Like Thursdays can do, this one really bit. At this point in the day, there are only few things that I can think of that made today better (and rock): Chloe (my sweet dog) and running group.
She makes every day rock ... even Thursday.
By the end of the workday, I was so worn out, all I wanted to do was go home and collapse (and sleep for 12 hours). But, because I'm in a training group and I knew people were expecting me, I put on running clothes and headed out to meet the group. And I'm so glad I did. Running, being outside and chatting (about running, clothes, stinky bay water, headbands used as knee bands, TV, high school football, weight loss, races, cute boys and thousands of other topics) was just what I needed. It totally got my mind off of the disaster that was Thursday.
A smile ... but only after running group
Thank you Chloe and running group for making today rock (even though pesky Thursday did not rock in any other way).
Due to Labor Day (and a few vacation days), I'm still trying to figure out what day it is. I swore yesterday was Monday. Unfortunately, Thursday won't let me forget it. I was well aware today was the dreaded day because it makes its ugly presence known. But, there are things I can think of that rock to make it all better.
Running group tonight: my running is getting better. I love that feeling.
My
running group meets at (and is organized through) a local running
store, Fit2Run. The St. Petersburg store just opened in August. Next
Thursday is their official grand opening with 20% off from 5-7 p.m. I'm
thinking shoes.
Shoes make me happy, and these would make me super-duper happy.
They would go fabulously with this shirt that makes me really happy. I'm digging Under Armour shirts these days. This one is long (thank goodness), cool (as it can be on a hot and muggy Florida day) and purple!
I'm a longtime Carmex fan. I remember my mom always having a tub of it in her purse. My brother and I would dig our fingers in and spread it our lips.
Thankfully, they make it in tube form because the tub always kind of grossed me out. But, it still moisturizes and protects lips better than any other balm or gloss out there, in my opinion. And, I should know since I've sampled thousands.
Fun work outings
For working at an accounting firm, we do some pretty fun things.
Take yesterday, for example. We had an all-hands meeting. Probably doesn't sound that fun, right? Well, put that meeting at Tropicana Field (home of the Tampa Bay Rays). After the meeting and lunch in the center field restaurant, head on out to watch the Rays win. And, add in some Rays bucks to buy drinks, snacks or a shirt (like me). Pretty sweet workday, huh?
My office (for the day)
Your turn: Are you a lip gloss or lip balm addict? Have a favorite brand? Do you have fun work outings?
Thursdays aren’t my favorite day. This is not a shock to those that I work with or those that know I am a member and founder of the I Hate Thursday Club. In an effort to make this dreaded day better, I started posting about things that rock at the end of the day to try and end it well.
But, Thursdays nights are now infinitely better because my half marathon training group meets then.
So, I thought I’d try posting it in the morning to start the day off on the right foot.
Bark at the parks
Two things I really love in life are dogs and baseball, so when I can combine them, it makes for a pretty rockin’ day.
I lucked out living in the Tampa Bay area because there are three very close single A stadiums (in addition to the Rays) that have all kinds of promotions to get people to attend. Thankfully, some of those promotions include bark at the parks and yappy hours.
Last Wednesday, we took Chloe to a Clearwater Threshers’ Yappy Hour. She’s been to a few bark at the park events, and she always has a good time. I swear this dog actually watches the game! There are people and dogs and food in the concourse behind her, but she likes to keep her eyes on the field.
Dog is happy. Owner is happy. That results in an awesome night.
‘90s reunions
It is no secret that, much like the VH1 show, I love the ‘90s. Shows, movies and music all reigned supreme in the 1990s, in my opinion (unlike my boyfriend who said the only good group to come out of the ‘90s was Nirvana … eh, what does he know?).
So, it is no surprise that a ‘90s lover like me loved the Olympics closing ceremonies. A Spice Girls reunion? Yes, please! I definitely needed to spice up my life again. Even though it was short and sweet (and I worried about Posh falling off of her car stage), it rocked.
