Warm Weather Wish List

Today was definitely a Monday. I woke up to run at 5:30 after not nearly enough sleep, and in my stupor locked the door behind me without bringing my keys with me. My legs were exhausted from the last few weeks and so my run was painfully slow. Add in the fact that I was worrying about how I was going to get back into my house without waking my roommates far earlier than they needed to be woken, and by the time I got back from my run it had already felt like a long morning. As I packed my bag for work, I realized I'd misplaced my earphones and had left my iPod in my car. So I took out my spare earphones and grabbed my iPod on my way to the metro, only to find that the cold weather had zapped my battery so i had no tunes to get me to and from work. By the time I got to work, I was really ready to go back to bed. I just had a hard time getting going today. I was moving pretty slowly until my boss yelled from his office that he needed something I was supposed to have gotten to him about an hour earlier (but I felt no sense of urgency, clearly because I hadn't checked his morning schedule to see the conference call he'd added last night...[sigh]). That woke me up pretty quickly and thankfully the rest of the day went fairly smoothly. However, it left me longing for the warmer, longer, seemingly quieter days of summer. The last couple of years I've taken to making a warm weather wish list, and I tend to make that list on rainy spring days when my pining is at its apex. This year that would be today.


In no particular order, these are the things I've had a hankering to do today.


go to a Nats game
backyard bbq
slip 'n slide
hiking
camping
Florida/Disneyworld
waterfight
attend at least one thing at Wolftrap
see Ragtime at the Kennedy Center (not really a warm weather thing, but it's on my list of things to do)
take an international trip that requires a backpack and a good sense of adventure
read books in the park
play kickball
go to a state or county fair
swing on the swingset
watch sunsets
road trips with the sunroof open
Air Force memorial concerts
jazz in the sculpture garden
relearn how to play tennis
more hiking and camping
go to the beach (preferably at home with some friends--start planning now--but I'll take anything at this point)
dance in the rain
lots and lots of bike rides
lay in a field and tell stories


With a list like that, how can you not be happy, even on a dreary spring day.


This is going to be a good summer...

Dear Spring, take 2

Dear Spring,

I've waited and waited for you to come. You tease me with warm weather then blow me down with winter wind. You bring me beautiful trees and blossoms but require that I medicate myself daily so my allergies don't kill me. I've tried to be patient. But alas, I cannot wait any longer. Therefore, I'm informing you that in 8 short days, I will be traveling here in search of my warm weather:

I can hardly wait.

Jamaica here I come.

(Take that.)

Maybe next year you will come sooner and with less wind. Or maybe not. Maybe what I'm really wishing for is San Diego spring, which I need to admit to myself will never happen out here. Ever. [sigh] I'm sorry for wishing you to be something you're not. But I'm still going to Jamaica.

Sincerely,
A dislocated Southern Californian who needs to abandon all hope of unseasonably warm weather and submit patiently to seasons. [sigh]

[sigh]

Too bad Arlington County doesn't offer this kind of service (well, minus the breaking down part).



6+ inches of snow = stuck on the treadmill tonight. 10 miles have never loomed so...but we're three weeks out so there's no messing around. Attitude is everything, right? I should have just gotten out and run in the fluffy snow at 6 a.m. like I'd planned, but that howling wind...oh the wind...and the thought of wet feet with that wind...[sigh] Treadmill it is. Pray for warmer weather.

Darn you, Jay

My cookie fast is going just fine. But this morning's gchat conversation with Jay is threatening to submarine me. He started off by asking me what my favorite kind of cookie is (it's like asking a parent which child is their favorite). I tried to answer his questions to the best of my ability and then asked him if he was trying to sabotage my cookie fast. He hadn't read yesterday's blog entry yet, so he didn't know. So he says. He claimed he was just asking the advice of the cookie expert. I'm not convinced.

So then of course that got me thinking.

I used to work at a law firm on 4th Avenue in San Diego, on Banker's Hill right between Hillcrest and Downtown. I hadn't been working there long when one day my boss handed me some cash and sent me to a place on 5th Avenue I had never heard of before--Karen Krasne's Extraordinary Desserts--with instructions to buy half a dozen of their cherry chocolate chip cookies for our office meeting (which I discovered was really an excuse to eat pastries from Karen Krasne's--best job ever).

