A Tag!

Meg is asking that I brush the dust off the blog and come out of hibernation to answer a tag.  Truth be told my training has been sporadic at best so there has been very little for me to actually talk about lately.  But…I am still going to Disney!  If you are going then let me know, maybe we can arrange to meet up.  You know, if there is anyone still reading this blog…

Anyhow, on to the tag!

What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2010?

Without a doubt it is training for and finishing Ironman Canada.  A few years ago I never could have contemplated such a challenge. There were so many highs and lows during the training, but race day was like one big party.  It is almost hard to believe the race is over and done with…

What are your running goals for 2011?

Hmm…that’s a good question, I really don’t know right now!  At some point I’d really love to run a sub 2:00 half marathon but I’m not sure if that is a goal I want to set for next year or not.

What was your favourite race?

I don’t know if I can narrow it down.  I love the Great White North Half Iron in Stony Plain, AB.  The volunteers are amazing and the course is well laid out, making it easy to spot your friends racing.  Ironman Canada is also a pretty phenomenal race.  The spectators make you feel like a rock star out there and the marathon course is like a 26.2 mile catered party.  What more could you ask for?  For running races I definitely love the Walt Disney World marathon weekend.  You get to run through Disney parks…also amazing volunteers…super cool medals…  There is a reason why I’ve run so many races at Disney.

What is your favourite holiday guilty pleasure?

Without a doubt, eggnog and mincemeat tarts.  Love them!!

What is your most embarrassing running moment?

Oh boy…  This was something I never meant to share in detail on the blog.  I can recall a couple of run commutes into work this summer.  I would get going early…early enough that my digestive system hadn’t really gotten a move on before I got out the door.  About 20 minutes in the digestive system would sort itself out, right in front of a Husky gas station.

That would always be closed when I ran by.

So it would be a painful 10 minutes to the open Esso down the street.  Sometimes it would be an interesting hobble those last few minutes to the gas station.  Enough said.

I’m Gorgeous!

The lovely Alisa at Ambitious Aspirations tagged me with the Gorgeous Blogger Award!  Thanks Alisa!!

Apparently I need to share six random things about myself.  Hmm, let’s see what I can come up with…  Well, honestly I am astounded at the things that make me cry these days.  Maybe I can find six random things that make me cry?

1. The official song of the 2010 Olympics was titled “I Believe.”  Without a doubt, anytime I heard that song playing I would tear up.  It didn’t matter if it was just the song, or if it was the song set to a montage of images of our athletes doing amazing things.  Click here, and I bet you that it just might make you a bit misty eyed too…
2. This Tim Horton’s commercial:

   
3. The trailer for Letters to Juliet.  The trailer, for goodness sake!  I better pack a box of Kleenex when I go see that movie.
   
4. I think it really goes without saying, but definitely anything related to Ironman!!  Watching any of the Ironman presentations on TV, no matter the race, results in crying like I’m watching a chick flick!
5. Sad to say it, but skiing makes me most certainly want to cry!  I really want to pick it up faster and to trust myself, but it is hard to not get frustrated every time I fall and have problems getting up!
6. Joannie Rochette’s bronze medal performance, in particular her short program.  When she was awarded her bronze medal I will admit to bawling like a big baby!

So there we go, that is my unique take on telling you six random things about myself.  So, now I need to pass this along…

Missy, Nicole at Geek Turned Athlete, Heather, Badgergirl, Nikki at Slow is the New Fast, and Marlene at Mission to a(nother) Marathon!  Tag, you ladies are it!

What makes me happy?

Keith tagged me (sort of) to tell you ten things that make me happy.

1. My amazing family who supports everything that I do, be it moving from Canada to Texas and back again or my crazy racing endeavours!
2. My fantastic friends who encourage me.
3. Hot chocolate with marshmallows after a hard workout.
4. Snow on the trees that turn this city into a winter wonderland.
5. Living in a city that experiences all four seasons (often times more than once a year).
6. An insane bike workout that makes me want to barf.  Really.
7. Seeing things on my bike that I never would have seen if I were in a car.
8. Hearing my 2.5 year old niece scream “Auntie!!!!” whenever she sees me.
9. Learning new things about myself as I push for new endurance goals.
10. Realizing that every decision I have made in my life had its purpose and was ultimately the right one.  I would not trade any of my experiences over the years for anything no matter what.

