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Since I'm sure many of you are sad to see that Craig did not update his blog for his Monday night post, I've decided to say hello. Craig left for Houston to spend Thanksgiving with his family. I spend so much time with Craig that we inevitably share many of the minor events of life with each other. It's funny how quickly I missed sharing these little things with him. Within hours of his departure, I wanted to text him, but I refrained. Instead, I started a list of the little things that I would have shared with him immediately if he had been around .
1. We keep our door open most evenings so the cats can roam around or hang out with neighbor-Rick. Yesterday evening, as I sat near the front door on my computer, I had an uninvited guest. A young-looking white cat strolled through the door without a care in the world. He/she headed over to drink from the cats' water dish. I happened to have my camera handy to take a picture, but my sudden movement scared it away. Too bad.

2. I was paying too much attention to the wedding date that Craig and I set. I then decided to find its prime factorization. After I failed at finding factors below 30, I turned to Google, asking "Is 33013 a prime number?". I discovered a great website in the process. Turns out, it is!

That's about as exciting as life gets here in apartment 204. However, I'm sure I would have shared that a staff member told me about her experience with a student while I was at a conference on Friday. "You're working me like Ms. Matera!" he exclaimed. This is quite the compliment, for a teacher.

The End.

Forgot

As most of you do, I lead a busy life and inevitably forget things along the way. Anyone who knows me well, knows I love lists and charts. Over the years I have made exercise charts, food charts, medicine charts, flossing charts, and sneezing charts. I make to-do lists, packing lists, and goal lists. While there are very few things I've forgotten on a number of occasions, there are many things I've forgotten at least once. I forgot to wear my glasses, I forgot to take my cell phone home from work, I forgot to go to a meeting. I forgot to set my alarm for running club, I forgot to take a dose of medicine, I forgot to feed the cats. I forgot a friend's birthday, I forgot to pay the rent on time, I forgot to pack my toothbrush.  There are simply so many things to remember that I can't remember all of them everyday.

Today I get to add a new item to my "I Forgot" list. One hour after arriving home from work, I remembered that I forgot to take my car home with me.

Home Sick

I awoke to my alarm just before 6:30. I should have set it for later. I wasn't ready to wake up. I called in sick today, but I still had an 8 am meeting. As Craig noticed as he got ready for his way-too-early morning bike ride, I was up at 4 am for the second day in a row. Both nights I woke at 2. Since I had the freedom to use my lamp, I stayed in bed and avoided the temptation of the late night DVD player/internet usage and opted for magazine reading and crossword puzzles. This didn't help me fall asleep any quicker. While wasting time before leaving for work, I saw that the Hunger Games has arrived at the library. What a perfect day for a book to come for me!

I left for work at 7:30. I arrived early to the meeting and sat with psych Julie and speech Jason. Julie noted that I had something on my shirt. I looked down and shared that it was most certainly a booger. At least people couldn't doubt that I was sick. The parent didn't show up, so I didn't accomplish anything other than learning that our new special ed teacher is 24. He is fresh out of college, but worked on a naval base while he decided what he wanted to do. I drove, so I was able to leave right away. I passed co-worker Tana on my way out, and she handed me a bag of the complete Hunger Games series. She asked, "You're the type of person who returns books, right?" I said that I generally get books from the library, so yes I am (I didn't mention that I usually renew them for a year first). She promised she wouldn't charge me 10 cents a day (didn't there used to be a cents sign on a basic keyboard? I can't find it). I looked at the books. They look like she hasn't even opened them. They're hardcover. I'm nervous about reading them.

I decided to stop at the kickboxing place to place the hold on my account. The people there said I could only do that through Scott. When I called on Sunday, they just said I had to fill out a form. They didn't specify that only one person could give me that form. The guy I talked to was new (it was his second day), but I stated that this is the reason why I want to put my account on hold. I hear something different depending on who I talk to, that the staff has been inconsistent and unreliable. He explained that they're going through a "restructuring" and they're "almost there". I said, that's fine, but I joined in January and they've been doing that since then. I'm glad to hear they're almost there, but I don't feel like paying money in the meantime. So I left, feeling frustrated. 