I can still remember my intimidation at walking into such a high-end dessert shop. In fact, I don't think I had ever set foot in a shop dedicated solely to desserts, unless you count the donut place down in Ocean Beach. But this was nothing like that.

The cookies are in the upper right hand corner of this delicious dessert montage.

The link, if you want a closer look: http://www.extraordinarydesserts.com/cookies.htm

I successfully purchased the goods and made my way back to the office, unsure of how I felt about cherries in my cookies, but willing to give it a try.

The verdict? Best. Cookie. Ever. Perfect moistness, perfect ratio of cookie to chocolate, and the cherries...wow.

If you live in or are visiting San Diego, go to Karen Krasne's. You won't be sorry. Everything there is, well, extraordinary. And if you are there and want to buy me a cookie and send it to me, I won't say no. I'll break my cookie fast for Karen Krasne's.

I'm so weak.

Warm Weather and Dodgeball

This weekend made me so happy for many reasons. First and foremost, I got my "Thursday's Wish" from last week. The granting of this wish was really at the heart of my great weekend. I needed a warm day. God granted me two (going on three).

I milked Saturday for all it was worth. I had a long run in the morning then went on a long-ish bike ride in the afternoon. It was heaven. Coming back on the WO&D trail, there was a wooded area on my left and an open-ish field on my right. The sun was low in the sky, giving off my favorite kind of pre-dusk light, but still high enough to warm my back. I coasted for a moment to just...bask. I really am a solar creature. I can maybe stand another few weeks of winter having had that reprieve but I can hardly wait for real spring.

Saturday night, after my marathon day of exercise, I got to have dinner with a good friend with whom I studied abroad almost four years ago. We met up at our usual place near campus and spent three hours catching up over a disappointingly new menu (how do you take BBQ pulled pork off the menu after 4+ years, I'd like to know), discussing everything from books, to the food bank, to the economy, to foreign affairs, to love affairs, to getting beat up by life. As my friend finished telling me about her past 2 weeks, which, admittedly, were pretty hellacious, she summed it up like this:

"I feel like the last 10 days have been like one big game of dodgeball. And I'm the fat kid with asthma."

It took a moment for the image to settle in, but once it did I just laughed and laughed.

I came home exhausted but so happy. I slept well for the first time in weeks and had a great Sabbath, complete with a peaceful afternoon walk in the warm sunshine. Two glorious days of warmth. I'm grateful for wishes that come true.

Thursday's wish

Thursday's Wish:

That every workday could be like today.

Early this morning: I got to go swimming with three of my favorite people in DC. Even though a couple of them are far too chipper for that time of the morning :) I love them a lot and am grateful for their friendship.


Later this morning: I got to commute into work with Katie. We laugh a lot together, but this morning we also talked about some more sober things on our minds. I'm so grateful that I have a friend with whom I can laugh as well as talk about the weighty matters of life.


Lunchtime: Katie is working just three blocks from my office this week. We met for a last-minute impromptu lunch at ABP which proved to be the best decision of the day. We got all of our somber talk out of the way this morning. Lunch was solely for the laughs. A taste of our conversation:


J: Sometimes I have a hard time feeling like a girl. Too often I feel like I get treated like one of the boys.
K: That's ridiculous.
J: Yeah, I know. I need to get over that feeling. M told me once that I could be quite sexy when I wanted to be. I found that kind of funny.
K: That's hilarious. Did he point out anything in particular?
J: Oh no. I knew exactly what I was doing when I was doing it.
K: Then why can't you do that now?
J: Because when I was doing it then I knew he was looking.
K: And now?
J: No one is looking.
K: Ah. Sort of like if a tree falls in the woods...
J: Exactly.
K: Maybe you should invite someone into the woods.
J: I'll post an advertisement on my blog. How do you think that would go over?
K: I'm sure you'd have some takers.

