40 Days and Counting

11/21/09
Day 40 of 182

Last night was only minimally a disaster. I am glad to be going to work in Gresham. . . if you can imagine that. Gresham is not the Best part of the Portland metro area, but the staff is a lot more positive and I can expect a smoother, more productive shift. That part I like. The thing is that no matter if I am inn Salem or Gresham, I am an hour drive from home regardless. Two hours of commuting each day kind of, well, sucks. It really sucks. It means that I must plan my days out so that I can be as efficient as possible. For instance, I stayed in Salem overnight (my mom lives in Salem.) I have a little over an hour drive from Salem to Gresham and I need to be at work by 2 p.m. I need to get in some activity before work, so I need to leave by 11:30 a.m. so that I can get in an hour long hike and get to work with enough time to freshen up and change. I don't leave a lot of margin for error or unexpected tasks. I am constantly trying to finagle my days to accommodate work, exercise and personal life. Unfortunately, personal life seems to be last on the totem pole.

So, I drove to Tryon Creek State Park for my hike and got sufficiently muddy. The day was free from rain though and I really enjoyed the hike. I think I have managed to cover every inch of those trails several times over, but each time I notice something new. It never quite looks the same way twice. We have had a lot of rain recently. I mean, a lot. The ground is very soggy and slippery and I am so afraid of falling again, so I have been extremely careful. I am very clumsy, so I expect to fall again sometime soon. It is inevitable.

Activity:
3 mile Hike

Meals:
1/2 cup life cereal
1/4 cup milk
1 venti latte with vanilla
6" tuna sub
1 bag Baked Lays
1 large salad
16 oz Gatorade
2 pieces of tillapia