So I've been at this Couch to 5K program for almost 3 full weeks now. It's unbelievable the amount of energy I have. I am literally sitting here bouncing in my chair, anxious to get home so I can get up in the morning and run. How did my mentality change??!! I remember dreading "The Mile" at school. I'd end up walking half of it because I couldn't jog longer than 1/4 of a lap without getting winded. Now I'm running almost 1/4 of a mile! It's amazing!
I'm so happy that Wino is doing this with me. I know I could do it without him, but having his support really works wonders for my motivation. For some reason I feel I have something to prove to him by completing this program, as a result I have to prove it to myself too. I don't want another unfinished "scheme" to add to my ever growing list (4 NaNoWriMo fails, an unfinished quilt, several unfinished scarfs, etc. the list goes on).
I committed myself to this though, by signing up for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K women's RUN in October. (I'll do a quick plug here for donations because this is an important cause to me because my oldest sister passed away from breast cancer in 2007 at the age of 40, I really want to kick some breast cancer @$$ this year!). I can't give up on C25K now, I'm in it to finish!
On the Weight Watcher's front: I have lost more than 15lbs now, and I'm just several pounds from reaching the HUGE goal of 10% lost. I really can't believe it! All of this success, with running and the weight loss, has really boosted my self-esteem, I feel like I can conquer the world now.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Working out is working for me
It's been awhile (again). Apologies, it just seems that blogging gets put on the back burner!
Since we last spoke, I have joined Weight Watchers (and am doing fantastic on that), and have started the fabulous Couch to 5K program. In case you've never heard of that, it's a training program (free!) designed to literally get you off the couch and running a 5K in nine weeks. I just started week 2 of the training and I already see a difference in my stamina.
I hate running/jogging. It's never been a pleasant activity for me, and so I'd just rather not even partake. However, since starting Weight Watchers, I've discovered that I need to get my butt in gear and actually DO something, not just eat better. Granted just eating better has lost me 13lbs already, but I really want to get toned, and I REALLY want to RUN the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this year.
Quilt #1 is still in progress. El Diablo and I haven't seen much of each other, though. I was waiting on some backing fabric which just recently cropped up and will work beautifully, however my original plan for a border was a bit busy so I have to save my money to buy some new fabric for a border. Hopefully soon. I should just start on Quilt #2 so I can get the top done, but I haven't had a whole lot of time. Maybe once the summer is over. It's really been a crazy one this year!
Anywho, I'll try to keep updated on my progress to the 5K. Until then, happy tidings!
Since we last spoke, I have joined Weight Watchers (and am doing fantastic on that), and have started the fabulous Couch to 5K program. In case you've never heard of that, it's a training program (free!) designed to literally get you off the couch and running a 5K in nine weeks. I just started week 2 of the training and I already see a difference in my stamina.
I hate running/jogging. It's never been a pleasant activity for me, and so I'd just rather not even partake. However, since starting Weight Watchers, I've discovered that I need to get my butt in gear and actually DO something, not just eat better. Granted just eating better has lost me 13lbs already, but I really want to get toned, and I REALLY want to RUN the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this year.
Quilt #1 is still in progress. El Diablo and I haven't seen much of each other, though. I was waiting on some backing fabric which just recently cropped up and will work beautifully, however my original plan for a border was a bit busy so I have to save my money to buy some new fabric for a border. Hopefully soon. I should just start on Quilt #2 so I can get the top done, but I haven't had a whole lot of time. Maybe once the summer is over. It's really been a crazy one this year!
Anywho, I'll try to keep updated on my progress to the 5K. Until then, happy tidings!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Observation Deck
When you work with a very specific population of people you may begin to notice a common personality trait, which is probably what drew these individuals to pursue the same profession.
It's no secret that I work at a university, and if I haven't already, I wont divulge what department I advise for to avoid giving out too much about my whereabouts.
I have noticed, though, in the nearly two years I've worked in this department, this common personality trait: no social skills, to the point of rudeness on occasion. These students that I work with either don't understand that they speak so bluntly, or just don't care. I think it's usually a mixture of both. They just don't have the practice conversing with human beings to know that demanding something be taken care of or handled will get them nowhere fast, and will probably even hurt feelings!
