Christmas a la....Bizzaro??

So this year, Christmas was....well a little freaking BIZARRO. Every year, as long as I can remember and as long as my house has existed, we've hosted the holiday. Usually anywhere between 15-30 people will show up. It's a wonderful day of pepperoni, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, crescent rolls and bananna bread. This year my Dad was given the xmas gift of 3 trips to the ER, starting christmas eve morning.  YAY.  Long story short, he needs a knee replacement and while we're getting the red tape BS sorted out, he gets the never ending gift of excruciating pain. So first, Xmas was delayed....ok, delayed is doable... but after the 3rd trip in, it has been officially CANCELED for the year. That's right. The grinch literally stole out christmas.  Talk about bizzaro holiday.

"Me am Superman."

The day itself was also beyond strange. We hadn't even decorated the tree yet with all the craziness, so we did that. We made beef stew and dinner was completely sans crescent rolls. We waited until nearly 2 to open gifts, which we did on the couch instead of next to the tree so that my dad didn't need to move. Oh my sister wasn't there either, so it was just the three of us.  To top of a wonderful day, I did some work I had taken home and my dad and I watched the second Transformers movie. Now if that doesn't scream Christmas, I dont know what does.

As for our wonderful xmas gift exchange, that worked out pretty well I must say. My sis got me the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies book, which I'm quite excited to read. My gifts for everyone went over well. I was worried about giving my mom Sweeney Todd since apparently it turns into quite the blood bath of slashed throats at the end, but turns out she had seen it and really likes it, so success! We watched it and I thought it was great. Really not that gorey - just blood. On a more embarassing note, one of my biggest pleasure was.... MY BRAND NEW VACUUM (imagine bob barker saying that one). My old one died and I was too lazy to get a new one on craigslist, but santa (aka mom) came through for me! It was one of the first things I did when I got home.  Definitely a bit of my Grandma's spirit shining through me.

As for friends, they got jam packed into one super busy day. Hit up a coffee shop with one friend I hadn't seen in ages, and managed to run into a mutual friend of ours there. small small world. Then hit up the $2 movie theater to see Paranormal Activity. Let me tell you, I do NOT do well in scary movies, but the $2 atmosphere makes it totally different. You can laugh, cry, scream, bring infants, do anything you want. literally. It's amazing. So I squealed my way through the movie, which thankfully had a crap ending, making it not so scary at all. Then hit up the bar with my cousins and got to visit with my Aunt and Uncle for a bit, catch up on my celeb gossip. Always a good time and guilty pleasure.

Food and exercise wise, the vacation was good. I got to do some at home exercising and hit the gym twice. I was impressed with myself. Found a pretty damn good balance between indulging in xmas treats (come on....that apple crumb pie had to be eaten by someone), while still pretty much staying on track.  And I actually think I was able to even make PROGRESS over the holiday.  Who does that?  I dont know, but I'm feeling pretty pumped from it.

I can't eat myself....

So not exactly a normal year, but hey, its certinaly one I'll remember. I still got to spend a good chunk of time at home with family and friends and that's what counts really. Still, would have been nice to at least have fake xmas.  Maybe we'll pull something togethr later this year. Next time with less ER and more pillsbury.

Territoriality. He was Mine First.

No, not Clerks. DEGRASSI!!!! Seriously people, when did Degrassi become the cool place to be??

I remember first being introduced to this Canadian wonder in 7th grade guidance class in our music room. This of course was the original version of the show.  It wasn't until several years later that I was introduced to joys of The Next Generation (and not the Star Tek variation). Since then, I've seen this beast grow out of control.  Example A: Aubrey Graham.  How do you go from being shot and paralyzed by crazy Rick after Spinner blamed you for tar and feathering Rick to on stage rapping with Lil Wayne?!?!

Seroiusly, WTF???

I remember the early days of Drake when he was in love with Ashley and I had to stay up to random hours to find re-runs on Noggin, or better yet, marathons. And then...sigh...the college years. WPI doesn't exactly pay for their students to have access to the-N. I missed JT get Liberty pregnant, her give the baby up for adoption, him start dating Nina Dobrev and the triangle of bitchiness that proceeded when JT tried to get daycare at school for his new lady. Little did he know that she would soon be on the WB trying to ride this vampire wave - quite successfully (and kinda creepily below......)

Uhhhhh..... Teenage mom to teenage vampire lover?

