BIG week ahead

I'm constantly harping on my friend PJ for being a bad blogger and now i'm the one who hasn't been updating regularly. There is so much to blog about, but only a few things will make it to this post.

October 29, 2007

I have a biology exam on unit II - mostly cell biology, cell division and the like. I've been a bad student this semester - i've hardly gotten any work done. I will take responsbility for this....my life is incredibly hectic and it is difficult to do all my homework and studying, but it's not impossible. And here I am, blogging away instead of studying for this exam....So it's my fault and I have to accept how I do based on the amount of effort I put into it. Instead of stressing myself out about how much has to get done, i've adopted an outlook of every section or chapter I master is more points for me than before I had studied. Being stressed isn't going to make it any easier, so why not try to alleviate that stress...

AND GET ON TOP OF MY STUDYING!!!

October 30, 2007

As long as everything goes according to plan, I WILL NO LONGER BE A HOMEOWNER!!! Yup, that's right...i'm FINALLY going to closing in New York this Tuesday - I've already made my last mortgage and maintenance payment. I'm thrilled! Such a huge weight will be lifted off my shoulders. I will erase my debt and still have a large chunk to invest....then I can move forward with my life masterplan....oh yes, I have more clarity in regards to my goals and how to achieve them over the next five years...however, that will be another post.


November 4, 2007

NYC MARATHON!!! I can't believe it's almost here - and on top of that, I can't believe how excited I am. I've been on quite the journey from running my first qualifier in January 2006 to now, which my faithful blog followers are aware of (if you don't know, I recapped everything in December 2006 and January 2007). Even just 6 weeks ago, I was questioning whether or not I would be able to do this marathon due to my lingering injuries that have plagued me for close to a year. But now, i'm feeling great, and for the most part i'm feeling ready. I am a bit hesitant, mainly because of the fear of reinjuring myself. It was such a dark road leading up to recovery, I don't want to go back there.

I was ready to defer my entry to the NYC Marathon to next year - I had convinced myself this was the best thing to do. But there is one person out there who I give full credit to who never gave up on me and believed I could do this - my coach. He's given me encouragement and a training plan that is getting me to the start stronger and healthier than i've been in over a year. He's a genious - he's amazing. I'm so thankful to have found him.


Thoughts in my mind

I always talk about having a work/life balance. I've struggled to find this recently, commuting over 300 miles a week in terrible traffic and having work obligations that go out of the 9-5 structure. School is important to me. Training is important to me. My family and friends are important to me. My professional sports obsession is important to me. The one thing that isn't as important to me right now is my work - and that's just an awful thing to feel and say. It's not fair to anyone - to my company or to myself. The organization I work for does some wonderful things. I may not always enjoy or agree with some of the people I work with, but they are good people and their heart is in the right place. I feel guilty that my heart isn't 100% into it. But I can't force it. It really has nothing to do with the company - I just fell into the line of work that i'm in and gave it a decent shot for the past seven years. But looking ahead, knowing i'll be working for at least another 30 years, I know that things will have to change if i'm going to be happy. It's not easy to make such a big change, but i'm slowly figuring it out in a way that will be beneficial to everybody involved. When it happens, i'll fill you in.


One of my dreams is to go visit South Africa....I know this is out of left field, but it's been in the back of my mind for some time. I met a woman from Zimbabwe today - her husand, who is American, told me visiting Africa is a spiritually life-changing experience. To meet the natives, many of whom have so little and know suffering more than most of us do - yet they smile and want to give. They don't feel they are entitled the way we do in industrialized nations. He suggested with my expertise in fundraising, I could volunteer my time to educate others over there on various fundraising methods, then stay to explore. It's something i'm considering...but i'd really love to find a travel partner to share this experience with. Someday....