Whiny Wednesday

1. It has been pouring here since yesterday. I am not sure where our beautiful 70-degree blue skies weather went, but it has been replaced with 40-degree monsoon season. It is really helping me with  my horrible case of senioritis. Really. Anyway, I was walking back from class when this nice gentleman in a giant pickup truck drove through a puddle next to me going 50 miles per hour. I ended up looking about like this:

Source

And yes, I did look just as beautiful as that cat there.

2. My physical therapist retired this week...I didn't even know he was retiring until he told me my session yesterday would be my last with him. It made me irrationally sad. I guess when you trust someone with your recovery and then they disappear, it makes your recovery feel much farther away and less definite. I haven't run in 3 months now, and I am going crazy.

3. Speaking of physical therapy, yesterday I was allowed to do the walking machine for 10 minutes and then the bike for 10, but something apparently didn't go over well with my knees because they were both extremely swollen last night... as swollen as they were three months ago. Once again, really feeling like recovery is not going so great.

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4. Okay, onto more interesting topics... like this guy who decided to take on the TSA by...getting naked? I mean, granted, that is pretty much what they do to you. But still.

"When interviewed about his actions, Mr. Brennan stated he flies (sic) a lot and had disrobed as a form of protest against TSA screeners who he felt were harassing him." Read more...

 I guess that's one way to stick it to the man. And get arrested and categorized as a sex offender for the rest of your life.

5. This is not whining, but I think for graduation we are all going to decorate our hats as elements of the periodic table. Mine will naturally be Ag (silver) for my initials. Also, I really like silver (hint hint, Zach).

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It even weighs the same as I do... except that minor discrepancy in the units. See? Me and silver have a lot in common. We both also have the same number of valence electrons (okay, now I am just making things up).

But enough of the nerd-talk. In all reality, I am just super excited to be graduating, even if it is very likely that I will face plant trying to walk across the stage in heels. And possibly fall off the stage, depending on how lucky I am. Be prepared for copious amounts of cap and gown pictures in a few weeks.


If you were an element, what would you be? And for those of you that aren't total nerds, did you decorate your graduation caps too? 

Flynn's Girlfriend

Just three weeks left of school, and then a week of exams and I'm done! I haven't really had time to think about it though because I have been so busy. There are exams, lab reports, and finals to worry about, on top of trying to find a job and figure out where I am moving when I graduate. Yikes!

Unfortunately, I guess because of all the stress, I managed to get sick this week which left me really behind in the workout department. I am a firm believer that when you get sick, it is best to just let yourself recover and not push yourself to try to work out (I am also lazy, which might contribute to that theory). Also, eating mass amounts of sugar will really help with your recovery.

Weekly Workouts: 
Monday: off
Tuesday: circuit workout
Wednesday: 1 hour pilates class
Thursday: sick
Friday: sick
Saturday: sick
Sunday: sick

I am feeling better today, so hopefully I'll be 100% back to myself by tomorrow. I also made sure to pick up lots of healthy options at the grocery store to boost my immune system.

In other news, I am now able to use the stationary bike for 5-10 minutes at a time, which is a big step in my physical therapy... I am hoping to be able to use the elliptical by the time I graduate (wishful thinking) and maybe running by sometime mid-summer? Maybe. I hope. Pretty please?

Aside from doing homework, eating junk, and laying around, I didn't do a whole lot this weekend. We spent some time at Zach's parent's house, and our dog Flynn found himself a new girlfriend.

Zach had to pick her up so that they would
stop playing long enough for me to get a
picture. 

It is a little black poodle puppy. I love her haircut... she looks like a little black sheep. She and Flynn were obsessed with each other and just played and played. They were both devastated when we had to take Flynn home. He didn't even like it when Zach was holding the poodle in this picture. See the jealousy?

Obviously this is a typical Romeo and Juliet story. They are from different households, and different breeds... she is betrothed to another poodle. It's tragic, really. Although it didn't take him long to get over her once we took him home and he found things to chew on (my socks and a pencil) and trouble to get into. Typical boy.

Well, I guess that Molecular Biology exam isn't going to study for itself. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

If you are out of college, do you ever miss it? Did it take you long to find a job? 

Easter Weekend

Weekly Workouts:
Monday: Jillian Michaels yoga meltdown part I (modified)
Tuesday: 500m swim + kickboard work
Wednesday: 30 min pilates + 2.75 mile walk
Thursday: 500m swim techniques (freestyle, kickboard, paddles) + 15 minute aqua jog
Saturday: 1.5 mile walk & digging a trench (that counts as exercise)

My Easter weekend was pretty awesome. Zach and I have been very productive, and while he used the weed-eater to cut the grass, I dug a giant trench to plant lilies in. It was probably 5 feet long, 1 foot deep, and 8 inches wide, because apparently they need an insane amount of room to grow (those stupid things better bloom, or I will be pissed). Then, we washed both of our cars. Obviously, my boyfriend only keeps me around so that I can do yard work and other manual labor...and also probably so that I can cook for him, because he gets tired of his microwave pizzas sometimes.

Zach is going to kill me for posting this picture.
But I look good, so that's all that matters. Credit
for the picture goes to Tiffany, his sister.

