Sistah Pat

I have to go for all day inservice today. I don’t know why they change our starting time from 7:30 to 8:30 on these days. Everyone I know would rather stay with the hours we usually have. We’re all used to them and it just means we get out an hour later than we normally would. DS is here. I was trying to sleep in but he woke me up and asked if I was oversleeping. I told him I was going in later today. Thirty minutes later, he’s knocking on the door again to make sure I’m up. I don’t know why he was worried about it. I can’t remember the last time I overslept. So here I am…I don’t have to be at work for two hours and it will only take me about 45 minutes to get ready. To be honest, the reason I have to get up so early on most school days is because it takes so long for the twins to get ready for school and they’re off today. Maybe I’ll take my coffee and go out to the spa.

We’re actually supposed to be in at 8:00 this morning but 8:00 to 8:30 is the optional “breakfast” which might as well be called “doughnuts” and I’m not putting myself in harm’s way if I can help it. I’ve got to start behaving better. We had the “Day of Decadence” last week, followed by the “Family Reunion Potluck”, followed by the “Weekend Shopping Getaway”. Three days of poor choices. I can’t wait to see the tongue lashing Mr. Scale’s going to give me. There was no excuse for what I ate last night. I don’t even like spaghetti and garlic bread but that’s what DH wanted. I told him I was planning on fixing broiled tilapia but he said I could have the tilapia and he and the boys wanted spaghetti. Lazy me, I opted to go along for the ride and eat spaghetti. We have an hour off for lunch today so I need to plan something. I know my friends will want to go out for lunch and everyone will be indecisive about where to go so I need to decide beforehand. Applebee’s has a lot of healthy choices but they take so long to serve lunch that most of my amigos don’t like to go there. Maybe I should suggest it right off the bat before anyone has a chance to wonder about where we’re going.

I’ve been thinking about my workouts. They take a long time. I was thinking I ought to take advantage of quick little 20 or 30 minute opportunities to workout. Why not? There’s no rule that says you can only workout once a day. When I was in my “prime”, the standing rule was to make sure you got your heart rate elevated and kept it there for 45 minutes. That meant an hour workout at the minimum. I think they’ve changed that now and say even short workouts are beneficial for weight loss. I know I need a nice long workout everyday but, on the days when I don’t have time, I might try to do a couple short ones. Another thing I was thinking about was C25K. A lot of chicks mention it in their blogs and I had no idea what it was so I looked it up. Aha! Couch to 5K run in 9 weeks. And, it on the internet free of charge. I can just download the podcasts. hmmmmm….I don’t see why I can’t do that on my treadmill. Only thinking about it. Anyone tried it?

6:30 - Ughh!  There are so many gross people out there!  A nice, fifty year old woman asked if she could be one of my friends on my tagged site.  I checked out her site…pictures of her and her hubby and kids.  I clicked okay.  She sends me a link to a porn site.  Why do people do that?  If you want to do porn, be upfront about it.  Gross!  I think I’m going to shut down my tagged site.  Little sister wants to keep it open for the family but I’m tired of dealing with all the nasties.

Work went well today.  These kind of days are always a little difficult for me.  Where do I fit in?  I’m a math teacher who hasn’t taught math in five years.  I’m a technology teacher but I’m supposed to be full-time resource.  I teach middle school kids and high school kids and I don’t really fit into any neat little package.  I don’t want to be part of the math group because I haven’t taught it for so long I don’t feel like I belong there.  I don’t fit with the tech people because they teach things like keyboarding and word processing and business.  I don’t fit with the middle school because I teach high and I don’t fit with the high school because I teach middle.  Today, I just decided to sit with the Practical Living and Vocational group because they’re all a bunch of oddballs.  Technology, graphic arts, health, ROTC, and PE all thrown together.  All the oddballs and misfits.  I actually fit pretty well with them because they were totally lost with what we were doing and I was able to help them with it.  Maybe I’ll stay with that group for all these “departmental/team” activities.

Things got pretty chaotic around here after I got home.  I was trying to work on some stuff for the “oddball department” because, after spending the day with them, I have a pretty good handle on what they need from me but there was too much going on.  Oldest DS is in town and staying here.  Of course, the twins live here and they were running around.  Youngest DS came by with DIL and his two kids and I couldn’t get anything done.  Tomorrow is parent conference day.  No school for kids.  I only have a couple of conferences since I have so few students and I should be able to get some work done.  We work crappy hours tomorrow to make it convenient for parents.  I have to be there from 11:00 to 7:00.  Think anyone will let me sleep in tomorrow?

