update on the new year's plans

this is for tina who mentioned she wanted an update :0)

1. lots and lots o races including (but not limited to): carlsbad half, bulldog road race, cal half iron, la jolla half, vineman half iron, afc half........all in prep for my first IRONMAN in 2010!!!! and i will complete one half iron in six hours or less and complete a half marathon in two hours or less!
UPDATE: Cal half is out but soon I'll start my training for Vineman and VERY soon I'll sign up for my Iron!!

2. snowboard as often as my budget will allow - now that i have my new snazzy snow boarding boots :0)
UPDATE: done and done. not as much as i'd liked but not bad for my first season back

3. cook 1 new recipe a week - gotta get in some more variety!
UPDATE: been lazy about this but then again, i'm traveling a lot so once i settle out of traveling, i'll get back on it!

4. kick mark's ass on the new year's bet
UPDATE: still going on this one

5. cheer my head off as my best friend finishes her first IRONMAN!
UPDATE: still in the plans for turkey day

6. finally get the last o the dental stuff done that i've been dreading for years - hey, never said all the big things i'm doing this year were fun or exciting!! :P
UPDATE: got the first part of this over with!

7. actually HOST a gathering at my place now that i have a new, comfy couch (aka lots of sitting space)
UPDATE: still need to set a date for this. again, need to stop traveling first!

8. going to use my surfboards FAR more than i did this past year cause after all....i AM a californian now :0)
UPDATE: not yet done but the summer isn't here so i've got plenty o time!

9. i vow to balance my budget and keep to a plan - gotta save for that house ya know?!
UPDATE: really need to figure this out soon. time to plan some time with paul a

10. i promise to return your email, text, call, letter, etc. i know i've been hit or miss on replying to people and that is going to change!
UPDATE: think i'm doing better with this......

~danban

small update and randomness

i always find it amazing how much i undervalue the ability to spend time at home until i'm gone from it for an extended period of time. i just got back from a week and a half in albany and i'm leaving tomorrow for napa. a few days isn't a big deal but a week and a half puts the idea of home at a higher level of comfort than i'd previously realized. also considering that i'll get a grand total of one night's sleep in my own bed puts things into an even harsher reality of how much i'm going to miss my blissful little apartment. don't get me wrong, spending time with sarah in napa is going to be exactly what the therapist i don't have would order and i'm really looking forward to it. i just wish i'd had a little more down time from albany to get ready for napa especially considering i don't even have my luggage back yet!

so, i'm still not working out at all and i'm still getting pain from my knee on a constant basis which does worry me and i'm considering calling the doc to find out what i should be doing next. don't know if mild excercise at this point would make it better or worse. considering that standing for two days killed me (taught a class and had to stand during the whole two days), i'm not sure that even swimming nor a light spin would be a good idea. then again, non-activity is driving me bonkers!! going to give it til i get back from napa and then actually start low impact stuff and see how it goes.

~danban

i truly hope you celebrate the day

today is at the top of my favorite days of the year if not my favorite. it reminds me to cherish those i love, spread the love to those i don't often enough, and keep my heart and mind open to new opportunities wherever they may present themselves. it reminds me of where i've been, the struggles that have been and that probably will be, and to be thankful for those i have now surmounted. i hope that you can have the same reflections though it seems to be a day of celebration without understanding for most. feel the need to be irish if you must but please cherish the true spirit of the day......remember Saint Patrick for all his worth and gifts to one island that will remain close to my heart.












~danban

i'm startin to get the spirit

well, it's my favorite time of year and at first i was bummed cause i'll be in albany for the day o celebration. yes, i'm talking about St. Patrick's day. then i met some of the most interesting and fun people and now will be celebrating with them! we'll be hitting up beer heaven and i'm sure that my class on Wed morning will suffer for it :0)

St. Patrick's day is a day that reminds me of my heritage (Irish on both sites of the family) and the story of St. Patrick, though unknown by most, is actually one that i think is important (check out http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm if you want more info). he's a man who was taken into slavery in Ireland, escaped, went home, then returned to Ireland to spread his ideals and beliefs to the country. it's a story of perserverance and courage to overcome things that have happened in the past and turn those experiences into a drive to make a positive impact into the lives on others.

it's something we should all strive to do in our own lives even if on a more minute scale. what impacts have you made to those around you? have you encouraged them to make their situations better or just different? have you picked up the phone to have a 5 minute conversation to just let someone know you're thinking of them? how are you going to make this year a year of positive impact and change?? and how are you doing these things for yourself?

yes, for most it's a time of green beer binge drinking as it should be a celebration of freedomes yet for me it's also a time of reflection before consuming my fair share of Irish produced stouts and whiskeys. and all i know is i am startin to feel the spirit :0)

~danban

lyrics from one of my fav flogging molly songs.......
Now I`m aimin' for heaven
But probably wind up down in hell
Where upon this alter I will hang my guilt ridden head
But it`s time I`ll take before I begin
Three sheets to the wind, Three sheets to the wind
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart

Now bless me father for I have sinned
But it`s the same old story again and again and again
Ah well, such is the bread of an everyday life
From mornin' to noon to this shadowless-night
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart

finally something to look forward to :0)

a few things in the works i'm excited about and wanted to share......

