Light bulb

Who else has heard this fantastic question: What's your life passion?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? I'm sure I've heard it more than once by now (let's face it, you don't make it to the 22nd grade without hearing that question more than a few times). And let me be honest about that question... I hated it. I distinctly remember being asked what my passion was on my very first day of graduate school by the director of my program. Um... I'm going to say polymer science Alex. Seriously, for the longest time I could not figure out how to answer that question. I was stuck in this mindset that my passion had to be a subject like chemistry or english or gym (does that count?). Even when I looked at the activities I liked to do in my spare time I was coming up with subjects... mountain biking, swimming, roller hockey. While I enjoyed my extracurricular activities, nothing seemed like THE driving force for me. THE thing that was going to get me to be excited every single day (mountain biking, if the falls weren't so painful, you might still be in contention).

But in a conversation with a friend I had one of those fantastic light bulb moments.

 

I was the one defining passion as a specific object/subject/thing. I could easily redefine passion and have an answer. So I did. And I have an answer. After a bit of self reflection I realized I did know my passion! Ready for it? It's simply to help/watch/guide people to succeed in something they didn't think possible. Sounds a bit vague? No worries I have examples. I ran my first marathon in 2004, since then I've run 3 more and 6 half marathons. Each time I've run with someone who was running that distance for the first time. I couldn't care less about my time or the fact that I finished one, it's all about the people that finish the race for the first time with me. I helped coach women to finish their first ever 5k and I got them to complete it much faster than they ever thought possible. The emotion I get to see in someone else when they accomplish something ridiculous is quite possibly the best thing ever. At least to me. The clarity that has come with this light bulb moment has been absolutely wonderful. So my question is have you already figured out your life passion? What is it? Or do you need to have your own light bulb moment?

Crushed it.

Well based on my lack of posts, it would seem that my life has been less than exciting. <-- Fact. Lol. I kid. I feel like I lost motivation to write for a bit. Not to worry... It's back. I have to say the colder weather is also helping with that writing motivation. What's better than blogging it up on a Sunday night when it's windy and rainy? Crushed it. With that... Here are a bunch of random thoughts/stories/pictures from the last few months.

• As pretty as fall is, especially here in southern Indiana, I'm a summer person. Bring on the heat!
  
• Nothing has changed about 5k's. I still love running with a group. Got a solid group of coworkers to join me in a local race. And when I say nothing has changed, I mean absolutely nothing. Of course I ran as cookie monster.
• I don't think I will ever stop loving country music. And yes, I listen to the new pop-ish style as well as old school. It just makes me feel like there's a possibility it could be warm outside, even in the middle of winter. It is some of the best driving music! Especially when you're back in Mississippi for a visit.
• Go Blackhawks! Yay hockey season!
• Did you know that all of the bowling balls at a bowling alley are right-handed? I for one did not. Happy to report that I have my own bowling ball now and it only makes a difference sometimes. I bowl anywhere between 110 to 180. (I think I might have actually gotten both of those scores last week alone!)
• Apparently Carmen San Diego was seriously a generational thing. Tried out a new costume for Halloween this year and it was a huge flop. I might know why no one knows where in the world is Carmen. No one recognizes her! Lesson learned. I switched back to cookie monster by the evening. Everyone loves cookie monster! Even 5 month olds! :-)
  
• Nothing is better than a relaxing vacation. Amazing people, fantastic weather, a couple drinks (not all of these were great, I can't say I'll ever recommend avocado or guava wine to anyone!), great food, some sweet dolphins and time away from the real world! I was really able to just refresh in Key Largo and I feel great! Perhaps it has something to do with the key lime and rum chocolates I'm still snacking on just to bring back that vacation feel! So grateful I have awesome friends that do such amazing things in ridiculously awesome places that I can go visit! Remember... my place in southern Indiana is always available if anyone wants me to repay the favor :-) (not quite Key Largo!).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

And that pretty much brings us up to speed. Promise I'm back to more consistent blogging. (Well at least until the warm weather returns!)

Scandanavian Wannabe

Life has been busy!! I just got back from my first international business trip! It was quite the experience. Two coworkers and myself spent 5 days in Denmark learning, attending meetings, and (gulp!) presenting! Presenting in front of 50 Danish engineers like a boss. And while work was productive, the sight-seeing was the best part! So here are a few pictures and stories from Denmark:

 Why hello first time flying business class! The leg room! The champagne! The seat that turns into a bed because it reclines so far! The caviar! The hot towel! 

