Day 90 - 3/31/09

Weigh-in: 196.2

A bit of a bummer--I was 194.4 two days ago, but I haven't manage to make it to the gym yet this week (I did great last week), and time at the driving range just does not compensate.

Saw this the other day and thought it was a hilarious depiction of the difference between a child's perception and an adult's.  While you might both be speaking English, you obviously aren't speaking the same language.

Day 84 - 3/25/09

Weigh-in: 195.2

That's a manageable margin from yesterday--could be due to a variety of reasons, including pizza for dinner last night.  I will soldier on!

I was reminded today of my baby names post.  There are some weird ones out there, but there are some that I really like.  I don't have an official list of baby names or anything, but there are a few I'm fond of, for girls.  Not sure why I have girls' names and not boys', except perhaps for the fact that I'm exposed to so many more girls' names since I teach all girls.

I am very fond of Irish/Scottish names.  This could be part heritage (I have a little of both in the ol' bloodline), or it could be because the names go so well with my last name (which is a "Mc" as I married a Scot), or it could simply be the teaching thing again (I teach at a Catholic school so I have a lot of Irish Catholic students).

Here's my list: kind of a mixed bag, to say the least.

Colleen--I love this name.  My very best friend when I was an elementary school student was named Colleen.  I'm not sure if it's a throwback to her or what.

Molly--I've had several students with this name, and they've all been pretty good kids.  Plus it would go so well with my last name.

Siobhan--While I would not be unkind enough to saddle a child with this as a first name, it's a lovely, mysterious looking and sounding name (pronounced shee-van).

Noelle--Not Scottish or Irish, but still so beautiful.  It has a nice, Christian feel to it.  A bit Christmasy, perhaps, but still.  This name is very personal to me.  I had a dear friend named Noelle who was killed by a drunk driver when she was a senior in high school.  We had joked at one time that we liked each other's names so much (she liked my middle name, Annette) that we would name our children after each other.  

Sienna, or Sierra--A bit crunchy granola, perhaps, but pretty nonetheless.  Although "Sierra Noelle" sounds like someone's country music Christmas album.  

Kathleen--Back to the Scotch/Irish names.  I like the versatility.  She might be a Kathy, or a Kate, or a Katie, or a Lee.  Maybe even a Kay.

Griffen--I taught a student named Griffen, and she was wonderful.  The name is, too.  I know a gryphon is a mythical beast and all that, but Griffen (or Griffin, I suppose) sounds tough but also light-hearted.

I've also had several students with what I had always considered to be boys' names (Kyle, Ryan) that were interesting--these girls were so pretty and feminine that their names were actually quite beautiful.  

I don't know.  Coming up with a good name is so darned hard.  But I have plenty of time, as there is no deadline looming for me.

Day 83 - 3/24/09

Weigh-in: 194.8

Well, whatever I'm doing (I guess that would eating less and exercising, ha ha) seems to be working, sort of.  I'm not going to win any speed contests for weight loss.  I guess I should focus more on the fact that I've lost five pounds and not quite as much on the fact that I've lost five pounds IN THREE MONTHS.  I'm such a slug.  But hey--I've been to the gym two mornings in a row, which tops the number of times I've been since...well, I don't think I'd been to the gym since Spring Break started, so that's not bad.

Anyway, got to thinking about food cravings, since I already have them and I'm not even pregnant. What causes cravings?  Why do people crave certain things, especially things they would never normally touch?

Certain cravings make sense.  I myself crave bologna when my electrolytes get off-balance--it must be the salt, because it sure as heck isn't the flavor.  I have not eaten bologna for enjoyment purposes since I was a kid and it was on my sandwich every day.  Warm bologna, no. I also find myself craving steak upon occasion (well, a lot of occasions).  I suspect one of two things: either a need for protein to repair muscle, or a low iron count in my blood (or the instincts of a raging carnivore--no vegetarian I).  And it is true that around my TOTM I crave chocolate in greater levels than normal.

But why do women crave such silly, cliched things as pickles and ice cream?  The ice cream I can handle, but pickles?  Eww.  I pick them off my hamburger.  Why would I suddenly crave them if I don't like them?  And why do some women crave outrageous things like dirt or paint chips?  I'm really curious about the whole dirt thing, because I ate dirt as a child.  Just sat down beside the driveway and crunched away.  My mom got worried and took me to the doctor to have a bunch of blood tests, because she was just certain I had some terrible deficiency that was manifesting itself by making me crave dirt.  The doctor ran all his tests and came back to my mother: "We've determined why your daughter eats dirt."  My mother: "Why?"  The doctor: "She likes it."  I am not making this up.  But I am wondering, could there have been SOMETHING missing from my diet to make dirt seem appealing?  

A coworker of mine revealed to us all last week that she is pregnant, about 12 weeks along or so.  I will be very curious to ask her if she has any cravings as she progresses.  And perhaps someday I'll test myself to see what weirdness I might want.  I like weird stuff anyway--Velveeta cheese with peanut butter on it was a childhood favorite.

Day 76 - 3/17/09

Today's weigh-in: 197.4

Well, it was expected.  Water retention (TOTM) and Olive Garden make for a weigh-in nightmare, so really this wasn't bad at all.  The weather is improving quite a bit (stuck in an ice storm last week), so hopefully working out will get easier and more interesting with the addition of outdoor activities.  

