What a day! I got off work at 7 am this morning and slept until noon, then I had to get up to go to my eye doctor appointment. Thank goodness for that though, I haven’t been able to see well at all lately. Unfortunately my eye doctor loves to talk and talk and talk. I was there for 2 1/2 hours!!! Finally I got out of there, but I have to go back Monday to have my eyes dilated. He couldn’t do it today because he didn’t want me driving myself home and Tim wasn’t with me.

Tonight I watched The Biggest Loser and made tacos from leftovers from this weekend. After dinner I made my casseroles for Thanksgiving. I have to work Wednesday night so I figured if I made the casseroles ahead of time all I would have to do on Thursday is pop them in the oven. They are going to be delish! I stole a couple  way too many bites while I was cooking.

Tonight I wanted to talk about how I started running. I get alot of questions from people about how I got to the point I am now with my running, how I run as far as I do, and how I run the speed I do. So I thought I’d share with you what I did. I’ve always hated to exercise believe it or not. I was the kind of person that would rather starve herself than workout. I ran a little when I was in highschool but nothing serious or regular.

In February I started really thinking about getting serious about losing weight, but at that time I was 235 pounds. I knew that I was going to have to start exercising if I was ever going to lose any serious amount of weight. So I bought a Wii and Wii Fit. Everyday before I went to work I would do boxing, step aerobics or hoola hoop on the Wii Fit for about 30 minutes. Then I bought Dance Dance Revolution and started doing that as well. These were fun ways that I could get active without feeling like I was truly exercising.

After a couple of months I started getting bored with the Wii games, but I was happy to see that there was exercise that I could do and enjoy. It wasn’t nearly as unbearable as I remembered. I decided to join the YMCA, and I started going several times a week and using the elliptical. From there I started taking Spin classes. I was really enjoying everything! I couldn’t believe it!

Shortly after I started to get really interested in working out a few girls from work started the Couch to 5K program. I didn’t jump on the bandwagon right away, but it didn’t take long before I joined in. When I first started I would run at 4.0 miles per hour (15 min mile) and I could barely run 1/4 of a mile without stopping. I hated every minute of it at first, but I kept up with the program and I was able to (barely) complete each week. At some point during those weeks I realized that I was really starting to like the way that running made me feel and the weight started seriously dropping off.

I remember the first day I ran 2 miles without stopping. I felt like I had just done something that was AMAZING! And for me it really was amazing at the time. I started experimenting with my speed and kept running the alloted distances. I’d do intervals of 4.0 mph and 5.0 mph on the treadmill. Before long I started trying to see how long I could run at 5 mph, then intervals of 5.0 and 6.0 … and so on and so forth.

I never did try to run outside because everyone told me how hard it was compared to the treadmill and I definitely didn’t want to do anything harder than I absolutely had to. But one of my friends who was doing the program found a 5K and several of us decided to sign up. I figured that if I was going to run in an actual 5K I should probably practice running outside. The very first time I ran outside I was absolutely amazed at how different it was than the treadmill. I was IN LOVE! I found running outside much easier than the treadmill and much less boring, and I was able to run much faster outside than I ever did on the treadmill.

We did our Big Brother/Big Sister 5K and I actually had a fairly decent time. From that point on I was totally hooked. I loved the whole atmosphere of racing and being around the other people. My only goal in that first race was to run the entire thing. I almost threw up! But I did it … and I wanted to get even better. Now I am following the Beginner Half Marathon Training program.

I highly recommend anyone that is interested in starting to run to follow a program such as Couch to 5K. It will give you guidance and help you keep from injuring yourself by doing too much too fast.

Although he thinks that with his dance and breaking skills he should be in the finals of the Red Bull BC One b-boy battle, when he gets out on the dance floor the question arises as to who will get hurt first – him or those dancing around him.  Although he has “mastered” the likes of the Electric Slide, the Hustle, and the YMCA dance, people often ask if he is okay when he dances because it appears to the casual onlooker that he is having some type of seizure on the dance floor.  God forbid if he ever discovers MTV or Youtube because I don’t know if we can handle his loose (and by loose I mean train wreck) interpretations of Jerkin’, the Stanky Legg, the Ricky Bobby, or Swag Surfin’.

…. yes the TNCA aka Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has about 132 teams in leagues starting from 1st Division Leage, 2nd Division, 3rd Division A & B, 4th Division A, B & C, 5th Division A, B, C & D, totally 11 league teams, which fight among themselves for their respective shields.

Many teams have every interesting names like Book Sellers XI, Mambalam Mosquitoes, Varsity Occasionals, Egmore Excelsiors, Freelancers XI, Eccentrics XI for their teams.

One such game on a Sunday morning at the YMCA ground, Nandanam.

