Awesome: while most use it as a positive term, many connotations (especially in this world) have it meaning the opposite. As in “Awesome that you’re already at the bar while I’m sitting here on my bum and watching Golden Girl reruns.” See the subtle difference?
Effort: that thing that’s apparently too hard for others to do and what I’m tired of being the only one to care about and give.
Epic: a word to describe a completely, unequivocally large situation that is most likely being over dramatized. Deal.
Hot Irish BrianTM : (just because I needed something happy in this entry). The standard for “real” guys. You know, since not everyone has a David Beckham at their disposal we come up with real life people to judge by. And yes, I know this is insane:)
Phone Throwing: a therapeutic activity done in an act of rage or emotional breaking that feels quite good and rather cathartic. Warning: said therapeutic endeavor should not be undertaken with a Blackberry.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
My Five Rules
Back in the day I had these five rules for anyone that I could be interested in or date. They were:
1. A valid driver’s license. I refuse to be the one to drive someone else around because they could not control themselves with alcohol or so many road rage incidents that they are a danger to others on the road.
2. A job. I try not to be too particular about what that job is, but the guy must have one in order to even be considered. Go ahead, be a circus clown if that makes you happy and you can pay your bills. Who am I to judge on that aspect?
3. No penguins. By this I mean that he cannot physically look like a penguin. Sorry, I’m a bit superficial this way. Or maybe completely superficial. Whatever.
4. No penny loafers. You may laugh or joke, but this fashion trait is truly indicative of a deeper personality flaw. Ok, I guess if this was the last piece of the puzzle to a great guy I might be able to bend a little, but it would require them finding new shoes quickly and disposing of the offending pair.
5. Must love sports. I do not mean the general “sports are cool” attitude, but a deep appreciation for the fact that there will be days I will stay home and watch the game instead of doing other things. It is even better if he has some borderline obsession with a team/sport. I’d like him to be a stereotypical male in this respect.
I’m thinking I need to revise them a bit and lower my standards (I know, how much freaking lower can they get but really, it’s that damn difficult). I mean, I never thought that I’d have to add a rule since, well, five is a nice number, but who knew. I thought it was a nice, common practice to return e-mails/phone calls/text messages but apparently it’s ok to let them languish for days. Days! Then again, if EVERYONE is doing it, can I really make it a rule that if you don’t respond within a certain timeframe you’re done? Ugh. This whole thing just stinks. So, do I add a rule or go back to my tried and true five? Thoughts?
1. A valid driver’s license. I refuse to be the one to drive someone else around because they could not control themselves with alcohol or so many road rage incidents that they are a danger to others on the road.
2. A job. I try not to be too particular about what that job is, but the guy must have one in order to even be considered. Go ahead, be a circus clown if that makes you happy and you can pay your bills. Who am I to judge on that aspect?
3. No penguins. By this I mean that he cannot physically look like a penguin. Sorry, I’m a bit superficial this way. Or maybe completely superficial. Whatever.
4. No penny loafers. You may laugh or joke, but this fashion trait is truly indicative of a deeper personality flaw. Ok, I guess if this was the last piece of the puzzle to a great guy I might be able to bend a little, but it would require them finding new shoes quickly and disposing of the offending pair.
5. Must love sports. I do not mean the general “sports are cool” attitude, but a deep appreciation for the fact that there will be days I will stay home and watch the game instead of doing other things. It is even better if he has some borderline obsession with a team/sport. I’d like him to be a stereotypical male in this respect.
I’m thinking I need to revise them a bit and lower my standards (I know, how much freaking lower can they get but really, it’s that damn difficult). I mean, I never thought that I’d have to add a rule since, well, five is a nice number, but who knew. I thought it was a nice, common practice to return e-mails/phone calls/text messages but apparently it’s ok to let them languish for days. Days! Then again, if EVERYONE is doing it, can I really make it a rule that if you don’t respond within a certain timeframe you’re done? Ugh. This whole thing just stinks. So, do I add a rule or go back to my tried and true five? Thoughts?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Weekly Workout Train 4/24
Monday’s Monkey Bar was three rounds of hell. Kinda like the nine circles of hell with Dante but not as much fun. It started with the Box workout which consisted of 20 squats, 20 lunges, 20 box jumps, 20 squat jumps and then one minute of rest and repeat. We did that four times in the time allotted. Then we moved on to the jump rope workout which was two minutes jump rope, 100 crunches, two minute jump rope, 100 push ups then two minutes of jump rope. That was only one set. The final set was the powerwheel workout with 10 roll outs, 20 knees to chest, 15 roll outs, 20 knees to chest, 20 roll outs, 20 knees to chest. Finished that four times as well. Just some light cardio there right? My legs were killing me after that.
Tuesday’s Monkey Bar was five around the world, 10 knees to chest (UGH!), 15 down-dog push ups, 20 Russian twists, 25 squats, 50 sit ups and then 100 jump rope revolutions. In 30 minutes I did that five times. So, that’s a total of 25 around the worlds, 50 more knees to chest (because really, 180 the day before wasn’t enough), 75 down dog push ups, 100 Russian twists, 125 squats, 250 sit ups and 500 jump rope revolutions. I should really stop counting these things because it makes me wonder what kind of masochist I really am.
Tuesday’s level 2 was a lot of kicks which went oh so well given the squats and all that from the two days before. For some reason I couldn’t move my legs properly to get enough momentum for my side kick. Oh well. Live and learn right?
