I ran my first half-marathon on Sunday in the ABN AMRO CPC Loop Den Haag. I had never run that far before, especially at a non-stop, consistent pace, so I wasn't sure if I was actually going to make it, much less before the 2-hour-30-minute cut-off point.

But even though it snowed halfway through the race and my legs hate me for it right now and it may take me a while to recover, there are several things that made it a really enjoyable experience:

1. The little kids lined up along the road with their hands out waiting for high fives
2. Giving those little kids high fives
3. The man who ran off course to give his kids a growl and a cuddle
4. Everyone who ran off course to give their supporters a hug
5. All ten beautiful strangers along the course who called out my name to specifically cheer me on
6. Four-year-olds telling us to "Kom op, jongens!"
7. The three marching bands who played for us as we ran past them
8. All of the handmade signs saying things like "Mijn papa is de beste!"
9. The lines of grown women banging pots and pans by the side of the road
10. The happy faces of spectators when they finally saw the person they were waiting for
11. The white-bearded man who played his accordion to us through his open bedroom window while his daughter filmed it
12. The people giving out flowers to runners
13. Running past the old folks' home and seeing all the waving nurses and smiling wrinkle-faced people
14. The three-foot boy who ran across the road screaming in the hopes that the mob approaching would not squash him underfoot
15. The little girl handing out marshmallows just before the last kilometre approached for a final burst of energy
16. Going and going and going and not stopping until I was done
17. Outdoing myself with an amazing and completely unexpected finish time of 2 hours and 10 minutes
18. Being carried everywhere after the race because my legs effectively stopped working

Ah, these things just make me smile, and it is a wonderful realisation to push your boundaries and say, "Hey, these things can actually move."

It's been one year since I started running.

Days remaining (a): 14
Days remaining (b): 25
Days remaining (c): 42
Days remaining (d): 64
Days remaining (e): 79
Days remaining (f): 82

(a) Submit word Youth as Media Consumers Assignment #1
(b) Submit Clashing Views on Youth and the Media Research Review
(c) Submit Clashing Views on Youth and the Media Assignment #2
(d) Submit Youth as Media Consumers Group Assignment
(e) Submit Youth as Media Consumers Assignment #2
(f) Submit Clashing Views on Youth and the Media Final Paper

Feeling: Troubled

So... Shit.

I am in a horrible situation, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do right now, or what I can do. I only know that it's another one of those stupid situations I should have never put myself in. Uggghhhhhhhhhh.

Here are the possible outcomes, ordered from most likely to least:

1. I will fail this exam and have to retake it for a maximum of 6/10 (which is probably the best realistic option I have)
2. I will be expelled from this class (which means I will have to retake it next semester and will probably look really gross on my transcript)
3. I will be able to persuade the people I need to persuade that this was out of my control and I am terribly sorry
4. I will be fine, everything will be fine, and I'm panicking for no reason (I'll simply get very low marks)

In the mean time, I will just sit here and stare into the possible emptiness of my life and bang my head on hard, solid objects until something good happens.

Stupid, stupid girl.

But seriously, how many things can go wrong in a matter of 30 measly minutes?!

Days remaining (a): 0
Days remaining (b): 21
Days remaining (c): 32
Days remaining (d): 49
Days remaining (e): 71
Days remaining (f): 86
Days remaining (g): 89

(a) Submit Clashing Views on Youth and the Media Assignment #1
(b) Submit Youth as Media Consumers Assignment #1
(c) Submit Clashing Views on Youth and the Media Research Review
(d) Submit Clashing Views on Youth and the Media Assignment #2
(e) Submit Youth as Media Consumers Group Assignment
(f) Submit Youth as Media Consumers Assignment #2
(g) Submit Clashing Views on Youth and the Media Final Paper