Plus Badgergirl also tagged me and gave me the Beautiful Blogger award!  Thanks!!I’m supposed to tell you seven random facts about myself.  Boy…some of these I may have mentioned before so let’s see what I can come up with…

1. I hated my name as a kid and honestly thought my parents had made it up until I discovered it in a baby name book when I was in fifth grade.  FI or the record, it is pronounced Leigh-Anna.
2. I had my drivers license for over six months before I drove an automatic transmission vehicle.
3. I participated in a Biggest Loser challenge at work over several months of the year last year.  The final weigh in was the week that I got back from my big vacation for Lake Stevens and Ironman Canada…and well…we all know how we eat on vacation.  I almost didn’t weigh in, but luckily I did…and my team wound up winning.
4. I subscribe to 148 different blogs in Google Reader.  There are quite a few of them that haven’t posted in awhile though so it may be time to cut it down.  No wonder I always have so many unread posts!!
5. If I could be on any reality show it would be the Amazing Race.  But sadly you have to have an American passport to qualify for the show so you won’t be seeing Runner Leana on there anytime soon.
6. I apparently lose gloves really easily.
7. My puppy dog comes back home this weekend!!  My parents are kind enough to look after him when things at work are crazy busy in December.  I dropped him off in early October though and I miss the little guy!  Thank goodness for Skype!

Over the top!

Teacherwoman over at Dare to Tri says that my blog is over the top!  Thanks TW!  I’ve been following and reading her blog for quite some time.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her that she is able to figure out what is wrong with her knee soon!  So..in order to accept the award I have to answer these questions with one word answers...

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse.
2. Your hair? Blonde.
3. Your mother? Enthusiastic.
4. Your father? Best.
5. Your favourite food? Sushi.
6. Your dream last night? Unremarkable.
7. Your favourite drink? Beer.
8. Your dream/goal? Ironman.
9. What room are you in? Living.
10. Your hobby? Triathlon.
11. Your fear? Crashing.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy.
13. Where were you last night? Towa.
14. Something you aren't? Hungry.
15. Muffins? Yum.
16. Wish list item? Bike.
17. Where did you grow up? Everywhere.
18. Last thing you did? Ate.
19. What are you wearing? Hoodie.
20. Your TV? On.
21. Your pets? Finlay.
22. Your friends? Supportive.
23. Your life? Full.
24. Your mood? Happy.
25. Missing someone? Yes.
26. Vehicle? Subaru.
27. Something you're not wearing? Hat.
28. Your favourite store? Express.
29. Your favourite color? Purple.
30. When was the last time you laughed? Earlier.
31. Last time you cried? Tuesday.
32. Your best friend? Far.
33. One place that I go over and over? Work.
34. One person who emails me regularly? Coach.
35. Favourite place to eat? Chipotle.

Just for the record, Biggest Loser had me bawling on Tuesday!!  I’m supposed to pass this along to 6 of my favourite bloggers.  I really hate to play favourites so this is going to be hard!

Worth a Tri – I am super excited to see this girl start to make her way into the triathlon world!
Julie over at Running with Dogs – She’s getting faster and faster and even though I’m fairly new to her blog she feels like an old friend.
Molly at Muppets on Parade – She has the most adorable beardies, plus she’s kicking some serious behind on training for Ironman Arizona.
Marit and Charisa – These girls are off to Kona!!  Best of luck ladies!
And finally Shirley over at Humble Triathlete – cuz I think she is hard core for doing two Iron distance triathlons two weeks apart!

And on a final note…falling asleep on the couch and waking up at 1 am to Star Trek – The Next Generation…then attempting to wake up at 4:30 for a swim?  Not happening.  And as much as I’d like to go this evening I need to pack for a weekend away.  Hmm, maybe tomorrow morning, but I have one busy day at work and I’d probably be better off going in early.  Yup, crazy busy work time has begun!!  Have a great weekend all!

A worthwhile run, and a tag!