I had parked on the west side of the road to avoid having to make 2 lefts (one into the kickboxing and one when leaving).  On my way to work, I was thinking about going to a diner. I've been craving diner coffee. Over the past few years, I've realized that I have a preference when it comes to coffee.  I am not even close to a habitual coffee drinker, and I have no clue what makes good coffee. All I know is that I generally enjoy plain coffee at diners. I do not enjoy coffee from gas stations, Starbucks (unless it's a calorie-filled mocha), or my school cafeteria. So, I decided to try out Crazy Otto's Diner, which is next to where I had parked my car. They have a sign on the window that says they are a Guiness Book of World Record's holder for the largest Spanish Omelet. According to the menu, they obtained this record through a Cali location. They also had a sign that said I could get an egg, hash browns, and toast for $3.99. So I went. I ordered coffee and water and the aforementioned meal. I read the first chapter of the Hunger Games, very, very carefully. The chapter was good and so was the meal and so was the coffee. It was nice to relax. Crazy Otto's appears to be a place that has lots of people show up by themselves (2 others came solo in the time I was there) and also a place for regulars. Though it is a chain, it has the feel of being a local diner.

And now I am home ready to rest and recover from this cold.  I found a penny outside nearby neighbor Mark and unnamed girl's apartment.

April 23rd

In 2009 I applied for the NYC marathon lottery. I did not get accepted.

In 2010 I applied for the NYC marathon lottery. I did not get accepted.

In 2011 I applied for the NYC marathon lottery. I did not get accepted.

In 2012, I earned guaranteed entry after being denied 3 previous years. I must register by April 23rd to secure this guaranteed entry.

Due to injury, I took 6 months off from running. Only recently have I returned. I can run 4 miles without any knee pain.

The question is: will Laura practice enough self-control and common sense to resist this year's guaranteed entry or will she succumb to the temptation of something she's been waiting for for nearly half a decade?

My Injury

Running has been my exercise of choice for quite some time now. Its simplicity appeals to me. Basic articles of clothing, some laced up sneakers, and voila – instant exercise and stress relief.

All the simplicity has vanished ever since a chronic running injury popped up. Three months ago (right around the time of my most recent blog post!) I became determined to heal this injury once and for all. The problem is that there are way too many factors to consider. I received lots of advice and I can't follow it all. So I remain in limbo of what to do to get better. My advice has come from physical therapists, chiropractors, an orthopedic, fellow runners, friends, and a boyfriend. Here's my compilation of advice. Feel free to add to the list.

Stretch three times every day

Stretching is a waste of time. You don't see me stretching and I've never been injured a day in my life.

Keep running

Build up your mileage more slowly

Stop running

Rest

Don't stretch

Don't do anything physical – stretching, running, biking, yoga, walking, etc – for 2 weeks

Try pilates. It's great for runners

Strengthen the area 3-5 times per week

Don't do squats or lunges

Use heat to loosen up the area

Don't use heat!

Ice everyday

Get a knee brace that has gel supports

Use a knee brace if you want, but I think it's all mental

Go to an orthopedic

Get an x-ray to make sure this isn't serious

Get an MRI

I don't recommend an MRI

Take 3 ibuprofen three times daily for two weeks

Ibuprofen won't work if there isn't any inflammation

Don't run

Stay active and ignore the pain. Just don't run

Find a new activity to replace running. You may not be built for running.

This is the perfect time to get pregnant

Get married

Go see a chiropractor, but not for too long because he might make you worse to stay in business

The injury is connected to your lower back

The injury is a neurological issue

Get checked for food allergies

Get checked for seasonal allergies

Use KT tape

Use this electronic pain relief unit

Get acupuncture

We've got to get you healed and running. You are so much happier when you are running.

