Saturday, October 31, 2009

Travels and Friends


Over the last few weeks, I've had opportunities to see more and more of Appalachia. A weekend in Kingsport, TN, which I learned is a nice, bike-friendly little town; a work trip to Morgantown, WV, where I saw the new WVU stadium and discovered Original Pizza; the annual Bridge Day celebration in Fayetteville, and last week, a day in Lexington, KY (also for work), which may or may not technically be in the Appalachians. We've been here for five months now and, more and more, I appreciate the beauty of this area.

However, now that our wedding is over, I'm working and back to normal life, it's time for me to find some friends. I've never been good at meeting people; it just doesn't come naturally to me. I have no problem spending time alone, and I'm self-conscious about approaching strangers. I'm working on a few possible volunteer opportunities that may introduce me to cool people, and I'm thinking about checking out my LYS to see if there is a knitting group, or even taking a class there to improve my techniques. I'm also tossing around the idea of buying a package of yoga classes, although I don't want to commit to a studio until I try it out. Excuses, excuses.

It's easy for me to find reasons not to do things, but I have to force myself to do them. I heard a quote somewhere, I don't remember where anymore, that said something to the effect of "you have to be uncomfortable in order to change." I guess, in order to meet friends, I need to cultivate a little bit of discomfort in my life. I'm open to suggestions.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Julie Became an Ironman

One of the first people I met at my job while living in Pittsburgh was Julie. She was also from Wisconsin, so we swapped stories about how "The Pitts" differed from back home. Julie and her now-husband-then-fiance Matt were both marathon runners. I was always in awe of their athleticism.

She moved back to Wisconsin a couple of years ago, but Julie continues to be a source of amazement. Last month, she and Matt finished the Ironman Wisconsin. I read her blog when I don't feel like going to the gym.

Prepare to be inspired.