What's that bright thing at the end of the tunnel?


Could it be a light? I had the day off today, and I used part of it to go for a walk - an hour and ten minutes. When I got home, I spent some time voting for Rebecca at Twitterwall, did a little yard work, then lay down for a little nap. As of now, I don't feel too bad. I'm hoping that I'm on the way out of my funk. Again.

The first part of my walk was quiet, because I was walking through a residential neighbourhood, but it was also mostly uphill. That part lasted twenty minutes. Then I walked down the E&N Trail from Country Club Mall to Terminal Park Mall. 50 minutes of basically level, straight path with maybe just a hint of downhill to it. It wasn't the most exciting of walks, but by the time I got to it, I was ready for some level.


I was a little concerned that I might get caught in a downpour, but that didn't happen. It drizzled a bit, that's all - not enough for me to quit - certainly not enough to stop the stalwart B.C. golfers from doing their thing on the other side of the highway.



The only problem with this particular trail is that it is sandwiched between the old highway and the railway tracks. When I was about halfway to Terminal Park, where I had left my car, the train came past. It was the little two-car passenger train. I smiled up in the general direction of the engineer, who promptly stomped on the whistle. My right ear was still aching when I got home. It was good, though, to walk a different trail for a change.

Now I'm going to go visit Liza, to see if I can get her to let go of that award. ;>) No, cross that out. The award was still stuck - so I went to see Jules, who gave the award to Liza, and I snitched hers instead. Now it is set up and ready for its new homes. But first, a disclaimer. I intend to pass this - and any other - award on to people whose blogs make me laugh or cry or just feel good. If I give you an award, and you would prefer not to display it (I know some people keep their blogs award-free), I won't be offended. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you.

Oops. I almost forgot the instructions that come with the award. The job of the recipient is to list five of her current obsessions, then to pass the award on to other deserving bloggers.


1. First, I would like to bestow the YBIFF award upon Reya Mellicker, whose blog, The Gold Puppy, is not only beautiful (Reya's photography is a joy to see), but also joyfully, sometimes painfully, honest. I love seeing the world through Reya's eyes.

2. Debbie's Suburb Sanity gets the prize because it's just so damn funny. I never know what to expect from Debbie, except that she will surely make me laugh. It's as her profile says - " I love blogging about the crazy things in my life...and yours."

Speaking of laughter,

3. Joshilyn Jackson, the third and final recipient, whose Faster Than Kudzu made me laugh so hard, I had to read all three of her books. Joshilyn is also my fitness guru, and she manages to make even the weight loss process funny.

Tuesday - BetterU - and more

These are my feet, resting from one obsession, subject of another - but wait -

1. First things first. Ahem. This morning's weigh-in:

Late May: X plus 6.0 lbs.
June 1: X
June 15: X minus 3.4 lbs.
June 24: X minus 6.2 lbs.
June 30: X minus 8 lbs.
July 7: X minus 10.1 lbs.

(Hold for applause)

I measured my blood pressure at the pharmacy, but the machine was behaving a bit oddly. It took three tries to get the thing to work at all. Then it said my BP was 142/76 and my heart rate was 67. Holy crap. So I did it again. 129/74, heart rate 69. Well, that's some improvement, but still not at my normal levels. So either the machine was malfunctioning, or that third cup of coffee today was a big mistake - but hey, I didn't even drink it all. Next week, I'll use a different machine.

Joshilyn Jackson is the one who invited me to this fitness orgy. You can follow her progress with BetterU at her blog, Faster Than Kudzu or at the official BetterU website (click on the GoRed icon in my sidebar).

2. Rebecca Woodhead of From Brain to Bookshelf - My Writing Journey has been campaigning for Ms Twitter UK. Rebecca's original goal was to be the top UK writer in the competition, and she succeeded. She really got into the spirit of things after a while, and decided to try to make the Top 20. We didn't quite get her there, but now those 20 celebrity finalists are gone, and it's (mostly) real people in the competition, so the voting goes on. You can vote every 20 minutes at the Twitterwall. You don't have to be a Twitterer to vote. Please - Vote early. Vote often. N.B. Tonight, for some reason, Rebecca's photo has disappeared from the wall - but her name and link are still there. As of this minute, she is at #15. I hope her photo will reappear soon - but if not, just click on the plus sign in the square that's labeled @rebeccawoodhead.

3. Liza of Lizabee and Co. gave me an award - my choice of two, in fact. I decided to take the Your Blog is F***ing Fabulous award. I tried, that is, but Liza's blog wouldn't let go of it. "Function disabled", it said. Fine. Officially, the award is right back there, behind the screen. You can't see it, because I've discreetly covered it, to preserve my blog's Family designation.

Thank you, Liza. By the way, it is a distinct pleasure to click on Liza's blog and be greeted by her baby feet photo. That is what inspired the (less cute, I grant you) photo at the top of this entry.

The award requires that I list five things that I've been obsessing about lately. Okay. The first two are rather obvious.

1. My weight.

2. Rebecca Woodhead's quest for fame and fortune through the Ms. UK Twitter competition. Rebecca says she doesn't regard me as a stalker. Heh.

3. Nordic walking poles.

4. Walking (maybe a bit too much. That may be why I've been so exhausted the last few days - that and the 4:30 a.m. alarm).

5. My camera.

Hmmmm. It occurs to me that I can't pass the award on, because I don't actually have it. Hey, Liza! Help!

I have two days off now, so after I sleep As Long As I Want, I'll pop over to Liza's again, to see if the award has come unstuck. ;>)

Husbanding the energy

such as it is -

...wandering over to United Kingdom Twitterwall every 20 minutes or so, to vote for Rebecca Woodhead - the competition ends in 15 hours or so. Rebecca is 40th on the Ms Twitter page. Hugh Laurie is 43rd on Mr Twitter. I'd say Rebecca is doing great, but she's trying to get into the top 20.

...listening to U-Carmen on Bravo - billed as "Smashing update of Bizet's 19th-century opera "Carmen", set in a modern-day South African shantytown where a fiery seductress (Pauline Malefane) sinks her claws into a pious policeman (Andile Tshoni). Their passionate affair leads to heartbreak." I have such a soft spot for tenors.

...looking at the notes I made during the last couple of days, poembryos -

shed my skin, snake-like
shed you and begin anew

the words flowed like water over rocks,
some in shadow,
some glistening
dancing in the sunlight

across white-capped oceans
carrying the venom of fear

Let's dance across
the white-capped ocean,
over the waves of fear,
to a new shore.

Your hand in mine,
we'll twirl...

The words are barely legible, but eventually they may become something. I also noted that Wally Lamb has a new book out - The Hour I First Believed. I have a soft spot for Wally Lamb. I wonder if he's a tenor.

Later...The Wizard of Oz is on - Watching/listening to the Cowardly Lion still makes me break out in a big, sappy grin.