gengidashiell

I've been running for a bit over 7 months (Im 35 years old, and now in pretty decent shape); for the majority of my life I hated running and could never do over a half mile without stopping. These days I am running 11 miles a week on average.

My speed started really (what I consider) slow; I was running a 10 minute mile (6 mph). Since then I've gotten up to running a mile/pace about 8:03 minutes (or 7.5 mph).

Is this an okay/good enough speed, or should I be running faster? Two weeks ago I did 2 miles in 15:40, which means I was going about 7.7 mph, but I don't think I could sustain this pace for my normal run (which is a 5k, or 3.15 miles).

I think my goal is to be running 8 mph on average by the time I am at a year (in about 5 months). Is that realistic, or should I be trying to run faster?

I dislocated my big toe yesterday (Monday). I really got NO guidance or recommendation from the docs there, and I am wondering what I can (or cannot) do.

I dislocated the toe by running, a few thing I really enjoy. I realize I cannot run this week, but how many weeks should I wait before I run?

Walking is cardio I also cannot do, because it's mroe of a limp than a walk. But would it be okay to do a stationary bike 3-4 times per week?

What about an elliptical? Can I do that?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

I can't seem to remember the name of this song, but the video is clear in my head. The song isn't that old (maybe 4 years, but more likely more recent), and the video features a large group of Black women who are dancing (sort of like in the old Robert Palmer videos) all wearing the same dress with large black afros and one white male who is younger and lip syncing and dancing with them at times.

Does this ring a bell to anyone?

I am a pretty active person; I do about 5 miles of walking a day (2 miles to work, 2 miles home, 1 mile during lunch) and do strength training 3 times per week. I've been following this regimen for about a month, and before that I was still walking a lot (about 3.5 miles a day). What I have noticed, looking in the mirror yesterday, is that I have some unsightly cellulite on the back of my thighs and my butt.

(1) I haven't ever noticed this before

(2) my leg muscles, due to a lot of walking, are rather tight

I am wondering what I can do to change my regimen. I know "target exercises" don't really work, but could some type of toning on my thighs and gluteous maximus help?

Vital stats - 35 yo male. Not obese, but currently at 184 lbs, and looking to lose about 15 more pounds (have already lost 12).

Thanks in advance.

This is going to sound like a DUMB question. I am going to be applying for PhD programs next year. I will probably finish all of my required coursework in about 1.5 years, and then I am certain that I want to move (the area really has too many academic types, and I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life).

My question is - do I need to remain the university city/town after my coursework is done? I realize I have to do x credits of "disseration research" (24 at most schools), but can that be done anywhere?

Thanks!

I have a friend who says his girlfriend works for a temp agency. She gets temp jobs for a period, and then moves on to other temp jobs. Now, when the temp agency can't find her work, he says they pay her a flat salary equal to whatever she was making.

It seems fishy to me because he said she hates the current job she is in (healthcare) but stays nonetheless. It seems to me that if she hated it and could be assigned elsewhere (and still make money) she'd just dump the current assignment and ask for another.

I've never dealt with temp agencies. Does this sound like it is on the up and up?

I know the general thought is to have 3 or six months of cash in "emergency savings", but I work much better with round figures. What's a good amount of cash to have "on hand", in savings and easily to be reached? What would be appropriate? $5,000? $10,000? More?

Assume living in a non-high end metropolitan area in a blue-collar city.

Thanks in advance.

I just saw the series finale to Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I LOVED it. However, something confused me. The Order of the White Lotus laid seige on Ba Sing Se, and while I recognized most of the members, I didn't recognize one of them. I got:

Iroh - Zukko's uncle and firebender

Bumi - Earth-bending king and Ang's crazy friend

The Swordsman guy who taught Sokka how to fight

The water-bending Master from the Water Tribe that made Kitara a Master

There was one other guy with bushy white hair and a beard. He seemed to be using fire-bending (sort of), but he was flying like he was an airbender. He didn't speak, and although I've seen 80% of the episodes, I don't remember him in one that I saw.

Does anyone know who he is?

I am looking to buy, probably not until early 2010 (about to sign a new lease at my apartment building). I have been searching condos and I have found one I LOVE. The only problem is the price ($239,000) which I think is terribly inflated for a condo (even in Baltimore). Some friends who own houses tell me to "wait", as the condo market is going to go farther down (with the $239 maybe falling as low as $200). The mortgage payment would be...significant...for a $239k mortgage, and I should, ideally, wait for something closer to $180k.

Will the market fall significantly more, and as such, is there reason to believe I should wait until next year?

