No promises!: June 2007

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Pat me on the head

I deserve this for SO many reasons...sit back and I'll tell you why. :)

My lovely baby sister called me Tuesday to say that as she had left Alltel for T-Mobile she could no longer use her nearly-new Razr...would I be interested in having it? Well, DUH! I'm going from this phone to THIS phone...what would you say?

So, I said yes, and she said good, and that was that. The more I thought about it along the course of the day, the more excited I got about it. I called Kas and asked if she'd be interested in moving over to MY phone once I moved over to Resa's...we'll just play a big round of cell phone hot potato. I called Resa back to let her know how excited I was to get the phone, and she said that SHE was excited that *I* was excited, blah blah sister talk - we speak a different language so I won't bother you with the details. She said she would go the following morning to ship it out to me. Yay!

She called the next day to say that she had just dropped it off and that it would be delivered to Paulding Manor the following day (Thursday). Squee!! I spent all day today wondering if it had been delivered while I was stuck up at work...Resa laughed at me, and then tracked it. It had! I left work early and got home, found the box on the porch and managed to wait to rip the box open till I got inside. :) I closed the door behind me, then used the car keys I had never put away to rip the box open.

I pulled the phone out (insert angelic choir soundtrack here: "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh"), installed the battery, and managed to turn it on without having to consult the mini-encyclopedia of an instruction book. BEEEP! Low battery! Hmm...that's ok, she put a charger in the box, too. I take everything over to the outlet in the kitchen, plug the charger into the wall, and then go to plug the charger into the phone...where do you plug the thing in? OH, there. Hmm...doesn't fit...it's the wrong charger! I examined the plug on the phone more closely, and realized it's a mini USB plug, not a regular cell phone plug. Shit!

I set it down and called Billy - my go-to guy in the "anything electrical going haywire" department. He says to just use my camera's mini USB cable and plug it into my laptop - it should work. I was very skeptical, as the plug looked MUCH bigger than the little bitty hole in the side of the phone. It fit perfectly, though, so I plugged it in. I plugged the other end into my laptop, and saw the screen on the phone turn on...sweet!! Imagine the disappointment a few moments later when it says, "Unable to charge." Billy told me to look for the phone driver & that it would work once I installed the driver...I hit the first two pages of a Google search with no luck.

At this point I realize that I can't activate the new phone until I charge it, and I can't charge it till I get a charger. Now, for some background: I have an impulse control problem. When I want something, I want it now, and I do NOT want to wait. My first thought at this point: "I'm going to Alltel to buy a charger." But wait...aren't they usually ridiculously expensive there? I know I can get a charger (possibly TWO) for about $15 (including shipping) on Ebay. Crap! But that would take too long - I want it NOW! I got in the car with every intention of going to Alltel to overpay for a charger.

I got out on the road and along the way I decided to go to Wal Mart and see if they might have a charger. They did not, but in the meantime I managed to think through everything from a less frantic view, and decided (my first pat on the head) that I would wait at least one more day...I would continue my search for the phone driver this evening, and would just (gulp) wait to activate my new, shiny phone. Not to overstate my sudden maturity...I did call Billy to tell him how grown up I was being. Heh.

I got home and Googled for drivers again. Three pages into my search, I found hacktherazr.com; it has since become my new best friend! (my second pat on the head) I got my drivers and installed them all on my own, and yes, ladies and gentlemen...I was able to CHARGE MY PHONE!! Billy got home and we used his phone to call and activate the Razr with my number, and while we had someone on the phone we had her activate my OLD phone for Kas' number. Efficient, no? :) I put all my contacts in the new phone, and started poking around with the settings...I somehow managed to change the sound it makes when it takes a picture to a monkey sound. I have yet to sit down and change it back. Heh.

I feel like I've been very productive today. I didn't purchase an overpriced charger, and I figured out how to make what I had on hand work. Bonus! Now I get to play with my phone!

posted by Jen @ 6:24 PM 2 comments

Friday, June 22, 2007

It's my allergies...yeah...

I know better than to read the stories about the memorial service in South Carolina today, but I did it anyway. I know better than to look through the photo slide shows, but I did it anyway. I got a little smug...I made it through the articles without crying, and made it most of the way through the slide show without crying. Then I came across a pic of some little red construction paper hearts strung up on yarn...a little memorial made by some Charleston kids. Composure - gone. Eyes - red and puffy. Nose - stopped up, yet runny at the same time.

