August: The Dingo Days of Summer - Page 10

[Realrellim]

MelW--the new DH job situation sounds really hard. I hope you are able to find a workable solution that gives you a break.

1jooj--a belated happy birthday to you!

JayGee--I'll try to find the training plan.

tjsmama--ITA about the meeting at peak traffic time. And the fact that it's nowhere near public transportation, because I'd take light rail in a minute if it weren't a TWO HOUR commute down according to RTD. Grrrr. Good to know J won't be the only little one there. I'm leaving R at my sister's 'cause she'd rather be playing with her cousin though.

bec--congrats on the Olympic tri! Woot!

Nick--online definitely loses the chemistry. Discussions can help, as can sending messages as long as you don't send too many. However, that component is generally lacking and probably is the biggest issue with online learning. I keep thinking it might help to try Skyping with students or meeting face to face one during the semester or something, but I haven't actually tried that due to how difficult it would be to manage schedules when I'm part-time. Are you using Blackboard? If so, just know that it is a pita as a system and that it's extremely finicky about web browsers. Stupid finicky really.

RM--glad to hear the meds are helping your son. Awesome!

kerc--yay for a lost tooth for your youngest. R finally has a loose tooth--her first. She's had it for a week. I hope it comes out soon.

Plady--that sounds like a hard situation all around, both with the nits and the gender identity. Ugh.

DrJen--that's an awesome 5K time. Nice!

sparkle--that's a long ways to come in 5 months.

Good luck to all the kids heading back to school. We have back to school night Thurs night and then school starts Monday.

RR: lots of movement in the mountains, including finally riding 20 miles with a 4-mile run brick in there, a 2-mile hike followed by a 9-mile run (total elev gain around 1000 feet), and then two more runs and one more ride.

NRR: I'm so not ready to be back to reality. I still don't have my syllabus ready, mostly because I forgot to grab the textbook before we went up and we don't have internet when we're there. On the plus side, I made some (perhaps ambitious) plans regarding what I want to do this fall in terms of writing and conference presentations and such. I discovered that two of the professional societies to which I belong are having a joint national meeting in 2012, and I'd really like to go. That means writing a paper proposal this fall so that hopefully it can get accepted and I'll have a valid reason for spending the $$. And then all the negative talk starts up, much like bec's only career-related. I do the same about exercise, but usually I'm able to slam those voices out of my head. It doesn't help that I'm now two years out from graduation and 2-1/2 from the defense and I've submitted exactly *nothing* for publication. Argh. Stuff is getting written, edited and submitted this fall if it kills me. And it might.

[bec]

Sparkle - I missed your post.  It is amazing how our bodies have the ability to heal, and recover.  You have done an amazing job!

Kitteh - Blech to "naps" that end at 11pm!  But, good for you for making lemonade out of it!

Kids growing up too fast!  I sent my tiny, little, exclusively breastfed infant off to kindergarten yesterday.  In the last 5.5 years, I am amazed to say that she learned how to eat solids, walk, pee and poop in the appropriate places, ride on 2 wheels, and read!  Where did that helpless little creature go?  She's been magically replaced by this outgoing, free spirited, fireball!

I'm hoping for some sort of exercise today.  Not sure what, though.

[sparkletruck]

Real - you WILL write a paper this Fall! Now we are watching

Ok, trying again.

Here are you-know-what's (that way people cant google the p-word and get linked to this forum right ... am I crazy ... dont answer that). They are of Yosemite and the camp we went to nearby, and then one on the drive through E. Oregon where, well, you have to look at the license plates of the trucks. Again if you look with [fast] "slideshow" option the climbing is maybe more interesting .... or not

RR: off to the gym for biking and run-walking, or walk-running. Not. Feelin. It.

[Mel38]

Originally Posted by bec Kids growing up too fast!  I sent my tiny, little, exclusively breastfed infant off to kindergarten yesterday.  In the last 5.5 years, I am amazed to say that she learned how to eat solids, walk, pee and poop in the appropriate places, ride on 2 wheels, and read!  Where did that helpless little creature go?  She's been magically replaced by this outgoing, free spirited, fireball!

I know!! Well, except for the reading part, for my DS at least! But it's so bittersweet.

DrJen, Great job on the 5k, despite the hills and the tears... it sounds like a great event.

