Thursday, July 30, 2015

Four More Things: Day 6



1.  Take Teh Granny on a cruise to Alaska.  STAT.

(source)


2.  Invest a significant amount of those dollas.



3.  Take that trip to Europe I've always dreamed about.


(source)

4.  Go dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

(source)

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Confessions {7/29}

-I figured that one day in the future, I might have sex again and I should invest in some condoms.  Ya know, thinking like a smart, safety-conscious, adult.  I went to Amazon because free shipping and straight to my door.  I searched condoms and Amazon was quite pushy with their economy size packages.  No Amazon, I just need the "I might get laid at some point before these expire" pack, not the "FUCKING FOR DAYZZZZ" pack.  Jesus.  But then there was this bad boy.  I felt violated.  (That link might not be safe for work, if you care about things like that.. unlike me).  #YouCanFindAnythingOnTheInternet #woah

-Apparently this is the week the creepers are popping up on the online dating front.  I've gotten these gems this week (from all different dudes):

Dude: Is your mind as dirty as your mouth?
Me: Often.
Dude: My kind of gal ;)  I have to ask, you're not into anything weird are you?
Me: I'm not really sure what that means.
Dude: I met a chick that was into some really freaky stuff.
Me: If you're asking me about freaky bedroom stuff, it's already going to fast for me.
#downboy

Dude: I would hug a cactus then swim thru shark infested salt water to the arctic to do battle with an angry mother polar bear on a 2x2 foot iceberg for the chance to share a spaghetti dinner with you on a webcam over a dial up connection.
Me: haha, but what if it was just spaghetti-os?
Dude: hahaha... I come up with the most random stuff, comes in handy when writing papers for classes lol. Basically, the more we talk the higher your standards will be raised, and I don't know if that's healthy. I have a bad effect, if you get to know me more everybody else will seem bland and boring, and you'll get "the hunger" that won't be filled unless you get your fix of me. You have had your opportunity to turn around now without taking the red pill and finding out things you might wish you could've been left without. Ignorance can be bliss, and I'm the wake up call, you sure you can handle that?
Me: I can't tell if that is a horrible innuendo gone wrong, you're serious, or completely insane, but I'm intrigued, none the less... and not just because there was a Matrix reference all that.
Dude: haha... Also I was thinking bodies like mine were meant to be on top of bodies like yours, but I'm a pretty lazy guy so you're going to have to be on top sometimes.
#yepno

Dude: What are you up to?
Me: Just finished lunch with coworkers.
Dude: Thanks for the invite.
Me: Our quad does tasty Tuesday. We're an elite group who give no fucks about snubbing the rest of our coworkers.
Dude: You curse like a pirate too! Do you f@#$ like one too? hahaha jk!
#jknotjk

To all of these douchebags: #byefelicia

-My favorite conversations with strangers have included:
+The greatness of Cookout milkshakes
+Singing to Disney movies as a child and it being a staple of our childhoods
+Where to find cannolis
#easilyamused

-Miss Reflective is coming to see me!!!  #cuegirlyscreams

-After my super busy weekend, sitting at home on Monday afternoon (since I worked from home after lunch) made me stir crazy.  AND it was a rest day, so no running.  #whoamI

-I bought 4 pairs of new running shoes Tuesday night.  I'm planning on returning 3 pairs.  #CreditCardsRock

-In a (dog) blog I read, she referenced her readers as "Gentle Readers" and I was THRILLED.  Too bad she never responds to comments.... :(  #yunorespond

-This is probably the latest my confessions have ever been posted.  This is what happens when this post isn't mostly complete by Tuesday night.   #bloggerprobs






Linking up with:
Life with Lolo
Hodges Podge

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Training for Tuesday #2

Yes, another link-up.  Meh, my blog, don't care.  I find motivation where I can.  You're welcome.

I'm trying to focus on my workouts and make them a priority in my life.  I have several races on the schedule for the rest of 2015 (and hopefully early 2016) and I need to get on properly training.  But a bigger motivation is that since October 2014 (when I moved to SC), I've watched the scale steadily rise while my pants got progressively tighter...  It was time for a change and Teh Blog and Gentle Readers are an invisible force that hold me accountable for my actions (which blows my mind almost as much as it probably blew yours).  I'm also sharing these goals with you so I can SEE what I'm preparing for, which helps me soooo much!

alyssagoesbang

Upcoming events:
16 August 2015: Ramblin' Rose Triathalon in Winston-Salem, NC
20 September 2015: Navy-Air Force Half Marathon in Washington, D.C.
14 November 2015: Sweet Tea Half in Summerville, SC
18-21 February 2016: Glass Slipper Challenge weekend + 5k in Orlando, FL (Disney World)
02 April 2016: Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC


July's Goals:

-Seriously, get a bike.
-Seriously, do some laps at the pool. (Complete fail)
-Keep runnin'.
-Don't get hurt/die of heat stroke.
-Keep the scale dropping not rising.
-Possibly try out the Air Force Base (AFB from here on out) gym/pool since it will be closer than the base gym I was going to pre-move.
-Depending on the AFB gym situation/my inconvenience, possibly join Planet Fitness since there is one near the outlets, which would be on my way home.  The kicker would be if they have classes.  I really miss workout classes.

4 out of 7 isn't sooo bad.

Accomplishments:

I actually got Monty (the new bicycle (I can't just say bike because Mike Wazowski)) the day before the last TT post went live, but I wasn't going to change my entire draft when I could just share it in a sweaty sunday post or tell you about it now.  Anyways, I've ridden it all of ONCE, because excuses.  And also because the one time I did ride it for .75 miles, the seat hurt my ass in an unbelievable way and the tires were going flat.  Beginner's luck?

I have NOT been in the pool.  If I'm completely honest, I probably won't get in a pool until the tri.  This is probably a VERY, VERY bad idea.  The last time I swam was April 2014.  From what Tracy has warned me about though, it could be a good thing, because if I'm not practiced, I'll be slower, which could be helpful since pool swimming means swimming in the same lane with other people...  From swimming in high school, that shit sucks.  We'll see what happens.

I moved back to doing PM runs.  90+% humidity in the AM was killing me.  Feeling like I'm unable to get a full breath was slowing me down significantly.  I've also gotten a sub-10 minute pace on a few runs and that makes me unbearably proud.  Because I've been training/running, going to the gym wasn't as high on my list as it had been.  I was going to the gym before because runs were optional.  That is no longer the case.  I'm on a training plan through the end of February and even after that I'll probably stick with some minimal miles since the Bridge Run is the beginning of April.  Granted 6 miles won't be a drop in the bucket compared to 20+ miles in one weekend, but it's always painful to start again after a break.

This means that I didn't bother to join a gym or go by the AFB gym.  Also, traffic is a beast from work to the base, so it's really not worth the frustration to go to base, when I could just pay the $10 a month and go to Planet Fitness on the way home or drop more dollars and find another gym to go to for classes if I still really want it.

Finally, the scale has continued to drop.  If you read my last Sweaty Sunday post, you know that I'm down almost 10 lbs since I moved to the new house!!!  Part of it is a serious change in eating habits (I no longer feel obligated to eat a huge dinner since I'm on my own), part of it is longer runs.  I'm happy nonetheless.  5-10 more pounds and I'll be a happy camper.


I also made my RunKeeper data public, so now I can be stalked in yet another way.  I did make the maps private though, because.. well.. I don't want to be THAT kind of stalked.  So if you're a RunKeeper user, be my friend!

