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_gatecrasher_'s LiveJournal:
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| Monday, December 28th, 2009 | | 8:07 pm |
Now that Christmas is over, we've already done our yearly Caribbean escape and have dealt with our crazy families, we are getting the hell out of the country. Tomorrow we're getting up early and driving to Ascutney and skiing for the day and staying in the area that night. Then, Wednesday we are getting up early and continuing north to Burke and skiing for the day before driving up to Quebec City for three nights to celebrate New Year's and to ski in some of the lovely mountains that Canada has to offer. Then, we're driving home on Saturday and will probably ski somewhere along the way home. I think Black Mountain because we have free tickets? Now that's a TEAM ZERO holiday - and we even decided to do this/planned it yesterday. Current Mood:  excited | | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 | | 9:16 am |
I would like to take a moment to say a few words to express my respect and gratitude. ( In memory ) Current Mood: calm | | Sunday, December 20th, 2009 | | 8:30 pm |
Ladies
Remember when I mentioned that stuff doesn't fit anymore? Well, I cleaned out my closet and donated a ton of stuff that needed to go to Goodwill. However, the stuff that I kept was the stuff that I still wore, some of it even brand new (*blushes at having good intentions but now feels wasteful*), but none of it fits (and I can't get away with belts and such - it's all way too big). I figured I'd offer it up here because it's in great condition otherwise! I've had to replace a lot of stuff and simply don't have the room to store it. ( Free clothes )Just comment if you want it, and first comment first serve. We can figure out a time to meet up over the next week or two. I know I've also got some shoes coming as well as a few dresses, but still need to go through that closet and get sorted. So, to be continued... | | Friday, December 18th, 2009 | | 5:49 pm |
As noted earlier I have to do an 18-mile run on Sunday because we're going skiing tomorrow. Yes, this means 18 miles in a nor'easter. Therefore, my weekend project will be to turn an old pair of sneakers into screw shoes. If after all this I still can't make the whole distance, I can try to make it up later during the week and just swap it out with a shorter run. Regardless though, I will be running on Sunday in experimental screw shoes. | | 9:57 am |
Happy Friday Bits...
1.) What do you consider a small sign of love? Today, it's finding a sandwich baggie of cheeze-balls tucked neatly in my purse by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) cosinezero which he snuck in there while I was getting ready for work. Some say it with flowers, we say it with junk food. :) 2.) Today I gave out my holiday gifts to co-workers. Since my parents would NEVER let me have my favorite type of candy canes when I was a kid (the multi-colored cherry flavored ones) I have decided to accompany every gift this year with one of the forbidden candy canes. Years of Christmas candy oppression made me do it! Multi-colored canes for all - even my diabetic assistant! 3.) Tomorrow we are skiing at Sunapee - our first day on the slopes of this season! Then, Sunday I will be running an 18 mile training run in the slushy snow. I'm actually excited for that too! Current Mood: cheerful | | Thursday, December 17th, 2009 | | 11:55 am |
| | Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 | | 10:32 am |
Wednesday WTF.
Sometimes I wish that the truth didn't sound so damn ridiculous. This morning I left the house feeling good and had somewhat of a spring in my step for a Wednesday morning. I walked my usual route to the T, got onboard and made my usual way to work. Coming up the Central Square T steps onto Mass Ave and crossing the street, I passed by the bus stop where the numerous commuters, students, homeless guys and Central-Square-Riff-Raff hang out in the mornings. As usual there was some sort of heated altercation going on between two of Central Square's finest, clearly drunk or tweaking on something which is normal for early in the morning in those parts. I breezed past, keeping to myself and thinking about the day, when suddenly I was hit by a wave of tepid, brown, smelly liquid. One of the fighting men had thrown the full contents of his extra-large dunkin donuts coffee cup at the other man, but clearly missed and hit me. I had only what I can describe as coffee laced with garbage juice running all down the back and sides of my light grey pants and on the back of my coat. