Things worth mentioning

~On my way to the gym this morning, it randomly hit me that I didn't put underwear, an undershirt, and socks in my gym bag for work today. Was I on drugs last night or something?!!?! WTF?!?!!? Luckily, I have another gym bag in the cargo area of my SUV (I know, I'm a HUGE dork) with full workout attire, which includes a pair of socks, underwear, t-shirt, shorts, windsuit pants, and towel. Just in case I want to make an impromptu stop by the gym:) So, who's laughing now, huh? LOL. I guess that's another lesson for the day: Always Be Prepared! I wasn't in Boy Scout's for nothing, ya know;)

~It's Friday, so yup, you guessed it...another cookout here at work today! But hey, there's beer, too:)

~M patted me on the butt today and I commented, "That's the most action I've gotten in a while...I got semi-hard..." We all got a huge laugh out of this. We share pretty much everything with each other, so this comment didn't surprise them. They make work fun:)

~Tom Cruise...and Katie Holmes?!?!?!! An odd pair, eh? I mean, she'll forever be known as Joey from Dawson's Creek! But hey, whatever floats your boat. AND...I don't know of any girl that would NOT go out with Tom Cruise, so...

~Frogs spontaneously exploding...Michael Jackson...President Bush's horrible speech making ability...Stephanie getting voted off of Survivor...what has the world come to???

Lesson for the Day

I was looking at my duathlon results from 2 weekends ago and came across something interesting. In my age group (now it's 25-29), I came in 6th out of 19. BUT...if I had been in my previous age group of 20-24, I would have come in 2nd. I mean, I just turned 25 less than 2 months ago! This seemed odd to me... So, I checked the results from the 10K race I did back in February and this held true. At that time, I was still in the 20-24 age group, and I placed 1st in that age group. Well, I looked to see where I would have placed if I had been in the 25-29 age group...and I would have placed 5th!--no medal or anything! You would think that you would be faster the younger you are, but nope. With running, and I guess any other sport, performance seems to get better with age--assuming you train the same or better.

After pondering this for a while, it seems to be true for me, too. I am a faster runner now than I have ever been. Even when I was running Cross Country in high school, I wasn't as fast as I am now. Mind you, I'm not running at the speed of light or anything like that, but I *have* improved substantially over the years.

So, the lesson for the day: What might seem odd at first might not be odd at all once you really think about it.

***yes, I could have/probably should have posted this on my Tri blog, but oh well...***

Random Rants

~I picked up a Chik-fil-A grilled chicken wrap on my way home from work yesterday for dinner because I was going to ride when I got home. Well, this got me thinking...yes, I *could* get fries...yes, I could go to another place and get a hamburger (cheaper)...I'm not on a diet...I do watch what I eat...people at work *do* tease me...all for what? Well, with my tri training (and even before all of that), I have *chosen* to put good things in my body so that my body will do good things for me (as cheesy as that sounds). What you put in is what you get out. People at work tease me that I eat so healthy and that it would be good if I ate "normal" stuff. The things *I* eat ARE normal! Veggies, fruits, sandwiches, peanut butter, chicken, sushi, fish, protein bars/shakes...these ARE normal...to me. Just because I choose to be healthy doesn't mean I'm on a diet...people just don't get it (except for other active people/triathlete's/runners/etc.).

~I'm disappointed at Volkswagen. The new Jetta looks like nothing more than a Toyota Corolla now! They went and screwed up a good car...

~Atlanta is the 13th most depressing city according to MSN.com. That's depressing...

That's all for now...

Update

Ok...so it doesn't seem to be *as* bad as I first thought...

It seems that they are going to do a "trial" separation for 3 months to see what happens. My sister says that they are more friends than husband and wife. I dunno how it will all turn out, but at least they are trying...again. They are gonna spend weekends together with the kids. Since my mom keeps them during the day, I guess my sis is gonna keep them during the week. He's gonna move in with his dad. It's not like it's gonna be much different from how it is now since he works late, doesn't really spend *that* much time with the kids, etc. He never calls my mom when the kids are sick to see how they are doing (my sis calls like a gazillion times), he doesn't pay attention to my sis and the kids or what they are doing, etc.

