halloooooo and happy new year! had fun last night - rang in the new year at Jack's Tavern in Belmar.

HERE ARE MORE PHOTOS...

and i was testing out my new Flip video camera... the picture looks clear on the camera itself, but, it's a little pixellated when it's blown up...

so, i woke up at 8am, sans hangover --- only had 5 gin & tonics between 7:30pm and 1:30am --- and headed home (i stayed at Fran's)

I've been sitting on the couch watching the Biggest Loser Australia Marathon (on Fox Reality) and around 12 noon, I got dressed to go to the gym.

I went to the gym and.... IT WAS CLOSED!!! what frigging gym is closed on New Year's Day!!!??

Oh well, i have a training session tomorrow morning anyway.

In any event - hope your New Year's Festivities were fantastico!!!!

okay... not yet. but, they FEEL like they're shaping up.

yesterday i had my 5th personal training session with Tara and she kicked my ass. (at one point i had to throw the medicine ball to her and it MAY have grazed her head by MISTAKE.)

i actually got up to 17 minutes on the elliptical!! woo!!! not for nothing, but, i've been trying to make these "mini goals" with the elliptical. seeing as a couple of weeks ago i nearly died at 4 minutes on that thing.

so i've been writing these little notes like "GOAL: do 16 min on elliptical." and then i did 17 minutes. i pretty much try to increase my goal by 30 seconds more than my last session. and i have been finding that i surpass that usually.

I'm trying to get to 20 minutes on the elliptical by this sunday. we'll see.

OH!!!! and i just found out that the gym/locker room has a sauna!!!! sweeeeeeeeet.... or should i say "SWEAAAAAAT!"

i'm going to head over there in a little while. mainly going to do cardio today because i have another personal training session tomorrow morning.

i asked what the rates are for more training session / packages.

for 10 sessions it's $700

for 20 sessions it's $1300 ($450 down and then you have 3 weeks to pay the rest)

for 30 sessions it's $1800 ($600 down and you get 4 weeks to pay it off)

------

personally, i want to get the 30 sessions. because if you LOOK AT MY WEIGHT LOSS SPREADSHEET you'll see that i have 25 weeks 'til my 20th reunion

if i bought the 30 pack (which i can't afford.) i could do 2 sessions a week for 15 weeks

if i did the 20 pack... i could definitely do 1 session a week for 20 weeks (i can't really afford the $1300 either... )

if i did the 10 pack i'd probably do 2 sessions a week... that'd last 5 weeks - that would take me 'til mid-February and I might be able to see if I could buy more (it's not really a good deal if i keep buying the 10 pack because if i wound up buying it 3 times it'd be $300 extra bucks.

then again, maybe i should do the 10 pack because, while i like my trainer, i might not want to be stuck with her (she's good, but, she does seem a little timid about pushing me... dammit, i think i've been watching the Biggest Loser too much.... it's not that I want to be crippled after working out and she DOES beat the shit out of me --- re: the medicine ball being thrown at me whilst i was stepping up and down on the, well, stepper thing - that was horrible.)

i've gotta figure out my finances (the fact that I "won" down in atlantic city last week was moot because i pretty much covered what gigglemom lost down there and then i paid overdue bills for the house. which sucked. when i hit for the cash I'd envisioned getting the personal training sessions... okay how effed up is THAT? "i envisioned getting personal training sessions" --- that's insane.)

anyhooooo...

i've gotta get my sweats on to get up to 17:30 on the elliptical and do about 40 on the treadmill... and gather a towel and flip flops together to go check out the sauna

(it's 14 bloody degrees outside. yay!)

did 17:30 minutes on the elliptical!! woo!

walked 1 mile on the treadmill in 15:45 minutes. (part uphill. most of the time at 3.8 - 4.2 mph)

then i tried the sauna.

felt like i was in there for 45 minutes. turned out i was in it for 15.

i've come to the conclusion... saunas are frigging hot.

i must tell you that i have NEVER heard a journalist EVER be so biased towards a presidential contender than Chris Matthews with his love of Barack Obama.

