My decorating project

Remember when I was going to put up motivational quotes and posters on the garage walls, and I bought a little speaker system for the iPod so I didn't have to drag the one from the house over to the workout area, and I was going to really bust ass [and biceps and abs] with the strength-training routine?

And then I hurt my shoulder?

Well, I've been testing the waters, as it were, and I'm doing pretty well. I think it's helping my shoulder, actually, to lift some weights – like physical therapy, only I don't have to pay!

I've yet to put up the posters and quotes, but that will change as soon as I get a frame for this. My daughter took the photo [and inspires me daily with her photographic eye] and, when I asked if she'd send me the image on a CD so I could print it out for my garage wall, she instead ordered a poster-sized print and had it sent to me.

She'll do it for you, too. But you'll have to pay. Heh.

I'm going to have the coolest garage in the Middle of Nowhere.

I have a football hangover this morning, and am beyond disappointed that the Old Guy didn't come through in the clutch. But Peyton's little bro' took care of business and, truly, the Giants deserved the win. The Packers seemed bent on self-destruction in that disastrous third quarter. How many penalties? Three? Four? I stopped counting.

As for the earlier game. Patriots over the Chargers. Who saw that coming? Yawn.

Since I'm training for a half-marathon, maybe I should mention that I ran six miles on the treadmill Saturday. I rule! I didn't like it and I wasn't fast and the ball of my right foot still hurt. I wondered all weekend if I should even keep training. Then last night I decided to take matters into my own hand – literally – and perform what Wendy calls "home surgery."

No sharp objects were involved in the operation, unless you count fingernails. If you gross out easily, STOP READING HERE.

I kept digging at that callous until I removed, literally, three little tiny pieces of fossilized flesh. I've always said the sensation I felt was like a pinprick. Now? Gone! I haven't tested it by running yet, but there's an easy run on the schedule for today and for the first time in ages I'm looking forward to it. No matter how hard I press down on the ball of my foot, I feel no pain. None.

I spent $300 last year searching for a shoe that didn't hurt my foot, when all I needed to do was a little self-mutiliation. Who knew?

Two outta three ain't bad

I experienced almost total football immersion this weekend and came away mostly happy with the results. The Colts won't be defending their championship, but Peyton's little brother fought for the chance to move the New York Giants to the next round, and Brett's Packers [now there's a Comeback Kid] will be the Giants' next opponent.

There's no question where my loyalty lies: I'll be rooting for the old guy.

That probably sounds like a foreign language to those of you who don't follow football. M@rla. Heh. Translation:

Packers won.
Giants won.
Colts lost.

Thus the title of this post, with apologies to Meat Loaf.

Seven outta eight ain't bad, either. Saturday morning found me on my old, familiar four-mile road, ready to do an out-and-back eight-miler. I haven't run anything even close to that distance since November 4 – the City of Oaks Half-Marathon.

I didn't have to run fast – which is a good thing, because I never run fast – just farther than I have in far too long. I did pretty well [for me] the first four – 51:10 total time – but my ass was dragging most of the way back. I willed myself through the seventh mile by doing a 1:4 walk:run and by promising myself I could walk the last mile. Total time was 1:32:13, for a 13:11 pace. The schedule suggested a 13:25 pace.

I wish I had a Garmin. Perhaps if I were able to slow myself down I could actually run for a longer period of time.

I'll tell you what, though – I felt old, old, old when I got back home.

Today is a grey, dreary day, with low clouds, no sun and the prediction of snow. It is, in fact, spitting those tiny little snow pellets right now. Mean little snow pellets, not those big, fat, friendly flakes that define the beauty of winter.

My, my, my I'm in a weird mood. Perhaps I need to release some endorphins. On the treadmill. Like, three miles' worth, maybe? Wish me luck.

Spoke Wrote too soon

When I last posted, I said my arm/shoulder/bicep felt dandy. So naturally I did what any of you would do – I tested it by rowing and lifting weights. A decision for which I'm still paying. On the bright side, my feet feel much, much better – better than before I ran City of Oaks – so I did a tiny, little, baby run yesterday. That felt great.

I walked a half-mile, ran a half-mile, turned around and ran the second half of the running mile and then walked the last half-mile. The walking part took about 14.5 minutes, and the running part was done in 9:26. That's my fastest mile, but I certainly couldn't have done another one at that pace. It was fun, though.

Thanks for all your nice comments on the stockings! I'm pretty pleased with them. Yesterday I finished the felted clogs for my daughter-in-law – this is the third pair I've made her since we met – and I can't wait until my granddaughter is old enough for her first pair. My daughter-in-law will think they're a hoot, whether the baby ever wears them or not. I might figure out a way to make a small enough pair, using thinner yarn. If so, I'll tuck them in with a Christmas present.

First, though, we get to have Thanksgiving! Three days and counting, and today is the day to really get started. I finished grocery shopping yesterday, but will almost surely have to go back for one last item, because I always forget something. Mr. Shrinking Knitter has been most willing to pick up a thing or two the last couple of days. He's happy to get out of the house in case I ask him to do something. Heh.

I'm a week into my new sugar-free life, and so far, so good. I found a sugarless pumpkin cheesecake recipe that I'm going to try, along with a loaded-with-corn syrup pecan pie, which is the preferred dessert around here. Everything else on the menu is healthy and delicious except, maybe, the cornbread bacon stuffing. Along with turkey, I'll be making homemade wheat bread with sunflower seeds, cranberry relish, deviled eggs, roasted root vegetables, roasted-garlic mashed potatoes (made with chicken broth and skim milk), green bean casserole (which I hate and won't touch), a huge relish tray with homemade hummus and Waldorf salad sans whipped cream – I like it just fine with low-fat mayo sweetened with Splenda.

