Patience, my child

Mini has an opportunity to try out for UIL events and my little heart exploded with pride and memories. Except for chess, I excelled at these events. Storytelling was my breakthrough – shocking, most definitely – into a world of possibilities for competitive scholastic events.

Many years ago I made a keto carrot cheesecake that was sublime. Really. It was incredible. I haven’t baked in a lonnnnnng while and now I have some free time. You know. While I wait. Anyway, I wanted to bring a family dessert to game night, to impress my friends. And that’s where it ended. The photo below doesn’t look too horrible. But the taste? Let’s just say something went awfully wrong with the carrot cake layer on bottom. It was gloopy, gross, and inedible. The cheesecake layer wasn’t bad, had it not been on top of the carrot disaster. Needless to say, I did not take it anywhere except to the garbage can.

As my brain functions in some sort of random, non-linear, jumbled mess, I can appreciate life’s linearity. One would think dissertation work is linear. Oh, but you (I) would be so wrong. I do the things, then wait. I do other things, then wait. My frustrations are apparent as I check and double check my email waiting for a notification of scheduled defense proposal. I complete the IRB documents, then wait. Turns out IRB approval can take up to 2 months. Although I despise speaking this fear into existence, I’m not sure if I’ll begin the research portion this fall. No approvals = no research. I will have spent nearly the entirety of a very expensive semester awaiting approval. Sigh.

Patience is not my strongest virtue.

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I ask you –

What events did you participate in as a young person?

On a scale of 1 to me, how much patience do you have?

Tell me your worst cooking fail!

(The post Patience, my child first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Will I…

…finish writing my book, the one I started circa 2019? Considering a PhD is a nonfiction work of art, the answer remains to be seen.

…purchase my dream car? Maybe when mini graduates high school or I excel at a second job.

…volunteer to be room mom or the parent who channels their creativity to make school parties successful? Ha. Probably never. But I will be the cleanup crew. I can handle that.

…tune in to the upcoming presidential debates, tour stops, and all the related political rhetoric? You know, I really should. I should want to. But I just can’t stand to listen to either of the candidates speak. And my attention span? Yikes. I will instead concede to perusing non-partisan articles.

…what I thought was the beginning of Wk 3 in the review process is actually Wk 0. There was a miscommunication of email proportions and my manuscript wasn’t submitted yet. Alas, I am not a patient person but I guess this means I have more time for football?

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I ask you –

What’s your dream car?

How long is your attention span?

Wk 0 – waiting for manuscript review. Tick tock, tick tock

(The post Will I… first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

A Tough One to Write

Last week’s September 11th memorials had me considering how it’s hard to believe 23 years have gone by. For the families and loved ones of those lost on that date, 23 years probably feels like yesterday. For mini, who honors the date with school functions, doesn’t have a memory of this event and most likely doesn’t understand the way the world changed that day – it can be difficult to grasp the significance, which got me thinking about the events our young people will remember as they age. For example, a string of recent school shootings. Although I rarely, if ever, speak of political things on RoF, it saddens me these are the memories and perhaps fears of our youth. Someone, somewhere, is remembering today (whatever day you read this) as the day they were rushed out of a school in the wake of some tragic circumstance. Someone, somewhere, is grieving their loved one who lost their life in a place they should have been the safest.

I don’t have the answer. I don’t proclaim to know what we should do to prevent senseless acts of violence. I do know firearm ownership is protected by the Constitution/Amendments. I also know many individuals do not have the mental or physical capability or capacity to competently exhibit those rights. And I absolutely do not wish to debate any of these points.

However, it’s a shame our society is punctuated with tragic, life-taking acts. It’s devastating. We should do better. We should want to do better, especially for our children.

So, today, hug your children, whatever age they are. Call them just to hear their voice. Never has anyone said “I wish I hadn’t held them”.

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I ask you –

No questions today.

(The post A Tough One to Write first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Day in Photos, pt 90

I’m purchasing this headwear for use at an upcoming graduation. When I found out an ex-husband and a few old boyfriends would be in attendance, incognito is now the theme.

Credit: Amazon

New office furniture arrived. I’m so thankful for Parts. She loves to put stuff together. Me? Well, let’s just say it’s a disaster.

I love ice cream. Not surprisingly. And I still need to try this flavor!

I’ve waited forever for football! And since I have a little time to watch it – don’t call me, I’ll call you, ummm, never.

Credit: Google

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I ask you –

What should I wear for further incognito-ness? All black? Black with red heels is my standard.

Are you a handy man/handy woman?

Tell me who your NFL team is!

(The post Day in Photos, pt 90 first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Just in Case

Performance Optimization

Believe it or not, there’s a lot I don’t mention on this blog but that I do talk a lot about in person. Such as performance optimization, specifically for women. What. Is. That?! So glad you asked. Essentially, it’s pairing exercise according to the menstrual cycle. While some women are textbook, 28-day cycle specimens, most women do not conform to the textbook and range from a 21-40 day cycle. This means many women are not training their body according to their cycle; instead, they’re probably winging a workout then wondering why today was so damn hard or, alternately, cheering themselves on for having a kickass run while failing to acknowledge the reasons why. Been there.

