Man, the groundhog was not kidding with stating that we’ll have 6 weeks of winter!  Chicago got so much snow that schools were closed last Friday.  And it didn’t stop there because we got more snow on Saturday night.  Luckily it’s been warming up and the snow is melting.  Hopefully that 6 week prediction will be proven false.

• Let’s talk gray hair.  I get a few here and there.  They’re so small that really I use tweezers to pull them out.  Sunday afternoon I found two long ones.  Well, maybe 3 inches long.  I couldn’t leave them alone.  I pulled them out and felt better.  Do you leave or pull them out?

• If a friend prefers money for her birthday would you give it to him/her?  Someone posted on Generosity.com that instead of birthday presents this year, to consider making a contribution (fundraiser) for her upcoming trip.  I’ve seen posts in which people ask for birthday donations to an organization but never for a trip.  I don’t know if I was appalled, angry, or annoyed.  I haven’t decided if I want to unfollow or unfriend this person. 

• I’ve lived in Chicago for almost 40 years and have seen my share of “Chicago Dibs“.  However, I’ve never been a part of it till this year.  After Friday’s snowstorm I had my very own personal spot in front of my house.  I put a chair there to claim my spot.  I did some errands Saturday and Sunday and my spot was still there.  I came home late on Monday and someone else had parked in “my” spot.  Someone had moved my chair.  I was annoyed.  How dare they?  I got over it pretty quickly because I found another spot right away.

• Amazon Prime has the best customer service!  I ordered two containers of Orgain Organic Protein Powder last week and they were supposed to arrive on Saturday.  I forgot about it and then remembered on Monday morning.  I checked my account and found out that the driver couldn’t deliver it because it was a gated community and couldn’t get access to my house.  I was annoyed.  I sent an email to Amazon stating that I do not live in a gated community.  I also asked why didn’t the driver come back on Sunday?  Hours later I got an email from them with an apology and letting me know that my package was lost due to carrier error.  They offered to send another order for next day delivery free of charge.  Well, Monday night when I came home I saw that my first order had arrived.  The next day my replacement order arrived.  Definitely love their service

• Have you tried Cafe Bustelo?  Saw it at Target.  It is pretty good.  A bit strong but with good flavor.  I am still trying to figure out the correct coffee to water ratio.  I’ve tried one tablespoon for each cup of water but that was too strong for me.  Yesterday I used one teaspoon for each cup and while it wasn’t that strong, it was stronger than how I normally drink it.  Next is one teaspoon for 2 cups of water.  We’ll see.

What are some of your random thoughts today?

Hard to believe it is Thursday already.  The week definitely goes by fast!  I am not complaining.  Wednesday was a half day at school and while I’d rather have my kids for the rest of the afternoon instead of being in meetings, yesterday was actually pretty good.  The 2nd grade team met and we were able to cross things off our to do list.  That is always a wonderful feeling!  Now let me tell you about my random thoughts.

• Do you watch “This is Us”?  I feel like I am missing out on it.  My Facebook feed is always full of posts from friends commenting about it.  Do you watch it?  Am I really missing out on it?

• I will admit that I watched Sunday’s game just for the commercials.  This year I don’t think they were that good.  I think the one I did like was the one from Budweiser.  I am not a big fan of Justin Timberlake but did like his performance.

• I cannot stop watching the SNL Revolutionary War skit.  Have you seen it?  Haha.  It is pretty funny!

• I haven’t had much luck finding a house to buy.  Why is it so complicated?  I’ve been looking since November and while I’ve seen some nice ones, a few are out of my price range.  There were 2 houses that I was ready to buy and put in an offer.  Unfortunately they were not accepted.  I truly believe that things happen for a reason and I have to believe that those two were not meant to be for me.  My house is still out there and I just to continue to be patient.

• I am over the snow.  Ugh!  I dislike winter and snow more than ever.  Is it selfish to say that with that much snow it will affect my runs?  I am enjoying my runs outside but now have to be even more conscious and careful because I don’t want to fall.  Yesterday I went to the treadmill and it wasn’t so bad but for sure I’d rather be outside.  We are expecting more snow today and Friday.  

• And with the snow comes a snow day.  I found out a few hours ago that there is no school on Friday.  I just looked outside and it is already coming down.  No bueno.  I was really hoping for it to be a mild winter (I remember last year in February we had temperature in the 80s) this year.  With this day off now I can finally finish grading my math tests from last week.  🙂

What are some of your random thoughts today?

How is your week going so far?  Can you believe that I got sick again?!?  Yes, Sunday night I started sneezing again and also had watery eyes.  I didn’t feel as horrible as last week but did feel tired on Monday.  It didn’t last long because by Tuesday I was better.  Can’t believe January is over.  Let me tell you now about my random thoughts.

• How hard is it to make a good cup of coffee?  I have a Keurig and love it.  However, those pods are not cheap.  I also have a coffee maker and bought Casi Cielo whole beans from Starbucks (haven’t done the math to figure out if that is indeed cheaper than the pods).  The barista was nice enough to grind it for me.  I have made coffee on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and it isn’t good.  I don’t know if it is the coffee maker or the water.  For sure it isn’t the coffee.  Now that I think about it, it can’t be the water because it is the same water that I use for my Keurig and that coffee always comes out good!  Seriously, how hard can it be?