Welcome to Denmark! Before getting to baggage claim we had to walk through this odd unclaimed baggage hallway, where carts and carts of luggage lined both sides of the hallway. Talk about being a little concerned our bags weren't going to make it! (Spoiler: All of our bags made it!) 

Poor photography here, but yes we were immediately welcomed to the world's happiest nation! This billboard was sponsored by Carlsberg, one of Denmark's biggest beers. I'd recommend trying the pilsner. It was great! 

The pictures above and below show the inside and outside of a basement bar. Although the basement has only been functioning as a bar for a short time, the building existed in 1550! And it was great to be short! I'm not sure the doorways were taller than 5'7"! It was great having the option to try local beers. If only we could have stayed longer. A few hours later and the bar was having drinking song-singing time! Next time I'll have to learn a Danish drinking song to bring back!

The view of the Baltic from our restaurant. You can't tell in the photograph, but we were just able to see Sweden. Talk about having some fresh seafood! Really enjoyed having dinner here in Koge (small town) and getting to experience more of the Danish culture, outside of Copenhagen. 

My absolute favorite picture from my trip. This is Nyhavn (New Haven, in English), which is a little harbor. On the first floor of each building is a bar or cafe where you can eat outside, pick up a beer and keep walking, or stay awhile and people watch. The history here is rich too, as Hans Christian Andersen stayed in the attic bedroom of one of the houses when he had no money. Hands down, on a nice summer night this is where I would be spending my time! 

Either in New Haven, or on this royal yacht! Oldest still functioning royal yacht in the world.  

And this is Tivoli gardens. It's hard to explain, because we really don't have anything like it here in the US. Basically it's a really pretty garden, with restaurants and shops and games and rides. So sort of like an amusement park, but you pay for the rides indvidually. It's interesting to walk around and there are plenty of stages for live music. Great place to spend the last night in Denmark.

I couldn't help but to feel at home. There were so many blondes walking around, I fit right in. I fit in so much that when boarding the flight back to the US I bypassed a form for American citizens because the airline employee assumed I was Swedish! One week in Scandanavia and I blend right in!!

Blog-ernating

Wow. Another month has passed and yet no blog posts by me. I think i figured out the issue. Just as bears hibernate in winter, I blog-ernate in summer. The weather has been so wonderful, that I've been outside as much as I can be. And working on a computer by day makes me want to avoid one at night. But as I was in the middle of doing important adult things (on-line bill paying) blogging sounded a little more exciting. Go figure. 

Since this was my first real summer here in southern Indiana, I've started to notice my shift into "townie". Hitting up the farmer's market regularly. Getting a library card! I have to credit that one on getting one of those fancy reading tablet thingys as a birthday gift. Who knew you could check out eBooks from the library? And of course preparing for the annual Target fast. That's right. No Target trips for the majority of the month of August and at least half of September. For those of you not from a college town, please see the following pictures. That my friends is what Target looks like here. Now if you want a mini fridge or some cheap furniture, I suggest you head to Target immediately!! Time's running out. In the next week or so getting anywhere close to Target becomes next to impossible. So you better believe I've stocked up on toiletries, cleaning supplies, cat litter (you're welcome kittens) and all things Target. Target, we will be reunited in October.

The calm before the storm.

Exploring Indiana

This is my first official summer here in southern Indiana and I'm loving it! Growing up in the northern part of the state, I was aware of a few of the southern state parks, but now I have nearly every weekend to go out and explore the area. I have been out at one state park or another several weekends in a row and have seen some pretty cool stuff! Who knew there were waterfalls?!?! Or that creek stomping was a thing? Or that there are some caves that you're allowed to crawl through (not spelunk, but just crawl without any equipment!) (don't worry it's not a big cave!). So with all my new discoveries I thought I might share some pictures. Enjoy!

Go Indiana go!

Welcome back Runner's Code!

