Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Adios Summer and Hello Fall

Oh hey. It's been a while since I've written. I'm not exactly sure why, but the creative juices haven't really been flowing this whole year. However, although writer's block may be the case, I just can't let a month go by without a little catch up with you guys (or for me to have to look back upon. Same same.)

So even though the last week was 90 degrees or more, it's officially fall here in the Chi. Sure the leaves are starting to change, but up until today, the temperatures had not. Heck, I went to the beach and swam in the lake the last four out of five days. To be able to just head down to the beach on the weekend or after work (more on that in a few) is something that makes me so happy. Sometimes a leap in the lake is exactly what my body and soul needs. It's soothing and refreshing to me and just automatically puts me in a better mood. But, the weather tide has finally seemed to turn and now reality that summer is officially over has begun to set in. I love fall and hoody season and although it's going to get cooler, that certainly won't stop me from heading down to the water at least once a day. So as the seasons change, some other things have as well. So instead of just being so vague, let me just get to it and fill you in.

1) This summer was awesome. Like, seriously, it was so fun. I previously wrote how this was my first official #SummerTimeChi and I had so much planned for myself. There was so much I wanted to do in my first full summer as an adult Chicago resident. Day by day, week by week, I checked stuff off my list and had a blast doing it all. On top of going to the Oak Street and North Avenue beach a ridiculous amount of times (like a lot, a lot), I did a ton of stuff new to me and quite a few old favorites too. 
There were a lot of firsts for me:
- I went to the Chicago History Museum (for free too thanks to my teacher ID)
- I did outdoor yoga at Oak Street beach almost every Thursday morning (Thanks Lululemon!)
- Some friends and I entered and WON a flip cup tournament. We earned some bragging rights and some cash!
- I saw the Jurassic World exhibit at the Field Museum with my mama (and we both highly recommend it),
- I went to a winery in Peoria. (Who knew there were vineyards down there but I was a +1 at a wedding and wedding + wine are a win-win combo)
- I finally made it to the Green City Farmers Market in Lincoln Park
- I did stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) at North Avenue Beach
- I went to the Big 3 at UIC Pavillion (The professional 3-on-3 league that traveled the country. I was in heaven with the actual basketball games, the basketball players and coaches (Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Allen Iverson, Clyde Drexler, Charles Oakley, George Gervin, Gary Payton, Dr. J, Corey Maggette, Craig Hodges, etc...), and even a few celebs (Ice Cube, Chance the Rapper, DMX, Taraji B. Henson, and Twista)
- I went to a movie at the Park at Wrigley (The Sandlot)
- I played mini golf in the city
- I went to many, many street fests, drank a ton, and saw a lot of fun local cover bands (Boy Band Review, Wedding Banned, and Too White Crew)  
- I went to Foster Beach (and got day drunk)

A lot of "hadn't done this in a while":
- I went on a boat on the playpen
- I went to a movie in Millennium Park (Julie and Julia)
- I went to the Taste of Chicago with my parents
- I went to a Cubs game
- I went on a sunset Booze Cruise on Lake Michigan (Anita Dee II FTW)
- I got to see the Navy Pier 4th of July Fireworks

I tried to keep as busy as I could this summer, doing as much as I could on the cheap, and having a ton of fun while doing so. If I do say so myself, I think I did pretty well. Oh yeah, and I went to New York again and as per usual and as expected, it was awesome.

2) I got a job. Kind of. Last year I didn't want to teach at all and take some much needed time off. This year I was finally ready to get back at it. Unfortunately, finding a Biology teaching job was much harder than I thought it would be. I started looking at postings in May and there didn't seem to be a ton out there. Everyone told me come June there would be a ton and it would be fine. Newflash: there weren't many. Any school that seemed to have an opening was way far south and/or west and not the safest to travel to, especially via public transportation. I stalked the CPS website multiple times a day and there were so few options really worth applying to, but I continued to apply any school remotely good, convenient to get to via CTA, and in a decently safe neighborhood. Pickins were slim and I applied to about seven schools total. I ended up going on four interviews and got ghosted by one school, got lied to by another, and got rejected from a third. And from the forth, long story short, I got offered the job only to have it rescinded after I accepted, then got offered it again days later. Yup, that really happened. And no, I didn't take it the second time because that is clearly an administration I don't to work with.

