Calling all of my cheerleaders for some help...

Hey cheerleaders, I'm in need of your help.

I'm in need of some new music for working out.  My taste in music spans all genre's so I'm not to particular in what is suggested.  All I ask is that it's upbeat and something I can move to.

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

So It's Wednesday...

Sad news this week Cheerleaders...

I had a slight gain, thankfully it was only a pound and I'm only up to 248.

The Wonder One and I had a graduation party over the past weekend and we ended up taking a LOT of food home from it (it's still difficult to say "thank you, but no thank you" to those who mean well) and ate on that for a number of days....come to think of it, I think there are still some wings in the fridge, lol.

But I'm okay with the one pound gain.  Reason being?  I've gotten up and around A LOT more this past week (working out and cleaning) for one and for two I got my measurements this past week.  I've not done that since this all started. 

The odd thing about that is that while I can see where I've lost inches in many areas, in many areas, I've gained.  The Wonder One (who helped me take my measurements) and I figured that we probably didn't measure in the same areas and since it's been so long since the last time we measured, I've just got to suck it up and take it.

For a listing of my measurements, before and after, take a look at the above tab.

Thanks for stopping by!

I know I got some 'splainin' to do....

Hi there Cheerleaders!

I realize it’s been far too long in letting you know what’s been going on in my journey.  For that I’m terribly sorry.  As it stands I’ve gained a few pounds, yet, that’s okay.  They’ll eventually go away.  

Let me explain my absence, which I think is what most people are curious about.  Due to some reoccurring pain and infections I’ve had since the beginning of the year, I’m going in for some exploratory surgery on my left kidney to find out why I’m having so much pain.  Then hopefully I’ll stop having so many flippin’ UTI’s.  

As well, I started a new job that’s been keeping me busy and worn out.  Not that the job itself is terribly active, however between this job and the one I already had…I work 12 days straight then I get 2 days off.  I’m pooped by the end of all of it.  So when I get home, one of the last things I think about is the blog.  However, I figure if I work it out far enough in advance, some of my regular features, I should be able to plan ahead enough for you.  Then just plug in my updates on Wednesday and the random rant here and there. 

Also, I’m proud to note that I went to my first Zumba class tonight.  I went with a co-worker who invited me and I have to say….”DAMN!!!” she. Is. Good.  Really good.  I’m sure I was an embarrassment to her.  I couldn’t quite follow along so well (at least I didn’t mow anyone down) and I fairly well kept up with everyone (which impressed the HELL outta me!) but I had to concede defeat after 35 minutes much to my chagrin.  Turns out it was a 40 minute class!  AND at her first class she lasted all of 10 minutes and on the floor in a pile of her own goo having an asthma attack.  So a flaming shoulder of pain after 35 minutes?  I’ll take it.  As well as her gym!! O.M.G.  It puts mine to shame.  So after the surgery tomorrow and it’s all good for me to get back to working out like I want, I’m going to go and see what I can do to get a gym membership there.  She (my friend) was telling me about hers so I at least have some leveraging chips to work with.  I’d much rather be able to walk in there and play hardball and walk away getting a hell of a deal then to not have tried.

Shy kid doesn’t get the cookie right?  Ohhh that was a bad pun wasn’t it?

Well Cheerleaders, that’s all for the time being, as soon as I know more about my left kidney you’ll know more.  I just hope I get some good drugs to come home on! ;-)

Seen along the path during last night's walk...

This goose had a mate but I couldn't get a picture of the two of them together.  They were just walking around and across the path in front and then behind us as we walked past.  Yes, I said as we walked past.  They took hardly no notice of us and kept right on going.  I asked The Wonder One if he wanted to have some fun and run with them, but he said no.  Personally I think he may have been fearful that they would've bum rushed him, lol.  They were laid back when we were just walking by but I think if we'd been running or running towards them, it would've been a different story entirely!

Discovered...

So today while I was working out I was continually inspired once again by my dream dress.

lol Yes, I am not one to be easily dissuaded from this one.  So once I was done with my workout I went back to Banana Republic to see if maybe it was in the store.  Turns out it was!  Oh my GOD!  It does exist Cheerleaders!  *SWOON*

Of course it's not in my size...grrrr....but that's okay.  I can live with that, hence why I am calling it my inspiration dress, lol.  I do have to say though that I have to give props to the model in the print campaign.  She wears the dress well.  The rack that it was hanging on, did not do it justice at all.  I explained to the sales girl how the dress inspired me to keep walking and she explained that it sold out extremely fast online and that was why it wasn't showing up online.  So please forgive the photograph, the store lighting sucks butt.  That and the dress just does not hang well on a non human form.

I can not WAIT to be able to go into any store I want and pick what I want off the rack and buy it.  This is the sort of thing I'm going to start using for inspiration to keep me moving.  What do you think Cheerleaders?

