Just a Note

Yesterday I got over 10,000 steps, most in a crazy wind/rain storm that ripped out my ponytail and saw me jogging in a "OMG Please don't lightning! Please don't hail!" panic for several minutes. I bet it was kind of funny, in a third person observatory type of way. Looking back at the last 7 days (stored in my pedometer) I'm definitely doing better than in previous weeks. The thing is I LOVE this walking shit! Like seriously, I could go all night. I need to start leaving earlier so I'm not on the sidewalkless highway in the dark. It feels really good to get out to get breathing and moving, to take that much time and just chill and listen to the tunes. Soon I will start losing weight. It's bound to happen. I don't think one can do 6000+ aerobic steps every day and not slim down some. Even if I am still not back into the SparkPeople routine and watching my calories.

More good news! My favourite co-worker/techy guy was able to salvage all the necessaries from my toasted hard drive! Yay!! Yes, I lose lots of stuff still, but it's not important stuff, it's stuff I can live without or get again. No biggie. Whew! When you prepare for these types of disasters in advance they can be almost painless. I'm still on the loner laptop but he's supposed to drop off my new system later this morning. He also upped my memory. Lottsa gigs going on now, baby!

Last night I dreamed about school. One of my fellow BHS Class of '87 alum had fallen quite ill so people were rallying at the school to raise money. It was a weird and tiring dream. You wouldn't believe who was teaching shop even if I told you! But who has time to fill you in on all the details anyway? Not I! Time is slipping away and I've tons to get done. Ciao!

Mood: excellent spirits
Drinking: coffee, black
Listening To: my refrigerator generator kicking out
Hair: pulled back off my face

Dry Spell Ends

You've been waiting patiently for a post I suppose. I mean what happened in Fredericton? How close did I get to Matt Mays? What's new in my love life? (Did you even know I HAD a love life?!) How is work going? What am I doing for Thanksgiving? Do I have any new extracurricular activities? So many burning questions! And so little time to discuss.

The bad news is that I blew up another hard drive. Yeah . . . did my getting really super aggravated and angry for a couple of days cause my PC to die? OR (and this is the theory I'm pulling for) did my energy sense my PC's terminal illness and react in violent anger? That is the question. No matter. It's dead. Gone. Funeral today. High noon. Mighty parking lot. Costumed freaks only. Charlie Chaplain to officiate. The devil will make an appearance.

The good news is that I'm finally, finally, finally coming out of the funk that began this summer when I lived in Barnettville (cell memory induced methinks) and has continued through cooler autumn weather when I normally depress anyway. This morning I woke at 5:58 . . . ON MY OWN! No alarm. I'm back, baby! I attribute this to my recent pedometer and mp3 player purchases and my comittment to 10,000 daily steps. I've been walking. Yes, I have! Cranking those tunes and taking off anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes every day. The pedometer is a great motivator. I have it on my person at all times. It even accompanied me to the Matt Mays concert, which was a good thing because I got over 3,000 steps after midnight that night! That's some serious counting I would not have wanted to miss.

And I've been putting words to paper again. Scribbling notes on one of the two plays that have been wandering around my head for years now. This being brought on by the absence of a computer in my day yesterday, and not a whole lot of housework needing to be done. How else is a girl supposed to put in the day? There's only writing or reading left after computer and housework are extracted . . . and when I need to stay at home for drop-in drop-off pick-up delivery stuff.

Anyway, spirits are high today. And now I am Frank and Frank must go.

Mood: silly
Drinking: coffee, black, fair trade, organic, Guatemalan, medium roast
Listening To: just the hum of the computer
Hair: perhaps to be black before the end of the day, ponied, having reached critical thickness on Monday

Wicked Come Winter

It's 7am on the Mighty Miramichi and I've been up for hours already. Big day. Have to get ready to leave Dodge for the weekend. Going to Freddy to see a tall dark haired lanky boy who will sing to me. I'm almost excited by that description. F-U-N! But lots to do before I get that far. LOTS!

Meeting a friend this morning for breakfast. That should be fun. Haven't seen each other in awhile, lots to catch up on.

