Hot for Teacher

How bout another blast from the kinda scary past?

So, I seem to have just crossed some kind of attractiveness threshold, because after a bit of a dry spell regarding getting hit on, I got a double whammy this week. First, one of my students in his evaluation wrote that the best part of the class was that "teacher was hot". WTF? When I read that, I actually turned around to make sure there wasn't some other teacher standing behind me. That's just not an adjective I hear very often when people describe me. And yes, he was pretty hot too. Unfortunate that he lives in Phoenix. So that was a total ego boost. And then the shuttle driver from my hotel hit on me! He wanted to know if I'd go out with him when he comes to Portland to see a basketball game next month! Not gonna happen, cause he's too young, but still. Wow. Been a while since I've been hit on. So I may not be as far as I thought from JBB status....

Totally cool.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

Check out her snazzy shoes!

Does that picture date me? You know, that movie was supposed to be a comedy, but it actually kind of scared me. Why do you suppose? Maybe because I was like 10 years old?

Anyway, I'm feelin a little like ol' Lily lately what with the pounds droppin like flies (I know, not the most appropriate use of that metaphor), and family members calling me worried that I'm losing too fast, will lose too much, etc. It's kind of a funny thing I've become aware of recently; when someone you have known for a long time looks a particular way (i.e., fat) and then changes (seemingly) drastically (i.e., loses weight), you think (and sometimes vocalize) concern that they're going to fast, not eating enough, look sickly, blah, blah, blah. Especially if we don't see that person regularly because maybe they live in another state... So, just to reassure everyone who might be concerned about that, I'm losing on average less than 2 pounds per week, which is considered healthy. And I am still considered overweight with a BMI of 25.4. The .4 is what stands between me and a "healthy weight". I am kinda secretly tickled though, because it means it's working! And it hasn't been that hard! I have learned to eat like a thirty something woman, and not like a teenage boy, and have finally gotten to the point where near daily exercise isn't a chore anymore, but rather a "let's see how far you can run today" kinda thing, which I never thought possible. And that's how it's supposed to work folks- it's not supposed to be a great sacrifice or burden- although the first few weeks of eliminating bad habits and starting healthy ones can be a little rough. So for those of you trying to lose weight, exercise more, whatever, try to make healthier decisions 90 percent of the time, and fergodsakes don't beat yourselves up for the 10 percent of non-healthy choices. Shit, you guys have read here about my bad choices, and I'm still able to get that number to slide downwards.

A lot of people have been asking what my goal is, and I usually respond with "my drivers license weight", but since that was what I weighed when I first got my license (yes, at 16) that may not be the ideal weight for me at thirty-something. So I've been trying to decide a non-poundage measure that will signify the end, and I'm torn between when I reach a size 6 (almost as arbitrary as weight), when I look like a James Bond babe (JBB), and when I stop shouting "My thighs are so fucking fat!" in the shower. It's a toss-up.

So, that's the last I'll bore you with such an indulgently self-absorbed "Self" magazine post about my weight issues for awhile (at least until next week), and instead I'll write about more high-minded things...pffthttt!!! Yeah, right. You can go read the New York Times for that kinda schwag.

So, until next time...

p.s., check out the new kitties --------------------->

Piroshkys, Donuts, and Bike Moves

Whew! That was quite the fun-filled weekend.

I was teaching in Seattle this week and got to visit the girls (Di and Laura) who have just moved up there. So on Friday after class I got to see their new house, and we had a blast catching up, drinking wine, and of course, eating. Laura is such a good cook. I don't know how she does it, but she keeps it super simple, and everything comes out fantastic. I try to keep it simple, and it comes out bland and boring. That's why I add garlic and red pepper flakes to everything- your mouth is on such fire that you don't notice that there is not a whole lot of "seasoning" beyond that.

Anyway, the next morning we met at Pike Place Market which is totally fun. I don't care if the locals scoff that it's too touristy (which it is), there is just so much good food crammed into a relatively small area. I ate my way through the market starting with coffee at the original Starbucks, stopping to toss a few bills into a busker's guitar case (they were a little bluegrassy band with washboard and hounddogs who let me scratch their bellies - the dogs, not the buskers), next moving on to Piroshky Piroshky for a beef and onion pastery (don't even want to guess how many points), then to the fish guys for my first taste of smoked salmon (pretty good, except tasted too bacony- I know for some, this is just not possible), then met up with the girls, and followed them to the tiny donut stand where they fry the little donuts in front of you and toss them into a bag with cinnamon or powdered sugar. I have a history with these devil donuts. I wish I'd never heard about them, but what can you do? (If you're trying to figure out how many points I've so far consumed, I think somewhere north of 50 would be a safe bet- but the day's not over yet)

For the drive home (as if I hadn't eaten enough), I picked up a loaf of bread from the French bakery and then bought some cheese from the cheesery (?)- a cheddar gruyere creation - as well as some big fat black grapes. Oh, almost forgot- I also bought some mini lemon pasteries from the French bakery place. Crap, they were good.

