When is the flood coming?

Is a flood coming? Have warnings been issued? I'm not really sure, but clearly, Twin Cities men must think a flood is coming, as I'm seeing many of them wearing super short pants lately. As in ankle showing short. And in all types of pants - suit pants, khakis, jeans, you name it. Yikes! Obviously, women do this too, but lately, the male offenses seem more egregious.

Because I'm fairly confident we aren't about to be flooded, I'm not sure why this is happening. Perhaps people have packed on some pounds, making their pants fit shorter. Perhaps they just bought the wrong size, or maybe their tailors screwed up. Regardless, short pants make people look ridicious and clown like! I know my libran soul causes me to care more about physical appearance than I should, but I'm willing to bet the non-libran folks out there would completely agree with me as well. Short pants = clown car with you spilling out of it! Or Revenge of the Nerds. Seriously.

A rule of thumb - your pants should at the very least touch your shoes (don't quote this as a fashion rule - it's a Lisa rule for what looks halfway decent). I should not see your ankles, period. This is especially true when you are dressing for work. I know the economy is bad right now, but that makes it even more important to look sharp for work. Heck, even Target sells some decent dress pants, and you can always tailor your old clothing too. No excuses - end the short pants now! Oh, and don't get me started on male capris - yuck! ;)

PLOG Update

So far, no poop episodes! Yay! I figured Tony might have an accident (if it can be called that!) since both B and I were out of town two weekends in a row. However, so far so good. He seems quite happy, and right now he's sleeping next to me on the couch, curled up in a blanket. Perhaps he's over the pooping stage, but I think it's too soon to know for sure. Regardless, here's to more days filled without PLOG updates!

Another WW Update

I lost 3.2 lbs this week for a grand total of 18.4 lbs lost so far on Weight Watchers! Yay! This felt especially good because it was a rough week. I have a long way to go, but this start feels good, especially since it took place during the holidays! Woo hoo!

PS - a very happy 30th birthday to my friend Danette! Holy shit you're old! Have a great one!

WW Update

I'm currently down a little over 15 lbs, but I weigh in again tomorrow after a really rough weekend filled with eating out and traveling. At least I managed to work out some. We'll see how it goes!

Adventures in FloHo

I spent the weekend in Florence, Massachusetts, aka FloHo, where Sarah lives. FloHo is part of Northampton (I think this is right - it confuses me. It's sort of the British model with villages in towns, etc.). I had a really good time, and it was fun to meet Sarah's friends and her new girlfriend, Patty O'Brien. Random note - could her name be any more Irish? Beth wanted me to say "top o' the morning to ya, Patty O'Brien" when I met her, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Sarah and I giggled about it all weekend though. :)

In surprising news, my flights out east were all on time. I made my connection in Philly with no problem, and my flight into Hartford was actually early. When does that EVER happen these days? Air travel is just not fun anymore. In fact, it's often the opposite of fun - miserable. The planes are full, you have to fight for space in the overhead bins because no one wants to pay to check their bags, and flights are always delayed or cancelled. Every time I have to buy a ticket with a layover, I fret about actually making the connection, especially on short weekend trips. If a non-stop flight is available, I seriously consider purchasing it even if it's $100 more. Sad, but true. The airlines are a disaster, and yet we as consumers have no viable alternatives. Boo.

Anyway, after my surprisingly successful travels on Friday, Sarah picked me up and then we got dinner from Bueno y Sano, a local burrito place in Northampton (NoHo). It was delicous! Then we went over to Larissa and Heather's house, Sarah's friends, and we watched a movie. I loved their house - they have done all the remodeling work themselves, and I swear it looks like a Martha Stewart/Real Simple house. Beautiful. They even had great Christmas decorations and a tree.

Saturday morning, I was supposed to participate in a walk for a local safe house, but I woke up with a migraine. I slept in while Sarah walked and Patty ran, and eventually I felt better. We ran some errands, and then we went to a place called Judie's. Judie's is famous for popovers, and they were quite good. After dinner, we went to the local debut of a GLBT movie called Tru Loved. It was quite cute, but it always amazes me how bad the acting is in most GLBT films/TV shows. The main character, Tru, did a decent job, but some of the others were quite painful/humorous to watch. Sarah thought it might be because most GLBT movies are low budget, but many low budget movies aren't horribly acted. I just don't get why we can't do better. Maybe someday.