I mean, i love chris matthews and all, but, i am getting frigging PISSED at how it's "the obamas are so stylish" and "it's as if barack was delivered to us through indonesia" and just praising him to high hilt, and then any time he can talk poorly about Hillary Clinton he just does (and then says she's a nice person... but the damage is already done.)

just has been irking me lately.

okay, it's a "good" pain... i guess. it's the kind where you know something's working.

first i did 18:00 minutes on the elliptical (up 30 seconds from yesterday) - 2290 strides (which is 1.13 miles)

then was on the treadmill before i had my training session. did 1 mile in 15:45 minutes

then it was off to the session with Tara and i did some crazy stuff (not going to list it all right now...)

i WILL list the one thing that is EVIL... BUUUUUUT, i know it has to be one of the major reasons why my arms are like "what the eff did you do? don't you like the matronly arm fat we've been working on for 10 years?"

BEHOLD THE BENCH DIP:

i did 3 sets of 12 (yes. that's 36 of 'em) -- i did those whilst alternating them with Inclining Chest Flyes

*** note: that's definitely not me in that bench dip photo.

okay... you should probably watch the OTHER clips of The Maria Bamford Show series on SuperDeluxe before this one (even though this one holds up on it's own too!)

[note from GC: have I mentioned in the past week that I'm her web designer???]

so, i've not had time to update my company site - basically, i've had just plain text on the thing.

it's still not "updated" - but i made it a little more colorful and have some images of my clients

go visit: http://gigglechickinteractive.com/

(and where you see that I've created the layout for a myspace account, add that comedian as a friend, please!!!)

might i suggest you watch the movie Frances.

i haven't watched it in years - it's actually awesome and Jessica Lange fricking rocks in it.

sitting here wishing i had alcohol to do a shot whenever 9/11 is mentioned during the republican debate.

now, i'm an independent - so i like to hear every crazy candidate... of course, i do lean left a little more often (y'all probably realize this)

so far, and this might scare some of y'all... IF IF IF i were forced to pick from one of these clowns... i'd go with Huckabee. He actually sounds sane and he does have the good zingers.

Ron Paul is also catching my eye (not like in "ooooooh, lookit him!" but as in "hmmmm... that's true.")

crap... just got an email that i've gotta do some work work.

well... over the past 6 months, i've given $$$ to 2 of the candidates on the panel tonight. (it had been 3, but Biden dropped out)

I want my money back from one of them up there tonight.

Frigging Edwards. not for nothing, i think that he's totally kissing Barack's ass so that he's tapped for ANOTHER Vice Presidential candidacy. Clinton was backing Edwards earlier in the debate and then he totally turned on her with his buddy Barack and their "change" bullshit... and the "status quo" rhetoric/drivel that he's been yapping about. Not to mention that he said "Senator Obama and I came in First and seond respectively" (in the Iowa caucus) ---- dude, you farking tanked compared to obama -- and were only a few points over Senator Clinton. Jeezuz.

I want Hillary to tear Barack a new arse.

Richardson, who rarely gets a chance to speak, is a good egg and I'd like to see him be Clinton's VP runningmate.

As far as ABC... what the hell's up with their playing of news clips?!?! come on with that.

And Charlie Gibson, what the hay!? Why are you letting Obama speak for 3 minutes at a clip and yet when Richardson starts to speak you barely give him 30 seconds??!!?

--- oh nice. scott spradling the fella asking Qs in the last half just said to her "one couldn't help but notice that you were being double-teamed earlier".

and she's right... SHE would be a change. A woman in the white house. yes. that WILL BE A CHANGE - FOR THE BETTER. sure, barack can say he'd be the first african-american in the white house, that's all well and good too, but, not for nothing, I have a uterus and I want my president to have one as well.

oh yeah, so i went to the gym today...
might i add that my legs were SCREAMING at me this morning...

tara (the personal trainer) had me sweating like a freak on friday... and there was this lower body move that was pretty challenging...

i love it when people comment on my site after reading 2 posts or whatever and have no clue as to what the eff my life is about, but feel they need to chime in.

FYI. i am living my life.

