Make or Break it

Well now I've gone and done it. Stage #3, the Intensifying Stage. "Few couples make it past this stage". Well we are about to see. My bet is somewhere in the middle.

I guess this was "Define the Relationship Week, part 2; One Year Later". I'm not sure how it escalated to this point so fast; what started as a slightly uncomfortable yet honest phone conversation ended up in a heartfelt e-mail exchange on both parts. I recognize what this is, and I guess by this time next week it will either be over or we'll be on our slow but steady progression to Stage #4. Integration.

Cross your fingers, folks. I'm voting for #4.

ugh...lovesick

My favorite definition of "lovesick" in the Urban Dictionary is this one:

1.
lovesick
918 up, 354 down
So deeply affected by love as to be unable to act normally. You awake every morning, thinkin on your love, having dreamt of them all night, the pain of separation searing your heart every time a site or smell brings back the memory of your last encounter. Daydreaming, drawing hearts in the sand, constantly thinking "I wish they were here so I could share this moment" even when pulling weeds or walking the dog. The consuming fire within the heart for even one more moment with ones love that defies rational thought, knowing full well, one moment would never be enough, yearning for eternity together.

Cardio!

So, yeah. I got off of my workout routine, and now it is all I can do to make it to my 2x per week training sessions. I have done zero cardio for the past month, unless you count yard work and swimming for 15 minutes. I received this e-mail from the Cooper Clinic today, however, that encouraged me to get back on my horse and go! (Figuratively speaking, of course)

Resist The Cardio Blues

08/04/2009


Aerobic exercise is a great way to burn stress, manage your weight, strengthen your heart, and prevent disease.

With all the documented research on the benefits of aerobic exercise, people often skip this important part of training. Three reasons people tend to cut their cardio routine is boredom, physical impairments, and a lack of time. Usually the hardest part of the workout isn’t the workout—it is finding the motivation to do it.

Motivation has to come from within. Making the cardio portion of your fitness regimen the most enjoyable element isn’t as hard as you think. To keep the cardio blues from invading your workout, try some of these tips and find out what activities motivate you to get that heart pumping.

Outdoor activities:

•Shoot some hoops. Grab some friends from work and head to the local park for a pick up game to burn off some calories and stress from the office.
•Buy some inline skates. Skating really gets the heart pumping. It's a good option for individuals with knee problems.
•Take a hike. The scenery alone will make your workout more enjoyable. Hiking gets your heart pumping and muscles working in a different way than running or walking in your neighborhood.
•Train with a goal in mind. Whether it’s a 5K, 10K, triathlon or other fitness event—the first thing you need to do is sign up. Second, create a playlist with all of your favorite music on your MP3 player—it will motivate you and keep you going longer. Third, start your training program. Training with a goal will push you mentally to continue your workouts and push yourself hard each day.

Indoor activities:


•Exercise DVDs. Put together an exercise DVD library. These can help turn a room in your house to a gym for the day. Make sure to include dance and kickboxing DVDs to ensure you get aerobic exercise.
•Attend a new group exercise class. Not only could the class spark a new interest, but you could meet a new workout partner. Zumba—a Latin inspired dance class—is a great class that gets your heart pumping and hips shaking.
•Play a video game. This statement may seem like an oxymoron, but who says your children are the only ones that can enjoy your Nintendo Wii. Look for fitness games that get the whole family involved and cause you to break a sweat.
•Play with the kids. Grab the kids, put on your socks, and play sock skate tag on your wood or tile floors. With your socks on, simulate ice skating on your floor while trying to tag your kids. This is a great workout for your legs, glutes, and abs.

In the day-to-day routine, we get caught up with moving from one thing to the next missing one important aspect—having fun. If your workout needs a fun factor, focus on aerobic activities you enjoy doing the most. Think of sports or activities you did as a child or adolescence and do them as an adult. If you are having fun, chances are you’ll beat the cardio blues.

By: Meredith Rosson, Youth Director, Cooper Fitness Center, Dallas.

Magic

I am in the Heart of God. I am so in love, I am so blessed...I am so happy. With each baby step, with each day of patience, each day of friendship...each experience is new and trusted. I take each experience and cherish it, because I don't know what tomorrow holds.

Supersonic

The Prandtl-Glauert singularity (sometimes referred to as a "vapor cone"), is the point at which a sudden drop in air pressure occurs, and is generally accepted as the cause of the visible condensation cloud that often surrounds an aircraft travelling at transonic speeds, though there remains some debate. It is an example of a mathematical singularity in aerodynamics.
One view of this phenomenon is that it exhibits the effect of compressibility and the so-called "N-wave".

There Goes My Saturday

79 in a 55. 'nuff said.

However, in my process of trying to find the positive in the middle of the negative, I did discover that I can enroll my child in driving school for a low, low price of $350. Can you imagine the gray hairs, fights, and stress that will save me?? I'm thrilled. It's worth every penny!

