Fettered

 

Self portrait Saturday: one month done

So, I’ve been going to the gym every day that my son has school. That makes four weeks so far. 🙂

If we were relying on weight as an indicator, we’d be sorely disappointed. However, since we can feel and see ourselves deflating and getting stronger we are not disappointed at all.

(Don’t ask us why we started talking in third person plural. Perhaps we are royalty.)

I had to stop using the treadmill because I have wimpy feet and they really started hurting. So I decided to try the elliptical machine. The first time I tried it I could only do 5 minutes before my thighs started screaming, “Get off! Get off!”

The second time I tried it I managed ten minutes. Then each day I tick it up a tiny bit. This was the first time I did a mile. Wahoo!

And then I managed 2 miles on the evilliptical. It really is evil. But effective and so far doesn’t seem to bother my wussy feet too badly. So that’s good.

I’ll let you in on a secret:

Fat people are strong.

Our muscles are completely accustomed to carrying around a lot of weight. So, if we can maintain that strength as we lose weight, then we will be amazingly strong smaller sized people.  Like most people, and especially women, I have noodle arms. But I was excited to see that my legs are kinda badass. So is my back/core area because I can do the machine where you do a sit up pushing back against a weight behind you and I don’t really even feel it until I get up around 140 pounds. so, yay me!

I also want to say that this would not at all be possible without the support of my headphones. Since I generally don’t want to hear what is playing an the TV.

I’ll finish up here by posting a couple pictures that I took of myself when I was trying to take a close up picture of my eye. That’s harder than it sounds.

 

 

Oh and this….same old, same old. 🙂

Self Portrait Saturday: The Truth

I drop my son off at school and head over to the gym. Right now I walk a mile on the treadmill and then do some stuff on the weight machines if I’m not too conked. This being the first week of school and this exercising thing, I’m not too worried about the second part. The mile is required, though.

Finally remembered my headphones so that I can drown out the TV and other gym goers.

This is my pouffy hair. 🙂

These are my new shoes for this endeavor.

This is the starting place.

The thing we don’t talk about, right?

I’m not obsessed with this, but it is a factor. My goal is to get fit and strong.

Right now I am not so fit and strong. And inertia is a bitch.

Law I: Every body persists in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by force impressed

But I will make her work for me not against me.

Inertia will be my bitch.

😀

Six Word Friday: Happy (June continues)

the family is driving over today

because tomorrow is the big day

finals are over, books put away

happy? yes, so I would say.

Gradoodle-ation is tomorrow afternoon at two.

more happy here 🙂

Six Word Friday: Looking Forward

usually at this time of year

we cast our gaze out forward

considering the turning of the wheel

a chance to start once more

to change those many annoying faults

to change ourselves from what was

to what we think we ought.

remember as we move forward

in this strange, wonderful life dance:

“there are no mistakes, only variations

some are intentional, some are not”

you are exactly where you are

supposed to be on your path.

so treat yourself with some tenderness

and then give some away, too.

the world can be harsh sometimes

loving each other softens the edges.

Fat. and other bad words.

People are obsessed with being skinny. This is not surprising given our unrealistic, media driven culture. I don’t want to be skinny. Personally I find very skinny people look unhealthy and wish that they would eat a bit more. The other part of wanting to be skinny is driven by the health industry. We all know how much more healthy it is not to carry too much weight. Honestly, you’d have to live in a cave not to have heard of all the dangers of being heavy. I in no way dispute that. That’s why my goal is to become more fit and strong and get down to a more healthy weight.

But that doesn’t make it okay for people to bandy about words like fat or obese.

I’ve heard Oprah say that it’s one of the last things it’s okay to discriminate against. I agree that many people seem to be harshly judgmental about overweight people and fairly callous in their use of words about it. If you wouldn’t walk up to them and talk about their fatness or obesity, then don’t, please, talk to me about it. Or talk around me about it. If you wouldn’t walk up and talk to me about my weight, then please don’t talk to anyone else about it. If you can engage me (or them) in a respectful dialogue about your concerns about my (their) health, then you’ve done a lot more to promote healthy behaviors than ever will be accomplished by name calling.

And that’s what it is.

Name Calling.

Maybe you say obese because that is a medical term and that makes it okay. Yeah, it really doesn’t.

I’m overweight. I’m heavy. I need to increase my fitness and yes, decrease my fat. But many times weight issues (too little or too much) are about far more than just eating. They are complex topics that are intertwined with emotions and power and control as well as hormones and genetics and lifestyle.

There are beautiful people of every weight, shape and size. So let’s try to be a little more aware of the power of our words. Let’s try to give each other the benefit of the doubt and treat each other with kindness first and foremost.

