Chasing After the Naughty Dingos, 6 years on -- July Thread - Page 2

[LaLaLaLa]

Oh, hi! 

The middle and end of June got crazy busy, with school ending and ballet recital and all of the other junk that happens at the end of June.  So I decided to just let MDC go for awhile and pick it back up in July when I can more properly participate.  And here I am!

Zub--It sounds like congratulations are in order!  Hooray for you!

Nic--I hope the house hunting goes well.

I'll catch up with more personals soon.

We're in the midst of our crazy driving vacation, which is going surprisingly smoothly.  Day 1 we left Massachusetts, drove a couple of hours to a zoo in Connecticut and spent some time there, then drove a couple of hours to a hiking place in Pennsylvania and spent some time there, then drove another hour to Easton, PA, where the Crayola factory is located.

Day 2 we did the Crayola factory, which was really much cooler than I thought it would be, although there wasn't an actual assembly line like I'd hoped there would be.  I'd highly recommend it, though, for anyone in the area.

Then that afternoon we drove on to Philadelphia, which is a lovely city!  I love all of the historical buildings.  We saw the Liberty Bell and then checked into our hotel.  I chose it because it was the closest one (except for the Four Seasons ) to where the fireworks would be.  Luck was with us, and we were on the 23rd floor with a balcony on the right side of the hotel to look straight down the road to the stage and the fireworks!  On the Fourth we didn't do any of the historical stuff.  Bad on us.  We missed the parade and probably tons of dressing up and reenactments of historical things.  I bet someone in the city read the Declaration of Independence.  We wandered the streets, ate cheesesteak and ice cream, and let our kids dance in the huge "no swimming" fountain that apparently all of the locals swim in.  Then we got to see the awesome fireworks display from our balcony.  It was a memorable Fourth of July.

This morning we drove to Hershey, PA, and I ran this evening past the Hershey factory, where the smell of the chocolate wafting out didn't do much to help settle my stomach during my run.  Oh, and the giant dinner I'd just eaten didn't do any good, either.  Tomorrow we'll spend the day at Hershey Park, then decide what to do about heading home.

Although the kids refuse to go to bed at anything resembling a normal hour, it's been a nice vacation so far.  I even managed to run in Easton, and in Philadelphia, and today in Hershey.  Not long and not fast, but I was chuckling at myself as I packed my running stuff.  Apparently I have a bit more discipline than I thought.

Thanks for letting me pop in; I promise to be more dedicated this month! 

[tjsmama]

nic~I might be interested in the skirt. Which one is it and what color?

eks~Nope, not done with school yet. December, which cannot come fast enough! I got a part-time job (one shift a week) at the university hospital as an advanced care partner. It's like a nursing assistant (CNA), but designed for nursing students, so I can do advanced skills that CNAs can't, like blood draws, IV starts, placing catheters. Kind of like an internship. I like my unit, the RNs are awesome, and I'm getting to practice some skills that I might not otherwise get to until I graduate and get a real job. Getting paid doesn't hurt, either.

rr~A kind of unmotivated 4+ miles this morning. Must. Run. More. Oh well, 5 days in Ohio without my bike this weekend will help with that...

Clinical was very blah tonight. We switched units early, which I'm not thrilled about. I was really enjoying the adolescent unit, and the adult unit I'm on is just not as...I don't know...fun seems the wrong word, but I'm not coming up with another at the moment. Definitely not as interesting.

And now it's 1 am and I MUST get to bed. I'm kind of freaking out. I had to get a care plan and process recording done before bed tonight (we were at clinical till 11), because I NEED to get a long ride in tomorrow before I leave because it's the last chance I'll have before the 3 day ride. So my friend and I are meeting at 7:30 in the morning (yes, in 6.5 hours) to get a 65ish mile ride in before clinical at 3. And then I have clinical till 11 again, and I fly out Thursday morning at 10:30ish.

Night, all!

[kerc]

Large argument with spouse last night. grrr. But now I think it's better and I got in a 2mile run. Which meant I slept better, the dog slept better and everyone's more happy.

[sparkletruck]

La4 - what a fun trip. We went to Hershey park when we moved back to NM from the Philly area 2 years ago and my kids still ask when we are going back (to Hershey park). The crowds and heat can be a nightmare but again, it is burned in their memory (and in mine for other reasons )

Gaye - I give my Dh sh** about his rides sometimes, and just recently used you as an example: he rode 40 miles w/ 5000 ft. of elevation and I said "well, a dingo rode 50 miles w/ 8000! c'mon!"