I have discovered some hearing loss in my right ear. I can tell using the ear buds on my mp3 player. It's weird. I totally think I never recovered from Nazareth a couple years ago. I think that's when it happened. Damn! I mean for Jon Bon I'd sacrifice hearing, for The Rolling Stones, even Foreigner a few years back . . . but Nazareth? I wasn't even supposed to be at that concert :-( It was a fluke. And now I have hearing loss. Oh well, the price one pays I suppose.

Last evening I went out of the house and off down the road for a walk. I've been meaning to do this every morning and night since I got my pedometer (cuz as I've previously explained, getting 10,000 steps without going outside is pretty damn difficult) but as always life gets in the way. Not so yesterday. I plugged in my portable sounds and took off on the Old King George Highway toward French Fort Cove. It was nearly dark, very windy, had just rained and was threatening to rain again. I didn't do a loop around the cove because it was too dark and scary by the time I got there, so I just turned and came back. The great thing about the tunes was that I didn't want to stop. I could have kept going all night. When I got back to my building I slowed for a second, then shot right past, opting to do another lap around the block. Why not? I was out and feeling good. Even with a good 40 minute aerobic walk I was short on my 10,000 steps yesterday. It's hard! I cannot stress that enough. You really need to make an effort. And this week has been challenging in the effort department with migraines and what not.

Tonight, I'm looking forward to the treadmill at Mom's. With my walk out to breakfast this morning and access to a treadmill tonight, I should be laughing at 10,000 steps.

My left earbud doesn't seem to want to stay in my ear, doesn't seem to fit properly or something. The right one is fine, just the left I'm having probs with. Of course the left is also the one I have the best hearing in, so it's kinda crucial to the whole music experience. Maybe I need to buy a different set? I dunno.

Anyway, that's my 20 minutes of rambling for today. I'm off to make stuff happen!

Mood: productive
Drinking: coffee
Listening To: nuttin hunnee
Hair: i still don't want to talk about it

Oh Brother

I so hope Danielle doesn't win BB8. Is anyone with me on that? Do other people like her? I cannot stand her whining childishness. She has grated on my last nerve since the beginning. She's like a bad young lad. I like Dick less as the show progresses, I liked him more in the beginning. It's the gloating as it gets down to the end that is turning me off. I didn't mind the attacks all along, that was entertaining and interesting game strategy, but I just can't stand poor winners. And I just feel sorry for poor Zack. At this point I'd sooner see ED win it, with Zack second or even vice versa. The idea of Dani winning the whole thing makes me want to puke. Thoughts? Anyone watching?

Going to Fredericton on Friday to see Matt Mays perform at Harvest Jazz Blues Festival. I can't get excited about it, too much to do to get there. I've even been thinking about giving my ticket away and staying home.

Mood: achy
Drinking: coffee
Listening To:Kings of Leon - Molly's Chambers
Hair: don't ask

Best/Worst Day

I love Sunday.

I hate Sunday.

I love waking up Sunday morning, rolling over one eye open to snatch the remote and click on Coronation Street so I catch up on the week's events as I slowly come to full consciousness. I love rushing to the kitchen during commercial breaks to grab coffee and granola bars and then racing back to my cozy bed to snack and caffeinate as British soap opera turns to CBC Sunday Morning with my boy Evan. I love the guilty pleasure of staying in bed until noon and just watching tv.

I love the excitement of a new week begun. I love the anticipation of the known and the unknown. I love the endless possibilities.

I hate that I can't slow down as day turns to night. I hate that I can't shut off my mind and go to sleep. I hate that Sunday night turns to Monday morning and I lie there awake watching the transition. I hate that I'm never rested for my weekly Monday morning meeting. I hate that I'm groggy and foggy all day on Monday.

I don't know how to make it stop.

I love Sunday. I hate Sunday night.

Yesterday was a good day. Went shopping with Mom. I got a new pair of pants. Black cords, though it was the hottest day ever! :-) I also bought an mp3 player. It's for walking. To go with the pedometer. I'm motivated by music. I know that. So, it's a good purchase. I didn't buy a very expensive one, it's not an ipod or anything, but I like it.

Having trouble today shaking last night's dreams. They made me sad. That's all I'm saying. Damn dreams!

Mood: pleasant
Drinking: nothing at the moment
Listening To: seagulls squawking, dryer tumbling, stomach gurgling, The Luckiest, Ben Folds
Hair: getting spruced for matt

The World is a Vampire

Yesterday was an eye-opener. I knew I was sedentary, but I had no idea just how bad an average day can be. I'm in front of the computer a lot. It's my job. I write. I read. That's what I do. All day, everyday. So, try to incorporate 10,000 steps into a day spent writing and reading and you'll soon see that it's not that easy. It requires effort.