August's Goals:

~Acquire new running shoes (uggggghhhh)
~Triathlon!!!
~Continue training for the 1/2 marathon
~Ride Monty
     ~Put Monty's new seat cushion on and pump up his tires with my handy dandy air pump.
~Make a hotel reservation in Winston-Salem for Teh MD Adult Roomie and I... (I swear I'll get this done, if you're reading this.. I did at least make the Disney reservation (and picked our our Magic Band colors)!!)
~Don't die in the heat
~Maybe run the bridge if I can motivate myself to get there.  If a stranger suggested that as a first date, I'd be all over it!







Linking up with Alyssa and Tracy!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Weekend Review {7/27}

FRIDAY

I was out of work by 1330 on Friday, which was most excellent.  Instead of heading straight home for a nap, I headed out to town to do some mattress shopping.  After 3 stores, I finally found one AND they were the only store with free delivery (woot)!  I originally schedule the delivery for Saturday, but when they called later to tell me it would be between 11-2, I pushed it until Monday since I didn't want to have to rearrange the ride I had planned with Mr. Scrooge on Saturday.

After the mattress shopping, I came home and hung out with the dogs and napped.  I had a date with a stranger* at Wild Blue Ropes, which is kinda like a suspended rope obstacle course type thing.  Mr. Scrooge and I had seen it one of the very first times we went to brunch and we thought it was for kids, so I never really put any more thought into it.  But after the dude suggested go-karts, I figured I'd look up other activities to do around the area and this place came up and was highly recommended for all ages.





IT WAS AMAZING.  Seriously.  The date was also good, this guy will be deemed Ginger Beard if he sticks around long enough for more stories to be told about him.  His selfie game wasn't as on point as mine, but he gets extra points for whipping out his phone and getting photos of me.  No one ever does that!  After the fun activity, we went to a restaurant called DD Pecker's (not my choice), but the food was pretty good, even if the live music was a bit too loud for the lack of crowd.  It was WAAAYYYY past my bedtime when I got home and I still had to shower.

Then Meri got sick around 2am and I got to clean that up.  Good times were had by all.




SATURDAY

I messaged Mr. Scrooge and asked to push back our ride an hour since I woke up with a headache.  Thankfully, he agreed.  After feeding the beasts, I went back to bed.  I got up and skipped the shower since I had taken one before crashing and my hair was going to look like ass no matter what since helmet-head.  I headed over to Mr. Scrooge's house (still a bit weird) and we set off and turned around because Clifford wasn't "right."  I provided the assist when Mr. Scrooge needed help but mostly just surfed FB/Instagram while he was fixing Clifford.

Finally, we set out for the national forest... and we got pulled over for speeding.  Actually, Mr. Scrooge got pulled over for speeding, which was strange, but I was grateful it wasn't me since I didn't have my insurance/registration paperwork on me.  Megan faaaaaaaiiillll.  The cop gave Mr. Scrooge an out of the ticket, which might be a pain in the ass, but will probably be worth the hassle instead of having to deal with the insurance hike 2 points on his license would cost him.  It sucks all the way around and I feel pretty bad for him.

no bueno.

Finally, we finished our trek to the forest.  Before I said it wasn't overly fun.  This time, I had more fun.  Mr. Scrooge and I did the curvy part of the road 3x, so I could get some curve practice in.  Then we headed downtown for lunch at Co, that delicious Asian place we found a while ago.

Noooooooooooooommmmmm

People were being fucking morons.  So many people almost pulled out in front of us and other general horrible Charleston/SC driver-isms.  It was pretty scary.  Part of me was quite glad to be off the road.  That and the hangar hit me all at once right as we were driving downtown and I killed Mike and all the people were in the way and we couldn't find parking and then we needed change!  Disastrous!  Getting food in my belly made me happy.

Mr. Scrooge came over to see Meri and Phil after lunch (and because I had leftovers that I asked him to put in his backpack).  He actually offered to take them on a walk and I wasn't going to turn down that gift.  While they were gone, I laid down and napped.  Mr. Scrooge came back and chatted with me for a bit before finally heading home.  I napped more and was generally lazy.

I was supposed to go out with a stranger on Sat. evening, but I had messaged him at lunch and said I might take a rain check since I was tired from the ride.  He expressed how sad he was because he really wanted to meet me, which kinda guilted me into going later.  I messaged him at 5 to see if he'd be available by 6.  I wanted to ride Mike, which meant I couldn't really be out past dark since the gauge lights still don't work (or the horn).  He was, so we met at Juanitas in Mount Pleasant.  They didn't really seem to have any non-spicy options on the menu, so I suffered through 2 tacos that were a bit too hot for me.  I chugged down at least 6 sweet teas.  This was the same dude who couldn't tell me about himself when I asked him to, so I wasn't super interested in going.. except for the free dinner.  When I got there he asked if I wanted to do a shot and I explained that when I rode the motorcycle, I don't drink.  I've never been more glad for Mike as an excuse for all the things.  

I tried to push the conversation and ask questions and it was honestly exhausting.  Talking about myself AND having to prompt someone else for communication is just.. meh.  We're adults, just freakin' learn to talk about yourself.  He kept ordering beers and with each one, I was thinking, "Ughhh, I'm never going to get to leave."  Then I realized it was getting dark and Mike and welp, time for Megan to go!  This dude arrived before me and didn't bother to message me to tell me where he was sitting.  I actually approached some other dude and asked if he was the person I was supposed to be meeting.  Thankfully the answer to that was no, but by then I was irritated.  Why not just stand and wait?  Or maybe tell the hostess someone else is coming...  During dinner he also asked again about if I'd take a shot with him.  Still no, dude, still no.  Then he explained to me how hungover he was all day because of all the his drinking the night prior and that he was meeting friends after we were done and I kept thinking that couldn't come soon enough.  He did tell me how entertaining I was.  Yeah, that makes one of us, dude.  /facepalm.

I went home and called Teh Dad because he had called while I was out, shortly after I had told stranger that I talked to Teh Dad almost every Saturday, so when I realized my phone was ringing, I showed him it was Teh Dad calling and said, "See, told ya."  He just laughed (of course he did, I was the entertainment).  I recapped my first week of online dating for Teh Dad and explained that I was about to go out on a run.  He was immediately concerned about my sanity me and said, "At 9:30 at night?"  Me, "Yep, it's the coldest it's going to get with the least humidity.  In the AM it's going to be 93% humidity and that's just.. bleh."  I'm pretty sure he might have mumbled something about me being crazy but I was yammering on about my crazy and going on a run in the dark and hopefully not getting mugged/raped/abducted.

The most awkward boob sweat.

I powered through 7 miles like a boss listening to Wonder on audio and I was getting some feels.  I came back home and showered and started the laundry and did some much needed journaling since it ended up being a tough night to be alone with my thoughts.  I had admitted to Mr. Scrooge at lunch after we were discussing his plans to visit CA in August, that part of me was sad that I wasn't going to get to hang out with his mom or see his family and that I liked them.  He didn't have anything to say to that.

I sometimes wonder if he thinks that it's easy for me since I was the one to leave and I've started online dating so soon after I left.  It's not.  There are days that I miss him and dealing with strangers is just overwhelming for me.  As I was journaling, I looked back at some other entries and was reminded of how miserable I was.  It feels like I'm hanging on to the bitterness, but I also know I need those reminders.  Mr. Scrooge has been my biggest weakness for 7 years now.  I can imagine that will continue for quite some time.  It doesn't matter how miserable I was, I always imagine how good it could be and get woefully optimistic about the situation magically changing, which we all know would never happen.  I've decided that this sadness is me going through the stages of grief over the end of my relationship.

