Enter: Real World

Blah, blah, blah. I haven't written in forever. Blah.

Well, today not only marks the first time I've blogged in about a month; it will also be my first day in the office since July 6. Insanity, I tell you! I worked July 9-11, but I worked from home due to the nature of the project. Then I was in Denver from July 12-15 for a wedding. At the end of the Denver trip, I got a cold and made the mistake of calling the doctor at the end of the workday on Monday, July 16, so he encouraged me to go to the ER.

Despite every ounce of me thinking it was an overreaction, I went, they admitted me, I did 17 days of IV antibiotics, and now I'm back in action. I won't get into the details of the course of antibiotics, but it was the hardest time I've ever had. (Well, it was probably tied with Blood Clot Fiasco 2007.) After much tiredness, Benadryl and vomiting, here I am!
Denver was AWESOME! I have always considered myself a beach girl, but them mountains was fun! I saw some of the most beautiful sights and absolutely loved the city. My cousin, Andrew, got married on Friday, July 13, and that was a ton of fun. We went to the Rockies-Phillies game on Saturday, July 14, and, despite the Phillies' win, it was a great experience. I wasn't sure if I was affected by the altitude until I went to Coors Field. WHEW! That was intense!
Like most people, I have been completely consumed by the Olympics these past few weeks. I know it would demand a lot of the athletes, but I wish it was always the Olympics. Not only is it pretty quality entertainment, but it also has an uncanny ability to make me feel unaccomplished and motivated at the same time. Granted, I would spend all of my time sitting in front of the TV, but I would at least feel like I should be doing more with my life. :)
BLOGGER, YOU ARE A FAILURE.

I performed Friday night for the first time since July 6, too! It was so much fun to be back on-stage surrounded by hilarious people. One of my coworkers (KP) came with a big group of people, so that was a blast! I'm excited that I'm getting back into the swing of things!

Well, I better get to moving so that I can pick up some much-needed coffee as I venture back into the real world. Wish me luck, kids!

Dog days of summer!

I can't stand the sound of friction...like dogs chewing on bones, people filing their nails, etc. I'm not sure why, exactly, but it makes me shudder.

I tweeted about this recently (How 2012!), but I also shudder at the feeling of tearing cardboard. Other things that fall into this category include feeling dry laundry, touching dry cotton pads, etc. Am I weird, or am I weird?

This weekend has been nice and somewhat long. The 10:30 show got canceled last night, so I've been responsibility-free since after Friday's show. I haven't had a weekend like this in a while!

One of my CF camp friends (EW) got the call for new lungs on Friday afternoon. The transplant was yesterday, and it went off without a hitch. How incredible! Organ donation is such an amazing thing. I wonder if she has come-to yet. I can't imagine the stress that the body endures.

I have a short work-week because I'm heading to an out-of-town wedding. I'm excited for the time off and the opportunity to visit a new place. Congrats to my cousin and his fiancée! (I think the girl version has two e's.)

In other news, it's still as hot as all get-out.

I actually wrote everything before this before noon today and neglected to post it, so I'll go ahead and do so.

Healing thoughts for Emily!

Huddy birthday to me!

Guess what! I'm going to the Braves game today! I haven't been to a game yet this season, and I'm fortunate to make my return on the same day Tim Hudson makes his. The temperatures are going to be in the high 80s today, so I'm prepared for a doozy. I'm excited!

I celebrated my birthday on Thursday, and it was nice! I got up pretty early, exercised and scheduled a massage appointment. Then I headed to meet a friend (CP) for Tin Lizzy's (Mmm... Mexican Food Round #1). I then hurried to my massage. It was glorious, but I did think the masseuse might rip off my Achilles' tendon at one point. My Achilles' tendon is my Achilles' heel. I came home and showered before heading to Mexican Food Round #2 with RA. It was a nice, simple day!

This weekend I did the hat trick of improv shows -- Friday's show and both Saturday shows. The shows were a blast! I laugh a lot backstage and even on-stage (oops!). Last night's most surprising moment was when I got hit in the rib cage by a dill pickle spear. Man, it was so unexpected and hilarious!

I know this is a short post, but I better start slathering (weird word) on the sunscreen before I head down to the stadium. Happy weekend, world!

