Lots of Energy...

I am a doer. I have lots of energy to burn!
I cannot stand to sit and do nothing - even the thought of fishing makes me cringed.
It seems to have gotten worse since I started this physical transformation and am at the gym so much...

I can't just "sit in the silence" and meditate.
Makes for some fun Sunday services, let me tell ya!
I tend to meditate when I'm doing "mindless / repetitive" tasks such as sewing, weeding, walking (ever heard of the Buddha walk?)...

Along those same lines, it drives me crazy when I get an inkling (is that a real word??) that a friend is in need, but for reasons beyond my control, I can't do anything.
I start crawling walls while pulling out my hair...
Nice visual, hmm?

Namaste.

Ever Had? and a Song

...one of those days were everything was just "blah" and "ugh".

Nothing happened.
Really. I am not trying to be vague and codey.

I have no reason for being in downer mood...I just am.



There is a song that I keep listening to on the radio - Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie.
I'm on the verge of buying the CD so that I can listen to it more.
Portions of it remind me of situations in my life. . .
Makes me think. . .
Yes, now I AM being vague!

VERSE 1
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your home town
I need some shelter of my own protection baby
Be with myself in center, clarity
Peace, serenity

CHORUS
I hope you know
I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal
Myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm not gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
Big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry

VERSE 2
The path that I'm walkin, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairy tales don't always have a happy ending do they?
And I forsee the dark ahead if I stay

CHORUS

BRIDGE
Like a little school mate in a school yard,
We'll play jacks and Uno cards
I'll be your best friend
And you'll be my Valentine
Yes you can hold my hand if you want to
Cuz I wanna hold yours too
We'll be playmates and lovers and share our secret world
But it's time for me to go home
It's getting late dark outside
I need to be with myself in center,
Clarity, peace, serenity

CHORUS

Namaste.

TV

I think it is pretty well known that I don't watch a lot of television. It just isn't a priority in my daily routine.

The other day, I turned on the TV to do an aerobics tape and saw an advertisement for a new show that looked interesting - so, I decided to check it out last night.

I will now be at my TV on Tuesdays at 9:00pm EST to watch Shaq's BIG Challenge!!!
Did anyone else see it?

It is similar to Biggest Loser, but focuses on childhood obesity. I could write a pretty long post about the show, my opinions and thoughts and such, but for once, I'll just shut up and let you form your own opinions on it.

Namaste.

Depends On The Moment...

I can be an extrovert. I can be an introvert.
It really depends on the situation, the company and my mood at that moment.

I don't have to be in a crowd to experience new things:
1. I have gone to movies alone: Though walking into a theater full of kids to watch a Harry Potter flick got me some weird looks from a few "week-end dads".
2. I have even gone on a bus tour vacation by myself: I met some awesome people in the process that I still talk to today (gotta love mini-reunions in London)!
3. I can join a group for an outing without knowing many of the people involved: include a pot luck activity (especially involving macaroons and home-made chocolate chip cookies) and people get to know each other pretty quickly.

I think that was my long-winded way of saying 'Getting to know new people is not an issue for me'. That is if I want to at that particular moment in time - and believe me, there are moments when I don't.

So, it strikes me as odd that I am in a situation where I want to be an extrovert, but find myself stuck in the introvert arena. I haven't been able to find a workable "conversation starter" in the file cabinet that is otherwise called my brain for a particular individual. Bummer.

Unfortunately, I don't think talking about the color of the sky, the philosophy surrounding plastic versus paper or even the exact amount of time it takes to make water boil would work out very well. :)

Namaste.

Neglecting?

I feel like I have been neglecting the blog lately. . .
Which may lead most of you to think that I haven't been exercising. Wrong!

I have been exercising - I just haven't been doing as much at the gym. My VCR (yes, I still own one) is getting a workout as I go through all of the aerobic tapes that I have. Wow - those things wear me out!!!

I have had a lot of blog topics pop into my head - but since Nickey (and others) yell at me for "being too vague", I need to work on them a bit more before posting. :)

In the mean-time, I will post some pics from Vegas to make up for the short, neglectful post today.






Here is the Bellagio fountains choreographed to music. We also saw them during the day, but I prefer the night show with the lights.















Yes, those are rides at the top! Three of them to be exact.

Yes, we rode two of them - including the one that goes REALLY high up! I was expecting something like "Drop Zone". . .I was very surprised when the ride took off!










Namaste.

