Bad News, Invitations, Punishments, and Insights

Now I’m at a safe place to look back at last week. The week was cruising along, had worked in an exercise routine into my schedule, needed to work in more progress on my writing and editing, two appointments one for the doctor on Thursday and with the CCFairy on Friday. I got invited to a Pampered Chef party and was considering going. So far my next paycheck forecasted a surplus that I should save for my birthday trip and emergency fund, but I could spare $20 on the microwave rice cooked that I’ve had on my wish list for a long time.

Go home Wednesday night and find out that one of my creditors wants to sue me in small claims court over the remaining balance and my inability to pay it. Okay, fine, I still don’t have the money. Also amused by the irony of the amount that is so out of my reach right now only qualifies as worthy of small claims court’s time. I’m ticked off at the marshal who handed my private papers to my parents. I have a meeting with the CCFairy on Friday and hopefully we can get this settled without undue hardship on me.

After that, the second invitation came through Facebook: a free women’s safety seminar for 6pm next Thursday. And my first thought is: “Can’t go! Can’t got ot Pampered Chef either! YOU CAN’T GO!” in the most seething, angry inner voice I have. If it could have separated from my body to beat me up, it would have. As it was, it knocked me back enough from my worries to ask “what the hell?”

The projected surplus hadn’t changed, because it won’t make a dent in what I owe to the creditor. But immediately my mindset is I’m a bad rotten person who should be locked up at home to not get in trouble with money. Brain points out that it’s not free because I would have to eat and spend gas to get to the seminar. I don’t deserve money spent on me. Come straight home and don’t do anything.

That night I went to bed thinking this was my coping mechanism to avoid temptation. I woke up Thursday to a muscle knot where the stress always goes and the idea that I’m grounding myself because I need to be punished over my bad with money. “What the hell” has now become “why do I do this to myself?”

Thursday, I got confirmation that I had maintained my current health even with going off my meds for a few months. I’m back on them and wondering if I should go back off them again. :p

Friday, CCFairy swooped in with an emergency loan to cover the other and kick the judgment off me credit report. I signed up for the credit union’s credit counseling service so I can’t make any financial moves without talking them over with the CCFairy. No arguments from me, since that was my goal at the beginning of the year. I did bring up the punishment insight and admitted I have no idea what to do with it.

I still don’t, but I’m leaning towards accepting the invitations. I double checked my next paycheck forecast and I think I can afford to go to both and not reach the point of can’t pay a bill. That’s where I am today, minus the running around I have to do to actually pay the creditor off. And my mouth is a little sore still since I got the new bridge put in Saturday.

This week: I need to stop typing up blog posts and work on my fiction. ;) I also have to squeeze in sewing time at home. Yeah, I finally feel like sewing again. :D

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The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 2

So I had a week and now I need to report progress. I exercised Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I used the rest option on Thursday because I woke up with a knot in my left deltoids muscles that made it painful to turn my neck and it is still present today. Friday through Sunday I skipped, mostly to avoid more pain from the knot.

So Monday I’m going to get back in the yoga groove and make an appointment to see a massage therapist this week because the self remedies I’ve been trying haven’t alleviated the symptoms.

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The BookWorm

Random links

Good writing advice sent my way:

Just Make the Bed: Overcoming the Problem of Writers Resolutions

Terrible Minds: 25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing

A Word to the Writerly Wise

SOPA & PIPA

WWdN: In Exile: Today the US Senate Is Considering Legislation That Would Destroy the Free and Open Internet

Making Light: SOPA and PIPA. Where We Are. What They Want.

Money & Living Hacks:

Get Rich Slowly: Make 2012 Better By Asking the Right Question. This has future budget post written all over it.

Lifehacker: How to Book a $1700 Vacation for $700 by Volunteering This is the first time I've ran across this idea, but I'm intrigued. Vacations have been off my radar for so long as well as charitable giving.

A Food Triage Box Granted, I haven't been wasting as much food lately because I haven't been buying any, but I have ran into this problem before. I think a box of need to be eaten soon would work in my fridge.

Apartment Therapy: How to Clean Your House in 20 Minutes for 30 Days I like the break down of surface cleaning and deep cleaning, but don't know how it would work with the schedule I already have.

Enjoy!

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The BookWorm

After I swore I was never going to give that man any more money

I’m shilling for George Lucas. After swearing never to give the man any more money, he finally gets “Red Tails” out in theaters Jan. 20th. He is the producer and has been trying to do this movie about the WWII heroes the Tuskegee Airmen for 35 years. Hollywood has been, well, Hollywood about it: i.e. majority black cast, nobody will pay to see it. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard both star in it and people besides Lucas wrote the screenplay and directed it. This is a WWII action movie like “Band of Brothers” and “Saving Private Ryan”, so support it for the Greatest Generation and to prove the studio heads wrong.

Movie Mom: Red Tails Interviews

Due to the way my paycheck falls, I'll have to see it the weekend after it opens. But I will see it in the theaters. I hope you will too.

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The BookWorm

P.S. SOPA protest: I've sent emails to my senators and will be sending more emails to my representatives once I get home.

