I feel like my entries have been lame lately. Sorry about that, there just doesn't seem to be much time to be profound lately.
Here's some food for thought, though. When does "turning the other cheek" become being a pushover? When does holding your tongue stop being a virtue and start being cowardice?
"So take this broken offering and make me whole,
Set my feet upon the road that leads me home,
let me walk as one fixed upon the goal,
even though I've got a thousand miles to go..."
Set my feet upon the road that leads me home,
let me walk as one fixed upon the goal,
even though I've got a thousand miles to go..."
Friday, September 30, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Caffeine, yikes!
So this morning I had to be on the road by 6 am to make it to Roscommon High School for a visit at 8 am. I thought a travel mug full of coffee would make the drive more bearable - it's about an hour and a half - but it actually made my day seem like one giant stimulant trip.
(I never drink coffee. It makes me very jittery, yet still I forget and think drinking some woul dbe oh-so-nice.)
I stopped to pee after an hour on the road. Seriously. And it was an aching bladder, oh-my-gosh-I-have-to-go situation. Half an hour later I'm at the high school, peeing again. Then I'm all shaky by the time I leave, an hour later. I eat an apple, chug some water, and once I get off 127 in Mt. P, the seatbelt gets loosened because I HAVE TO GO AGAIN! Good God, y'all. Still shaky. Eat peanut butter. Doesn't help. Go to the office, work some, eat another apple. Doesn't help. Finish the day, get home, scarf homemade garlic bagel chips from Mom. Still dizzy. Mitch makes chicken for dinner. THAT helps. But I lost two pounds today and I'm pretty sure the coffee is the culprit. Not that I mind missing two pounds, but the shaky, dizzy, hyper feeling I'm still nursing was not worth it at all.
Tomorrow I'm back on the road for the next two days, visiting high schools on the east side of the state. Then it's Homecoming! Friends, football, climbing...how could it be any better?
(I never drink coffee. It makes me very jittery, yet still I forget and think drinking some woul dbe oh-so-nice.)
I stopped to pee after an hour on the road. Seriously. And it was an aching bladder, oh-my-gosh-I-have-to-go situation. Half an hour later I'm at the high school, peeing again. Then I'm all shaky by the time I leave, an hour later. I eat an apple, chug some water, and once I get off 127 in Mt. P, the seatbelt gets loosened because I HAVE TO GO AGAIN! Good God, y'all. Still shaky. Eat peanut butter. Doesn't help. Go to the office, work some, eat another apple. Doesn't help. Finish the day, get home, scarf homemade garlic bagel chips from Mom. Still dizzy. Mitch makes chicken for dinner. THAT helps. But I lost two pounds today and I'm pretty sure the coffee is the culprit. Not that I mind missing two pounds, but the shaky, dizzy, hyper feeling I'm still nursing was not worth it at all.
Tomorrow I'm back on the road for the next two days, visiting high schools on the east side of the state. Then it's Homecoming! Friends, football, climbing...how could it be any better?
Monday, September 26, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Home
I'm home. I barely have a voice, and I need about a day to sleep, but I'm home. The trip went well...one word of advice, though: don't ever stay at the Days Inn in Petoskey. My list of complaints follows:
(1) Rude staff members, meaning I had to interrupt the two young ladies at the front desk because they insisted on continuing their conversation about their after-work plans instead of checking me in.
(2) Sketchy setup. I was told, since I'm a female traveling alone, to avoid hotels with exterior room doors, which this place had.
(3) Poor housekeeping. Nothing like finding strands of hair on the countertop as you are getting ready to brush your teeth, and noticing more on the bathroom floor the next morning.
(4) Nasty 24-hour buffet. The waffle-maker was so dirty that even not having food for over 12 hours isn't enough to get over it. And with fruit flies buzzing around the juice dispenser, I was not about to chance the bowl of bananas.
So, I spent one night instead of two there and shacked up at the cottage on Wednesday night. Adrienne came down from TC for the evening, so we went to dinner with the other admissions reps, chatted for awhile and crashed. Morning came way too early, but I had two great high school visits before I made my way home. I didn't get too lost at any point, thanks to my willingness to pull over and consult my map regularly.
(1) Rude staff members, meaning I had to interrupt the two young ladies at the front desk because they insisted on continuing their conversation about their after-work plans instead of checking me in.
