I Think I Have Too Much Time On My Hands

Okay, show of bloody hand prints: who took a couple of screen shots while watching Shaun of the Dead last night just so they could make one stupid visual joke on their blog?

Riiiiiight. Show of stabbed hands: who then decided to watch Hot Fuzz and also make screen shots 'just because'?

Of course, if you know me in real life then you know that when I watch Shaun of the Dead and/or Hot Fuzz I must eat a cornetto. (Except we don't have cornettos in Canada, we call them 'drumsticks' for some silly reason, but it's the same thing.)

Hmm, perhaps it is this tradition which keeps me looking more like Nick Frost and less like Simon Pegg (well, that and the whole ginger thing). At least Simon occasionally takes a break from the cornettos for a cuppa.

And why could I possibly think spending three hours just doing screen shots would be worth it? Because I wanted to say that despite the length of time it is taking for my hand to heal, at least I know that I won't turn into a zombie as a result of it.

*Spoiler Alert: Pete gets bitten on his hand in the same general area as my injury (except on the left, not right... hold on a tick...)

There we go. So, he's bitten in the same area as my injury. He turns into a zombie. I, after a week of pain in that area and no death of myself of which I'm aware, have yet to become a zombie and there is definite improvement in the pain level. We are safe from the zombie apocalypse for now. Also, it's okay that Pete turned into a zombie. He was a prick.

The great thing about my hand getting better is being able to run again. I know I've said this before but I never ever thought I'd be someone who would enjoy running, never mind, miss it when I can't do it. Whether it's running with a partner so we can get some good gossip time in, or if it's running by myself with my tunes cranked, I love running. Also, it's such a great and cheap way to get fit.

So while I still need to constantly work on making better choices and saying 'no' more often, being able to run makes the occasional indulgence of mom's chocolate-chip-coconut-cookies a little less guilt-ridden.

Oh, how I admire his ability to say 'no'.

If this journey has taught me anything, it's that there's no shortcuts to fitness and health.

(It's my blog and if I want to put in jokes which reference the film I'm taking pictures from, I can do that.)

Two little notes:
1) I have occasionally been asked what my obsession with the writing team of Edgar Wright-Simon Pegg is, and it boils down to this picture. There are two people with guns behind the bar. Read the sign. If that doesn't make you giggle, then I don't know if we can be friends.

2) This post is for Marie who is about to run her first half-marathon in October. She's one of the few people who loves these films as much as I do. Marie's parents are from Wells, where Hot Fuzz was filmed. At the time of filming, this was the only stop light in the entire town. (It might still be, I just don't know for sure.)

And thus concludes this edition of "Andrea Needs a Hobby so She Stops Doing Screen Shots". Cheers!

Like a Fish

I love Chicken Run.*

I've been floundering lately with being healthy. I feel like a fish out of water. I've been reeled onto the deck and I'm flopping all over the place to get back into the water but to no avail.

While I sat down in late January and made a plan for fitness goals this year, I then promptly injured my knee and all those plans went out the window. I gave myself a 'free pass' for the months I wasn't able to run. While I'm back into the running, I've taken my sweet time sorting out the other healthy aspects on my life. My plans for cross training have been spotty and my healthy eating has changed on a day-to-day basis.

After my run yesterday morning, I started formulating my get-fit plan. I went through all the workout plans I've downloaded over the years, tossed a bunch, kept a few, and started writing up a schedule for the workouts.

After a bit of thought about food, I decided to follow a six week eating plan. I'm not one to advocate following a 'diet' or strict eating plan because I don't think it teaches you a healthy relationship with food, but I need a kick in the butt right now. Hopefully this will give me the one I need.

Partially because I still have a few kinks to work out and partially because I like things to start on Mondays, I won't be starting all this until next Monday. Which is a good thing because it means I can have a beer while I listen to Justin** (and Ian) tonight at the Bard and Banker and that at some point this weekend I can get an ice cream cone and watch Chicken Run while lounging in my pajamas.

After that I'll stop flopping aimlessly on deck and start flopping towards the ocean.

*I was living in Germany when it was released there and it made me deliriously happy that in German it's called Hennen Rennen. It rhymes!!

**Someone needs to update his site to show tonight's performance...

I Had Been Doing So Well

I was down at my OH&S weigh-in last week. In fact, I was second for percentage of body weight lost.

I went to aerobics on Saturday morning and my knee felt pretty good afterwards (although I did keep my lateral movements teeny-tiny just to be on the safe side).

I ate out twice this weekend (a birthday dinner and a birthday breakfast) and although I didn't restrict myself, I was fairly smart about my food choices (perhaps not so much with my drink choices).

And then it hit me. The dreaded lurgy which had glanced out at my two weeks ago hit me full force by Sunday evening.

I'm angry because I haven't been sick in over six months. That was when a summer flu went through my office and pretty much hit everyone at least twice. I went all winter without actually getting sick. Now? The weather is finally starting to turn and I just want to crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head, and go to sleep.

I hate the lurgy.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

My plans for this week went horribly askew when I decided to have an incredibly active social life. Truth be told, I wasn't too upset about this to begin with as I was horribly sore on Thursday and Friday from the workouts earlier in the week. By this evening, however, I was feeling frustrated with my lack of real movement.

One of my social evenings was watching other people be active but I've been told that doesn't count.

