Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

Okay, it’s still here, so I have an appointment with the doctor this afternoon. Whee!

No swim for me tonight, it seems. I just hope this doesn’t mean I get to add yet another specialist (Ear, Nose and Throat, or ENT) to my list of doctors (orthopedist, podiatrist, opthalmologist, neurologist, etc.). I’ve managed not to have to visit an ENT since I was in elementary school (multiple sets of tubes from recurrent ear infections) and I’m getting tired of adding to the list.

Plus this puts a major damper on training. And has BC worried since I called to tell him I was going to the doc, which just all around sucks gorilla butt.

Nothing like an attack of vertigo to start off your day on the right foot.

Woke up, swung my legs over and sat up, per the usual routine, and whammo! Felt like I was still drunk from the night before. Which would be fine if I had actually been drinking the night before, but I hadn’t. Not a pleasant sensation, but it did fade fairly quickly and I cautiously went about my morning. Had one more ‘relapse’ when I laid down on the floor to do some ab exercises while waiting for BC in the shower, but none since (maybe the usual sudafed dose kicked in and dried out the ears? who knows…).

Will test myself again before I go swimming tonight – definitely not into drowning, and I suspect an attack of vertigo in the water would be pretty damned terrifying.

I decided to give up caffeine again because it was affecting my sleep, which in turn was screwing with my training. Today was day two, and I warned BC that I might get a bit testy in a week or so. So far, so good, no headaches, sleeping better, all good.

I have, however, been extra-snarky. Like, really, really overly sarcastic at every little thing. Poor BC got to see a lot of it this weekend as we watched TV and I did a complete snark-a-thon at pretty much every show. Not quite what I was intending when giving up caffeine (New and Improved! Now with extra Snark!), and hopefully it’ll pass shortly as my system gets used to the change. Until then I suppose I’m going to have to watch my tongue more than usual.

After spending several hours reviewing a document just to find out that the office who sent it up for review couldn’t actually make any of the changes we sent back, I was more than a tad pissed as I left work this evening. Walked home (no buses convenient when I was near a stop), made some dinner, pigged out on some soy ice cream (better than drinking), and popped down for more knitting. Managed to add several inches of knit stitch to the thing as I cleared out stuff on the TiVo. It was mostly calming, and I feel a little bit better, but it’s going to be hard not to go in tomorrow and want to bite someone’s head off over wasting several hours of my time which could have been better spent doing work that actually needed to be done.

In other news, work actually gave me a choice of blackberries, which is both gratifying and annoying. Gratifying because I won’t get one of the ancient, leftover ones from someone else. Annoying because I have to choose and I know nothing about the devices. If anyone has a reason why I should go with either an 8800 series or an 8300 series model, let me know, otherwise I’m just going to tell them 8800 series.

I’m also missing BC. We moved a date originally scheduled for yesterday to tomorrow, and I’m feeling withdrawal. Hopefully our schedules will better match for it then.

I am at the point with Zelda: Twilight Princess where I just want the game to fucking well be over and done with. I’m not even really trying to play it any more, I’m just following a game guide to get through it. Nowhere near as fun as Bioshock or Mass Effect (both of which I was able to follow, without the need for a guide, to a successful end). This game has made me cranky from the first, and I will glad when it is done and over with.

And no, stopping is not an option, I want to see the bloody ending at this point. But there better not be any more fucking fishing. If I have to fish in this game one more time I shall kill someone.

Retail therapy was in order today. I was almost out of body wash anyway, and I was feeling a tad bummed (more on that in a bit), so I zipped out to pick up BC and headed out to Tyson’s for therapy. I lucked out again with suit separates (Mr. Klein loves me), and picked up a nice black suit, which I needed.

Was feeling bummed because I decided not to apply for the job with the other not-so-BGA. Ultimately they dropped the position to a GS-scale one, so it would be a lateral switch over. In the end it would mean a longer commute, longer hours, and a much more politicized atmosphere, with no more money. So, phooey on it. I was kind of excited at the possibility of moving, but thankfully I’m quite happy where I am, so staying isn’t a bad thing (unlike leaving the previous job), but it was still a bit blah making. It had me up late last night thinking about it (stressing over it?), which I’m sure contributed to the funk.

Better this evening, but still have to tell da boss lady tomorrow. She’ll be greatly relieved, and it’s always nice to be the bearer of good news for the listener. Even if one is disappointed at the cause.

I spoke too soon on the supposed end of “The December plague” – it’s still here and kicking, as evidenced by a lovely, sweat-filled, rolling sleepless roll in the bed when I was supposed to be actually, oh, sleeping. Just shoot me now, I can’t take another week of this.

Wiped out. Completely wiped out. But a fun time was had in getting to here.

I spent the past three days with BC and his family. They do big stuff for the holidays, culminating in a big party the evening of the 25th at his Mom’s place. The 24th was relatively sedate – some last minute wrapping, prepping food for the next day, and some good Indian take-out for dinner. Wine and spades (the card game) after dinner, then a late bed time. The morning of the 25th bloomed with BC’s younger sister (29? 30?) coming in and announcing that Santa had come and we had to to come out to see what he brought.

