Where I break it out, bullet-point style

  • I ran for the first time, in a long time, this morning. While I have been getting up to spin on the exercise bike, I haven’t been out running since the 3rd of December, and before that, Thanksgiving, and before that, the Harrisburg marathon. Getting started on a run is really, really difficult, particularly before 5 in the morning, but once I get started…well, it’s a shame that I ever choose to “not run.”
  • I’m drinking truly insane amounts of coffee lately. I use two Keurig K-cups to fill my regular sized coffee mug. This distresses me — hopefully, I’ll be able to use the holidays to reset myself a bit.
  • I love the eggnog latte from Starbucks . . . but my wallet and waistline do not. To make things just a little bit easier, money-wise, I actually sat down to read the instructions on my coffee maker (which is a drip coffee maker on the left, and an espresso maker on the right). Now, I like the lattes that I make more than the Starbucks ones (even when you add-in the fact that “someone else does it for me,” which makes anything, like, 20% tastier).
  • I went to leave the house this morning and realized that I did not have a t-shirt to take to the gym. Because, while I did run, I’m just finding my rhythm, lifting. So, I turned around, went back into the house, and grabbed a t-shirt . . . which I proceeded to leave at home because I put it down to pick up my laptop. Not everyone can be as “special” as I am.
  • All of my Christmas shopping is done . . . at least, I think it is. I’m really used to one “holy shit, I can’t believe I forgot to buy xxx” screw-up, and a last minute shuffle, but I’m wracking my brain and can’t think of anything that I don’t have covered.
  • Three years ago, I broke my coccyx.
  • Some of you have actually expressed interest in buying a “Daddy Runs a Lot” coffee mug . . . I’m looking into making these available.
  • On the topic of the mugs (and, thank you again, Liz, for setting up such a great program), Zazzle came to the rescue for my mother’s Christmas present.
  • Weather permitting, I’ll be running a full-marathon on my birthday . . . not a sanctioned event – just, well, I feel like it.
  • I really, really want to get started on my new tattoo.
  • I’ve spent more time working on an upcoming post here than I have, perhaps, for all of my truly lengthy posts put together. It’ll be the first post that I’m actually nervous about hitting “publish” for1
  • Every night, if the kids wake up, they spend the rest of the night in our bed . . . this is, perhaps, not encouraging them to ever, truly sleep through the night, but it makes for less of a fight. My son has taken to “active cuddling,” where he’ll position my arms, exactly the way he wants them. This is super-cute, and super-uncomfortable.
  • I have a truly horrible pattern of placing current people in my life into past memories. For example, I cannot tell you what my first boss actually looked like, because every memory I have of him has been replaced with a current coworker.

1 I, um, might appreciate an additional set of eyes or two to look at things before I actually publish this — email me if you’ll volunteer to look things over for me.

29 comments

  1. Bullet points are such an effective means of disseminating information.

    And you’re not the only person who gets to the car, realizes she forgot something, goes back inside to retrieve said something, realizes she forgot something else, and then leaves without the first something. Not that you’re a she. I’m just speaking of a hypothetical she. Hypothetical she being me. And most of the time the thing I forget is my coffee.

    1. Bullet points are, by far, my favorite means of disseminating information when things are too hectic in my mind to think about writing these things called “transitions.”

      I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve brewed my coffee, prepared it just the way I like it, and then left it to sit on the kitchen counter, growing cold & moldy. The only thing that beats that? The number of times I’ve brewed coffee without actually putting coffee in the coffee maker . . . or forgetting to grind the beans.

      I’m an expert water brewer.

  2. Joe’s just starting to run again after having his appendix out the week of Thanksgiving. He’s frustrated that he’s having to work back up to it again but he’s so happy to be out doing it. He expressed the same feeling you did – the sense of hating that you ever stopped because it’s so awesome.

    My current crack is the skinny peppermint mocha at Starbucks. Lucky for me (kinda), I don’t often leave the house so it’s a rare-ish treat. One that I just may indulge in this afternoon when I run out to take care of a “dammit, how did I forget to buy that?” shopping chore.

    1. I really, really fear massive illness or injury, because, while I got to “where I am” little-by-little, I don’t know if I have the patience to actually work my way back up.

      Best of luck in the “dammit…” trip – because, well, I know how I react around the “dammit, how the heck did I forget that?” crowd? Because, honestly, I’m pretty sure I’d grow very impatient with myself, were I cloned.

  3. So now when I say, “I feel like I’ve known you forever.” And you say, “Haven’t we?” I’ll know you’re not joking, you’re just happily misremembering!

    1. Yes – happily misremembering. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve thrown my college best friend into stories from my high school days.

