5 Things...

Today I have gone back to my list-making ways. Here goes:

5 Things in My Purse:

1.       Crystal Light packets

2.       Ibuprofen

3.       Aveda Lip Tint

4.       A check I’ve been meaning to deposit

5.       A mini-brush

5 TV Shows I Watch:

1.       Coal

2.       Parks & Rec

3.       The Office

4.       The Bachelorette

5.       16 & Pregnant

5 Places I Would Like to Visit:

1.       Sydney, Australia

2.       Rome, Italy

3.       Cancun

4.       New Zealand

5.       Belize

5 Things I Use Nearly Everyday:

1.       Hair dryer

2.       DVR

3.       Toaster

4.       Magic Bullet

5.       Running shoes

5 Things I Have Been Meaning to do But Haven’t Done:

1.       Make a dentist’s appointment (long overdue)

2.       Make a doctor’s appointment for cyst on hand

3.       Pull weeds

4.       Register for a few races

5.       Find a way to buy Crystal Light packets at lower prices

5 Things I Have Done in the Last Few Days:

1.       Ordered a larger battery for my laptop

2.       Scoped out free online training plans for half marathons

3.       Bought a white denim skirt on sale at OldNavy.com

4.       Took Murphy running out on the trails

5.       Cleaned out the filter on my vacuum

5 Things I Will Do in the Next Few Days:

1.       Advise incoming freshmen at orientation

2.       Meet with colleagues about a research project

3.       Run

4.       Receive the next Netflix DVD on our list

5.       Grade papers

5 Things I Am Grateful For (this excludes people):

1.       New washer

2.       Flat screen TV

3.       Summer weather

4.       New lawn mower

5.       Windtunnel vacuum

5 Things I Don’t Like:

1.       Malted milk balls

2.       Romance novels

3.       Fleas

4.       NASCAR

5.       Golf

5 Sports I Enjoy:

1.       Basketball (college, not pro)

2.       Gymnastics

3.       Track and field

4.       Swimming

5.       Triathlon

5 Schools I Have Attended:

1.       Muscatine High School

2.       University of Northern Iowa

3.       Mulberry Elementary

4.       West Middle School

5.       Iowa State University

5 Places I Have Worked:

1.       University of Northern Iowa

2.       Ankeny YMCA

3.       Metro Health and Fitness

4.       Hon Furniture

5.       Hy-Vee

5 Things I Consume Almost Everyday:

1.       Waffles

2.       Peanut butter

3.       Crystal Light

4.       Soda

5.       Smoothie

5 Things I Love to Eat:

1.       Tuna steak

2.       Red Vines licorice

3.       Ice cream

4.       Cupcakes

5.       Cheesecake

5 Vehicles I Have Owned:

1.       Ford Escort

2.       Toyota Tacoma

3.       Mazda 5

4.       Chevy Lumina

5.       Honda Civic

5 Things I Can Make:

1.       Bean soup

2.       Pasta bake

3.       Garlic-cheese biscuits

4.       Cornbread muffins

5.       Apple butter

5 Favorite Diet Sodas:

1.       Diet 7-Up

2.       Diet A & W Cream Soda

3.       Coke Zero Cherry

4.       Diet Barq’s Root Beer

5.       Diet Mountain Dew

Bloggers

This morning I had some free time and decided to do some online blog exploring. There are so many blogs out there. They are as unique as people are. Some are funny. Some are sad. Some are stupid. Some are entertaining, and some are boring. Some are all of the above.

There are people out there who make a living from writing their blog. I cannot imagine this is easy to do, so I really admire people who can make this work. Apparently, "blogger" is a career title. There are people who classify themselves as "food bloggers," "health bloggers," "news bloggers," etc. I see myself as a college professor who happens to blog. Blogging is certainly not something I would identify myself by--although recently it is something I do on a daily basis and one of my main (and only) hobbies otuside of running.

One thing I have noticed is that some of the most popular blogs tend to rely less on text and more on photos. Obviously, photos, graphics, etc. make things more visually appealing. I don't usually post too many pictures on here. I know that's one thing I could work on to make my blog a little more interesting. Of course, when I do post pictures, they tend to be pictures of my pets. There are only so many cat and dog photos one can post.

