2010 Zeitgeist Half Marathon or “Will The Hills Ever End?”

Mike and I did the Zeitgeist Half Marathon today. We met our friends Tracy, Don and Amber there, and it was really nice to see them again.  

Amber, Tracy and I - Three Women on a Mission!

Mike and I - Oblivious to what waited for us!

Before I got to the start line, I read the race description:  Loop course; Scenic, rolling country roads; Paved and gravel surfaces; 3 hills; 1,180 feet of elevation gain and loss.

Wait - 3 hills with a 1,180 feet of elevation gain and loss?

Yep.

I can’t deny I was a tad concerned, but looking at the results from last year, I figured I was good to come in at least not last.  I typically walk these marathons, so I knew about how long it would take me.

I started out in typical fashion. I ran a little bit then walked on the side so others could pass me.

I got to Mile 1 and saw my friend Amber pass me. She was cruising!

About Mile 3 decided to actually try to run for awhile, and actually did about a mile of straight running. I was really proud of myself.

Mile 5 I had some technical difficulty with my Nike+ GPS, but fixed it quickly without too much hassle.  I passed through some cute neighborhoods!

I kept going, and everyone else kept passing me. I was getting discouraged, but kept telling myself that it didn't matter. My knee and hip were aching. I kept telling myself to keep going.

We kept going up what seemed like hill after hill after hill. About Mile 7 I looked up and all I saw was uphill. It felt like the hills would never end!  I was so tired and sore that I just sobbed. Even though I wanted to quit, I kept putting one foot in front of the other through the pain and tears.

Shortly after Mile 8, I noticed the Sweeper Truck was behind me. I sighed and kept going, figuring that at least I wouldn't be forgotten. I actually did consider throwing in the towel, but I trudged on.  Even though I was last, the race staff was great and kept encouraging me.

About Mile 10 my playlist on my iPhone started over again. I didn't remember that happening two weeks ago, but it must have.

At the stop near Mile 12, my wonderful hubby was waiting for me. He had finished the race (with a very respectable 2:29:57) and walked back to meet me and walk the rest of the way. After some sports drink, we headed toward the finish line. He encouraged me every step of the way.

I got to the top of the final hill, and saw the finish line. I was so happy! Even though the race was pretty much over, lots of people were still there to cheer me on. My friend Elizabeth was even there!

I crossed the finish line with an official time of 4:28:11. I came in last, but I finished!  As my friend Tracy said, this is a race that demands respect.  I applaud every one that finished it.  There were some smokin’ times!

They were just finishing up serving the food and such when I finished, but I did get some chili, cornbread, pasta salad, apple crisp before heading home to nurse my sore body.

Now coming in last would normally have made me upset because, well, I’m vain that way.  I don’t like to be last at anything.  But I finished the darn thing and I’m going to use it as motivation to do better next time.  Watch out Vegas, here I come!

Red

I have been a huge fan of Bruce Willis since Die Hard came out (yes, I’m dating myself and no, I really didn’t watch him in Moonlighting).  I’m also a fan of Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren AND John Malkovich.  So, I was very excited for the release of this movie.  It did not disappoint.

When you see actors that are so closely associated with a character (that basically made them famous) in a different project, it hard to accept them in a new role.  A perfect example of this is Sean Connery in The Hunt For Red October.  There is no way that you would ever convince me that he was a Soviet submarine commander.  He is, and always will be, known as James Bond 007.  Of course the fact that he still used his thick Scottish accent didn’t help.  When I was watching this movie, I was able to disassociate my thoughts of these actors previous works from the character they were playing in this film.  When I saw Bruce Willis in this movie, I wasn’t thinking of John McClane.  I was seeing, and liked, his character Frank Moses.  I liked all the main characters in this movie.  The character of Sarah Ross, played by Mary-Louise Parker, was endearing.  I must say I didn’t quite buy the idea of her and Frank as a couple.  I don’t think the chemistry was quite there.  And I ADORED Helen Mirren’s character Victoria.  I want to be her in a few (read many) years!