This afternoon: I've kicked my workouts up a notch the last couple of weeks and as such have had a greater need for hydration. Of course, that also necessitates more frequent trips to the restroom. Three this morning, in fact. I know, overshare Julie, but it's pertinent to this story. We have automatic faucets in the restrooms but every time I have walked into the bathroom today the faucet I usually go to has not been working. In a hurry to get back to my desk, I have just shifted over one sink, washed my hands, and moved along. However, after lunch, I had to go yet again and stuck my hands under the same non-functioning sink (habits, people, habits) and in frustration finally took a moment to look down to see what the matter was. Well, remember when I had to give my input on the faucet's in the ladies' bathroom? Well yeah. I thought that issue had been resolved a long time ago but apparently not. They switched out the faucet yet again to an antique looking double-handled hand-operated faucet. I laughed outloud in the bathroom thinking about how dumb I have looked all day sticking my hands under a non-automatic faucet, waiting for water that would never come, and then moving to the next sink without even stopping to consider why there was no water flowing. I really do get a kick out of things like that.

Currently: Breaking my no-sweets-at-work rule. Mint 3 Musketeers are so much tastier than I thought they would be.

Thursday's Wish

Thursday's Wish:

That companies would quit overcharging me for their services. Honestly, how difficult is it to calculate the charge for a 10' moving truck, 7 miles driven, and a full gas tank upon arrival? I'll give you a hint: it's not double the amount quoted. I promise.

I would like someone at this company to please pick up the phone so I can get my money back.

I made a phone call on something else last week and got that all cleared up, money credited back to my credit card, easy peasy done. I have a feeling with this one it's not going to be quite that simple...Just a feeling...

Thursday's Wish

Wish #1:
That ice would melt on the trail before I wake up to run on it. Thankfully, no spills this morning, but there was plenty of unintentional ice skating going on. Treacherous! How am I supposed to train in this?!

Wish #2:
A repeat wish I made before Christmas: That my house would pack itself and magically appear at my new house, and, as a bonus, DEJUNKED. Seriously, I have lived in the DC area for 5 1/2 years and it is astounding the things I have accumulated. In some ways I am really embarrassed by all I have. I think about the humanitarian trip I'm planning for this summer and how little those people have. Looking at my boxes upon boxes of books and stationery and sewing materials and kitchen whatevers last night made me ill; not because I was thinking about moving them, but because I was disgusted with the excess and lack of simplicity my life has taken on over the last couple of years. Last night I determined that I have to go through a bunch of already-packed boxes and take out the stuff I haven't touched in a year or more. And then make do with what I have and quit accumulating. Another part of me doesn't feel bad at all, because most of the stuff I have is what it takes to run a comfortable home in the US, but in the end I think the first feelings of repulsion are going to win out.

I wrote a letter to a friend last night after I had this realization and decided to list out to her what I would take with me if I was limited to a handfull of boxes. It came down to about 20 of my favorite books (including scrips and such), running and swimming gear, some pictures, my diplomas, my computer maybe and some clothes. I don't think my iPod even made it onto the list. I looked over the list and thought, why do I own more than what is on this list?! I sat in the silence of the night and came up with a few key reasons why. The list of reasons why I guess is now my list of personal improvement goals for the year. So I guess I don't want wish #2 after all. Packing up has been really good for me. Humbling really, and it's been at least a good two days since I've had some serious humbling...

I still really want wish #1.

Thursday's wish (a day late)

Yesterday was a busy and scattered day and I didn't get around to posting. My wish yesterday was very simple: for me to magically snap my fingers and have my room packed and ready to go. My wish was not granted. I had to settle for packing while watching Abbott & Costello's The Time of Our Lives. A rather satisfactory substitute if there must be one.

I also made a wish before I blew out my birthday candles. That wish has not come true either. Yet. And probably not ever. But one can hope. There's always hope.

Thursday's wish

I want.

I'm only allowing myself to spend a very small portion of my Christmas bonus on something I want. I think I've spent it about three times over in my mind. I really have to nail it down soon, like before tomorrow, which is when I actually get the bonus, so I can stop thinking about it.

I don't want much, just a GPS running watch that tells me how far I've run at what pace and at what rate of calorie burnage...and it's such a great deal at Costco. Nevermind the other expenses that I should probably be channeling this money towards...or the fact it would look great in savings...or...or...or...

Why do I feel so tortured when it comes to spending money on myself?!

But I really want it. I swear the mile markers on the Mt. Vernon trail are wrong, and I'd like the opportunity to prove my internal running odometer/pace clock.

Did I mention you can upload the info from the watch to your computer so that you can track your training?...