Plotting My Return...

Update on the horizon.

Cube Fever...

I am a little distracted today. Seattle is in full fledged "disaster relief" mode. Which, for those not familiar with the Pacific Northwest mindset, means that it has finally reached temperatures worthy of summer status and the pastey Seattle-ites are already praying for a swift return of gray clouds and rain. Being a newcomer to the Emerald City I am finding this change of climate incredibly encouraging and exciting. So, seeing this current weather report...
I am asking myself what on earth I am doing sitting in one of these...

Instead of packing a picnic, throwing on a summer a dress, heading to the beach, and reliving a little piece of this....

{Thanks Katie for pictures!}

I have 45 minutes left and I am really trying to be productive. Reviewing my notes from this morning's staff meeting I found a handout on the Theory of Gerotranscendence which its creator hails as a "path toward widsom in old age". When we discussed it this morning I thought, "I may only be 25 but I'm sure I could start working on my gerotranscendence now... in no time the Dalai Lama will be g-chatting me for advice!" I started off by reading the list entitled "Signs of gerotranscendence". I think I have made impressive strides already as many item are checked off, however there is one that is making me question my decision to remain seated at my desk (no matter how comfortable my new office chair is). This one in particular is serving as great inspiration to free myself from the shackles of employment:

"More spontaneity. You gladly ignore unnecessary social rules and etiquette... Old habits, routines, and principles no longer seem as important."

After reading this my inner old lady is yelling with wisdom "Get up and get ye' to a beach". I am so incredibly tempted if only my retirement fund had more than $50 to its name. It seems that waiting until I reach the "gero" portion of my "gerotranscendence" to dip into it might be prudent.

Oh prudence! You get me everytime. It looks like my beach time remains relegated to evenings and weekends.

I'm Sorry But...

Today is slow and I am finding it difficult not just to be productive but to figure out what it is exactly I need to produce. I have mostly given up and so instead will share the following with you:

1)During lunch I stumbled across Cassie Boorn's "20-Something Self Letters". Cassie came up with the idea to ask women to write letters of encouragement, praise, and advice to themselves as they were in their 20s. Some of them are really touching (i.e. I was sitting at my desk with tears welling in my eyes) and, even better, some were incredibly encouraging. The hardest part of being an old lady in training is that while I have many of the mannerisms of an old woman I am distinctly lacking when it comes to the wisdom that accompanies old age. What I wouldn't give to go home, check my mail box, and find a letter from 80 year old me saying "chill out 'cause it's gonna be just fine".


2) After reading these letters I was going through random pictures I had saved on my hard drive and came across this little gem. Now I am sitting here trying to contain the nearly uncontainable laughter that "Riley the Smiling Dog" induces.

{thank you telegraph for making my day!}

Happy Friday. Happy Fourth of July. And Happy Birthday to You!

Fresno: Making Dreams Come True??

24 days from today, if everything goes according to plan, I will be an official finisher of the San Francisco Marathon. Of course a huge part of me decided to run a marathon to challenge myself, learn about hard work and dedication, and prove to myself that things I think are impossible can be achieved one step at a time. The other part of me, however, thought that a marathon would be a fantastic excuse for a trip and where better to travel then one of my favorite places San Francisco. My excitement for the trip has been mounting. I will see family and friends all the while achieving something pretty cool. However, today while digitally perusing some pictures from my March trip to the Bay Area, I started to feel a little resentful towards the 26.2 mile jog that's bringing me down to my city by the bay for the weekend. With all of the carb loading, resting, and nearly 5 hours of running how on earth am I going to be able to go shopping? This resentment turned into panic as I looked at pictures from the Alemany Flea Market in Bernal Heights that I had taken and I saw objects that I CLEARLY should have purchased at the time but didn't and now during this trip I will not be able to go back!

With less than a month left until the marathon it is hardly the time for me and my dream (running 26.2 miles) to come into conflict. There will be more trips to SF and there will be more flea markets. I let it go.

A few hours later though I started to think about the recently planned trip to Fresno I'm taking the weekend after this one. What will I do while I'm down there? A run. Reading by the pool. Watching my parent's cable. Eating. After naming all of these activies that I am absolutely and immensely looking forward to I remembered an INCREDIBLE thrift store in Fresno's Tower District with an even more incredible name -- Yoshi Now! And the great thing about this store is that it's not simply incredible by comparison. What I mean by that is this: Fresno, for me, is a little less than alluring. When I am there for too long I get frustrated, antsy, and, I'll say it, downright cranky. Anything even slightly interesting can easily be labeled as extraordinary when you're that desperate for something new. Yoshi Now! is not only exceptional for Fresno but it would be exceptional anywhere and in this respect Fresno has a leg up on Seattle. It is a treasure trove of the finest quality because it's huge, chalk full, and CHEAP!!!!

I hope they ship because a week from now I'm on my way!

A Needed Breather...