I have a credit score of 635 currently, that is improving from where it was (a lot worse for a number of years). I realize now (with no negatives on my record) my credit score is lower because of my credit card balance to available credit ratio. I am working to lower that. I have 5 credit cards, and 3 will be completely paid off by June of 2009. My salary is between 55k-75k, and I have pretty decent savings (about $15,000 in savings accounts and CDs).

Given the weird financial situation, by August (where I will only have 2 cards to pay off) would I be in a position to get a home loan?

Oh, Im also in the Army Reserves, so I qualify for a VA loan.

Thanks

I am doing a comparative discussion in a class I teach about job growth and loss. I can find the "jobs added" or "lost" for just about every other administration, but I can't find the total jobs added/lost for the Bush Administration. I know by the end of his first term there were 1.1 million jobs lost, but what about inclusive of the second term?

Thanks in advance.

I have a friend who has lost a great deal of money over the last few weeks; to the tune of $2000 gambling. I realize he makes a good income (nearly 6 figures), but $2000 (1k each time) seems like a lot. In consideration of this being a gambling addiction (most of my experience is in alcohol and drug addiction; I used to be a counselor), what should I be looking for?

Ive been working out for about 2 years, and managed to slough off 50 pounds through dieting and walking, going from a bubulous 220 to 170-ish now. I've gotten some definition, and worked on my upper body (20-30 miles a week walking 3.5-4 mph does wonders for lower def), but my biceps are pretty crap-tastic.

I've started lifting, and as sad as it seems, a 20 lbs weight with 3 sets of 12 reps per arm seems to be helping (meaning I feel it when Im done). Now, I'm doing this daily (just a basic standing curl). Even though 20 lbs dumbells doesn't seem heavy (compared to the bigger ones sitting in the row) should I see some results in a couple of weeks? I don't mean bulging muscles, but something?

Okay, this is probably a silly question, but it's just something that ran across my mind. In my office we've been having a discussion about stripping (I work for a health department and we are about to administer a health survey to female strippers and prostitutes) and I was asked how much guys on the Sean Cody/Corbin Fisher/Randy Blue type sites get paid for making a video.

On one hand I don't think it could be an exorbent amount of money (I know the average gay porn actor, well paid, gets about $3000 for a full video) but on the other hand, I can't believe some of these guys (who clearly don't define themselves as "gay") would do it for, say, $300. Or maybe they would.

Anyone know an answer or could hazard a guess?

I have been lurking on some higher ed message boards, and a lot of the profs, when they talk about course load talk about "4/4" and "5/5". I asked a friend who is a full time prof, and he's mystified.

Anyone know what it means?

Thanks in advance.

I have a pretty simple plan: I'm working on my MA in Sociology now, and will finish next year. I'm starting on a PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture in the fall of 2009. My hope is, once I am done my PhD to get a full-time teaching position in Sociology.

Now in talking to the chair of my dept in my first BA, he said it might be very difficult for me to get a teaching position at a 4 year school in Sociology with a PhD that isn't directly 'Sociology'. Is that true? If so, there are only two PhD in Soc programs around, and one would literally cost me $100,000 (at Hopkins), and the other would be a pain for travelling. However, since I will finish my Master's in 352 days I have time to consider this stuff.

Thanks.

I know higher education tends to be a crowded field, but I am hearing rumblings that some fields are far more difficult to get positions in rather than others. For instance, I'm in the behavioral sciences (Sociology), and I've been told it will be easier to get a position than someone in humanities but not as easy as someone in, say, business. Is this true? Most of my research seems to show English, History, Humanities, and fields like Linguistics to be really crowded. Thanks.

Ok, so I am a graduate student, and for the first time, I am getting student loans, which has pretty much cut down on how much I will pay (i.e. nothing...yet) each semester. Now, I know that at the end of the year, my school will send me a 1099 indicating how much I "paid" to the school. Will that show student loans as an amount I paid, and thus allow me to deduct that money on my 1040?

I am configuring my CV specifically for teaching, because after my Master's is done, I am applying for adjunct teaching positions. I have some teaching experience (as a sort of TA), but for the last year or so, I have been what my alma mater refers to as 'Educator, Non-Credit Courses' because I have been teaching Microsoft Access and Word classes. Should I include these on my CV as "teaching experience"? The classes are only about 4-5 hours long, but it is instruction and I am paid for it. Thanks in advance for advice.

I am a graduate student who wants to be a prof when I finish my PhD. While in grad school, a friend told me there's a slim possibility of being able to be an adjunct prof at a community college without a Master's, but while you're actively pursuing. I am about 12 credits into a 30 credit program, and expect to finish in Dec of 2008. Has anyone heard of anything like this? Is it possible? What would I have to do? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!