Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Happy Day After New Year's Day!
Are you all still keeping your resolutions? For me it’s so far, so good. I usually manage to last at least three days. On a good year, it could be five or six. I think this will be a good year because I've set myself up for embarrassment if it's not.
I always start out by doing on New Year’s Day what I plan to do for the rest of the year, so on January 1st I got onto the ski machine for 20 minutes, did my ab exercises, tackled the basement for 20 minutes, and wrote on my book on and off all day. Can I keep up this tortuous schedule? Man, I hope so, because I believe my life will be better if I do. And to make certain I can, I’ve done some things that will motivate me to continue:
1. I photographed the hell that is my basement from several angles and I will post those photos here on Cigars before the end of 2009—with after photos. My deepest desire is that the after shots do not look worse than the before shots, but anything is possible. By the way, does anyone have any idea how to store reindeer antlers? I find them to be very unwieldy. And yes, they are in the photo, stacked on the pool table I plan to turn into a cutting area for my sewing. Maybe I can turn the antlers into an attractive rack on which to hang my ironing. Right now I’m using the ski machine.
2. I signed up for a half marathon in Austin, Texas over President’s Day weekend in February and bought my plane ticket. Since the snow is too deep to run in here, I hope this will keep me on the ski machine. Eventually the snow will melt, and I’m hoping to get in at least six miles of regular running before the half marathon. Hoping. I ran my last two half marathons without training and have decided not the do that again. It hurts. For days. And more days.
3. I actually enjoy doing my ab exercises. The trick is to never stop doing them. Ever. I do them every other day and I’ll put my abs up against most people’s strength-wise. Unfortunately, I’ve found that as the 40’s recede into the sunset, one’s body rearranges itself in a manner that is not conducive to showing off the abs. But strong abs prevent back aches, etc, and at least I know that I have a six-pack. Somewhere.
4. I sent a proposal to my editor, so naturally I’m writing. I love my new characters and can’t wait to make them love each other—after driving them crazy for a while, of course. I’m waiting for line edits, so I want to get as much on paper as I can before I start polishing up my July book Cowboy Comes Back. Guess what? It’s a cowboy story.
So, those are my incentives to keep my resolutions. I’ll keep you posted on the basement as the year goes by.
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Man, all I had to do was get on the floor with my dogs... LOL
And I didn't do that yet, but maybe today. Or tomorrow. I am waiting for the magic timing known as "recently vacuumed, right before my shower" since I don't relish sitting on a hairy floor and will need to shower off right after I do (allergies). LOL
My only other resolutions are to use my tarot more often, maybe daily or weekly, so I might do that today, and also to read more romance, which I have already done this week. :)
All the health/exercise stuff, as you know, I make an ongoing lifestyle thing, so that never has a place in resolutions. I do contemplate new "tweaks" at the start of every year, as to lose 10lbs a year, some things have to change, and this year I think I will be focusing on the running, and maybe kickboxing, to up the exercise. The only change in diet I might make is starting to make some protein smoothies for lunch, as lunch is always a challenge for me. I either forget it altogether, or end up with a PBJ every day. So, a la my hero David Zinczenko, I am going to use some of his power smoothies (which sound yummy as well) for lunches some days.
I know what you mean about the abs. I can't see mine, either, LOL, but I know if I let up on my routine situps that my back hurts, also walking... I missed 4 days of walks in CT, and felt it bigtime. Very glad to be back on track...
Good luck with yours! Keep going!
Sam
Sam--I absolutely love
Sam--I absolutely love smoothies. We make "protein shakes" for breakfast often--soy powder, bananas, milk, crushed ice and any berries that may be in the fridge. Actually, I'm a huge PB&J fan, too.
As to the ski machine--that is only until I can get outside and walk or run--although it is great for the arms. I do prefer a more natural form of exercise. And it's hard to ski with all my ironing hanging off the machine ;-)
But the basement--once again I had made major headway this year, then Gary emptied out one of the kids' rooms and where did everything go--furniture, etc?--that's right. Stacked in the basement. I want the space because I dearly want a sewing area. So, I hope I win.
Jeannie
Go for it!
I think wanting to win and healthy competition gives you the edge. ;)
Our rooms like that were the office and the guest room -- they collected everything that had no where else to go. I got the guest room under control, and Mike tackled the office yesterday. What it came down to was a lot of throwing stuff out, as well as buying some bins to collect stuff in one spot. But the garbage pile will be large this week, LOL. So far, so good. I know you can do it!
We have two pieces of indoor exercise equip. A treadmill and an elliptical, and I did use the elliptical quite a bit in our old house, but now I would just like to get rid of it, it's a space hog in our small extra room upstairs. But it's so heavy. You have inspired me, maybe this weekend I can talk Mike into working with me to haul it out. Maybe today.
Then we have a nice treadmill which has also seen a lot of use, and it folds up vertically, so I don't mind that so much (they are both upstairs) and it doesn't take up much room. Also, with the running, Mike keeps prodding me to start on the treadmill instead of waiting until it warms up outside. I hate treadmill workouts, basically, because they are so loud, and I don't feel like it's as good as being outside, but I'll probably cave and start indoors.