The movie experience was rather unique. It seemed like every lesbian in NoHo was there, and they all seemed to know each other. It was a like an odd family reunion or something. While it seems like such an environment would feel welcoming, it actually felt sort of off putting. Perhaps it's because I'm not from there, or perhaps it's the fact that they all seem to know each other's business. I'm guessing that everyone has dated everyone too. Idk, the whole thing was just surreal! NoHo is an odd place for that same reason - it's like if Chaska was a gay town. I'm not sure why I felt uncomfortable or why I found the whole thing funny, but I did. I need to do some more self exploration of that, as it doesn't make sense that I would feel uncomfortable in an all lesbian environment. Internalized homophobia perhaps? ;)

After the movie, we went to a neat coffee shop in town with some of our fellow movie goers. I really liked the place, but I skipped all drinks due to WW and because I don't really like coffee. One small victory in a weekend filled with food disasters!

On Sunday, we all slept in a bit and then went shopping in NoHo. I love shopping in NoHo for some reason. Lots of little cute shops filled with things created by local folks and non-local folks. Just really cute stuff, and I love it. After shopping, it was time for a quick lunch and then it was off to the airport. The weekend flew by, and I was sad to go. This time, I seriously considered whether I should move out there...I miss Sarah, and I'm tired of the bitter cold (it doesn't get quite as bitter there). I do think NoHo is too small for me, but perhaps Boston. Maybe some day...

Back to the airlines and air travel - here's a funny story about my return trip home: My flight to Philadelphia was on time, but then we were stuck on the runway for a LONG time because a plane broke down and had to be towed away. We sat there long enough that I started to worry about missing my connection, but we finally started to move forward. I made my connection, and then when that plane landed in Mpls (25 minutes late due to the disabled plane forcing all the planes to be late), they didn't have a jetway ready for us. They also couldn't find a jetway driver. What the heck? LOL. I finally got off the plane and headed home.

Really, the travel mishaps weren't a big deal, especially considering I've been through much worse, but I can't remember the last time I flew without some problem. It's like the airlines are held to a completely different customer service standard - or perhaps they just don't have any at all. Yuck. At least my plane wasn't the disabled one - those poor folks might still be in Philly!

WW Update

I completely fell off the Weight Watchers wagon last weekend. I had two more Thanksgivings, and I indulged at each. Further, I indulged the rest of the weekend too, in a BIG way. Fast food, pizza, crepes. Yikes! The scale won't be pretty tomorrow...in fact, I'm considering using my no weigh in pass. My weight actually went up the previous week after I had behaved and worked out (our leader thought it was probably just water weight from being sore, etc.), and I felt devastated after weigh in. I can't imagine what I will feel like tomorrow. Going up in weight after working hard makes it difficult for me to stay on track, so I think it's just best to avoid the scale for a week or two.

In fact, it might just be better to not focus on the numbers during the holiday season, as treats beckon everywhere. I got back on track today, but soon I will be participating in holiday gatherings galore, and I'm not sure I have the willpower to behave all season long. Given this reality, perhaps a better goal during the holidays is weight maintenance rather than weight loss. I'm going to do my best to stay on track, but I just don't think it will be that easy. Plus, life is too short to not enjoy some of the fabulous treats I'm going to encounter!

In good news, as noted in another post, I joined a gym - the JCC. I'm hoping this will kick start more weight loss, and it should also make me feel better overall. Stay tuned for updates on that front.

Overall, I think WW is still going decently well, but each day I'm starting to realize this is going to be a life long, difficult battle for me. I may not ever win completely, but I do hope to at least make some progress. As everyone tells me, I can try to eat well and work out for the next six months and hopefully lose some weight along the way or I can do nothing - either way time will pass. I might as well try during that time period. What do I have to lose, besides all the excess weight I'm carrying around? :)

PS - I'm starting to get bored with my food options. The problem is that if B doesn't cook, I need quick and simple meal ideas that are low in points (calories and fat, high in fiber). Anyone have any suggestions? A girl can only eat so much soup!

It's cold!