Honestly, I just thought I could make more trips to the bathroom and kitchen, pace while talking on the phone, plan more frequent work breaks and use them to take a few laps around my living room. Normally I go out almost every day anyway, to the grocery store, the office, or what have you. Some days I walk downtown, like I did on Wednesday, but more often than not somebody stops in and I go with them in the car.

Yesterday, I went to SuperValu with Sherry for instance. We parked some distance from the door and we went over nearly every aisle because they are renovating and nothing is where it used to be anymore. Stacy and I always seem to put a lot of miles on when we travel together and go grocery shopping or to the mall. So I kinda thought I could just keep on doing what I've been doing, just increase my awareness of steps and consciously take longer routes, do more pacing, make more trips, etc. and I'd reach the 10,000 steps goal easy.

Not so! I quickly realized this when I checked my steps for the day just before supper after having gone out shopping with Sher. I had done laps around the living room on several occasions. I had made frequent trips in the unloading groceries thing. I had paced while talking on the phone. I had went down the hall to other end of the apartment to look out the window several times. It felt like I had spent a lot of my day on my feet. I mean in comparison to any other normal day. And at 4:35pm I only had 2,876 steps. Damn! That's a long way from 10,000!

So I knew right then that if I was going to hit the target I had to ramp it up a bit. It wasn't very nice outside last evening and truthfully I didn't really feel like going out much anyway, but really I just wanted to prove to myself that I could get the steps without leaving the apartment. That it could indeed be done. It's possible. Because you know, there are days when you can't go out because of the weather. Snow days and extreme temperatures and all that. So it was really important for me to prove to myself that I could still get 'er done, without going to French Fort Cove.

My floor squeaks. It's an older building you know. I can hear the guy upstairs moving around, so I'm certain the couple below me can hear me moving around. What are they gonna think if I'm running around for an hour up here? Should I even care? Luckily, the folks went out and when I noticed their car gone from the parking lot I cranked up the iTunes and got to stepping. My kitchen is in the middle of my apartment with a doorway on either side. The kids love to run round and round when they're here, doing the loop through the kitchen, dining room, living room, hall, and into the kitchen again. So I followed their example and started walking laps through my apartment, taking the occasional meander down to the bedroom to see if my neighbors had returned. And I walked!

End result of my first day on the pedometer:

10,100 steps total
5,097 aerobic steps or 50 minutes of aerobic walking
415 calories burned and 25.7 grams of fat
3.66 miles walked

Not too damn shabby! Especially for not leaving the house. It's doable, this thing. It's just more work than I expected, but totally doable. The numbers are a great motivator. The fact that the numbers reset to zero at midnight seems to be a big motivator too. There is a deadline. I have 24 hours to get the steps and that is all, no cheating, no fudging, get it in before midnight or it doesn't count.

I wanted to write about last night's crazy assed dreams but I've run out of time. Maybe later. Wish me luck stepping!

Mood: hyper
Drinking: water
Listening To:Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings(1)
Hair: definitely getting a wash today

The Killer in Me

I got my new pedometer and it is awesome!! Yes, I got the one from Walking Spree. I had my eye on it for awhile, so when I put out the call on my blog for pedometer advice and Andrea came back with the one I wanted, I knew it was a sign that I should just commit to the investment, get serious about 10,000 steps a day, and get the pedometer I really wanted.

I mean I've been frigging around with so many crappy pedometers . . . it's so annoying to get steps just by shifting in your seat or sneezing. You go sit in a meeting and come out two hours later with hundreds of steps that never happened. Not good!

I've only had this one for less than a day but I am already thrilled. It measures my steps very accurately. I can chair-dance to my iTunes without registering false steps. I don't need to clip the thing onto my pants, I can put it in my pocket or carry it in my purse and it still calculates my steps with amazing accuracy. It's like magic! It also keeps track of my steps from days gone by so I can look back and see how I'm progressing. It's got a clock and automatically goes to a new day starting at 0 steps at midnight. A touch of a button and I can see how many aerobic steps I've done, how many calories I've burned, or how many miles I've walked. Ever wonder how many miles you put on in the run of a day? I'll no longer be wondering, I'm gonna know for sure. I'm super psyched about this gadget, can you tell?

