I celebrated by buying a few new tops. Here I am wearing one of them with the Muffin Top pants, which currently look great as long as I'm standing up. :-)
About Me
- Karinderella
- I'm a pianist, happily married. Socially progressive, chocolate lover, interested in the nature of reality, alternates between being a slacker and being a grind.
1.23.2006
This is What 30 Looks Like
...30 pounds, that is.
I celebrated by buying a few new tops. Here I am wearing one of them with the Muffin Top pants, which currently look great as long as I'm standing up. :-)
I celebrated by buying a few new tops. Here I am wearing one of them with the Muffin Top pants, which currently look great as long as I'm standing up. :-)
Good Karma
Wow. The Karma Fairies are really smiling down at me today. My stunt that saved the day at the BalletMet audition a couple of weeks ago moved them to send a thank-you note and a check that was more than the gig paid me in the first place!
Dear Karin,
Thank you so much for "going the extra mile" (literally) for us at our audition. You saved the day for us and we could not have done the audition without your quick thinking and extra effort.
Please use the enclosed gift to treat yourself.
Sincerely,
Chris Rogers
BalletMet
This is awesome! I am going to treat myself when I get a chance to go to Sephora and use my gift card Darcy gave me for my birthday, as I'm running low on several goodies at once.
On another ballet-related note, tonight was $5.00 noght at the Cedar Lee movie theatre, so I went to see Ballets Russes, a documentary on the 20th Century dance troupe that, as I learned, actually brought ballet to most of America. There were tons of stunning archival footage interspersed with interviews with some of the dancers, now in their 80s and 90s.
Also, a lot of the music, soundtracks to the pieces choreographed decades ago on the company, were pieces I play for class all the time, that I didn't even know were used in a ballet ever!
I actually owe a lot of what I do for a living to the Ballets Russes, when I think about it. They almost singlehandedly brought ballet to American conciousness.
Dear Karin,
Thank you so much for "going the extra mile" (literally) for us at our audition. You saved the day for us and we could not have done the audition without your quick thinking and extra effort.
Please use the enclosed gift to treat yourself.
Sincerely,
Chris Rogers
BalletMet
This is awesome! I am going to treat myself when I get a chance to go to Sephora and use my gift card Darcy gave me for my birthday, as I'm running low on several goodies at once.
On another ballet-related note, tonight was $5.00 noght at the Cedar Lee movie theatre, so I went to see Ballets Russes, a documentary on the 20th Century dance troupe that, as I learned, actually brought ballet to most of America. There were tons of stunning archival footage interspersed with interviews with some of the dancers, now in their 80s and 90s.
Also, a lot of the music, soundtracks to the pieces choreographed decades ago on the company, were pieces I play for class all the time, that I didn't even know were used in a ballet ever!
I actually owe a lot of what I do for a living to the Ballets Russes, when I think about it. They almost singlehandedly brought ballet to American conciousness.
1.19.2006
1.18.2006
Saturday's Windsong Concert
Last weekend, Windsong performed our winter concert to a capacity (240+) crowd. My hands never got warm the entire time, though I think that was due more to adrenaline than the coolness of the room, but we did an excellent job! Here a really cool review. (Only one quibble--she says I provided "occasional" accompaniment. I guess that's true if by "occasional," one means "only" 75% of the songs.)
1.13.2006
Muffin Tops (Boring, Girly Weight-Loss/Body Size Post)
Our house is cold, I constantly wear sweaters, and my fingers and toes never get warm unless I'm exercising, but I keep reminding myself: body trying to keep warm=higher metabolism!
I lost a freakish 3.0 more pounds between Jan. 2 and Jan. 9, which includes another 1/4" on all measurements, so I am now down 28.5 pounds! And this in a week that included no walking, short (1 job) workdays (except Sunday!), and cookies and/or chocolate every single day. I celebrated by wearing my new size 14 Target jeans Monday and Tuesday. They're still a bit snug--if they weren't stretch there's no way I could have done it--and I have serious "muffin tops" over the waistband, necessitating a strict "all shirts long and untucked" policy, but I bet they'll fit in a month. (I wish I had made up the term "muffin tops." But I actually learned it from one of those lists of Top 10 New Words of 2005. Here is an example of the word used in an article. It was the first Google result after a search for "muffin tops." Oh, here's a link that's even better--an entry from the Double-Tongued Word Wrester Dictionary, complete with word history!)
