Sooo I have been going through a bit of a writer’s block, which is extremely strange consider I constantly have things going through my head, and I usually have a large amount of things to say. Oddly enough, now that I’m putting myself on my own soapbox (ie: this blog) I have no idea what to do or say. Well…to be honest, it’s a combination of my inexperience of web design and blogging technology. I always thought myself to be technologically savvy…but I guess not as much as I thought, because I’d really like to do…more…to this blog, but I just don’t know how.

I also just may not be as interesting as I thought. Or I’m just insecure and self conscious about what I’m writing publicly. (ed note: I did have 2 glasses of wine before sitting down and writing this post. bad sign??)

Anyways…I’m very gracious that the wonderful @abbynyc (http://runstrongereveryday.com/) tagged me in a “Getting to Know You” post, so I finally have a little bit of content to write about (and, in the meantime, I’ll work on figuring out how to use Tumblr…god I feel like my mother…):

The Rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section like “you are tagged if you are reading this”. You (the blogger) legitimately have to tag 11 (or so) people.

11 Random Things About Me:

1. My middle name is Wolstenholme. It’s my mom’s maiden name, and one of my great great grandfathers was a British knight at one time.
2. I’m a lefty. My fiancee is only with me because we are going to yield left-handed Yankee pitcher(s) in the [somewhat] near future. Just kidding…but only a little bit.
3. I am obsessed with hands. My hands must be manicured at all times. I would never be with a guy with non-manly hands. I hate pointy nails. I hate fake nails. I hate when grown men have long nails. I hate when children have long nails.
4. I used to have an eating disorder for over 6 years. After working on it and relapsing over and over again, I am proud to say that I have been healthy and happy for about 3 years now.
5. I was bullied from first through seventh or eighth grade.
6. I have severe heartburn issues.
7. I never wanted to go into fashion. It was only until I kept meeting people in the industry that the whole fashion world just starting falling into my lap, and I figured it was worth a shot. I think getting into fashion was probably the biggest self-esteem boost I’ve ever had, and I’ve only continued working hard ever since. Before fashion, I was severely unconfident, and probably would have graduated college and ended up doing marketing for a product I had little to no interest in, solely because I didn’t think I had the potential to do anything better.
8. My high school running coach was one of my biggest inspirations, and still is to this day. He’s this wise old man who just knows so much-about life and running-and is just constantly thinking…constantly has the wheels in his head churning. I still communicate with him today through emails. He is one of the reasons I stuck with running, because he was one of the first coaches in my life who believed in me, and told me I could do it, and made me realize how much better I was/am than I ever imagined. 
9. I taught myself how to read when I was 4. Things were really going uphill for me then…I was about to be the child prodigy of the 1990s…until my parents realized I had a mental block with tying my shoes, and it took me years to nail the concept of “bunny ears” into my thick skull.
10. I’ve donated my hair twice to locks of love. I figure that since mine grows like the jungle, I might as well give it up to someone who doesn’t have any.
11. I used to wear my underware WAY above my belly button until middle school when my brother told me that I was nasty.

Here are Abby’s questions for ME:

1. What was your best race (for whatever reason)?  I always think of this 800m race I had in high school. I only ran 2 seasons of track, so I was a senior and still pretty inexperienced. One of the faster runners had just introduced me to the concept of breaking the 800 into quarters, and I couldn’t wait to try, since I had been running consistent 3:40s all Spring, and all I wanted to do was to break 3:40. I was feeling good, and went out as planned: “Use the first quarter to get your speed going…your adrenaline will be pumping and you’ll be going faster than normal…just go with it. The second quarter you will ‘settle’…be okay with where you are in the race, and gain your stride. The third quarter is your time to move. FUCKING MOVE. The fourth quarter is everything you’ve got until the end.” …I remember just moving my 3rd quarter, feeling like death in the 4th quarter; but finishing with a 3:39 was the best accomplishment ever.  
2. What is your favorite place to go for retail therapy? Tacky, I know…but I love myself a good H&M splurge. So much bang for the buck.
3. What is your favorite color? Uhhh…pink. Obvi.
4. If you could go anywhere for a vacation, where would you go? Australia. Or any place warm…cliche, I know. 
5. Best piece of advice you ever received? Never skip an interview. And don’t do drugs.
6. What would your friends say is your most redeeming quality? HAHA. The fact that I’m terribly obnoxious and vulgar but I really do have a great heart and I just LOVE so many people and so many things. I have been compared to being exactly like Buddy the Elf at one time or another. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t agree.
7. How did you start blogging? Refer to the blog post before this one.
8. Twitter or Facebook? Both so different…but I actually might choose Twitter.
9. What is your pre-race ritual? Starts two nights before the race. “Sleep Night” from high school never got old…so I make sure I get at LEAST 8-9 hours of sleep 2 days prior to a race. True fact: I kicked my now-fiancee out of my bed before the Philly Marathon this year because it was Sleep Night and I needed sleep. I also need to lie all my clothes and GUs out the night before, and in the morning I need to straighten my hair and make sure everything is PERFECT. The perfectionist in me REALLY comes out on race day, because everything must be just right, or else I’ll freak.
10. Woody Allen movies: Yay or Nay? Indifferent.
11. Favorite book you’ve read in the last few years. I actually really liked One Day, but the movie with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess really turned me off. I love myself some good Chick Lit…so I’ll be honest and say that I LOVE Emily Giffen and the Something Borrowed series. Hey…you can’t blame me for being a hopeless romantic.

My questions for YOU:

1. Other sports you’ve played in your life, whether in high school, middle school, or college.
2. Best race ever.
3. How many times have you been in love?
4. Pen or pencil. And why?
5. Dream job.
6. Complete this sentence: “I feel most comfortable while…”  …let’s keep this PG, kids.
7. Fav food. If I know you well enough, I may or may not make it for you, because I’m a decent cook/baker.
8. Guilty pleasure.
9. Biggest pet peeve. Or you can have multiple. Pet peeves.
10. If you could change ONE thing about yourself or your life, what would it be and why?
11. Pre-race ritual.

SO ladies and gents. If you’re one of the lucky 11 that I’m going to tag on Twitter, you will need to 1) post 11 random things about you and then 2) answer the above 11 questions I’m asking you and then 3) continue reading the 6 steps listed above to make sure you’re doing the right things and 4) if you don’t have a blog…well then, that just sucks.

xxoo MC