Two Goals Finished!

I finished two of my "40 by 40" goals!!!!

I finished the book "Numbered Account" by Christopher Reich.  It's a book that I've started and stopped on a number of occasions.  But this time I buckled down and finished it.  I wish I could say that it was an good read and that I could recommend it, but I can't. 

The premise of the book is the main character is an American who's father was murdered while working for a Swiss Bank.  The American, Nick, goes to work for said bank to find out who the murderer is.  It's a fairly straight-forward book without any plot twists or sudden revelations at the end.  If a book is one that I really like, I'll plow through it and be anxious to read other things by the same author.  With this book, I had to force myself to get through it, but at least I did finish it.

The second goal accomplished was building a snowman.  On Friday we had 7 inches of snow fall here in Ames.  My friend Amanda texted me that she and her boyfriend Travis were getting ready to build a snowman.  I sent her a message back that I was in. :-)  They both came over to the house and we spent about an hour building our masterpiece.  

So I have two of my goals finished.  I'm hoping to polish off a couple more goals in the next few days.  Stay tuned!

My Tim Tebow Problem

Ok, I admit it - I have a crush on Tim Tebow - and I hate myself for it.  You see, I'm a graduate of Florida State University (Go Seminoles!).  Who did Tebow play for you ask - The University of Florida.  Ugh.  So there's strike one.  I also have an issue with his religious proselytizing.  I don't have a problem with anyone having religious beliefs, but Tebow has a habit of putting his religious beliefs out there - all the time.  Strike two.  I'm still working on finding a Strike Three, but I know it's there somewhere.

But for as much as I can't stand that he went to Florida and it's a wee bit of a religious zealot, there is something so flipping hot about the guy.  As much as I would hate myself the next day, if given the opportunity, I wouldn't say no.

Lots to say, nothing to say....

It's been a while since I've blogged.  There's been quite a bit going on but I just haven't had the motivation to post.

The weather here tonight is really nasty.  A wicked, winter storm is hitting the state today and it's just miserable.  The scary thing is that Matt is flying back from San Francisco today.  He was out there on a mini-vacation and is now on-route home.  Unfortunately the storm has messed up his flights.  He was originally supposed to fly from San Francisco to Minneapolis then to Des Moines.  Minneapolis was SLAMMED by this storm, something like two feet of snow, and flights in and out of the Twin Cities were cancelled.

So yesterday I got to play travel agent and rebook Matt's flights.  I got him a flight to Detroit and then from there he'd head home to Des Moines.  Well the storm wasn't supposed to hit Iowa this hard.  We were worried that Matt's flight to Des Moines would be cancelled and he would be stranded in Michigan for the night.

Matt's flight home should be landing in Des Moines in the next 10 minutes.  Once he gets in though, I'm going to tell him to get a hotel room and stay down there for the night.  The winds tonight are supposed to be close to 50 mph.  It's just not safe to be out on the roads.



UPDATE!!!  Matt's flight was about 1,000 feet from landing in Des Moines when a wind shear warning forced the pilot to abort the landing.  The flight was diverted to Fargo, North Dakota of all places.  Matt ended up spending the night there before flying back to Des Moines this morning.  It was so nice to see Matt when he finally was able to get back to Ames.  But needless-to-say, he has nothing good to say about Delta Airlines.  I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I really miss Northwest Airlines.

I went back to the gym today!!!

Thanks to physical therapy my lower back is feeling much better.  I decided that today would be a great day to start up at the university rec center.  My physical therapist limited me to using the stationary bike as opposed to any running or weight lifting.  That worked for me as I was able to ride and read at the same time.

It was a small step, but one I needed to take.  It's been so long since I exercised that the task of losing weight seems very daunting.  It's as if there's this mountain that I keep trying to climb.  I start up the mountain, then for some reason take a break.  But when I stop, I slide all the way back down to the bottom.  How do I get over that mountain?

