Sistah Pat

I feel SO much better this morning!  Slept in my own bed with my own pillow, my own blanky, and my very own DH.  DH always says I’m like the Princess and the Pea story.  I’m very picky about my bedding.  I buy very expensive, high quality sheets (absolute minimum 600 thread count) but light, inexpensive flannel blankets.  I can’t stand thick, heavy blankets.  I sleep on contoured memory foam pillows and I like the sheets tucked in at the bottom of the bed only.  Usually, when I wake up, you can barely tell I’ve been in the bed.  The sheets are smooth and unruffled.  DH, on the other hand, always has three or four pillows on his side, the sheets are ripped out of the bottom of the bed and the blanket is all bunched up.  I was exhausted last night and slept like a rock.  Woke up refreshed, renewed, and full of optimism!

I can work one day this week setting up my room for an extra day’s pay.  Could have gone today but I decided to let this be a day of rest and planning.  I’ll do it tomorrow and start back to work Friday.  Giving myself to Monday to be in the 160s.  Haven’t weighed myself this morning.  Afraid to look after yesterday’s fiasco.  I think it’s safe to assume I’m going to be spending a lot of time on the treadmill over the next couple of days. 

Don’t know what the new year will hold.  I’ve met the new principal and actually cut up a little bit with her at the retreat but we still haven’t sat down for a heart-to-heart about my role in the school.  Half my salary comes from a grant aimed at incorporating new technologies in education.  My job is to help students and teachers utilize the internet and computer applications.  I don’t teach classes but am free to work with teachers in their classrooms, roam the halls and “drop in” to classes to offer suggestions about new and better ways to address learning, and develop lessons utilizing technology to share with teachers.  Each year that I’ve been in this position, the job has changed and evolved to meet the needs of the school.  A lot of times, I’ve found myself in the role of “fix-it” girl and I get called all the time to drop everything and go to a classroom to assist a teacher when problems come up.  I found out (at the retreat) that I will probably be teaching three classes this year.  Although that’s not really my role at the school, I don’t have a problem with it except for how it’s going to affect my resourcing.  You can be a resource at the school or you can be a teacher in the classroom.  It’s hard to imagine juggling both roles.  In the long run, it’s all about the kids and what’s best for them.  The only problem I have is that I have to attend frequent training sessions and be available to all teachers.  Being tied down at school with classes everyday is going to mean I have to talk to the new principal and find out how she wants me to handle the resourcing.  Obviously, I can’t walk out of the classroom when someone needs help with something and planning lessons and curriculum for my own students means I won’t have a lot of time to assist other teachers with planning.   As of right now, students return on Tuesday and I still don’t even know what classes they want me to teach.  It would be nice to start planning some lessons!  It’s going to be interesting…

Tomorrow evening, I’m going to Sistah Pam’s for dinner.  I have two girlfriend Pams.  I have Pam, owner of gallery, married to Rick (attorney), lives way out in the boonies, animal lover, friend for 30 years (currently on my sh8t list..) and then I have Sistah Pam, colleague, friend for a couple years, work-out and dieting buddy and invaluable outlet for venting frustrations!  Sistah Pam just had a new sunroom built this summer and total kitchen remodel.  She invited all the BUTT Sistahs for dinner tomorrow night to ooohh and ahhh and envy her new kitchen and sun room!  I’m back on the straight and narrow as of today but I’m hoping an evening with my Sistahs will help me stay on the straight and narrow.

10:00 - eeeeekkkk!  Just weighed myself.  173.5!  No time to blog, I’m off to the treadmill!

12:45 - Finished a really challenging workout.  Did the 3 more miles workout but upped the speed.  Kept it at 3.5 mph for most of the time, bumping it down to 3.4 or 3.2 for the higher inclines.  Went 5.6 miles and burned 860 calories.  I felt really good during the workout and wanted to push the envelope but my ankle caused a lot of problems.  It bothered me from the very beginning and was annoying the entire time.  I had to use the rails quite a bit to relieve the pain on my ankle and that made my wrists hurt.  Damnit!  Keep in mind, this is the left ankle that I messed up from years of jogging/aerobics/living and a little bit of genetics thrown in and I haven’t had surgery on it.  The one that’s been operated on 5 times is doing great.  It didn’t hurt at all.  The doctor says my jogging days are over but I just don’t want to accept that.  On the one hand, you have the “learn to live within your limitations” people and on the other hand you have the “sky’s the limit” people.  I want to be a “sky” person - always pushing the envelope a little bit.  I know I have to have surgery on the left ankle but I’m just going to walk around for a couple more years with my fingers in my ears chanting “la, la, la, la, la” so I don’t have to think about it.

3:00 - ASKING FOR SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE!  Okay, I should probably change R&R from rest and relaxation to Regroup and Refocus.  Sistah Pam brought to my attention that I did so well before and during vacation because I had a goal.  I was going to hike Lower Calf Creek Falls.  Since then, I’ve kind of been unfocused and drifting.  I have a new goal in mind but I’m looking for suggestions for a good workout DVD or program.  I’m doing well on the treadmill but that isn’t doing anything to help me work on my upper body or build up my strength.  Seems like so many of you fine ladies are doing the CRB workout or the DMR workout or the WTHIT (what the Hell is that?) workout (Hey!  That could also be the WithIt workout!)  Anyway, I’m so out of the loop that I don’t know what all those things are.  Anyone have any suggestions for a new workout?  Something I can do here at home?  I have a gym membership but don’t get over there too much unless Sistah Pam and I meet to workout.

6:30 - OMG!  I need a keeper.  They shouldn’t even let me out in public!  Had to go to the store and I looked like crap so I combed my hair and put on a light little sundress.  Every time I go to Kroger, it’s like a reunion with a dozen people I haven’t seen in ages.  I’ve learned that running up to the store looking like crap is guaranteed to bring old acquaintances out in droves so I try to be prepared.

Anyway, I’m browsing in the canned goods and I bend over to reach down to the lower shelf and my panties decide to take a hike.  They just slipped right over my hips and started heading right on down the legs.  I jumped up real quick, clamped my thighs together and grabbed the back of my dress and panties to keep them from going any further.  I tried to nonchalantly pull them up but they weren’t going anywhere without major effort so I started taking itty bitty steps toward the restrooms.  Got in the restroom and pulled them up real good and breathed a sigh of relief.  Soon as I got back down to the end of the aisle, it happened again!  I was close to the checkout so I just mosied on over and checked out and sloooowwwly walked out the door to my car.  Got in the car and wiggled the damn things off and drove home.  I guess I could have just taken them off and finished shopping but I didn’t think of that.  God, it’s a wonder I make it through the day.