I need to get outta dodge.

My dad just took a trip to Belize. I have a friend who is a rock star who was in Brazil at the same time as my dad was in Belize. Actually she may not be a rock star, I think she’s a tour manager. But,whatever, since my dad has been back (about a week and a half?) she’s been to South Africa and Switzerland. I think it’s awesome that they do that and are having fun.

But, it makes me notice that I haven’t been much of anywhere in much of anywhile. I think I may have mentioned my semi-nomadic childhood. My son was born here. Now he’s 8. That’s the longest I think I’ve lived anywhere. I was talking to him about maybe taking a trip sometime. He said he didn’t want to take a plane because it might crash. (Yes, he’s a worrier.) I restrained myself from saying how much more likely you are to have a car crash than an airplane crash. We talked about how really safe flying is and how many, many planes fly and how few crashes there are. But, the bottom line is: resign yourself to it. I promise you will fly. I’m dismayed that it’s already taken this long for us to take a big trip.

You can’t drive to Europe or Africa or Australia.

I need to get my (our) *asterisk* in gear and out of this rut.

Before we rust here.

An Art Education

Yesterday I had my Portfolio Review to get admitted into the Fine Art Program at my school. I passed it and submitted the paperwork to change my major. So, I’m all official now. One thing I had to do was write a page about why I want a BFA. I learned last term that if you were to follow a science track, this is how the degrees go:

BS=Bull Sh##, MS=More Sh##, PHD=Piled Higher and Deeper

Since I figured I probably shouldn’t bring that up, here is what I did write:

 

I’m entering the Fine Art program to complete a Bachelor of Fine Art with an eye toward continuing on to complete a Master’s degree. There are a few reasons why I’ve chosen to pursue an art education.

First, I am an artist. For as long as I can remember when someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my reply has always been, “An artist.” I am here to hone my skills as an artist by exploring new media and techniques in a collaborative and supportive environment. Along with that I hope to narrow my focus of interest somewhat by whittling away at media or techniques that don’t appeal to me as much as I had thought they might.

Second, because art is for the most part unquantifiable, it helps people who are not artists (but perhaps are clients or family members) to understand where you are and what you are doing on a benchmarked trajectory. Returning to school as an adult, I am completely conscious that this is a second chance that I need to put to good use. They say that if you do something you love than you will never work a day in your life. This is my opportunity try to translate what I love to do into a career.

Third, I hope to use my education and the knowledge gained here to promote Art in our society. I believe that art and creativity are vital to our well being as a society and, ultimately our survival as a species. Without creativity and invention, humans would not have come very far on this planet. From my studies of art and civilization I have learned that one important mark of a stable society is it’s ability to support and maintain an artist class of people. A group of people who are able to develop a skill set beyond mere subsistence living and trade the products of those skills for their daily needs. This is only possible if there is a steady stable surplus of food and other staples. We will not be able to maintain our status as a civilized society if we cannot elevate art to a high status in our culture.

I believe that artists are not unlike magicians. Who else, besides artists and magicians can conjure an idea and manifest that idea into reality, seemingly from thin air. My personal goal with this degree is to better manifest my imagination into reality. That is why I choose to pursue a BFA.

 

Six Word Friday: Resolved

I still have the usual list
do more art, shrink my hips
get myself organized, focus on healthiness
et ceterah, et ceterah, et ceterah

but really this is my plan:

love more, live more, do more
create more, recreate more, activate more
instigate more, educate more, articulate more.

this is my challenge-and yours.

Six Word Friday is back from holiday break. Resolve to go read about it and maybe post your own.

1-1-11

I love numbers like that. This year there are a few. Today, January 11th, September 10th, November 11th.

I am always just a little bit happy when I happen to notice that the clock says 3:45 or 4:56.

Anyway, Happy 1.1.11 New Year!

Pieces of Flair

I’m pretty sure that I am required to post something about Resolutions or Goals today, or this week.

So here goes:

Goal 1.

I will exercise more. I have loved taking Activity Classes at school. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to squeeze any in this term. So I will endeavor to do it on my own. It is the single most important thing I can do to improve my life and the lives of the people around me. Not only do I need to lose some weight, but I have found that it makes me happier and better able to focus. This last term it probably helped to keep me sane, what with all the craziness I had going on.

Goal 2.

I will work to find a medicine or treatment that helps me to regulate my ADD. I feel that I should be able to accomplish so much more than I am and know that much of it is symptomatic of my ADD.

Goal 3.

I will do more. I am challenged with lots of ideas, but not enough action. I will work to manifest my ideas into reality much more often.

In art.

In writing.

In the world.

~

 

That’s probably enough for one year.

(I have others, but those are the big ones that will facilitate the others.)