Time To Get Serious

They say bad things always happen in 3's. Three things happened this week to make me realize that I really, really, REALLY need to get back to the gym and back on track with Project Dean.

The first thing that happened was that my gym kept charging my new credit card number a membership fee every 2 days. I had lost my card about a month ago and when I received the new card I entered the new number into my online account for Planet Fitness. Well, ever since then, they kept charging me. Monday of this week I was finally able to talk to the manager and he apologized profusely, gave me a refund, and then the very next day another membership fee was taken out. I called him back and he said that this time it was his fault, he refunded my money once again, and gave me a free month at the gym. When I went in to see him in person on Monday I said, this is obviously a sign that I need to get to the gym more often.

Second thing that happened was Wednesday. On Wednesday mornings I usually take the 5:50am train into the city so I can get to work early and get some things done before my boss comes downtown for the day, we end up in meetings and our brains hurt by the end of the day. This Wednesday morning I walked up the stairs to the platform and some of the other early morning regulars asked me which platform was #1. I didn't know. They said they were making announcements that our train was coming in on platform #1. There are only 2 platforms at our station, one heading downtown and one heading out towards Elgin, so I didn't know what the announcement was talking about. A couple more people arrived and then the announcement came that the train would be stopping on the NORTH platform. Well, I may not be that great at direction, but we were standing on the SOUTH platform. So as we saw the train headlights in the distance, we tried to gauge where it was coming from. Well, some of us decided it was coming in on the other side, so back down the stairs, and up the stairs on the other side we went. The train was now getting much closer and we noticed, it was back on the NORMAL side, where it always comes. So we ran back down the stairs and back up the stairs again. I was seriously out of breath by the time I sat on the train. The ride in is about 20 minutes and I really didn't recover my breath until I sat down at my desk some 25 minutes after only doing 4 flights of stairs. Ok, sign number 2 that I need to get to the gym.

Third thing that happened was that I looked at the calendar. Phantom Regiment starts their spring training in 9 weeks. Now, that may seem like a long time, but considering we're already halfway through March and I could have sworn that February was last week...9 weeks is closer than it may appear. I figure I actually have 11 weeks until Phantom does their "dress rehearsal" where I'm planning my first picture with Dean. So there we have it. 11 weeks. It's not the 21 weeks I had at the beginning of the year, but it's 11 weeks.

I'm setting smaller, realistic goals for myself. Work out 3 to 4 days a week and on the days I don't work out, take the dog for a walk after dinner (should be good for all of us).  I've also given up (mostly) on soda and am drinking more water. I'm also hoping that Winter finally leaves Chicago and the weather will be warmer so I'll feel like going for smaller walks at lunchtime, rather than sitting at my desk all day.

So...here we go again. I'm waiting...Dean's waiting...and I REFUSE to look like Jabba The Hut when I stand next to him in early June.

It's Like They Knew!

As fans of drum corps know, and for those of you who don't know...one of the ways we spend the cold winter months is to anxiously check our email, Facebook, corps websites and Drum Corps Planet every day in the hopes that we will be one of the first to find out what each corps is planning for the upcoming year. Once the show is announced we download the music, hope the t-shirts will be designed and put in the online store quickly and dream of how it's going to sound when we see our favorite corps during the summer. Some corps announce early...in fact, the Madison Scouts announced their 2013 show the Sunday night after DCI Finals in August, probably the earliest announcement ever. Some corps announce late...I think the Blue Devils are ALWAYS the last corps to announce their show. I was happy to see that Santa Clara Vanguard is doing "Les Miserables" and Spirit of Atlanta who did a great "Vegas" themed show last year is doing a "Speakeasy" this year.

Since you know I'm a big "Phan" then you'll know that I was very excited to get the announcement from Phantom Regiment (via e-mail), that their show this year would be called "Triumphant Journey." I think this fits in PERFECTLY with my goals for the year. Even the description is perfect - a tale of a young woman's epic transformation from innocence. In a storybook land where grimm forces lie threatening outside the castle walls, her ultimate destiny lies well beyond a fairy tale ending. Now I will be the first to admit that I'm not exactly young, and probably not all that innocent either, but I do hope that 2013 will be a transformation for me. This has motivated me even more to continue to go to the gym, and walk the stairs at the train station instead of the escalators, and write in my blog more and go on a Triumphant Journey of my own. I knew I loved this corps for a reason!