At way past, way past my bedtime, I finally quit writing and turned off the light.


SUNDAY


I considered doing yoga Sunday morning, but instead fed the dogs and went back to bed.  I ended up being late for church (same one as last week) because Meri didn't wake me up at 8 like I asked her to.  Some people's kids, man.  Lol.

I did get some Meri snuggles when I woke up, so I didn't mind that at all.

When I got to church, the kids were just leaving, so I was right on time essentially, lol.  People remembered me and were glad to see me.  Several even asked about my running!  I was very impressed that they had remembered anything about me at all.  I think I'm not going to bother going to the other church.  I think I've found my church and I'm hyped about it.

After church, I went by Dick's to check out bike seats, tire pumps, running shoes, and their clearance section.  I walked out with nothing.  Which is good and bad since I do actually need the first 2 items.

I ended up being 5 minutes late for my lunch date with a stranger.  I honestly couldn't remember what this dude looked like and we hadn't exchanged numbers, so I just kinda hoped he was the person standing at the entrance.  He was.  He asked if I was Meg and I said yes and held out my hand... at which point he pulled me into a side-hug.  The absolute most awkward side-hug ever.  Then he handed me a bag of Lindt chocolates.  Weird, but ok, it's chocolate, I'm not one to shun the chocolate.

Let me just state something that I thought was pretty obvious about me:
I'm not a hugger.  In fact, I'm not really a toucher.  I have this "no touchy" thing about me that most people seem to inherently get.

This guy didn't get it.
Additionally, I hadn't gotten the entire story when he mentioned he was a prior navy-SWO (surface warfare officer).  SWO's aren't inherently scary..  Until you add in that he was a submarine nuke enlisted guy before trying to go pilot and getting accepted instead to be a sub SWO.  If all that navy just went over your head, let me just bring that down a level for you.. this guy was a fucking weirdo and his freak flag flew HIGH and HARD.  Submariners are generally.. quirky/weird.  They are, they know it.  Nukes are weird.  It's commonly accepted.  Put the 2 together and it's like a spontaneous explosion of awkward.

This guy was difficult at conversing with.  I took to being entertained by people watching since he kept zoning out on the TVs behind me.  Not that I judged him, but in the middle of his meal he had to go to the bathroom and he wasn't in there for a short amount of time if you know what I mean.  He came back and I was mostly finished with my food... and with checking my FB.  I thought I ate slow.. nope.  This guy was an epicly slow eater.  AND he ordered a 2nd beer.  The entire time I'm thinking, "May I please be excused now?"  He FINALLY finished his food and beer and asked for the check and I was so relieved it had to be done soon.  But then we sat there for another 10 minutes before he finally was like, it's that time, yeah?  Buddy, it's BEEN that time.  Move it.

We walk out to the parking lot and he tells me to message him if I want to hang out again.. and I'm not sure if the volume of outside was loud enough to cover up the sound of my brain screaming, NEVER!  Thennnnn.. this fool SIDE-HUGGED ME AGAIN!?!?!  Seriously!?  As if the first one wasn't awkward enough.  This must have been the horrors that Drama Teacher (a date with a stranger earlier last week) was talking about.  I messaged Drama Teacher and told him about what had happened after I got home.  We cackled together.

After lunch, I headed to Fleet Feet to possibly get some new shoes.  While I like supporting my local store, I hate how limited their selection is.  I tried on several pairs and wasn't impressed by any of them.  I'm not sure why, but many of the pairs felt like they were slipping off my heel, which was obnoxious.  I really don't want to buy the same pair of shoes again, since these Asics were so incredibly difficult to break in.  I explained to the guy that helped me this time (happened to be the same guy who helped me the first time) that I almost brought the shoes back the break-in period took soooo long.


I walked out with nothing but a plan to go by Dick's later this week to test some shoes out.

Ginger Beard and I had discussed hanging out Sunday evening since he was off and we agreed to see Minions and grab dinner in the evening.  I spent the afternoon watching the pups sleep, which made me happy since I feel like I haven't really gotten to spend much time with them as of late due to my busy schedule.

Eventually it was time to head to the movie, which was HILARIOUS btw.  Of course, I was the only one laughing at several parts, which I'm finally starting to get used to, but whatevs.  Ginger Beard admitted to not having seen Despicable Me 1 or 2 and I told him that if we continued to hang out, that would have to be remedied.. STAT.

We went back to the house to feed the beasts.  Ginger Beard's family has greyhounds so he was used to Phil's breath and didn't complain about it.  I told him when we were making plans that he was allowed to meet Meri and Phil only if he promised not to stalk me or come back at a later time and break in the house and kill me.  He agreed to these conditions.

After feeding the pups, it was time for human foods.  We went to Zen Asian Fusion, a sushi place that I'd looked into before, but hadn't been to.  We sat at the sushi bar, which I wouldn't have minded, except for the fact that the servers kept reaching over us to get the prepared sushi.  No me gusta.  And I almost got hit in the face with a plate.  If you're going to reach over me, pay a little attention, plskthx.

Ginger Beard and I have a good time when we hang out.  It's nice that the conversation flows easily.  He kept apologizing for having to be on his phone since there were some issues at work that he was trying to handle.  I told him it was ok because it gave me an opportunity to check my phone without feeling too guilty and he laughed.  Responsibility sucks.  We agreed to hang out again later this week when he's off work since he doesn't work a regular 9-5 job.

The only downside to Ginger Beard is that he doesn't do the church thing.  So there's that.  But for the meantime, I'm just enjoying hanging out with strangers who aren't awkward as hell and side-hug me.  Actually, Ginger Beard did hug me Sunday night, but it wasn't awkward because we're not complete strangers any more.

I went home and finished up the laundry and hung out with the pups and crashed.

At least he wasn't laying on my clean laundry....

It was an exhausting weekend.  It was exhilarating, but still exhausting.  I think I'm going to have to set some time limits for this dating thing.  Phil and Meri need my love too and I feel like I'm so far behind on my online life, which I guess isn't a bad thing, but I enjoy my online life and blogging.  I know RL>online, but at the same time, spending time here means I get my alone time, which is essential for a happy Megan AND Meri gets her snuggles.


On to the week!
The LAST week of July.  WOAH.





*I'm quite torn between just calling all these dudes strangers or giving them nicknames.  I think we'll go with both.


Linking up with these ladies:
Ashely @ A Cute Angle
Meg @ Life of Meg
Biana @ BLovedBoston

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Sunday Sweats #5

SUNDAY (19)


AM: 6.13 miles (10:45m/m).  The motivation of a stranger helped.  I rolled out of bed and ignored my weather app, which is usually the biggest hindrance to my motivation.  There is NO sane person that wants to run when it FEELS like anything over 90 degrees F or when the humidity is over 85%.  I thought my run made me late for church, but it turned out I wasn't.  #allthewin

PM: There were storms that made me want to run, but 6 miles already meant I was going to enjoy the couch.


MONDAY (20)


AM: Nope.  Poor sleeps are really getting old.

PM: Nope.


TUESDAY (21)



AM: Meri slept with me all night (which doesn't happen ever because I have a no dogs on the bed when I'm sleeping rule) and when my alarm went off, she laid her head on my belly as if to say, Not yet, Mama.  So I took her advice and snuggled with her and petted her and fell back asleep for a bit.

