Day 80/84 BFL C1

That's right...only 4 days left until my 12 weeks are up! So how was my day? Well, I got up early, went to gym and blasted on the upper body a bit. Since I was so lazy last week, I wasn't able to lift my usual 14 tons (ie: 40lbs dumbell chest press), but it was still an impressive show nonetheless. I expect to be sore...pain is just weakness leaving the body and all that. Then I went work at the hospital. While on break there (eating my 4th meal of the day), I saw a snippet of today's Oprah...she had Valentino on the show. There were lot's of pictures of his 5 mansions and many other evidences of his great loot. Am I supposed to care? Am I not supposed to be horrified that all my Vogue-reading and shoe-shopping add to his already fat wallet? Or am I actually supposed to be filled with joy when Halle Berry thanks him for his achievements in fashion? I'm a consumer whore just like everybody else, but there should be limits don't you think? A 20,000 dollar dress is just unnecessary especially when our government is busy burning up my Medicare fund off the coast of Cuba...I digress, then I came home, ate again, went shopping, came home again and here I am. Pretty mundane day for the most part. Tomorrow? Cardio!

anybody out there as mortified by my grammar as I am?

"There's worse things than being centrist, honey..." #2

Well, I still haven't done away with the slugs. I saw two of them kissing and conspiring the other day, so I gave them a stern verbal warning. I haven't seen them since, however, some tiny black dot creatures ate my entire peppermint plant! I shall have to investigate that....On the recycling end of things, I think I'm doing well. In addition to cottage cheese containers, I started recycling shampoo bottles, straws, and broken plastic hangars....what can I say? I'm rough on a hangar. I also invested in some "made from recycled products" cloth grocery shopping bags. Kinda proud of that one. And much to my chagrin, I have started to, at the very least, "skim" the local newspaper during my 2nd meal of the day. You see, I normally avoid any and all forms of news or current events. I tend to believe the media doesn't tell us the truth and they like to lie to us, however, I guess it's better to have some cursory familiarity with these things than none at all. You can't figure out the truth if you haven't studied the lies...

Shoe of the Week - Issue #2

I present Nina Cove Pink D'Orsay pumps. I found these shoes in a major sale and fell in love. However, the thrill is gone...These shoes only get 2 stars because while they are quite fetching, they are waaay too narrow (not the shoe's fault I grant) and they are far too easily stained, even after extensive scotch-guarding. Nina shoes tend to fall on the "..I'm not worth as much as my price tag" end of the spectrum, but sometimes you get super-lucky and find a great pair that feels as good as they look. Happy shoe hunting!

Q & A

If you e-mail me or leave comments with questions, I'm bound to answer them, so here goes...

Q: Gimpsmahlger writes: "...As to the weight, that's awesome but just how small are you trying to be? What's your goal?".

A: Well, I'm 5ft tall, and for most of my adult life I've weighed somewhere between 90 and 115 lbs (I know, sometimes it was way too skinny). I never tried to be a certain size, I just had amazing metabolism - that's my theory, anyway. Then one day, I woke up and there it was - big fat me. Lazy and in pain all the time. There's only so much you can take of feeling that way. Long story short, I decided I was sick of it all, and I wanted my old body back. Apparently just wanting (and eating endless pints of Haagen Daas Coffee ice cream) it isn't enough, so here I am doing Body for Life. Goals? Lose 10 lbs of fat, get my 26 inch waist back, have more energy, less pain, reduce body fat from 30% to 18%, and gain 5lbs of muscle. Also, to quit smoking for good. My 1st 12 week challenge is nearing an end (I have 1 week left!), so I'll be posting my results shortly thereafter. One thing about goals is that they change as you grow and as you realize all the real reasons you're doing it in the first place....pretty exciting!

Out with the old...

I haven't posted in a while for 2 reasons: First, I haven't been feeling well, and second, I've been under loads of pressure trying to sell my old car. Someone told me that it might take up to 2 weeks to find a buyer, but within 15 minutes of putting the ad out, I got about 50 phone calls. They call at all hours day and night! And to my great surprise, most of them have been mean as dirt and as ungracious as all get out. So now it seems that instead of finding "anyone" to buy Abeline, I have to find the "right anybody". Call me unbalanced if you want, but that car deserves a good home with someone who has decent phone manners. I'm meeting a gal tonight that sounds perfect - she works in a body shop and sounds awfully nice. I'm certain that she and Abeline would be happy together. More on that later...and look for a new "shoe of the week" coming soon. Good day to all! btw...the scale read 116.8 lbs this morning....mwah ha ha....

This one's for you, Pop

You mean so very much to me
And I want you to know
That you are always in my heart
No matter where I go

You're always giving, always there
To help in any way
The loving things you've done for me
I could never repay

I can't imagine what I'd do
Without the love you give
I'll treasure your sweet heart of gold
As long as I shall live

You're always there to guide me through
Each step along my way
Thank you, Dad, for being there
And Happy Father's Day!

byDonna G Sheehan

..oops, I almost forgot..here is my favorite 8 week pic, the left bicep of justice! :) btw, the new Batman movie rocked!

...here are my latest pics - obviously, i need a better camera, however, these are the results of my Body-for-Life Challenge thus far... from the back

...from the front 

"There's worse things than being centrist, honey..." #1

Well, I have a pest problem. You see, there is a dark overlord who intends to ruin my garden with his slug minions..so naturally, the first thing I think of is "Let's get me to the store for some Bug Ghetta!" But being as I am trying to be more earth friendly and such, I decided to do a bit of fact-finding to uncover any good reason I should let them go on living off of my lovely plants...so far I haven't found any such reason, but I will plug away a little bit longer before researching the "nicest" way to unburden myself of them...updates to follow...
Also, I started recycling this week...so, far it's only the plastic cups I use for my protein shakes and the empty cottage cheese containers...so much cottage cheese...

Day 66/84 BFL C1

well, for now, I've decided to stop taking the creatine. First of all, I just don't think it's a good idea to take something "extra" that the body already produces naturally in its own amounts. And it can cause all manner of health problems which are highly debated, I admit (creatine info). But also, it just plain adds on the lbs in the form of water and bloating. And who needs that? Maybe a professional body builder, but I'm not there...yet :)

Here he is...my new car...I shall call him Spotswood! 

Shoe of the Week - Issue #1

I have this shoe in a lavender/pink suede. I present the Rorey pump from Alfani! I'm only giving it 3 stars out of 5. It loses 2 stars because of the extremely pointy toe - you'll probably never see me give 5 stars to a pointy toe simply because they are a stupid idea orthopedically speaking..I can only wear these shoes for 2-3 hours at a time, but they are hot! and extremely well-made. Notice the contrast stitching and button detail. Happy shoe-hunting!

New Features Coming Soon

'Been shopping for a new car, so I haven't had time to post lately...pics soon to follow! I've decided to install some weekly features coming soon to a blog near you. First, since I shan't be buying new shoes anytime soon, I'll be featuring some of my stock in "Shoe of the Week" complete with a ratings system and review. I am also thinking of having a weekly guest essay to cover topics such as fitness, shoes, and whatever the heck else I feel like. And lastly, for now, I will have a weekly rant about environmental/political issues of which I probably don't know enough about in "There's worse things than being centrist, honey..." And of, course, continued updates on my Body-for-Life Challenge. So, far, I'm 8 weeks in and looking great. That left bicep is getting a bit august if I do say so myself . Great day to all!

I finally hit the teens again! I knew I loved this scale! I pretty much weigh the same in the mornings now, but the afternoons are a different story...Hoorah!