I even broadened my search to education related jobs at the Lincoln Park Zoo and Field Museum, but since I have no experience outside the classroom, I (not surprisingly) never heard anything back from them. As the summer went on and I was still unemployed and squandering my hard-earned savings, the CPS budget was passed and I hoped that would cause more listings to be posted. Nope again. Finally, the Friday before school started, I went on one more interview for a temporary teaching job for a maternity leave and got offered the job on the spot. I was unsure I even wanted it because it had three preps. Needless to say, I was very hesitant. Three preps (Biology, Environmental Science, and Chemistry) with one I have no content knowledge on anymore (Chem) at a brand new school that started in 3 days, was very overwhelming to say the least. But, since it was only for two months, I accepted because I actually really liked the school, it was easy to get to on the train, the neighborhood seemed safe AND I needed to make some money.  They also said they may have another maternity leave for me a couple weeks after the first one ends so that could keep me employed until at least February. However, although that means a steady salary (minus the three weeks in between the leaves), that still doesn't mean benefits or much stability for the rest of the year. Going from temporary gig to temporary gig without putting any roots down is not ideal, but I guess it's better  day-to-day subbing and way better than nothing. At the risk of sounding conceited, I am far too good of a teacher to not have a "real" job. I know I'm good at what I do and it's a shame that I didn't find a permanent gig.

3) I had to defer the marathon. Cue the tears. After months and months AND months of not being able to run and getting no answers why my knee hurts all the damn time, one day, I woke up and it felt great. I decided to go for a run and it didn't hurt. I was very cautious and took it easy from the start. I didn't want to overdo anything and then have to start again from scratch. I started running a couple of miles twice a week or so because any more than that, my knee would begin to hurt again. Mixing running with biking in the mornings was ideal and I was just so grateful to be able to get in one mile again, let alone four or five. I was super careful with the running because my mom and I had planned a trip to New York City so we could run Summer Streets (one of my all time favorite NYC events). I knew that I'd be crushed if I wasn't able to run it. Leading up to our trip, I was taking it easy; icing and elevating when I could, and just getting pumped. Once the trip came around, I was able to run seven (!!) uninterrupted miles down Park Avenue, 4th Avenue, and Lafayette. It was heaven. After doing that virtually pain-free (probably due to adrenaline and pure happiness), I thought maybe running the marathon could still be a possibility. In typical me fashion, I sat down and wrote out an abbreviated marathon training schedule for myself and if my knee cooperated and I followed it, I'd be able to do the damn thing. However, as we all know, not everything goes as planned and although I made my way to ten miles, I knew that to make it to 26.2 in just five weeks would be difficult and could do more harm than good. It just wasn't worth the risk. As much as I want to run the marathon again (it just gives me such a sense of purpose and pride), it's not worth overdoing it and not being able to run for months again. Although I love running so so SO much, I have to look at the big picture. A few days before the deferment date, I decided it had to do be done and waiting until the last minute wasn't going to make it any less disappointing.  Begrudgingly, I clicked the red defer button and cried a little. This is the only the fourth year in the last 14 that I won't be running a marathon. Out of the other three, I had to defer two because of different Ulcerative Colitis flares at the time, and the other year, I just decided I would just take the year off to give my body a rest. That was the only year not running was fully my choice and not one I had to make because my body wasn't having it. Depending on how my knee continues to feel, I may look into a Spring marathon so this year isn't a running wash all together, but only time will tell at this point. For now, all I can do is just make sure I'm taking care of my body the best way I can, enjoy every run I'm able to go on, and stay positive.

So yeah, that's basically what's been going on for the most part. I wake-up ass early every morning, go for a run or a bike ride, enjoy the beautiful sunrise over the lake (it will never get old), head on over to work, do my thing over there, and come home, plop on the couch, and watch TV. It's certainly different than my summer adventures, but hey, I am not independently wealthy, so work I must. Sigh. I must say though, although I was pretty disciplined all year with waking up early and getting in workouts and keeping myself entertained,  it is nice being in the work flow routine again. Although I'm tired all the time. I'm trying that whole balance thing where I can work AND also have fun on the weekends without worrying about getting too tired or sick. I'm still trying to get the hang of it, but I'm excited for what fall has to offer.

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