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A Slow Paced Life

Backofpack — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:38:00 +0000

Even though I've been back in the work force for three full-time years, and am currently working part time (about 25-30 hours a week) I still find myself adjusting to the pace of the work world. I guess after 20 years of working on a part-time basis (only about 6-9 hours a week) and being a full-time stay-at-home wife and homeschooling Mom, a slower daily rhythm became ingrained in my soul.

As much as I love my new job, I miss quiet mornings at home. I like a slow start to the day, I like empty stores and streets (which are easily found around 9 am), I like getting everything done around the house by noon and having the afternoon stretch ahead of me. Now, since I have admitted to being a morning person, it should be obvious that having a work schedule that begins around 7:30 and ends around somewhere between 12:00 and 1:30 means that I am in my work world at my peak performance time. That's a good thing. But it also means that I'm at my peak lazy time when I get home. It's awfully easy to talk myself out of chores, or errands, or class-prep or grading or Pilates or even another run.

I know how incredibly lucky I am to be able to work part time, and I am not complaining at all. In fact, I love my job and would jump at the chance to work full time. Really, it's more that I am a homebody at heart - I could hang around the house for days on end, with an occasional foray out to the world for food and books and visits with friends, and be very happy. I also realize that all of the things I've described are probably on the wish list of everyone who works full time. Maybe what I feel is a simple longing for days gone by, when the boys were little and we were all home together.

So, even though I expected to be adjusted to a new daily pace after more than three years, I find I still need quiet, slow days at home, days where I can move at my own easy tempo. I find myself building easy days into every month to keep myself centered - this weekend is one of them. I'm looking forward to it.

As I think about this, it becomes apparent to me that my running rhythm matches my natural life rhythm: slow and easy. And maybe that's why I like small marathons - smaller, friendlier crowds. Funny, the more I think about it, the more I realize that running is an echo of my life - built in rest days each week, high mileage for a couple weeks, then a low mileage, easy week...I wonder which is a reflection of which? Life echoes running or running echoes life? It doesn't really matter because whichever way it is, it works for me!

A new look, a new name

ahaines — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:16:48 +0000

My blog has been a bit spastic lately. I’ve changed its appearance several times this week, trying out a variety of looks and styles until settling on this one, and I’ve finally come up with a name. The boring “Amanda Haines” title was simply a placeholder while I waited for something creative to percolate. It’s just taken me longer than I expected.

So, let me explain the new look and the new name.

First, the photo above is one I took while hiking with my stepmom Betsy in the hills south of Medford, Ore., last January. It was a great day and we caught a beautiful view. I love this photo. Plus, I grew up in that area and it reminds me of being a moody, creative teenager.

Second, the new name is one I’ve been cooking up in my brain for the past few weeks. It stems from an actual experience I had while running south of Eatonville. I got home and found a pine needle in my underpants. I have no idea how it got there, but it was a fantastic and unexpected surprise. Life often feels like having a pine needle in your underpants. It’s kinda funny. Kinda strange. And always unpredictable.

Plus, I think “underpants” is my favorite word of all time. It’s so wonderfully childish. Anything is funny when it has the word “underpants” attached to it. For example, “mass casualties” sounds awful, but “mass underpants casualties” sounds like a story I want to hear. (Maybe I should write that story? Hmmm.)

Let me know what you think of the changes.

When in doubt, list

ahaines — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:28:49 +0000

Sometimes, a gal just needs to make a list. Here’s mine.

Things I Love Right Now

• CSI: I tend to run five to seven years behind in movies and TV, and this is a perfect example. I only recently discovered this show and I’m hopelessly addicted. Luckily, it’s in syndication and can be found on almost any channel around the clock. I love how disgusting and graphic it is, and how it kinda makes me barfy if I’m eating and watching at the same time.

• Solitaire: I’m not talking about that newfangled solitaire on the computer. I’m talking about real solitaire with real cards and no auto-shuffle. It’s very relaxing and makes me feel like a really boring Don Draper. Of course, like my grandma, I play until I win every night.

• Spray cheese: I got this for my dogs’ kongs (dog people know what a kong is), but I’ve been taking hits off it. As shameful as it is to admit, spray cheese is a strange and wonderful invention. I have no idea how it works or why it doesn’t need refrigeration, but a couple squirts on my dirty ol’ finger is darn tasty.

• Eggnog: I’m lactose-intolerant, but eggnog is totally worth the pain. Thank goodness I live alone.

• Anne Rice: I’m rereading her vampire books and loving them all over again. I read these as a teenager and, surprisingly, they really stand the test of time. Rice is a very gifted writer and escaping into an alternate reality is incredibly satisfying. (As a sidenote, I actually went to an Anne Rice book signing in college. She wore a weird wig like the one Rick James wore in the Superfreak video. It had gold braids in it and everything. She was nice, but kinda weird. I loved it!)

• “All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down:” This is a Hank Williams Jr. song circa 1984. I’ve heard it twice in two days and I could hear it a million more times and never be tired of it. It’s rolling through my head right now. I love it. Hank Williams Jr. turned out some good stuff back in the day (before he got all Monday Night Football). If you haven’t heard the tune, check it out.

More later, I’m sure!

A rare serious moment

ahaines — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:13:26 +0000

This Veterans Day feels harder than any other I can remember. The tragedy at Fort Hood and the spate of shootings in the week since, combined with the loss of so many of our Fort Lewis soldiers since the summer, has made today a difficult day. There have been so many lives lost and families destroyed, just in the past two weeks, that it’s hard to sit at my desk on this day and not feel that it’s a betrayal of what this holiday is supposed to mean.

