Weekly Therapy

Weekly Therapy: April’s Fools and a Legacy of Friendship

- Mel 3 Comments

the week:
An incredibly sad start to the week, with news that a friend whom I’ve known since I was 19, died of cancer on Easter morning. She just turned 40 in December and was diagnosed at Christmas with a rare internal melanoma that was already at advanced stages. It’s heartbreaking, especially because we hadn’t seen one another in a while, and also because we had something of a mutual falling out last year. I’m certainly still in shock about it all, and I had planned to go back to visit with her after I got settled. Well, her 2-8 week prognosis just as I moved to Iowa was actually just that two short weeks. And my heart just hurts immensely for her family, while I break because of all the guilt for not getting to her in time. I’m glad for the opportunity I had to reach out and message her before she passed, however. Though we had some unresolved conflict, there was still a lot of love there and expressed. She certainly taught me a lot on how to be a better friend, which is a pretty great legacy to leave behind.

weekend:
I *think* I’ve finally found my groove with workouts this week. I walked two miles around my neighborhood, took advantage of a free day pass at Life Time Fitness (and took a yoga class), and have scheduled runs for Thursday, Friday and Sunday. I’ve connected with someone from the roller derby team here, too, so that I can join in with the group when they do trail skating or maybe scrimmages (I haven’t ultimately decided whether I’ll join derby; I still want to get settled into my new home and job and a new routine first).

The boyfriend and I are *finally* going to explore downtown a bit on Saturday, now that the garage is somewhat organized and clear, and all the boxes are unpacked and stored.

seven things, seven days:
1. No joke, I painted my toenails for the first time in, like, six months. o_O
2. Also not funny: one of my cats has been waking me up every.single.morning around 3:45 a.m. And since I’m working from home, he is one annoying sonuvabitch until at least 2 p.m. WHY IS HE NOT SLEEPING?!
3. I won a $25 gift card from another Iowa blogger to my local Orange Leaf fro-yo place — a magical place that is rumored to also deliver in my area.
4. I think that I was meant to find this article this week: Dying, With Nothing to Say {via NYT}
5. I joke a lot about my insomnia, but the truth is, I am just on a different schedule. And I cannot find any humor in someone snarking on my sleeping habits. So, here’s an article about some good old fashioned Night Owl discrimination (and understanding chronobiology). {via Vox}
6. “It would be boring if it was easy.” Yes, yes, YES! Repeat after me: FAILURE IS INEVITABLE. The hidden psychology of failure {via BBC}
7. Why in God’s name are hangovers so much worse in your 30s?! Here’s some info on that. {via Yahoo Health}

Weekly Therapy: Found somewhere in between boxes and cat toys.

- Mel

the week:
Movers delivered everything on Monday. New sectional was delivered on Tuesday. Piano tuner was here on Wednesday. I had an interview on Thursday. Errands to run and dinner plans on Friday. This was a little look into how my week was thus far. And a headache today, to boot. I have probably also had too much wine this week.

I have no clue what this label is supposed to mean. ?

A photo posted by Melinda (@melliesmel) on

weekend:
Well, because all of our stuff showed up and I want to get my house in order, I’ll be opening a lot of boxes and trying to clear out my garage! It’s also Easter, and since we won’t be traveling back to Ohio, we’ll be making our traditional foods and having our own fun little dinner party on Sunday.

And there’s still a chance that we might get into downtown. And maybe I’ll actually be able to settle into start a workout routine. I’ll definitely need to open up a new bank account, however.

seven things, seven days:
1. I gained five pounds already. :-/
2. Found a few broken items from the move, but nothing really to make a big fuss (or claim) over.
3. Have I mentioned how windy it is here? It’s really windy. And the thunderstorms are no joke.
4. I also experienced the first statewide weather alarm testing, which… blblblblblblblbbllbbl. OMG. I had no idea it was a random mid-week testing — it’s usually done on a Saturday. I freaked. the eff. out.
5. How much of our personality are we “stuck” with and how much can we change after 30? {via Science of Us}
6. Oooof, adding to the reproducibility crisis in the field of psychology — new research on the theory of ego depletion {via Slate}
7. On “idea debt” and procrastination and such: Stop thinking, start doing {via The Guardian}.

