I was sitting outside Starbucks today, eating my lunch, when a Born-Again Christian proselytizer began circulating the tables. He would ask people if they knew that Jesus died for their sins and would have them repeat a prayer after which their sins were now "forgiven". When he came to my table, he tried to give me a business card, but I sad "No thanks" and he left for the next table.
On the one hand, I'm glad he didn't try to pursue the issue with me any further. On the other hand, I'm kind of disappointed I didn't get to loudly declare my atheism at him. Everyone else has all these interesting stories...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Another tiring workout
Last night was another tiring workout
30 swings on each side with the sledgehammer. Last time we did circular swings where you bring the hammer behind you, over your head, and then down onto the tire in a circular motion. This time the swings were directly overhead. Starting with the sledgehammer straight in front of you, you bring it up and directly over your head, taking care not to hit yourself in the back, and then you swing it down straight in front of you again.
20 one handed swings on each side with the 26lb kettlebell.
15 reps on each side with the sandbag. I'm not sure how many pounds the sandbag was. First you pick up the sandbag by the "waist" and lunge forward. On the side of the leg that is bent behind you, you bring the sandbag forward, up, and around in as large of a circular motion as you can manage. Bring your forward leg back.
This time it was the sandbag exercise that was killer. I had to rest each time I finished 5 reps on each side. Lawrence agreed the sandbags did it for him as well. I could also tell I had a difficult time using my left hand on the sledgehammer swings. It was difficult to not have it rest against my head when it reached behind me.
30 swings on each side with the sledgehammer. Last time we did circular swings where you bring the hammer behind you, over your head, and then down onto the tire in a circular motion. This time the swings were directly overhead. Starting with the sledgehammer straight in front of you, you bring it up and directly over your head, taking care not to hit yourself in the back, and then you swing it down straight in front of you again.
20 one handed swings on each side with the 26lb kettlebell.
15 reps on each side with the sandbag. I'm not sure how many pounds the sandbag was. First you pick up the sandbag by the "waist" and lunge forward. On the side of the leg that is bent behind you, you bring the sandbag forward, up, and around in as large of a circular motion as you can manage. Bring your forward leg back.
This time it was the sandbag exercise that was killer. I had to rest each time I finished 5 reps on each side. Lawrence agreed the sandbags did it for him as well. I could also tell I had a difficult time using my left hand on the sledgehammer swings. It was difficult to not have it rest against my head when it reached behind me.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Muffin pictures
Here are some pictures I took of Muffin.
Sitting/sleeping on the star-shaped blanket I crocheted:
Playing with the bumble bee toy I knit:
Sitting/sleeping on the star-shaped blanket I crocheted:
Playing with the bumble bee toy I knit:
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Board Game equilibrium
I haven't posted much about my gaming here. At first I was in a board game purchasing frenzy! I quickly acquired 10+ games. They cost a bit of money too. It also seemed like a lot because Lawrence just wasn't as into them as I was. I would try to get him to play a new game with me, he wouldn't really want to. He would humor me and play, I would be happy, then he would get frustrated at the game because he didn't understand, and I would get depressed that he wasn't enjoying himself. Then we would both be frustrated at each other. A few months down the line and many many game plays later, we've settled into a nice equilibrium.
We play mostly on the weekends now because that's when we have a third person (Phillip) to play with. Weekday nights have been reserved for cooking, cleaning, video gaming, programming, knitting, exercising, and TV/movie watching.
The games that we have been playing the most recently are: Pandemic, Catan: Cities and Knights, and Dominion.
We were stuck on Pandemic for a while because we couldn't beat the game on super hard mode. Finally last weekend, we beat the game. Haha, we didn't even realize it until we thought we had lost again. Then, we were like....wait, didn't we cure that disease a while ago? It was the first one we cured, and I forgot to move the marker.
Pandemic is a cooperative game. There are 4 epidemics breaking out in various regions around the world. The players are randomly assigned roles which they must then utilize to try to contain the spread of disease and ultimately to find the cures.
