Hypochondriac

So I went to bootcamp today even though I would've rather been home watching Buffy because I know I should (and I have no Netflix at home). Today I kept pace with the other girls for hte most part and didn't lie down at all. We focused more on arms tonight than before, which is what I really want and by the last arm thing I couldn't do 2 when they asked for 20. It was those pushups where you're in standard pushup position at the top but instead of pushing down you go onto your elbows one arm at a time and then backup to your hands. They were so easy before. I've sworn to myself that I'll do them tomorrow night when I can't go to bootcamp because of class.

Now I've always been a bit of a hypochondriac due to laziness and a low threshold for pain but this time I'm pretty sure I have asthma. After/during a workout it hurts to breath deep to the point of being impossible. When I try I end up in a it of coughing that makes my head throb. Also, I start to taste blood during the warmup jog. When I got home, I immediately brought my neighbors some baked good that I'd made previously and then hopped in the hot shower to release my lungs. I had to close my shower window because I was coughing so horribly and didn't want to gross them out. When I got out of the shower the doorbell rang. To my surprise it was my neighbor with some freshly made zucchini soup! Omg is it delicious. I'm eating it now. Whether they gave it to me because I give them baked goods or because they heard my awful fits in the shower no longer worries me at the bottom of the bowl.

Boot Camp

So I finally went to the boot camp I signed up for months ago. It's a two week unlimited deal. I went Wednesday and almost died. We started off with a run and then did some weird things up and down a hill and then did some weird pushups and situps and then some more weird things up and down a hill. I lied down for probably half of it in the middle so I wouldn't faint. I thought I'd been preparing with situps and pushups but it was the cardio that really killed me. After I showered, my face was still red for about another half hour. That night and all the next day I was pretty sore. But then on Friday it got worse. I was walking with a limp. My right knee forgot how to work and so every once in a while it wouldn't lock and I'd tip over and have to grab a wall or something. Pretty embarrassing at work. I had to use the handicap stall in the bathroom because I needed the railings to ease my way onto the seat. And they wanted me to go back Saturday morning. They said it would make me feel better! I was scared but hopeful. On Saturday morning they set up an obstacle course up two hills and in between. I stayed at the back with another girl who couldn't do much. We went slow together and got through it. WHen they said to do 30 of something, I did ten. I paused for breath a few times but I didn't have to lie down at all. I was so not dead that I even went rollerblading after. This time I'm stretching more and trying not to sit still too long.

My legs work fine now but my shoulders are a bit sore - maybe from the bear crawls up and down the hills? I'll have to go back Monday and see how it goes. The best part is I've learned new weird situps and pushups that I can do on my own.

Walk to Work Adventure

So tonight I finally did what I've been wanting to do for about a year now: walk to my night job. It's only about one mile from my house but there are a few reasons I've never done it before:

a. it's at night, hence dark and sometimes cold (rarely)

b. it's down a steep hill; therefore, up a steep hill on the way back

c. it requires walking under a highway, past/through a tent city

d. I work in heels 8 hours before going and have tired feet

Tonight was different though; I was almost out of gas. Also, I have office hours before class on Thursdays and needed to create a powerpoint for the lesson, which my new Mac doesn't support and had time to get there early.

The walk there took just under 15 minutes, because of the steep decline. The walk back took about 15 minutes, because of the steep fear. It turns out it's a shorter walk than I thought. I got there in plenty of time to create my powerpoint, which was a hefty one, with lots of fly-in bullet points. I saved it to the desktop with every intention of attaching it to my email before leaving. You know where this story is going. Turns out the walk is pretty short, but just long enough to be too far to go back when I realize I'd forgotten to save the powerpoint that took me 45 minutes to create and that I need for class again next week. The rest of the walk was stressful - should I drive back and get it when I get home? What if the maintenance has turned of the compute already? Should I just make the PP again? Am I too tired to deal with this? No, it was good work and I want to use it again and It's still early.

So when I got back, I took the car, filled it with gas, and drove back to the school. Then I ran up the stairs and saved the powerpoint to my email. aaaaah (that was a sigh of relief, not a scream). Totes worth it.

I didn't really save any gas (it wasn't about gas, though, was it? for 2 miles?) but I did get an extra workout - the walk plus the hurry and running. AND, I woke up early this morning for a 20 minute walk around the park before work. I only did 40 girly pushups and 20 crunches because it was foggy out and a bit humid so I needed to save time for a very fast shower. The clammy look isn't hott these days.

AM Workout

Last night I set my alarm to a half hour earlier than normal with the hopes that I would get up and exersize. My chances were slim - usually when I set my alarm earlier to shower, I end up sleeping in and going to work dirty anyway. But this morning I actually did it! I got up, went for a 20 minute walk around the park, and then did 3 reps of 20 crunches, and then 10 crunches on each side, and 6 reps of 10 girly pushups. I washed my face after but I can't say I'm exactly clean for work.