Wednesday I decided to run since I am allegedly doing a 5k in May. Let’s say this was a pretty bad wog. I ended up doing 3.19 miles but my time was off and my legs felt like complete logs. They just wouldn’t move. At least I got out there though right?
Thursday I knew I’d only do one workout since, well, I stayed out way too late on Wednesday. My feeble attempt at level 2 was more than feeble. It was still kicks but my mind couldn’t tell my body to move. And even during warm up the three of us couldn’t figure out how to do our push ups and sit ups right. Everyone has an off day but this was pretty ridiculous.
And that ended my working out. Yeah, lame but I did try to move a futon on Sunday so that has to count for something right?
Tuesday’s Monkey Bar was five around the world, 10 knees to chest (UGH!), 15 down-dog push ups, 20 Russian twists, 25 squats, 50 sit ups and then 100 jump rope revolutions. In 30 minutes I did that five times. So, that’s a total of 25 around the worlds, 50 more knees to chest (because really, 180 the day before wasn’t enough), 75 down dog push ups, 100 Russian twists, 125 squats, 250 sit ups and 500 jump rope revolutions. I should really stop counting these things because it makes me wonder what kind of masochist I really am.
Tuesday’s level 2 was a lot of kicks which went oh so well given the squats and all that from the two days before. For some reason I couldn’t move my legs properly to get enough momentum for my side kick. Oh well. Live and learn right?
Wednesday I decided to run since I am allegedly doing a 5k in May. Let’s say this was a pretty bad wog. I ended up doing 3.19 miles but my time was off and my legs felt like complete logs. They just wouldn’t move. At least I got out there though right?
Thursday I knew I’d only do one workout since, well, I stayed out way too late on Wednesday. My feeble attempt at level 2 was more than feeble. It was still kicks but my mind couldn’t tell my body to move. And even during warm up the three of us couldn’t figure out how to do our push ups and sit ups right. Everyone has an off day but this was pretty ridiculous.
And that ended my working out. Yeah, lame but I did try to move a futon on Sunday so that has to count for something right?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
8 a.m. and the iPod
As a general rule I try to not put my iPod on until after 8 a.m. at work. Normally this works out well since I get in at 7 and there really isn’t anyone else here. Somedays, however, that just won’t do. And by won’t do, I mean I feel a bloodcurdling scream stewing in my belly that just might come out if I’m forced one iota more in to noticing that I’m in this place and actually have to deal with insane people whether it is via e-mail or person. Or that I have a huge project I really don’t want to do and I need to get to it. It shouldn’t have to be said that today fell in to the latter category.
I don’t know what it is about the iPod that gives me a sense of control or sanity. Clearly it is an inanimate object that shouldn’t have any effect whatsoever. Then again, two songs from “Rocky IV” might be a good way to get pumped up for whatever I have to deal with today (and by today I should really say every day as each and every minute spent here is one that I’ll never get back and wonder why…).
A little secret? Sometimes during the day when others are here I have my headphones on even though the iPod isn’t. Every now and again it helps to keep people away from me. Silly and something that shouldn’t have to happen in an area with adults but I’m wondering if quote marks need to go around adults because I’m not always sure that they are…
So, I hope you have a much better day than this one is setting out to be. At least I can put my running mix on and pretend I’m outside.
I don’t know what it is about the iPod that gives me a sense of control or sanity. Clearly it is an inanimate object that shouldn’t have any effect whatsoever. Then again, two songs from “Rocky IV” might be a good way to get pumped up for whatever I have to deal with today (and by today I should really say every day as each and every minute spent here is one that I’ll never get back and wonder why…).
A little secret? Sometimes during the day when others are here I have my headphones on even though the iPod isn’t. Every now and again it helps to keep people away from me. Silly and something that shouldn’t have to happen in an area with adults but I’m wondering if quote marks need to go around adults because I’m not always sure that they are…
So, I hope you have a much better day than this one is setting out to be. At least I can put my running mix on and pretend I’m outside.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Snippets of My Weekend
While I knew that there were some parts of my weekend that were set in stone, there were some new things added that made it a lot of fun. Granted it wasn’t so good on the sleep side, but when is that ever what my life is like right?
Sunday was the baptism for my godson. Since there is no consistency in terms of religious preferences between the parents and godparents, this is more of a “stay in the kid’s life/honorary” type thing. I did however receive a certificate as his sponsor and that was cool. I’m still holding out for a fairy wand. What, I can’t be a fairy godmother? I mean, I totally could have used one in my day. I should probably Google that later to see if I can find one.(This picture is from suzykendall.com and would be a good look for me right;)
In an effort to get through my Blockbuster queue, I watched two movies (in my spare time) this weekend. The first was Boondock Saints II. Not what I wanted/expected and I had pretty low expectations going in to it. I know sequels are never as good as the first but still. There were cheesy moments that were almost painful to watch. They set it up so there can be a third one and I’m hoping that is a smidge better.
Next was Law Abiding Citizen. Yes, I’m a sucker for Gerard Butler. Again, I get the idea and where they wanted to go, I just don’t think it got there. Not as painful as the first, but still something I’m glad I didn’t spend my money on in the theater.