I also went to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" today.  I read the book when it first came out and I decided not to reread it because while I knew the basic plot, I didn't remember many of the specifics.  The one issue that I had with the book was the same one I had in the movie - they spent waaaay too much time camping.  It just seemed to be filler and really slow the book down.  Overall I did enjoy the movie and am looking forward to seeing Part 2 when it comes out next year.

This is the true story of 7 strangers...

Matt and I were talking today about "The Real World" and how it is completely different from when it started back in the 1990s.  I was in college when the first season debuted.  It wasn't until grad school that I really started watching when the Los Angeles season was on.  It was must watch television during the LA, San Francisco, Miami, Boston, Seattle, Hawaii and New Orleans seasons (I don't include London because let's be honest - it was sooooooo boring).  There were issues and topics brought up on the show that we could relate to and the cast members actually had real lives.

Then came The Real World - Las Vegas.  In one season the show became nothing more than a chance to show 7 strangers get sh*t-faced drunk and hook up with one another.  This was a train-wreck of a season and, big surprise, it drew HUGE ratings.  So of course, every subsequent season has an endless progression of drunks, sluts and douchebags who are brought together to do what they do best .... nothing.

I really miss those days when The Real World was interesting to watch.  Now, it's a mess, and not even a hot mess, just a mess.

Goal #6 - Continue to not drink soda

In January of this year I decided to stop drinking soda.  Growing up in the south I was pretty much raised on Coca-Cola.  Over the years I have tried on and off to ween myself of drinking soda, but would always end up resuming my cola drinking ways.  I just felt I needed to go cold turkey and just give it up.  Now I drink iced tea, water, milk, etc.

The first few weeks were rough as I would get some wicked headaches and there was one day when I actually got the shakes during school.  Imagine the fun of teaching algebra while dextoxing from caffeine! I would usually fall off the wagon so to speak after a few weeks, but for some reason this time it took.  I haven't had any soda since mid-January.

I will admit that the one thing I miss about soda is the feeling.  I miss how an icy-cold coke feels in the back of my throat when you first start to drink it.  Now to specify, it has to be a Coca-Cola in a glass full of ice.  Just something about that sensation makes me crave a soda like crazy.

A few people have asked me why I don't just try having one soda every once in a while or just drink diet soda.  I have to be honest when I say that I know I have a problem with soda, the way that an alcoholic has a problem with just having one drink.  I know that if I have one, that I'm going all the way down the rabbit hole again.  I'm determined not to go back to that place.

Oh My Aching Back

Earlier this week my doctor reevaluated my back injury. To catch everyone up, in August I somehow managed to pull a muscle in my back. Over the next three months I ignored the issue until the pain went from an annoyance to a major issue. I was diagnosed with a severe muscle spasm in my lower back and placed on prednisone and a muscle relaxer to hopefully loosen up the spasm and allow my back to heal.

Well on Sunday of last week I played in my rec league volleyball tournament. I had a great match and went all out. Unfortunately the play aggravated the injury and by Tuesday I was having difficulty standing or sitting without considerable pain. So it was back to the doc to get more anti-inflammatory medicine and a new muscle relaxer (the first one made me feel horrible after I took it).

In addition to the meds, I also was scheduled for physical therapy. My first session was on Friday morning and it was, in a word, heavenly. My therapist, Chris, worked on my back for about 40 minutes and when he finished my back was pain free for the first time in 3 months! It only lasted for about 30 minutes before the little aches and pains returned, but it was a sweet taste of what I can expect once my treatment is finished.

Goal #2 Update....

My number 2 goal is to finish the book "Numbered Account" by Christopher Reich. As I've previously written, this is a book that I have started and stopped too many times.

This past weekend I dropped by the Ames Public library and checked it out. I'm 50 pages into it and I hope to have it finished by next week. When I finish it I'll post my review of it.

Not the best of days

It was a rough election day here in Iowa. As in the rest of the country, Republicans scored major victories in most of the state offices including the governor's office.