Last night we watched the Battlestar Galactica 2003 Miniseries. It was a little slow in the beginning, but pretty good once it picked up. I'm looking forward to watching this show, and perhaps afterwards I'll feel more inclined to read through the rulebook for the BSG board game.
We play mostly on the weekends now because that's when we have a third person (Phillip) to play with. Weekday nights have been reserved for cooking, cleaning, video gaming, programming, knitting, exercising, and TV/movie watching.
The games that we have been playing the most recently are: Pandemic, Catan: Cities and Knights, and Dominion.
We were stuck on Pandemic for a while because we couldn't beat the game on super hard mode. Finally last weekend, we beat the game. Haha, we didn't even realize it until we thought we had lost again. Then, we were like....wait, didn't we cure that disease a while ago? It was the first one we cured, and I forgot to move the marker.
Pandemic is a cooperative game. There are 4 epidemics breaking out in various regions around the world. The players are randomly assigned roles which they must then utilize to try to contain the spread of disease and ultimately to find the cures.
Last night we watched the Battlestar Galactica 2003 Miniseries. It was a little slow in the beginning, but pretty good once it picked up. I'm looking forward to watching this show, and perhaps afterwards I'll feel more inclined to read through the rulebook for the BSG board game.
Meals lately
We've been trying to cook at home so we can eat more cheaply and healthily. We decided hot pot seemed like a fairly healthy choice. We put in fish balls, shrimp balls, fried fish cakes, vermicelli, napa cabbage, and sliced beef/pork/lamb. The meat makes it more expensive ($9 if it's a package of beef, around $6 for the pork or lamb). Fried fish cakes can get quite costly too. It would probably be cheaper if we threw in more raw foods.
Yesterday we went to Trader Joe's for some basic groceries - milk, eggs, yogurt, chips & guacamole. I think Lawrence wants to make some Indian food too. He bought masala sauce and chicken thighs.
We're working with Melody out at the gym tonight.
Yesterday we went to Trader Joe's for some basic groceries - milk, eggs, yogurt, chips & guacamole. I think Lawrence wants to make some Indian food too. He bought masala sauce and chicken thighs.
We're working with Melody out at the gym tonight.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Counting Calories
I don't think Lawrence knew how bad for him some of the stuff he eats is. With all our momentum in losing weight, he's been trying to watch what he eats for lunch. He'll look up the nutritional information if he's going to a chain. Last night when we went to 99 Ranch, he started looking at the nutritional information. Calories were not even the main issue - it was the sodium. So much of the food had inordinately high amounts of sodium. Feeling the money crunch, Lawrence suggested that he could incorporate ramen with veggies and eggs into his diet. Then he looked at the nutritional information. Fried fish cakes (tempura/satsuma age) is also surprisingly high in sodium.
Given all this, we still won't start counting calories any time soon.
Given all this, we still won't start counting calories any time soon.
Body Weight Exercises
Body weight exercises are exercises that utilize just your own body weight. They don't rely on any outside equipment. Last night we did body weight exercises, and they were killer. We alternated between squats and push-ups, starting with the basic squat and the basic push-up. I was able to do one "real" push-up, but then I couldn't go down as far after that so I did 20 more from the knees.
Then we did Hindu squats, where you push yourself up on your toes. We did a shoulder push-up, where you stand like a triangle, legs and arms straight, bent at the waist (as Melody described it, much like the "downward dog" position in yoga). You do push-ups in that position, and you can really feel how it uses your shoulder muscles.
The next squat was a 180 degrees squat. As you move up from the squat, you rotate and jump 180 degrees. Squat, jump, rotate, and you're facing the direction you were initially. The last push-up was a doozy too. You start on your toes with your knees bent but not touching the ground. Your arms are outstretched in front of you with your hands on the ground. You move your torso forward so that your body weight shifts from being supported by your legs to being supported by your arms. In the end, your legs and arms are stretched out, and your torso is lifted up slightly. Shift your weight back to your legs, bending the knees, returning to your original position.
