Think my period is finally here.. not that I like having my period or anything (hey, is there anyone out there who actually enjoys it??), but you know.. It's about 3 days late, which I read can be a result of the Senral I'm inhaling, but knowing that doesn't mean I won't freak out that my period's not coming and is it anything I did (like trying to loose weight or the tiny winy small amount of exercise I do. Yes, I know that's a total nonsense, but you know, must be a "logical" reason why she's not coming..LOL).

Once or twice in the last couple of days had a feeling it's just around the corner, only to feel nothing a few minutes later. Today, more and more feeling it, and going to the toilet every few minutes to check..
I actually don't think I can call it day one yet, but the cramps are here :-). Usually I have quite mild cramps before bleeding (sorry if TMI), but when I actually start my period, then all of a sudden the cramps come in full force, and I often wonder if it's psychotic. Anyway having quite bad cramps now, so my period; menstruation; the witch; aunt flo; etc etc etc must be on her way, and that makes me one happy woman :-).

ETA
It's 22:00 and I still have no idea how to carry on from here.. As always didn't ask all the questions when I met him about two weeks ago (should always go with someone :-)). Should I have a scan tomorrow morning? On Sunday? Should I also do a blood test? What about the meds..
I called earlier (when it was definitely CD1..) and that was quite embarrassing. I mean I dialed and heard it was going on to his beeper so I hang up [going to talk about my period with a stranger??] but then I realized I really had to, and phoned again, and it was a guy.. Anyway I left a message and am still waiting to hear from the doctor.

ETA to the ETA...
23:50. Relief. Doc phoned with instructions (do scan + blood tomorrow, carry on with meds as before).

And while I'm here, a P.S..
Last night apparently was my last run.. I do [did!] the runs at two, three even four AM. I just love it when there are no people (though almost every night there was someone in the street, some car passing by. I mean who are those crazy people out in the streets at those hours??? [it's my hours..]). I knew this running business was coming to an end, with the knowledge that autumn should be here soon [please! please! please!] and the school year beginning so I really need to get back to schedule and probably not a good idea when cycling..
I loved being able to do that. Some nights were harder than others, some easier (and the best were when Wendy joined me. Amazing how much easier it is with a dog not even by your side as she goes here and there). Loved the feel of my body. Maybe I'll pick up cycling [hmmm on a bike..] next. I think I can do that in normal hours [as in people may see me. LOL].

A post in two parts

Part One
Firefighters. I always greatly admired those people, so courageous! Anyway we have a firefighting station just around the corner, and somehow it never occurred that we could visit. And there's my 4 year old nephew (my neighbour) who l-o-v-e-s trucks. So the other day, when passing by, my mum went in and asked if she could bring the kid for a tour. They said they would love to, as they are quite bored (and let them remain workless and bored!).
So yesterday, quite at the last minute as from today till the end of the summer holiday he will be with his mother and won't want to then, we [mother, kid and I] set up to go to the station. Oh, and they told mother to come at anytime. What they didn't tell her is that sometimes the gate is closed, and there is no way to open it from the outside, and that they sit in a closed room (a/c) with curtains and that they won't be able to hear you shouting or hooting on the car's horn, or see you waving your hands like mad. They also forgot to mention that the phone (not the emergency number, of course) will be engaged the whole time.. Oh well, next time.
Anyway I had a few things I had to get at the grocery, so we stopped there on the way home. Now this kid and I.... although his birthday is the day after mine, and one might think that he and I have such a connection, in reality we don't. I do believe it's due to sister being over protective of him as a baby and not really letting anyone close to him. Last few years he is blooming [and will add how lately he has become such a talker. You ask him a simple question and he goes on and on and on. And I just love that!)] and getting out of his shell, but still he and I.. not really. So we are at the grocery. I'm getting my few items, while mother is with the kid buying him an ice cream. Except he didn't want an ice cream, he wanted sweets and/or chocolate! So he comes to me with a box of mini Oreros and asks me if he can! That looked to me like a little too much, so I said not really and tried navigating him to something else. And so mother and I are trying to find something nice and small for him, and he keeps coming to me, asking me if he can this or that. That was kind of funny how he was seeking my approval but not my mother's. Weird, but I won't say it wasn't nice.