The cranberry relish is the easiest thing ever – mix a bag of fresh cranberries with a jar of sugar-free orange marmalade and a little vanilla. (I'm going to toss some walnuts in, as well.) Bake in a 350° oven until it smells good and the cranberries are done. Chill before serving.

And if I'm going to get anything at all done today, I'd better get my ass off this Swiss ball and back away from the computer. I hope you all have a fabulous Monday!

Oops! Almost forgot to mention that WVU is NUMBER THREE in the BCS rankings this week. We had high hopes of being fourth – coming in third this week was like getting a present!

I guess they didn't see it coming

D'ya s'pose the Buckeyes bought into all the pre-game hype that they were so awesome and wonderful and talented, and then they just let their guard down? I know I bought into it, and was simply stunned at how poorly they played and how soundly they were defeated.

So college football is over for another year, and West Virginia's prospects look good for the coming season. The NFL is winding down, with playoffs in full swing this weekend. I like the Colts, and they're certainly due, but – as Ohio State clearly demonstrated last night – any team can have a bad game at any time.

Still … I got to watch lots of muscle-bound guys wearing tight pants for nearly four hours. I'm just sayin'.

And I got a lot of knitting done on the baby sweater. All that's left to do is one wee sleeve and the neck treatment, which is nearly finished as I type.

Speaking of yarn, I pulled a lot of it out of the yarn closet yesterday, after I vacuumed the confetti. I shuffled things around, made some room on the already stuffed-to-the-gills shelves and just shoved it all back in there. I've culled most of the acrylic already – only found two small batches suitable for the prison – and am just not ready to sell or swap what's left. Yet.

The problem is there's Just. Too. Much. The yarn closet is only part of it. Yarn has taken over a large corner of the guest room, a couple of wicker hampers/baskets in the living room, a couple of shelves of a linen closet and a large portion of the lower area of the garage. [The yarn closet is in the second-floor office/family room in the garage.] So I'm thinking maybe I don't have a yarn problem. It's more of a hoarding problem. It's not like there will never be yarn again, should I need it in the future. Which is unlikely, considering the amount of yarn I have and that I'm getting older, not younger. That damned age thing.

I'm going to try again today.

Yoga went well yesterday, as did the weight training, as did food. And I lost a pound this week.

Every time I do a yoga DVD I realize how much I like it. Practicing the poses allows me to see what parts of my body don't work very well, but also what parts do. I can usually coax myself to stretch farther, stand straighter, breathe more deeply, the result of which is I really want to take better care of myself. That little bit of yoga helped me eat better all day. Of course a football game isn't much fun without snacks, but I'd prepared a fresh vegetable tray and enjoyed having something to munch on without feeling overfull.

All in all, a very good day.

Well, except for the final score.

I almost forgot ...

GO,
OHIO
STATE
BUCKEYES!

[I'm a Buckeye,
born and raised …]

Pop-ups still popping up

See?These are the ones I started New Year's Eve day, and finished last night. Paton's SWS [which stands for Soy Wool Stripes] is the yarn, and I still have enough left from two balls to make a pair of fingerless gloves. I think. Or I could combine it with some solid tan or pink for a coordinating hat. This yarn is soft as buttah; it would be a shame not to knit and wear it.

None of my winter outerwear, however, is burgundy, pink or tan, which is what those colors are supposed to be. Oh, well. A fashion plate I'm not. But you already knew that after you saw yesterday's photos, didn't you. Heh.

Thank you for your kind words and for not laughing so loud I could hear you all the way out here in the Middle of Nowhere. Once again your comments have spurred me on to be a better little weight-loss blogger. And the best way to do that is to be a better weight-loser. I forgot to mention it yesterday, but I lost a pound on my Monday-morning date with the bathroom scale. Weigh-ins have been haphazard and depressing around here lately, so that was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

I ran in the morning, then watched West Virginia win the Gator Bowl. We had guests and that always makes watching a game more fun. When you don't drink and you're trying to eat sensibly, the fun has to come from the football. A vegetable platter, low-fat cheese and diet soda just aren't too exciting. Our victory celebration dinner was all the good-luck New Year's foods I could manage: roastsed pork tenderloin, sauerkraut with apples, steamed carrot 'coins' and Hoppin' John, which I lighten up by using cooking spray and Canadian bacon. I also served roasted root vegetables, deviled eggs and a sugar-free apple pie. Sounds like a lot of food, but I was careful and didn't stuff myself.

I feel so damned lucky.

I fell asleep during the Fiesta Bowl, but Mr. Shrinking Knitter said it was the most exciting game he's ever seen. ESPN said the same thing.

I've already blown Project 365, as I didn't think to take a single picture yesterday. Good thing that wasn't a resolution! I think when the new camera lens gets here I won't have any trouble at all taking pictures every day.

Yesterday morning held a promise of spring; I ran in just a t-shirt and sweatpants. But the weather turned suddenly in the late afternoon, with lowering clouds, lots of wind and spitting rain. It's in the low 30s now, but maybe by this afternoon I can get outside for a long run. Haven't done one in quite a while and I think it's high time.

And now that all the holiday hoopla is over and we can get back to normal – whatever that is – I hope you have the best normal day you've ever had!

Hey … it could happen.