There is a big 5k on Daniel Island called Race for the Cure, I think it's similar to what you are describing, and it's organized by the local Susan G. Komen organization. I should look into doing it, just for that awesome community support feeling. It was in October last year, but I can't find any info on this year's race. I wonder if they aren't doing it any more?

Nick: Congratulations on your new teaching job! And the pictures from your runs are just gorgeous. Do you have a lot of off-road options there, or are all those taken from the street?

Sparkle: That house sounds interesting, and probably a good deal. I hope that the agent comes through for you guys and doesn't turn out to be the hang-up in the process.

Lisa: That joint meeting next year sounds like the perfect goal for getting some writing done. Especially with the deadline to submit stuff in advance. I hope it is being held in a great location.

Not that it's very important to my job to present at conferences, it is something that I should try to make myself do one of these days. I find it hard to ever put myself out there as an expert in *anything*, even though I probably do have experience in an area that might be interesting to others. Every year, I attend at least one session at a conference and sit there thinking "I could do that"... but I am just fearful of putting myself out there. Ditto for mentoring!

RR: I am officially a "Gallo-walker". Whatever, I just thought it would be worth it for me to try a program that touts injury prevention. So, I am on my first week of a 3:1 run/walk ratio.

Related to my knee, I probably took right about a month off of running after it started hurting, and my schedule for starting back is really light, so I hope this is conservative enough. This program I'm doing only calls for 2x25 minutes this week, and the "long" run on Sunday of 2 miles.

Sparkle, you asked about the cycling, and it does feel good for my knees. I hope that will be enough to help get my quads stronger, and improve the balance between my two legs.

Anyway, I won't put anything on the race calendar yet, but I'm hoping for a 10k in November, if all goes well.

[Plady]

Originally Posted by Mel38 

RR: I am officially a "Gallo-walker". Whatever, I just thought it would be worth it for me to try a program that touts injury prevention. So, I am on my first week of a 3:1 run/walk ratio.

Related to my knee, I probably took right about a month off of running after it started hurting, and my schedule for starting back is really light, so I hope this is conservative enough. This program I'm doing only calls for 2x25 minutes this week, and the "long" run on Sunday of 2 miles.

Hmm, that sounds like a manageable schedule, even for me.  I'm going to go have a look, maybe I could virtually train with you?  I'm a spinning class dropout as of this morning.  I really wanted to like it, and I appreciate all the heavy breathing and sweatiness, but it was just so boring!  Once the kids are in school maybe I'll try to fit in the other teacher's class and see if it's markedly different, I hear it's better but it wasn't clear in what way.

Gaye/Real - I'd be wicked annoyed at a packet pick-up through rush hour time.  Is there someway to get that feedback to the organizers? 

Sparkle - !!!  Such great images!  And it reminded me of a resolution I made back when I was 22 and generally had no particular leaning towards having kids.  I was a tour guide taking a bunch of campers through Yosemite and noticed the families having a ball at that camp and said to myself that one day I'd bring my family there.  And then life continued and I forgot completely until your show!   Thank you for the reminder!  Now I'm all fired up to make it happen!

IR: (a new category?  Injury Related? ) Anyway, I've had this lower back pain/hip pain for a long time and tried chiro/massage/strength training/ultrasound etc.  Well, it had somewhat subsided earlier this summer although I couldn't put my finger on why and I've been too busy to give it much thought right?  So the past few days it has been back with a vengeance.  Last night I was headed for the vitamin I when I thought I'd just try a handstand against the wall to see if I could.  Wouldn't you know when I came down after about 30 seconds the pain was GONE?  Hmmmm.  I don't know what that's about but I'll be keeping that one in my bag of tricks.

KR: DD has been seeing a therapist for a couple months now for depression and anxiety and it looks like we finally have some sort of diagnosis, which is one of those DUH moments, it seems to be PTSD stemming from back when her sister was stillborn and then shortly thereafter when I ran over our dog.  This isn't really a surprise I guess but it does kind of blow my theory of the resilience of children .  Anyone have btdt? 

When is Mercury out of Retrograde again?