I put together a list of some of the interesting blogs I came across. You'll see that they represent some of my areas of interest: food, running, health and diseases, Alzheimer's, gerontology, and budget living.

http://www.americancupcakeinlondon.com/ Food blog with lots of photos


http://alsboy.com/ Chronicles of a guy dealing with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)

http://agingparents.com/blog/ This is related to my field of study (gerontology)

http://www.keeprunningirl.com/ A fun blog about a woman who is a runner

http://runtrails.blogspot.com/ Blog of a hard core trail runner

http://alzheimersdad.blogspot.com/ A woman’s experiences after her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

http://www.creatingmemories.blogspot.com/ Blog of a women affected by early Alzheimer’s

http://dogblog.dogster.com// Quirky blog related to dogs

http://www.suddenlyfrugal.com/ Ways to save money

http://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com// Sort of self-explanatory

http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/ A blog about traveling on the cheap

http://mamamarathoner.com/ Another running blog by a woman

http://amerrylife.com/ A blog about a woman trying to start on a path to a healthier lifestyle

Big Love

Bill and I are catching up on one of our favorite TV series: Big Love. Big Love is an HBO series which ended recently after the 5th season. However, we are currently watching the 4th season on Netflix. We watched one episode yesterday and two tonight. There are three to four episodes on each DVD.

It's a well-done series, which is pretty typical for HBO. (My all time favorite was probably Six Feet Under, which centered on a family's business that just happened to be small funeral home.) Big Love focuses on a family practicing polygamy in Utah. It's a fictional version of Sister Wives, the current TLC series which follows the lives of a real polygymist family and has been somewhat controversial.

I think it's interesting that as a society we seem to find polygamy fascinating. I have to admit that it does interest me. Most people in America think polygamy is wrong, unethical, immoral, etc. However, when I watch Sister Wives, I realize that in some odd way the family is not that different from my own. Obviously, there are four wives and one husband. In that way, we are different.

Yet, the struggles they have and the issues that they face are things that I relate to. It reminds me that people who seem very different from me on the surface still have things in common with me. I think this lesson is an important one when it comes to understanding and showing empathy for others. This may be particularly important for me because I tend to error on the side of being judgmental. It's good for me to remember that everyone is similar to me in some way. I just have to figure out how they are similar to me.

In other news...I am looking forward to a weekend with some time to work on a research article that is in process and do some running. And, of course, spend some quality time with my husband and the dogs.

What I Did Today

I usually play Scrabble online with my dad in the evening. Not every night, but maybe five nights a week. One of the questions my dad often asks me while we play is, “What did you do today?” My typical answer is “Not much,” or “Nothing.” Bill often asks the same question and gets a similar answer.

So this evening I decided to sit down and make a list of what I did today. The funny thing is that I didn’t really think I did anything today, but I came up with 49 things. I just think most of them are not interesting enough to share when people ask what I did today.There are three possible exceptions on the list. You can decide which three.

What I did today:

1.       Made a smoothie.

2.       Taught step aerobics.

3.       Gave a presentation with a colleague at freshmen orientation on campus.

4.       Talked to my dad on the phone.

5.       Watched a little of the Casey Anthony trial.

6.       Made a grilled cheese on the George Foreman grill.

7.       Ordered stamps online.

8.       Ate a Gala apple.

9.       Closed the windows and turned on the air conditioning.

10.   Chatted with a colleague from the math department about how people adjust to retirement.

11.   Put blondish highlights in my hair.

12.   Wore a pair of jeans for the first time.

13.   Remembered, at the very last minute, to blow out a candle before leaving the house.

14.   Received a text message from my Uncle Neil, whose house burnt to the ground yesterday.

15.   Watched part of the episode of Sex and the City where Miranda meets Steve for the first time.

16.   Talked to my mom on the phone.

17.   Wore a white sweater with a tiny, subtle stain and hoped no one noticed.

18.   Admired the flowers that my dad sent me yesterday.

19.   Ate generic Special K red berries (aka Strawberry Awake) cereal.

20.   Checked the TV listings and realized there was nothing on tonight.

21.   Spent about 10-15 minutes on Facebook.

22.   Paid $1.15 at McDonald’s for a vanilla cone.

23.   Signed up for our credit card company’s quarterly rebate program via text message.

24.   Reviewed a health insurance statement I received in the mail.

25.   Watched about half of an ancient episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

26.   Found a $20 bill on the sidewalk on campus.

27.   Ate pretzels.

28.   Got invited to a party.

29.   Refilled the pets’ water.

30.   Learned that my mom has a broken foot.

31.   Got a summary of my medical experiences in at Mayo Clinic in the mail.

32.   Felt sorry for myself because I didn’t have time to take a nap.

33.   Parked in metered parking on campus, let the meter expire, and got away with it.

34.   Put away clean dishes.

35.   Loaded dirty dishes.

36.   Thought about mowing the grass but didn’t actually do it.

37.   Fed the dogs.

38.   Considered whether or not the glitter nail polish I am wearing makes me look too juvenile.

39.   Discussed the Casey Anthony trial and joked about Zanny the Nanny with my husband.

40.   Considered calling the doctor to make an appointment about this strange cyst-type thing that has surfaced on the back of my hand (but put it off).

