Olive Garden, The

Olive Garden, The

Why the Olive Garden, you ask? Not only because I scored two (count them: one, two!) free meals there, courtesy of amazing people (including John), but because of this. So confident are they that you will still return to their restaurant, even if you can make the same thing at home...that they put up all of my favourite recipes online.

Oh, Chicken Marsala, this weekend when I'm at my parent's house, with free access to kitchen and food, I'll pair you with Tuscan Potatoes!!

I am nearly hyperentilating with excitement. John and I discussed just today that when he comes here to visit, we should cook more often, rather than going out. I was trying to think of something spectacular to cook here, and then discovered this wealth of delicious recipes.

Oh, Olive Garden. I love you.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!

I am so freaking excited. It's snowing out right now, beautiful flakes falling purposefully towards the ground, undisturbed by any wind. The beautiful night makes me think of The Snowman, a movie that absolutely enchanted me when I was a kid.

Why am I so delighted? There are two main reasons:

1.) I love, love, love everything about Christmas
2.) Really, if the weather is going to be as cold and nasty as it has been the past three weeks, I'd like there to be snow on the ground. Thank you.

So I'm sitting here at my desk, only a little tired from my weekend, listening to "Christmas with the Academy" and thinking of all my Christmases. I love the smells of Christmas, the smell of the fresh, clean snow, the sharp, invigorating scent of pine, the amazingly warm smell of Christmas baking. I love going to church on Christmas Eve. And being surrounded by the people I love, walking stocking-footed across the hardwood floors in the living-room, warmed by the fire in the wood-stove, lying on the floor and looking up through the branhes of the Christmas tree, the only light in the dark room.

Mmmm. I love love love the Christmas season. This is the last one that I'll have to "miss" in college -- finals finish on the 22nd of December, so there's hardly time to get home and enjoy everything about Christmas before it's over. Next year, John and I will be driving back home through the snow, to our parents' houses, dividing our Christmas again, Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with his.

And then in only a few years, we'll get to make that drive with our own child in the backseat of the car. Just that thought makes the breath catch in my chest...the idea of our child, the one with my hair and jb's ears, his eyes and my mouth, sitting in the backseat...and getting to watch as he experiences all the things we love about Christmas. I can picture him, through the ages, as we make the drive back to our parents' homes. The image my heart is stuck on, though, is when he's three or four. My heart aches, sometimes, with how badly I want to have this child.

I am so eager, so excited, so very ready. And although the sensible side of me knows that it's good planning for us to wait a few years, there's a part of me that doesn't care about that, that is consumed with the idea of our child, our baby, our dna and blood...our love and our heart, walking around outside our body.

And I can hardly wait.

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.

the next year...

the next year...

I reviewed my Degree Progress Report this evening, to find out which classes I need to take next semester; insuring that I meet all requirements for graduation.

I thought I was going to have another 19-credit semester, and there was always the nightmare in the back of my head that something would occur that would prevent me from graduating...and that it would snowball from there, that because of me not graduating, John and I would have to live apart even longer, that he would be moving away to grad school while I have another semester here.


Much to my delight, I have 10 credits left to fufill; 12, in order to stay covered by my parents insurance. Two English classes, my Senior Thesis class, and then one 3-credit class of my choice. Senior Thesis is on alternate Fridays, from 3-5, and my English classes are both Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I'm trying to find an easy, interesting 3-credit class that happens on Tuesday and Thursday nights, so that I'll have a lot of time off. Some weeks, I'll have Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Monday off, and other weeks, I'll have Saturday-Monday off. At any rate, I'll never have to be back on campus before Tuesdays at 1pm, so I could even visit John on the weekends and not have to leave his family's house until Tuesday morning!


This is great for more reasons, too: I have so much planning left to do for the wedding. So much. Aagh, sooo much. We have the two biggies nailed down -- the church and the reception hall-- but my checklist is telling me that we need to book our dj and photographer, and I need to start being fitted for my gown...we need to finalize our colours and number of attendants. I hadn't even thought about all this recently, because I've been so busy with The Midterms That Never End. So tonight, I spent a lot of time online, and found a great site for invitations (exactly like the ones we saw at the bridal shop, only, you know, like $300 cheaper!).


