Change

Change seems to be the buzz word lately.
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Hosted a Halloween party on Friday. Spent most of the week changing the apartment into something suitable for such a party. We were going to attempt a spooky hallway but instead went for a seductive candle vibe. I spent a couple days last month driving to any Goodwill\thrift store I could find, buying up any cool, old-looking candlesticks. I was also able to score some tiki torches off craigslist, $5 for all five! Although one candle caused a bit of damage to the kitchen cabinet, the party was a relative success.







































Costume wise, Wac went as Sarah Palin, I went as Gay Darth Vader. We both won prizes for the costume contest (she - Best In Show, I = funniest, but both got votes for "sluttiest" as well). I'll let you be the judge:


































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The Daylight Savings change is always a weird time for me around here. It's not the actual change that bothers me, it's making the adjustment to an earlier sunset. We're only weeks away before it's dark by 4:30pm, something I'm not really looking forward to.

Wac and I took part of the day to celebrate the new time & new season by snagging some pictures of the leaves changing. Autumn in AZ isn't really a season; it's still 80-90 degrees, and neither cacti nor palm trees go through any change. Seattle, on the other hand, was made for this time of year:



























Of course, you can't enjoy Autumn without playing in the leaves:

























































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I stepped up my running again. I decided that Sunday was going to be the day that I conquered Greenlake. It's not that big of an accomplishment; 2.8 miles around a lake. But I haven't run that distance non-stop since I was training for the half-marathon in 2004. I did most of my last 2 miles non-stop (the hills at the end pretty much kill me), so I figured 2.8 miles on a flat course would be no problem.

And right I was! I hit a very brief period where it felt like my breaths were getting thinner, but I did the full course fairly easily, even stepping up my pace at the end for a change. And aside for some achy knees for an hour or so afterwards, I feel pretty good. Good enough that I'll probably try a hilly run again on Monday.

I'm feeling better about this half-marathon, but I know that I still need to make some changes to my diet if I want this to be any easier going forward. So, starting today, I'm setting 5 rules:

1. Only 6 inch sandwiches from Subway. This may seem like an inconsequential rule, but you don't understand how often we go to Subway. Having one right around the corner is either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you want to look at it (Mark, I already know your feelings about this place). Average for us has to be at least three times a week. At least. Because we go so frequently, it's hard to pass up the $5 Footlong deal. But I really don't need that much sandwich, so despite the great deal, it's only half a sandwich from now on.

2. Only white meat sandwiches from Subway. As much as I love getting the Spicy Italian, 10 slices of salami & pepperoni each is probably not the healthiest choice. Because of the first rule, I won't be limiting myself to only the $5 deals, so instead, I'll choose between turkey or chicken sandwiches.

3. Only drink once a month. The exception is the occasional glass of wine or beer with dinner, which hasn't been an issue anyway, so making it an exception isn't a concern for me. I have been drinking a lot more over the past couple of months, and at least during my training phase, I need to watch it. Ideally, I shouldn't be getting drunk at all, but with a couple of key holidays coming up, I need some flexibility.

4. No soda during the week. Since becoming diabetic, I've successfully switched to Diet Coke and\or Coke Zero. That switch alone has probably been one of the biggest ways I've been able to control my blood sugar, but it also prevents me from staying properly hydrated. I thought about cutting out soda completely, but Wac convinced me to ease off of it less drastically. Besides, we just bought a case of Cherry Coke Zero last night.

5. At least one meal with fresh veggies each day. We've been fairly good about cooking with fresh vegetables for dinner, but we've kind of fallen off the wagon lately. There shouldn't be any excuse for that though; I've got plenty of time to cook dinner, we have a grocery store across the street, and food just tastes better with fresh veggies.

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Finally, a pleasant surprise on the job front for a change. I wrote in my last post about a job interview I had that didn't go as well as expected. Nevertheless, I followed up with the HR Director the day after with one of my soon to be patented follow up emails. I've become pretty good at these emails, eloquently stating my case as a candidate and\or my enthusiasm for the position. I went through a couple drafts before coming up with one that took away focus from my inexperience & refocused on what I could do for them.

I don't know if that had the impact or if my interview was better than it seemed to me, but they're bringing me back on Tuesday to interview with the rest of the team. I don't feel as much pressure to get this job since I'm eligible for an extension of my unemployment benefits, but this would definitely be a great opportunity for me: a job that accelerates my career growth, pays very well, and is with a company that has an amazing corporate culture (I was able to go to my interview in jeans, a sweater and my black Chucks and fit in perfectly with all the employees). The ball is in my court though, and although I definitely know enough to not think that I have this job locked up, I do feel like this is my job to lose. I'll be spending most of Monday prepping myself for this interview. I'm tired of missed opportunities; it's time to finally get out there and seize one myself.

For a change.