Facebook has been down since some time yesterday. I had no idea how addicted I was until I realized I could no longer use it. Sad and pathetic as it sounds, I actually went to a news site to see if they knew what the problem was. Nothing.
But I did manage to find the MacLeans.ca site that had an amuzing article titled Words that Ought to be in the Dictionary, '08 Edition.
It turns out well that Facebook is unavailable. I have some housework to do, and I am off to Paul's place this afternoon for a tree trimming party!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
YEM has Highjacked my Horoscope
Here is my horoscope for today:
Just because a recent health concern turned out to be a false alarm doesn't mean that you should go right back to eating and (not) exercising the way you were before. Right now, you should take advantage of your increased awareness to make a few changes in your life. Focus on preventative measures and on getting more active. Start playing the sports you enjoy instead of just watching them on TV. And add a few more green vegetables to your daily menu.
Tomorrow I am signing up for the run. I promise! I would provide an excuse for why I haven't done it yet, but I have learned in the past that YEM doesn't accept excuses.
On a happy note, I ate a salad at lunch today. It was tasty, too.
Just because a recent health concern turned out to be a false alarm doesn't mean that you should go right back to eating and (not) exercising the way you were before. Right now, you should take advantage of your increased awareness to make a few changes in your life. Focus on preventative measures and on getting more active. Start playing the sports you enjoy instead of just watching them on TV. And add a few more green vegetables to your daily menu.
Tomorrow I am signing up for the run. I promise! I would provide an excuse for why I haven't done it yet, but I have learned in the past that YEM doesn't accept excuses.
On a happy note, I ate a salad at lunch today. It was tasty, too.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Inspiration
Well, I've been keeping pretty silent about my running progress for two reasons. One is that I thought people would be getting bored of hearing about it all the time. The second reason is that I had a relapse and stopped running for the past two weeks.
There are many reasons why I stopped running. I would offer excuses, but it would just cheapen my lack of action. Plus it doesn't change the fact that I am way behind schedule in my training.
Armed with the knowledge that I am way behind schedule, I decided to confess to YEM that I am thinking of backing out of the run. I did give her the myriad of excuses. I offered to stand on the sidelines to hold her purse, just like I used to do with my friends at the high school dances. I told her that it will take me over an hour to finish, and that I was afraid that all the other children who are running will point at me and laugh. Between the two of us I came to the following conclusions:
1. I am running more now than I was a year ago, so I have made progress.
2. The other children won't be pointing at me and laughing because they will be too far ahead of me and will be home before I cross the finish line.
3. I have never run a 5K before. It doesn't matter how long it will take me to cross the finish line, whatever time it takes me to complete it will still be a personal best.
I have to do this because I am worried that if I just stand on the sideline and hold YEM's purse, she will punish me by putting a 25 pound weight in her purse and tell me not to set it on the ground. Ok, YEM isn't that mean, she actually is very encouraging without making me feel guilty and does not engage in negative reinforcement.
But YEM did convince me yet again that it does not have to be a good run, it does not have to be a pretty run, it just has to be a run. YEM also reminded me that I have told all my friends and everyone in the blog-o-sphere that I am doing this. I have to do it as a matter of pride and honour, I have to do this to save face.
But ultimately when it comes right down to it, I am still going to do it for me.
There are many reasons why I stopped running. I would offer excuses, but it would just cheapen my lack of action. Plus it doesn't change the fact that I am way behind schedule in my training.
Armed with the knowledge that I am way behind schedule, I decided to confess to YEM that I am thinking of backing out of the run. I did give her the myriad of excuses. I offered to stand on the sidelines to hold her purse, just like I used to do with my friends at the high school dances. I told her that it will take me over an hour to finish, and that I was afraid that all the other children who are running will point at me and laugh. Between the two of us I came to the following conclusions:
1. I am running more now than I was a year ago, so I have made progress.
2. The other children won't be pointing at me and laughing because they will be too far ahead of me and will be home before I cross the finish line.
3. I have never run a 5K before. It doesn't matter how long it will take me to cross the finish line, whatever time it takes me to complete it will still be a personal best.
I have to do this because I am worried that if I just stand on the sideline and hold YEM's purse, she will punish me by putting a 25 pound weight in her purse and tell me not to set it on the ground. Ok, YEM isn't that mean, she actually is very encouraging without making me feel guilty and does not engage in negative reinforcement.
