Hunting Season for Haggis!

The kilts are a'comin... courtesy of Flickr.

Fact du jour: November 30 is the start of Haggis Hunting season.

Giveaway du jour: I want to give away one last book. That's the one area that I think has helped in giving things away. With fewer books on the shelf, I appreciate more the ones that are left.
The last book is in the box, and all the boxes have found a new home! What shall I do with all this space?

Exercise du jour: 6th week of the couch to 5K.
Done!
First time I've ever deliberately tried exercising whilst dealing with cramps. Doesn't make them any worse, so that's something.


Summary du month: After six weeks of the couch to 5K, I think it's safe to say I've gotten into the habit of following the running program. Should be able to stick with it for the remaining three weeks. (And it is really nice to be exercising my way through the holidays!)

The giveaway results are harder to quantify. There's a lot less Stuff in my house and garage. Do I feel different? Not really. It was hard to give away books, harder to give away forgiveness. I doubt a month of giving has made me a nicer person, but maybe I'm more aware of what I've got and what I have to give. Which isn't too bad.

Off to load up the evilSUV for a trip to Goodwill!

Looking ahead

Horsie courtesy of Flickr.

Not sure what to do after the couch to 5K.
The community hospital is hosted a series of Yoga classes. Hafta say, one of the main attractions is the fact that it's a ten minute walk from my house. Could easily fit it in on my way home from work. Except I should probably be looking for something more aerobic if I want the scale to budge.

Total fantasy... there are stables around... only a forty minute drive and I could take riding lessons... which are pricy :(

Okay then, how about Aikido? Looks like a good place about a ten minute drive away. Except that I keep visualizing a classes filled with very short, flexible midget children, and myself towering above them.

I could always keep running... increasing the pace or working on running up hills. I like the structure of the program, the way the voice told me when to run and when to walk. It was great not to have to worry about it.

Giveaway du jour: Hell, haven't I give everything away already? Who knew I had so much stuff. Okay, fine. Another book gets the toss.
Two books -- I'm getting better at this!

Exercise du jour: Raking, weeding, gardening. It's not exciting, but it's necessary. Plus, it really is a workout if you do it enough -- and Lord knows I need to do it a lot.
Oh, Frapp! You'd think after exercising for 29 days straight it would have become automatic. But noooOOOOoooo. It wasn't until 8 pm that I remembered that I was supposed to move my body today. Pushups and kettlebell arm exercises. Sadly, the leaves will still be there tomorrow.

At least one turkey survived T-Day

Quote du jour:"An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day." - Irv Kupcinet

Giveaway du jour: Oh hell. I can give away another box. Really. Or at least go through another box and try.
I'm a bum. (On the giving side at any rate.) Another book down, another day of shirking the garage.

Exercise du jour: No option. I have to do the 20 minute run from the 5th week of the couch to 5k. I've done all I can to prepare mentally and gastronomically:

• Hung out with a bunch of runners for the early morning Thanksgiving Turkey Trot - check
• Watched Chariots of Fire - check
• Eaten lots of carbs - check

Fingers crossed.


Done! I decided not to try to deal with my outdoor-running neuroses. You read it here first: it is possible to run for 20 solid minutes on a manual treadmill, alternating with running around and around the house. The dog is now convinced I'm a lunatic, but it's done.

Am I crazy? No, that was a rhetorical question...

So. Thanksgiving.
A day devoted to delicious smells from the kitchen, watching The Game, listening to family arguments and oh yeah, eating a lot of food. Then feeling stuffed with food, and vowing to work the weight off as soon as I can get on my feet and move again.

Not this year.

In a spirit of insanity, or something very much like it, I signed up for the Portland Zoo turkey trot. Apparently, you don't need to be an actual turkey to participate. (Not the avian variety, anyway.)

I was going to run my 20 minutes (3rd day of the 5th week of the couch to 5k) yesterday. I'll have to run tomorrow. I don't have quite the courage to jog 20 minutes continuously in front of people, behind strollers, while dodging toddlers, and of course going up and down hills (about 500' elevation change).

