Crack for Nerds

My sister gave me Guitar Hero III for Christmas. I asked for it because my resident friends always sit around and play it and I never felt confident enough to play along. So when I finally got it home and plugged into the PS2, I got completely hooked. Not really addicted, but it has taken up a lot more time than I thought it would. I didn't do any training for my triathlon until today because all I wanted to do was sit on my butt. I am also re-reading the Harry Potter books and I have cut way back on the amount of time for that.
Back to GHIII, I am currently dominating the "easy" levels, although freakin' Slayer killed me with "Raining Blood". Took me 4 tries to beat that, on EASY! All I really want to play is "Cherub Rock" anyway!
The rest of Christmas was also great. DH got a Roomba, but we haven't started it yet (worried about the train tracks around the tree). Seeing family and relaxing in general was also very nice.


Triathlon training week 4: ran 5.5 miles today, swam 2 miles last Sunday. C'mon, it's Christmas week! Totals: 23.4mi/29.9mi/6900yds

Home for Christmas

Only two more hours at work and then we are leaving for the promised land (clearly, I'm not working that hard if I'm blogging, but I have time before clinic). The last two weeks or so have been busy as hell and I can't wait for a chance to relax. I've had very little time to exercise with meetings and presentations and last night's dinner party (which went great). I did manage to run 4.5 miles and bike 8 on Sunday. I'm taking my running shoes and swimsuit home so hopefully I can do something.

Quick thoughts:
1) I love Christmas songs, but some of the most inane lyrics ever penned are in them, such as
-"Christmas comes this time each year" - Beach Boys "Little Saint Nick". I mean, come on, when else would Christmas come!?!

2) Did fairly well on my in-training exam for ortho this year. My percentile rank didn't really change but as a program we did terrible. I don't know what we are doing wrong or are we hiring dumb people or are we not reading enough. Ugh, maybe we need to build in protected reading time or something.

3) I have sinusitis and my teeth have been aching for 3 days (maxillary sinus pressure). Not that you care.

4) Merry Christmas!

Back from Florida, Picture Time!

1) I went with a few people from work to Ft. Lauderdale over the weekend. We were there officially for Stryker Spine's Pediatric Spine Deformity Symposium, but it was a great social outing for all. The weather was fabulous (80's, sunny) and coming back to Philly was torture (30's, sleet, but DH was waiting at the airport with a warm car and a smile).

2) I love pictures. Unlike a lot of people I know, I obsess about having all of my pictures filed in chronologic order as soon as they are printed (OCD much?). I have no boxes of pics sitting around my house. I do have about 15 photo albums dating from middle school to present (I left pics from before then for my mom's albums), and I look at them pretty often. The first decision that DH and I made about our wedding was the photographer (I got a crapload of photos for not too much dinero, see http://www.southernpics.com/). I recently ordered most of 2007's photos off of snapfish.com and they should be in any day now.

So, while I wait, here are a few more classic shots that I scanned from mom.

I just think this is a cute pic. That's my cousin in the background, and probably her purse and hat (she was waaaaaay more girly than me).

Another fabulous shot of the famous day I stuck the water hose down my little sister's diaper, filling it with water and leading to its untimely removal. My granddad looks either fairly amused or disturbed; can't tell. What also makes this great is that the whole thing was caught on video and is played every year at Christmas.

Last but not least is the shot of my dad after I kicked his head into the bottom of the swimming pool (complete accident I swear!). He got a good gash that was really a lot uglier than it was dangerous. But man does he look pissed! It's a good thing he actually thought it was pretty funny.

3) Triathlon training week one (Dec 2-8): run 6.2 miles, bike 12 miles, swim 0
Not great, but considering my trip, the weather, and generally busy week, it's okay

New Goal for the New Year

Okay, I am starting to realize that maybe I am not in as good of shape as I used to be. It is hard working 70-90 hours a week to get on and stick to any type of training regimen. I maybe work out an hour or so a week, either a run or a swim. If sitting on my butt watching TV was training, I'd be all set. So, I've decided to enter a triathlon to give me a goal to train for. I'm going to try a Philadelphia all-women's triathlon in August called the SheRox (I didn't come up with the name, thankfully). See more at http://www.sheroxtri.com/home_4.htm.

Here's the plan, for the next 3 months starting in January, I am on a pretty easy rotation, meaning most of the time I will work about 10 hours a day. I will be taking in-hospital call about once a week or so, but I will have off the next day. The rule will be, if off of work by 7pm, go to the gym for 1 1/2 hours for cardio/stretching. If post-call, sleep if I need to, then one hour at the gym. Workouts will consist of 1 hour of one activity, then 1/2 hour of another. I will probably have to do the one hour runs either late at night or Sunday mornings when the treadmills are empty. The schedule will be a little more dicey once I start back up at Abington Hospital, which is usually a bear of a rotation.