But YEM did convince me yet again that it does not have to be a good run, it does not have to be a pretty run, it just has to be a run. YEM also reminded me that I have told all my friends and everyone in the blog-o-sphere that I am doing this. I have to do it as a matter of pride and honour, I have to do this to save face.
But ultimately when it comes right down to it, I am still going to do it for me.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Horoscopes are Best Read at the Beginning of the Day
I was away most of last week and didn't have time for an update. For those of you who still check in on my blog to see what I am up to - thanks for your patience.
Now that I am back from my days off, things have been very busy at work. Today was insanely busy - I barely had time to forage in the Eaton Centre food court for my lunch. The only good thing is that at the end of the day I have been leaving with the satisfaction of getting a lot accomplished despite the fact that one of my support items just doesn't seem to be resolving itself.
Tonight while I was waiting for my supper to be ready I read my horoscope thinking it would make some kind of prediction of me being busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. This is what it said:
Your creativity is itching for a new way to express itself, and you might just find that new way in the kitchen! Cooking is a wonderful blend of order (measuring, temperatures) and chaos (a little bit of this, a little bit of that), and it lets you really express yourself. Plus, it gives you a great opportunity to do something nice for someone you care about -- feed them delicious food! So start going through some of your favorite recipes -- you've got a good dinner to prepare!
Today's creativity consisted of choosing between a can of soup and a frozen pizza.
Now that I am back from my days off, things have been very busy at work. Today was insanely busy - I barely had time to forage in the Eaton Centre food court for my lunch. The only good thing is that at the end of the day I have been leaving with the satisfaction of getting a lot accomplished despite the fact that one of my support items just doesn't seem to be resolving itself.
Tonight while I was waiting for my supper to be ready I read my horoscope thinking it would make some kind of prediction of me being busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. This is what it said:
Your creativity is itching for a new way to express itself, and you might just find that new way in the kitchen! Cooking is a wonderful blend of order (measuring, temperatures) and chaos (a little bit of this, a little bit of that), and it lets you really express yourself. Plus, it gives you a great opportunity to do something nice for someone you care about -- feed them delicious food! So start going through some of your favorite recipes -- you've got a good dinner to prepare!
Today's creativity consisted of choosing between a can of soup and a frozen pizza.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Where does your food come from?
I grew up on a farm in rural Ontario. However, somewhere in the midst of moving to a city for school and moving to the big city for a man, I became officially "citified". I make no apologies for it.
When I first arrived at the Royal Winter Fair on Saturday, I saw a woman standing in line for tickets who was wearing a button that said "Farmers feed cities." I stared at the button and blinked a couple of times. Then I thought to myself 'who does this woman think she is coming here to Toronto wearing her little button of protest against city folk'. I was going to say something to her to the effect of "if you don't like the city, don't come here." But I was just too tired, and figured it wasn't worth the energy to start an argument.
I was talking with my brother and told the tale of the protester who had offended me. He stared at me like I was from Mars. I asked him why.
Anson: you really ought to read the newspaper or turn on your television once in a while
Me: Oh, the media is too depressing. It's all about death and destruction. Besides, what does that have to do with the girl who was protesting?
Anson: She wasn't protesting. It is an initiative put on by Foodland Ontario.
So, he went on to explain to me that Farmers Feed Cities is a whole campaign to show people in the city that their food does not just come from the supermarket - it is actually from a farm. It is not in the least a protest against city folk. The whole purpose is to bring city people and farmers closer together.
Now that he explained to me the purpose behind it, I think it's a pretty cool initiative! I went to the website to check it out, and there is some pretty neat stuff on there like a trivia game, a section where you can meet the farm family of the month, and a section where you can send your own personal thank you e-mail to farmers.
When I first arrived at the Royal Winter Fair on Saturday, I saw a woman standing in line for tickets who was wearing a button that said "Farmers feed cities." I stared at the button and blinked a couple of times. Then I thought to myself 'who does this woman think she is coming here to Toronto wearing her little button of protest against city folk'. I was going to say something to her to the effect of "if you don't like the city, don't come here." But I was just too tired, and figured it wasn't worth the energy to start an argument.