Vegas, Baby!

Vegas was great!

• I spent time with a dear friend (we are still searching for her new nickname).
• I laughed until my abs hurt.
• I got fed up when my ass hurt.
• I found another Riesling that is competing with Fez Parker (but I didn't get the name!).
• I enjoyed some great food.
• I realized that a decadent dessert is even better when shared.
• I do not want to even think about the amount of alcohol I drank.
• I like the slots at Ballys.
• I do not like the Roulette at Bill's.
• I just enjoyed life for awhile!

A few other thoughts I wrote down during the trip:

• I will never take my kids to Vegas for a vacation.
• A 'love tap' on the rear is not a 'love tap' when it brings tears to the eyes.
• Repeating said 'love tap' after said tears is not a good idea if you are trying to make a move.
• Dogging on a lady's employer and favorite team does not make a good impression.
• The more I wear my contacts, the more I am saving up for surgery!
• People who listen to music on an airplane without headphones should be shot!
• "We have turned the fasten seat belt sign on, please remain in your seats." is not code for "Everyone feel free to go to the restroom now."!

Namaste.

Is It Time For Something Different?

I've been feeling a bit restless lately. Is it time for something different?

Sadillac and I decided tonight that it is time to change-up the exercise routine. I will lift at the gym four days a week (yes, that also means the posting to the blog will go down a bit) and I will do some type of cardio activity twice a week. . .either with aerobics at home or something out and about (you know - if I get an invite to do something kewl, like going for a bike ride or something along those lines).

I will only say this once: Running does not fall "along those lines".

I am going to take some steps to get all of my in-process projects done: from the quilts to the drywall. I think all of the "half-dones" has been playing havoc with my mental state lately. It will sure feel nice to live in a home and not something that looks like it is still being built.

There are other areas of my life that I am looking at for ways to change-it-up. . .
Still thinking about those.

Namaste.

PS. Vegas was great. . . I am sure that I will touch on the trip in future blog postings.

Fun Stuff

Gotta love the convenience of credit cards!

Most of you know that I rarely carry cash.
I am a plastic-kinda gal (and no, I do not mean plastic surgery).

It is convenient.
I only have one electronic-check (per card anyway) each month.
It makes it very easy to manage my budget.

Gotta love it, until it bites you in the rear.

The credit card number that I have had so long that I have it 90% memorized? I had three phone calls from the credit card company in a span of 12 hours to call them. I knew something was up when they asked me ever security question / item that I have ever registered with them.

Yep, you guessed it: fraudulent on-line activity!
Luckily, there are only two charges.
Luckily, it is less than $50 total.
Luckily, the fraud department at Chase is good at their job and spotted it quickly.
Luckily, I will not be responsible for the charges.

I don't remember making these charges. My home computer is RIP so I've been very limited in what I can do on-line. I do not recall ordering anything on-line this month AT ALL. I did make it clear to Chase that I am about 90% sure that the charges weren't mine. Gotta leave myself a little bit of room to be wrong. :) Of course, I could have bought something and the company is registering it as an on-line purchase (which I found out is how my monthly charge for my trainer is billed).

How is this not lucky? I am leaving for vacation tomorrow...This was the card that I was going to take. The number has been closed effective immediately. They could get me a new card by end of day tomorrow, but I am leaving my house at 6am...So, I won't get my replacement card for three working days.
I am now trying to track down the "auto-charges" to give everyone a heads up that the account is in limbo right now.

Do I still think credit cards are worth-it? Absolutely.
Am I a little aggravated at "take-ers" out their trying to do it illegally, if they truly are? Abso - f-in - lutely.

On another note, don't you just love it when someone says they are going to do something and don't???

Namaste.

Just Some Girl Stuff...

There was a lesson at church a few weeks back about men will start doing more "feminine stuff" (grocery shopping, helping with the kids, etc) and women will start doing more "male stuff" (using tools around the house, enjoying sports, etc) than past generations.

My friends and I went "Huh?" as I already fit in this mold. I spend most of my time in a gym, I have season tickets to watch my Bengals play football and I am active in most of the remodeling projects at the condo (the bathrooms being the exception). I draw the line at wearing a jock strap and putting a razor on my face!

Today, I decided to take some time off today to get "some girl stuff" done. Yes, I may do some guy things, but I still like girlie stuff too!

