Day 52: Sore Sides and Sweaty Hair

Ahhhhhh... I just got back from tonight's exercise: walking. I did my regular 3+ mile loop. It keeps me close to the river and there is a nice breeze you get off the water to help keep me cool on this extra warm night. It seems I've also missed my strolls around town. I haven't reached the point of getting a "runner's high" yet. But this exercising stuff is really starting to grow on me I think.

It's not pretty for sure. When I get done with a hike or yoga class or one of my Hoboken walks, I'm usually, quite literally dripping with sweat. My hair is soaked. My shirt is soaked. Even my underwear is damp. And in the case of a hike, my hat and shorts are pretty wet as well. My face is flushed, my mascara is running, (if it's a weeknight). And sometimes, some of my muscles and joints continue to pay the price the following day. I realized when I got back from work and walking, that even though it seemed okay slipping back into my yoga routine, my sides are paying the price today. Jody had us doing a lot of twisting poses and the poor muscles along my sides got quite the workout. Any time I turned, or walked quickly, or got up from a chair, the muscles in my sides made their presence known. What's the old saying, "No Pain, No Gain"? My right knee is still a bit stiff and sore from the lack of support I had been giving it, while favoring my left knee. I'm hoping that loosens up soon.

But on the other hand, when I finish whichever exercise I've chosen for the day, I have a general sense of satisfaction. My lungs feel more open. My muscles are warm and loose. And especially in the case of yoga, I feel calmer and more centered. And as sore as they are, I'm also getting my sides back. One of the benefits of all the hiking I did that one year was that my sides tightened up and became a smooth curve making my hourglass shape more of an hourglass and less of a partially squeezed tube of cookie dough. I noticed it this evening as I was walking up the hill at Stevens Tech and I put my hands on my waist as I normally do. The smooth curves are definitely returning.

Perhaps once I get fully back in the swing after my lost weekend, I'll reach the point of the runner's high and it will be less of a chore to drag my ass off the couch and into activity. DHPs and other exercise freaks (and I'm at the point, where freaks is still the right word) always talk about how they look forward to their exercise time. How their day isn't complete unless they've been able to do their regular exercise routine. Umm... okay... when does that kick in exactly? Because I'm looking forward to that moment. That moment in time when surfing the internet or curling up and watching "Scarecrow & Mrs. King" is less appealing than making myself sweaty and sore. I'm not sure I believe that day will ever come, particularly in the case of "Scarecrow & Mrs. King."

I'm running a little behind with the posting of the blogs I know. I'm hoping to catch up today. But thanks all for sticking with me!

Days 49&50: Wrong Way Laura

When I got up Saturday morning, it took me a while to get the gumption up to go out and hike. It was going to be an incredibly hot day. I hadn't hiked in 2 weeks, I really sort of wanted to just sleep in. But, I had to get back on track.

I chose an relatively simple hike. It lists as a 4 mile moderate loop on High Mountain in Wayne, NJ. But once again, because of some trail re-routing it is a little longer now, almost 4 and 1/2 miles. Still not bad and there is only one serious up. Well, at least if you do the hike as written and don't take a wrong turn right off the bat...

I should have known it was going to be one of those days. Once I got myself together to head out, Scott asked if I would drop him at the post office since it was so hot out. We got in the car and I started to make a turn, the wrong way on a one way street. I've lived here for 17 years, how could I mess that up? I caught myself and corrected it, and laughed it off saying, "Well, that doesn't bode well for my hike today!" If only I knew then...

I knew generally where I was going and I had the hike directions, so I was halfway to Route 80 before I realized that the hike directions did not include how to get there from Route 80. I pulled over and pulled out a couple of maps, alas, they did not have details of the area, but I got a decent sense of which way to go and was relying on memory to get me the rest of the way there. I knew from 80 I had to get on Rt 23 North. But after that getting over to 504 was going to be luck of the draw. I passed the exit for Alps Road (go ahead and snicker Ed) even though it sounded familiar and headed up to Packanack Road because that also sounded familiar. I cruised through a lovely residential area and realized that while I wasn't on the right road, I was heading in the general direction. I eventually found Ratzer Road which also sounded familiar and turned onto it in the general direction I thought I needed to go. Soon I was at Alps Road again with a sign directing me to Rt. 504. Oops, well, I only went a little way out of my way.

Once I hit 504 I was on the hike directions. I cruised up College Road, but a lot had changed and they didn't have Parking Lot signs like they used to. I also noticed a new lot specifically for High Mountain Park. So I drove right past Parking Lot #6, realized my mistake and had to turn around. When I came back, I decided to park in the new lot, since it wasn't that far from Lot #6. Then I got out of the car to see where the trail started. I knew that the Red Trail actually started back up the road a bit, but I saw an unmarked trail directly ahead an thought may the re-routing had come over this way, or at worst the unmarked trail would meet up with the red trail. Yeah, not so much. I broke my cardinal rule of hiking "Never start down a hill until you are sure of the path, in order to avoid unnecessary ups." So I added an extra half mile and an unnecessary up to the hike and I was already sweating like George W. Bush on Jeopardy.

When I finally did get on the right trail I was fine. The paths on this trail are wide and well used by mountain bikers and atvs and college students from nearby William Paterson University looking for a place to hang out and party. It only has one serious up that takes you to the "summit of the highest mountain in view of the ocean on the east coast (south of Maine), with outstanding views." The views would have been very nice if we hadn't had so much rain and the trees weren't all lush and green. Still the summit was very pretty, sort of a meadow with wild blackberry and blueberry bushes, long grasses and lots of crickets.

I didn't encounter another soul on the trail for the longest time. Then my first contact was with a deer that crashed through some brush below me a little. This was the third deer in as many hikes for me, which is a little surprising. I usually don't see many and certainly not later in the day. Which suggests that the deer population has exploded again and they will have a deer hunt in the next few months. This one was a pretty doe and she stood an looked at me for a bit as if trying to figure out what kind of nut case I was for being out there in the heat and humidity. Well, at least I wasn't the one wearing a fur coat! I tried getting a picture but I didn't dare try and move any closer, deer are very skittish. So see if you can spot the deer in the photo below (I'll give you a hint, it ain't called a white tailed deer for nothing):
On the way down the mountain, I caught up with an older couple slowly making their way down the steep part of the trail. They were fairly prepared, appropriate footwear, backpacks with water and hiking poles (really helpful on steep rocky trails). But alas, no map or directions only an idea of where they were going, which they double checked with me. I headed off ahead of them but didn't let myself get too far ahead because there were a couple of less obvious turns. I hung back just long enough to make sure they made them. When we got on the final leg of the trail though, I left them behind and finished the hike.

Air conditioning in cars is a great invention.

By the time I made it back to my car, the trusty pedometer read:

4.87 miles
11446 steps
7151 aerobic steps (at least!)
509 calories burned (at least!)

I felt better about having gotten back on the trail. And even better when I finally got going in the right direction!

Well, I overcame my cowardice and got back on the scale on Sunday. My weight also went in the wrong direction, but the good news is that after my 14 day lost weekend, I only gained a little over a pound! Hooray! That's what happens when you don't eat junk I guess.

After I did the laundry, I had a really lazy Sunday. I didn't have to be entertaining or friendly or chatty, so I curled up in bed and watched old episodes of "Scarecrow and Mrs. King". Bruce Boxleitner is such a hottie! Life was so much simpler in the early 80's. We knew who the enemy was: Those silly Soviets and the communist cronies. And you could always count on Bruce Boxleitner to run out of bullets and then climb up on something and jump on the bad guys and knock them out.

Half the fun is seeing a lot of actors in their early careers: a pre-Seinfeld Michael Richards, a pre-SNL Kevin Nealon, pre-"Earth Girls are Easy" Julie Brown, very young and pre-"Married with Children" David Faustino" and not one, but two "24" presidents Dennis Haysbert and Gregory Itzin. And any number of "Sopranos" actors playing... what else... mob guys.

