Picky Picky

As I soaked up another episode of "Extreme Makeover Home Edition: How'd They Do That?" I got to watch my roommate once again run to get her nail clippers and cut off "extra" skin. Extra skin is skin that she thinks shouldn't be there. I say, why bother cutting it off? She just replies, "Why not?" The best part though is when she lines up on her leg the chunks of skin that she's removed from the latest procedure. As I suspected, this isn't normal. This website says:

-Individuals with CSP may pick at normal skin variations such as freckles and moles, at actual pre-existing scabs, sores or acne blemishes, or at imagined skin defects that nobody else can observe.

Check

-Skin-picking may be followed by a feeling of relief or pleasure.

Check

-Individuals with CSP often attempt to camouflage the damage caused to their skin by using make-up or wearing clothes to cover the subsequent marks and scars.

She wears sweatpants even at the beach---Check

It's grosssssss.

After 4 straight years of being in New York for Patriot's Day, I was finally back in the state that celebrates it today. Spent the day in Kenmore Square, with a couple of beers on Lansdowne St. before heading out to Comm Ave for the marathon. The only disappointment was that I was without my traditional Dairy Queen Blizzard as I watched the runners painfully pounding pavement (alliteration!! yeah!) for over 3 consecutive hours. And though it makes me feel so pathetic since I struggled this morning to make it through 2 and 1/2 miles, I always am so amazed that ANYONE is capable of running without stopping for 26.2 miles.

Let alone people who are 30, 40, even 50 or more years older than me...It's pretty amazing.

Besides my 4 year stay at Union, I've been to almost every marathon since I was 7, and I look forward to certain things every year. Besides getting a cookie dough blizzard, I like holding my hand out to slap the hands of some of the runners (just the ones in the big pack...the Kenyans tend to run by without stopping to slap my hand). Mmm sweaty germs. It's also a great feeling to cheer for someone as they run by, and see them give a smile to the crowd. Easily though the highlight is seeing the Hoyts. This year was the 24th year that the father (who is in his 60s now) pushes his quadriplegic son (who's now in his 40s) in a wheelchair.

The whole entire way. It's really incredible.