So I'm back on a schedule! Last week any workouts I did were up to me, and I got in two swims, two runs (both pretty short), and three bikes. Today I had an optional 30 minute run on the schedule. I was arriving in Calgary around 9 am and would be heading straight to work from there. When I packed for Kelowna I didn't actually bring any extra running clothes with me. It wasn't until I was packing this morning that I thought, "hmmm, I should have washed my running gear..." I did the sniff test and I figured it would pass for a lunch time run though!

Today was another one of those epic spring days out in Calgary. The sun was shining and there was minimal wind. The pathways were busy! I was going to do a simple out and back from my office and turned around right at 1.6 miles. When I turned around I wound up running in front of two guys. Before I knew it I heard someone ask me if I had run the Police Half this year...since I was wearing my race shirt. I wound up running with them and it turns out that they are training for the Calgary Half Marathon and the upcoming Calgary 70.3. The guy who asked me about my shirt actually raced Ironman Florida the last two years and we had a great chat about triathlon. It wound up being a really fun run thanks to some great conversation. I have a sneaking suspicion that my pace picked up when company came along too!

In other news, I was tagged Carlee at Chasing Forrest Gump! Here goes:

8 things I am looking forward to
1. Every single triathlon I am racing this year!
2. Cheering on my friends, teammates and blogger buds at Ironman Canada in August.
3. Racing Ironman Canada 2010.
4. Traveling to new places (like the east coast of Australia), or revisiting old favorites (like the UK).
5. Consuming copious amounts of German food and beer on my road trip to Washington in August. Why German food in Washington? Because I'm going to Leavenworth!
6. Becoming a stronger swimmer.
7. Driving home every Friday afternoon so that I can listen to Floorfillers on BBC Radio 1.
8. Running a sub 2:00 half marathon...sometime!

8 things I did yesterday
1. Ate a yummy breakfast of 10 grain cereal, dried fruit, banana, almond butter and chocolate chips.
2. Blogged.
3. Took pictures.
4. Drank a pint of Granville Island Pale Ale and ate a schnitzel sandwich.
5. Bought a new dog collar for Finlay.
6. Continued reading Breaking Dawn.
7. Priced out flights to Las Vegas on Expedia, US Airways and West Jet...with no successful results.
8. Cuddled with Finlay.

8 things I would like to do
1. Finish unpacking all of my moving boxes.
2. Paint my house.
3. Replace the carpet in my living room with hardwood flooring.
4. Win my hockey pool (even though winning wouldn't mean anything other than personal glory).
5. Design the perfect triathlon bra for girls who need just a little bit more support.
6. Live in Australia.
7. Bike across the Rocky Mountains.
8. Improve my sleep habits.

8 shows I watch
1. The Amazing Race
2. Cold Case
3. The Mentalist
4. So You Think You Can Dance
5. The Biggest Loser
6. America's Next Top Model (I swore I wouldn't watch this year...but that didn't happen...)
7. Project Runway
8. er...that's all I've got!

Opinions ladies? And a tag!

Wow...today I was hobbling around like an old lady..!! My quads haven't been this stiff after a long run since the Disney marathon. Luckily I had a 45 minute spin session with spin ups to help flush the lactic acid out of the legs a little bit.

I also wound up with some wicked chaffing from my heart rate monitor yesterday too! Yowza! Ladies, does anyone have a recommendation for a really good sports bra that:

• Locks and loads the girls and the heart rate monitor.
• Is lightweight enough that it will dry quickly in a triathlon.
• Won't be so constricting around my rib cage that it feels like I'm being suffocated?

I've tried CW-X and Under Armour but I'm not sure that I'm in love with them.

In other news, Marlene at Mission to a(nother) Marathon tagged me, and I'm always game to play along.

The rules are:
1. Fill it out
2. Change one question with one of your own
3. Add an additional question
4. Tag 3 other people to do the same

1. What are your current obsessions?

Cute swimwear. Like this one, or this one, or that one, or finally, my favorite!

2. Which item from your closet are you wearing most often?

I have the same cotton V-neck sweater from Express in five different colours, so chances are good that I'm wearing that sweater at any given time. Black, purple, blue, teal, and fuchsia. Surprisingly enough, I also own many other brands of v-neck sweaters. I'm sensing a pattern here.

