The Quest For Seven

Countdown, now with Mexico!

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:09:15 -0500

No, not Ron.

Did you miss me yesterday? Psh, now, don't tell fibs to spare my feelings. Thanks for stopping by. :-)

The good Reverend MiamiShyner is not in attendance today but she wishes you all a ROCO Friday nonetheless.

As we all may know, the countdown now stands at 20 days until I try to run this 5K. I have faith that I can do it. I'm training and I can do the distance. I'm just hoping that it's not excessively hot/cold/windy that morning.

Even though formerly Hurricane Ida, currently TD Ida and probably Hurricane Ida again in a few days is a ways away from us, we're still feeling some of her effects, namely wind. Due to the wind, I was surprised to have come in at under 28 minutes this morning. Not super quick by any means, but way better than I ever imagined I would be when I started the program 8 weeks ago.

You should stop reading here if you do not want to read my sappy relationship stuff.

Who has so many countdowns going on at once? No one in their right mind which means me. :-D

Turkey Trot in 20 days
Vacation in 48 days
Graduation in 92 days
And the latest addition to the list, 218 days until the wedding

As some of you may have known, Lovey and I had plans to make it official in the early summer of next year. I was super excited and ran through several location options before deciding on Vegas. Then I changed my mind. I'm a chick, I'm allowed.

Vegas seemed cool but it was also a little bit of a hassle. I'm not all for the details, I just want the end event to be nice (and I don't want to hire a wedding planner). Vegas fell by the wayside. I found a place closer to home. Literally 5 minutes away from our house. It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was.....$20K! WTF man. For one day! I am not ballin' like that.

At that time, I basically scrapped all wedding plans. I am just stubborn like that. I want it all or I don't want anything. I'm pretty sure that my mom was bummed about it but I was done. I figured that the money I was saving for a wedding could be used for several other things. I was a little sad but I've really never been the one for tradition.

Fast forward to yesterday. Whilst perusing the internet, I came across something that just blew my mind. I could have a ceremony that was far from traditional in a place that was far from home for a price that was far under the place that I had been so excited about. SCORE!

So now, it's back on. Mom's excited. Lovey's excited. Kiddo's excited (this will be her first time out of the country). I'm excited. I get to have a beautiful beach ceremony in the country I love most right under our own. Seriously, I love it so much that I feel like it's like going home. I get to spend 9 days being treated like a princess and I can't wait.

Now, to search for that perfect dres....remember, buck tradition!

Have a great weekend, folks! There's football to be watched. Let's go STEELERS!

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22 days....tick, tock, tick, tock

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:39:46 -0500

Wow, you are going to get SO tired of hearing about this!
But you just can't stop reading. You think you might miss something cool or funny, don't you? Of course you do, so first, let me reward you with something I find highly amusing:

WE CAN LEVITATE!

Okay, I can't. I didn't get the Evite for training and whatnot. I would be nothing but trouble if I had a superpower like that. Oh, wait, I'm already nothing but trouble. Huh.

It's Wednesday and that means it's a circus kind of day. While I had gone back to flying, I'm now heading back to "under the tent" type activities. I realize that you may not know what the heck I'm talking about, but if you're interested, leave a comment and I'll explain. Otherwise I'm just talking to hear myself talk, or writing to see the paper fill up.

Somehow, I've just realized that I can take a yoga class and an under the tent once a week for the same price of flying once a week. You do the math.

This morning, I finished my run 16 seconds faster than yesterday's run. That isn't a lot, but it's a start.

.......by the way, I'm having my lunch right now and I am so, so disappointed with the plantain chips from the vending machine. I wanted salty and crunchy but got kinda stale and plain instead. Should've gotten the Sun Chips like the original plan.......

It's already November 4, folks. Do you know how much of my NaNoWriMo project I have done? You guessed it, zero words. I don't know why I sign up for that torture every year. I have yet to complete it...or start it for that matter. Life keeps getting in the way. Shame too, because the story is rolling around up there just waiting to get out. Maybe one day, grasshopper, you will snatch the novel from my head.

