3x... 4x... 5x... the Charm?

I went to donate blood today. After being rejected at least three times (maybe more) this year because my hematocrit was too low, I was worried it would still be a problem. Turns out taking a multivitamin is a good thing. Especially if you're not a big meat-eater (such as myself). I was at a 13.?? and females need to be at least 12.5. Woo hoo!

I also was given a pin for having donated a gallon of blood (that unit of measurement just sounds wrong when you're talking about blood). I actually reached a gallon a long time ago. I think I'm close to two gallons now. Yay!

On the whole, it was a great experience - again. But I think the girl drawing my blood was fairly new. For the first time ever, my arm hurt the whole time the needle was in the vein. That was not pleasant. Even now, it hurts more than it normally does. Blast it all.

Walking Into Work

- I smelled honeysuckle -
- I smelled freshly cut grass -
- I smelled honeysuckle again -

- Then I passed a very attractive policeman coming from the building -
~but that was just a bonus (: ~

In Case You Were Wondering -

- Billy Joel is still playing on my ipod.

I love him.

Sunday Naps

before I had a laundry basket I'd make a neat pile for laundry.
Dingo would drag it out of the closet, make it not-so-neat and decide it was a perfect place to sleep

I can't remember when I discovered the beauty of Sunday naps, but I have had a long-time appreciation of them.
Today, I got in a good one.
Hope you did too.

What We Need

“is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime” (speech given Aug. 27, 1952, quoted in John Bartlett, comp., Familiar Quotations, 13th ed. [1955], 986)

I just read this in an article that a friend linked to from her blog.
It got me thinking.
I think I'm (often) guilty of those 'short, frenzied outbursts of emotion' rather than 'the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.'
I need to work on that.

The article she linked to was this one.

Today...

... while driving to and from work I listened to Billy Joel.
And remembered his concert.
And loved it.

A Memory

photo found here - this is not my sister (:

once upon a time my sister wanted/needed a haircut. my mom, being too busy, told her to have me do it. i was reluctant. i had cut my own hair (straight across, taking forever to get it even) a few times, but that was it. being forced into it, i started. i started at one side (her left, i think) and made my way around to the front right. by the time i got there, it was too late to stop what had been a gradual increase that turned not so gradual by the end. when i saw what i had done i couldn't hide the horrified look on my face. thinking i was joking, she asked, 'what?' i grabbed one side of her hair showing her the length, then grabbed the shorter end. she cried. i cried. we were both upset. my mom ended up fixing it. she got a lot of compliments on that short haircut.

i have cut her hair since then (not for years now, but thankfully all our experiences were better than that one) and so obviously she has forgiven me.

don't know why i thought of that just now.

It Smells Like Lilacs

My window is wide open, my fan is on, and with the breeze outside I get occasional whiffs of flowers. I think they're lilacs. Whatever they are, they smell beautiful.

Why Am I Awake?

Yes, it's noon.
And yes, I'm really wondering what I'm doing awake.

Last night I was a volunteer at the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay (188 miles over two days).
Insanity.

My shift was from 1 to 5 am. I got home a little before 6 and fell asleep a bit after 7 (I took a hot bath before sleeping because my body was hurting from the 4 hours of standing up and directing traffic). I set my alarm for a little after 10 because I didn't want to sleep so late that it kept me from sleeping tonight. Now I'm wondering if that would have been a problem at all.

In case you were wondering, here are some things that might go through your head while you're standing in a dirt parking lot for four hours in the early, early morning -

