Inauspicious Oddities

Sickies Stink I am sick...again. Since I left my job, I think I have been down with a cold, sinus infection, allergies, fatigue..etc for most of the four weeks. I am frustrated and am heading to the doctor's office for the second time. I am tired of feeling like my head is going to explode, like I am delirious from some virus ridden, germ perpetuating ailment. bring the violins out. poor me... i'm pathetic. Technology Torment On top of that, I have had the worst issues, with 1) my laptop 2) my ever so snail speed desktop 3) how to get my blog out of whatever mode that's preventing me from blogging with photos and screwing up the format. I know VERY LITTLE about computers, and thanks to the last anonymous for the advice.. but my reply would be ..."huh??" Also, since Baun has a MAC, and as much as we tried, no luck. Thanks for the effort, my fellow Blog pal...however feigned on my part. Anyhoo, after much back and forth with the folks at GEEK SQUAD, who gave me back my computer sans repairs, it appears it might be yet another week before I get it returned... ughh... So tonight I find myself sick, but yearning for an outlet to vent. Henceforth, I will write, notwithstanding the f-ed up looking script. Holidays on hold I didn't expect the weeks to go by so fast, but they have. And while I had anticipated the beginning of my world travels by now, I have decided to hold off for at least the next few weeks. Frankly, I have a million to-do projects and am actually still in need of this decompress time, especially given this unwelcomed ailment of mine. So what's my new itinerary? It looks like I am blowing off Europe altogether, and instead taking off for southeast asia and my vietnamese homeland first. A few weeks there, then it's off to the islands of Guam and Saipan, where I hope to do back to back triathlons (the Saipan tagaman, an olympic distance race, and the Saipan Xterra...a cool race through the woods.) Those islands are fraught with World War two history, and since Rob his a WWII fanatic, he will be joining there. It will be nice to be there to see old friend and have a good time. I lived there in the mid-90's, and it was some of the happiest times of my life. Have I trained? Heck no? Oh and my knees have not been so hot since the marathon...in fact, pinkgurugal has not stepped foot on the trails since then. A few spin classes, weights, swimming and pilates are all I can muster these days. Hopefully by the time my travels come around, I'll be in better shape, and my damn laptop will be in full working condition. Cheers and happy training! Thich Nhat Hanh - “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

Sin City, An extreme makeover and dining delights

911! CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO ENABLE MY COMPUTER TO GET OUT OF JAVA SCRIPT SO I CAN POST PHOTOS! HELP!!! Life of Leisure Heads to Las Vegas Last weekend, Pinkgurugal headed to the city of sin to.... No, just kidding. Rob and I were there to "meet the parents". I am ecstatic to say that everyone hit it off, enjoying many yummy meals at the Nguyen's asian restaurant, and engaging in thoughtful conversations. Of course, Rob and I engaged in our own decadance. Similar in personalities, we love to have a good time. And we love to be together. And dammit people love us too. No kidding, this photo was titled "cutest couple" on lastnightpics.com. Seriously, we are the poster children for the beautiful and cool. And it's high school payback. since I was quite the dork growing up and was far from being voted anything like this! Clothing Catharsis On one of my recent days off I literally purged my closet. It was quite the task... ridding yourself of 15 years of work suits, tops, slacks. It took hours. And it felt great. Out with the old Chau, in with the new. I took at least 100 pounds worth to buffalo exchange. I got back $27. 27-dollars for years worth of clothing? I bet if you tallied it up, that was thousands of dollars of clothing! But it really doesn't matter, because in all honestly, I am just relieved my wardrobe has been reduced by 75-percent. I've decided the new Chau is a clothing minimalist, only purchasing what is necessary, not just heading out the door to "go shopping" (I hate shopping, and the malls make me have mild panic attacks). Communing Last night, Rob and I became chefs for the night by cooking up our favorite dishes for friends. His is puntanesca, literally translated into whore sauce, but far from tasting dirty. Mine is the vietnamese hot and sour soup, which is nothing but sweet to the palate. We had a few friends over, and enjoyed great conversation. It's nice to decompress like this. I was set to travel soon, but I think i'll wait it out another month. After all, what's the rush? Cheers and happy training! Albert Einstein - “Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity.”