For example, we were all in the van this past Saturday going to an expo thing in Atlanta. We were ALL talking about how my sis gets all these weird, off the wall holidays off. She had this past Monday off and couldn't remember why. Well, BIL (bro-in-law) decided to call his dad to see what holiday it was. Gets off the phone and tells all of us and then we move on with another topic. ...fast forward to Sunday night... As they are getting ready for bed, he says, "don't forget to set your alarm." "Why? I'm off tomorrow..." "Huh? You didn't tell me that..."

It's crap like this...the lack of attention...the lack of care...amongst other things...

We'll see how this "trial" goes...

Bad news...the big D

Ok...so I got some bad news last night. It seems that my sister is headed for the big D--divorce. A little history:

My sis and her husband started dating when she was a senior and he was a junior in high school. They dated/lived together during college and got married when she graduated. So, they've been married for about 6 years (or 7) but have been together for 10 years or so. They had my niece 4 years ago and all was well. She became pregnant with my nephew, and about 7 months or so into her pregnancy was when it all started. My sister found out that he had been "seeing" a woman from work. He went on business trips to Baltimore every now and then, and this woman was there from another branch. Nothing had happened beyond a kiss (so he says...), but all of this surfaced at this time. My sister was distraught...but they tried to work through it. He promised that it meant nothing...that he would change...that he loved her...blah blah blah. Well, the trust had already been broken, so it has never really been the same since. She honestly loved him, but it all changed at that point. She didn't trust him fully anymore and didn't know if she ever could/would. When I found out about this, I was irrate on the phone with him...using every cuss word in the book (if you know me, I don't cuss...at ALL...I have to be really REALLY mad). I've never felt the same way towards him, but I'm nice to him just because he's her husband. Apparently, the issue of divorce comes up every now and then. Well, it came to a decision last night. It was a calm discussion, but as of last night, they are gonna go through with it...

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this since last night. My mom couldn't tell me any details because my niece was right there with her, but I'm gonna get all of the info tonight. I just hope they have thought this through FULLY... Counseling? Just separate for a while? I don't think people should stay together JUST for the kids, but...I just don't know...

They are only 28...the kids are only 3 and 4...have they thought about holidays...custody...birthdays...all the details??? I've never thought they were the "perfect" couple, but I never thought that they would get divorced. You never think that someone you know is going to get divorced. If I'm thinking about this *this* much, I can't imagine how my sister is...

I'm rambling...I'm sorry...

Got my ears lowered

Ok, so I'd been growing my hair out for the past year or so. It had gotten pretty long--all about the same length down to about the hair line on my neck, parted and pushed back behind my ears. I usually go back and forth with having it short and long, but this was by far the longest I've ever had it. Well, with my triathlon training, etc., I decided to cut it. While working out/training, I wore a hat to keep it out of my face, but I had just had enough. I got it cut short in the back and sides with a little length still in the front/top.

Well, today has been a constant stream of comments on my new do. It *is* a drastic change from what people are used to seeing, but not for me. I've had such comments like:

You look SO young! I mean, your only 25, but you look really REALLY young now! (can't hear this one enough!)
I really like your hair!
You look so different!
I liked it before, but I REALLY like it now...not that it was bad before...I just like it better now...know what I mean?
You can pull both off, but REALLY like it this way!

