Monday, October 31, 2011

Amazing and Unbelievable

I complained a lot last week about how I'm not gonna be ready for Vegas.  Now, although I still think I won't be as ready as I should be, I don't think I'm as far off target anymore.  I ran the 10K of a lifetime yesterday!  Well, looking back at my prior 10K time it looks like I'm just eerily consistent!  But seriously, I was so worried that I'd finish the race in last place!  Here were my pre-race goals:
- Don't stop running.
- Try to run first half faster than last weekends 5K run.
- Just find a pace and stick with it.
- Finish around 1 hour 10 minutes. (And hopefully not last place)

Here's how it went down:
- Saw a good friend who was also running the 10K, who happened to mention that I was her inspiration for trying to run a 1 hour 4 minute 10K!
- Weather was perfect.
- I didn't stop to pee during the entire race.
- Only once did I think to myself that I was crazy for doing this.
- I fell right into the perfect pace and stayed that way for the entire race.
- I didn't finish last.
- I finished in 1 hour 4 minutes and 33 seconds.

I seriously felt amazing for the entire race.  I actually probably could've run another mile or two.  My legs kept turning over perfectly, I could breathe perfectly, and I just kept reminding myself to just run...don't think about the race, just relax and run.  In a blog I follow, the blogger mentioned she had a couple "strong" runs this past week, and I know exactly how she feels, because this 10K was unbelievable!  It gave me a small glimmer of hope that I might actually not feel like a fool in Vegas!

As for the rest of my weekend, Blue Man Group was hysterical, the Broncos suck are in a bad patch, Michigan is playing some really great football (actually hard to judge until the good teams come along), the dogs like Kit Kat's so much they don't even unwrap them before eating them, our surround sound is a joke, and I love new clothes!

What do you feel good about?

~Chix

Friday, October 28, 2011

I Love You All!

Another BIG weekend ahead!  Tonight is Game 7 of the World Series, unfortunately, because Texas just couldn't seem to get that last out.  Nothing like watching two teams battle it out to show how much they really wanna win this!  Tomorrow is another day full of randomness.  Maybe some shopping, maybe a nice easy run, maybe something with the GF, maybe some beer carbs for pre-race...who knows where tomorrow will lead me.  Then Sunday I have my 10K race.  Should be interesting since I haven't run 6 miles in forever and I'm supposed to be at 9 miles in my training program.  I've been thinking a lot about this race and the fact that last year only 58 people ran it and the last place finisher had a time around an hour and 38 minutes.  All I can hope for is to beat that time and hope that that runner is running again!  But really I've come to terms with finishing in last place because it would be my first time finishing last, and who doesn't love "firsts"?

Anywho, Sunday night, the GF and I are going to see Blue Man Group!  That should be a good time, since we haven't been to a show in a long time!  Unfortunately we had to change our tickets to a different day, so we won't be as close to the front as our normal season tickets are, but we'll still be close enough! 

Huge trial started today!  It's gonna be a good one too...can't wait for opening statements!  Well, it's been a good busy week.  The weather is trying to get cold on us, so I'll have to readjust my wardrobe.  Life is good right now. 

Just so you know, I love you all!

~Chix

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Running Circles in the Sand

So, yesterday afternoon at the gym I did speedwork and I totally pushed myself.  I actually almost threw up on the treadmill.  But only a few dry heaves that probably scared the guy down the way on his mill to look the other way.  Then last night I had sand volleyball with my softball friends.  It's the offseason for softball, so we started a volleyball team and let me tell you, what a friggin workout!  I'm not the greatest volleyball player in the world and my team saw it first hand last night.  I do all these weird jumps and spins and rarely get the ball over the net, but I can run circles in the sand like nobody's business!  Our captain promised that we'd look like this if we played on this team:
After last night, I'm pretty sure I'm halfway there!  Like I said before, "What a friggin workout!"

Today I ran a 5K and it wasn't horrible.  By the 2 and a half mark I was thinking to myself that I'm sure I'd already run 4 and a half, but nope, unfortunately not.  I finished strong and reminded myself that my 10K this weekend was just another long run...I'm not gonna stress about my time for that race, just fall into a pace and hopefully it'll be warm enough that I won't be too miserable!  Maybe I'll even wear my headphones.  The GF is probably shaking her head right now though, cause she knows they won't stay in because I sweat too much!  Well, we'll see!  I could wear a costume too and try to win a prize for best adult costume...unfortunately I cut my Pauly D hair!  That was a winner, for sure!

Well, it's been crazy busy at work lately, so I better get back to it.

Life's just a big sandbox!

~Chix

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Religion of Running

Most people know that I'm not a very religious person.  Now, I don't mind if others are religious and have their own gods and whatnot, but I'm not really into it.  I don't attend church, I don't really pray much, and I don't really believe in a lot of that hullabaloo!  Please don't hate me if you are very committed, just understand that we are different in that way.