And, I’m in love with the new Old Navy commercials showcasing the original “Beverly Hills 90210” cast. This girl can’t get enough of 90210. I’ll watch reruns of that all day long.
This Thursday is better than most. Maybe because I had Monday off, and it technically feels like Wednesday? Whatever the reason, I'll take it. But, it still doesn't hurt to talk about things that rock.
Anger Management
I've had a thing for Charlie Sheen for at least 16 years. I think he's hilarious. Even though he's kind of crazy, I find him refreshing because he's honest about it.
I loved him on "Two and a Half Men." I think I've managed to watch every episode of his run at least twice, thanks to reruns. So, I'm ready for some new material.
Thankfully, "Anger Management" came along. I'm still getting used to it (I'm not ready to declare it the funniest show ever ... yet), but I'm just so happy Charlie's back on TV. As mentioned previously, I have issues.
The treadmill
Lately, I'm obsessed with the treadmill. I fought it for so long, but with all the rain we've been getting, I had to make peace with it. Now, I'm somewhat in love.
Yes, I still run on the treadmill in the craptastic gym. Yes, it's still crappy. Yes, it's still insanely hot.
But, I can watch TV (like "Anger Management"). I can easily do speed workouts. I can play running games while watching TV (sprint through commercials). It makes running even more fun.
Mentha Lip Shine
I'm kind of iffy on mint. Sometimes I like it, and sometimes it makes me feel nauseous. I was taking a big gamble on buying this lip gloss (even though it was on sale for $2 at Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale).
Turns out, it didn't make me nauseous. And, I don't like it, I love it!
Not only is the scent (flavor?) fabulous (a mixture of bubble gum and mint), it actually moisturizes my lips. Most glosses seem to slack in that area (they make your lips shiny, but that's it). I don't believe their claim that it is a breath freshener, but other than that, I'm a fan.
Thursday, yuck. This one hasn't been that bad, I guess, but I'm tired and somewhat grumpy, so I need some things that rock to cheer me up.
A new fan configuration in the craptastic gym
You may remember my genius setup to keep cool in a way-too-hot gym.
This worked pretty well, but I was always a little nervous that the fan might fall off of the elliptical (the last thing I need is to be indebted to the craptastic gym for a new fan).
So, when I ran last night, I tried a new configuration.
Not only did I not worry about a crashing fan, I ran in comfort for 2.5 miles!
Look folks! I didn't sweat ... much (I'm pointing at the lack of sweat on my shirt).
All-Star Game festivities
I’ll
try to cool it on the baseball talk after this. I know I haven’t been
able to shut up about it lately, so I’m sorry if baseball isn’t your
thing. It is my thing, and the Fan Fest rocked my world. So many
interactive exhibits, baseball memorabilia and just cool stuff.
I started my life as a die-hard Oakland A's fan because of Jose Canseco.
I
didn’t go to the game, but it was cool to see the stadium where I spent
my summers growing up showcased to the nation. It was also cool to see
Rays’ players David Price and Fernando Rodney each pitch a scoreless
inning (this says a lot considering the American League pitchers gave up
8 runs).
Weird promotions
OK,
I know I said I’d cool it with the baseball talk, but I guess I lied
because this is baseball-related. The buzz around town since the Rays
announced their 2012 promotions: the Zim Bear. What is a Zim Bear?, you ask. Good question. It's a teddy bear with Don Zimmer's face (Don Zimmer is a senior adviser with the Tampa Bay Rays and has been in baseball since 1949).
Players took photos with
the Zim Bear. Collectors said it was so weird and creepy that they had
to have it. The paper said people were going to line up 4 hours before
the gates opened to get their hands on one of the 10,000.
It
so happened that this was one of the games my dad and I attended. We
wanted a Zim Bear, but we really didn’t want to stand in the heat of the
Florida summer for 4 hours. We decided we’d tough it out for about an
hour and a half (and prepared with umbrellas, towels and Gatorade). We
arrived at the stadium to this.