I’ve done more shopping in the last two months than I’ve done in years. Why? Because this place is so crazy, DH loves to take me away from it all. He’s better than Calgon. We pull into our cheap little RV park ($18.00 a night) and I go across the street while he sets up. I spend two or three hours shopping and walk back over and we either go out to eat (there’s every restaurant you can imagine at this outlet) or we just relax and stay in the RV. Last night, I just picked up some Arby’s when I was over at the outlet and brought them back. We relaxed and watched Iron Man and had Arby’s and beer. I like to get Moosehead beer but they didn’t have it so I got Landshark Island Style Lager and it was great beer! I got a little bit of a buzz and got that massage DH promised me.

Got up this morning and I went back to the outlet while DH relaxed and chatted with the owners of the RV park who are now getting to know us. Checkout time is 11:00 a.m. but they told us that doesn’t mean anything and we can stay up to 5:00 without being charged for another day so it makes for a nice relaxing day.

Okay, so where was I? We went to the reunion yesterday and had a good time. Lots of good food and family to enjoy. I got a recipe for some apple dumplings that are out of this world! I was coaxed into trying them because I’ve had apple dumplings before and they weren’t that great but these were simply delicious and they looked pretty too! Just what I need…another fabulous, fattening recipe.

We came home to 5 grandkids and DS running around the house and DH said, “Grab your bag. Let’s get out of here!” That’s easy enough…I grabbed my makeup bag and a change of underwear and we were out the door in 5 minutes and headed to Edinburgh. I have several outfits in the RV along with toothbrushes, hair brushes, and all the necessities so it’s really easy to take off on a moment’s notice.

I hit Coldwater Creek and they had a lot of new stuff but I don’t like to pay those prices. Something that costs $119.00 at Coldwater Creek hits the outlet at $59.00 and then, a month later, is 50% off at $29.99. I’ve bought a lot of things at the Outlet price and then been disappointed to go up there a couple weeks later and find that’s it’s been marked down 50% so I’ve decided not to buy anything at the regular outlet price. They had a gorgeous rust colored suede swing jacket that was $89.00 but I just couldn’t bring myself to buy it. I only bought one beautiful jacket and two blouses. I really like Coldwater Creek but a lot of their stuff is kind of trendy and I decided I would visit some of the other shops and look for some more classic clothes. (Stacy and Clinton would be so proud of me!) I went to Liz Claiborne and got two pairs of shoes and 3 blouses and then went to Sag Harbor and got a gorgeous plum colored jacket, a pair of black pants, and three more blouses. I spent about $200.00 total. Not bad for 2 jackets, two pairs of shoes, a pair of pants, and 8 blouses. I tried on a “body shaper” at Vanity Fair and it was torture! My boobs were totally squished and it didn’t seem to do anything for my midriff which is where I really needed it. I thought I was going to have to call for help to get out of it. How do people wear those things??? It pulled my earring out just trying to get it off! No, thanks…I’ll just have a flabby midriff.

It’s been a busy morning! I got up and cleaned the house, did a couple loads of laundry, made the Linguini Salad and worked out for 70 minutes. Now, I’m going to have to cool off, get a shower and fix myself up and get to the reunion. All those Maddixs running around. Most of them I only see once a year and I never can remember who’s who. I’m not a Maddix and neither is DH. His mother was but she passed away several years ago.

I did a pretty good workout today. Tried to incorporate a few 1 1/2 minute jogs into it and they went pretty well. Did a lot of aerobics. I’ve decided to buy some wrist weights. I used to do aerobics with leg and wrist weights but I don’t think I should use ankle weights anymore because of the balance issues.

4:30 - Home from the reunion and DH wants to go to Edinburgh.  He gets to relax in the RV and I get to shop!  What more could a girl ask for?  Ate a bunch of potluck stuff at the reunion and I’ll probably have a junkie dinner.  We’ll see!

Later!

Can’t believe I didn’t blog yesterday! It was a busy, busy day and I thought I blogged before I went to work but I didn’t. Anyway, I’m blogging now!