I really have to work at myself to distance my feelings about being spoken to this way to avoid breaking down in tears. This happens (at best) once a week. My own personality lends itself to why I joined the profession I did, counseling, but counseling and advising these students needs a much tougher skin than I could have imagined.
I'm sure that if anyone reading this has ever encountered anyone from this particular field they would be able to pinpoint who I'm describing with an eerie accuracy. Please feel free to take guesses! Keep in mind that I work with 5 different majors, and this personality trait tends to only show itself in one. Everyone else I work with is (for the most part) very workable and even appreciative of any help they receive.
It doesn't make me dislike my job, but it does make some days much harder to handle than others!
It's no secret that I work at a university, and if I haven't already, I wont divulge what department I advise for to avoid giving out too much about my whereabouts.
I have noticed, though, in the nearly two years I've worked in this department, this common personality trait: no social skills, to the point of rudeness on occasion. These students that I work with either don't understand that they speak so bluntly, or just don't care. I think it's usually a mixture of both. They just don't have the practice conversing with human beings to know that demanding something be taken care of or handled will get them nowhere fast, and will probably even hurt feelings!
I really have to work at myself to distance my feelings about being spoken to this way to avoid breaking down in tears. This happens (at best) once a week. My own personality lends itself to why I joined the profession I did, counseling, but counseling and advising these students needs a much tougher skin than I could have imagined.
I'm sure that if anyone reading this has ever encountered anyone from this particular field they would be able to pinpoint who I'm describing with an eerie accuracy. Please feel free to take guesses! Keep in mind that I work with 5 different majors, and this personality trait tends to only show itself in one. Everyone else I work with is (for the most part) very workable and even appreciative of any help they receive.
It doesn't make me dislike my job, but it does make some days much harder to handle than others!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Aaaaaaand....she's safe!
Aaah, another registration week down. The chaos that consumes us on this week is sometimes unbearable, but we survive. I've never seen my fellow advisors look so worn down though. I made it through pretty well unscathed. For the first time in a year I was able to go through a registration week without a killer cold/flu. I actually had a voice to speak to my students this year! Hooray for being audible!
My job (as glamorous as it sounds) has its hazards though. One of which is talking to prospective students and their families. It makes me wonder how the state of our nation will possibly progress with this crop of inept 18-year-olds flooding into adulthood with no sense of responsibility and only a sense of entitlement.
I actually had a student sit in my office today, and text the entire time, while his parents asked all the questions. Only now do I realize that I should have called him out, but I'm not his parent, nor am I his teacher. I am a professional whose job it is to ensure that students have the opportunity to receive a degree, beyond that it takes their initiative to actually desire that opportunity enough to care. I can do a lot of things, but I can't make them care worth a damn.
I can't tell you how many times I've nearly cried as a student sits in my office wondering why they're failing all of their courses, and can't seem to grasp that they have to actually attend class, take notes, listen and care!!!
Why put all the money into an education if you're just going to squander it?! Just because Mommy and Daddy tell you to?! Well damn it, you're an adult! Start acting like a grown-up and take responsibility for your own life. My Mommy didn't come with me to my advising meetings, or hack into my email to read my messages to make sure I'm not missing something, or write a threatening letter to the dean because the school is picking on "her baby" when "her baby" is the one who hasn't shown up for a class since the beginning of the semester! Why do parents have to be so overly involved in their kids' lives?!
THAT is what is wrong with this new generation of kiddos (yes, they may be adults but they're still acting like kids): their parents have always done everything for them. YOU'RE DOING THEM NO GOOD, PEEPS! You're only hindering them from being self-sufficient! Take this as a message of warning: not allowing your 18-year-olds to handle their own business is only making them burdens to society.
*Pant* *Pant* Ok, now I'm done, I will get off my soap box and you may return to your regularly scheduled lives.
My job (as glamorous as it sounds) has its hazards though. One of which is talking to prospective students and their families. It makes me wonder how the state of our nation will possibly progress with this crop of inept 18-year-olds flooding into adulthood with no sense of responsibility and only a sense of entitlement.
