Word meme from smescrater
If you want to play along, reply to this post by yelling (or even saying gently) "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.
My words from smescrater
Running
Once upon a time I was a complete couch potato. I wasn’t a member of a gym, I didn’t own any lycra and didn’t know the difference between quadriceps and hamstrings. And then I discovered running.
My first foray into running didn’t end especially well. Back in around 1998, I landed a place in the London Marathon through my work, only no-one actually gave me any guidance as to any sort of training regime to follow. I was over-enthusiastic, tried to run too far too soon and ended up with shin splints, thus necessitating around 6 months off exercise completely whilst they healed.
It took a while for the running bug to bite completely. A friend at work at that time taught aerobics in her spare time and so I gradually started doing more general exercise and also took part in a couple of the Race for Life events, slowly building up to my first ever half marathon in 2002 when I did the Great North Run in a fairly respectable 2hrs 12mins (actual time) and 2hrs 30mins (recorded time). At this point I should make the distinction between recorded time and actual time. These days, most big races use chip times which means you run with a microchip attached to your shoe recording your actual time taken to run a race from the start line to the finish line. However, back in 2002 it was a matter of setting my watch when I crossed the start line (around 20 minutes after the starting gun had been fired) and then stopping it as I crossed the finish line.
A handful of other half marathons followed, as did another injury, and it was only in around 2007 after I’d run a 10K that I decided to keep up the training after the race, and that was it, I was completely hooked. Since then I’ve done a few 10Ks and two more half marathons (still aiming for that elusive sub-2-hour time) and I’m currently just getting back into running after a year off with a foot injury.
So what do I get out of this? Firstly, it’s time to think. I don’t run with music. I run with my thoughts. Sometimes I have a song in my head I’ve heard on the radio. Sometimes I daydream. Sometimes I process a problem at work that needs resolution. Sometimes I think about nothing at all.
Secondly, it’s time to be outside. I love the outdoors and I don’t spend nearly enough time there, especially when at work. When I’m running, I can observe nature, people and animals. I always smile when I see a squirrel as it reminds me of visiting my grandpa in Bristol and him taking me to the Downs to collect conkers and watch the squirrels. I enjoy the sounds of the birds in the trees and the smell of freshly cut grass. In atrocious weather conditions, I can smile sympathetically at dog walkers and other runners braving the elements.
Thirdly, when I run, I feel good. This is partly as a result of the two factors previously mentioned and partly through pushing myself to achieve that little bit more, whether it’s running ever so slightly further than before or trying to do a familiar route a little bit faster. Some research terms this the “runner’s high” which is when strenuous exercise releases endorphins. However, I would also like to take this opportunity to share my definition of “runner’s high”. On a couple of my longer runs (10 miles+) I occasionally get a huge feeling of calm and happiness. I’m aware that I’m still running but my legs are on autopilot and every other sense is heightened; I feel like I can run forever.
Chicklit
I adore books but don’t make nearly enough time in my schedule for just sitting down with a good book. If I do get the opportunity then it’s likely to be either crime fiction or chick lit. Wikipaedia defines it as “genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly”. I define it as fiction which allows me to become completely immersed in another world for a few hours without having to use my brain. The first chick lit book I can remember reading was called Woman to Woman by Cathy Kelly back in 1997 and she is still one of my favourite authors to this day.
Methodism
Hmm, this is an interesting one as it refers very much to my past and a world I’ve largely left behind. I was born and bred Methodist. My maternal grandpa (the one who took me to see the squirrels) was a Methodist minister and my paternal grandparents were also Methodist. I went to church every Sunday and went through all of the various classes at Sunday school, mostly enjoying it but occasionally getting a bit fed up of being dragged there week in week out. In fact, right at the very start of our relationship I remember smescrater and I having a discussion about sending children to Sunday school and whether we agreed with it or not; a hypothetical conversation as it turned out but an interesting topic of discussion considering we’d only been dating a couple of months at that point!
Anyway, around the age of 16 I was bored of church and it was starting to mean very little to me. However, attending the Christian Union at my sixth form college changed that and in November 1988 I became a born again Christian. I went to the same church as my Christian friends - both morning and evening services, as well as attending other mid week events and helping out on United Beach Missions during the summer months. This was my life for the next couple of years during which I thought I was blissfully happy doing God’s work and leading as good a life as I possibly could.
I’m aware at this point that I’ve already written an essay on running and I’m fairly certain you don’t wish to read another essay on Methodism, so long story short I went to university, discovered boys and that was the end of that really. I probably could have continued going to church, and I do still enjoy the occasional Christmas carol service, but God didn’t seem as important anymore.
