A Few Nods of Gratitude

Like everyone else, I use this time of year to reflect over the previous twelve months. Most commonly we think of things we want to continue to do, do less of, change, or start to do in the new year based on ourselves.

I think it is just as important to think about the lessons we have learned from our friends and family. These ideas are much more challenging to apply to our own behavior - but I wanted to take the time to highlight a few examples of how some people have affected me this year.

• K.S. - We cannot spend our whole life trying to change. The desire to do something will not keep illnesses at bay. In the end, we always pay up for our procrastination.
• N.L. - Confronting the issues at the heart of a wounded relationship is a difficult thing to do, but addressing things openly is the only way to mend it.
• J.L. - The idea of routine and stability are counter to some of us. But it is much easier to make great strides towards development if some parts of our life are not always in flux.
• J.M.F. - A healthy lifestyle can be natural, easy and free from the constant feeling of deprivation and hopelessness. It is possible to eat healthily without concentrated effort, get to a point where you enjoy exercising, and listen to your body all at the same time.
• J.B.F. - You can care for someone, disagree with them, and let them know it, all while still being genuinely kind and calm. Diplomacy is one thing - true graciousness, respect, and modesty is another.
• K.T. - Keep following your dreams, even if you have no time, no energy, and you have to take over some of the family space to do it in. (Some of us use the excuse of not having a dedicated workshop or office to put off venturing towards our goals- shame on us.)
• D.T. - Roll with the punches. While stability is something to strive for (see above) it is generally impossible over time. Things will change, sometimes very fast, and yes, you too can make lemonade out of those lemons.
• S.M. - Find humor in life every day. We will always be unhappy about work, or home, or family, or friends (or maybe several at once) but it's laughing about it that will get you through.
• J.S. - Being a grown-up doesn't mean you have to stop learning. (Okay, I already felt strongly about this one, but he does a great job of practicing it.)
• A.L. - Take charge of one-sided relationships. It's okay to put your foot down once in a while, even if it feels like you could hurt the other person.
• K.H. - Your primary purpose in life is to lead yourself and your spouse and/or children towards happiness and success. Sometimes that means setting sail for an unknown shore and changing course as you go.

This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but it's a start. A little disclaimer - the one or two people who read this might not be on here, or may be offended by my list. I hope not. But true to my purpose in doing this, I'm happy to discuss any thing on here with you - my friends and family.

Day 1 - A Cut Above

Let me tell you something - I was so on top of things yesterday! Some successes:

• Stuck to the diet despite the two gigantic bowls of christmas candy on the dining room table
• Did my Cto5k program at the gym and then Yoga-Pilates class
• Cut caffeine back to one mug of tea
  
• I even drank more than 8 glasses of water!!!

Then, well - things got a little dodgy for a few minutes. I get home from the gym, exhausted, sore, low blood-sugar levels and start making our lunch. Out comes the tomato, the sharp santoku knife, and....well I gave myself the deepest cut I think I ever had. We were actually thinking I might need stitches. The funny part was that Jon was in the same physical state as me so as soon as he saw my handiwork he almost passed out! He called it "sympathy" faintness!

Ok so here's to a slice-free but still successful day 2!

Off to a Good Start

I am very excited to report that Jon and I started on our diets today - and two hours later everything is looking up. (Come on, it's the small successes people!)

Seriously, I just read that thin or average-sized folks will gain on average 1-2 pounds just over the holidays, larger people will average 5 pounds in weight gain. (Duh, right? Well just wait...)

The kicker is, that some people think that mid-life weight gain is mostly a factor of people putting on weight over the holidays and not doing anything about it so that it accumulates. So the key to a healthy adulthood may be in kicking that Xmas Poundage to the curb right away. (Not going to cite sources here, honestly the site I got this from didn't either.)

One of the reasons that men in general (and my husband specifically) are so much more successful at losing weight/getting in shape/attaining goals - is that they tend to be far more disciplined and unemotional about the whole thing.