Despite the vast amounts of sitting and talking I did, I did make an effort to make good food choices so it wasn't a total slide backwards. It was hard given that most of my socializing involved going out to eat but I'm concentrating on the positives: I stopped when I was satisfied, I opted for the healthier option on most occasions, and I limited my beer intake to only three pints (which is very little seeing as I was at a hockey game one night). I wasn't perfect but I was happy with my choices.

Another social evening was watching an awesome friend sing awesome songs.

My vocal chords got a good workout that night.

Five nights in a row of social engagements plus a day time engagement on both weekend days is not the norm for me so I know that this type of halt to my activity won't happen again for a long time. I also know that I need to figure out how to balance being social with working towards my goal. I can't stop being social just for the sake of making it easier to stay healthy and plan my workouts. After all, I want to listen to my friend play his amazing songs and I want to enjoy a beer while I do it even if it's supposed to be a running night.

PS. I can't link to my favourite song because he doesn't have a video for it--hint, hint, Justin!-- but you can go to his site and listen to it for free. It's called "Oh Susanna".

Another 365 Day Come to a Close

Christmas has come and gone and so to has my experiment with mentally over eating to prevent actual overeating. I made a concerted effort at this on the Sunday prior to Christmas when my mom and I made (Great) Grandma's Molasses Cookies. On the bus ride over to my mom's, I imagined eating 30 of these cookies. I picked each one up in my mind, felt the weight of it in my hand, took the correct number of bites and chewed. Around the twenty-first one I actually started to feel nauseous. I made it to 25 before I elected to stop because I just felt too sick. I'm all over trying the mental experiment, I'm not all over throwing up on a bus to complete it!

My imagination didn't do these delicious cookies justice!

I would like to say that the experiment was a success and in a way it was, but not for the reasons that I think the original experiment was successful. The original experiment had people eating less because they felt full of the item of food after imagining eating it. I ate fewer cookies that I did in previous years because this experiment was running through my head the whole day. Every time I thought about eating a cookie, I thought about my experiment results and opted not to. In the end, I had a grand total of three cookies over 8 hours. That's why I'm calling it successful even if not in the way it was intended.

Christmas Dinner ends with Lemon Meringue Pie. I love traditions!

I did fairly well over Christmas in general when it came to food. I did enjoy a few sweets but they were generally few and far between. After a relaxing Christmas Eve/Christmas Day with my Big Bro at our mom and stepdad's (and a visit to my dad's), I headed up to Nanaimo on Boxing Day for some time with my stepmom and Baby Bro. The rain in Nanaimo kept us indoors more than we had originally planned but that's okay because we had Sherlock and Doctor Who to watch and Rummy and FIFA 11 to play. Also, staying at the house meant a very limited amount of food to be consumed so I was happy with that aspect of it.

Even the Aloe plant got some festive lights.

Every year I make resolutions. They're usually concrete goals with vague ideas of how I'm going to achieve them. This year, I'm changing that. I've written up a few resolutions, now I'm siting down and mapping out how to make them a reality. A few of them are health and fitness related so they will be making it onto here soon but for now, I need to get ready for my rocking night in! That's right, I'm staying in. I was supposed to go to a friend's house party but while coming home from a board meeting last night at 9:00pm, I realised that I haven't been home for longer than a few hours (not including sleep) in the past eight days. My next two weekends are pretty full so tonight I'm just going to cuddle with my kitties and watch a few movies. Right now it's a toss up between Hot Fuzz and Office Space.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas is Coming, The Goose and I Are Getting Fat

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

Please put a penny in the old man's hat

If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do

If you haven't got a ha'penny, God bless you!

It is safe to say that the end of 2010 did not go as well as the start. Knee problems then a hip problem then getting knocked sideways by a flu have left me sliding backwards as far as my goal go. Clothes that were loose are feeling a big more snug. There are a few shoulda-coulda-woulda moments in the last three months, but I also cried on three separate occasions from the pain and discomfort in my hip so I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I'll just pick myself up and move on from here.

I attended a Christmas get-together in my apartment building last night. Our awesome building managers put out quite the spread along with their homemade wine and kid-friendly punch. I came away from the afternoon realising that other than a grand total of five plain chips I ate very healthy. Maybe the holidays don't have to be a worrisome time of year!

I am making Grandma's Molasses Cookies with my mom today. Grandma always had these cookies all year round so I'm not quite sure why it became a 'Christmas Only' cookie in our house but they're one of my favourite traditions of the season. To be honest, this is one treat I always overindulge in so I've already started mentally eating my 30 molasses cookies and seeing if it stops the random snacking throughout the afternoon.

Mindful Eating

I went for a 'run' on Sunday and again on Monday evening. I use the term run very, very loosely as I have pretty much lost any sort of cardio I had and found myself struggling after a few minutes. It reminded me very much of my first couple of times out running with THR last January. It was such a struggle and I remember thinking that I would never been a runner. My one saving grace this time around is that I know I can be a runner. I love it now and as much as I struggled, it will get easier and I will be able to push myself further. My hip, which I was worried might be sore after two days, felt fabulous. Running is officially back in my workout regime.

I have made no secret of the fact that I am a geek (or nerd, dork, dweeb... I'll answer to any variation thereof) both on here and on my other blog. As a result, my RSS reader is filled with both health and fitness blogs as well as science-geeky blogs (that's the technical term). Today in my reader, I found this article about mentally overeating the food you're about to consume so you eat less of it. I, of course, found this fascinating.