No rain, no gain

Well, well, well... Here we are on this rainy Monday. It actually rained all weekend, but the rain has resulted in warmer temperatures than usual for this time of the year. I'd much rather it be raining and warm than dry and cold. Take that, Winter!

I'm not sure if it was the temperature change or what, but I didn't feel well for much of the weekend. I took about 45 naps on Saturday (I'm seriously not exaggerating.), and spent much of Sunday on the couch coughing. It was pretty exhausting. I took Theraflu and got about 10 hours of sleep last night, accompanied by the occasional waking-up-coughing. I was already on antibiotics when I went to the doctor on January 13, but they upped the dosage and put me on a second one as well. Due to some incompetencies by Target pharmacy workers, I just got the second antibiotic yesterday, so I'm hoping that this whatever-it-is can be put to rest. I've been feeling under-the-weather for entirely too long.

Now for life's non-complaints...

I have been working out lately! I forgot how much fun it is to get some physical exercise. Plus I'm going to be on a beach exactly one month from today, so that's motivating, too. Hooray for strength and sun!

I performed improv Saturday night at 8 and had a blast. I got to do something I'd never done before -- dubbed for a film that was put on silent and projected on the TVs. It was a blast!

What else? It's crazy that it's already nearing the end of January. I feel like we were just counting down to 2012! I can tell it's going to be a good year.

Here's to a NyQuil-enhanced sleep!

I'm trained for this.

Well, I'm on MARTA. I didn't miss the train on this glorious Monday morning, so I consider that a sign of good things to come.

I had a good weekend. Friday night I met some old coworkers for dinner because one of them (SS) was celebrating a birthday. Then several of them came to watch me perform, which was fun.
Wow, that guy's suitcase is huge.

On Saturday I went to a family birthday get-together. We had burgers, and they were delicious! Then we watched my cousin's soccer game, which I really enjoyed. Go Abbey! It made me wish I still played.

Then I went and had pizza with KS. It was a lot of fun!

I then went on a hunt for the glasses I lost last weekend, but I was not successful. I ended the day seeing 50/50 (Me? Movies?) with AM and RE. I would recommend it. Humor combined with illness is right up my alley.

Yesterday was a lazy day. I did exercise, but I also slept in excess. The Falcons won, and Drew Brees was amazing for my fantasy team!

I ended the weekend with Italian food and Yogli Mogli while talking Mission: Creative with ES.

Well, I'm one stop away. Hope everyone has a nice Monday!

La-dee-da. Dee-da.

Good morning!

I have a pretty bad headache. I also didn't sleep well at all. So, things are cheery on this Monday morning!

Well, it's time for some random updates!

House: REPAIRED! Complete! These hardwood floors are pretty slippery, so I need to get a pad to go under this rug before I fall and hurt something/someone.

Improv: Tons o' fun! I've been performing at least one show almost every weekend, and I'm having a blast.

Braves: Although I should probably omit this topic, the Braves' playoff hopes came down to the final game, and they lost it in extra innings. To the Phillies. I know. Man, it was tough to watch such a promising season turn sour so quickly. Braves 2012!

Fantasy Football: Well, I'm hesitant to write about this since my opponent has two players in tonight's game, but... As of last week, I was the only undefeated team in the league at 4-0. I guess it pays to rely solely on the statistics and/or recommendations. Tonight is going to be way too close for comfort.

I'm about to manage to make myself late, so that's it for now!

Love and happiness!

They call her love, love, love, love, love

Hi. Allow me to reintroduce myself.

Well, I've been all over the place lately! I was in Florida from Saturday to Saturday, so that was cool. I went to the beach with my parents, one of my uncles, and two of my friends (AH and AM). We had a really great time. I wasn't feeling super and the mosquitoes were attacking me like I was the last person on the planet, but I laughed more than I have in a long time. I want to go on a permanent vacation!

On Sunday, I went and performed improv at a camp in North Carolina. We performed two 45-minute shows -- one for grades 2-6 and one for grades 7-9. It was pretty refreshing to perform for such young audiences; they seemed to have a great time!

Last Saturday night I went to my first drive-in movie (with KS). It was a lot of fun! We saw "Horrible Bosses" and "Bad Teacher." They were pretty entertaining, and we ate a lot of cheese!

I've had a headache all week. What's up with that?

Well, all of a sudden I feel like I'm going to fall asleep typing, so I guess I'll shut the good ol' eyes.

