Before I launch into my hopefully enjoyable and fun post about my favorite place of our family trip, I have to vent for a tiny bit on my frustration with my leg. I went to the doctor's hoping to get an appointment that would show what was wrong with me. However, apparently the MRI I thought would be a solution isn't going to help me. Apparently "no one gets leg mris". The doctor still thinks its a back problem, which I'm not sure I buy, but I obviously don't have the answer. She did agree to get me a back MRI and a leg ultrasound, but at this point, I have no idea when I'll be able to do those.
My doctor is 40 minutes away in the middle of the mountains, and her referrals for the testing are all over the hill in Santa Cruz (a 45 minute drive). Next week I have teaching orientation every day but wednesday, and during those full days of training (and the 'day off') I need to somehow transform the storage room that is my classroom into a real classroom. It's been the dumping ground for years and is totally inadequate right now for teaching. Since I was there last, they removed both my blackboards leaving ugly unpainted empty walls that I need to somehow make pretty. I don't have enough desks, and very little supplies. I also just learned I might only have textbooks for every other student. I feel like I really need to focus on teaching things, so I'm really unsure if I'm even going to have time to deal with my leg for a while.
I'm just not really sure what to do....I am so sick of being constantly in pain and I miss running (or even being regularly active) so much, but I just don't know that I can make any progress right now. Plus, of course, I'm getting new insurance in a week or so, and will have to start all over again.
*sigh* okay.....all done with the venting. Today was just a very overwhelming day, as the true difficulties of being a first year teacher are starting to sink in, and more or less wasting hours getting to and from the doctors for possibly nothing was just too much.
Luckily, tomorrow I go camping with ed for a long weekend at Lake Chabot in Oakland, so he can try out the course for the PCTR Redwood 50k, since his first 50k is in less than a month!!!! (I"m soo happy and proud for him :) )
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Las Vegas!
Our first destination in our family trip was the city of sin. This was going to be only my second time to this city. My first visit was in 9th grade for a marching band competition, so I wasn't exactly taking the city up on any of its unique charm :). This time around, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Sure, I was 22 now, past that magic age of 21, but am not really into the wild drinking/gambling scene. In fact, I haven't yet delved into the gambling facet of the post-21 age.
So, we arrived after a 4ish hour drive at New York, New York.
It was my younger sister's first trip here, so we were both trying to wrap our heads around this disneyesque world of recreated wonders. From the outside, the New York was our favorite of the hotels in our area. It's pretty cool from the outside, complete with skyscrapers, the brooklyn bridge, and the statue of liberty. The bright sun reflected off the buildings and made the already intense heat just a little bit stronger.
However, as soon as we stepped through those doors, it was nighttime. We were affronted with black ceilings and walls and rows upon rows of slot machines. Though it was only 2:30, it might as well have been 10:30 for how it looked inside. We guessed that the decor was done this way so people didn't feel weird drinking and gambling in the early hours of the day.
Our room was on the 23rd floor,
meaning that we had a pretty darn spectacular view of the strip from our windows. While that was great, we found that the darkness of the downstairs decor had followed us to the bedroom. While the decorations were modern and somewhat classy, the room itself just seemed very dark. After a quick cleansing rinse in the shower, we were off to explore the strip, going through excalibur, and the luxor
(where we tried to see an exhibit on the titanic, but it was closed) and finally to mandalay bay. We stopped there for drinks (I had the risque choice of apple juice because I was feeling a bit dehydrated) and then took a tram back to our hotel. We relaxed for a bit then headed down to dinner at el fornaio, which was in our hotel.
Next, we did was was unquestionably the highlight of the vegas experience- an Elton John concert :)
Having grown up listening to songs like crocodile rock, this was really exciting. I've never really gone to any kind of concert besides the classical variety, so this was really fun. The show was great, Elton was great, and the props were...well...great, if also quite over the top.
After the show we walked down the strip where at least every block there were people propositioning men to go to some kind of sleezy thing involving women. We did get to catch the water show at the bellagio,
which was beautiful, but we were glad to get back.
The next morning we slept in until about 8:30, grabbed breakfast, and somewhat gladly said goodbye to vegas. My sister and I decided that 1/2 a day was more than enough to take in the grandeur and glitz of vegas without becoming too overwhelmed. This city is certainly an experience, and we also had an amazing time with the concert and a good dinner. However, we were ready to leave.
I was excited to get onto the more nature-y part of our trip as we went onto Zion :)
2 trips down to vegas, and I've still never gambled...
So, we arrived after a 4ish hour drive at New York, New York.
It was my younger sister's first trip here, so we were both trying to wrap our heads around this disneyesque world of recreated wonders. From the outside, the New York was our favorite of the hotels in our area. It's pretty cool from the outside, complete with skyscrapers, the brooklyn bridge, and the statue of liberty. The bright sun reflected off the buildings and made the already intense heat just a little bit stronger.
