March 2007
Monthly Archive
All Posts & Daily Rundown21 Mar 2007 04:15 am
Mr Whiskers
Today I fell in love, quickly and fatally. The object of my affection? A small injured mouse I found outside my front door. At first I thought he was dead, but when I looked closely I saw his little body was moving with tiny breaths, so I picked him up in some paper towel and brought him inside. Our street is riddled with cats, so leaving him there would’ve been a little too Christians to the lions for my liking.
I wasn’t really sure what to do, so I rang my mother, patron saint of all creatures, especially those who’ve been savaged by a cat. When I was little, we always had rabbits, birds, even a bat once who’d fallen into the paws of a predator, around the house, living in cardboard boxes and a cage kept just for that purpose. Sometimes they died, which was always sad, but many were set free again, probably disappointed they couldn’t stay longer and be treated like royalty.
So after conferring with Ria, Mr Whiskers drank water from a spoon. He held it with one little paw like it was the most natural thing in the world to do, and was happy to be in my (gloved - I wasn’t sure if I could trust him not to bite) hand. Now he’s resting and eating apple in a nest I made from paper towels and a takeaway container. He seems to be getting better, but I noticed a huge gash on his neck while he was drinking, which is probably the reason he was immobile in the front yard.
He has the prettiest face, and is about the size of 3/4 of my thumb. Mr Dog is sleeping beside his container, and isn’t even bothered by the interruption of a clearly alien animal in the house. I can only imagine what Pilchen might think, and I don’t think she’ll be so zen about it.
Today I’m loving: little trusting animals
All Posts & Daily Rundown19 Mar 2007 09:44 am
Revenge of the prickly pear and other stories
That’s right, another week’s started, and if you’ve come for reviews - I got bubkis for you. I don’t want to sound like a whinging brat, but Mondays have become too short for the mag procure and precis. So, here’s the new deal. Reviews are going to be limited to monthly mags - but only worthwhile articles. Although my hilarious style no doubt keeps you entertained while I slag off the less useful ones, it seems a waste of all our time to do it. You’re not going to buy something that’s useless, so it makes more sense to direct you to the best bets for your money. Tune in for the review of the new issue of Madison on Wednesday, which I’m predicting is worthy of purchase.
However, in a clever (!) twist, I’m going to replace the reviews with some different content. And in order to manufacture this content, I’m hereby announcing a competition. You read right - a competition! The winner will receive four months of virtual personal training, with programs, support and advice supplied by me. To enter, all you have to do is email me me with your details, a photograph, and why you should win. Please try and keep it to 200 words - I can’t even review magazines anymore! You must be prepared to keep a journal which will be featured on this site, and provide photographic progress of your training time. I’ll email you back confirmation, as well as more detailed terms and conditions of the competition when I receive your entry. Entries close on April 16th, and a winner will be announced on April 20th. Since the training is virtual, your location isn’t a problem, but I’m going to limit it to Australian residents for the first time around.
And now to the title of this post. After prickling the hell out of myself last week, I got to relive the horror by stupidly reusing the plastic bag the prickly pear came in. I put some Turkish bread into it for Miss M to eat while we walked home, and after I ate a piece myself, realised I had prickles in my hand, lips, roof of my mouth, and insanely, my arm. So if anyone tells you recycling can’t hurt you, don’t believe them. Needless to say I was abused by Miss M, who ended up with a prickle on her tongue. I couldn’t blame her.
I could however, blame her for chasing away a boy who was interested in me at the market on Saturday, by replying to his statement “If it’s okay with you, I’ll come too”, with “no”. He (foolishly) thought she was joking, and repeated himself. So did Miss M “no, I don’t want you to”. Later I asked her if she’d send away anyone who liked me, and she nodded sagely. Tonight, though, we went out to dinner and she’s given me some incredibly intelligent advice on how to attract someone far more suitable, so maybe I should just hand over control of my romantic life to her.
I’m looking forward to an excellent night’s sleep, after having been manipulated by a fantastic osteopath today. Apparently I deserve a gold star for letting my hip flexors get so tight and still being able to walk. The treatment was the total definition of pleasure and pain, and I was quite proud I didn’t shriek out loud at any point. So tomorrow I’m taking it easy during spin (easier), and deleting one bike ride from my routine. Bring it on.
Today I’m loving: that my crazy cousin Dan is coming to do spin tomorrow, and then we’re going for pizza afterwards. And still I’m going to take it easy.
All Posts & Daily Rundown16 Mar 2007 02:44 am
New beginning(s)
Nothing really definitive has happened over the last seven days, but suddenly I feel like a completely changed person. It could be to do with craving fish and chips every waking minute, or nothing in particular, but I’ve reached a new destination of fabulous self-acceptance.