Let me take a moment to thank you for stopping by and reading my extra grey matter. I'm going to keep writing it, so you can just keep reading it. :-)

Until tomorrow....

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Dear Spammer: You're trying to tell me....

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:02:11 -0500

Your last name is Kennedy?

Got this in my VOX email:

Hello Dear,
I am introducing my self as John Kennedy 20yrs old,the only son of late Chief and Mrs Patrick Kennedy, I wish to request for your assistance in a financial transaction. I got your contact through my search in your country for a trust worthy individual via the Google web service who will help me and my junior sister Cyntia" who is only 16yrs old in securing our late fathers money for investments overseas, And I wish to invest in Manufacturing and real estate management in your country.I have Fifteen million Five Houndred Thousand United States Dollars.USD($15.500,000.00) to invest in your country, and I will require your assistance in receiving the funds in your personal/company account for investment, we shall be glad to give you 20% of the total sum for your assistance as I have agreed with my sister.
Awaiting for your response at my email address johnkenn45@yahoo.fr
God bless you,
John Kennedy.

So if anyone reading this wants to give their banking information to, ahem, John Kennedy, first, forget you know me then go right ahead.

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The Countdown Continues.... And VAMPIRES!

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:44:27 -0500

23 days to go and the training continues.

I can't run every day yet (and I'm not sure that daily running is a great idea) so for the morning workout, I alternate running and a yoga/pilates blend with a full-on yoga class on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on what time the Steelers play.

In case you are unaware, I am scared of needles. Not knitting needles, not sewing needles, but those hollow-tip mofos that burrow into my arm and try and steal my life sustenance. Why? Why do I have such an irrational fear particularly since I'm sporting three tattoos and four ear piercings along with previously having had my tongue and bellybutton pierced? Well, let me tell you.

WARNING! If you are squeamish or share my fear, you might want to skip ahead a couple paragraphs.

When I was but a young lass, I used to have the most horrendous headaches. Could this be before everyone knew what migraines were? Maybe. At any rate, my dutiful parents took me to the hospital because I swore up and down that my head would explode at any second although I could barely keep my eyes open long enough to complain. My mom tried to keep me awake on the way to the hospital but I still dozed off.

Upon arrival to the hospital, my mother gave the pertinent information and in we went. That's right, in we went. Do you remember those days? When you didn't have to wait 4 hours in the ER to be seen? Once inside, a nurse came over to draw blood. I am quite certain that it is with this wench that my fears began. Right now, at 35 years old, I have tiny veins that are quite difficult to see, (thankfully, phlebotomists have come a long way) so you can imagine how they would've looked about 25 years ago. She prepped me and then poked me. And missed. And pulled out. And poked me again. And missed. (geez, this sounds like a porn) Instead of pulling out the second time, she instead decided to just move the needle around in my arm until she struck red gold.

That. Shit. Hurts. Like. Hell.

That was it, I was traumatized. It never really got any better. My veins didn't get bigger and the skin on my arms didn't get any lighter which meant I dreaded any forced bloodletting. I have never donated blood in my life. It used to be that I didn't weigh enough and then when I did, I started getting inked and pierced annually so they wouldn't want my blood and I didn't have to feel bad about not donating.

Once, a phleb went in one arm, poked around, couldn't find anything, went in the other arm, still couldn't find anything, and then ended up having to go in the top of my hand. FYI, by the time she made it to top of the hand, my roommate was physically holding me down in the chair trying to get me to calm down. Probably didn't help that I was mildly hungover and super grumpy as I had just lost my, ahem, friend, at the time.

Back to current day, this morning to be precise. It was time for the annual bloodletting. I hate it, but if I'm paying out the nose for my insurance bi-weekly, I'm damn sure gonna use it for all it's worth. Fortunately, I had made an appointment because I might have gone ballistic if I had to sit in there with the oldies but moldies and no one to talk to.

