Halfway There - Hoo Yah!

Goals: 2x each Arms, Legs, Cardio + Daily Abs
Sitrep: 1x Arms, 1x Legs, 1x Cardio, 3x Abs

Well, I did it! I've completed 30 minutes of REVing for 3 days straight now. Hoo yah! Feels good. I did the cardio as soon as I got home last night, and then had dinner because I was starving. Exercising makes me hungrier. I'd always heard it's supposed to do the opposite, but that's never worked for me. Anyway. Did the Abs later in the evening, around 8pm. I think it was Alden's - and everyone else's - wonderful replies to my post yesterday that kept me going. I just focused on how good I feel after doing Abs, and how much I actually like abs. And I kept picturing myself with a flat stomach. Now there's some motivation.

I also got outside yesterday with my camera. I've completely spaced on the manual settings, it's been so long. I didn't get very many good shots in the end. Sigh. Now I remember why I stopped. My unreasonable perfectionism ruined it for me.

The important thing is, I had a great time just tooling around in my yard, trying to capture the trees and the light and the clouds, etc., on film. Trying to capture what I was "feeling" with the camera. I had fun. So I'm just going to keep plugging away at it. Because that's what matters. That I enjoyed myself, not how many "good" photos I got.

And that's something I need to apply to working out. Doing these exercises is what gives me the physical and mental energy to get out there and do things I enjoy. Today, Thursday, is generally the day that I let the friction stop me; that I let inertia grab hold once more. Well, not today.

So here's a Shout-Out to everyone that reads this: I'm challenging you to exercise today. Any exercise. Walking, running, hiking, weights, going to the gym, BodyRev - whatever you like. Just get out there and exercise today. And I will do Arms & Abs tonight.

I will come back here tomorrow and post my success. Because this unbalanced force is gonna annihilate that inertia!

I am an elephant on roller skates heading down hill. ;)

[And no, that's not a reference to my weight or size. It's just how powerful I feel!]

Newton's First Law of Motion

Goals: 2x Legs, 2x Arms, 2x Cardio, Daily Abs
Sitrep: 1x Legs, 1x Arms, 2x Abs

Holy smokes was last night full of dreams. And they weren't that fun. I think the networks need to add another rating to their system. One for "Chock-full of spiders and big ugly true-to-life gigantic pictures of the little b#$%!#ds." Geez. It was one darn line that started the dreams, though. "No matter where you are, you're never more than 6 feet from a spider." Lovely thought. Does that black can of Raid come in a pocket size?

But I really wanted to focus today on something that came up in this week's Gator Patrol. I've been thinking about it for a few days now and can't figure it out. The post was "Why do I (we - because I'm sure I'm not alone in this) do this to myself? It's so much harder to keep starting over than it would be to keep going."

This is exactly what I do. But why? Is it because I'm lazy at heart? (I am.) Because I don't like to exercise? (True as well.) But I do this elsewhere in my life. I'm a great starter, not a good finisher. You only have to take a look at all the unfinished projects around my house to figure that out. But why is that. Is it learned or are was I born that way? Why are people so darn different?

I look at my family. My sister is the ultimate when it comes to being healthy and exercising. For awhile there I was worried about her. But my BIL & niece have mellowed her a bit. ;) She is always on the go, busy. Even before the baby. And my brother. He might not be into the gym and all that, but the man is always busy. And in shape. He's just on the go-go-go, and whatever he's doing is usually physically oriented. I haven't lived with either of them since high school/college. But seems to me from visits and conversations that they don't have all these unfinished projects lying around. I could be wrong on that, though. And then there's Mom. Now that woman should be called Wonder Woman. She never stops, unless it's to sleep. :) Constantly moving, working, doing...Dad isn't too far behind her. Although I think he & I are more alike. He'd be happy just sitting tinkering on the computer or watching TV. Like me.

And then there's me. I start lots of stuff, have lots of grand ideas, but lose momentum halfway through. It drives me crazy; yet I've given up on it. Grudgingly accepted it as something to live with. So I have my scrapbook from my Japan Vacation (4 years ago!!!) with only a few pages done. Spent tons of money on an album and stickers and papers...That's just one example.

Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. But really. It's just so darn hard to make something stick. Yet the habit of sitting there on the sofa watching one show after another for two or three or more hours while trying to decide what to do was an easy enough habit to learn! Whenever I start contemplating this, I usually think of Newton's First Law of Motion (thanks, Dad!):

"An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force."

I guess I'm that unbalanced force. Or my mind is. ;) Because why else would I stop when I'm moving? Why else do I make it halfway through the week meeting my goals and then...nothing?

The lesson continues with: Objects tend to "keep on doing what they're doing." In fact, it is the natural tendency of objects to resist changes in their state of motion. This tendency to resist changes in their state of motion is described as inertia."

So I've been very focused since starting REVing on over-coming my inertia. The Gator Patrol and my swim buddies have been fantastic helping with that. So I don't think it's inertia that is keeping me form doing this daily. If it was inertia, I wouldn't keep starting up again.

Galileo reasoned that moving objects eventually stop because of a force called friction.

But what is the "friction" I keep encountering. I used to say I didn't exercise because I wouldn't be able to do the stuff I really like to. Not enough time, yada, yada, yada. That doesn't hold water. Because 30 minutes a day isn't that much; I've found time to do other stuff the last 2 days while still getting 30 minutes a day of REVing done. Geez, I REVed 30 minutes last night, and still managed to eat dinner, watch Biggest Loser & SVU (plus a couple other 30 minute shows), hem 2 pairs of pants, read a little, and get to bed by 10pm.

So where's the friction? Is it mental, internal? Because I can't think of anything external that is stopping me. Why do I keep doing this? Because the BB poster was right. It's harder to keep starting over than it is to just keep going. Why can't I just let the momentum carry me along?

Colors & Light

Goal: 2x each Legs, Cardio & Arms + Daily Abs
Sitrep: 1x Legs, 1x Abs

Pretty tired today. Was raring to go this morning, but now I'm at work. LOL. It's this office. Everything is gray or white or beige. We need more colors in here. It's way too drab and drains my energy.

But outside, oh, outside this morning is absolutely wonderful. Sunshiny with just a few clouds. And those mostly around the horizon. Big, heavy, blue gray clouds. But it's that sunshine that gets to me. It's the kind of light that tells you it's crispy and cold and definitely autumn. The light is brilliant; the foothills & mountains look like they've been etched into the skyline. Every little detail illuminated. And that sky just stretches forever and is deeper than the ocean. And the trees and leaves with all the fall colors...the depth of textures and colors is overwhelming. It's days like this that make my heart seize, my breath catch in my throat, and I can just feel the power in the air!

First Day of Fall = First Snow

Week's End Sitrep: 2x Arms, 1x Abs
Goal (M-Su): 2x each Legs, Cardio & Arms + Daily Abs

Yesterday was the first day of fall. It rained most of the day. Which was rather nice, actually. Hopefully that will take the edge off of the fires around the state that are still burning. But it was cold. Brrr. 44*F with a nasty wind, and we were out harvesting the garden. {sigh} Knew we shouldn't have put it off. But we got it all harvested, so all's well that end's well. And we have a nice pile of goodies. A huge bucket of carrots. OMG, I've never seen so many carrots! :) It's definitely stew time. LOL.

Then we (Michelle & I) went shopping with her girls, as today is KT's birthday and she got birthday money from her grandmother. Hit Target and then Hastings...Tonight is the birthday dinner, with cake. Yum.

But this morning (as I expected!) the rain clouds have mostly cleared to reveal the mountains & foot hills around town with the first snow on them. They look lovely. But I'm not ready for winter. I want a fall, darn it!

On Saturday I spent the day running. Friends of ours celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary by "rewedding" as my little sister named it. :) It was a lovely ceremony. The groom was teary-eyed from the second he saw the bride. It was great. We helped set up - and take down - for the reception. That's exhausting! At least we didn't have to wash the dishes by hand. 150 people. OMG. The church had one of those commercial dishwashers that washes a load in 3 minutes. Only you have to hand dry...

Ruth & Everett are the kind of couple that make Happily-Ever-After seem like non-fiction. :)

First Day of Fall = First Snow

Week's End Sitrep: 2x Arms, 1x Abs Goal (M-Su): 2x each Legs, Cardio & Arms + Daily Abs

Yesterday was the first day of fall. It rained most of the day. Which was rather nice, actually. Hopefully that will take the edge off of the fires around the state that are still burning. But it was cold. Brrr. 44*F with a nasty wind, and we were out harvesting the garden. {sigh} Knew we shouldn't have put it off. But we got it all harvested, so all's well that end's well. And we have a nice pile of goodies. A huge bucket of carrots. OMG, I've never seen so many carrots! :) It's definitely stew time. LOL. Then we (Michelle & I) went shopping with her girls, as today is KT's birthday and she got birthday money from her grandmother. Hit Target and then Hastings...Tonight is the birthday dinner, with cake. Yum. But this morning (as I expected!) the rain clouds have mostly cleared to reveal the mountains & foot hills around town with the first snow on them. They look lovely. But I'm not ready for winter. I want a fall, darn it! On Saturday I spent the day running. Friends of ours celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary by "rewedding" as my little sister named it. :) It was a lovely ceremony. The groom was teary-eyed from the second he saw the bride. It was great. We helped set up - and take down - for the reception. That's exhausting! At least we didn't have to wash the dishes by hand. 150 people. OMG. The church had one of those commercial dishwashers that washes a load in 3 minutes. Only you have to hand dry... Ruth & Everett are the kind of couple that make Happily-Ever-After seem like non-fiction. :)

ExCUse me, Mr. Pre.si.dent?