3. Last thing you bought for myself?

I bought four bottles of wine on Saturday... Is that the sort of answer that we are looking for? I found a wine shop here that carries Houghton's White Classic from Western Australia. I have consumed copious amounts on recent vacations to Australia, so I was pretty enthused to find it in a wine shop here in Calgary.

4. What’s for dinner?

Hungarian cabbage rolls with sauerkraut, double smoked bacon and some smoked Hungarian sausage. If only you knew how amazing it smells in my kitchen right now.

5. Say something to the person who tagged you:

I love Marlene and her blog! She's one of those people that I wish didn't live on the other side of Canada because I would love to meet up with her for a run or a race sometime!

6. What is one item you could not live without?

From a running standpoint - my Garmin!

7. Vacation spots you must visit before you die?

The eastern part of Australia and New Zealand. Alaska as well.

8. Three things to do before you die:

- Race an Ironman
- Get my Spanish back to being fluent again
- Be in a financial position to travel when and where I would like

9. What are you reading right now?

I just finished New Moon on Saturday and have moved on to Eclipse. It is so hard to put the Twilight series down!

10. What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed?

Marley and Me. I cried and cried and cried... Just like when I read the book.

11. What’s your guilty pleasure?

Wearing Smartwool socks and comfy pants, sitting on my couch and eating ice cream, while watching some trashy reality TV (like Ru Paul's Drag Race...I loved that show!)

12. What’s your favorite smell?

A really good red wine.

13.If cost wasn't an issue and you could run any race in the world what would it be?

Marathon du Medoc. Wow, I really want to run this one! 26.2 miles through the Bordeaux region of France, with aid stations every mile. The aid stations offer water, Gatorade, and a different wine from one of the chateaus around. Red at every stop except for one. And I want to be able to taste at every station.

14. Do you have a goal that you are trying accomplish before 2009 is over?

Run a sub-30:00 5K, which thankfully happened on Sunday! Otherwise I'm looking forward to training for and completing two half Irons this year!

15. Describe one of your happiest moments.

Finishing the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge back in 2008. I set an endurance goal, and while the marathon wasn't perfect I trained for the event, and I finished it.

16. What was your best Halloween costume?

I honestly haven't dressed up for Halloween a lot. Mostly because I grew up in places that didn't really celebrate Halloween. The last time I dressed up was in 2006 for my friend Susan's annual Halloween party in San Antonio. I was a stud finder. Here's me with the chick magnet from the party...

17. What do you have an addiction to?

Checking my e-mail.

18. What do you do that you would be embarrassed for others to know about?

That I still like to watch 90210. Sigh...

19. Do you have a favorite training tip?

Get fitted for the right running shoes. Yes, they will be more expensive than the ones you might buy at the outlet or your run of the mill sporting goods store, but it is worth it to know that you are running in the right shoe for you!

20. What is the biggest mistake you have ever made (running-related)?

Thinking that I could go from zero running to running a marathon in the space of five months. Yeah...that didn't work out so well...

If you want to play along, then tag, you're it!

Tagged!

By Sonia!

4 Favorite Memories From 2008

• Ringing in the new year in Perth, Australia
• Finishing the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge
  
• Finishing my first triathlon
• Setting some amazing PRs at the Melissa's 10K Road Race and Last Chance Half

4 Favorite Movies Watched in 2008

• Mamma Mia
• Wanted
• Prince Caspian
• Dark Knight

4 Favorite Foods in 2008

• Sushi
• Pancakes
• Fondue
• Bison Burgers

4 Places I Loved in 2008

• Perth, Australia
• Orlando, Florida
• Quebec City, Quebec
• Banff, Alberta

4 Events I Loved in 2008

• The Goofy Race and a Half Challenge - finishing my first marathon!
  
• Minnie Marathon 15K
  
• Melissa's 10K Road Race
  
• Last Chance Half

4 Things I Am Looking Forward To in 2009

• Training with Team Tri Life
• Racing the Great White North Half Iron and the Ironman 70.3 in Lake Stevens
• Finally unpacking all of my moving boxes, despite having lived here for more than two years
• Painting and redecorating my place.
  

Tagged!

Maritza tagged me! I need to come up with six random things about myself and tag another ten people. Let me see what I can come up with...

