Shut up. I know what you are thinking. Well, I imagine you are wondering why I'm writing a blog in something that has been dead for nearly a year. Well, 9 months. Yes, I just counted on my fingers how long it had been. Nine months. You can grow a child in that amount of time. Gross. And no, that's not what I've been doing during my blog hiatus. Again. GROSS.

I'm set to graduate in May with my MPA. Master of Public Administration. What is that, you ask? Well, good question. I don't quite know either. Policy, finances, management, government good, efficiency good, blah blah blah. Maybe this is why job offers are not flying at me at 100mph. In the meantime, I've been trying to keep my head above water as I finish up my final 9 hours. And take comps. And job hunt. And keep my sanity. And eat paleo food. And crossfit and teach my group fitness classes and watch every aired episode of The Hills and try to touch base with society every once in a while. Whew I'm tired.

Really, it is tiring. Straight up tiring. I am doing quite well though, depending on who you ask. If you ask my GA peeps, I am still antisocial, yet unusually motivated this semester. If you ask my crossfit buddies, I am still antisocial, work out at weird times, and NOT DOING THE OPEN. That is a blog for another day. If you ask my fam, I am the same. But mostly, I am taking one day at a time and planning generally and hoping for the best. That is the only way to do it.

Sooo. Not to overwhelm with too much info at once. Things that bring me joy that I've discovered since last posting:

• PaleOMG -- www.paleomg.com
• Enjoy Life chocolate chips -- see above bullet
• Smash
• Homemade pesto
• Coconut butter

Let's just stop there because all of these things are food. Except Smash. Hmmm. Time to reevaluate life. That was a joke. I will not give up my food obsessions.

I write a better blog than a research proposal.

Last weekend I bought a road bike. She is a thing of beauty, no doubt about it. And she is built for speed. Well, as much speed as she will be getting from these legs. I love her. Although, I do sort of regret purchasing a new ride smack dab at the end of the semester. Last week was horrendous for me. I cried once. And ate countless calories of junk food. Because it is a suggested fact of life that M&Ms and egg rolls help those academic juices flow. I could write a thesis on that hypothesis.

I took my epidemiology final today. Two hours of using my brain to try to figure out if my professor was trying to trick me or not. I swear. If I were a professor, I would not be THAT kind of professor. It is mean and useless, and the people that would get an A are still going to get an A. It just takes longer. So now I have one left. A take-home final and then I will be finished. Until I start my internship and summer school. Grad school is no joke.

I saw on Bravo that they were hosting a Tweet battle to determine if Bethenny was taking on too much. I think sometimes I should ask myself that same question.

The other Tweet battle asked if the Brunettes or Blondes were in the right on Real Housewives of NYC. This is the census work of reality television here, people.

Anyway, I tweaked my back on Saturday trying to be a BAMF. Not so smart. The WOD was the Lumberjack 20. That is WOD-speak for heavy and horrible. I need to remember to keep things in perspective. Just because I CAN pick up a 185 bar 20 times and swing around a 55lb KB like a crazy person doesn't necessarily mean I should. Well, I still want to. It's the whole opportunity-cost benefit analysis thing that says I shouldn't. And the fact that I have been BATHING in Biofreeze the past few days.

Oh, and I am committing to the Omaha marathon in September. I am semi-excited about this, and I really don't want to flake out like I have the past 2 races I've registered for. Wait. 3 races. STL, KC, and Houston marathons. Whoops. Well, this will be my year, peeps. I will have some fun runner friends by my side, at least until they leave me in the dust.

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes. Hey o.

Untitled

I’ve got to get out of the habit of posting so intermittently. Really only because it places too much doggone hype on my biweekly post. But it is what it is. And here is what my blog is not—obligatory snorefest posting. Ta da!

I’ve been watching the Today Show. Nothing new there. I’ve watched that show for a long time now. But I’ve been watching the interviews with decidedly more interest as I look at how the interviewees respond to Matt or Meredith or Ann. If I make it big in some way that permits me to be on national television, I am going to remember these things that I have learned.

1. Try on my outfit before I go on air. Nothing earth shattering there. But important all the same.
2. Get on a first name basis with the big guys/gals, even though I likely have no real authority to do so. This must be performed in an unpretentious way that wafts of confidence but not egoism. “Why thank you, Matt. I too believe that this is but a small, but monumental step for future generations.”
3. Use words such as “future” or “generations” to appear socially conscious and eco-hip. But only once. Twice tops. See Rule 4.
4. Accept that I am 26 and need to act my age.

“Wow, Matt. I never realized how much analyzing perfect strangers on national television was really setting me up for a backlash of bad karma when I finally hit it big.”