Got to thinking about children's names again today.  I did some searching a while back about popular children's names and the dilemma parents face when naming the kiddos.  Do you go classic and sometimes boring?  Or do you go modern and occasionally weird?  

There's a lot of pressure for parents.  This is the name the child will be known by for at least 18 years (at which point he or she could legally change the name if it's really bad), so you'd hate for the poor kid to be the laughing stock of the playground because his/her name rhymes with something unpleasant.  

Here in the South many of the girls have family names, either really old-fashioned first names or family last names (often on the mother's side) as middle names.  

As a parent, you want a good, positive, strong-sounding name with no negative connotations.  (I'm pretty sure most families with the last name Manson will never again name their kid Charles.)  The name should be interesting, but not freakish.  And, at least for me, the desire is there to not come across as a total granola-munching hippie.  

I've noticed that celebrities don't seem to have the same name worries as the rest of us do, since they seem so eager to give their kids WEIRD names.  Here are just a few of the stranger ones:  

-Arthur Ashe, the famous tennis player, has a daughter named Camera.  At least it's not Racket.

-Erykah Badu, who is a victim of her own naming misfortune, has a son named Seven Sirius and a daughter named Puma.  Just because you have a bad name doesn't mean your kids have to suffer as well.

-Nicholas Cage named his son Kal-el.  For those who are culturally challenged, that's Superman's given name.  No pressure there.  Should've named the kid Clark instead.

-Cher's son's name is Elijah Blue, and her daughter's name is Chastity.  How's that working out for her?

-Bob Geldof has three daughters: Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom, and Little Pixie.  I know the man did a lot of drugs, but DAMN.

-Michael Hutchence, from INXS, named his daughter Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily.  I could make a very tasteless joke here, but I will refrain.  Instead, I'll point out that the mother is also the mother of Bob Geldof's poor girls.  Could it be the mother's fault?

-Penn Jillette, the magician, has a daughter named Moxie CrimeFighter.  How do you explain that to your kindergarten teacher?

-Simon LeBon from Duran Duran named all his girls after items in nature: Amber Rose Tamara, Saffron Sahara, and Tallulah Pine.  

-Actor Rob Morrow named his daughter Tu.  Get it?  Tu Morrow?  That's just mean.

-Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter's name is Apple and her son's name is Moses.  These kids will have complexes later.

-Remember "Puck" from an early season of The Real World on MTV?  His sons are Bogart Che Peyote and Rocco Kokopelli.  I think a clue might be in the first boy's name.

-Actor Ving Rhames has a daughter named Reignbeau and a son named Freedom.  What, no time to come up with a clever spelling for the boy?

-Robert Rodriguez, a movie director, decided to keep the monogramming cheap around his house by giving everyone the same initials: Rocket, Racer, Rebel, Rogue, and Rhiannon.

-Shannyn Sossamon, whose parents obviously had trouble spelling, named her son Audio Science.  Apparently Shannyn has more problems than just spelling, as one could probably tell from her outfits and hairstyles in A Knight's Tale.

-Sylvester Stallone has been punched a few too many times in the head: Sage Moonblood, Sophia Rose, Sistine Rose, Scarlet Rose, and Seargeoh.  I think that last one is pronounced "Sergio", but does it really matter?

-I can't quite decide if I like Bruce and Demi's girls or not: Rumer Glenn, Scout Larue, and Tallulah Belle.  I secretly love the name Scout, since To Kill A Mockingbird is my favorite book, but I just don't know if I'd saddle a child with it.

-Of course, winner of the weird name parade still has to be Frank Zappa.  His children are, bless their hearts, Dweezil, Ahmet, Moon Unit, and Diva Muffin.  Wow.  

I would mention Brad and Angelina's kids, but I've lost track of how many there are, and I'd hate to make this a long post...

Day 75 - 3/16/09

Ok, first, to apologize for that last post.  I was trying to post in the car from my iPhone. Unfortunately, the phone would let me enter text in the "title" and "labels" boxes, but not in the actual box for the post itself.  But somehow, since the post was labeled "failure", it seems just as appropriate to leave the post itself blank.  Sort of sums it all up, really.

First order of business:

Today's weigh-in: 196.6

That's actually not bad.  We had a lot of food on our trip this past weekend, good food like pasta, hamburgers, steak, that sort of thing.  And I ended up kayaking only one day of the four that we were there, which means my activity level was not what it should have been.  It could have been a weekend where I gained quite a bit, so I'm at least pleased that I actually had a small loss.

But small it truly is.  I had hoped to have enough of a weight loss by now to start considering the idea of pregnancy, but since I've essentially made no progress at all that isn't yet an option. Also, we are holding off for at least a few more months to make a little more financial progress in the paying off of credit cards and other obligations.  Hopefully we can start tucking some aside to save up for a time when we'll have to survive off one income.

So, it's kind of a moment to start over for me.  I have ten weeks now until my summer break from school, and I hope to have made some weight loss progress by then.  Cross your fingers.

Day 71 - 3/12/09

Day 62 - 3/3/09

I thought this was pretty funny.  I remember poking my fingers under the bathroom door, trying to get my mom's attention, because God forbid she spend five minutes alone anywhere in the house.  

And then, the not-so-funny.

Weigh-in: 198.0

Yeah, I know.