I’m going to do most of my Christmas shopping from handmade, or used items.  I say most because I’ve already bought two items for my parents over the summer that were new.  But I have several ideas that are handmade or used for other people.

I’m doing a lot of shopping on Etsy, which is an amazing hand made shop.  I think the best part about Etsy is the reasonably priced (or free) shipping costs.  I just had something delivered that was shipped for free, and last year, I’ve had to pay 75 cents for other items.  It’s not like eBay where you purchase something for $3, and they make you pay $9 in shipping!!

I also have the good news that I ordered our local turkey for Thanksgiving yesterday.  $3 a pound, but it’s from Bob’s Turkey Farm in Lancaster, MA (two towns over).  It’s raised right on a farm there, and I go to the farm to pick it up.  I’m supporting a local farmer, and will have a delicious bird for Thanksgiving, and not a cheap 49 cent frozen bird from Market Basket. To get birds to cost that little money, I don’t even want to think about how they are raised, and how they can get them so mass produced that they are practically given away.  No thank you!

Of course, I just watched Food, Inc. It’s the movie version (almost) of Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I highly suggest you watch it.

I’ve also decided to eat less meat, as I did back in the Spring.

I have never before wanted a TV exercise thing before.  But for some reason, I REALLY want “The Wave.”  I especially like at 30 seconds, it looks like you can “run” on it! (in the video below)

I watched some home videos on YouTube of people using it, and it seems a lot more “plastic-y” than I thought.

But it seems that Miz Fit (a crazy fit lady who has a blog that I sometimes read) likes it - so that’s a good endorsement!

The other thing that I want is a thigh master!

Thoughts?  Do any of you have any crazy infomercial fitness gear?

Because of all the cancer nonsense in my life, I seem to be pretty immuno-compromised. I seem to always get sick, and I get sick for a LONG time.  It sucks.  Even now, after I’ve already been tested for strep throat, and I feel a bit better… I still wake up with a sore throat, and constantly cough up grossness. I’ve tried taking an allergy pill during the day; taking an allergy pill before bed; sleeping at a slant so I don’t have post nasal drip; rinsed out my sinuses with a neti pot…. and who knows what else.  None of it seems to work.  I’ve been on and off (mostly on) sick since I went to Oxford, England with Megan and Mac a month ago.

So of course, I am going to get a flu shot this season.  I got a regular flu shot last winter for the first time ever. I had never before fallen into the who should get a flu shot guidelines… I wasn’t a child or an elderly person, or a health care worker.  But now I fall into #4 - people with a chronic medical condition and #6a - health care workers.  Luckily, because I’m on staff at the Hospice House, they’re doing staff vaccine days!

oink.

After the low iodine diet, I weigh exactly the same.  Didn’t lose or gain anything.  I think that’s a good thing because I was eating a crap load of carbs.  I was actually afraid I was going to gain weight!

Cancer stuff is all over and done with until next year.  I still have to take a pill every freaking morning, but nothing else until a year from now.  Jason asked how I felt, and if I was very very excited and happy about the results.  I told him “no.”  He didn’t understand how that was possible, so I told him, “Well, nothing has changed.  I feel exactly the same way I felt a week ago.  If things had come back differently then I’d feel differently, but nothing has changed.  So I feel the same.”  Nothing has changed except I know that for right now, there aren’t any thyroid cells lingering.  But I still have to take a pill every day, and I still have to monitor my Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and my Thyroglobulin levels, and there’s still a 30% chance that the cancer will come back.  So really, what’s there to be all excited and happy about?  I’m just glad the testing and diet is over.   As Dr. Ross said on my way out, “I’ll see you next year.”

I’m thinking about running for a councilor at large for my city’s City Coucil.  I’m debating whether or not it’s worth it.  It pays about $9,000, but even if it was for free, I’d still be interested.  I’m just not sure what exactly I’d be signing myself up to do.  I need to get other’s opinions on how hard/time consuming it is.  Right now, I volunteer a LOT of my time for Fitchburg, and it would be nice to get paid and recognized for all of my hard work.  But, would I have to get rid of my blog?  Would reporters or someone read my blog and report negative things about me?  Would I really care?   It seems that City Council only meets twice a month, but I’m sure there is a lot of hidden time in there.

I haven’t been running as much as I used to.  I wish that I ran more, but I just don’t have the motivation.  I’m planning on going out in a bit, but I just feel so lazy, and that I don’t want to use the energy.  But, whatever. i’m planning on getting a lot of exercise in when I visit Megan.  But walking and biking everywhere, and making her go out on runs with me.  It’d be fun if they had a dog that I could walk every morning and evening, but they don’t.  Perhaps they have a friend’s dog that I can walk?