Here's a little side by side comparison:

Her	Him
"Well, everyone else ordered dessert so obviously I had to."	"Everyone else was ordering dessert so I left."
"I've had a terrible day, I need comfort food."	"I've had a bad day, I don't want to make it worse by ruining my diet."
"I'll make myself a big breakfast so I won't be so hungry."(And then you're still hungry so you eat a big lunch too.)	"I skip breakfast and eat my calories later."

So, there it is. Stop making excuses! Stop worrying about other people! Take a lesson from my dearest - skip breakfast, eat as little as possible, and STICK TO IT! We'll see if I can take my own advice.

Prepping for 2009 Part 1 - Diet

So Christmas is in full swing, but I have some thoughts before we head into next year.

I made some darn good progress on the health front during the summer/fall of this year. Exercise was probably a 2.5 out of 5, but once Jon started dieting with me, things started going really well nutritionally - maybe a 3.5 or 4.

Well, once turkey day came, all bets were off and I quickly saw progress disappear like a doughnut at an eater's anonymous meeting. I've gained back most of what I've lost year and that couldn't be more depressing. So, Jon and I are getting our action plan in place to regain our previous success and continue on towards the ultimate victory. To that end, I think we are going to have a "Carbo-Load" party on Sunday. More on that later.

A Feeling I Hope I Never Lose

Tonight I experienced a rare autumn joy - driving way too fast, down a very dark road, with my music up way too loud. There are few things in the world that make me feel this cathartic.

Night driving always makes me feel a little surreal as it is, but add in an inspiring rhythm and the perfect chilly temperatures and I remember what life was like before a mortgage, marriage and full time job. Not that any of those things are less than blessings - however, you have to admit, your typical 9-5 gig+white picket fence+"Honey do list" tends to change the way one looks at a dark reckless drive down a two lane road.

We (meaning any of my friends reading this) are all getting older but I really suggest the next time you find yourself driving home alone late at night, turn the music dial just a little more to the right, and slip a little more pressure onto that gas pedal - it's worth it.

Calling all Names

Okay - as you all know, I am on my fourth ipod in three years.

The first one had my name engraved on it - a gift from Jon for our engagement. It got stolen.

The second one I named simply, "Jenn's Ipod" - it was a refurbished 20g classic that lasted me about two years until it finally broke down magnificently like a marathon runner at the end of his career.

Number three was "Rosebud" my red 8gig nano that I purchased right before vacation and lost right away.

So it's YOUR TURN to name my ipod. I'm looking for a clever name for my new 8gig red nano. JFreddie - I have high expectations for your entries.

Thanks! Jenn

Chivas Win!

And now a post from our sponsor...

Chivas Win! Chivas Win! Everybody! Gather up the entire family and pile onto the scooter and we'll go cruising in the parade of cheering fans, waving the flag and plush goat mascot, and honking the horn setting off car alarms all along the street.

Apparently, the Chivas del Guadalajara beat América two to one while we were eating our dinner. This partially explains the comparatively empty streets earlier while were were out looking for somewhere to eat. Only one in every 7 or 8 shop owners was desparetly trying to get us to take a look at what they had to offer (Sorry, I still don't belive you that you have silver jewelry for free).

Now, however there is a true celebration going on outside our hotel. Waves of honking horns from vans, cars, trucks, mopeds, and scooters are driving up and down the main street. Everybody is in the color or jersey of the Chivas and most cars have a huge flag stuck out the window.

The most striking part is that it seems the whole family is included. You'll see a mother and child riding on a scooter driven by the father. Or a group of 5 crammed into a little hatch-back. A clowncar's worth piled into a van. All wearing jerseys and cheering for Los Chivas!

An exciting close to the lazy (recouperation after all the diving), last full day of vacation before travling home.

Pictures are Up!

Check out our pics from the trip. I'm hoping this other couple will supply us with some underwater photos soon also.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smock9/

Cozumel - Highlights

Cozumel Parts 3-5 (Just the Highlights)

Basically we've been silent due to extreme exhaustion - sun + diving + touristing. So here are the highlights of the middle of our trip.