The biggest loss was in the vote to retain three of the Supreme Court justices who ruled that same-sex marriage should be allowed in Iowa. There was a vicious and misleading campaign led by the most evil man in Iowa, Bob Vander Platts. The vote certainly felt like a referendum on the issue of gay marriage, with each of the three justices losing by a wide margin.

The retention loss felt so personally to me and for most of the day both Matt and I were very down. But this afternoon Keith Urban's "Only You Can Love Me This Way" video came on GAC. The song was our "first dance" at our wedding and it reminded me that no matter what happens, I am MARRIED to the man I love and NO ONE can take that away.

Goal #1 - The first few steps

Today I went to the university rec center to run for the first time in months. Over the spring and summer I had taken up the Couch to 5K program with my friend Pete. We had made a lot of progress on it and I had been feeling really good. Since the start of the school year I had not been running - at all. And with my lower back issues, the thought of running just didn't seem appealing.

So now that my lower back is under control, I made the effort to get to Lied (the rec center) and run. I decided to get back to basics and run C25K Day 1 and I'm glad I did. I could really tell it had been a while since I had run with any effort. After 30 minutes, I had conquered Day 1 and it felt good. Well, not good in the "OMG I just ran a feel freakin fabulous" way, but in the "hey, I just ran again and I'm not dead" way. :-)

My next scheduled day to run is on Wednesday, but I am planning to get to Lied on Monday to do some work on the eliptical machine. Every journey begins with a first step and this first day of running were the first steps on my journey.

Gameday Saturday

Today Matt and I had the pleasure of joining friends for tailgating and Iowa State football. The weather could not have been any better - cool temps, low winds, and lots of sunshine. In fact, so much sunshine that my face is now sunburned. Iowa State defeated Kansas by a score of 28-16. We had great seats for the game which allowed us a "nice" view of the Iowa State players from behind. teehee!

As much as I love tailgating, I always regret the food hangover from the day. I swear if someone puts out food I just start eating it. The food was amazingly good. I just have that problem of not having that little voice inside of me saying, "STOP!" It's just mindless eating. Any thoughts on how I might be able to not do that?

Next week is the game against Nebraska which Iowa State will more than likely lose (although I would love to be wrong about that). Of course we'll go tailgating and eat well. Perhaps we should park as far away from the stadium as possible so we have to walk a long ways to get to the party.

Why does my Airport Hate Me?

No, not the Des Moines airport, my Apple Airport Express. For some reason my laptop and the airport don't like one another and there will be periods where the signal will just vanish. Now keep in mind that the main computer in the office does not have this problem and my laptop never loses signal at school with the wireless there. But for some unknown reason, the wireless and laptop just lose touch with one another. Let me tell you how much fun it is to be working on something and then have the wireless go out. Yay!

The 40 by 40 - Goal #3

Goal #3 - Write a blog entry at least 75% of the year.

So by my count that should be around 274 blog entries. This is one of those things that I want to be meaningful. I want my blog to feature my thoughts and observations and to actually go deeper than just the surface.

Of course I also need to be mindful of what I am putting out there on the internet. As a teacher, I am aware that a student, parent or supervisor could find my blog and read it. I have to be careful to not post anything that I could get into trouble for. I will NEVER post anything about my work, students or coworkers that could be construed as a breach of trust.

That being said, I also don't plan on holding back about issues that I feel strongly about. They after all are my opinions, and as long as I am not espousing violence or law-breaking, then I should be okay. :-)

The 40 by 40 - Goal #2

Goal # 2 - Read and FINISH the book, "Numbered Account" by Christopher Reich.

This is the one book that I have never been able to get through. The funny thing is that it should be one that I FLY through. I love a good conspiracy novel and I've read quite a few. But for some reason, each time I start "Numbered Account" I get sidetracked.

Now this may seem like an easy goal to achieve and I would have to agree. But in my eyes, every list of goals needs to have some easily accomplished ones. That way you see progress being made on the list and it boosts one's self confidence.

