Blah

Today has been kind of a "blah" day. I had a hard time getting started this morning and, although I got a good, full night's sleep, have felt tired all day. I'm working on projects at work that aren't particularly engaging, which also doesn't help my energy level. And I decided to try a new Mexican restaurant for lunch, and my chicken burrito left me vaguely gassy. . . or maybe it was my high fiber breakfast cereal.

I am supposed to start my period today, and it hasn't arrived. I'm not tracking my cycles in any way these days except by reference to a calendar, so I don't think it's even fair to say that my period is "late." I feel no symptoms whatsoever--of impending period or of early pregnancy--and I have no reason to believe that I might be pregnant. (In fact, of all months, this past one was our worst yet in terms of timing.)

Guess I am just having an off day. I even worked out last night and had a nice, healthy salad with grilled chicken for dinner and ate a healthy breakfast of Kashi Go Lean Crunch and lowfat milk. Just goes to show that healthy habits don't necessarily guarantee good energy levels (though, of course, they help).

I would have headed home already and just called it a (mostly wasted) day, but for the facts that I have work to do and I am meeting my friend V for dinner after work. I've been looking forward to seeing V--it's been a couple of months, and she's gotten engaged since the last time we got together--but I'm just so blah today.

Positive news to report. . . . .

I bought some new running shoes over the weekend and tried them out at the gym for the first time last night. I am happy to say that after 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer, my right piriformis muscle is not bothering me today. I still notice that the right side is tighter than the left when I stretch after exercise, but the difference between the two sides is less than it was, and both are getting looser and easier to stretch out. I think the new shoes helped!

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful since we returned from NYC. Perfect days: sunny, just a puff or two of cloud, light-to-no breezes, high temps in the 70s. These are the days I will recall with fondness to remind me why I continue to live in Phoenix when it's 110+ outside. MM and I went hiking with Sebastian last Saturday to take advantage of the great weather, and it was so nice!

I finally--after multiple attempts over the past six months or so--made (brief) contact today with my first cousin in Ireland! With the time difference and some issues going on with her house that meant that she and her family had to temporarily relocate (long story), I hadn't been able to reach her on the phone since early last fall. It had gotten to the point where my sister, my parents and I were getting concerned. So it was great to hear her voice today, and I'm looking forward to catching up on all her news when she calls me back on Saturday.

Two friends had baby girls this week. One is a former coworker of mine who is better friends (and still works) with my best friend KC; the other is the girl I used to babysit (yeah, she's nearly 26 now) whose mother has known me since childhood and whose half-sister is a friend of mine since high school. "Mackenzie" and "Camille" and their moms are all doing well.

MM and I are both mad planners; spontaneity is mostly a foreign concept to us. True to form, I have already been doing some research and planning about our anticipated trip to DC in the fall. As we did last trip in July '08, we intend to spend a portion of the trip with my sister and her family and a portion playing tourist. To be fair, we both want to see the White House this trip, and tickets to do so must be obtained about six months in advance. . . . so I'm not totally "jumping the gun" on this one, as I am wont to do.

That's pretty much all the current events here. Oh, one other little update: we won't be adopting Darius the German Shepherd after all. His current owner has decided to give him to the Phoenix Police Department, and he is going to become a canine officer. Exciting for him, but sad for us. In light of this development, MM has once again concluded that perhaps a second dog is not a good idea at the moment. Stay tuned.