The Nanny Diaries is not great literature. But it is fun and light and exactly the palate cleanser I need after binging on Harry Dresden for a few weeks.
The book follows Nanny, a senior at NYU, as she takes care of four-year-old Grayer X. She finds herself juggling Mrs. X's impossible demands with her knowledge of Mr. X's affair, and eventually the demands of his mistress as well. All the while she is attempting to shield Grayer from his parents, finish her thesis so she can graduate, and negotiate a blossoming relationship with one of the X's neighbors.
There isn't a lot to this book. It's a fun look at the insanity of the incredibly wealthy. Mostly it made me appreciate my own life and work a lot more, as I'm not trying to juggle a slew of absolutely ridiculous demands. But the ending is rather abrupt and leaves a lot of loose ends.
The greatest part about reading this book is my discovery that they made a movie out of it starring Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. I'm kind of excited to track this down and watch it, even though I'm sure it's your average rom-com.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The 5K
Basically it was a disaster. I didn't finish. I won't be doing it again. I'm a little mad I paid money for the experience.
For the past few months I've been focusing on getting to the point where I can run three miles. But I forgot one other very important detail about 5Ks: there are a whole lot of people at them.
I was entirely unprepared for running in a crowd. I started near the back, hoping people would quickly stretch out ahead of me. But this didn't happen, and I found myself trapped in a throng of people. I couldn't speed up or slow down without running into someone. The trail was too narrow to really pass anyone, and the number of children, dogs, and people having conversations made that even harder. So for the first mile I was stuck going a little slower than I really wanted to. I also spent that mile concentrating really hard on my music and trying to control my breathing so I wouldn't freak out.
Finally, the crowd started to thin out, and I had a little more breathing room. But right around the time I was feeling better, the people who had reached the halfway point began passing me on their way back. The flood of people coming at me sent me back into panic mode, and I had to stop running.
I spent the rest of the race trying to keep myself from escalating into a full blown panic attack. I managed to calm down towards the end, but the thought of facing the crowd at the finish line caused my heart to speed right back up. I skipped the finish line and veered off to the car with Kevin.
The crappy part is that I actually think I could have finished if there hadn't been so many people everywhere. I probably could have run for a lot farther than I ultimately did at any rate.
For the past few months I've been focusing on getting to the point where I can run three miles. But I forgot one other very important detail about 5Ks: there are a whole lot of people at them.
I was entirely unprepared for running in a crowd. I started near the back, hoping people would quickly stretch out ahead of me. But this didn't happen, and I found myself trapped in a throng of people. I couldn't speed up or slow down without running into someone. The trail was too narrow to really pass anyone, and the number of children, dogs, and people having conversations made that even harder. So for the first mile I was stuck going a little slower than I really wanted to. I also spent that mile concentrating really hard on my music and trying to control my breathing so I wouldn't freak out.
Finally, the crowd started to thin out, and I had a little more breathing room. But right around the time I was feeling better, the people who had reached the halfway point began passing me on their way back. The flood of people coming at me sent me back into panic mode, and I had to stop running.
I spent the rest of the race trying to keep myself from escalating into a full blown panic attack. I managed to calm down towards the end, but the thought of facing the crowd at the finish line caused my heart to speed right back up. I skipped the finish line and veered off to the car with Kevin.
The crappy part is that I actually think I could have finished if there hadn't been so many people everywhere. I probably could have run for a lot farther than I ultimately did at any rate.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
C25K Week Six, Redux
It took me three weeks, but I finally completed Week 6, Day 2 of the C25K program.
After I hurt my ankle, didn't really want to stop running. I went and bought an ankle brace and successfully completed the first day's workout for week 6 (run 5 minutes, walk 3, run 8, walk 3, run 5). Then life started getting in the way. Work exploded with deadlines and social gatherings. I have a very hard time saying no to a work happy hour, because they tend to happen rarely and they're good networking opportunities. But we had two in two weeks that coincided with project deliveries. Between this, I also flew out to California for Alumni Weekend. So when all was said and done, I was only managing to run once a week.