Said by Mr. Bu.s.h today, in response to an advertisement criticizing Gen. Pe.tra.eu.s:

"Most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org - are more afraid of irritating them than they are of irritating the United States military,"

I cannot think of any conditions under which US citizens should ever be afraid of irritating our military. I am stunned beyond belief. Is he saying US citizens should be afraid of irritating the United States military????????? Because if so, that smacks dangerously of military coup/dictator-like talk to me.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7006170.stm

Maybe I lived in South America too long.

Dreaming in Tongues

Rev. Goal (W-Su): 5x Rev
Sitrep: Arms 2x, Abs 1x

Last night I challenged myself to 30 minutes of REVing. [Because of one very inspiring lady!] :) Felt really good, too, when I got done. As in, hah, see? I knew I could do it. I could hear the virtual applause from the BB & Gator Patrol. And Alden just might be back next week for a SitRep, so I definitely want to be able to report good things.

The last few nights, I've been dreaming in Spanish. Already knew I have a propensity to do this; my dorm roommate in college told me once I was talking in my sleep in Spanish. And this was before I spent 2 years in South America with no one in my town speaking anything other than Spanish & Guarani.

Woke up Wednesday & Thursday mornings with the certain knowledge that I was dreaming in Spanish. Not just that I was speaking/thinking in Spanish in my dream; the whole dream was in Spanish. And then Mom called last night. Now, that's not new. LOL. We talk a minimum of once a week. More lately as Mom has been checking in on one of her kids that's sick. :) It's not easy being a Mom or Dad from thousands of miles away, I think. [Love you Mom, Dad.]

The "new" (I should say different) part is that she was speaking Spanish to me. Now, it's her native tongue, and I totally understand her desire to speak it. Especially as next week they're off to visit with her family in Spain. But she doesn't call me speaking in Spanish very often. Mom said my dreams must have been preparing me for her phone call last night. [g] You know, I don't think she's too far off on that one!

It was fun, if a strain. Poor Mom. She must wince listening to her daughter butcher her native tongue. A lot of fumbling, comingling of Spanish/English, and a lot of "How do you say..." Sigh. I've lost a lot of the fluency I had while in the Peace Corps. After all, it has been 10 years since I came back. [Still feels like just yesterday that I left.]

I think I'll borrow my little sister's "Intro to Spanish" cd's that she picked up at Costco this summer. (She wanted to be able to talk with my mom some in Spanish. Isn't that sweet?). I need a refresher course!

Gator Patrol Today - with Alden!

Original Goal: Do anything this week.

Revised Goal: Rev 5x by Sun. night. Starting Wed.

Sitrep: 1x Arms

Yikes! Alden's supposed to post on the bulletin board today. I'm excited but also a little chagrined. Been missing his motivational posts. I haven't been doing too good lately. Granted, the last week or so has been due to my ears. But the 2 weeks before that, I was only meeting half my goals. And they were easy goals at that. Sigh. But at least I'm still trying!

I actually revved last night for 15 minutes. No dizziness, no ear pain, no heartbeat pounding through my ears/head. That has got to be the worst. That darn feeling/hearing of the heartbeat in your ears. That, and the swoosh of the blood rushing through your veins. {shudder}.

On to happier things. :) Just got these pictures of my youngest niece meeting the Princesses at Di.sne.y. Her first trip there:



These were the only ones it would let me "save" to my computer. Through the backdoor, of course. Isn't she so adorable? I'm not biased in the least, btw. ;) She's as cute in person/on the phone. Like the day she called to tell me she was eating cheetos. "Mommy doesn't like cheetos. Tia Natalia likes cheetos."

And guess what???? My oldest niece tried out for and got into her school choir! Yay! :) I'm so thrilled for her. :)

She didn't get it last year, but hung in there and tried again. I'm so proud of her for that.

Edited to add: And she got straight A's. Whoo-hoo. That's my niece!

She's moved past the adorable stage into the beautiful & smart one. :) I can't believe how grown up she is! Time is passing too fast.

Maybe I should change my post title to "Two of my wonderful nieces!"

How Many Food Choices??

So I was watching the Biggest Loser last night. (I love this show. Totally fascinated by it, lol). This year they're doing little multiple choice quizzes as they go to commercial break. Naturally, I got them all wrong. Holy moly I don't know much. But the one that got to me was this one:

How many food choices does the average person face in one day?

a) 10
b) 50
c) 200
d) 1000

Correct Answer: 200

Mind-boggling. Of course, as I went to sleep, all I could think about was that number. I mean, really. Isn't that high? I wonder what they count. Does it include every restaurant or fast food place or coffee shop or grocery store a person sees in the day? Or just the actual food items they choose between? It's gotta be the former, to hit that high of a number. Either that or I have a much more limited diet than I originally thought. Or I'm just a creature of habit. Which I am, but worse than I thought?

Or is it every thought about food? 'Cause then I can see it. I think about food a lot. Don't eat every time I think about food, but I think about it. Start planning my mid-morning break around 8:30 am, lunch "planning" (I bring from home, it's a done deal!) starts around 10 am, when I have my break, and so on. Then there are all those "oh, a chocolate bar would be great right now" and "I could always take a quick break and walk the 4 blocks to the health food store" moments. (Like a chocolate bar from the health food store is better for you. Hah. And then the phone rings or I check email or I'm just too lazy.

So this morning I decided to count the number of food choices on my way to work. Of course, I'm such a creature of habit that my choices this morning were: toast w/butter and...toast w/butter. LOL. Really. It's hard enough to get myself dressed in the morning without having to decide what to do for breakfast. So the count started with the corner store. Not that I've ever gone in there, or been tempted. But I look at it every day, and recognize it as a source of not-good-for-me food. (I love the name of this store, btw, it's called "The Man Store".) And the count promptly ended. Not because there aren't any more between home and work. There are tons! I just forgot I was counting because I got caught up in "To Kill a Mockingbird" on audio (just getting to the end).

I did briefly contemplate stopping at Starbucks for a Cafe Mocha non-fat milk with whip. But ever since tracking my meals on SparkPeople, I just don't enjoy those Mochas as much anymore. They blow my calorie count out the window before the day has even really started. Just not getting the same thrill out of them, darn Alden and the Gator Patrol. ;)

So. An estimate. There are 11 food-related places on the way to work that I can remember. 2 grocery stores, 2 restaurants, 3 gas stations, 2 fast food joints, 1 coffee shop and 1 gas-station type store with no gas station. Not too bad. Maybe I'm just below the average on this one. It's hard to imagine being faced with 200 food choices a day. So let's everyone weigh in on this one. How many food choices are you faced with during the day?

The wonders of modern medicine...not

So, I'm on my second round of antibiotics, since after 6 days on the first one I was not feeling any better. I think the doctor might have made me wait the full 14 days, but really. Six days, I should be feeling better. I should not be needing 4 ibuprofen at a time, every 4 hours. On top of the Sudafed every 4 hours. And I should not be able to be next door to Barnes & Noble and not go in. What's worse, I wasn't even tempted to! And Waldenbooks was just up the road and I had a 25% off coupon! The only thing that makes these business trips bearable, is the chance to go to a real bookstore!

Anyway. The doc says my left ear is getting better. Apparently my right ear got slightly worse. And it's heading into my sinuses. And she mentioned staying on the first antibiotic? I don't know why they don't listen to me and just give me a Z-pak straight out of the gate. When I'm this sick, it's all that works...Hopefully the new drug will kick in. So far so good. I'm at work and functioning. Can't hear anything much, but I'm here. Because I feel totally wrapped in cotton, the day is dragging unbelievably. (And yes, CO, I'm getting that sinus rinse...WalMart didn't have any yesterday when I went to the pharmacy.)

I did get almost an entire book read while out of town last week. My work computer was acting - irrationally, shall we say? - and while attempting all sorts of troubleshooting, I got to read. No internet time, which is bad, but good as apparently I missed a big brouhaha on the BB. I'd've waded right in, no doubt, and not feeling good would probably have been a real b###h.

If you're at all interested in politics and religion...even if you're not, for that matter, read "The Mighty and the Almighty" by Madeleine Albright. Very well written, even if I didn't always agree with her, and a very interesting viewpoint. I inhaled this book, which is hard for even me to say of a non-fiction political/religious book.

