So, I just spent about $32 at Jubilee in Breck.

I got 4 boxes of cereal (2 boxes of Apple Jacks & 2 boxes of Cocoa Krispies) for $7 ($8 for 4 special w/$1 coupon).
And one box of Kashi Go Lean that was on a store special ($3.50?); Kashi stuff is good but usually spendy.
2 Degree deodorants for $2 (2 for $4 then I had a Buy-1-Get-1 coupon).
3 Tony’s pizzas for $6 (5 for $10 special).
8 Yoplait yogurts for $.50 each (10 for $6 special with $1 off 8 coupon).
2 boxes of Fruit Gushers for $1.50 each (2 for $4 special with $1 coupon).
1 box of Betty Crocker brownie mix for $1.50? (2 for $4 special with $1 coupon).
Ruby Red Grapefruit juice, $1.99 store special.
Cheetos, $1.88 store special.
Flour tortillas, $1.81.

I think that’s what I purchased… I think I did pretty well?
I’m going to hit up Econo on Wed (they have a sale just for Wed&Thurs this week) for some other things.

Some Food Network dude, who my Facebook friends are pumped about, named Alton something supposedly ate the following and ended up losing like 50lbs. Yea. Don’t know how long it took him, but whatever. I like the list, but… I still want to be able to have wine/beer more than once a week, and I know some canned soups are not that healthy, but I love the Creamy Tomato Basil kind. Granted, I love my crockpot-made Chicken Tortilla the most. And I’ve had fast food once since the beginning of the year; not everything is totally horrible for you at those places. Moderation & listening to one’s stomach – that’s how I roll.

Daily
– Fruits
– Whole Grains
– Leafy Greens
– Nuts
– Carrots
– Green Tea

3 times a week
– Oily Fish
– Yogurt
– Broccoli
– Sweet Potato
– Avocado

Once a week
– Red meat
– Pasta
– Dessert
– Alcohol

NEVER!
– Fast Food
– Soda
– Processed meals/frozen dinners
– Canned soup
– “Diet” anything

PLUS: Eat breakfast every day, no exceptions.

I was just thinking… that the coolest thing that could ever happen to me as a teacher, is that I inspire some student to do what he/she has always wanted to do. Maybe it’s through a written paper or something I say. Maybe the vibe of the class encourages that same idea he/she has already had anyhow. Maybe it’s just being in my class with ideas being tossed around… and then, to have that student be successful and come back & treat me to lunch.

This little “food problem” has caused me to step off the somewhat-BFL-based-plan I was on allowing me to evaluate “it all.” I went on the BFL discussion boards Sunday or yesterday, posting what had happened (hoping for support/sympathy and getting it, of course); I’m appreciative of these strangers’ posts of encouragement and stories, yet some of the posts and messages were that of the “cult” attitude C had mentioned to me earlier. One fellow hardcore BFLer (who I think is pretty cool; he’s given me some recipes) placed a bet that I’d lose $5 from getting food poisoning (not something I care too much about right now, really) but that I shouldn’t let my body get down to “starvation mode” thus causing me to lose muscle, one warned me about losing weight then gaining it back when I returned to normal habits, and while there were more posts that just read, “That sucks! Wishing you a speedy recovery!” I’m focused in on the doom & gloom ones. And having taken this step back too, I see that it can be somewhat cult-like. For instance, I’m still writing down what I’m eating everyday like I’ll flunk a test if I don’t; I’m anxious about getting back in the gym. I even felt a little bad driving the car to campus yesterday even though I had no energy to bike. It occurred to me yesterday that I know what it takes to get my body into shape. I know now that I have the tools to make that happen, so why am I harder on myself now (after putting myself into a more rigid program) than when I was just eating well and biking/walking/running? And there are people on this BFL program, too, who boast that they haven’t had a “Free Day” (of eating) for X amount of weeks. I thought to my-lightheaded-self this morning, “I don’t want to think that much about eating for the rest of my life.” I just don’t.

I’m not going to feel bad that I ate some fries yesterday (they were the first ones in over a month!). I’m not going to feel bad if I miss a mini-meal or if my last meal of the day doesn’t have a certain type of protein in it. I’m not going to feel bad that I detest the taste & texture of cottage cheese. I’m not going to feel bad if I skip weights and do cardio everyday instead.