CLICK HERE for why i am peeved.

well, my dad and stepmother are sick (dad caught the cold monday of last week and karen caught it over the weekend.)

so, i went to the food store this evening and bought the makings for Chicken Dumpling Soup. (it cures cancer - i'm pretty sure.)

so i made a VAT of it... bringing a small bucket over to dad's - but before that i'm going to drop a bucket off at my aunt ann's (she's 78 and lives by herself on her farm. she's awesome.) Going to Aunt Ann's before that because i don't want her to catch dad's cold.

so i'm going to the be the Soup Fairy tomorrow and bring that stuff

and heck yeah, i'm keeping a bucket for gigglemom and me!!

[AS FAR AS POSTING THE RECIPE... sorry, but, it's a verrrrrrry old family recipe that i cannot divulge. i even just asked gigglemom what her thoughts were about letting it be known and she said "no."]

so far, only 64% of NH results are in, so, like a baseball team not wanting to talk to a pitcher who's throwing a no-hitter, i won't speak of *******

yet.

BUT, Edwards is doing his concession speech...

um... I have a bone to pick.. and maybe it's because I've been following this campaign CLOSELY...

dude... can you come up with some different frigging stories?

I KNOW about the girl who needed the liver transplant and whose parents picketed and the insurance company FINALLY gave in only to have the girl die a few hours after the ins. co. gave the go-ahead.

I KNOW about the story of the 50 year old fella who couldn't speak because he had a cleft palate.

I KNOW about the soldiers who live under bridges.

these are the THREE anecdotes that you KEEP BRINGING UP OVER AND FRIGGING OVER.

get some new material.

Hillary!!!!

The NH Projected Winner!!!

(TAKE THAT CHRIS MATTHEWS!!!!)

... feel free to jump on the bandwagon with me **stretching my arm out to grab your hand** CLICK HERE

so, i got to the gym for what i thought was my last personal training session... as it turns out, i have one left (so i'm doing that one on friday)

i haven't been to the gym since saturday... when i did 20 minutes on the elliptical.

so, i set a goal for myself to just do 16 minutes on it before moving on to the treadmill and then the PT session.

anyway, i wound up staying on the elliptical for 30 MINUTES (that's 30:00)

i didn't do the treadmill --- and the elliptical has those handlebars that you work the upper body with for a "total body workout"

i did 3756 strides (2.25 miles) on the elliptical in that time. (burned 239 calories)

then i did an hour of weight training and ab work... killer.

free motion squat row | 20lbs | 3 sets | 12 reps

side raise cable & front raise dumbbell | 10lb cable/5lb dumbbell | 3 sets | 12/12//10 reps each side

side squats with rubber band around ankles | 3 sets | 12 reps

biaxial chest press | 30 lbs | 3 sets | 12 reps

outside ankle med. ball abs | 4lbs | 3 sets | 10 reps each side

oblique leg pull-in abs | 3 sets | 12 reps each side

skull crushers (chest flyes/tricep ext. | 5 lbs | 3 sets | 12 reps

step punch / 12" platform | 2.5lbs | 3 sets | 12 reps each leg

bosu ab crunch | 2 sets | 12 reps

superman/limb lift | 2 sets | 12 reps & 30 second hold

that's what i did.

just ate a banana... not really hungry (at the moment, i don't think that i could lift up a fork.)

that's right. on the elliptical this morning. only did cardio today.

beat yesterday's "score" by 30 seconds

today:
30:30min | 3951 strides | 2.33 miles | 250.1 calories

yesterday:
30:00min | 3756 strides | 2.25 miles | 239 calories

so take THAT, fat.

just got back from Tara beating the shit out of me.

Tara's my trainer.

first, i did 20 minutes of cardio on my own.

Elliptical:

20:00 min | 2794 strides | 1.59 miles | 142 stride per minute avg | 175.9 calories

then she took over and i had an hour of weight training.

so far as of this morning i am 204.9 so, i am down exactly 6 pounds since December 10.

