June / July / August Goal Results

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Better late than never!

1) Maintain my weight at +5 / -14 pounds

I’ve been maintaining at about +6-10 lbs from goal weight…which is OK. My “real” goal weight was 140 anyway, not the 134 on my original ticker…I just thought a 70 lb loss goal sounded a bit better than a 64 lb goal. Staying between 140-145 is fine with me because it was my original intention anyway. Although I think I’ve started getting down closer to the stated maintenance range in the 130s lately based on the way my clothes are fitting. I won’t have my scale until the very end of the month so I’ll have to wait and see how September goes. I know I’m not gaining, so I’m not worrying overmuch about this goal.

3) Do some sort of housecleaning or maintenance daily.


5) Finalize my budget by the end of Jan and stick to it to pay off at least 3 loans by Dec.

Debt #s 4 & 5 paid off! 2 more budgeted to be paid off this year and that will be the last of the odds & ends bills. 2013 will see the larger ones start getting paid down.

6) Ready to test for black belt by end of June:
6c) Make terminology flashcards by end of February; review weekly until testing

Did a crash study over the 48 hours before testing, but passed!

6d) Assist in 4 classes per month (20 total required)

Was ahead of schedule until the very last required session, which I ended up finishing the week before testing

6e) Learn and master sais kata

Need to upload the video to YouTube

6f) Keep running so as to maintain ability to run 2 miles in 18 minutes

Kept running but missed the timing...and then found out at testing that the run is handicapped for age and b/c of taking place after several hours of strenuous physical testings...ended up doing the run at testing in 21 minutes exactly

6g) Be able to do 55 pushups in May; 60 in June

Knocked those out at testing in not much over a minute!

7) Goal revamped – finish mailbox / light switches / outlets / floors / doors / ceiling fans / curtains before I move, timing TBD

Curtains did not get done, but there are the existing blinds on all the windows. I had planned on these for purely esthetic reasons. My Dad came up in August & finished the doors, floors, and trim/moldings; I had a handyman put up the ceiling fans, and all the switches & outlets are done (except for the outlet I found inside the bookcase as I was packing).

9) Other goals as they occur to me.

I’m sure I had them but I just can’t think what they were. I moved!

10) Have fun and stress less!

August was very stressful with testing, packing & moving

11) NEW GOAL - weekly pushup challenge

Completed!

COMPLETED GOALS:
2) Become a half fanatic by the end of August
4) Break my dependence on Splenda
6b) Ni kyoso suro no kata approved in February; Bassai kata approved in March

RESCHEDULED GOALS:
8) Postponed to 2013 - Run my first marathon by October 21
My priority is black belt testing; I will aim for the Paris marathon in April 2013.

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Inaugural run

Sunday, September 09, 2012

I went for my first run here in France this evening (not counting the runs from when I was visiting, now it's real.) I broke in my new shoes with a just over 5 mile run out and back down a country road. I found a grocery store closer than the one I had been going to, and a garden store. It was closed but it might be something like a Lowe's based on what I could see. And I realized that I do live out in the middle of farm land, fields of something that looks like huge overgrown dandelion leaves alternating with whatever was cut down into straw bales. There was an actual wall of straw, it had to be a good 20 feet high and half again as long on the side of the road. And cow fields, including the ones in back of my house.

I had bought new shoes last week on the Friday before we left. There was a huge running store just off the Michigan State University campus that I stopped at since I was in East Lansing to have the USDA vet sign the pet papers. It was good to learn that I have been wearing the correct shoes for my feet but they recommended a Brooks Adrenaline instead of the Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 I had been running in. So I'll see how these work with my feet. The Mizunos would last only about 300 miles before my knees would start to hurt and get twingy and by 350 miles my ankles and shins would start hurting. I also had to wear an orthotic in them because of ball of foot pain.

I won't have real internet connection until the 18th (I'm bootlegging off my phone signal right now) so tomorrow during lunch I'll look up potential marathon training plans. The hills I ran today were pretty gradual inclines and weren't the problem I'd expected, and I went further than I had expected to be able to so I haven't lost too much conditioning this last month. There is a 10k race in Compiegne on October 7 that I'm thinking of registering for, my first in France. I did last year's Turkey Trot 10k in 1 hour and right now I'm not even close to that pace - my 5 mile run took 1 hour - but I should be able to get pretty close to that time by the time of the race. Plus it's fitting that my first race be in (or at least very close to) my new home town.

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New Goal

Friday, September 07, 2012

I am a very goal oriented person (sharing mind space with a world class procrastinator which creates some interesting discussions with myself!).

