kotf has me in trouble with my costume designer!!

i'm in rehearsals for an opera at the moment and had a fitting about 10 days ago...after being measured by the costumer about 2 1/2 weeks before that...and, well, needless to say, nothing fits.    i warned the costumer that I'd most likely be dropping inches, but who can predict these things?!  i'm swimming in the costume to the point of tripping over the skirt (which was sliding down my hips...), and i think it will be held together by safety pins by the end of the show's run!! 

still, i'm pretty excited to have this "problem", tripping onstage and all...

It is good to be healthy and back to myself!!!

So things have been going well as usual. I did have a two week span where I was SOOOOOO busy and just could not get my schedule in order. It was tough to get to the gym but I still management to get exercise in and still play soccer (I have some footage of it so get excited!!!) I just can not believe that I have lost so much weight and keep going. It is awesome and the thing I love most about it is that I am also gaining muscle. I can see the weight I am lifting getting heavier and heavier every week and I am starting to see some definition in places there has not been for a while! I can run longer now as well and it was really evident to me when playing soccer. Some of you may have remembered one of my last blogs about how none of my clothes fit me.

Well I still didnt want to spend money on new clothes so I decided to go through the bags of old stuff that I "grew" out of. I am a pack rat so all my clothes from freshmen year are in those bags. I found some really nice clothes in there but its not like they would actually fit right?? NO THEY ALL FIT!!!!

 It was awesome timing the fact that when I went back to visit my college everyone I saw kept asking me if we were back in freshmen year because I make them feel like it.

 I couldnt be happier and just want to continue working hard and being heathly.

THERE IS NO DOUBT I WILL CONTINUE THIS LIFESTYLE AFTER THE COMPETITION!! 

To gym or not to gym

Derek makes a great point: if you don't think you will like going to gym, you are probably right. WAY too much money is spent in this country on gym memberships that no one ever uses. And the gyms thrive on it. They don't want you to show up. If every single member showed up at the gym, they would be completely overwhelmed. (I have often thought about developing a grass roots campaign-- "Use Your Gym Membership Day"-- if only to shock the management of these places into caring.) The national retention rate for gym members always hovers around 40%. It seems like such a great idea-- join the gym and you will be fit by association! And it lasts a few weeks. But if it doesn't inspire you, the excitement will wear off pretty quickly and then it is simply a monthly charge on your credit card.

If you are thinking of joining a gym, here are few tips to make sure its a good investment:

•  visit the gym a few times, particularly at times of the day when you think you would be going. This will give you a very clear idea about how busy it gets.
• talk to some of the members and see if they enjoy the experience. Is it crowded? Is it clean? Would they rejoin if they had to?
• If you do decide to join, go in with a couple of friends-- you're more likely to receive a discount on the membership if you are part of a group. Also, go in before January 1st. Around New Year's, most gyms know people are going to be eager to join. In early November, you are more likely to get a better deal on the membership.
• Always ask if you can have extra months tacked on to the membership. Remember, they don't think you are actually going to go, so what do they care if they give you a couple of extra months.
• Make sure that the gym has equipment and activities that you enjoy. If it filled with treadmills, but you HATE treadmills, it is probably not money well spent.

The Circle of Life

Its truly amazing how our everyday lives just seem rotate on a pinwheel of situations. I just woke up from this dream I was in for the last two years. It was a great dream that I will briefly share with you all.

I helped this friend out because she needed help and we spent two long years together , laughing , crying, healing and protecting. Living our everyday lives and catching up at the end of the day , sharing all that had came our way. We met each others friends and some we even parted with due to crazy situations. At the end of the dream we each looked into the mirror in front of us and said its time to go our separate ways and even a few tears were shed but we each knew that the time had come for us to LIVE OUR LIVES APART. When I woke up from this dream I infact looked around and my dream was a reality. I wish you well my friend and thank you for our time together. Lets stay friends and when this Competition draws to a close lets celebrate like Rock Stars.

I have moved my apartment around and now created a Zen Like area where I can meditate and reflect. I also picked up some Yoga tapes and will begin classes on Yoga very soon. This is all the Circle of Life and Wow is it powerful.

What a Present!