Well, back to work on Monday and back to yoga! I haven't been in over 2 weeks and I'm missing it!

Have a good week all!

Day 35: Sailing, takes me away

As I write this I am sitting on my balcony, in a bathrobe and sunglasses. The coastline of New Brunswick is directly ahead of us as we slowly make our way towards it. We are in the Bay of Fundy now so it’s pretty calm. There’s a low level fog along the coastline, but as it is a beautiful, cloudless, sunny day, I expect that the fog will burn off quickly. Our excursion doesn’t leave until 12:30, so we have the morning to relax and take out time getting off the ship.

It’s been a nice cruise so far. I think Scott is probably enjoying himself more than he expected to. I got him to sit in the piano bar with me for a while on the first night, he didn’t last long, but the effort was there and appreciated. Last night, we went to the production show “Living in America” and he said, “It wasn’t bad for what it what it was, high praise indeed. Then the deal was that he would go back to the cabin and nap and I would go to the piano bar for a couple of hours, then we would go to the midnight comedy show, so this was an historic evening. The first time I’ve been on a cruise ship and haven’t spent the entire evening from open to close in the piano bar. It was a struggle let me tell you. But the comedian, Happy Cole was very funny.

This may be the first cruise that I gain weight on. More due to inactivity, than the food. We’ve been pretty lazy so far, breaking my rule of only doing steps. But I suppose my saving grace is that the food has been a MAJOR disappointment. I kept raving about the food in the dining room to Scott, but alas, the quality I recall from my previous 4 Carnival Cruises just has not been there. The first night, Scott’s strip steak and those of the couple sharing our table were tough as leather. I had the sweet and sour shrimp and, while better, the shrimp was kind of mushy. Last night, was the worst though. Scott’s spaghetti carbonara was bone dry, my duck was indifferently cooked and cold, by the time I received it, I ate less than half. The prime rib that one of our companions ordered was 70% fat. However her husband enjoyed his lobster tail and shrimp. The maitre d’ chose last night to come around and ask how dinner was, and trying to be nice, we said, “Well, John enjoyed his.” He asked us what is wrong. The sad part was that while he appeared concerned, he didn’t seem all that surprised. He promised that he would make sure that the meals at least arrived hot.

I doubt it’s a coincidence that the major fall in quality coincides with Carnival’s decisions to drop the staggered seating times for the two dining rooms. Instead of 5:45, 6.8 and 8:30, there are only two seatings, 6 and 8 and I’m sure the kitchen is getting overwhelmed. Also, not coincidentally, they changed the menus recently (but not the dessert menu). I feel really badly for Scott. Plus, this is the first time I’ve really noticed lines at the Lido deck restaurant. And I’m talking really long lines that wrap around the sides.

On the plus side, the pastrami at the deli is still surprisingly good. Desserts however remain fairly indifferent.

Embarkation literally took no time at all. I was prepared of a wait, so I planned for us to arrive at the pier at noon. Figuring if the hour and a half I had heard reported was true, we would be able to go straight to our cabin when we boarded. However, we arrived at noon and we were on the ship at 12:30. Lines were short and efficient, and the embarkation staff was cheerful and friendly.

Fortunately the crew remain the biggest asset that Carnival has. They’ve been unfailingly friendly and helpful, without exception.

Oh and loving my balcony. It’s going to be hard to go back to a simple ocean view or inside when I sail alone, and I’m not sure that Scott will develop the love for cruising that I have so there will probably be many more solo cruises in my future.

And no, there hasn't been any piano riding this trip. I've enjoyed Peter Rossetti very much and we've had some interesting conversations after the bar closed, but while I've been having a tough time getting a handle on him, I do get the vibe that he's not a girl on the piano kind of entertainer. And that's okay. There's always the Bloggers' Cruise in February.

Day 29: Abe Vigoda Lives! And the New Magic Number

We went out for diner breakfast this morning with my brother Chris and his girlfriend Karen. We always sit in the same section so we can have the same waitress, Nancy. She's our favorite waitress. We're regulars there every weekend so the staff knows us and a lot of the time they just hand us menus and we seat ourselves. Actually some of the time they just wave us through. Nancy brings our drinks over before we've barely sat down. Scott always orders the same thing, bacon and cheddar cheese omelet, french fries, rye toast with a side of bacon. Nancy doesn't even ask anymore. But she does give us the side of bacon for free. I usually change it up. This morning I had a bacon, cheddar and broccoli omelet. which I ate about half of. I got the home fries, but just picked the crunchy brown bits off and ate those. And I had one piece of wheat toast with a scraping of grape jelly. It's a comfortable routine that we've followed virtually every weekend for the past 4 years that we've been living together and and even before on several weekends when Scott would stay over.

Well today our routine paid off in spades! We spotted a real live celebrity. I was happily munching away on my breakfast and I saw an elderly gentleman in an orange shirt shuffling down the aisle towards the restrooms. I nudged Scott and said, "Hey, isn't that Abe Vigoda?" And Scott said, "Yes that is Abe Vigoda!" And I said, "I guess that means he's still alive! Wonder what he's doing at a diner in Little Falls?" Funny part was, my brother and Karen, had their backs to him to they thought we were kidding around. Then we confirmed with Nancy that it was indeed Abe Vigoda, of "Barney Miller", "Fish" and "The Godfather" fame. He's apparently looking at houses in the area. And judging by the way he examined the pastry display and the other stuff in the the counter area, he's quite the diner aficionado.

So that was my celebrity moment for the day. I've seen bigger celebrities. Heck, I've met bigger celebrities. But somehow this celebrity spotting was more sweet and satisfying. It's nice to know that he's still alive and kicking. Although, there is a website devoted to Mr. Vigoda's status: www.abevigoda.com. There is apparently a running joke in the entertainment industry about whether Abe is alive or dead since it has been erroneously reported twice(!) that he had passed on.

Of course, Hoboken can be great for spotting any actor that has ever played any type of mobster (go figure). Danny Aiello ("Broadway Danny Rose", "Moonstruck") runs a comedy night here every Thursday and he is often seen eating at Tutta Pasta, a restaurant I believe he co-owns. He can also be seen sitting in his illegally parked Jag singing opera at the top of his lungs. Joe "Joey Pants" Pantoliano (Guido the Killer Pimp from "Risky Business", Ralph Cifaretto from "The Sopranos) picked up something I dropped for me one day on the street and struck up a short conversation. And Max Cassella ("Doogie Howser" and "The Sopranos") we spotted getting off the bus on Washington Street. Ahhhhhh, the glamorous life!

So this week's magic number is..... 2

I lost two pounds this week. I managed to take off the .7 I gained and a little over a pound more. In a week where my exercise was spotty at best. Hey, I'll take it.

These next two weeks are going to be tough especially on the exercise. Thursday we leave on the Victory for the 4 day to Canada. Now, this shouldn't be so bad. Despite my reputation for boozing it up, I've never gained weight on a cruise. In fact I usually drop a couple on a 7-day. I take the stairs a lot. And my excursions are usually pretty active. But most importantly, I keep myself busy enough that I don't eat much outside for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I know that is like a sin on a cruise, but it's true. And I seem to forget that they have soft ice cream machines around the Lido deck. It also doesn't hurt that I've never been impressed with Carnival's desserts. Even the famous Chocolate Melting Cake doesn't do much for me, it's too inconsistent.

The weekend after we get back My Brian arrives. And while we will probably be running around a lot, we will also probably be drinking a lot. My Brian is the person that got me drinking tequila shots. Egads. We've had some fuzzy but memorable evenings fueled by tequila.

We'll have to see how it goes. But I can't wait to see him!

Day 26&27: Blame it on the Blond

Oy! It's been a couple of days, I know. Sometimes time just seems to get away from me. So let me backtrack a bit...

