Dr. Mix and Ms. Hart

Here is me as my evil creature-building alter ego. Griselda in almost complete. Will post pics next post.

Feel triumphant as I found  Werewolf costume bits and pieces yesterday at Value Village. Tomorrow night is the school Halloween Fair I will take my girls (Mist is volunteering) and my nieces and the Klironomos'. John's parents from Montreal:Pitsa and Nic are visiting and I will invite them along for the
night. Pip also has skating tomorrow night, just before the party and skating is way far away. It will be a busy night. Take out for supper will be a must!

I have been fighting an odd virus that leaves me tired, cranky and a slightly irritated throat plus bad asthma. I haven't been sleeping that well (up at 5 AM no matter what!) So I decided this morning to have a lie in and miss working out for one morning. I need to do that once in a while. It gives my mind a chance to rest. The thing about regular strenuous workouts that most people don;t realize is that one needs the occasional rest from them, not for the body but for the mind! To not have to get out of the house at the crack of dawn and rush around in the morning, really gives me a sense of relief. One day is enough though, tomorrow back at Zen Studio.

I have had requests to video a workout from Zen Studio and share it with my blog; I am working on that. It will be a simple workout that one can do three times a week and see fantastic results. The Zen Studio Work Out. But be aware: it's not meditation, it's not yoga, it's serious weight lifting for muscle defining results! Tee Hee--I had to write that as a fitness guru "Tony" who does workout videos always makes those type of macho disclaimers.

Preparing to start my MA study as soon as UBC ethics gives me the green light. Waiting sucks! If I didn't have my novel to edit I'd be going MAD.

Gym Nemesis

You know the one. That bully that keeps a silent eye on your workout, waiting for the best time to dash ahead of you a steal the equipment you’re headed for before you can get to it. In most instances it is a silent battle. In my case it started out with verbal words exchanged and then simmered into a “cultured” silence of distain. He was on the bike. I made my way to the next equipment in my weight routine and unloaded the over100lbs of heavy weights left on it—PO’d at the imbecile who’d left them on just ahead of me. As I’d loaded up my impressive 70 lbs, a big guy arrives “Hey! I had one more set.”

I ignored him and as I placed my last weight on, then, looked up innocently, “You had one more set?”

 He backed down “Well…since you’ve switched the weights….” He couldn’t let it go at that. No, as he walked away he mumbled, “It was obvious. I wouldn’t have left all the weights on it like that…”

The gym I go to isn’t one you’d pick if you like eye-candy. Scratch that. I am the eye-candy.

It has developed into being something of a senior’s hangout. I’m not convinced this is the case 24/7. No, I tell myself that after 5, when the young’ns get off work, that’s when the eye-candy alert must begin. That’s when the sport cars arrive and the chiseled-rock bodies strut their way through the front doors and onto the weight room floor—or so I like to imagine.

However, bright and early, at 6 AM all of my fellow “athletes’ who still have their hair, are various shades of grey.

But I don’t mind. Sure a little eye-candy would be nice, motivational even. But in my gym, I’m the young’n, the closest thing to an ingénue you’ll find—until 5 O’clock that is.

The bully arrived last Friday--some new guy. No eye-candy alert there. He was heavy (ya it’s true, I called him fat in my last blog), tall, semi-bald and grey. Although in my gym, he’d be considered on the young side—a young buck--probably just shy of 50.

As luck would have it, he was there bright and early Monday morning, rising for a little workout with a few of the seniors in town and me… Damn.

 I hop on the bike, jacking the resistance up to the top—25 little lights of pure power. Not sure what 25 means but it is the top resistance setting.

 That will show him. No way he’ll tangle with a woman biking 25 lights! He is positioned conveniently on the treadmill behind me—good he’ll have full view of my impressive setting. As I bike for the full 20 minutes, I watch in worry as he finishes his treadmill and begins to mill around the gym floor, moving slowly from equipment to equipment--pausing to hop on the treadmill between sets.

Damn. He’s at it again. Thinking he owns the floor. Who does he think he is, pausing to do cardio between sets without removing his weights?

Well he’d better be well out of my way when I step off of the bike and start my weight routine…

Off the bike. So far so good. Time for my squats. I don’t need to change the weights. Tee-hee--I mean, he’d just been squatting the same weight ahead of me—him at about 300 lbs, 6’3, and little old me—5’7” woman, 120 lbs--180 lbs on the machine—that outta intimidate him.

 I’m sure he’ll notice how I squat the 180 lbs with ease and decide to stay clear. I may look small but watch out, I’ll say with each squat.

But I never get the chance. Just as I head to the machine he inconveniently places his water bottle, towel and other personal gym-toys on the floor of the squat machine. Resting one hand on them as he bends down to “help” a gym employee adjust the weights of the broken machine beside the squat machine.

