Fashion. Nailing it.

Today was another special day in my life. It was pajama day, which is normally my favorite day ever. Due to the snow closings earlier this week, it wasn't as publicized as it normally is. I became concerned that I'd be the one loser in pjs.

I got to work and discovered that not only was everyone else wearing pjs, but I once again didn't have heat in my classroom at it was 16 degrees outside. So now I was freezing, without feeling in my fingers, and uncomfortable.

Then, it turned out that my friend down the hall had brought an extra pair of pajama pants, and they were fleece and cozy and glorious. I put them on right away and spent the day as a gloriously comfortable professional, in someone else's red polka dot fleece pants, a giant men's fleece that I once won for free at the gym and keep in my classroom to wear during lunch because I'm a freak and can't eat without shivering uncontrollably, and my normal dress shoes. Fashion. I'm good at it.

When I got home I took a poorly lit picture to share this super cool outfit with the world. Instead of a fitted shirt imagine a giant baggy blue fleece down to my knees that says "Merritt Athletic Club".

Thanks Rachael! #ootd

My day was saved, and got even better when I finally started using my little baby mini work crock pot. You plug it in when you arrive, and then at lunch time you dig into some nice warm tangy black bean soup. This works out great because I have about 25 minutes to eat and my microwave is from about 1972, so just heating my food generally consumes the majority of that time. No longer, though.

Laptop in the background for size reference

Since I'll be spending the weekend volunteering at a race I was originally scheduled to run (the Lower Potomac River Marathon), I guess it's time for full disclosure on the running front. I have, sadly, officially requested to defer my entry for the C&O 100 mile race to 2015. I definitely still plan to complete a 100 mile race, but it doesn't look like 2014 is the year.

The good news is that I'm running pain free. Obviously, this is a bit too little/too late for training, but it's still a positive. I learned something about myself since I stopped training - I like exercising a normal amount. By normal, I mean an hour or so a day, not 50+ miles per week. Spending only 6 hours a week exercising aligns quite nicely with the 8-10 hours a week I'm supposed to be working on my grad project, learning the common core, and my favorite, SLEEP.

Long story short: high volume training isn't appealing to me right now. Therefore, instead of running 52 miles this Sunday (starting at 1am and running the race course twice), I'll be sleeping till the much less unacceptable time of 5am and handing out shirts and bibs. I'll probably be a bit jealous of the runners in the moment, but I can't say I'm too broken up about it right now.

And that's the story of the running. It's a good one, I know.

Ever just taken a break from a hobby for awhile? What made you go back to it?

39 + 1 Questions

I'm stealing this from Holly, because


1. I'm having blogger writer's block.
2. I weirdly like reading other people's, I guess because I'm nosy.
3. I used to love these quizzes as a teen and if you didn't then you had a sad childhood and are probably dead inside.