Once upon a time I had a running blog. It was modeled after Bro Code (HIMYM, anyone?!?!) and discussed the um... finer (?) aspects of the running world. Ah yes, here it is... The Runners Code. It's been a long time since I've added anything to the Runner's Code, but I have to say that I learned a fantastic trick this spring when I ran in the Nashville half and I have to share it. The only way to share this absolutely amazing advice is as part of the Runner's Code. So without further ado I present to you Runner's Code Tip #134: One word. Immodium.

For the non-runners out there I'm sure you're thinking ?????? Just imagine running/jogging/walking/moving for 13.1 (or more) miles with all of the stomach jostling and Gatorade drinking that goes along with that. You thought coffee got you going in the morning?!? More than once I have heard/shared horror stories of post-race port-o-potty experiences that I dare not repeat. I have heard so many techniques to avoid becoming the cause of someone else's horrific experience, but nothing that seemed to guarantee results. Until Nashville.

This race was to be a reunion with grad school friends coming from Mississippi and Tennessee and even throwing a college friend into the mix! One of these great running friends told me about a trick she heard in her new running group: One Immodium the night before a race and no more post-race port-o-potty stank. Interesting. But was it a real solution or just one of the many unsuccessful techniques that I had shared with other runners in the past? As a scientist there was only one way to find out. Experimentation. Of course we went out and purchased Immodium and with a cautious Gatorade "cheers!" we downed that Immodium.

The next day was........

Wait for it.............

GLORIOUS!!! I felt like a champion! Didn't even glance over at those post-race port-o-potties as I downed my celebratory Michelob Ultra. Felt great as we went out as a group to devour some post-race pizza. Even 3 days later (which I was told by a random runner would be bad news) zero problems! So I mentioned I'm a scientist, right? Well one data point does not a dissertation make. So I tried it again the following week at the Indy Mini.

Success!!!

So to all of you runners out there that have experienced the horror that is the post-race port-o-potty. Let me introduce you to your new running best friend. Immodium.

Run on!

Side note: I don't recommend Immodium be used on all runs, but saved for races only.

Transitions

I have to admit that title sounds the "deepest" of any of my entries yet! What type of transitions could I possibly be thinking about? Nerd version: transitional energy states? Nope (or at least not today). Entrepreneurial version: my ingenious contact lens version of the "transition" lenses seen in glasses? I probably shouldn't even be mentioning that idea on here! Sports version: the transition of momentum from the kings to the HAWKS?!?!? :-) I would love to hear a lil more chelsea dagger tomorrow night!! But alas no, today I'm talking about the idea of places being transitional.

So far in my life it's been easy to see what places are meant to be temporary. Michigan, headed there for college knowing that it was going to be a four year experience and then I would be headed somewhere else. For a long time while I was there I had no idea where I was going to end up next, but it all got sorted out and after those four years I moved on. I've found that it's incredibly difficult to plan/predict where you'll end up next. I didn't realize until my last year/year and a half in college that grad school was what I "wanted" to do. And even once I narrowed it down to grad school, I didn't know Mississippi was in my future until 2 months before I graduated! Well I have to admit that grad school was the same thing. I guess I know a little further in advance that my course was going to take me into industry, but landing a job and knowing I would be headed back to Indiana didn't happen until well about 2 months before I defended.

Hmm... Now that I'm writing this out, I feel like I'm seeing a trend. At least for me, I'm not sure where I'm really going to end up until about two months out from that transition. As a well-known planner knowing this 2 month rule exists for me is great! Maybe it stands for other people as well (comments?!?!). But this doesn't help me figure out the even bigger question. How do you know if a place is a transitional place or a settling place? I think figuring this out is hard for me for two main reasons: 1. All I really know is transitions 2. I'm in a college town, which makes it transitional for lots of people here.

I know that I don't have to know the answer to this right now. I mean shoot, I haven't even been here for a year! But living the um... I'll say "transitional" lifestyle (i.e. apartment living, constantly changing your group of friends, not owning "adult" furniture) can be tiring! Seriously moving sucks. Anyone feel any other way about moving, please let me know your secret!

