In the last 36 hours I have been to 5 hours worth of meetings. That is a much higher than average amount of meetings for me. And you want to know the thing that I have learned from all of these meetings? Nothing. That’s right. None of the issues that I went into the meetings [...]
I had basically worked for 8 months on getting ready for Nationals. Which isn’t really THAT much time, but it feels like I had been preparing for a long time. For 6 or more hours a week I would focus on doing the same thing, over and over, to get it to the point where [...]
Tomorrow is Nationals, basically the culmination of what I’ve been working towards for 7 months. So wish me luck. I should be back with more regularity after this.
So there shouldn’t be any differences, but I just upgraded Smackie to the newest blog software version, and kind of had some big problems in the process. The whole site went down for a while, and I had to sort of put things back together from scratch. Luckily WordPress is a pretty good and mature [...]
Remember all that talk that I had going on about Regionals? Well the whole point of Regionals, really, was to qualify for Nationals, which I did halfway. So in a couple of weeks I will be heading out to the untamed wilds of Lincoln, Nebraska to be competing against that best beginners that are over [...]
So I haven’t posted since regionals, but there is a good reason. I’ve been getting ready to get married, and now I am. And to be honest, it doesn’t really feel that different than before I was married. But that is probably a good thing, because I was happy then, and I am happy now. [...]
3:20 – Sunday morning. I woke up. Puking. Nerves. Panic attack. As bad as I had had in a long time. I was terrified to go out there and have to compete. And I had no practice time on the floor. And everyone the day before had told me how they all slipped. And slipping [...]
So this weekend is it. The event of the Century. Actually, no. It is the event of the weekend. Regionals! All the way up in glorious Minneapolis. There will be fun! Festivities! Frivolities. Actually, likely not much of that. Probably a lot of roller skating. And some sitting around. Anyway, I guess I’m prepared. I [...]
I am on vacation right now in Lake Tahoe. Right now I have a couple of thoughts about it. One, the area is really pretty. Two, it is high up and it makes it really hard for me to breathe. I’ve been having a hard time for the last couple of days, which isn’t a [...]
Happy Birthday, Charley! Can’t wait for the dog park tomorrow. The rain better stay away.
I haven’t done this in a while, but I’m going to give you a list of things that are going on right now. I don’t feel like going in depth about any one particular thing, but instead I’d like to touch the surface of a few things. – I go to California tomorrow. I’m visiting [...]
I wear an insulin pump and it keeps me alive. If I didn’t have it, either I would die, or I would have to give myself a bunch of shots during the day. So it is pretty much the most important possession that I own, in a lot of ways. It is a really good [...]
So for everyone who was wondering, I passed all of my roller skating tests, which means that I am able to compete at Regionals, so that is exciting news. The tests went well, and it was fun to be judged and have a sense of validation of all of the work that I have been [...]
If you know me reasonably well, you know that I’m not a huge fan of concerts. I don’t really like being forced to listen to songs that I don’t want to hear, I don’t like being surrounded by strangers, the sound quality is never that good, and you’re just kind of “stuck” there. But I [...]
Happy Birthday, Helen! We are all glad to have you as part of the family. Keep your eye out for a package.
So on my trip to Europe, I was struck by one thing more than almost anything else. Most of the people over there speak a different language than I do. And sure, a lot of them also speak the same language I do, but they go to the trouble of keeping multiple languages in their [...]
So I roller skate, and as embarrassing as that was for me at first, I have finally come to terms with it. And really, I don’t just roller skate. That sounds like I just go every once in a while and skate around in circles while listening to music that I don’t really like. No [...]
Believe it or not, my house is whole once again. (If you ignore the kitchen, which I am.) I have a functioning bathroom, that is amazing and beautiful. The biggest thanks go to my parents, for financing such a large part of it. Kelly and I are deeply, deeply grateful. And then I also have [...]
So as of Thursday morning, Kelly and I are engaged. To be married. And a very strange thing is happening. People keep telling her congratulations and I want to be like “You know, she is getting married to me, right?”