Whoa man, kids. It's been a while since I just rambled on about nothing in particular (just kidding, that's what most of my blogs are). So here are some rambles.
1) I have taken up skiing. I really like it, especially because I'm picking it up quickly. Gone are the days of the pizza slice...mostly. And so far, I've survived some pretty terrific falls. Cartwheels down the mountain, really. Friday night's trip involved doing the splits and a lot of the f-word and then also a wild cartwheel that involved my friends asking if I was okay mid-tumble and me not realizing I wasn't done.
Friends: "Are you okay?!"
Me: "I'm okay!" *More tumbling* *pause* "Yeah I'm okay"
*extended hysterical laughter*
But overall I'm proud of this because I've wanted to do this for a long time and I finally just did it. By myself.
2) I have a boyfriend. His name is Peter and he's absolutely the most amazing thing ever. Bahahahahahah. Just kidding. I thought I would throw that in there for kicks and giggles and shock factor.
3) I talked to one of my friends from my Costa Rica program and re-triggered my wanderlust. For various reasons, I have deemed it wiser to stay here close to my family for the time being and into the summer. I've looked into various programs abroad, organic farming internships in the U.S., and none of them seem to suit my boat. And I reflect on all the tests I took and find-yourself classes I sat through and wonder why it's so difficult for me to find the next place I want to adventure to. Of course, there's no "right answer" but maybe I'm being too picky. I know I'd like to transition into a program. a) this is a greater opportunity for community/antidote for loneliness for people new to the area. b) I'd rather move with someone, but this gets a little risky as moving to a totally new place and knowing one person puts a big strain on the relationship. c) I'd like to find a low-strings attached type job where I can go and do it for a while, help people, and be in a new part of the world, but these jobs usually don't pay very much. So you go to a brand-new place without having the funds to explore it/pay off the car you will probably have to buy to get there in the first place.
Anne, Alli, and I talked about moving to Vermont and everything was looking good until I realized that sunny days per year is only 58. Even less than Portland. Yikes. These are the things that occupy my thoughts these days. That and how there is an overwhelming amount of good music out there that is not on my computer.
Word to your mother.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
Best Excuse Yet
Me: Hey! So-and-so. Who gave you permission to be in this room?
Student: No one, I just came in.
Me: Okay, you need to pull some cards.
Student: I am allowed to be in here!
Me: And why's that?
Student: Because[obviously frantically searching for a reason. Then, with sweeping arm motion and dead-serious face] I am the President!
Student: No one, I just came in.
Me: Okay, you need to pull some cards.
Student: I am allowed to be in here!
Me: And why's that?
Student: Because[obviously frantically searching for a reason. Then, with sweeping arm motion and dead-serious face] I am the President!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Anatomy, anyone?
1) That last post was 111. It will be a long time before I hit unanimous triple digits again.
2) This blog's story contains profanity, so if you're queasy, don't read.
3)
Me to one of the little guys at work: "Trevor", you need to take a shower, please.
"Trevor" [heated arguing, yelling, etc., ending with] NO!
Me: I notice that you're getting pretty upset, what do you need to do to get a lower energy level?
"Trevor": I'm not GONNA calm down because YOU are just pissing the fuck out of me!
Me [adopting a very solemn, concerned face] Oh no Trevor. That sounds painful. I think you'd better go to the bathroom, then.
"Trevor" [staring at me dumbfoundedly as the light begins to dawn] [Slaps forehead] Oh Ms. Kate. Oh my god. Oh sheesh. [laughter and general sheepishness.]
2) This blog's story contains profanity, so if you're queasy, don't read.
3)
Me to one of the little guys at work: "Trevor", you need to take a shower, please.
"Trevor" [heated arguing, yelling, etc., ending with] NO!
Me: I notice that you're getting pretty upset, what do you need to do to get a lower energy level?
"Trevor": I'm not GONNA calm down because YOU are just pissing the fuck out of me!
Me [adopting a very solemn, concerned face] Oh no Trevor. That sounds painful. I think you'd better go to the bathroom, then.
"Trevor" [staring at me dumbfoundedly as the light begins to dawn] [Slaps forehead] Oh Ms. Kate. Oh my god. Oh sheesh. [laughter and general sheepishness.]
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Antsy
When I go to sign into my blog and Firefox doesn't autocomplete the address, I know it's time for a new post.
