I'm alive!

I'm alive, I swear! Life has just been a bit busy. I'm still running, though not as frequently as I would like. I try to at least get in 2-3 days during the week and a 6+ miler on the weekends.

My depression is just hitting me hard right now with all my stress. I have spent more days in my soffee shorts and old rowing tee shirts than I'd like to admit, but I'm working on it. I write every day, but it's rarely what I would want to put out on this blog. Most of it is so dark I keep it under lock and key on my Xanga ... or I just delete it after I'm done typing.

Time to get my butt in gear again. Annie's wedding is right around the corner and I plan on rocking that dress. :)

Daily Challenge 9/3

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BROTHER! He's 20 today (good grief I feel old). We went to Red Robin last night for dinner and mom MADE SURE the waitress knew he was the birthday boy so they'd sing to him. He glared at mom the entire time. It was hilarious! lol.

How to do it

Find the oldest, most outdated, clunkiest pair of shoes in your closet. You know, the ones with an inch of dust on them. Put them on. Walk around the house in them. If you're still unsure whether you should get rid of them, snap a photo of your feet and send it to a friend. Have her give you three reasons to get rid of them. Then put them in your donation bag (or toss if damaged).

Why it matters

Closet real estate is king, and way too valuable to have it taken up by shoes that we no longer wear. By ridding your closet of old, unused shoes, you will have the room to be better organized. This will facilitate wearing what you have, taking better care of it and getting dressed faster, thus eliminating the mad dash for the door every morning. And you will never again be frustrated by not being able to find a pair of shoes that you just KNOW are in there.

My Answer

I always "rotate" my tennis shoes ... When my running shoes get worn out, they become my every-day shoes and then become my grass-cutting, creek-stomping shoes. They don't get thrown away until they are COMPLETELY trashed. That being said ... I have a pair of old nasty creek-stomping shoes still in my car after last weekend. They're headed to the trash can now.

Daily Challenge 9/1

How to do it

Write down one problem or issue that you are concerned about. Spend a few moments thinking of two solutions, and then write the solutions next to the problem. If there is one solution that seems stronger, circle it and think about how to implement it.

Why it matters

When we're really worried about an issue, it's easy to spend time over-thinking it. With too much thinking and too little action, people become stressed about a problem. Taking the action to brainstorm solutions and select one to potentially put into action lessens some of the stress created by the problem.

My Answer:

Well, my biggest issue right now is financial. I can't find a job while I'm working on my Masters, but I'm not on a graduate stipend any more. I had a nice savings built up when my TA/GA ended, but I've been living off it since the beginning of this year. My savings has lasted me much longer than I had expected, but as my wallet shrinks, I seem to have bigger and bigger expenses. One of my solutions, and the most practical, is to hurry up and finish this stupid Masters so I can find a job. In the short term, I'm cutting back my spending as much as I can (no fast food, no unnecessary expenses [hard when you're a bridesmaid], only driving to campus a couple days a week), and finding smaller ways to make a couple dollars. I babysit when I can and I'm collecting aluminum cans to take to the recycling place. IF ANYONE IN THE TOLEDO AREA HAS CANS THEY WANT TAKEN CARE OF, LET ME KNOW. I CAN PICK UP.