OMG - I really have to blog

I really should have been blogging over the last 2 weeks while I've been relaxing out here in Northern Idaho.... sitting on the deck, looking at the lake, looking at the mountains surrounding the lake, watching the Osprey pluck fish from right in front of our dock, watching 2 Osprey chase down a Bald Eagle.......
Hmmmmmmm........
Maybe that's why I didn't spend the last 2 weeks blogging. It was too, too perfect to do anything but sit back, relax, and enjoy!
*sigh*
Tomorrow is our travel day. Over 12 hours of a combination of security checks, flights, layovers, baggage claim. Won't be fun, and the weather will be barbarically hot when we return, but we will be home. I will have some time to blog before my next life adventure begins. I've got to finish up my "really crappy day" story, and do some catch-ups here and there. I also have some profound thoughts to ponder.
SO.......I'll catch ya after we return and I've had time to smooch & snuggle with my pups!
C'ya!

They are out there....

There are so many of them. They're all over the place. Some are far, some are close by. They are floating all around me. Zipping by before I can really take a good look, then coming around again, they change...evolve. Some of them fizzle before they even have a chance. It doesn't mean they shouldn't exist, just not right now. Rebirth, regrowth, renewal....always being replenished.

They are out there, just waiting for me. Motivating, overwhelming, frightening, exciting.... they are my dreams, ideas, hopes. As long as I keep my eyes open, there is opportunity for me to see them, catch them.... even if they are only visible to me.

Well, it did something....

Ok, so my previous post was about "how to and what would" motivate me to do something about my weight. I thought maybe I would need to post a picture of myself in workout clothing for the world to see, post my weight, cry and say I want to do this just as they do on The Biggest Loser. I decided not to do that. Actually, I didn't really decide to do anything. But, I have tried something I've been thinking about for some time.

I've got a lot of shows on TV that I like. I Tivo them so I don't have to watch commercials or so that I can watch those that I would miss. I love Reality TV and catch almost all of those. I like the evening dramas, too: Brothers & Sisters, Housewives, Grey's, Private Practice...well, you get the idea. I like TV. I do multi-task when I watch TV. I'm usually doing something on the computer. But, there are times that I'm just piddling or playing around on the computer. I don't HAVE to be on the computer. So, I wondered what would happen if I put a condition on my shows. I can watch them from the recumbent bike. Not all of them, although I'd probably lose 50 lbs in 2 weeks :).

So, 4 times since my Tuesday blog, I watched a show from my bike. It was actually pretty easy. During one of the shows, I did 40 minutes. I don't think this would work as well while watching a soap opera, or Rachael Ray. Those are slow-paced. I have been doing it through shows like Castle, and the Forgotten....those can be intense, exciting, fast-paced, even a bit of ass-kicking being done. Now, THAT'S how to get pumped! So, rather than mindlessly watching TV, I am mindlessly riding my bike....while watching TV. Not so bad. A friend gave me a good tip and suggested that I not make a goal of "X" mins per day, but "X" mins per week. That way, I won't feel like a failure if I only do 15 minutes one day. I still did something toward my goal of 100 minutes per week.

THINKABOUT: Do I love it? Nope! Do I hate it? Not really. Can I do it? Well, I am right now. I'll take that for what it is and keep trying.

How did this happen?

How did I get so heavy? Well, I mean....I know how it happened.....so, maybe I should be asking myself why? And, why can't I get myself to stop? At least I have stopped gaining weight...it only took 3 years and 50 lbs. I've quit some bad habits, but added others which is how I got here.
"Two Roads diverged...." Robert Frost
Why didn't I take the other one? Well, I can't change what I did. But, I really should try to see if I can find my way back to that spot rather than just sitting on the large bottom that I have given myself.

So..............
I'm watching The Biggest Loser because I'm a Reality TV junkie. The big question was whether or not these folks would get up in front of the family, friends, and community with their shirts off, and bellies hanging out as they stepped on the scale and announced their starting weight.

What I really should do is challenge myself. I should post a picture of myself in shorts and a cropped workout tank along with my starting weight. Will that make me do anything about it? Is that motivating? Would people support me, or just kind of let it go because they don't want to embarrass me? I could even allow myself to watch my favorite TV only if I'm on my recumbent bike. I wouldn't have to go fast and furious.....just go, at this point!

Well....I'm going to think about this.....yanno.....weigh my options (OMG, I am funny!). I'll let you know what I come up with.

