Back to my random ways

I have a lot on my mind, but none of it is full blog post-worthy, so back to my favorite writing form: bullets. 

• My sore back is slowly getting better, I think. I ran on Monday (4 miles) and Tuesday (3 miles). Today it’s kind of stiff and sore again, but not nearly as bad as Sunday. I hope it’s on the mend. I don’t need anything else working against me on Sunday: the day of “most challenging half marathon in Florida.”
• In addition to the half marathon, there is a full marathon available. Yikes. That distance is still not appealing to me and extremely scary. I keep thinking it will be my next goal, but no, not yet … maybe not ever. I do always get a little twinge of interest when I read an inspiring marathon recap, like this one ... but only a twinge, mostly admiration and awe at the person who did it.
• Jessica Simpson was on Jay Leno on Tuesday. She was beautiful and funny, per usual. She just makes me happy. She already looks super pregnant, but isn’t due until summer. I guess that’s what happens when you’re 5’2”.

• I like to think I’m a part of this child’s life because when I met Jessica, she was pregnant.

• To top off the ultimate late night, Charlie Sheen was on Jimmy Fallon. He makes me happy, too. But, not happy enough to stay up that late. Sorry Charlie.
• I did recently watch a new-to-me Charlie Sheen movie, though. It was released in 1998, so it’s probably not new to anyone else. What can I say? I’m on the cutting edge. Anyway, I could have gone another 15 years without seeing it. If given the opportunity, do not watch “No Code of Conduct.” Horrible, awful movie. I didn’t realize Martin and Charlie made such terrible movies. They do. My boyfriend said at the beginning of the movie, “Hey. That’s Bret Michaels.” I said, “No. It looks like him, but it’s definitely not him.” At the closing credits, we found out it was Bret Michaels … and that he directed the movie. Bret Michaels directs movies? Well, he shouldn’t.

Source

• I came upon this unfortunate movie because of Netflix. I’ve never had Netflix, but our new TV has a wireless connection and now, Netflix. In my first experience, my boyfriend asked what movie I wanted to watch. I of course said “Ace Ventura.” Not available. OK, what kind of service is this? The best movie of all time is not available? Then, I said, “How about 300?” Yeah, not available either. So, I said, “Can you look up movies by actor?” That led to searching Charlie Sheen and the terrible discovery. Um, is Netflix really this lame? No recent movies? Only Bret Michaels-directed movies?
• Tonight, I’m watching an OJ Simpson trial documentary thanks to Netflix. I started by searching Jessica Simpson (surprise!). After finding absolutely nothing (seriously worst movie service ever … or I don’t know how to work it yet), but seeing OJ, I decided to see what he had to offer. I thought maybe "Naked Gun," but no: two documentaries about the trial. Sadly, I’m mildly obsessed with law and especially the Simpson trial, so I’m actually liking it more than the pitiful Charlie Sheen movie.

Please tell me: is Netflix really this bad? Have you ever watched a Bret Michaels-directed movie? Have you run a marathon? If so, do you like the distance? If not, are you scared like me?

See you next year, work!

Well, these last few weeks have been pure madness.

My job's really not that bad ... sometimes. I actually like it ... sometimes. I really do ... really.

Seriously (since when I'm ever serious?), I like what I do. I just don't like some of the hassles that come along with it. Like after a long day, getting a call at 9 p.m. asking me to do more work. Or getting stuck at work late those weeks and missing my running group.

But, I'm happy to say that as of yesterday, I'm away from work until 2013.

As a final hurrah to that pesky thing that pays the bills for 2012, I went to the holiday party this past Saturday to enjoy one thing I always like about my job: the peeps. 

This event may have caused me to miss running group on Sunday. Darn you sangria, cran-apple martini, red wine and more sangria!

So, what does one do once they finally have broken free from the chains to their desk?
Dye their hair shockingly dark, of course!

I'm sure I'll get used to it, but man, it's dark.

My hair stylist and I talked about some of the best Christmas songs, like "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" by *NSYNC. Do you find it hard to say "Merry Christmas" instead of singing it, or is that just me? And, the entire Jessica Simpson album, "Rejoyce." My hair stylist loves Jessica almost as much as I do, so I could care less what she does to my hair. OK, not really. But, she's awesome.

