Long Weekend Ahead

I’m happy. I don’t go back to work until next Wednesday. Relaxation, a few projects, go to Arizona Cardinals practices, hanging out with a friend, and meeting up with my brother and his family are on the agenda.

Let the weekend begin!

Dang Dog and Damn Road Construction

The road I live on is going through major road construction. It’s an adventure every morning on what barriers I have to get through to get onto the main road from the dirt road that I park on. It hasn’t been pleasant. Shoot, it has sucked.

My mail does not get picked up or dropped off, as the mail carrier has no way to pull up to drop it off. All those ditches and ropes make for a hard time for a little mail vehicle (jeep? truck? cart?).

Even worse, is the lack of garbage pick up. The last two weeks we were ignored. Those big cans are full, especially as the downstairs renters have moved out. They put lots of garbage in those cans while cleaning up. Some bags didn’t get into the can as it they both were full. I called the garbage department and they’re going to try to get the garbage picked up on my stretch of the road (I imagine I’m not the only person dealing with this situation along Lake Mary road) either tomorrow  — the regular pick up day  — or make a special trip on Friday.

So how does my dog fit into this tale of woe? My kitchen garbage can is packed full. Because Spencer enjoys rooting around in the garbage I keep it under the kitchen sink with a bungee cord holding the doors shut. I have also had to tie up the other side kitchen cabinet doors, as that offers the long way around to the can. Yep, my cat and dog both have opened that and made it to the trash can.

They got into it today. They managed to open the tied up cabinet and sneak into the under-sink area. The bad news, besides the mess and need to clean it all up, is that some cooked chicken bones were in that can. Yikes. I normally empty those out within a day or so, but with no room in the outside cans I’ve waited.

I get to play the “watch Spencer like a hawk” the next few days to make sure the bones don’t mess up his innards. Dang dog.

Crazy Goat or Jerry Lewis?

This goat made me laugh, especially after reading Nia Vardalos’ (@NiaVardalos) tweet about it on Twitter. She wondered if the goat was going for the Jerry Lewis imitation. You be the judge:

The Ugly Truth – Why?

No, I’m not writing about why a movie like The Ugly Truth gets made. Romantic comedies always get made. Very few get made well. So, my question is ‘Why did I enjoy The Ugly Truth?”

It’s predictable and sometimes ridiculous, but, yeah, I did laugh during the film. I think it’s because of Gerard Butler and his awkward American accent. Then again, I do like Katherine Heigl. Somehow they made me turn off my brain and find the movie better than the bad I was expecting.

Maybe that’s why: The Ugly Truth rose above my very low expectations. I lowered the bar that much.

Digestive Fun

I survived the work week, and though I had to deal with some “digestive issues” and missed work yesterday, I did put in a good week of work. Still, feeling the need to be near the bathroom is never fun.

The digestive issues could be from two things: fruit or raw veggies, most likely salad greens. I’m narrowing down what causes these intermittent issues with my gut problems. My current diet this month is helping me to pinpoint my problems. I’m eating super “clean” this month. Blame it on Melissa Byers and her Byers Gets Diesel site.

Melissa sent out a challenge for her readers to eat extreme “paleo” for 30 days. I’m now on day 23 and would be enjoying this challenge a lot more if I had not committed to giving up nightshades. Not having tomato products, bell peppers, and jalapenos is not easy — I love these foods. I gave them up to see if they may be affecting my knee issues. If not, great, if yes, I’ll give the dang things up.

That’s what this challenge is all about. What happens when you eat certain foods. A lot of people doing this 30-day trial are giving up grains, dairy, sugar, and processed foods. I rarely eat grains and sugar, but I did use cream for my coffee and in desserts. So, that was hard, but those nightshades are even harder.

I’ve dropped some more weight eating super clean, but the occasional “digestive issues” — aw, hell, let’s just call it what it is: diarrhea — had me puzzled. Why and what was causing this? There is something called “fructose malabsorption” that hits about 30% of people. I do wonder if that’s it. After all, I’ve been eating more fruit, especially when it was hot out. All those scrumptious summer berries needed my attention. Then again, it could be salad greens, or other raw veggies. No problems occur when I cook veggies, but salads seem to make things gurgle in the pipes. This could be due to the blueberries I sometimes put in my salads or the lemon or lime juice I use as part of my salad dressing (no vinegar allowed this month). I need to figure this out.

