By George, I think she's Got IT!

Actually...she does!!!!!

Congrats go out to no-blog-Rachel. She guessed correctly.

Rhett is from RETro.

Although I will probably add all the other meanings as well. 'Cause you know, I can.

And now for the surprise! Because I thoroughly enjoyed all the guesses and references to hot guys (what can I say, I'm easy)...I'm giving everyone who guessed a prize.

Grand Prize for no-blog-Rachel is a Trio of beaded goodies. Email me with your favorite color.

Stephieface and J: Email me with your favorite color and I'll make you both a little beaded somethin' somethin'.

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And now on the the serious side of Apartment Therapy Thursday. There has been some serious Therapy Sessions happening, but unfortunately for Rhett, they have been for me only. Work has been, well, a piece of work, so I have been managing to keep things that are already clean and organized, all clean and organized. There has been no new 'respecting' of my main man Rhett. Sorry Rhett. I'll be able to work more on our relationship this weekend. Spencer is abandoning me for a b-day party and some War Machine Tournament Play. We'll be able to spend some quality time together then. Just you, me and our favorite love toy.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Check the ticker - 'nuf said. Word.


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Rhett Contest:

Damn! Stephieface has got my back - but she's still wrong. Every time I read one of her comments, I have to go check these guys out and then I have to take a cold shower. And dammit girl, how the hell did you know I set off the fire alarm when I cook?!?

Once again good guesses, but not the correct answer. Sigh. Today is (are) the last hint(s). I will reveal the answer on Therapy Thursday - tomorrow. 'Cause I can't stand it anymore and it's my blog, my contest, and my Rhett. So there. I'll also reveal a surprise.

Hint Recap:

1. I have mentioned it (or alluded to it) on this blog in the past. It's not necessarily spelled the same.
2. It's a characteristic of my apartment.
3. Rhett sounds like part of a word I use to describe my apartment. (this hint is NEW)

Now go back and read this. And then read the whole apartment distraction series if you need to...

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Oh, and while I am happy that I lost weight again, I am still a wee bit pissed that I gained those five pounds a few weeks back. I'd be soooooo much closer to the 20 lbs now. Dammit. OK, over that. Next?

Rackin' up some more...and we're not talkin' 'bout playing pool...

And we're diving right in to Rachel's update:

Rackin' Em up

Heh – I said “rack”…

Damn I’m old! Well, not really. I just feel a bit old and creaky today. I kicked butt with my walking this weekend! And to keep things even, it kicked my butt in return.

During the week, I do most of my walking during lunch at work. Our office is in the south end of San Jose, in the Almaden Valley. There aren’t any other office buildings on the road – it’s basically residential, which makes for some pleasant walking. I keep my mid-day walks pretty short, simply because I don’t have a ton of time. So I have 2 loops – one that’s about 1.4 miles and the other loop is nearly 2.5 miles. Depending on how I feel, I either do the short loop slowly as a recovery walk, or the longer one and work on speed. I’m not out to do the Avon walk as a power walk, but I don’t want to be out there for 12 hours either.

Saturday I went out on my own, and extended the walk in my neighborhood – I work on speed there too, as it’s really flat. I walked just over 6 miles, and was pretty pleased with the results; since I started training, my average speed has increased by over a half-mile an hour. Not bad. If I can increase by the same amount again, I’ll be able to do the walk in what I’d consider a reasonable amount of time. Especially if you take into consideration that I’m very much on the short side and I take 3 steps for everyone else’s two. Ok, maybe four.

Sunday was the tougher one. I was tight from Saturday’s walk so I got to Los Gatos early, and put in a really good stretch. Our time was limited, so Nathalie and I just walked until half our time was up, then turned around. We walked over 11 miles! Not too shabby. I high-tailed it home, cleaned up, and then drove with some friends up to Oakland for a knit-in at Rachael’s house. I felt good after the walk, but the 2 hours in the car and 4 at Rachael and Lala’s on the couch made for one stiff body, and I’m still feeling it today.

So just over 17 miles this weekend – I am pretty pleased with that. Next week, we’re hoping to get a 15-miler in. We have to start doing things as if we’re on the walk, though, so the plan is to rest more – not just for bathroom breaks – stretch regularly throughout the walk, and grab a sit-down snack at some point in the middle. Sunday’s walk was done with no breaks or stretches, and I realized that even though it wasn’t very difficult for us, it’s not the right way to do it, and it won’t work as we increase mileage.

