Birth Of A Power Tower

Don't you just LOVE new toys? Putting together the power tower didn't take as much work as I thought it would. You just need a few basic tools... And slave labor!















Ok, ok, I know... I should help....


OK, really I just harassed the heck out of him. It's what I am best at, after all!

Besides, never try and help a rocket-scientist putting together something. They get witchy... And don't even THINK about suggesting they read the instructions!







Then you MUST try it out......






Wait....Something doesn't seem right.....















HOUSTON!! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!

It turns out our ceilings are a bit low in the basement. Not THAT low, they're about 7.5 feet (most houses are 8ft ceilings) but it turns out that 6 inches is IMPORTANT if you want to do a FULL chin-up!

We ended up having to move the tower into the toy room, and out of the exercise room, so we could pull out a ceiling tile and be able to finish the movement. My basement is starting to look stranger and stranger.

I'm trying to find a way to get the power tower back into my exercise room, but it's getting really crowded (the pic was before we moved it into the toy room area.) A lot of the ceiling tiles in the exercise room are smack up against pipes too, so we can't remove them and gain any space. I keep trying to tell DH it'll look lovely in the family room, but he isn't buying it....

Pre-Game Preparation

I suppose there has been a decided lack of "fitness oriented" posts on my blog. There is a reason - technically I have been sick since April 3rd. Yes, APRIL-Freakin'-third! Who the heck catches a severe cold/flu for a whole darn month? ...Why, ME, of course!

It's been a neck'n'neck race to the finish - either the cold was going to kill me, or the lack of physical activity. I'm not well yet, at all, it's true. But I don't CARE anymore! I can't DO this! I am actually caught up on laundry, vacuuming, and dusting! I have reorganized kitchen cabinets - hell, I even redecorated the ENTIRE damn kitchen! It's clear to me that there is more on the line than just my health.... I'm slowly turning into a stepford-freakin-housewife.

Before I start selling tupperware and color coordinating my kitchen towels in alphabetical order, I've decided I better get my act together. This, of course, means a new fitness experiment! I've decided to do the P90X program (BTW, if you are interested, order it online and haggle with the sales rep. You can get them down at least 20%.)

One of the perks of this program is that I GET NEW TOYS! *ahem* heh...Um...I mean... I must acquire certain pieces of equipment, that I may or may not have always wanted anyway, in order to participate in the program. *innocent batting of eyelashes*

In short....

I GOT MY POWER TOWER!!! YEAH, BABY!

I also got a pair of "push-up" handles. I am not exactly sure how these things are supposed to work. But if they're distracting enough to make the push-ups suck less, I'm all for it. My biggest weakness in fitness are pull-ups (I can only do about 1 1/2 full body weight) and push-ups (which if I am doing them fast I can knock out about 25 full on ones without crying, but if I do them at a normal/slow pace I'm at about 6-8 before my form starts to break.)

And did I mention.... I suckered my husband into the program too! HA! Am I good, or what? Ok, ok... I have ulterior motives. The first is that it's always easier to have a partner (in your HOUSE)when things are going to be strict. The second is that he needs the fitness program, and *I* have a thing for well muscled chests (I never said I wasn't selfish.) And the third... I have been campaigning to get my Power Tower for about 9 months now. This finally made it a MUST.

The program needs you to have a pull up station. There are no doorways to install a chin-up bar or the Jungle Jam station like they suggest, AND I wanted to be able to do dips and leg raises along with extra core work. It worked out so perfectly, it's like I had it planned all along.... Wait....Um.... No really, I didn't, it just worked out perfectly!

Unfortunately, this afternoon I've had to stand in line behind my daughter (who got a new bike) to put it together. But after a couple of hours, cussing, and two beers (hubby, not me) the bike is finally together, and it's MY TURN!!!!