So, all in all--2 thumbs up on the new do:)

My Top 10 Songs

Holla Back, Girl -- Gwen Stefani
Incomplete -- Backstreet Boys
Since You've Been Gone -- Kelly Clarkson (especially the remix on 95.5 The Beat!)
Behind These Hazel Eyes -- Kelly Clarkson
Drugs or Jesus -- Tim McGraw
How Do You Get That Lonely -- Blaine Larson
You and Me -- Lifehouse
Nothin' to Lose -- Josh Gracin
Don't -- Shania Twain
Making Memories of Us -- Keith Urban

Lunchtime Funnies

~I saw a chubby, older man (50's) driving a Volvo C40 convertible wearing a cowboy hat. Volvo...cowboy hat...they don't seem to mix, do they?

~I saw a woman jogging with her dog. Ordinary enough, right? The funny part was that the dog was a Shitzu (or some other little, gay dog)...and the DOG was the one running faster! It was too funny...

~How I can go to a running store just to buy some special shoe laces and come out with a pair of shoes, too!

~I saw a guy picking his nose...in lunchtime traffic! Man, he was going to town...LOL. Why would you do this? Why? You know that it's lunch rush hour, on Roswell Rd. of all places, could it not wait til you got back to your office?

Things that don't make sense

~Why I don't think twice about buying $200+ worth of stuff for triathlons (mostly for my bike, but also for the other legs of the race) but hesitate buying the 7 day Crest Whitestrips. Instead, I bought the 14 day ones 'cause they were $10-$15 cheaper, and partly 'cause I didn't believe they would work (but they did...) Does this make sense??? NO...

~Why the owner of our company won't match or contribute to our 401k but will spend $$$ on cookouts every Friday (with beer)...

~Why dating has to be so difficult...

~Why I channel surf on the radio, FINALLY find a good song, then when it's over, change it to another station and the song I really wanted to hear is finishing...

~Why I don't just play my iPod in the car instead of channel surfing...

~Why I end up liking things that I initially think are stupid (ie. flavored water, Gwen Stefani's new song Holla Back, Girl, bike shorts (spandex in general--for biking or swimming))

~Why people who are on a diet can ONLY talk about food or being on a diet. It gets old...FAST...

~Why these 2 guys at the gym (one in his early 30's and the other in his 50's) insist on grunting LOUDLY when lifting weights and then giving each other a high 5 after EVERY set! It's just ridiculous, makes them look stupid, and makes me laugh...

...that's all for now...

(my constant use of "...")

Got Gas?

I have to preface this post with a few points. I've had my SUV for almost 2 months now and it has the DTE (Drive til Empty) button. I'm obsessed with this button! I push it just for kicks. Sometimes it'll say I have 200 miles and then a minute later it'll say I have 212 miles til empty. It's very sporadic and isn't the most accurate function, but the manual says that it gives the "approximate miles til empty--other factors excluded."

Well, on my way home from work yesterday, I noticed that I was getting low on gas, but I knew that I had enough to get the gym this morning. I was just gonna get gas on my way from the gym to work at this station that is really cheap and on the way.

On my way to the gym this morning, I kept pushing the button just to see where I was at. (On my first full-time job out of college, I ran out of gas on my way back from lunch and had to call my boss to bring me some gas. All this is to say, I know what it feels like to run out of gas...) It would be 45, then 35, then 42, then 33, etc. So, as I got closer and closer to the gym, it went from 45 to 34 to 20 to 12 to... When it got to 8, I started to panic. So, I just decided to get gas on my way to the gym, despite the higher price I knew I would pay (I've become a gas price freak now that I have an SUV--LOL). Getting off at the exit, it was down to 5. When I pulled into the gas station, it was down to #! Yes, #!!! THAT isn't even a number!

Whew! Just made it...

***I paid $1.95 and the station I intended to go to was $1.91. Oh well...***

A little History lesson

Here's an interesting forward I got today:

Giving the Finger: Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous weapon was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as "plucking the yew" (or "pluck yew"). Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, "See, we can still pluck yew! "PLUCK YEW!" Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird." And yew thought yew knew everything.

A little bit of history you didn't know, right?

Don't wish it away...