In the meantime, I’ll be nursing my first blister ever from this training. I’ll blog all about that next week. Ok, not really. But if it starts looking really gross, I’ll post a picture for sure. Heh again…

Happy Boobie Tuesday, see y’all next week!

Rachel

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Yeah, that down time and sitting still will get ya good. For the whole week after the walk, I did a simple stretch routine several times a day - with a few quickies after sitting still for a while. OK, people. Quickie stretches. Jeez.

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Rhett Contest hint of the day: It's a characteristic of my apartment.

Who's Rhett named after?

I almost forgot to post this clue for you guys! I've been under the weather all weekend and decided to stay home and rest. I spent most of the day either sleeping or reading. The only thing electronic in my life was the reading light and the microwave and a few minutes on the computer this morning to tell the office I wasn't going to be in and answer a few emails. No TV, no phone, no computer. Ahhhhhhh.....

Anyway, on to the clue. J, no-blog-Rachel, and Stephieface have all given great answers. I especially like Stephieface's. All that sexy talk and all. Love me a sexy man - and one that can sing? Shut up and screw me. Hey, my body may be under the weather, but my mind will always be alert (and aparently in the gutter - heh heh).

But I digress.

OK, so here's the first clue....

I have mentioned it (or alluded to it) on this blog in the past. It's not necessarily spelled the same.

Good luck.

Snake Plissken! I thought you were dead!

Looks like we'll be getting an updated version of Escape from New York. According to the Gossip, looks like Gerard Butler (Leonidas in 300 - and Total. Scottish. Hottie.), has signed on to play Snake.

This could be interesting...

Hmmmm....doesn't look like they've cast the character of Maggie yet - played by Adrienne Barbeau in the original. Mr. John Carpenter, e-mail me. I've got the hair, I've got the boobs, I've got the attitude. I'm available. Let's talk.

Mr. Butler, I'd love to work with you on this project, e-mail me.

The original movie came out in 1981. I remember when it came out on video. We'd have occasional EFNY viewings. Every time someone said "Snake Plissken! I thought you were dead!", we'd all have to take a drink of whatever we were drinking at the time - this was college, so it was usually alcoholic. We loved the movie whether we were drinking or not. It was campy, "futuristic", and everyone had cool costumes. Kurt Russell was great. I'd been crushing on him since his Disney Days - he was a hottie - and still is too. What more could you ask for? Loved his character in another John Carpenter cult classic Big Trouble in Little China.

Mr. Russell, I'm sure you're going to have some input - why don't you play the prez - oooh or the cab driver - oooh or the Commish? E-mail me. Let's talk - loved you in Overboard and Backdraft and aren't you due for another project?

Gentlemen. Let's talk. I'm looking for a new gig.


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And now for some knitting content:

The Phoenix wrap is getting close to finishing. YAY! I used up the last bits of a ball yesterday on the way home from work. I'm going to measure it tonight and then start another ball. I think I need a wee bit more before I start the last section - which is of course - beading! Awesome. Can't wait to wrap myself up in it...

Will probably work on the Gossamer shawl more this weekend - unless of course I go on a "Rhett Respecting Rampage". I'm on a roll - and really digging the good sleep I've been getting lately.

My commute shawl is chugging along. It's on smaller needles, so progress is happening, but not at a noticable pace. This one will keep me busy for quite a while.

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"Rhett Contest" - sorry J and no-blog-Rachel. Good guesses with fantastic reasons, but you are incorrect. You can try again. Guess as many times as you wish. I think I might just have to start giving clues on Monday. I can't wait for you guys to guess!

"I saw it in the window, and I just couldn't resist it!" Yes, Rachel, I remember that Carol Burnett skit very well. I almost wet myself when I saw it...

Introducing "Apartment Therapy Thursday"

But not until I put this out there: Please send good mojo thoughts to a friend going for a scary doctor's appointment. She's got mine, but could use more. Thanks!

But not until I say thanks to all for the good wishes on Single Parents Day. We ended up eating in - Spencer had a lot of homework - and that's more important than a dinner out. We still celebrated though. That's all that matters.

