The Internet is making it harder for me to be a slacker

Here I was, spending time on the Internet because it was too dark and cold and gloomy to get off my ever-increasing bottom and get on my bicycle for a short 4-mile ride. (But it's so dark! It's so cold! It's so glooooooomy!)

Then I had to go and read Lynne's blog about her ride from Eugene to Beaverton.* (For those of you from elsewhere, she rode 136 miles that day. For those of you from somewhere with a more sensible measuring system, that's 218 kilometers.)

Damn. It's much harder to look my conscience in the eye and tell it that I can't do my simple get-the-chores-done ride.

Done! 4 miles on a bike

*Sorry, Julie, but even though I'd love to stop in for a visit, it ain't gonna be by bike.

For you, more Hugh

Quote du jour:Luck is preparation meeting opportunity. - Oprah Winfrey

Another morning spent in seminars. Now I get to spend the afternoon outdoors. It's too beautiful to stay indoors. For all you office workers, I'll leave Hugh up here for you to look at.

Exercise du jour30 minutes gentle bicycling. See how Damn Knee feels about that.

Photo courtesy of CoolGuyz.

Forget an unlisted number, I want an unlisted life

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The To Do list

The list goes ever on and on
Down the notepad where it began
Now far and long the list has grown
And I must tackle it, if I can
Crossing tasks off with weary pen,
Until they join some larger list.
Some day I'll get an unlisted life.

You'd think two whole days would be enough to get some of the things on the To Do list done. Maybe even most of the things on the list. But no. I completed one half of one task. Maybe I'll draw half a line through that task.

Word du jour: Lassitude - the attitude Lassie gets after little Timmy falls down that damned well One More Time.

The trouble is that I've been feeling completely exhausted for days. I have no energy. Wake up tired, go to sleep tired. In between, feel exhausted. It's really stupid. I mean, if I were suffering from leprosy or schistosomiasis or something exotic and important-sounding, that would be one thing. But this? Bah.

Site du jour: The One Dress Protest blog. This woman is protesting excessive consumerism by wearing the same dress for a year. At least, that's what I think she's protesting. For some people, wearing the same dress for a year would be simple enough. I imagine homeless people wear the same clothes all the time. But this woman is, or was, very fashion conscious, so it's a challenge for her to look stylish while always wearing the same outfit. I hate to think what her laundry bill is. Not sure what I think about her protest.

Exercise du jour: Cycling. Maybe not the full 20, but at least part of it. Have to drop the evil SUV off at the mechanic, so at least I'll cycle from his place to the Max. I'll see how it goes.
A mere six miles, but I figure that deserves a star. Had to pick up the car, so I biked to/from the mechanic rather than work. Still feel like I got exercised.

Rewriting Shakespeare, and other do-overs

Quote du jour Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
– Jim Rohn

As part of my attempt to 'travel light', when I take the Max to work I carry only a small purse that holds a tiny notebook and a tiny pocket edition of Shakespeare. The whole set is about 20 volumes, which adds up to about four plays per tiny book. Sometimes the Bard is good, sometimes... not so much. I'm thinking of re-writing some of Shakespeare's plays. (He'd thank me, I'm sure.)
For example:

• Instead of a measly epilogue at the end of All's Well that Ends Well, we should have a version of Whack-a-Mole. The "hero" of the play would play the part of the mole, and all the other characters would take turns hitting him. Much more satisfying ending.
• The Comedy of Errors is the Elizabethan equivalent of a cheap sitcom featuring two sets of identical twins "with hilarious results." I suggest it be re-written as a one-man play. Watching one poor actor trying to portray all those identical twins without going mad would be entertaining, in a twisted kind of way.
• Titus Andronicus is Shakespeare's version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Seems to me the least Will could've done was throw in an actual chainsaw and a Texan or two.

On the exercise front, I'm planning another do-over: I want to cycle 20 miles again. This time, instead of trying to scrunch most of the mileage into the afternoon, I want to cycle the whole way into work and then back again. See how the muscles feel about that. I figure splitting the commute up into two 10-mile rides should be easier. [Famous Last Words...]