Today is a co-worker's 40th birthday (and my nephew's 3rd), so we were all gathered in the kitchen for his cake. One of the women said, "You're catching up with me. I'm 41 almost 42. Wow--only 8 years til I'm 50!" And I commented, "R--that is more than 8 YEARS away!!! That is a long time! Don't wish your life away like that!"

I post this because it got me thinking... All of us do this to some extent. Even though I was berating her for "wishing her life away," I do this too.

I'll wait til ___ to do that...
I'll wait til ___ to use that...
I'll do that *after* I buy a house...
etc.

Why not now? Why wait? Enjoy it now!

One of my favorite quotes:
Life it too short--Live in the NOW!

P.S. Geez there have been alot of birthdays lately! Too much cake...but it was soooo good...yum...

Race, then Party

So, I haven't posted in a while, right? Well, I haven't really had anything interesting to post lately. About the only thing that I've been up to is training for my race that was on Sunday, and I have a triathlon blog for that, so it's on there.

The only thing of particular note is that we had my niece's and nephew's joint birthday party yesterday. It was at a park with a huge swing set, picnic area, and tennis courts. The weather couldn't have been nicer! My mom took her portable grill and we hade hamburgers and hot dogs. They each had a cake of their own, so my sis and bro-in-law will be eating that forever! They invited their friends from church and family, so it was a good time.

So, to K who was 4 on 4/9 and to T who is 3 tomorrow:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Uncle loves you bunches!

Days go by

Isn't it funny that the mere day of the week can affect how you start your day? Let me explain. I, like most people, usually have preconceived ideas about how my day it going to go just by what day of the week it is.

Monday--it's Monday...first day of the week, it's always a blah day being back at work...
Tuesday--???
Wednesday--"hump day", usually a good day, middle of the week, halfway there...
Thursday--tomorrow's Friday!
Friday--always a good day cause the weekend starts at 5pm...ok, more like 3pm or so...
Saturday--get to sleep in a bit, do whatever you want:)
Sunday--a lost day for me 'cause I always think about having to work the next day...

There are the exceptions--throw in your occassional work function, social outing, race, special occassion, date, etc.--but this is how I usually look at it. I think Tuesday's are the most overlooked days. Nothing ever happens on a Tuesday! Poor Tuesday's...

***I guess I shoulda posted this on a *Tuesday*--LOL***

A mishmash of one evening

I went to a work/social function last night. It was a birthday bash for a friend/coworker, so there were work people and a lot of my friends there. It's so interesting to see work people outside of work. I found some things of particular note:

~I saw several people from work smoking who don't normally smoke. When I mentioned it to them, they said that they smoked occasionally when they drank. Um...are we back in college? Are we freshmen again? I thought only skanky, freshmen girls held on to the "I only smoke when I drink" rule. I guess I was wrong...

~I asked one of my friends, N, what she thought about the guy that I've been on a couple of dates with. We ran into her at the Dogwood Festival on Sunday, so she met him then. She was sorta mum about him, so I just point blank asked her what she thought about him. I assured her that I wouldn't be upset if she didn't like him, I was just curious as to what she thought. She said, "You deserve a really cute guy...you could do WAY cuter! But...he seemed nice..." If you know me at all, you know that I appreciate honesty. I thought this was nice of her to say. He's not an Abercrombie and Fitch model or anything, but I *do* think he's cute...

~A coworker brought her daughter and the daughter's friend. He is only 18...and gay. He clung onto me like white on rice! I'm just the type of person that will talk to anyone and be friendly to anyone. Well...he thought he had found his new mentor or something! He was like, "You're so nice! Do you mind if I give you my phone number and we can stay in touch???" He's a nice kid, tho. I can remember when I was that age and all of the things that a young, gay guy goes through. I'm not that much older than him, but 7 years can make a HUGE difference when it comes to relationships, being comfortable with who you are, maturity, etc. Maybe this will be a new project...

