Thursday, August 31, 2006

Quick update...

Will be taking a couple of days off for Labor Day weekend...the wilds of SC are calling, I need to go explore Columbia, see sis-in-law's new place, see other sis-in-law's new critter (niece), hug my tree, lay on the grass, beg donation money from their nice neighbors, etc...

The new computer came in!!! We didn't expect it until after Labor Day, but were surprised yesterday by 2 boxes carrying our new Dell system. Still working some kinks out; I played on it for a couple of hours last night, and went blonde on a licensing issue with the MS Office stuff, plus I couldn't figure out how to turn off the CPU afterward (yes, folks, I work on a computer everyday), but man, it's a beauty! The other surprise (and this is worth a chuckle): no A: drive. Nothing for a 3¼-inch floppy. It boggles my mind that those have gone obsolete. I spent the better part of an hour yesterday transferring my novel from one disk to another, and in the process transferring every chapter from Wordpad documents to Word 2000 documents, because I was afraid that the Wordpad docs wouldn't be compatible with the new system (just didn't want to take a chance given the age of our old system), and all we've got is a frickin' CD/DVD drive/burner! I had to laugh. At least it's all in Word now, that is a relief. It'll be easy enough to transfer to a CD, or we can get a flash drive. Kinko's doesn't let you do it yourself though, so probably won't do it there; I've worked on that sucker for so long, there's no way I'm letting any of it get stolen.

Also learned this week that I can't drink while on Wellbutrin; sent me into a downward spiral that I'm still clawing my way up from. I wasn't hungover, but I was the emotional equivalent of gum on the bottom of a shoe. I never felt that way when I drank on Paxil, can't remember the last time I was that low; I mean, we're talking crawl-under-the-desk-bang-my-head-bruise-myself low. It brought back memories of Fort Myers. Never again.

Good. Don't need the damn stuff anyway.

So definitely hopping to KB for a bit tonight, chill with the ladies and Robbie, then home to throw stuff together for the trip. Laundry sitch is getting desperate.

Can't believe it's almost September. Not looking toward the ole birthday really; maybe this year, I'll just let it pass. I would love a violin or a guitar for a present though; been dropping hints to husby :) Can you ignore it and still get gifts? Sounds like one of them women's perogative things to me!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Endurance

I seem to have it. Whodathunkit.

Did my first try at 4 miles yesterday after work. A nice walk overall, though not nearly enough sidewalks. Jacksonville just sucks for sidewalks, but I was out of the range of serious traffic for most of it. Went down a hill off my access road into private communities of townhomes and the Baymeadows golf course, then down Baymeadows to home. Probably a little less than 4 miles, I shaved a bit off by using the golf cart trails for a piece, plus found another hole in the fence behind our complex. The heat was grueling though, started feeling it by about 2/3rds through, but that was also because Les was being overprotective before I left, so I felt obligated to keep my time down. I'll have to stick to main roads, so that he'll chill, because I don't want to be worrying about time; I'm working on distance and posture, nothing more.

But am I sore today? Barely! My right foot's being ornery, but that's normal after that level of distance, and I got 1 blister, so I'm definitely going to see about getting those new sneaks when we go up to SC. I'm going to do yoga today after work, because I also need to do laundry, and tomorrow I'll walk again.

It's in me!

Monday, August 28, 2006

Monday...


I will not panic about the fundraising I will not panic about the fundraising I will not panic....

Actually this pic is all the motivation I need. Meet Alexa, her husband, and their 2 beautiful girls, along the route of the Boston 3-Day, which she walked in earlier this month. That sucker's 60 miles over 3 days, and she raised more than $5,000!

Still, I think I need to write her and see if any of her donors are itching for some more tax deductions on next years' return...

Sent out my 2nd bulk mailing today, after FINALLY procuring enough stamps to pull it off, but it's a hodge-podge of people that I can't rely upon necessarily—family, friends, and doctors alike. I haven't drafted the media release for the local affiliates yet, or composed a letter for my company (with separate ones for the suits in charge), so the panicking's a shade premature, but with a mere 54 days left to the walk, that countdown clock's louder than my biological clock right now, and y'all know how noisy THAT one's been of late.

