I'm alive... I think

I'm back from Houston and neglecting you chaps tremendously.  Don't worry, I'm neglecting running just as much.  Feel free to canoodle with each other in my absence, I deserve it for being negligent in our bloggy relationship.  If it makes you feel better, I'm kicking the boy out of town tonight so I can study.

Upon returning from Houston I was thrust knee deep (twss?) into GRE prep.  Before I left for Houston I realized I needed to take the GRE like....yesterday... to get my scores to my #1 school in time.  So of course I scheduled the test for ten days out.  I put a GRE prep book on hold at my library, and go figure it came in at noon last Wednesday....after my flight left at 10am.

When my flight home was delayed 2 1/2 hours out of Minneapolis, I was really wishing I had some materials to study, but to no avail.  Wednesday morning I awoke to realize that my GRE prep book hold had expired.  I called to my local library, and talked to a librarian who said I should have it "by Thursday or Friday," so of course I explained my procrastination to her and that I NEEDED IT NOW.  To which she replied:  Oh it's a really big book, I doubt you'll get through it by Saturday.


Um..... challenge accepted!


The first thing the book tells you (well technically you have to read it...obvs) is that this isn't the sort of test that can be "crammed for."  Again... challenge accepted.  If there's anything my expensive private school education taught me, it's that I can cram my little booty off.

GRE....bring it on!

P.S.  Let's ignore the fact that I forgot to put on make up this morning for work, so I am very "fresh faced" in my photo.  Nbd.

Houston Bound!

Hi kiddos!  I'm off to Texas to visit my love Jenn!  Many shenanigans will likely be had, and I'll miss all your [virtual] faces.

In honor of me leaving the bitter cold behind, I'm having a scarf sale!  It's seriously bitterly cold here, so I'll be leaving my comfy scarves at home, but I'm sure I'll want to crochet my little heart out when I return home.  $30 infinity scarves are now on sale for $25 (+$3 s+h).  Email me at jerbearshares [at] gmail [dot] com with your color selection (be aware that not all colors are available here, so maybe give a few colors you'd like!)

A tout a leure!  (my favorite french phrase since "toot" is technically in it!)

A Lazy Day in the Life Of Jerbear

9:30am  Wake up entirely too early for a Sunday (IMO).
10:15am  Get served french toast and OJ for breakfast (suddenly the early a.m. on the weekend doesn't seem so bad)
10:30am  Departure time for Cabela's trip comes and goes (still in PJs)
11am  Rush home to change in to my Jennings jersey and lucky hair ribbon (spend the rest of the day feeling like Blair Waldorf for wearing my gold sparkley hair ribbon like a headband)
11:12am  Failed attempt at picking up yarn at JoAnn's Fabric to craft some purty scarves whilst being co-pilot on our mini-road trip (apparently they're not open that early on a Saturday...efffffff)
11:13am Finally depart for mini road trip to Cabela's (luckily I have some leftover yarn to keep my hands and brain occupied because this weather is not appropriate for road trippin')
12:15pm  Arrive at every outdoorsy boy's heaven/playland/fishing and hunting mecca
12:17pm  Become overwhelmed by the number of dead animal/fish mounts
12:18pm  Try to decide if taking photos of the mounts for the blog would be cool or creepy
12:19pm  Decide on creepy
12:20pm  Determine where my weird fetish for squeezing/touching soft cheese comes from:  squishy fishing lures
12:21pm  Commence squeezing every squishy fishing lure in sight (along with some squeezy cat fish bait parts, thoroughly grossing myself out, but unable to stop)
12:22pm  Reminsce about my awesome pink tacklebox from my young angler days
1:30pm  Depart Cabela's (without the super cute bright GREEN under armour jacket I was coveting $$$$)
1:40pm  Arrive at Walmart to procure yarn (accidentally end up with a box of fruit snacks.  mmmmmmmm fruit snacks)
2pm Depart for home in nearly all white conditions
2:02pm  Eat fruit snack pack #1
2:03pm  Eat fruit snack pack #2
2:10pm  Mask panic behind super cute Rayban sunnies
2:11pm Jam out every time Bruno Mars' Grenade comes on the radio
2:12pm Eat fruit snack pack #3 (I have a problem, I realize)
3pm  Arrive in time for the pre-game show (my only stipulation for agreeing to be co-pilot on our trip)
3:30pm  Nervously crochet my booty off whilst cheering on the Pack
3:45pm  Eat fruit snack pack #4 ("it's to calm my nerves!" I exclaim.)
5pm  Pause for some delicious homemade buffalo chicken pizza during halftime (ummmm yumm!)
5:20pm  Continue to hold my breath for the rest of the game
5:45pm  Dessert fruit snack pack #5
7pm  Cheer wildly for Tramon Williams' interception and the Packers playoff win!
7:30pm  Sit in the hot tub to calm my nerves and anxiety levels
8:00pm  Whoop up on KK at Jeopardy

