What a Week

As if the news out of Puerto Rico (millions of people still don't have power or access to potable WATER) wasn't bad enough, a white man was able to obtain 40 weapons legally and many of them were modified to be automatic. He opened fire on a concert from his 32nd floor hotel room. He killed 59 people and wounded over 500 others. I am so ashamed of my country. This happens over and over and over and over and over and then in the aftermath I hear nothing but: It's too soon to talk about politics. Well, every time someone says that, I hear: Sorry, my opinion on this situation is indefensible in light of this tragedy. No civilian has the right to own automatic (or the bs - they're not automatic, they're semi-automatic) weapons. No civilian. And no military person should have them outside of the job. A classroom full of kindergarteners' right to live TRUMPS your frakking right to own ANYTHING.

In addition to the terrible news, my dad was in the hospital this week. It was a really scary infection that took the doctors days to try to figure out how to fight. My grandfather was also in the hospital this week. He had a fall and he's 97, so this may be a more long-term situation. And, work was insane. So yeah. I could use a vacation and won't get one until Thanksgiving.

Puerto Rico

The news coming out of Puerto Rico has been weighing heavily on me. If I could, I would donate piles of money to send help where it's needed. But, since I'm strapped for cash, something I can do is make what little donation I can, and then make stuff.

Coquí are a kind of singing frog that are native to Puerto Rico. She probably doesn't even remember this, but my friend Brenda, told me about them in my freshman year at college. I've always remembered that conversation. I knit and crocheted a dishcloth and scrubby dedicated to the coquí.

For ideas on charities you can donate to, click here!

Wow.

Yikes, it's been a while since I last posted. So, here's a strawberry shortcake donut from The Coffee Cart on Main Street at Disneyland. I'll try to get back to blogging again.

Random Happenstance

On my way home from a movie tonight, I was walking through a mall to get to my car, and I saw some people walking the other direction. The closer we got, the more it looked like my old college roommate. Because it was. My whole week was just made. I didn't know how much I missed her until we were hugging for the fourth or fifth time. The. Best. Moment. 

The movie was so long, and then running into her, I'm out of time to post this.

Exhaustion

My day was long. That can be both good and bad, but, it was most definitely exhausting. I can barely keep my eyes open to type this. Seriously. Just fell asleep mid-sentence. So, I'll keep this post really short.

Riots

I fully understand why people are frustrated and angry in Baltimore. I absolutely believe that racism is systemic and we have a long way to go before it's eradicated. That said, I don't support violence in pretty much any capacity. Protesting is a great way to let people know your feelings,  and what you need to thrive. Looting, causing damage, and injury, should not be part of protesting. The anger is simmering and bubbling, but the capacity to reign in that kind of behavior is what kind of what society is all about. The other side of that, of course, is that society is also about helping the disenfranchised. I pray for Baltimore and all the cities facing this right now. I pray for peace and comfort in difficult times. But, I also pray for justice and fairness to prevail and lend itself to those who haven't really had it.

BEDA Tracker:

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Decisions

I wish my hobbies were more complementary. Knitting, jogging, and reading don't go well together. At least, not for me. I do know there's a man who knits while he runs marathons, but he is obviously better at both than I am, because if I try to knit without full concentration, bad things happen. As for running, ha. I'm focused on not crashing to the ground or having an asthma attack, not whether I should knit or purl.

So, rather than being able to combine my hobbies, I'm forced to choose between them. I started a new shawl yesterday that I really want to work on, but I also need/want to finish one of the books from my second pile for my April challenge. Luckily, running today is out of the question, because my legs are, like, rebelling against my run from yesterday.

Speaking of my run yesterday, I saw my results on their board, and I was simultaneously proud and discouraged. It was a PR, so that made me proud. Then I sawy standings among my peers and among the rest of the runners, and I was kind of big-time discouraged. Because, I'm pretty far down on the list. People say I shouldn't compare myself to others, but, if I shouldn't, why do they show you all the comparisons? Sigh.

At any rate, my decision tonight was to read. And then I fell asleep on the couch, so apparently I was really tired.

BEDA Tracker:

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La Jolla Shores 5K

Today, I did the La Jolla Shores 5K. It started off with my fastest mile time as an adult. I ran for over ten minutes straight, which is totally a record for me.

Of course, that was partly because the first mile was almost entirely downhill. And, the downside of running the first mile, was the running out of energy for the next two. I definitely need to work on evening out my pace.

This was a pretty fun run, and you could see the beach for most of it. But, they only give medals for the half marathon. I know a 5K doesn't seem impressive to marathoners, but for some people, a 5K might as well be. I think you should get something for finishing any organized race, regardless of the distance.

In the end, I PRd and had fun, but now I'm icing my knees and slathering them in Tiger Balm.

BEDA Tracker:

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Errands

Today, after my knitting group, I had to run some errands. First up was a cupcake tasting to prepare for a birthday party I'm helping put on next week. They had an apple pie cupcake that was to die for. So yummy.

Then I went to shop for some decorations. I was wandering around the store trying to find the right colors, until eventually I looked at my watch and realized I'd been there over an hour. I had to get out of there, so I finally just picked some stuff I think might work.

Then I had to head down to my running shoe store, to pick up the packet for my race tomorrow. And then I meandered around that store for over an hour. And left with new shoes. So nice, but probably didn't need them. 

After all that, I was starving, so I tried to find a good Chinese food place in the area. Everything I found had lines out the door, so I ended up going to Thai near my house. Good, but I'm still craving some lo mein. 

Next thing I know, I'm way overdue for bed and almost too late to post!

