Shiksa in nature

So I'm out in the Berkshires for the next two months, practicing and rehearsing and spraying myself down with bug spray. The scenery is beautiful, hands down, and since I don't have a formal rehearsal until next Thursday, I thought I'd take in some of it with my roommate on a run this morning. So when our alarms went off at 7:15am, we both hit snooze for another half hour (I appreciate that we both made that decision) and then dragged our asses out of bed and into the outdoors. Now those of you who have been keeping up will know that this is about the time of year when I start running outside again, early enough to avoid the summer heat, and usually with enough sense to wear the proper attire. Well I was all set - sunscreen on the nose and the neck, with the Red Sox hat and the correct shorts and sports bra and shoes. What was missing? The correct socks. So about halfway through I discovered some evil hot spots on the inside of my arch. And then they multiplied. So now I have matching hot spots because I was not awake enough to put on the correct socks. Stupid stupid stupid.

On the plus side, we ran for 30 minutes and I feel like I could probably do it again tomorrow. Once I get some band-aids for my feet. Oy.

I'm also launching the assault on my dissertation. Yesterday, I put together an outline and started some writing and research. Today, I'll try to keep going on that, with breaks for Russian practice and lunch and episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Being in a dorm brings me back to those incredibly productive days when I could shut myself in a room for a week and come out with a masters' thesis. But it also brings me back to the awkwardness of communal living (read: sharing a bathroom with a hall full of strangers) and the reality of shower shoes. Eew. There's a reason we don't share bathrooms with strangers unless there is a team of people armed with industrial strength cleansers. Same with the dining hall eating arrangements. Plus side: neverending coffee. Minus side: eggs with unusually bright yolks. Plus side: large assortment of cereal. Minus side: unusual fruit-flavored carbonated beverages that do NOT take the place of actual juice. And I'm going to give a shout-out to the DP and remind her of those LA Tech days when we would create modern art out of our leftovers at the cafeteria. I'm proud to say that I no longer take more food than I eat, but when I accidentally put soy sauce on my salad instead of balsamic vinegar, it took all of my willpower not to use it in an installation exhibit. I'm just sayin.

Update over. Back to the Poulenc and my blisters and my turquoise Sigg bottle.

Next on "Shiksa in the Berkshires," Shiksa visits the Wal-Mart. Stay tuned.

Papi the patriot

Citizen Papi, whose cast has come off and has been replaced by a removable splint. Get better soon Papi!

NKOTB

My curiosity was piqued, I'll admit. I heard a while back that NKOTB would be getting back together and, since they're local boys, I think my curiosity was even more heightened - between the Sox season, the finals between the Lakers and the Celtics and now this, I've entered a new dimension of Boston fanaticism. I'm ten years old again and I'm listening to New Kids on the Block while I'm making my bed and singing along with a very VERY young Joey McIntyre. But Joey has grown up, as have I, and so have the other boys. Which means that, as a 28 year old doctoral student who's just come home from watching CNN while sweating it out on the elliptical machine, I feel a little sheepish to admit that I watched the new video. And then a few more of the old ones. And it is taking all of my willpower to tear myself away to get on with the business of the day because I really really really want to go find my NSYNC cd and listen to it while I'm cleaning the rest of the house.

It's an illness. And that illness is going to be in my head all day. Oy vey.