• I am training for a marathon in April but am already thinking of one in the fall.  I would love to run the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th.  Lottery opens in March and hopefully I get in.  I think that in my previous life I lived in DC because I love it there so much.

• My gas bill is out of control.   I cannot believe how much it has gone up.  I live in a 3 bedroom apartment but I don’t think it is big.  My sister and I keep the thermostat at 67 degrees all of the time.  I looked at my bills from last winter and I paid around $50-$60 a month.  My November bill was $106, December bill was $162, and January bill was $222.  I know it has been colder than last year but find it hard to believe that it is that much more.

• Fitness Challenges.  Do you participate in them?  I have tried.  I am not very good at sticking with them.  I’ve tried the kettlebell swings, planks, squats, and burpees challenges and have never completed them.  At the beginning of January I started the planks challenge.  I started with 20 seconds on January 1st and ended with 5:00 minutes on January 30th.  I remember feeling proud when I got to 1:30.  It did get harder and I had to alternate between the standard plank (high plank) and the forearm plank (low plank) but I am happy to say that I completed the challenge.  I will confess that I missed one day.  Only one day so that is definitely a win, right?  I also did 100 kettle swings each day.  On January 21 I began the wall push ups challenge.  I like that one because I cannot do regular push ups.  🙂  Today I will start the Supermans, Squats, and Twists Challenge that is being put together by Rachel who blogs at Running on Happy.  I’ve never done Supermans or Twists so we’ll see how that will go.

What are some of your random thoughts today?

How is your week going so far?  A few of my students were coughing and sneezing on Monday and Tuesday and I also ended up sick.  Wednesday was tough even though it was half day at school.  We had meetings after school and wished I would have gone home.  Oh well, enough complaining and let me tell you about my Thursday thoughts.

• I love running in the Brooks Launch 4.  I have 3 pairs in rotation and 10 new pairs in boxes.  I knew there were 2 pairs in stock at Running Warehouse and meant to buy them.  I got distracted and forgot.  On Wednesday I checked and my size was no longer available.  Dang!  I was kind of upset but also relieved.  I guess I kept buying more and more pairs, not only because I love them, but because they were available and on sale.

• Isn’t it time to put away Christmas decorations?  I’ve run by a few houses that still have decorations.  It is almost February.  Time to go, right?

• lululemon 40|80 Challenge.  This year I was very excited to sign up.  I missed it last year and there were GREAT prizes for those that completed the challenge.  I didn’t complete 80 kilometers but did finish with 63.  I ended up in 35,482th place.  The prize was a 25% discount to any lululemon item.  At first I was upset about it (I wanted a free shirt or shorts like last year) but then realized that while I didn’t get exactly what I wanted, I ended up “winning” because this challenge actually motivated me not only to run but to do it outside.  It wasn’t easy because there were some very cold days that I wondered why I wasn’t on the treadmill.  🙂

• Jumanji.  During Winter Break I saw the new Jumanji movie.  It was actually pretty good and funny.  I love Dwayne Johnson!  Then I wanted to see the first one with Robin Williams.  It wasn’t on Netflix nor Amazon Prime.  My sister borrowed it from a friend and we saw it this past weekend.  Great movie too!  But I guess any movie with Robin Williams is a great movie.

What are some of your random thoughts today?

Another cold week here in Chicago!  Man, I am ready for some warmer weather.  Maybe not HOT and humid but definitely warmer than 20 degrees.  I was off on Monday and it felt great to sleep in and do a few errands.  Now read on to find out about my random thoughts.

• I got a night guard.  During my last visit to the dentist, he noticed more wear on some of my teeth.  I had one a few years ago but then it got old and dirty and I threw it away.  I forgot about it and didn’t replace it till now.  It feels weird when I put it on (sexy look) but it is actually quite comfortable.

• Have you heard about a PowerPoint Party?  One day I was listening to the radio and they were talking about it.  Basically you invite people over for dinner and they also do a presentation on a topic they like.  I had no idea that was a thing.  Me?  I would use Google Slides.  🙂

• “Sex and the City” never gets old.  Thanks to Amazon Prime I can watch again all of the episodes.  Currently, I am on season 4.  Charlotte is going through a divorce, Miranda is pregnant, Carrie is with Aidan, and Samantha is Samantha.

• I am loving my Popsocket.  Bought one at Target for $2.98.  I realize there are so many different ways to use it but mainly I use it as a stand.  It is perfect for when I use my phone to watch movies on Netflix or Amazon Prime!

• Meat and beans in chili?  I like meat but this year I am trying to not eat too much of it.  I’ve been making chili on my crockpot with 2-4 different kinds of beans and I’m loving it.  My recipe includes beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, quinoa, and spices.  Very simple and sometimes a bit bland but am up for suggestions on what else to add to make it tastier.

What are some of your random thoughts today?