• a scrumptious lunch today that was packed with care :0)
• girlz night with a best friend i've been neglecting and have MISSED
• ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!
  
• back to beer heaven for a week and the opportunity to spend time with a new friend
  
• a trip at the end of the month to napa to spend some much needed time with my Sarah
• the end of the knee pain and the beginning of Vineman retribution training (hit me up if you wanna train starting the beginning of April)
  
• my oldest and dearest friend's wedding (and finally getting to meet her baby boy)
• time with my Miller family has been promised
• more Kate time and more frequent spa days
  
• a visit from my Mom within the next month or so
• actually making "me" time a priority and sticking to that!
• more quality time with trouble
• reconnecting with my Bubba cause there's no excuse not to
• date nights with the roommie
  
• getting to know other new friends who seem like quality people - helloooo Sunday brunch!
• spending time with My Mr. Christopher who I have missed dearly

all in all, good stuff ahead people and that's what i'm focusing on these days. the GOOD stuff :0)

~danban

is that a light at the end of the tunnel?

i'm beginning to think i'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel..... well, work wise anyway. the next three weeks are going to be a big push to get the finalized pieces done for two clients then on march 19th i officially have NOTHING to do!! it's going to be glorious and i cannot wait! and to celebrate, i'm going to napa with sarah to detox from the last couple of months. for the moment i'm living in the dream of no work for now. all the while knowing in the back of my head that by that time, they'll find something new for me to do. but for now, the sweet blissful thought of nothingness fills my head :0)

the other shard of light beyond is coming from the fact that soon i'll know exactly what the prognosis on the knee will be and what impact that will have on my upcoming training schedule. CB and i have no agreed that cal half will not be my A race and is in fact no longer even on the calendar. vineman is the next prize and i want to kill it from my last year's results. i'm keepin my fingers crossed that tonight's MRI will show that some tendons were torn and not the miniscus (no clue how to spell that btw). tomorrow will tell all and at least i'll have an answer.

the song that's been floating through my head lately which somewhat reflects my mood lately is be ok by ingrid michaelson. i like the song though it doesn't completely fit my picture at the moment......
I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok
I just want to be ok today
I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok
I just want to be ok today

I just want to feel today, feel today, feel today
I just want to feel something today
I just want to feel today, feel today, feel today
I just want to feel something today

CHORUS:
Open me up and you will see
I'm a gallery of broken hearts
I'm beyond repair, let me be
And give me back my broken parts

I just want to know today, know today, know today
I just want to know something today
I just want to know today, know today, know today
Know that maybe I will be ok

CHORUS

Just give me back my pieces
Just give them back to me please
Just give me back my pieces
And let me hold my broken parts

I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok
I just want to be ok today
I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok
I just want to be ok today

I just want to feel today, feel today, feel today
I just want to feel something today
I just want to know today, know today, know today
Know that maybe I will be ok

guess i've just been searching for something lately thought i don't know what exactly and feeling a little lost in the chaos of work and the broken pieces of my knee. it'll all be mended and better soon.....just keepin the vision of better days ahead

~danban

ignoring it apparently doesn't make it go away

this is true both of work and my stupid knee lately. so in the first case, i'm getting slaughtered at work. in a 3 day period, i worked a total of 43 hours and was sick during the time. i don't say this to brag cause believe me i wish i wasn't necessary to be there that long. it turns out yet again that the resource problem we've been having at work has bitten me in the ass. i hate the fact that i'm letting co-workers down by not keeping up with everything that's been on my plate. i overlook little things that turn into big things because i've put them off so long due to emergencies flaming up all around and then the little things turn into new fires to be put out. i've been beyond overwhelmed and have even cried at work due to frustration. i am only one person and i haven't been able to do everything that's been requested of me. i've let some friendships lapse because of work and even training has taken a down turn. there's got to be a balance and i'm striving to find it at the moment.

secondly, my knee is not getting better. it's been over two weeks since i tweaked it and today's run proved that it's not strong by any stretch of the imagination. i won't be surprised if tomorrow it's swolen again and needs the stupid brace to keep it stable again. i've put off seeing Dr. M again cause of the above paragraph and the fact that the pain keeps on keepin on tells me that ignoring this one is no longer an option. i've lapsed on my peak week of training and will now see the consequences of it during my race if i make it that far.

and just to add icing to the cake, i had oral surgery this past friday with consequences i didn't foresee. i actually paid someone to drill into my jaw bone and received nothing more than mouth wash and motrin. geeeeee thanks.

on the plus side, work HAS to dwindle soon and i WILL see Dr. M this coming week when i get back from the frozen tundra. this too shall pass and i shall be all the better of it i'm sure. for those of you i've negated, my apologies and i'll be found again soon i swear. thanks for your continued patience.

~danban