Sweat Filled Amusements

Sadly, this is not about sexcapdes.

As I was warming up for my circuit workout tonight I was marching, yes marching, in place bringing my legs up high and watching myself in the mirror as I lip-synced to my music and then... Love is a Battlefield came on and I couldn't stop giggling at myself.

I think it's because I was envisioning the dance that is in the video by the lovely Pat Benatar.

What? You haven't seen it in a while?



If you've wondered what was full of awesome. It's this video.

Picture yourself working out... to this beat... and not laughing at yourself when you are picturing the shoulder shimmy shake dance.

If you can not laugh.

You are made of stronger material than I am.

I'm made of glitter gold spandex covered in black chiffon, if you were wondering.

Ceasing Ramble.

Boo on you Tax Man!

I did my taxes yesterday.

I'm getting a refund.

And it makes me somewhat angry.

In a perfect world no one would get a tax refund, because the government would have taken out the EXACT amount it needs to.

Instead the federal government took an extra 20 per paycheck and the state an extra 5. Now, you're probably saying Brenda you would have frittered away that extra 25 bucks a month.

I might have if I didn't run on a budget. All my return is going directly to my student loan. So I'm thanking the government for holding my money and putting it towards who knows what and then giving it back to them.

I was told that I should be stimulating the economy with this money.

Or if President (HEE!) Obama pushes through a stimulus package with checks that I should use that money to stimulate the economy.

I think I'm stimulating it enough. I'm putting money into my Roth IRA, so I'm putting money into stocks, I'm putting money into my savings, so I'm stimulating banks, and then I spend roughly 80-100 dollars a week on food/gas/clothing and the like from area businesses.

Consider yourself stimulated economy.

Economy, if you could help me lose about 15 more pounds I'd stimulate you some more with a LCD TV purchase.

But I think that my student loan plan is good enough.

Also, I really feel like watching Stranger Than Fiction after doing the taxes or perhaps just having someone whisper in my ear that the charitable donations that I give are more than what I'm currently withholding.

Sexy talk.

Ceasing Ramble.

Poor Man's Weight Loss Challenge

Update: Neither Beth, nor I owe each other money yet.

My weight loss is in a standstill. I've had many people weigh in on what they think is happening to my body.

I think it's just trying to hold onto the fat storage because it's so damn cold outside.

I feel better and I'm eating better, which really that's what matters.

Beth and I continue to marvel at the motivation behind a penny.

Also pork and black bean verde stew is delicious. Thank you Biggest Loser recipe book.

Living in Words

I recently finished a book that my new penpal from the far off shores of Canada sent me with a lovely handwritten letter and a Coffee Crisp bar (which thank heavens I can't purchase them readily here in the States).

I would name the book, but there is the chance that someone who reads this blog might be receiving it soon... so I'll edit that when that event happens.

The imagery washed over me and I got lost in the story.

The beginning, the middle, and the ending has been following me around for more than a week. As I flipped through the pages hungrily devouring pages, words, and letters I became so wrapped up in the book that at the end I found tears in my eyes.

Now, I am not a solemn 'no tears' type of individual, but usually I don't cry when reading books. There are sighs and hmmms and aaaahs, but usually vocally letting out the excitment and feeling is all that matters.

But not in this book.

Which led me to search out in my bookshelf something that I had read before and where the pages felt worn and comforting. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe. Thanks to Candra I have many copies of Fannie Flag, but this is the one that feels like home. The bits of storytelling that weave together stories along time bring that same vivid imagry of the first book.

Idgie and Ruth have the biggest pull for me and often times I think of that relationship, that love and if it's mirrored in my own life.

I think it is, although, not romantically as Idgie and Ruth are linked through pages and charm.

I have a friend who I feel as strongly about as Idgie did Ruth.

So Miss Beth, I'll love you... even if you don't make pie without blueberries.

Even when you infuriate me.

Because you're who I tell my tall tales to and can hear the real story behind them and that I'm always thankful for, even when I can't find the words to say so...

As I sift through books and sink into stories I hope that you can find one that touches you deeply too.

I love you.

(Except you Fred Phelps, I still firmly hate you.)

Ceasing Ramble.

The Poor Man's Challenge Excersice Routine

Okay, so I know I'm going to hurt tomorrow, but it's worth it.