My dad was supposed to arrive this afternoon. Due to that terrible winter thing called snow, his flight was cancelled. Thankfully, after a 25-minute hold and another 20 minutes on the phone, I rescheduled his flight ... to Orlando. The next seat available to Tampa wasn't until Christmas Eve, which I found unacceptable. Fortunately, a flight to the next closest airport had a seat available tomorrow. It's a little more than an hour away, but it's so worth it. 

Because of this, I was able to delay all of the last-minute things I was going to do today before he arrived until tomorrow. No sense in getting things done early. 

Also because of this, I'll be at running group tonight. Yay!

Are you taking a break from work? Are you as pumped as I am? Did you go to your work holiday party? How was it? Have you ever dyed your hair a very different color? What's your favorite Christmas song? 

I love her

It started simply with liking her as a singer. When she came out around the same time as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, I always liked her best.

Then, when she did “Newlyweds,” I fell in love. I loved her personality. I loved her honesty. I loved her humor. I loved her realness. I thought she was gorgeous. Then, I couldn’t resist anything she did, whether it was a movie, an interview on TV or an appearance in a magazine, I had to see it.

I defended her when people called her stupid or fat.

I even gave slimy John Mayer another chance when she dated him. He couldn’t be all that bad, right? Yes. Yes, he can.

Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, I don’t like Tony Romo (yes, you read that right: don’t like). She renewed my faith in him … for awhile. Now I like him even less.

I saw her in concert during her “fat, mom jeans” time. But that’s as close as I’ve been to her.

She clearly wasn’t fat.

Maybe I’m slightly obsessed. And maybe I shrieked like a little girl when I heard she’d be making at appearance at a local mall. (And maybe you are scared now. I don't blame you.)

So when I heard it was the Saturday before my half marathon on Sunday, it still didn’t deter me. I knew it would probably involve standing on my feet for hours (It did: 2.5 hours’ worth), and my choice of a heeled boot was probably not the wisest shoe choice. But, I had a chance to meet Jessica Simpson, and I wasn’t passing it up.

The deal: if you bought $50 worth of Jessica Simpson Collection merchandise from Dillard’s, you’d get a wristband to meet Jessica and Ashlee Simpson. They were appearing from 1-4 p.m. Saturday.

So I headed to Dillard’s early in the week to make my purchase and get the details. I bought some purple skinny jeans (LOVE them) and was told to return on Saturday to meet Jessica.

To further add to my not-smart-before-a-half-marathon routine, I didn’t eat anything before going on Saturday. My stomach was excited and nervous (due to both meeting Jessica and the race and wondering where my boyfriend was who said he’d be ready to go at noon and was nowhere to be seen) so food wasn’t an option.

We finally made it to Dillard’s, and I got my wristband and got in line close to 1 p.m. And waited. And waited. And waited. We stood in line for more than two hours. But, the moment finally arrived.

When it was my turn to go up to the stage to meet Jessica and Ashlee, I had to give up my purse, phone and camera. I’m not really sure why … maybe safety reasons? They didn’t let people know this in advance, so some people were really unhappy about this. I kind of was because I really wanted a close-up photo of her (and with her), but I was just happy to meet Jessica so I really didn’t care.

Here’s how my interaction with Jessica went down:

Normally, I wouldn't post a photo of my butt. This one shows
me with Jessica Simpson, though.

Jina: Hi.
Jessica: Hi. How is your day?
Jina: It is great now. (Yes, I think I really said that.)
Jessica: What is your name?
Jina: Jina. It’s J-I-N-A.
(Jessica and Ashlee sign photos for me.)

Jessica is listening carefully to my name. Ashlee is not.

I love this.

I knew she didn't listen!

Jessica: That purple looks gorgeous on you.
Jina: Thank you. You are both gorgeous.
Jessica and Ashlee: Aww, thank you!

It was short and sweet, but it rocked. My favorite celebrity said my favorite color looked gorgeous on me. I’m glad since 99.8% of my wardrobe is purple.

After taking massive amounts of photos, we left. I really wanted to stick it out until she left, and I probably could have. I figured my boyfriend suffered enough at this point, though.

As we ate sushi (my favorite pre-race meal), I looked through all of the photos and reminisced about my best day ever (of this year, anyway).

A rockin' weekend

This weekend is going to rock! Here's why:

• Friday: I'll get sweet, sweet sleep! This week has been killer. Lots of work and not much fun leads to a tired turtle. I'm going to sleep it up tonight!
• Saturday: I shall meet one of my favorite celebrities of all time, the lovely and talented Jessica Simpson. I've loved this girl for a long time, and I can't believe I will meet her (when I say "meet," it really just means saying "hi"), get her autograph and get a photo with her. She'll be at a local Dillard's, and it's bound to be a little crowded and crazy, but it's so worth it to me. I'm beyond excited!