12:42 - falling star!
12:43 - there are tons more stars here than at home
12:45 - maybe i should count how many falling stars i see
(that would have been easy - 1)
12:52 (remember, my shift hadn't even technically started) - this has got to be the most boring thing I've ever done. if not, that's sad.
12:54 - someone needs to turn off their car alarm.
12:55 - maybe I should have taken my chair out of the car, I wonder if I can direct traffic while sitting?
12:59 - i wish i knew stuff about stars.
1:21 - this flashlight turns off way too easily. what if i'm pointing with it and it's not on? i'd feel really stupid if that happened.
1:30 - maybe i'd get hit by a car if my flashlight was off and i didn't notice it. i've already been hit by a car in my life. i survived...
1:42 - maybe i should text all my friends to see if anyone's awake
1:43 - maybe i should call my friends.
1:45 - i have no idea how to activate this glow stick that's hanging on my hoodie. maybe if i see dominic he'll be able to show me.
1:48 - there goes that car alarm again.
1:49 - i like it when people say thank you. my hands are numb.
1:50 - i'm glad i have an ereader on my ipod. but my hands are too numb to use it.
1:52 - someone called me 'sir.' because it's pitch black outside and i'm dressed like a boy (hoodie and workout pants) i'll forgive him.
1:52 - there goes that dang car alarm again.
1:57 - i'm fogging up my glasses. my hood won't stay on. that car alarm is out of control. ereader is good in theory, but i should have brought my headphones.
1:58 - i just pointed with the flashlight while it was turned off. i was right. i did feel stupid.
2:10 - songs that have been in my head so far: jewel's 'stay here forever,' the 'alan brady' song from the 'dick van dyke' show, 'good king wenceslas,' the theme song that frasier wrote in one episode, 'happy birthday,' 'tevye's dream.'
2:19 - i'm afraid if i tie my hoodie i'll get stuck in it.
2:22 - big dipper! and little dipper?! can you see them at the same time? i feel like that shouldn't be allowed. i wish i knew stuff about stars.
2:27 - i heard from dominic. yay!
2:33 - i tied myself into my hood. it stays on better that way. i hope i don't get stuck in it.
2:38 - thanks lady, for telling me how to light my glow stick. i feel better now.
2:40 - my toes hurt. a lot.
2:41 - this flashlight turns off way too easily. i hope i'm not killed.
2:58 - with the orange cone on the flashlight it looks like a flame. i wish it was warm. i just touched it and it's not. it's freezing.
2:59 - halfway done with my shift! almost.
3:52 - the two parking people disappeared 40 minutes ago. drivers are making their own row. it's driving me crazy.
3:52:13 - screw it. i don't care.
3:54 - i think i went brain dead. i don't remember the last hour. my legs hurt. i've been standing in the same place for the last 3+ hours.
3:56 - car alarm again. about time.
4:05 - more songs: 'santa claus is coming to town,' 'tonight' from west side story.
4:13 - with those two parking people missing, my job has become pointless. some people listen to me, some people don't. whatever. i don't care.
4:35 - i came half an hour early, and got relieved a half hour early. hallelujah. i just hope i can find my way home.
5:47 - my arms are way too sore from waving a flashlight around for four hours.

and those are the thoughts from inside my head.

if you made it through all of that. wow.
if you made it through all of that and still want to be my friend - thank you.

Here are two videos for songs that were in my head. The best two, in my opinion. Enjoy!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow's kind of a big day for me. I'll be working here -

- for the first time (I did sub for a friend once, but now it'll be a weekly thing), and I'm really excited about that.

I'll also be volunteering for this race -

- from 1 to 5 in the morning (technically on Saturday).

Crazy? perhaps. But not as crazy as the people running it! (though I admit I'd like to be one of those people someday)

And I'm pretty excited about that too.

!?

I woke up this morning sans alarm. Looking at the clock, I saw it was 6 and decided I'd just stay up and get some things done.

Just now I realized it wasn't 6 when I woke up.

What is wrong with me?

at least I didn't get dressed

start walking to work

wonder why the streets

were so empty

check the time

see that I was an hour

ahead of schedule

then call my mom

to verify the time.

like I did a few years ago.

(:

First the Fan...

... and then the heater...

Dingo's Wind Tunnel

yes, it was on at the time

How Fun!

A long-time-ago friend of mine just got married last weekend... at her engagement party! I thought the trailer of their wedding video was fun, so I thought I'd share:

HER+HUR Trailer from Adam Zielinski on Vimeo.

If You're in Utah -

How Many Days Does It Take Before Something Becomes a Habit?

after an unsuccessful google search for an image

for 'two days in a row' i had to create my own

that 2 is size 500 font

Have I Told You How Much I Love Dilbert?

Things I Learned Today

1 - I am capable of running one mile - at a fairly decent pace - without stopping

(I feel kinda lame that it's only one mile, but I haven't run since January, so I was kind of surprised)

2 - Dingo is capable of running one mile without stopping, but that's pretty much it

(makes me sad that that's proof that he's getting old!)

3 - I remembered how much I love running

(wearing my major knee brace again, but when I have it on, I can't tell that I have a bad knee :)

4 - Running while sick isn't a lot of fun, but it's possible

(I had to run - it's National Running Day!)

5 - I love how I feel after I run

(I'm going to have to get back into the habit again, it's awesome)

Weeding:

aka - guilt-free tanning

It's Here -

- the day you've been waiting for...

National Running Day!

do it.

run.

even for just five minutes.

or down the block.

i'll be doing it.

later this evening.

right now it's too warm.

but it feels like a beautiful spring day!

Big News!!!

Last fall, for one of my classes, some classmates and I put together a photovoice project. We decided to focus on the refugee population in the Salt Lake area. Marcee and I went up to a church meeting for a refugee branch and talked to Frederic, a man who works with refugees, and is a refugee himself. We gave him a camera, and he took some great pictures for us to present to our class.

Brad - another member of the group - submitted our assignment to APHA - 'the oldest, largest, and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world' - and we got accepted for a poster presentation where we can just show what we did. It's not until November, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Yay!

I Had No Idea This Was a Thing

ever heard of 'clothespin nose'?

I'm dealing with my second summer (spring? / faux spring?) cold in as many weeks.

Not fun.

This one comes accompanied by an aching throat.

Just lovely.