 Man…do I ask him to move his stuff or appear patient as the knight in shining amour helps the gym employee fix the equipment? All my toughness evaporates and I move to the next machine—gonna come back to squats as soon as he moves his sweaty hand off of it.

The rest of my workout takes place in a panic. Can I make it to the machine of our first altercation before he takes it over? I attack my workout hard, with a bit of a self-satisfied strut between equipment—think Travolta in Grease. Intimidation factor nearing 25 little red lights.

And then the unthinkable. One step ahead of me he arrives at the machine in question. He starts loading it up with weights I cannot lift on my own. Don’t you dare leave those on…fat-boy!

I retreat to the last machine of my routine, waiting to come back to the final altercation machine when he’s finished. But if he takes a break between sets and heads for the cardio equipment, I’m gonna loose it.

The break between sets. He’s pacing the floor, circling the equipment. Good… don’t you leave buddy because if you do….well, I’m gonna be too scared and too weak to take off your heavy weights and teach you a lesson…so just don’t do it….please don’t walk away from the machine. I don’t want to have to face my own beast that says: man, for all your strutting and bravado you’re too chicken to take this guy on.

The second set—wahoo—don’t be one of those guys stuck in the eighties that still insists on three sets…good news, he’s unloading the weights after 2 sets—wahoo! Maybe the intimidation factor really is 25 lights high.

But still…6’3”, 300lbs…

“Are you finished with this machine?” I ask as I begin to load it up, all 70lbs worth. Sure, the voice sounds distinctly feminine, perhaps even sweet--but with a strong foundation of tough.

All I Have to Do Is Take a Look at You

Fairwell Hawaii. Peter took this on his iphone as we borded the plane in Kona.
I am still jet lagged. I've never felt so tired. If I get up befor 8 am it is all I can do to remain awake all day. I am so dead tired by afternoon, I so want to nap. I have heard flying West to East is the hardest. I can't get over the 3 hour morning difference. Getting up at 6am is 3am in Hawaii.
I didn't expect it to take me a week and still feel tired. But truly, I think 12 hour days outside, in full sun were so good for my body that it is in sunshine withdrawl.
Pip is napping (her ears are stil not fully healed). Tabs is at dance and I just picked Mist up from volleyball. Mist has to be at a band concert in 1/2 h. When Peter gets home at 6ish (any time now) I may ask him to attend as I have to wait for Tabs to come home, make her supper and try and wake up Pip and feed her supper too. Because of the busy evening I got burrito take-out from Taco Del Mar. You know me and Mexican food--my favorite.
Starting yet another new workout routine. Having to rework everything as time permits. No longer do I have time for hour long classes in the mornings. MWF I will lift weights and do 20 min on the bike hard-core. T,TH I will run. Sat-am Bikram yoga. Wed night Zumba dance. And Sunday is family sport day.
I need more weight lifting as I find it is the easiest, least time-consuming way to have a cut, trim body.
And I am starting (or trying) Monday evening Buddhust meditation and readings at the Yoga House. I am looking forward to it as I need my Sanga! It has been so difficult to find a buddhist sanga (community) in Kelowna. There is no doubt that evening meditations give my mind peace and optimism.
I again must share how much joy my three daughters bring me. No matter what difficulties I am dealing with, when I see each one of them, I am filled with inner peace, relief and joy. They are all rays of sunshine and joy in my life. I am so blessed to have this wonderous human connection with my girls.

Gnarly Bunch

This is a school in San Fransisco. Probably a preschool--those are children riding their bikes on the roof. I liked the idea of using the entire building space. The roof looked like a lovely place to play with plants and a great view.

Taking a short break from reading to blog. One can only read for so many hours. 

Stepped up my workouts at the gym. I was getting bored. Now, I do 20 min on the Elliptical trainer, then lift weights: the key is, though, that I lift two sets of weights for a specific target spot, ie: squats, then I race to the bike and to 1 1/2 min hard cardio. Then I race to my next weight machine. So after each 2 set of weights, I do a hard, quick cardio. It is a much better workout and not so boring. So, for those very few folks that might actually be interested, this is an overview of my weekly workouts: 3 mornings weights and cardio at gym (1h)

2 mornings 1/2 hour run (hills)

1 morning an hour spin class.

1 powerhike/ week.

1 home yoga class after run (20 min)

This doesn't include all fun sports I do with the family: pool swim, beach swim, walk dog, tennis etc. And this is my summer schedule. Winter includes skating and skiing and no tennis.

Family pictures yesterday were extra fun as we posed for a goofy set and a normal set. Our goofy set included horn-rimmed glasses and fake gnarly teeth on each of us (even little Pip!) I couldn't quit laughing for the photo shoot--man were we an UGLY bunch! The photographer got a kick out of us too. We brought Fernando--no fake teeth for him though. The picks were outside on the beach and in a park.

Mist's big Shakespearean debut as a fairy in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is this Thursday. I can hardly wait to apply her fairy makeup. They'll perform 4 shows over 3 days.