Blogger's Block

Heh. I haven't updated since Tuesday. I have stuff to write about, just haven't had the time or energy to do so. Here's the major stuff:

1. Today I did a 3-mile "run." I put "run" in "quotes" (okay, I'll stop being "obnoxious" with the quotation marks now) because it was more of a pitiful jog, and if I'm honest, there was a teensy bit of walking involved. Still, I managed a respectable time and that last mile was pretty damned good, if I do say so myself. My knee stopped hurting, and because I was approaching a busy street, I wanted to show off that this fat girl can run.

2. I found out something about Harley that I didn't know before. I volunteered at the 8th Annual Bowl For Pets for Animal Friends Connection today, and talked with a lady who is neighbors with Harley's former foster mom. I already knew that he was quite young when found, either lost or abandoned by his mother cat, but what I didn't know was that he was in quite bad shape at that time. He was tiny and malnourished, and they worried about whether or not he'd make it. Apparently he lucked out with his choice of foster mom, because she's known for bringing orphaned, sickly kittens back to great shape. These days he's a 13-pound ball of furring purriness. And he's a Kitty Jackpot winner, 'cause he's living the good life in Casa Cooper. But he had a very rough start, poor mite.

3. OMG, I'm going to do my first 5K! While helping out today, I found some fliers for the Jog-a-Dog, which AFC will be hosting in May. I did 3 very slow miles today, so by May, I know I'll be up to a faster time. The whole point is not winning the race (though that would be kind of cool, to place in my age division), but just to finish it, running the whole way. To be able to tell people I ran a 5K...and, of course, to raise some money for AFC. Who wants to make a pledge?

4. Spring Cleaning! I spent pretty much all of yesterday cleaning this apartment from one end to the other. I removed more dust than I care to admit having, pulled small furniture out to vacuum behind, and disinfected the kitchen and bathroom. I'm very good about keeping up with day-to-day cleanliness, but every once in a while, a good scrub is in order. Oh, and I dusted my entire Snoopy collection. A daunting task, to be sure. In the afternoon I had a training session at the gym, then returned home to finish the living room, have a long, glorious shower (complete with facial), a lovely dinner, and a manicure in front of the first two episodes of "Band of Brothers." I started the third episode, but fell asleep on the couch. I was in bed by 10:00, completely exhausted.

5. By the way, "Saving Private Ryan" is an amazing, fantastic movie. I hadn't seen it since it was in the theaters--in the 1990s! It's been in my Blockbuster queue for a while, and finally arrived. It is graphic and gory--I actually gasped out loud at some of the images--but it is also incredibly moving and well-acted. I'm inclined to love anything Tom Hanks acts in, but there were some awesome performances from the other men, as well.

6. I must be going crazy. I actually WANT to run. Something clicked in me today. I woke up with a slightly wonky left knee--sucker's been bothering me all week and I have Mr. Push Through the Pain giving me ZERO sympathy--I might add that HIS left knee is swollen and filled with fluid and even though it's hampering his own workouts, he won't go to the doctor about it. What is it with the male half of the species, anyway? Anyway, yeah. This is about me. The knee felt strange and I was cursing under my breath that I have to do at least one three-mile run this week. I figured I'd better get it over with, especially as I didn't do any cardio yesterday (just, you know, cleaned the entire apartment and worked with G. for an hour). So out I went, on a big loop in my neighborhood. I felt pretty good when I was done, and thought to myself, "Maybe I'll go do another mile later today. Yeah, I think I'll do that."

I didn't, because of time, and I feel sort of disappointed. Feel my forehead...am I feverish? Or is this that point I've been told will come where my body starts to WANT to run?

7. Speaking of G. the Meanie... I really need to learn to keep my big mouth shut. Or maybe not, because I'm impressing him and even myself with some of the stuff I'm able to do these days.

Yesterday, we were working mostly in the aerobics room. One of the exercises he had me do was to walk with him around the inside of the gym with a 25-pound weight in each hand. It's not hard, really, just tiring. After the second rotation, which he made slightly longer by taking me into the basketball court, I remarked that I could see what he was doing.

"You're making everything longer each time I do another set."

"Yeah. I'll probably add some distance next time we walk around with the weights."

This is where I opened my gargantuan mouth.

*snort* "What, are you going to make me go outside and walk around the whole building?"

Oh, Meg, SHUT UP, will ya?!

G.'s eyes widened slightly. "That's actually a great idea..."

And that's just what we did. My triceps were screaming, but I made it with no drama.

8. Monterey, here I come. Tomorrow my friend Meghan is meeting me here and we're driving to gorgeous Monterey. The biggest plans we have so far are to visit the aquarium, which I haven't seen since I was a very little girl, and to have at least 10 minutes of toes-in-sand experience. I am in dire need of an ocean/beach fix. It's been a long winter.

9. Have I mentioned it's Spring Break? Yup. This explains why I had Friday off, and why I have this whole next week and the following Monday free to do whatever I like. On Monday I have an appointment with G. and Chorale rehearsal. On Tuesday I'm going to Mom and Dad's, and I'll camp out there 'til the next Monday. I'll drive to Stockton on Thursday for another training appointment. Next Saturday is reserved for a day of shopping/possible movie viewing with Summer. And at least one day needs to be set aside for pure laziness.

And that's about it. I've thought, each night, "Heh, I should blog..." but frankly, I just haven't felt like it. Don't worry, though. There will be pictures from Monterey. And hopefully more weight loss news when I weigh in on Monday. I think I'll run a mile before leaving tomorrow, just to help that out.