You know, I remember having exciting Saturday nights. Parties.... Movies... Out till dawn... MY Saturday night is all about putting together a power tower and watching a DVD. OMG I feel old. We're still using Netflix (even though the jerks are throttling our account) and we have two movies to choose from to put on while we try and put the tower together that we haven't seen (who am I kidding? We haven't seen ANY movies in the theater in almost a decade, unless it's a kids movie. I have to admit, it's spoiled me for going out to a movie. I have to be dressed, I can't pause it to hit the ladies room....And people will NOT shut UP! OMG what is WRONG with people - not the kids, I'm talking about the ADULTS!?!) Hubby is voting for Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy.... I'm kinda leaning towards Tristan & Isolde.... But hey, hitchhikers works for me - then I can MAKE him SIT through the romance, HA! ;)

Either way, tomorrow I have everything I need to start P90X. .... Ok except for my health - but hey, who cares!!?!

I'm actually really looking forward to starting fresh. We've been throwing out any junk that is hiding around the house. Hubby says he's all in, and he keeps repeating it without me goading him or anything,..... D'yaknow, I think he MIGHT actually follow through!!

Suicidal Squirrels

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought Spring was a time of rejoicing for the animal kingdom. You know... "Yay! We made it through the winter without starving to death, nothing ate us, or shot us!" (ok, yeah, and getting busy.) If that is the case, then WHY is it that the squirrels here have all become suddenly kamikaze-suicidal?

I was driving on a stretch of road that was rather slow (35 MPH) and I could actually see a couple of squirrels all lined up on the right side. They seemed to be whispering to one another, and pointing.

The closer I got, the more apprehensive I became. I actually slowed down a bit, as my nerves started to fire off warning signals. They kept looking at my car, then back at one another, making me feel decidedly uneasy. This did not look good. My foot hovered over the brake and I actually said out loud; "Oh, NO they wouldn't...."

Wanna bet?

When my car was just within NON-stopping distance the squirrel in the middle (I can only assume he drew the short straw, or this was some sort of twisted hazing event) came bolting out into the road right in front of me. I hit the brakes, but like I said, it was too close to just stop. However, as I passed by (I could have sworn I heard laughter) and looked in my rearview mirror certain I would see the carnage left behind, I instead saw the little maniac sit up, look around and WAIT for the car on the OTHER side of the road to approach before jumping out in front of it.

The second round wasn't as lucky for Mr. Squirrel.

Is this some sort of twisted, lemming-like survival of the fittest contest? Is it just me, or is it getting worse and worse every year? Were squirrels always this way? I don't remember them being this suicidal last year.

Maybe it's just me? Maybe the squirrels all get together and pick which human they're going mess with, and my number has come up!

Or maybe it's a simple explanation. Maybe some of them have been watching too much cable and think they're......Well......

My daughter has been singing that song by Hilary Duff, Supergirl. When she looked at this picture she jumped around and sang: "Haven't you heard? I'm Super Squirrel! You don't wanna mess with me....." (yep, we grow our smart alecs from birth here....)

Calling All Cooks!

Just recently I got a new set of pots and pans. Actually, I should say "for the first time EVER, I got a nice set of pots and pans!" Oh, these things are so nice! They're solid, and they have pretty copper bottoms.

You should have seen the stuff I was cooking with. I have no idea how I managed it, but most of my old cheap cookware was completely warped. My pancake skillet was so bad, it was in the shape of a dome! Every time I tried to make anything on it, it would slide off the side. My skillets had buckled up in the middle like someone had sat on them sideways. Not to mention that Teflon stuff was coming off in various spots. My pans were truly hideous.

We were out at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and they had a deal on this set. Of course, a nice pots & pans set is never a "deal" monetarily. It hurt, but we finally coughed up the money, and bought a REAL set.

I never imagined cooking with a copper bottomed pan/skillet/pot would make such a difference! But they really do! I was used to food only cooking on one side of the pan, and having to move it around, but not with these babies! Everything cooks evenly, and at a lower temperature setting on the stove!

I know, I sound like some warped housewife from the 1950's, but I am so happy with my new cookware!