What College Didn't Teach Me About Teaching

Going into my fifth year of teaching, I still face new experiences that I never would have imagined while back in college.  I have the theory that teacher preparation should really involve more classroom experience and less formal schooling.  Most of what I learned in college did not prepare me for the day-to-day surprises that goes with being a teacher.  In particular, the beginning of the school year tends to catch me off guard the most.

Three years ago, I arrived at my classroom ready to prepare it for the new school year.  I had learned about all the guidelines for setting up a classroom, arranging desks, and decorating the walls.  I had not learned about the possibility that there might be faulty piping in the school.  My classroom was on the corner of the school, having two exterior walls.  I chose it because it had a door to the outdoors, allowing me to see daylight once in awhile.  Apparently, the contractors thought my corner classroom would be the best location for a drainage pipe.  Therefore, rainwater on the roof could drain through a hole in my ceiling and into the sink.  Unfortunately, the contractors did not deem it necessary to align the drainage pipe with the aforementioned sink.  The result: one week before school started I got to spend the day cleaning up a classroom flood instead of setting up my classroom.  That turned out okay, because the district ordered kick-proof walls for my classroom and made a mess of the place during their installation, so my things would have been moved anyway.  Floods and kick-proof walls?  Where was this in the college textbooks?

Last year, I started at a new school in a new district.  On my first day of school, I was scheduled to start my day as the special education teacher in a kindergarten classroom.  I entered the classroom to see a screaming, yelling, kicking five year old.  Though I didn't know this child and he was not one of the children I was assigned to work with, I went to help out so that the general education teacher could manage the rest of her class.  As soon as the child saw the opportunity, he bolted from the classroom and ran across the campus.  I quickly went into running mode and sprinted after him.  Here I was, the new teacher at a new school, giving my first impression to all as the teacher who chases after kids.  In dress shoes.  And a skirt.  There weren't any conventional tactics I could use to stop the child and he was heading for the parking lot, which exits into a busy intersection.  I had no choice but to reach out and scoop the child up in my arms, screaming and kicking, in front of lots of parents and teachers and the principal.

This year I faced some more surprises.  I arrived at school a week early to start planning for the year and arranging my classroom.  My to-do lists for school preparation are often a mile long.  This time I had the pleasure to add to my list "sweep up dead cockroaches."  There were about a dozen.  But, as usual, I managed to get everything cleaned up, floods and walls and cockroaches, before the students arrived on the first day of school.  It was a great day.  It went by in a blur, but everything went according to plan, or at least as close to plan as I expected.  During one of my groups, a child informed me in his own unique way that he needed the restroom.  He went to the in-class bathroom and I realized that he had had an accident.  So, while continuing instruction with the rest of my first graders through a crack in the bathroom door, I attended to the boy.  It turns out, he surprised me with much more than expected.

So, college, I have a bone to pick with you.  There are many things you taught me, but not nearly enough.  In all of those textbooks, where were the lessons on leaky roofs, kick-proof walls, cockroach infestations, runaway children, and poopy pants?

I'm Famous (Today Only)!

This morning, I received this E-mail:

Great news!  West Valley Runners is featured on the home page
right now!  Check it out and tell your friends:

http://www.meetup.com/tour/t/hp1_l1

Every day, a handful of the most active Meetup Groups are
chosen to appear on this page. Your Meetup will be appearing on
the home page all day today.

Congrats!

The Team at Meetup HQ


I clicked the link to check it out and celebrate my awesome Meetup group.  Not only is the group featured on the main page, but I am in the picture.  Way in the background, there is a woman in a black tank holding a pink ball.  That's me!  While I do find it funny that the picture advertising our group is of us bowling and not running, I won't complain about getting to be famous for the day.

Friend Jill likes to track her 15 minutes of fame.  I haven't done this yet, but maybe I should start.  I'd need to look up how to calculate such a thing.  For instance, my name has been in several newspapers after a big race (eg Long Island Half Marathon, Big Sur Marathon).  Does that count as fame?  I don't know.