heli-star-wars-zipline-copter

the following happened in the office around christmastime:

guess which one i am?

hint: i'm the only girl that works here.

and then,

these happened in the office in january:

and then,

an experiment happened in the office at lunchtime,

involving attaching my little effigy to the aforementioned flight machine:

note: effigy is not a swear word.

look it up, yo.

result:

it seems she exceeded the weight limit, and did not fly.

but don't worry,

i had this vision involving a zipline,

and crafted some important office goals:

and for good measure:

also,

i had waffle fries with my lunch.

pretty much dominating tuesday,

katilda

running report: 10K in 58:02

i have done it!

10K goal: under 1 hour

Actual time: 58:02

Pace: 9:21

[10K = 6.2 miles, if you're not metric-minded.]

hollaaaa!

i knew i was on pace to scrape it in under an hour,

but with half a mile to go i still had a ton of juice left in me

so i ran my little heart out!

and can i just say?

it felt uh-may-zing.

i love the electricity of the starting line.

there's a special camaraderie when you're with hundreds of other runners with numbers pinned to their shirts.

it's like,

we don't know each other's stories...

but then again,

we kind of do.

oh and my girl C, she rocked the 13.1 like a champ!

next up for me?

el ragnar del sol

and then?

still gunnin' for another half marty.

run run run & gingerbread man,

katilda

running report: halfway there

this weekend is my one-year anniversary of my first 1/2 marty!

i was supposed to run my second one tomorrow....

but i had to adjust my goals, remember?

so instead,

tomorrow i will run a 10K.

and then i will wait at the finish line for this girl to finish her first 1/2 marty.

i am sooo proud of her!

honestly?

i wish it could be me again.

but, it will be.

just gotta be patient.

[via time.com]

dear 10K,

you are not exactly all i wanted,

but maybe you are exactly what i needed right now.

because even though i'm not as far as i was last year,

i'm still 6.2 miles farther than i was the year before that.

and i think,

that is something.

love and ambition and carb-loading,

katilda

dear turkish delight: no i will not make out with you

and this, kiddos, is why my dating life keeps me on my toes.

the scenario:

a facebook friend request

from this guy:

goes by the name of:

ensar

hails from the great land of:

turkey

his message:

"I will come in june :) this year...."

that's right my friends.....

i think this guy just mail-order brided me.

what? that's totally a verb.

as i said to kels on the ol' skype chat...

I HAVE WHOLE CONVERSATIONS WITH ATTRACTIVE GUYS AT PARTIES WHO DON'T CALL ME AND THE ONLY GUY WHO OFFERS TO COME SEE ME IS FRIGGIN ENSAR.

but seriously. too funny.


shopping for a wedding dress that won't get wrinkled on an international flight,
katilda

almost 25 but going on 17

this fountain of eternal youth thing i've got goin' on will totally work in my favor when i'm like 40 and smokin' hot, yes?

yes.

convo with the dental assistant:

she: so are you still in school? 
me: oh no...i graduated a couple years ago. 
she: oh cool. which high school?

also,

my face is numb from a cavity filling.
for all i know, i'm drooling on mineself right now.

good thing my metalmouth is gone and i am developing a deeply committed relationship with dental floss.

seriously, flossing is a highlight of my day.

this has been a paid service announcement by your local dentist.

[not really.]

let's end with this gem:

someone get me that on a shirt, yo!

love and numb lips and retro-fab booty shorts,

katilda

music: the paper kites

i love this song.

it makes me want to take a nap in a hammock.

have a lovely tuesday.

shall i write it in a letter?

shall i try to get it down?

oh you fill my head with pieces

of a song i can't get out.

can i take it to a morning

where the fields are painted gold

and the trees are filled with memories

of the feelings never told?

year of the dragon.

2011 was the year of the rabbit.

[which i took as a good omen because i was born in a rabbit year.]

today marks the dawn of the year of the dragon.

[considering my recent costume shenanigans, this HAS to be a good omen too.]

naturally, my friend holly threw a celebration!

it went down something like this...

1. origami & fortune telling with this gal. 

[goes by the name of kim]

2. some authentic chinese garb for this guy.

[apparently it is working well for him.]

3. i believe i can fly.

4. an inability to take serious pictures all night.

5. photography art.

6. at some point, we proceeded to zoom in on the faces of other party goers and take pictures of an individual feature....

...which kim later photoshopped together.

i give you, "if our saturday night had a child..."

i want desperately to name this creature, but i can't decide what gender it is.

...suggestions?

modeling & a hiking chair

sometimes,

you have a friend-who-is-a-photographer.

and sometimes,

friend-who-is-a-photographer is like,

"let's do a photo shoot!"

so you put on a skirt, lace, & red lipstick

grab a chair,

and hike off into the wild desert.

completely normal.

annnyway,

he took most of them on film so you'll have to w-a-i-t for those,

but here is a little preview.

...in other news, my hair is much longer than i thought.

shrug.