I just saw this article in Newsweek about the importance of core muscle strength for long-term health (yoga, pilates, etc.). My workout DVDs incorporate this training, and I already notice my back is a lot less sore. I gave Mouchie my ugly office chair and now use an exercise ball to sit at the computer, and sitting at a backless piano bench all day is a lot easier! Mouchie loves the chair, too--he sleeps on it, sheds on it, and uses it as a horizontal scratching post. At first I discouraged this behavior, but I've noticed it's saving wear and tear on the office futon. :-)
Surprisingly, I didn't gain any weight or girth over the Houston trip, despite lots of sitting, no exercise, meals out, and a party full of Texas-style entrees and an entire table full of homemade brownies, cakes, and cookies. I actually lost .5 pound that week, don't ask me how. That included the closest thing to a binge I've had since September--eating 24 oz of Jelly Bellies and saltwater taffy from a gift shop all by myself over 2 days. I guess that actually is a binge. :-S Strangely, we can have massive amounts of chocolate in the house and I won't do that. But I just can't handle the soft, chewy candies. Well, part of it was the "I'm on vacation/holiday" syndrome, which, mercifully, ended the day after we got home. Even that amount (I used to eat at least 24 oz of candy every day!) made me feel icky and gave me nasty gastrointestinal side effects. You'd think that would be a deterrent, but I still didn't stop. Oh well, my goal was just to maintain over the vacation, which I still managed to do.
Don't worry, I am not going to waste away! I started out with a 37.75" waist, and my goal is a 30" waist. (I have exactly 3" to go and I'll be there.) I don't even care what the other measurements are. Last time I was that size, I was at 140 pounds. I'm realizing as I get closer that my waist might not be that small at 140 this time (10 years older), so I might end up shooting for 135 or so. We'll see.
I lost a freakish 3.0 more pounds between Jan. 2 and Jan. 9, which includes another 1/4" on all measurements, so I am now down 28.5 pounds! And this in a week that included no walking, short (1 job) workdays (except Sunday!), and cookies and/or chocolate every single day. I celebrated by wearing my new size 14 Target jeans Monday and Tuesday. They're still a bit snug--if they weren't stretch there's no way I could have done it--and I have serious "muffin tops" over the waistband, necessitating a strict "all shirts long and untucked" policy, but I bet they'll fit in a month. (I wish I had made up the term "muffin tops." But I actually learned it from one of those lists of Top 10 New Words of 2005. Here is an example of the word used in an article. It was the first Google result after a search for "muffin tops." Oh, here's a link that's even better--an entry from the Double-Tongued Word Wrester Dictionary, complete with word history!)
I just saw this article in Newsweek about the importance of core muscle strength for long-term health (yoga, pilates, etc.). My workout DVDs incorporate this training, and I already notice my back is a lot less sore. I gave Mouchie my ugly office chair and now use an exercise ball to sit at the computer, and sitting at a backless piano bench all day is a lot easier! Mouchie loves the chair, too--he sleeps on it, sheds on it, and uses it as a horizontal scratching post. At first I discouraged this behavior, but I've noticed it's saving wear and tear on the office futon. :-)
Surprisingly, I didn't gain any weight or girth over the Houston trip, despite lots of sitting, no exercise, meals out, and a party full of Texas-style entrees and an entire table full of homemade brownies, cakes, and cookies. I actually lost .5 pound that week, don't ask me how. That included the closest thing to a binge I've had since September--eating 24 oz of Jelly Bellies and saltwater taffy from a gift shop all by myself over 2 days. I guess that actually is a binge. :-S Strangely, we can have massive amounts of chocolate in the house and I won't do that. But I just can't handle the soft, chewy candies. Well, part of it was the "I'm on vacation/holiday" syndrome, which, mercifully, ended the day after we got home. Even that amount (I used to eat at least 24 oz of candy every day!) made me feel icky and gave me nasty gastrointestinal side effects. You'd think that would be a deterrent, but I still didn't stop. Oh well, my goal was just to maintain over the vacation, which I still managed to do.
