Graduations, Arcata-inspired lessons and perhaps a new place to call home

Year two of grad school, check.  Now there's just a few large tests, research presentation, one year of classes/internships and a 3-month internship that starts tomorrow between me and the title "Dr".  I think this is understandibly both exciting and scary.  

Speaking of exciting/scary, my little sister graduated from Humboldt State!  I returned home post-finals to see her in the cap and gown and was reminded of many things.....

1.  Graduations are boring, even when you love the person who's doing the walking

2.  The sun always manages to come out in Arcata, just when you're thinking the fog is the reason you could never return to live there 

3.  Sunscreen is really something I should start taking seriously

4.  Playing dress-up out of other people's closets is always fun

5.  I am the bitchiest of us Athings

6.  Playing beer-pong is doubly entertaining when the opponents are your parents and when they are playing with an entire bottle of wine split between glasses

7.  I need to own a hottub when I'm rich or thereabouts

8.  Homemade sushi is my favorite meal

9.  Stand-up comedy is hilarious, and especially funny to hear retold while hiking 

10.  It's never too early to start scrubbing mold off your bathroom ceiling....unless your older sister is a sucker/at a loss for what to get the graduate who only needs things that cost on the order of $100+

11.  If you think dancing on stage while unbuttoning your jeans and hiking your shirt up so that your bra and panties are showing is a good idea, you're probably 1.  at Sidelines 2.  ready to stop drinking    

12.  I love running in the forest, but the trails I ran in highschool aren't quite as hardcore as I thought they were (which is not to say that running them hungover is easy)

13.  I like being in a town where organic is the norm and soymilk is automatically out at all coffee shops 

14.  Despite the fact that I grew up in Humboldt, while laying out in the sun at the river I am proud to report that I did NOT know that the question "do you burn?" means do I want to smoke pot (I'm sure I would have gotten there eventually, but my first thought was definitely more along the sunburn line).... Although I was told by one of those that DOES, that this was funny, since he'd only been here (Humboldt) 3.5 years and knew that, I am proud to report I did not lash back that it was the precise fact that so many that move up to Arcata feel the need to become addicted to pot, grow dreadlocks, stop showering, and wear huge hemp necklaces that made me want to leave

15.  Dirty Hippie stereotypes aside, I still really enjoyed the feeble protest attempts of a man standing on the day of graduation--on which I believe I saw more cars/traffic in Arcata than I have in all my years--with a "stop driving pollution death machines" sign 

16.  It only takes one night of reality TV to make me hooked (and I agree with my mom that Adam should have won American Idol hands down)

17.  A strength and conditioning class that involves basically squatting with weights for an hour followed by a 10-hour car ride is a recipe for soreness when combined with a person who only exercises by running, and an 18 mile run the morning following aforementioned workout makes eccentric contraction of every leg muscle just about impossible.  Note the usage of the term "eccentric"; you're impressed by my usage of semicolons and PT jargon I know.  

18.  Corvallis isn't a shithole after all

19.  Having a 7yr old girl tell you about their rock-climbing induced "front-wedgie" is priceless

20.  I need to live closer to my sister

Well, that's a nice round random top-20 list, so I'll stop.  I should mention that on the way down I dropped Gomez off with Erin and Matt, but have now adopted Zeus/Z, or Zeke as I like to call him.  I am officially a cat-lady I think.  This one will be with me all summer while his owner, a guy in my program, is in San Diego for his internship.  He has six toes on his front paws. In other words he's a bit creepy....

Also, I returned home late friday (the song I chose to sing on repeat for this drive was "Little Black Sandals" by Sia, fyi)  only to leave for Bellingham on Saturday for Ski to Sea, a race that involves teams that x-contry ski, snowboard, run, canoe, kayak, road and mountain bike in an all-day race.  Controversy surrounds the official placing of team Hustle, for which I was there supporting, but one thing is for sure, with a bit of training a legitimate 2nd place finish in the Recreational division is definitely possible, especially if the all-star team Kaite and I put together turns out (Victoria, Taryn, Lindsey, Laurie, Julia if you are reading this start mentally preparing for a new reason to fly back to the Tacoma area next year).  Bellingham was uncharacteristically beautiful this weekend I am told, but even so, it may just be the big city version of Arcata I've been hoping to find.....

     

   

Flip-Cup Master

It's official, I did NOT have swine flu.  I finally heard back from the lady I nanny for, and although she was in the hospital until Thursday last week, and will be taking this coming week off work due to the illness, there was no mention of her being the only confirmed case of swine flu in Pierce county.  This is a bit of a let down, since I was starting to honestly believe that I had conquered the notorious disease.  My claim to fame lies elsewhere I guess.  

As proof of no swine flu/recovery I was able to keep up with the TNTers yesterday during a 17 mile run, which went even better than I could have expected.  We ran out in Orting, which was sunny and green, with cows, emus and multiple river crossings (on bridges mind you).  8:35 miles--and that even included stops for water, gu, and a few chats with mentees!  I finally feel like all the time I put in on the streets is translating.  I'm used to being a mediocre athlete, but if I could keep that pace up for a marathon I'd qualify for Boston!  Not gonna lie, it's a goal.  As I was stretching post-run, I realized my right arm/back was more painful than anything.....as I racked my brain to figure out why running would cause such soreness, it dawned on me that I'd played Wii bowling the day before. One game, but I swear I am the most spastic virtual bowler, and as a result it gets me every time!  

To prevent running-induced soreness, and because I have been known to develop temporary fevers post-long runs, I followed my coach's advice and took an ice-bath when I got home. Yikes!  Even while eating soup and distracting myself with an episode of Prisonbreak it was still quite painful.  I think I may prefer tight muscles, but it did feel hardcore....