Facebook
Hello, my name is Chris and I’m a Facebook addict. There you go, I’ve admitted it. Of course smescrater has known this for years! I would actually say I’m less of an addict than I was. When it was first launched, most of my friends weren’t on Facebook - for once I was an early adopter of social media. So other than updating my status regularly and playing a few of the simple games that existed, it didn’t really take up a lot of my time. However, once many of my friends joined and Zynga started to create their empire with Mafia Wars and Farmville, it became a full time occupation keeping up to date with everything that was going on.Over the last year I’ve managed to wean myself first off Mafia Wars and then off Farmville. I still play Treasure Madness and Scrabble (as well as Lexulous - which was called Scrabulous until Hasbro complained about copyright infringement) but I do try to limit the amount that I spam my friends’ walls with game requests.
So what do I get out of my Facebook addiction? I think a large part of it is seeing what my friends are doing - whether it’s an old Uni friend I’ve not spoken to in 20 years posting about their night out, an ex work colleague complaining how bad their job is or one of my closest friends asking for a hug as their life isn’t great. It’s about connecting with others and Facebook is an easy and non intrusive way of doing that.
Poly
Okay, how much information do you want? I think most of my readers on here, if not all, also have my hubby as a friend who I know has talked at length about poly and what it means to him. So, I think I will just explain what I get out of it rather than going into the minute detail of how and why.
Polyamory just makes sense to me. I think within a monogamous relationship there is a lot of pressure for one person to be everything that their partner needs - friend, confidante, business advisor, a shoulder to cry on, a lover... the list goes on. And at the same time, that one person also has their own needs which have to be met. I love smescrater dearly but there are times I need someone else, and vice-versa. I also find that lessons learnt in one relationship can equally apply in other relationships, making them stronger.
I think the second reason poly works for me is that when I’m with another partner it’s not about the house or who’s turn it is to take the bins out or any other minor domestic issues; it’s about relaxing and having fun without the pressure. I still believe in commitment however, and I do prefer longer term relationships, whether on a casual friends-with-benefits arrangement or as a more emotionally committed boyfriend/partner.
Finally, I feel that polyamory has made me appreciate smescrater a lot more as a partner and it’s made me realise how much we take each other for granted. Yes, we have the house and the mortgage and all the associated stress that comes with that, but that doesn’t mean that our entire relationship should focus around that. Much that being unemployed really isn’t good, one thing it has provided is the opportunity to spend some quality time with each other.
My words from smescrater
Running
Once upon a time I was a complete couch potato. I wasn’t a member of a gym, I didn’t own any lycra and didn’t know the difference between quadriceps and hamstrings. And then I discovered running.
My first foray into running didn’t end especially well. Back in around 1998, I landed a place in the London Marathon through my work, only no-one actually gave me any guidance as to any sort of training regime to follow. I was over-enthusiastic, tried to run too far too soon and ended up with shin splints, thus necessitating around 6 months off exercise completely whilst they healed.
It took a while for the running bug to bite completely. A friend at work at that time taught aerobics in her spare time and so I gradually started doing more general exercise and also took part in a couple of the Race for Life events, slowly building up to my first ever half marathon in 2002 when I did the Great North Run in a fairly respectable 2hrs 12mins (actual time) and 2hrs 30mins (recorded time). At this point I should make the distinction between recorded time and actual time. These days, most big races use chip times which means you run with a microchip attached to your shoe recording your actual time taken to run a race from the start line to the finish line. However, back in 2002 it was a matter of setting my watch when I crossed the start line (around 20 minutes after the starting gun had been fired) and then stopping it as I crossed the finish line.
A handful of other half marathons followed, as did another injury, and it was only in around 2007 after I’d run a 10K that I decided to keep up the training after the race, and that was it, I was completely hooked. Since then I’ve done a few 10Ks and two more half marathons (still aiming for that elusive sub-2-hour time) and I’m currently just getting back into running after a year off with a foot injury.
So what do I get out of this? Firstly, it’s time to think. I don’t run with music. I run with my thoughts. Sometimes I have a song in my head I’ve heard on the radio. Sometimes I daydream. Sometimes I process a problem at work that needs resolution. Sometimes I think about nothing at all.
Secondly, it’s time to be outside. I love the outdoors and I don’t spend nearly enough time there, especially when at work. When I’m running, I can observe nature, people and animals. I always smile when I see a squirrel as it reminds me of visiting my grandpa in Bristol and him taking me to the Downs to collect conkers and watch the squirrels. I enjoy the sounds of the birds in the trees and the smell of freshly cut grass. In atrocious weather conditions, I can smile sympathetically at dog walkers and other runners braving the elements.
