Dream

I had a bizarre dream last night. I went out for a run in a familiar location, around a lake. In reality, this is about a 5 mile run, but it was getting longer and longer in my dream. I was getting really tired, and I told myself "get to the top of this hill and you'll be fine," but I wasn't fine so I started crawling DOWNHILL. Then I realized that I had probably run about 7 miles and remembered I have this knee problem and I'm only supposed to be running 2 or 3 miles max. I was trying to figure out how I could have forgotten this and I woke up.

I haven't run in over a week, maybe there's a little spot in my brain that feels deprived of serotonin or whatever chemical your brain oozes when you get happy from running.

If I get done at work today at a decent time, I will run/crawl a couple of miles at the track, no hills.

Tomorrow morning I am leading a D ride for the bike club and even though I have ridden this route before, I decided to drive it to make sure 1) I know where I am going and 2) there are no surprises like closed roads. I got so freakin lost it wasn't funny. I ended up driving in circles for about 40 miles for a 23 mile ride!! It's a good thing I did this-- getting lost and tacking extra miles onto a D ride can get ugly, especially on a ride as hilly as this one. But it is going to be a beautiful day tomorrow and I'm psyched!

Misc.

1. Son #1 had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted today. He already had an offer from a classmate to buy his Vicodin.

2. Son #2 brought home "Ready or Not Tot" today. It's a doll that simulates what it is like to take care of a baby. The "baby" cries at irregular intervals and you have to feed the baby, burp the baby, change the diaper or amuse the baby. These tasks are accomplished by inserting keys into a slot in the doll's back. He has to take care of the baby for 24 hours, including overnight. I wouldn't be surprised if the baby is wearing a Yankees T-shirt to school tomorrow.
3. My brother bought my mom a Presto mailbox for Mother's Day. Basically it's a printer with a modem that can receive and print out emails and photos. You cannot send email, only receive. To set it up, you have to unhook the phone line from the phone, plug it into the Presto, then hook up a 2nd line from the Presto back into the phone. This is too complicated for my mother. My nieces are going to visit her next week, hopefully they can accomplish this task in under 60 seconds (including taking it out of the box).

4. I work at a small college. Every year the students have an auction to raise money for their student activities (yearbook, graduation, etc.). They ask faculty for donations. I donated homemade lunch for 2 for 5 days. Two students bought it and saved it for finals week. I think they were expecting turkey sandwiches, but I am really trying to make their lunches extra special and extra big. Mostly I've just made sure there are plenty of leftovers to pack for them. They've had meatloaf, corn and black bean salad, and build-your-own-burritos with grilled chicken and beef. The other night I made a big pot of turkey soup with wild rice and grilled portobello sandwiches with chipotle mayo. It's been extra work, but I am enjoying it.

5. DH has registered for a triathlon on June 10 in Harriman State Park. Swim 1/2, ride 16, run 3. He's been training hard and I think he will do well. His last triathlon was about 17 years ago.

6. On Sunday I went for a club bike ride. It was dreary and drizzly as I was driving to the start location and I almost turned around and went home, but I figured the weather was going to get better. Only 3 other people showed up, so it was me and the boys and the big hill. We decided to push it since it was just the 4 of us and it turned out to be a great ride. And I made it up the big hill.

Veggie Recipe

These leftoversare in my lunchbag today, along with some hummus and some fresh fruit.
I cooked the vegetables less than 45 minutes because they were on the verge of burning. Next time I think I will turn the oven down to 400. I happened to have fresh oregano and rosemary from another recipe, so I used fresh herbs. The recipe is from Vegetarian Times.

Italian-Style Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4 to 6

Many Moosewood patrons love the restaurant’s very versatile roasted vegetables, served with several variations. This version is dressed with Italian seasonings. Select at least four different vegetables, or follow the combination below. To speed preparation, parboil the harder, longer-cooking vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, before roasting them.

