I Am Lance Armstrong...Not Really

So about 4-5 years ago I bought a bike at WalMart. Nothing fancy just your average mountain bike, which I thought would be good for riding around town. For the past few years I have ridden that bike intermittently, basically whenever I decided that I needed to lose weight. Well this year I decided to get serious about geting into shape, so I have been riding with reckless abandonment. I took the bike in to the bike shop to get serviced, I bought a helmet (finally), I actually adjusted the bike to fit me! So I get out there, all geared up and I ride like I am in the Tour de France. I pedal my little heart and I have actually built up to 10-14 miles! I vary my routes like all the health magazines say to do so that my muscles don't have a chance to adapt to the workout. (Oh yes I am reading health magazines now, but I'll get to that later) I am doing all of this regularly, 3-4 times a week and I have come to 2 conclusions....1. After 3 months of riding I still have no discernable muscle tone and 2. I think I got lapped yesterday by a senior citizen! I don't know if I was truly lapped, because I don't know when he started his ride, but I do know that he passed me and he looked pretty spry! Obviously, I need to kick my training up a notch to say the least. The goal is to wake up at 5 and ride in the morning. It is going to be almost 90 degrees in the D and that is just too damn hot to be out there! Wish me luck

Who knew people were reading

So I go through these phases where I write, because I think I have something interesting or funny to say. Then I stop writing because I don't get any feedback...then a few days ago I posted a random note on my facebook page about trying to figure out Twitter and people actually posted that they enjoyed the blog more than the potential 140 character posting! Well back by popular demand I will start writing again! I have been on facebook and now Twittering instead of blogging. All of uit has led me to wonder is all of this really necessary? Do we really need 3 different ways to tell people what is going on in your life? I don't know, but it did feel good to know that people were reading.

Zumba!..That's Spanish for there's a cramp in my butt!

So I went to Zumba class tonite. I absolutely love it but it is a crazy work out. For those of you who have never taken a Zumba class, picture an aerobic class set to latin dance music. It is kind of like being held hostage in Baja Fresh and being told to dance your way out. It is totally fun except that it makes you feel completely uncoordinated. Now I have rhythym and in my own mind I could be a back up dancer for Janet Jackson at any moment and this class makes me feel like a klutz! Maybe if I paid more attention in class I would be better at it!

What is really distracting is that you take this class in a dance room so one wall is fully mirrored from the ceiling to the floor. I get distracted looking at myself in the mirror, critiquing my choice of workout outfit (note it is never the right choice), watching what my hair is doing or obsessing over how much I am sweating! Fretting about all of these things is much better than acknowledging the reality that when I Zumba I look like a cross between Oprah (the fat one with no make up) and Rerun from What's Happening! Neither is an attractive option...What is funny is that when you don't dance in front of a mirror you think you are Janet Jackson or Beyonce and then when you see yourself you realize that it is more like Mo'Nique imitating Janet Jackson & Beyonce. If I cared, I would probably never dance in public again! But let's face it, I will dance again and what is worse I will do it while I am drunk! Which means Elaine from Seinfeld will envy my cool dance moves!...

I know many of you are too "young" to remember What's Happening so here is a video post, illustrating my shame! All I need is beret and suspenders! Viva La Zumba!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myLpUAmFYsY

Fun in the Snow

So it snowed in Michigan...again. We are in for a long winter. I don't know the last time it snowed this much in Michigan! Just before Christmas we got hammered with 8-12 inches and it has snowed off an on since. We got another 6-8 inches on Friday night. The only good thing is that Ben got a snow suit and sled for Christmas, so yesterday was his first time out in the snow! As you can tell from the picture, he had a ball yesterday! We wanted to go out again today, but the temperature din't get above 20 degrees this morning and then we had plans. By we, I mean Ben and I. Mike is down at the Auto Show, still. For those of you outside of Detroit, Auto Show is the biggest event that happens in Michigan. It is crazy and Mike is really busy. Can't bitch about it though, because my work schedule tends to be way crazier than his. And in this economy, I am just grateful we both have our jobs, long hours and all!

Ahhh...A Good Smelling Man

When did men stop wearing cologne? I guess I never noticed that many men have stopped wearing cologne. I buy it for Mike at Christmas and Valentines Day, but he typically only wears it for special occaisions. When you don't smell it for awhile when you come into contact with someone wearing cologne, it hits you pretty strong. I had a business meeting today, and the customer that I met with was wearing cologne. I don't know what the scent was, but wow! It was the wonderful intoxicating scent, clean & musky, but not overpowering. Usually even if I like a cologne initially after a little while, it starts to annoy me. Not so in this case. It smelled better the longer I smelt it. I am going to have to go to the mall and annoy the fragrance lady to see if I can figure out what it is. It should be noted that a good smelling cologne can definitely make someone more attractive than they really are.

For that matter, why don't many women wear perfume anymore? (I would like to clarify at this point that I am specifically referring to perfume or cologne. I have no tolerance for the whole essential oil thing. I absolutely loathe the smell of Patchouli!!! Please stop wearing it.) I used to wear it everyday, and all of a sudden it has become relagated to something I only use when I am going out. I would love to say that I stopped wearing it because I was considerate of other people's sensitivity to scents, but let's face it, this is more about laziness and just letting one more thing slip. I think it is time to start using some of the bottles that decorate my dresser!

There's a hitch in my get up!

Holy crap! I have the worst muscle cramp in my butt! Which apparently happens when you start working out "balls to the wall" after sitting on the couch for a couple of months! I love my enthusiam though. It always starts out so positive, I am so in to the whole work out thing in the beginning. Maintaining that level of enthusiasm into week 2 will be te trick! The only down side is that I am working out at 7:30 at night, which means I dont eat dinner until oh right now. Really healthy. How did my mother and all of my friends mothers do it? They worked, took care of the house, kept the husbands happy and somehow managed to do it in the latest styles. Oh yeah and I forgot, they also managed to get dinner on the table at reasonable hour and they di it without a microwave! I know have a greater appreciation for just how hard my mother really worked. The only I am going to be able to do all that is if I a wife!

Back to the grind...

So today was my first day back to work in over 2 weeks! Wow, it took it least 2-3 hours to shake the cobwebs from my head. It is funny, 2 weeks ago I was wound like a top. I felt completely overwhelmed and sometimes even paralyzed. Now after 2 weeks away, I cannot remember what I was all fired up about!?! I didn't realize how much I needed the break until I took the break. Normally if I take a day off, I still answer email and phone calls. This time I truly took the time off, and I feel better for it.

Besides being my first day back to work, today was Ben's first day at his new daycare.
(For those of you who have discussed this subject with me in the past, then you know that I was not happy about his previous daycare.) So far so good. He seems to be acclimating to the new environment and it doesn't help that the head caregiver tends to dote on him. I think I was more traumatized by the change than he was. Thankfully, I really like the woman who runs the daycare. I have a good feeling about 2009.