Weekly Therapy: “Your feet will bring you where your heart is” — Irish proverb

- Mel

the week:
This week, the boyfriend and I celebrated 7 years together. Unfortunately, he had to travel back to Pittsburgh to deal with the movers, so we’ll actually celebrate over the weekend. But… SEVEN YEARS, GUYS. Holy moly, how old am I?! And yes, we’re St. Patrick’s Day drunks-meets sweethearts.

cheers to new house des moines iowa 30something
Cheers to the new house!

weekend:
We’re heading into the city this weekend to use our (free) workout facility and explore downtown. With the NCAA tournaments in town, it’ s sure to be some MARCH MADNESS. *snicker*

seven things, seven days:
1. Our neighbors across the street invited us over for a party Sunday night, along with a few other couples. And everyone is so friendly, and I just feel right at home already. Plus, our sellers were there, so we were able to meet them, too.
2. Cats were pretty good in the car for 12 hours, and really only cried for the first hour. I only had one cat approach me in the drivers seat, with about an hour left to go. We were all incredibly antsy to get out of the car!
3. So, there are a lot of dirt roads near us and we don’t really know how to bypass them yet. This was a huge mistake, five minutes after going through a car wash. -_-
4. SEASON FINALE OF THE BACHELOR got me all… WUT. But I guessed his pick!
5. I had a quickie interview at a recruiting firm this week about a temp-to-hire position in the area. So… I got out of the house and drove around by myself! Bad news is that my car’s GPS doesn’t recognize my house. And Google Maps on my phone doesn’t do turn-by-turn (no clue why; it’s not muted). SHRUG. I got home.
6. Why do we work so hard? — a very thoughtful piece {via the Economist}
7. Oooh, I like this one very, very much: When it’s good to be bad {via Aeon}

Weekly Therapy: So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehn. Goodbye, Pittsburgh.

- Mel 1 Comment

the week:
Lots of “lasts” in Pittsburgh this week — last spin class at the Y with my girl Kylee, last run//yoga//run//club at Urban Elements with my tribe, last drink at the Pub (and my favorite salad in this city), last run through the Point (but definitely not the last cry), last massage (I’ve been seeing the same massotherapist for over 3 years!), last walk into downtown. People keep asking if I’m nervous (I’m not); I’m positively excited and anxious to get to my new home. That doesn’t take away at all from my amazing experience living in Pittsburgh for the last 5.5 years — I’ll miss the hell out of this place. And the reality of moving away from some wonderful friends struck me kinda hard this week.

Also, if you need to know the best (read: my favorite) place to cry in Pittsburgh, it’s at the Point, near the fountain at the top of the stairs… looking back out at the city. I don’t know how or why I always end up there when I’m feeling really freaking sad, but it’s become a special place for me.

30something_point state park Pittsburgh
Bye, ‘Burgh!

weekend:
Tonight is the last night in our Pittsburgh house, and we leave first thing in the morning. *waves*

By Sunday Lately, I’ll be publishing from Iowa!

seven things, seven days:
1. I’m a huge fan of overnight fridge oats, and this week I made a couple with the flavor packs that I received from Devotion Nutrition — swapping out my usual maple syrup for coconut biscotti and banana fosters Flex Flavors. SO GOOD.
2. I continue to get regular massages because my left IT band is almost always tight – and my shoulders and my glutes. But at this week’s appointment, my hip flexors are really messed up. Read: need to find a way to stretch my psoas? WHOOF.
3. Um, I intentionally and willingly ate gluten for the first time in over two years. (And the carrot cake cupcake was DELICIOUS.) So… I’ll be watching for any symptoms for a few days. I definitely got a headache that night, but it didn’t linger.
4. Speaking of all things gluten and not: I found a gluten-free bakery (donuts!!!) within walking (running?) distance of my new house.
5. I’m on the job hunt, so this article was incredibly eye-opening!: A top recruiter on what anyone can see after 30 seconds with your resume {via Quartz}
6. “Here’s the awesome thing about making choices and decisions – we get to make them. we get to decide and then change our mind when circumstance change. ” YES YES YES, ALL OF THIS, YES! Procreation Choices {via The New Wifestyle}
7. Good reference for any age group: 30-somethings should be doing a mix of interval training and lifting heavy weights — The best exercise for your age {via Huffington Post}

Weekly Therapy: That I am extremely hungover on my last day of work somehow explains everything.

