The Couch-to-5K Running Plan

Every single time I put on a pair of jeans, I find myself to be a very unhappy person. You see, since October 2007, I've gained 30 lbs. To many people, that wouldn't be a lot. But to me, that's a whole lot of excess weight. In honor of my Confessional, I will admit it here: I weight 169 lbs. I know this for a fact because I weighed in this morning. I'm horrified. And I'm going to attempt to change. Next July, I want to be able to wear a wickedly small bikini, preferably the sexiest thing I can find at Victoria's Secret. We're going to Ibiza in July 2010 & I plan to look HOT HOT HOT!!

To begin, I started The Couch-to-5K Running Plan. I'm using my iPhone to help keep me on track; there are a few great applications for the C25K program. You can find the application I'm using here. Today was Week 1 Day 1. I got through it, but it was really tough. But I plan to make this work & lose at least these extra 30 lbs. If I can lose more, it would be wickedly awesome. I'm striving for 140 lbs.

I'll continue to blog about this endeavor. Losing weight is tough for everyone. It's a tough thing to be honest about. I'm going to make it work because I'm at the edge of this thing getting out of control. Like most things, it's much easier to nip it in the bud. And since it's difficult for everyone, I hope my determination can encourage others to be determined. So here we go!

Your Own Personal Confession

I was out & about in Vicenza, Italy today. I went to store I particularly enjoy, the Cooperativa Sociale Insieme. Essentially, this is an Italian thrift store. You never know what you may find when you walk around this place.

Today, I found a confessional. Seriously. I could've purchased my very own personal confessional. No, they did not supply the priest. Besides that, I'm not even Catholic. But I keep thinking...wouldn't it just be a cool thing to have in the house? Set up a video recorder inside & see what people say! And since there's no priest, it's more like a reality show.

I'm seriously considering it.

What You're "Allowed"

Hello friends! We finally received our personal property after being without our belongings since June. In this shipment was our motorcycles. Yes, we own 2 cars & 2 Harley Davidson motorcycles. We bought the motorcycles specifically for our tour in Italy; 2-wheeled vehicles are very popular here &  it's a great way to save money on gas. There's also a large parking convenience with this sort of transportation.

This is a picture of my '01 Harley Davidson Sportster 883...when I was "allowed" to have it & ride it as much as I saw fit.

The hubby made it a priority to register both motorcycles so we could start riding as soon as possible. At the Vehicle Registration facility we use, he was informed that we're only "allowed" to have 3 vehicles & we're not "allowed" to register both motorcycles, only one. Why? The arrangement (from over  50 years ago) that our country has with the Italian government. It's the same set of laws that govern where/how I'm allowed to work in the country. This document is ancient by modern standards & hurts the American citizens stationed in this area. And now, I have a motorcycle I'm not "allowed" to register. That means I can't drive it all; I can't risk the insurance/financing problem if something happens to that bike. We made the choice to register the hubby's bike because his is the nicer of the two motorcycles.

So thanks to an antiquated agreement, my choice to ride my motorcycle that I purchased has been taken completely out of my hands. I'm not "allowed" to have it. Now all I can do is hope that I can sell it quickly ...so I don't have to continue to pay for something I can't even drive.

Any questions? Feel free to comment.

I'm neurotic

This is my temporary set up for all things computer-based until we are all moved in. Chapstick gets the prime spot. I rescued this one from the washing machine & saved it from the evil dryer's clutches. That's one of my favorite things about Chapstick; it comes out clean.

Songs for the Road

Road Trip? Here's a fun playlist.

Baby Got Back - Jonathan Coulton

Model of a Modern Major General - Gilbert & Sullivan

When You Go - Jonathan Coulton

Don’t Stop Believing - Journey

Shop Vac - Jonathan Coulton

Hurt Feelings - Fight of the Conchords

Show Me the Way - Styx

Better - Jonathan Coulton

White & Nerdy - Weird Al

Ikea - Jonathan Coulton

Ikea in Padova

S & I went with D&D to Ikea in Padova last Friday. I love Ikea. It’s so much fun...& thanks to Jonathan Coulton, is one of the few home furnishing stores with its own theme song. 

Something I didn’t know: Ikea has one of the coolest displays EVER! Evidence is the photo, my friends!

Made of 100% Awesome!

Guess what? We spent Sunday at the market in Camisano! I love it there. We get the best type of sandwich (panini) ever! It’s a Porchetta Panini...meaning is a roast pig sandwich. It’s all grilled on this grill...even the roll. And the roll is fresh, so it’s extra awesome. We attend the market every Sunday we can. Even when it’s 99º or snowing, we love getting our Porchetta Panini. If you ever come visit, I’ll make sure you get one.

After the market next week, I’ll brief you on the Frittella...an amazing sugary carnival-type fried dough sold at the Camisano market. Stay tuned for more!

Random Thought of the Day

I’m rewatching all the seasons of Sex & the City. Why? Because I’m bored & there’s nothing on TV. That’s the plight of living overseas. At any rate, I’m watching all the episodes again & I’ve realized something. SatC is very entertaining & totally full of crap. These women have more sexual partners than most prostitutes & play at being independent women of choice. But what do they spend all their time doing? Trying to find a husband/life partner. They even stress about having children. At the end of the proverbial day, SatC was not revolutionary for women. It’s all about finding Prince Charming...the same as every other fairy tale out there.

Stevie-G & Alison in Venice

Steve & Alison came to Italy on vacation. Naturally, S & I went to Venice to visit with them & walk around Venice. We met Steve’s Aunt & Uncle, had a great dinner, had gelato, & even crashed their gondola ride! 

There are photos in my albums & on flickr. Check it out!

Grocery Shopping

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I hate grocery shopping. While participating in this hated activity, I spotted this item in the fresh fruits/veggies aisle. I have no idea what this is...but it looks like poo. 

That is all.

Happy Dog Food

Walking around our local Italian grocer (Emisfero), I saw this dog food. I think this must be the happiest dog food ever made. I wonder if I feel my dogs this food, will they be this happy? The Monty is pretty emotional; he could use some happy food.

Squatty Potties. FYI.

Here we go. You wanted to know about squatty potties? Here’s a shot of the squatty potty in our favorite local restaurant. As a lady, I have no good explanation for this except to say it’s a squatty potty. You figure it out. 

Personally, I avoid these whenever possible. But at least you’re prepared now.

Arrival in Italy!

We made it to Italy. I didn’t panic “too much” on the plane. Of course, “too much” is a relative term. I had an internal freak out. I disguise it very well...or at least S said I hid it very well. Now we’re happily installed at our hotel. We’ll be here until we locate an appropriate living situation. 

I hate the packing portion of moving. I like the unpacking portion. Why? Because I will always end up packing something I actually need to have with me. This time, it was my very nice fuzzy eye mask & matching blanket from Brookstone. It was from the Nap® line; I was looking forward to using those things. Instead, they’re packed in some box because I didn’t set the items aside. Had made this portion of moving very bright for me when I’m trying to sleep. Very sad. And tiring, actually. I haven’t had a real night of sleep since packing that eye mask...which is why we need to find an appropriate living situation quickly so I can get to my eye mask!

Tattoo Before Leaving

Just before leaving the U.S. in July 2009, I went for my tattoo. The original artwork was done by Len Peralta at http://www.jawboneradio.blogspot.com. I told him I wanted a phoenix & a Tudor Rose. He sent me this. He’s freaking awesome.

The tattoo was done at The Ink Spot in Linden, NJ, by Brian. You can check out his work at http://www.inkspot-tattoo.com/linden.html. Great work! And he was super-nice to me & worked with me to make sure everything went well. I recommend him.