And for those of you wondering what the music will be:

Music to be taken from:

• Elizabeth: The Golden Age, by Craig Armstrong and A. R. Rahman
• Cape Fear, by Bernard Herrmann
• Four Sea Interludes, by Benjamin Britten
• Enigma Variations, by Edward Elgar
• Symphony No. 11, by Dmitri Shostakovich

Don't know what the exact selections will be, but I'm sure they will not disappoint.

Now, for a quick Project Dean update...I didn't get to the gym over the weekend and have another weird schedule at work this week, but I did spend 20 minutes on Sunday scraping an inch of ice off of my car which was good arm work, and I have been taking the stairs at the train station instead of the escalators. There are 43 stairs (not including the stairs on the train and the stairs up to the train platform or the stairs to our apartment) so I'm almost able to do those now without losing my breath too badly. Another week or so and I should be good on that.

I also cooked new meal number 2 for the new year. I made sage pork chops with apples and red onions with some garlic mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were made with buttermilk and the garlic was boiled with the potatoes and then mashed. It was quite tasty, although I could have browned the onions and apples just a tad bit more. Here's a picture.

This week I hope to try a new restaurant, but I'm up for a new recipe too.

Starting Over

Here it is, the last day of 2010 and I noticed that once again, I have been neglecting my blogging duties and haven't had an entry since August! Well, New Year's is the time for resolutions and starting new, or at least they say it is. 2010 was a good year. I was employed for the entire year and although I was still a contractor, I stayed at the same company, handled changes, new bosses, new duties and even got a new computer the last week of work. I went to my first Drum Corps show which was amazing. It was in Minneapolis, which was another first for me and I found the city charming. The show got rained out or rather violent stormed out, but the Corps I did get to see were fantastic and have made me a fan for life. I ate at several new restaurants, some good, some just so so. I turned 40. I picked up a guitar for the first time since college and began playing again. I stood in line at the Apple Store for the release of the iPad so I could be one of the first to have one. Met Derrick Rose on the same day. I reconnected with my brother whom I hadn't spoken to since I moved out of Florida. And, of course, I really enjoyed cooking with my oven! I'm not going to look back on regret on the fact that I didn't read all 100 books I was planning on reading or that I didn't blog every day or every other day about it. Can't change the past, just have to move forward.

So, since I made promises that I simply couldn't or didn't keep last year, this year I'm making no promises. Just a list of things I would like to do/achieve in 2011.

• I would like to be employed permanently. (Hopefully with the company I've been "contracting" for for 2 years.)
• I would like to learn a new song a week on the guitar. Meaning I will have to play every day and by next New Year's Eve have a repertoire of 52 songs!
• I would like to read more and watch TV less. I have an iPad and Kindle loaded on my iPad and computer so there is no reason that I can't download any number of books I would like reading.
• I would like to get in better shape. The plan is to join the YMCA and start out in the pool until my muscles are used to working out again. I want to lose weight, yes...but I would also like to simply be fitter.
• I would like to continue to cook new recipes and explore new restaurants.
• I would like to go to Minneapolis in July and see a complete Drum Corps show and especially stand in front of the horn line of Phantom Regiment to feel that awesome power!
• I would like to go to London in November, and if not...Door County for Thanksgiving or Jamaica for Christmas.
• I would like to write in my blog every day.
• I would like to get back on a horse at some point during the year. I miss riding every day and being around those gentle giants.
• I would like to take our St. Bernard, Harley on more walks, which would be good for us both.
• I would like to swim in Lake Michigan at least once during the summer.
• I would like to see another opera.
• I would like to go to a live sporting event, whether it be golf tournament, football game, baseball game or hockey game.

So those are just a few of the things I'd like to see happen in 2011. Let's check back in a year and see how many of them I accomplished. I'm stubborn, and when I set my mind to something, I can do anything!