Blind as a Bat. But Not As Scary.

My eyes are bad. Like, really bad. Without my glasses or contacts, I basically can't see ANYthing.

So I keep having this scary thought: What if I was stranded on an island after a plane crash (by the way, thank you, LOST for contributing to this thought. also Cast Away.) and my glasses broke? And my contacts ran out? What would I do?

Obviously, this wouldn't be the only problem I would run into on an abandoned island. But it sure would make things a lot harder!

Is it strange to worry about this, as well as try to plot out a strategy?

I should probably just hope that I am stranded with some resourceful people. It's funny, when I think of people I would like to be stranded with on an island, only characters from tv shows come to mind. Like LOST. Or Burn Notice. Shows with characters who know what they're doing.

In summary, my eyes are bad. And I really depend on my contacts. I feel like I have more to say, but I'm running out of time before work. So, to be continued...

How Do I Love Thee, Grocery Store?

Five Reasons Why I Love the Grocery Store:

1. Produce section. What a fresh, healthy-looking place! The produce section is full of possibilities. Lots of colors, lots of shapes. Just being in the middle of it makes me feel energetic. Not to mention those awesome water spray things that mist down onto the lettuce.

2. Carts. Hunching over the handle thing (what's that called?) at the front, you can race around corners with both speed and precision if you have the right kind of cart. If you get stuck with a nasty old cart that always wants to go left, you have a different kind of challenge.

3. Atmosphere. Everyone's shopping! For food! That means, lots of people to give you advice if you're trying to decide on a type of spaghetti sauce when faced with a wall of six dozen kinds.

4. Bakery. Hellooooo! Fresh bread smell? I'm there. I just like to wander around and look at all the delicious baked goods and check out the designs they'll put on a cake for you. Dora the Explorer, anyone?

5. Food. Hey, I'm there to shop for food! Which usually means that I'm helping out my mom and making dinner. So I need different ingredients to whip up a new recipe, or some delicious favorite. As you may know, I love being in the kitchen, so I see the grocery store as the first stop on the way to a good meal I can feed my family!



I got this picture off this site that gives healthy shopping tips. It includes not shopping while hungry, which YES I do, okay? Click here if you want to read it!

Running Away From Running

A few weeks ago (months? hard to tell), I ran 7 miles. At once. On the treadmill in my basement. While watching The A-Team. But that part's not really important...

Anyway, I ran 7 miles! Hooray!

But now, apparently, after hitting that significant milestone, I have completely lost interest in running. I've run maybe three times since then.

Part of the reason is probably that, since joining the gym for a whole year, I've wanted to go there more often. I don't run at the gym because...well, just because.

Things I've Learned About Running, As I Apparently Wrap Up This Season of My Life:

-I love exercise and the way it makes me feel (look...).

-I don't love running.

-I never found the elusive "runner's high." Unless that's what a second wind is.

-Running makes my knees hurt.

-There are other ways to exercise that don't involve... running.

-I am not going to run 10 miles. Which was my New Year's resolution. I've accepted it and I'm moving on.

I guess I just got sick of running. I never fell in love with it, and I found cycling instead to fill that hole. I really love the cycling classes at the gym, and I'm able to go three times a week and challenge myself.

So, goodbye, running. At least for now.

Lazy Summer Days of Being a Kid

There's something about summer that makes me miss being a kid again.

Remember those carefree days of, well, nothing? When the most difficult choice of your day was the flavor popsicle you picked? When you had time to just stare at an anthill for 45 minutes?

Well, no more. Gone are those days.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy being a "grown-up," and wouldn't ever go back in time to relive those younger years (mostly because of junior high. *cringe*). But in these days of work and decisions (tougher than popsicle flavors), it's a nice escape to think of past summer days.

When I think of summers as a kid, a few things come to mind:

-going to the library! and pulling out piles and piles of books to lug home.

-me and my sister getting kicked out of the house to play.

-playing imaginary games outside involving sticks, rocks, and dirt under my fingernails.

-tough feet from going barefoot.

-long, long days of nothing. absolutely nothing.

Summers are different now. This is my first summer with a full-time job. Which I LOVE! But, it's different. Like a lot of other things these days.

Well, I am bound and determined to enjoy this summer with everything I've got. I don't want to see snow again for a long, long time!

Up, Up, and Away!

So, a couple times this past week I was at the gym before 6am.

I know, right? Who does that? Weirdo...

On Wednesday, I really wanted to go to a cycling class, and since I have an earlier shift on Wednesday, I decided to go to the one at 6 in the morning.

So I set my alarm for 5:30 and made myself presentable for, well, the gym. Where expectations are low. Or should be, anyway.

