wrong side of the bed
i woke up this morning feeling really cruddy. it's not like i'm physically sick or anything, but mentally i feel blah. my shoulders are really sore from my workout yesterday. i tried to push myself by running a mile on the street and then doing weight training. i also increased the weight i was lifting, as well. it's possible my over-head extension was too much for my shoulders. they feel really tired. originally i was going to finish with another mile run after weights, but i wasn't sure i could last another mile. looking back, i probably could have. i think this will be something to try for next wednesday. instead, i walked to the store after my workout to pick up some eggs for breakfast. i was feeling really good and made a really yummy cheese omelette topped with salsa and served with warm corn tortillas. it was great up until lunchtime. i was going to make tuna, which i have been planning on making for almost 3 weeks now (not like canned tuna is going to go bad), so i started pulling the ingredients i needed. i got out my tuna, mayo, mustard, red onion (even though it looked a little old, i only needed a few tablespoons of it), and then reached for the celery. it was old. TOO old to really salvage anything from it. into the trash it went and i was left with a decision to make: do i go to the store and pick up new celery (because really - what's tuna salad without celery?) or do i listen to my impulse center of my brain and go out? i went with the totally unhealthy choice and went to burger king for lunch. it's been a while since i've gotten a meal at burger king, but i went with a whopper with cheese (no onion). i came home and ate it. the burger was almost completely flattened from sitting in the bag on the way home and the fries were stale. i ate it all anyway and about 20 minutes later i felt disgusting. i felt sick and pukey. i chugged down some pepto, which alleviated the gurgly stomach, but i still didn't feel that great. i actually wasn't that hungry when marshall came home from work and it was time for dinner. i ate dinner anyway, even thought i could've done without. then i proceeded to work on my homework. i got through to the second-to-last problem i needed to work on when i hit a wall. i was "helping" a potential library user looking to find information about urban planning: what does the job entail; what does it pay; which schools offer the program and is a bachelor's enough or does it require a masters; which school is the cheapest for a bachelors and masters? the first 4 questions i found right away, but that last one was beating me into the ground. there were 10 schools i found in california that offered BOTH the bachelor's and master's program in urban planning, but figuring out how much they cost was proving to be quite the feat. one of the websites i was using only listed estimated costs for undergrad ONLY, not masters. this other website allows you to search for the school and then they offer PDF access to that school's catalog. this DOES contain estimate costs for graduate programs, BUT the files are huge and hard to search through easily. i simply cannot follow this same procedure for 10+ schools - it would just take forever. there really has to be a better way, but i'm not allowed to use google or yahoo, so... anyway, i went to bed frustrated and exhausted. of course this is one of the two thursdays each month where i have back-to-back conference calls at 8:30 and 9am, so i have to leave home really early and get into work with enough time to get my stuff unpacked and computer started up. that meant not hitting the snooze this morning and no possible way of fitting in any kind of workout. since i have so much to do tonight with homework (this assignment is due tomorrow, but tomorrow i also the first night of the st. lucy fun-fest and i really want to go), i won't be able to get in a work out tonight, either. :(
so yeah, that's how i'm feeling right now. i have a grand total of 5 meetings today, 6 including a training i have with the new project manager in our department. i'm to train her on how to work with textbook supplements. i'm hoping she's a quick learner...
+_+_+
this week has been super hectic. not only do i have lots of homework, i had a TON of catching up to do at work. there was a lot that happened while i was gone last thursday, friday and this past monday. i'm through most of it, but i'm sitting on a couple of projects because i plan on using them in my training later today. i hate when i have emails sitting in my inbox, especially when they're projects i need to work on. i'm not one to put off things, especially when i can easily work on them and blow through them right now.
