Riding in the Rain
So the BF has mapped out a very long 15 mile + trail for us to bike ride on. He has the bike rack on the back of the car. The bikes are ready, with proper tire air and water bottle holders secured. His mileage counter/techy gadget is calibrated and standing by. We are wearing our finest bicycle shorts/racing peddle shoes/tight, wicking t-shirts/fast helmet/goggle combos; aka Lance Armstrong and Co. (Just kidding about the clothes–we live in the suburbs. Of Chicago. We could get our asses kicked riding around town looking like space alien freaks.)
As you may recall, and I see that I typed it last night, I was going running today. 4 miles plus. Which I may do after this “bike ride” the BF wants to do. Our only problem here at the moment is the giant mass of thunderstorms and rain clouds moving across the area this very minute. I have a few choices here.
Just go ride the bikes. It’s chilly and rainy but at least I’ll be moving(??).
Then go run on the trail, after. 3.6 miles will seem so easy then.
Go to the gym. Indoors. Always temperature and weather controlled. (Poop)
Or…STOP eating.
But, since I already devoured 4, yes (shame) four, McDonald’s Breakfast Burrito’s with Hot Picante, while watching Grease 2 (double shame) this morning, it’s probably too late for that option.
My favorite alternative option, since it feels kind of like New Orleans out there; breezy, rainy, Southern tropical; I say we make Hurricanes and sit out on the veranda and drink all day. (We don’t actually have a veranda, but we do have a patio with some very nice plastic Adirondack chairs and a backyard full of grass to look at.) It’s close enough.
And I can’t seem to waste any more time with this post, as I’ve run out of things to embarass myself with. I will be back, much later, with my regular schedule of things you don’t care about.
I have to go lose some calories and be a part of society now.
Wacky Water Weekend With… / Sunday Snack
Holy Pierogi! Can the weekend really be over already?? Yes, I know it’s Monday, but we have actually been out in the world:
Swimming, Party-ing, Food-ing, Cake-ing, Picture Taking, Food-ing, Driving, More Food-ing, More Driving…we packed it in these last three days. (Our weekend started with Friday…lucky!)
Let’s start from Sunday, and go back…One guess…
Pierogi Fest! What? You don’t know? You are either,
1. Not Polish
or, 2. Not from around here
or, 3. From around here, a Polack, but still not know what this is!
All very likely. That was us three years ago. Now we know. This is the Official Website below:
Pierogi Fest / Whiting, Indiana
Here’s more pictures!
What a bunch of Polish people!
I think this speaks for itself
Terrarium Aquarium
Ecosystem in 2 Liters. Ours for the summer. Ours forever. We have the world, literally, in our hands.
Yo Soy el Pan de Vida
I am the bread of life…uh huh.
What are you doing today??
Saturday. Happy Weekend! Just trying to get in a few posts and cracks at the church, so that I can be struck by lightning later at the party we are having for my niece after it turns into a thunder-tornado-rain disaster. It’s sunny and 68 at 9 am in the city. It’s supposed to storm but let’s all ask God to hold it off. One of his devoted graduates is having a party! Come on! Please?? Pray with me now….
Anyway, the above pic is from the church song book. I thought it was kind of funny. All the songs, excuse me, hymns, were about eating and food of life and drinking the blood…and I was SO hungry. My niece’s school uses Wednesday masses to have major celebratory type events. This is from the “ribbon” ceremony. (All 8th graders get a ribbon to take with them into high school. It symbolizes a bunch of things but I was busy taking the pictures and missed the explanation.) Who does an entire Mass, with extras, on a Wednesday morning, at 9 am, during my Regis, Kelly, and Breakfast Burrito time anyway?? Selfish.
Then, one week later, on Wednesday, (again) we are back in the Church, having another Mass, but this time, the actual Graduation Ceremony is attached to it. It was long and it didn’t start until 7 pm. Morning. Night. These people are all over the place.
But she made it! Got a few awards and a diploma, so it’s on to High School! She’s doing the Public School for this round of edumacation.
All jokes aside, the party is today. Hopefully it stays nice! Come out and have a drink—you might see a one-in-a-million lightning strike! You can stand next to me!
Congratulations Jesse!
Below is a pic of Jesse, in action, walking out of the church, from the ribbon ceremony. You can see the blue ribbon in the right of the pic. I like it better than the “formal” pictures.
And then there should be a graduation picture, and one with the sign. Proof! See you all at the par-tay!
