My friend Jen is considering joining my gym, so Monday night, I brought her along to a class of her choosing. This is the first time I've taken a class in about a year. I love their Hip-Hop class on Thursday nights and intend to restart, but I haven't taken any other classes. Jen also would have chosen Hip-Hop, but she is currently working Thursday nights. So instead, we picked Latin Fusion. Class is Mondays at 7, which is actually a very good time for me to take a class.
We got there super early in anticipation of her being assaulted by a "Member Consultant" to pressure her to join. However, as luck would have it, none were available. So instead, we sat outside the studio for thirty minutes gossiping, which is of course what going to the gym with a friend is all about.
We were both fairly certain the class would kick our butts. Both of us have a dance background, but for me at least, that background is pretty far back. Ten years now. However, as class started, I realized that I did, indeed, have enough basic coordination to do the moves pretty well. We were also fortunate that the class wasn't very crowded. Many of the classes are almost unpleasantly cramped, since the gym is so large, but not this one. So we had some freedom to spread out and, if necessary, accidentally go left when the instructor says to go right.
So about fifteen minutes into the class, she and I were both thinking... this is awesome! Fun! We should find some salsa dancing when we are at DisneyWorld in December! Then about fifteen minutes later, we were like... uh... when did our heart rates get to be about 200? Salsa dancing? What was I thinking? Salsa is for chips!
But at the end of the class, we both agreed it was a great one. I couldn't do a lot of the ab work at the end due to my still-healing piercing (no crunches until mid-October), and I felt a bit fortunate for that as I watched Jen get through the set. Still, I'm sure it will pay off.
My plan now is to continue going every other day, and just incorporate the classes in as the day comes up... so this week Latin Fusion on Monday, next week, Hip-Hop on Thursday. The rest of the time, continue the treadmill and the weights. Again, the weight isn't dropping off as much as I would like, but I see huge improvements, both in my measurements and in my energy level. And really, as long as I look and feel healthy, I really don't care too much about how much I weigh.
Showing posts with label Image. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Image. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Enjoy the Silence
I haven't been posting much because I haven't had anything really unusual to say lately. Life is puttering on. But I'll give you one of my world-famous fly-by updates just so you know I'm alive and kicking.
Project Runway: Apex (aka Fashion Intervention) is a complete and utter success. Apparently, throwing money at a problem DOES actually fix it. Since I've started wearing my designer duds, I have received an endless stream of compliments. Not just on the clothes, but also on my weight (which holds steady at 70lbs too much) and my skin (which has always been an asset of mine). My jaw is dragging the floor from the shock of how well this has worked. And of course, all the compliments have my confidence up, which just boosts the effects of the clothing.
Disney plans are forming. I've recently joined DisFriends, which is a MySpace for Disney Geeks and Nerds, and I fit right in. I've been trying to think of ways to finagle an April trip, we're already definitely going in October, and then I will probably go down for a Disney Geek convention in December. However, I'm not sure the wallet will support all that, so we're in a holding pattern at the moment. This is mainly because...
Our crawlspace runneth over. We had a termite inspection on Monday (an annual necessity here in the wood-chawing-beastie-friendly South) and the inspector found none of the little buggers. *YAY* She did find a very wet, almost rotted support beam and some insulation that resembles papier-mache. *BOOOOOOOO* Upon further inspection, Chris found two pipes that just seem to terminate right into our basement. The good news, it's not a leak. *YAY* The bad news, it's some sort of mixed-up backwards plumbing error (we assume) that will most likely take money (and/or several months of agonizing phone calls to our builder) to resolve. *BOOOOO*
Our children are well. This is a huge accomplishment, as they were sick off and on pretty much from May until Christmas. I'm finding myself wanting to put sneeze guards around them to keep them healthy and hearty.
Our house is half-organized. We've been cleaning and purging in an attempt to ready ourselves for some new furniture (a promised gift from Mom) and a new flat-screen tv (which Chris has been patiently waiting for for, oh, say, eight years now. And in cleaning and organizing, we find that life is generally just better. So we are actually keeping it pretty straight. This is also a big accomplishment for us... but it makes dull blog material. Moving on...
I've been dealing with a career crisis for two months now, trying to figure out what is missing in my job that is keeping me from totally loving it. I've done some soul-searching and I think I've found the answer. The best part is that I think the answer is in my current job... so I won't be following the four-year itch and trying to find something else. I'm going to wait it out. Once I decided that a couple of weeks ago, I've found that I'm doing much better at work than I had been and that makes me feel I've made the right decision. I'm juggling way too many balls at the moment, but if I pull it off, I'll really feel like I accomplished something, which I really NEED to feel at this point.
