There was a little invite on the top of my LJ screen to help people farm crops or some BS like that. Thank you, but no. I did not leave Facebook because of the farmville/mafia wars crap, but knowing that I would not have to wade through any of those messages made my decision easier. I am out of here. I have already set up an account on Dreamwidth under "Magicicada" and am in the process of importing my entries. Please let me know if a) you are on Dreamwidth so I can friend/subscribe to your posts there or b) you are not on Dreamwidth and I should come back here periodically to make sure you are still above ground.

If the "best way" to get ahold of you is Facebook, may I recommend that you reconsider your lifestyle choices.

Loucheroo, you were right. I have non-allegic rhinitis. Since the scratch and blood tests came back I have been somewhat bitter about the world of medical science and its shortcomings. After talking with the doc, a lot of things make sense. Mostly, I feel justified to yell l TOLD YA SO a lot. Some examples:

Because I do not have a specific allergy, it is not the composition of the "stuff" but the size of the stuff.

1. I react to FREAKING DUST - NOT DUST MITES. I have never bought the dust mite theory and feel smug that in my particular case it is the dust itself. It also means that yes, I really do get sick when I dust. It is not my imagination, preciousness, or laziness. While it is theoretically possible that I could help myself with very frequent dusting before the levels got harmful, in practice this means that buying a super-duper whole house filter was a very good idea. We are also looking into hiring a pro.

2. Line 4 of the informative pamphlet states that one aggravator is, and I quote, ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES. I literally react to the weather. Yes, I am a vers libre poet, but I am also physically tied in to the weather.

3. Per the doc, STRONG SCENTS AND PERFUMES are also a problem. There is no use trying to figure out which element in particular is bothering me, it is the intensity level. In other words, stop bathing in the stuff lady (or occasionally gentleman), you are making me ill.

Also, the Nasonex did not help much, which was another factor discouraging me this past month. I am supposed to call the doc back in a week to tell him if medication B, Astepro, helps. I could call him now. This stuff helps a lot. It is amazing. I am wondering how my life will change after I get used to my head feeling this clear.

Another side effect of the non-allergicness - cats are ok. I was never going to give them up. In fact, one reason for pursuing allergy testing was to see if I could get shots so that I could be happier while living with cats. There will be no help from shots, but at the same time no need for them.

Must dash, I need to drive across town and back to be in the same physical space with a piece of paper and then buy some desks for my new office. More on that later.

and am back. It is really as wonderful as they say, but also plenty expensive even with a fantastic deal. Still, no regrets - especially as my ship (really big late invoice) has finally come in. Of course now I have even more expenses that need to be matched up with it, but things are looking up.

The biggest side effect may be an obsession with craftsman furniture and the arts & crafts movement in general. I don't think that large slabs of solid wood ever get cheap, but I am going to do what I can. Also, I will require a shipment of mica and copper lamps.

more, perhaps less scattered, much later. We came home via the blue ridge parkway which involved a lot of downwards corkscrews. Parts of me are still spinning.

• Staying at a hotel on Times Square is pretty cool. 
• I did take a bus tour, but didn't really see the Statue of Liberty.
• NYC has nothing on Paris, sorry.
• By my one sample, NYC taxi drivers earned their crazy driving reputation.
• Landing at La Guardia is ohmigod there is nothing under me but water until you are less than 20 feet in the air.
• Central Park does look cool, but I think a lot of this was because the rest of NYC is so lacking in greenery.
• Greenwich village was the one place (that I saw - did not get north of Central Park) that looks like home.
• The former WTC was in a very dense place which makes its absence even more impressive.
• Less smog than Houston
• The staff at the Marriott Marquis was unbelievably friendly and gracious.
• If you are going to pay > $10 for a whiskey, you might as well pay $16 for Laphraoig. It was worth every penny. Take seriously the warning about the "peatiness." It was still very very good, but the smokiness is inescapable. The good (or bad part) was that the smoky flavor lingered for hours...mmmmm..... 
• I actually spent far less than I expected on food, but there was no escape from the high costs of some things such as transport and wi-fi. I ended up just going without internet for the most part. There was no lack of things to do.
• My random roommate from Peru turned out to be an awesome individual. The advertised ATA conference perk of making lifelong friends was not hype in the slightest.
• I met translators from across the U.S. as well as Italy, New Caledonia, Greece, etc etc.
• One really cool thing about NYC was hearing all kinds of languages spoken by people who weren't coming to the convention.
• I think the NYC marathon is a cool thing, but I was really glad to get out of town before it started. 