The 40 by 40 - Goal #1

So to meet my goal of blogging at least 75% of the year, I thought I'd write about each of my goals and why they made the list.

Goal #1 - Lose 40 by 40

There's a reason this is my first goal - I've been overweight for so long that I don't know what it's like not to be overweight. Over the spring and summer I had taken up running, the Couch to 5K program, and saw some success and will resume that in the next couple of weeks.

I haven't been able to work out recently because I've had some lower back issues that I finally saw my doctor about today. She discovered that I have a muscle spasm about the size of a fist in my lower back. So I'm hoping the medicine that she put me on will help release it and allow it to heal.

My plan is to do an official weigh in every three months on the 22nd of January, April, July and then ... October. Look for a photo of myself in the next couple of days to serve as a baseline. As opposed to my other goals, this one will definitely be a long term goal.

So that's goal #1. Look for some mini-goals to fall under this goal. I am such an "outliner" teehee.

The 40 by 40 list....

1. Lose 40 pounds of blubber.

2. Read and FINISH the book, "Numbered Account" by Christopher Reich.

3. Write a blog entry at least 75% of the year.

4. Enter a cookie recipe at the Iowa State Fair.

5. Have a balance of at least $2000 in my savings account.

6. Continue to abstain from drinking soda.

7. Write to my nephews once a month.

8. Go skinny dipping.

9. Grow something.

10. Take more photos of family and friends.

11. Go see a Broadway Theater show.

12. Get a full body professional massage.

13. Surprise someone.

14. Go camping and sleep under the stars.

15. Try a foreign food.

16. Cook dinner at home at least once a week.

17. Build a snowman.

18. Visit a museum.

19. Take time to smell the roses.

20. Fly a kite.

21. Have a picnic in the park.

22. Get a passport.

23. Learn my blood type.

24. Run a 5K race.

25. Visit a psychic.

26. Ride a bike around Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.

27. Stop snoring.

28. Take an art class.

29. Look good in a white shirt and blue jeans.

30. Go canoeing.

31. Go ice skating.

32. Write a story.

33 - 40 yet to be determined, but this is a good start. :-)

My 40 by 40

So I turned 39 on October 22nd and it got me to thinking about my next birthday - the Big 4-0! I've decided to set 40 goals that I would like to achieve before my 40th birthday. Some of them will be easy to accomplish and others will take time. I'll use this blog to keep updated on how I am doing.

I'm presently working on the list of goals. I should have them posted in the next few days.

Oh Yeah ... I Got Married

Iowa

- Home of Iowa State University

- Birthplace of the Rice Krispy Treat

- Home of RAGBRAI (the Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa)

- A State that allows same-sex marriage.

After close to 15 years together, on July 17th, Matt and I legally tied the knot in front of 175 of our closest family and friends.

I can truly say that it was one of the most wonderful days of my life. We are still awaiting the photos from our photographer (come on already!), so hopefully I'll be able to post a couple when they do come in. We had both the ceremony and reception at a local hall in Ames that's owned by the best barbecue restaurant in the state. Suffice it to say we had an amazing buffet for dinner. :-)

I have to say that I am continually amazed to live in a state that allows Matt and I to legally seal our commitment. In April of 2004, the State Supreme Court of Iowa ruled that a law outlawing same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. It is very difficult to amend the Iowa Constitution, but we are not complacent. On Sunday we are attending a rally in support of same-sex marriage to counter the National Organization for Marriage rally.

I've been in love with Matt since the day we met (November 27, 1995). I honestly never thought I would be able to stand and declare my love for him legally. I am so proud to be a resident of the great state of Iowa.

Weighty Issues

I'm overweight. I'm 5'7" and weight 225 pounds. That gives me a BMI of 35.2 putting me in the Obese category. I'm 38 years old and just am not happy with the way I look or feel.