Photo Contest:

Our local newspaper is having a photo contest and my little sister's mom has entered. Here are links to the spots where her pictures are. Look for pictures by Michelle Boone. If you're so inclined, please vote! She could use the encouragement (as well as the cash prize.) She's trying to start her own photography business. She takes the most amazing people shots. I think she has better pictures than the ones entered, but these are the ones she chose.

http://www.helenair.com/photo_contest/gallery.php?category=People (on page 20 - links at bottom)

http://www.helenair.com/photo_contest/gallery.php?category=Scenery (on page 30 - links at bottom)

http://www.helenair.com/photo_contest/gallery.php?category=Animals (on page 23 - links at bottom)

http://www.helenair.com/photo_contest/gallery.php?category=Objects (on page 15 - links at bottom)

Levels of Pain

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to rate pain? I remember when I told my sister I'd gotten a tatoo, she asked how bad it hurt. Did it hurt worse than labor? Having just had a child, that was her reference point for pain. Having not had a child myself, I couldn't say. I imagine labor's worse. But I'm not up for finding out. Even when given a scale of 1 to 10 it isn't that easy. My 10 is probably not the 10 of a Navy SEAL. So unless you know my frame of reference, what's the point?

Last night I suffered some of the worst ear pain I've ever had in my life. Right up there with migraines, if not worse....Standing up it felt like someone had wrapped a fist around the middle of my inner ear and was pulling steadily down on it....Sucked big time. Worse than my tatoo, certainly. Of course, when the doctor asked me to rate, on that scale of 1 to 10, how badly my ear hurt, I gave her my best "You-didn't-listen-to-a-word-I-just-said" look, and replied "200."

I had a bit of a sore throat on Sunday, nothing major, just some sinus drainage. I know, TMI, but it's my blog. Sunday night had the weirdest dream about my right ear hurting so bad, and I couldn't get in to see the doctor, and then couldn't get the prescription filled, and then I was running from the bad guys and all sorts of weird stuff. Woke up with my right ear hurting. Go figure. A couple ibuprofen, some sudafed, and I was good to go. Until about 3:30pm. Then the pressure & pain started in my left ear. By 4:30 pm I was downing aspirin again and begging around the office for anything with pseudoephedrine in it. No luck.

Got home and took the last Sudafed. Then lay on the couch with the heating pad, debating about whether or not an ear infection of the magnitude the one I apparently had, merited a trip to the ER, and trying to talk myself through the pain. (I kept thinking, the body obeys the brain, the body obeys the brain!) I had to do something. WalMart for Sudafed or the ER? WalMart won. Hey, it was closer, and cheaper.

Of course, it irks that I have to stand in that darn pharmacy line just to buy sudafed. Some idiot tried to cut in line in front of me and I didn't even have to say a word. They changed their mind after one look at my face. [g] Got my sudafed and was swallowing one as I walked out the door.

By this point, I was in pretty bad shape pain wise, for me. Heat didn't help, so I ended up with a bag of frozen green beans on my ear/head. Works almost as well as the peas. Which apparently I ate at some point. Not last night. Note to self: buy more frozen peas. Downed 3 more ibuprofen at that point, and passed out on the couch. Last thing I remember thinking was "Body obeys the brain, body obeys the brain..."

Woke up several hours later with no pain! Plenty of pressure, my ear was still clogged. But no pain. Yay! (Or so you'd think.) Woke up around 3 am and my ear felt kinda weird. No pain, just...moist. So I got up and got a trusty q-tip and cleaned my ear oh-so-gently. Q-tip turned pink. Lovely. I couldn't sleep after that. Until I turned on the history channel. Something fascinating about the Anglos and the Saxons and how they became the Anglo-Saxons after fighting for so many centuries, etc.

So I got into the doc's first thing this morning, and you know what? I don't like it when the doc looks in my good ear and says "Wow. Interesting." And then looks into the ear that's hurting and says "That's the worst ear infection I've ever seen in an adult." Gee, thanks, doc!

I've ruptured my ear drum. Just a little bit, it's not bleeding any more and she couldn't even see it. So that's why there wasn't any more pain. Who knew? I thought the full dose of sudafed plus the ibuprofen and subsequent freezing of half my head did the trick.

Now I'm all dosed up with antibiotics and sudafed and aspirin/ibuprofen (I can alternate those every 2 hours for the pain if I really need to, who knew?) and a nasal spray. And I get to go out of town for work tomorrow. Oh goody. :) At least I won't have to cook!

It's the Easter Bunny's Fault

Have you ever had one of those moments when, judging by the utter astonishment and "You've got to be kidding me" looks on people's faces, that you've just said something incredibly stupid? And yet you have to sit there for a few replaying that last bit of conversation in your mind to figure out just what it was?

It's bad enough when this happens with your peers. But when an almost-twelve-year-old that's already too bright for her own good and you're barely two steps ahead of her on a good day aims that look in your direction....well. It's humbling, that's what it is. Or humiliating. Take your pick.

After a fun filled afternoon last Saturday (including another jaunt to the library - whoo hoo, more books!) my little sister's mom Michelle came over to pick Shanni up at my house. I'd bought this truly delightful cookbook "The Best of Family Fun Cooking & Parties" [run, do not walk, to the nearest bookstore for this book!!!!], and we were leafing through it, idly chatting, etc. Shanni proceeded to tell me a story about how the day before they'd found an egg in the bathroom, and were trying to figure out how it got there. It'd obviously been someone's delicacy; partially eaten and had some fur on it. Probably one of the cats or dogs. I, thinking I'm absolutely brilliant, deduct that one of the critters found [insert drum roll] a rabbit nest and stole a rabbit egg. Carting the remainder inside to "save" for later.

See, this is where I get the looks. I rapidly review the conversation and say, somewhat uncertainly, I guess, due to the laughter I get, "Ummm, rabbits lay eggs, right? Or not?"

When they finally stopped laughing. I was assured that no, rabbits do not lay eggs. They are mammals and have live young. By this point I am beet red. To my ear tips, even! I hate that even at 34 I blush so easily. Sigh. They giggled over this for the next hour, seriously.

I know I will never live this down...how do I know this? Well, a) family just does not let stuff like this go...and b) my little's step-father called me several hours later (not having been there at the time) and is all serious on the phone saying "Natalia? This is Steve. I have something very important to tell you...Rabbits are mammals. Mammals have live young..." he said some more after that, something about marsupials can have live or lay eggs, or something like that. Oh, and we don't really have any marsupials in Montana. Don't remember the rest because I was laughing too hard. But I do remember him saying "Michelle was right, I can hear you blushing over the phone." And I was. Am blushing right now writing this.

In my defense, it's all that darn Easter Bunny's fault. I mean really. What's a city girl to do? He goes around giving away eggs every year. Rabbits and eggs are inextricably intertwined in my mind! Although if you really look at it, it's pretty twisted. Giant rabbit hiding potential babies all over the place and we have to find them...Geez. And apparently, they're stolen at that! ;)

Chocolates & Long Island Iced Teas

Goals: 2x Abs, 2x Arms, 2x Legs, 1 outdoor
Sitrep: 1x Abs, 1x Arms, 1x Legs

My house tonight.

Okay. I'm trying really really hard to make that fruits & veggies and Tension Tamer tea, but am struggling. And it's only 10:14 am.

Got to work yesterday to a work computer (mine) that is d-y-i-n-g. It's 4 yrs old and near the end of it's lifespan, but I'm milking it for all it's worth. But see, it's my computer and we don't actually have extra workstations lying around. I'm also going out of town for 4 days next week for work and need the dang laptop. *pulling hair out*

I'm the IT around here. So it's my job to fix it. I was working on the computer all day yesterday (between other things) and took it home and was working on it until 11pm. No workout and now I'm tired. ;( [anyone else hear the violins] *g*

I also have 5 seminars I'm prepping for concurrently (who the heck arranged that? oh, yeah, me!) and yesterday half our staff was out sick and on vacation. One's back, thank the Goddess, and I'm making him bind books today...I've got all printers going full bore, and two computers set up on my desk. I keep sliding my chair back and forth between the two. I'm on fire. LOL.

It's better than yesterday, when I was, quite literally, running between two desks across the office from each other... Hey. Can that count as a workout? No, prolly not since I hit McD's on the way home...

Now that my brief break is over, back to the grind.

Yep. Tonight can't come soon enough for me.

Unexpected

Last Week
goals - 3x Arms, 3x Cardio, 1x Abs
sitrep - 1x Arms, 2x Cardio

This Week
goals - 2x Arms, 2x Abs, 2x Legs, 1 Outdoor
sitrep - 1x Arms, 1x Abs #2

I slid into bed last night and finally figured out why it feels so nice lately to go to bed. It's the sheets. And it's not because I put clean sheets on this weekend. I change them all the time since that silly dog sleeps in the bed with me.

