Golden Birthdays and Sprint Triathlons

Back in April during a Diamondbacks baseball game our friends with us suggested that the group of us should do a Sprint Triathlon. She gave us the date they were considering and the distances that we would take on for this. Namely a 400 meter swim, a 5 km run, and a 20 km bike ride. The idea was tantalizing and really exciting. After thinking about it and practicing in all three events we are officially doing the triathlon in August! We are very excited about it.

My family members over the phone get earfuls regularly of triathlon preparation. I talk to my youngest brother about tips he has from cross country that I could use. And I ask him every time I talk with him if he wants to come to Phoenix so he can do the triathlon with me. He hasn’t said yes yet; but he hasn’t said no. He usually just laughs at the idea. One day…

To get ready for the triathlon I had to get off my spacious patooshki and get moving. I had to learn how to swim. Thank heavens for wonderful friends who have amazing skills to get me started on real life swimming; as well as for Jogie to push me to swim farther and faster than I would have thought possible. Swimming is still new and challenging. However, at the pool recently a neighbor asked me if I was a professional because I was swimming so well. Whatever the motivation from his words I would have never thought in my crazy inebriated dreams that I could be considered a professional swimmer. So I’ll take it.

The event that has turned out to be the most fun for me has been the biking.

One of the things on our shopping list for the triathlon was a pair of bikes suitable for the triathlon. The bike I had ridden in high school was back in Boise stripped for parts courtesy of my brother. I decided what I wanted most for my birthday was a bike. Specifically I wanted to go on a bike ride on my new bike. I got my birthday wish. I had done my shopping and knew what bike I wanted to get. When Jogie had time to go shopping with me he got really excited. He wanted to get bikes that were very nice.

My coworkers have been super supportive of my triathlon efforts. They check in with how the previous evening’s workout went as well as inquire as to what that night’s workout would entail. When I rode my bike into work they expressed how proud and amazed they were that I had done that. I was similarly stoked with personal pride for what I did. I left my house at six in the morning so I could bike the fifteen miles to work and be there on time. Having accomplished this was a huge triumph for me, and I got to share that triumph with them.

I have long awaited and looked forward for the birthday where I would turn the same age as the date. I always thought it would feel really neat. I was right. It was an amazing birthday. It could not have been better, nor could I have done anything else. Timing was perfect. It was a Saturday so I did not have work. And it was also a break in school for Jogie so he did not have to do any studying. Bright and early we did a run. When we got back home we ate some birthday cake for breakfast. (Birthday cake for breakfast is starting to become a tradition in our little family and I am not opposed.) We went to the movies at a theater that serves food so we got lunch and a movie. We picked up our new bikes. We test rode them out to Jogie’s school and on the way we got to show them off to a couple friends. We went out to dinner at a Spanish restaurant that was not anything to write home about. When we came home we admired our new bikes. Seriously, we did a photo shoot of our bikes, occasionally with us in the pictures. Jogie was continuously commenting on how I got two bikes for my birthday and that I was so nice to let him ride one of them. The day was a sweet reminder of what a birthday meant when I was little and how that feeling exists still. It was a day full of adventures that was wonderful because I got to share them with the one I love.

Left Neglected

Jogie gets so jealous that I can read books because I want to rather than because my teachers are forcing me to. And that I have time to do this rather than worrying about how I will find time to study for the next ridiculously ridiculous test. The latest book I have read is Left Neglected by Lisa Genova.

This book details the experience of Sarah who suffers a traumatic brain injury which results in Left Neglect. In Sarah’s life she has every day overscheduled beyond what can reasonably be done by one person. She is very successful in her career and her company relies heavily on her. She has a family of three kids who need and crave her attention. She also has a husband with whom she has limited time to strengthen that relationship. If that wasn’t enough she has two mortgages and a boatload of debt from school. In her mind her stamp of success is in her busy lifestyle and her family’s high standard of living.

That changes when she tries to multitask while driving. Following her car accident her brain stops paying attention to anything on the left side. She is diagnosed with Left Neglect. She can not see someone standing on the left side of the room. She can not see the spoon on the left side of her bowl. Perhaps most devastating to her is that she can not read words on the left side of a page or sometimes even the left side of a word. Due to her traumatic brain injury she has to relearn simple tasks like walking and reading.