Roasted Vegetables 2 potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks or cut in half lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick semicircles 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks or sliced as above 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks or cut on diagonal 1 large onion, cut into wedges 1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks or cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices 2 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks Italian Dressing 4 tsp. olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 3 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary 1 Tbs. minced fresh oregano 1 tsp. salt

1. To make Roasted Vegetables: Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Parboil potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots in boiling water to cover for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and drain well. In large bowl, combine parboiled vegetables with onions, zucchini and bell peppers.
3. To make Italian Dressing: Place ingredients in bowl, and whisk together or purée in blender.
4. Toss vegetables with dressing, and place in single layer on large unoiled baking tray.
5. Bake vegetables, stirring every 15 minutes, until tender, about 45 minutes.

PER SERVING:
180 Calories
4g Protein
3g Total Fat
35g Carbohydrates
410mg Sodium
4g Fiber
11g Sugars

Can We Talk?

I"m 51 years old and this "change of life" thing is happening. I'm not having major problems with symptoms, at least not yet, but they have gotten more noticeable over the last month or two. The biggest problem I'm having right now is sleeping poorly. Sometimes its night sweats, but even without that happening I wake up several times during the night and I'm feeling tired during the day. Every website that talks about menopause mentions "regular exercise" and "eating healthy" to combat the symptoms. I really believe that this is one reason that I am not having more difficulty (either that or I am delusional; the worst is yet to come), but I know I can do better, especially with the food. Over the last month I have found myself caught in a vicious cycle. I'm tired so I don't spend the necessary time on food prep, I eat more processed foods and I feel tired. I know I have to break this cycle to get my energy back and have an easier time "changing." I just can't afford to "donate" any part of my caloric intake to junk. More than ever, I need to eat clean. Whole grains. Plant food. No bar codes. No white food. Instead of thinking about all the foods I can't have ( bagels....pizza.....burritos.....baked ziti....), I will focus on all the wonderful foods I can enjoy, especially as we come into the summer season. I do owe son #2 an ice cream treat and if I'm going there, well I'm having ice cream too. So it's not about being perfect, but I Gotta Step It Up (GSIU).

GSIU Week #18

It's been a looooong time since I did one of these. So, to recap, you Gotta Step it Up (GSIU). What did you do this week to step it up?
This past week I worked out 5 days out of 7. Yesterday was Cinco de Velo, the bike club's annual Cinco de Mayo celebration. There were bike rides for all levels of riders, all leaving from the same location. After the rides, there was a huge Mexican fiesta! I volunteered to lead the D ride, which was only 12 miles. At one point we had the option to re-loop, which added 6 miles to the ride. These additional miles had the 2 nastiest hills. Most of my group opted out, but I took a few of the stronger riders on the longer ride. And the hills were easier the second time. Gotta step it up! Besides, the more hills you climb, the more Mexican food you can eat.

Roger Clemens is a Yankee once again, gotta love that!

DIY Boot Camp (or the ADHD Workout)

Today was too nice a day to be in the gym. I contemplated going out for a bike ride, but I wasn't in the mood for a solo ride. I ran 2.5 miles yesterday and I didn't want to put too much additional mileage on my knee (I'm not supposed to run on consecutive days). So I decided to go to the track and do whatever. I rummaged around and I found a teeny tiny soccer ball, a jump rope, an elastic band and a nerf Vortex (see photo). Add in a heart rate monitor, an iPod, a bottle of water and I was ready to rock!
I was pretty much the only person using the track for the hour that I was there. That was good because I didn't feel goofy. I kinda made things up and when something got too hard or just wasn't working or wasn't fun, I did something else. I dribbled the teeny tiny soccer ball down the football field first with my right foot then with my left. I did the same thing with the Vortex-- I threw it as far as I could, ran to retrieve it and then threw it down the field again until I scored a "touchdown." First I threw it with my right arm then I did it with my left (that was a sorry sight, glad no one was watching). I did dips and push ups off the bench and did some arm/shoulder exercises with the band. I tied the band around my ankles and did sidewinders down the track, then I took it off and did sideways jumpy/leapy things going the other way. I did one lap jumping rope and another running backwards. It may not have been the most efficient workout, I didn't work on upper body or lower body, I didn't even get in a real cardio thing, but it was fun! I'm sure if I really thought about it I could put together a really tough workout that would kick my butt.

