Went to the Allstate to watch Skatin Bacon take on the Lake County Hosers as part of the Guns -n- Hoses charity games to support ABTA.     A friend of mine plays with them, so I've been going there to practice my hockey photography.    Really enjoying the challenge.

Afterwards was the Wolves game, we lost, but the seats were great and we had a Penguins fan next to us.  

Penguins have a big big big game tomorrow.  They so need to win for me.

Also, I am thinking of trying this Womens Hockey Clinic on Thursday.   I've gone skating the past 3 weekends, but prior to that it was 5-6 years ago, and at that point, I maybe got... 3-4 months tops on the ice?   So, it's a big step.

Here's my fave from the Wolves game I think.   Notice the broken stick?  Heheh
!

So many things I have going on and want to keep track of.      I restarted South Beach and am feeling pretty good so far on it.   Course, only at 1.5 days in, but still - just NOT eating crap gives me a confidence boost.  I need to do more with preparing my food beforehand though.  That will make this tons easier.  And I need to limit my eggs to 2 per day.   And make some of those mock french toast things.

I rejoined Bally's as they gave me a rate of $99 for a year.  At $8.50ish a month, you really can't beat that.  It's also closer to home and has the capoeira class that I had some fun with.   I have 3 months left at X-Sport and 14 PT sessions.  I've decided to suck it up and finish them off.  I'll go to one of the other locations and just get a new trainer.   That should help a ton.  

I want to buy a new camera lens.  I really need a 300mm even if it's kinda slow and not as awesome as the $3000 kind.   This weekend I want to head back to Starved Rock and grab some more pics of the Bald Eagles.  They won't be here too much longer, especially with the thawing we're having.

I need to finish planning out the trip to the Seattle area.   I need to get it written up nice so that I can show my sister and show her how absolutely affordable it it.   Once I get the ok, I need to start locking in those places to stay.  This part always makes me nervous.   I think it doesn't help that Ruth always seems so unsure and off on the side of the planning.  

Up to episode 124 of Naruto.  Still really enjoying the series, holy crap. :)  

I think there was something else I wanted to talk about, and I've totally forgotton.  Ugh.  Ah well!

My new affliction, (Narutardosis) has given me inspiration for a new diet.  Hey!  Maybe it will work and I can market it for millions.  Ok, probably not.   But in the very least, I have a new, if not a bit silly, mantra that I've stolen from Naruto.

In regards to food/eating ... I will steal Naruto's saying of, "I won't lose to you!"

And eat a lot of ramen...

Guess whose starting over again?    0=)    There are 21 weeks until June (roughly) and that is my goal date for being back into the healthy weight range.    Posting this here as a reminder to myself to ya know, stick with it.

Photos for next character.

1)  Get to work early.
2) Oatmeal and Orange Juice for breakfast.
3) Jot down smoothie recipes.
4) Make shopping list for groceries.
5) Reprint a stack of Warhammer character sheets.
6) Work on Constance' personality.
7) Grocery shop at lunch.
8) Make Christmas list (mine - also what I want to get others)
9) Exercise (45m)
10) Do Week 1 Day 1 Push Ups
11) RP Scene - TQ.
12) Research places for bday bash.

Two mornings in a row now... I get up, get ready and get set to go.  As I enter the kitchen, a crow lands on the railing of the deck and looks in at me.   He doesn't stay long and once I open the door he flies away.    Today, there was a second crow nosing around in the planter outside.   So maybe they are just looking for stuff.

But oh man, creepy!  Crows are creepy things.   Maybe it's a Corax!!

Anyway, so I go outside to scrape the ice off my windows, thinking to myself 'how amazingly creepy that a stupid crow has stared at me two mornings in a row.'    I look up to the sky and what do I see?   All glowing and magical with the sun's early morning rays?   A red tailed hawk soars RIGHT over me and I was like woooooo!  Yeaaaaah!

Anyway.  Random creepy story.   Damn Halloween.

"Losing weight is not about willpower--it's about moments of bravado, like the moment when you ask your waiter to take the bread away from the table right away."

I just had a nice, four hour long Rock Band set after not having much RB time in the past 2-3 weeks.  I am exhausted... and content.    I took it easy tonight, playing on Hard instead of Expert because I am still adjusting to the new bass pedal - it works better, but also seems to take a little more effort.   One thing to contemplate:  why is the difference between hard and expert on some songs so negligible and other songs completely monumental?   Oiy.   I guess to keep us humble.

Tomorrow.   Return to the gym.  Seriously..  For total reals, omg, bbq.  Wait, no bbq is bad.  LOL.

I got new hair.
I got new clothes.
I got a short week at work.
I got a vacation starting this Friday.
( New Stuff Details )

Monday To Do

Buy milk, fruit for work, light cream cheese.
Eat Lean Cuisines for lunches this week.
Track on MFD.com
Get gas.
Make list for packing.

Compliments of gencolson  !!!!