Geo - welcome back

Jenlove - I hope the house inspection process and work goes smoothly and you have your garden and chickens soon

Eks - I dont feel bad about the way I am so much, except that I do get tired of being alone as much as I am. Whatev. Your statistics class makes me feel like this

NRR: rest day. Sigh, I am worn out and my body doesnt seem to get the message and SLEEP. Instead, I wake at f****** 5am every f****** day. I'm hot, coughing, tired, and increasingly grumpy (ya think ) Oh well, at least Im exercising through it and happy about that.
Dh and I went for our final lead belaying class yesterday. We had to catch falls basically. When you are belaying someone who is lead climbing (as opposed to climbing w/ a top-rope) the falls are much more intense for the belayer. And moreso if the climber weighs more than you. So when I caught [this very cute hunky sweet 26 year old coach of my DD's ] he fell down and I flew up. We ended up both habging at about the same height from the floor. Its pretty scary. I need to do a lot more of it to get used to... But I mention this b/c I also did some climbing yesterday and WOWZA, a little dab 'l do ya. I think Im pretty strong these days, but felt incredibly weak, or at least not strong enough to climb what I wanted. I need to get in their and get some climber arms Or lose A LOT of weight

[Nickarolaberry]

Gaye, it's the kick start skirt. One other person expressed interest but if she decides no in the end I'll let you know.

I'm here in Starbucks waiting for the realtor. Quite a nice little shopping center in this town, trying not to spend any $$ though so staying out of Chico's, Gap, and Talbots even though they are having major sales. Thinking I'm going to need a pretty intensive wardrobe revamp -- moving back north and having lost a lot of weight I don't have much in the way of fall/winter clothing that fits. Hmm. For another time though. I did score a Northface parka on clearance last week at REI when I went to get dd2 some Keens, for about 60% off. So that was cool. I could live in REI, I swear. Not to mention spend A LOT of money if given half the chance (and a bigger wallet).

Got in a quick 4 miles this morning. Nothing remarkable but still a nice strong run.

Later mamas. Please send good house rental hunting vibes!

[Plady]

Hey Dingos!

Jo - Can't wait til you've got your blazing fast hookup!

Sparkle - That climbing stuff sounds really exciting!  I'm feeling the first whispers of "Psst, you could probably find a place to do that up here too!".   Sorry about the wake up time.  Dh and I (though much more so for him) go through that in the spring and summer here because it just gets light so freaking early!  By 4:00 the sky is getting light and if I wake up and have to pee then it's game over for going back to sleep.  My only hope of making it past 5:oo is to batten down the hatches the night before which I frequently don't do because it gets all stuffy and gross with dh and the dog farting away all night. 

Eks - Good to see you here!

Nick - Good luck house hunting!

Gaye - I cannot fathom your energy level lady.  It's super human.

La4 - That trip sounds really fun. 

Geo - Likewise.  I remember doing the same post-trip viewing of Sound of Music, I hadn't remembered any of the scenes while I was there but it was fun to see it afterwards.  That was all back in the pre-VCR days.  Anyone remember those? :)

Kerc - Sorry about the fight, glad about the sound sleep though!

DrJen - Happy travels!  I hope the moving is going smoothly!

Mommajb - ANd same to you, just the thought of all that exchanging shared items makes me feel all misty and wistful.

Bec - That job sounds kind of fun, I never hit malls with B&BW but I like being able to picture you somewhere specific.

Our fourth was lots of fun.  We had a great time in the parade and then went to a big community picnic afterwards where we ate unusually junky food and C won the kids' egg and spoon race.  THen in the evening we watched the fireworks from my mom's balcony, the fist nice thing we've done at her place.  DH is really allergic to her (apartment) and normally can't tolerate more than a few minutes inside.  I always get antsy too because she only uses really fancy dishes and glasses and it's all just so impractical it drives me nuts.  She probably feels the same when she comes over here and we're all drinking wine out of recycled jars.

RR: Today I was at the pool early despite desperately wanting to be in bed still (see above) and we did a lot of sprints and then recoveries as if dragging a body or swimming with a brick or doing imaginary deep water spinals.  By the end my arms were shaking so I'm calling it a workout.

Later I'm taking the kids back to the pool for another hour and a half so that should top me off a bit more too. 

VibramsR: Still love them though I haven't run in them again.  I did march in the parade in them though. Not that walking at a snails pace for less than a mile can be considered a workout!

Here's a link  to some pictures from the parade.  Our group is about halfway down the page, Dh is driving the tractor pulling the "float" (not a very cleverly decorated one - alas)

[bec]

As with the others, I am also in awe of your energy, Gaye.  Or tenacity for getting it all done in spite of exhaustion.  Either one is remarkable! 

Nic - Good luck with the house hunting.  I hope the perfect abode just appears!  And to add a me too on living in the REI.  Actually, that could solve your housing problems.  They usually have tents set up there, right?

Kerc - Sorry about the fight.  I hate it when I argue with DH.  And it has seemed that we have been not quite on the same page lately too, although it seems to be shifting.  But hurray for the good night's sleep!