Assassin- the Game continues. Both of my kids went on a stake-out with their waterguns, binoculars and walkie talkies. There are alliances, setups, and much covert activity. I'm staying out of it, that's for sure.

Apology

I called the assassin last night, the one that got the ticket. He wasn't home, but I had a conversation with his mom. She wasn't at all angry about the whole deal, although her son was very upset when he came home. She made sure to tell me that she made it very clear to him that there was to be no "payback," which I was relieved to hear. She thanked me for calling and agreed to pass on my apology to her son. I got the feeling she didn't want me to speak with him directly. I have also decided that i am going to mail him a check to reimburse him for the ticket.
Son #1 thinks I'm crazy, son #2 thinks I'm doing a good thing. So perhaps the life lesson has not been totally lost. And I certainly feel better.

Yesterday I ran 1.75 miles, still pain-free. I felt it a little when I got off the treadmill, but that subsided and my knee is not at all stiff today. I have been icing it after I run, and I think that is key.

Eat Me Eat Me

When I got off the train today, the Girl Scouts had a table set up to sell Girl Scout Cookies. They cost $3.50/box. Three girls, one of whom was wearing a cookie costume, greeted commuters with this catchy little jingle-- "Eat me, Eat me, I'm Just $3.50."
Their mothers tried to get them to change their marketing strategy, but were not successful. How do you explain to 7 and 8 year old girls that "eat me" goes way beyond cookies. I chuckled and then I bought one box of Thin Mints from the Eat Me Girl Scout Chorus.

Assassin--The Game

NOTE: This post may seem insensitive to some in the aftermath of the Virgina Tech tragedy. I considered not writing about it, but decided that this is really about what happened to me yesterday, an ordinary person living in an extraordinary world. It has nothing to do with what happened at Virginia Tech or I how I feel about what happened there. If you find it offensive in any way, well, that's how you feel and you are entitled to feel that way.

My kids are playing a game called Assassin that involves just about the entire high school. You pay $5 to join. Everyone is divided into teams of 3. You are given a target team and you have to assassinate the members of that team. Assassination involves shooting them with a water gun. Every week the remaining teams are given new targets, so this involves several weeks of devotion and planning. The last team standing collects a big chunk of money. There are many rules that govern the game. For example, the game is not played during school hours (for obvious reasons).

Yesterday, son #2 went to the Yankee game. When he got off of the train, he saw the truck belonging to one of the kids that he knows is after him. He knew he wouldn’t make it down the stairs to my car without getting assassinated so he locked himself in the bathroom. The 3 assassins recognized me so they knew that he was hiding somewhere and they were determined to wait it out. They soon figured out that he had locked himself in the bathroom. For the next 30 minutes, we conversed via cell phone trying to figure out how he was going to get out of the bathroom without getting assassinated. This involved calling the 3 assassins who are targeting the 3 assassins that are trying to assassinate my son, which was effective in eliminating only 1 of the 3. Are you with me? So he’s now been in the bathroom for close to an hour and I’m getting tired of waiting for him to emerge, so I decided to call the police, to see if I could get them to chase the kids away. So I called and complained to the police that these kids were driving around the parking lot in circles, running up and down the stairs and shooting water guns and being pretty annoying to other passengers (all of it true). The police showed up at around the same time that the station manager unlocked the bathroom door and son #2 was officially assassinated. None of the assassins were in the truck, but the police did stop them and talk to them and I presume tell them to get lost. At this point, their mission was accomplished so they were glad to oblige. They piled into the truck and took off. My son emerged, slightly wet and we followed. When we got out of the train station lot, we saw that the police essentially waited for the boys to get into the truck and they pulled them over as soon as they pulled out onto the main road. Luckily, they hadn’t done anything wrong, like speeding or running stop signs, but the police did give him a ticket for having a tinted windshield.