These past few days have been pretty busy, and I can say I’m very happy with how busy I am, and how much stuff i’m doing to occupy my time. Thanks to Anthony Logistics, my face is clearing up. And, to add in, I’m doing a low carb diet, and joining the YMCA. I’m thoroughly happy, and to boot, I finished my third essay, and love it. Hopefully this coming week will be good, I’ll post an update soon.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Carondelet Park YMCA, November 2009

Funny, you would never think that the City of St. Louis is majority female or minority white when looking at the rich opening day ribbon cutting tableau from the taxpayer supported Carondelet Park YMCA. That’s alright, though, since our City’s patriarchs place such a high priority on promoting the equitable distribution of public resources. Our City is prospering today, because our current crew of dinosaurs and their young acolytes always know what is best for you and me. I am glad that City taxpayers will need to pay twice to use the new center; nothing says “public facility” quite like a dedicated sales tax and monthly membership fees. Good work, St. Louis. Keep it up.

The final work day has come and gone. We finished the quad area and it was good to see the windows and doors fitted alongside the guttering. There is still quite a lot to do in the dining room – which will be for week 12 to complete. It’s amazing looking back over the old blog photos to see how the whole site has been transformed.

The brick wall on the outside near the entrance has the signed bricks and there will a glass panel with the names of the volunteers and the community workers etched into it to be seen for years to come. Who knows what future generations will make of it?

Since the builders were laying the tiles in the dining room while we finished the quad, I think they got a bit fed up of us keep walking through so you can see the makeshift arrangement that just shouts out “NO ENTRY”.

There was a nice sense of completion as the team finished their alloted tasks and many of us went around taking photos of the site. It was pretty happy crowd for the team photo. You can also see a photo of Steph,a volunteer at the school, who is a med student in New York who is teaching the children English until Christmas. She is pictured alongside Patti, who with Vanessa, did a brilliant job of translating all the time for those of us who couldn’t understand much or speak coherently either – AH! the British abroad!

At the leaving ceremony the children danced for us which was great (see photo) and we joined in of course. We also gave a spirited rendition of the BUPA words version of YMCA – a scary thought for the faint hearted, although Freddie gratiously said it was as good as he had seen. What we lacked in talent we made up for in enthusiasm and gusto. The words, music and actions were a sight to behold – sadly the video may be released quite soon!

It’s odd to think that I won’t see Robin or any other of the other children in the near future. So leaving was a very sad experience and there were tears on the bus as we drove away. If you are not convinced that Robin is lovely, see the picture of his really cute niece who was gorgeous and shook hands with everyone in a beautifully gracious way. After speeches and presentations, we had a group photo of some of the school and the team (see photo) before leaving for lunch at the volunteers house in a nearby town (see photo).

There we met Lupita, who had made all our lunches throughout the week, and we were able to thank her. The volunteer house is where Steph is staying and it use to be Martha Estrella’s house and is filled with poignant reminders of the work and the family’s commitment to helping the people in Ecuador. We had a wonderful lunch once again cooked by Lupita.

What has struck me thoughout this trip is how the people have worked so hard alongside our faltering efforts to make a difference. They have not chosen to wait for help but are actively engaged in the programme, which will make a difference for generations to come.

Tomorrow, some of tjhe team are off to climb Cotapaxi, the volcano, while others (me included) are going to the huge market and leather town. Who knows, we may even see guinea pig for sale….

Mark Ralf

I had a moment at work today where I almost cried.  That made me realize why I love working here, despite some hardships that have come up recently. 

F0r those of you who don’t know, I work at the YMCA.  Our motto is “we build strong kids, strong families, and strong communities.”  We work hard to build a community atmosphere instead of a gym atmosphere.  We provide financial assistance to families who do not make enough money to join but either need to or want to.  We try to keep our members feeling like family to use, and it shows and you can even feel it. 

We had a member today who was at our old location and came with us when we moved to this new location.  She has a son who has a birthday approaching and she put some money down to have a birthday party at the YMCA on a sunday.  She want to use the rockwall, Yland (play area) and then decided to use the group exercise room to do a fun obstacle course for them.  While trying to plan ahead, she came in this past sunday to scope everything out.  To her disappoinment, she saw that the Junior Jammers (like the spurs dancers but for kids) hold practice in the group exercise room on sunday afternoons (this is new for us).  She then went into a panic mode and did not know what to do.  Her only solution was to cancel the party at the Y and use her own house.  But what if it rains?  What will she do?  She really wanted the YMCA. 

She came in a spoke with a co-worker regarding the situation and they spoke about just cancelling and she deal with the “what ifs.”  Well, I’m not nosey but I want to try to help wherever I can so I listened into their coversation.  I came up with the suggestion to clear the bikes out of the cycle room and use that as an extra area for an obstacle course.  It’s something neither of them even thought about.  Amazing what one more mind can do!  Well, she had unfortunaly already sent the invitations to the printer, so she was out of luck.  On the flip side, she is using us as backup in case it rains that day.  We made things a little better. 

