Frantic

Holy crow, I've been busy today! So, I only have the ability to post in bullet points. Here's the breakdown:

• Finished up the papers I had to read and returned them to students.
• Finished my last classes for the next 10 days!
• I *heart* spring break.
• Technically, there are classes tomorrow, but I took the day off and got a sub because my brother and his girlfriend are going to be in town tomorrow and I wanted to be able to spend the day with them.
• Because the aforementioned sibling is coming tomorrow, that means I spent my afternoon cleaning the house and re-washing the guest bed sheets (our guests last week only slept one night in that bed, but it weirds me out to not wash the sheets between visitors).
• Went to my lab appointment and had more blood drawn. By the end of this pregnancy, I may be able to work up the courage to actually look at the needle, but so far, I'm just not brave enough for that yet.
• Picked up the dog-puke comforter from the cleaners (the comforter is too big for our washer and drier and I find it easier to pay for drop-off laundry rather than go to the laundromat myself).
• Finished writing my book review that was due today, and I sent it off. Nothing like procrastinating until the last minute with deadlines.
• Ran 3 miles with Jerry.
• Or, really, I should say that I started a 3 miler with Jerry, but I quickly gave him permission to leave me in the dust. Knowing that I'm holding him back stresses me out, and I'd prefer to just run slow and alone rather than feel like I have to run faster to keep up with him.

Now, it's 8:45 and in fifteen minutes, The Office and 30 Rock begin, and I'm so ready to sit back in the couch and just veg out!

Dog Puke

This afternoon when I got home from work, I really just wanted to crawl into bed and take a nap. I was exhausted, a little nauseous, and the bed just seemed so appealing. But what did I discover waiting there for me?

Dog barf.

Yes, it seems Scooter had a little morning sickness of his own and he had thrown up all over the bed: the sheets, the comforter, the pillows, and some of it had dribbled down the side of the frame. (And I thought puking by the side of the road was bad! At least I made it to the outdoors!)

So, instead of a nap, I had more laundry to do. But I couldn't be mad at my little Copper Top; his eyes seemed to say (in the British accent I imagine him to have), "I'm sorry I puked, Mama. I didn't mean to!" See? Don't those eyes say that? (The picture above was taken just before we went on our trip last week. I was doing laundry -- yet again! does that stuff breed in the hamper? -- and he loves to lay in the warm, fresh from the dryer clothes.)

Anyway, I didn't get my nap, and since I was up and about anyway, I decided to go for a short 3 mile run. I didn't bring the Garmin along because I knew I was gonna be slow and I didn't want to see the numbers. But no matter the time, and no matter how I felt tired at first, when I was finished with the 3 miles, I felt really good.

Back to the Real World

You know how when you're on vacation, your world kinda changes its plane of existence? You are free from your normal day-to-day cares, worries, responsibilities, and duties, and you're free to relax and have fun.

But then you return from vacation and discover that the rest of the world didn't come to a halt while you were away?

Yeah, then the catch-up begins. And that's what I've been doing since we got back on Monday: I have loads of work to get done (and that seems exaggerated since we have spring break next week and I'm trying to get everything done before we dismiss for break), I have household things to do (still working on that vacay laundry), and I don't feel good.

While on the cruise, I felt just fine. No seasickness, no morning sickness, no sickness at all. But Monday morning when we were sitting in port in Miami? Barfed up my breakfast. Weird, right? It's like LBB knew we were back from vacation and he or she wanted to rebel against such madness. And since returning home, I have just felt like crap.

This morning I had another commuter-barfisode, except this time I didn't have the luxury of scoping out a place to stop; I just had to quickly pull over and yak on the grass by the side of the road. Then I got to school and barfed again in the bathroom by my office. And I have to admit that as I sit here and type this now (back in my office after my classes), I'm trying to supress the yak-urge.

C'mon pregnancy! I'm 16, going on 17, weeks (which doesn't that get the song "I am 16 going on 17" from "The Sound of Music" in your head?). I thought this shit was supposed to be over by now!

Oh well, what can I do? Maybe since LBB seems to be giving me trouble now it means that he or she will be a breeze once he or she arrives. Newborns sleep through the night, right?