Don't worry, I am not going to waste away! I started out with a 37.75" waist, and my goal is a 30" waist. (I have exactly 3" to go and I'll be there.) I don't even care what the other measurements are. Last time I was that size, I was at 140 pounds. I'm realizing as I get closer that my waist might not be that small at 140 this time (10 years older), so I might end up shooting for 135 or so. We'll see.
1.08.2006
An Unintended Workout
I knew today was going to be jam-packed, but I had no idea just how much I would end up doing today. Here was my schedule:
9:30-10:30 UU Choir practice at chuch
10:45-12:00 Play for church service with choir singing
12:30-1:30 Potluck lunch, yak with friends
1:30-2:00 The first 1/2 hour of Worship Committee meeting, which I have to leave early from so I can get downtown in time for
2:30-4:00 Gig playing for audition class for BalletMet's Summer Intensive workshop. I then leave ASAP to arrive as soon as possible (though I will still be late) for
4:00-6:00 Windsong rehearsal (concert is this Saturday). Then I rush back to church for
6:30-8:30 Building Your Own Theology Class.
But how could anything else possibly fit into this schedule? you're probably thinking. Well, here's the story. Everything went great until I arrived downtown for the audition gig. It was held at the West Studio at the State Theatre (part of Playhouse Square). I have been gigging there intermittently for the past 18 years, and (other than it sometimes being chilly or the piano being out of tune) never have had any problems there. So I really didn't expect the scenario that awaited me.
I got there 10 minutes early (like a good little professional). I stuck my head inside the studio and noticed something unusual--the piano was gone. I glanced down the hallway and saw (what I thought was) the back of an upright piano against the wall. I introduced myself to the instructor and asked if there was someone who could help me move it back into the studio. She volunteered herself, and as we approached the "piano," we realized it was just a prop from the opera. The opera people were in the other studio, but there was only one piano in there and they were using it. Uh-oh.
I went down to the security guard, who first asked me if I had "ordered a piano" for the studio. He found the invoice, and, what do you know, there was the piano request in writing. He made a call to a worker, who was on break from 2:00-3:00. These are union guys, he explained. If he made them work during their break, they would charge double. They wouldn't be back until at least 3 and then they still had to "locate" a piano and then bring it up the freight elevator. I figured that, since the audition was over at 4 and it was now 2:30, by the time they got their act together it would be too late.
So after relaying this unwelcome information to the instructor, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I ran like a bat out of hell back to my car (3 minutes), drove home, making all the lights and only speeding a little bit (9 minutes), ran up the stairs to grab my little keyboard and accessories and back out to the car (2 minutes), and drove back downtown to my same parking spot (10 minutes). Fortunately, it was a nice, dry day. I then slung the 15-pound bag of accessories over my shoulder, tucked the 20-pound keyboard under one arm, and galumphed back to the studio and up the stairs (4 minutes). Smiling ballet moms greeted me and held doors for me. The instructor was beside herself with relief. "Oh, you're beautiful!" she exclaimed ecstatically.
She started showing an exercise when I entered the room, and by the time she'd finished I was all plugged in, set up, and ready to play (60 seconds).
Another example of how my regular workouts are paying off!
Total time spent saving the day: 25 minutes
Cardio minutes: 8
Strength training minutes: 6
Total minutes in target heart-rate zone: at least 25. Nothing like a beat-the-clock challenge to rev up the ol' metabolism!
Now my little keyboard is woefully inadequate for a ballet class. It only has 5 octaves. The touch is hard to control. I've banged it up over the past 13 years and some notes cause a rattling vibration or stick out too much or don't sound. But nobody cared. They were just so thrilled I was able to fix the problem.