Running today on the treadmill though, I realized that I am part of the Running Religion group.  That's right, there's a running religion.  And I'm pretty sure a lot of you are part of this group too.  For instance, if you've ever entered a race, you'll know that before it starts, you PRAY that you'll have a good run, you PRAY that you'll have a fast time, you might even PRAY that you don't fall on your face.  During the race you have FAITH in your legs that they'll keep moving, you have FAITH in other runners that they won't snot rocket your leg, and you have FAITH that there will be toilet paper in the port-o.  After the race, you THANK GOD for helping you cross the finish line, you THANK GOD for not having to walk during the race, and you THANK GOD for not running into anyone at the water stations. 

The Racing Gods are busy tending to the many people everyday who need that extra uumph to get out the door and run.  If I had to believe in something, I'm glad it's these guys, because they don't judge me when I'm at the back of the pack.  They watch over me as I weave through the crowds.  And they're waiting in the wings when an injury has me sidelined.  And I'm pretty sure they whisper sweet nothings in my ear every time I drink a beer, eat some candy, or skip a run...cause they know I'd rather be cursing them during the 3rd mile of a 5K 9th mile of a half marathon!

So, Here's to the Gods of Running!  May you always test my FAITH of whether my timing chip will work accurately, may you always let me PRAY that I will finish with all limbs attached, and may you always let me THANK GOD that I didn't laugh out loud when that guy totally fell on his face!

Believe in Something!

~Chix

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Updated Blog Site

Good Morning!  Well, I may pass up my Tuesday Top Ten today because I wanted to let you all know I've updated my blog site.  Now, for my followers...all 5 of you, I MAKE you read my blog posts, so I'm pretty sure you've never really been to my actual blog site.  So, here's your chance to see how great it is.  Go to http://www.chix20chix.blogspot.com/ and have a look for yourself.  Click on the different tabs and read some other stuff about me.  I'm trying to get more followers, so I'm thinking if my own followers actually went to my page then others would start as well.  Let me know what you think.  Post a comment or email me or text or call.  I'm just learning these new things about blogging, so I need some feedback.

Other than that, I tried running in my new shoes last night and they felt good.  I'm not convinced enough yet to give them a "great" rating, but they feel nice.  The are the new Brooks Pure Flow and I love the way they look.


Fast huh?  Anyway, they are light as a feather, but tighter through the arch area and with actual arch support, so we'll see how they fare.

I signed up for the Great Pumpkin Chase 10K this Sunday morning.  I don't really think I'm ready, but I really need the mileage and I get a cool t-shirt!  I can at least gauge my time for the first 5K and compare it to my time this past Sunday.  I'll remember not to wipe my nose this time around.

Well, everyone have a great day, and don't forget to check out the actual blog site.  Hopefully I can get back on later today to do a Top Ten.

Getting faster and going farther!

~Chix

Monday, October 24, 2011

In a Nutshell...

Well, here's what happened in my 5K race yesterday, completely laid out in this nutshell!  We awoke at 5:45am so we could get ready and drive over to the race that started at 7:15am.  We met up with my 2 friends that I was running the race with.  Before the race starts I make sure to go pee (this was at 7am).  We strip out of our warm clothes and line up to begin the race.  Prior to beginning the race I told the other 2, "Don't let me hold you back.  Run ahead of me and I'll see you at the finish!"  They didn't believe me when I said I wasn't as fast as them!

We started the race and stayed together for about .6 of a mile when the 1st one took off ahead of us...about .2 later, the other one left me to my lonesome!  I can't wear headphones because of my big head sweat issues, so I could just listen to the runners around me and the sounds of the streets.  I actually felt pretty good running the first half of the race.

Because I have a pea sized bladder, I had to pee at the turnaround point (about 1.55 miles), but was back in action a short while later, even though I had to take an extra second to drip because there was no toilet paper in my port-o!  How is there no tp in my port-o?  I'm sure nobody else stopped to pee after just a mile and  a half!  Or at least that many that would use up ALL the tp!  The only other person that I saw stop had a bloody nose and she chose the stall with the tp in it!

Anywho, at about 2.5 miles I started feeling heavy.  My knees and nips were still cold from the start and I didn't seem to be warming up at all, even as the sun glared down onto me.  It was probably still 60 degrees out though.  I knew I wasn't gonna finish in 30 minutes when I saw the 10K'ers rounding the corner up the street (the corner that signaled still at least .2 left)!  But I pressed on, because really it was about finishing it!

