Comments (22)

By kilax, October 19, 2017 6:24 am

• Since Steven and I have been married, we switch whose family we spend Christmas day with each year (and always stay home for Thanksgiving). Steven’s family has odd years, so every odd year, we decide if we’ll celebrate with them in Kansas City, or Illinois. My family has even years, and we always spend it in Iowa. We typically see the other family in January (but not always – last year Steven’s family came here before Christmas because we knew we’d be in Kansas City in January to meet William). Anyway, all that’s just to say, now that we know what we are doing for the Christmas holiday, I am starting to get excited about it! Steven’s dad and brother will be coming here, so we’ll decorate again (we tend not to decorate if no one is coming!). I wonder if Steven will want to get a gigantor tree again (probably yes). I wonder what Khali will think of it! I wonder if my idea for a holiday card with the cats in front of it will work out (probably no).

• All of our holiday scents are ready, thanks to my Bath & Body Works obsession. I was definitely a bit too excited about this new candle scent (updated to add: I bought this myself):

• I have started ordering some holiday gifts. And thinking, will this be the year I finally make that scarf I bought the pattern and yarn (as a gift) for, what… two years ago now? Or is it three? I haven’t knit in a YEAR (this is the last thing I made)! I feel guilty about taking the time to do it, and nervous about complicated patterns. But most nights we watch a movie – I could totally be knitting during that time.

Happy gifts come in orange packages!

• I am doing a virtual streaking challenge from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day! It’s called the Holiday Mile, and the goal is to run, walk, or bike a mile each day in that time frame. I signed my mom up too, and created a group so people from my fitness studio can sign up. I like the idea of it being running, walking, or biking – running all those days in a row doesn’t work for me (my body can handle it, but it makes me no longer enjoy running when it feels like a chore).
• Oh, Khali. You do you.

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 151

Comments (16)

By kilax, October 18, 2017 7:05 am

I was in the office on the first day of my detail and wore a white blouse I had bought the previous weekend. Nothing like wearing something new on your first day with a new team, to give yourself a confidence boost, right?

Yeah, until halfway through the day, when you look in the mirror and realize the blouse is basically see-through in the back. And not that much better in the front.

Oops.

Luckily, it was a Monday, and Mondays are quiet in my office – my branch and team weren’t even in that day. Phew. (But a few other people were!)

And I definitely remembered to wear something under the shirt today.

I’m also trying something new today – one of those bun maker do-dads for my hair. I always wear my hair back, usually in some messy bun/knot thing. At least this looks less crazy than usual!

I’m already in the fourth week of my detail! It’s flying by and the dread of going back to my old position* is creeping in just a little bit, but I’m trying to ignore it and enjoy what I’m doing now.

The work I did before was design and external client based, and the work I’m doing now is data and internal client based, which suits my interests** much better. I am also the team leader in this detail, overseeing four people.

I’d been feeling stagnant in my old position for years, and more recently, was really disliking some of the new work we did (which I was vocal about)***. A few times, I’d mentioned to my boss that I was itching to learn something new, and had planned to ask if I could go on a detail about a month after my teammate came back from maternity leave. But, my boss ended up offering me this detail (to the first team I would have asked about!) before I even asked! I immediately said yes, and was so excited about it (and busy with my old position and getting ready for the new one) that I didn’t even take the time to be nervous about the fact that I was going to be on a new team, and in my first time in a leadership position.

I felt happy at work, that day, for the first time in a looooooong time. And it felt so good.****

There’s been a learning curve (duh) on the new team, and there’s been stress, but overall, my mood is much better. And I feel like I’m fitting in with my new branch and team well, and connecting with people.

So I am going to enjoy it now for what it is! When I go back to my old position, I can be grateful I got to do something different for a while.

*I am on a four month loan to another team. When it’s over, I have to go back to my old team. For me to stay on the team I am detailing in, my detail has to be extended. And to be permanently placed on the new team, the job position has to become open, and I have to compete for it against other applicants.
**So what if I am good at what I was doing before if I didn’t enjoy it at all?!
***And there’s more to it that I’ll leave off here.
****Even though I was anxious that this detail wouldn’t happen – I had tried to do two before this one that were both canceled!!!

Comments (10)

By kilax, October 17, 2017 6:07 pm

Ahh, pine cones.

They were littered over parts of the trail tonight and I laughed as I ran around them. I cannot see a pine cone without thinking about a silly incident from fifteen years ago.

I was at a gathering, and someone decided to bring pine cones for a craft. When they asked me and the group I was with if we wanted to do their craft and we said no thanks, they got p-i-s-s-e-d and argued with us. For quite some time. And wouldn’t drop it. It was such an odd thing.

