Milestones

It's been almost a month since my last post here and I do feel bad about the long absence, but it's been a productive month. During the month of June I was busy caring for my health, taking driving lessons and preparing for my dog to come and live with me.

As for caring for my health goes, I'm not doing too bad. A few inflammatory issues, but nothing to write home to mom about. I do have one thing of note to post. I have lost over 40lbs now. I'm now weighing-in at numbers that start with a '1' instead of a '2'. It's a pretty significant achievement I think. Before I know it, I'll be at my goal.

I did manage to finally get my drivers license. I achieved a perfect score on my driving test. Not a single demerit. It's about time I finally managed to get that done! It only took my 15 years to get it.

With my drivers license comes the gift of a truck from my BFF. She doesn't need her little, old Ranger so it is coming to stay with me till it breaks down or I can afford something new. The truck may be free, but getting it here comes with a price tag I can only just manage. It's a small bit of stress, but I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end.

My dog, I may have mentioned her once or twice, has finally come to live with me and the last few weeks have been quite the adjustment for all of us. The cats are slowly getting better with her and she's not as terrified as she once was of them. It's more of a struggle getting her used to city life, but we're working on it. We may also be facing a move in the next few weeks....if my management company ever gets back to me!

I do have to sadly report that I have failed at the 365 photo project. I seemed to have stopped everything for the month of July.... I will post some of the photos and I probably will give it another try, but my life is so boring that I run out of ideas of what I can take a picture of!

I'll try again to be a bit more regular on my writing here, but that means I'll have to turn on my computer...Something I've hardly done in the last month!

A New Addiction

It's been a while since I've posted something because I have become pre-occupied lately. I seem to have a new focus and I am still learning how to balance my life with this new focus.

I am still working on my 365 photos. I'll get around to uploading those and posting them. I swear. I just need to find my balance.

Those who know me and follow me elsewhere on the internets may know that I got "pressured" into joining a gym. I am not a gym person, but with several friends joining and an incredible deal on, I gave in.

Since I have joined I have been going neatly every day. Or if I'm not going to the gym, I'm out getting some other sort of activity. Even on the days I go for a run in the morning, I still go to the gym after work.

Yeah. It's like an addiction. I am trying hard to make fitness a habit for me. I am trying to make like an addiction. If I have a hard day, I want my default to be to go for a run or to the gym. Not reach for food or drink.

I may not be the sort of person who gives in to addiction, but this is one habit I want to form. I want a body I can be proud of. I want to be strong, fit and healthy.

So please excuse the mess while I attempt to make this adjustment in my life. I just need to get this new addiction sorted out.

Running

It is is obviously time for me to start running again. Last night I was feeling quite restless so I decided to go for a little walk. Not a very long one, it was only about a 3 km loop. Just something to get me out of the house for a few minutes.

Once I was out on the path by the river, I no longer felt like walking. I wanted to run. Just run flat out and stretch my legs, watch the scenery fly by me. I felt the need to move.

Only problem was, I wasn't dressed for running. No matter how tight I do up my belt, my pants still slip. I was wearing skater shoes and a hoodie as well. No, I wasn't dressed at all for running. And I ran anyway.

I ran until my pants were falling down and lungs were hurting. Then I pulled up my pants and ran a bit further. I did this for the whole 3 km and I realized that I must have fallen in love with running even though I haven't run since the half-marathon a year ago. I never would have thought that it was possible for me.

I went home, and I fell asleep. And when I woke up this morning and saw the rain, I thought - I can run in this. It's not that bad.

So, I need to set a reasonable goal. I want to start, but being able to run the full 3km loop I did last night. I'd like to do it in under 15 min.

Then I am going find a 5km route and practice that till I can run it straight through as well. And then I am going to keep going. Moving up the distance, trying to shorten the time. I'd like to be able to run a 10 km race in under an hour.

Yup. I have goals. And those little goals are going to get me to my next half-marathon. The Hypothermic Half in Calgary in Jan/Feb.

Oh, and as a bonus, my foot only bothered me a little bit during and after the run. Whatever is wrong with it, it's not doing too bad so away I go.

Adventures of the Midnight Walker

Last night, I went for a walk in the rain. I hadn't planned on walking in the rain, but when I left my place at 19h30 to head out to games night I knew that it was a real possibility. There was also a possibility that one of the guys might be able to give me a ride home, but I wasn't counting on it. The Doc had given me the okay to walk and I was going to do just that. Games night was a great success, played a couple of fun games and had a good time. Win or lose, I usually have a great time because every usually plays fair.

22h20 and the night was over. It had started raining earlier and none of the usuals were around to give me a ride home. That was okay, I came from a rainy place and my ancestors came from a rainy place. I wasn't going to melt.

