So, I often advise my aerobics participants to silence the negative self-talk in their heads and replace it with positive self-talk. I've read more than a few sports psychology books, and they all preach using positive visualization. I shout examples to my class like "I love to sweat!", "It feels so good!" and "I'm proud my arms are shaking, because it means I'll be stronger next week." Some participants smile, but many roll their eyes.

That last one, about being proud, is something I've been working on with my classes lately. As a culture, we've been taught not to toot our own horns. We're dismissive of our own accomplishments, and even deny them if someone offers us praise - "Oh, it was nothing," "No big deal."

Well, guess what?!? Sometimes it IS a big deal! When an Ivy League student, with a bajillion hours of homework every week, papers, labs, and buckets of stress makes time to come to an exercise class and take care of her body, it IS a big deal. It's an intelligent decision worthy of praise. I tell my participants to take a moment, and be proud that they came and worked out hard. Some smile at me. Others look at me like I'm nuts.

I was really proud of my class tonight. They worked their asses off. I tried a different approach. "When our dog is good, don't we give him a biscuit? Are we so much better at training our pets than at training ourselves? You kicked butt tonight! Give yourself a mental biscuit!"

I think a bunch of them finally got it. I saw smiles... and a few nodding their heads. Suddenly, they didn't look so tired, and they were standing taller. They finally took a moment, and were proud of themselves.

Jeez! It's like pulling freakin' teeth!

I'll have my biscuit now, too. ;-)

Current Mood: Proud
Current Music: Etta James, "The Right Time"

Let's see...

Shedzilla is nearly done. I'm just nesting and putting the last few things away that are still scattered in the lawn. I've actually prioritized getting my scooter back on the road, and now doing some repairs on the snowblower. It's only about 4 years old, but rusting horribly. I started grinding off rust on Monday and will be repainting it before the snow flies.

Speaking of the scooter. Back in August, it was having problems running above 1/2 throttle. I spent a few hours on it, and punted in favor of working on the shed. Well, fast forward to November. I finally got time to look at it. I started it up, and it was running perfectly. What the hell?!? My best guess is that some foam scraps from under the seat fell into the gas tank when I filled it one day, and were blocking the fuel line. Over the 3 months, perhaps they dissolved? Dunno. I'm just thrilled it's back on the road. I'll be doing a major strip and repaint on it over the winter, now that the shed is ready for the project!

Aerobics has been fun at Cornell. I'm getting good numbers on my Tuesday/Thursday kickbox class. My Sunday Step class is also doing well. My Saturday kickbox is poorly attended. I just think it's a bad hour of the day for the age group that attends. I'm discussing changing formats with the aerobics boss there.

Otherwise, I've been reading a lot and obsessing about Dancing With The Stars. Jules and I are thrilled that Donny and Kelly both made the finals.

Oh, and Harold has been the huggiest kitty EVER! He's taken to sitting in my lap all evening long, and then sleeping on my pillow at night. He's curled up in my armpit as I type.

Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: Evanescence, "My Immortal"

... with a brief post.  I'm anxious for the weather to switch to something that induces neither headaches nor arthritis flareups.  Does that exist in the Northeast?

Shedzilla is commencing.  The  exterior is done.  As of last night, about 1/2 the insulation is done on the inside.  I also installed a large shelf over the weekend, which greatly relieved the clutter on the floor (since I have to keep things inside, out of the weather, as I'm completing the interior work).

I'm anxious to get the shed in some kind of state that I don't feel guilty about taking a break to get my scooter back on the road.  I have all the parts, and theoretically, I should be able to get it up and running.  I just need a few hours of reasonable weather to putter with it.

Enough for today.  I'm just tryin' to get back in the swing of blogging.

Current Mood: drained
Current Music: Evanescence, "My Immortal"

Long Time, No Blog!

I seem to be Tweeting and Facebooking more than blogging these days.

Brief updates:

Dancing With The Stars as started.  I seem to be obsessed with it, even more than usual.  I've been following the celebrities and dancers on twitter.  So far, Kelly Osbourn was the big shock.  She was amazingly good, and apparently started a month ago from NOTHING.

Shedzilla the second.  This year's shed project was to pour a concrete foundation for the "puppy shed", expand it, and turn it into my "scooter shed".  It's now twice the size of the original dog shed, and on concrete.  I'm putting the ceder siding on it.  That's nearly done.  It'll need some trim at the top edges near the roof, then painting on the outside.  Inside, I need to complete the electrical work, which is half done, and put up some insulation.  I hope to insulate it enough that I can bear to work in it over the winter, if I run a space heater.   It's coming along, though consuming a LOT more time than I hoped.