One person in the group finally agreed to do the craft and we all went home with the pine cone creation, even though we didn’t all participate (I still have mine, ha).

To this day, I still don’t understand why people get so mad when others don’t want to do their activity. Is it a control thing? Are they mad we don’t appreciate their effort? Do they think we’re rude a-holes? What’s the dealio?!

In the pine cone incident, it wasn’t like we were saying no to a chore or our job. I just don’t like crafts, generally (then, or now). You can’t expect people to do what you want to do, and get super mad when they don’t. That’s a trait to grow out of, ideally, when you’re young. (But, hey, this is the same person who gets mad if they suggest a game and no one wants to play, so they leave the gathering. So there’s that.)

So yeah. Don’t be a stiff, prickly pine cone. Ha! And yes, know when to be polite and say yes to things from time to time too. Eyeroll. Ha ha ha.

Comments (4)

By kilax, October 15, 2017 5:34 pm

Highlight of the Week: Starting to see the leaves change colors (<— so basic)!!!

Monday | October 9, 2017: 10.2 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: DPRT/Kilbourne Loop, Temp: 57°/68°, Time: 1:58:44, Pace: 11:39 avg, Difficulty: medium/hard, Felt: a little tired, a lot fried by the sun
Strength: body bars, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | October 10, 2017: 3 m run
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 57°/58°, Time: 30:45, Pace: 10:15 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Wednesday | October 11, 2017: rest
Thursday | October 12, 2017: 4.5 m run
Loc: VP Woods, Temp: 58°/58°, Time: 50:12, Pace: 11:12 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: fine
Friday | October 13, 2017: teaching strength class + 504 yd swim + 3 m run
Strength: body bars, Difficulty: medium, Felt: fine, just sore in the shoulders right away!
Loc: FitNation, Time: 11:09, Pace: 2:13 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: hood, Temp: 63°/63°, Time: 31:36, Pace: 10:31, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Saturday | October 14, 2017: 4.5 m run (incl. 4×800)
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 62°/62°, Time: 47:20, Pace: 10:31 avg, Difficulty: easy-ish, Felt: good, body tired at first
Sunday | October 15, 2017: 10 m ride + 20 mins strength
Indoor Ride Time: 37:16, Pace: 16.1 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good

Notes:

• Gosh, one bad night of sleep Monday night and I felt off most of the week (and wanted to nap instead of work out most days, ha). I hope that doesn’t happen again!
• Bobbi drove by where I was working out on Saturday and text me that she saw me and was waving to me from her car. That made me smile! I love that we live so close to her and her family and “run” in to each other.

Link to Training Week 416

Comments (14)

By kilax, October 12, 2017 6:34 am

• I forgot to mention, during Anne’s visit, Khali actually came out from under the bed and hung out with us in the living room! Anne is the first guest that she’s done this around. Khali normally hides the entire time we have guests over. It was a big deal for me and Steven – it gave us hope! Now, if only Anne would tell us her secret!

• In other Khali news, look at this handiwork she’s done on our new sliding door frames. Sigh.

• Muah ha ha, the MBP bracelet was not in my possession very long – I had a few things to send my snister, so I slipped it in the package. Ha!
• I met my coworker/friend Carolyn’s baby, Liam, last Friday! What a cutie! He’s so smiley and sweet! I’m so glad we got to meet!!!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 150

Comments (20)

By kilax, October 10, 2017 6:24 am

When I switched from a private sector job to government job nine years ago, quite a few people were opinionated about whether or not I’d like it. I’d be getting “too far away from design work” (in my field of architecture) in the new position. I wouldn’t get to be creative anymore. And so on.

Funny – I’m not very creative and that isn’t the type of design work I enjoy, but did people care? No. They just cared about warning me.

Thankfully, only a couple people had similar reactions to the detail* I’m on at work now. But, I still got those comments (one in person and one behind my back).

At first I thought this kind of reaction was related to my degree in architecture – that people really couldn’t wrap their heads around someone with an architecture degree NOT getting licensed and NOT designing space. Even people with other design degrees sometimes didn’t get it.

But I finally realized –  major DUH moment – this is just a people thing. Sure, people have preconceived notions of what someone with an architecture degree does with their career, but people have preconceived notions about EVERYONE, no matter their career/whatever, based on the version of them they’ve built in their mind. Especially now, with social media.