And I do have to admit that having friends all over the country is pretty cool. I can travel to a lot of places and meet up with someone I haven't seen in years! Definitely makes traveling fun!! But it becomes harder and harder to keep up with people that live so far away the older you get. And there are times I can't help to be envious of those people that I know that never left "home". I see friends on facebook that are still living where they went to high school and they have these friends that they've had since 1st grade. They have this solid core group of friends and that just seems like a very comfortable lifestyle. I definitely think I felt that at the end of my time in Mississippi, which made leaving very difficult. But the truth about that group of friends is that they will soon all be dispersed (wow... chemistry nerd for sure!!) across the country. I unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) was just the first one to leave that group. I think I just want that back and I'm being impatient. Let's be honest it hasn't been a year here in my new home! And truthfully I'm definitely doing better here than I was in my first year in Mississippi!! 

So maybe this Indiana stop will be a long transition, or maybe I will settle (there are some pretty sweet job benefits!). Either way...  I'm pretty sure this next year will be the last year I'll rent so... here's to moving again!! And figuring out this whole home/townhome ownership thing!! Gulp!

100 Days Wrap Up!

So... It's been a while! And I have to say that it's been a very busy while. I've traveled a ton!! Nashville (twice), northwest Indiana (twice), Vegas (twice... seeing a theme?!), Indianapolis, Michigan, Colorado and Mississippi! All this traveling has made for a ton of great 100 days of happiness pictures! I realized I really do love to travel and see new and different places, as well as familiar ones that I haven't been to recently. And oh the stories to tell! Good and not quite as good. Catching up with grad school friends in Vegas and getting to see the Hoover Dam, right after trying chicken feet! Then on a different trip missing my connection in Atlanta thanks to AirTran and being told I'd have to hang out in the airport for 10 hours! So instead I rented a car and drove the 5.5 h to Mississippi!! All in all it's been an interesting spring! Since I missed so many days I figured I'd add some pictures to recap the last half of the 100 days!

 Bonfire!! After the Indy half, I got to spent the night with Bloomington friends eating some great BBQ and hanging around a bonfire!

 Living the dream!! Finally got to see what Red Rocks was all about! I am definitely looking forward to catching a concert there in the future! Even picked out my ideal row... 37!

 Bellagio Fountain! For as crazy and non-stop as Vegas is the Bellagio fountain is so peaceful. I really think I could stand around for the majority of the night and watch all of the different fountain shows. Loved it!

 Got to watch the last Hawks game of the season with my Dad! It was my Christmas present this year and it was great to be able to cheer on the Hawks, even if we couldn't do it in Chicago and hear Chelsea Dagger after every goal.

 Mountain bike season! Finally it got warm enough to mountain bike! And I was even lucky enough to make a new friend who wants to learn! You better believe I'm out there hitting up the trails as much as I can!

 Cowboy boots! Quite possibly the best souvenir I've ever picked up in Nashville. Not only that, but they are a great reminder of the half marathon weekend with friends from Mississippi and college getting together. Absolutely awesome weekend!

 Second halfie in 2 back-to-back weekends! And the best part was finding a way to represent my running buddy. My friend's favorite color is yellow, so you better believe I was going to have some yellow on, especially when doing something as crazy as running two halfies in back-to-back weekends! Can't think of anyone else that would have done that with me but that guy!

The Hoover Dam! This was on the second Vegas trip and I got to get out and explore with a grad school friend. It was nice to be able to get away from the strip, because every (all three) time I've been there that's the only area I've visited.

And this is just a glimpse of my 100 days! I am so glad I invited friends to try the 100 days because it was a great way to keep up with friends that I definitely wouldn't normally text that much! And another really cool thing was now friends of mine that have never met feel like they made new friends through this process. It definitely made for a fun 100 days and I recommend trying it! Get your happy on!!

P.S. Seems as if my life is calming down a bit, so I will be keeping up with this more! And I'm sure all of my travel stories will be coming out soon enough, so stay tuned!!

Time Out... For Running!

I need to take a brief pause from the 100 days of happiness blog entries to talk about running. Why you ask? Because I'm a running magician. That's right, running magician. So the "newness" of living in Btown is wearing off and I'm starting to actually know a few people. Check this out...I had a group of people over at my apartment last night! I digress... So as commonly happens when I talk to people, the subject of running comes up. And I usually get um... amped up (?) about it. So it's not a surprise when people tell me that they're wiling to try it. Seriously if I could be a salesperson for running, I would probably be a billionaire. Is that a real job?

