In no particular order (and without worrying too much about whether or not I'd bore 6-year-olds!)
1) My photo album from the summer I worked at Yellowstone National Park
2) My marathon finisher's medal
3) A wallchart of the family tree that I've researched
4) My favorite book de jour, or whatever I was reading at the time
5) My iTouch
What would YOU take to Show & Tell? :)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Another Blue Devil in the Family!
NEWSFLASH! My niece learned this afternoon that she's been accepted into the Class of 2014 at Duke University! Woohoo! She's very excited, and also very relieved, because it's been a long and challenging process. See, she applied early decision, then got deferred to the regular decision group, and then she got waitlisted! Today, she finally got the news she's been sooo hoping for! Yippee!
It's been pretty fascinating watching her get ready for this day for the past several years. She's studied, been involved in activities, taking all those standardized tests, submitted numerous applications after getting deferred by Duke. It's been a long and interesting haul for her. Along the way, she's been successful at pretty much every thing she's tried. Being accepted at Duke has been one of the hardest things she's ever done. I think she expected to learn before now that she was accepted, so the wait--and the persistence, have been a good life lesson, I think.
I'm especially excited that BOTH of my nieces will be at Duke come August! L. will be graduating this time next year, but for a whole academic year, both L. and E. will be in town! It'll be a good time to be Aunt Lesley! :)
It's been pretty fascinating watching her get ready for this day for the past several years. She's studied, been involved in activities, taking all those standardized tests, submitted numerous applications after getting deferred by Duke. It's been a long and interesting haul for her. Along the way, she's been successful at pretty much every thing she's tried. Being accepted at Duke has been one of the hardest things she's ever done. I think she expected to learn before now that she was accepted, so the wait--and the persistence, have been a good life lesson, I think.
I'm especially excited that BOTH of my nieces will be at Duke come August! L. will be graduating this time next year, but for a whole academic year, both L. and E. will be in town! It'll be a good time to be Aunt Lesley! :)
Friday, May 07, 2010
What Does Your Car Say About You?
I recently finished a book about personal branding, my first on this subject, and it was an interesting read. I've been thinking since then about how I present myself at work and how other things, like my cubicle, reflect on me as well. My desk, what I wear, how my hair is, things like that are pretty obvious indicators of your image or "personal brand." One section also mentions your car, and the author asks the question, "What does your car say about you?"
That got me thinking, and I decided that my car was saying I'm a North Carolina resident (car tag), a reader (a number of library books in the backseat area), a runner (some race numbers and safety pins still in the car), practical (based on it being a 4-door Honda Accord), yet umkempt (all those books in the back seat area!) and dirty (it had been a while since I've been to the carwash). So Sunday afternoon, I went by the carwash, where I vacuumed and cleaned my car, then went by the gas station nearby and topped of the gas tank. Well, I must admit that it was a treat to start the work week with my car in order! Does anyone else besides me feel like their car drives better when it's newly clean? There's an added sense of safety and confidence in driving a clean car, I think.
And then this morning, on my way of the gym before work, I didn't recognize my car at first, because it still looked clean! (I did have the chance to rinse the pollen off again yesterday, which helped.)
This was just the first on the list of things I've been thinking about working on, partly because it's pretty quick and inexpensive to wash my car, but it's a nice start.
Now my car says I'm still a practical North Carolina reader, but now I'm organized and clean too! :>
So what does your car say about you?
That got me thinking, and I decided that my car was saying I'm a North Carolina resident (car tag), a reader (a number of library books in the backseat area), a runner (some race numbers and safety pins still in the car), practical (based on it being a 4-door Honda Accord), yet umkempt (all those books in the back seat area!) and dirty (it had been a while since I've been to the carwash). So Sunday afternoon, I went by the carwash, where I vacuumed and cleaned my car, then went by the gas station nearby and topped of the gas tank. Well, I must admit that it was a treat to start the work week with my car in order! Does anyone else besides me feel like their car drives better when it's newly clean? There's an added sense of safety and confidence in driving a clean car, I think.