I over-analyze A LOT OF THINGS IN MY LIFE. Shouldn’t I be trying to take items off that list, not adding to it?

[I think I'm getting back to normal, mentally... I'm feeling a bit sassy today.]

Another greater than/less than comparison…
which is up for debate, really:
Eating 6 small, healthy, well-spaced meals a day >
*eating 4-5 small, healthy, well-spaced meals a day >
eating 3 medium-sized, healthy meals a day >
eating “crap” at 1 meal >
eating a lot of “crap” at 2 meals or throughout the day >
not eating at all…

*Where I’ve been the majority of the last 12 days.

Supposed to get pretty warm this afternoon & tomorrow.
Plan o attack? Hide in my campus office.

So, not only did I figure out YouTube today, but I joined in on the BFL Tracker site (Body For Life). Now, I feel like that may have been a bad idea since I already feel preached to. I’ll be honest about that. I should’ve mentioned that I’m going to modify this “program” in order to implement the ideas of it for life. I don’t plan to take pics and try to win a challenge. I just want to try something new. Some people take programs like this one so seriously, and that’s not me. Good for them, I say, but I don’t want to go “on” the program only to go “off” of it in 12 weeks.

Plus, I appreciate that Cheryl bought me a used copy of the book; however, much of it is too, um, well, preachy to me. This Bill dude has great tips and ideas and background research. I love my researchers, but the book didn’t need to be as long as it is. Either people are going to eat right and exercise or they aren’t. (I’m already on that ‘wagon.’) Some chapters are full of “trainer talk” in my opinion, and the mantras he mentions saying as you are “pumping iron” are a bit silly to me. I guess it’s the idea that counts, not what you say to yourself when taking your muscles to the next level. Typically, on my bike zooming around town with the wind in front of me and my resistance uber high, I mumble “push!” to myself or something vernacular. I have absolutely no problem pushing myself to extremes; I like to run 5Ks and 10Ks – on average, what’s the percentage of people who do those in their 30s or just after high school in general.

After bombarding Cheryl with questions and having her say that I’m modifying the program (and I was, but she was strict about it when she did it), I have to say, “So what?” Isn’t the main goal of any new health program (considering eating & exercise) to get one to “eat better & workout more”? If one can maintain that throughout his/her life, then he/she is ahead of the game. Whatever I was doing before BFL wasn’t that horrible. Biking everywhere, running when the knees felt up to it, walking a lot too & eating well (less of the fried stuff, no pop, not eating past 7pm, etc)…

It’s kind of like… well, here’s a metaphor (bikes are like lifestyles?). I’ve had many bikes; I like biking very much. I had a Pamida-bike once that was too heavy & didn’t cushion my butt. I’ve had a Cannondale (a gift) that was too expensive; it got stolen. I’ve had a hand-me-down that worked well for a very long time, but then the fat mountain tires needed to be replaced. Now, I have a Trek. I adore it. It wasn’t too expensive, the tires aren’t fat like a mountain bike or skinny like a road bike. The seat may need to be exchanged, but I know I’m going to have this bike for a long while. I feel like I am doing the same thing with my exercise/eating routines… trying to find something that fits me well.

“Tommy want wingie.” Last night was the re-telling-of-every-funny-TommyBoy/SNL/Family Guy-line in the history of popular culture. Pretty typical for a Priebe Graduation Party. And now I am hungry for wings. That’s pretty typical as well. It was discovered, too, that Lil’ Gus finds Robin’s laughing-snort hilarious. And, yep, my “grandpa laugh” came out when Alisa said that Mom had “bean burn.”

Can I use all that laughing as abdominal exercise for the day? Place it on the chart, kids!

In true oddball-form, for our family, I created tees with the letters J E D on ‘em (black tees & white duct tape) for my two sisters and I to wear to the FargoDome. Jed said he could see us from the ground-level, and that was cool. Embarassing him has always been one of our strengths as sisters (although, Hilary got in on it too by being an exclamation point, so she’s “in” for sure now – like there was any doubt!). I do have to give credit to my boss, W.K., for coming up with the idea.

