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i don't know how much longer i can keep telling people Army Guy's not my boyfriend and have them believe me.
i just got another bouquet delivered to my office.
k-state guy just caught me staring at them and smiling.
"aj's got a boyyyyfrieeeend"
"nuh-uh!! he's not my boyfriend! he's just --"
*sigh*
this really sweet guy i'm totally falling for...
DAMMIT! i wasn't supposed to fall for him.
this could spell trouble...
swiss cheese is so good its ridiculous.
omg. love the stuff. i can't stop eating it. yummy.
anyway..
so i'm trying this new thing. with food.
its my new game.
what's the game? the game is... don't eat anything with flour in it for a week.
i thought of it in the car on the way home from st. louis christmas.
i was bored. obviously.
anyway. today is day two. i've been eating lots of cheese, deli meat, fruit and veggies.
i really need to invest in a life. i'm entirely too entertained by this.
so i'm working on my portfolio right now, trying desperately to convert all my files and clean up all my images and do all the things a designer must do before the ever-dreaded process of portfolio design can begin.. and i found something.
i found a most perfect something.
back in college, in Typography.... (my favorite)... we had a project to, and i forget exactly what it was, but basically to design something that conveyed an emotion or just feeling, using type as our tool.
i loathed the project. for a long time... i had nothing. i couldn't come up with anything. the teacher, a designer from a local studio who just randomly was teaching our class... he was less than helpful.
we had to come up with the verbage. we had to come up with the photo. IF we wanted to use a photo. we had to come up with the thing that we were going to design...
we had to come up with ALL OF IT.
i hated coming up with all of it.
and it took me a long, very long time to spit something out. something worth anything.
but then i found it. i found a photo. and i listened to a song, and.. it all came together for me.
it all came together as one of my best projects to date. one that truly has meaning to me and my life. one that makes me cry, even as i just write about it, and one i'm very proud of.
unfortunately, i can't share it with you. i'd love to, but...its a printed piece, bound with wire and rope and... it just doesn't translate on screen.
but what i found, what i can share... is the photo.
the best ever photo of me and my grandpa.
you can barely tell, but i'm standing in his boots!!
his big 'ole cowboy boots...
my grandpa the cowboy.
there's not a man in my life i've ever loved as much as i loved my grandpa.
God i miss him. i miss him so much...
i'm heading off to st. louis here in about an hour, but wanted to wish you all a very merry christmas.
as an early christmas present, Army Guy got a chance to call me last night... somehow timing it just after i'd received a beautiful bouqet of roses!!!
i = cloud nine.
he sent some kinda fun pics of a christmas sign he and some guys made a couple weeks ago.. so i decided to share. i hope you guys have a great holiday weekend. and when you sit down to your christmas dinners with your families and friends, take a minute to give thanks to our men and women overseas. they're where they are so we can be where we are. lets not forget that, eh?!
(yup. thats a goat.
when i asked him if they'd named him, he said, "yeah sure. his name is uh... wednesday night's dinner"....
poor goat. he has no idea....)
MERRY CHRISTMAS BLOG FAMILY!!!! have a great weekend!
so yeah... i've been bored at work. what can i say.
if you wanted some sort of raceAthlete-triathlon-IMMOO-design on a shirt/hat/yet to be decided wearable article..
which would it be? or do you have a fantastic idea for one you'd like to share?
i'm partial to something like this...
or maybe this...
but then again.. maybe that's just me!!?!
ok. nobody likes a bragger. i know. but i'm excited and am sharing the joy.
today i received an email from bloggapedia informing me that my, as well as others, blog has been chosen for a three month featured listing in our respective blog categories... for free! (apparently you can pay to have this done... interesting.)
anyway, besides it being a marketing ploy, its kind of cool, and i wanted to share...
Happy Holidays from Bloggapedia!Your blog (Little Miss Runner Pants) drives lots of friendly traffic to our directory and we'd like to spread
some holiday cheer, say thank you, and introduce our new featured link status all at once
by giving yours and a handful of other select blogs a three month featured listing in your
category for free! We've already set it up and hope you enjoy your new status as a featured
link in the Bloggapedia directory.
Feel free to spread the good news 'round the blogosphere and please have a happy and
healthy holiday season. And happy blogging!