Okay, enough complaining. I've got papers to read, laundry to do, and hopefully a run to get in this evening (I was good and ran twice while on our cruise!); not to mention the bazillion blogs I have to catch up with, so I'll check ya homies later!

Cruisetastic Pics

We had a great time on our cruise and arrived safely back in port in Miami this morning. After lunch and a long nap, I feel revived and ready to post! (Of course, it would be nice to have tomorrow off of work because I have a mountain of laundry to do and we don't have any food in the house, but no dice on that one.) Anyway, without further ado: Here's a quick trip recap:

Here I am getting ready for the standard lifeboat drill while we were in port in Miami. I make life vests look good, don't I? Here's Jer-Bear and I and some of our gang on deck of the boat while we departed Miami.

Here's Jerry and I on the beach in Key West. This is where our friends got married. It was a beautiful setting and they had a really beautiful ceremony.Here's a shot with nearly our entire group of friends. A few are missing (like the bride and groom) out of the shot, but this is most everyone.

After the wedding, we all made a pit stop at Hog's Breath Saloon in Key West, and this is some of the gang enjoying some post-nuptial refreshment. I got to drink a bottle of water.

Here's Jerry and I in the port in Cozumel.

And this is me drinking my Virgin Daquiri on the beach in Cozumel. It sucked that I couldn't drink on the trip, especially because we were vacationing with all of our friends, but I still got me a fruity drink in a pineapple to suck on beach-side, and if I pretended real hard, I could imagine some booze in there.

We had a great time at the beach in Cozumel: We sipped our drinks under cabanas and went snorkeling and saw some colorful fishes. Then, as the sun set, we went out for dinner, drinks, and then a wild goose chase for some authentic Cuban cigars in downtown Cozumel. That last part is a funny story, but I think it's one of those "guess you had to be there" stories because I can already tell that re-telling it would seem lame here, but to those of us who were there, it was frickin hilarious. And I was sober. Otherwise, I would claim that the tequila was to blame for the perceived humor.

Here's Jer-Bear (far right) with the guys for some last-chance shots of tequila and Dos Equis before re-boarding the boat in Cozumel.

Jer-Bear and I in one of the ship's lounges before dinner on our last night on board. See those cans of Foster's? They're 25 oz a piece. Jerry had 4 of those before dinner. See that bottle of water? That was my pre-dinner drink. Dangit!

Anyway, it truly was a lot of fun. And I highly suggest that if you cruise, try cruising with a group of friends. Jerry and I have been on two previous cruises, by ourselves, and while they were a lot of fun, the fun this time around was magnified by 100% just because it was so fun to hang out with friends both in port and on the ship. But next time we all go on a trip such as this, I'll try not to be pregnant at the time. Because I would have enjoyed one of those cans of Foster's!

Setting Sail!

Well, we're outta here, homies! We have a few errands to run and then we're heading to the port in Miami and for the next few days, we'll be cruisin!

I won't be back until Monday...hold your tears, I'll be back before you know it...so enjoy your weekend everyone!

Peace out.

LBB Update and a Short Run

My doctor appointment today went well. I went through all the routine stuff, plus we got to listen in again on Little Baby Bear's heartbeat, and it was strong and healthy!

I've only gained 4lbs so far, which the nurse made it sound like I was slacking in the weight-gain department, but then the doctor said that it was fine. She said that it's a little on the low-side for someone almost 16 weeks, but given my Smurf-size and the fact that I've been nauseous, it's no big deal. She said everything is progressing in a perfectly healthy way.

We go back in 3 weeks for a truly exciting visit: Ultrasound time! Where hopefully (with baby's cooperation) we'll get to learn the baby's sex. We have no preference either way, but we're both just eager to know. So we're both looking forward to that visit.

After we got home from the doctor, we packed for our trip. Then, we were both feeling the same thing: We should go run, but neither felt like it, so we decided to just do something short and easy. So we ran a 2 miler (20:34) at an easy pace. I think it was just the thing.

More Miscellany

I didn't fail the student I mentioned yesterday.

After speaking to him, it was clear that he didn't see what he'd done as wrong. So I went through the essay with him and showed him parts that were exactly taken from other sources and parts where he'd summarized from other sources and I explained that even though some of the work was indeed his original thoughts and language that because much of it wasn't, this was plagiarism. He seemed to better understand after that, and he was apologetic about the mistake. I also talked to him about his attitude about the class and told him that if he didn't want to be there, he didn't have to be: I'd gladly withdraw him.

