#I am very sleep deprived there was a mosquito in my room last night and it WOULD NOT LEAVE ME ALONE

[serenanymph]

(sending another blursday ask for last week) what would be your ocs favorite movies, based on our world or theirs? do they prefer live action or animation, or do they have favorite genres?

Hello and thank you for the ask!! I'm gonna answer this in the context of modern au bcuz otherwise they wouldn't know what a movie is lol. Honestly I don't think I watch enough movies to be able to tell which would be my ocs' favorites, so I'm just going to ramble in general about them and TV.

Crys: Not really much of a TV person in general, but might watch what his friends are watching, and picks up the occasional crime/detective movie. His response to most movies will be a lukewarm "It's ok" and nothing else. The one who silently judges the characters moves and wonders why they're so stupid when he gets dragged to the cinema by his friends.

Icarus: Watches a lot of different movies in a lot of different genres. Enjoys a good romcom, and often watches documentaries because he likes learning things!!! Gets wayyyy too attached to characters and cries when they die. If the show goes "hope and friendship are what truly saved the day" he'll just start bawling no matter how cliche it is. Because hope. And friendship.

Rhyme: Avid horror movies fan. Doesn't even flinch at the blood and gore. Eats popcorn, laughs when the characters get killed, and sleeps soundly in her bed at night. Super mean. Picked the movie for movie night once and never again, because it left everyone unable to sleep (save for Crys, who was pointing out the flaws in the characters' reasonings right beside her).

Sol: That one guy who watches those super generic big budget blockbuster films which all have the same plotline. Rhyme has dragged him to a few horror movies, all of which scared the crap out of him, and she bullies him endlessly about it. Rip him he's boring ig and totally not because I haven't figured him out yet shhhhh-

Beatriz: Romcoms and dramas because she's a hopeless romantic. Also the kind to bawl her eyes out when there are Emotions. Gets extremely anxious watching action/adventure type movies because who knows what might happen to these characters??? As for horror. Yeah that's a hard no.

Dahlia: Also watches a lot of different genres like Icarus, and handles horror pretty alright, but if she had to pick she would probably choose a drama. The kind to get super worked up about it. Will yell at the TV like she's at a football match and forget the characters can't actually hear her. Has been shushed at the cinema before.

[thedailyducky]

50 mile Ultra Trail Race

So this weekend I ran the Sulphur Springs Trail race 50 miler, while my boyfriend, Leo ran the 100 mile race. 

The race was completed in 20km loops, 4 for me, 8 for Leo. 

The First 3 Laps

My first lap, I ran with Adam, a friend of Leo’s, who was running the 100 miler as well. The pace felt very comfortable, although I knew Adam was a way better athlete than me, I figured he was running twice as far, so it was OK to roll with him for a bit since it felt more than easy. I’m not sure whether or not this was a mistake in retrospect, but in any case, I cruised in to the drop bin/supply area after the first loop a whole hour under my planned pace (about 2 hours, when I had planned on starting VERY conservatively at 3). This first lap, all the hills felt super easy, the climbing seemed negligible to me (~600m elevation gain per loop). It was all good.

The second lap, I started in still feeling great. I had a relatively fast first 7km or so. Soon though, some of my muscles started to react to the pounding and the climbing. I was in a little bit of pain, but overall though, it wasn’t too bad. I gave myself some leeway to walk a bit longer if I needed to, after the climbs. Even so, I STILL came in under 3 hours for that second lap. I mentioned to Leo’s pit crew (Kevin and Joe, they were AMAZING) that I was beginning to feel it a little bit, but hoped to have a second wind soon.

Meanwhile, the sun was getting higher, and the day was starting to really heat up. I got in to my 3rd lap feeling Ok, but not great. I’m not sure if my pace was just not sustainable, or if it was the heat, or what, but after about the 50k mark (about halfway in to lap 3), things started to go sideways. 

Things Went Badly

My nutrition plan was to take in between 50-100 cals every half hour. You NEED to keep up the calorie intake to get this sort of thing done, so my plan was to trickle food, rather than bomb down 200-300 cals every hour (some people do this). At around 50km my body just started rejecting food. Everything I put in would come up shortly after. I tried waiting a little bit longer, maybe 45 mins, before trying again, and I puked almost as soon as I swallowed an electrolyte jelly candy. This had me worried, as it was hot, and I was creeping up on an hour without food. I tried drinking a little, and that was OK, but overall I was feeling very nauseous and uneasy.