I slept until 9:30 this morning! Of course, I stayed up until 2:00 but it’s still pretty freaky for me to sleep that late. Guess it was the Tylenol PM. It says that stuff is not habit-forming and that’s a good thing because everytime I take it, I sleep like a rock. I’m off today and I wanted to be able to snooze so I took two of them before I went to bed. Remember when my back was really hurting? One of the things we did was flip and turn the mattress and it took care of it. No more tossing and turning. Strange, the mattress is a really good one and it’s only about 5 years old. It felt great to open the windows, snuggle up under the covers and sleep in.

Yesterday evening was an exercise in decadence. I regret it a little bit this morning but that’s because I didn’t enjoy it too much last night but, nevertheless, it was a planned deviation. Andrew has been begging for me to fix a big pot of chicken and dumplings and DH got on the bandwagon as well so I planned an evening off from dieting and a totally decadent dinner of all the crap everyone wanted. Took care of Andrew’s chicken and dumplings, DH wanted corn casserole with sour cream and bacon, and Steven wanted peanut butter fudge. Throw in some steamed broccoli and you’ve got the dinner menu. I don’t want to think about the calories but, it’s done. I guess it just goes to show that I’m used to making healthier choices. The chicken and dumplings seemed too salty and gluey to me but everyone else loved them. The corn casserole was good but I didn’t think it was sensational, certainly not worth all the calories, and the fudge was actually kind of gross. I ate a couple pieces and it was like eating pure sugar and butter. Now, it’s done. Everyone can stop nagging me, and I don’t think (?) the pan full of fudge is going to tempt me. There’s still a lot left.

The boys have a nice long weekend ahead of them. They’re off today, Monday and Tuesday. Today is a professional development day so I get today off but Monday is a training day for teachers and I have to work and Tuesday is one of two annual parent conference days. The hours will be something like 10:00 to 6:00 with an hour for lunch. It’s an optional work day for teachers and we get paid extra for it which adds up to a nice little chunk of change so it would be stupid not to do it.

Today, I plan on going upstairs and workin my butt off on my treadmill, aerobics, etc. and planning a nice healthy dinner to help my poor system recover from the crap I ate yesterday evening. Before that, I’m going to take a few minutes to touch base with my bloggie buddies and see what everyone’s been up to.

12:45 - OMG! It’s almost 1:00 and I’m still sitting here in my jammies catching up with everyone. I have GOT to get off here, workout, and get something done!

2:15 - Whew! I worked out for 80 minutes. Now I get to sit here and endure the grossosities for a few minutes with sweat dripping off my hair and annoying little trickles that slide down my back and come to rest in the buttcrack. Yeah, I know…TMI

I did my rotation through the treadmill, the bike, and aerobics and managed to keep the heart rate up. The treadmill says I burned 800 calories but that really has no meaning because I keep jumping off of it and doing other stuff to keep my heart rate up. In all honesty, all the other stuff is a lot more difficult than just staying on the treadmill so does that mean I burned more than 800 calories? I don’t know. I did bump the treadmill up to 4.2 a few times and jogged for a couple minutes at a time. Cool! Didn’t know I could do that anymore. Maybe….just maybe….I’ll try to go out jogging at some point this fall. Gotta think about the implications on that one.

Crap…DH is going to be home in about 45 minutes and I haven’t done anything today but blog and workout. Maybe I can make the bed and fill a bucket with PineSol so the fragrance floats through the air and he’ll think I’ve been scrubbing something.

5:15 - Didn’t get to put out the PineSol because I was out of it. Nevertheless, DH didn’t say a word. Guess I’m still getting mileage out of the cell phone debacle. He reminded me that we have to go to his family reunion tomorrow afternoon and I’m supposed to take a dish. I think I’ll take Linguini Salad. It’s always a hit, easy to make, and keeps well. Gotta try to look good tomorrow to see all of his distant relatives that we only see once a year. He’s got two sisters coming in from Tampa and I know he’s looking forward to seeing them. Every year, they look older and older and I guess they probably think the same thing about me.