Lately, I've also become disenchanted with the dress I found back in August. I realized that, even though it'd be great on some people, it's not what I want; it's too bold and too harsh for me.

So tonight I was on the same designer's website, and I came across what I think is possibly the most gorgeous dress, ever. It's amazingly beautiful and classic, and not a penny more expensive than the other one!!

Here are two pictures that I took from the site, since I can't link to the specific page:

And the bride/model tripping gaily through the foam:

Events...

This entire semester has been marked by moments of sheer panic, worndering how on earth I'll be able to get something done on time, when I have sixty-five other projects due at the same time. And I go to sleep at night worrying about it, thinking that I'll probably die when the deadline (ooh, funny) comes, because what human would be able to do all this stuff at once and live to tell the tale?! And then the deadline comes, and all of my projects are neatly finished and turned in, and behold, I'm still alive. It's so anticlimactic.

This morning I had two pages of a 6-10 page paper finished, and then realized that the direction the paper was taking was not what I wanted to write about. So I redirected the paper, did extra research, and shortly before noon, turned in a super 8-page paper on the corruption in "Hamlet."

Yesterday and today were hellish, assignment-wise, with three papers, one test, and a quiz all due in the span of 24 hours.

I voted today, and I have never before felt so excited to vote and satisfied with how I voted. And the District Attorney? I know him. That's so weird.

I haven't worked out today, because I have shinsplints from an exercise class I took last night; I can hardly move my lower legs. Ugh.

I'm going to go make chili.

Tonight is my night to relax.

Definitely a Monday...

Definitely a Monday...

I've been fighting off a sinus-ey bug for the past four days, and have been headachey and feeling pretty low the entire time. I've still been persisting in my workouts, because I know that if I just sit here on my butt all day, I'll feel even worse (mentally, if not physically).

I've been gaining muscle like crazy, but my insane weight-drop has stopped, as I knew it would. I didn't step on the scale over the weekend, and I could tell when I woke up this morning that I'd be up a little bit on the scale. Agh. Even though I knew I would be, it didn't help when I actually did see it on the scale.

I hate seeing an increase, and charting today's weight on fitday was harder than any workout (maybe therein lies the problem? ;) ), but I can't let it get me down; really. I'm gaining so much muscle, and my arms and legs look better than they have in years --and my abs? I actually have abs now! I know that I'm looking a little better, and I know that I'm working hard at it, and that it will pay off, in the end. I can't give up, and I can't let this little increase disrupt my routine.

Yesterday I tried on a cute little skirt, and the medium (8/10) was roomy on me. Oh, that's such a nice feeling, and that feeling is motivation in itself!

The gym is closed because there are classes in there right now; so I'm going to go attempt to jog downtown.

Redirecting...

Redirecting...

I am utterly lacking in inspiration (and time) today.

So shuffle along, now -- but don't think I won't give you something to keep you company.

Hip! I am hip. I tried to sew cinnamon rolls onto my head for the costume, but they made Marc cry and go binge on peas. Sometimes I don't understand him, but then I realize that's because he is choking on something and I have to Heimlich some embalming fluid out of his chest. -gfy

no, seriously, GO.

breaking the records...

Congratulations to The Shark!

Samardzija had six catches for 177 yards and a touchdown. It was his 23rd career touchdown catch, breaking the school record set by Derrick Mayes in 1995.

(story via nbcsports)

I saw the play, and it gave me goosebumps, then made me cry. I love seeing people do well. Congrats, Samardzija!

Day....10?

Day 10, I think...

I've been religiously tracking my activities, calories (but particularly carbs), etc. on fitday, which is amazing. It records my progress toward my goal, keeps a chart of my weight, and is overall an incredibly useful tool.

I hadn't stepped on the scale yesterday, because I wasn't feeling up to it (I thought the scale might read an increase, for sure, even though I've good), so I made myself face the music this morning. I had enough time to either run errands and then go to class, or go to gym, and then to class. I told myself that if I didn't have a significant loss, or had increased, I would hit the gym; otherwise, if I had lost, I could run my errands first, and workout later today.