One problem I have is that my mind still thinks 20 miles is a short distance to cycle, while my muscles are saying "Excuse me? You sit on the couch or at a desk most of the day -- why did you think you could just jump back into cycling?" The muscles have a point: I didn't bother to stretch Tuesday night, since it was "such a short distance." Wednesday, my hamstrings were so tight I couldn't touch my ankles. (Usually I can almost reach my palms to the ground.) This time, I'll take it easy.

Exercise du jour: 20 miles cycling. Okay, maybe not. It's a bad sign when you wake up exhausted. Maybe this is left-over flu or something. Today's a walking day.
Done. Two miles, but I still get me a star.

Clockwork Merry

Quote du jour: What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner.- Collette

The plus side of keeping track of mileage on the sidebar, sad are the numbers are, is that it gives me something to aim for. I've decided my goal for May is to cycle 80 miles, i.e. I want to cycle to work and back and somehow throw in an extra mile along the way.

There. I've got a goal, posted it for all the world to see. Now everything should go like clockwork. Presuming something untoward doesn't come up.

Since I'm familiar with all the reasons why I don't always cycle to work, I've lined up a list of excuses and ways to deal with them ahead of time:

• Don't wanna. Tough. You've publicly stated you're going to do this, so deal with it. There. Dealt with the worst excuse up front.


• I'll be late for work. Then you'll have to stay late to catch up. Since you've been staying late anyway, you should be used to it.


• I don't have anything to wear. As luck would have it, you've got an emergency outfit at work already.


• I hafta read/reply to all these emails! People will be hurt! Really? Any true friend would understand that you need to get up and cycle.


• Um... give me a minute. I'll think of something. Great! Think about it while pedaling.

Exercise du jour: 21 miles cycling.
Done! Finally. Got soaked to the skin this morning, so cheated and took the Max in part-way. Made up a few miles at lunch -- it was actually sunny, and I had to take off my jacket! Then back home, racing the thunder clouds. Feels good to have accomplished something.

LBS: the good, the bad, and the fugly

An episode in which our heroine visits her Local Bike Shop (LBS).

The first time I went there with Binchy, my Bianchi Eros Donna road bike. I was wearing my "It's definitely Rainy/Winter/Nasty weather" jacket, which admittedly does cover me like a tent. Still, I'm not used to having someone address me thusly "Hey, man!" I mean... man?? I don't think I've been able to pass for a male since I was 10.

Still, a Merry is the forgiving type, as a rule. So I went in again, to ask them what they could do for my poor Iron Horse, the hybrid/mountain bike that I use for about town. The trouble is, riding this bike is hell on my knees. It wasn't always thus: I've ridden it to work for years; I've ridden 50 miles without a problem; I rode a few Bike Pedals without a qualm. And I haven't gained a noticeable amount of weight since then. So why, now, do my knees absolutely scream when I ride the Iron Horse?

The guy-up-front frowned. Then he said, delicately, "Well, knee problems are always caused by the bike not being sized right. I was thinking... maybe something in your position had changed recently?"

Wasn't until I'd left and headed home before it clicked that he was implying that my weight was causing the knee problems. This might be a reasonable suggestion if I hadn't ahem quite clearly mentioned that it was a recent problem -- quite recent -- and I'd been riding the bike regularly.

Anyway.

Went back again, this time with the bike in question, and took it straight to the Service department. They looked at the bike more than they looked at my hips, which I liked. They said what they saw was wrong with the bike. (Again, no hips were mentioned.) And they said that the bike did not need the Full I-mean-the-whole-enchilada Tune Up, which costs approximately 200 times more than the bike itself. (Okay, that's mostly because I got the Iron Horse for free, but even so-- a few full tunes ups and you'll start wondering if it might not be simpler to just buy a new damn bike already.)

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.
"Your bottom bracket is totally shot," was the reply. (Only in a bike shop would this be a response that didn't call for a slap across the face.) "Other than that, it looks pretty good."