TJ left the house this morning with his dress uniform draped over his arm. I'm not sure what they have planned, and I didn't ask because I knew it would be sad. I spoke with him once today already - they went out on a call for some guy out in the water that, as it turns out, wasn't drowning. Go figure. It's not ALL heroic rescues...heh.

Do whatever it is you do - pray, meditate, light candles - for the families of these 9 guys. Their biological family and their firefighter family - it's going to be hard on ALL of them. I can't imagine how TJ would be if he lost a member of his crew, much less 9 guys from the department. He spends as much time with them as he does with me - and to be honest, they probably have more fun...lol. He doesn't have to pay bills with them, ya know? ...sigh... I'm gonna go get a tissue...my allergies are acting up.

posted by Jen @ 9:45 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

I did it!

I survived all 15 miles of the Western Gate's 2007 Sweat Hike. I tell you - had they been selling t-shirts at the end of the trail, I'd have bought one. As long as it matched my new hiking pants...but more on those later.

I bought a pair of Columbia hiking pants Friday...for $35. I didn't realize how incredibly cheap I've become clothes-wise until I was standing in Academy having the following argument in my head:

"Thirty-five dollars??! For PANTS?!?"
"Well, they are UV-resistant...and you'll get a lot of wear out of them..."
"But really....thirty-five dollars??"
"Look - they zip off into shorts!
"...yeah...."
"Aaaand, they're quick drying! If you want to take a quick dip in the river you'll dry off in no time!"
"Well...yeah..."
"And look at the price tag from Columbia - it's originally SIXTY dollars!"
"Look, I work retail - I know how that price tag crap works. Just shut up - I'll buy the damn pants."

So $37 and change later, I have a pair of pants. On my way out of Academy I immediately called Billy and ranted about my new expensive pants. I ranted about them when I got to work about 45 minutes later. You can bet I was ranting to myself the entire time in between. After I ranted at work, I set the bag down on my desk and started, you know, working. A few moments later I had one of those forehead-slapping Homer Simpson moments. Do you know what size my $35 pants were? Large. I had even tried them on to be sure they fit! LARGE, people! No "extra" anywhere on the label! Anyone care to hazard a guess as to the last time my rear end fit in a size LARGE?! No, nevermind - forget that I asked. I was much happier with my pants after that point. Large!!!

So...Saturday. Billy and I get up, get dressed, and get our stuff together. We're both taking a Camelback-style system, with a 2 liter bladder full of water each. We brought another 2 liters of extra water to refill with - 2 were frozen. We got our not-cotton hiking clothes on (Patagonia underwear is the BOMB, and the sports bra I got for running was ideal for this), grabbed our big wide-brimmed hats, and 2 trekking poles each, then headed out the door. I ran back IN the door a couple times for things I'd forgotten, with much teasing from Billy about making us late. We stopped for breakfast on the way out, at which point Billy realized he had left his WALLET at home. Uh huh. *I* was going to make us late.

We got there about 5-10 minutes late - but someone else pulled up about the same time so we weren't the latest. That makes it a little better. There were 10 of us setting out for this thing. We piled into 3 vehicles, which were all left at various points along the way back. Billy and I left our refill bladders there so we could fill up along the way. We drive to the trail head and all get up and get geared up...packs on, boots tied, bug spray applied, wrist straps on the trekking poles adjusted...let's go!

I'm not going to give a blow-by-blow account of the hike. It would be god-awful boring, and I'd never finish this post. The main reason is that I spent about 90% of the hike staring at the ground immediately in front of me. We weren't running through the woods, but we were moving at a very brisk clip. The trail is cleared, but it's not leveled. There are still root balls and vines and such everywhere. I am probably one of the clumsiest people you will ever meet. Or read, in the case of my blog. Extraordinarily clumsy. Too many sprains to mention; all my wrists and ankles, and even my back at one point. I fall...a lot. I'm no stranger to skinned knees, even at my age. So I was very, VERY certain to pay close attention to the trail - I did NOT want to be carried out of the woods with a broken ankle, thanks very much.

We paused in a few places and I got a good look around, but for the most part, the scenery consisted of my feet, the pine straw, vines, leaves, and branches on the trail, and the back of the boots in front of me. I managed to remain upright and only bled once from a sticker bush that ended up wrapped around my leg. Whoo hoo!

We stopped after the Steep Head for lunch. This was about 7 miles into the hike. I had finished off most of my water by this point, but knew I would be refilling shortly - no biggie. We finished eating and continued up the trail to the first drop-out point, and our refills. We topped off our bladders, MOSTLY.