However, as soon as we stepped through those doors, it was nighttime. We were affronted with black ceilings and walls and rows upon rows of slot machines. Though it was only 2:30, it might as well have been 10:30 for how it looked inside. We guessed that the decor was done this way so people didn't feel weird drinking and gambling in the early hours of the day.
Our room was on the 23rd floor,
meaning that we had a pretty darn spectacular view of the strip from our windows. While that was great, we found that the darkness of the downstairs decor had followed us to the bedroom. While the decorations were modern and somewhat classy, the room itself just seemed very dark. After a quick cleansing rinse in the shower, we were off to explore the strip, going through excalibur, and the luxor
(where we tried to see an exhibit on the titanic, but it was closed) and finally to mandalay bay. We stopped there for drinks (I had the risque choice of apple juice because I was feeling a bit dehydrated) and then took a tram back to our hotel. We relaxed for a bit then headed down to dinner at el fornaio, which was in our hotel.
Next, we did was was unquestionably the highlight of the vegas experience- an Elton John concert :)
Having grown up listening to songs like crocodile rock, this was really exciting. I've never really gone to any kind of concert besides the classical variety, so this was really fun. The show was great, Elton was great, and the props were...well...great, if also quite over the top.
After the show we walked down the strip where at least every block there were people propositioning men to go to some kind of sleezy thing involving women. We did get to catch the water show at the bellagio,
which was beautiful, but we were glad to get back.
The next morning we slept in until about 8:30, grabbed breakfast, and somewhat gladly said goodbye to vegas. My sister and I decided that 1/2 a day was more than enough to take in the grandeur and glitz of vegas without becoming too overwhelmed. This city is certainly an experience, and we also had an amazing time with the concert and a good dinner. However, we were ready to leave.
I was excited to get onto the more nature-y part of our trip as we went onto Zion :)
2 trips down to vegas, and I've still never gambled...
Saturday, August 09, 2008
A New Name :)
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, and especially Bob for the suggestion I decided to choose :)
I have a new doctor appointment this coming wednesday where I will *hopefully* get that MRI referral I've been needing. Fingers crossed that I get some answers soon!
I have a new doctor appointment this coming wednesday where I will *hopefully* get that MRI referral I've been needing. Fingers crossed that I get some answers soon!
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Back from Vacation!
I've just returned from a whilwind trip to Vegas, Zion, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon with my family and have many stories and photos to share (836 photos to be exact), so it'll take me a bit to go through and find the best shots and stories to post here. Summer is wrapping up with (ack!) a mere 12 days until I report for my first day of 'work' (a training session). I'm back to norcal in a mere 3 days and will finally get to see my boyfriend again after 6 1/2 weeks! I'm so excited :D
Look for pictures from some amazing hikes in the next few days!
(oh, and on the new name, I've gotten some great suggestions (thanks everyone!) and have a few favorites that I'm toying between. That change will also be showing up soon!)
Look for pictures from some amazing hikes in the next few days!
(oh, and on the new name, I've gotten some great suggestions (thanks everyone!) and have a few favorites that I'm toying between. That change will also be showing up soon!)
Sunday, July 27, 2008
New Life -And a New Title
(If you aren't into looking at/reading about a hike today, but want to help me with a new name for myself, scroll down to the bottom :) )
Yesterday my parents and I decided that we wanted to do something active with our Saturday morning, so I suggested a hike. Though they don't quite compare with the redwoods of northern california, in my mind, I still do love the trails of so cal and their dry beauty. After a short deliberation, we decided on Wilder, since it had recently reopened from the wildfires that struck last fall. I hadn't been there since, I think, last summer, and was excited to see how well it survived.
Though at first it seemed about the same, we soon saw plentiful evidence of the burn
(my mom with decimated cacti in the background)
However, even though there were many burnt areas, some species, like the oaks, were already making a bit of a comeback
With the plant comeback, there was a return of mountain bikers as well :) We definitely saw more bikers than hikers, including some very fit youngsters out with their father (the sight of which had another mountain biker lamenting to his friend "my kids are back at home, out of shape, pretending to mountain bike!"- no doubt he has a wii ;) ). However, the most unique sight out there had to be this:
A moutain unicyclist! Has anyone ever seen something like this before? We were all incredibly impressed, especially after we saw the technical up and downhill dip he had just taken. That takes serious balance and skill.
Looking out over the little valley as we climbed up a hill to four corners, it was so interesting to see the charred branches among all the greenery that has been growing up around it. We predicted that in 2-3 years this park will look much as it used to.
It was a hot hike up the hill, and we took a few breaks along the way, in the little shade their was (by this point it was about 11 and pretty darn toasty!), but we were rewarded by a beautiful view as we reached the top
(my great parents/hiking partners)
After we cooled down at four corners we enjoyed the slightly quicker journey downhill, back the way we came.
The biggest difference in the park since the burn was how easy it was to see different parts of the park. We could see trails that used to be obscured by brush, creeks, and even whole valleys seemed somewhat exposed. The cactus trail, that used to be a technical hidden singletrack through a low valley is now easily seen from above
While it's interesting to get this 'backstage pass' as it were to the park, I'll be happy to see it back to its more secretive and healthy self :)
We got back to the car after a little over 2 hours. A lovely day on the trails of Orange County, seeing the new life spring up.