And last but not least, not until I get over the fact that yesterday was the day I was supposed to have that damn glucose test after having lost 20 (or more) pounds. As we all know, that didn't happen. Disappointing? Definitely. Major setback? Not so much - just a regular size setback I'd say. I can do this, I will do this, blah blah blah. I'm a little down about it right now (especially since I'm not halfway there - again), but I'll bounce back. I always do. There is no room in my life for extended self-pity. It's counter-productive and I've got a life to live.

OK, that's done.

So, today is Thursday. I've decided to Christen it "Apartment Therapy Thursday". Fridays are now just Fridays.

This past weekend, I started respecting my Apartment (hell, I'm even capitalizing the word). Giving it the attention it deserves. We both are benefitting from this little experiment in organizing too. After a good round of 'respecting' (i.e. cleaning, rearranging, decluttering) the dining area on Monday night, I had the best night's sleep. There was no waking up in the middle of the night, no clenching of teeth, and no waking up with a sore back and a headache. Pure. Heaven. Even the dreams were restful ones.

The empty dining area - notice the bubble shades on the floor - I hadn't cleaned them yet.




I've designated my "Outbox" and because of that, moved our tiny dining table closer to the living area. OK, so realistically, the whole living/dining/kitchen area isn't all that big. Work with me. It makes him (yes him) feel more important.






Him what?!? Apartment Therapy suggests that you treat your Apartment as a living entity. It needs attention, care, and respect in order to live a good life and shelter you comfortably. OK, I can get down with that. She of the naming of inanimate and mechanical objects who held conversations with her stuffed animals and toys when she was younger can totally dig it. Therefore, I shall dub him "Rhett". Because I just love naming things and I can.

CONTEST: If anybody can guess why I'm calling him Rhett, I'll send you a set of stitch markers, or a pair of earrings, or a cell phone charm. (Guesser's choice.) If nobody guesses correctly by March 31st, I'll start giving clues. First correct comment left on the blog wins.

So now what? I've read the book all the way through twice, and I've started the deep cleaning and decluttering. At the end, I get to decorate. The book has an 8 week "Apartment Cure" for you to follow along with - either word for word or however you feel comfortable. Of course, I'm doing my own thing as I loosely follow the "Cure". It's working and I'm seeing definite change - and most importantly, I'm feeling the change. It's effecting every aspect of my life.

I'm sorry for ignoring you Rhett. Let me make it up to you. Shall I lovingly caress your shagginess with the new sucking machine? (Vacuum people. Vacuum!!!) How about some fresh flowers or maybe some living plants? You'd like that, wouldn't you?

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Update: Last night I started going through boxes and getting rid of stuff left and right. It felt good. I woke up at 4:30am from a bad dream - I was actually crying! All out balling!! I've never done that before. The dream? I was doing something important - a test of some sort - and couldn't find the stuff and formulas I was supposed to bring with me. Hmmm... Analysis: a little separation anxiety from getting rid of stuff (should I keep it? will I need it someday?), peppered with Spencer's math homework (formulas - the quadratic equation no less), and a bit of Mythbusters thrown in (tests that need stuff). This "Cure" thing is gonna be a rough ride. But I know it'll be worth it. Guess this proves how much it really does affect my life.

Happy Single Parent Day!

Today is Single Parent Day. Who knew? Certainly not me. I just found out when reading this lovely post by J.

I had a whole other post planned for today, but I think I'll just let the Day speak for itself.

To all those Single Parents out there - pat yourselves on the back. You deserve it. I know I don't ever do it and there's no reason I shouldn't.

To all those Kids of Single Parents - give your Mom or Dad a big hug and a hearty Thanks for doing what they do and working so hard and loving you so much. It'll mean the world to them.

While every single parenting situation is different (we've all come to the Single Parent 'Hood on different paths), and some situations are better than others, it's still a rough ride. Don't doubt yourselves, don't stop loving your kid(s). Enjoy your day. Celebrate your Family.

This calls for a dinner out tonight - but a light, healthy one. I lost 2 lbs this week and I don't want to blow it.

Las Ta-Tas...

