24 April 2006

on the subject of firsts

An addendum:

Yesterday, for the first time in my entire life (including those terrifying President's fitness tests in grade school when we were supposed to run a mile-- I was always last because I walked a significant part of the way) I jogged for 20 minutes. Without stopping. Not even for a second.

I can walk extremely quickly, ride an exercise bicycle, or use an elliptical machine for an hour without stopping, but until yesterday I had never been able to fight my way through the impact and exhertion necessary to actually jog for more than about 7 minutes, max.

I think that I might be possessed.

Droopy Britches

I have had to part with many a lovely pair of pants over the years. Reasons for retirement have included (but are not limited to): beet stains, broken zippers, torn knees, ass rips (I once wore a pair of jeans to a day of set building for MXTW that ripped all the way up the back when I took a moment to tie my shoe. I had to borrow Chris's car to go home and change pants), and overly stained cuffs. The number one criteria for sending clothes to slack-heaven, though, has always been that they had become uncomfortable in some way or other - - usually, they had become entirely too tight to wear in public.

This morning I put on a pair of jeans I bought last summer that were, at the time of purchase, a little tight all around, but nevertheless fairly flattering. I haven't worn them much (due mostly to a debacle involving some tree sap and my behind. . .an enitre afternoon of repeatedly applying Imperial Cleaner and washing them eventually took care of that problem), but it was raining when I got up, and I figured I'd give them a chance this morning, as I didn't mind them getting wet and a little muddy around the cuffs.

I slipped on these freshly washed jeans with a little extra time before I had to leave for class with the intention of doing a few lunges around the house to stretch them out, because, if you aren't aware of this phenomenon, that's what people do when their pants are a bit too tight post-wash.

Then: a miracle. There were definitely no lunges this morning, because MY PANTS ARE TOO BIG. They were made to sit somewhere a few inches below my belly button, and are currently hanging precariously on my hips. They are baggy in the legs, and subsequently a little bit too long. So, for the first time in the history of my wardrobe, a pair of my pants is up for review for being entirely too large for me to wear them.

19 April 2006

Oh, yeah.

I'm moving to New York in September. In the event that anyone who doesn't frequently speak with me reads this ol' thing, I got an internship working for Richard Foreman's Ontological-Hysteric Theater, and will be working 40 hours a week for free from September to January. I don't care if I spend all of my time shining shoes. I. Am. Delighted.

I'm currently in the process of finding a place to live. I will find a real, buy-the-groceries job once I've found out my schedule at the OHT. I've got a gig at the Market in Manhattan over the summer slinging fresh fruit (when I'm not directing high schoolers) so as too have a little money tucked away for my move, so I'll probably be really tan and in need of a vacation by the time I move. I'm totally okay with this.

I will keep the inter-web updated as things move forward.

Squeeky Clean Part II

Today is my first day of dietary freedom. Food/beverages consumed that I haven't been able to have in three weeks: a spoonful of tuna salad, a shot of espresso (with soy milk- good girl!), and an extremely delicious Phish Food waffle cone from Ben & Jerry's. More exciting, however, is all of the good-for-me things I ate today in spite of my ability to eat dairy/carbs/sugar, etc.: a mango/pineapple/strawberry/carrot-orange juice/soy milk/flax seed oil/Standard Process powder smoothie for breakfast, a salad with oil and vinegar (here's where the spoonful of tuna salad came in to play) for lunch, and a baggie full of spinach, mushrooms, carrots, and plain tuna for dinner. I can dig it- I feel pretty damn good, and plan to continue feeling this good for a long time.

On that note, I feel a little bit weird, post-icecream. So much dairy! So much sugar! It was, however, worth the wait and the bizarre tingling feeling I'm currently experiencing.

05 April 2006

Squeeky Clean

While I was in New Mexico, I experienced a mildly excruciating case of heartburn the evening of the first full day we were there. I asked our hostess if she had anything I could take for it, and as Bette passed me some Gas-X with antacid, my aunt remarked that I wouldn't have heartburn anymore if I did "the Cleanse." This is a dietary endeavor that she recommends to some of her patients, as well as her best friend, both of my grandparents, and she herself has gone thru the process. I asked no questions other than "Will it help my skin, too?" before I told her I would start as soon as we returned home.

I was very near backing out as I contemplated what I might be enduring not drinking coffee or eating bread during this busy month, but the night before I was to begin my cleanse, I got a case of heartburn so bad that no amount of Kroger brand Tums could cure it, and realized some drastic action must be taken. So. The SP Standard Purification Process it was.

I received a big brown sack full of supplements, shake powder, and reading material (propaganda) concerning my Standard Purification Process. The propaganda is really good, though, and made me want to clean out my insides for real.

Basically, I can only eat fresh fruits and vegetable, with a tiny bit of unseasoned lean meat or eggs thrown into the mix. Let's think about all of the things that I like to consume that that rules out: dairy (cheese!), wheat based products, refined sugar, potatoes, chocolate, alcohol, and COFFEE. Who am I without coffee??? I also have plenty of pills (30ish) to take daily, and drink what feels like gallons of filtered water a day. I thought I had to pee a lot before. . .

For all of the thought I have to put into this, and all of the effort to not consume the things I am not supposed to consume, I can say this: I feel a little cleaner on the inside. I haven't had heartburn in since I started, which is a good sign that it won't come back after I'm done (I'm not making that up, that's what my auntie told me). And I am no longer afflicted with a lack-of-caffeine headache. I'm looking forward to the buzz I will feel the first time I drink coffee after my insides are all cleaned out, a buzz I have not known since I was approximately 14 and became addicted to coffee. I can now enjoy it for it's taste and smell, rather than needing an IV-drip to survive.

I have some serious plans to go out for ice cream the night I'm done with this ol' thing. Waffle cone. Chocolate. Yesssss.