Mad Med Inspiration Dress to keep moving

Something I discovered today along the way...

The Wonder One and I went walking today and I got 25 minutes logged.  YaY me!

The one amazing thing that I learned during my walk, well, make that two things I learned....

A. I learned that when having killer cramps, a good walk will help with the pain better than any pain killers I've tried (besides Vicodin of course!  Because let's face it, Vicodin is my friend....).  I mean seriously, I have cramps that would stop an elephant and leave him whimpering for his mommy in a pool of his own piss and vomit.  They are THAT bad.  I talked to the OB about a variety of different options, he felt they weren't right for me and felt the only right one is the pill he put me on.  Yet it does nothing for my cramps, which are still killing me.  Grrrrr.

Oh yeah, the other thing I learned during my walk today...

2.  I love walking at the mall.  The one where I go walking at is pretty easy.  You walk hugging the wall and do a lap on each level (there are two of them) and you've just completed a mile.  The thing that will motivate me to walk?  Looking at the gorgeous clothes as I pass by!  Apparently the show Mad Men on AMC is a raging success.  So much so that this spring is going to see an influx of design in fashion and beauty.  Estee Lauder has a couple of items inspired by the show as well as Banana Republic has this one dress....oh this one dress....but anyways, it is enough to get me to the mall to walk my butt off. 

If for no other reason than to have no more back breaking cramps and to see that dress.....funny odd note...when I went to find the dress for you all to drool over it as much as I did, lo and behold, it's not there!  You read that right, it's not on their website.  I scoured that site left, right and center to find that dress figuring if they are having it in the print campaign they very well can't be having just the men's clothing for sale and not the ladie's dress?  Right?  I dunno Cheerleaders.  Go take a look here and look for the man and woman and the dress I was drooling after was the cream colored boat necked dress with the sage green sash.  Don't wrinkle your nose just yet.  Wait till you see it!  It's gorgeous!

Back in the pool...

So today was lesson number two...

Very exciting indeed!

The swim instructor is so cute, very encouraging and forthcoming with advice and very sympathetic to my situation with regards to my shoulder (or lack there of a shoulder)...I'd explained how I wanted to learn more swimming skills so that I could utilize them to rehab my shoulders and regain some range of motion in them.  She having had some shoulder issues herself understood and really worked to show me strokes that would benefit me while not causing me undue stress to the area.

So this week I ended up swimming 100 yards (25 more than last week!) and learned 2 more strokes in addition to reviewing my breaststroke from last week!

So all told so far I've learned and/or done:

• Breaststroke with whip kick
• Backstroke
• Sidestroke
• Scissorkick
• Improved by 25 yards

YaY  me!

So a few things I noticed while at the pool.  Off to the side is a "baby" pool that is used to teach babies and toddlers how to swim.  There is a young man who brings his baby (maybe she's 12-14 months old, just learning to walk) and it was so cute watching him.  He had her hooded towel on her head (a character one of a duck) and her pacifier in HIS mouth and she was griping his fingers and he was walking her off to get dried off.  Too cute!  One of those things that make you go "Awwww" and think "How sweet."  Then there was another participant (most everyone else being a woman) and I have to point out here that everyone else in the class is dressed appropriately in their swimsuits (read that to be 1 piece's), yet I have to wonder how many mom's really go to their child's swim class in a bikini?  I dunno, color me a wee bit jealous that I can't wear one? Or seriously, in a class of 20 mom's is there always going to be the one that will dress like this to stand out?  At least she had the body for it.  Oh and before anyone asks and if you've made the connection....yes the guy with the little girl....he was there alone and yes he was good looking.  So is there a correlation between the bikini wearing mom and the good looking dad?  Who knows?  I'll keep an eye out and let you know if I notice anything develop, lol.

*Cue Gene Autry*

To avoid the emotional turmoil and tears of the day yesterday, The Wonder One and I spent the day out running errands going here and there getting things done.  One of the things we did do and I quite enjoyed was that we went to Battelle Darby Creek Park where they have some of the nicest trails around that are suitable for nearly everyone you can imagine and then some!

We figured there were a lot of people trying to do what we were doing (avoiding the television and the ensuing emotions that went with the day) because the park was swarming with families!  Yet it was never truly crowded nor did you feel like you were tripping over the person next to you.

It was only at the end of our excursion when I stopped suddenly trying to figure out where we parked when I was knocked into by a lady not paying attention to what was going on around her and she was right up behind me just a might bit to close.  Reminded me of a bumper sticker I saw earlier in the day ~~ "If your going to ride my ass, at least pull my hair while you do it!"  So instead of getting upset at getting run over by the obnoxious woman, I just laughed.  Of course she thought I was nuts.  I thought,  "that's okay lady, go ahead and think I'm nuts, better to think that, because if I were pissed, you'd be limping!"