9:30-10:30 UU Choir practice at chuch
10:45-12:00 Play for church service with choir singing
12:30-1:30 Potluck lunch, yak with friends
1:30-2:00 The first 1/2 hour of Worship Committee meeting, which I have to leave early from so I can get downtown in time for
2:30-4:00 Gig playing for audition class for BalletMet's Summer Intensive workshop. I then leave ASAP to arrive as soon as possible (though I will still be late) for
4:00-6:00 Windsong rehearsal (concert is this Saturday). Then I rush back to church for
6:30-8:30 Building Your Own Theology Class.
But how could anything else possibly fit into this schedule? you're probably thinking. Well, here's the story. Everything went great until I arrived downtown for the audition gig. It was held at the West Studio at the State Theatre (part of Playhouse Square). I have been gigging there intermittently for the past 18 years, and (other than it sometimes being chilly or the piano being out of tune) never have had any problems there. So I really didn't expect the scenario that awaited me.
I got there 10 minutes early (like a good little professional). I stuck my head inside the studio and noticed something unusual--the piano was gone. I glanced down the hallway and saw (what I thought was) the back of an upright piano against the wall. I introduced myself to the instructor and asked if there was someone who could help me move it back into the studio. She volunteered herself, and as we approached the "piano," we realized it was just a prop from the opera. The opera people were in the other studio, but there was only one piano in there and they were using it. Uh-oh.
I went down to the security guard, who first asked me if I had "ordered a piano" for the studio. He found the invoice, and, what do you know, there was the piano request in writing. He made a call to a worker, who was on break from 2:00-3:00. These are union guys, he explained. If he made them work during their break, they would charge double. They wouldn't be back until at least 3 and then they still had to "locate" a piano and then bring it up the freight elevator. I figured that, since the audition was over at 4 and it was now 2:30, by the time they got their act together it would be too late.
So after relaying this unwelcome information to the instructor, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I ran like a bat out of hell back to my car (3 minutes), drove home, making all the lights and only speeding a little bit (9 minutes), ran up the stairs to grab my little keyboard and accessories and back out to the car (2 minutes), and drove back downtown to my same parking spot (10 minutes). Fortunately, it was a nice, dry day. I then slung the 15-pound bag of accessories over my shoulder, tucked the 20-pound keyboard under one arm, and galumphed back to the studio and up the stairs (4 minutes). Smiling ballet moms greeted me and held doors for me. The instructor was beside herself with relief. "Oh, you're beautiful!" she exclaimed ecstatically.
She started showing an exercise when I entered the room, and by the time she'd finished I was all plugged in, set up, and ready to play (60 seconds).
Another example of how my regular workouts are paying off!
Total time spent saving the day: 25 minutes
Cardio minutes: 8
Strength training minutes: 6
Total minutes in target heart-rate zone: at least 25. Nothing like a beat-the-clock challenge to rev up the ol' metabolism!
Now my little keyboard is woefully inadequate for a ballet class. It only has 5 octaves. The touch is hard to control. I've banged it up over the past 13 years and some notes cause a rattling vibration or stick out too much or don't sound. But nobody cared. They were just so thrilled I was able to fix the problem.
1.05.2006
The Great Purge of 2006
I did something today to celebrate my 25-pound weight loss milestone--I indulged in a huge purge. Oh no, you're thinking, don't tell me she's developing an EATING DISORDER?! Oh no, my little chickadees. Besides knowing that that's totally f****d up, I loathe vomiting and find the idea of doing it on purpose alien and vile.
On the contrary, I spent the morning purging my closet of unwearable clothes, something I haven't done in 4 years. Most of my pants and jeans are now swimmingly huge on me, to the point where even a belt doesn't work. All of my summer clothes from post-2002 look laughably dumpy, as they billow shapelessly around me with huge armpit holes and saggy waists.
A mood-booster: a little dark green dress and sweater set, labeled size 14 (not 14W, but Misses 14) fits me as well as it did in the summer of 2000! Can it be that I've now lost 5 1/2 years' worth of weight gain?!