I’ll do some testing over the weekend and can hopefully get a good grasp on what’s causing all this. I’m glad I’m doing this super, no-sneaky cheats, cook-up-a-storm, paleo-style diet. It may help me long-term with how my body handles certain foods.

And yes, I’m done with that topic! I’ll come up with something more pleasant next time.

Lovely Weather We’re Having

I just heard a crack of thunder. There’s rain falling. Best of all, the temperature is comfortably below 80 degrees.

Oh, yes, it’s lovely weather we’re having.

Trying it On

I did the silly thing I do on certain weekend mornings (I’m off this Monday, so it’s my extended weekend), I tried on various clothes in my closet. It’s a habit brought about by losing weight. I need to know what shirts go with what pants/shorts/skirts.

I keep buying new clothes, usually from Savers. Thank gods for Savers. I don’t mind wearing used clothes as long as they fit. It’s fun to buy lots of  clothes, and the cheap prices at Savers allows me this enjoyment.

This morning I finally managed to zip and button up one of my favorite skirts. This Liz Claiborne skirt is one of the few remaining items from when I used to be a size 12 back in the late 1990s. I’ve kept it through all the weight gain, just because I loved the long, gored skirt. It always made me feel good when I wore it. As I’ve lost a lot of weight this last year, I’d try it on about once a month to see how far I could get it up my thighs, then how much I could pull up the zipper, then when I would manage to button it up. Today was that day. Oh, it is still snug, but I’ll be wearing it come fall and winter.

My guess is that I’ll need to buy lots of winter clothes, as I have few items left that really fit. I’m looking forward to it. A few outings to Savers and to the local department stores will get me stocked up nicely.

Yep, I’ll be trying everything on every weekend for the next six months. Though a silly habit, it’s not a bad one at all.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

What a fascinating film from 1943. Directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger know how to make a beautiful movie. They directed The Thief of Baghdad (1940), The Red Shoes (1948), and the charming I Know Where I’m Going (1945). The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is another treasure.

In beautiful color, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp looks back at the career and loves of Clive Candy, a British army man. Made in 1942, the plot offers a surprising friendship between an Englishman and a German.

The movie also offers the opportunity to see a young Deborah Kerr. In three different roles she plays the women in Clive Candy’s life. It’s a lovely performance.

Here’s one of the early scenes where we see Clive Candy as an old, foolish-looking general.

I highly recommend the film.

Loving the Funk

I stumbled across this song today and absolutely loved it. Called “Mother of All Funk Chords” by Kutiman-Thru-You. You can’t get it on iTunes, because it’s just a YouTube video. Fascinating combo of different other videos makes for one fun song. Enjoy:

Muscles – Female Style

My fingers are crossed that the weather is not going to cause me to swelter in a pool of sweat., as cloud cover is cooling things off. May it stay cool tonight. The heat does mess with my motivation. I’ve not wanted to cook while it’s hot. Working out has also been a little inconsistent too. I do love me my CrossFit workouts, but only do them a few days each week and when it’s hot, I forgo any workout that I can do at home.

So, as someone who is going to CrossFit, I loved Mark Sisson’s post today about women and muscles, Primal Strength Training for Women: Not So Different After All. I’m aiming to build some muscle. I like the look of the CrossFit women that he uses as an example. He also shows some examples of muscles gone horrendously wrong. Yikes!

Every morning when I look at myself in the mirror I admire the muscles I’m seeing in my arms. I do that silly muscle-man pose and curl my arms up, tightening the muscles so they stand out. They may not yet be as distinct and cut as I’d like, but they may just get there. I don’t know if I’ll ever get rid of the under arm flab that really highlights my age, but I’ll be fine if it stays. For years I had to have my sleeves come down at least close to my elbows just to hide the flopping flab. Now? I’m willing to wear cap sleeves, especially if my deltoids and biceps display nicely.

