too much

Alright, so I hadn't ridden my Trek in a while - a long while. This teacher at school kept asking me when we were going to go riding throughout the year. I e-mailed him a couple of weeks ago to tell him I had just picked up my bike from the shop - I got it tuned up. Anyway, we rode about two hours today - about 25 miles with what I thought were some tough hills.

This morning I went to the gym (yes, I'm still doing that) and worked out lower body and then did about 25 minutes of cardio.

I was starving after the ride. I never rode that fast (I thought we were going at a pretty good pace) even when I was training for my century ride a couple of years ago. But hey, I made it.

I will be sore for the next couple of days.

Thanks for reading.

for a friend

First Memory: I was about eighteen months old, and I had run into a corner and split my forehead open. I don't remember that, but I have a vague recollection about having my head on my mom's lap and looking up at her while she was driving me to the hospital. I can see the steering wheel in my line of vision.

First Real Kiss: I don't remember her name, but I went on a mission trip with a group from Granbury the summer after my junior year of high school. I went on a double date with my future roommate, his girlfriend, and this girl. I remember we kissed twice that night. Once by the car and then again on her doorstep.

First Concert: Probably one of my band concerts, but if you want to know about famous musicians, it was a Collin Ray concert at ACU.

First Love: I've never been in love.

First crush: A girl named Shannon Hill from 3rd grade until 5th grade when she moved away.

First thing you think in the morning: Do I have to get up?

First book you remember loving: The Boy Who Fooled the Giant.

First pet: We had a dog named Lobo when I was really little.

First question you'll ask in Heaven: I actually made it?

First thing you think of when you hear the word vacation: expensive

First best friend: Chad Peters

Last time you dressed up: Church on Sunday - I usually wear a suit if I'm leading worship

Last CD you bought: ZOE Group - Closer

Last book you read: I just re-read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Last time you cried: When Gilmore Girls ended - see blog below

Last movie you saw: Ocean's 13

Last time you told someone you loved them: This evening when I got off the phone with my younger sister.

Last really funny thing you did: I ate a nasty protein bar tonight - it tasted like cardboard - yuck!

Last thing you watched on TV: Kathy Griffin - My Life on the D-list

Last Halloween costume: Clark Kent

Last Concert attended: Middle School Orchestra concert

me and the gym

In my last blog, I described my boredom with summer vacation. That has changed. Since that time, I have had to teach a class. Preparation for that was a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be. I have also been preparing for my supervision sessions with counselors who are in practicum - that takes some time as well. Friday, I have to present at a conference. And, of course, there is always the dissertation proposal looming. I am not so bored anymore.

Anyway, since I do have free time, I have decided to start exercising again. The university has a really, really nice rec center. I walked in a few weeks ago and was just floored at how nice it is. So, I am trying to start up a routine which I can continue. Also, to get me more motivated and so I wouldn't talk myself out of this, I signed up for three sessions of personal training.

The first session was a fitness assessment. For the most part, I did average or better than average - which surprised me. But here's the deal. I hate going to the gym. It's not really that I hate working out or that I don't want to, it's that I get really embarrassed about it. These thoughts constantly run through my head: everybody else is younger, everybody else is stronger, I look like an idiot, etc. But when I went on Monday, it wasn't all that bad. So, we'll see if it continues. I hope so.

I have never been an athlete. That is definitely something I wish I had been better at, but oh well. Hopefully, I can get over my embarrassment and make this a habit - old people deserve to get to work out too.

Thanks for reading.

summer vacation

I am so bored. Seriously! Although I have been working in schools for the past six years (more if you count the detention center), this is the first time that I've had a summer off. To make things even worse, I'm done with all of my coursework for my PhD, so I'm not enrolled in any classes. That is a first since 2000. Highlights of this past week included supervising a practicum course at the university for a couple of hours and getting a new shower curtain. Now, of course I could be working on productive endeavors such as preparing for a presentation I have to give at a conference in a couple of weeks or working on my dissertation, but I've never been one to do what I have to do until I really, really have to do it. Instead I sleep late, watch a lot of TV, work out some (don't laugh), and stay up way past my bedtime. Any suggestions for hobbies I can look into or general ways to not be bored would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.