In other news, I made it up to Seattle yesterday for combination early evening Dylan's b-day BBQ and a later-night "Toto we're not in SpoKansas anymore" (aka Spokane/Wizard of Oz) themed TNT fundraising BBQ my friend Andrew was hosting.  I was hesitant going into the evening, mainly because Andrew is the only one I knew, but it was quite refreshing to hang out with a new crowd.  As was the fact that Andrew has a new girlfriend, which means I didnt have to deal with the usual set of unsolicited advances.  The night was great for social-skill maintenance, aka the "seeing as how I have to drive home and cant rely solely on getting wasted to become integrated into this scene, how many friends can I make this evening?" game.  Quite a few, as it turns out.  Thanks to the magical game of flip-cup, I soon had many friends, became officially in charge of flip-cup recruitment/refereeing (even though I was probably the worst player there....),  encouraged two people to do keg stands, helped hold the legs of those two individuals during said keg stands--which I learned is much more difficult than it looks, initiated the usage of a funnel that had previously been part of a tin-man's hat costume as a giant keg cup, and made three new facebook friends--one of which I had previously met and be-friended on facebook per his request, but upon seeing me he confessed that he had recently downsized his facebook page to include only his 200+ true friends, of which I apparently was not.  The nerve.  I'm pleased to report that as of today our friendship is officially back on.  Thank goodness.  

Finals tomorrow, and the fact that midnight is quickly advancing means it is time for this post to end, but before it does I would like to point out that I left every window in my car rolled down a bit (there was a campfire last night and I dont think the clothes I was wearing or my car will ever be the same) and it is raining and I am choosing laziness over responsibility and not doing anything about it. Poor Honda.  

On the Plus Side

I am on day #2 of no fever, which means I am writing from the Mandolin instead of wasting away in bed, a much appreciated change of scenery obviously.  I must admit I am pretty pleased with the tenacity of the flu I had, I mean go big or go home is definitely my motto with being sick (hence the liking of fevers in general), and a fever that lasts for five days definitely fits this description.  Really turned the whole "to run or not to run" dilemma on its head (aka "to go to urgent care, or not to go to urgent care").  Ultimately, my bank account and all those reading this will be happy to know that my ferocious immune system didnt need help from the white coats to heal itself.  On a not too distant sidenote, however, Julia's mom is currently in the hospital with the flu and pneumonia.  According to her boyfriend, they have not ruled out swine flu in her case, so she is quarantined and there are huge warning signs surrounding her room.  Turns out it is most likely her that got me sick, not her daughter.  Which is a plus seeing as how I am quite a fan of the kid her genetic material helped produced, but not such a huge fan of her in general.  Not that that means I'd wish for her to be the first in WA diagnosed with swine flu, mind you.  

On the plus side of all this sickiness, I felt well enough to walk from my apt down to the waterfront yesterday morning to see the marathoners run by.  The Tacoma Marathon can be pretty lonely, so I was happy to be at least one token of inspiration, although watching was more of a selfish act than anything.  Nothing like seeing all those people out there, running with terrible form, obvious limps and the weirdest combination of outfits/survival suits/gel-carrying fanny packs to remind me why I love the sport.  Plus, I think running may be one of the only sports where the participants, not all, but a fair amount, actually take the time to say "thanks for coming out".  At first I was just cheering, but I soon learned that the "good job, looking good" cheer in combination with the hearty clap has an about 90% return rate on some form of acknowledgment of gratitude, so it soon became a constant clapping/shouting affair.  Amounted to more strenuous activity than I'd had combined since Tuesday I believe.  

Another plus to this version of TCM participation was the sighting of my potential future husband.  About six or seven runners into the full marathon there he was, tall, tan, perfectly fit and obviously, kicking butt.  Somehow I didnt see his face, but from the back he was perfect, as was the fact that he had friends that had ridden bikes and were shouting to put my clap/cheer combo to shame from way up on the hill looking over Ruston Way.  That's how I learned his name was Weston, and when he shouted something back to them all enthusiastically, that is when I decided that clearly his personality probably went along with his good looks.  I then called Katie, waking her up even though I knew she wasnt there with me due to the early hour of the event, to inform her we would be needing to watch the race from an additional location in order to see this man again.  Like a champ, a true friend, and anyone who is atypically inspired by endurance sporting events, she was on board.  We watched from the finish line, because by the time I finished cheering on one of my team in training coaches in the half marathon, Speedy McHandsome was approaching the finish.  I wasn't as impressed by him from the front, but one could argue that anyone at the end of a 26 mile race that looks super hot probably was more concerned with their appearance throughout the race than the sport, which therefore makes said hotness unimportant.  All I know is he crossed the line in the top 10, and he's 29 and from Lakewood.  So even though we're probably soulmates, that's the end of that.  

Plus number three of the watching and not participating was getting to see the kids marathon cross the finish.  Beyond adorable.  My favorite was the most obese of kids of course.  There are some fat kids that just gross me out, but others are just fucking cute, and he was.  Rotund belly stretching the front of his shirt, mouth open gasping for air, narrowly missing the giant orange cones that divided the finish line into two lanes as he attempted to go around two half marathoners that were walking through the chute at the same time....Favorite.  

The final plus is that I've decided that I will be entering more, not less, running events in the next year.  Yesterday they made an announcement about there being a 79yr old on the course who was running his 445th marathon.  While I dont KNOW know, I saw this man, instinctively I know he was one of the early starters that was literally running in the "im a little teapot" position and who told me, as he ran past and I cheered, "oh, I'm not wearing my glasses, I thought you were a pole".  Another favorite, and definitely a new hero.  

If I'm gonna get anywhere close to 445 runs into this lifetime, I've got to step it up.  And now I'm off to CHWS for the final check-up, to make sure I can do just that.