She was just in tonight and I said “back again!”  She said she was now there to workout.  But she then told me that my comment/solution made her feel so good and a little less stressed that there was a solution to that issue.  It’s something they never thought about and only reassured her reasoning for staying with the YMCA.  I made her feel good today…and that’s what matters…and that’s why I work for the YMCA.

I’m not sure what is it about Sydney but sleeping is great here. It’s the waking part that we can’t get used to. We have prepacked everything last night so when the alarm goes off at 05:30 we bolt out of our beds, grab the bags and hug Ludo (our awesome host) goodbye. He helped so much by letting us stay at his place! The walk to Bondi Jct seems long with the 23kg backpack and at least 12kg camera bag but we eventualy make it. The train tickets to the airport are AUD 32.60 and we switch trains at Central. Checking in with the Emirates goes smooth. This airline stands above all the ridiculous KLMs, BAs and US airlines big time! While the lady is checking us in she inquires how long we stay in NZ and where do we fly from there. When I say Rarotonga, Cook Islands and she turns to her colleague for the three letter code of that airport. That’s when I hear myself say “I got an app for that”. So now I even sound like a walking Apple commercial. The bottom line is that it works. After check in we grab breakfast at Subway and head for the security checks and duty free “wandering”. Boarding the Emirates flight we are again reminded that not all airlines are equal (see economy class set up below).

After appoximately 3hrs flight we land in Christchurch, New Zealand. I watch Food, Inc. on the plane and strongly recommend the movie to anyone concerned with where our food comes from. Once we clear the customs and immigration we pull some money out of ATM and get local Vodafone SIM cards with internet on them as well (NZD120,-for all the perks). We grab a shuttle bus for NZD25,- for both which takes us directly to YMCA. As we cruise along the streets the first impressions are that the city is beautifully clean, green and quiet. We pay NZD120,- total for 2 nights (which is approx €60) and get a room with this amazing view! Wow!

Taking a walk around Christchurch is cut short because I get bluffed by the sun. It feels like I’m still in Sydney with the 42C but as we walk out (me in shorts and fleece jacket) the wind makes it clear we have moved! Still, we walk around and then stop in a local restaurant and enjoy truly great soup and Mexican food. The streets are almost empty but the feeling from the town is great. Calm, clean, neat and totally relaxed. We quickly make our way back, Katka takes a shower while I snooze till almost midnight. No special plans tomorrow except to explore and maybe run in the beautiful botanical gardens next to YMCA So far NZ is very pretty.

The YMCA and the Possibility Programme

I called the YMCA yesterday (Thursday, November 19th) hoping to speak to Sarah but she was out on duty travel. The lady who answered the telephone gave me the telephone number for the Possibility Programme and told me that Mrs. Perkins is the administrator there. I called the number but the telephone rang without an answer.

Later on in the day I called Tamian. He told me that he would be taking Antonio over to the Possibility Programme to get him registered and that he is hoping that they will admit him. Tamian mentioned to me that Antonio called him  yesterday.

Tamian will be up very early this morning. He has to go and pick up Antonio and take him over to the Possibility Programme before noon as he will be away for a while.

The Child Development Agency and the Office of the Children’s Advocate

I have not heard a word from the Child Development Agency or the Office of the Children’s Advocate regarding Antonio and the other boys.

The Interview

Yesterday I had an interview for a contract to protect and promote  the rights of children and adolescents in Jamaica…talk about the alignment of the Universe and the “law of attraction!” Or, is it just a mere coincidence? God knows the reason for this interview at this time…I will not question that. 

Is blogging all that you do?

No. I am a pretty decent wife and mother who decided to do something to assist one young man who needed support to help another. I decided to act instead of sit in my little corner and complain.

What are you doing?

Is that enough?

We have seen great progress today. All the wood around the quad was finally finished, the walls have started to be painted in “rustic orange”, the central grass area has its concrete retaining wall and even the guttering is being installed. So as you will see from the photo of the quad area, it is really coming together. Those who have seen the other photos on the blogs will see what a difference a few days and weeks can make. Needless to say, I looked like I’d been “tango’ed” by the end of the session.

Everyday we have our lunch just by the school classrooms. So the other big difference from the introductory video is the set of classrooms that are up and being used. The kids are using them and they no longer have to make the very long journey into the next town.

We stopped by the miraflores shop where a lovely lady sells sweets, lollies and knitted hats and scarves. (see photo of her and Claire A)  I’m tempted to say that the children don’t need any more ways to decay their teeth (they all seem to have an incredibly sweet tooth). Robin, my adopted mad-boy has terrible teeth and I hope he will be making serious use of the dental suite (pardon the pun) which will be the room on the far right  of the quad picture.