Oh, that other stuff I was talking about? That was fun but not a story for the blog:)
Sunday was the baptism for my godson. Since there is no consistency in terms of religious preferences between the parents and godparents, this is more of a “stay in the kid’s life/honorary” type thing. I did however receive a certificate as his sponsor and that was cool. I’m still holding out for a fairy wand. What, I can’t be a fairy godmother? I mean, I totally could have used one in my day. I should probably Google that later to see if I can find one.(This picture is from suzykendall.com and would be a good look for me right;)
In an effort to get through my Blockbuster queue, I watched two movies (in my spare time) this weekend. The first was Boondock Saints II. Not what I wanted/expected and I had pretty low expectations going in to it. I know sequels are never as good as the first but still. There were cheesy moments that were almost painful to watch. They set it up so there can be a third one and I’m hoping that is a smidge better.
Next was Law Abiding Citizen. Yes, I’m a sucker for Gerard Butler. Again, I get the idea and where they wanted to go, I just don’t think it got there. Not as painful as the first, but still something I’m glad I didn’t spend my money on in the theater.
Oh, that other stuff I was talking about? That was fun but not a story for the blog:)
Weekly Workout Train 4/17/10
A sunny Monday and a charley horse started the week and I’m not sure what kind of mixed omen that is. Once again, the masochism that is Monkey Bar Gym was the first workout on the agenda. I know I should be scared when the phrase “fun stuff” is listed under warm-up. I’m pretty sure Lisa has a completely different idea of that than I do. But as I’m a trooper or an idiot, I stayed. The warm-up wasn’t bad, but then it went downhill.
There were two portions of the workout: cardio and strength. For the cardio, we were to do the rotation four times and strength was three times. Here’s the breakdown:
Cardio
100 jump rope or jumping jacks
50 runners
10 Hindu pushups
25 wacky jacks
Strength
25 pushups
50 Russian twists
25 Squats
50 crunches
10 jump knees to chest
That’s a total of 400 jump ropes, 200 runners, 40 Hindu pushups, 100 wacky jacks, 75 pushups, 150 Russian twists, 75 squats, 150 crunches and 30 jump knees to chest. How bout them apples? The only problem was the killer charley horse in my leg that made it really hard to think about moving. That damn leg was shaking for a good three hours!
Tuesday’s Monkey Bar was the deck of cards workout with the exercises being lunges (left/right=1), leg lifts, pushups and situps. I’m still too exhausted to count how many of each we did for 45 minutes, but trust me when I say it was a lot. The upside? Depeche Mode was part of the cooldown music. Then for level 2 it was a review of front kicks followed by stabbing defense against a front kick and plucking defense against a front kick. My pluck needs some work. After that was groundwork with choke and a headlock. I can’t buck very well (odd, I know) and I’m not really sure of my ability if it was someone heavy on top of me but practice will make perfect. To end class we did what I’m terming a fight circle where one person is in the middle and everyone attacks them with level 1 stuff. At one point in my turn I had someone choking me from the front and back. Not really sure how to get out of that one. But I did escape the headlock using the defense Lukasz taught where you really aren’t caught at all. Good stuff.
Thursday I took a nap and only did Monkey Bar. We did what Ryan affectionately called MMA Championships. It was a minute each of the following (a total of 5 minutes) and then a minute rest.
• Pushups
• Sit ups with a reach (holding a tombstone pad and pushing it above your head)
• Tombstone jumps (jump over the pad)
• Tombstone n/s with 5 palm heel strikes
• Snowboarders
It sounds simple right? By the second round I wanted to die. Hard work out. Then there was the expected yoga but at least I got him to play Depeche Mode again.
I even went to Monkey Bar on Friday. Then again, not like I had a ton of other plans. It started with 15 minutes of Dodge Ball. Now, this wasn’t your fifth grade Dodge Ball. If you got hit, you had to do 10 jumping jacks. You hit someone in the head, hit the window or the ceiling, 10 pushups. And you didn’t stay on a side, you ran around. This was followed by some intense yoga that made me super dizzy.
Saturday was the typical level 2 and then level 1. Level 2 was a little more cardio than I necessarily want at 9 a.m. but still good. And all the mounting, choking and bucking is a way to get a few calories off. Level 1 was instructor’s choice and I did the warm up which is slightly unusual for me (see, I’m already warm from level 2 so why put myself through the torture right?). Then we did some kicks, some ground work and some twisting and flipping ground work. Oy.
I was told though that my shape is looking different since I got in to level 2 (or started Monkey Bar which were pretty simultaneous so who knows). I don’t see it but I guess others think I look more muscular. Good I guess.
There were two portions of the workout: cardio and strength. For the cardio, we were to do the rotation four times and strength was three times. Here’s the breakdown:
Cardio
100 jump rope or jumping jacks
50 runners
10 Hindu pushups
25 wacky jacks
Strength
25 pushups
50 Russian twists
25 Squats
50 crunches
10 jump knees to chest
That’s a total of 400 jump ropes, 200 runners, 40 Hindu pushups, 100 wacky jacks, 75 pushups, 150 Russian twists, 75 squats, 150 crunches and 30 jump knees to chest. How bout them apples? The only problem was the killer charley horse in my leg that made it really hard to think about moving. That damn leg was shaking for a good three hours!
Tuesday’s Monkey Bar was the deck of cards workout with the exercises being lunges (left/right=1), leg lifts, pushups and situps. I’m still too exhausted to count how many of each we did for 45 minutes, but trust me when I say it was a lot. The upside? Depeche Mode was part of the cooldown music. Then for level 2 it was a review of front kicks followed by stabbing defense against a front kick and plucking defense against a front kick. My pluck needs some work. After that was groundwork with choke and a headlock. I can’t buck very well (odd, I know) and I’m not really sure of my ability if it was someone heavy on top of me but practice will make perfect. To end class we did what I’m terming a fight circle where one person is in the middle and everyone attacks them with level 1 stuff. At one point in my turn I had someone choking me from the front and back. Not really sure how to get out of that one. But I did escape the headlock using the defense Lukasz taught where you really aren’t caught at all. Good stuff.