Christine, the hike leader, asks, "Anyone want to drop out?" "No!!! Let's go!" we all say. We're all still pretty much on top of our game. I know *I* was. Billy asked me how I felt, and I said, "I'm fine now, but then I also enjoy running up to the last 5-10 minutes, so I'm not going to answer now. Ask me again in a few hours." I am wise beyond my years, my friends.

We came to another drop-out point at the 9 mile mark. One person dropped out, but it was planned - she had to work or something...I admit I didn't really pay attention. At that point, I was starting to wear down. We stopped for a break there, but it wasn't going to be long enough to sit down...my feet were starting to get really, really warm (it was past noon by this point) and I wanted to either sit or walk - standing around wasn't doing it for me. We got back on the trail FINALLY, and sucked it up for another 3 miles.

At that point we came to a little creek...I was assured that it is usually MUCH more impressive but thanks to the lack of rain lately it was about 5 feet across and about 6 inches deep. Had I not been sighing out loud at the pleasure of my hot, achy feet in the cool water I'm sure I would have heard them sizzle when I stepped in. That was pure delight. It was so delightful that I pulled everything out of my pockets (knife, chapstick, and inhaler - only the necessities) and eased down onto my butt in the water. Oh...words cannot describe that feeling. Good stuff there, people.

A couple other folks flopped down in the water, too. I saw Christine climb out of the water and very nearly whined out loud, "But I don't WANNA go now..." I got my boots back on and sulked back onto the trail. Christine says, "If we follow the creek, it's only about a half-mile to 87." Now...I'm not a math major, but under normal circumstances I'm not too shabby with basic addition and subtraction. At this point in my day, however, "normal circumstances" no longer applies. I realize that she said it was a half mile to 87 - but in my mind I was thinking it was a half mile to the CARS. If it's only a half mile to the cars THAT way, why the HELL are we walking another three miles?!? I admit that I obsessed over this point for the next 1.3 miles a little bit.

I know it was 1.3 miles because we stopped again...at this point, I was CERTAIN that we were most of the way to the cars. I would have bet my car on it...no more than a half mile to the cars, max. HA! Or not. I was making an angry face because the hose to my water bladder was doing to something funny & I couldn't drink when Christine says, "There's only 1.7 miles to go!" The HELL?! I was sulking over this fact when it finally dawned on me that my hose wasn't acting up - the bladder was empty.

I was crushed. I told Billy that if someone were to ask if I wanted to drop out then, that I'd have said yes. As it was, dropping out was out of the question. I could drop out and sit in the woods, trying to levitate myself out. I could stop walking and make them carry me out. I figured my best course of action was to suck it up and just walk out. Be a grown-up about the whole thing. Bah.

So I did. We made it to the cars, and we followed Christine back to the halfway point to get our cooler and bladders back. We headed home and stopped at a Tom Thumb to get some caffeine...I knew I wasn't dehydrated, but I was DEFINITELY caffeine deficient. I thought my skull was going to split open from the headache. I tossed back about 3/4 of a Vault Zero and felt MUCH better. We stopped at Diary Queen on the way home and I REALLY felt much better. Aah.

I learned a lot from this.

It's too effing hot to be hiking in NW FL after 10AM.
10 people hiking end up in a long line which prevents much conversation. Lots of time in your own head.
People that hike 15 miles a day, every day have my respect. Through-hikers TOTALLY deserve a t-shirt. And a bumper sticker!! Maybe even a key chain.
I can push myself further than I thought.
I can hurt in places I didn't know I had.

There are many other lessons, but none I'll put up in public. Shoo. I'm not going to rule out doing the sweat hike next year...as of now, I say no. I'll probably change my mind next year. We shall see.

posted by Jen @ 9:01 AM 4 comments

Saturday, June 16, 2007

What the hell was I thinking?

So it's 6:12 on a Saturday...the Saturday after two weeks of Freshman Camp...when I've been getting up at 5:30 every weekday... Why am I up and at 'em already on my day off, you ask? I'm getting ready to go on the Western Gate's Sweat Hike. It's an FTA-sponsored event, and it doesn't sound like NEARLY as good an idea this morning as it did when I let Billy talk me into this. We have to be at the trail head in Navarre by 7:30 to head out. The hike is 15 miles long - yes, FIFTEEN MILES. There's a wimp-out point at the 9-mile mark, so I don't have to do the whole thing. (gulp) These folks don't kid around, either - Billy said that if we start at 7:30 we'll probably be done by 3. Yikes! Assuming I can move once I get home, I'll tell you how it went.

posted by Jen @ 6:10 AM 1 comments

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