As close as I've been before

• Sunday a.m.: I'm running the Women's Half Marathon! This is my second year running this race, and I can't wait. I've trained for three months with a fabulous running group all along the course route, and I'm ready to rock this race (I say this, but I'm currently questioning my abilities).

• Sunday p.m.: I'm going to a post-race cookout at my coach's house for our running group. I love the coaches, the running group, food and drinks, so this is going to be an awesome way to celebrate with the people I've trained with and grown to like so much.  

Any exciting weekend plans? Running a race? Ever met a celebrity? Which one do you most want to meet?

Just another random Tuesday

I have lots of random thoughts. What's new, right? Well, the thoughts are new.

• For the first time ever, I ran 400-meter repeats (nine of them)! I didn’t even know what they were before tonight. I heard people mention them, but it was a foreign concept to me. But, I love them. Love them. This was my best running performance in a long time. Yay! 
• When I was in Kansas, a group of us (me, boyfriend, brother, sister-in-law, sister-in-law’s sister and sister-in-law’s sister’s friend) went to see “Lawless.” Lately, I’m completely clueless when it comes to new movies so I’d never even heard of it. But, I’m so glad my brother and sister-in-law had and took us to go see it. I loved this movie. And, I’ve determined that I really like Shia LaBeouf (who my brother calls “The Beef,” and now I do too). I was kind of embarrassed about it at first, but I figured this should not be embarrassing to a girl who loves Justin Bieber, boy bands and Jessica Simpson. So, I love The Beef. 

Source

• Funny thing: the movie is about bootlegging brothers in Prohibition-era Virginia. When I went to my brother and sister-in-law’s house for dinner (a few days before the movie), my brother asked me if I wanted to try some apple pie moonshine. I was worried he put in a still in the backyard or I could go blind from drinking it, but thankfully, that was not the case. He just cooked apple cider, apple juice and brown sugar, and then added vanilla vodka and Everclear (yes, really). It was awesome … and it was in a mason jar. My brother also made some pickle vodka and bacon vodka … both in mason jars (and both delicious – especially the pickle vodka). My boyfriend mentioned the movie was just like going to their house for dinner. 
• Last week I was pumped to watch the MTV Video Music Awards. After the fact, I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m getting old, but I just didn’t really like any of the performances. My favorite was probably One Direction (hello, boy band). I used to be a big rap and hip-hop fan, and I’m just not impressed anymore. I only get excited about one rap song coming on the radio these days (and it has more to do with it being Desmond Jennings’ (my favorite Rays player) walk-up music. I found it extremely irritating before. 

It's your fault that I like this.

 

• But, rap I do like: Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion now?). He’s coming to Tampa in October. I want to go. Problem 1: he’s coming to a music festival-type thing with many artists; I only want to see him. Problem 2: I’m not sure if I know anyone that will go with me. Problem 3: concerts are expensive. But, if I resolved the first two problems, I’d probably pay the high ticket price. I mean, I’ve liked this guy since high school (a long time), and “Doggystyle” was the first rap CD I owned (Shh! My parents didn’t know).

Road trips: you're not my favorite

I'm currently packing and cleaning and getting ready to start driving to South Carolina. I'm not excited about it. I hate long car rides, and this one is double-digit hours. So while trying to avoid the inevitable, I decided to be random.

• Yay for Jessica Simpson and her baby girl, Maxwell Drew, being on the cover of People! I'm getting it to take on my road trip. Oh, wait ... I guess I should focus on driving. I probably can't be trusted with it in the car.

I love them! (source)

• Speaking of road trips, I loathe them. (Did I mention this? Well, it's worth mentioning again and again.) I'd fly everywhere if I could. Chloe appreciates me driving, though.

• I want to like road trips. They sound like they could be fun. Maybe with the right people, music, snacks and destination? I don't know. I think I'll still find sitting in a car for hours and hours and hours tedious.
• If you're asking yourself, "Didn't Jina just return from a trip?", you'd be correct. I did. I wouldn't plan it like this, but you can't schedule graduations when you want. 
•  I struggle with running while traveling. I prepare. I pack my running clothes. I schedule when I'll run, and then ... nothing. I know most people love exploring a city by running. That scares me. I like knowing where I am and how I can get back to where I started (the safe way).
• Back to Jessica Simpson (I find myself saying that constantly), as predicted she joined forces with Weight Watchers to lose the baby weight. She is so darn smart, even if she thinks buffalo wings are from buffaloes. 