The running I was able to do wasn't all that successful, either. One week it was raining, which prevented my GPS from working and I wasn't able to keep track of my pace or distance. The next time I went running, my GPS was working, and I discovered that I ran a full mile in the first of two 10-minute run intervals. Based on distance, I had maintained a similar pace the week before. While I was incredibly happy about this accomplishment, I was also too worn out to complete the workout. I ended up walking home because I simply could not convince my legs to travel any faster.
The next time I went running, I made a conscious effort to slow down. Thankfully, the GPS on my phone was working and I was able to use it to maintain an 11:30 minute/mile pace.
Here's the thing. I felt like I was traveling so slowly for the entire run. I kept wanting to speed up, because I knew I could. But I also knew that if I ran too fast, I'd wear myself out. So I forced myself to stay slow and completed the entire run.
Here's the other thing. Back when I started this training program, I probably couldn't have run a quarter of a mile at that pace, even on a treadmill. To run nearly two miles, including a significant uphill portion and feel like I could go faster? That's a huge accomplishment that I need to acknowledge. And writing about my running is helping me to actually look at that and see it for how cool it really is.
The only problem was that after my most recent run, my ankle was absolutely killing me. I switched to a slow walk for the cool down portion, and it just exploded in pain. I very nearly didn't make it home because I could barely walk on it. But the entire time I had been running, I felt fine. Half an hour after I got home, I felt fine again. It wasn't the part of my ankle that normally hurts after I twist or strain it, so I don't know that it was related to my old injury. I honestly have no idea what happened. And it has me a little scared.
At any rate, the 5K is this Saturday. I don't feel entirely prepared, but I feel a lot better than I did a week ago. I'm not sure if I'll run again before the official race; I'll just have to see how the rest of the week goes. And during the race, I'll have to remind myself to not overdo it.
Wish me luck!
After I hurt my ankle, didn't really want to stop running. I went and bought an ankle brace and successfully completed the first day's workout for week 6 (run 5 minutes, walk 3, run 8, walk 3, run 5). Then life started getting in the way. Work exploded with deadlines and social gatherings. I have a very hard time saying no to a work happy hour, because they tend to happen rarely and they're good networking opportunities. But we had two in two weeks that coincided with project deliveries. Between this, I also flew out to California for Alumni Weekend. So when all was said and done, I was only managing to run once a week.
The running I was able to do wasn't all that successful, either. One week it was raining, which prevented my GPS from working and I wasn't able to keep track of my pace or distance. The next time I went running, my GPS was working, and I discovered that I ran a full mile in the first of two 10-minute run intervals. Based on distance, I had maintained a similar pace the week before. While I was incredibly happy about this accomplishment, I was also too worn out to complete the workout. I ended up walking home because I simply could not convince my legs to travel any faster.
The next time I went running, I made a conscious effort to slow down. Thankfully, the GPS on my phone was working and I was able to use it to maintain an 11:30 minute/mile pace.
Here's the thing. I felt like I was traveling so slowly for the entire run. I kept wanting to speed up, because I knew I could. But I also knew that if I ran too fast, I'd wear myself out. So I forced myself to stay slow and completed the entire run.
Here's the other thing. Back when I started this training program, I probably couldn't have run a quarter of a mile at that pace, even on a treadmill. To run nearly two miles, including a significant uphill portion and feel like I could go faster? That's a huge accomplishment that I need to acknowledge. And writing about my running is helping me to actually look at that and see it for how cool it really is.
The only problem was that after my most recent run, my ankle was absolutely killing me. I switched to a slow walk for the cool down portion, and it just exploded in pain. I very nearly didn't make it home because I could barely walk on it. But the entire time I had been running, I felt fine. Half an hour after I got home, I felt fine again. It wasn't the part of my ankle that normally hurts after I twist or strain it, so I don't know that it was related to my old injury. I honestly have no idea what happened. And it has me a little scared.