When I think about the mental aspects of eating, it's about the choices I have to make. How do I make a salad seem exciting when those fries smell sooo good? How do I convince myself that I'm satisfied when there's still food on the table/plate? Is it possible, however, that I've actually been overlooking a simple step to help control my eating?

I wanted to read more about the study, but the link provided in the article goes to the study and you have to pay to read it. It's $15US just for 24 hours access. Not going to happen. Still, the article has given me a lot of food for thought *rim shot* about how much I may have overlooked the mental aspect of weight loss. It's definitely a self-experiment that I'm going to try out over the next few holiday weeks. At the very least, it can't hurt to try, right?

Question: Do you have any mental tricks you use when it comes to food?

Menu and Blog Overhaul

I'm not going to lie, I'm in a funk. My right hip still hurts... a lot. The ergonomic assessment I was planning on this week didn't happen because a big dump of snow hit Victoria and apparently it's more important to shovel and salt the walk-way in front of our office so people don't slip and actually break a hip then it is to fix my new chair. I know, I know, 'the greater good'. I have an appointment for next Tuesday so fingers crossed it goes well and I'll soon be able to walk without limping (which ranges from 'barely noticable' to 'why doesn't that lady have a cane?' depending on the day).

Despite the snow, I've walked to work every day. Depending on how my hip is, this might be

the only exercise I'm able to get in so I'll be damned if I'm going to let a little snow stop me...

even if a few of the drivers did skid through the crosswalk on my light.

The funk probably started back in September with my knee issues, but that had a solution, an end date. Plus I was still able to continue with lots of my activities, it was really just running that was a no-no. With my hip, I don't have an end date. I had to feebly hobble two blocks to the gas station and back for milk the other night. There is nothing like not being able to cross the street before the blinking hand pops up to make you feel like some sort of invalid.

What's a girl to do?

Well, how about start looking a bit closer at her eating habits which had fallen of track. I committed the cardinal sin in healthy eating and stopped paying attention to what I was eating for large chunks of the day, usually the chunk of the day that includes lunch... sometimes morning coffee break... occasionally afternoon coffee break... possibly even breakfast if I hit the snooze button too many times. At least I kept my dinners healthy!

Does this count as a book for my monthly reading challenge? No? Drats!

If I can't exercise, I'm going to have to be very conscience of every single item I put on my plate. I've decided to treat myself like I'm five. I've pulled out the Weight Watcher intro books and I'm going through them again. I'm taking notes. It's the equivalent of taking notes while reading Dr. Seuss (Grinch hates Christmas) but I'm going to do whatever it takes to get this information to become so ingrained I have no excuses for making bad choices.

The other thing a girl can do to help get out of a funk is spend some time playing around with blog layout. With my sore hip, it's a lot easier than playing around with my furniture layout.

Question: How do you get out of a funk?

Focus on the Positives and Recommit

I'm finally back from the dead over the chest/head cold which has been keeping me pretty low key for the last week. It's been a tough two weeks--I was told to stop running, I lost my workout buddy to Vancouver, I was viciously attacked by my own respiratory system--and I have to admit that at one point, I felt like giving up on the getting healthy. Then a few friends were talking about next week's marathon which I will no longer be participating in. That really didn't help the crummy.

As I got over my cold, I also got over my 'oh woe is me' feelings and decided to focus on the positive:

1. Running is temporarily on hold while we sort out what's up with my knees. The doc is very positive that I will be back at it soon and that nothing long term has actually happened to my knees.
2. I'm still allowed to dance and that makes me the happiest when it comes to cardio. I will be plante-tacon-ing and djole-ing once a week for the foreseeable future.
3. Before the attack of the irritated bronchial tubes, I was doing well with the 'at home' workouts. I know what needs tweaking when I start them up again this week.
4. I have a new walking partner.
5. My eating has been very clean throughout my illness and I know I can continue that through the next couple weeks.
6. Beauty and the Beast comes out on DVD on Tuesday!

Okay, so that last one isn't health/fitness related but it's a positive, darn it!

At the start of September I began writing a contract with myself as a guide to keep myself on target with my workouts and eating. Somewhere along the way, it went from being a simple contract with a few guidelines to a fully annotated Encyclopdia AndreaClairicus. The original thought was in the right place and I want to go back to that. I have a rough draft of it done so I plan to do a quick rewrite of it and then it will be up on here for everyone to see... as soon as I'm done watching Beauty and the Beast.

Because Stockholm Syndrome rocks!

Pac-Man Cookies!! Aaaaaand some other stuff about this blog.

I have begun the task of separating Chilkoot-me from real-me just a little bit more for two reasons:

1.) I wanted this blog to focus on creating healthier habits and living and healthier, more active life. Over the last little while, however, I feel more and more of the other bits creeping in. I am, after all, a story-telling, Irish offspring. But does talking about my desire to go to w00tstock really have a place on this blog? Or the fact that anytime I respond to Wil Wheaton on twitter, my 12 year old me who had the biggest crush on him secretly panics and fears he will read the tweet and think 'dork'. Does that have a place on this blog? Not really. (Well, it does now. It has a place as an example. Heck, while we're on the subject of what a dork I am, I think everyone should see this.)