It’s human nature – we take what we know about someone, from spending time with them in person (or worse, from their social media presence), then evaluate their decisions based on those “facts” and our morals/beliefs/ideals. We wonder why they’d do something we’d never choose to do. We create a version of them in our minds that’s partially them, but mostly us, and man, do we question that version.

It’s natural! The problem is when you’re a dick about this natural thing and bring it up in rude ways. Or often, bring it up at all. Or spend waaaaaay too much time pondering other people’s choices.

I don’t expect people to stop doing this! It would just be nice if they mostly kept their version of me to themselves. Or instead of saying “you’re really not going to like that,” asked “what do you think you’ll like about the new position?” Big wish, I know.

Like I said, very DUH. Not sure why it took me this long to make the connection. (Thank heavens I was up from 12:30 to 3:00 this morning and had this thought pop in my head, and wrote this. Gah, I am not going to be able to stay awake at Blade Runner 2049 tonight!).

*A detail is when you’re “on loan” to another team for a set amount of time. Four months, in my case.

Comments (8)

By kilax, October 8, 2017 4:25 pm

Highlight of the Week: Runs with friends!

Monday | October 2, 2017: 3 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: hood, Temp: 76°/80°, Time: 33:39, Pace: 11:12 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: a bit sluggish, annoyed with running on gravel
Strength: Lebert Equalizers and Kettlebells, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | October 3, 2017: 2.1 m run (w/Anne)
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 67°/67°, Time: 24:21, Pace: 11:35 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Wednesday | October 4, 2017: rest
Thursday | October 5, 2017: 4.5 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 66°/66°, Time: 48:23, Pace: 10:45 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Friday | October 6, 2017: teaching strength class + 1,008 yd swim + 3 m run
Strength: body bars, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: FitNation, Time: 22:55, Pace: 2:16 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: relaxing
Loc: VP Woods, Temp: 64°/64°, Time: 32:30, Pace: 10:49 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Saturday | October 7, 2017: teaching fitness boxing + 6 m run (w/Jen)
Strength: boxing and cardio/core, Difficulty: easy (mostly observing), Felt: good, but annoyed with the speaker not working
Loc: VP Woods, Temp: 69°/74°, Time: 1:19:31, Pace: 13:15 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Sunday | October 8, 2017: 4.5 m run (incl. 6×400) + 10 m ride
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 54°/54°, Time: 47:02, Pace: 10:27 avg, Difficulty: easy then medium, Felt: great
Indoor Ride Time: 35:20, Pace: 17.0 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, just sore butt

Notes:

• Training week 416/52 weeks in a year = 8 years in a row I’ve been tracking my weekly training on this blog! As a hobby, obviously. Ha.
• I got to run with friends twice this week! Anne on Tuesday, and Jen on Saturday. That’s a treat for me – I don’t run with other people often.
• I couldn’t get the speakers in the studio to work on Saturday for fitness boxing and I almost lost it. That class is VERY music based (I pick songs to pump people up) and playing my phone on speaker wasn’t going to cut it. Luckily there was a portable speaker to plug my phone in to. I need to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I think that’s the one time I’ve left that class in a bad mood. Ugh.
• No long run this week… what are the chances I will do it on Monday, on my day off?!

Link to Training Week 415

Comments (14)

By kilax, October 6, 2017 7:53 am

There’s a guy on our street who sometimes leaves or returns to his house as I am starting or finishing a run (I’ve written about him before). Every time he sees me, he slows way down and rolls down his window to talk/shout to/at me from his car.

He means well, he does.

But every single time, he mentions my weight.

“Wow, you’ve lost weight!”

“Looking good! How much weight have you lost now?!

And this week “You’re wasting away to nothing!” Ugh. I responded with “Not really!” and he said “I am being positive!”

Yeah, yeah, you are. But the truth is, I’ve gained weight since each time you’ve seen me. I run for stress release, not to lose weight. Just, ugh, CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE? Or… could you not drive your car very slowly next to me while I run, which makes me super uncomfortable anyway? Blah.

Tale Two is much more cheerful! My next door neighbor rides his bike outside every day, year round. I knew his name, and see him often. I thought he knew mine and who I was. But apparently not!*

This week, I was leaving home to run as he was headed out. Later in my run he passed me, then turned around to say hi.

“You live next door to me? And you run?! Wow, what’s your name?!”

He was so excited to meet me!

Later this week we left at the same time for our run/ride and I got an enthusiastic, “Hi, Kim! Now don’t you pass me!” Ha ha.

*He lives with his brother and brother’s wife, whom we know, and they told me about him, and his name. Hence me knowing his but he now knowing mine.