Thursday I took a nap and only did Monkey Bar. We did what Ryan affectionately called MMA Championships. It was a minute each of the following (a total of 5 minutes) and then a minute rest.
• Pushups
• Sit ups with a reach (holding a tombstone pad and pushing it above your head)
• Tombstone jumps (jump over the pad)
• Tombstone n/s with 5 palm heel strikes
• Snowboarders
It sounds simple right? By the second round I wanted to die. Hard work out. Then there was the expected yoga but at least I got him to play Depeche Mode again.
I even went to Monkey Bar on Friday. Then again, not like I had a ton of other plans. It started with 15 minutes of Dodge Ball. Now, this wasn’t your fifth grade Dodge Ball. If you got hit, you had to do 10 jumping jacks. You hit someone in the head, hit the window or the ceiling, 10 pushups. And you didn’t stay on a side, you ran around. This was followed by some intense yoga that made me super dizzy.
Saturday was the typical level 2 and then level 1. Level 2 was a little more cardio than I necessarily want at 9 a.m. but still good. And all the mounting, choking and bucking is a way to get a few calories off. Level 1 was instructor’s choice and I did the warm up which is slightly unusual for me (see, I’m already warm from level 2 so why put myself through the torture right?). Then we did some kicks, some ground work and some twisting and flipping ground work. Oy.
I was told though that my shape is looking different since I got in to level 2 (or started Monkey Bar which were pretty simultaneous so who knows). I don’t see it but I guess others think I look more muscular. Good I guess.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
What I Want Wednesday 4/14/10
Although I have no space in my place, I’ve wanted a treadmill for the last six years. I do love the jogging and having it in the comfort of my home is a bonus (do you hear the sighs as I wistfully remember having one at one point????). Anyway, even though it isn’t a viable option right now, I am loving this model.
The Proform 590T (on sale for $599 regularly $999) is one of those that I’d love to have NOW(but let’s be real, I’ll take just about ANY treadmill right now but I’ll covet an expensive one at the moment). As http://www.proform.com/ tells me:
“The ProForm 590T, part of the ProForm Tech Series, is designed to deliver the ultimate workout. Featuring a built-in sound system, workouts created by Certified Personal Trainers and performance-driven cushioning, this treadmill combines innovative technology for powerful results. Stay motivated with the Compatible Music Port for iPod® and the unbeatable sound quality of Intermix Acoustics™ 2.0. And while you're moving to the beat of your favorite tunes, get fit with iFit® Workout Card Technology. Each card automatically adjusts your speed and incline while the voice of a personal trainer coaches you through your workout. And if you need something fast, easy and to the point, try one of the 12 Quick™ Calorie-Burn Workouts. Quickly select the amount of calories you want to burn and the treadmill does the rest! The 590T also features ProTech™ Cushioning, a 2.25 CHP Mach Z™ Motor and Quick™ incline and speed controls.”
And the Web site’s picture makes it look pretty too right?
The Proform 590T (on sale for $599 regularly $999) is one of those that I’d love to have NOW(but let’s be real, I’ll take just about ANY treadmill right now but I’ll covet an expensive one at the moment). As http://www.proform.com/ tells me:
“The ProForm 590T, part of the ProForm Tech Series, is designed to deliver the ultimate workout. Featuring a built-in sound system, workouts created by Certified Personal Trainers and performance-driven cushioning, this treadmill combines innovative technology for powerful results. Stay motivated with the Compatible Music Port for iPod® and the unbeatable sound quality of Intermix Acoustics™ 2.0. And while you're moving to the beat of your favorite tunes, get fit with iFit® Workout Card Technology. Each card automatically adjusts your speed and incline while the voice of a personal trainer coaches you through your workout. And if you need something fast, easy and to the point, try one of the 12 Quick™ Calorie-Burn Workouts. Quickly select the amount of calories you want to burn and the treadmill does the rest! The 590T also features ProTech™ Cushioning, a 2.25 CHP Mach Z™ Motor and Quick™ incline and speed controls.”
And the Web site’s picture makes it look pretty too right?
(All info on the machine and photo from proform.com)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Dictionary Part 2
Approved friends list: the people that are acceptable to be around.
Boy: generic term for the male in my life that makes me want to pull my hair out. Sometimes they have “men” tendencies, others they are just still waiting for Gepetto to make them real.
Conpuzzled: a combination of confused and puzzled. When one just isn’t enough, use both. Pretty much the constant state of my life.
Marbles: synonym for brain but what I do not possess anymore
Moron: term of endearment for those in my life (seriously)
Boy: generic term for the male in my life that makes me want to pull my hair out. Sometimes they have “men” tendencies, others they are just still waiting for Gepetto to make them real.
Conpuzzled: a combination of confused and puzzled. When one just isn’t enough, use both. Pretty much the constant state of my life.