Ok, but here is the thing. Being that before now I was a total cheapskate, I only bought what I needed. This set has come with a few things that I don't know HOW to use!

For example, this is what they call a Dutch Oven. It's HUGE! The big inset pot has holes in it. But, beyond playing Pirates of the Caribbean, and making lobsters walk the plank into it, I cannot figure out WHAT I would use it for .

There is also a "double-boiler". Now, I have watched enough sinful food shows (AKA Food Porn) to know I can melt chocolate that way.... But anything else?

With all the healthy recipes I make, I now have two new toys, but I'm not exactly sure how people use them, so I can incorporate them.

So, any suggestions?

May Miler Marathon

On Pink Dumbbells we're about to start a small challenge. No, it's not to run a whole marathon. Not exactly.

This isn't one just for the long distance runners, this is for everyone! The goal of the challenge is to run a marathon (26.2 miles) over the course of a month, by only running one mile a day!

May has 31 days. A marathon is 26.2 miles. The challenge is to run 1 mile per day, until you reach 25 miles. Then the last day is a 1.2 mile SPRINT. You are NOT allowed to log more than one mile a day. The 31 days gives you leeway for rest days. The goal is that at the end of the month everyone will have run a "month marathon".

The rules are:

1) You can only log one mile a day. If you run more, that's fine, but you can't claim it.

2) You cannot count any mileage from your scheduled workouts. This must be in addition to your normal workouts. So, say you run a mile to warm up for weights. You cannot count that as your daily mile. You must go out and run another mile for it to count.

3) The only exception to the no counting workout miles are for those people training for a race. I don't want people throwing extra miles into their race schedule on a long run day and hurting themselves. So the only extra miles those people will add will be on their non-running days. On their running days, they can count 1 mile of their scheduled runs towards this challenge.

4) The mile must be run. It's ok if you need to stop. Or if you need to run it in small portions, but the whole total of the mile each day much be logged as running it. So, if you have to take a walk break, that's fine, but don't count the mileage on the walking portion.

So there is the gist of it. Everyone is welcome on PDB to join us! :) Even I am going to be doing it, because it's only a mile a day - I believe my foot injury will hold up for it.

To Be Fit

I haven't been posting about fitness, weightloss, or healthy eating because I have been sick as a dog. Actually, strike that, my dogs are WAY healthier than I am!

I came down with whatever this is around the very beginning of April, and I am STILL fighting it. After a couple of weeks, and my continuing to get worse, they put me on antibiotics and a bunch of other things, and I have slowly started to get better. I'm hoping by next week I'll be back to a normal fitness schedule.

Unfortunately, it's been almost a month since I have consistently exercised. Probably the longest break I have had in five years. I have been going absolutely out of my mind! I have often found myself staring at my exercise equipment like a lost puppy, and fighting the urge to go in and pat my free weights and let them know I still love them.

Of course, all of this "free time" (in between coughing up a lung and wondering if I had actually contracted the plague) has lead to a bit of contemplating the realities of fitness. Just the word "Fit"... What does it really mean? What IS fit? Fit has a huge definition since it applies to so many different things, but here are the ones that seem to apply;

Fit : To be the proper size and shape for. To be appropriate to. To make suitable. To be in harmony. Suited, adapted, or acceptable for a given circumstance or purpose. Physically sound; healthy. Biology; Successfully adapted to survive and produce viable offspring in a particular environment. Sound physically and mentally : HEALTHY —fit·ness noun

This lead me to FITNESS:

fit·ness ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ftns)n.
1) The state or condition of being fit; suitability or appropriateness.
2) Good health or physical condition, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition.


HEALTHY:
Main Entry
Pronunciation: 'hel-thE
Function: adjective
Inflected Forms: healIh·i·er; -est
1 : enjoying health and vigor of body, mind, or spirit
2 : revealing a state of health
3 : conducive to health

The actual definitions are pretty interesting. Especially considering the varying ideas of what being healthy and fit means. You see, I have found that "fit" depends on who you "associate" yourself with.