Lately I've started using the sheets that I got as a child. The ones given to me for my "hope chest" by my maternal female relatives whenever we visited them in Spain. When I have those sheets on the bed, it's like going to sleep wrapped in a hug from my Abuela (grandma) and my Tias (aunts) and my mother. Which is wonderful. No wonder if feels so good. Which explains why I love the hot pink & white bathroom towels with a puffy white swan appliqued on them. Soooo not my style, yet I hang them in the bathroom with a smile.

Those towels and sheets, and the others in my closet from that "hope chest", don't weigh me down (as they might some of my more liberated friends), they lift me up, because they represent the love and hopes and dreams my family had - still has - for me. They're also a reminder of simpler days. Childhood and teenage years that, even with all their accompanying drama, still bring a smile to my face as I remember them.

It's things like that, and like getting home to an answering machine message from a friend with a simple hello and check-in and encouragement all in one, that really make my day. That make me feel all wrapped up in hugs; that all's right with the world.

Everyone Gets a Teaspoon

As cranky as I was last Friday, the week actually ended on an upbeat note, which followed me through the weekend.

After work I went home, picked up the mutt & headed over to my little sister Shani's house. While waiting for some other friends to show up for dinner, we decided to go get some pictures of the veggie garden we planted earlier this year. When we got to the garden gate, Shani and her mother had me close my eyes and then escorted me into - and across - the garden. I threatened them with all sorts of dire consequences if they made me step on my carrots! They finally led me to a stop and this is what I saw upon opening my eyes:

Is this not the coolest? It's our Giant Pumpkin!!!! Whoo-hoo...then we proceeded to go mad taking pictures of the rest of the garden.

Michelle, my little's mom, was so excited that we actually have a watermelon growing. I guess we didn't realize we'd planted that...There were a few of us doing the planting, and apparently there are tomatoes as well! Although only Shani eats them. [g] I think one of the guys helping with fencing planted the tomatoes. The watermelon is quite small, as you can see.

As Michelle said,
"Everyone gets a teaspooon!"

I took home a stack of potatoes and onions, as well as some of the Kentucky Wonder Beans. We planted squash and cucumbers and more. Even some carrots that turned out pathetically small as we didn't realize they need to be thinned. Ooops. It was kinda funny how excited we were (especially me!) about eating stuff we planted and grew. LOL. It was a first for this city girl.

We had some of the corn and onions with our grilled burgers and hot dogs. Steve, my little's stepdad, kept joking about killing one of the wild rabbits so prevalent out there and make us a rabbit stew...Which made the kids shriek in dismay, of course. [g]

After dinner we played a few rounds of Jenga. Complete with our own song. See, Shani's step-dad has this habit of making up songs on the spur of the moment. Very original and creative, actually. And usually pretty funny. He and some of his friends "escaped" to the man-cave while we played Jenga. We could hear them laughing, and at one point it sounded like he was singing something about hunting...

Which prompted Josie to start one of her own (sung to a kind of blues tune):

Saw a Rabbit in my garden
And I Grabbed my pitchfork
My wife said no
The kids were screaming
"Go go go"

That last line was my contribution; she seemed a little stuck, and they seemed fitting. We couldn't stop laughing for a looooong time. And this was without any alcohol! Aren't friends grand?

On a roll today!

Goal (M-Su): 3x Arms, 3x Cardio, 1x Abs

Sitrep: 1x Arms, 2x Cardio

;( The smoke has been suhloooowwlyyyy coming back over this week, to the point I've put the AC back on at the house. I just went outside and you can actually smell it now, it's not just haze, and visibility is atrocious. So it looks like the hike tomorrow morning is off. That just makes me crankier...

As does the fact that we are not being let go at 3:30 this afternoon. Oh, no. We have to be open if our members are open. Are they freakin' kidding me? It's Labor Day weekend! The last big weekend of summer. The phone has rung once in the past 3 hours, and that was a personal call for someone here. Really. All our members (and all the companies we deal with) are closing their doors at 3:30. Like they always do. They let us go last year...

Sigh. I was counting on that time to do my workout before heading to Shanni's for the "last BBQ of the summer season". Of course, with the smoke, I have a feeling we are either a) going to end up cooking inside or b) skip the BBQ and go straight to dessert. LOL. Just kidding. We'll do both. Cook inside and eat dessert...

Someone also apparently raided Home Depot and Lowe's, 'cause when I went by nothing is in stock. Except the $800+ models. Ouch.

Ya know, I think I'd better eliminate this cranky mood. It's giving me bad karma! ;)

And no watching the news tonight!

Thar' She Blows

Apparently it's let's be cranky day, 'cause we're all cranky at work. From the coworker who didn't make it in today because her Great Dane was sick all night and into this morning (trust me, a sick Great Dane is nothing to be sneezed at) to the boss who's cranky (well, he's still dealing with his wife's unexpected death. The man has a right to be cranky.) At least he's trying to be humorous about it...

And then there's me. Unfortunately, I listened to the news this morning. Why do I do this to myself?

So the office today is full of angst, and ready to blow at any minute! Add the strange phone calls we kept getting this morning, where this guy starts by saying "Are you sitting down? Someone you know in your community is overworked and underpaid..." Well duh. Covers just about everyone, doesn't it? Our receptionist kept hanging up on him. Told her if he called back (we have a total of 3 direct lines and 4 roll-over lines) to put it through to me...I also told her if it keeps up like this I might just hand her my card and send her on a Starbucks run. [g]

So. The news this morning. Okay. Just why should the government bail out individuals that got risky home loans and now can't make their mortgage payments? Seriously. This pisses me off. I know, I know, too many foreclosures will hurt the banks and the economy, yadayadayada. The economist in me is struggling with the fiscally responsible homeowner in me.

It's just one more case of people getting bailed out by the government. Where will it end? Seriously. You can't tell me all these people having trouble because they got subprime mortgages and ARM mortgages didn't know. Not all of them. I don't buy that. Oh, sure, there are more than a few that were totally unaware. But why should they be bailed out either?

A little, and I'm talking a little bit of research would have cleared that up. One question to the banker, "What's an ARM?", would have done that. Why shouldn't people that get themselves in trouble have to deal with the repercussions? They made the stupid a$$ financial decision, why should I (and make no mistake, it is you and I, John Q. Taxpayer) that bail them out. Government funds aren't infinite. When you give to one, you take from another...

People got greedy. They saw skyrocketing home-appreciation prices and bought more than they could afford, thinking they could handle the extreme payments for a year or so, and who needed to worry about ARM's? Interest rates are historically low...they've been going down, not up. And besides, in a few months we'll be able to sell the house for a huge profit.

Banks and mortgage companies got greedy. Started loaning money to anyone that walked through their doors. And everyone forgot the reason why they started using credit reports in the first place. And the basic fact that you can't pay out more than you bring in!

It's ridiculous. Fiscally irresponsible. And totally lacking in personal responsibility. And what do people learn from this? Once more, they learn: the government will bail me out. Well, sorry. I work my butt off to pay ALL my bills. Including the mortgage. I educated myself on home loans and what it costs to own a home. There are tons of organizations out there. A simple Google search will get you all the information you could ever want. I think way too many people use the "I didn't know. Nobody told me," as an excuse. It's a bunch of bull-$&*t. And I'm tired of it.

I know. I am totally lacking in any kind of empathy this morning. But give me a break!

Today is a good day to go shopping

Goal (M-Su): 3x Arms, 3x Cardio, 1x Abs
Sitrep: 1x Arms, 1x Cardio
1 behind at this point; I'm adding to today's to get all caught up!

Yippee. ;) I got my homeowner property tax rebate today. It's all nicely direct-deposited in my checking account. Waiting for me to go shopping. And just in time for the Labor Day weekend sales.

Decisions, decisions. There's so much I want to do with this money.

1. Put it toward mortgage (extra payment on capital)
2. New window for bathroom
3. New stove
4. New sofa
5. Armchair
6. Kitchen table
7. Hire professional to strip floors upstairs (both rooms! At least, I'm assuming it's enough money for that...)
8. Replace/repaint some of the siding on the house

So what's a girl to do?

Okay. Extra mortgage payment on capital - I can set aside money every month and have an extra payment by year's end, easy. New bathroom window isn't necessary. It would be nice, but it'll go another winter. I'll just seal it up like last year to keep the heat in/cold out.

New stove. Hmm. It's gotta be from the 1980's, and when you turn on any of the burners, you hear the gas coming out and the ignition going "click, click, click, click, click" for what seems like forever before the burner lights. And you can smell the gas during this process.

New sofa. It would be nice, but the one I've got is perfectly fine. Armchair. Yeah, extra seating would be nice, but it's not necessary. Kitchen table - same thing. Upstairs floors - okay, it's hard work, but I can do this myself. I'll just finagle some people into helping me, that's all. ;) The siding. Sigh. Not sure how to handle that...I think I can replace some of it myself, and paint it as well too, fairly cheaply. Some of it might not actually be at the replaceable stage, probably just needs to be sanded, sealed and painted.

I'm going to go with the new stove for the kitchen. I'm thinking this is more urgent than the other stuff. And I just love paying cash for appliances. Makes me feel so wealthy. LOL.