All the computer equipment has arrived and the internet connection is being installed over the next few days. At the grand opening after the end of next week there will be a skype video linkup with Bupa House for the grand opening if all goes well – which will be really cool, so that more people will be able to take part.

For my squeamish friends, the restaurant last night looked brilliant (see photo) but they didn’t serve guinea pig. So Shelley,my PA, is talking to me again. Who knows we may get to try it before we leave?

Tomorrow we have more work. Some people will be teaching the kids some english while the rest finish off some of the outstanding jobs. We also have the presentation by the children to us at the end of their school week and we will be performing a BUPA version of the YMCA song made famous by the Village People.  With verses in English and Spanish plus actions etc, all prayers for our deliverance will be welcome. Sadly Claire A has threatened to video it and publish unless we pay her a lot of money!

Mark Ralf

Original Cablecast Date: 11/19/2009
From: Neighborhood Beat: Bed-Stuy Eps. 54
One of the oldest Brooklyn run routes in New York, many athletes see Restoration’s 10K as a “warm up” to their long-distance marathon run in November. Many local groups took part this year including the Brownstoners of Bedford Stuyvesant, and the Bed-Stuy branch of the YMCA.

Neighborhood Beat airs Monday – Friday at 12:30pm & 8:30pm on the BCAT TV Network: Time Warner 56, Cablevision 69, RCN 84 and Verizon 44. You can also watch this and other episodes online at http://www.bricartsmedia.org/bit and following the Neighborhood Beat link. Download this and other segments as podcasts via iTunes keyword: “Brooklyn Independent Television.”

Hi, folks.

I just got back from my first Tai Chi class at the Y. It was great, because, with only two or three other people in the class, I got a lot of one-on-one instruction from the teacher… not so great because I’m beginning to think that I’m wired to be an attention whore.

I hate to say it, but I think I got more out of that one class than I did from two years at the local branch of the Taoist Tai Chi Society (which uses a large group setting).

On top of Tai Chi, I’ve started doing Yoga; I’m also swimming again, and I have a personal trainer. It seems as though physical activity is the key to beating my depression. If only I had figured that out earlier, I might not have quit swimming in the first place and saved myself a lot of heartache. What’s done is done, though. The point is, as Herman’s Hermits will tell you, “I’m into something good.”

If the title seems strange, there’s a reason for it. My personal trainer/Tai Chi instructor is named Leslie. One of my classmates is a Leslie.  Several of my friends are named Leslie. So is my mother. Whether this is just a happy coincidence or it indicates some deep-seated psychological issue of mine, I don’t care to know. I have to be grateful, though, because all of the Leslies in my life have helped me tremendously at various stages of my journey.  I wouldn’t be where I am, loving every second of life, without them. Thank you, all of you. I’m off to practice some more Tai Chi, talk on MSN a little, pass out and do it over again.

(When my mom sees that I actually wrote something nice about her, she will shit bricks. I’ll take it as a good sign.)

Readers, where have you gone? You’ve abandoned me because I’ve abandoned you… So much has been going on lately, I just haven’t gotten around to writing. I’m getting back to it. I promise.

Reid is nearly 6 months old now. The time has flown by so quickly. As I said above, I’ve been so busy–with Holistic Moms Network stuff, mostly–that I feel that age-old tug-of-war between identifying myself as Mom and as Woman. They don’t have to be at odds, but I am currently feeling as though they are.

I cannot claim–as many women can–that I have ever been fully self-sacrificing. It is fine with me to sit on my rump instead of clean the kitchen if I just feel too tired. And it is fine with me to strap baby to my chest and pace the house while reading a book. But I struggle with what is an appropriate balance between doing the work of mothering–playing, cooking, bathing, nurturing, going on outings, giving my full attention–and doing the things that satisfy my adult longings–sewing, knitting, graphic design work, planning events, volunteering, talking to friends, shopping for a pair of jeans that actually fits me.

I can sense, by Daniel’s behavior as of late, that I have been spending too much time with my adult self. Even when I was sewing his astronaut suit for Halloween (that he begged me every day to work on), I could tell he felt neglected. Lucky for me, I suppose, Daniel really likes to look at books. Sometimes he won’t even let me read them to him. He prefers to just look at the pictures and tell me about them. He can sit in the same spot looking at the same book for over an hour! Where does he get that attention span? And while I am thankful that he is able to sit still for so long, I wonder what is going on in his head. I worry that he is moping as he sits there. I worry that he’s not utilizing his creativity; that he ought to be playing make-believe or running, or dancing, or something.