Still cool to work out, get a head start on attacking those holiday calories.
Done! I'm freeeeeeeeezing cold now, but it was a good walk. Bright sunshine, no wind. Once we finished the walk, the rain clouds came, the wind rose, the temperature dropped. Let it. I'm going to be indoors in the warm the rest of the day :)

Giveaway du jour: Today I'm going to give people my full attention. Even when I disagree with their politics, their manners, or their opinion on who should win The Game.
So far, so good :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

Turkeys courtesy of Flickr.

Definitely a sore loser

Shouldn't running in a beautiful spot be a cheerful experience?

Fact du jour: My body is not pleased with me. The muscles aren't sore, but I'm feeling tired. Worn out. The body is starting to complain. A twenty minute run today, and it's outdoors. For some reason, I hate running outdoors during daylight. I have no idea why.

Last time, I went running by the library, where there's an extensive series of walking trails surrounded by beautiful lakes and grounds. It was early in the day, so there wasn't anyone around to see me huffing and puffing and glowing red. (I don't count that flock of Canadian Geese, who were extremely impolite and Not the sort of bird I would consider a civilized acquaintance.) And I was miserable the whole time.

Oh, Merry... come here for a minute...

I've lost at least six pounds this month. Right now it doesn't feel worth it. Damn I hope this is a transitory mood swing. I blame the planets being out of alignment. Where's a cosmic chiropractor when you need one?

Giveaway du jour: I'm heading in to the garage again. I'm starting to see a patch of floor. And I'm sure there are more things lurking there that I could give on to someone who'll appreciate them. I refuse to let that garage beat me!
On the other hand, maybe I'll attack it another day. The sun is out, the sky is blue. I'm getting rid of another book and taking up the rake to do Good Things outside while I can.

Exercise du jour: Week 5 of the couch to 5k. 20 minutes solid running. Yeah. I'm enthused. I'm really enthused. Yeah. That's me. Watch this space for a gold star.

Update: Well, Dr. T suggested postponing the run, and one should always listen to a doctor. (Yes, I know the degree is a Ph.D rather than an M.D., but that's not important right now.)

Plus, the roads are icy; there have been several accidents this morning. (A couple hours ago, before the temp went above freezing, but let's not get distracted by side issues like that.)

Plus, I just stepped on a piece of glass and cut my foot. (Hey, it needed a band-aid. Don't want gangrene to set it.)

I swear to Bob, those damn planets are plotting against me.


I did the Pilates Beginning Mat Workout instead.

Underworking or Overworrying?

You don't know how far you can go... until you go too far.

I'm wondering -- should I be pushing myself more? I started this couch to 5k program with the fervent hope that I could make it through to the other side without both my legs in pain. So far, fingers crossed and knees happy. But am I underworking? Or overworrying?

Update: Maybe I was speaking too soon. Last run took it out of me, for some reason. Muscles aren't sore; I just feel blah. Negative and blah.

Giveaway du jour: I'm getting tired. I think giving away something once or twice a week wouldn't seem like quite so much work. Still, I'm sure I can find another book to give to a good home if I try.
Another book hits the box. I've now got a respectable stack of Goodwill boxes piled up by the door.
Exercise du jour: Rania's Personal Trainer DVD, arms and abs. Got a big run tomorrow, don't want to overdo it today.
Yeah, whatever. Did arms, did abs, still don't feel like I've got much energy.


Oops courtesy of Flickr.

Anatomy of a run

0:00 minutes. Wait a minute. I need to get a drink/use the bathroom/send an email/call my dentist.
0:00 minutes, take two. Start the couch to 5k podcast.
After 1:30 minutes Am I done yet?
After 2:45 minutes Oh come on. That treadmill monitor must be broken. A snail would have a faster rate.
After 4:23 minutes I think my left knee is starting to twinge.
After 4:37 minutes Yes, that's definitely a twinge. I'll go a little slower.
After 5:00 minutes Damn. It's gone. I'll have to keep going.
After 8:45 minutes Whew! I'm warm. Did I leave the heater on?
After 11:58 minutes Starting to get into the swing here.
After 14:00 minutes I am Wonder Woman! This is easy. My legs are powerful; I can go on forever!
After 18:00 minutes What d'you mean it's almost done?
After 22:00 minutes Hey, that wasn't so bad after all. Feel pretty good, actually.