This weekend we had a bunch of people over for a baby-shower (there is nothing like celebrating new life, while you feel like dying in a corner!) One of the women has "successfully" been on weight watchers for over a year. She has lost a lot of weight, and she is not "overweight" at ALL anymore. The other women made little remarks here and there, all nice, and the general take on it was how "fit" she is now.

I give her 110% kudos to the hard work she did. Don't misunderstand what I am about to say... But, I didn't see a "fit" person, I saw a "thinner" one. She had NO muscle tone. To the hardcore Gym-rats, she is what you would call a "skinny-fat". BUT - she felt she was fit, and was very happy with that.

On the flip side from the Weight-Watchers and Jenny Craig types are the hard core gym rats. The people who are on the other extreme who don't see "thin" as being enough. They want muscles and excessively low bodyfat. Definition is the name of the game. Seeing not only the muscles, but the veins on the muscles doing their own little show when you flex. To them, being "skinny-fat" is just as bad as being "plain old fat."

There are, of course, a million levels in between those two groups. You have the ultra-runners who feel fitness is nothing less than being able to run a 100 mile race at the drop of a hat. The strength enthusiast who will only feel comfortable if they can shoulder their car and carry it to the shop if it breaks down. The yoga enthusiast who must be able to contort their body into knots that rival a knitter's wildest fantasy and hold it for hours on end. The list is never ending.

My point is, "fit" in relation to yourself is all about who you decide to associate yourself with. But what if you don't know who you would belong best with? What if you don't "fit" the definitions of "fitness"? This is what I have been struggling with for a long time.

Honestly, my definition of what is Fit has changed over the years. When I was a teenager it was "as thin as possible" - and short. I know, that has nothing to do with it - but being so much taller than the girls and even a lot of the guys just mean that I was "bigger" overall. Being anorexic and short was unachievable, obviously. But, that is the purpose of being a teen - to have completely stupid perceptions that I could endlessly torture myself with, and be insecure! Right on!

For a long time, being fit was just a number. A number on my scale, I should say. Especially when I was obese. I remember saying "If I could JUST get below 200 lbs, I will never complain about my weight again!" Then I got below that number, and it wasn't enough. My "magic number" kept moving. In pursuit of that number, I started working out harder. I found a plan that took me the first step towards being physically stronger and capable, the "something more" beyond just being thinner.

It was at this time that instead of dropping my magic number theory of fitness, I added to it. I must also be able to do something physically challenging. This lead me to run a marathon (a very big deal for someone like me who hated running, and was actually BAD at it.) After that, it became more about how strong I could be, how much I could lift, and I became a certified personal trainer.

Then I met some /figure competitors, both online and in person. During this time, I also met a lot of other fitness enthusiasts online. I also started reading Oxygen, seeing those tight cover models on every page. And this is where my image of "what is fit" has finally settled.

My only problem with this is that some of what I view as fit is just simply unachievable for me. A big part of the visible portion, to be specific. The sad truth is, my body is more stretch-mark than not. Even when I was a thin kid, when I hit puberty my body became a mass of stretch-marks from my chest to my hips, all the way up and across my back - all without weight gain. That's how bad my skin elasticity is. Now, couple that with being obese. Then having kids. I don't think I have any unmarred skin left. And what is worse is that my skin doesn't tighten back up. Put simply - I'll never see true definition - something I see as part of being fit.

So what do you do when what you view as "fit", visually, is unachievable?

One of the definitions of fit, way up there in my post was "to be in harmony." I've been thinking a lot about that lately. I feel like I am in constant battle with my body, my food, everything. If being fit is to be in harmony.... I'm WAY off my mark.

So, I'm trying to work with what I have. It's a work in progress. The hardest part is when I have to take something back that I'll never have (like the definition of my abs) because it makes me feel like I am admitting failure.