So...getting ready to leave work, run two errands, work out for an hour, and go home to clean the house and be in bed by 10pm so I can wake up earlier than the birds and go to freaking defensive driving school.

Pray I don't get a ticket on the way...

Awesome Weekend

We had a full, awesome weekend, with lots going on and all of it meant something.

FRIDAY:

First, Friday was Sage's last day of 9th Grade. She's a Sophomore now. I can't believe it. She keeps reminding me, so that I will believe it. I keep telling her I haven't seen her report card yet, so she can't technically be a 10th grader. Yeah, whatever Mom.


Friday after school, the pool was ready to be filled with water - so we left both hoses running all night. The past two summers we haven't opened the pool, and the summer before that we opened it for only a month. It pretty much looked like a lagoon.

SATURDAY:

Saturday was the beginning of a basketball tournament weekend. We had to be there at the crack of 8:00 am. She played better than I have ever seen her play. She was smart, and fast, and right where she was supposed to be. Her team got to play the elite teams, which meant they lost every game, but she had SO MUCH FUN playing that it didn't even matter what the score was. She even got to play FOR one of the elite teams, because they were short a few players. So exciting. All in all they played six games this weekend. Worn out girls - that's for sure.

In between games we would come home to check the pool level. Between the last two games, the pool was ALMOST full, so God added a little rain to help me out. With my new fence, and the broken trees gone, and the pool blue for the first time in years, It was a beautiful sight!

When I felt like it was full enough, I turned off the hoses and prepared to get the equipment working. It was time to start the filter and chemical process at last! So, I got my "get wet" clothes on, and fired up the filter!


WOOSH! Water went EVERYWHERE! I immediately turned OFF the filter and took a look at the equipment. There was a crack in the handle thingy, which I later learned was called a Valve Head. That crack was creating all kinds of problems and I knew it had to be replaced before I could do anything with the pool. So, in ten minutes I ran to the pool store, didn't know the name of the part so I came home and took pictures of it, and took them back to the pool store to show the parts guy so he could hook me up. Then, off to another game!

SUNDAY:

Sunday morning we had two more games to participate in. After the games, I started on my project again. I correctly installed the valve head, turned on the filter, and WOOSH! Water started shooting out of the drain that leads to the sewer! NOT GOOD! When in filter mode, no water should come out of anywhwere. So...back to the drawing board.


I had this brilliant idea to look up and read the user's manual for the filter I use (something I haven't done in the 11 years of owning a pool). I discovered there are parts that I don't even use, but that I should! So, I played around with those, and with the various settings of the valve, and you will never believe this, but I FIXED IT! The filter has been running for two days with no problems. I feel like Wonder Woman. I shocked the pool, added a giant chlorine tablet to the skimmer basket, and by tonight it should be good enough to swim in! It's so clear I can see how I already have to vaccuum the bottom, but that won't be a problem at all. It's just SO EXCITING to have an operating pool and it isn't even JUNE yet!!


Now it's time to plan my next pool party! Woo Hoo!

SUNDAY, PART II:

Off to Lake Haven! (i.e. AndyLand) I will post something on that later.
until then, enjoy the short work week!!

My Feelings Are Hurt

So, it's petty and it's immature.
I know I'm holding on to stuff.
I know I just need to "Let Go"

But, every time I am done with it - everytime I know that I feel good and have let go and am moving on, something else happens to pile on top of the first thing that maybe I didn't really let go.

I hate the "Poor Me" syndrome in people. It's a complete turnoff. I have little compassion after the first bout of it with someone. When I hear others complaining that they were forgotten, or left out on purpose, my advice is always the same: First, it's "I'm so sorry, is there any way you can talk with this person about it?" if the answer is no, then I tell them "Let it Go! Screw them! You're better than that! You can't go back and change it! If you say something to whomever it was and THEN they do something about it, you'll feel even worse, so all you can do is let it go! If it happens again, maybe seize the moment and express yourself."

But I didn't. And my feelings are hurt. And I know I won't say anything, because I feel like it's petty and selfish of me and I already know what each of their answers will be. I'm not guessing - I really know what their answers will be. So, I'll let my feelings be hurt until they aren't anymore, and then I'll move on. Things have obviously changed, and I need to just accept that.

And now it's time for me to take my own advice. dammit.

I'll Miss You Larry Barnett

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT

...and I feel fine... (REM)

So, whats it going to be?
The Rapture?
They Mayan 12-21-2012 Prophecy?
Nostradamus?
Or are we just going to do ourselves in?

If you have any questions about the End of the World, click the title link and be entertained by this website.

