There is magic all around you, if I do say so myself.

[raybear]

My internal jumping up and down about my holiday bonus was quickly crushed when I opened the envelope and saw that like any other pay period, they took out taxes. I mean, obviously, when I think about it, of course they would. But I wasn't thinking logically, I was thinking about opening up an envelope to a wad full of $100 bills. Like in the movies!

Damn the movies.

This small surge in cash is going to very exciting things like, getting my checking account out of overdraft, getting one of my credit cards out of overlimit, paying the gas bill, and then purchasing a share in Angelic Farms for next year. All very practical, needed things. I might have enough leftover to buy a round of Chick-Fil-A.

In the last 11 days, I have worked out at the gym 6 times. I have consistently gone every other day. Who am I? I don't know, its like a switch got flipped. Except maybe not, because if I look at my history, my father would often purchase exercise equipment in his efforts to get fit, but I would be the person who used it most often -- a stationary bike, then a rower, and then a cross-country sky machine. The last one I remember using in high school while watching reruns of Sisters on Lifetime. All the machines at the gym that previously frightened me, I have tried out. I'm still slightly frightened by them, but it doesn't stop me from just climbing on and going at it. And really what I love? The circuit-training weightlifting. Its my reward for getting through the sweaty cardio stuff. Again I say, who am I? Though the real test is keeping this up. I'm pretty good at doing something for two, three weeks. Pushing past that will be the challenge, though frankly, remembering to take a pill every morning used to be a challenge, but now I'm all over it, because the results are I don't feel like utter isht all the time. I mean, people have told me that regular exercise can really help keep you sane, and its not like I didn't believe them, I just hadn't directly experienced. And now I have. So I should bookmark this entry for mid-January when I'm struggling to keep up the habit.

During my coping/smelling frenzy of online buying 2 weeks ago, I made a mistake and ordered these cheap 'wholesale perfume oils' and they finally showed up yesterday and they are AWFUL. So bad. So so so bad, that even looking at them was giving me a headache, so I removed them all from the bathroom and put them in a giveaway box. They are so bad that for a brief period I was convinced I never wanted anything scented again and all smells were churning my stomach. I suppose it makes sense -- when you eat something bad, it turns you off from the act for awhile. But then I went outside and got some fresh air and now I'm okay.

Comments

[swampgirl.livejournal.com]

ooh, i used to do Angelic Organics and it was great. if i were cooking with anyone else and were organized enough to *really cook* i would totally do it again. those folks introduced me to squash, which i had never eaten before and now really love.

and, congratulations on your gym-going! i've gone more since you helped jump-start me. hoping you can go sunday? i can go to irving --i'll text you. i'm gonna go tomorrow after work, but i think as i'm leaving work, you're arriving on fridays....

sorry about the scented oils. any chance you can return them? yecccchhh.

[raybear.livejournal.com]

I'm excited for it! I was doing a delivery service before, but it wasn't all produce from a local farm. I like that idea better, but it's a LOT of food. Not only are there two of us in my house, but I'm splitting the share with my friend and her partner who live a few blocks away!

I'm going to try and go on Saturday morning, but if not, then definitely Sunday. Or hell, maybe I'll do both, I just wouldn't do weights on Sunday. I can do Lakeview, just earlier -- like 11:30. I know that might be too early for you. :)

Also, I thought about sending the oils back, even though I CANT get my money back, just to say, "your product sucks". I should have known that something so cheap was too good to be true. I think I was hoping maybe I found some great secret. It was a weak moment for me too, of online shopping. I'm usually a bit more judicious these days with money, but sometimes I have moments of compulsive consuming to fill the hole that therapy and the Y isn't reaching! :)

[swampgirl.livejournal.com]

hey, thanks for the reply. i'm determined to go to Nia and bellydancing at lakeview on saturday (9 am and 10 am respectively). kind of hard to imagine i'll manage it, i know, but my social engagements end at 10 pm on friday, not 3 am like last week.

i've gone to the gym every day this week, by the way, and intend to go every day until i fly out wednesday. it's good because i'm doing a bunch of different stuff and it is helping me get stronger and feel better, but none of it is overwhelming.