Well in the last few weeks I've gotten two people to come out and run with me and it's only taken them one run to realize that running outside with another person is THE BEST way to run. I'm sorry did I say the best? I meant the ONLY way to run! It may be one of the funniest things to me how intimidated people become when they hear the races I've done! No one understands that I truly mean I won't leave anyone behind, no matter what their pace... until we run. Runner #1 I've convinced to run a halfie in Indy with me in just over a month. Runner #1 has never run more than 4 miles, so our first run together was a beautiful 8 miler. We killed it. Absolutely destroyed it. Let's just say Runner #1 is hooked. Up to 10 miles tomorrow!

Runner #2 voiced pace concerns and said no way could they run and talk. Guess who's been on at least 4 runs with me, chatting away?!?! Runner #2. 

Running magician.

It doesn't stop there. A co-worker has recently fallen in love with running and stops by to discuss daily runs or races to sign up for. Oh and another who has never been a runner has expressed interest to start in the future (and has already walked in a 5k with me!).

Running magician.

So if anyone out there is reading this and thinks... No way, you can't possibly get me to run. Call me! Let's talk... during a run!

P.S. My running magic only gets stronger in the spring with the warmer temps!!

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof!

Because I'm happy!!! Great song Pharrell... great song!! So I'm learning that it's more and more difficult to really capture the moments that make me happy and most of the pictures on this list are pictures of things. I wish there was a way to capture the moments a little better, but that's why there's a little description with each picture. Example... clear roads in the last entry only truly made me happy based on the driving conditions the day before! Also I'm trying my best to just capture any moment of happiness for the day. Some days the picture may not be the happiest moment of the day, but if it brings a smile to my face... Boom! Picture taken! So here's a little recap on the last two weeks:

Day 26: Mario Kart!

Because some days you just need a little Mario Kart time!

Day 27: A clean car!!

Finally the snow/rain/wintery mix stopped for a long enough period to let me get my car washed. Love seeing my sexy car without all the nasty salt and snow! 

Day 28: Bright pink nail polish!!

Spring is coming and I just couldn't resist getting ready with some brightly colored toenails! So... nothing better than bright pink to get ready for spring time and flip flop season! Can't wait to wear my flippy floppies!! (Hopefully on a boat!) 

Day 29: Successfully building a balloon arch with friends!

A friend was throwing a St. Patrick's day themed party that I helped plan and took it upon myself to make a balloon arch for some sweet decorations. Let's be serious... once you've seen a balloon arch, you must have one at your party!! You want to talk about happy? Hang out at a place with a balloon arch!! Also making it with other people while having a few beers... priceless!

Day 30: Reese's peanut butter egg in my work mailbox!

Walked into work and had this lil' guy sitting in my work mailbox! Happy early Easter!! 

Day 31: Fun colored eggs from free range chickens!

Early Easter continued when I got these eggs from a co-worker. Talk about delicious! And obviously Jasmine was interested them too!! 

Day 32: Shamrock 5K beer run!

This was a great run that included a beer every K!! So many good times with new friends! But still rocking that Cookie Monster!! 

Day 33: Sweeeeet hotel room!

Off on another work trip and while driving through Canton, IL was a little sad because there's not much around... the hotel (thank you Mr. Cook) was sweeet!!! These would be my two king beds that I may or may not have jumped between! 

Day 34: Freshly baked cookies!!

Every day at the hotel they bake cookies! There's a plate of them sitting on the counter every afternoon. I unfortunately couldn't get a good picture because every time I approached the counter I was bombarded by the employees to make sure everything in the hotel was to my satisfaction.

Day 35: Scoring the last chocolate milk!

Breakfast time in the hotel came with chocolate milk and on this day I managed to get the last one! Woohoo... love that chocolate milk! 

Day 36: Legit science time!

So my trip ended with me leading a meeting and putting together a science project. Again it was a time where I wasn't able to capture a picture. However, being in charge of a science project with experiments makes me pretty happy!

Day 37: Chase Rice is performing in Nashville for the halfie!!

There's a huge backstory here... but the most important part is that I met Mr. Rice! He is so cute!! Can't believe he is the one that is the headliner for this year's halfie! 

Day 38: I own Frozen!!

 Yes is is that good that I own it already. And it was just what I needed to watch to unwind after a long day of work.

Staying happy!!

Guess who's back? Back again!!! Have no fear, the 100 days of happiness is still going strong! I've been a bit busy recently (sneaking in a trip back to Mississippi!!) but I've still taking pictures to share the happiness!