It’s more than a year since I became single again, and because the breakup wasn’t too acrimonious I thought I’d got through it unscathed. Having a small child and work took up all my time, so most of my life seemed the same - just a little harder to juggle. Now I realise my confidence took a hefty body blow, and even though I could function okay, it wasn’t the real me functioning.
Spending four days being myself last weekend has brought back a me that’s been missing for about five years. It’s like one of those movies Channel 7 has on at midday where the middle aged divorced woman gets a haircut and finds herself again - only without the haircut, or the middle age.
As much as I always try to appear unstressed, there have been many things recently I’ve been worried about - money, a house, work … and so on and so forth. Now I realise none of it matters, and the more I can relax, the better life is. Work is awesome, because I’ve worked hard to make it that way, I have money, and the house thing will eventually work itself out. As they say in the classics, it’s all good!
Many times during my life I’ve “decided” to stop worrying about stuff, which seems to just make everything more stressful. I’ve bought heaps of books to find out ways to enforce a non-worrying mindset. And now, bam, it’s happened of it’s own accord. Guess I should start writing a self help book …
Today I’m loving: my Lululemon pants
All Posts & Daily Rundown13 Mar 2007 07:11 am
I lied
Anyone who’s come to read the mag review - I apologise. This week I have to take a break, so by default have lied about doing it by this afternoon. Sometimes I get to the point where even the littlest things seem absolutely impossible to do, and this week, that’s the thing. Other times it’s writing appointments in my diary (resulting in total disarray), buying groceries (ditto), or not being able to walk Mr Dog for a day or so.
As insane as that sounds, I’ve decided to acknowledge my inability to act by … not acting. Instead, I’ll go to work, be a mother again, and try and cram some sleep in wherever possible. This morning I hit my snooze button (which is a conveniently large figure of Hello Kitty) for the first time in four and a half years of 5am rising. Twice. I feel a change may be in the wind …
All the prickly pear bits are gone from my hands, Miss M is home, so all is well. Now I have to feed the animals before I head off to work. I’m giving my hip a break by not riding into work tonight, and Ria, you’ll be happy to know I did take it easy during spin today … well, easier!
Today I’m loving: Max’s reaction to Miss M arriving home. What a sweet dog!
All Posts & Daily Rundown12 Mar 2007 08:59 am
Prickly pear - where?
After the longest gap between posts I’ve had since September, I’m back. It’s been an interesting few days since the Mundine fight, which ended up being at a different venue than originally discussed, just down the road, which was good, since the fight didn’t start until 11.30pm, and I’d severely miscalculated my alcohol intake, so being able to walk home was very appealing.
On Friday, Miss M went away with a friend and his family to the Port Fairy Music Festival, which has meant I’ve spent the last three days being Emma, not Mama, and discovered there’s a huge difference. Which is odd, because over Christmas she was gone for weeks, and I just missed her. Four days (she comes home tomorrow afternoon) is the perfect time, and I’ve shopped, had a facial, hung out with a boy, slept in (alone!), and it’s been great.
So posting has been thrown to the wind, and anyone who was expecting to read a rundown of the weekly trashy mags today is out of luck. I just got back from the supermarket, and realised I couldn’t do the review today, but it’ll be here by tomorrow afternoon. Maybe it was drinking an apple martini with dinner, or maybe it’s because my right hip is totally out of whack and in pain, but this post is as much as I’m writing today.
I learned an intriguing lesson today, which is after purchasing a prickly pear and being told not to touch it unless it’s been soaked in water, make sure you listen. Those prickles aren’t visible, but my hands were full of them after I’d grabbed the stupid thing. I still don’t know what they taste like, but it better be good.
Today I’m loving: the pelaton I rode behind this morning which broke my headwind, and let me feel like Lance Armstrong for about two k’s. Super cool.
All Posts & Daily Rundown07 Mar 2007 06:43 am
Will there be angels?
Tonight I’m going to watch the Mundine/Soliman fight with my neighbour, some of the guys he works with, and James. I’ve just discovered the pub we’re going to is the Hell’s Angels’ local, and has a reputation for being … what you’d imagine. I’m really hoping there’ll be some other interlopers there apart from just us.
I guess it’ll be an interesting evening, and as I’ve started to think about nearly everything that might turn out badly, at least I’ll get a good post out of it tomorrow. So tune in, and I’ll let you know what happens! I’m hoping Mundine loses, in about the eighth round so I can get home at a decent time.
