Hunkered Down

I'm going into battle mode. I've got a scientific article for a dog journal due Wednesday and was only just able to catch the interview I needed with the lead researcher late this morning. I was out all afternoon and this evening and so will spend all of tomorrow puzzling out the pieces of how the story fits together.  I've already written about half the article, but I really wish I had a few days to let the piece sit so I could look at it with fresh eyes before turning it in.  Still, no complaints. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to land the interview, so I'm just relieved to have that behind me. Tomorrow I'll brew a big pot of coffee, line up a row of the Weight Watchers double chocolate muffins, and have at it. No coming up for air until it's done. Luckily, I do well on tight deadlines. Brings out the competitor in me.

Imagine that.

2008 Owl's Roost Rumble 5k

 Got back a little while ago from running the Owl's Roost Rumble 5k plus. The "plus" is because a 5k is 3.1 miles and the course administrators admit to this being a 3.5 mile stretch.

Owl's Roost is a trail run--lots of dirt and roots and scrabbly rocks on hills. Much fun. I started out too fast and got a small side cramp around mile 2.5, but still managed to come in first in my age group. Won a bright red blanket embroidered with the Owl's Roost logo as a prize.

My biggest joy, however, was talking to a guy after the race that I had passed on the trail at the first hill. He said, "I watched you pass me and thought, 'She's done her hill work.'" Yea!! Tuesday nights spent sweating it out on a half-mile stretch of hill haven't been a waste of time, then.

I'm going to need that hill work come next Saturday. A few of my fellow runners have driven the GSO marathon course and their first words when describing it are, "it's hilly." Short hills, but just continual up/down, up/down. I've never run a long, hilly course so I'm not sure what to expect. We shall see.

And don't forget Saturday is Blair's inaugural half-marathon run! Send him good thoughts on Saturday! It kills me I won't be there to greet him at the finish line. Ill have to find someone and ask them to take photos.

Big Hair

Big Hair. I've got it. I walked with Blair to the library on Saturday and found (or if you believe in a higher power, "was led to") a book called Curly Girl: The Handbook. Tagline is "More than just hair...it's an attitude."

Well, it's something. After reading it, I have decided to give a go to freeing my curls. All my life, I have battled curly hair. My mom and my sister both have ramrod straight hair and I'm forever envious of silken tresses that fall easily into place, or can be combed back into a ponytail.

Not moi. If there's the smallest amount of moisture in the air I frizz up like a puffer fish under attack. But the frizz is so noticeable because I try my hardest to keep my hair smooth--straightening conditioners, blow drying, straight iron, hair wax.  I'm tired of it. Plus, given that I run 4-6 times per week and my hair becomes drenched, there is just zero chance of flat hair happening this summer. And my hair is at the point where it's actually long enough to see the curl. (I'm aiming to grow out my layers enough to have--reach for it!--a ponytail.)

The book emphasizes no blow-drying and conditioner, conditioner, conditioner. It says it takes about 3 weeks for soft curls to really set in. I'm on day four. With big, scary, 80's hair. I'm going to try and tough it out though. Thank God I work from home because there is no freakin' way I'd try this experiment while having to go into an office each day. (I'm not entirely sure my buoyant head of hair would fit in a cubicle, anyway.)

Blair loves the curls, which is a plus/minus. A plus, because even on days I think I look freakish, he's admiring. Minus, because his opinion on whether or not I look suitable to leave the house can't be trusted.

Hair takes up way too much time in most women's lives. It will definitely be a focus for me in the coming months, but the goal is to stand firm this summer in the hopes that once I get some length and conditioner in there, everyone will settle down and start behaving.

Of course, stay tuned to this Big Hair channel for all your curly hair updates.

Unable to Focus

For almost a week now, I've been unable to settle in and focus on any one task. Whether it's brushing my teeth or working on an article, I kind of float around the task at hand, diving in and out like a seagull dipping into the ocean to snag a fish and then flying away, only to return for a repeat attempt two minutes later.

I feel jittery. It can't be caffeine--I don't drink it. I'm not feeling stressed or nervous. I'm just off in la-la land and, frankly, it's annoying. I sit down to work on something and pop up to put clothes in the washer. Sit down, oops! Forgot to get coffee. Sit down, check e-mail, then up to pet the cats. Sit down, finally work on article. Phone rings. Ignore it, but get up to get more coffee, change laundry, and put on music. Sit down, thumb through a book and wonder if I'm on the right path to accomplishing my goals. Get up to check hair in mirror (I'm letting it grow out long and curly and it's taking up quite a bit of space these days.) And just on and on and on...

Getting ready for bed last night, I walked in and out of the bathroom no less then 7 times. That's ridiculous. I can't even settle in and read. Nothing holds my attention and I have... not quite a headache, but more what feels like could be the start of a headache.

I'm monitoring my TV time and trying (trying) to cut back on how often I check e-mail. I think so much of what I do in life, like TV and e-mail, is cut up into tiny little sections that the brain rebels when it's presented with a task that requires a long stretch of undivided attention. I'm retraining it to PAY ATTENTION.

And now that I've managed to sit still for the six minutes it took to write this blog, I'm freaking out. Calm on the exterior, doing the cha-cha inside. Let's hope an hour on the treadmill will take care of that.

Happy hump day.