I got the Iron Horse back tonight. Though I only rode it a mile home, the knees seemed to feel pretty good about the experience. We'll see how they feel tomorrow, after I ride to work.

Exercise du jour: Walked a few miles, i.e. walked to and from the Max station. One of these days I'm going to take a walk at lunch rather than work through that alleged 'rest' time. (My cynical self adds: yeah, and then I'll go dance with unicorns in a magic forest before riding off into the sunset with Prince Charming.)

May 18: Huh. Cycled a few miles. I spent the whole day stressing out at work -- another co-worker quit today -- and stayed so late that by the time I finally went home I didn't want to ride. Or walk. Or do anything but curl up in a ball and whine. Or wine. Whatever. Really, I need to work on my attitude. Whoever said it was going to be all fun? Tomorrow, 2 goals: ride to/from work and take a walk at lunch. Maybe I'll look for unicorns in the nearby forest.
May 19: Well all right, maybe the walk at lunch was a bit optimistic. But I'm planning on taking the weekend off, so I need to get things done while I'm there. Still managed some to and some fro cycling. Much easier to get 'er done when it's so absolutely beautiful out. [Merry Makes a Brilliant Discovery. No Film at 11.]

Good or Bad? Tsk, it's all relative

Old Word Made New: Context: a text sent by a jailbird, full of convincing untruths.

Whether something is good or bad all depends on the context. It all depends on the location or situation.

Some examples:

Oh, that's interesting!
Good: If your date says that while you're making small talk.
Bad: If your doctor says that while he's looking at your x-ray.

You've won the Lottery.
Good: The I.R.S. doesn't know where you live.
Bad: You're in a Shirley Jackson story.

Oh, honey, I've missed you!
Good: When your significant other says that to you at the airport, after a long absence.
Bad: When your significant other says that to you on the firing range, while they've still got lots of ammo.


Summary du week:
Cycled 40 miles
Walked 5.5

Good: Got some exercise.
Bad: Not as much as I wanted to.
Good: Look, be glad for what you got, okay?
Bad: Okay, okay, fine, enough already.

This week, it's a short week. Lots of relatives, few opportunities for working out. Regular exercise will re-commence next week.

May day? I'm starting to believe in spring

Quote du jour: Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working. -Pablo Picasso

I suppose it might be true... spring might be ready to sprung, as it were. But I'm almost afraid to believe in the possibility.


It could all be a giant hoax.

Sure, the tulips are tuliping, or so they claim.





It could all be a dream. I might be hallucinating the camellias.



On the other hand, I could use all this profusion of bloomsion as a sign that it's time to get out there and show off my mad cycling skills.

This week, I want to cycle 100 miles. Let's see.

Exercise du jour: Cycle 20 miles.

Sunday: Done! I'll have to dig up my traditional gold star, dust it off, and post it up here. I think I'm getting faster.

Monday: Done! But much, much slower than yesterday. Why? Is it because I was carrying my lunch and work clothes and such? Maybe it's a sign I should walk tomorrow.

Tuesday: Why did walking a measly 2.5 miles end up with aching shin muscles? What the frack is up with you, body? Sooner or later, you're going to have to deal with the fact that we have to exercise!

Looks like Hugh should get a -- no, that's too easy

see more Lol Celebs

Quote du jour: You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
Mae West

Okay, fine. Here's a picture of my favorite hunk. But I don't want to hear any jokes that include the words 'Hugh' and 'head.' This is a classy blog, she said with a straight face.

Site du jour: Rock, Paper, Scissors -- are you smarter than a computer? This site (might require free login to the New York Times) lets you play rock, paper, scissors against a computer that learns from watching you play. The question is: do you learn from watching you play? Can you win?

Exercise du jour: I'm going for it. Me and my cycling friend Binchy (a.k.a. the Bianchi Eros Donna). Might get wet. Might get to post 50 miles under Cycling for this month.

