Who let all these cats in here?

Having two doesn't qualify as cat lady status- and they do match the interior design but damn. I'm starting to think that all this tuna and cottage cheese I've been eating has made them see me as another one of them. I was moody as hell yesterday, summer doldrums have hit and all I need now is the Hurricane show on for a week or two. for those of you who don't live on the coast, the hurricane show is when there is activity in the tropics and all day and night the news stations show footage of past storms interspersed with dire warnings about the one approaching and encouraging everyone to get their butts to the grocery stores, Lowe's, and the gas stations to fill er up. It's sorta a back-to-school ritual around these parts. At least Project Runway is on tonight, maybe Bitchface Gretchen will design something awful like that dorky jumpsuit and get kicked off. Ooh, then who will I hate? Hmmm

Wait, that is tomorrow night, can't keep these shows straight.

Week Four

Starting the last week in my first cycle of lifting like a guy. So far, absolutely no bulky muscles. My arms have leaned out a bit, still bigger then I would like but the roundness to them is gone which is good. Posture is better, and my legs, which had some weird sagginess happening above my knees, are back to looking normal and toned. My lower back is stronger too, now I can Spin with perfect form throughout the whole class- meaning all legs no hips bouncing. It's hard to explain if you haven't done it. Also, I ran an interval at 8 miles per hour Saturday in the Ultimate Fitness class- personal best!

I'm looking forward to the deload week. That is very little lifting, just the weights in the Ultimate Challenge class, and lots of cardio. Then I'm going to pick a different program of lifting, so far it is between Rippetoes Starting Strength or the one laid out in the New Rules of Lifting. I have two weeks to decide on that. This week I am focusing on improving my form on bench presses and squats with the goal of a 95 lb deadlift to top off the week.

Tropical Rainy Season

All day on and off, and I prefer it when the rain is coming down because it becomes cool enough to go outside and actually breathe. So I'm taking advantage of this while looking forward to a sudden long 'cold' spell that so many Floridians were complaining about last year like fools. Yes- like fools! Is it that much trouble to buy a jacket and shoes that cover your toes? Nope, the stores are filled with Fall stuff already that if we ever do need it, it won't be until January- unless we get lucky! Well-fitting jeans make legs look miles long, pair those with cute boots and a jacket and ahhhhh. In the meantime I will enjoy the storms :-)

70% chance of rain

Good thing I have a movie! No gym today, and it is the start of week three of the Great Weightlifting Experiment. This was going to be the beginning of a cardio-cycle but I changed that to happen on week five, so two more weeks of straight up lifting with cardio on off days, and sometimes also on lifting days (what?). I don't recall if I mentioned this, but Friday I took an interval running class on the treadmill that was challenging and fun. Best part- the runner's high that hit me on the way home. I was actually loopy and floaty feeling (driving too, but pretty sure running before driving is still legal in Florida). So, that was awesome and is going to be my new Friday class. One cannot live by Spinning alone. Plan for today: touch-up hair color which desperately needs it. Monday will be chest and upper body lift day, see what I can lift on the bench in the morning. Then probably take the late Spin class.

So far, no bulky Arnold muscles- in spite of recently discovered news that my family is Austrian haha. I digress, ok, results: Arms looks less flabbo, collarbone area looks fabulous, posture is better, tummy less like Homer Simpson and more like a normal person, rear-end is like Whoa! in a good way, legs look more toned and yeah, so far so good.
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Breaking the rules!

Yep, I did what is warned about repeatedly on the bodybuilder forum. I 'tweaked' my routine. The routine I selected is a basic four day split, two upper body and two lower. The thing is, two of the routines could be combined to make a full-body without sacrificing exercises, making it a three day a week split, which is easier to manage. So, instead of splitting up deadlift and pull-up days, I'm doing them in the same workout. Speaking of pull-ups, they are hard! With the assist machine I am pulling up between 65 and 70 pounds, which is a lot less then my weight. On the other hand, that is also what I am deadlifting, so maybe I'm not as unbalanced as it seems. So, the tweaked day starts with the biggest muscle groups, deadlifts, leg press, then pull-ups and dips, then abs and lower back. More good deadlift news- no back issues!

Went to the mall today and happily discovered the various versions of Pink fragrance are on sale for $20.00. I found on not too flowery one, Hope, and now have a pretty brand new perfume on. I also hit Dillards for a new pair of Crocs, but the newer ones don't seem to be as well-made as they were before, so passed on those and visited Rack Room shoes. Here I found a pair of Adidas flip-flops that fit well and look good, $19.00 so sold to the lady in blue.

Getting toned and no soreness today!

