Monday, January 29, 2007

Back, psoas, whatever, feels better

Today I can honestly say that I feel like my backside is on its way to healing. I must confess that I did take a half of one of Tom's muscle relaxants last night but what the hey? Didn't hurt and I had a great night's sleep.

My chiro doesn't like drugs. Well, usually I don't, either, but sometimes you just need the added mobility, serenity, et cetera, that only a pill can give you.

Minor, minor pain today but I definitely don't feel that annoying tightness anymore.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Cheer up, Love. My stocks are in the toilet, too.

New Toy?


Tom was flipping through one of the hundreds of catalogs we receive every year --we especially love the ones with stickers on them that say, "This is your last catalog unless you place an order!" and it's usually the ONLY catalog we've ever received from said company--and came across a neat toy/invention.


It's a turntable that has a USB connection for your computer. This means that you can record 33 and 45 RPM vinyl records onto CDs and mp3s! Wowwee! I have been waiting for something like this for a long time. I've always bemoaned the fact that I own sooo many records but can only play them on my turntable. Granted, you can find a lot of songs on iTunes but not EVERYTHING, especially if it's some really, really obscure punk band from the 80s. So this is the answer to my dreams. It's $249 but I'll just charge it. I almost never use plastic but I am really making a concerted effort to save for a house so I don't want to dip into my savings for luxury items. But something like this doesn't come along every day.


***


Had my second session with the chiro today. It went well. He found some more aches and pains that I didn't know I had...:-) It's 8 PM now (my session was at 9 AM) and all I feel is a really minor dull ache so that's a good thing. He said I may feel an ache for a day or two and then I should be pain free. Let's hope so.


I was able to get in 8 miles today and a 45-minute workout with the weights, avoiding anything to do with the lower back. I want to wait until this thing is completely gone. It acted up last week when I got up off a weight bench after lifting a 12-pound weight over my head and back.


It's something called the psoas, something of which I've never heard. It's a tissue that runs deep within the buttock and is literally a real pain the ass! Very common in runners, I am told. He gave me a few exercises to keep it from acting up again. He also told me that I should try to stabilize my lower back as much as possible while this thing heals. The stability ball might be a better choice than the weight bench although I always feel like I am going to fall off the ball! Guess I have to get used to it.


Friday, January 26, 2007

Yes, I HATE Farkin' Teenagers...

Got a problem with that?


Ga. Teens Admitt to Killing Dog in Oven
By Associated Press
January 26, 2007, 3:51 PM

ATLANTA -- Two teenagers accused of duct-taping a puppy's snout and paws and cooking the animal alive in an oven pleaded guilty Friday to animal cruelty and other offenses. Prosecutors said Joshua Moulder, 17, and his brother, Justin, 19, broke into a newly refurbished community center, where they tortured and killed the 3-month-old puppy, damaged computers, broke glass and splattered paint on the walls.

The brothers then brought neighborhood children to see the dead puppy and threatened to kill them if they reported it, prosecutors said. They will be sentenced next month.

Oh, I would love to be a fly on the wall at that sentencing. Let's just hope they get a judge who HATES FARKIN' TEENAGERS as much as I do. I hope they live the rest of their pitiful, scabrous lives in prison.

Did I mention that I HATE TEENAGERS?

Thursday, January 25, 2007

18.6% and counting. Plus Kindercrap Rant.

18.6 % body fat last night. Getting there, getting there. Trainer and I both have a feeling that once we get into spring, I'll get there faster. That makes sense. With the longer days, I'll be able to run outdoors longer. Whatever. I'm happy. Hope my race times reflect this change. I should just go up to the Verona track and time myself on the mile.

Tom had his measured at the Caldwell Community Center. They uses one of those machine thingies which are not as exacting as the caliper method but close enough. His was 14.5%. No surprises there as he's on the lean side and he's a man.