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around, absolutely stunned. Seriously? Did this really just happen!? My next instinct was to look for a police officer but I didn't see any, and the crowd at the bus stop had just boarded a bus. I've learned over the years to not get into it with homeless men, especially those who are clearly altered on some substance. Realizing that I had stuff to do before my morning meeting, I angrily marched to work to inspect the damage. I stormed into the bathroom in the back lobby that no one uses. To my horror, my pants were -DRENCHED-. I took them off and rinsed them out with soap and water in the bathroom sink. They were so soaked clear through that even my underwear was wet with the mysterious liquid. I managed to get all of the nastiness out, but now they were entirely sopping wet. My coat somehow, didn't receive much splatter and any of it on there I was able to clean up. I threw out my sopping wet socks and underwear. Fortunately, I had my gym bag packed with me, so I threw on my running sneakers and shorts and ducked over to the women's locker room down the hall, trying not to be noticed by anyone. I glanced around for a hairdryer to dry my pants - crap!! Someone had removed it!! I grabbed a towel and tried to towel my pants dry but they were just completely soaked. Shit. What do I do!? It's now 8:30am and I have a 9:00am meeting. Its way too cold to run to the T station in gym shorts. Do I catch a cab and go home for new pants?? No...there's not enough time for that. Finally, I decided to high tail it to my new gym down the street where I knew they had hairdryers and a sauna. I made a beeline to the locker room and began drying away. However, my pants were so wet that I soon realized this was going take forever. Dammit. I called my colleague at work and left a message saying that I might be a little late and I'll explain later. Then embarassingly, I walked to the desk, looked at the desk girl sheepishly and said "I have an unbelieveably ridiculous request. Can you please throw my pants in the towel dryer for 15 minutes?" And then of course, I had to explain my story. That girl was a lifesaver. She threw my pants in the dryer and gave me a free cup of coffee. We chatted about how ridiculous Central Square can be, and about running marathons. Finally, she handed me my pants, nice and dry, unstained, and with a very faint funny odor. I spritzed some junky body spritz on them, threw them back on and ran back over to work. I slipped into my meeting about 20 minutes late, sockless, commando and smelling like someone's grandmother - but with dry pants and clean enough clothing. After the meeting when my colleague caught up with me to ask what was up I simply said "Honestly, I don't even think you'd belive me." And then told the short version of the story while feeling absolutely ridiculous when she pumped me for information. Sometimes, I wish the truth just sounded better. Anyway, I suppose my day can only go up from here! Happy Wednesday to all, and watch out for flying beverages! | | Saturday, December 12th, 2009 | | 6:04 pm |
WTF. I can't believe that I managed to get frostbite on my hamstrings and butt AGAIN. On today's 16 miler I made it a point to wear two pairs of pants this time - running tights AND running pants over them. Not good I tell you - it's going to be a long winter. My goal was to try and qualify for Boston when I run the Hyannis Marathon in February, but if this cold is what I've got to work with, I think I'll just be happy to run sub-4:00. I was fine tonight until mile 14, then I could start to feel my muscles getting cold and tired. My next marathon will most likely be the Cox-Providence Marathon the first weekend in May, so perhaps that will be my BQ race. All I know is that I need to let go of some of this self-generated pressure. It's not the end of the world if I don't BQ right now, because I run because I love it and running 16 miles in this cold makes me feel like a hardass. And that's just how I roll. Current Mood:  cold | | Friday, December 11th, 2009 | | 9:32 am |
Pets and Ethics.