1. Were you named after anyone? No, although my name has made me vow to make sure I name my own future children easy to pronounce and spell names. I won't call anyone out on the internet but I've known people for YEARS who still pronounce my name wrong.
2. When was the last time you cried? Watching the opening ceremonies for the Olympics when that girl broke her leg in the skiing tryouts the first day in Sochi and couldn't compete but managed to get out of her wheelchair and walk in the opening ceremonies. Not crying at that would be another indication that you're dead inside. That also might be a record for me in time without crying.
3. Do you like your handwriting? It's hideous, but who cares? That's the beauty of living in a digital age.
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Smoked turkey, or that kind with herbs or pepper in it. I still don't know how I went so long without it.
5. Do you have kids? I've devoted my life to molding young minds, that should be enough.
6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Clearly. As my Twitter profile says, I'm awesome.
7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Never. I think everyone should be completely honest at all times and everything should be taken at face value.
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes, it's part of my life goal to NEVER EVER have surgery. 30 years of success so far.
9. Would you bungee jump? I'm a huge wimp so it's pretty unlikely, but Uncle Jesse faced his fear and did it, so I suppose it's possible.
10 What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but for actual breakfast maybe Honey Bunches of Oats. As long as it's with whole milk or at least 2%, skim milk is for people who hate themselves.
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No, I'm pretty lazy.
12. Do you think you are strong? My arms are generally sore from carrying groceries in, so I'll go ahead and say no on that one.
13. What is your favorite ice cream? Cookies and Cream, but only if the base is sweet cream, not vanilla.
14. What is the first thing you notice about other people? Race. Definitely race.
15. Red or pink? Pink.
16. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? Probably my anxiety. I could do without that, it's a major pain in the ass. I wouldn't miss my laziness if it left, either.
17. Any tattoos? One, got it on my 18th birthday!
18. Do you have any hobbies?
 Running, cooking (sort of), sleeping, working on adding crocheting to the list
19. What color shoes are you wearing? I literally never wear shoes in my own home unless I'm seconds away from leaving. The same goes for pajamas.
20. What was the last thing you ate? Cadbury mini eggs!
21. What are you listening to right now? Eric typing his grad work.
22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? This is a dumb ass question and I'm not answering it.
23. Favorite smells? Coffee, gingerbread, basically anything that's not gross I guess
24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My sister, if FaceTime counts! And my nephew, if people who can't actually speak (but can use sign language) count.
25. Mountain hideaway or beach house? Beach, definitely.
26. Favorite sport to watch? I guess Ravens football games - other than that, nothing.
27. Hair color? Red
28. Eye colors? Brown
29. Do you wear contacts? Nope - never had glasses or contacts! Although I'm concerned this could change as my age continues to advance
30. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings. And only if I've seen it before or read the book or minimum 50 people have told me they loved it and I will love it, otherwise I'm not watching it.
31. Last movie you watched? I think I watched Eclipse halfheartedly last weekend - I hate watching movies usually.
32. What color shirt are you wearing? Navy Blue with my alma mater GENESEO on it!
33. Summer or winter? Summer, I love it so much. I hate being cold.
34. Hugs or kisses? This is another dumb ass question but I'll use it to put out there that I HATE hugs. If we're are close, let's go for it, but they are not to be substituted for handshakes. They make me super uncomfortable and I only hug people that initiate it, because I never will.
35. Computer or television? Computer, I'm an internet addict. Not that I don't love TV.
36. What book are you reading right now? Finishing up a chick lit novel called The Fixer Upper and then I plan to start Kara's recommendation, Escape from Camp 14.
37. What’s on your mouse pad? A cupcake. It was $.99 at Rugged Warehouse, a wonderful establishment I highly suggest you check out.
38. What color is your house? We're low life apartment dwellers, and it's like a hideous brown on the outside, and builder grade white on the inside, because again, LAZY.
39. What color is your car? The civic is navy blue.
Olive To Run added:
Why isn’t there a number 40? I hate odd numbers so I’m going to make one up.
40. What you go back to school for if money wasn’t an issue? Something that makes serious money, because whoever said money can't buy happiness was clearly not an underpaid teacher with a lame apartment and dented Honda civic.

I still have something to live for

It's the end of an era in my life.

Nearly two years after I embarked on reading the Game of Thrones series, I've finished all five books. Please note that yes, I am an extraordinarily slow reader, but I was also forced to take breaks in between books to read things that didn't involve gruesome deaths and torture scenes.

I actually finished yesterday morning, but it took me some time to come to terms with it. I was also really busy texting fellow geeks and nerds about possible predictions and theories. It's actually really, really hard to text about GoT. The autocorrect is such a bitch about it.

I do realize I'm alienating any readers who aren't fans right now, but let's face it, if you haven't read the books or at least watched the series, you need to reevaluate your life choices.

In other Game of Thrones news, I watched the first episode of season 3 on the treadmill today. Remember when I used to hate the treadmill? Yeah, me neither.

Luckily, the fourth season of the show is coming up, so I do still have something to live for.

I realize my GoT countdown is a day late, because I'll be out of town that weekend
and can't watch till Monday.

It seems a little odd that I'm going on a beach trip in 18 days and yet school was closed today for a snow day. Also, the overnight low tonight is 2. TWO. I realize that's nothing compared to a lot of colder, more northern places, but I reserve the right to complain, as I grew up in one of those places and PURPOSELY moved south of the Mason-Dixon line to avoid horrendous winters like this.

In case you ever wondered about my blog title, and whether or not it's an exaggeration, let me share this little story. I texted Eric last night to see if he could get me more Cadbury mini eggs (and included this pictures to avoid any communication mishaps).

He got home from bartending late and hadn't seen my text, so I said it was fine and we could pick up some tomorrow. Then I woke up in the middle of the night to find a pack on my pillow. He went BACK out in the freezing rain because he's learned the hard way that when I want chocolate, I don't accept failure.

In addition to chocolate, I also love cheese. Eric and I have to have separate cheese because I'm a snob and refuse to eat pre-sliced or shredded. I found this on one of my favorite places, Buzzfeed, and knew it was for me.

Cheesy treats that want to be inside you

I got started on it tonight with one pot enchilada pasta.

Not the prettiest, but the important thing is it's smothered in cheese.

Today was our 8th snow day of the year, and I think I'd have to rate it as my favorite. Lots of cheese, I read a book with only one main character and no blood or death, and a glorious Facetime date.



He's always so thrilled to see us.



What are you currently living for this month? This is my first time using the countdown app, and it's bringing me unexpected joy.

Don't bother eating heathy, the universe forbids it

Believe it or not, I have a ton of interesting activities to report this Sunday. Granted, the majority took place Thursday night, not on the actual weekend, but it still counts.

