Comments (14)

By kilax, October 16, 2009 5:00 am

If you could be anyone’s personal assistant for one day, who would you choose and why?

I think I would chose First Lady Michelle Obama.

It would be so neat to see what a day is like in her life. From everything I’ve read about her, it sounds like she is a very busy, involved and dedicated person, but also balanced. I feel like I could learn a lot from watching someone like that in action! I think she makes a great role model.

Plus, I LOVE her wardrobe. I would just like to look into her closet. And maybe help her organize some clothes to donate…? Wink wink. Have you visited the blog Mrs. O? They follow her fashion, and I am always excited to see what she’s wearing.

Your answer doesn’t have to be a political figure. It can be anyone! This is just the first person that popped into my head!

Comments (17)

By kilax, October 15, 2009 5:31 am

I don’t need total privacy when I am using a public restroom – I don’t care if someone is in the stall next to me. However, if I am walking to the restroom, say, at work, and I realize I am going to go into the restroom at the same time as someone else, I will likely let them go in then wait a bit before I do (unless I really have to drop it). I know, it’s weird.

But here’s what weirds me out even more. Let’s say hypothetically (winky face) that you encounter a coworker in the hallway right in front of the bathroom. You are obviously both going in. They start to talk to you about a project. You try to stay in the hallway, but they walk in… so you try to linger a bit in the powder room. But they are going to the stall. They want to have a stall-to-stall conversation.

This just does not fly with me. I don’t know why! I love being crude and telling poop jokes and I am totally down with bodily functions*, but talking about work while on the pot? Not cool!

What do you think (see poll below)? Have you had any encounters like this that made you uncomfortable, or are you fine with it? Am I just being weird about this? I would be especially interested to hear if males ever do this! Ha!

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*I had a friend in college who always left the door open and  it never phased me, and I always barged in on my mom using the bathroom when I was very young… uh, is that normal? (the second thing, not the first)

Comments (16)

By kilax, October 14, 2009 7:26 am

Should you let anything define you?

I think one of the reasons I am struggling so much (mentally) with not being able to run is because for so long I let it define who I was. I’ve been searching for a hobby since graduation in May ’07 (remember dancing, bowling and fencing?), but nothing really stuck with me. The novelty always wore off.

With running, it was a new game each time. The weather was always different, I could run alone with tunes or run with a friend, I could try a new forest preserve* path or run in the city, I could go for a short or long run, I could run fast or slow… you get the idea. And I felt like running was really something that helped me connect with other people – both in real life and online. I loved telling people I was a runner. I loved talking about it. I loved doing it.

I loved thinking “I’ve beat the 9:00-5:00 (in my case, 5:00am-7:00pm) slump. I’ve found a fun, healthy hobby to do in my 3 hours of free time each weekday.”

But is running really the thing I want to define who I am**? Was I prioritizing it a bit too much during that time? Was I obsessing over it a bit?

Maybe, maybe and probably…

The thing is, I had so much fun doing it. I loved having that time to myself (when I did) to think and decompress. I loved the way it made me feel. And I had so much fun writing my weekly marathon training recaps, even though they were super long and probably super boring***. So, I really think running was a good hobby. It just required a change in lifestyle that took a while to fully absorb. And that is where I was struggling.

I hope some of you can relate to this, because it isn’t just about running. It’s about trying to find your place in life. Trying to find balance. Trying to find out what makes you happy – it’s not really as easy as you think (at least, in my case).

So right now, what defines you, if anything? Do you think about the defintion of who you are (a compilation of your hobbies, beliefs, aspirations and social community) the same way I do, or differently?

*This is why I love living in Lake County
**As much as I love my job, I don’t wan it to define me. People don’t give a crap about your work.
***Steven has confirmed this.

Comments (19)

By kilax, October 13, 2009 5:35 am

This cold weather has been making me hungry for something warm… like chili!

I found this vegan chili recipe the other day, so we* Steven made it on Monday night. We made the recipe as written, but added 1/2 teaspoon of dried jalapeños. Yum yum yum. It turned out SO GOOD**. I love chili with a lot of beans and this one did not disappoint!

Apparently, cornbread goes with chili? This was news to me, but when Steven asked me to find a recipe for vegan cornbread, I all of a sudden started craving it.

We used this recipe from vegweb, but used 2 tablespoons of milled flaxseed mixed with 3-4 tablespoons of warm water in place of the egg replacer. Oh gosh. Fresh, hot cornbread… drooool. It turned out really good. I am not sure how long the leftovers are going to last.

Do you have staple dishes that you make over and over? We often have soy burger sandwiches or salads for dinner, but once a week, we usually make one of “our dishes” – our “Pad Siew” or refried beans with rice. We end up making these dishes when our family comes to visit too. It would be nice to add chili to that list of “our dishes.”