Bought my rain suit (my frugal nature actually had me pondering a poncho for a split second; then I remembered my arms and legs in the 2002 walk, and I came to my senses) and an extra sports bra this weekend, as well as the mylar blankets that saved my ass at the last walk. Buying stuff a little at a time should help. Still need an extra pair of shorts, 2 pairs of exercise pants or capris, my sneaks (which I'm hopefully getting both mommies to help with), one of those self-inflatable mats for under the sleeping bag (gave brief attention to one of those kindermats that small people use to nap on in school, only $5.99, but came to my senses on that one too...even though I'll be tired enough to sleep standing up after the first day, that's no reason to get nuts about the money saving when comfort's the issue), and a handful of other things, but I'm starting to feel prepared material-wise.

Wish I could say the same for my training...the weather turned rainy last week, which we desperately needed, but I didn't have the rain gear, plus the rain made us realize where the heck the humidity's been this summer. Holy crap, is it oppressive out! Hot, damp, breathe-in-and-the-air-feels-heavy-wool-blanket-smothering-you-summer has finally hit, and with Ernesto creeping up the peninsula, there's no immediate end in sight, so I'm just going to bite the bullet, buy more orange Gatorade, and get on the road. Working on 4-mile walks this week; I have a couple of routes mapped out thanks to an amazing little online tool that Alexa turned me onto...going to map out a couple in SC for the coming weekend too.

Wish me luck! Oh, and if you haven't been begged at by me yet, don't wait for the engraved invitation...check out my Avon Walk page at the links on the left and get donating! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Even $5 makes a difference; I should know, it's all I could afford to send Alexa :(

Friday, August 25, 2006

Rain

Buckets. Flooding in areas of poor drainage, like the top of my complex driveway. The driveway then slopes downward so that when you go out to your car, you're standing in an ankle-deep river.

It's raining cats, dogs, and alligators, I like to say. The ducks stand around confused. They've gotten used to the drought-like conditions, the receding retention ponds, the algae. The turtles are in heaven. The nutria all look like beavers, soaked and waddling.

Feast or famine. Florida used to run on a schedule—blessed sunshine til about 3 p.m., then rain for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and a half, then sun again til nightfall. One of my first memories of Florida was standing in my aunt and uncle's driveway in Tampa, listening to the rain coming down the street. Up north, it rained up, down, and sideways, but it always rained in the backyard when it was raining in the front. Florida's a duck of a different color.

This summer though, and the past two or three, come to think of it, tropical parchment. I'm sure the folks in Arizona and New Mexico would just shake their heads at our complaining, but it's still not enough rain. I'm glad my attempts at planting failed again, because they would've failed anyway. I need a backyard, a hose, some real earth, some real plants. Hell, some real grass too, not this stuff that comes in blocks and doesn't take root half the time. I lie flat on the grass in my inlaws' yard and feel the difference at some fundamental level. I am a child of the seasons.

Man, I need to write more. Been reading Poisonwood Bible again by Kingsolver; it's an addiction, a phenomenally written tome that speaks to me on several planes and cracks open the little room where the muse lives and lurks in my head, forcing out these bursts of creativity that dribble out of my fingers onto the keyboard like a tiny waterfall. My novel, Zoe, sits in her hospital room aching for movement, for something to take her beyond the stuck-in-the-mud place where she is now, trapped inside her own head, my own head, praying for some magical release, some wonder drug to strip off her skin and lay her bare for the final edit. It's so damn close. I keep saying, "if I can just get past this Avon walk, this holiday season, this SC move...," but deep down, I know they're excuses, that there's more of me to be given to the novel. I'm just afraid of its lack of truth, afraid it needs full rewrites in spots, because I'm not happy with how fictional it became, afraid it needs to be more autobiographical for my message to get across effectively, afraid that if I keep at it like this I'll never be satisfied and it'll never get finished...

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

More funny kitty pics



Cat Splat!


Dude, don't bogart the 'nip...

Graphics snitched from http://www.whatdidyoueat.typepad.com// Captions personal. No offense intended to Sher or Upsie, just giggles.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

To each their own


My Lil Sis thinks knitting is weird for anyone under the age of, oh say, 80, so blogging about it sends me right up a tree in her book, I think...to which I say, hey, at least I'm not a Weekend Cat Blogger!

