SPS

SPS - "Stupid People Syndrome"

Pejorative term for humans who lack the ability and desire to understand or communicate with non-SP during regular, every day activities; persons usually found working at Wal-Mart, the DMV, or sharing the road with non-SP.

Can you tell it's been a LONG week?!?!

A holiday weekend, football, The Crud, and Texas tornadoes

I am back to the land of the living. But let's start at the beginning...my last post was 9/3. Here are some highlights since then...

Labor Day weekend: I thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend with family in Oklahoma, complete with excellent food, wine, beer, football, pooltime, and a painful sunburn. The drive up there was hellish as the entire world seemed to be on the highway. And no one seemed to want to go faster than 60 mph. What normally takes 2.5-3 hours took FOUR hours. Lucky for me, Mom had a home-cooked meal just waiting for me when I pulled up. It was awesome!! Mom and I did some shopping on Saturday before the football games and it was a blast. She is really getting into crafts and sewing and is making me a quilt and all kinds of neat stuff (more on that later). We went to a fabric store and I had no idea it could be so much fun! So many fabulous fabrics, so little time, and so little talent with which to utilize them...(that would be me, not Mom).

Football: My Sooners looked shakey during their first game, allowing too many penalties and barely scraping by for a win. This had me VERY nervous all week for last Saturday's game against FSU. OU's season opener-performance was less than stellar and FSU was obviously expecting a win. Thankfully, the Sooners pulled out a can of whoop-ass and laid it down...the smack down that is. Final score? 47-17. Wahoo!!!! We've moved up a few notches in the rankings and are a team to be reckoned with this season, baby! This Saturday we're up against Air Force which should be an easy win. I will be flying back to Oklahoma to go to an Oklahoma State game with an old coworker, Jane. It's the one time of year I turn into a Cowboy fan! :)

The Crud: Aptly named for how it makes me feel. It seems I come down with this ailment at least 2-3 times a year, usually when I travel, and almost always in September. The Crud consists of a sore throat, ear infection, sinus infection, fever, aches, chills, coughing, drowsiness, grouchiness, and basically me feeling sorry for myself and missing my Mommy and Daddy. God forbid I have to take care of myself, right??!! :)

I started feeling bad on Sunday before the drive back to Dallas from OKC. By Monday (an office holiday thankfully) I was miserable. Thinking it was just a sinus infection that would go away, I prepared to go into the office Tuesday. No dice. Tuesday was probably the worst, with a fever that just made me feel rotten. My whole body hurt, and the sunburn from the weekend was making me even more miserable. [It was a BAD sunburn because I fell asleep outside and then proceeded to wake up and chat with Mom while in the sun. At one point Dad was like, "Little Girl, you really need to get out of the sun because your back is getting red." Cut to my face, arms, shoulders, back, and legs being burned and almost purple. The ONE time I forget sunscreen, people!!] Okay, back to being sick...I was so cold from the fever/chills and tried to take a warm shower, but the hot water was literally stinging the sunburn. Poor, pathetic little me. Wednesday morning I get up and head to work, determined to show the boss my dedication. I don't even sound like myself, and my cough is causing heads to turn it's so full of the crud. Colleagues are shielding themselves from me, telling me to go home. The boss himself says I should go to a doctor. "But I don't have one yet since I moved here..." to which he responds, "There is a clinic near here and you need to go." (Note: Dear Mother had already urged me numerous times to go to the clinic but I didn't listen to her...big mistake). Turns out the clinic is right across from where I live, AND you can make an appointment online, AND they call you when it's time to come in. I leave work and head to the clinic during a virtual downpour. Sure, we needed rain, but 5-8 inches in one day was overkill. I was soaked by the time I got there. So it turns out I have an upper respiratory infection that could be viral or bacterial ("50/50 chance" the doctor tells me, which was of absolutey no help at all). I pay my $50 (yes, even with insurance it was $50--damn emergency clinics), take my Rx for antibiotics and head to Walgreen's when all I really want to do is shower and go to bed. I get further soaked running into the store and have to wait 10 minutes for it to be filled. So I did what any young, sick, single person does and stocked up on Ramen (at $0.39 a pop), as well as juice, cough syrup, and a decongestant. Thursday I get up and head into work again, only to practically fall asleep at my desk and continually wipe my sore, runny nose. I make it through an early afternoon meeting, coughing into my  kleenex, trying to avert the paranoid glares of coworkers, and then head back home. I finally worked a full day on Friday and started to feel back to normal. I continued to hack and cough all weekend, barely getting any of the long list of chores done. I did however get my sense of taste and smell back somewhat. I think The Crud is finally going away. I had to cancel all 3 personal training sessions last week and Mike even called to make sure I was doing okay. This week's sessions will be tough for sure.