PM: 4.33 miles (10:28m/m) + 1 mile walk/jog w/ Phil and Meri.  I was motivated when I got home because I thought it was going to rain and I was suuuuuper excited that I'd get a rainy run.  No.  I did at least get a breeze, so I guess I'll take what I get.  Since the pups hadn't been out in a few days, I finished up my run and went home and leashed up Phil and Meri to stroll down to the river.  The tide was out and they got crazy muddy, which meant hosing them off when we got back home, which was a workout in itself because Meri thinks she's going to melt when she comes in contact with water.  THEN she wanted to run herself all over the yard.  I burned many extra calories just fighting her crazy ass.


WEDNESDAY (22)


AM: Again with the shitty sleeps.. Soo, soo, sooo over it.

PM: 5 miles (9:55m/m).  SUB 10 pace AND no walking!!!  WOOO!!  I had my first date and came home pretty motivated.  I sat down at the computer to respond to all the things I missed and realized that I could spend the next 30 minutes fucking around on the computer, or just go change and get outside and accomplish some miles...  who cares if it was 8:45pm when I started.  I had nothing better to do (besides clean and read for my book challenges), so I pounded the pavement, praying that I wouldn't get abducted by some stranger in the shadows or hit by a car.  When I got home and jumped in the shower, my under-boob was BURNING!  I couldn't figure out what was going on...  When I got out of the shower I checked in the mirror (because I can't under these massive boulders without assistance) and I had CHAFING UNDER MY BOOBS!!!!!  WTF!  It's definitely a first.  I'm thinking the bra was to blame, since it's probably one of the first times I've worn that bra.  But it's still strange since I have several other bras of the same style.  Whatever, under-boob chafing sucks.  I'm sorry for dudes who have to deal with bleeding nips because of chafing, but at least you can put a bandaid on those bad boys (like I have to do the BJB), I can do nothing for under-boob chafing.  #boobsarestupid


THURSDAY (23)



AM: Moar shitty sleeps.  I think running so late disturbed the force so I couldn't really get settled.  I really should have gotten up and done some yoga since I really picked up the pace Weds. night, but I was sooo tired.  I rolled on Weds night, but my left calf gave me issues the entire run, so I'm thinking it's going to be problematic for the next week or so (which is normal when I push the pace).

PM: It ended up storming, so I assumed the Riverdog's game that I had planned on skipping my run for was cancelled.  So I decided to go on my run since the game was "cancelled" after I no longer heard thunder.  Poor life choice.  I thought it would be cooler, and it was, but it was also 100% humidity and I wanted to die because I felt like I was trying to breathe underwater.. ANNNNDD it turns out the game was only delayed, not cancelled, but it wasn't posted on the team's FB page until 7 and I was already out running by then..... Le sigh.

FRIDAY (24)


AM: Because I put in some serious miles over my training plan this week, I felt like this morning was perfect for yoga.  I did the Yoga for the Lower Back and Yoga for Hips and Hamstrings.  I prob could have done another, but I was feeling so good from just those 2, I was satisfied.  It was the perfect slow wake up.

PM: I had a date with a stranger at Wild Blue Ropes.  It was way cooler than I had anticipated it being.  He and I were both impressed with the place.  It was a serious upper body workout.  There is not enough rolling/stretching I can do.


SATURDAY (25)


AM: Mr. Scrooge and I went on a ride and we definitely got sweaty since we didn't get to head out until 10.

PM: 7.02 miles (10:52m/m).  I started running at 9:40 PM.  I figured it was going to be better to run late than get up early before church to get my miles in and I was right.  I combated regurgitating the mexican food I'd eaten for dinner the entire time.  Bleh.  Whatever, got it done.  PS.  I think I need new shoes.  le siiiiiiiiiighhhh.



Totals:

Running: 26.99 miles (woah, it's a lot when you look at it like that, that would also explain the shoe situation).
Yoga: 1 session
Etc: 1.5 hours of rope climbing/hanging/maneuvering...



I forgot to tell you last Sunday!!!  Last Sunday I was down about 3 lbs from when I moved to the new house.  Detailed explanation: The max weight I saw on the scale was 162.4.  That was an anomaly, usually the scale didn't go above 161, so I'm considering 160 my starting new house weight (it's a nice round number and because that was the most common weight I saw).  I was down to 157 last Sunday.

Thhhhiisss Sunday?  I'm down to 152-154 (depending on the day)!!!  151 was my navy max weight, so I'm almost to my personal limit.  I'd still like to get down to the low 140s (or lower, but lets be realistic here about just how much I love to eat annnnd about the addition of dating to my food schedule), but as long as I'm below 151, I'm satisfied.



Countdowns make it more real!



countingdownto.com


Online Countdown Clock


Countdown Clocks




Friday, July 24, 2015

Five on Friday #59

UNO

I survived my first online dating date.  It was actually awesome and I kinda feel bad I don't have any horrible stories yet.  But I'm sure they will come... I've been told they will.

Apparently he lived under a rock from 2003-now because he didn't understand when I made an End of the World reference.. so I HAD to show him.. right then.  Did not care.  It was for the betterment of his life.  He laughed, which meant that I didn't need to leave right away.

In fact, we stayed about 45 minutes after we finished eating to chat.  It was fun.  Too bad the waitress was a bitch who refused to refill my sweet tea until I made obnoxiously direct eye contact with her.  After the bill was paid, she didn't bother to even offer to stop at our table for anything much less refill my tea.  #Iwillshankyouoversweettea

Also, he ordered UNsweet tea and I may have audibly gasped, but I think I managed not to squish my face into my "no me gusta"/other disapproving reaction face.  I did just recall that he's from up north, so that would kind of explain it.. buttttt sweet tea>unsweet tea forever.  He needs to embrace the South Carolinian he's become.

Also, he joked when we were in the parking lot about waving to all the parking lot security cameras so that way if I died on the way home, the police would see that he wasn't the one that killed me since he would have been the last known person that was with me.  Lolz, all the lolz.


DOS

I've been listening to Wonder (an audiobook, just for clarity) and I am loving it.  I listen to it when I'm showering/getting ready and when I'm in the car.  This book is going to break my heart.  Also, I feel like I should have gotten on the audiobook train a long time ago.  My only problem is that this is an audiobook that I "acquired" and Suzy2.5 doesn't save my place, so I have to remember the time when I stopped and forward to it from session to session.  I've taken to texting myself the time that I stopped, so I don't have to hunt for it.  I'm sure if I just broke down and got a subscription to Audible or something, this wouldn't be the case, but #elcheapo here...

I do wonder, does Spotify do audiobooks?  That would be awwwwweeesome.  (the answer is no based on my limited research.)

Also, I signed up for Oyster since it was 99 cents for 3 months and I can't figure out how to make it work on Teh Flamin' Kindle. 

#allthefirstworldproblems  #mustreadallthebooks


TRES

I'm considering getting my Security+ certification to make myself more marketable (and because what else do I have to do besides read, date, hang out with my dogs, clean my house, and sleep?).  The nerd in me is excited.  The realist in me is all, UUugggggghhhhhhhhhhh.

Recently I've been having this self-debate about going back to school for a technical type degree because I don't feel like there won't be a need for developers/internet jobs between now and when I stop working.  But it's commitment and class and most of me is seriously not interested in education right now.  Maybe if I wasn't working full time.  Committing to school is overwhelming, always and forever.

