Weighed myself today and I weigh 158. That means I have lost six pounds in a month! Wouldn't it be amazing if I could keep this up? Let's say I lost five pounds a month. That would put me at 143 in three months. And if I lose a little more than five pounds a month, I could be at 140 in three months--my goal weight! So I'm setting myself a goal of reaching 140 by end of February-beginning of March. That's not far away! Yay!
I get a little sad sharing my successes with Dad. He's not seeing the scale budge at all. I told him today that I just don't have stuff like chips lying around (they do.) I told him about healthy snacks and smaller portions. If I were him, I wouldn't really like hearing what I had to say. I am succeeding where he isn't, and that must be hard to hear.
Missing BT already. It is such a great show and great group of people to work with. I will be sorry to see it go. I have had such a blast playing a character that is so against type for me. I hope more bad guys are in my future. The character I'm going for in Enchanted April is kind of a bitch, so that's playing against type too. She has her reasons, though, and she blossoms like a "Rose" at the end. That's the next show I'm auditioning for.
Had a lesson with Paul and Beda today. I explained to their mom that I wouldn't be able to tutor them Thursday and Friday because of the show. She got the dates for the performances and may bring the boys. I would love it if all of my kids could come.
I think I'll put up my tree tomorrow. I love putting up my tree but the only ones who ever get to see it are my parents. I don't really have people over to my house. Maybe I should have Adam over this year. I still haven't cooked up that steelhead for him.
Church has pretty much gone by the wayside. I haven't gotten up for it in months and I don't miss it. I still pray on my own but I don't know if I even believe anymore. I would like to but I haven't heard the Voice for a while. I guess I still have that sense that things will be all right, and that comes from some higher source. But I've stopped making God the center of my life. I do have a devotional that a friend gave me that I read every night. I have issues with it, though, when it talks about the Enemy and things like that. I think claiming there is a devil is a cop out. Evil things happen because we let them happen. Maybe God is the opposite of that; the good we do is God. No one person we get things from (Many times people have said God is not Santa Claus) but something untouchable that is joy, peace, goodwill towards each other. I don't even know if I believe Jesus was the son of God anymore, but the truth is he came and taught us wonderful things, things we should abide by.
Time to get some yummy caramel apple spice.
Hanging up now....
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Around Town
Well, the first weekend of BTM is over. I'm kind of sad in a way. This has been such a great rehearsal period, I kind of don't want the show to end. At the same time, I don't want it to drag on so I don't love it anymore.
I really "saw" Hilda once I did my hair and makeup. I teased out my hair so it stuck out all over my head and pinned up the middle to get it out of my face. This made it look like my hair was standing straight up. I also did "evil eyebrows" that Jane Z. told me how to do--you use an eyeliner to draw a line under the part nearest the nose and up above the midbrow. It really makes me look scary. I find the physical appearance jump starts the characterization. I have done a lot of work but the final touches really do crystallize the whole character.
It's been really interesting performing for this kind of audience. There are a lot of kids, which shouldn't be new--we had lots of kids in the audience for Thunderhoof too. But these audiences are a lot bigger, and louder, and more responsive. It's been both a challenge and a joy.
My folks came yesterday at 4:30. I couldn't help thinking about them as the show went on...would they like this, what would they think of that? I'm almost 40 and yet I'm still sensitive as to how they feel. I guess that never stops. Maybe it shouldn't.
I didn't work with the kids last week because it was production week, so it will be like going back after a vacation tomorrow. I have new magazines for Paul and Beda, and a new vocab lesson for Dami. I won't see Karthik this week because we meet Saturdays at 10 and I will be out late Friday night. And I won't see Ageesh either because I have to go in early on Friday. So I will be making a little less this next week. I didn't make anything last week, though.
Tomorrow is Interval and I'm going to weigh in. I was really careful over Thanksgiving. I had a little white meat turkey with no gravy, some stuffing, a serving of yams and one roll, salad, and cranberry sauce. We did have pie but I didn't overdo it. And I didn't have it the next morning as I've done before. Stephanie said to aim for not gaining any weight over the holidays and not worry about losing. I emailed Dad to give him my last update and he wrote back saying he had not lost "a damn pound." I wish things were easier for him. I don't think he does enough at the gym. He needs to do more cardio and ask more of himself with the weights. Mom has said that when they get a little more money they may set him up with a trainer again. She may be able to get him back on track.