Part Two
My first IM injection :-). Well I still have plenty of time for that one (Pregnyl, the trigger shot, instead of Ovidrel), but I am trying to learn the subject.. When I sat with the doc, he asked me if I wanted injection instructions (i.e something I can go with to a nurse and have her give me the injection [or show me how]). Not realizing there's an IM hiding there, I said there's no need to. O.K, so between now and then I probably will be able to get those instructions, but.. it's a trigger shot, and I could be needing to inject it at any time (last cycle it was at 2:00 AM), and well where do I find a nurse at 2:00AM?? And I am scared, not so much of the injection itself (though boy is that a long needle!), but of whether I'll be doing it correctly. My concerns are regarding the needle size (same as the ones used for preparing?), but mainly where exactly to inject. In Youtubing, searching for Pregnyl injections and IM in general, I came up with this video. Though it probably answers my 'where' question, I still feel I need to be physically shown by a nurse. Oh well, hope trigger shot will be at a normal hour.
[oh, thinking about it.. Menopaur can be given both ways. And although I do it Sub-Q (o.k I am not mad to inject myself with that long needle if I don't have to), maybe I should ask for instructions for them and learn though them [as I can give it any time of the day..].

I make my living by teaching English (EFL - English as a Foreign Language). I tried doing so at schools, but...... right now I teach mainly privately (sometimes I also teach at the local community centre, though didn't last year). The big minus with this kind of work is that there is hardly any work in the summer holiday. July was quite bad and August now is really bad (as expected). [I really should get into doing some translation jobs. I really hate that, but I do need the money, plus I hated English at school and at first wasn't keen on the thought of teaching it, but now I love teaching it..].

Anyway as I teach young kids, a lot of times it involves learning the ABC and reading/writing. When we get to this part in the lesson, they take out the letter cards they prepared in previous lessons, and chant and create words. I love these cards they create. Together we think of words that begin with the said letter, and then they draw. And I love watching them draw, sometimes on their own, a lot of times copying from another source, but almost always with all the confidence in the world :-).

And I decided I want to keep these drawings of theirs, to have a little reminder of them in years to come. These are the first letter cards I've kept, from a boy-girl twins I taught (together, and they were really not easy kids. Bright and good in English, but, well..). Most of the words are cognates, which are words that are the same (are almost the same) in both languages. And I must add that the ambulance, though a cognate (or maybe because it's a cognate) is unique. Most of my pupils draw an apple (not a cognate) for 'Aa', because: a. it's easy to draw; b. it usually is taught quite at the beginning [I don't teach letters in order] and they are probably thrilled that they know a word in English (and it's first letter!).

And then I had this little boy. At his age (five) with most kids I do not do letters. If I do get kids that young, for the first year we mostly focus on some basic vocabulary. But this boy.. he came to me with an ABC book he has already started, so eager to learn with me the letters. And what's more, he knew quite a lot of English. So letters it was. Except he was still at the stage where they mirror write. So the next lesson after creating the 'Ff' card, and the lessons that followed, he kept flipping the card around, trying to figure how it goes..
Oh and that animal on the right? Cat! (to me it looks more like an ant, but oh well..).

