Finally, we have set dates to go to San Francisco. We leave Saturday!

Tell me where to go, what to eat and what to do!

This morning I got up in time for swim class and I absolutely could not bring myself to go. It was a rare instance for me of not being able to summon up the motivation. I stood around for a while agonizing over it, decided it wasn't life-changing and went back to bed. I felt like a new person two hours later.

I blame the fact that I stayed up too late last night watching TV and eating the crumb cake Andy made. Have you ever eaten crumb cake fresh from the oven? Golly.

It reminds me of the time we went to DUB Pies. The guy at the counter was telling a regular about how they don't serve the shepherd's pie straight from the oven because no one would eat it any other way and they can't produce them to order as such. Also, the guy at the counter talked about how only a few months before he'd been living in New Zealand. His mom saw a story about DUB Pies on TV and told him about it. He contacted the owner about getting a job and moved to NYC to work at the bakery!

Is New Zealand really that small?! Sheesh!

Twitter is all a-twitter about Amazon.com stripping a whole boatload of gay and lesbian-related books of their sales rankings because they are "adult."

More info at Jezebel: Why Is Amazon Removing The Sales Rankings From Gay, Lesbian Books?

The impact is that even if you search for the precise titles of one of these books, it won't come up. It's buried in the site somewhere, and that's why the links in the Jezebel story still work.

If you search "homosexuality," you get A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality as the top-ranked book.

I worked out this morning for the first time since... the Friday after Christmas? Yesterday's trip to the gym was aborted because the gym closest to the office is closed for cleaning. Anyway, IT FELT SO GOOD. Damn, it was invigorating. It was worth getting up for the 7:30 bus.

If you're thinking of exercising more (or at all), nothing will convince you better than just doing it. Here are a few things I've learned:

1. Take it easy at first. If you go too hard, you'll hurt yourself. Your routine will be interrupted and your motivation could fizzle.

2. Consult experts. If you have the means, have a trainer design your program. Take books out of the library and check your authors. Do they have formal training in exercise science? Are they a doctor? A physical therapist? Are they trying to sell you something?

3. Start exercising at home and in your neighborhood. Walk or do a walk to jog program, and start strength exercises that only use your own body weight's resistance. Once you trust yourself to keep your routine, THEN spend a chunk of change on the gym or home equipment. Or not! There's a lot you can do on the cheap.

4. Learn to cope with conflicting advice. You have to find what works for you and gets results. 60 minutes? 30 minutes? 15 minutes at a particular heart rate? Don't get frustrated by differing standards of a healthy lifestyle. Just make a decision to follow a program from a reputable source, then follow it.

5. Be consistent. If you don't lose weight this week, don't change to another program next week. If you've consulted an expert (either in person or by reading), you should have found something appropriate for your weight loss needs and fitness level. Keep going.

Keep going!!

In the past two weeks I've loaded a bunch of subscriptions into my Google Reader. It's been awesome. There's so much out there. You can dip your toe into any sort of information and follow it to all its depths an tributaries or just skim the surface. So far I've been reading on the following topics:

- video game theory
- interior design
- blogs of authors I like
- magazines on Tokyo and travel in general
- other travel
- contemporary art
- food (from other places, without recipes)
- food (with recipes, applicable to my actual kitchen)
- politics & feminism

There's got to be more out there. I'm hopeless when it comes to actually checking websites regularly, but with Google Reader doing it for me it's effortless.

I'm not looking to be bowled over by the extraordinary or snicker at passing novelties. I want to feel the pulse of ordinary life lived a million ways. I'll heed Eliot's advice, and not try to do too much.

"If we had a keen vision of all that is ordinary in human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow or the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which is the other side of silence. -George Eliot, Middlemarch.

If you already have a Gmail account, it's easy to start up Google Reader. If not, you can sign up for a Google account and get going.

I revamped my strength training routine, with my trainer's help. FYI, I see a trainer periodically through my employer's wellness program. I don't work out with a trainer regularly.
( Ow. Ow ow ow ow! No, no, it's good pain! )

If you got a message from me with a link to my Obama campaign fundraising page and...

1. you want to donate: Great! Do so with abandon!
2. you cannot donate: Dude, I understand. No pressure from me.
3. you want to be taken off the list: Let me know, I'll be happy to.

If you have been meaning to donate and didn't get a note from me, you can post a comment with your email.

ALL COMMENTS ARE SCREENED. Whatever you tell me about my fundraising page will be between you and me.

The Hammer is not his fists!

Now hear this! Now hear this! Joss Whedon Frees Supervillain Musicals From Corporate Shackles! Flabberghasted Fans Flock to Free Fillion Fracas!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

I'd been meaning to watch it, and caught up tonight. I await the STUNNING CONCLUSION!