Sleep well, world. Have some crazy dreams!

Five-hundred twenty-five thousand...

It's so weird because it feels like I just wrote in here, but I guess it was almost a week ago. RIDICULOUS!

Well, last Thursday I went to a CF Foundation event called Chocolate with KS. It was a pretty cool event. I met a friend with CF who I'd been talking to on Facebook, so that was neat. I also got to see an old friend from CF camp, so I enjoyed that. It was kind of fun getting all dressed up and what not. FANCY!!!!

Friday night I performed some improv, and it was a ton of fun. I was supposed to be in both shows on Saturday, too, but something went wrong body-wise. I was feeling a little off before the show, but then it got worse as time progressed. I was really nauseous and felt like I couldn't move. I ended up having to sit out the second half of the first show and the entire second show. My parents (LOVE THEM!) drove my car home because I was really disoriented. Strange. I fell asleep the second I got in bed, and I slept almost 12 hours. I woke up feeling groggy on Sunday, too. I've had some periodic back pain, so I'm wondering if the good ol' kidneys are rebelling again.

Saturday afternoon I went to a wedding shower for my friend AC. It was nice because I got to visit with people I hadn't seen in a while. Ahh, we are growing up!

Yesterday, I saw RENT! I had never seen it and wasn't all too familiar with the story, but one of the guys from the theatre (KH) was in it. I have to say that it left me speechless. It was entertaining the entire way through, and it was a really meaningful story. The cast was so amazingly talented. WOW!

Today was Monday, but it went pretty well as far as Mondays go. The contractor is finally coming out to my house tomorrow, so I'm hoping we can get these repairs going as soon as possible. This inconvenience has lasted WAY longer than I expected.

Well, it appears to be bedtime. I love sleeping!!!!

LKAJSLKDFJALKEJA!

It's Saturday morning!

Well, this week had a heavy water-on-the-floor focus. The workers came and picked up all of the dehumidifying equipment on Tuesday. Then, by the end of the day on Tuesday, I noticed water was back. Hoping it was simply residual, I tried to give it until Wednesday morning to panic. The water remained pretty steady on Wednesday and into Thursday, so I was convinced that there was something new happening. I realize it sounds like I was taking my sweet time, but I kept unsuccessfully trying to get in touch with my claim representative.

It turns out that my neighbor's water heater started leaking. Yes, for real. The worker who came back on Thursday said, and I quote, "I've never seen anything like this before." When my neighbor got home from work, she and I looked around her place to confirm, and there was a continuous stream of water coming from her heater. She had it replaced yesterday and GUESS WHAT! THE WATER HAS STOPPED! Knock on wood (which is easy considering it's exposed all over my place!).

Given all of the shenanigans and the fact that I was stressed out, I made exercising a big priority over the past week. I ran three miles every day and, MAN, I feel good. It's hilarious that I hadn't exercised consistently in a while and then I went and ran 20+ miles. I'm actually going to exercise after I finish this blog.

One of my best friends (AM) moved to Atlanta yesterday. I have to say that it's all kind of surreal to me because I haven't seen her yet, but I will today. Ahhh! We have been reunited!

Man, I want some cheddar cheese.

I feel like I have more to say, but it's tough when I wait so stinkin' long between blogs lately. The festival shows on Sunday were a lot of fun despite the 95-degree weather. It was easier than last time because the tent was smaller and wasn't positioned next to anything too loud. LOVED IT!

Well, I better channel this hyperactivity into my workout.

HAPPY JUNE!

Troubled waters

What a week. WHAT. A. WEEK. It's been a while since I've had a week as eventful as this week. Aaaaand I don't exactly mean that in a good way.

Highlights include:
-Dealing with the cops Sunday morning due to some "malicious mischief"
-Losing my phone and wallet on Tuesday night
-Ruining my hardwood floors Thursday/Friday courtesy of my water heater losing its mind

My phone ended up being in my roommate's coworker's car, so it only took about 12 hours to track that down. My wallet ended up being in the grass at the amphitheater after the Jimmy Buffett concert. It took me way longer than it should have to realize my wallet was missing, but an amphitheater employee called me and I went to retrieve it. Everything looks to be intact, with the exception of someone stealing my cash. Oh well, mo' money, mo' problems.