On Thursday I went to get my hair colored. The gray was starting to overwhelm even me. And Scott, my ever supportive and loving 6'6" boyfriend, kept looking down at the top of my head and saying "Yeah, you need to get your color done." So Thursday after work I went to see Beatrix. I've been going to her for years. I first let her color my hair about 5 years ago. She hated my gray and hated my out of the box color choices as well, so a few weeks before my first cruise I said, "Okay, have your way with me." And she did. And I ended up blond. Well not really blond but there were enough blond highlights to make it seem that way, my natural hair color is a very dark brown, so it was a bit disorienting to see myself with this new color. We eventually worked out a compromise. Making the color a little darker in general and more dark in the fall and winter. But in the summer, we take it lighter. And yes, I know it's not really blond, but it feels that way to me. And it gives me a good excuse when I do something brainless. I have my "blond moments".

Afterwards I totally intended to exercise, but after I got my dinner. My friend, Princess Elaine, let me know her first grandchild, Gavin, was on the way and to spread the word to the rest of the crew. Then just as I was changing, I got the call from the very emotional bubbe that Gavin had arrived and she gave me the details to pass on. As I was sending out that email, a friend IM'd me needing to chat about some serious stuff going on with him. We ended up chatting for an hour and a half and suddenly it was 11 o'clock at night. There went the day.

Friday. Another day of intention. Scott got out of work early enough to meet me at the Port Authority so we could commute home together. We decided to stop for dinner at a restaurant in uptown Hoboken on our way home. I think the sangria was probably a bad idea, at least it had fruit in it! As we walked home I could feel the wine seeping into my muscles. I always feel alcohol in my shoulders and thighs first. By the time we got home, I told Scott I was going to lay down for a minute and sober up before I went walking. I laid down on the bed and promptly fell asleep! I woke up a few hours later, long enough to get undressed and peel the contact lenses off my eyes. Then it was back to bed and straight through until 7:30 Saturday morning. I guess I was tired.

Oops. Well, like the title of this blog suggests: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. At the rate I'm going, the devil should have a luxury suite prepared for me.

Day 25: Oooooo. Aahhhhhh. Ooohhhhh. Ouch!

I think I mentioned last week that my left shoulder was hurting. It hurt to move my arm. It hurt to put any sort of pressure on the left arm. It hurt when I moved from lying down to a sitting position. It just hurt. It was definitely a muscle pain. I tried everything to loosen it up. And finally thought maybe I should get a massage. Scott mentioned this bass player that he knew who lived here in Hoboken and was a massage therapist, Mario. So I asked Scott to get in touch with him and get his info. Two days later, I asked if he had gotten in touch with Mario. And Scott said, "I didn't know your shoulder still hurt. You haven't complained about it." Exasperated, I looked at him and replied, "That's because I'm a woman! Sheesh! We don't complain about pain!" (There's the old joke, that if men had to have the babies, humans would have died out long ago.)

He had Mario's info for me that night. In the meantime I had a woman do some Reiki energy work on the shoulder and it started to loosen up and the pain lessened. But it didn't solve the underlying problem that I carry all my stress in the my shoulders, neck and upper back. I feel like my shoulders are so tight they are up around my ears. So I gave a Mario a call.

My appointment was this evening. When I got to his apartment we chatted for a little bit about common acquaintances and then he asked me what was going on with my body and I explained to him about my shoulders, back and neck. He left the room, I got undressed and on the table and then he went to work. For a solid hour, he concentrated on those three areas, rubbing, kneading, practically beating those muscles into submission. Every time he hit a seized up spot on my back I flinched. We chatted a little during and he explained what he was seeing and how the muscles get knotted up and lose circulation so they can't loosen up. He said he's seen worse backs but I think he was just being kind. Towards the end he had me turn over onto my back and he went to work on the pectoral muscles which were also tight and therefore waging war with the back muscles over who controlled the shoulders. He ended up with some work on my neck and a scalp massage.

When I got up from the table, the tension was lessened, but still present. My shoulders at least felt like they had dropped a couple of inches and my neck felt longer. I think the tension is so firmly entrenched in my muscles that it is going to take some work to get them unknotted. I made another appointment for the 23rd and I think I'm going to hit the spa on my cruise next weekend for a massage.

I've always looked at massages as a luxury. I think I'm going to have to change that attitude for a while and view them as a necessity. I'm trying to imagine a day when I don't feel that familiar, painful tightness in my shoulders, neck and back. Right now, it's hard to see, but I know I can get there.

When I was getting dressed, I looked in the mirror and saw that my hair was really wacky from the scalp massage and the oil on his hands so I smoothed it down the best I could. When I left his building and headed home, I passed a guy sitting on a stoop and thought I saw him kind of smirk at me. And then I passed another guy who did the same thing. I thought, "What's their problem?" When I got home and really looked at myself in the mirror, I saw the flush on my body, the messy hair, and smudged mascara and suddenly realized what they were smirking at... I looked like I had just gotten laid! I started laughing. Oh well.

I didn't feel like harshing my mellow when I got home this evening, so I took the night off from exercise. I will return to exercise this evening. If my knees aren't up to walking, I think I'm going to pull out "Sweating to the Oldies". Richard Simmons is always good for a laugh.

Day 24: Well, At Least the Toilet Stopped Leaking

For the past few days every time I went in the bathroom I had to mop up a large puddle that had formed on the floor. The first time I noticed it, I was all ready to yell at Scott about not closing the shower curtain all the way when he showered or even for having terrible aim (ewwwww!). But then when I went back into the bathroom, I noticed it again and I realized that the toilet was leaking. And it was getting progressively worse. I called maintenance on Monday, but of course, they didn't come until Tuesday so I had to continue to mop up. We call things like that the price we pay for the price we pay for this apartment. I've been in this same apartment for 16 years. My former roommate was here for 10 years before that. Hoboken has rent control, which makes living here a lot more affordable than most places in Hoboken.

And that is good. Because our apartment is so full of crap we had to rent a storage unit to hold the overflow of crap. It is positively crap-tacular. I keep telling myself that I'm going to go through all this crap and start to chuck things out. Since I'm trying break old habits and start new ones, perhaps I can break my pack rat habit. I'm searching for the life metaphor here. Maybe it's not only this extra weight that is weighing me down in my life, perhaps it's all the extra crap I keep around me. Tons of old boxes. Piles of old clothes I never wear and shall we discuss the shoe issue? I have lots of old shoes filling the bottom of my closet that haven't been on my feet in years. Perhaps if I start clearing the clutter, I'll have room for new things in my life.

And more practically, maybe I'll have more room in the house to exercise. I find myself clearing little spots to make room for what I should be doing, but by the time I get it all cleared, I'm totally out of the exercise mindset. Which is probably why I prefer to exercise outdoors instead. However, my knees are still a bit stiff and sore from Saturday's hike so I decided to give them a break last night. I pulled out the exercise bike and moved it into the bedroom so I could watch TV while I rode. The exercise bike was a $50 purchase on Ebay. It's got those handles that move too so when you ride you are moving your arms as well as your legs. It also has the world's most uncomfortable seat. When Scott used to ride it, he used to put a pillow on the seat. I stuck in a DVD of "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" (I'm in the middle of rewatching the entire run of the series. Bruce Boxleitner is soooo dreamy.) And I hopped on the bike. Wow, there was just no focusing. I'd watch the TV a bit, then I'd hop of the bike for a sec to move something or get some water. It's even worse than the treadmill. At least on the treadmill, I can keep moving for at least 30 minutes at a decent pace before I get bored. On the bike, I really struggled to get through a half hearted 30 minutes, which took more like 45 with all the distractions. I'm not sure I'll be hitting the bike again. I guess it's time to sell it on Ebay.

I have a real bike. It's in my storage unit. I plan on pulling it out of storage. I think, much like I find it easier to walk several miles outside, I will find it easier to ride outside as well. At least I'll feel like I'm getting somewhere. Also, I can start riding it to the grocery store or Target or on other errands I need to run. Maybe explore all the roads in Hoboken and some in Jersey City and Weehawken (although Weehawken may have to come later because it involves a couple of hills...) It will save on gas too.