The more I thought about it, the crappier I felt about it. I certainly never wanted these kids to get in trouble with the police, I just wanted them to get shooed away so I could get my son out of the bathroom (without being assassinated). So yes, I was playing the game too. And I realized that involving the police was an inappropriate way to play the game. I am also concerned that my kids may be the target of a “payback.” I have always tried to impress upon my kids that their behaviors have consequences, and this is certainly an example. But quite frankly, my kids are both too busy laughing their asses off to appreciate the life lesson. But I am still having conversations with my super-ego.

Earth Day

Sunday was Earth Day. In my part of the universe, it was truly a beautiful day, a PERFECT day on Planet Earth. I celebrated with a 20 mile club bike ride with a dozen club members that went over the Croton Dam and around the reservoir. The daffodils are out, the trees are starting to bloom, and the birds and frogs are singing. Everyone was thrilled to put their butts on a saddle and finally get out there! Great ride. In the late afternoon, I decided to go for a run, so I went over to the high school track and ran 1.5 miles. My legs felt a little weary but it was all good. And my knee was 100%, so I can bump my mileage up another quarter mile!

There was one thing that annoyed me. There were about 5 or 6 youth league lacrosse teams practicing, so about 70 kids and assorted parents and coaches. The field, track and bleachers were littered with garbage, water bottles, and assorted items that I'm sure were left behind. This wasn't even about recycling or picking up somebody else's garbage or other environmental Earth Day type issues, it was about cleaning up after yourself. It's even worse when the parents and coaches aren't teaching their kids to clean up, but on Earth Day it was really triple annoying.
Perhaps my "green" sensitivity has been heightened because I am reading Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. I'm not sure why I decided to read it, and I'm also not sure why I never got to it before this week (it was published in 1962). I have since discovered that May 27 will be Carson's 100th birthday, and there will be celebrations and events in her honor. Sadly, she died of breast cancer about 18 months after the book was published, at the age of 56.

One of my reasons for choosing a vegetarian lifestyle is because it does reduce exposure to toxins from insectisides and pesticides (which become more concentrated as you move up the food chain). I also belong to an organic food coop for the same reason. Reading Silent Spring has made me realize that the issue is much bigger than that, all these chemicals are in the groundwater and the soil. Basically you can run but you cannot hide. I don't want to get on a soapbox here-- not my style. It's more a personal decision about taking care of myself and my family. I guess you could say that my decision to be a vegetarian is rather selfish! But this last week I've just found myself thinking about how fragile the planet is, and how I wish everyone would be a little bit more responsible about taking care of Earth.

The Big Decision

If any of you have kids in college, you know how it works. By April 1, all the accept/reject letters have arrived. You then have until May 1 to make a decision and put down a deposit to secure a place in the freshman class of your choice. If any of you have high school seniors, then you alos know that this has been one of the most competitive years ever. The number of applications to colleges was about a gazillion, with more kids going to college and more applications per kid. To make a long story short, son #1 was not accepted at any of his top 4 choices. It came down to Binghamton University and the Honors program at the University of Delaware. The pros/cons:
Binghamton is one of the best public universities in the country and in-state tuition is dirt cheap ($6,000), but Binghamton is not one of the most exciting places to be. UDel has better facilities and access to Baltimore and Philadelphia. The out-of-state tuition is very reasonable ($18,000) and the honors program probably enhances the academics to make it equivalent to that at Binghamton. Last weekend DH took him to Binghamton and this weekend I took him to Delaware. I'm sure it helped that it was an absolutely beautiful day, but after meeting with current Honors students and hearing about the Study Abroad program, he decided he wants to be at Delaware for the next 4 years. And so there it is, probably one of the biggest decisions he will face in his life, and he has made it.