Yes, Thursday night I engaged in more social activities than probably 99% of my weekends. First, I attended our after work teacher bootcamp class, although I could only stay for 10 minutes, that's how busy and important I am. (It still hurt).

Then, I went over to my friend Michelle's house to meet her new baby! This would be way more exciting if I actually had pictures of her, but we were too busy talking, so just trust me, she's 5 weeks old and absolutely gorgeous.

From there, I headed to the running store for a group run, even though it was like in the teens and windy and freezing. I survived four miles with my friend Alex and then we went out for dinner/drinks with a few other friends. Still, no pictures, so imagine a gigantic burger stuffed with cheese and jalapenos. I stayed out until the late hour of 9pm. The drive home was devoted to self - flagellation for my terrible decision to live without burgers for what is still currently more than half my life. Also, I'm ashamed to admit this, but I used to be one of those people who ordered salads instead of fries. It's a miracle I have any friends after such shenanigans.

Friday night I returned to my usual speed. We had pizza and a How I Met Your Mother  marathon on the couch. I did discover something lifechanging though. Did you know you can get stuffed crust pizza in the frozen section of the grocery store? And it's actually really good?

The slogan is true!

Be warned, though, the box is deceiving. It looks huge, but Eric had to go back to the store to get a second one because it was way too small for two normal adults. I also bought a salad, to try to be a little healthy, but it was disgusting and slimy so I made Eric return it when he went to get the second pizza. That was clearly the universe telling us not to even bother.

On Saturday I worked on my project for grad school. I'm in my capstone class (graduate in August!). That means that you get a huge ass project assigned in January, it's due in May, and then they're like "ok go!". No actual classes or anything in between. It sounds great, but that's a bit of a problem for people like me who aren't motivated in the slightest. My advisor emailed this week and said we should be working 8-10 hours a week on it. Um, that's a part time job. That I'm actually paying them for. With money from my full time job, that already keeps me what I consider busy enough. Long story short, I don't like this.

I did take a break to do a little run outside. We are supposedly getting another huge storm tomorrow, so I think it's safe to say winter is never ending and the snow will be here forever.

I was really looking forward to Saturday night though. First of all, I was reunited with the pottery frog I painted a few weeks ago.

From this

To this

To this!

Second of all, I met my besties downtown for a girls dinner/shopping trip. I stuffed my face with delicious Pad Thai and had some exciting Five and Below finds.

GIANT PEEPS EXIST. Pink ones for size reference.

I got Eric this cup. It matches a shirt he owns.

What's the most delicious thing you ate all weekend? I need ideas, this weekend will be hard to top.

 

My source of anxiety

As per usual, I spent Monday recovering from a wild weekend of partying and bar hopping. On Friday, we had our friends Carolyn and John over for a double date. Most notable part: Carolyn made whoopie pies. I love any dessert with more frosting than usual.

 

Second most notable - the girls were winning Taboo until the guys snuck up from behind.

 

Sometimes I wear the top/makeup/jewelry I wore to work and pair it with attractive striped different colored pajama bottoms for a Friday evening outfit. #ootd

Our crazy night ended with some Dance Central. That, I did win. (Dancing to Doncha, by the Pussycat Dolls).

 

Remember when "I want/had John Williams at my wedding" was a Facebook group? Remember Facebook groups?

Saturday, I went to an educational technology conference. It doesn't sound fascinating, but that's what I'm getting my masters in. Plus, I think I've made it clear that I love many things that most people find strange. Also, it was at the Four Seasons, and it's unlikely I'll ever get invited there for any other reason.

In case you weren't aware, I have a pretty impressive job title.

Please note the chevron pattern on my dress. I also posted a healthy dessert last week, and I have an oh-so-whimsical chalkboard, so I'm basically a healthy living blogger now. 

Sunday, I had a lot to do. Therefore, I did the logical thing and didn't do any of it, instead choosing to read Dance with Dragons (the fifth Game of Thrones book) most of the day. I'm now pleased to report that I have no groceries, grading, or grad work done, there's clean laundry covering most surfaces in my home, but I have read 85% of the book.

I'm having serious anxiety about finishing the book, because it's clearly going to end on horrific cliff hangers and the next book in the series won't be out until like 2017. I get anxiety about finishing books that I love to begin with, because then I have to say goodbye to the characters and find a new really good book to read. I've now devoted like 2 years of my life to these characters (even though I don't remember who half of them are and many died along the way). I have 24 books marked "to read" on Goodreads and none are appealing right now. Please help me. Bear in mind I need a break from horrific bloody battle and torture scenes.