what classes have you tried? have you ever tried nia? it's frequently all women in the class, but there are men who come from time to time (the co-founder is a guy). it's very touchy feely. like, you do this sort of aerobics like dancing around and then they have you reach for the ceiling saying "reach for your dreams, reach for them, say YES, YES, YES." or "reach down to the earth, gather the energy into your heart, gather it, say mmmm, mmmmm." you get the picture. of course, i adore all that stuff, but some people find it appalling. it's worth it to come one time just to check it out. my favorite teacher is jamie at lakeview, who teaches there tuesdays at 7 30 pm and weds at noon (i haven't been able to go this term, but will go to the tuesday class in spring). on saturdays it's sarah, whom i'm not crazy about, but she's interesting. there's no extra fee (nia classes can cost $20/session outside the y!)

i guess the bellydancing class is women only.

i've taken a few pilates classes at lakeview and that teacher lisa is military style all the way. dang. i like the 30 minute intro to pilates class that's free at evanston y on thursday nites (it's right before my tai chi class there). the teacher, gail, kind of makes fun of all of us, we're mostly a fairly oversized, inflexible, weak-in-the-core lot struggling to do even the most basic pilates exercises, but it's 30 minutes, then it's over, and, well, something's better than nothing in the ab work dept, i think.

i'm still curious to try that water aerobics class. maybe when i'm back from oregon -- i have 10 days after i get back before school starts....

anyway. sunday i'll probably work out around 1 pm, and i could do irving park; i have a solstice ritual close to that neighborhood at 3.

[raybear.livejournal.com]

The only class at the Y I've tried was the water aerobics one. Of course the majority of the classes are when I'm working, but there's a Tuesday yoga class at 11:30 at the Irving Park Y that I think I'm going to do on the alternating weeks between Tuesday therapy. I want to try one of those Turbo Kick classes (which appear to be very similar to Tae Bo!) sometime too.

I would be interested in trying Nia. I used to do dance aerobics classes all during high school, I'd go with my mom, so I'm actually quite fond of group cardio activities. And I have no problem with woowoo type stuff either! If I can get up and out of bed in time tomorrow morning, I will go. Sunday, I could definitely do Irving Park at 1 -- I will look for you there!

Part of why my workouts are long and intense are because I go every other day, to give my body a day to rebuild the muscle, but I know it would be good to go everyday and do a little cardio on my off days. Congrats on going everyday! That is awesome.

[sebastian6.livejournal.com]

I'm totally with you on all points re: exercising. I have totally slacked off since the cold has set in. I literally live a block from the YMCA. I can SEE it from my balcony. I haven't gone in two months. Terrible.

I know once I go for a week, I'll be all into it. I just hate that, in winter, I have to dress warm, then change in the lockerroom then change back,etc. I like it in the summer because I just throw on a pair of shorts and go.

I also lost my iPod, which annoys the fuck out of me. I think I left it on an airplane. And the iPod was my saving grace for treadmilling. But none of these are worthy excuses for letting the thread go.

The sanity thing is such a good point. I am feeling a loneliness and depression begin to creep back in, something I haven't felt in months. I know that if I exercise it'll take care of itself. Once I start going for a week or two, it feels *SO* good both mentally and physically that I can't believe I stopped.

Here's to new beginning and consistency!

[raybear.livejournal.com]

You need a snowsuit, or a big puffy jacket that's like one -- then you can put it on over your workout clothes, hustle over to the Y, and then just strip it off when you get there! But yeah, the winter clothing planning definitely adds an extra step for me too.

I forgot my ipod one day and was worried I wouldn't get through the workout, but then once I was there, I kinda forgot about it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've brought it every time since! But given the televisions on the wall and the people-watching and my constant internal voice going, it wasn't too hard to occupy my brain and my body at the same time.

You should dig out an old cassette walkman and bring it back!

[foxycoxy.livejournal.com]

do they offer NIA at the Irving Park Y? I don't recall.

And are we on for Wed morn hyrdro-fit then?