Gonna Get It Back

Failure is not an option. I am going to get my "aerobic base" back and then I'm going to keep moving forward. With or without running. Yesterday I ran 1.5 miles and today my knee is tired but its definitely better than it had been. I know I have to live with the reality of 51 year old knees, which means I may not be able to run more than 10 miles a week (actually 10 miles a week would be fabulous) and I will not be able to take shortcuts. I have to do the stretching, the ice, even some ibuprofen on occasion. But I still have my bike, my beautiful shiny new Dolce and hundreds of miles to ride. I am hopeful that all this horrible weather is fading away and spring is going to erupt this weekend! So that's the plan. Get back to working out on a regular basis, run a few miles, and ride, ride, ride!

When I was on the treadmill yesterday, plugged into my new nano, it really felt awesome. It felt much easier than the mile I ran a few days ago. After the first half, I just found myself in that place where runners often find themselves, and it just felt good! Too bad I had to quit at 1.5 miles.

My SIL (the one with 2 broken wrists) is functioning well enough in her "activities of daily living" to be left alone, so my mom is returning to Florida today. I know she is anxious to get home. She was the perfect companion and helper over the past 3 weeks. Kudos to my mom.

One Painfree Mile, the Nor'easter, Killer Pillows, and MIL Update

On Saturday, I ran one mile on the treadmill. One painfree mile. I will probably bump that up to 1.5 tomorrow, but I am not to go any higher than that until I see the PT for my last visit on Wednesday. That is the good news. The bad news is running 1 mile was hard! I have lost a good chunk of my aerobic base. I'm hoping it will be easy to get it back once I get back in the groove.

We planned on spending Sunday indoors, and that is what we did. It rained steadily all day, but the high winds never seemed to be a problem and although it rained hard, it never had the intensity of a summer thunderboomer. It just rained and rained and rained......... Our house is on top of a little hill, and we never have water issues, so we don't pay much attention to the flood warnings, etc. At a little before 6 am this morning, the phone rang and it was a recording from the school district that the schools are closed today. When I drove past the middle school on my way to the train station, I understood why they made that decision. The water was up to the front door.

Is my pillow killing me? I have woken up with a headache for the last few days. I'm not a headachey person, so this was a little unusual. On Friday, I couldn't get rid of it either, despite 2 Tylenols and 2 Advils. Last night I woke up during the night and felt the headache as soon as I turned my head to look at the clock. I sleep with 2 pillows, and I decided to throw the top one off the bed. When I woke up a few hours later, the headache was gone.

My MIL is not doing well. She has lung cancer and has had 3 weeks of chemotherapy. She became so weak and debilitated that she couldn't really get out of bed. My SIL (not the one with 2 broken wrists) got her to the doctor and she was so dehydrated that they put her on an IV for 2 days. She rebounded a bit but it's not clear if the cancer or the chemo is killing her. I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to quit treatment. In the meantime, it is time to start thinking about home care, etc. DH will probably make a trip to Florida next week to help sort out some of these issues.

Wednesday Miscellany

My family usually celebrates Passover at my brother and sister-in-laws home, but since my SIL broke both wrists, that was not an option. Instead, we gathered at a kosher-style deli/restaurant, which offered a traditional Passover dinner in addition to the typical gigantic menu of all things Jewish (and beyond). My brother, SIL and mom did not join us, but a fine time was had by all and the food was decent. It was a boisterous family gathering that I am glad we pulled off. I am glad we made the effort and didn't just retreat into our own homes.

My SIL, meanwhile, is feeling better physically but overall she is miserable. The swelling in her fingers has subsided so they no longer look like sausages poking out of the casts, and she is able to sleep a bit better but she is totally dependent upon other people for everything except changing the channel. My mom is going to stay up north for as long as she is needed.