And how can I leave out possibly the most dramatic transformation of them all? She started as sweet little Darcy, the Jesus lovin, virginity saving, Friendship Club attending Cheerleader who tamed the Spinmeister. Maybe it's the decay of moral values and eventual coming back to Jesus after being raped (sorry, but Paige's post-rape performance of Poor Thing was much more moving)  that set her up for her next role... on the remake of 90210?!?!?

Sooo not in Canada anymore, Eh?

How did Degrassi become such a start-up role for people? I don't get it! Dorkiest show ever. A true after school special and appearently the new Mickey Mouse Club. Here I thought I was going to have to wait for New Years marathons and bootleg episodes online to get my Degrassi drama. Slowly but surely we invaded the local channel MyTV, MTV's 10am slot, a primetime Degrassi Goes Hollywood Movie premiere and we're going strong!

My guess for the next step....Manny Santos comes out as one of the many mistresses of Tiger Woods.

Oh the embarassing guilty pleasures I have :)

Merry Meathead Christmas

Otherwise known as my surviving the holiday feasts post (filled with lots of goody links so click away). OK so I'm a bit late on this one as much of the season of eating has come to an end, but most of this stuff can really be applied any time of the year. It's quite easey at this time of the year to justify eating all sorts of crap - grandma's pecan pie, uncle joe's stuffing.... or if you're me, a few packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls.

Yes, these most definitely will be served at my wedding - from the doughboy himself.

Unfortuntely, this kind of stuff really adds up fast and is easy to snowball (ha ha ha winter pun intended). First thing is to remember that this is NOT the one and only time you're going to be able to enjoy this stuff. You don't have to eat like the world is ending or Pillsbury is going out of business.  It may be cheesey, but this time of the year really is supposed to be about friends and family and enjoying time together. food is fun, but it's a lot easier to chat it up with that cute guy when you're not shoveling food down your throat.

And those foods that you do decide to indulge in, remember there are bad, good and better choices and it's ALWAYS a good idea to have a snack BEFORE whatever ugly sweater party you're going to if you wanna fit in that naughty santa costume later. Going to a party hungry is no different than grocery shopping when you're hungry - a very very very bad idea. And when you do find your plate full of wonderful, delights, remember to eat slowly and really enjoy what you're tasting (again, much easier to do when you're not hungry!). My favorite trick is always to bring a healthy "safe" snack myself that I know I can dig into guilt-free. Double win there - you look considerate and like a good guest while you're really taking care of yourself.

If you're like me, I find it much easier to enjoy myself when I know I've earned it and will be putting that food to good work. with a solid pre-party workout, a post party (usually the next morning) workout or even better, BOTH. One bit issue (aka excuse) with this is travel and being away from home during the holidays. With a little research, even people like me who live in the middle of nowhere CAN find a gym to go to. And even if you can't find a gym, most people can find a staircase and some empty space. Most important thing is to get that workout in, even if it means strapping a car to your back and getting strange looks from the neighbors. And if you're lucky enough to have a prowler and the space, you can always make pretty christmas patterns in the snow.

So not really the most personal post in the world, but definitely some good strategies, good workout ideas and nutrition ideas to keep you going and stop you from turning into one of the Bobs of the world. And really, it's not what you eat between Christmas and New Years, it's what you eat between New Years and Christmas that counts :) So don't be afraid to indulge a little. But remember that challenge.....

"What do you say, Bob? Monday, Christmas morning, 6am, my house. The ball's in your court."

To Trainer or Not to Trainer

If you've spent any chunk of time talking with me about fitness, then I'm sure you've heard my opinions about trainers at least once... and probably in a quite irritated tone. After a few encounters with some trainers in my gym (posts on this to come!), it finally occurred to me walking home, "Hey! I should write about trainers!"  To trainer or not to trainer.... that is the question indeed.

To be or Not to be

If you ask me, it's more like a Catch-22.  Many beginners assume that 1) they need a trainer, 2) that all trainers are knowledgeable and 3) the trainer is going to be a good use of their time/money. This struggle is usually even worse for women, who thanks to society, stereotypes, so-called "fitness" magazines and the crap crap information out there, have an even higher tendency to be intimidated in the freeweight area. Even worse is when they're told a squat rack would be wasted on a woman!?!?! Their usual solution - hire a trainer.

And here comes the catch: people who don't know what they're doing hire trainers BUTTTTT to tell if a trainer is worthwhile, you kinda really need to know what you're doing yourself, in which case you wouldn't need a trainer.

