Wednesday,
Freemotion squat machine (shameless) 260lb X 6 X10
Freemotion cable lift machine 200lb X10 RDL
Freemotion cable lift machine 130lb x 6 x 10 SLDL -> 150 X6

FRI
Bench 70kg X 5 , 4, 4
60kg 6, 6, 6, 6,
Zercher Squat 90kg, 6,5,4,3,2

SAT PULL DAY
DEADLIFTS 90kg x 3
100kg 5,4,3
105kg X 1 X 3
100kg X3
90kg X5
80kg X10
70kg X 10

Kettlebell 16kg swings X 5 X 20

Chins with 16kg kettlebellhookedbylegs X 2

FINI

thoughts on these workouts later

I love practicing yoga first thing in the morning. It wakes my body, smoothes the kinks, clears my mind. I feel energized. Energy begets energy, as they say. Now that I teach three mornings a week now, my practice is cut short (especially if I accidentally oversleep) on those days. Still, I’ve got it made. I am free most mornings to practice, and that no-brainer consistency works for me.

When I check out full-time teachers’ schedules, however, I see that most cannot practice at the same time daily. Their classes are scattered ’round the clock throughout the week. Such eclectic schedules are probably necessary to accommodate students’ varied schedules. Also, if teachers share a studio, no one can monopolize all 5pm classes (or whatever one’s preferred time might be).

But doesn’t this inconsistency wreak havoc on a teacher’s own practice? Sure, one can probably find a decent chunk of time here and there. But doesn’t that inconsistency drive one a bit crazy?

Of course, that’s life.

Maybe the trick is to practice when almost nothing can interfere, perhaps at 5am or at a strictly protected afternoon time slot. Or maybe it’s good to shake things up day by day.

It seems that people vary in their preferred modus operandi for work (which I define as a chosen pursuit). Some prefer a loose schedule, allowing for spontaneity. Others find that consistency aids their creativity or productivity; ideas spring forth, ala Pavlov, at that designated hour.

Me, I tend toward the latter regarding things that truly matter to me. Otherwise they’re liable to slip to the back burner. So, whenever possible in my life, I’ll keep a consistent asana practice schedule.

Of course, I’m always on guard for complacency and laziness, two pitfalls of routine. In his memoir, The Summing Up, the great W Somerset Maugham* wrote:

You cannot write well or much (and I venture the opinion that you cannot write well unless you write much) unless you form a habit; but habits in writing as in life are only useful if they are broken as soon as they cease to be advantageous.

*I first discovered Maugham when I read the first paragraph of chapter 50 of The Moon and Sixpence and was compelled to read the whole novel. He is a sharp observer of human nature; his dialogue rings true; and his wit is ever amusing. My other favorite Maugham novel is The Razor’s Edge, for its vivid characters who make telling life choices. One main character’s journey in Europe and India, seeking the meaning of life, would probably interest yoga types.

Image disclaimer: Illustration depicts sunset, not sunrise.

     Hello again from Joa Ying. I’m back to my blog now.  I miss all of you who read my blog. 

     Four of us, Som Tum, Thong Pond, Thong Thai, and I are doing fine.  I have many stories to share with you, but just don’t know which one to tell you first.

      First of all the two sisters have been changed from two crabby cats to be more friendly cats now. Both of them gain extra weight too.  Most of time I can find them at their basket or their food bowls. Once for a while three of us join a team to catch mice, just to show boss that how active we are. We’re not only expecting boss to impress us, but also the extra rewards is a must inside our food bowls too, please.

     Now I have my new routine, ”the daily voice exercise” at 4:00 AM.  Boss doesn’t happy about my voice exercise at all, but nothing can changes my mind, because I’m a Beagle.  Beside this, I like to run around while exercise my voice.  Keep healthy body is the most of my concern.  Somtum starts acting like she lost her sheep dog life style by forget her barking, and sometimes she even forget who I am.   So, sometimes Somtum and I had the big argument.  I had to do this to help Somtum gets her memory back. Wow! that worked real good, but no one win.  However, both of us get punishment from boss by loss our snack bones for a few days.  That is O.K.

   I still enjoy watching the nature.  You know? Last summer I sneaked out to the top of the hill again.  I went out all day long, so when I returned, boss had to change the new chain for me again since the old one couldn’t keep me stay home as she hope. I came home with some wood ticks for boss to pick them out from my body before they get big and round bodies with the ugly gray color.   Boss wonder why in this world has to have wood ticks to suck dogs’ blood. Can we live without wood tick on earth?   Well, I don’t know neither, boss.

The new work schedule is leaving something to be desired in the dinner choices department. Late nights = bad choices. My husband and I caved and decided on pizza for dinner 2 nights ago. I’ve eaten a half a pizza this week PLUS a canoli. And my dinner last night consisted of a half a bottle of red wine. Mental note: Wine-only dinners = drunkenness. And while pizza is not the worst in the world, we’re hoping to stop the cycle and find some meals that are quick and healthy. Suggestions? I’d rather not any prepackaged frozen meals (they never fill up the husband and I’d rather save on the salt).

