September 24, 2012

Round isn't a shape?

So, I have some body-image issues.  Nothing new there.  And the fact that I blew up like a balloon since entering the workforce (go stress-eating!) hasn't helped things.

But, it seems the time has come for me to really work on changing that.  Not because I'm sick of being pudgy, or because I just "feel like I should do something", but because of things coming up.

That's right, folks, I have GOALS.  Nothing extravagant, just a timeline of events on the horizon that line up with reasonable weightloss goals.

Right now, everything is kind of vague, mainly because I don't have a scale.  Sidenote here:  I don't want a scale.  I HATE scales, and everything they stand for.  But hard numbers make this less in my imagination and more on paper.

Here are the "goals", for now... until there are numbers, that is:

1) I want to lose the bloaty look by November 24.  So... nothing huge, just more flat tummy, less puff.
2) I want to lose the wings (under arm flubber) by next March.  Nothing really happening in March, but that's the next time short sleeves will be coming around, so it makes sense.
3) Here's where the numbers come in:  I figure I'm about 200lbs right now (I was 190 last time I saw a scale monster).  I want to be down 65lbs by November 1, 2013.  This is for a thing that's happening involving a big boat in November of 2013 that I'm not sure I can blog about, so I'm gonna just call it the "Boat Thing".
4) Here's the big one: Some time soon, likely either 2014 or 2015 (depending on $$), I'll be squeezing myself into a white dress.  NOT a poofy one, but a white one none the less.  Here's why this is the big one:

I do not want to wear a Plus sized dress.

Not because I have anything against Plus sized brides, I think they're sexy too!  I just have an idea in my head of what dress I want, and it's not going to look the way I want it to with a spare tire.

SO: here's the plan:

-Adam and I are cutting out all POP.  He's actually already done it, and said it was harder than anything he's ever done.  So.... that'll be fun!
-Adam set up the Kinect for me, so I can usse the X-Box program thing and not have to go to the gym.
-NO MORE FAST FOOD FOR LUNCH.  I'm going to take my lunch.  Veg and salads, man.
-Sleep Hygiene.  Ok, so this isn't a direct thing like working out or something, but I'm going to shut down the computer and the TV (verdict's still out on music and podcasts) one hour before bed.  This leaves more time for:
-YOGA!  Back on the wagon!  At least 10 minutes of practice.
-My sister and I are doing WeightWatchers.  Well, not the meetings, but the food-stuff and the accountability.
-I have been looking at couch to 5K.  Only problem with that is the cold.  Not sure if I'll be able to overcome that one though... Outdoorsy stuff might have to wait until spring.

So, that's the that.  And people:  when you hear be being lazy, just nudge me and remind me that some day soon, I'll be wearing a bikini.  In public.

Nothing is more motivation than that...

September 19, 2012

Splat

Tammy bought yarn for me.

Bright Lights Big City Busy Highway Slow Unicorn


I'm in Love.

Also, I must knit faster.  I think I need that tattooed somewhere on my body.  Possibly on my forehead.

August 26, 2012

Exploring Toronto: BuskerFest 2012

So, last week, my therapist read me the riot act.  She told me that I need to start walking, at least half an hour, at least 3 times a week.  The hope is that this will work to ease both some of the physical pain I experience, and the IBS that has developed (wooo...), but will also ease (or at least slow the growth of) the social anxiety I'm developing. 

Adam, the smartiepants that he is, suggested that we go out today.  As we traveled and wandered, we talked about it, and there's lots of things we'd both like to see.  I thought, why not crack 2 eggs with 1 fork (which is much nicer than killing birds...), and explore Toronto as part of my "get off your arse" program.

EXPLORING TORONTO #1: BUSKERFEST 2012.
Note: My phone died.  And we can't find the charger for the camera (again).  So there are no pictures this time.  Next time I'll make a point of being a shutterbug.

What: Scotiabank BuskerFest Toronto
When: August 23-26, 2012 (check the website for more details on 2013)
Where: The St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood (Front St. between Jarvis and Yonge)
Why: BuskerFest supports Epilepsy Toronto, a non-profit organization that provides support for those in Toronto who manage Epilepsy, and education and information to the public at Large.


So, we took the TTC to King Station, and Adam lead the way to the Festival.  One thing that struck me immediately (other than the heat) was the crowds.  I was actually surprised, as there are 2 other events going on in the city this weekend: FanExpo and the CNE.

Quick Side Note 1:  I do want to go to FanExpo some day.  I think it would be really cool, and being a giant nerd, I'm sure I'd find a hundred things that would make me go "THIS IS EPIC!!".  I would also totally wear a costume.  The issue I have with FanExpo is the thousands and thousands of people who travel from all over to go to this event every year.  It's a big crowd.  Like, an anxiety-enducing-ly large number of people.   I have panic attacks going to the Mall at Christmas time, so FanExpo is not for me... yet.  It's a goal I have, for some day when I can deal with people.

Quick Side Note 2:  I like the CNE, actually, and I was going to go to that this year, but Adam and I decided that, because we went last year, this year we're going to mix it up a little and go to the OneofaKind Christmas Show and Sale.  The crowds are a little thinner, and the vendors are a little better organized, and it helps with the aforementioned Mall issues... Christmas Shopping there might be a little less stressful.

