Monthly Archives: June 2014

Guess Whose Birthday Is Tomorrow?

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Chances are.. not yours right? Nope! But let me tell you a story first before we talk about this birthday.

So, I was out with Monica (friend/co-teacher) and her daughter at their summer club, Bay Terrace Country Club, in Bayside Queens today. We played some tennis, swam around in the cool water of the surprisingly mostly unpopulated pool, laid on the chairs, chatted.

As Monica and Savannah went for a second round in the pool, I sat under the umbrella reading and listening to the voices around me. Voices that are quintessentially Long Island voices. Italian. Nasally. Semi-loud. Voices that make me chuckle a little.

As I listened and read, watched people jump in the pool or walk for their frogurt, I was transported to the setting of the movie Way, Way Back that I saw last summer with my movie buddy Tina. I thought about the boy who took a job at the summer club to escape his mother’s horrible boyfriend. For some reason I could relate to him. Not because I was escaping my mother’s awful boyfriend, or even a hard-to-deal-with family member. It just made me feel like a typical American on summer vacation. You know, the family (or some of them) goes to the country club, they enjoy their time doing summertime activities day after day. Days filled pools, beaches, reading books, playing cards, bonfires, late nights outside, enjoying the perfect weather.

But alas! I am not American! I am Canadian! And although I have been enjoying American summers for several years now, these summer days are different from my summers in Alberta. Not good or bad different, just different.

Yes, I enjoyed my share of lake days with Jill, boating, playing cards, drinking, dancing, walking in the river valley, attending festivals, and so on. And today, sitting there, at the poolside of a summer club in Bayside Queens, listening to those nasally Long Island voices made me think of the celebrations that proud Canadians will be attending tomorrow. Wearing their red and white, eating poutine, drinking a double-double, a clam-eye or a Caesar or maybe Molson. And I want to be there… but I’m not… so enjoy my fellow Canadians!

It’s Canada’s birthday.

blog.tedactive.com

blog.tedactive.com

 

Becoming Bob Wiley

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We watched What About Bob? last weekend – first time in quite a while, however far from the very first time watching. Definitely a show we’ve always thought was funny because of Bob Wiley‘s crazy neurosis and ease for finagling his way into Dr. Marvin’s family.

However… while watching it again still made me laugh, I recognized some of myself in Bob Wiley… funny? Maybe, maybe not! The fact that I have identified my own neuroticisms and obsessions might give me more of an advantage over those who do not, but I’m not sure if Bob Wiley is a character with whom I wish to identify!

In light of recent events this week (which were a mishmash of related and unrelated nerve-racking incidents), I pledge to not overindulge in thoughts and situations that give me anxiety!

So here’s to days of relaxing, reading, sunning, some productive thinking, and enjoying planned and unplanned activities with friends and family. MY friends and family ahahahaha!

Cheers to summer! 🙂

 

 

 

Misting Station Ahead

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You know when you are running, and it’s one of those days when you just feel slow, you feel hot, and you’re using your sacred bits of water to splash yourself? Well, that was me today for parts of the Queens 10k.

So I was about halfway and really in need of a boost… and then… there it was.

The misting station. Ah! Yes!

It was just past the 5k point, a point where both me and the guy beside me needed some encouragement. As we approached and ran through the sprinkles, we both giggled and sighed, then kept on moving with a little more oomph.

Thank you NYRR for adding these little refreshing spray stations along the routes of the last couples of races. (This photo was the misting station at last weekend’s Oakley Mini 10k – love the joy on her face!).

#tbt 24 – Crop It

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And by crop it, I’m not talking about the picture.

Circa 1998, post Cuba

Circa summer 1998, post Cuba

WW #24

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I Call Him Gilligan

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He sits at the same table on the patio at Pescatore on 2nd Ave every afternoon (weather permitting), with his little Lenovo netbook, his plate of bread and glass of wine.

I call him Gilligan because of his hat. I’ve never seen him without the hat. And he does kind of look like Bob Denver.

I imagine he’s a writer, but I have no idea. I just like to have that romantic image of him emerging from this glorious library in his multi-level townhouse. But he prefers to sit on the patio at Pescatore with his little netbook and eat his bread and drink his wine.

Do Yourself A Favor

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Get a massage.