John McCain is old and, as several news outlets have reported, he's only getting older. This wouldn't be a problem if his opponent in the general election were equally chronologically gifted. But Barack Obama is one of the youngest Democratic nominees ever. If he won, he'd be the third-youngest U.S. president. The contrast is stark. Standing side-by-side, the two candidates look like a still from Finding Forrester.

So if Obama wins, will McCain say "You're the man now, dog?"

From Slate: McCain's Brain: How might the senator's mind deteriorate over the next eight years?

Pistachio Torrone is breaking my heart with deliciousness. I am telling myself NOT to purchase a 24-pack on Amazon.com...

My mother's a breast cancer survivor, so I'm really concerned about prevention. Cornell released some great information about "environmental estrogens." These are chemicals that come from pollution or occur in plastics and cosmetics. The full article and video are here.

Here's a quick list of ways to reduce your risk, according to the article:

• Avoiding cosmetics and personal-care products with parabens, placenta extracts and benzophenones or other ultraviolet screens that are estrogen mimics.
  
• Avoiding hard-plastic sports bottles that have been scratched or heated (including those left in hot cars or on the beach), because heat and wear and tear can cause estrogenic chemicals to leach out from the plastic into beverages.
  
• Using stainless-steel containers instead.
  
• Never microwaving food or liquids in plastic containers.
  
• Recycling cell phones and other electronic devices and rechargeable batteries to keep estrogenic heavy metals from leaching into the environment.
  
• Using biodegradable detergents that use plant- or vegetable-based surfactants, since these types of ingredients don't form estrogenic chemicals that can contaminate the environment.
  

Obama, Clinton hold talks in Feinstein's living room

I'd be pleased if Clinton ended up on the Obama ticket, but I'm not married to the idea. I don't mind that she hasn't formally conceded yet. I say take a few days to orchestrate an event that will continue the spotlight on Democrats, but now in a positive way. I was on the mall in DC at the March for Women's Lives when Clinton made a short speech calling on people to vote for Kerry. I think we're in MUCH better shape this time around, thank goodness. I think it will be a good thing for Hillary to campaign for Obama. The Republican sleaze machine will be in high gear regardless.

Sloshed hot water on my hand.

Knee feels better, if still extremely stiff.

Still cranky.
Desire to work from home increasing.
Ability to deal with people weakening.
Need to read my book increasing.

This is what a boring day spent in Microsoft Excel does to a person.

7 days working
1 day off
back to work tomorrow
grumble, grumble

Graduation was nerve-wracking. I plan it weeks ahead, but there's a seemingly inevitable 25-minute scramble before the ceremony when everyone is calling my name at once to verify who's sitting where, who's speaking when, who's shaking hands with whom... And then the planning period is over as soon as the ceremony begins. It's like loading up a cart for weeks and then just pushing it downhill. I've done my best at that point, so I can't account for every splinter. It's a big relief to finally let it happen.

I was reminded in my conversations with faculty afterward that I work for very pleasant, easygoing people that appreciate what I do. With that huge weight lifted I went in on Sunday to dole out diplomas, which is a fun enough job. I brought candy, and watched as people just automatically shoved it in their mouths even before getting their diploma. It was comical, and I realized chocolate may not be the best choice even if the diplomas are in sturdy envelopes. The grads were probably starving. It was just before lunch.

It would be nice to have tomorrow off, but there's plenty to be done for the students that haven't graduated yet. It won't quiet down for another 2-3 weeks, but campus will be very quiet. I can even get a good spot to read on my lunch breaks during the summer.

Carrier: Life aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz instantly hooked me. It's so fascinating to see what day-today life is like for those folks. I know next to nothing about military life in general. I could do without the music sometimes (Maroon 5? PBS, please), but otherwise it's great. In some ways there's an enviable cohesion to what they do, and they form really close group relationships. It can be hard to build that kind of camaraderie in civilian life. Then again, civilians can have a lot more day-to-day freedom.

Now this is my kind of church! They were in Ithaca yesterday.

The Reverend Billy Talen and the Stop Shopping Church

I'm less likely to spend money on stuff, but I see no problem with spending money on travel.

There's only one cure for wanderlust, and I've got a terrible case of it!

I met with a trainer this morning to make a workout plan. I'm excited! I'm tweaking what I do now and adding more stuff. Later I may add a 5K training program. If I get a bike, I can probably do intervals with that as well as running.

Between this and my new diet plan, I may just lose some weight!

(But how am I going to keep it all up while writing this paper? I have to be strong!)