It's Going To Be a Busy Day and Lost Items!

It's a trash day and a recycling day, a "home" day and a shopping day, a kitchen day and a laundry day, and let's just start the whole thing out by swimming. I'm going crazy - I'm not finding the certificates that DH wrote out for this past holiday season. Every year he gives me handwritten certificates - something as simple as a bottle of my favorite rum, or something more complex like a night out. It's something I look forward to every year, and I know this year was/is no exception. EXCEPT ... I can't find them. I had them organized, and for some reason or other, I didn't put them in the usual place. Now I need one for this weekend (a new set of running shoes from FootLocker - desperately needed), and I can't find them at all. I'm practically in tears, looking everywhere, and I'll continue the hunt between errands, laundry, trash, recycling, etc today. But I'm simply not finding them. ARGH doesn't even come close. 

It's going to be a very busy day today. If I make myself some 
soup or stew, that'll be easy and I won't have to spend a lot 
of time in the kitchen. 

I have my first load of laundry in the wash (yes, I checked all pockets before putting things into the wash). I'm hoping that the roads are a bit less icy today. Yesterday's drive to the YMCA was dicey - it was very slippery out. A road that I'm normally doing 55-60 on at 4:30 am, I was creeping along at 35. Walking into and out of the YMCA was also a slippery experience. And the pool was just me and the lifeguard for the first half hour. Rosemary is off on her annual get-away with her family, I knew Meg wouldn't be there since she's still in her wheelchair, but I've never been solo - LOL. By the time I ended, Mary was in the lane to my right, and an unknown swimmer was in the lane to my left, so it wasn't just me any more, but since there weren't any others, I actually swam 10 minutes longer than I usually would have. That was a very good thing since I'm trying to drop my holiday weight down by about 10 pounds. 

The scale is not really my friend just now. It's the end 
of the holiday season, and I need to drop a couple of 
pounds back down to where I want to be. Getting back 
to the pool is a real plus. I don't lose weight as well 
if I'm just on the treadmill. 

Today is grocery shopping and cooking. My cupboards are bare (relatively speaking). I have food to eat, but nothing cooked that I can just grab and reheat. Maybe I'll make a stew if I can find decent, inexpensive stew meat for one. I'll also continue my hunt for my certificates. It's really driving me up the wall. They're SUPER important for me, and I never lose them ... except maybe I have done so this time. I went through all of the trash last night before bagging it and putting it into the bin. They weren't in any of the trash containers. That gives me hope that I put them someplace "safe", or forgot them in my robe or something silly. I'll be looking today. 

Putting something into a "safe" place is working a bit 
too well this time. I can't find the certificates at ALL. 
What Saint is it who helps find lost items? Maybe I should 
send up some prayers. 

So, I'm off to the pool. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back for my final swim of the week tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Bit of Extra Time So I'm Not Rushed! Whoot!

Today I awakened about 1/2 hour earlier than usual, and just decided to stay up. I guess it's my body still adjusting to Daylight Savings Time, because it's not used to that "Fall Back" extra hour yet. But whatever it was, I was awake and I took my time with my daily meditation, etc. So I'm about 15 minutes ahead of my usual time right now, and it's nice to not be rushed. 

It's rather nice to not be in a rush writing my blog on a 
swimming day. I'd best not get used to it, though. I really 
do need that extra 1/2 hour of sleep that I didn't get today. 

DH and I got along fine at the shop yesterday until late in the afternoon, when the shit hit the fan because he needed to activate his new American Express card and he didn't have the information needed to do it. He needs a PIN number, and he never set one up for that account. Frankly, I don't know what to tell him. I don't know if I have one set up for my own AMEX card either, it's a card that I rarely use - mostly for purchases for the store when needed. I might phone them today and find out the procedure for getting a PIN set up for his account. Maybe. If he doesn't yell at me again. *sigh*

He needed a new card for his account, and it came in 
the mail yesterday. Now he needs to activate it, and 
that would normally be going on-line, signing in to 
his account with his PIN number, and voila. But ... he
 doesn't have a PIN for this card. (Looking at my 
records, I don't have one for my AMEX card either. I'll 
have to do something about that.) 

Two days of China Restaurant, although a lovely treat, also put 4-1/2 pounds on me. It's a good thing I'll be in the pool today. I can work some of that excess weight off. I really hate going "Ack" when I step on the scale in the morning. I haven't been over 125 in more than a year, but I am now! GRRRR 

I'm not happy with my weight, although I knew two days 
of China Restaurant would put a few pounds on me. 
But, what goes on quickly usually will also come off quickly 
and I'll probably have it all off again by the end of the week. 

