Is There Such Thing As Too Much Frosting?

We did a great experiment in school today. I won't bore you with the details since I am sure you don't care much about plate tectonics. Lucky for me, fifth graders find it interesting! I'm not lying. They were very interested to start. Their interest grew when I walked into school with two big jars of frosting and two boxes of graham crackers.

I decided first thing this morning that I should test this experiment we were going to do. I had tested it before, but thought  I needed to test it this morning really, because I was hungry and wanted some graham crackers and maybe a fingerfull of frosting! I had to spread the frosting on a plate and push the graham crackers together, pull them apart, and slide them side to side. They did exactly what they were supposed to do, just like they did the last time I "tested" it. It was the perfect model of plate tectonics. Knowing that it worked, I was left with a plate of frosting. 

What else was there left to do than lick it off the plate like a dog? Okay, maybe I could have found a more respectable way to get it off that plate, but nobody was around. I envy Shea's life, so I might as well try some of his life strategies out. Licking plates clean is one of them!

With a busy, abnormal day at school, the kids were in and out of the room all day long. When left alone, I kept venturing over to the cans of frosting. Sometimes I used a graham cracker to scoop some out, other times I simply used a spoon. Either way, I made sure that I left just enough frosting for the actual experiment. I never thought there was such a thing as too much frosting. Come to find out, there actually may be!

Needless to say, when I left school today I felt like a giant fat a$$. I've never actually had a fat a$$, but I could feel mine growing with each passing second. By the time I got home, I gathered that I had gained 15 pounds. To test it out I thought I would try on a pair of jeans. I documented this attempt with a picture. 

So, Jeff, this is what you can expect next time you see me. I will try to run it off, but I hear once it's there, it's hard to lose! 

Life

Walking down the hall with a smile on my face, it hit me, I am the happiest person with the most miserable life. Moments ago I was told there was no room in the budget to keep my job next year, my husband lives 450 miles away, it's so cold out my fingers are purple, and I can do nothing but walk down the hallway with a stupid smile on my face saying hello to whoever passes. With news spreading faster than head lice through a kindergarten class, people were hard pressed to believe I was "let go."

When Jeff decided in September that I would go through this year with a positive, can-do attitude, I listened. I listened so much that I have realized my life sucks so much right now, and I still go through each and every day nearly ignoring that fact. The smile and giddiness I portray each day is real, but how on earth can I muster it and actually mean it?

That smile is genuine. I have somehow learned to take bombshells and see positives in them. The people I ran into today were more distraught than I. Don't get me wrong, I would describe myself as devastated. My job is very important to me, I absolutely love it. One of my top four of important things in my life. 1. Jeff 2. Shea 3. Family 4. Job. If you clump Jeff and Shea into the family group, it is number 2! So with significant distance between number 1, and number 2 being terminated come June, I can't figure out what the heck I am smiling over, but it hasn't left my face.

It makes me wonder a little bit if I am going loopy. Am I that good at compartmentalizing? Am I waiting for it all to snowball and explode like a volcano? Or, am I just that cold-hearted that I have lost the ability to shed a tear? I'm not really sure which, if any. But, either way, my life sucks. I'm just glad I don't know it!

Smoker

For the life of me, I cannot fathom why people smoke. Even more so, why they smoke in the winter time! Let me stand outside in below zero temperatures and kill myself slowly. Sounds like fun!

I can't think of anything more idiotic. I always take notice of this as the temperatures drop. Today being one of those days, I took notice. People bundled up like eskimos to get their cigarette fix. People driving with their window down and their fingers hanging out into the subarctic temperatures for a little smoke.

I can't help but hope these nitwits get frostbite for being so stupid. What a turn off. I find myself wondering, if it would have been a big enough turn off, say nine years ago, when Jeff caught my eye. Seeing as he was a college athlete at the time, it was highly unlikely. On top of that I find it hard to believe that anything could turn me off from Jeff, although smoking may be the closest thing.

In fact, deciding that it was not in my best interests to like Jeff as an eighteen year old, fresh to college girl. So, to hinder my mounting feelings, I used to come up with things to try to turn myself off to him. I mean the boy did wear sweatpants everyday! So did I, how could I complain! He talked to everyone from freshmen to the old men at the gym. But, all that meant was he was likable by all walks of life. And one day, he had a piece of food stuck between his incredibly white teeth. To me, it only made them seem whiter.

You see, it would be extremely hard for anything to drive me away from Jeff. Something, many things actually, attract me beyond my own control. Smoking, I don't know. But I am sure am I glad I will never have to find out!

Winter Series

I ran in a race today. My first since November.

Don't let the sunshine fool you. It was a frigid 11 degrees. As I was driving over to the campus of UAlbany, I wondered if there would be any sort of turn out. Maybe I'd be the only idiot there, raring to run in 11 degrees. If not, maybe there would be about twelve people there and I would have a chance at winning something. I was certainly shocked when I walked into the registration room to find hundreds of crazy people like myself.

I went in thinking I was going to be running a 5k, the equivalent of 3.1 miles. I was mistaken. There were three options, 4.5, 10, or 20 miles. Seeing as this was my first race in such extreme weather conditions, I decided on the 4.5 miler. 