Leaving Las Vegas

Well, left, actually. My husband decided we needed a break and treated us to a weekend away. We’re not fond of Vegas at all, but we do love Cirque de Soleil, so we flew out on Friday, saw two shows (O and Mystere) and came home Sunday. Saturday was fun – we headed here: the Valley of Fire State Park and spent a couple of hours walking. My GPS kept doing weird things so I don’t know how many miles we walked, but I doubt it was more than three. It was pretty hard going. What wasn’t steep was mostly really soft, fine red sand. So fine it worked its way through the fabric of my sneakers and socks and I got a free foot exfoliation - and luckily no blisters. It was a great workout, and such a cool place! Really dramatic rock formations, caves, and petroglyphs left by the Anasazi sometime between 350 BC and 1150 AD. Here’s a shot of me taking a break.






See the band around my right ankle? That’s my tattoo – it’s Navajo symbols for gardening. I pulled the images off the internet and the artist put them together for me.






The sun is – yep, the sun. The turtle represents the earth. The diamonds are the milky way, and you can’t see the rain cloud and the corn (representing the harvest) on the other side of my leg. I chose Navajo because we lived on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico when I was very young. Oh yes – the S isn’t anything Navajo – it’s for my sweet hound-dog Shirley, who died in ’05.

So anyway, the walking was really cool. In the fun sense – so much to see, and it was so beautiful. It was not cool in the thermo sense – it was about 90 out – which is nothing for that area, but felt hot as hell. The sand was quite the challenge – I felt more sore than I did after last week’s extra long trek. It was great to get a different kind of workout. I made sure to stay sun-screened and hydrated, and it definitely helped.

Back in Las Ta-Tas – I mean Vegas, we visited a fine family fun spot, where I demonstrated how my doing the Avon Walk is supporting something Sin City finds very important.






Please ignore the really crappy picture of me. First, I can NEVER keep my eyes open when there’s a flash, and while I’m feeling pretty schlumpy these days, I actually don’t have 4 or 5 chins. But check it out – they’re a little blurry, but I’m wearing the earrings Donna made for the Knitters for Knockers Team. Thanks Donna!

This week’s walking should be more of the usual kind – I may go for more distance this weekend. See you next week!

Rachel

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Lucky Rachel...wisked away to Vegas. Sigh. And what dedication to her training! Even got in a walk while she was there. What awesome scenery!

Oh, and I just have to type this: Hooters Las Vegas. Wonder how many searches will end up here.....

A Productive Weekend

The weekend started off right on Friday night with a yummy dinner...




...my own concoction no less. And it was fabulous.

Saturday, we spotted this little one on the stairs and helped her (him?) to a nice safe (?) bush...




Then, errands were run (including a trip to the Hazardous Waste Facility), apartment stuff was done, and Spencer and I spent some quality time together over Sushi and a movie.

On Sunday, hair was colored, things were bought, War Machine was played, and more apartment stuff was done.

I made more beaded things last week which need to be put out on the Etsy site this week. I've branched out into earrings and cell phone charms, and even designed and made a Rosary which shall be gifted to my Mom on Mother's Day. I'm really liking this beading thing. It's relaxing and sparkly. A good alternative to knitting when I want to make something but don't want to knit, or sew, or paint, or...

Speaking of, no knitting was done this weekend - it was just one of those non-knitting weekends. I had other stuff to do.

Oh, and here's a picture of the earrings and cell phone charms I made and sent off to Deborah at Yarndogs for the K4K walking team a week or so back...

Still miffed, but moving on anyway

It's Finally Friday! again and we're not going to talk about my gaining 5 lbs last week. My mood is improving and I want to keep it that way...

Autums's Mom poses the question: Peep toes or flip flops?

Well, let's see. It's CA, it's gorgeous out and my feet are ready to come out and play. The toenails are painted and the flips and sandals have been dusted off. I love to wear flips, depending on if I can get some with a little bit of a sole. I have these awesome beaded ones I've had for a few years (Kohl's $7.99), but they are wearing out and I am sad as they are my absolute favs.

AmpuT writes about a lot of great things in her latest entry. The best part? When she talks about facing her fears. And the Suze Orman quote. My favorite part of the quote? "I am a Warrior." It is proactive and kick ass. As soon as I read it, I heard the song "The Warrior" by Scandal and pictured Grace Jones' character Zula from Conan the Destroyer - "If you want him - grab him - take him!" And I've just the sandals to wear when I conquer my world too...

