Suck It, Terror: The Saga of Second Place

June 13, 2016 3 Comments

2016-04-26 17.55.20 — *Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!*

Remember my last post, when I mentioned new house research was underway? Well, that research went really quickly and we haven’t stopped moving since (literally… we still have four more things to bring to the new house). This April, we became the thrilled owners of a three-bedroom ranch-style house built in the early 70s. Brian named it Second Place, partly because it’s the second place we’ve lived here and partly because of an old inside joke. It’s one of the weirdest houses we’ve ever seen, and we are absolutely in love with it. I had wanted to keep a log of the home-buying experience because this is our first, but that turned out to be unrealistic considering the sheer amount of stuff we had to do. Instead, I’ll channel Inigo Montoya in this post and sum up.

Home & Garden, Life

We’re not dead yet!

May 8, 2016 No Comments

We feel happy… we feel HAPPY…

Seriously, we aren’t dead. The last two months have been insane. There’s a big post coming, but it’s a happy one with lots of pictures and stuff. Hang tight.

–B

Health, Life

Terror, the Warmup of Champions

March 6, 2016 2 Comments

I’ve been dabbling with jogging again as part of the guided workouts on my Microsoft Band, and I’ve been doing so around the house (yes, inside the house) because our neighbors got themselves yet another dog and I have well-documented dog issues. This one isn’t huge, but it’s big enough to cause major damage and is seriously unfriendly. I’d been giving it a wide berth. Until Tuesday.

My Idiot Brain: We have a ten-minute jog today. Let’s go run around the parking lot across the street. The dog won’t see us over there.

Me: Okay!

Health, Life, Technology, Weight Loss

The Name of My Next Band

February 28, 2016 No Comments

When Microsoft unveiled its new Band activity tracker last year, I knew I wanted one. I had been ogling the Fitbit Surge for months because I wanted a tracker that could measure my heart rate. Also, I love watches. Brian pointed out that my Fitbit One was still functioning just fine, so I didn’t need a new gadget. He was absolutely right. I heaved a plaintive sigh and forgot about upgrading. (As a side note, I have the same problem with my phone. I desperately want a new Nokia Lumia, but my Moto X keeps chugging right along. Drat that reliable thing!)

The Band went out of sight, out of mind for the next couple of months as I concentrated on work and trying not to stress myself to death, which meant Brian was able to completely surprise me at Christmas. It was the last gift, and he said, “This one is just a silly little thing, no big deal.” You’d think I would know better by now, but nope. My squee of glee probably busted eardrums for eight square miles.

I’ve been wearing my Band religiously for two months now, and you know what? I’m still in love with it. Best. Gadget. Ever.

Health, Life, Weight Loss

Weight Loss: Wuh Wuh!

December 21, 2015 1 Comment

Failure?

I haven’t written a lot about fitness lately. Actually, I haven’t written much about anything lately. Work’s been insane, but that’s not the real reason I haven’t written.

Health, Weight Loss

Progress and Setbacks

October 4, 2015 2 Comments

The past couple of months have been pretty rough. Circumstances have been less conducive to focusing on health and more conducive to crying on the couch with a bag of Fritos. This has led to backsliding, so I’ve had to stop and think about the things that help keep me going. Some of those things have fallen by the wayside, but now that I realize this, I can add them back into my routine.

Health, Life, Weight Loss

Birthday Fitness and Other Updates

August 16, 2015 2 Comments

http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/happy-birthday-to-me-15.png

Birthday Fitness
As you guys know, this last year has been up and down for me in the fitness department. I’ve been maintaining my current weight range to get other things squared away before focusing on the final stretch of weight loss. Here’s a quick history for anyone who stumbles across this post and wants to catch up.

Cycling

Ride Report 4

August 2, 2015 3 Comments

We did it! The 25-mile loop is now behind us, and what a glorious ride it was.

Cycling, Life

Ride Report 3

July 19, 2015 1 Comment

Circumstances have been wrecking our training schedule, so we had to take the leap this morning. We hadn’t yet come close to our goal distance and we were running out of time: The Dehydrator is next Saturday. Rather than over-train trying to step up incrementally, we decided to just go out and see if we could do it.

As it turns out, we can.

Cycling, Everything, Life

Duncan Hospitality

July 12, 2015 No Comments

I’ve learned a lot about myself on my many cycle rides over the past few years: how far I can push myself before my legs give out, how anger at the wind can drive me to overcome it, how much I value (and need) the serenity of a quiet morning with just the sound of bike tires and birds. I’ve also learned a lot about other people, though the teachings haven’t been nearly as positive (or as much fun for me.)