See what I mean about good intentions?

Well tomorrow is my massage. I can't wait. I haven't had a massage since I was on the Blogger's Cruise back in January. Then it was heavenly. My massage therapist on the ship took my shoulders and neck as her own personal challenge. And she did a pretty good job.

I should be pretty relaxed and mellow tomorrow night.

Cheerios.

Day 23: "Bend and Stretch

Reach for the stars. Here comes Jupiter. There goes Mars. Bend and Stretch. Reach for the sky. Stand on tip-toes, oh so high." How many people remember that? It's from the old kiddie show "Romper Room". For some reason after all these years that little ditty still resides in the depths of my brain, along with a healthy chunk of lyrics from "Kids Are People Too" from Wonderama, any number of songs from Sesame Street, the Preamble to the Constitution and the address for writing to the show Zoom. "Write Zoom! Z, double O, M! Box 350, Boston, Mass, 0-2-1-3-4. Send it to Zoom!" There is all this useless trivia cluttering up my mind. And of course, if I learn something new, it's not a piece of useless trivia that gets pushed out, it usually some other more useful piece of information. I always said if I could learn to use my powers for good instead of evil, I could cure cancer.

The Romper Room song bubbled up into my consciousness as I was in yoga tonight. I was really enjoying the stretching aspect of class tonight, last week I felt completely bunched up and hunched over. Everything was tight like it was ready to burst apart at any moment. And my mood was kind of the same way. I'm not sure if the mood was the result of the physical or the physical was the result of the mood. But I'm just happy that the mood is passing.

So I really concentrated on the stretch tonight and it felt good.

There was one other thing I realized during yoga tonight. Jody had us do a few balance poses tonight. Poses where we had to balance on one foot. These have never been my forte. I always blame my weak ankles. As I rushed to get into each pose, I would lose my balance and fall over as soon as I lifted my other foot off the floor. Finally, I just stopped for a moment. I slowed down and concentrated on my one foot on the floor. I imagined it rooted to the floor. I concentrated on making that as strong and stable as possible. Then I lifted the other foot almost unconsciously, as if I was trying to ignore the fact that I was only on one foot. And you know what? It worked. I was able to get into the pose and hold it. There was a little wiggling and balance adjustments, but there I was on one foot.

All I really had to do was slow down. I need to take the time to establish that one foot as my base and really focus on making it as strong as possible before I moved forward. And once I did that, the other foot was able to go where it was supposed to. Gee, you think that maybe there is a life lesson in there?

Living and working in the New York City area, everything is rush, rush, rush. I walk fast to get where I need to be. I even catch my reflection in windows from time to time and see myself leaning forward as I walk as if that will get me there quicker. At work I program as fast as my little fingers can type so I can get more programs finished. Then after work, I rush to the Port Authority to get on a bus and get home as quickly as possible so I can attend to the personal things I need to do. And I rush through those. I rush through my meals. I rush through my exercise. I rush through this blog. And as a result? My shoulders and neck are so tight they feel like they are going to snap sometimes. And I gained .7 pounds.

So I think I need to slow down. I need to take a minute and really concentrate on making that one foot a solid base and maybe along with the other foot, my life will be able to go where it needs to be. And maybe the weight will come off, but not while I'm in such a rush. As y'all keep reminding me, slow and steady wins the race and baby steps are needed.

Of course putting this little life lesson into practice will be the challenge.

On Wednesday, I'm missing my yoga class so I can get a massage. Like I said, my shoulders and neck are so tight I feel like my shoulders are hunched all the time. I carry my stress there and in the tops of my thighs. I'm going to have him concentrate on those areas while I focus on my breathing and just slow down. Hopefully it will help.

But I think the first step is to just remember to breathe. So tomorrow, I will get up and I will breathe. If I feel myself bunching up again, I will find a quiet place and just breathe.

Let's see if I can stick to that. Namaste.

Day 22b: The New Not-So Magic Number

I realized I forgot to post yesterday's new magic number... Well it was .7 pounds...PLUS .7 pounds. Yes, I gained almost a pound. Two steps forward, one step back. I guess I'll just have to redouble my efforts this week. And pray what I'm hoping is PMS will pass this week.

Booger

Day 22: Catching Up...

First, I apologize for not blogging on either Friday or Saturday. This had been a off week. Off in many ways. A high, high with the birth of my nephew, a lovely evening with Kevin, but a lot more lows with a bad mood, work stress, and some poor eating choices, and an inability to muster any enthusiasm for exercise this week. I mean I didn't sit down and eat a whole box of Entenmann's Rich Frosted Donuts or a pint of Ben & Jerry's or even a package of Funny Bones (all though I had a close call with that last one). And I did actually exercise most days this week. But I didn't try very hard. And today I broke down and had a small chocolate soft ice cream cone from Mr. Softee.

Interestingly enough the hike that I took yesterday basically reflected the way my week has gone. Some really great and beautiful highs (literally) and some really low lows (mentally).

This week's hike was in Ringwood State Park. The write up says that it is a 5.5 mile hike. They lied. And I must take this moment to apologize to my brother Chris. I dragged him on this hike the year before last telling him that it was only a 5.5 mile moderate hike. He could do it. Well, he decided to wear his brand new pedometer and by the time we dragged our carcasses back to the car his pedometer read 6.2 miles. I told him that he must have configured his pedometer wrong or that it wasn't working properly, because the write up clearly says that it is a 5.5 mile hike. Well, when I got back to my car today, my pedometer read... 6.2 miles. Sorry I doubted you Chris!

Anyway, this hike has three significant ups in it and they all happen in the first half of the hike. As a matter of fact, the first one, the trek up Cupsaw Mountain, happens in the first half mile. This one starts you off with a very picturesque walk over a couple of wooden bridges, but once you cross the road, the pain starts. It's an immediate uphill trudge, no getting the muscles warm, just straight into it. Fortunately, it's not a very long up, it's a little steep in places, but not too bad. I even saw a deer leaping across the trail above me on the the mountain. Once up to the ridge, you have to go back down.

Oddly enough, I dread steep downs more than I do steep ups. Downs are a lot harder on my knees. I have to take them really slowly and make sure that I place my feet carefully with each step. Remember when you were a kid, how you could just run full speed down a hill and if you fell down it was fun and you just rolled the rest of the way down the hill? Yeah, me too. But these days, not so much.

The trail lead down into a wet area. There were quite a few spots of "seasonal wetness", some real shoe sucking mud. But soon I came out into the Shepherd Lake Recreation Area. There were lots of people already there (around 10:30 in the morning), swimming in the lake, fishing, renting kayaks and boats. I was already sweating like George W. Bush at a spelling bee, so it was very tempting to kick off my boots and just walk into the lake. But the prospect of walking another 4 miles or so in wet underwear and shorts kept me on the shore. I had a nice stroll along side the lake, and then turned off the road and began the trek up the second serious up.

I know I started this hike pretty early, but I didn't see a single other soul on the trails. Not a one. Not a single DHP, not a single unprepared day hiker. Maybe they knew something that I didn't know.

The third significant up is the hike up Mount Defiance. This is where you get the really money shots. It's also where the ups get steeper and the downs get scarier and it requires a bit of rock scrambling. Oddly enough, you don't get the views from the peak of the mountain. It's more like a rocky meadow up there, but then you head down a bit and the trail parallels some "impressive cliffs". The only problem is that you actually have to climb down to parallel those impressive cliffs. It was a bit of a scramble and I think I hyperextended my right knee during it. That knee started giving me problems over the rest of the hike.

I think my knees have a bit of a sibling rivalry going on. I've mentioned before that I had surgery on my left knee, so I tend to favor the left. The right knee has become aware of this and is rebelling. The left knee gets to wear the knee brace with the metal hinges, while the right gets the basic neoprene support. Apparently the right knee has become jealous of the support I give the left and let me know it by aching badly for the rest of the hike and being stiff all day Sunday. So I went out and bought the right its own "bionic" knee brace today.