2.) Since the two worlds started to combine bit by bit, I've noticed that I've stopped the focus in my life in general towards making healthy choices. I also know that most of the people who read this blog are friends who are being supportive but don't necessarily care about the actual content so much. It's easy to let your focus slip when you know that's the case. I need to step up the game and I think the best way to do that is to use this blog to focus solely on the healthy living aspects. Not to say that personal things won't pop up now and again (I'm not going to stop having a life and it will affect this blog), but that's not what this blog is about.

I've started another blog for all my long-winded trips down memory lane, I've separated into two twitter accounts, and I'll be pottering around here, changing up a few things. I'm also taking a more proactive approaching towards the whole healthy living thing in general. I spent about an hour this evening going through the blogrolls of the healthy living bloggers I currently follow and adding other interesting bloggers to my RSS reader (seriously, if you follow a lot of sites and don't have one of these set up yet... DO IT!) to test drive them over the next few weeks (and then if I like them, I will do the mature, grown up thing and stalk them on twitter). Mostly I hoping for new recipes and food ideas, but I'll gladly take their workout advice as well!

In short; I'm separating church and state so to speak, expect a few changes around here, and Wil Wheaton is still kind of dreamy in my geeky, geeky eyes.

This picture has nothing to do with this post but I think these cookies are awesome.

Instructions found here!

How About a Star for Being Awesome?

I am 1.2lbs away from my first 5lb sticker and I'm more excited by that then I thought I would be. The amazing thing is that I haven't had to make any huge changes to my eating habits yet, it's mostly been watching the portion sizes and cutting out that extra coffee run during the day. (A personal decision to stop going to Starbucks after four different instances of shoddy service in three weeks and two different locations has helped because it makes it easier to say 'no' when my coworkers head over there. I don't even really like their coffee either, so it's not like it was a hard choice for me to make.) This success without a complete overhaul to my current eating habits is leading me to think I'll continue going as I'm going. I know where I could improve on my diet but I'm not going over my points so I will keep those improvements for my ace-in-the-hole when I either have to lose a point as my weight drops or I hit a plateau. I fear the plateaus, they can be very discouraging, so it's nice to know that I have wriggle room to help me get through them.

I celebrated my 2.8lbs loss this week by buying a package of Reese Peanut Butter Cups and eating one of them. The other two are currently sitting in my tea cupboard, patiently waiting for my next reward. I really am becoming that crazy person who can turn down sweets. I am both shocked and proud of myself. Adding to the pride is the fact that I'm at that time of the month when all I want is chocolate (hence the purchase of the Peanut Butter Cups in the first place) but I'm okay with not eating them. I'm happy, in fact.

I realised I missed a lesson from last week, so here it is: I can now do a hamstring stretch without contorting my body in strange ways. For years, I have only been able to do a hamstring stretch by throwing my leg up and grabbing the back of my sneaker; the hand-across-the-laces was a dream from yesteryear. When you start doing shoeless West African dancing, this stretch becomes the least graceful move you will perform during the hour long class. I was warming up before our year end review last Sunday and while talking with another dancer, I popped up my right leg without even having to brace myself for balance. I was halfway through my left before I realised what I had done. It might seem like a small victory, but it's a step in the right direction and I'll take all of those that I can get.

"You live and learn. At any rate, you live." Douglas Adams

This past week and a bit has been a big learning week for me. I mean, every week I learn something (don't eat even slightly pink chicken!), but there were a lot of lessons and 'a-ha!' moments this week. (I hope everyone is now singing "Take On Me" like I am).

First lesson: celebrating Towel Day doesn't mean much when you're at home where no one sees you or at the gym where everyone is walking around with a towel. So much for educating the masses, I'll just have to stick with singing "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" while standing at the photocopier at work.

Second: When you plan properly (and use a few of your weekly extra points) you can be really bad on the weekend. Case in point: I celebrated a friend's birthday with three drinks and cheese on Saturday night. Only used 8 extra points. Yay planning! It gives me hope for the next two weekends where I have a bachelorette party and a wedding to attend. I can do this!

Third: Along the same food idea, I have learned that I can have chocolate at my desk and not eat it. See, the weekend I ran the 10K I discovered Côte d'Or Passion Fruit Chocolate and it was pretty much love at first sight. I love Passion Fruit; it's a love I picked up in Tanzania and, unfortunately, I don't get to indulge in very often now that I'm home. I bought one of these and pretty much devoured in within 30 minutes of cracking it open. While trying to make healthier food choices these past few weeks, I decided to needed to work out a reward system and why not make it something I really love? Something I would feel very guilty about if I was to over indulge in my reward? One of these chocolate bars has sat on my desk since last Wednesday. Every day, around my afternoon coffee break, I break of one square and enjoy every last bite of it. I'm amazed for two reasons: 1) When you limit yourself to such a small quantity, you learn to savour it so much more 2) I am still slightly shocked that I haven't just torn into and eaten the whole thing (it's sooooo good). Maybe I can do this whole healthy eating thing...

Fourth: I really love West African Dance and I love the people I've met through it. I participated in our Annual Student Gala on the weekend and it was quite possibly the highlight of the past few months. I threw myself into my dances (I did two) and came out the other side sore and out of breath but so, so happy. I hit all my moves, I jumped as I as I could, and I got lots of compliments from other dancers (and who doesn't like that?) Through MoonDance, I have found a community where my love of song and dance is cherished and my less-than-perfect-physique is loved. Having danced for many years in my childhood, I know how precious that can be. Every person I have talked to has been so friendly, so kind, and so encouraging it's hard to express in words how great that can make a person feel except to say that I look forward to those dances classes in ways I've never looked forward to other group activities. I have chosen not to do the four week summer class (too many other things to concentrate on at the moment) but I will definitely be back in September to rejoin my extended (dance) family.