[1jooj]

OMG Plady, TOTALLY, on the back/hip pain. When I went to see the doc when I got here, I really was just hoping for a cortisone shot and get on with it, and instead I got a thoughtful doctor who said, "your hip hurts, but it's not your hip." And I was all  but he put me on Lyrica and an NSAID (something vioxx-like?) and gave me exercises (most of which I already do when I am working out consistently) and said he'd call me in September about a specialized therapist...but before he did all that, he had me get the xrays, which showed significant disk degeneration, and I have reason to believe that some upper regions of my spine in similar condition. To make a blah blah blah short, the pain is related to nerves from the lower spine area being pinched/restricted/whatever by the lack of integrity of the disks, and when I take the pressure off, it feels a ton better (swim, downward dog, headstand) and when I overdo the running/walking, it hurts. I also have to continue to lose weight (again), but in my case, it's pain in my hip (sometimes all the way down, going around the thigh to the inside of the knee and even down into the calf) that originates in my spine.

Thanks for the bday wishes, Real. 

Going to try the pool tonight.

[sparkletruck]

RR: OMG that was unpleasant! I had nothin', no gas, no pep, no oomph. It was weird. I could barely force the pedals around at a pretty low resistance (compared to my norm). I was >this< close to getting off after 10 minutes and bagging the whole thing. Ive never been so close. BUT, I did it; the full hour on the bike (at much lower resistance) and 22 on the TM (which actually felt quite good ). G-d Im glad that's over

Mel38 - I started a run/walk program months ago, and now I just stick with it for the most part. I seem to do a "real" run once a month, but otherwise, I get the same endorphin rush with spurts of hard/fast running between walks. I started at 1:45 walking and 45 running (that's about 3:1?) and am now doing 1 walking and 1:30 running, and that's about as much running as I will do (as in Im not going to keep increasing the ratio). Instead, Ive been increasing speed on the 1:30 runs and that really gets me fired up and to you in your IP program (injury prevention)

Plady - oh oh oh! I the Sierra Nevada, especially Yosemite. I mean I love the Rockies and Tetons and San Juans, and Cascades, but there's something really magical to me about the Sierra. I think its all the granite. There are moments in Yosemite where I feel like God is really right there, just sort of off-gasing from the rock and water and trees, ya know? We try to go every year. Dh and I actually got married in Tuolumne Meadows. 10 years ago two of my closest friends and I went on a 2 week backpack through Ansel Adams wilderness, Yosemite, etc. I'm thinking of doing another next year for the anniversary, seeing as Dh is going on another bike trip w/ his friend-from-Switzerland-trip-last-year in Sept. At least this one is in the states. He said "you need to plan a trip" and I said "hell yeah I do!" Re: your back - a compressed disc? You should get one of those things you strap yourself to and turn upside down and just sort of hang there for 20 minutes...
Edited by sparkletruck - 8/18/11 at 10:13am

[Plady]

Originally Posted by sparkletruck 

 There are moments in Yosemite where I feel like God is really right there, just sort of off-gasing from the rock and water and trees, ya know?

Yes!  I do know!  I completely feel that there in a way that other stunningly beautiful places don't resonate. 
 

Jo - Have you done much upside down time?  I had to do it again this morning.  It is amazing to me how quickly there is a difference but I wonder if there isn't more I should do?  The only thing that is a real drag is that swimming actually makes it worse.  By the end of my mile yesterday my back was just in agony - which makes me think it's abdominal weakness playing a role.  What are the exercises you've been given?

[mommajb]

Gaye, your report on back to school and meeting neighborhood people gives me hope.

Kitteh, 18 months is the throes of toddlerdom. Talk about cuteness and orneriness bundled into one big package! Soon she’ll just want her turn on the laptop.

Real, write it and submit it. We all know you can do it. Jo had some great ideas about setting aside a block of time and sticking to it even if the minutes seem to short. Keeping the ideas fresh and flowing means that it will take less start up time when you sit down to do it. I am no writer as you ladies can tell but this advice has been helpful in other areas.

Sparkle, your photos are beautiful – they make me wish I had traveled along as one of your kiddos.

Mel, enjoy the gallo walking. Injury prevention is key.

Plady, IR is the perfect category. I am glad you have some answers about your dd. I think I am going to keep in mind the phrase “resilient little sponges” in regards to children and development. Most of us are pretty resilient but many things are absorbed and shape us. I could maybe comment on some PTSD but not in children.