( Behind the cut, and yes, I copied and pasted the exact conversation from pages because I am laaaaaazy. Thanks again for the help. )

March 3rd.   I pulled that date out of my head.  But it's the day that I want to use as my 'Ready by' date.   Simply, I want to be healthy; an appropriate weight, well toned, and physically fit by that day.   I need to lose between 15-20lbs.  That, I think I can do a lot faster than March 3rd.   But, the physically fit part will need more time so there we go.

Why you ask?

I want to do a 3 day backpacking trip.   That means long hours walking, carrying, treading and climbing.    Thus, the above mentioned goals.   Tomorrow, the gym should be open.  (God I hope so, because I really have my hopes up and really want to get back into the habit.)    So, I think for the first week, it's going to be pulling the eating back under control and getting to the gym at least 3x.   I want to continue my lunch hour walks as well.   15min at lunch, plus an hour after work should be a really nice little boost.   Hopefully I'll get some extra motivation by having a good report from WW on Saturday too...  (though we have the county fair with the whole family the Friday before, must avoid fair food).

So, I just called them.  Sigh - they are not opening yet.  And I really wanted to go there tomorrow.  That means my options are:
1) Go to the old one, and face up with the personal trainer that I have been dodging for 2 whole months.  SCARY!
2) Just not go, until that new one opens up.  (New one won't have any group classes... but I never really use those anyway.)
3) See about joining Bally's again...  instead.  Because it's closer.  And, then I can still avoid the evil ex-trainer.

Hmm, must think about this carefully.

In the meantime, I'll focus on food for starters.    I'll need to eventually work hills and terrain into whatever I do.  And also start hiking more routinely on the weekends so I get used to it.  Also - will need to get a GOOD backpack.  One that can be used for the short day trips, and prepare me for the heftier ones that I'll need for actual backpacking.

Time to start jotting down in the notebook.

Hitting that point where I am bored/tired/frustrated with the whole health regime.    Sept 2nd the new location for my gym opens up and I can start going back there.  Even better, it's on the way HOME from work.    So I can get there by 5:20, exercise for an hour and be home by 6:45.   I need to type out a plan of attack though, so I don't show up all uncertain and just give up.  I'm also pretty worried it's going to be jam packed the first few weeks, but I really can't put it off anymore.

Food is the bigger problem.  It's not even that I'm craving bad stuff.  It's that I am so bored and meh about it that I am going for simple, easy, fast.  Which is rarely good.   

I need to lose 15lbs.  I would love to lose them by my birthday of Nov. 29.   Which, is a really steep goal, not impossible, but probably would be safer to say, lose 10lbs by then and just take any extra as free bonus.  

Well, tomorrow we'll go for gold.  Tonight, I am eating pie.

They're fake.  But those are the best kind because I wanted them for work and I have no sunlight in my office - no windows - no hint of natural Vitamin D rays - nothing.    Usually the fake kind are really expensive, but I found them on sale at Kohls.    Tomorrow they get transported to work and put into the office as part of my attempt to brighten the place up and hopefully keep my moods a bit more even keeled.  I've been stressing hard core lately.    They're taller, so I think I can even put one on the floor.     We'll see.  If not, then I can get one more and look for a potted tree fake plant thingy to bring the number of greens to three.   (I've read that's the magic number for good feng shui or something.)

I also picked up another new actual nightwear shirt.   It's soooo soft.   Can't wait to dive into that tonight.

The plan is to get up a bit early tomorrow and head to the grocery store and find some good healthful and yet somewhat entertaining items for work.   I've toyed with the idea of going back to my 'food bag' routine where I pack up the work days food and snacks and not a bit more.   That way I am not tempted to get extras.   The fruit and veggie thing really did seem to increase my weight loss, so I need to find new, fun ways to get them in.   I still like cantaloupe with fat free cool whip.   I have some sliced, canned pears I'm gonna try in the fridge as well.   I should try strawberries again and see if I still break out from them.  :p   Trouble with fruit is I really don't like much of it.  Citrus is right out.  Apples are okay only with peanut butter on them.  Bananas are okay sometimes, or again, with PB on them.   Watermelon is yummy but seasonal.  And I only like raspberries fresh off the vine.       Veggies are easier, but I prefer them cooked.   If they're raw, they need to have black bean dip, or light ranch on them, or spinach dip... or, the list gets less behaved as I go on so I'll stop.

Alright, I need to write a list and get into bed.

So I was sad when the Penguins (NHL) lost, because, well, I have a lot of Pens memories and fondness.   But tonight, I was at the arena when the team I follow (or have in the past) the most won the Calder Cup!     The game was tense for the first two periods, the score tying over and over.  Then, 3rd period, The Chicago Wolves opened up and just took off.  Krog got a hat trick, and my favoritist ever visor is now in some bin after being scooped off the ice.... (or off the seating floor... see, visors don't fly so well, which is probably why it's a hat trick and not a visor trick.)

It was soooo amazing being there for the win.  Watching the excitement explode on the ice.   I can't wait till next year, opening game, when they unfurl the banner.





http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v297/lilwolfe/ChicagoWolvesCalderCup2008/

Maaaaaan!  I am so stoked!   Time to sleep now.

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