I went in this morning to do my pre-employment drug screening for my new job that I start on Friday. I had been chugging water all morning so that I could 'perform' when necessary. I showed up ready to take care of business only to be informed that my drug test would require a hair sample instead. 'No big deal' I thought, 'they'll yank a couple strands out of my head and that will be that. I lost more in the shower this morning'. I really am a very practical person, and when looking at the big picture this didn't seem like such a big deal.I sat down and proceeded to fill out the paperwork; signing, initialing, dating. Once we were ready to get started the nurse informed me that she would actually be cutting the hair close to the scalp in order to get a sample. Cutting? My hair is currently about 18" long and it's taken me a LONG time to get it this long. Starting to get a little nervous, but really with no other option, she proceeded to ask me where I wanted her to take the hair from. I figured the under/back side was probably the least noticeable so she pinned up my hair and got out the scissors.
One quick snip and it was done and I made the mistake of looking up to see the hair sample. Little did I know they need 80-120 strands in order to perform the test, and the length of my hair only made that number look more dramatic. I was not properly mentally prepared. I quickly looked down at the floor, I thought I was going to throw up. Tears welled up in my eyes and I had to hold my head in my hands to keep it from spinning off my body. A few very slow, long, deep breaths later and I was able to pull myself together. I made sure I didn't look at the sample again until it was safely stowed away in the airtight package. I felt silly afterwards, it's only hair right? It will grow! But I couldn't shake my physical reaction to seeing that chunk of hair in front of me. It might be mostly psychological, but all day today, as I rest my head in my hand, my fingers somehow make their way to the short rough patch of hair in the back of my head and the sick feeling comes back.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
It's Father's Day
Today is Father's Day. If this is news to you stop reading this post right now and go call your pops. In the spirit of the holiday, and having seen about a million posts on social media paying tribute to the big guy, I started thinking about what makes dads so special. I am lucky enough to have a dad who has always supported me and been there for me. I know he's always got my back.
I want to give a special shout out to all the fathers of the females in my generation. It's a well known fact that raising girls can be a challenge for any man but the dads of my generation have done more than just raise us, they have molded us. They told us we could be anything that we wanted to be when we grew up. Most of us were raised in a somewhat middle class house where dad went to work and mom stayed at home with the kids. But our dads told us that we didn't have to be just like mom when we grew up (much to my relief!) but that we could be like dad and be the ones with the career AND hold down the family. Our destiny, should we choose to pursue it, was to do more than cook, clean, and raise the children.
Women today celebrate their independence and take pride in being able to buy things for themselves and support their families. We work hard and we get to enjoy the rewards of our hard work. For better or worse dads, you are the reason the term 'sugar mama' can even exist, a generation ago a woman supporting a man would be unheard of! Our generation of women are challenging men to step up to the plate, to be better husbands, to do more than the stereotypical 'sit on the couch and drink beer and watch sports'. We no longer have to rely on a man to support us. Each day we're decreasing the pay gap that exists between mens and womens salaries. Women are graduating college at a higher rate than men, more women are taking over positions of power in major organizations, and it's all thanks to you dads.
Our generation of women is the first to grow up fully immersed in sports and you never told us we couldn't do something 'because you're a girl'. Even if you were secretly worried we would get hurt you let us play soccer, basketball, baseball etc and some of us were even lucky enough to have you volunteer your time as a coach and mentor. Yea we were never all that good, but the lessons we learned about hard work, competition, and dedication stuck with us throughout our lives. Sports like women's tennis and WNBA were founded by women whose fathers told them to dream big and never stop reaching for their goals, no matter what. Because of this we don't see our gender as a barrier to success.
Yea we didn't always listen to your advice; we wear our skirts too short, stay out too late, date all the wrong guys. But you have been a role model to us from day 1 dad. No one will ever replace you dad, but let's hope that the next generation of fathers, the ones who will someday be our husbands, can raise the high bar that you've set for the next generation of daughters.
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| He's my #1 fan! |
I want to give a special shout out to all the fathers of the females in my generation. It's a well known fact that raising girls can be a challenge for any man but the dads of my generation have done more than just raise us, they have molded us. They told us we could be anything that we wanted to be when we grew up. Most of us were raised in a somewhat middle class house where dad went to work and mom stayed at home with the kids. But our dads told us that we didn't have to be just like mom when we grew up (much to my relief!) but that we could be like dad and be the ones with the career AND hold down the family. Our destiny, should we choose to pursue it, was to do more than cook, clean, and raise the children.
Women today celebrate their independence and take pride in being able to buy things for themselves and support their families. We work hard and we get to enjoy the rewards of our hard work. For better or worse dads, you are the reason the term 'sugar mama' can even exist, a generation ago a woman supporting a man would be unheard of! Our generation of women are challenging men to step up to the plate, to be better husbands, to do more than the stereotypical 'sit on the couch and drink beer and watch sports'. We no longer have to rely on a man to support us. Each day we're decreasing the pay gap that exists between mens and womens salaries. Women are graduating college at a higher rate than men, more women are taking over positions of power in major organizations, and it's all thanks to you dads.
Our generation of women is the first to grow up fully immersed in sports and you never told us we couldn't do something 'because you're a girl'. Even if you were secretly worried we would get hurt you let us play soccer, basketball, baseball etc and some of us were even lucky enough to have you volunteer your time as a coach and mentor. Yea we were never all that good, but the lessons we learned about hard work, competition, and dedication stuck with us throughout our lives. Sports like women's tennis and WNBA were founded by women whose fathers told them to dream big and never stop reaching for their goals, no matter what. Because of this we don't see our gender as a barrier to success.
Yea we didn't always listen to your advice; we wear our skirts too short, stay out too late, date all the wrong guys. But you have been a role model to us from day 1 dad. No one will ever replace you dad, but let's hope that the next generation of fathers, the ones who will someday be our husbands, can raise the high bar that you've set for the next generation of daughters.
Friday, June 07, 2013
Nike Women's Half Marathon: 10th Anniversary
I registered the other day to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Fran with my roomie from Florida Erin. It will be her first and my second, and pretty much just a good excuse for us to see each other again! Training starts end of July but I should prob start doing some short runs before then. I'm excited and intimidated... This is gonna be hard work. What I'm most looking forward to is the finish line, not only bc that means it will be over but they have handsome guys that give you a Tiffany's necklace upon completion! If that doesn't motivate you to finish strong then I don't know what will lol. More posts and updates to come as training begins. Here's my training motivation for the day.
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