My legs are also more muscular, but aren’t as defined as the arms. I can feel hard muscle in my upper thighs, which feels great.

I know that many women want a sleek and willowy look. Some want just a little definition with a thin look. Maybe because I’m older I just want strength, and muscles get me that way. The idea of using barbells and lifting heavier weights to get that strength appeals to me — no more tiny dumbbells!

It’s so hard to believe that a little over a year ago I couldn’t lift a 10-pound dumbbell without struggling. Of course, I only had fat to feel and see in both my arms and legs. Muscles were weak, strength was lacking. That was the past. Now, it’s all about building those muscles, female style.

Bruno — Not Too Funny

I’m not sure what to think of the film, Bruno. I laughed, but not often. I think Sacha Baron Cohen’s first film, Borat, was much funnier. The difference is the two characters: Borat and Bruno.

Borat was an innocent, ignorant of lots of things. We could easily laugh at him as he stumbled about the United States. His naive assumptions about people were often hilarious.

Bruno is not so innocent. Sure, he’s ignorant, but he’s more selfish and obsessed with sex. His mingling with others is a little more forced because of his obsession. At certain points in the movie I wanted it to all be over. Raging homophobia can be played for laughs, but it seemed the playing for laughs was just another form of homophobia.

Bruno offers laughs, but it’s not a winner of a film.

The CrossFit Games

Today is the first day of the individual competition at the CrossFit Games in Aromas, CA. One of the owners of CrossFit Flagstaff is competing and I’m wishing there were better ways to find out what’s happening.

• The CrossFit Games site is not loading easily.
• Twitter allows for some updates, but it’s crazy.
• CrossFit Radio gives me a few seconds of sound before heading to bufferville.

I want to know how Lisa Ray, the Flagstaff competitor, is doing. I’ll just keep gnashing my teeth, refreshing web pages, and following more twitterers.

‘Nuther Blog for Me – Flag Gal

I know that I have enough of a problem trying to post here on a regular basis, so why am I adding another blog? Flag Gal is Working Out keeps the focus to my workouts and health info, and though I am quite the dilettante I just think I want to keep that focus in a separate area. I’ll crosspost sometimes, but will keep the details of every workout and every new health discovery over on Flag Gal and only put the highlights here.

Oh, you can go visit and laugh at the pictures of me doing the fitness thing. I’m no poster child for being fit, but compared to the past few years? I’m looking damn good.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 reviews – old and new versions

I reviewed both the new Denzel Washington and the old Walter Matthau versions. The old one wins my vote.

Here’s the review for the 2009 version.

Here’s the review for the 1974 version.

It’s Not Okay 5K

Note: I thought I posted this last night. Only made a draft post instead. So much for getting the drama out there when I was really feeling it.

Tonight’s CrossFit workout was only one activity: a 10k run. Are they kidding me? I was barely handling the 800m runs as a warm-up for the main workouts, and now I’m supposed to run a 10k? Well, I was lucky. Tonight’s trainer allowed me to run only a 5k. Ha! My reaction is the same as to a 10k run. Me? Run a 5k?

Well, I sort of did it. I was the slowest, most lost (I missed one of the trails and ended up going cross country to find the trail again and on the way back ended up taking a wrong turn), most unable to keep up a run of all the Crossfitters tonight. It took me an hour to complete the run….er walk. Yeah, I stopped running often and walked as needed. Near the end I just walked the rest of the way.

I’m icing my knees now, hoping the run/walk didn’t trash them too badly. I’d like to say that I’m thrilled that I made it through the 5k, but I can’t. I was miserable through most of it, knowing that I sucked at the whole thing. I didn’t even care what time it took to complete it. Okay, a pat on my back for at least attempting it.

One nice thing about doing the run, at least I now know the path taken for runs. I won’t have to deal with that fear of “where am I and where did everyone else go?” Yeah, everyone got so far ahead of me that I lost them, thus losing the way to go. And can I just say that I knew that would happen? No positive thinking for me. Uh-uh. I know I’m slow.