The most accurate way to measure body fat is underwater weighing but very few places offer this method. Most likely, you have to go to university lab, specifically one that studies obesity and diabetes. Very big, I understand, in places like New Mexico and Southern Cal.
***

Visited my cousin on Sunday who lives down near the shore. It's been a while since I've seen her since one of my brothers got into some sort of tiff with my cousin and her brother so I just assumed she was mad at me, too. Plus, in all honesty, even though she's the only first cousin I have that's close to my age, we don't have that much in common. We did have some fun times together as kids, though, and to this day, we can't stop laughing about some of them.

A couple of weeks ago, she called me. "Hello, this is your cousin ________. I don't know if you remember me or not, but I was just wondering how you were doing." It was good to hear from her. I called her back and we arranged to get together.

My cousin was unable to have children of her own so she and her husband adopted a baby boy three years ago. He's a cute kid but what a handful. After spending time with them, I am reminded why I never wanted kids of my own. He. Just. Doesn't. Stop. For one minute. Lots of energy. Into everything. Interrupts constantly. (All kids do this but I could never understand parents that put up with it). Plus, the house looks as if it had been tortured by the Apaches. Kindercrap ALL over the place: the living room, the computer room, the kitchen, you name it. In fact, the only room in the whole house that had any semblence of order was the kids' own room.

The living room was the worst. All kinds of toys littered the floor, so much that you couldn't see the floor itself. Mind you, she knew I was coming over. I would hate to see the house when no company was expected. I should mention that my cousin does not work, either. So, WTF?

The best part was that she was showing me some pictures and wall sconces that she planned to hang up. She just swept through the room, oblivious to the mess, "And this is where I'd like to hang this..." I mean, dayum, what difference does it make what you've got on your walls when the room looks like a bomb hit it?

It's not just my cousin. I see this is almost all the homes I visit that have young children. The kids and their toys have literally taken over. Not to sound like an old fart, but geez, whenI was a kid, I was allowed to play with my toys in my room, outside or in our finished basement, which doubled as my dad's office and a kid's playroom. My mother would have had a fit if I left toys all over the house.

My cousin apologetically told me that the living room looks like this because she doesn't have a basement. Lame excuse, sorry. I would bet the farm that if they DID have a basement, they would find a way to fill it up with junk, too, as she and her hubby appear to be packrats on top of having a messy kid.

This just reaffirms my Child-Free philosophy that today's parents are so obsessed with their offspring that they'e let them take over. I can just kids all over America raising their little sticky fists, announcing: "We want the living room and we want it NOW!"

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Monday, January 22, 2007

New Look

Just playing around with some of the new features on this blog. Whaddya think? I like it. I think the polka dots are more in tune with my personality.

Pictures of USATF Awards Ceremony to Come

They're edited and all but need to resize them for the web. Should be up in a day or two.

Had fun and all but as with last year, the ceremony still needs a shot of good organization. Tom & I won some raffle prizes, too: a $50 gift certificate to Sneaker Factory, two pairs of running shoes, and a book on Boston Marathon. I REALLY wanted to win one of the prepaid race packages but, oh well, next year.

Obtentious

Some of the best ideas come to me in bed. That is, before I doze off to sleep, you pervs!

Anyway, I was thinking of a word that describes both obnoxious and pretentious people. Mind you, one can be obnoxious and not pretentious and vice versa. So I came up with obtentious. What brought this on, you might ask?

Well, let's go back about 25 years to my second job out of college. I was a reporter for a newspaper that shall remain nameless. This woman, who shall also remain nameless, worked on the advertising side. Let's just say she was trouble from Day 1. Obnoxious AND pretentious!

For our purposes, let's refer to her as "Elise." Elise always wanted to be someone she was not: rich, beautiful, classy. In reality, she was middle-class (oh, the horrors!), average-looking and classless. But she was an excellent actress: She proceeded to ACT like someone rich, beautiful and classy and the rest of us could just pound sand.

Elise would not only polish her nails in the office, she would perch her naked foot up on her desktop while polishing her toesies! I am NOT making this up. She was newly-married to a school teacher but that wasn't good enough for our Elise. She insisted her husband go to law school and became like a wildebeest in her determination to make him into an attorney. I think he had very little say in the matter.