I went out to my car this morning and it was cold! It's cold in B's place, my office, and the volleyball gym too. I feel like I can never warm up, and the bad news is that it's not really all that cold yet. Yikes - I may have a long winter ahead of me. I'm particularly worried about riding the train each day, as the walk to the station and the wait for the train can be a bit long at times. I tried wearing a winter hat one day, but then my hair looked ridiculous at work. Not sure what I'm going to do about that, but I'm determined to keep my non-driving streak alive. I guess I'll have to time the train better - perhaps one day I'll finally do that!

Anyway, my point: it feels incredibly cold outside, yet it's not that bad. My car said it was in the mid-20s this evening. I can't imagine what 20 below is going to feel like this season. Perhaps this new anti-cold weather thing is part of the aging phenomenon too - sore from sports, easily cold, what's next? I can only imagine what will happen to me when I hit 40!

Christmas Tree 2008

My Christmas tree is up for the season! I'm looking at it as I write this, and it looks great! I put it up last night, and B helped. She even turned on the Christmas tunes and made delicious hot chocolate with whip cream and sprinkles for the occasion. Also, she let me buy her a Christmas stocking. My poor Jewish girlfriend - what a great sport! We plan to put out the menorah for Hanukkah too, but it's not time for that yet. Regardless, I'm really lucky she indulges my love of Christmas, as if she didn't, I think I would feel pretty sad. I think Tony would be sad too, as he loves eating the tree. The artificial tree. Let's just say he tends to vomit green during the holiday season. Good stuff!
Speaking of Tony, he is doing quite well at B's. He's still not a fan of Matty (he hisses and bats at the poor dog regularly), but he and Elijah are good pals. He is currently sitting next to me purring. Life can't be too rough, dog or no dog. Also, he still hasn't pooped anywhere outside the litter box (knock on wood). However, we will be pushing our luck this next weekend, as both B and I will be leaving town again (B to Florida, me to Massachusetts). That will be the second weekend in a row we are gone...there could certainly be a PLOG update next week. I'm optimistic that won't happen, but then again, who knew he would poop on my bed everyday for weeks at a time? :) Fingers crossed for a clean bed on Sunday night!

And the answer is...

Just to keep my readers (all 3 of them) informed, B and I joined the JCC on Friday. Our membership starts today, Monday, December 1. We chose the month to month option because I'm unsure about the drive over there. However, I feel good about the decision overall, and I'm looking forward to working out again. Plus, that hot tub looked fantastic! Perfect for a cold day like today - Brrr!

Wisconsin Weekend

I went to Neenah, Wisconsin with B (and Matty) this weekend to visit her family (she grew up in NY and in WI) for the holiday weekend, and I had a really good time! On Friday night, we went out to eat at a cute little Mexican restaurant in town and enjoyed a nice meal. Plus, I got to see a bit of the town, and it's really quite cute. Reminds me of the old Chaska - small town Americana at its best. Parts of it could be used to depict the American ideal in movies, and in fact, movies have been filmed there. Pretty cool.

On Saturday, B, her mom Marleen, and I went to the local grocery store to pick up some last minute Thanksgiving items, and then we chilled out at the house for a bit. Later in the afternoon, B, her dad Rich, and I went to a holiday music laser light show at the local planetarium. I really enjoyed the show, as they played holiday music (hello, what's not to love) and then provided visual entertainment as well. My favorite laser display was this virtual rollercoaster. As the lights moved, it actually felt like we were riding the coaster. Pretty neat!

After the show, we headed back to the house and started preparing the Thanksgiving meal (my third!). Eventually, everything was ready and we sat down with some family friends and enjoyed a great meal. B liked the stuffing, and she normally hates it. That says something! After we finished eating, we played Apples to Apples and Scrabble, and B and I managed to squeak out a narrow victory in Scrabble. This is not a small feat in the Tanzer household - I felt like a board game idiot most of the time. Regardless, I still enjoyed myself, and I think everyone else did too.

On Sunday, Rich made an excellent breakfast of crepes, and I enjoyed those with some nutella (see post about falling off the WW wagon for the weekend). I LOVE nutella on crepes!

After breakfast and after Marleen hemmed my work pants (thank you!), we hit the road because it was snowing a bit. The ride went very smoothly until we hit some bad traffic near the Twin Cities, but all in all, it was a successful trip home, and a great trip all around. I'm already looking forward to our next visit!