Also, this week I’ve been too exhausted in the morning to get up and exercise. Unlike some people who are energized by exercise, I just become more exhausted. Sleep takes priority so I don’t get sick. I haven’t given up on exercise, but I need to adapt to my new, busier schedule first. And according to my acupuncturist, I have low energy. I don’t know how to increase it! What’s wrong with me? I’m 30 years old and have the energy of a 60-year-old! Humph.

Food choices today:

• Breakfast: 1 cup frosted flakes w/milk, 2 cups coffee
• Snack: A pack of peanut butter crackers
• Lunch: Salad w/lettuce (obviously), couscous, carrots, grilled chicken, olives, mushrooms, and croutons
• Dinner: TBD, but I think we’re going to Subway before going grocery shopping

October zoomed by, November kind of poked along, and here it is December.  I’m about 3/4 done with Christmas shopping, which ain’t bad for me.  Thanksgiving was nice, Bella spent the whole week down with her dad, but not in Chicago as I thought they were going to do.  We had our dinner on Saturday.  It was hectic but great to spend the time with the family. 

I had a conference with Bella’s teacher recently.  Mrs. Isabella is her name, and yes, Bella gets a huge kick out of that.  Last year, her and her teacher shared a birthday, this year they share a name.  Anyway, she had many wonderful things to say about Bella, she’s intelligent, well-behaved for the most part, fun to have in class.  And she shared a couple of concerns, that sometimes Bella is a little bossy, she has trouble with following through on assignments, particularly ones that she finds are too easy.  Then her teacher says that her father mentioned that I was concerned about her math skills.  No, I said, what I had said to him was that her reading skills are outstanding, but that her math skills are average.  And I’m ok with average, I told her teacher.  This is one of the disadvantages to trying to parent from two different locales.  Sometimes things get convoluted in the translation.  But I did thank Mrs. Isabella for being willing to hold two separate conferences.

Next week, Bella has her christmas concert at school.  Her dad said that one of them was going to try to make it up here for it.  I said that since he was supposed to get her on Thursday night anyway, why not just take her Wednesday, if you’re going to be up here anyway.  He said he wasn’t keen on her missing another day of school.  Interesting how all of a sudden he’s concerned about that.  Three days prior to his wedding, bah.  The whole Thanksgiving week, whatever.  One extra day?  Come on, who do you think you’re fooling pal?

Dance this weekend.  And decorating.  And the chocolate expo at the NYS Museum mmmmm.  Saturday night she’ll be staying at her aunt’s, my sister’s has her boyfriend and his six year-old son staying over.  She’ll have a blast.

Meet day. I tried dieting this week to bring my weight down, but ultimately ended up not getting enough protein, losing water, and, in the end, losing raw strength. The trade off wasn’t worth it. I took 35# off my maximum bench press, which puts me at 115# and squarely in last place on the VM rankings, provided my first lift passes the judging.

Bench press:
—several warm-up sets with the bar for adjustment of pins, hooks, and bench
—5 x 95#
—3 x 115#
—1 x 135# trial lift

Attempt 1: 115#
Attempt 2: 125# fail

Push press 10 x 60#

10 burpees

Total body foam rolling

As I am a cliche romantic…I tend to love to do small things for people.

I need to share this cute little tale of mine as I will it to bring smiles to others as much as it does to me (not trying to boast).

Last Saturday night, I closed at Lowe’s (as I often do in my 6 day work weeks). I came home and followed the same routine I had been in for the past few days. As it was Thanksgiving break, my boyfriend and I were separated and had been using Yahoo to communicate through webcam and the call feature. It was working out just fine, but I felt a greater need to be with him. Either way, this activity continued into the wee morning hours, as was normal as well. At about 3am, I came across a recommendation whilst reading Genderfork that I absolutely couldn’t ignore. I used the fact that we had been dating for just about a month then to buy this present for him, and then proceeded to also decide to drive to NOVA (Northern Virginia) 2.5 hours away, at 5am, with no sleep, to see him.

Showing up and having him stagger out in a sleepy daze while I was wide awake due to so much caffeine, excitement, and the chill of a 34 degree NOVA morning on my skin was more than worth what may have seemed like a irrational plan.

We also went out on a date when we got back from NOVA. Brought him to dinner at Cracker Barrel, and then saw Fantastic Mr. Fox (which really is fantastic). A stunning night, and one I won’t willingly forget.

Any way…the present was OP, and it just arrived yesterday. It was so exciting. Original Plumbing is a unique Trans Man magazine based out of San Francisco. The first edition is only in circulation for a while more before the next issue of the quarterly come out, and I snatched it up quick when I saw that. Full of interviews and articles from FTMs, I think I’m definitely going to continue buying it for him. It makes me feel special that he liked it so much and hadn’t heard of it (as I was afraid he might have, seeing as that he is quite knowledgeable about the community).