Waiting for the races to start, I noticed everyone was wearing tight, black pants. The same tight, black pants that I had on under my sweatpants. Thinking these people have raced in this kind of weather before, I followed their lead and discarded my sweatpants. Another thing I was mistaken about. I should have stuck with my guns and kept the sweatpants on. By mile number one, my legs were numb. I kept poking them to see just how numb they were. I couldn't feel myself poking. Somehow, even with numbness setting in, they just kept trudging along. 

After 2.5 miles, I began to get hot. Uncontrollably hot. My shoulders down to my fingertips burned. Was I just starting to literally warm-up, or was this the onset of frostbite? I wasn't quite sure. But, nonetheless, I kept running, figuring I'd find out soon enough. 

The next mile a girl came up behind me as we got hit with a vicious wind. Probably a wind that made the 11 degrees feel about zero! We had a small conversation about how lucky we'd been up till then to have the wind behind us. As she passed, I took note of how bouncy she was. Each step her feet reacted like little springboards. My numb legs, on the other hand, seemed to be going in slow motion compared to this jumping bean of a girl. It really ticked me off! 

Coming down the home stretch, I sped up to what I knew my legs could handle without failing me. It was a little slower than I would normally speed up to, again, due to the numbness factor. To my delight, I passed the jumping bean and finished in 16th place overall in men and women. Even with the pains that came along with this race, I felt very satisfied at the finish. I survived, as I knew I would. In fact, I am looking forward to the next one in two weeks. If the temperature gets up to 20, I will be doing the 10 miler. 

And, by the way, Jeff wore a bow-tie for his game this afternoon. He got bow-tie like results as they went on to an 18-point win! 

Superstitious

I am not a superstitious person. However, if I were to give Jeff advice, it would be to wear the same bow-tie and suspenders for tomorrow's game. Why not? It worked for Friday's game. Does that make me superstitious?

Well, I'm not. I have never been a person who doesn't wash their lucky pair of socks for an entire season. I was not the person who had to wear the same underwear every game. I didn't have a free throw routine that I lived and died by, and I didn't have to eat the same things before every game.

All I asked was that I had my favorite number, 22. Not because it was lucky, but simply because it was my favorite number. A number I borrowed from my cousin. I made sure to stretch in the same place every game, and stand in the same spot in line during plyos, next to the same person. During the National Anthem, I stood on the elbow and hummed along with the songstress who belted it out.

The night before games we always had a 10:00 curfew whether we were on the road or at home. This didn't bother me, for I always liked to do word searches on night's before games. On the actual game day, I didn't even really have a routine. I just made sure that when I woke up, I climbed out of the bed on the right side. I put my contacts in the left first and the right second, the opposite way of how I normally do it. I'd always don the colorful bracelet my little cousin made me until I got to the locker room. Then, I'd tuck it safely away in my bag to put on immediately afterwards. You see, I wore that whenever I had a test for school too!

See, I am not superstitious at all. I can't even fathom how people go a whole season without shaving or getting a haircut. It's just so silly. Anyways, Jeff, I am not condoning superstitions, but throw that bot-tie on and strap on your suspenders tomorrow. Let's see what happens!

Do you have any crazy superstitions?

The Power of the Bow-Tie

Jeff's bow-tie wearing ways brought good luck! His team knocked off the number 19 ranked team in the country. I'd have to argue for the bow-tie every game. Plus, it looks awesome! It takes a real man to rock this:

With the win, I imagine what I'd be doing if I were out in Cleveland right now to celebrate with Jeff. I'd like to celebrate like Jeff and his brothers celebrated Syracuse's national championship back in 2003. Although, I'm pretty sure New Orleans has a completely different feeling than Cleveland. Do beads, beer, and b@@bies ring a bell? 

I guess a division I national championship may also be slightly different than beating the number 19 team in the country in division III during the regular season. Either way, I certainly wouldn't be sitting here, writing this. I would be out and about with Jeff, doing whatever he wanted to do. A night dedicated to him and his bow-tie! 

Throwback

I can't believe I am not going to Cleveland this weekend. I know, I saw Jeff last weekend, and it would almost make me spoiled if I were to see my husband two weeks in a row. That is just crazy talk!

Besides the obvious, seeing Jeff (was that obvious?), I wish I could be there to see this whole "throwback weekend" go down. I have heard much about since Jeff got the job out in Cleveland. The campus out there has a fairly new athletic facility where the basketball games are played. They also have an old gym called Adelbert, where the teams of old played. The gym looks like a cathedral and has an unbelievable old-school feel to it.

The facility is awesome, but is old. So old, that this year, it is unplayable. The floor is too dangerous. So while the throwback weekend games were intended to be played in Adelbert, they will be in the regular gym. The players will get throwback uniforms in brown and red. I'm wondering if the shorts will be throwback too. Rather than having shorts that hang off and nearly touch their ankles, shorts that I could easily fit into with them, they should be wearing short, tight, John Stockton type of shorts. That would be in true throwback style and quite entertaining.

Beyond all of this ridiculousness, I will be missing Jeff in his throwback gear. What is a coach to wear? While Jeff will be in the spirit of the throwback, he will still be stylin. Rather than the traditional tie and sportcoat, Jeff will be sporting a bow tie and suspenders. I must say I have never seen Jeff in suspenders. I'm sure it is a sight to behold. I have seen him in a bow tie once. On our wedding day. 

I must say, he wore it well! I look forward to watching him on the live video. I guess that is second best to seeing it in person.