Speaking of Megan, my time to visit her and Mac in England for a MONTH is coming up soon!  I’ll be there in just about 4 weeks.  I am very excited!  I have no idea what I’m going to do over there, but I know whatever it is will be a lot of fun.  I know Megan will teach me a lot about cooking and eating ethically and all that, and that’s nice.

I planned a graduation party for my brother for this Saturday.  Of course, he doesn’t want to do it, but I said “Dylan, when you graduate, people send you money.  BUT, you need to have a party so that the people know  you graduated, and then they’ll come to your party, and they will BRING YOU MONEY.”   He doesn’t really seem to care, but my family enjoys a good cookout, and I know that Dylan deserves graduation presents (money or not - even job advice would be wonderful).  That’ll be a fun night.

I went out and had an interview with a hospice in Boston.  I am suppose to hear back to see if I was one of the chosen interns (I think they’re choosing 5).  I am very excited, and I REALLY want to do this internship.  I just want them to freaking call me already!!

I did the 5k in 28.44 and placed 567/  with a pace of 9:16.

My dad finished 620th with a time of 29:38, and a pace of 9:34.

Larry did it in 20.16 and in 116th place!  He had a pace of 6:44.  And he’s 55 years old!!!!  Good crap.

It was very hot, and I had to stop a couple times because I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I was so hot!  I finished, so that’s the important thing.   I do not like running when it that’s hot.  Jogging, perhaps, but not trying to run quickly.   I also don’t think I’m going to try to run a half marathon again, because I think running for that long would suck diddly.

We each had BEERSFORGOOD.com t-shirts to advertise our beer fest.  Mine was a cool tank top that Jason helped me make.  The two of us were up until 11pm making multiple shirts with iron-on paper.

After the race:  (Larry, dad, and me)

Mike, Trevor, and Amy.

Jason came to cheer me on, but I didn’t get a picture of him.  Probably because he failed to wear his Beers For Good t-shirt.  Fail!

After the race, we got free food, and FREE BEER!!!!  Everytime we got in line for beer, we each grabbed two.  I don’t drink beer, so I was able to hold them for other people.  Whoever finished theirs first got dibs on mine.  I was happy with G2 gatorade and my water.

Not bad for a $25 registration fee.  Free t-shirt, free food, and free beer.  Not bad at all.

Running is going very well - I did my four miles on Wednesday, and my five miles on Thursday.  The five was actually a LOT better, and I’m not sure if it is because I went a better route - I combined two routes that I normally do.  I had already done two miles when I started up my regular route (where I usually run), so it kind of felt like I had just started my run, when really I had already ran two miles!  Then I just had my regular 3 mile run to do, for a total of five!

Tomorrow is 8 miles, and I’m a bit worried about where to go.  Roots, my local organic foods store is 4.5 miles away.  I can run there, and run 3.5 miles back, and then walk the last mile.  Or, I could try to run the whole thing, or stop when I’m almost at Roots.  Or, I could figure out another route all together.  I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do.  I do, however, want to be completed with my run by noon.  I’m dragging the whole family off to pick up trash in the afternoon!

*

Speaking of trash, my trash pickup afternoon yesterday was FANTASTIC.  Niles and I headed out, but not before I facebooked my friends Bria and Rob to ask them to help.  I also ran into Rob while I was running and told him to join, he promised he would after he got out of work.  I dragged a wheel barrow and trash can on wheels (I had the trash can in the wheel barrow, which was also filled with orange DPW cones) the .6 miles to Pearl Street, where the clean up was to be held.  On my way, I called my friend Dave and asked him to help.

Niles and I started, and one of the neighbors asked if we were on parole.  No, just cleaning up the environment. He watched us for a little while, then started picking up trash in front of his house, then slowly moved across the street to help us.  His name was Scott, and he’ll be important later.

A local jogger ran by and told us we were doing a great job. Then he paused, and said “You know, I’ll help you out.”  He grabbed a trash bag and headed up the hill.  Then were then joined by Bria and Rob.  Then Dave stopped by after a bit.  At one time, there were SIX of us cleaning up Pearl Street.  It was absolutely wonderful.  There were several other people who stopped and asked why we were cleaning up the streets.  One of Rob’s friends pulled over in his car, and when he asked “For what?”  I replied “For the environment.”  Everyone thought we were in a club, or were a part of a program.  Really, we were just kids who wanted to clean up the street.

(This is Rob)

The afternoon ended with Bria, Rob, Niles and I, and we were left with many trashbags. We had spent two hours picking up trash.

Bria ran down to get her car, but on the way stopped and asked Scott if he could help us.  He didn’t hesitate, and pulled his station wagon around and loaded everything inside, including my wheel barrow, my trash can, and me!  He drove everything back to my house, because my trash day was the next morning.

