Day 55 - Backnobber

May I introduce you to the best invention known to mankind... The Backnobber.  This amazing piece of plastic has changed my life.  I sadly inherited my mother's shoulders, which are hard as rocks.  We both carry all of our stress in our upper backs which results in knots that are nearly impossible to get out.

Charlie tries as best he can to workout the tension in my shoulders, but eventually his hands get sore and I feel bad for transferring my pain to him.  With the Backnobber, I can now massage my own back and pinpoint the exact spots that need work.  I am in love.

I don't mean to suggest that the Backnobber has rendered my husband useless, there are still plenty of reasons to keep him around.  However, the Backnobber has definitely taken over in the massage department.

To use, simply place one end of the Backnobber over one shoulder, find a knot, and apply as much or as little pressure to the other end as you like. TA Da! Instant relief. Thank you Aunt Debi for introducing me to my new best friend.

I finished my Con Law exam and felt pretty "ok" about the end result.  You just never know what the professor will be thinking when they grade your exam, so I will be pleased as long as I pass and keep my scholarship.

I napped most of the rest of the day and then went to yoga.  Yoga is NOT easy, but I am starting to love it.  I absolutely needed the stretching portion of yoga tonight, because my muscles were TIGHT!  Between yoga and the Backnobber, I'm feeling relaxed and ready for bed.  8 more days!  Peace.

Day 54 - It starts...

Tomorrow is my first final, so it is highly likely that my blog posts will be short and less exciting for the next 9 days.  I keep reminding myself of that wonderful number.  9.  In 9 days this semester will be over.  9 days and I will be on winter break.  9 days and there will once again be joy in my life.  Sadly, within those 9 days are 3 finals.

The first is constitutional law.  I can't particularly say this is an area that electrifies my desire to practice law.  I suppose it's good I'm getting it out of the way first.

I hit the gym this morning to workout some of my pre-finals nervous energy.  I did the stair machine for 45 min, but it felt like 3 hours.  After all the leg work I did the day before, my poor gams were begging for mercy 5 minutes in to the sweat session.  And trust me, there was sweat.  My hair looked I had just taken a shower by the time I was done.  I may not have been attractive or pleasantly scented as I left the gym, but everyone whose senses I infiltrated knew I worked hard.

The rest of the day has been spent immersed in my notes.  I met with some friends at a bakery to study for a few hours, studied at home for a few hours, studied with Charlie and Jefferey at GU for a few hours and here I am back home about to study for a few more hours.  They really could turn this day into blockbuster movie.

I hope your week includes zero finals.  If you do have a few, I hope they are as painless as possible.  Have a great week!

Day 53 - Hello Sunshine

The sun made a much overdue appearance today!  I shouldn't need to post such things as if they were worthy of celebrating, but that's how long the sun has been gone.  No need for the happy lamp today!

I've got a Constitutional Law final on Monday, so may day primarily consisted of studying the separation of powers, dormant commerce clause, McCulloch v. Maryland, etc.  Jealous?

After 2 days of inactivity, I made sure to get to the gym this morning and was even able to talk the hubs into coming.  Again, not something I should have to report as newsworthy.  I ran another 5 miles with sprint intervals and then did a few squats with the bar.  Umm... ouch.  I'm really looking forward to trying to get of my chair tomorrow.  It should be an adventure.

Today was Apple Cup.  That's all I feel like saying about that.

We also dj'ed another dance at Central Valley High.  Those kids are awesome.  We've been really disappointed with some of the schools we've been to lately, but we are always excited to do CV.  The kids are respectful, energetic and don't simulate sex acts on the dance floor.  God bless them.

I've got a lot to review/learn tomorrow, so I'm going to turn off my brain and go to bed.  Goodnight!

Day 52 - Broken Promises

So I promised myself that I would keep exercise a priority throughout finals to help combat stress...  Broken promise number 1.  I only taught dance on Tuesday and didn't get to the gym at all on Thursday or Friday.  Also, I made a promise to myself at the beginning of this blog that I would post at the end of each day.  Broken promise number 2.  By the time we got home, I was way to exhausted to recap the happenings of the day.