So, after the ER debacle with a hedgehog with bloody urine, we woke up yesterday morning and to our astonishment, there was no blood in Olive's cage - just normal, yellow pee. However, I still rushed home early from work yesterday so I could bring Olive to see Dr. Lee, the exotics veterinarian at Angell Memorial. Typically when I take Olive anywhere in her carrier, I try to wake her up at least 15-20 minutes before getting her settled so she can fully wake up, use the bathroom and get rid of her "morning" grumpies. Well, yesterday when I did just this there were no signs that she was sick whatsoever. She was her happy, energetic self and when she went to the bathroom everything looked perfectly normal and healthy. What!? So, we bundled ourselves up and headed to the hospital. We met Dr. Lee and Dr. Lee's nurse, both who were fantastic. Dr. Lee told me that Olive is probably one of the healthiest hedgies she's ever seen - Olive is not overweight, her eyes, teeth, nose and other parts look very healthy, and her personality is great (*blush - I know*)! Apparently there were three other hedgehogs who were staying overnight at the hospital and they had never seen a pinto hedgie like Olive. All of this while Olive was running all over the nurse and snuggling in her fleece vest. :) When I explained what was going on with Olive and then the total lack of, well, anything yesterday night/today, Dr. Lee said that it's most likely a bladder infection which are common in hedgehogs. Olive is only 8 months so it's much too early to be worried about serious things like cancer. There is a possibility it could be a kidney stone, and an even less likely possibility that it could be a uterine issue (because she's still not at sexual maturity). However, upon giving Olive a thorough exam, she wasn't in any sort of pain and nothing out of the ordinary was found, so it's most likely not a kidney stone. Now here's where the dilemma comes in. Dr. Lee suggested bringing Olive back today and keeping her all day to do diagnostic testing - she would do a full hematology and blood chemistry panel, urinalysis, fecal analysis, other tests (if they could) ultrasound and scans - and have her undergo an hour of anesthesia. If things looked relatively normal then she just would prescribe an antibiotic as it would still most likely be a bladder infection. Now, having a career in medicine for over nine years now, the initial buzzer went off in my head as I left the office that perhaps we should try the antibiotic first since it seems much less invasive and has the least amount of side effects (loose stool, if at all). Then I was given the estimate of how much all of this would cost. We do have pet insurance, but Olive's policy will not take effect for another week and a half due to me having to be at my new job for a certain amount of time first. The procedures would be about $500 and a day at the doctor's for Olive (not including the doctor's visit and exam which is another $200). So, naturally I questioned this. I asked the nurse about the urgency of all of this and if it could wait a week and a half so it would be covered by insurance. Upon consulting with Dr. Lee, they said that yes, I could wait and they would just prescribe the antibiotic to give now to see if everything clears up. If not, then bring Olive back for the diagnostics. Perhaps to some of you I may seem like an irresponsible pet owner for not immediately ponying up $500 plus for Olive to undergo all of these procedures. However, my gut was saying to try the antibiotic first and if things don't improve or worsen to bring her back in for everything else. This was the path that I ended up choosing. Of course the risk is that if this is not a bladder infection then it would continue at which point I would bring Olive back. However, if it is a bladder infection and the antibiotics work, then these procedures are still recommended but not mandatory. Last night I gave Olive her first dose of antibiotics (which I had the pharmacist flavor for her - Olive loves watermelon) and this morning there was a small quarter-sized spot of blood on her cage floor. However, there was evidence that the vast majority of her bodily fluids elsewhere were perfectly normal. When I woke her up to give her morning dose I noticed that she's very alert, nosey as usual, making her usual happy wheefling noises, and seems otherwise fine. I know that antibiotics don't work overnight. I think I'd like to see what happens this weekend. If things take a turn for the worse, I can always bring her back to the hospital for an appointment or ER on Saturday or Sunday. I know that from my career that every medical decision comes with some level of ethical dilemma. However, I suppose it's much easier to execute at work without the personal emotional attachment. Did I do the right thing? Am I a horrible, irresponsible person? Will some of you think less of me? Maybe, but I'd like to think not. I love my little hedgehog, she's my family and she's a great pet - I think I'd just prefer to try the least invasive and less expensive route first. In thinking this morning, I'd probably do the same thing with my own health and the same thing if Olive were a dog or cat or different animal. To be continued I suppose. | | Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | | 10:02 am |
Olive is sick.
Last night entailed rushing poor Olive to the emergency room at Angell Memorial Hospital due to her passing a significant amount of blood in her urine over the past 36 hours. We already had an appointment with the exotic veterinarian set up for later today, but there was so much blood last night that I didn't feel comfortable waiting until tonight's appointment. The veterinarian who saw us was excellent and very upfront that while she is a vet, she's not an exotic specialist so she can't run as comprehensive diagnostics. However, she did an examination of Olive and thinks it could be a bladder infection. We were sent home being told that Olive should be fine until our appointment tonight since she was alert and doesn't seem to be in major pain. I just had to give her some extra water and make sure she was warm and comfortable. Poor hedgie! :( Today when Olive and I head in for our appointment they are going to put her under anesthesia to do diagnostic tests to rule out a kidney stone. She's only 8 months old though, so a kidney stone probably is not likely, but we should still make certain. If it is indeed a bladder infection then she will need antibiotics. Although the doctor last night said that she could prescribe some, the exotics doctor will know exactly the antibiotic that will be best for hedgehogs, so I decided to wait until tonight. Although I'm worried for my little quilly friend, I think she's in excellent hands. I am extremely impressed with Angell. Their facilities are gorgeous and when the emergency doctor explained that she though Olive would be fine until tonight's appointment after doing the exam and consultation, they even gave me a refund! I'm excited to meet Dr. Lee, Olive's very own exotics doctor tonight, and I'm more excited to get Olive healthy and back to doing serious hedgie business. | | Monday, December 7th, 2009 | | 1:00 pm |
Are these ugly?
