Tales of Seven

Freakin' Adorable

Littleheartmeltingfuzzy...

 ..... little rabbit thing. I want a whole basket of them.

Little Devils

My mom discovers why the bird feeder has to be refilled *every* day...

Things That Make Us Smile

The Bar Method

I recently did a tour of local gyms and exercise studios in search of a fun way to get a workout. After a month of experimentation and participation in often shaky classes with questionable benefit, I stumbled on The Bar Method. I don't want to sound like an advertisement, but really felt this class to be quite amazing -- and would happily recommend it!

A few of my 'ideal class' wishes were met:

Results (and not having to wait a year for them): The forte of the Bar Method is from just below your ribs to your knees where you'll see great toning. Flexibility will also improve. For preview, take a look at the regular class members and instructors ;). The workout is tough (you'll be shaking through much of it), but early results make it worth it. Try it for about 4 weeks at 3x / week to see results.

Needs to be fun! If it's like watching paint dry, it won't last. This studio has great music and motivating instructors. Exercises are based on dance adding some art to it all.

Flexible schedules - Classes occur throughout the day and there's an easy, on line reservation system. I can always get into a class with a few hours notice.

Great instructors - There are a lot of different instructors and I must have taken classes with at least 8 of them - all universally consistent, well trained and helpful. Position is key in these classes and they ensure you are doing things properly for the highest benefit.

150th Member

I'd like to welcome my 150th member through the MyBlogLog community! 'Himalman' has created several sites dedicated to adventure in and around Nepal, and I'm happy for the opportunity to connect with anyone who has a love of travel and adventure! See EverestMyDream, for some of the stories and pictures himalman has created and gathered.

6 Week Training Update

As some might recall, I started my first training a short while ago (see Ten Tired Turtles on a Tuttle Tuttle Tree). I hired a trainer because (1) I was becoming a sloth (2) I hate gyms and (3) the sessions were prepaid so I felt compelled to show up.

I've gotten sessions twice a week for about six weeks. So how is it going?

• I'm stronger. I'm able to life much heavier weights than when I started, and am able to keep the level and difficulty of excercise much higher than in the first two weeks.
• I need to eat more and better now to keep a reasonable weight on, and to make it through these sessions. It's a good motivation to pay better attention to the food I choose and reversed a trend that clothes were getting tighter.
• I'm having a lot of fun! I can't wait to go to the next session. The trainer mixes routines up so it's always interesting. And we're doing a lot of kickboxing; a sport I think I just might have fallen in love with.... It's rising up as a possible next sport to tackle.

On the balance, training can begin to be costly, but it's an amazing investment for the body, and much more focused in its results than sports alone (my previous method of fitness). I also supplement training with 1-2 sessions of tennis per week for more aerobic benefits.

A shout out to Daniel at the JCC in San Francisco for making training so much fun!

Another Type of Trip

Since we can't always travel around the world ;), it's fun to find a few ways to bring other places to us, whether it be through magazines, books, or shows and movies the illuminate some little piece ofthe world.

In that vein, I'd like to recommend a couple of Discovery shows I thought were particularly good! The first is the series Planet Earth. Photography was taken to a whole new level and is art in and of itself. There are scenes that almost mimic those slow motion scenes in the Matrix (see the Pole to Pole shark attack scene). Colors are absolutely vivid and the landscapes poetic. Check out a GoogleEarth Tour that shows the shoot locations for Planet Earth and some clips from each.

A second one I'd like to recommend is Chased by Sea Monsters. In this show, the host does what appears to be a typical wildlife show. But this one takes us back into time to see the ancient oceans and their creatures from millions of years ago. The iteraction between the host and animations looks amazingly real.

Too High

Dear Mischa Barton, Jennifer Lopez and the rest of trendsetting Hollywood,

You have all been caught wearing high waisted pants recently, and while I wouldn't normally comment on these things, I now realize that what you wear ultimately makes its way to the rest of us in the form of 'this seasons styles'.... often to the detriment of perfectly flattering clothes the rest of us mortals wear.

Magazines have already started to tout the the death of  'low rise' jeans in favor of your new trend. This must stop.

High rise pants didn't look good before. They definitely don't look good now. They make our bums look a mile long and have all the aesthetic appeal of my grandfather's trousers. Please stop with the highrise!

Honey Bee Skin Healing Cream

I'd like to give a little shout out for this product in the event it would be useful to others. I found it absolutely great for the face, when everything else, including expensive creams, had caused problems. I've used this for 6 months now and am amazed at how absolutely clear skin is with it.

I don't normally promote ;), but this one deserves a nice callout for how nicely it's treated me. Thanks honnnneeeeyyyybeee!

Honey Bee Skin Healing Cream

Some key ingredients: honey, aloe vera, royal bee jelly, water, vitamin E, vitamin A, ginseng