Back to the hike. As I came down the trail there were a couple of side trails that I followed to rock out croppings with a fabulous view over the surrounding area. It was absolutely gorgeous, so lush and green. I would have loved to stay longer, but was starting to get really tired and my knees and feet were starting to ache so I made my way down the mountain on a switch back trail. I eventually came out on the grounds of Skylands Manor. It's a lovely area with a Botanical Garden, but I was too tired to explore it.

Now, occasionally on a hike you hit a point where you are just done with the hike. You may not actually be at the end of the hike, but your body and your mind are done with it. Your feet hurt, your knees aches, the charm of nature has worn off and all you really want to do is get back to your car and turn on the air conditioning. I was done with this hike almost two miles from the end. I was tired of the bugs buzzing in my ear, I was tired of the face fulls of webs I kept getting. I was tired of picking my way through muddy areas, I was tired of bushwhacking my way through lesser used areas of the trail. I was tired. And I was done. But, I had to slog through that last two miles to get to my car and its air conditioner. I was never so happy to see a hike end. But then of course I had to walk to the bathroom across a field and back and that added another 1/10th of a mile to the hike.

When I got back to my car my trusty pedometer read:

Miles: 6.35
Steps: 14905
Calories burned: 705
In a little over 3 hours.

Today I woke up grumpy and sore. We did diner breakfast and then I went for a little retail therapy. But walking around the mall made my feet sore and my knee hurt. So fat lot of good that did me.

I think I'll go to bed now. Tomorrow will hopefully be better.

Day 18b: Introducing...

The reason I missed my yoga class tonight... And pretty darned cute reason at that!


James Allen Duvall. 5 pounds 3.6 ounces. 18 inches long. Arrived June 18, 2008 at 6:37pm via C-section (hence his perfect and very cute head). I'm totally smitten.

And my sister is doing well too.

Day 18: A Child is Born in Bethlehem...

Pennsylvania. My youngest sister is being induced today. She has a number of factors making it a high risk pregnancy, so they are taking the baby about 4 weeks early. So I'm off to Bethlehem this afternoon to meet the 3rd Nephew (#6 overall) James Duvall.

So tonight's regularly scheduled blog entry, not to mention yoga class, will not happen!

See y'all tomorrow!

Day 17: So You Had a Bad Day...

Yeah, I had a bad day. In fact, I would go so far as to describe it as "crappy ass". Work was overwhelming and my spirits seem to be in the dumps. About halfway through the day, I just hit a low. It happens. I just start to question everything in my life, particularly right now my job. I'm feeling sort of stuck and more than a little overwhelmed. I told Scott the other night that he really needs to get his butt in gear because it would be nice if he could support me in the manner to which I'd like to become accustomed. And I was only half kidding.

My usual MO when this mood hits me is to comfort myself with food. I thought about it. Oh, how I thought about it. Towards the end of my work day, I took a break and strolled outside for a few minutes. The Mister Softee truck on the corner was playing his sweet siren song, calling to me with the promise of comfort in the form of a chocolate shake. Like and alcoholic confronted with bottle of vodka, I pulled out my phone and called my sponsor, the ever supportive Princess Elaine, and said, "You've got to talk me down. I want a chocolate shake." And bless her heart she did. She made me laugh and forget about the fact that I wanted a chocolate shake. And then warned me if I went ahead and got it anyway, she'd know, because she was a Jewish mother and she has all seeing eyes in the back of her head. And you know what? I believed her. She worked that guilt like a freakin' maestro, and in the end I stopped at the fruit stand and got a banana instead. Everyone should have a well practiced Jewish mother in their lives. Thank you my sistah princess!

When I got home from work, I was suffering from a complete lack of gumption. I had planned on cooking dinner, but instead I just ended up throwing together a whole wheat wrap with chicken breast, avocado, and pineapple salsa. Then I mindlessly played games on the computer for a while trying to work up the will and desire to exercise. Finally around 9, I decided that if I didn't get off my butt and out of the house I would ended up standing in front of the fridge and no good can come of that.

Maybe a walk would improve my mood. So I put on my sneakers and mp3 player and headed out the door. I didn't walk particularly fast, although, anyone who has ever walked the streets of New York with me, knows that my regular gait is quite lively. I ended up walking up to the north end of Hoboken and then following the river all the way to the south end, before coming halfway back and doing those godforsaken stairs and the hill at Stevens Institute of Technology. All told it was 4.7 miles, 11052 steps, 10953 aerobic steps and 464 calories burned.

As I wandered along, I kept skipping to the "wallowing" songs on my mp3 player, Joni Mitchell, Billy Bragg, Tom Waits, Cat Stevens, Harry Chapin, singing out loud when I was out of earshot (because why should others have to suffer with me?) When I got home, my mood hadn't really improved, but at least I didn't console myself with food.

Yes, I'm in full on poor, poor pitiful me stage right now.

But this too shall pass...

Day 16: Ancient History

Yoga class was a little more normal tonight. Turns out Jody was sick last week and trying to push through with a 103 fever. Silly wabbit. I knew the energy was off. But today was better, and I followed it up with a trial Reiki session. Reiki is a Japanese technique for relaxation and stress reduction that promotes healing. Basically it's energy work.

I was going to write a whole blog about energy and being sensitive to it, but then I got sidetracked. My niece posted a bunch of pictures from her senior prom on her myspace page, so I had to check them out. And of course it brought back memories of my own proms.

I was never the thin one in high school. I was the chubby "best friend" type, the mousy brown haired side kick. I was the buddy to all the guys. They didn't date me, but they hung out with me. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I could drink most of them under the table. I was aware of my weight issues and I occasionally wished that I could be one of the thin cheerleader types, but that was never going to happen. My weight was and continues to be one of my biggest insecurities. So when a guy was actually interested in me, it always surprised me. I had a couple boyfriends during high school, but never anyone who actually went to my high school and never for very long. So I went to my proms with friends. Sort of a "Hey, I want to go to prom and you want to go to prom, so why don't we go together. Okay cool." kind of thing.

Now, I'm going to show y'all something. Please don't judge. And please keep in mind that this was the mid 80's. Here, making their internet debut, are my prom pictures.

This is my Junior Prom. My date is Steven Bitkower. He was a year older than me and a friend. He was also a last minute fill in for me. I was originally supposed to go with a guy that I had a thing for. But his very traditional Thai parents did not approve and he ended up having to break our date. Steven, bless his soul, was kind enough to step in and join me. We had a nice time. Two other girls were wearing the same dress as me. And yes, my natural hair color is actually that dark. (I didn't start to color it until about 5 years ago.)

Compared to what I gained later in life, I actually look pretty thin here, but compared to other girls I was big.

I kept that dress until just a few years ago, yeah, like I was ever going to wear that again right?

This is the Senior prom. Y'all can stop laughing now. It's New Jersey in 1987, my hair is supposed to be that big. I swear that I think I was possessed by the ghost of Scarlett O'Hara. I remember when I found the dress that I absolutely loved it, but they did not have it in my size. I had to get a size 12 I believe and they had to put some extra panels in the bodice to make it fit. It was sort of mortifying. And yes, I'm wearing a hoop skirt underneath. My date's name is Larry Bogad. We knew each other since elementary school. And come prom time we were both dateless, so it literally was "You wanna." "Yeah okay, if you wanna." My senior prom was actually kind of interesting. First of all, my older brother Chris and our friend Dave crashed it. They showed up in jeans and denim jackets and talked their way in. And second, we had a bitchin' after-prom. A bunch of us went up to a friend's vacation condo in Connecticut for the weekend. There was lots of alcohol involved. I remember falling down the steps at one point and getting a nice little cut in my shin. I laid there for a moment and then said, "Ow. I really must have done something because I can feel it." Ah sweet memories of youth!

