Sunday, October 26, 2008

The WINNING Halloween Costumes


Our costumes
Originally uploaded by deplaqer
That's right, folks. Uber Hubby and I won for Best Male and Best Female costume at last night's party with our friends in Eagan, MN. This is the party we've gone to for the last 4 years, it's always a HUGE bash, and we've now taken at least one costume prize for 3 out of the 4 years, though this is the first time we've won at the same time. If you don't understand UH's outfit, watch the video embedded below, but please be forewarned that it is the UNcensored version.

I was dressed as Amy Winehouse. If rebus puzzles typically frustrate you, don't worry if you don't get it.


SNL A Special Christmas Box - Watch more free videos

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Ticker Update




Well, I certainly won't be winning the competition for fastest weight loss, but at least it's in the right direction. My size 14 stuff is starting to feel baggy AT LAST, and Uber Hubby seems to think that his arms go a bit further around me than they did previously. I'll take that any day of the week.

We're off to the first of 2 Halloween costume parties this evening. Photographic evidence will be posted ASAP.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

In Other News...

Ok, so the Tony the Tiger post (below) is the real highlight of the day, but here's what else is going on since I've been too lazy to post lately...

1) Started a new job this past week. It's part time during the day, which is exactly what I had been hoping for, because it leaves me open for the eventual opening of my Mankato distributorship of SSHE (if they ever decide to let me do it), plus I can still do all my workouts and stuff. I'm now what's called a Title I Paraprofessional at the elementary school near my house. I go in for a couple of hours each morning and work with kindergarten kids who need extra help with reading and math. So far, so good.

2) Went to my 20 year high school reunion last weekend. It was mainly an excuse to see my mom, sister, and the one guy I actually keep in touch with from that time, but it turned out to be pretty fun. Oddly, the person I felt like I connected with the most was the wife of a guy that I went to school with from 4th grade on. She was a hoot, and at her direction I came home and got signed up on Facebook. For anyone who cares to send a friend request, just go on there and look for Amy Coxe Hoover in the Minneapolis area, then include a note saying you found me from the blog.

3) I may have talked about this one in an earlier post (too lazy to go back and check), but I got involved with an online group called the Biggest Loser League. It's part of the official show stuff from NBC, but it's a free version that's basically online chat support. The one you pay for is called Biggest Loser Club and supposedly includes more, but this is all I really want for now. There's a Fall 500 Mile Challenge going on, which of course I'm in because you know how I love to track mileage. This is one isn't just bike miles, though...It's whatever combo you want between running, walking, riding, elliptical, etc. You have to get 500 miles in 10 weeks, kind of on the model of that Fat March show where people lost weight by walking 500 miles during the show's season. So here's my new ticker:




Edit...This ticker gets updated whenever I change the data, so whatever you see here is the CURRENT total, not what it was when I originally posted. It's not the same as my weight loss ticker, which is a new one each time.

Amy and Tony the Tiger


Amy and Tony the Tiger
Originally uploaded by deplaqer
This photo was taken by Uber Hubby this morning. Once I arrived at our local coffee shop for the post hockey coffee klatch with the team, I noticed that the new Cereality was having its grand opening. I called UH & insisted that he drag himself down there to take my pic with Tony the Tiger himself. Never mind that they had half price on all their nifty cereal stuff. I had Lucky Charms with walnuts and chocolate chips. Most of their stuff is WAY too sugary so really feels like more of a dessert thing, but they also have hot oatmeal with fruit & nut toppings. Well worth it at least once.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Great Bike Related YouTube Video

This is the coolest YouTube video I've seen in a long time:




Partway through, you can catch a glimpse of LFOAB himself, as well as his lovely wife and adorable daughter. If you watch the entire clip, you'll catch her at the end doing a groovy little dance. Kudos to LFOAB for the post that alerted me to this little gem.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI: World is too materialistic

Found this article this morning on how the Pope thinks we've all become too attached to money and material things. The odd thing is that I tend to agree with him, but it also strikes me a uber-hypocritical when it comes from a guy who wears bespoke clothing, Prada shoes, carries a solid gold scepter, and whose everyday life in general is surrounded by priceless gems and other treasures. I mean, isn't it The Church who has spent hundreds of years gathering as much material wealth as it possibly could under the supposition that you're giving all the glory to God, but the officials left on earth are the ones who get to use the stuff? Plan on giving any of that up any time soon to set a good example there, Your Holiness? I think not.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

New Prague Half Marathon, here I come!

Yeah, I know it's months away (May 2009), but I'm still excited. I've been keeping true to my training plan for almost 2 weeks now, and it feels good. I designed it with more flexibility than I've given myself in the past, so it was okay that my first "long" run got moved from yesterday to today since I was up in the Twin Cities longer than I thought I would be. Today's run wasn't really that long in the grand scheme of things, but it was the first time I've done 5 miles in way longer than I care to remember, and I was just happy that my knees seem to be holding up so far. That's another reason I'm spreading this training out over a longer period than I've done in the past...I'm scared my knees are going to finally crap out on me if I push too hard too fast, so I've actually got several weeks here in the beginning where my Saturday long run is only 5 miles. If this one goes well, I'll probably do the Battleship North Carolina Half Marathon in November 2009. I could stay with family that I don't get to see very often, which would be a definite plus in the financial responsibility department...Not a good idea right now to try and do a bunch of destination races where I'll end up wasting hundreds on a hotel.

Biggest Loser League is going well also. I joined a team called The Chubby Network whose motto is "Infancy is the last time in your life where chubby is cute!" They are a good group, and we've started a 10 week 500 mile challenge modeled after that other weight loss show last year where the people walked 500 miles in 10 weeks while being filmed for TV. Can't remember the name of it because I watched Biggest Loser instead, but this challenge is a good way to keep me moving during the coming cold weather. We officially start tomorrow.

What are YOU doing to get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Friday, October 3, 2008

Ticker Update



Woo Hoo! Hopefully this time I'm firmly in the 170s and headed south, NEVER to return to the 180s. I was a tad worried because I got a call yesterday to come to lunch with Uber-Hubby, his boss, & the boss man's wife. Luckily, we went to Applebee's (not much else around here in Mankato), and they have a Weight Watchers section in their menu. I had a delicious Cajun Lime Tilapia with a side of veggies for only 310 calories!!! Ok, so I added a cup of Tomato Basil soup, but that had to be one of the healthiest restaurant lunches I've had in months, and it was GOOD.

In other weight loss news...
I just joined a group called The Biggest Loser League. The difference between that & the more well known Biggest Loser Club is that you PAY for the club & get all kinds of diet plan advice, etc while you DON'T pay for the league and it's just an online community where you follow whatever plan you're on and compete for points. You have a profile kind of like a MySpace page where you can blog & post photos, plus they have chat boards where you can meet up with other like minded chubsters. I missed having the chit-chatty stuff from when I was on eDiets, so this seems like a good fit for me.

I'm excited about tonight because I get to go to hockey practice with my old team, the Hot Flash. Though I'm technically still on the roster, it's tough to get back up there since we moved to Mankato, but this weekend I'm combining that with my regular trip back to the Cities for my hair appointment. I'll be staying at a team mate's house, so thankfully no hotel bill this time. I've missed this group of ladies, so I'm really looking forward to this.

So...What are YOU doing today to get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off