So, I cross the finish line, get my finishers pin, and find the GF who was the best cheerleader in town!  Here's where things get interesting.  We wait in line (twice) for my official time.  Now, I had a stopwatch that I started right as I crossed the start line, but because of my stupidity operator error I messed it up after about a mile into the race.  I went to go wipe my nose with my sleeve and my nose pressed a couple buttons and it erased everything.  So, it comes as a surprise when they say my official time was 33:37.  That's not a terrible time, first off.  But here's the dinger: This is also the gun time!  Now, after looking at my 2 running partners times, I noticed that they both had a 41 second delay between gun time and finish time, and since I was right there with them when we all crossed the start line, I'm thinking I probably had the same sort of delay, so if you took off 41 seconds my official time would be 32:56.  Now, this sounds more realistic of my abilities!  The GF already decided I can't deduct my pee time because I pee during every race!

But, here's how I look at it:  If I accept this 33:37 as my official time, then next time I run a 5K, I can kill my old time (hopefully)!  All in all, other than some slight discomfort in the nip area, I am glad I did it.  It really says I've got a LONG way to go for Vegas, but it's about finishing right?  Yeah, we'll see about that!

I'm so fast, I'm just a blur!


~Chix

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Happy Birthday Daddy!

I misinformed you yesterday...today my dad would be 62!  Have a good birthday daddy!  We all love you and miss you so much!  Just so you know, your grandkids are amazing...wild, but amazing!  And extremely smart!  Buff has done well with them.  Drea is the greatest mother and the bestest seester!  You'd be proud of their family...I know I am!

And you'd love Candy...she brightens each and every one of my days!  We have the cutest pups too and although I wore them out on a run this morning, they'd still jump up to say hi to you if you walked in the door!  You'd be proud of us too!

I'll love you forever and ever.  Keep an eye on all of us...it's good to know you have our backs!

Coors Light and Crown forever!

~Your baby!

Friday, October 21, 2011

10-21: Mind Nuggets

1.  Tomorrow's my dad's birthday!  I'm pretty sure he'd be turning 63!  He'd be proud to see what my bro and I have done with our lives!  It's pretty amazing that we have "found our way" with him looking down on us everyday.  Love you dad!  Love you bro!

2.  My big race is Sunday!  Even though it's only a 5K, I'm so excited for it.  I haven't raced since my half in January, so this is huge.  I can't wait for the dry heaving before the race, the sweat turning into salt lines around my face, the knees trying to overcome the cold at 7am, and the tears as I cross the finish line!  What's more exciting though is that I'm back on track!  Slow and steady wins the race.

3.  Great workout today!  I did 3.5 miles and although I probably could've gone longer, I didn't wanna push it...besides, gotta taper for my race!

4.  I have a plan in the works that I'm hoping to reveal soon!

5.  Cardinals suck!

6.  The crazy lady upstairs has been listening to Christmas music since the beginning of October and I hope you remember that I HATE CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

Have a great weekend!  Do something this weekend to get back on track!

~Chix

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Dreams Do Come True!

Everyone pretty much knows by now, but my dreams have come true!  I am officially an instructor at CNM!  Well, I'm in the part time instructor pool, which means I may or may not get a class this Spring semester.  I'm pretty sure I will, but you never can tell!  I'm just so excited because this is what I want to be doing with my life and I've finally got my foot in the door.  Now things can just grow and expand to bigger and better things.  I'm gonna scream it from the rooftop my balcony when I get home!

Now THIS is the kind of motivation I needed to really get me through the day!  I'm so pumped!  I wanna do a little dance at my desk...okay, done!  I'm gonna have so much energy on my run this evening!  This is amazing!

I can't even remember what I wanted to write about today because all I can think about is my new job!  Now I really have to start getting my butt in gear!  Not just running anymore...a whole new scoop on my plate!

Love you all!

~Chix

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Fist Pump, Pushups, Chapstick

So, I'm sitting here thinking about how much I love my Orange flavored Gatorade.  Then I think back to last night's Biggest Loser episode and how they used Orange soda in one of their challenges and that every 20oz soda has 17 teaspoons of sugar.  Then I think, I sure do love sugar!

Well, I chopped off my mop last night!  And running today didn't seem to be any faster.  I thought for sure the wind resistance would go down, but it didn't feel any different.  Before I cut my hair, I promised a friend that I would do the Pauly D blowout first.  We did it and I looked amazing!  It was as if Pauly D were at our house last night doing Fist Pump, Pushups, Chapstick!

Speaking of my run today, I really kicked my butt with speedwork.  Overall, I did about 50 minutes and 4.5 miles worth of stuff!  Good job me!  I've felt really good running the last couple days.  Hopefully that feeling will stick around!  I've got my race this Sunday and I'm feeling positive about it even though it'll be cold and on pavement instead of the mill.  I'm thinking of running another race next weekend...The Great Pumpkin Chase!  If I do well this weekend, I just might sign up!

I applied for a part time teaching position at UNM today.  Not sure how it'll pan out, but I'll keep you posted.  Still waiting to hear from CNM since I gave them my criminal background information a month ago.  Maybe they found something on me I don't remember, like when I used to dance drunk on bar tops!  Maybe I should write this stuff on here since hiring teams check all forms of social media now.  Luckily I'm not on FB or Twit, so it'll be hard to find the dirt!