So, I'm heading to the pool to work off some of this excess weight. Of course, it's Winter now - or at least late Fall - so my body is going to want to hold onto the weight "just in case". But we're not freezing around fires in caves any more. So that "just in case" really isn't necessary and I want the weight back off! LOL On that determined note, I'm wrapping this up and heading to the pool. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Cold, I'm Slightly Overweight, and My Orthodontist is Happy - Two Out of Three Isn't Bad

My swimming friend Meg is off with her extended family for a "vacation" to a nice, warm spot today, so I won't be seeing her at the swimming pool for a bit. She's leaving just at the right time because we're about to dive into the deep freeze of a January up here in the Frozen Northlands. Still, I certainly can't complain, because I can always bundle up to be warmer, and so far (as of this morning's quick peek outside) the only snow is on the yards, not on the sidewalks. A total win'win. 

My driveway faces north, and I've always told DH that 
if we buy a different house, I want a south-facing driveway 
next time. I always have to check whether we've had 
snow and get it shoveled up ASAP because it will turn 
to ice on my driveway if I don't. We have an extra long 
and double-wide driveway, so it'a a chore to get it 
shoveled before I leave for the pool. So far, however, 
this winter has been a dream. 

I managed to get my stuffed peppers made yesterday, as well as our usual Wednesday night baked chicken. DH is starting to get on my case about his website again *sigh* so I'll have to try and build that back into my schedule. But it's very low priority for me and much higher priority for him. He's got the time, however, and I don't. Maybe I'll get a chance to deal with it tomorrow ... or not. 

I managed to get my stuffed peppers made and into the 
refrigerator, one pepper in each small container. I'm set 
for meals for the next week or so. Whoot! 

I need to purchase one more thing from the office supply store, and then I can start re-sending the missing holiday cards to several people. It seems my international cards have either gone missing or have arrived in shreds, so I think I'll make those my priority. I'll also make copies of this year's cards for those who got replacement cards, so you'll either get the "real thing" or a replacement sent within a week or so. It won't take me long to get the replacements put together, I just need some dimensions before I can move ahead. I should be able to get somewhere with that tomorrow. 

I think the only shot I'm going to have of getting my 
holiday cards to my international friends in one 
piece is to put them inside a different envelope that 
can (perhaps) survive the shipping process. This year's 
cards were most definitely a learning experience in 
many ways. It's a good thing - LOL. 

My Orthodontist is quite pleased with how my teeth are behaving and responded "Early Summer" to me when I asked when I would be finished with the program. I can live with that, DH will want things completed sooner. I'm pretty happy with my new mouth, and I would love to get rid of the hardware. I'll have a retainer to wear from that point on, every night without fail, but I can most definitely handle that. Getting my teeth done has been a dream come true - a dream I've had for more than 50 years. 

I'm comfortably in the green since I started WildFit years 
ago, I'll be starting my 4th year of WildFit in a month 
or so. When I started, I was solidly in the orange zone, 
so I've improved a lot, and I've kept an eye on things. Right 
now I'm about two pounds over where I'm comfortable, 
so I'll carefully watch what I eat today, and I'll have an 
alkagizer for my lunch, which always helps my weight 
and how I feel. They're SO important to my health. 

I'm off to the pool. I need to work off some of the weight I put on yesterday - working in the kitchen I ended up munching a bit more than I should have and put on a bit more weight. Still, it's never around for long, and swimming always helps. So, onward to chlorinated water - LOL. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Grief and Loss - Reaching Out

It's always hard when one goes ahead on a road you can't follow. It's always hard to lose an anchor, a loved one, a friend and confidant. It's an unexpected emptiness when turning a corner and not seeing the person you expected, when wanting to ask a question, or to share good news. It's an emptiness that never truly gets filled. It's the death of someone beloved, and this happened to two members of my extended family - on and off line - this past week. 

Near death experiences often mention a long tunnel
lighted at the far end. I'd probably be looking for the
graffiti, but that light is rather mesmerizing, isn't it. 