Ok, that's more than 5 min, more later.

Jeff: Is it ok if I rip the old, ugly plastic toothbrush holder off the wall?
Jenn (moi): Kill!
Jeff: I'll try not to...
Jenn: DESTROY!!!
Jeff: ...damage... nevermind

This message brought to you by the Committee for Decorum, Interior Decorating and DESTROYING IT WITH FIRE.

Track 1
Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson in a live performance of Ghost Riders in the Sky
*talk talk talk*
Ghost Riders
*talk introducing a reggae song written by Willie Nelson? called "Worried Man," followed by the first few notes which segue smoothly into...

Track 2
Edelweiss by Julie Andrews

The tracks were stitched together so smoothly that I could not detect anything strange until I recognized the tune of Edelweiss, which was only one beat before Julie Andrews voice started singing.

I am in the middle of watching a video which demonstrates new search options on Google. I am very impressed on the whole, but the Wonder Wheel... that would be Gopher. It is a lot prettier than Gopher and 1000 times more functional, but I feel like I have been flung back in time to the early 90's.

Every car that I have owned has suffered in comparison to my first car, a '76 Plymouth Volaré, in one key way - a total lack of foglights. The Volaré ,aka Piglet[1], had these adorable little lights that my dad had added on to the front[2]. They were controlled by a switch that was underneath the floormat so it was a HIDDEN switch. My dad was also keen on explaining how inferior all vehicles without foglights were, and the utter foolishness of trying to use high beams in the fog. He is right. I have flicked on my high beams briefly, not to test this, but just to see it for myself. The fog gets brighter, but that is not terribly helpful. Foglights simply work. So why is it that a dinosaur of a vehicle is superior to nearly every car built today. Oh yes, you can buy foglights - if you are willing to pay for every other option imaginable to establish the proper "environment" for the foglights to flourish. Trust me. If foglights can coexist with an 8-track, they will survive without the accompaniment of "leather seats[3] with heated front seats" and "illuminated entry."

Thank you for reading. This rant has been sponsored by The Committee to Think Seriously About, But Probably Be Unable to Afford the 2010 Prius. (if you can afford a new car, I would highly recommend it because they look like very nice[4])


[1] Because it was smaller than my Dad's previous car, the Hog. All I remember about the Hog is that it was orange.

[2] I have checked, and this is apparently "just not done" anymore in favor of built in lights that would require some sort of metal/plastic cutting apparatus.

[3] Can I just mention that my current car has leather seats (unheated) and I STILL do not have foglights?

[4] Please insist on foglights so there will be used 2010 Prius' available with foglights around 2020.

I am "researching" a French multiplayer roleplaying game for an article on virtual immersion. As I was reading the tutorial, I found a section on necessary Provençal phrases:


- Bonjour : Bontjorn
- Bonsoir : Bonsera
- Comment ça va ? : Coume vai ?
- Bien : Bén
- Merci : Mercé
- Messire : Senhor
- Madame : Dòna
- Marseille : Marselha
- Provence : Prouvènço
- Oui : Óc
- Non : Non
- Maire : Cónsol


I love this. It is layer upon layer of linguistic fun and I have not even really started playing yet.

..or how I showed by ability to be snowed in gracefully.