Marbles: synonym for brain but what I do not possess anymore
Moron: term of endearment for those in my life (seriously)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Weekly Workout Train 4/11/10
Per usual, I was a masochist and started the week with Monkey Bar. I can’t tell you exactly what we did, but it did involve sprints outside. And some yoga. And some “do this for one minute” exercises. And there were abs. All in all, I was pouring sweat and as that’s the point, score one for a good workout. After that I decided I had at least a little more in me so I thought I’d go for a run. Well, the best laid plans pave the road to hell and it was more of a “wog” (walk/jog) for 2.30 miles. Not overly shabby. The upside? I’m down one pound. Yes, one measly pound but as I’ve reconfigured my goal weight I’ll take it.
Tuesday sucked. I know that isn’t really a positive statement but it’s true. In Monkey Bar we did 45 minutes of the following exercises trying to get to Power Level for as many as we could:
• Jump rope
• Powerwheel laps (yes, this requires you to strap it on your feet and walk on your hands with abs engaged to get moving. Not easy.)
• Box hops
• Push ups
• Sit ups
• Bear crawls
For the record, I can’t do powerwheel laps to save my butt and it was pretty hysterical. I ended up being a trooper and doing 4 which was the first stability level. I hit Power Level for jump rope (1000 revolutions), sit ups (100 weighted), box hops (100) and bear crawls (10 lengths). I did 50 push ups (25 the “right way” and 25 on my knees) but at least that was Stability level 1. Whew.
Krav was not so much fun. The warm up was one of Dante’s circles of hell with all level 1 self defenses in a free for all and then a circle where we had to do burpees if we weren’t attacking. That lasted half an hour. It is a lot more intense than you might think. After that, our arms were worked with bobbing and weaving with hooks. Then came the fun ground work with more bucking. Let’s just say my escape from a choke while mounted needs some work.
On Wednesday I had every intention of working out. Except that every ounce of my legs hurt and my ribs felt broken. Yeah, chalk that last one up to powerwheel lengths.
Thursday is normally a dual day but after about 10 minutes of level 2, it was apparent that there was no way I could handle the 160 squats Monkey Bar would be calling for. Level 2 would have been a little more ok if it wasn’t for the running and mountain climbers during warm up. Yes, that was *part* of the warm up. It felt really good to hit a heavy bag during class though as we had a group of three for hooks. Then it was on to ground work that includes a bit of mounting. No trap and roll this time, but a much better experience than shrimping.
Saturday saw the double of level 2 and level 1. We realized that the reason we’re having issues with our hooks is the gloves are so stinking big. But, our covering defenses are getting better. Granted I’ll always go for an extended defense first, but at least I know both. I’m not sure why I continue to do a class at 9 a.m. when I know that I have no morning motivation, but perhaps I’ll fix that later. The groundwork wasn’t as bad so maybe we’re making progress. Level 1 was a return to straight punches (can one ever do too many of those?) and kicks. For some reason I couldn’t kick with my left foot. Strange that there isn’t ability there anymore but hopefully just a fluke.
All in all, not the best week, not the worst week. I’ve also incorporated tracking on http://www.livestrong.com/ to try and help figure out the calories in/calories out and see what my nutrient goals are. I’m still just down that one measly pound but I guess it is better than nothing right?
Tuesday sucked. I know that isn’t really a positive statement but it’s true. In Monkey Bar we did 45 minutes of the following exercises trying to get to Power Level for as many as we could:
• Jump rope
• Powerwheel laps (yes, this requires you to strap it on your feet and walk on your hands with abs engaged to get moving. Not easy.)
• Box hops
• Push ups
• Sit ups
• Bear crawls
For the record, I can’t do powerwheel laps to save my butt and it was pretty hysterical. I ended up being a trooper and doing 4 which was the first stability level. I hit Power Level for jump rope (1000 revolutions), sit ups (100 weighted), box hops (100) and bear crawls (10 lengths). I did 50 push ups (25 the “right way” and 25 on my knees) but at least that was Stability level 1. Whew.
Krav was not so much fun. The warm up was one of Dante’s circles of hell with all level 1 self defenses in a free for all and then a circle where we had to do burpees if we weren’t attacking. That lasted half an hour. It is a lot more intense than you might think. After that, our arms were worked with bobbing and weaving with hooks. Then came the fun ground work with more bucking. Let’s just say my escape from a choke while mounted needs some work.
On Wednesday I had every intention of working out. Except that every ounce of my legs hurt and my ribs felt broken. Yeah, chalk that last one up to powerwheel lengths.
Thursday is normally a dual day but after about 10 minutes of level 2, it was apparent that there was no way I could handle the 160 squats Monkey Bar would be calling for. Level 2 would have been a little more ok if it wasn’t for the running and mountain climbers during warm up. Yes, that was *part* of the warm up. It felt really good to hit a heavy bag during class though as we had a group of three for hooks. Then it was on to ground work that includes a bit of mounting. No trap and roll this time, but a much better experience than shrimping.
Saturday saw the double of level 2 and level 1. We realized that the reason we’re having issues with our hooks is the gloves are so stinking big. But, our covering defenses are getting better. Granted I’ll always go for an extended defense first, but at least I know both. I’m not sure why I continue to do a class at 9 a.m. when I know that I have no morning motivation, but perhaps I’ll fix that later. The groundwork wasn’t as bad so maybe we’re making progress. Level 1 was a return to straight punches (can one ever do too many of those?) and kicks. For some reason I couldn’t kick with my left foot. Strange that there isn’t ability there anymore but hopefully just a fluke.