I'm glad to hear good things about smoothies. I don't think I could do it for breakfast, but lunch is always such a "lost meal" for me, I hope it will work out! DZ recommends whey powder instead of soy, but we'll see how it goes. I have weird food texture issues, but I want to like them ;).
Sam
Just one more thought...
The garage sale people are often jonsing this time of year, LOL, and maybe this is a good time for eBay or a "basement" sale to get rid of a lot of the things crowding your space. Clear it out AND make some money... I don't know how much the antlers would go for, but it would be fun to find out. ;) I bet they would sell.
Sam
Actually reindeer antlers
Actually reindeer antlers are quite valuable because they are sold as aphrodisiac. When my folks had their reindeer herd, they could have gotten a lot of money if they'd sawed the antlers off at a certain stage of development. They wouldn't, because they didn't think it was humane. Reindeer do not like to be handled--it's very stressful for them. So they would wait for the animals to shed the antlers naturally--and they never sold them for aphrodisiac, lol.
An ebay sale sounds like a great idea! I think I'll look into this.
Resolutions for the New Year
Those are things I don't make because I never keep them.
But I do have a suggestion for those antlers.....if they are not mounted on a slab of wood first mount them and then hang them near your ironing board (if you iron that is) and use them as a place to hang newly ironed clothes before taking them to the closet. I had a friend who did that and saved herself some steps. I'll be looking for Cowboy Comes Back.
Ellen--I love that idea! It
Ellen--I love that idea! It would be so funny looking. I'm excited for Cowboy Comes Back. It's a continuation of A Cowboy's Redemtpion. I just love connecting my books.
Well
I'm sitting here looking at the snow and feeling the cold and I'm not up so I guess I've sorta failed on my resolution of being a more up person. Will try for that when it's warmer and less overcast. Just got the mail as my husband just came home and there's a piece of mail saying Secrets of a self-made Millionaire. Wow just what I needed LOL. I think I'd rather have the reindeer antler problem than the junk mail one.
I'm really affected by
I'm really affected by weather, too. Overcast days lead to overcast thoughts for me. I love writing moody pieces when the weather is gray, though. In fact, come to think of it, I kind of like gray weather and gray moods, lol.
Additional Information Requested
Hi Jeannie,
1. Will it really take a year to clean your basement?
2. If yes, exactly how big is your basement?
3. This 6 miles you're going to run before the half-marathon...is that all together? Like, .2 miles today, .3 miles tomorrow (so we're up to .5 miles in total)?
4. Aren't you glad I joined your blog?
Cheers,
Ellen H. (not Ellen Ellen, but the other Ellen. You know, the new kid. ;-))
The Boyfriend's Back May 2009, Harlequin Superromance
www.ellenhartman.com
Answers
1. Yes it will take a year. I've lived here for fifteen years and have never totally conquered the basement, but I've never focused my full efforts on it. It's still stacked waist high with stuff, but the odd thing is that it isn't the same stuff we started with. Most that stuff is gone and has been replaced with new stuff. It's like an ecosystem where when a niche opens up, something moves in to fill it.
2. My basement is 1,400 square feet, but if you count the vertical factor, it has a capacity of 11,200 cubic feet. Perhaps this will take two years.
3. Actually I was hoping to run for six miles in one day and then go home and eat like a horse.
4. I am thrilled that you joined the blog!
Jeannie
How long did you spend on the measuring?
Jeannie-vertical capacity? Cubic feet? Could this calculation time have been better spent polishing the reindeer antlers?
???
Ellen H.
P.S. I'm very much looking forward to the before and after photos. Maybe we should have "Dirty Secrets" day at Cigars. I'll show you mine...
The Boyfriend's Back May 2009, Harlequin Superromance
www.ellenhartman.com
Ohhhhh....
I LOVE the idea of Dirty Secrets Day. You are in charge of that, Ellen. *G*
(Heh, don't you love when you pitch and idea and then someone puts you in charge of it? LOL)
Sam
I do like to be in charge
Sam--I'm quite fond of being in charge because being in charge often leads to statements such as this, "I'd love to participate, but I can't because I'm in charge." (Jeannie and the other teachers will be familiar with this phenomenon.)
It's rather like being an evil overlord. In fact, that's exactly what it's like.
Mwwhuaahhahaha. Dirty Secrets Day, here we come.
Ellen H.
The Boyfriend's Back May 2009, Harlequin Superromance
www.ellenhartman.com
so far
I've kept my resolution. I haven't ordered books since December 29 and my plan is not to order till January 9 (it also helps that there is no money in my Paypal account so I can't order books from places that accept paypal)
Wow
Well, I'm way too embarrassed to show anyone my room of doom! It's probably way worse than your basement, Jeannie! ;p Although I don't have a rack of antlers... No real resolutions this year except to pare that mess down, and possibly to try to organize the TBR a little, so we'll see how that goes! Oh boy, Jeannie--another cowboy story!! Can't wait!
Resolutions
So far I have not stuck to mine and that is to lose the weight I have put on and get back to exercise. My walking two miles went out with the wind back in Nov. when our weather got bad and I was trying to clean the house for my sisters birthday dinner. I scrubed everything in the house. I still haven't got back to the exercise and eating healthier. I am going to have to make myself do it I know. I can tell a differents when I exercise, I feel better. Its just getting back into it. The weather is still bad but I could do some things in the house that would help.