Should we name new kitty Jax or Fivel?

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Paintballuh

Yeah, my gun is upside down.

The ladies of GWorld (minus Emily). Don't mess with us.

My headshot.

I went paintballing for the first time yesterday and had so much fun! A co-worker set it up for us and our friends and family, so Marcus and Joe got to come too. I was pretty awful; I got hit all but one round. I have 10 amazing bruises on my arms, legs, back and neck. My legs are also protesting all the squats and running I engaged in. But it was great! I can't wait to do it again...some time after I recover :)

Friday, July 11, 2008

He made it!

Joe is back! Yay! Unforutnately, he and Marcus got a flat tire in middle-of-nowhere, Pennsylvania last night...so they got to the condo around 6:00 am. They're sleeping it off right now, but at least they made it :)

Friday, July 4, 2008

Wogging*

*Wogging is the term my friend Molly helped me come up with to describe what I've been doing lately: walking/jogging. I made a goal to run a 5k by September, which is kind of a big deal for me! I've always wanted to be a runner, and since I've been out here by myself I have "run" (pun intended) out of excuses not to exercise.

I'm doing the Couch-to-5k Running Program, which took me from doing almost no exercise to gradually increasing the amoung of jogging I do (and decreasing the amount of walking,) each week. It's a 9 week program, and I'm 33.3% through it. It's very do-able, and encouraging to see the progress. Here are the things I did to get ready, and what I'm doing now to make sure I stick with it:

1) I had to start walking normally. Ever since I can remember, I've walked with my toes pointed out a little (I'll just blame this one on my mom; she never told me to walk normally or to not stick a q-tip all the way in my ear. She did teach me not to pop my knuckles, though. Thanks mom!) For a month, I made a conscious effort to walk pointing my toes straight out in front of me. I think having my toes pointed out is what led to many knee problems in the past, so I was hopeful I could avoid most sidelining injuries this way.

2) I had to start walking more. Even though the program is called "Couch-to-5k," I wanted to give myself any advantage I could. Luckily, all I had to do was my daily walk to and from the Metro from home and work. I walk about 20 minutes a day.

3) I found a running program I liked. This program seemed totally realistic to me, and it's something that I can do whenever and wherever I want. It's also something I can do by myself without any equipment.

4) I'm drinking tons of water! Feeling hydrated makes running even easier.

5) I make awesome iPod shuffle playlists. With the program I'm on, you switch between walking and jogging every few minutes (the intervals depend on the week). I put some kickin songs together and end them early depending on how long I'm supposed to be jogging or walking. When the song is over, I know I'm supposed to switch up what I'm doing. It's fun.

6) I switch up my wog route. There are lots of places to run around town, but there is a trail specifically for running/walking/biking down the street with cool stretching/exercising stations along the way. There is also a little path by the Metro station, so if I don't want to go too far I just head that way.

Well, part of the reason I wrote all this was to feel accountable to keep going. This is very uncharacteristic of me because a.) I don't usually set goals, and b.) I don't usually tell people about them because then I might fail and that would make me sad. But I think this is a step in the right direction. I've had to change up a lot of things since the move, which has left me feeling pretty vulnerable. Luckily, I've been able to adapt and I'm trying to pick up a few good habits along the way.

Go wogging!

What I've Done Without the 'Bu

(The 'Bu is the Malibu). With Joe coming out in about a week, (and bringing the car with him), I wanted to tell everyone how I got around without a car.

The first 5 weeks out here I rented a car 3 different times. I would run as many errands as I could to buy all the stuff I needed for the condo. (In a given car-rental-spree, I would try to hit Ikea, Home Depot, Target, Crate & Barrel, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc.)

Once I got the bulk of things I needed, I stopped renting a car and did pretty well for myself. For little trips to the grocery store, I would attach an Ikea bag to a cart and walk about 5 minutes to Giant. It worked really well, and as a bonus I looked environmentally-friendly.

Recently I wanted to go to Trader Joe's, which is a little too far/dangerous to walk to. So I rented a ZipCar! They keep some at the Metro station by us, so it's really convenient. You reserve your car online, then take your ZipCard (looks like a credit card) and wave it over the car's windshield to unlock the doors. The keys are attached to a cord inside, and there's a gas card inside so you can fill up if needed. It's only $10/hour, plus a $25 yearly membership fee. It's a good option for a second car incase we need one.



Other than my walking and ZipCarring, I take the Metro to work and that about does it. I think our driving-everyday-days are over. If we want to do anything in the city, we'll already be there Monday-Friday, so we can just take the Metro. The car will be nice for weekend trips and church, but the 'Bu can have a little rest after its trip across the country. I feel so urban!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Priorities, dear. Priorities.

Overheard at work:

Whiny Incoming freshman: "I don't want to meet my future husband at the bowling alley!" (there is a bowling alley on the same floor as my office).
Mom: "What if he's rich?"