Cozumel Downtown
Everywhere you walk downtown is like running a gauntlet of falsely-charming peso-hungry dudes. On every block there are at least 3-5 silver jewelry stores, some tourist t-shirt places, and a tequila store. "Hey, Honeymooners! Special for you! 99% off!" - "Hey Amiga, Amigo, come try my store please!" - "What are you looking for honeymooners? Cuban cigars amigo?" For Jon and myself, this is like a new personal hell. I am already known for feeling bad about NOT buying stuff (I know it doesn't make sense) so we had a lot of personal growth this trip. I now feel like a Gold Medalist in the Aggressive-Shop-Owner-100meter.


Food
Well we went to the beautiful Wynston restaurant at the top of one of the taller condo buildings on the shore. The view was capital "A" - Amazing. We got to watch a spectacular sunset so it was wonderful. However. The food was lower case "o" - as in okay. Definitely the exception to the "Get what you pay for" rule. Maybe we should have known when they had Chilean Sea Bass (BIG NO NO) and Maryland Crab on the menu.

Today we went to La Mission for "real" mexican food as Jon likes to say. Holy crapola was that good. A couple margaritas, mariachi band, and some almost-orgasmic quacamole later - and I barely have the energy to finish this post. We plan to return to La Mission tomorrow for lunch!


Diving
Jon's been a little worried that when we get to the states, people will say, "What else did you do besides diving?" and we will say, "Ate and slept." However, please take into account that this has been the BEST diving experience we've had - or at least tied with Hawaii. First of all we have seen just about every species of fish that exist in this area of the world and amazing 80foot+ coral formations that make you really understand the precarious balance of life. We've done some beginner cave diving/swim throughs that actually made me hold my breath in wonder - ok not a great reaction underwater, but what can I say I was moved! We've seen 5-10 sea turtles, a couple of nurse sharks, some rare fish, a huge crab....and I'm not lying here, yesterday we saw a SEVEN FOOT MORAY EEL. Do you know what that is like? This guy could fit my head in his mouth if it so desired. It looked like a DINOSAUR!!! Definitely the scariest/most awesome thing I have seen below water.

Let's add to all of this the thing that will impress all of you non-divers out there. Between our morning and afternoon dives, the boat takes us to a local resort beach, feeds us, and then we spend an hour playing in the crystal clear blue water - and there really wasn't anyone else around.

Plus, when we get back from diving - smelling of old sea water, dripping wet and walk back to the hotel - no one wants us in their shop!

Cozumel Part 2

Day 2 in Cozumel was even more wonderful than Day 1. We woke up early and went down to the complimentary breakfast on the terrace. On a non-diving day I plan to take advantage of the omelet chef - but you have to be really careful what you eat before diving. Coffee, sodas, and many other things can kill a dive. Most people have had the misfortune to have to use the restroom when at the beach - imagine that when you have a bathing suit plus a couple layers of neoprene and scuba equipment on - oh yeah and you're in the middle of the ocean, 60feet under water and it takes 10 minutes to surface safely.

So after desayuno we made our way to the marina on the south end of the island. Everyone was so friendly! They were all helping us find the "Maximus" our boat. Blanca, our divemaster was extremely safety oriented which is great - we were also her only clients that day which was amazing. We saw little christmas tree worms (image) which retreat and hide when you swim by. Also a big sea turtle, a five-foot barracuda (image) which freak me out, and some HUGE Queen Triggerfish (image) and an incredible variety of fish and coral. On our second dive we saw a cluster of big spiny lobster (image with relative size) and Jon's favorite, the very elusive nudibranchs (image).