And then this morning, on my way of the gym before work, I didn't recognize my car at first, because it still looked clean! (I did have the chance to rinse the pollen off again yesterday, which helped.)
This was just the first on the list of things I've been thinking about working on, partly because it's pretty quick and inexpensive to wash my car, but it's a nice start.
Now my car says I'm still a practical North Carolina reader, but now I'm organized and clean too! :>
So what does your car say about you?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A Broader View
I've spent the past few weeks as part of a search committee for a librarian position at work. It's been pretty fascinating work, getting to know the committee members, as well as the candidates, better. This week, we've had two candidates come to campus, so I've attended several meetings each day to get a better sense of the two librarians. The meetings included open presentations and Q&A, as well as specialized discussions on a particular topic. Some of the meetings I attended also included other staff members, as well as library staff from two other area universities. The search committee, itself, included a faculty member and a librarian from another area university.
As this process is (probably) coming to an end, I'm a little bit weary, but in a very satisfied way. It's been fascinating to be part of this process, to find out what excites these two candidates, how my colleagues are interested in working collegially across disciplines, departments, and univerities to serve users in a broad sense. I also enjoyed the professional sense of humor that shone through to lighten things up over the past couple of days. :)
I think that all of this has helped me see a bigger slice of "The Big Picture," both professionally and personally. There are things I enjoy doing, some things I'm even passionate about. How can, and do, I convey those interests?Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Extreme Emotions of a College Basketball Game
Earlier this month, I watch my alma mater and employer, Duke University, play Butler University (who defeated Syracuse, Kansas State, and Michigan State before playing Duke) in the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game. It was an impressive and amazingly close game throughout, and I was on the edge of my seat for pretty much the whole game! My sister and her family were there, and it was fun to receive periodic pictures of them, donned in Duke blue, from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
It was interesting to follow the feedback fom Facebook and Twitter, two social networking sites I'm on, in the couple of days leading up to the Duke-Butler matchup. Admittedly, if Duke hadn't been in the championship game, I probably would've been rooting for underdog (but barely!) Butler. After the game, I was fascinated by all of the banter on Facebook. Because of the various activities I've been involved in outside of work in the area, I'm Facebook friends with a number of people with different loyalties for ACC (and numerous other) schools. It's pretty interesting how adults (some of them years out of college) have such loyalties to one school's team, that the thought of pulling for one's conference or state is unthinkable. Many of my Facebook friends are Duke fans, as you would probably guess, so we had fun commenting on and "liking" each other's posts!
I can certainly understand school pride, even as an adult. I guess what I find a bit surprising is how dramatic some adults' negative feelings were about Duke's win, especially since none of them was actually playing on the Butler team!! While some people have expressed a "good game" sentiment, at least outwardly, a surprising number have had negative things to say about Duke's win. Below are a few comments that I saw publicly, some directed AT me:
* "Not Dook. Gotta draw the line somewhere."
* "Good game.....too bad the wrong team won."
* "Ironically, I can't stop throwing up."
* "I have no words...what a way to end an already horrible season for the Heels." [a reference to the neighboring rival UNC Tarheels, who won last year's NCAA national championship, but finished the current regular basketball season at about 50%, and lost in the championship game of the NIT.]
With written text, it can be hard to know the true intent, perhaps written with a wry smile or even a laugh. It's interesting, though, that taken straight up, adults would show a lack of good sportsmanship. (Sometimes I think silence is golden.) I remember, as a student, taking wins and losses with more emotion, for sure. The Duke mens' basketball team lost in the Championship game in 1986, my senior year. But now, eventhough I'm back on Duke's campus and being paid by the university, I would have wished Butler (and their fans) well if they'd won this year's title game.
