3athletejen

So I'm copying this from a friend's blog and counting it as an entry. (Thanks, Natalie.) 1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? Asked for a harder job without a pay increase. Camped in the mountains. 2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't make resolutions. 3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not counting sorority sisters who are now facebook friends, no. 4. Did anyone close to you die? A member of my department at work died unexpectedly this fall. She was not someone I socialized with outside of work, but was a close office-friend and I'm a little surprised at how often I miss her. Denise was a rare person who was both kind and hysterical. My funny moments often come at the expense of others (not proudly), but Denise could make me snort with laughter without ever uttering a mean word. We also shared a love of Twix bars and she always kept a stash hidden in her office for me. Sometimes I think she...

Done, done, done. With Christmas shopping, that is. The last present was delivered to my doorstep by my nice (but not hot) UPS man yesterday. With the exception of two gifts, everything was ordered online helping me avoid crowded shopping areas that make me crabby. The internet has lifted over 50 percent of my holiday stress. Which is good, because my job has added it right back. Yay. Speaking of the job, it continues to provide new and unexpected learning opportunities. That's code for it's continuing to kick my ass. Software issues overwhelm me. (I'm a word girl, damn it.) But all my projects require mods and bolt-ons and upgrades. It's a different language, and one I don't understand. My co-worker said it best yesterday, "You don't know what you don't know." And I don't. One of the perks of working in higher ed is Christmas break. (That and snow days.) Usually I make a long list of things I'll finally get done when I have a week+ off wit...

How might I know this? Because 25 years after my last Tour De Coachlite skating party, I found myself at Skate City donning a pair of frayed laced, orange-wheeled rentals next to ski-ball machines. Sweet nostalgia. Except it wasn't really sweet. It was painful. I realized my roller skating prime had passed when my primary concern was for bunion pain. It was far worse than stilettos. Think I developed some shinsplints, too. And to be clear, it's not like riding a bike. Trying as I might to channel Olivia Newton John in Xanadu, grace on wheels eluded me. The whole two hours was spent teetering with my arms out, trying not to fall on my butt.

Fifteen years ago I was in a car accident that resulted in a broken arm. To help it heal, they put a plate and a couple screws in the bone. Five years ago, I broke the plate and learned the bone hadn't grown back together (non-union), so they repaired it with a lighter, stronger plate. Apparently as the plates get stronger, so do I, as this plate has broken as well. (See above.) All of this means surgery that will either A) replace the plate and screws again or B) insert a rod into the bone to make it stronger. It's called an ulnar reconstruction. I prefer any sort of surgical reconstruction be of the cosmetic variety, but oh, well. The hardest part will be not being able to swim for a couple weeks and no yoga for at least a month. That means I will be mean as a snake and no one will want to be around me the month of January. Don't say I didn't warn you. On another note, Friday night I met some girlfriends out for happy hour, which lasted four hours. Saturday I moped a...

That's how old I am today. 38. Two away from 40. 62 away from 100, if I'm lucky enough to be an centenarian. Speaking of 100 years, have you ever listened to the lyrics of that song? Depressing. No significant plans. Dinner with parents, drinks with the girls, a little holiday party. I try to stretch out the celebration for several days. Yes, I'm one of those people. I still think birthdays are a big deal and get frustrated by people who downplay them. Celebrations are good, people. Take advantage of any occasion. Speaking of special days, yesterday was "hug a swimmer" day. I was told this last night at practice. Honestly, I think they're just hormonal tweens that want to hug each other instead of doing dry land. Because I'm a pushover, I let them. Back to birthday. Some people make New Year's resolutions on January 1. I use birthdays for this. And since self-improvement resolutions rarely work, I'm making easy ones for my 38th year. Here they are:...