Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Random Thoughts From People 25-35 Years Old

Hi Y'all,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and did not eat too much turkey.  :-)  My brother and sister came home from college and we had a huge dinner followed by a homemade apple pie.  Mmmmmmm........

Recently a friend sent me an e-mail which I would like you to read.  This e-mail will make you think, giggle, and downright laugh out loud.  I can honestly say that many of these thoughts have crossed my mind through the years.  I hope you enjoy reading these random thoughts and that some of them will bring a smile to your face.

Love Always,
Amanda


 Random Thoughts From People 25-35 Years Old


1) More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

2) Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong.

3) I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

4) I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

5) Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

6) Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

7) There is a great need for sarcasm font.

8) I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

9) How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

10) I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

11) I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

12) LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

13) I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

14) Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

15) How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

16) I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

17) Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies".

18) What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

19) While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

20) I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

21) Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22) I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

23) Bad decisions make good stories.

24) Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning that just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

25) If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

26) Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like, I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem ...

27) You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

28) Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

29) There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30) I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

31) "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

32) I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

33) I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

34) I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

35) When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

36) I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

37) As a driver I hate pedestrians and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

38) Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

39) I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

40) My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

41) I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

42) I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Dingle Marathon - Dingle Town, Ireland

Hi Everyone!!

Sorry for not writing sooner, things really have been crazy here.  On a good note, I completed my first half-marathon earlier this month in Dingle Town, Ireland.  It was one of the most amazing races I have ever run.  The weather was absolutely perfect (45 degrees and NO RAIN!) and the scenery along the route was breathtaking.  Truly!  I was running along cliffs and on roads with cows and sheep.  Where else would there be a race where you have to stop to let the sheep cross the road?  There were runners from all over the world participating in this event and I was thrilled to be running with them.  I completed the half-marathon (13 miles), but there were quite a few runners who completed the whole marathon (26 miles).  I do not know about the other runners, but my legs were so sore after the race.  As I told my parents, the race was fantastic, but my body hated me when it was over.  I gave myself three hours to complete the half-marathon since I had never run this distance before, but to my surprise I completed the race in 2 hours and 28 minutes.  Yea!!  Overall it was a wonderful experience and I cannot wait to run my next race, wherever it might be.

Love Always,
Amanda

"Before" Photo
Me and my dad!
Me and my mom!
Can you find me?
Yea!  I finished the race and have a medal
and t-shirt to prove it.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Moving and Cleaning

How on earth did I accumulate so much stuff over a one year period?  This past week I packed up my room in Proby House in preparation for my move back to America.  The final result?  Four suitcases and a rucksack filled with lots of stuff and weighing the maximum amount the airline quoted on their website.  I also sent many packages by post (my school books) to the amusement of the postman.  Every day last week I was in early in the morning with more packages to send out.  And trust me on this, I could have packed way more stuff.  In the end though I gave quite a bit to different charities.  I am still trying to figure out how I actually fit everything into my tiny room.  It is truly a mystery!

As I started packing, my room became very eerie with different sounds echoing because the walls and cupboards were bare and the sound was bouncing off everything instead of being absorbed.  My housemates and I cleaned the house from top to bottom, and when we checked out of Proby they said we had the cleanest house in the whole building.  Yea!  Through all the groaning and sweating of packing and cleaning last week I really cannot complain because it was a great workout with all the going up and down stairs, carrying bags of trash to the dumpster, and cleaning this and that.  All in all it was a great week!

Now I am in Curracloe visiting Kate and Kieran who are letting me stay at their house until my parents come next week to visit.  I am so excited about that!  Three more days!!  

Love Always,
Amanda

P.S. How is the weather by you?  I am totally loving this 50-60 degree weather Ireland is having.  Apparently this is the coolest summer Ireland has had in many years. 

Monday, August 8, 2011

Dun Laoghaire Bay 10k

Hi Ya'll!

Another day, another mile, and another medal!  I ran another race a few days ago in Dun Laoghaire along the Dublin Bay and had a fabulous time.  I have to admit though, this was probably one of my hardest races to date.  There were oh so many hills, it was raining, the sun was shining, and the humidity was 100 per cent.  I honestly have no idea how I will survive the heat when I return to the United States.  I am so use to the nice cool, beautiful weather Ireland has to offer I do know if I want heat and humidity ever again.  Oh well, who knows what the future holds.  Anyway, here are a couple photos from my race.


"Before" Photo

Sonja and Amanda "After" Photo

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Powerscourt Estate Fun Run

Hi Everyone!

On July 16, 2011, I ran in a race at Powerscout Estate in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow.  Before the race, my friends and I visited the estate in order to familiarize ourselves with the course layout.  We took tons of pictures and had an absolutely lovely time, even if it did rain towards the end of the day.
Love Always,
Amanda


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Blackrock Athletic Club Award Ceremony

Hi Everyone!

As some of you might know I joined an athletic club in Blackrock, Co. Dublin.  Training is twice a week every week and it takes place in a park close to where I live.  I run with many other women of all ages from 22 to 68.  Every year when the Flora Mini Marathon takes place in Dublin the club holds a race within a race.  This means that when you run in the mini marathon you are also racing again others in your club.  Last night there was an award ceremony honoring all those who placed in the mini marathon for the club.  I did not realize it at the time, but I placed third overall for my division which was the Senior Athletes division.  Last night I was shocked to find out I not only placed, but that I also received an award.  How cool is that?!?!

Isn't the trophy awesome looking?

Paddy and Amanda.  Paddy is one of my coaches.



Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Galway Women's Mini Marathon


Hiya!
This past weekend I ran in the Galway Women's Mini Marathon in Galway, Ireland.  I finished 159 out of 988 runners that completed the race.  The course was along the Galway Bay and the scenery was absolutely lovely. 


It did not rain, but it was very very windy and the sky was overcast for most of the race.  Overall though, it was a great day!

Andrea and Amanda (After the race)

Love Always,
Amanda