#excusesfordays


QUATRO

I did yoga this morning.  I should do that every.single.morning.  Seriously.  Not only do my pieces feel better, but it woke me up slowly and perfectly and it was just a good time all around.

Dear left calf,
If you and I could be friends, that'd be great.  I know that sub-10m/m pace is a bit strenuous, but we can do it! 

Dear 7 miler,
I see you on my calendar.  I'm already dreading you.  I wish that wasn't the case, but the idea of running around the neighborhood several times or around the neighborhood and then up/down the streets makes me uninterested.  Also, left calf and I are currently having a disagreement.  You can see how this is problematic.

I'm always saying I'm going to run, then sometimes don't.
When this sign went up, it was just too perfect.



CINCO

I just wanted to publicly say thank you for all the support from all my Gentle Readers on Wednesday.  It was humbling and overwhelming and I just wanted to hug all of you back (and I'm not a hugger, so that's a pretty big deal). 


I accept the good days and the bad as things move forward.  I also knew it wouldn't all be smooth sailing and at some point it would hit me.  I'm often very delayed in feeling things, in the moment I'm nonchalant and stoic and do whatever needs to be done to get shit taken care of.  Mostly that means shutting down emotionally and going through the motions until I can catch up and process on my own.  I think it's an Aquarius thing for the most part.




Happy Friday, Gentle Readers.
Linking up with these ladies since it's FFFFRRRRRRIIIIIIDDDDAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

The thing about online dating...

I've been at this online dating thing for about a week now.  That doesn't make me anything close to an expert, but I have QUICKLY figured out what I will/won't go for.  Let me share these hilarious details with you...

You're a possible candidate if:


~You said something moderately religious to indicate you go to church regularly.  Praise Jesus!
~You're hilarious.  Not funny, not amusing.. HILARIOUS.  Lolz must be induced.
~You have a motorcycle/photo of a motorcycle.
~You have a/some goofy photos.  The more ridiculous the better.
~You have a photo of yourself in a public service uniform (police/fire fighter).


You're probably eliminated if:


~You have a photo of yourself in a military uniform (especially if you're a baby nuke who is going to move in a year).
~You have a cat.
~Your photo has a CRT monitor in the background with speakers attached to it... like it's 1999.  See below about taking a selfie.


You're definitely eliminated if:


~You are only interested in casual dating/no commitment... I'm not looking to get laid, kthx.
~You say somewhere on your profile that we can tell people we met in person.  Lies get you no where.
~You have a picture of your truck/car.
~You have a picture of you without a shirt on flexing.
~You have shitty grammar/were unable to use complete sentences in your "about me" section.
~You only have photos of you with groups of people/random women (take a freakin' selfie, this is 2015).
~You list NFL/NBA/NASCAR/some other sport besides hockey in your interests and you're obviously a hardcore fan.  Sorry, I just can't. 
~You have a photo of you smoking, but say you're a non-smoker.
~You have NO profile other than the mandatory questions.
~You have a profile that says, "Just ask me."  (If I wanted to just ask you, I wouldn't be looking at your profile, fool.)
~duck lips
~Your first date idea sounds stupid or says, "A restaurant for some drinks to loosen up followed by dinner and a walk around town."  Nothing else sounds quite like a ticket to rapetown.
~Anything on your profile sounds stupid (into drunken arguing?  seriously?  SERIOUSLY?).
~You have a photo of liquor bottles.... not YOU with liquor bottles.. just liquor bottles on the counter.
~You have a photo of a meme/something I would find on Pinterest.
~You have a photo of your super hero wall/stuff/things/comic book collection and it's quite abundant.
~You don't want kids.
~You have a grill... in your mouth grill, not for cooking grill.
~Any combination of 6's and 9's in your username.
~You flipping off the camera in your profile photo.
~You have a photo of you in full camo/hunting gear holding a dead creature.  I'm just not going to be hardcore enough for you.
~Your collar is popped.
~Your only interests are fishing and hunting.
~Your pants are sagging.
~You used a selfie stick...
~You are MISSING TEETH.
~You are holding any type of small dog (sorry, Phil would eat that and I wouldn't PHIL bad. bahaha)
~Your head is titled in a weird way in every photo of you.  It's not cool, bro.
~Anything in any text you have submitted (your profile/headline/messages you send) is in text speak.



Things I've learned:


-About 50% of dudes in the Charleston area have been skydiving.  There is photographic evidence.  I've seen it on all their profiles.
-Even more than that are enlisted military. 
-90% of dudes in Charleston love the beach/boating/fishing/being outdoors.. congrats, you guys should hang out together doing bro things.
-60% of the outdoorsy dudes have photos of them in full camo outside in the woods.  Who takes these pictures?  I thought hunting was a solo activity?  This is why I'm obviously not a hunter.
-It's really difficult for some people to talk about themselves and they must be prompted and they'd be ok with relying on you for all the conversational entertainment.  Please no.  I don't like the sound of my own voice that much (which I hear in my head when I'm typing).  Just make shit up, just please let me stop typing to you, I need a break.


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Confessions {7/22}

I'm only giving you one confession today, Gentle Readers.. which is either a relief or disappointment, based on how much you love my long ass confession posts.. you can tell me below.



#allthefeelz
I haven't been sad about my relationship ending really.  Partially because the worst blow was in May and I pretty much spent the month listening to breakup songs, and subsequently adjusting my mindset to my relationship kinda of being over.  I mean, who really expects someone to stick around after you tell them you don't love them?  On June 3rd/4th, I made the decision of my next steps and acted on them.  It wasn't difficult for me.  On July 3rd, the end came.

Teh WJL kept waiting on me to be upset the weekend that I moved out, but I wasn't.  That was 2.5 weeks ago.  Earlier this week, Mr. Scrooge messaged me to tell me, "Hope this doesn't offend you but I unfollowed you on FB because I don't want to see you posting about other guys" (after I had mentioned that the door-to-door home security salesman was cute) and it upset me a bit.  I admitted it to him and then before I could stop my fingers from hitting enter, I had typed, "but I guess I find it ironic in a way that you unfollowed me now, but never changed your relationship status from single... so maybe I shouldn't really be overly sad about it."  THAT was what upset me.
Not back and forth we had for a moment:

Everyone knew, it didn't matter.
Not everyone knew, it was the principle.  Doesn't matter now.
I am always out of touch with you.
You never wanted to talk about it.  I didn't want to push you.
You made me talk about everything else.  Doesn't matter now.

Side note: Who even tells someone that they unfollow them on FB when they regularly didn't like/comment on your statuses anyway?  What kind of cruel person does that? #ihatefacebook

That fact that it greatly bothered me that he never changed his FB relationship status (which I told him after I moved in) just hit me like a wave.  There was no public declaration of our relationship... ever.  In fact, it started out a secret.  The most upsetting part was that I KNEW THE WHOLE TIME.  Well, that and being told, "I want to love you," was pretty upsetting as well.  There are no words to accurately describe the sucker punch hearing that was.  In fact, each time I think about, it still makes my stomach churn.  Who says that to someone?

I knew it wasn't going to work in October when I moved in.  We had 2 sets of everything in the kitchen and I refused to get rid of his stuff but I wasn't getting rid of my stuff either.  People often commented on the fact that we had 2 knife blocks on the counter and sometimes they'd find the 2nd set of silverware or really pay attention to the 12 plates that we had being 3 different sets or the fact that there was more than one set of pots and pans.  They'd ask me why I kept both knife blocks/silverware sets/etc and I'd say, "Just in case."  My people knew what that meant.  I was already planning an escape, "Just in case."