Obviously, we have a few problems in our family.
Running Wild in Illinois on the Best Day of the Year so Far
I love days like today. They have everything in them.
Sunshine. Blue skies. Cloud scatter. Tight breeze. Ever-so-subtle, atmospheric-scent in the air; And finally, the storm itself.
Moving in fast from the South and darkening and covering the blue with ominous grey and green. We didn’t care because we were already in and done with our day.
I mostly sat around all morning, and after Regis and Kelly (still hooked I’m afraid) I flipped channels and Sweet Home Alabama was on. I don’t care what you say. I’ve seen it 20 times and I’ll see it 20 more. If they show it, I’ll watch it. Cut-up to hell, but I don’t care. It’s too romantic and it spoils real life and love for the rest of us, but we all like to dream.
“Aw hell, nobody finds their true love when they’re 10 anyway”
So then my neighbor came over and asked me to help her move some plant potters and once I got a whiff of that outside I figured I’d better get out and enjoy it before it feels like a wasted day. So I did.
But first, I took a few pictures of her Frankendog. The dog had some surgery (she’s fine–just surface removal) and she looked so funny I thought I’d capture it forever. And of course share with you. Pictures below.
Then I hit the trail. Kind of slow, but at least moving. Listening to The Warrior playlist.
Check it out if you dare. Have to keep motivated. Have to go out and shake it tomorrow too. I am about to do some major damage to my gut this weekend and I need to be pre-prepared.
Friday night’s a free-for-all. Undetermined.
Saturday A.M. The BF’s Mom for breakfast. Saturday P.M. My Mom for Dinner. I’m sure there will be drinking. That’s what gets you is those alcohol calories. To the brain AND the bum.
Sunday A.M. Kids are home and we are going to need lunch. Possibly breakfast. And definitely dinner.
I guess I could show some restraint and just suck it up and eat healthy, but you know, I’m actually drinking right now typing this post and I’d rather just work out extra hard after, than miss something good right now.
Mother’s Day starts tonight for me! Hold up, I have to go fix another drink. brb (ha! NOW I know what that means–only took 6 months to figure that one out)
Ok crisis diverted. Back to the plot. While running I came up with a few ideas. First off, this post. I do my best thinking and pre-writing while I’m running. You might disagree…sister?? Best is questionable if this is the result, but I find it amusing and I’m only slightly buzzed.
Then for a playlist. “Running Wild and Crazy, possibly in the Jungle” I haven’t worked the details out on that yet, but it’s next. Depends on how many “wild” and “crazy” songs there are. So I thought I could throw in the “jungle” for filler. Got a great opener….
This is a funny thing while I was running today. At about the 1 and ¾ mile mark, I started seeing crayons on the ground. You know, Crayola crayons. Just laying there. First a yellow, and orange…a few moments later red and broken blue showed up, then a quarter mile on, here’s purple, brown, green….who’s missing? Oh yeah…black. Nope. Here he is. Made it just under 2 and ¼. Last guy to be dropped out of the box I guess by some poor kid walking around with his parents. I wonder what the thought behind bringing crayons to the Forest Preserve trail was anyhow?
When I go tomorrow, I’m going to pick them up when I see them. Usually stuff is still there after only one day. It did rain, but it was pretty hot during the day and some of them looked like they were melting to the ground when I saw them. Hopefully they won’t un-stick in the night and roll off the path in the morning. If I get them, I’ll post them! Something to look forward too! Hang on for one more day!
And I thought of another playlist–crayons, naturally. Like the colors–red, yellow, orange…etc. I’m working on that too.
After the trail I took the kids to the store. I really DID have a grocery list, although I’m not going to write down what it was.
Ok, ok, just real quick (for Amanda): Card for mom, yogurt, granola, Tums, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cheese sauce for Stevie’s school movie night, ketchup, Mountain Dew (also for Stevie), hot dogs, hot dog buns, baked beans, a little gifty for my sissy, and four, half-pound each, fat-ass burgers.
Like I said, Mom’s Day is early here.
When we got home, I put the stuff away, packed up Stevie’s stuff for school, and the kids went and played outside for a few.
Mason had bought flower seeds at the store, some Chinese Lanterns, that he thought looked cool, so he and Stevie went and found four different potters to put them in.
Then it conveniently rained, and they came in and watched Family Guy. I know it’s bad and not for kids, but it’s just SO funny. Besides, they learn new stuff. I can’t teach them everything.
