Random Thoughts, Notes, Updates, and Misc.

Okay, so I've been in a very thoughtful state lately. Thinking about life, writing, reading, knowledge, bicycles, packing, moving, etc. My mind has been all over the board, so this post will attempt to document and lay out some of those things and see if I can figure out any apparent pattern. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll have an epiphany. We'll see...


I like lists, so I'm just going to list out whatever pops into my head:

1. Today was an interesting day. It started out with a 50 minute run with my friend Janice. The plan was to run with her and then continue on for a total of 11 miles in order to fulfill what I had listed on my training plan. Well, I got the run completed with Janice, but had to pause for a few hours to take this little bugger to the vet

I have 2 cats and they get along for the most part, besides some play fighting. Well, all the sudden yesterday and today they are acting as if they totally hate each other and this one, Cali, has been moaning and growling and hissing and hiding and acting all crazy. So, luckily, my vet is open from 11-1 on Sundays and I talked to them via phone and they said to bring him in. So, basically, they think it's either just behavioral or possibly a UTI. He had a UTI about a year ago, when I first got him. Anyway, long story short, $112 and a couple hours of time for a last minute cat vet visit, he his back at home and still acting a little odd. I'm supposed to give him some antibiotics and check back in a week. Hopefully he'll be okay.

So, back to the run. I did in fact finish up my run later this afternoon. I went out for about 7 more miles for good measure b/c I wasn't exactly sure how many miles Janice and I had run. I knew it was probably between 4 and 5 b/c she is just getting back into running post-injury so we took it slow.

2. I am totally stoked about going back up to Lake Placid this coming weekend! I got a call from Triboomer a couple nights ago, letting me know he is also coming to spectate. It is going to be a crazy fun time. I have started a list of all the people I know who are racing and spectating, just so I can keep track. I think there are about 12 on my racing list and even more than that on the spectator list. Oh, and I'll be driving up with my friend Allison. We will be camping (since we had no luck in finding a hotel and plus it's uber cheap to go the camping route). Only problem is that both of us are kind of camping novices. I have actually been camping quite a bit, but every time I'm always with people who have all the equipment and are way more experienced than I am, so it should be interesting. I do have at least a tent, cooler, sleeping bag, and air mattress. I think we'll be able to figure it out. haha.

3. I'm going to be moving in just over 2 weeks! AHHH! I'm excited, but at the same time I'm starting to freak out a little bit about logistics. First of all, I have the slight problem that my lease does not end until Nov 30th and I am still trying to find someone to take over and rent the place. There have actually been a lot of lookers, so I'm thinking someone will want it. It's a good apt, has all the desired amenities (Dishwasher, Washer/dryer, off-street parking, secure entrance, etc). I did some 'staging' this weekend to try to make the place more attractive and I've been posting it on Craigslist as often as it will allow. Part of my staging efforts included removing my giant ottoman (one of those big square ones that doubles as more seating) from my living room b/c the living room is not really that big and that ottoman was making the place seem claustrophobic. I didn't mind it, but I was used to it and I just think it gave a bad impression of the space. Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers. Also, I have about a trillion phone calls to make to shut off/on utilities, change addresses, and find out what day my movers are coming (they gave me a window, but not an exact date yet). Ah, the joys of moving.



4. It's Sunday night and I'm not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. I'm in check out mode already-- i.e. that syndrome when you know you're leaving your job and you've mentally moved on with your life.

5. Overall, I think life is good. Things are coming together and although some things may come down to the wire (finding new renters for my apt) I think it will all work out.

6. Training is going pretty well for my upcoming races (2 olys, 1 HIM, and a marathon--PLUS, of course, IM CdA 2009!). I've been doing some major delving/tapping into everything I can find related to nutrition, training, etc, in order to figure out my training plan for IM. I have a little time, but being the Type A kind of person I am, I hope to have this planned out soon so I can start putting it into action.

7. New endeavors. As always, I get a little ahead of myself. Mixed within my thoughts are the possibilities of trying out some new sports when I move to IA. Included are cyclocross, cross country skiiing, and possibly crit style bike racing. I would also love to learn how to ski and/or snowboard this coming winter. I'll have to drive a few hours to find somewhere with some hills, but I think it is totally doable.

8. SCUBA! I am in need of a scuba trip! The plan is to dive Lake Michigan sometime either end of Sept or early October. I would love to go somewhere more tropical, but I've heard there are a lot of cool wreck dives in the great lakes and getting there is much easier on the pocketbook and time wise for the moment. I have to relearn how to live on a student budget. Joy joy :) At least it's WAY cheaper to live in Iowa compared to good old New Haven CT or anywhere on the east coast for that matter.

Alright, I think that about wraps it up for my main thoughts as of now. Plus, this post is freakin' LONG!
Cheers.