- Mel

the week:
My last week at my job… at least, on-site. We’ve worked out an agreement so that I can stay on as a contractor until one of us: finds a job (me) or finds a replacement (them). The universe has also blessed me this week, to randomly (and separately) run into people who I haven’t seen in a while. These things have warmed my heart (and will keep my bank account warm as well).

weekend:
Tonight is our going away party, and then I’ll spend my last weekend in Pittsburgh (since we leave next Saturday morning). Yep, I thought two weeks would be SO long to wait out, but it’s positively flown by. I do need to get my shit together this weekend and ship some things out to the new house though, especially now that the movers have confirmed they will not pack/move any opened toiletry item. 😐

seven things, seven days:
1. Uber drivers who let you plug in your phone and pick your playlist are the best Uber drivers! I had our guy dancing in his seat. We had a good time.
2. Furniture shopping is a pain-in-the ass, you guys. And whomever actively promotes a 2-6 week delivery window can burn in a fire.
3. One last visit with friends to one of my favorite restaurants in the ‘Burgh: CURE. *sniff* (And we finally remembered to use our gift certificate from two Christmases ago.)
4. Speaking of tears, I had my first ugly cry about moving this week. 🙁
5. An economics trick that might help you with your motivation {via Quartz}
6. Being a thin person for 97% of my life, this research from the Cornell Food Lab is fascinating! {via The Atlantic}
7. This article had perfect timing for me (and will for any of you who watched the Olympic Trials and/or love to run and/or take same advice for running and life): What Does it Take to Win? {via Forbes}

Weekly Therapy: This is why I’ve been procrastinating on making resolutions.

- Mel

the week:
The big news of the week was our announcement of our move to Iowa! Yes, Iowa! Today, we close on our new house in the Des Moines area (which, I unfortunately couldn’t travel back for, and we had to rush to get a power of attorney for the signing). And we also already accepted an offer on our Pittsburgh house (inspection happened this morning!). Things are moving super fast, you guys. More gushing about my new city to come!

iowa t-shirt

weekend:
Using my remaining weekends to meet up and celebrate with local friends, since I only have a couple weeks left in Pittsburgh. Tonight, a dessert crawl to celebrate a friend’s birthday; tomorrow, Mexican for brunch; Sunday, hanging out at our new neighborhood coffee shop (and eating all the gluten-free goat baked goods!) with some neighbor-friends.

seven things, seven days:
1. Found a gluten-free bakery down in Sarasota, and they made OMG incredible cranberry walnut muffins. Wish I could have brought back 18 of them.
2. I am sincerely smoothie inept. Every recipe that I try tastes nothing like a smoothie. Any tips?
3. Because we were showing the house, we’ve, err… stored some things in unusual places to tidy up quickly. Tonight, I found a dead cat grass plant in the kitchen linen basket underneath the sink. Can’t. Stop. Laughing.
4. Did I mention that I don’t have to pack for this move? There is a God!
5. I do, however, need to drive 12 hours with 3 cats in the car, so the universe is in balance.
6. These tips are good to save a few thousand a year (with some healthy side effects). But I wish it was stuff I wasn’t already doing, so that I could find a way to squeeze more savings from my already-stretched (and soon-to-be gone) income. {via Prevention}
7. This list, on the other hand… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ {via Huffington Post}

Weekly Therapy: Arrrrrrgh you ready?

- Mel

the week:
Just trying to stay mentally and physically strong for these races this weekend. I’m doing it all for the bling and the fun – and happy that I’ll have a group of SCRR runners there with me to celebrate.

