The Car Contemplation

This July marks the 2 year anniversary of our last move. We had rented our first Milwaukee apartment site-unseen off craigslist and were looking for an upgrade. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with our first place out here, but I felt that there had to be something better since we had neglected even to look at other options before picking it (we were too poor to head out here and look).

This July also marks the 2 year anniversary of being a one-car family. When we moved, we picked an apartment that was within walking distance of the Medical College of Wisconsin where Spencer goes to school and I go to work. We had 2 cars at the time, but quickly sold our second car, a silver Chevy Lumina, because it was getting old and starting to fall apart. Up till now, only having one car has worked out great. I don't need the car to get to my job and for the most part, Spencer is always just over at the hospital or back before I get off work. That leaves that car free for me on nights/weekends to run my errands, go shopping, hit the gym, or meet up with friends. On days Spencer is on call and at another hospital, I'll wake up extra early to drive him and then pick him up when he's finished. However, this system is slowly becoming less and less practical as he gets more and more involved in his medical traing. So, we began to contemplate the purchase of a second car.

Now, those who know me also know that I love cars. I don't know much about them mechanically, but I rather enjoy browsing the various new car (and even some classic/vintage old cars like the mini cooper) available on today's market. I know what I want for the most part, but it seems like there isn't really a car out there that fits exactly what I'm looking for. Plus, we only have one year of medical school left and in many ways it makes sense to hold off until we know where we'll be living and if we'll be moving (can't wait till March 17th!!). That in combination with the fact that I didn't really want to plunk down a huge down payment on a car meant that we began to look at alternative forms of transportation.

After a brief search this past weekend, I'm pleased to report that we are the proud new owners of a brand new scooter! You can see a general picture of what our awesome new mode of transportation looks like here. The only difference between the two is that ours is red. So far, I've driven it around the block and Spencer's driven it back from the dealer where we bought it. I'm still getting the hang of things, but Spencer's already a pro since he rode them all over Thailand. My mom's a little freaked out by the whole thing, but I'm enjoying the potential of freedom! No longer will I be stuck at the house while Spencer is off learning to be a doctor! No longer will I be limited by the distance I can pedal my bike! Instead I will hop on my scooter and scoot my way across town! Here's to a delightful new form of transportation.

The 5k Challenge

About a month ago a good friend of mine told me that she wanted to run a 5k and was planning on running the upcoming "Storm the Bastille" as part of Milwaukee's Bastille Days festivities in early July. This occurred around the same time I started my new job which was motivating me to get in better shape because of the MCW sponsored wellness challenge (my department is very competitive with those challenges). For this particular challenge, we earn a point for every 10 minutes of physical activity and bonus points for doing things like taking the stairs or eating 5 servings of fruits/veggies a day. At any rate, since they were all so competitive and had immediately signed me up once I joined the department, I was looking for something to beef out my workouts a bit. So when she approached me with the idea, I didn't hesitate to say yes even though I haven't done any significant running since I was in high school (yikes). All of these things, in conjunction with the fact that if I utilize my YMCA membership 60 times in 6 months I would get $60 (20+ of those times I put off until June, the 6th month) means I've been logging a lot of miles at the gym on the indoor track or on the treadmill. Thus far it's been a challenging, yet rewarding experience.

Because it's been so long since I've chosen running (or jogging) as a form of exercise, I knew I would have to start out slow. It seems like most people (myself included) don't care much for running because they try to do too much too fast. They develop some sort of injury (in my case shin splints) or have such an awful experience on their first run that they abandon the idea and return to their easy chairs and tubs of ice cream (guilty). With these facts in mind and only 8 weeks to get my buns in shape, I chose to follow the "Couch to 5k" program, starting on week 2 since I was already doing a lot of Zumba. I can't say how grateful I am for this program. Without it I'm sure I would have crippled or given up long ago. Though the workouts are a challenge, I always make it through. Though parts of me ache that I didn't realize I never use (like my ankles and inner thighs), I've yet to get injured or develop shin splints. Plus, with all the varying between walking and running I feel like I'm not getting bored, which is my usual problem with running AND the workouts are only 30 minutes long, so I never have a good excuse for not doing them.

As for the Y, I have to go ~13 more times this month to qualify for the 60 times in 6 months deal. Thus, I go there to run 3x/week and do some sort of easier class like pilates or yoga, and alternate my non-running days with things like Zumba, racquetball, or a leisurely spin on the exercise bike with a good book. Though I'm not sure I can keep up with my go-to-the-Y-every-day-except-Sunday routine, I do think I will keep up with getting 30-60 minutes of exercise each day. Besides, that's now the recommended amount of physical activity we're supposed to get, and if you think about how many hours you spend just sitting around at work, driving, and home (11+ for me), it's hard to justify not getting a good workout each day. Plus, working out more frequently makes you feel good, helps you sleep, and improves your health. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that what started as a 5k challenge from a friend and a desperate attempt to get $60 from the Y has turned into a healthier, perhaps better, outlook on life.

How are you improving your health? Do you have any easy tips for eating healthy or getting more exercise in? Leave a comment.

Dear Reader,

Some of you may have noticed a decisive lack of blog-posting since I started my new position at MCW. For those of you with awesome powers of deductive reasoning, you may have guessed that there is a correlation between the two events. Indeed, dear reader, there is a link. My new jobs is keeping me super busy with longer hours, a different kind of work load, and a generally larger amount of responsibility. The great news, though, is that I'm still loving it perhaps because it's so new but more likely because it is a better fit with my skills, passion, and educational background. Oh, and I don't work with doctors any more--at least not directly :). So all in all, life is good, busy, and at times a little crazy.

So, while I know I haven't done the best job of keeping up with this blog and with the rest of my life, I do have high hopes for keeping up with it in the future. Some of the highlights from the last few weeks that I will be blogging about soon are: camping at Rock Island, WI, planting my version of a "garden," the car contemplation, reflections at the end of the semester, and the couch to 5k experiment.

Stay tuned and keep checking back regularly!

PS: If there is a particular topic that piqued anyone's interest, leave a comment and I will be sure to get working on that post ASAP. Until then, enjoy reading the archives as I'm sure you all do regularly ;p.