Maddy and the Purple Crayon

I probably should have punished her. And I did scold her a bit. I mean, Maddy did color on my wall with a purple crayon.

But, I thought it was a pretty good drawing-better than I could do. So I was proud. And probably set a horrible, horrible precedent.

Oh well.

A Stumble on the Road to Fitness

I washed my iPod Shuffle.

Weighting for a Moment...but that Moment Never Came

I have not published a Weight Loss update lately. It's not because of forgetfulness, but because it's just so darn depressing. I won't go into details, but I will say that the opposite of losing weight occurred.

ugh.

Last week was not a great week-I was really sluggish, tired and didn't feel like cooking. I think the cold is getting to me. So this translated into Chipotle on Thursday, NY-style pizza on Friday, Gordon Biersch on Saturday (mmm....beer), and, of course, playoff food on Sunday. Homemade 'tato skins and beer.

So come Monday, I shouldn't have been surprised.

Feeling down, I resumed going back to my regular gym schedule (last week was my "cross-training" week, so I knocked my effort back a notch and did stationary bikes instead of my usual treadmill/elliptical combo. And read Runner's World. Lotsa articles about running in that one). And yesterday, I broke the 30 minute benchmark for my 5K!

Yay, me!

Just two weeks ago, my 5K time was 31.50. Yesterday, it was 29:48 or 29:58-I honestly can't recall since I was so busy recovering that my brain ceased to function for a few minutes. But I know for sure it was under 30 minutes.

So even though I didn't lose weight this week, I think this proves that my fitness overall has improved. And maybe I can chalk up some of the weight gain to muscle gain. (I'm trying to get my arms looking great for my tattoo.)

And the best part is the mental one-I have broken than 30 minute barrier, which means when I am running and exhausted I can never, ever tell myself that I "can't do it." I did it, so I can do it again, right? Nifty, eh?

Excitedly, I bounded home to find...a distressed and saddened Michael (and those are the worst kinds of Michaels, lemme tell you). Frankly, I thought someone had died. Like a family member. Turns out it was Heath Ledger. Which is a horrible situation, don't get me wrong, but when I found out why Mike had that look on his face, I wanted to strangle him (and yes, I understand that this would have exacerbated the situation). I just thought it was much more serious, you know? So needless to say, he was less interested in and excited about "running."

But the Heath Ledger thing is pretty disturbing. One, Mike's right, he does have a 2 year old named Matilda and it is quite easy for us to understand how hard it is to explain to a 2 year old that something is gone and not coming back. (Fortunately, we have only had to do this with chocolate so far.) Two, he is too close to my age. Three, he was a damn good actor, something I didn't realize/recognize until I saw Brokeback Mountain. And I was really looking forward to seeing him in Batman. Still am, I guess.

Four, is how the media is treating this. I noticed in this CNN article that the only celebs they quote about the situation are two famous Aussies. Because, you know, only Australian actors can comment on a fellow Australian actor's death. Then there was this Time article that, by my estimate, came out a mere 3 hours after Ledger was pronounced dead, declaring him a "Star in Distress." While at the gym, I saw various talking heads on the news, claiming that they had insight into his troubled life and demons. Which is terrible, because no one knows why he died. Everything they have found so far is circumstantial. But these jerks are quick to paint a picture of a troubled soul who may have turn to drugs to ease his pain. This does a disservice to him and his family since, even if they find that he died of natural causes, his legacy will be plagued by falsehoods designed to sell advertisement on CNN.com. It's maddening, people.

But the best thing was Headline News-they only had two stories really-Heath Ledger and the drop in stock market prices. So they did a split screen of officials taking Heath Ledger's body out in a body bag and the stock market prices. Which, to someone who was watching with the sound off (like me), made it appear as though they were implying that Ledger's death had caused the stock market to crash.

Nitwits.

The Wizard of 'Os

We are babysitting my parents' dog this week-Chaos, the lovable collie. He is the last pet of my childhood and getting up in years. He is very grey and missing quite a few teeth. But still squeezable.

Maddy was both excited and concerned when she saw him. I had him blocked off with baby gates before she got home so he wouldn't sniff her to death. She screamed "Chaos!" delightedly. And then when I went to "make dinner" (i.e. pull the pizza out of the pizza box and put it onto plates) she was very upset-something about "Chaos, don't eat the Mommy." I tried to assure her that it was OK, to no avail.

Yes, the danger of going to the gym almost every frakkin' day this month is that I have to pass King's Pizza. I've worked up a pretty good craving. Mmmmm......olives & onions.

One of the first things 'Os did was anoint the snowman Maddy and I built out back. I have to admit, he was pretty pathetic in the first place-I only own cotton gloves, so I gave up on the project pretty quickly and our snowman stands at about 2.5 ft tall-but he didn't have to be yellow too...