BEDA Tracker:

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Game Night

Tonight I'm at a game night, so I don't have time to blog. But, my friend has this pinball machine at her house and I just spent a lot of game time playing pinball. Because, yes! Also, I swear I remember this game from when I was a kid. That robot looks so familiar!

BEDA Tracker:

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Walking

I got a FitBit Charge for my birthday and I've been wearing it ever since. It amazes me how much tracking my steps makes me want to move. At my last job, I was glued to the computer, so I very rarely got close to my step goal on a weekday. At the new job, I move around a lot more. I've hit my goal both days. Yesterday, it was because I went walking after work, but today I hit my goal by going shopping after work.

I never really thought about how far I walked when I went to a mall before. Before I got my license, I walked everywhere. I worked at a mall, and I would walk to work where I stood for my entire shift, then walked home. I wish I could continue that kind of lifestyle. I love driving, but I really miss the time I spent putting one foot in front of the other. Plus, when I walked everywhere, I didn't have to add walking and running into my routine.

I really wish San Diego had a better transit system. It's really only good if you live downtown. In Sacramento, the light rail and bus system was really good in all the places I lived. So, I could walk to the bus or light rail and get pretty much anywhere I wanted to go. I really miss the excursions I would go on, meandering around Sacramento.

BEDA Tracker:

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Brain Drain

This is the third time I've tried to start this post. I'm so drained from my first day at a new job, that I just can't focus on blogging. The new job is good, but there are so many things to learn and so many people to meet that I left feeling like the best plan for tonight was curling up in a ball on the couch. But, then I went for a two mile walk. And now, I can't focus enough to write a coherent post. So, I'm going to cut today's post short. Because no one should have to suffer my brain drain. Besides, it's Earth Day. I should conserve as much electricity as possible.

BEDA Tracker:

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Unemployment

Technically, I was unemployed again today. I finished one job yesterday and start another tomorrow. It was kind of surprising how much it brought back the emotions of being unexpectedly unemployed a little less than a year ago. I decided to spend my day the same way I did on the first day of unemployment last time. I went to Balboa Park and wandered the San Diego Museum of Art.

Tuesdays in San Diego have free admission to museums for residents. It just so happened that the same museum I visited last time was open today. I never really connected with art growing up. Considering the roles music, literature, acting, and crafting play in my life, it's kind of surprising. I think I had a sort of block toward drawing and painting. I did take an art class in junior high, and the teacher didn't like my art, so I got a bad grade. I thought I was terrible at art, so it's possible that had something to do with my block. I do tend to avoid things that I don't do well.

Regardless, in the past couple years I've been wanting to learn more about art. I especially like to find out what was happening to the artists at the time the pieces were made. This is something I especially love about literature, too. It's why I thought I wanted to be a history major. I love making connections between creation and causation.

While wandering the museum today, a woman randomly started talking to me about this piece. I was looking at the name plate to figure out if the artist was female or male (It's really not that hard, very little art in the museum is by females. Sigh.) My interest attracted the woman, I suppose. She explained to me that Morgan Russell painted this piece, Still Life Synchromy with Nude in Yellow. He was attempting to capture music through the paint. We kept chatting, and I found out Russell was a contemporary of Picasso, and spent time at Gertrude Stein's salon, which means he was also a contemporary of authors like Hemingway and Faulkner. Knowing all about them from studying the lost generation in college, I felt like I knew a lot more about where Russell was coming from when he painted. I'm really glad that woman noticed me. This is the kind of thing that makes me want to learn more about the art world.

Another piece in the museum really stood out to me today. It also featured music. I wish I could have gotten a better picture, but we were told not to take pictures of the art. Something about it being the free day. The above painting was gorgeous. It's called Robin, and it's by Kaley Powers. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's not just painted. It has a 3-D element as well. There are painted paper cut-outs on top of painted background. The birds are birds, but also music notes. It's just a beautiful piece. Oh, and the artist is a local high school student. Seriously. It's phenomenal considering it was done by a teenager.

BEDA Tracker:

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April 2015 Loot Crate Unboxing!

Today was a hard day. It was my last day at the place I've been working since December. I'm really going to miss the people I worked with. So, I was pretty stoked to get home to find a familiar black box waiting for me. It was the perfect pick-me-up!

This is my second month of Loot Crate and so far, they have really hit the mark. I've loved almost everything in the boxes. And liked everything else! This month's theme is Fantasy. The first thing I saw was this Dungeons and Dragons t shirt. I really love how the shirts are so soft and this one fits me pretty well, which is kind of unusual for me and tees.

The next thing I saw was the RPG-themed Bow Tie. I don't have any occasions to wear bow ties, but I have to admit, it makes a great headband.

Then I saw the Princess Bride Playing Cards. The face cards have characters from the movies and some of their best lines! They are awesome cards and make me actually want to play cards, which is not something I do very often!

Next up was the Loot Crate Monthly Button. There is always a button, so they are kind of collector's items.

The next two items were both Game of Thrones themed. The first was a set of Magnets featuring the main houses. The second was a Stark Sigil USB Flash Drive! It's pretty cool.

We also got a Harry Potter-themed Luggage tag! I'll definitely be using that!

The box this month has pretty cool decorations inside, and it was reversible, so you could make your Loot Crate box look a bit like a treasure chest!

Then I pulled the Loot Crate Magazine out. It has articles about the theme and gives explanations about the stuff in the crate. There's always a lot of interesting information.

And last, but definitely not least, I pulled out this awesome inflatable crown. And I wore it around the house, because of course. Anyone who says they didn't wear the crown is probably lying.

BEDA Tracker:

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