The End of the Challenge.

I'm just going to consolidate the remaining posts of the challenge. I think it forced me to write (even if for the most part it was silly unimportant things) and hopefully I can come up with interesting posts from here on out.

Highs & lows of the past month and what I hope to accomplish in the next 30 days.

Highs of March
Spring break!
Running a 6k and not dying
An anniversary (photos to follow)

Lows
Waaaaay too much stress over a paper
How sad my mother seems lately
Silly arguments

What do I hope to accomplish? I have an 8k on April 17th (Bridge to Brews, my most anticipated event!) so I hope to finish that and improve upon my times and endurance through the race. I am turning 28 on April 6th, so I would like that to go smoothly and without sistah drama. I also hope to transition right away into my classes! I am super procrastinator, and I swear this quarter will be different.

Jeff and I celebrated 4 years of being together on Monday. We went to Hopworks. I got drunk on a DELICIOUS beer that I don't remember the name of but was 9.7%. I ate hummus. It was a good night.

 9.7%! 9.7%! 9.7%!

 This is a good representation of most of our pictures together. I embarrass him.

This is in the bathroom!! I love it.

Day 26. Or, how I conquered a 6k.

Day 26 - What kind of person attracts you?

They have to be honest, kind and trustworthy. That didn't used to be the case in my younger years...

Now on to the exciting stuff. Today was the Fort Vancouver 6k!

The weather reports threatened the day with a nasty rainstorm but it held off until well after we finished the race. My dear friend Crystal is struggling with some health issues, so another dear friend stepped in and ran for her. My official time was 50:05, with an average pace of 13:59/mile. That's 4 minutes off of my time on Wednesday (on the same course!!) AND my best pace yet AND it includes a couple minutes stop at a porta potty (not me, but I wasn't gonna leave her hangin'). I think I'm getting better at this thing. Considering none of my trainings have taken me over a mile and a half, I'm happy with it.

 
Runners were rewarded with a beer from the Rock, a pizza place in the shopping center the race started and ended at. The beer (the Rock's own brew) was mediocre and Papa John's could have made me the same pizza 400x better, but you know what? Nothing feels better than that beer at the end.

Day 25

Day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why.

I'm going to change "someone" to "the human population".

I'm fascinated that despite distances and years, some people can continue to be good friends.
I'm fascinated at the amount of hurt and bloodshed some humans can inflict on others.
I'm fascinated at just how little some people care about the consequences of their actions.
I'm fascinated at how easily I can be bullied by those who have no place in bullying anybody.
I'm fascinated by how easily kids make up imaginary games and play for hours.
I'm fascinated by the vast amount of kindness in the world, but also the vast amount of anger.

Day 25

Day 25 - Your favorite movie and what it's about.

How about I make short list of my favorites and suggest you watch them if you haven't already?

Disney's Robin Hood (hey, don't judge me)
Neverending Story
Lord of the Rings trilogy
Amelie
Matchstick Men
Snatch
the Labyrinth

Also, I just watched Eat Pray Love. While it's not on this list, the first segment, "Eat", REALLY made me want to go back to Italy. That is all.

Days 22 & 23

Day 22 - How have you changed in the last two years?

Two years ago, I was working full time, earning very decent money in a job that I hated and felt trapped in. Now I'm a broke college student with two jobs that run one day a week each and I'm so much happier. Whenever I think about the income I used to bring home and how I didn't save a penny of it, I just feel sick. Just proof that money doesn't make you happier!

Day 23 - Five famous guys you find attractive. This one is kind of silly, but I had fun coming up with five, if I must be honest.

Bradley Cooper, now famous because of the Hangover, but was at one time a host of Globe Trekker!

 Sam Rockwell (my favorite character of his is in Matchstick Men)

Mark Coyne from the Flaming Lips. How could you NOT find him adorable?

Robert Downey Jr. I can't tell you why, the guy is an asshole. Maybe that's the appeal?

 

I had to add my favorite lady. Emily Deschanel. She's vegan and plays a genius scientist that lacks social skills. LOVE.

Day 20

Day 20 - Is education important?

Very! Every time I hear about funding being cut for schools (which is a LOT lately) it saddens me. I understand the government has to balance budgets or whatnot, but it doesn't make it sting any less.

There's an awesome program in Portland called Community Transitional School that provides kids that are homeless or without permanent residence transportation to and from school, along with other services that are needed. I think the program is so incredibly valuable and I try to donate to their cause when I can. I love that they feel that all children have the right to education and will do everything they can to make sure they go to school.