At any rate, the 5K is this Saturday. I don't feel entirely prepared, but I feel a lot better than I did a week ago. I'm not sure if I'll run again before the official race; I'll just have to see how the rest of the week goes. And during the race, I'll have to remind myself to not overdo it.
Wish me luck!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Initial Forays Into Wedding Planning
Anyone who knows me has probably heard about my plans to elope at one point or another. For many years, the whole idea of planning a wedding seemed incredibly daunting. But now that I actually have a wedding to plan, I'm finding myself more excited and less overwhelmed by the whole thing. I bet that will change between now and when I actually get married. In the meantime, I'm using my excitement to start getting things done.
Kevin and I have a really good idea of the (rather small) guest list. Knowing the size and date that we're aiming for means we can start looking at venues. We went to a few this weekend, and found two that we're really excited about. We're still waiting to hear about the pricing on one of them, and after that it'll be a matter of figuring out how much money we want to spend and what we want to spend it on.
There are other details that I've been set on for a while. I think I know what colors I want. I must have chocolate cake, which means we're getting two flavors and Kevin gets to pick the other one. I know exactly what song I want for the last dance of the evening, and I think I've settled on a song for the father/daughter dance. I reserve the right to change my mind, though.
I also signed up for weddingwire.com, initially because that's where all of our friends seemed to make their wedding sites. But it turns out that it's a lot more than that. They have checklists to remind you of everything that needs to be done. There are also a ton of sponsored vendors with reviews, which provides a nice starting place for a figuring everything out. And they have a nice little auto-budget too, where you can put in the amount you want to spend and it will automatically split it up across all the things you need to buy. We'll have to spend some time playing with it, though, as it doesn't really match up to our expectations. I'm not sure if that means we need to drastically alter our expectations or start looking for deals.
Additionally, we started work on a wedding website. There isn't much to it yet, but I'm still pretty happy with it. Everything seems to be on track, and I'm really excited for things to start coming together.
The only thing I'm still really dreading at this point is shopping for a wedding dress. I'm not really a fan of shopping to begin with, and I get frustrated at the whole process of trying on a million things. Plus I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept of spending over $100 on something I'm going to wear once. I know I'll likely end up spending more than that, but it still seems like such a waste of money. I expect the whole thing to be an Experience, and I apologize in advance to anyone who comes along for that particular ride.
Kevin and I have a really good idea of the (rather small) guest list. Knowing the size and date that we're aiming for means we can start looking at venues. We went to a few this weekend, and found two that we're really excited about. We're still waiting to hear about the pricing on one of them, and after that it'll be a matter of figuring out how much money we want to spend and what we want to spend it on.
There are other details that I've been set on for a while. I think I know what colors I want. I must have chocolate cake, which means we're getting two flavors and Kevin gets to pick the other one. I know exactly what song I want for the last dance of the evening, and I think I've settled on a song for the father/daughter dance. I reserve the right to change my mind, though.
I also signed up for weddingwire.com, initially because that's where all of our friends seemed to make their wedding sites. But it turns out that it's a lot more than that. They have checklists to remind you of everything that needs to be done. There are also a ton of sponsored vendors with reviews, which provides a nice starting place for a figuring everything out. And they have a nice little auto-budget too, where you can put in the amount you want to spend and it will automatically split it up across all the things you need to buy. We'll have to spend some time playing with it, though, as it doesn't really match up to our expectations. I'm not sure if that means we need to drastically alter our expectations or start looking for deals.
Additionally, we started work on a wedding website. There isn't much to it yet, but I'm still pretty happy with it. Everything seems to be on track, and I'm really excited for things to start coming together.
The only thing I'm still really dreading at this point is shopping for a wedding dress. I'm not really a fan of shopping to begin with, and I get frustrated at the whole process of trying on a million things. Plus I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept of spending over $100 on something I'm going to wear once. I know I'll likely end up spending more than that, but it still seems like such a waste of money. I expect the whole thing to be an Experience, and I apologize in advance to anyone who comes along for that particular ride.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Book Review: Dead Beat
I've made it to the halfway point of The Dresden Files series. I'm still a little worried about completing this in time for my book club. Especially since I am now constantly being distracted by wedding planning things. But if I buckle down, I think I can still do it.