Thanks AmpuT, your post yesterday helped me put together a few things that have been floating about in my head all floaty like. The thoughts are coming together. This is just the kick in the ass I needed to get going and make things happen. Thank You!

This weekend's plans are all changed now. Spence and I were going to go to Rakkash on Saturday, but I've decided not to go - and he's very happy about that. I really want to go see AmpuT and her troupe, but I've realized that's all I want to see. I'm saving my money for a vacation, so I won't be buying anything - which I shouldn't anyway since I haven't been dancing much lately and can't justify spending the money. So... driving all that way, paying admission for and dragging around a sluggish, uninterested pre-teen, using up all that (expensive) gas for a 10 minute performance is just not going to happen. I will have to settle on checking out photos on the website afterwards and hopefully AmpuT will post some too. My heart is just not in it this year. Sigh.

So what will we be doing? We were going to catch a movie on Sunday, but might move that to Saturday as a reward to ourselves for all our hard work. There will be lots of Apartment Therapy happening. I bought the book the other day and read it through. Time to start taking care of business. This method, I can buy in to, the whole FlyLady thing? Not so much.

Of course, I'll probably post on Monday that we did totally different things this weekend. Spence and I just love 'winging it' on the weekends.

Have a great weekend everyone! And Happy St Patrick's Day to those who celebrate!

Argh...

We interrupt our regular programming to bring you a hissy fit, a pity party, and some self abuse.

Check the ticker. Gained 5 pounds. Grrr.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go off into a corner and let the voices in my head duke it out.

We'll return to our regular schedule when the dust settles.

In the mean time... "Forty is the new twenty." Discuss.

Boobie-A-Rama

Here's Rachel's latest update...damn that girl sure knows how to rack up the miles. Hee hee. I said rack.

Men are often scared of me, but....

I don't often scare myself. But I may have done it this time. So last week I talked about completing the 100 miles by April 1st - I was pretty pleased with that. Well there was discussion on the Run-a-Go-Go site about doing another 100 miles by July 4th and who was in. Well of course I'm in! But can I leave it at that? Nooooo...apparently not. I have to jump up and say "I know, I'll do another 200 by July 4th!". If I continue at this rate, I can see myself saying to my husband, "Hey let's not fly back to Vermont to visit this fall, let's WALK there! It'll be fun, and so much more eco-friendly! I can't wait to amble over the Sierras, and walk through the fall foliage in the Adirondacks!"

Hubby and his bum knees will be so pleased.

Training

On to training. It was a great walking week. I was a bit sore last Monday from Saturday's hills, but recovered fully by Tuesday. I walked three times during lunch at work, and then on Sunday Nathalie and I did 12 1/2 miles! We went from Los Gatos to Campbell (including a little extra walk through Old Campbell) and back. We stopped there for a snack and purposely sat down for 15 minutes to see what it would feel like to have to get up and walk again once we'd been inactive for a while. That was hard. But we did it and I really felt fine. I was glad I didn't have to, but I realized when I got back to my car that if there had been more walking to do, I could easily have kept going.

So we covered nearly half the distance of the real walk first day, and it's only mid-March. Barring serious illness or injury, I think we're on track to be able to do this with no problem by July. That's not to say I don't think it'll be hard - I'll probably feel as if I'm about 80 when I'm done - but I do think I should be well prepared. I think pretty soon we'll start doing some longer walks on Saturdays and then half that distance on Sundays so we can get used to doing this 2 days in a row. I wish I had the opportunity to get used to getting a massage 2 days in a row as well.

Wildly fascinating trivia...

I joined a new knit group last week - just looking to meet new people. It's called Bobaknit, and the meetups take place in Mountain View. The group appears to be addicted to Boba Tea, you know the stuff with the chewy tapioca golf-balls in it that comes in 4006 flavors? So, Bobaknit as a name made sense. But then I found out at the meetup that Boba has an entirely different and much more interesting definition. It's Chinese slang for 'Boobies'! How appropriate is that? I write on Boobie Tuesdays, I walk for breast cancer, I'm part of Knitters for Knockers, and now this? Apparently boobs have become a major part of my life. Heh, too bad they're not a more major part of my body... : )

Happy Boobie Tuesday! See you next week.