The bike season is upon us! I rode 26 fairly flat miles on Sunday. It was a club ride but it was only 41 degrees when we started, so only 1 other person showed. Still, we rode and it felt great. I'm getting to know my new bike, and I was really comfortable on her. I'm confident that I will still feel that way when I ride up and down some hills. D4w (designed for women) totally rocks!

I have decided to resurrect "Gotta Step it Up (GSIU)." I didn't stick with that idea for very long, especially since my PT brought a good piece of my fitness effort to a halt, and that seemed to boomerang into bad food habits as well. But PT is coming to an end (2 more sessions), I am starting to step up the cardio, and working on the food habits as well. So this week I am concentrating on "no white food." So far, I am doing quite well. This morning I had a baked stuffed potato topped with guacamole for breakfast. Yes it was a white potato, but that was a better choice than Honey Nut Cheerios. Even last night at dinner, I made good choices.

I took the day off yesterday, and one of my accomplishments was taking son#2 for his learner's permit. What a hassle! First, didn't realize I needed his social security card, so we had to go home to get that, then his birth certificate was not a certified copy, so I had to go home again to get his passport. Then credit card transactions went down, so I had to find an ATM to get the cash, and finally the clerk hit a "random check for supervisor," so we had to wait for a supervisor to come and check all the documents again to make sure the clerk had entered all the info properly. We were exhausted and starving by the time we got done! but done it is and now my husband can have the joy for taking him for his first lesson driving around a big parking lot.

Ramping Up

I'm trying to keep this forward momentum going. I have slowly been ramping up my activity level. Today I took an easy spin class, 45 minutes without putting on too much resistance. I was sweating! I then did all my knee exercises, and both an upper and lower body workout. It took some time because I had to adjust my weights some and modify certain exercises to minimize knee risk. In between, I did lots of stretching. By the time I showered and headed for home, I had been at the gym for over 3 hours. It just felt so good that I kept going, saying hello to all my people, watching the trainers for interesting exercises and then trying them, and then letting the hot water cascade over my weary muscles! It felt awesome.

Last night we went to see An Evening with Colin Mockrie and Brad Sherwood. These are 2 of the guys from Whose Line Is It and they do improv comedy. It was hilarious. It's been a long time since I laughed that hard. It is getting more difficult to find events that all 4 of us want to attend. (the kids have different tastes in music and theatre). I so enjoyed being together and hearing all 4 of us laughing out loud.

Being Helpless

I spoke to my brother last night. My SIL was cleaning a light fixture, fell off the ladder and broke both bones in both wrists. Both of her arms are casted for 6 weeks. She is totally helpless. She can barely change the channel. I can't even begin to imagine all the activities of daily living that she cannot do without help. Luckily, my nieces are all grown up and she doesn't have small children at home. My brother didn't go to work these last few days, but he does need to get back on Monday. My mom is scheduled to fly up from Florida next Friday, but she may change her flight and come earlier (if she can find a flight) and stay for as long as my SIL needs her (they get along pretty well, so that would not be an issue). Now, my SIL is one of the most organized, efficient, productive, get-things-done people I know. Right now I know she's working through the pain and the humiliation of being so dependent, but in a week or two it will be coping with the loss of control over her environment. I hope she can get through the next 6 weeks without going totally nuts!

So, with a new appreciation for my limbs, I have been using them all, both at the gym and in the kitchen (although I do not usually use my legs in the kitchen other than to walk from kitchen to counter to oven, etc.). I actually feel much better. On Tuesday the PT freed me to start doing some lower body weight lifting, although I am forbidden to do leg extensions ever again. The exercise dude put me on the leg press, and wow, was my butt sore the next day!! But that actually got me psyched because I realized that this strength training is so good for you! So on Thursday I did the whole shabang, stretching, cardio, upper body, lower body, more stretching and all my prescribed knee exercises. I still need to take it easy and ramp it up slowly, and that was hard. I wanted to really go for it, but I refrained. But at least I worked out hard enough to sweat! Today should be a repeat performance. I've also had a couple of pretty clean food days, and that makes all the difference in the world. The defunkification has begun.

