Click this link for a horrifying picture of a Hamas kindergarten graduation.

The Birthday: Now I am 32. :) That's happy.

I got a new bag, 2 DVDs, the new Moby disc, a lollipop, crayons, a Powerpuff girls watch with 3 interchangable bands, 2 cool photo frames, an excellent Starbucks travel mug, a nice dinner, some lovely scented soaps, a candle that looks like a birch tree and glows from inside, and a $40 gift card to a DVD store.

What does this say about me? Apparently I enjoy cartoons, movies and soap. Yep! That's me. :)

I also got two dozen roses. They are gorgeous.

The Workout: Am now on Week 4, day 2. Or I just finished it this morning. This next tape is really kicking my behind, or should I say, making it disappear. On the one hand, it's so hard. On the other, it's so worth it to have less backside. The payoff has begun to exceed the effort required.

But my arms are weak, my back muscles hurt, and I am generally sore and crabby. Two more days of pain and I should be better able to keep up.

I can do this. I can do this. There is no way I'm going to quit now after all this work. I haven't missed a workout, which is practically a miracle. Despite my complaints I love the workout and I feel good.

MG

Yesterday I started week 4 of workouts. It was difficult, challenging and fun.

Today I did it again. I didn't keep up as well. My back hurrrrts. My arms feel weak. Blah.

But on the upside, I look MUCH better and can tell when I am walking that my backside is MUCH smaller.

Must keep going.
mg

A couple of really god articles:

Rich Lowry on the Jose Padilla Detention - National Review Online

and

A Screed Addressing America's College Students

Week 3, day 3 - I am now officially more than halfway. All of us on the program seem to have hit a weight-loss plateau, but this is the week where the muscle-building is really supposed to kick in.

The payoff has surpassed the effort required. I am certainly not going to quit. I am not even considering that.

I can see it working; flatter stomach, smaller legs, and my behind actually looks nice for the first time in a long time. Also, importantly, I am no longer stressed out. I am still grumpy (which is a side effect of the workouts I was warned about) but I am not tense.

Spent last night hanging out with my friend's new daughter. We had a great time. She is precious.

Life is real good.
MG

Week 3, Day 1: Yes, I am still at it. Today my heart rate didn't seem to get really up there until I'd been working out for 10 minutes or so. That's pretty cool. That's progress, baby!

My brother has a new kitten. Now they have three cats: Mr. Muffy, Puddin' Pie, and Gary. (Does anyone else think that is just hilarious??)

Someone on the radio this morning gave her title as Vice President of Romance. Ha!

Email me sometime: Mean Girl.

:)

New book: Holy War, Inc.

So far it's fascinating and I greatly admire Peter Bergen.

Week 2, Day 3 report: Did workout. Leg lifts were not so bad (squats were worse). Very tired and sore. Must do tomorrow.

Things to remember: "Don't quit today. You can do one more day." "More sleep."

Fiona is asleep under the window next to my slippers. She peed on my pj bottoms again. She does something stupid and then cuddles up in a heap and looks so cute I can't be angry.

But my jammies are smelly! :(
MG

Week 2, Day 2: Not too sore today. That's good.

In other news: I am not sure about this dirtybombdude thing. On one hand, you want people like that off the streets if there is probable cause.

On the other hand, he's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, and not supposed to be held unless he is charged with something.

There are arguments for and against. I'm not sure what to think.

MG

Inside Silicon Pines, Assisted Computing Facility : I look forward to Cut and Paste Night.

SatireWire | GREENPEACE WILL NOW OPPOSE EVERYTHING.

Week 2, day 1 update:
The workout I feared is behind me. It was easier to do today than the first EASY day of the first tape. There is a sadistic back leg-lift mess about 20 minutes from the end, which hurts, but hey, it's WORKING if it does!

I have an actual knot in my right triceps, on the top of my arm. I am not sure what to do about it.

Today Dr C said I adjusted better than I ever have. Hmm...

I can hang!
MG

Day 7 progress report: This is the first day I kind of blew it because I ate pizza. But not too much pizza.

I am pretty sure I'm lactose-intolerant (that's pretty). I spent the day huddled over my desk in pain. Bought some Lactaid. We'll see if it works.

Today is day 8. Or week 2, day 1! The important thing is that I made it through week 1. Now if I can make it through today! I go up a step in intensity in my workouts tonight. I am trying not to think about it too hard.