Hot Bod 2012 Post 1

It’s so cliché to make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or get into shape, I’m almost embarrassed to declare this goal that it may be mistaken for the same thing. But my embarrassment doesn’t change the fact that my body can’t do all I ask it to do and I don’t want to hurt when I do it.

So the first step is to see how bad the damage is. I found a three-column journal that never helped me master my finances, but gives me lots of room to record weekly measurements.

Jan. 15, 2012
Height = 158.12 cm
Weight = 197 lbs
Neck = 38.1 cm
Shoulders = 121.7 cm
Bust = 121 cm
Waist = 112 cm
Abdomen = 115.6 cm
Hips = 121.7 cm
Thigh = 65.8 cm
Knee = 40.2 cm
Calf = 40.5 cm
Ankle = 22.5 cm
Upper arm = 31.3 cm
Forearm = 25.7 cm
Wrist = 15.6 cm

Fit Day result = BMI = 36.03 Obese

Step two: Make daily exercise a part of my routine. Primal Blueprint Fitness concentrates on moving slowly, lifting heavy things, and one day of sprinting a week. Since my flexibility has gone to crap, I’ll do yoga on the move slowly days: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Tuesday and Friday are the lift heavy things days concentrating on five body weight movements: push-up, pull-up, squat, overhead press, and plank. Today I need to assess myself to see what my maximums are to calculate which level to start the exercises at.

Set back already. I had bought an Iron Gym Express in 2012 when I found it on clearance since my attempt at building a pull-up bar on the front porch flopped. Plus I wouldn’t use it when it got cold. So one that you can set up in a doorway seemed like a good investment. Today, I put it together to do the pull-up assessment and found that my doorways are too wide for it to fit. *headdesk*

All is not loss because they packed in a Cardio Jump ropeless jump rope. Jump ropes have been my enemy since elementary school. This lets me jump without something to tie my ankles together.

Assessment Outcome
Push-up = 3 start with Wall Push
Pull-up = 0 and have nothing to do them on
Full Squat = 15 start with Wall Squat
Shoulder Press Push-up = 5 start with Elevated Jack Knife Press
Forearm/Feet Plank = 74 sec. start with Hand/Feet Plank Level 3 (90 sec.)
Forearm/Feet Side Plank = 25 sec. start with Hand/Feet Side Plank Level 1 (45 sec.)

That takes care of the lifting days; what about yoga days? I like my yoga DVD, but I’m not ready for its routine. Luckily, I kept my notes of poses to help my problem areas: hip openers, core strengtheners, chest openers, and weight loss.

Always start with Sun Salutations. Even if I have no time for anything else, that is better than no exercise. Wow, it actually works out. I have four days for yoga and four problem areas.

Mondays
Sun Salutations x 2
Hip Opening Routine

• Butterfly
• Left Leg Pigeon
• Left Leg Head to Knee
• Left Leg Happy Baby
• Double Pigeon
• Butterfly
• Right Leg Pigeon
• Right Leg Head to Knee
• Right Leg Happy Baby
• Double Pigeon

Child
Corpse

Wednesday s
Sun Salutations x 2
Core Strengthening Routine

• Mula Bandha 30 lifts x 3
• Find TA
• Happy Baby x 3
• Toe Taps x 4 each foot
• Bridge Pose x 2
• Dolphin Pose
• Dolphin Plank Pose
• Locust Pose
• Downward Dog
• Left Foot Low Lunge
• Right Foot Low Lunge
• Handstand Prep

Child
Corpse

Thursdays
Sun Salutations x 2
Chest Opening Routine

• Cobra
• Boat
• Downward Dog
• Right Leg Pigeon
• Downward Dog
• Left Leg Pigeon
• Downward Dog
• Fish
• Bridge
• Table
• Cat/Cow Breathing

Child
Corpse

Saturdays
Sun Salutations x 2
Weight Loss Routine

• Hero
• Camel
• Child
• Rabbit
• Child
• Half Shoulder Stand
• Plow
• Bridge
• Table
• Right Foot High Lunge
• Right Foot Warrior 1
• Downward Dog
• Left Foot High Lunge
• Left Foot Warrior 1
• Downward Dog
• Mountain
• Five Pointed Star
• Right Foot Warrior 2
• Five Pointed Star
• Left Foot Warrior 2
• Five Pointed Star
• Right Foot Triangle
• Five Pointed Star
• Left Foot Triangle
• Five Pointed Star
• Mountain
• Right Leg Tree
• Mountain
• Left Leg Tree
• Mountain

Child
Corpse

Yoga is blance, hence my reminders to do both legs. Yes, I have forgotten before. Overall, I feel good about these routines. Let’s see what happens next week.

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The BookWorm

Geaux Tigers!

I can't have the TV on and get any work done, so its WWL and all the BCS talk. I want my state to win, evenif I'm not much of a football fan.

But I am a Better Than Ezra fan and they released Death Valley EP. The band started while they were students at LSU and they noticed that most of the fight songs hadn't been updated since they were first written, so they modernized the songs. Enjoy!





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The BookWorm