Oh, but what I wouldn't give to weigh now what I weighed then! Even if I was still overweight, I hadn't yet been introduced to the Freshman Fifteen (or more like 30 in my case) and the simple pleasures of raw cookie dough eaten straight from the tube when you are really stoned. I had all that to look forward to! There's a time and place for everything, it's called college. But those are stories for another time.

Well with any luck, come January I'll be lighter than I was those twenty-mmmph...umm years ago.

G'night all!

Day 15: Baiting the Wolverines and A New Magic Number

Today's magic number is...

2.8

I lost 2.8 pounds this week. That brings the total to 7.1 pounds so far. Now just for kicks when I got back from my hike today I weighed myself again, and I was almost a pound lighter. But that had to be water weight since I sweated like George W. Bush strapped to a lie detector. So we will stick with the morning's number.

That puts me at 205.6. I tell ya, when I get under 200 I'm gonna party like it's 1999! Oh wait, I was over 200 in 1999. So I guess I'm gonna party like it's 1994!

So today's hike was Pyramid Mountain in Montville, New Jersey. The write up says it was a 4.5 mile moderate loop hike, however, since they have re-routed a number of trails it's actually about 5 miles now (4.97 miles to be exact). It's shorter than my last 2 but it has more ups and the ups are more intense and rocky as are the downs (there was butt sliding involved).

I've done this hike several times in the past. And, by the way, this is one of two hikes that I've actually spotted a bear on. It starts out with a lovely little walk in the woods. But once you get on the yellow blazed trail the pain starts. Half the time you are looking for the next blaze and you lookup and see it over a big pile of rocks and boulders. But for the blazes, the trail isn't always clear.

My pedometer refused to count aerobic steps for me today. It is resolutely saying 0 aerobic steps taken, but with the way my heart was pounding and the fact that I was breathing as heavy as an obscene phone caller, at several points along the trail, says that I did indeed take many aerobic steps in the course of my journey.

The many ups on the trail provided a little rock scrambling for me which I enjoy. However, we had some big storms come through here last night and every thing was damp which makes the moss and lichen covered rocks a bit slippery. There were many moments on the trail today that I was thankful for my hiking stick and good hiking boots with ankle support.

The other things that the many ups give you is some really nice vistas. They are the reward for getting your ass up the mountain.


I saw lots of people on the main trails that I used today. A lot families out together. And not a single DHP! Probably because many of the trails are too darn rocky for safe running.

The main features of this trail are what is called "glacial erratics". Glacial erratics are boulders left behind in curious positions by the movement of the glaciers through this area many millions of years ago. The most curious of these erratics is Tripod Rock. This is an enormous boulder balanced on three smaller boulders. There are also two other smaller rocks sort of similarly situated nearby. The interesting thing about the two small boulders is that they form a perfect "gunsight" for a summer solstice sunset.














When I arrived here today there was a group of kids and adults climbing around, over and under the rocks taking pictures. The kids looked like they were really enjoying their time outdoors which was really nice to see in this age of couch potato kids. Having been through here any number of times, I suggested a couple of other picture options, that are kind of fun photo tricks. These pictures are from a couple years ago...


















After this the trail descends into a swampy area. The 3 signs you are in a swamp in New Jersey, skunk cabbage, fiddle ferns and dead bodies. Wait, I'm just kidding about that last one. The third sign is the mosquitos. I don't have pictures from this area, because if you stop for a moment you get swarmed. So I kept moving to head for the higher elevations. The other big glacial erractic I encountered just before I left the swamp was Bear Rock. The hike description says Native Americans used to shelter by this ginormous rock. It's pretty impressive looking.














As I approached the end of my hike, I met a lot more people coming up the trail. It seems there was a party in a park nearby and some of the party goers decided to take a stroll in the woods. I met one such couple and their young daughter at the top of the highest point in the park. They had decided to follow the blue trail and had no idea where it would take them. The father had a beer in his hand and the wife had a small bottle of water. At least they had sense enough to ask me where the blue trail led (out of the park and into another county!) and how to get back to the parking area, without having to go back the way they came. I pulled out the map I had picked up and showed them where they were and that they should make a right onto the yellow trail when they came to the junction. and that would lead them back to the parking area. Then, I gave them my map and they set off down the trail. I just shook my head as I started back down the trail. Maybe I'm just anal, but I can't fathom wandering off in the woods without at least a trail description or better yet a map and a sufficient amount of water.

I passed several more groups heading up the mountain without maps or water. Pyramid Mountain is a pretty well traveled trail area, so I'm sure they made it out fine. But to me they just looked like wolverine bait.

By the time I made it back to my car, my trusty but temperamental pedometer read:

Miles: 4.97
Steps: 11670
Aerobic Steps: 0 (bull dookie!)
Calories burned: 531 (at least!)
Time: about 2 hours 45 minutes
I was soaking wet and looking forward to nice long shower when I got home.

Why is it that even when it's hot and humid out and you are disgustingly hot and sweaty, a hot shower still feels so good?

Oh, a quick note about Saturday. My cheat day so we did diner breakfast. I ran a bunch of errands and then that evening it poured. So exercise for the day was the treadmill. I'm attempting the Couch-to-5K Running Plan that one of John Heald's Bloggers mentioned. I think I did pretty well for the first time. But it was tough and I was dripping with sweat when I finished. I decided to follow it up with some light weight work, since one of my doctors once told me "I don't care what you weigh, as long as you build muscle." Because muscle metabolizes sugar better and faster.

I'm off to watch the Tonys. 'Night all!

Day 12: Farmisht , Farmutshet, and Farshvitst

Wow. It's amazing how one off night at yoga just puts you all out of whack. My mind has been unfocused and distracted all day. So of course it got really busy at work today.

For those who don't know, I work in the diamond industry. I'm a programmer for a small software company that makes inventory and A/R control software for diamond dealers. The diamond industry is very heavily Jewish and though I am not of that faith, I've picked up enough over the years that I might as well be. Yiddish is one of those things that I've picked up. One thing I love about Yiddish words is that they often mean exactly what the sound like, especially the less than polite words. Like putz, you may not know exactly what it means, but just by the sound of it you don't want to be called it. My two favorite words are meshugass, which means madness or insanity, and (I hope I don't offend) farkakte, which means kind of like sh*tty or f*cked up.

The other thing I picked up was about another 70 pounds (I was already about 30 pounds overweight when I started this job). For 17 years I have spent 8 hours a day 5 days a week sitting at a desk exercising my brain more than my butt. It made it very easy to pack on those pounds. After a long day, you get home and all you really want to do is veg out in front of the TV and turn your brain off for a while. Believe it or not having to think and solve problems all day is physically exhausting. Exercise? Maybe later. Cook a healthy balanced meal? A can of Chef Boyardee in the microwave is a lot quicker and easier. Have a bad day at work? Stressed out? Ben & Jerry are always there to comfort and reward you. Obviously I didn't have to fall into the sedentary lifestyle trap, but I was a prime candidate. Even now, there are some nights when I get home and all I really want to do is sit on my butt. The difference is now I'm more motivated. When I started this blog, I joked that public failure is a strong motivator. What I've discovered is that it REALLY is. I'd feel like I let someone down if I didn't do the things I was supposed to and then come here and write about it (apparently I've also picked up some good old fashioned Jewish guilt too!).

Why is it so much easier to accept disappointing yourself than it is risking the disappointment of others?

I mean ultimately I'm not trying to lose this weight for you guys, I'm trying to lose it for me. I guess that's one of my other little personality quirks, I'm a people pleaser, so pleasing makes me feel more worthwhile. I used to be worse and it caused me no end of stress. Then finally just before my senior year of high school it all caught up with me and I had a bit of a mental meltdown. The thing that pulled me through and still does to when things get rough is something my brother Chris said to me on that day: "There are only two people in this world that you have to impress. That's me and that's you. And I'm already damn impressed."

