Fit Five Friday and the Ultimate Coffee Date for February 2023

Yo. For real. Time is catapulting itself through my life. Do you feel that way too?

Let’s kick off this Fit Five Friday with Deborah and Coco who are hosting the Ultimate Coffee Date! The UCD is always the First Friday of a new month and if you have less fitness to talk about and want to chat over coffee (or tea, or a hot toddy) about other stuff, you are more than welcome!

With Fit Five Friday you of course have your FIVE amazing hosts – me, My First 5K and MoreRunning With Attitude, Runs with PugsZenaida ! Feel free to join either link up or both! YOLO!

If we were having coffee…

I would tell you that January really wasn’t what I was hoping for, and thanks to being still slightly ill it’s been slow going getting myself back into gear! BUT, I would also acknowledge that I feel very good that I was able to move every day for the RED January Challenge. Just too bad that running has taken a real back seat.

If we were having coffee…

I would mention to you that I changed my yearly goal just a tiny bit. Originally I wanted to run at least one 5K each week but since I was sick at the beginning of the year, I’ve decided to adjust it to 52x 5KM this year. Let’s hope that 5KM running (run/walk intervals) starts pretty soon. It should anyway, since next week we are planning on going to parkrun in Maastricht!

Sadly my race this weekend is out of the question. MAYBE though I’ll still do a 5KM race in March…

If we were having coffee…

I would tell you that I booked our FIRST vacation for this year and I’m REALLY looking forward to it! My parents are going to be in Málaga in March and April so we are going to head down there on March 22nd. Weird thing is of course that’s almost the exact date we were going to see them in Málaga when Corona Hell broke loose. It was the same time that my parents arrived from a cruise and had no idea what was happening in Spain and had to almost immediately leave – it took them four days to get back to the US. It was very worrisome.

No worries this time around, we’ll be going down there for a week! I can’t wait!

That time in 2018 when I ran from Málaga to Toremolinos

if we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that this week was kind of tough. For two reasons –

One, I’m still having quite some issues with a person at work. He is quite a bully and it’s pushing me over the edge now. I filed an official complaint today because yesterday he went off on me for something very minor and then when I finally just kept saying ok (like ok, I got it) and he told me to F*ck Off and stormed out of the room. I mean, I’m sure you can be frustrated with a new person, but I don’t deserve that kind of treatment when I literally didn’t do anything damaging to the bank or a customer. And I’m not downplaying it, it was a very minor thing.

I’m so mad and sad about this. I have heard a few things about this person and it seems he’s a “known problem”. So why haven’t they done anything about it? Also, I am not one to complain about colleagues, I can handle myself. But right now I have no manager and a colleague who witnessed the situation yesterday completely ignored it. We have a code of conduct that says clearly we should speak up if people are not behaving appropriately, whether that be a financial situation, bullying or harassment, to name a few major things.

Sigh. This has not gone the way I had hoped.

if we were having coffee…

Oh yeah, I was going to tell you two things.

This week on Tuesday at about 5:45 in the morning, the house right across the street from friends had a major fire. Major. Ron was dropping me off at the station and their street is on our way – we couldn’t believe our eyes. I’ve never seen anything like that up close. My friend’s in-laws actually live on that side of the street so I felt absolutely sick with worry. Luckily they were all fine but it was absolutely insane. This is about a half mile from my house, if that.

My friend took this from her bedroom window Tuesday morning. So scary.

It took firefighters 7 hours to put the fire out. Three houses (pre-WWII) were destroyed. People are displaced. Two bodies were found at the site of the shed where the fire started. We don’t know yet what happened but there are a few stories floating around. Ron worked from home that day to make sure our friends and the in-laws had a place to stay during the day.

So messed up, but man the community here came together so fast. Even the mayor was on site in the morning (but he lives about a block away from us). The community center was open, the pub on the corner took care of the residents for a while in the morning, the music theatre opened up later and people were coming out of the woodwork to offer food, clothes, shelter, and to take care of any animals that needed it, in case they were affected as well.

So, let’s talk. What would you tell me over coffee?

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Comments

  1. Darlene S. Cardillo says:

    Good news about the fire. I hope your work situation. I really do not many of the people I work esp my boss. Luckily most of the time I work from home.

    Congrats on completing the red month. Quite a feat.

    Goals are goals. Of course they change as circumstances change.

    A vacation sounds so great. I went to Malaga in college. So quite a long time ago.

    It is sun zero here. All I can think about to going to someplace warmer. 9 days and counting

    1. Renée says:

      Thanks Darlene. Work situations are tough. I mean I could get by if I just didn’t like my colleagues because I’m there to work and not to make friends.

      Will continue my daily movement this month as well. and I feel the same – I can adjust my goal where needed.

      Seems we both could use some sun!!

  2. Wow! That was a dramatic week. I’m glad your friends and their in-laws are OK. Interested to hear what you learn about the people who were in the shed. I read too many thrillers.

    Malaga sounds amazing – especially in light of your crazy co-worker. I hope he’s disciplined or even better fired. Why is it people who are “known problems” seem to stay put?!

    1. Renée says:

      a very dramatic week indeed. developments are unfolding in the case but right now there are just too many “stories” going on so we don’t know what is true or not.

      I honestly think the same, why are these known problems not dealt with??? Well apparently this was an issue at the “main” bank and he was moved to the “daughter” bank where I work. And the person before me also left because of this person. So … why is here still there??? So yeah… by the time my vacation rolls around I’m fairly certain I am really going to need it!

  3. Michelle says:

    The situation with your co-worker sounds so crazy. It really is frustrating that he’s known to be a problem and yet remains. I hope you get the support you deserve in dealing with him!

    Great work getting through Red January, especially with being sick. So good that you have a vacation planned!

    1. Renée says:

      It really is so frustrating to know that this has happened before and no one did anything about it. Sure, let the newbie face it and deal with it. Is this a sort of test??? I worry that there will be repercussions – I guess this is why people don’t really speak up in the first place.

      Thanks! and yes the vacation is really needed!!

  4. Wow, that fire really sounds tragic! It’s great the community really came forward to assist all those affected. I’m so sorry to hear about the “bad apple” in the work place. I can’t imagine how frustrating that is, especially when others are just standing around, witnessing everything, and doing nothing. Hugs to you…I hope this gets resolved or at least dealt with appropriately.

    1. Renée says:

      it was heartwarming to see my community coming together the way it did, but how sad that this had to happen. apparently they have someone in custody now for possibly starting the fire. if this is true, that someone purposely did this, I hope the fully get what they deserve. 2 people are dead and several people have no home to go back to. And thanks – I hope the situation at work gets resolved soon too. We don’t ever know what we’re in for when we start a new job but we certainly don’t hope for this crap!!

  5. That is terrible about the fire. Any idea what started the fire? Ugh, on that coworker. There is no reason to talk like that to anyone. He needs to go.

  6. I’m so sorry you’re still battling that cough. And dealing with the nasty colleague. I hope that things get better for you soon, Renee!

    Very scary about the fire.

    But how wonderful to be able to vacation with your parents!

  7. Wendy says:

    It’s really hard when you have a problem with someone at work. I’m having an issue with one of our medical assistants who think she knows more than she does and loves to push back when I ask her to do something. The manager talked to her recently but today, she pushed back at me again! I give up.

    That’s too bad about the fire!

  8. […] would tell you that even though last month we planned on a parkrun in Maastricht, we didn’t make it because of being unwell and also […]

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