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When you stop for any length of time, make sure you do some stretches. It really helps!

I just love having a guest blogger, but you guys already know that. Last night it was mani/pedi night at Casa de Chaos. Ahhhhh...yeah, I can be girly. It was time for the toenails to be painted. Get this, the color #? 300 The color name? Thrill And that's exactly what the movie '300' was...quite the thrill. What exactly is color #300 otherwise known as Thrill? Red.

Tomorrow night, I have a date with a box of Revlon ColorSilk #47. Does she or doesn't she? Damn straight this woman does!!!!

I can do it!

Riiiiiight....

OK, so the ticker says 8 days left until I should take the test. I have 8 more lbs to lose. That's 1 lb down a day.

OK, so the test isn't happening in 8 days, but it is happening in 8 lbs or at the end of March - whichever comes first. And that I can do.

I'm too sexy for my knitting...

...and no, there are NO PHOTOS. I was alone in the apartment and the cat still hasn't figured out how to take digital photos. Phew!

I knit on the Gossamer Shawl while wearing the mask only. Looks like I don't have to go as far as wearing the glasses with this yarn. Yay! Still, it's just damn sexy I tell you. This will not be a knit in public project. (Note to self - brush teeth after eating garlic laced dinner and before you put on the mask.)

More knitting was done on the Phoenix rectangular shawl - I'm almost done, but then again, I could add on another ball. I am still excited though since the closer I get to the end, the closer I get to the beaded part. :o)

I've started yet another shawl. This one is my current commuting project.

Still needing to finish the Kittyville Hat. Just have one more ear, yet it still sits untouched in Mr. Stuffles (the knitting bag).

That's 4 current projects. Three of them are shawls. I have yet to finish a shawl I've started. Am I setting myself up for 3 more frogged shawls? Stayed tuned for the exciting (or not) conclusion...

If you haven't already...

...go see the movie "300".

Very well done. If you don't like blood and violence though, I don't think you'll like it.

I saw it this afternoon with my friend Gary. I loved it! Loved it! Gary liked it too. He said something funny as we were walking out. Something to the effect that it was the polar opposite of a chic flick and I was one of very few women in the theater. Hee Hee.

Oh, and Stephieface? Oooh yeah baby. The Mister will like it and so will you my friend.

There's another reason I liked this movie and this mama-to-be knows why. Gerard Butler, I'm available, call me. Oh, and David Wenham you can call me too...

Revelations

Ok, so yesterday right before I take off from work, I start feeling funky. Reminds me of how my sis describes how she feels when her blood sugar is low. And it hits me. This is really for real. Really. Are you sure? Yes. Now I am. It's hard to accept something like this when you've been healthy all your life. Denial is so easy. Sure, I've had plenty of tests, some came back suspect of one serious thing or another, but after taking lots more, I was OK. I always knew I was OK because I never felt like it would be otherwise. My body never gave me any clues or indications that there was something wrong. I got used to hearing, "Just a false positive, better to be safe than sorry." This time it's different. I don't feel right and the tests are saying that too. There's been no "It's OK, nothing to worry about." There won't be. This is not as serious as a lot of things other folks have been through, but this is serious - for me.

Which leads me to this: I've finally figured out why I really can't get serious about the exercise thing. I'm scared. I'm scared to accept the fact that I really might be diabetic after all and my whole world will change. I'm scared to admit I'm not as healthy as I've always been (or thought I was). I don't want to admit that in neglecting my health and ignoring my doctor's warning to lose weight for the last 10 or so years, I have done this to myself. Yeah, genetics had something to do with it, but it's mostly my fault. Somewhere deep inside my mind, I'm thinking that if I ignore it, this will all go away and "Be OK after all" just like everything else was...right. I'm scared to exercise because that is the final thing that shows I admit there's something wrong.

So now I've had this big revelation and I'm admitting this is real - something is wrong. So now what? I'll let you know on Monday whether things really have sunk in or not. I still have to accept it. I also have to accept that it's OK for it to be just about me and the whole world will not fall apart if I step out of it for a while and just take care of me. And that's really hard when you've spent all of your adult life taking care of everyone and everything else.