Sometimes, it IS all about the bike (sorry Lance)

Quote du jour: The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community.
- Ann Strong, Minneapolis Tribune, 1895

I love my road bike. We're getting married next week.

Okay. That might be a slight exaggeration. We're just good friends.

I went for a bike ride, and it was great. In fact, it was a marvelous, quick, fun, kick ass bike ride. Without even thinking about it, I found myself actually zipping along at a decent rate of speed, and it felt good.

I'd had the idea in the back of my mind -- that dark and dusky area where the lazy, unexamined ideas hang out -- that my ponderous, plodding pace on the other bike was due to my body being so out of shape. Now, I'm rethinking that notion. This bike ride was fun again, like it used to be. I feel reborn, or at least a lot younger.

One reason I fell in love with cycling was how much faster I became. I've never been a swift runner. Hell, I even walk slow. But put me on a bicycle and I can pass the fastest runner. (Um... unless there's a steep uphill involved. Let's overlook little technical details like that.)

The next step is to take my heavy duty commute bike in to my local LBS and let them see if they can figure out the problem. I've been riding that bike for almost 10 years now. Maybe something is wrong with its innards. It hasn't had a tune up in a couple years. Probably something is screwed up.

See how thick those tires are? I have never gotten a flat tire riding this bike. (Flat knees, yes, but those tires are tough.)

Much as I love my road bike, it's one drawback is the dainty little Italian tires. Reminds me of the story about the Princess and the Pea: these tires are so sensitive that I feel every bump. I don't like exposing these thin tires to all the glass, gravel, and general detritus on the commute route. Binchy is better suited to a long ride out in the country... once summer comes again...

No, that's not me. But that's what I think riding should be like. Photo courtesy of JuanLuisFlicker.

Site du jour: Fat Cyclist has thoughtfully provided a guide to help the cyclist understand motorists' signals and hand gestures.

Exercise du jour: Cycle 10 miles.

I think, therefore I yam?

Quote du jour: Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. - Melody Beattie

Just Do It.

This is a slogan that does not apply when you are faced with a banquet.

Just say No Thank You... I've had enough...

I find that if I don't concentrate on eating right, I gain weight. If I think before I eat, I do much better.

I find that if I concentrate on exercising, I don't exercise. If I don't think before I work out, I do much better.


Does that make any kind of sense to anyone else? I can overthink things, especially exercise. I rarely overthink whether I really need more dinner. If I notice myself indulging in food-in-mouth disorder, it's easy to recognize that I'm just acting out of habit, i.e. without thinking.

In summary: habits are the enemy of thinking. When it comes to exercising, I want to create and encourage the habit. When it comes to overeating, I want to thwart and stomp on the habit.

Hmmn. Not sure if I've got something profound here or if it's just one of those pseudo-insights you get when you're short on sleep.

Exercise du jour: Yes, damn it, I am going to cycle to work. No early meetings, no excuses. It shall be done. I Have Spoken.

p.s. When I write "Yam," I do not mean a vegetable that has been smothered in sugar and marshmallows. I mean something that you slice thin and roast with potatoes and onions and maybe some balsamic vinegar.

Chinese banquet courtesy of Cara Chow.

Thoughts on the New Zealand quake

Site du jour: Gotta love the New Zealanders' sense of humor. I present to you a home for sale, with free rocks thrown in landscape rocks for sale in Christchurch. (I loved the comments that went with this listing.)

Yes! This boulder could be yours! Will brighten up any living room!

Plus, courtesy of the awesomely named The Art of Not Working, a Facebook list:

You know you're in Christchurch when:
1.You use the term "liquefaction" and "seismic design" in casual conversation.
2.Digging a hole and pooping in your garden is no longer weird.
3. Your mayor describes the city as munted. If he means FUBARed, you agree
4.Weaving through car size potholes on the street is no longer weird
5.Going to Wellington to escape earthquakes makes sense
6.A shower is heaven
7.You have a preference of which kind of silt you'd rather shovel, dry or wet
8.You see tanks driving around town
9.You are always noting what you are standing under
10.Due to frequent aftershocks during the night, you sleep like a baby--every 10 minutes you wake up and sh*t yourself.