That may or may not have been the last graduation for our family… as Dad grilled, he eyed my sisters and I after this was brought up (that is, after the terms “may or may not” were used). Robin has mentioned getting her Master’s as has Alisa (she’d probably shoot for an M.F.A.). And, yea, I’ve thrown it around that I haven’t completed outlawed the idea of a Ph.D. Maybe I’ll just wait it out and get an Honorary one some day from some college? Na… that’s not my style.

Lately, I’ve been REALLY REALLY REALLY trying to focus on those students who “get it” and “show up” and listen and all that basic stuff (I mean, I had lunch with Richard yesterday; he’s one of those students who has to have a 115% or he’s in my office all flustered). But once in awhile, I have to rant. Vent. Get it out. This morning happens to be one of those moments:

After I assess/grade the online sections, I’ve always gotten students’ emails asking why they got a certain grade, etc. Now, typically, I leave a comment in the Gradebook (which shows up in blue to them) that explains it (This was late, etc.), but sometimes I forget or assume. Yea, that last one is a bugger. I assume they’ve read the rubric or the syllabus or the directions. My Class Blog grading is rather simple: make sure you have the posts you should (is it three this week or two, which is explained), make sure to comment/respond on what you are supposed to respond too (this article, not that one, etc.), and make sure to at least have 10+ sentences of quality thought in the response. Oh, and they can’t be late (Saturday at midnight is the deadline, except for Finals Week). I understand why more of them have questions when it comes to the papers & their grading system because my rubric (yes, I even give them the rubric I’m going to use – How many of my teachers did that? Um, none.) is complex. But it’s all there. Chopped up into a table. Yet, some students don’t print it off when it’s on the “stuff to print off this week” part of our semester’s chart.

I really don’t think I have a lot of mystery to my assessment.

Heck, I had teachers who never handed back ANYTHING. {I wonder if Steve Ward still has my World Literature papers shoved in some folder; I adored his classes, so it’s even tough to critique that aspect of his grading system.}

— End rant. —

And… while talking to Richard yesterday, I realized that the fact that I am a wee bit different sometimes doesn’t help me or my students. I like to think it does, but when they’ve had teachers who were mysterious about their grading or about what they wanted from students, students start to not only think English classes “suck,” but they start to think that writing is a mystery. A mystery they’ll never solve. Then, they take my class. I throw all sorts of possibility at them, and they probably think, “No way. She wants what every other teacher has wanted. She truly does not want me to write what I want to write. She’s full of it.” But I am not. Not when it comes to student writing. I KNOW they have something to say, but they are the ones who have to figure out how to say it. How to write it so it works for them. Sure, I want the darn thing to be organized, but I want it to be interesting to THEM and to the reader(s).

I feel like I am constantly trying to tear down the statue that states, “Writing is punishment.” It’s a statue that’s been built up by students ever since they got a red-inked essay back or got Fs in spelling or didn’t know what a comma was even after weeks of grammar practice worksheets.

I commented to my little sis today during lunch (at Dairy Delight) that I use Facebook a lot more know for getting in contact with people than I do email. Huh. I wonder if email usage is down now due to Facebook & MySpace?

So, in between trying to prepare for the school year (slowly but surely), I am starting to take notes on couches. I am in the market for some new ones. I have the same couch, for instance, that I had while teaching high school in MN 5+ years ago, and it was a freebie… so, therefore, not in the best condition ever. Yep. I am a grown-up now; I need grown-up furniture. Or so I tell myself.

And because I am an English geek, doing all this research is torture. This set is x amount of dollars at this store and it includes a delivery charge of this amount and… yea. Doing math in the summer = not super fun. Thus far, I’ve been impressed with the new store in Fargo, Unclaimed Freight. AND there’s a LazyBoy sectional at Slim’s in Breck with my name on it as well. So, “we’ll see.”

If you head over to the Fargo Forum’s web site, the top story for today is that a gay couple plan to attend Fargo South’s prom. I want to say, “Good for them!” and also give conflicting insights to it… first off, if we want homosexuality to be accepted in our society, we should probably treat stories like this like any other story and perhaps not publicize the heck out of it (plus, what’s going to happen now at the Grand March? I hope nothing!). YET I do appreciate the positve tone of the story. I do appreciate a positive news story more than a negative one.

Lastly, on a food-based note, Burger King has awesome salads! Who knew? I am impressed.