Weighing In & Preparing to Yurt...

Good news!! I’m down!! It is another week where I’m down 2 lbs. for the week. I’m feeling good about the whole process. In fact, this puts me now at the half way mark of what I wanted to lose. I have 16 more to go. It seems quite a bit more doable than the original formidable 32 lbs. that I had original set out to do at the beginning of the year. I’m averaging about 5 to 6 lbs. weight loss in a month. Slow and steady seems to be the key.


I know that when I really start in biking season in the next month or so; the weight will just come off me as long as I watch what I’m eating. The major problem in the past has been swinging by a fast food place on the way home after a bike ride.

I’ve lately been getting ready for a yurting expedition that I’ll be going on next week. For three days and two nights I’ll be “roughing it” at a local yurt. What's a yurt you may ask?  It's like a semi-permanent tent set up in the wilderness area.  This yurt is a four mile hike in with a backpack containing what is needed for the entire yurt experience.  The yurt is a total of 8 miles from any civilization.  It rather sounds like a wonderful form of R&R vacation to me.  I have a couple of friends that can't understand my wanting to do this.  Their idea of "roughing it" would be staying at a Motel 8 with no room service.

Photo: 2 years ago - Me cross country skiing in the same area near where the yurt is.  A BEAUTIFUL Area!

Sometimes, it’s just nice to get away from the constant hum of “civilization”. I guess you could say I’m strange that way. I often find myself thankful when the power goes out at my place. I welcome the quiet of it. I don’t think we are aware of the constant hum of electrical products going on around us. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for quite a few of those amazing and well performing products. But at the same time, I quite often like the peace and quiet that comes without all of those “things”. When I’m captured up in those quiet moments a thought comes to mind… “Are we really in charge or is it the necessity of these things that is really in charge?” Gee, maybe it’s too scary a thought to have me thinking through these philosophical thoughts?

A Life is Good Moment-- Coffee and Technology

This morning, I hit the snooze for the first time after my 20 minute nap (after the 5AM gym workout). I lay there in bed ensconed in my warm blankets and the wondrous aroma of coffee wafting my senses. Awwww....Creme Brulee! This is SO fantastic! I can now thanks to technology wake up to this almost ever morning. And it is OH-SO-WONDERFUL!! Oh my-- Life is Good!!

Yes, I figured out how to operate the new technology of my new Gevaila coffee maker so that I can now wake up to coffee. I decided with a new year upon us that I needed a change of a new coffee maker that can tell time.

Of course, it took the technologically challenged me a month and a half to finally get my act together and set the clock on it. I ordered the free coffee maker with the coffee service for a Christmas present for myself. It seemed like a good deal. I got the 3 pkgs. coffee, a carafe, a coffee maker, and a insulated travel mug-- all for the price of $25. Well, while I was at it I ordered a few more packages of coffee at a discounted rate. Can you read the SUCKER sticker on my forehead?!

I called and cancelled before I was due to receive the third shipment. The second shipment snuck up on me. Ooopps! Now I have enough coffee in my freezer to last at least a good 7 to 8 months.

But in my defense I now have some wonderful flavors of coffee in my freezer now like .... Creme Brulee, Cinnamon, Hazelnut, Vanilla Nut, French Roast, Irish Creme, Amaretto, and Pumpkin Spice. It's like having dessert in coffees in my very own freezer and I'm loving it!

For Lent this year I decided not to do my usual giving up the 3 C's (coffee, chocolate, & caffeine). I just have too much going on with training for a half marathon, trying to lose weight, and getting ready for an Art Show in March. It was just too much, and I did all ready give up anything with artificial sweeteners. I figured I could take a year off from the usual and hope that God would be okay with that. And I was thinking this morning as I'm pouring a hot mug of Creme Brulee coffee.... HE must be okay with this because it's happening! Anyway, that's my theory.

Now if I can only figure out the technology of my new Sansa Clip. Life would be GREAT! I some how ended up with a triple copy of an Edie Brickell & New Bohemians Album on it. NOT a good thing! And a trifle irritating too. I'm re-thinking even including it on there, but we'll see what I can figure out technologically...

Facebook Fashion?

Okay, okay. I've joined the ranks! After 5 invites and everyone saying they chatted on Facebook (and me feeling a little left out), I'm finally giving in. I am now on Facebook.

So I sign up and made all kinds of discoveries--- like friends I hadn't had contact in years, those friends that you didn't think were computer savvy( gee-maybe it was me?), and even my little brother. Gee, where have I been? I guess I was totally out in the wild blue yonder twiddling my thumbs!

I will admit that part of the reason that I held out from joining Facebook was due to the privacy issues. All the press about this has kind of made me put Facebook at arms length. But also I keep on thinking of all those people from my past that can now look me up. I hate to think of some fellow elementary student hitting me up for that $5 loan that I forgot about. I mean with the interest, and penalties and what not, I'm looking at some hefty pocket change, and I can't hide behind those black shades on this one. I know I'll have to cough up the dough.

Another one of my concerns is that I have a real tendency to "open mouth insert foot". I think I inherited this from my mom. (Sorry Mom!) Try as I might I still have those moments when my mouth engages before my brain has scanned the contents. Ooopps! A great deal of you can attest to me doing this, and know me well enough that you know it was not meant in harm. But with this new outlet, I can't help but get concerned that I may quickly type before I think or that people who do not know me may take it wrong.

It's kind of strange, though, all this contact through the cell phones, pda's, computers, email, text messaging, and etc. The list goes on as the technology progresses. I'm not sure if I like to be in this much contact with the world. I often feel like I'm on digital overload and that life is swirling out of control. I sometimes WANT to purposely be disconnected. In this day and age, it's getting harder and harder to be that way. I don't have a "land line"---my cell phone is my home phone. It just kind of made sense but sometimes it can be very inconvenient. I, sometimes, will just turn it off or leave the cell home on purpose. I mean what did we do before cell phones?

I find myself searching memories of a time before all of this electronic age stuff. I can remember a time when my dad was a night janitor for a place that had computer punch cards. I remember those cumbersome "brick" phones when cell phones first came out. And meanwhile, here I am sitting at my desk in a paisely print shirt that would have fit in well with the decade of disco. Why does it seem that fashion is going backwards of late? Retro is like the "IN" thing now. Why? Is it a response to all of this progress in technology? Or have we really done all we can with clothing and can't help but to revert back to the past? Well, in that stead I chose this picture of the t-shirt(above) as a fashion statement for this Facebook blog posting. I'm calling it the latest in Facebook Retro Fashion. What do you think?

Oh, and P.S. You can now check me out on Facebook...