How Many Men Does It Take To Change A Flat Tire?

Answer...about 9 apparently.

This morning started off slow and steady. I woke up and brought my computer over to my bed to read some news and other info for a while. Time passed by and I realized that I needed to get ready for my day! I was driving my roommate over to meet her parents for breakfast and then we would be separating while she did her taxes and I went to work.

I was running late (something that doesn't often happen) and so I sped through a shower and quick blow-dry, got changed and met my roommate in our living room. We got in the car and were on our way. Everything was fine until we hit the road that crossed through the Target and Lowe's parking lots.

BANG!

I realized, too late, that I had hit a pothole and hard. We stopped talking for a moment as we realized what had happened. Once the shock wore off, we resumed our conversation but I was thinking about what I might find when we actually got out of the car.

Just what I expected to find: a flat tire. Lovely. We had a very tasty breakfast and then I moved my car into a more open space and my roommate's father and I started to get things in order to change the tire.

I can change a tire. I've done so in the past a number of times. I never would have been able to change this tire by myself.

First, the lug nuts were extremely difficult to loosen. It was ridiculous actually. If you could have seen the two of us jumping on the tire iron, we could have potentially won $10,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos. Second, we broke one of the bolts. All that jumping and snap! At least the lug nut came off! Third, the tire wouldn't budge. We kept kicking it, pulling it, whatever could do to help loosen it up. Nothing.

We had to call in the big guns: AAA. So, while the wait was on for someone from AAA to come out to our location, other patrons of the restaurant visited our group asking what was wrong and if we needed help. Male after male came up seeing if they could offer suggestions...suggestions we had already considered and tried, but they didn't seem deterred by that fact. No, they would each come up and take a turn kicking at my poor tire. I think it was a pride thing. I could just imagine the gloat that each man would have if he was the one that could kick my tire loose.

Finally, the AAA guy shows up and does the exact same thing excepts adds a few sprays of what I was calling glorified WD-40. Still...nothing. The tire was as stubborn as me and refused to move. Next step...call a tow truck. Yup, my baby was going to have to be towed. Not what I wanted on a Sunday when I needed to be at work to finish up somethings. Ugh!

So, AAA dude leaves and then not one, but TWO tow trucks turn up! Then we decided to make things interesting. My roommate's father and I made a small wager: I bet a cold beer that between these two new men, the tire would come off the car and he bet me a cold beer that they would get frustrated and give up. The game was on...

Lo and behold...Lauren was the victor! The two tow truck guys came to the rescue, put some more umph into their kicks and had the tools to release the corrosion on the tire that was holding it attached to the rim. With my spare tired set into place, I was on my way home to get ready for the remainder of my day.

So, about 2 hours after breakfast was finished and about 9 men later, the drama over my flat tire was over...and I'll be collecting on my bet soon.

So sweaty...but oh so good!

Tonight was probably one of the coolest nights EVER!

I had tickets for tonight's hockey game and it was going to be a good one. I had planned on going with my roommate, who had never been to a hockey game before! Shocking, I know!! Well, she ended up having to work, so she still hasn't gone to a game. Maybe one day...

Anyway, I would have gone with my other friend and co-worker, but he had to work as well, so it ended up being just me. So, I headed over to the game and found out it was also the night of the March of Dimes Jersey Auction. I figured I would go see what it was about.

They had a silent auction sheet for each player's jersey, so I headed over to my favorite player and decided to bid. Then they would close the silent auction after the second period of the game and then hold a live auction to finish the bidding. I thought, what the hell, so I gave myself a limit of how much I will willing to spend and I ended up in a bidding war with another woman over the jersey. I won, and for less than my max, which was great!!

So, cool, right...I win a jersey and the money was benefiting the March of Dimes (an organization I appreciate and feel worthy of my money)...but that's not all!! I get to go down to the ice at the end of the game, walk out with my name announced, take a picture with my player, then he STRIPS off the jersey off his back and signs it for me!!

So, I'm beat red and excited as hell to meet this player (again), shake his hand and get the picture...but then he takes off his jersey and gets down on one knee (le sigh) and asks me where I want him to sign his name. When he handed it to me he said "sorry it's sweaty" and I was pretty much like "oh that's ok" but in my head I was really like "oh my god, I don't care, you are just amazing!" I was giddy as I left the arena and headed over to work to show off the awesome (and sweaty) jersey...

So now...it's two hours later...it's still wet and smells...but it's amazing! (And yes, I will be washing it, because I want to wear it and it really does smell...but will still hold so much value for me!)




