Wafelenbak!

I have been remiss in my friend-pimping as it pertains to the Pilcrow Literary Festival. What is Pilcrow, you ask? Well, A pilcrow is the paragraph symbol in editing. But Pilcrow Lit Fest is an independent literary festival launched, organized, and lovingly birthed by Ms. Amy Guth. Sadly, I will be out of town for the festivities, but I hear there is already talk of a 2009 festival…
Anyway, from the mouth of Guth herself, here are outstanding items still needed:
I need more booze and wine for the NOLA party. Or, a place to buy a bulk of it inexpensively on Pilcrow’s budget.

I need smiling volunteers to greet authors and audience members at the panels on Saturday during the day.

I need smiling volunteers to be in charge of various small tasks throughout the evening on Friday May 23rd, and especially on Saturday May 24th.

I need to buy a bulk of pralines at a good price. Take a moment and look at our ChipIn donation tracker, then review your definition of good price.

I need a place to buy a bulk of corn muffins. Same rules as above.

And most of all, she needs your smiling faces throughout the weekend, but particularly at the silent auction to benefit New Orleans libraries. Here’s a link to the calendar. C’est manifique, oui?

Yesterday people were talking about going outside in the 60+ degree temperatures without a jacket. I left the house with a down-filled jacket that I usually wear in late fall.
I am always cold, and I swear since I lost weight it’s gotten even worse.
Today it is supposedly in the 60’s again and I am wearing a sweatshirt with a very cozy afghan over my legs. I opened the window for a few but ended up shutting it b/c I was getting goosebumps. Next week I will be in San Diego where it is predicted to be in the 60’s and at times rainy. I have to overhaul my entire planned wardrobe because I will get cold, grumpy, tired, and shivery if I wear the pretty little turquoise dress I planned to wear on the boat cruise Friday evening.
Did I mention that my nose constantly feels like an icicle??
I did a little searching on the interwebs to try to determine what the heck was going on with me. Is it normal to have goosebumps when the temperatures are in the 60’s? I’m not a puppy, so why do I have a perpetually cold nose?
The consensus? Stress. Or poor blood circulation, but more likely stress.
I was skeptical at first because everything that could possibly go wrong in one’s body seems to be attributed to stress. On the other hand, I exercise 5 days a week so having poor blood circulation is a bit more difficult to believe. In my readings, though, I found that a cold nose is a particular tip-off to stress related chilliness.
Weird, right?
Do I have stress? Well, if you consider your employer telling you that you’re expected to attend to work items on your vacation then yes, I would call that stress. Especially when it means your sweetie is (understandably) not particularly thrilled about that setup.
*sigh*
I’d suggest someone send me off to a spa in the desert for awhile, but I’d probably be expected to take work calls mid-massage, too.

I received a free sample in the mail of Mariah Carey’s new perfume, “M”. It smells awesome so, hooray, here is another scent for me to spend to much money on and become addicted to.
Curse my uber-feminine tendencies.
Anywhoo, I went to the webpage to find out what the notes (or scent mixture, for the less-beauty-literate among you) were and was floored when I saw all of the details about why each note was picked, how the bottle was designed, and how much of it is “oh so personal” to Ms. Carey.
Here, see what I mean.
I’m aware that there are places out there that let you design your own scent, and even your own bottle. That’s nice and all, but it must be incredible to be so famous that a brand like Elizabeth Arden will customize a frangrance that supposedly represents who YOU are, and then designs a bottle that’s got YOUR feel to it, and THEN sells it for tons of money from which YOU receive a kickback.
How do I become famous enough for that to happen?
I wonder if celebrities actually do wear their own perfume. What if the chemistry mixed with their own was actually stinky? I would feel less bitter then, I think.
Maybe.
So, if you were a Royal Famous Person, what would your signature scent contain?
There would definitely be hints of chocolate and caramel in mine, minimal flowers, maybe a fruity undertone if something would work with the chocolate…orange, pineapple, or coconut perhaps?

