A Case of the Runs

I am not abandoning my blog, although it has been difficult for me to make time for it lately. I haven't even had time to spend time being an Examiner and barely am able to get to my self-maintenance (e.g., laundry, nails... you get the idea.) All this will hopefully ease up soon. It needs to. I have had to cancel the same dental appointment several times and just barely had time to sneak in for a long, long overdue haircut this past weekend. Did I mention that I don't think I'm going to be able to run my dissertation this summer because this proposal drafting process is taking longer than anticipated? Yes, I'm pretty disappointed, but I am partly (or wholly?) to blame for not hitting the mark right away. I need to live my life, too, otherwise, what am I trying to enrich? Some people tell me that I had set an unrealistic goal, but I can't remember the last time I did not meet such an important aspiration. Anyway, I can't live in that disappointed mode forever.

Happy Year of the Tiger! I am an Ox, so I guess "my" year is over. It has been a good one, I guess. It was full of challenges, but I think everything has turned out well in the end. And then there's Valentine's Day . My Valentine (yes, I was asked to be his Valentine again this year) is a 1:29 half-marathoner and a 3:22 marathoner. I could not be more jeal... I mean, proud. ------ Link (for the candy heart): http://www.cryptogram.com/hearts/

I've been part of a pilot wellness program at my workplace hosted by Tangerine Wellness . Since August, I have been through 2 cycles of competition and am beginning my third. Basically, each period is about 10 weeks. At the beginning of the competition period, your height and weight is measured. Then, you weigh-in at the end. The end measurement is used as your start measurement for the next period. The twist is that you are assigned to a team per location. The winning team is the one whose average weight loss percentage is highest. Underweight weight gain is counted as weight-loss. The winning team gets $50 + $5 for each lb lost if you are beyond the healthy range. Unfortunately (well, not really), I am in the healthy range, so the max I can get is $5. Here is my brief experience with the program: - August to October: $5; my team came in second; total weight lost: about 1 lb - October to January: $50 + $5; my team WON; total weight lost: about 4 lb - January to April?: ??

EVENT: Surf City USA Half-Marathon DATE: Sunday, February 7, 2010 LOCATION: Huntington Beach, CA RACE BEGAN: 7:45 am (wave start) FINISH TIME: 01:54:12 The above picture can summarize a lot of the happenings this weekend, because I'm sure my race pictures were pretty bad this time. It did not start off the best, because the week did not end well for me due to the realization that doing my dissertation is pseudoly impossible for me both time-wise and cognitively. By Saturday morning, I was back on the task, and I will continue to be. However, my morale is low and will remain so, and the extent to which I care is not the greatest at this time. Anyway, onto better things. "The Ukrainian" and I didn't have that many coins to fill the far-away parking meter at the Expo for this race, so we scurried in the rain to simply pick up our packets and get back. However, I did pick up the shirt I am wearing in this picture, a token of my third run at this race (see here and here fo

Although I've been ultra-busy lately, I've been extra reflective to keep things in perspective. It is very easy to lose sight of things when stimuli and priorities bombard you at every turn. So you may see more of these entries where I evaluate/plan aspects of life. I was thinking about the best decisions I've ever made. It was hard to think of just five, but I think they are interlinked anyway, as is life itself. I barely even know who I am and the true impact that my decisions have. However, I do know that there are choices I've made that have caused a lot of change and personal growth. I tried to site specific actions (e.g., I did THIS) rather than general (e.g., I did this). Best Decisions I've Ever Made (in no particular order): 1. Went for an internship at the company I current work for (3.7 years ago) I didn't even think I was qualified for the position based on the desciption, and I recall walking to my interview after taking the bus for 25 miles with m