Giveaway du jour: Damn. I missed World Hello Day. I'll have to make up for that by saying hello to 10 people today instead. Apparently, it's supposed to help bring about World Peace. Plus, it'll get me out of going through storage boxes in that bloody garage.
Done!

Exercise du jour: Week 5 of the couch to 5k.
Damn, I'm tired. That was a long run today. Probably should have eaten breakfast before running, eh? Been wiped out all day; no time to sit down. (Saying hello takes a lot of time, plus vet visits, raking the front lawn, cursing BCB, raking the side lawn, envying McB, raking the back lawn... all this takes time!)

Another change in the pattern

Brilliant act on my part: I did something different the other day. I was feeling rather depressed, so I went to a (cool hip) bookstore to find something to read. There I met people who probably thought themselves cool and hip, though I would describe them as extremely rude. (Making disparaging comments about a total stranger's looks is not really the cool hip thing to do.)
So I was even more depressed. Usually the trend would be to eat some high-fat comfort food, or down a glass of red wine. Instead, on a whim I picked up a new exercise DVD and tried it out when I got home.

Note to self: Exercise is like comfort food without the calories. A steak pleases the taste buds for the moment. Exercise makes you feel good for an hour or more afterward.

Giveaway du jour: I'm heading in to the garage again. If I don't come back, send handsome men with leaf blowers.
Sigh... that damn garage is looming large on the guilt-o-meter. Craven fool that I am, I couldn't face it. Put it off until it's dark and cold and uninviting. Probably have spiders lurking under every box. I'll give away a book, anything, please don't ask me to face that garage tonight.

Exercise du jour: Think I'll try the Cardio Burn KickBox DVD again. It was kinda fun, actually. Even if I did start to cuss at the instructor (Patricia Moreno) towards the end. Don't tell her. She could kick my butt from here to Cleveland without breaking a sweat.
Done!


Photo du Flickr.

Nekkid Portland Cyclists

Quote du jour: Cycling naked has become a "well-established tradition" in Portland.

Fact du jour: I'm not planning to go 'traditional' -- certainly not in November.
(Hey, there's a thought. If I get laid off, I could make money another way. People could pay me not to take my clothes off in public ;)

Update: I don't know if I last weighed myself last Sunday or the one before that. Today the scale, a good doctor's scale, says I've lost six pounds since our last encounter.

Clearly, I should've being weighing myself on Saturdays instead.



Giveaway du jour: There's no escape. There are still storage boxes out there in the garage e'en yet undiscovered, filled to the brim with things that I could and should give away. And maybe I'll find some mysterious treasure while I'm at it. Probably next to Judge Crater and Jimmy Hoffa.
Sigh... didn't find anyone or anything exciting. Another book bites the dust.

Exercise du jour: Decided to switch my running days.
Week 5 of the couch to 5k. (Can't believe I'm into the 5th week!)

Photo du jour: Flickr

Enforced freedom

Poem du jour:
Nothing is ever really lost, or can be lost,
No birth, identity, form--no object of the world.
Nor life, nor force, nor any visible thing;
Appearance must not foil, nor shifted sphere confuse thy brain.
Ample are time and space--ample the fields of Nature.
The body, sluggish, aged, cold--the embers left from earlier fires,
The light in the eye grown dim, shall duly flame again;
The sun now low in the west rises for mornings and for noons continual;
To frozen clods ever the spring's invisible law returns,
With grass and flowers and summer fruits and corn.

- Whitman, "Continuities"

That poem caught my eye, though it doesn't really fit my current mood. To avoid actually laying people off, the company is ordering a forced shutdown for the week. Initially I was peeved, since I am under a lot of pressure to get things done at work. But on the plus side, all the project managers are slacking off on their deadlines, since no one can get anything done by the deadlines. So I've decided if the week off is inevitable, I'm going to lie back and enjoy it.