I just went over to 43 Things to cross “run a race for charity” off my list of goals, and discovered I could check another goal off the list. Yep, as of Sunday morning, I’ve lost 20 lbs.
In a couple weeks I can also cross off “go to California”. And I think I need to replace the weight loss goals with some things that are a bit more fun, because opening a Roth IRA just doesn’t motivate me. Then again, I need to get rid of some dumb ones too–I don’t think it’s that essential that I get colorprinted and take home a custom-blended foundation from the Prescriptives counter…
So, when I have some time to think (ha!) I’ll have to really tinker with my list. After some discussion with A. today I have 5K’s mapped out for almost the rest of the year. I’d like to accomplish one a month up through December. A. is out of her mind if she thinks I will run the Resolution Run with her in January.
In less athletic news, E. and I went to see Iron Man this weekend. HOLY CRAP. It is definitely worth the hype. As soon as the ending credits started rolling, we turned to each other and said, “I want to see this again!!” I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t like this movie. Even my aunt liked it, and I don’t usually think of her as a match in terms of movie preferences. It is a perfect blend of humor, storyline, character development, visual effects, and my personal favorite–stuff blowing up. Yay.
Speaking of yay, thanks to you all for your comments yesterday post-race. Suffice to say I was riding a pretty high wave of pride all day long. (today I was just tired and grumpy, but that had more to do with it being Monday) And thanks are definitely in order to H. and E. who got up ridiculously early on a god-awful Sunday to meet me at the finish line. And then promptly turn around to find a cab home to get us out of the damn rain ASAP. I wish it had been better weather, but regardless it meant soooooooooooo much to me.

ETA: To those that have asked, YES, E. and I stayed all the way through the end credits and saw the teaser for the sequel. I was exclaiming to people who were leaving the theater, “Noooo! Don’t go, you are going to miss the cool thing after the credits!!”

In case you didn’t know, it’s completely shit-tacular weather in Chicago. Rainy, cold (44 degrees) and all around miserable.
But I ran my race.
And my ending time was 32 minutes 10 secs.
And I didn’t fall, and my pants didn’t fall down, which were two last minute paranoias I had.
I didn’t run the WHOLE way because 2 particularly big hills gave me a little cramp, and there were no mile markers so I thought I had a lot longer to go. Turns out I was much closer than I thought. But I only walked, like, 2 minutes total. I’m pleased.
And moreover, happy to be inside and dry. Also, totally ready to get some well-earned pancakes & bacon…

HEY! HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY ALL YOU ROCKIN’ MAMAS OUT THERE!

Admittedly, this is all I can think about right now.
I feel like a dork because I am only running 3.1 miles! It’s not like I’m running a marathon or even a half marathon. In the running world, this is the kiddie pool.
But at the same time I think, how many people do I know that run 5k’s? Okay, at least the 3 friends that are running the same race. But other than that…certainly less than half the people I know.
I began to psych myself out a little tonight when I was running my last training run. See, two of my ex boyfriends have run marathons. And both were guys that did a really good job of making me feel less-than at all times anyway. I will never run a marathon, as I know almost no one who has done it without hurting themselves. But their elitist attitudes plagued me enough to start thinking about how I’ll never really be a GOOD runner.
Then I remembered that I make more money annually than either of them and I felt a little better.
Anyway. I raised $378. For the mothers and sisters and friends that have been affected by breast cancer. Some right within my circle of friends. That alone is impressive. I’d like to break $400, but I’ll throw in that last $23 myself if I don’t hit it by Saturday night.
And I can run for 35 minutes straight without stopping.
And I have lost almost 20 lbs since November.
Even if I fall on my face or come in dead last and leave all of my friends waiting an hour for me to finish (unlikely), I will have come this far. And I’ll keep going, that’s the most important part. (E. and I have a 5K planned in June, A. & I are doing the Komen Race for the Cure in September, and I’m organizing a group to do the walk for Leukemia & Lymphoma in September as well)

THANK YOU AGAIN for the donations that have trickled in the past couple days. I am in awe of the generosity of some of you.
I totally get that some people can’t afford to drop some cash in my bucket–believe me, I am having to pace myself on my donations of late. And I just appreciate you thinking of the survivors in your life and the lives of others on race day!
BUT, I am a mere FIFTEEN dollars from my goal!! If three more people gave me $5.00, (just a little more than a Starbucks latte!) I would cross the finish line.
Even better, I would just shut up already about my stupid fundraising.

