Second Day

We ran a mile again this morning and we both did better than yesterday! Woo! Next week we will start going farther, and I think I may run an extra half a block tomorrow.

I also did more push ups and sit ups today. I downloaded this neato little app on my phone, and it's like a training guide to eventually be able to do 100 consecutive sit ups (you can adjust your goal, how many you want to do, I chose 100 for sit ups because it's closest to my goal of 82), and I got the same one for push ups, which I set for 50. It tells you how many to do, then counts down a rest period, then makes a whistle noise when you have to do the next rep. It's super awesome! I did them both today; I had the thought that I maybe should do them on alternating days, but I figured to just go for it. So then I get to rest completely every other day.

I think it will work out.

New Old Goals

Alright. Now that I'm back from annual training, and Caelyn's birthday party went off without a hitch (woohoo!), it's back to the daily grind. During AT I decided (not for the first time, I'm sure I've decided this before, hence the new old goals), that since I am not going to get promoted before my ETS date, I may as well set a [lofty] military goal for myself. I'm going to work my butt off and earn myself a PT patch.

Yes you read that right! I want to be a PT stud before I ETS (March 16, 2013), which, if I actually stick to a work out and actually DO the work outs, shouldn't be too much of a problem. I have to drop my run time by at least 3 minutes to get 90 points on the run, ultimately working for a 15:48 for 100 points. I gotta up my sit-ups by about 30 (82 for 100 points), and 30 more push-ups (50 for 100 points). I'm guesstimating on those numbers (wow, 'guesstimating' is an actual word? Blogger didn't underline it in a red squiggly line!), but they are pretty close.

I've got some work ahead of me, but not impossible work! I've unwittingly recruited a run partner, though admittedly he has much more work to do than I do, but that's ok! We went one mile around the block today, and I left him in the dust :( Oohhh, I also got new running shoes and wow you don't realize how bad your old sneakers are until you run in a new pair. N-I-C-E! My feet definitely love me for that one!

So now hopefully I will be able to update more often on my progress (and other things in between). I feel like my head is clear for the first time in a while. Being in Queens for 12 days made me appreciate where I live. I couldn't wait to drive out of the city and back into the mountains. I'm sure this feeling won't last, but gosh it sure was nice to get home last week!

It Got Finished!

Well well! I did get the blanket done on time and was able to give it to Caelyn when I picked her up. It's so cute!

Bunnehs!!

In other news... Well, there really is no other news. I'll be down in Jersey this weekend for drill. So not looking forward to that. The more I think about it, the more I dislike being in the military and the quicker I want the next two years to go by so I can finally be done with it all. I'm just not the military-career type. I don't want to deal with it anymore. Ever again.

Just a Little Note

Here I am, back at home after a long drill weekend. I left 4:30am on Friday and made it to Totten around 11:30, which was pretty decent time considering all the stops I made, and the length of said stops. Drilled a half day, then retired to the hotel room with Sgt F, who made a bangin' salad to share with me. I did pick out the mushrooms (yick), but everything else was SO GOOD, and I am definitely not a big salad eater. If someone asks at dinner if I want salad, generally the answer is "No. Thanks. No thanks.." And if at a restaurant they ask if I want soup or salad, I'll have soup, unless it's a gross soup (like Manhattan clam chowder or French Onion), then I'll opt for the least healthy salad, a Caesar, rife with croutons and cheese and dressing.

This salad was different, though, for two major reasons: One, I was starving. I hadn't eaten anything all day so I was happy for the offer of food, even if it was green and full of vegetables. Two, it was free and I didn't have to leave the hotel room for it. I'm cheap and did not feel like getting up off my ass to walk down the block to Wendy's, or worse yet, directly across the street to Burger King. That cheap. That lazy. I must say, though, that I enjoyed the salad and all the things in it: chunks of chicken, bits of boiled egg, shredded carrot, cucumbers, and all manner of green leafy things. Plus, she had a really awesome honey mustard dressing (the recipe I was lucky to have her divulge to me!). I ate two giant platefuls while we watched Whip It, and then What Women Want. All in all a good night.