On a little bit of a selfish note, more positive than yesterday's outburst:

I found out today that our apartment in Amsterdam is a block away from Maoz Vegetarian! I'm pretty sure that falafel will be fueling all of our walking adventures. I also found this gem when I looked up the location from street view on google:

Is she naked? Are her clothes flesh colored? So many questions!

Day 19 & a little bit o' stress.

Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents.

Um, I didn't do it? Seriously. My dad wasn't around very much, but we were slightly frightened of him when he was. My mom was the "cool" mom, and I had no reason to disrespect her. This is also where I mention that I was a golden teenager, who did what she was told and hung out with the "good" crowd.

Tonight, something happened that should have been an easy fix. I was babysitting for my aunt, who has a 2 year old with an attitude. She managed to kick my phone down a flight of stairs and across the hardwood floor, which resulted in the screen going haywire and unusable. Now, the last time I replaced my phone, it was because I dropped it after a Tuesday at Tube 2 years ago. If you know why I mention that, you know why I dropped it.

I LOVED that phone. It was a Blackberry Pearl, and I had all sorts of lists and reminders and photos on there that are probably gone. I didn't have internet on it, so I didn't get the full range of awesome, but it was still pretty badass. My aunt graciously offered to replace the phone, which I rebutted. I mean, it was my fault, I left it in a place where it could get broken. She insisted, but I won't allow it.

I ordered a new phone off of T-Mobile and when I pushed submit, the page timed out and it didn't go through. No big deal, right? Try, try again? For some reason, I snapped and then I couldn't stop crying. All I could think about was how we really didn't have the money to replace something that was a stupid mistake on my part. Lately I've been obsessing over the funds we'll need for Europe (while we're there and when we get back) and I think this whole ordeal sent me over the edge. Somehow, we managed to get the damn phone ordered (not even as an upgrade, even though the blackberry was 2 years old. LAME). I'm selling my computer to my sister, which was earmarked for the trip but is now going to the phone, so the money is taken care of.

I just need to calm the fork down. I should also search a little harder for a job.

Day 18

Day 18 - Your beliefs.

I kind of feel this goes along with the religion question, but here goes.

I believe that everyone has a right to safe, affordable healthcare.
I believe that nobody has the right to make a woman's choice but that woman.
I believe that everybody regardless of sex, race, gender or sexual orientation should have the right to marriage.
I believe in affordable education.
I believe in polite discourse. Instead of attacking something you don't understand, how about we talk about it? I may not change your mind, but it doesn't mean you can't be respectful of me and my choices.

Day 17.

Day 17 - Your highs and lows of the past year.

Welp, I'm going with 2010, since we have a mere 3 months behind us.

Highs of 2010
A friend filled 27th birthday
Conquering a public speaking class
Using the public speaking tools and reading a haiku at Fakin' Fest
Hawaii
Starting at PSU
Successful and delicious vegan Thanksgiving


Lows of 2010
Getting laid off a second time
Not getting to experience Hawaii with Jeffrey (although Sarah was a great travel partner!)
Too many questionable money situations
My great grandmother, a badass 93 year old woman, passed away
Moving to SW Portland. I miss our duplex in the middle of it all.

I'm sure there were other events, but I don't remember them so they must not have been that memorable!

Days 15 & 16.

"what should we do with a drunken sailor...."

Happy St Patrick's Day! I'm celebrating at home with my fave Irishman (don't tell me you haven't noticed his bright red hair....) with corned beef (less) tips and cabbage and Oregon style black & tans. Since Guinness isn't vegan, I'm using a stout from Hopworks and the Spring Reign Ale from Ninkasi. 'tis delicious, even if it's not separated!

Day 15 - It's a stupid question, so I'm making a wildcard out of it.

As a vegan, I get "but what do you eat?" like 5 billion times a day. I understand the question, hell I was the one asking it not so long ago! So here's a bullet of yesterday.

Breakfast - 10 grain oatmeal with berries, flaxseed and peanut butter

Lunch - peanut butter sandwich (I was out of leftovers to take to work!)

Dinner - chickpea cutlets with mashed potatoes and spinach.

Ok, so I'm bad on the whole eating enough veggies thing. I'm amping it up, I swears it. Yesterday is not typical, especially when it comes to lunch!


Day 16 - what do you think of mainstream music?

To each their own. I can't say I haven't grooved along with stuff found on popular radio. I listen to an "alternative" station, but their reach isn't THAT far. That being said, some of my favorite bands are unheard of. Amadan? My Life in Black & White? The Decemberists?

