50th

Apparently there is a tradition to post 100 things about yourself for your 100th blog post. I don't like to break with tradition, but I do like to bend it a bit. So to keep the 100th post from being too long (and because I'm such a slow blogger), I will post 50 things about myself for the 50th blog post and 50 more for the 100th.

Here goes...

1. I have a BA in English from the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN, USA.
2. In high school I decided to go to college to be an English teacher because I thought it was the most practical way to take creative writing classes while finishing with qualifications for a paying job after 4 years.
3. I was wrong. I took only one creative writing class at college, and that was after I gave up on my education minor.
4. I wanted to be a novelist... still do.
   
5. I used to write poetry.
6. I still write letters to people using paper, ink, and a stamp.
7. I have a creative desire that usually means I make art which follows a pattern or is heavily influenced by another artist's designs.
   
8. I like to design cards using computer graphics.
9. Digital scrapbooking is my newest hobby, but I have been creating pages for a few years now.
10. My best friend's kids are my favorite scrapbooking subjects.
    
11. I also dabble at calligraphy, knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, card making, photography and writing.
12. I'm on the verge of being 30, but I feel older thinking about being married for nearly 8 years than thinking about turning 30.
13. I've always wanted to go to Norway in the wintertime.
14. I like to play memory and trivia games.
15. I was voted most likely to become a nun in high school.
16. My favorite month is November, although October comes a close second.
17. My favorite color is orange; however, most bright colors make me happy.
18. People often ask what I miss the most from my American home, apart from specific people I miss the Dairy Queen and lefse most.
19. My little brother and I were so jealous when our older brother started taking piano lessons that we used to pull our mom's piano music out and pretend to play until she told us to stop, which was pretty quick.
    
20. I took piano lessons for 12 years but don't like to let anyone hear me play.
21. I've also learned to play the trumpet, the recorder and acoustic guitar.
22. I've been thinking of taking piano lessons again when I finish my Masters.
23. I share responsibility for two cats with my husband.
24. Both our cats are rescue cats and had different names when we adopted them which we changed.
25. Owen, about 9 years old and male, was called Dirty Den at the shelter. Dirty Den was the name of a character on the popular East Enders who was returning to the show when Owen arrived at the shelter.
26. Maegan, a 4 year old female, was previously called Janice.
27. We chose Welsh names for the cats because we thought it was a suitable theme, and we hated their given names.
28. My Mom had to find lots of ways to cook zucchini when I was growing up because we grew it in our family vegetable garden but never picked it when it was small.
29. Because of this my favorite ways to eat zucchini are still in muffins or in chocolate cake.
30. Neil and I now grow our own zucchini, but we pick it small as it is much tastier like that.
31. I grow one fruit large so we can make a chocolate cake or some muffins.
    
32. I grow pumpkins every year.
33. I insist on growing peas in our garden just so I can eat them straight from the pod. Neil doesn't really like peas so he doesn't mind if I don't pick them to share.
    
34. I don't eat these home-grown pumpkins, instead we carve them and set them on fire.
35. I have nearly as many containers of decorations for Halloween as I do for Christmas.
36. I have a silly addiction to 80s films, those starring Molly Ringwald in particular.
37. I have a huge problem suspending my disbelief in order to watch action films, some sci-fi, and dramas/comedies that are set in the "real world" but disregard the laws of science.
38. I've noticed that I cry more when watching TV than I ever used to, especially when watching Extreme make-over home edition.
39. I'm apparently a sucker for happy endings.
40. When it comes to alcohol I'm a light weight.
41. I've never been more than lightly drunk. I despise the idea of being so drunk I can't remember what I've done.
42. I spend too much time on the computer.
43. I don't spend enough time cleaning my house.
44. I'd like to find a recommended recipe for broccoli and Stilton soup.
45. A part of me wishes that I'd kept my maiden name instead of taking my husband's.
46. I am extremely out of practice at cooking because Neil does most of it.
47. I am a foodie and not ashamed to admit it. There's nothing wrong with enjoying something you have to do often (ie. eat).
48. I used to have a principle that I would try anything (as far as food is concerned) once, but recently I've adopted a theory that I should try things three times just in case it was the circumstances that were the problem instead of the ingredients.
49. I did not enjoy the last book I read all the way through, it was "Walking on glass" by Ian Banks and I do not recommend it.
50. If I were to buy a car it would be an orange Mini, a Smart Roadster, or a Nissan Figaro. But I don't want to own car for reasons that will be explained in future post.

Now, if you want to know more you need to ask or wait for post 100.

Do it right, do it hard

The title of this post is the mantra of my new workout coach. I can't say that I appreciate the mantra, but I can appreciate that Nintendo has tried to make her, Maya, as real as possible.

That's right, my new workout coach isn't real, she's part of a Wii "game". About a year ago Neil and I purchased the Wii Fit package to encourage our desires to lose weight and get fit. It's fun and challenging at times, but it's not enough of a workout for me. It's too clunky by making you choose each exercise, and although it makes me sweat, I don't feel like it's doing enough. So recently I purchased My Fitness Coach for the Wii... I finally started the program yesterday... I'm soar today. I think this is good although painful.

I promised my Mom and sister-in-law a review once I finally used it, so here goes: I give it 4 stars for now. This "game" is envigorating and asks regularly if the workout is actually challenging, too much or not enough so that it can adjust future workouts. You can set a schedule and choose different types of workouts depending on what you want to work on. It also incorporates equipment like a workout ball or weights if you have them, and more importantly leaves them out if you don't. I have nothing more than a yoga matt so I don't know how well Maya works the equipment into a workout. I've tried a 15 minute flexibility workout and a 30 minute core workout so far, which have both been good... but the music sucks. I seem to need more space than I have for bouncing around in the warmup, but that's because I have awkardly shaped rooms. It's not gentle exercise, which is what I prefer in a workout. The yoga workout might be a little more gentle though.

Unlike the Wii Fit this game doesn't take statistics (like weight) with every use, so I'll have to wait a little before I know what improvements it's helped me make. I think this is a good thing because weight fluctuates a lot within a day, which means daily readings can be a somewhat inaccurate picture. My Fitness coach also takes more statistics, such as bicep, chest, waist, hip and thigh measurements. Watch this space because I'll get back to you about the improvements.

If you're interested, I found a couple of these reviews helpful when I was deciding about my purchase:
IGN
Journey Fitness Online
viewpoints
metacritic
And don't forget the reviews at Amazon which are pretty useful too.