I hate Christmas music!

~Chix

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Tuesday Top Ten: Actresses

Here we go!  I'm not positive that these go in order of my favorite to my top ten, but I am pretty positive that there's others not on this list that I still enjoy watching.  So here are the top ten I could think of today:

10 - Helen Mirren - She's distinguished, she's gorgeous, she's serious, she's funny, she's got it all.  This woman is amazingly talented and stars in some amazing films.  I've read articles about her where people just praise her for her brilliance and they all say the'd love to be in a film with her.  I think we all would.

9 - Betty White - If you looked in the dictionary under Lifetime Movie Star, you'd find her picture!  She made the most ultimate comeback.  We all thought we'd be satisfied with her antics on The Golden Girls, but when she started showing up in comedies a handful of years ago, we all thought "this lady is amazing".  And she's pretty effing funny too!

8 - Julia Roberts - I mean, what's not to love about this lady?  She was a Pretty Woman back then and she's a pretty woman now!  She's still making movies that people love.  She's one of those actresses that is so well respected that we'll go see the movie she's in just because she's in it.  It could be titled The Worst Possible Movie Ever, Do Not See This Show, and we'll still go see it.  She also lives in Taos, NM.

7 - Sandra Bullock - My, oh my, this poor lady has gone through so much over the past couple of years, but she's come out on top.  Everyone still loves her and we always will.  She's an amazing actress.  She can be funny and follied!  She can be serious and sentimental.  She can be beautiful and hideous.  She plays all the roles that we love and she's so lovable while she does it.  I bet she'd be fun to get coffee with.

6 - Emma Stone - She's had a slew of movies lately and is just heating up the charts.  She's still young enough to keep putting out more and more films, but she's also old enough to land some huge roles.  She's also funny in a serious way.  Her red hair is spectacular on the big screen and you fall in love with every character she's ever played.

5 - Jane Lynch - She adds so much personality to every single character I've ever seen her play.  Nobody else in the world can be Sue Sylvester because it would be weird.  She plays all these small roles in movies that have such a big impact because she really develops her character in just the time span we see her.  You can tell she loves what she does.  She's flippin hilarious.  I'd love to meet her and run through lines with her!

4 - Melissa McCarthy - I've already said nice things about her in another blog, but I had to put her on here because she is friggin hilarious!  She's bringing a whole new image to tv and movies.  She's not afraid to go all out.  in her most recent appearance on SNL, she pulled out all the stops.  We were laughing non stop.  She'd be the coolest BFF ever!

3 - Amy Poehler - Perhaps one of my all time faves.  I know this sounds wrong, but she makes me laugh just looking at her.  Obviously, I don't mean her looks are funny, but knowing that she's a funny lady, just makes me wanna laugh.  Everything I've ever seen her in has made me LOL all the way home.  She's a brilliant writer as evidenced from Parks & Recreation and SNL, but she seems like the type of person who remains in character until her head hits the pillow.  Now that's dedication.

2 - Jennifer Aniston - Yep!  I'm one of those lovers of Jen Ann!  (I also love Angie, so whatever)  Jen is beautiful, funny, witty, snooty, serious, and amazing!  You will always find her in a comedy because that's what we all know and love about her, but there's something about her that makes me wanna just walk up to her and give her a hug.  She'll always be my favorite Friend.

And my favorite actress these days is 1 - Kristen Wiig - Um, hello...funniest woman alive!  If I could have 5 minutes with her I'm pretty sure she'll come up with a character about me for Saturday Night Live!  I can't wait for sketches to come on with her in them.  She could be completely silent and sleeping in the back corner of a sketch and I would still be laughing my head off!  Not to mention she gorgeous as well.  Everything she does is so natural, yet it's meant to draw a laugh out of you.  It'd be really hard to watch her in a serious movie cause I'm pretty sure I'd laugh all the way through.  So, I raise my beer to you Kristen Wiig, because you are my favorite!!

Cheers!

~Chix

Monday, October 17, 2011

Duke City Marathon

It's that time of year again...the Duke City Marathon.  Every October, the entire city comes together for this huge event.  They have a race for everyone.  Fun runs for kids, short distances for out of shape people like me, and longer distances for the person I'm trying to become.  It's gonna be cold, but everyone still shows up energized and ready to have some fun.  Last year a group of us ran the marathon relay...our team name was Running on Empty!  We did great!  This year, I'm gonna do the 5K.  My training program has me running the 10K, but since I haven't been training well, I didn't wanna kill myself, so the 5K it is!