Moving Right Along:

Honestly, I didn't see that much.  Considering it's supposed to be a festival of Buskers, the number of street performers was acutally pretty low.  We did see one group performing acrobatics while dressed in what I described as "SteamPunk" gear, and that was pretty cool.  To the woman performing Trapeeze acts on a hula hoop suspended over the stage: I could do that if I wanted to. (in my dreams...).  Part of the reason I didn't see that much was the throngs of people and the fact that, at 5'4", you have to elbow your way to the front of the line, and I didn't feel like being "that chick".  There were 2-3 street performers wandering the crowds, one done up in bronze and dressed as a cowgirl, who took pictures with festival-goers for donations to Epilepsy Toronto.  The bronze made her blue eyes look shocking, which was pretty neat.  There was also a woman on stilts, who was very nice.  There were some musicians and I did see one chalk-artist... Really, though, it was more about the vendors.  The streets were absolutly lined with vendors.  Food and drink, jewlery, The Pepsi Challenge... I did see one guy selling mustard, which was probably the most original one there.

Speaking of originality, I had to say that I was intrigued by the number of people who were wandering around with actual, for reals corn on the cob.  Like, as a carnival snack!  What a brilliant idea!  So much better than a corn-dog or, as we saw at Universal Studios in Florida, a WHOLE TURKEY LEG. 

Another smart Idea, which actually earned the City of Toronto a rare gold star, was this water station, where you could go and fill up your water bottle, or just grab a quick drink, FOR FREE.  I mean, there were guys on bikes selling cold water for a buck, but really, the cold water station was an excellent plan!

Gold Star!

 Quick Side Note 3: I'm going to learn how to make Macros of glittery words.  Gold Star will be one of them.  This is a goal I have.

 We walked for a couple of hours, saw what we could.  It was interesting, and we got the idea of  what it's all about, but I think you need more than a few hours to take it all in.

Recommendation for next year:

Yep, I'd go again!  But here's some things to keep in mind:

1. You need to make a day of it.  We went from 2-4pm, which was ok, but if you really want to take it in, you need to go early and take your time.  Check out the vendors, watch the performers you do see, stop to take in a show.  Take advantage of the neat marketing gimmiks like the Pepsi Challenge, and the freebies.

2. Take CASH.  Like, $10 in change for the buskers and donor stations (Breast Cancer was collecting too), and probably another $50 for food and trinkets.  Starbucks and Tims and those places do debit, but the streetfood people don't.  The money does go to a good cause!

3. Bring Water.  And sunscreen.  And a hat.  And comfy clothes.  No sense in being uncomfortable.

4. Wear sensible shoes.  My flip-flops were super-comfy, but I was a little concerned about getting stepped on.  The people wearing heels were... well, if you can do it, I salute you.

5. Stretch first.  I'm really bad at not doing this.  By the end of the day, I was cramped up and sore.  This may be because of my "round is a shape" issue (see above), but it the fact that I wasn't prepared probably didn't help.


I don't know what's next up.  Next weekend we have a wedding Reception, then the weekend after is a wedding AND reception, and the weekend after is the Moodle's 3rd birthday ( !! ), but I think I'll do this every now and then.  I like to explore, and there's lots to explore here.




July 24, 2012

Must... Knit... FASTER...

Today, I got a thank you card from a mom to be, saying she may take me up on hand knits for her little ones this winter.  Two thoughts crossed my mind:

1) Yay!  People like my knitting!

2)...Oh, crap... people like my knitting...

I'm two sleeves and a collar away from my third (!) Baby Sophisticate sweater.  The link there is for the free (seriously!!) pattern on Ravelry.  Now, part of the joy of Rav is that it has a section where the innovative and organized knitter can document their yarns, their works-in-progress and their finished items.

No one ever accused me of being organized....

I'm working on it... slowly, much like everything.  But now, now that people are (other than Adam and his LlamaFaced Scarf...) are actually wanting for my hand-knits, I might have to start taking better care.

Hell, at this rate, I may actually knit through my stash!*


*yeah, NEVER gonna happen.

May 8, 2012

925600min

that's how long it feels like...

HOLY CARP PEOPLE!  I'm back!  It's been a wild, wild few months, too much for one post.  So, here's the point form:

EMPLOYMENT:

-New Job and Old Job are no longer!  As of early March, I gave notice to both because of:
-Grown-Up Job, or, for now, just Job!  That's right, one job, full time, 9-5, Monday to Friday! 
-It's in my field, no less!  I'm back into non-profits! 
-For the moment, I'm at one site, but by mid-summer, it looks like I might be jumping back and forth between a couple of places within one company in order to cover holidays. 
-For the first time in a really, really long time, I have a steady income.  So, of course this means I went a little crazy and bought ALL OF THE YARNS at the Frolic, but other than that, bills are finally getting paid!

LIFE:

-Included in those bills is a brand new cell phone.  That's right, Sparky has a crackberry.  It had to happen eventually.  I actually kinda like it.
-I also have an iPad.  That's a long and complicated story including hand-knit socks.
-I've been working on some personal stuff.  Too personal for even here!  Just things I need to work through to be stronger and more confident.

KNITTING

-I haven't been knitting as much as I'd like.  I mean, really, considering I've got a big-huge-super-long commute, (nah, it's just 45 min, really).  Though, I"m quickly working my way through a baby sweater for a friend.
-As mentioned before, I blew an obscene amount of money at the frolic.  I don't regret it, I got a couple skeins from indigidragonfly.com, whom I'm madly in love with, Viola, who is leaving dying behind to go work in Europe or something, and Painted Fleece, who is transitioning into more costume design, and is no longer dying.  I also took advantage of some pretty epic sale prices, and got a sweater pattern I'm super-excited to dive into.
-I need to update my queue.

THE WHOLE WEDDING THING

-Yeah, still haven't set a date.  Probably won't any time soon.  It's just not a priority right now.  We're happy living in sin!
-This doesn't mean I don't have a pinterest board going with all the neat ideas I love smattered all over it.


That's pretty much it for right now.  I'm hoping to do more updating over the next few days, and a lot of it will probably be related to knitted awesomeness.

Glad to be back!