41.   Answered emails from students.

42.   Experienced a ringing sensation in my ears.

43.   Used a new black eyeliner that I bought for 99 cents last night at Walgreens.

44.   Accidentally wrote on my dog with a blue marker.

45.   Graded about 4-5 student papers.

46.   Noticed how bad my English Mastiff’s breath really is.

47.   Scoped out half marathon training plans online.

48.   Did laundry but didn’t put it away (yet).

49.   Ate the last of the pretzels that Bill bought at Dollar Tree as a snack for a class he is teaching.

Uncles

I heard just a bit ago that my Uncle Neil's house burned down today in a fire. He is fine, and his dog (Cloudy) is fine, but he has lost everything. He will live with his sister for now. I am waiting to hear more details. Not a good day for him.

My dad has three brothers and my mom has two brothers. So I have a total of five uncles. Growing up, I perceived Neil to be my "coolest" uncle. He was cool for two reasons. First, he is deaf. In school, we learned sign language, and I was a pretty neat kid because I had a deaf uncle who actually used sign language. Second, he is extremely tall. About 6 foot 8 or so. No one else had an uncle this tall. This made me really special.

When talking about how cool I always thought my Uncle Neil was, I should add that I was terrified of two of my five uncles for reasons I cannot explain while I was growing up. I honestly cannot articulate why they were so frightening.

Bill just got home from teaching his course and has brought some terrific left-over snacks (frosted animal crackers, licorice, pretzels!). I am pretty excited about this.

Tips for Motivation

Happy Tuesday!

For runners or anyone looking for a kick in the pants to get motivated to work out, Runner's World has this list to help you get going:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--11733-1-1X2X3-4,00.html

It doesn't list my favorite trick--caffeine! My other trick is to buy something new (a pair of running shoes, a running top, etc.). I don't know if this is the most budget-friendly tip, but I really feel guilty not running and letting my new gear just sit around unused. I also feel motivated after I register for a race. This is mostly because I know that if I don't go running I will make a fool of myself on race day. I guess fear is a good motivator.

Well, that's all for today. I am off in a little while to meet with some students about how to get into grad school!

Online Training Plans?

I am about 90% sure I am going to run the Des Moines IMT Half Marathon in October. As for the other 10%, there is a 5% chance I will do the full marathon and about a 5% chance I won't do anything at all. I'm kicking it around for a few days before committing.

When I've trained for half marathons in the past, I used a free tool on Runnersworld.com to generate a free training plan. It would generate how many miles per day I should be running along with the ideal pace for me to train. It also allowed me to choose training plans that were easy, hard, or very hard. I found their site to be very useful and it helped me get ready for several half marathons over the last 5-6 years. The last time I went to this website, I realized that they were charging for these training plans. I am unwilling to pay.

I would like to find a similar online tool to create an individualized training plan. Can anyone suggest the best ones? I want something where I put in my previous race times and set a time goal rather than just a standard sheet that I print out without putting in any information about myself. Which sites have you used in the past? Which do you prefer? What features do you like and not like? Fill me in.

I am ready to stop just running and start training. I need a goal. If anyone wants to talk me into pursuing the full marathon, here's your chance. I may be persuaded. I've done plenty of half marathons in the past. I would guess about 10 to 15. I've walked a marathon but never run one. (I would like to argue that speed walking a marathon might be harder than running one, but that's an argument for another day.) Maybe it's time for a new challenge. Maybe I should order some new running shoes.

Have a great week and get out for a walk, run, bike ride, or whatever it is that you!

Coal Miner vs. College Professor

Tonight Bill and I watched Coal on Spike TV. It's a reality show about coal miners that we've been following. I have always known that coal mining was tough, but the show really brings home that point. When I have a bad day at work, I can still thank God I am not a coal miner. Of course, the trapped Chilean miners a while back probably also contributed to my perspective.

In addition to being incredibly dangerous and hard on the body, coal mining is stressful. If you don't bring in enough coal, you are in trouble. It's all about quantities--not effort. It doesn't matter if your equipment goes down. You still have to find a way to bring in your quota. Sometimes I get nervous for these guys just watching.

As I watched tonight, I kept thinking about how glad I was that my job is not that stressful. Then I wondered what these guys would think if they watched a reality show about my job--being a college professor. I wondered if they'd think I was lucky I didn't have to go underground and risk my life every day to make a living. I wondered if they'd think I was spoiled because I don't punch a time clock and can often take off early on a Friday. Or maybe they'd be glad that they didn't have to work at home on weekends, as I often to do finish grading papers or edit a research article. I would guess coal miners generally can't take work home.