Giveaway du jour: Okay. One book. I think I can, I think I can... Hey, I've got a whole 9 days off! I can do anything!
Y'know, I don't think I'll ever feel the need to re-read Sean Astin's autobiography again. Been there, and back again. Another book gone.

Exercise du jour: Rania's Personal Trainer DVD, arms and abs.
On a whim, picked up the Cardio Burn KickBox DVD. 50 minutes later, I've definitely worked up a sweat, but I feel good. I hope this isn't too much legwork, considering the couch to 5k program. Oh well, if my knees hurt tomorrow at least I'll know not to do this again.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

'Tis a pity it's a chore

Poem du jour:

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree...

Bah humbug!

Good: The leaves are off the lawn
Bad: That tree's just biding its time
Ugly: It's a talllllll tree

Giveaway du jour:Don't suppose I can give away a tree? No, thought not. Okay. Today I will give someone my full attention and listen to them.
Spent 10 minutes listening to my brother, who hasn't been in the best of health lately. We don't chat much, so it was good to spend time listening to him.


Exercise du jour: 4th week of the couch to 5k.
Good. Really went at it today, increased the pace. Felt good.

Life's a beach, or so I'm told

Cannon Beach, Haystack rock

Poem du jour:

maggie and millie and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and

millie befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea.

- ee cummings


Giveaway du jour: Time for another challenge. I'm going to find a book that I can give away. I can do this.
I'm being flexible with this giveaway stuff. Gave away a vase. Wasn't using it, didn't have a place for it any longer, let it find a home where it will be loved and appreciated. Or at least used.

Exercise du jour: Rania's Personal Trainer DVD, arms and abs.
It's almost 11 pm and I've just finished writing up a post for Cranky Fitness. In other words, short kettlebell arm exercises sounded really good tonight.
Next day update: good idea to use the heavier kettlebell, Dickens, for the arm exercises. Definitely felt slightly sore the next day, so at least the quickie had some effect.

Running more but standing still

Poem du jour:
The autumn wastes are each day wilder,
Cold in the river the blue sky stirs ...

Though the autumn wind blows on my staff and my pillow,
I shall not weary of the North Mountain's ferns.
-Tu Fu


[Don't ask. I just thought it sounded interesting.]

Giveaway du jour: Oh, I'm bored with boxes, blasé about books, cloyed with clothes. Time to start giving away things that aren't visible. Damn. This requires actual thinking, not something I'm known for.
I don't have time to think today. I'll give away some clothes and worry about being thoughtful tomorrow.
One teeeeeny little giveaway, but I'll take what I can get.

Exercise du jour: 4th week of the couch to 5k.
Felt quite proud that I'd worked up a sweat... until I realized I'd left the heater on.
Still earned that star.

Walking the cheap motivational slogan

Poem du jour:
Easy to sense the trend in the drift of life,
Hard to compel one creature out of its course...
- Tu Fu

Gotta tell you, my motivation went for a walk and hasn't come back. So I'm going to make this short and sweet, just like me. Or short and sour. Something like that. Some days you gotta just fake it.

Giveaway du jour: I'm tired of giving away things. It's a pain to search through storage boxes, and it feels like I'm not giving. I'm going to try for the more imaginative. Okay, no I'm not. I can't think of anything imaginative. I'll go through my pantry and see if I can give something to a Food Bank.

Does canned food go bad? I have a couple cans that have been in the back of the highest shelf for... well, I think a couple of them survived the last Ice Age. Are they still good? Didn't want to risk it, so I donated some bags of pasta. It's not a lot to give. Why do I feel guilty? It's a lot better than not giving anything, isn't it? Sure hope so.

Exercise du jour: I've calculated that it's 2.5 miles to walk from my house to the Max station and then to work. If I commute to work rather than taking the evilSUV, I'll only have to do some arm exercises in the evening and I'm set.

The trouble with this clever scheme is that it is dependent upon my actually Getting UP in the morning. Good idea aside from that.
10 minutes hitting myself with a kettlebell, then 15 more minutes of a mish-mash of arms, legs, abs, and heavy breathing. Technically I suppose you'd call it dancing, or at least moving aerobically while music is playing. Thank God for drapes. Wouldn't want the neighbors to hurt themselves from laughing too hard.
Good enough to get me my star.