I am not very good at playing either. I never really played pretend as a kid. And when I used to babysit, I had a really hard time figuring out what to say and do when the kids wanted to play school, or house, or store. So part of Daniel’s problem is lack of example. I don’t really know how to show him how to pretend, or to guide him in the way of creativity. Now that Daniel is 3 1/2 (!!!) I’m feeling kind of at a loss as a parent.

When I imagined being a mother, I always just thought about parenting babies and toddlers. I know how to care for a baby. It is easy and second-nature. But bringing up a preschooler is bewildering. And thinking about parenting elementary-aged children, and teenagers (gad!) is beyond me.

I am part of a small group of moms with similar-aged children who have been talking about doing some kind of homeschool/preschool co-op. We tentatively said we’d meet in January to talk about getting something started. I really think having some structure–any structure–will be helpful.

We also plan to enroll Daniel in the YMCA’s little tots T-Ball league. I’m not exactly sure when it starts, but sometime in the spring. I can’t wait to see a bunch of 3-5 year-olds running around pretending to be like the baseball players they see on TV. Daniel already thinks he needs to spit when he plays baseball–and he wiggles his bat around when he’s in his batting stance waiting to bat.

Reid continues to be an easy baby. He sits well now, rolls easily from front to back, can support himself on his hands and knees (though he can’t go anywhere just yet), plays with toys (his favorites are Sophie the Giraffe, a Sassy ring toy, and anything that crinkles), jumps in the doorway jumper, adores the ExerSaucer, and loves to hear the sound of his own voice.

He has lately been experimenting with screetches and squeals. He used some high-pitched sounds a couple months ago, but then moved onto others. But now the upper end of his range is getting tested out again–both for pleasure and for displeasure. Either way it brings displeasure to his parents. We are nervous about him becoming a screamer.

I experimented with giving Reid some solid foods a few weeks ago. He was grabbing at everything and stuffing it in his mouth. His first reaction to a bit of banana that I was eating was as if I had given him a lemon. He twisted his face and shuddered. But then he grabbed for the banana again. And again–lemon face. I gave him little bits of banana, avocado, and sweet potato which went over fairly well after the inital shock of the flavors, but his tummy was a bit rumbly after each, so I didn’t give him any more until tonight.

Tonight, it was a totally different experience. I gave him some avocado mashed up with some breastmilk and he ended up eating nearly half an entire avocado! Then when I put him to bed, he only nursed for about five minutes before he detached and fell asleep. We’ll see how his tummy does tonight and tomorrow, but I think he may really be ready to have solids regularly.

Just in the last couple weeks he’s been spitting up so much less as well. He still has one or two good sized up-chucks per day, but that’s down from ten or twenty! Daniel seemed to stop spitting up around this age, too. I’m so grateful.

I have recently swapped graphic design services for professional organizing, and have since completely cleaned off my hallway mail center/cabinet area so it is functional, and have rearranged and completely cleaned up Daniel’s room. Even just having these to areas looking magazine-esque is enough to clear some cobwebs from my mind. My focus and motivation in other areas of my life are much improved. And it’s a good thing, too, since the holiday season brings its own hustle and bustle and I’m going to need all the focus and motivation I can get.

I’ve never belonged to the YMCA until just a few months ago. I’ve never been much of a gym person, so prior to that we always just utilized the gyms on post because they were free. A little heavy on the testosterone and loud thumpin’ music, but free.

I have really enjoyed going regularly to a class or two during the day. Ordinarily, I don’t work out in the evening with one exception: we belong to a running club here in town sponsored by a local pub. It’s very informal, they hold a 5K group run every week. We’ve been going to that since the summer, and it’s sort of nice to get out and exercise as a family. My dh comes from a family with a long history of heart problems AND obesity, so we definitely think a lot about setting a good example for the dutchkid.

But now it’s getting pretty cold.  We had some wintry weather again and it’s icy. With the time change, we’re running in the dark now which makes me nervous because the route goes right through a busy part of downtown. I know the dutchkid must get cold, too, sitting in the jog stroller, so I decided to change the plan. The kiddo and I went to the Y, so I could use the treadmill, while dh ran the regular race outside (he’s hardcore like that).

It’s a totally different after-work crowd.  During the day, the Y is populated for the most part by elderly folks, with a sprinkling of moms thrown in.   I’ve often been the youngest member of my pilates class.  However, they’re all polite and friendly, I’ve never attended fitness classes before and had people actually introduce themselves to me and (gasp) remember my name!   You can really tell that for the older people in particular, this is their social scene.  Tonight the crowd was far younger, and it was much more, um, competitive.  From the cutthroat maneuvering for a spot in the parking garage, to finding a treadmill to use.  I was reminded of why I became a runner in the first place.   I like to sweat alone and not have to compete with anyone but myself.

