8.8

I spent all day reading an SQL book and a Data Analysis book besides when I ate lunch, went to dinner, and when I watched Big Brother.

My allergies were so bad in the morning, I actually took an allergy pill.

I got another picture with Poly going deeper but this one is the worst. It was dark, the flash didn't go off and Poly moved by the time the camera thought it would take the picture.You can barely tell that in the first picture she is looking at my monitor that has a picture of her in photoshop.

8.5

The day started out with a run with Hilary. This would have been awesome if my Garmin would have worked.  I had a fear it wouldn't work too and almost took Dave's with me but then I didn't thinking I was too pessimistic.   We ran 4 miles. Then we went home, got our husbands, and went to breakfast.  Yay for socializing.

I can't remember if we left the house or not all afternoon and I'm writing this less than 24 hours later.  I watched some TV near dinner time.  

Then later on I watched In Plain Sight and saw the last 3 episodes of that to finish that series.  They gave me some closure but I felt like I wanted more. While watching TV, I started using my computer but I actually got sick of the thing. I never thought I'd see that happen. Then I went to focusing all my attention to TV. That doesn't really work so I thought a lot. I didn't like that so much.

8.3

My day started slow and sluggish. Poly was asleep at the foot of the bed so I used my laptop in bed. I got up at 11 or so to get dressed. I went to lunch at Google.

Man was the cake amazing.  I had 3 over-sized portions.  Vanilla Cake + whip Cream + strawberries in a marsala glaze sauce. It was the best. The actual cake was even super amazing without the toppings. That's the 2nd cake with fruit I've liked. I can never say I don't like cake with fruit. I had to stop saying that on July 4 but now I really have to stop.

I got home and was slightly productive in all rooms of the house. I unpacked a few boxes from the office closet. I unpacked a box in the master bedroom. Best of all I found the JCP receipt so now we can return Dave shirts. I also cleaned up some crap in the kitchen. There is still a little shoe box of some stuff I don't know what to do it. It has some stuff that used to be in our junk drawer in the kitchen but we don't have the luxury of that drawer anymore. I moved the tool box in the master bedroom so now I can access my night stand drawers. I think some of the junk has been in there for 5 years.

I picked Dave up at Google and man security was tight. We headed to BJ's to meet some extended family for dinner.  Man that was fun. We were at dinner 2.5 hours.  It was only the 3rd time I met them or maybe the 2nd.  The other 2 days were in August 2009 2 days in a row. I was guessing August 16 but it was August 15. I just had to dig through some pictures to find out. It's funny I remembered August 16 which was the 2nd day in a row of us together but not pictures from that day but I didn't know which year.    I really enjoyed spending time with people.  I really need to meet people. Being alone all day and only socializing with Dave is no good.

As soon as we got home, I realized we forgot to go to JCP to return the shirts. We had dinner really close to JCP and I had the shirts in the car but then I forgot.

We watched Big Brother and some of the Olympics then it was time for bed.  I don't know how I feel about the coaches entering the game. I like that the teams are on more but I don't like it. Also I feel bad for Shane not really getting a real HoH so 2 wins for nothing.   I'm mad at Shane for going against Frank. I miss Big Brother 1.  I remember more about that season than any other season. I can't believe that was 12 years ago.

8.2 - Cooked

I woke up and immediately got dressed to run. I thought  maybe I wouldn't run on an empty stomach so thought I'd eat first and do some things on my to-do list. Well I forgot to eat but did a lot on my to-do list.

Poly was super annoying. Meowing at me. Very uneasy. Wanting constant attention.  The car horn was super annoying too. (This video is of Poly at her most well behaved point all day.)

At 2pm I still hadn't gone running but I decided to eat some banana bread before going out to run.  I ate the banana bread. I didn't run.
Around 4 I went to the gym to lift weights.

I cooked dinner (without a recipe). It's probably the first time I made anything without a recipe.  The onions seemed to disappear when cooked but I didn't mind since I barely like them anyway.  I don't like 45 minute rice. It takes too long and if you screw up you sure don't have enough time to try again.

I snacked and we watched TV and then I finally went for my run.

8.1 - Whole Foods

Top: Limited, Shorts: Unionbay (probably 10 years old. Who knows what store), Sandals: Kohl's
I finally got out my good camera. I was testing the remote. Things didn't work right but at least it's a start. I miss the clarity in the pictures.  Using a timer on my point and shoot was no good especially when it would focus on something in the background and then I'd jump over into the shot and not be in focus at all.