I was down again, bringing my total loss so far to 6.5 pounds!

I can't believe how ridiculously fast this weight is coming off. I'm eating well, lots of proteins and vitamins/minerals, some meat, vegetables...basically, anything except for sugar, corn, wheat, rice, and potatoes. I'm eating enough calories, and drinking a bit over 100oz of water a day; and I exercise between an hour and a half/two hours a day...not because I really feel that that much is competely necessary, but because I am enjoying it so much! I love the feeling of knowing that my body is getting healthier, that my muscles are getting stronger and that I'm slimming down.

It's so exciting!!

(a thousand words)

One Year Ago...

Exactly one year ago tonight, I met John. It's so strange, thinking back to last year at this time, exactly this time, I was lonely. I had realized that being with no guy was better than being with the wrong guy, but I still wished that I could be with the right guy, right then. I had no idea what was in store for me, that that very evening would change my life.

I remember that I was strangely excited when I first went over there (he wasn't even done with work, and I had no idea that I'd be meeting him), and had taken pains with my makeup, put in my contacts, and put on cute clothes. Why? I had no idea at the time, and was laughing at myself for doing so. Why bother to look so cute for my friend and her friends?

I remember everything about that evening, from the time I first saw him, to when we were introduced, to when I had the odd feeling that he was the one I should talk to, of all the people there, that he was the one I should get to know....to when I asked him how to spell his last name (little knowing that in less than two years, it would be mine, too).

I remember that when we all went out a little later that evening, he drove, and saved the front seat for me. When he and I played pool against our friends, my heart was skipping beats all over the place because I knew that he liked me; yet when his roommate asked me (when John had stepped out for a minute) if I liked John, and what I thought the perfect date would be, I tried to quiet him down, because I didn't want John to hear and get freaked out.

I shouldn't have worried. I shouldn't have ever worried. All the time throughout my life, up to that point, when I ever worried about whom I would marry, or what path my life was going to take, were, in retrospect, useless, unneeded, and silly. I met John, and within hours, we knew that we were going to be together, that what we had was special, was different, and was something that we would want for life.

I was cleaning my room, going through one of my bags (due to my guilt at not going to class this morning, and determination to not squander the hour, even though I had [have] a massive headache]), and found this note:

I can't get over how funny it is, how yesterday at this time we didn't know anything about each other. How quickly things change.
I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and find it was all a dream.

But it wasn't a dream; and it was amazing.

I mentioned to one of John's and my friends a few days ago, how our first anniversary was coming up. He was incredulous, and his jaw literally dropped open. I'd never seen such a look of surprise.
"Wait, your first anniversary?"
"Yes."
"As in, you've known each other for a year?"
"Yes!"
"You're kidding me, right?"
"No...?"
"I always thought that you two had known each other for years! I thought you must have been high school sweethearts."
"No, no, we met last fall."
"That's unbelievable. ... I guess when you meet the person you're meant to be with, you just know."

And I thought back to a conversation that John and I had had about two weeks after we met each other...

"where are we?" i asked, out of the blue.
without having to ask me what i meant, he grew thoughtful, his arms around me. somewhere in middle-Europe; Germany or Austria, thought my mind, and i couldn't wait for him to answer, to see if he felt the same thing.
"vienna," he said, and my mind relaxed, happy. "we're staying in a townhome bed and breakfast, and it has wooden floors; at the foot of the bed, there's a fireplace." "and no animal fur, anywhere in the room," i added, referencing another trip we had pictured the day before.
he laughed, a soft chuckle; "yes, no animal fur."
"what did we do tonight?" went to a concert, went to a concert, i chanted mentally.
"we just got back from the opera," he replied.
"and it's snowing, and our gloves and scarves and long coats are drying by the fire," i said, getting caught up in the mental imagery.
"yes, it is. and right after the concert, we went out for wine."
my mind laughed, remembering our professor who got wasted in Europe; i opened my mouth to say, "except there's no wine, because karl drank it all," but he beat me to it.
"but karl's along, so there's no wine left."
"so we had to have coffee and cheese, instead." we laughed, quietly, and then i continued; "and we walked in the falling snow, across the beautiful bridge."
"yes, we did."
"where are we going next?" i asked.
"tomorrow, we're leaving for Paris."
"yessss!"
"we'll be staying at a bed and breakfast on the champs d'elysses."
"and we'll take walks at night," referring to one of our favourite things to do.
"yes."
"is the eiffel tower open at night?" i ask him; after all, he's the one who's actually been to Paris.
"i'm not sure."
"i want to go up there at night and look across the city, at the expanse of blackness the Seine is, outlined with lights."
"mhmm," he hums his assent, then continues, "and we are going to go to versailles."