I also put in the pile clothes I've had forever that now fit me, but didn't age well or just look too dowdy or out of style. I gave everything the benefit of the doubt, and tried everything on. Anything which inspired me to say, "You will never, ever wear this!" went in the pile.
I ended up with 2 kitchen garbage bags full of neatly folded clothes (about 50 pounds) and just got back from getting rid of them forever at the Goodwill. Boy, does that ever feel good!
On Monday, I went to Target to buy a "transitional" pair of jeans, as all of my denim is too big for me now. I got a pair of size 14 stretch jeans that almost fit me now. They still cause a bulge above the waistline so I probably won't wear them for another 3-4 weeks, but they already feel comfortable. I'm really, really getting there!
January Health Update Stats:
60% toward goal
Weight: -25.5 pounds
Bust: -4.0"
Waist: -4.5"
Hips: -3.75"
Thigh: -3.0"
On the contrary, I spent the morning purging my closet of unwearable clothes, something I haven't done in 4 years. Most of my pants and jeans are now swimmingly huge on me, to the point where even a belt doesn't work. All of my summer clothes from post-2002 look laughably dumpy, as they billow shapelessly around me with huge armpit holes and saggy waists.
A mood-booster: a little dark green dress and sweater set, labeled size 14 (not 14W, but Misses 14) fits me as well as it did in the summer of 2000! Can it be that I've now lost 5 1/2 years' worth of weight gain?!
I also put in the pile clothes I've had forever that now fit me, but didn't age well or just look too dowdy or out of style. I gave everything the benefit of the doubt, and tried everything on. Anything which inspired me to say, "You will never, ever wear this!" went in the pile.
I ended up with 2 kitchen garbage bags full of neatly folded clothes (about 50 pounds) and just got back from getting rid of them forever at the Goodwill. Boy, does that ever feel good!
On Monday, I went to Target to buy a "transitional" pair of jeans, as all of my denim is too big for me now. I got a pair of size 14 stretch jeans that almost fit me now. They still cause a bulge above the waistline so I probably won't wear them for another 3-4 weeks, but they already feel comfortable. I'm really, really getting there!
January Health Update Stats:
60% toward goal
Weight: -25.5 pounds
Bust: -4.0"
Waist: -4.5"
Hips: -3.75"
Thigh: -3.0"
1.04.2006
Random Coincidence
I have morning off this week, and as usual, instead of doing something productive, I have been catching up on all my favorite web haunts I randomly came across this article about people who crash weddings. Imagine my surprise when, getting down to the last part of the article, "Todd" (in picture above) turns out to be Angus MacLane. Now he's an animator at Pixar, but once he was the 3-year-old down the street who was the first kid I ever babysat when I was 13. I babysat him and his little sister for the next five years. It's moments like this when the world just seems really small.
1.02.2006
Birthday Weekend
My birthday was Friday and I'm 41 now. I love celebrating birthdays, no matter how old I get and I've never felt the need to be "discreet" about my age. So far every decade has been better than the last and I have no reason to expect the 40s to be any different. I like being this age--old enough to have some perspective on life and young enough to still feel pretty good physically.
Actually, I feel a lot better than I did on my 40th. It was nice this year, for one thing, for my entire family, Paul, and myself not to be violently ill with the flu.
I had a wonderful day Friday. After a workout, Paul took me to see Brokeback Mountain (which I highly recommend). An early dinner at Lopez followed, a heavenly chicken enchilada suiza with a kickass margarita--my favorite cuisine plus my favorite drink. It was so deliciously satisfying, I didn't need to eat for the rest of the day.
After dark, we went to see the holiday decorating and lighting display at Stan Hywet Hall, which, although it was cold and crowded, was beautiful and very fun. When I got home, I returned calls of all the family members who called to wish me a happy birthday. All in all, it was a great way to start my own personal new year.