I bring this up because I've really been down on myself lately about the way I look. Matt and I went to Minneapolis this weekend to have a mini-honeymoon. While Matt spent some time at Cheapo Records, I wandered over to Lake Calhoun. It was a beautiful sunny day, so there were plenty of guys out jogging - shirtless. Admiring the scenery, I couldn't help but get a little sad that I was not in any shape to do the same thing. In addition, knowing my genetics, even if I worked my ass off to get in shape, that I wouldn't be able to approach those guys that I was ogling.

As I approach 40, I'm really regretting not making fitness a priority, but that's something that I can work to correct. But I have to admit, I wish I had been born with a different set of physical genetics.

Kids In Restaurants

Alright, this is my #1 beef. I have a real problem with parents who bring kids to restaurants and allow them to behave like wild animals.

Don't get me wrong, I know that families eat out all the time and the majority of them are well behaved. But for the life of me, it drives me up the wall when kids are screaming at the top of their lungs, throwing a tantrum, running around, etc., while the parents are seemingly oblivious to it or give that "awwww, aren't they cute" look. Ugh. Nothing gets under my skin more than to hear a toddler screech at the top of their lungs. It's my "nails on a chalkboard" noise. And it seems like in EVERY restaurant that Matt and I go to, there's "THAT" kid.

I seriously want to go up to these parents and ask them, "do you not realize that there are other people who would like to eat without having to hear YOUR kid?"

I've always respected my brother for the way he has raised my two nephews. When either of the boys began to build to a "melt down" he took them out of the restaurant for them to calm down. He and my sister-in-law taught the boys how to behave themselves while in a restaurant. The kids could still be kids, but they weren't a bother to other tables around them.

If I were a braver man I would go up and say something but knowing my luck, I'd get punched in the face.

Evening News

By popular demand (okay, 1 reader), I'm gonna start posting again.

So every once in a while there is a story on the evening news about someone who was killed in a car accident, house fire, shooting victim, etc. In the story there are always interviews with people who knew the victim. These people always seem to use the same descriptive terms - "funny", "always put a smile on your face", "caring", "kind", etc. BORING!

I just once want to see an interview where the person says something along the lines of, "yeah they got what they deserved. What a jackass! He was the most selfish, mean person I have ever met."

I gotta be honest, I think I would fall out of my chair in laughter.

Food

I have a couple of confessions to make.

1. I'm a secret eater.

2. I don't enjoy food.

I eat when others are around. It's a control issue and something that I need to be honest about. When I'm alone I will eat things that aren't the best choices for me. In addition, I don't enjoy food. I eat without thinking and I don't take my time. By eating so quickly I often overeat and end up feeling bloated and uncomfortable. I'm working to think more before I eat and to take my time.

Fun with recipes....

So we had some friends over last night and I wanted to share a couple of great recipes for you to try at home...

Chicken Bacon Poppers

4 boneless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 in cubes

1 pound of sliced bacon (hickory smoked or applewood ... go crazy) Cut each slice into thirds.

2 Tablespoons of barbecue seasoning

1/2 cup brown sugar

toothpicks

After cutting up the chicken and bacon, wrap one piece of chicken in a piece of bacon, using a toothpick to secure the bacon to the chicken. In a separate bowl, mix the barbecue seasoning and brown sugar. Coat each piece of bacon-wrapped chicken in the barbecue/brown sugar mixture and place on a boiler pan or elevated baking rack (this is so the bacon fat can drip down). I usually take the remaining mixture and sprinkle it on the poppers before I put them in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about 48 poppers. They are AWESOME!!!!!

Candy Bar Crescent Rolls

1 roll of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1 Snickers Bar

1 Milky Way

Cut each candy bar into 4 pieces. Unspool the crescent rolls from the tube. Wrap one piece of the candy bar in a piece of crescent roll dough. Once all 8 rolls have candy bars in them, place them on a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake them according to the directions on the crescent roll tube (12 minutes at 425 degreees I think).

One of the best and easiest desserts EVER!!!!!