we don't picture our future apart from each other, because why should we, when we have found each other?

he's what i always dreamed of, and didn't know really existed.

Yes. he's what I wanted then, and he's what I want, still. I am so thrilled at the fact that we get to spend the rest of our lives together.

I love you, John.

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?!).

[sic]

[sic]

I don't ever go for the t-shirts with the cute/funny/geeky/halfheartedly-offensive sayings, but I'd make an exception for this one.

VII

Day 7 (with a new addition)

I woke up this morning at 5:30. My body's still on Daylight Savings Time, and as I really enjoy being awake before anyone else (I'm the most productive very early in the morning and very late at nght), I'm going to keep my body on Daylight Savings Time as long as possible.

Anyway, I woke up and my legs were absolutely keeeeelling me. The pain went away about an hour later, so I think I might have just slept in an odd position, rather than overdoing it yesterday. Yippee!

I haven't gotten my workout in yet, as I've been totally productive on a paper all morning (had no idea how I'd be able to get it past three pages...and I'm currently in the middle of the sixth, with about two more jostling around in my head, anxious to get out on paper.

Oh, have to mention this because it's so cute: last night John called at 9 pm (he does every single night):

me: Hi honey!
him: Hello, my gorgeous sweetheart!

Oh, yeah, That's one of the many reasons I keep him around. ;)

Edited at 7:51pm to add:

Ugh. I had class at 11-12, 2-3, and 3-5:30, and had plans to exercise with one of my friends right after my last class. What a colossal mistake! I was so tired (remember, I got up at 5:30) before I even stepped onto the first machine. I still made it through 4.5 miles on the bike, 22 minutes on the treadmill, and ten on the elliptical (I set it for 20, but had such a hard time even getting to 10), but that is so far below what I have been doing lately, that I'm a bit down right now. I also didn't weigh myself this morning, merely because I'm in the middle of t-o-m and not feeling that super right now. So I'm waiting until tomorrow to have my weigh-in.

In other news, my paper turned out to be ten pages, and I had a blast writing it! We'll see sometime this week whether the professor likes it as much as I do, though.

So tonight I'm exhausted, and rejoicing that I don't have anything due tomorrow; I can sit here with my sugar-free twin popsicles (pina colada right now, yum!), watch "Friends," (or something equally brainless, as I'm not up to exercising any of my brain cells right now), and go to bed early. Yay!

Unbelievable!!

Unprecedented!

This afternoon, I was in the gym, and decided to make myself stay on the elliptical machine for 10 minutes. The elliptical machine...the one that makes my limbs fly up and I can't ever catch my balance. Ugh.

I was nearly finished with the program when I realized that I was enjoying myself. Previously, "enjoy" and "exercise" have never been in the same thought. Ever. But today, I loved the way I felt when I was exercising! My body was working the way it's supposed to, and I was loving it! So much so, in fact, that as soon as the program was finished, I started it again. 20 minutes on the elliptical! And I can't wait for tomorrow, when I get to do it again!!

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!

6 weeks

What a difference 6 weeks makes...

I don't do well with creating habits. Good habits, anyway, particularly exercise habits. I'll do well for a week or so, adhering to my newly-formed regimen. But in the past, the first time that my schedule deviates from that regimen, I have a horrible struggle getting back on track. I can't hop back ON the bandwagon, so to speak.

The past three mornings, though, I've dragged myself out of bed before 7 AM -- when it's still dark out, people (and it'll be worse on Sunday, when the clocks "fall back") and down the block to the gym. In the past three days, I have logged more time in that gym than I have in the almost 2 years that I've been here.