I plan to post next week all about my recovery, in my recovery week!

weekend:
Without further ado… it’s GASPARILLA WEEKEND! I’m leaving for Florida on Friday morning and the Ultra Challenge races take place on both Saturday and Sunday (early wake up call, like woah, on Sunday morning). I’m nervous about the weather forecast because it’s perfect for being in Florida, but awful for running 30 miles.

seven things, seven days:
1. So, Meb and Shalane are in Tampa this weekend, too, and I can’t spend the $100 to have dinner with them. Harumph. Hoping to catch a glimpse of them at least at the Expo.
2. I seriously *just* got access to the multiple accounts feature in Instagram. IT’S ABOUT TIME! (You feel me, social media marketing peeps?)
3. Are you guys all caught up on The Bachelor yet? Do you have any Top 3 favorites?
4. Those Grammys though. *eye roll*
5. I took my niece and sister to the Aviary to see the baby sloth… but we didn’t see him. 🙁
6. I like the idea of creating/having a “shutdown ritual” but just laying there in the dark for HOURS doing nothing is enough to drive anyone (ahem, me) to madness. I do like this list though: The 7 Step Evening Ritual {via Barking Up the Wrong Tree}
7. Is the triathlon only for the rich? Interesting story about amateur Ironmen paying for elite training. {via NYT}

Weekly Therapy: DONUT YOU LOVE ME?!

- Mel

Donuts, man. #gimme
GF DONUTS_valentine, 30-something

the week:
I’m seriously breaking out ALL over my face and scalp this week. WHAT IN THE WORLD. A couple weeks ago made sense when I was PMS’ing, but this is simply ridiculous. I haven’t changed my cleansing routine nor am I using any new products. Hormones? Maybe stress-induced? Frustrating!

weekend:
THREE DAY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

Our evenings and routine this week have been shaken up a bit due to house showings (and the boyfriend has come down with a nasty cold), so we’re canceling on the ballet tonight. However, I’ll be celebrating Galentine’s with my ladies on Saturday. And then, the boyfriend and I will be celebrating the day of love with him making me brunch in bed on Sunday. 😉

Since we have a long weekend and Monday off from work, my sister and niece are coming out for a night, too.

seven things, seven days:
1. Because it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend – and I love the ballet – I thought this PBT Love Story was a cute post.
2. DO NOT LIKE the astronaut cheese. *puke*
3. RTYI: Updated gluten-free Valentine’s Day candy list.
4. I’m… not a Super Bowl Baby. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
5. Do any of you have a Helix Sleep mattress? I’m very interested in this type of product.
6. I feel as though I could have written this article – and I’m still searching for a job that fits all my needs: 4 Crucial Questions I Wish I Asked Myself Before Changing Careers {via The Financial Diet}
7. Sports sharpen the presidential image {via NY Times}

Have a wonderful Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day weekend, my lovelies! <3

Weekly Therapy: Pressure is a privilege.

- Mel

the week:
I’m having another not-so-great week of feeling REALLY lethargic and exhausted. I’m truly now feeling the pressure (and by extension, stress) to be and do All the Things and the associated downward spiral of thinking (and inaction). I wish I could just stop doing that to myself! I plan to use some of these Unconventional Productivity tips from zen habits to reset and refocus (and, hopefully, gain back some of my energy). It’s such a great list!

30-something therapy pressure is privilege
Pause.

weekend:
We have tickets to Caberet tonight, and a midday date tomorrow for the Sewickley Chocolate Walk (The event sold out quickly, so I’m glad we jumped on tickets early!). We haven’t had a date night in such a long time, and we have two fun things to celebrate together. #blessed

And on Sunday, we’ll be positively gorging ourselves on terrible (but delicious!) football appetizers at home, while watching all the fun Super Bowl commercials. I’ll run at some point though, PROMISE.

seven things, seven days:
1. Did you pay attention to the Iowa Caucus this week? Coming from a state where we have primaries, the whole caucus system is fascinating, and I’ve enjoyed learning more about the process (since I’ve, admittedly, not paid attention to it in the past). I can honestly say that I’m currently coming from a place of being an undecided/uncommitted voter, so I’m definitely paying attention!
2. Knowing when it’s time to quit – that’s some kind of pressure for athletes, ya know? {via NPR}
3. Speaking of sports pressure: The mental strength of quarterbacks in Super Bowl 50 {via CNN}
4. Have you heard of yesiyoga.com? Well, I’m all about new yoga brands, so interested to see where this referral/social media blitz takes us. [Sign up, too, if you’re also intrigued!] 5. Appropriate (even if I hate use of the word “girl”): 18 things a roller derby girl can relate to {via Buzzfeed}
6. How to finally stop procrastinating (for real) {via FastCompany}
7. Oh. Maybe that’s it. Why your high-intensity feelings may be tiring you out {via HBR}

