monica cohen

just a baby toe...

... I'm coming back, I promise. 

not my fault! I swear!

ok, it's mostly my fault, but I am so sorry for ignoring you for so long.  see, the Workplace updated the internet software, and pretty much every blog I read (and typepad) are now blocked.  while I understand the point (work resources and all that), it kind of sucks that I can't post or read blogs during lunch, or during quick breaks.  I'm mostly over the whining, though.

so what that means is that I have to go online AT NIGHT in order to post, and sheesh, we've been so busy.  tri training is going super well - I have my first 5K on sunday and I'm really hoping I can run the whole thing.  it's less than a month till danskin, and I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to turn in a decent race.  we've ridden the course a couple or three times now, and each time I've gotten better on the hills. 

otherwise, things are, well, things.  the Mister is still looking for a job, but he's keeping busy.   JakePuppy is still amazingly cute, and he's filled out quite a bit so he's not so skinny.

let's see...  how about a recap of last weekend?

saturday - run through of danskin course with some BT folks.  swim, good.  bike good, but crashed (user error, no injury).  run, horrible.  it's (dur) really hard to run after biking.  afterwards, great nap and dinner out with the Mister.

sunday - bbq with the Mister's family. was fun, and low key

monday - ack, killer bike ride.  we mapped out a great route, but it's VERY hilly.  legs were ow-wy at the end.  then had friends over for some grilled foodstuffs.

tuesday - low key.  went to the Mister's parent's house to watch world cup in HD. much better that way.

are you snoring yet?   seems my life has been taken over by the tri training.  you'd think I'd be losing weight...  you'd be wrong.  but I'm firmer, does that count for anything?

happy frappy

oi.   I just keep saying that recently.  perhaps it's a sign that really?  there's just Too Much going on right now.   work has been a tad crazy recently.   there's all these new things going on, which means I, um, must learn new things (ack!), but also I need to fit them into the same work week with the same old things, which by the way?  do not know that I don't have as much time for them anymore and still demand the same attention.   at least my boss is understanding.

in other bits, the personal life is going not badly.  a bit of stress about the newly unemployed Mister - mostly I just want him to figure out what it is that he wants to do so that he can be happy (and we can pay our bills)     the getting in shape/tri training piece is going so much better than expected, at least from a mental perspective.  I'm *gasp* still liking the exercising, and since there's the Actual Real 5K on July 9th, I have a pre-tri Goal to prevent me from Slacking Off.   hah.

speaking of my 'athletic' talents, I played softball last night as an emergency sub for the Mister's team.   I think the best thing to say is that I was better than them having to take the automatic out, because in the entire doubleheader?  I got on base one time.  from a walk.    perhaps I should go to the batting cages, just in case they need me to do this again.  of course, they may opt for the automatic out.  sometimes, that's just safer.

*bonus points for naming the reference in the title.  google = cheating.

a new record

two days without rain.  amazing.

a little more cheerful here today in the land of MoCo.   had a great swim workout and a yummy dinner.

big shout out to the Sister... today was her first day in the real world at her new job.

how about instead of content you look at a picture of the Dog in action?

just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

... life knocks you in the face with a wave.

the Mister lost his job on Friday.  which sucks, since, um, we're not independently wealthy and need two incomes to support our lovely middle-middle-class lifestyle.  to digress for a moment, how exactly does one know where one falls along the spectrum?  is there a website?  can I put in some parameters, take some quiz, and get a label applied?

anyway, back to the woe-is-me.  which, honestly?  hard to get so worked up right now.  I was pretty wrecked about it on Friday afternoon, all mixed up with some serious rage directed at the former employers.  in my completely unbiased opinion, they're making a stupid business decision (the Mister was not the only one to go).  now I'm just feeling sad for my love, but I know we'll figure something out.  he's got an option he'll investigate in more detail tomorrow, but here's my big question of the day:  how can you be too upset when someone you love loses a job that made them miserable?

so let's all move on, k?   up this week:  how I bailed on the second race in a row, or, how sometimes the best choice is to wuss out.  today was the Worcester Firefighter's 6K, which I was supposed to run.  I woke up this morning really convinced that if I went, I'd overdo it (sometimes?  I get a wee bit competitive.  and right now?  I am not in such great shape) and throw off the triathlon training.  For the first time since college, I'm really enjoying working out and have gotten in somewhat of a groove.  So I didn't run, I just went with the puppy and cheered on the Mister.  he, of course, had a damn good run.  bastard. 

I did go home afterwards and go for a run, so I guess I can be proud of that.  and I signed up for (and paid $ for) another 5K in early July.  Now I've got an interim goal before the first sprint tri.

