Triathlon Recap

See this? This was not my triathlon experience.

Let me explain how my first triathlon went: I survived.

That's about all I can say.

No, really, I had a lot of fun with my friends. I also realized that triathlons aren't my thing. At least not right now. I hated training for the tri so much that I ended up not training at all. I was more out of shape coming into the race than I had been for months. Not good.

Right now I am absolutely thrilled to get back to my normal soccer/running/lifting routine. It's like heaven.

After the race with my lovely coworkers

Do I regret doing the tri? Absolutely not. Will I do another one. Not anytime soon. Maybe when I'm 55 or something and need low-impact training.

The bright side: Another event crossed off the bucket list.

Next task: Actually create a bucket list.

Excited to be close to the finish. This is probably the most energy I exhibited all morning.

Books

This is what happens when I go to a conference surrounded by other booksellers. As a book lover, I end up buying more books than I sell. My bad. They were only $3-$5---how could I resist?

Sorry, Kindle. I love and adore you, but you'll be set aside for a short time while I plow through my new stash.

Atlanta Post-Op

View from my hotel room

I got back from Atlanta late Tuesday night.

Yesterday I played catch-up at work. Today, I'm playing catch-up at work. Tomorrow, I'll be playing catch-up at work.

I love traveling.

No, seriously. It was actually a great trip! I really enjoyed visiting a new city and enjoyed Atlanta more than I thought I would. The conference went well and I was able to have a lot of good conversations with our authors.

Funny stories:

1. I could understand my Ethiopian cab driver just fine. But the guy at the hotel front desk with a Southern accent? Clueless.

2. When it's cloudy and rainy in Colorado, it usually means that it's chilly and you'll want a jacket. In Atlanta, it means that it is, in fact, hotter. One night when I was able to escape the conference hotel for dinner, it looked a little dreary so I changed out of my suit and put on a light jacket. And then I almost died of heatstroke. Some young college kids were catcalling and then, soon after, yelled something like, "Why are you wearing a jacket? Aren't you sweltering? It's hot as hell out here!" I quickly scurried off in embarrasement because, well, they're right. Lesson learned---no jackets.

3. Andrew, our acquisitions editor, and I went nuts at the book exhibit with our own money. $3 books, how can you resist? We bought so many books, we had to ship them back with the rest of our company materials.

As far as food and exploring the city, the hotel was in a pretty bad location. There wasn't much around except the CNN offices, the Coca-Cola exhibit (which unfortunately I didn't get to see) and the Hard Rock Cafe (blugh). You had to walk at least 20-minutes to get to some of the unique and fun parts of the city. Luckily I ventured out Saturday morning and found Babs in a neighborhood they call Midtown (the area reminds me of the Highlands in Denver).

Relaxing outside of Babs.

Baked hashbrowns with turnips, green onions, and lots of cheese, topped with a fried egg. Heaven!

Overall, a good time. I wan't very excited to get back to my own bed. Weird. Next up:

This weekend is the Warrior Dash on Saturday and the Outdoor Diva's Sprint Triathlon on Sunday. I am horribly beat-up and out of shape. This is going to be terrible.

Lake Powell in September. Woo hoo!!!!!!!! Now I just need to start planning my menu and dishes (aka, anxiety attack).

Vistiting my best friend Christy in Houston in October. Dates have yet to be set, but I'm going, damnit. And I can't wait.

First, though, I need to get through this weekend without drowning.

The ATL

I'm heading to Atlanta on Friday morning to attend the annual American Sociological Association conference. I'm so excited to get out of town. I've been telling people that although I've been busy every weekend this summer, I don't really feel like I've gone anywhere. Besides, I've never been to Atlanta so it will be a fun city to explore.

I still need to tackle how I'm going to pack for this thing. Something tells me that my wool, two-piece suits might be a little warm.

My Black Suit

Another good note is that I scored a really nice Briggs & Riley suitcase for free. Holla! I've been borrowing my parents' suitcase for years now, and I was starting to think that it's time to grow up and buy my own. I just didn't want to spend the money. Well, my boss bought a new suitcase and gave me her "extra" one. I'm always glad to take her hand-me-downs of expensive, barely-used items. One of my favorites so far is a gorgeous cashmere Italian sweater. Score and score.

I've only gone to meetings for political scientists, so I'm interested to see what the sociology crowd is like. I think they may be a little more outgoing and friendly given their work, but with academics you can never be too sure.

I'm leaving town. Hurrah! Now I just need to figure out what to pack. Damn.

I'm Not Sorry

By Pete Scully

I've realized that I say "I'm sorry" too often. Even when an apology isn't necessary. It just comes out.

In fact, this is a problem for many women. Ms. Career Girl, a blog I follow, calls it "The Pleasing Disease." Many women, myself included, are too quick to say yes even when we can't take on any more projects. We're too quick to say sorry about anything and everything. Heaven forbid that we hurt someone's feelings.

All of it is unnecessary. Both personally and professionally.

In fact, a good friend said to me recently, "You back down too quickly. I like it when you're sassy." And he's right. There's nothing wrong with speaking our minds and with saying no. In fact, it should happen more often!

So my goal for this next week is not to say sorry. Not once. Not even on the soccer field.

I Work for A Scholarly Publisher

My chosen profession means that I read quick, easy, and fun novels in my spare time. Thought-provoking? Educational? Pfffffft.

The book that I loved and am now telling everyone to read is Got Fight? by Forrest Griffin. This is an often crude and therefore hilarious account of fighting---and of life in general. Because of this book, I've also been obsessed with watching reruns of The Ultimate Fighter. I'm insane---it makes life more fun.

Seriously, read the book. And then recommend it to everyone you know. (This was a NYTimes best seller, so I'm not as crazy as you think.)

The other book I've read within the last two weeks is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is like the Twilight series for housewifes. Seriously. Poor writing but entertaining as hell. A teenage girl wishing for escape through fictionalized love = Twilight. A middle-aged housewife wishing for escape through fictionalized travel and therefore finding love = Eat, Pray, Love. Both frustrating books and yet you can't put them down. Though I have to admit, I'll probably see the movie. I like Julia Roberts. (Side note: In googling the movie, I realized the website address is http://www.letyourselfgo.com/. I think I may throw up now.)

On my plate now is a book that my friend sent from Texas: Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch. I love my friend and we have so very much in common... and yet I suffer through every book she sends me. Seriously, what is this girl thinking when she reads these things? Our difference in reading materials is amusing, actually. Everyone has their preferred books, their preferred movies, their favorite songs. But because your opinion doesn't match mine, it means that I'm smarter than you are, obviously. You remember that.

Reading is fun.