Pathetic, I know.

I'd never wanted to workout there, because I didn't want any of the multitudes of size -5, perfectly-tanned, phy ed majors, all with tiny shorts, perfect blond highlights and fake nails, to see me. I loathed them, mainly because I wasn't them. Trust me, I didn't want the blond hair or the fake nails, or even want to be skinny-skinny. I just wanted to blend in, to be one of the Thin Girls, someone impossibly fit. But these Aryan Youth inhabited the gym and made it seem as though the only people who worked out were people who were ALREADY skinny. There were times I would go to the gym, then turn around and flee the scene, because the only vacant machines were in the front row. There was no way I was going to work out where all of them could see me, see how I fight with the elliptical machines. I don't know how some people can still look sexy and perfect while elliptical-ing; my shoes scoot up to the front of the footrests and smoosh my toes; my knees fling up to my chin, and I feel absolutely frantic. My Perfect Gym would have cubicles, where I could work out with nobody else able to see my butt, or my thighs, or see that maybe, just maybe, I was a bit out of breath.

Finally, three days ago, I got to the point where I realized that it was all a bit ridiculous. I was not going to refuse to take advantage of the gym (brand new, state-of-the-art facility) because of self-consciousness and being intimidated. Plus, I've been so good lately, not having any wheat or corn products, filling up my 32 oz waterbottle four times through the day, having hardly any carbs, and enough protein. (Oh, and another super-motivator: 7/14/07. we're getting married, and I want to be trim and lovely.)

Three days ago, I decided to do something about my body. I recently saw a picture of myself, taken when I was nine years old, posing in my ballet outfit for mom; a beautifully dorky little girl with huge glasses and long, long hair, skinny little legs...and sucking in her tummy so far that it looked as though she hadn't been fed in months, terrified of looking fat in the picture.

I realized when I saw that picture how horrendously sad it was. I've never been comfortable in my body, eternally self-conscious, and I have, finally, had it up to here with it all.

The past few days, I've been working out between 45 and 80 minutes a day (I xercise between 45 and 60 minutes in the morning; on t-th I attend a toning class in the evening). I'm not doing it for anyone else; finally, I'm doing it for myself. I want to try on clothes and have them fit perfectly; I don't want to hand things back to the fitting-room attendant and make up an excuse about why I'm not taking them. I don't want to fold my arms across my tummy when I sit down, or always adjust my clothes, pulling my shirts down, and my pants up. I want to feel...comfortable in my own skin.

This morning, I didn't want to get out of bed. I was cold, and I was exhausted. But John called at 6:58 and asked if I was on the way to the gym. He wasn't checking-up on me; he calls every morning when he first wakes up. But I realized that he already thinks of my morning workouts as a habit, and that motivates me to keep going. So I pulled myself out of bed and pushed my sleepy legs into workout pants, socks, and shoes, and by the time 9 o'clock rolled around, I had had 64 fl oz of water, spent an hour working out, taken a shower, and was ready for class.

I've created an account at fitday, and I keep a record of my exercise and eating habits there. This is where the "6 weeks" tie in. I am going to keep up with this workout regimen, with my good foods (eating healthful foods is not a struggle for me anymore, as it's been in my lifestyle for months), and see how far I progress by December 6th -- six weeks from yesterday. I want to be one of Those People by then, trim and fit, someone who always makes time for exercise.

I'm writing this to put it on the record, to hold me accountable. Feel free to ask me how I'm doing; guilt is a tremendous motivator. :)

Here goes.

this weekend.

This weekend, summed up in one photo.

kindred spirits

setting: the student senate office last evening; katie was showing me pictures, and one was of a man in a banana costume.

Katie: danika, would you be afraid of the bananaman?
me: no. but if he were in a cat costume, well, I'd be afraid of catman.
cody: why? what does the kathmandu?

Nighttime escapades

When I woke up this morning, my bear and John's tiger were facedown on the bed, Smoogles with one leg and his tail over the edge, and Teddy a little bit ahead of him, looking for all the world as though they were sneakily climbing back into bed after a night of fun, then froze when I saw them.