Thursday, July 31, 2008

Four

So July was an odd month for me. I plateaued the first two weeks and lost four pounds the last two weeks. I definitely think my longer, harder runs are having something to do with it. At any rate, I'm happy with the four pounds.

As of this morning, I've lost 28 pounds and four sizes--in seventeen weeks. Not bad really. I've never lost 28 pounds in my life, lol. I've got quite a ways to go but that's okay. I've got one helluva support system in place, and I'm going to reach my goal.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Carnitas!

So first things first... I lost another pound this week. The scale is finally moving consistently after that icky plateau. Just three more pounds and I'll have lost 30! How effing awesome is that?!?! I try to focus on small victories rather than looking at the 70-some-odd pounds I still need to lose.

Running is going well. I'm zeroing in on Week 5 which means the runs are getting substantially longer in time and distance. Right now, I'm focusing on time. When I complete the running program, I'm going to focus on distance. By the end of August, I'll be running 10 miles a week. I'd like to reach 60 minutes or 6 miles/day, 3-4 times a week by the end of October. That works out to what? Um... 18-24 miles a week. I know. I know. It sounds like a lot, but seriously, once you start running and building endurance, it's not as horrific as it sounds.

I made a new personal goal. I'd like to compete in a full marathon before I turn 30. Right now the plan is a 5K in February, a 10K in the fall of '09 or spring of 2010, a 21K (half-marathon) in fall/winter of 2010 or spring of 2011, and a full marathon in 2012. The schedule is really fluid and will have to be adjusted when we get preggers. Obviously, lol.

Anywho. Oh, the title. So Dave and I have been having huge Mexican food cravings. This week I'm cooking some of my favorites like arroz con pollo and carnitas. Oh. My. God. I so freakin' heart carnitas! We're having those tonight. The smell. The SMELL! It's delicious. The whole house smells like yummy, savory, crispy, tender porky goodness.

Speaking of which...I should go give the pot a peek. It might be time to kick up the heat!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch died today. That's just so sad. It was inevitable, yes, but I just really hoped, wished, prayed he would get more time with his kids and wife. What an amazing, inspiring, courageous, enduring man.

If you're not familiar with Randy Pausch, check out his Last Lecture. Or this NYT article.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Dark Knight

Wow. Just wow. The movie is fabulous! It lives up to the hype--and then some. Heath Ledger is marvelous as the Joker. He's demented, blithely commits jarringly violent acts, and spouts bizarre yet oddly and uncomfortably reasonable truths. And the Magic Trick! Holy crap. That was a moment of dark humor genius.

Not Dark Knight related but sort of interesting...

I finally broke down and bought some new clothes. I've only lost 26 pounds but I've gone from a size 26 (yeah. ouch. ugh.) to an 18. All of my clothes look ridiculous. They hang on me like sacks. And yet I've been paralyzed with fear at the thought of buying new clothes. Logically, I know I've lost weight and need smaller things. Unfortunately, I'm in a mind-fuck sort of state when it comes to my body image. I've always been confident despite my size but I'm suddenly having problems reconciling the new me with the old me. Apparently, this is part of transforming one's self. It's annoying really.

It's weird because I used to wear an 18 when I weighed like 185-ish my freshman year of college. I'm nowhere close to 185 now but I'm wearing an 18. For some reason, my body is reshaping and carrying weight differently. I think it has something to do with all the exercise.

Oh, and the running is going well. Runs are getting longer and more difficult but I'm pushing through and dealing with it. I've decided to run a 5K for charity in February. If anyone's interested in running, lemme know. The charity run also has a half marathon but I'm not comfortable signing up for that. Hopefully, (fingers crossed, rub those rabbit feet, kiss your lucky shamrock, pour a shot for your Orisha)I'll be for shizz up the spout by February. Running is totally fine when knocked up but I think a half marathon would be a bit much. For me, anyway.

Writing's going well. I'm maybe 8 chapters from the end of my dark urban fantasy novel. As soon as I'm finished, I'm setting it aside for my betas and Dave. While I'm waiting for critiques to roll in, I have to get some erotic novellas knocked out. I'm so effing behind in that genre. I need to get some stuff to my editor before all the '09 slots are full.

It never ends...

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Talk Nerdy to Me

Science geeks unite behind the awesomeness that is automatic pipetting and nifty thermocyclers! I can't even begin to describe how effing hilarious these videos are. The first is a science-tastic taken on the infamous "D*ck in a Box" skit. The second is "We Are The World" meets DNA analysis. Holy shit. I haven't laughed this hard in years. Years, folks.

Pipettes in Motion

PCR

Friday, July 18, 2008

46664

You know what that number means! Yep. Nelson Mandela. Today, he's 90. 90! Whoa.

Happy Birthday, Madiba!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Not So Flash

So Dave-O has been dying to see Flash Gordon. For years, it was nearly impossible to find a copy of the 1980 version of the film unless you imported through Brazil. (Why Brazil? I have no idea.) A few months ago, Flash Gordon became available through Netflix. It's been steadily climbing up our queue since then. It finally made its way to our house two weeks ago. We watched it on Thursday night...and...yeah.

Can you say super campy? Seriously, folks. I guffawed through the entire film. My sides still ache. Melodramatic acting. Shat lines. Special effects a third grader could cook up with a roll of duct tape, a flash light, and some colored transparency sheets. A plot without a plot. The costumes were spiffy. I can give it that much praise.