Thirdly, when I run, I feel good. This is partly as a result of the two factors previously mentioned and partly through pushing myself to achieve that little bit more, whether it’s running ever so slightly further than before or trying to do a familiar route a little bit faster. Some research terms this the “runner’s high” which is when strenuous exercise releases endorphins. However, I would also like to take this opportunity to share my definition of “runner’s high”. On a couple of my longer runs (10 miles+) I occasionally get a huge feeling of calm and happiness. I’m aware that I’m still running but my legs are on autopilot and every other sense is heightened; I feel like I can run forever.
Chicklit
I adore books but don’t make nearly enough time in my schedule for just sitting down with a good book. If I do get the opportunity then it’s likely to be either crime fiction or chick lit. Wikipaedia defines it as “genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly”. I define it as fiction which allows me to become completely immersed in another world for a few hours without having to use my brain. The first chick lit book I can remember reading was called Woman to Woman by Cathy Kelly back in 1997 and she is still one of my favourite authors to this day.
Methodism
Hmm, this is an interesting one as it refers very much to my past and a world I’ve largely left behind. I was born and bred Methodist. My maternal grandpa (the one who took me to see the squirrels) was a Methodist minister and my paternal grandparents were also Methodist. I went to church every Sunday and went through all of the various classes at Sunday school, mostly enjoying it but occasionally getting a bit fed up of being dragged there week in week out. In fact, right at the very start of our relationship I remember smescrater and I having a discussion about sending children to Sunday school and whether we agreed with it or not; a hypothetical conversation as it turned out but an interesting topic of discussion considering we’d only been dating a couple of months at that point!
Anyway, around the age of 16 I was bored of church and it was starting to mean very little to me. However, attending the Christian Union at my sixth form college changed that and in November 1988 I became a born again Christian. I went to the same church as my Christian friends - both morning and evening services, as well as attending other mid week events and helping out on United Beach Missions during the summer months. This was my life for the next couple of years during which I thought I was blissfully happy doing God’s work and leading as good a life as I possibly could.
I’m aware at this point that I’ve already written an essay on running and I’m fairly certain you don’t wish to read another essay on Methodism, so long story short I went to university, discovered boys and that was the end of that really. I probably could have continued going to church, and I do still enjoy the occasional Christmas carol service, but God didn’t seem as important anymore.
Hello, my name is Chris and I’m a Facebook addict. There you go, I’ve admitted it. Of course smescrater has known this for years! I would actually say I’m less of an addict than I was. When it was first launched, most of my friends weren’t on Facebook - for once I was an early adopter of social media. So other than updating my status regularly and playing a few of the simple games that existed, it didn’t really take up a lot of my time. However, once many of my friends joined and Zynga started to create their empire with Mafia Wars and Farmville, it became a full time occupation keeping up to date with everything that was going on.Over the last year I’ve managed to wean myself first off Mafia Wars and then off Farmville. I still play Treasure Madness and Scrabble (as well as Lexulous - which was called Scrabulous until Hasbro complained about copyright infringement) but I do try to limit the amount that I spam my friends’ walls with game requests.
So what do I get out of my Facebook addiction? I think a large part of it is seeing what my friends are doing - whether it’s an old Uni friend I’ve not spoken to in 20 years posting about their night out, an ex work colleague complaining how bad their job is or one of my closest friends asking for a hug as their life isn’t great. It’s about connecting with others and Facebook is an easy and non intrusive way of doing that.
Poly
Okay, how much information do you want? I think most of my readers on here, if not all, also have my hubby as a friend who I know has talked at length about poly and what it means to him. So, I think I will just explain what I get out of it rather than going into the minute detail of how and why.
Polyamory just makes sense to me. I think within a monogamous relationship there is a lot of pressure for one person to be everything that their partner needs - friend, confidante, business advisor, a shoulder to cry on, a lover... the list goes on. And at the same time, that one person also has their own needs which have to be met. I love smescrater dearly but there are times I need someone else, and vice-versa. I also find that lessons learnt in one relationship can equally apply in other relationships, making them stronger.
I think the second reason poly works for me is that when I’m with another partner it’s not about the house or who’s turn it is to take the bins out or any other minor domestic issues; it’s about relaxing and having fun without the pressure. I still believe in commitment however, and I do prefer longer term relationships, whether on a casual friends-with-benefits arrangement or as a more emotionally committed boyfriend/partner.
Finally, I feel that polyamory has made me appreciate smescrater a lot more as a partner and it’s made me realise how much we take each other for granted. Yes, we have the house and the mortgage and all the associated stress that comes with that, but that doesn’t mean that our entire relationship should focus around that. Much that being unemployed really isn’t good, one thing it has provided is the opportunity to spend some quality time with each other.