oh.

so i haven't been posting the past few days because my name never showed up on the nablopomo list. posting everyday is nice, but i wasn't going to find time to do it when my schedule was swamped, since i wasn't even on the official list of participants.

of course, today when i looked at the list, my name is on it. i guess one could say that i'm irked. irked at myself for not continuing to post, and irked that my name wasn't on the list until nearly two weeks after this thing started.

grumble, grumble.

so in order to keep my spirits up, i'm going over to a friend's house and pretending to be interested in the nfl game on, and then going "shopping" (i'll be window-shopping, as i don't have anything i need right now except for two pairs of shoes and a pair of jeans) with a group of my girls whom i haven't seen at all this semester.

i'm filling up the day, trying to make the time go by faster so that john will get here sooner. he comes tomorrow afternoon, and i've been beside myself with excitement for the past week.

Nablopomo Initiation:

Last 5 songs I listened to:

1. You Were Meant for Me -- Jewel. It's so melancholy, and the wistfulness in her voice twists my heartstrings.
2. She -- Elvis Costello. So pretty and romantic! It makes me think of walking down a London street at night in late fall, wrapped up in John's arms, wearing a skirt that is too short for the weather, and tall heels, but not feeling the cold because I'm so happy to be with him.
3. Just Perfect -- Tracy Bonham. It's on my playlist because it's from "Bridget Jones's Diary," and it's pretty dreary and depressing. This song is like one of those evenings where you're alone, not wanting to see anyone -- and yet wishing that someone would come seek you out...loud raindrops strike the windows, then melt down the glass in streaks that warp the scene outside, morphing the happy people walking past into, seemingly, scenes from Picasso's dreams.
4. Twelve Two -- shiverydelicious. I love her voice, and this song is so touching.
5. Light and Day -- Yann Tiersen. From the Amelie soundtrack; it sounds like water cascading over stones on a sunny day.


Last 5 movies I saw:

1. Amelie [inspires me every single time I watch it; also has the side-effect of making me want to travel to France NOW; I made John watch it last time he was here, not too big of a challenge since it features Audrey Tautou.]
2. Ghost [part of John's quest to fill the pop-culture void known as my Early Formative Years. Yes, it made me cry. Yes, I laughed; I mean, really. It's Patrick Swayze.]
3. 12 Angry Men [ OoOOOoooh. Henry Fonda, you look like John! Excellent film.]
4. Peter and the Wolf [Disney version. I have to watch it every year at the first snowfall. Go ahead, laugh, but it's TRADITION, people!]
5. K-PAX [Kevin Spacey is an amazing actor, and I love this movie every time I see it.]


Last 5 books I read:

1. Moby Dick -- aagh. Herman Melville was a genius, but I wish he had been a genius who was more short and to the point, rather than going on and on for forever about something that he could have said in one run-on sentence. Rather like this one.
2. Typee -- Herman Melville. can you tell I'm taking a Melville class? And actually, I'm lying; I didn't read past the first 9 chapters; I sparknoted it after that point, and got 11 out of 10 on the next quiz.
3. The Glorious Adventure -- Richard Halliburton. I had a crush on him when I was younger, because he was so fabulously adventurous, and by reading his books, I got to experience all of those amazing places and scenes he saw. I never tire of his books -- and we have all first editions, which makes it even more exciting. I love old books.
4. The Time Traveller's Wife -- Audrey Niffenegger. I haven't read this one (except for in my head) since May; but I have to put it on the list because it is one book that has remained with me for more than a year and a half after first reading it. It's amazingly written, and I mull over her sentences and scenes in my head long after the pages have been turned.
5. Elizabeth's London -- Liza Picard. One of the birthday gifts from John; I took it along to one of my workouts and felt like a geeky snob, riding the stationary bike and reading about 16th-century social life in Great Britain (only I can't find it at this moment. I know I didn't leave it at the gym; where IS it?!).

VI

Day 6:

It's incredible what a difference even six days makes! I've been tracking my activities, weight, and nutrition through fitday, and it's fascinating to watch the changing charts -- my weight's coming off more quickly than I expected (even though I'm smack in the middle of the most awful time of the month). The muscles that came out of hibernation the quickest were my biceps, calves, and hamstrings, and I can already feel a difference in my abs. Hooray!!

I didn't go to the gym yesterday (day five) because one of my friends came up to spend the day with me. I had planned ahead, however, and spent an extra 50 minutes in the gym on Friday, as well as doing my ab crunches here in my room last night. It was nice to have the day off, but my body has already grown accustomed to getting up early and working out, so when my body automatically woke up yesterday morning at 6:15, raring to go, it took a lot to force myself back to sleep. The "day off" didn't mean a day off from eating healthfully, either; it just meant a day of not going to the gym. And it's funny, but because I'd stayed away from corn, wheat, and sugar for so long before I even began this routine, I have absolutely no desire for any of them.

This morning I hopped on the stair-stepping machine in the basement of my dorm (it has a small exercise area, with two out-dated bikes, a treadmill, a stairstepper, and a huge cushioned mat, perfect for stretching.). A few days ago, just 5 minutes on that beast kicked my butt; it's a tougher workout than biking for five miles! But this morning I opted for a 10-minute pre-programmed workout, and as soon as that one was over, I started over and did the same routine for another 10 minutes. I discovered that differences in posture affect the amount of calories burned (and flights of stairs climbed); in the second 10 minutes (same pre-programmed routine, remember), I burned 40% more calories than in the first, and climbed another 10 flights. All because I stood up straight, chest out, butt in, centering myself!! It also changed the amount I sweated, heh.


NaBloPoMo

I signed up to participate in NaBloPoMo, a NaNoWriMo spinoff. I don't have time to write a novel in November, but I can make time to post each day. I've neglected this blog lately; my posts won't be completely about exercise, either: I'm compiling a list of topics to write on. And if you have any suggestions for a topic (or two or three), please write them in the comment box!

Time for a shower, then Mass!