Halfway there, looking for Ninjas...

more animal

Halfway Status Check: Fifteen days of daily exercising and giving something away. Time to check on my progress.

Giveaway du jour: I do have less stuff than I did; other people have more compliments, quotes, or forgiveness than they did in October.
Do I feel any different? Well, not really. Not sure if I was supposed to. But it is nice to have less Stuff around the place. Haven't missed anything that I've given up, even though it's Stuff that I've been clinging to for several years.

Today, back to the garage. I will find something to add to the Goodwill pile. It's getting harder to find Stuff to let go of, but I Have Spoken. There has to be something out there that I don't need.
Hmmmn. Oddly enough, it's much easier to sort and give stuff away in the daytime. The garage is adequately lighted at night, but I'm much more motivated during daylight hours. Trying this on a weeknight is too depressing. One more box going to Goodwill.

Exercise du jour: 4th week of the couch to 5k.
Hmmn. I'm running more, longer, but since it's mostly on Orlando Manuel, not really getting anywhere. Probably I should be glad that I haven't injured myself or stressed my body until I'm sore. On the other hand, this might be a sign that I'm not pushing myself enough. Hard to tell.
Done!




Geez, what a blah status check. Need to add some zing to this.
Suddenly, three Ninjas burst into the house and raked some leaves for me...
(I'm just sure that's going to happen. Any day now.)

Glad for what I've got

Quote du jour:
“How could I have known how much it meant for her to see a patch of blue sky, to observe the flying seagulls, or how important that chestnut tree was to her, when she had never shown an interest in nature before. But once she felt like a caged bird, how she longed for it. Even just the thought of the open air gave her comfort, but she kept all these feelings to herself.”
- Otto Frank (Anne Frank's father)

Giveaway du jour: Today, I'm going to go through a storage box and give away anything I don't absolutely need.
I suppose I'm getting somewhere... clothes are going into the Goodwill box and I'm not going on a spending spree, so there is a net loss. Just doesn't look/feel like it.

Exercise du jour: raking, weeding, general gardening. Rather than bemoan the fact that I have to clean the yard amidst wind and rain, be glad that I have a bit of nature five feet from my back door.
My arms are sore
Raking's a bore
But for Fall it is warm
No rain, not a storm.

(Yes, I can too rhyme warm/storm. It's my blog and I'll rhyme how I want to...)

Friday! Finally!

photo: brkymantra

Quote du jour: Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. ~Edward Stanley

Giveaway du jour: Today I'm going to give up another child book. I can do it.
Okay, not sure where all the giveaway books are hiding. Braved another storage box to find a pair of pants that I'll never wear again. Does it still count if it doesn't feel like I'm giving something up?

Exercise du jour: Rania's Personal Trainer DVD, arms and abs.
Nothing else feels quite like the smug feeling you get exercising first thing in the morning.

Lucky 13th

Photo: miguel77

Quote du jour:
Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. ~Plato

Giveaway du jour: I've almost made it through the week. Therefore, the 13th is a lucky day. I'm going to give someone something positive. Positive feedback? A smile? Something that I can honestly compliment them on. I'll keep an eye peeled for the right opportunity.
Well, I gave a quote to another blogger. Does that count? It was a good quote, so I hope it counts.

Exercise du jour: 3rd week of the couch to 5k.
Third week, still standing.

Halfway through another week

Photo: ny156uk

Quote du jour:
Better to hunt in fields, for health unbought,
Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught,
The wise, for cure, on exercise depend;
God never made his work for man to mend.
~John Dryden

Giveaway du jour: Today I'm going to give up another child book. I can do it.
Methinks BCB cursed me -- this was hard to do. Finally found that I had two reference books on the same application, so one of them is now toast.

Exercise du jour: Rania's Personal Trainer DVD, arms and abs.
Four hours of sleep, twelve hours of work. There is no way I'm going to do a full workout. I'd like to find a way to blame BCB for this, but I'm too tired to work up a good rationalization.

