Weekend!

I'm so excited for the weekend. I don't really have much planned, other than babysitting on Sunday morning...but I do love weekends. :-)

And the weather is absolutely beautiful....gorgeously sunny and cool. I'm starting to feel better too...hopefully I'll be able to play outside tomorrow or Sunday! :-)

Touche, head cold

Wow. I have a completely newfound respect for rhinoviruses.

I don’t think I’ve had a cold this nasty since I was a little girl.

I’d been feeling fabulous…my exercise routines have been strong, I’d been feeling energetic (with absolutely NO caffeine in my system for the last two months, except a hot tea here or there), I’ve been eating perfectly, and then Tuesday night my left tonsil started feeling a little bit raw. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I had mono again (crazy sore throat), and then all day yesterday I just felt like I got hit by a truck. I made some tofu and soba noodle soup, took Airborne, neti-potted, more soup, Gatorade, orange juice, you name it. I just kind of sucked, because I have a huge midterm today, and had to spend all yesterday forcing myself to study when all I wanted to do was lie supine for endless hours.

The day wasn’t totally bad. When I did my soup run to Walgreens, I noticed they had popcorn balls (one of life’s truest most simple pleasures!!) and bought some to enjoy when my taste buds are functioning again.

But yeah, I guess it was the kind of day where popcorn balls were the highlight of my night.

Still feeling amazingly crappy today (no yoga today :-(), but only a few hours until this test is over and I can crawl into bed for 14 hours straight.

Time to push through….

Tomorrow's dawn

Bah.

Man that old adage sometimes feels a little too true....sometimes it just seems that when it rains, it pours. It just hasn't been the most fabulous week, I guess. But it could be worse.

...nothing more than a slightly challenging week thrown my way. But it can be tiring. I've learned the art of breathing my way through until the storm breaks. But sometimes it wears on me. I think I'm just a little wearied. Thanks goodness it's almost the weekend...

I haven't been able to work out the past few days (mostly because of the endo-prep/recovery). I think I'm a little bit moody because of that. I think my body is starved for endorphins. I think tomorrow morning is the perfect opportunity to change that. Maybe a "dawn run" - there is nothing quite like racing the daybreak and greeting the sunrise to start the day.

But for now, bed. Slow breathing and surrendering to sleep....

Rant...

So as I was writing my last blog, some of my clothes were stolen from the dryer (before they were even done drying!) in the laundry facility at my complex. This absolutely pisses me off. This is the *second* time I've had clothes stolen from here. Last time was my fault, because I waited too long to get my clothes, but this time they weren't even finished. It sucks, because it was all stuff I just bought this week as a treat to myself (I don't shop often) and I hadn't even gotten a chance to WEAR them yet. I'm livid.

The worst part is there's absolutely nothing I can do. I wasted money on the clothes, and I wasted $2.25 washing them so some other person can wear them. And there's nothing I can do. I'm not rich. I cannot afford this bullshit. It pisses me off that someone would have the audacity to steal someone else's clothes from a dryer, but it's even worse that this lowlife person targeted an apartment complex comprised of mostly grad students. I'm not a materialistic person, but I also know what it's like to starve. I know what it's like to have to eat scrambled eggs every damn night for dinner. To steal from someone who is well below the poverty line is absolutely trashy.

It just kills me. This totally disillusions my thoughts on the goodness of humanity. A selfish senseless act like this and no culprit - just not a good way to end my weekend.

I just hope that karma will come around and this person will not have gotten those clothes completely free of charge.

Lactic acid attack!

This morning I had my first babysitting job. It went well....I think I like doing the morning groups. I was up at 8 a.m., at work by 8:45, and done by noon with the rest of my Sunday to have all for myself. I was a little nervous....the kids were all young (under 2) and it's been a long time since I've worked with kids that little. I think the cutest part of the day was when a little guy who's walking (but not talking yet, except for a little babbling here or there) walked over to me, and with a puppy look in his eyes waved a book at me. I sat on the ground, and he professionally hopped into my lap, made himself comfortable, and waited for me to start reading to him.

Today I'm a quite sore. I really pushed myself on my run yesterday. I was antsy and couldn't sleep (surprise :-) ), so I decided to run. I actually love running in the rain - it always energizes me and awakens my inner kid. I got carried away and did a swift 3 miles along Shoal Creek. Normally 3 miles wouldn't be much for me, but I'm really *just* getting back into running again, and I think it was the pace more than the distance that's got lactic acid all up in my face today (esp my right hamstring/calf/ITB). Totally worth it though...after I got back, I took a gorgeously steamy shower, covered myself in lotion, snoozed for a quick nap under the softest of sheets. Oh and then a pumpkin bagel with pumpkin shmear from Einstein's.

Mmmm....makes me miss fall. :-)

Driven

Wow…I can’t believe I’ve been in school a month already. I survived my first major hit of tests (all within two days of each other. joy), but studied hard and did well. I’m slightly proud of myself for keeping up with my study habits. Let’s face it: I have never taken time off from school. I’ve been in school every year since I was in kindergarten, and since I started undergrad I’ve only taken one summer off. The rest of summers I loaded myself down with internships, summer classes, working in labs, working part time jobs (there was one summer where I was taking a night class and juggling three part-time jobs and one on-call job). Come to think of it, I was just as intense during the school year. I always maxed myself on credits, ran two clubs, volunteered at the SPCA and nursing homes when I could, and worked in the neuro lab. I never had weekends either: Fridays and Saturdays nights I spent waiting tables and bartending and Sunday mornings I would serve as a Eucharistic minister. I’ve talked to some of my friends from back then, and asked what I was like back then. They told me that I was “fun, but a little crazy about work.” I can see that. I remember quite keenly my senior fall semester, cramming for the GRE’s, working as a lab assistant, taking a graduate level neuropathology course and an intense neuroanatomy course, getting sick 5 times. Five separate colds between September and December of that year. That's just silly. :-)

I look back and cannot figure out how I never burnt out. After graduation, I spent the next two months recovering, and then moved to Austin and started grad school at the end of August.

Austin has changed me. I still consider myself to be focused and driven, but in a more balanced way. I’ve prioritized my life, and made more room for fun and friends and love. I’ve learned to chill. :-)

Hmm. Other news, the insomnia is still an issue. I think I’m just a night owl by nature. I know I can do it, I know I can eventually alter my clock so I’m up at 6:30 am, and in bed by 11:30, but it’s taking so long to get there. Switching to a nocturnal schedule has never been a problem for me…I can get back into that groove in about 2 days. But I’ve been trying to get on a more appropriate sleep schedule for my current class/work day, and it’s been over a month of failure. I’ve tried withholding naps, I’ve tried not looking at the clock, but I’m still wide-awake until 2 am. I’ve tried some OTC sleep aids, but they leave me feeling incredibly groggy the next day. My Mom and sister swear by Sleepytime chamomile tea. Maybe I will give that a shot this week. Any other suggestions??