Time to Defunk

I had a crappy weekend. In fact, the last few weeks have been crappy. At this point, the only option is for things to get better, to head up out of my funk. Being in PT, and having my cardio very limited has totally killed my motivation to go to the gym. That in turn has totally killed my motivation to eat properly. Add in the following:

1) Snowstorm that keeps you indoors all day Friday and most of Saturday.
2) Son that wants to go to his friend's house wearing his slippers after snowstorm.
3) Lack of telephone service while husband is away and both children are somplace other than home accompanied by lack of cell phone coverage at home, making it necessary to drive to the firehouse parking lot to get cell phone coverage in order to leave messages for various people so they know the phone doesn't work.
4) DH leaving pen in shirt pocket which ends up in washer/dryer and ruins 4 shirts.
5) Starting to make banana muffins and realizing I am missing key ingredient and having to make trip to the supermarket because I don't want to throw out the ingredients that I have already prepared.
6) Feeling sorry for myself and buying Oreos at the supermarket and then eating too many.

The Oreo thing is so uncharacteristic of me! I am not an emotional eater, but this was defintiely a response to feeling lonely and cranky. At least it made me realize that this was a total pity party and that it was time to turn it around. Yesterday was much better. Getting back to work after a 3 day wekend (snow day on Friday) was the best medicine. I do much better when I have structure and a routine. And tomorrow is the first day of spring! A new season, longer daylight hours, new growth and bicycle season! I am heading out of this funk, time to get back on the bus, the only option is up.

This week also marked the beginning of a 3 week Health and Fitness Challenge here at work. It is a fundraiser for the students and I am "team captain" for faculty/staff. I signed up 42 participants ($10 entry fee, winner gets a $25 gift certificate to Sports Authority). It involves everyone identifying healthy habits that they need to practice daily and a weekly fitness goal. Basically you earn points for practicing these habits and achieving your goals. My daily habits are not to eat any white food (white flour, white rice) and to floss my teeth. My weekly goal is to Dab the Wussy once a week. What would be your daily habits and weekly fitness goal?

Quick Trip to Florida

We went down to Florida for the weekend to visit my MIL. She has been diagnosed with lung cancer and we needed a better sense of how she is doing. She has a bad habit of not telling us the whole truth or painting a far rosier picture. My SIL lives about 20 miles away from her, but we still felt that we needed to see for ourselves. DH also talked to her about some financial things, making sure everything is in order and that he knows where to find everything. We were pleasantly surprised to see that she looks good and seems to be getting around. She starts chemotherapy this Thursday. We hope it's not too hard on her. She is 86 years old!

We had a little drama on the plane on the way home. There was a family of 4 sitting in the row in front of us. There were 5 seats in each row, 3 on one side of the aisle and 2 on the other. The mom was sitting with the 2 kids (12 year old boy and 10 year old girl) and the dad was sitting on the other side of the aisle. My younger son was sitting next to the dad. Sitting in front of the 10 year old girl was a man, probably in his 20s. When we got on the plane, he tried to give the girl a little teddy bear. Mom promptly gave it back to him and said "no thank you." During the flight he kept turning around in his seat to stare at her and try to make conversation with her, asking her where she is from, her name. Finally the mom told the dad what was going on, dad got up, started banging on the guy's seat, told him he was going to "fuck him up" if he didn't keep his head and eyes pointed straight ahead. When the potential pedophile responded that he was just trying to be friendly, dad made it very clear that he had no business trying to be friendly with a 10 year old girl. The flight attendants (one of whom was rather large and looked like he could bench press the pedophile with no difficulty) were getting ready to spring into action. Things settled down and a few minutes later I asked the mom if it would help if my son switched seats with the girl so she could sit next to her father and further away from the pervert. The mother was so grateful and thanked me 10 times and the girl was so relieved to get away from the creep. The flight attendants took the pervert up to first class for a litle while and must have explained a few things to him because he walked back to the father (accompanied by the flight attendants) and apologized. He realized that his behavior was inappropriate and while he had no "bad intent," he could see how dad might interpret his actions as less than wholesome. Dad actually thanked him for the apology and shook his hand. Kudos to the dad for protecting his family. There are just too many creeps out there.