In my own family, we lost a cousin, a father of two. It's on my sister-in-law's husband's side of the family, so a distant cousin by marriage, and I can't say if I ever met the man, but my nieces and nephews knew him and know his wife and children. The memorial is scheduled for today with the funeral scheduled for Wednesday. This death was hard because he killed himself and that will leave lots of questions behind for his immediate family; questions about what clues they missed, what they might have been able to do, and a lot of second guessing. It's tough to lose a family member that way. It seems to add extra sting to death's grip. 

Maybe we move through the clouds into a type of
vortex. A force of nature on an supernatural plane. 

In my on-line family, a dear and long-time friend lost her mother over the weekend. In this case there was an illness as well as a respectable age, but it's still not going to be easy for those who are left behind. My heart goes out to her daughter and son who will be missing her presence. 

This tunnel exhibits a nice Fibonacchi curve in it, the curve
that exists throughout nature in almost every living thing. 

It's an odd thing about death. It occurs around us every day - plants, animals and people are always being born and dying. It's common. But it also is the Great Mystery - that journey that continues onward without signposts or road maps. Many people believe that you meet again with loved ones and move into a condominium in the clouds. It's that old "My Father has many houses" message and I'm sure that celestial property values are determined on piety and proximity to the Big Dude. But that's totally NOT my thing. 

If I'm going to consider tunnels and star-shine, I'm going to go
with dimensional tunnels to the stars. We are all made from
stardust and powered by energy and light. If we believe Einstein,
matter is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes form. 

On the other hand, when you think about those words, "My Father has many houses", and consider that we are all light, energy and stardust, perhaps they do make sense after all. We are members of the cosmos and matter is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes form. Matter can become light, and light can be starlight, moving into the universe and joining with light from billions of stars throughout the void. Here, there are indeed 'many houses' and lots of room since the universe is expanding. 

In the end, how will you be remembered by those you
leave behind? If you will be remembered with love, then
you will have lived a successful life. 

So, to wind down, do we meet our loved ones again? Will we recognize them if we do? I suppose it's possible, I certainly can't discount that possibility. But to be a mote of light in a universe of stars? That will be heaven for me and I will ride the solar winds and play in the galactic clouds. 

On that note, I'm moving along. DH's Valentine's celebratory meals put four pounds on me so it's back to the gym for a serious workout today. LOL Have a good Monday and I'll return tomorrow. 

Project Runway - Upcycled Style From Goodwill

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and a safe and happy New Year. Now we're jumping right back into the fire with the latest installment of Project Runway, now starting at its new time of 1/2-hour earlier. That makes my life a bit easier and gives me closer to six hours of sleep instead of the skimpy four I was getting for the first four episodes. Let's settle down for the play-by-play. Thank goodness Dreamwidth resolved their cross-posting issues. I'll just have to write the text once, proofread, and plug in the photos tomorrow morning before putting this up for all of you. Then it's time to work off some of the six pounds I ended the two weeks of holiday with. So ... here we go! (As always, the designers are in alphabetic order of their first names in my photos.) 

Brittany Allen made the cute shirt from a variety
of pants, but for my tastes, it was a bit "flamenco"
and touched on costume. 

Chelsey Carter designs a lot of very cutting edge
clothing with a younger flair. She's been upset that
she hasn't been in the top yet, but really, this is
only Episode 4. She made these wide-legged pants
and fitted top from more than a dozen pairs of jeans. 

Dayoung Kim, after her hospitalization stay a couple
of episodes ago, has hit her stride. There were a lot
of things I liked about this, but those shoes have
got to go. 

This is Episode four, and the first one-day challenge for the designers. What's the challenge? They are supposed to dress their client - the one and only Karlie Kloss - using materials from Goodwill. It's the Ultimate Upcycle. Karla Welch is introduced to the designers as a top stylist of many, including Karlie, who will be attending a CDFA event in Paris wearing the winning design. Karla will meet the designers at Goodwill where she will help them with specific stylist questions while they spend their $150 budgets.   

I'm pretty sure that Delvin McCray was the designer
who was horrified that they would be shopping at
Goodwill and using previously owned clothing to
make something new. 

I rather liked Geoffrey Mac's design, although it
wasn't very cutting edge and Karlie would be wearing
the design to a Fashion Design conference. He
finally seems to be settling in, though. 

Marquise Foster did layer upon layer upon
layer. Although things were styled nicely, I really
didn't like the deconstructed blazer over everything,
and he had bunches of double-stick tape holding
things up. Bad idea on the Runway. 