Yes, we were the first in line at Gate 5.
So, we got our Zim Bear. And, it's crazy, creepy and weird (and still in the package ... in case I can sell it for millions of dollars).
Even with getting more sleep, Thursday still isn’t my favorite day. It’s better, but I’m still a proud member of the I Hate Thursdays Club.
So, what better way to counteract the negativity than with some positivity? In that spirit, here are this week’s things that rock even though Thursday doesn’t.
Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries and peaches
I buy the plain, nonfat variety of Greek yogurt. It tastes like sour cream. Unless you’re using it in place of sour cream (which I do on a regular basis and find it to rock), you gotta add something to it to make it palatable. Well, unless you enjoy eating mouthfuls of sour cream-tasting stuff. I don’t, so I’ve experimented with adding different types of fruits, and I’ve finally found my super-delicious combo: frozen blueberries and peaches. As an added bonus, the blueberries turn the yogurt almost purplish, and I love purple!
Going out on a weeknight
I went out on a Tuesday night! I had dinner! I’m a wild woman. I never go out to eat on a weeknight. But, a spur-of-the-moment decision had me eating dinner out with a friend, and I liked it. I even got all kinds of crazy by ordering a beer. I’m so used to the regular routine of going to work and coming home that I found it refreshing (and delicious).
Watching softball, not playing
I played softball for years. I liked my team. I liked playing, sort of. But, I found myself putting way too much pressure on myself. I wanted to hit better, field better and run the bases better. I wasn’t a bad player, but I just felt this intense pressure (to the point of making myself sick) to not make any mistakes. The source of the pressure: me and me alone. My teammates were great.
So, after years of playing and finally winning our league championship, I called it quits.
Best. Decision. Ever.
I’m not stressed out over something that is supposed to be fun. I can actually enjoy my Friday nights by … watching softball. I’m a pretty rockin’ cheerleader, so I’m at each game rooting for my old team (and going out with them after the game).
Watching the game with my cheerleader pal
I get asked frequently to play again, but I’ve resisted so far. I miss some aspects, but I really don’t miss being so stressed out about something that’s supposed to be fun.
Thursday is by far my least favorite day of the workweek. My lack of sleep from earlier in the week catches up to me, so I’m miserably tired. And work-wise, it’s craziness. I guess it’s the rush before the weekend. We even started the I Hate Thursday club at work. It’s that bad.
I’ve tried thinking of it as Friday Eve. I’ve tried telling myself it’s close to the weekend. Nothing seems to work.
So, in another effort to make Thursdays more bearable, I decided to post about things that rock (even though Thursdays don’t). More positivity will cancel the negativity, right? Right?!? Please tell me I’m right.
I need this every week, so I think this is going to become a weekly feature.
Here are this week’s things that rock (even though Thursdays don’t):
Nuun
You know that feeling that everyone else has tried something except for you and you’re left behind while everyone else raves about it. That happens to me a lot. You’d think I live in a cave. This happened again with Nuun. It seemed like everyone else tried it and loved it while Cavewoman Jina wondered what it was all about. But, thanks to a fabulous giveaway, I’m the proud owner of Nuun. Thanks, Bean, for pulling me out of my cave.
Now
I can jump on the Nuun train with everyone else and proclaim that this
tasty, fizzy, 8-calorie electrolyte-loaded beverage is delicious and
awesome. It’ll be a standard running hydration tool from now on. Take
that, cave.
Watermelon
Holy yum. I cannot get enough of this. I may need an intervention.
I even sacrificed and bought the seeded variety because the store was out of seedless. I hate dealing with seeds, but I hate living without watermelon more.
Die In Your Arms
Yes,
I’m a 30-something woman that likes Justin Bieber. I used to be
embarrassed, but not anymore. The kid is good. This song rocks my
Thursday (and every other day of the week). Give me more sugary pop goodness, JB.