Our coffee machine *thinks* that it can get away with not making coffee. The clock works, but nothing involving actually turning on and making coffee will happen. For bonus points, it snowed last night and navigation is ... questionable. I analyzed the situation. We have a basket of grounds and something to go into it. We have water, but it will not heat or go up into the grounds basket. Solution: I fired up the electric kettle and added in boiling water cup by cup. I consider this to be a nobel-worthy accomplishment before my first cup of coffee. I am now on an unprecedented third cup. I am not sure if this coffee is weaker, or if I am just reveling in my accomplishments.

I cannot think why this woman was not invited to her sister's wedding. I think I should send my sister a nice note to thank her for not being a raving psychotic.

I have felt embarrassed as a writer because I cannot find a way to explain the depth of my emotion to Obama's victory. However, in his inauguration speech there were a few phrases that may help to explain why I feel so invested in this administration:

1. "...all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

Did you see that? Did you notice the way that he dropped the word "men" instead of trying to expand the definition to "all men and women." This is central to what he has done the entire campaign. He is not making a bigger tent, he is rejecting the concept of a tent entirely.

2. "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers."

I just about stood up and said A-MEN! when Obama mentioned non-believers. I understand belief and the strength that comes from it. I respect Obama's strong faith... but I do not share it. And while I may believe in something, I have no idea what it is. It is nice to be explicitly invited into the idea of what America really is.

And here is the point where once again, I find myself trying to explain something that I cannot put into words, and is probably too personal to really mean anything. I will say this. My support for Obama has nothing to do with his rock star or celebrity status (as much as I admit that the man can dance). He is suggesting a new style of governance that is so heart-stoppingly honest that I do not think that the Enrons and Haliburtons of the world have any hope of understanding it. I think that the terrorists will understand though, and they will know that they have lost. This is a style of fighting akin to martial arts where the attacker ends up defeating himself with his own strength. The hate is over.

I never realized what a difference it would make to have a president that can dance.

...just in case, I have a second journal with the same username, over at insanejournal. The interface is a bit sleazier, but it will do as an emergency shelter.

The food was edible, even very tasty, but I am still proudest of the name:

Thanksgiving Fantasia Pie

0. Preheat oven to 350
1. Frozen pie crust (to fit the leftover theme. This is leftover from the factory.)
2. Leftover Green Bean Casserole (french friend onions and all)
3. Combine 1 & 2
4. Top with shredded carrots <- token new item
5. Add strips of leftover turkey (dark meat), previously removed from carcass (preferably by someone else).
6. Add some milk (wing it)
7. Mix an egg with a little bit more milk (still winging it)
8. Add to proto-pie
9. Add a small amount of italian bread crumbs in a feeble attempt to avoid burning turkey. (no aluminum foil in the house, lack of foresight to put turkey on the bottom. If you read all the directions, you could chose not to make this mistake, but that might remove the "fantasia")
10. bake for 15-20 minutes. Observe that feeble anti-burning measures were unsuccessful.
11. Add frozen biscuits to top (still technically leftovers as they were purchased for Tday)
12. Add strips of Asiago cheese (leftover from something!) to fill the gaps between biscuits
13. Bake another 20-25 minutes
14. Remove from oven, eat

Optional: Inform child that she cannot have more of the pie until she's eaten something other than the biscuit on top. Inform child that the adults are getting more pie (with biscuit on top) because we have no FOOD left, while she has plenty in her bowl. End of meal. No dessert. Early bath. (adults get ice cream and brownies after child is asleep because we tried some of everything and did not whine - shhhhh)

Although some people in the U.S. may have lost love for France, France never gave up HOPE for US.

I think the meanings are fairly clear, but translations from upper left clockwise:
An American Dream
Going for Obama
84% of French happy for Obama
Hope presides

Oh yeah, we did it.

This is wrong. I also find it somewhat unbelievable and bizarre, but I think the wrongness is what needs to be focused on here.