To date, my personal definition of fit is:
* looking good (thin, strong, tight)
* a magic number on the Body Fat %. Fit = about 18-19%, preferred would be about 14-16%.
* a magic number on a scale. Sad, but I can't give this one up yet. I'm currently in love with 145 lbs.
* Strong. To be able to bench press, and everything else at a level that the average "weight-watchers" person would faint.
* Capable to compete in a physical event. Something like a local 10K, or a half-triathalon, etc.
* Eating healthy foods, engaging in an all over healthy lifestyle.
* I'm going to add being in "harmony" with all of this. This may be my most unachievable on the list, but I think it does belong there.

I'm not saying these are right or wrong. But this is what plagues me day to day when I wake up, and look at a calandar and see I am not there yet, and how much time I have wasted.

I've been thinking a lot about the weight-watchers woman this weekend. She is in harmony. She had very few things on her list of being fit. She just wanted to be thin. Once she got that, she was happy, and she didn't then add to her list to strive for something else. Does it matter if she is "skinny-fat" if she is seriously content with what she has achieved? I can't even imagine the feeling of achieving my whole definition of fit like she did, and just being able to sit back and enjoy it all.

So, how many of you are "In harmony"? What are your personal definitions of being fit? How do you fit into those?

Tea Drinkers anonymous

I started in on my tea obsession last year. You know how some women collect shoes? I collect teas. I figure with my size 10 clompers it's both more economical and better smelling. The only problem I am finding is as I get further and further into this tea obsession, I find more and more and MORE flavors I wish I had!

I went to the grocery store last weekend, the day before Easter. This is apparently the equivalent of jumping off a building and not expecting to get a scratch - ever seen people arm wrestling over a ham??? I literally thought someone was going to lose an eye over the last bag of pastel colored Hershey's Kisses. With colored Easter grass flying in all directions, I narrowly missed becoming an innocent victim in the last minute Easter shopping mob as I made a dive for the Coffee & Tea aisle.

After I made sure it was safe, I brushed myself off and straightened my shirt. As I was doing so, I suddenly found myself eye level with these tempting treats:

Now, I have tried the Stash Caramel Creme before, and let me tell you, it is fabulous. But I never looked up any other flavors from the company because I had found the tea as a fluke in a discount store. I never even bothered to look in the grocery store (though I'm not sure why.)

CHOCOLATE hazelnut????

Suddenly, I was light-headed. Everything took on a misty light, and I saw myself reaching for the boxes as if I was having an out of body experience. Oooooo boy! Chocolate Hazelnut tea, and NO CALORIES!

Then I noticed the Green Chai. I know all the health benefits of drinking green tea. I actually have boxes and boxes of the regular stuff in my basement. I only have one problem... I overdosed on it about six months ago, and got the stomach flu at the same time. I cannot drink hot (I have high hopes for it as iced since I have so many boxes left) green tea anymore...No matter what I do to it! But, I had never seen a chai version! And I love Chai teas!

Well, it was only reasonable that I should pick that one up too, right? And then, lets not forget picking up another one of my favorites (Vanilla Hazelnut) just in case these don't work out. Oh, and look....A sale on the...Wait no, never mind. I have three boxes...Three is enough for anyone, right?

So, off I went with my purchases. I was all excited to get them home and try them out (especially the chocolate one!) My husband was in the kitchen while I was unpacking my groceries. He gave me a slightly disbelieving look when he saw my boxes of tea, but he didn't say anything. That is, he didn't say anything until I tried to put them in my tea cabinet:

(BTW, it's also filled 3 boxes DEEP and to the ceiling as well, and this doesn't count my stashes of tea in the basement pantry.)

That's when he leaned forward with that know-it-all smirk, and said "Honey, I think you have a problem..."

You're right.

I do.

I do have a problem.

I have a BIG problem....

I NEED A BIGGER CABINET!!!