And then there's this puzzle my mother bought her young grand kids. Lovely big and thick pieces, with bright and colourful images, and the concept (sequencing) is great too. But ahhhmmm, a million points if you can guess what's wrong.


hint #1: it has a connection to the above.
hint #2: English...... Hebrew....... directionality.
When I start teaching letters (in fact even before) an emphasis is put on directionality [left to right, as opposed to Hebrew's right to left]. And I kind of get annoyed of these booklets that claim to teach the English ABC, and then you open it like a book in Hebrew (oh, those books are terrible not just for that reason), errrrr.. So it kind of pissed me of that the publishers were too lazy to do any corrections. My sister said 'so what', but I think it's wrong, especially if they say on the box that it is good for preparations for the last year of kindergarten (and don't let me start on these preparation courses now a trend for kids going to school [first grade]. So now they have preparations for last year of kindergarten?? What's next, preparation for birth [on the kid's behalf!])??

Now please go ahead and see what the rest of the class is showing at Mel's Show & Tell!

on dogs and seeing

For the last few nights, Wendy (my sister's dog) hasn't joined me. Maybe that madam is sleeping inside the house (doesn't seem likely. I mean to ask my sis but forget..). She usually follows me around town or on my way to the bus stop, but somehow this was different.

They say one is either a dog's person or a cat's. Don't know, I do like both (and all) animals (never did like those type of statements - one either loves X or hates it), but I am much more of a dog's person. Somehow in the last few years I became cat lady, but I do still dream of having a dog again one day. And these walks (well runs) with Wendy make me miss that part a lot. Walking with Sky (my late dog) was my thinking time.
But right now a dog is not a possibility. My new thought is fostering for a year a dog intended to be a guide dog for the blind (They start training them as guide dogs at the age of one. Until then they need a home and some basic training). And I think I would like to do that when my child will be about 3 or 4, so that s/he could also be part of the process, learning about giving and about people with special needs. My mother went yesterday to a tour at a school for guide dogs. We talked before about taking a puppy for a year, and she said she couldn't as it would be too difficult to depart. And then yesterday, coming back from this tour, she talked about taking a retiring dog. Seems they work until they are about 8 years old, and then need a new home to spend the rest of their lives. But she says not in the next few years (I would love to see her with a dog :-)).

And the blind. This is the box of one of my meds. I just love how it has Braille on it, and really - why don't all products have Braille on them? Doesn't seem such a difficult feature.

And if I'm on the not seeing, let me jump back to pet land. Last night Jupiter decided he would join me (yes, defying the formula as Wendy was nowhere to be seen..), which meant lots of circling (I probably ran twice the distance. Gee thanks J) and calling out to him and trying to figure where he is. At one point he was being very difficult. Finally, after going back and forth for some time, I see him (or what I think is him. remember I'm without my glasses, plus it's night time so dark) and I kind of tell him off for only showing me his dark side (as in with above conditions, I can somehow spot the white patch). I carry on running, but this cat is not being easy, he does follow me, but that requires a lot of circling and calling out Jupiter, Jupiter. At one time I was circling and circling and circling (I was turning a corner and it was important he sees that) until the cat finally came and I get a glimpse at him. I look again puzzled. Nope, that's not Jupiter.. Oh well, means I now have to rescue him (after I finish the run and come back full sighted), if I don't, experience from when he used to join me and Sky on our walks tells me he won't come back alone.

And let me end with another funny story.
First, a little background. My sister had a Golden Retriever. Really great dogs! And then she had a baby who happen to be asthmatic and allergic to the dog. The solution was having the dog at my father's house. Now the distance between the two houses was about half an hour's walk, so this dog would constantly go back to my sister's house, and it was all the time a matter of finding him and returning him to my father's house. And I will digress to say how even when he was getting old and had problems with his hips and was limping, he would still do this journey, albeit it took him more than three hours, he just never gave up. Anyway, returning to the story, my father on seeing a Golden Retriever in the street called and called, but the dog would not budge. He called some more, but... could it be the dog was becoming deaf??? Total lack of response. But my father, determined to have the dog back in his place, went and grabbed the dog by the collar and dragged him into the house. And well, you probably figured how upon entering the house my dad sees sister's dog sleeping peacefully in the kitchen.. Yes my dad dog-napped some poor dog who happened to be a Golden and who happened to be in the street in front of the house when my dad was there. [I think I might add that this dog let my father drag him. These Golden's are no small dogs, and had he wanted he could have opposed being dragged. but they are such kind and loving dogs. see how devoted sister's dog was].

