Always on My Mind

Job stress can increase your risk for heart disease. It can also make you fat. My job drives me crazy. But I'll leave it at that.

I managed to workout last night for about 20 minutes. It's better than nothing. I've also been eating much better while I'm at home. Now if I could just stay away from the candy dish at work.

I've had a lot on mind lately. That's why I haven't posted much. It just gets to a point where you don't want to keep saying the same things over and over. I get bored with it as I'm sure you do, too.

Here are a couple of quick thoughts:
1. I think people invented the expression, "There's no proof that chemical is harmful to the environment or human health," so they can continue to pollute whatever they want. Yeah, there's a community where 50 percent of the population has cancer—and it happened after you started dumping crap in the river. But there's no proof that the crap and the cancer are linked. Really?

2. The same is true for statements like: "There's no evidence that children who are bullied grow up to be neurotic adults or that they might commit suicide—even while they are still school." Do we really need a study?

3. I'm a 10-pound sack of potatoes trying to fit into a five-pound sack world.

OK. Those are my thoughts for the day. While not necessarily about losing weight, they do make you think in difference terms.

Eight Things about Me

I have no idea what to post today, so I'm updating an old post from a couple of years ago. I was tagged to write 8 things about things about myself. So here it is.

8 Things about Me
1. I was born at home. Not too peculiar, but considering it was in southern West Virginia in the '50s, it's a bit of a tale. My mother did not go to a doctor throughout her entire pregnancy with me. In spite of that, I was born as a healthy nine-pound baby. A midwife named Garnett Farley delivered me. I was born in my parents’ bed. After I was born, my father took me to the “company store” and weighed me on the meat scale. How’s that for a beginning in life? Hmmm. Maybe it was indication of how I would spend my life. On a scale. And in the vicinity of food.

2. You know how people can do that “Live Long and Prosper” thing with their fingers? Well, I can do that with my toes. Now there’s a skill that will come in handy in the future.

3. I did not start college until I was 27 years old. And then I paid my own way through school. It was so exciting buying my books and getting off to school. There is no way I could go back to school now. I’ve tried, but it’s just too much. My hat is off to anyone who could.

4. I’m completely creeped out by root cellars. Those dirt walls and the roots sticking out—can you tell I grew up in the country? Anyway, one of my worst nightmares is being locked in one.

5. I’ve traveled to more than 25 U.S. states, including Vermont, Delaware, New York, New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Wyoming, Colorado, California, Utah, Missouri, Nevada, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. I can’t remember if there were any others or not. Most of my travels have been for work, but some for pleasure. I also have been to Canada and Mexico. Woo hoo.

6. I was bitten by a six-foot black snake when I was 18 months old. And I can remember it as if it had happened yesterday. It happened in my grandparents’ front yard. I saw the snake, and thought it was a rope. I wondered about it a little bit, and then I went up and kicked it. The snake bit me on my right knee. I started screaming. My grandfather, who had been in the tub, came running out of his house wrapped in a towel. My mother came screaming from some other direction—armed with a hoe. The snake didn’t live another five minutes. Don’t mess with a child when its mother is nearby. Now, I kind of feel sorry for the snake. But, needless to say, the experience left me scared to death of snakes. One time, I completely froze in my tracks, I couldn’t move, because one of those little green garden snakes slithered across my path.

7. I prefer Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi any day of the week. I don’t think I have to say anything more than that.

8. I have had trouble sleeping ever since I was born. My mother told me that when I was baby, the only way I could go to sleep was to put my head under her arm. Now, I can’t sleep if I’m even slightly stimulated. But I love to dream. I have tried to remember my dreams over the years. I think that dreaming helps me make sense of my life. The book, Our Dreaming Mind, by Robert Van de Castle is one of my favorites.

And that’s it for my list. Nothing great. I hope you all enjoyed learning a little more about me.

dreams and dreaming, weight loss, body fat

Are you looking at me?

For some reason I couldn't sign on this morning. This is the first time I've been able to get through. Anyway. . . .

"Crush" sighting this morning. I got caught ogling. Doh. I got a smile and a wave anyway. I wanted to say, "You mind dropping your towel and then turning around to pick it up?" But I didn't. I just smiled and waved back. I can't help it. I just really like looking at this guy. And what is the real harm in that? As a matter of fact, I think it means I've reached a new level in my life. I'm past the horrible, hurtful grief of losing Al. I still miss him, but I don't cry when I think of him now—at least not all of the time. And I now have the ability to find someone else attractive. While this crush will go nowhere—because my crush is already attached and really unattainable—I can still look at him in way that I haven't been able to look at a man in a long time. And that ain't bad.

OK. I'm looking for suggestions about how to get past a plateau. I've been in basically the same place for three months. I feel like my legs and butt and getting firmer, but the upper body hasn't changed much. Also, the scale isn't moving. I know I've had some success with losing inches, but not the many inches. I'm frustrated. I think what I need is drastic change in the overall exercise plan because I've changed my diet in number of ways with no effect. Does anyone know any good intervals workouts for cardio? How about strength? And I'll take diet suggestions, too. Let me know if anything has worked for you that may even sound a little odd or not traditional. I'm getting desperate for change.

Ok, then. That's it for now.