Category Archives: My dumb luck

Opening Ceremony, New Headphones and an Early Visitor

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Good morning and welcome to the weekend, Fancy Oatmeal readers!

I was really dragging when I first woke up this morning because Dear Hubby and I watched the Olympics opening ceremony last night and once I’m up past a certain time of the night, I have a hard time falling asleep.  I know, I know.  I really need to put my college partying ways to bed now that I’m 30.

But what got my heart going this morning was our very first visitor to our apartment: a frog.  Ummm yea.  As I was opening up my laptop, I noticed a little something on the carpet next to my foot.  As I zoomed in, I noticed it was a teeny frog!!!!

 

Obviously I borrowed this photo because A.) I keep my nails better manicured than that, and B.) I was too busy trying to follow the little hopper down the hallway with an empty Solo cup and napkin to bother grabbing a photo, but don’t think I didn’t mentally plot out how to make it happen.  I managed to scoop him up and release him back in to the wild.  Worked better than a cup of coffee to shake the sleep cobwebs off!

Back to the Olympics!

Top Moments of the Opening Ceremony:

Creating the most chills:

Most Adorable:

Best Good vs Evil Moment:

Moment I felt most connected to the Olympics:

Moment that brought the most joy to my heart:

Thank you, Buzzfeed.com.

I can’t tell you how thankful I was that Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira were running color commentary during the ceremony; God bless Danny Boyle and his interpretation of how to kickstart the Olympics, but I couldn’t have made the connection between teenagers texting and setting a new world record for the high jump.  Oh well, that’s what happens when you’ve got the brain of a peanut and get your news from Perez Hilton.

I’m surprised I wasn’t a bit more tired out last night after completing my long run of the week, 7 miles.  It felt really really great to get my mileage up past 5.  That hasn’t happened in quite some time.

The time seemed to fly by, and it was a great opportunity to test drive my new tune band iPhone strap and JayBird Freedom Bluetooth headphones.

There’s nothing more exciting than when this moment happens:

Nothing like a little splash of Master Chef to add to your Awesome Afternoon cocktail!

My hat’s off to the Design and Packaging Dept over at JayBird because I thought the presentation of the headphones, all the way down to the instruction manual, was totally pimp.

After I carefully disassembled the fierce packaging, I read through the instruction manual to make sure that I wouldn’t destroy my new headphones because they are so much more sophisticated than I am.  I chose the proper size Secure Fit Ear Cushions and added them to the buds.

I decided to add the additional safety straps because I know myself well enough to know that I could still manage to rip these babies out of my ears in a freak sweat-swiping incident.  (That last photo is all, “Why so serious??!!??”)

Anyways, I also used a new iPhone arm strap because my old one was too sweat-logged to be able to continue on.  I’m not that bright, so I never really washed it that well after runs, mostly because I was too tired, so it smelled like cabbage soup and funk.  Out with the old, in with the new!

If nothing else is gained from this blog post, you’ll know that living in FL = “Contagion” style freckle breakouts for Amanda.   Sheesh!

My Overall Impressions of JayBirds:

Pre-Run:

  • Obviously I’m in love with the look of the headphones.
  • VERY easy to assemble and figure out how to connect to iPhone via Bluetooth
  • Audio for Dummies approach to volume, changing tracks, and taking phone calls
  • Snug, comfortable fit in the ears

Post-Run:

  • Very comfortable; didn’t feel tight or itchy throughout entire run
  • Sense of freedom not having to worry about wires
  • Superb sound; music was just as clear as wired headphones
  • No skipping, music or myself
  • Easily adjusted volume and tracks while running
  • BONUS: When I decided to cut off the music and just read, the background noise was reduced.  This allowed me to stay in my own little running bubble, but still stay present enough to know if someone was yelling/horns honking (found this out on my walk home)

Overall, this was one of the best purchases I have made in the name of running or technology.  They’re definitely more expensive than running out to Walmart and buying a pair of traditional/wired headphones.  However, if you’re looking for comfort, ease of use, quality audio, and product that is guaranteed to be sweat proof, invest in a pair of JayBird Freedom Bluetooth Headphones.

PS – Any swag that JayBird wants to send this way, I’ll be sure to mention your generosity and pimptitude on my wildly successful blog.  *WINK, WINK*

Lost and Found

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HAPPY FRIDAY!

I’ve been looking forward to this Friday all week long because it’s an in-service day for teachers as this is the Russian Orthodox’s Good Friday.  You all know that I’m a morning person, and getting as much checked off my list of “Things to Accomplish” before the noon hour has always been my favorite way to spend a “free day.”  Considering our students are at home, snugged in their beds, I’ll have the ruckus-free time to tie up loose ends, straighten up crooked corners, and decompress from the week in peace.

I woke up this morning at my usual time, which some may consider odd since I could have slept in an extra 45 minutes due to our later start.  But that would have been almost an hour cozied up on the couch that would have been wasted.  It’s that 45 minute extension that I have been dreaming about adding onto my usual morning routine that gets blasted away because of a stupid A.M. workout.  And so that’s just what I did.

I had another near-hooky day with my workout.  Scheduled, I had three miles and a lower-body workout.  My left calf has been a little funky lately, so I knew that no matter what, I wouldn’t be running today.  Instead, I did a Full Body 100 Reps Workout:

This workout was the Real Deal!  I think that those Cardio Blasts really kicked it up a notch.  The part that was the most challenging for me were the V-Ups.  Here is a great video that shows what you’re supposed to do.  I ended up doing more like “@” Ups.

Switching topics as quickly as I change my mind about doing a workout, yesterday I was flipping through some old photos and found this old gem:

I chucked at how witty and clever I am, and then it dawned on me: I have zero clues as to where those pair of Puma capri pants are.  I have not seen them or worn them in literally months!

My heart skipped a beat or two, and I immediately jumped off the couch to scout them out.  It turns out that I had hidden them from myself when I attempted to implement a new organizational scheme in my dresser.

What a fool I am.

Have you ever “hidden” something from yourself?

 

April Goals Streak: One Day

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Happy Monday, Fancy Oatmealites!

I’m proud to say that I was successful at accomplishing all of my April goals yesterday:

  • I ran 5 miles, scratching off my “Long Run” of the week
  • I completed a round of the “14 Day Abs Challenge” both Sunday and this morning
  • I read the entire prologue of the second book in the Game of Thrones series,  A Clash of Kings: A Song of Ice and Fire.

I did not run this morning, but I had not planned on it; I switched my Friday Rest Day to today.  And here’s why:

I feel as though I have seen more daylight this weekend than most.  For some odd reason, I woke up at my usual, weekday time on Saturday morning (4am – don’t judge me) and stayed awake until 10pm.  No naps. No caffeine after 10am. No sense at all.  Sunday morning I woke up around 8am, so I guess I caught up on my sleep from the previous night, but this put me in a damn disadvantage for Sunday night.  Typically, I fall asleep around 9ish, but last night I was staring at the clock until well past 11:30.

I’m like a damn newborn: I can’t get on a regular sleeping pattern to save my life these days.  I wish I had someone to read me stories until I fell asleep.

Perfect.  And if that doesn’t work, I’m sure staying awake for 28 hours in a row at a middle/high school lock-in should do the trick.

What do you do when you have trouble sleeping?

Lie there in agony and count the number of minutes I might be able to get if I go to sleep RIGHT NOW.