our time in LA was really nice, even if there wasn't much relaxation time. i would've liked it if we could've taken advantage of the fantastic weather by making it down to the beach. we really didn't have time, though. we tried to fit in as much as possible, as we normally do. we drove down thursday and got into venice around 4:30/5pm. we hung out at marshall's mom's house for a bit before we all went to dinner at island's. i think it's almost tradition to go there for our first LA meal. it's really good and we can walk there, instead of driving, which is always nice. i got up early on friday to fit in a run. marshall was shocked, but i needed to keep on schedule. i ran my normal 2 miles, but i got to run along the venice ocean front walk, which is really nice, even if it's a bit busy. i managed a 10-minute mile, which astounded me. i was wondering why my legs were so wobbly when i was finished. i tried to repeat that yesterday, but failed horribly. i think what pushed me so much in LA was finding someone running in front of me and trying to keep up with them. anyway, friday afternoon we headed to downtown to visit with marshall's sister at USC. i'd never been to that campus before and so that was fun. we found a place for lunch and hung out. we also got to see her "apartment" and "meet" her roommate (who pretended to be asleep on her desk as soon as we walked in the door). fun, right? after that we headed back to the coast and got in touch with one of marshall's best men in the wedding and found a time to meet up. we decided on a movie, whip it! (i really liked it.) and then dinner at BJ's afterward. we had a great time chatting and hanging out with ben and his girlfriend. saturday morning, marshall and his dad got together to check him in for his triathlon on sunday. they were also going to sit in on a course explanation, but it turns out that wasn't happening until later. so, they came and picked me up for lunch (a yummy hot dog at costco :P) and we all went to the course explanation talk. we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before marshall's dad picked us up again to go to a family friend's house to watch the USC-Cal football game. this family friend happens to be very wealthy and own a gigantic house in pacific palisades. ridiculous. the party was fun and marshall and i were out-numbered by USC fans. there were a couple of other Cal supporters, but not many, and we ended up getting our asses handed to us. it was nice meeting new people and chatting. we met a guy who is a cyclist and in his 70s. he loves cycling and you could tell from talking to him about it. he definitely got me excited about cycling and possibly looking into any bike clubs in the south bay. we called it an early night saturday night, to make sure we got enough sleep for sunday.
sunday started at 5:30. marshall and i got up, got changed, ate breakfast and headed to the beach. marshall got checked in and his transition area set up. unfortunately, it only meant that we had to wait. and wait. and wait. most of the other triathlons he's competed in, the sprint was made separate from the olympic distance. this time, they were all in one. the pro olympics were in the water at 7:30, but marshall's wave was the last in the water at 9:30. we got to the water and watched the surf. it was intense. the race started and there were PRO ATHLETES being pulled from the water - it was THAT crazy. because the officials needed to provide extra up-front time for swimmers to get out to the first buoy, they had to delay the waves. by the time it was ready for marshall to line up for his wave, it was 10:30 - A WHOLE HOUR later than originally scheduled. marshall's parents and i shouted and cheered as he made his way out of the gate and tried keeping him in our sites as he got into the water. we couldn't spot him in the group that couldn't get past the break, so we assumed he made it out to the buoy and he did! within about 20 minutes, he was jogging up the beach to the timing mat into the transition area. woohoo!! i have some pictures from the beginning of the race, but i haven't gotten them off the camera yet. i also played with the video feature and taped marshall running out of the gate. :P this triathlon wasn't a circuit, but a point-to-point race. that meant, as an observer, we had to jump in the car and drive to downtown where the race ended. i went with marshall's mom and we ended up taking too much time to get back home, in the car and out to the staples center. we were JUST parking when we got a call from marshall's dad saying that he had just finished. :( i've been there at the end of all of marshall's races and not being there when he finished was frustrating. i was so mad. anyway, we hung out at the "fest" they had going after the race. marshall's step-mom saved him a place in line for the complementary after-race massages they were offering. it was time to pack things up and head out. marshall gathered all his stuff and we went back to his mom's. we all showered and relaxed for a while. marshall missed out on an actual nap, but we all wanted to visit his grandma while were down there.
we did get to visit and she enjoyed the company. she was recently moved from her original home to a more standard nursing home. so, she's sharing a room and she doesn't get any of her own furniture. it also doesn't have much in the way of social activities, which really sucks. marshall's grandma is still pretty with it, much more than my grandma was, and she would really benefit from getting together with other people to chat, listen to music, and even watch TV as a group. i guess they have something during lunchtime, but when we saw her on sunday, she said that she hadn't gotten out of bed that entire day. :( anyway, we stayed with her while she ate dinner and then headed out.