Anyway, I did ten minutes' worth of kettlebell arms stuff. Thingies. Exercises. Yeah, that's the word. Knew it would come back to me.

Some have given a lot more...

Photo: ny156uk

Quote du jour:
Lord, bid war's trumpet cease;
Fold the whole earth in peace.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Some are still giving: The Sandbox -- military blog.

Giveaway du jour: Another storage box. Puts giving things up in perspective when you remember it's Veteran's day.
Bloody hell. Yes, I went through a storage box, and yes I found a book I could give away, but it didn't feel like giving. I have to hope that it counts even if it doesn't feel like I'm giving.
The sad part is that I wish today was yesterday. I got four hours of sleep last night; as a result, I drank several cups of coffee today in an attempt to remain vertical. And as a result of that, by the end of the day I was a hyper-caffeinated-bitch-on-wheels. I should really have shown a couple of people the 'benefit of the doubt' that I was so willing to give yesterday. Oi vey.

Exercise du jour: 3rd week of the couch to 5k.
Done! Except I'm starting to wonder about my treadmill. Surely it must be lying to me about the speed I'm going. Any slower and I'd have a negative rate of speed.

Benefit of the doubt

Photo: Kevin Eddy

Quote du jour:

Live out of your imagination, not your history.

- Stephen Covey

Giveaway du jour: Monday's are short days. I'm going to give something intangible. Today I'm going to give someone the benefit of the doubt. Probably a politician, but maybe someone who cuts me off in traffic, or even that dweeb at work who invariably takes the last cup of coffee and doesn't make another pot.
I'm going to give that project manager the benefit of the doubt. He's stuck with the near-impossible task of trying, like Sisyphus, to get his project up to the top of the hill. I give him the benefit of thinking that he wasn't trying to make my day harder just because his is near-impossible; he's trying to get the job done. No malice intended.

Exercise du jour: Getting a little bored with balance ball, kettlebell. Need to find new, different videos. Switching to Rania's Personal Trainer DVD, arms and abs.
Done. Not with a whole lot of enthusiasm... too much caffeine-fueled work... but done.

Just look both ways, okay?

Fact du jour: In Wales, another example of bilingual road signs gone bad. In English, the sign says pedestrians should look right. In Welsh, the sign says they should look left.

p.s. Healthbolt led me to this freaky post about broccoli.

Giveaway du jour: Back to the storage boxes. I'll venture into the garage (if I don't come back, send Mounties) and see if I can make Goodwill's day by giving them two boxes full of stuff.
Done. Now instead of several neatly stacked boxes of stuff, I've got several opened boxes of stuff scattered about the garage -- but the point is that they're not quite so full of stuff. I'm trying to see this as a positive, but the truth is I'm sick of looking at boxes. Argh.

Exercise du jour: 3rd week of the couch to 5k.
Done! Into the 3rd week, and not a gasp, not a wheeze. Has the asthma gone for good?

Taken for granted

Chief Kno-tah, Shute Park Hillsboro Oregon

Fact du jour: travel broadens the mind. Even if you're not the one doing the traveling.

When the Librarian came out in October, she asked what Native American tribes were in the area. That question startled me, because I'd never thought about it before. In Oregon, as in California, Native Americans are usually either integrated into the general population or else they live on small, isolated reservations far from any major city. And their tribes are not very large. It's not like the Southwest, with huge tribes like the Navajo. Casinos are run by Indians, but I don't think those are representative of the native culture. Apparently in Minnesota things are very different.

Giveaway du jour: another opportunity to go through storage boxes and donate things to Goodwill.
Gave away a couple of paperbacks. Hard to work up much enthusiasm over this. Need to get creative or heartfelt or schmaltzy re thinking up things to give.

Exercise du jour: raking, weeding, general gardeningYeah, if it ever stops pouring down the rain in sheets. On the plus side, no need to water the shrubs today. Might try getting out the brush and soap and washing the car. Free rinse.
30 minutes flexibility and abs with Rania's Personal Trainer DVD.
20 minutes raking sodden leaves.