Sad thing is, if I owned a digi cam, I'd probably try it. I'm that much of a sheep. Lord knows Jordan and Figaro are worth the press, the little freaks. I mean, let's face it; cats put up a good front of aloofness, but they ain't running on all 8 cylinders.

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) appears to be when you allow your cat to take over the blog on the weekends. I've been reading a lot of our Foodie Farmgirl lately, coveting her life and her land, and today I indulged in investigating her food blog links to the right (HEAVEN!! Holy crap, the ideas I have for recipes to try! Whenever I get to thinking the Internet is evil, I'm going to remember the amazing creativity I've witnessed today.) One in partic, What Did You Eat?, I plan to pilfer several recipes from. This lady, in addition to sharing some scrumptious looking piccies and recipes for food that's mostly very good for you, also has an extremely long-haired cat named Upsie who partakes of WCB. Just had to snitch a couple of pics of said furball; they're hilarious. I mean, doesn't he look like he's thinking, "if you don't get this thing off my head, I'm going to leave a hairball in your mouth while you sleep."

Another random thought: while I admit to enjoying the convenience of living in this urban type of suburbia we call Jax, the speed with which it's expanding makes me shudder. Traveled to the Intracoastal area between Arlington and the beach this weekend and couldn't believe the building that has occured of late. I mean, seriously, does this city need any more freakin' Super Wal-Marts or Super Targets? Apparently so. Then this morning on the daily commute, practically right next to my building, I notice a sign for an Applebee's coming soon. There's an office complex behind it that's been under construction for a month or two now, but the outer shell of the Applebee's seemingly went up overnight. I realize that in order to find the good jobs, we'll need to live on the outskirts of a city for at least the next couple of years, and I guess I'm just thankful for blogs like Foodie Farmgirl, through whom we can live vicariously.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Another Monday rears its ugly head


Photo courtesy of the 2005 album for the Charlotte walk at http://www.avonwalk.org

Where in the hell does the time go?

Two months from now, I'll be strolling along the streets of Charlotte, NC. I'm not in the least bit ready. Sonofabitch.

Didn't I muse sometime last week that I shouldn't be giving blood because I was in training? Unfortunately I followed giving blood with the monthly friend (who calls it that anymore?), and it knocked me on my ass for a week. Whoever says the two shouldn't correlate because your uterus isn't sloughing off actual blood from your body's 10-pint storehouse is full of shit. I don't usually cramp past the first day; whereas this one was unusually draining. I'm going to have to content myself with the idea that I may have saved a life by donating blood, dust myself off, and get back on the road.

Tonight I project the rest of my training and do at least 2 miles.

Worked a little bit on all three projects this past weekend at least. Once I get another puck or two on the cape, I'm going to need to start figuring out how I want to shape it. I can't even imagine doing k2togs to shape the shoulders; the yarn's too thick and my needles are too small. If I increase the needle size to decrease around the shoulders, am I defeating myself? I'm thinking yes. Still got a ways before that's an issue; also still pondering yes or no to armholes.

Goofing up on mr. sock a bit on the heel, which just means that picking up stitches will be more challenging later. SSS is still a soothing distraction.

Les tried his hand at quesadillas last night. He didn't seem too impressed afterward, but I was in heaven! Yum!

Friday, August 18, 2006

Random Friday

It's been a weird week.

Things feel almost back to normal at the apartment. I'm definitely looking for a house to rent first though, when we move.

Had the layers put back in my hair last weekend. Don't hate 'em yet...on the contrary, they seem to be cooperating, falling around my neck and shoulders in a style that flatters without making my face look gigantic. Whodathunk?

I'm back knitting at the SSS, but I think the sock will get some attention this weekend. I started the heel flap at the Psychic dinner last week.

Fundraising going slow...gonna have to start brainstorming, thinking about a bake sale or something at work, and seeing if Mom can hit folks up at the paper. Also there's a link on the Avon site apparently where you can put together a media release; definitely looking into that this weekend. I may be the only Jax resident doing the Charlotte walk so that's gotta work in my favor.