I've cracked the formula!

me + dog - glasses = cat's company

First I want to say how pride I am of myself :-), I've kept up with the running every night since I began. First night there was such an inner battle going on inside my head - I can't do it; yes you can; no, I'm quitting; just a few more strides; what was I thinking, I can't; just make it to the post distribution centre. Made it and from there it was somewhat easier. This post distribution centre [pdc for short??] is almost towards the end of the first half of the run which is slightly uphill. First runs it was my marker as to where it will start being easier. I am still running very slowly (though I guess not as slow as the first night), but hey, I'm doing it!
Anyway, the formula.. I am usually joined by Wendy, my sister's dog. Then on Friday, when somehow I left the house without my glasses (I must have gone to the toilet before leaving the house, and yes, don't ask me why but I take them off when I go to the loo..). Anyway Jupiter saw us and decided to join. Not great fun cat joining as I was all the time trying to do loops so he won't be left behind, and every time I turned around that big dog of my sister's bumps into me, jumping with excitement (hey! you can't change directions like that!), and not fun when added is me with poor eyesight trying to find the cat (who by the way likes to hide under parked cars etc. thank god he's mostly white!).
Well overall I think I do prefer running without glasses. Since that night, either Jupiter wasn't around, or he was but Wendy wasn't, either way he hasn't joined us/me since. And now today, was running with glasses as I hoped maybe to catch a shooting star*, and though Wendy came along, guess who was there but didn't join....

* Earlier tonight, I lay outside looking at the sky in search of those shooting starts (or is it falling stars?). I did manage to see two, but I was so WOW, that's amazing, I forgot to make a wish until they were gone. Damn!! :-D

Continuing to IVF the Second

Been yesterday to see the doctor. When I had the transfer, I was kind of surprised that I didn't get a fertilization report. In my imagination I thought a short discussion will be held before the actual procedure. Well, no.. Seems that if you want to know how many cells etc, then you have to ask (when you are on the chair, half undressed, legs spread open..). But I'm thinking, besides being in an embarrassing position, maybe for those two weeks of waiting it is best not to know. I mean what good will it do if I know I had crappy embryos? It's not that I can do anything. Definitely to gain that knowledge afterwards if the transfer wasn't successful [oh, and also if it was. 'Hey kid, you were once this 8 cell....'] so as to know if and what to do differently, but while I'm on the tww it's insignificant. So yes, crappy embryos, well one was, the other was o.k but of course I'm going to look at the crappy one :-). Day 3 transfer, a 9 cell (the good one) and a 4 cell, which was 4 cells also on day 2.. I had one embryo frozen, also a 4 cells which didn't grow from previous day, but an ICSI embie. All, by the way, without fractures.
So yesterday the doctor sat with me and explained the report quite in detail. I like him :-). When I mentioned this is the last vial of my donor, he (who in another hat of his is one of the docs at my bank...) said that he'll see what he can do. Of course I am hoping we won't be needing that 'seeing', but it always helps to have some vitamin P.. And then there's the money issue. This is a doctor I am seeing privately. IUIs I did completely public, which meant whatever doctor was that day. I saw it as an advantage, like getting a second opinion every protocol. But I think for IVF I want someone to be with me from start till finish, someone who knows my case and all. Anyway so as I am seeing him privately (oh, and I will add that he was [well still is..] one of the doctors at my clinic. Yes, he has many hats..), it of course involves paying. But unlike what I read about charging for consultation and then the same amount for the retrieval and ditto for transfer, last time I only paid the one fee. Don't know if I should have paid more or what, but I should think I would have been told.. So that's very nice of him, and his fees are reasonable. Disadvantage is that my medical plan will not refund him (or at least I haven't even tried as he is not on "the list"), but oh well..