Let me tell you how. The first step is tracking your cycle. The problem is it depends on dozens of factors, such as hormonal birth control, which, no one wants to hear it, means you do not have a natural cycle at all. However, consistent tracking of a hormone birth control user can still result in a performance optimizing workout routine. So don’t knock it. Anyway…once we know some of the factors influencing our ability to have a stellar performance, life sort of gets easier. I jest.

All this to lead me here – I’ve had some pretty great runs and workouts lately. Despite the humidity and 100+ degrees, for the second year in a row, I’ve sustained a routine of running outdoors. It takes some creativity, some sacrifice, and sometimes even a little humility, but it can be done. Not to be dramatic, but my world did change in 2018 post-heat illness. I try not to give it too much power in my head. Alas, I maintain an awareness of being conscious of the limitations surrounding it. It is what it is.

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I ask you –

For my lady friends, do you practice performance optimization?

Do you have other routines you follow?

Tell me how running and exercise have been going for you!

(The post Performance Optimization first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Torch Athena 2024 Recap

Torch Athena Rally was truly incredible. I laughed. Cried. And left feeling empowered and ready to push change, not only within my career but on the entire installation. What an opportunity!

A rare opportunity to walk/run the Riverwalk

Light the Path

Maybe I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. All I want is a voice at the table. Those were my words to my previous supervisor. He asked what I needed from him – I said “I just want a voice at the table.” Lately, I’ve been empowered to understand I’ve entered a new chapter in my life, most assuredly in my workplace. And, now, I’m the voice at the table. I no longer challenge someone else to speak for me. I speak for others under my purview.

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I ask you –

Any other friends ever attended Torch Athena?

Have you visited the San Antonio Riverwalk?

Tell me the best advise you ever received.

(The post Torch Athena 2024 Recap first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Roots

I recall the first time I won an installation-level award and someone who knew me from my first week in the squadron stated “You’ve come a long way from the quiet person who would walk the halls during lunch”.

During my TDY to San Antonio, I found myself walking the halls during lunch. Maybe it’s where I’m most comfortable, maybe I just needed some exercise. But here’s an indicator you can always find me walking the halls.

probably not the quiet person though

But if I hadn’t been walking, I wouldn’t have found a local coffee shop inside the building!

Midweek, the whole group, all 12ish of us, went to dinner. At 6:30pm. Approximately 30 mins before my bedtime. Brutal. As I wanted around the hotel to leave for the restaurant, I really wanted to go to bed. In fact, I would have rather done nearly anything except go to dinner with a group of not-really-strangers. I don’t like eating in front of people. Weird. Yeah yeah yeah. In fact, eating with people ranks up there with pumping my own gas, going into convenience stores, and being near dumpsters. I just don’t like it.

Yes, I recognize these are so odd but it’s just my roots.

Gray, to be perfectly clear.

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I ask you –

How often do you walk for exercise?

How late is too late for dinner?

What’s your natural hair color?

(The post Roots first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Hom(ies)

Disclaimer: I’m fine being a homebody. It’s where I’m comfortable. It has my favorite coffee. My favorite people. It’s mine. On occasion, however, I’m forced (mostly willingly) to go out and do things.

Like these things –

Granted, they were fun people so it wasn’t a hardship. Loved making new friends, putting faces to names, and fighting the good fight.

Followed by really really really hot things –

There’s no words for how hot it was. Maybe even Hotter ‘n Hell. A week in San Antonio working on a handbook followed by a mad dash home to lead the yearly rest stop. Definitely missing my wingwoman. It was a whirlwind – and it’s not over yet! Back to San Antonio today!

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I ask you –

Are you a homebody?

How far have you ever ridden a bike?

Tell me what you have going on this week!

(The post Hom(ies) first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Bucket List Addition

I want to watch Olympic curling. In Italy. In 2026. A PhD celebration trip. Also near my 40th birthday.

Credit: Google

…originally this post was titled in the plural sense. Bucket List Additions. However, at the time of this posting, I am TDY to a location with somehow even more humidity than I’m accustomed to yet also slightly (maybe 1 degree) cooler. I can’t tell you anything about this location because I must use it as fodder for future posts otherwise I would have nothing to share here.

On the bright side, since I turned in my manuscript last week in a rushed attempt to capture everything I had planned to incorporate this week, I have a little time on my hands to brainstorm more bucket list items. In the meantime…I’ll return soon with adventure stories!

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I ask you –

Have you ever watched the Olympics live?

Would you be more likely to go watch the summer or winter Olympics?

For my fellow bloggers, tell me about your idea-generating endeavors!

(The post Bucket List Addition first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)