Dave was really disappointed. Our conversation went something like this:

Dave: I'm so disillusioned. I know this movie was better.
Me: Dude, you were, like, seven when this film came out. Everything is cooler when you're seven.
Dave: God, did it really come out that long ago?
Me: Dave, this movie is so old my parents hadn't even been introduced yet! Technically, I was two haploid cells chilling out in two different states separated by thousands of miles, just waiting for my chance at the baby dance.
Dave: (After a long pause.) That's just wrong.
Me: It's not my fault you're--
Dave: Old. Yes. I know.

Then the last few lines of the movie's end credits rolled by and, as luck would have it, twisted the "Damn, You're Old!" knife a little deeper in Dave-O's belly. What were those lines, you ask?

Soundtrack Now Available on Record and Tapes.

Me: Dave, AND TAPES!!! (And then I fell off the couch laughing.)
Dave: I hate you. Really. I do.

He doesn't. We're so desperately, madly, foolishly in love with one another it's quite sickening. Or so I'm told from outside sources...

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Sliding Back to Normalcy

So I'm trying to get back into a normal routine after having house guests. I know it's weird, but whenever we have people staying in the house, I feel guilty if I head to bed before our guests. Then I'm tired and off the next day but can't go to bed early because we still have guests. Bizarre. I know. Also, Rob and Stephanie hadn't visited in a year so there were a lot of nights we'd sit up and shoot the breeze. Hell, one night, Stephanie and I sat up yakking until the sun rose!

All in all, I enjoy having people in the house. It reminds me of my childhood. Growing up in a bustling household with two brothers and a sister and numerous cousins or friends over all the time is such a contrast to the rather quiet and calm existence Dave, Bos, and I live. I also love cooking for more bigger groups. I think my orange cranberry scones were a hit with Rob and Steph. Man, that is a recipe that took me, like, five tries to perfect. Finally, I realized the missing link was butter. More butter, specifically. 3/4 of a pound, actually. Totally not healthy, but they're so effing good!

Speaking of healthy, I'm still running my butt off on the Couch to 5K program. I'm really enjoying the runs. It is such a rush to finish that final running segment! I also love the priceless expressions on drivers' faces as they blow past me in their trucks. It's always a look of utter shock that a chub like me is hoofing it down the side of the road mixed with amusement and/or encouragement. I get a lot of waves, lol. Today, a sheriff's deputy gave me a wave, a double hit on the horn, and thumbs up as he inched past me in his cruiser.

I'm going to try to incorporate more cardio/resistance training on my off days. I slacked on cardio all last week. Not good. I seem to be in a weight loss plateau but that's all right. I had enough awesome weight loss weeks during the last few months that I'm still on track with my weight loss goals despite the plateau.

All right. Enough blogging. I started a new novella last night. It's super steamy! I'm dying to work on it!

Thursday, July 03, 2008

What. The. F#$k.

Can you believe this? A 70 year old woman in India gave birth to IVF twins because her husband wanted an male heir. Apparently their daughters were worthless to them. He needed a male to inherit so he mortgaged his land, sold his livestock and took out loans to finance the IVF procedure. Uh, counter-productive much?

I hate to make judgments against different cultures, but seriously? The fact that women have so little value is equally as disturbing as the horribly unethical doctor who performed the IVF on this geriatric patient.

Any other day this would not have bothered me. I'd have made a weird face, had a wtf moment, and moved on... Today, though, it really stings. We thought this was going to be our month, but yeah, it wasn't. Then to see this 70 year old lady having twins. It's almost too much to swallow. Some days it feels like you have to be a 15 year old crack whore or a ninety year old hag out to break a world record for world's oldest mom to get that big freakin' positive on that evil piss stick.

Back to square one it seems...

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Ran So Far Away...

So I completed my second C25K run today, and it went beautifully! I was able to run 3/4 of the workout and walk the rest. I couldn't believe how much easier it was. As I completed the final jog, I started laughing like a crazy person. Seriously. I was huffing and puffing and laughing. I'm sure the couple sipping tea on their front porch thought I was a loon. It felt so good though. I can't even describe it. I'm totally stoked for Friday's run. I really think I'm going to be able to run the whole thing.

Dave, Rob, Steph, and I went out to Blue Baker for a late lunch. I finally tried one of their totally yummy pizzas. It was so tasty. I think I'm going to have the rest for dinner in a sec. After lunch, we watched Hancock. It was pretty good. My only issue with the film (and script) was the under developed backstory of Hancock's origin. Even so, it was entertaining and well worth the price of a ticket.

All right. Off to munch.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Shelved

So I got some surprising and totally awesome news today. My novella, Nocturnal Obsession, or rather, Lolita Lopez's novella, is going to be in a print anthology releasing September/October. I know! I love digital publishing (e-books) because you have so much more literary freedom and can take risks in your subject matter and style, but even so, it's exciting to know I'll have a trade paperback with my name on it! Hopefully, some of my other novellas releasing later this year will find their way into print anthologies too!

On the running front, I'm postponing today's run until tomorrow morning. I didn't get to bed until almost one last night, and then, of course, I couldn't sleep! I tossed and turned until five or so, dozed off and on, and then woke up a little after eight. I barely made it through a shower. There was no way I could have made it through a run. I'd go tonight but Dave's coming home and I still have to make dinner and do laundry. Oh, and Hell's Kitchen is on tonight. I refuse to miss my Gordon Ramsay fix.

Tomorrow morning is better because Dave can watch the dog while I run. Bos makes such a racket when I leave him! I couldn't stand the idea of leaving him to whine and bark and cry for half an hour or more while Todd & Steph try to sleep upstairs.

Anywho. That's my update. Off to get some work done.