I actually had a student sit in my office today, and text the entire time, while his parents asked all the questions. Only now do I realize that I should have called him out, but I'm not his parent, nor am I his teacher. I am a professional whose job it is to ensure that students have the opportunity to receive a degree, beyond that it takes their initiative to actually desire that opportunity enough to care. I can do a lot of things, but I can't make them care worth a damn.
I can't tell you how many times I've nearly cried as a student sits in my office wondering why they're failing all of their courses, and can't seem to grasp that they have to actually attend class, take notes, listen and care!!!
Why put all the money into an education if you're just going to squander it?! Just because Mommy and Daddy tell you to?! Well damn it, you're an adult! Start acting like a grown-up and take responsibility for your own life. My Mommy didn't come with me to my advising meetings, or hack into my email to read my messages to make sure I'm not missing something, or write a threatening letter to the dean because the school is picking on "her baby" when "her baby" is the one who hasn't shown up for a class since the beginning of the semester! Why do parents have to be so overly involved in their kids' lives?!
THAT is what is wrong with this new generation of kiddos (yes, they may be adults but they're still acting like kids): their parents have always done everything for them. YOU'RE DOING THEM NO GOOD, PEEPS! You're only hindering them from being self-sufficient! Take this as a message of warning: not allowing your 18-year-olds to handle their own business is only making them burdens to society.
*Pant* *Pant* Ok, now I'm done, I will get off my soap box and you may return to your regularly scheduled lives.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Blogging 1.0
Is it weird to be nostalgic about the old-school blogs? I've been blogging practically since it was invented. I had a Xanga site (lost a friend over a post on there), and I was a devoted MySpace blogger, some of my funniest, most profound posts, if I do say so.
I feel like with the popularity of Facebook and Twitter on the rise (or peaking as it were) that the old fashioned blogs are disappearing. I realize that as I type this I'm making a post on "Blogger" BUT I've really had to force myself to write here consistently. It's so much easier to just post my 140 characters about a particular whim or emotion (or food) and be done with it. These sites are really taking away the core creativity that has driven my writing for so many years. I have fallen into the "Instant Gratification" generation without even realizing it!!
My witty repartee has become idiotic posts about "I'm feeling down today." What has happened to me?! I used to write these epic drafts about emotion, or a nagging thought, or a funny story, wrought with detail and forethought. I feel almost like a failure, but I realize that I'm just another Facebook and Twitter addict.
I'm thinking I should challenge myself to disappear from social networking sites completely. I'll have to start slowly, like someone using the nicotine patch....wean myself off for just a few days....then for a week....then a month.... Maybe I could start using again.....maybe....but moderation is the key to anything...just one time wont hurt, right? RIGHT!?
I feel like with the popularity of Facebook and Twitter on the rise (or peaking as it were) that the old fashioned blogs are disappearing. I realize that as I type this I'm making a post on "Blogger" BUT I've really had to force myself to write here consistently. It's so much easier to just post my 140 characters about a particular whim or emotion (or food) and be done with it. These sites are really taking away the core creativity that has driven my writing for so many years. I have fallen into the "Instant Gratification" generation without even realizing it!!
My witty repartee has become idiotic posts about "I'm feeling down today." What has happened to me?! I used to write these epic drafts about emotion, or a nagging thought, or a funny story, wrought with detail and forethought. I feel almost like a failure, but I realize that I'm just another Facebook and Twitter addict.
I'm thinking I should challenge myself to disappear from social networking sites completely. I'll have to start slowly, like someone using the nicotine patch....wean myself off for just a few days....then for a week....then a month.... Maybe I could start using again.....maybe....but moderation is the key to anything...just one time wont hurt, right? RIGHT!?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Spring has sprung
It's been quite a while since I updated my blog...I've been a bad blogger. Oh well, there hasn't been much to write about to be honest. Work has gotten busy again, and it's beginning to get warmer outside. Yesterday was fabulous weather-wise!