So, running with my vibram five fingers has been going well and I can now run on concrete with no problem. The only problem comes from reverting back to old tennis shoes or thinking I can take on the world without checking to see if my muscles are on board. As a result of some misunderstandings between various muscles/ligaments and I, I have a relatively bitter knee and foot, but now that the Farm Man 5K is over, I'm taking a month off from running to heal up and hopefully start running properly again someday. Speaking of the Farm Man, it was a 5K with obstacle course that Team Running (which I have decided to call Anne, Kyla, Teresa, and I since we do these things together) went to. It was pretty fun and I organized a group of boys/staff from work to go, and I liked having them there. It was nice to be the me that I am outside of work and not have to worry about whether we had everyone or not.
All this to say that I do all my physical activity that isn't in the rain or on gravel in my fivefingers. This, in turn, has made me an instant spokesperson for the shoe and I regularly get stopped and questioned by total strangers. Anne says this is good for my social skills. I say this is good for Vibram.
Also in the world of fitness, a few thoughts on the elderly at the gym. They are hilarious. First, the apparel. My experience is that there is no middle ground. They either come in dressed exactly how they would for casual Friday: jeans, button up shirts, etc., or they are dressed from head to toe in very serious workout gear. Such as the matching track suits with coordinating stripes, the sweatband on forehead and wrist. In surprising numbers, they kick my butt in many ways, from the treadmill to the weight-lifting class.
My renewed favorite thing to do is what I call "dragon biking." It's an exercise bike with a computerized screen that shows you an pretend course and adjusts the difficulty to correspond with the picture of whatever terrain you're biking on. Well, it also has a feature called "chases" where you bike around trying to get certain colored coins and then catch the dragon that matches. It sounds easy until you realize that some dragons are stationed on top of pyramids and you have to bike to them. I tried to convince Kyla to come with me to do this, but until I explained the concept thoroughly she thought I would be dragging her to an actual class where the instructor shouted mythical commands like, "PEDAL FASTER! DRAGON AHEAD! GET THAT DRAGON!" You understand why we are friends.
Team Ingrid (apparently I now refer to all groups of people in teams) went to renew our love of Ms. Michaelson, who did not disappoint, as usual. Guggenheim Grotto opened and I'm glad they did! Although the teenyboppers behind us were unable to understand their Irish accent and loudly told them so, they had some good stuff to perform.
I'll end this long, kind of boring blog with a quote from work.
[Student with limited social skills has returned from a home visit. I am in the med cart dispensing meds. Student is known to be funny at times, awkward at others.]
Student: Ms. Kate, wanna know where I've been?
Me (thinking he'll tell me about his home visit stops): For sure!
Student (attempts some sort of catwalk strut): I been bringin' sexy back.
P.S. I'm ready for an adventure.
So, running with my vibram five fingers has been going well and I can now run on concrete with no problem. The only problem comes from reverting back to old tennis shoes or thinking I can take on the world without checking to see if my muscles are on board. As a result of some misunderstandings between various muscles/ligaments and I, I have a relatively bitter knee and foot, but now that the Farm Man 5K is over, I'm taking a month off from running to heal up and hopefully start running properly again someday. Speaking of the Farm Man, it was a 5K with obstacle course that Team Running (which I have decided to call Anne, Kyla, Teresa, and I since we do these things together) went to. It was pretty fun and I organized a group of boys/staff from work to go, and I liked having them there. It was nice to be the me that I am outside of work and not have to worry about whether we had everyone or not.
All this to say that I do all my physical activity that isn't in the rain or on gravel in my fivefingers. This, in turn, has made me an instant spokesperson for the shoe and I regularly get stopped and questioned by total strangers. Anne says this is good for my social skills. I say this is good for Vibram.
Also in the world of fitness, a few thoughts on the elderly at the gym. They are hilarious. First, the apparel. My experience is that there is no middle ground. They either come in dressed exactly how they would for casual Friday: jeans, button up shirts, etc., or they are dressed from head to toe in very serious workout gear. Such as the matching track suits with coordinating stripes, the sweatband on forehead and wrist. In surprising numbers, they kick my butt in many ways, from the treadmill to the weight-lifting class.
My renewed favorite thing to do is what I call "dragon biking." It's an exercise bike with a computerized screen that shows you an pretend course and adjusts the difficulty to correspond with the picture of whatever terrain you're biking on. Well, it also has a feature called "chases" where you bike around trying to get certain colored coins and then catch the dragon that matches. It sounds easy until you realize that some dragons are stationed on top of pyramids and you have to bike to them. I tried to convince Kyla to come with me to do this, but until I explained the concept thoroughly she thought I would be dragging her to an actual class where the instructor shouted mythical commands like, "PEDAL FASTER! DRAGON AHEAD! GET THAT DRAGON!" You understand why we are friends.