So for me the realization that something simple like changing his relationship status on FB would never have happened, coupled with a realization that I knew it wasn't going to work out was essentially me watching something I burned, pined, and perished for completely stop being something that I could want or ever have (I hope you got that 10 Things reference).

It was the door finally closing a dream that I've had for possibly an embarrassing length of time.  From that first shitty selfie of him in his whites in 2008 when he was at OCS, Mr. Scrooge was someone I wanted.  I pretended for a long time that wasn't true when I was with Teh Bear because it made things easier in my relationship and because it wasn't possible Navy-wise at the time.  Then I got my 2nd chance and... it didn't work.  It was supposed to work.  I moved to Charleston for it to work.  I bet my life on this (thanks for that Imagine Dragons). 

All of these things (+ #girlweek) = sobbing.

I'm sure that this is possibly the end of that amicable relationship that Mr. Scrooge and I have been able to have for the last month.  I also took the opportunity to finally purge my email from all those sappy messages from 2009.  Back when he did love me, I used to like to remind myself of that, but now it's just painful.  Eventually, I'll clear off my FB and untag the photos of us together.  I'll scrub my photos on my computer and phone at some point.

I feel like Cristina when Burke left.  

"He's gone..  I'm.. free.  Damn it... Damn it... Damn it..."


PS.  I never had to change my relationship status, as my relationship status isn't available for viewing.  I removed it when I broke up with Teh Bear because I didn't want to change it to single and have the entire world in our business.  Had Mr. Scrooge changed his, I would have made "in a relationship" visible, but I felt that with him still being "single" I shouldn't bother.  I would have been satisfied with Mr. Scrooge removing his relationship status entirely, but the fact that it read "single" for all those months really, really, reallllyyy got under my skin.  Yes, it's just FB, but it's what all his people saw.  We didn't have mutual friends, so whatever they gleaned from his page is what they knew.  I probably would have questioned all those photos of him with some girl with his relationship status saying single... but my opinion didn't/doesn't matter.

Oh well, none of it matters anymore.  Yet, that still doesn't make it hurt less.  There are days I wonder if I'll ever get back the Megan that I was before Mr. Scrooge.  Parts of me are coming back around slowly, but the relationship parts of me... I'm worried those are broken.  I'm worried that I'll take my learned behaviors into another relationship, making it toxic.  I'm worried I won't talk about things, I'm worried I'll just swallow those things that really bother me instead of starting a fight over them.  I'm worried that sitting in front of the tv and eating dinner will become habit again.  I'm worried that when I'm obviously being avoided, I'll just let it happen.  ....and I'm still worried that I'll never feel truly sexy again.

I need that Megan back in a way I can't accurately describe.  That confident woman who has no fears and who knows that she is amazing and can do anything and doesn't give any fucks about what others think.  The Megan who touches everyone she meets in her own unforgettable way and doesn't back down when it might be awkward.  I remember her.  I'm waiting for her with open arms.  #SuperWomanComeBack




Linking up with:
Life with Lolo
Hodges Podge

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Four More Things: Day 5



I have 2 main proficiencies in life: food and dogs.  This aligns perfectly with my life priorities, so that helps.  So these things come from someone who knows what she's talking about.  Also, 3/4 of these include pork of some sort.. so there's that.


1.  Pork chops with a can of cream of mushroom soup and about half a can of water with a full container of mushrooms on top plus an obscene amount of mozzarella cheese, cover with tinfoil, bake till done (per temp).  This was originally chicken with mushrooms, but one time I tried it with pork chops and I'm not sure I'll ever go back.

2.  Brussel sprouts w/ bacon.  Bake a pack of bacon, while that is going prep your brussel sprouts (I usually cut mine in half for quicker cooking).  When bacon is finished (15-20 mins at 375F), pour grease on brussel sprouts and toss, dice up a few slices of bacon and add to sprouts, add sprouts to baking sheet and spread evenly.  After 10-15 minute take out and flip/stir sprouts.  Cook for an additional 10+ minute until sprouts are tender.

3.  Pork butt in the crockpot with various herbs/spices.  The best thing about the crockpot is I can pretty much add anything to it and it will be delicious.  Oh, that ginger ale has been in the fridge so long it's completely flat?  Looks like this roast would be perfect with ginger ale.  After it's done cooking, I shred it with a fork and add it to a mini-potato bun/roll with a bit of bbq sauce and I'm in heaven.

4.  Chicken and gnocchi soup.  Just click that link and make that for dinner and come back and thank me later.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Weekend Review {7/20}

FRIDAY

Some drama was going down at work.  Always a good time.  Due to hours, I got to leave at 1230.. make that 1245 because I got tasked with some drama mitigation at 1230 as I was literally about to turn off my computer.  It got pushed to Monday.  #sorrynotsorry #taskmeintheAM

When it gets rough, I just minimize all the windows and stare at my cute puppies.

I had some returns to make at Lowes and Walmart, so I got those done and picked up a delicious Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy's (which is the only burger I ever get there) and a mega-ultra-huge sweet tea.  After accomplishing my errands, I headed home to hang out with the dogs and play on the online dating site.  Seriously, these profiles are hilarious to me.  Some are legit funny, some are me literally laughing at these people.  In fact, I created an entire post about it.  Gentle Readers can look forward to that later in the week (I think/hope).

The feels like temp outside kept me from walking the dogs in the evening, but I wasn't overly concerned because I pounded out 4.5 miles in the morning.  I ended up being lazy for dinner and eating leftovers.  The "breakup" diet this time is more about eating less when I eat, than not eating, so my friends can rejoice that I will not drop dead from not eating!  It's actually kinda nice not to feel so stuffed after meals.

I finished up season 5 of Downton and there were tears.  I'm not ready for it to end!  NO NO NO!!!  I stalked some strangers** and finally I went to bed around 10 since Mr. Scrooge and I were going on a ride on Saturday morning.

MUST PLAY WITH ALL THE TOYS!!!! -Meri


SATURDAY

I was completely lazy and instead of taking the dogs out on a walk, I just let them stay outside for the hour between waking up and leaving.  Meri didn't mind.

After an almost disaster where Mike died as I was driving down the interstate and wouldn't start because he was trying to run out of gas (luckily he wasn't completely empty and we were able to make it to a gas station without walking Mike down the side of I-526), we headed towards John's Island.

Our first stop was Sunrise Bistro again, which was just as delicious the 2nd time.  What Mr. Scrooge described as me "aggressively looking" at a dude's shirt to read it, I was excited to see a greyhound person sitting beside us as the bar!  My trying to read his shirt might have been a little creeptastic, but it was worth it!  We chatted for a bit and shared some photos.  He didn't even know there was a Charleston greyhound group.  Le sigh.. I wish this group didn't suck so bad.  

After breakfast, we headed to the post office so I could mail Teh WJL a present (for being awesome and helping me move).  Then we headed to Angel Oak.  It's this MASSIVE tree.  Super old.  Photo below gives you all the details.  If you're ever in the Charleston area, it's definitely worth the look.