Sarah struggles with her new status as a disabled person. I work at a disability law firm helping people who become disabled get on Social Security Disability to help with medical coverage and living expenses. Because of my daily experiences at work I had in the back of my head the question of whether she would qualify for disability benefits. Sarah because of her young age, high education, and previous work as a skilled laborer had attributes that gave her a good chance of being able to return to the workforce.

Sarah through her rehabilitation had to define success differently. Success was no longer her busy lifestyle and her high standard of living. Success became finding the brownie on the left side of the plate, reading the entire newspaper with the exceptions of the boring parts. Success became getting her own pop from the fridge.

Sarah also had to realign her life values through her rehabilitation. Before her car accident Sarah valued her career and show of prosperity. Following her car accident she lost grasp on these values and was no longer able to define herself positively in these fields. Through her Left Neglect relationships especially with her family became what she valued the most. She got to know her kids and her mom in a way that she never had had time to do before.

Reading this book had me thinking most about whether I am living the life that I want to live. Do I feel successful in what I am spending my days doing? Am I spending my time on things or with the people that I value the most? Do I really need to rush through so much of my daily tasks? Can I save something for tomorrow?

Hungry for the Games

I am such a nerd! And I love it. I absolutely went to the midnight showing of The Hunger Games, and totally rocked the braid in my own style of Katniss. Though instead of her side French braid that went into one I did a waterfall that went into a five strand braid. On a side note I have become really nerdy about braiding my hair. I have been perfecting four and five strand braids as well as waterfall and dutch braids.

I loved watching The Hunger Games with friends. It was awesome and the anticipation was so exciting! My coworkers who have not read the book were super excited for me to see the movie. Daily I was reminded that it was coming out soon.

Jogie who was not available for the midnight showing took me later so we could watch it together. It was wonderful to be able to go to the movie with him. This was a movie that two viewings were wonderful as I could not absorb it all in one viewing.

Defying Gravity

On Thursday, March 1, 2012, Jogie and I went with a couple in our ward to see the Broadway musical Wicked. It was wonderful! Though we might not have chosen going to a Broadway musical for ourselves – we loved it and are so glad our friends invited us along. The group of us had reserved seats at the highest and furthest back point in the theater. Yet when we got the tickets we found that we were bumped up to somewhere around the vicinity of row twenty. Yep, row 20! After the performance we checked out where our seats originally were supposed to be, and it was a completely different view. Those seats were higher than the top of the curtain!

The performance was wonderful! The characters were so genuine and entertaining; especially Elphaba and Galinda. The scene changes were impeccably done. I do wish that there had been closed captioning so I could follow along with the words of the songs. Alas, the limitation of a live performance. The scene where Elphaba was flying as she sung Defying Gravity was amazing! It had so much energy. I tried really hard to see what was supporting her in the air and saw nothing. So, I can only conclude that she really was flying.

Following the performance we got to meet some of the cast. I certainly would not have recognized the girl who played Elphaba. In the performance I saw a tall skinny girl. Yet, the girl we met was short and had very poofy hair. Oh, and she did not look the least bit green.

We are so glad that we were able to go and experience Broadway live. Definitely worth it.

Hunger Games - Reality TV

I read the Hunger Games. I really enjoyed it. I had gotten it as an audio book to listen to as I drove to work. Yet I would eat my lunch in my car so I would catch a little bit more of the story; and then bring it into the house after work to listen to until Jogie would come home. Yes, I was hooked.

I was stunned how the murders were televised for entertainment to people. The idea of this is repulsive and barbaric. How can there be entertainment in watching someone die?

Yet Reality television is hugely popular. We have no qualms watching people succeed or fail in endeavors they take on. We watch people embarrass themselves as they sing and listeners grimace. We watch people fall in love; and have their hearts broken. We watch people try to take up a new talent and literally fall on their behind as they expose this new talent. And we watch people compete for titles that should be humiliating.  

We are entertained in watching people suffer death emotionally. When do we reach the point where we are willing to watch people suffer death physically? At what point do we lose our grasp of humanity and accept something like this? Hopefully, never.

Saguaro Lake

Just after Christmas Jogie and I went on a 90 minute cruise around Saguaro Lake. It was chilly in the shade; but the sun was warm. The water and the cliffs were beautiful. We had a good time and were glad to have the time off to spend together.