One of our local radio station guys is running the full marathon.  His inspiration for doing this comes from a 400 pound man who did a marathon in 9 hours plus.  He's just hoping with all of his non-training, he'll finish before that 400 pound guy.  He literaly has done no training whatsoever and actually brags about it, but swears he's going to finish!  I could walk 26.2 miles any day of the week, but if I were going to do a marathon just to do it, I'd make sure I was proud of myself after finishing, and walking the whole thing doesn't seem like something I'd be proud about.  Don't get me wrong, it's great that he's doing a marathon...I'll probably never do one, but walking the whole thing doesn't seem like a good time.

Well, I got some encouraging words this morning about running, so I'm hoping it'll help me in my preparation for Vegas.  Actually they weren't really encouraging so much as a "just do it" sort of thing, but I think that's what I needed.  To stop thinking about having to be motivated and just doing it.  We'll see how many miles that gets me!

Time to eat!

~Chix

Friday, October 14, 2011

New Widget

I've added a new widget to my page!  It counts the miles I run daily and so forth.  I'm hoping that seeing this add up over the days, weeks, months, year, will help motivate me to keep it updated.  If I log on and there's big fat goose-egg then maybe I'll feel bad and go for a run!  You can also send me motivation...please do!

Not too much to say today, but have a great weekend.  I'm excited about our weekend.  We've got great fun planned and I hope the weather stays nice for us.

Take it easy!

~Chix

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Running = Bullying

SPOILER ALERT: I am about to spoil the Season 2 Episode 4 of Harry's Law.  Stop reading now if a) you haven't seen it yet, or b) you don't care!

This episode has to do with cyber bullying.  Not good.  This girl has a blog and becomes labeled as the 'Snark Queen' because she talks about all her classmates and calls them out on what people may or may not know about them.  One blog post in particular is about a girl who is gay and won't come out of the closet.  This gay girl ends up committing suicide and her parents are trying to accuse the blogger girl for homicide. 

I guess that wasn't much of a spoiler, since I didn't reveal the ending!

This obviously is horrible.  I think everyone is gay, first of all, so I'm not pinpointing any one person, so please don't go kill yourself.  Second, I don't think you should have your whole school gang up on one person about an issue that is very personal to most gay individuals.  Coming out of the closet is not easy for a lot of people, but it's because the society around us isn't as accepting as we'd like.  So, if you wanna talk about it, you can talk to me!

Enough of that, but about bullying in general...running = bullying!  Why would you do this to yourself?  Why would you risk foot, ankle, knee, hip, and back problems just so you can run a few miles here and there?  Is there some sort of imbalance in our brains that justifies this crazy sport?  If someone tells you they enjoy running, they're lying.  Maybe they enjoy the freedom, the cool breeze in their face, the excitement of buying new shoes, the cool medals that you receive at the end of a race, the bragging rights for obtaining a new PR, the silent time away from the kids or animals or tv, but really, nobody enjoys actual running.  I don't enjoy it by any means, but I will tell you this...I love drinking a beer after a race, I love displaying my medals, I love telling people that I've made the half-marathon trek 5 times, I love feeling like maybe I've lost weight, I like feeling like maybe I'm faster, I like being able to say I've worked out, I sort of even like sweating, I like buying new shoes, I like the way my calves look, but make no mistake about it...I hate running.  It's a bully that I welcome into my life everyday for some godforsaken reason!

Run Hard!

~Chix

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Mind Nuggets

1. I talked to my neice on the phone today to invite her over for a slumber party.  When I told her I was taking her home Sunday morning, she said "for church?"  And I said, "No, I think you have a birthday party to go to."  And she said "Oh, SNAP! I forgot."

2. If I worked out at lunch I can have a beer at dinner, right?

3. I really need to get my sh*t together at work.  I'm really far behind, so tomorrow I'm gonna be focused and motivated to get it all done.  Maybe I'll listen to music...that always pumps me up.  I'll have to cut my fingernails though, cause they're annoying when they hit the keys on the keyboard before my actual fingers do.

4. I really, really, really need to start studying for the CPA exam.  Unfortunately, my free program has lapsed, so I now need to find a way to buy it myself.  Probably ask the B.O.B. to pay for it, but I need to find the strength to start studying again before we actually purchase it.  It's not cheap, so if I'm actually forking over the money, then I need to make sure it's worth it.  Apparently free resources wasn't worth it!

5. I also need to find a way to get this running in gear.  Maybe I'll do some two-a-days.  Not all out each workout, but just split workouts into 2 pieces.  Like if I have a 6 mile run someday, then do 4 miles in the morning and 2 at night...something like that.  Otherwise, I'm not gonna beat my Vegas time from last year which was already a disappointing time!

Lose your own mind!

~Chix

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tuesday Top Ten: Sports Teams

Alright!  My top ten list today is my favorite sports teams.  Now, please understand that these are MY favorites...feel free to disagree because I'm sure you all have YOUR favorites.  By no means am I trying to get you to switch over to my teams, or even understand why I like these particular teams.  You might notice that there are no NBA teams...it's because I hate Pro Basketball.  There are no NHL teams...because I just don't keep up with it.  There's no College Basketball teams, because I only watch them during March Madness.  So, here we go!

