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| Team Big Papi after our 3rd place finish with the Penn Dome in the background |
So last night as our softball team finished up a systematic annhilation of the opposition to clinch 3rd place for the season, I was talking with my friend Dave about how I could tie together the three different things I wanted to write about in one blog post (Beginning to work out again, getting prepared to shave the no-shave-November beard, and dog sitting) without it being to lengthy or disjointed, and he suggested that I use the theme of taking back control of my life, I liked it, so here goes...
As we wind down November, no-shave-November also comes to a close. There'll be a special post next week exclusively devoted to facial hair (final mustache pictures of Adam and some before, during and after shave shots of me...sorry Mom, December 1 doesn't come til after I come back to Philly so you're stuck with a bearded son for the break), mostly in the form of a photo-blog with captions, but I thought that the beard sorta represented the evolution of my November. At first, it was an idea born of being very busy (the first two weeks were filled with responsibilities from finishing up midterms to helping out in anatomy lab, putting together an anatomy review, trying to figure out what classes I'll take next semester), so truthfully, I just didn't really have time to shave. The middle of the month brought the beginning of me "taking back control over my life" in the way it usually happens once all the midterm papers have been turned in, first I clean my apartment, then I start to take care of the things that have fallen by the way-side over the last few weeks (laundry, dry cleaning, grocery shopping). Usually this includes shaving, but this month it included trimming the beard and cleaning it up a bit. After that began the attempts to get back into working out (more on that later). As the month drew on, however, I got into my usual pre-thanksgiving funk. As the days drag on leading up to thanksgiving break, each day seems to get longer and longer (see what I did there with the beard analogy...), I greatly anticipate the upcoming break, relaxation and time with my family. With thanksgiving break almost on us, I am now thinking about the home stretch after the break, the short sprint to the finish before the real break (winter break) and with that anticipation is one of being clean shaven again as I come back refreshed for that last sprint.
I also got the opportunity to dog sit this weekend. My friend Lauren was out of town for residency interviews and I took care of her dog, Kuma (he's pretty cute...) for the weekend. I've been thinking about getting a dog for a while and have never thought it was the right time. Having Kuma for the weekend was a great dry-run for the real thing. Brought up some realizations about having a dog and the responsibilities that come along with it, but also how fun it can be to have someone who's so excited every time you walk through the door and who sits at your feet or curls up next to you while watching crappy TV (I think I've made Kuma a big ER fan this weekend)
Finally we get into how I've finally started working out again. I had surgery last May and while the recovery went quickly, it seemed like one thing after another after another prevented me from getting back into the swing of working out. First it was moving, then it was my sub-i's last summer at the hospital, then it was starting school and adjusting, then it was a pulled hamstring, then it was midterm papers. Finally I'm at a place where I want to make it part of my routine again. Two weeks ago when I went on my first run in six weeks, I woke up the next morning so sore. I've been diligent though, getting back into it. I need to get myself back on track so I'm in shape to run the Ragnar SoCal in April (from LA to San Diego) with my friends...for our last Ragnar before many of them start residency.