Yay! I’m silly. I <3 him though.

~Peace.

It’s still a few days away but friends jumpstarted it tonight with a surprise dinner. Sweet! 28 isn’t the milestone of 20, my last birthday party surprise but it’s still sweet and fantastic. Birthdays confirm to me that I’m not the major bitch I’ve always thought I was because my buds have stood by me through thick and thin (and quite literally, haha).

Had to leave the dinner early though because of tomorrow’s errands. There a LOT. God. Now I understand why assistants are necessary. I’m a do-it-yourself-girl, always am, always will be but the volume of tasks that have to be accomplished practically in a matter of minutes is overwhelming. You’ll go crazy!

Such as:

1. Pay cellphone (I really don’t like doing that because the lines are always long and since it’s Saturday, you pay at the malls, where it’s noisy and there’s a screaming kid at your elbow so you can’t enjoy the book you have).

2. Load up on healthy food. It’s been months since I’ve eaten meat, and I don’t miss it at all. Eating anything with parents repulses me. That and the fact that a truck of pigs off to the slaughterhouse rolls along the highway leading to my place. How’s that for a reminder? I don’t eat organic, but I eat more vegetables now, fish, and have replaced my dairy needs with soy. Soy takes some getting used to, though. But I do go back to regular milk now and then.

So off to the grocery! Ugh, that’s got lines too, doesn’t it?

3. Get my paycheck from the magazine. The office it practically on the opposite end of the city. I’ m not looking forward to going there with grocery bags riding the train. This is where having a car comes in handy. Which reminds me, Dude has a car.

4. Record grades.

5. Read for next week’s lessons, both for graduate school and college. I’m absolutely enjoying teaching literature and from my students’ participation, I don’t think I’m doing such a fucked-up job. Yay.

6. December 7–dinner with my best girls! We’re all finally together after three years, can you believe that? Sooo looking forward! Have to prepare for that in advance because I’ve got really, really dark circles under my eyes and with my girls, late nights are a given.

When I think about turning twenty-eight, I remember this guy I dated briefly, Neil. We met in grad school and our hanging out progressed to dating to making out and so forth. You know. I was just starting then, while Neil was a thesis away. It didn’t work out because he didn’t come off as serious to me, being a person who still lived with his folks and had no idea what to do with his life. But here I am, five years later, days away from twenty-eight with a thesis almost, almost in the bag, and living with parents.

The deal-breaker for me was Neil had no idea in which direction to take his life. Yeah, you don’t know everything but you should at least have an idea, right? I’m spontaneous, but a plan, even just a bit of planning, goes a long way. He wasn’t like that. After he got his m.a., I asked, what? His answer was a shrug, a connotation of I don’t know. He coudn’t even say it. He not only had no idea what he wanted to do but he was lazy enough to admit it. Ugh.

Gosh, twenty-eight. Not as sexy as twenty-two, hot as twenty-five or glam as twenty-seven. Am I troubled about being a year older? No. I have accomplished a few significant things and I’m in a happier state now.

As a birthday treat to myself, I got a DVD of a favorite movie, Alfonso Cuaron’s Y Tu Mama Tambien:

My favorite scene from the movie. Hard to decide who's hotter--Diego or Gael. As long as it's a sandwich consisting of the two, I'd happily be the spread!

I saw Y Tu Mama Tambien a month before graduating from college and this movie really spoke to me. I’ve always thought it’s about the end of things, what with the death of Maribel Verdu’s character, the sporadic instances that Tenoch and Julio (Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal, respectively) saw their other friends. Towards the end of the movie, Tenoch and Julio never saw each other again. Sad. Really sad. To be best friends with somebody only to part and never see each other again ever.

I’m still in touch with my friends, from high school and college–and also the first friend I’ve had! “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are,” as the saying goes. I’ve never cared for having many friends, I just happen to have a lot, and have great relationships with all. That is a great accomplishment and something that I will be putting as a milestone for my 28th year.

I’ve posted this before the holidays because I know that I will sleip up once.  From EverydayHealth.com:

Q: I totally pigged out today and feel so defeated. What should I do now?

A:  Congratulations — you’re human! We all make mistakes, and pigging out does not constitute failure on your part. Consider it just a slipup or a temporary setback that you can overcome. Overdoing it at one meal, or even for a full day or two, will not undo all your hard work. The first thing you should do is get yourself back in gear. Here’s how to get started:

Make the rest of your day as healthful as possible. Don’t skip meals, but have a lighter dinner (and lunch too, if you haven’t eaten lunch yet). A bowl of cereal and milk works well for a light meal (measure it out so you don’t eat hundreds of extra calories), as does a container of yogurt with fruit, a big salad, a baked potato with broccoli, or even a sandwich.

Go the extra mile — by adding minutes or intensity — with your exercise routine today and tomorrow. This will give you a head start on getting back on track.

