Had my 1:1 pole class, at Pilates on the Pole, tonight. Wasn't quite what I expected but that's not a bad thing. The instructor, Nicole, kicked my ass (I'm already getting sore) but in a way I respect and can handle... hard workout but also respected my limits. I know she thought I was going to be a total bitch of a student, especially when I complained about her poles being uber-slippery (worst I've been on; even my new miracle hand stuff barely helped. I later realized that's cause the poles "sweat" in humid conditions and the studio is 1 block from the beach) but we finally clicked and had a good time after that (well, I did). She asked if one of her new pilates instructors could join us and I said sure. It was fun to be able to do a couple things better than the girl who'd never done them before. It sucked that less than an hour later she was better than me.
But what really sucked was MIRRORS - EVERYWHERE. I don't know what the deal is with mirrors: I swear I'm size 2 (with huge tits - this is SoCal, that's important!) in real life but, put a mirror in the room and all of a sudden I'm a size 20 while everyone else is still a size 2. What's up with that? (and have you noticed that most doctor's scales are 100 lbs out of calibration!?!)
I totally cracked up and lost control in the middle of a pole slide when I got a glimpse of myself and realized I looked like a giant smooched up marshmallow. Seriously!! - White tank (never again!) over a body all scrunched up (because of the pose) so my stomach was bulging out, with big breastessses sitting on top of that, and big fat arms framing a big fat face. Smooshed.Up.Marshmallow! It's gonna be REALLY hard to undo the mental reality check this class is going to embed in my visual memory (I am sooo not sexy - physically!). But it might be just what I need to get motivated to loose some weight. (I'm not holding my breathe on that.)
On the other hand, I kinda liked having visual proof of how my size fucks up a lot of the moves for me. Like when we did a floor move, rolling away from the pole - the instructor was about 1' away while I was about 2.5' away, which made the next move (a pole grab) impossible for me. And there were moves where the instructor pointed out that I'm throwing my head backward - but it's totally sexier (and better for the neck) to tilt the head in & down. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that because my arms don't leave enough room for my face to squeeze through. (how sad is that?!) Thank gawd I have acceptance of what my body really looks like - and a REALLY good sense of humor!!
I appreciate that Nicole is into focusing on positive reinforcement. That's a big deal for me - go ahead and tell me what I fucked up, I want that info so I can improve, but finish with something that I did right. Or, in this case, merely telling me I did "really good" overall (only 1/2 lie).
She wanted to sign me up for a 10-class package but I decided to wait cause we both have schedule issues that could create problems - plus I still have other classes to check out. But I did prepay for another session - tentatively scheduled for next Wed night. She also teaches Pilates machine and I can see that's definitely something I should check out for some serious body reshaping (plus, I think it's cheaper) - if not with her then somewhere else.
While I enjoyed the class and the attention, I missed the familiarity of S (and not being treated as an ultra-beginner). On the drive home, I almost had myself talked into seeing whether I could still enroll in Coco's Sun night class, while still planning to continue the Wed 1:1 classes (2 workouts a week is good!), but reality kicked in and I remembered that I'm not a millionaire.
So... overall, a good experience. But whether or not I'll get hooked on it remains to be seen.
Hey, Cyndi... you can quit singing that song now...
POLE burlesque... This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for!!!
This is the troupe (Sassy Minxx) that's has some members in the workshop I'm going to take and will be performing a show at a nearby club immediately after the class.
HOT HOT HOT!!
I found a BURLESQUE workshop, near my home!! Only $15!!
Thought I was SOL because the website says the last class was 4 days ago - but I emailed and learned another is coming up on Mar 7. Woo-hooo!!
Unfortunately, that's Fri night - which means leaving work mondo early to commute from my office (extra 35 miles in weekend rush hour - UGH!) but I don't care, I'M GOING!!
Bonus: The instructor and staff are part of a burlesque troupe and, immediately after the workshop, they're going to be performing a few miles away. Several dancers from Forty Deuce are also on the bill. Tix for the show are only $12 - so I'm going to that too!!
For anyone else in the LA area who might be interested: The class is in Torrance. Blog here (better layout that the website). Website here.
OH, YEAH BABY... I'm gonna be dancin the Burl-e-que!!