So I guess I start the comparison shopping during lunch...

Oh, and the Mount Helena hike is all set for Saturday morning. I pick my little sister up at 9am, we'll be on the trail by 9:30am. :) It looks like we might be joined by a couple of my coworkers, so I'll be sure to get a picture of Shanni & I.

Can this day possibly get any s-l-o-w-e-r

My god. It's enough to drive a girl insane. Or to pass out. I think I need to modify some of my office supplies into tools that'll keep my eyes open. I even took a 40 minute nap during lunch. What the heck is that about? I know I started to drool. [g] I might have even snored a time or two. My poor coworkers...

I have plenty to do. Unfortunately, it's all that wrap-up paperwork after the seminar. Ughhh. Is there anything more tedious than entering 63 people into the database for 4 different classes? So that's what, 252 database entries, with around 12-16 clicks/selections for each entry. Total of what, 3,024+/-.

I am bored. Sheesh.

Turned to my email during my break, reading my usual e-newsletters. Found stuff on politics (what, me, read political stuff? How odd, you say...). One interesting link from the N.ARAL e-newsletter. Some guy did a "documentary" at a P.ro-Life demonstration, and asked a bunch of the protesters if they thought a.bortion should be illegal. And if so, what punishment should a woman get if she had an illegal a.bortion. Well, that took a few of them aback. They hadn't considered it. I really hadn't thought about it either. I've always been p.ro-choice, even in my religious days. Interesting to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk6t_tdOkwo

So I got to looking around N.ARAL's site, and from there ended up other sites, eventually news sites, and then into politics as well, googling articles and getting my blood boiling. Sigh. Why do I do this to myself? Then I started reading the comments to the articles (and why do I do that?)

Okay. Time to go. Just getting myself irritated all over again!

Still Here, Still Thinking

Just not feeling particularly pithy or talkative. That mother of all migraines from Sunday reappeared around 10am yesterday, chasing me home from work. That was not a fun morning. Or afternoon.

But hey. I'm here today, relatively pain free, and get to go to my favorite local eatery tonight - The Jade Garden. I love when instructors are in town and we have to "treat them right."

This instructor is from Florida, and comes out here for this seminar every year. He's lost 48 pounds since last November. At first he sounded like that was just from changing what he eats. I found out otherwise! He also walks SIX MILES A DAY. Yikes. Okay. It's totally fair he's lost 48 pounds since last November. No whining on my part. LOL.

He wasn't able to get a flight out until tomorrow morning, and since the class was over by 1pm, he was looking for somewhere to walk. I directed him to Mount Helena, where he is right now. He made my goal of climbing to the top. :( And in just an hour and a half! I know this, because he called me on his cell phone from the top, just to let me know it was worth the climb. LOL. He said "If I knew which direction your office was from here, I'd signal you with a mirror." Once I stopped laughing, I told him I didn't think that was the best idea. It'd probably freak some people out. He laughed and admitted "Yeah, they'd probably send a rescue party."

I'm thinking, weather permitting, this Saturday I'm going to give it another try...Now. Who am I going to call from up on top of Mount Helena?

The Plank! The Plank!

Goals: 3x Arms, 3x Cardio, 1x Abs
Sitrep: 2x Arms, 1x Cardio, 1x Abs (#2)

Okay. So that's a bad punny version of Tatoo from Fantasy Island. But I am SO STOKED!

I was able to hold the plank position for the FULL ten seconds ALL THREE TIMES during the Abs Intermediate workout. Hoo-yah! I've held it the full ten seconds one time before, never all three, but last night, I don't know...I was in a zone, I tell ya! And then on the Arms workout, at the very end, that last set of REVs that you have to do. When Alden is counting down REV-REV-REV-REV-Three-Two-One (and not that fast)...I usually make it to "three" before having to stop. But not last night! Got through it the whole way.

I am FIRED UP!

Plank Explained: Sort-of a pushup, but not...You lay on your stomach, with your elbows under your shoulders, hands gripping the BodyRev in front of you. So your arms, from elbows to wrists, are flat on the floor. Then you kinda push yourself up on your toes and arms (the part laying flat on the floor) so you are holding yourself up for 10 seconds, keeping your butt down (hard part for me, lol) so that you are straight and could "lay a plank" from your head to your feet. [Not sure how well this describes, so if anyone else out there wants to jump in and help, feel free to post comments!]

(Do you think it was the oreo cookies I ate yesterday???)

Would I ever?

I've been watching the CNN documentary "God's Warriors" the last two nights (tonight is part 3 of 3), and then the episode of Larry King Live last night. It has definitely got me thinking on this topic. Which is definitely a thought I've 'met before':

Would I ever be a warrior for a cause? Would I ever be willing to sacrifice so deeply, or so horribly?

Mostly the answer I come up with is no. I can't think of anything I believe in that moves me so much, so emotionally...

Oh, there are many things I'm passionate about. Animal abuse, child abuse, tolerance, politics, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of choice, and definitely, REDUCE THE POWER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. (That last is a new one for me. It quite scares me sometimes how we are limiting the power of the individual states and giving it to a one-size-fits-all federal government. Not how I used to feel. Aren't I supposed to be getting more conservative as I age, not more liberal?)

Some of these issues "rile me up" (as a former co-worker called it) more than others. Yet I can't imagine getting to the point I'd want the laws to be "my way or I'll blow you up"...But then again, I've never been backed into a corner to such an extent. And those times I have had the 'fight or flight' button triggered, well, I tend to flee quite well. ;)

I wonder; is this just me? Is it a positive trait or a flaw in my makeup? Is it because I've always been more likely to see the middle road than one side or the other? Somehow my parents raised me to the point it's usually very easy for me to "put myself in someone else's shoes". Most of the time. ;) Although that doesn't always come across real well when I get worked up. It makes it very - hard, sometimes. Sometimes I think it would just be easier to be able to pick a spot and just stand there. No more thinking and evolving.

If you get a chance to see the documentary, I think you should. The first part is God's Warriors: Judaism; part 2 is God's Warriors: Islam and tonight's episode is God's Warriors: Christianity.

So far it seems to have done a decent/fair job at what its intent is (stated by Christiane Amanpour in an online Q&A) "We're not comparing. We're showing that each faith has their committed and fervent believers, and we're showing how each of those are active in the political sphere in today's world."

It's not an extremely thorough report. I mean, you can only cover so much in a 2 hour segment. But for what it is, I thought it was very good. More info to add to the mix.

Anti-Social And Proud of It...

Goals: 3x Arms, 3x Cardio, 1x Abs

Sitrep: 1x Arms, 1x Cardio

...was the slogan on a t-shirt my dad got me when I was, what, ten? eleven? twelve? Somewhere around there. It was red with white writing.

See, even back then it was obvious to those who know me best that I am not a people person. I think that's why I like the bulletin board so much. I can choose when and how to interact. I partake in the fun, but there's no pressure to actually be involved. :) Not like when you actually go out to a gathering, etc, and people get uncomfortable if you just sit there and don't talk.

Although I'm actually in a good mood today, woke up quite cheery, I'm in one of those anti-social moods. It'd be a great day if there were just no people in it. I probably feel that way because there's too much "stuff" going on at work today, and since it's all cubicles here, I have no door I can shut.

The occupant of the next cubicle over is driving me absolutely bananas. Apparently someone backed into her kid's car a week ago. (The kid is in early 20's by the way.) It's going to cost just over $1,000 to fix it, but they have a $1,000 deductible. The person who caused the accident has insurance, but bought a new car and forgot to inform her insurance agent in the 2-week time period, so actually doesn't have coverage. Or that's the story she's giving. So they want her to cut a check for the deductible amount, and they'll call it good. The lady is willing to do this, but wants to make the check out to the body shop. My coworker is upset and making all kinds of threatening noises about reporting this to the lady's insurance company, suing, etc, because she wants the check made out to the kid. She even said it would be better that way because most of the damage to the car isn't that critical, and the kid could use the money to pay her bills. WTF?

Naturally, not being one to keep my opinions to myself, I spoke up. (She was unburdening all this on me at the time anyway, so why shouldn't I speak up.) I go "Isn't that fraud?" She says, "No, because we won't report the accident again, and won't try to get reimbursed by her or the insurance company for more" and so on. This still smacks as something - unethical - to me. So I say, because she is still very, very upset with this other woman, that "If it was me, I'd want to make the check out to the autobody shop too. Or have them submit the bill to me directly and I'll pay the $1000. I'd want to be darn sure the money went to fixing the car, not to lining someone's pocket." Heh. I'd also insist on them getting more than one bid, too. And I'd want to see it in writing. All of which I said.

Okay. I take it back about not liking people. A friend that's also a coworker just walked up and handed me a mini Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream (3.6 oz. Who knew?) Yummm. Apparently it's still noticeable when I need to be "sweetened up." (She made a run up to the grocery store to get her lunch, and brought me back a treat.)

