The Kitties and the Papas
Since today was counseling day anyway, I decided to finally bring my donations to the Friends In Deed Thrift Shop a few blocks down in Collingswood. I tried to bring them two weeks ago, but the store was closed for the entirety of the President's Day Weekend. Actually, it may have been just as well, since I added another bag of donations to the pile. I went through my shirts yesterday and got rid of a lot of Land's End, Eddie Bauer, and L.L Bean turtlenecks and mock-turtles I'd had as far back as high school. Most of them were faded, stretched, and waaayyy too big for me by now.
I now had too many donations to carry on the bike, so I walked to Collingswood. It was very cold, probably about 30 degrees, and still windy, but crisp and clear under a blue, cloudless sky. I browsed in the thrift shop for a little while after giving the volunteers my bag, then went across the street to the Collingswood Variety Store to look at their WebKinz selection. They'd stocked some of the new ones since the last time I'd been there, including the first I'd seen of the Himalayan Cat, Schnauzer, Kangaroo, and Pink and White Cat. (For those of you in the Camden suburbs area who are looking for retired WebKinz, they also had the Raccoon and the regular-sized Gorilla.) I debated the Kangaroo before finally falling for the Himalayan's amazing blue eyes. (Linda's right; they DO have blue eyes you can see across the room!)
After I left the Variety Store, I decided to spend a half-hour or so at the Collingswood Library a block or two away. I never got past the main room on the lower level. The front entrance had two tables and several boxes of books and other items for sale...including crates of records. For some reason, the Collingswood Library is the only media center I know of in South Jersey to still carry LPs. I went inside and asked a guy friend of mine who works at the Library how much the records were. He said "25 cents." Sold! I ended up buying a studio cast album for the musical Brigadoon, a Christmas album, a soundtrack album for the MGM musicals Three Little Words and Annie Get Your Gun, and a huge four-album set of songs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, Memory Lane. (I would have bought even more if many of the records were in better shape. I loved the two late-60s Disney soundtracks for The Happiest Millionaire and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, but both were badly scratched.)
I stopped at the Tree House Cafe briefly for hot chocolate and a peanut-butter-chocolate cookie (just a small one - I wasn't really hungry) before heading for counseling. Had a lovely chat with a large, good-natured fellow from Camden named Michael before Scott appeared. (Considering it's supposed to drop to 20 degrees tonight, I hope the poor guy got his roof done!)
I told him that the past few weeks had been a mix of frustration (work) and nothing great. I have finally started losing weight again. After being on a plateau since November, I dropped to 194 as of this Monday. I hope this means I'll finally be losing weight again. I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to lose any more.
I'm now going to concentrate on finding out more about Drexel - how to get there, who to contact, how to get in, what their Library Science program's like - and finding out more about children's and school librarians.
I had just enough money for a quick (and overly sweet) Chai Latte at WaWa before heading home, where I spent the rest of the day. I did my yoga and played with my new WebKinz.
Meet Cassie, the regal Himalayan Cat! As majestic as the mountains her ancestors were reared in, gentle, good-natured Cassie has an air of quiet mystery around her that baffles most of her siblings. She was named in part for singer "Mama" Cass Elliott...and because I like the names "Cassie" and "Cassandra" and think they have the right air of the mystic for an Asian kitty! Cassie came with the Jeweled Table and a Blue Wagon. (I can see the Lil'Kinz Debbie and Elvis begging her for rides now... ;)
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Welcome To the Hotel California
Lauren and I have decided to begin our newest Monkees story early, for two big reasons:
1) We'd like to finish it (and I'd like to post it) before our mid-July vacations.
2) We're really, REALLY looking forward to this one. It's a serio-comic horror story based after the classic Eagles song "Hotel California." It was one of Lauren's most brilliant ideas - the Monkees and their wives runs afoul in the titular hotel run by the Devils. We're going to have fun with this.