I'm happy to report that this morning's phleb at least had full use of all ten of her fingers. I am NOT down on anyone with a disability, but it isn't comforting when you're already nervous for your phleb to have 3 out of 5 fingers fused together on one hand. With the nails painted. #truth

A testiment to the advancing knowledge of phlebs, she knew to use the butterfly before I had to ask for it. In her idle chatter to keep my mind off of things, she tells me how she doesn't really like using the butterfly because it makes the blood just. drip. out. BLORF! But hey! Not in my case! "The blood is just POURING out of you!" Double BLORF. 5 tubes later she was done minus the blood she dripped on my arm. Look, I know it's mine, but I still don't wanna see it.

And so, I survived another year. In another few days I can impress you all with the results of my bloodwork. I know you're on the edge of your seat......

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Countdown to Turkey Trot! T-24 days

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:05:11 -0500

Mini

Well, it is official. Today I registered for my first 5K. So, on the morning of Thanksgiving, when most of you will either still be sleeping or beginning to slave over the day's dinner, I will be out putting in 3.1 miles on the road. It's funny, 3 miles doesn't really seem like a lot, but for someone who, for her entire life, has thought of running as the worst possible form of torture, this is truly an accomplishment! I have a Nike Mini to prove it!

It's hard to believe that 8 weeks ago, I probably wouldn't have run to the bathroom and just this morning, I put in 3 miles. I'm also starting a glucosamine/chondroitin regimen since my knees have seen better days and my Q-angle is just plain huge! I have no doubt that the right knee will need scoped before I turn 40. I'm currently just hoping to get it strong enough to make it through a week of snowboarding over Christmas.

I had been "dieting" for a couple months and no matter what I did, it just didn't matter. I looked the same. I weighed the same. I started to wonder why I was bothering. Granted, I know that I'm just a SOLID young lady. I stand just under 5'2" and I stay around 130 pounds, but that also includes a good 3 pounds of dredlocks and 2-3 pounds of boobs.

Running (or at least the process of working my way up to running) has given me the figure I always wanted but could just never achieve. No more muffin top and no more looking like I just finished off the whole turkey when I just had a sandwich. Yes, I'm super vain like that, even realizing that I'm just cute ('cept to Lovey of course), but it's been a long time of growing out hair, going to the dermatologist, and one time under the knife to get to this point where I can be happy.

Back to the Thanksgiving speak, we have an office shindig every year. This is year four for me. The first two years I made Gram's kick ass mac and cheese and they tore it up! Last year I deviated a bit and made a three bean and sausage casserole. For a bunch of hispanic people, they were awfully shy about having some beans. No matter though, I kept a pot at home for me and the rest went to a shelter for the needy. All good.

This year, I'm making a huge ass pot of greens. I don't care if I have to wipe out 3 grocery stores to get it done. Do you have any idea how delicious greens are? If you don't, man are you missing out. But, this is also coming from a person who's been eating them for nearly 30 years.

So, in case you hadn't noticed, my blogs tend to ramble on and jump a bit, but that's how my mind works. Be happy. If it worked in straight lines, I would've taken over the world by now!

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

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ROCO Friday - The Rain

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:16:20 -0400

As in this video that YouTube doesn't allow to be embedded but I think Daily Motion does:

That's right. Today's wisdom is brought to you by Mr. Oran "Juice" Jones.

When I was growing up, my mother and I LOVED this song. It was just so cool and so funny and probably so true. (It was 1986, gimme a break, huh?) So let's see what Mr. Jones has to say for himself:

Tossing and turning another sleepless night
The rain crashes against my window pane
Jumped into my car didn't drive too far
That moment I knew I would never be the same.

Now here you are begging to me
To give our love another try
Girl I love you and I always will
But darling right now I've got to say goodbye
'Cause

I saw you (and him) walking in the rain
You were holding hands and I'll never be the same.

POINT #1: As the song continues, you'll be able to appreciate Mr. Jones' actions and reactions regarding the alleged incident.

(I saw you)
Hey hey baby how ya doin' come on in here
(Walking in the rain)
Got some hot chocolate on the stove waiting for you
Listen first things first let me hang up the coat

What a gentleman!