I donned my hoodie and hiking shoes and off I went. It wasn't pouring buckets, it was just a nice moderate rain. Almost a light rain at times. The slight breeze was a problem, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't just ignore the slight chill.

It wasn't long into the walk that I noticed the mist. Although it hadn't been a warm day the surface temperature was obviously much higher than that of the rain. In the sickly orange glow of the street lights - and the occasional more welcoming glow of a porch light - I could see the soft cloud shifting and dancing it's way across the road.

As the wind picked up the dance became more violent and towers of mist rose up towards their brethren in the sky. Not quite reaching high enough before disappearing. The occasional passing car stirred the mist up even more.

It was this beauty that I wondered at as I walked. I ignored the pain in my heel from where my shoe rubbed against it. I ignored the chill of the wind and the pervasive dampness that numbed my skin. I focused on the little bits of wonder around me.

Eventually I was home, soaked to the skin, heel bleeding, but pretty much happy all the same. Happy and with a hot drink in hand.

I was happy because of the mist that kept trying to reach for the sky. Happy that I was able to walk at all.

Adventures of the Socially Inept

Just the other day I went plant shopping with a friend. There was a wholesale greenhouse that was having a one day retail sale. We decided to go check it out. Neither of us needed much, but it was something to do.

When we got there she realized that the greenhouse only took cash or credit - no debit. I gave her the okay to abandon me to go find some cash so I wandered around on my own for a bit. Mostly sticking by the herbs and veggies since I have a preference for useful plants.
A very tall and rather cute guy started talking to me. He had volunteered to help out at the sale (the proceeds were going to local highschool sports team). He was joking around and of course I played along.

Every time he walked by he made a point of talking to me. Mostly joking, sometimes leaning towards serious. When my friend returned he left, but every time she walked away to check out another plant, he was back talking to me.

He even made a joke about how he should have worn a muscle shirt and walked around flexing his pecs as he asked people if they needed help carrying things. Unfortunatly, we left soon after and my friend turned to me to asked if I had gotten his name and number.
"Wait, so he was hitting on me?" I stopped and frowned. "I was wondering about that. I mean, he could just be nice. But he really was cute wasn't he?"

My friend rolled her eyes and just walked on ahead,

So there you have it my friends. I spent fifteen minutes chatting with a hot guy who was hitting on me and I didn't even realize. Perhaps if I had, I'd be going out on a date this friday instead of staying home like always.

365 Photos: Days 7, 8, 9 & 10

Day Seven - May 5th, 2012



I spent the entire weekend waiting on puppies. Ended up reading the entire Hunger Games trilogy as I waited for my dog to go into labour. By the time I realized there was no puppies coming this day, the sun was setting over the town.

Day Eight - May 6th, 2012



And here is where I spent a good deal of the weekend. Sunday night didn't involve much sleep. Almost no sleep really. Although I left this comfy recliner for a bed, I should have just stayed in the chair. It would have come to the same thing.

Day Nine - May 7th, 2012



Although I went home to sleep, the actual sleep eluded me. Instead I got a call saying that my dog was starting some light labour pains. I called around for a ride, but no luck. So I decided to walk from my city to the town where my dog (and her breeder) live. I was maybe another thirty or forty minutes out when a pizza delivery guy offered me a ride. I had been walking for about 1h30m maybe 1h40m at that point.

Day Ten - May 8th, 2012



As you can tell from reading the clock, I took this picture on the way to work in the morning. It more represents the week and not just the day. Still, it was a yet another day of waiting on Naven to deliver the puppies.

365 Photos: Days 4, 5 & 6

Day Four - May 2nd, 2012



Yet another exhausting day. Not so much because of work, but because I was Naven sitting. This isn't a very special or artsy picture. It's just a picture of the dog that will soon be mine, laying around with a belly full of puppies.

She's due any day now and I was on Naven watch just in case she went into labour early while my friend (and registered Standard Poodle breeder) took her show dog up to the handler to go to a show in Saskatoon.

Day Five - May 3rd, 2012



This is the night that I finally got some sleep. I didn't take a picture of that. I took a picture of the reason why my calves are killing me. Morning and afternoon break times are no longer the time where I sit at my computer and play on pinterest. Now I climb up and down those stairs for my fifteen minute breaks.

That's right, look at those five stories worth of climbing I'm doing!

Day Six - May 4th, 2012



This is my lunch hour. A leisurely stroll up a moderate hill. It's not much for me to do this, but it's still moving, it's still burning calories and as my walking buddy gets better at this hill, we'll start adding more distance to this walk!