I woke up at a decent hour but Poly was at the foot of my bead so I decided to get my laptop and just chill there for awhile. And I did until the Gypsy moth inspector guy called. He would show up between 10 and 10:30.  I got dressed and used my computer until he showed up.  After 11:30, he left.  It was a little ordeal since the contractors were storing our grill and we had some outdoor stuff at storage.  We went to all the places and got it taken care of finally.  I was sick of playing phone tag with this guy.

I got back, used my computer a little and was fed up how late it was.  Then at 1:30, I finally decided to eat lunch.  I ate. Then I napped.... for 2 hours. It wasn't a solid sleep because the contractors were outside making loud noises.  Their saw was super annoying. Also this car alarm went off every 10 minutes or so. The honking horn drove me up a wall.

I woke up and decided to play in photoshop.  Then Dave is headed home. I'm supposed to meet him.  We head to dinner then to Target.  The mexican food was spicier this time so I gave half of what I ordered to Dave.

We got home, used the computer for a little... not long because I STILL didn't finish doing the one photoshop tutorial.  Then we headed to Whole Foods. We went up and down every aisle. We bought food for me to cook. We also spent $61. Dave bought milk in glass. I have no idea why. He wanted to try it. It's expensive.

We got home and watched TV until Dave went to bed and I went to finish that photoshop tutorial. Well my computer had shut down in that time. I bet it was a windows update. And I LOST my photoshopped file. I had never once saved it!  I had to redo it all. I wasn't as thorough the 2nd time.

7.31

 Skirt: F21, Shirt: Google, Necklace: Charlotte Russe, Sandals: Kohl's

I woke up and almost went for a run right away. Things held me up but not my laziness so it's OK.

Then I went to Google for lunch.  I did shower first but my face was still pretty red.  I always forget to take a picture of my first plate. The picture is of my second plate. The pineapple chicken was so good I had to get more.  On the way home I went to Lucky to try another grocery store. I liked it the least.

Poly was a very needy cat. She constantly wanted to play catch. She used to play fetch but now that I tend to have 20 ponytail holders, she never brings any back ever.   I did go through 2 boxes in the office. At this rate, I'll be done in September!

I did some SQL learning and applied for jobs in there too.

We ate leftover Tuna Noodle Casserole for dinner.  I liked that Dave ate leftovers but was also disappointed because then there weren't enough leftovers for me for any additional meals.

We watched TV after dinner.  I need to just plan to not accomplish anything on my to-do list after Dave gets home from work.

I went to sleep at the same time as Dave. I read in bed instead of how I normally play Solitaire.

8.7 - Bye Baja Fresh

I spent my morning nervous. I had a phone screen* for a job and was stressing out.  After it, I didn't want to sit at my computer so I just watched some TV.

We went to go to Baja Fresh for dinner and it was closed!  We went over to Pizza My Heart instead but man am I upset about Baja Fresh. It was still opened last week.  Dave walked by it the past 2 days but doesn't look at it so doesn't know if it was closed yesterday or not. Sad times.

Dave and I went for a 2 mile walk. It was so close to dark that it was chilly. I wished I had on long sleeves. This time of year in PA, I would have still been warm.

We watched MasterChef then I went to do some learning. SQL seems fun.

*I was told for the phone screen the manager would get back to her in about 48 hours but not more than a week. I learned just a few hours later that I now will be scheduling an interview!

**  I took some pictures on my phone but can't get them to load. The main point of them is about a house for sale near me. It is 1.12 million for 2100 sq feet. It's not even one of the most expensive ones around. It is actually one of the bigger ones.  The picture of the "formal dining room" shows a table in the middle that seats 2.

7.30

 

I used to like this shirt but now the ruffles make me feel fatter than I am. I could gain 15 lbs and still fit underneath it.  Actually I think I liked the shirt back when I was heavier and none of my other clothes were fitting.  These shorts are so old. I found them. They fit. I wore them. They are an older style with the pockets on the outside but I can't wear my other pair of blue jean shorts all the time so I forced myself to wear these old ones. Plus the shirt is so long you can't tell much of anything.