Great, huh? In my opinion, a lot of the problem comes from the variety of certifications available. It makes it extra difficult to judge a trainer's competence unless you're really familiar with these differences.  I've heard of online programs you don't have to pay for until you pass the test up to real, legit, intense programs where you're actually learning about form and function and nutrition.  Even better is when you can get someone who has a degree related to diet/fitness/physiology - then you know their life is really about this.  So many many trainers can say they're "certified" but what that really means, who knows.

On the other hand, EXPERIENCE and interest deserves a lot of credit as well. I'd much rather be trained by someone who has been there, done that themselves, spends time reading and educating themselves and may have less impressive certifications than by someone with all the certifications in the world and little experience to back it up. I've learned first hand how oh-so important actually testing a lot of this stuff (diet and exercise) out on yourself is and how much you can learn from that.

Ugggh SOOOOO many things wrong in this picture.

Then I have some gender-specific griefs as well. For men, using a trainer on a regular basis is typically more like paying for a spotter and someone to chat with and distract you. Much better off just getting someone to design a workout for you (better yet, finding one yourself), check your form and then do it on your own.  For women, most "strength training" is totally fucking bogus. For the most part, I see more of a plyometric/metabolic bodyweight circuit, and it rarely progress past this. 

Ok, I totally understand that some people need to start there, but THIS ISN'T STRENGTH TRAINING. You might be getting stronger and more fit in some aspects, but you will NOT build muscle like this (and thus not raise your metabolism or improve your body composition, which means you might lose fat, but you might end up skinny-fat and still unhappy).  On the occasion I do see a trainer actually lifting with a woman, the woman is usually asking unquestioningly "what weight do you think i should use" and is never taught to really try to push themselves and their limits.

STEP AWAY from the purty wainbow

And don't get me started on the trainers standing next to their client deadlifting with a totally rounded back (hello injury central) or doing quarter squats or freaking tricep kickbacks (for the love of god, at least do some skull crushers).  So really, these women who have no idea what they're doing and think they're going to right source are usually getting screwed over at quite a high pricetag, and even worse, are getting no closer to their goals, despite the time, money and effort they're putting in. It's really quite infuriating to me actually.

So what should my beginner friend do when looking to start on this journey? Don't get me wrong, I don't think hiring a trainer is the worst thing in the world, but I think educating yourself is the biggest key. It's much more effective to spend an hour learning about proper nutrition and fitness than to spend another hour mindlessly running on the treadmill. But like I said earlier, there's such a crapton of crap out there when it comes to this stuff. How does one begin to sort through this?

Stay tuned for part 2 to this article, where I will give my opinions on where to start, how to progress and some great links about diet (the dreaded 80% of the equation) and exercise (that remaining 20%). In the meantime, there's tons of great links already listed on one of my sidebars. I find skwigg's blog and stumptuous to be particularly good places to start.

/rant

(that means end rant for those that don't spek nerd)

TIME OUT! for a tribute to my man.

Sooooooo.... I'm sitting around last night trying to just have a nice relaxing evening.  I read some Bridget Jones (working on that reading list baby), took a lil nap, had some dinner, made some more roasted chick peas, played the piano for a bit, did the dishes and then settled down to do some more reading.  I decided, why not turn to TV on. BJD is easy enough to read that something fun in the background wouldn't be awful.  So I turn it on...scrolling channels....not much on.... maybe I'll watch the Sing-Off.  So I turn it on, look up....AND TIME the F*CK OUT ZACK MORRIS!!!!!

 

 On the TV in front of me is my one, my only, my idol, Benjamin Scott Folds. Apparently he's one of the judges (with a girl from the Pussycat dolls and a guy from Boys2Men) on the show.

!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!??!!

How in the world did I not know this? And how all of my friends fail to inform me of this.  A little history... as much as I would love to say I was there from the start, I got hooked back in the day in 7th grade with Brick, just like everyone else. But from there it was instant love.

I dragged my Uncle and my cousin up to upstate bumblefuck NY (Buffalo i think) to go see him and picked up my sis on the way. He played with the Flaming Lips and Train, and he was them (Ben Folds Five) then.  It was just love, pure love. I was hooked (like I hadn't been before).

Since then... I've seen him, oh, I don't know... every chance I get?

