Skinny B!tches

When I joined my first gym - I was greeted upon every visit by a darling woman with a beaming smile. Kisw(code name) worked at the front desk checking members in and distributing towels. Turned out she took the part time job because as an employee she got free use of the gym as a benefit.

She was serious about losing weight.

Kisw had a full round face, twinkling eyes, and the brightest most cheerful smile you can imagine. Like Mrs. Claus or something. But more like an elf - because she only came up to my chin (and I'm only 5'5")
When I met her, she was about a 1/3 the way through her weight loss. She once told me that at her heaviest, she was round. As wide as she was tall. I never saw proof, but took her at her word.

Over a year's time, I would see her on the treadmill when our workouts coincided - and her progress was obvious. One day I noticed a distinct definition between her chin and her neck. I stopped by to talk and told her how great she looked.

Another time, I noticed her waist making an appearance! Again, I stopped and congratulated her on her progress.

It was all so hard for me to imagine. I've never had a weight problem - but as I got older the need to maintain became evident. It's so much work just to maintain - I could never wrap my head around what it takes to lose 20 - 50 - 100 pounds.

I often told her how much I admired her and all of her hard work.
Kisw loved the praise. And apparently she heard it from a lot of people at the gym.
Those of us who saw Kisw occasionally could spot the changes in her body better than she who made daily eye contact with the mirror!

Her friends and family asked her how she could stand going to the trendy downtown gym with all those Skinny B!tches. She replied, "Because it feels AWESOME when all the Skinny B!tches come over and tell you how great you look and how well you're doing!"


To anyone out there who fears the gym or an exercise class because you feel you don't look good enough to be at the gym - don't. No one is judging you. Rather, they are impressed as hell!
If you think they're staring at your size - you're wrong - they're admiring your progress. They're rooting for you!

Accountability: one hour moderately intense yoga

Ahh. That Felt Good

I went to a free yoga class today.
So. Good.

The pity is - I haven't done yoga in so long that my attempt today was almost pathetic.

When I lived in Omaha, my gym included yoga classes in the membership. So for something like $35 -$40 a month I had access to weights, yoga and a swimming pool among other things that I never bothered to take advantage of. (like aerobics - ick)

I was a convert. I've always had very tight muscles (shoulders, hamstrings) which led to back and hip problems. For years, everyone from my chiropractor to physical therapist to my general practitioner were giving me pamphlets demonstrating the stretches they wanted me to do. Pah. I didn't do them.

Then when I joined the gym, I thought yoga classes sounded good.
Chiropractors and Physical Therapists everywhere were ecstatic! Overjoyed! These were exactly the exercises they wanted me to do and now I was doing them! Success!

And I felt great.

I preached the yoga gospel to everyone I knew. (for the record, I concentrate on stretching yoga - not spiritual yoga so it doesn't conflict with my faith as some people have expressed concern)

So when I moved to Denver I tried a couple yoga classes but they weren't the same as Yoga Gary's class in Omaha.
Some spent half the class on breathing and reminding me to breathe out of my eyebrows.
Shut up. I just want to stretch.

In addition to that, classes charged $7-$15 per class. 3-4 days a week and that adds up when you don't make much money in the first place. So I just stopped doing yoga.
Sure. I bought some DVDs but of course I never bothered to do them.

Today, I went to a place that I found near work. They offer a free one-time class so I thought I'd check them out. Plus I have a decent job now so maybe I can join.

Oh... I was so stiff. Once I got into the positions it felt so good to work out the cobwebs. And the class went a little faster than I'd like - only because I wanted to spend more time in position - stretching to make the most of it.

After class - they offered me a card for 6 days of classes - FREE! The only catch is it's 6 consecutive days - not six classes. So I should be pretty bendy by the end of the week! Whoo hoo.


My Yoga Testimony~
As a kid I took Gymnastics and loved it.
In college, I took a gymnastics class one semester - followed by a modern dance class another semester just for the exercise. Also loved it.
In each of those practices - you warm up with various stretches to keep you limber and flexible.
When I started yoga, I realized that all the stretches were the same. Not only that, but they were the same stretches ALL of my health professionals were trying to push on me.

I also realized that various cultures have been practicing yoga (or something like it) for thousands of years - and it's still around.
Well - hit me with a pitchfork.
Suddenly it was clear.
A body MUST stretch and move to be it's best. If there is a fountain of youth - it is yoga. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it.

I feel SO good.

Mm. I put my new shoes on...

Okay. So back in November when I got word that I got a job - I went shopping!!

To celebrate.

I had been on wallet lockdown for so long - that I couldn't even wait to start the job - much less wait for the first paycheck.

I suffered from a serious longing for new shoes... so here is what I bought:

These are purple to go with a simple purple dress that I picked up on clearance at The Gap.

The next pair are black open toe shooties. LOVE them!

I'm Too Cheap to Buy Tools!

Always have been.



I'm thinking about sewing some purses. (probably only one - maybe two)












But the two patterns I like best, require grommets - which in turn requires a grommet tool (pliers).




Considering my financial situation, it doesn't seem smart to spend money ($20) on 'tools' that I don't really need.

I tried looking on Craigslist. No luck.

I'd probably find a tool like this at a Garage Sale, but that will be hit or miss... and it's probably dangerous as I would find all sorts of other stuff to buy!


Anyone have a grommet tool they want to sell me cheap - or maybe just give me?



Otherwise... maybe I'll just sew button holes... or maybe welted holes. Ohhh that'd be nice if it wasn't so labor intensive.

Such Beauty

I took my pictures of my expecting friends to my photography mentor, Mel - and she worked a little Photoshop Magic on them.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

What a gorgeous difference! I still need to learn the art of Photoshop. Sadly, I've had Elements for 2.5 years now... and still haven't installed it on my computer for fear of not having enough memory space. What a waste.

By the way... this beautiful couple isn't expecting anymore! They are now parents to a sweet little girl! Yeah... there will be pictures. Count on it.

One Click at a Time

One of the resolutions toward My Life Improvement when I started this was to become a better photographer. I recently found a professional photographer to take me under her wing, and I'm excited about learning more.

I've always been good at composing pictures. It's the technical side that needs work for me. So my Mentor is teaching me to use my manual settings... the ISO, shutter speed and cranking that f stop down as low as it can go.

For me, that meant buying a new lens. The two lenses I already had limited my f stop range to 4.
My new 50mm lens came via UPS today so I tested it out on my friends, the expecting parents.

I'm mostly pleased with the results. Can't wait to hear what they think!

How About Something A Little Different?

I'm starting to think of tomatoes as a crutch.

They're every where. In every dish. I'm thinking a few cooks oughta try challenging themselves and make something without tomatoes for a change. And chicken.

Can you say 'Blah'?

See, I am allergic to tomatoes and chicken, among other things.
So every time I go out to eat I have to skim past anything on the menu with these ingredients. And let me tell you, the food out there that doesn't consist of tomatoes and chicken... is really freaking delicious!

Friends with whom I dine often look at my plate with envy. If I give them a taste, they swoon. But they always order something with tomatoes and chicken.

BORING!