16,513 emails in 2011

i did something wicked cool....

i had my email analyzed for 2011.

love the info, adore the sleek site design,

think everyone should do this.

most notable thing i learned:

for the top 10 people i emailed, the first 3 are all the same person.

my bestie's 3 separate email accounts.

i've never been sure why she has 3 email accounts,

and what's more, i'm not sure why i email all of them.

but let's be honest...

that. is. huh. larious.

and, not surprising, actually...

anyway, on to the goods...

facebook clearly polluted the last two graphics.

also,

apparently the most exciting moments of my life happen at 1pm.

...on tuesdays.

...in march.

go on. git yer own report.

the feminine ideal: class vs. crass

oh hey girl hey.

and, boys.

and, choose-not-to-specifies.

...what?

anyway,

work is still bizzy bizzy.

just popping in to tell you...

i'm blogging over at the huffington post today!

if you've seen that death of pretty article floating around, this may hit home for you.

it's about the dying tradition of being a lady.

here ya go:

feminine ideal: class vs. crass

you likey?

aw, shucks.

feel free to read my other huffs*.

oh, and here's a debatably relevant picture for good measure:

over and out and under and aside,

katilda

*as always, that is totally not a drug reference.

have to save maggie. have to save jack.

found a caption contest for the following photo on this guy's blog:

my entry?

"oh there you are, peter!"

if you don't get it...

i weep for your cinematic childhood.

but there's always second chances,

so get on that.

still busy-up-to-my-pearl-earrings with work,

katilda

macchio monday & jane fonda fingers

no, macchio isn't a type of coffee.

[well, i think anyways...]

the point is,

it will be a busy work week.

so i kicked off monday by wearing my lucky shirt:

[thanks to my bonniesister!]

i believe in setting myself up for success.

oh, 

and my coworker said his fingers were tired....

so i found these little gems on youtube.

they are quite delightful.

also, i wish i spoke asian so i could get the full experience.

but go on....participate...you won't regret it.

red lips, cucumbers, scribbles & gollum

you know those times when you make a dinner consisting of several elements depending on whatever-the-eff you have roaming around in your cupboards?

this post is kind of like that.

potluck post.

enjoy.

1. 

new teeth call for new, red lips. i took the plunge.

i also think this angle looks like i'm taking a pic of my hair.

i was aiming for my lips, but whatevs...same region...

2. 

a post about my breakfast called for a follow-up pic of my lunchy mcluncherson.

cucumber & cream cheese, yo!

3.

this is how i take notes when i interview clients.

actually, this is one of my more organized sets of notes.

i like to call it the "scribble & abbreviate" method.

started during my newspaper reporter days.

hey, people are still hiring me to write, sooo...

4. 

remember how i like defining the word verifications?

left the following comment on my mandysister's blog.

[click on that link to read more of my world-renowned definitions.]

feliz viernes,

katilda

breakfast of champions.

nom nom nom.

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?" 

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?" 

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. 

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.

-a.a. milne

...who just so happens to be my favorite author.

he knows how to make magic words.

in other news, none of that breakfast got stuck in my teeth,

because i am free.

that makes two magic things.

love and elder wands,

katilda

writing: running for you

you're the reason i started running.

well, not JUST you.

there were other things.

but you were the final factor.

the thing that pushed me over the edge and into a pair of running shoes.

it was your thought that pushed me out the door.

your face that pulled me through those first hard miles.

your name that gave the aches and blisters meaning.
your hope that sucked mouthfuls of sweet air into my gasping lungs.

you're the reason i kept running.

i was accountable to you, even if you didn't know it.

it was your voice in my head that stopped me from quitting.

your words that picked me up from every setback and injury.
your touch that rolled off me with every drop of salt and sweat.

it felt like vindication.

even when you didn't want me,

it was still about you.

because even though you'd never call,

it was the thought that you might,

that made me want to have something to say.

some accomplishment to share.

some way to impress you.

some manner in which to feel important enough.

and,

it was knowing all of this,

realizing it,

cringing from it,

acknowledging it,

facing it,

and hating it,

that continued to fuel me, in the end.

but,

i'm the reason i'm STILL running.

it's MY voice in my head.

it's MY words echoing around in there.

it's MY goals and MY pain and MY courage.

i ran your miles.

but these ones are for me. 

NO. MORE. METAL. MOUTH.

AFTER MANY, MANY MOONS OF A DEEPLY INVOLVED RELATIONSHIP WITH MY CYBORG GRILL...

INVOLVING A TIN-MAN EXPERIENCE...

AND A FEW (OR SEVERAL) SELF ESTEEM CRISES...

I AM AN ADULT HUMAN BEING AGAIN!!!!

AND I AM CELEBRATING BY TYPING IN ALL CAPS!

HEY....WE ALL HAVE OUR WAYS OF CUTTING LOOSE.

BE FREE, TEETH! BE FREE!