Next morning was the APFT. I PASSED THE SIT UPS!! I was SO surprised that I actually did enough sit ups, I was like, Oh shit now I HAVE to push myself on the run cuz I can't use the old "well I already failed so why try" excuse like I usually do when I fail the sit ups. Shit.

So I tried. I really did! But it just wasn't good enough. I missed my time by 37 seconds. THIRTY SEVEN SECONDS. I'm honestly impressed with myself. For all the half-assed work outs I did, and the half-assed runs I pretended to do on my treadmill, I am thoroughly impressed that I performed that well! So, for the next APFT next month, I'm sure I'll be able to pass no problem now. If I keep up the working out thing. I've been lazy the last 3 days, mostly because I was burned out after my trip home Sunday night. I felt like I slept for two days straight, that's how tired I was. Today is a bit better, but still didn't exercise. Maybe I'll do some sit ups later; I'd like to do MORE than 45 sit ups, which is the minimum requirement and the number which I managed to do for this past APFT.

And that was my weekend. And I am now addicted to Tap Fish which I downloaded on my phone two days ago. Also been playing Neopets more recently. ALSO, I finished the purse for my BBFL and she loved it! I'm so happy <3 and another sgt asked me to make her one in green, and even offered to pay for it! I probably won't let her, but whatever. I love making things for people.

I'm 14 blocks away from finishing a blanket I'm making for a good friend of mine, and I have 2 more projects lined up for after: A baby blanket for a guy in my unit whose girlfriend is having a baby, and then a lavender bunny blanket for Caelyn. I may do the bunny blanket first, since Easter is coming up first, and then the baby blanket since she is due I guess in June or July. I really really love making things for people :)

High and Low

I'm pretty sure I hit a personal low this morning. I wish I could quit the Army. I really do. It is the most negative thing in my life right now and I really wish I didn't have 2 years left of it. We have a PT test this weekend and I have been doing half assed work outs to "get ready" for it. Last week I realized I had less than 2 weeks left to "get ready" for it, and "decided" to step up my game. (insert laugh track). In truth, I have done nothing of the sort. I ran on the treadmill this morning (temps are still below freezing here) and I QUIT. I literally quit at about a mile and a half. I stopped the machine, stepped off, and that was it. I don't know how to fix my brain, I don't know how to make myself stop doubting myself. I can't even say exactly WHY I did what I did. All I know is that this is BAD, and it needs to STOP.

I've also hit a personal high this morning, but also not good: I have gained a pound a day over the last 3 days, putting my weight at an all time high (excluding pregnancy). I won't mention what it actually is, I'm a lady after all. I admit that I have been kinda pigging out, but I've pigged out before and have never seen this type of weighty reaction to it. I am dismayed and disappointed. I am hoping that with the [hopeful] onset of warmer weather soon that I'll be able to push myself easier to be more active (running outside is so much more satisfying than on a treadmill in the basement) more regularly (I really do feel good, physically, after I work out, it's just the starting thing I have so much trouble with, and now apparently the middle part of it).

I will also, in the next week or so, find a doctor and get myself a check up, because my PCOS may have some responsibility in the moodiness and weight gain. Hormones can be a real bitch, especially if they are not 'balanced.' In which case I may be able to come up with a more effective way in dealing with my issues than just wanting to sleep and without turning to semi-anorexic behavior. I'm no good at "dieting." In lieu of a diet, I generally just eat less. A LOT less. No motivation, no will power. Things need to change.

Has it been 2 weeks already??

I feel like I just blogged the other day, and when I looked at the date of the last one, it says February 16th. Really!?? Well, yeah, I guess yes really.