(you can follow my progress here --- if you have nothing else to do :}

seriously, SOMETHING HAS TO BE WRONG...

i just came back from the gym where I did 20 minutes on the elliptical

oh, do you think I'm repeating the info from my previous entry?

think again.

what the hell??!!

so, i got a bee in my bonnet about an hour ago that I wanted to GO BACK AND DO MORE CARDIO at the gym

this isn't the thought of a sane person, is it?

since I only did 20 minutes this morning (before doing an hour of vigorous weight training) on the elliptical, i felt like i needed to do more.

yeah. so... here are the AFTERNOON CARDIO STATS on the elliptical:

20:00 min | 2808 strides | 1.60 miles | 148 stride per minute avg | 176.5 calories

as you can see, they are similar to my morning elliptical workout... a millimeter better actually. oh and when I just weighed myself I was 204.6 (no worries... this isn't the start of anorexia or anything... although, would it kill me to have that for a couple of months??? hah.)

wow --- so, yeah, i worked out with the cardio and weight training yesterday morning and then the 20 minutes of cardio in the afternoon...

and i ate like a freak yesterday - okay, not so much a "freak" --- but I ate a lot it seemed, yet stayed within my calorie target (1370 is my max... i did 1340 yesterday.)

yesterday morning i was 204.9

this morning, when i woke up - i was 203.4

down 1.5 pounds! [click]

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

i am toying with going to the gym today...

i have to take Beri to the spa at 9:30 (okay, it's the groomer, but, I either call it the dog cleaner or the spa so it sounds like more fun to her.)

then i had thoughts of cleaning my room (i need to do this one website, but my room is cluttering my mind, so i am thinking of tackling part of it and tossing out a lot of old crapola that i don't need or wear anymore. I just have to let go of memories and not think that some inanimate objects have feelings. yes. i know. it's strange, but, i know i'm not the only one out there who feels guilty for throwing out an old shirt that has been with you for years, or a nail wrapped in a bottle cap that was given to me by an ex-boyfriend at some bar 12 years ago... yeah, i should probably let that one go... it's taking up space in my jewelry box.)

anyway... i also have to drag laundry to the fluff & fold fella

the gym closes at 7pm (actually, i thought it closed at 4pm, but i just checked... it closes on sundays at 4, saturdays at 7. the rest of the week it's open 'til 11pm)

so, i'm going to see how much headway i make with the room and purging stuff from my house today (at least i can keep the front door open as i carry stuff out to the dumpster (i live in a condo complex... we have dumpsters)

if i'm feeling like i still have some energy left in me by 5:30, i'll head over to Workout World and hop on Ye Ol' Elliptical.

I've gotta go throw the laundry in some bags and load 'em in the car & get dressed (probably in reverse order... my flannel Christmas pajama bottoms are nice and all, but, I may as well throw 'em in with the dirty clothes.)

maybe i'll even *gasp* take a shower... later.

hot diggity!!!

i watched (actually there are about 15 minutes left)

so far, Clinton is doing great --- of course, i've been reading some blogs out there that seem to want to say that Hillary thinks that a woman has less of a chance of being elected than a black man.

i just adore the way some "people" create their own translations. seriously.

so anywayyyyyy....

was up late doing the room cleaning thing last night.

it's nowhere near done... but, i DID throw out a ton of stuff. See, I had boxes of old t-shirts and clothes. Yeah, some of you might be saying "you should've given it to Goodwill" ---- actually, I gave about 8 garbage bags filled with decent clothes to goodwill last memorial day. Those were the good ones. This stuff was just shirts that I haven't looked at since BEFORE i moved back from Jersey City in 2003.

hmmmmm... so, back in 2002, i raised over $2500 (via friends, family and mostly via this blog - as well as the site i'd set up years ago "save-the-girls.com") for the Susan G. Komen / AVON 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk

That year, while I raised the cash, I never wound up walking it because of a lot of weird things going on with Pallotta Teamworks which had been in charge of running the events.

haven't been to the gym since friday's 2nd elliptical workout.

been working, been cleaning, been dragging gigglemom to doctor, been watching teevee.

been fending off a slight sore throat.

will get back there tomorrow.

okay, i haven't been to the gym since friday.

those 3 jackasses DID taunt the tiger on Christmas - as it turns out.

and now there's a dead tiger... and one less asshole in the world.

the two pathetic excuses for survivors need to have some sort of charges brought up against them in my opinion.

nice of the three of them to be high on pot and vodka (and god knows what else) and standing on the railing taunting the tiger.

ever have a headache so bad it makes you nauseous and ya' throw up?