#10 - Detroit Lions - How could you not be a Lions fan right now?  5-0 start after being the worst team in football for the past few years.  I'm no bandwagon fan because I'm not out buying their t-shirts or hats, but I'm glad they're doing well, and they're really fun to watch.  Also, I just hope one day the Broncos can become good again!  Honorable mention to the Cowboys because I might be the only person who actually likes Tony Romo!

#9 - Clemson Tigers - This team is so inspiring right now.  The fans are crazy, the games are crazy, and they have beaten really good teams!  They play so hard every time I watch them and I am a sucker for orange uniforms.  Again, I'm not gonna go out and buy CU paraphernalia, but I am gonna give them a "Go Tigers" every time I see them play this year!

#8 - Arizona Diamondbacks - Well, this one is tough for me...because I'm a Dodger fan and they are in the same division, but Arizona is so close and the uniform looks really good on me.  They are a fun team to watch because all the guys are young and energized and they actually appreciate their coach, Kirk Gibson.  They had a good run this year.  Did I mention the uniform looks REALLY good on me?

#7 - Milwaukee Brewers - First off, beer anyone?  Second, I've been a Brewers fan for quite a few years...why, you ask?  Because back then nobody was a Brewers fan!  At the beginning of every season I text a close friend and tell her "Go Brewers" and she never understood what I was getting at...but this year they've been amazing.  Although they didn't play very well last night, they still have a huge chance to make it to the World Series.  This team hasn't played like this in so long, so I'm rooting for them...and now everyone is a Brewers fan!

#6 - Los Angeles Dodgers - I'm from Albuquerque, so basically I watch the guys on this team grow up.  Sounds silly, but during September, about 10 players we watched all season in Triple-A ball were playing regularly for the Dodgers.  It's just so fun to watch these guys that you've sort of gotten to know play on this Major League team.  They had a really good August and September and could've pulled it off.  One good thing is they had a huge hand in eliminating the Giants from playoff contention.  They're gonna be good next year.  Might even move up if my "other" team can't get their act together.

#5 - University of New Mexico Lobos - Well, although I enjoy watching both the women's and men's basketball teams, I'm talking about the football team here.  I'm biased because I'm a Lobo.  They are the worst team in college football now for the 3rd straight year, but I constantly root for them.  Everyone has struggled like this at some time and there's nowhere to go but up!  I'll continually root for these guys, albeit they'll probably still suck for a while. "Everyone's a Lobo...woof, woof, woof"

#4 - Boston Red Sox - Let's just say I've been a fan even before the 2004 World Series.  They had an epic breakdown this year, which is why they are number 4 right now, but they're my team.  They've really showed us some good times in the past!  And, this is another uniform that I look amazing in!  I'm gonna miss Terry Francona, and I'm really disappointed in the guys for being jerks in the clubhouse, so maybe they can get their shiz together for next season.

#3 - Michigan Wolverines - 6-0!  Did you see that?  6-0!  That's right!  I can celebrate this until Saturday, so I'm screaming it from the rooftops.  They've really been a great team, but the biggest teams are yet to come.  They've got Michigan State this weekend and they might win, but then again, they might lose.  This team never gives you that overly satisfying feeling that it's okay to pick them in your weekly picks.  Everything is always up in the air.  Hopefully they'll show up to the game in the first quarter this weekend instead of the last half!  "Go Blue"

#2 - New Mexico State Aggies Softball - Again, I'm probably biased, but they gave me reason to believe last year!  In their greatest year ever as a softball program, they got me at "See Ya...another homerun".  This group of girls, well somewhat including the seniors from last year, were amazing last year and so far are showing off their talents this year!  My best friend is their coach (Head Coach, but listed as Assistant Coach on all publications), so that's where my bias comes in, but they are just so exciting to watch (or listen to).  I just get so excited for my buddy when her team does well.  I also have a few favorites who are returning this year and it looks like I might find a few new favorites as well.

And my number 1 favorite sports team is the Denver Broncos - Surprise!  Surprise!  Of course they are my number 1!  Even through times of hardship, like the last few years, I'm still a fan.  I was born and raised a Broncos fan and I'll live and die a Broncos fan.  These are my boys, even if they can't seem to win a game.  They're also my boys when they lose to the Chiefs twice a year, which might be in the stars this season.  But who cares, because I'll always pick them to win and I'll always try to catch the game. 

So, there you have it.  Now you know what's wrong with me.

~Chix

Monday, October 10, 2011

And The Winner Is...

Not me!  Well, maybe I am the winner, just in a contest I don't know about!  Isn't that nice...somebody should clue me in already!

So, the weekend went as planned, but not really!  To spare you all the details, my team got 9th place and the GF's team got 9th place!  Yay!  Although, you tell me which is better:

9th place out of 14 teams and winning 1 game and losing 2, or
9th place out of 62 teams and winning 5 games and losing 2?