Last week in PT the therapist was stretching my IT band and she did something to me that totally messed up my IT band on the other leg. I felt it while she was doing it but nothing outrageous or cause to tell her to STOP. Well, the next day I could barely lift that leg, crossing my legs was out of the question and stairs were quite painful. I could not put on my socks and shoes. It took 4 days of total rest for it to heal. I had to cancel my next PT appointment and the therapist was supposed to call me and of course she didn't. This is my last week of PT and I almost blew it off, but I think I need to tell them I am not real happy.

Ratdog

Any Deadheads out there? Last night I went to a Ratdog concert for the first time. They played at a tiny theatre, about 1500 seats, that is practically around the corner (I go there often to see films). It was really wonderful. I think I enjoyed it more than seeing the Grateful Dead! They definitely played Grateful Dead music ( Terrapin Station is still in my head) but the first set was bluesy with Dylan covers and reggae. His band is great and sitting in the balcony was perfect because you could sit and still see the stage perfectly. The only bad part was I was really revved up and I couldn't fall asleep for a couple of hours, so I got very little sleep. This ain't as easy as it used to be. Being an aging hippie can be tough! I so enjoyed the music, I would happily do it again, and again.

I: Jam > The Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion > All Along the Watchtower > Little Red Rooster > Wang Dang Doodle > Memphis Blues > Bury Me Standing > Sitting in Limbo > Greatest Story Ever Told > Might as Well

II: Me and Bobby McGee > Bombs Away@ > When I Paint My Masterpiece@, Picasso Moon > Lady with a Fan > Terrapin > Stuff > Ship of Fools > St. Stephen > William Tell Bridge > The Eleven

E: At a Siding > Terrapin Flyer

PT or BS

I started physical therapy for my knee. I have to tell you, I am not convinced that these therapists really know what is wrong with my knee. Sometimes my hamstrings are tight and that’s what’s causing my knee to track improperly, the next time my hamstrings aren’t that tight but my quads are weak, or my IT band is tight. I feel like every person with a “knee problem” gets the same therapy program. Last week I was finally allowed 10 minutes on the bike at level 1. I was told to stop if I had any pain. I wanted to scream at her, “I CAN RIDE THE FUCKING BIKE FOR AN HOUR WITH NO PAIN, THE ONLY TIME I HAVE ANY PAIN IS WHEN I RUN AS I HAVE TOLD YOU EVERY TIME I COME HERE.” But I didn’t, I rode the bike for 10 pain-free minutes. Then I went to Dallas on business and I didn’t do any exercising or bike riding for 3 days. All I did was sit around in meetings and airports. I got home on Friday night and on Saturday morning, my knee was bothering me. FROM DOING NOTHING. I went to the gym anyway, did my 10 minutes on the bike, did all my exercises, and it was still bothering me. So I took Sunday off and it feels better today. I am determined to give this PT program the benefit of the doubt and I will continue to do exactly what is prescribed, but right now my feeling is that it isn’t doing anything for my knee and that when all is said and done, I will be in exactly the same place as when I started.

I have been making friends with the UBE at the gym. I find that it is very difficult to get my heart rate up and sustain the activity for any length of time. It’s one or the other. On Saturday I was on it for 20 minutes. My heart rate monitor wasn’t registering but I doubt I got my heart rate much higher than 100. I burned 60 calories! This is so frustrating. Well, at least my shoulders got a workout.

On the homefront, Son #1 got his first acceptance to college, to SUNY Geneseo. It is not one of his top picks, but at least we know he has one in the bank and he is going to college next year.