I did weights today.

In prep of the circuit training I'm going to start on Friday.

And this is what my workout schedule is going to be like.

Sunday - Rest Day (20 minute walk)
Monday - Circuit and Light Cardio
Tuesday - Heavy Cardio
Wednesday - Circuit and Light Cardio
Thursday - Rest Day (20 minute walk)
Friday - Circuit and Light Cardio
Saturday - Heavy Cardio

My Saturday/Sunday will most likely switch back and forth depending on what is going on over the weekend, but I should be able to keep with the circuit training very well at home. It's those darn weekend in Kansas City and elsewhere that worries me, but most likely I'll just switch those around to heavier cardio if I can't take my weights with me. (Yes I own weights... I used to do crunches with a barbell weight cuddled to my chest how awesome of me huh?).

I am taking the circuit options from the Biggest Loser workout book I didn't feel like opening until today. It's pretty great because the reason I never did circuit training is I didn't know how to put together all the exercises.

And man I'm going to hurt tomorrow.

But it will be a good hurt.

The hurt of not having to pay Beth a penny.

Ceasing Ramble.

The Poor Man's Weight Loss Challenge

I was talking to Beth today and she told me that she had been working out everyday.

You must understand hearing Beth say that is like hearing Fred Phelps say that he loves gays, a whale speaking perfect British English while drinking tea, or for me to say I dislike Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I was amazed.

I asked her how long she's been doing this and she said since Friday.

Multiple days. I was impressed.

After working out tonight I gave her a call and issued a challenge.

Beth and I might be penny pinchers.

For everyday we catch the other not working out, cardio or weights, at least 20 minutes of sweat.

I work out on the treadmill, Beth does crazy dance workouts as coregraphed... by Beth. To each his own.

But if we don't work out a penny is owed. If we don't work out two days in a row a nickel is owed. If we don't work out three days in a row the big money comes out and a quarter is owed.

So begins the poor man's weight loss challenge as coined by the new Richard Simmons.

Updates will be made when I owe Beth the big coin and I'll keep track of the running monies that I get from Suzanne Somers.

For my personal weight loss I'm hoping for a 10% weight loss of 18.8 pounds as a first goal. I had made some progress when Kris Kringle decided to leave me four pounds for Christmas (he really shouldn't have). When I reach this goal I'll be able to buy my new TV. After that hitting a goal weight of 169.2 I will then go for the next 10% loss of 16.9 pounds. When hitting that goal weight I'll be able to buy an XBox 360 with a weight of 152.3. I don't have a time goal to go with this and the updates won't be as frequent as my last blog because I know that no one is as interested in my workouts as I am. (The same goes for my own personal fiances).


So here's hoping that Beth and I can slim down to where we were in this picture.


Interesting where you can find yourself after four years when you're not paying attention to your own body.


Ceasing Ramble.

The Shortest Distance Between Point A and B

Minnesota tried to keep me in the state the other day. By making an eight-car pile up occur a ½ mile away from me and stopping traffic over a small hill on I-35.

Which, of course, resulted in stopped traffic. Which, of course, resulted in me slowing down, getting in the right lane and then realizing I needed to get onto the shoulder to not hit the stopped cars....

I looked in my rearview mirror and saw that a car behind me wasn't slowing down so I had a choice:

a) keep driving on the shoulder and possibly be slammed into, wrecking my car, deploying my airbags, and possibly putting me and others in the hospital.

b) drive off the shoulder and into a snow bank.

I chose B.

Six feet and eighty-five dollars later I was back on the road after a break to do some texting, talking to concerned parent and friends, and eating some lovely salt and vinegar chips (thanks for pushing those on me M). I then drove through Iowa where I saw at least 25 cars off on the road and people continued to break for absolutely no reason. When I saw the crunched up highway patrolman's car being lifted onto a tow truck I was thankful I chose B.

Because no matter that the car didn't stop and see if I was okay, like any decent human being should have... I didn't find out what could have happened if I chose A.

Please return later when I post the picture that made me laugh when I stopped for gas in Bethany, MO. Also how I didn't call Nik and state, "I'm almost in Bethany." I will never know.

Maybe my brother's gift to me was spot on.

Ceasing Ramble.