Clearly it's tough to be me.
_________________________
I haven't ran since my "long run" of 7 miles on Saturday in 1:06:25 for a pace of 9:34.  I was tempted to walk the mile to my gym in freezing temps last night instead of driving because the roads are bad.  I decided sweat pants were more fun.  ;)

Operation: Frankencamera

One of my goals for 2011 was to complete Project 52.  Thursday being the 6th of the month, I had roughly 24 hours remaining to snap a pic for week 1.  Awesome start Jerbear.  Upon driving home, I see the most gorgeous sunset, so I hustle home (obeying all speed limits and traffic signs, natch) to capture it.  I park in my parking lot and flip on my camera to see a weird white and black image.  "That's strange," I think to myself.  "what the heck did I take a picture of?"  It was when I hit the camera button I realized that my bruised hip/thigh/super deep muscle arm pain wasn't the only casualty of Sunday night's fall:  RIP camera.

I must admit, I tend to be a little "hard" on cameras.  I got my first digital camera before going to Florida for spring break my freshman year of college.  That camera lasted a solid 2 1/2 years before it just couldn't handle anymore oj + pineapple rum filled nalgene bottles comingling with it haphazardessly within my purse, and would no longer work.  Correction:  it would work... sometimes.  Occasionally the picture would come out pink.  Other times the screen would be blurry until it was given a friendly little slam "pat."  Once this super scientific trouble shooting no longer did the trick, I was at a loss.

Luckily I was dating a guy who had a digital camera who never used it, but looooooooooved having photos of himself (I would call him narcissistic here, but I'm equally as obsessed with photos of me, so whatevs...probably why it didn't work out.... yeah... that's it :p) so he "lended" it to me.  Now I say lended loosely, because somehow once we broke up, I was still in possession of the camera.  You break my heart... I take your camera.  Seems like a fair trade to me, no?  ;)

The day before my old roomie's wedding, the camera finally went to the great big camera heaven in the sky (aka my junk drawer).  I couldn't possibly not document the day's events, so I woke up at the bum crack of the morning to get a new camera before getting my hair and make up did.  Success!  No more than 3 hours in to the wedding and I had lost my camera (not only am I hard on cameras, but I also tend to lose them....oops!  The odds of me losing cameras increases exponentially with the increase of booze consumption and elimination of meat from my diet.  I was a veghead during this time and I think there was a bagel and a carrot the whole day I could eat..... #vegheadfail).  Anyway, said camera was recovered, only to be destroyed by dropping on the floor of a bar (yes, I'm seeing a trend here, eff off) with the lens extended, three short months later.

At least this time around, I had the good sense to be the exact same camera.  Plus! It was on sale!  Win WIN win!  I figured I would at least have a back up battery, battery charger, and USB cord.  Man, I'm a genius.  This camera is the current camera, and it has been in my life for the last twelve (12!) months.  Until Thursday.  Sniffles.

I called KK and begged him to find me a teeny tiny screwdriver set, and then resigned to scouring the web for Nikon coolpix 3.0.  And found it!  In red!  For $30 less than I had paid the first time, and $20 less than the second!  And then I found my NC2.0 on my kitchen table (which tells you the last time it was cleaned).  Once KK arrived it was time for Operation:  Frankencamera.

To my surprise (and disappointment) I was only allowed to take on the assistant role.  Sadly, camera deconstruction and possible resurrection does not fall on the "list of things boys are for" (via Susan//Nurse on the Run) and I actually wanted to see if I could fix the thing myself, not hold the small jam jar holding lose screws.  *sigh* 

Don't worry, I'm wearing this shirt today to compensate for it.....

Somewhere along the way I got distracted, no worries, it was because of FOOD and I was HUNGRY. 

Based on the feedback I was getting from the Mad Scientist the outlook was bleak. 

Until the great moment.........

It's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

The words, "you're my hero" may have been uttered, but I will neither confirm nor deny that fact.  Again, see the sweet feminist shirt above.....

And with that, I was thrilled to have saved 80 bones and it was time to watch the Jersey Shore premier.  (Hey, come on, we watched Jeopardy during Operation: Frankencamera.... I'm sure it balances itself out....)

**Check out Denise's ALO clothing giveaway!**

Winnah Winnah!

And the winner of my 100 followers giveaway is...... [drum roll please].......


J from Morning Runner!!!

J send me an email at jerbearshares [at] gmail [dot] com so I can get your address for stalking purposes to mail out your loot!

