December Goals

I realize that December is almost over but I never went over my November goals or made new goals for December. With that in mind I am going to only make a few goals for the remaining days of December. 

On to my November goals in review.

- Run 100 miles in the month of November - I didn't quite make it to 100 miles but I did make it to 82 miles which I was overjoyed at! Especially since I followed my Dopey Challenge training plan for much of November. 

- Volunteer - I was unable to do any additional volunteer work from that which I already do.

- Read 3 new to me books - I lost count of how many new books I read but it was at least 3.

- Continue to Stay on top of my class work - This was a success! I did well in all of my classes and truly enjoyed them.  

December Goals
- Read 3 new books
- Apply for 5 jobs
- Network 

I am very excited to get to work on these goals and to start setting my goals for January. They should be good! 

xoxo
Happy Travels!
-B

Missing?

I would like to apologize to the masses for my disappearing act since Thanksgiving. My computer suffered an unfortunate demise one fateful afternoon and was unable to recover. Thankfully this was at the end of the term so most of my classes were wrapping up and all but one major project had already been turned in. Thank goodness!! So since the beginning of December I have been computer-less and as many know the app for Blogger on Android isn't worth the pain.

Today was a joyous day!!! I got my new laptop via FedEx and Costco. Let me tell you it is more well traveled than I am. Following its progress across the Pacific Ocean to the East Coast and back to the West Coast was an exciting endeavor. With that being said I had a lot of time to contemplate what will be upcoming on the blog and I have a couple of posts that I am exited to start writing and some new ideas that I can't wait to put into play. 

Any suggestions on making the switch to Windows 8? What is your favorite thing about Windows 8? 

xoxo

-B 

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Turkey Day!!! How much are you going to be eating?

This year I am thankful to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family. As some of you know this is my first Thanksgiving home in 2 years. Needless to say I am very excited to spend it with my family eating all sorts of yummy food, watching movies, football, and parades. 

I am also very thankful that the weather has been nice enough for me to continue training outside the last few weeks and it looks like it is going to continue to be nice out for the next few weeks. 

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving no matter what their level of plans are. 

Happy Travels!
-B

Running = Blisters

Total: 46 miles!!!

Saturday: 11 m

Sunday: Cross-training

Monday: Rest

Tuesday:Sick

Wednesday: Sick

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 3 m

Saturday: 8 m

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 11 m

Tuesday: 5 m

Wednesday: 8 m

Wow it's been a long week! There were moments I thought I would die.. and I've got a couple of blisters to prove that fact. However, I made it through!! I even managed to follow my training plan for two whole weeks (minus my two sick days). This is what I am most proud of. Also the fact that I went 46 miles!! I still cannot believe that. I must have recounted my mileage about 6 or 7 times to make sure I got it correct. Most of it might have been walking or a job but I do not care. All I care is that I made it in one piece and that it is preparing me for the Dopey Challenge in January. Mini-motivators seem to be what works for me. I'm so glad I found my groove.  

By the way blisters seem to be my problem no matter what I do. I've gotten the double socks that guarantee no blisters, I've worn bandaids, and I've used gel and glidesticks. I'm at a loss of what to do about them. Any pointers?

Happy Travels!

-B

How do you handle blisters? Or exercise caused stiffness? 

Interesting Read: The Wilder Life

A few weeks back while I was browsing my libraries selection of books available for Kindle I stumbled across The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie. It follows the author, Wendy McClure's quest to learn all she can about her favorite childhood book series, the Little House books. These books were a standard read growing up in America and portrayed the life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family. Somehow I missed reading these books growing up and did not get the chance to read them until I was a little bit older than the standard reader, being about 14. I feel that because of my age they did not appeal to me as much as they would have had I been a bit younger. None the less, McClure's book appealed to me because it looked at her love of a childhood classic and what made her enjoy it, then and now.

McClure's quest leads her to try some interesting things, such as butter churning in her Chicago apartment and making bread from scratch (including making her own starter). It also led her to compare the actual life of Laura vs the Laura of the books and to understand why there are differences. To me this was one of the most interesting parts. I knew that the books were based on Laura's life but I did not realize how far they really strayed from what happened. 