Finally Friday!!!!

To other people today is TGIF. I'm going to be different and say Finally Friday. 'Cause I'm really happy it's "FINALLY FRIDAY"!!!!!

So I take this quiz...and I get this...which is pretty accurate. BUT...the picture is of some bony chick. So I went back to the quiz, changed some answers, and got this photo, which is more acceptable to me than the other skin and bones one. So a little cut and paste and there you have it. If I didn't have such a thing about having my picture taken, I would have put one of my gut here (now you know why I'm not 100% healthy image - I don't like getting my picture taken).

Your Body Image is 12% Unhealthy, 88% Healthy

You have a great body image. You know that no one looks perfect, and you're happy the way you are. Also, you don't judge other people on their looks... and it helps them feel better about their own bodies!

How's Your Body Image?

The things we do for the love...

...of a good ball (or 2 or 10) of mohair. Yes, mohair. A lot. And yes, I'm a bit sensitive to it. But I really like it, so I really want to knit with it. Especially when I got such a good deal on a whole bag full of it.




So I will bust out these...




the next time I knit on this shawl....




...it's so purty and sparkly...

I knit up the first ball (Karabella Gossamer) on BART with no protection...and have spent a whole week's worth of days sniffling and gagging over it all. Only to recover in enough time to knit on the way home. (I'm sick aren't I) And then to recover overnight and start the whole crazy process all over again on the way to work. A whole week of this insanity! Ugh. And all this drama from a mohair blend.

Which is why I finally dove into the tool box for the face mask and safety glasses. This real mo-hair is messy! Little puffs everywhere. In my eyes, my nose, my mouth. Gack ack ack choke. It's my first attempt to knit with this lovely HazMat ensemble. I'll let you know how it goes. And there will be no pictures dammit.

But Donna, my pet, you are sensitive! What will you do with this shawl? You won't be able to wear it! I don't care, I will knit it dammit! Unfortunately, I will have to gift it or maybe sell it. That depends. I hang with a lot of sensitives (of different degrees). We run in packs I guess. I am tired of admiring mo-hair from afar. I will find a way to knit it up. I will.

In the meantime, I'm taking a break with some less hairy cotton, faux mohair (which doesn't shed puffs), and silk ribbon. Ahhhh....

(I'm hoping my hands hold out - the yarns are not 100% mohair after all - or I'll have to bust out some rubber gloves - I've never knit with gloves on before, so don't know how well that would work out. The gloves would just push the whole hazmat suit ensemble over the top, don't you think? I'm trying to avoid being snapped wearing this get up too - but I'm sure Spencer will find a way - damn camera phones!)

More markers for the Cause...

These 6 sets are on their way to Yarndogs. The store is selling them to raise money for the Knitters for Knockers AVON Walk Team. Check 'em out and buy 'em if you're in the area...





Five of the six sets were made from beads and old jewelry that my guest blogger Rachel sent me a few weeks ago. Recognize anything Rachel? Spence and I had a good time taking it all apart. I've got lots left still, so stay tuned...more will be headed to Yarndogs next week.

Yesterday, I got some more Pink Ribbon beads, and various supplies/findings, so I'll be making more markers as well as some other stuff for the store. And as requested, I'll be making earrings for the Team.

UPDATE: I made the Team some earrings and a little something extra. Hope you all like it! I hope to get that in the mail today.

Sensei says...

...you pass, collect one blue stripe...




Congrats to Spencer who now has a purple belt with one blue stripe...he passed his Karate test Monday after school. Doesn't he look cool?!?




Sniff, I'm so proud of him.

Nothing like a little head to get you going in the morning...

...right guys?

Now, let's really see what I'm talking about, shall we?

Behold - my new shower head...





So long non-existent water pressure...LOOK...pressure! The water shoots across the shower instead of just dripping down. (oh, I could get soooo naughty. But I won't.) Aren't the water drops so sparkly and pretty?





...and a final farewell to trying to rinse this mass of hair under the drips...




To say I love it is an understatement.





And yes, it's Weigh-in-Wednesday. And no, the ticker hasn't moved. And no, I still haven't started exercising in earnest. And yes, I have only two weeks left until the test. Gack.

It is Tuesday, right?!?