(sidebar:  the cat just tried to walk across the keyboard... so I threw him on the couch.  totally missed that where the cat was going to land was, um, right on top of the dog.  I am so going to be a terrible mommy.  luckily all is well.)

so perhaps today I have two questions - when is it denial, and when is it moving on and not letting life get you down? 

is that sun I see?

there's an itsy bitsy patch of blue sky out my window today.  how exciting that it's not raining for a change and almost (if you squint) could be "bright and sunny"

fun stuff.  good thing my content is free, huh?

anyway, life proceeds.  am working on training for my triathlons (which sounds so much better than, am trying to work out more) and it's going pretty well.  I still hate running, but now that we've started swimming that breaks it up a little bit.  and while the scale isn't budging, the zip code assigned to my butt has a slightly smaller territory.

otherwise, same old same old.  the Mister is fine (absent some job stress), the Dog is fine, the Cat is enigmatic, as usual.  The BabySister is driving across the country, so we get periodic updates from the road (did you know?  Fargo, ND?  all condos) and one day we might even get some pictures.

Sheesh.  booo-ring.  will try to have more exciting life for the sake of my blog.  :)   

who's afraid of the big bad P?

where P = parenthood.

I keep thinking about a second dog.  and I keep thinking maybe, just maybe, that I'm not quite ready for another dog.  does that mean I'm not actually ready to have kids like I thought I was?

here's a little background.  I'm newly, and happily, married.   I'm not young, but not old (32 last fall).  we just got a dog (almost $3000 in vet bills since March, hello doggie pneumonia...)  the Mister and I want to be parents, but not *just* yet. 

so when is yet?  how do I know that I'm ready, that he's ready, that we've got all of our ducks in the right row, planets aligned correctly, and are really ready to have kids?   I've learned (thank you, internet) that perhaps it's a bit short sighted of me to assume that I'll be able to get pregnant just because, well, I want to... but there's no reason to assume that I won't, so I'd think that really?  we should be sure before we throw out the little pills.

but how can I feel a physical longing every time I see a baby, and still not KNOW that now is the right time?  do you ever know?

back to life, back to reality

you know it's a bad day when I start off my post with a song quote

actually, all things considered, it's not that bad of a day.  I'm just tired and brain dead (more than normal) from my weekend away.

we headed up to NH this weekend for a very fun stay at J & J's new condo up by loon...  had loads of fun hiking, playing with the puppies, and just generally hanging out.  plus there were margaritas, although not as many as usual as we?  are all old.  maybe next time.  *sigh*

the pups (ours and theirs) got along just swimmingly after some inital rough parts (Jake PEED on B's bed.  then the next day he peed on the spot the bed used to be.  bastardo.).

anyway, am very very tired (did I say that?  I'm too lazy to scroll up and check) so that's all for today.  I seem to recall some funny stories, but there's this haze of exhaustion blocking them.  I'll have to try harder to remember next time.

oh, and tonight, we join the Y.  all part of "try not to die during triathlon" training program.

slowly... so slowly....

amazing how slowly work can go when you'd much rather be somewhere else.  wait, what's that you say?  your friendly author NEVER wants to be at work?   true, so true, but today?  today is very painful because we (the Mister, Jake the Dog*, and me) are going up to lovely new hampshire to spend the weekend with J. and J., and their dog.   Should be a great weekend of margaritas, hiking, playing with the dogs, margaritas, sitting around, good food, margaritas...   

in the rest of my life (still boring - see, I deliver on what I promise.  except for that part about regular updates), I'm trying to really start running.   I've signed up for not one buy TWO triathlons this summer so I must get off my sizeable duff and actually do something.  Not only am I way out of shape, but sheesh, it really does take longer to get back in shape the older you get.

speaking of getting older, my baby sister has left for her grand trip out west.  she took a job just outside Seattle, and she's driving her way across country as we speak.  Actually, if you're reading this anywere close to the time I posted it, she's probably still sleeping on someone's floor. 

there's still no pictures of the dining room, because it's not _quite_ finished.  still some cleanup, and we have to replace the fireplace tiles, and then we can set up our new dining room table ($300 at the Jordan's clearance...  we love cheap stuff) and our motley collection of chairs, and we'll be in business.   then you'll see pictures.

well, now back to my lovely work day.  if I can get lots accomplished, I can sneak out even early to get a pedicure.

* amusing sidebar about the dog - when I called my sister to tell her we got a dog, she asked his name, and I said Jake (the Snake)...  she misheard and thought I said Steak.   Like I'd name my dog after my favorite meat product.  Oh wait, I probably would.  Anyway.

from the "thank G*d I don't live there" file

wow.  not moving to missouri any time soon, that's for sure.