Now that I've earned my black belt I want a new major goal to work for. I don't need it now, but I know myself and without something further off to work towards I will slowly backslide into old habits, negating my work the past 18 months.

So I am going to run a marathon. I had intended this to be a 2012 goal, to run the Detroit Free Press Marathon in October, the day after my birthday. But because black belt training was delayed a month and then the job transfer and move the best decision was to postpone this goal.

As soon as registration opens I will register for the Paris marathon on April 7, 2013. Which means I need to start training now. And I have barely run any miles the last month, and nothing in the last 1.5 weeks. This weekend is supposed to be nice and sunny and I bought new shoes last week before we left the US. So no excuses, I will start running again this weekend. There are miles (sorry, kilometers!) of bike/walking trails here in Compiegne and I have yet to explore my new village (although there are hills so I'm not too keen on getting right into exploration, I'm not too fond of hills).

In moving news, we are getting settled into the house. We spent Sunday night in the hotel and on Monday I bought 2 air mattresses and some pillows & blankets so we have been living in the house all week. We have no refrigerator yet, I will try to buy one today. I tried to order it online yesterday since I can read French better than speak or understand but the website insists that my address does not exist. So I will have to go to the store. Coworkers have offered to help but I want to try to do as much on my own as I can so I don't over-burden them with having to take care of me too. But I now have a coffee maker at least, a Tassimo. It is OK, but honestly I'm not impressed. There is hardly any variety in the available drinks, coffee and otherwise; I also looked at the Senseo which has the same problem. I really miss my Keurig!

Jacq was supposed to start school on Tuesday, and actually did go to take a test or her level of French (almost non-existent). But even before she took the test we were told she is to stay home this week and come back on the 11th. I'm not sure why, the teacher did not speak much English and I do not speak much French. So I'll take her back Tuesday. In the meantime she has been stuck in the house alone all day with no phone, no TV, no internet. I have to take the van back to Paris tomorrow morning so I'll take her with me to shop & buy some school clothes.

Next weekend I will be able to start the major shopping for the items that were not left in the house (much different than from the US) - washing machine, dryer and light fixtures (the appliances I can understand but the light fixtures threw me for a loop. I am very fortunate that the cupboards, stove, oven & microwave were all left by the owners which would not have been the case in several of the houses I had looked at). And then the items I need to buy - TV, towels, cleaning supplies, lamps, dining table & chairs, plates & dishes & glasses & silverware, and just the little things to add some personality to the house. I have to be careful to remember, though, not to go overboard since I am only renting and can't do any changes without permission - and I don't want to spend a lot of money on anything I won't be able to take with me when I leave. The shipment with our possessions should arrive by the end of the month, or early October, so we will have our furniture and everything else.

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Moved!

Monday, September 03, 2012

We arrived in France yesterday, 9/2. Got the house keys & deposited the cats and spent the night in a hotel since we don't have beds or furniture for a month yet (when my shipment arrives).

Today we'll go get air mattresses and some basic essentials so we can start living in the house - I can't face the thought of living in a hotel for a month and having to eat out at every meal and take the dog out on a leash all the time.

The school has not yet confirmed my daughter is registered - and she is supposed to start tomorrow! So I need to get that taken care of too. And by Friday we have to apply for our residence permits, we have to do that in 1 week from arrival in the country.

The actual moving & leaving had some small snafus but nothing major. After all the vet visits and expenses and back & forth to get their documents in order...no one ever asked to even look at the paperwork! But I'm sure if I had not had it ready they would have demanded it. The car rental company in Paris tried to give me a car about the size of a Taurus station wagon...when I had reserved a "full size" van (about the size of a Town & Country mini van in the US) AND confirmed it last week. There was no way we would be able to fit everything in a car. National tried to tell me that the car was all they had available and after some "discussion" finally gave me the van.

But we are here, including all the pets, and not too much worse for the experience. Except for my iPad, still no real response from Air France, just the automated "we'll look into it, don't call us, we'll call you" response.

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I'm on the "List"

Monday, August 27, 2012

The Kitty Sh!t List that is.

Prepping for the move I have subjected them to gross indignities:

*Being transported in carriers
*several vet visits
*shots
*packed their favorite litter box away so they have to use the less desirable one
*and the ultimate violation...kitty collars and name tags

I got the collars & tags to reflect their personalities; the kitties don't care.

For Turtle a flower collar & Princess tag:


For Gandalf a Peace, Love & Rescue collar & fish bone tag:


For Rocky, who is feisty, Skull & Crossbones:

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