And finally, we're about to hold the ninth annual Holiday Party. This year, we pushed it off until January in the hopes that it would be less stressful and more people would attend. We think attendence will remain about the same, but it IS less stressful. This weekend, I'm planning what to make and starting prep work. I'm cooking everything, which is what I used to do, and stopped when I was pregnant and nursing. So basically, this party is a symbol that our lives are stabilizing. Our kids are becoming more independent and I am finally completely comfortable with the title of "mom." Feels good.
Project Runway: Apex (aka Fashion Intervention) is a complete and utter success. Apparently, throwing money at a problem DOES actually fix it. Since I've started wearing my designer duds, I have received an endless stream of compliments. Not just on the clothes, but also on my weight (which holds steady at 70lbs too much) and my skin (which has always been an asset of mine). My jaw is dragging the floor from the shock of how well this has worked. And of course, all the compliments have my confidence up, which just boosts the effects of the clothing.
Disney plans are forming. I've recently joined DisFriends, which is a MySpace for Disney Geeks and Nerds, and I fit right in. I've been trying to think of ways to finagle an April trip, we're already definitely going in October, and then I will probably go down for a Disney Geek convention in December. However, I'm not sure the wallet will support all that, so we're in a holding pattern at the moment. This is mainly because...
Our crawlspace runneth over. We had a termite inspection on Monday (an annual necessity here in the wood-chawing-beastie-friendly South) and the inspector found none of the little buggers. *YAY* She did find a very wet, almost rotted support beam and some insulation that resembles papier-mache. *BOOOOOOOO* Upon further inspection, Chris found two pipes that just seem to terminate right into our basement. The good news, it's not a leak. *YAY* The bad news, it's some sort of mixed-up backwards plumbing error (we assume) that will most likely take money (and/or several months of agonizing phone calls to our builder) to resolve. *BOOOOO*
Our children are well. This is a huge accomplishment, as they were sick off and on pretty much from May until Christmas. I'm finding myself wanting to put sneeze guards around them to keep them healthy and hearty.
Our house is half-organized. We've been cleaning and purging in an attempt to ready ourselves for some new furniture (a promised gift from Mom) and a new flat-screen tv (which Chris has been patiently waiting for for, oh, say, eight years now. And in cleaning and organizing, we find that life is generally just better. So we are actually keeping it pretty straight. This is also a big accomplishment for us... but it makes dull blog material. Moving on...
I've been dealing with a career crisis for two months now, trying to figure out what is missing in my job that is keeping me from totally loving it. I've done some soul-searching and I think I've found the answer. The best part is that I think the answer is in my current job... so I won't be following the four-year itch and trying to find something else. I'm going to wait it out. Once I decided that a couple of weeks ago, I've found that I'm doing much better at work than I had been and that makes me feel I've made the right decision. I'm juggling way too many balls at the moment, but if I pull it off, I'll really feel like I accomplished something, which I really NEED to feel at this point.
And finally, we're about to hold the ninth annual Holiday Party. This year, we pushed it off until January in the hopes that it would be less stressful and more people would attend. We think attendence will remain about the same, but it IS less stressful. This weekend, I'm planning what to make and starting prep work. I'm cooking everything, which is what I used to do, and stopped when I was pregnant and nursing. So basically, this party is a symbol that our lives are stabilizing. Our kids are becoming more independent and I am finally completely comfortable with the title of "mom." Feels good.
Monday, December 03, 2007
What Not To Wear; or, a Fashion Intervention
I have no sense of style. It's not that I don't long to be stylish. Although perhaps I could honestly say that I'm not really "INto" fashion. I can't read those Cosmo-esque magazines about how to simplify your morning beauty routine, or how best to pluck your eyebrows. I refuse to do the latter (who came UP with that idea, anyway?) and as to the former... my morning routine is as follows:
Shower
Towel Dry
Deodorant
Brush Teeth
Comb wet hair
Get Dressed
After that, chaos ensues and we shuffle the kids off to school. Really, CAN you simplify that morning routine? There's nothing there I feel comfortable skipping.
All that said, I also am tired of being frumpy and old. I'm neither of those things inside, and I'm tired of it not being apparent from the outside. Worse than that, I am starting to resemble that librarian stereotype that I detest so much. So I decided to start addressing my wardrobe, a few pieces at a time. At first, I was doing this by going to Target and trying to find some things that were hipper... cooler... not knit shirts from 1992 (the bulk of my former wardrobe).
And I did find a few things.
And after one washing, nothing fit right anymore... assuming it really fit right to begin with, which is questionable. And therein lies the problem. I am not a fit model. Everything is short on me, or I can't possibly squeeze into it. Because apparently, if you are short, you have really long legs for some reason, and if you are tall (like me) you have stubby little legs. Consequently, a size 16 will not fit over my thigh, but will be long enough, but an 18 hangs off my waist and stops at my mid-ankle area. So attractive.
