Procrastination is evil

I have always been a procrastinator. Sometimes I've had to work a little harder to make up for it, but it's always been my fault so I've been willing to just deal with it.

This time things are different.  I have been muddling my way through grad school for about three years now.  Big mistake! I should have powered through and got it done sooner because now  budget cuts and time constraints require me to take 6 credits and possibly my comprehensive exams all during Winter Term.  Can you say hell? I can't imagine how I'm going to survive it, but I know I will. It's just going to be really ugly.

Lesson of the day kids, don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today.

Thanksgiving

You have to love a day that starts like this. The second annual Ross participation in the Turkey Trot, a local fun run to benefit families in need. We pushed ourselves into the 10k race this year. That worked out well for both of us.

I ended up with my first ever 2nd place in my age group. Wow, who knew getting older could be so great for me. What you see there is my first ever Corvallis race ribbon and a tasty bag off Great Harvest rolls. Nice prize considering I don't really like pie! Win-win! Before I could feel too big for my britches over my win I also want to share the other news.

This is the 2012 Turkey Trot 10K Master's Champion. While I beat out all but one female in the 40-44 age group, this handsome man beat every single man over age 40 in the entire 10k race. Woohoo. I'm married to a rock star. I already knew that but it's nice for him to get the recognition. This picture does not do his trophy justice. If you want to see it better you can check it out here:
 Sean's Trophy

How does a couple top a start to a day like this? Well we round up our favorite people and celebrate all that we have to be thankful for. Boy do I love this motley crew.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful day doing what you love with those you love. This holiday is going to be a very hard act to follow!

Fall Running

The weather has turned in the valley. The rains have arrived and the air has a noticeable bite to it. My favorite running season is quickly coming to a close as the leaves turn from bright to drab and the color disappears from the sky. Winter is now just around the corner. With that comes the need for some changes in my running routine. The first of which is the summer miles put on my shoes have caused the need for the two beautiful pair displayed above. Unfortunately ASCIS has made the brilliant move to completely redesign the most successful shoe in their history. The new show doesn't work for me at all so I've started using every spare penny I can find towards purchasing up the old stock of the ones I love. At a minimum, they will get me through to the spring release when hopefully they will realize their dismal failure and return to their roots!

The next issue is the darkness that greets me before I even leave work. Luckily, my running partner has prepared herself for this issue:

Those people over at Ruffwear in Bend must truly have dogs that do everything with them because when I went looking for a night time running vest for her they had exactly what I was wanting in my mind. Amazing!

Finally, the real reason I run...Welcome back my tasty and beautiful friend:

All hail the Red Cup. It's what got Melinda and I though 12 chilly, windy and somewhat wet miles last night. It's also the reason our last mile was the fastest. The closer you get to a Starbucks, the quicker your speed. I hope there's one at every mile marker in Vegas in two short weeks.

On a "D'oh" note about fall running,Sean took Annie on a trail run this morning. Had we thought ahead better this could have been avoided:

Next time we will take her straight to the dog wash after the trail run and bypass her favorite chair. For once the extra money we spent on the stain resistant coating paid off. After it dried, the mud cleaned right off. Poor chair!

Thanksgiving is coming up this week and this year after one more day of 12 hour hell tomorrow otherwise known as parent teacher conferences, I have the rest of the week off. I'm so excited! It's been an insane few weeks and I'm really looking forward to a quiet week at home with my daughter!

Booked

Things are looking up. We just books a tower spa suite at the MGM for our post race Vegas extravaganza. What happens in Vegas is surely gonna stay there! M-Cat is already posting the drink menus in my e-mail.

This is it?

Sitting at my nephew's fall band concert balancing 48 writing samples on my lap I come to the full realization of the insanity that has become my normal. I rationalize this by the thought that music is observed with the ears, not the eyes or the mind really. The important thing is that I am here. It doesn't matter how present I really am, I'm in the audience and for now that has to suffice. Forget the fact that it is also my sister's birthday and yet I spent the entire dinner with thoughts of all I need to do flooding my mind.

I have gone a little insane. What used to seem ludicrous has become commonplace with me over the past 10 weeks or so. I have gone from managing a class of about 30 or less 3rd graders to a total student load in the mid 70s. I have stacks of papers higher than most of my former beautiful shoes on a daily basis. It defies the human brain to think of this in any rational sense.

I feel like I am constantly in a dream. I am completely overwhelmed yet I try to appear competent. I know I'm failing miserably. I miss my carefree summer. I miss my home life and my new dog. I miss running in the daylight with my dear running friends. I have a half marathon in less than three weeks and I hope that I don't have pneumonia by the time it finally gets here.

In the back of my mind a flame is beginning to burn. "What are you doing?" it beckons. Why are you working so hard. This shouldn't be this hard. I worry that if it is this hard then I'm in the wrong profession. But if not this, then what? My head reels at the idea of completing those 6 looming credits to finish my masters and keep my license, and then I stop in utter panic at the idea of not. It's a juxtaposition and I don't know which road to take.

Parent teacher conferences start tomorrow night. It's why I'm such a stress ball and why I'm balancing 48 papers on my lap while trying to listen to my nephew's music. How can I prepare to meet 75 sets of parents? How do I put into acceptable language "your child needs to be less of a dick?". How does someone who is in charge of children even have such a thought in the first place? Again, I feel that square peg in a round hole doubt. Why is it so hard.

Then I read a paper that sends chills up my spine and I get a different kind of flame. A small glimmer of hope. What if one of these budding authors have the potential to change the world. What if I can make some tiny difference in even one of them. Clearly not in the life of the dick, but perhaps one of the others, who may otherwise go unnoticed. I just don't know.

Tonight these are the ramblings of a slightly mad woman. Tomorrow with the light of day, perhaps I will see my course and have a better understanding of which direction I shall travel. For now I will just have to be content with picking up yet another paper, and hoping for the best.