At least, I’m told she did. I don’t recall it at all, and BC says I just buried my head further and snuggled up closer to him when she came in. Eventually we got up and did gift exchange with BC, his younger sister, Mom and Step-Dad. After that we cleaned up and then it was off to his oldest sister’s house for brunch and more exchanging of gifts. His brother-in-law did a fantastic job with the food, and including vegan dishes for me. Had fun picking on his niece (12 y/o), then it was off to Dad’s place.

The event at Dad’s went very well. This was the first time bringing a boyfriend to Dad’s event, and I think it went well. Step-mother’s family was in full force, and they were a trip and a half. Unfortunately there was not a damned thing there I could eat, so nibbling, just sipping of red wine over the course of the afternoon. Whew. Dad was gracious and pleasant, so was a pretty good time. Finally it was time to return to Mom’s house and the party, already in progress.

Plenty of food for me at Mom’s, which I dived into as soon as I could. And more wine. And then there was singing.

A big family tradition is the singing of carols. I have a fairly strong baritone (aided by the wine), and I’m not shy of singing in such a crowd, so I kept us mostly on key and pace, which I think Mom appreciated. No solos this year for anyone (thank heavens), but it was quite fun. At the end of the night BC volunteered the two of us to clean up and sent Mom & her husband off to bed. We got it pretty well policed, all food and dishes put away, and everything else straightened up nicely for the morning.

Slept in this morning, obviously, and thanks to lots of water at the end of the party and while cleaning, there was no hangover. And, as an added bonus, the plague that’s been stuck in my system for the last 2-3 weeks seems to have finally, finally been killed off. Late brunch, relaxing at the house with BC while his parents were at work, a good movie & cuddling. Finally came home at 5 or so.

No energy whatsoever tonight, so not going to set up the new Xbox 360, nor pop in any of the games I’m playing at the moment on the Wii. Working the next two days, and a good, long sleep tonight should be just what the doctor ordered. Get to have a talk with da bosslady this week about job prospects and how to proceed with these things. I trust her, so I know it won’t be a problem to tell her I’m considering some other options, but it’ll still be an interesting conversation.

With the plague over, hopefully there will be a return to regular training. I’ve missed getting out to run, and being active generally, and I know from past experience how much I need that activity for my physical and mental health. So, time to dig back in, and prep for the year to come.

Nothing quite like having maintenance cut all the electricity in your building to tell you it’s time to leave. They’re doing some routine work on the electrical system that required it all to be off. I’m just glad I’m not staying home today with this cold, and that I don’t regularly work from home.

Getting up at the butt-crack of dawn, driving an hour to Baltimore, and then running a 5 mile race in the low 30s is perhaps not the best way to get rid of a head cold. That said, I had a great deal of fun at this race.

Chips aside, the race is a fairly low-key event. If a race with around 2,000 people in it can be said to be “low-key,” that is. Regular registration was $10, $45 if you wanted the jacket. Having seen the race shirts from prior years, I sprang for the jacket – embroidered, not ironed-on, and very comfy for post-race attire (and would work well to run in as well). Money well spent.

Started a few minutes after the stated time, which I find to be normal with a race this size. The beginning was a nice uphill to get the heart rate going and warm us up. BC ran this one with me, and save for a couple of moments in the middle, and right at the end, we ran together this time. Was nice to chat with him as we ran. The last race, a turkey trot right before Thanksgiving, he and his dad left me in the dust, which isn’t a big deal, but it was nice to have some time running with him for once.

After the initial hill, it was a roundabout, gently rolling course around Druid Lake park, with one of the final miles around the lake itself. The course wasn’t too crowded, folks were able to pass and be passed without much difficulty. The one water stop could’ve been a bit better laid out from what I saw (I had a bottle, so didn’t stop), but the volunteers there were very friendly and helpful from what I heard while passing it. Which was pretty much par for the course here – the volunteers were, hands down, some of the best I’ve seen at a race. Friendly, happy to be there, and enthusiastic with cheering out on the course.

The initial uphill was the final leg coming into the finish line as well, and I picked up a bit of steam coming down it. Actually, a bit too much steam – I ended up with that lovely “hi, I’ve run too fast and now I want to puke” sensation after the finish line. Whee! Didn’t ralf, thankfully, but it’s not the most pleasant sensation. My own fault for kicking up my heels a bit too much at the end.

What was pleasant was that immediately after I could breath clearly for the first time in days – my sinuses were completely clear, and no cough. Not the case at the moment (later this evening), but it felt great right as we got done, and lasted until we got ready to leave Baltimore, post-brunch.

There were a ton of folks at the race from the tri club as well, and it was great fun to wave at folks while running, and hang out with them before and after (as well as at brunch up the road at Cafe Hon).

All in all a great race, and one I’ll happily run again.