 I almost bought them yesterday because I thought the red was pretty, the patent leather was shiney and they were *ridiculously* comfortable. I can't decide if they're cute or look like clown shoes, and what would I wear them with? Jeans? I have to go back to the store and return a pair of pants and if they're still there, I'm considering getting them. | | Sunday, December 6th, 2009 | | 12:03 pm |
"When you sleep you snore, when you run, you dream."
I just read a story in the January copy of Runner's World that chronicles the different incantations of oneself while running. It sounds like something from the DSM-IV, but it makes total sense to a runner (or maybe even you too there, cyclists?) Case and point: most runners I know are susceptible to doing horribly bad math in their heads to calculate say...calories burned vs. distance ran vs. number of minutes ran vs. money-saved-from-avoiding-the-gym per week. At this point, we are no longer runners, we are accountants. Or, there's the romantic, who rears her head on those gorgeous sunny days - I'm no longer running in Southie past the cruise ships in smoggy air - I'm running in a technicolor wonderland of sparkle filled beauty - there is love and adrenaline everywhere. When my body becomes doubtful, I have to just listen to that inner romantic. Or there's the performer, who, when I get bored starts making up bad comedic acts of showtunes and vaudeville while running. It sounds ridiculous, but at the time I find it the most hilarious thing in the world. Different people have their own versions, and most don't mention this at the risk of sounding totally nuts. But the moral is that different versions of us emerge to keep the motivation going under the physical stress of it, and we are more than just runners. Endurance sport becomes deeper personally and more layerd. Anyway, this made me think of all of the different runner-versions of myself that I experience on any given run. Last night, I would have to say that "the marine" came out. It's a lazy weekend in the TEAMZERO household, so I didn't get to running until about 5pm. As a result, I did my 10 miler in the driving, freezing rain, which turned to windy ice in the pitch black dark, stinging my eyes, rendering me temporarily blind at various moments. The marine made me love every minute of it, even when I was questioning my own sanity for being the only lifeform out on the castle island bridge in those conditions. If I'm going to run a marathon on Cape Cod this February, I need to be ready for -any- conditions, right!? Keep moving soldier! The marine even kept me cheerful when to my horror, I discovered that I had frostbite on about 80% of my quads and hamstrings when I peeled off my wet pants, which took me some time to work out in the hot shower afterwards. The marine is a trooper, an encourager, a self-proclaimed hardass, but takes what seems ridiculously tough with a grain of salt and a shrug. Who knows which runner will come out today on my 16 miler, but's it's a sunny day, so who knows. All I know is that I need to buy some heavier winter running pants. Current Mood: cheerful | | Saturday, December 5th, 2009 | | 10:11 am |
I was planning on ski racing again this winter with the team. However, I recently made the decision to take two classes this coming semester instead. For me it's all about the time committment - I could take one class and ski, or I could double up and be a wee bit closer to graduating. This means that all I will have left is my MS dissertation which I'll do over the summer, and I'll have my MS! Signs that I'm an adult and making responsible decisions? *sigh* - yes. In the meantime, I need to start brainstorming about dissertation topics. My MS is in technical project and program management and I want to tie it back into epidemiology. Epidemiology is my entire educational and career background, and I fully intend on pursuing a PhD in epi afterwards. I want to somehow combine operational labor management with the study of diseases in populations; preferably not having to deal with swine flu. | | Friday, December 4th, 2009 | | 9:44 am |
On men approaching women with advances...
