30-something countdown

Weekly Therapy: The realization and acknowledgement that I only have a couple weeks remaining in my 30s

- Mel

the week:
So… yeah. Can I remain 30-something in this blog space if I’m actually 40? I knew this moment would come, and I don’t yet have a plan for the change. I know that I want to continue to blog — blogging been a part of my life for 15 some years, and I’ve been posting here for about 6 years. I’ve been waiting for a “big idea” lightbulb moment. And since that hasn’t happened yet, I’ll remain here as a 30-something in spirit.

not yet 40 something banner

weekend:
Having a kind weird weekend — I’ve been feeling something wonky in my right knee intermittently for a week, along with my left arch feeling sore since Illinois. And now my lower back is bothering me since Friday. I don’t have it in me to run outside in 30-degree temperatures and rain. And when I attempted to make up some miles on my treadmill, the machine started smelling like burning rubber and I got nervous about the motor burning up (or the thing catching fire) and had to QUIT. Things are rough over here right now.

You know, in case you wondered what 40-something blog posts would be like.

seven things, seven days:
1. Took a DNS for the Drake Half marathon. I just didn’t have it in me.
2. Golf season has arrived (amidst the snow showers in the forecast, WTF), and I’m finally spending my Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card from LAST Christmas on a new pair of golf shoes.
3. I found an additional VISA gift card, as well as a Dunham’s (hopefully those still exist?) and another for Amazon. Maybe I need to clean out junk drawers more often?
4. Is running contagious? {via NYT}
5. This food article spoke right to my soul (and inspired me to make a gluten-free carrot cake this weekend): The Nonnegotiables of Good Carrot Cake {via Taste}
6. Sports Psychology: The effects of loss aversion (sorry in advance about the auto-play video) {via Stack}
7. A guide for giving your cats their annual performance review — OMGGGGGGG ???

Weekly Therapy: 49 weeks left in my 30s

- Mel

the week:
Friday’s Weekly Therapy was disrupted by OUR FIRST IOWA VISITORS!

weekend:
The boyfriend’s parents spent the holiday weekend with us, and we explored some fun things in Des Moines — the Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday and Iowa Cubs game on Sunday were big highlights. We definitely crossed a few items off of our Iowa Bucket List!

Mel with Iowa Cubby Bear Des Moines

I get an extra (unpaid, unfortunately) day off today, and we’ll be spending our free afternoon on the golf course with some friends. I’M DRIVING! 😉

It looks like the rain is holding off until tomorrow, too — yay!

seven things, seven days:
1. This article spoke right to my soul: Why some people find crowded cities relaxing — and others don’t. I’m definitely in that latter category! Constant horn honking is decidedly UN-relaxing to me. {via City Lab}
2. I ordered fried chicken tenders in a restaurant this weekend AND THEY WERE GLUTEN FREE. Imagine that, a food place that uses gluten-free breading for all its fry stuff. OMG, going here forever.
3. 7 ways to re-motivate yourself at work {via Entrepreneur}
4. UGH. The foul reign of the biological clock {via The Guardian}
5. I know that I’ve always hated the reference to derby “girls” but this goes much deeper by way of books What does it mean when we call women “girls” {via LitHub}
6. I don’t consider myself a Millennial, but if you’re in your early 30s, you may: The anxiety of the Millennials {via Huffington Post}
7. A good run is always amazing: Neurologists explain the mind-clearing magic of running {via Science of Us}

Weekly Therapy: 51 weeks left in my 30s

- Mel

the week:
I had two full days of training at work, so my week just FLEW by!

And, YAY! I got a new bike — 600+ miles of Iowa trails, here we come! We also signed up for our first group trail fun ride in June — the BACooN Ride (where BACON meets the Raccoon River Trail) — so I am fully outfitted and ready to explore.

weekend:
We live in a front license plate state, so I need to take my car in this morning to get my front plate mounted. The dealership is also charging us an OUTRAGEOUS amount of money to update the maps on my GPS (like, holy shit, they’re sticking in an SD card WHY CAN’T A SATELLITE DO THIS). All I’m saying is that it sure as shit better locate my house when it’s uploaded.

ANYWAYS.

Otherwise, we have a pretty laid back weekend. Last night we got to hang out with our neighbors for a bit because it was SUCH a beautiful night. I’m pretty jazzed about the weather report in general this weekend, and we’ll probably go for a bike ride.

seven things, seven days:
1. My workplace has a corporate library, which we can reserve from a great selection of business-themed and popular book titles. And they deliver it right to my desk!
2. Everything is SO GREEN right now, including the farm crops around us. Daily, I just feel so happy with where I live.
3. I finished Leah Remini’s Troublemaker — it was a really engaging story, with all the gossipy celebrity juice you’d expect from someone who attended Tom Cruise’s wedding. I’m obsessed with the Scientology survival stories, and it’s a pretty incredible read from someone who went into the church so young.
4. Man, I just had another awful online shopping experience with a furniture company that I love and have shopped with for over a decade (AND have their dumb store credit card). Needless to say, I have to now find another living room side table somewhere else. #grumpy
5. Oh, HEY! Roller derby article in Shape magazine: How Roller Derby Helped Me Finally See Myself As An Athlete
6. The unhealthy truth behind “wellness” and “clean eating” {via Vice}
7. Spinning: You’re doing it wrong {via Indoor Cycling Association}