It Begins Again
Every year, people face the same hurdle, the same, obstacle, the same enemy. That most hated thing is known as THE SCALE. The scale mocks you when you step on it and see just how much celebrating you have done has gone to your hips, butt, thighs and waist. Every year, thousands of people swear to do something about it. Every year, thousands of people start some sort of health regime only to lose it by February.
I am no different. Ok. So, last year, I didn't lose it until April but I still lost it – the drive to exercise because, with two jobs, it was just too much trouble to get to the gym. I haven't gained anything but I haven't lost it either and, really, I should be losing. Or, at least getting healthy. I do have high blood pressure. Exercise will help with that. I sometimes have insomnia. Exercise is supposed to help with that, too.
So, Jeff and I decided to DO something about this again. We bought the Pro-Form elliptical. But, this time, we are doing something different. The machine is in the family room and not hidden in the bedroom where it would make for a lovely clothes rack. We also have agreed upon a system. He gets up first, works out, then comes up and wakes me up. I get up and work out while he gets himself ready for work.
It's a system. A routine. One that even has days off – Looks like Thursdays and Sundays for him, Sundays for me. We'll see. But, we have a plan and no excuses. I think it will work out better than the gym we paid for but never used. So far, it is working. My overall goal is to average 4 times a week, 20 minutes minimum each session.
1. 20 minutes, 156 calories, 839 revolutions, resistance 0
2. 20 minutes, 161 calories, 882 revolutions, resistance 0
3. 20 minutes, 166 calories, 926 revolutions, resistance 0
4. 20 minutes, 173 calories, 973 revolutions, resistance 0
I am a little weirded out by the fact that I am interested in politics again. I am very much against dealing with and/or discussing politics in general. I always have been. For the last eight years. I have been ashamed of my government and embarrassed by the leader we elected twice. Scratch that. Not we. They elected twice. I voted but I sure as heck did not vote for W. Bush. For the last eight years, I have winced and turned away every single time W. Bush has been on the screen. Exception – W. Bush's immediate reaction to the 9/11 attacks of not immediately panicking but finishing things with the school kids was laudable. Even if he was in shock. But that's the only exception I can think of offhand.
I feel like a beaten dog that has been rescued sometimes. I am cautiously optimistic but I keep expecting to get kicked. When I watch Barack Obama speak, I keep expecting him to say something ludicrous or inane or stupid or all of the above. Instead, I am inspired and it shocks me. Having hope, even though President Obama has inherited one heck of a mess, is a strange thing. I voluntarily listen to or watch him speak. I'm interested again.
It is a strange place to be after 20 years of not caring, too busy to care and then too ashamed/embarrassed to care. I have hope again and I'm praying Barack can make good on even half of his promises.
Most of my writing time right now has been taken up by all the editing and proofreading I'm doing on a Shadowrun project. This has been a very cool project to work on but it has been work and lots of it with a tight timeline. I can't wait to see this book come out. It is going to be very keen.
In meantime, my brain has been chewing over the other two projects I'm working on. The first is the Colonial Gothic PDF setting of Elizabethtown (now known as Hagerstown) in Maryland and cursing the lack of specific information on some of the things I want to do with it. But it is moving along and will be my main focus next week.
The other project is just a short story for the "The Blackness Within" anthology. I've had the basic idea of what I wanted to tell through the story but I've been stewing over just how to say it. Fortunately, I think I've made a breakthrough in how the story will be told and in whose voice. I must say, I like the idea of horror told from the point of view of a child.