marshall and i came back to get all dolled up for our anniversary dinner. as i wrote about last week, we went to the tasting kitchen in venice. we got there and we were the first ones for the evening, but that didn't last long. merely 30 minutes later, the dining room was full. they change their menu almost daily and so a giant "83" was stamped on the menu cover. we learned that this signified that this was their 83rd menu. apparently they haven't been open for THAT long, but it didn't feel new. the waitstaff was incredibly knowledgeable, professional, but really casual and friendly. i ordered a glass of rose to go with my entree (a lovely whole-grilled arato on a bed of sweet corn, faro, and squash) and they didn't have that particular one available, so our waiter came to the table with 2 other roses they had available and had me taste them both and make my decision. it was great! he also was able to suggest a wine to go with marshall's lamb. we had a wonderful time there. everything was delicious and the atmosphere was modern, but not pretentious. so yeah, it was a great choice for our last dinner in LA. :P
monday morning, marshall and i met up with marshall's dad for breakfast. i felt bad that we had to leave so abruptly on sunday after marshall's race, so i set up breakfast with his dad. we went to our usual breakfast spot in LA and had a lovely breakfast. marshall and i got on the road a little before 11am and didn't hit any traffic until just outside salinas. we got home a little before 5pm, only to turn around and go grocery shopping. by the time we got home, i was exhausted. i even woke up tuesday morning, thinking of taking the day. i didn't and i'm glad i went into to work, actually (see above).
we had a great trip and i am so incredibly proud of marshall for completing that triathlon. he was simply amazing and i know he'll only get better. apparently the tentative plan is BOTH of us will compete in the LA triathlon: marshall in the olympic distance and me in the sprint distance. we'll see... :P
so yeah, that's how i'm feeling right now. i have a grand total of 5 meetings today, 6 including a training i have with the new project manager in our department. i'm to train her on how to work with textbook supplements. i'm hoping she's a quick learner...
+_+_+
this week has been super hectic. not only do i have lots of homework, i had a TON of catching up to do at work. there was a lot that happened while i was gone last thursday, friday and this past monday. i'm through most of it, but i'm sitting on a couple of projects because i plan on using them in my training later today. i hate when i have emails sitting in my inbox, especially when they're projects i need to work on. i'm not one to put off things, especially when i can easily work on them and blow through them right now.
our time in LA was really nice, even if there wasn't much relaxation time. i would've liked it if we could've taken advantage of the fantastic weather by making it down to the beach. we really didn't have time, though. we tried to fit in as much as possible, as we normally do. we drove down thursday and got into venice around 4:30/5pm. we hung out at marshall's mom's house for a bit before we all went to dinner at island's. i think it's almost tradition to go there for our first LA meal. it's really good and we can walk there, instead of driving, which is always nice. i got up early on friday to fit in a run. marshall was shocked, but i needed to keep on schedule. i ran my normal 2 miles, but i got to run along the venice ocean front walk, which is really nice, even if it's a bit busy. i managed a 10-minute mile, which astounded me. i was wondering why my legs were so wobbly when i was finished. i tried to repeat that yesterday, but failed horribly. i think what pushed me so much in LA was finding someone running in front of me and trying to keep up with them. anyway, friday afternoon we headed to downtown to visit with marshall's sister at USC. i'd never been to that campus before and so that was fun. we found a place for lunch and hung out. we also got to see her "apartment" and "meet" her roommate (who pretended to be asleep on her desk as soon as we walked in the door). fun, right? after that we headed back to the coast and got in touch with one of marshall's best men in the wedding and found a time to meet up. we decided on a movie, whip it! (i really liked it.) and then dinner at BJ's afterward. we had a great time chatting and hanging out with ben and his girlfriend. saturday morning, marshall and his dad got together to check him in for his triathlon on sunday. they were also going to sit in on a course explanation, but it turns out that wasn't happening until later. so, they came and picked me up for lunch (a yummy hot dog at costco :P) and we all went to the course explanation talk. we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before marshall's dad picked us up again to go to a family friend's house to watch the USC-Cal football game. this family friend happens to be very wealthy and own a gigantic house in pacific palisades. ridiculous. the party was fun and marshall and i were out-numbered by USC fans. there were a couple of other Cal supporters, but not many, and we ended up getting our asses handed to us. it was nice meeting new people and chatting. we met a guy who is a cyclist and in his 70s. he loves cycling and you could tell from talking to him about it. he definitely got me excited about cycling and possibly looking into any bike clubs in the south bay. we called it an early night saturday night, to make sure we got enough sleep for sunday.
