Monday, January 25, 2010

Vices

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues." Abraham Lincoln 1805-1865

Almost three weeks on Thursday since I last had a drop of alcohol or a crunch of a Kettle fry.

I have almost reneged as recently as yesterday when my inner sabotuer urged me on to have just a wee small teeny tiny bag of kettle fries because I deserved it and this whole self deprivation thing was stupid and pointless....

The Virgo that is me, pushed on through the curtain of temptation resisting the irrestible urge of the hallowed potato snack to reach my goal of February 20.

I also joined into polite conversation at a recent "drinks night" as opposed to a unmemorable flirty slurred encounter and enjoyed myself immensely sipping on my sugared grape fizzy and snacking on my wholemeal snacks and hummus.

With all this detoxing I fear I may start letting my hair grow under my armpits and begin sporting comfortable handmade leather sandals....

Somebody stop me!

Bikram Yoga - the thinking woman's sport.

I have been twice now and am therefore an exponent of the art.

Picture forty plus yoga-mat toting people crammed into a room heated to 38 degrees and rising. The door is then smartly closed and a heavily tattooed, American (from Arizona of course)board short wearing, bairded guru enters the room. His visual siezes your attention and his charismatic voice holds it.

You are taken on a journey of bliss....warmth, soothing directions/incantations, focusing on every inch of your body, the good the bad and the ugly as you stretch, hold and shake your way through the 28 poses over a 90 minute period.

Sweat, not perspiration as that would imply a light glow as opposed to a serious dripping, emits from your every pore and joins in soaking your conveniently placed bath towel. It drips into you eyes mercifully blinding you from you own image in the wall to wall mirroring.

Just when you think you are about to lose your breakfast or faint in the heat the poses wind down to a light contortion culminating in an ungodly backward bend that I may be able to achieve once I have a couple of vertebrae removed.

First time, frightening, second time, less frightening bordering on semi do-able. My goals to stretch and slow down are achieved in this 90 minutes of heated hell. The only thing missing is the horned red man with the pointy fork....

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Sobriety....

I can report I am still alive after a full week without any alcohol. It has been relatively easy with only the odd pang of want and involuntary reaching for wine after a hard days work.

My head and stomach do not feel any different. I do not feel any more energised and my sleeping seems more fitful. First week jitters.

My friends are looking at me strangely, or is it that I can just see them more clearly now the haze has been lifted.

A dinner out was nicely accompanied by a fejoia smoothie as opposed to a sneaky pinot gris that looked tantalising in all its chilled glory. Not that I'm missing it.

My sobriety mantra....."Beware the saboteur!" inner and external!

Sprung!

The last day at the helm of industry was kicked off with an prepatory breakfast at Joe's garage which consequently made us 6 minutes late for work, thanks to a serendipidous meeting with Aunty Ju. Eggs, coffees and banter was an outstanding start to the day.

Back in the hot seat for the last time and after 1hour 40 minutes of catching up, (setting up and paying due GST payments on line, deciphering yellow post its, answering multiple phone calls) I can finally take a breather i.e. get onto personal stuff.

A medicinal sports massage is booked for my lunch break to 'straighten' me out ready for a big week on the bike next week. Looking forward to winding back into it ready for Feb 20 when I have booked for the first "Girls on Bikes" event in Methven. Have decided to cut out ALL alcolhol and Kettle Fries till then....uge ask!

But that's another story...

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

House Shift....

As it is customary to consider a lifestyle change every year, I am currently considering a swap of homes from Riccarton to Redcliffs...rent one out and rent the other! Genius! "Test the waters" so to speak, keep another real estate poor, become a tenant and screw a landlord. The benefits are numerous. Having found an ideal swap in Redcliffs, I am now negotiating for Toby to come with us. (NO pets). Paws crossed!

Anthony's patience with me at the helm of administration at Bellamy and East has become like my stature....short! It seems a great game to "kill the messenger" as he scowls at me for the hundredth time for bringing him the devil customer. It is lucky my shoulders are broad and my skin, thick and leathery.

'The weather outside is frightful' which makes my time stapled to industry all the more workable. Lunches and dinners out with no exercise will mean an extra layer conveniently acquired for the near freezing conditions.

Life is still sweeeeeeet.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Monday, January 11, 2010

Xmas festivities continued...


Angelic......not!

Xmas KY massage...

Happppppy New Year! 2010!!

Wow 2010....sounds like something out of space odyssey.

Great holiday; over it and moved on already but will need to comment on it. Te Rua bay in the Marlborough sounds for about the 7th year running. Two weeks of wind down and winding up depending on the mood. We came, we ate, we drank, we skiied, we ran through gorse, repeatedly, then we left. The "we" changed periodically with a variety of catch ups from the old to the young.

Back to the present where I love to inhabit. In a bid to broaden my skills base, I am taking on the mantle of "secretary cum springmaker cum cleaner cum everything" and doing an outstanding job of it.....not! 'Him Indoors' can't understand why I am so useless here as opposed to so useful at home. I blame the training or the lack of it. Outbreaks of harsh words have been spoken like when he didn't like the roll I bought him for lunch ($7.00!!) because "it has too much sauce" (said in a cry baby voice) in it..boo frickin hoo! and when he told me the cash sale account number was 10003 when it was really 100003 and like I should have known that as I use it as a mantra to get to sleep......Jeeeeeeeez!

Apart from that our temporary joining at the hip is going well, the perks being, I can ask him questions while he is peeing at the urinal and we get to spend soooooo much time together. He keeps threatening to sack me...fingers crossed!

Got to go nudge the cogs of industry and get 'him' a coffee and collect the mail...