Yes, I like gadgets. I'm a gadget kinda girl. It's a good thing I don't have more money to spend on gadgets cuz I'd have the house full of stuff.

Back to the pedometer. I just got the pedometer, I didn't order a program. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to do something you can do it just as well on your own as you can spending a whole lot of money to join a club to do it with someone else. If you're not going to do it, you're not going to do it, if you are, you will, period. That's why so many people shell out money to join diet clubs and gyms and then never go. If they were serious about health and exercise they could have done it at home, spending the bucks to join the club doesn't mean you're really invested. Not that I'm knocking Jenny Craig or gyms. They're great! But what I'm saying is even though they're great, they can't do all the work for us. And they're not going to have any effect upon people who haven't made up their minds to manage their weight or get fit. And someone who has made up his or her mind to manage their weight and get fit can do that just as well on their own.

So, it's all on me. It's up to me. Do I want to get serious? Or what? No time like the present.

I didn't order a program but I can always upgrade later. You know, if I find myself wanting more, there are lots of options available to me. I can connect the pedometer to my computer and upload information to the website, which is kinda cool, if I want to go that route. They've got coaches I can work with. I can join walking clubs. Etc. For now, I'm just taking one day at a time, 10,000 steps a day being the goal. We'll see where that takes me. Already it took me around and around the living room so many times I'm sure the neighbours below are wondering what the hell I'm doing. Later today, it will take me outside and off on the road.

Yesterday I went for a pretty big errand run, of course, I didn't have the pedometer yet, so nothing was tracked but today my thighs and buttocks are registering their surprise at yesterday's unexpected activity. I'm a little sore.

I went to the post office, sent some mail, and picked up my parcel (which was the pedometer!). Then I went to Scotia Bank for some banking. And then I headed off to Home Hardware, which was a bit farther on foot than I had imagined, but it's all good. I got some hooks to hang my lamp finally and I also got some chemical free dryer sheets that last at least 500 loads. I wanted a dryer ball, but these are good too. No more Bounce and dangerous film of chemicals in my dryer for me! Yay! After Home Hardware I walked back to Sobey's where I picked up a Chicken Dinner (3 pieces and taters) in the deli (which was the BEST I've ever had from Sobeys and lately anywhere, I have to say, fresh out of the fryer, not the healthiest choice I know, but I had a craving), a dozen whole wheat hamburger rolls from the bakery, an apple, two ears of corn, two sweet potatoes, a family pack of lean ground beef, a family pack of steak, a big bottle of relish, a bottle of instant espresso, and a package of energy saving light bulbs. Then I carried all that stuff up the hill and home. My arms were rubber when I got back. My face was beet red. I was wiggly as the children would say. My left arm is also a little sore today. Guess it had the heavier load.

Anyway, so far so good.

Mood: energized
Drinking: instant espresso
Listening To: Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
via FoxyTunes
Hair: neglected

These Dreams

And the dreams continue. Gawd! It's hard to get any real rest when everyone you've ever met in your life and many you haven't decide to drop into the middle of your brain and share their deepest most meaningful stories. Bah! In one of the numerous dreams from last night I was visiting with a long lost friend. I was in Toronto on business (BnM magazine biz fyi) and I ran into him on the street by my hotel, went back to his apartment for coffee and a catch up. Sitting on the floor looking through photo albums of all the places he'd been because he had been travelling a lot since I last saw him, working in the foreign press or something. Came across a photo of him and a girl in Morocco. I couldn't believe who it was, a girl I had been good friends with once upon a time but lost touch. Just as I started to say something I looked at him and he was all glassy eyed as he told me about this woman he had met and fallen deeply in love with and how she had been killed by rebels. I felt so sad. Overwhelming grief caught in my throat.

Then the scene faded into black and the next thing I knew I was running along a nearly deserted cobbled street in London, racing along in early morning grey, still choking on grief from having seen the picture of my friend and learning of her death. At a white door with a glass window I punched the buzzer and bounced on the balls of my feet impatiently as I waited to be let inside. It was chilly and damp, and I wore a black wool jacket and I burrowed inside covering my chin. An ex-boyfriend appeared in the window with a furrowed brow and steel eyes that said, oh God, what the hell are you doing here? He hesitated debating whether to just draw the blind and ignore me or to let me in, and then he opened the door. Before he could say anything I sprang at him, kissing, hugging, tangling my fingers in his hair, pushing my grief away and into him. He was momentarily surprised but then responded, picking me up and carrying me to his bed, where we buried ourselves in the blankets and I tried to lose myself in passion.