I had a long and tiring weekend down in the tri-state area. I left Thursday afternoon around 1:30pm (just as it was starting to snow), stopped in Maywood to gas up, then kept going and got to my aunt and uncle's house out on Long Island around 8:45pm. I will say this. After not having to drive around for two months, and even if I did have to drive it was a very short distance on empty local roads, it was a harrowing experience driving the highways from NJ Rt 17, Rt 80, I-95, Cross and Long Island Expressways. O.M.G. I was stiff when I finally got there just from being so tense!

I had a great visit and will definitely be stopping in again next time I have drill! Made it to Ft. Totten early before I had to report at 12 noon on Friday, did three hours of copying and filing, then retired to my hotel room, courtesy of the US Army, and just chilled. I got 3 blocks done of the blanket I'm STILL working on. Other than that, I seriously just sat around ALL night til I went to sleep. It felt incredibly good to be that lazy.

Saturday was a normal drill day, no news there, we got out late, almost 5pm, I went back to the hotel, showered, then followed Veronica to Queens College where I saw her (and her boyfriend!) perform in Postcards from Morocco. It was a bit avant garde for me, but I enjoyed it! By then it was late so I went back to the hotel (thank God for GPS otherwise I probably would have been lost in Queens, crying on a side street somewhere) and went to sleep after playing some Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.

Sunday was another 'normal' drill day. I did get to leave early on account of having a 6+ hr drive home (even though I wasn't driving home til Monday. Shhhh). But I only missed PT and the usual 40 minute closing formation, so it's not like I missed out on anything important. After I left Totten I went to pick up Caelyn from her dad's, and my goodness I was so happy to have her back! We stopped by the old apartment where I talked to the super for a good while, got to hug the boys next door, and Caelyn got to play outside with her friends for almost an hour before we headed over to Uncle Bill's. She really enjoyed that, and she was a trooper when we had to leave: no huge tantrums about "five more minutes" or anything like that; I was very proud of her!

My sister and her boyfriend came up to see us at Uncle Bill's, we got to give them their Christmas presents that Caelyn had picked out at the school holiday store! AND my sister made cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery cook book, and holy sugar they were a-mazing. The icing was a little too sweet for me, but the overall package was so so so tasty and beautiful with the pink icing and fancy shiny sprinkles and everything!

We went to sleep late and woke up early and left around 9am. We stopped to get bagels to bring home because we cannot get good bagels here. Fresh grocery store bagels are NOT the same as getting a bagel from a bagel shop in NJ or NYC. They taste so good! Anyway, we actually left at 9:15 after having stopped for the bagels and at the gas station. It was nasty rainy until we left NJ, then it was really foggy until we were north of Albany, then just drizzly til we hit the High Peaks rest area, where we saw the first flakes of snow. The roads weren't bad so I decided to chance going through the High Peaks instead of up through Plattsburgh. I love driving through the mountains and I'm more familiar with the roads, which were thankfully clear. Nothing but a little wet.

We got home safe and sound around 4:15pm and that was the end of our trip. Hooray! Home sweet home.

Back at Home

As the title states, I have made it back home after spending the last 2 weeks at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. I did start writing a play-by-play of sorts while I was there, but didn't get very far. I realized that there were certain things I want to talk about, and the every day stuff isn't really that important. I'm going to have to brainstorm a bit before I remember everything I wanted to put down in words, but for now I'll just give a brief overview of my trip, as exciting as it was .

Compared to our usual 319th chaos and mayhem, this AT went pretty smooth. There were no major blow outs or fights or planning errors. Of course there was the usual training schedule confusion (i.e. not having a training schedule), and the usual break-down of communication between the upper echelon and the lower enlisted, but overall there was very little to complain about. There was one instance at the very end, the last weekend we were there, where our "free day" happened but shouldn't have. In the 11 years I've been with the band, I have never witnessed our Chief  so upset. It culminated in an hour sectional rehearsal, about an hour MPT rehearsal, and then we went outside to have a marching band rehearsal which was held in the Commissary parking lot due to the fact that it was 10PM (or should I say 2200?) and it was the only area that was lit.