*I was sent to pick up cornmeal and was in charge of opening the cans of beans when I got back.
**And it made the house smell SUPER GOOD!!!

Comments (3)

By kilax, October 12, 2009 7:23 am

Julia gave me this Over the Top Blog award. Thank you Julia! You’re such a sweetie.

To accept this award, I have to answer the following questions* with one word answers, and pass the award on to six others. I usually don’t pass awards, but I thought it would be fun to read the following six people answers (if I read your blog and comment, I have always thought it’s over the top in its awesomeness!). Please grab the meme if you want!

Tori, Diane, Erin, Hotch Potchery, Andrew**, Etta

1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Your hair? unruly
3. Your mother? optimistic
4. Your father? supportive
5. Your favorite food? sweets
6. Your dream last night? realistic
7. Your favorite drink? water
8. Your dream/goal? health
9. What room are you in? living
10. Your hobby? blogging…
11. Your fear? gain
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? promoted
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something you aren’t? proper
15. Muffins? vegan
16. Wish list item? practical
17. Where did you grow up? evansdale
18. Last thing you did? blog
19. What are you wearing? warm
20. Your TV? boring
21. Your pets? entertaining
22. Your friends? few
23. Your life? varying
24. Your mood? good
25. Missing someone? always
26. Vehicle? perfect
27. Something you’re not wearing? earrings
28. Your favorite store? NY&Company
29. Your favorite color? orange
30. When was the last time you laughed? recently!
31. Last time you cried? hmm?
32. Your best friend? Steven
33. One place that I go over and over? work
34. One person who emails me regularly? Gina/Courtney***
35. Favorite place to eat? home-cooked

*These answers are from Sunday night
**Something besides quotes PLEASE, Andrew
***Tie, because we email as a group

Comments (14)

By kilax, October 11, 2009 6:41 pm

I watched (in person) parts of the Chicago Marathon today with Steven, his brother Andrew, and Diane. What a fun experience it was! We arrived at the almost 8 mile mark just in time to see the elite runners. I was super giddy when I saw them run by, in their tight little pack. (Click on pictures to enlarge)

Elite Men Runners

I wasn’t sure if they would look that fast in person. But damn, they looked fast. And holy crap, Sammy Wanjiru set a new course record of 2:05:41!!!!

Elite Men Runners

Elite Men Runners

They look like galloping animals to me.

Elite Women Runners

We had a lot of fun cheering for all of the runners. I’m so happy Diane joined us. I think we made pretty good cheerleaders – I am surprised I still have my voice right now though!

Diane and me

I was really (foolishly?) hoping I would see my friends who are running. I even made signs for them! (Yes, my lettering sucks)

Trying to cheer for Mica

Trying to cheer for Presi

Trying to cheer for Jamie

Trying to cheer for Eric

But the course was so ridiculously crowded. We even went down to the 22 mile mark, after we cheered on the last runners through mile 8, and I still didn’t see anyone I knew. Unless that was you Mica, wearing two braids. I swear it was you… but you had a hat on, and I couldn’t see your face?

Super crowded course

Watching this race made me think A LOT about whether or not I want to run it next year. I love that so many people from Chicago (and probably around the world) are out there cheering and showing so much support! But, whoa, the course looked SO crowded. I think if I run Chicago, I will definitely want to do it with Steven or a friend (to keep me sane). And if people are watching for me, I will ask to know where they will be, what side of the street they will be on, and try to wear something fun so they can identify me (maybe like one of the photos below?).

Seeing all of the different types of runners and all the community support today was so inspiring. Being able to be there, cheering, made me feel less sad that I can’t run right now (yeah, way to make it all about me). I recommend cheering runners on in a local race if you can (especially if it’s a big one like this) – it’s so fun!

Random funny photos:

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By kilax, October 10, 2009 9:12 am

Remember last year when my mom, grandma, sister and I baked all of those sweets to hand out? Well, we’re doing it again this year. Same weekend (before Thanksgiving), one less person (Christina can’t come). And I am just as excited.

But, we all remember how tired we were making so many sweets (and dealing with a few failures). So, we’ve decided to only make four things.

Of course, my mom is already calling me suggesting more and more to bake. What happened to only making four things, mother?! She’s apparently having a hard time deciding on what to bake.

So, if you were receiving a basket of sweets, which four items below would you want in it? See the photo below the poll for a reference picture. And let me know if you have some favorite item that we did not include on the list!

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All the sweets we made last year, some items not included in the poll

And, one more poll, that Steven sort of inspired me to add at the last minute.

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Comments (32)

By kilax, October 9, 2009 5:50 am

Are you friends with your coworkers on Facebook? Have you found this to be beneficial (fun) or detrimental (annoying)?