All in all, not the best week, not the worst week. I’ve also incorporated tracking on http://www.livestrong.com/ to try and help figure out the calories in/calories out and see what my nutrient goals are. I’m still just down that one measly pound but I guess it is better than nothing right?
Friday, April 9, 2010
Who Doesn't Love Embarassing Moments?
As it seems another one is biting the dust, I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane. Most of my life has been filled with completely embarrassing moments that others like to bring up and, well, if I’m being honest like to instigate. Some of them I can live down, others I just can’t. And many revolve around me and some stinking boy I liked (one could have called me boy crazy back in the day. As I’ve grown up, that hasn’t really changed:)). I guess this is as good a place as any to just throw them out there and take the embarrassment away on my own. Let’s take a look at the top five embarrassing (boy) moments from my youth:
5. Sophomore year in high school I had the hugest crush on a guy named Casey. As my initials are KC, my dear friend Jenny would find it appropriate to scream them whenever we were within two feet of each other (the guy and me). As he had no idea who I was, he’d look and get quite confused. One day he actually asked who I was and why I was standing next to him. I’m pretty sure he thought I was nuts.
4. The seventh grade school project diary I wrote on the Civil War. Sounds innocuous right? Not so much. In it I took on the last name of the (older) guy I liked from Alabama and we were married. Um, yeah his family totally got a copy of that one and it was hard to live down. In my defense, Charley was completely cute, but I may have gone slightly overboard in how much I missed him while he was “off to war”. I did get an “A” on the assignment though and it was enough to make me apply to Auburn.
3. I was stood up for Sadie Hawkins my Freshman year as my “date” Mike got back together with his (ugly) girlfriend two days before the dance. He had forgotten to tell me and I had already purchased (hideous horizontal stripe) shirts. Not one to be deterred and having to find a date as my mom was set to drive two other couples, I had to find someone. That was our friend Justin and somehow we got “married” that night with the picture making it to the yearbook. Everyone thought we were dating. Not that there was anything wrong with Justin, he just wasn’t football/basketball/baseball captain material like Mike was. I never lived that picture down and I still blame Mike.
2. There’s a Denny’s in Hampton, VA that I’m not allowed in at the same time as one of my ex boyfriends. We had a very spirited discussion in the restaurant about his “friendship” with other girls and just how friendly it was. I *may* have raised my voice considerably during this time and *may* have decided that climbing over the table was appropriate. This may have been after he gave details that weren’t really necessary. We may have been causing a scene that others stopped eating to watch. It didn’t get a whole lot better from there and we were politely asked to leave. On the way out, they suggested that it would be better if we never returned at the same time. And that the suggestion was more of a mandate.
1. It’s safe to say I made my way though many of the boat racing guys I grew up with or knew (get your mind out of the gutter, I mean I dated or kissed most of them, nothing icky going on there. I was a good Catholic girl). There was one however that didn’t quite see the appeal of dating me and I just liked him a lot and hoped that he’d come around (such a change from my life now right????). Anyway, on the way back from a race a million miles away, we had a caravan of trucks and boats all keeping contact with CBs. Again, nothing that sounds dangerous there. Well, as we entered later in the night the conversation took an ugly turn and while we thought the person in question was sleeping, one of my friends thought it a nice idea to talk to his crew chief about my crush. This would have been slightly fine if all the other trucks couldn’t hear it too, including the girl I thought he liked. And if he was really sleeping. About two minutes before we were stopping at a restaurant for a late dinner, he came on and said he heard everything and that there was no chance. Um, awkward much? Upon arriving at the restaurant I promptly exited the vehicle and tried to hide under a newspaper stand.
Is it any wonder I turned out the way I did?
5. Sophomore year in high school I had the hugest crush on a guy named Casey. As my initials are KC, my dear friend Jenny would find it appropriate to scream them whenever we were within two feet of each other (the guy and me). As he had no idea who I was, he’d look and get quite confused. One day he actually asked who I was and why I was standing next to him. I’m pretty sure he thought I was nuts.
4. The seventh grade school project diary I wrote on the Civil War. Sounds innocuous right? Not so much. In it I took on the last name of the (older) guy I liked from Alabama and we were married. Um, yeah his family totally got a copy of that one and it was hard to live down. In my defense, Charley was completely cute, but I may have gone slightly overboard in how much I missed him while he was “off to war”. I did get an “A” on the assignment though and it was enough to make me apply to Auburn.
3. I was stood up for Sadie Hawkins my Freshman year as my “date” Mike got back together with his (ugly) girlfriend two days before the dance. He had forgotten to tell me and I had already purchased (hideous horizontal stripe) shirts. Not one to be deterred and having to find a date as my mom was set to drive two other couples, I had to find someone. That was our friend Justin and somehow we got “married” that night with the picture making it to the yearbook. Everyone thought we were dating. Not that there was anything wrong with Justin, he just wasn’t football/basketball/baseball captain material like Mike was. I never lived that picture down and I still blame Mike.
2. There’s a Denny’s in Hampton, VA that I’m not allowed in at the same time as one of my ex boyfriends. We had a very spirited discussion in the restaurant about his “friendship” with other girls and just how friendly it was. I *may* have raised my voice considerably during this time and *may* have decided that climbing over the table was appropriate. This may have been after he gave details that weren’t really necessary. We may have been causing a scene that others stopped eating to watch. It didn’t get a whole lot better from there and we were politely asked to leave. On the way out, they suggested that it would be better if we never returned at the same time. And that the suggestion was more of a mandate.
