Well, you know, I could come on here and try to push my books, which is probably what anyone who reads my blog is interested in, but that’s why I never post. I have another place where I talk about everything under the sun, and you know, I think I’m gonna do it here too. I’ll tag the writing posts, but in the meantime I’m not big on commercial relationships. I like friends, and whether you like it or not, my children, I consider you friends.
So, anyway, how did you guys survive the blizzard, those of you who had it? We got thirty inches or more, coming down at 4 inches per hour at times, with a strong wind. Every school in the state was closed, and we know how to deal with snow in Vermont. Now we’re opening windows (it’s only 50 or so but it’s nice to get fresh air.) New England, lovely as it is, ain’t for sissies, but I’m Wonder Woman. Actually I’m Sister Yoda, the impeccably demure (or do I want to be Mother Yoda?) also known as the All-Knowing Trash Heap aka Madame Heap (from Fraggle Rock). I’ve been in this business for so long I’ve got knowledge bursting out my ears, and I have a memory for tiny, inconsequential things. Nowadays the only thing I forget are appointments, and, since I’m teaching myself Danish, some of the French words that were second nature. But in my quest to maintain and increase my fabulousness I’m embracing my Danish roots, gnarly as they are.
Speaking of being fabulous, I’ve decided I have to go back swimming again. I feel like I’m living in a coffin-shaped box – that’s about how much I move and can move because of arthritis (and probably the fibromyalgia but I like to ignore that). It’s only in the water that I can really stretch out. It takes time and money, but neither price is crushing – I can swim for $100 for 6 months and the pool is available from 6 am to 8 pm (with two hours off in the afternoon for students). The drive takes about half an hour, but if I lived in NYC or near traffic it would take that long or longer – it’s 24 miles away). All the time changing and showering is time I don’t waste at home doing the same thing (I go under the shower before I get in the pool). I can’t walk, my replaced shoulder is incredibly stiff and painful, and my body’s become a prison. Plus, I usually get a lot of mobility in the summer when I work in the theater, and the Forces of Evil have destroyed our wonderful theater group, so I gotta do something before it makes it too hard to sit in a chair and type (the bad shoulder doesn’t help things). If I can’t write I may as well be in a coffin.
I’ve lost another 30 pounds in the last year and the weight is staying off (though not dropping lower – it would be lovely to drop below 220 lbs. and stay there for a while.) I guess I need to put a little more effort into it, but right now it’s absolutely painless – I don’t lust for sugar and fried food and huge amounts. But I could probably cut healthy carbs back a little.
It’s nice when it’s no longer vanity motivating me. My relationship with vanity has always been contentious (I think that’s true for most people). My sister was beautiful, and she always made it clear to me that she was the pretty one. That backfired because she started feeling that being pretty was her only value, and she basically ate herself to death (the death certificate said her death was caused by COPD complicated by obesity). But in fact I’ve been going through old photos and looking at myself dispassionately and realizing I’ve always felt way too negative about myself. I remember about 50 years ago Buffalo Springfield had a song about “pretty girl, why not love me?” I wept because I wasn’t a pretty girl. And you know, I was. Almost all 18 year old girls are.
Feeling good feels a lot better than looking good, and that’s my goal. Tomorrow I will lumber onto the scale – nope, that’s too negative. I will trip lightly onto the scale, face the music, and move on.
I can’t fix everything (there’s a stunner!) and I can’t fix much, but there are things I can do.
So tell me, what’s up for you guys? Anyone serious about their weight and their mobility right now? Or is work a major consideration? Family? I’ve got all three things pulling at me, and the body tends to be the first thing to go by the wayside but I’ve got to spend time on me if I want to do all those other things. Seems I’ve got energy right now.
I’m working on Emma and Brandon’s story from the House of Rohan Universe, plus playing with a black comedy new adult (since I’m an old adult I’m not sure how I’ll pull that off) and reworking old books for reprint.
So tell me what you’re doing.