Again, he was apologetic about his behavior and seemed genuine about wanting to redeem himself, so I am allowing him to remain in the class and I'm giving him the opportunity to re-write the essay (with some stipulations and penalties, of course). I felt good after speaking with him, and he was thankful for being given a second chance, so I hope he learned his lesson and he improves his performance in the class.

Based on your comments yesterday, you guys would have enacted a much stricter punishment, and trust me, when I've received essays that are word-for-word plagiarized, I too have given students the boot. But, every situation is different, and it is my job to help them learn some of these things.

In other news, I haven't run in 2 days, and I don't know if I'll get time today either. I've just been so busy trying to get everything done that needs to get done before we start our vacation tomorrow. And this afternoon, after my last class, I have a doctor appointment and then we have to pack, and then go pick up friends from the airport. Maybe I'll get to squeeze a run in there sometime, but I don't know. If not, that's just the way it is. Sometimes, a girl gets busy.

Tuesday Tidbits

• Got my annual evaluation yesterday and my dean had nothing but praise for me. Cuz I'm awesome. On the evaluation itself, he even wrote that I am one of "the most effective instructors in the department." Boo-ya!
• I got an invitation to participate in the Oxford Round Table -- a yearly conference held in Oxford each year -- since the subject this year is 19th Century Women's Writing (I teach a literature class that focuses on 19th C Women Novelists). I got incredibly excited about it until I saw that the conference is held July 5-10. Ummmm, I'm gonna be about 36 weeks pregnant then and flying across the Atlantic is really not possible. Dammit!
• While I was grading essays yesterday, I found a plagiarized essay. The whole thing is not directly lifted, but entire paragraphs come from uncited sources, and other parts are summarized from uncited sources. I emailed the student and asked him to come meet with me privately so we can discuss this.
• My stated plagiarism policy on my syllabus is that if a student "knowingly submits any work that is not his or hers and does not cite it correctly" then the penalty is automatic course failure. But generally, I like to conference with the student first to try and understand their situation and offer alternatives.
• But I would really love to fail this guy. He's constantly absent, often late, and sits there in class with this attitude that just says, "Go ahead and try to to teach me something." However, I have to be equitable.
• Yesterday, when Jerry got home from work, he found this little Daschund without a collar roaming around the parking lot in front of our building. Not wanting to just leave it in the parking lot (he was afraid she'd get hit by a car) but not wanting to bring her inside (who knows how a strange dog will act with Scooter), he went door to door in our community and eventually found the unit she belonged to.
• Apparently, the woman who answered the door said her children, who were fishing by the canal, were supposed to be watching the dog. Clearly, they weren't.
• What gets me though is that the dog had no collar on, thus no tags on. If she'd had a collar with tags, we could have just called the phone number or gone to the address. Sometimes I think people can be so careless with their pets.
• We had a pretty stellar performance at bowling last night, and in our 2nd game, we rocked the hiz-ouse! Unfortunately, we kinda tanked in our 3rd game, but we still won quite a few points and we each had some good games.
• Today, I have lots to do: Classes to teach, then errands to run, then a house to clean. We have friends arriving tomorrow evening from out of town, and they're staying the night with us Wednesday night before we all cruise on Thursday.
• So I guess that means I gots to go!
• Check ya later dudes!

Movie and a Run

This afternoon, Jerry and I went to a matinee at the cheap theater to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." I thought it was good and I enjoyed it. My only complaint? Its length. It was almost a full 3 hours long, and there were parts that I thought definitely could have either been cut or condensed. Although, if you think about it: Tickets at the cheap theater are only $3 a person, and with a film that runs 3 hours, we're really getting the most for our money! Few forms of entertainment only cost $1 an hour.

After the movie, we came home, had a quick snack and then went out for a 5 miler together. We managed to run at just under a 10 min/mile pace and finished it in 49:54, and it felt like a comfortable pace for me.