We went out into the back yard to survey our property for the first time since moving in and one of our neighbors was cooking something that smelled delicious! Oh how I wish I could cook...! I've noted several times that I am challenged domestically, and this includes cooking. I'm inept around a stove. I can cook up boxed meals, but when it comes to anything remotely fresh, I'm an under-educated idiot! My mom blames herself for my lack of domesticity...I can't blame her wholly, because I never asked to learn!
I realize that I throw around the word "domestic" a lot. Please don't misunderstand my use of that term. I'm not wanting to be Mrs. Happy-Homemaker-Stay-At-Home-Wife, quite to the contrary, I'm a very independent professional woman, but I also realize that the way that I eat is not exactly conducive to a healthy lifestyle! Processed foods are the bane of the "American Life" and have contributed greatly to the obesity that this country (and now much of the world) is facing. Believe it or not, I was much healthier when my mom would make hamburgers and fried potatoes for dinner several nights a week. Much healthier than I am now with my Lean Cuisine lunch and frozen "Bertolli" dinner.
Anyway, I want to cook, but I've had so many disasters in the kitchen that it almost seems not worth wasting the groceries! I remember the Crock Pot Chicken Curry incident of 2008...not good. Or the Pot Luck Lasagna incident of 2009....I took all but the spoonful that I ate home, and let it get moldy in the fridge.
I need to just get over my fear and get back on the proverbial horse (or cast iron skillet....as it were).
We went out into the back yard to survey our property for the first time since moving in and one of our neighbors was cooking something that smelled delicious! Oh how I wish I could cook...! I've noted several times that I am challenged domestically, and this includes cooking. I'm inept around a stove. I can cook up boxed meals, but when it comes to anything remotely fresh, I'm an under-educated idiot! My mom blames herself for my lack of domesticity...I can't blame her wholly, because I never asked to learn!
I realize that I throw around the word "domestic" a lot. Please don't misunderstand my use of that term. I'm not wanting to be Mrs. Happy-Homemaker-Stay-At-Home-Wife, quite to the contrary, I'm a very independent professional woman, but I also realize that the way that I eat is not exactly conducive to a healthy lifestyle! Processed foods are the bane of the "American Life" and have contributed greatly to the obesity that this country (and now much of the world) is facing. Believe it or not, I was much healthier when my mom would make hamburgers and fried potatoes for dinner several nights a week. Much healthier than I am now with my Lean Cuisine lunch and frozen "Bertolli" dinner.
Anyway, I want to cook, but I've had so many disasters in the kitchen that it almost seems not worth wasting the groceries! I remember the Crock Pot Chicken Curry incident of 2008...not good. Or the Pot Luck Lasagna incident of 2009....I took all but the spoonful that I ate home, and let it get moldy in the fridge.
I need to just get over my fear and get back on the proverbial horse (or cast iron skillet....as it were).
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Things are looking up
So it's day 5 since I started taking my meds for the hypothyroidism. I have talked to a lot of people about it, and it turns out that quite a few people in my life also have this condition. Many within my immediate family. I had no idea that there was a family history of this. I would have helped to know, but at least I found out now rather than years from now with much worse symptoms!
I can already feel the affect in my energy level. I actually feel awake right now, I don't feel like all I want to do is go to sleep. It's sad to say that it's strange to feel good. All three days this week I've woken up before my alarm and not cursed at the clock. It feels good not to wish for more sleep all the time. I still have trouble staying awake in the evenings. I've been slowly working back up my tolerance. Last week my bedtime was 7:30pm (yes, that is sad), but last night I stayed awake until almost 9:30pm, quite a difference.
I'm excited for the next several months to see what else lies ahead.
I can already feel the affect in my energy level. I actually feel awake right now, I don't feel like all I want to do is go to sleep. It's sad to say that it's strange to feel good. All three days this week I've woken up before my alarm and not cursed at the clock. It feels good not to wish for more sleep all the time. I still have trouble staying awake in the evenings. I've been slowly working back up my tolerance. Last week my bedtime was 7:30pm (yes, that is sad), but last night I stayed awake until almost 9:30pm, quite a difference.
I'm excited for the next several months to see what else lies ahead.
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