I Run Like A Girl

What a weekend! Let’s dive right in:

Friday:

All things considered, moving in went super smoothly. I hired these guys from Flushing (a tad sketchy…), but they were more than capable and made my life so much easier. I think they were caught off guard when I asked to ride with them; one of them rode in the back of the dark truck for an hour, letting me sit in the front. I ended up practicing my Chinese and talking with the movers – they were beyond friendly!

Lot’s of time on my feet, unpacking, shopping, assembling. I unwinded at Jake’s Dilemma over some beers with the work peeps that evening.

Saturday:

The morning was filled with roaming around Astoria scrounging for apartment items. I really made an effort to avoid Amazon this time – I think the business is unethical and super wasteful with packaging/transportation resources. I found almost everything on Craigslist, second hand from friends, and local family-run stores. By noon, my apartment was near complete!

I am super optimistic about solo living. When I first entered my apartment, tears flooded my eyes – I’ve been dreaming of an apartment like this for so long, and I couldn’t believe everything worked out. I honestly felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

Why living alone will make me / has already made me a better person:

1. I am more accountable and independent – every bill, chore, task…there’s no one to rely on but myself
2. I am cleaner/more tidy 
3. I am more creative – I’ve really made an effort to think outside the box on how to decorate and obtain items for this apartment (all on a budget too!)
4. I am making the most of every moment – as a mild extrovert, I am LOVING talking to the locals around here. The usual mundane tasks like picking up food, grocery shopping, are all so much more fun now. I feel like my life is new and exciting again – I can’t wait to explore new running routes around Queens, check out the middle eastern / European food scene, do laundry at a laundromat, etc.
5.  I’m fostering friendships – after posting on Facebook about my new apartment, several old & new friends hit me and up saying they were in the area too! I’ve already made plans to see a few 🙂

My apartment is not perfect – it could be closer to the subway and Manhattan, there’s no obvious running path, there’s no microwave…but it’s perfect in my eyes in every way. I’m so blessed.

By afternoon, it was time for GOVERNOR’S BALL!!!! This was my first music festival, and it surpassed my wildest expectations.

Misterwives: one of my favorite artists. From her observing her music & interviews, she’s passionate, inspiring, adorable, energetic, and exudes this stunning positive energy. Her performance was no exception. Only complaint was the poor sound system.

Lord Huron: we were picnic-ing at this point, and I totally digged the moments I caught. They had a super chill, sensational, out-of-this-world vibe. Spotifying this new artist now as we speak.

De La Soul: we listened from afar. Loud, a little ratchet, and awfully entertaining

Miguel: unbelievable stage presence. Miguel exceeded my expectations with his talent and raw energy. By far the highlight was: in the middle of the set, the weather started full on POURING. I decided to embrace it with open arms and keep dancing! It was a blast. The guys ripped off their tops, we let the mud fill our shoes, and the show went on.

Miike Snow: I wish we saw more than we did. Between porta-potty lines, looking for other friends, and the torrential downpour, it was quite the shit show.

Killers: a transcending experience. When they played one of my all time favorite songs, Spaceman, I lost it. The rain had stopped and it was the perfect end to an unforgettable day.

 

Sunday:

Lazy morning. Followed by a productive afternoon of meeting with the old roomies and closing out our old apartment. I will honestly miss them so much, but we’re all very optimistic for each of our new living situations and our friendships as a whole. What a crazy, happy, sad, chill, stressful, silly, insane year it’s been.

 

Lot’s of things on my mind in terms of goals this coming week:

• Start officially training tomorrow! Ironically, I have yet to decide what my race plans are. I’m aiming to get back onto running 2-3 weekdays a week + 1 long run on the weekend. I’m also aiming to sign up for a pool membership this week. I looked at my running log and only ran 2 miles this past week…TWO MILES. UGH. That’s the lowest mileage in OVER A YEAR AND A HALF. Talk about a push to get back on track…
• On a similar note, get closer to solidifying race plans! I have a whole post coming up on that.
• Solidify travel plans. This week was a huge step as me and Christine booked our Iceland trip for August!!! I could not be more pumped to spend my birthday in Iceland, where I’ve been dreaming of visiting for years now. On that note, I’d like to book my other summer trips coming up, since that will also help give me an idea of race plans.
• Misc: close out apartment stuff (one more trip back to the ‘beca is all I need), plan a birthday party for Scott, and explore the running routes around here 🙂