Just checked, and yes it is...so here's Rachel's AVON Walk training update for this week's Boobie Tuesday...

So I had a much more active week than I have for the past two. On Saturday, my friend Nathalie and I met in Los Gatos and headed out toward them thar hills. We didn’t find gold or oil, but we did find a fair amount of mud. It was a good walk though. We decided to push it and every time the trail presented us with options, we opted for the steeper one. I don’t know if I’d mentioned it before, but I have real trouble walking up hills and stairs; it doesn’t take a lot to make my heart pound and my breathing to become pretty labored. This is a side effect of having had radiation and it does slow me down.

The last time we did the hills, I had to stop a few times to rest, and also to bring my heartbeat down and my breathing back to normal. Each time I did this, it took 5-10 minutes for me to feel as if I was ready to get going again. This time was different. The hills were still hard, but when I stopped to rest, my heart and breathing stabilized and I was ready to go a LOT faster! I’m totally psyched about that. I’m a bit frustrated by not having lost any weight since I started walking in January (though I am getting firmer in crucial places), but hey – my heart is doing great. And while I’d love to feel slim and gazelle-like now, I’d rather have a healthier heart so I’ll be alive to appreciate my ever-slimmer self later.

We did about 5 miles on Saturday – the pace wasn’t fast, but we’re blaming that on the hills. We opted for something different on Sunday, and met at my house for a little more speed on the flats. This walk wasn’t nearly as pretty as the trails in Los Gatos, but we need to get used to walking on pavement since most, if not all of the walk course for the event is on paved roads. So we did around 6 miles. We probably would have done more if Nathalie had been feeling up for it, but she had been sick all week and couldn’t push it too hard. That’s really unusual for her – she can pretty much kick my butt any time when it comes to working out! And it looks as if she’ll be kicking it again pretty soon. We’ve decided we really need to start pushing it harder and going for some longer walks starting with a 10-miler next week. 10 miles. Holy crap! Now that’s some mileage.

Anyway - 11 miles this weekend. Not bad, especially when you consider that nearly half of that was on some seriously steep hills. Oh yeah – remember in my first guest blog I said that all of this walking was inspired by Rachael starting up the Runagogo blog (www.runagogo.com) where we all have the goal of walking, running, biking, swimming or any combo thereof, at least 100 miles total by April 1st? Well Saturday I cleared the 100 mile mark. Another reason to celebrate! Want a 3rd reason? I’ve raised over $2,500 to benefit the Avon Walk for Cancer, and still have promises for more! If you want to help me reach my fundraising goal, check out my walk page – the link is on the side bar. Any support you can offer for this cause will be very much appreciated!

I’m going to celebrate my 3 accomplishments by going to bed at a reasonable hour. Clearly I need a life. : )

Rachel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mercy! Rachel and her team mates sure are rackin' up the milage! And it's only March...

Rachel, please keep on keeping track of the miles you walk for training. How many shoes you wear out, etc. I'm really interested in knowing the finals come walk-time.

Just for the record, my last walk, I managed to gain 5 lbs, but lost several inches and a dress size - which is more important to me than how much I weigh. And also, there is no jiggle when I walk - my ass is solid. Word.

Break out the Eddie Munster Shorts!

Your Theme Song is Back in Black by AC/DC

"Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long, I'm glad to be back" Things sometimes get really crazy for you, and sometimes you have to get away from all the chaos. But each time you stage your comeback, it's even better than the last!

What's Your Theme Song?

Drive - by - posting.

Blink and you'll miss it.

In honor of a drive-by-posting, I give you this bumper sticker quiz.

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

I've made smarter things than you by eating fiber

What Bumper Sticker Should Be On Your Car?

Tomorrow is Boobie Tuesday and my weekly guest blogger Rachel! Yay!

Does this mean I have to go around topless now?

OK, so I'm still really, really, really busy. Really? Yes. Really. There has been some knitting and some organizing and some shaking (4.2 earthquake last night) happening around Casa de Chaos. But more on that later, much later. Things are still crazy for about another week. Ugh.

But...Thanks to Cherry, I now have an entry for today:

You Are a Centaur

In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person. However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in practical ways. You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get their lives in order. You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good decisions easily.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Reserved? Me? Hmmm...

Now go and take a quiz or two or three...you know you want to...