I am going to link to a poem. Before I do this, please understand that I get feeds from a lot of sites that include poetry. I estimate that I do not even follow more than one link in ten. I love poetry, but it's...intense and sometimes I'm just skimming. This one is good.

The first line:

The sky leaves every possibility wide open,

a good stanza for a cloudy day like today[1]:

Darkness is what mainly marks
these muckraking winter Saturdays
that never quite get off the ground,
becoming bogged down in cloud.
And, at the time of morning when you'd
rather have a lawnmower up and running
or a paint can open like a puree,
torpor permeates your pores,
blackens your soul like the coal lumps
you work up to a heated exchange.
Best to abandon the fight, give up the ghost.
Best to let the darkness have its day.

Go, try some. The first one is free! Of course, I say this with my credit card still propped up on my keyboard ;>.


[1] Despite the fact that life is basically good, I have a sinus/migraine something that is seriously slowing me down.

I am not sure that I could pronounce Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio the best author in the world, but he is certainly Nobel-worthy. My introduction to his writing was in several lyrical passages which were used in a French composition course. I had no idea that so little of his works had been translated.

So, if you can read French - go for it. If you can't um... study up or start begging publishers to produce translations.

p.s. If they need a good translator, I might know one ;).

no fog tomorrow
we still exhale unseen like
the turning of the sun

"Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--"

-Palin explaining why being Alaska's Governor (or executive as she prefers) gives her foreign policy experience. full article , video and everything. The 'media' are not beating up Princess Palin, she just can't take it.

...And I am a zoologist because I am looking at a model of a plastic rhinoceros.

TO: HON JOHN MCCAIN, MEMBER CONGRESS, WASHINGTON DC

WILL BE IN OXFORD FRIDAY EXPECT TO SEE YOU THERE STOP BEING PRESIDENT REQUIRES WALKING CHEWING GUM SIMULTANEOUS STOP

SENATOR BARACK OBAMA

PS CHICKEN

I posted like a crazy fiend this weekend.

I went to SparkCon yesterday and generally had a blast. It was a frenetic day, but well worth it in the end.

1. Attended several panels with speakers such as G.D. Gearino (What the Deaf-Mute Heard, formerly of the N&O), Frank Stasio (The State of Things/NPR <- Radio Rockstar), Will Rokas (Academy Award Nomination for Monster's Ball), etc...

2. Went over to Tir na Nog with the organizer of the Quail Ridge Open Mic and one of his buddies where we continued the panel discussion on the changing/falling literacy of the general populace and discussed writing in different forms. It was awesome AND I had Strongbow cider which I have not been able to find since leaving France. I can report that it is still very tasty.

3. Dashed over to Quail Ridge for the Open Mic, only put in $1 for the reading raffle, but then I only had enough time to listen to half of it before dashing back for the PoetrySlam. However, I was there long enough to hear one of my fellow Taffies tell a really funny story. The TAF group is more focused on the practical underpinnings of freelancing so we do not really get to share our actual writing very often.

4. Back to the PoetrySlam... the bare stage had been transformed by the use of bright lights and loud music to a downright happening. There had been a change in the schedule so I had to wait for the breakdancers to finish(yeah, I don't know what this world is coming to either). Eventually the slam got started and the introductory poem from the MC let me know that I was completely outclassed. My poetry is more of the quiet, reflective sort than a performance art. However in the grad poetry class, I had this weird crazy stuff start to come out. It was completely unlike anything that I had written before - more personal, more angry - closer to slam poetry. So I did not feel completely like I didn't belong.

Also, I pure love reading my poetry on stage and this was the biggest darn audience that I have EVER seen for poetry. Let me set the scene:

o elevated stage
o spotlights so bright that I could not see the audience <- big plus
o over two hundred people waiting to hear my poetry

I read, I rocked, I sat down again. I did not get to the final round, nor did I expect to, but I got a really good response from the crowd.