I woke up and wasted so much time it was hot out. I wanted to run but it was too hot. I wanted to shower but not until after I ran. After awhile I realized that wasn't going to work.  I really didn't waste time in the morning. I made phone calls. I talked to Garmin customer support to get my watch working again.

I ended up going to JCP to return some things for Dave then to Target to return some things there. I did shop around a bit in both stores but didn't buy anything.

I went to the apartment complex pool. I also read a little.  Neither of these things were on my to-do list.

I cooked dinner!

Since I didn't run during the day, I went for a quick run in the evening.  It was so pleasant. The sun wasn't out. The temperature was warmer than I had been running but without the sun it felt chilly.   Before and after the run, I watched TV with Dave.

Emails

I've posted previously about my work emails and the associated graphs.

Now here are some graphs related to my gmail.

Now joblessness does not mean I get fewer emails, it just meant I worked harder to get them taken care of.

My goal is 0 in my inbox and 0 unread.  Recently I read Empty your Inbox with the Trusted Trio and have been trying to work on that. He uses Archive, Hold, and Follow-Up folders. With gmail you don't need an archive folder and can just archive. I have started using Hold and Follow-up. Granted I still use a few other labels like a pictures label.  I also revamped my inbox to show multiple inboxes and have it show my Hold and Follow-up folders.   I'm hoping this method will work well but only time will tell.

I have/had quite the backlog to go through so I can't tell if it works until I go through it all.

How do you manage your inboxes? Do you use different methods at home and at work?

8.6 - Nerdiness

Shoes: Famous Footwear
Shirt: Loft (2009)
Shorts: F21
Necklace: I can't remember
Purse: Kohl's

I wasn't sure if this matched. I usually wear darker or brighter blue with orange but I think it looks alright in the pictures. I don't know though.

My definition of a nerd has changed over the years.  I got excited learning about creating VBA Macros in Excel, learning SQL, and organizing my inbox and I didn't even think any of those things were remotely nerdy.  The other day I installed a virtual linux machine on my desktop and also didn't think that was nerdy.  My computer name is Voyager so Dave came up with naming my virtual machine Delta Flyer and I thought that was nerdy.   I created some macros today for fun and created a few basic ones for my running file and didn't consider that nerdy.   I also look at different people that someone calls a nerd and don't think they look nerdy at all.  Dave said it is because I hang out with too many nerds.  That might be the case or maybe the definition of nerd has evolved over the years.

I go so involved in doing things that I didn't think were nerdy that I didn't even eat lunch until 3pm.

I met Dave for dinner at Five Guys.

We did our usually in the evening... computers + TV.  I did complete 15 of 20 things on my to-do list. If the stairs were open during the day or the door lock wasn't broken in the evening I would have done another one easy.

Poly climbed up on top of the monitor box but then I guess she didn't want to share with the polar bear so she knocked him right off.
Poly was well behaved throughout the day.  Either she is behaved so I'm happier so I'm happier so then she's more behaved. I haven't figured out which way the correlation goes yet.

8.4 - Day[9]

Sandals: Famous Footwear - R2 ($20 on sale but I only wear them with pants because the laces are a bit annoying)
Shirt: Loft (2009)
Jeans: Indi - Custom Fit (Purchased with a groupon)
Belt: F21 (probably the first time I wore it but purchased in 2011)
Necklace and Earrings: Lia Sophia

Notice Poly in the window looking at me take my picture.  I had a lot of trouble getting the pictures right. The remote wouldn't work right. Then sometimes it would. Then it stopped. Then I'd go back inside and realize I cut my feet off in the pictures so I'd go repeat the ordeal... This happened 3 times.

I haven't worn these pants in forever. I thought they'd be too big. I was wrong. They are a tad long so I have to wear them with a heel which is why I hadn't worn them in awhile.

My day started off a bit unusual. Dave turned on Day[9] Daily #100 and it was so captivating that I basically watched all 2 hours of it without even doing anything else.  To me Day[9] doesn't even look like a nerd but Dave tells me that is because I hang out with nerds too much. I tend to like Funday Monday when Dave has those on. I can't help myself but watch. I love his stories.  Now I don't play Starcraft at all but he almost makes me want to play.