Anyway. Returning to my story...that particular coworker was less than thrilled with my comments. But really. If you don't want my opinion, don't ask. We've worked together for six years...you know I say what I think/feel most of the time.

Pffbbbt!

That's exactly what I feel like saying to the world today. Ever have one of those days where you knew the second the alarm went off that it would be best for all concerned if you just didn't answer the call?

Nothing has gone horribly awry today. Actually, nothing has gone awry at all. Just, as CrankyOtter said in her blog yesterday, "It would be helpful if I could punch something." Not sure why. It just feels like it would be helpful.

I dreamt a lot last night. I dream a lot most nights, detailed stuff I can remember. But some nights, well, the dreams are so real, so vivid, it's hard to leave them when I wake up. They linger for hours, sometimes days. Last night's has been dragging behind me all day. Makes me think about this Cultural Anthropology course I took in college. (Loved that class.) But there was a tribe in Africa (I think it was Africa) that believed our spirits left our bodies at night and traveled. Those travels are our dreams. (I realize that it's a very common belief, not just to this tribe. It's just the first time I'd ever heard it, and it made so much sense to me.) In our waking lives that sense of deja vu is because we've intersected with something or someone or someplace from our dream travels.

It's weird, because I can tell the difference between what I call "traveling" dreams and "filing" dreams. Filing dreams are dreams made up of snippets of information my brain is processing. Almost the equivalent of the "filing" basket I have on my desk at work. I keep piling stuff in it, and several times a week I sort and file. Filing dreams are made up of info that my brain sees as I rifle the filing cabinets of my mind to put things away. Or clean them out. I can usually pick out where the different elements of the dreams came from.

Last night was, I think, one of those traveling nights. Too real, too vivid, too gripping. My spirit wasn't ready when the alarm went off this morning. Not all the way back, maybe. It was a good dream, I was having fun. I should have stayed. LOL. :)

Gator Patrol

Weekly Goal (M-Su): Arms 3x, Cardio 3x, Abs 1x

Last week I did fairly good. Even though I skipped my workouts on Wednesday and Thursday. I moved those to other days, doing 30 minutes 2x instead of just 15. It wasn't too bad, really. I love the flexibility of REVing. Those 15 minute increments really work for me.

The goal for last week (Monday through Sunday) was to do Abs 2x, Arms 2x and Cardio 2x. I did the following:

Abs = Beginner 1x, Intermediate 2x (one weight)
Arms = 2x (one weight)
Cardio = 1x (one weight)
Legs*

* 50 minutes of weeding in the yard on Saturday = 1 legs workout. These weren't just any weeds. They were BIG. We're talking up to 5 feet tall, with stalks about an inch in diameter at the base. They were all on the back end of my property, lining the alley. Technically on the city's property, which is why I've not tackled them before. But they were taking over the parking space next to my garage, and encroaching in front of the garage itself. So I pulled them all up. Thank goodness they're shallow-rooted, and you can pull them up by the roots. The backs of my upper legs were hurting yesterday morning. So I'm counting it as a Legs workout. Definitely felt the squats when I did Cardio yesterday. [g] They still hurt today. I was moving like an old lady this morning!

I'm going to change my goals for this week. Still aiming for 15 minutes a day. But I'm going to stop focusing on Abs. I think I did something wrong on the first Abs workout last week, as each one after that I got this weird spasm/twitch in my mid back while doing crunches. I think I used my back instead of my abs on the hip lift. Oops. So I'm going to give that a bit of a rest. And going to ramp up the cardio and arms.

One thing I've noticed; I miss the gator patrol. And Alden's posts. I know it was only going to be for a short time that Alden posted, and that he is a very, very busy man. Which is great, I'm glad the business is going good. Saw him on CNBC's show The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. That was fun; it was midnight my time and Alden almost had me fired up enough to REV right then and there. He's a really good motivator. He had Donny Deutsch giving the Perfect Pushup a go right there!

But the Gator Patrol has gone missing. Mostly due to summer, I think, and I've hardly been starting any posts myself. Maybe I'll do that later this week on Suz's BB, when some of the talk on the book dies down some. :) But that sense of comraderie is missing. I really liked reporting in each week, and learning something new, getting support. Seeing how many of us were taking charge of our lives! Ah, well. There's still support out there, from several sources (you know who you are!!!)

If the smoke from these darn fires would ever ease up, I'd tackle Mount Helena again. I really want to make that end-of-summer goal with my little sister. And get out on my bicycle. Smoke was really bad again yesterday. We've been getting several clear hours early on Saturday & Sunday mornings, but it's bad again by afternoon. Visibility was down to 1.75 miles by 5pm on Sunday. I'll just have to shift that goal to end of Fall, instead.

I'm going to stay FIRED UP and do 15 minutes a day this week. Yay Me!

Well, I'll be a Monkey's Uncle (edited)

****FORCE OF NATURE SPOILER ALERT****

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

Just in case you didn't believe me
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I just have to get my thoughts down somewhere, so, here we go.

After work yesterday I went home and immediately fixed dinner (sorry REVvers)...while reading. Ate dinner...while reading. And read until midnight, when I finished the book. What can I say. She hooked me.

This was a very very satisfying read. Because there were no loose ends at the end of the book!!!! Can you believe it? I can hardly believe it. I was just over halfway through it when it dawned on me what she was actually going to do in this book

What a surprise. I had no idea that Jules & Robin were going to get their happy ending in this book. It was supposed to be about these two new characters, Ric and Annie. Well, we briefly met Ric in one of the other books, Gone Too Far, I think...But they were rather eclipsed in this book because of Jules & Robin. Who only got strung along for 4 books, not 6, and only Jules was in two of them. Not that I'm particularly thrilled that Robin was Jule's happy-ever-after. A little disappointed. Once I overlooked the "when did he get a grip and accept that he's gay" question. (Maybe I need to re-read? I could have sworn last time we saw him he was still rather in denial, even after the whole sleazy Adam thing). And when I forced myself to forget the Adam thing.

But I am so thrilled that that is finally over!!!!!! So this book ended with Ric & Annie together, and Jules & Robin together. So. I'll probably be flamed for this (if I ever post in on the BB, that is) but I'm rather relieved she wasn't as descriptive with the love scenes with Jules & Robin. I'm just not that...comfortable...reading that kind of scene. And honestly, she's been dialing down the heat/sex scene quotient book-by-book as she gets more mainstream. Not sure why hot steamy sex scenes are great for the female dominated romance market, but not the general public? What, like guys don't like to read about sex? But I digress.

Back to the book. Jules & Robin were emotionally satisfying. I can see how the events of this book would force both of them to make the decisions they did.

Ric & Annie were cute together. Lots of snappy repartee. But the thing is, like in a lot of the last few books, they were a bit overshadowed by the story-arc characters: Jules & Robin. They lose out in comparison, because J&R have such a built-up story already. Their characters are very well developed, very fleshed out. They were major secondary characters in Cosmo & Jane's book. Frankly, almost over-shadowed them in that book as well.

Here are my issues with Ric & Annie. They were the secondary characters. Lots of page time, probably as much as Jules & Robin. But they were the secondary ones. Less character development. So to make their falling in love in a few short days believable, she had them know each other from childhood. For about 20 years. Yeah, okay. But all of a sudden he's so over-protective, etc. Going crazy trying to keep her safe. It's an over-used device in my opinion. Very tired. Geez. Find something else to cause tension between the hero/heroine. Some other issue they need to resolve before they get their Happy Ever After. But. Okay. And then all of a sudden he's loved her since they were teens? Umm, that wasn't really brought up until well into the book. But okay.

And what about how Ric just quit the police force and opened his business. Then all of a sudden at the end he was dissatisfied with his career for a long time? Doesn't like his new business? Where'd that come from? Did I read too fast? Skim too many scenes? Miss something? I didn't think so...made myself read slower than normal. Geez, it took two days for me to read the book.

Then there's the quintessential sex scene where - ooops - you make me so crazy I forgot the condom. She does this in just about every book. And in this book, like the others, she makes the heroine be okay with this. Well, I don't think so. Especially in this book. Ric is quite the womanizer. Maybe not quite as much as Annie thinks, but he's no saint. So. he's had this "girlfriend" in Ohio for years. Who visits him in Florida every couple of months (or something like that, anyway) and then all of a sudden calls up and says she's coming down with her fiance and please get your stuff out of her condo? Obviously she's not been monogamous. But okay. I can deal with that.

But early on in the book Annie finds him seconds away from having sex with a woman he's just met after already seriously making the moves on Annie and then they find out this woman he was going to have sex with was a FORMER FAMOUS P.OR.N S.TAR???????? But hey. That's okay. Let's not use a condom and I won't freak out. And then after this talk about blood tests, etc? What the...

And is it just me, but how likely is it that everyone they meet has the same sense of humor, etc?