Getting old…I really hate all the crap that goes along with it. So many icky things that I just can’t fix anymore. A year ago, I could say, “God! I’m so fat and I look like sh*t!” Now, I can say, “God! I’ve lost 40 pounds and I still look like sh*t!” I think about it sometimes…the more weight I lose, the more sags and droops I get. It’s discouraging because I know that the old skin just doesn’t have all that youthful elasticity anymore and it NOT going to get better. Crap! Occasionally, I think about plastic surgery. I’ve had a breast reduction and a tummy tuck. I may be wide as a barn but the boobs look pretty good and my tummy is flat as a board. Sometimes I think, “Okay, lose the weight and you can always have an upper arm lift or a thigh lift or a face lift” but I’m not sure I want to do that. None of that stuff comes without sacrifice. Get the arms trimmed up nice and firm and lose all the feeling in them? Get a face lift and have my face feel like plastic? I don’t think I want to do that. I mean, at my age, it would be a never-ending series. It’s one thing to have it done when you’re young but I don’t think I’d be able to keep up with it at this point. Start down that road and you wind up like Cher. Can you imagine how her body must feel? It must be totally numb and feel like she’s made of wood. I saw a television special on celebrity plastic surgery about a year ago and they showed a computerized simulation of what Cher would look like if she’d never had any plastic surgery. Sh*t!! It was really scary!

(sigh)…guess I’m not doing this aging thing very gracefully…

10:15 - Just got out of the spa.  It’s nice outside tonight.  The temperature is way down there.  Don’t know what it is (it was 46 degrees when I drove to work yesterday morning) but it was a tad bit chilly.  Just enough to make the spa feel all warm and cozy.  I know it’s still a little early for a Friday night.  I planned on watching a marathon session of What Not to Wear but I’m definitely feeling the call of that peanut butter fudge so I’d better play it safe and just go to bed.

g’night, Chicklets…

Breakfast
Lite yogurt (80)

Lunch?
3 or 4 bites of Kroger Chicken breast with dill dressing from the deli. (100?)

Snack:
Special K Protein Bar (180)

Dinner:
Salad (200)
Ravioli with spaghetti sauce (500)

Total: 1,060

I’m sleepy this morning. After last night’s fiasco, I was too stressed to sleep and I didn’t feel like sleeping with the enemy anyway so I stayed up until a little after midnight. That’s not good when you have to be up at 5:00. I keep telling myself that, even though it’s Wednesday, I’m off Friday so I can pretend this is Thursday. That might keep my feeble little brain functioning long enough to get me through the day.

Mr. Scale is being kind to me with 165.5 this morning and I’m aiming for a good day. I’m not as prepared as I’d like but I’m going to stick to my guns and try to get through it. I can eat a protein bar or something at work. I dressed for power today. Black top with silver threads running through it, black jacket, black pants, and red heels. Maybe the kids will think I’m in control.

4:30 - I don’t think the kids fell for it. They were a pain today. I kept thinking maybe it was me. Maybe I was letting things get to me because I was tired and out of sorts but I decided that it really was the kids. Not my kids but the classes I worked with today. Mine were a bit over enthusiastic today but I let it go because they were really enjoying what they were doing and I didn’t want to cramp their style. There’s a time for them to be quiet and listen and there’s a time for them to work together to be creative and show me what they’ve learned. They were creating Power Point presentations and having fun with it and that’s what I want. The kids that got on my nerves were another teacher’s students. She doesn’t have much control over her classes. Much more into trying to be “friends” with them than establishing guidelines and control. It’s very awkward for me to be working with another teacher’s students because I expect them to give me their attention and respect and, if their regular teacher is in the room, they tend to follow the rules she’s set for them. Problem is, if she lets them get away with murder, they’re going to try it with me. That’s not a problem with my own classes. A week or so in the beginning of the year and we lay the groundwork. However, it is a problem with other classes because I don’t have time to lay down the rules and teach the lesson as well. If I need to work with her classes again, I’ll have to address this issue with her.

On the home front…DH is all about making me happy this evening. He knows how bad he effed up. Asked me if we could talk as soon as I got home and agrees with me 100% that he’s a world class jerk, inconsiderate, totally out of line, and doesn’t deserve to breath the same air that I breath. Backed down real quick when he suggested that I never should have left without him because he was going to take me. I told him if he ever does anything like that again, I’m going to call a big, black, no nonsense woman and let her deal with him and I know just the woman to do it. The battle is over. You can’t be married 38 years if you can’t deal with this kind of crap.  The entire rationale behind this episode is that he does not treat me that way and I don’t accept being treated that way.   Last night was really unexpected and he’s offered a few excuses but admits there’s really no justification for his behavior.  That’s good because I won’t accept any justification.  I don’t exact revenge but I’m all about letting him fix dinner (my kind of dinner), accepting his tokens of love (flowers, and a great big “I’m Sorry!” card), and taking him up on his offer of a massage. Not sure I want the massage tonight because he has to hit the bed too early on work nights but I can use it this weekend.