Ok, that last one is obviously far more popular than I'd like to admit, but I still love them! True story, I invited them to my wedding. And had my friends perform "Red Right Ankle" during the ceremony.

Day 14 and a running update.

Day 14 - Your earliest memory.

It's a tie between two, because I'm not really sure which came first! The first is when my mom found a backpack that belonged to a missing child. I don't remember the name (for some reason I thought it was Amber Garcia, but we lived in Washington, not California, at the time) or what came out of it, but I think I remembered that particular memory because it was such a scary thing to find.

The other memory takes place at a birthday party, and I remember my aunt riding a bicycle around our driveway.

Running!

I panicked a little last week when I realized my first 6k of the year is March 27th. I've been upping my running minutes and today finished (wait for it) 2 sets of 8 minutes each.

I AM HARD CORE, MY FRIENDS.

I'm hoping to get a slightly better time than my last run, only because I plan to pace myself a little bit better and not waste all of my energy at the start.

Also, I tried on all the pants in the bottom of my dresser drawer, the drawer of yesterdays, and they almost fit! One pair I can button, but I'm not comfortable wearing skinny jeans that aren't supposed to be like that....

Day 13

Day 13 - A place you'd like to move or visit.

This a two-parter for me!

As for moving, in the US I'd love to try my hand living in San Francisco, Seattle, or Philadelphia. Those three cities seem to have the most to offer somebody like me - somewhat strange and vibrant. Outside of US, I'd have to choose Scotland. It's such a gorgeous place and I know I talk about it a LOT but it just means that I love it so darn much.

Visiting is a bit longer.

Grand Canyon
Yellowstone Park
New Orleans
New York
Ireland countryside
Isle of Skye
Wales
Barcelona
Madrid
(I should have just said ALL of Spain)
Venice
Naples
Lisbon
Ukraine
Switzerland
Thailand
Australia
New Zealand (the Shire!)
...and so many more.

I didn't include the places I'll be visiting this year, but I have to say I'm MOST excited for Brussels and Amsterdam!

Day 12

Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.

Today was kind of a weird day, so this is definitely not the norm.

12:00am - awesome Dismemberment Plan set is just finishing up.

12:30 - drop a Seattle friend off in downtown, avoid the drunk drivers, make my way to Tacoma and comfy couch for sleeping.
1:30 - try 2 of my friend's homebrews (DELICIOUS) and a cider. Feel a little tipsy.

2:00 - realize it's actually 3am and I have to get up at 8am.
8:45 - 9:45 - FINALLY roll out of (couch) and clean up and take off for Portland.
12:00pm - get home, promptly take nap.
3:30 - power goes out while I'm working on my final paper due Monday. It's kind of fun.
6:30 - I'm starved. We head to Buffalo Gap for incredibly cheap happy hour food as power is still out.
9:00 - obsess over cost of spoiled food currently inhabiting the fridge. Still no power.
9:30 - power comes back! I take my third shot of the evening and finish my paper.
11:00 - go to bed.

Day 11 and SEATTLE.

Day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and share the first 10 songs.

The Decemberists - The Bagman's Gambit
Elliot Smith - No Name #2
The New Pornographers - The End of Medicine
Modest Mouse - Cowboy Dan
The Velvet Underground - I'm Sticking with You
Metric - The People
Western States Motel - Firing Range Days
Modest Mouse - Custom Concern
The Zombies - She's not There
The Arcade Fire - My Body is a Cage

One of the things that drew me towards Jeff when I was discussing him with the girl that set us up (my now sister in law!) was his taste in music. She started reading the stuff he put on her ipod and I just felt like it was right. That list there is a mixture of our tastes, which are seemingly the same. But, um, I don't like Aimee Mann OR 2 Live Crew.

Today I'm off to Seattle! The Dismemberment Plan are playing (and skipping Portland, dumb) and I'm so darn excited. My lovely friends up there are taking me to Plum beforehand and I can't make up my mind on what I want.  What an amazing way to cap off a incredibly stressful quarter.

When I was younger, I used to go up to Seattle a lot. A group of high school friends went to school at UW and I just kept visiting them, even when our other friends stopped coming with me. I love the city almost as much as I love Portland :-)  Here's a photo of a Seattle trip I took long, long ago.

Days 9 & 10

I got caught up in final paper writing yesterday, and completely spaced on this!

Day 9 - How you hope your future will be like.

I'll have to say happy. If this last year is any proof, I can be dead broke and still be happy.

Day 10 - Discuss your first love & first kiss.

First love will have to be Tony (last name withheld, because I'm paranoid) in the 8th grade. First kiss was my ex, when I was 18. I was a late, late bloomer.