Best wishes - The Team at Bloggapedia
what is bloggapedia? well, bascially they're a directory of blogs from around the verrrrld, with over 6000 blogs to date. there's a directory, with categories and sub-categories, tools, resources, etc etc (and no they didn't ask me to to tell you this. i'm just overly excited about being featured so i'm scratching their back whilst they scratch mine!!)
basically, its just cool. and fun. and i'm being featured so i wanted to share.
the (above) link takes you to their directory. then click sports blogs... then running, and...
lookie! thats me at the top! woot! fun stuff.
but okay. thats all. i'm done bragging now. sorry. but i was really excited, so i couldn't help it.
check back tomorrow for some IMMOO'07 stuff and everyone have a fantastic hump day!
i don't know what kind of reject swimming miscreant came up with this ridiculous idea, but placing a lob of styrofoam between my legs in hopes of making them float and not having to kick...
DOESN'T WORK.
maybe its me. i am fully aware of the fact that i might be doing something, or many things, wrong. i will go ahead and put that out there.. but..
i don't think i am.
i think its just dysfunctional in and of itself.
for those of you blessed blessed people out there that do not in fact know what i'm talking about.. (consider yourself lucky) allow me to explain.
a pull buoy.. seen here ---------> 
is this floating device that you put between your legs (i use the striped one, but mine is the shape of that big solid white one in the foreground) when you swim. the idea is, like stated above, that the buoy will keep your legs afloat so that you don't have to kick, and can instead just work on your stroke.
its a grand idea, truly.
in theory, its terrific.
the problem is...
SH*T. DON'T. WORK.
my body + this damn contraption = total choatic drowning mess.
here's the situation.
i put the pull buoy between my legs. i attempt to get into swimming position and kick off from wall, but that requires some sort of legs together-against wall-push off at same time-manuever i've as of yet not mastered, so buoy starts to slip, i hurredly try to rectify the situation, dive forward and begin to swim.
sort of like a retarded doggy paddle.
once in the water, moving forward so slowly i feel as though i'm actually going backwards, i attempt the free-style normal swimming stroke.
great. good. fantastic. everything goes according to plan for about 2, mayyyybe 3 strokes.
but then i have to breathe -- and it all goes to shit.
my right arm comes up. i turn my body to the right, turn my head, and because my legs have been trained to kick i half kick, remember i've got the pull buoy, tighten my legs to hold onto the thing and WHOOP. my ass bobbles up and down over and out of the water, i forget to finish the stroke because i'm confused by whats going on with my lower half, i start to choke because i can't breathe, i splash like a drowning rat stand up, cough, and wave off the lifeguards because...
no no. i'm fine. really. i'm doing this on purpose... its called TRAINING. don't even worry about it.
awesome.
so i collect myself, adjust the buoy, push off into a doggy paddle and begin again.
with the same result.
I HATE THE PULL BUOY.
and thats all there is to it.
i don't even wanna talk about what happens when i add hand paddles. its like a circus side show---- not. good.
all that being said, i'm enjoying the swim. last night i did roughly 15 laps (and because i don't really know swimming math i'm unsure of how far that actually is) but.. it was good.
mostly. it was mostly good.
i'm calling it a success.
this weekend i'm working on breathing left....
hopefully i don't drown.
dying your hair by yourself in a small bathroom late at night really shouldn't be all that difficult.
leave it up to me though, and...
well. you know.
things were going well for me for the most part... i read the directions, followed each guideline, poured, shook, applied my little heart out but, as i continued i realized...
there is an excessive amount of hair dye going here. this is a small bottle. i have a relatively normal amount of hair.. why is there so much dye left over?
am i supposed to use all of it?
its getting absolutely everywhere.. is this right? this can't be right...
having paused to consider this conundrum i decide, using my highly developed reasoning skills.... the more dye i use - the better!
so i emptied the thing on my head.
good. done. wait 25 minutes for it all to congeal.
can do.
i went into the living room and planted myself in front of the tv to pass the time.
roughly 15 minutes later...
uhh.. ok ow.
ow. i don't really like this.. i uh...
ok yeah that kinda... no that definitely, uh. yeah, no. thats a burning sensation. i'm definitely getting a burning, sort of not fantastic feeling on my head...
i don't think i was supposed to use all that dye.
with this sudden and rather painful realization i ran to the shower, blasted the water, and jumped in.