When I was in Kalamazoo, I got to see a little bit of the camaraderie that exists between the members of the condo "neighborhood" my parents live in. They are wonderful people. Anita, one of my favorite people, had everyone over for pie and coffee. She had made a sugar-free apple pie and a pumpkin pecan pie. The ppp was awesome. I love that my parents have such a wonderful community to be a part of. They haven't always been the type that join groups so I'm glad they have found this group now.
Well, Interval is tomorrow and I need to go to bed.
Hanging up now....
I really "saw" Hilda once I did my hair and makeup. I teased out my hair so it stuck out all over my head and pinned up the middle to get it out of my face. This made it look like my hair was standing straight up. I also did "evil eyebrows" that Jane Z. told me how to do--you use an eyeliner to draw a line under the part nearest the nose and up above the midbrow. It really makes me look scary. I find the physical appearance jump starts the characterization. I have done a lot of work but the final touches really do crystallize the whole character.
It's been really interesting performing for this kind of audience. There are a lot of kids, which shouldn't be new--we had lots of kids in the audience for Thunderhoof too. But these audiences are a lot bigger, and louder, and more responsive. It's been both a challenge and a joy.
My folks came yesterday at 4:30. I couldn't help thinking about them as the show went on...would they like this, what would they think of that? I'm almost 40 and yet I'm still sensitive as to how they feel. I guess that never stops. Maybe it shouldn't.
I didn't work with the kids last week because it was production week, so it will be like going back after a vacation tomorrow. I have new magazines for Paul and Beda, and a new vocab lesson for Dami. I won't see Karthik this week because we meet Saturdays at 10 and I will be out late Friday night. And I won't see Ageesh either because I have to go in early on Friday. So I will be making a little less this next week. I didn't make anything last week, though.
Tomorrow is Interval and I'm going to weigh in. I was really careful over Thanksgiving. I had a little white meat turkey with no gravy, some stuffing, a serving of yams and one roll, salad, and cranberry sauce. We did have pie but I didn't overdo it. And I didn't have it the next morning as I've done before. Stephanie said to aim for not gaining any weight over the holidays and not worry about losing. I emailed Dad to give him my last update and he wrote back saying he had not lost "a damn pound." I wish things were easier for him. I don't think he does enough at the gym. He needs to do more cardio and ask more of himself with the weights. Mom has said that when they get a little more money they may set him up with a trainer again. She may be able to get him back on track.
When I was in Kalamazoo, I got to see a little bit of the camaraderie that exists between the members of the condo "neighborhood" my parents live in. They are wonderful people. Anita, one of my favorite people, had everyone over for pie and coffee. She had made a sugar-free apple pie and a pumpkin pecan pie. The ppp was awesome. I love that my parents have such a wonderful community to be a part of. They haven't always been the type that join groups so I'm glad they have found this group now.
Well, Interval is tomorrow and I need to go to bed.
Hanging up now....
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Painting Day!
Today is the 18th. I realized something that made my heart stop. We only have THREE full rehearsals before we open! Tonight is a painting night, Thursday we are rehearsing what we'll be doing for Silver Bells, Friday is Silver Bells, and Thursday we are off for Thanksgiving. That leaves Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week. AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!
Okay, so I'm done panicking now. I think we will be ready. My voice is totally back and I feel really good about Hilda. The other actors are getting their characters down nicely. The songs are going well and numbers we had a lot of trouble with just a few weeks ago are smoother. Friday should be fun. Silver Bells kicks off the Christmas season in Lansing and is one of my favorite times of the year. I went with Heidi the first year, and it was bustling and crowded. The next two years I volunteered at Riverwalk helping people get in and out of the theatre and keeping order in the lobby. And this year I will be performing! We are doing the first half of the first act and the Monster of the Bremen Wood number.
