I hate that.

Don't you just hate it when the hair you thought was super cute when you saw in the mirror for the 10 seconds it took you to do ends up being super weird looking when you see it in the big family pictures later?

Yeah. Me too.

Fun Visit

We enjoyed a fun visit from Wendy, Tyler, Isaac, and Isabelle a few days after I got my hair done. (Last Friday? I'm having trouble keeping track of my days...) We went out to breakfast and played at a park and it was tons of fun. Isabelle was afraid of Brit. And me, too, but less so. I think she's just afraid of boys. Brit says "Good." She certainly is a gorgeous little girl.

This last one is mostly a picture of the really cool necklace that Wendy bought me for my birthday. I like it a lot.

ETA: Posting marathon TBC after I come back from a boating trip to Emerald Bay. It's time to go get ready.

Posting Marathon: BEGIN!

I am naughty. I have about a billion posts to catch up on. They SHOULD all be short and sweet. I hope.

First, my hair. It is awesome. This is the reason I kept looking in the mirror and contemplating how awesome I am, tbh. I had been planning on getting my hair done, but just the roots filled in and the highlights refreshed, but at work 2 days before my appointment I started talking to one of the PCT's (whose hair I am completely jealous of) and she told me I should do something different. I like different. She also gave me the number of her awesome and affordable hair stylist. So, I just made the appointment, and went for it. And it ROCKS.

Sadly, pictures don't even do it justice. Things you can't see through pictures: The underneath half is black, and the top has bright red highlights sprinkled throughout. And the blond bit is only on that one side.

This happened a while ago, but I didn't want to blog it until I saw my family this weekend. I was all excited about surprising them with my awesome hair.... and then I worked a 12 hour night shift and flew to Reno immediately after, so by the time I saw people, my hair was a stringy gross mess. How disappointing. But I think by now they've gotten the full impact of the awesome.

Dear Local Library,

Why do you fail so hard? Why must you be out of every book I want to read, every time I look, with at least 30 people in line ahead of me? And most especially, why, when I try to weasel my way into said ridiculous line of people who want to ruin my life through taking my books, do you insist that when I say "Reserve 'Wings,'" I actually mean, "Reserve this other book that I ALREADY HAD RESERVED"???

I hate you quite a lot.

With utmost loathing,

Jennifer Christensen

I feel like so much crap

Let's see. How many things can go wrong with my body all at once...

My back is tense

My ankles are sore

My shins ache

I got a sunburn

I have a headache

I have a terrible canker sore on the inside of my lip

AND

i have the hiccups.

I want to die.

I definitely do NOT want to be going into work after about 40 minutes of napping.

a tidbit

Sometimes, I can't help but to stop and look in the mirror and contemplate how awesome I am.

That's all. Move along.

Aches & Pains

So, the store where I bought my shoes has a 10-day "satisfaction guarantee." Not that I could get my money back, but if these shoes weren't The Ones, I could exchange them for store credit or try something else.

Do you think that still applies if my shoes have giant blood stains in the heels?

Still, I don't think I'll need to exchange them. I like them quite a lot. Even if I do have giant blisters on the backs of my ankles. I found a "running buddy," and we've been going every morning (all two of them) and running/walking around the neighborhood for just about 30 minutes. And, FYI, running outside is FREAKING HARD. SO much harder than the treadmill. It makes me wonder if it's worth it. But if I can get used to it, I think it will be more fun. And it's REALLY nice running with somebody as opposed to by myself, because when I'm not gasping for air, it's nice to be able to have a conversation.

Oh, and by the way, nice expensive running shoes do NOT make it any easier to breathe when I'm "running." Which is really more like jogging, or shuffling, even more so than when I'm on a treadmill. I'm not sure why even these extremely slow speeds are so much harder outside.

Also, I was at the gym doing lunges for the first time in a LONG time on Tuesday, and my legs STILL hurt. All day yesterday I was groaning and falling off the couch when I tried to get up. And limping everywhere. Not fun. But on the bright side, my muscles are so sore and tense, it makes my butt feel tight and sexy.

Because I'm sure everyone wanted to know that.

FAIL.

Well, I went to a good running store and got my gait analyzed. It was pretty fun. He slow-mo'd me running on a treadmill (highly embarrassing) and showed me how I roll in my ankle ever so slightly. That's where I hoped it would end... but oh no... the stupidly wise mind-reading shoe salesman had to read my naughty cheapskate thoughts. Know what he said? I don't even know how the topic came up, but he came right out and said "Yeah, some people just go to Kohl's[scoff] and still pay $70-80, and get cheapo shoes that are just cardboard after a few months." I may have blushed. But I was subconsciously bullied into buying real shoes.

