Running...

This weekend I got to fit all of the damas dresses I put in my post last Wednesday and I was very happy to see that they all fit well. We also got to see how the display in Stilo Lifestyle looked... and it looked REALLY awesome. I was really amazed at what a great job Stephanie did! She displayed my items way better than I ever could! Everything looked so... professional.

I went for a run the yesterday... that was wierd... I plan on doing more of it. This online conversation occured:

Me:I went for a run today. It made me wish I had an Ipod or some portable music device.

Friend one: I can't imagine running without earphones, tbh.

Friend 2: get an ipod shuffle. i might sell my iPod touch and buy a shuffle. they are easier to manage while running, cheaper too

Me: thanks! I just need something to distract me from the fact that I am doing something I hate ... but hoping not to hate w/ time

Friend 2: i hate running, have always hated running, will always hate running but it's just about the only way i can tone/drop weight

Not promising that I will start to like running, but I will stick with it anyway...

Here is a sketch colored in gimp, cause it is fun. I burned a screen of this image too, I havens printed it yet, probably will to show tomorrow though.

Share the Road

Biking to work has harbored many peeves, and I wish drivers had to be more aware of not only bicycle law but also courtesies. I agree that bikers do some annoying things too, like not obeying traffic signals, especially stop signs.

These are the top five most obnoxious things that drivers do to bicyclists. Also keep in mind that I tow a baby behind me when I ride, making some of these offenses just appalling.

5) When drivers do the right thing, follow the law, be courteous, whatever, but then act like it was a huge burden and they are doing you a huge favor. For example, a driver pulls out in to the street too far from a parking lot so they reverse. I smile and wave and then they sigh and roll their eyes.

4)When drivers do not know that bicycles have to follow the same laws that they do and expect the cyclist to yield to them just because they are in a car. It is amazing how frequently I have to yield to turning cars to avoid getting hit by them, and how often cars at lights try to turn right before I can go straight! Motorists wouldn't do that with pedestrians, so why do they do it with cyclists?

3) When drivers do not see me because they are doing something else. They are usually talking on the phone, which is illegal here, but I have seen people do all kinds of things from eating to doing make-up that I have to watch for when I am biking.

2)When drivers use the bike lane to park in or pass turning cars in. Most of my ride has a parking lane AND a bike lane, but for some reason lots of cars cant fit their car into the parking lane and have to take up the bike lane too. I am also amazed by how many times I see cars sneak around leftboud vehicles by driving in the bike lane.

1)Dangerously reckless or aloof behavior. This has actually happened, while towing Autumn... I really hate it when cars drive in to the bike lane right next to me giving me about a foot of clearance and honk and yell trying to scare me because they think it is funny. Seriously? I know I look like a nerd with my orange safety vest, but get a life. That is dangerous. I also had a parked car open their door into us as we rode past. Needless to say Autumn learned some new words that day.

ok.
Thats all.

Duke City Derby is Homeless Again!

WE had some excitement at the beginning of the skating season when Duke City Derby started skating at the Santa Ana star center, especially after two seasons at midnight rodeo, which can best be described as a death trap. We had more people show up to Santa Ana games than any of our games at midnight rodeo but the long drive to nowhere didn't draw the crowds that we needed to pay back Santa Ana and DCD went massively in debt because of it. I am glad that I got to play one game there after I got back from portland. (SPEAKING OF DCD BEING MASSIVELY IN DEBT WE ARE HAVING AN ART SHOW FUNDRAISER AT BLACKBIRD BUVETTE THIS MONTH AND I WILL BE DONATING ART, those in burque should check it out)

Anyway, we are not going to play at Santa Ana Star center any more. That's fine... except for one thing... WHERE WILL WE PLAY?

All is not lost though, I have several games schedualed. Taos, Portland, Kansas... and I am sure I am forgetting some. There is a game coming up in Tucson, but I am not going to that one. (work, baby... you know... pretending my life does not revolve around roller derby-even though it does)

In other news, DCD is now inactive. I wise woman once said "Fuck the WFTDA" and I am kind of feeling that right now.


These Pictures are from my game at the StarCenter... and my first Game after autumn was born!

Learning How To Live

I have decided to change the way we live.

I thought we were fairly healthy before, and I stand by that, but having a baby changes everything.

Before Autumn was born, I considered myself an athlete, and was in the best shape of my life. I thought we ate well and took good care of ourselves. Admittedly I still had a pretty negative body image, and wanted to drop one dress size (then I would have been going from a size 8 to a 6).

When I got pregnant I nearly immediately started having breathing problems. But I continued to exercise and I quit smoking immediately. I did everything I thought I was supposed to and still gained over 90 lbs over the course of my pregnancy. I was less worried about it while pregnant because I was militant about breastfeeding, and that burns a ton of calories. Shortly after autumn was born I learned that I was physically unable to breastfeed- After a heart wrenching battle I gave up after 8 weeks and stopped completely when autumn was about 3 months old- that is another lesson in itself- a story worth sharing when I am ready to relive it.

I started walking pretty much immediately after I was released from the hospital and started playing roller Derby again 6 Weeks after autumn was born. I had been doing everything I thought I was supposed to do, and treating my body better than I ever had, and better than most people I know. Unfortunately I really have not been losing weight the way I expected to, and almost as annoyingly, I have not been making the athletic progress I wanted to make either.

I have struggled with weight most of my life. Adam has great genes and does not have to work nearly as hard as I do to stay in shape but he has already taught me a lot about how to live a healthier fitter lifestyle. Right now, that is not enough.

My goal now is to work towards total fitness, not only that required to help me lose weight, or play roller derby well. I am reading a book called "BETTER FASTER STRONGER" and reading up on how foods affect ones body. I am trying to cater my diet to my lifestyle, and eat foods that help me perform on all levels. I am also learning that I need to Diversify my workout and add some strength and flexibility training. I need to drink more water, too. The difference between this and every other time I have lost weight is that I don't want to treat my body well until I get fit again, or can skate well again, I want to make a habit of being good to myself so that I can live and enjoy life for a long time.

I DO want to lose some of this extra weight, but it is also important to me that I feel better and play roller derby REALLY WELL. Also, like I said, I have a baby now, and that changes everything. I want her to be raised knowing how to take good care of herself, so she doesn't struggle with wieght and general fitness the way I have. I think my parents did an excellent job raising me, in many ways, but I think for the first time ever I am really learning how to live.