And finally, from The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl, comes word of a Virtual 5k, Run for Christchurch, on the weekend of March 12-13. The idea is not only to send money to the Red Cross to help New Zealand quake victims, but also to show support for the Kiwis.

p.s. Thanks to Mary Anne in Kentucky, I include Rebuilding Christchurch: one sandcastle at a time.

For me, today, the plan is to ride the bike. Now. I'll plan on the 5k next week. Want to join me?

Fail. Wait -- don't give up on me! I'll explain.

Look, I'm still on for the 5k next weekend. In fact, I'm planning to cycle tomorrow. The problem with today was that I'd forgotten there was an early morning meeting that I had to show up for. No, really, I had to. I was all dressed up and ready to cycle when I remembered, and if it hadn't been for that pesky meeting, I would have ridden in. Sigh. It was a beautifully warm day for cycling, too. A day like this almost makes me believe in the possibility of Spring. Watch tomorrow be rotten weather.

Back to work, back to exercise... yeah, I'm enthused...

If you want to 'get in touch with your feelings,' fine — talk to yourself; we all do. But, if you want to communicate with another thinking human being, get in touch with your thoughts. Put them in order; give them a purpose; use them to persuade, to instruct, to discover, to seduce. The secret way to do this is to write it down and then cut out the confusing parts.

- William Safire

Site du jour: I loved this news story: Philly homeowner forecloses on Wells Fargo.

Weird du jour: I don't know if you've ever read Young House Love, a blog written by a young couple who love buying older houses and renovating them. They posted about a note that the previous owner had left hidden in their house when they bought it.

It reminded me of another note, left beneath a pond in case the pond was ever dug up, which I thought was funny, albeit in a very dry and sarcastic way: "One of the more bizarre reasons could be that the removal of the pond was the direct result of a bite on the ankle from a Wildebeest, but I shall not speculate."

Whether the note was funny or just strange, what amazed me was the number of people who commented on it. The thread denigrated into a series of insults on the subject of Obsessive Parenting, Obsessive Note-leaving, and Obsessive Crank-commenting. Damn, but people take life on the internet seriously.

Exercise du jour: Usually, I know ahead of time what exercise I'm going to try for. Today, it depends on whether the weather listens to the weather man (i.e. nasty, in which case I walk) or good enough (in which case, I wanna bike). It was over 50 degrees on Monday, sunny and spring-like. Hard to believe that it's going to be snowing in another day or so.
FAIL. Didn't exercise morning, noon, or night. I decided to oversleep through the morning exercise, work through the lunch-time hail, and have a headache in the evening. I suspect the first two influenced the third.

Get up and go... while you can

Quote du jour: We should consider every day lost in which we do not Dance at least once.
- Nietzsche

Hugh photos du jour: A whole page of photos of Hugh running on the beach. Some day, summer will come again. Maybe.

Let's see. I can get up, go out into the cold and the dark, and pedal to work.
Or, I can go back to bed, where it's warm and comfy, and dream about running away to a tropical island.

Motivation du jour: Woman Dies in her Cubicle. No One Notices.

Ever feel like no one notices all the effort you put into your job?

Well, hopefully they at least notice you’re alive and breathing. If not, you could find yourself in the same situation as Rebecca Wells, a 51-year-old woman who died in her cubicle Friday in Los Angeles County.

Though she died on Friday, she was unnoticed at her desk in the Department of Internal Services until Saturday. The county coroner is yet to determine the cause of death.

When she passed away, Wells, who worked in risk management, was performing an audit. Despite not noticing the deceased, one of her coworkers remembered, “She was always working, always working.” Maybe, after this event, her coworkers will check on one another more often.

I swear, that makes me want to get up and work out. I can't (yet) rearrange my life so that I no longer have to sit in a cubicle for ten hours a day, but I can make sure to include time in my day for doing something besides sitting.

