We’re rewatching The West Wing on Netflix, and two seasons in, I have two thoughts:
1. People really like to sit in dimly lit rooms on this show. I find myself saying, “how can they read in such low light” and then I feel like my mother.
2. Aaron Sorkin doesn’t really respect women all that much. He wants you to think he does, but, alas, nope.
One of the four books I read on my break from work.
Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich. I’ve read all of Janet Evanovich’s “Stephanie Plum” books, and the series has taken a serious plunge downhill, somewhere around book 11. I used to laugh out loud while reading these books, and not so much anymore. But, I’m still in it, only to find out if she ever finally picks between Ranger and Morelli. I guess I could just look it up when the series finally concludes one day, but I can read one of these within about an hour, so I’ll keep giving them a shot.
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. See above, basically. I’m thinking this series will have to end at 20, because she’ll kind of lose the cutesy naming trend she’s had going, and really, it NEEDS TO END AT BOOK 20.
Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb. Robb’s futuristic crime novels are always pretty good as a vacation read.
Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb. This was one of the better Eve Dallas books of late, with a plot that kind of kept you guessing, Agatha Christie style, which party attendee had killed one of the guests. The killer sort of came way out of left field, and instead of making the culprit just kill this one person, they’d killed like 20, and that felt a bit cheap to me as a way to make us hate this person. But, still pretty good.
In pursuit of my goal to read more actual books, I’ll be documenting my reads on here with a brief note about what I thought of the book. I hope to be honest about it and include my shameful no-brainer books along with some more thoughtful selections, but I won’t lie, I like the books that don’t require too much work, because my job requires my brain to be “on” all day and I like to escape sometimes into stupid and silly. Reading lighter fare before bed each night helps to clear my mind of work-related thoughts and keeps me from dreaming about what needs to be done at work or waking up at 2 a.m. to add something to a to-do list.
So, here’s a journey into what’s on my nightstand lately.
This morning was our fourth session with our personal trainer, and while I do enjoy bitching about being sore, really, working out in the mornings is providing me a lot of energy. It’s a good start to my day. I’m sore, but not unbearably so, and I feel like I’m really getting the hang of an intense workout, plus learning how to use a bunch of previously intimidating equipment.
Also, other than my beloved cup of coffee in the morning, I have only had water since October 1, and I have just had rare cravings for soda, but have held strong.
As far as getting outside every day, eh, it hasn’t been every day, but it’s better than it was, so, progress.
On a positive note, I’m wearing pants that are seven years old and I never thought I’d fit in again, and people keep complimenting my “new” clothes, so, bonus, free shopping in my own closet!
Jumping on the bandwagon a few days late, but there’s thing thing in October called the 31 Days series, where bloggers post every single day about something on the same topic, about their journey to reach a goal, hit a milestone, improve their life, etc.
This morning was my very first session with a personal trainer. I have a five page report in my car of my personal physical fitness, the result of a half-hour long test involving calipers and computers and a scary bicycle. A friend and I are doing this together, so it’s much less intimidating this way, plus we have accountability to get our asses out of bed to make it to the rec center by 6:30 a.m. twice a week.
Before I heard of the 31 days thing, another blog I read posted about something he calls “Aqua-tober” and giving up all drinks but water for the entire month of October. I’d already decided to do that (though I give myself one cup of coffee in the morning, a girl needs her vice) so in addition to my water-logged month ahead, I’m pledging to do SOME kind of physical activity every single day. Even if it means taking the stairs a few times a day. Something.
I’m also going to pledge to get outside every day, even on those lazy weekends when we don’t leave the house, I will take my son outside in the backyard to play at least once, or at least read a book out there.
So:
It’s a healthy month around these parts. Let’s see how it goes.
(I just noticed I haven’t posted since June. It’s been busy. I should note that I have continued to work out regularly - go boot camp! - so I’m definitely not starting from scratch here. Just trying to get better than I currently am.)
Not a big surprise to find that after reaching my goal with the 5K this weekend, my internal motivation has begun to backslide.
“I ran the 5K, don’t I deserve a break now?”
Short answer: Nope. Gotta keep it up. It’s a lifestyle, not a temporary relieve from regular life.
Off to the gym today and tomorrow after work. In two weeks my husband and I head off on an amazing anniversary trip, and it would be nice if the new shorts I bought were just a tad looser. Let’s see what I can do about that in the next two weeks!
Successfully ran, start to finish, my first 5K this weekend. Super proud of myself for achieving this goal! Now the trick is to stay motivated to continue my “be healthier” journey.
Last night, I successfully finished a half-hour run on the indoor track at my gym. I’m absolutely terrible at keeping track of laps, so I have no clue how far I ran. Oops. However, I’m guessing around three miles.
The thing about it was, it was not really that hard for me. I’ve been training for this 5K this weekend, and I have been continually amazed at my progress, since nine short weeks ago, I could barely run for a minute. The first few weeks of couch-to-5K were exhausting. But I kept at it because I could see incremental progress every day. So, what feels like a second later, I’m actually ready to run a 5K this weekend, and feeling really good about my chances of running the whole thing.
The idea of actually completing a physical fitness goal I set for myself is a little mind-boggling, but I am really looking forward to this weekend and being able to pat myself on the back for a job well done.
The #getdressed challenge has proved, well, challenging for me! It came in the midst of my new love for working out, meaning a lot of stuff no longer fits and it is an adventure in my closet every day to see what still works. Today its a cardigan and shell from old navy (a few years old) and jeans from Ana at JCPenney.