In some articles I've read about Duke since the game, I know many people think Duke has a bunch of snobby rich kids in its student body. I'd like to ask those people if they've met my niece, a Duke junior. Or the sharp work-study students that the library (and many other departments) hire on campus every semester. Or the kids who volunteer for Habitat or Duke Hospital or the local school system. And Duke isn't just about its students. It just so happens that Duke is the largest employer in Durham County. That's pretty amazing, especially considering all the corporations that reside in Research Triangle Park, which is in Durham County.
Just yesterday, I ran in a 5K in Raleigh, and commented on a fellow runner's Duke National Championship t-shirt before the race started. She smiled at me and said I was the first person all morning who'd said something about the shirt, and what a great game it was. She was with a couple of her friends, and one of them said something negative about the game, replying that she was a UNC Tarheel fan. A friend with me responded, "Go Tarheels!" and the two of them smiled at each other. I let it go, but I was surprised (in person this time) by the lack of good /gracious sportsmanship.
I will get off my soapbox for now, but I will share the link to an interesting article from bleacherreport.com that a Duke classmate posted on Facebook. Take a look at it here.
It was interesting to follow the feedback fom Facebook and Twitter, two social networking sites I'm on, in the couple of days leading up to the Duke-Butler matchup. Admittedly, if Duke hadn't been in the championship game, I probably would've been rooting for underdog (but barely!) Butler. After the game, I was fascinated by all of the banter on Facebook. Because of the various activities I've been involved in outside of work in the area, I'm Facebook friends with a number of people with different loyalties for ACC (and numerous other) schools. It's pretty interesting how adults (some of them years out of college) have such loyalties to one school's team, that the thought of pulling for one's conference or state is unthinkable. Many of my Facebook friends are Duke fans, as you would probably guess, so we had fun commenting on and "liking" each other's posts!
I can certainly understand school pride, even as an adult. I guess what I find a bit surprising is how dramatic some adults' negative feelings were about Duke's win, especially since none of them was actually playing on the Butler team!! While some people have expressed a "good game" sentiment, at least outwardly, a surprising number have had negative things to say about Duke's win. Below are a few comments that I saw publicly, some directed AT me:
* "Not Dook. Gotta draw the line somewhere."
* "Good game.....too bad the wrong team won."
* "Ironically, I can't stop throwing up."
* "I have no words...what a way to end an already horrible season for the Heels." [a reference to the neighboring rival UNC Tarheels, who won last year's NCAA national championship, but finished the current regular basketball season at about 50%, and lost in the championship game of the NIT.]
With written text, it can be hard to know the true intent, perhaps written with a wry smile or even a laugh. It's interesting, though, that taken straight up, adults would show a lack of good sportsmanship. (Sometimes I think silence is golden.) I remember, as a student, taking wins and losses with more emotion, for sure. The Duke mens' basketball team lost in the Championship game in 1986, my senior year. But now, eventhough I'm back on Duke's campus and being paid by the university, I would have wished Butler (and their fans) well if they'd won this year's title game.
In some articles I've read about Duke since the game, I know many people think Duke has a bunch of snobby rich kids in its student body. I'd like to ask those people if they've met my niece, a Duke junior. Or the sharp work-study students that the library (and many other departments) hire on campus every semester. Or the kids who volunteer for Habitat or Duke Hospital or the local school system. And Duke isn't just about its students. It just so happens that Duke is the largest employer in Durham County. That's pretty amazing, especially considering all the corporations that reside in Research Triangle Park, which is in Durham County.
Just yesterday, I ran in a 5K in Raleigh, and commented on a fellow runner's Duke National Championship t-shirt before the race started. She smiled at me and said I was the first person all morning who'd said something about the shirt, and what a great game it was. She was with a couple of her friends, and one of them said something negative about the game, replying that she was a UNC Tarheel fan. A friend with me responded, "Go Tarheels!" and the two of them smiled at each other. I let it go, but I was surprised (in person this time) by the lack of good /gracious sportsmanship.