The rest of the day was subdued. Work was steady, no problems. I did finally buy a scale of my own (from Wal-Mart) and discovered I now seem to weigh around 220, which means I've lost at least 20 pounds since mid-April. I feel good. :D
Lauren and I have decided to begin our newest Monkees story early, for two big reasons:
1) We'd like to finish it (and I'd like to post it) before our mid-July vacations.
2) We're really, REALLY looking forward to this one. It's a serio-comic horror story based after the classic Eagles song "Hotel California." It was one of Lauren's most brilliant ideas - the Monkees and their wives runs afoul in the titular hotel run by the Devils. We're going to have fun with this.
The rest of the day was subdued. Work was steady, no problems. I did finally buy a scale of my own (from Wal-Mart) and discovered I now seem to weigh around 220, which means I've lost at least 20 pounds since mid-April. I feel good. :D
Monday, June 04, 2007
Getting Things Done
Finally got some cleaning done today. I decided to admit I just didn't get to dusting last month and did the kitchen and the bathroom today. I need to replace the bathroom rugs eventually. One of mine is ripped, and I've had the other since I got out of college, and it's falling apart now.
I also finally got together with my sister Rose at the apartment she shares with her boyfried Craig, their puppies Kelsey (a minature pincher) and Toby (a border collie), and their cat Bob. We discussed our weight loss, the animals, exercising, our brother Keefe's upcoming junior high school graduation, and job hunting over a friendly cup of tea. She also gave me a pilates DVD.
We also weighed each other. I'm down to 229 now, from 240 in mid-April when we first started. Yay! :D
I'm hoping to vacumn tomorrow and finally get to the dusting and the bedroom windows. I'll do the laundry on Wendesday, and scrub the bathroom and hall floor Friday morning. (Neither are very big. This is a large apartment, but not THAT large.)
Finally got some cleaning done today. I decided to admit I just didn't get to dusting last month and did the kitchen and the bathroom today. I need to replace the bathroom rugs eventually. One of mine is ripped, and I've had the other since I got out of college, and it's falling apart now.
I also finally got together with my sister Rose at the apartment she shares with her boyfried Craig, their puppies Kelsey (a minature pincher) and Toby (a border collie), and their cat Bob. We discussed our weight loss, the animals, exercising, our brother Keefe's upcoming junior high school graduation, and job hunting over a friendly cup of tea. She also gave me a pilates DVD.
We also weighed each other. I'm down to 229 now, from 240 in mid-April when we first started. Yay! :D
I'm hoping to vacumn tomorrow and finally get to the dusting and the bedroom windows. I'll do the laundry on Wendesday, and scrub the bathroom and hall floor Friday morning. (Neither are very big. This is a large apartment, but not THAT large.)
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Get In Shape, Girl!
As previously mentioned, I have always had a hard time losing weight. As a kid, I tried exercise videos, but they got old quickly. Why watch Richard Simmons sweat to the oldies when you can sweat to your own oldies...or go outside and sweat to whatever music you want, or none at all?
I did classes, too, when my mom was an aerobics instructor. They were ok, especially the kids-oriented ones my mom did, but the end of the aerobics craze killed the cheap ones (and the studio where Mom formerly worked).
I've tried walking routines, too, but I'd rather ramble and go somewhere than try to keep track of your heartbeat and your zone and this-that-and-the other thing.
The only "sports team" the Cape May County Special Services District had at the time was a floor hockey team for boys only, and that only in my last half-there, half-regular-high-school year. (It enraged me that I couldn't play. I didn't care how brutal the guys got. I just wanted to have fun!)
I played field hockey in high school, and I'd love to again...if an adult female field hockey team existed outside college. Not to mention I'd lose the weight during the season, but I'd gain it all back again over the winter and spring, since field hockey was the only sport I played.
Soccer? No thanks. I saw what it did to my sister. Softball? Can't catch or throw worth beans. Basketball? Can't shoot to save my life, and I run like a snail. Cheerleading? Me, in those skimpy outfits? I had a hard enough time with the field hockey uniforms. Besides, I'd never be able to lift the girls or jump high enough. Swim races? I don't swim any faster than I run. Tennis? My serve never makes it over the net, and there's that "slow" thing.