Fifth: You always hear people talk about losing friends when they decided to do something to better themselves. I think I have found mine. Negative comments and under the breath remarks have made me re-examine why I considered this person a friend. I'm not totally ready to rule her out (I honestly don't think she's aware of the negativity she's causing), but it's been a good reminder that there are those out there who like to see people fail at something they try. Perhaps my failure would just be further proof for her that she doesn't need to do something about her unhealthy choices but she'll just end up where she is now. I'll just use that to spur me on, to show that success is possible.

Sixth: No sixth lesson learned, I just didn't want to end with the downer so I'm going to make up a learned lesson: a towel is the most useful thing a hitchhiker can carry and don't panic.

Weekend lessons

I'm trying to be very strict on my food this week. The idea being that if I have left over points each day, then I can treat myself for being good. It also lets me experiment a bit to determine what is really worth the points. So far, it's been a great idea and I've learned a lot.

1. I actually really like cottage cheese. I don't know why I always forget that, but I do. I eat it, remember how much I like it, and then a month later, I stop putting it on my grocery list. I think I'd just get bored with it. Well, now I'm learning to mix things into it so it's not just 'on the side' but actually the main part of the meal. I won't be getting bored with it this time.

2. Diet Pepsi with Lime is actually pretty decent which means that I have found my zero point mixer for summer BBQ's. Maybe those won't be as difficult points-wise as I assumed.

3. There is nothing more disappointing than 'treating' yourself at the Starbucks beside your grocery story because you have a whole bunch of extra points only to have them mess up your order... twice... and then you patiently wait while the barista guy has a conversation with his body before he makes your drink for the third time... and you still have to say 'I asked for non-fat' when he gets out the milk (and that's not a points related request, that's a 'anything else will make me ill for three hours' request so I'm pretty adamant about it). I am never going to Starbucks again.

4. I love my tea but that means with milk and sugar. I debated about switching to honey but that's the same number of points. I don't like sugar replacements as I find they taste artificial and nothing like sugar, so my next logical option as I drink a lot of tea is to go without sugar... or cut back on my cups of tea. Sorry mom, I like my tea with milk and sugar. It's a good thing my kettle's an inanimate object or it might start to feel neglected.

I guess I'll have to find a new use for my tea mugs.

No Pain, No Gain... for Charity

Well, I did it!

Surprisingly, jazz is one of the styles we didn't do.

On Sunday morning I got out of bed at stupid o'clock, dragged myself (and the largest coffee I could find) to the corner of Hillside and Quadra, and then danced for 9 hours. I'd have to check with a certified psychologist, but I think my willing participation may be grounds for committal. AbunDANCE was a great success (and not just because I participated)! I was holding off on this post because I was hoping to state how much we had raised but that's yet to be fully tabulated, so I'll just say that I know one person raised over $800, and two other people raised over $150. Makes my piddly little $90 seem, well, piddly, but $90 is $90 and every bit counts so I'll be happy with that.

The best part about AbunDANCE was getting to try out a million different dance styles (fine, not a million, seven) for a $15 registration fee and minimum $40 of pledges. Even if you just pledged yourself $40 (which some people did), that was a great deal. We started the morning with Yoga Dance (which is yoga set to beats of music instead of number of breaths with some Bhangra thrown in. I don't really count it as a 'dance' style although it was a good workout) so we all had a good stretch before moving on Flamenco, Bollywood/Bhangra, Salsa, Polynesian, Afro-Colombian, Hip Hop and West African. For the record, I'm definitely pursuing classes in Flamenco and (once I'm in better shape) Salsa. I'm holding off on the Salsa mostly because all the teachers I have found in Victoria are thistiny and I don't need a constant reminder that I'm not. (The Flamenco teacher on the other hand was a tall, solid, yet curvaceous woman who is a constant reminder that you don't need to be thistiny to be sexy. I have a bit of a girl-crush on her.) Afro-Colombian beat my a$$ into the ground, but if Danny was to ever start teaching in Victoria again (he's moved up to Shawnigan) I would take a class (but I'd hide at the back because it's hard!) Our final hour of dance was a doundoundba (Guinean circle dance where dancers enter the circle to do a few of their favourite moves and then return to the circle) which was a lot of fun. For the first time ever, I actually entered the circle by myself. It was a great way to cap off the day (well, that and going for dinner with a bunch of the other dancers). Was I tired? Yes. Was I sore? Yes. Did I fear that sitting down would mean I'd never stand again? Yes. Did I fall asleep on the couch, halfway through an email once I got home? Yes. Will I be back next year? HELL YES!!

I'm back from my week off and will be running again. I was hoping to go on Monday, but 9 hours of dance on Sunday made that a big, fat no-way-Jose. To help with the whole 'be healthier' thing, I'm joining WeightWatchers... in about a month. I keeping trying to hold myself accountable for my food choices, but the truth is, I suck at it. I have zero willpower when it comes to food so putting me in charge of it... dumb, dumb, dumb. I've found meetings that work for my carless-wonder self, but with my current schedule I will have to wait a few weeks before jumping in. I 'did' WeightWatchers (which means someone gave me all the books and I followed it) and was very successful at it but then I moved to Germany/Switzerland, the lands of chocolate, cheese, Schwarzwaldtorte (Black Forest Cake), mochas in cereal bowls, Susi's home cooking, the Irish Times Pub, and the Apfeltasche (Apple turnover) breakfasts. I never really recovered. It's time to change that and WeightWatchers seems like the way to go. If I'm serious about the half-marathon in October then I can't just train for it by running.