I woke up with just my eyes poking out from under my blankets. Frost warning last night. I had put on extra blankets and they paid off, my room was cold but I was cozy in my bed. Everyone is having dreams these past weeks. I thought it was the moon but maybe it's something else. I don't mind dreaming. I go crazy if I don't dream. But the vividness and intensity is a bit much. So tiring. I feel tired most of the time. Maybe it's just the changing season. I don't know, but something's definitely got hold of me and I'm not the only one.

Mood: a wee foggy
Drinking: coffee, french pressed, black
Listening To:Damien Rice - Smile
via FoxyTunes
Now playing: Neko Case - That Teenage Feeling
via FoxyTunes
Hair: something's gotta give

For Reasons Unknown

Last night I watched a couple of movies. First I watched the latest in the Die Hard series, Live Free or Die Hard. I've been curious about it because normally I'm not into the whole series and sequel thing (well, except for Bourne and Clerks) but the Die Hard series started back in 1988, there's a lot of history there. To have one come out now, after all these years, well, it's a curious thing. Same thing with the latest Rocky, though I haven't watched it yet, I know I will eventually. And when Stallone's new Rambo comes out hopefully by Christmas, then I'll be plunking down a ten to go see that sucker in the theatre.

Anyway back to Die Hard.

When it opened in theatres earlier this summer I honestly had no urge to go see it. But then it did pretty good box office, which doesn't mean much, just that a lot of people went to see it. But then I started to hear some really good stuff about it. And yes, granted most of the good feedback was coming from Kevin Smith (who is in the movie) and his friends via Smodcast and his blog, but still, if he was in the movie and it sucked they're the types to say it sucked, or at least to not say anything at all. But all summer it's been coming up in their conversation as one of the great summer movies. So I was curious.

Last night I'm flicking through looking for something to watch and I came across it, so I hit play just to see the quality, whether it looked any good or not, and the opening credits are rolling while I'm deciding and then Timothy Olyphant's name rolls up and that was that! Any doubts instantly vanished and I settled in to watch the movie. I love, love, love Timothy Olyphant! If you're not watching Deadwood, you need to stop everything and go find an episode right now. I'm not kidding. I don't care if you don't like westerns, neither do I . . . until now.

Live Free or Die Hard is a really good watch. Lots of action. Great stunts and special effects. Engaging storyline. Bruce Willis is still believable as a major action star (unlike Nicolas Cage who really seemed to be way too old to be Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider) John McClane is as rough around the edges and sarcastic as he was way back when. So, if you've been on the fence or not even interested, give this one a chance. I had forgotten how much i enjoyed the original Die Hard. This is, in my opinion, as good as the first and better than the second and third parts.

After all that action I wanted to unwind with something lighter, so I went looking for a good comedy. I came across Fun with Dick and Jane, which I had never seen. Tea Leoni can be pretty funny. I prefer Jim Carrey in his more dramatic roles like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but of course he can also be very funny, he practically invented funny. I did have a few laugh out loud moments, but even though it came out a few years ago I had still seen most of the really good laughs in the previews which kinda ruins the movie. (How come they don't ever hold something back?) Still, it wasn't all bad, for that kind of a movie it's worth a watching one time, don't rush out and buy the dvd or anything, but if it's on cable, why not?

After the movies I was feeling pretty zonked so I went to bed. I put in this free dvd I got in a box of Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn this week. It has pilot episodes of four shows: Heroes, The Office, Miami Vice and Friday Night Lights plus a couple of extra features. I started to watch Friday Night Lights because I've never seen or really heard much about that show. It's interesting looking, gritty and real, but it couldn't hold me through the sleepies I'm afraid. So I shut it off half-way through and crashed. I really liked the look of it though. I'll give it another go sometime.

Mood: headachy
Drinking: coffee, french pressed
Listening To:Scissor Sisters - Better Luck Next Time
via FoxyTunes
Hair: about to be snipped by my own hand