RR: My pimped out run doesn’t look like much on the garmin but whoa, it took some recovery before I could even shower. The girls did okay though dd3 has a tendency to get distracted and either forget to ride or forget to watch where she is going. The first and last half mile were most stressful, the other five were on the boardwalk and I pretended she belonged to somebody else. (I did bring her home and feed her when we were done.) When we got home ds2 climbed out of the jogger and told me his feet were tired. :nut

Today: find a fp or ped on the insurance taking new patients that blah, blah, blah

[Dmitrizmom]

Like others, I've got a toddler that is insistent about my time being hers... she doesn't just shut the laptop, she hits the power button first! Stinker.  Doing pretty good about keeping up with the thread.  I'm so envious of all your speed!

I'm keeping busy between Zumba, kettlebell, the elliptical and treadmill.  Last week I made it 10.1 miles!  This week, I'm at just over 5 and hoping for a couple 3 mile days tomorrow and Saturday.  I may be slow, but I'm plugging along.  My new plan, for the treadmill, is to up the speed by .1 every minute that I'm on and increase the grade by .5 every three minutes.  Did it for the last two days and seems to not be too bad - I must need to start out at a more challenging pace. LOL

[1jooj]

Mommajb, you did it! Nice of you to at least keep her when it was done. I've done similar in public. 

RR: I swam a mile plus a few laps. It is still hot out there, and humid, so breathing is hard, as it would be for any cardio, and the water temp is +/- body temperature...rather like swimming laps in a bathtub, but I did it. Showered and sitting in the AC, still sweating it out and drinking water. About 12 days left of fasting, and then I will be back to swimming in the early mornings, and I can walk or run at night. Nighttime temps might start to drop a degree or two by then, too. I'm hanging on. But now I feel like I could run 3mi and do all my other exercises, too. Will do the core work yet. Tonight. I have to say, you ladies rock. I'm gasping for air every couple laps out there.

Which, Plady, btw, all the exercises he prescribed were core/back stretching. Squats (he recommended using a chair to stabilize the back, but I am pretty good about squats). Bridge pose (on back, knees bent, feet on floor, push butt/pelvis up and keep shoulders on the floor, hold). Bicycle crunches. Reverse crunches. And a stretch where you lie on your back, one leg is straight, bend the other and stretch the bent leg over the straight leg, touching your knee to the floor, in a way that stretches the lower back sort of laterally. Hard to describe. Dd helps pull my leg down in this stretch.

And I think Mercury comes out of retrograde the 26th or so? Hugs for you and your dd. I'm rather a btdt re:PTSD, but then, I'm rather a mess, aren't I? With support and love, with understanding and a gentle, firm hand to guide her, she will grow up to be a strong and empathetic woman. It's OK to be fragile and vulnerable in ways, as long as we know it and can learn how to navigate it.

My biggest problem is too much chair sitting. I have only done headstands about once in the last two months or so. I love them, and need to do more of them.

Oh, and the doc also said hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. He was almost militant about dehydration being a major cause of a lot of health problems, particularly for people around here, living a fake life with fake foods, in fake environments, fake air, etc.

[bec]

Wait!  Mercury is in retrograde?!  Is that why all my appliances and my car keep breaking?!  I just got the car back from the dealership for some weird issue that caused the engine light to come on, and I just got a new dryer (the last time Mercury was in retrograde, my washer went belly up!)! 

In RR: I went to the gym today for a muscle and core class (I love this teacher's class), but was feeling every inch of my tri during the class!  Then, this afternoon, my friend asked for a run, so I obliged.  Only 2.5 miles, but hey, it's something, and a double workout for the day! 

I'm taking the dog back to the vet.  Hopefully, they will remove the tubes draining the infection from his head (I was joking that they were actually letting his brains pour out).  Hopefully, that will be the end of our pet related issues.  I've spent WAY too much money on animals in the last month! 

[bec]

Turns out, it isn't the end of pet expenses.  They feel something under the skin, and want to do surgery to remove it.  That's a minimum of another $500!  Yikes!!!!  But, I need this to be settled.  My poor dog!

[poppywise]

Hi everyone!

I had a (not nearly) close (enough) encounter with Nickarolaberry today. We didn't get to meet, due to my crazy in law family schedule (and life), but I got to hear her voice in my voice mail! We exchanged messages, but a meetup was not destined today. I had dreams/aspirations of getting to go for a run with another amazing dingo mama, even though this particular dingo mama would surely kick my rear end!