Think about what may have gone wrong. Did you let yourself get too hungry? Were you eating to fill an emotional need? Was the food sitting right in front of you, tempting you even though you weren’t hungry? The more you learn about your behavior patterns and why you slip up, the better able you’ll be to prevent future setbacks. Use a journal to record your thoughts and feelings.

The soft hum of the laptop fan, the occassional deep breath from my son, who’s reading the “Warriors” series, and two rooms away clothes tumble in the washer drum.  No other sounds.

The tinnital response: my ears ring in the quiet, small signals looped back upon themselves.

(Title abbreviation taken from my friend, Patten, which creatively means ‘Week 1, Day 3′.)

Brrr! Baby, it’s cold outside! I bundled up in two long sleeve tees, track pants, and a hat for this run. I think it’s roughly 40 degrees today. But no rain! So, I’m thankful for that.

Otherwise, the run itself went well. I was able to finish out the intervals with no problem. Frankly, I’m ready for the next few weeks when the running intervals last a bit longer. Every time my C25K app beeped for the walking interval, I felt it was too soon. It still feels easy, which I guess is a good thing. I know that won’t last forever.

32:31 // 318 cals burned.
Not sure about the mileage. The neighboring school let out just as I was starting my second lap. I altered my route so I wouldn’t be in the middle of track practice.

A hospital postpones all planned non-urgent admissions for routine surgery because of a rise in the number of patients with the norovirus…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: virus. The blog is also related to: virus.

I ask the question, what bothers me about this crazed world, in an attempt to sort through all of the thoughts that have been in my mind in the past 36 hours…everything from nightmares to crazy findings while awake. In fact, I’ve been awake about 24 hours already. I haven’t slept since yesterday but woke up in the afternoon, 2 hours before the sun disappeared! Stayed up all night again.. I also did it the night before, which was why I got up so late.

Anyway,

–It bothers me that the sun goes down so early but what really bothers me is the “Daylight Savings Time” that makes it appear early when it’s actually not!

–It bothers me that most people in Hollywood are screwed up even before they get there yet it’s where most people want to be.

–It bothers me that there is so much information set right before us yet people are content to remain ignorant to many facts. Ignorance is not bliss, my friendz.

–It bothers me that twenty-year-olds are treated like children in this society. Even more, some support the treatment, longing to remain a kid and be catered to. No! I desire respect and with respect comes responsibility.

–It bothers me that mainstream media is so widespread. The music is so “popular” and the same songs get played on the same stations all day, every day. It’s not even good music, either.

–It bothers me that people often don’t realize how great they have things and don’t realize just how much the next person would give to be in their shoes. We, as a people, need to stop complaining and just help each other out.

–It bothers me that things have become so shallow. Surface matters have become more important. Image can’t be more important than substance. There is no value in image if there is no substance. Stop judging, prejudging, discriminating, stereotyping, assuming, hating and degrading.

–It bothers me that so many people follow a system. Why is it okay to wake up and do the same thing you did the day before?? School, 9-5 work, watch t.v., play video games, shop, sleep, yell at kids. This isn’t a routine of progress!! Don’t be forced out (through unemployment). Instead, take measures to change your routine NOW! Prioritize!!!

I will be adding more.

In the meantime, why don’t you check out a show that I believe in, for its desire for change in the world:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/profile.aspx?userurl=prevailtalks

**What bothers you about this crazed world??

**Speaking of nightmares, do you think I should cater an entire blog to nightmare tales or just have posts on The Moments of Truth™ called Nigtmare Talez™??

PLEASE VOTE: MOTHERS AGAINST GUNS W/ CHASE:

Hope is a cruel mistress. No matter how badly you want to get in bed with her, there is always that chance of being disappointed, of her disappearing as quickly as she came.

I try not to hang my hat on anything. I take life with a grain of salt. But when something is dangled in front of me, it’s really hard to let it go, it’s really hard to forget, it’s really hard to not imagine the possibilities. It’s freaking impossible to kick hope out of bed.

Sometimes, this carrot depletes me of all other motivation. It’s happened before so I’m familiar with the feeling. The prospect of something new, so close, you can taste it on the tip of your tongue… why would you want to go back to the routine? So you skate by, bare minimum, making love to hope so hard that it all works out the way you want. That you won’t have completely lost everything else should your affair with her be discovered.

Because hope can really screw you like that. She is so soft and sweet, but vicious and manipulative at the same time. The butterflies in your stomach can easily be replaced with knots. And then what are you left with? Yes, the initial romp is always exciting, but hope can’t keep you warm at night.

Oh my darling mistress, how I struggle with you. It’s better when you leave me alone, stay far away from my fragile mind. Once I let you in there, how it spirals, how it torments. Is a life without hope really that bad? If you have no expectations, you can never be let down.

“If I could find you now,
Things would get better.
We could leave this town,
And run forever.
I know somewhere, somehow we’ll be together.”

m1

A while ago, I set out to try singletasking in an attempt to clear the static from my current workflow and restore a little sanity to what had become a frantic and scattered way of getting things done. I can’t say that I’ve fully adopted the singletasking approach, since I find that my attention span just isn’t capable of focusing on one task at a time, but I did learn some simplification habits that have helped me to work better.