That's the perfect segue into the fact that I spent almost $800 yesterday on home repairs. I had to get a new water heater and the accessories required to install that, so that totaled almost $300. My mom gave me a card for $25 off a purchase of $250+, so I went and got that cost adjusted today. I also had to pay the $500 deductible for the water mitigation and water damage.

Right now my living room is missing about one-third of its hardwood floor and probably six square feet of sheet rock. My utility closet is missing all of its floor and probably 12 square feet of sheet rock. And, finally, my kitchen is missing the hardwood floor bordering two of the walls. The fans and dehumidifiers are so loud that I'm starting to get a headache. However, they're like a whisper compared to that jackhammer that was tearing up the floor today. RIP you jerk of a water heater.

Let's try to move on to more positive things... I ate Yogli Mogli with my mom today! I worked out yesterday and today, which majorly helped in the destressing department. I also got a check in the mail from my mortgage company, so that was a welcomed surprise in the aftermath of Spendfest Friday. Hooray!

I can't believe it's a holiday weekend. I missed improv rehearsal on Wednesday because I felt like I was getting sick, although I'm pretty sure it was stress bogging me down. In retrospect, it's a major positive that I'm not performing this weekend (except for a festival tomorrow) because it would have been so hectic trying to manage that with all of the home repairs. The weekend has felt insane enough without any obligations. It's pretty ironic because, on Thursday before the water incident, I was running my mouth about how I hadn't had such a lengthy stint without an obligation in as long as I can remember. Enter: water.

Well, I'm gonna try to enjoy the rest of my Saturday night. I think it's about time to take some headache medicine. The Braves are in extra innings right now, and I really think I need to give them some attention.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Unfinished business

Well, this weekend was pretty nonstop. The festival was fun and I think people enjoyed our performance. It was difficult to focus with so much going on around me, so it's good to have that knowledge for future off-site performances. We only did one set of improv, and I played Buzzer Debate and Meet the Experts.

I then went and hopped on the MARTA train to go meet some friends for the concert. I have to say that I was not prepared for how cold it was going to get. Thankfully I ran into some other friends who had a blanket. Thanks to my hood, I didn't have my entire head under the blanket like some of my counterparts!


I'm posting this because I started it a few days ago and feel like changing subjects. This is my blog and I do what I want. The timestamp will show when I started this, but it is actually almost 9:30 p.m. on Thursday by now...

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-ohhhhh. How sweet it is!

Helloooo. I don't know why I am staying up so late when I have such a big day tomorrow. Perhaps it's the silly in me.

My friend Brian died on Wednesday night. I received the notification at 12:04 a.m. Needless to say, Thursday was a very challenging day. I was overwhelmed, though, by the support from my friends and family. Although it's very hard to know someone has lost the battle with CF, it's also refreshing to know that he lived a life that should make him proud.

Thursday was a big mass email day and involved interviewing candidates, so there was a lot going on and very little time to process the news. It kind of amazed me how well I was able to contain myself when necessary, but how shameless I was in the brief stints alone in my office. I honestly think that my composure, even in tough situations, has really been enhanced by improv. When it's time to perform, I have to rid myself of everything going on outside of the theater so that I can go on stage with a clean slate. I feel like I handled it all so gracefully, which is a lot for good ol' "macaroni water" me.

The big whammy is that I performed in a show Thursday night, too. So, having had probably 25 tiny tear outbursts throughout the day, several interviews to sit in on, and a huge technical failure day with our mass email tool (WHAT A TOOL!), it amazed me how well I was able to compartmentalize it for the duration of the show. I felt like I had a really great show, and I think it's a result of all of the emotion circulating in my body.

I got to do several new(ish) and exciting things: I was the therapist for Emo Couples Therapy, I commentated for Slow-Mo Sports Commentary (I think that was the name), I played Oscar Musical, I was a caller in Phones, and I played Musical Styles. It was also my friend's birthday (BA) and he was in the show, so there was great energy among the entire cast. Fun times! It was such a positive end to a day that started so painfully.

Today has been a nonstop day. I was still troubleshooting yesterday's technical issues, but I got everything finished. I got some groceries, too, which I'd needed to do all week. I also went to the bank. I had a crew shift tonight at the theatre and, since I was running super early, I had time to stop at Marshalls on my way. I got an orange shirt and some teeny tiny boat shoes. They're navy, red, and white, and they are now named "My Braves Shoes."

