good for a smile

-awesome people who pretend to know you so you can be second in line for Harry Potter, and score perfect seats

-overhearing a guy explaining Sneetches to his date at a restaurant

-baking yummy muffins and banana bread

-the Craigslist "free" section

-a perpetually empty pool across the street, along with ideal swimming weather

-Rainbow sandals

-beating Landon at cards

dreaming (a "motivation" follow-up)

Ok, so after sitting with my last entry for almost a day, I realize it comes off a little odd. This is an attempt to paint a little more context around my randomness.

Those of you who know me (which should be all of you, if you're reading this) either know already or won't be shocked to find out that I have chronic insomnia. To help with this, I take melatonin supplements (which is what you're brain is supposed to produce naturally anyway, mine just needs a little help). And it generally works wonderfully. My family can attest to my much improved mood over the last year or two compared to the previous.... well, that's not important.

Anyway, one of the side effects of this stuff (besides "drowsiness"- duh) is vivid dreams. So two nights ago, already having running on my mind, I have a running dream and a trainer from a show I was watching. Makes sense. It comes from somewhere. When I wake up that dream world melts away but I'm usually left with the feelings from it for a little bit. Last night I dreamed something about being in or directing a choir, with one of my favorite pieces from my junior year of high school that apparently my sub-conscious remembers exceptionally well. And I wake up missing choir. I hadn't even really thought about it like that in a while, but I miss singing in a big group, in foreign languages, a capella, with all those moving vocal lines and watching the director and all that. Turns out I really do miss it. And unless church choir really steps it up here I don't see another opportunity I'll have to be part of something like that.

Dreams are funny things. They fascinate me. Maybe it's a form of gratitude since I went so long without them.

motivation

So I've been neglecting my blog lately... oops. I think I'm torn between what I should write, in a traditional blog good-information-for-you-to-have, update-on-my-life fashion, or I what I want to write, more of the funny-random stuff that is largely, if not entirely, pointless.

For example, what I should write is that Landon got his orders, so we'll be moving from Santa Barbara to Petaluma (about 40 miles north of San Francisco) for A school (military training centers for specific jobs within the Coast Guard) in September. I might also write that I am finally taking advantage of the pool in our complex, learning how to swim, and working on a nice tan that helps prove I've lived in California this summer.

What I want to write, however, is more along the lines of I had this dream last night that I was a runner, and Jillian from The Biggest Loser was my trainer, and it felt pretty awesome.

I've actually been trying to motivate myself to run (in real, awake life) ever since the 4th of July and I'm still struggling. I'm horrible. I have no stamina and I can't breathe after half a lap, it's terrible. I'm trying to baby-step my way into it but I just need to go out and do it. My family's all doing it back in Oregon. It's something I've always wanted to do but never though I could. And I just watched the final few contestants on the Biggest Loser, people that months prior weighed hundreds of pounds each, run a marathon. A MARATHON. 26.2 miles. Why can't I?