One of her jobs at work was to mark up the ads on the pages (this was before desktop computers). When she was finished she always BELLOWED out my name to come and retrieve the proofs as if I was her personal servant, instead of picking up the phone like a human being and asking nicely. Since she was not my superior, I would just take my sweet old time to go get them.

Fast forward to 2007. I was doing a web search for a client and came across a picture of her on a web site with one of her daughters, named (are you ready for this?) Remy! Can you think of a more obtentious name? (Remy Faith, yet--oy.) Remy is the name of the deli-restaurant where I buy my coffee in the morning. It should NOT be the name of someone's child in America.
And Faith? I hope the kid grows up to be an atheist, just to spite her mother.

How pretentious. How obnoxious. How Elise.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Eraserhead Is Back!

Yes, according to the Village Voice (a publication whose politics I despise but they have great stories on art, film and literature), Eraserhead, directed by David Lynch, will be at MOMA from January 18 through 24! Such a short run but I really want to try and make it if I can.

http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0703,lee,75564,20.html

I actually wrote a Letter to the Editor, praising the article for bringing back such fond memories. I hope they run it. I gave them both my work and home phone numbers and would love to be there if BF gets the call.

"Hello, this is Blah-Blah from the Village Voice. I am calling for Martta (insert last name here). She wrote a letter to the Voice about Eraserhead..." I would LOVE to see the expression on his face when he gets that call, that "WTF is Eraserhead?" look.

I am evil. And, in Heaven, everything is fun.

19% Flat

Had my body fat measurement last night and was at 19% flat. Meh. Well, at least I am headed in the right direction. My trainer says that because I am closer to my goal, the decreases will not be as dramatic.

I had a talk with him about what's a healthy range. He said if I wanted to stop now, I could, but if I wanted, I could go as low as 14%. Lower than that is for professional bodybuilders--no thanks! But he reiterated that I should not get discouraged if I take a few weeks to get there. I can handle that, I guess.

He asked me how I was feeling and I told him pretty good. I have more energy when I run up hills. I even told that him when BF & go grocery shopping, I can now carry 3 bags up the 2 flights of stairs with ease. It used to be an effort to carry 2. (WhenI told this to Tom, he said, "Good, you can carry them all up if you'd like!" LOL!)

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Kept My Date with the Chiro

Yeah, I went to see the chiro on Monday. Got there exactly on time which is a freakin' miracle since Paramus is like a whole other universe to me. In fact, Bergen County in general is daunting to me. Don't know why. Maybe it's all those stories I used to hear about how scary Route 17 is. They're greatly exaggerated, in my opinion.

To make along story short, my problem is actually less severe than I thought it was. I expected the worst: He was going to tell me that I have a herniated disc, that I should stop running immediately and accept that I was going to walk hunched over like a gorilla for the rest of my life. Actually, what I have is a tissue adhesion, very common in runners, due to overuse (guilty) and due to trying to rev up your mileage too quickly (also guilty). I also have a pronated left foot which I knew about already.

I also expected the worst in terms of pain. But I have to honestly say that I've had massages that hurt more than what he did. Yes, he pulled and prodded, stretched and poked, but I didn't cry out in agony. One thing I will say is that he definitely knows his anatomy. He was able to zero right in on the source of my problem.

The bottom line? I feel about 90% better. Honestly. I don't get that annoying dull pain when I turn over in bed or bend down to tie my shoes. He says that one more visit should do it. Way cool.
************************************************************************************
Saturday night is awards night, yippee! Me and Tom and some other folks from our club are going. I am getting two 3rd Place USATF-NJ awards. In 2003, I got a 2nd place award but never got two before. I am psyched. At my age, I have to be.