The first priority, I’ve found, is the first part of the day. Not only does it set the general tone for the rest of the day, and by extension for the entire week, but it also directly affects my productivity levels. And it isn’t about getting more done in the morning, it’s about doing less.

The Bedside Table

I find that as someone who works at home, I can’t help but pay keen attention to my surroundings. That extends beyond my home office area and into the bedroom. Specifically, the bedside table, which usually contains both the last thing I look at before I go to bed, and the first thing I check when I get up.

Before recently, I’d be referring to my cellphone. Specifically, in my case, my iPhone (s aapl). Saying it’s become a constant companion would be grossly understating things. Being without it for any length of time tends to make me feel like I’m being both personally and professionally negligent. It got to the point where I would wake up well before the alarm to the buzz of a silent email arrival notification and spend the first hours of the day doing inbox management from bed.

No more. The iPhone is now banned from the bedroom. I don’t want to go to sleep thinking about what I just read on Twitter, only to wake up to jump right back into the stream, creating the impression of an almost unbroken link. As I’ve had to do with textbooks and television in the past, I’ve outlawed computers of any kind in my sleeping space to keep resting and waking untouched by the rigors of the day.

Breakfast

Before doing anything else (including checking my iPhone/email/Twitter), I also now have a breakfast that I actually prepare, even if it’s something as simple as instant oatmeal and some fresh fruit. Generally speaking, breakfast will be accompanied by tea and orange juice, too. But it isn’t a ritual that’s completely devoid of work.

Breakfast is a great time for unplugged preparation work. That could mean reading the newspaper (on my Kindle, I admit, so it’s not a completely gadget-free affair), or if I’ve got a particularly full schedule ahead, preparing an old-fashioned pen-and-paper to-do list. I still find it’s important not to brave the inbox yet at this point, or I could get lost before the day even starts (my approach is similar to Jared Goralnick’s in this respect).

Begin the Day in Earnest

Generally speaking, about an hour into the day, after I’ve done my breakfast routine, it’s time to actually start work. I find that I’m much more ready and willing to tackle work like inbox clearing, administrative work, and challenging, complicated tasks that I might’ve jumped into immediately upon waking before.

Tasks that used to inspire serious procrastination and take long hours to complete now get done quicker and without nearly as much hesitation. I have more energy, less stress and greater professional satisfaction.

It may not be possible to dedicate the first part of your day to relaxation and preparation, but consider getting up early to allow time for a good start. You may be surprised to find that the extra time provides more energy and drive than an additional hour of sleep might. The sleep you do get could be of much better quality, especially if you resist that urge to check Twitter just one more time before bed.

How do you prepare for work in the morning?

Yes, I did in fact jinx myself. When will I learn, lol? Okay, I realize that what I write might not have an effect on the real world in such a way, can I really be that superstitious? In a word- yes. Do you ever notice that when things are going really great or really tough we find reasons why things are great or why things are tough and then we become superstitious about it. Kind of like before when I talked about sports teams not shaving or changing their socks, maybe I should start doing that. But in all seriousness now, I just have completely lost the ability to determine what events lead up to us having a good night as opposed to a more challenging night. I have written everything down for 42 nights; every nap time/duration and every bedtime and sleep amount for the night. I wrote down what time we started our routine at and tried to correlate it with length of sleep or night wakings and there is no pattern. Seems to me she just makes up her mind to have a rough night and then does it like a champ- nothing is half-assed in our house, if you are going to do something, do it up right!

I was “collecting” all of this “data” over these last 42 days just for the pure and simple fact that I may be able to see a pattern emerge and then start to follow it. This doesn’t mean that I think this whole sleep thing is an experiment, but rather that I am trying to get it over and done with as fast as possible and if I can see a pattern and replicate it to ease the challenges for everyone why wouldn’t I? Sounds great in theory, but you know what it hasn’t really played out that way. While we are on the topic of theories, I had the notion that it would take 42 DAYS  for sleep training to fully commence. I choose this number because it takes an adult brain, which is (arguably) fully mature, at least 21 days to make a behaviour change. So I figured that a developing baby brain would take double that for sure. Well here we are at 42 days and baby maintains that she will not be sleep trained. Maybe it’s at least 42 days… who am I kidding, this is going to be an ongoing thing isn’t it!

We had a couple of really good weeks, so when she woke up tonight at 2:30am, I knew immediately what we were going to face and I was dreading it. I got up and looked at the couch- hello old friend, barely dry from 2 weeks ago’s frustrated tears, it’s me, I have come to sit on you again while my baby does her thing. And baby did her thing, well honestly, she is still doing her thing but it has been downgraded from a code red to green with the occasional yellow.