I am currently in Cape Cod for an in-law family reunion of sorts, planned by my sister-in-law for my mother-in-law who...drives me crazy...and also complains about never having her kids/grandkids in the same location ever. True enough. So, we're trying to keep everything drama-free, had a few close calls, but so far, with some tongue biting in effect, smooth sailing.

(whisper) this family is crazy (whisper)

Anyway...I am about 40 minutes away from Nic with no car easily available to me. That coupled with the fact that MIL and her longtime, live-in boyfriend decided, unplanned, to get hitched today... ...yeah. Dingus Interruptus. -sigh-

I am sorry Nic! I am hoping you will find a path to one of our great races in the Bay Area someday and we can meet properly and have good sisterly conversation. Hope you had fun on Mah-tha's Vineyard!


Mel38 - I did Galloway and I do think it helped me with injury prevention. But your knee was rocking through our whole 10k! I have been absent from the thread, I am sorry you are having trouble again.

Sparkle - did you come to CA this summer at all? I mean, Elmwood or something close by.

Plady - oh your sweet DD of course that makes sense, but sometimes it takes someone outside to see inside, you know? hugs all around.

Alrighty then, I am being yelled at by the people who have had too much wine to get my butt off the computer. Here I go, dingoes, back into the fray, grant me some patience....miss you all! love you to pieces!
Edited by poppywise - 8/18/11 at 6:09pm

[mommajb]

poppy, so good to hear from you - if there is a great dingo meet up in CA I'll have to be a part of it. I need plenty of notice if this is to be a marathon or something so that I can get less crazy running partners than a almost 4 yo, a newly minted 6 yo, and an 8 yo.

Quick running question: XC season is in force and ds1 is in his element but today was hills and he got blisters on the ends of his toes. My plan is to keep the skin intact, poke with a clean needle to drain if painful, make sure he wore the right socks, offer him his own body glide for his toes. What else do I need to keep in mind? His shoes might need replacing but I need to investigate his usual sroad running shoes vs XC spikes vs trail shoes vs whatever else is going to be thrown my way. I'll be back soon for more.

[tjsmama]

Originally Posted by mommajb 

When we got home ds2 climbed out of the jogger and told me his feet were tired.

bec~ for your poor pup! And my engine light came on yesterday, too, but fortunately it was the one that the manual said may turn off on its own (vs. the one that you HAVE to take in NOW) and it did turn off. Phew.

mommajb~Does your DS have an athletic trainer at his school? If so, have DS check with him/her to see if they have any second skin. I swear by it for blisters.

Ahh, the first day of kindergarten. DS had a great day (well, half day). He lined up and walked in with his class without a backward glance. Meanwhile, mommy was trying her best not to bawl like a baby, and not being overly successful. I have been weepy all freaking day. I took the time I had while he was at school and went for a ride, hoping it would clear my head and make me less emotional. Not so much. I sniffled the whole hour I was out.

In other news, my Team Wheaties gear arrived today. I would call it a mixed bag. I got a jacket, visor, tri tank and shorts, and running singlet and shorts. I really like some of it, but I have a bad feeling the tri tank is going to ride up. I can actually see wearing the running singlet for tris, and it's super comfortable, but it doesn't have any pockets, which is no good for oly or longer tris. Of course, the sponsorship technically only runs through March, so that may not even be an issue! And the running shorts...well, they're WAY too small, but even if I exchange them, I don't know if I'll wear them. They're super short and floaty, NOT good for non-skinny runners like myself!

[Plady]

Gaye - You look HOT!  That's pretty awesome to be sponsored, weren't you a Brooks runner too?

Bec - I checked, out of retrograde sometime next week.  I'm sorry about your car and even more so for poor poocher!

Poppy!  Oh my!  Coping vibes heading east.  Not that I necessarily have any.  I finally lost it this morning and composed the layin'-down-the-smack email to SIL about the lice.  I edited reasonably after hours of letting it simmer and then hit send.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't too harsh because dh didn't object to me sending it. 

Jo - Yes to problem chair sitting!  It's really hard to write in a non-sitting position though.  I think my hips started really hitting the fan when I started writing the new play.  Hrmph.   On a happier note, it was below 100 for your workout right?

