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By kilax, May 4, 2015 6:58 am

With Star Wars Day being an in-office day, I had to conceal my celebration*, a bit.

But I made sure 3PO and R2 are close to my heart!

Hee hee.

I’ve been a Star Wars fan for eighteen years – since the re-release of the originals in 1997. But! Never fear, we had VHS copies of the originals to watch, so I do know that Han shot first. Ha ha.

Have you ever become interested in a movie or series way after its prime?

It’s been fun to see my oldest nephew get in Star Wars, Back to the Future and Grease. Ha, it gives me something to talk to him about, because I definitely don’t keep up with SpongeBob SquarePants.

*Since I don’t have this

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By kilax, April 30, 2015 7:30 am

• All I had to do was whine about the Mexico postcards last week and they started showing up for people over the weekend! I think everyone got theirs… even my younger brother and his wife, despite the stamp falling off. Ha ha, funny thing about the stamps – they say $13.50 on them, which is in pesos. But my dad’s mom didn’t know that asked if I paid $13.50 in USD to send it. Hee hee. Nope! It sure is confusing though! Here is the postcard I sent to our house:

• I’m getting my pre half marathon massage today! Woo hoo! I guess there is something I am as excited about as picking out a balloon, ha ha. My right glute needs some major attention and I can’t wait to have it worked out. Ahhh. Wouldn’t it be awesome to get a sports massage every week?!
• Random question for you – how do you input contacts in your cell phone? Manually? Or do you upload them from something like Google contacts? I’m curious, because Steven and I have been using Google contacts for quite a few years, but we also know people who manually enter contacts in to their phone (which seems like a lot of damn work).
• I heard something in a podcast about a 30-day exclamation point fast. Um, what?! No gracias! I can’t imagine not using them. Ha. I totally overuse them, along with the ellipsis. Well, here on the blog and in personal correspondence. Not at work.
• I had a dream last night that I snuck out of a family Christmas celebration to see the new Star Wars film. Ha. Very unlikely. It comes out on December 18th so I will have seen it before Christmas. And… with either family, there’d be people wanting to go see it with me!
• I met someone in person (for the first time) yesterday that I’ve been talking to on the phone for years and they looked nothing like I expected them to. That kind of threw me! Ha ha.

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 70

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By kilax, April 28, 2015 8:03 am

Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I’ve never told the “I know CPR!” story here. It’s something Steven and I still laugh about. 

When I got certified for CPR, I was pretty jazzed about it. I was ready to use my new skillz at a moment’s notice! I am here to help, yo!!!!!!!!!!!

The same day I got certified, Steven, his brother (Andrew), and I were flying to NYC. The seats listed on our tickets weren’t together, so we went to the gate counter to ask the attendant if they could get us all in the same row.

“We only have one row available to put you in, and it’s the emergency exit row. In the case of an emergency, are you willing to help?”

Before Steven or Andrew could respond, I blurted out, “I know CPR!!!”*

Buah ha ha.

The attendant gave me the most derpitty, “wtf?!” look ever.

“Um, okay, that’s great.”

“Yeah, we’re willing to help,” Steven said.

“Okay, here are your new tickets.”

Phew. At least I wasn’t so derpitty we weren’t allowed to sit together.

Steven was just dying at my “I know CPR!” proclamation, for the rest of that day. And while we were in NYC (there were many random blurt outs of “I know CPR!” during that trip). And, would you believe it… it still comes up now! Ha ha.

I am getting re-certified in May. I wonder if I will be as excited about it this time?!

*Steven would like to add that he is pretty sure I said this in a derpitty voice.

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By kilax, April 27, 2015 6:52 am

I have a lot of fun things going on this week, but one I am SUPER excited about is picking out a mylar balloon for Steven to carry at the Wisconsin Half Marathon. We’re thinking a Thor balloon this year!!!

Last year’s pick!

Wait, huh? Why does Steven need a balloon?!

It’s not to use while running the race… it’s for photographing it!

The first marathon I ran was Chicago, in 2010. A lot of people run it (I know, derr…) and I wish I would have known, at a race like that, it’s better for you to find your spectator, than for them to find you in a sea of people. I mean, yes, of course, you plan out where you are going to see each other, on what side of the street they’ll be on, what you expect your pace to be, and so on. But, things go amiss in races… especially in marathons. And while I was running with a phone then, it wasn’t a smart phone that could track where I was and tell Steven. In fact, it couldn’t tell him anything, because I broke it during the race. Oops.

Anyway! I ended up missing Steven at a few of our planned spots, and it really upset me. And one of the reasons I didn’t see him is because there were so many spectators and I couldn’t find him.

I didn’t have this issue at my next two marathons because of the scale of them – it was easy for us to spot each other. But I knew that the NYC Marathon would have even more spectators and runners than Chicago, so I asked Steven and the spectating crew (Christina, Will, Gina and Steve) if they would carry a mylar balloon so I could find them on the course.