7 Steps to Less Stress

1. Picture yourself lying on your belly on a warm rock that hangs out over a crystal clear stream.

2. Picture yourself with both your hands dangling in the cool running water.

3. Birds are sweetly singing in the cool mountain air.

4. No one knows your secret place.

5. You are in total seclusion from that hectic place called the world.

6. The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity.

7. The water is so crystal clear that you can easily make out the face of the person you are holding underwater.

How I'm Going To Make It Through The Recession

God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.

Physics and Jesus Christ

I have wondered, ever since I started asking questions about how Jesus could reasonably exist, how to prove to others what I myself was questioning. I decided that even though I didn't know why, I believed - and I knew there was an explanation.

For the time, I just figured that if we knew the "how" then we could duplicate it, thereby playing God and causing our ultimate destruction. I have often felt that we are on the verge of a major understanding that will completely unravel us and our existence.

However, I think we can learn enough without learning the "how" if we just look at the science of our existence, comparing inner-space with outer-space. Quantam Physics has much to offer in the way of explanation.

Just the other day, as if in encouragement, a 17,000 year old image appeared to us - energy wrapped around a dying star PSR B1509-58 seems to be reaching for neigboring gas cloud RCW 89. Looks like the hand of God to me...

Stay tuned for more on this subject as it fascinates me to no end. There are books, articles, letters that support this idea. To the Believers, who think it is blasphemy to think science could have anything to do with Christ I ask "What are you afraid of? Why so close-minded?". To the non-Believers who try to use science to disprove Christ I ask the very same questions.

Expedia Launches Inter-Planetary Service for $99!

(Click on the Title to get to the Expedia Page)

Mary Tyler Moore and Wrong Turns

So I had a bad morning.
I knew I would when I woke up fourteen times last night.
I knew I was off when I washed my hair twice this morning - not because the directions said to, but because I forgot I had just washed my hair.
I knew I was off when I drove two blocks past the street I'm supposed to turn on to get to work.
I knew I was when three of the four tops I tried on today didn't fit, and I'm still not sure my shoes match the rest of my clothes today.

Regardless, I pulled myself together, and as I walked into my building today and saw my reflection in the glass doors, I couldn't help but hear it when my constant mental narration turned into a scratchy theme song.

St.Nick and St. Patrick

Did I mention I had an awesome birthday?

Birthdays

I have a new badge; it's like a Brownie Badge. My "I've grown up now" badge, I guess.

Some people say that a birthday is just a day.

I beg to differ.

My birthday is magic. Everybody's birthday is magic, most just don't know it. Mine is obvious, though, and everyone celebrates it! It's a special kind of holiday wherein you aren't required to give anyone presents, magical creatures are a given, and drinking beer is encouraged. It's a day of celebration, wearing green, tales of leprechauns, Ireland, the conversion of Paganism to Christianity, four leaf clovers, pots of gold at the end of a rainbow, and little men with red hair, green hats, patton leather shoes with buckles, and a slight evil streak. It's a lucky day. I feel special for being born on such a misunderstood, yet celebrated day. (That's me - misunderstood and celebrated haha)

I feel even more special that I was born two days after my mom; like I was her birthday present. I'm not sure she agrees about the present part; I guess presents aren't supposed to cause you labor.

This year I turned 40.

And, that's the funny thing. I'm 40 - YEARS OLD! I'm walking around, being 40, in what I guess is a 40 year old body, but I still feel like a kid, pretending to be a grownup. Most of my life, I have felt like I was walking around in a dream - other times, I felt like I was making stuff up as I went along, or just didn't get what was happening as it was happening. I think I didn't really "wake up" until I was about 22...the age my mother was when she gave birth to me. My brave mom. I don't think she was really ready for that, but she rocked it anyway.

So now, I'm older. Like a kid who gets a fake I.D., only the age on the I.D. is obviously older than they are. (There's a juicy story about my little brother in there somewhere) But I really am my age. I have to keep telling myself that.

Regardless of what age I am or what age I feel, I am happier right now than I have ever been. I have an amazing child. I have an amazing job. I have an amazing life. I have an amazing man. I wonder how old he feels? I wonder how old anyone feels?

I think I'll find out.

Happy Birthday To Me

Pisces - watch more funny videos

Brezny's Horoscope

Not my specific horoscope, but words to live by:

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Beware of people who act like polite jerks or
tone-deaf music critics or emotionally numb lovers. While they may be
able to teach you a lot about what you don't need, they're not worthy
candidates for enduring relationships. Now let's turn our attention to the
question of who exactly does belong on your future team. What
encouraging voices should you draw into your inner sphere? What smart
adventurers should be solicited as staunch allies? Which respectful helpers
should be rewarded for the good influences they've had on you? It's an
excellent time to make those determinations.

It's always an excellent time to make these determinations.

Second Post

This is my second post on this site. It won't be my last.
MyLife and MySpace were sucking up my creativity and spare time (okay not really, I have no spare time) so I deleted MySpace and I'm working on MyLife. (much better cause).

As time evolves, so will I.

Today is my second post. I am making progress.