1. I am a creature of habit - to a point - when it comes to breakfast. I will eat the same thing every day for three months, then abruptly change my mind and switch to something else for another three months. Right now? Hot cereal with ground flax, almonds, raisins and a banana.
2. When I was a kid I used to keep a stock of toys in my desk at school so that I would always have something available for show and tell. No doubt those same toys got really boring for show and tell after awhile.
3. We had to keep a journal in grade four that would involve writing five sentences down every day. I couldn't always think of five sentences, so often my journal entry would go like this: "I have a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch today. This afternoon I am going to ride horses. Weeee! Weeee! Weeee!" Thank goodness my journaling skills have improved or else I would have no blog readers if my entries mostly consisted of "Weeee! Weeee! Weeee!"
4. In grade four I was tripped while running down the basketball court in phys ed. I fell, blacked out, and came to and was peeing my pants. Embarrassing. And now I'm telling all of you...
5. I can't wear contacts and I can't have laser eye surgery because my pupils dilate larger than the size of the laser beam.
6. I had my driver's license for more than six months before I drove an automatic vehicle. I have never owned an automatic either...
   

I'm tagging...

1. Laurel - a.k.a. A Brand New Life As A Runner
2. Nikki
3. Ken
4. Laurel - a.k.a. Lily on the Road
5. Making Waves
6. Morgan
7. RoadBunner
8. Brooke
9. Sonia
10. Danielle - go congratulate her on her BQ!

If I didn't tag you and you want to play along, feel free!

Tagged! And the weekend wrap up.

I was tagged by Making Waves, who will also be running the Footstock Half with me this coming weekend:

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

Running? 10 years ago? I think at the most I would huff and puff my way through 10 minutes on the treadmill at the gym. I was more of a step aerobics nut back then.

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?

My best race experience? Too many to narrow into one! I loved the Nike Women's Half - that was a day of pure racing nirvana. I also loved running the Disney Half with my cousin and her husband! My worst run ever? My 15 miler around Glenmore Reservoir, in the dark, past the bear warning signs.

3. Why do you run?

I started running mostly because I hated it, but now I love it. There is nothing like running further, or faster, than you have before. Plus running gets me outside and enjoying the scenery. If I could only run on treadmills I would definitely not run.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?

Best advice about running? To break a race up into thirds and tackle each third separately. The first third you should be running easy and relaxed. The second third you should be focused. On the final third keep positive and stay strong. The worst advice I've received? When I told someone I was running the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge he asked why I would want to do that, and said that I should just skip running the half the day before.

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

I was never a super athletic kid. Sure, I used to swim and ride horses when I was really young but I had no talent for any sports in phys ed and hated it. In middle school I played on our school volleyball team but I was so bad... In grade 8 when there were so many people that tried out for the team I was cut despite having played for the last two years.

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In other news, torrential rain on Saturday put an end to my planned 12 miler that day. We were camping out in Banff and I had a great route picked out to run, but it was about 4 deg C and raining when we woke up that day. Instead we packed up the gear and tent and made our way back to town to enjoy our smokies and smores indoors. There was a 3 hour break from the rain around lunch time on Sunday and I managed to fit my 12 miler in then. I took it nice and slowly so that I'll still have some pep left in the legs for the race, but I'm ready to go for my next half marathon on Saturday.

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Also, I'm going to hit the pool after boot camp tomorrow night to test out whether my body remembers how to front crawl. After that I will most likely register for the Strathmore Women's Sprint Tri on August 10th...!