Training going slow too, unfortunately, but the weather's back to strange (low 90s, low humidity), so I'll get out there both days this weekend and put a plan back in place. I used the blood donation as an excuse for too long this week, but did get out Wednesday for a walk in the woods of sorts. Will also get some cardiovascular, playing with Lukas at his birthday Saturday (son of a friend). My walking hat arrived in the mail and fits nicely; the extra large bill's not the most flattering on the planet, but it's definitely good at keeping the sun off my face. Thanks Betmar!

I think about Nanie a lot lately. Apparently her memory's pretty shot, so I don't write or call because I don't want to confuse her, but I ache to visit her before she leaves this plane of existence. She turned 95 last month, so I'm acutely aware of the chances of that happening in our current sitch. Still...the near future lays out ahead of me in stages...Charlotte, then moving, then children...close enough to touch...just a little while longer...

Zoe's getting some attention this weekend too, somehow. She's been hanging out in my head on the edges, p0king at me. I'm also going through my annual back-to-school itch for knowledge, so pulling out the anthropology text and grabbing some earth science tomes from the local libe. Gotta start somewhere...

Thursday, August 17, 2006

::sigh::

Ok, I know you have to know some computer lingo to work this job, but this one just makes me shake my head...

Client emails us with a modification to change the company name to Bradley Hand ITC. So the Mods agent changed the name of the company to "Bradley Hand ITC. "

Bradley Hand ITC is a font style, people!!

Fellow KBer Dana summed it up beautifully yesterday: why is there no lifeguard in the gene pool?

...later...

It's obviously going to be one of those days. 3½ hours later and I've had to:
a) rewrite a meta description for a pizzeria that serves "chicken, buffalo wings, and other Italian food."
and b) work a restaurant site that serves "collared greens." Personally I never knew greens had necks, but I guess you learn something new everyday.

I'd like to go home and knit now.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

A reprieve?

So Les had a good talk on the phone yesterday with the GM of the complex, explaining that what the woman was complaining about was nothing more than us getting out of bed at night, and that it couldn't be helped. He made an appointment with the GM for noon today to discuss it further, but last night the woman came to the door apologizing so much we couldn't get a word in edgewise, so we think she got a bit of the dressing-down we were hoping for. I'm still not entirely comfortable, but it's a start. It has been getting me up on time in the mornings, because once I'm out of bed to shut off the alarm, I don't want to go back into it because of the noise it makes. We're thinking of investing in a sheet of plywood for between the mattress and boxspring at the next payday, but I have a feeling that'll do nothing but make the bed firmer.

Les is keeping the appointment anyway, because we have an erroneous eviction on our record that needs to be cleared up. I'm sitting in the wing chair to watch TV and knit, instead of on the bed. I look to Labor Day weekend and the tall pines of my inlaws' yard.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

I hate my downstairs neighbor

When I can feel the stress through all the medication I'm currently on, you know it's serious.

We're being threatened with eviction.

What precipitated this? The straw to break the camel's back? I got up in the middle of the night to use the john. She banged on the ceiling. I went back to sleep.

The next afternoon, we had the notice on the door, signed by her, of our 7-day notice to cure. As in, don't make noise for the next 12 months, or we'll put forth efforts to evict.

I haven't walked heel-toe in our apartment since we started getting those passive-aggressive letters from her a week ago. I tiptoe to the john after 10 p.m., the animals (well, Figaro) aren't allowed in the bedroom after 10, and we're walking on eggshells when we know she's home. This is no way to live.

The only thing we can think, is that it's the bed. We have the noisiest box spring on the planet. When you get up from that bed, you announce yourself. I'm wondering if we could put a sheet of plywood between the mattress and the box spring to remedy the situation, but you know what? I shouldn't have to. We're not playing the TV or stereo loud after 10, we're not having sex at all hours (well, yeah, ok, at all...), and we don't bang unreasonably up and down the stairs. If the problem is our box spring, does this mean we can't have sex after 10 p.m.? Have to move it to the living room? Yeah, like I'm going to take her feelings into consideration at all if Les gets a wild hair and decides to mate?

The way the notice reads, we could be threatened with eviction for the next 12 months if we accidentally trip over the furniture and wake her ass up. That's 8 more months of our lease and living in a hostile environment. I don't think so.