XOXO,

KATILDA

richard gere & attention hunger

this is what happens when i'm being neglected on skype chat and trying desperately to get my bestie to stop being distracted by whatever "important" thing she was doing and return to the proper activity of focusing 100% of her attention on me...

me:

so i went to dinner last night

and there was a dragon

and i made out w/ a handsome stranger in a dark corner

and then there was this meteor crash outside

and richard gere came to investigate

and he was supposed to interview me but then he fell in love with me

and i was all torn cuz i was like "i just made out w/ this other guy"

 ...

also, i wish i had hair like the chick from A Fine Frenzy

she:

oh whoa, that's weird - i just got your messages!

they were completely delayed!

sorry babe, lemme read them

me:

um, i warn you they aren't....important

except for the one about richard gere

that seems pretty important

i really pride myself on my quality conversation.

your new idolized wannabe skype friend,

katilda

running report: the arch nemesis

dearest running delays,

i'd like to introduce you to my new friends...

...aka, your new arch nemesis.

[shout-out to ASICS for the sleek design!]

also,

r.i.p. to my trusty old faithfuls...
...which were apparently a 1/2-size too small.
...and probably hit their peak about 100 miles ago.
oops.

xoxo and stuff,

katilda

p.s.

if you get a chance to get fitted for a pair of running shoes, do it!
i hit up road runner sports for mine.
super fun to run on their little treadmill and stand on their fancy machines.
they told me all kinds of interesting things about my arches and ankles, etc.
plus,
if you don't like the shoes they have a sweet return policy, even if you've been running in them.
win, win, win!

music: He Is We

so,

evidence suggests i might be a bit behind on this one...

and by "evidence" i mean this textersation:

me:

hey, go listen to He Is We

baby sister:

Duh.

...touche, lil' sassypants.

but late or not,

i discovered them via spotify stalking this fabulous girl.

ok but here's a few favorites:

all about us

kiss it better

our july in the rain

skip to the good part
prove you wrong

and they really killed this cover:

replay (orig. by iyaz)

p.s.

are you on spotify?

let's share playlists!

writing fails that resulted in comedic wins.

both of the following images please me immensely.

thank you, internets.

[via]


and...

with the priceless caption,
"somewhere in Japan, recently, a copywriter just gave up."

[via]

running report: delay of game

so,

the phoenix suns & my boy steve nash didn't start off so hot this season, right?

but, umm...

there's still plenty of room for hope!

my story is kind of like that.

except minus steve nash.

no wait...

i'm certain he's involved somehow.

he always is.

the point is...

remember how i'm registered to run my second 1/2marty on jan. 28? remember how i busted my toe? and then i got sick? and then there was that whole toenail thing? and then i pushed myself to catch up, only to over-do it and end up with sore knees for a week? and then i got sick again??

needless to say...

i will not be running my 1/2marty on january 28.

i dislike quitting.

i dislike that my body is not invincible.

but remember my goal this year?

i am not running my 1/2marty, but that does not mean i'm a bad runner and it does not make me a quitter.

stay tuned for a new 1/2marty date.

in the meantime,

i will read my inspiring running book,

and slowly but surely,

train for next month's repeat of last year's ragnar adventure.

we're picking our team costumes this week.

think we can top the Legos?? 

...suggestions?

luff from me & my calf muscles,

katilda

book review: the boy who harnessed the wind

you guys...

you. guys.

you know when you read a book that just kind of changes you?

this book reminded me what it means to dream,

what it means to have a passion,

what it means to believe in yourself,

what it means to have other people believe in you,

what it means to be grateful for the simple things...

etc

etc

also?

God doesn't forget anyone.

and, there are no coincidences.

mostly, i feel deeply humbled.

also, i'll be impressed if you're not crying when you get to this line:
"and i try, and i made it."

now stop reading my blog and get a copy ASAP.

in the meantime, i'm on to my next literature-ical adventure...

sun, sun, sun, here it comes

turns out,

the big yellow ball in the sky smiled on my new year's weekend...

no complaints from this little arizona heart.

luff & abundant sunbeams & deliciously sore post-hiking glutes,

katilda

new year's resolution: be nicer to me ▲

first, here's a little treat from my fam pictures on saturday...

[that's me on the right and da baby sista on da left.]

ok now on to the resolution stuff...

here's my problem:

i'm SUPER self critical.

the thing is,

it's really easy for me to be nice to other people.

but for some reason,

i often leave myself out of that equation.

i have a big, fat habit of getting very frustrated with my flaws and having very little patience with myself.

did i fail at something?

i feel like i'm a failure.

did i have a lazy afternoon?

i feel like i'm a lazy person.

did i read my scriptures half-heartedly?

i feel like i'm a sorry excuse for a follower of Christ.

is my hair weird and my lips dry and are my legs twiggy and do i have dark circles under my eyes the size of tejas?

i feel like i'm an awkward mess.

is my room always cluttered and messy?

i feel like i'm a terrible human being who can't even keep a handle on something as simple as hanging my clothes up or putting my shoes away.

you get the point.

so my resolution for 2012?

be nicer to me.

if it's something critical and demeaning that i would never say to someone else, i shouldn't be saying or thinking it about myself either.

it's kind of like the golden rule, but opposite:

do unto myself as i do unto others.

someone make me a shirt & bumper stickers, yo!

dear 2012,

let's do this.

are any of you with me on this?