Other than that, though, like I already said, compared to our usual cluster, the entire trip was pretty smooth sailing. I'm sure individuals had their own personal gripes, but for me, I was ok with the whole experience. Our day off out in Oklahoma City was superb. I really enjoyed myself at the Oklahoma History Center and then the Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. We ended the day having the most fantastic meal at the Bricktown Brewery in Bricktown, Oklahoma City. I also enjoyed being the driver for the trip; I got to drive a 2011 Toyota Sienna and if I were in the market for a bigger car, that would probably be on my top 5 list. It was a fantastic drive, and it was nice to go fast through the flat countryside of OK. The speed limit averaged about 70mph!

That's all about the trip for now. I also just want to mention the upcoming Flash Fiction contest and the fact that I entered it. First round is August 13-15. Given a genre, location, and object. 1,000 word maximum. I can't wait to get my write on!

And one more thing.

Instead of editing and adding onto the other post (it's long enough to begin with), I'll just write a bonus one for y'all. (who?) I said goodbye to my baby at around 4:45 this evening. She stayed home with my parents while I was in Maine, which was ok, but I still missed her like crazy. It really breaks your heart when a conversation happens like this:

Me- I heard you saw some fireworks tonight.
Caelyn- Yeah!... But.. it was sad without you.

I was only gone a day at that point! But now she's gone with her dad while I'm in OK. I told her I'd call her as often as I could (sometimes I just get caught up in the mayhem and don't remember until too late at night). I am going to have to try really hard to keep myself busy. She's been super clingy lately, and wanting to go everywhere with me, so it will be very lonely without my little shadow around. But we will be able to spend the entire rest of the summer together. We just have to get through this little departure from each other and all will be well. But god, I am going to miss her like crazy. I know I said that already, and I usually try not to repeat myself on things like that, but I really am. Like Crazy. With a capital "C."

At any rate, I got a new Micro SD for the R4 card for my DS, hopefully will be able to put some decent games on it tonight, otherwise I have Pokemon Heart Gold to play. My yarn for crocheting, I'm bringing two books (The Hour of the Star and Moby Dick which I started reading last year in Kansas, but never picked up again after I got home) and my net book. All that, and the little bit of socializing I will do, should serve to keep me busy enough. I hope.

And NOW that's it. Peace out!

See you all in 2 weeks!

Ok, so on my last post I said that that may be my last one. Well, THIS is my last post for at least 2 weeks. I will be off and away to Ft. Sill, OK tomorrow morning with my illustrious Army Reserve unit. This most recent trip to Maine with them was actually more enjoyable than most other trips we've taken. We actually got free time to chill, and relax, and sleep! Sleeeeep...

After an 8 hour bus ride, could have been 9 or more but for some reason I stop keeping track of time when I'm with the 319th, we made it to the hotel. They tried to threaten us with a "practice" when we got there, but once we were there, room keys handed out, they set us free. Hooray! Me and Veronica went out and sat in the hot tub for about an hour, then made our way back up to our room, showered (not together!), and then slept. It was good!

Then there was a 0830 formation time; we got ready early enough to eat breakfast. Bowl of cereal and fruit-on-the-bottom pineapple yogurt. Hooray! (There will be many hoorays throughout this post. Just bear with me. There usually aren't that many in regards to a trip with the 319th). Then it was off to the park for our concert. We played, then got fed huge amounts of grilled chicken (and fries and cake). Then I looked around the park at all the other food vendors. Homemade apple crisp (with a wooden sign shaped like an apple core that said "You'll feel rotten to the core if you don't try some of our a-peel-ing crisp!"). Homemade ice cream. Funnel cakes. Cakes. Fresh squeezed lemon aide. I was stuffed full of chicken, but I HAD to try the ice cream. Just one scoop. SSG Gerber (such a gentleman) treated me and Veronica to a one-scoop cone. She got mint explosion, and I went with the black raspberry. SO GOOD! I did drip some on my uniform, but thank goodness for bleach stain remover pens!