Don’t have much time this morning. It got down to 58 degrees last night and we slept with the bedroom window open. Felt so good with the cool fresh air and me all snuggled down under the covers. I must have hit the snooze alarm 3 or 4 times this morning. I was pleased with the way yesterday went and I’m going for the gold again today.

7:30 - Damn! Nasty afternoon! I had a busy day at school but I wore one of my new bras today and it was the bestest, most comfortablest bra I’ve ever worn! The straps didn’t even slide down my shoulders which is a major problem for me because I have big boobs and a small frame. It was so nice, I decided to go back to Value City and pick up a couple more before they were gone. I got the bras and they had a buy out on a bunch of shoes. $1.99 a pair! Of course, there were quite a few ugly, dog shoes in the bunch but there were also some halfway decent ones. I tried on all kinds of shoes and bought 8 pair. Some of them are 4 or 5 inch hells (That was a typo but it probably fits…) with really long pointy toes that I’ll probably wear for an hour and be dying but who cares? $1.99! I also got some nice sandals and a pair of red flats.

After I left Value City, I had to go by Aldi’s and pick up some tilapia and DH had asked me to call him when I got there so I reached for my shiny new Blackberry and it was gone. It was in my purse when I dug out my car keys at Value City so I figured it must have fallen out when I was pulling my keys out. I went back to Value City and looked all over the parking lot, went inside, yada, yada, but it was nowhere to be found. Value City let me use their phone to call home and I had DH call me back on my cell but we didn’t hear anything and no one answered it. Crap!

I went to Aldi’s and finished shopping and headed home. As I walked in the door, DH was talking to some lady on the phone who had found my Blackberry. He gave me the phone to get directions to her house and walked out of the room. Turns out, she lives in Park DuValle. THE ghetto, project area of Louisville. A place I have never been to and never want to go to. Drugs, shootings, rapes, all in a night’s work in Park DuValle. I got her address and phone number and went to see DH. I told him he would have to go with me to get my phone because it was in Park DuValle. He proceeded to pitch a little fit about me being careless and how much the phone cost, etc. and it really hit me wrong. For one thing, I never lose stuff! I had my old phone for ten years and never lost it. He’s lost his at least four times and we’ve had to cancel the service and buy another phone twice when it wasn’t recovered. He regularly loses his car keys, his wallet, his glasses, and his coat. I’m the one who’s always trying to backtrack his movements and find them. Therefore, his nasty little lecture did not sit well with me. I interrupted his tirade long enough to ask, “Are you going with me to get my phone or not?” He responds with, “I didn’t lose it! You did!” That was enough, I grabbed my purse and keys and headed for the door with him stumbling around telling me to wait while he’s trying to put his pants on and find his shoes. I grabbed his cell phone off the table and said, “I don’t need you to go with me! All I need is a phone so I can call the police if I need them!” I exited via the front door and took off. Got up the road and pulled off to dig my GPS out of the glove compartment and enter the address. I wanted to go straight to it, get my phone, and get straight out of there. The lady who found my phone told me to call her when I got close and she’d be watching for me. She treated me better than my own hubby. I drove my big white Lincoln through the neighborhood (it was getting dark and I was hoping they would think I was just another pimp) past the boarded up windows and the groups of guys hanging out on the corners, past the women wearing 6 inch skirts and 8 inch heels. I pulled into the parking area of 1905 Russell Lee Blvd. and called the woman who had my phone and she told me to wait, she’d come right down. Nice woman. Big, Black, with a scowl at the guys hanging on the corner and an admonishment to them to “Go home, now! You boys just go on home!” She handed me my phone and I handed her $40.00, thanked her profusely, and got the hell out of Park DuValle. Called DH and told him I was on my way home and I DID NOT want to see him when I got there. Arrived home and he’s in bed. He better keep his ass in bed too. I am not in the mood for apologies.