I will get off my soapbox for now, but I will share the link to an interesting article from bleacherreport.com that a Duke classmate posted on Facebook. Take a look at it here.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Too Trusting!
Late yesterday afternoon at work, I decided to take a [walking] spin around the parking lot, so I found my Garmin Forerunner in my purse and set on one of the outside windowsills to sync with the satellites (this could take a while on such a cloudy afternoon!), and returned to my desk for a few minutes to work some more. When I went back outside to get my Garmin and walk for a few minutes, it was GONE! Yikes! I looked all around the front of the building, our department's building manager's desk, all over, nothing. Slapping my forehead, I returned to my desk, looked up the local REI's number, and called to confirm they had my model in stock. They did have one left, so I stopped by on my way home from work to get it.
I don't think anyone in my own department took it. We share a university building with a number of departments, some of which get student traffic. Who knows?! I've left my Forerunner outside in the same spot for 2-3 years now to sync up before walking at work, with no problems. I suppose I've been too trusting, but that won't happen anymore. Been burned, lesson learned.
I don't think anyone in my own department took it. We share a university building with a number of departments, some of which get student traffic. Who knows?! I've left my Forerunner outside in the same spot for 2-3 years now to sync up before walking at work, with no problems. I suppose I've been too trusting, but that won't happen anymore. Been burned, lesson learned.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Julia Child @ My Doctor's Office
Last month, when I had a check-up with the internist who's advising me on my weight loss, he asked if I'd seen Julia Child's omelet-making video! Uh, no! So, he pulled it up on the computer for me to watch! (This was in reponse to my admitting that I don't always do a good job of finding time to cook!) Check this out:
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Name That Durham Location!
I've recently started waymarking again, and this sign is a local (to me) waymark. A neat fact I learned about Julian S. Carr is that his middle name is Shakespeare. My parents actually met in a Shakespeare class in a building named for Julian Carr! Pretty cool, I think!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Why I Do It....
Back last September, I mentioned that I've gotten back into Bookcrossing.com, and have been leaving used books around the Triangle area on occasion. I'm continuing to have fun with this, and have actually met a few other local Bookcrossers at a monthly meetup at a Starbucks in Raleigh. I'd been leaving a lot of books at that particular Raleigh Starbucks, which has a nice, multishelf bookcase for used books. The powers that be recently moved it from a prime spot just as you come in the front door, to some wall space on the side of the store (i.e. kind of out of the way!). The past couple of times I've been there to leave books I've registered on Bookcrossing, the shelves have continued to be jam packed with books already (some of them ones I've left before), so I don't think the customers are noticing the assortment of used books as much. The bookcase is out of the line of traffic for the "to-go" customers, and has been replaced by a handy-dandy display of Starbucks products. Okay, okay, not very surprising, huh?!
So, that inspired me to start thinking about where else I could serendipitously leave books around the area. Lately, I've left books in post office lobbies, Wal-Mart, Subway, and a bench outside a nearby nail salon. So far, all of these recent non-Starbucks "wild releases" have disappeared, hopefully into the hands of interested readers, but the only one so far that's gotten an online reponse (or "journal entry") on Bookcrossing is a Weighwatchers cookbook I left on a bench outside a local Food Lion. The response was pretty cool!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I was surprised. I was becoming discouraged in cooking healthy and I food [sic] this book. Thank you...
CAUGHT IN MORRISVILLE NC USA
The person who found this cookbook obviously had food on the brain, but I hope it helped her/him through a discouraging spell with their healthy lifestyle change! How often do you have a cookbook with you as you're heading into the grocery store?!
I like to think that any number of books I've left around may be just the book someone needed to run across at that time to feel inspired, comforted, challenged, or less bored! I don't expect to find out who's picked up every book I've left "out in the wild," but it was especially neat to find out about this one, since I'm on a healthy cooking kick too!