The treadmill’s a good alternative because I’m a bit wussy about winter running.  I’m just going to have to make sure that I get my exercise in before 5pm.

I found this book at the resale shop.  It was published in 1954, by the National Board of Young Men’s Christian Association…the YMCA for those of you     who are to young to know that is what all those letters stand for.

I was cleaning my bookcase out the other day and ran across it.  It’s original price was $1.00, I got it for ¢.25.  Not bad.  It is a book on how to have parties and entertain.

I just like the title.

Veteran’s Day is my favorite day of the year. This year was extra special for me because we went to Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, and did an Art & Creativity for Healing workshop. My wife, Laurie, is the founder/director of Art & Creativity for Healing, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Laguna Niguel, Calif., whose mission is to facilitate fine art classes and workshops for children and adults suffering from abuse, illness and grief.

Originally, we had planned to do the workshop for the administrators of the Wounded Worriers YMCA program. As it turned out, we had 15 attendees, eight of whom were wounded soldiers from the Marines, Navy and the Army branches of the military.

On this special Veteran’s Day, I felt at home with my brothers and sisters in the military. Using the Art4Healing® therapeutic methods, the soldiers used paint on canvas to express their feelings regarding their injuries, and wartime experiences, in front of the six other participants. These included a therapist, military officers, and YMCA staff members. One marine, when talking about his painting, expressed the joy he felt about defending our country, shared anecdotes about the day his vehicle was blown-up by a roadside bomb, or IED, and how sad he felt for his fellow marines who did not survive the explosion.

Each year, when I put on my United States Navy uniform on Veterans’ Day, I am both joyful for and proud of the 20 years I spent serving my Country. Attending the Veteran’s Day events at my granddaughters’ school in San Diego, as well as church services in uniform, gives me the opportunity to express my love for this Country and support the work of my bothers and sisters in uniform.

I am truly grateful for Veteran’s Day because it gives each and everyone of us the opportunity to take a break from our busy lives, to remember those who have fought, or our currently fighting, for our Country and our freedom.

I didn’t find a good time to post yesterday so here ya go:

Breakfast yesterday was leftover cinnamon pancakes topped with peanut butter & banana (& strawberries)

They started out looking like this

They all pretty much looked like this once I found out how delicious they are with banana

I ended up running out of banana by the time I finished and didn’t want to grab another one so the last few bites looked more like this

Went to CVS sometime after breakfast and loaded up on much needed shower supplies (and a bottle of nail polish of course!)

(sorry, couldn’t get a very good picture of that one.)

On Sale! Hydralicious Herbal Essences shampoo & conditioner. Smells so good!  I’m still looking for a brand that I really like (and can tame my wild beast of hair) while smelling good at the same time.

Also On Sale! Tone body wash.  Mango splash scented. I got the blueberry scented one last time. They both smell delicious! (I wouldn’t advise eating/drinking/licking it though)
I’m a CVS addict.  Ever since I spent $90 there in one trip, I’ve been trying to keep myself away from that money magnet.

While waiting for the YMCA to open, I did a couple of the ab workout videos I have recently found myself addicted to
Absolutely Amazing Abs Video
10 minute abs video

Then off to the gym

Had to keep it short though because the Y didn’t open until 1pm and I had work at 3.  Nice little sweat session though!

Once I got back home, I tried out my new shower supplies & then had some lunch

Plain ol’ tomato soup
+

Frozen veggies
=

Straight up yumminess

& what is tomato soup without…

grilled cheese! Nom nom nom
(hey, at least I changed it up a little today by adding veggies lol)

I even remembered to take my vitamin yesterday! (I wait until after lunch to take it because they often make me sick if I don’t eat enough.  I used to take it after breakfast but I got sick so much afterwards that I had to change the routine.)
Does anyone else have a really hard time not getting sick from vitamins? Any advice?

I got to work and one of the am servers paid me $5 to finish making butters! yay for an easy $5. Once I got finished though I had a couple hours of basically just standing around until I got my first table. Yesterday was not a very busy day so I was thankful for those 5 bucks lol.
Bad news: when I get bored at work, I get hungry

Ordered spinach artichoke dip.  Let’s pretend that the fact it has veggies in it makes it healthy. Made sure to eat all the fruit first (should have ordered JUST the fruit… oh well.) I shared with my friend Katie though & there was still quite a bit left when I threw it out.

Went to Jon Alan’s once I got off work (which explains why I didn’t post last night)
Then straight to sleep once I got home.

&&&&& for today:

Wake up: 7:20 am
Distance: 5.14 miles
Time: 51.36 minutes
My dad’s toe was hurting today (and my legs weren’t too happy either) so we took it a little slower than usual. Funny part: I was wearing a tank top and still burning up and my dad was wearing a long sleeved shirt.
Before we left, I got a water bottle together to put at the end of the driveway for when we got back.  Then I left the water bottle in the kitchen. Fail.

