Fitter. Happier. More Productive.

Wow! I can't believe it has been over a month since I've posted anything. With The Office (and my other, newfound passion, Lost) on their summer hiatuses, my muse has been absent. So, instead of the usual TV banter (or "Please Save this Dog"), I'll describe a little bit about my boring summer.

Please keep in mind that I am very sleep deprived and my writing and it's contents will not be up to par. (Yawn).

Since late May, I have been determined to shed the 26 pounds I gained after my wedding from the stress of moving twice in four months (once to the apartment behind us and once to a new city that forced me to quit my job and get accustomed to a new town). Because of all that stress, I had become sloppy and fat in a short period of time. In fact, part of what compelled me to write so much this Spring was a deep sense of sadness and insecurity. I had to express myself in some way and I found my niche in writing.

Anyhow (getting more to the point), in late May I finally made the decision to get off my ass and lose weight. The problem is that I'm a very routine kind of person who, paradoxically, does not like to live by time tables or deadlines. I'm set in my ways and I tend to not do things if they're inconvenient or stray from my routine in any way. So coming up with a convenient way of working out has always been my struggle.

In my old town I lived in a quiet suburban neighborhood filled with sweet elderly folk and young families. So I'd ride my bike happily everywhere and lost all my yucky weight. In Austin, things are more hectic and metropolitan. Austin is also extremely hilly, which makes it very scary being on a bike here (although everyone does it anyway... except me). So, loving that method of exercise, I got my husband to hook me up with a bike trainer in order to make exercising more safe, easy, and (the magic word) convenient. Being able to ride my bike indoors also won't allow me to make excuses. If it's raining, I can exercise. If it's hot, I can exercise. If it's freezing, I can exercise, etc., etc.

So, after forcing myself to ride my bike three to four times a week and joining calorie-count.com, I have lost 17 out of the 26 pounds I gained this year along with 3 inches off my waist and hips and 2 inches off my bust (thank GOD). Yay! I'm only a few pounds away from where I was this time last year and I can't wait to fit into my old jeans!

I feel so much better in so many ways. I'm not depressed anymore. My sense of self-worth is much higher. I don't get stressed out as often. I feel fit and healthy. My mind is more alert. I feel sexy again. The positives far outweigh the negatives. I just need to figure out how to maintain this positive lifestyle, which is the hard part as I've always been a huge fan of junk food and comfort eating. That's what ends up killing me every time. That, and I'm just lazy. That's why I bought that trainer. I know I'm never going to make it out to a gym. I just don't work that way. I'm a homebody and I like to be able to meditate and "zone" while I'm working out. I don't want people watching me (or to feel like they're watching me).

Plus, as I said before, if it's not convenient, I don't exercise. After a long day at work how can I possibly steer the car towards a gym with sweaty, used equipment and people that look better than I do? I'm insecure enough as it is, folks, and with my ultra sensitive skin I get rashes and eczema so easily from those kinds of hot, sweaty surfaces.

So no thanks, Gym Membership. I'm heading home to work out in my guest room on my bike trainer with iTunes blasting and my dog sitting by my side. It's a much more peaceful way of working out.

And there you have it, folks. My first blog in over a month. I'm probably the only one who will ever see this, but I feel better having written it anyhow.

UPDATE: I've now lost 21 pounds!!! (09-03-07).

Cordially,
CayceAquaSheep.

"Product Recall"

My favorite show The Office is back again with a new episode tonight called Product Recall. The folks at Dunder Mifflin Paper Supply have a crisis on their hands when a shipment of paper bearing a highly suggestive watermark is delivered to a local high school. While the office employees frantically answer complaint phone calls, Jim and Andy are appointed to straighten things out with the principle at the school (and, as you can see, Jim is thrilled to death about it). This episode also features a very funny prank with Jim and Dwight that I have to say is quite the spectacle. Very funny stuff. Can't wait to see it!

While still enjoyable, the previous episode, Safety Training, was not quite up to par with the some of rest of the season. I enjoyed it, though. It had a few cute JAM scenes (back to their old fun ways) and some great one-liners, but overall it lacked a bit of spunk and dragged in places. It did, however, have a great subplot where a few employees placed bets on the behaviors of their fellow unsuspecting coworkers. That was great. Creed's total obliviousness to the apple being replaced by a potato was highly entertaining along with everyone's bet to see how long Kelly would talk to Ryan without stopping. Pretty good stuff.

The betting also shed some light on the fact that Karen doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the gang. Whether it's because she's a little too mature and focused for them or because she just doesn't care hopefully it's at least one more step towards the downfall of Jim and Karen (Jaren). Or maybe that's just my wishful thinking. ;)

Best line from Safety Training?:

Michael: I saved a life today — my own. Am I a hero? I really can’t say. But, yes.

Stay tuned for tonight's episode, Product Recall, along with the final three shows; Women's Appreciation, Beach Games, and the hour-long season finale, The Job.

CayceAquaSheep

PS) Special thanks to ladama23 at livejournal for the icons.

PPS) *Amendment* I actually have gone back and watched "Safety Training" a few times on iTunes and it gets better with age. I'm noticing more subtleties and finding myself laughing more. So I'm switching and saying that it was pretty good. Go BJ!