~The friend that got me into this whole blogging thing, N--as mentioned above, came with a friend whose blog I thought I had been reading. I've gotten to know some of N's friends through their blogs, so I went up to N and asked her if the girl was the author of X blog. She wasn't. It's bad when you start to refer to people by their blogs, isn't it?

~Isn't it funny how things/people change? I used to hang out with one of my friends, W, all the time. He used to be my going out buddy, grab a bite to eat buddy, come over and watch a movie when you're bored buddy, etc. Well, now that I've gotten serious with my training, I haven't spent a lot of time with him lately. We still talk and hang out, it's just not as frequent as it used to be. He doesn't really have any "hobbies," so he's been hanging out with some of our other friends more. We were just sitting around before the party last night and catching up when it hit me how different we are now. Not different in a good or bad way, but it was enough for me to notice.

A Morning Chuckle

M: Something's burning again...
Me: I don't smell anything...

(a few minutes later)

Me: Oh, I smell it now. They must have turned the furnace on... I hate this place!
M: (laughing)
Me: 'cause that means it's gonna be burning up in here all day!
M: You funny!
Me: I try...

It's gonna rain, a little grumpy, and it's a little true...we got a good laugh out of it!

Single in the City

According to MSN.com, the following are 7 signs that you have been single too long:

1. 45-minute showers
2. Spoiled pets
3. "Casual Sunday"
4. All TV, all the time
5. Pretzels in bed
6. Aimless whistling
7. Lack of silverware

I guess I'm doing pretty well...none of these apply to me:)

Perks

I work for a company that would be considered small in terms of employees (~40) but not in terms of revenue. One of the good things about working for a smaller company is that we frequently have cookouts on Friday's and drink beer:) Nothing like having a little buzz at work--hehe!

***I'm writing this as I'm taking a sip of my Newcastle :)***
***I'm not a big guy, so I don't have a huge tolerance anyway...***

Phone Calls at Work

Both A's and M's husbands have to think we never do any work! They are notorious for calling them and asking crazy things... A usually asks her husband to confirm a story or a comment that was said and M usually asks her husband a question. For example:

A: "Hey! Are you busy today? Ok...what does momma say if she likes a meal?" or "Hey! How's your day going? Ok...imitate Rick when there is any amount of silence."

M: "Hey! Have a question for you...have you ever eaten at CiCi's?" or "Hey! Have a question for ya...what's your waist size?"

...and I'm just sitting there cracking up! I'm telling ya, there is NEVER a dull moment in our particular office.

***sidenote: We DO get our work done, tho! We just have fun, too:)

DST

***a note about this post: I'm as un-racist as they come...this is just a funny story that I had to share***

A's mom is still up helping out with the baby. Her mom comes up with the craziest, funniest, off-the-wall things! She's southern to the core and is set in her ways. They've always lived in Valdosta...so, any stereotypes of REAL southern people that you've heard apply to this family.

This is what A's mom had to say about Daylight Savings Time:

A's mom: I don't like DST...why'd those black people have to mess everything up?!
A: Mom, what do black people have to do with DST???
mom: Well, they didn't want to get on the bus after dark, so that's why we have DST. They get everything they want!
A: ***baffled***

HAHAHAHAH!!!! This *has* to be one of the funniest, irrational things that I've ever heard!

Another "Ah Ha!" Moment

I was listening to Dr. Blue on Star94 on my way home from work yesterday. He's a relationship psychologist that comes on every Wednesday--for those of you who don't know. I try to catch it if I remember, but most of the time it is just the same "type" of question, just a different caller. His advice seems to be very general, and he usually tells the caller what they have already said or already know.

Well, just as I was thinking, "does anyone *really* get any resolution after they've called into the show?", he said something that hit me like a ton of bricks. The caller was asking about how to get over a relationship...blah blah blah. He said:

"It's hard, (callers name). You invested so much energy into the relationship and now it's over. You invested time, your emotions, etc. The more you invest in the relationship, the harder it is to get over it and move on."