We talked about looking at what trash day it is in the city, and doing that area the day before.  That way, we don’t have trash sitting around for a long time.  Thursdays seem to be a good day for everyone, so we might make it Trash Thursday.  Bria and I were trying to think of a slogan, and I thought of “We’re Young, But We Care.”  We should get it printed on T-shirts we wear while out.  And we can make them bright neon so we stand out and don’t get struck by traffic.

Nice and clean.  I walked by there today with my mom (she was going to City Hall, I was walking to the grocery store), and I felt so proud of what we had accomplished.  I really do have great friends.

When I got home, Niles grabbed a table from the neighbor’s house to put in his backyard (reuse), and as I went to drive him home, I REALIZED I HAD LOST MY KEYS PICKING UP TRASH.

I grabbed my spares, and Niles and I went to look for them.  We were climbing up and down that hill (see photo above), and Niles and I went and searched the hill.  We had given up and were returning to my car when I looked up and spotted them!!!!!  See the boulder?  And then that tree right above the boulder?  They were up near that tree!!!  I took a picture of them before I grabbed them:

Thank God I have that bright green Vera Bradley wallet thing attached, or they would be long gone.  It was easy to spot now that the hill was so clean.

Thanks to my friends who helped me clean up Fitchburg.  It makes me feel proud not only as a person, but as a citizen of this town.  If anyone wanted to help tomorrow afternoon, I think I’ll be picking up trash around 1pm, and dragging my mom, dad, and brother with me!  Feel free to join in.   More people really does make it go by a lot quicker, and you certainly get more done.

Today is a five mile run.  Yesterday was a rest day, and Monday I did 3 miles.  Actually it was only 2.81 because for some reason, my 3 mile route that I mapped turned out to be only 2.81 according to my iPhone.  Close enough.

I’m doing my 5 miles to end up at the library.  I’m going to help them with work, and then I have my Friends meeting at 5:30.  I’ll be stinky at the library, and sweaty and stuff, but I’m alright with that.  I gave my mom my Friends info, and my bottle of water for when I’m done.  I had a hard time figuring out my trip, because I wanted to end at the library, and I also wanted to have it be fairly flat.

I spent both Monday and Tuesday at City Hall helping out Trevor in the IT department, but he’s going on vacation starting tomorrow.  I’ll see if my dad needs any help in his office while Trevor is gone.

I walked to Larry’s last night to watch the City Council meeting, and it was a 1.5 mile walk that I went “the long way” and made it over 2 miles.  I took a lot of nice pictures on my walk, and I even SAW THREE DEER!  It was absolutely amazing, and I would never have seen them if I hadn’t been walking.  I even said an aloud, “Thank You” to Mother Earth.  I also saw so much trash.  It makes me extremely sad.  I am going this afternoon to the DPW to get some orange cones so I can pick up trash on a busy road and not worry about getting hit by cars.  The area on Pearl St is VERY hilly, and I don’t want to fall in the road and get run over!  They also said they would give me some reflective vests for my friends and I.  Will I wear those?  Only if I’m picking up trash at night (not likely).

Now, I just need some friends to help me.  I plan on picking up trash on Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday afternoons.  I’m recruiting my parents on Saturday.  Please let me know if you are available.

6.18 miles in 1:08. A bit tired, but felt pretty good. I perhaps stopped to walk for 20 seconds every two miles. Not bad at all! Tomorrow is a rest day and I’m excited for it.

I ran four miles today with no trouble at all.  My iPhone app was doing really well until the VERY end when my mom called, and so it says I only logged 3.69 miles, but it’s wrong.  PLUS, the GPS has me zigzagging all over the road. I used mapmyrun.com to figure it out precisely, and I got to 4.07.  It was pretty good, too, and I didn’t have much of a problem.  I didn’t have to stop and walk much, maybe once every mile, and I walked for about 15-20 seconds.  Nothing major.  It was very cold today, so I ran in long pants and a sweatshirt.  The sweatshirt came off around mile 1.5, and my the time I was around mile 3, I wish that I had worn shorts.  The weather was around 40 degrees.  That’s a good way to learn, and now I know that in 40 degree weather, if I’m going to be running more than 3 miles, I should wear shorts and a thinner long sleeve jacket.  Larry gave me good advice today that if it’s cold out, I can jog in place, or do jumping jacks, or something to warm myself up before I go outside.  That way I won’t have that freezing cold at the beginning of the run, but hot at the end of the run problem.

