riverdance

my parents and i went to see riverdance last night.
i'm a fan of the really high energy sections of the
dance and the guy that plays the fiddle.
he was impressive.

i've now been out on a few runs successfully.
its 60 here today.
it feels amazing to be outside and
actually be able to enjoy the weather.

that said, its weird that its christmas eve
and not cold and snowing.
i'm not sure how i feel about that.
i'm sure i'll get over it though when
i go layout suntanning tomorrow (joking).

i just made hummus from scratch and
am now watching my mom bake a pie
from scratch.
tomorrow i'm going to try blueberry pancakes
also from scratch...mmmm.
i'm enjoying this vacation
cooking thing.

merry christmas eve all!

break!

eric and i went to visit the trail of lights the night before i left (and he was supposed to leave) austin for winter break. it was cold. it felt like winter. i approve.

this whole sickness thing took a comically bad turn this morning. after the flu, bronchitis and a sinus infection, i broke out in hives on friday on my ankles...and this morning on my whole body. turns out i might have become allergic to penicillin. the positive side of all this is that i don't have to take the antibiotics anymore.

either way, i am feeling much better. this morning i went out on a 10 or 11 mile walk. it felt amazing. i was only going to go out for an hour or so, but i was enjoying being outside so much i just kind of kept going. it was quite relaxing....and a nice break from trying to walk around stores and the mall. i already knew i liked shopping online, but my recent trips to the mall have confirmed my appreciation for it.

i've been experimenting with vegan cooking the last couple days. i found a good recipe for portobello, artichoke, sundried tomato risotto. and i tried a recipe for mac and cheese, but i have to say, the real thing is better. i did get to learn a little bit about nutritional yeast though. even if i never use it again, its fun to experiment with new things in the kitchen, and i'm really enjoying the opportunity to cook again.

all of this time away from work has actually been making me miss it. today while i was walking, i found myself pondering how dogs walk. i was observing the wet paw marks on a section of pavement and the pattern was really interesting. in terms of spacing in the horizontal plane, dogs steps seem similar to humans except that for everyone one human print, there would be two paw prints in the same location because of the way dogs coordinate their legs during walking. doing some comparative gait analysis in the future would be cool.

sinus infection

well folks, we seem to be getting somewhere. after all that time spent outside walking to/from my exam yesterday (that would be sarcasm), i managed to start running a fever and make my cough really bad again. i went into the emergency clinic today (it was closed last night) and the doctor informed me that my lungs sounded fine but that i appeared to have a sinus infection. she gave me antibiotics. maybe now i'll start making some progress? keep your fingers crossed!

still sick

turns out i'm still sick.
eric brought me flowers earlier this week.
and then sat with me every day this week while we studied
to make sure i drank fluids.
he's swell.
i lost my voice on wednesday and still haven't
quite got it back yet. but i'm doing better.

i had my only final today.
i am now done with classes for
my phd.
i think the exam went well. hopefully i'll
find out soon.

i haven't run in a week.
its pretty amazing to watch your muscles
atrophy is so short a time period. boo.
now its time to really focus
on getting healthy.

happy rest of finals week all!
may health and brain power
be with you!

lack of motion blues

this is what my morning felt like.

it was supposed to snow here in austin this morning. i woke up to find that the heater had turned off and our house was cold. i went running (i would have done that even if the heater was on, but i digress). and actually, i am now sad that i didn't stay out longer. i'm acutely feeling the affects of not running much for the last week and a half. i get sad and start longing for fresh air regardless of how cold said air is. i know its weird but its as though something is missig from my life...because in fact it is missing from my life. i may just have to go running again this afternoon.

tonight is the stake christmas party, which means i get to listen to christmas music!

i hate being sick

so i finally went to the doctor yesterday and he said i had some sort of post-flu bronchial inflammation or something like that. i ran a few miles on monday morning and thought i was going to hack up a lung afterward, and i ran a few miles this morning...but otherwise, i haven't really done anything since thanksgiving day. and now its messing with my body.

i've always heard people say that when they start working out they feel like they eat all the time. well, i consider that normal. my appetite has died in the last week and its rather disorienting. that and i'm definitely starting to notice the lack of active meditation time in my life. it makes me grumpy.

on a brighter note, i have recently gotten more sleep in one night than i did in three nights earlier this semester. and my lungs and cough are starting to feel a bit better. ironically all of this combined with having had unstructured training this semester has made me itchy to race again. and its made me very itchy to be back on the trails.

on success

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
– Ralph Waldo Emerson