5. Several other Taffies read from their works. They were also not quite slam poets, but put on a respectable show. One of my fellow Taffies did a humor piece which was good enough to propel him into the final round. However, the winner of the final round was a poet named Trin-A-Thoughtz. Write the name down. She was incredible - pure slam, pure emotion, but with a lot of craft behind it.

6. Then it was time for the AfterHours Erotica reading. I really questioned whether I should go to this, but there were more Taffies reading - again I really questioned whether I should go to this ;). It was in a teeny tiny venue with many people packed in. The content varied from kind of hot to ohmigod hot. Highlights included a hilarious poem about bestiality and a candy bar themed poem from the aforementioned Trin-A. I am not going to talk about the story by my fellow Taffy, but let's just say that his Penthouse credits are not pure happenstance. I even read a limerick to add my little contribution. I have posted it here before, but it was years ago:

If after drinking fine whisky,
you're thinking of activities risky,
it's best to remember
to cover your member.
Condoms were made for the frisky.

It may not have been as 'smokin' as most of the other pieces, but there were the requisite howls from the audience and high-fives from my fellow Taffies. I hung out for a little bit longer, but decided that it would be best for me to get home by midnight. I said my goodbyes and went out into the night air for the ride home.

"As easy as it is to skimp on your routine, rush breakfast, and then try to dive right into work — that’s not usually the best way to go."

I never do that. Never. Coffee is mandatory, which means I need to get breakfast. It is optimal for there to be a paper and some quiet, but I can survive for a few days without a paper. And diving right into work? That doesn't happen either. No wonder I am so successful! [full article]

Now, item #2 says that I should do something disciplined every morning. Check! I wake up. That takes work. Of course, that might have something to do with #1 Sleep Deprivation which I am supposed to be avoiding. Oops.

#3 Breakfast
Yep, see above.

#4 Clarify EXACTLY what would make your day productive aka Goal triage
Check.

#5 Get into Work Mode
*whistles tunelessly*
Can we talk about breakfast again? I'm really good at that one ;).

I am planning on making pork chops with corn flake coating, but because I am trying to avoid HFCS, I bought multi-grain flakes instead of corn flakes. What do you think? Will this work, or should I try harder to find organic corn flakes or skip the coating altogether?

This person is looking for a book reviewer, but he/she/it has some unusual qualifications:

"Anyone with vampiric ties would be appreciated, as I do not wish to offend vampires with long standing in the community by making assumptions or referrals that are incorrect about modern vampires."

Yeah, good idea to check with the undead community. You wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

I found this quote by Jacques Dupin in my translation textbook:

Original
L'écriture ne comble pas le manque ni le tourment qui le suscitent.

Translation (not mine)
Writing satisfies neither the need nor the torment that prompt it.

I announce the colors that we will be having our house painted:

Free Spirit
Greek Villa
Frangipane
Radish
and
Delicious Melon

I have to tell you that I had to try *very* hard not to look at the names when I was choosing colors, but I am quite happy with all of their connotations. I think that a marketing geek at Sherwin Williams just earned his wings. To make it even more appropriate - Delicious Melon is the color for our kitchen, the current centerpiece of which is - a (presumably delicious) Cantaloupe.


Next - the carpet!!!!

I am still me. I know that I have been using the same icon for several years now, but this one is just perfect. We shall see if it has as long a run as the Jawa or if I will become one of those mad craaazy people that switch their icons for each post.

I made a T-Shirt!

Naturellement, I made a female version, but if you are a poet of the male persuasion you can customize it.

I have offered up an epithalamion on livelongnmarry. An epithalamion (spell that three times fast) is a poem written in honor of a newlywed couple. The community describes itself as "a fandom fundraiser for marriage equality." 

This is what I call an Everybody Wins scenario. I get to write in a new poetry form. A couple gets a custom poem to remember their special day. And maybe, just maybe, more people will get the chance to get married themselves.

I'm kind of lost in fanfic world, but this just looked like too much fun to pass up.

shockingly, i do not have an appropriate poem in my stash for this anthology.

however, if your writing closet is full of tentacles, i encourage you to apply.

p.s. i love the internets.