Speaking of the New Year, we went out dancing at the Cavana Ballroom, where we take our lessons. Last time we did this, two years ago, my feet killed me for a whole day after dancing off and on for 4 hours. But now that I'm in better shape and weigh 25.5 pounds less (yay me!), the only discomfort I felt in my feet was not from the dancing, but from the fact that my dance shoes have a 1.5" heel and no arch support, and my toes kept jamming into the tip of the shoes from gravity, which I am not used to.
We had a catered dinner and met some new people, who took this pic of us:
Actually, I feel a lot better than I did on my 40th. It was nice this year, for one thing, for my entire family, Paul, and myself not to be violently ill with the flu.
I had a wonderful day Friday. After a workout, Paul took me to see Brokeback Mountain (which I highly recommend). An early dinner at Lopez followed, a heavenly chicken enchilada suiza with a kickass margarita--my favorite cuisine plus my favorite drink. It was so deliciously satisfying, I didn't need to eat for the rest of the day.
After dark, we went to see the holiday decorating and lighting display at Stan Hywet Hall, which, although it was cold and crowded, was beautiful and very fun. When I got home, I returned calls of all the family members who called to wish me a happy birthday. All in all, it was a great way to start my own personal new year.
Speaking of the New Year, we went out dancing at the Cavana Ballroom, where we take our lessons. Last time we did this, two years ago, my feet killed me for a whole day after dancing off and on for 4 hours. But now that I'm in better shape and weigh 25.5 pounds less (yay me!), the only discomfort I felt in my feet was not from the dancing, but from the fact that my dance shoes have a 1.5" heel and no arch support, and my toes kept jamming into the tip of the shoes from gravity, which I am not used to.
We had a catered dinner and met some new people, who took this pic of us:
I'm wearing my new jacket that Mom & Ron gave me for my birthday, and that I've been living in for the past 4 days. Took it off to dance, though!
At about 11 pm, we were treated to an exhibition dance by our instructor Jim and his wife Suzanne. She played the role of Jessica Rabbit, complete with bright orange wig and body-hugging dress with fake boobs, knocking the men dead with her wiles. It was cute and very entertaining.
We had a midnight countdown with champagne punch and a balloon drop, followed by more dancing. I have high hopes that 2006 will be a great year!
Texas Family Reunion
You know, I was expecting Texas to be more of a foreign country. Well, beautiful 70-80 degree weather right after Christmas was a pretty dramatic shift. And it is true, everything's bigger there. Even the traffic lights are 2-3 miles apart, and it takes at least 45 minutes to go anywhere there. We passed by signs pointing out Tom DeLay's district and the Halliburton headquarters--we were definitely in BushCroneyland.
Most of our time was spent near where Paul's brother David lived. All of us visiting family members stayed at the Holiday Inn about 2-3 miles from David's house, and spent most of our time hanging out together talking, eating, driving, and eating some more, having an overall good time.
We all first met, some of us straight from the airport, at a Sears portrait studio for family pictures. Paul's family always does this at reunions, as they tend to happen only once every decade or so. I think it's a great idea.
We decided to get some taken of the two of us, and I think they turned out pretty cute.
Most of our time was spent near where Paul's brother David lived. All of us visiting family members stayed at the Holiday Inn about 2-3 miles from David's house, and spent most of our time hanging out together talking, eating, driving, and eating some more, having an overall good time.
We all first met, some of us straight from the airport, at a Sears portrait studio for family pictures. Paul's family always does this at reunions, as they tend to happen only once every decade or so. I think it's a great idea.
We decided to get some taken of the two of us, and I think they turned out pretty cute.
We ordered prints, including some wallet-sized ones, plus a CD of all of the images so if people want to make calendars, cards, extra prints, etc, just email me and I'll send you the original jpeg file. You can see them all here, along with the pics I took during the rest of our trip.
I really enjoyed meeting and hanging out with Paul's people. Everybody knew not to talk about inflammatory topics, so there was no weirdness on that issue. I loved seeing family resemblance here and there, and seeing family photo albums.
You have to see this pic. It's Paul's grandmother holding a tuba with Paul's father in it! :-)
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