I was talking with my brother and told the tale of the protester who had offended me. He stared at me like I was from Mars. I asked him why.
Anson: you really ought to read the newspaper or turn on your television once in a while
Me: Oh, the media is too depressing. It's all about death and destruction. Besides, what does that have to do with the girl who was protesting?
Anson: She wasn't protesting. It is an initiative put on by Foodland Ontario.
So, he went on to explain to me that Farmers Feed Cities is a whole campaign to show people in the city that their food does not just come from the supermarket - it is actually from a farm. It is not in the least a protest against city folk. The whole purpose is to bring city people and farmers closer together.
Now that he explained to me the purpose behind it, I think it's a pretty cool initiative! I went to the website to check it out, and there is some pretty neat stuff on there like a trivia game, a section where you can meet the farm family of the month, and a section where you can send your own personal thank you e-mail to farmers.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Another Week Choc Full of Activity
I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. It sounds scary, so I just call it "that lack of light disease" and it doesn't sound quite so bad. To combat it, I have resumed taking my multi-vitamin and am trying to find more foods that contain or are fortified with vitamin D. Fish is a good source of it, so I made a big pot of seafood chowder this week. It helped my energy levels a bit, but after a week of eating it I am pretty much chowdered out.
I can't totally blame my lack of energy on lack of light. I am a very social person, and spent the week hooking up with various groups of friends. I am also booked well into December with all kinds of stuff to do. For someone who is trying to slow down, I am not doing a very good job of it. I am very thankful, though, that I have the social network that I do.
This week's social events included a birthday celebration and a laying off party all mixed into one. The company that I used to work for just went through a mass layoff and a couple of my friends were given packages. When I met them at the party I asked "should I say congratulations, or sympathies?" They are both quite happy and confirmed that "congratulations" was the appropriate comment. I didn't find it too surprising, considering that I made my own successful escape from the clutches of that evil place just over a year ago.
One thing that surprised me at the party was the number of people who are following my running progress. A lot of us are on Facebook together, and I regularly throw up the status of my runs/progress/lack thereof. Fitness is not something I am generally known for, and I found it encouraging just how many people asked me about it. I am even more committed to doing the run now since so many people know about it and are cheering me on. Its amazing what the power of a group of people can do to lift one of its members.
If I had to pick one moment this week as my high point, though, it would be yesterday's trip to the Royal Winter Fair. Every year I have vowed to go to the Royal Winter Fair but for some reason or another I never have gone. This year was extra special because my niece Kayla was competing in the TD Canada Trust Junior Sheep Show. It was her first time competing in a contest of this magnitude, and I must say that she totally rocked!! There were between 20 and 25 entries in the showmanship contest, and she placed 5th. I had tears of pride welling up in my face as I watched her leading Cindy the Sheep around the arena.
After the competition was over, I made her stand in the pen with her ribbon and Cindy. A complete stranger was walking by the pen and stopped to congratulate Kayla on her placing. To me, it would not matter if she placed first or last, the real accomplishment is the fact that she got up in front of an arena full of people and did her best.
Way to go Kayla! I am very proud of you and I love you honey!
I can't totally blame my lack of energy on lack of light. I am a very social person, and spent the week hooking up with various groups of friends. I am also booked well into December with all kinds of stuff to do. For someone who is trying to slow down, I am not doing a very good job of it. I am very thankful, though, that I have the social network that I do.
This week's social events included a birthday celebration and a laying off party all mixed into one. The company that I used to work for just went through a mass layoff and a couple of my friends were given packages. When I met them at the party I asked "should I say congratulations, or sympathies?" They are both quite happy and confirmed that "congratulations" was the appropriate comment. I didn't find it too surprising, considering that I made my own successful escape from the clutches of that evil place just over a year ago.
One thing that surprised me at the party was the number of people who are following my running progress. A lot of us are on Facebook together, and I regularly throw up the status of my runs/progress/lack thereof. Fitness is not something I am generally known for, and I found it encouraging just how many people asked me about it. I am even more committed to doing the run now since so many people know about it and are cheering me on. Its amazing what the power of a group of people can do to lift one of its members.
