Good times... '10

Too bad I can't title this post "Good times '09," because "Good times '10" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

I had a particularly fun-filled weekend. And week, come to think of it. Well, despite the fact I have been completely lackluster and unmotivated at work. Need to snap out of that slump asap.

So I'll document the fun:

Monday: "Taste tweet" at a local restaurant, where I met some very nice Twitter people and enjoyed a delicious (yet super, super indulgent) meal on the house. And tweeted about it, of course.

Tuesday: Trivia, as usual. After a three-game streak of winning first place, we didn't place at all. Also had a really awkwardly heated conversation which did not end nicely. But emails were exchanged afterward to clear the air.

Wednesday: Went to the doctor for my knee. It was a really unpleasant experience as far as waiting, waiting and waiting, then feeling super rushed when I finally saw the doctor. But I do not have a stress fracture. I'm supposed to go to physical therapy (conveniently located .2 miles from mi casa) and do stretches to heal my IT band syndrome (or IT band tendinitis... not sure if those are the same thing). Relieved to know what's wrong finally.

Thursday: Started my day bright and early with yoga for runners. Went out to dinner with my book club (aka friends) after work. The food was only so-so but the company was tops.

Friday: Started the day bright and early again with yoga for runners. Then went to an early morning tweetup in the lobby at work. Met and talked to some lovely people and enjoyed free coffee and a doughnut. After work met up with the hubs, his coworker and his coworker's girlfriend, with whom we have become amigos, and stopped by a Twitter friend's guest bartending stint for a drink. Ate a highly enjoyable dinner at a great restaurant on the river. Then went back to said friends' apartment for some Rock Band. Till 2 a.m.

Saturday: Slept in a little, cleaned house, did more yoga (I am addicted!) and then my family came to visit! We relaxed and played cards, then headed to THE MOST AMAZING DINNER EVER at Umami Moto downtown. This was an exquisite dining experience at a very trendy Asian fusion restaurant. Everything we ate was absolutely superb. The service was top-notch. We racked up a $250 bill for 6 of us, but enjoyed every last nibble. I am looking forward to my leftover sushi. Oh, then we saw a play at The Rep. It was okay. Hubby didn't like it, but it entertained me enough. Followed by custard from Kopp's! Eat much?

Sunday: (today) Prepared an oatmeal buffet for the fam for breakfast, then all went to church. Primary Praise actually went well! After church ate at Noodles with the fam, then went on a gorgeous 1.5-hour cross country ski loop with hubby at the state park. Hubs broke a ski pole, so for the last 45-minutes he used one of mine and I more or less single-poled it. But we both had fun and it was a beautiful day for skiing.

The one thing that has been both a great enjoyment and also my downfall this week has been the food. I ate at a restaurant 5 out of 7 days! That never happens. I also ate really indulgent things both in and out of the restaurants. I'm pretty sure I gained a good 3 pounds. It was all very enjoyable (and I only paid for 2 of the meals), but I need to get back on track.

The good news is, this week has some fun in store too, including recipe contest and quarterly awards judging at work, a meeting for a fun new local fitness group, a Friday off work and two great friends coming to visit and run an indoor marathon relay on Saturday! I'm also volunteering at the marathon. Oh, and I'm singing on Worship Team on Sunday. That is always enjoyable.

Conclusions:

• It's fun to have a full social calendar and great new friends.
• Eating out is fun and delicious but I feel nasty after more than a day or two of doing so.
• The Twitter community here is really nice and enthusiastic and I'm looking forward to getting to know people.
• Yoga is good for overcoming injury (at least so far).
  

Generation gap

Each evening at work, I overhear coworkers chatting with spouses and kids on the phone, planning dinner, asking about days and just checking in.

Each day at work, P and I e-mail, gchat or text about our dinner plans, days and other non-events.

Is my generation more private, more impervious to having cubicle-mates overhear private conversations? Or are we less direct, more apt to type than talk? Maybe we just embrace the convenience of not having to turn from our computers to communicate. Maybe we're just used to communicating this way.

Will workplaces become more silent as my generation ages? I find that my fellow young coworkers IM me questions and comments from 10 feet away instead of turning around and vocalizing them. Granted, sometimes these are comments not fit for everyone's ears, but usually they are things like, "Did you respond to so-and-so's email?"

I'm not sure whether to embrace this quiet, Internet-infused, generational divide. What does it say about us? How will it impact our future?

Day off

Today, being Wednesday, I decided to rest. I've got a big run on Saturday and a 5K tomorrow, so I don't want to wear myself out. I figure I'll gain more by resting today than by doing 20 minutes of cross training.

Instead I planned on focusing on fundraising. That, well, sort of happened. I wrote an e-mail letter to family and friends. And I created a facebook event. But I just can't bring myself to send them yet. I'm not sure who it's appropriate to send these requests to. Honestly, I've never gotten a request for donations from any of my friends or family members before, so I feel weird doing it.

What makes me feel weirder is that I already hit up all my relatives and family friends for money for Dance Marathon in fall of 2007. This is for a similar cause, and I just feel like a total leech.

I could use some real input on the Facebook thing though. Do I send it to everyone I know, assuming most will ignore it, but also assuming a few unexpected people will donate a little? I sort of feel that Facebook is informal enough that it's okay to just send it to a bunch of randoms I never talk to anymore. But I'll have to think a little more before I decide who to send the invite to. We shall see.