Speaking of scooters, my scooter has been off the road for a month or so.  I'm still awaiting one part from Scooterworks.  I finally had to email a grumpy-gram outlining the incompetence of their shop manager, and escalate through their sales people.  The shop manager claims (finally) to have shipped my part.  It probably got handed off to UPS on Monday.  I'm hoping I'll get some time this weekend to work on the scooter, and try to get it back on the road.  I'm really bummed I couldn't ride it during the gorgeous weather we had for the last month.

Aerobics is really fun this semester.  I'm teaching a kickboxing class at Cornell which is well attended.  The energy is VERY different than down at Island Health.  My class at Island has been very small - with 3-5 people, lately.  The last two weeks it's been all seniors taking it. lol.  It's quite interesting to be teaching kickboxing to 3 seniors on Saturday, then to 24 undergrads on Tuesday.  Still, both are fun in their own way.

Well, enough for now.  I'm late for work.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: James Brown, "I Feel Good"

A brunette Luna Lovegood attended my Step class.   I mean seriously.  Imagine Luna Lovegood with brown hair, and fire-engine red lipstick.   She walked into my class about 5 minutes before we began.  I saw her standing, looking confused, and not setting up a step bench, so I went back and introduced myself.   She said "Oh, I've been to your class before."  I said "Oh, OK, sorry, I didn't remember you.  Have fun!" and left it at that.  Still, she stood around without getting a bench out, as I began class.

Sure enough, we got started and suddenly she looked SHOCKED that we were using the step benches.  Imagine!  She ran back and got one, and hastily set up.  Ohhhh keee dohhhh keee.  Ok, let's chalk that one up to insufficient caffeine, I guess.

Now, if that's not odd enough, you need to picture this woman for a moment.  She came into class wearing fire-engine red lipstick, and some other makeup I would imagine, though I'm no expert.  She was wearing sensible footwear and workout pants, but she was wearing a rather flimsy black tank top with something about "Dancing" on it.  She was wearing no bra, and probably scored a C or above in the bosoms department.  Now, I'm generally not one to complain about women going braless, but this didn't seem to be particularly sensible exercise attire for a class in which she was going to be jumping up and down on a step bench for an hour.  lol

As it turns out, her "Dancing" shirt was somewhat misleading, too.  She had no sense of rhythm that I could ascertain.  She was lost and off the beat for the majority of the class.  Still, she got plenty of exercise, bouncing up and down on the step. lol.   She looked suitably winded, pink and sweaty by the end.

Now, I don't know if her appearance was her own particular sense of style, or whether she was dressed that way because she was cruising for a date.  It seems an odd choice for a class in which the only male EVER to attend is me, and I'm generally relating some story or other about "my wife and I" every time I teach.  If she was there to pick up another woman, that didn't seem to be working for her either.  She got no end of dirty looks from most of the other women in the room. lol.

Ahh well.  Teaching aerobics is rarely boring!

Current Mood: amused

1) Students now find it easier to configure Wi-Fi than to plug a wire into their computer.  They don't want no stinkin' wires.  The minority who discovered that their dorm didn't have Wi-Fi, but only wired networks looked really bummed.

2) Some students were entirely uninterested in the fact that TV in their room would cost a lot.  They watch everything on the internet anyway.  Who needs a TV?

3) Other students looked like their liver had been removed at the thought of no TV in their room.  They signed up for service, and to hell with the price!

4) One young lady looked GRAVELY concerned about our 15 GB/month network cap, beyond which she would incur additional charges.  She's an online gamer.  I think her Mom wished it was a .0000000000015 GB/month cap.  They cracked me up.

5) We've outsourced our email to Google.  I didn't field a SINGLE question about email.  EVERYONE knows how to do THAT.  Duh!

6) Some students looked 12, and some looked 14.  None looked 18 to me.

7) One freshman mentioned she was living in Balch hall, and didn't know what the rooms were like.  She looked a little freaked when I described them, saying I dated a girl who lived there.  I had to quickly amend and say that it was 22 years ago, things may have changed! 

8) Plugging a USB cable into their computer and printer is too much bother.  Students will jump through a lot of hoops to use wireless printers.

9) The proudest parents I saw were the ones who were also Cornell alums.  They were practically floating, and they were definitely glowing.