I wanted to add that all of my thoughts are going to Japan right now. Earthquakes of that magnitude are so incredibly scary.

Day 7

Day 7 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.

I'm an Aries!

According to Wikipedia, the all knowing lord of information:

"Aries is a fire sign, which imparts a fiery enthusiasm that shows through their (blunt) sincerity, honest convictions, and leadership. They enjoy adventures, are partial to the great outdoors and are considered highly passionate and sexed. It is a Cardinal sign and with a strong leadership streak."


Well, first things first, I don't consider myself a leader, I've never been highly sexed and I'm not so sure about enthusiasm. But I think the rest of it fits! I have a temper (sometimes), I stick to my convictions (and call others out when they don't) and I LOVE being outside (except when it's hot).

Day 6

Day 6 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.

I don't know about interesting, but here goes.

1. I grew up on a farm, and had an awesome horse named Wonder.
2. I'm named after my father.
3. I like to pull hairs out of my head. Not to the extent of going bald, but it's still pretty bad. And it hurts.
4. I have suffered from night terrors since I was a teenager, and lately they're getting bad.
5. I have an extra bone in my foot!
6. I have a crooked smile that I was too ashamed of when I was a kid. I got over that.
7. My favorite beer (at the moment) is the seasonal whiskey barrel aged ale at Hopworks.
8. My favorite food is peanut butter.
9. I hate salad.
10. My least favorite food is a tie between pineapple and baked beans. I just can't stand pineapple, but the smell of baked beans makes me nauseous.
11. I'm vegan! But you knew that. It will be three years this November.
12. I'm one of the few that gained weight on a vegan diet! So silly.
13. I have a slight obsession with traveling, and I wish that I could afford to do it more.
14. Contrary to what I just said about affording traveling, I have been on an airplane at least once every year since 2006. I'd like to thank my good friend that works at an airline.
15. I consider Seattle my second home.
16. I've had m;y cat, Mercutio, for 9 years. He's been with me through several moves, a horrible breakup and is one of my best friends.
17. My airline friend and I once planned a trip to Ukraine, but ended up going to Disneyland.
18. My 21st birthday, I was the most sober member of the party.
19. I'm the biggest procrastinator I know.
20. I'm in the midst of writing 20 pages of final papers about love, torture and Oskar Schindler.
21. I've become an angry driver. I'm down to driving only a couple days a week and would love to cut out more.
22. I'm really good with paper routes. Seriously, it's the first section I go to in the employment classifieds.
23. My memory has been failing me as of late, and I'm turning into a space case.
24. I won the school wide spelling bee in 7th grade and went on to districts. The word I lost on was a form of symphony, but I don't remember what it was!
25. I drove a Chevy custom truck in high school as my poor little Nissan's clutch went out and my dad took FOREVER to fix it. I heard later that while some guys had crushes on me, others were scared. That truck was the shit.
26. My sister and I used to sumo wrestle in our yard.
27. One time I got chased by a dog on my bike. I have never ridden that fast since.
28. My first job was in a pizza parlor.
29. I went to a now defunct business school and goofed off more than I learned.
30. I have really bad handwriting.

Day 5.

Day 5 is an incredibly depressing question, and one that I don't feel ok answering.

Here's a cupcake.

Day 3

Day 3 - What are your thoughts on drugs and alcohol?

Lemme tackle the easy one, alcohol, first. I'm a fan. I love beer. I love a good martini. Sometimes I even love wine. I rarely ever drink to get drunk, and I just feel it's a nice way to cap off the day. Every once in awhile, I give it up temporarily for my own reasons.

 You can't see it, but there's a button under my left armpit holding that dress together. I am classy.

Drugs. To each their own, I suppose. I wish the hard, chemical stuff had never been made, but what can I do about that? I've never smoked pot (or even cigarettes) and don't plan on it. But I'm not going to stop anyone else.

Funny story, my whole family believes that I DO smoke pot, simply because I'm a hippie. They never believe me when I say I've never done it.

One time when I was a teenager, my mom left a wine cooler or something in the barn, and everybody blamed me. But I didn't drink until I was 21 and even then I begged for a virgin screwdriver...

Day 2

Day 2 - Where would you like to be in 10 years?

I want to live in a country that is not the United States. Currently, my two favorite options are Scotland or Florence, Italy.

 
I want to be happily immersed in editorial work. I want a to own a cat mansion and adopt all the strays in the world.

(both those photos are my own, but I am continually amazed at how awesome they both are.)