Also note what Dave printed out so he can hold up.  He likes to say things to make me mad and now when I turn around after he made me mad, I see this! (Know your meme: Trollface)

When Day[9] was over I realized I was hungry. It was noon. I tell Dave I'm hungry and ask where he wants to go. Then he asks me where I want to go. He gave me options
At first he asked if I wanted to go really far. That didn't sound fun. Then he added, "Do you want to go close like the kitchen, far like Baja Fresh, or really far like In N Out?" To put this all into perspective Baja Fresh is .1 miles away according to google maps and In N Out is .8 miles away. I'm really liking his definitions.

By 2 PM we finally left the house and we ended up at In N Out. I didn't even get fries this time.  Then we went to JCP to return Dave's shirts since I had found the receipt.  We headed to another mall after just for fun. Traffic was so bad. The parking lot was a mad house. Stores were too packed.  So we ended up just walking around. We did get 45 minutes worth of a walk in.

We got home. Dave went to read. I wanted to nap but checked my email then went in to nap and see Dave sleeping.  We wake up roughly 3 hours later. Since it was 8:30 PM we decided to order a pizza.

We watched 1 episode of TV then I figured I better do something on my to-do list or else my graph for that will look really bad.  I went through my 2 nightstand drawers. I found Dave's RPI diploma. It has been missing for ages.  I did a few other things.  I did some blogging. I did some going through emails. I actually read some blogs. I feel like in my jobless state I read blogs less than I did before. I also feel like I watch TV less which is very weird.  I sit at a computer all almost all day but don't have a TV on or any music or anything.

I ended up staying up until 4am. I wasn't tired at all. The 3 hour  nap ruined me.

Week 3 - Training

Well I'm in Week 3 of training. I posted about week 2 and didn't pay attention during week 1.

I'm looking at a few training plans. I will kind of mesh them.
The Smart Coach plan has me doing 2 mi, 5 mi (speedwork), 2 mi, and 9 mi
Hal Higdon's have me doing 3.5 mi, 6x400 5k pace, 3 mi, and 5k race (plus lifting)
The other Hal Higdon one has me doing 3.5 mi, 2 mi, 3.5 mi, 40 min cross, and 5 mi

This week I have done 2 mi, 5 mile (speedwork),  3 mi, and 4 miles.   See details below.

Monday:  I woke up and was going to run. I didn't. It got hot. I planned to run after dinner but Poly made it so it got later and I still didn't run. I set out for a quick 2 mile run when I finally went out to run. I actually didn't plan for it to be that quick. I just planned for 2 miles. The splits were so fast, I figured they were wrong.  I didn't feel like I was going that fast. It didn't feel that hard. I was thinking it was because there was no sun so it felt cooler. I got goosebumps when I was standing outside just waiting for the satellites to be acquired.  But after some thought I also think it had to do with the fact that I had some food in me so I had some energy.

I might like the evening run but I hate waiting all day to get it in because you can easily skip it by getting in the middle of some other task.

Tuesday: I woke up and went to do my first tempo run. I left a little later than expected because Dave's Garmin was dead and I was afraid to just chance using mine.  It was sunny and felt warm. I also had to weave around a bunch of different people mowing and blowing leaves.  Each mile felt harder than the run the previous. Maybe I should have had more than 24 hours between running. Maybe I should have had breakfast. Maybe I should have had some water.  I finished it at least. I also met my targets but after researching tempo runs, I think my goal should have been 8:40 not 9:03.  A tempo run should be comfortably hard but I never knew what exactly that meant. Then I read an article that actually told me how to pick my pace. I'm not even sure if that's right.  How do you pick your tempo pace?

Wednesday: I rested. I thought of doing weights but didn't get to it. My calves were sore when I woke up so I didn't want to chance it.

Thursday: I did weights in the afternoon for my arms and did abs.  Then after dinner I ran an easy 3 miles. My goal was to run them at 9:30 pace and I started way too fast so I had to slow it way down.  I was winging it with what was a 3 mile route and it ended up being 2.98 on my Garmin so I ran a little past and doubled back but I must be getting good to have so many distances guesses come out within .05 mi.

My goal each split was 2:22 (for 9:28 but we all know if it is 2:22.8 it will still tell me 2:22 so I needed those 2 buffer seconds to get me to 9:30).  I hit 2:21 5 times during my run. My 2nd split was the 2:07 and I knew I had to slow it down. I was still working on slowing it down so I had 2 splits too slow but after that I hit my mark or just a little better each time. It was chilly when I started and after about .1 it wasn't anymore. I forgot how it is to run in weather like that.