Anyway. I guess I just focus on the irritating stuff, huh? But seriously. This was a very satisfying read. More like how I felt when I'd finish her earlier books. Before she started the whole Sam & Alyssa torture-fest. Which she is apparently wanting to continue. Sigh. Because I know she's still got Decker/Sophia lined up for this. Frankly, I don't like either of those two reoccuring characters. Some major ICK factor there for me. And then she started dangling Izzy and Tracy in the last book, Into the Storm. So she's not stopping with this story-arc stuff.

I wonder how newbies to her books react? I can't imagine reading Force of Nature as my first book by her. How lost would I be? Would Annie & Ric be totally drowned out by Jules & Robin? Or would they not appear as strong because they've not been burdened with the past history and drama. Hmmm. Never thought of that. Maybe Annie & Ric would be very fleshed out for them, because they haven't read the other books.

Anyway. I didn't mean to go on and on like this. I'm sure there's plenty more I'll think of to say. Maybe I need to do a re-read of the series. But that will definitely have to wait until I get the next Microsoft certification exam done. Hopefully in September. Maybe October. Well. I'd better get to work.

Oh! Just remembered something. Can I just say that I was a little irritated in this book at the almost stigmatizing attitude toward someone who has sex without being in love? For Pete's sake. It's 2007 here! If two people decide to have sex because they want to have sex, and they're both unattached consenting adults, what's the problem???? It felt like being lectured to me. Just because someone has sex with someone they aren't in love with, it doesn't make it a bad thing. Forgot to post about that earlier.

Well, that didn't work

Goals: 2x Abs #2, 2x Arms, 2x Cardio
Sitrep: 1x Abs #2, 1x Arms

So much for my big exercise motivation idea. I was not going to allow myself to buy Suz' new book, Force of Nature, unless I worked out 15 minutes every day this week. It came out the 14th. I bought it yesterday. I have no willpower. I was doing my monthly grocery shopping at the h-e-double-hockey-sticks that's Wal-Mart, and there it was. A hardback at $14.46 is hard to pass up...

Especially when you live in a town where you buy at Wally World or Costco (another nightmare place to visit) or Hastings (which rarely has good sales).

So FON went home with me. But hey, at least I managed to feed the dog and myself, and put all the groceries away. There's still a pile of plastic grocery bags on the counter, though. And unwashed dishes. Good news is, I did go to bed at my normal time. Bad news, I didn't REV. I'm a weak, weak, woman. (But that's not news to me!)

So today I have to do 30 minutes as soon as I get home. No eating, no touching the book. I am woman, hear me roar. ;)

DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU'RE AVOIDING ALL DISCUSSION OF THIS BOOK UNTIL YOU'VE READ IT

Preliminary thoughts on FON:

It was hard to get started. The first couple of chapters are set-up, introducing (or reintroducing) you to the main characters. She has to do that now because there is so much back story from other books...I think that's one of the things I'm liking least about the books. Usually I like back story, and the connections...but these are getting so, I don't know, weighty, somehow. There are a lot of characters, and I'm so scatterbrained I'm losing track of who has what characteristics/voice. But that could just be me. :)

TAADMC.

The.Abbreviations.Are.Driving.Me.Crazy. Not much fun, is it? I blame that on two things. One, the military/government community uses a lot of abbreviations. So when writing in the "voice" of people in those arenas, to sound true, you have to use abbreviations. Two, we've become a world of text-messaging and instant-messaging addicts. All that short-hand texting. KT (little sister's sibling) texted me once and I had to call her to ask her what the heck she was saying! There are too too many words in my life to be able to do that.

The drawback is that not all the readers are going to know the meanings. And the ones I did know, I had to think on for a few seconds. They stopped the flow of reading for me. Jarred me out of the story. Like POTUS. What the heck is that? Okay, take a second, what's this character thinking about? Re-read last few sentences. Oh, yes, President of the United States. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming. And then in one of the paragraphs the heroine described the hero as "TDH". Hmmm. The Defiant Hero was all I could come up with. (Title of one of her previous books.) I must have sat there for 5 minutes trying to figure out what she meant when it hit me. DUH. That's shorthand for "Tall, dark, handsome". Sigh. I could just be me. And once you get past those "introductory" chapters, either she's not using the acronyms as much or I'm getting used to them...or I'm - finally - getting sucked into the story and not noticing them.

No WWII subplot. I miss those the most. I just loved how she wove those into the modern day story. They were great. But again, there's just too much back story now with the secondary characters that they WWII plots have been abandoned.

But see, they're not secondary characters anymore. There are now multiple main characters in all these stories. Which I dislike the most. I like secondary characters to be secondary. Their storyline/presence should not be as important as the hero/heroine. And for Pete's sake, if you build them up, finish their story in the next book!!!! I guess what's already bugging me about this, is the secondary characters are getting lots of buildup already, and I know there's not going to be a resolution for them in this book.

Only that's why I read romance. It's for the guaranteed happy ending. I really hate this dragging out stuff over three or four (or more!) books. And the move away from Romance to Romance/Fiction to Fiction. Which is where she is heading. A lot of the really great Romance authors seem to do this. I'm not sure why. I know they change over time like the rest of us, probably get bored, too. Maybe there's lots of pressure from the publisher, or there's just more money to be made...who knows.

Funnily enough, so far it's still a good book, and I'm anxious to get home and read some more. I'm just such a whiner! [g]

Two Happy's Today

Weekly Goals (M-Su): 3x Abs #2, 2x Arms, 2x Cardio
Sitrep: 1x Abs #2, 1x Arms

Happy One:

Happy birth-day to you, hap-py birth-day to-o you, happpppyy BIRTH-daayy dear brooooo-therrrrrr, hap-py BIRTH-daaay toooooo youuuuu!

Aren't you glad you can't hear me singing this to you? Love you lots and hope you have a great day. Wish I was there to celebrate with you. :)

(Uh, I'm sure it's no surprise, but your present will be delayed. This time, however, it's not because I haven't gotten it yet. I've been having a few...difficulties...with it. but I did mail part of it with your card. The rest'll be in the mail by this weekend, hopefully!)

Happy Two:

Happy BodyRev Anniversary to Me!!! Today is the one year mark for the first time I used the BodyRev. First workout: Legs. Ahhh, I remember it well. Eight minutes, yes that's the number 8, into the Legs workout, I sat down. [g] And boy did my legs hurt the next day. And the day after, I had to force myself to sit down and pull myself up, all from the squats in the routine. I think my muscles were in total shock I'd required them to do something other than walk between car and building. :0

But it's been a good year. Hit it hard the first 6 months, which is where I lost the 20-25 pounds (it fluctuates, darn it, why won't it just stay at the 25 pound mark!). It's also where I lost those inches and started to tone. I dropped from a high-end size 16 to a 14 and then a 12. Yep. Today I am wearing size 12 slacks. Un-be-liev-a-ble. At least, that's what I used to think! And my arms, wow, I have muscles! When I do the "muscle" pose, you can see 'em, and they even feel firm when poked!!! Now, I'm not winning any arm wrestling contests, but for my arms they are darn impressive!

Insert happy dance here.

And I'm feeling great. Even though the last 6 months have been less committed (I think the slacking off time outweighs the REV time, ackkk) I still feel good, and have kept the weight from creeping back. I'm eating better, sleeping better, and life is just, you guessed it, better!

My goal for the next year of BodyRev is to get to the point where I can do all 4 15 minute workouts together. I actually got there once during this last 12 months. It almost killed me, but I did it. I can do it again. :) And the rest of the goal is to graduate to BootCamp.

The sun is shining, some of the smoke has cleared out, and it's a Two Happy Day today. :)

Out of Thoughts

Sitrep: (Since last Wednesday)
2x Arms, 1x Abs #1, 1x Abs #2

Surprisingly. [g] Okay. Maybe more like I'm out of mental energy.

I'm trying to get back into my "FlyLady" routine. It worked wonderfully for me when I was in the last rental. The move just threw me totally off track. Then I started REVing and that was enough of a project. Now I'm incorporating REVing into my FlyLady routine. Sad that I need to do this, but oh well. Whatever works.

Yesterday was nice and mellow, both at work and at home. Not too much going on I feel like musing about. Politics, weather, economics, books...my brain is on vacation apparently!

So here's some fun/bizarre stuff for today:

Battle at Kruger (some of you may have seen this on TV)

Pardon me, is that a Monkey on your head?

What is with this Monkey on the Head thing?

Or is it just Monkeys in general taking over? 'Cause there's a Monkey on the Loose.

And if you get one of these, you'd Better hope it doesn't rain.

And just because I think this is an awesome picture, and am so jealous I didn't shoot it myself:

Smoky skies make for a brilliant sunrise over the Capitol dome Wednesday.

- Martin J Kidston, Helena Independent Record photo

Alden is Scary, and Thank You VW Bozeman.

Yup. Alden is scary per my little sister Shanni. And this is only the Abs Essentials DVD. [g] She and her older sister KT went with me to Bozeman Monday when I took my car in for repairs. We had to return Tuesday because the part wasn't in stock.