Had breakfast as soon as we got through the door.
Vanilla activia with fiber one honey clusters cereal, flax plus pumpkin granola, kiwis from our vines and a banana (I had one half of the banana and he had the other)

Here’s the proof that there was in fact yogurt under all the toppings

Is it weird that pretty much the only time I put ice in my water is when I get back from a run?

Saturday was the start of deer season (for shotguns) so my dad’s off to the woods for today.

Plans for me:

• Jon Alan asked if I would like to go to the movies today (uh duh. is my answer ever no?)
• Need to do some more ab exercises (something that doesn’t involve legs please)
• & then accounting class tonight at 5:30 (this is actually my favorite class.  Last week there was only like 8 students that showed up. I think a lot of the students dropped out.)

Our Lacrosse Director and my bride is honored to be the 2009 Carl E. Sanders YMCA, Volunteer of the Year. Special Thanks to Kristin, Amy, Micki, all of our STAR’s, Coaches. Parents, Officials and the YMCA Board of Directors for this wonderful honor.

Way to go MJ – The lady with the Pink Wings!
http://www.ymcaatlanta.org/Branches/SBY-Sanders_Buckhead_YMCA/Info/default.asp?id=979

When I headed into the YMCA the other day I was ambushed by a ninja looking chick.  She was dressed in black from head to toe and had a blond pony tail pulled through her cap and looked incredibly firm and agile.

“Would you like to try a boot camp demo?” she asked.  Behind her, I saw there was another similarly dressed man (minus the pony tail) doing arm curls with a VW Bug.  He was barking at a well-nourished middle-aged woman who had collapsed on the pavement and was sobbing.  “Gimme FIFTEEN more push ups lady!  You didn’t think I was paying attention, did you?!”

A couple of college kids, who also looked very firm, were huffing and puffing around what looked to be a trebouchet and I was wondering if they were getting ready to launch off somewhere.

I regarded Miss Pony Tail and adjusted my Wal Mart bag which contained my swimsuit.  And a baby Snickers. Lap swimming can be exhausting.   I said,  “How about the ‘camp’ part?  Can I just do that?”

“You should give it a try!” she offered.  Her pony tail swung when she spoke.  I hate that.

I replied, “When you have a ’slipper’ camp….gimme a call.  Until then, I’ll just stick with my laps, thanks.”

She tossed her pony tail back and hopped over to a yoga-mat-toting potential victim participant.

My days of boot camp, step aerobics, “power pump” and long distance running have been over for some time.

I had a friend recently invite me to a “Zumba” class (“Zumba”- from the ancient Mayan language which, as best as linguists can tell, means…”Can’t get out of bed in the morning.”)

I was actually considering attending, when, I swear I’m not making this up, her daughter sent me a chilling warning.  “Don’t go Theresa!  My sister went and it made her cry!”

This is a conundrum for me.  I love exercise….love being in shape.  But my range of choices keep shrinking with each year that passes.

Which is why I’m excited to announce a new workout routine that’s bound to bring new hope and health to the physically unfit. I’m calling it, “The Mother Lode’s Kick Butt Workout”…so called because you’ll kick yourself in the butt for not trying this sooner.

Daniel will be my technical director and then… watch out You Tube!  I’ll keep you posted on this exciting new development.

In the meanwhile,  if you’re heading to the Y anytime soon, I’d approach that building very carefully if I were you.

The items in this collection include: a Lawrence High School diploma dated June 25, 1902 for Walter Milton Kimball (48 x 38 cm.); gold a coral pin in a diamond shape “Lawrence High School” on the edges, “1902” in gold across a coral diamond, “W. M. K.” inscribed on the back (2.5 x 1.5 cm.); and A Wantonoit Club certificate declaring that “Frederick Milton Kimball has qualified as a member of the Wantonoit Club Camp Lawrence through his ability to recognize and name two hundred natural objects as indicated upon the margin hereof” (27 x 22 cm0 and dated July 27, 1921

Walter Milton Kimball was born April 27, 1882 in Lawrence, Mass.  He graduated from Lawrence High School in 1902 and immediately (on graduation day) started working in his father’s food distribution company, M. I. Kimball & Co.  Walter and his brother, Herbert, ran the business at 387 Methuen Street until Walter retired in 1948, but remained active in the business until his death in 1952.  Frederick Milton Kimball was one of his two sons.

Camp Lawrence was run by the Lawrence YMCA.

Les Bipolaires ont pris une décision importante, chers lecteurs assoiffés d’actualités, maintenant que le problème de la Grippe H1N1 est réglé et que vous savez que beaucoup trop de choses sont surévaluées (mais pas les Bipolaires, oh non!).