(2) Sketchy setup. I was told, since I'm a female traveling alone, to avoid hotels with exterior room doors, which this place had.
(3) Poor housekeeping. Nothing like finding strands of hair on the countertop as you are getting ready to brush your teeth, and noticing more on the bathroom floor the next morning.
(4) Nasty 24-hour buffet. The waffle-maker was so dirty that even not having food for over 12 hours isn't enough to get over it. And with fruit flies buzzing around the juice dispenser, I was not about to chance the bowl of bananas.
So, I spent one night instead of two there and shacked up at the cottage on Wednesday night. Adrienne came down from TC for the evening, so we went to dinner with the other admissions reps, chatted for awhile and crashed. Morning came way too early, but I had two great high school visits before I made my way home. I didn't get too lost at any point, thanks to my willingness to pull over and consult my map regularly.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Whew!
I have seven minutes to post, so this probably won't be all that great. Last week's travel was a combination of boring driving, breathtaking scenery, too much talking (my voice is not used to this at all) and fun times with new people. Pull out your Michigan maps, folks, and see how I logged over 1,000 miles with my coworkers driving from Mt. Pleasant to Ironwood to Marquette to Escanaba to Menominee to Iron Mountain to Houghton and back to Mt. P in five days. And I'll have you know that I did drive the entire way (minus about an hour at the beginning of the trip) home from Houghton because my coworkers were too tired and hungover from the party on Wednesday night to do more than sleep and read. Talk about a driving marathon!
Today I'm heading out at noon and driving up to the Soo, this time by myself. :( Actually, it will be OK. I can bring more of my own food and pack better, since I don't have to cram everything into two bags. I will be doing four college fairs this week and visiting 3-4 high schools as well. The nice thing is that after a whole heck of a lot of dricing on Tuesday, I will be in Petoskey for two full days. That means I get to stay in the same hotel for more than 12 hours, and I might even get to see Adrienne if she has time to drive up from Traverse City, where she is doing her final physical therapy clinical. By the way, she's going to be a great physical therapist, according to one of her patients who also sails with my dad on Kokomo.
Backtracking a bit...I had an awesome weekend. I got most of my packing for this week done on Friday night, so besides having to work an open house from 7 am to 1 pm on Saturday, all I had to do was have fun! Mitch came down to Alma and we watched the football game with Pete and his family (Go Scots!) and then we did some awesome climbing, despite what felt like gallons of Slurpee in my stomach. The brain hold is my bitch, Tim. Jeremy set this new boulder route that comes up from the opposite side and finishes on it, and I kicked its butt. You have to wedge yourself up in the corner under the overhang, buto nce you do that you can hold that thing all day long. (Side note: We finally hung our hangboard, so I'm going to resurrect the razorback!) After a rousing game of add-on - too many twisting moves, though - we headed back to Mt. P for dinner, than met up with Pete & Co. at the Braveheart to celebrate his 22nd birthday. That guy is a riot...he was the leader of all dancing efforts! It was an early night (relatively) for us, though, because the college kids wanted to go to the frats and well, that's just not for us.
Yesterday Mitch and I went apple picking in Stanton, which is one of my favorite fall activities. Apples, donuts, cider...it may not be Erwin's Orchard, my hometown orchard, but it wasn't bad, either. Then we cleaned both my cars (Anyone looking to buy a car? I have to sell the Taurus since Alma gave me a car.) and went on a picnic at this county park with the in-laws. There were some nice, easy hiking trails that we will probably use for mountain biking later. It will be a good speed workout, because the trails to not seem to be challenging or technical in the least, but it will get us off the paved trails!
After my week of travel, I have a camping trip with my parents to look forward to. Yay! OK, that was 14 minutes of writing. I have to run some errands and get ready to leave for the UP. Leave me some love, and I'll try to post on the road. Bruce, if you're reading this, I need some new entertainment on your blog. And Tim and Ryan, keep up the good entries! They make me smile. :) Gabe, you better do some hangboard workouts with Mitch while I'm gone. And Jenn, I'll blow some kisses to your hometown while I'm there. Charlotte, I'm praying for you. Love you all!