2011 Goals

In lieu of resolutions, I much prefer to have goals. Yes, one could argue that they're roughly the same thing. But I seem to work better with the latter. So sue me. No really, don't. I have very little money, and that wouldn't do you any good, and would likely waste both of our time.

Running and Fitness

• Break 4 hours in the marathon
• Run a sub 1:50 half marathon
• Run a 5k in 22:xx
• Become a mentally tough runner
• Practice yoga more regularly (either alone or at a studio)
• Find new running buddies!
• Stay injury free
• Run 1600 miles for the year
• Lift regularly (regularly is a loose term here FYI)

Personal Goals

• Get in to a Master's program for Library Science
• Join a book club 
• Join a Stitch and Bitch group 
• (I swear to God it's harder to meet chickies to be friends with than it is to find boys to date.... where are all the good ladies at?!?!? :p) 
• Continue to find fun crafty ways to utilize my creative side 
• No more truck driver mouth (no offense to any (?) truck drivers who may read my blog)
• Take more photos (rekindle photo project:  Project 52!)
• Average more scarf sales per month than in 2010
• Live and love life

So Sunday night I took a little tumble on the ice.  After coming and going much of Sunday daytime, and being warned "be careful, don't slip!" every time I stepped outdoors, I became a bit cocky.  Even after slipping, I would point out that "I'm like a cat!  I always land on my feet!  I have an excellent center of gravity...... must be all the core work and yoga I do.  P.S.  Toot toot!"

Well wouldn't you know it, as soon as I'm by myself (thank GOD!) and hustling to get to my car I EAT $#!t hardcore.  We're talking my 120 pound frame coming down on that solid sheet of ice as if I were a 330 pound linebacker.  Naturally my left hip (precious precious hip that I've had issues with for roughly 13-14 years now) took the major brunt of the fall.  I totally get how old people break their hips!  Sweet jesus.  Monday morning I realized my thigh was in pain as well.  Monday afternoon rolled around and I could barely move my left arm/shoulder.  You know that deep muscle pain you have when you get a shot in your arm?  (I'm thinking that horrible meningitis shot I had to get pre-college enrollment... OUCH!)  That's what my arm feels like.  Anyway, I opted to take a rest day on Monday since I had to have someone help me into and out of my zip up hoody.  Oy.

Today I figured my arm couldn't hurt any worse, and perhaps the run would loosen it up.  I did an easy 5 miler on the treadmill at the gym because it's still balls cold out.  I am getting really good at reading while running at a slower pace.  I've knocked out 3 magazines cover to cover at the gym over the last 9 miles.  I think it's just a matter of time before I break down and by myself the Nook!!!  I can't wait.  But really... I will.  Because... money doesn't grow on trees and all... plus I kind of spoiled myself already for Christmas/birthday.

I did 5 miles in 47:40 for a pace of 9:32.

And just because.... I found this pic on my camera.  Apparently I carried my camera with me on a day where the snow was falling all beautiful like.  I look pretty joyous in the picture, but I can't for the life of me remember when it was taken.... the treadmill is eating my soul.... and brain.

Fave Moments of 2010

2010 was a pretty bang up year if I do say so myself (and I did, because this is my blog, and I can do whatever the heck I want to!).  I realize it's almost 2012 already, but better late than never for my favorite moments of 2010, right?  [I also realize that technically I have already done an end of the year post, but it just wasn't enough for me.... so deal with it....]

January I met the man of my dreams.  February I started my first round of MARATHON TRAINING and everyone immediately started hating my excessive exuberance over said training.  March and April were spent obsessing about previously stated 'thon.  (Also, massive amounts of ice cream were harmed during marathon prep.)

In May I ran my dream race and greatest possible first marathon in Green Bay.  Seeing Green Bay and running through Lambeau Field were a dream come true.  Seriously..... This race will forever have my heart.

I also met Jenn and we became BFFs ASAP.

The summer brought 6 races over 6 weeks, which seems all sorts of excessive and many days sunning myself at the waterpark with Jenn and Matt.  Summer, I miss you.  [humidity you can still gfy and die.]  I also bought a bike and we became besties, ran my fastest 5k ever and my fastest half marathon ever (while meeting my other running BFF for 2010 Alyssa!)  It was this weekend that race, rage, repeat began.

I started a photo project blog.... and then failed at it....  I attempted to run a b.a. half marathon... and failed at it....  I paced my first half marathon and NAILED IT (Barney Stinson voice.... whaaaaaaaaaat up?!?!?!?!?)

In December, I ran my second marathon, and although it didn't turn out as planned, had a blast RAGING with my homies Laura and Luke.

 I got another year older, and rang in the new year the right way!

Here's to 2011 being even bettah!