Quarantine

Have you seen the news lately? It's been filled with all sorts of panicky alerts on outbreaks of different illnesses. Just the other day I saw a 15 minute spot on, of all things, the MUMPS! (Mumps....mumps....Ok, that word is just fun to say.) Then it was followed up with a story on the bird-flu in Britain and how they're sure it's here in the USA already. Next was the most recent Mad-Cow case, and then onto the flu season pandemic, rounding everything out with the last story about antibiotics being over prescribed creating SUPER-bugs (I'm picturing them in spandex, like little power rangers and 1970's theme-music!)

Usually, I just shake my head and ignore the scare tactics the news likes to employ. Unfortunately, this time I was watching all of these while sniffling on the couch and feeling like death warmed over. It turns out I'm a part-time hypochondriac! Who knew! By the end of the mumps story I was feeling my neck looking for lumps, trying to remember if I had ever gotten the adult vaccination (no, I never did) and ready to hop up and peer into the mirror looking for other telltale signs.

By the end of the bird-flu story I was suspiciously peering out my back window at my chickens, ducks, and the guinea hens which decided to permanently adopt us on Easter (they just showed up, and literally WALKED into the chicken coop.) Suddenly, owning a bunch of asinine chickens seemed very dangerous! They even looked a little sinister. I mean, that rooster is capable of anything! Biological warfare would not be beneath him! And those ducks! I'm telling you, something is very odd about them. Of the 25 we originally started with, these four are the only ones left! Nothing has taken them out... They're like super-ninja-ducks!


Then the mad-cow story came on, and it was coupled with a local story (since I live about 1.5 hours from the border) about Canadian cows being smuggled over our borders. Ok, can I stop for a minute.... SMUGGLING COWS? Seriously? Anyone else picturing a guy with a big trench coat on with a cow sticking out the back, and the man telling customs it's a genetic condition that runs in the family?


Then onto the flu pandemic "Alert Alert! We don't have enough vaccine for everyone if it hits!" Yeah big deal, I can't take it anyway. I already knew I'd be a goner if this one happened. They won't give me a flu shot because I have a mild allergy to eggs. They won't give me a tetanus shot for the same reason, so I live in mortal fear of anything rusty. (A nail! Run for your lives!) Of course, lockjaw could solve a lot of my dietary dilemmas! Come to think of it, the flu was rather productive for me in Jr High as well. I came down with a case of the real influenza, knocked me out for over a month, and I lost 22 lbs in 3 weeks - and was so sick I don't remember any of it. Best diet I ever had!

And last, but not least, was the mighty morphin' super bugs! Here, let me do my civic duty : If you have a VIRUS antibiotics will NOT help you. Stop asking for them. If you have something (bacterial) that antibiotics will help - TAKE ALL YOUR DARN MEDICATION, and don't stop just when you start feeling better! To quote (and it's one big link, if you want to learn about "the birth of a super bug"):

Over 50% of antibiotics prescribed last year were given for viral infections, which are not affected by antibiotics.

Exposing the bacteria in our bodies to these drugs unnecessarily can enable resistant ones to survive and thrive because other bacteria have been killed off.

Many patients do not finish all the pills in their prescriptions, which enables bacteria populations in their bodies to become fully resistant following this sub-lethal dose.

Us sick people would appreciate not having to host spandex-clad-plagues, thanks.

Of course, by the end of that insane news cluster I was then convinced I have one of those. Ok, maybe ALL of them.... I was a bird-flu victim of Mad-Cow disease with the mumps, that was actually a superbug version of the flu pandemic!

I know...I know... I just figure they caught me at my weakest and most impressionable. I mean, I haven't slept in about a week! I REALLY am sick. But worse than that? I think I am cursed too. For those of you who knew me from my original blog, you know I am a complete klutz.

Yeah, nothing has changed. *sigh*

Last night, I couldn't sleep - AGAIN - due to a marathon coughing fit (I haven't been able to exercise, and it's driving me crazy - do you think I can count these coughing fits as cardio, or just ab work?) Ok, well, then I'll watch TV. TV is better than sitting there in the dark lamenting my fate and focusing on how miserable I am, while my husband sleeps blissfully next to me without a care in the world, and maybe I should smack him just for being healthy...Right? Oh, and let me get some tea too. Tea helps (drinking some right now, actually.)