Excuse me? Wie bitte?

I have spent much of my life being the 'I would like to' girl. I rock at the 'I would like to', but I am a horrible disaster when it comes to the follow-through. I want to change that; I'm going to take that 'I would like to' girl and change her into the 'I will' girl. I will (see it's happening already) stop thinking how nice something would be to accomplish but instead set the goal, make a plan and achieve it. Ultimately, that's what I really want from this whole journey that I'm on. "I would like to hike the Chilkoot Trail" became "I will hike the Chilkoot Trail". I set a goal (with a few mini-goals ahead of it), I've made a plan, and I'm doing it. If we were German, I'd be changing from möchten to müssen.

Wow, look at me getting all bilingual with the German! Isn't that random? No, it's not. I used to speak German fairly fluently. I used to write entire papers in German. German people who I'd meet in Victoria (I worked in the tourist industry) used to think I was Swiss because of my accent and vocabulary. Used to. I went to write to a friend a few weeks back and after 20 minutes of struggling to complete the first paragraph, I gave up and wrote to them in English. Well, German, I'm here to tell you that "I would like to speak German again" has become "I will speak German again". I've set my goal, I've made a plan and (as of this past weekend) I'm doing it. For those of you near me, get ready for me to say things in English and then repeat them in German. This is my pre-emptive apology: I'm sorry. Es tut mir Leid.

I continue to set various goals related to health/fitness on top of these 'other' goals. My eatting could still be cleaner, but for the moment I'm choosing to concentrate on drinking more water and going to bed earlier. Water's a big one for me because I'd be lying if I said I drink more than three glasses a day. I know... BAD! My goal for the next two weeks is to drain my 750ml Camelbak at least twice each day. As for the sleep, I've gotten into the really bad habit of staying up until midnight when I have to wake up for 6:30. It hasn't totally done me in yet as I have days off for school and usually find myself still averaging out to eight hours a night per week, but sleeping until 10:00 on my days off is really annoying for someone who used to never sleep in past 8. Hopefully, I can do these two tiny things for two weeks (roughly the end of the month) and I can cross them off my goal list.

And finally, I want to wish everyone a Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Or, as my dad taught me to say it years ago, Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig! I've been listening to the Fureys (my dad's favourite band), Christy Moore (my favourite aunt's favourite singer), and Na Casaidigh (a completely Irish group from Co. Donegal) to get into the right frame of mind for the celebrations. I with you all a safe and happy day of pretending you're one of 'my people' ;-)

All of my Ireland pictures are on my family computer, so I am reduced to finding ones online. I tried to find something personal to me, so here you go. It was in this church that I used to light candles for my granddad who passed away when my dad was eight. That row of houses includes my Grannie's old house. I remember playing in the front yard and my Uncle Kevin running out of the house to shoo us all inside because a funeral procession was coming and it is disrespectful to watch it go out. It was an exciting day when we were finally deemed 'old enough' to be given money and walk into town on our own to buy our 99's. I could go on and on about it, but I will just say that the regular trips to Ireland as a child are so much a part of who I am today that I often just tell people I'm from there because it's easier than explaining the real story.

Nostalgia is the best seasoning

I know food is a big issue for me and I need to strive to make improvements in this area. I'm usually a fairly decent eater who loves to cook things from scratch, but I'm too willing to give into my cravings. A little bit here, a little bit there and it all adds up through out the day/week/month. My department at work is notorious for our food days, something we do almost bi-monthly, and as healthy as many of us try to be there's always someone who forgets and just picks up a bag of chips on his/her way in to work. Potato chips are my weakness as I love savory. I like sweet; I enjoy sweet. I love savory; I crave savory. To combat this on our last food day, I brought in nothing so I ate nothing. Well, that's not totally true; I was badgered into trying some guacamole. "It's the best you will have ever tasted." "It's heavenly; you have to try it." My coworkers were falling over themselves to compliment the guy who made it, and after the fifteenth time of being told to try it, I gave in. It was mediocre, at best. I faked an 'mmmmmmm', returned to my desk and was more than happy to ignore the table for the rest of the day after that waste of my taste buds.

So I know that food is an issue that I have to work on and what am I eating as I type this? Rice. White rice. Which I fried in oil after I cooked it. I have taken the unhealthiest rice option and made it worse. Why didn't I just serve it on a donut while I was at it? I have brown rice in the apartment (I actually prefer the taste of brown rice, I find white fairly bland... like the guacamole I mentioned above), but it had to be white rice and it had to be fried. I am having a nostalgia meal, and this meal takes me back to Tanzania and my roommate, K.

K and I met volunteering at the same orphanage outside of Arusha, TZ. We were roommates and immediately hit it off. When it came time for her to leave and continue on her travels, I took two weeks off to join her for part of it. We had a great time and by the time we hard parted ways, we had spent 51 days together. Because we were roommates, there was only 2 days that we were not together for 24 hours. Oh, how I wanted to go all the way to South Africa with her and when she extended the invitation it pained me to say no, but I had made a commitment to the orphanage that I had to honour. We've kept in touch through emails and the occasional letter, especially lately as she's thinking about coming out to Victoria/Vancouver this summer. In the meantime, she's off on another adventure; she's been in Egypt for a month and is about to cross into Jordan, and will make her way up to Turkey. After an exchange of emails about things to do when she's in Victoria (I suggested surf lessons up in Tofino, she thought that would be great... what have I gotten myself into?) I receive the following: We had so much fun travelling in Tanzania, why don't you come meet me in Turkey? That was it; just one simple sentence and I spend days dreaming about the idea.