Most of the designs seem to center on a pair of wide-legged pants with a fitted top, which would look great on Karlie. The designers have all kinds of reactions to Goodwill - as a well-loved store of materials and ideas on one hand, vs a place where a person would normally never set foot because previously owned is a total no-go on the other. In the workroom the next morning, the designers are ripping, ripping and ripping apart every seam. Who will make an outfit that will make the "Top 10"
 instead of the "What Was She Thinking" bottom list? 

Melanie Trygg's design was soft and flowing, but
showed too much breast on the sides. I couldn't
see Karlie wearing this as she ran to this event
or that one. 

Nancy Volpe-Beringer turned a shirt backwards and
deconstructed numerous pairs of jeans in a circle
skirt. I wasn't sure about this in the workroom, but
I liked the final result on the Runway. 

Sergio Guadarrama's contribution was beautifully
tailored, but I really didn't like the showcasing of
the breast through the fitted jacket keyhole. It wasn't
a bad design, but he was out of his wheelhouse. 

An army of Karli look-alike models invaded the workroom for fittings. Nancy's model has a 23-1/2" waist! OMG, I haven't seen measurements like that since the pulled-in corsets of the latter 1800's. Crazy skinny! The designers stop for the night just as Shavi puts a scissors through his pant fabric. He has that repair plus his top to do on the next day, plus Karla will be touring the workroom alongside Christian, plus it's Runway day - no time for those extra things like holes in pants, right? 

Shavi Lewis cut his shirt shorter to avoid the pierced
fabric from the previous day, and the skirt was so
tight that the model could barely walk in it. I don't
know why he didn't make a back or side slashes
to facilitate movement. 

Tyler Nesloney had an idea for a ruffled shirt under
a darker jacket with gold buttons, but was
talked out of it as too "costumey". So, he came up
with this for a Kennebunkport breakfast. Then he
dropped the "Kushner" word bomb and the Runway
fell silent in shock. Bad play. Very bad play. 

Victoria Cocieru did some unusual treatments on
a blazer to make something fresh and different. I
loved that she made her sleeves from pant legs that
she pleated into the final shaping. With a little help
from Karla Welch and Christian, she presented a
very polished look. 

The designers use every second of their 2-1/2 hours in the workshop on Runway day, as well as the ten minutes of fine-tuning they get behind the Runway stage. Karla was really helpful to them in the workroom, probably helping forestall some fashion disasters but there are still some really awful clothing choices that will be walking the Runway. Who will win and who will go home today? The reveal follows below. (Oh, and in case you didn't know, Karlie Kloss is married to Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump. Yeah - that Kushner and that Trump.) 




SPOILER AHEAD - DON'T READ BELOW UNLESS YOU ALREADY KNOW! 



So, it has to be unusual to see yourself walk down the Runway, but Karlie is up to the task. Laverne Cox joins the judges as a guest judge. As a star and a Trans, she's going to give a wonderful look outside the box for these upcycled fashions. Who won and who went home? It was an intense Runway and if you have a chance to watch just a little bit, watch the last half-hour for the Runway walk and the judges discussions. My guess, Victoria for the win and Tyler for the loss - augmenting boring fashion by his opening his mouth and putting his foot into it with a totally unwelcome political dig. Ouch!. I might have to watch the aftershow - this one should be good - LOL. 

And, I was correct. Victoria pulled out the win and Tyler was sent home. He apologized for his unfiltered words on the Runway and Karlie and the judges graciously accepted his apology, and he was hoping Christian would use his save, but no. He's out and heading home. On that note, have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow. I'm heading out to the gym to work off some of my holiday weight gain. 

Back Into the Groove For a Few More Days

I'm back after three days off and I missed all of you. Did you miss me? Of course, your lives (as mine also), were taken up with friends, family and food. The dreaded trio. But I had a great three days off, and I hope your holidays were equally pleasant. 

I'm right back into my routine today and the weight I gained
should be off by the end of January (it would be sooner,
but I still have my family New Year's Eve get-together
to eat my way through, as well as a lot of left over
prime rib and ham). 

Despite the holiday cheer, I'm really looking forward to diving into work once more. I gained five pounds over the past week! It'll come off quickly, but I have another three-day weekend coming up, so it'll be a bit harder than usual. I can't wait to get into the pool today. I almost broke down and went for a swim yesterday, but figured the extra two days away from the pool would actually be good for my body. The occasional down-time can be beneficial. 

