Fitness

Call this "No progress November"

November will end in a matter of hours. As I look back over the last 90 days’ exercise report, I am confronted with the knowledge that a return to old habits has diminished the fitness drive in me. Sitting in a chair gaming my brains out has killed the motivation to go out and do anything, much less get out of bed in the mornings.

It has been a struggle trying to get myself back into the gym (as if blowing $75 a month isn’t motivation enough). Some days I think I’ll just walk up to the counter and let them know that I am terminating my membership; other days, when I actually do work out and get sweaty over it, I imagine: tomorrow will be better.

Then tomorrow comes and I find some excuse not to go: work meetings jobs stress. Lack of sleep, lack of energy, lack of REM dreams. Why can’t I get out of bed earlier? Why can’t I go out of work? In reality, it is a combination of ill-timed events and my lack of fortitude that conspire against me.

Today I averted defeat despite that my HRM wasn’t working right, I woke up late, and my time management skills really messed me up. I told myself that I was already late for work almost everyday, might as well make it a productive reason. Faulty HRM or not, I leashed the pups and took a brisk walk/jog. 215 calories done!

“It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Here we are nearly back to the beginning. A year will expire in 31 days, and I will have come full circle on MFP. My progress reports show little if anything at all that was measured by a scale. Barely a few roadbumps on the line, hardly the cliff that I was looking for. The Thanksgiving break was unkind to me as well; it’s been a long time since I’ve felt ill eating so much food. Never mind the unwelcome image of my swollen paunch when I happened to glance at it in a rest stop mirror.

A change in seasons marks the time to change goals. There is a good chance that a Hawaii trip is in my future, around March or April of 2013. I would love love love to be 25 pounds lighter, but I’ll be happy to lose 10-15 pounds.

So are we ready?

Set?  

Go!!! 

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Ye Olde Garden

Cuttings and seedings

I plan on populating the new garden bed cinder block wall with oregano and thyme cuttings. I divided the newest thyme (elfin) in 2 and already planted them in 2 blocks. I took golden oregano, variegated oregano, variegated lemon thyme, and lime thyme cuttings yesterday. Oregano, especially the golden variety, tends to be a very tricky plant to take cuttings from, since they are very sensitive to disturbance. Both the mother plants and baby plants suffered serious wilt. I decided to bring the cuttings indoors and keep them under artificial light. I’m not sure that the golden oregano will make it. The variegated oregano had tiny white flowers when I divided it; unfortunately, the mother plant is not doing so well. The cuttings however look as fresh as the day I took them. Too bad I can’t grow these things from seed.

I did take some verbena cuttings as well. I have one big mother specimen that survived the last two summers that I’d like to increase. The purple bed looks especially lovely because of them.

8/14/2012 Cuttings and Seedings (1) 8/14/2012 Cuttings and Seedings (2)

I decided to sow my Toy Choy and Guy Lan seeds today. It’s about the right time of the year for the fall harvest season. I hope I get to feast on Chinese broccoli and baby pak choy  this coming October. I also started Bride Eggplant and Red Rubin basil indoors. I need some ornamental pepper seeds to grow in time for the October/November holidays.