Progress!

I am wearing the first pair of jeans from my "too tight to wear" pile. They are no longer too tight to wear! Not a bad way to start off the last day of the year.

Quiet Christmas

Christmas was nice. We rode our motorcycles to see a movie (Aeon Flux) and then pretty much just hung out and did nothing. A big thanks to all of you who sent us such great gifts! We loved them all. Darwin especially liked the Dammit Doll and farting reindeer card from my sister. For some reason he has been sleeping under the tree next to the doll and at one point we found him playing with the card and making it fart. We have not gone on-line yet to claim the fabulous wine cooler that Mom & Dad (Texas) got for us, but it will go very well with the wine from Dad & Mom (Kansas). The art kit form Mom & Dad (Colorado) will be put to good use since I am always complaining about lack of a creative outlet at work. I can even take some of my art supplies with me around town in the cool red purse from my sister!

On Christmas Eve Jeremy & Tiana came over and brought us an arcade-style Dance Dance Revolution dance pad. There was much rejoicing and trying out of game modes we didn't even know existed. We then tagged along to their friend Ferman's place in Everett where we helped make tamales and watched a movie. Very nice people! No I did not eat any tamales, but I did taste the pork filling (I even wrote it down in the food journal).

Today I get to see the dietician for my 1 week weigh in and I get my plan for the next week. I am dreaming of green beans and chicken taco salad. I'll give an update as to my progress later.

Ghost Cube Farm

I am at work and there are a total of three of us in my immediate area. That's it. What the heck? Do none of these people have work to do? I am stuck now because I can not do any more of my stuff until someone else does their stuff, and they are not here. Looks like I need to leave and go to Macy's in about an hour after I have done all the little piddly things I can possibly do. Really - what choice do I have?

We are hanging out with Jeremy & Tiana tomorrow and I requested that we do something non-food related. It's hard to be around people who are eating good stuff when all I can eat is lean meat and protein shakes. I am so excited about getting to eat vegetables next week!

Dragging Again

I want a nap. I am sitting in my cube up at work toiling away at curriculum for our new product, but all I want to do is go home and sleep. It's Wednesday, that means session 2 of 3 for the week with my trainer is from 4:00 - 5:30 and then we are supposed to go to a birthday party at a karaoke/Chinese place that starts at 9:00PM. Don't know if I will make it.

I asked two people I know what they thought about Bush authorizing domestic intelligence gathering without going through the courts and neither one of them had any idea what I was talking about. Do most people live in an isolation bubble? Come on - I don't even have a TV and I am current on the news. I am not at all able to talk politics with the politico junkies about town, but I am also not completely ignorant of what's going on outside of my own little life.

I bought Madonna's new album Confessions on a Dancefloor for download yesterday - I love it. Not only is it good music, it got me through an hour long workout without being bored. I have been listening to a few more podcasts lately too...Daegal Brain Podcasts, Dance Department, Shyla Di Chutney with Dj Shyla (Punjabi music)...and They Might Be Giants Podcast. Interesting stuff.

Gifts are a weird thing. I love to find gifts and buy them for people, but I am always afraid they won't like them, thus the first 15 or so ideas I have for each person usually get chucked out the window. Then there is the guilt thing. You don't want to give people gifts who may not be giving you a gift because they may feel obligated to give you something even though you tell them you don't want anything. Follow that?

Back to work.

Read all about it -- oh, you already have: Seattle is most literate city

Read all about it -- oh, you already have: Seattle is most literate city

Hmm...I know that I see a lot of people reading at restaurants and bus stops and...yeah, I guess I see people reading a lot more here than in other parts of the country. I guess I just got used to it!

Life in general

So, what have I been doing lately? Well, I was sick last week. This week:

• Monday - Wednesday I conducted internal training classes and created new reports for clients at work.
• On Tuesday, Heather, our trainer from Dallas who was joining us in Seattle for the week had to fly back home because her husband had been admitted to the hospital! Turned out to be his gall bladder which he may have to have removed. We had planned to have a baby shower for her Thursday as part of our holiday group celebration. Now we will have a virtual shower - we are sending her our gifts and a webcam and will all get together in the training room (so we can use the projector) in January to watch her open everything.
• Thursday we had our group holiday outing. Since we are all women we went to a spa downtown and then exchanged gifts at The Cheesecake Factory. It was fabulous!
• Friday I went baby shopping for a family in need that we have "adopted" at work. (One of three large families). It was so fun to buy baby stuff.
• Friday I also had my initial physical assessment in the 20/20 program. They weighed and measured and tested and prodded and took pictures. Next Friday is my first session with my trainer. From then on it's going to be a bit different!

Details about 20/20 - I am in a 15 week program with a 12 week follow up. Starting the week BEFORE Christmas and lasting until 3/29/06 my schedule looks like this:

• M/W/F Physical Training session for an hour and 1/2. Yes, that's right, 90 minutes.
• T 30 minute session with the dietician and 60 minutes of cardio.
• the 90 minute group session and 60 minutes of cardio.
• Various appointments with the doctors every 3 weeks or so.

Yeah - it's a BIG DEAL. Then for the period of 3/30 - 6/15 it's less intense, but they are still monitoring everything and working with me. The success rate of this program is phenomenal and I am really excited about it. My knees are excited too, they are getting tired of hauling my big butt around. :)

Today I went out and bought a few more exercise clothes and I just have to get a heart monitor and I'll be ready. Of course, there is one more party before the big program starts - Monday night, Del Ray, Starbucks Creme Liquor Party! Should be fun.