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June 8, 2008
Do you ever go googling for something and you just don’t get anywhere? Sometimes simple persistence pays off. Martin thinks I’m paranoid because I’m afraid people I haven’t shared our website URL with will somehow find the page anyway. Of course, first they would have to know we even have a website.
This morning on Google Blog Search I entered a single search term: Martha. On the eleventh page of results, there was a link to my last blog about eating cake and beans for dinner.
Baked beans and cake
June 6, 2008
One practice that helps when you are trying to maintain a healthy weight is to plan your food intake in advance. Planning involves having the right groceries on hand and figuring out balanced meals for the day. Planning is insurance against meals like the one I had last night — baked beans and luscious bakery cake from Publix.
The five-month mark
June 5, 2008
This week I hit the five-month mark of quitting smoking. I’m astounded.
Someone on the QuitNet website was asking quitters when they felt they were over the hump. I think it’s crazy to let yourself feel you’re over the hump. We’ve all heard of people who quit for years, then ended up as a daily smoker again. Yikes.
I feel like I’m right on the hump and I plan to stay there. I don’t want to let my guard down. My quit has been easy but there’s no sense in taking it for granted.
Sampling Martin’s home brews
June 2, 2008
These days I’m a low-carb, wuss-beer drinker but was happily anticipating giving Martin’s home brewed beers a try. I’m certainly no connoisseur but I sure do love beer, especially now that the weather has turned summery.
I just opened bottle #1 and filled my Millstream Brewing Co. beer glass with pale American ale. The glass has a beautiful, huge, foamy head. With my first sip, I was struck by the taste of dark chocolate. Beery dark chocolate. Which doesn’t sound good to me in principle but this stuff is really good, especially compared to the kinds of beer I usually drink. The chocolate flavor subsided on subsequent swallows but whatever that flavor is, it’s hitting taste buds in the same region. The last time I had beer made by a Brit was two years ago this month. I was in a pub in London drinking London Pride. But I digress — #1 was very tasty. Onto #2 . . .
A break from the routine
June 2, 2008
Most Saturdays, I have a pretty sweet routine. I sleep until I wake up, drink coffee and kill time online, then head to yoga class. Afterwards, I go to lunch with the dear friends I practice yoga with. Occasionally we go fishing instead or hit a local festival.
This weekend I broke from the Saturday routine, skipping yoga altogether in favor of canoeing. After drinking coffee and getting online, I went for a sweaty walk. Then I took my time preparing for the canoe outing. I packed a bag with a couple of towels, an extra t-shirt, some bottled water and a few cans of Bud Select.
Sweating bullets over a good book
June 1, 2008
Last weekend I started reading a book I’d ordered from Amazon. All About Lulu is the debut novel by Jonathan Evison, whom I’d encountered on MySpace. Around 3 Saturday afternoon, I carried the book over to the pool and plunged in. Seven or so hours later, I’d finished it. Now that’s a pretty solid sign that I liked the book. I let the laundry go so I could keep reading. Instead of a proper dinner, I snacked on cheese crackers.
Better Luck Next Time
May 28, 2008
Last Sunday I had every intention of going fishing. When I woke up and started thinking about the effort involved, I pooped out and took it easy that day. Another Sunday morning rolled around yesterday and it was déjà vu all over again. When I woke up, my tired body was not up for the manual labor involved. I think I’ve been overdoing it on Saturdays — yoga in the a.m., lunch, some shopping, working out in the pool, yadda yadda.
Smokers on the Edge
May 25, 2008
I just finished reading an article on the Scientific American website about research on social networks and smokers. Initially reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers examined how social networks influence smoking behavior. Now that smoking is generally frowned upon by society, smokers tend to be at the edge of their social clusters. When a smoker quits, they become more popular within their social networks.
Once again, formal research reveals the obvious — in this case, that smokers are now social outcasts. There are exceptions but generally, no one wants to be around a dirty smoker anymore.
Is it working out?
May 24, 2008
Martin and I were talking yesterday and got to a point where we had a disagreement on terminology. I said the terms working out and exercising are interchangeable — either term refers to an activity a person undertakes voluntarily to improve their health or fitness, including walking. Martin calls that activity exercise. Not to put words in his mouth, but he seems to think working out only encompasses activities involving the use of weights.
Sweatiest Yoga Ever
May 22, 2008
Tonight’s yoga practice was especially grueling. I produced the most sweat I ever have in my practice, and that’s saying a lot.
Afterwards, we tried to figure out why tonight was more challenging. And had fun reviewing the more challenging sequences of poses we did instead of our usual sun salutations. Usually we start with a set of four or so child’s poses, then modified plank, crocodile, back to child’s pose . . . Then we advance to the tradition of down dog, high plank, low plank, up dog, forward fold, down dog and on . . . Tonight, after two sets of the usual child’s poses, modified plank, etc., we did multiples of this sequence: down dog, high plank, low plank, up dog, low plank, high plank . . . Eventually we got back to down dog, then when we’d get back to up dog, we’d do low plank, high plank, down dog. I won’t go into the warrior series but it was all good! 