10) A coworker I've known for 20+ years walked by looking shell shocked.  She said "WOW!  It's all so different from THIS side of the table!"  Her daughter was getting registered at Cornell today.

11) Registration and enrollment is MUCH less stressful nowadays.  It's 1/2 done before they even get to campus.  People were smiling, and looked relaxed.  The days of standing in line with 1000 of your closest friends are over.

I remember my Freshman move-in.  It was very similar to Cornell's when I first got here 23 years ago.  Long lines.  Exhausted, overheated, hungry, cranky people.  Frazzled staff.  Confusion and frustration abounded.   Now, the students get their electronic ID, register for classes and even do Add/Drop before they even get to campus.  Thanks to computers, move-in day is ENORMOUSLY less stressful for parents and students alike.  I took some pride my profession over that.

12) On the way back to my office, I saw another man "float" by.  He had a big goofy grin, and pointed to Phillips Hall as he passed me.  "I took such and such a class in there with professor so and so!", he said without preamble.   I responded "And now your Son or Daughter will?"  He looked at me with the about the biggest smile I've ever seen and said "My daughter!"  I've never heard two words uttered with such profound pride before.  He zoomed by, running to his car to pick up his family.  I walked to my office with my own smile. 

Sometimes it's really nice to reconnect with the reasons I have a job.  Several thousand of them came back to campus today.  Welcome back! 

Now, please consider LOOKING UP before you walk in front of my car tomorrow morning, and tell your parents that Green Street is One Way - THE OTHER WAY!   lol

Current Mood: content
Current Music: Santana, "Oye como va"

Creepy:  I was driving to work behind an SUV.  At each stoplight, the guy took a pair of binoculars from the seat beside him to gawk at the women on the sidewalk.

Ego: A guy was jogging up a steep hill, obviously at his limit.  I literally caught the moment when he looked about to stop. But then, as he looked up, he saw two young women walking down the sidewalk toward him.  He gutted it out, and jogged past them.   20 feet past them, he looked over his shoulder to see if they were watching, then slowed to a walk, gasping for air with hands on hips.

Supportive: Two days later.. same hill... a woman jogging up, two guys walking down.  She ran out of steam, and broke into a walk 20 feet in FRONT of the hot guys.  She smiled and shrugged her shoulders at them as she walked by.  They shouted encouragement, all smiling.

Lessons: A mama-deer and two fawns had just crossed cliff street, and were working their way around a hedge into someone's front yard.  Mama and one fawn were in the yard.  The other was still on the sidewalk, gawking at oncoming traffic.  Mama made some (stern) vocalization at baby, just as I drove past.  Baby's eyes grew wide, and she bolted to Mama.

I enjoy people (and critter) watching.

Current Mood: peaceful
Current Music: Dead or Alive, "Spin Me Round"

OK. a long-running zip process I'm testing is churning away.  I can write a quick update.

Jules was off for a few days for a Mark Twain conference in Elmira.  I did the Bach'in thing with Harold at home.  He was rather frustrated that Mama-kitty was not home.  I awoke one night to find him spooning my head.  Another day, he kept going into the bedroom and HOWLING for Mom to come cuddle with him.  He really missed his PCP (Primary Cuddling Provider).  Apparently I'm a poor substitute in the summer months.  I think he likes me better in the winter - I'm warmer! lol.

I, of course, fussed and fiddled with the scooter a bit over the weekend.  I replaced some electronics last week, which haven't helped increase the top end speed.  Over the weekend, I practiced taking off the flywheel and had a look at the Stator - just to see if I saw anything obvious.  I didn't.  It looked great.  Still, I have a replacement on order.

I just taught my last Monday Spinning class, for a while.  I'll be doing Tues/Thur Kickboxing, Sat Kickboxing, Sunday Step very soon.  I'm glad to be done with Spinning on Mondays, for the simple reason that three teaching days in a row are rough on my legs.   Neither the joints nor the muscles recover as quickly as they used to.    Meanwhile, my new Step & Sculpt class on Sundays is going very well.  The running, and the few classes I've taught have my legs beaten back into shape already.  I didn't have difficulty teaching it on Sunday, and wasn't totally wiped out afterward this time! lol.

I've been playing a bit more WoW lately.  I've got Pennywhistle, my Warrior, geared up for Heroic dungeons and have done several in the last week.  My friends Eze and Fireballs have been playing more, and an old friend Bravsirrobin has come back from a 7 month hiatus.  We were the original founders of our guild, so it was nice to have all of us back together again.  It's been enjoyable and relaxing to just get together and grind through some dungeons with them.