That's right, I'm also going with the latter of the two.  The GF's team.  It just goes to show that playing with heart goes farther than playing with hate!  Again, sparing you the details, my team didn't fare so well, but the GF's team couldn't seem to lose!  I'm proud of her, she did very well!

Other than all that, we had a great weekend.  Saw one of our best friends who works way too hard and doesn't get paid enough!  She always makes us feel good though with her hugs!  The GF loves her black girlfriend, so that made me happy, not that I had any doubt, but she really made sure everyone else knew too!

We slept about 10 total hours from Friday morning til last night, ate in random intervals, drank in random intervals, and really messed with the dogs daily habits!

Now it's back to the daily grind!  New top ten list tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Chix

Friday, October 7, 2011

Holy Toledo Batman!

What the?  It's freezing today.  This weather drop is outrageous.  It's almost time to pull out the big guns...and by big guns I mean warmer blankets!  Well, we're off to the LC today for the big softball tourney!  I bought some new socks just for the occasion!  Can't wait!  But really, this trip is about not being at home, spending time with friends we rarely see, and just having a great time.  And maybe it's a little about not going 1-2-barbecue.  Other than that I'm gonna try to put my head cold on the back burner and have some good times.  Make some memories for the mental scrapbook!

So, I've been reading a lot of other blogs lately and there have been a bunch about people running, a lot of whom did a C25K and now are running Marathons.  I've been trying to use those as motivation for me to really get into my training.  I've printed off my previous half marathon times in hopes that staring at the Vegas time from last year will propel me out of my chair and condition myself into beating my last time.  It's tough when you're sick, and when you're travelling, but it's interesting to read these other people's story's.

Today is a half day...the office is quiet...except for the little 3 year old running around upstairs.  I get to leave in less than 2 hours!!  I'm beginning to wonder if I'm gonna do any actual work here today!  Doesn't look like it!

Have a fabulous weekend!

~Chix

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Run, Don't Walk, to the Nearest Exit

Today was definitely not a stellar outing at the gym.  Of course doing something is better than nothing, but I'm not positive today fully counted.  On the other hand, I am sick again, and I didn't want to push it.  As I started my run, I was about five steps into it and it felt like someone was dropping a brick on my head every time my foot hit the belt!  So I walked for about 20 minutes instead.  A few times I would hold on to the bar in front of me and close my eyes...almost fell asleep.  Then I rode the bike for about 2 miles (9minutes) and figured I'd hit the showers before everyone got out of their aerobics class.  My body is mad at me!

Big softball tourney this weekend...so many games...so many people to watch...so much fun to be had!  I'm thinking I won't drink too much...I haven't been feeling well after I drink lately and I'm pretty sure I'm developing acid reflux because I don't feel that my food or beverage every fully go down my throat.  I'm getting old!  But I'm sure I'll have my fair share of beer!  Can't quit completely...where's the fun in that?

If I wrote things down, I'd have the best memory!

~Chix (I would rather be ~Sleeping)

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Dazed and Confused

So, my cold has doubled back and I seem to be sick again, unfortunately.  I sneezed about 500 times today and I never sneeze unless I'm sick!  I'm gonna try to push through this one though, because last time I was out for 2 weeks and that was just 2 weeks ago!  I need to keep running.  My training schedule is soooo far off, I'm afraid I'm gonna be doing a run-walk for the race.  I really need to get my sh!t together!  Running yesterday wasn't so bad...although it was hard to breathe at times, my legs, knees and feet felt good.

Hump day was busy, but I'm glad it's over!  That means we're on the downside of the week, and with a half day on Friday, I've only got a day and a half left of my fun, fun job!  Note the sarcasm please.  There's just something so fascinating about staring at the wall these days...that's all I've been motivated for lately!  That, and running errands!  Anything to get out of the office is great!  If I time everything correctly, I can be in the office when no one is around and out of the office when everybody is working!

What's with the weather?  It's cold!  Good thing I bought new jeans!  I wore a hoodie today...I'd rather be wearing shorts!

Does anybody have any money anymore?

Stuffed nose cure: Tabasco!

~Chix

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Top 10: TV Shows I Love

Well, I made an incomplete list of about 24 shows that I absolutely love to watch.  And from that list I narrowed it down to my favorite 10 at the moment.  Only 1 new fall show and 2 reality shows made the top ten.  The rest are some veteran programs that I just can't stop watching.  Please note that my original list had 24 shows, so if you didn't make the top ten, you're really close!

10 - Unforgettable - This is a new fall show!  I like the concept of someone who remembers everything and is able to revisit that particular point in history to see everything over again.  It's number 10 because I've only seen two episodes so far, but it's my favorite new show so far.  Honorable mention for new fall shows goes to Revenge and Free Agents though!

