Less ouch

Well I equaled my running record from a little over a week ago today, and so far so good, I’m in a lot less pain.  Which is always a good thing.  I just have to keep it up.

30 minutes running, followed by 30 minutes random hill climbing on the elliptical, and I’ve finally got my cardio workouts back on track.  For a while there racquetball was sufficient, but not anymore.

Also I can no longer work out on the energy of a protein shake alone, it seems I’ve reached a point now where it simply doesn’t fuel me adequately.  Which also goes a long way to explaining the dizziness during some workouts, and why I suddenly feel like passing out at the end of some of them unless I eat something.

Haha!  My metabolism is finally working again.  *happy dance*

So this morning was two pieces of toast WITH Vegemite!!! Yummo, and porridge with blueberries, and half a glass of grapefruit juice.  Tasty and it got me through the workout with enough energy to face the day.

I am tired now, so I’ll say goodbye, and think I’ll have an early night.

Hooroo!

Dripping wet pussy

This morning has involved a whole lot of sweating, grunting, panting, howling, clawing, steam, soap, water, laughs and bad tempers, and it’s all purely innocent.

I don’t know where your mind was, but it’ll be interesting to see how the statistics on this posting pan out.

As always being a Wednesday the morning started with a workout with my trainer, hence the sweating, grunting and panting.  There was a lot of cardio and weight lifting going on this morning.  The heaviest weight was actually lifting my entire body weight, performing pull-ups.   Where you hang from a bar and using arm strength pull yourself up into a chin up position.  Even I was surprised when I managed to do that, as I’m still a loooong way off of my goal weight.

Then when I got home, as always I hit the shower.  Only this time, just as I was about to get in, Mulder the cat stuck his nose in to the shower to see what was going on.  So it struck me, that he’d not been bathed in a while, so he was grabbed and dragged in, showered, soaped, rinsed, and in a less than impressed mood, passed out the shower to Mark who was waiting there with a towel to dry him off.
Of course, Oliver by this time had been brought in by Mark and was highly interested in the proceedings.  That was until he was grabbed and dragged into the shower too.

For a moment I actually felt that I was in grave danger.  Mulder is used to being bathed as I used to bathe him regularly as a kitten and while he was growing up.  Primarily because I’m often allergic to cats.  Oliver, is quite a lot younger, and I was a little less diligent when it came to his introduction to the bathing process.  He’s had them, it’s just been a while, say perhaps 2 years.  So now, as a robust 3 year old.  He was very unimpressed, and all howls and claws started trying to climb the glass walls of the shower.

But, I’m brave, I picked him up, curled him into his favourite position, and stuffed him straight under the shower head.  Fortunately the fact that I was holding him (and I’m an accomplished cat wrangler), and that the water was being warm, he was a little more compliant.  That was until it came time to shampoo him.  There fortunately wasn’t any blood spilt, but I do have a few grazings.  Again, I’m thanking the gods I clip his claws on a regular basis.

So now I have to clean cats, who have now ceased their howling, and have stalked off into the house to park themselves on top of the heater vents and groom themselves back into what they consider a pristine condition.

Mulder has forgiven me, he’s good like that, besides he and I have been through too much for him to hold much of a grudge.  Oliver on the other hand, is not interested in my company in the slightest.  In fact when I picked him up a moment, I got a very indignant howl, followed by a hiss.  Haha!   I’ll remember that this afternoon when he comes around begging me to feed him.

That’s when the tables will turn!

Hooroo!

Snow begone

It rained all night last night and for a good portion of today, so all the snow is gone.  Shame, as it’s pretty cool, in fact pretty, and cool.

It’s kind of amusing to drive around the corner of your own street and to be forced to drive slower than normal to allow for the children zooming past on their toboggans.  It’s certainly not something I’m used to growing up in Australia.

Otherwise everything is the good old status quo.

Before I sign off for the night, and despite my better judgement for reasons I won’t go into, Happy Birthday to my youngest sister Julie.  I won’t hold my breath for the same courtesy to be extended when my birthday comes around, that’d be too much to ask.

Have a great night!

Kill me now

Or at least bring me some mashed pain killers.   *laugh*

As always, my Monday morning started with a Personal Training session with my trainer; Aaron, the ingénue of all things athletic.

This morning, inline with yesterdays promise to myself that I was going to increase the intensity of my workouts in the lead up to the wedding I’m going to in March, I asked Aaron if we could step up the sessions.

Well, he heard my request, and being the overachiever that he is, thoroughly kicked my ass.  I’m so sore it’s hilarious.  Of course it’s a good sore, from being productive.  But all the same, if I sit in the same position for too long, say driving the car, when it comes time to moving again, I feel like I’m 900 years old.