Last week when I did squats and straight-legged deadlifts w/ the barbell I was sore as hell for days afterward, which did not make me all eager to repeat the experience. Hang out on the bodybuilder forums long enough and you will read how vital squats and deads are to overall strength, and my desire to become stronger combined with that of not spending all day in the gym working every isolated muscle and there I was again, in the squat rack. Careful with form and using light weights, today my hamstrings feel strong but no pain, so yay! Today I am taking a break day from lifting and taking an interval treadmill class which will be challenging as running is not my thing. High intensity interval training is the way to go from what I read, so there I will be.

Enough with the exercise, lets talk food. Last week or so I re-discovered resealable bags of frozen salmon and scallops at the store and picked up one of each. Best purchase ever! I shoved the scallops in the back of the freezer, not sure what to do with them, and used the salmon fillets as an alternative protein source whenever I just couldn't face another can of tune. Scallops, I discovered, are great for breakfast. I have added a half-cup to an omelet and today, faced with a pretty bare refrigerator, found the last of the bag of scallops, cooked them in a saute pan with some already-cooked bacon (another great thing) and the last of a bag of spinach. I cut a plum tomato and put half a slice of chedder cheese in half of a whole-wheat pita along with the sauteed scallops, bacon and spinach- and damn that was a yummy breakfast.

Week two of lifting weights

Today I deadlifted and discovered that I am not very strong. I put 50 lbs on the barbell at first thinking that 95 lbs should be an easy lift, umm no, did that about two poorly formed times and went down in weights each set after that. The right side of my lower back feels like, hmm something is different here, but not too drastically bad. Here is hoping it stays that way or better, this evening I plan to take the late Spin class to rev up my circulation and also because it's been a while and the instructor is good. My other fav instructor teaches at 6am tomorrow so plan to take that one too and see how it goes as far as lifting. My biceps are feeling pumped today so tomorrow may be an off day as far as lifting goes. Another decision as far as the schedule goes, is instead of doing two weeks focusing on weights and two on cardio is now the plan calls for four weights focusing on weights and one on cardio. This is based on information I've read on muscle growth and the time it actually takes. Also, since I like cardio it isn't hard for me to want to do it on my off days or later in the day after lifting.

So, at the beginning of week 2 lifting, this wek and two more to go then cardio week- that will feel like a vacation! Look what I found on Youtube, ok now I have to get strong.

Dang those weights were heavy!

After taking three days off from working out- which, along with a birthday party featuring awesome food and cake made me feel pretty pudgy today, it was time to start Phase II, weightlifting. Holy Moly that was a hard workout. I did ten minutes on the rowing machine to warm up my upper body and then there were only six exercises on the workout I got from Bodybuilders.com. So, I thought it would be easy. Well, six exercises involving 4 sets of each is a lot. The workout started with compound exercises, bench press and bent-over rows. I started with a warm-up set using just the barbell; it weighs 45 lbs. Then progressed 5 pounds each set by set up to 75 pounds. The rows are supposed to be barbell rows but I wasn't sure where to do them so I used dumbbells instead, starting with 15 pounds and going up to 25- but not able to complete 8 reps. By the time I got to the last two exercises on the list- tricep presses and bicep curls I was weak- but I did as many as I could and worked to failure. 'Failure' is good in strength terms, you have to go there to gain any. Once home I could barely lift my arms to wash my hair in the shower. Plan for tomorrow- Spin in the am, then lift for lower body.

Dressing with just six items- are they kidding me??

Yahoo's homepage has a link to their Shine pages which discuss women paring down their closets to six items and wearing them for a month. First of all, it is July, which means it's hot everywhere and heat equals sweating. So, here you are with your black dress (July! hot!) white button-down shirt, skinny jeans, white tee-style shirt, black trousers, and, fitted blazer (we'll give them the blazer for overly air-conditioned offices). Monday you go to work in the white tee, blazer and black trousers, Tuesday you wear the black dress. Wednesday it isn't Friday yet so you have to wear the pants again, so you wear the white tee with the trousers. Thursday you wear the dress that you had to make sure to wash and dry again, you also had to wash both shirts so you could pick one to pair with the jeans on Friday. On the weekend you remain nude cuz you are already tired of everything in your closet! Ahh, Internet advice, always to be taken with a lot of salt and your own common-sense.

Fitness, anyone?

Here is a little secret about me. I don't like Summer. Yes I realize that makes me practically inhuman but cool weather and wind make me feel alive in every cell. Hot humid days do the opposite. That said, it's deep in the summer now and I needed a project. When the shorts I pulled out of the bedroom drawer were a good three inches from meeting at the waist the project was clear. It is time to get in shape. I get the magazines and pay attention to the latest fitness news, for example, the recent news that middle-aged women need to exercise for an hour a day to prevent obesity. Simple enough right?

