Tuesday, September 25, 2007

My heros

Sos this weekend, my brother dan ran a race. This wouldnt seem like such a big deal to anyone i know, but he ran a 50 MILE race. Even still, weirder things have happened, but get this: As of three years ago, my bro was pushing 300 lbs.....he was a good 75-100 lbs overweight. One day, he just signed up for a marathon, started training and now he is running 50 mile races. I have got to say he is an inspiration to me. I am always complaining about the ten extra pounds i want to get rid of, and he went and dropped 75. WOW. He did this with two kids and a full time job, my ten ought to be cake. way to go Dan!

Next i have to give tribute to my aunt Chris. My aunt chris was the youngest woman ever to be appointed to a state supreme court. She is also the FIRST woman justice in Utah. She is now the Chief supreme court justice in Utah and she is a democrat. Not that this should matter, but as we all know, this state tends to bleed red through and through, so needless to say she must do her job pretty well to keep her position, which she does. She does her job so well in fact, that earlier this month she recieved the Rehnquist award: a national award appointed to one state justice a year based on fairness and outstanding work ethics. She goes to D.C. where she will recieve her award. I am so proud. Way to go aunt Chris!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Gettin my butt into gear

So last night my good friend and running buddy katharine called to inform me she had signed us up for a 10K trail run. Our last adventure was a half marathon in Moab, so this definitely seemed tamer.

So now i am determined. Ever since I started racing I have this nasty habit of training REALLY POORLY. Ex: my first race ever: SLC marathon (aren't I a go getter!) I trained for the SLC marathon kind of consistently...and very stupidly skipped a lot of long runs. I felt terrific the day of the race until I hit mile 22. There is a term in running called hitting a wall, and once you have done it you know EXACTLY why it is called that....i felt like I had been hit by a truck. thankfully I had a friend run the end with me otherwise i would still be asleep on the side of the road at mile 22.

Ex number 2: the SLC winter 30K....this is a series of of three races: a 5K, 10K, 15K spaced two weeks apart from each other. I wasn't really training for any of these, and ran them all rather poorly. Although i must say, by the time i ran the 15K i probably could have a run a pretty good 5K.

Ex number 3: Moab half marathon. around mile 6 my knees started hurting....very badly. I am pretty dumb when it comes to listening to my body when I am in pain so i just kept running......7.5 more miles. i didnt really walk for the next week.

So, my fellow bloggers and blog stalkers, you are my witnesses. The SLC marathon is in April and if i want to run it seriously, i need to become a serious trainer. So the 10K is in a month. I have run three-four milers this week and will end with a 5 miler.....i hope to run a consistent 8 by race time. So hold me to it! in a month if i dont post a happy race pic...you all have free range to make fun of my procrastinating ways.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007



So i just thought for those of you( if there are really any readers out there) who don't know my boyfriend, that i would post a little about him.

Mike is a PhD student in Neurobiology. He is -as you may assume -too smart for words to describe, but he is very patient, not at all arrogant, and a great teacher as well.

Mike grew up in Viriginia and moved out here to go to the U. we met at a party where i flirted with him to get me a job interview (thats right, and i have NO shame...it was a great job). turns out i really enjoyed flirting with him and he did as well....so we started dating.

We both love hiking, skiing, and being outdoors. We both study too much and work too long and cherish the few hours in the day we see each other. Its been a year and a month now and it has been awesome. I cant quite get over how nice this relationship is...especially compared to the very rocky relationships i had in the past.

The other day I had to go to the ER for a pain in my back (again!)....and as usual they did not know what was going on so they sent me home. Mike took me to the ER and waited and then when we drove home he said he had to go into work....he came back 20 minutes later with my favorite foods and a new book. He is so caring its ridiculous.

Anywho, this is a pretty old pic of him, but i will post more as we are going on a cruise in december.....and moab next weekend. but yeah, I am not really good at doing tributes to people as many of you are, but that is my michael....and i am pretty damn pleased with him :)

Friday, September 7, 2007

Greek Fest

Hey all,

The greek festival is this weekend in SLC. My friend, Andrea, will be dancing. It should be a really fun time with good food, good drinks, and lots of people. SO if you are in the area come on down.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday...."greek square" the greek orthodox church near gateway.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Insurance

So i have had it up to here (even though you can't see, my hand is really really high) with insurance companies.

As most of you don't know, I am afflicted with many diseases (all non communicably i swear!) Diabetes, Celiac disease, and a load of small things related to 22 years with diabetes are a daily reminder of the great genes my parents loaded on me :) . So, obviously, insurance has been a HUGE problem.

About six months ago, while i was on HORRIBLE student insurance that only covered emergencies-no meds or doc appointments-I was hospitalized for excessive vomiting and back pain. Of course we all thought kidney stones; however, as it turned out it is a mystery as to what I have and still affects me to this day. Thankfully, my insurance covered my three day hospital stay of test running that gave me no results at all....they covered it until yesterday that is.....when they called to tell me that they considered this a pre-existing condition......WHAT???

apparently the insurance got the BIG bill from the hospital and decided to try to blaim all of this on my Diabetes......yes that is right, according to my insurance company I have been vomiting blood for 22 years now since the day I was diagnosed with Diabetes. RIIIIIGGGGHHT. I am sorry for those defenders of insurance companies, but honestly, this is ridiculous.

What the insurance company forgot to look at while digging around in my past to screw me out of the money they owe, is to look up my legal history: i.e. my five cousins who are harvard grad lawyers, and my aunt who is a supreme court justice. They also unfortunately forgot to look up my many many uncles who are doctors. Needless to say, they are screwed. I have to say that I feel some sort of satisfaction that soon some croony at the insurance company will be shaking in his or her boots when they get a call from my lawyers/doctors. I'm sorry, but initially insurance companies are asking me to think twice about going to the ER and saving my life on fear that I will be in debt for the rest of it....and now I am going to have them think twice about whether or not they want to lose their job for trying to screw me out of medical insurance.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Catching up

Since I haven't been around in a while, I have been entertained by many's blogs down in good ol san jorge. I sort of had a horrible realization that I was indeed a blog stalker as I would check up on people (unbeknownst to them entirely!). So i am coming out, and as long as work is slow, you all can blog stalk me as well so I dont feel so bad.

I am in SLC, working at a biochemistry/genetics lab and working on med school apps. It is exhausting, but thankfully i have my running buddies, the mountains, my climbing fellahs, my wonderful boyfriend and a few of my wild sisters up here to help me with the stress. I LOVE salt lake city, down to the smelly salt flats and all the way up to the Uintahs, although having lived abroad for a while, i totally yearn for travel.

My boy is a HUGE part of my life; however, being he is a doctoral candidate in neurobiology, we dont get nearly as much time together and we would hope. We've been together for a year now and so far its been awesome....no wedding bells soon though so don't get too excited. After reading this you all must think we are the biggest nerds in the world.....we probably are, but sometimes we do really cool things like drive cross country, go climbing, backpacking, and all sorts of wild adventures.

That is about it for now....if you know me or used to know me, i'd love to be you friend (seeing as how right now i probably just read your site anonymously...which is kind of creepy).