The mystery of the day: Why in the world do gals have so much more things to do before a trip then most guys? I really put some thought into this and didn't come up with a good answer. Some of the guys in my life will laugh at this and make some smart ass remarks, but they would be the first to notice if I didn't do some of these things!

No matter...I am still happy that my nails are done, my toes are pretty, I won't have to shave (gotta love wax) and loads of other things that I am going to get done before the trip. If I'm not mistaken, I think most of my male family / friends couldn't be paid to be waxed! Hmmm...Can we say "Wimps"?

Namaste.

"I went to acting school with a lot of people who were far more talented than I was... but they took a day job, lost patience, or got discouraged and quit -- and I didn't. So here I am, the last man standing." - Tom Hanks

Un-flippin-believable!

I was excited when I got to say that I lost 50lbs.
70lbs was mouth-full.
I was so reaching for that 75lbs.
Never in my life did I think that I would say that I had lost 81lbs!

But I did on Monday...
Sadillac even witnessed the weigh-in (and took a pic)!
SEEEEEEEEE!

Today, I was scheduled to have the dreaded caliper body fat test done.
I was so nervous.
Handy was my voice of reason and kept me from canceling.
I was actually shaking.
Then, I got the results. I almost cried.WOW - I've reached a level that I only dreamt I would: the 160s below 21%.
NOTE: The measurements are from Monday - hence the date at the top.

What did I do, you ask?
First, I headed to the gym (obviously, or you wouldn't be ready this).
Then, I celebrated with some ice cream (yum!).
Finally, I sat on the back patio (OK, I was sitting there when I ate the ice cream) and did some thinking.

Yes, it looks like I am heading for 15%. :)
No, I'm not crazy (I don't think so anyway).
It's just that I still have some "flub" to loose in two areas.
AND more importantly, I am not in my goal-size jeans.

Wish me luck!

Namaste.

PS. If this post doesn't warrant comments - then I don't know that I will even have a comment-worthy entry!

Lots of Work! Lots of Reward!

I was fortunate enough to participate in an event this past Saturday called "Give Back Cincinnati's Paint the Town". Nearly 1,000 volunteers painted 35 houses in one particular area of town.

It was a lot of hard work.
It was very messy.
It nice to meet some co-workers from other departments who I didn't know.
It was challenging staying on my diet, especially when the ice cream sandwiches came out. But I did (yes, I took my own food)!
It was kewl to work with the home-owner (he kept saying "Unbelievable" and "Great job girls!").
It was a great experience for which I am thankful!

I even got my rear off of the ground onto a six foot ladder, then a ten foot ladder and finally a 12 foot ladder. The six and ten footers were needed to get the job done while everyone else was busy. The 12 footer became a challenge to myself to prove that I could do it. I do not have a fear of heights, but I do have a problem with not feeling like I am on steady ground. I refused to get on the extension ladders, but these regular "A" shape ladders and I decided to come to an agreement to get the job done.

Now, I have a lovely burnt orange colored Paint the Town shirt covered in light tan and white paint! The sunburn only lasted one day and somehow I didn't get one splash of paint on my white Who Dey hat! :)

Did I mention that the house looks awesome?

Here's a 'before' picture of the house.

I will try to get an after picture to show what a great job we did!

If you get the chance to be a part of this in the future - I highly recommend it!

Namaste.

Another Pet Peeve?

I will be the first to admit that in text messages, I.M. messages and even conversational emails with friends/family that are quick - I do not watch my grammar, capitalization and such. I don't even have a problem getting a text message that says: "how r u?". Have you ever tried to text? It takes A LOT of effort!

However, emails from people that I do not know full of bad grammar, run-ons and misspellings are fast becoming a pet peeve of mine! I believe that spell check exists in most email programs - use it people!

I get emails on occasion about my family genealogy. The one I got today - I had to read it about three times to even try to understand what was being said. I also get a lot of messages in myspace that are near impossible to read. Now, myspace doesn't have spell check (that I have found) and I have been guilty of sending some typos, but damn - at least reread your message to see if it makes sense! After all, why waste your time sending me a message when I probably will not respond as I am usually not in the mood to decipher coding.

Unfortunately, one person, who spends time on messages before sending, is on this 'must wait three to six days before responding to each email'.
Note: That doesn't make me want to respond much either.

Namaste.

Do-er or Take-er?

I was raised with good values, morals and ethics. I bust my ass to make sure that I can take care of myself, that all of the bills get paid and that I can enjoy life.

I am a "Do-er".