Anyway.... going now with a long protocol. At first I thought shit, this means another month of idling. But wait! It was CD 1415 yesterday. He wants me to begin at CD 20. So this month is not lost! I feel so lucky :-). I am to start with some kind of sniffing med (Synarel) [which kind of made me put a big smile on my face - such a junkie, with all the injections, and then fixing the meds to inject and now sniffing]. And then more or less the "usual". He gave me a Menopur kit (probably because he saw me looking at a Menopour leaflet while waiting in the waiting room). Well the kit.. it contains the leaflet (last time would have been great, don't really need it now) and syringes and needles (both sizes) and alcoholic pads - all of which I have plenty of and really don't need any more. But it also contained an ampule breaker! And only for that the kit is worth it. LOL .

And then there's the issues of approving the IVF. He said to try and not mention my frozen one, as they prefer doing a FET if there are any frozen. I so don't want to do a FET with that one crappy embie. Went today to the office, and not only did they approve, but they approved on the spot! Last time it took a day or so (and was very quick). Maybe because this is not the first time? Still have to have the Menopour approved (didn't want to take the prescription with me as to not to jinx it..), but they approved it last time so I hope it won't be a problem.

Jupiter (show & tell #6)

This is Jupiter, my cat. As in my cat! I do have too many cats here, due to not fixing street cats that came here for food. Now they (well at least the females) are fixed and the number of cats is stable, but they are still too many for me. I do hope one day to find homes for them, but know it's unlikely. Anyway, if I ever do manage to do so, two cats [hmmm me thinks three] are to stay with me: Jupiter, Michelle and Dudinka [actually her name is Du, but she doesn't know so..]. But even if I am left with just the two or three cats, he is still my Jupiter. I call him the king and though he is quite timid and not really friendly with the other cats, he does have a high status here and everyone knows it!

We (as in me and my late dog, Sky) found him in a box with 3 other kittens (who didn't survive), probably 2 days old, with a bowl of milk. That bowl of milk really made me furious, I mean even if you didn't know that kittens can't drink cow's milk, what's the logic of putting it in a bowl they can't even reach?? Just so you could calm your own conscious?? Sorry, but even four years after I am still errrr. Anyway Sky and I raised him, me being front mother (i.e feeding him) and Sky back mother (i.e licking his genital areas so he would do his stuff.. until one day she refused to lick him. Later that day I discovered that he was already old enough to go by himself. Now isn't wasn't she smart?).

Feeding time (when he was already eating "normal" cat food) was funny - they would often sniff each others bowls and then she (a big dog) would eat his cat food from his small bowl, and he (well a cat) would eat her dog food from her big bowl. Whatever pleases them:-)*. Eventually he would only eat if it got her approval, and thus a fussy cat was born. Not fussy in the sense that he'll only eat the most expensive best food. More the opposite. He will not eat anything he doesn't know! Not cat's tin food (I usually give dry food) or tuna or whatever. Kind of hard when she's no longer around..

And he is also fussy in not liking to eat alone. Right now he has different food from the rest (he has some problems in his mouth). Now giving it only to him, that's quite a mission. Last time I had to I really couldn't do it. This time they are calmer, but.. though I would love to put him and his food in a closed room and let him munch while I carry on with my own business, Monsieur J. will not eat alone! He needs company.. oh well.. So I catch up on reading books while he's chewing, calling out to him from time to time so he knows he's not alone..

And this is where he likes to lay and rest on a hot day. I think that's a great spot!

Oh, and talking about spots.. did you hear of the new spot recently discovered on Jupiter? Well we knew that! You can't see from the photos (I guess someone thinks he has a good side..). but he has a big round dark spot.

P.S
Only after naming him Jupiter (and having a dog called Sky), I learnt that the origin of the name Jupiter (and it's Greek counterpart Zeus) comes from an ancient Indo-European word for sky! So both my pets were united with the same name :-).