But then I wondered if they would think that lecturing to over 100 students, presenting my research at conferences, and giving the welcome speech at orientation were stressful tasks. Coal mining seems stressful to me, but maybe certain parts of my job would seem stressful to other people.

Of course, public speaking (which I do quite a bit of) isn't a life or death situation. However, I often read that more people fear public speaking than death. In general, I like public speaking. I don't find it nerve-wracking. (I do find other aspects of communication nerve-wracking, such as ordering a pizza by phone, but I'll explain this another day.) As a high school and college student in speech classes, I never expected speaking to crowds to be such as large part of what I do. Somewhere along the line, I became comfortable with it. This makes me wonder if coal miners somewhere along the line become comfortable with risking life and death in the mine on a daily basis.

The educational opportunities I have been given (along with some hard work, of course) allow me in many ways to have an "easy" job. I see my job as easier than jobs that require little education, such as coal mining, detasseling (if you don't know what this is, you have never lived in Iowa), and even waitressing.

I will make my case. There is a temperature problem in the building where my office and classrooms are. My office has occasionally been over 80 degrees in the summer. I came home from teaching in a very warm classroom this spring and told my husband that it was just "unreasonable" and "I didn't know how I could be expected to effectively teach in such conditions." I've also complained that I have to keep a sweater in my office for days when it's ridiculously cold. What would the coal miners say if they heard me complain about this? If they were to call me spoiled and unappreciative, they would have a point.

I am a college professor who is glad she is not a coal miner. It seems obvious to me that my job is more desirable than working in the mines. However, are coal miners glad they are not college professors? Or do they envy me and agree that being a college professor is more appealing than being a coal miner?

I'd like to think that there are no good or bad jobs, just jobs that are and aren't good fits for individuals, but I'm not sure that's the case. There are some jobs in this world that I just can't imagine are a good fit for anyone. I think coal miner might be one of these jobs just due to the danger involved. I can't say that I think being a prostitute is a good fit for any person.

In sum, the good news is that I think my job is superior in many ways to other jobs. I say this not because I'm smug and see myself as better than others. I think I have a great job, and I hope that others think the same about their own jobs rather than about my job. If you are a retail clerk and think that's the best job in the world, that's ideal.

The next time you hear me complain about my job, which will probably be within the next 72 hours, please remind me that I am not a coal miner and refer me to this blog.

Gus-Gus the Very Clean Little Dog

When we lived in Kansas City, we adopted a terrier mix named Gus-Gus. He is a mutt in the truest sense of the word. He could have been named Skeeter, or Squirt, or Scrappy. He had been living with Bill’s sister and her family, and it wasn’t working out. We didn’t want to see him go to a shelter, so to Kansas City he came. At the time, we were living in an apartment. He took him in when he was about 4 months old. He weighed 9 pounds at the time. Now he weighs 19 pounds.

 I have to give the dog a lot of credit. He wasn’t an excessive barker and he picked up on potty training quickly. In other words, he didn’t get us in trouble at our apartment complex. Although our two cats were perplexed by his existence because they had most likely never seen a dog before, he was ambivalent toward them, which pleased us.

Gus is now about six years old. He’s been a great dog for us. He adjusted well when we took in his doggie “brothers,” Murphy and Karl. He goes with the flow. He even lived with Bill in Denver for about 7 or 8 months. He does fine in an apartment. He does well in a house with a yard. He was a good only dog, and he’s fine with being one of three as well.

He does have his quirks. For one, he is not fond of children. Also, despite being a scrappy looking little dog, he is very clean. He will do just about anything to NOT get dirty. 

I started taking him to obedience classes at K9 Playhouse in Waterloo when he was a little over a year old. He did well, except for a few odd issues. When we had to walk in a circle, he would zig zag around, avoiding particular areas in the grass. When he was called to come, he never ran to me in a straight line. It was in a curvilinear trajectory. After observing this for a while, I realized that his cleanliness was leading him to avoid areas of grass where other dogs had urinated. 

After obedience class, we decided to enroll Gus-Gus in agility. This is where dogs do obstacles on a course. If Gus had any promise at all, it was very much compromised by his inability to walk or run where another dog had urinated. Keep in mind that I was completely unaware of where these trouble zones were. They were invisible to the naked eye and only identifiable to his nose.

After the last session, our instructor mentioned that all of the dogs in the course could move to the next level of agility, except for Gus. His cleanliness had been his downfall. We dropped out of agility with our pride only somewhat intact. I don’t like to fail at such things. 

He behaves similarly in our backyard. If we throw a toy and it lands on a spot he considers “dirty,” the game is over. Sometimes I worry that he will run out of places to step in the backyard. After all, we do have three dogs. Sooner or later, will one of them have urinated at least once on every spot in the yard? If so, Gus will be very limited in movement. We’ll have to move.