The colour codes come from our baby monitor. Since our place is pretty tiny there is really no need for a baby monitor with noise, we just keep her door open a crack and our door wide open and I can pretty much hear her roll over from my bed. I keep the monitor on but the sound off so all we see is lights. The lights lit our room up like Vegas tonight- flashy yellows, oranges and reds! You can probably guess that red does not mean that baby is happy. Wouldn’t that be funny to see on a monitor- a smiley face or a sad face. Now an even better thought, wouldn’t it be great if baby came with a manual that had a trouble shooting section that told you how to maintain that smiley face. Maybe that’s what I was trying to do by writing everything down, maybe I was trying to create an Everly manual?

So I am at a bit of a crossroads, like Britney- not a girl and not yet a woman, only different. Do I continue to write all of this down and keep track or just throw caution to the wind and let what happens happen… what ever happens is going to happen whether I write it down or not, but maybe writing it down gave me that little bit of control that I was craving in this whole situation. With our first family vacation days away (yeay!), I knew that things were going to fall apart a little bit and that our routine would be a little messed up but I am okay with that because we are going to be somewhere new and different. I guess I just think that because we are home things should have some continuity if they are going to be same old, same old.

I just want to point out that I don’t blame Everly for these sleep challenged nights and I don’t think that she is a “bad” baby or a “bad sleeper.” I think that she is a wonderful baby and a great sleeper, she just doesn’t do well with conformity, lol, no just kidding. I think she is like every other baby out there in that they will do what they are going to do according to their internal clock. When Everly wants to sleep through the night without waking she will and on nights that she won’t she just won’t, there is nothing that I can do about it and it doesn’t mean that she is bad or to blame. As adults we all have a crappy nights sleep every now and again and we are not trying to process the entire world as a brand new thing while developing a mountain of skills. Baby work is hard work. What we are trying to do with the sleep training is to help her learn how to get the best night’s sleep that she can. And as anyone who has tried to learn something knows- it isn’t always easy to pick up a new skill, especially when you are learning 100 others at the same time!

Oh blessed silence… I think it’s time for me to go to bed. 4:29 am, exactly 2 hours from when she woke up. The good thing about tonight though was that the protesting did not start until she was up for an hour and 15 minutes, the time before this she protested for nearly the entire 2 hours- make way for progress! Ah, how I love this baby of mine

I can’t believe it’s December already! This year has absolutely flown by. It was roughly a year ago that Jasmine’s skin was the worst it has ever been. We’ve come such a long way since!

Presently we’re still on a plateau of a bad wave. She’s very itchy and this is reflected throughout the night with lots of waking up. We’ve introduced a fish oil supplement to coincide with the existing supplements and we think she’s doing okay. It’s so hard to tell as she was already on a flare when we started, we suspect teething is still troubling us and we’ve also re-introduced oats fairly recently. Despite all this, we figured it best to throw in the fish oils for risk of never getting to add them to her regime if we continually try and wait for that ‘clear’ patch. We feel the potential benefit of the omega 3’s is just too important!

We’re having major works done at home at the moment. An extension is going up, a central heating system added and new double glazing put in throughout. We’re without any heating until the new system arrives and the house is a little on the chilly side! To top it all off, I’m creating a world of dust by stripping walls and ripping ceilings down etc… It’s all for the good in the long run, though the dust, dirt and cold I think is taking it’s toll on the little monkey. She is absolutely loving all the workers though …calling their names incessantly, much to their amusement. She’s such a floozy

We should be structurally sound and watertight by the middle of December, and hopefully the freshly plastered walls will have dried out by then too! Damp and cold is not a great living environment =]

I’ve not had as much time/energy to update the blog in light of the chaos at home, though seeing as we’re coming toward the end of the project things will start to settle down. We’ve an appointment at the allergy clinic soon where we’ll hopefully get to test some of out suspicions, so that will probably be the next update. I’ll see if I can glam things up with a few pics as well =]

There a few basic tips that you can practice if you want to be sure that you get the best possible fit for the shoes you are looking to purchase. Exactly which steps will be the most important to you will depend on where you are buying the footwear.

The internet is quickly becoming the most common place to look for shoes along with retail stores and mail order catalogues. Since I spend so much time of the internet the fastest way for me to find shoes is to simply type in the keywords of the shoes I am looking for and browse them online. In addition to researching different styles and colors you can also find out where the local store may be that sells the brand you are seeking.

One of the best pieces of advice I can offer is to shop around. Many people will buy the first shoe they try on and I would advise against that. It isn’t like that is the only one of those shoes that exists in the world, unless you are looking at some rare handmade pair, but if that is the case you can get them made to fit anyway! Don’t just compare prices and styles at one store, shop several different stores including the larger department stores that often have a great selection. If you are looking for sports specific shoes you should go to an athletic specialty store for the best selection in that type of shoe.

You should also try on various brands of shoes when you are looking to buy because even though the style may be the same, a different brand could fit completely different. For those of us shopping on the internet it is not possible to try on the actual shoe prior to purchase but you can try on the size, style, and brand you are seeking and then look for the best price online. Most online stores have a free return policy anyway.

