Thursday Thirteen

1. Bring on the weekend! It is only Thursday and I am so excited! I won’t say that work has been particularly stressful lately, but I will say it has been extremely busy and this holiday weekend is going to be much appreciated. I can’t wait to have three solid days in a row where I don’t have to be in the office. I know you can relate.

2. My USAT membership is about to expire and I can’t really see any reason to renew it at this point. For that matter, I don’t know that I can even call myself a triathlete any longer, since I’ve done one sprint triathlon (and a few relay legs) since becoming an Ironman. I know I’ll be an Ironman forever, but can I still call myself a triathlete?

3. I’m registered for the Musselman Sprint in July but since I hope to be a few weeks preggers by then, I’m considering skipping out. It is too late for a refund, so I’m thinking I’ll just show up and take it easy.

4. If you know me, you know how unrealistic the take-it-easy approach is. I’ve tried before, and if there are people to be passed, I’m going to try. Go ahead, Es, comment on this…

5. I’m seriously head over heels for my iPad. I’ve mentioned before my relationship with the iPad. Things have gotten serious. We haven’t slept together yet, but we’ve been cuddling in bed quite a bit. We go everywhere together. I think it is true love!

6. Let’s talk about my iPad (or CatPad, as I like to call it) a little more, okay? Two weeks ago I went on a weekend trip. Normally I count the minutes until I reach my destination. This time around, however, I sat contently in the airport (on the floor, no less, so I could use the only available outlet to recharge) listening to music and reading a book. I could have stayed there all day.

7. The flight time whizzed by as I watched a couple of episodes of Weeds that I’d downloaded. Unfortunately I had to pay for them because I couldn’t stream netflix in flight, but it was worth it (HD was not). When I finished the book I was reading, I tapped a couple of taps and started a new book. No need to carry around multiple books and periodicals. It was fabulous!

8. That’s just the tip of the iceburg. I listen to Pandora radio while I get ready in the morning. I use the mapping feature on the road. I find restaurants. I look for cheap gas. I check my grocery list (and add to it). Of course, I check facebook. And this morning while I was drinking my morning juice, I programmed by DVR to record an Oprah farewell special. It is easier to use the iPad than the DVR box and remote. Okay, I’m done. For now.

9. On a completely unrelated note, the Federal government’s hiring process is completely f-ed up. Yes, I said f-ed up. I don’t ordinarily curse, but it is just so ridiculous! Three different offices in my agency would like to hire me, but they can’t. The archaic hiring system prevents any rational behavior like identifying a suitable candidate for a vacancy and hiring them. Now I am on the flip side of the equation trying to select individuals for vacancies and dealing with insane veterans preference issues that dictate who we can hire and how. I just needed to vent.

10. On a happier note… Okay, wait. I’m trying to think. What can I say on a happier note? Give me a minute.

11. Oh, right. I’ve got it. Life is good. Hey, I can be general. I’m really in a good place right now, physically and mentally. I’m back to myself and I’m really happy about that.

12. Which reminds me - I started running again. I wasn’t planning to. Although I’m in between IVF cycles and mostly recovered from the surgery, I was thinking I would just not start again since I’d probably need to stop in a few weeks. Yeah, that made more sense in my head than when I write it out. Long story short, Monday night I was “leading” the run and I just decided to go for it. In the past few weeks I've walked or roller-bladed while everyone ran. Not only was running enjoyable, but I felt fantastic afterwards and even the next day. So I ran again yesterday and plan to go for it again Saturday. Seriously, I'm sure that the majority of my few readers are fellow triathletes, but if you don't already run, you should start. It makes such a difference in how you feel, your energy, the kind of food you crave, the quality of your sleep, etc., etc.   

13. I have started working on a business plan. It won’t take the place of my full-time job, but it will allow me to do something I love and have wanted to do for a long time. Now I just need to execute it. More soon.

Gosh, my entries are long this week, but I suppose that’s not so unusual.

Thanks for reading! Have a great holiday weekend!