So there I was, with a massive cup of "throat Soothers" tea, getting ready to turn the television on at 1AM with the BRAND NEW remote (the only remote.) You know, it happened almost as if I had intended it all along. I watched in slow motion (don't know if it was the cold/flu that caused the frame by frame play, or just fate laughing at me) as my remote slipped from my hand and went ALL the way into my tea. We're talking submerged here.

I killed it.

I mean, it does NOT work at ALL now. The worst part is, the TV is stuck on some "input" mode, and there is no way to turn it to normal TV mode without the remote! *banging head on desk* So, I spent the whole night up, coughing like crazy (I've tried every cough suppressant out there at this point), with nothing to distract myself. OK, there was a 30 minute period where I spied on the chickens. I think they were holding a clandestine meeting of a sinister nature. But other than that, I only had myself for company.

Does anyone have a cure laying around for a bird-flu victim of Mad-Cow disease with the mumps that is a superbug version of the flu pandemic? I'm getting desperate here... And a little worried about the rest of my appliances. I'm thinking hubby isn't going to be happy when he finds out about the remote. Maybe I should just hide it?

A Sporting Time

Can you just sit there and watch sports on television? I know, it sounds silly for me to ask, but I am really amazed by people who can.

I don't know how they do it! If I see sports on television I get twitchy (except golf, that's just valium on TV combined with bad fashion, and sporting commentators with hangovers...We're talking instant nap with that stuff on, though I do admit to a certain urge to mow and fertilize my lawn when golf comes on.) I can't just SIT there, I want to go DO something. Run, lift weights, bike, play the game they're playing, whatever - but SOMETHING! I don't know how people can stand to just sit there in their recliner and do nothing. Or worse, mindlessly shoving all sorts of nutritionally unsound food into their mouths for 4 hours straight.

The closest I can come to sitting through sports of any kind, is when I attend it in person. Even then, while I can appreciate the skill of the players even to the point of envy, I just can't SIT there the whole time. I must get up and move! There must be something wrong with me (yes, I know there are many things wrong with me, shush!) Seeing people physically pushing themselves makes me want to go and do the same thing! Why doesn't it make other people feel that way? The only time those sports-watchers make sense to me is when I see them in the gym on a treadmill or something, pounding away while a game is on.

My husband LOVES to grab a beer, pizza, chips, brownies (whatever it is he can dig up, or sneak into the house) and watch sports - soccer in particular, with football being his second love. He just wants to sit there, and shout at the screen. I just don't get it. I always think of a comedian who talked about her boyfriend shouting at the screen and her saying to him "Honey, they can't hear you" and her husband replying "I KNOW THAT, they have HELMETS on!"

I HAVE tried though! Growing up, my dad was a very busy guy, and when he wasn't working he LOVED watching basketball (football being his second runner up that I recall.) He had a total ritual with setting up his chips and dip, and a GIANT cup of Pepsi. So, as a kid, I tried to get in on that....What ended up happening is that I couldn't sit still for the game, but I could for the chips! Ha! Yeah... I know... Not my best moment.

To this day, the TV goes on to sports, and I go on out of the room and go do something else. It's not derision for the sport or anything (I'm not a football-widow or anything), it's simply that I am incapable of sitting through it. Do any of you feel this way? Or CAN you sit through it, even prefer to? Why?

Just curious....DH just sputters "cause....cause.... cause it's cool and I love it!" That's sort of the equivalent of telling the kids "Because I said so, that's why!" :)

Well, since I have this horrible cold and I'm not sleeping well, I think I'll go turn on some golf.

The Thrill of The Hunt

I have heard it said many times that shopping is like hunting. I am sure there are many men out there who would shove their beer canteens aside, crawl out of the bush they were hiding in, pocket the "duck call whistles", shake the mud off their camouflage, shoulder their guns and say "Nu-uh!!!"

And when I was younger I would have agreed with them.