I made Prime Rib (Standing Rib Roast) on Monday for
our Christmas Day dinner. It turned out really lovely
and I have a bunch left over to eat over the next few days. 

My refrigerator is stuffed with food, but the chex mix is eaten, and I don't really care about cookies. DH made a lot of chocolates and some truffles, but I can easily eat one - or none - and ignore the rest. I have prime rib and the last of the ham in the fridge, though. Those have to be eaten or frozen. I also have pasta left from last night's dinner when I took DH out for Italian for his birthday. 

Chex Mix is always my downfall, but it's eaten
now and we're not making more until next
Christmas. It's soooooo good, but I'm happy to
have it gone for another year. 

Santa Claus was very good to me, as he always seems to be. I have cash and certificates for the next year, and I got enough Barnes & Noble gift cards to stack my account with more than $100 for e-books. It won't take me long to have that spent, but I'm going to have a delightful time choosing and then reading my books. 

DH and I went to see "The Last Jedi" yesterday. I really enjoyed
it and recommend it if you're unsure about seeing it. 

DH wanted to see "The Last Jedi" for his birthday movie, so we bundled up in the sub-zero cold and headed to the cinema yesterday. Chickie wanted to see the movie a second time, and it was $5 Tuesday, so all of us ended up at the same show, although her seat was a bit farther down the row. No spoilers from me, but I really enjoyed it and I like where they are bringing the story line. 

So, I now dive into four days of our "Year-end Four Day Sale" at the shop, then I run my year-end reports and collapse for three days off as I begin a new year. It's nice to be back! Happy Wednesday - tomorrow I'll start showing all of you some of the really lovely holiday cards I received! 

Two Projects and I'm Back!

Well, I'm back. It was a great trip. I want to show you a couple of pieces that I made (some very pretty things that I had a LOT of fun making), but I also gained six pounds and feel like a slug. I'll be back in the pool in a bit less than an hour, getting those pounds back off. Travel! ICK! I love travelling, but hotel and restaurant food - no. Not healthy.

When I look at the Artemis Heart that I did in
high resolution and magnification, I can see all of
the errors I did and things I would change the
next time around. But it's still pretty, even thought
it's a class sample. So I'm actually pretty happy
with how this pendant turned out. 

I know some of you have seen the pics of my projects on FaceBook, and I'm tight on time since I have a week's worth of emails to catch up on, but I'm putting the two projects I feel happiest about up here for you. The top piece originally was a bunch of wires, a backplate and a stone cab, and ended up becoming an interesting pendant after soldering and weaving many feet of fine wire. I've never woven wire before and I'm looking forward to doing this technique again.

I really enjoyed the etching and using alcohol inks class. She
likes a more rustic look and I like extreme detail and exact
etching, but it was a lot of fun and I thought the inks were
an interesting addition. I've been wearing the Anubis piece a lot. 

The pieces in the above photo were made via chemical etching on copper, a process that I've done for many years. The class added alcohol inks to color the metal before sealing. That was a new twist to my metalwork and I was really happy with the end results. I've been wearing the larger of the pieces and like the reminder to "Breathe" because Anubis waits for us all.

So, my week in a nutshell ... I saw a lot of friends, walked a lot of steps, tried a lot of things and looked at a lot of really beautiful work produced by some extremely talented people. I didn't really buy anything, one tool and one piece of exceptional stone, so I'm calling the trip a total win, except for the weight gain which was not unexpected. Now to get to work getting those pounds back off. Hope all of you had a great week, and have a wonderful Monday. It's good to be back home!

Thump!

It was back to reality with a "thump" today as my alarm went off at 3:15 am. Time to rejoin the real world after two days off. I ended up gaining three pounds over the holiday weekend (WAAAAY too much food) but I'll be in the pool in a little more than an hour, beginning to work that back off. We had mini steaks and burgers on Sunday and brats and cheese-stuffed hot dogs on Monday, not counting bunches of side dishes and desserts. It's no wonder I gained, but it could have been much worse.

The mini sirloin steaks DH bought were grilled perfectly! 

I leave for Bead & Button Show in a week so I supposed I'd better get my suitcases out of storage tomorrow and actually take a very careful look at what items I need to have along with me. I've had some years where I packed weeks early, and a few where it was packing on Sunday to leave on Monday. I'm a pretty accomplished packer, so it's not traumatic, but I still have to actually think about things. Silly me.

