End-of-semester... the usual

Man, but it's one hell of a crunch this year! Not only is it conveniently the end of the school semester at the same time as my ninth wedding anniversary (which means we can do absolutely nothing fun on the day), but we're also on the verge of going back to Texas for about three weeks, and that's always a little stressful. For starters, I have to take the cat to the vet so he can be cleared for takeoff, or so they can prove he's not a terrorist or somesuch. Then, I have to make sure we actually have luggage. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that I still have no clothing that fits, since the clothes I most recently bought seriously don't fit me anymore. I put on a pair of size 5/6 jeans from this ultra-cheap store in the Bronx that I bought, like, a month ago at the longest, and sure enough, they were so big that I could take them off without undoing them. Great. I mean, yes, great, I'm losing weight, I'm smaller than I think I've ever been and still healthy. But seriously... I need clothes. Anyway, I'm only two pounds away from goal... TWO POUNDS!!! After that, it's time to go into transition and maintenance, and that's a whole different scariness. I'm going to be eating normal food again, and I'm a little nervous about it, but John tells me he's going to coach me through it, since what he's doing is basically a modified version of what I'll be working toward dietarily. Okay, fine. So I have support. I won't lie, though... it's still scary.

I just ran another race this past weekend, the Joe Kleinerman 10K. This was actually the lonest race I've run so far, but it wasn't too bad, considering that I run that same loop of Central Park at least once a week. I've also just begun a new training regiment for running my first marathon, but it hasn't really gotten difficult yet, so I'm not struggling. Then again, I know that's just around the corner, so I'm sort of preparing myself for it emotionally. I've been talking to people who've run marathons before, and I think I'm on the right track with my training schedule. (I got it from a trainer from Medifast, actually, and it looks like it'll get me running the right distances in less than four months... cool.) I have another race coming up this Saturday, the Holiday 4-miler, which is also at Central Park... seriously, these are great fun, and I recommend them to any able-bodied whoever that doubts themselves even a little bit. Trust me, you'll thank me if you take my advice. Go find a 5K or something and just run it.

I have an audition in about a week, too. I'm nervous, but not realy, mainly because I don't expect anything to come of it. Still, it's one of those things that I've been meaning to do, and I'd just feel silly if I don't at least give it a shot. More on that later. Meanwhile, I have two papers due in two days, a third paper due next week, a bunch of homework to grade for the lab I teach, an assignment for psychometric theory that I pretty much decided was written in a bizzare form of sanskrit, and an anniversary that I feel the need to make a little more special than just another day at school. I'm busy. Healthy, happy, etc, etc... just busy, and wanting very much to catch my breath.

Actually, maybe I just did.