So, that inspired me to start thinking about where else I could serendipitously leave books around the area. Lately, I've left books in post office lobbies, Wal-Mart, Subway, and a bench outside a nearby nail salon. So far, all of these recent non-Starbucks "wild releases" have disappeared, hopefully into the hands of interested readers, but the only one so far that's gotten an online reponse (or "journal entry") on Bookcrossing is a Weighwatchers cookbook I left on a bench outside a local Food Lion. The response was pretty cool!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I was surprised. I was becoming discouraged in cooking healthy and I food [sic] this book. Thank you...
CAUGHT IN MORRISVILLE NC USA
The person who found this cookbook obviously had food on the brain, but I hope it helped her/him through a discouraging spell with their healthy lifestyle change! How often do you have a cookbook with you as you're heading into the grocery store?!
I like to think that any number of books I've left around may be just the book someone needed to run across at that time to feel inspired, comforted, challenged, or less bored! I don't expect to find out who's picked up every book I've left "out in the wild," but it was especially neat to find out about this one, since I'm on a healthy cooking kick too!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Birthdays
Speaking of which, my dad's youngest brother and my mom's last living aunt have both died in 2010. R.I.P., Aunt Roetta and Uncle Bill! You're both missed.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Slowing Down
It started snowing here Friday night, and didn't stop until yesterday (Saturday) afternnoon, and by then the snow storm had left several inches of snow, plus just a little ice thrown in. It gave me a much needed excuse to spend a Saturday indoors, and it was delightfully restful! We built a fire, we both cooked at different times, we puttered around, we napped. It was all a really nice change of pace! It made me realize that while I'm a low key kind of gal, I don't slow down very often. Well....I don't slow down often at the beginning of the day, anyway. I'm usually eager to get the show on the road at the beginning of each day, which often starts with a workout at the gym or on one of the local trails. This time, I stayed in my jammies for a big chunk of the day, and my mind as well as my body enjoyed permission to power down.
Funny, though, that I started to get a little antsy later in the day, so I popped an exercise DVD into the VCR. It's done by Jillian Michaels of "Biggest Loser" fame, and she's anything but low key! This video is called "30 Day Shred," and it's gotten lots of good reviews on Amazon.com. Well, I decided to try it out, started with the easy level of "Day 1." Man, that was a lot tougher than I expected! I thought I was getting in decent shape...well, I am getting there, but this was a reminder that I'm definitely a work in progress! After I finished the about-20-minute workout, I was bushed! Back to being mellow again! :) I'm not exactly sore today, but let's just say I'm "aware" of my arms!
Funny, though, that I started to get a little antsy later in the day, so I popped an exercise DVD into the VCR. It's done by Jillian Michaels of "Biggest Loser" fame, and she's anything but low key! This video is called "30 Day Shred," and it's gotten lots of good reviews on Amazon.com. Well, I decided to try it out, started with the easy level of "Day 1." Man, that was a lot tougher than I expected! I thought I was getting in decent shape...well, I am getting there, but this was a reminder that I'm definitely a work in progress! After I finished the about-20-minute workout, I was bushed! Back to being mellow again! :) I'm not exactly sore today, but let's just say I'm "aware" of my arms!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A Work in Progress
In case you aren't a follower of my running blog, I've been busy working on the "new" me, physically, anyway! I started working with a running coach in mid-December, and have been following her daily workouts since then. Most of our contact has been online, via my workouts and feedback posted on a calendar, by email and by phone. She does live locally, so we've seen each other a couple of times in person, but otherwise I can do the workouts on my own schedule and post how they go, and she provides feedback as needed. I think it's going well so far. In some ways, time will tell, in the improvement of my training and racing times. But already, I feel stronger and am running a litter faster already.