Give the Gal some Tylenol!

Dizzying Days

Today is February 4th and thus continues another day in the leisurely life of pinkgurugal. Of course, leisure is what one makes of it.

And so far my life feels anything but leisurely.

The last two days have me sleeping in, waking up with RAGING HEADACHES. I mean, the kind that feels like a dagger is stuck in the middle of your brain.

So yesterday I wasted my day away reading and sleeping for pretty much the ENTIRE day.

Today I was somewhat productive, making a few appointments and having lunch with a dear old friend. And wouldn't you know, she's on work hiatus too. Always fun to compare notes about how one spends the day away when unemployed.

Oh and the other thing... I am so NOT fit these days.

On the Injured List?

Ever since my abysmal running of the Houston marathon, I have not stepped foot on the trails.

WHY? Well, my knees have not felt the same since that day. In fact, BOTH knees have been giving me problems. I keep thinking they are bruised, that those sharp shooting pains behind the knee caps will go away.

They haven't

Looks like it's time to head to an orthopedist.

Laptop Listlessness

I got a call from Geek Squad the other day and it looks my my laptop will remain on life support for another few weeks. I am now actually pondering the purchase of a new one.

That's because come February 21st, I am trekking

ONWARD TO ASIA

This weekend I finalized plans for the first leg of my trip, which will include Saipan, Vietnam and Hawaii.

I will be gone for about a month, and Rob plans to meet me in Saipan about three weeks into the journey.

I am so excited but a bit nervous at the same time. It has been seven years since I have been back to Vietnam, and this time I am going there alone. I plan to see my many relatives, the only real plans I have while there.

I am even pondering not reading up on anything at all , just showing up and going where the wind takes me.

I love spontaneous trips, devoid of any real itinerary but to wake up and go.

Oh, and a HUGE thanks to Jessica for helping me to figure out my blogging woes.

Suffice it to say the problem was with silly me this entire time. It was entirely something REALLY STUPID

I can now happily blog with photos and all.

CUTEST COUPLE

Yeah, seriously. Even at the ripe old ages of 34 and 44, Rob and I were voted Cutest Couple by lastnightpics.com

I was such a geek in high school I consider this honor to be poetic justice.

Cheers and happy training!

Helen Adams Keller - “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.”

26.2 times 7

It's OVER I finished. I finished my 7th marathon, my fifth Houston one. But it was not pretty. If you want to know how to have a crappy race, then here's the formula. NOTE** My damn desktop won't let me upload pics to this blog..so I have no photos to share..shit shit shit shit.... Pinkgurugal's Anti-Marathon Recipe 1) don't train 2) suffer a terrible chest cold the week leading up to the race 3) eat late (like at 9pm) the night before the race 4) roll out of bed 25 minutes before the race 5) eat 3 bites of oatmeal and 3 sips of coffee heading to the race 6) and ... SKIP that all important "Number 2 bathroom break" This was the least prepared I've ever been. Being sick didn't help. Neither did being burned out from the 2007 race season. Oh yes, and I quit my job and fell in love. I think the latter played a part, but I'll take that over all of this. Pinkgurugal's Play by play Why did I get up so late? Well.... it was cold and the bed was felt so good. I'm not a morning person. But when I finally rolled out of bed, I realized... I cant eat a whole bowl of oatmeal so close to the race start. After Rob dropped me off at 7:00am (when the gun went off), I managed to start with the second marathon wave at 7:10. Things were going fine, I stayed with the 4:15 pack for the first 15 miles. Then it went downhill from there. For the next 11 miles, I went from a 9:36 pace to ultimately, a 10:30 minute pace. I was tired, my legs were soooo heavy, and my knees felt so numb. Thankfully, I literally ran into a friend who was running at my increasingly slowing pace. By mile 21-22, I was so tired. In years past, I always had some reserve left in my tank, and I could usually step up the pace. Not this year. It took everything in me to run it in. Memorable Marathon Moments 1) I high fived with President George Bush and Babs, who were watching the marathoners go by in front of their church. 2) Thank God for Joe Martin who kept me company while I was dying out there. 3) Saw the Chelly (my best friend Kelly) smoke by me (she did a "training" half marathon in 1:34!) 4) I Saw Rob, his son John and Trigreyhound at mile 7. It's always fun to see people you know 5) TriRyguy took some pics at mile 22. I can't download them for some reason 6) The belly dancers were at their usual mile 20. (I like seeing them) 7) The weather was PERFECT 8) The finishers shirts were cool. Accolades Congrats to everyone who raced, including my good friend Joe Philips, blog nemesis Red Allez Guy (who bought a race entry and was Neil Cheng) Sugar Daddy Philip Shama, and lastly, Ironbabe Jane for finishing her FIRST marathon. You go Jane! Cheers and happy training! "Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen." --Mark Twain