I know that this seems to be a simple, obvious explanation when it comes to getting over a relationship, but it's never been *said* to me or put in those terms. This simple statement made me think about JG, my ex, for the rest of my ride home. He broke up with me about two and a half years ago. I am over him, but it took me a long time. We went out for over a year (one year, one month, one day to be exact...) and it is the only relationship that I've been in that I would consider "serious." He was the first person that I truly loved, blah blah blah... Looking back on it, I DID invest way too much into the relationship! I paid for everything, I was the one driving back to Athens every couple of days after I graduated to see HIM, I was the one that made the sacrifices (albeit, I *wanted* to), I didn't care that he was too busy to come to my college graduation or that he didn't get me birthday or anniversary gifts...all because I loved him. Hindsight is always 20/20, but I know that I'm better off without him.

I thought that there was something wrong with me because it *was* taking me so long to get over him. Isn't it funny how ONE statement can put everything into perspective?

I've been having a bunch of "ah ha!" moments lately...

Friend or Foe???

I've always been one of those people who responds quickly to any sort of correspondence. Whether it be e-mail, voicemail, or regular mail I don't procrastinate in my response. Which brings me to my topic:

Text Messaging

I am a fan of this form of communication. It is sorta like AIM for cell phones. If I get a text message, I respond after I've read it. Even if my cell is on vibrate, it still lights up when I receive a text. I realize that some people don't have their cell phones out on their desk and can't/don't respond as quickly, but...for the past couple of nights, I have been awakened by the chime that my cell makes when I receive a text. And of course, I have to respond...

Text messaging: Friend or Foe???

Weekend Notes

~I went to the wedding with J this weekend. She was in the wedding because it was her sister-in-law's wedding. 2 things of note about the wedding:

1. the bride is really really pretty and the guy...eh...not so much. It was like that show, King of Queen's--a chubby, not real good looking man with a thin, pretty woman. J had mentioned this to me earlier, so I wasn't totally caught off guard. I guess it *can* happen in real life... I feel bad even mentioning this because it shouldn't matter what you look like--it's what's on the inside, right? Just an observation...
2. even though I didn't really know the couple (just in passing--at functions with J), the ceremony still touched me. When they said their vows to each other, you could feel their genuine love and commitment to each other. Very touching...

~I went on a date yesterday (with a new guy, not the previous guy). It went really really well. We went to dinner, got some coffee, and then a movie. He is nice, interesting, smart, cute, around my age, easy to talk to, we have a lot in common...all in all, a GREAT date! When I say "around my age"...he's 3 years younger. I've vowed that I wouldn't date anyone younger than me after one of my previous relationships, but *this* guy might be different. We'll see where this goes, but I'm optimistic... :)

~Due to said date, only got like 2 hours sleep last night. Got home late after the movie and got up at my usual time to go to the gym. I'm actually no worse for the wear...but I'm sure it'll catch up to me as the day goes on...

~A's friend had a miscarriage this weekend. That's all we've been talking about this morning. I don't' really know her, but I sorta do...I'm so sorry for her and her husband. What do/can you say? I'll be thinking about her...

~We had a sales meeting this morning...pointless! We were told that we HAD to come to the weekly sales meetings...but why??? A waste of an hour...

Ball and Chain

I'm going to a wedding with my best friend, J, this weekend. Her husband is the one that is in Iraq, so I am her "stand-in" husband. I'm used to this title by now--LOL. People used to think that we were together...little did they know...

Anyway, this brings me to my blog topic...When did getting married become so rampant?!?! Everywhere I go, everyone has a ring on their finger. I am not exaggerating at all. At the gym, in line at the store, EVERYWHERE! And the thing that gets me is that these people look so freakin' young! What happened to holding off until you get closer to 30? Clinging on to your bachelorhood? Are people just finding their "soulmates" earlier? Are people just settling for the one they are with just because "everyone else is doing it?!?!"

I just don't know...