[Realrellim]

Poppy--good luck with the in-laws. Eek.

tjsmama--awesome new gear there. Not only will you kick my behind on Saturday, you'll look incredible while doing it. As always.

JayGee--I found the plan. I think it might have been in a RW issue (April 2002?) but I can't find an online link so I'll PM you.

RR: only swimming tonight.

NRR: Spent the day dealing with laundry and all the stuff that needs to be dealt with after a trip. Had dinner early and headed over to back to school night. On the way, R's loose tooth finally fell out, which freaked her out a bit because there was blood. Got that taken care of and headed into the chaos to drop off supplies, get the forms to sign up for orchestra and another form to sign up to audition for choir, sign up for a testing slot next week and join PTA. Whew!

R spent the way home talking about her lost tooth and whether the tooth fairy is real and how she would eat with it gone. She also insisted on writing a note for the tooth fairy, requesting to know her name and whether she was real.

And now, for real, I'm going to finish my syllabus.

[Nickarolaberry]

Poppy, Dingus Interruptus indeed! I'm bummed we didn't get a chance to meet up and sending you  for coping with the out-laws. We did have a good time on Mah-tha's Vine-yahd! There is a great fair there this weekend, don't know if you want to try and get over there -- the ferry goes from Woods Hole and it's pretty easy to navigate there, just take a bus to the Agricultural Fair. The kids of course loved the carnival rides, etc. but my favorite is the fiber arts tent. They had llamas, goats, sheep, etc. and were demonstrating shearing, dyeing raw wool, spinning, weaving/looming, and knitting. Totally cool and my kids were fascinated you could dye wool with kool-aid! I may have to try again to take up knitting. I just love feeling the wool yarn in my hands. I am so NOT good at handicrafts but...well...you never know. Maybe I'll find a fun yarn store and take a class.

So after searching in desperation for *something* we could all eat (not meat, and for me, not gluten) we found a place that was doing veggie kabobs and another place that had -- wait for it -- giant pickles on a stick. My dd2 was in heaven; pickles were her first food and her all time favorite food ever since! Too funny. So we had that, and then of course, ICE CREAM! Because really, how can you go to the fair on Martha's Vineyard and NOT have ice cream?! Just not possible.

The other day we went to Provincetown, which is a lot of fun. My BIL stays there all of August every summer. I love P-town and the local 'color' does not bother me at all (although dh..well..he's a bit less comfortable but he's mellowing as he gets older  ). At one point we went into a card shop to find a sticker for dd1's collection but had to hustle the kids out of there as it was a card shop full of cards, stickers, magnets...of ...ahem...rather adult (wide variety thereof) themes. It was quite funny actually. I did get her a rainbow P-town sticker though. And they had a rockin' Life is Good store, which I love that stuff and it is so silly.

Anyway we had a nice week and now we're headed back as soon as the laundry is done. Renting a house was definitely a plus this time; it's so much easier to have room and laundry, etc. and it turned out being a much better deal than staying in an inn which we did before. We brought groceries with us and it saves a bundle on food, not to mention a lot better choices health-wise. I must say I wish I could import this kitchen to my house -- they just redid this place after a flood last year and the counters are all granite, new appliances, etc. Nice for a (not far from the) beach rental!

Plady, hugs on the injury and on dd. I don't know about PTSD but I do know I have very sensitive kids who would definitely react in deep and extreme ways to stresses like that, resilient or not. 

Mel, I do get some chance to go off road (trails were near my parents in NJ) but I don't know yet what will be in our new area. I haven't been running there yet! This week we've been on vacation so I've been sticking to the roads I know. 

Ok, off to sit in traffic. Later Dingoes!

[bec]

I love it when kids write notes to the tooth fairy!  Katie has a pretty steady ongoing communication with the fairy. It keeps me on my toes, that's for sure!

Gaye - You look super hot in that!  Love the colors!  I'm one of these that has to wear compression shorts when I run or the chafing becomes unbearable.  Oh, and no one wants to see shorts riding up! 

I am determined to get some sort of exercise in today!  I am thinking I'm going to go to the gym and swim.  An hour in the pool will be good!  I'm waiting for the Eat Clean book to become available at the library, so, until then, I'm not being terribly strict about my food.  But, I am trying to make better choices over all.  It's sort of a mixed bag of success, though.  I need more structure, and am hoping that the book is returned soon!