I got to the gym about ten minutes early and managed to claim the last bike in the room. Wait - what?

I noticed while I was driving to the gym that there were actually people on the roads. Going places. It's like there're these whole magical hours I know nothing about. Because I don't get up earlier than 6 unless it is a certain Friday in November.

So I got the last bike in the room! Because, apparently, there enough hard-core gym members that go regularly at 6am. Craziness.

I just sat there on my bike for a few minutes, blinking, pondering my existence. Then the class started and I didn't have time to think about how early it was. There was only time for sweat.

Getting up that early on Wednesday made me warm up to the idea a bit, so I got up the same time on Sunday. I went to the gym to join about four people (Seriously. Four people.) to exercise on various machines. What a difference.

All right, then! It's a new week. If you're like me, you nearly burst into tears at the thought of having to get out of bed, and delayed it as long as possible.

Happy Monday!

Hammock Reading. Without Bugs.

I love being outside. Don't get me wrong, here.

But it has always been hard for me to sit in the grass and read. Sitting in the grass can just be so...irritating. Back when I was in college, other students would study outside. But I never lasted more than a couple minute.

Bugs. Tickly grass. Wind. People walking by. It was all just too distracting.

So I admit it. I don't really like to read outside. Unless I can control my surroundings a bit more.

We have a hammock that we hang outside in a couple trees, and that isn't too bad! It's suspended above the ground so the grass isn't an issue, and those intrusive bugs that like to crawl up your shorts can't get to you. Ha! Take that, stupid bugs. Find somebody else's leg to climb up!

I remember reading the last Harry Potter book in that hammock. I didn't budge for hours. I didn't have to, since I had some necessities with me.

Phone. Water. More books. Pillow. Food.

Something you should know about me and going somewhere to read: I have to be all set up. Once I'm cozy with my book, I don't like to have to go anywhere. I like to surround myself with anything else I might possibly need.

This is especially important in a hammock all the way in the corner of our backyard. It's kind of an event getting in and out of it. The sharp rocks underneath on an incline make for an exciting adventure.

So do you like to read outside? Do you have a book list for the summer? I don't have anything in particular, since I read nonstop all the time. Although I'm definitely reading Harry Potter again before the last movie comes out.

I'll probably read them in the hammock. For old times' sake.

In My Day, a Nook Was the Corner Where You Read a Book

So, remember last week when I said that I got to take home the library Nook so I could learn how to use it?

Well, here are some observations:

1. Nooks are cool. Like, really cool. I felt like I went up 10 whole cool points with a Nook in my hand.

2. Nooks can do cool things. Like read a kids' picture book (in color!) to you. And look up words for you. And download books for you super quick whenever you want.

3. Like all technology, Nooks can get frustrating. Especially the touch screen. Are my fingers that obese that I can't click on exactly what I want? Apparently.

4. I kept comparing Nooks to books. Books don't run out of battery. I don't have to charge my books overnight. My books don't go into "sleep mode" when I put them down for a minute.

In fact, this made me realize how often I get distracted and stare into space thinking about something I read. Books are more forgiving than Nooks. Nooks are like, Fine, you're going to ignore me? See ya, loser.

5. The tapping got repetitive. Initially, when I wanted to turn a page, I slid my finger across the screen because it felt really cool. Then, I got sick of doing that. So I just tapped the corner of the screen. Then, I got sick of that. It must just be because it's an unusual movement for me. But I really missed turning the pages. Turning pages, that I'm used to doing. Also, I kept tapping in slightly the wrong place and bringing up a menu. So that was annoying.

6. I felt like I didn't ever have the whole book in front of me. It was like I was reading one single page apart from any others. Like I didn't have any context. Sure, I could go to any page I wanted at a couple touches of the screen, but I felt like I coudn't sense the book as a whole.

7. I realized that the only reasons I would ever buy a Nook (or other e-reader) would be if:
a. I wanted to maintain those 10 cool points (which means I would have to take my Nook places where people would see me...)
b. I became a world traveler and needed to carry hundreds of books with me in a simple, space-efficient way.
c. Pigs ever flew.

Hey, like I've said before: If people are reading, who cares what they read or how they do it? Not me. If a Nook or Kindle floats your boat, go ahead. I won't judge. But after having one for a weekend, I've pretty much decided that they're not for me.

To me, books are individual. I love the covers, the pages, the smells. I love the hardcovers and the paperbacks. The books I can throw in my purse, the books I can stack by my bed. The books I flip through, the books I read all the way to the end and then read again.

Nooks just can't compete. At least in MY book.