Nope, browse through some more fitness websites and they say that much steady exercise will just leave you at a minimal level of fitness and bursts of high-intensity cardio and strength-training make a person fit. One thing most agreed on is that one cannot effectively burn fat and build muscle at the same time. Exactly what I want to do. Bummer!

Here is the program. Two weeks focusing on cardio, sometimes two sessions a day including high-intensity interval training and bodyweight exercises in order to blast as much fat during the exercise sessions as possible. Also, some research indicates that high-intensity interval training causes the body to continue burning fat after the workout. Probably while you are sitting quietly after the shower trying to get back to feelin normal in my experience. Then two weeks focusing on strength-training and including at least three cardio sessions weekly in order to build more muscle to boost the metabolism and stay as vital as possible. I plan to be one of those active old people.

It is the end of the first two cardio weeks and I am so glad! Who would have thought I would be itching to pick up something heavy and actually a little over the Spin room? Now I just have to decide when to start lifting, over the weekend or wait until Monday. Also- the shorts button, not totally comfortably yet but three pounds later gives me hope. After cycling through twice, two months, it will be time to re-evaluate and possibly tweak the program. Now, what is your Summer project?

shoes shoes shoes

As the cliche goes, I love shoes. Sexy high heels, cute little sandals and don't even get me started on boots. There is a glitch in the system however. The shoes I need, shoes to work out in, are exactly the kind of shoes that I am unenthused about buying. My lack of enthusiasm is only matched by my actual need for gym shoes that provide good support for the varied activities done. So, my search for good cross-trainers continues, if anyone has a suggestion for long-lasting cross-trainers that work for a person who over-pronates, hit me up!

Keep the cool air in!

Heat waves are beating the East Coast, and here in Florida we know a thing or two about staying cool in relentless heat. Common advice is to stay hydrated, and it really is easier when you have a Brita pitcher and filter for tap water. It's easy to fill, takes up little room in the fridge and you can monitor how much water you have had simply by looking at it. That is why, I finally washed the one that has been hanging around the kitchen for months and filled it up. What was I waiting for all that time?

Another help is the black-out curtains. The ones I chose are from Bed Bath and Beyond with the help of the 20% off coupons that they send everyone and these curtains have made a noticeable difference in the room that was the hottest one during the day. The southwest facing room was a boiler, and now that the curtains are up it's comfortable and cool. I haven't seen a difference in the electric bill which I attribute to the hotter temperatures outside forcing the air conditioner to work harder, curtains or not, and the local electric company raised rates last year so it is hard to compare. Being able to sit here typing in comfort is enough for me!

So what do I like? Here you go.

Yes, usually this blog gives my opinion of services and items purchased that did not live up to expectations. Today, a positive spin is the way to go and I am going to share something that made my life easier. Number one is my Macbook. I went for the cheapest one in the Apple store back in May 2007 and this little guy is still humming right along.  I have tons of images on it, as well as short video clips the included software helped me create and you can bet the next big laptop purchase I make will be another Macbook.  Some of the included software was beyond my capabilities or patience to learn, such as Garageband, so I deleted it and haven't missed it yet. It does get hot, so not great to have directly on the lap; other than that it is the most satisfying, dependable computer I have owned.

Aha! Blogger just wants me to do it twice.

 For quite a while I was unable to get into dashboard to blog. I would go to the sign-in page, type my e-mail and password, and get the page that says 'wrong email/password combination. So I assumed I was doing something wrong and went on to do other things. Well, I took the time to look for my written-down information, and what I was typing in matched, so this time, when it told me I had the wrong combination as it did yet again, I simply did not take 'no' for an answer and retyped it.
Voila! I am in and for some reason craving chocolate like you cannot believe. There is a big chocolate cake in the refridgerator (hmm, how does one spell that?) but it has soy in it, much like every other freaking yummy thing in the world, so I'm avoiding it.  I am making this post in honor of the cat in my life- he's fine, don't worry! Here he is being very catlike, paying more attention to whatever is outside, a lizard, birds or squirrel instead of moi. Can you imagine?

B & B Major Appliance Service Inc and my poor experience with them.

The dryer stopped tumbling so we called a service company, B and B Major Appliance Service Inc in St. Petersburg. While the service man and co-owner of the company Ervin Brown were in the garage I looked up the problem online as well as the cost of the parts that were potentially needed. The belt was the most likely problem and wholesaled for $8 or so. Ervin Brown from B and B Appliance came into the house waving a long black belt and said he would see if he had one in the van. Well, he drove away immediately and returned an hour later, with the 'special' part, then cheerily gave me the price of $108 before taxes to replace the belt and reset the idler pulley, which took him 15 minutes to do. In the process, he also pulled a huge clump of lint form the vent behind the machine and left it in the middle of the garage floor. So, including driving time, he made $100 in half an hour and left a mess behind.