The story had my attention from the first frame.  It is well written, well acted, and the humor was on point.  Mike and I were exploding in laughter consistently throughout the movie.

I left the theatre feeling good.  Entertained and smiling.  If this is what it’s like to become retired and extremely dangerous, sign me up!

The Social Network

This movie is a MUST SEE for anyone on Facebook, or anyone using any type of social networking...which today is just about everyone, thanks to people like Mark Zuckerberg.

This is the story of a nerd who made it big.  In a huge way, kinda like Bill Gates.  Mark Zuckerberg, along with his former best friend Eduardo Saverin, are the founders of  Facebook.  Is it ironic that a socially inept ubergeek creates one of the biggest social networking mediums in the world?  Absolutely.  Facebook is now so big it has it's own verb.

This movie is extremely well done.  The script is sharp, the acting impeccable, and the storyline engaging.  Jesse Eisenberg does a phenomenal job portraying the socially inept Zuckerberg.  I absolutely fell in love with Andrew Garfield as his best friend Saverin.  Kudos must go to the immensely talented Justin Timberlake who, without singing one word, was mesmerizing as Sean Parker, the creator of Napster and first president of Facebook.

Allowing for what I call “Hollywoodification”, it is a very interesting and compelling story of how Facebook was started and what happens when people ultimately choose between money, power, and friendships.

This is a movie I would pay full price to see again and again.

It's that good.

Technophilia

I am a confirmed technogeek - a gadgetgirl if you will.  If I were a superhero, my name would be GadgetGirl, with some kewl logo and outfit.  But I digress.

I love technology.  I Google about it (yes, I love that Google is now a verb), I am a member of a couple of technology discussion boards, and I even have a couple of bookmarks that go to sites that show celebrities with their phones.  I think this combines my love of technology and celebrity quite nicely.  The biggest thing I love about technology is just sitting down and figuring it all out.

I received my first cell phone back in about 1992 or so when I lived in Dutch Harbor.  I think I was one of the first ones on the island to actually have a cell phone.  It was fun.  I liked it.  When we moved to Anchorage, I had to habit of going down to the cell phone store at the mall and looking at the latest models on a weekly basis.  As a matter of fact, the sales people there knew me by name.  As funds would allow, I would upgrade to the latest and greatest.

This is a partial, but by no means complete, list of cell phones I have had in the past:  Nokia 5520; Nokia 3310; some small red Nokia; Motorola StarTac; Motorola V60; Motorola Razr V3; BlackBerry Curve; BlackBerry Bold; and finally an Apple iPhone 3GS 32g.

Up until recently, I was a pretty big BlackBerry fan.  I loved my BlackBerry.  In the big Blackberry vs Apple debate, I was firmly in the RIM camp.  I remember when I got my last BlackBerry, the very nice salesman, when I asked for the newest model, asked me “Oh, why don’t you want to get an iPhone?”  And I snarkily (and yes, that is a verb) said “Because I want a phone that works.”

Well, now I’m eating my words.

I don’t want to make this a big pro-Apple blog because my intent is not to sway anyone one way or the other (and I’m not getting payment from Steve Jobs either, so there is that).  But I will say this – I love my iPhone, and a lot more then I actually thought I would.

My love affair started like this:  It was time for me to upgrade my iPod.  At that time I was so adverse to Apple that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to upgrade to a iTouch.  Hubby got one.  I broke down and played with his for about 15 – 20 minutes, and that is all she wrote.  I was hooked – hook, line, and sinker.  The next day, or two, I went down to get one.  Since I found out that I could get an actual iPhone cheaper then I could a iTouch, I took the leap.  My only regret was that when he asked me if I wanted a white or black one, I said black.  I realized I preferred the white one, and solved the issue later by giving that one to hubby and ordering (another) one for myself on eBay (which is another blog post entirely).

Now since I’ve gotten my iPhone, I spend endless hours looking at discussion boards, downloading apps, and creating ringtones (my current one is the ringtone from the movie Orphan).  I actually use it as a checkbook, journal, notetaker, calendar.

And occasionally as a phone.

