Seriously?? Now I'm nervous...

For the second time in 3 days, I slammed my finger in a door.

It happened with the same stinkin door at the office, trying to shut it the same way (which is how I always shut it....like a normal person would shut ANY DOOR), just a different finger the second time (but oh yea...on the same hand.)

Seriously??? Now I have matching black and blue fingers.

Now I'm a little worried. I have to go shoot a video standing on the roof of a cabin. If I can manage to slam my fingers in a door twice in the same week...I wonder what's going to happen when I climb a ladder and stand on a roof.

Someone should probably pray I don't die.

Entertaining Read

I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson

If you are ever looking for a fun, easy, entertaining read...this is the book for you. The other night, I sat reading just a few short chapters...laughing out loud uncontrollably for a good 10 minutes (keep in mind, I was by myself...try not to judge me for being ridiculous.)

To give you a taste of the amazingness of this book....A few excerpts from the chapter titled "Well, Doctor, I was just trying to lie down..." about the ridiculous amount of injuries inflicted by consumer products.

"Consider this intriguing fact: Almost 50,000 people in the United States are injured each year by pencils, pens, and other desk accessories. Ho do they do it? I have spent many long hours seated at desks where I would have greeted almost any kind of inury as a welcome diversion, but never once have I come close to achieving actual bodily harm." (pg. 18)

"I would also welcome a meeting with almst any of the 263,000 people injured by ceilings, walls, and inside panels. I can't imagine being hurt by a ceiling and not having a story worth hearing. Likewise, I could find time for any of the 31,000 people injured by their 'grooming devisces.'" (pg. 19)

"But the people I would really like to meet are the 142,000 hapless souls who received emergency room treatment for injuries inflicted by their clothing. What can they be suffering from? Compound pajama fracture? Sweatpants hematoma? I am powerless to speculate." (pg. 19)

This is most definitely worth a read.

*On a side note....On Sunday afternoon I was so exhausted I walked into my own refrigerator....Just straight up walked into it. I have now become a statistic...

Time Away!!!

After a whirlwind fall and many busy weeks and weekends...I am taking some down time up in Mishawaka tomorrow and Friday. I am very ready for it!

The time away started with dinner with my mom, a good friend, and her mom (at Hacienda!!! always a plus...) What a great time. I don't think we stopped laughing once!

Tomorrow is a day to sleep in, lounge around, and hopefully do nothing! Then Friday, mom and I are going to IKEA in Chicago to go couch shopping! I can't wait!

But mostly, I am looking forward to a chance to get away for a bit...relax, refresh, and recharge so I can dive back into everything when I go back to work next week.

Ready...set...REST...

The past week or so...

A list to sum up my random thoughts from the past week or so.

• I find it mildly ridiculous that I used to stand around in pointe shoes for 6 or more hours a day, 6 days a week, and I was rarely phased. Yet three days of running around, standing, cooking, etc. made my legs feel like they were on fire...
• I have no clue how I frequently ran for days at a time on 4 hours of sleep a night in college. Was I nuts? (Don't answer that....)
  
• When you are exhausted, it is always better to take a step back to breathe and think before saying or doing anything stupid (and certainly don't make any big decisions. Exhaustion will pass and rational thinking will return).
• I am really good at making excuses for not running (last week it was, "Well, I moved lots of heavy stuff and cleaned all morning at work....so I don't need to run today....right?) Wow....that will NOT get me any closer to running the Mini.
• I need people around me that push me and encourage me. I think about training to run this Mini (I still think I've lost touch with reality by the way) and I wonder why it is that, again....when I was dancing, I would push HARD in classes and rehearsals all day and fight through pain and exhaustion. But for some reason...running is a much bigger giant for me to knock down. I think it's because when I was dancing, directors, teachers, other classmates were always pushing me to work harder, do more, be better (but it was also most effective when balanced with positive encouragement). I think that's the kind of environment I thrive in....One where I am pushed but also encourage.
• I saw an interview with the 3 boys playing Billy in the Broadway premier of "Billy Elliott" the Musical by Elton John based on the movie "Billy Elliott." I am already plotting a trip to New York to see my sister and brother-in-law and go into the city to see it. Yay!
• I am taking Thursday and Friday OFF!!!! Yay for going couch shopping with my mom!
• I've become slightly obsessed with Jon McLaughlin since the release of his newest CD OK Now. Good stuff... (his album Indiana is also great...especially the song "Beautiful Disaster."