Either tomorrow or Sunday I will do my “long” run for the week, and this week it is going to be six miles long.  I haven’t decided what day I’m going to do it yet, because I don’t know if my legs will be sore tomorrow or not.  I think Saturdays are generally a better day for my “long” runs because I sometimes work on Sundays at Macy’s, and that will screw up my calendar.  Saturday during the day, I usually have plenty of time to run.  The schedules I’ve seen go like this for a Sun - Sat schedule:

Sunday - Rest
Monday -  3 or 4 miles
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - varies over weeks: 4,5,5,5,6,5,4
Thursday - 3 or 4 miles
Friday - Rest
Saturday -  Long run - also varies:  6,8,10,11,12,9,8, 13.1!

I’m on the very first week right now, so my long is six.  I’ve screwed up by not starting on Sunday, because Friday I did 4 miles, then another 6 tomorrow, then Sunday a rest.  Then I’ll start over correctly on Monday again.  According to that schedule, next Saturday I’ll be at 8 miles!  Holy crap! That’s a lot of miles.  On my rest days, I would like to do some strength training (not my legs, though), some yoga or pilates for stretching, and also some walking.  Walking is low impact, but it would still be good for my leg muscles to be warmed up.

I also read that if I’m planning on being out for more than an hour, I should carry water with me, and drink some every 20 minutes.  In the summer I used to carry my camel bak bottle in my hand, but that was only for about 2 miles.  I don’t think I would like to carry it for 6 or 8 miles.

It’s hard to figure out good routes to take.  My friend Eric lives a few towns over in Townsend and it’s 9.9 miles from my house, so I will run there for my 10 mile run, and then I will make him drive me home.  It’d be fun to hang out with him and have lunch or dinner, but how will I get dry clothes to his house without driving there first?  This is all very complicated.  Perhaps I will have to hang out with him before the 10 mile run, and give him a bag of stuff for that special day.  That sounds like a good plan.  I can just shower at his house, and then we can do something fun as a reward for me running 10 miles.  Perhaps I can convince him to give me a massage! Heh.

I also wanted to take the train to a rail trail that is in Ayer, but if I do that, I can’t bring anything with me because I don’t have anywhere to store it.  It seems like I’ll have to drive my car, leave stuff in my car, and then go out for lunch (Larry said there are lots of good restaurants in Ayer).  But I would much rather read on the train, bring a small backpack, and keep it in a locker somewhere.  But there are no lockers at the train station or at the rail trail.  Bummer.

I went to the New England Aquarium today with Chris.  We saw turtles, and penguins, and sharks, and sting rays, and lots and lots of other fishes.  I learned the correct way to use “fish” and “fishes” months ago when I was chatting with Emiliano on the phone.  I think he called me and had me look it up, because he was driving in a car, and he knew I had my magical phone.  If there are many goldfish in a tank, then you would say “Ooh, look at all these fish.”  But if you’re at the Aquarium, and there are many different species, then you say “Wow, that’s a lot of fishes.”  ****The more you know****

After the aquarium, we went back to his apartment in Sommerville and cooked up an asparagus and tofu meal with pasta.  I made him take fancy pictures with his very expensive-looking camera, but I have to wait until he e-mails them to me until I can post them.  Hopefully he will also send me pictures of the penguins, and I will post those as well.

Once home, I had a delicious piece of cherry pie, and then a bit later I had a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats (with half a banana!).  Deeeeelicious.

I have to be in Gardner for 8:15am tomorrow for my class practicum, so I think that I am going to try to wake up at 6am, go for a run outside and then leave the house by 7:45.  I don’t want to have to wake up that early, but it’s 9:35, and I’m almost ready for bed.  The good thing about exercising before I go, is this way I won’t have to take two showers tomorrow, which is more eco-friendly.   I’m going to risk running in the streets (even though we got a foot of snow on Sunday), and run my two (or three) miles outside.  It’s quicker, and I can just start running the minute I leave the house.  Rather than walking to the gym, changing, exercising, changing again, and walking home.  Also, I went to the gym this morning, and it was SO hot.  It was miserable, and I just wanted someone to open a window.  I don’t usually swear, but in my head, I was thinking “Why is it so mother f-ing hot in here??????”  I just wanted to run outside where I am cold at first, but then I get nice and warm.  I’ve also noticed that if I run 3 miles outside, and 3 miles on a treadmill, my pedometer will register more steps when I run on the treadmill.  I wonder why that is?  Maybe I take longer steps when I run outside?  I guess that makes sense because on a treadmill, my stride is limited.  (Oh, I just found out the sun won’t rise until 6:17!!!  So maybe I’ll wake up at 6:10, and just run 2 miles since my time is limited.)

I’m angry that I walked around the aquarium for so long (and ran 2.5 miles this morning), and I only have 12,548 steps in.  What’s up with THAT, Mr. Charleston Fluffypants?