We did 20 reps for each of these. There may have been a few that we did 15 of instead. It didn't *seem* that bad but by the end we were ready to collapse. I was feeling a little dizzy and my vision was getting blurry. Lawrence commented that Monday night was easy in comparison. :) We finished, but Lawrence did not fare so well at the end. He threw up a few times in the bathroom. We think it was because he had katsu curry only an hour before exercising. He's going to have to eat much earlier before a workout. However, it was a good sign that he recovered a lot more quickly after the workout this time.
After a quick stop at home to shower and change, we went to the Chinese market to buy groceries. Lawrence has been freaking out a little over our financial situation so we're making a commitment to cook and eat at home more often. In fact, this past week we've been eating hot pot every night at home. Monday I went to Mitsuwa to buy hot pot food. Since it was a Japanese market, their sliced meat was expensive and they only had a small selection of fried fish cakes. I did get a yummy noodle made from arrowroot starch. It was thicker and chewier than the typical vermicelli we usually put in our hot pot. The only vegetable we really like in our hot pot is napa cabbage. I bought some spinach though, just because it's more green and we probably need more dark green leafy vegetables in our diet. I'll probably cook them with the turkey meatballs we have for a pasta.
For our hot pot eating to be cost effective, we estimated that the food we bought needs to be able to last us for about a week. We'll see how that turns out.
Then we did Hindu squats, where you push yourself up on your toes. We did a shoulder push-up, where you stand like a triangle, legs and arms straight, bent at the waist (as Melody described it, much like the "downward dog" position in yoga). You do push-ups in that position, and you can really feel how it uses your shoulder muscles.
The next squat was a 180 degrees squat. As you move up from the squat, you rotate and jump 180 degrees. Squat, jump, rotate, and you're facing the direction you were initially. The last push-up was a doozy too. You start on your toes with your knees bent but not touching the ground. Your arms are outstretched in front of you with your hands on the ground. You move your torso forward so that your body weight shifts from being supported by your legs to being supported by your arms. In the end, your legs and arms are stretched out, and your torso is lifted up slightly. Shift your weight back to your legs, bending the knees, returning to your original position.
We did 20 reps for each of these. There may have been a few that we did 15 of instead. It didn't *seem* that bad but by the end we were ready to collapse. I was feeling a little dizzy and my vision was getting blurry. Lawrence commented that Monday night was easy in comparison. :) We finished, but Lawrence did not fare so well at the end. He threw up a few times in the bathroom. We think it was because he had katsu curry only an hour before exercising. He's going to have to eat much earlier before a workout. However, it was a good sign that he recovered a lot more quickly after the workout this time.
After a quick stop at home to shower and change, we went to the Chinese market to buy groceries. Lawrence has been freaking out a little over our financial situation so we're making a commitment to cook and eat at home more often. In fact, this past week we've been eating hot pot every night at home. Monday I went to Mitsuwa to buy hot pot food. Since it was a Japanese market, their sliced meat was expensive and they only had a small selection of fried fish cakes. I did get a yummy noodle made from arrowroot starch. It was thicker and chewier than the typical vermicelli we usually put in our hot pot. The only vegetable we really like in our hot pot is napa cabbage. I bought some spinach though, just because it's more green and we probably need more dark green leafy vegetables in our diet. I'll probably cook them with the turkey meatballs we have for a pasta.
For our hot pot eating to be cost effective, we estimated that the food we bought needs to be able to last us for about a week. We'll see how that turns out.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sledgehammers, Ropes, and Indian Clubs
Last Thursday Lawrence didn't go with me to Melody's place because he had a killer stress-induced migraine. Last night he was able to go with me to her house for some sledgehammer fun.
Thursday:
20 swings on each side using a 6lb sledgehammer.