Yesterday I mentioned that I was talking to a coworker about Facebook, and told her I don’t have any drunk pictures of myself on there. Well, on Wednesday she asked me if we were friends on Facebook. I told her no, that I am not friends with any coworkers on Facebook. She then added me to a list she was making (I assume of people to friend on Facebook?). I told her if she sent me a friend request I would decline it, because I am trying to keep my work and private life SOMEWHAT separate. Of course, she then had a thousand questions… and had to mention how she knew the reason I didn’t want to be her friend wasn’t because of drunk pictures, because I DON’T DRINK (ever, according to her).

Anyway, this got me thinking, am I being bitchy by telling her I would decline her request (and is that why she seemed so put off about the alcohol discussion Wednesday)? Is it selfish of me to want to keep Facebook more private and personal?

I really am not hiding anything on Facebook, except those awful bathing suit photos my sister posted of me. I don’t have any sort of secret life on there. I think… I have just exposed myself so much on my blog (which I keep from my coworkers, and link to on Facebook), that I want one place to keep for myself. I don’t want to have to censor the things I say on Facebook because I think coworkers might be reading.

It irks me when people want to be Facebook friends, but don’t even communicate with you. Sometimes, it feels like a popularity contest to me. I usually just get on to use the chat to talk to my sister. I sometimes think about deleting my account.

Anyway, I am thinking about creating a separate “work” Facebook account. Kind of. I’m kind of also thinking that I don’t really care.

As a side note, my sister created a Facebook account for my mom last week! I wish she would use it. We have been bugging her to get on Facebook for awhile.

Comments (26)

By kilax, October 8, 2009 5:03 am

A coworker was politely and continually inviting me to social work events that focused around drinking alcohol (Happy Hour, Booze Cruise, etc.). I continually, and politely, declined the invitations, because social drinking is not my idea of fun, and most of the after-work engagements would have me getting home after 10:00 at night.

This back-and-forth invite and decline situation continued until I found out I would be going on travel with this coworker for training, and she began mentioning hitting the bars after class. That is when I told her, “Drinking is not my idea of fun. I also don’t enjoy hanging out in big groups of people, which is why I haven’t been going to the work socials and probably won’t want to go out to the bars after class while on travel.”

I thought she understood what I was saying – that I don’t think of drinking as an “activity” or way of having fun. But I think she really took it as “I never drink. I am opposed to drinking. I am anti-alcohol.”

This came to my attention when she acted nervous buying beer at dinner (while on travel) around me. And when she seemed ashamed to want to go to Trader Joe’s and buy a 6-pack of beer. And when she timidly asked if I would mind if she brought a beer to my hotel room to drink while we watched TV.

Then yesterday, we were talking about Facebook (which inspired tomorrow’s Friday Question), and I said, “It’s not like I have any drunken pictures of myself on there*.

“Of course you don’t,” she replied. “You don’t drink.”

“It’s not that I don’t drink,” I said, “It’s that I don’t drink for fun.”

“Oh, so you drink to get drunk?” she was completely serious.

“No, I just don’t view it as an “activity.”

“Well, I don’t either.” She seemed offended.**

I was with another coworker, and we started talking about having a glass of wine now and then. For me, “now and then” is probably 4 times a year, tops. But, I have proof below! My mom, grandma and I had “wine-a-ritas” on my birthday this year. I am not opposed to drinking. One coworker seemed to get that. I am not sure why the other doesn’t.

Some people I work with drink every night. They come in smelling like alcohol. The coworker I am talking about does not do that, but she does stay out late on the weekends, drinking in the bars, from time to time. There is nothing wrong with that! It is just not something I desire to do. I try telling her that, but all she hears is “I don’t drink.” Is it even worth talking about? It’s not causing any problems in our relationship, I just get the feeling she thinks I am judging her. I’m not. We’re just different.

*This will make more sense tomorrow.
**It’s a big pet peeve of mine when people post long dialogue in their posts. Sorry.

Comments (5)

By kilax, October 7, 2009 12:42 pm

It’s frustrating that running is not as easy as it used to be. I AM grateful that my shin doesn’t hurt (as much as it did before – a slight pain is still there) and I KNOW it will get easier with time.

But right now, my mind remembers how much I loved it and how easy it used to be. Then I get on the treadmill and it’s not what I remember. And I struggle – mentally – not physically.

Today I ran 1.5 miles. I wanted to run 2, but felt like I was pushing it, and as I mentioned, felt mentally defeated.

But, I am looking on the bright side – I can’t expect to recover instantly. And 1.5 miles is pretty good for someone who hasn’t been running in the past two months. I have to take small, baby steps.

I always feel encouraged when I work on in the office gym. Now, this is going to sound weird, but hear me out. I’ve noticed that most of the women who use the locker room are very comfortable with their bodies. They are not worried if someone else sees them naked. They even stand around and have conversations about exercise while they are drying off or getting dressed. I’ve never been too shy about my body, so this doesn’t weird me out (like it does some people). It actually makes me feel good about myself, seeing other women being so comfortable with who they are. Just thought I would share that…