Clever Manka is dressed and undressed

I am ignoring the heaps of tasks on my desk for the moment because my brain needs a break like whoa. I'll wait until the mail is distributed and then start up on the scanning and uploading application materials. Again. I finished yesterday's uploads (not counting GRE score reports) at 9:30 this morning, so go, me.

For anyone who's wondering if I'm keeping up with the 100 Burpee Challenge, the answer is yes! Yes, I am. Today marked a count of a dozen. The most I can do at once is nine, though. After nine, I take a minute to ease the shaking in my thighs before finishing. Weak! Tuesday I tried to go for all ten at once (after all, I'd done nine the day before). On the tenth one, my legs failed and I fell kinda hard on my knees. Good thing I was on the nice floor pad in my dance space. My goal: do ten in a row on Sunday. Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Thanks, shanmonster for suggesting this challenge. I think I figured it out that I'll be wrapping up the 100 around Spring Break time, so that's perfect!

Last night I was in a good space--high energy levels, positive about The Big Meeting I'd had, feeling a little frisky--just all around awesome. mckitterick was still in class, so I had the place to myself. I put on loud music, grabbed a bottle of wine, turned off the lights, and danced around the living room. I had the realization that I feel more myself than I have in years. Years. And this is happening in the winter? Right during the darkest time of the year? Craziness! It's amazing how suddenly--I mean really suddenly, just the past week--all the things I've been doing have come together like snap and I feel human. Or, at least, my version of human. Eating clean, acpuncture, realistic exercise, moderate chemical enhancement, all of these things I've been incorporating over the past, what? Year and a half? My body just reached this level of rightness and it is so so so incredibly amazing.

I also realized, when I was later discussing this revelation with mckitterick that there are people I know, people with whom I'm very good friends, who have never met this person. In fact, most of the people I hang out with now never knew me when I wasn't dealing with significant health problems and their accompanying emotional/mental baggage. And then I realized that even I was now unfamiliar with this person. Very. Weird.*

So, yeah. Looks like 2012 might be interesting.

*Edit: I realize this makes it sound like I'm suddenly unrecognizable. Not at all. I'm still myself, just, well...more so.

I feel kind of bad posting such rah-rah-woo sentiments when I know lots of people are pretty torn up about last night's events in Joplin. But it's not like my being morose is going to help anyone, so...

The four-day weekend was great. Really, really fantastic! While I wasn't thrilled about returning to work this morning, I certainly didn't resent it. And! Heavy exercise this morning? Check! I was all wobbly by the time I was done. Go, me!

Then I got to work, and my Culligan water cooler and bottled water were here waiting for me, and I had no problem setting the five-gallon jug up on top of it. Rawr!

I got so much done on Friday and Saturday. It was super. I sent sixty-seven talisman/tarot card bags off to be sold at Heartland, plus the bloomers that didn't sell at Wild Man Vintage. If I can sell even a third of that stock, I'll be happy.

mckitterick and otterdancing both said I should open up an Etsy shop to sell my stuff but ugh I am so lazy. I have no problem mustering the enthusiasm for sewing things, and I don't even mind taking the packages to be mailed, but the photographing and the listing crap just ...blah. Bllaaaaaaahhhhh. I need a minion who will work for product.

Our offices close at 4:00 (instead of 5:00) starting today, and will do so through the end of summer (until the week before Fall term starts). And I'm taking Friday off work, and then Monday's the holiday, so I've got two short weeks ahead of me and everything is just really really good.

I realized that Paleo-eating mindset had really sunk in when I saw this image on Dr. Boli and thought "Hm. Sounds tasty."



Maybe I'll try cinnamon instead of curry in the next batch of jerky.

Scott Sonnon says this on his blog today:

People must first correct their current imbalanced state before moving on to sophisticated movements. They must compensate for where they’re beginning, which is not at “zero” with some genetically/evolutionarily flawed spine. But with a series of compensations which must be unloaded to restore the body’s natural proclivity for movement.

I've been thinking about moving lately. Not moving as in pack-up-stuff-and-hire-a-truck. Moving as in getting my ass off the couch and starting some serious sweat. I know I've been saying that forever, but I'm moving pretty slow these days--mentally, physically, emotionally. Everything's slow. I'm trying to think of it as baby steps and not beating myself up for being a fucking lazy-ass slacker.

mckitterick had his exercise enthusiasm triggered this week. I'm hoping to osmosis-off some of his excitement.

Two glasses of wine and I'm singing the Monster album at the top of my (sad and weak) voice, alone in the house, giving the auto-tune stu-stu-stutters my best shot. Mmm, dancing all alone. Good times!

And god damn this subwoofer is amazing. The entire house is rattling.

Oh, it's good to be an adult. But I think the fact that I'm this tipsy on just two glasses of wine means I should probably turn in my old Party Girl card.

I shoveled our and our northerly neighbor's sidewalk this morning. There was more snow than I'd expected, so I'm glad I got out there fifteen minutes earlier than I'd planned.

It is not a coincidence that despite being out there, in the dark and cold, shoveling snow, I am in a better mood this morning. Exercise really does make me feel better. Since positive reinforcement is the best thing for building good habits, I'm going to get up to exercise again tomorrow. I haven't been exercising at all for a month, now. A month! Crazy. Time to get back in the saddle, yo.

A few Saturdays ago, I went thrifting for button down oxfords to wear to work. This morning, I realized I have nothing but gold-tone cuff-links for these lovely French Cuffs in my closet. In five minutes, I put together some cute little cuff-links out of pearlized, red heart buttons. Perfect for February!

For some reason, I've stopped listening to music at my desk. The only reason I plugged in my MP3 player this morning is the photocopier down the hall is making this horrible squeaking sound and I needed something to drown it out. The music is helping pick me up a little, too. What was I thinking, sitting in silence day in and day out? Sheesh. I'm going to start entering what album I've got playing in that "Music" box below the LJ entry textbox. If nothing is playing yet, that'll remind me to put some tunes on.

Now I wanna go dancing.