I can't go to Turkey, not that I don't want to, but I've got school and a glaring lack of money staring me in the face. I turned down the offer and instead took a trip down memory lane. Not as exciting or glamorous as just packing up and heading off for adventure, but much cheaper and just as smile-inducing. That's were the fried rice comes in. See, we didn't have a microwave in our kitchen and K and I both had a horrible habit of cooking too much rice (they don't have brown rice in Tanzania... at least, not readibly available at the market. You have to go to the expensive "western shops" to get it), so breakfast often ended up being fried rice with a fried egg and a fried tomato (although I was the only one who had the fried tomato... Irish family) all cooked in Blue Band "spread" (a margarine product, what ever that means).

The good thing about K coming out to Victoria is that she's a very active person and it's giving me an added kick in the pants to get the food thing sorted and to stop letting exercises slip just because I'm doing something else (not nearly as) active. Now not only do I have the Juan de Fuca trail to do this year (in a matter of months--eek!) but now I'm probably going to have to do a pop-up on a surf board. That would be a heck of a lot easier if I'm carry around less weight. Come on self, you can do this... as soon as I finish my rice and fried egg dinner.

Addendum: K, incidentally, makes the best guacamole I have ever had. She'd make it and we'd eat it on toast for dinner.

Quick thoughts in a short time

I am sitting in my living room on a fabulous, West Coast January day. My kitties are stretched out in the little patches of sun which make it through my north facing window and I have (more or less) successfully completed two weeks of the six week 'learn to run' program I suckered myself and THR into. It has not been without its ups and downs--the first Friday a nagging calf muscle turned it into a speedwalking outting, this past Friday a siezed back muscle turned it into a laydown with the heating pad--but for the most part I'm proud of the effort that I've put into it. I really don't know if I would haven't gotten this far without the addition of THR with me. 'Planning on doing' and 'actually doing' are two very different things and it would be very easy to have never gotten out of the planning stage if I didn't have someone else I was responsible to in this whole ordeal. I've also really come to enjoy the social aspect of the work out. I forgot how much chatter can go on during the walking portions (the running portions, the chatter is pretty much all her and I 'gaa-waa-gaa-waa' beside her).

Clothing is fitting better (again) and that's always a very positive reinforcement. It's nothing huge--no big numbers--but any little thing that helps keep the motivation up there is a good thing. At one point today, I looked down for no particular and noticed that I had to lean forward to see my stomach. Given the size of my boobs that isn't a huge achievement, but the fact that at one point I didn't have to lean forward means something to me. It means all these little changes are adding up.

For all my good intentions, food is still my biggest challenge. I like food, it's part of the reason I am this way. I'm trying to eat healthier and make better choices, but then we have food day at work and a few chips here and a few chips there... My ability to say no to these unhealthy foods that I do love is pretty much non-existent. It's something I know I must work on in the coming weeks/months. I run an inner dialouge pretty much everytime I eat something I know I shouldn't be that doesn't seem to stop me. Perhaps an outer dialouge while other people are around... a few slaps across the face, perhaps some hair pulling... there's potential in there for a great way to motivate myself, I'm sure of it.

"A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should." ~Anonymous

I had big plans for today. It was supposed to be the start of both my six week learn-to-run plan and a six week eating plan. Then I remembered that I would be heading to Vancouver this coming weekend which would mean I'd miss two of the four walk/runs and starting an eating plan before a weekend of eating out, well, that's just dumb. As a result, today was changed to a 'walk only' and my learning to love running will have to wait a week.


That's right, I'm back on the learn-to-run plan, following a schedule which alternates walk/run days with resistance training days. I'm looking at it like a self-motivated bootcamp: six weeks, regular work outs, regulated eating, and (again) only six weeks. I can do pretty much anything for six weeks (or at least that's what I'm telling myself). Just like bootcamp, I have roped a friend into joining me, at least for the learn-to-run part. It's the same friend, in fact, that I roped into doing bootcamp with me.

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." Ralph Waldo Emerson

For all my willingness to strike up conversations with strangers and to befriend people while I travel, I am a very socially awkward person. After years of being that kid on the outside looking in, I never really know when I've crossed from aquaintance to friend. When I make a new friend, I'm always hesitant to use the term 'friend'. I say coworker, aquaintance, colleague, the list goes on, but never friend until I'm really, really sure that we are just that. I can't put into words how much I treasure the friends I have because goodness knows how I'd replace them (well, other than with my oft mentioned one-cat-per-friend plan).


All my friends have been very supportive in their own ways, but to have one of my bestest friends willing join me in my six weeks is awesome. We met tonight at the top of St. Charles St, walked down to Ross Bay Cemetary, slogged around the block and back up the hill to Fort St. We talked about work, mutual friends, personal issues, the usual girl stuff, and when I slowed down because, well, I'm unfit, she kept going and it spurred me on to keep up, to push on up the hill without stopping for a break. She told me my job was to keep on her over the next six weeks to make sure she didn't miss any walk/runs and I will. Not just to keep her on track but to also keep myself on track.