Also, I've started a low carb diet under the care of a physician within the Duke Healthcare system. He's an internist who specializes in bariatrics, but pushes a low carb diet rather than the popular bariatric surgeries. With all the controvery over the Atkins plan, I must admit it feels a little strange trying this, but so far it's working pretty well! I have made progress on the scales just by cutting out the foods I can't have, those made with refined sugar and flour, plus no fruit in this early phase. My weight and my blood sugars have gone down, and that's a help, in and of itself. My pants feel looser too--yay!
One of my favorite things about visiting this doctor is that my body compostion will get tested each time. Between the first and second visits, when I hadn't started the diet yet, my weight increased a little, BUT the percentage of fat in my body had decreased, and the muscle in my body had increased, just in week's time. I think that was because of the coach-directed workouts I've been doing. Yay!
Also, I've started a low carb diet under the care of a physician within the Duke Healthcare system. He's an internist who specializes in bariatrics, but pushes a low carb diet rather than the popular bariatric surgeries. With all the controvery over the Atkins plan, I must admit it feels a little strange trying this, but so far it's working pretty well! I have made progress on the scales just by cutting out the foods I can't have, those made with refined sugar and flour, plus no fruit in this early phase. My weight and my blood sugars have gone down, and that's a help, in and of itself. My pants feel looser too--yay!
One of my favorite things about visiting this doctor is that my body compostion will get tested each time. Between the first and second visits, when I hadn't started the diet yet, my weight increased a little, BUT the percentage of fat in my body had decreased, and the muscle in my body had increased, just in week's time. I think that was because of the coach-directed workouts I've been doing. Yay!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
I'm a "Stuff" Collector
I've been thinking lately about how much "stuff" I have, and pondering the whole quantity vs. quality thing.
One thing I have a problem with is books! I have so many books at home, that the one bookshelf in my home office is double stacked, and they won't all fit, so some are stacked on the floor, other pieces of furniture, you name it.They're everywhere! Some days I love having so many books around, but other days, I'm thinking I should turn off the computer (the TV isn't an issue for me, but the computer is) and read them. Some of the books are keepers--old favorites which are like old friends, or gifts from friends and family that I don't want to part with, but a lot of them are books I haven't read yet. It's time to read them and/or pass them along. Of course, I could get another bookcase, or something like the picture here, which would be tempting in the right room in the right house! And the next picture of a home library, not too shabby either!
But in the mean time, until I have the room for a home library, I need to work on making do with the space I have to work with. Making my home office a more pleasing room to be in is one of my goals for 2010.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!
It's been a quiet, but very good day here. I found myself remembering Christmases past, and the traditions my family used to have. Being in a relationship with someone from a different religious background who has never celebrated Christmas has made things a bit different for me. One of my realizations, or reminders, today, is that I need to take the lead with creating traditions surrounding Christmas. G.'s family has family and friends over for Hanukkah, but my parents aren't in town for Christmas, so I need to make it happen in future years. I was happy to hear G. say that next year we should have a tree! Yay!
After opening gifts, we did have a very nice Christmas dinner this afternoon at Il Palio at the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill. I would highly recommend it for a special occasion!
After opening gifts, we did have a very nice Christmas dinner this afternoon at Il Palio at the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill. I would highly recommend it for a special occasion!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Creative Process of Writing
I mentioned a few posts ago that I had started NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, trying my hand at a lifelong dream of writing a novel for the first time. I'm still at it, currently hovering at just under 32,000 words. It has been a learning experience so far, both about the craft of putting words together on paper, as well as about the discipline of writing toward a goal outside of work for the first time in a long time. Oh, I write emails and blog posts all the time, but a story with characters and conversation and drama, well, it's a different animal altogether.
There have been times in the past three weeks or so that I have looked forward to writing after work, and times when I wanted to read, watch TV, clean the toilet, just about anything else. But every day I've written something toward the goal of finishing this 50,000 word rough draft dream of mine. It has to be finished by midnight on Nov. 30. Well, the rough draft has to be at or beyond the 50K mark. (Big difference!)