* writing this sounds like she (the b-i-g dog) might have pushed him or something. No such thing! She was such a kind and gentle being. If already little curious he would want to know what she got to eat, and kind her would let him exchange places with her.




Now go on and see what the rest of the class are showing for show & tell!

P.P.S
[and here was supposed to be a lovely shot of the moon]
Today is (or rather was, but might still be where you are:-)) the Jewish love festival. So, a big l~o~v~e to you all!! Hope you have a most pleasant day.

One Lovely Blog Award

Meg at No Oven for the Bun gave me this lovely blog award : The rules talk about passing on this award to 15 (15?! I'll leave the number open to however many I/you want/can :-) ) new bloggers. I think it is a great way to introduce new blogs or at least blogs that are new in one's neighbourhood, something like the ICLW where you get to meet all these wonderful new blogs.
But well, I have a problem with the definition of new. Obviously a blog I have newly discovered would be "new". But, hmmmm, cough cough.. did I mention my scratch*? Though I am doing this less and less, I love reading blogs I find and that look worthy from the beginning, being like a lurker until I get to the present where I would openly "join" as a reader.
So, I might be new to these blogs, bit they are definitely not new to me..

On the other hand...
Lately I have become lazy with adding blogs to my blog roll. For no other reason than pure laziness. And there are great blogs that I read that are not on my list (I do hope one day to get moving on it..). And blog rolls are a good place for finding new great blogs, I mean that's what they are for, no?
So.. I will be giving this award to the wonderful blogs that are not on my blog roll:

• Becoming Whole
• And baby makes two
• Jellybean Mama
• happy-go-lucky
• your great life
• Wishing4One
• From Here To Maternity.. and Beyond

* Is scratch slang only in Hebrew or do you get what I mean?
Oh, oops! According to the Online Slang Dictionary, scratch is money. Well in He it's one's wonkiness, one's cuckooness. But I like it, so I'll keep it :-)

Another First :-)

Just had a most wonderful massage :-). And yes, it was a first time for me. Got it as a birthday present, and today I finally went with sister #6, 5 minutes before the gift certificate won't be valid any more (oh, those procrastinators. always at the last minute..).
And a new world opened.. funny, it was not a lot like what I expected. Didn't know, for example that you have a shower before you go in (which might I add that me and sis, for lack of space and time [we were late and she was concerned about the masseurs waiting for us] had one together in the same booth). The massage itself was mostly great (especially loved when she did my feet), and I totally allowed myself to relax.
And while I was relaxing, body and mind, I was watching my kids play, and told them how soon I will be cycling again, and that perhaps we didn't really have this talk before, but that I would very much appreciate it if they (as in just the boy or just the girl or both of them. however they prefer is fine with me) would come down to earth to be born. I know that on previous occasions they were mostly unprepared (or that when they did try, something was just not right), so I was telling them now in advance, giving them the time they need to prepare.
The massage ended with the masseur thanking me. We had a bit of a chat at the beginning of the massage (where she explained how it's not a good idea to do while pregnant, especially in early pregnancy. Well one of the reasons I postponed the massage was because I wasn't sure about that, so needed to wait while cycling), but not really beyond, so it kind of surprised me when I heard her whisper something. At first I thought she was counting ("four" does sound like the "much" in - thank-you very much in Hebrew). So she touched me again with her warm hands and said it again. So I "awoke" and a wonderful massage came to an end. And you know, that little gesture, that little act of thanking me at the end of the massage (I am the one who should thank her!), turned it into nothing less than perfect!