Look for your balloon flying high and find your crew!

Local and virtual spectators! In NYC (clockwise from top left): Gina, Luca, me, Christina, Will, Steve and Steven. And virtual (clockwise from top left): Grandma Pete (IA), Grandma Tiger (IA) and Courtney (TX). How lucky I was to have so many people spectating for me in person and virtually at NYC, and other events. I am really grateful Steven and family and friends like to come to the events I do!

And I saw them. At every. single. spot.

The balloon method is a success!

But wait, Wisconsin is not that big! Why does Steven need a balloon there?

It’s not exactly for me. It’s for all the people we know running it, to find him. There are just under 20 people running the race from my studio, and probably 10-20 others I will know there. Rather than tell them where he’ll be on the course so he can take their photo, I can just tell them to look for the balloon and get his attention. He’s renting a fancy pants lens again this year, and enjoys taking the photos and sharing them, so, the more people to photograph, the better!

Have you used the balloon method to find people at a race?

I must also mention the Gunther method. I mean, “giant stuffed animal method.” Ha ha ha.

Speaking of Gunther, today is Luca’s 4th birthday!!!! Which means he opened* his … drum roll please … Rhinoceros!

Luca named him Rantha!

I wish I could see Luca in person for his birthday, like the last two years! But FaceTime was a nice alternative until we see him again in June! And, of course, I have to end this post with sharing this image of him I came across when I was grabbing the NYC Marathon pics. Aww, baby Luca pie!!!

*And by “opened,” I really mean, saw for the first time with a bow on it (I am not sure how you’d wrap that!).

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By kilax, April 23, 2015 7:09 am

• I finally started another knitting project (I hadn’t knit since March)! This will be a scarf for a certain madre for Mother’s Day. I am using a pattern that has some techniques I hadn’t done before (on purpose, anyway) – yarn over (ko) and knit two together (k2tog), so it’s good to be learning something new! I realized I have to knit much looser so I can do the k2tog. I also realized my fingers are way too rough to work with this yarn – it keeps snagging and fraying it! Grrrr.

• We sent 20 postcards when we were in Mexico, and as far as I know, no one has received them. I feel bad about it, because instead of bringing back gifts for everyone, I thought the postcards would be a nice way to tell people we were thinking about them while we were there. Also… 20 postcards took awhile to write and weren’t very cheap. Ha ha. Maybe they’ll show up someday!
• I am digging xaarlin‘s throwback travel posts from Europe 2002. It kind of makes me want to write some for my trip to Spain in 2002! I have all the pictures, and a journal. I wonder if my journal will be as cringe-worthy as xaarlin said hers was (probably!!!)!

• Did anyone else see or read about the man who lead the Boston marathon for the first mile so his kids could see him on TV (pdf here)? Then fell back and finished the rest of the race feeling crummy because he did this? Anyone else think this was kind of a “not cool” move?
• Remember Cats with Bats? The softball team I was on last spring/summer? The team will not be getting together this summer. I enjoyed playing and looked forward to each game, but it was a lot of work to organize, and another summer night commitment I don’t want this year. As only one person asked me if the team is getting back together, I think most everyone is on the same page! We’ll all just have to get together and do something else, besides lose softball games.

• My new boss brought in a homemade breakfast burrito buffet to welcome a new team member during our weekly staff meeting yesterday! And included vegan options!!! I really like my new boss, and not just because she feeds us!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 70

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By kilax, April 22, 2015 6:36 am

Something awesome happened at dinner at Red Robin last night, and it totally made my day. I doubt many of you will know the reference, but that our waiter did is what made it so awesome!

When Steven and I were watching Fast Five during our Fast and Furious marathon in December/January we picked up on an AWESOMELY cheesy line that we hadn’t remembered from before. In the movie, someone approaches Dwayne Johnson’s character, Hobbs, and tells him he has good news and bad news. So Hobbs says “You know I like my dessert first,” and the guy gives him the good news. Ha! Then, Hobbs says “Gimme the damn veggies then,” and, yeah, you got it, the guy gives him the bad news. Here’s a video in case my awesome explanation makes no sense:

So when Steven and I were watching that we were dying over how amazingly cheesy those lines are. And I told Steven I was going to start saying “I have good news and bad news” to him more often so he could use those lines. And that I would appreciate it if he did the same for me.

Surprisingly though, we don’t say it to each other that often, so not many opportunities have presented themselves. That is, until, last night!

When the waiter came to the table with our bill he said “I have good news and bad news.” Instead of wondering what the heck the bad news could possibly, I looked at Steven all excited, with wide eyes, and said “Should I say it?!”

I started laughing and told the waiter I wanted to quote a really cheesy movie line to him, but I didn’t think he’d get it. He asked what movie and I told him Fast Five and right away, he goes “Oh! You know I like my dessert first? And, gimme the veggies?”