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Almost a rest day but I ended up walking for 45 minutes in 4 inch heels.

Sunday: I went for a long run with Hilary.  I was going to run 4 with her and run more but since my Garmin wouldn't work and I was using iMapMyRun, I was not motivated and decided to stop when she was done.  Also my big toes were hurting. I wasn't sure why but knew the sandals I wore on Saturday had been hurting my toes.  After the run I saw that I had big blisters on the bottom of both toes.

The 4th mile was tougher because there were so many bugs. I ate a few. I reached in my mouth and grabbed a few more. It was kind of gross. I originally thought we'd run a 10 minute mile pace.  I'm glad iMapMyRun now gives you each mile split. It didn't used to. I haven't really used it in years but it is good as a backup method. Do you have a preference for a phone app to track your mileage?

I also did weights later in the day with Dave.

Total Miles: 14.25 (Not bad)
Total everything else: weights 2 times
Total suggested by training plans: 18, 12.5, or 14.

Final Thoughts:
Week 3 started out strong since I missed my long run in Week 2. I feel like I'm getting my groove back.  I'm able to add mileage without a struggle.  I missed my long run again so that's twice in a row my speed workout day was the longest run.

Random Thought: I might switch up the format next week and only put total miles and type of run at the top then you'd have to click read more to get the details of each run.  What do you think?  It all seems so busy. I'm used to 1 post for 1 run so I'm trying to get used to this.

7.29

Tank: Loft, Shorts: American Eagle, Jeans: Express, Jacket: NY&Co

I set my alarm for 8:30. I hit snooze until 9:30.  At one point Dave woke me up saying if we went to the movies before noon it was cheaper. I told him I was going to run but I'd put it off until evening.

When I finally woke up, I started setting up a virtual machine of linux on my computer and then installed SQL.  Then we used the computer more and before we knew it, it was too close to noon so we never went to the movies.  I not only didn't run then I didn't go to the movies.

We finally hung up the big pictures!

We started organizing the closet. Or at least I did. I found Dave's middle school yearbook so he spent time going through that.   We watched a bunch of TV.

We went to Pasta Pomodora for dinner. The place is so close to our apartment and we hadn't gone yet.  It was so small inside. The table next to us was less than a foot away from us.  The people there were so weird. I think they were mother and son but the sone was in his 20s.  They were all impatient that they wanted their check so they could leave. The lady got out her ipad and played Plants versus Zombies.  The check got to the table and they ignored it for many minutes.  I couldn't believe it after the fuss they were making to get it.

We got home and watched AGT.  I think we watched 4 episodes.  It was fun to relax especially during the last episode when Poly decided to hang out on my lap versus in a canvas bag.  All that wasn't good for my productivity on my to-do list. At least I was able to blog while watching AGT to get some of it taken care of.

7.28

Shorts and shirt: American Eagle, Sandals: Kohl's, Necklace: Charlotte Russe, Pants: F21, Jacket: NY&Co.   In the 2nd outfit, I think my pink necklace would have been better but I only changed real quick and wasn't thinking about jewelry.

I hit snooze for 1 hour.  I always hit snooze. I forgot how I always hit snooze when I worked too so I should quit feeling bad.

Dave cooked breakfast. He woke me up saying it was almost ready.  I ate 1/10 of what he made for me.  I do not do well with eating in the morning.

Then it was computer time.  Then all of a sudden Dave says it's time to go and we head to the farmers market and a few other stores.  We bought red potatoes and bread at the farmers market. We saw a lot of other things we'd like but we have tended to buy far too much food at a time then not cook it and waste it so I wouldn't allow that this time.   We then headed to Target, a specialty foods store to find oil, and a bigger Trader Joe's.

We went to Sweet Tomato for lunch since In N Out was packed.  We were both unsatisfied.

Then we went home and watched TV.  I fell asleep. Dave fell asleep first though.

I woke up after an hour and took a picture of Poly. Then I went back to sleep for another 2 hours. I only woke up when Dave was quizzing me about what to do for dinner. He kept making me think so I was getting awake.

We went to In N Out and then to Best Buy to get a new hard drive for the computer that records TV shows.

Then we worked on doing computer stuff after.

The night flew by. I think it was the 3 hour nap.

I did almost nothing in the apartment to clean it up. Only made more of a mess.  I stayed up late just wasting time because I wasn't tired from my long nap.