I'm still branching out a bit from running workouts. On Thursday, my assistant principal ran a boot camp in the gym after school. It worked out great because I will literally never do things like pushups, burpees, and one minute wall squats (or any squats) unless someone tells/forces me to. I'm going again tomorrow. Friday, I did the bike trainer. Saturday was a rest day, and Sunday was just too beautiful not to run outside.

What topic would you give up your Saturday to attend a conference on?

Also, seriously, good books. Go.

 

P.S. Check out my sister's post on how awesome I am.

Some nasty food pictures, for your viewng pleasure

The weather actually allowed me to work a full day today and I'm exhausted. It's possible that's also because I'm apparently suffering from insomnia now. Although I enjoy reading Dance with Dragons at 3am, overall, I'm not a fan. I googled cures and it's all things I'm doing like...exercise. Limit caffeine close to bedtime. Don't pay your bills in bed (wtf?).

It's not all bad. It did lead me to the wonderful discovery of this website. If you are obsessed with Game of Thrones and have absolutely no memory, I highly recommend it.

This week, I did two Jillian Michaels workouts (in honor of her 40th birthday yesterday, btw I'm a major fan girl). 30 Day Shred, Level 1 Monday, Level 2 Tuesday. So embarrassing how much a 25 minute workout kicks my ass.

This morning I ran on the treadmill and watched Game of Thrones (when I find something I like, I stick with it). The temperature was in the 50s today, which leads me to believe that someday I will see sidewalks again, and maybe even run outdoors again.

I've made it quite clear that I prefer desserts of the ridiculously rich, decadent, and horrible for you variety (see: fried oreos). But, like most women, occasionally I think to myself, hey, bikini season is around the corner (not to mention my sister's wedding!), maybe I should stop eating huge bowls of ice cream every night like a total lard.

Obviously, just eating dinner and being done with it isn't an option for me, so when this line of thinking occurs I usually venture into the "healthified" dessert category. I had some friends over for dinner a few weeks ago and made chicken fajitas with black rice. I like my rice like I like my men. Good for you and arsenic free.

My friend Casi sent me this recipe for black rice pudding. I used coconut cream for extra fat, which brought back fond memories of that time I thought the whole30 diet was a good idea. The recipe has real sugar and I added real whipped cream instead of fruit, so maybe it wasn't as healthified as I thought.

Like most semi-healthy desserts, it looks positively disgusting.

I'll probably quit teaching when my food photography book takes off.

It was pretty good though, and I'm out of ice cream, so I'll probably keep eating it until it's gone and feel virtuous and holier than thou.

Anyone have any miracle cures for insomnia?

Do you believe in any healthified desserts? I usually judge them until my jeans start getting tight and then I temporarily hop on board. I'd pretend it's just all because I "feel so much better!" when I eat "real foods", but no one likes a liar. I'm just vain.

 

A romantic Valentine's Day with my new friend

As I previously stated, it's my firm belief that Valentine's Day is a woman's holiday, so instead of fighting it, I embrace it. Although I did technically choose a man for my life partner, I see no reason why that should hold me back. I just mainly reserve Valentine's Day festivities for my (female) besties. Yet another reason I don't believe in the concept of marrying your best friend.

On Sunday, we had our annual super romantic Valentine's Day date. We try to expand our horizons with different activities.

Can you imagine trying to bring your husband here? NO.

Our husbands were pretty confused by the concept. You role in, choose a pre-made pottery piece, and use their paints and various other decorating materials (if you're artistic, I stuck with the paintbrush), and create a masterpiece. The scene from Ghost does not factor in at any point.



We did have one other painting pottery experience, back in 2006. It was one of the most stressful days of my life. It turns out that if you don't have an artistic bone in your body, paying to use materials that real artists use won't change that.

In light of that experience, my main goal this time around was to choose something that I could just paint, without worrying about trying to create a pretty design. I left that to the real artist in our party (Casi). She designed a whole beach themed serving plate and dish. I bow down to her talent.

I went with the frog. I can cover it in green, no problem. Plus it's meant to hold your kitchen sponge.

My plan worked perfectly, and I enjoyed a stress free experience. I did tune out of some portions of conversation because I was really focused on perfectly applying my green paint.

The semi-finished product:

 

The place fires and glazes it, so supposedly all the colors will be what was promised on the poster, instead of the weird ones you see here. I'm truly looking forward to our reunion in a week. From then on, my creation will be proudly displayed on the kitchen sink.

Since Saturday's race, I haven't ran. I did the bike trainer Sunday, and a Jillian Michael's DVD today. I'm not really sore or anything, I just wasn't in the mood to run.

Tomorrow I have to return to work after this glorious, 5 day snow break. I'm pretty apprehensive. I'm not sure I remember how to work.

What's your favorite way to celebrate Valentine's Day?

Do you find artistic endeavors enjoyable or stressful?