I was astounded. And, way too over the moon excited that he knew the line!

So I got to say it!

“You know I like my dessert first!”

Then the waiter goes “Actually, I am going to give you the veggies.” Ha! “Your 10% on your loyalty card was declined.”

I was all, “Oh really, why?”

“Because you have a free burger on your card, and it used that instead!”

Ha ha ha.

Like I said, totally made my night!

And it would make my day to find out you start using these lines, too! Hee hee.

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By kilax, April 21, 2015 6:20 am

Every now and then, a random embarrassing memory from childhood pops in to my head. I shudder and think “well, thankfully I will never see those people again.”

Until, you know, I run in to them on a short trip to my hometown.

Sigh.

Ha ha.

When I was in middle school, I babysat my mom’s friends’ baby. I don’t remember much, just that the parents were very nice people and that I was TERRIFIED of watching children on my own. Oh, and that I had NEVER changed a diaper before. Great set-up for a baby sitter, right?

On maybe my third or fourth time watching the baby, I freaked out. I think I got a bad headache, the baby was crying and I couldn’t soothe it. Like the incompetent babysitter I was, I called the parents and asked them to come home.

Yeah, I never babysat again, after that. Surprise, surprise?

I always felt foolish for not knowing what to do, and for panicking! (The logical part of me thinks “Why would you have known what to do? And WHY were you watching a baby?!”)

But I always thought, “Eh, I won’t ever see them again.”

Until we run in to the mom and baby, er, now an 18-year-old, at the Fools 5K. And my mom reminds me that I used to watch her. And all of the feelings of embarrassment come flooding back.

Ha ha. Not surprisingly, the interaction was short. But I wonder if the same memory came back to the mom, after seeing me.

To this day, I still haven’t changed a diaper! And am not sure why I ever would, unless Steven or Data or I start wearing them.

Now, let’s just hope I don’t run in to the boy who asked “can we make out now?” in the sixth grade. Hee hee (nah, that wouldn’t be awkward – I was his boss at McDonald’s for a bit in high school!)

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By kilax, April 20, 2015 10:23 am

Nah, she’s too tiny to be friends with Fluffy!

Steven welded this little dog for my coworker, who has a long haired dachshund. Steven really likes working on these sculptures, but found out when working on the dog that he’d prefer something at a bit larger scale. I think he should make something for Luca next… maybe a train or plane!

Side note: you won’t see poor quality photos like this on the blog much longer… I ordered a new phone with a much better camera! (Ha, composition and content will still be the same!)

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By kilax, April 10, 2015 6:29 am

We got our first taste of severe storms for the season last night. Steven took this photo before the rain and hail started. Luckily, there wasn’t any damage in our area, but my heart goes out for those in central Illinois who had it much, much worse.

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By kilax, April 9, 2015 6:15 am

• Oops, I didn’t make the connection when registering for this 33.5 mile ultra on Saturday that we had a seven hour course limit (with an option for eight hours if you start early). That averages out to a 12:32 minute mile. Which seems like a lot… if you don’t spend too much time at the aid stations. Ha ha ha. I am sure Rachel and I will be just fine! We hope to be done in around six hours, which is a 10:45 minute mile average pace (our first ultra, which we did together, was a 50K that took us over seven hours, but was on much harder terrain). I won’t be upset if it takes us longer. Trail races are about having fun (for us!), anyways!

• Autocorrect is so confused on my phone. It’s already pretty wonky to start with, but I am still practicing Spanish on my phone so now it thinks I want to autocorrect words misspelled in English to Spanish words. Que molesto.
• I question almost all studies I read, but I have to say, I like the results of this one (pdf here) – “A new study tracked mortality rates and found that excessive exercise carried no increased risk of dying.” To super simplify the results, the study found that people exercising up to 10 times or more the amount recommended per week (equivalent to 50 miles run per week) were not at risk for death (and that some health benefits continue to increase the more people in the study exercised per week). Why do I care about this study? Because every once in awhile, someone wants to talk to me about “running too much.” These comments never make me worry about my health… just look at me – I’m not injured, I’m obviously not exercising this much because I am obsessed with being at a low weight, I don’t do it when I don’t enjoy it (hello, most summers), and I don’t complain about exercising. But these comments do get a bit old. So maybe next time I will throw this study back if I feel like it. Ha ha.
• Ugh. This music video. All the sads. Again, SPOILER ALERTS for Furious 7 – this pretty much shows the ending to the movie. Sigh, sometimes a good cry feels so good, but I don’t think I should watch this anymore. Also… doesn’t Charlie Puth kind of look like Andy Samberg from his side profile?

• My maternal grandma called me to tell me she loved the washcloths I knit her (I wasn’t able to give them to her in person), and that she was already using them to wash dishes! Yay! She particularly liked that they were knit tight, and not loose. Ha ha… yeah. I knit tight. I need a new project. I haven’t worked on knitting since last week!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 68