Hey, hey! I'm back from a two-day hiatus. Yes, I was back yesterday, but no, I didn't post. I was just too damn busy with this magazine.
The little disruption in my daily schedule has caused my workouts to go by the wayside somewhat. I didn't exercise yesterday, or the day before that. But I was tromping through airports in heels part of the time, which in my opinion is workout enough. My feet are STILL feeling that. I would have gone yesterday, but I couldn't find my wallet last night and we had to run up to my work (which I couldn't get into) to see if it was there. So much for that 8:30 yoga class. And since I didn't have my drivers license, I didn't feel brave enough to drive out to the gym for plain old cardio.
Traveling is weird, I've discovered. There are little quirks involved that you can only relate to if you've spent a fair amount of time in airports. Why do those automatic airport toilets flush before you even remove yourself from the seat? Why do people insist on standing still on the moving walkway? (As Jerry Seinfeld once said, 'It's not a ride. There's no animated pirates or bears here.') And then there's the people who try and be your best friend on the airplane. Don't get me wrong, I like talking to the people sitting beside me, as long as they're not weird or smelly. But I really don't want to have a conversation at length, especially if I'm tired, which is exactly what I was on the flight home. On the first leg of the trip I actually had a whole row to myself. And it was a clear night, so for most of the time I could see the little cities we passed over. As we got to Dallas, I was looking out admiring the city lights when the guy IN FRONT OF me turned around and asked, "Doesn't the city look cool under those clouds?" What do you say to something like that? I was just like, "Yeah, looks like heavy cloud cover."
Well, he took that as license to start an involved, complicated communique, so he started asking me questions: Where was I from? Where was I going? Was I a Dallas Cowboys fan?
The second leg wasn't any better. I had an aisle seat, which I hate, and the guy beside me was fairly quiet until we had landed in Austin and were taxiing toward the terminal. "So when's the wedding?" he asked, out of the blue. I didn't know what the hell he was talking about - it took me by surprise - until I remembered the diamond ring on my finger. So out of politeness, I had to tell this strange guy that we hadn't set a date yet, the wedding would be in Alabama anyway and it's a pain to plan, blah blah blah.
Mark thinks it's because I was wearing a short skirt and hooker heels. He could be right.
Be proud of me. I did go to the gym last night. I kicked ass, baby - 47 minutes on the bike and treadmill! Last night was majorly crowded though - it always is on Monday. I can usually find a free treadmill, but last night I had to get on a bike instead and keep craning my neck around to see if anyone was leaving their treadmill. Yep, about 17 minutes into my workout someone stepped off and I grabbed it up. But anyway, good workout. I hope to do some yoga on Wednesday and Thursday night, possibly on Sunday too. I read something in Fitness last night that said two classes of yoga a week will tighten up your butt and upper body within a month. I'm all over that. A toned ass sounds really good, since I have yet to do any butt exercises at the gym (outside of the occasional body sculpting class).I mean, mine's not cottage cheese or anything, but it could use some firming.
I know this is the worst time ever to be thinking about this, but I'm considering doing the calorie-counting thing again. Maybe. As it stands now, I'm just barely a size 10 - the pants can sometimes get uncomfortably tight after I eat a meal - and I want to be all the way there. Like, maybe almost on my way to being a size 8. If I could get into the single-digit sizes within a few months I'd be psyched. But counting calories and depriving yourself is such hard work, not to mention the fact that it kills your morale. So I will probably just end up exercising more (I've upped my daily workout time from 40 to 45 minutes minimum) and kind of watching how much I consume. Like at Chuy's the other night - I probably could have shoveled in those last bites of enchilada, but I left them there because I knew I'd feel like crap afterward. Move more and eat less - that's my theory.
I probably won't be posting tomorrow, since I am *ahem* going somewhere - can't say where just yet - to meet with some important people. Let's just say that it's far enough away to require a certain mode of transportation. And let's just say that transportation usually involves, oh, peanuts and complimentary beverages. Okay, enough about it.If I do post, it'll be around 10 p.m. tomorrow.
The other day my mom told me that she was not going to put up a Christmas tree this year. I know it's just a stupid fake tree, but I think that I'm going to miss it really badly when I come home. Like I said before, she and my dad are preparing to file for divorce, and these months just aren't very happy ones around their house. The two of them barely speak, except to argue over who gets what, and my mom is really busy trying to complete the semester for her class AND finish her grad school stuff. Dad doesn't want to contribute his fair share for Kat's child support (she gets it for one more year, then she turns 19), and he says if he's forced to pay it he'll have to declare bankruptcy. He threatened to just disappear with all of his money - retirement, everything - so Mom couldn't get it, but I think that's a bunch of baloney. He's not about to leave the country, mostly because he's too scared to get on a plane, and I can't see him moving to Mexico or anywhere in South America.
But I know that both of my parents are very sad right now, and just thinking about them makes me sad, too.
A side note... I see that two people have already found my Web site by searching for derogatory information about Coach Fran. One was "Coach Fran asshole" and the other was "fuck Franchione." Hilarious. People really are mad over this. But I bear no ill will against the coach. Think about it - if you had been at your present job for a couple of years and someone offered you a DREAM job with better pay and more opportunities, wouldn't you take it? Kinda like if the NY Times came knocking on my door. I'd be out of here so fast ...
Wow, what a weekend. I spent most of Saturday doing Christmas shopping. I dropped some serious money, y'all. I spent $80 at Yankee Candle (can you believe that?) on stuff for Mark's mom, grandmother, my aunt and myself. We get some money from his relatives every year and we have to buy our own Christmas presents, wrap them and open them in front of everyone. Weird.
Anyway, I also bought two pairs of jeans from Lerner. Then I went home and Mark and I went out to dinner at Chuy's. After that we went to Babies R Us and bought some stuff for his little nephew, then to Wal-Mart for Christmas wrap, Best Buy for some DVDs and finally Target for some kind of atomic alarm clock for Mark's dad. Whew.
Then on Sunday I went to San Antonio to see my grandma Bernadette, who I haven't seen in more than a decade. She lives in NM, but was in town visiting people. She is such a cool lady. She brought along a bunch of her nephews and stuff, which was cool because I got to meet them. I guess they're my distant relatives. Maybe. What do you call your step-grandmother's nephew's daughter?
Didn't go to the gym Friday, Saturday or Sunday. For shame, I know. But I did do a lot of walking around the mall and stuff, okay? And I'm going today. Even if I have to drag myself, I'm going.
Name: Jen Location: DFW, TX Occupation: Journalist WHY this stupid blog?: To lose the 20 pounds I've packed on since high school and to entertain you with stories about my fabulous life. Current Weight: 138 My Goal Weight: 115 Pounds to Go: 23