Easter Sunday was fun... except for the whole sunrise service part that involved getting up at 5am and standing in the cold for 30 minutes. The breakfast afterwards made it all worth it, though, and then I rushed home to bake my gluten-free Cinnabon cake, which used this recipe with the substitution for gluten-free flour, and no nuts.

It was probably the most delicious gluten-free thing I have made (doesn't it look yummy?!)... which had nothing to do with the 2.5 sticks of butter and 6 cups of sugar in it. Obviously, it was just so good because of my amazing ability to mix things in a bowl and stick them in the oven. After eating about 1/4 of the cake, I took a sugar-coma-nap. That is what I call a good Easter Sunday.

Today has been less awesome. I have a big Inorganic Chemistry exam this week that is consuming my life from now until Thursday, so I've spent all day studying for that.

Whiny Wednesday

In this edition of Whiny Wednesday, I am going to talk about one good thing that happened for each thing that I whine about, because life is all about balance (and I need to practice my not-whining, because I don't seem to be very good at that).

1. Last night at 3 am, a very drunk couple woke me up because they were having a very loud break-up in the apartment parking lot below my window. I commend them on their intelligence in deciding: 1. To break up while extremely drunk, and 2. To do it in the most public, loud place possible in the entire apartment complex. Good job, guys... I am really glad that I lost an hour of sleep to hear your very dramatic breakup that you won't remember tomorrow.

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2. Speaking of apartments, my roommate and I finally got ours subleased! Like officially, there was paperwork to sign and everything. Considering how much money this will save me over the summer, it is hard not to be happy about it, but at the same time if I don't get a job before I graduate, I will have nowhere to go. I will have to take up residence in swanky new cardboard box.

Just like this. Source

3. Sometime last year, the hinge on the side of my Lenovo computer broke. I called the company to ask about it, and they said it had been recalled, but apparently I hadn't gotten the notice. However, because I missed the "recall date", I had to pay full price to have it fixed (about $300). Well, less than a year later, the same exact part has broken on it.

Also, you will notice the power cord covered in tape. That would be because it split apart recently and started shooting sparks out at me. Anyway, I wasn't going to pay $300 more dollars to get it to last another 6 months, when I could buy a brand new computer for that much. So my mom and her husband agreed to get one for me as an early graduation present of sorts. My new one is an Acer. Thanks, Mom! 

It looks something like this. Source

I am kind of afraid to use it for fear of breaking it. I keep putting it back into its little protective shipping sleeve when I'm done with it, and I keep the plastic screen cover on. I imagine this is how I would treat a newborn...well, I wouldn't put plastic over it, but you know what I mean. With obsessive amounts of care.

4. We have a four day weekend this week for Easter. I plan to spend it alternating between studying for my giant Inorganic chemistry test next week and eating my weight in jelly beans and chocolate rabbits. Mass amounts of sugar help with studying, right?

5. I don't really have a fifth point, other than that I am going to Pilates class now. I hope you all have a splendid week.

EDIT: Also, this made me laugh.  At least I now know what to do, should I ever fall on my face while racing. 

What kind of computer do you have? Do you like it? 

Workouts This Week

I went back to the knee doctor this week and made a 50 minute drive both ways for a five minute appointment during which he told me that I "still have a lot of work to do" and "don't run". That was about all I got from that...really? It just cost me a $25 copay for 2 minutes of your time, during which you say nothing I didn't already know? No wonder doctors have so much money.

I am not going to lie... it has been incredibly hard to get motivated to work out at all lately. I hate not being able to run, and I am really limited in strength training...and really, you can only do so much swimming, pilates, and walking before you are just sick of it.

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Anyways, here it is:
Monday: 3.75 mile walk
Tuesday: 600m swim
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 2 mile walk with the dog
Friday: 2.25 mile walk
Saturday: off
Sunday: 1 mile walk with the dog and a circuit workout

I had to skip my normal Pilates class last week because I had to go pick up my interview suit (now I just need some interviews to go to), so hopefully I will get back to that this week. I am also hoping to swim twice this week...we'll see how that goes.

What do you do when you are in an exercise rut (besides switch up your workouts... I can't do that)?

Playing Fetch

I have been such a bad blogger lately. Speaking of Blogger... do those of you who use it have the new layout? Whatcha think? I don't like it...but then again, I can be extremely resistant to change when it comes to social media sites.

I have to warn you guys that I won't be on here a ton, because school is becoming a MADhouse towards the end of the semester (five more weeks until freedom), but I will try to update at least weekly, so please don't forget about me, okay?

Just to make sure you keep coming back, I have enclosed a really adorable video of my dog playing fetch. And yes, that is me talking to him like an absolute nutjob in the background.

Edit:  I just realized this video title includes my first and last name... I know, I know, I have a great last name. You don't have to tell me.

That is one happy dog. It cracks me up how his ears flop everywhere when he runs. After this video was taken, we let him off the leash...surprisingly, he didn't make a bee-line for the nearest road or dangerous object. He just kept on playing fetch, probably because he has an extremely one-track mind, particularly when there is a tennis ball around (or food). 

I hope you guys had a great weekend! What is one fun thing you like to do with your pet?