If I had to pick one moment this week as my high point, though, it would be yesterday's trip to the Royal Winter Fair. Every year I have vowed to go to the Royal Winter Fair but for some reason or another I never have gone. This year was extra special because my niece Kayla was competing in the TD Canada Trust Junior Sheep Show. It was her first time competing in a contest of this magnitude, and I must say that she totally rocked!! There were between 20 and 25 entries in the showmanship contest, and she placed 5th. I had tears of pride welling up in my face as I watched her leading Cindy the Sheep around the arena.
After the competition was over, I made her stand in the pen with her ribbon and Cindy. A complete stranger was walking by the pen and stopped to congratulate Kayla on her placing. To me, it would not matter if she placed first or last, the real accomplishment is the fact that she got up in front of an arena full of people and did her best.
Way to go Kayla! I am very proud of you and I love you honey!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Very Busy Week
Its been a very busy week, so I haven't had time to blog. Last Saturday night I went out to an event with Lisa even though I really wanted to stay home to sleep. I called her at one point while I was in the middle of getting ready to go, and advised her of my revised plan to stay home. She responded with logical arguments like "you already bought the ticket" and "you're almost ready anyway, so just go!" So I did.
I spent the entire day sleeping on Sunday as I have been very drained of energy lately and cannot figure out why, although going out both Friday night and Saturday night last weekend did not help my situation. Unfortunately I did not get much cleaning done and had to do that on Monday night and Tuesday night since my Mom, Aunt, and cousin were coming down on Wednesday night to stay for a couple of days.
I had a great visit with my family. We spent the evenings playing a board game that my Mom loves. I took Thursday off and we went shopping and to dinner. My big purchase was a watch and a hat for running. My new watch is a Roots Pink Ribbon Campaign watch; 10% of the cost goes towards the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
My hat is practical, yet fun. I have trouble with my ears in the winter time when it is windy out - I get very painful ear aches for about an hour or so after I come in from the cold. So I bought one of those hats with flaps on it to keep my ears warm.
With the crazy busy week I have had, I did not get a chance to run but really have to get back into training for the road race. I realized that there are only 52 days left to train which works out to 7 weeks remaining. Taunya gave me the training schedule and right now I am about to start week 4 (given my setbacks of recent weeks) and there are 17 weeks total of training. Although I will not be able to complete the whole training program by the time my 5K comes along, I believe that I will have built up enough endurance that I can at least try. Plus, since it is my first run I figure there is no shame in me walking parts of it if I have to. My goal this time around is just to cross the finish line so that I have bragging rights to say I did it. My other goal is to develop the habit of going out every other day and getting some exercise.
So, armed with the knowledge that 7 weeks is going to pass very very quickly, I must end this post and get back at my training. Wish me luck, and send me some energy while you are at it!
I spent the entire day sleeping on Sunday as I have been very drained of energy lately and cannot figure out why, although going out both Friday night and Saturday night last weekend did not help my situation. Unfortunately I did not get much cleaning done and had to do that on Monday night and Tuesday night since my Mom, Aunt, and cousin were coming down on Wednesday night to stay for a couple of days.
I had a great visit with my family. We spent the evenings playing a board game that my Mom loves. I took Thursday off and we went shopping and to dinner. My big purchase was a watch and a hat for running. My new watch is a Roots Pink Ribbon Campaign watch; 10% of the cost goes towards the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
My hat is practical, yet fun. I have trouble with my ears in the winter time when it is windy out - I get very painful ear aches for about an hour or so after I come in from the cold. So I bought one of those hats with flaps on it to keep my ears warm.
With the crazy busy week I have had, I did not get a chance to run but really have to get back into training for the road race. I realized that there are only 52 days left to train which works out to 7 weeks remaining. Taunya gave me the training schedule and right now I am about to start week 4 (given my setbacks of recent weeks) and there are 17 weeks total of training. Although I will not be able to complete the whole training program by the time my 5K comes along, I believe that I will have built up enough endurance that I can at least try. Plus, since it is my first run I figure there is no shame in me walking parts of it if I have to. My goal this time around is just to cross the finish line so that I have bragging rights to say I did it. My other goal is to develop the habit of going out every other day and getting some exercise.
So, armed with the knowledge that 7 weeks is going to pass very very quickly, I must end this post and get back at my training. Wish me luck, and send me some energy while you are at it!
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