Static-y Day At Costco Warrants "Looks" From Lady in Optics

I accompanied my mother to Costco yesterday because she was kind enough to accompany to my bridesmaid dress fitting. We started in the optical department, where I was looking for some new sunglasses. At one point, she handed me a pair of glasses, and we accidentally shocked each other: it was a quite a painful shock as far as static electricity goes and rather surprising for both of us. She turned to me and asked in her practiced teacher voice reserved for dealing with children (including her own) or unhelpful customer service representatives, "What is wrong with you?" She didn't intend to be so scornful, that's just how it came out after the unpleasant shock. I replied, "What is wrong with YOU, mother?" and noticed the woman at the optical center looking up from her work to observe the situation that merited such bickering. She had obviously missed the shock and seemed to disapprove our behavior based on the looks she cast over her bifocals.

My mother and I walked away laughing, but I should note it was an unusually shocking experience at Costco. As we continued to shop throughout the store, we kept shocking ourselves whenever we touched the cart or bumped into something metallic. Shoppers beware.

Not Like Riding A Bicycle

I dug out my violin yesterday and played it for the first time in three and a half years. First, it is a shame I let it go so long. I didn't play my last semester in college (because I tried learning piano), and then I didn't take it with me to Senegal. But man, it felt foreign and awkward, and I definitely couldn't play in tune. I imagine it will come back as I continue playing, but I felt like I was a new student learning to play and producing horrible squeaky violin noises.

Summer Solstice

I always mean to acknowledge the longest day of the by soaking every minute of sunlight and noting both the sunrise and sunset. But I missed the sunrise yesterday. I guess I'll have to wait until next year.

Stopping to Watch the Turtles

While running along the Charles River this morning, I noticed something that looked like a rock in the grass next to the path. Slowing down, I realized it was a snapping turtle laying eggs! I interrupted my run to watch while she deposited over 30 eggs and then attempted to cover the nest. A few people paused their workouts for a few minutes and watch as well. A man with his cell phone even took pictures, but there were several people who passed who looked like they wanted to come see but didn't want to take a break from their bike riding or running. After all this time I've spent in the woods, I finally witness a turtle laying eggs in the outskirts of Boston. Random, but it made my day.

Facing Foward Again

As of yesterday, I felt like a normal person again. Barely any soreness. And as of today, I'm officially done at Nature's Classroom. We closed up Andover last week, so I've been at another site in Massachusetts this week. I will spend the upcoming here week on the East Coast to visit friends in the Boston area before heading back to the West Coast for my first wedding of the summer. I'm planning to just sort of take the summer off and move down to Florida at the beginning of July to get myself settled and comfortable before orientation begins in mid-August. Many of you already know this, but I don't think I have posted it on my blog that I will be attending the University of Florida in Gainseville for a PhD in Zoology starting this fall.

In anticipation of re-entering academia, I purchased a new laptop about two weeks ago. I wavered between a Toshiba and a Dell but finally brand loyalty prevailed, and I ended up with a Toshiba Satellite because I had been happy with my previous one through college. Yay for wireless internet. I'm slowly re-inserting myself into the world of technology, though a cell phone and Ipod are yet to come.

Walking Down Stairs Backwards

So there is a good sore and a bad sore after hard workouts. Today is off the scale on the bad sore side. I have been doing everything I can to avoid walking and feeling pain today, but it's hard at a job like this. I hurt more than I have after my long training runs, which I ran on Saturdays so I could have Sunday to rest and relax before working on Monday. (Plus I never ran a full marathon during my training. It literally was the longest run of my life.) Without that rest day, I've been caught walking down the stairs backwards today (it hurts less), moaning as I sit down, and generally shuffling like an old person. But I ran a marathon yesterday. What can I say? It's fun just to say that, though my kids weren't impressed. Their attitude is just: whatever, she's slow, so we'll just walk way ahead, making me feel exceptionally gimpy. Whatever, I ran a marathon yesterday.

A Big Check Mark for my Lifetime Goals List

I ran a marathon today! Yes, 26.2 miles, and I can still walk (well, kind of). It was in Lake Placid, NY, a lovely little town in the Adironacks. Gorgeous scenery, good hiking, and cute little shops downtown, but unfortunately I didn't have much time to explore. After the marathon this morning, I had to shower and jump in the car to drive five hours down to Groton, Massachusetts, where I am spending my last week at Nature's Classroom.

Well, how was it you are probably wondering. Completing a full marathon was quite gratifying. After training for so long, I was definitely ready to just run it. The weather was a cold, cheerless drizzle throughout the race, but I think I would take that over the 90 degree temps they had last year during the same weekend. The first half was exciting because the half-marathon started at the same time, but the second half felt lonely with 3/4 of the people already done, and I just concentrated the distant person in front of me and trying to catch up to that person to pass them slowly one by one. My roommate ran the half-marathon, and the courses overlapped, so we got to high-five each other twice as we passed. And her fiance came, so it was fun to have a supporter in the crowd. Not a bad course, despite two out and back loops, which I thought would be boring, but I think that was designed mostly to avoid the serious hills in the area. So the course consisted of very gentle hills with only two serious hills that weren't as big as the one I had to run on everyday in Andover.

A few people knew that I had been training since late January, but I tried not to spend more time talking about training than actually doing it, so perhaps the fact that I ran a marathon is unexpected news. I ran faster than my goal, but not fast enough to make me happy, so I'll have to do another one in the future. Mostly, I'm amazed by what my body can do if I push it. I came back from Senegal thinking 4 miles was a long run, and now anything under 20 seems short! I nearly cried at the end of the race, just so many emotions after finishing and perhaps I was a bit delirous. But that's one goal crossed off my list--what a feeling!

Hexakosioihexakontahexaphobia

Yes, in case you were wondering, that is a fear of 666. (Thank you, Newsweek.) Six is imperfect, because it's shy of seven, which was the number of God. So three sixes must be purely evil. I just think it's cool to have a date with repeating numbers, so I wrote yesterday's date as much as possible. I look forward to these once yearly events in the next six years 07/07/07, 08/08/08, etc.

Purely Decadent

I've discovered soy ice cream. Peanut Butter Zig Zag of the Soy Delicious variety. After the second bite, you forget you are eating soy, it's that good. Mmm...