May 2007 Archives

My first attempt at spin class which Jeff invited me to attend with him last week was, with my thinking at the time, going to be my first and last. It was horrible and trumped with me being lead through the spin by my peddles rather than by my legs. Nothing worse then feeling like you're trussed into some kind of torture machine that is going to spin you right off the front because there are no damn brakes on the thing.

But I'm nothing if not a trooper so I went to Monday night's spin class again because Jeff asked and thought I should give it a good second try...getting back on the horse and all that mishigas. That instructor, a tight knot of a UK chick named Jess was awesome. Great music and she came around and set me up correctly so that I was peddling the bike instead of it peddling me. I was able to stand in position two and three at all the right spots and put in the full workout. In fact, I worked out so hard, by the time we got done and I wobbled down to get my stuff from the locker, I thought I would puke. Which, while bad enough, was only outdone by me getting on the subway, still sure puking was eminent, with the additional feeling that I could very well crap myself before I got home. And when I got home, the urge to purge had subsided but the underwear didn't make it. So essentially, I worked out so hard I partially lost bowel control. So, like, yay me again. Feh.

I finished up my second six-week beginners yoga class with what I considered the penultimate goal of beginning yoga: shirshasana or the headstand. It was quite a surprise to me, as even as late as last week, I wasn't able to haul my fat ass up and vertically stack it over my arms and head. But last night? Bloop and I found my balance and my big fat ass was up. It felt amazing and I even came home and did it again just to show Jeff. So, like, yay me!

This head-standing feat was even more amazing since I've been battling some neck strain this last month that has kept me out of the gym for the most part. I finally decided after some research that I needed to be rolfed and so, last week, I had my first rolfing and had a second one today. I sort of love it. It was painful to almost the point of needed to scoot away from my rofling guy (as if he would have let me), and he had to remind me to breathe through it, but I did and damn, do I feel good. Neck strain is much better (Hey! I can stand on my head.) and just having someone work into the muscles with their elbows was like the most perfect massage. I'm going to finish up with a third session next week and then I'll be done but would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to man-handled during a massage.

And now a word about my big, fat ass that I was able to haul up and stack over my head. When I first laid out my weight-loss strategy way back in the day, I said that even though my goal was 170, I'd stop at 180 to see where I was. I reached 182 today which is pretty close for me to reassess. Am I Big Gay Cruise ready? Not quite. Even though the changes are even obvious to me, I'm still a little soft around the middle and can stand to get down to 170, I think. All along, it's been better eating behaviors (not dieting!) and exercise with a slow, slow start but then in the last eight weeks the weight has started to really melt off. I'm out of my size 36 jeans and am now swimming in my 34's, but holding off just a bit before I rush out to get my 32's. It's a pretty fantastic feeling, I have to say. To have put some work and effort over the course of time, something I'm not accustomed to doing, and to get some results kinda rocks my world. And Jeff, who is working even harder than I am, has lost an amazing amount of weight. His dedication to making his reality come true before he's 40 has been nothing short of inspiring and has been the fuel behind me getting up every morning to make sure I'm hitting the gym and making the right food choices. Maybe pictures at 170.

Yes the garden is tilled, refreshed, and waiting for stuff. I had myself all worked up into a frenzy because I'd been gone for the past two weekends and was BEHIND! BEHIND! BEHIND! Actually, though, our Zone 4/5 is still a bit cool to put most things out (lettuce and peas, excluded) so I was able to get all the beds prepped in under a few hours, filled with new compost and brand new earthworms added to each one. Pictures of rich brown earth to follow.

The bigger thing this past weekend was our super secret project that we conceived a few months ago. It's too early to say exactly what it is because we're taunting Jeff's Mom about it until she comes visiting for Memorial Day but I thought I'd give an intro picture to whet the appetite.

My presentation last week in Chicago went swimmingly...in fact several people emailed me after to say it was their best presentation of the conference which makes me feel all warm and sparkly. Or as warm and sparkly as one could feel when talking about Medicare and research billing compliance. Jeff's Mom wanted a copy of the DVD which there isn't one so she won't have to suffer through an hour of me being charming but saying, "ummm..." over and over again.

Now I'm in Columbus, OH taking a week-long training on medical coding! I'm telling you, the well runneth over. I swung into town and forced the Cousins to have an afternoon affair so I could see everyone. It's apparent that while Jeff and I have been tending our flowerbeds and whatnot, the Cousins have been procreating like rabbits. I have new cousins EVERYWHERE. A whole new generation has sprung up overnight and, if I can brag, we're a handsome, handsome family. Cuteness abounds and such sunny dispositions on such well-mannered children. I can only suspect that dark black clouds of impending adolescence, while still off in the far, far horizon, will undoubtedly be heading this way. I believe I will be staying out of Ohio between 2019 and 2024.

Also, apparently while Jeff and I were tending our flowerbeds and whatnot, the Cousins have also started hitting a special family milestone while I wasn't looking: vasectomies abound! The general rule of thumb in my family is this Right of Passage being spun into a wonderful, warm yarn told around camp-fires and family reunions. Oh the stories of wobbly-knock-knee-ed wimps who, on better days when there weren't sharp medical instruments being poked around their junk, normally were robust, manly men of the family. Someone passed out! One didn't take! The stories never end! And now, my age group has started to fill that particular well of stories again. I almost feel like I should get one to make sure I'm not excommunicated from the family. I'd consider it but only if I could get a two-for-one liposuction at the same time because no one has taken that particular angle and it's so...well, it's so me! "Oh remember when Beau went in for The Snip and came out with a size 28-waist?" That kinda has a nice literary feel to it.

I'm finally due back in New York on Friday night after having missed two of the most perfect weekends of the spring so far. I have a garden sadly lacking in attention (and a husband too, not necessarily in that order) and flowerbeds to tend. Jeff opened the porch at Bashert last weekend and so now I'm also a week behind on my Saturday afternoon naps on the porch. I need to get back to my real life and soon!