Exercise du jour: Cycling! I'm going for it!
Done! Well, as much as I could do. I am soaked to the skin, cold, and a bit grumpy. It's not that I think the Fates are conspiring against me, but -- oh, who am I kidding. All day, no rain. When did it start raining? A couple minutes before I started my ride. I hadn't gone two miles before I was soaked to the skin. As soon as I got home? Yep, that's when it stopped pouring. It's going to be warm and sunny all weekend. Until I head back to work. Then, they're thinking snow.
Coincidence? Ha!

She who hesitates doesn't ride her bike to work

Quote du jour: Home is whatever you can rebel against.
- Pico Iyer

You (i.e. I) gotta get up earlier and leave earlier for work if I want to leave the house pedaling.
It's not stormy out right now. It's not even snowing... at least, not on the route I take.
So what's keeping me here? Besides my natural inclination to stay where it's warm rather than face the cruel, cruel world out there.
Sorry, can't talk now. Gotta go.

Exercise du jour: Cycling to work. 16 miles.
FAIL. Well, I didn't do the full 16. On the other hand, I did haul myself out the door and on the bike. It's not my fault that as I'm pedaling along, the rain changed to thick, heavy snowflakes. All of a sudden it felt like I was cycling along in a snowglobe that someone had shaken up. Kinda hard to see where I was going. The evening ride didn't have the predicted thunderstorm, but on the other hand it did have lots of black ice, which I don't like much either.
Maybe I'll give myself a star for trying even though all the Fates conspired against me. I did get some miles of cycling in, though not as many as I'd wanted.
There! Take that, Fate!

Me & Alfred Hitchcock

Yes, it's a photo I used once before. But it's cold outside, and this photo is hot.

Number of migraines: 1
Number of days entertaining said headache: 4
Minutes of exercising accomplished: 20 (on Tuesday)

Le sigh. At least I made it to Friday. Why does a headache leave you feeling wiped out? I mean, it's not as if I were working out or anything. Unfair, I call it.

Site du jour: Celebrities riding a bicycle. Somehow, I hadn't associated Alfred Hitchcock with bike riding. Sadly, no pictures of Hugh on the site. Yet.

Exercise du jour: Call me optimistic, if you will, but today the aim is to ride the bicycle. If Hitchcock can do it, why not me?
Done! Alfred was an inspiration. Or else having the wind at my back made the ride seem easier. 12 miles and all's well.


Photo courtesy of Barbara.Doduk

Love the one you're with. Even if it's a machine.

Okay, some of you need to wash your minds out right now. Sheesh.

Ellie's a very respectable exercising machine

You might have noticed that there has not been a galaxy of sparkling gold stars on the blog lately.

Partly that's because I'm being picky. In the old days (i.e. last year), I'd stick up a star if I got any exercise in for the day, even some easy-paced walking. Now, I want to achieve the specific exercise that I posted or it doesn't count. At first, I wasn't sure if this was being persnickety or holding myself to a higher standard. Maybe both.

I think, on reflection, that it's a bad thing. I should post the exercise I do, even if it's not the exercise I want to do. Otherwise, I'm shooting myself in the foot here.

For example: sometimes I won't have time to jog, but I could slip in a quick* 20 minutes on the elliptical. However, since I'd posted that I would jog, it seems 'not good enough' to do what I can and ellipt. So I'll either not post the star up on the blog, since I didn't do the 'right' exercise, or -- wait for it -- I'll end up skipping exercising altogether for that day. The idea in the back of my mind, vague as it is, is something along the lines of "If I can't do the exercise I want, there's no point in doing any at all." Please feel free to point out that idea is pretty damned stupid. I agree. It's just my perfectionist tendency cropping up in a new guise.

Thankfully, I don't usually fall into that trap -- especially now that I've dragged that vague idea out of the back of my mind and subjected it to the unkind light of analysis. I generally do get in a few miles of walking even if I do nothing else. I keep the running (sic) total on the sidebar up to date.