Thankfully, the seventh book is way better than the sixth book was. This one deals with necromancers, and it returns to the style of the second book. Rather than dealing with three different plots simultaneously, Harry has to face a single problem with multiple enemies. It gives the book a nice sense of focus. Not that I'm complaining about all the plot heads butting heads in previous books; that was exciting in its own way. But it was nice to get something a little different.
Not that there was nothing else going on. This book continues with some threads from previous books that will likely show up again in the future. The war with the Vampiric Red Court is still going on off page, and we get a recap of a rather large battle that may represent a tipping point. Harry is also still dealing with the fallout of facing the Fallen Angels a few books previously. There isn't a lot to these plots in this book, but it's nice to be reminded that they're still simmering along in the background.
Meanwhile, this book focuses almost solely on necromancers, which means lots of ghosts and zombies. The climax of this book features the coolest zombie I will probably ever encounter in fiction, and it may be worth reading just for that. Once again, Dresden's inventiveness pays off in a really exciting way.
I'm glad this book was so much better than the last. I'm excited about the series again. Here's hoping for more like this, since I still have to read six more books in 2.5 weeks.
Thankfully, the seventh book is way better than the sixth book was. This one deals with necromancers, and it returns to the style of the second book. Rather than dealing with three different plots simultaneously, Harry has to face a single problem with multiple enemies. It gives the book a nice sense of focus. Not that I'm complaining about all the plot heads butting heads in previous books; that was exciting in its own way. But it was nice to get something a little different.
Not that there was nothing else going on. This book continues with some threads from previous books that will likely show up again in the future. The war with the Vampiric Red Court is still going on off page, and we get a recap of a rather large battle that may represent a tipping point. Harry is also still dealing with the fallout of facing the Fallen Angels a few books previously. There isn't a lot to these plots in this book, but it's nice to be reminded that they're still simmering along in the background.
Meanwhile, this book focuses almost solely on necromancers, which means lots of ghosts and zombies. The climax of this book features the coolest zombie I will probably ever encounter in fiction, and it may be worth reading just for that. Once again, Dresden's inventiveness pays off in a really exciting way.
I'm glad this book was so much better than the last. I'm excited about the series again. Here's hoping for more like this, since I still have to read six more books in 2.5 weeks.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Book Review: Blood Rites
It turns out that the sixth book of the Dresden Files does not turn its attention to the war between the wizard's White Council and the vampire's Red Court like I was hoping. The red vampires aren't even in this book, though there is a brief conflict with the Black Court vampires. And the White Court vampires, who really have more in common with incubi and succubi than proper vampires, have a huge role.
But mostly, this book deals with the porn industry. Someone is targeting a guy who owns a studio that turns out adult films by killing all the women around him. Between Harry's knee0jerk judgement of porn and everyone involved in the industry, the women who died every so often, and the truly incompetent villain who (spoiler alert) was trying to kill her ex-husband's next wife, this book was a complete disaster.
But at least Dresden got a cool dog out of the deal.
Here's hoping Butcher stays far, far away from these topics in the future.
But mostly, this book deals with the porn industry. Someone is targeting a guy who owns a studio that turns out adult films by killing all the women around him. Between Harry's knee0jerk judgement of porn and everyone involved in the industry, the women who died every so often, and the truly incompetent villain who (spoiler alert) was trying to kill her ex-husband's next wife, this book was a complete disaster.
But at least Dresden got a cool dog out of the deal.
Here's hoping Butcher stays far, far away from these topics in the future.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Alumni Weekend: The Proposal
I had to save the highlight of Alumni Weekend until the end. Kevin proposed to me on Friday night, ensuring that it would be one of the best weekends of my life.
Kevin and I started dating about halfway through our senior year at Mudd - right after football season ended. Although we spent a lot of time together and fell in love during our last few months in college, we had agreed that the relationship would end when college did. We would be living in different states (Colorado and Virginia) and looking for jobs. If we found work in the same city that would be wonderful, but we decided to prioritize our careers above our relationship.