When I hit 60k, I was still not back (the loops were closer to 23km, rather than exactly 20) and I became very worried about my state. I wasn’t taking in food, it was very hot, and I couldn’t get my body moving very fast. I decided around then that I would make it back and then drop out. It had been too long since I had any calories, I was feeling very nauseous, and my body was rebelling. It was smarter to just pack it in.

I arrived at the supply area after a roughly 3:30 loop. I sat in the tent while Leo’s pit crew and friends tried to convince me to go back out. I declined, as I didn’t want to wreck my body, and I was happy with my 60+km day.

I went to the race director and chip timers to let them know I was pulling out, and they said “hey you know, if you start feeling better, you can always jump back in” since the cutoff for the 50miler and the 100 miler was the same: 30hrs. I said “OK” thinking “yeah that will never happen” and went back to the tent to get an update on Leo and start helping his pit crew.

Meanwhile...Leo’s Race

Leo was doing phenomenally well. He was in the lead, ripping a ridiculous pace, and came in to the 50 mile mark at about 8 hours, which was just absurd. His pit crew got him in and out super quickly, and everyone spectating the race was excited and amazed at his time.

As the lead group was expected for the end of the 5th lap though, things changed. The previously chasing group came in, as we continued to wait for Leo. Finally he arrived, but he was not in great shape. He had hurt his foot, and he was falling behind on his nutrition. Hit pit crew did their best to sort him out, with the help of his friends and coworkers from his gym. He changed shoes and set out again. 

In the meantime, I had finally started taking food in, and had gone to the hotel, picked up ducky, was walking her around back at the race area. The beating on my feet and muscles and joints was starting to catch up to me, but otherwise I was feeling a bit better once I had some energy coming back in to my body. I was happy to help Leo and chill at the drop area with my dog.

For Leo’s 6th lap we adjusted our expectations to look for him after almost 3 hours.  When it came close to time to expect Leo, we went back over to the checkpoint/pit area and waited. We waited and waited... Leo was way behind pace. He came in almost an hour later (almost a 4 hour lap). It was NOT looking good. He had begun to really hurt. Nutrition plan still out of whack, muscles rebelling, ankle injured, feet hurting. He set out on his 7th lap hobbling and hurting.

At this point, Kevin and Joe (Leo’s pit crew) and I had to discuss what to do. Leo had one lap left and was falling apart hard. He was clocking much slower laps, he was having mechanical problems (problems you can’t solve by forcing food down or covering yourself in ice). Joe had to leave eventually, as he had work Sunday morning (it was the middle of the night Saturday night, at this point) and Kevin was his ride. We felt that it was inevitable that Leo would either have to drop, or head out with a pacer for safety. Kevin and Joe were each willing to go (although only one pacer was allowed), but the concern was growing that they wouldn’t have the TIME to pace Leo and still have time to get Joe back to the city for work. 

Un-pulling out. Re-entering the race

I decided that I would offer to finish my last lap with Leo, to help him finish his own. I was worried about Leo’s safety, and I knew that he would not accept dropping unless he was dead or comatose. I was also worried that he would die or fall into a coma alone in the woods halfway through. So Joe drove me back to the hotel to drop off Ducky, and change back into racing clothes.

When I got back to the race site, we didn’t expect Leo for another hour. 

I sat in the tent and thought about what I was planning to do. My body hurt, I was dead tired, both from the 60km I had already run, and the sleep deprivation (having woken up at 3:30 that morning, and coming up on 1 am). A part of me hoped Leo would decline my offer, drop out, or miraculously get a second wind and come charging through ready to rip the last lap. 

When we thought he might be close, we headed over to the pit area, and kept a lookout. We waited and waited and waited... It wasn’t until after 2AM that Leo finally came shuffling up the hill. He was in very rough shape. I asked him what he wanted to do. 

He wanted me to come with him, to get it done together.