Marathon Meditations

Recovery Road It appears my recovery from the sickies is beginning. Today was a better day, evidenced by the fact that I did not wake up like my head was going to explode and feeling completely dizzy and weak. (I literally slept all day yesterday!) Still feeling weak however, I decided to do my usual obsessive cleaning of the house on this beautiful thursday. Of course, when you are a jobless bum I honestly wasn't sure if today was actually thursday. On the Liam sickies front, today was his turnaround day. He is finally feeling better, went to work, and is eating again. I've never seen him so depressed from not being able to train. Thank goodness he's back. The tri commune was a mess this week. Today's laundry list of to-do's included clearing out the guest bedroom, cleaning the couch, vaccuuming the floors, and cleaning the kitchen. Total time: four hours. I feigned running today but did not make it very far. Which leads to my next topic 26.2 Torment Holy Shit! The houston marathon is this SUNDAY and I have been sick all week. In fact, I can't remember the last time I took six days off. Ambivalence over this race has permeated my every thought today. Should I? Shouldn't I? Will I be able to breathe? What if my knees and ankles give out? After all, my marathon training has been less than impressive, with only a couple of long runs (really, a 14 miler and a 20 miler) and some other runs. But hell, I'm running it. This will be my fifth Houston in a row and my 7th marathon. I can't quit. I'm not wired that way. And yes, there are no pics lately. My laptop crashed, and my desk top stinks. Oh and tonight my dear friend Debbie has asked my to speak before hundreds of new marathoners at the Houston Fit Pasta dinner. Do as I say, not as I do.... Cheers and happy training! "I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." Jesse Owens

Second Week Sickies

Listless and Lethargic This week, the tri commune has come down with the sickies. First, it was roommate Liam. He started throwing up saturday morning, couldn't keep ANYTHING down, and ultimately wound up at the mini er late monday evening. A Huge thanks to Rob for staying with Liam until 4am that night. Rob is very paternal that way. Then yesterday I got a call from TryRyGuy with the same symptoms. So I drove him to the doctor's office. Since I was feeling run down, congested and all around crappy, I decided to get checked out too. Turns out I have Sinuitis. Yesterday I did my normal OCD cleaning around the house. I managed to purge one drawer full of clothes. Then I cooked a huge bowl of soup Today I've done NOTHING because.... This morning I woke up with a terrible headache. Week two of my hiatus, it's a GORGEOUS day, and I'm at home. Oh and the Houston marathon is Sunday and I can't even run without losing my breath. I'm in so much trouble if this does not go away. Cheers and happy training! Confucius - “Whosesoever you go, go with all your heart.”

A Leisure Life?