Team Ingrid (apparently I now refer to all groups of people in teams) went to renew our love of Ms. Michaelson, who did not disappoint, as usual. Guggenheim Grotto opened and I'm glad they did! Although the teenyboppers behind us were unable to understand their Irish accent and loudly told them so, they had some good stuff to perform.
I'll end this long, kind of boring blog with a quote from work.
[Student with limited social skills has returned from a home visit. I am in the med cart dispensing meds. Student is known to be funny at times, awkward at others.]
Student: Ms. Kate, wanna know where I've been?
Me (thinking he'll tell me about his home visit stops): For sure!
Student (attempts some sort of catwalk strut): I been bringin' sexy back.
P.S. I'm ready for an adventure.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Adventuring
I miss adventuring. Specifically the type that involves other countries and languages, particularly Spanish. I miss the type of people who live adventuring lifestyles. I've been home for a year and a half now...the longest I've lived in the country in 3ish years and the longest I've stayed in this particular area since...2005 I think. I've been antsy for a while and the feeling definitely didn't go a way.
But there are a lot of reasons to stay put for a little while longer, at least. Like major surgeries for people I know or major graduations, and lots of people I care about being here. But after that, well. Since I have no particular life direction, I suppose I will just start looking until I find a job that sounds amazing and then go there.
In an effort to control myself from spontaneously boarding a plane, I decided to catapult into the sky. This is a real thing. You can do this at Lagoon. Youtube the following terms: Catapult at Lagoon, Skycoaster at Lagoon, and Wicked at Lagoon. I did all this and more. I must say, I never thought I would launch into the sky (enormous swing was in the realm of possibilities), but catapulting was very worth it. I can also say that I have never heard Kyla scream like that (or anyone, except in horror films), but we were both very brave.
Interesting notes about the Lagoon adventure park trip:
-I found a sock in my pants about an hour into the park day. It was from the day before and had hidden there. It was a good sock, so I stuffed it in my back pocket.
-While swinging several hundred feet on the enormous swing, a bug flew in my mouth mid-WOW! When you are going that fast, there is no getting the bug back out because he is plastered to the back of your throat.
-Utah is prettier while hanging upside down.
But there are a lot of reasons to stay put for a little while longer, at least. Like major surgeries for people I know or major graduations, and lots of people I care about being here. But after that, well. Since I have no particular life direction, I suppose I will just start looking until I find a job that sounds amazing and then go there.
In an effort to control myself from spontaneously boarding a plane, I decided to catapult into the sky. This is a real thing. You can do this at Lagoon. Youtube the following terms: Catapult at Lagoon, Skycoaster at Lagoon, and Wicked at Lagoon. I did all this and more. I must say, I never thought I would launch into the sky (enormous swing was in the realm of possibilities), but catapulting was very worth it. I can also say that I have never heard Kyla scream like that (or anyone, except in horror films), but we were both very brave.
Interesting notes about the Lagoon adventure park trip:
-I found a sock in my pants about an hour into the park day. It was from the day before and had hidden there. It was a good sock, so I stuffed it in my back pocket.
-While swinging several hundred feet on the enormous swing, a bug flew in my mouth mid-WOW! When you are going that fast, there is no getting the bug back out because he is plastered to the back of your throat.
-Utah is prettier while hanging upside down.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Medical Mysteries
"Omar": MISS KATE! I lost my orthotics [a sole insert for bad feet] and my feet hurt!
Me: I bet they do! I have a friend who wears those and when she doesn't, or they get worn down, her back gets all out of alignment and her muscles really hurt and--
Omar: --and I get pinkeye sometimes.
Me: Bahaha. No. You do not get pinkeye from not wearing your orthotics.
Omar: [resignedly and matter-of-factly] Yes, Ms. Kate, it's just one of those things.
Me: I bet they do! I have a friend who wears those and when she doesn't, or they get worn down, her back gets all out of alignment and her muscles really hurt and--
Omar: --and I get pinkeye sometimes.
Me: Bahaha. No. You do not get pinkeye from not wearing your orthotics.
Omar: [resignedly and matter-of-factly] Yes, Ms. Kate, it's just one of those things.
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