And of course, the major concern is Igor. We rarely have seen Igor anyway since Tilda was born, but since 'Os has been in the house, we have not seen him at all. I did discover him under the bed at one point and I tried to reintroduce him to the new placement of his food dish but he seemed to not give a %&*!. Last time Mom & Dad's dog stayed at our place, Igor was so frightened that he refused to use the litter box. He decided using our bedspread would prove a better protest. We'll see if that happens again.

Mom and dad-I better get some tequila outta this...and a new bedspread...

By the way, Maria has totally inspired me to think again about getting another tattoo...if you have any ideas....I have always liked this image (think shoulder) and this image. (middle lower back)...but I'm open to suggestions. Always wanted a tattoo for Mother's Day...

I wish everyone...

..would welcome me with a pilsner and margarita-work would be much more relaxing...

Come in out of the Cold for a Festive Night at Brewer's Alley

Join us Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 on the second floor Overlooking Historic Downtown Frederick for a Trip to the Caribbean prepared by our Executive Chef Joseph Canlas

Welcome Glass Pilsner and Margarita Conch Chowder Caribbean Conch in Rich and Spicy Tomato Vegetable Broth, Potato Brunoise and Salty Sausage India Pale Ale Day Boat Diver Scallops Jicama and Papaya Salad, Lime Leaves and Passion Fruit Vinaigrette Dunkle Weizen Pan-Roasted Yellowtail Snapper Plantain and Avocado Relish, Nut Brown Rum Butter and Habanera Oil Nut Brown Ale Wild Boar Havana Roasted Wild Boar Strip Loin with Black Bean Salsa and Rice, Oatmeal Stout Mole and Yellow Corn Coulis Oatmeal Stout Key Lime Meringue with Rum Sabayon

Thriftmonkey: Resurrection

Hey, I updated my other blog for the first time in a year-check it out (the link is over the the right, dummy! Yeah, I finally got around to doing that too! Leave me alone! You aren't my mother! Unless, of course, you are. Hi, Ma!)

Maddy Solves Her Problems With a Chainsaw!

Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became My Kid

Maddy is getting increasingly strange and I think it's our fault.

Her favorite toy is a chainsaw. It lights up and makes noise and is just her size. She likes to chainsaw the furniture, the house, my butt, and anything else within reach.

She likes to "eat" things. By which, she will yell out, "I want to eat the (insert strange thing here)!" and then pretend to chomp at whatever the thing is and make gobbling sounds.

I was reading a magazine article about autopsies and there was a picture of a bloody brain in a metal tray. Maddy noticed the picture and asked what it was:

Maddy: What's that, mommy?
Me: Why, that's a human brain, Tilda.
Maddy: I want to eat the brain! (chomping and gobbling ensues)

And you know how you read those horrible news articles about parents who die suddenly in front of their young children? And the children either seek out food or sit besides the parent's body until someone finds them? Well, Tilda and I were wrestling on the bed and I pretended to be dead-didn't move, didn't talk. She was delighted and proceeded to jump up and down on my body.

sigh.

Erg.

New Year....

I received notification today that my 10 year high school reunion is planned for November. Egad. It's being organized by one of those cheerleader drones. 100 people have said no-only 4 have RSVP'd. Sounds like my high school alright.

Um, updates: Tilda is currently learning her shapes at school. She says "I love you mommy" every five friggin' seconds (I try to act tough, but it's adorable and I melt every time. I know she will hate me in a few years). She's trying to dress herself every morning. This is irritating because I've not had enough coffee and she's slow. She's had a boo boo on her nose for the past 3 weeks and asks for a band-aid every night. I put it on because I think she looks like Marv from Sin City and I think that's cute. She loves Indiana Jones movies. And Indiana Jones legos. Really. Mike's not manipulating her. Too much.

I found out today that my neighbor, whom I have spoken to maybe 3 times in the past two years, has been digging through my trash, looking for Boxtops for Education for her daughter. I wonder if I too will be a crazy by the time Maddy turns 8.

I am not going to school or teaching for the first time in 21 years. It is very strange to me. I think it is stressing me out a little. It's like I have no purpose r goal in life.

My sister told me my brother-in-law ate my peanut butter cookies. Damn him.

I find The Biggest Loser strangely entertaining. It's a sadistic show.

Speaking of weight loss, I think my body fat has entered into some sort of time-space continuum. I have been working out non-stop and eating pretty well, but my weight either remains the same or I will actually have gained weight! God hates me. ..

But I do think I am going to sign up for the Frederick Marathon this year. I keep talking about doing a marathon. Time to get off the ass....

Um...I can't think of any more updates right now

Tildaisms

Yesterday, I finished dressing Tilda. She looked up and down her clothes and exclaimed "Good job, Mommy!" I'm not sure if she was truly proud or being condescending.