Today I’m loving: Miss M’s recovery from the malaise she’s been experiencing for the last couple of days
All Posts & Daily Rundown06 Mar 2007 10:05 am
Thus nature balances itself
Once in a while everyone has a day where everything goes wrong. Today was my day. Here’s a breakdown for you:
9.15am - something bad happened
9.30am - something bad happened
9.45am - something bad happened
10.55am - something bad happened (although this might turn out okay down the track)
1.35pm - something really bad happened
I spent a couple of hours this afternoon practicing the idea Eckhardt Tolle puts forward in his book “The Power Of Now”, and tried to concentrate on just the moment I was in, rather than the five previous incidents of bad stuff. It’s hard, and I didn’t do so well.
Then at 8.35pm, something excellent happened … and everything was suddenly much better.
Today I’m loving: groundwork
Famous, OK, New Idea - 10/12 March, 2007
Famous, Pg 66: Face the Facts
Subtitled 10 health tips every woman should know, this is a surprisingly useful article. Including advice on eating after exercise, dieting, which includes a smart precis on the effect of low carb diets on your body, and muscle versus fat. It’s often easy to brush off a magazine like this as just being gossipy and fluffy, but this is a really smart double page spread. At the very least, read it in the checkout queue. ****
New Idea, Pg 66: Sonia’s Dance Body Secrets
Sonia Kruger from Dancing with the Stars has the kind of body you can only achieve through years and years of really hard work. It’s interesting to read her take on eating - she lost ten kilos in four months on the Atkins Diet (one of my most despised and unhealthy eating plans), but admits it’s not a long term solution. Obviously she hasn’t completely thrown off the shackles of Dr Atkins, because she talks a lot about limiting carbs, but it’s good to see she eats a couple of slices of bread for breakfast. Read this more for interest’s sake, rather than something to replicate yourself. Unless you’re doing hours and hours of dancing of course. **
Pg 72, Get Fit With Guy
Interesting article on energy density of food, or the number of kJ’s per gram. As a rule, if the number is more than 12.5 kJ per gram, it should be avoided. Interestingly, on the high energy density list (to be avoided) is popcorn, even with no added fat (14.8g), natural brown rice cake (15.6g), and cornflakes (15.6g). Also surprisingly, on the low energy density scale are custard, chocolate dairy dessert, and made up jelly. Surely though you have to ask how good a choice is one of these things, which are full of crap, versus a piece of fruit with nothing added to it, and has the added benefit of fibre to help you feel full for longer. The subtitle on the table with low density foods is “all good for you”, which I have to disagree with. ** Still interesting - steer clear of that popcorn.
OK, Pg 90: Body talk with Billie Piper
This feature used to be one of my favorites, but over the last couple of weeks, the celebs they’ve been featuring are far from A-list. That’s not always a bad thing, but when someone like Billie Piper, who used to be known for her underage drinking binges and marriage to a nerdy UK DJ is talking about how she doesn’t eat carbs anymore, I can only turn the page and yawn. As the cop on South Park likes to say “Nothing to see here, people”. No rating.
Notebook, March 2007
Notebook is a freaky magazine which I’ve never really looked at before, but this month they have a great two page spread about energising workouts. Twenty minutes a day is the projected time to change you from sloth to machine.
Pg 56 - Instant Energy
The research this article is based on was carried out by the University of Georgia in the US, and while I haven’t read their findings, I have seen the way my clients walk away from a workout far more energised than when they arrived. Twenty minutes is a really manageable amount of time for most people, even if you’re at home with children, or working for yourself.
The ideas presented here are dancing, kickboxing, skipping (if you can do it for twenty minutes, let me know!), hiking and cycling. While some of them require more than twenty minutes to make it to a venue, you could always pick and choose depending on what you’re able to do on certain days.
This article also provides information on eating for energy, something more of us should pay attention to. The article gives a link, www.blackmores.com.au which promises more advice on eating right, and may be worth checking out. ***
Instyle, March 2007
Pg 192, Celebrity Body Secrets
This is another plug for the book “The A-List Workout”, and this time focuses on the best body features of various celebrities, and the exercises they use to maintain them.
From Hilary Swank’s arms, J-Lo’s butt, Jessica Simpson’s back, and Lucy Liu’s stomach, this article promises you can replicate their spunkiness. Each section includes a “make-me-over” tip, and a “session secret”, which might be anything from a dietary approach, to doing multi joint exercises to maximise results.
My biggest complaint about this article is the detailed exercise instructions, and no pictures. The staggered squat makes no sense, and needs at least three pictures to explain it. The lat extension involves a resistance band closed in a door, which to me is begging for someone to be subjected to the hugest rubber band flicking of their life, and the diamond pushup is an exercise I would only give to clients who had wrists made of steel. It also needs a note about keeping your abs strong, as this exercise requires heaps of upper body and abdominal strength, and can go horribly wrong if someone isn’t supervising your technique.
These exercises might be great, but unless you’re going to perform them properly, they’ll end up doing more damage than good. Disappointing **
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