Well, tomorrow I have a ton to do... like perform at a festival and go see Tim McGraw. It's going to be exhausting, but I really can't wait. I'm going to try to exercise, too, so I better get to sleep. When did it become so late? Geez!

Thank you again to everyone who reached out to me on Thursday. Here's another way you can help: http://www.cff.org/great_strides/drewdotson5267.

Turn off the lights. WHOA-WHOA.

Do you ever find yourself thinking 'Hey, it's 11:00 p.m., I have a migraine, and I need to be up for the dentist in less than eight hours?' Me too.

Well, the highlight of my day was having a piece of regular coffee cake from Starbucks. I've been craving bakery-esque items ever since a bakery-related question on Family Feud yesterday. Right now I would love to eat one mini powdered donut and one mini chocolate-covered donut.

Guess what? Drew's Crew broke the $12K barrier today. I honestly can't even believe it; it's very humbling.

What else? I just got home from improv rehearsal (OXYMORON!) a little while ago. We worked on guessing games. It was fun!

So, I've passed the accident site a few times this week and it makes me shudder thinking about it -- especially when I see the falling-down wall and the twisted-up guard rail. It brings back a lot of unpleasant memories. I drive that route enough that I'm sure I will be desensitized soon, but in the meantime...SNAP.

I guess it's about that time. My teeth need their beauty sleep. Happy last-day-of-March tomorrow!

Fooooooooooood

Today has been lengthy. It's good to finally be home.

Well, I left just after 7:00 a.m. for my early meeting. The meeting was nice and productive, so that's redeeming. I would not have been a happy camper if it wasn't. My goal was to go to Starbucks on the way to the meeting, but I didn't want to risk being late. Perhaps tomorrow!

What else? I just got home from improv rehearsal. AWESOME!

My neck is bothering me. It's kind of strange, so I won't get into detail.

I have been eating so much lately. I don't know if my body's still on cruise time or what, but it is insane! Maybe it's a result of stress or something, but I have been eating almost every 30 minutes.

I guess it's bedtime. NIGHT.

Upside down

I guess it's officially Tuesday. Booooo! I mean, I have no problem with Monday being over, but I wish it was about an hour earlier so I could get enough sleep tonight. Oh well! I'm over it.

Sunday was a good day. I slept in pretty late - almost until 11:00 a.m. It felt GOOD. I headed to the pool for a bit and it was literally unbearably hot. It caught me off-guard. It was almost impossible to sit there. I read a little bit and spent the rest of the time people-watching.

The Braves then DESTROYED the Cubs 16-5. It felt so good.

I then headed down to an improv workshop at the theatre. We worked with someone named Chelsea from Upright Citizens Brigade. While UCB does longform improv and we do not, it made me think about some things differently. The three hours passed by really quickly, but I had fun. It was neat to hear a different perspective on improv.

Monday was a good day! I don't like saying "Monday" because it still feels like it's Monday. Anyway, I hoped to work out before work, but I simply couldn't make myself get up. I headed to work and had some meetings. The Willy's group went on Monday instead of Tuesday, so that was a fun start to the week. I ended up leaving work a bit early so I could...............drumroll...............

get bloodwork done! When they drew (THAT'S ME!) blood for the study last week, one of my levels came back pretty low, so they needed to retest it. I should find out on Wednesday (hopefully) whether or not it is back to normal. If it isn't, I'm pretty sure I have to temporarily discontinue the drug.

I also got my official diet recommendations regarding this oxalate thing, and basically the list of restrictions is a mile long. The saddest part I read today was that I am not supposed to eat pretzels. That was surprising.

I worked out after work and hope to go in the morning if I can get some solid sleep. We had 9:00 p.m. rehearsal tonight, which explains why I'm up so late. We spent the time talking about strengths/weaknesses/goals, so I've done a lot of self-reflection today.

Looking forward to a new day... <3

One last thing! Today I checked my mail and got summoned for JURY DUTY! I am way excited. I'm in a standby group, so I am super-hopeful that we have to go. Then, after that, I hope I get selected to be on the jury. I love learning how things work.

Marathon

If you couldn't tell by my lack of posting, this weekend has truly been a marathon. I am going to do my best to fill in the things that have happened since last Thursday...