yeah. that just happened.

yay.

i think it's a combo of having a head cold for the past few days, not working out, yet, still eating... actually i ate wayyyyyyyyyyy too much tonight (pizza) and then throw in The Friend who's about to make an appearance...

blargh. i feel a lot better now though. weird.

of course, at the moment i'm downing a glass of cherry flavoured alka seltzer cold meds

i have to get up early to head to the city with my godsister and her daughter --- we're going to see Mary Poppins (the Musical)

i'll be fine... it was probably all the sodium from the pizza combined with the bloating that was already happening with me... felt like my head was about to explode... guess only my stomach did

went to see Mary Poppins, The Musical up in nyc yesterday. went with my godsister Lori and her daughter Jenna.

Let me tell you this... I've not been a huge fan of kids i guess... i mean i like them, and i get along with 'em but i usually run home to take my anti-baby vitamins as soon as i can.

i gotta tell ya' that Jenna is the coolest kid - she's 5.

I think that the only way that my mom would have a chance at being a grandmother is to have me hang out with Jenna so that I want to have a kid. (well, that and i've gotta find a guy and get married first.)

but seriously, she frickin' rocks.

polite as heck, witty and funny --- like SERIOUSLY funny.

i dunno... i'm sounding like a freak, but, really knowing that there are kids out there like Jenna... makes me want to have a kid (not at the moment, but, when the time comes. like, really, for the past few years i've been toying with the "there's no way in hell i'll want to have a kid...")

yeah yeah... i sound all mushy. don't i?

kids are actually cool...

i forgot to take my ABVs today.

oh so i didn't head to the gym today.

it's okay. i'm climbing back on the horse. i'm not beating myself up over not going at all this week.

hell. i had the period (for about 12 minutes. really. the ABVs i'm on really cut the friend's stay short.) alas, i get PMS like nobody's business i---

FARRRRRK... green bay just scored (watching the giants/packers game. am rooting for Big Blue. my Pats are already heading to the superbowl)

anyway... so, The Friend, The Cold, The Work and The Couch have all contributed to my not heading to the gym this week and i'm okay with it. Hopping back on the horse tomorrow.

Of course, I haven't weighed myself in a few days - till today, i think i was 206. Which isn't as horrible as things could've been. Then again, i DID just have potato chips and dip (it's okay. i finished 'em so they aren't in the house anymore.)

No idea why i ate 'em except for the fact that football was on.

I've been feeling punky all day. I think I ate a funky tamale last night at Chevy's in nyc. (it was close to the car and they had chicken nuggets for jenna...)

anyhooooooooo... let's just say I'm glad that i'd bought the 12-pack of Scott toilet paper (yes. that's my brand. I know it's not as plush and cushy as Charmin or Cottonelle, but I like the fact that it doesn't run out in 4 minutes like those brands do. Plus, i absolutely despise those frigging Charmin bears. We get it... "does a bear shit in the woods?" we get it. )

so, i've been working on and off today and running back and forth to my favourite room in the house.

i just didn't think that with the lower hemisphere of my body being on the fritz that i'd be having a keen workout at the gym.

Well, I am whoring for others at the moment (basically, those who i've designed sites for)

yeah... it's that Comedy Central Stand Up Showdown...

Go vote for my boy Tom Papa (he's under L-Q section) - get him into the Top 20

and keep Maria Bamford and Jim Gaffigan in the Top 20... it's the last week, so vote every day.

oh how i wish this were true.

i was watching the republican debates tonight...

i wish i had a photo of this but what the hell was up with Rudy Giuliani and baring his teeth!?

he must've done it about 6 or more times during the debate.

it was like a sneer and an evil smile, yet, not. it was BARING OF HIS TEETH.

anyone else catch this... or have a photo!?

okay, i was watching Comedy Central (former client of mine, Hard n' Phirm, had a Comedy Central Presents special)

anyhoooooo...

whilst watching, there was a commercial on the teevee for Detox Foot Pads.

blech.

apparently, it "draws" the toxins out of your body through your feet.

seriously?

i'm horrified by this... yet, strangely enough, want to buy them (i'm not.)