I learned an important lesson today. My body feels better when I work out. Yes, folks, I was up at 7am today doing the ab tape just to be doing something to get my heart rate up and make my muscles feel awake.

I am not going to quit. Not today anyway.

Have been reading bits and pieces of Quest for Love. I don't know why I picked it up again but I seemed to need the dose of Elisabeth Elliot.

One thing really strikes me. This is a book about all the times that God has intended for people to be together and most of the time the circumstances looked horrible and off to the people who were involved. But they waited. They took God at His word that He would provide what they needed and they sat back to wait.

"Faint heart never won fair lady." Anthony Trollope. Hahaha.

Well, the best part the story of a missionary man and this woman he loved for six years. She barely thought of him; he wrote her a letter that said, in effect, You have become a missionary to China without knowing anything about the Chinese people except the barest minimum. You know that it is God's will that you do this, and you are confident that because it is His will, He will give you His love for the Chinese. Apply the same clear logic to my proposal. If it is God's will that we marry, will He not give you the love for me you need?

AHG! Now that is where I have no faith. I think that when someone is interested in me I must be interested in them or I can't consider anything. But here is an example showing that is not true. Must rethink.

Anyway, I am still happy with singlehood but am not sure it is a permanent situation. I couldn't tell you why.

MG

One of these things is not like the others.

Thanks to trippyswell for the link.

day 6: workout went fine, feel leaner and healthier.

need to eat much more than I have been eating (17-18 blocks instead of 12-13) because of workout intensity.

praying I do not get sick.

my percentage of body fat went down this week.

mg

Weekly weigh-in: I am down 4 pounds.

Yippee!

Did ab tape today. Despite the fact that I have never felt my stomach burn so much (not even when I did 500+ rowing situps a practice), I made it through.

Onward.
MG

Day 5, progress report:

Lost:
from waist, 1 inch
from belly, 1 1/2 inches
from hips, 2 inches
from calves, 1/2 inch
from neck, 1/2 inch

no change in upper arm or thigh.

But hey, that's GREAT! :) Incentive!!
MG

Week 1, day 4 of personal boot camp passed without a hitch, except I forgot to drink the required amount of water. I got 50 oz in. Oops.

I did work out; I ate well, slept enough, etc.

I feel good.
MG

Day 3, week 1 of Personal Boot Camp.

I ate properly.
I worked out, hard.
I am going to bed for my 7 hours.
I took a shower. Tee hee.
I drank enough water.
I took my vitamins and MSM.

I have done everything I can do today to be healthy.

Phil gave me some Buechner to read tonight. It was amazing. Buechner always hits me straight where I live; he pulls off the facade I've so brilliantly shaped and leaves it lying in a heap. This excerpt I read was from A Room Called Remember , and was about how the feel-good sermons most churches preach do a disservice to the gospel.

Then I read a chapter on Love. It was pretty nice too.

Happiness.
MG

PS: I liked the videos a lot, though I must have the weakest arms on the planet. Eek, eek, eek.

Big thunderstorm last night. As predicted, Fiona freaked out. She hid under the bed all night.

Casper has died. My heart is broken. He weighed 8 pounds when he died. He was Kirsten's cat; when we lived together, he lived with us. He was deaf, 18 pounds of feline blub and so lazy he laid down to eat. But we loved Cappy. And now he's gone - he was 12 years old.

I miss the furry white fluffball.
MG

A shout-out to my homeboy Micah, where pink is the new pink.

What I did so far today: ate healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, drank 50oz. water + 1 glass since 7am. I also ate a piece of cake at the shower and now I have a headache from the sugar.

Okay, minus the cake that's pretty good. What am I going to do tonight? Work. Buy cereal. Stay off the dang telephone (I am exhausted after three marathon conversations last night).

Hm. Maybe my videos will be here and I can try one of them out tonight.

MG

It just occured to me that I am very good at covering things up.

Next bit:

What new behaviours do you need to start?
Drinking 100 oz of water per day, doing something physical every single day instead of when I feel like it, sleeping enough.

What old behaviours do you need to stop? Being lazy, talking myself out of doing things I want to do, and eating crap food when it's convenient.

What will I change today? I'll get a refill on protein powder and stop having crap food for breakfast. I feel better when I do this anyway.