Whoa....That's not good....

Has this ever happend to you? Something doesn't happen the way you had planned? What do you do? You may agree that it's not good, but do you sit down and take it? Do you fight? Do you problem solve, re-evaluate what you are doing? Maybe try something new?
OR (view video)

OR
Do you just wait for someone else to take care of you and what may be going wrong? Are you paralyzed by what happened or by what may happen if you try to do anything? Are you unable to see beyond the unfortunate-ness in front of you?
I would recommend attempting to see other ways around an issue. Remain calm, be thoughtful, be strong...even faithful.
While I hope you enjoyed the video, don't be the dumbass on the escalator!
Seriously....Figure it out!!!!

An Ode to Panties

I dream of panties
pretty, lacy, and small;
Not the ones that look like my Granny's
I don't like those at all.

But, I pluck and pull
to make them fit right;
Now, I'm starting to mull,
"Is it really worth the fight?"

I want something that won't roll down,
maybe something that won't pinch;
Not bloomers that belong to a clown,
why can't it just be a cinch?

So, I pull out the briefs
cotton, white, and boring;
Oh my Goodness Grief!
How will I ever be alluring?

My best ideas come too late.

I don't mean that my best ideas come too late for me to do anything about them. But, look at the time. It is 11:40pm. I got into bed, all snug and ready to fall asleep. My puppies jumped up and joined me. My daughter snuck in (after a stressful day...for her...she's 12: All drama, all the time). All was right, and the idea of a long night's rest was before me.
My head gently fell to the pillow, my positioning was perfect and comfortable, my breathing relaxing into the calmness of the comfort.
THAT is when my mind kicked in. Ideas started flowing, words which had escaped me througout the day broke through and were ready to be spoken....or written, as the case may be. Coherent thought replaced emotional reactions. Motivation to put forth ideas replaced the desire to sit like a vegetable on the porch or the couch.
Oftentimes, I ignore this occurrence and continue the path to sleep. That leads to a lengthened time between head hitting the pillow and sleep taking over. It also leads to a night fraught with odd, realistic, vivid dreams which sneak into my thoughts throughout the next day.
Tonight, I decided to allow my brilliant thoughts out by putting pen to pa....ummmm....finger to keyboard? I will be interested to see if this alleviates the difficulty of falling asleep, the dreams to follow, and the interference of said dreams into my day.

Good Night my friends, my thoughts, my demons, my ideas. See you in my dreams.

Verbosity

Is it a curse or a skill?

• My verbosity is a skill, a talent, something to be heralded...applauded...
• The verbosity of others is a curse, an annoyance, a hinderance, a thorn in my side...

But, here is the problem with verbosity in today's world. It is a dying art. In the world of Twitter and the status of the Facebook, all one needs is a word, a phrase......maybe even....*gasp*....can it be? *gasp* ..... a sentence???

Do we give in? Do we allow today's definition of sociability to decrease our desire to share words? I hope to increase my efforts to blog my verbosity, while maintaining the minimalistic social networking standard to which we have entered.

If Tomorrow Never Comes.....

Well, guess what?

IT WON'T!

Think about it.........
When tomorrow comes, it will be today.
And, today.... will become yesterday.
Hence, tomorrow never comes.

Sorry to disappoint those of you looking for a better tomorrow. Go for making today a better day!

Skunk Encounter

During our lovely and relaxing vacation in Northern Idaho, we had an incident with a skunk. We knew it was nearby because a musky breeze wafted through the house one lazy afternoon.
That's often the case with a skunk....you smell it, but you can't see it. The stink passes by and you continue on with your business.
The question is, what happens when you come face to face with a skunk? Well, Lacey did just that. They were nose to nose under the dock when the skunk sprayed its stank so it wasn't a direct hit. But, it did lead to one smelly puppy!
We pulled her out from under the dock, along with the strong, gamey scent which took 6 washings to remove. Did this upset Lacey? Was she bothered, did she run? No, she wanted to get back under the dock and play with her new friend. Much to her dismay, we chased the skunk out from under the dock and it scuttled up the hill into the empty, wooded lot next to us. Even the next day, Lacey looked under the dock for her most recent acquaintance.
Why is it that we can be so trusting?
That we allow someone to emit their stank on us, whether direct or indirect, and we still look to spend time with them. We wash off the smell, we cover it with a perfumed scent, and continue on with the business at hand.
I recommend going another direction at the first whiff of the waft!