Whether or not I ever revisit this (very) rough draft creation of mine, for editing or whatever, the most important things I've learned so far have involved making time for myself, making myself disciplined to do something I have to do because I want to do it that much, and setting boundaries for myself.
There have been times in the past three weeks or so that I have looked forward to writing after work, and times when I wanted to read, watch TV, clean the toilet, just about anything else. But every day I've written something toward the goal of finishing this 50,000 word rough draft dream of mine. It has to be finished by midnight on Nov. 30. Well, the rough draft has to be at or beyond the 50K mark. (Big difference!)
Whether or not I ever revisit this (very) rough draft creation of mine, for editing or whatever, the most important things I've learned so far have involved making time for myself, making myself disciplined to do something I have to do because I want to do it that much, and setting boundaries for myself.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Don't Go, Oprah!
Oprah Winfrey announced today on her talk show that she would be wrapping it up in 2011 because the time is right. 25 years at one gig, which is how many seasons Oprah's show will have been on when she wraps up the next season. Wow. Few people stay at one job for 25 years anymore.
I have watched the "Oprah Winfrey Show" on occasion, especially during the summer breaks when I used to be a teacher. Back then, I occasionally taped it when I knew an interesting guest would be on while I was at work. It's been a long time since I've watched the show, but Oprah has become such an influential person in her own right that rarely a month goes by that I haven't been aware of her, whether it's a new book pick for her show's book club, or in the past couple of years, her support for the Obamas.
One of the things I remember about her show is that, while she has had many famous guests on her show, she has also had a number of "regular people" who did out-of-the-ordinary things on as guests on her show. For years now, I've harbored a secret desire to do something inspirational that would land me on the "Oprah Winfrey Show!" Okay, there, I said it. My secret's out. And now, unless I get cracking, it looks like I'll have to keep working on the inspirational bit without the reward of a gig in Oprah's show! Ah, it was a pipe dream anyway. :)
I have watched the "Oprah Winfrey Show" on occasion, especially during the summer breaks when I used to be a teacher. Back then, I occasionally taped it when I knew an interesting guest would be on while I was at work. It's been a long time since I've watched the show, but Oprah has become such an influential person in her own right that rarely a month goes by that I haven't been aware of her, whether it's a new book pick for her show's book club, or in the past couple of years, her support for the Obamas.
One of the things I remember about her show is that, while she has had many famous guests on her show, she has also had a number of "regular people" who did out-of-the-ordinary things on as guests on her show. For years now, I've harbored a secret desire to do something inspirational that would land me on the "Oprah Winfrey Show!" Okay, there, I said it. My secret's out. And now, unless I get cracking, it looks like I'll have to keep working on the inspirational bit without the reward of a gig in Oprah's show! Ah, it was a pipe dream anyway. :)
Friday, November 13, 2009
You've Got Mail
In the past couple of weeks, I've rediscovered a website called Postcrossing, which facilitates sending postcards across the globe. People who register on the site initially receive up to five addresses of other people registered on Postcrossing. You mail out your postcard(s), and when the recipients receive and register their newly received postcards, you are able to get additional addresses to mail more postcards. Whenever you request a new address to send a postcard to, you get a unique ID number to write on the card. The person on the other end types in that ID number to indicate receipt.
Although I registered on Postcrossing about three years ago and sent/received a few postcards then, I got busy with other things and forgot about it. I just recently signed back in and decided to send out five more postcard and see that happened. Since then, four of my postcards have been received overseas, and I received two postcards yesterday, one from England and the other from Germany. It was fun to get some non-bill/junk mail in the mailbox, since I keep up with so many people by email, Facebook, and Twitter now.
This newly refound hobby will probably fade away again in time, but for now, in these drearier days of fall (did I mention it's been raining all week thanks to Tropical Storm Ida?!), it's fun looking forward to colorful mail via postcards in my real live mailbox (not the virtual one).