We're trying to get an appointment with the GM of the complex. I pray we won't have her (the bitch) in the same room when we're explaining our side, because I feel about as rational toward her as I do toward my local sister-in-law right now, who was kind enough to threaten my folks with legal action for money they and my brother didn't owe her. They caved to get her off their backs; I withdrew from all Mandarin Circle yahoo groups that night. I'm done with her. She made my mommie cry.

I can't remember the last time I felt this level of stress. I'm transitioning meds so it was bound to happen. I napped after work yesterday to catch up from the night before and got decent sleep last night in spite of her, so today's going better. Still, I'm dreaming of SC, and we're thinking of leaving Les up there past Labor Day so he can look for work. We'll see.....

Monday, August 14, 2006

::sigh:: another Monday

So that making-exercise-habit thing? Not as easy as it sounds.

Saturday I slept late, we got up and did some shopping, and then I had to pull myself together for the local Psychic dinner, a fundraiser for our upcoming Pagan Pride Day. It was a nice time, I knit on my sock and socialized, and got some nice soaps and a Disney print at the silent auction. But no exercising that day.

Sunday was a bust. Puttered, did some Avon walk fundraising on the computer, grabbed a nap, played Playstation...and got a ridiculous case of insomnia last night. To make matters worse, our fairly new downstairs neighbor is the lightest sleeper on the planet. She's asked us twice (by passive-aggressive notes on our door) to keep it down after 10, so we've taken to closing the bedroom door so that Figaro doesn't tear ass above her bedroom. But last night she banged on the ceiling because I made noise apparently when I got up to take a leak. So I'm through feeling apologetic about it. We're doing our best, and she can fucking deal with it for 8 more months or move. She's the assistant manager of the complex, so we're feeling kind of threatened, but it's bullshit; we've lived there 8 years with zero complaints prior to now. You don't see us complaining because her dust mop of a dog spends its days barking when Les is trying to sleep (his schedule's backwards from mine). I hope I don't see her anytime soon, because we're destined to have words.

If I give blood today, then I'll put off working out for one more day (company blood drive); otherwise, I'm hitting the treadmill after work if my eyes can stay open. Did NOT get enough sleep last night, and I'm raring for a fight.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Vent

We interrupt this normally friendly, PG-13 blog to bring you a word from our sponsors for the day: Greyhound and Smith & Wesson.

CLUSTERFUCK!

A Greyhound heading to Orlando stopped on I-95 before lunch today, because one of its passengers was wearing a trench coat (in 100-degree weather), acting strangely, and trying to open the bus windows. SWAT was dispatched and I-95 was closed down from Baymeadows to Southside in both directions, as authorities ascertained whether the individual was exercising his right to bear arms.

I was heading home in that general direction to get lunch for myself and husby. It became a significant illustration of how people's IQs drop when faced with altered situations. The intersection of Old Baymeadows and Southside is an absolute beast in the best of conditions, but today the lights were on flash. Whether this was to dissuade people from heading toward I-95 or was Murphy the gremlin sitting on the traffic light junction box wringing his hands and twirling his mustache as he wondered how else to fuck with Jacksonville commuters, is unknown.

I am a proponent of scenic routes. If the way in front of me is blocked, then fuck it; I'll go around it somehow, adding minutes onto my route but at least keeping me moving. Instead I was trapped behind some assholes determined to go straight across, against the flow, when there wasn't a cop present yet to direct traffic. So we wait. And wait. I yell at them. Put Linkin Park on the stereo because this level of traffic frustration demands some head-banging rock. Finally, a lone FHPer shows up and I manage to get across without taking my planned scenic route or murdering any civilians.

So ok, I get home. Certainly not going back the same way I came. I head north to Deerwood, to cut across to 9A. Mistake #2. Should've taken JTB. Apparently at lunchtime, EVERYONE who works in Deerwood goes to St. Johns Town Centre for lunch. The traffic for the light at Gate Parkway is backed up to the Residence Inn. Breathe. Crank Linkin Park louder.