Another issue you have to be aware of is the fact that shoe sizes vary among various companies as well as in different countries. If you are buying online be sure that you are buying the right sized shoe in the size you are familiar with for your country. If you need to translate sizes look online for the International Shoe Size Chart.

In order to be sure that you are getting the best deal you can and that you are buying the shoes that will last and suit the purpose you are buying them for you need to know upfront what you are going to be using them for. How often will you wear them? If you are wearing shoes on a daily basis you will want to budget more for a better pair that will stand up to the daily pounding.

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Many people think that when they hear the word exercise it means “no pain, no gain.” that walking is a great exercise. Walking can be particularly beneficial for those who have been However, the truth is diagnosed with diabetes. It is helpful if you walk briskly, but just walking a couple miles each day can make a dramatic improvement in one’s health. Start your walking routine slowly, as even doing just a little walking per day can make a dramatic improvement in health for someone who hasn’t been on a walking routine in a long time.

The great thing about taking up a walking routine to fight diabetes is that you don’t need any equipment, aside from shoes. If you want to accessorize, a pedometer can be a great motivator to provide you with some general feedback about how much exercise you are getting. A pedometer is a small, inexpensive device that keeps track of how many steps you take.

If you are a true couch potato, you probably ought to start your walking routine in a very deliberate manner. Perhaps you should try to walk 100 steps your first day. Try to add 10 to 20 steps per day. It may help to keep a walking routine journal to track your progress. If you have a day where you can’t make your goal, just do what you can and try again the next day. Every little bit of exercise will help you fight diabetes.

Tips for Getting into a Walking Routine for Life

1. Wear the best walking shoes you can find. Walking is not enjoyable when your feet hurt.

2. Walk with at least one friend. Being responsible to someone else will help push you to keep walking even when you don’t feel like it. It can also be a lot of fun to walk and talk with a close friend or family member.

3. Don’t waste your lunch break. It’s fun to sit, eat, and chat with coworkers, but your lunch break is a golden opportunity to get a brief walk. Even if you only walk for ten minutes, it will make a big difference in your blood glucose levels and leave you refreshed for the second half of your work day.

4. Use the stairs. When stairs are available you will burn a lot more glucose off by taking the stairs than by using an elevator. Stairs burn glucose even more quickly than regular walking does.

5. Continually increase how far you walk. Whether you are measuring distance by steps taken on a pedometer or by how far you walk, try to add a little more distance to your walking each week. If you have limited time, you can try walking a little faster each week to increase how far you walk.

6. The best parking spot is the one at the farthest end of the parking lot. Most people waste their time waiting for a parking spot at the front door when they go shopping or get to work. A good walking routine can start with taking the parking spots most people don’t want. This will help you fit more walking into your day.

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Our’s was an arranged marriage.

My mother and her mother are chums. They went to school together and remained in contact afterwards too. So they decided our alliance.

I was interested only in medicine. Now I am practicing in a small clinic, attached to the factory, manufacturing automobile parts, run by my mother who wanted to make a car, combining the luxury of a modern car and the sturdy quality of a jeep, suitable for our country roads. What she brought as dowry, she invested in the factory. Now she was short of working capital. My mother- in- law is very rich and mother thought of my marriage as a way out of the crisis.

Father is a professor, living in a world of books, spending his time in the library room at home. He did not have any money and so remained aloof. However, he told me to see the girl before marriage.

I casually drove to their home without telling any body. I was received by a maid and told to wait. It was a bare room, with nothing except a few chairs and a round table. The house is quite big, though.

In about five minutes, a young looking lady appeared, smiling and gesticulating, indicating to me to sit down. She was exceedingly charming, though not so beautiful, being short and coffee coloured. She sat very close to me and looked intently into my eyes. I felt uncomfortable. Afterwards, she commented: you are really handsome.

Presently the girl came, limping slightly. She was more lovely, but a little gloomy, I thought.

So your mother needs some money. Any idea how much?

?

Oh! Your mom is right; you are still a kid. Do you like this girl?

I looked at her. She was smiling, least bothered about my answer. Do you like me? I asked her.

It was the mother who answered: who will not like this boy, a real prince charming!

The maid  brought biscuits and coffee.

After that I returned home.

Mother and father were sitting together. It was father who broke the silence. Do you really like the girl? I am told she limps.

Yes, I have no objection. If her one leg is shorter, it is not her fault.

After our marriage, Sharada, my mother- in- law assumed charge of the management of the factory, employing about 1000 workers. I was busy from 8 am, as people not belonging to our factory also came to me, for want of any facility near by. It was my principle not to take money; whatever they wanted to give, they can drop in the box kept outside. I tried my best to understand the condition that caused the symptoms; curing the symptoms is the easy way.

Some patients needed further observation, but we had no beds. When I mentioned it to Sha (she insists that I address her by name), she promptly agreed to build a hospital of her own and the work started immediately to do the preliminaries. She would linger on, even after office hours, to see the progress of construction works, and then, sit in my room, watching me at work. Occasionally, she would offer suggestions which surprised me.

