AngloAm’s Weblog

I’m really sorry – a combination of on-line porn, Wikipedia, the new iPhone, errands to do with getting ready for my mum’s birthday party, and laziness have kept me from my usual blogging duties. I didn’t even notice that my favourite skinny man in a suit’s picture had somehow come off the header (since replaced).

Let’s catch up then!

Last weekend in real need of a break away, I, C, and the new iPhone (yes, Apple just gave me a brand new one, no questions asked) took a drive to Gettysburg. Sadly, I’m at work so I don’t have access to the pictures we took but we took a few and I’ll update later on this evening. I was so proud of myself – there’s a steep-ish little pathfrom the lower parking lot of the Devil’s Den up to the upper level, and I was able to trot up it like a pro! It was lovely up there, with a pleasant breeze. The terrain provided cover for sharpshooters of both sides during the battle of Gettysburg.

Last week was a bit of a loss, fitness/diet wise. For my mum’s 70th birthday my dad wanted me to have some of the pictures of her as a young girl/young woman printed on large stock, so we went to Ritz Camera in Beltsville to see about it. We spent the whole evening there having the pictures scanned in. Then Wednesday my brother and I met my dad for dinner at the restaurant where the dinner party was to take place (Christopher’s in Crofton, not bad, bit pricy but my mum’s fave). So that was two dinners out in a row. Then Thursday night we had to pick up the scanned photos, and make the composition. We chose two big posters and a smallishbanner. Luckily we could pick it all up at the same evening but that was another dinner out…then Friday night out, then Saturday night we had delivery (cos we were very lazy indeed Saturday although I did take the car for its 40k service) and Sunday was the big dinner party. Somehow, and despite only getting to work out Monday and Friday, I managed to only put on 1.2 pounds, which I’m happy with. However, this week has to be better!

The dinner party itself was lovely; mum was really surprised and any number of times she had to wipe away tears. My brother and SIL were there, as were her parents and it was really nice to see mum so happy. We took lots of pictures which are also at home and you’ll have to wait to see them. 

I did get to thinking though; how much longer will I have mum and dad? And what will it be like having only one of them? My mum doesn’t drive so she will be quite helpless without dad so my brother and I will have to ‘take up the slack’ if she doesn’t move out of the big house in the suburbs to something with more public transport and/or services. Dad will be a bit better off but I can’t imagine the crushing loneliness that either of them would feel. It’s horrible to think that that may be facing them, and possibly sooner rather than later. Do I sound callous if I say I’d rather them both go together? (Although I don’t really want either of them to go – the gaping hole it would leave in my life would be devastating.)

And then I think of C and me faffing about for my mum’s party and he can’t do anything for his. Oh, we’re planning to go to Australia next year, but still, it’s not the same. Does he feel left out? Does he feel like his parents are left out? All I want is for him to be happy.

Last week was pretty crummy, C & I had a few squabbles, and he was very stressed about an on-line contretemps, but my idea of perfection, of paradise is still lying in bed with him early in the morning, before full muscle tone returns, all relaxed and cozy in the dark, with an hour or two before we have to get up and get going. He makes me so happy–I only can hope that he’s happy too.

A goal. As promised.

I promised my counsellor and you, gentle reader, that I would come up with Weight Watchers/fitness goals to hold myself accountable to, so here goes:

“I will not eat above my WW points any day, and I will not use exercise points to keep me below my points.”

Just typing that is scary!

Eeep! Like right now, C is working this evening at his office so I’m ‘free’ for the evening. I should go to the gym (more on that later), then go home and cook some vegetarian patties and beans (I like vegetarian baked beans mixed with chackalaka) for dinner. But what I wanna do is go to a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet for dinner. Mmmmlovely durable Chinese food of indifferent quality kept one degree above the law’s minimum temperature by heat lamps, piled on a plate under the contemptuous gaze of real Chinese thinking about the real Chinese food they’re going to have after these easily pleased westerners get through with their scraps and grease. Sounds great, no?

As opposed to eye candy at the gym and a sense of accomplishment.

The more on that later, now!

I’ve faffed around enough and I’ve got to bite the bullet and go use the strength room. After little help from Neal, whose time will be over by the end of September, and much research on line and in “Beyond Brawn” which my good friend Rob K. gave me, I’ve sort of come up with (aw shucks) this little idea of a training program – if anyone wants to comment on it or give advice I’d sure appreciate it:

One day:  Upper body (machine bench press, pull down, compound row, overhead press, push down, biceps curl) and the ‘lower back machine’.

The other day:  Lower body (body weight squats, leg curl, hip adduction/abduction, seated calf raise) and crunches.

The between days:  Rest, cardio only.

I’m trying to stick to as many compound exercises as possible to use my time the most efficiently. I’m doing all machine work except for the crunches because I’m (a) not sure I could keep free weights in the right groove this early in my program and (b) too embarrassed to ask for a spot from some of these guys.

In fact that is what even as I type this is causing me worry and fear and a knot in my tummy (er, under my rock hard abs – which are safely hiding beneath a layer of fat). I mean, when I asked sexy nice Staff Sergeant S… here at work, he was full of “everyone leaves their egos behind” and “just do it” and encouragement, but still…I’m scared that I’ll try to go use a machine and find I can’t fit in it, after struggling and trying to adjust the seat, or that I’ll take too long and the other members will be pissed at me, or that I’ll forget to wipe the seat after myself and leave butt and back sweat to greet the next person, or that (I can come up with a million things that might happen that will leave me mortified, but I’ll stop now).

I know I ‘conquered’ the treadmill but this is different – on a treadmill you’re in your own bubble, as it were, not really involved with other people. You don’t share your equipment the way you share a weight machine if the other person wants to work in with you.

So I don’t know what to do.  Any thoughts? I wish I knew somebody I could ask who’d have knowledge. I think my friend Rob has been deployed to Iraq, so I can’t ask him, and CH here at work is more of an endurance athlete so I don’t know if he even lifts, and sexy SSG S is on leave until next week.

Twenty minutes until I have to leave and I’m still so nervous. What do you think – will I chicken out (or “decide to wait until I can speak to somebody”) or will I go down to the weights after my cardio and will I be laughed out? You can start your own betting pools. (I wouldn’t say no to a ten percent cut.)

That Skinny Guy in a Different Suit Altogether

You know I have to provide a little eye candy to brighten your day…here’s two shots of the sexy Scot himself, David Tennant, from a promotional shoot for the BBC mini-series Casablanca. Doesn’t he look inviting and naughty?

Casanova looking seductive

Casanova flapping in the breeze

(Och – yon man’s no glabrous, the noo! Thank Heavens!)