I just finished eating a tilapia sandwich and I’m going to watch TV. I did good on my diet today. No…I am NOT working out tonight.

I’m sitting here trying to slurp up my morning coffee and that damn cat keeps jumping in my lap. I can’t believe how fat he’s (she’s?) gotten! I tried to check the gender one time and it started peeing on me so I never followed through.

Another Monday to run down. At least this is a short week. Friday is a Professional Development day and I did all my “developing” over the summer so I’ll get to take off and have a long weekend.

Yesterday was a perfect day. Good, healthy food, just under 1,200 calories, and a great workout. I’m optimistic today, as well. I have my lunch ready to go, clothes are laid out, and I’ve promised myself that I’m coming home from work and exercising. Just one quick question…Does a royal blue bra go with an orange top and gold pants?

The scales are slowly creeping up. I show 167 this morning and I’d better get back into a good routine. Aiming for another perfect day in paradise!

4:00 - Home again. Doing well today. I’ve eaten well and I’m going to exercise. Really, it’s 85 degrees and I know the upstairs is hot. Still, I made a commitment and I’m going to follow through. I’m just not ready to do it quite yet. Think I’ll sit here and unwind for a few minutes.

5:30 - Okay, I did an hour of treadmill and intensive aerobics. I’m burning up so I’m going to cool off and then take a shower and get my jammies on. I still have a lot of calories left for dinner but I’ll have to come up with something besides what DH made. He’s off on Mondays and is responsible for dinner but I’m not eating deep fried bratwurst, macaroni salad and french fries. I don’t know why it has to be so difficult to get healthy food around here. I made my lunch yesterday from last night’s leftovers (yellow squash, onion, and zucchini sauteed in olive oil with asiago cheese, broiled fish, and grape tomatoes) and got up this morning to find that someone ate it. I wound up with frozen berries and a frozen South Beach breakfast tortilla that had been down in the freezer for at least a year.

6:30 - OMG! DH just pulled a big bowl of cole slaw out of the fridge that he mixed up earlier today and a casserole of macaroni and cheese from the oven. Really! What is wrong with the man?????

7:30 - Grilled some tilapia with lots of lemon pepper on it, had a sliced tomato and some fruit.  I don’t know why DH fixes that kind of crap.  He’s diabetic and I’m about to put some hurtin on him because I’m almost ready to point out that his belly is definitely expanding!

Breakfast:
Low-fat yogurt (80
South Beach Denver Style Breakfast Tortilla (180)

Lunch:
frozen fruit (75)
1/2 Luna Bar (90)

Ever wonder what happens to those chicks that just stop blogging and disappear? I do. I wonder if they get tired of blogging or give up on the diet and quit trying or go to Sparkspeople or whatever. What happens to them?

It’s rude, too. I really care about you guys. I consider many of you to be friends and I’d be concerned if you just suddenly crossed the road and never came back. But you know, it happens. You chat with someone all the time and then they don’t post for three or four days and then it becomes a month or two and, the next thing you know, their blog disappears due to inactivity. Do me a favor…if any of you guys decide to drop your blog, take a few minutes to post a goodbye message so we don’t wonder if you were abducted by aliens or something. I promise to do the same.

Nuff about that…I’m aiming for a perfect day! Started off on the right foot. I did a super-fantastic workout and truly enjoyed it. As I said before, I’ve noticed that the treadmill just isn’t getting my heart rate where I’d like it to be but I like to use it because it helps me keep track of the time and my heart rate. This morning, I did 95 minutes but I didn’t spend a lot of time on the treadmill. Just kept it running and hopped on it every now and then. I used to be into aerobics and jogging bigtime and then I injured my ankles and couldn’t do it anymore. My ankles are getting better and better and I’m beginning to get some more mobility. Of course, the bones have been fused in the right one and I’m never going to get all of the mobility back but it’s still getting a lot more flexible after working out for six months (Has it really been that long?). I don’t know what my limits are. My surgeon says my jogging days are over but I’m not sure I have to accept that. This morning, I did a nice rotation. A couple of minutes on the treadmill, hop off and do a couple of minutes on my stationary bike with those upper body and arm things, hop off the bike and do a few minutes of aerobics, etc. I was able to keep my heart rate up and I really had fun with it. The thing is…I began to do quite a bit of jumping around with the aerobics and I was able to do some in-place jogging and jumping around. Felt like that sweaty, hard-workin’ girl in Flashdance. Feels real good, chickies!