(You were holding hands and I'll)
Yeah how was your day today
Did you miss me
(Never be the same)
You did? Yeah? I missed you too
I missed you so much I followed you today

Oops, turned stalker

(I saw you)
That's right now close your mouth
'Cause you cold busted
(Walking in the rain)
Now just sit down here, sit down here
I'm so upset with you I don't know what to do
(You were holding hands and I'll)
You know my first impulse was to run up on you
And do a Rambo
(Never be the same)
I was about to jam you and flat blast both of you
But I didn't wanna mess up this thirty-seven hundred dollar lynx coat
So instead I chilled -- That's right chilled

See, why can't we do this in current times? No shootingkilling/stabbing. Just chilling!

I called up the bank and took out every dime.
Than I cancelled all your credit cards...
I stuck you up for every piece of jewelery I ever bought you!
Don't go lookin' in that closet 'cause everything you came here with is
packed up and waiting for you in the guest room. What were you
thinking?
You don't mess with the Juice!
I gave you silk suits, blue diamonds and Gucci handbags.
I gave you things you couldn't even pronounce!
But now I can't give you nothing but advice.

Classic lines begin in 3....2....1....

Cause you're still young, yeah, you're young.
And you're gonna find somebody like me one of these days . . .
Until then, you know what you gotta do?
You gotta get on outta here with that alley-cat-coat-wearing,
punch-bucket-shoe-wearing crumbcake I saw you with. Cause you
dismissed!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I would use these lines.

That's right, Silly rabbit, tricks are made for kids, don't you know
that. You without me is like corn flakes without the milk! This is my
world. You're just a squirrel trying to get a nut! Now get on outta
here. Scat!
Don't touch that coat...

If this doesn't make you smile, then I really don't know what will. And it's Friday, so I'm all about some smiles.

By the way, do you know what else? I ran three whole miles without stopping this morning. I am well on my way to running my first 5K. My goal is to finish the 5K in 20 minutes. This morning, I did the 3 miles in 25. So I need .1 more mile in 5 less minutes. I can do this!

Last but not least, as the good Reverend Miamishyner is out and abouts and I'm just filling in for her today, let the congregation say:

ROCO!!

Have a great weekend folks!

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QotD: Circus Act

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:05:33 -0400

If you joined the circus, what act would you most want to perform?

Holdingant

Right, chances of me not answering this one are pretty slim. I'm a flying trapeze girl first, followed by single trap, Spanish web, swinging trap, silks then double trap.

Swing

Spideyweb

Splitcatchbanner

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ROCO Friday - Running Down A Dream

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:42:13 -0400

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Runnin' Down A Dream

All hail the Friday ROCO congregation!

The good Reverend MiamiShyner is pleased and blessed to have made it through another week. Let the congregation say ROCO!

I am also blessed to have such a wonderful congregation. I may only see you once a week, but know that I appreciate you and keep you in my thoughts.

There are some days when I feel that this song is just appropriate. Many days on the way home from work, we open the song:

It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was driving

But long before I get to that point, somewhere before the halfway point of my run, I feel like this:

I felt so good like anything was possible
I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes

Music can speak to you, ladies and gentlemen, if you'll just open your ears. ROCO!

Maybe you've noticed your Reverend looking a little more trim these days, maybe not. Well, I am running down my dream in small steps. The first step is to run a 5K. I'm more than halfway finished with the training for this and my first 5K is on Thanksgiving morning. That's right, I'll run and then come home and stuff my face. There are several 5Ks that I want to run before working my way up to a half marathon, and then finally, a full marathon. I must be insane. :-)

So, congregation, I ask you, do you know what path you're on? Do you have a path? How can you run down your dream if you don't have a path to follow? Tom Petty's mama didn't raise no dummies.
There's something good waiting down this road
I'm picking up whatever is mine

I hope that you'll all realize that you each have something good waiting down your road. Take the time to pick up whatever is yours.

With that, my dear flock, I ask that you go forth and spread the good ROCO word. Have a wonderful weekend. Be safe and have fun. And last but not least, ROCO!

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I'm in love with...