I also got a call from a fellow club member, who's also on the USATF committee, saying that she needs, and I quote, "some attractive women to help sell raffle tickets, so I thought of you." I have to say that she really has a good sales pitch going there and more power to her. I haven't felt very attractive lately due to my allergy which has raised its ugly little head again--or I should say raised the skin around my eyes. And made it red. And gave it this horrible dry, lizard-like appearance. Are you grossed out yet? :-)

Yeah, I haven't had allergies in God knows how many years and then we get this freak winter with the 72 degree days and such. That means all the little mold spores that are normally dormant during the winter are ALIVE AND KICKING! I had to go back on the meds (Zyrtec), the cortisone cream and the eye drops which help but don't help 100%. Plus, Zyrtec, as with many allergy meds, is a mild depressant. Normally, not a problem but I am a bit pre-disposed to depression (especially as I get older) so I do tend to go into a funk. I try to hide it as best as I can though. Oh, and I did I mention that the Zyrtec makes you have weird dreams, too?

And the presciption cortisone cream relieves the itching but it dries out the skin terribly.

Supposedly, starting today we're supposed to go through a cold spell so that has helped a bit. But, gee, I hope it stays cold for a bit. Just to kill the mold. Kill them all, let nature sort them out!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Miracles of Miracles

Today my butt-thang doesn't feel that bad. Really. And, it really is coincidental that The New York Times ran an article today (Jan. 11) in the Health Section that basically says when an athlete is injured, he or she should keep on moving. This goes against the old tried and true advice about resting, staying off your feet, etc. It said that too much rest can actually work against you, atrophy your muscles and so forth.

Naturally, if you are in debilitating pain, you should see a doc before continuing to exercise but most muscle inflammations can benefit from cross-training or doing the activity you normally do (such as running) but not as much of it. So there.

Actually, this comes as no surprise to me since my running coach's motto is "Motion is lotion," meaning that gentle movement actually helps heal minor muscle aches and such.

I'm still keeping my appointment with the chiro on Monday, though. I want to make sure this thing is gone for good and never coming back.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

19.8% and Counting...

At last night's body fat check-in, I was at 19.8% which puts me in the "Athletic" range. Hallelujah, and pass the French fries, LOL! But seriously, I am thrilled and will probably be even more ecstatic once I visit the chiropractor on Monday. This dull pain in the butt is well, a pain in the butt.

According to the chart, I can go as low at 14 -15% and still be in the "healthy" range. Professional athletes can go lower but hell, I am not one of them. My scale weight has changed little but according to my trainer, I've gained muscle weight. That being said, I don't fret over what the scale says so much anymore.

I do feel stronger but the real test will be how I'll do when race season starts. I did do a personal record in the 4-miler on December 31 and that was only a week or so into the program. This stuff really works.

Is it difficult? Not really, but it does take discipline.

Can you cheat? Once in awhile, yes. But just once in awhile.

Is there anything I don't like about it? Yes, keeping a food diary. I always found this a bit anal but it does work. Hopefully, once I arrive at my goal and can do the program with my eyes closed, I can dispense with the diary.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Song Going Through My Head...

Ever have a song go through your head for no reason? Well, this classic by the Stadtler Brothers just whizzed into my head today and would not leave for a good part of the morning. No matter, I kinda like the song and it reminds me of happier, more innocent days.



Countin' Flowers On The Wall

I keep hearing you're concerned about my happiness.
All that thought you're giving me is conscience, I guess.
If I were walking in your shoes, I wouldn't worry none.
While you and your friends are worrying 'bout me, I'm having lots of fun.

Counting flowers on the wall,
That don't bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,
With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.
Now, don't tell me I've nothing to do.

Last night I dressed in tails, pretended I was on the town.
As long as I can dream, it's hard to slow this swinger down.
So please don't give a thought to me, I'm really doing fine.
You can always find me here, having quite a time.

Counting flowers on the wall,
That don't bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,
With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.
Now, don't tell me I've nothing to do.

Well, it's good to see you, I must go,
I know I look a fright.
Anyway my eyes are not accustomed to this light.
And my shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete.
So I must go back to my room and make my day complete.

Counting flowers on the wall,That don't bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.

Now, counting flowers on the wall,
That don't bother me at all.
Playing Solitaire till dawn,With a deck of fifty-one.
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo.
Now, don't tell me I've nothing to do. Don't tell me I've nothing to do.