On a different note now that I am injured and not running, and actually a teacher (instead of heading towards teaching), my blog name doesn't quite seem to fit. My mom suggested "Limping towards Tenure" which might be a little too cycnical for my taste :) Doesn't anyone have any ideas about what I should call this blog now? I'm open to all ideas!
Yesterday my parents and I decided that we wanted to do something active with our Saturday morning, so I suggested a hike. Though they don't quite compare with the redwoods of northern california, in my mind, I still do love the trails of so cal and their dry beauty. After a short deliberation, we decided on Wilder, since it had recently reopened from the wildfires that struck last fall. I hadn't been there since, I think, last summer, and was excited to see how well it survived.
Though at first it seemed about the same, we soon saw plentiful evidence of the burn
(my mom with decimated cacti in the background)
However, even though there were many burnt areas, some species, like the oaks, were already making a bit of a comeback
With the plant comeback, there was a return of mountain bikers as well :) We definitely saw more bikers than hikers, including some very fit youngsters out with their father (the sight of which had another mountain biker lamenting to his friend "my kids are back at home, out of shape, pretending to mountain bike!"- no doubt he has a wii ;) ). However, the most unique sight out there had to be this:
A moutain unicyclist! Has anyone ever seen something like this before? We were all incredibly impressed, especially after we saw the technical up and downhill dip he had just taken. That takes serious balance and skill.
Looking out over the little valley as we climbed up a hill to four corners, it was so interesting to see the charred branches among all the greenery that has been growing up around it. We predicted that in 2-3 years this park will look much as it used to.
It was a hot hike up the hill, and we took a few breaks along the way, in the little shade their was (by this point it was about 11 and pretty darn toasty!), but we were rewarded by a beautiful view as we reached the top
(my great parents/hiking partners)
After we cooled down at four corners we enjoyed the slightly quicker journey downhill, back the way we came.
The biggest difference in the park since the burn was how easy it was to see different parts of the park. We could see trails that used to be obscured by brush, creeks, and even whole valleys seemed somewhat exposed. The cactus trail, that used to be a technical hidden singletrack through a low valley is now easily seen from above
While it's interesting to get this 'backstage pass' as it were to the park, I'll be happy to see it back to its more secretive and healthy self :)
We got back to the car after a little over 2 hours. A lovely day on the trails of Orange County, seeing the new life spring up.
On a different note now that I am injured and not running, and actually a teacher (instead of heading towards teaching), my blog name doesn't quite seem to fit. My mom suggested "Limping towards Tenure" which might be a little too cycnical for my taste :) Doesn't anyone have any ideas about what I should call this blog now? I'm open to all ideas!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Into the Adult World I Go
Yesterday I opened my email account to receive the following message:
"You have met all of the necessary requirements to receive a recommendation for the following document(s).
Credential: P5--PRELIMINARY--: Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
Issuance: 07/18/2008
Credential: P5--PRELIMINARY--: Single Subject Teaching Credential
Issuance: 07/18/2008"
Hallelujah! And with that, I'm done.
Within this last year, I moved to Santa Cruz, ran my first 50k in tahoe, started my program, ran my second 50k, met the love of my life, ran my third 50k, realized I was in love, ran my first 50 miler, realized I was injured, made it through 4 different student teaching placements, got a job, moved to Campbell, wrote my capstone essay, and completed my program. For all my hard work, I now have 2 credentials and a masters, as well as an amazing boyfriend and an amazing career.
As most of you who have been following my blog know, this hasn't exactly been an easy year. Without my running (its been 9 months since I really ran, if you can believe that) getting through the stress of this program has been a bit more challenging. The good part of that was that I got to prove to myself that I can manage stress in other ways, besides just running.
The support of my family
and especially of Ed has made this really a wonderful year, even with the injury and the student teaching from hell, and I feel so thankful to have made it to the other side happy and excited for the next steps in my life.
My first blog post ever was about getting into this program, and I remember how nervous I was about starting it, moving to a new city where I knew no one and embarking on a career that all through undergrad I didn't think I wanted.
I'm so happy I made the decision to go to Santa Cruz and become a teacher. My life seems to be falling into place and hopefully, with everything else going to well, I'll soon be able to get a healthy leg into the picture as well. No plans yet on how that will happen, but there have to be answers somewhere (possibly in an MRI, which I'm going to ask my doctor about).
In any event, thank you to all of you who have stuck reading my blog even though it really isn't about running anymore, but more just about my life. While I know the posts about the 20 milers were probably a lot more fun to read, I still want to write about my life without running, even if it is less exciting. Thank you all to your support and encouraging comments when I was sad or frustrated about the program and teaching and for helping my keep my spirits up through my injury. You guys are all so amazing and I'm so glad I get to keep 'running' through all your posts, living vicariously through your ultra races :)
No longer a student (even though I will always be a life long learner), its time to teach!
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