For lunch, we decided to do the obligatory "WOO-SPRING-BREAK-CANCUN-WOOOO!" eating experience when on a tropical island/cruise ship stop. We ate at Carlos N Charlies - a total tourist trap situated conveniently between Senor Frogs (tourist trap) and the Hard Rock Bar (tourist trap.) At CnC the balloon guy comes around and makes everyone a "hat" in the shape of various naughty objects and the shot girl comes around blowing a whistle and tweaking guys' nipples to get them to chug. I am not making this up - whatever, the food was find and I have a balloon crown sitting in the hotel room. We will post pictures of this place later this week.

Let's see - at this point I was mucho overwhelmed people-wise and pretty tired so it was back to the hotel room for a nap and a couple of hours of reading. On the way we passed one of the stranger things I had ever seen - and avon convention on the hotel terrace. A couple of hundred hispanic women milling around in pink tshirts trying out cosmetics. Avon is scary enough when I understand the language. We steered clear of this particular event.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that this was our 3 year anniversary? We (I) decided that we (I) was too tired to go for a fancy meal so we basically ended the evening with more reading and some room service nachos. Hah! Happy anniverary....snoooore.

That's okay - we went out for the big expensive meal on day 3. I'll post that tomorrow.

Cozumel Part 1

So, welcome back to my semi-annual blog. This is a medium that takes literally seconds to create and deliver and I can only get around to it twice a year....oh well. However, let me repeat a fairly accurate conversation that happened on the streets of Cozumel, Mexico today.

Me: "You ready to go diving!??!"
Jon: "Yep. Are you going to keep some sort of record or journal about this trip?"
Me: "What like a log?"
Jon: "Yes, a log."
Me: "As in...a WEB-log, or a 'blog' if you will? As in... the one I already have that I don't post to?"

And so, here we are.

Cozumel Trip - Monday, October 21, 2008

The van picked us up at 4am. Well, 3:57am. It's the first time one of those things has ever been early - but we were ready. Very, very tired, but ready. We hauled an incredible amount of luggage out of the house and climbed into the van behind a very forlorn looking driver. The man looked like he had just been given some very bad news - kind of like he didn't care about anything anymore - like he had bigger issues than our petty vacation and he sure as hell wasn't going to use turn signals thank you very much! But despite Suicidal Steve we made it to the airport with our spirits soaring to FINALLY go on this much deserved vacation. We even zipped through security in MINUTES!!!

So, yeah, we're traveling internationally. And it took us about 10 minutes to clear everything. Yeah.

Well, anyway, both plane trips were fine. Even the layover wasn't too excruciating. 2.5hours/3hours/2.5hours - not short, but not long enough to want to choke on airplane pretzels or smash your inadequately small plastic cup of soda in an attendant's face. The second plane was a prop plane - not exactly a smooth or quiet ride. But I played with my ipod and tuned everything out.

Oh my ipod. My brand new gorgeous, finally configured Rosebud red ipod. I left you on the plane and I will NEVER see you again. And now someone is listening to Tiesto on you with MY ear buds. How disgusting and unfair life is....

Anyway. Even getting our luggage and going through "customs" was easy. Do you want to know what customs is in Cozumel? The "agent" says, please press this red button, and you do. Done. Finito.

Grabbed a crowded shuttle to the hotel. Not too bad. And definitely not the crowded broken down school bus with chickens on the floor you might expect if you watched "Romancing the Stone" too many times. Arrived at Casa Mexicana which is on a beautiful waterfront.

We checked in with no problems (see a trend here) and tracked down our dive shop. Blue XTSea is on the same block as the hotel so we went there and checked in....and guess what...no problems there either. We must be on vacation.

Our final adventure of the evening was finding and eating at Kinta - a new "modern mexican cuisine" restaurant in town. The trip there threatened to ruin my diving potential as the sidewalks were extremely slippery and my cheap flipflops might as well have been greased on the bottom. The food was worth it though. Panko-crusted gulf shrimp over mashed plaintains, Seafood risotto with scallops - freakin' amazing.

Okay enough....the rest of the posts should be a bit shorter!

P.S. If anyone finds an 8gig red ipod lovingly placed in a clear plastic case with a set of music on it that no one else on the planet would ever listen to - please notify me.