1. It’s safe to say I made my way though many of the boat racing guys I grew up with or knew (get your mind out of the gutter, I mean I dated or kissed most of them, nothing icky going on there. I was a good Catholic girl). There was one however that didn’t quite see the appeal of dating me and I just liked him a lot and hoped that he’d come around (such a change from my life now right????). Anyway, on the way back from a race a million miles away, we had a caravan of trucks and boats all keeping contact with CBs. Again, nothing that sounds dangerous there. Well, as we entered later in the night the conversation took an ugly turn and while we thought the person in question was sleeping, one of my friends thought it a nice idea to talk to his crew chief about my crush. This would have been slightly fine if all the other trucks couldn’t hear it too, including the girl I thought he liked. And if he was really sleeping. About two minutes before we were stopping at a restaurant for a late dinner, he came on and said he heard everything and that there was no chance. Um, awkward much? Upon arriving at the restaurant I promptly exited the vehicle and tried to hide under a newspaper stand.
Is it any wonder I turned out the way I did?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
What I Want Wednesday
Last summer there were more trips to a Coach Outlet Store than I’d care to count. I’d like to say I only purchased something on one of them and it was a keychain. Just don’t ask about my spring trip which coincidentally did not happen this year so I think I’m fine. Anyway, I fell in love with some of their sunglasses because I thought they’d make a great companion to my Burberry ones (purchased at the Rome Airport while waiting for a flight and slightly too big).
These are awesome. They’re the Madeline and are $198 (photo from coach.com)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
New Dictionary
For those of us of a certain age, it was a rite of passage that upon entering college you'd get this huge dictionary to take with you. And there is the great part of the cult classic "Say Anything" where Diane Court has gone through her dictionary and highlighted the words she has looked up. I think it is time we start a new dictionary of what some terms really mean. Here's part one.
Friends: completely ambiguous term that means someone you don’t loathe or despise. It could mean you actually like the person or just don’t have apathy for them.
Later: sometime that isn’t now but isn’t when hell freezes over either. When said by a man, it’s a crap shoot how close to hell freezing over it will actually be.
Ledge: the place you reside while liking a stupid male. There is no cure, no magic pill, just a teetering, uncertain feeling that never quite dissipates.
Pseudo/quasi/eh: all three are interchangeable in terms of not putting a label on something that should totally have a label but since label is scary these modifiers are used to keep us on said ledge.
Friends: completely ambiguous term that means someone you don’t loathe or despise. It could mean you actually like the person or just don’t have apathy for them.
Later: sometime that isn’t now but isn’t when hell freezes over either. When said by a man, it’s a crap shoot how close to hell freezing over it will actually be.
Ledge: the place you reside while liking a stupid male. There is no cure, no magic pill, just a teetering, uncertain feeling that never quite dissipates.
Pseudo/quasi/eh: all three are interchangeable in terms of not putting a label on something that should totally have a label but since label is scary these modifiers are used to keep us on said ledge.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Weekly Workout Train 4/3/2010
I’m beginning to think that starting my workout week with a killer Monkey Bar class may end up being the death of me. Or maybe that’s just because I could barely stand up straight to take the class. Either way, it was not an easy go. The motivation of homemade cookies at the end is pretty much what got me through. Anyway, it was a series of 15 exercises (do as many reps as possible) for a minute each with one break. After the first round of 15 and a short break, it was back through the cycle but backwards. Let’s see if I can remember them all (perhaps not in order):
• Push ups
• Downdog pushups
• Hindu pushups
• Diamond pushups
• Crunches
• Russian twists
• Bicycle crunches
• Split squats
• Sumo squats
• Squats with feet together, hands on head
• Toe raises
• Push kicks
• Toe jumps
• Burpees
• Sprawls
Yep, it was hard getting off the couch after that one.
Oy. That’s a pretty good word to describe Tuesday’s Monkey Bar. It was as many sets as possible of the following after our baseline:
5 Around the world (in pushup position, lift one hand, other hand, that foot, other foot for one rep)
10 Snowboarders
15 Downdog pushups
20 Bicycles
25 Lunges (left/right was one)
50 Sit ups
100 Jump rope revolutions
I finished five sets in the time allotted. That’s 25 around the worlds, 50 snowboarders, 75 Hindu pushups, 100 bicycles, 125 lunges, 250 sit ups and 500 jump rope revolutions. Sometimes I hate my Type A personality to do the math on these things. After that I decided to be a slacker and not do Krav. Could also have something to do with the fact that the three nights prior I had about 3 hours of sleep each night.
Thursday I went back to the theory that the 16 bazillion pounds of fat weren’t going to magically disappear so I decided to do both classes. Krav was a whole lotta groundwork this week which is not my favorite. Hell, I couldn’t get up right for months. Add to this the fact that you have to mount a partner and get bucked off and well, you can see where this is going. It really does make your abs engage though. There’s a floor technique affectionately called “shrimping” that I especially struggled with. At one point my instructor casually asked if I was trying to exfoliate for free on his floor as I was scraping by and not doing it properly. Whoopsie. Guess that move needs some work. The Monkey Bar workout was a circuit of 30 minutes of the following at a 40 second on/20 second off interval:
• Ladder (jumping in and out of the boxes)
• Russian Twists with weight
• Curls
• Powerwheel roll-outs
• Chin ups
• Box hops
• Some other arm exercise I can’t remember.