I went over to the race director and chip timers and asked them if I could still go back out. “Yes of course” they said, I still had plenty of time, but naturally my last lap would clock the entire elapsed time since I finished my 3rd (which by then was already 12 hours!!)

I headed out with Leo, coaxing him along, trying to get him to hit at least a 12:00min/km pace. Even that proved too fast. He was slightly delirious, in pain, exhausted.

I made my focus his survival, basically. I knew it would help us both get through. I badgered him to eat and drink almost every 15 minutes. Monitored his pee, forced him to get up the numerous times he just plunked down on the ground in exhaustion and agony.

We trudged through the dead of night, and watched the sun rise. We spotted some deer, got eaten alive by mosquitos and finally

We Finished.

Almost as soon as I crossed the finish line, a dull ache in my foot that I had been feeling for at least 10km went into overdrive. Suddenly that foot could barely bear weight, and I realized it was exceptionally swollen.

It Was Not Over...

Leo went to sit down in the pit area, while I hobbled over to find our stuff which Kevin and Joe had neatly piled before heading back to the city (like I said, they were AMAZING). The pain in my foot was steadily growing, and the thought of going back and forth from the tent area to the car with all the heavy bags and crap almost made me want to cry. I genuinely didn’t know if I could do it. But I knew I had to soon, because we had to get to the hotel and get Ducky before the check out deadline at the hotel.

I hobbled back over to Leo to see how he was. As he sat, and the adrenaline wore off, he suddenly began to crash. Medics had to lift him onto a stretcher after he lost consciousness and slumped off the chair.

I gave them answers to all his identity and health questions while I internally freaked out. I sat out of the way in a chair while the pain pulsed in my foot and Leo’s head lolled about and he slurred some jokes about running another 100 tomorrow. The three medics were amazingly kind and helpful. He was in good hands.

Once it was clear Leo was stable, I knew I had to get to the car and go to the hotel and get Ducky. It would be awfully weird for the cleaning crew to find a little dog in what they thought was a vacated hotel room!

Walking to the car hurt like hell. Driving hurt like hell. When I got Ducky, I thanked the Me of the past for packing up our stuff the night before. I loaded Ducky into the car and headed back to the race site again.

The medics helped us get our stuff into the car. Then they loaded Leo in as well. 

In the car, Leo was able to book us an extra day at the hotel. So we headed back there and just went back to our same room (shoutout to the staff at that Super8 for being hella nice), ordered pizza, and laid down. 

Final Thoughts

Overall I give it a 6/10. 

Ten points because the race was organized so well, the organizers were so incredibly nice, the trail was cool and beautiful and easy non-technical terrain, the other runners were supportive and kind and cool. 

But I’ll take away points for my own experience and choices: I want to finish a 50miler the proper way (without a 12 hour break in the middle), I want to prepare my body better for the calorie management, and for the pounding my feet and legs will take (In my training, I definitely needed more time on my feet overall: longer runs, higher km weeks), AND most of all, I want LEO AND I BOTH to learn to not push just for the sake of pushing. I don’t actually think it was at all worth it for Leo to finish in the shape he was in, and to be honest, the shit my foot took at the end there was unwarranted too.

I am lucky that it seems to be improving. Advil, wrapping and rest seem to have improved the swelling and pain dramatically, but it is still swollen, and I am not sure yet if the injury is serious. The moral of the story is, its OK to pull out sometimes and save your body for next time. Things don’t always go as planned and it’s not a big deal to pack it in a try again later.

I am glad though that I was able to finish after all, and to do it while helping Leo make it through too. 

[theamericanafricans]

As I write, we are flying over the Horn of Africa, back to Lusaka after a month of our first annual leave. After an adventurous night in Dubai, I’m a current cocktail of sleep deprivation, a bit of fear every time I go to pee in the closet-sized toilet that the airplane will hit turbulence at just the right moment, excitement to finally unpack into our new home, RLS, topped with two shots of espresso and hunger.

Visiting home was much anticipated for Wes and I. We weren’t sure what to expect on our first visit home since moving. It’s weird being on “vacation” at our old home when for everyone else it’s just a normal day. Being home, Wes and I had to figure out how to fit into everyone’s daily life when it had become normal to not have us around. Not altogether as bad as it sounds, just a tough reality. It was packed full with weddings, family gatherings, girl trips and golf trips.

