Looking for blogs in all the wrong places

Have you ever noticed that little button at the top of some Blogger users' toolbar "Next Blog"? I click on it occasionally and find that Blogger will knowingly guide me to other blogs who have something in common with the blog I just previously visited.



I click the link after visiting my own blog and get the same 7-10 yoga based blogs that Blogger has in its queue ad nauseum. On a slow day, I may venture clicking some 75-100 different times just to see if I get anything new.


Sometimes, though, the link disappoints. I've been thinking about blogging about my role as a birthmom, and my adoption experience, and how it feels to know that my husband and I are probably not going to have kids. I was over at BlogHer perusing (so many of my mentors blog over there) and found a whole section about being child-free. Exciting and new!


I was reading a blog called No Kidding in NZ and when I clicked on the "Next Blog" link, I actually expected Blogger to show me a blog that had something to do with other people who struggle with infertility or are otherwise child-free.


Not what happened.


I got a link to a happy looking family, husband wife and three kids. At Disneyland.


I clicked again. Got another blog about the ramblings of a family written by the mom about her husband and their five children.


After reading so much about needing and wanting validation regarding child-free-ness, Bloggers blatant display of child-full-ness was almost like a slap in the face.


So, I guess I should write. If I needed any more push in that direction, it's the absence of people like me. There are others like me, aren't there?

Choosing to be happy

Sometimes it's just easier to be grumpy. It takes no effort to NOT smile. If you don't feel like talking to anyone, you just don't.

Sometimes it's just hard to pull myself out of a funk. But it gets old for me.

And I get "funky" for no reasons I can really tell.

Around the new year, I started an exercise program which Handsome bought me for Christmas. It is the EA Active Sports 2 for the Wii. There are 2 programs, a 9 week program and a 3 week program. I jumped right in and chose the 9 week workout plan.

Each workout seemed to get progressively more difficult and longer in time. But I was feeling awesome. Finally, the end of the 9 weeks was here and I was working out for an hour before work 3 times per week and another hour on the weekends.

After the program, I decided to continue but try the 3 week program to assuage any commitment issues. The workouts are much easier, much shorter (20 minutes) and I don't feel like I'm attaining anything.

In other words, I feel like I'm letting myself down.

So, I've decided that after the 3 week program ends, it's another 9 week program for me. It just makes me feel better about the effort I'm making and I feel like I can see results.

Getting out of bed at 5:00 a.m. is the hardest part. But if it makes me happy, why wouldn't I?

Ooof, exercise log

I have been battling tendonitis in my achilles. It sucks. What happened was I had been doing my regular workout routines (one day running on the treadmill, another day riding the bike, another day on the elliptical) and I read an article in a magazine which told me specifically how to do a treadmill routine so I could get the maximum benefit in the minimum amount of time.

I had been running at a clip of between 4.5-5.0 mph. I had been using an incline of between 0 - 6.0. This article suggested that I go slower and vary my incline more. It suggested that I do 5 minutes at a warmup of 0 incline and 3.0 mph, then adjust to 5 incline at the same speed for another 5 minutes.

Then 5 minutes at a 10 incline at 3.1 speed, then 5 minutes at a 15 incline at 3.1 mph.
Then 5 minutes at a 10 incline at 3.2 mph, then 5 minutes at 15 incline at 3.2 mph.
Then 5 minutes at a 10 incline at 3.3 mph, then 5 minutes at 15 incline at 3.3 mph.
Then 5 minutes at a 10 incline at 3.4 mph, then 5 minutes at 15 incline at 3.4 mph.
Then 5 minutes at a 10 incline at 3.5 mph, then 5 minutes at 15 incline at 3.5 mph.

Then you cool down and you're done with your workout in 40 minutes (obviously I got something wrong up there because it's not an hour long workout).

Anyhoo... Since I was used to very little incline, bumping it up so much so fast must've bugged my achilles tendon and it began to hurt.

Like when I did downward dog in yoga, I thought I was going to fall over because my achilles/heel screamed at me.

So, I have been trying to take the doctor's orders and take it easy. Ice. Naproxen. Bummer.

Of course, I had just signed up to take a Zumba class at the Rec Center and it's very difficult to stay off your feet, and rest, and ice, when you're dancing like the latin dance star you know you are.

Today, I got to the gym and rode the bike. I got about 6.5 miles in half an hour. No pain in the achilles during or after the workout. Tomorrow is yoga. Modified of course.

I'm searching for a cold laser/low level laser therapist who can help with this achilles thing. I do not do well with an order to "rest". I am not a good patient.