Today I'm heading out at noon and driving up to the Soo, this time by myself. :( Actually, it will be OK. I can bring more of my own food and pack better, since I don't have to cram everything into two bags. I will be doing four college fairs this week and visiting 3-4 high schools as well. The nice thing is that after a whole heck of a lot of dricing on Tuesday, I will be in Petoskey for two full days. That means I get to stay in the same hotel for more than 12 hours, and I might even get to see Adrienne if she has time to drive up from Traverse City, where she is doing her final physical therapy clinical. By the way, she's going to be a great physical therapist, according to one of her patients who also sails with my dad on Kokomo.
Backtracking a bit...I had an awesome weekend. I got most of my packing for this week done on Friday night, so besides having to work an open house from 7 am to 1 pm on Saturday, all I had to do was have fun! Mitch came down to Alma and we watched the football game with Pete and his family (Go Scots!) and then we did some awesome climbing, despite what felt like gallons of Slurpee in my stomach. The brain hold is my bitch, Tim. Jeremy set this new boulder route that comes up from the opposite side and finishes on it, and I kicked its butt. You have to wedge yourself up in the corner under the overhang, buto nce you do that you can hold that thing all day long. (Side note: We finally hung our hangboard, so I'm going to resurrect the razorback!) After a rousing game of add-on - too many twisting moves, though - we headed back to Mt. P for dinner, than met up with Pete & Co. at the Braveheart to celebrate his 22nd birthday. That guy is a riot...he was the leader of all dancing efforts! It was an early night (relatively) for us, though, because the college kids wanted to go to the frats and well, that's just not for us.
Yesterday Mitch and I went apple picking in Stanton, which is one of my favorite fall activities. Apples, donuts, cider...it may not be Erwin's Orchard, my hometown orchard, but it wasn't bad, either. Then we cleaned both my cars (Anyone looking to buy a car? I have to sell the Taurus since Alma gave me a car.) and went on a picnic at this county park with the in-laws. There were some nice, easy hiking trails that we will probably use for mountain biking later. It will be a good speed workout, because the trails to not seem to be challenging or technical in the least, but it will get us off the paved trails!
After my week of travel, I have a camping trip with my parents to look forward to. Yay! OK, that was 14 minutes of writing. I have to run some errands and get ready to leave for the UP. Leave me some love, and I'll try to post on the road. Bruce, if you're reading this, I need some new entertainment on your blog. And Tim and Ryan, keep up the good entries! They make me smile. :) Gabe, you better do some hangboard workouts with Mitch while I'm gone. And Jenn, I'll blow some kisses to your hometown while I'm there. Charlotte, I'm praying for you. Love you all!
Monday, September 12, 2005
Travel Begins
Yesterday I drove with my coworkers, Brandan and Karen, all the way up to Iron Mountain for our first college fair of the "UP Swing." Our adventures along the way included me pulling over and refusing to go anywhere until Brandan put his seatbelt on (I finally convinced him by complaining about the possibility of his head slamming against the windshield and him getting blood all over my shirt) and me missing a turn on US 2 and ending up halfway to Menominee. Oops.
The college fair went well, and afterwards we ordered pizza and hung out with the rep from Albion. I'm kind of surprised at the lack of institutional rivalry out here.
Today we're heading up to Marquette for a fair around noon and then we have to come back down here for an evening fair in Escanaba. That's kind of a lot of driving, but not as much as yesterday, I suppose. I'll try to update at the next hotel, but I'm not sure if that will happen or not.
The college fair went well, and afterwards we ordered pizza and hung out with the rep from Albion. I'm kind of surprised at the lack of institutional rivalry out here.
Today we're heading up to Marquette for a fair around noon and then we have to come back down here for an evening fair in Escanaba. That's kind of a lot of driving, but not as much as yesterday, I suppose. I'll try to update at the next hotel, but I'm not sure if that will happen or not.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Rants on Pause
I had a two things over the past few days that I've wanted to rant about:
(1) How a disaster like Hurricane Katrina can bring out the best in some people and the worst in others, like those who choose to point irrational fingers of blame instead of giving their whole hearts to the relief effort
(2) How it drives me crazy when people think diversity only means having lots of different skin tones in one place, or when they think that the only thing that makes one a minority is the color of his or her skin
But you know what, I'm not in the mood to do that right now. I vented with Mitch and Matt last night, so I'm good for now. Maybe I'll pick these up later, when I'm on the road.
On the road. Yes, that begins tomorrow morning at 8 am. If I don't update until Friday, you'll know why. UP college fairs, here I come.