Goal of the week: The computer is turned off at 7:07 pm. No cheating.
Done! Well... it will be in six minutes. I shan't be leaving any comments on any blogs tonight.

Exercise du jour: 8 miles on the bicycle. If I can't do that, I'll at least slip in a couple miles of walking at lunch and 20 minutes ellipticalling when I get home. One way or another, I'm gonna get that star up on this post.
20 minutes on the elliptical. The headache doesn't want to exercise tonight, and I'm humoring him. (No, "the headache" is not a euphemism for a significant other.)

*As opposed to a slow 20 minutes. Time expands or contracts during exercise depending on the excellence of the playlist on the iPod.

Back in the saddle again...

Quote du jour: I'm afraid sometimes you'll play lonely games too, games you can't win because you'll play against you. - Dr Seuss

I haven't been on the bicycle in months. It's not as if the roads are icy, so I don't really have a decent excuse. I just didn't feel ready. Have to be organized to commute by bicycle. Have to pack clothes to wear at work, find clothes to wear while cycling, get up early enough so that I can cycle in and still get to work at a reasonable time...

Exercise du jour: Cycle a measly 8 miles. That's not too much to ask. The real challenge is getting the brain and body to grasp the concept of getting up and pedaling away in the dark. Once I get on the bicycle, it's all easy. Well, easier. Here I go.
Done! Well, most of it. 6 miles. But I allowed the star for getting up when it was cold and dark and pedaling toward a distant and coldly beautiful sunrise. Did I mention it was cold? Just checking.*

*I probably shouldn't complain, since it wasn't much below freezing and that's balmy compared to some people's weather. But I bet they didn't forget where they put their gloves.

Attacking my inner slug on its home turf

[Note: inner slug is not nearly that cute. Plus, it can spell.]

One thing the week of Ornish quotes taught me was that I need to find a way to change my reaction to stress and frustration.

Once damn foot stops hurting, I want to go back to bike riding. (Yes, just as the winter is coming on: rain, darkness, all that good stuff.) The best part about commuting to work on a bicycle is that you can get all your rage, angst, aggression worked out of your body before you even get home. Then there's no urge to eat bad food, drink bad liquids, or grind your teeth.

The challenge here is that to commute by bicycle I am going to have to get up early and come into work early. So long as I can get on the road by 4:30, commuting by bike should be fine. What I really want to avoid is the 5 o'clock drivers, cause they're a cranky and inattentive bunch. (Even in the Portland suburbs, where bike riders are really not uncommon at all.)

To leave work by 4:30, I will need to get in to work early.

Goal for the week: To Get Up Early Every Morning and Get Out Of The House by... oh, let's say 7:30. To me, that's hella early, so it's a good challenge.

That's one thing I can start on now, even while damn foot is still cranky. It's a three-pronged approach:
- I have to wanna be disciplined about going to bed at a reasonable hour. Surfing the internet is a luxury, not a necessity. Shut down the computer by 8 p.m. every night.
- I have to wanna do the evening yoga session every night. It really helps me unwind.
- I have to wanna un-friend Mr. Snooze button. It's over between us, S.

Done. Well, except for shutting the computer down by 8. Need to work on that.

Exercise du jour: 30 minutes on the elliptical.
Done!

Is there a cure for Mondays, apart from Tuesdays?

Quote du jour:
Mondays are meshed with Tuesdays
And the week with the whole year.
Time cannot be cut with your weary scissors,
And all the names of the day are washed out by the waters of night.
- Pablo Neruda

Feels like winter 'round here. Surely this can't still be August. It's cold, grey, rainy. The calendar must be confused.

Dealing with dog leftovers: expensive prescription shampoos barely opened, anti-biotics, anti-fungals, ant-acids, things to clean ears, things to clean carpets. Also some dog coats, dog blankets, dog towels, a dog bed. I'm hoping a Rescue might want some of these things. Seems a shame to throw them all away.




Exercise du jour: Cycling. I am tired of jogging. Or jogging is tired of me. Or maybe I'm just tired, period. I wish someone would find a cure for Mondays.