sunday started at 5:30. marshall and i got up, got changed, ate breakfast and headed to the beach. marshall got checked in and his transition area set up. unfortunately, it only meant that we had to wait. and wait. and wait. most of the other triathlons he's competed in, the sprint was made separate from the olympic distance. this time, they were all in one. the pro olympics were in the water at 7:30, but marshall's wave was the last in the water at 9:30. we got to the water and watched the surf. it was intense. the race started and there were PRO ATHLETES being pulled from the water - it was THAT crazy. because the officials needed to provide extra up-front time for swimmers to get out to the first buoy, they had to delay the waves. by the time it was ready for marshall to line up for his wave, it was 10:30 - A WHOLE HOUR later than originally scheduled. marshall's parents and i shouted and cheered as he made his way out of the gate and tried keeping him in our sites as he got into the water. we couldn't spot him in the group that couldn't get past the break, so we assumed he made it out to the buoy and he did! within about 20 minutes, he was jogging up the beach to the timing mat into the transition area. woohoo!! i have some pictures from the beginning of the race, but i haven't gotten them off the camera yet. i also played with the video feature and taped marshall running out of the gate. :P this triathlon wasn't a circuit, but a point-to-point race. that meant, as an observer, we had to jump in the car and drive to downtown where the race ended. i went with marshall's mom and we ended up taking too much time to get back home, in the car and out to the staples center. we were JUST parking when we got a call from marshall's dad saying that he had just finished. :( i've been there at the end of all of marshall's races and not being there when he finished was frustrating. i was so mad. anyway, we hung out at the "fest" they had going after the race. marshall's step-mom saved him a place in line for the complementary after-race massages they were offering. it was time to pack things up and head out. marshall gathered all his stuff and we went back to his mom's. we all showered and relaxed for a while. marshall missed out on an actual nap, but we all wanted to visit his grandma while were down there.
we did get to visit and she enjoyed the company. she was recently moved from her original home to a more standard nursing home. so, she's sharing a room and she doesn't get any of her own furniture. it also doesn't have much in the way of social activities, which really sucks. marshall's grandma is still pretty with it, much more than my grandma was, and she would really benefit from getting together with other people to chat, listen to music, and even watch TV as a group. i guess they have something during lunchtime, but when we saw her on sunday, she said that she hadn't gotten out of bed that entire day. :( anyway, we stayed with her while she ate dinner and then headed out.
marshall and i came back to get all dolled up for our anniversary dinner. as i wrote about last week, we went to the tasting kitchen in venice. we got there and we were the first ones for the evening, but that didn't last long. merely 30 minutes later, the dining room was full. they change their menu almost daily and so a giant "83" was stamped on the menu cover. we learned that this signified that this was their 83rd menu. apparently they haven't been open for THAT long, but it didn't feel new. the waitstaff was incredibly knowledgeable, professional, but really casual and friendly. i ordered a glass of rose to go with my entree (a lovely whole-grilled arato on a bed of sweet corn, faro, and squash) and they didn't have that particular one available, so our waiter came to the table with 2 other roses they had available and had me taste them both and make my decision. it was great! he also was able to suggest a wine to go with marshall's lamb. we had a wonderful time there. everything was delicious and the atmosphere was modern, but not pretentious. so yeah, it was a great choice for our last dinner in LA. :P
monday morning, marshall and i met up with marshall's dad for breakfast. i felt bad that we had to leave so abruptly on sunday after marshall's race, so i set up breakfast with his dad. we went to our usual breakfast spot in LA and had a lovely breakfast. marshall and i got on the road a little before 11am and didn't hit any traffic until just outside salinas. we got home a little before 5pm, only to turn around and go grocery shopping. by the time we got home, i was exhausted. i even woke up tuesday morning, thinking of taking the day. i didn't and i'm glad i went into to work, actually (see above).
we had a great trip and i am so incredibly proud of marshall for completing that triathlon. he was simply amazing and i know he'll only get better. apparently the tentative plan is BOTH of us will compete in the LA triathlon: marshall in the olympic distance and me in the sprint distance. we'll see... :P