Day 17: Starting vacay in Hburg eating at the best place in town OUTSIDE!!

It's true. I took a mini-vacation back to Hattiesburg. This is a picture from my 2ish hour lunch outside with some great people. Pepperjack shrimp gyro!! I could eat this every day!! And on top of that a pineapple fusion?!?! Bring on vacation!! I think this means that I'm just insanely ready for spring to actually come to Indiana!!

Day 18: Seeing Terrod!!!

This is the picture behind my trip. Tiny backstory: Terrod and I were running buddies the entire(ish) time I was in Mississippi. We ran the Disney marathon together, which was Terrod's first and a Tough Mudder. He is the reason behind my running style of never leaving someone behind. If I was struggling he had no problem of stopping and walking, and I would do the same for him. About a year ago he collapsed at the end of a run and now suffers from brain damage. There was a race to raise money for him, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything. And I'm not going to lie this is Terrod after most races... passed out! Kid can sleep anywhere!!

Day 19: Ropers outing with Brittany!!

Ok... I'll admit the picture quality isn't the greatest, but sometimes that happens at 1 am! In what has become a Hattiesburg trip tradition, Brittany and I always manage to end up at Ropers for some line dancing fun. Ropers isn't just line dancing. One minute everyone is line dancing and the next it's "wobble" time. Between the dancing, pool tables, outdoor karaoke and all you can eat buffet (have yet to try that!!), it's definitely an entertaining place. It was also great to spend some quality time with Brittany!! Miss having her around!!

Day 20: Clear roads!!

To most people clear roads might not be a cause of happiness, but let's put it into perspective. Just over 12 hours before this I was driving back from the Indy airport at 2 am just after a nice winter storm. Not the best way to end a trip where the temps were mostly in the mid-70s! So I was incredibly happy to leave work and see clear roads without any ice or snow!

Day 21: Red beans and rice to celebrate Mardi Gras!! 

Fat Tuesday!!! Woot!!! The only way to celebrate when you're halfway across the nation from NOLA is a bowl of red beans and rice!! Recently I've been craving cajun food and making some red beans and rice definitely put a smile on my face. Sure I would have loved another king cake, but I'll take what I can get!

 Day 22: Sweatpant chill time!!

 Back here in Btown it's March and the highs have yet to be consistantly above freezing! That only means one thing... sweatpant time! There's just something about vegging out in front of the TV in sweats on a Wednesday night. Perhaps that something is I wasn't able to do that for the last 6 years... Thank you grad school and Mississippi!!

Day 23: Hittin' the trails!!

Yes it was just yesterday that I was complaining about it not being above freezing and it seems like that has just changed! Today was so beautiful I could run outside comfortably!! Not only that I was able to check on the local bike trails. Being out there made me realize just how much I missed the morning trail runs that we would go on in Hburg. But seems like I may be well on my way to setting up an evening trail run here in Btown. Of course I would get together a trail running group. That's just how I roll!

Day 24: Cold beer on a Friday night!!

A pair of jeans that fit just right... and the radio uuuuuupppp!!! :-) Yes, I couldn't resist. So the weather in Btown has changed so much that my co-worker suggested a cook out! Granted by the time we got around to that it was cold again, but still... The fact that cook outs can be considered is huge!! And what better to go with a cook out than a spring seasonal beer! Yay for Friday night beer with friends and pseudo-cookouts!

Day 25: Outdoor long run!! 

 I have to admit that training for these half marathons have not been going so well. Oh... did I mention I'm signed up for back-to-back half marathons at the end of April/beginning of May?!?! Yikes. Today I got a run in and that after run feeling was amazing!! Exhausted but feeling accomplished! It's been a long time since I've made it 6 miles. And it may not have been pretty, but it happened! Back in the running game!! One mile at a time!! 

So there you have it... A quarter of the way through the 100 days and it's interesting to me how different each day can be. I honestly never thought a picture of clear roads would make me happy, but hey after driving through the remnants of a snow storm... I'll take the clear roads!! I know there will be a lot of exciting pictures coming up as I'm entering a travel heavy spring! I think the list includes: Canton (IL), Vegas!, Nashville (x 2), Michigan, Denver and Mississippi (again!). Can. Not. Wait.