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December 8, 2009
It's Cold In This House...
...and other random thoughts:
1) About the temperature. During the day we have the thermostat programmed to keep the house no warmer than 58 degrees. Same goes at night. But then (obviously) it's programmed such that by the time we get home from work or get up in the morning, the house is warmed back up to 66 or 67 or whatever... Well the trouble is I now work from home 2-3 days a week. Which is fine because I can easily manually increase the temperature and all is well. Except on days like this when I know I'm about ready to ride my bike (inside on the trainer) and I figure there is no reason to raise up the heat when I'm just going to get very hot and sweaty. I'll jack up the heat AFTER my ride. But in the mean time I'm cold. I think this is just a long way of saying I need to get on my bike now and stop complaining. :)
2) I've decided I need to be able to do 10 pullups. Don't ask me why. I come up with these random ideas when I'm not tired enough from my regular training. So blame the off season and my coach who won't give me anything hard to do. :) Last year it was the 100 pushup challenge (remember that anyone?) and this year the pullups. I got the pullup idea originally from Michelle who was also doing pullups (and many more than me) but then I forgot about it. And then Michelle reminded me. So when I go to the YMCA to lift I do my pullups. The first time I did 3. Ouch. That made me a little sad. Then it was 5 and now that's where I'm stuck. They are so hard! And they make me sore! But I think 10 is a reasonable goal. This will keep me busy until January or so when the swimming yards will start to pile on and I won't have such grandiose aspirations. :)
3) Speaking of swimming, I really like it. And I REALLY like masters. Yesterday at masters it was like the good old days when my friend Meredith and I were lanemates.
4) Also yesterday, everyone at work was really sick. The patients I mean. (duh!) Of course patients are always sick...um...that's why they are in the hospital! But there are obviously varying degrees of sick and yesterday, every patient I saw was of the "sick as sh**t" variety (a common hospital saying). I shouldn't be surprised because this happens around the holidays. Afterall, the only people that are in the hospital during the holidays are the ones that are really sick and have no choice. There are no elective surgeries at this time. There are only emergencies.
As you can imagine there are a lot of really sick H1N1 patients. I know people joke about H1N1 and think it only kills old people, people who were already sick, and children but this doesn't happen to be the case. In fact of the 10 or so patients I saw yesterday, 4 of them had confirmed H1N1. All 4 of them were in the age range of 21-37. Two of them are very likely to die (multiple system organ failure on dialysis, a ventilator and ECMO - cardiopulmonary bypass). The other two have a long road ahead of them. None of them had/have any past medical history.
And then I went to see an 88 year old woman that was "never sick a day in her life" who felt a little bloated and constipated and so she went to the doctor. Long story short she has stage IV rectal cancer. They tried to take it out but of course she is 88 and that's the kind of surgery an 88 year old really can't survive. She is 88 though and of course people die (note, she is still alive but very, very unlikely to recover well) and that in and of itself wasn't making me too sad but her sister who was by her side, oh geez. She was just heart broken beyond words and in pieces and just seeing her so broken up made me a little broken up myself! I even saw a tear run down the nurse's face (which dear Lord the only thing more surprising than that would be to see a surgeon crying).
Anyway, I don't know where I was going with that. I'm not trying to make people sad! But if anything, I love my job for the fact that it offers up quite a healthy dose of perspective.
5) I got all my Christmas shopping done! And wrapped! And cards written! And now I can enjoy the holiday for what it is supposed to be about. Yahoo!
6) On Sunday I thought long and hard about my goals for the upcoming year. I wrote it all down and posted it on my wall (as I always do). Excitement isn't even the word.
And now I must get on my bike. My lips are turning blue! :)
Have a great day everyone!
Posted by beth at December 8, 2009 11:07 AM
Comments
I think I did the 100 push-up challenge for about a week! That was hard. I attempted pull-ups last week and got up to 3. Your 5 is very impressive and that is awesome you are going for 10.
Posted by: Rebecca at December 8, 2009 12:19 PM
you rock! pull ups are tough.. i'm still cheating using the "helper" machine :)
Posted by: kari at December 8, 2009 12:19 PM
Pullup plateau buster: Sets of 2. You'll be to 10 in no time.
I empathize with the coldness and the trainer. I wear a sweatshirt just to walk downstairs to get on the thing.
I wish I had your love of the pool
Posted by: Ian at December 8, 2009 12:35 PM
Remind me never to come to your house in the winter! I can't believe you guys keep your house so cold!
Posted by: Bri Gaal at December 8, 2009 12:45 PM
4 is sad.
Posted by: Steve at December 8, 2009 2:23 PM
Growing up my parents kept the house at 55F overnight and basically ALL the time b/c we were all at school or working. I remember waking up to my mom at the kitchen table in her ROBE reading the paper while having the STOVE open pouring out heat!!! ???
And, the H1n1 stuff is serious...my heart goes about to everyone with that. I have NEVER seen Graham or any child that sick as when he had it.
(geez, I have a lot to say today, well, that IS nothing new)....
Today I met with a trainer gal - to assess my functional strength and flexibility (which for the record sucks)...but she asked me to do a pull up...and I thought you girls - and I had to laugh. I was able to do 9 with her tap touching my toes when I go down but it nearly broke me. SO fully unassisted? EEEKs. I am ALL over that challenge.
Stay warm!
Posted by: Jen Harrison at December 8, 2009 3:11 PM
PS
I DID NOT remember you were doing Eagleman! YAY!
Posted by: Jen Harrison at December 8, 2009 3:13 PM
it REALLY bothers me when everyone acts like H1N1 is a joke. it's so not.
Posted by: Kelly at December 8, 2009 6:58 PM
66! I'm with Bri, I'd freeze at your house. Hmm, I'm tempted to take on the pull up challenge.
Posted by: Angela Kidd at December 8, 2009 9:18 PM
I keep my house colder than you do! Ha!
I can't believe you have your shopping done already! It's like you don't sleep or something ;)
Posted by: maija at December 8, 2009 9:21 PM
Oh boy! We are all writing about cold houses as kids, too funny! That's what hats and down vests are for, right?
I am with Rebecca...my goal is to graduate from the asissted pull up machine to full body weight! I am in for a challenge!
Posted by: julia at December 8, 2009 9:48 PM
How was your trainer wourkout?
Posted by: Angelina at December 9, 2009 5:20 AM
I know that exact feeling Beth!! When I got on my trainer yesterday it was 58, but I knew I would be hot really soon. It is good motivation to get on the stupid thing :)
I am so excited for you to ROCK 2010!!!
Posted by: barb at December 9, 2009 9:59 AM