With dinner over, my kids got transported to another store by the BF to purchase gifts for myself and the step-mom. After hiding the gifts in a location I must know, so that I don’t go looking there for 3 days, they are sleeping.
I am drinking.
The boyfriend is playing Mafia Wars.
Last game of the night: Lights off and laying down.
I am about to wrap this up with no words of wisdom, no extra pictures and no playlist.
Oh you. You know me too well. Here’s a blue sky–above; a tip–right here: Don’t stand up in a canoe. Don’t do it; And a killer playlist–below:
(It’s “comprehensive”—but please, let me know what possible song did I leave out??)
Give me a devil-horn-hand-gesture and let me pass out. Vodka Rocks! Woo-hoo!
Day Quote
Like sex, bathing, sleeping and drinking, the effects of food don’t last. The patterns are repeated but finite. Life is a near-death experience, and our devious minds will do anything to make it interesting.
—Jim Harrison
Monday! Music for Smashing Fat!
We made it! The whole weekend! Did NOT eat anything from a fast food place, a restaurant, a roadside stand, a cart at the park—nothing! Day 6 dawns rainy and chill but we feel good. Hungry yes, but not AS hungry. It’s weird. Pounds have been dropped. Won’t have an official count until Day 8–start of cycle 2–second week of the smash. But it’s already exciting because bread is involved and peanut butter and bananas!! 2 more days of the leany lean and then it’s like a party of food. So me and boyfriend are talking about all the stuff we COULD have, like pizza, burgers, ice cream, bacon, pancakes—cause that’s what you do…when I first started BFL a year ago, I would hoard food magazines like Bon Appetit and Fine Cooking and Food and Wine, and I became obsessed with cooking shows (Guy Fieri and Tyler’s Ultimate; Bobby Flay and Alton Brown–the food gods sent from olympus) and I would just read or watch and dream whenever I was hungry. Which was always. It was like food porn. And I thought, man, a good music list could come from this. We can’t eat any of that stuff. Glamour Eggs are like, egg whites with mushrooms. Bleah…I just shove a hard boiled egg into my mouth, try not to choke, and move on. Takes like 30 seconds. More time for exercise. The OTHER healthy component….circling back around to the list….we can’t have the bad because that food goes right to the fat already stored in the body. Just attracts right to it like a lumpy fat magnet. And that’s the list. Took the long way to get there, but here we are, the “Hanging Out In The Adipose” List:
1. Fat Bottomed Girl / Queen
2. Fat As A Fiddle / Chris Difford
3. Fat / Weird Al Yankovic
4. Big Fat Woman / Mudcat
5. Big Belly Mamma / Albert Smith
6. Big Girl, Skinny Girl / CX Kidtronik feat. Rockola
7. Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) / Mika
8. Big Bad John / Jimmy Dean
9. He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother / The Hollies
10. Heavy On My Mind / Back Door Slam
11. Thick-Necked Man / Crash Test Dummies
12. Thicka Than A Snicka / Meech
13. Overweight / Blue October
14. The Weight / The Band
Extreme Fat Smashers Day #2: The Hungry Music List
Seriously. Hungry. Not as bad as I thought but still. I missed my snack last night so I could go to bed earlier so I could get up earlier and do my FIRST workout of the day before I did anything else. Double workouts are fun! So here is a list of music I can listen to later, (and you can too!), while I’m running for my SECOND workout and thinking about all the food I can never eat! Mix it up like a chocolate shake–yum yum, I serve you the “Bon Appetit” List:
1. Hungry Like The Wolf / Duran Duran
2. Cherry Pie / Warrant
3. Bread and Butter / Devo
4. French Fried Potatoes And Ketchup / Amos Milburn
5. Mashed Potato Time / Dee Dee Sharp
6. My Boy Lollipop / Millie Small
7. You’re My Dish / Fats Waller
8. Fishin’ Blues / Taj Mahal
9. Hungry Heart / Bruce Springsteen
10. Candy / Love Arcade
11. Peel Me A Grape / Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson
12. Cherry Bomb / Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
13. Strawberry Wine / Pat Benatar
14. Coconut / Harry Nilsson
15. Hunger Strike / Temple Of The Dog
16. Peppermint Twist / Joey Dee & The Starliters
17. Chocolate Cake / Crowded House
18. Chicken Fried / Zac Brown Band
19. Gimme A Pigfoot / Bessie Smith
20. Chop Suey / System Of A Down
just shy of pretty 