Three pennies in the fountain ...

For some reason I keep on singing this song in my head, when really what is coursing thru my veins are three strong beers ... Brooklyn Lager to be exact!

Tomorrow is the end of an era for me as I will hopefully shed 200 excess pounds once and for all ... no, not off me, but rather the essence and being of JPAF. Spoke to him briefly this afternoon in advance of the court date tomorrow to press him for accountability. As usual, no real response nor action towards taking responsibility for himself although he did agree that I had borne the burden of his irresponsibility for way too long.

As usual, my good friends were there to help me out. Chris and I had a triple feature with pizza, bad theater and then draft beer before singing "Bare Necessities" all the way to Logan Circle.

What size is your plate?

Before I head to bed, one more thought courtesy of Mindless Eating ...

If your plate is 10 inches instead of 12 inches, you will eat 22% LESS. That sounds awesome, right? Try it out and let me know if it works ...

Mindless spinning ...

First of all, the Marine Corps Marathon was this weekend and I was able to see it again from the perspective of a volunteer. Quite impressive feats of accomplishment from all kinds of runners- on prosthetics, young, old, Iraqi vets- and from the Marines on making the event seem so easy to pull off. My friend Markus ran an incredible pace of 7 minutes through the course, his personal record.

OK, back to Mindless Spinning ... two thoughts that don't really go together. But since my head seems to be spinning a lot lately, they do make sense to me. I read this book called "Mindless Eating" that has really made me consider (reconsider?) the patterns we set with each and every decision we make throughout the day. My friends are already telling me to stop quoting the book ... but seriously, if you read it, you too will be surprised and shocked.

For example, did you know that

• Bartenders pour an average 0f 28% more alcohol in a low ball than a high ball glass?
• "Believing" that your food is going to taste good will in fact encourage you to eat more and linger at the table
• Variety is NOT the spice of life ... you will in fact consume 20% more M&M's if they are various colors than if they were all yellow (my favorite color)

So, after reading this book that gave me all sorts of ideas- and ammunitions- I am continuing on my non-diet quest to stay in shape and get fit with the happy side effect of losing weight. My tired self dragged itself to spinning class again yesterday where I became reacquainted with my quads. Today I'm still feeling the effects of having located muscles in my legs that I wasn't even aware of twenty-four hours ago!

Spinning

Happy feet!!! Usually I have meetings during lunch on Mondays and Thursdays ... sometimes on Tuesdays. But yesterday my luck changed and I was able to go to the intro-spinning class at the Y on my lunch hour. Unfortunately for me, though, the regular instructor wasn't there so it was an impromptu hills and sprint course ... after having been advised in advance by my friends to sit in front (so as to not have a lovely view) and also next to the wall by a fan (for cooling purposes), I found my bike and set it up as best as possible.

'Bout 40 minutes into the perspiration induced class my feet were REALLY asleep, so I asked the teacher in a lull if that was normal. Apparently, its not. When the class ended she came over and move my seat forward (so my arms weren't extended), lowered my seat (so my leg was flat) and VOILA, a much better position. I'm going to try to set up my Andante bike the same way ...

Prognosis? I can survive spinning and get in a fabulous cardio workout. I'll be back ...

Joie de Vivre!

Oui. I am having a gay time in Montreal with two of my closest (at least in this picture) friends ... blessed with beautiful surroundings in Vieux Montreal, gourmet restaurants and lots of culture, this weekend is allowing me to really enjoy life and forget about all the stresses. During the day I wander, take in some culture, hang out with friends ... Chris didn't make it back til 6 am, and called me at 9 am, hours before I expected him to wake up. Turns out he thought it was 3 pm and he was feeling guilty about abandoning me for the day ... so now he's back asleep and I'm off to the hammam for a massage and manicure/pedicure. (Already had the pain du choclat!)

Oh Canada!

Montreal is superb! I love being back in real city again ... Washington DC is on the border of being a truly walkable city with diverse cuisine and neighborhoods, but just simply doesn't have the density of NYC or Chicago. But Montreal does ... arrived yesterday and had a glass of wine (yes, back to Malbec) with Mark and some of his birthday guests before we took off for our hotel ... Hotel Place d'Armes in Vieux Montreal. WOW! 24ft ceilings, exposed brick walls, arched windows, enormous and luxurious bathrooms ... I've stayed more expensive places but few less swanky!

The funniest thing happened at check-in ... not speaking French myself, the lovely desk clerk was telling us about the neighborhood when she came out with comment ... "If we (chris and I) wanted to beat each other" she had just the thing ... turns out there is a pool table where we could be competitive! All three of us about rolled on the floor laughing ... so of course, Chris and I then visited the cool lounge (Suite 701) and had some wine and cheese with a friend of Mark's, Rhian. We walked thru Chinatown and then the university district before stumbling on a really cool french bistro- O'Thym. Quite fabulous cuisine with marvelous presentation.

Afterwards we strolled thru Le Village where I left Chris to his own exploits before getting a cab back to the hotel for a nice soak ... pictures to come!

ESCAPED!!!

Success!

The early morning purples and pinks receded into the blue water this am as I ventured out into the briny, rocky salt water of Miami's bay. The sprint triathlon started out en masse ... another way of saying that me and 300 or so of my closest friends all delightfully clad in spandex clawed, kicked and elbowed our way into the water and swam out to the first bouy like a bunch of sardines, and then turned to swim along the shoreline like a bunch of salmon going upstream as the water was murky and the current was strong.

And the proudest accomplishment of the day was by far was the bike ride. On my new trusty steed I was able to conquer my fear of the bridges, panic over the clipless pedals, and slay all the obstacles in my path. My average speed was 15 mph (translate into 29 downhill, 5 uphill and 14 on flats) which I find totally acceptable ... my feetsies fell asleep, so transitioning into the run was a bit of a challenge.

I totally confess to walking up the mountain, otherwise known as Macarthur Causeway. I ran downhill, but was definitely using up all my energy in just propelling forth my own largesse. I can't wait to next spring after I am in theory in shape, at least twenty pounds lighter, and a heck of a lot faster!! Here's Chloe and Betsy with the medals!!

Will I Finish?

Believe it or not ... that's not my quote! Nope, that's the slogan for the triathlon tomorrow. Check out the course and the details at www.willyoufinish.com

So, here's my reaction after factoring in a)jet lag, b)new bicycle, c)new clipless peddles, d)torrential rain, e)wind!!!
There are at least 1445 people doing the triathlon tomorrow b/c I am number 1445. Haven't really noticed any other Athenas either ... maybe I'll win a prize (go ahead and laugh). The weight limit is so low, though, that there are probably some out there who feel that they are a bit on the rubenesque side whereas I would just love to have their problems ...

Off to sleep and get ready for manana!!!