Here they are, not running, but still looking cute and happy on my feet:
These had better improve my running $70 worth, or I will be giving people some very dirty looks... (Julianne&Emilia)

And since I've deluged you with boring talk about shoes and (not)running, here are some pictures of my adorable kitten:

Watching TV on my lap

Being very brave peeking out the door of the apartment

Kitty in a box!


Kitty in a lap!

Shoes...... again

Ok, time's up. I HAVE to have new running shoes. I just tried going to the gym, and the bottoms of my feet feel like they've been pounded mercilessly (which, i guess they have), and even the tops of my feet/ankles and bottoms of my shins hurt when i walk. Or don't walk. They just hurt. Not quite shin splints, but it makes me want to flex and extend repeatedly to stretch out the area. On the bright side, I did better this time than I have recently. I may be slowly getting back into shape.

In any case, it's time to give in and get new shoes, or I might hurt myself. (And I'm sorry Julianne, but I'm gonna have to go the cheap route. I have NO money to be spending on this fledgling hobby of mine that may or may not be given up after I lose my gym membership, but I do have several gift cards to Kohl's. And any running shoe has to better than my old walking shoes, right? They're the same brands... just the cheaper end.... I'm sorry. DON'T JUDGE ME!)

Any opinions on New Balance running shoes? Or should I just stick with Nike/Asics? ... any runners out there besides my cousin?

I just realized this may be a very boring read for most people out there.

So, in other news (if anyone is still reading...) I feel very pudgy lately. And I'm trying to whip myself back into some semblance of shape before I have to appear before extended family in a bathing suit at Lake Tahoe. In 3 weeks. Yikes. It's not THAT bad, though. If I stop mindlessly eating twizzlers and m&m's all day and start going to the gym regularly, it shouldn't take too long for me to be OK with my shape again.

So, that's my goal.

She types as she sits on the couch eating chocolate funfetti birthday cake and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

This is going well so far.

Shoes... and other stuff

Can't sleep. But I'm not even tired. Do you think that if you frequently only allow yourself 6-7 hours of sleep, you just get used to that, and that becomes all you need? Seems weird to me, since I used to want 9 hours....

I need new running shoes, but I don't even know where to begin. As a non-runner, how on EARTH do I tell if I like the fit of a certain shoe, unless I go jogging around the store 3 times?! It's frustrating to be so completely in the dark over such a (somewhat) big purchase. Should I just pick some pretty shoes and let it go?? Any advice here would be VERY much appreciated. Especially if you narrow your focus to what's available at Kohl's. :)

My birthday was yesterday, and it was fabulous. I convinced Brit to not skip school, and I WAS going to go to the gym, but then the maintenance guy came over to fix our light, and I felt weird just leaving after that. Brit brought home some cheeseburgers from Arctic Circle, we saw Up in 3D (very cute), I finished my book, and we went to Carraba's for dinner. (SO DELICIOUS ZOMG. I will never stray from their marsala dishes again. The last 2 times we've gone, I branched out and tried something new, and was sorely disappointed. Last night was AMAZING, though- mozarella sticks, grilled sirloin marsala with garlic mashed potatoes, and sonya(sp?) smothered in caramel.) And, of course, Isabelle called and left me the cutest voicemail ever that I will save for all eternity, and then called me back so I could talk to her for a minute. I don't think we need to debate that she is the cutest little girl on earth, the polls are now closed. We were going to hang out with some friends we haven't seen in forever and watch a movie that night, but I'm slowly getting more and more convinced that they just plain don't like us anymore, considering they never return ANY of our requests to get together. When do you stop pushing the friendship and just give up? I really miss them. :(

All in all, though, it was a fabulous birthday. And I'm very much looking forward to finishing off those leftovers today.

Hope for the Future Generation

I've been a bit preoccupied lately with my overt ...dislike of small children. Not VERY small children; I still think babies are pretty cute and cuddly most of the time, which keeps me enjoying my job. BUT, with kids older than, like, 1, I'm usually just struck by how annoying I find them. For example, the awesome little girl sitting near us in the theater today, who at every random ad for "turn off your cell phones," or cars, or even the video/sound spots, would go "Is that a movie? Is it out yet?" So much fun. /eyeroll

But then tonight, Isabelle calls to wish me a happy birthday, and I instantly melt into a warm puddle of lovey goo. That child could NOT be cuter. And yet, I'm sure there's someone out there who rolls their eyes at her, too (hard to believe, but I'm trying to be realistic, here). It reminds me that I won't feel the same way about my children as I do about random kids off the street. And that's comforting. We may yet procreate. Eventually.