I’m tired. The semester is winding down, which means my workload is piling up. I am stressed so I am grabbing extra workouts to decompress. Which means I’m energized. Then exhausted.

Throw a girl a candy egg.

Skillz

Sometimes I wish I had come up with a really great idea for a blog. Let's face it. Themed blogs are the new blogs. The days of listing what you did hour by hour are over. Actually, horror of all horrors, those days are NOT over, which I discovered by briefly skimming through a sample of the thousands of recounts of other people's boring lives. Oh well. There are very few people who possess the writing skillz to keep me coming back for more. They do, however, exist. You just must know where to look.

Examples of some top-notch themed blogs: What Claudia Wore, Letters to Lindsay Lohan, 11th Crossfit Skill.

Mindy Kaling also keeps a pretty baller blog. That site will remain a mystery. Go forth and search, and you shall be rewarded. Anyway, these all gain my stamp of approval 10 times over. But until I personally come up with a life-changing theme that I can be an expert on, I will continue rambling about graduate school, Crossfit, fitness, and my unending love for Lululemon.

It has been pretty stressful lately. The last few weeks I've been hanging by a thread, but I am beginning to see the light. Well, a light or an oncoming train. At this point, I will welcome either, because both signal the end. Positivity simply radiates out of my bones, I know. I will work on it.

I suppose that is all.

Except for this quote: "I saw a dog sticking its head out of an SUV on my way home. For a brief second, I wanted to be that dog."

Yes, I said it. And maybe that can be the theme of my new blog. My Life as a Dog.

Thoughts on Presidents' Day Weekend

It's late Saturday afternoon, and I'm taking this opportunity to post. I'm going to be cliche and say that I seriously can't believe how quickly time is flying. 2011, you are a sneaky one. Oh well. I really don't mind. I like being busy, and I like completion check points. Therefore, grad school is good fit for me. Two more weeks until spring break. I can do that. I'll be starting off that week of leisure* with a trip to Chi-town. What does this mean? Well, technically, it's a Les Mills fitness convention, so I'll be experiencing the brand new ATTACK and RPM and probably some other classes too. That's pretty exciting. Secondly, it's Chi-town, which means there are THREE Lululemon stores that I can visit. I've never been inside a real retail store before. I'm not sure how I'll react. Shock. Awe. Sadness that I can't purchase the entire inventory. Oh boy. Thirdly, I'll be going with some pretty fun peeps.

On a side note, my body is currently on strike. Not as in the usual, "I'm sore and I can't move" type. Rather, it's the "I did too many heavy deadlifts yesterday and I have to DNF today" type. I hate not finishing a WOD, especially a Hero WOD, but I'm so glad I listened to my back this morning and didn't stubbornly continue to use awful form to gut out endless reps of "The Seven." Another day. That's definitely one I want to conquer in this lifetime.

You should be on the lookout for my next update after I've finished reading The Lo-Down, a riveting tale of life and love in the Hollywood Hills, written by one Lo Bosworth, from MTV's The Hills. An autographed copy arrived in my mailbox on V Day from a pretty damn cool friend. As I mentioned, stay tuned, readers. I'll share my findings.

I'm going to blame the pain shooting through my lower back for this dull update and my overall lack of wit. Regardless, thank you, Biofreeze, for making this lame post possible.

*Week of leisure, ha! Those no longer exist.

I’ll take impossibly hard Canadian provinces for $500, Alex.

If you even halfway know me, you’re aware that I have long been aspiring to be a Jeopardy champion. As soon as they opened up online testing registration a few weeks ago, I signed up. And I took the online test last night.

What a buzz kill. That test was ridiculous. I didn’t imagine it would be a walk in the park by any means, but what I experienced was more akin to a gang beating in the park. I’m pretty sure I only knew about 20% of the answers. 15 seconds to read and type a response before the next one appears on the screen. It’s rapid fire. You hesitate, you lose.

I’ll be notified of my score regardless of if I pass or not. I’m not hopeful. My only consolation is that I will never have to appear as socially awkward as the contestants that actually make it onto the show. At least not televised.

But registration is still open and you can take the test tonight or tomorrow...visit here.

Let’s now talk about how this weather is quick becoming a pain in my side.

Hmm. That’s pretty much all I got on that front.

Let’s talk about how obsessed I am with the Glee cast cover of “Bills, Bills, Bills.” Seriously. I have it on repeat.

And finally, let's talk about how excited I am for my Program Evaluation class tonight. Totally stoked. There are only 4,572 things I'd rather be doing. Approximately.

In life, I choose Lulu.