It's been a rough day at work. Cases that are more complicated and emotionally draining than I have dealt with before seem to be pouring in and I can feel my mind shutting down in an effort to block the experience before it reaches my heart. I have been pretty good about leaving emotionally distressing experiences in my cubicle when I go home at night but today after a client said, "Amanda, what has happened to this planet? How did it get so out of control out there?" I know some serious distractions will be in order to keep my mind off the woe's of the world. My concern is that I am going to seek out these distractions by way of J. Crew, Nordstrom, or Anthropologie. Especially when this long coveted gem is on sale:

{www.jcrew.com}

Knowing that my shopping allowance has been spent I am trying to focus on my other distractions that are ultimately more fulfilling and far less guilt inducing. First up bingo-karoake at the Greenwood Senior Center (so much rowdier than it seems) followed by a trip to fair Canada for a weekend of friends and 13.1miles of running fun.

Hope everyone has a happy, relaxing, and rejuvinating weekend.

OLIT

Gotta Blame it on Something...

It has been 12 days since my last post and I know that this is unacceptable. I try to take responsibility for my wrong doings, I really do, but today as I come to my dear readers in an attempted act of contrition apologetic words escape me. Instead of "please forgive me" all I can hear repeating over and over in my head are the wise words of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus (or Mili Vanilli for those of you not in the know). These words, a pet maxim of mine, are "... whatever you do, don't put the blame on you. Blame it on the rain."

When I moved to Seattle in the summer of 2009 I was well aware of the city's gloomy reputation but always being one to give the benefit of the doubt I ignored warning and dove in with abounding optimistism about our future togheter. Who needs the sun? Rain boots are hot!

A year later I can honestly say that my time here has been filled with bliss. The only real issues to have arisen stem from the shoddy roads, terrible infrastructure, and clueless motorists that plague the streets rather than the damp climate and my new vitamin D difficiency. But even saints have their limits and these past few weeks known around here as "June-uary" have really taken its toll and left me feeling miserable. It is a drizzle induced despondency that not even a good cathartic cry during Toy Story 3 could ease. Finally today the sun has emerged and we are promised a high of 72 degrees! But instead of sighing with relief and allowing the healing to begin I am filled with panic. Tomorrow we're probably right back where we were yesterday (which was a summer solstice with no sun!!) and so what am I doing inside? I must immediately go hiking, running, kayaking, and sun bathing (these white legs are surely not helping my quest to fight off old maid status!!). At any moment these rays of warmth will disappear indefinitely!




I know I am not alone in these feelings of gloom, doom, and subsequent anxiety. I suppose at some point I will have to weigh out the mental taxation of the weather against my own love of the city and decide "do I stay or do I go"? Until then I must admit that it is nice to have a scape goat in common with the majority of Seattle-ites. Tomorrow when once again I am feeling lathargic, angsty, and self-pitying all at once and someone says "Hey. What's wrong with you?" it's comforting to know that all I need to do is cast a finger towards the sky and say "I'm sorry. It's not me, it's the rain." And the thing about this particular scape goat is that "the rain don't mind and the rain don't care. You gotta blame it on something. So blame it on the rain."

Beer Me!

One of the best things about living on top of this hill...

Is a view like this...


And a great thing about riding your bike while living on a hill like this is the thrill of going down it. Unfortunately what goes down must come up again if she wants to get home to devour her roommate's homemade fajitas. And this is the biggest drawback I have found to living atop this handsome hill...

I was recently gifted a hand-me-down bike and it was not until today that I had the time (and the helmet) to get out there and try it out. I had been renting hybrid bicycles from a local bike shop and these bikes had been dreamy. When I moved to Seattle I brought with me my beautiful, apple red, Schwinn beach cruiser (named Harvey, thank you very much). Unfortunately, after being tied to the roof of my sport utility wagon, Harvey is a little worse for the ware and his 3 speeds are not quite enough to get me around Seattle. The bike that I was gifted is a hybrid bike similar to the ones I had been renting. The big difference? My hybrid bike has a distinct lack of upkeep but a definite excess of rust. But I figured since it's a hybrid it will ride with the same ease that the rental did. Oh ho ho! What a foolhardy little troll I can be! With confidence in my "new" bike I decided I would make its inaugural ride's destinatation be Magnolia. To my non Seattle-ite readers this means ALL the way down the west side of the hill across a bridge and then TADA another hill to ride UP! Well getting to Magnolia was not a problem but once I was I came to find out that my new friend is prone to making mountains out of mole hills. The slightest incline felt like a spinning class from hell. Shins, hammies, and lungs were burning! Defeated, I turned around. Back at the base of Queen Anne I had a mountain to ascend. The bike, currently nameless, and I had an awkward and silent (I use silent loosely as the huffing and puffing were defeaning) walk up the hill. Now sitting here in my apartment, sweating something fierce, and doubting my level of fitness (I ran 16 miles on Saturday for goodness sake but this nearly killed me?? How can it be?) I am craving a cold one to soothe the aches and bruised ego. Me and Mr. Nameless Bike are not on the best of terms. Perhaps once the wheezing subsides we'll be on speaking terms again, but I don't think I will be taking him down the hill until he decides to get a major tune up!

Exhausted,
OLIT