Barefoot Bohemian

I've been restarting my exercise routine over the last week, and I'm definitely feeling it. I'm now 7 days into this "squat challenge" thing that gets you up to 200 squats in 4 weeks. Today I did 80. I'm also trying to run more, and found ab workout exercises that actually make me feel sore afterwards. I'm starting to think I've never used my ab muscles before in my life.

Travel shit is still ongoing. My friend has taken over trying to bully the airline, since I've been fighting with everyone since we started planning the trip, so thank fuck for her. We're pretty sure that our other friend is not talking to us at the moment, because she was the hold out who said that we should still go. She wasn't allowed to go alone after we pulled out, though, so I'm thinking that she checked out and is letting us handle it since we messed things up for her, or something. I... don't really care, though, since I'd rather be dealing with trouble like this than be over there at the moment. The West Bank is getting more and more violent, and this conflict is not ending any time soon.

We don't know much more about how my client died. The last I heard, it was a heart attack, but they weren't sure. There hasn't been a memorial planned yet, though Crisis has said that they want to have something. The PRP might do a memorial for several clients that died within the last year, which would be nice. Nothing concrete as of yet.

Watching Real Madrid at the moment. The good thing is that this trophy doesn't matter, and if we had to lose a trophy, I'd definitely want it to be this one. Bad thing is, I also thought we were the better team against Inter and Roma, so the fact that we are losing sucks. I really want the season to start :(.

The WC final is an hour and a half away, and I already feel like I'm about to have an anxiety attack.

Please please please let Germany win.

Ok, maybe slight exaggeration, but I absolutely hate that feeling. I refuse to get sick again, so this better just be because of cat hair.

Work's been pretty spiffy recently. No huge accidents or anything (knock on wood), no one behaving horribly, and no one has hit on me recently. Real Madrid has not lost or conceded a goal in 2014, and Varane might make his comeback in the weekend match.

Oh, and last Tuesday when I was at the house, a client from another day program introduced himself to me, and then promptly said that I might as well call him a penguin. He was a really fun dude in general, just really nice, even if he did talk about penguins the entire time I was helping him with his lunch.

In the last several weeks, I've found an Ozil jersey from last season, a Raul jersey from 2007-2008, and a really nifty RM shirt. Good haul, Em, good haul.

Also, HI! I know I've been absent. I've had things in my head that I've wanted to post and talk about, but never ended up doing it. As with most absences, I was still around to read fairly often, but was incredibly lazy with posting. Work has been draining but rewarding, and now that Problem Client is gone, it's been more rewarding than not. At the same time, if I don't take a day soon, I'm going to get burnt out real fast. To be honest, the company is one where, if I didn't like what I was doing, I wouldn't recommend the job. The bureaucracy, red tape, and general ridiculousness drives me up the wall. But right now, I've been here six months and don't want to leave, so that's something.

I JUST SCREAMED OK!!!!

VARANE VARANE HE'S OUR MAN!

Varane is proving his worth, that's all I can say. He and Carvalho work well together. Even if this isn't our usual starting defense, they're no slouches against Barca.

I’m shaking, I’m so nervous! God, why another clasico? ”Never loses it’s luster,” REALLY. I got over these a long time ago, just saying.

These commentators just can't get enough of this, and I just want it to be over.

DC United is going to the Eastern Conference Championship! That game versus the New York Red Bulls was one of the more extraordinary MLS games I've ever seen. Both of the teams were going all out, it was great to watch. I do feel bad for Bill Hamid, as he seemed to be so sure the the NY player dived and he had been such a hero throughout the season, and I felt awful for the back-up goalkeeper to come in to save a penalty like that. Made me think of the game 2 seasons ago (I think?) when Iker got kicked out, and Adan came in to save the penalty. This guy didn't save the first pen, but the ref made them retake it because of encroachment, and he saved the second. And then DC pulled ahead and it was all over. Beautiful.

I may get to see Skyfall tomorrow, too! I already ship 00Q, basically since the trailer, it's bad. Maybe it'll give me something more to think about than Sernando once I see it :P.

Ahhh, that Champions League game almost killed me! It sucked how Cristiano really couldn't get on the ball without 5 players surrounding him. I do wish that the commentators would stop talking about how the egos on the team cause trouble, when, guess what, the "journalists" and commentators are the ones trying to create headlines and problems. And I wish that they would stop exaggerating Ronaldo's reactions. He never threw a tantrum, he's not a child. He does yell, he does gesticulate, but using words like tantrum just helps spread the idea that he's immature, and he's not. That's not what his behavior shows. Ugh. Make it stop.

But, yeah, Borussia was just everywhere, and we didn't wake up until the 2nd half. We were sloppy, and Higuain shouldn't have been out there. Maybe he hurt himself when he challenged the goalkeeper in the opening minutes, who knows. Thankfully, the 2nd half brought Callejon and Kaka to liven things up, and make the game beautiful again.

So, went out and got The Awakened Mage (Innocence Lost outside the US/UK) last Friday, finished it on Tuesday. On Tuesday, I think I read about 410 pages. Yeesh. All in all, it amounts to 1350 or so in about 8 days. Take that, college drag! I thought I'd have so much trouble getting back into reading, since college has kinda killed it for me in the last couple years, but nope! It was a great book, though the reviews I read were right: she does spend a lot of time on the build up, and then the climax to ending goes by in about 50 pages. The characters broke my heart and only somewhat patched it up, but I understand why she did it. I would recommened these two to people needing something to pass the time; it's not the best thing fantasy has ever given mankind, but the characters and the world are thoroughly enjoyable, engrossing, and original. Even the parts you can see as universal Karen Miller makes her own. Nothing about it is very bland, though the fight scenes could do with some work. I hope someone picks this up, cuz I would love to have someone to talk about it with!

Next up, I've decided, is Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh. This one is historical fiction set in India and the Indian Ocean around the 1830s; a rag-tag group of people come together aboard a ship and come to think of themselves as ship-brothers. Apparently it's the first of a trio, but the rest haven't been released yet. I actually started reading it in a bookstore in Germany, got it that Christmas, and read up to page 100 or so before abandoning it. At this point I've decided just to start over. I'm excited :). I have a list of books I want to look into now (most of them fantasy, I think) and a list of ones I have that I need to read.

To look into:
The Bartimaeus Trilogy
The Dark is Rising
Havemercy
Coldfire Trilogy

To read:
Sea of Poppies
American Gods
Prozac Nation
The Kite Runner
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Slaughterhouse Five
A Long Way Down

...Yeah, there are a lot more I need to get to before I buy anything else. Wish me luck!

Also, got tickets for when Real Madrid comes to play Philadelphia Union on July 23!!! I'm sooooo excited!!! This month is internationals month, especially this week and next week, so that's keeping me busy outside reading and interning with Habitat.

Also recently (two Saturdays ago?) went over to see two of my best friends and watched Doctor Who and Community and slept over. It was awesome. We haven't had a bond session in forever, so we were talking so much we probably didn't get some throw-away line that's going to come back and be what the entire season story line hinges on. I'll be going back to watch it again soon.

Had to go to the doctor's to get a B12 shot today. When my bloodwork was done a couple weeks ago, it showed I was really low in that and it was probably the reason I was so exhausted and why my fibro pains were more annoying than usual. It hurt :( but hopefully that'll help for a week or two. Now the option is either getting that every month or whatever, or taking a big vitamin everyday. Joy, the options I have.

Ummm, I think that's it!