Getting Back Out There

Looking back at my "racing" days in Seattle, I had no idea just how out of shape I have become since moving to Philly. It's amazing how quickly this can happen in the blink of an eye. I guess this blink lasted about 1 year. Everything about my lifestyle has changed since I moved to Philly. I went from walking 5 days a week at least 3 miles a day, running 3-4 days a week (training for a half marathon and getting in LOTS of miles a week), and spending most of my working hours on my feet running around in the shelter to driving the car to work and back, sitting behind a desk for at least 7 hours per day, and sitting in class for 10+ hours a week. I have a bike and did a lot of riding last semester, but I have given that up during the winter and thanks to my crazy school/work schedule which has me driving across town twice a week.

So I joined a gym. Despite having no extra time in my day to do much of anything, I am going to squeeze this into the schedule. It is a must! My goal: To lose about 10 lbs and get back into good "running" shape. This means I must give myself a strict schedule and find a way to stick to it. Right now the plan is to hit the gym daily for at least one hour. I started that process today and couldn't believe how winded I became on the treadmill! Little by little I am going to do this! I know I can, I have done it before. I deserve me time, and this is how I am going to get it!

Wish me luck.

knitting accomplishmet

the finished product

it's extra warm and snuggly!

and it's my first scarf :)

and here's my second.
x-mas gift for mom!

it's not a surprise!


It has been fun, and yes, very addictive.
Thanks to advice from my friend Steph, i also got some help from knitting help.
I am a knitting machine!
It does feel good to do this, it is a goal you can set which is attainable, and you can see the results. very gratifying!

Tonights Project

This is tonight's "me time" project.
Notice the name of the wine.
Zen of Zin
The Way to Zinlightenment

I'm going to attempt knitting! An easy scarf for the first try.

Today's Accomplishments

Inspired by my sister's I am attempting to step back from the "big picture" and take a look at one accomplishment at a time. Lately I have been overwhelmed and stress and have dealt with those feelings poorly. For example, when the deadlines for a project come up at the same time as an exam in another class, how do i cope? Well, I say screw it all and hop into bed with my laptop watching endless hours of nonsense television.
I have not been taking very good care of myself. This is my coping mechanism? Sit back and do nothing, and see if it doesn't get better. Well we all know this only makes things get worse.
So today (after listening in on a workshop we had with the students on self esteem and self care, and after reading my sisters blog) I decided to make a list. A list of things to do, that I could check off at the end of the day and feel accomplished. Well, I did it all and it's only 8:15pm!

Today's accomplishments include:
1. Work - this includes listening to several girls problems and attempting to find solutions, delivering workshop fliers to 50 students, listening in as my students discuss self esteem and the importance of teaching it to your child, crying as my students read aloud letters they wrote to their children about achieving self esteem, feeling very proud of these intelligent young girls (who i sometimes feel like giving up on)and in awe of their wisdom, and remembering not to give up!
2. Running 4 miles - I have taken a seriously long hiatus from my exercise and had almost completely given up on the idea. Today I stretched and headed outdoors for a 4 mile run. I survived. Even though it started to rain and snow.
3. Making a training schedule for the future (consisting of mile goals and daily runs)
4. Completed a daily forum post for my online class
5. Had dinner with my boyfriend - Thanks for cooking breakfast for dinner!
6. Read and took notes on 1/2 chapter from anatomy and physiology book.
7. Blogging for the first time in over a month!!!

Whew! I'm exhausted. Now can I lay in bed?

missing

It has been almost 3 months since I've blogged. I'm not sure I've got what it takes to be a blogger. Things are so busy and stressful these days... I don't even have time to vent. So here's the thought for today.

Stolen from http://www.overheardinphilly.com/

Thursday, October 9, 2008

How All Male Art Historians Begin

A Dad to his 10 year old son sitting on the stairs in the Museum of Art.

Dad: "What do you want see first?"
Son: "I don't want to see anything."
Dad: "Do you want to see some naked ladies?"