62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

I freely admit it.  I’m an awards show addict.  I always have been.

I always try to watch the Emmys, the Grammys, the American Music Awards…and of course, the Oscars.  Is it too much to have a Daytime and Primetime Emmy Award show?  Um, no.  That being said, there is only one I really don’t watch, and that is the Tony Awards.  Not sure why, just never really got into them.

The 62nd Annual Emmy Awards were last weekend, and of course I watched them.  Since I watched the Red Carpet shows beforehand, I will give my synopsis (read: biased opinion) of both what I saw during the pre-award festivities and the show itself.

Red Carpet Shows – E! and NBC

First Impressions:

·       Claire Danes – Gorgeous

·       Betty White - Gracious and beautiful

·       Kathy Griffin – Hilarious as always.  She looked fabulous, and Maggie was WONDERFUL!  TIP IT!!

·       Kate Gosslin – She actually looked very nice, but WHY is she there?

·       January Jones – She was dressed in Versace with Cartier jewelry, and obviously hated what she was wearing.  Honestly, I can’t blame her.

·       Billy Bush – Not a fan.

·       Christine Hendricks – hated dress, hated color

I'm going to pause during my commentary to mention that Navy blue seemed to be a big color this year.

·       Kyra Sedgewick – Stunning.

·       Olivia Munn – Loved the dress and color.

·       Anna Paquin – Alexander McQueen gorgeous black and gold dress.  This was not widely approved of, but I loved it.

·       Dianna Agron – Carolina Herrera stunning pink/black dress with Cartier jewelry.  Flawless

·       Keri Russell – Pink and light.  Beautiful.

Now that I’ve given my fashion critiques, on with the show!

Show

The beginning was awesome with the cast of Glee, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, John Hamm, and Kate Gosslin (now I know why she was there) doing “Baby We Were Born To Run.”  I was actually half expecting Bruce Springsteen to come out.  It was very funny.

Great joke by Jimmy Fallon:  “NBC asked me, the host of Late Night, to come to Los Angeles and host a different show.  What could possibly go wrong?”  Pan over to a close up to Conan O’Brien.

First award of the night was presented by John Hamm and Betty White.  What can I say - Betty can do no wrong!

Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy series

Eric Stonestreet “Modern Family”

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd “Modern Family” – “Pilot”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in Comedy Series

Jane Lynch “Glee”

Outstanding Guest Actress in Comedy Series

Betty White “Saturday Night Live”

Outstanding Guest Actor in Comedy Series

Neil Patrick Harris “Glee”

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series

Ryan Murphy “Glee” – “Pilot – Director’s Cut”

Outstanding Lead Actor in Comedy Series

Jim Parsons “The Big Bang Theory”

I found it interesting that he beat out Alec Baldwin, Steve Carrell, and sentimental favorite Tony Shaloub

Outstanding Lead Actress in Comedy Series

Edie Falco “Nurse Jackie”

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

“Top Chef”

Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay then presented.  WOOHOO!!!  Girl crush for Mariska aside, she looked beautiful.  And Christopher looked handsome as ever.  

Outstanding Writing for Drama Series

Matthew Weiner and Erin Levy “Mad Men” – “Shut The Door. Have A Seat”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in Drama Series

Aaron Paul “Breaking Bad”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama Series

Archie Panjabi “The Good Wife”

I chucked when Jimmy Falcon introduced Edie Falco by saying “Welcome the ORIGINAL Real Housewife of New Jersey...”

Outstanding Lead Actor in Drama Series

Bryan Cranston “Breaking Bad”

I thought it was sweet when he said in his acceptance speech “I love you more then baseball”.

Outstanding Guest Actress in Drama Series

Ann Margaret “Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit”

Outstanding Guest Actor in Drama Series

John Lithgow “Dexter”

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Steve Shill “Dexter” – “The Getaway”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Kyra Sedgwick “The Closer”

Love, love, love her!

Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special

Dave Boone, Carl Greenburg “The 63^rd Annual Tony Awards”

Now, I'm not a big Ricky Gervais fan, but I loved his segment.  Favorite line: “Mel Gibson, come on.  I’m not going to go there.  He’s been through a lot.  Not as much as the Jews.”

Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special

Bucky Gunts “Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony”

Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series

“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”

Bob Hope Humanitarian Award

George Clooney

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Julia Ormand “Temple Grandin”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

David Strathairn “Temple Grandin”

Outstanding Writing for Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special

Adam Mazer “You Don’t Know Jack”

I loved that he said to Dr. Kevorkian in the audience:  “Jack Kevorkian.  I’m so grateful you’re my friend, but even more grateful you are not my physician…”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Claire Danes “Temple Grandin”

Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special

Mick Jackson “Temple Grandin”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Al Pacino “You Don’t Know Jack”

I love Al.   Enough said.

Outstanding Miniseries

“The Pacific”

Outstanding Made for Television Movie

“Temple Grandin”

Outstanding Drama Series

“Mad Men”

Outstanding Comedy Series

“Modern Family”

One of my favorite parts of Awards shows like this is the "In Memoriam" segment.  Unfortunately, I'm not a big Jewel fan, so I actually muted the television so I wouldn't have to listen to her singing while the segment was going on.

I thought the show was fast paced, funny, and was well hosted.  I look forward to what they will come up with next year.

Movie Theatres

I love to go to the movie theatre.  I love the atmosphere of it.  The pageantry of  getting your ticket, the smell of the popcorn, walking into the theatre and finding the perfect seat.  Everything about it.  Weird, I know.

There are a few rules everyone should follow when going to the movies:

1. Arrive in enough time to use the bathroom, get snacks, and watch the previews.  In that order.
2. When they ask you to turn off your cell phone during the movie, it is more an order then a request.
3. Never leave Coach bag on the floor.  This will prevent any damage should someone spill a full soda and it run down and permeate the precious leather handbag.
4. Talking during the movie?  Please.  Just don’t.
5. If you must leave your seat during the movie, please do so as quickly and quietly as possible.  This will prevent the other movie goers from having to try to continue to watch the movie around you.

And another thing.  I go to the movie theatre to get AWAY from all the commercials on television.  Why must they insist on showing them there?

Enjoy the movie :-)

Eat Pray Love

Before I go see a movie I like to read the book beforehand so I kind of know what it is about, and also so I don’t have a preconceived image in my head while reading the book.  In this case, I started to read it but only got through the “Eat” part of the book.

The story is fairly true to what I read from the book.  It is a story of a woman who goes through a divorce, and the journey she takes to find her way back to herself and happiness.  She not only takes this journey within herself, but to Italy, India, and Indonesia.

Aside from the fact that Julia Roberts is mesmerizingly beautiful on screen (which we all know), she portrays the character of Elizabeth Gilbert with humor, depth, and honestly.  I sometimes view how well an actor does in a movie if I think  about their personal life during the movie (since I am such a celebriophile).  In this case, I didn’t.  Not even once.  I firmly believed that she was Elizabeth Gilbert.  No denying, she is a terrific actress.  This is her best role since Erin Brockovich with a little Pretty Woman thrown in.

Me, being obsessed with food, loved the scenes in Italy where she is eating.  And eating.  And eating some more.  It was fabulous, and made me what to go to Italy and do that very same thing.  The scenes in India are heartbreaking and joyous at the same time.  You see the beauty of the ashram juxtaposed against the incredible poverty of the area.  The scenes in Indonesia are visually stunning.

This is a total “Chick Flick”.  It’s empowering to see a woman pursuing what makes her happy and choosing how to live her life and how she is defined by herself and others.  What she did as far as finding herself and her happiness we can all, and should to.  How she did it is not that realistic.  Most have families to take care of (which she did not) and many do not have the financial resources to travel around the world for a year.

Watching this moving (and finishing the book) has encouraged me to continue on the path of finding myself.  Of course, without going through a divorce or traveling around the world.  Although traveling around the world, I must admit, would not be entirely horrible.

 

The Fair! The Fair!

I LOVE going to the fair.  The food, the exhibits, the animals, the shows, the food.  Did I mention the food?