So yeah, I'm back in the saddle again.  I'm liking being outside right now, because it's not blistering hot like it was a few weeks ago.  I want to do this until I have to go back into the gym due to bad weather I've decided.  I've also decided to take a cue from The Darby One and take my camera with me too.  So given time, you'll be able to see what I see and I can take you with me on my workouts.

This should be fun!

Let us pray...

Color me surprised!

The Barbie One redeemed herself today. While at the gym working out yesterday on that one piece of equipment that I am undereducated for (remember, it takes a PhD to just MOUNT the thing let alone USE) the evil one recommended a different piece of equipment that quite honestly wasn't any better for my shoulder.  The evil one I swear is out to get me!

So today while the evil one was lurking in a dark corner of the gym somewhere plotting my demise; I grabbed Barbie and told her that the previous two machines were just about to do my head in (more accurately, my shoulder) was there ANY way she could help?

She actually pushed this big huge body builder off a machine (well, she did say "do you mind?" first lol) and showed me how to use it and it didn't require any upper body involvement at all!  Then to redeem herself even further, she showed me two more machines I could use!  I'm chuffed!  So now I can still work on my lower abs and not have to worry about my shoulder getting torn up in the process! 

Gotta love it when a plan comes together!

Cast of Characters: Enter....The Evil One

So as I made mention, this morning I was going bright and early to the gym to get started.  9am to be precise.  I show up, hand over my card, desk girl looks at it and says "Oh, it's been a while since you've been here" I nod, letting her know that yes, yes it has been a while since I'd last been there.  "Barbie" Desk girl calls out to the barbie one (names have been changed to protect me, not so much them) "She's got and oooold membership card, what do I do?".  At this point, I'm wishing that I could shrink up and become invisible because no one told me on the phone when I set up this appointment that "things" had changed and that it would be an issue with my oooold membership card as it apparently was.  Barbie explains the process of what to do next, as I feel the heat rise to my face when the barbie one turns to me and says brightly "It's really not a big deal, do you have your drivers' license with you?"  Wearing my over sized t-shirt and workout leggings, I put my hands in the air as if to say (and I actually think to myself) say "where am I going to put it? My butt crack?"  The barbie one looked me up and down unamused, pursed up her lips then smacked them together (it was about then I wanted to Gibbs head slap her) and said to me in a squeaky tone of voice "Well it's okay (it better damn well be) you can just bring it in the next time."  After all that embarrassment and humiliation she lets me know they are going to take my measurements and weigh me. 

Shoot me.  Please.

Then I'm back with the desk girl who tells me she's going to go and get the evil one and he's going to work me out.  Okay I tell her.  Noooooooo problem.  But first she tells me.  "You get to warm up"  all nice and brightly.  Seriously,  when I said shoot me, I did say please.

After my warm up, they threw me into the den with the evil one.  The one with the easy smile.  Yeah, I took one look at him and thought to myself "Ah, he's cute, he'll be a distraction.  How bad can this be?"

I'll tell you how bad this can be.

Look at how cute he is.

That should tell you everything!

We get started with the first exercise and he tells me he'll be right back.  Then he forgets about me!  So I take pity on him as I can see he's running around like his sneakers are on fire, so I ask him if there is a better time for me to come back.  I couldn't believe the words actually came out of my mouth.

And yes, for your information, I did go back.  Like a dumbass cruising for a bruising!  We get back into my workout and then he tells me "I got this one exercise that I want you to do for your abdomen" (remember that lightbulb?) and me like an idiot, goes "Oh okay" and follows him.

Ohhhhh that's right, that's the one thing I forgot to mention in all of this.  My gym where I work out.  It's one of those gyms where the men workout on one side, the women on the other and then there is a co-ed area.  And this is where Billy gets the moniker the evil one.

I follow the evil one from the womens' side of the gym to the mens'.

In front of God and everybody.

He's teaching me how to use this machine thingamajig that you have to have a PhD in I swear Rocket Science to just MOUNT, let alone USE.  He says..."This is what you're going to use for your lower abs and this is how you get into/onto it."  He demonstrates.  I'm shell shocked.  He looks to me and asks "Ready?"(Seriously?), my honest but STUPID reply was "No".

Hence, the evil one was born.

I'll give him credit.  He showed me again how to lock and load.  He guided me in.  Yes, for this klutz, it really was that complicated.  But that was where all kindness ended.  When I got "done", he had me go again.  Then when I was done with that, he looks at me all cute and says, "I got one more machine for ya and then we'll be done".  Oh. Joy.

It's 8 hours later and I'm still thinking of ways to plot my revenge.

On the bright side, I rewarded myself with going today with a new lipstick from MAC, lol.