• NYC Ben Folds and a Piano (release tour of first solo album) with my sister
• Worcester with my college friends
• Lupos in RI with my sister
• Bank of America Pavilion in Boston on the Odd Man Out Tour (with Rufus Wainwright and Guster) with my ex James
• Orpheum in Boston with my ex Steve for the release of Way to Normal
• TD Bank North (ugh, opening for John Mayer) with the ex - Steve
• With the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the BSO with my friend Danielle (cause ex-steve f*ed up bigtime) - FRONT ROW CENTER, maybe 5 feet away - I have amazing video.
• With the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the BSO with random Craigslist girl- probably the BEST performance of his I've ever seen. TRIPLE encore
• With the Providence Performing Arts Symphony at PPAC with a bunch of co-workers

And I know there's at least one or two more times that I'm brain farting on right now.... so that's a minimum of 10 times either way.  If you couldn't tell by now, I kinda like him just a bit. Especially back in the day when he was adorable freaking Ben.

And especially before he had 5 million wives and left them all one by one... Kind of hard to love his love songs as much after quite so many failures, but that's ok. I love him anyways, and The Luckiest will still most definitely be played at my wedding at some point.

So what's new in the works for Mr Folds besides this random judging shtick you ask?  Well actually, his next album coming out will be with auther Nick Hornsby.  Hornsby is writing the lyrics and Folds is putting them to music and performing them.  Between the PPAC show and the last BSO show, I got to see three of these demos performed live. And let me tell you, this album is going to be FANTASTIC.  First, a really sad but incredibly moving song called Picture Window (this is my favorite - total ben folds emotional style - chokes me up every time). A hilarious song about a washed up musician singing his one-hit-wonder about his ex-wife, Belinda (this is the actual performance I saw btw). And finally, an absolutely freaking hysterical song about Palin's daughter's baby-daddy, Levi Johnston and his tough tough life, called, The Levi Johnston Blues.

Alrighty, now that I've gotten that all out there and paid my respects, I feel loads better. Time-in.

Progress Pics

First round of progress pics are up, and I'm doing great if I do say so myself :)

Musical Motivation

As much as I love hitting the iron, some days I just don't feel like it. Really who doesn't? So what does one do in this situation?  What helps me the most is having a mental image that really fires me up. Might be something positive like the future fit you, or it might be something that gets you angry- like an ex or the office bitch or if you're me, your f*ing pig of a sexual harasser.  Usually I like to save these extra-motivating images for the really tough moments (like the last few reps of a set of the evil bulgarian splits squats). So for the remaining 98% of the time, it's usually just some good tunes for me.

"So Katie, what kind of tunes pump you up?" you ask.  Well, here is a random sample of some of my gym favorites - motivating, fun, and embarrassing - and some hopefully entertaining explainations of why.

Lunchlady Land - Adam Sandler "Sloppy joes....sloppy sloppy joes." This is usually when I get stared at for chuckling to myself for no apparent reason.

Punk Rock Academy - Atom and His Package You just need to hear it.

Brass Monkey - Beastie Boys  No 'splanation needed.  But I will say, this always makes me think of the boys at our middle school dances.

Bitches Ain't Shit - As covered by Ben Folds I can't think of a more perfect song to be covered by a man and a piano.

Mortal Kombat - Techno Remix "Test your might..... Test your might." Probably my most embarrassing but also probably the most motivating.  How can you not try to push yourself that extra bit when you have Kano and Johnny Cage by your side?

What Would Jay-Z Do? - Ben Lee Because the lyrics are just amazing and the tune is just so damn catchy.

Gimme More - Britney Spears I can't help but think of Billy Tank Guns when I hear this one.  Again, people staring as I chuckle at myself.

Machinehead - Bush This is one of those motivational ones. It was used at most every championship meet I swam at, and a few times it was the song I got to walk to the blocks to. Just one that really gets me in the zone.  I know, I know, kind of cheesey nostalgia, but it just reminds me of how empowered I felt walking up there, KNOWING that I was pretty good at this and I was going to do well and kick some ass. I don't miss 5AM practices, but I do miss that feeling.

You Gotta Be - Des'ree This one is the girl in me coming out. Again, really the lyrics on this one are honestly kind of touching? Wow, i'm such a sap.

Change - The Lightning Seeds This is an obscure one, but from one of my favorite movies of all time - Clueless- which I think it's just the most perfect representation of the 90's ever... but anyways, the cheeseball lyrics (specifically "Don't ever chaaaaange") of this one just make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and I get that mental dialogue going where I'm telling myself "You're great! You're wonderful! Don't ever change!!!!"  Yes, embarrassing, girly, but true. This usually gets the speed up another 0.3 mph for me. (hey, i'm a swimmer, remember????).