I was never a massive shopper, unless you count Christmas Decor. I was told that I used to "shop like a man." I like to have a purpose. Go out there, find what I am looking for, get out before there is bloodshed. Seems reasonable enough, doesn't it?

But then I had children. And a house. And a husband who can't color coordinate to save his life.

Suddenly, I had a LOT of shopping that needed to get done, and only myself to do it. Because I live so far out of civilization (I'm convinced most people in the area have just recently discovered electricity,) I have to make shopping trips with multiple purposes. This also means that when I am shopping I need to keep an eye open for "shopping opportunities." (AKA, the lame duck to the hunter.)

You see, should the situation arise when I am shopping for a pair of jeans, that on the table behind me is a big sale on kitchen towels that I have been desperately needing - I need to be able to act on the opportunity! It really is a necessity, a evolutionary requirement, to be able to do this. Thus, my mannish shopping nature has been convoluted into a concentrated "hunting" instinct.

I have found that you must stalk your prey. The deals are most often hidden in side racks and endcaps, or shoved under piles of outrageously priced items. It's almost as if they know we're stalking them, and have hidden in fear. Once you find them, the game isn't over yet. People shopping are a bit like vultures, in that they pay attention to what the other one is looking at. Once you find your prey, you often have to defend it. You have to develop the skill of quickly determining whether or not you intend to keep your find, and then get out of there before another vulture swoops in and devours it before you do.

I must admit, my prior "get in and get out" shopping behavior never had the added benefit of the "pride of the kill". You know what this is... When you have scored something you may or may not have needed for an unbelievably low price (for the men, this is like bagging the biggest deer you and your buddies have seen all season.) Oh, the thrill that shoots through you! I can't think of another time when you could possibly call your closest friend about socks, or kitchen utensils or sheets with such gusto, can you?

It's silly, but there it is. And I have been out hunting! This weekend we hit the bath & linen conglomerates. Our goal (yes OUR, I dragged my poor husband along with me) was to find towels and curtains for our kitchen. We're redecorating (vineyard) and it's been murder trying to find anything that works. Yes, we did find towels and curtains... But OH BOY! We found something else!

We don't have any "nice" plates for formal occasions. On the clearance shelf there was a FULL set of porcelain china - service for 8. For.... *drum roll* $7.47! Yep, for under seven and a half dollars, I got a plain, but perfect set!


You know what else I learned? This shopping thing is catching. My husband called everyone he knew about those dishes. I feel like I have inducted a new member to the secret society of bargain shoppers. Brings a tear to the eye, doesn't it?

Reester Carnage

Wow, Look what I found! A REESTER BUNNY!

Awww....Isn't he cute?



MMMmmmmmMMM!!! Reese's Easter Bunny! He looks kinda boxed in though.... Lets set him free!



That's better... Hmmm.... Does he look a little nervous to you?
Maybe it's the wrapper.....



Wow, he looks different.... He sure is playing the cute card. I wonder what he is worried about?


Oops! Bunnies should be more careful! It's a dangerous world out there. Good thing he has two ears...



Oh my! Well, he didn't really need to hear anything we were saying anyway, did he? It might just put him more at ease. Ignorance is bliss right? Doesn't he look blissful?




Oh wait.... I get it.... See no evil. Hear no evil.... So that means.....




Oh no! Do you think his HMO will cover this?




Guess not.....

Oh, the horror! The Horror!

What? Oh, no picture? Yeah, I just flipped over the box he came in and it said he was 800 CALORIES!!!!!

I feel faint....

A New Beginning

I'm not new to blogging. No, I was a regular blogger with a blog for over a year at a different URL. Certain events developed, and I ended up deleting my blog.

The funny thing is, I missed blogging! So, I have decided to start fresh. A new blog. A different outlook (to a point - I am still ME, afterall!)

So for those who knew me before, and were so supportive - thank you! For those who emailed me and suggested restarting my blog, also thank you. For those who haven't been sucked in by my world of chaos, welcome!