    1. Thanks, Jessica – I had a ton of fun making it.

      The thing is, I can’t put a negative royalty fee . . . I’d totally subsidize people buying my mug, but, at least with Zazzle, I can’t set that up.

  4. I like the list, a lot.

    The 20% better because someone else made it for you is a rule. or a law. Or something else totally and completely official.

    And the nerves post? That means it’s a good one. 🙂

  5. Stuff is almost always tastier when someone else makes it. I’m sure that’s a law somewhere!

    And the kids sleeping in the bed with you? That’s my life too. I cannot for the life of me get Handsome to sleep in his crib. He wants to snuggle next to mama all night and kick daddy in the gut. As uncomfortable as we are, it’s a whole lot better than no sleep at all, I’m sure you agree.

    1. We’ve noticed that the kids sleep best when they start out in their own beds, but then migrate to our bed when they wake up & start making noise. Why this is that way, we have no idea.

      But, yeah, some uncomfortable sleep beats no sleep, any day of the week.

    1. We’re still working out childcare arrangements, so I may be sidelined by only doing as much running as the kids will allow . . . the 5 hours that it would likely take me to run 26.2 miles while pushing a jogging stroller may be more than I’m bargaining for.

      But, I really want to — and you should get back out & running . . . I, honestly, can’t believe how much better I feel when I start the day off with a good run.

    1. Part of adding a product on the Zazzle is setting your royalty fee. I tried to set it to “-25%,” basically, to cover a quarter of the cost of anyone who was buying the mug . . . but it wouldn’t let me do that.

  6. *I use bullet points when I speak.
    *People confuse it with having no tact.
    *I LOVE YOUR/MY MUG
    *I haven’t worked out since my half. I feel like a slob.
    *I may or may not make 3 or 4 trips to the car every morning. I couldn’t tell you what I was forgetting or thinking I forgot. Okay, now I’m confused.

    Also yippee for nervous blog posts, thems da best.

    1. * I’ve scheduled the nervous blog post . . . so, here’s to that.

      * So glad you love the mug

      * I screwed up brewing my coffee, again, this morning . . . and, in all of that hullabaloo, I left my damn workout t-shirt at home. Again. Gah.

  7. I think you lowballed the percentage of tastiness for someone else making something for you. It’s easily 35%. Or maybe I am particularly lazy. Could well be.

    1. I mean to write “at least 20% tastier,” but it depends on what you’re doing. Since lattes are kind-of new to me, there’s a fun thing about playing with pressurized steam – I mean, I could, conceivably, give myself a third degree burn and then die in an explosion because I didn’t do things right.

      That kind of “what if” makes the act a little bit fun. For now.

      In a week? I’ll be back to making excuses for using the closest barista as my therapist.

  8. My caffeine tolerance is continuing to rise too and we have a bed full of kids every morning as well. There really should be a family size bed for people with young kids. And how do they take up SO much room as such little people?

    1. Yesterday, I had something like 10 cups of coffee before 10 am . . . and, then, all afternoon, I felt like I had been drugged.

      As far as the kids . . . well, I have no idea how they take up so much space in the bed — but, seriously, I think there is something in the toddler code that prevents them from ever lying down parallel to something else (be that the edge of the bed or someone lying down in bed)

  9. I can’t even believe I’m saying this, but I’m jealous that you’re running. Man, I miss exercising. And sleeping.

    ps – have you tried an eggnog milkshake? My husband just made me one the other night. Yeah. Suuuper low-cal.

    Happy holidays!

    1. I’m still coming to grips with the fact that running is an important part of my life…two years ago, I’d have laughed at you if you told me what I’d be like today.

      About sleep, though — I don’t think I’ve had a decent night of sleep in the past 25 months & 18 days.

      I have not tried an eggnog milkshake – but now I know what I’m making for myself on Friday night. I’m guessing it’s eggnog icecream, and eggnog, blended together? Maybe with some extra rum?

    1. The only reason I have a marathon on my list for my birthday is because, last year, I ran a half-marathon in very, very cold weather . . . and I left a LOT “in the tank.”

      I figure, if there’s a day for excess in your life, it’s your birthday – so I’ll run to excess, then eat to excess, and then drink to excess . . . and with all of that, maybe I’ll sleep to excess, too.

  10. I prefer making my own lattes at home as well. But sometimes there is just nothing better then hitting Starbucks. 🙂
    Bullet Points are great. This was an awesome post.

    1. Thanks, Amber; Bullet points work well when I just can’t get more than a few words out on a subject . . . you just keep going until you can’t think of any more subjects to, basically, tweet about 🙂

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