This article was posted on ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) runners in response to a post by an active female member of the community who was approached while running by a male driver making an advance, which a lot of female runners tend to experience. I know that this similar thing happens ALL THE TIME on the T, on the street, at the gym, while shopping...you name it. Although this does not really happen to me at all, I'm convinced it's because I'm tall and have a strong build for a female. I think that being aware of one's enviornment is important, but I don't think taller/bigger women deal with this as readily as our smaller friends. I'm of the opinion that men don't blindly hit on tall women nearly as much as small/short/petite women due to tall women being more intimidating physically, but again, that's just me. At any rate, this article is an interesting take. I need to think some more about it, because I don't necessarily agree with the whole article, but it's a good Friday read to share! "You want to say Hi to the cute girl on the subway. How will she react? Fortunately, I can tell you with some certainty, because she’s already sending messages to you. Looking out the window, reading a book, working on a computer, arms folded across chest, body away from you = do not disturb. So, y’know, don’t disturb her. Really. Even to say that you like her hair, shoes, or book. A compliment is not always a reason for women to smile and say thank you. You are a threat, remember? You are Schrödinger’s Rapist. Don’t assume that whatever you have to say will win her over with charm or flattery. Believe what she’s signaling, and back off.
If you speak, and she responds in a monosyllabic way without looking at you, she’s saying, “I don’t want to be rude, but please leave me alone.” You don’t know why. It could be “Please leave me alone because I am trying to memorize Beowulf.” It could be “Please leave me alone because you are a scary, scary man with breath like a water buffalo.” It could be “Please leave me alone because I am planning my assassination of a major geopolitical figure and I will have to kill you if you are able to recognize me and blow my cover.”
On the other hand, if she is turned towards you, making eye contact, and she responds in a friendly and talkative manner when you speak to her, you are getting a green light. You can continue the conversation until you start getting signals to back off."Entire blog article | | Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 | | 6:27 pm |
| | Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 | | 8:07 am |
It is truly astonishing to me how high a good run can take me up, and on much more rare occasions, a bad run can take me down, down, down. Last night I was determined to crank out a 16 miler after work. At mile 13 I slipped on some wet leaves and fell, ripping open my newly formed pink scar tissue that has spanned my entire right knee since being hit by a car earlier this fall. My right shoulder took the majority of the blow to the corner of a curb, and I discovered this morning when I reached to grab the bar on the T that I have very limited movement. What bothers me the most though is that I landed on my right cheek - I've never hit my head or landed on my face before from taking a fall. I have a bruise that thankfully my hair covers on my cheek that I was able to doctor up with make-up, but clenching my jaw causes searing pain and I've had a raging headache since last night. I swear that the next time I fall on this knee I'm going to see bone. There's not much left there, and it's becoming increasingly more painful each time this happens, which is a total understatement. The worst part? I burst into tears of anger and frustration and couldn't calm down. I kept thinking to myself how I'm never going to qualify for Boston if I keep up with this clumsy bullshit. And if I can't complete a stupid 16 miler due to this clumsiness, what makes me think that a BQ is within my reach!? Now I've got a three mile defecit to make up with time I do not have this week. I'm *so* angry at myself. Get it together already and stop dragging ass and doing stupid shit. UGH. Current Mood: crushed | | Saturday, November 21st, 2009 | | 10:48 am |
Ladies
I seriously need to downsize about half of my jackets and now I possess a variety of pants ranging in sizes 4 through 10. I need to get rid of a lot of my size 10 stuff and some size 8 stuff. If anyone needs dress pants, jeans, etc. in a size 10, or a gently used jacket (I'm going to get rid of a Columbia soft shell and a North Face parka/zip out fleece combo among others) please let me know! I still need to go through blouses, but I'll probably have a few of those too and maybe a skirt suit. ETA: I'll post a list later of what I'm giving away. I just filled a box and still need to go through another closet, dresser and ski stuff. I gave a lot of really worn out stuff to goodwill a few months ago, but this is all stuff that's still perfectly wearable/gently worn that simply does not fit anymore and is just taking up space. | | Friday, November 20th, 2009 | | 3:06 pm |
Race Photos!
I got my race photos from the Chilly Half Marathon yesterday, and although I NEVER order race photos, I ended up purchasing a few of these. In the 14 years I've been racing, these are the only pictures of me running that actually look good. In all others I'm either doing something disgusting, making a terrible face, or look like I want to kill someone. I believe these photos were taken around mile 10 after three pitstops, I was finally feeling better and trying to make up for lost time.   X-posted to runners | | 10:27 am |
Rub-a-dub-dub
Here's some smiles for a rainy morning Friday! Jim took these -awesome- pictures of Olive in the tub.  And he even framed this one and gave it to me to put my shelf at work.  Hey - if people can plaster pictures of their kids all over the place, why not a hedgie photo!? Happy Friday to all!! | | Monday, November 16th, 2009 | | 5:40 pm |
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