3:30 - Did a little bit of shopping.  DH wanted to go to Aldi’s and I wanted to go to Value City which is right next door.  I needed some bras and sometimes they have some pretty good deals.  I really hate shopping for bras.  I’ve yet to find one in which the straps are not going to be slipping off my shoulders and I don’t like that they cost a small fortune.  I found a pair of red Barbie shoes and three bras.  They’re good, supportive bras that have a nice sexy look and they were only $5.99 each.  Why?  Because one of them is a beautiful royal blue, another is fushia, and the last one is burgundy.  Guess that kind of limits when I can wear them.

Breakfast:
Lite Yogurt (80)

Lunch:
pimento cheese (100)
whole grain crackers (100)

Dinner:
broiled tilapia (300)
sliced tomatoes (50)
sauteed yellow squash, onions, and zucchini with grated asiago cheese (200)

Snacks:
Lite ice cream sandwich (130)
Luna Lemon Zest Protein Bar (180)

Total 1,140

The thing about a Demolition Derby is that you’re hit from all directions and you keep getting banged up but you can’t really whine about it because you put yourself there in the first place. If you don’t want to crash and burn, you better drag your sorry butt out of the way and limp back to safety.

I keep putting myself right back out there. Taking one hit after another. I really blew it yesterday. Ate a ton of junk last night. I worked my butt off and didn’t even take time for breakfast or lunch. I did manage to munch on a cheese stick and a handful of pretzels but I was starving when I finally got away from school at 3:30. I decided to go by the store on the way home which is not a good thing to do when I’m starving. I bought a lot of crap that I shouldn’t eat and then came home and ate junk all evening. Not much of a perfect day. Seems like the past couple of weeks, that’s what I do. I don’t seem to have much control over what’s going on. Even today, I have committments that will put me right back out there on the track. I have to go to Pam’s birthday party and DH won’t be able to go. That means I’ll be wandering around lots of food and drinks and kind of left on my own to socialize. There will be a few people that I know but most of them are strangers to me. Hopefully, I can visit for a couple of hours and leave without totally blowing it.

I also wanted to work out this morning but I have to take Andrew to Balfour to look at designs for his senior ring and they close at 1:00 today so I’ve got to get moving. Looks like I’m in for a bumpy ride today. Hope I can hang on and get away without too many dents.

12:30 - Word of advice about senior rings, ladies. Never try to order from a catalog or website. After looking through the brochures and catalogs over and over and trying to figure out what things look like, what’s included and what’s not, and how much all the different options cost, we finally gave up and headed down to Balfour. What a difference! You can look at all the rings, have them tell you what options are available and what’s included and be done and out the door in nothing flat! The process was really streamlined and Andrew really enjoyed seeing what things actually look like. It made it so much easier to pick the stone and the cut. Andrew could look at all the differnt stones and pick out the exact color he wanted and then look at the stone with all the different cuts and facets. He chose a navy blue sapphire and changed his mind from a fireburst to a more traditional cut when he saw what it actually looked like. I’m really pleased to have this taken care of. Final tally…$747.00! (gasp!) Senior rings ain’t cheap!

8:30 - Had a good time at Pam’s party. She didn’t want any presents except rocks for her “garden to be” so I tied a nice gold wired ribbon around a large chunk of pink granite from the Crazy Horse Memorial and gave it to her. I collect rocks from all the places we travel. I have beautiful red ones from the Arches area. Pink and coral from the area of Bryce Canyon and a lot of other beauties. I actually scrubbed the one I gave her and the flecks of gold, silver, and black sparkled against the pink grain. She likes my gardens and I’m not sure if the idea came from my gardens or her own thoughts but she got quite a few nice specimens.

I came home and sat in the spa for a while. The moonflowers and jasmine are beautiful and I don’t know how much longer I’ll get to enjoy them. There was a cool, gentle breeze dancing through the treetops and a lazy swirl of crisp yellow leaves drifted down to the spa. I was enjoying the sensuality of the experience when it occured to me that I spend a lot of time naked, in the dark, in the water. Almost every night and many mornings, I’m out there. I swim in the pool after dark, I relax in the spa, I even go out occasionally in the rain and stand there with the water pouring down on me.

