hanging in!

Heyyo! Just a quick little check-in over here. After coming home from Raleigh, I immediately dove head-first into no less than eight deadlines. Plus 30 miles of marathon training, a mom issue (UGH, our healthcare system sucks), three in-office days, and a sick little cat. I had to call on the lessons learned from my swimming days and just put my head down to finish. Isn't it amazing what one can accomplish out of sheer willpower? Of course, after turning in the last story yesterday, the wheels came off and I sat inside like troll and watched Bravo shows on the most gorgeous autumn day. Oh, man, am I ever thankful that I turned down those tempting projects; I would have surely had a full-on meltdown.

Pic: Stolen from Jim. We took a break to check out his art show on Saturday. People with talent blow my mind!

mom and me

...after I forced her to go on a two-mile walk. I was like her personal Jillian Michaels this weekend!

Raleigh visit

When life gets hectic, I complain about making trips down to North Carolina: I have so many deadlines; I'd much rather be spending my free time having fun with Erik and friends; Raleigh is the most boring place on earth. UGH. But as soon as I step out of the airport terminal and see my little mom's excited face at the end, those feelings instantly melt away. Because for every "aw, man" as I'm waiting in my mom's doctor's office (for FOUR HOURS) and scrolling through my friends' beachy Labor Day pics, there's a "so glad you home" that just makes my heart swell a zillion sizes. Love.

My weekend in pics: 1. Mom's welcome home dinner 2. A 16-mile run in NC humidity
3. Mom swimming at Optimist Park (her first time in three decades!) in Erik's old swim trunks.

in hindsight

One of my primary measuring sticks is the question, "what am I going to remember more later in life?" For instance, if I'm feeling like I don't have enough time to go on a bike ride with a friend or if I shouldn't spend money on a fancy night out, the question gets busted out. Most of the time, the experience wins, but sometimes I realize that a night out isn't going to be memorable. Anyway, it's a trusty scale and it's helped power me through some of my tougher times in life...like tonight. I'm not going to remember staying up until all hours meeting this deadline, right? Right?

6 things...

...I did this week. Whoa, this summer is just flying by.

1. Rode my bike past Dumbo and down to Red Hook. What a cool neighborhood! I met up with some ladies at Brooklyn Crab, which is a fun New England-style crab shack right on the water. It felt like I was on vacation.
2. Ran 17 miles and surfed twice. The beach is the best place for cruising cool chicks. :) Love our ladies surf crew.
3. Hung with Erik, who got home from his trade show madness. I just love that man.
4. Started another once-a-week fill-in gig. It's funny always being the outsider. I feel like That Dude who always shows up to parties, but no one really knows.
5. Ate a gigantic and super-rich meal at St. Anslem's. Yum. All this exercise is making me hangry.
6. Napped. All this exercise is making me tired.

the art of nothingness

I've always come from a place of yes. Partly because I like to please others, and also because I like trying new things. My mantra is often, "sure, why not?" This attitude has led to heaps of adventures, but it can drain my time, energy, and sanity. Case in point: This summer has been hecka hectic with work and social obligations. It's been fun, but there were times when I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head and roll around on the ground. Phew. So I'm trying to be better about saying no right off the bat. I've already turned down a few projects! Baby steps, baby steps...

NYC Marathon training, post 2

...Aaaaand I'm back with another marathon post! It's been a pretty productive month on the training front. As usual, I'm deviating from the set plan (story of my life, coloring outside of the lines) and doing my own thing. Instead of all the weekday runs, I've been surfing and swimming because, well, it's fun. But I have been sticking with the long runs, thanks much to my lovely running buddy Aphrodite. This past Sunday, we woke up at the crack of dawn to join a New York Road Runners long run in Central Park—and covered 16 whole miles! (Of course, I did manage to oversleep my alarm and ate Swedish fish as my fuel.) Regardless, it was a personal distance record, and I couldn't be more proud of myself. Go me!