Museum of Art
Overheard by Greenmachine

emotional reactivity

So I don't know if I am just learning this about myself, or if it just now rearing it's ugly head as a barrier in my life. Also it is possible I knew this and tried to forget it. I am told recently that I have quick emotional reactions.
The thing is I don't know what the alternative is. Do I just smile and nod, and let people treat me like dirt, or do I express my true feelings. I know there must be an in between. One thing I do recognize is that I have a tendency to have my feelings written all over my face. My facial expressions can be very dramatic (I am told, as I can't really see them :) and people usually know how I am feeling. I guess I always thought this was a positive thing. Why shouldn't people know how I really feel, who should I fake it. I am easy to read, so this should be a good thing. No one will be guessing. Although these expressions can definitely be misinterpreted. I have been confronted at some point and was definitely not feeling the way a person thought I was. I need to find the balance. I do not want to be void of emotions, or smiling all the time when I am not really feeling happy all the time, but I suppose be more conscious of my feelings could help me deal with them. Also, trying to reevaluate why I have the reaction in the first place. Is it about me, or the other person.
Trying to put this in perspective, but I just don't know how. I don't even know how to talk about it and make any sense.

a nurse

I have made this decision to go back to school. I never thought, after all the debt I incurred with my first undergrad degree that I would go back for yet another bachelors degree. Well, after almost 7 years of exploring the career of social work I have decided it is time for a change.

My first time around with school I did not know why I was going. I knew I wanted a degree, but had no idea what it should be in or what I would want to do "for the rest of my life". Yikes. This idea of doing one thing forever still scares me. So after taking class after class I decided that social work was right for me. It seemed to just fit. I got different feedback on it, one really negative from my boyfriend at the time who said, "Don't you want a more professional career? Something more respectable?" Needless to say we are not together anymore :)
I was naive. I thought that money didn't matter, and that all that was important was doing something you enjoy. Did I actually think I was going to "enjoy" social work? Wow! I guess I thought that as long as I was doing something that mattered in the world. Doing my part, or whatever.

So seven years later, I am looking back. I am grateful for my experiences. My education led me to join the Peace Corps which is something that no one can take away. It also led me to work in a homeless shelter for 2 years, and there I met some amazing friends. And now, it has led me here to working at an inner city high school with pregnant and parenting teenage girls. I am so grateful for the lessons I have learned in each of these places, and there are many. There were so many difficult things about all the jobs I have had. Much of it was how much it takes out of you, with no giving back. Employers have really bled me dry, and continue to do so. The pay is so minimal that I have nothing left for myself at the end of the day.

I have always known I wanted to continue my education, but for the last 5 years I have been trying to figure out exactly what that would mean. While in Washington I applied for an Masters in Social Work program, and thought very seriously about doing it. The more I thought about it though, I just could not justify spending another 40k plus on school, only to come out making about 5k a year more than I am currently making. I am already buried under the debt from my first time around, and as I said, am barely making enough to scrape by.

So, 5 years of trying to figure it out, and I've come to the conclusion that I am going to do another bachelors degree in nursing. I admit, that when I finished high school, this is not something I thought I could achieve or would want to. So much has changed since that time. I have had the opportunity to care for people in very delicate situations (working at the homeless shelter). There was some real gratification in just being able to help someone change a bandage that they couldn't do on their own. Getting someone cleaned up after they had a day out on the streets drinking and panhandling and pissing their pants. Seeing them come out of the shower with fresh new clothes and a smile on their face.
Nursing will be so much more than this, but I know I can do it. I know that some of the things I currently struggle with will continue to be a struggle. It will be difficult not to get wrapped up in peoples lives, and especially difficult not to take that home with me.
Major bonuses to becoming a nurse:
1. getting paid. yes i list this one first, and yes it is a factor now.
2. mobility. i can move to a new state and easily find a job.
3. flexibility. so many different options for working. and such a high need!
4. no monotony. i will not be sitting behind a desk punching numbers. i will often be on my feet moving and it will involve some physical labor!
5. doing my part. i can still help people and feel like i am doing my part for society.

If these aren't enough to convince me, well, I don't know what is. So, I've started the ball rolling. I am taking night classes in order to get in all the pre-requisites for the nursing schools I am looking at. I find that I am enjoying this new challenge. I have always focused on social sciences, and never the "other" sciences. I am learning so much, and enjoy the challenge of being back in school. I should be done with pre-requisites by the end of next spring, and ready for another bachelor's program! The advantage is there are several accelerated programs for the BSN that will only take one year. Wish me luck.