Things I Loathe:
- Feeling that whether or not my S class' timeslot will remain is dependent upon me (4 students enrolled, takes 5 to keep a class open, today is the day decision will be made)
- Already making a mental tally of all the ways I want to spend my IRS refund (I haven't even filed yet)
- Finding out about new lurkers who are reading my posts - and the things I'm saying about them
- The doors on my bedroom closet
- That I still can't figure out where the super strong breeze in my house is coming from
- Ugly ugly UGLY carpet
- My toilet is flushing "wrong" and I don't know why. Always has to be flushed twice (which is an extra problem because it also still leaks into the foundation). Add this to the IRS refund list.
- That, as of last week, I seem to have developed a dependency upon Xanax in order to get my brain to shut the F up long enough for me to fall asleep. (It's lowest dose - and daily use is a very new thing but it's really bothering me.)
- My 7-11 clerk pressuring me for my phone number
- Finding gift cards, at the supermarket, for Southwest Airlines. Granted, that airline SUCKS - but I'd love to get an airline gift card!
- Boo waking me up at 6am by laying in bed and crying, loudly, for no obvious reason. I suspect she has GI probs but worry that something more serious may be going on... except that, other than these episodes 2 or 3 times a day, she seems fine.
- Still not being able to successfully invert on the pole (almost made it once, thought I had it - but I was wrong)
- Someone signing up for next session, during class, so the S timeslot is continuing, whether I go or not.
- Finishing on a high note: S Factor class went really well for me last night (better than it has in weeks)
- Remembering my "not to do" list, not pushing myself so hard during warmup, and therefore having no injuries when I went home (in fact, I could actually walk normal for the first time in weeks - but I think that's cause I was barefoot).
- Cracking up, hysterically, when I tried to do the move where you lay on your back then throw your feet up, over your head, and touch the floor above your head (so you're folded in half). I used the pole to get in the move. For the first time ever, I hit that position in a way that still allowed me to breathe. So I decided to let go of the pole and, like everyone else, brace my arms on the floor for the rest of the move. Instruction was to s-l-o-w-l-y, one vertebrae at a time, roll legs back to starting position. Within about 1 second, my ass moved enough for my entire center of balance to shift and rapidly slam my legs back to the floor. No injuries - just sloppy and funny (if I'm going to keep this mondo-ass, I really need to get some mondo abs to counter it!).
- Doing the "Ronde de Jambe" move for the first time EVER!! ever-ever-EVER!!
- Possibly having a breakthrough on pole climbing (couldn't test it because my R knee was too weak for me to keep moving. But the theory is good and it felt good.)
- Having several people (including Christine who rarely has anything to say to anyone) comment that my song was REALLY good for me and that it really showed in my dance.
- Being right - dancing in my 'regular' clothes, instead of workout clothes, lingerie, or "costume" helped me be more "me" and less pressured - also helping me have a better dance.
- Waking up to BEAUTIFUL weather today
- Wearing my hair in a ponytail
- Feeling ready for my tax appt (even though I'm really not)
- Waking up in the middle of the night and finding all 3 kitties sleeping with me
- Self-adhesive heat pads
- My heated mattress pad (it's a big, full body, heat pad when I'm achy!!)
- The 7-11 clerk (Christian) having cinnamon coffee for me 2 days in a row
- When the office is really really quite
In short: ADHD may be caused by lactose intolerance. Researches suggest removing milk products from ADHD sufferer's diet and watching for a difference.
This video rocked - can't believe all the celebrities they got involved in it.
Thanks to Clamhead for the 411 that the censored version, recorded from TV, is now posted (the good stuff starts 2min in). I am *really* hoping a non-censored version gets posted too.
You bring the vodka, I'll pick & squeeze the grapefruit.
This is the tree in front of my house - taken today. The grapefruit are dirty but ripe. I think I have enough for somewhere between 100 and 1,000 drinks - give or take a few (and depending upon vodka to grapefruit juice ratio).
I haven't consumed any in the past year or so but they're usually sweeter than what you get at the store. And you really can't be a fresh Greyhound.
What's the world coming to when I have to learn of viral videos through the evening news? I'm so disappointed in you guys. I don't even know if I can look at you anymore (get it? gawd, I am sooooo clever).
Fees for my round trip from LAX to SF in March on VirginAmerica:
| Fare (x1) | $81.86 |  |
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| Federal Tax | $6.14 | ||
| Fare Total | $88.00 | ||
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| Passenger Facility Charge | $9.00 | ||
| Security Fee | $5.00 | ||
| Segment Fee | $7.00 | ||
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| Total | $109.00 | ||
"$9 Passenger Facility Charge"?? "$7 Segment Fee"?? WTF?
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