Well, that's it for now.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: Natalie Cole, "Smile"

Our digital camera died, so Jules asked me to pick up a new one and meet her half way (She's in Elmira) to pick it up. It was a great opportunity to take a lovely 60 mile moonlight ride. It was gorgeous, but my hands got pretty cold by the end. I don't have my heavy winter gloves in the scooter at the moment. Brrrrr! I tried to take a picture of the moon, but the iPhone didn't do it justice. I guess I should have ripped open the box, and used the new camera! lol.

Harold has been befuddled by Jules' absence. He comes out for his snacks, looks around, and lingers for a bit, rubbing against me and asking for head-rubs. I guess he's a little insecure. I've been lavishing him with some extra attention to make up for the absence of his PCP (Primary Cuddling Provider).

I had a good run at the gym tonight. I haven't jogged regularly in years. I'm trying to work my way up to 5 miles non-stop, at 10-minute miles. I have tons of heart and lungs.. my legs just poop out. I've been doing 40 minutes on the treadmill for the last few sessions. Tonight I walked/ran: 2, 11, 2, 10, 3, 10, 2. I covered 3.71 miles in 40 minutes. Getting closer. Once I can jog 40 minutes non-stop, I'll up it to 50.

The jogging will be helpful for the fall. I'm changing my aerobics schedule. I'll be doing Kickbox on Tuesday/Thursday nights at Noyes, and on Saturday AM at Island. I'll also be doing Step & Sculpt at Island on Sunday. So, no spinning next semester. It'll be nice to whack my legs back into shape.

As I ride to work, I've catching up on some Fresh Air podcasts. I found an interview with Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno particularly moving. She's a poet and teacher. Her daughter was murdered six years ago. As a way to work through her own feelings, she wrote a series of poems published in a book "Slamming Open The Door". Terry Gross interviewed her, and Kathleen read some of the poems. It was one of the most powerful and heartbreaking interviews I've ever heard. I nearly had to pull over to wipe tears from my eyes. The poems were as beautiful as they were gut-wrenching. I'm going to get the book. It's certainly a departure from my usual Stephen King and Dean Koontz fair.

Jules got me a piece of Pecan Pie at a reception she was at. She gave it to me when I handed off the camera. Oh my freakin' gawwd, was it good! I guess it's a good thing >I< wasn't at that reception. I would have eaten myself sick!

Listening to "Ti-pi, Ti-pi, Tin".

Current Mood: mischievous
Current Music: Preservation Hall Jazz Band, "Ti-pi, Ti-pi, Tin"

So, I went to the gym again tonight.  The elliptical has been going well, so this time I hopped on the treadmill.  The first few times are always brutal.  Though I can maintain a high heart rate, and generate a lot off effort on a spinning bike, the first few times on the treadmill are always demoralizing.  Some different muscles are used when jogging, and true to form, I ran out of legs well before I ran out of lungs tonight.   I had planned to log 50 minutes on the treadmill.  I got to the gym rather late, so I decided to do 40.  It's just as well.  After 25 minutes, my legs were like lead.  I gutted it out to 30 minutes of (mostly) jogging, but then had to walk for the last 10.   My quads were on fire as I stepped off the treadmill.  Walking down the steps to the locker room was excruciating.   I massaged my quads in the locker room, again in the shower, and twice tonight to work out the lactic acid.   It helped a lot.   It's amazing how much that hurt! lol

My joints don't hurt too much.  It's mostly the quads.  That's good.  The muscles will come along after a few more days of getting used to jogging.  The joints will only get worse, not better, so I'm glad they aren't an issue at the moment.

On the plus side, I was gratified by my pace.  I've been doing a lot of hip flexor exercises in the last year, to help lift my knees and lengthen my stride.  It really worked.   I was running 10 minute miles pretty comfortably, until my quads gave out.  That's pretty brisk for me, just getting started!  I'm often running 11:30 miles after a layoff like this.  I'm pleased.  I've never been a fast jogger.  In my prime, I only ran 8:30 miles.  If I can maintain 10:00 miles 20 years later, I'll take it!

My goal is to get to 5 miles on the treadmill, before I try doing a "Fun Run" at Treman park.   I should be able to accomplish that in the next few weeks, if my joints don't kick up a fuss.  So far, so good!

Current Mood: optimistic
Current Music: Daft Punk, "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"