After the tree, we agreed to go to Edisto beach.  This is significant because we were headed to Edisto beach when I crashed Mike a week after I got him.  You memberrrr...  Anyways, this was more of a big deal for Mr. Scrooge than me.  I had wanted Edisto beach to be the first place we went after I got Mike back, but Mr. Scrooge wasn't really up for it and I didn't push it.  So this was the first time we took that road since that disastrous first time.

Nothing of significance to report.  Mr. Scrooge took it quite slow for me, at times I wanted him to go faster, but I just accepted it because he was nervous and we were being safe.

We hung out on the beach for a short bit once we reached our destination.  Also, we discovered that the gas station across from the public access had a walk in beer cooler, which was SUPER nice to cool off in after sitting outside in our jeans and boots and riding so far in all our gear.  Soooo sweatyyy.

Mr. Scrooge had been slightly grouchy when we arrived at the diner, which I assumed was because of my gas mishap but... I also knew that he recently started to express interest in reading my blog and I posted on Friday about the online dating thing.  He didn't say anything about it at breakfast, but he wasn't really "friendly" either.  I just assumed he was in one of his moods and went on about my business.  Finally at the beach, he alluded to something about how I was "looking."  This was my confirmation that he HAD read my Friday post, and I explained to him that I wasn't necessarily interested in jumping straight into a relationship.  I was also looking to be entertained.  At the worst, I'm getting funny stories and possibly free meals/food.

I could tell he felt better after he finally said something.  I just wish it wouldn't have taken him so long.  The rest of the trip, he was much nicer and normal.  I guess this means he probably also read that thing about poking my boob.  #sorrynotsorry  That said, how long has he been reading?  The whole time?  I guess this could explain some of the moodiness that I had to deal with.  Then again, I felt like anything I put on Teh Blog, personal drama wise, I made a point to discuss with him first.  I feel like to be in a relationship and finding something out on your significant other's blog is a pretty shitty modus operandi.  I like to think that didn't happen.  I'm sure I'll never know if it did.


Pelicans!

I told this guy that it might be too soon for a shark on the beach in a Carolina, but I don't think he got it.

After ice cream and rehydration, we decided to head back to civilization.  I asked Mr. Scrooge to stop on one of the bridges we crossed if there weren't any no stopping signs (there weren't).  Which meant I was able to get this shot:


I got a panoramic of that scene as well, but all the photos are still unedited, sorry/you're welcome.

Once we got back to my house, Mr. Scrooge came in to say hey to the pups and cool off for a bit.  After showing him the photos I took (I seriously need to figure out this polarizing lens because I think it killed my tree images (my own fault)) he headed back to his house.  He later invited me over for dinner, but Meri ended up puking several times, so I opted to stay home and give her extra attention.

Mike got put into his new cubby.  Mr. Scrooge noticed some rust on part of the wheel, which was motivation to get Mike out of the elements.

I spent the evening playing on the internet and messaging strangers.  I probably should have cleaned, but meh.  I deserve a lazy day.  I went to bed around 8:45 because I was exhausted and I didn't take a nap all afternoon.




SUNDAY

After being guilted by a stranger for not getting in my run on Saturday (it wasn't intentional and I'll take whatever motivation I can get), I got up on Sunday morning early enough to get a run in before church.  In order not to DEmotivate myself, I didn't even check the weather before getting out of bed, which is often the ONE thing that significantly deters me from going on my runs.  It was the most effective solution to the problem that I will continue to employ in the future.  Seriously.

I did 6 miles in 1 hr and 5 minutes.  I was pleased with that time considering the humidity level was in the 90% range.  I could actually see the mist where the sun was shining through the trees in some places.  So yeah, running through a fog was pretty much the most miserable thing I did all weekend.  I got home and showered and headed to a new church I discovered on the internets.  I was pretty excited about it honestly.

Then I got there and the church was under construction and I had no idea where to park or how to get to the sanctuary...  It's really my luck.  I was not deterred.  I parked where I saw some other cars and started to walk where I'd seen someone else.  A lady and her daughter happened to be walking through at the same time as me, which was helpful.  Then she stopped to talk to some strangers and they all pretty much ignored me while I stood there while they chatted (I didn't want to interrupt them) and I started to get pissed.  I finally got to ask where the sanctuary was since the lady didn't seem to be leading the way anymore.  At which point, we continued on.  She asked if I was new and I said yes, and she introduced herself and her daughter.  The daughter ended up leading me into the sanctuary because the mom was ADD apparently.

I had heard the praise band practicing when I walked in behind the lady and I figured I was late.  I had seen 8:45 on the website and it was 8:46.  Oops.  When I walked into the sanctuary, there was ONE couple and the praise band.  I just kinda stood at the entry way stunned.  All I could think was, "There is no way there is only one couple here at this service.  No.way."  At that point, the band members were starting to look at me standing there, stupefied.  I figured that at this point, what did I have to lose?  I sat down towards the front on the left side (always and forever).  The band finished the song and they started talking to the person in the soundbooth and I realized why there was no one else there.... the service hadn't started yet.  0845 was the start time for the other church I had looked at.  /facepalm.

The couple in front of me introduced themselves, and so, so many others.  I forgot how hospitable southerners are.  Southerners meet no strangers, that's probably on a mug somewhere... probably beside a Confederate flag mug.. too soon?  my bad.  The service was awesome, although the music was a bit loud (which could have been my own fault, I'll get back to this).  The crowd wasn't all old people (which makes a difference).  The pastor that spoke didn't read from notes, although I really felt like he could have done with a little less bible lesson and a lot more "how to apply to your life" lesson since we all know the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors and his life as adults.  If not a short summary could have sufficed instead of telling the entire story in detail then a quick wrap up at the end.  I'm picky, I know.  After the service, several people came up to me and said I looked familiar, like someone else who attend there.  The lady that had escorted me in even apologized for ignoring me before because she thought I was the person that everyone else had thought I was, who would have known her way to the sanctuary.  Fully understanding what was going on made me laugh and tell the lady it was ok.


By the time the service ended, I had a full-on headache.  I had ran 6 miles and drank plenty of water, but hadn't remembered to grab a piece of bacon from the fridge before I left so I was getting a no-food headache.  As I was debating my options, I decided to message Teh SC House Finder, who I hadn't seen in a hot minute, and asked if they had eaten breakfast.  Right as I got home, she responded and asked if I wanted to go to brunch with them at Ms. Rose's, of course I said, "Yes please, when?"  Her mom had to get ready, but then it was time.  That gave me a few minutes to hammer down a piece of bacon to maybe help mitigate the headache some.

We arrived at Ms. Rose's at 11 and our food (thankfully) came out fast.  Sorry there were no pics of my biscuit and gravy with an egg on top, I NEEDED food.  It was super fun catching up with Teh SC House Finder and her family.  I forgot that they hadn't even seen my new hair do!  Teh Teacher's Assistant has the same cut, so I told her how much I loved her style too.  :)  That's how long it's been since we hung out.  So I got to update them on all the things.  I told them that soon we'd have to have a gathering at my house so they could come check out the new place and so Teh SC House Finder's Dad could hang out with Phil and Meri (he really loves Phil and thinks Meri is "very interesting" since no other dog looks like her (it's the ears)).

After brunch, I came home and took a nap to help fight the headache.  I woke up with it still lingering, but it was tolerable.  I got up and read some and messaged some strangers and ate my pineapple upside down cake that I had gotten to-go and was generally lethargic with the pups.  A storm rolled through, which would explain the lingering headache that vanished after the storm was finished.  Thanks Barometer Head, thanks.

Storm dog is weird.