Sparkle - That belaying class sounds really amazing and terrifying!  I have been thinking of you as I scramble up and down the ladder at work to the little loft where all the fixtures are stored! 

Plady - My store is not in a proper mall.  More a fancy strip mall that is anchored by a Whole Foods.  It's about to get REAL!

Editing to add my activities!  In addition to all the scrambling (I worked last night for 3 hours), There was a lot of lifting of soap, wall flowers, candles and lotion.  I am thinking of writing a book called the New Rules of Lifting Soap!  Anyway, that was it for yesterday, but I am going to tri class tonight.  There is the promise of 5 miles of warmup bike ride followed by 10 miles of hill work!

[sparkletruck]

Nic - maybe I AM that low rent, but have you looked at Craigslist? We have found places several times there, the most recent being in DE that year. Never used a realtor ... for anything actually ... bought our house fsbo. Good Luck!! (Oh, and yes I did end up at Kid Gap yesterday whilst out shopping for a swimsuit for myself )

Plady - Yes Yes and Yes, on the dark room (I add another layer of curtains in the summer), the stuffiness (ehem) and the mom, or in my case MIL dishes vs. our jars! And yes, I would call that a work-out too

RR: After several years of music player incarnations (from the walkman to the MP3) I am finally moving up to the ipod. That's right ladies, watch out So Ive been working on a playlist for cycling/running, and apparently the word f*** is very motivating to me b/c it is in a lot of the songs I'm choosing (like "f*** and run" for example) To each her own I guess
Edited by sparkletruck - 7/6/11 at 12:01pm

[bec]

Sparkle - I have found that the "f" word is very motivating when running!

[zubeldia]

eks, so lovely to see you here, Mama.

Sparkle, Mommajb, eks... another me too on the socializing thing and feeling a bit lonely. I am pretty introverted in many ways and yet it is also the case that I crave some 'easy' company. I find a lot of interaction to be very effortful even when I really like people.

Jenlove, I am so excited for you! I'm looking forward to seeing pics!

Lalala, it sounds from FB like you're been enjoying your vacation...!

Kerc, are things better this evening?

Thanks, everyone, again... I am still pregnant, still anxious, still tired. Thanks for the advice running. I have been dong a pretty easy loop and not looking at my garmin (just as well as it tells me at the end that I kind of suck ) I've been walking up steep inclines and stopping for water and rest whenever I fancy. I've been taking my iPhone and taking pics of things I don't notice too much when I am 'training'. I've really been enjoying it, actually. I'm going to see how things go and adjust accordingly. I did have quite awful GD last time and I cannot remember when it really kicked in... (yes, Jenlove, these boys are HARD)!) and I am part dreading but part wanting it to return so that I would feel reassured.

Any advice: DS (who will be 2 tomorrow) has a rash that started on his thighs and has spread everywhere. I took him to the nurse practitioner on Sat to make sure it wasn't anything like chicken pox that can be dangerous to a pregnant woman, and she suggested that it was simply a viral rash. The thing is he hasn't been sick or had a fever.. maybe some diarrhea but nothing that is making him unhappy. The rash isn't itchy but it is getting worse (now it's blotchy all over his back). Any experience with this, or ideas how long it will last? It's not causing him discomfort but it is making his rash-phobic mother insane

[doctorjen]

zubeldia - try not to worry too much about the rash - a lot of these passing viral rashes seem to arise out of nowhere, often last several days (usually getting worse for the first 2-4 days) and then fade away.  If he is not itching, he doesn't need any treatment; if he is itching, you can use topical stuff to soothe him (aveeno or oatmeal bath, calomine lotion) or benadryl (1/2 tsp every 6 hours if needed).

Nick - I hope you are having some house success! 

mommajb - are you ready for your truck tomorrow?

Various travelers - sounds like some great trips in dingoland!

NRR - we're in Missouri. Our moving van came yesterday and it was utter chaos all day, but they eventually pulled out with our stuff.  We got up very early and drove the 430 miles today, and arrived in time to stop in at the school's dept of public safety to do residency verification so the kids can register for school tomorrow.  We close in the morning, register the kids in the afternoon (at 2 different schools, and will still have to do a third school in early August), and will sleep tomorrow night in our empty new house.  The moving truck arrives again on Friday with our stuff.  I start work on Monday July 18, so hope I can get the house at least a little situated before then!

RR - I ran 10 Monday morning, because I needed a long run and needed a long ish break from my crazy life, but haven't run since.  I just scoped out a local trail here (we're staying in a hotel tonight, just a couple miles from our new house) and I'm hoping to get up early to run on it before the day gets busy again.

[tjsmama]

Another week of clinical, in the books. Still not loving Adult 2, but at least we had some stuff to do tonight, since they had six new admits while we were there. So we were helping get vital signs when they came on the unit, and fetching things for the RN, and just generally trying to be helpful.