Now, I think I will have some dinner and settle in for the evening. I don't have tomorrow off (boo! I should get all holidays off, right?) but it's a short work week for Jerry and I since we leave for our cruise on Thursday. So, I think I can live with a 3 day work week, wa-hoo!

Valentine's Day Breakfast

This morning, I decided to make Jerry breakfast in bed for V-Day (because I'm gunning for the "Wife of the Year" Award), and I tried to be creative by making the pancakes in to heart shapes: But I had to free-hand them, so they came out looking a little wonky.

But you can still tell they're hearts, right? Anyway, the end result was still scrumptuous, and he appreciated being awakened to this:

And nothing says "I heart you" like a plate that says "I will clog your arteries!"

Boob Shot Friday

Here we are at our Valentine's dinner at The Melting Pot last night. It was an excellent meal (I think I could go there and solely eat the dessert. I mean, seriously, I just wanted to drink the chocolate!), and we had a very nice night out. And the bonus? I managed to not puke a single bit up!

But I'm not in love with this picture of us. For one, I'm squinty like a pirate, and for another it looks like I'm about to release that left boob into the wild. Oh well, it was the only pic we got from the night, and my post's title should retrieve some interesting site hits :)

Early Valentine's Day

Jerry and I have never celebrated Valentine's Day by going out to a restaurant. When we were first together, I was still working part-time as a server so I always had to work V-Day and all the days that surrounded it (but, I honestly didn't mind: V-Day is a HUGE money-maker for restaurants and I always made fat cash). Then, in the past few years, we have always decided to do V-Day as a low-key dinner at home.

But I decided that this year, we're going OUT.

I hear that with children, going out becomes a little harder to arrange, so I figure that if we're gonna do V-Day up, this is the year to do it! So tonight we're going out to dinner to The Melting Pot for a delicious fondue-tastic meal (it was easier to get a reservation a few days before V-Day), and I'm excited to get a bit dressed up and enjoy a good meal out.

I just pray I keep it down.

Take Two and Call Me in the Morning

Some of the most common complaints of women in early pregnancy are: nausea, fatigue, heartburn, constipation, and headaches. So far, I have had a good sampling of everything but constipation (thank you pooper for still functioning regularly, if it weren't for you, it'd feel like this body had shit the bed). So, yes, in short, I still have "the barfs" -- it's just not on a daily basis. But you know how some companies keep a log of "number of days without an accident"? That's how I feel with my puke-o-meter: Number of days since I last puked.

Unfortunately, that has been 1. Yup, barfed yesterday morning. Twice.

But I think I've detailed my barfisodes on this blog enough to last you people a lifetime, so I'll skip the latest detailed update about that. No, instead I'm here to gripe about another of those complaints listed above: headaches.

Actually, I've always had issues with headaches. No, not migraines, I don't get those (thank you sweet baby jesus). I think the term that would best categorize the kinds of headaches I get are "tension headaches." Which is a little weird since I don't think of myself as a person with much stress or tension, but what I do have, I seem to store in my neck and shoulders (same as my dad), and this can give me some nasty noggin pain. For the most part, I think exercise helps me avoid most of these headaches and I don't truly suffer from them as much as I used to, but since becoming pregnant, they have returned with a vengeance.

Plus, it doesn't help that I've withdrawn from caffeine. Not because a pregnant woman can't have some caffeine (the dr said it's fine if I have a cup or two of coffee a day), but right now I just can't stomach caffeinated beverages -- coffee, caffeinated soda, etc all make me feel sick.

But the worst kinds of headaches? The kinds you wake up with and the kinds that last for more than a day. Unfortunately it's an especially brutal combo when those two combine forces as they've done for me in the past two days: It's like being attacked by a gang of brain ninjas. And because the only approved pain reliever for preggos is Tylenol (weak ass shit!), I haven't felt much relief.

Thankfully, this afternoon I came home and decided "screw the way this house looks, I'm taking a nap," so the nap + two of those weak-ass Tylenols (my only two for the day) + a 4 mile run (40:34) = headache dissipation!

If only a nap, Tylenol, and a run could cure some of the other above-listed complaints, but I suppose it'll be all worth it when I have a kid and I can hold my pain and suffering over his or her head the rest of his or her life, right?