Thankfully, 9A was a breeze once I found the sucker, but so much for a relaxing drive on my lunch hour. I'm venting so that I release this and don't stew on it all afternoon. Adding insult to injury, the asshole on the Greyhound wasn't carrying! He was just a little screwier than your average Greyhound patron, if that's possible, and was taken into custody. I'd have been a lot happier if he'd been carrying a gun. Warped, I know.

Anything else I can bitch about? There's not enough chicken in my Wendy's Mandarin Chicken salad, and I definitely should've pilfered more fries from Les's lunch. I'm going back to work now. Don't bother me.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Fun with website editing

As a website editor for 6+ years now, I thought I'd read everything, as far as the lengths the capitalists will go to, to sell their wares. This was one I'd never seen before though...

Christian ministry site:

If you wish you could do something all over again, click on this coupon to REPENT!

What an idea! Instant online forgiveness! Skip church; just turn on your computer this Sunday to gain absolution!

To all y'all who are chuckling over this as I did, I'll save ya a seat by the fire :)

One day at a time...

Exercise...it's like AA but funner.

Ok, it's not funner, but the lift in spirits it gives you more than makes up for the slogging effort required. I feel good today, physically and mentally.

There was no way to realistically pull off the library-to-home walk after work yesterday. The heat was oppressive, in spite of the lurking rain clouds, and the 2nd mile of that stretch would've been entirely sans shade. So I tarried on the fence for just a moment, and then changed and went up to the treadmill. Still sore from yoga the day before, so only did a mile and change, but very glad I went, because I'm giving myself a day off today so I can relax with my bitches tonight. The damn treadmill is still a snore, and I had to ignore a couple of my young ethnic neighbors dicking around on the other equipment initially; but I practiced a kind of focus and it went by faster. I watched the turtles again, and I focused on the reflections of the trees on the still pond.

If I want to pull off the longer stretches in full sun, I'm going to have to do it in the early morning. There's no getting around that until the blasted summer begins to wane. May actually be worth it, since it means getting off that boring-assed treadmill.

The key is making it habit. I know it's only been, hell, less than a week, and I certainly don't expect to lose any weight this week—won't even look. But I'm building up endurance and making exercise a habit. If I just keep building up endurance and don't look at the scale, I won't get discouraged and the miles will take care of themselves. And in the back of my mind is the knowledge that I can do 13.1 miles in a day, because I did 14.5 miles in a day, 4 years ago. I may have been in a world of hurt afterwards, but it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. It's in me, that will. Just gotta match it physically.

Put the realistic email addresses in my Walk page book last night. I'm not sending emails to anyone at their work, unless it's absolutely the only address I have for them. So folks with sketchy or no emails will get snail-mail letters, which means a bunch of stuffing envelopes and more than a few wasted stamps, since I'll make the donation form envelopes SASEs. But it's worth it if I get even a $5 donation from folks. That's all I was able to give Alexa for her walk last weekend, but I know it made a difference.

This weekend, I'll send out the emails and do my mailings. And think about any possible corporate sponsors. And think about selling candy. Also write the letter for my company; the stock may be low right now, but they're in a much better position to donate to me than they were in 2002. Which they didn't even do, the snots.

But tonight is Knitting Bitches, a chance to socialize and work on some sad, neglected UFOs. Thinking of working on the sock and the SSS tonight.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Native Sun Baymeadows is open!!!


Ain't she a beauty?

If anybody's looking for me Saturday, umm, I think I'll be here.

At least in the morning. This organic grocer's masterpiece features 18,000 square feet of healthy foods, from their free-range rotisserie chickens to their smoothie bar to their fresh organic produce. I'd like to take an hour just to wander slowly up and down the aisles, educating myself. Then I'll do a light shop, since their prices are probably a shade more than I'm used to, and I'll top it off with a visit to their smoothie bar.

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.....

Doesn't mean as much for the Mandarin folks probably; the first Native Sun is right on San Jose here in Jax, which is kind of the heart of Mandarin, but the added size and brandnewness of the Baymeadows store is probably worth at least one trip to the complex on the corner of 9A. For me, it's frickin' ideal, just 3 miles from my place and stocked to the gills with food that's gotta be infinitely better for us than the Winn-Dixie fare we so often settle on...we hit W/D often, because their prices are so damn low and you don't necessarily have to wear a bra when you shop, because the clientele there is so skanky.....

