Doing it my way..

One thing, possibly the one thing that I've learned on my journey down and up and down the scale is the absolute necessity of doing what works for me today. Not some theoretical me that isn't in disaster recovery mode and can keep a rational schedule, but the real me that is running a business in post-earthquake conditions, studying and trying to keep my house looking like something less than the origin of chaos theory.

Although I value the 'me time' that a training session offers, I don't give it away entirely if life has other plans, or I just really, really can't face the workout process - it's mostly the changing clothes thing which just seems like unnecessary effort sometimes (the real me now and then suffers an attack of the post-earthquake blah's). 

I don't know if you have tried this, but hanging out the washing can be a surprisingly effective lower body workout. That's what I did yesterday; this morning my butt and thighs tell me that they noted the effort. It's a matter of technique:

* Picking socks and undies out of the basket = Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

* Picking up towels = Bodyweight Squat (you can hold for 30 seconds to get 'the burn')

* Picking up everything else = Lunge

Then you walking lunge the basket back to the house.

Naturally, those walking lunges slowed me down a bit as I passed the garden and I tried not to stress about its currently overly-wildcrafted state. I am not much of a fan of cauliflower, except in a curry, but it's still very satisfying to achieve cruciferous vegetable growing success.

The weather is beginning to cool down as we head into Autumn, but today was a sunny one. I found Miranda on the front porch, minding her complexion by sleeping in my car cover. I didn't see her there until she moved and, calm and collected, I squealed and jumped sideways in case it was a massive bug making the thing rustle.

Tonight, being Friday, I am ready for an organic merlot, a visit from Mamasana and a Skype call with my niece in Liechtenstein. It's so cute the way she is losing her 'the' - as in 'today I went to da forest with my class, we saw dee animals'.  She had something important to ask me the other night. She wanted to know if when I had a little brother, did he cry a lot? I think the novelty of big sisterhood may be fading. 

She also asked me if we might have some aftershocks when she visits. I said 'maybe some little ones'. Reply: 'but no big ones?' (disappointed look). I think she feels she has missed out on all the excitement. Surely five years old is too soon to have thrill issues?

Photovoice

Have you heard of Photovoice? I hadn't either, until I was required to make one for a paper this semester. It is basically a method of conveying an experience through photos. I think a lot of bloggers do this, some nearly every day.

So here is a little Photovoice about the things in my head today:

I've been thinking about water. So has one of my bloggy friends, Sara, who is also a fledgling Health Scientist geekette (yes, we have the same name and study the same thing, cute huh?).

Yesterday we finally got the hot water cylinder fixed. It was beyond exciting to take a hot shower this morning, in my own bathroom. I am still one of the lucky ones. I can flush my toilet without it backing up. Others on my street can't because most of the underground concrete sewer system has been pulverised by the earths movements. It will take years to fix it all. The parts of the system that work are being diverted into the rivers. The pic above is the river at the end of my street. A riverside walk is a newly 'fragrant' experience these days.

Those that can't flush have other options:

If you see someone walking with a little plastic bag in hand, it does not necessarily mean they have been walking the dog. However, at least if you are caught short while out strolling, just look left or right to locate your nearest portaloo. At least I think that's what they are. There is always the possibility that there is a Dr Who conference in progress.

It's not just toileting that is a problem. Gastroenteritis is enjoying an unwelcome renaissance. Some people (hellooo, Grandma) can't grasp the idea of using boiled water even when you brush your teeth

**personal note**((Or just use the filtered water that I put in your fridge. You don't need to save it for a special occasion)).

I went for another walk to the old supermarket to try and get some pics, but really couldn't get close enough. The road by the supermarket has its own 'fragrant water' problem:

The smell reminds me of Rome, where the sewers vent onto the street. When you walk over those sewers, it smells like St Martins.

I photographed the carpark, but it is hard to really see how crinkled up it is. If you focus on the white lines and consider that they used to be straight and flat, that might give an idea:

I've also been so distracted by recent events that one of my pumpkins is taking its chance to dominate the world. It's huge. I tried to get Miranda to sit on it for perspective, but she just snitched at me, stalked off a few paces then proceeded to give me the 'cat hex eye' for trying to make a fool of her.

Ok then, it looks like smoothie o'clock. This one has some 'Easi-yo' yogurt powder in it, just to see what happens. It looks like a cheek workout, this one. Consistency of concrete. I will build muscles that make me look like a chipmunk.

Foodcam, TT, Mog

Today I am sore everywhere and I can only blame the Turbulence Training bodyweight 750, which was yesterdays workout du jour. It starts with 100 jumping jacks, and it finishes with 50 squats... followed by 100 jumping jacks. In between there are another 500 reps of various exercises designed to bust the flab and get me fit. I can use some of that. I'm holding close my L-Glutamine pot today and, with a steady intake, I even managed another workout tonight. I'm feeling a bit serious about getting more fitness and less fatness. It seems that the sight of my tummy escaping over my pants in Salsa class was highly motivating. And now for some.....

Dinnercam!

Tonights effort is a basic stirfry with the addition of pineapple. I cooked the onions first then added the meat with some tumeric powder. Then the rest of the veges, sprinkled in some peri-peri hot sauce and a little soy sauce and it was good to go. The pineapple adds a bit of that 'acid' taste that rounds out the flavours and I also used a little pineapple juice to cut the amount of oil that was necessary. See all the pretty colours? That's nature indicating that this food is full of phytochemicals. Pretty = good for you.

In other news at casa Sara, I think I have a new cat. This cat turned up about a month ago and seems.. reluctant to leave. In fact it has not left, except to do a few essential cat things. It's an 'indoors' sort of cat.

We already have two cats, which seem to get on with the new guy/girl, but this one gives way more love than the other two (who specialise in aloofness) and is very endearing. See how it's sitting on my laptop case at my feet while I'm working? In the mornings it sits beside me and 'talks' to me and puts it's paw on my arm if I am not responding. I'm sure it must have a home, because it looks quite well-fed, but it also has had a few issues like it turned up with a broken tail (bent at the end, which has healed nice and straight) and it acts very scared if you move toward it quickly, so I wonder if it wasn't very well cared for and decided to move on. We have started referring to it as 'Mog' and just this week we put out a third food bowl, which could be a sign of ... something. We had been giving it just a few cat nuts on the floor.. you know, to send the 'you don't live here' message and yet let the other two eat in peace. I will do the decent thing and make some flyers to post in letterboxes around the neighbourhood, just in case it's a pet. Also, knowing cats, Mog is just as likely to just move out one day. That's what I like about cats, you never really own one.