9 - The Amazing Race - A must see!  Every season draws me and the GF in from the moment Phil says "GO!"  I'm pretty sure it's because we want to be on the show so bad and picture ourselves running the race right along side the contestants.  But it's consistently a great show every episode.

8 - The Biggest Loser - How can you not love Alison and Bob in your living room every week?  This is one of the most inspirational shows on tv and I look forward to seeing the amazing transformations every season.  It's also a tad motivational although we find ourselves always watching it while we're eating dinner (which is usually not very healthy).  Honorable mention for reality shows is Jersey Shore...a guilty pleasure!

7 - Rizzoli & Isles - Not only is Tess Gerritsen one of my favorite authors, but TNT has really brought her books to life.  I am a bit biased because I love Angie Harmon, but these two characters are fun-loving and the shows are intense.  I can understand how some people might not like it because it's another one of your female detectives trying to not be seen as a woman, but someone who can also kick some ass!  Try it, you'll like it!  Another one you should try is Blue Bloods...it was tough not picking it for the top ten, but it deserves a shout out!

6 - Mike & Molly - Two of the most lovable characters on tv today!  Melissa McCarthy is amazing in her own right, but this show would be in the dumps if it weren't for her brilliance!  She's beautiful and funny and I just can't get enough of her!

5 - The Office - I've always loved this show and it would've been my number one if Steve Carell was still on the show.  It slipped a few numbers because it's gonna be tough to repeat the humor that was Michael Scott!  Hopefully it won't drop any lower, but I'm still a fan of the show so it had to make the top ten.  All I can hope for is that Jim, Pam, and Andy will keep me tuning in!

4 - Castle - Nathan Fillion is a hero...enough said!  This show is brilliant!  Although there are lots of cop dramas (and again with female detective hard-asses), throwing a 'writer' into the mix is something we haven't seen before.  They come up with great show ideas and are able to find great one-liners for Castle in every episode.  This show never disappoints, although if Castle and Beckett don't hook up soon, they may lose lots of viewers.  They love each other, just make it happen already!

3 - Parks & Recreation - Amy Poehler has got to be one of the greatest comedians alive!  This show wasn't supposed to make it, but something happened last season that made the show a lot funnier and worth watching.  They must have pulled out all the stops because it has worked it's way up to the top 3 of my list.  Each character is funny in their own way, and each episode highlights that funniness (good word)!

2 - Glee - This is always gonna be a favorite!  I can't even explain why I'm so addicted to this show, but I'm pretty sure they had me at "Don't Stop Believin".  The characters are great, the context is emotional and educational and informational, and the music makes me wanna sing and dance.  I like how there's always a message and they've never deterred away from their fan base!  We'll have to revisit this list when the seniors graduate and there's a new cast.

AND the number 1 show is - Modern Family - The best show ever!  This is brilliance at it's shiniest and best and peak.  The writers for this show probably have the deepest laugh lines because there's not a show that goes by that I'm not in hysterics.  The characters are like your friends because it's stuff that literally happens to your friends.  You've seen it, you've done it, or you know someone who's been through it, so it's so easy to relate to the characters.  I can't imagine this show ever going away!

I apologize if I left your favorite show out of the loop, but this is my list for now.

Enjoi!

~Chix

Monday, October 3, 2011

Weekend Warrior

Well, Melissa Etheridge was amazing as usual!  The casino was very generous to us too!  We won about $45 each before the concert, went even further up after the concert, gave half of it away, then broke even again before we left.  Goodtimes!  The dealers at the craps table were pretty fun too!  Mullet count was 12, and we weren't even searching them out!  I was supposed to tell you if my nervousness subsided and it did!  No need to worry!

Saturday had lunch with my neice.  She's probably the cutest kid in the world!  She's also the smartest 6 year old I've ever met! 

I finally got some jeans that fit me...remember one of my recent posts...I have to start buying clothes that fit me!  The GF picked them out and I absolutely love them!  She's pretty excited that I actually liked ones she picked!  She getting good at noticing what my butt looks good in!

I had 3 softball games yesterday and the GF punch to the shoulder did NOT help my throwing abilities.  It took my bat a while to warm up too, but I did progress from a strikeout in the first game to some good hits by the third game.  Good times on the softball field yet again.  Much needed practice for this coming weekend tourney in the LC.  Apparently the shenanigan's are gonna be epic.  There's nothing like a bunch of drunk and sleep deprived girls hanging out for a long weekend of softball and fun!

Broncos lost by 26 points, but the Chiefs won their first game!  Lots of comebacks in football yesterday...the Lions, the 49ers, even the Bengals!  As for baseball, the D-backs are 2 games behind the Brewers...they gotta win or it's over.  Luckily for us all, the Tigers won yesterday...they've also got to keep winning.

Overall, it was a great weekend that got marred only by having to return to work this morning.  Another week of madness here, but another week of words with you! 

Check out my new butt jeans!

~Chix