So I try and keep those words with me when I get tired and frustrated with this whole lifestyle change. But now I have something more to go with those words, all the very kind and supportive comments and emails I've been getting from you all. They've been a great help getting through these first two weeks. Apparently positive reinforcement can keep cravings at bay! Behold the power of words.

So thank you for your support. I may be trying to lose this weight for me, but I'm not sure I could do it without you.

Day 10: One of THOSE Days

It just had to be one of those days. A day where nothing seems to go right and you realize that you would have been better off, just staying home and hiding under the covers.

It started off okay. I had my oatmeal and fresh strawberries for breakfast. Then I made my first mistake. I left my house. To get to work, I take the bus. The bus stop in Hoboken is about two blocks from my house so it's very convenient. Now considering that my office is literally only 5 miles away from my house you would think that this would be a quick and easy commute. You would be wrong, especially this morning. The first thing I noticed was that the buses arriving at our stop were a lot more packed than usual. As it turns out, there was a fire on the 33rd Street PATH line (the PATH trains are subways that run between New Jersey and New York), and therefore all midtown PATH service was shut down, forcing many people to take the bus across the river instead. I was able to get on the second bus that came and I actually got a seat. The traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel was somewhat backed up so that took a little while to get through. Then as we started to turn onto the ramp up to the Port Authority Bus Terminal (our final destination), there was a loud bang, followed by an evil scraping noise that startled all the headphone wearing, Ipod listening, cell phone chatting commuters on the bus. The Greyhound bus turning into the lane next to us was now connected to us as our bus tried to shave off the front corner of their vehicle.

It was just a minor fender bender and nobody was hurt, but it took a while for the drivers to come up with a plan of action and move the buses to place where others could get by. Then we ended up being let off the bus at the bottom of this busy ramp area, adding an extra three long crosstown blocks to my walk in the already ridiculous heat. By the time, I got to my office I was dripping with sweat and my 5 mile commute had taken an hour and a half.

I had a hard time focusing yesterday. Everything just felt a little off. I ate my apple mid morning and then the Lean Cuisine entree around 1:30. Then my boyfriend called. His sister was in town. We were supposed to get together with her on Sunday, but she never got in touch and now she wanted to have dinner with us before she flew back to San Francisco the next day. So, I met Scott after work and we headed down to the West Village to meet Jill at Trattoria Spaghetto on Bleecker Street. The pasta was tempting, calling my name like a siren's song, but I resisted. I ordered a chicken and mesculun salad with fresh mozzarella and broccoli sauteed with garlic on the side. It was pretty tasty and I ate more than I probably should of as we sat and chatted with Jill.

After dinner, the 33rd Street PATH line was still out of service, so we caught a cab further downtown to the World Trade Center PATH train. Now you would think that almost 7 years later there might be some buildings actually rising in the area where the towers used to be. But since everything having to do with this project seems to have to go through endless committees, Ground Zero is pretty much still a big hole in the ground. But lately they have moved the "temporary" PATH entrance from the east side to the north side of the area and it's all a bit confusing. We waited for a train in the stifling heat of the underground station and were thankful when we didn't have to wait long.

By the time we got back to Hoboken and emerged from the station, there were flickers of lightning in the distance. Thunder and lightning storms scare me. I startle easily so a loud clap of thunder really sets my heart racing and lightning displays often make me cower. Yes, I'm a big old baby. So we set off for home walking at a pretty good clip. The heat was still pretty oppressive and Scott wanted to stop for an Italian Ice. We stopped at the Ice Hut and they had cherry. I love cherry italian ice. I figured it was fat free so damn the sugar, I'd been without for a while, and got a small one. When we left the Ice Hut, the lightning flashes started coming faster. Then the wind kicked up. Within a matter of minutes, the strong breeze turned into extreme gusts and the dark sky went a weird gray/green/orange as the lightning continued to flash. The wind literally started to pick up the garbage cans and garbage bags left out for collection and hurl them around. The street lights flickered and then went out. Scott and I held onto each other and tried to shield our eyes as dust and dirt swirled around.

We made it to a little convenience store at the corner of Washington and Sixth and ducked inside for a few minutes hoping to let it pass. We waited for the lottery terminal to reboot itself and purchased a lottery ticket (Hey, you never know). By the time we went back outside, the wind was still gusting but not as strangely as it was before. We made it the last 3 blocks and held our breath as we turned onto the street because we could see the flashing lights of a fire truck. Not our house, thankfully. When we got inside, we were happy to find the power still on. But it was 9:30 pm and I was exhausted. I checked some email and chatted with my sistah Princess Elaine for a few and then went to bed and fell fast asleep.

So, basically, the whole previous story is my excuse for why I didn't exercise on Day 10. Oops. Mea Culpa. I promise to do better on Day 11.

Here's to a better day.

Day 9: Good Intentions

Some of you might be wondering why this blog is subtitled "(Or... The Road to Hell)" No, it's not because dieting and exercise (oh, excuse me... "lifestyle changes") are a hellish torture. But you know the old saying, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." Where weight loss and fitness are concerned I have a lot of good intentions. In a fact, here is a picture of my good intentions:

And we can't forget the exercise bike and treadmill (both bought on Ebay), which I will not post pictures of, because I can't take pictures of them without you seeing what a terrible mess my house is (Scott holds the rank of Major Chaos, but I outrank him as General Disarray).

See I've thought about trying to get in better shape many times in the past. I'd buy the video, watch it through once, maybe attempt it once and then it just gathers dust. Apparently fitness can not be gained through osmosis. I'd join a gym go for few weeks, then once life starting interfering with the schedule I set, I wouldn't go back again. The longest I lasted at any gym was 7 months at Curves. I kind of liked that workout ("Change station now."), but once you don't go a couple times, it gets harder and harder to go back. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone else?

Then yoga came along. I've managed to stick with that for over a year. But even with yoga my good intentions often get foiled by this thing called life. Take tonight for instance. I really did intend to go to my yoga class, even in this heat. But then a server crashed in Chicago so I got stuck on the phone helping the client until well after 5. By the time I got to the Port Authority the lines for the buses were outrageously long because of some traffic snafu involving the Lincoln Tunnel. I didn't get home until almost 7:30. At that point there was no way to make it to my yoga class in time.

It was too hot to cook so I heated some leftovers (1/2 portion of chicken marsala, couscous, and steamed broccoli) in the microwave, then considered my exercise options. I could walk, but it's damn hot out and my legs need a break after yesterday's 6.6 mile hike. And that also takes the treadmill out of the equation. Then I remembered all these lovely videos that I owned so I thought I'd give one a try. So...

Today's exercise: The Biggest Loser Workout Cardio Max (level 1)

This was my most recent purchase, an impulse buy at the register in the grocery store. I watch "The Biggest Loser" all the time, usually while sitting on the couch eating ice cream or something else bad for me. I figured with the amount of weight these people drop, they have to know what they are doing. Of course, watching a show like "The Biggest Loser" causes the obsession with the number on the scale. You watch the number of pounds these people drop each week and they get disappointed with anything less than five. Five pounds! And some of these people drop double digits week after week! It makes my 4.3 pounds look kind of paltry. But then you have to remind yourself that they have the luxury of 1) exercising upwards of 6 hours a day, 2) constant access to trainers, and 3) people telling them how and what to eat. I know in my head that it is not possible to live a real life and drop like that. But it doesn't help the obsession.

I have to tell you, "The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max" level one, kicked my ass. I was dripping with sweat when it was over and I kept having to stop and catch my breath. Egads. But afterwards as always I feel better for having done it.

I think that I'm going to do each and every one of the tapes I have. Add them in once a week. It will help with my need for variety.

Now I'm sweaty and really tired. Time to hit the showers and catch some zzzzzzz's.

Good Night Moon!

Day 6: I did it My Way

Today's exercise: None! Today is a day of rest. It's also date night, so Scott and I will be heading out to dinner... uh oh.