Pick up a 25lb (I think?) sandbag over head and walk across the concrete.
Do 20 (?) suitcase squats with two 26lb kettlebells.
Swing a 36lb kettlebell 20 times.
Do a double wave pattern on the ropes for 20 seconds.
Pick up the sandbag over head and walk back across the concrete.
Repeat all this 3 times.
Monday:
30 swings on each side using a 10lb sledgehammer.
Pick up a 35lb or 15lb sandbag over head and walk across the concrete.
Touch the sandbag to the ground and then over each shoulder, alternating, 20 times.
Lift the sandbag from one shoulder, over your head, to the other shoulder, 20 times.
Swing a 26lb kettlebell 20 times.
Do 20 suitcase squats with two 26lb kettlebells.
Do an alternating double wave pattern on the ropes for 20 seconds.
Pick up the sandbag over head and walk back across the concrete.
Repeat once.
Lawrence was starting to feel nauseous after the 2nd set of 60 sledgehammer swings. I wasn't that bad off, but then I hadn't reached my 2nd set of sledgehammer swings yet. We took a break and went inside the house. Instead of finishing the set, Melody showed us her Indian clubs and we did a two routines with the 2lb clubs. First, we held both clubs parallel to swing them straight down reaching behind our legs, then we swung them in an arc in front of us, over our head to reach toward our back, then back forward again to the end position of vertically parallel at our chest. The second exercise, we crossed the clubs and swung them down and out to the sides in a circular motion up over our heads and back into the vertically parallel end position.
Next workout is Thursday night, 8pm at the gym.
Thursday:
20 swings on each side using a 6lb sledgehammer.
Pick up a 25lb (I think?) sandbag over head and walk across the concrete.
Do 20 (?) suitcase squats with two 26lb kettlebells.
Swing a 36lb kettlebell 20 times.
Do a double wave pattern on the ropes for 20 seconds.
Pick up the sandbag over head and walk back across the concrete.
Repeat all this 3 times.
Monday:
30 swings on each side using a 10lb sledgehammer.
Pick up a 35lb or 15lb sandbag over head and walk across the concrete.
Touch the sandbag to the ground and then over each shoulder, alternating, 20 times.
Lift the sandbag from one shoulder, over your head, to the other shoulder, 20 times.
Swing a 26lb kettlebell 20 times.
Do 20 suitcase squats with two 26lb kettlebells.
Do an alternating double wave pattern on the ropes for 20 seconds.
Pick up the sandbag over head and walk back across the concrete.
Repeat once.
Lawrence was starting to feel nauseous after the 2nd set of 60 sledgehammer swings. I wasn't that bad off, but then I hadn't reached my 2nd set of sledgehammer swings yet. We took a break and went inside the house. Instead of finishing the set, Melody showed us her Indian clubs and we did a two routines with the 2lb clubs. First, we held both clubs parallel to swing them straight down reaching behind our legs, then we swung them in an arc in front of us, over our head to reach toward our back, then back forward again to the end position of vertically parallel at our chest. The second exercise, we crossed the clubs and swung them down and out to the sides in a circular motion up over our heads and back into the vertically parallel end position.
Next workout is Thursday night, 8pm at the gym.
Frozen Yogurt
I didn't know there was a craze until I moved back to LA and heard of Pinkberry. We've since had a Pinkberry open in Old Town Pasadena. We also have a 21 Choices in Old Town, a much older frozen yogurt institution. Yes, they are all over the places, but now just a few blocks from my work we have a Tutti Frutti (serve-yourself, priced by the ounce). I love the little jelly toppings they have. At lunch today I got a 6in. meatball sub from Subway, and then went to the Tutti Frutti next door and got a regular flavored frozen yogurt with strawberries, kiwis, and jellies for $4.50. It was a lot - it's a great strategy since the smallest cup they have is still pretty big and you feel like you want to fill it up. Next time I could probably do with less.
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