Killer New Haircut

Slow 3

This afternoon I went for a 3 miler by myself, and I have to say, I feel like I was just puttering along. Thus, I finished in 30:05 for an average pace of 10:02/mile.

I know I should just be happy to be getting the miles in and to be healthy enough to be running during pregnancy, but sheesh, looking at that time just makes me feel sloooooooow.

Oh well, at least I did get it done. And tonight, I bowl! Our bowling team has been making a comeback in the past few weeks, and I have raised my average from 125 to nearly 135, so this sober bowling seems to be working out after all. Who knew? I sure didn't.

25 Random Sunday Things

1. Filed our income taxes today.
2. Our refund is now on its way! Sweet.
3. We always file our taxes in February. I like to get it done and over with.
4. And, I can never fully understand why people wait until April to file.
5. Even the years I had to pay in, I did it early.
6. Again, I like to get it out of the way.
7. There's no state income tax in FL.
8. There are only 7 states that have no income tax.
9. The other 6 include: Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
10. The fact that there's no income tax here may lead some to believe it's cheaper to live here.
11. Not true.
12. Trust me, we make up the taxes in other ways, primarily through high property taxes.
13. Aside from taxes, I also graded some papers today.
14. Not a fun weekend activity, but a necessary one. For some reason, those students like to get almost instantaneous feedback, so I bust my ass to try and give it to 'em.
15. Although I do remind them that each time they write ONE essay, I have to read about 75 of them.
16. That makes them slightly more empathetic to my grading load.
17. Reading those essays made me sleepy though.
18. So I took a long nap.
19. Scooter snuggled me.
20. Then, I went for a 4 miler.
21. Finished it in 39:44.
22. Without Jerry, I certainly don't push myself as hard on the pace.
23. It was also pretty warm for the run. Only 71, but it was sunny, and my face felt like a hot beet when I got done.
24. I'm glad I wore my sunglasses.
25. Jerry's making Baked Potato Soup for dinner and it smells delicious.

Shopping Trip

Today, Jerry and I went and did some serious shopping. We're going on a cruise in less than two weeks and we both needed some "cruise wear," and because the primary purpose of the cruise is to attend our friend's wedding, we also both needed to find something for the wedding. Jerry needed more than I did, but my wardrobe is trickier.

See, my regular clothes still fit (although, I have to admit that my jeans are starting to feel rather snug), and I don't need maternity clothes yet, but I need clothing that is, for lack of a better description, stretchy.

Thankfully, I found a cute sundress for the wedding itself, and I found a few skirts and shorts that have enough "give" that they will work well. And, I bought a new swimsuit. Not a maternity swimsuit (my god, they look ready to outfit Shamu), but it's a tankini that I think will do the job. Plus, Jerry was very successful and found everything he was looking for -- but I swear, for men, it's way easier!

But in addition to the clothes, I also got Jerry's his Valentine's Day gift: A new wedding band!

See, because he's lost close to 50 lbs over the past year, his wedding band was about 2 sizes too big and it was always slipping and sliding on his finger. We had both talked that it should be re-sized, so I told him that for V-day I'd pay for it to be re-sized. Well, we went to the jewelry store today and discovered that it really can't be re-sized. Because his ring is stainless steel and gold, most jewelry stores don't have the necessary machines to work with a tough metal, like stainless steel or titanium, and those that do have the machinery charge quite a bit to re-size rings made of those "hard" materials.

So, we decided it might be easier, and less expensive, if I just bought him a new ring. He was hesitant to flat-out replace the old ring, but we found a ring that looks almost exactly like his old one (same materials, same design) that fit and was 70% off! I bought it for him today and now he gets to walk around with a shiny new wedding band!

All in all, it was a very successful shopping trip, and we had a nice lunch, and when we got home, I took a 90 minute nap. Ahhhhhh. But, I need to hurry up and get ready for dinner with friends this evening, so I'd best be off! Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday!

What a Difference a Day Makes

Or, a more apt title might be "What a Difference an Hour Makes" since I got an extra hour's worth of sleep last night, and that felt like a world of difference.

See, on Fridays, I get to sleep in an hour more than I do the rest of the week (different class schedule on Fridays), and even though it's just an hour, it's surprising how much more refreshed and awake I feel when I get up. So the extra hour's sleep, as well as a more relaxed work day, helped me feel ready to get back out there and run this afternoon with Jerry.