So Monday night the girls stayed at my house. "Slumber Party" they squealed. Yeah, right. I crawled into bed at 9:30 pm. Driving takes it out of me. As well as 5 hours at the mall with 2 teenage girls.

Tuesday morning I got up and was determined to keep going with REVing. It was an Abs day, so it wasn't too hard to make myself do it. But I moved on to Abs Essentials workout #2, because that's where I was and I'm not letting myself go backwards! Shanni spotted me, and was very disappointed that when I pulsed up toward her hands it didn't make the same clicking noise as on the DVD (Alden spotting for Sarah). I had to point out it was his wedding ring hitting the Rev. So she used her finger nail to make the noise. LOL. But she goes "he's scary". I'm like, "What? No he's not!" Her 16 year old sister (still curled up on the couch under a blanket) rolled her eyes and said "No he's not. It's motivational."

Then I said, "He's a Navy SEAL you know." Shani then shot back at me "That makes him scarier." [g]

But when I was done, she wanted to try. So I let her do the original essentials workout with no weights. She did it. Some of it was a bit of a struggle, but she did the whole 15 minutes. Said she could feel her abs. She swears today she doesn't feel a thing. I'm not sure if she's telling the truth or not...

Anyway. Our second day in Bozeman was just as fun as the first. VW went ahead and covered the repair to the catalytic converter under warranty since it expired 2 days before I called in. And probably because I was there in May for the 50k mile checkup which was a pretty extensive one.

While they worked on the car, we spent the day at the mall - again. Their service dept didn't even ask the second day. Just picked up the phone and called their "shuttle" driver and said "We've got some ladies that want to go to the mall." [g]

I "made" the girls spend the first several hours at Barnes & Noble. Monday was their first ever trip to a bookstore like Barnes & Noble. They loved it! It was funny. They kept running up to me to get my cell phone so they could type in book names into the "notepad" feature using the full keyboard. Right now there are 3 book lists going. Me, KT and Shanni. ;)

We also did the "girl" thing. Both days. sigh. Spent more time than I care to admit in Claire's. The cosmetic jewelry store. Eventually I ended up outside on one of the benches, staring longingly down the concourse to B&N. [g]

The girls were great. Only one time did I have to get on them for squabbling. I got a few amused looks from other women in the mall when I said (apparently louder than I was planning to) "Hey! You've both spent the last 2 days in the Mall! NEITHER ONE OF YOU gets to cop an attitude!!!!"

Did you know the 80's were coming back in style? Seriously. KT is so into this; fingerless gloves, fishnet, etc. One of the stores was, like, a total flashback. When we finally left the store, Shanni goes "I didn't like that music." KT responds, "oh, I love retro." To which I yelped "Hey! No calling music I grew up on as RETRO!" Which made both of them start laughing.

The drive was actually fun. On a whim, I put in the unabridged audio book of To Kill a Mockingbird. I figured it was safer than finding music all of us would like, and age appropriate for both girls. Except I forgot the mouth Scout has in this book. But both girls absolutely loved it. The were both really getting into it and laughing. Even Shanni, who was the one I really wasn't sure would enjoy it since she's 11, almost 12. They ended up borrowing my paperback copy to finish the story, since we only got halfway through the book on CD (and that's with total car time of 4 hours).

Anyway. We had a good time, the car is fixed, I'm back on track with BodyRev, and my little sister is now impressed even more with my workout. Even if Alden is "scary." ;)

Timing, as the saying goes, is everything..

A few months back, I started hearing this kind of rattling noise from my car when I'd start it. Or while accelerating or braking. But no one else ever heard it. I figured I was just being paranoid as I have a tendency to do sometimes, and since even I didn't hear it consistently, brushed it off.

Around that time (end of April/beginning of May) I had to go out of town for work to a city where there's actually a VW dealer. So since it was time for my car to be serviced, I made an appointment and took it in. The AC wasn't working well either, so I had them fix that. (Just needed to be recharged). But see, I didn't mention the rattling thing to them.

So. They serviced the car, fixed up the AC and sent me on my way. No mention of any rattle, etc.

By June I started to hear that rattling noise again. Then more often. The second week of July, I had a couple of people tell me they could hear it and I should get it checked out. But by then the convention prep was in full swing and no way was I going to have any time to get the car in to the dealer.

FYI, my car is a 2000 VW Jetta with just over 55,000 miles.

So. I called early this week and scheduled an appointment. The soonest they can get me in is this coming Monday. So I've taken the day off of work and will be going in.

A friend that "knows cars" came by this week to see if he could pinpoint the problem. He said it sounded like the exhaust system, possibly the catalytic converter, which wouldn't be covered under my power train warranty. So I went to the local mechanic he recommended. Who says my catalytic converter needs to be replaced. [I probably shouldn't drive my car so much off-road. lol.] He'll fix it for me, parts & labor, for $340.00. Which I can do, without too much struggle. Irks, but oh well.

Just to be sure it wasn't covered under warranty, I called the VW dealer. The service department guy says there's an emissions warranty that includes the catalytic converter: 8 years or 80,000 miles. I'm good on the miles part. But can you guess when the 8 years was up?????

JULY 29, 2007!!!!!

The technician couldn't believe it...he said to bring it in, and if that's what the problem is he'll call VW and see about getting it covered under the warranty.

So I called VW myself, and they confirmed that it was up on 7/29. Crazy unbelievable. lol. He started the process, but of course wouldn't guarantee that they would cover it under warranty. Sigh. There's a chance, though, but slim. But I definitely have to get it diagnosed by a VW service department. So I'm off to Bozeman on Monday. Definite bright side - they have a Barnes & Noble AND a Borders. :)

Anyway. I'm not freaked or upset. It's just ironically funny. Next time I'm just gonna go with my instincts...I drive my car every day. I know if it sounds off or not...

And also for timing - sometime next month the state is sending out $400 property tax rebates to all property owners. Whoo-hoo. So even if I don't get it covered under warranty, I'm getting money back that'll cover the cost....

Timing, as the saying goes, is everything. ;)

And speaking of timing. These people are leaving just in the nick of time, don't you think?

Someone Stole My Mountains

Sitrep: 15 minutes BodyRev Essential Abs #1

Thank-you to my brother for his call yesterday. After that, how could I not workout? And I still want to know what my SIL was laughing about in the background. You sounded like you were having way too much fun without me! And thank you too Trudy! :)

Now. On to my mountains. Apparently the Meriweather fire about 40 miles north of town is now the nation's #1 firefighting priority. Isn't that nice? It's been burning for almost a month now, and it's just a matter of waiting for rain and/or snow to put it out...

But we've been dealing with the smoke from it, and it definitely got worse yesterday. Here's a picture from my back door, looking south (the fire is north of my house!):

Can you see my mountains?












They're there, I swear. Somewhere I have a picture of this same view from right after I moved in. Janet W might remember it. I posted it on the BB once. Can't find it now. Smoke is still pretty bad this morning.

This fire's up to 31,000+ acres now. Most of it in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness area and the Beartooth Management area. Not a lot of permanent homes up there. Some, and some campgrounds.

Anyway. Here's a picture I found of the fire from Tuesday afternoon's "run". (Seems like the fire makes a run for it every afternoon.)

A mountainside erupts into flames as the Meriwether fire burns near
Holter Lake on Tuesday.

Great Falls Tribune Photo/Robin Loznak

It's beautiful in a wild and elemental sort of way, isn't it?

Sitrep

AKA "Be Mean to Me Day".

I'm in one of those moods today. Not sure why. I'm tired and sore and ganging up on myself. I can use any excuse I want (and have quite a few) for not exercising the last month. I've been sleeping poorly, eating poorly, and exercising not at all. And my little forays into gardening and mowing the lawn don't count, not really! I mean, it's good to be moving, but my lawn is so tiny, I just get going when it's time to stop.

And I know that the not exercising makes my sleep worse which makes me tired which makes me eat worse which makes me tired which makes me not follow through with exercising.

Sheesh. It's not like REVing is that impossible of a task...I actually enjoy it when I REV, at least, as much as I enjoy anything called exercise. So why have I hit a brick wall? What has switched off in my brain that switched on last August? Because August 15 (yes, B, your birthday!) is the day I started REVing. I'm still down the 20 lbs, but that won't last for long if I keep this up.

And it's not the heat, it's not the smoke, it's not Grandma dying or LM dying...It's me using anything and everything as an excuse to not do what I know I should do. What I need to do. Like cutting my nose off to spite my face!

I'm disappointing myself, my family, my friends (especially those other REVin' Ladies who've given me such support), my little sister, and Alden (who I owe a testimonial to, and have been procrastinating writing because I've stopped REVing.)

So. What to do.

1) Make large red sign saying something suitably motivating & hang it in kitchen above where I make breakfast?

2) Place BodyRev on sofa on top of TV remote control?

3) Stop whining and just REV! Fifteen lousy minutes a day. For Pete's Sake. I've spent more time typing this blog entry!

Sigh. Okay. I'm going to do 15 minutes tonight. I'll start with Abs since it's my favorite. I'm going to do this!