Today Mark (Rooster) and I were on Coffee Break talking about the show. I was worried we would look like we didn't know what we were talking about since we didn't know what they would ask or anything. But it went fine. I also enjoyed getting up early to go in. I don't usually get up that early and I felt rested and like I had the rest of the day to do things. It was a nice day.
Okay, so I lost another pound! I am now at 161. Looks like I'll be at 160 for Thanksgiving. That's good enough. Dad is doing well; he lost two pounds in one week too. He's not drinking beer and is cutting his sugar intake, and he's seeing a difference. It's great that he is doing so well. I just hope he's getting to the gym enough. I have lost five pounds since I joined the Y. Taking the Interval class has made a big difference, I think. Also, I'm using protein powder, and that's increased how much protein I get by a lot.
I had a great lesson with one of my students, Dami, today. Her parents want me to work with her on vocab so today we did a vocab lesson. It was about using context clues to find meanings of words. There was a story about Theodore Roosevelt with words that were unfamiliar in bold print. She had to define the bold words based on cues in the text. She had two columns, one for what she thought the word meant and one for the dictionary definition of the word. She then looked them up and wrote the correct definition of the word. She guessed well and got about 1/2 of them. I was proud of myself for not giving her the answer. I really need to use "wait time" with her because I think she sometimes is waiting to see if I will give her the answer. I then gave her index cards and told her to make flash cards of all the words. She will then study these every day. She showed me the vocab list her mom has made her do. These are words from Dami's social studies textbook. There are a TON of them! Too much for her to remember, I think. We're taking it in smaller chunks. It's hard for kids to memorize big lists like that.
Well, I'm off to rehearsal. Paint paint paint!
Hanging up now....
Okay, so I'm done panicking now. I think we will be ready. My voice is totally back and I feel really good about Hilda. The other actors are getting their characters down nicely. The songs are going well and numbers we had a lot of trouble with just a few weeks ago are smoother. Friday should be fun. Silver Bells kicks off the Christmas season in Lansing and is one of my favorite times of the year. I went with Heidi the first year, and it was bustling and crowded. The next two years I volunteered at Riverwalk helping people get in and out of the theatre and keeping order in the lobby. And this year I will be performing! We are doing the first half of the first act and the Monster of the Bremen Wood number.
Today Mark (Rooster) and I were on Coffee Break talking about the show. I was worried we would look like we didn't know what we were talking about since we didn't know what they would ask or anything. But it went fine. I also enjoyed getting up early to go in. I don't usually get up that early and I felt rested and like I had the rest of the day to do things. It was a nice day.
Okay, so I lost another pound! I am now at 161. Looks like I'll be at 160 for Thanksgiving. That's good enough. Dad is doing well; he lost two pounds in one week too. He's not drinking beer and is cutting his sugar intake, and he's seeing a difference. It's great that he is doing so well. I just hope he's getting to the gym enough. I have lost five pounds since I joined the Y. Taking the Interval class has made a big difference, I think. Also, I'm using protein powder, and that's increased how much protein I get by a lot.
I had a great lesson with one of my students, Dami, today. Her parents want me to work with her on vocab so today we did a vocab lesson. It was about using context clues to find meanings of words. There was a story about Theodore Roosevelt with words that were unfamiliar in bold print. She had to define the bold words based on cues in the text. She had two columns, one for what she thought the word meant and one for the dictionary definition of the word. She then looked them up and wrote the correct definition of the word. She guessed well and got about 1/2 of them. I was proud of myself for not giving her the answer. I really need to use "wait time" with her because I think she sometimes is waiting to see if I will give her the answer. I then gave her index cards and told her to make flash cards of all the words. She will then study these every day. She showed me the vocab list her mom has made her do. These are words from Dami's social studies textbook. There are a TON of them! Too much for her to remember, I think. We're taking it in smaller chunks. It's hard for kids to memorize big lists like that.
Well, I'm off to rehearsal. Paint paint paint!
Hanging up now....
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Countdown!