"Optimally:

-Looking for someone who is forgiving of all without even a penalty if the penalty is pain. Looking for a person who likes to help others and likes being kind and merciful. "

Ok, then. Later the ad mentions that "Its main goal is to end pain and uses a term called "self slavery". The book feels non-existance is preferable to life with pain. "

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not sure I like how all this is adding up for the person who answers this ad.

One reason that I love freelancing has got to be looking through all the ads. The rest of this job posting is fairly normal, but the real kicker is at the end " Contract position up to 40 hours a week through Sept 30, 2008. Company-issued Mac, beer." Hell-o!

Remember when?

Viewers watching CNN after midnight may be subjected to political debates between Glenn Beck and William Shatner. If that is not a sign that it is time to go to bed, I do not know what is.

It is 11:40 pm at night here and a bird just started singing about 5 minutes ago. It doesn't sound like a distress call of any type, just a happy little morning bird. Either he/she is utterly confused about the time, or very strange.

Go bird, go! I feel like making some coffee and moving on with life.

Hurray! A cinquain of mine will be published in the next edition of Windhover. If you're local, you are certainly welcome to come, although it is a fairly small scale event.

I was quite pleased that anything had gotten in because most of my "A" list material was out or in heavy edit mode when the submission date rolled around last year. Combine that with the fact that the publication is coming out on April 20th and I was quite surprised to find out that anything had made it in. I reread the cinquain and it's actually fairly nice. The organizers have said that I'm not limited to reading just what is being published, so I might bring along a handful of cinquains and haikus that I normally would not read.

I want this shirt[1] which is currently being voted on in the shirt.woot derby. of course, to be eligible to vote, you have to have already bought a shirt, and the current shirt being offered is sold out. Mind you, I'm not sure that I would have bought some weird random shirt just to have the possibility of buying a different one that I did want, but there you go. Anyways... if you have bought a shirt on shirt.woot, and you agree that the design above is cool, please go vote for it. If not, enjoy the pretty pictures :)

[1] the contest is for text-only designs and the one that I like is a flying dragon composed of the words Never Stop Dreaming.

this is mostly for those who have knowledge of highways between NC and FL, but everyone can play along.

Along which highway would you most expect to see bible verses and lawyer ads?

A: I-95
B: 301
C: I-75
D: some other pissant highway between Gainesville and Jacksonville which you have forgotten.

I can now bench press (bar + ((10+5+2.5)*2)) aka 80 lbs and for the leg press, I am at 221 lbs which is *more* than my weight, thank you very much.

...still struggling to get back my aerobic conditioning after the flu. My post flu high is now 1.5 miles running, but I was not able to do that much on Wednesday. Of course, I went home early that day with a migraine, so I suppose that I can hope for better next time.

In other news, I'm starting to use fitday.com to try to put together what the prof calls the 'nutrition piece.' jeff and i have been halfway planning to start weight watchers again in May[1] but this is free and more directed towards the whole fat/carb/protein balance. according to the prof, we should be at ~50% carbs/20% fat/30% protein. the protein is hard to get, but what's worse is that i'm going way over on the fat category. according to the formula, which is the same as the "Easy Way" on this website. i should be taking in around 3,000 calories to *lose* weight while weight training. in ww terms, this would be 60 points which is close to twice what i was ever supposed to eat in a day. obviously, the prof's motivations are tilted more towards building muscle than losing weight, but this is quite a difference. meanwhile, there is no way for me to use a scale to actually track fitness right now. my weight is higher than it has been in a while, but the tape measure is going down so i can't complain.

more rambling later. i have a princess who needs books read to her.


[1] that will be one year since he started his PS2 workouts, after we get the income kick from not needing to pay for daycare and after my semester is over.

p.s. if all y'all don't post tomorrow, i'm going to run from one corner of lj to another and go wooooo, just to hear the echo.

