Long Laps, sorry

Sorry for not having written in a few weeks. I just got really busy at work and then decided that wasn't enough, so I got busier in my personal life cuz I don't need free time, who does!? A couple weeks ago I started a Cha cha/Mambo class, a bachata dance class, along with my already once a week choral rehearsals on top of my working out in the mornings along with my new Fall tv shows (Heroes and Ugly Betty). So really, social life, bah! So over rated (I'm totally being sarcastic by the way. I miss you free time!)
But once this month is over, I'll either continue with one more dance class or just wait till January. Starting the end of November, our choral group will be having more gigs, so I'll be needing that free time.
As for the working out? Well, it was going pretty great until I got sick about two weeks ago. It wasn't a horrible cold, but the headache was pretty debilitating and I've still got that crazy stuffy nose, of course all in perfect timing with the Run Like Hell race my nephew and I participated in. It had been pouring all day Saturday, a rain I hadn't seen in ages here in Portland, Oregon. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to run, and at the time, I didn't want to. The thought of getting wet and cold did NOT appeal to me at 11am in the morning. But when I went to go pick up our race packet and saw all those runners huddled in the store, excited, chatting and laughing, I thought, what the heck, I'll do it! But thankfully, the rain gods always seem to be on the side of runners and it was scheduled not to rain on Sunday . . . and it didn't. As mentioned, I had not worked out in about a week, and I stopped running for longer than that (knee problems) so I was a little worried about the race. I still did well, but I was about a minute or two over and I underestimated the length (as I always do). My time was 31:03 for 3.3 miles. Last time it was 29:29. Oh well, I was sick and hadn't worked out, still a good time, no?
As for reading, last night I finished my book, Eyes, Memory, Breath. It was not quite what I expected but it was also not bad. It was a quick read. I find it interesting how negative traditions can pass down generation to generation until someone puts a stop to it. It takes a very strong person to defy tradition. I also find it interesting how many cultures can degrade and put down women all for the sake of their "purity". I know there are many faults in the United States, their policies, their government, but our history has always been to write the wrongs, to make a better place for those who feel that life has been unjust. So knowing my cultural background, and reading about others, I am very lucky and thankful this country has allowed my parents to thrive and teach their children, especially their daughter, that there is more to life than "having" to get married and have children. Don't get me wrong, actually, all I want to do is get married and have a family, but it has been given to me as a choice, not an ultimatum or an expectation. If I had decided to be purely about business with no family in sight, my parents would love me the same. This country, this culture is all about the right to chose: your mate, your lifestyle, your profession, and after going to one of the most liberal colleges in the country, I know what I want and I am making actively choosing it. Sometimes choices can be overwhelming because hopefully for us (women) in this country, there are so many (and yet at the same time, we can be so limited). But, if one looks deep inside of oneself, without the debris of other peoples' "shoulds", expectations and guilt-ridden disappointment, we can all figure out what we want for our lives.