Running (and other randomness)

Since Florida feels like the surface of the sun (but more humid) from now until at least September, my race schedule drops off dramatically. As in basically nothing except one (maybe two) 5Ks until November. 

Surface of the sun (but more humid): craptastic
gym and outdoors (May-September)

 So, I decided to start dreaming about next race season ... just about six months in advance. 

And, I think I want to do a local halfathon challenge that involves four half marathons: October (Halloween race, and I think I require a costume), December, January and March, in addition to the Women's Half Marathon in November and Rock 'n' Roll in February. Six in six months. That's doable, right?

I keep hesitating because one race involves big, scary bridges. There's no way I'd sign up for the race on its own, but as part of a package deal, I'd have to do it. And challenge myself. I need that. 

Now for other randomness: 

• Jessica Simpson had her baby today! I shrieked a little when I heard it. I'm that excited. What I'm not excited about is that little Miss Maxwell Drew Johnson missed my birth month by a day. One day! I kind of love her name (and her mom), so I'll forgive her.

Maxwell's mom at the best concert ever

• I didn't try almond butter for the longest time because of it's pricey status. Um, $11 per jar? Is this normal? Do others actually pay this price? I found it on sale for $4.99 and could handle that. Problem is I now love it, but I refuse to pay double-digits for some nut butter. 
• I'm looking forward to a May trip to spend time with these crazy peeps.

Hmm. Maybe I'm the crazy one.

Wacky Wednesday no more

This is my last Wacky Wednesday. Why? Because every day is wacky and random. And, I can write about that along with my running adventures. 

I guess when I first started blogging about running, I thought that's all I could write about (yeah, I'm a smart one). Obviously, that's always the focus, but there are other things in life like baseball, my dog, celebrity gossip, Elvis, Jessica Simpson, boy bands, Kansas State (and purple), music, movies and wine that are blog-worthy (or not). And, these other interests happen on days besides Wednesday. And, they are a part of my life as much as running. 

So, I'm just going to incorporate those other things into regular posts (not relegate them to Hump Day only). 

Now, onto the randomness:

• Is Jessica Simpson really still pregnant? Holy crap. She's got to be uncomfortable. And, her baby totally missed my birthday. 
• Chloe enjoyed the beautiful weather today ... or was avoiding the stairs. We live in a 7th floor condo, and the elevator was broken.

• I loved New Orleans. It was beautiful, fun and had delicious food. Now that I'm not relegating content like this to Wednesdays, I can do a full post about it later (because it deserves it). 
• I watched "Friends With Benefits." Didn't love it, but it kept me entertained. I like Justin Timberlake, but I think I like him better as a singer (more specifically, a singer in a boy band). He's an OK actor I guess, but bring back *NSYNC.

Wacky Wednesday

• After my 5K on Saturday, I headed to Winter Garden (one of the many Winter-named cities in the state to lure northern tourists) for a girls' weekend. We did some paddle-boating, quad-bike riding (not sure if this is what the four-seat, four-pedal bike is called or not) and wine drinking. Lots of wine drinking.
• The party continued in the Bay Area on Monday night. Nothing like a Monday night party. 

Yes, I am a giant. A purple giant.

• Jessica Simpson has not had her baby yet unless she is keeping a big secret from everyone, which I don't think she can do. Come on, baby Simpson! You can wait until my birthday now and make me one happy girl (again, for the millionth time, yes I'm pathetic). 
• I'm leaving for New Orleans way too early tomorrow. I'm ready for a Bloody Mary and a ghost tour (and whatever else the city has to offer). Bring it on!

Wacky Wednesday

• Due to unexpected (but not unwelcome) guests, this past weekend and week are craziness. Add to that some madness at work, and we've got ourselves a party.
• Chloe loves having guests. As long as she's not left alone, she's a happy dog.

Please just don't leave me here by myself.

• Every day that Jessica Simpson doesn't have her baby is a day closer to my birthday! As mentioned previously: yes, I'm pathetic.
• College basketball ended on an awesome note. No, I'm not a Kentucky fan. I'm an anti-Kansas fan. I rooted against my school's rival the entire tournament. Finally, in the championship game, they lost. Good. I hope it's more painful that way.
  
• Baseball season is here, thank goodness! 

I heart summer and baseball (and my pine tar T-shirt).