What I need for now is motivation from friends and family, a kick-ass song list for the iPod, and a bike. I can start training outdoors once the weather warms up some (aka March).
Wish me luck

Sick Day

I feel lousy. I went to work this morning but had to leave before noon. I then came home and slept for nearly 7 hours, and I was fairly well-rested before. I have some nasty food poisoning and am not happy about it. I've lost 2 pounds since this morning. That's bad.
Gonna try and drink some more fluids now.

Back from Home

We got back from Louisville last night after a (very) uneventful flight. After hearing gloom and doom from the local broadcasters about Thanksgiving travel, DH ("dear husband" (people have been asking when I started liking the American League, I still don't)) and I were ultra conservative with regard to getting to the airport. On three flights, we spent a total of 3 minutes waiting for security and check in. We then spent 4 hours complaining about lack of lines! We're crazy.
As for the trip itself, it was largely uneventful and it was totally perfect. We got to see most of our families (DH's one brother couldn't make it) and eat plenty of good food. We also got to watch our nephews "play" basketball (St. Gabriel 4-6 year old basketball; it's fan-tastic).
I also installed my mom's new scanner ("new" meaning "sat in a box in the dining room for four months before someone would set it up"). As a treat, I downloaded a crapload of old photos. Some weren't that old, I just wanted proof that I used to be really, really skinny and I didn't have any pics myself. Go figure.

This is a great picture of me and my college coach, Rick. I think this was taken about 2 minutes after my last collegiate swim ever. I know because I wouldn't have my cap off this soon after a race unless I wasn't going to warm down, which I didn't for the first time ever after this race (200 yard backstroke).

I just like this picture of all of us at my sister's 24th birthday. Look at my youngest sister, she looks like she's gonna kill someone.


This was taken while my baby sister and I were walking back from the neighborhood pool circa 1990. Notice the Bart Simpson t-shirt (I tried to find it but couldn't)




These two pics are of my middle sister and I. Look at the Big Bird house slippers, fabulous!

Hope you enjoy this little glance into my life and history!

Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again, the day we celebrate the last day before we have to hear Porky Pig's "Blue Christmas" one hundred times a day.
DH and I leave tomorrow night from Philly's airport to get back to the 'Ville around midnight. We're flying back Saturday because I have to work Sunday, but for the time in between we plan on seeing as many people as possible. We also love to visit our favorite hometown restaurants. (as an aside, we used to love the Bristol on Bardstown road. We had our wedding rehearsal dinner there. Then we avoided it for several years because they used some bullshit reasoning to get out of the old smoking ban. I then heard they asked a patient with CP to move for making a "disturbance". Granted, I live far away and don't know the whole story, but I'm still hesitant to go back.)
Things I am thankful for this year:
1. My husband - he has put up with a lot from me in the past few years, not the least of which is moving him around the country several times. He is kind, patient, just as nutty as me, and my best friend. He also helps with my massive anger control problem (that is a story for another day).
2. My family - both blood related and by marriage
3. My pets - yes, even the cat
4. Good health - holding out on the BP treatment for another year
5. My job - despite my griping, it really is the best job in the world
6. A roof over my head - I have a fantastic, cozy little house in Southwest Center City. Our stuff fits in it, we have a little patio, and it's near everything
7. A growing acceptance of green policies - The Bush administration will never do anything, but it seems like the public is changing without them. I especially love programs like Philly Car Share, to which we belong, and the slow transition to alternative energy, such as PECO's.
8. Hookers (DH made me add this)
9. College basketball - A non-displaced patella fracture ending a career? C'mon! Slap a tension band on there and he'll be back in 8 weeks.
10. My friends - To everyone I have known over the years, I miss you all and wish you the best.
10b. My old Fairmont - best car ever; it was a good friend. Met the same fate as my beloved Escort, that is, totaled by a sister I had recently given it to.
Happy Thanksgiving

Eat a Tofurkey!

First new post (is that redundant?)

I created this blog for two reasons

1) I'm jealous of my husband's blog and I'm also insanely competitive, so I have to have one too

2) I actually do have a blog, but it's on myspace and it sucks

About the titles, I picked washed up because I am. A former college swimmer, I can now only cram my rapidly expanding tush into a swimsuit about once a week. The URL refers to my favorite Shakespeare comedy. At the time it was written, "nothing" and "noting" were pronounced the same. It also refers to the musicality of the play. Besides, "much-ado-about-nothing" was taken.

Enjoy!