Back to the hotel, where they gave us the entire rest of the evening off! Aside from dinner. Army pays up to $10 for a meal, so they bused us to Applebees. The move theater was right next door, so most of us were going to walk over for a movie after dinner and then cab back to the hotel (Yes, cab is now a verb). Me, Gerber, Veronica, and Azabache decided we wanted to try and make the 7:05 show of The Last Airbender. We asked the waitress how long it would take for the food to come out, we were the first ones sat so she said about 10 minutes. We check our watches. Good. That should be enough time. As we're sitting there waiting for our meals, we ask another dude how much movie tickets are, hoping they'd be cheaper than in NYC and surrounding area. He says, "$7 if you get them here, $9.50 if you get them over at the theater." What! They sell cheaper vouchers at Applebees, so we went for the deal, ate mad quick, and left before most everyone else even got their food. Loney joined us soon after we made it into the theater.

It was a good movie! I did not like the casting they did for Zuko or Iro, but I was able to live with the rest of the movie. It was reasonably acceptable, even having seen most of the cartoon episodes. We call for a cab to get back to the hotel (which cost all of $4), then Veronica says, "let's have dessert!" So we go in to Governor's, the little restaurant attached to the hotel, and ask for the dessert menu. HOLY COW. I ordered "The Dough Boy." Best dessert EVER. It was a pancake of fried dough (like a zepole), covered in hot fudge, vanilla ice cream, all layered with cinnamon and sugar. It was a little piece of heaven. And hell. All in one. I could not finish the monstrosity, although I tried my very hardest. It was sad leaving the last bit that I couldn't swallow. I was so full from chicken, and ice cream, and dinner at Applebees.... and then that. That hellishly heavenly dessert. I will definitely be looking forward to Governor's next year! Then we all chilled in Azabache's room and dude, his room had a freakin' fireplace! And a 40-in flat screen! We drank beer and chatted and just had a really good time hanging out.

The rest of the trip was ho-hum. We got to the parade 3 hours early (as per 310th M.O.), marched the parade, then got on the bus to head for home. OH WAIT. Yeah, not ho-hum. We stopped at Big G's Deli. They have the hugest sandwiches ever. I got a Reuben and sweet potato fries. The website does not do it justice; they should have actual pictures of their food there, but let's say it is the BEST Reuben I have ever had. I got a whole sandwich, stupidly, because I figured I could save half for the bus ride. No bueno. I was stuffed, once again, of delicious food. I should throw it out, because it sat through a 9 hr bus ride, but it's still sitting in my fridge because I do not have the heart to toss it. My mom will have to do it after I leave tomorrow.

And that is all. As the title says, See you all in two weeks!

My Graduate. And the coming weeks

Today my daughter graduated from Preschool. Yup. A Preschool graduation ceremony. And let me tell you, no matter how ridiculous you may think it is to celebrate graduating from preschool into Kindergarten, if you are at your kid's ceremony, you will have tears in your eyes. My baby had the first line: "Welcome to our Graduation!" They sang a series of songs, then walked off the stage, and came back on to Pomp and Circumstance in their powder blue cap and gowns!

She did so good, and stood still and everything! And if you knew my daughter, you'd understand why her standing still was such an achievement. After the ceremony they served pizza and cake and cookies and stuff. We had a nibble, then went home for a while before heading out to see Toy Story 3. I cried for that, too. Seriously, it was a weepy day all around for me!

As for this weekend, I will be dragged along to Maine with the good ol' 319th. Travel Friday. Do stuff Saturday. March a parade the morning of the 4th, then march off the parade line onto the bus to come home. What fun! Then Monday the 5th we will be packing equipment, and on the 6th I will be off to Oklahoma for 2 weeks. With no internet access. What would really be awesome is if the barracks had wi-fi or something, but I know we're gonna have some crap accommodations. As long as it isn't open bay, though, I guess I'll be ok. Then I have to decide if I want to bring my lap top, or just my net book. I brought my lap top with me last year and didn't really use it at all for anything I thought I would use it for (watching movies/playing games). I basically had it on to write. And I can do that on the net book and it's easier to carry. I guess that's settled.

