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me: F/28/SF, CA
AIM: venguyen
y!: slinkstar
Archives:
Feb 2002 - current
more? 1998-2002 archives
available by request
Elsewhere:
training log
50 in 365
joel
twobadapples
tammyloh
lgm
phase five
Upcoming Runs:
Weekly DSE Runs
7/29 - SF 1/2 Marathon
10/14 - SJ Rock n Roll 1/2 M
Need to find some more races
curious?
my amazon wishlist
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March 30, 2006, 4:32 pm
When I'm at work, I always have ambitious ideas of what I'm going to do with my time when I get home. Yesterday, I made plans in my head to thoroughly clean my room, clean the living room, scrub the kitchen, scrub the bathroom, run 2 miles (I'm tapering for the half marathon on Saturday), shower, and then sew some stuffed animals. Of course, none of this ever happens. What usually happens is more like this: get home, sit on the couch, have a snack, go for a run, take a shower, eat some more, sit on the couch again, go to bed. On some days, I throw "get silly drunk at the pub across the street" just to mix it up. * * *
During the winter months, I spend a lot of time at the gym. It just isn't safe for me to run in the dark by myself after work and I am incapable of putting one foot in front of the other before 7am. Although the days have been getting longer (yay! I made it through the winter!), the relentless rain has kept me inside for most of March.
The gym's location results in a funny cross-section of San Francisco. It is smack dab in the middle of the city on the main north-south artery, right next to all the strip clubs, around the corner from a tranny bar, on the way home from work for the downtowners, and convenient to many neighborhoods. It is dirty, crowded, and poorly ventilated, but there is one perk: it is free. J's mom gave us both three-year memberships, so I couldn't justify the $700 a year it costs me to stay at my gym of choice. I always go at the same time and I always see the same people: * The Anorexic: She's very dedicated to exercise: she's there when I arrive and there when I leave. Everyone stares at her but nobody says anything as she reads the paper and slowly pedals on the recumbent bike. I once saw her get on the treadmill and punch her weight in as 80 lbs. She always wears stretch pants, which only accentuates her bones and lack of body mass. I hate looking at her and wish someone would get her some help. * Buff Grandpa: He's older than my dad, but ripped like Jose Canseco. He walks around with a tanktop, lifts weights, and sits on the bike. Oh, and he consistently smells bad. * The Strippers: Because the gym is located near many strip clubs, this is where the dancers go to work out. I'm constantly amazed by the girls who run on the treadmill, oversized implants flapping all over, sports bras unable to do their jobs. By the look on everyone's else's face around me, they too feel the pain (well, the girls feel the pain and the boys are just loving the free show). * The Asiaphile: An older gentleman who drives a nice car (I often see him smoking or talking on the phone in it on my way to the gym). He's always hitting on the Asian girls and chatting them up. A friendly guy, but I hate talking to people at the gym. He knows I have a boyfriend since I usually go to the gym with J but continues to interrupt my workout anyway. * The Ab Machine Hog: Asian and about my dad's age. He sits on the ab machine for the entire time I'm there, not even moving so that other people can get their sets in. I never see him doing any other weights or cardio--just the ab machine. In between his sets, he does this thing with his arms that make him look like Donkey Kong. I wonder what he hopes to achieve by only doing one weight as his form of exercise?? * Big Texas Hair: Not really anyone of note except she has big hair that is a shellacked helmet and always wears a sparkly tanktop. She's also too old to be wearing sparkly tanktops. * Tiny gay asian boys: They're smaller than me, better groomed, clad in tighter clothes, and have better skin. They often travel in clusters and whine a lot. But they are skinny and cut! One of them dropped their cosmetics bag in the locker room and didn't pick it up, so J brought it home for me and I discovered a few new products that are now a part of my daily routine. Oh! I should have documented that for his streetfinds. |
March 27, 2006, 3:39 pm
Yesterday, as we drove through the Presidio Gate towards Crissy Field, J yelled at me to turn around--there'd been a really bad accident. When we pulled up, we saw a woman who had taken a really bad fall off of her bike. Luckily, a doctor had stopped to check her out and call for help. She'd knocked some teeth out, broken her nose, cut open her chin, and broken some bones in her arm. Since the doctor was already on the phone with the paramedics, there wasn't much we could do besides give him some gauze and alcohol wipes from my first aid kit to clean himself and the woman off. When the paramedics arrived, we left. That was our good deed for the weekend. Coincidentally, she was covered by Kaiser, one of my company's customers. And because of her injuries, I knew for sure that she would come in contact with my company's products. Neato. * * * Oh yes, and J has found a few more things on the street (and recruited my cousin to join in on his antics): 1) Some jam
2) A decorative box and a really dirty Ugly Doll keychain
Good thing Spring cleaning is scheduled to happen by May 2006. Some of this stuff will be going back to where it came from.