I can do a few sports. I have a nice volleyball serve. I rocked at Ultimate Frisbee. (I can still throw a mean frisbee.) I did manage to figure Field Hockey out enough that I actually got to junior varasity after two years (not that I played much). My family had a badminton net for a couple of years in the late-80s and I got pretty good.
The only thing I did in college was walk and go for occasional leisurly swims with my friend and (for a time) roommate Amanda. Those "leisurely swims" came in handy the long weekend after the bombing of the World Trade Center - there couldn't have been anything more theraputic for both of us than goofing off in a heated, quiet pool. Going for a long walk around campus on 9/11 was a big help to my well-being that day, too.
I did an on-again, off-again walking routine in Wildwood, but I'd usually succomb to boredom. The proximity of the boardwalk in the summer and it's many high-fat food joints did not help. On the other hand, I did often go for long, rambling walks across the Wildwood Islands, especially in warmer months. I took pictures of some of the Doo-Woppers in Wildwood Crest on one such ramble...which turned out to be more useful than I had planned, as many of those hotels were torn down just a few short years later.
I slacked off last year after I moved, partially due to the hoopla during and after my move, partially because of my nasty knee accident in mid-July.
I'm trying to figure out how to lose weight without losing interest. Right now, I'm doing three days a week of yoga and pilates, alternating them each week. (Pilates are this week.) I'm still walking, though I'm trying for further locations. I'm considering dance classes when my knees are up to it, and I may take a yoga course when I feel ready, too.
As previously mentioned, I have always had a hard time losing weight. As a kid, I tried exercise videos, but they got old quickly. Why watch Richard Simmons sweat to the oldies when you can sweat to your own oldies...or go outside and sweat to whatever music you want, or none at all?
I did classes, too, when my mom was an aerobics instructor. They were ok, especially the kids-oriented ones my mom did, but the end of the aerobics craze killed the cheap ones (and the studio where Mom formerly worked).
I've tried walking routines, too, but I'd rather ramble and go somewhere than try to keep track of your heartbeat and your zone and this-that-and-the other thing.
The only "sports team" the Cape May County Special Services District had at the time was a floor hockey team for boys only, and that only in my last half-there, half-regular-high-school year. (It enraged me that I couldn't play. I didn't care how brutal the guys got. I just wanted to have fun!)
I played field hockey in high school, and I'd love to again...if an adult female field hockey team existed outside college. Not to mention I'd lose the weight during the season, but I'd gain it all back again over the winter and spring, since field hockey was the only sport I played.
Soccer? No thanks. I saw what it did to my sister. Softball? Can't catch or throw worth beans. Basketball? Can't shoot to save my life, and I run like a snail. Cheerleading? Me, in those skimpy outfits? I had a hard enough time with the field hockey uniforms. Besides, I'd never be able to lift the girls or jump high enough. Swim races? I don't swim any faster than I run. Tennis? My serve never makes it over the net, and there's that "slow" thing.
I can do a few sports. I have a nice volleyball serve. I rocked at Ultimate Frisbee. (I can still throw a mean frisbee.) I did manage to figure Field Hockey out enough that I actually got to junior varasity after two years (not that I played much). My family had a badminton net for a couple of years in the late-80s and I got pretty good.
The only thing I did in college was walk and go for occasional leisurly swims with my friend and (for a time) roommate Amanda. Those "leisurely swims" came in handy the long weekend after the bombing of the World Trade Center - there couldn't have been anything more theraputic for both of us than goofing off in a heated, quiet pool. Going for a long walk around campus on 9/11 was a big help to my well-being that day, too.
I did an on-again, off-again walking routine in Wildwood, but I'd usually succomb to boredom. The proximity of the boardwalk in the summer and it's many high-fat food joints did not help. On the other hand, I did often go for long, rambling walks across the Wildwood Islands, especially in warmer months. I took pictures of some of the Doo-Woppers in Wildwood Crest on one such ramble...which turned out to be more useful than I had planned, as many of those hotels were torn down just a few short years later.