Do you know about diseases?

Before joining this office, I was working as a philanthropist; we have a hospital. In my spare time, I read medical literature, including ayurvedic and yoga methods.

Then, why didn’t you go for medicine like me?

My father was a capitalist. He wanted me to for MBA. He died early, of heart attack, leaving me with more money than I can ever spend.

Sometimes we talked about love and the attitude towards sex.

Did you ever love any one?

I was too busy in my studies. If I get anything less than 100%, I felt unhappy. There were many girls in my batch; they were interested in getting a degree, some how. They were uninteresting.

Before joining college?

Once a girl came with a friend of Ma. She was very talkative and spent a lot of time with me. I think I liked her. I wonder where she is now!

This profession killed the lover in you.

So it became a routine. We would return home together, she driving the car, as she was quite an expert, and reach home by nine in the evening. She was now staying with us.

Some three years passed; we had no issues. No one in my family bothered, but my friends started questioning my masculinity!

The gynaechologist, a lady, after examining both of us, looked at me searchingly and said, with a naughty smile: Doctor, you must spend more time with her, especially in the night!

She was always reading  detective novels. She was not exactly cold, occasionally she was quite warm; but gave me the impression that she was happy without sex. So I asked her, while driving back home.

Tell me frankly. Do you enjoy sex?

Of course.

But I always find you sleeping.

She changed the subject. Do you know my mother?

Why, we always come home together.

She has a dozen close friends, mostly men.

She told me she is a philanthropist.

A fig leaf to cover her other activities. She is getting several letters. She won’t show even to me, her daughter.

A person is entitled for some privacy.

The topic ended with her stoic silence.

 That night, all my efforts to undress her failed.

She curled into a coil, like a centipede, when poked with a stick.

The next day I tried to find out from her mother. Sha told me that she is not her daughter.

One morning they found a new born baby at their home, when she opened the door for the day’s newspaper. It was wrapped in clean cloth, but was alive. She took her in and gave her some milk. With the help of a nurse, they took her to their Calcutta house. They told every one it was their baby.

When they returned home, after this long period, every one thought the same. They were issueless even after seven years. Now she is happy this girl is in loving hands.

The launching of the rural car and the inauguration of the hospital were to coincide. All except me, were busy. I was immersed in setting in perfect order, the in patients’ ward.

There will be sufficient number of closed circuit Video cameras, to observe each and every patient, his personal data, and hearing him continuously, when required. I appointed two assistant surgeons to help me, so that routine cases are not referred to me.

Ma and Sha were every where, with two mobile phones, one for us and one for the public. I had nothing.

The day of the inauguration was a nightmare for me. I never like such things. At the proper moment I showed my face, thanked every body, including the Chief Ministr, and returned to the hospital, which had started functioning a few days earlier.

One day, they had all gone to attend a marriage. I didn’t go. I was relaxing in my room at home, with lights off, when suddenly Sha came and sat by my side, her one hand encircling me from behind. The other hand was busy undressing me and we both fell on the bed entwined like the figures in Khajuraho temple. We forgot the world and enjoyed like Adam and Eve.

 Suddenly we heard some sound and when we opened our eyes, there was light in the room. Someone had come through the open door. I saw Sha rushing out, after hurriedly putting on my shirt. I followed her, into a room locked from inside. She was shouting, with no response from inside. We broke open the door and saw my wife lying in a pool of blood.

I wanted to go in and see if she was still alive. But Sha blocked me saying:

I shall bring her to the hospital immediately. You rush there ahead of us. To all questions, say you don’t know anything. You were in the hospital, I shall manage this.

I complied.  I heard her calling the police.

It seems today that with new terms, exercises and equipment, we have forgotten the basics. New training philosophies and exercises seem to have pushed aside the basics and fundamentals of basic resistance and weight training. It seems we may have lost the art of strength training which was in the past the bread and butter of fitness and health. When I say “Strength Training” I mean training that sets a program to continually increase resistance (weight) to improve overall strength. This may be through machines, free weights or dumbbells. Scientific studies have provided valuable knowledge and great strides in developing a better understanding of this training. Gone are the days of just lifting tremendous amounts of weight with no strategy on how to lift more. Strength training today is not the same as it was in the past. But it does have its roots there and because of those in the past, we have been able to continue to progress this training to make it the most widely used type of fitness training. Most don’t know they are using these basic roots when they go in and use machines or dumbbells in their daily workout. The problem is that they do not have the knowledge to continue to progress their strength through the use of progressive lifting. – Weight Lifting Programs –
Weight Lifting Chart
Weight Lifting Chart

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

178

1.5 up this week, 37 down overall, 8 to go . . .

Damn you Thanksgiving! Damn you and your awesome turkey, taters and pies! Focus, ok I’m better.

Oh, and here’s the best thing that ever happened on Thanksgiving:

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