What’s up with that Wednesday

It’s already the middle of the week! hallelujah! Today’s post is going to be short and sweet because I’m nursing a gnarly headache. I blame it on simulation testing. ( I spent 4 hours today watching my students take a test. It was a real life reenactment of what I imagine purgatory to be like. There was lots of shushing.)

Things that are making me say “What’s up with that?” this week:

Somehow all my socks are always dirty. I know that I go through a lot of socks because I wear a pair to work, a different pair to run in, and another pair to sleep in (until my feet get too hot and I kick them off), but it seems that the pair I want to wear is never around. Without fail, if I’m in the mood for stripes, they’re dirty. If I’m a knee length purple flower mood, they’re in the washer. The green features that I love? In the Hamper! What’s up with that?

My dog licked the wall. Just the other day he marched right up to the wall, lick, lick, lick, and walked away. I thought his brains were scrambled. (Or he thought the snozberries tasted like snozberries.) He’s never done that before! When I talked to my husband about it, he said it was no big deal. (I get easily freaked out when it comes to all things Geronimo related.) Seriously though kid, don’t lick the wall. What’s up with that?

Kate Gosselin is making headlines for having/not having a facelift. People still talk about her? What’s up with that?

Miss Piggy wears a lot of wigs. While I was watching the new Muppets movie last week, I kept wondering if Kim Zolciak from the Real Housewives of Atlanta was responsible for Piggy’s hair pieces. What’s up with that?

That’s all I got! What’s making you say “What’s up with that?” today? Do you know why I can never wear the socks that I want to wear? Do you care about Kate Gosselin’s face? Spill!*

Boastin’ and Braggin’

I once babysat a kid who would repeat the phrase, “It’s not polite to boast and brag” over and over and over again. Well, good thing he’s not around right now because today’s blog post is all about boasting and bragging. Last week I wrote about things runners do that I suck at. I’ve since compiled a list of things runners do that I rock at! Enjoy!

The runners wave.

Note: this is not me. This picture came up when I googled "runners wave." Well, this picture and many jet ski pictures.

When I first started running, I noticed that when I was out pounding the pavement, other runners would wave at me. I just assumed that they were friendly until I realized this is sort of an unwritten code of conduct. If you are out running and you see another person running, you wave. I have fo’ sho’ mastered this. I wave at other runners, I wave at walkers, I wave at standing around-ers, I wave at bikers. I’m a waving professional. People don’t always wave back, but it makes me feel pretty good about myself to be the friendly waving runner-person in town.

Carb Loading.

If it’s the night before a long run, you can bet your hiney that I’m chowing down on a bowl of pasta. In the morning, I eat a piece or two of toast with peanut butter and jelly. When I’m training for a race, I eat this stuff once a week for months. Sure, it gets old, but runners know, you don’t mess with what works.

Buying running stuff. I used to be a low maintenance runner but no more! I have so much running stuff, it’s ridiculous. I always wear my visor, road id, Garmin, spi belt, iPod (duh), and my knee strap. Depending on the conditions I also have gu, compression socks, my lighted hat, ear-warming headband, pepper spray with velcro strap, light reflecting bracelets. Not to mention the gobs of socks, shorts, sports bras, and running tops that I own.

Post-running relaxation. Now I’m not talking about recovery, but I guess I’m good at that, too. I’m talking about becoming a total vegetable after I run. I put on my compression socks, get horizontal on the couch and watch a lot of tv. If the tv is boring, I nap. This is all after I stretch and eat something deelish, of course. Yep! I’ve got this skill totally nailed!

Signing up for races.

This is something that I more addicted to than good at, but I’ve done it so many times, I believe that I can count signing up for races as a skill I’ve mastered. With the New Years Double inching ever closer, I’ve already got my eye on some spring doozies to keep me occupied.

Tell me, what running things are you good at? Or better yet, tell me anything that you are good at!*

Prezzies for my Peoples

With Thanksgiving done and over with (I’m thankful for that!), I’ve set my sights firmly on Christmas shopping. I’ve already bought gifts for my husband and buying for my family is always easy. The tricky part of shopping is figuring out what to purchase for my coworkers.

There is a small handful of teachers that I work very closely with. We have regular planning meetings, I e-mail them constantly, and we rely on each other a lot. I want to give them each a nice little something for the holidays. (They put up with me, so they’ve earned it!) My gift giving requirements:

• Inexpensive. Spending more than $10 per person adds up.
• Not food. I know, people love food! Buy my coworkers have pretty set diets, so food is a no-go.
• Easily duplicable. I give everyone the same gift. It keeps things equitable, plus I love them all the same.

Last year I gave them all tiny glass vases full of inspirational teaching quotes. I put one quote in the vase for each week remaining in the school year. The idea was that they could put the vase on their desk and pull out a quote once a week when they were in need of inspiration. I thought it was a genius idea.

I had intended to knit everyone scarves this year, but I didn’t take into account the fact that I don’t know how to knit and I have no knitting supplies. Whoops. I have found a few ideas online that I like, but I need help. Lend me your thoughts!

Plants. It would definitely meets my requirements, but do people really want plants? Would I go crazy trying to cart in a bunch of plants to school on the last day of the semester?

Charitable Donation. My husband made a donation to CFF instead of giving out favors at our wedding, but does this fly for a Christmas gift? Would I make a big donation to one charity or is it a better idea to find a charity to fit each coworker? Hmm.

Coffee mug. This is a good gift because it’s easy. No one dislikes mugs, but I will say that lots of students give mugs to their teachers. I myself have about 15 mugs that I never use. (I think I just talked myself out of giving mugs.)

Gift card. I keep going back to this because I know that it’ll get used (unlike the mug), but is a $10 gift card lame? I like a gift card in any amount, but do other people?

Book mark. I’ve considered this since I know that all my coworkers are avid readers. I could definitely make something cute/durable and that would fit their personalities. I just wasn’t sure if it is too small. Would I need to give them something else, too?

Alright, lay it on me! Which ideas are winners and which ones are stinkers? Anything that I haven’t thought of? Do you and your coworkers exchange gifts?*