I slacked off last year after I moved, partially due to the hoopla during and after my move, partially because of my nasty knee accident in mid-July.
I'm trying to figure out how to lose weight without losing interest. Right now, I'm doing three days a week of yoga and pilates, alternating them each week. (Pilates are this week.) I'm still walking, though I'm trying for further locations. I'm considering dance classes when my knees are up to it, and I may take a yoga course when I feel ready, too.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Good Thing Going
Yay! According to my sister Rose's scale, I finally lost two pounds! At the very least, it means this whole Weight Watchers thing isn't a lost cause.
Rose and I went to the massive Cherry Hill Mall to go shopping today. Rose and Mom have long harped on my clothes. I don't match well; I don't wear the right colors for my skin and hair tone; I don't take time to buy clothes that fit; I wear thrift-shop clothes that are out-of-date (but soooo much cheaper).
I hate clothes shopping. I hate trying on clothes. I want to look nice, but not fussy or trashy. (My chest is big enough without calling attention to it.) It doesn't help that current styles are not exactly in tune to my body shape, either. Fussy frilly straight skirts. Huge boot-leg pants slung uncomfortably below the hip. Smocking that only makes you look wider. Blouses with huge gaping collars and gathers at the chest that show off far more cleavage than anyone needs to show. Big, wild, psychadelic prints. Tiny tank tops. Ugh.
We tried Torrid, a designer shop that carries plus sizes, first. The boot-cut jeans fit all right. Rose said I actually looked good in the red swiss-dotted shirt with the gathers in the middle and the empire design, but it felt all wrong. Except for the colors; kudos to Torrid for seeming to base their entire spring line around cherry reds! (Red's been my favorite color since childhood.)
Old Navy proved a better fit. I ultimately picked up two good blouses in coral red and orange (the last time I was in an Old Navy, I got a similar styled blouse in yellow and turquoise) and a pair of brown shorts.
Rest of the day was much quieter. I went for a long walk through the park, up to the railroad tracks, and down Uncle Ken's street to West Clinton Avenue and up Manor to my apartment. Work was short (only four hours today) and though busy, not nearly as problematic as yesterday.
Yay! According to my sister Rose's scale, I finally lost two pounds! At the very least, it means this whole Weight Watchers thing isn't a lost cause.
Rose and I went to the massive Cherry Hill Mall to go shopping today. Rose and Mom have long harped on my clothes. I don't match well; I don't wear the right colors for my skin and hair tone; I don't take time to buy clothes that fit; I wear thrift-shop clothes that are out-of-date (but soooo much cheaper).
I hate clothes shopping. I hate trying on clothes. I want to look nice, but not fussy or trashy. (My chest is big enough without calling attention to it.) It doesn't help that current styles are not exactly in tune to my body shape, either. Fussy frilly straight skirts. Huge boot-leg pants slung uncomfortably below the hip. Smocking that only makes you look wider. Blouses with huge gaping collars and gathers at the chest that show off far more cleavage than anyone needs to show. Big, wild, psychadelic prints. Tiny tank tops. Ugh.
We tried Torrid, a designer shop that carries plus sizes, first. The boot-cut jeans fit all right. Rose said I actually looked good in the red swiss-dotted shirt with the gathers in the middle and the empire design, but it felt all wrong. Except for the colors; kudos to Torrid for seeming to base their entire spring line around cherry reds! (Red's been my favorite color since childhood.)
Old Navy proved a better fit. I ultimately picked up two good blouses in coral red and orange (the last time I was in an Old Navy, I got a similar styled blouse in yellow and turquoise) and a pair of brown shorts.
Rest of the day was much quieter. I went for a long walk through the park, up to the railroad tracks, and down Uncle Ken's street to West Clinton Avenue and up Manor to my apartment. Work was short (only four hours today) and though busy, not nearly as problematic as yesterday.
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