Rolls of sod are a quick and easy way to get grass going, but placing it so
that it doesn't have annoying seams can get tricky. We ended up using six
rolls of sod at the top of our stairs to help keep soil erosion during rainstorms
to a minimum. 

DH worked on the castle all weekend. On Sunday we started the day by stuffing Minion full of dead branches to take to the landfill, then we went to Home Depot for landscaping rocks and gardening stuff. We ended up with six rolls of sod too and he spent most of the rest of the afternoon getting the sod placed and planting the various plants he had purchased along the curves in the wall.

Saturday's swim in the outdoor pool resulted in this nice bruise
on my knuckle from hitting the lane rope. It seems totally healed
now, though, so even though it looked awful for a day or so, it
wasn't all that bad. 

On Saturday I had my first session in the 50-meter outdoor pool. I was very pleased that I managed to swim pretty well, but I'm much slower than most of the other swimmers. Fortunately the two people I was circling with were at a similar pace, but I guess that speed is one thing I will have to try and work on over the coming year. I'm a bit torn today about swimming indoors or out. Out is a lot of fun, and certainly does test my stamina, but the lanes are slightly less wide and I hit myself on the lane ropes more often. I'll play it by ear and go where it's less crowded.

Hope you have a great Tuesday. I'm going to enjoy the water one way or another today.

Valentine's Day Was Lovely and The Meme Continues

How was your Valentine's Day? I arrived home to a dinner of sushi, shrimp, a single red rose and a schmaltzy card. Add to that a new NCIS and Face Off along with cupcakes for a late dessert and it was heaven. Of course, all of that salt did me no favors. I'm up three pounds in water weight this morning. Ugh! Today I'll have to be really careful about my food intake to get this right back off. But it was worth it, and my card for DH put tears in his eyes, so that was wonderful too. I hope all of you had a lovely V-Day as well.

DH surprised me with a dinner of assorted sushi,
shrimp, a single red rose and a schmaltzy card.
It totally rocked! 

I want to send a big "Thank You!" out to those friends who were kind enough to send me e-cards for Valentine's Day. You ROCK! It was extremely kind of you to do so and I loved seeing e-cards in my in-box.

I haven't done the 365-day meme in a while, so let's catch up with a few of those queries, shall we?

Security can come in many forms. I still
have two teddy bears and cuddle with them
more often than you'd think. It's a wonderful
stress reliever. 

Today I felt really secure knowing ....

I felt, and feel, really secure knowing that we've worked very hard for a future where we won't have to break our backs to afford groceries and a roof over our heads. That's so very important as we get older. Security is what can make those senior years worth living.

Whose life did you make a difference in today?

Well, my day hasn't actually started yet, so I suspect no-one's at this point in time. However, I do give regularly to a variety of charities, so I'll just say that I made a difference through those contributions.

What is your super power?

I apparently can frighten people with just a look. "THE LOOK" can stop people from ranting and raving immediately, stop running children in their tracks, and shock people into calming down when necessary. Such power! LOL

What is annoying you?

I'll have to watch everything I eat today because I had too much salt and too many carbs for yesterday's dinner. But no choice. That's highly annoying. Additionally, I have an Income Tax appointment for the business taxes late tonight after the store closes for the day. Oh joy! (NOT)

What would make (have made) today perfect?

It would be nice if all of my errands went really smoothly. I'm certainly not counting on that, but it would be really nice.

So that takes me through January's entries in the 365-day meme. I'd probably better get going on February's later this week so that I don't fall too far behind. Have a wonderful Wednesday and keep on keeping on. It's all good!

Late Night, New Day, New Year's Eve

Last night was a late one for me as I joined my DH and several friends after work to celebrate his birthday. He has a small group of people he often joins at a local bar and restaurant and they insisted that he join them for a birthday celebration. (The fact that the group would get free wings from the pub for the celebration didn't really count ... or did it?) I joined them after I shut the store down and had a nice salad and a couple of glasses of white wine. But it was a late night for me and I'm tired and dragging a bit today.

I'm sleepy today because I partied with DH and his friends last night. It meant
a lot to DH though, having me there to give him support. So I guess being
tired today was worth it. 

It's my day off today, so I'm going over to the YMCA later to give them some money and tour their facilities. I know I'll need some things before I can start working out there - a lock for my locker would be a good start - LOL. It's been several years since I was in that building and they went through a major remodel a while back, so I'm sure things have changed quite a lot. But I'm determined that I will do this for myself because I have to be nice to myself for a change.