Friday I worked from home (YAY!). On my lunch hour, I ran to Target to pick up a prescription and look for a dress to wear to the wedding. I had one or two at home that I considered wearing, but I didn't know how appropriate they'd be. So, being the bargain shopper that I am, I ended up grabbing one at Ross, along with some dressy flip flops (not to wear to the wedding). The dress itself was a color called Very Fuschia and was really cute. I found some Ann Taylor flip flops (size 5!) that are black and leather. They're pretty hot!

Then, Friday afternoon involved finishing the ceiling fan project and cleaning up a bit before heading down to my shift at the theatre. I was doing suggestions and camera and had a good time. The thing I love most about improv is that it's always changing. Each show is so different! Oh, I also worked out on Friday, so I've been doing really well with that!

Saturday morning I got up and helped my new roommate move in... Yeehaw! I was amazed at how quickly we did it. My mom and I ran some errands and I came back home to try to nap to fuel up for the wedding. After my nap I went to the gym and got in a good workout before showering and getting ready for the wedding.

The wedding was a blast. The bride (LZ) looked absolutely beautiful. There was a simple elegance to the whole thing. It was a little humorous because the minister was late to the wedding. That made for some awkward moments as everyone was standing at the altar looking around for him. He said his watch stopped... Interesting. He also accidentally called the groom Greg (instead of Chris). Hmm...Then we headed to the reception which was a ball. I had entirely too many drinks and even got on the dance floor. It was just a really good time!

We got back to KQ's place just before midnight and AH met us to go out. Yes, we made a whole night of it. An incompetent cab driver took us to Buckhead, where we had a good time. We got there so late that we didn't have much time to hang out, but we had fun! AH drove us back home and we left my car at KQ's. I went to bed at close to 4:00 a.m.

Today we got up and were back at it again (me, KQ, AH), getting ready for today's concert. Let me tell you that we were not prepared for today's concert. It had a 3:00 p.m. start time, so I figured we'd be home by about 6:00 p.m. at the latest. Shortly after getting to Lake Lanier in the SWELTERING HEAT, Miss Georgia (weird) made a comment about how she would be announcing all of the performers 'this afternoon and tonight.' At that point, we realized we were in it for the long haul. I saw so many people - Corey Smith, Drivin' n' Cryin', Chris Janson, Jeff Foxworthy (what?), and DIERKS BENTLEY!

Let me tell you... I've never been to a lot of stand-up or anything like that, and I really am not that familiar with Jeff Foxworthy. I gotta say, though, that I was cracking up the entire time. He was really, really funny. He did this bit about how people with bad breath always talk the closest to you. I'm gonna botch this up, but he said something like, "They'll be like 'what's up' and you're like 'you ate a dirty diaper.'"

My favorite singers of the day were Corey Smith and Dierks Bentley (of course). It was a really great concert, but I could have stood a heads up on the fact that it was going to last six hours. We were sitting on beach towels in the sand, sweating our lives away. I had a good time, though, and got a little sun, which is nice.

That brings me to right here, right now. I just got home less than an hour ago. I don't really have many study observations to make. I'm not feeling very different, but I've also had a really weird, exhausting, sleep-depriving weekend, so there's a lot of factors up in the air. We'll see how I feel on a regular workweek. Mwahahaha!

Got a pebble

Hi. It is past my bedtime. Nobody can stop me.

I got up this morning and wrote a dream down in my dream journal. It was a really creepy, horroresque type dream. There wasn't a serial killer on the loose or anything, but people were all on the ground on their backs meditating like it was a cult or something. It was just all really strange, like these people were half-zombie or something. Ironically, it looked strikingly like improv warm-up, but there were hundreds of people and they all seemed possessed. Hmm! I didn't look in the dictionary today, but I'll check it out tomorrow. ODD!

I sold some tickets to the improv benefit show today. I could start to freak out soon, but I don't think it would be productive. Rather, I should use that time to market the event. So, instead of freaking out right now, here goes: http://www.cff.org/great_strides/laughtilyoucough. Drew's Crew is sitting at $13,895.83 right now. I know we'll hit $14K tomorrow, especially when you get your ticket to the show. :-)

Today I went into work early as planned. By the way, it was raining harder this morning in Atlanta than I remember in a long time - probably even harder than the flood last year. I went to Artuzzi's for lunch with a colleague and had the chopped chicken gorgonzola salad. Man, that's one of the best salads ever, and this is from a person who does not usually like salad. I got to leave right at 4:30 p.m. and headed home.