Breakfast: 1 c. PostRaisin Bran, 1/2 c. 2% milk, 1/2 large banana

Mid morning snack: 1 apple

Lunch: The last of the French Potato and Chicken Salad, 1/2 c. couscous mixed with sauteed spinach and garlic (It's clean out the fridge day! lol!)

Mid Afternoon Snack: 1 c. green grapes

Early evening snack while waiting for Scott to get the hell home from work!: 1 banana

Dinner: 2 mozzarella sticks, 1/2 portion of chicken marsala, about a cup of angel hair pasta with marinara

Scott and I have our little routine. One morning every weekend we go out for diner breakfast at our favorite diner, the Park West. And every Friday is date night and we go out to dinner. Hoboken is only 1.2 miles square, but there are a million restaurants. Oddly enough we tend to frequent the same handful. Tonight we went to one of our regular spots, Leo's Grandevous. Leo's is a neighborhood Italian joint. Typical Italian fare for a decent price. They have the best veal parmigiana in town.

I know, I know, it's veal, little baby cows that are treated so terribly, but damn they are tasty. One of my favorite "South Park" bits is when the kids go to the cattle ranch on a class trip and when they go into the veal shed, there are all these little baby cows drawn with great big eyes, looking all sad. Cartman goes up to one and goes, "Awwwww, look at this one... He looks delicious!" I don't mind eating vegetarian, but I do like meat. My line is always, "If God did want us to eat animals, then he wouldn't have made them so darn tasty!" But that is a personal choice.

Anyway, Scott got the veal parm and I got the chicken marsala. I went a little bit off the rails by eating two mozzarella sticks and half a piece of bread and some of the pasta. But it ain't gonna kill me and I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

Hoboken, for the one or two of you not from this planet or two young to know about the Rat Pack, is the birthplace of Frank Sinatra, ol' Blue Eyes. And this town loves its favorite son, even if he did hate this town. Once Sinatra got out, he never set foot back here again. But nobody talks about that. We have Sinatra Park, Sinatra Drive and the Frank Sinatra Memorial Post Office. And places like Leo's, that have dozens of pictures of the man up on its walls and a jukebox loaded with everything he ever sang. Tonight while we were eating Scott's favorite Sinatra song "Summer Wind" came on. I'm not sure if I have a favorite Sinatra song, but don't tell any of the old timers around here that. A couple of years before Frank passed away he collapsed on stage during a concert. I was coming home late that night after being out with friends, so obviously I had not been privy to that news. But when I got in a cab at the train station, before even asking me where I wanted to go, the cab driver turned to me and said, "Did you hear? Sinatra collapsed on stage tonight!" Yes this town loves their Frank.

Anyway, not real sure what any of that has to do with this diet, except now I have Sinatra riffhead, a weird mash-up of "Summer Wind" and "My Way".

Tomorrow should be a fun day. It's my "cheat day" (although tonight was kind of that) where I allow myself to eat things I wouldn't on a normal day (of course in moderation). You can't deny yourself all the time! And tomorrow is a family get together out at my sister's place in the middle of nowhere near the border of Pennsylvania. One thing my family does is eat. So I'm sure I'll have plenty to tell tomorrow. Lord help me, if I survive.

'Til then...

Day 4: Not Exactly The Girl in the Red Velvet Dress

Today's exercise: yoga class

Breakfast: 1 cup of Post Raisin Bran with 2% milk (Does anyone else remember when the raisins in Raisin Bran used to be coated with sugar?)

Mid Morning Snack: 1 Red Delicious Apple (You know what they say about an apple a day... and I hate doctors, they always find something wrong with you)

Lunch: Another serving of last night's Chicken Tagine and steamed broccoli with a tbsp of fat free feta cheese to make it interesting

Mid Afternoon Snack: 1 Kozy Shack 60 calorie No Sugar Added Bananas Foster pudding cup

Dinner: 1 serving of the French Potato and Chicken Salad and steamed broccoli with a tbsp of fat free feta (gotta be quick and easy so I can get to class on time)

Any woman who has seen the movie "The Fabulous Baker Boys" with Jeff and Beau Bridges and Michelle Pfeiffer will know exactly which scene I am talking about. Any piano man probably will too since they've likely had to deal with the fantasies that resulted. It's that New Year's Eve scene where Michelle Pfeiffer is crawling on top of the piano singing "Makin' Whoopee" in that red velvet dress, ohmygod SO sexy. Topped only by the scene a few moments later where Jeff Bridges is sitting on the edge of the stage with her afterwards and he starts massaging her neck and eventually moves down her back and unzips her dress and moves his hands forward underneath... I'm getting all flushed thinking about it. Give me a moment...

Okay. Anyway, that movie didn't start my fascination with piano players and piano bars (for that we can blame My Brian, my best friend from college, my great unrequited love and a talented piano player), but it certainly helped it along. I mean after seeing that scene how can you not fantasize about writhing on top of a piano in a slinky red velvet dress while Jeff Bridges plays? I'm only human.

Now I've never actually writhed on top of a piano in a slinky red velvet dress, but I have ridden a piano or two in my time. And for that you can blame Ron Pass (Rides on the piano are free, but rides on the organ will cost ya!). He let me ride my first piano in the Lindy Hop piano bar on the Carnival Valor in July of 2006. On the newer Carnival ships the piano is on a platform that rotates (and on the newest ships, it goes both ways!), so I could say that it's a great vantage point from which to see the entire room. But the truth of the matter is I'm just a big ol' ham and when I go out drinking I occasionally cut a little too loose. (Plus, I will admit, I enjoy the vibrations... LOL). Riding the piano has been sort of a habit with me ever since.

On the next cruise I took on the Carnival Valor again the following summer, the piano man (Carl Evans) not only let me ride me the piano, but he gave me the damn microphone and had me sing "Makin' Whoopee". Oy vey! So I sang it, in the key of C apparently. I was just happy that there was a key involved. I know I embarrassed my niece, who happened to walk by the piano bar just at that point. And I would say I embarrassed myself, but I think I had a little too much gin in my system for that to happen, so I do have some fuzzy fond memories of the performance.

I've tried to limit my piano riding to the Carnival ships (they don't call them the Fun Ships for nothing!) however, I managed to end up on top of the piano at Howl At The Moon in Orlando a couple of weeks ago. So it seems to be spreading... hmmm.



Not exactly Michelle Pfeiffer, right?






So now, I'm thinking if I make my goal by the time the Bloggers Cruise v.2.0, perhaps to celebrate I will buy a slinky red dress (I think velvet would be a little too heavy for the Caribbean, lol) and really do the piano ride right. It's always good to reward yourself for accomplishing goals, isnt it?

My yoga teacher tried to kill me tonight. Now, I know you're thinking that's not very "yogi" of her. And you're possibly thinking that I might be over exaggerating a tad. Well, you might be right about the exaggeration. But on the first count, well, Jody is not your typical "yogi" and I think that's why I like her so much. I know for years my perception of yoga and the people who practiced it had a lot to do with crunchy granola, ultra mellow, vegans. In the past few years as yoga has come into vogue as an exercise, that obviously has changed a bit. Then I met Jody. Jody is, as my friend Ray is fond of calling me, a sassy, brassy Joisey girl. And bit of a smartass to boot. She can curse a blue streak, freely admits that she can be impatient and obnoxious but she's working on that through yoga. And if you make smartass remarks to her before class, she will try to kill you with the poses. It certainly seemed tougher this week than weeks previous, plus it was hot as hades in the room and I was sweating like two dollar hooker at a Shriner's convention. I didn't sign on for Bikram yoga! When I got home my muscles were still quivering, which, ultimately, I suppose is a good thing. But still, I think I'll keep my smart comments to myself next time until after class.

We're over the hump and halfway through week one! Hooray! But it's a long road ahead... Happy and healthy travels to all those on that road with me!