Don't worry, though, I shall attempt to document all I can of my journeys and when I get back I'll have a bunch of posting to do. Not all at once. That would most likely be overwhelming. Maybe I'll do a series. "Chaos with the 319th, Installment 1."

That's all I really have to report for now. If I come up with something more exciting in the next 2 days I will be sure to share. So, blog readers (who?), I bid you adieu, au revoir, and all that good stuff, until I return on the 21st of July.

It's a GO!

Well, I passed!  That is the absolute best thing that has happened to me in a really long time. Here's how it went down:

Push ups - I had no fear of failing this part. I said I was going to do 25 and then stop, to save energy for the sit ups. Well, I did 25 no problem, but still had a minute left. I couldn't stop with a minute to go! So I did a few more. Then a few more... and wound up pushing out a total of 40 in the 2 minutes. I ALWAYS do that. Say I'm going to do x amount, then stop. Then I wind up pushing the whole 2 minutes. Oh well.

Sit ups - This one was a bit harder. I had been practicing, so I stuck to my routine. 3 sets of 10, alternating between middle, left, and right sides. Slower than I had planned, but the first 30 were no problem. Then I started on the 3 sets of 5, middle, left, right.  These went much slower than I had hoped, but I still had time left when I was done, and by then I had already passed. I did 3 more for a total of 48. Wahoo!

Run - After realizing that I had passed the sit up portion, I knew I really had to push on the run. When I had failed sit ups in the past, I felt no need to really try my hardest on the run due to the fact that one must pass all 3 portions for a "GO." Fail sit ups, the whole test is a fail, so why kill yourself, right? Anyway, after passing sit ups, I did my best to psych  myself up for the 2 miles ahead of me.

Like always, most everyone else pulled out ahead of me after they said "ready, GO!"  I was not surprised, but I wasn't worried like I usually am. I felt confident. I kept up my pace and didn't do any significant stretch of walking. The end of the first mile even came quicker than anticipated. I guess all my practicing did do some good! When he yelled out the time, 9:46, I was elated! Under 10 minutes was a milestone for me and I knew I could do it.

After passing the grouping of spray-painted markers on the ground saying 1/4 miles, I saw Sgt. Oglio running out I guessed to offer support to those just coming in to finish. When she reached me she said "18:34!" Holy shit, I thought, I'm almost there and I have 2 minutes left! At that moment I knew I had nothing to worry about. I did slow down and walk a bit, I said, "When I reach that lamp post where the road makes that last bend, I'm gonna go for it." And I did. The lamp post came up, and I hauled ass. As I came up over the crest for the last stretch, I heard Sgt. Gonzalez (and probably everyone else standing there) yelling at me. I sprinted over the line at 20:14! My PT test, for the first time in 11 years, was a legitimate "GO!"

Yay me!!

PT Test

For those who don't know (you know, those imaginary people that I imagine read this blog, or even know about it), I have been in the Army Reserves for almost 11 years now (actually, one month from Sunday will be 11 years), and have passed the physical training test a total of... 2 times. Ok, maybe 3.

The first time was at the end of Basic Training where you HAVE to pass to graduate. I may have passed about 3 years after that (again, it was so long ago, I'm not really sure if I ever did). And the third (possibly only second) time I passed was a few years ago (2007? Maybe?) and even then, I didn't REALLY pass... I missed the run time by about 20-30 seconds, so they gave me the extra seconds so I'd have a "GO" on my record.

Now, the nice thing about getting older in the Army is that one's standards gets less rigorous. Not by much, I'll grant you that, but it is awfully exciting to be able to say that you're in the next age bracket when it comes to how much you have to do. When I started, being in the age group 17-21, I had to run 2 miles in 18:54, do 19 push ups in 2 minutes, and 53 sit ups in 2 minutes. Now that I'm in the 27-31 age bracket, I get a whopping 20:30 to run 2 miles, have to do 17 push ups and only 45 sit ups.