Blog Blunder Pinkgurugal has been out of blog commission because...mmmm... my laptop's motherboard CRASHED. How it happened is not clear. What motherboard means I have no idea. I'm far from a techie, so I brought the thing into the Geek Squad (ingenius name) for repairs. The Geeks (Geeks are cool, by the way) tell me it will be TWO WEEKS before I can reclaim it. So I asked Rob to bring home his laptop so I can blog. Relaxing Ruminations Now that I am one week into my "no career, no job, skipping out of the real world" hiatus, I can honestly say that it has not hit me. I think because it's difficult to reprogram your mind so suddenly from a fast paced lifestyle to true decompression....as evidenced by my prior week. So the day after the New Year, I got right to work doing my "to-do" list, which was quite lengthy and much to my surprise. So the usual "do as much as you can" got going... from running a million errands to calling several "contacts", I was so busy it felt like a full time job. What I learned about myself is that I am not one to sit still. I always feel like I have to stay busy. Heck, I even went on a job interview last Friday and was offered the position. I promised myself January would be a month of decompression. I failed my first week. Saturday morning was so surreal for me. Usually up at 4:30am...(okay I'm lying)...5am... I instead slept in until 9ish. WOW...a Sauturday morning like normal people? That was a nice feeling! Rob took me out Friday night with friends. It was sooooooo nice not to have a curfew. Chilling Out Check So this Monday evening finds me having a late night bloody mary (hey, I don't have to work tomorrow) and relaxing. I have resolved that this week, I will try my best to forget that "to-do" list and unwind. After all, this is my time to recharge my batteries before my travel plans. Cheers and happy training! “What a new face courage puts on everything!” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bye-Bye Banter

On Air Exit

Saturday ,morning was my final day on the air at KHOU, and my final farewell to what has been a 15 year career in TV News. I couldn't sleep the prior night, but I felt fine once I started anchoring.

Truth be told, the morning seemed like just another day, although it wasn't. The floor regulars, Don, Ray and George and Thanh were there...I'll miss these guys.

Rob and my friends Christine and Kip were thoughtful enough to come to the station in the final hour of the news. We had a lot of fun during the commercial breaks, and they caught a glimpse of what I do in that time.

Then it was time to say goodbye. I didn't have much to say other than "...thanks, so long and see ya around." Some might think this would be an emotional moment, but if you saw the look on my face, the emotions were more of excitement than of sorrow. I think because I have reconciled this end for awhile and was leaving on my terms. Or maybe it all hasn't hit me. Heck, while everyone is working today , it's nearly 9:30am, and I am still in my robe. I have a long list of to-do's I need to get through, but hey, I am taking the whole month off!

And it occurred to me this morning that I have never taken more than two weeks off since I was 19 years old! Add to that I worked full time through college, not to mention I finished college in 3 1/2 years. WHEW!

Oh and everytime I have taken time off, I have always headed somewhere for vacation.

So needless to say, I am eager to spend this time to decompress. Even if it means blowing off some errands for the day or laying around in my bathrobe. Cheers and happy training!

Holiday Hum Drum

Take 2008!

Happy New Year! The tri commune ushered in this January 1st appropriately sleeping in. Everyone was beat.

Unlike many revelers, pinkgurugal had a pleasant evening at home... spent with roomie Liam, Rob, his son John, and TriRyguy. Rob cooked a wonderful Shoyuz chicken plate (Hawaiian chicken..he lived there in high school), and I cooked a yummy hot and sour soup.

Boys will be boys

Much to my concern and dismay, my backyard became a fireworks free for all.

Sparklers and smokebombs. Maybe it's a guy thing.

Fast forward

I must admit, now that I am happily unemployed (more on my last days of work later), I am looking forward, among many things, to getting my house in order (see previous blog about my OCD cleaning habits) .

I'm also looking forward to dressing like a bum

Cheers and happy training!

"Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed"

Buddha