Friday saw me return to running. It was a beautiful day out and at least that made up for the not so stellar run. I went further the first time than I did before, but overall my time was pretty off. I know, it was my second run of the year so I should give myself a break, but I wanted to burn more than 356 calories.
And as it was the holiday, that was all for me:)
• Push ups
• Downdog pushups
• Hindu pushups
• Diamond pushups
• Crunches
• Russian twists
• Bicycle crunches
• Split squats
• Sumo squats
• Squats with feet together, hands on head
• Toe raises
• Push kicks
• Toe jumps
• Burpees
• Sprawls
Yep, it was hard getting off the couch after that one.
Oy. That’s a pretty good word to describe Tuesday’s Monkey Bar. It was as many sets as possible of the following after our baseline:
5 Around the world (in pushup position, lift one hand, other hand, that foot, other foot for one rep)
10 Snowboarders
15 Downdog pushups
20 Bicycles
25 Lunges (left/right was one)
50 Sit ups
100 Jump rope revolutions
I finished five sets in the time allotted. That’s 25 around the worlds, 50 snowboarders, 75 Hindu pushups, 100 bicycles, 125 lunges, 250 sit ups and 500 jump rope revolutions. Sometimes I hate my Type A personality to do the math on these things. After that I decided to be a slacker and not do Krav. Could also have something to do with the fact that the three nights prior I had about 3 hours of sleep each night.
Thursday I went back to the theory that the 16 bazillion pounds of fat weren’t going to magically disappear so I decided to do both classes. Krav was a whole lotta groundwork this week which is not my favorite. Hell, I couldn’t get up right for months. Add to this the fact that you have to mount a partner and get bucked off and well, you can see where this is going. It really does make your abs engage though. There’s a floor technique affectionately called “shrimping” that I especially struggled with. At one point my instructor casually asked if I was trying to exfoliate for free on his floor as I was scraping by and not doing it properly. Whoopsie. Guess that move needs some work. The Monkey Bar workout was a circuit of 30 minutes of the following at a 40 second on/20 second off interval:
• Ladder (jumping in and out of the boxes)
• Russian Twists with weight
• Curls
• Powerwheel roll-outs
• Chin ups
• Box hops
• Some other arm exercise I can’t remember.
Friday saw me return to running. It was a beautiful day out and at least that made up for the not so stellar run. I went further the first time than I did before, but overall my time was pretty off. I know, it was my second run of the year so I should give myself a break, but I wanted to burn more than 356 calories.
And as it was the holiday, that was all for me:)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
My Three Day Rule
By this point in our lives we are all familiar with the three day rule. To recap, it basically means that after a first date (and in some cases any date) with a guy you will anxiously wait three frickin days before he contacts you. Yeah, whoever came up with that one is a genius right? I mean, if you like someone...anyway I’m starting to digress from my point and it’s too early in the day for that. The gist is that things take time and no one wants to put anything out there and it goes back to my hate the player not the game issue which is still wholly unresolved.
My three day rule is slightly different. I’m not the most patient person in the world but I have my moments. For e example, when it comes to the person I like I seem to have all the patience in the world and will put up with just about anything. And as A pointed out last night, I tend to take a while to learn from those experiences but at least I learn. The three day rule here is that I can put up with just about anything and accept just about anything for 48 hours without question. The moment that third day hits and I enter in to 72 hour territory, I start losing my marbles. I don’t know what the real deal behind that magic number is, but it happens almost every single time.
It’s almost scary how content I can be during those first 48 hours and the turn it takes going in to 72. It’s like all my prior knowledge goes out the window and I have no perspective on things. Gah! I’d really say THIS is my worst trait although others may disagree.
Maybe it’s because anything can be dealt with for short period of time but by the time almost half a week rolls around I start to question intentions. I mean, it makes sense to have a 24 waiting period between a phone call or an e-mail and I can even see it taking longer based on outside life factors, but by the third day it just seems careless and rude. And for the record, I know this sounds crazy but at least I’m self-aware and honest;)
So to make a long story short (too late I know), I’m feeling fidgety. Not the fidgety I normally have (hey, it burns calories) but the “going to throw a phone through a wall/computer and bail” kind of way which is never good for anyone. Here’s to hoping it changes soon.
My three day rule is slightly different. I’m not the most patient person in the world but I have my moments. For e example, when it comes to the person I like I seem to have all the patience in the world and will put up with just about anything. And as A pointed out last night, I tend to take a while to learn from those experiences but at least I learn. The three day rule here is that I can put up with just about anything and accept just about anything for 48 hours without question. The moment that third day hits and I enter in to 72 hour territory, I start losing my marbles. I don’t know what the real deal behind that magic number is, but it happens almost every single time.
It’s almost scary how content I can be during those first 48 hours and the turn it takes going in to 72. It’s like all my prior knowledge goes out the window and I have no perspective on things. Gah! I’d really say THIS is my worst trait although others may disagree.
Maybe it’s because anything can be dealt with for short period of time but by the time almost half a week rolls around I start to question intentions. I mean, it makes sense to have a 24 waiting period between a phone call or an e-mail and I can even see it taking longer based on outside life factors, but by the third day it just seems careless and rude. And for the record, I know this sounds crazy but at least I’m self-aware and honest;)
So to make a long story short (too late I know), I’m feeling fidgety. Not the fidgety I normally have (hey, it burns calories) but the “going to throw a phone through a wall/computer and bail” kind of way which is never good for anyone. Here’s to hoping it changes soon.