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T h e A d v e n t u r e s o f C h i c a g o J o

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My Birthday Weekend, Leaving on a Jet Plane (Multiple Times), and Patrick Swayze

2005-10-17� � 4:40 p.m.
This weekend just flew by.

I took it easy on Friday night and went grocery shopping, stopping by a girl friend�s house to watch a movie and hang out. I got home at a pretty decent hour and text messaged with Benito for a bit before bed.

My phone started ringing bright and early on Saturday morning with people wishing me a happy birthday. The 8 a.m. phone call woke me to the point that I wasn�t going back to sleep, but I turned the ringer off anyway. It was nice to have so many remember, but I was sleepy and felt like lounging around.

After talking with Benito a few times, I headed out for a walk to the nearby 400m track to do my first outdoor speed workout from this new running training program I�m starting. I�ve felt pretty good since the marathon, intentionally taking it easy on my body.

On Saturday I figured a few long-stride 400m runs would be fine. I was wrong.

The first 400m reminded me that the distance was more difficult than I was remembering. I tuckered out at about 300m, but I finished in a decent time. One walking lap around the track, and I started my long strides again. This time my lungs were unhappy. Whatever, get over it. One walking lap around the track, and I started again.

This time at the 200m mark my knee started knocking on my thick skull, saying that something was up. I�m not one to tough things out when I know I don�t want to risk injury, so I slowed up to test what my knee was saying.

Sure enough. It was angry. I immediately stopped, walked to pick up my backpack, and headed home to ice my knee.

Ugh. I showed up to my friend Happy�s house for birthday dinner with two bags of ice on my knee. For the rest of the night I self-medicated through Citron shots and Miller Lites.

At the end of the night, Benito and I walked through the McDonald�s drive-thru before stumbling back to his house to plop on the couch, drunkenly eat bad-for-us foods, and then go to sleep.

I felt like ass the next morning, but a shower and some hugs went a long way toward making me feel human again. I opened my presents, and we spent the day relaxing on the couch with our arms and legs tangled.

(Side note: If you have all of the football channels, I highly recommend watching the Red Zone Channel. It�s football watching for people with ADD.)

He dropped me off at home after an odd dinner at Panera Bread. It�s hard to explain, but there was something surreal about the sandwich shop that afternoon. Between the cold, the setting sun, and the people also there, something was on-edge. However, the olives on my salad were excellent.

Benito is gone for the week, and I already don�t like it. Boo! Boo! Ah well, I�m sure we�ll talk tonight before he goes out drinking with his work folks. He�s emailed me a couple times already, and I�ve got a long email going out to him tonight before I leave for work.

In other news, today I spent $700 on airfare. Between this weekend�s trip to St. Louis to see my best friend since the fifth grade and visit with her extended family, Thanksgiving/my niece�s birthday, and Christmas, I�m all tapped out for the rest of the year.

I can�t think of the last time I spent $700 in a day. My laptop didn�t even cost that much... I guess the last time I recall spending that much was when I put down the down payment on my house two Junes back. Granted, it was a lot more than $700, but I do have something shiny to show for it.

Next year is going to be ridiculous for travel. I have seven trips planned, including an international one. And really, these aren�t really trips I could easily cut. I have my brother�s graduation in May, my friend�s London wedding in June, a family reunion in July, my nephew�s b-day in July, a trip to DC to visit a friend who will live there for a few months, my niece�s birthday, and Xmas.

I could try to combine the nephew�s b-day with the family reunion, but that would necessitate that my sister either spend a couple days in the car with her two kids or for her to drop a grand on all of them flying out. No good either way. We�ll see how it goes. I at least have a heads up not to spend money on silly things like tiaras or ponies over the next several months.

Okay, I need to do some work that requires actually thinking about it. Hope you all are having a great Monday.

Random thought for today: Kurt Russell freaks me out. He�s the poor man�s Patrick Swayze. �



Miss something?

Moving Day - 2008-02-15
Working from Home is Glorious - 2008-02-13
Speaking in Tongues - 2008-02-07
I Have My Reasons - 2008-01-25
Got an Itch, Fix it, Shine it Up, Sing it Out - 2008-01-23

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