I've been using the Crest 3D white toothpaste. Really I like the design of the tube, and I am a sucker for sleek marketing. And I like the commercials with the girl who is about to date a dentist. Sold. As a plus, I think it really is giving me whiter teeth. So there.

Another week down in the books of graduate school. I complain a lot, but I really can't believe it's going so quickly. This is terrifying for a few reasons, but the biggest is that I fear I'll graduate with a fancy degree and have not the first clue on what I actually studied. This is a legitimate fear. In a year, I'll be job hunting. Eff.

Anyway, today I interviewed the Greene County Budget Officer for my Financial Management class. Riveting. No, in all actuality it was neat, and I do find the budgetary process fascinating. You want money? No way, Jose. YOU want money? Okay. I'm sure there is slightly more to that, but I like the general idea. They are looking for someone to do sales tax analysis. Since I have to be a lowly intern somewhere this summer, I may as well do something I think is neat.

Yes, I just said sales tax analysis is neat.

You know what else is neat? Indentations on your forearms leftover from Turkish get ups and one-arm snatches. 21-15-9 of those plus KB swings and goblet squats leave you with plenty o' bruises. But I don't mind.

I also took myself off Lulu probation last night and purchased some things. I saved a ton of money by returning my textbooks to the MSU "Screw You" Bookstore and buying them on Amazon. So I don't feel guilty at all. I can give the school my monies, or I can wear it in the form of awesome workout swag. I choose Lulu.

In life, I choose Lulu.

I just realized that I got excited while watching an AIDS documentary for my Epidemiology class today. Two positive thoughts regarding grad school in one day. Look out, world.

Bye.

The Case of the Missing Keys

As if there were any doubt (I certainly didn't have any), my first day back in the saddle was a rousing success. I managed to

• Freak out and shut down re: Spring 2011
• Lock my keys in my car
• Miss my beloved CrossFit WOD

I suppose I should be thankful here that I'm not completely accident prone. I haven't locked my keys in my car for at least a year. And I rarely get so overwhelmed that I just shut down. I'll react, compose myself, and then put together a plan of attack. I am the epitome of a Type A personality. That said, I rarely miss scheduled workouts. But it didn't really happen like that yesterday. I think just the combination of all these things worked together like an effing domino effect and pushed me down on the ground.

And then stepped on me with dirty snow boots.

But I'm happy to announce that today I woke up on the right side of the bed. Despite the disgusting snow. Despite the ridiculous frigid temps. Despite the fact that this deathly semester still looms ahead.

Doy. I'm still me. Last night's sleep did not produce a miracle.

I think I need to take myself off Lulu probation and go shopping.

I said never again. But here we are.

I thought I bought the winning lottery ticket yesterday, but it turns out I was wrong. Oh well. Lots of people don't win the lottery the first few thousand times they play.

Tomorrow's CFS wod looks pretty rockin'. Clean and jerks and KB swings. Loads of your choice. I always feel those are a cruel gift given by J Man to the unsuspecting, but I think I've got a pretty good game plan in mind. Clean and jerks are my current fave lift. This changes weekly and is determined by how awesomely/crappily I performed at said lift during a previously given workout. Since I've successfully been busting out heavy c&j's lately, it is safe to say I love 'em.

Ask me again tomorrow.

School also starts tomorrow. Gross. I mean, YES. Bring it, grad school gods.

Gobble gobble.

Turkey Day 2010 has come and gone. I love the holidays in general, but I had an especially awesome 5 days this time around. My brother and his fiance came over to my parents and we all ate delicious food. Yum! Then on Friday I had a movie date with my mom and we watched Toy Story 3 and Christmas with the Kranks. CwtK is an old reliable. We break out that puppy every year. Because it's awesome. And we threw in Toy Story 3 just for good measure. Although, I have to say, that movie is the saddest thing ever. They expect children to enjoy it? I was bawling like a baby. Something about growing up and leaving your beloved toy friends is just too much for my brain. Good grief.

Saturday I finished up LOST season 6 with my pops. We had watched 14 episodes in one day earlier this fall, and we needed to finish up. Then yesterday my mom and I traveled to see one of her friends direct some good old-fashioned community theatre. Then I watched Jewel Staite in a Hallmark holiday movie. Some Christmas ham is a-okay in my book.

See why I had such a good break? Note also the non-existent mention of grad school. Or homework. Cue the hallelujah chorus.

I'm pretty much on the downhill slope from here on out. I have 3 finals and a stats research project standing between me and my first completed semester of grad school. Boy, oh boy.

So that's what's been going on. Oh, and I caught up on all my television I missed. Whew. That was stressing me out more than anything combined.

And that's how Sue C's it.