When I got home, I went to the gym and exercised. I ran a bit on the treadmill, but my stinkin' SC joint was bothering me. It's been flaring up a bit lately, and I'm not sure what to do about it. Anyway, I ended up getting off of the treadmill and onto the elliptical since I can keep my arms still or move them in a very controlled way. It was a pretty good workout. I meant to lift some weights when I got back to my place, but I apparently got sidetracked. Perhaps tomorrow!

Rehearsal was late tonight - from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. It was pretty fun, though. It was nice getting to come home before rehearsal for the first time in forever. I'm glad I planned it that way because I had plenty of time to remove myself from the working mindset. We mainly played Blind Scene, which was fun because it's much easier to truly improvise when you have no idea what's going on in the scene. To everyone except my improv friends or super-fans (Mom!), that probably meant nothing. Anyway, I enjoyed tonight.

Tomorrow I'm going to do the early-to-work thing again. I got a shower right before rehearsal knowing that I'd be up late tonight. Why am I still up?! Oh me, oh my. I look forward to going in early, getting out early, and having tomorrow evening/night all to myself. That's TIME!

Tiiiiiiiiiiiiime

Good grief, where does the time go? I swear time is getting lesser and lesser by the day.

Yesterday I slept in until 11:00 a.m. Now, given the fact that I'm complaining about having no time, I realize that wasn't exactly an effective use of my Saturday morning. However, I wouldn't have felt compelled to sleep that late if I wasn't completely exhausted, so I'm just listening to my body. Then I headed over to the gym and exercised for a bit. I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 12 on the treadmill. It was a good start to the day!

Then I hurriedly showered and got ready and met my friend DH for lunch. We were going to go to Hudson Grille, but apparently it closed or something, so we went to Taco Mac instead. Wooo! Aside from her coming to my improv show last Thursday, we hadn't really talked in YEARS, so that was a lot of fun. I love catching up with relatable people!

I then decided that I needed to go get groceries since it had been probably close to a month. I am really not good at fulfilling my basic needs when I have next to no free time. I realize that my basic needs should come first, but dang, it's tough. I just went into Target (the SUPER kind!) and got some stuff. I had a hard time because I wanted to get home quickly and dodge the rain, so I just arbitrarily grabbed healthyish stuff, plus a few things like shampoo, etc. Consider it true if it's written here - I really want to start eating healthier. Not for vanity's sake, but because I know I don't have good eating habits and I used to feel much more energized when I ate such a variety. Granted, at that time, my only concerns were being in high school and making smoothies, but I felt healthier nutrition-wise. So, that's a goal of mine.

I put groceries up, laid down for a bit, then realized it was time to head out to my crew shift at the theatre. I stopped by Starbucks at the way (See? Thinking I can drink my energy?) and got an iced vanilla latte. I got down to the theatre and trained a newby on suggestions and worked the camera during the show. The shows were a lot of fun to watch and, even though I was out late, I enjoyed myself!

Now I'm getting ready to go watch the kids perform at the theatre - well, the youths and teens. It should be a lot of fun. I'm getting lunch beforehand. YAY!

THIS POST WAS POINTLESS!

May I apologize...

Well, I can't believe that I haven't posted since April 28. I mean, I can because it technically just became May 1, but I didn't mean to leave you all desperately hanging for so long. So, let me rehash the last few days...

THURSDAY!

I ended up waking up really early; I was having a difficult time sleeping for some odd reason. I woke up a little before 5:00 a.m., and finally gave up and got up at around 5:30 a.m. I went to the gym, as promised, and ran three miles, which was pretty awesome. It's nice to run three miles by the time 6:00 a.m. rolls around. I got ready to head to Emory for the study, and pulled in there at 8:30 a.m. on the nose.

The study was pretty interesting. It ended up taking waaaay longer than expected because my arms weren't cooperating. It's so odd because bloodwork has never been a problem for me. However, in these study appointments, I've had a difficult time. It's like my veins know when it actually matters that they cooperate, and then choose to do the opposite. It took so many tries for them to get the blood they needed. I don't mind needles all that much, though.