Biking in Long Beach

Escape Room for Father’s Day

Wedding Fun

Book of Mormon with our parents

Bridge Khalifa in Dubai

Honestly, I think I was way more excited to be home in California than California was excited to see me. For example, I simply stared at the Starbucks menu just to remind myself of the options I had even though I’d been there millions of times before. It was more to soak it all in, pick up every tumbler, fruit snack and remember not to take it for granted. Then when I beamingly gave my order to the barista (High School Musical style where everyone joins in on my excitement) and eagerly said it’d been months since my last Starbucks, it was met with a pleasant but annoyed smile that mentioned to move along, peppy. Little did they know that I live in one of the few countries that doesn’t boast a Starbucks and probably never will. C’est la vie. I also danced my way to DSW three times, each time resulting in a new pair of shoes. Sadly, Target and Barnes & Nobles were only visited twice but several things were purchased as I sang through the isles!

Wes did have an interesting encounter on day four of our return to the states. Just as Wes was leaving his parents’ house on Lawton, he was surprised by the flashing red and blue lights of not a Fourth of July parade but rather the police. Confused, he pulled over and prepared the required documents for the officer. When the gentleman came to the window, the officer asked Wes, “Wanna tell me why you were driving on the other side of the road?” To which Wesley, relived, confessed with a laugh, “Well, sorry, but yes, I currently am visiting from Zambia where they drive on the other side of the road.” To which he produced his National Zambian Registration card and handed that to the officer along with the other documents. The officer went back to his car, probably to have a laugh and returned to Wes to ask more about his reason for being in Zambia and reminded him that, “Remember, we drive on the right side of the road. Have a good day!” And with that, Wes was let off with a warning.

Besides accidentally turning on the windshield whippers instead of the blinkers, it was fairly easy being back home and getting into the swing of things. People kept asking us if were experiencing reverse culture shock and the truth was, not really. We knew it wasn’t permanent, so I don’t think the shock hit as hard, though both of us did agree, it was hard to do the Third World to First World jump. I was surprised by some of my initial reactions to things I used to find normal. With the risk of sounding ‘holier than thou’, it was hard to hear complaints of insignificant sorts, people stuck on their phones/obsession with perfect picture taking and seeing how much waste of food, clothing and other items there was. The idea that there is always more from where that came from is easy to take for granted. I even found myself reusing Ziplocks at my parents one day, only to find them in the trash hours later because there were plenty of clean ones available. Or even saving our leftovers from eating out (however small) to hand to a homeless guy rather than have it sent to the back trash can.  Now, I don’t expect my parents or everyone to become scrappier savers, I simply took it as funny that I had taken my survival skills and applied them to a situation that didn’t require it.

Continuing with my survival skills, no spider was killed under my watch while I was back in the states because those are precious and helpful in Zambia. They eat the Malaria infested mosquitos and other insects. So, there’s a win for me and for all spider-kind. Bottom line, it was interesting to see how, in just seven months Africa had already changed our mentality. You can’t live abroad and hope to stay the same, it just isn’t realistic, especially not in a third world country. Africa, in all its beauty, simplicity and splendor is still very broken and hurt. In order to cope and live here, you have to adjust your thinking but also realize that kind of thinking doesn’t apply everywhere.

Though it probably felt too short a trip for our parents, Wes was eager to get back to the clinic to start working again and I was ready to start my new chapter at a new school. Plus, the first seven months of our time here merely felt like a movie trailer, just barely getting our feet wet with excitement for the next five years. Now’s when we start to buckle up and dig in and get our hands dirty, for a lack of better terms. This is when the hard times will hit, me with a new job as girl’s dean and Reception teacher (Pre-K), and Wes as full-time dentist and director of the dental clinic. We’re excited! We’re scared. We’re hopeful. And we’re ready to nuzzle in and start making changes, one long, slow… very slow change at a time. As is the Zambian way, but hey, we’re here for the long haul, so bring it on!

  Ready to Get Dirty As I write, we are flying over the Horn of Africa, back to Lusaka after a month of our first annual leave.