drinks and dinner. The place was getting swarmed by yellow jackets, and Craig got stung on his foot. Luckily I didn't get stung, so I'm still alive. Our server was an entertaining Australian girl who's really into martial arts, ghost stories, vegemite, and moving back to Canada for the snowboarding. She was a hoot!
Speaking of Canada... I don't remember now where we were, but we saw a British Columbia license plate on a car the other day that was labeled as a veteran plate. I found this curious. I guess I just don't think of BC--or Canada in general--as being too involved in veteran-earning war experiences. I might have to do some research on this. I wonder how many people are eligible for these types of plates and what they've done for them.
Okay, back to the weekend summary.
- Today: We had an exciting run this morning. It's the first time we had to run for 5 minutes straight, and we had to do that twice in our workout. Sounds pretty dopey, but for two people who were professional couch-sitters a few weeks ago, this was a big deal. We survived, but my knee is starting to hurt now. The whole running thing is interesting. I'm gaining weight from it, but my clothes are getting looser. Whatever works! Then we went shopping for a new computer for Marc's business. I got a monitor for work, too. Why buy a monitor for work, you ask? Well, that's quite a story. Let's just say that even though I got approval and budget for me and my cohorts to get special, bigger monitors about a year ago, we got screwed. I wanted something bigger than the 19" LCDs we ended up with, but I wasn't going to get it unless I bought it myself. Since I spend a lot more time looking at a computer at work and there are times when I really need (want) a bigger viewing area, I splurged on a widescreen 22" LCD for myself. Now I'll have to sweet talk our computer guy into helping me set up dual monitors. He loves me and my special needs. :)
Our wheeling weekend was great. Marc and I left town around noon on Friday and made it up to Cliffdell around 4:00. We enjoyed some cocktails while we waited for Jo and Andy, then grabbed some dinner. After dinner, there were more drinks and some hot tub action. It was cold out, which made the hot tub on the deck and the fireplace inside quite delightful.