That's all I got. I'm exhausted. I'm going home.

Lock Me Up

I told my friend Jody that I am officially a crazy person. Why you might ask?

After 15 years of dancing, my body has always hated it every time I try to run...my hips, knees, ankles....they REVOLT after about a quarter of a mile. That's just life I suppose.

So I need someone to tell me why I have decided that I am going to train to run a mini. Clearly...I am a crazy person. Only crazy people do things like that....right?

I mean, I have hated running my whole life, and now here I am voluntarily saying I am going to spend time intentionally preparing to run....A LOT. It's kinda humorous I suppose. But this could really be a good thing, because I have discovered since I started running awhile ago that it actually does help relieve stress. People have told me that so many times, and I just didn't believe them (I told them they were crazy....are you sensing the theme???) But then I started running, and wouldn't you know?!?! It really does!

So this is actually good right? Because now I suppose if I get stressed, frustrated, whatever...I can go for a run (which costs me nothing) rather than driving around spending $4.00/gallon.

*Sidebar...I am beyond thrilled that gas is now down to $2.99/gallon.

So....If you think of it, please check in on me. Ask me if I'm running, because I'm pretty sure that unless I have people holding me accountable and pushing me to keep training, I might give up. And I really don't want to. I am determined!

I'll post updates...

Things you should never do....

One of the people at work has this rule he lives by... "Don't die stupid." I think it's a good rule. Obviously he thinks it's a good rule too.

I almost violated said rule yesterday....

I would suggest never trying to move a really big ladder from a cramped space by yourself. Obviously, it could fall on you, pinch your fingers, land on an important body part.... You never know what could happen. But let's be honest, in a pinch, we would probably all just tackle it by ourselves if need be and assume the potential risks. Fine...whatever...

Unless the really cramped space has, oh I don't know, hand saws, sickles, pitch forks, and axes hanging on the walls around you.

Yep. Not kidding. Did that yesterday. Fortunately the only things I knocked of the wall were a pitch fork and a hand saw (only one of several, so that's good right?)

Luckily I still have all my fingers and toes and no puncture wounds.

God is good.

Driving....Myself Crazy

I have a bad habit. (Okay, I have more than one. Don't judge me. But I'm only talking about one right now.) It's not necessarily dangerous to my overall health or well being (although I suppose some could argue that it is). But really it's just probably something that I need to figure out an alternative for. Here it is...

When I am frustrated, down, angry...whatever the case may be...I drive. I get in my car and drive.

I started doing this when I lived in Bloomington (actually, now that I think about it, I probably started it in California, but I took a hiatus when I moved back home senior year....my parents may have killed me had I just taken off. And now that I think about it some more, they are probably reading this. Mom, dad, I always told the Hannah's I was leaving, and I was never gone for long. I usually just drove to the ocean and back. Calm down.) I love you! :)

Anyway, for whatever reason, it calms me down, gives me time to think, pray, sing really loudly in the car where no one else can hear me...I don't know what it is. It just usually helps. However, recently my driving escapades have been taking me up to my parent's house (which is great, because it means I get to spend time with people I love and people who love me. Always a good thing when in a rotten mood.)

Here's my problem though and here's why I think I need to break this habit. GAS IS $4.00 A GALLON. Ok, it has gone down a bit recently, but it's still too expensive to keep this up. So I need something else.

I'm open to suggestions....

Anyone? What do you do to relax, de-stress, escape, work yourself out of a bad mood?