To everyone who has cheered me on with words and hugs, becoming a fellow hiker, sending inspirational pictures, or what-have-you; from the very bottom of my heart I say thank you. I may not be the most natural at making life-long friends but some how I seemed to have ended up with some of the very best in the whole world.

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” A.A Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Want anything from the shop?

Thanks to Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, the answer to the above question is, and always will be, "Cornetto." Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg are the writing team behind 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz', both take-offs of the horror and cop/buddy drama genres respectively. These are the first two instalements of the "Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy" (Simon Pegg has claimed on Twitter that writing on the third film will be completed this year). I decided, when I got up this morning, that I was going to put these two movies on while I did various chores around the apartment however, I forgot the awesome product placement which always ends with me wanting a Cornetto (well, actually a Nestle Drumstick as we don't actually have Cornettos here, or at least I can't find them). The one upside is that this did get me out and about on a day when I had no apartment leaving activities planned.

At this point you're probably trying to figure out why I'm telling you about Cornetto's and my need to eat one after I watch the above movies. What, you may be asking yourself, does this have to do with ChilkootChubby? And ultimately, isn't eatting a Cornetto counterproductive to your goal? Well, yes it is, but the reason for my popping in movies this morning is very much in keeping with my goal. I woke up this morning and like so many other mornings that I'm not working, I sat down with my cup of tea and laptop to check my email, but unlike so many other mornings I didn't turn on the tv because, well, I can't. I've cancelled my cable.

I've been toying with the idea for quite some time, debating the pros and cons of doing it, but with the final season of LOST coming up I figured I'd just keep it until that was done and then I'd debate getting ride of it. One evening, however, something inside me just snapped and I immediately phoned and cancelled. I don't know if it was the realisation that I had spent four hours just watching tv and couldn't even tell you what I had watched, or if I realised I was trying to plan my exercise schedule around certain programs, or maybe I had just reached 'that point' in my decision making. If I'm not really sure, then who is? I practically begged them on the phone to come right then and there; I had made up my mind, and like removing a bandaid, I wanted the quick response. Gone, done, finito, before I had a chance to change my mind.


It's not until the cable was actually gone that I realised what a habit it was in my life. Even doing housechores, I'll put the tv on in the background. Today, I chose to fill that background void with movies I hadn't watched in a while (hence the Cornetto intro) but I still found myself wanting to randomly and mindlessly flip to see what was on certain channels. I felt a slight sadness at certain points during the day, but then I went to figure out workout times and suddenly I had hours of free time. Hours! *Poof* and the idea of no cable became very liberating.


As for the shows I like, I've already discovered that the Daily Show is available within 24hrs on the Comedy Network webpage, LOST is big enough that I don't feel guilty about perhaps aquiring it by 'other means', my other current sci-fi favourite is a family affair so I'll just continue to watch it with them, and the rest of them? Well, Mythbusters and Destination Truth I'll miss but I think I'll survive without the rest.

Listing my lists

Once again, I am changing up my Sunday blog plan for family reasons. My mom and I are heading up to Chemainus for a little girl time and some live theatre. Be prepared for some 'Oklahoma' inspired puns in my next blog. I'm just a girl who can't say no... to a pun (but kissin' is my favourite thing).

As a result of various factors, the six plan nutrition plan has gone out the window. Being summer, many unplanned social engagements emerged and after three days of visiting friends/family or partaking in social activities, I made the decision to retry the plan at a later date. With the schedule planned to start in September, socialising is going to become very rare so it will probably much more successful at that time (going back to school, more on that later). This isn't to say that I've completely fallen of the nutrition wagon, I've just gone back to a more fluid meal planning option.

I realised today that I have a lot of odd jobs that I've been overlooking while the weather has been nice. I mean, I've swept and Swiffer washed the kitchen floor, but it's been a while since I actually scrubbed it. I tend to make lots of 'to do' lists to keep myself on track, but I have a wonderful habit of misplacing them, or leaving them at work. It's not so much that I'm forgetful about the tasks at hand, but more that I'm very easily distracted. Realising that I had written five 'to do' lists in the last week and had only gotten one of the jobs actually completed, I came upon the idea that I needed huge lists which I couldn't lose. On my way home, I stopped at London Drugs, bought some paper and pens, and spent the evening making these large lists. They're now taped all over my walls, broken up into different categories and time lengths. The overly large, daily reminders should get me off my ass to get the jobs done. I do have to be honest however, task two on the list above is on pretty much every list and I know plenty of girl's who also have that on their 'to do' lists.

I bought some new socks this week. I decided to actually look around at the sock options, and decided upon a set of five 'bamboo cloth' socks by Adidas. They were hanging next to my usual socks which I have loved for the last 10 years (also Adidas) and I was wooed by the two extra pairs with the fancy material for the same price. Well, I wore a pair today for the first time and I wish I could take them back. I hadn't even worn them for a full 10 hours and both of them have holes where the big toes should be. The knit of the cloth is very tiny and the wholes so big that I'm not even sure I could darn them. If the other four pairs hold up this well, I will have paid $3 a wear for these socks. It was a good investment, perhaps I should put some money into Bre-X while I'm at it.

As a closer, I didn't get my picture up last week from the top of Gowlland-Tod but here's the Cascade Trail. Don't let the stairs fool you, it's like StairMaster on crack.