This past Saturday a couple of my friends and I went to the Western Idaho State Fair.  We arrived at around 1:30PM, and started by scoping out the area.  Of course, for me that means scoping out the food options.

Now, since I lost weight I’m always on the look out for healthy (or at least healthier) options.  After seeing the requisite booths containing corndogs, funnel cakes, and potato ice cream (this is Idaho after all), I was surprised to find “Salad On A Stick”.  Since I couldn’t really imagine what a salad on a stick looked like, I immediately ordered a “chef stick”.


And yes, it was terrific…and healthy!

Since our first consuming of Fair Food was complete, we then decided to go look at all the terrific animals.  There were goats, and pigs, and chickens…oh, my!

Yes, his name is Heart

He decided to wonder outside his pen.

The biggest horns I've ever seen!

We then went and had one of the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had (you didn’t think all I had was the salad on a stick, did you).  It was perfectly seasoned and cooked.  I’m drooling just thinking about it again :-).

Off to the Hypnotist Show we went.  Now honestly, I spent most of the time during this show on my iPhone because I just wasn’t into it (and yes, I do have it for just such occasions).  People getting on stage, pretending as if they are being “suggested” into doing odd things that, well, I didn’t think were really that funny.  Madonna jokes were funny, like 10-15 years ago.

Anyway, off for more food (which is the REAL reason I come to the fair).  I found a fresh fruit stick, which really was some nice juicy strawberries on a skewer and dipped in chocolate.  I rationalized this choice by saying telling myself that it was fruit and there wasn’t THAT much chocolate on it (yeah, right).  But it was wonderful!

The exhibits were incredible, especially the photos, paintings, and drawings.  There is such incredible local talent at all levels.  I couldn’t help but wonder how the judges came up with the winners because they were all so good.  We literally spend HOURS looking at all the exhibits.

The final food stop was this wonderful coconut almond brittle.  OMG, I ate some of that and almost went into a sugar coma!  It was sooooo good, even if it did almost break my teeth.

This is for my sister...She knows why :-)

We then went to the vendor booths.  I did fairly good at resisting temptation until I got to the Miche booth.  I have been wanting this bag for a while, and decided the deal they were having at the fair was a good one.  Now, for those that don’t know Miche bags have a base and a shell that you can change instantly.  I got the base, and picked out two shells that came with my deal.  It took me FOREVER to finally pick out the shells.  Thank God for great friends that are so patient!

Our day at the fair could not have been complete without a shout out to the King of Pop.


Goodbye, dear Fair, until next year.

AFTERWARD:  As we were heading out, we noticed storm clouds rolling in.  Later that night there was a huge thunderstorm with 70 MPH winds that evacuated the fairgrounds, sending 7 people to the hospital, with 70 needing medical attention, and delaying the opening of the Fair the following day.

Losing My Job

Words fail to express the loss and devastation one feels when they lose their job.  Not just financially.  If you’ve been through it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  You feel useless and worthless.  Everything you thought you knew and had secure knowledge in is now scrambled and turned upside down.

Every rejection in the job hunting process just lowers your confidence and whittles away your resolve.  No matter what you do, you feel hopeless because nothing you try seems to work.

You scour Craigslist, Careerbuilder, Monster and any and all other avenues to find job openings that match your skillset.  There aren’t many, so you apply for anything and everything you might be remotely qualified for. 

You think it’s your resume that’s not getting you an interview, so you revise it.  Again and again.

You get called in for an initial interview, but you don’t get a call back.  So you change the way you answer the questions that you know are coming.  Perhaps you change the delivery or the way you word a particular answer.

You Google, Facebook, and Twitter for advice.

You ask those that have interviewed you what you can do to improve your interview skills in the future.

You tell yourself that it’s not you, but the economy.

You convince yourself that each interview is just practice for the next one.

You are not sure what is worse – not getting called for the interview or going through the interview(s) and not getting the job.

Yes, it’s true.  Searching for a job truly does SUCK.