But now that I'm getting healthy, one step at a time, it's time to get serious about what we put in our bodies. I've been buying more juice lately, the good stuff like Apple & Eve or Juicy Juice, and we've been actually eating the vegetables before they go bad. Having Native Sun this close is a great help, and I hope to indulge in their goods often as we change over from the land of starch and fat to the land of green.

Nose to the grindstone

Fast update...

Did Kathy Smith's New Yoga Basics yesterday after work. It's a good beginner's yoga workout, has relaxation techniques, cat and dog, downward dog, standing poses, warrior poses, and utilizes the strap, wall, and chair for optimal positioning. I broke a sweat doing it, but did almost every position with slight modifications for my size.

Today after work, I'm going to have Les drop me off at the library and I'll walk home from there. It's 2 miles and change, per Mapquest.

Drafted 2 fundraising letters last night. Will assess needs tonight and maybe fill out the name/participant # on some of my donation forms. Needs being envelopes and stamps for purchase on Friday (payday), so that I can do a mass mailing on the weekend. Another good project would be entering the email addys into the Avon Personal page address book, of the folks I intend to bombard by email next week.

It's coming together. And my determination about exercising feels good :)

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Tuesday

When I start off my morning by spilling coffee down the front of my shirt, I find it's difficult to then ascertain in a positive manner, how the rest of the day's gonna fly.

I'll try though.

We are a self-centered people, that's for sure. As I sat there, flapping my shirt dry while waiting for a light to turn green, all I could think of was the people looking into my car wondering what the hell I was doing. Never mind that the normal individual behind the wheel at that hour is doing the same thing I am: rubbing sleep out of eyes, praying for caffeine to take hold, and in the case of this week, thanking god that the kids are back in school.

Knitting and moving organization are taking a back seat this week as I strive to get myself on an exercise schedule and get my fundraising in order. Problem is, I'm so out of shape that the exercise sucks me dry and leaves little energy for thinking about fundraising. On the plus side, I was in bed by 10:30. On the minus side, we ate dinner so late that it feels like I dreamt all night. :P I've made a list of family and friends (outside of community) that are getting letters by snail or email; now I've just gotta write the suckers.

Did a mile and a half on the treadmill last night, and to my chagrin, it's a perfectly viable alternative to outdoor walking. I say that because I'd much rather be outdoors, but it's just way too damn hot right now. Treadmills bore the crap out of me, but on the plus side, the A/C is terrific, and ours is situated facing the retention pond in back of the office. You know how on TV, you see rich folks working their stationary bikes with a view playing on a screen in front of them, like they're biking down a country road or something. Well, I had them beat last night with a great view of feeding time for the turtles in our pond. Had no idea there were so many of them! Small, medium, and large turtles were poking their heads out, diving down for food, and occasionally tustling in the water.

I don't know what to do about my hair. I never should have cut the layers off; it's at shoulder length and vexing the hell out of me. Every time I work out, I'm frustrated, because I had the front edges angled, so it won't hold a bun now; and the damn ponytail gives me ruthee syndrome, brushing on the back of my neck. I don't want to cut it again, but I really don't know if my patience will hold out through my training.

Geez, I'm chatty this morning.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Love is.....

...finding a dozen yellow roses on the driver's seat when you unlock the car to head for work on a Monday morning.

::sigh:: Husbies are wonderful creatures. And remember folks, I didn't have to train him; he came this way :)

I'm out of shape and this weather ain't helping. Did a measly mile and a half on Saturday morning, was a little sore Sunday, and today I still feel dehydrated. Going to have to knuckle down and hit the treadmill at our complex. And if that's not working, I'll be getting up really damn early. Sucks, but entirely necessary if I don't want to completely wreck myself come October.

This weekend was almost a wash, but did get to see my nephew, which was really nice. Haven't seen him in like, 8 months, due to lousy relations with his mom, my bro's ex. Barely knitted...geez, what did I accomplish this weekend? Oh well, no use kicking myself, just keep moving forward...tonight is thank you cards for my first two donations for the walk, and starting to draft fundraising letters for the rest of my clan, plus some friends, past and present.