180 - Pssst... I'M BLOGGER OF THE YEAR!!!

Ian said I should advertise ;)

This was an interesting article. I'm ashamed to admit that I've fallen for some of these financial pitfalls myself... especially the $15 vs. $125 scenario. My brilliant plan to use fake cash to make money feel more tangible isn't having the intended effect; I still find myself buying more than I should. I let myself believe that my spending was tapering off, but clearly it hasn't. I did do better at the grocery store this time around, but I still spend way too much. I'll have to become more disciplined.

Discipline is a nice segue back to the Apocalypse... this will probably be the last time I post about it unless a) you ask for more, or b) I act on my impulse to write a story centered around it... which is what has kept this thing going, because the more I research, the more fascinated I become because I am finding the neatest stuff!

This is interesting reading (and free, so you may as well get your own copy)... It may not seem like something entitled, "Survival, Evasion, and Recovery" would be something we civilians need to know, but in the real world it's actually good information to have. We can easily find ourselves lost in the woods (been there), or maybe having just survived a natural disaster (been there, too). I haven't read it all, just browsed through it, but it's fascinating!

I guess one of the things that makes it so intriguing is that my grandpa's both knew most of this stuff, and I was always in awe of this 'magical' knowledge they had. I think it's worth knowing, I've just never put any effort into learning it because I've been a) lazy, and b) laissez faire. I assume it's taken care of, and it's easier to let other people do it for me. I think I'm immortal and infallible and never assume that I'm in any danger of perishing, so I thought it was silly to take the time. For the past several years I've become more interested in things like learning to garden... I've never had to know these things, but I like the idea of knowing them. After getting lost in the woods I also have a renewed interest in learning to navigate using a compass and/or stars. =)  I feel like we've become far too reliant on the few people who do know how to do these things, we're far too reliant on technology. It could fall apart so quickly. I'm not saying it will, but it can... 9/11 proved it. Katrina proved it. Ike proved it. Haiti proved it. There's value in knowing how to be self sufficient in times of upheaval. I'm just sayin'.

End of Apocalypse talk.

Okay so... the weight and measurement update... here goes...

Last Week                                This Week             Change

Weight - 172                            173.2                     +1.2 lbs


Bust - 39-1/2"                          39-1/2"                  None

Chest - 34-1/2"                        34-1/2"                  None

Waist - 36-1/2"                       35-3/4"                  -3/4"

Hips - 43-1/2"                        43"                         -1/2"

Thighs - 24"                           24-1/2"                   +1/2"

Arms - 14"                            12-1/2" (flexed)       -1-1/2"

So what does this mean?
 
1) Clearly, the most obvious change is that Kristy's brain has increased in mass by a whopping 1.2 lbs! Woot! I'm getting smarter!
 
2) My body gains muscle more quickly than it loses fat. I knew I would probably bulk up a little this week and hope to see more fat loss by this time next Saturday, because I've been through this before. So it's not as disheartening as it used to be.
 
3) As expected, the continuous arm work in the Shred has put my arms way ahead of the game, and I can see that pretty clearly illustrated by the fact that I actually flexed my arm and still lost 1-1/2" of circumference. I need to focus on my legs and make sure I'm doing proper form, I feel it in my calves, but until level 2, I wasn't feeling it much in my thighs and butt (and I probably should have)
 
I'm also pleased to see that my waist and hips shrank a little. I can see the beginnings of muscle tone on my tummy, and could see a slight change in my silhouette. So, onward ho! Tonight will be day 10... maybe I can do the whole round of plank jacks this time.