Kinoki Detox Foot Pads... they're no Tater Mitts, i'll tell you that!

haven't been to the gym since i think Friday the 11th went I went balls to the wall crazy and did 2 workouts in one day.

I think my body said "WHOA! what the fark, GC!!!?!?! What do you think you're trying to pull here!?"

and then proceeded to shut down by pulling some sort of trick of it's own called The 2 Week Head Cold

anyhoooooooo... i mustered up enough energy to get my ass to the gym today for the first time since then

i only did cardio and a teeeeeeny amount of ab/core work

Elliptical:
20 minutes
2821 strides
1.52 miles
148 strides per minute average
163 calories

and then I did 40 ab/medicine ball twists with a 6lb med ball (standing up)

did 2 sets of limb lifts (10 lifts/ 2 secs each then followed by a 30 second lift)

and some ab work on the floor. i'm calling it the ab twist alt crunch wth 2 lb medicine ball (did 1 set of 12 reps)

so, yeah, i've gotta get back on the horse here. actually, on wednesday night my trainer called to see if i've been at the gym - she'd left a message saying that she hadn't seen me there.

which is good and it guited me into going... of course, it took me a few days to get the gumption up.

but i feel good now.

tomorrow i have to go, of course, i also have a parade meeting at 1pm followed by one of the parade fundraisers from 2 - 6pm

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THINGS... i am now 201.5 pounds!!!

**click**

heading to the belmar parade fundraiser at Bar A in belmar --- starts at 2pm, but the committee has a meeting at 1pm. picking my friend jude up and heading over there.

just got back from the gym... figured that if i headed there, i would have more incentive NOT to drink any beer today.

what i did....

Elliptical
21:00 minutes
1.71 miles
3045 strides
158 avg stride per minute
190.2 calories

then did 50 medicine backk abdominal twists (50 on each side that is.)

3 sets of 12 reps | classic ab crunches

plank: one 30 second and one 20 second one

limb lifts: 10 quick ones and one 30 second one.

so, that's what i've been up to and will be up to today.

OH!!! WATCH COMEDY CENTRAL TODAY!!!

Jim should be coming in 8th and Maria Bamford should be coming in 16th

so, her CC Presents special SHOULD air around 2pm eastern (but just keep your eyes peeled) and Jim's should be around 6pm-ish

let me know what ranking they're given since I won't be home!!!!!

so i went to the fundraiser and DID have 2 beers.

plus i was walking around constantly for 4 hours, selling 50/50s and taking photos for hte site (actually now that i think about it, i didn't sit down at all... well except for 10 minutes to have some ziti and chicken.)

had a good time. saw folks i hadn't seen for a while...

oh... and according to this article... i should be drinking alcohol more.

crap. after watching Barack Obama accepting the endorsements of Ted, Patrick and Caroline Kennedy...

he got me.

dammit.

he swayed me.

as much as i want to vote for Hillary.

i think i'm going for Obama.

i don't know.

this is heartbreaking. i really want to have Hillary in the White House. I want to see a woman as the President of the United States.

but, dammit, i think i'm voting Obama.... OR at least, for Obama's speechwriter.

that kid's good.

[ i'll most likely be back to voting for hillary by wednesday. ]

and now, i am back to voting for Hillary.
What the eff childish, high school-esque bull is this that Obama is pulling?

Hillary went over to Teddy Kennedy and shook his hand (hellooooo! good sport!!!!) and Obama turned away and didn't even acknowledge her.

what a dick. yes. i said Dick.

I thought they both did really well!!!

(of course, i'm still voting for Hillary Clinton!!)

i felt like a dolt yesterday when i went to the gas station. i pulled up with the passenger side closest to the pump.

the attendant rapped on my window and said "wrong side!"

below is the KIA ad that is similar to my experience --- it's happened to me a few times over the past few years that i've had Phooka (for those not in the know, Phooka [pronounced poo-kah] is my kick arse 2005 British Racing Green Mini Cooper Convertible)

see, i haven't had to fill my tank in about 3 and a half weeks. that's normal for me. i fill it with Super and on average a full tank ranges between $39 - 43.00

soooooo.. yeah, i can relate to the commercial below... only, i love my Mini Cooper!!