Still in Florida. Still not running. I've been here two weeks now and am still waiting for it to feel like I'm on vacation. Waiting is useless. Going out and doing something is what's going to bring the vacation feeling. So Friday I hopped into my mom's car (which I now call the Fauxpala) and drove to Tampa to meet my friend Julie. We've known each other online for about four years now, and I was really excited about meeting her. That's half the reason I flew out here in the first place. We're both photography nerds, so we were looking forward to going out with our cameras.
We ended up going to Lettuce Lake Park. We were really hoping to see some alligators (there's a 12 footer that lives there), but all we found were gator-shaped logs. We did see lots of lizards, ibis, blue herons and ospreys. And a gooberfish. (Star Wars nerds, we are.) Sooooo much fun.
I conquered two fears that day: Driving to strange places by myself and meeting people. I've got awful social anxiety. People (and especially crowds) make me nervous. But meeting Julie was like hanging out with a friend I'd just seen the day before. I was instantly comfortable with her and never felt the slightest twinge of panic or anxiety. We had a great day together, and I can't wait to see her again. What's next? Manatees? Gators? Dinosaur World? Yes, yes and yes.
Oh, I also came home that night with a boxful of Julie's clothes. I'm not a klepto; she offered! I snagged six pairs of pants (including a sweet pair of Budweiser pj bottoms), a cute summer dress, six shirts and a pair of shorts. I can't fit into any of the shirts or the dress, but I fully intend to use them as goal clothes. We were so wrapped up in the day that we forgot she also wanted to give me a vegan cookbook and an old camera of hers that has a broken light meter. Next time!
So that's pretty much what I've been up to. I was sick the first week I was here and this second week I've just been depressed. I miss my sister and my animals. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping. Every now and then I'll have one night where I have difficulty falling asleep, but I haven't been able to fall right to sleep since I got here. I think a lot of it has to do with me not exercising or running. So today I forced myself to work out. My mom's condo is tiny, so I don't have a lot of room. I flailed around the front room for a warm up and then used two 1-lb cans of Heinz (roasted garlic and onion) pasta sauce as weights. I normally use 3-lb weights, but I guess I'll have to make due with what I've got on hand. At least I worked out, right? I'm hoping it'll help me get to sleep tonight.
The weather has been pretty crappy here as well. Seems I brought the weather with me from Oregon. The only good news is that, though it's raining, it's not freezing cold. This week is going to be really nice. Perfect, in fact, for running. I just can't bring myself to put on my shoes and head out the door. I'm not brave enough. I'm convinced I'll get mugged or something.
I briefly toyed with the idea of going to the local Y.W.C.A., but it costs $35 to join and I'm only going to be here three more weeks.
Mehhhh.
I really miss running. I don't know what to do.
We ended up going to Lettuce Lake Park. We were really hoping to see some alligators (there's a 12 footer that lives there), but all we found were gator-shaped logs. We did see lots of lizards, ibis, blue herons and ospreys. And a gooberfish. (Star Wars nerds, we are.) Sooooo much fun.
I conquered two fears that day: Driving to strange places by myself and meeting people. I've got awful social anxiety. People (and especially crowds) make me nervous. But meeting Julie was like hanging out with a friend I'd just seen the day before. I was instantly comfortable with her and never felt the slightest twinge of panic or anxiety. We had a great day together, and I can't wait to see her again. What's next? Manatees? Gators? Dinosaur World? Yes, yes and yes.
Oh, I also came home that night with a boxful of Julie's clothes. I'm not a klepto; she offered! I snagged six pairs of pants (including a sweet pair of Budweiser pj bottoms), a cute summer dress, six shirts and a pair of shorts. I can't fit into any of the shirts or the dress, but I fully intend to use them as goal clothes. We were so wrapped up in the day that we forgot she also wanted to give me a vegan cookbook and an old camera of hers that has a broken light meter. Next time!
So that's pretty much what I've been up to. I was sick the first week I was here and this second week I've just been depressed. I miss my sister and my animals. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping. Every now and then I'll have one night where I have difficulty falling asleep, but I haven't been able to fall right to sleep since I got here. I think a lot of it has to do with me not exercising or running. So today I forced myself to work out. My mom's condo is tiny, so I don't have a lot of room. I flailed around the front room for a warm up and then used two 1-lb cans of Heinz (roasted garlic and onion) pasta sauce as weights. I normally use 3-lb weights, but I guess I'll have to make due with what I've got on hand. At least I worked out, right? I'm hoping it'll help me get to sleep tonight.
The weather has been pretty crappy here as well. Seems I brought the weather with me from Oregon. The only good news is that, though it's raining, it's not freezing cold. This week is going to be really nice. Perfect, in fact, for running. I just can't bring myself to put on my shoes and head out the door. I'm not brave enough. I'm convinced I'll get mugged or something.
I briefly toyed with the idea of going to the local Y.W.C.A., but it costs $35 to join and I'm only going to be here three more weeks.
Mehhhh.
I really miss running. I don't know what to do.
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2 comments:
step one: get two canvas shopping bags and fill them with heavy stuff. step two: carry bags around until arms nearly drop off.
i will never internetspeak to you again if you somehow don't go to dinoworld.
does the thought of t-rex not motivate you to run?
actually, it shouldn't because if that cinematic masterpiece jurassic park taught me anything it is that a t-rex has poor eyesight and relies on perception of movement to see shit. so stand still and turn your bloody torch off or it will eat your head.
have fun. unmoving, no-torch fun.
Does pushing my mom around in her wheelchair count?
I absolutely will NOT leave Florida without visiting Dinosaur World. You have my word. The T. Rex might not motivate me to run (giant head, little arms) but those raptors might...
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