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:16:29 -0400

A) A stripper
B) A man nearly twice my age
C) A girl
D) You
E) My car
F) Mary Jane

Did you pick one of those? Let me know. :-) Me? I'm in love with my chiropractor. Not real, let's get married and spend the rest of our lives together love, but OMG you took away a pain that's been haunting me off and on for the last 15 years love.

My relationship with chiropractors has been on-again/off-again for the last, oh, 20 years or so. I really like the way I feel when I'm totally in line and functioning at 100% but I just haven't always had the money and/or insurance to keep myself at that state. I am fortunate now to be able to do both and oooh, how I love it.

Friday's initial visit went well. I found out for sure that I'm an underpronater so I have the right shoes for running. I'm all kinds of crooked with my right hip and my left shoulder sitting higher than their respective partners. I also have knotty muscle issues that make my back achy, my bra too tight..oh wait, no, just achy back + right foot that turns out kinda funny to the side.

All that is fixable and will get fixed in the upcoming visits but the best part hands down is that the pain that I've had for so long is gone. GONE! For some reason, I have a nice bruise where the pain was, but I care not because the actual pain has left. This was no run-of-the-mill pain either. This was OMG someone just stabbed me in the back with a scorching hot needle a few times pain. No more. I shan't even mention it again.

So, at least the Steelers managed to pull off another win. Did they play a strong 45 minutes? Yes. Once again, though, at right about the 8 minutes remaining in the game mark, it all went downhill. I would really like to get into the locker room to see some of those guys naked. I would really like to get into the locker room to see what the hell is going on in the fourth quarter!! Just seeing if you're paying attention.

On another football note, of course I follow the Steelers on Twitter and all players who have personal Tweets, but I also consort with the enemy and I follow Chad Ocho Cinco. He's pretty amusing sometimes. Today, as he's done in the past, he offered to buy lunch for whomever showed up at his chosen place. Since said place is a few blocks from work, I stopped over.

I will admit that I wasn't expecting it, but he's really a stand-up guy. He posed for photos and signed everything that people brought over for him. Without a lick of attitude. He's also sporting a nice semi-shiner from the hit that Ray Ray put on him yesterday. The photo below was snapped right as I was telling him that I was there reppin the STEELER NATION, BABY! He was still cool with it. (Dammit, I always look like hell in photos. Oh well.)

That's probably more than enough to fill my section of your brain today. I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend and have a great week!

5 days till the Steelers beat up on the Browns
74 days till vacation
118 days till graduation

Giddyup!

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ROCO Friday - Welcome back, Kotter

nobody@vox.com(MiamiShyner) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:52:43 -0400

After a long hiatus, the Reverend MiamiShyner has returned to her flock to once again spread the message of ROCO Fridays. <cue music>

Welcome Back Kotter

Let us reacquaint ourselves, shall we?

Please turn in your hymnals to page 305 for responsive reading.

Rev: And as your boss sayeth unto you, "Can you stay late today?" Let us respond with a phrase fitting the Sweathogs...

Congregation: Up your nose with a rubber hose!

Rev: ROCO! And whosoever wishes to leave early today shall make it known to all.

Congregation: *hands raised energetically* Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!

Rev: And should that one annoying co-worker request that you do his/her work before you leave, the congregation shall say..

Congregation: Off my case, toilet face.

Rev: Let the congregation say...

All: ROCO!

Today, on a day when our President has won the Nobel Peace Prize, when we have crashed a missile into the moon, when it's freezing in Corporate America, we still must give thanks for all we've been blessed to have. Your Reverend is learning to take one day at a time and to enjoy each and every one of those days. Rev MS is spending her last several months in Miami doing some things for herself and she suggests that you do the same be it in Miami or Moscow, Pittsburgh or Portland.

And now, because I know that we all have things to do, I will wrap up today's sermon. Take this good word and go forth and ROCO! <cue exit hymn>

*congregation rises*
*Reverend walks to the back of the church*

Let the congregation say ROCO!

*Rev MS stands at the back of the church shaking hands and kissing the babies of the congregation.*

Chicken and biscuits with gravy and mashed are downstairs. Don't forget to try Sister Kiddo's sweet potato pie!

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