Although I registered on Postcrossing about three years ago and sent/received a few postcards then, I got busy with other things and forgot about it. I just recently signed back in and decided to send out five more postcard and see that happened. Since then, four of my postcards have been received overseas, and I received two postcards yesterday, one from England and the other from Germany. It was fun to get some non-bill/junk mail in the mailbox, since I keep up with so many people by email, Facebook, and Twitter now.
This newly refound hobby will probably fade away again in time, but for now, in these drearier days of fall (did I mention it's been raining all week thanks to Tropical Storm Ida?!), it's fun looking forward to colorful mail via postcards in my real live mailbox (not the virtual one).
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Happy November!
It's been a busy fall so far, and it's not over yet! I love this time of year--for the weather, the fall colors, and all the neat activities going on.
George and I celebrated our 7th anniversary this past week with a fun trip to the North Carolina mountains. We stayed in Boone for the second year in a row, and explored the area for several days. It rained on us the first day, but otherwise the weather was quite nice. The leaves were just past their prime, but still very pretty.
I'm running my second marathon, the Outer Banks Marathon, next Sunday, and am rather nervous about it. I'm going to get to the starting line and see what happens! George has decided to run it with me, which should be a great help! I hope we both make it to the end.
Just today, I've started National Novel Writing Month for the first time! I'm excited about this project, partly because it'll be a great diversion from running, especially as I taper for and recover from the marathon.
George and I celebrated our 7th anniversary this past week with a fun trip to the North Carolina mountains. We stayed in Boone for the second year in a row, and explored the area for several days. It rained on us the first day, but otherwise the weather was quite nice. The leaves were just past their prime, but still very pretty.
I'm running my second marathon, the Outer Banks Marathon, next Sunday, and am rather nervous about it. I'm going to get to the starting line and see what happens! George has decided to run it with me, which should be a great help! I hope we both make it to the end.
Just today, I've started National Novel Writing Month for the first time! I'm excited about this project, partly because it'll be a great diversion from running, especially as I taper for and recover from the marathon.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
First Marathon Complete!
I finished my first marathon, the Triple Lakes Race in Greensboro, NC, last Saturday. The race report is here.
I'm still a bit stiff, so I've signed up for a chair massage at work tomorrow, and am looking forward to that! My knee (which I FELL on) and my blisters are slower to heal than I'd like, but I do feel some improvement.
I'm beginning to feel like doing some of the things I've been neglecting during marathon training and initial recovery, like cleaning at home, sorting through mail, and other domestic things. I still can't stay awake very long to read in bed at night, as I'm still pretty bushed. My body's healing, though, I can feel it. My mind is also on the mend. It took me nearly 11 hours to finish the race, a long time on my legs, AND a long time by myself, where I get downright lonely--and bored out of my skull! The next marathon I'll be running, Outer Banks, is a bigger race, AND it allows headsets. Also, George has decided to run the Outer Banks Marathon with me! (Woohoo!)
I'm eager to recover quickly so I can finish training for the Outer Banks race, where I hope to clock a big improvement!
I'm still a bit stiff, so I've signed up for a chair massage at work tomorrow, and am looking forward to that! My knee (which I FELL on) and my blisters are slower to heal than I'd like, but I do feel some improvement.
I'm beginning to feel like doing some of the things I've been neglecting during marathon training and initial recovery, like cleaning at home, sorting through mail, and other domestic things. I still can't stay awake very long to read in bed at night, as I'm still pretty bushed. My body's healing, though, I can feel it. My mind is also on the mend. It took me nearly 11 hours to finish the race, a long time on my legs, AND a long time by myself, where I get downright lonely--and bored out of my skull! The next marathon I'll be running, Outer Banks, is a bigger race, AND it allows headsets. Also, George has decided to run the Outer Banks Marathon with me! (Woohoo!)
I'm eager to recover quickly so I can finish training for the Outer Banks race, where I hope to clock a big improvement!
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