ETA: FUNDRAISING GOAL OFFICIALLY SURPASSED! THANK YOU!!!

Tonight I went to get my haircut, only to discover I had been booked with the wrong stylist. I was desperately in need of a trim, so I went along with it.
It turns out the woman I saw is taking on the clients of the woman I normally go to because MY HAIRSTYLIST IS MOVING TO NYC!!
*whimper*
I’ve been going to this woman for probably about 3 years, and followed her from the salon in my neighborhood to one further away in Lakeview.
*sniffle*
I’m certainly not following her to New York.
*sigh*
On the bright side, the other girl did a pretty good job and I’m happy so far. We’ll see how it shakes out in a day or two. At least I got to try her out before my hairstylist abandonded me for good.
Woe!

Well, neither one of my morning conference calls answered their phone, so I’ve got a few minutes to jot down some updates for the week. Things have been just busy, busy, busy. All I really have to talk about is the fact work is hectic and I’m running a lot.
THANK YOU to those who have donated for the Y-ME 5K run I’m participating in on Sunday. I am a mere $50 away from my goal!! So if you want to chip in a little more, or donate for the first time, see my previous post. I have no shame when it comes to asking for money for a good cause. All I need is for two more people to donate $25, or 5 people to donate $10. Easy peasy! How about 2 people donate $20 and I throw in the extra $10? Works for me.
Yesterday I ran for 35 minutes straight and I felt awesome when I was done. I still cannot believe I can run for that long without stopping to walk or just stopping. My legs are sore today, big surprise. I’m getting my haircut tonight (way overdue, I’m long past “starting to look like a mushroom”) and then I might do yoga when I get home. We’ll see. I need to do laundry and clean my refrigerator before the EPA comes knocking.
Speaking of the EPA knocking, the girls and I went to see Baby Mama last night. It was really cute!! So much more than I was expecting. I was okay with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (both of whom I adore, and both of whom trained right here in Chi-town!) acting the odd couple, but there was more heart to the story than that and it was really sweet. Plus Steve Martin (who I didn’t know was in the movie) and Sigourney Weaver were absolute GEMS. My only criticism was the completely Hollywood ending that tied up too fast to be believable. Oh well. It was cute, fun for the girls. That’s enough on a Tuesday night.
I’m hoping E. and I can make it out to see Iron Man this weekend because the reviews have just been incredible.
I have a whole long story about a bad experience with CVS turned karma-perfect that maybe I’ll post later this week… I apologize for the fact my blog has been so damn boring in the meantime.

Ack, I have sat down to write an entry about 4 times now but time constraints wouldn’t let me be as verbose as I wanted. So, a brief recap of the past few days:

• Run on Friday shortened by nearly vomitting on city sidewalk.  27 minutes, probably should not have run at all.  Oh well.
• Better tummy by Saturday, stuffed it with crab dip and crab legs in the evening.
• The boy made delicious brownies Satuday and left them here by accident.  Doh.  I am trying to ignore them today, but did not do so well last night.
• Hiking was cancelled Saturday due to weather.  Went to lunch, bowling, Dave & Buster’s on a whim, then Woodfield mall to buy shoes for the boy.  Fun!!
• Played tennis, walked around doing pre-August apartment hunting for the boy, walked H.’s dog, got some work reporting done in the evening yesterday.
• Obviously I did not go to TequilaCon, so I have no relevant stories or pictures.

All in all a good balance of fun, active, and productive.  Feeling great today, and the weather is perfect.  Makes work hard, but I have too much to do not to focus.
My race is next Sunday!!!!! I’m only $125 away from my goal and I would LOVE if you could help me cross the (donation) finish line.  You can go here and search by my real name under the Chicago event.  Sorry if you don’t know it, I’ve got that whole anonymity thing going on which is important to me.  Here’s hoping my next training run doesn’t lead to either abdominal pain or vomitting (it shouldn’t, assuming I can stay healthy just one more week…)