We got our 65 mile ride in this morning, and as usual, I managed to have some more adventures. I can't seem to go for a long ride lately without adventures. We started off with a detour off the bike path, thanks to a dead body (and the car the dead body was in) being fished out of the creek we were riding along. Later, we hit a large construction detour, wherein we ended up on surface streets and I got a flat tire. We hauled butt down the last 15+ miles of the ride, since we were worried about being late to clinical, and I actually felt really good doing it. Good for my 70.3 training! If only the Courage Classic was going to be flat like today's ride, I could totally rock it out with no worries whatsoever.

Now I'm trying to finish up some laundry and get motivated to get packed and clean up the house a bit for the nanny, who will be dogsitting while I'm gone. And I'm irritated because a) the grocery store only carries the jumbo pack of pull-ups in DS's size and I sure as heck do NOT need 45 pull-ups when he's wet *maybe* one night a week and b) I was going to try Target instead, only to find out that it closes at 11 pm. Super Target? Really?

[mommajb]

drjen, I am ready like I get ready for winter holidays - it happens regardless and usually turns out okay. I am waiting for a smidge of daylight so I can burn some nervous energy on a run after a night of very little sleep. Enjoy unpacking and settling in.

Geya, you are going to rock your ride with the hills!

[bec]

Jen - I'm glad you are so close to being in your new home!  I'm going to be in the K.City area July 31 and August 1.  Maybe we can meet for a short run or lunch or something!  Let me know if you think you might be available!

Tri class last night.  I feel a little silly reporting it here, after all the amazing rides in, you know, mountains!  We did a few miles of warm up, then we did "hill" repeats.  They were about as big a hill as you are likely to find in this area.  We did 10 miles of that, then a short cool down.  All told, 17+ miles last night! 

[Plady]

Hey Dingos,

DD just showed me this bite on her neck and says it hurts.  I don't recall so much reddened skin around mosquito bites on her and so of course my next thought is 'brown recluse bite'.  Have any of you seen something like this?  The skin around the bump is a little darker than it appears in the picture.

after googling pictures I'm more concerned.  But dh thinks it's nothing and the redness did fade a bit with some benedryl spray.  Anyone have btdt?

[Runningmommy]

Plady~Sorry to hear about that bite and I have nothing to offer.  Hope she is feeling better! 

RR: None, because I haven't made time?   because we are having carpet installed?  because I noticed my training plan doesn't start till next week?  all kinds of excuses!! 

NRR:  we are finally having carpet installed today then we start building our savings back up.  Yay for both!

No run today because of carpet.  haha, one last excuse.  :)

[bec]

I don't know, Plady.  But, after doing a little internet research, if you suspect a brown recluse, I would take her in to the doctor. 

[bec]

Ok, to you bike enthusiasts.  Costco has a Northrock SCR1 road bike on sale for $499.  It's a 19" frame.  Would it be a mistake?  Also, what do you all think of bikesdirect.com ?  I would love, love, love to be able to do this upcoming triathlon on a road bike.

Editing to solicit opinions on this bike

Edited by bec - 7/7/11 at 2:35pm

[zubeldia]

Plady, when I have wasp stings they look a lot like that.. but if I was worried then I'd visit the Dr. too. Hope she's feeling better now...

DrJen, THANK YOU... !! I am trying not to worry but it's actually getting worse. He's had it for a week now and today it's redder and blotchier and more widespread than ever. Should we expect this in a viral rash?

5 miles with DH and DS this morning. Had a nice day at the lake with DS for his birthday but I was feeling very crampy and tired. Still, a nice day.

[sparkletruck]

Bec - If you are going to spend $500 as it is (are are prepared to do that psychologically ), it makes sense to wait and save some more and get a decent bike. I think for $500 more you increase quality pretty significantly, and then another $500 does the same. Beyond that I think it just gets ridiculous and unnecessary for what we are doing. I got an $1800 bike for $1200 on ebay (of course, my bike-knowledgable/anal retentive Dh handled the whole purchase, and we really lucked out from his description). It just seems like you are getting into tri's more and more, and a $500 bike will be a liability sooner than later Maybe rent one for the tri, and start saving for xmas? Also, check bulletin boards at bike shops. I sold a nice Bianci that I bought for $1100 for $800. Lots of people upgrade when they get more serious, and their entry level bike would be great for you

Zub - I ran through all my pregs but didnt start until after the first trimester because I was My long runs were around 14 miles until I was 7 mos. preg., and then I did more biking with run/walking toward the end b/c my pelvic floor started protesting. However, I gained not much (20# w/ each) which I think made a difference. I think its perfectly safe, and that your body will tell you what it can do. Watch overheating and hydration, and enjoy