Despite not getting the cleaning done that I had planned, I did do some laundry and the dishes.  Not having a dishwasher is really killer.  I would have never survived as a 50's house wife.




Overall, an extremely satisfying weekend.  I think I might have found my new church!  I haven't decided yet if I want to check out church with the 0845 contemporary service or not.  I'll figure it out soon enough.  I also set up a time and date to meet one of the strangers that I've messaged throughout the weekend.  I will proceed to text my dates/time/location to someone so that way they know I've been abducted if I don't call them by a certain time.  I'm nervous/excited about it.  This guy seems very nice and non-douchy.

Meri is still not at the top of her game.  She's been pretty lethargic all day Sunday and not playing very much, but she hasn't puked, which is progress!  She puked on both her crate blanket AND Phil's crate blanket, which meant they BOTH got washed!  She's the best at motivating me to do things, little turd monkey.





**strangers are the dudes on the dating site.  I felt like it was fitting.

Linking up with these ladies:
Ashely @ A Cute Angle
Meg @ Life of Meg
Biana @ BLovedBoston

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Sunday Sweats #4

Acclimating to the Charleston heat/humidity really might kill me.
HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT (if you missed it on Wednesday):

I'm gonna be a princess!!!!!
 Teh MD Adult Roomie and I were able to sign up for the Glass Slipper Challenge and 5k for the Princess Weekend at Disney World.  Lots of F5 went into getting registered.. and many, many heart palpitations and I missed Tasty Tuesday.. #worthit

 

SUNDAY


AM: 1 mile walk with the dogs to the river access.

PM: Went riding with Mr. Scrooge and sweated my ass off.  I'm counting it because I had to shower when I got home.


MONDAY


AM: 2.76 miles (10:12m/m).  This was my first AM run since moving to the new house.  Part of my delay was how hot it's been in the AM and by hot I mean humid (because that's a thing on the East coast/in the South).  79 degrees (F) and 93% humidity.  I need some gillyweed for these conditions.

PM: Nope.


TUESDAY



AM: Storms on Monday night kept me up all the night long, so Tuesday morning I needed all my sleeps.  I considered doing yoga and then I stretched and went back to sleep.. so it was kinda like doing yoga.  

PM: Walked the dogs to the river and back (1 mile), dropped them off and ran 3.4 miles (10:17m/m).  This was my first PM run.  While it "felt like" 97, it was really 88 degrees and 64% humidity.  At least breathing wasn't as difficult, even if I made a poor life choice and failed at grabbing my water bottles for my hydration belt.  #lessonlearned



WEDNESDAY


AM: Planned to get up and do yoga, but I ended up being unable to sleep which meant taking something to aid my sleep problem at midnight, so there was no way I was getting up.. AND I hadn't set up the Roku to have the yoga channels, so all the #firstworldproblems prohibited progress.  Yes, I know workouts don't have to be perfect, but for me to want to do them, they have to be.

PM: 3.38 miles (12:32m/m).  I'm not really upset with this pace because it included the dogs for parts.  The first 1/2 mile was jogging to the river with Phil and Meri.  We walked the 1/2 mile back home to drop off Phil (my big boy can't handle too much with the heat and his age).  Meri and I ran mile 1 then I dropped her off at home to finish up miles 2+ on my own.  My average split for miles 2+ was 10:29m/m, so I'll take it.

THURSDAY



AM:  Did Yoga for Runners (Thanks Alyssa for making it so easy to just go to your Sunday posts and get the videos)!  I finished the video and wanted to do more (I'm also used to yoga being an hour long).  I started perusing, but realized I didn't have the time (I probably did in hindsight, but making a decision always takes me forever which is what takes so long) to do more videos.  This will be motivation to not snooze my alarms next time.  I seriously needed these stretches, whew!

PM: Nothin'.  I was gonna run, but then it was hot and I was full of excuses.  Fail.  Nahh.. let's call it a "rest day."

See I was gonna run!  But then someone decided that I needed to just stay home and she "trapped" me on the couch...

FRIDAY


AM: 4.53 miles (10:39m/m).  I had to make up for being a lazy ass on Thursday evening... and whatever eating damage I would inflict on myself over the weekend.

PM: Nothin' but laziness and a nap and glorious laziness.


SATURDAY


AM: I should have done a yoga video when I got up, but instead piddled around on the internet until it was time to go ride Mike with Mr. Scrooge.  There was lots of swamp ass and wet shirts, so riding and sweating a workout.

PM: I was sooo exhausted from the ride that it was everything I could do not to nap all evening and it was sooo hot.  I did ride Monty (see below) about 3/4 of a mile in the neighborhood to test it out some.  Monty needs a new seat and some air in his tires.  I was lazy even though I should have at least walked the dogs or something.  Nothin'.  Then around 8pm a stranger** messaged me and said they were about to go out on a run and I felt extra guilty because I hadn't done anything, so I vowed to go Sunday morning before church... Tune in next week to see if I was successful!







Since I last checked in, you'll be happy to know I acquired a bike on Craigslist, it's name is Monty since it's a Mongoose bike.  I have yet to ride it other than from the garage to the car when I moved...  But below I see that I have 30 days to get my ass in gear.  Maybe on my cross-training days biking will be my preferred torture activity.

I still haven't been to the pool for laps either.  I really should.  30 days Megan, 30 days.  I also need to figure out a bra/swimsuit situation for the transition from the swim to the bike.  I'm not overly concerned about the bra thing for the bike portion, but for the running part, I HAVE to have the girls supported properly and there's a snowball's chance in hell that I would survive the the running portion with just a swimsuit.  Something about swimming in my $60 bra makes my blood run cold.  We'll see.

I finally did some yoga!  It was delightful.  Now if I could find a class that isn't expensive... or a gym with classes that isn't wallet rape, that'd be most excellent.

I know why I haven't been to the pool/ridden the bike.  Part of me isn't overly worried about the Tri.  I'm doing it for the medal* (#nothintohide) not for time and I'm not worried a 225 yard swim, 8 mile bike course, or 2 mile run (pffth, that's not even a "short" run).  I AM worried about 13.1 miles on Sept 20th, then Nov 14th, then a 5k, 10k, and 1/2 Marathon sequentially in February though.

So worried that I added training plans to my calendar for all upcoming runs, which is serious business.  If it's on the calendar before the day of, it is happening, no ifs, ands, or buts (most of this is because I can plan and adjust as needed).  When I added my training plan for the Navy-AF 1/2, I was already 2 weeks behind on my training (I still probably wouldn't have ran due to moving, but may have felt more guilt about NOT running, whatevs).  My training for my Sweet Tea 1/2 overlaps my Navy-AF training, and my Princess training overlaps my Sweet Tea training.  My plan for this is to run the longer distance if there is a difference.  #somuchrunning #runMeganrun


Countdowns make it more real!


countingdownto.com


Online Countdown Clock


Countdown Clocks


*I have since discovered that what I thought was the medal for the Ramblin' Rose Tri was, in fact, NOT the medal.  Apparently the medal doesn't look like a beautiful sun-catcher (like the pretty shiny that is displaced on the race home page photo thing).  Nope, instead it's just got cutouts...  Le siiiigh.  I'm not even going to pretend I'm not disappointed.  Granted, it's still going to be a pretty sweet medal to add to my collection, but principle.  I feel duped.

**a stranger is now the term I'm going to use for dudes that message me through the online dating site.


Linking up with Holly for Sunday Sweats