PS...if I can get a picture of the two of us, I will post it!

It's Been One Week...(do you have the song in your head like I do in mine?!)

At 9:30pm tonight I hit the one week mark for my injury. Last Friday night I was doing a normal evening activity for me, which was to change into my pajama pants. Apparently on this night I was not to go about this and walk away normally...

No, I was to not walk away at all, but instead I was to crawl...

I stepped into one of the pant legs and apparently stepped wrong (somehow) and twisted my ankle effectively spraining it. I had a shooting pain towards the inside of my foot that I rarely experience, and I am experienced in busted ankles. I really should have a sign that says: Spraining ankles since 1995.

Anyway, I crawled out from my bedroom into the living room in hopes of finding my roommate to assist my klutzy self and lo and behold, she had just gotten in the shower! I'm lying in the middle of the living room floor, my foot propped up on my ottoman and tears streaming down my face because I can't do a damn thing about my injury.

After a quick text conversation with my boss about an awful hockey game that I was lucky I missed as well as how I needed to keep my foot elevated, my roommate finished her shower and came out to see me on the floor. Sweet as she is, she got me ice and made me stop crying because I was laughing at her pulling individual ice cubes out of the freezer one by one so she didn't mess up the nails she had just painted!

So after a long week of hobbling, limping, elevating, icing and pill-popping, I'm now on the road to recovery. What does this mean for my race in only two weeks?!?! Well, before I sprained my ankle, I registered for the race, so I can't get my money back. As long as I continue to recover, I'm going to attempted to run the 5K but probably not at my pace, which I'm ok with that.

Insomnia or Lack Thereof

So, instead of sleeping, I'm actually sitting at my computer pondering a blog entry.

I'm not tired, though I should be: I've been up early every single day this week to get to the gym to continue my running regime. I've been up late almost every night because there is at least one television show that I "must see" and that's been wearing on me. And yet, here I sit, at my computer, not in my bed; typing, not sleeping.

I had a bout with insomnia about this time of the year 2 years ago. I had been in Baltimore at the time and I had struggled with my non-existent sleeping patterns for months. I was not resting at all, but somehow I got through each day of work exceedingly well. However, my usual "spark" and "peppiness" was missing and my boss finally sent me to the doctor as she knew from the deep circles under my eyes (that no amount of cover up could in fact cover up) that I wasn't sleeping.

Off to the doctor I went and the doctor asked if there was anything on my mind. I answered honestly saying, no, I felt fine, work was fine and I couldn't figure out what could be causing the lack of sleep. Then he broke it down into parts and we determined that in the months leading up to the insomnia I had done a number of things to set everything off:

-moved to a new city
-started a new job
-stress of my thesis

Apparently, I had a little too much on my plate but my brain and my body didn't recognize it. So I was forced to be sent home to try to sleep (with the aid of generic drugs taken in moderation). Once I was able to get a steady sleep pattern underway and I was able to start recognizing what was setting off my insomnia and managing it all better, I was fine.

Now, I sit here and I know I am no where near where I was 2 years ago, but I still have some of the same stresses:

-new job title
-new fitness regime/goal

I don't have insomnia, but this one night of sitting up and wondering "why am I not tired" got me thinking about that last time I felt that way...and do you know what it does...?


It makes me sleepy.

Race Cancelled :-(

Well....this does not bode well.

I was supposed to participate in my first race of the 'year of races' this Saturday, February 13 but I received information that the race was cancelled due to a "sudden and unavoidable conflict with [the] race venue."

There is no information as to whether or not it was due to the weather (which has been snowy and cold) or if it really was due to some other unforeseeable circumstance that shut the race down.

Personally this news comes to me with both good and bad feelings about the situation:

Bad: I've been prepping for this race for about a month and a half and I felt really prepared.
Bad: I'm concerned that with the next race a month away, I may slip in my training and slack...AH!
Bad: My roommate, co-worker and father were going to be in attendance cheering my boss and I along as we ran and now....no signs, no cheers for another month.

Good: This gives me another full month before my next race (of the same distance) to be even more prepared.
Good: I don't have to run in the freezing weather that I had been dreading all week.
Good: I get to spend less time worrying about the race and more time with my dad this weekend (who didn't come in for the race but would have been able to see it due to being in town for the right weekend).

So, I'm....conflicted!

Oh well. I have to look at it positively and just move on from this point and be extra prepared for the St. Patrick's race in March...

May the luck o' the Irish be with me!