A long time ago, I read an article about the sensitivity of a dolphin’s skin. They have an extraordinary number of nerve endings in their skin and the article said they spend their lives exhilarating in the feel of the water gliding over their bodies. I wonder if I have a little dolphin blood mixed in. I love feeling the water and the wind on my body. It’s not that I’m an exhibitionist. I have a nice, tall privacy fence in the backyard and a heavy canopy of leaves overhead. I’m not out there to be seen but I wouldn’t lose any sleep if I were. What are they going to see? An overweight, middle-aged woman with the same parts as any other woman. (Even though some of the parts may have shifted and dropped a little)

I think that’s one reason I love our place in Florida so much. Ten acres surrounded by dense woods.  All that privacy…no neighbors anywhere and my big old clawfoot tub out there in the flower garden under the moon and the stars. I love it when it rains at night. I just shed my clothes and run out in the meadow and enjoy the warm, Florida rain. I might startle a deer or a rabbit but there’s not much else out there.

The thing is…I don’t know anyone else who does this. Am I a bit strange or is it just that I have more opportunities to enjoy such experiences? I don’t guess it matters. I love the wind, and the water, and the rain, and the dark, and the moon, and the stars.

Fess up, ladies. Anyone else running around naked out there?

9:15 - Oops! Joy reminded me…I got so caught up in the spa experience I didn’t say much about the party. I did okay…had a beer and a glass of white wine. Ate a few appetizers and a slice of a concord grape pie. Had to try that! It was really good! I tried to stick to finger foods. I rationalized that there aren’t as many calories in them if you don’t break down and use a plate. Met a few new people with fun, appealing personalities. Actually had a very good time.

Breakfast
Lite Yogurt (80)

Easy ride today.  If ya gotta work, at least it’s Friday and there’s relief in sight.  I’m aiming for a perfect day.  Had a nice, restful sleep and I’m heading for the shower.

At least, I slept like one. Eight and a half hours of uninterrupted sleep. My back feels great and I’m completely refreshed. I took two Tylenol PMs and hit the sack around 9:30 and didn’t get up until 6:30. How come I’m getting to sleep in? I have a full day of training today at another location so DS is taking the boys to school. I usually leave the house around 6:45 but I don’t have to be at the training site till 8:00 and it’s only 10 minutes from home so I get an extra hour this morning. Of course, I have to work until 3:00 today but I never get out of school before 3:00 anyway so it’s still going to be a shorter day.

We changed the water in the spa yesterday and it’s all fresh and doesn’t smell like chlorine so I went out there and had a nice soak when I woke up. It’s cloudy so I couldn’t see the stars but the moonflowers were definitely “in scent” and it still smells like summer even though the leaves are beginning to fall pretty quickly and the mornings are getting a lot cooler. I’d probably still be out there but I drained my coffee cup and had to come in for a refill.

Better get moving and take my shower. Have a good one, Ladies!

8:00 p.m. - Just finished washing both cars.  I have a white Lincoln and DH has a black Lincoln.  Hard to say which one shows more dirt.  I drove DGS to CAP earlier and my car was so dirty I was embarrassed to be seen  in it.  We haven’t had much rain this summer and everything is so dry and dusty.  Of course, Ike really helped stir up the dirt and dust.  I got home from delivering Steven and decided to wash my car.  DH hit me with “Are you crazy?  It’s almost dark.”  After a few seconds to reflect, he added, “Want to wash mine, too?”  What’s the difference?  Once you set up the bucket and the rags and drag the hose all the way down the drive, you might just as well do two cars instead of one.

Today went well.  Got to see some friends that I haven’t seen since school let out in the spring.  Teachers from other schools and techies that work at Computer Education.  Nice to have a chance to say Hello.  We had a good meeting, too.  Intellectually stimulating conversation about digital citizenship, training, and a prize…a Flip video camera to use at our schools to put together podcasts.

Let’s don’t talk about food today.  We had lunch at Jason’s Deli and I had the salad bar but we all know a good salad bar isn’t exactly diet fare.  Especially that ice cold soft serve ice cream.

I’m really looking forward to hitting the bed.  I’m going to take a Tylenol PM again and cross my fingers that I sleep as well as I did last night.

In the great green room

There was a telephone

And a red balloon

And a picture of_

A cow jumping over the moon.

Goodnight, moon.