Texas tornadoes: When I moved here from Oklahoma, I figured I was leaving most of the bad weather behind me. But not only did we receive buku amounts of rain last week (up to 10 inches in some areas), apparently 3 tornadoes touched down. One of those was too close to my neck of the woods.

To say the very least, it was a strange week indeed. But it's Monday, time to start fresh and hit the ground running!!

Go with the flow [chart]

Life really is this simple. What's YOUR answer??

Some things I could do without...

...that still find their way into my life:

Velveeta cheese
This stuff is just gross. And it's actually called "stuff." Food stuff to be exact. It's not really cheese. No nutritional value whatsoever. Yet if someone mixes it with rotel and sausage, I'm all over it.

Dr. Pepper
I don't drink coffee so DP is my caffeine vice. But I don't need it. I've gone weeks without it before.

Cat puke
Am I the only one who has yacking feline furballs?? What's the deal? Not a week goes by that I don't find a little kitty barf on the floor somewhere. I just hope one of my cats is not bulimic...(ha-ah, not quite as they both have bellies that swing when they walk).

Dropping my cell phone
This happens too frequently. Thankfully, other than a lot of scratches, my Blackberry is still ticking. (I also drop keys and forks)

Leg cramps in the middle of the night
Is this a runner thing? Am I not stretching enough? There is nothing worse than when your leg and toes contort in pain just from switching positions and/or stretching out in bed.

Sock tan and watch-band tan
I guess there is no avoiding this if I am going to be a runner. It's very unattractive, yet I almost wear it like a badge of honor??

Gnats in my kitchen
They must love my produce. I like to keep my tomatoes, avocados, nanners, and oranges on the counter. But the gnats are everywhere.

Exercise DVD music and instructors
I like to try out new DVDs from our local library every now and then. I just got one for pilates and one for 10-min abs. The background music sucks and the instructors are way too high on life. That's why I like the Biggest Loser workout videos. They use real people (overweight contestants from the show) and even though Bob gets on my nerves, it's fun and a great workout.

Okay, enough ranting for this Saturday morning...it's a gorgeous (and hot) weekend!!

Hello, Monday!

Guess what? It's Be Kind to Animals Week!!! Yup, it's a week for us to celebrate all creatures great and small and give them an extra dose of love and respect. According to the American Humane Association:

"May 2 - May 8: Join the event that’s been celebrated every year since 1915 -- American Humane’s Be Kind to Animals Week. In this annual tradition, we commemorate the role animals play in our lives, promote ways to continue to treat them humanely, and encourage others, especially children, to do the same."

More information can be found here.


So, hang a bird feeder, plant flowers to attract butterflies, adopt a shelter pet, or volunteer your time to celebrate this wonderful cause!

Sigh.

Who's been sick for basically the last 2 weeks?? Moi.

Last week was 2 ear infections and a throat infection. This weekend I hurt my back. And by Tuesday of this week I came down with the mother of all stomach bugs. Seriously, folks, you do not want to contract this horrid illness. It's not a 24-hour bug. It's not even a 48-hour bug. It's an at least 4-day, praying to the porcelain gods, sleeping 16 hours a day, and feeling sorry for yourself because nothing is on daytime TV kind of bug. I tried to come in the office on Wednesday but the Bossman literally told me to go home. He was nice about it (after all, he had it last week) but everyone steered clear of me for sure!

Anyhoozlebees, I am finally back and work and have never been so happy to sit in my office and chat with coworkers. Despite being behind at work and feeling nervous about catching up on school stuff, I am so glad it's over.

I'm planning on posting a much less gross post for tonight about the race last weekend and other stuff. It's time to get back on the blog roll!!

Just say no to Sea World

Here is the headline from this article: "Do 'Killer Whales' belong in theme parks?"

Duh.