Nous avons décidé de nous associer afin de pouvoir aider les gens qui en ont le besoin.  Étant donné que nous habitons tous les trois dans le sous-sol du Manoir Love (c’est-à-dire la maison des parents de Mr. Love, grands-parents, frères, soeurs, tantes qui pincent les joues et oncles pervers) et que nous sommes très aisés financièrement (non mais, regardez la maison, que demander de plus?), nous avons un élan altruiste inégalé.

Nous avons donc décidé de procéder au choix de la meilleure cause à adopter.  Sauf que nous avons rencontré un mur. Littéralement.

Nous avons rencontré George Laraque.

À la suite d'une plainte de l'agent de George Laraque, nous sommes tenus
de mettre une image plus positive du très honorable George Laraque.

Je disais donc, nous avons rencontré un mur. Il nous est impossible de choisir une cause pertinente, puisque George Laraque les appuient déjà toutes.

D’ailleurs, voici une liste des causes parainées par le #17 des Canadiens de Montréal le gars sur le banc.

• Le syndrôme des bébés secoués
• Les végétaliens (a.k.a Sauvons les Cadavres)
• Les YMCA
• Les boys and girls club
• Fuck la fourrure
• La partie de soccer en mémoire de Dario Di Gioacchino
• Les chicks qui boivent de la boisson énergisante avec de l’alcool
• La fondation des Canadiens de Montréal pour l’enfance
• Les Noirs ne font pas que péter des gueules foundation
• Et plein d’autres (mais pas la Fondation Kovalev pour les enfants qui ont des problèmes de cœur, parce que cet enfoiré a volé son numéro)…

Par conséquent, les Bipolaires ont décidé de s’associer à la cause suivante :

Donnez généreusement.

Having not skated in almost 2 weeks due to coursework commitments and the English weather doing what the English weather does best, we decided it was time for a skate, so Jacob, Ben, Andy and I headed down to Bridgwater YMCA for a Wednesday night skate. The drive is about an hour and a half each way, so it’s good way away, but it’s arguably the closest indoor park.

We got there to find it surprisingly empty, as it’s usually full of Bam Margera worshipping 12 year olds on Argos skateboards, so we got a good skate in, and skated for over 2 hours, which is very unusual. The grindboxes there are great, a nice metal round rail, raised off the surface of the box, but the rest of the ramps are a bit lacking and are more for the Bam army mentioned earlier.

Mark Worner turned up after 20 minutes of us getting there to flow around the park in his usual manner, after which he showed us some exclusive footage from the upcoming “Cider Kids” dvd, which is going to be KILLER! Look out for the Matt Woods section, it will blow you away.

So I got my camera out eventually and took a few photos before the batteries ran out (DOH!), after which Andy produced a nice little handycam on which an edit was filmed. Top job guys.

AndeeBee knocks up a steezy top misfit

Loudmouth Backseat Ben throws a *switch* soul grind

A merry-as-always Worner looks on approvingly

And the first official BathRolling edit!

For anyone who’s interested, the Birdgwater park is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, from 6pm until 9pm. If you’re browsing the internet for it, look for “Air Crew”.

By Stephen Rhodes

The big not- for- profit brands in our country have built a trust among their followers and supporters. The biggest brands, YMCA, Salvation Army and United Way have strong social capital.

I have manned a Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time and watched people fill it with money, and many without knowing precisely what the Sally Anne does in our community. Trust is powerful stuff. Trust is something most commercial brands would kill for. Of course, you have to earn it.

I was thinking about the challenges these organizations face in a slow economy and I had a chance recently to chat with fellow Rotarian David Fitzpatrick, chair of board of the Kitchener Waterloo United Way.

Dave happened to mention that his board had adopted a more strategic approach to meeting its community obligations.  United Way is shifting from being an organization that waits for fundraising results to determine what needs can be met, to becoming an organization that first identifies the most pressing issues in the community, and then mobilizes the necessary resources to meet these needs.

Chief among the Kitchener-Waterloo  priorities:

• Children and Youth reach their Potential
• Families are Stronger
• Neighbourhoods are Inclusive and Thriving
• Newcomers are Welcomed and Supported
• People are Economically Secure

It’s not surprising that community needs have grown beyond what the annual  campaign can raise. With the focus on building long-term change that meets local priorities, and investing where United Way can  have the greatest results in their community, the emphasis is placed on strategic goals and not annual fundraising results. Fundraising in fact becomes a longer term campaign over 3 years or even 5 years.

From a marketing perspective, it provides a set of priorities around which the community can rally, less reliant on one year’s campaign goal, particularly important in tough times.

http://marketingpad.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/trust-in-charitable-brands/