Earthquakes & Hot Seats

Wow, this has been a strange day. I was awake this morning at about 5:40. I had just gotten back into bed after hitting the snooze button (I can't help myself, ok?) when I heard this horrible noise that sounded like a huge dog was running through the house. Then my bed began to move - I had the funniest thoughts running through my head. What was going on? Did a big animal just jump onto my bed? That sounded like the wind but there's no wind blowing...it was an earthquake. I've actually experienced an earthquake once before. It was 20 years ago & all three of us kids were sitting in the back seat of the old Maverick. Andy was 15, Beth was 12, & I was 10. We were sitting at a red light when the shaking hit & Dad accused us of not being still in the backseat. Us kids were like, whatever - we didn't move the car. Then we heard about the earthquake on the news. Such a strange feeling to be moved around like that. I've also been a bit worried b/c I did not choose earthquake insurance on my home owner's policy. Now I wonder, was that a mistake???
And the hot seats. Each day here at the nuclear pharmacy we go through the restricted area doing what we call 'wipe & survey' tests. The wipe test consists of just wiping a piece of paper towel over surfaces & then putting the wipe in a machine that tests to see if radioactivity is present. The survey test is just moving a Geiger counter over different surfaces to see if there is radioactivity present. Basically we have to check for contamination daily. On Friday we test our vehicles & the unrestricted areas as well. I got that job this morning & I was buzzing through the "swipes & slurveys" (that's what I like to call them) when I discovered that two chairs in our break room were reading a little bit hot. Hmmm...I had actually sat in one of them a little bit earlier. So I told my boss & we did a couple more surveys & wipes & pinpointed a little more clearly where the contamination was. I want to assure you that it was nothing major. Just a little hotness. So then we all lined up at the survey meter to check out our hineys. There's nothing like waving a Geiger counter over your posterior end! The real mystery is that no one had hot pants, shoes, or hands. We haven't been able to tell how the activity was transferred. Very interesting. Don't I have a fascinating job?
My house closing is in less than an hour...anybody else out there as excited as me? I have never written a check for such a huge amount in my entire life - & I kinda hope I never do it again! Stay tuned for more...

Yikes!

I am trying to supress a panic attack as I realize that the Mini Marathon is just one month away! I've had such a hard time training this year - super busy schedule, this house thing, super cold weather, & my persistent 'injuries'. I go to see a sports doctor on Friday afternoon to discuss why I still have minor swelling, discomfort, & tightness in my right ankle & calf every day. That's right, rain or shine, run/walk/or no work out days, I have the same problem. So we'll see what he says. I'm scared he'll say no running ever again but hopefully not since it was doing it even when I took my three month break. I've never been so tempted to quit training, but I'm going to keep at it! I'll be at the Y tonight trying to get some miles in.
What are some of your fitness goals? How do you like to stay active?

The Next Level

Mike & I have taken our relationship to the next level. He's working nights (4pm-12:30am) this week so I don't get to see him much. When I got off work yesterday I stopped by his house to see him off to workie-poo. We were just talking a bit & he told me about this new game he had for his PlayStation Portable. This game has several Atari games (the classic versions along with a new 'enhanced' version) & when you master all of these games it will unlock a whole 'nother slew of games to play. So he let me bring it home with me. That's right everybody, Mike let me take one of his favorite toys away from him for 3 days! I won't get to see him again until Saturday so he will be PSP-free until then. I'm not sure about how you might rate these kinds of things, but I feel as if he has taken our relationship to another plane. ;-)
And I'm a little tired today because I stayed up too late last night trying to master the Breakout game. This little booger could be quite addictive!

House Update!

It's official, people! My closing date for the house is April 18th. That day is also my niece Madison's 5th birthday. I had a conversation with her the other day that went something like this:
"Madi, I'm getting my house on your birthday!"
"Can you still come to my party?" she asked with a worried frown.
"Of course! But I might not get to bring you a gift because I'm spending all my money to buy the house," I teased her.
"Well, then don't buy it Aunt MeeMee!"
Don't worry; I assured her that I was just teasing about not having a gift for her. A 5th birthday is a big deal, you know. The first of the big, round number days.
So, I'm getting really excited. I guess this means that I should pack some more. Actually go through all my clothes and get rid of things, too. I ordered new checks today with the new address (this was a major necessity since I ran out of checks in December!). I also have a house inspection to read, home owner's insurance to decide about, and paint to pick. I have these two throw pillows that have every color in them that I would like to use in my house. Think I can take them to Lowe's and get all my paint mixed? I think I might need MAJOR guidance in this department...
Whew! Hopefully in a month I'll be all settled! Wishful thinking maybe? *smiles*