I found a wonderful quote buried in the pages of Skiing Magazine. It's from Kirsty Exner, a freeskier:
"Girl power is lame and overrated. Challenge yourself in the sport you love. You'll be empowered."
A think that's going to be my competitive spirit's motto from now on. Maybe I'll even put in on Facebook.
(1) How a disaster like Hurricane Katrina can bring out the best in some people and the worst in others, like those who choose to point irrational fingers of blame instead of giving their whole hearts to the relief effort
(2) How it drives me crazy when people think diversity only means having lots of different skin tones in one place, or when they think that the only thing that makes one a minority is the color of his or her skin
But you know what, I'm not in the mood to do that right now. I vented with Mitch and Matt last night, so I'm good for now. Maybe I'll pick these up later, when I'm on the road.
On the road. Yes, that begins tomorrow morning at 8 am. If I don't update until Friday, you'll know why. UP college fairs, here I come.
I found a wonderful quote buried in the pages of Skiing Magazine. It's from Kirsty Exner, a freeskier:
"Girl power is lame and overrated. Challenge yourself in the sport you love. You'll be empowered."
A think that's going to be my competitive spirit's motto from now on. Maybe I'll even put in on Facebook.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Belay Patrol
My dad is the enforcer on the lake during the summer. If he sees a boat without a spotter, someone going the wrong way around the lake, or any violation of boater's safety regulations, he's on them without hesitation. Sometimes he's pissed and yells like a madman, as was the case when a boat was following way too close behind him while he was pulling some of my friends on kneeboards. I believe his exact words were, "If you ever get that close to my boat again, I will hunt you down like a dog!" or something along those lines.
Some days I feel like the enforcer at the climbing wall. Just yesterday I not-so-nicely corrected some very dangerous belaying with the sharp words, "I need you to stop letting go of the rope right now." Rather than a nice, smooth belay stroke where your right hand never leaves the rope, this gal was doing the "pull, skip your hand up the rope" thing, which is completely unsafe. And she should have known better, since she's been climbing for at least two years now.
Rest assured, fellow climbers; if you are on the wall and I see your belayer being unsafe, he/she's gonna feel the carefully controlled wrath of the enforcer.
Some days I feel like the enforcer at the climbing wall. Just yesterday I not-so-nicely corrected some very dangerous belaying with the sharp words, "I need you to stop letting go of the rope right now." Rather than a nice, smooth belay stroke where your right hand never leaves the rope, this gal was doing the "pull, skip your hand up the rope" thing, which is completely unsafe. And she should have known better, since she's been climbing for at least two years now.
Rest assured, fellow climbers; if you are on the wall and I see your belayer being unsafe, he/she's gonna feel the carefully controlled wrath of the enforcer.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Sailors and such
I could rehash my Labor Day Weekend adventures, but you probably don't want to hear it, so I'll just be brief. Drunken sailors. Biking. Rollerblading. Bay View. Beautiful weather. Bang, that about sums it up.
I should be in a really good mood today as I sit in my new office, looking out the window, thinking about the mere day and a half I have left in the office this week. For reasons I won't get into, though, I had kind of a rough evening followed by a very restless night. I can never thank God enough for Mitch. His patience is amazing, his ability to comfort and understand is more than I deserve.
Starting Sunday, I begin my travel season. I'll leave Sunday night (usually) for points North and return home on Thursday afternoon. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it. I'm slightly excited for the challenges being on my own will pose, but mostly I'm already tired from the thought of logging so many miles and hours on the road.
Someone is really trying to get ahold of my coworker in the next-door office. Her work phone has rung a bazillion times and now her cell phone is screaming. I have work to do, so I better hop to it.
I should be in a really good mood today as I sit in my new office, looking out the window, thinking about the mere day and a half I have left in the office this week. For reasons I won't get into, though, I had kind of a rough evening followed by a very restless night. I can never thank God enough for Mitch. His patience is amazing, his ability to comfort and understand is more than I deserve.
Starting Sunday, I begin my travel season. I'll leave Sunday night (usually) for points North and return home on Thursday afternoon. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it. I'm slightly excited for the challenges being on my own will pose, but mostly I'm already tired from the thought of logging so many miles and hours on the road.
Someone is really trying to get ahold of my coworker in the next-door office. Her work phone has rung a bazillion times and now her cell phone is screaming. I have work to do, so I better hop to it.
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