To be honest, Veterans Day has never been on my list of “real holidays.” I have no family or friends in the military, and the two wars we’re fighting have touched me in no direct way. I’ve lost no one. I’ve missed no one. I’m very thankful for that.

However, not having that direct connection has made it difficult to understand the challenges our soldiers and their families face every day. I can’t imagine what it’s like in Afghanistan or Iraq right now or how horrible it must be to spend months, even years, away from a spouse or children. I can’t imagine being in such a dangerous place, knowing I might never come back. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose close friends in battle or not to know if the next road might be lined with bombs. I can try to understand, but the true reality of those situations is beyond my experience.

But, our soldiers are facing all of those things right now. That such brave people exist is truly remarkable. I couldn’t do it and I’m in awe of anyone who can. So, to all the soldiers out there and to all of their families, I’m sending a heartfelt thanks. Thanks for all the hard work you’ve done and continue to do. Thanks for volunteering your body and your heart so that the rest of us can go about the nonsense of our ordinary lives. Thanks for your sacrifice. Thanks for your strength. Thanks for your courage.

I’m…

Monsieur President Xavier LeBron — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:54:05 +0000

watching Lifetime (you know, television for women) because I can’t seem to find the remote… Actually, now that I think of it, I think I have math homework. OH NO! MY TUTOR JUST WALKED IN! GOTTA GO!!!!

Oink Oink!

Monsieur President Xavier LeBron — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:13:18 +0000

No, not so much… But an illness none the less. But, I digress… I love doing Lippmans’ homework! Math is SO FUN (when you get it)… Okay, I’m kind of just watching Kill Bill while the homework keeps my lap warm (come on guys, I’M RECOVERING!)… Friday the 13th is approaching… I can feel it’s going to [...]

Friday Night Melodies for My Mind

Backofpack — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:47:00 +0000

My favorite passage from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran:

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."

And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Every so often, this passage floats into my mind and I have to go read it again. It reminds me of an important concept, that the lives of my children are theirs to live. In fact, the only life I can live is my own. I gladly share my life with others, and they share theirs with me, but still, I can only really live mine. Tonight, I've been in search of thoughts about teaching, searching for something profound to share with my students. I turned to The Prophet to see what was there, and although the passage was good, I was once again drawn to the thoughts about children. My mind turned away from teaching, back to the core of my adult life, to family and parenting and children. And that lead me to my other favorite passage, another that I read and reread faithfully:

Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"

And he answered saying: You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Beautiful words to ponder, to live by. Words that reach deep inside me, that resonate within me. Words I will read again and again.

Halloween Marathon 2009

Backofpack — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:53:00 +0000

I ran one lap in this outfit, then I gladly stuffed it back in my bag!

We had a great run up in Bellingham yesterday. It was pretty stormy the night before, with high winds and buckets of rain, and the forecast was for showers. Instead, we got a beautiful, sunny fall day - slightly breezy, but sunny and dry. This marathon was the same course as last summer's Wild Thing (the one where we wore dresses and performed a task at the end of each loop. This time there were no tasks, but there were costumes). It's ten 2.6 mile loops around Lake Padden, mostly on a wide gravel trail with lots of rolling hills. I decided to experiment a little, since it was a looped course. I normally do a 4/1 run/walk at marathons. I decided to see how far I could go on my typical training pace of 9/1 run/walk. I figured it was no big deal if I burned out and had to walk, and a low-key, fun marathon was the place to give it a try.

I ran seven loops (18.2 miles) using the 9/1 pacing. By that time I was starting to get tired so I switched over to 4/1. The first 5.5 loops I ran alone, then Eric joined me for the back half of my sixth loop. Just as I was heading out of the aid station, I saw Abi coming in - she'd arrived at the marathon late and had been trying to catch up with me. I was pretty far ahead of her in terms of loops because I started an hour and 15 minutes early and she started a half hour late. She planned to run with me for my remaining loops, then finish up on her own. On our first loop together I noticed the pop machine by one of the restrooms and commented that I'd love to have a coke right then. Next time through the aid station, Abi came running out with a fistful of dollars, so we picked up a Pepsi from the machine - absolute heaven on earth. I swear, it was the best thing I ever had in my life! The sugary Pepsi revived me and gave me new energy for my last loops. I finished in 5:48 - not bad for a hilly trail type course with lots of stops at the aid station.

After the marathon, we headed to my parents for a home cooked meal and to spend the night. Eric cooked us all breakfast this morning, then while he watched half a football game with my Dad, my Mom and I laid plans for Thanksgiving and caught up on our assorted and large family. We had an easy drive home, capping off a wonderful weekend.

Eric as a "man on the run" and me after one lap in costume.

Fall in the PNW

Backofpack — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Emu by the trail. Photo by Eric.

Photo by Eric

Mt. Rainier photo by George K.

Another mountain shot by George K.

The Carbon River runs next to the trail. Photo by George K.

Walk break. Photo by George K.

Rick, Me, Jessica Photo by George K.

The Y Runners. Photo by George K.

Post-run coffee. Photo by George K.

LEG

Monsieur President Xavier LeBron — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:13:01 +0000

I’m baack from the Legislative Academy with the SG team. We had a blast and took so much from it! I love these outings with my team! It’s was like a super fun bonding weekend! On the issue of having a student on the board of trustees, is it bad that I do not share [...]