Help for frizzy hair.

As one who posesses long curly dry hair that frizzes at the mention of humidity, conditioner is important to me. I follow all the rules, not washing it every day, combing with a wide tooth comb rather then brushing and keeping heat styling to a minimum. I have found a conditioner that I like, the problem is that it can be hard to find. Recently, after running out of it and going to three stores to purchase a replacement, Rite-Aid, Tops and I forgot the other one, I decided to give another brand a try.

I chose Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Instant Melting Conditioner for frizzy, dry, unmanageable hair. Well jeez with a name like that how can it go wrong? It doesn't work, at least not the way I want it to. My hair doesn't slide through my fingers while I rinse it out in the shower, and looks parched and in need of more products to smooth the curls' puffiness after its dry. Which one do I like? Clairol Nice and Easy color seal weekly conditioning gloss. It's the conditioner that comes with the hair color kit and it give my hair the softness and shine that makes me happy. What do you like or dislike? Edited to add, thank-you Wegmans for carrying my Holy Grail conditioner!

effing soy allergy!

This post is a rant, be forewarned. I am allergic to soy. Soybeans, soybean oil, you name it if it is derived from soy and I ingest it soon my lips become swollen and huge, days later they are stiff and the outer layer of skin starts painfully cracking leaving me with open wounds for a mouth. This continues for a week of misery. For a while it seemed like doing a couple of shots of apple cider vinegar was controlling it but it suddenly reared up again, maybe I wasn't vigilant enough about taking the vinegar. One needs their mouth you know? This makes me feel shitty and cranky.

The Living Well Health Master aka the Montel blender

My aunt bought this the other day and asked me to give it a whirl as I cook more often then she does. It's pretty intimidating right out of the box, huge and digital so I looked it up online and found the main site which has instructional videos. A dvd and booklet came with the blender but I didn't know where they had been placed by my aunt so this was a quick way for me to see how to use it. Once I saw that the blender and lid both had to be locked in place, and that turning it on requires two buttons instead of the normal one, I was ready to go.

Now, this isn't one of those Consumer Report reviews where they check all the features and make the recipes included. I have a couple of foods I make with a blender, and created one of those. I'm about as veggie-oriented as the rest of America, I like them but sometimes preparing veggies seems like too much work so years ago I created a green soup. I use a tomato and whatever leafy greens are in the fridge, a shot of hot sauce and some water, blend the whole mess together and heat it up with some chopped up cheese.

This blender uses centrifugal force to heat the liquid inside, which basically means you blend the hell out of it and it pours out steaming. Well, I just couldn't do it. Being from the generation where hot foods in the blender equals a broken seal, when the greens and tomato looked emulsified I poured it into a bowl, topped it with the cheese and microwaved the soup the way I normally would. It worked well as a blender, and as I am fearful of using it to heat the food (the instructional video said it takes 8 minutes on high, level 8) I'm not sure this fancy of a blender is one I would purchase. That said, it was easy to use and seems sturdy and safe.

The runaway wife

As usual I wake up to the Today Show. I love to hate that show. Sometimes it focuses on the most "huh?" people, Kim Kardashian and Hulk Hogan come to mind. It is usually a mix of dark and light sufficient to keep me somewhat occupied without having to think too hard in the morning, which is probably their goal.

Today they took a break from the disasters hitting America to interview the husband of the latest "Runaway Mom". Now, I haven't had a child, but I have nieces and nephews and the idea of a mom abandoning their baby is sickening to me. If, however, one is a person who can do that, seems to me she shouldn't get that baby back when she changes her mind. Dual custody, maybe. Even that is risky when the person already took off to another state without telling a soul.

The interview was obviously slanted the same way (this I find insulting, let us decide for ourselves but that is another subject) with the repeated shot of the frumpy overweight wife and her disreputable-looking, in need of a haircut boyfriend entering a cheap car. When an interview is obviously biased like that I want to root for the underdog, but in this situation even I cannot. If you want to leave, tell the person you are with. This major search for clues that you are still alive thing is all kinds of unethical.

Update on the Cat Emery Board

My cat doesn't like it, he prefers the regular scratchy board so much it has a deeply scratched dip in it. He either isn't using it at all, or he is using it when I am not home and it hasn't made any difference in the sharpness of his claws. Ah well it was worth a shot.

Yesterday a friend and I went to downtown Buffalo and had lunch at Gabriel's Gate, a popular place on Allen St. It was one of the few places I had been to in the area that offered a steak salad, so I ordered it but was disappointed that my 'mixed greens' were only Romaine. It was an okay salad, not something I would order again if at the same place. The bartender was friendly and entertaining and the decor is certainly unusual as you will see in the clip I am providing so all in all it was a nice lunch.