That may not seem like it makes a huge difference, but trust me, it does. At least mentally.

Now that my unit is under a new command, they have been buckling down on our paperwork (hah), and our personnel files. Which means they have uploaded all the important stuff to the "system." Which means they (the people in charge) actually SEE who has been passing or failing PT tests. If you fail, your record gets "flagged." That's bad. Once you are flagged, you have a certain amount of time in which to retake the PT test, and pass. Or else.

Or else what, you ask? Well, for one, you can be kicked out of the army for not upholding the physical standards. That doesn't seem so bad for me, seeing as how this isn't really a career choice. BUT, they can also take back any awarded bonuses. By signing the contract, one is 'promising' to abide by all USAR standards, PT being one of them. Fail PT, and you may have to pay back that awesome re-enlistment bonus you got 3 years ago (and by "you" I really mean "me").  I have been working hard. I do NOT want to have to pay back $15,000 to the military, of which I only saw about $11K after it got taxed. That money is gone, as are my old student loans that it paid off.

For the past 2 days (today included) I have run the 2-mile within a passing time. Today just barely, but it was still passing! I have also been regularly knocking out 45 sit ups in a 2 minute time frame with no problems. Push ups I've never had a problem with, though I did practice those as well.

This is getting a little long, so I'll try to wrap this up.  The PT test is tomorrow, Saturday the 24th. I consider myself "on track" for passing. The only problem is having to get up at the ass-crack of dawn to go take it. I've been running about 4 hours after I wake up, after I've had breakfast, finished my coffee, worked a bit, etc. and THEN gone out. This cannot happen tomorrow morning unless I wake up at midnight and pretend that 5AM is really noon. SO, we shall see what happens.

I am confident, for once, about the sit up portion. I really do think I can pass that. The run, though I did run it under 20:30 the past 2 days, is another story. I am really going to have to push myself and ignore the fact that my legs will be tired. And the fact that I have a legion of blisters on my left heel.

Blogging, and Exercise

I have just entered a Sprint Premier contest. I had to write, in at least 150 words, what I'm really fast at. It is judged off originality, creativity, and humor. My entry was pretty lame, I won't even mention it here. BUT, it's always nice to think about actually being chose as a semi-finalist, which there will be 10 of. Each semi-finalist wins an HTC EVO and a year of free service. I can't remember if ALL semi-finalists have to do it (should have read the official rules better?) but then they have to blog about using the HTC Evo, and 4 semi-finalists will be chosen as Finalists, each will get to spend a long weekend vacation in a nice place (Vegas, Maui, can't remember the other two places), and blog about their vacation. People/readers vote on the "best" blog, and that finalist wins an extra $4,000. Sounds pretty sweet to me.

Not that I'm going to win, but hey, I definitely WON'T win if I don't enter. So I entered.

On a happy note, I have been "training" for the upcoming PT (physical training) test that is happening this Saturday the 24th. Today, for the first time in [years], I have managed to run a passing time on the 2-mile! I have ALSO been able to do a passing amount of sit ups (under 2 minutes) for the past week now.

Dare I say that I will finish with a GO this weekend? Oh yes, I dare!  I will run once more tomorrow. Every successive run I have done, I have been able to shave time off, so I'm looking at tomorrow being no different.  Even if I do only as good as I did today, I should still be golden for Saturday. What MAY trip me up is taking the test at a god-awful early hour, but I don't see that being too big of a problem if I can get a good night's sleep beforehand.

So here is what I will be doing for the next few days: Drink water. Eat dinner. Wake up, eat breakfast, drink water, take Caelyn to daycare, RUN. Drink more water. Eat lunch. Eat dinner. Go to sleep early[er]. Wake up, drink water. Eat breakfast. Drive to Ft. Totten. Take PT test. PASS PT test. Celebrate!