Personal Training

I met with Ben this afternoon to discuss hiring him as a personal trainer. With 191 days until the wedding, I have a lot of work to do and I'm quickly running out of time to do it. Currently I'm about 235 pounds and my goal is to be 210 by July. My dream would be to be at 200, but I think that 210 is a more reasonable goal.

The thing that impressed me about Ben was that he wants to try different things to find out what will work for me. When I have worked with a personal trainer in the past, it's pretty much been the same workout week after week. Ben appears to be more focused on my goals and finding things that will not only work for me in the gym, but also at home as well.

I hate the fact that I am so out of shape. I hate that my gut sticks out so far that I can feel the skin stretching. I hate the fact that I don't feel attractive. I hate the fact that I have tried so many times in the past to get into shape only to fail - again and again and again.

We should have a snow day (yet again). It'll be a chance for me to get caught up on paperwork and emailing. I'm just so ready for winter to be over.

Back to school

Yesterday was our first day back following the Christmas holiday. We were fortunate that we had a two-hour late start due to the extreme cold. It's always hard coming back to work after a holiday. Seems like it takes the staff two or three days to shake the rust off. The kids come back with all sorts of energy, but then by the afternoon of the second day their energy starts to flag.

I've actually had a good first couple of days. It's actually been nice to be back in the classroom. For as much as I crave vacations, it really feels good to be back on a daily schedule. When I'm on vacation, I try to motivate myself to get things done, but it never seems to happen. At least at school I'm able to be productive.

I have a meeting tomorrow with a personal trainer. I took his spinning class over the summer and really enjoyed it. My friend Andy works out with him and recommends him. We'll meet to talk about what my goals are and what his training philosophies are. Looking to get fit for the big wedding. If I don't start now, then when?

Until next time....

Last Day of Break

My Winter Break ends today. :-( We had a week and a half off for the holidays and it wasn't as productive as I would have liked. Of course I'm never as productive as I would like during the holidays. Every year I go into the break with a list of things that I want to get done and I never do.

On the plus side we do have a two-hour late start tomorrow. Temperatures in the state are bottoming out tonight and the wind-chill is expected to be in the -20s. Since I teach in a rural district, we consider it to be cruel to make kids wait for a bus in sub-zero temperatures. So I get to sleep in a little bit - yay!

I am worried about too many snow days. In June I am taking a group of students and parents to Washington D.C. for a four-day trip. If we have too many snow days, the school year will run into the days of the trip. While I know the district will allow us to go on the trip, it just freaks me out that the school year could run into the second week of June! We've already had 3 snow days. There are only 4 more days available before it runs into the trip. Crossing my fingers for a milder winter. Ugh

Monthly Goal

My friend Lyndsey is doing a different challenge each month. This months challenge is drinking at least eight 8 oz glasses of water each day. This is a doable first goal. Now for me I'm only counting water and iced tea as counting towards the 8 glasses. Soda doesn't count (and I can choose not to partake of soda anyways).

I'm learning that it's all about the small goals and then building on those successes.

Brand New Year

This is the year.

In a little more than 6 1/2 months Matt and I will be legally married. It seems like only yesterday that the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to marry in Iowa. The wedding plans have gone smoothly so far, but we have a lot to do in the next few months.

Instead of making a resolution for 2010, I am making SMART goals. I hope to have those posted in the next couple of days. One of my goals is to blog at least once a day just to get my thoughts out. Some days it may be a lot, some days, not so much.

Here's to an outstanding 2010.

Game On!

You are The Hierophant

Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching.

All things relating to education, patience, help from superiors.The Hierophant is often considered to be a Guardian Angel.

The Hierophant's purpose is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. Where the High Priestess between her two pillars deals with realms beyond this Earth, the Hierophant (or High Priest) deals with worldly problems. He is well suited to do this because he strives to create harmony and peace in the midst of a crisis. The Hierophant's only problem is that he can be stubborn and hidebound. At his best, he is wise and soothing, at his worst, he is an unbending traditionalist.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.