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March 24, 2006, 10:01 am
I took my dad to Kaiser in Santa Clara for eye surgery yesterday. It is really awesome seeing the products that my company sells in use--in a clinical setting and especially on my dad. Looking around, it is amazing to see the scope of patients that benefit from the products that I (and my colleagues) work on. When I took my mom in for foot surgery last year, I actually spoke to the surgeon about the specific product that I work on. It has made his work easier and more efficient, enabling him to give better care to his patients. I often get calls from friends who have seen the product that I work on during their appointments. It is nice to know that even though my work itself may not make much of a difference, the product that I sell does. |
March 20, 2006, 3:00 pm
It is time to update my resume and portfolio. (No, I'm not unemployed. It is just time.) As a personal goal, I was supposed to have built an online portfolio last year, but forgot about it. First, I need to set up a domain and find a host. Preferably something cheap and reliable, as it won't have THAT many visitors but needs to be up and working when there are visitors. Any recommendations? Also, I'm not a web designer, so I need to find someone to build it for me. I can do the updating, but I need someone to code the structure. * * * Last night, we had some friends over for dinner: cheese puffs, stuffed pork chops, ribs, sauteed mushrooms & green beans, potatoes/yams au gratin, and chocolate chip bundt cake for dessert. Unfortunately, I forgot (as always) to take pictures of the food we made. Dinner was originally inspired by the pork chop recipe, which came with my St. Supery wine club shipment, but eventually ballooned into a gluttonous food fest. We shared three kinds of delicious red wines: Papapietro Pinot Noir, Peterson Winery Merlot, and the St. Supery Merlot. (I'm not listing years because I can never remember them.) I forgot how fun cooking is. I really enjoy it--especially when it is with/for good friends. * * * A friend from high school is engaged to a man (that I've never met) who lost a leg to flesh eating bacteria while traveling in Thailand together. While browsing their wedding website, I couldn't help but burst out laughing (near the point of tears) when reading through their engagement story--it mentioned him getting down on "his one AND ONLY knee" to propose to her. I love my friend's sense of humor. |
March 16, 2006, 1:25 pm
- My temp found a full-time job, so if you know of a college student or anyone who would like to do some filing/collating for me a few hours a week during business hours, please email me. We're currently situated in Brisbane but will be moving to Foster City (blech) sometime this summer.
- J & I are directing a 4-mile race on Sunday, April 9 that promptly begins at 9 a.m. The starting line is on Lincoln & Great Highway in SF and is pretty flat. Come out for a nice run along the beach--only $5. (Plus, you'll make me look like a good race director.) For more details, check out dserunners.com. No preregistration required. Just come with a crisp Lincoln.
- I'm done with my Marketing class. I don't think I'll be taking any more classes from UC Berkeley Extension--I didn't like the level of instruction or student interest. I prefer learning environments that are challenging and in which the students actually care about the material. Now I have to start studying for the GMATS and figure out my B-school strategy.
- I'm ready for the rain to stop.
- A girl my age, running in the Presidio where I often run was hit and killed by a car. The police were only able to identify her through her iPod registration. I always wear my RoadID when I go out.
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March 07, 2006, 12:54 pm
Last week, I was in South Tahoe for sales training. I hate making presentations, but this one went pretty well. The drive home on Friday was really hairy--we could only see the taillights of the car in front of us and had no clue where the road was. I would have turned around and tried again the next day. However, our driver was very determined to get home. After waiting for 2 hours for them to finish avalanche controls and reopen Highway 50, we started making our way out. Our windshield wipers were frozen, there was high winds and no visibility, and of the 5 cars in front of us, only one made it out with us. All of the other cars ended up in snowbanks--or what they thought was road. Yesterday, I had a 6am flight to Seattle and then a 7pm flight home. Needless to say, I'm exhausted. This weekend, we're heading up to Tahoe for the annual family "ski" trip. And next week is my final presentation for my marketing class--thank god! After that, I should be home free: my Tuesday nights will be wide open, my weekends can be enjoyed guilt-free, and I can finally start really studying for the GMATS. Oh, and I signed up for my first full marathon (26.2 miles), the Nike Women's marathon, which will be in October. Should be exciting. |
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