Ode to Saturday

It must be move-in day at my apartment complex. I'm having to share the stairwell with massive crowds of people carrying massive loads of the most random crap I've ever seen. Weird. Really weird. I'm keeping my eye out for some potential hot new neighbors, but so far, no luck. Go figure.

It should also be stated that I actually do not know even ONE of my current neighbors and I've lived here for 2+ years.

I've had a pretty good start to the weekend though. Got my ass handed to me this morning at CrossFit.

Today's WOD (workout of the day)
5 rounds for time of:
10 squat snatch 95/65
200m run
10 ring push ups

The prescribed weight for women was 65lb. Funny. I managed to finish Rx'd, but sweet heavens, that was rough. It's really hard to explain my love/hate relationship with CrossFit. I mean seriously. Who DOES this? It hurts. It's painful. It's also 90 degrees in the middle of an Ozarkian summer and the box is sans A/C. Actually, I can't think of any good reasons why I do it right now. Kidding. Sort of. The best part of that workout was collapsing on the floor after I was done. I even left a sweat angel. I did reward myself with a fun trip to the farmer's market afterward. I came away with two bags filled to the brim with produce. Zucchini, tomatoes, banana peppers, and basil. Plus, I got to see some Amish folk, which is always a treat.

I have a great desire to watch Katherine Heigl movies today. I'll see where that leads me.

Fall-ish

I think I'll always be an academic at heart. Not for the obvious reasons, like how I'm brilliant or fantastically NYC Preppy or how I love to carry a stack of books around, but really just for the sense of starting over that it provides. Instead of a daily grind, I get to focus on a week. A semester. A year. It works out fabulously for my goal-oriented little self. Along with being an academic at heart, I'm also completely NOT enthralled with the monotonous. I am the most uncommitted person ever. Or, maybe I'm the most committed person ever, because I set goals, reach them entirely too fast, and then need something else. It may sound like a gift, but it's not. It makes for an anxious, antsy, seemingly flighty girl. I'm cursed.

If I could be completely honest, I'm scared to death about school. I'm scared that I'll hate it, and I'll have committed to another degree that I really could care less about. RIght now it seems like the right thing to do, and I know I'm so blessed to have gotten the GA position so that I can take some time to really figure out my life. But honestly--public administration?? Who DOES that? Policy analysis, personnel management. Good Lord.

Enough of the freakout. I'm still excited about a schedule. And school signifies fall for me. UGGs. Hoodies. Running without having a heat stroke.

I'd say sweatpants too, but I do enough of that already in the icebox that I call my apartment. I can't help that I like it like that.

Celebrating Fetuses

There must be something in the water at the box, because babies are popping up and out faster than I can keep track of. It's pretty amazing, because most, if not all, of the expecting ladies are still hitting their workouts regularly and still hitting them hard. It gives me hope for the future, in the event that I ever give up my selfish ambitions and independence and settle down and procreate. That was a weird thought.

I went to a shower for one of the trainers this weekend. A baby shower, but that term is used so loosely, that I will refer to it as a baby-blue-gift-wrapped, beer-fueled pool party. Needless to say, I loved it. It was so unlike any traditional shower I've been to, and that simply made it the most amazing experience ever. I know I could talk for years and years about my love of CrossFit, but until you really get in there and experience firsthand all the love and camaraderie that spills out of that place, you will have no idea. We sweat together. We grow together. We hit milestones together. We've seen each other at our worst and our best. It is a family at its very core.

Sometimes we slack a little and let the softer side show out from under our badass exteriors. Again, something I love.

Add in some North Point with the fam and some good conversation with my mom, I had a pretty good weekend. I'm ready to hit this week.

He's a little bit "extra."

I've been watching this season of The Real World. Set in Nawlins, it's a pretty hilarious group so far. I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed of my love of trashy reality television, but seriously, if it's wrong, I don't want to be right. I love it. The drama, the profanity, the self-destruction. Hmm. What a lovely picture that paints of me.

Anyway, I'm drawn to two characters this season. Ashlee, the gorgeous college basketball player who seemingly has her head screwed on pretty straight. And Ryan, the homophobic hair stylist who blow dries his body while laying in bed. Ryan is the guy you love to hate. He has some serious issues, but for some reason, I find him absolutely hilarious. The blow drying for instance. Who does that? As Jemmye notes, "he's what we refer to as 'extra.'"

I'm now getting ready to go hit up the advanced CrossFit wod today. I've never gone to the advanced wod, mostly because the very idea scares the living crap out of me. But this one is off-site, set at the MSU track. Rumor has it that we're going to endure the sandbag stadium wod from the recent CrossFit Games. We'll see. I'm decked out in some Lululemon shorts, and if that doesn't get me fired up and raring to go, I don't know what else will. My body is completely wrecked from this week, but there's no way I'm missing this. Not to mention the fact that I have to be seen in a bikini tomorrow.

Holy Humidity

I do realize it's summer in the Midwest, but quite honestly, I cannot get over how cruel this weather is. What the eff, Mother Earth? In order to combat the heat, I have to get up before the crack of dawn to hit the trails. Even then, I'm still dripping sweat and flinging it upon the poor soul who has the bad luck to cross my path. Good morning to you too, sir.

But it is what it is. And in the end, 6.5 miles were completed. It was by no means a fun run. It was a grueling workout that felt more like a double-digit race than a simple easy training run. I blame this on the temps. But also on my pathetic training thus far for Marathon #3, set to be run this October. I'll do the math for ya. That's approximately 13 weeks away.

I have every intention of beginning a consistent training schedule. It's vital to surviving the race. Really. As simple as that. If I don't train, I am going to fail. I may still finish, but I will have failed myself. I need to rediscover my love of the run. But again--let's cue Mother Earth. WTF.

I blog.

I started blogging way back before it was cool. We're talking 10 years ago. Then I kept blogging through the years when it WAS cool. Then it died down, I took a break, and now everyone is again tapping into their inner J.D. Salinger (may he rest in peace). However, I do fully support this movement.

I realize I have just about 4 weeks left until I re-enter the academic world again, this time as a graduate student. This makes me happy for so many reasons. The main one being that I'm bored out of my mind. I've taken the summer off to completely regroup and get ready for this next stage of my life. It was fun for a while, but my Type-A personality only truly was blissfully relaxed for approximately 2.52 days. I'm looking forward to the endless reading, the campus vibe, the feelings of accomplishment and defeat. However, most of all, I think I'm ready to jump head first onto a completely new ship. Feet first maybe? My interests are so varied. Undergraduate concentrations in technical writing, biomedical sciences, music, and religious studies. Who does that? Apparently, I do. But delving into public administration ? It's something I think I'll excel at, but it'll also be a challenge. But what is worth pursuing if it isn't a challenge? Staying on the beaten path is for the birds. I've been there and done that, and it's not for me.

I'm a loose cannon. I like turning heads.

I'll also be putting in hours with the Department of Political Science since they've decided to fund my studies. Between school, working, and keeping up my grueling workouts, I think I'll have my work cut out for me. It'll bring out the best in me. Or worst. But mostly best.