SON OF A B*TCH!!
purple everywhere.
i flipped. not my bathroom, not my shower... not good.
the water, connecting with my overly chemicaled hair, was getting dye everywhere.
in a state of panic for what to do next, i stepped out from under the water, took the faucet off the wall, and attempted to spray down the walls before the dye could stain.
while frantically hozing down the shower, the dye, which is no longer thick and creamy and holding my hair in place, is running down my face, down my back... all over. i'm swiping and wiping and while doing so realize the directions explicity say not to get it on your face and not to massage into your skin, so i'm thinking....
DOUBLE B*TCH
so now i'm scared my face is turning purple, i've got splattered purple spots on the walls, i'm naked (cuz i'm ya know.. in the shower. this fact seemed to slip my mind at the time. all i knew was i was naked and purple. it only contributed to my frenzy.) so i did what anyone in my position would do.
got down on all fours, turned off the shower, cranked the faucet, tucked my head under the water and prayed to GAWD my face wasn't purple.
it wurnt purty.
the rest of the shower went relatively smoothly.. considering. but it took a good 30 minutes to get my hair to rinse clear. by that time the water was cold, i was sick of rinsing off purple and i'd had enough.
i got out, dried off and made a mental note to never do that again.
oy.
but in the end.... i'm happy with the results. even if i am the only one that can see the difference!
my "before" picture. i'd just finished an hour spin session with 0% guy and the KCM crew. my hair doesn't normally look that bad.
don't judge me!
the bathroom.... before
me. during. before i realized emptying the bottle on my head
was not a good idea.
the bathroom... after. and finally....
me. after a rather long hair dyeing session.
(whew.. i'm kinda glad that's done!)
im dying my hair black tonight.
i just decided.
Ironman Wisconsin is many moons away, but planning for the event has already begun.
ever so recently... as in....today....
*ahem*
Iron Pol and i were appointed appointed ourselves executive and vice-executive-type-person... peoples.... in charge of support.
and we need your help!!
in the next few months the Pol and i will be putting together details for the weekend, including but not limited to, who plans on attending (in a racing and/or support capacity), a list of roles for the support crew (video/picture crews documenting the race, course volunteers, will-run-with-various-team-members-when-the-going-gets-tough moral supporters... you get the idea) and a smorgasbord of "meet and greet" type events and activities.
if you will be in Madison, either as a participant or support crew, please let the pol or i know via e-mail so we can compile a list of those interested in planning and can get this ball rolling.
and if you have any awesome ideas that you want to share or things you'd like for us to try and do, don't hesitate to speak up.. this is the team raceAthlete support crew, and everyone's invited!
-----------
in other VERY EXCITING news... i have just crocheted MY VERY FIRST HAT!!! this has been at least a week long work-in-progress, but, as my roommate can attest
I AM ON CLOUD NINE WITH MY AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT!!! i may or may not have run about the house yelling at top voice about my magical powers and hat making abilities.
*ahem*
anyway. after crocheting a scarf this weekend, unraveling said scarf tonight, having my mom walk me through the basic crochet-in-a-circle basics over the phone... I HAVE A HAT! MY VERY OWN HAT!
THAT I MADE! WITH MY OWN HANDS! ALL BY MYSELF!!! don't believe me?! here's the proof :)
anyway. i got excited. (no. like REALLY excited....)
so i wanted to share.
i am some kinda freakin' awesome people. i could open a hat and scarf store!!!
THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER!
i. rule.
oh, man... i love when i rule!
i dunno what my deal is today... but i can't stop singing.
or dancing.
and i'm less than talented at both.
with the new office move i'm no longer hidden behind a cubicle so my antics are out and about for all to see... my co-worker K-State guy can't stop staring. i'm pretty sure he's convinced there's something wrong with me.
i'm even sporting the white-mans overbite.
its not pretty.
i dunno. for some reason today i feel compelled to move to songs like...
Killing me softly.... Faith..... Ebony & Ivory.... Summer in the City and currently... Livin on a Prayer.
i know. my musical library rocks!!!
but hey...
WE'VE GOT EACH OTHER AND THATS A LOT!!!!!!.....
OOOOOOOOOH, LIVIN ON A PRAYER!!!
wow.
maybe there is something wrong with me?!!?
i just got excited at the sight of Divinyls, I Touch Myself in the musical line-up.
oh its gunna be a good day folks.
a good. day.
so i'm sitting at my desk, minding my own business when...
i lean over to throw a notecard away, my hand slips from the corner of my desk, i pitch forward, my chair rolls backward and i land square on my ass.
happy friday to me.
i think flatman was right. i'm in kharma-trouble.
its going to be a long weekend.