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #9

- Mel

I had a really rough week again; I won’t sugar coat it. My lack of motivation to do, anything really, hit a high, and I reached out to my local run buddies to hold me accountable for my weekend long run. Needless to say, I only completed one run from this week’s training program (my long run, for what it’s worth). I’m starting a February 1 Fitness Challenge too, to help get me back on track. With a full week of derby practices ahead of me, my race in less than three weeks, and preparing for a big life change (I know, #vaguebooking), I need to be SO CAREFUL of not burning out and keeping on a schedule. My training week definitely ended on a high note though!

MVP Blocker Heroes game SCRD

MONDAY: Two-hour roller derby practice, which included scrimmaging. I’m really tired and cranky this week, so I know that I’m PMS-ing super hard. Also, I’ve written about this before, but I generally feel pretty useless and lack any amount of energy the week before my cycle starts. It was tough to get into 100% mode at practice, and I was honestly really annoyed that it was a scrimmage practice. But, I showed up and gave my best.

TUESDAY: Rest Day. Needed to watch The Bachelor. Duh.

WEDNESDAY: Had to work late… really bummed to miss yoga.

THURSDAY: [walked to/from work] Since I missed yoga the night before, I packed my bag and mat for work – with the intent of doing a lunch hour yoga at the PNC YMCA downtown. Wouldn’t you know, despite my setting an alarm on my phone so that I wouldn’t get caught up in work and forget, that it never alerted me? And I ate right through the noon hour and COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT DOING YOGA. Until the afternoon, when I turned around for my purse and saw all my workout stuff.

This week is officially The Worst.

FRIDAY: Nothing. Absolutely, lazy nothing.

SATURDAY: With a friend’s help to MAKE SURE that I woke up for a morning group long run, I joined Steel City Road Runners for 9 miles (finished 8.89 miles at average 10:48 pace) in the morning. I also ran to the start location, so I got an extra mile for my “warm up.” This was the furthest out that I’ve taken on the river front trail (on the Allegheny), so it was exciting to get a change of scenery! We stuck with the 10:30 pacer, but we were really all over the place in terms of average pace. At a certain point, we crossed back into the city side of the river — running that LONG 40th Street skyward into Upper Lawrenceville (we were basically at a 12-minute pace there). It was rough.

I sincerely needed a good run, though, and the camaraderie of my fellow runners. While I felt awful and tired and sore (that will happen after not running for a week!), I’m so glad that I got out there. My IT band was giving me a little trouble on my left leg for the last 4 miles, so I spent a good amount of time foam rolling my legs and doing some yoga stretches in the evening.

SUNDAY: I was having a little bit of knee soreness today — my quads were also SCREAMING at me and I was feeling generally exhausted and cranky… but it’s BOUT DAY! Despite the nag, I didn’t feel sore or hurt while skating at all (Monday morning is another story, though). Our Heroes vs. Villains game was INTENSE! (I was on Team Hero.) I had FIVE PENALTIES – probably the most I’ve ever had in a game (and they were all something different); and since we were a little short roster, we were all playing basically every other jam. The game of roller derby is an hour long, with two 30-minute halves and a half time. For as apathetic as I felt about playing before the game, I felt the complete opposite when I was on the track. I had an awesome game. And the other team picked me as the game MVP Blocker (aka: Most Tenacious Blocker)!

Boutfit Penalty board SCRD Heroes game
Crazy Cat Pants Boutfit and Game Day penalty board (whoops!)

Man, it was so hard not to be outside running in the 50-degree weather, though. Yes, the spark is back!

TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 2 (both skating)
TOTAL RUNS: 1 (better than nothing, I guess!)
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 9.89 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 63.90 miles