Popular - Nada Surf  Just a classic that I actually didn't know when it was popular (hahaha pun intended). I got into them through some list of "If you like Ben Folds, you'll like...." and then discovered the song several years after it was cool.

Fuckin' In the Bushes - Oasis Besides Brad Pitt making it incredibly famous with this scene from Snatch, this song just f*ing rocks.  Cause kids are running around naked fucking in the bushes and that makes me want to move some serious weight.

Peaches - The President of the USA Millions of them. 'Nough said.

Wannabe - Spice Girls No, I'm not joking.   I'm finally comfortable enough with my masculinity to enjoy hot pink, Dawson's Creek and the Spice Girls.

I Wish - Skee Lo LOVE LOVE LOVE this 90's classic. Brings back memories of sneaking into my grandparent's basement to watch MTV. Who doesn't want a rabbit in a hat and a bat and 64 impala? And recently I just found this kinda wonderful remake:

The Sunscreen Song - Baz Luhrman OK OK, it was so overplayed and I hated it at the time... but again, the lyrics.... kinda poignant if you really listen.  Another tear-jerker moment for me on the treadmill. ::sniff sniff::

So that's my embarrassing list, or part of it. Hopefully you got a chuckle out of it or maybe some ideas for your next playlist. And I'm counting on seeing some ridiculous songs of your own. Don't let me down :)

Functional Strength and Foster Frustration

Like most people, I hit the gym for a number of reasons- to stay healthy, to look good nekkid, to check out the eye-candy Adonises, hopefully to make a few friends, the adrenaline rush... all that good stuff. But also for something most women overlook and undervalue- FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH. I don't need no damn man :P  When I bought my piano (I think 40kilos and a very bulky box), I got that shit up the stairs sans men. Screw you salesman that laughed at me when I said I would manage. And when I come home to 85lbs (and no, that's not an exaggeration- I have the FedEx email to prove it) of rabbit food and hay, I can haul that shit up my itty bitty, narrow, windy, north end staircase myself too, mother fucker! (envision Samuel L. Jackson saying that one).  Seriously though, it's really really freaking useful to be able to do this stuff yourself. I can't tell you how many times in my life, whether at work inspecting or loading up my car or carrying huge loads of laundry, that I'm reminded how convenient it is not to be a dainty little flower who is afraid to pick up anything heavier than her handbag. Blech. But I digress again.... so anyways.....

I think the boys are set on food for a bit!

Are they grateful for my unexpected exercise? NO WAY. What do I get but foster troublemakers making more work for me! Toby hasn't been the best with her litter box habits lately, but has greatly improved since I added a second litter box. Great news right?  WRONG. Now instead of her just tossing her food bowl around, she's decided she can toss the litter boxes too!!!  Guess she's built some of that functional strength herself, much to my shagrin. Today, she decided to do this:

Toby the Troublemaker - Trying to look so innocent!

Does it stop there? Of course not! Amy, my newest foster, decided that she would join in on the fun too. Unlike her bitchy neighbor (I say that lovingly Toby.... sort of), I try to give her a break. She's only been here since Sunday and is still settling in to a totally new place.  She was abandoned on the side of the road in a cage with 5 other buns and no food or water. I can't imagine she trusts people too much. But appearently she also doesn't trust shelving!?!?!?! She decided that she was going to somehow manage to flip hers over, pull off the carpet, pull off the waterproofer and tip the plywood off the supports.  I have a hard time removing this cause it's such a tight fit! Not tight enough for Amy.  She may be a really pretty snowshoe bun, but she ain't so innocent either.

So it appears I'm in for some interesting adventures with these fosters. They better watch out... I still need a present for Grandpa and you know how much he loves hasenpfeffer!!!!

A North End Christmas

It's Begining to Look a lot like Christmas! Yes it is! I think I'm officially in the mood.  It started ::hangs head in shame:: in mid November. I was doing a bunch of night work in Providence which means driving home at like 4am exhausted, attempting to stay on the road. My salvation? 105.7 FM all Christmas music all the time! So my nights were me, half asleep, mumbling "Rudolph the Redness Reindeer" trying not to drive off the road. And as much as I really dislike her, who can't love this:

 I got the xmas shopping done mostly! I have a santa pub crawl, an ugly sweater party, some regular annual holiday parties and a ladie's tea party!  So lots of holiday fun!

Pretty ugly, eh?