Haha!  The results had better be worth the effort.

On the upside, I can now push my watch half way up my forearm, and it tends to slide around my wrist and hang upside down, so something’s working.

It’s all good.  I am going to go crawl off somewhere soft for the remainder of the evening.

Hooroo!

Better than good, it’s the best!

Or I am!   Yesterday morning I received an email from a close friend asking me to be his best man at his wedding, and I couldn’t be more honored.

Unfortunately his brother who was originally going to fill the role is unable to due to health reasons.  I certainly wish him all the best and a speedy recovery.   I could never replace him, but I’ll give it my best.

Now, I have to kick up the workouts several notches, everything into high gear and start drafting up a suitable speech.  There’s so many stories…  But I’ll be nothing but a gentleman.  I promise!

Now I’m even more excited.  There’s only 8 weeks until our trip, and there’s two weddings, and two births on the agenda, all of which are the reasons we’re heading off around the globe.   It’s going to be a funtastic time!

I can’t wait!

Play!

… and I did.

The morning started off with my first game of racquetball in almost two weeks.  It came as a shock to the system, but apparently I haven’t lost my touch (hit it as hard and fast as you can is my method!  *laugh*), I won two games.  Yay!

Post racquetball, it was home to shower and change before heading into Seattle to see Play!  The Video Game Symphony.  Essentially, it was the Seattle Symphony Orchestra playing a selection of video game soundtracks, such as Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Halo etc.   It appealed to the geek’s and those who appreciate fine music.
Pretty damn awesome.

Unfortunately though, between leaving the Symphony and getting home to get ready for two birthday parties, I tripped and injured my back.  Ouchy!

So, party plans have been canceled and I’m home for the evening.  Sorry Sam and Matt, Happy Birthday to you both, 40th for Sam tomorrow, and 35th for Matt today.  I hope you both have awesome birthday’s and a brilliant evening each.

I’m off, there are drugs to take and a stationary position to assume.

Nite nite!

On the rocks

Ice anyone?  The neighbour’s kids have spent the afternoon smashing ice chunks from buckets they’ve left outside all over the road.  There’s huge ice chips everywhere, and with the current temperature, they’ll probably be there for a few days.

There’s still been no snow, despite the forecast warning that there might be, but there’s still the weekend, it’s certainly cold enough.  At last check it was already below freezing, and it’s only a little after 9pm.

So, before my fingers freeze off, I’m going to go pick a spot in front of the fire that I lit a few moments ago and keep warm.

I may even try and catch some of the Australian Open on the television.  Not only is the tennis awesome, but I get to see Melbourne!!  Yay!

Hooroo!

Chariot of Fire

Or not.  I’d err in favour of not.  But, I did break my personal best this morning (time) for running.  So I’m pretty happy, pretty sore too, which isn’t making me all that excited about tomorrow’s workout with my trainer.  But I’m sure I’ll survive.  They say “no pain, no gain”…

No sign of snow yet, despite the weather forecast, but it’s certainly cold enough.  So I guess we’ll see what happens by the morning.

I sort of hope it does snow, and the more, the merrier.

8 weeks to go until I’m on a plane!  Yay!

Snap Crackle Pop

That’s the noise the lawn makes underfoot at the moment.  The temperatures have been below zero every night this week so far, and barely above during the day.
The weeks forecast from Thursday to next Tuesday is for similar weather with a good chance of snow…

I may yet get to christen the toboggan.  *laugh*

Other than that, everything is status quo.

Gotta run, there’s a warm place in front of the fire with my name on it.

Cheerio!

Happy Birthday Snuffles

It’s the baby of the households third birthday today.  Oliver, our Chocolate Burmese cat is 3, who knew he’d live this long.  He seems to have a death wish.
Between almost hanging himself the day we brought him home, and the ninja dashes up and down the staircase while people are traversing it, and don’t even get me started on all the power cords, and insulated cable television cords that he’s chewed through, all while they were live.  He’s cute furry proof that cats do have 9 lives, although I’m sure he’s well into a deficit.

Why Snuffles?  Burmese cats have a shorter nose than some breeds so every now and then when he’s sleeping he gets a bit snuffley.  Hence the name.  He’s not alone though.  All the other pets have nicknames too.

Mark = Rainman, it’s fairly self explanatory
Dolce = Dodgy as she steals things
Vita = Truffle Pig, when she’s excited she runs in circles snorting like a pig
Mulder = His Lordship, he thinks he owns the place

Never a dull moment.

Nite nite!