Friday Randoms

• I decided to try a new online training log a few weeks back. I noticed that both Rocketpants and Speed Racer have funky workout summaries on their blog. With the addition of the bike to my workouts I wasn't really happy with how my old Nike Training Log was keeping track of things so I sussed out Buckeye Outdoors courtesy of those two bloggers. So far so good. At first I wasn't going to post my workout box on my blog, but what better motivation than to make sure that I had something to show besides a big, fat "no workouts" listed on the side of my blog?
• By the way, speaking of the bike... I promise that once the snow goes away I'll be back in the saddle and posting more miles on my new set of wheels.
• I finally ponied up the cash to register for my next full marathon - Marathon Des Deux Rives in Quebec City on August 24th. Training for the full officially starts right after the Minnie Marathon 15K next weekend. This year is the 400th anniversary of Quebec City and celebrations are planned all year long. What better time to go run their marathon? Is anyone else running Quebec City? I don't think it is a huge event, but I was really just looking for an excuse to visit.
• Speaking of anniversaries....I don't know how I missed it, but yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of Runner Leana. Actually...initially it used to be Runner Gal Leana, but as I realized that I am swiftly approaching my 30th birthday I wasn't sure if I was really allowed to use the term "gal" anymore. So now I'm just Runner Leana. And less than a month away from thirty. I fully expect the next decade to be full of even more fabulousness than my twenties held, so bring it on.
• And finally, Sarah Elaine tagged me awhile ago on this and I finally had a chance to respond. The idea is to come up with your own six word memoir. Here's mine:
• Achieve balance, remember who you are.
• A few years back I wasn't always the best at having a balance between work and my personal life, but now I strive for it. I don't want to be so consumed with work that I forget who I am, and what is important to me. So there you go, my six word memoir.

Randomness

Well, rocketpants didn't tag me specifically, but I wanted to play along. So here are seven random facts about me:

1. I originally wanted to be a doctor (well, a gynecologist specifically), but when I realized that my queasy stomach probably wouldn't make it through the first week of med school I changed to engineering. I had already mailed in my university application when I came to this realization.
2. One night at a bar in Vancouver some arrogant guys showed up all dressed in suits. One guy who seemed cute came over and started dancing near us, but then I realized he was imitating my dance moves to make fun of me. He wound up dancing off and hitting on some other girls, but I later found out that this guy was Chris Pronger.
3. My brother is very fond of making up nicknames for boyfriends (although sometimes one date is enough to warrant a nickname). In high school I dated Chicken Little (because he worked at the chicken place Swiss Chalet), Little Caesar (because he worked at Little Caesars), then I moved on to Peg Leg Ray (long story) and Porn-Shoer (because he had a pornstache and we talked about going snow shoeing). Neil's nickname was No Car Nick - because he doesn't have a car and Dave couldn't remember that his name was Neil.
4. I just paid $63 for underground bike parking at work for the entire year. Not a bad deal when you think that a month's transit pass is $75 or daily parking by my office is $17. Except right now I don't have a bike to ride to work. Here's hoping I follow through with the purchase and the intent to commute.
5. Knock on wood, I have never broken any bones unless you count a fracture to my nose and the stress fracture in my ankle. When I was about 7 I fainted in my bedroom and I hit my bedside table as I fell which resulted in a hairline fracture to my nose.
6. I love shoes. The closet in my spare bedroom is like an homage to Aldo with all kinds of variations on pointy toes, rounded toes, stilettos, flats, black, brown and all kinds of different colours. That's right, I have so many shoes that they have to go in the spare room closet because I don't have room for them in my own closet. Except I tend to wear the same two or three pairs of shoes on a regular basis because I'm too afraid that I'll hurt myself fancy wearing heals. See random fact #7. I am currently working to overcome this though.
7. When I was living in San Antonio one day I was wearing a great pair of brown pointy toed shoes to work with a camel coloured pants with cuffs. After work I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some groceries. While walking through the parking lot my heel caught on the cuff of my pants and the groceries flew out of my hands and I wound up on all fours in the parking lot. What's even better is that a security guy was driving by in a golf cart and he only stopped to look at me (and probably laugh as well), but he didn't ask if I was okay. Luckily the pants and shoes escaped with only minor damage. I wish I could say that this was the only time something like this happened.

Feel free to play along if you wish!

Tagged!

First of all, thanks so much for all the comments about my pups. Both seem to be fully back to normal with Maggie scarfing down her canned veterinary-prescribed dog food like it is going out of style and Finlay running for the hills every time I try to find him to give him his medication. Pets sure keep life interesting!

In other news, I've been tagged by the fabulous Maddy, my blogging buddy that I can officially say that I've had a chance to run with in person.