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In this book it was interesting to follow the journey of a grown women reconnect with her childhood passion and still remain in love with it. A lot of her experiences reminded me of visiting Prince Edward Island and seeing the places that Anne of Green Gables was written about and where L.M. Montgomery lived. It is a surreal experience and it can be hard to rectify what you have always thought about a place and people with the actual place and the actual history. This is was the appeal of the book that kept me reading. I wanted to know how McClure felt about the book series and its author at the very end. How does she feel after spending the better part of a year traveling to different places to see the real location of the Little House on the Prairie, in the Big Woods, the Little Town on the Prairie, and many other locations that Laura lived. 

Over all I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a trip down memory lane and to learn a little about what it means to love something as a child and to love it (in a different way) as an adult. 

Happy Travels!

-B

What was your favorite childhood book? Do you still feel the same way about it?

Real Life: Disappointment

Disappointment: the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfillment of one's hopes or expectations.

Life is full of disappointment and I thought I realized that but after the last few days I do not think it had fully been ingrained in my mind. As many of you know I am in the job hunting mode of my life. This means interviews, endless applications, and ... very few call backs. 

Honestly it is the very few call backs that really get to me. I have always been taught that it is rude to ignore people and the fact that many companies do not even send a "Thank You But You're No Longer In Consideration" email boggles my mind. In the last 8 months I would say that I have applied for about 50 different positions. Of those I have gotten 4 "Thank you for applying but we think someone else is better" emails. 4 out of 50!!! That is 8% of the places that I have applied who have cared enough to let their applicants know that they are no longer interested in them. One of these was from Disney and let me tell you that email hurt the most. I had applied for a position at the beginning of September on a whim not thinking I would get it, because of how competitive a position it is, but I applied anyways. I got the email a few days ago right after I had gotten home from my part-time job. The longer it had been the more excited I got that maybe this was going to happen. Alas, it was not meant to be. This is something I am becoming a little bit too used to. However, I am keeping my chin up and trying to see a positive side. (Like all the running I get to do. Especially at the park.)

A Morning Run Can Be Fun

I've been dealing with this disappointment and frustration mostly by running and doing puzzles. I've run more in the last week than I have in the last month. I've also done more puzzles in the last week than I have in the last three months. It is best to focus your frustration on things that you can control.. like running or puzzles. (I am very original. Can't you tell?)

 

Disappointment is a part of life. The sooner we realize the sooner we can start living it to the fullest. Live life like there is no tomorrow. Carpe Diem. And all that jazz. 

 

As always, Happy Travels!

-B

“If I am to meet with a disappointment, the sooner I know it, the more of life I shall have to wear it off.”

― Thomas Jefferson

Ouch! or The Post Where I Start My Training

Total: 16 miles
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: Rest (thank goodness)

I have stuck to my training plan for the Dopey Challenge for three whole days!!!! I am so freaking excited I cannot contain myself! (I am completely serious. I mean I have told strangers at work that I ran 8 miles.) It might not seem like a lot to some people but to me this is a big deal. I am not very efficient at following plans like this unless someone is making me or I have mini motivators. Well... I have both. My mom is holding me accountable for my training plan and believe me she means business. Hi mom! I do not hear the end of it when I miss a run and have been getting a lot of flack for not following it for the last month or so. I finally grew tired of it and decided I should probably follow my plan. It has been a little rough but over all I feel great about it. Though, I might be a little sore (note a lot).

Want to see what I'm working towards right now? It's pretty awesome! (At least I think so.)

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This beauty is an REI Airflyte Hybrid Jacket. The body is insulated while the sleeves give room for movement. And the best part? It's on sale!!! Yes I realize that at $68 that is still expensive but compared to the original $99 it's a definite discount (but it's so comfy). And this little babe will be mine in only 2 more weeks. I can't wait!

In other news I have started Jen Lancaster's Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big; Or, Why Pie Is Not the Answer. Let me tell you it is just as good as the first two in her memoir series and I cannot wait to finish it!

How was your week? Any exciting plans for the weekend? I'm going to run 12 miles and hopefully go to a Sherlock Holmes Exhibit. 

-B