Bronner Party

Tonight I got to go to my first Bronner party, which is the second closest I've been to a rave (both being with B). As soon as I got there I knew it would be something to Blog about. Approaching the house from my car we could see the strobe lights flashing and the house music pumping. We also got a glimpse of some costumes. I was scared. Upon entry we saw that everyone was in full dance mode and dressed as fairies. There was no way of knowing who was male or female. I didn't know most of the people there but that only lasted as long as it took for everyone to introduce themselves and hug my tight for several seconds longer that expected. I didn't know if the hugs were because that's what you do at a rave or if people's E had already kicked in. Did I mention we got there at 8:30pm? Anyway, I was into the music so I decided to let loose and dance with the fairies. Someone gave me her boa right away so I would fit in more. I hoped that was as much as I'd need to fit in. Every once in a while the lights would hit the glitter flaked in the air and I'd get worried about having glitter on me for days. I danced for a long time (especially for me), with random fairies coming and going and with changing costumes, which got thinner and more see-through. The fairies had slowly become Madames dressed in lingerie. A few even changed on the dance floor with only me there.

I took a break from the dancing to go outside and chat with a few people by the fire (also there were cookies) and sat by a plate filled with pills. I looked around and saw that the lingerie was slowly coming off, and decided against the pills. The main reason was that I had changed out of my cool looking red-striped underoos before going to the party and had put on my raggedy old white Jockies. Embarrassing! I tried to engage Dave in some Buffy talk and then danced some more. People randomly came up to me for more hugs and some kisses on my head. B didn't seem to be getting the same treatment. I was also getting my back rubbed by passersby and was worried that they were trying to send me some message that only ravers know about. They probably just wanted to hug me though. Sometimes the Madames would come in and dance but then they'd look outside and say, "fire!" and go sit by it. This happened several times.

While most people were slowly getting naked, one guy stayed in his original costume the entire time. He wore black pants, a t-shirt, a black sparkly vest, and a black cape. Every time he came onto the dance floor he had to pause to grab each side of his cape to dance with. He had no moves without it. I was glad he wasn't a hugger.

By the time B wanted to go, most people were nude. Raf asked if we enjoyed watching the "cuddle puddles" of people lying around the fire. What a creepy term! When we announced we were leaving everyone wanted to get up to hug us. That when I noticed the full on nudity. Not sure if I'd ever hugged a nude stranger before tonight. Cross that off my to-do list! These hugs were pretty intense too, like the hug of an old friend arriving at the airport. Maybe one day I'll have to partake in the fun... as long as no one says "cuddle puddles."

Cruise Control

Have I mentioned how much I love to abuse my cruise control? Previously I enjoyed using it really late at night when there aren't too many cars around. I'd cruise at 65 in the middle lane while angry drives rushed passed me on both sides. It's a nifty experience when you're not in a hurry.

Recently, however, I discovered that if I slouch over my steering wheel it feels like that car racing game in the bowling alley. You know the one where you can switch POVs - you can be watching your car from behind (full car view), from the drivers seat (partial car), or from the hood (no car at all). The most realistic one is the second one of course but when I hunch over the steering wheel it feels like the last one. It's pretty cool and feels dangerous but I got home safely tonight. Also it hurts my back. Totally worth it - give it a try.

Jai Ho!

I haven't been working out much but I have been dancing every day at work for an hour. We're practicing for our Diwali/Dusshera festival, which will be this Friday. It'll be a pretty funny dance - a mix of a song I don't know and "Jai Ho." I've got the dace down pretty well but the best part will be watching my tiny boyish boss dance. I have to close my eyes whenever he's in my vision during practice because his moves creep me out but every once in a while I catch a glimpse and have to pause to crack up. I'm quite certain there will be a video after the fact so I'll be sure to post it here. Oh and the practices get my heart rate up for an hour during work every day so that's gotta be good for me, right?

Phoenix

Obviously I've been pretty lazy with the whole working out thing. I haven't been completely dormant though. Last weekend I went to Phoenix to visit my gramma on my dad's side, along with two of my uncles and my brother+wife. Phoenix was nice and hot. The 100+ degrees weren't so bad becuase it was dry to the extreme. My boogers told me so. I ate a lot of food too. We did an a fancy breakfast buffet at one of our hotels and I think I ate the most. My sister-in-law kept up too. We went to a farm to table restaurant (maybe the only hipster spot in Phoenix) and I got an appetizer and an entre. I thought people would share mine but they all got appetizers too. My appetizer was basically a large meatball sub but then my entre was one large raviolo. After that the meals weren't too exciting. One of the days I swam in the hotel pool. I did some laps and a bit of treading water. Not sure if it's possible but it felt like I was sweating under water. Fun! I was planning on doing some crunches and such after that but then we had to rush to the airport. Oh yeah, seeing my gramma was no big whoop. She barely talked to me and still didn't give me my birthday card or mention it.



This week was pretty lazy. I've got more Buffy borrowed from the library and lots of new TV shows on Hulu. Last night I got with the program - hula hooped for 20 min while watching Glee, then did 80 crunches, and 20 on each side, and 80 girly push ups. Then I finished off the show with 20 more minutes of hula hooping. The hula hooping got easier every time the characters would break into song. It was pretty fun actually. I wasn't going to work out last night but when I went to put on my shirt to go teach, it clung to my belly like I was preggers or something. The crunches didn't help instantly so I tugged on my shirt to stretch it. That helped more. After I got out of the shower and had ten minutes to get to class, I remembered that I was supposed to grade their presentations and had to think of an excuse for why I hadn't. Would they understand if I told them I felt fat? Probably, but I decided against it. I just told them that I'd have their grades next week and they could enjoy their weekend not knowing if they did bad or not. That's reassuring!