The answer is no. And the sooner people realize this, the better. Leave these animals in their natural habitat. The only time we need to intervene is when we can offer positive care (i.e. if one washes up onshore and we may help it back to the water).

I am sorry for the trainer's family for their loss. But it's about time Sea World was shut down and learned that there is NO NEED to train whales (or dolphins for that matter) to act like dogs.

Just my opinion.

My heart aches

I've been following this story and was hopeful until I saw this article. I don't know if I am just super emotional today or what, but I could burst into tears at any moment. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so sensitive. It hurts my heart too much...


Tulsa Zoo giraffe dies
From Staff Reports -- Tulsa World
Published: December 4, 2009

The Tulsa Zoo announced Friday that Amali, the five-year-old female giraffe who arrived in Tulsa with a crooked neck, died during a procedure to determine the extent of her recent neck injury.

Amali, the newest giraffe at the Tulsa Zoo, injured her neck while being transported from Ohio to Oklahoma. The zoo announced Friday that Amali died. Photo provided

The Tulsa Zoo is awaiting results from the initial necropsy to determine the cause of her death. Additionally, tissue samples will be sent for microscopic examination to assist in the final diagnosis.

Amali suffered a neck injury during transport from her home zoo in Ohio October 18. Her injury was immediately noted by zoo staff as she exited the specialized trailer she arrived in.

More: http://newsok.com/tulsa-zoo-giraffe-dies/article/3422514#comments#ixzz0YkFPskJs

My new ride

So excited and very happy...I am in love!!

Nissan Pathfinder

Mi Vida Loca

The last few weeks have been an über busy time for me. I've got a lot going on and literally feel like a juggler! And I have so many events coming up! Unfortunately my sleep has suffered and I either can't fall asleep until late or I wake up 2 hours before the alarm goes off...it sucks! I've been keeping up with my running and training, even getting in a quick run late if it's been a long day (this could be the culprit for keeping me awake). I haven't cooked as much at home and succumbed to several BAD drive-thru choices. :) But I am forever grateful for the weekend which is finally here!!!!!!

The office has been a Ka-Razy mess as we are moving in 2 weeks!! We are only moving about 2 miles away but it is a hassle nonetheless. Currently we are all wearing jeans everyday and there are boxes everywhere you turn! But we are excited about the new area. It's a short-term move as we will eventually build out another part of the complex to suit our needs.

School has me borrowing about 30 books at a time from the library--seriously. And to make matters worse, the fines really add up when you are even 1 day late with 30 books! After being accepted to The University of Oklahoma, I learned there was one entry-level class that was NOT satisfied by my plethora of transfer coursework. It is an Art/Humanities course which isn't so bad, BUT the professor decided to make it a "strictly papers" type of class. This means there are no exams or homework or assignments per se. It's nothing but seven 5-page papers on art and culture in the non-western world. Maybe this doesn't seem so difficult, but it's been 10 years since my last writing course and MLA just seems to have gotten more strict! I have succeeded in finishing 4 of these papers and made 100/100 on three of them (95 on the first one). I really like my prof and believe it or not I am learning! :) So far it's mostly been a great geography lesson in Africa, Asia, China and Japan. Soooooooo...this is taking up a lot of my time.

Training is going well and I can't believe that 1 week from tomorrow I will be running in the OKC Race for the Cure 5K! I am so excited and proud to have raised more than my initial goal. I know my team will succeed and we will all have a great time. I don't officially start training for the April 2010 OKC Half Marathon until December although I feel well on my way to being prepared for that!! Running has become an integral part of my life. I am thankful for the ability to lace up my shoes and hit the road at any time I choose. I recently subscribed to Runner's World magazine and the last 2 issues I have read cover to cover. The stories are so inspiring and I soak up the information. I may not look like a marathoner, but I am a runner!

In 2 weeks not only will the office be making it's move to the new building, but I will be flying down to H-town (Houston) for my 15-year high school reunion! I will see some faces I haven't seen since graduation in 1994. It will for sure be an exciting 4-day weekend for me! I'll be staying the first 2 nights with my brother and his family. I am excited to hang with the nieces and nephew. Plus, the OU/TX Red River Rivalry game is that Saturday and should be interesting to say the least. I have a hotel room booked for that night about a mile from the reunion site. I am looking forward to seeing old friends and new ones, and enjoying myself during my mini-vacation.