But the weekend was not all about eating- there was a tiny bit of exercise. Yesterday B and I participated in another bike move- this time helping move one of the guys who was on the bike camping trip. There were about eighteen people who showed up, and I made some new friends, had lots of laughs, hard lemonade, and pizza. Ugh. Anyway, on the way to the bike move, two kittens ran out from their yard to greet us (apparently not frightened by bikes), and proceeded to jump into B's trailer and play! Check out the pics below...

They were so precious, and I was tempted to take them home...(Also, notice how slim B looks!)

Here's about half the group at the intersection of a very busy boulevard waiting for the light to change. Surprisingly, no drivers honked at us, but we did get a lot of people grinning and rolling down their windows asking what was going on. I think everyone was so nice cause it was a Sunday and after church...


That's me looking very cold next to the bike with the crazy yellow floaties.

This was the guy we were moving and he hauled that giant chest of drawers on his bike. (The rest of that sign is "...Engine" and notice the "Diesel" crossed out)

Now, I'm dealing with a cold this week, so I haven't run but once the whole week, so I wasn't exactly surprised to see that I gained two pounds this week. But I'm okay with that, because for the next few weeks, I'll go back to trying to stay within my points limits, get back on my running schedule, and will probably lose a few more pounds before Thanksgiving, which I will promptly regain and lose again before Xmas. As long as the overall trend line is heading down, a few little bumps don't really worry me.

Today I'm planning to crock pot a Chicken Chili Verde stew and bake low-fat corn muffins (I'll post recipes if they turn out) to accompany my first Spanish lesson using this new software I got. I am considering going on a bike tour of the Iberian peninsula next year with some folks, and since I already have a background in Spanish (plus a sister in law who is Columbian), I thought I'd work on becoming fluent in Spanish. And then after that, Swahili!

Jambo friends!

Isn't She Purty?

Meet my new niece, Layne! Isn't she a little supermodel? My sister Megan popped her out last week all natural like (crazy one, she is). Okay, "popped out" is not exactly accurate, it actually took about 50 hours of labor (after Layne decided she wanted to come out about 18 days early- she just couldn't wait!), but everything went swimmingly.

Congratulations you guys- what an amazing thing you've done!

Now I really need to organize the baby pic folder on my computer named "Babies".... so many babies!

This is More Like It

Why bother about dating when there's Bike Camping to do!

This weekend I loaded up the Blue Tortoise (just now came up with that one off the top o' my ass) and followed a diverse group of bike fans called Exchange Cycle Tours about 40 miles up to Ariel, Washington to participate in a potlatch hosted by the Lelooska Foundation. It was so much fun! We met Saturday morning with our bikes all loaded up for an overnight of camping, which I'm now a little more comfortable with since I've got one trip under the belt (or chain!). There were nine of us, and I'd previously met half before on other rides, but most of us didn't know each other well.We arrived at our campsite late Saturday afternoon after a fairly smooth ride (with the exception of a few flat tires and brake issues), worn out, but excited to see the show, so after setting our tents up and cleaning up a bit, we rode uphill for about 5 miles (yeesh...with the hills already) and got to the place just in time to get seated and watch the show. It was a beautiful show featuring the stories, dances, and masks of the coastal Pacific Northwest tribes. I now have a much greater appreciation of the cultural significance of masks, where previously they never held much meaning for me. But for so many other cultures, the masks and accompanying music and dances is to them like what TV is for us. Sad, but well, there you go. After the show we were starving since we hadn't had time to eat dinner, and must have looked pretty pathetic, because we managed to get ourselves invited to join the performers for a feast. We had wonderful conversations with the members of the Lelooska family- it was a true cultural exchange.

The next morning back at camp, we had hot chocolate, coffee, and jo-jo's! (fried potato wedges for you southerners) around the fire and had pretty intense conversation about the world.

Two of the ECT members are from China, and one is from India, plus we seemed to have different regions of the US represented, so it was fascinating to discuss world events with people from such diverse cultural heritages. I think we all learned quite a bit from this "breaking of the bread", and while we didn't quite bring about world peace, all nine of us at least now have a better understanding of each other and by extension, the world, from the stories we each told. And that, plus love, my friends is all you really need.
Okay, and some snazzy shoes too!