The Shoreview YMCA has an indoor and outdoor pool, several exercise rooms,
and lots of other amenities. I'm looking forward to the tour today. 

That will entail some changes in my personal schedule. I'll be catching up on emails and posting my blog in the mornings but to keep up with my time needs, I actually will have 30 minutes less time in the mornings before I leave. The Y opens at 5:00 am and I need to be there shortly after open to get my time in on the machines or laps in the pool, I want to shower and be out of there no later than 6:45 am to have coffee at 7:00 am and be at the shop by 8:00 am. It's going to take a while to work all of this out so that I'm not messing things up too badly, but I think it will work. NO - I WILL MAKE IT WORK.

When I'm almost afraid to step on a scale, it's time to get my
life back together. Silly me, to let it slip away from me like that! 

I suspect eventually DH will also join and I'll up my membership to a family membership, but right now he's sure that just working with the treadmill and bowflex at home will do for him, and it's very possible that it will. I just know that I usually work better with a group, and I'm also hoping to get some guidance from one of the personal trainers.

Have a Happy and Safe New Year. 

Tonight is the end of 2014 and it's been a tough year for a lot of my friends. I hope that everyone can have a year of accomplishments, love and peace ahead of them in 2015. Happy New Year to all!

Questioning Obesity - What is Your Perception?

Yesterday one of my LJ friends posted a very basic statement about obesity and perception. I want to pull that topic out and look at it a bit more closely today. 

Time to examine a topic of societal interest. Life isn't just fluff and bunnies, after all. 

The basic topic had been the increase in obese children and how it concerned him. All to the good! Obesity is a world-wide problem that will affect the health and well-being of 1000's of children and adults. He said the following paragraph: 

One has only to walk down the main street of this small town to see that a large percentage of children, teenagers and adults, especially females, are grossly over-weight. And the number seems to be growing. Why? Is it the wrong type of food, lack of exercise, or just plain laziness? It cannot be healthy and must at some stage become very embarrassing, especially for young girls.

(italics are my addition)

This is part of an advertising campaign for strongforlife.com. Obesity is a
problem at any age, but more children than ever are obese.  That
obesity is caused by many factors, though, not just the buffet line in the ad above. 

Now, I really don't have a problem with society perceiving obesity as an issue that is on the increase. My friend is absolutely correct - it is an epidemic in our modern society and the reasons for obese people are myriad. But I did call him to task about his words "especially females" and "especially for young girls". I called him on his terminology, because I think there are an equal number of obese males out there as females. His response was: 

Yes of course obesity and ballet are relevant to both sexes. I was very much aware of that as I was writing. ... But one must admit that one notices girls and women more than boys and men in both cases.

(once again, the italics are my addition)

Like father, like son? Obesity is not just environment and
food choices. Basic body type is genetic.
I will never be 5' 8" tall with a very low body mass index.
My personal genetic profile won't allow me to be
taller than 5' 6" and gives me a propensity to gain
weight in my midsection. 

I'm not posting this to embarrass my LJ friend at all. Some of what he was discussing truly merited comments and thought. But I am curious and throwing this out to my LJ friends. Do you notice obese females more readily than obese males? How about in children? Are the girls the first to catch your eye, or do you just notice all obese children and then mentally separate them by sex. 

Would you be more likely to ignore the weight of these
women if they were nicely dressed in finer clothing that
suits them more than the tank tops and denim? 

I do think that often obesity is forgiven and overlooked more often in males than in females. As a female who is overweight, perhaps I'm more conscious of it because I wish I was back to my weight of twenty years ago. But I've worked with obese males in the past, and their weight problems seem to often disappear under the carpet of a well-cut pinstriped suit. 

Santa Claus is one obese businessman who has made his
weight a positive instead of a negative. Can you imagine
an obese tooth fairy though? 

I know that obese children have a difficult time through school. My nephew was seriously overweight throughout school and was teased and ridiculed for years. He finally found acceptance on the football field where his weight was suddenly seen as an asset instead of a problem. 

So I ask all of you. Is society more apt to focus on an overweight female than a male? Are overweight males given more leeway and societal understanding for their physical appearance than a similarly overweight woman would be given? And how about you? Are you overweight? Have you ever received snubs or been ridiculed for your weight? I'm opening this topic to discussion, please share your experiences and feelings with me. 

Happy Friday!