We have two weeks and a few days before BT opens! I'm getting nervous. I don't feel as good about Hilda as I did. I don't know if it's because of my voice or if I just feel the pressure or if I need to do something differently. Ann hasn't said so but I don't think I'm doing as well as I should be. Well, I still have two weeks. And my voice is getting better--it doesn't hurt when I swallow and I can speak fine. My singing voice is coming back slowly. The huskiness is actually helping me sing in my chest voice--it slips down quite naturally.
I have lost four pounds in the last two weeks! I'm so excited. I wanted to be at 160 by Thanksgiving but it looks like I may be even farther down than that. If I continue to lose two pounds a week, I will be at 158. And then it's just another 8 pounds to 150, and another 10 to 140, which is where I want to be! If I continue to lose 2 lbs/wk, I can be there in 9 weeks. Wouldn't that be exciting? I would be happy to do it in 12 weeks, which is a scant three months. That would put me at my goal weight by February. Neato! It looks like I'm winning the challenge, which is not what I wanted to happen. I wanted us to arrive at the goal weight at about the same time.
Well, I gotta go--gotta tutor at 4. See ya!
Hanging up now....
I have lost four pounds in the last two weeks! I'm so excited. I wanted to be at 160 by Thanksgiving but it looks like I may be even farther down than that. If I continue to lose two pounds a week, I will be at 158. And then it's just another 8 pounds to 150, and another 10 to 140, which is where I want to be! If I continue to lose 2 lbs/wk, I can be there in 9 weeks. Wouldn't that be exciting? I would be happy to do it in 12 weeks, which is a scant three months. That would put me at my goal weight by February. Neato! It looks like I'm winning the challenge, which is not what I wanted to happen. I wanted us to arrive at the goal weight at about the same time.
Well, I gotta go--gotta tutor at 4. See ya!
Hanging up now....
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Y-M-C-A!
It's fun to stay at the...
Well, I made a big decision today. I am now a member of the Y and have cancelled my Court One membership. I'm really glad about the decision. First of all, there was no enrollment fee and the monthly dues are much less. There are also a lot of classes offered and the facility is great. But there's something else that's hard to quantify, a feeling I have gotten each time I have gone there and that I got again today. There were tons of kids and adults, happy and playful,running around, of all different shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. On the other end of the spectrum is Court One, with its mostly white, upper class tennis players. I don't like what's been going on with the administration at Court One. The people at the Y seem happy and professional. I know Stephanie is happy there, and that's something that is very important to me. Also, this membership extends to any Y anywhere--that means I can go anywhere and there's a Y I can go to.
This damn cold or whatever is not going away. I had my meeting with the Indian guy on Friday and I could tell I was getting worse as I spoke. Then I had rehearsal and I could barely talk, let alone sing. I told my neighbor I couldn't teach their boy Saturday because of my voice, and I of course can't sing in church tomorrow. I'm hoping to be well enough Monday to work with the Korean boys. I just hope I can breathe well enough to sleep tonight. I've been taking Tylenol Cold and I will try putting Vicks on my feet tonight (yes, it really works!)
I really want to go to church tomorrow. It has all been about money lately. Money for the renovations, money for pledges, step up, etc. etc.. I just hate it. Church should not be about making money. I know the church is mainly supported by its parishioners but I still think it's an ugly combination. Well, maybe I would feel better if I had more money. Maybe I'll be able to contribute more now that I am making more. We'll see.
Had a fun lunch with Mom today. We went to the Indian buffet and I didn't eat too much. Today was also my first day at the Y (without Stephanie) and I did the elliptical. I will talk with Dad about what he's doing in his workouts and how he's eating. I'm trying to not eat after dinner. I got back in that habit again, and even if it's healthy food, I know I should stop it.
Well, I promised myself I would turn in early so I'm going to go.
Hanging up now....
Well, I made a big decision today. I am now a member of the Y and have cancelled my Court One membership. I'm really glad about the decision. First of all, there was no enrollment fee and the monthly dues are much less. There are also a lot of classes offered and the facility is great. But there's something else that's hard to quantify, a feeling I have gotten each time I have gone there and that I got again today. There were tons of kids and adults, happy and playful,running around, of all different shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. On the other end of the spectrum is Court One, with its mostly white, upper class tennis players. I don't like what's been going on with the administration at Court One. The people at the Y seem happy and professional. I know Stephanie is happy there, and that's something that is very important to me. Also, this membership extends to any Y anywhere--that means I can go anywhere and there's a Y I can go to.