My roomie bought a wreath for the door. I've started to get xmas cards in the mail. And on my way home from the gym tonight, I finally found someone selling mini trees! So I picked up our tree and got stared at blatantly as I walked it home. Put up the lights, put up the ornaments, plugged her in and Voila!

Christmas Tree Success!

So that's my christmas update! And for the GRAND FINALE, "A Christmas Story", reenacted by bunnies in 30 seconds or less, for those that haven't had the pleasure of Angry Alien Productions yet.

Where did that post go?

Some of you might have noticed a slightly different layout. My original intention with my blog was to keep this fairly light hearted, maybe some funny pictures or stories, but nothing super bloggy. Problem is, I can get super bloggy sometimes, and not always about stuff I want everyone to know. So I decided to create a parallel blog of sorts where I can link to my posts there, maybe summarize them, but keep it set to private. In the coming days I'll be working out the kinks of making sure everyone is invited to that one. So please bear with me as I make this change.

I think it's a really good thing that makes me just a bit more comfortable keeping this section totally public. And dont worry, if you're a random reader that I don't know that has somehow stumbled across my blog and feel this crazy connection, I'm totally open to giving you access to both sites so please let me know!! I'd really love people in similar situations to mine to be able to read and relate!

Disclaimer: If you're not on the "cool list", please dont be offended. Obviously there are some things everyone prefers to keep a bit more personal for a variety of reasons :)

DIFO FRIENDS: I don't know most of your emails to invite you, so somehow get those to me and I'll set you up!

A Weekend Foodie Update

So time for a foodie update! Ya know, since this is kinda a fitness/nutrition blog and all... thought it might be appropriate.  First stop, holiday party.  And guess what...?

Excellent news on that front!  I neither got sexually harassed (though I did have to watch him be a creeper with his Dolly Parton lookalike gf) nor had to deal wtih the ex. DOUBLE WIN. On the food side, I was a big tempted, I can't lie.  Beforehand I had decided that I didn't want to overdo it. This wasn't a worthy occasion (no offense to my wonderful co-workers, but there are so many damn parties coming up- gotta pick and choose).  But man is it HARD when you're there and the waitress are running around with delish looking apps and there's an open bar.  I almost gave in, but got my resolve under control. My night consisted of diet coke, 2 stuffed mushrooms, 1 mini-beef wellington and a crapton of raw veg and cheese. So overall a very successful night foodwise :) And of course dancing like a maniac is always fun.  We certainly know how to start the party. I love me my C&C Music Factory and dancing like a fool.

And today again was an excellent day.  Woke up, had a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs and sauted swiss chard. Yum Yum Yum. Went to church and then went out for the christmas shopping trip.  That was very successful on many fronts. I think I'm mostly done with the must-dos, so that's a HUGE relief.  And I got to visit my favorite fast food joint, B. Good. Here's the half attacked snapshot of my lunch:

Why do I love this place so much? Because you can sub your bun for fresh veggies!!! It's really an awesome, good meal that I can feel good about and enjoy. No guilt whatsoever.  So I got a westside turkey burger. It's an awesome combination of cilantro, salsa and avocado. So some great lean protein and healthy fats. How can you not love it? Oh and I think the cashier was kinda eyeing me, which is always fun.

The Giants finally won, I have some new trashy VH1 to watch and I got a lot done this weekend. Sounds like a winner of a weekend to me!

teeeeheeeeee. some motivation :)

Woah dude has it been a crazy two weeks.  WTF. I had thanksgiving food stress, got sexually harassed (yes, literally), found out my ex's father is having brain surgery, actually spoke with the ex for the first time in weeks, and am going to a party where both the ex and harasser might be there.  FML. I have a million reasons to be stressed right now. And one big one not to.

A CRUSH!!!

A crush, a crush, a wonderful crush.  It's amazing how much relief one of those can bring to life.  Is anything realistically going to happen? Nah - doubtfully.  But a girl can daydream, no? And reviving an oldie, well that's the bestest.

I suddenly have a newfound sense of motivation but there are a TON of temptations in the weeks to come.  I'm thinking I might go on what some friends and I call a "no-booze-cruise" for a bit.  It's really just so bad for you when you're trying to lose weight, and I'm seeing at least 6 or 7 opportunities for heavy boozing in the next few weeks. I do have some good excuses not to, so I think I might cash in on those. 

I'm ready to make some more damn progress motherfucker!! So you better watch out :)

Progress, I swear!!!

Progress, I swear!

Welcome to stigma central.

Welcome to Stigma Central.