When I was in New York, I was talking to my sister (who IS a fashionista) about these problems and mentioned how much I wish designers would design for "healthy" women. She took me to Eileen Fisher.
My mom bought me a pair of pants there. My sister bought me a sweater, and I bought myself a tunic that was on sale. I wore them to work at various times after that, and I ALWAYS got compliments on them. Every time I wore them. One person I work with actually told me I should wear the tunic every day. Well! That's addicting, ain't it?!
So I mentioned to my sister and my mom that I was going to start investing in REALLY nice clothes, a piece at a time. I can't AFFORD to dress designer, but apparently I can't afford not to. Either I spend $15 on a shirt I can only wear three times before it tugs around my chest, or I spend $80 for one that will last forever.
So I resolved to buy only things that are well-made, comfortable, and designed to fit. Tailored even. And in ten years, I should have a whole new wardrobe and won't look like a frump. In response, my mom and sister... both so elated that I was suddenly showing a sliver of concern about my looks... staged an intervention while we were in San Francisco. We returned to Eileen Fisher where mom bought me a new wardrobe. Then we moved on to Cole Haan, where my sister bought me two pairs of shoes (black and brown... since they were so "reasonably priced.") I felt like Stacy and Clinton were just going to pop out of the wordwork and throw out everything in my closet. (My sister DID make me promise to get rid of the jeans that I was wearing that day. Believe it or not, they were too short.)
The result is, I now have no excuse. We had most of the stuff shipped back except for the jeans (which I bought myself) and the shoes. Everything arrived today in one box (13 pounds of clothes) and I've got it all in the closet. My "New Me" project officially started today, when I wore the sweater I bought back in August, along with the new jeans and the new shoes. Sure enough, I wasn't in the building more than ten minutes when the sweater scored a compliment from a coworker. Just after lunch, the jeans got one. The JEANS!
Watch out, world... here comes Yummy Mummy Librarian!
Shower
Towel Dry
Deodorant
Brush Teeth
Comb wet hair
Get Dressed
After that, chaos ensues and we shuffle the kids off to school. Really, CAN you simplify that morning routine? There's nothing there I feel comfortable skipping.
All that said, I also am tired of being frumpy and old. I'm neither of those things inside, and I'm tired of it not being apparent from the outside. Worse than that, I am starting to resemble that librarian stereotype that I detest so much. So I decided to start addressing my wardrobe, a few pieces at a time. At first, I was doing this by going to Target and trying to find some things that were hipper... cooler... not knit shirts from 1992 (the bulk of my former wardrobe).
And I did find a few things.
And after one washing, nothing fit right anymore... assuming it really fit right to begin with, which is questionable. And therein lies the problem. I am not a fit model. Everything is short on me, or I can't possibly squeeze into it. Because apparently, if you are short, you have really long legs for some reason, and if you are tall (like me) you have stubby little legs. Consequently, a size 16 will not fit over my thigh, but will be long enough, but an 18 hangs off my waist and stops at my mid-ankle area. So attractive.
When I was in New York, I was talking to my sister (who IS a fashionista) about these problems and mentioned how much I wish designers would design for "healthy" women. She took me to Eileen Fisher.
My mom bought me a pair of pants there. My sister bought me a sweater, and I bought myself a tunic that was on sale. I wore them to work at various times after that, and I ALWAYS got compliments on them. Every time I wore them. One person I work with actually told me I should wear the tunic every day. Well! That's addicting, ain't it?!
So I mentioned to my sister and my mom that I was going to start investing in REALLY nice clothes, a piece at a time. I can't AFFORD to dress designer, but apparently I can't afford not to. Either I spend $15 on a shirt I can only wear three times before it tugs around my chest, or I spend $80 for one that will last forever.
So I resolved to buy only things that are well-made, comfortable, and designed to fit. Tailored even. And in ten years, I should have a whole new wardrobe and won't look like a frump. In response, my mom and sister... both so elated that I was suddenly showing a sliver of concern about my looks... staged an intervention while we were in San Francisco. We returned to Eileen Fisher where mom bought me a new wardrobe. Then we moved on to Cole Haan, where my sister bought me two pairs of shoes (black and brown... since they were so "reasonably priced.") I felt like Stacy and Clinton were just going to pop out of the wordwork and throw out everything in my closet. (My sister DID make me promise to get rid of the jeans that I was wearing that day. Believe it or not, they were too short.)
The result is, I now have no excuse. We had most of the stuff shipped back except for the jeans (which I bought myself) and the shoes. Everything arrived today in one box (13 pounds of clothes) and I've got it all in the closet. My "New Me" project officially started today, when I wore the sweater I bought back in August, along with the new jeans and the new shoes. Sure enough, I wasn't in the building more than ten minutes when the sweater scored a compliment from a coworker. Just after lunch, the jeans got one. The JEANS!
Watch out, world... here comes Yummy Mummy Librarian!
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