I did get into something called a BodPod which measured my body fat percentage. It's supposed to be a pretty accurate measurement because it's not pinching a certain area or anything. I had to put on a bathing suit and swim cap and sit in this little egg-like thing. I'm annoyed because I am trying to post a picture in here and it won't let me. Oh well, click here if you want, but come back to my blog. I'm 25.7% body fat, so take that. Man, I need to put on some more muscle for real. That's a goal of mine. I used to be so much more muscular and felt better.

I finished the study stuff much later than expected, and went to work where we celebrated a colleague's upcoming wedding. It was a nice break to the day, even though I'd just gotten to work. We had wine and cheese and it was a cute little get-together. Then, I finished up some work, got some packages ready for FedEx, and darted out to drop them off before I needed to be at the theatre.

I got to the theatre with about three minutes to spare. Man, it was such a fun show! I can't exactly put my finger on the cause, but the audience was just great and the energy in the theatre was spectacular. I played theeeeeeese things: Buzzer, Foreign-Dubbed Soap Opera (translator), Sit Stand Lean Oscar, Script in Hand (on book), and Musical Styles. I am still excited about the show! I had a friend from work come with her mom, as well as a friend from another job, so those were fun surprises. As always, my number one fan (Mom!) was cracking up in the audience. Loooove her. It was a great end to my birthday week.

FRIDAY!

Well, I'm happy to have witnessed the end to the nine-game losing streak the Braves had going for them. I am officially 2-0 this season, which is a good start. Tonight Heyward hit a home run, so I'm pretty sure he likes when I'm in the crowd. I had so much fun at the game with one of my friends and some of his friends. We were making puns out of the batters' names and it was just a hoot. It was so dorky and awesome!

What else did I do today? I got up and exercised, so yeehaw. I'm trying for three in a row tomorrow.

I also met an old coworker for lunch at Taco Mac. I literally hadn't seen him in two years since I left that job, so it was a ton of fun to catch up. We could have sat there and talked all day. I hope we'll do it again soon because it was a nice use of the lunch hour!

I am too tired to say anything else. I know this post was kinda boring, but I am so exhausted!

Get in your pillow

Greetings from someone who looks like a threat to national security. I am all hooked up to my monitoring vest to count my coughs and what not. I wouldn't mess with me if I saw me wearing this outfit. I have on this black vest with a choker and it's all connected to a machine that sits inside of a fanny pack. The funniest part about it is that the fanny pack is The North Face brand. I'm glad it isn't some knock-off since I want to go out in public like this. Oh wait, NOOOOO! Only because you care about my life and wouldn't be reading this if you didn't...


Aren't you intimidated? Are you ready for the cute part, though?! Because I have to wear this for 24 hours (which obviously includes sleeping in it), the machine has a little pillow it goes in for bed! I know I shouldn't be excited about it, but aww! I already put him into his little pillow because I thought it would be adorable. It was actually really anticlimactic, but I did get to take off the fanny pack.

Today was a pretty decent day. I finalized some benefit show items, and am hoping to get the go-ahead to market that tomorrow. I want it to be a big hit, so I'm excited to get started! Drew's Crew looks to be ending the day at $13,105, which makes me happy.

I've been keeping this food journal for the OTHER study, and it's actually pretty embarrassing. It says to note if my eating habits are exceptionally unusual during this three-day period for any reason. And, although I wish there was a reason I could say they're weird, I'm just a weird eater. The evaluator is going to be ashamed of me. And my friend SR would be, too! :-) I mean, eating is clearly not my strong-suit. I do plenty of it, but the habits are sooo not what I learned in school.

What else? I feel kind of giddy like there's stuff I'm forgetting to say, but I have no idea what that could be. Oh - thought of one! I am excited because a friend is bringing me lunch tomorrow. I am seriously not leaving the house like this - more for society's sake than my own vanity - so it will be nice to have food catered. Plus, I wasn't expecting to interact with any humans during this 24-hour period, so I'm glad to be wrong.

I'm excited to do some improvising tomorrow! We have had all kinds of different renditions of rehearsal, so it's been a while since we've really played games and what not.

Well, I think I better start getting ready for bed. I don't want to be like this, but the Braves are actually horrible. I mean, holy mackerel. Their patheticism is incredible. I don't even know why I am still watching this mess.