An Opera, in French about the Indian Queen Padmavati being performed at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.

"It's equal parts straight-laced European opera and Bollywood blowout, with a cast that includes a top French mezzo-soprano, scores of classical Indian dancers and a live tiger."


Good grief.

I found this searching google.fr for information on Socialized Medicine français. I do not get the same result searching google.com.

En réponse à une demande légale adressée à Google, nous avons retiré 3 résultat(s) de cette page. Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur cette demande, vous pouvez consulter le site ChillingEffects.org.

In response to a legal demand(~) addressed to Google, we have removed 3 results from this page. If you would like to learn more about this demand, you can consult the site ChillingEffects.org

Of course, I can't find the actual notice on the website, but I should actually be studying, not getting caught up in search results.

yesterday, sylvia decided two of her ballerina/princess/sparkly dolls were going to get married to each other. now, weddings around here are about as common as birthdays for ducky (we think he's about 1397 years old by now). i did not try to correct her, or to explain the precarious legal status of gay marriage. my one response was that it was somewhat unusual for two girls to get married. her response - that's ok, they're fairies. ba da bing!

jeff and i left the room without comment.

i don't normally get major boosts from my non-academic profs, but my Weight Training prof did a good thing today. now, this is an obvious good thing which was in the syllabus and everything, but it helped me feel better by reminding me about something i should have known - when you start weight training, your weight goes up but your shape gets better. i knew this, but my weight had been going down slowly, but steadily before spring break. in fact it had been just on the teetering edge of a short-term low. i know that i did not eat well on break, but there was also little snacking and, you know, spring break - woo-hoo! however, i did not expect a weight gain of 5 pounds. i had been on schedule to break the 200 lb barrier downwards, and now... i don't think i have enough semester left to do this. i figured it was a bit aided by water retention, but that just meant that when i 'lost' the weight it would just be water and i'd be right back where i started in another few weeks.

well, today we measured ourselves again: biceps, chest, abdomen, hip (or as my partner liked to say, the 'butt measurement'). i lost at least an inch everywhere, with one measurement being down an inch and half. this is why i like weight training, and running, and getting in shape in general. these are gains (or losses) that are more permanent than the odd pizza (or two) can sabotage.

this was also a morale booster, because i once again failed to run the distance that i had been running before i got the flu. i was up to 2.25 mi and today, i just had to stop at 1 mile. a certain amount of perseverance is necessary for running, but i could tell that i was really done. however, after 5 min walking, i did a .25 mile sprint so there is still hope.

also, i had not bench pressed in quite a while due to the vagaries of getting in time with equipment in class, partners whims, etc. therefore, i was not entirely sure that the weights i had listed were correct. i went ahead and had my somewhat skeptical partner help me load the weights and they did look right once they were on there. she helped me get them off the rack and i could just tell it was the right weight - 45 + 15 for each side = 75. i'm sure it's not much by many people's standards, but just doing the bar was hard the first time. and, the prof said 'good form' when i was done which means a lot to me. i don't know how much i will end up lifting, but my hope is to have impeccable form all the way.

i had a female partner today because we were doing measurements, but i have often had a male partner with the lifts. i am just not as 'cliquey' and tend to be 'odd man out' regardless of the context. because of this, i have noticed that i really do fall right in the middle weight wise. all of the guys that i have lifted with can do more - significantly more, especially on upper body work. however, i do a little bit better than most of the ladies on lower body and MUCH better on arms. it's nice. i don't mind being the poky one, but it's nice to feel strong sometimes too.

back in raleigh - hooray! no really dangerous occurrences, although a guy at South of the Border did offer to sell Jeff a GPS. we decided that it might be a while till we go back there.

i just don't know what to say. this is a link from a link from a link: lolcode, based on lolcats, on Wikipedia - France.

HAI
CAN HAS français?
BTW qu'est-ce que ce? les américains sont complètement fous!
KTHXBYE