Running

One of the things I really wanted to do, was start my pregnancy with a BMI that reads "normal". And in the last I don't know how long, I've been loosing some weight (but not reaching my goal) and then of course gaining it all back. I think I kind of given up on that notion, and before last cycle said the hell with it. But now I am here with a little over a month of waiting and not doing much, and someone on a board mentioned trying to loose weight while waiting for her next IVF, and Wishing4One had a post about not giving up, so...
4.6 kg is my target, loosing it will bring me to the desired BMI. I really would love loosing 10 more kg after that, as I will still be overweight (basically I have a thin body structure and hollow bones [don't tell me there's no such thing!*] but... with my tummy I probably look somewhat pregnant. No, wait, I do look pregnant.. ** I probably have quite a huge butt, but I'm actually not really bothered about it, and I guess boobs and thighs), but those 10 extra kilos are really not going to happen, so let me focus on the 4.6.

So two fields - food and sports. Well I'll skip the food discussion, but will mention how this week is very not loosing weight friendly:
->Sat (today) celebrated niece's 7th birthday.
->Mon a family gathering to say farewell to my eldest nephew who is enlisting.
->Tue me and sis at spa, then mother (who will be babysitting while we enjoy ourselves) will join as for a meal at a nearby restaurant.
-> Fri father is having a Friday night meal (if you read a while back, that was a tradition he was trying to bring back. It was nice at the time, but no one felt like carrying on. Anyway he is doing it for my brother and his family who are here on a visit)
->Sat (next) celebrating a birthday to my two year old niece.
[if only this week would have been during the tww, well except with no family gatherings on the last few days..]
Oh I will just add and say that while I'm by myself, I could eat the right things or I should say avoid the wrong foods, etc. But at these family gatherings and celebrations?? I am such a weak person..

So, I decided I should do some sports. I am really a very lazy energyless person, but if I want to loose weight (especially in light of this coming week), I really should do some sports, and decided I'll try running. When I was in the army, my friend and I used to do some running around the base. And maybe today I am in a worse state (after all I was about 19 at the time), but also then I was really out of shape, but we run and run and run. Funny thing is that I might have been not fit, but I did (and do?) have a strong will power. As long as she kept going, I was not about to say quit. She, on the other hand, was not going to stop before her unfit not in shape friend. So we run and run and run. At one point, after the stage where it hurts in the side, it actually becomes enjoyable (me.. saying running is enjoyable..), an elevated feeling, like I could continue forever. I would love getting that feeling again! (o.k, not really counting on it).

And I decided tonight was a good time to start. After midnight (or very early in the morning, but I am not a morning type. I am on the over hand a night owl) when the weather is cool (well cooler) and there aren't any people in the streets (though at 2:30 there were one or two cars, err..). Well to start of, if one wants to run presumably one should wear shoes. And shoes, well there should be socks too, but where are my socks??? Had to dig into my odd pair box (one advantage of running at 2:30 is that who sees you..). Can you guess I haven't worn shoes for, oh maybe like a hundred years? [though in a perfect world I would not wear anything on my feet, I do wear sandals. never flip flops and never heels (hey, I might be considered short, but I have no problem with my height {1.61 m. if you must. I think it's 5'2" or 5'3"}, and really don't need them heels..)]. So running. I thought I would start the run and just break and quit. Well I didn't, and managed to do a lap, running as slow as a turtle (or slower), and it was a short lap, but still.. I did it :-). And my legs were like jelly when I finished.. I think my aim right now should be to do the same tomorrow night and the night after that etc.

* o.k just googled it, and there is such a thing as hollow bones, not exactly sure what they mean (o.k it is way past bedtime), but I kind of doubt if it's anything close to what I mean. I would probably have to say hollow, as opposed to massive, and hollow is just my subjective feeling.

** well this story is a little bit old, but still: I was walking home from the bus stop when this religious [=marry young and have tons of children] girl with her little sister approached me and asked if I can walk with them as they were scared of the dogs. On the way she asked if I had kids, then wondered if I was married. When I answered in the negative, she gave such a look at my belly, something that read - so you are going to have a child without being married??? (but was probably too polite to ask. lol). Oh, and this incident was from the time before attempting singlemotherhood..