Treat yourself. Or better yet, go regularly if can. Just go. Right after work tomorrow or while the kids are at school. Stop in at some little shop and get rubbed out.

I can’t even tell you how much better you will feel. And if you are a regular, you know what I mean.

At the end of your hour, ask for another 10 minutes for your hands and forearms. Forget your feet. Do you know how much stress you literally hold in your hands and forearms? Personally, I think I hold more tension in those areas than my shoulders, back or hips. Not that I don’t have knots in my shoulders and back with people’s names on them, but from typing, writing, carrying bags and such every single day, it’s alarming how tight those little muscles become. That last 10 minutes can really help you release so much tension. As I type now, I feel like my hands are lighter, faster and more flexible.

Spend some time on you tomorrow. You will be a happier person, have a better day, and probably a great sleep. 🙂

It’s Official – I’m in! Times Two!

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Today is the day I knew I would qualify for the 2015 TCS NYC Marathon. Nine races and a volunteer opportunity through the NYRR since January, and I’m in. Ah!

But then life threw us a little curve ball … but a good one.

Yes I am now officially qualified for the 2015 marathon, but I’m not sure if I will be here. Brett’s new job is taking us to Singapore next year, making me unsure if will be able to make it back to NY in November, soooooo – what do with all these races I’ve been doing? Use them as training runs! That’s right – an email I got the other day made me realize I should marathon THIS year. I received an email that there were still charity spots available for 2014 so I have decided to fundraise with Fred’s Team for Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Yes I’m fundraising – which I’m horrible at, but I’m going to raise the $3,400 I said I would, even if I have to chase people down the street! – and run the 2014 marathon!

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I must be freaking crazy? Ya, I guess I am. But this is something I said I would NEVER do, just a year ago. You see how hard work and a strong mindset changes you to want to do awesome things?! If you think you will never do something because of whatever excuse you have – you are short-changing yourself. Do it! Stop making excuses and do something big, drastic, crazy and insane. You can do it!

So obviously, my campaigning starts now, with you. Please click my Fred’s Team link above or the picture below to donate to my charity on the Fred’s Team page.

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Whether we know each other or not, we all know people who have been affected by cancer. Those of us who run do it for these reasons. We want our miles to go to something big and worthwhile. So I choose cancer research.

I look forward to seeing your donations on my page. Thank you!

mskcc.convio.net Can't wait to be one of these people!

mskcc.convio.net
Can’t wait to be one of these people!

 

WW #23

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Levels of Productivity or Productiveness or Whatever You Want to Call It

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I’m not speaking of productivity on the business or work realm, that’s a whole other bag of words. Here I am speaking of personal time productivity, productiveness or whatever.

How do you measure your personal productivity time? By how many things you get done at home? How many errands you can run in one trip? How many meals you can prep for the week on a weekend? If you can get the kids/spouse to all the planned events on time? Hmmmmm, is this an effective way to measure your time and well-being?

Well, recently I’ve equated having a productive weekend with running in some sort of race event. So this weekend was the first in a while that I didn’t register for any running events since I have a double-header next weekend. I kind of felt like I would have a pretty unproductive couple of days. My mind is trained to think that unplanned time will be unproductive and that only days with schedules will be the productive ones (damn job!). And also lately, I’ve even had the nerve to feel that my own running time is not as productive unless it’s tied to a race or challenge! Egad! No bueno.

So I started searching for words related to productivity and came upon this wordle that captures what productivity looks like to me, generally. It’s a great little snapshot of important words – however most of these I tie to work.

Yes, all of these words are meaningful to me, but I am stepping back from the constant physical movement of being productive into a quest for a productive mindset.

That may mean that if I need to sleep, read, or watch TV, that’s what I need to do to get my mind into a place of contentment – my new productivity! Maybe I merely sit on a bench and watch people walk by, or simply get an iced coffee from a coffee shop I’ve never been to in order to reach the place of a mental regeneration/cleanse/contentment/renewal. I think this may one of those keys to happiness.

I don’t want to equate productivity only with physical accomplishments (as I must for 10 months of the year), but a mindset instead. This is often the mental work I need to do over summers – a repair from the grueling school year.

Oh, and I found another cute piggie picture on Animal Planet. I think that’s productive too.

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Courtesy Animal Planet