Let's get down to business, here are The Rules:

• Link to your tagger, and post these rules on your blog.
• Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
• Tag 5 people at the end of your post by their names and links to their blogs.
• Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

Random Facts:

• The longest I have lived in one place is five years, and that was in London, England from 1988 to 1993. I estimate I have moved a total of 27 times however it is possible the number may be slightly higher than that.
• I have had 9 separate holes punched in my ears at one time or another, however only the original 2 remain.
• I am surprised that I made it to the age of 4. When I was a kid I fell into a pool and nearly drowned (thankfully the babysitter noticed at the right time and jumped in to save me), I almost got hit by a car, and I attempted to climb over the balcony railing from the 20th floor (or so, I can't quite remember) at the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore.
• I have fallen asleep in the movie theatre at the following: What's the Worst that Could Happen (if you've seen this, you can probably forgive me - it is terrible), Memoirs of a Geisha, The One, The Illusionist, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone depending on where you live). I have never been able to stay awake to watch the first Harry Potter movie in its entirety, ever. I very rarely go to see any movie that shows at 10:00 for this reason, however two of those movies above were matinee showings. Yeah...I'm lame...I know. Some of you may even be able to tell me that I've missed a couple of other movies that I've fallen asleep in and can't remember about now.
• When I was a kid I used to dislike my first name because no one else had it and I couldn't find it in any baby book. When I was in grade 3 when the teacher asked if anyone had any nicknames I said mine was Laurie (Laurie, Leana....I dunno....I was in grade 3). The jig was up when the teacher would call my name, but surprisingly enough...I wouldn't respond because it wasn't my name. In grade 4 I attempted to go by my middle name, Kathleen, however this was an unsuccessful attempt as well. In grade 5 I finally found my name in a baby book (it means vine, to bind, youth) and all was right in the world. I now get a kick out of going to Starbucks to see how many different ways people can find to spell my name on a coffee cup. I have only seen it spelled correctly twice.

There we go folks - 5 random and miscellaneous facts about yours truly. Now time to tag. I'm not sure I can find five, but here goes:

• Angry (despite having deleted most of his blog, I'm hoping he'll still want the tag since he felt left out last time)
• Miss Allycat
• Coach Ken
• Leah
• Laurel

Interesting Things About Me

I've been tagged by Marathon Maritza on this, and its a fun one. I have to warn you...some of these lists may be long...

Jobs I've Held

- Grounds keeper and painter of mens' washroom stalls at a graving dock.

- Water conservation hotline girl.

- Various co-op jobs working at a gas plant, determining the stability of offshore oil rigs in storms, and designing a small wastewater treatment plant.

- Stimulation engineer.

- Production and exploitation engineer.

Places I Have Lived

- Calgary, Alberta - Lloydminster, Alberta - Perth, Australia - London, England - Bogota, Colombia - back to London - Vancouver, British Columbia - Jakarta, Indonesia - back to Vancouver - Rocky Mountain House, Alberta - Houston, Texas - Laredo, Texas - Tulsa, Oklahoma - San Antonio, Texas - back to Calgary

Places I Have Visited

Saskatchewan - Manitoba - Ontario - Washington - Oregon - California - Las Vegas - Florida - Georgia - New York City - Minnesota - Wisconsin - Guatemala - Dominican Republic - Wales - Scotland - France - Spain - Italy - Germany - Austria - Switzerland - Hungary - Amsterdam - Finland - Hong Kong - Singapore - Bali - Malaysia - Thailand - South Africa

Movies I Can Watch Over and Over

- Pride and Prejudice

- Bend It Like Beckham

- Pirates of the Caribbean (what's with all the Kiera Knightly movies..??)

- Dave

Shows I Enjoy

- Grey's Anatomy

- Brothers and Sisters

- Glutton for Punishment

My Guilty Pleasures

- Eating ice cream straight out of the carton

- Reality TV and reading "The Superficial"

- Taco Time

Favourite Foods

- Sushi

- Vietnamese

- Malaysian

- Thai

Websites I Visit Daily

- MSNBC

- Blogs: Amanda, Angry, No Westsuit Girl, Maritza, Ali

Body Parts I've Injured

- Fractured nose

- Stress fractured right ankle

Awards I've Won

In grade 12 I won a provincial essay writing competition. I spent my Christmas break writing an essay on Hitler just to enter. And it had to be written by hand...none of that fancy stuff using a computer. Yup...I'm a nerd.

Nicknames I've Been Called

- Lee

- Guera (by my Mexican field operators...meaning white girl or pale one)

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I'm tagging Moon.