I Hate Dating

Okay, Megan. Not nice to make a pregnant woman wait. But there's not too much to tell from the big date. Nice guy, funny, was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, hates Bush, likes animals...wait a minute...excommunicated? Yeah, he actually wrote letters to the Bishop of the parish where he was baptized several times to convince them that he was an atheist, so that they would excommunicate him. Which I found to be really fucking funny. Especially since I myself am a recovering Catholic. I didn't know that you are still counted as a member of the church if you've been baptized (so what the hell is Confimration for?) unless you're officially excommunicated. If it wasn't such a hassle, I'd totally do it myself. Funny that it's actually hard to be excommunicated. Kinda like the Mafia I guess. "They just keep pullin me back in!"

Anyway, guy was fine, but no chemistry, and I had dreaded the date so much that I've decided to take a hiatus from dating for awhile. What? But you just started! But I don't want to do it! (said in my best whiniest I'm-such-a-baby-voice) Really. Not only does the thought of going out with another Match person make me want to poke a pencil in my eye, but I actually decided that I should probably meet some girl friends first, so that when my date goes terribly wrong, and he turns out to be a republican who loves four-wheelin in his Chevy, I can go have drinks with one of my gal pals and commiserate. So where is the Match for pals? I was actually looking at the girl portraits on the website and saw many girls that I have a lot in common with. But, probably not the best forum to email one of them with a proposal of friendship. Might creep 'em out actually.

There are actually lots of good opportunities to make pals here; I just need to get out of the damn house to find those opportunities. I'm waiting a bit longer for the running club (won't meet many people at the back of the pack, plus talking while running is still quite a challenge for me), but there is the Church of Craft, a monthly Sunday meet-up of those who worship DIY craftiness (yup, this town is full of nuttiness!). And I just met the 'minister' of said church (who happens to be a real-life minister too!) at a craft swap meet this past weekend, and she was very warm and friendly. There's also my kickboxing class, but to meet people there, I actually have to show up for class once in a while.

So, I hate that I am denying the three of you the juicy entertainment of my latest in dating disasters, but it's only a temporary hiatus, I promise. Like my mother drives me to drink, so will she drive me to date...and drink more. (Good thing she's got a sense of humor!)

By the way, he asked me out again after our date, I told him I'd love to meet him again (because he was a perfectly nice guy, and I didn't want to say no), then I was so nauseous about going on another date, that I emailed him and canceled. I'm such a dillhole.

(Y'all can thank Erin for the new Word of the Day!)

Even better than Puppies...

Walk around town with a popcorn maker under your arm, and you will meet people. Really!

Yesterday I was out and about running errands, and popped into this little shop that sells vintage kitcheny things, and found one of those old UFO-lookin popcorn makers that I remember using as a kid. You know the ones with the big yellow plastic tops? Yeah, well, I got one! Cause I hate microwave popcorn (unless it's the Orville low fat kettle corn), and I'm tired of burning it on my stovetop.

Anyway, I tucked my new purchase not so gracefully under my arm and proceeded down the street to run a few more errands, like picking up a book recommended by a new friend! (calm down there- not a guy, but a girl), and finding a cat food bowl placemat- I know, thrilling! So as I was shopping, I had at least 5 different people comment about my popcorn maker. One asked where I got it, another said (to his girlfriend unfortunately) "look! a popcorn maker!" like it was a UFO. And one girl asked me what it was! I guess she was probably too young to know that there was a time before microwaves. So I struck up a few conversations because of a stupid appliance. What an icebreaker, huh?

So that's really the most interesting thing that's happened to me since I posted last.

Well, I guess I did go to Hawaii. That was pretty cool. (My job really blows ya know). I drove up to the North Shore of Oahu and ate garlic shrimp from a roadside truck, and watched surfers. Dude!

Then I went to the Big Island and hiked in a volcano (it was raining, which is why my hair looks like a squirrels nest). Neato. But not really blog-worthy, you know? And after Hawaii, I flew to Des Moines. And the only interesting thing about Des Moines is that Bill Bryson comes from there. As he says, "Somebody had to".

Then, I made a new friend here in Portland. She likes to read and talk about books and drink bloody mary's. Excellent.

I promise things will get more interesting in the next few weeks. I've got a date tomorrow, and am going bike camping up to Washington next weekend to see an Indian show. That should be really cool. And I'll tell you all about it.