We did a quick 3 miler (28:11), and I have to admit that soon he may need to start running without me; because frankly, he's getting too fast for me. Today, for example, we ran the 3 miles at a 9:24 pace. Now, a few months ago that would have been a comfortable pace for me, but now I find that maintaining a pace like that is harder work. Plus, I know that he's slowing down to accommodate that pace -- I think he could easily be running sub-9:00/miles.

It makes sense that he's getting faster than me: He's been running consistently in the past few months, he's been varying the distances and paces, he's still shedding pounds, he's almost a foot taller than I am, and he's a man. Usually, I could probably use the opportunity to pick up the pace and match him on shorter faster runs, but his newfound speed coincides with my newfound loss of speed. The pregnant Jess just isn't as fast as the non-pregnant Jess, and I have a feeling I'm only gonna get slower (especially in that 3rd trimester when I'm carting a bowling ball out in front).

For now, we'll continue to run together when we can, and if our paces can't match, we may just have to run our separate runs until August when I have the baby. But after that? He'll have to watch his back because studies show that women who exercise continually through pregnancy have a 10-15% increase in their VO2 max for 6 months to a year after giving birth (explains Paula Radcliffe's NYC victory in 2007, right?). So I suppose he can enjoy his superior speed for now. Because 6 months from now, his ass is grass!

Confessions of a Slacker

I'll be honest: This week has managed to wipe me out.

In part, this is because my classes are now in full swing, and the work is pouring in, so simply getting through the work day zaps me of my energy. But in addition to work, I just feel plain-old-fashioned-tired this week. Each day when the alarm goes off, I feel like I could sleep for hours more. And I've been going to bed early!

Fatigue is a natural part of pregnancy; this baby-brewing is a lot of work for the body and it takes up a lot of energy. However, up until this week, I've been able to suck it up most days and get myself out on the road for runs, which always helps boost my energy.

But as I already said, this week has simply kicked my ass. I get home and honestly just want to crawl back into bed.

So I'm behind on running, behind on blogs, and all I really want to do right now is curl up on the couch and watch "Top Chef" from last night (since I can no longer stay up late enough to watch it at its regular time).

Clean Teeth, My Running Log, and New Shoes

Today I went for my 6 month dental check up and cleaning, and I got my toofers super-duper clean, and the dentist told me that my teeth are "perfect"! So, all in all, a good check up.

Afterward, I got home and guess what came in the mail today? My RW running log! Sure, it's about 6 weeks late, but I'm just so happy it's here! So happy that I had to bite it a little with my newly cleaned teeth. So, aside from transferring the January digits into the running log, I had to get started on my February stats, and I decided, "Hey, new month, new shoes!" That's right, I decided to break out the new running shoes that I got for Christmas. I had been saving them because I'd been putting on such light mileage in January I figured I could get some additional miles out of the old pair; plus, this way it's like Christmas in February!

Purty, aren't they? Those laces are nearly as white as my freshly cleaned teeth! I think I shall dub them "Yellow Lightning" (the shoes, not my teeth).

So, Yellow Lightning, Jerry (and his unnamed shoes), and I went for a 3 miler (28:50). The run felt good, especially because the weather remains cool here -- in fact, it's supposed to get really cold here this week, like maybe down to 30 degrees! Yikes. We may as well be living in the frozen northland for such frigid weather. Thankfully, it wasn't that cold today (still in the low 70s), but it was cool enough to make the running feel a little cooler and easier.

No Running

Yesterday.

Or today.

Yesterday I had no real excuse -- except that I ran 5 days last week and felt I deserved two days of rest -- so even though Jerry went running (he even took the Garmin with him! *gasp* I've created a monster!), I skipped it. And then I ate my weight in chicken wings and chips at our friend's Super Bowl party.

Today my excuses are legit: I simply do not have enough time in the day. There are household chores to get to, bills to pay, papers to grade, dinner to make, and tonight -- bowling!

In my effort to get these tasks done, I have even abandoned the interweb today. I know. That must mean I'm really busy!

So, toodles! Hopefully tomorrow I can catch up with both the running and the blogs. Until then, cross your fingers that I kick bowling alley ass tonight!