Turner Syndrome

I was born with Turner Syndrome, a random chromosomal abnormality where there is a missing or abnormal second X chromosome in some or all of the cells in the body.  The genes affected are involved in growth and sexual development, which is why girls with this disorder are shorter than normal and have abnormal sexual characteristics.  Surprisingly, 1 in 2000 women have Turner Syndrome.

My first introduction to Turner Syndrome was in my high school library.  My friend and I were doing research for a paper.  I’m not sure what the paper was on, but somehow I came across Turner Syndrome in the encyclopedia.  Since I was short and hadn’t gone through puberty yet, the symptoms caught my eye.  I ran to my friend and said “Beckie, I know I have this!”  The issue was quickly forgotten among the worry of our impending paper deadline.

When I was 17 my mother was very concerned that I still had not gone through puberty.  This initiated trips to the pediatrician, general practitioner, and finally to the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland.  After being poked, prodded, and made to pee, we were sent back home to await the results.

“You will never be able to have children.”  These were the only words I remember of the conversation that took place between me, my mother, and my general practitioner when my diagnosis of Turner Syndrome was finalized.  Deep down I felt he was telling me something I already knew in my heart.  It did not shock or surprise me.  It did, however, break my heart that the diagnosis seemed to affect my mother more then me.

Before the diagnosis, I didn’t really feel different.  Yes, I was short and hadn’t developed, but just thought I would somehow “catch up”.  After the diagnosis, I started feeling different – like I was odd.  I went on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and hated it.  I hated it because every day it reminded me that I was not normal.  I was okay with not having children.  But the fact that I was not “normal”  devastated me.  I didn’t know anyone else that had Turner Syndrome, and honestly didn’t really have any great need to find anyone else that had it or even discuss it.  My mantra was “BE NORMAL.”

I didn’t date a whole lot, but when I met my future husband, and knew the relationship was serious, I was completely honest and told him the truth.  His response was “Shelly, I love you – not your ovaries.  If we want kids, we can always adopt.”  That’s when I knew I made the right choice.

I didn’t meet anyone else that had Turner Syndrome until the TSSUS Conference in Seattle in 2004.  I was thrilled to meet so many bright, beautiful women that were just like me.  They had the same issues, concerns, hopes, and dreams that I did.  The average height of a TS women is about 4’8”, and with me standing at 5’¼” (yes, I claim that ¼”!), I fit right in!

Aside from the infertility, the main health issues I’ve dealt with are my eyes (I’m severely nearsighted), my ears (multiple ear infections have left me hearing impaired, for which I wear hearing aides), and my thyroid (hypothyroidism).  Luckily, my heart and kidneys are good, which are some major concerns as TS women get older.

I have always been directionally challenged, and get lost going anywhere – except when I’m at a mall.  My husband gave me a GPS a few years ago for Christmas, and it was probably one of the most thoughtful gifts I ever received.

Turner Syndrome is not something that I should ever be ashamed of because this is the way God made me.

Finding Myself

Mike (also known as Hubby) suggested I take some time to try different things and find out what I LIKE to do.  Very good advice, but honestly I’ve had a hard time doing it.  To help move myself forward in a positive direction, I’ve decided to randomly list things that make me happy:

• Being skinny :-)
• Watching television (sad, I know)
• Showing people how to do things or show them something new
• Feeling useful
• Making someone happy
• Helping someone
• A clean, organized house
• Figuring something out (especially technology)
• Seeing my family and friends happy and healthy
• Crawling into a warm, clean bed
• A glass of Diet Pepsi with the perfect liquid:ice ratio
• Walking outside on a bright, cool, clear, day
• Cheeseburger from In-N-Out (which, sadly, does not go with being skinny)
• Coconut Bread Pudding from Joe’s Crabshack (again, does not go with being skinny)
• Roadtrips to anywhere
• Traveling
• Shopping (looking more then buying – but buying is fun!)
• Eating out – but healthy!
• My dog and cats
• Hanging by the pool at my sister’s house

I know I could list more things, but I hope that this small step will help me get to know myself a little better and find out what truly makes me happy.

I also need to remember that the most important thing is to keep God in this whole journey.