THEN, the following week is my parent's 40th wedding anniversary as well as my 34th birthday! It's a whirlwind October but it's my favorite time of year!!!! The low today was 48 degrees, it's beautiful outside as the leaves are starting to change, and I feel like I'm on top of the world. Sleepy, but on top of the world!

xo Jen

Upcoming events!

I can't believe Fall is almost here! I've got a lot going on the next few months...and it's my favorite time of year.

September 5th
OU Football season opener against BYU

October 10th
Komen OKC Race for the Cure 5K
I've exceeded my donation goal--yay!


October 17th
My high school 15 year reunion
I've planned a vacation around it--can't wait to see old friends and family!


October 24th
I'll be 34 years young!

Is that all there is?

Is this what life is like when you get older??

Finish up the workday on Friday, meet the family for (a superb) dinner, pick up some groceries for the weekend (i.e. wine and catfood), finish the laundry I started on Tuesday, have a glass of said wine (or two, or three...), soak in the tub while listening to Bach (very loudly), relax on the couch (with Charli the cat) to watch a scary movie, then end up in bed, asleep by 11:00 pm????


Because if that's all there is, believe it or not, this girl is pretty damn satisfied.

It matters to me.

"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power."
~Alexander Hamilton, 1775


"America--not just The Nation--but an idea, alive in the minds of people everywhere. As this new world takes shape, America stands at the center of a widening circle of freedom--today, tomorrow and into the next century."
~President George Bush’s State of the Union Address
January 31, 1990


A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
~Amendment II, The Bill of Rights


Stand beside her,
And guide her,
Thru the night with a light from above.

~ Lyrics, God Bless America

My thoughts exactly!

In a recent interview with Glamour magazine...when asked about still being single, Renee Zellweger announced she is enjoying it and has no immediate plans to become attached.

"If I'm going to give it up, it better be good - because I'm having fun," she said.

I couldn't have said it better myself!! :)

How cute is this?!

I took a stroll through a local museum and came upon this...I love it! It's called "Chickadee" by Louise Peterson. I just love how the dog seems to stop mid-stride in order to find out what has 'landed' on his rear! And I love the little birdie. You can read all about it here and Louise's other neat works of art.

For the little birdie (it's a private meaning)

After a very personal and emotional incident last Saturday, I am once again vegetarian. I don't know how long it will last but I just can't bring myself to eat meat right now. I'm not joining forces with Peta or anything (they are too extreme for my taste)...just not in the mood to eat any animal flesh. Fortunately, this is the time of year for an abundance of fresh veggies and produce!

Some quotes that got me thinking today...

Everyone sees who you appear to be, but only a select few know who you really are. 
- Anonymous

Friendship without self-interest is one of the rare and beautiful things of life.
- James F. Byrnes

Memory builds a pathway that goes winding through the heart and keeps friends close together even though they are far apart. 
- Anonymous

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
- Walter Winchell

If you can't think of any nice things to say about your friends then you have the wrong friends.
- Anonymous

Feelin' good.

Big school project completed: check
Charli to vet: check
Clean house: check
Laundry done: check
Treadmill working: check
Lawn service called: check
Car maintenance: check
Bug spray people scheduled: check
Final exams: in progress

Life is running smoothly...for now...
:)

Choppin' Broccoli

I was choppin' broccoli last night (and just to make my mom laugh go here and forward to about 2:40--although the whole thing is hilarious) amongst other yummy veggies. I don't know if it's because I was so sick last week or I'm just tired of meat, but I've been craving vegetables like mad. I've also been studying a lot and need the brain power. I was in the mood for a 'party dish' and chopped up some broccoli, cauli, carrots and awesome cherry tomatoes. I am having them for lunch today with a light dilly-ranch dip (basically I used lowfat sour cream, olive oil mayo, ranch seasoning and lots of dill). Heaven.Have I introduced you to my Laptop Lunch? Yes, they are mostly used by small children at school to keep their snacks and such. But it's great for adults too! I can portion out my food, it saves space and it's cute! I bought mine here about a year ago and love it.

Ta-ta for now...it's a chilly morning here and my toes are cold. But I'm looking forward to a nice Monday!

...

Stomach bug. 72 hours. That's all. Nothing else.