The day started with my last class of the semester!  WAHOO!!!  I then enjoyed lunch with my friend Lauren.  She's ditching us and heading back home for the last year and a half of law school.  I'm going to miss her terribly, but am proud of her for making the escape.

Later in the afternoon, I took some nuns to the grocery store.  Yes, you read that correctly.  There were 6 who wanted to go, so I had to make a few trips back and forth.  I studied for a few more hours, proclaimed to Charlie that there was no way I was cooking and suggested we find a good burger somewhere.

The Cougs were playing, so we decided to have dinner at the Q at the Northern Quest Casino to watch the game and their JUMBO screen.  That thing is huge.  So are their portion sizes.  The bacon avocado burger I ordered was much larger than necessary, but I managed to finish it.

After watching the Cougars lose in the final seconds of the game and losing $14 to the casino, we went home feeling like... losers.  Oh well, at least we were losers together.  Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Day 51 - Dull

I won't waste your time tonight with the monotonous details of my boring day.  The only thing worth reporting is that, for the first time in a long while, it did not snow.  Hopefully tomorrow will hold more adventure and/or excitement.

Day 50 - Going Global

So apparently this blog has gone global.  I check the blog stats periodically to see if people are still reading, and today I found out that you can see what countries your readers are from.  As it turns out, a few of you are checking in from Denmark, Canada and the UK.  There have also been visitors from Malaysia, South Korea and Russia.


If you happen to be reading this from somewhere outside the U.S., leave me a comment sometime.  I'd love to hear from you!

In honor of reaching day 50, I'd like to share a few successes.  First, I can now run for 45 minutes without serious concerning of passing out.  Second, pilates and yoga no longer frighten me AND I am starting to learn how to do the zen breathing nonsense without giggling.  Third, I no longer have to suck it in to zip up my jeans!  HOORAY!!!  That's what I call progress!

Today was more of the same.  Studying for finals, class and finishing my paper.  Although, I did get to take my first law school field trip.  My Comparative Women's Rights class visited a local museum with an exhibit on Women's Suffrage in Washington.  It was very interesting and I hope to be able to go back after finals.

I didn't make it to Pilates (with weights) this morning, but I made up for it by going to PiYo tonight.  It was EXACTLY what I needed.  My muscles have been tight from the cold and not properly stretching after exercising, so the Yoga portion of PiYo helped stretch me back out.  Plus, I got a killer core workout thanks to the pilates portion.  I walked away from the class feeling calm.  Given the amount of stress associated with this time of the year, I am thinking I need to go to PiYo more often!  If you're in Spokanistan, take it slow in the morning.  That slush is going to freeze and make things a slippery nightmare.  Be safe and have a great night!

Day 49 - Break?

I am SOOOOO ready for a break from everything!  Although I can feel that I'm getting physically stronger, I am mentally exhausted. 

Besides working on my CWR paper, today I watched a ridiculous amount of snow fall and taught my dance classes.  My little dancers couldn't have been cuter if they tried.  The snow prevented a few girls from coming to class and I really enjoyed being able to give the girls who did come some individual attention.  If I was the kidnapping type, I definitely would have brought one of the girls home as my new daughter. 

And then there's my advanced tappers.  They totally crack me up.  They're 100% pre-teens and it shows.  They get so nervous and embarassed, but at the same time have no trouble sassing off.  I fully support a playful banter in my class, because I would much rather them be goofy and playful than bored to death.  For example, one of my girls said "Ugh, I just keep doing it on the wrong foot" after not really trying to correct her mistake.  My reply was "You know what the solution is?  Just do it right next time."  She looked at me shocked, giggled and then tried again.  Teaching dance does cut in to my study time, but it has really turned out to be a great outlet for creative side. 


Back to writing.  Have a good night!