After graduation I got in my car, newly single, and began the long drive home.
It took about a week for us to realize that we hadn't really succeeded at breaking up. We were still talking every day and before long we were making plans to visit each other while we continued to apply and interview for jobs. Since we were still both looking locally, we soon found jobs in our respective states.
By the fall it seemed like the long-distance thing was going to be indefinite. We broke things off again, because it seemed like a long distance relationship would be too hard to maintain. We kept in touch but focused on creating separate lives.
Eventually we realized that however hard a long-distance relationship was, not being in a relationship at all was even harder. Kevin came to visit Colorado in June, and we began seeing each other more regularly again. About a year after we'd called things off we decided to give it another go. It wasn't too much longer before I moved out to Virginia and found work in DC.
When we got back to Mudd on Friday, Danielle made a comment about the last time she'd been back at North Dorm, and I promptly stuck my foot in my mouth by reminding Kevin that the last time I'd been there we had broken up. I felt bad, but my comment did remind him to go back to the hotel and grab the ring he'd bought.
Later that night we bought beer for the current residents of the dorm and decided to play some beer pong. After we'd set up our side and were waiting for Danielle and Eric to finish pouring their beer, Kevin told me he had to show me something. He took me back behind the dorm where he said "This is where we met. It's where we fell in love. And it's where we broke up. We should never do that again." Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
In true North style, we immediately went back to play some beer pong. We lost the game, possibly because I was too excited to really concentrate on it (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Then word of our engagement began spreading among our class.
I'm really happy we were able to tell so many people in person and celebrate with everyone. On Saturday night Danielle organized a surprise engagement party, which of course included more beer pong. The entire evening was perfectly reminiscent of the countless nights we spent playing beer pong and hanging out in North Dorm. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect engagement story.
Kevin and I started dating about halfway through our senior year at Mudd - right after football season ended. Although we spent a lot of time together and fell in love during our last few months in college, we had agreed that the relationship would end when college did. We would be living in different states (Colorado and Virginia) and looking for jobs. If we found work in the same city that would be wonderful, but we decided to prioritize our careers above our relationship.
After graduation I got in my car, newly single, and began the long drive home.
It took about a week for us to realize that we hadn't really succeeded at breaking up. We were still talking every day and before long we were making plans to visit each other while we continued to apply and interview for jobs. Since we were still both looking locally, we soon found jobs in our respective states.
By the fall it seemed like the long-distance thing was going to be indefinite. We broke things off again, because it seemed like a long distance relationship would be too hard to maintain. We kept in touch but focused on creating separate lives.
Eventually we realized that however hard a long-distance relationship was, not being in a relationship at all was even harder. Kevin came to visit Colorado in June, and we began seeing each other more regularly again. About a year after we'd called things off we decided to give it another go. It wasn't too much longer before I moved out to Virginia and found work in DC.
When we got back to Mudd on Friday, Danielle made a comment about the last time she'd been back at North Dorm, and I promptly stuck my foot in my mouth by reminding Kevin that the last time I'd been there we had broken up. I felt bad, but my comment did remind him to go back to the hotel and grab the ring he'd bought.
Later that night we bought beer for the current residents of the dorm and decided to play some beer pong. After we'd set up our side and were waiting for Danielle and Eric to finish pouring their beer, Kevin told me he had to show me something. He took me back behind the dorm where he said "This is where we met. It's where we fell in love. And it's where we broke up. We should never do that again." Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
In true North style, we immediately went back to play some beer pong. We lost the game, possibly because I was too excited to really concentrate on it (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Then word of our engagement began spreading among our class.
I'm really happy we were able to tell so many people in person and celebrate with everyone. On Saturday night Danielle organized a surprise engagement party, which of course included more beer pong. The entire evening was perfectly reminiscent of the countless nights we spent playing beer pong and hanging out in North Dorm. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect engagement story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)