There have been some rough times in my life, but I always did what needed to be done. To pay for college, I would work three jobs in the summer. During the school year, I would miss out on many social opportunities in order to get that paycheck or to keep the GPA for the scholarship.

When I first started working in the real world, I kept the free/garage sale furniture and missed out on vacations in order to put a down payment on my house. It was years before I had a cell-phone. To this day, I do not have cable.

None of those items were enjoyable, but I did what I had to do. I did not make someone else do without so that I could do with.

Are you a "Do-er" or a "Take-er"?

I have had many "Take-er"s in my life and I am okay with that. It is a part of my experience and I know how to deal with them. I have learned hard lessons from some, but I am better because of it.

But I feel the need to say that it burns my but when I see "Takers" walk all over people that I care about. In some cases, I have to bite my tongue to stop from stepping in to stop them from being "taken".

"Take-er"s should note: I can only bite for so long before I will step in.
I am a Leo, after all, and I WILL protect my own.

Namaste.

Lyrics

I need to see the words of a song before I can connect with it.
Yes, I know. . .I'm a little out there.

I have found another song that has made me stop to look at the lyrics a bit closer. My hope is that someone will make the songwriter a lot of money and record them (listening to the CD doesn't do much for me as I don't connect with the songwriter's voice very well - my issue, not his).

So, the newest lyrics that have made me do some thinking lately:
"Life's a mystery. Where it leads, we'll see
Life's a mystery and I enjoy it for it teaches me
The more we learn, the less concerns,
The easier to breathe
Whatever you see look a little deeper
And you'll uncover another piece of life's mystery." -Cliff Rubin

If you have read my blog before, the songwriter's name might seem familiar. I used another set of lyrics from him as a blog afterthought previously.

Namaste.

The Last Week

It is the last week of the weight loss competition.
WOW! What a rough time!
We started with 12 people. . .We are now down to six.

I think it is harder than before because I am so close to being done completely - I am getting my body fat checked (with calipers) within a few days of final weigh-in. I am a bit apprehensive about that fact as my goal has always been a body fat %, not a weight number.

But, I have to admit that I am ready to go into maintenance mode:
To be able to go out for a meal once a week.
To be able to have ice cream once a week.
To be able to have Lean Cuisine Paninis (yes, that is what I am craving the most!).
To be able to buy clothes and they still fit a week later!

Wish me luck - I'm on the home stretch!

Namaste.

Hooked and Stuck

Music plays a big role in my life. I very rarely watch TV, but there is usually music playing somewhere in the condo. There was even a time (1998, I think) when I was going to concerts more than I was. . .Well, more than I was doing a lot of things!

Right now, I am searching for 'work-out songs' to get an i-Pod populated for the gym (suggestions are welcomed). It's getting rough trying to get a long cardio work-out done with the sad music videos that the gym plays over and over and over. . .

On occasion, I get hooked on a song and just keep listening to it over and over and over. . . Lately, I have been hooked on more than one song - which is good in one way and not so good in another! This is also the first time that some 'old favorites' did a revisit to the hooked list.

- "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw
- "In Repair" by John Mayer (credit goes to Handy for this one!)
- "Don't Cha (techno mix)" by Pussycat Dolls
- "7" by Prince
- "The Promise" by Tracy Chapman
- "Believe" by Cher

I have them on my play list and listen to them at work throughout the day.
I'm hoping to get unhooked soon as they are starting to get stuck in my head and drive me batty!

I think I act crazy enough as it is - don't need to add batty to the mix!
No comments from the peanut gallery!

Namaste.

Started To. . .

I started to post a "Transformation Update", but decided it was too soon for that.

I am in the last two weeks of a major push to make some serious progress and will post my stats after those weeks of hell are over. :)

Namaste.

Confusion

Ever been in a place where confusion seems to be the norm?
I seem to be in that mind-set lately.
I'm not sure why.

There are some areas in my life that I know where I want to end up, but the journey to get there is not so clear. What makes it even worse is trying to figure out if I am creating confusion within the journey unnecessarily or if it is necessary to get to the end.

There are things that make me happy, but don't seem to work with my journey. Do I keep them for happiness today or do I let them go for happiness of the future? As I have no idea when this life will come to an end, I believe that I am going for happiness today.

There are things that no longer work with my journey, but I have made commitments that I will honor. Who knows, at the end of my commitment - they may work again.

Confused? Welcome to my world!

Namaste.