This damn cold or whatever is not going away. I had my meeting with the Indian guy on Friday and I could tell I was getting worse as I spoke. Then I had rehearsal and I could barely talk, let alone sing. I told my neighbor I couldn't teach their boy Saturday because of my voice, and I of course can't sing in church tomorrow. I'm hoping to be well enough Monday to work with the Korean boys. I just hope I can breathe well enough to sleep tonight. I've been taking Tylenol Cold and I will try putting Vicks on my feet tonight (yes, it really works!)
I really want to go to church tomorrow. It has all been about money lately. Money for the renovations, money for pledges, step up, etc. etc.. I just hate it. Church should not be about making money. I know the church is mainly supported by its parishioners but I still think it's an ugly combination. Well, maybe I would feel better if I had more money. Maybe I'll be able to contribute more now that I am making more. We'll see.
Had a fun lunch with Mom today. We went to the Indian buffet and I didn't eat too much. Today was also my first day at the Y (without Stephanie) and I did the elliptical. I will talk with Dad about what he's doing in his workouts and how he's eating. I'm trying to not eat after dinner. I got back in that habit again, and even if it's healthy food, I know I should stop it.
Well, I promised myself I would turn in early so I'm going to go.
Hanging up now....
Friday, November 6, 2009
One down!
I finished it I finished it I finished it! The first draft of Checking Out is "in the can." I've sent it to several friends and family members and am waiting to hear their comments. I'm really happy with it. I was working on the last scene and I was struck by the thought, "I may finish this tonight." And I did!
However, I can hardly breathe or talk. The not talking thing started a few days ago and the not breathing thing started today. I thought it was getting better but apparently it's getting worse. I'm not taking anything for it yet, but I have been advised to start. I don't think it's H1N1 but I'm taking precautions anyway. Washing my hands a lot, not seeing students, etc. I have been going to rehearsal so I hope it's nothing serious. That's all we need--for a castful of people to come down with the flu.
I'm down two pounds from last week. Dad got his base weight and we will start the challenge. Ladies and gentlemen, start your metabolism. My measurements are also down across my chest, biceps, and waist. I've been making pretty good food choices. There was a Halloween party this past Saturday where there was a lot of yummy food and I didn't eat any at all. Yay me!
So things are going pretty well in my corner. Tutoring is good and it's nice to have $$$ in my pocket. The show is a blast and I'm so excited about Checking Out. I submitted some plays in response to a call for new plays to be done in the Black Box. I heard from the woman in charge and she really likes them, one in particular. She's going to run them by the committee and see what they think.
Well, I've got to go to the copy shop to get some things ready for tutoring tomorrow. Hanging up now....
However, I can hardly breathe or talk. The not talking thing started a few days ago and the not breathing thing started today. I thought it was getting better but apparently it's getting worse. I'm not taking anything for it yet, but I have been advised to start. I don't think it's H1N1 but I'm taking precautions anyway. Washing my hands a lot, not seeing students, etc. I have been going to rehearsal so I hope it's nothing serious. That's all we need--for a castful of people to come down with the flu.
I'm down two pounds from last week. Dad got his base weight and we will start the challenge. Ladies and gentlemen, start your metabolism. My measurements are also down across my chest, biceps, and waist. I've been making pretty good food choices. There was a Halloween party this past Saturday where there was a lot of yummy food and I didn't eat any at all. Yay me!
So things are going pretty well in my corner. Tutoring is good and it's nice to have $$$ in my pocket. The show is a blast and I'm so excited about Checking Out. I submitted some plays in response to a call for new plays to be done in the Black Box. I heard from the woman in charge and she really likes them, one in particular. She's going to run them by the committee and see what they think.
Well, I've got to go to the copy shop to get some things ready for tutoring tomorrow. Hanging up now....
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