Comments (16)

By kilax, October 5, 2017 6:04 am

• We had our first fire of the season on Sunday! We even used wood from our property (that tree that randomly fell down in April)!

• Anne was in town this week for a concert and stayed at our place a couple of nights. It felt so good to hang out and visit in person. I tend to isolate myself, and forget how good it feels to connect with a girlfriend.

• A coworker in my new branch lives about five miles from me – that’s the closest of anyone I know in my company (of ~300 people in our Chicago office). And she’s friends with the people who live in the property that butts up to the north side of ours. And we think she lives on the same street as someone who works for Steven. What a small world.
• Bath & Body Works is one of those stores you don’t shop at unless you have a coupon (or there’s a crazy sale). I like to shop there, and have been trying for a year or so to get on their email list, using multiple email addresses, but they wouldn’t send me ANYTHING! (Don’t even get me started about snail mail – they mail my mom and snis coupons all the time, but not me (it’s all good – mom and snis give them to me, ha)). Something finally clicked in September and I started getting emails. I’ve never been so happy to get so many ads and offers. Ha! And I’m not even annoyed they are being sent to my real email inbox, not my junk one!

• Are Steven and I the only ones who didn’t realize you are supposed to bake store-bought crunchy taco shells to make them crisp? Steven and I have been on a taco kick lately, so we bought crunchy shells and wondered why they (always!) tasted stale… it’s because it says right on the box to bake them. Duh town. It’s made such a difference. Following instructions… who knew?!

• NOT AN AD. Has anyone else tried an antiperspirant that you put on at night? Secret deodorant hasn’t been working for me lately, so I got the clinical strength antiperspirant/deodorant to try. I didn’t realize when I bought it (WITH MY OWN MONEY, NOT AN AD) that you put it on at night (and the changes in your body temperature are supposed to activate it), and technically don’t have to put anything else on in the morning. Hmm.

• See that blister on the heel of my foot? That is what I got for wearing my work flats for the walk to the train station after work yesterday. I can’t wait to see how that feels on my next run…

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 149

Comments (5)

By kilax, October 1, 2017 2:38 pm

Highlight of the Week: Seeing the sunrise over Lake Michigan on my Monday run.

Monday | September 25, 2017: 4.2 m run + teaching strength class
Loc: Chicago Lakefront Trail, Temp: 73°/73°, Time: 45:54, Pace: 10:56 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, happy to see the sunrise
Strength: Lebert Equalizer and Kettlebells, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Tuesday | September 26, 2017: 3 m run
Loc: hood, Temp: 90°/87°, Time: 32:21, Pace: 10:46 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: okay
Wednesday | September 27, 2017: 3.2 m run
Loc: Chicago Lakefront Trail, Temp: 69°/66°, Time: 34:45, Pace: 10:52 avg, Difficulty: medium, Felt: okay, legs a bit creaky
Thursday | September 28, 2017: rest
Friday | September 29, 2017: teaching strength class + 10 m ride
Strength: Lebert Equalizer and Kettlebells, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Indoor Ride Time: 32:56, Pace: 18.2 mph, Difficulty: easy (tension off on the trainer), Felt: good
Saturday | September 30, 2017: 7.6 m run + 1,218 yd swim
Loc: VP Woods Loop, Temp: 57°/60°, Time: 1:28:44, Pace: 11:41 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: FitNation, Time: 25:33, Pace: 2:03 min/100 yd avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, a bit annoyed
Sunday | October 1, 2017: 10 m run (incl. 10×1:00)
Loc: Kilbourne/DPRT Loop, Temp: 53°/60°, Time: 1:52:17, Pace: 11:14 avg, Difficulty: easy enough, Felt: pretty good

Notes:

• Friday morning was the first time I went to the pool and found it unexpectedly closed (for maintenance). Good thing it’s on my way home and I didn’t waste any time driving there. Unfortunately, the next available swim time was weekend open swim, which is more like family play time at the pool (understandably). Oh well! I still got a swim in Saturday, despite a few lane changes (when lanes opened) to avoid people walking in front of me while I was swimming laps.
• Monthly recap time. September was a bit of a crap month (excuses: having a cold, travel, hot temps, work craziness, laziness). I am looking forward to a more productive October! In September I ran 80.4 miles (18 runs), cycled 62.2 miles (1 outdoor ride, 4 indoor rides) and swam 2,940 yards (3 swims). My coldest run was 59°F and my warmest was 90°F (hottest of the year!). I taught 8 strength classes, and 1 fitness boxing class. I actually did one strength session at home, too, woot woot!

Link to Training Week 414