Happy Sadie Hawkins Day- NOT

I couldn't let February fly by with just one blog post, so you'll have to bear with my ramblings for the day.

I honestly and truly thought February 29 was Sadie Hawkins Day.

I have no idea where I got that idea from, but for some strange reason, I looked it up today and learned that Feb 29 is *just* leap day. Sadie Hawkins Day is in November.

Who knew?

Not me this morning when I wished Rachel a very Happy Sadie Hawkins Day. She actually knew what Sadie Hawkins Day was. That shouldn't be a surprise to me or anyone that knows her. Rachel collects little factoids like other children collect rocks. She does collect rocks too, but that's another story.

Li'l' Abner, which is were Sadie Hawkins Day comes from, has long been retired as a comic strip. Even worse, I'm afraid the musical version has faded into obscurity. When's the last time your high school or community theater put on their version of Li'l' Abner? 1981? I think that's when my high school did it. I'm betting most of you never even knew it was a musical at all. I have to admit the musical was on Broadway well before I was even born. I just happened to grow up in a house where the soundtrack was musical theater. We listed to Li'l' Abner, Shenandoah, 1776, Fiddler on the Roof, Brigadoon, and of course, Fiorello, which was not just a musical but my parents' first date. I can still picture the cast album to Li'l' Abner. I have no idea if it survived our childhood though. No idea where those albums, actual vinyl record albums, are anymore.

Still, without the album at hand, I was able to introduce Rachel to the sounds of "It's a Typical Day" and "I'm Past My Prime," the only songs I could remember from the show. It's funny how these things float back into your mind. As the day has gone on, I've been able to add more verses and even more songs like "Put 'Em Back" and bits of "Julibation T. Cornpone." Too funny. I think I'm revisiting my childhood bit by bit. All this dance may be opening up parts of my brain that have been in storage for far too long.

Speaking of dance, I tried a jazz/hip-hop class today. I should say, I tried a class called jazz/hip-hop today. There was certainly no hip-hop to speak of and not any jazz either. I saw an ad in the local paper offering a class for moms. I thought it was perfect because I am, afterall, a mom. I was even a little nervous because it said hip-hop and goodness knows I've never done a step of hip-hop in my life. No need to worry. LOL. It was more like a glorified aerobic class. I suspect the sweet gal who taught the class has more training in cheerleading than dance. Or something other than dance. I'm not sure what. If you've ever watched Nigel on "So You Think You Can Dance" comment on the sad state of dance instruction in the US, you understand.

I know, I know. I am a total dance snob. This goes beyond that, though. The flooring wasn't good. It was slippery and wooden. A dance studio today should have sprung floors. It's a safety issue. Sadly, I suspect I won't be going back to this studio. Onward and upward!

Another little happy dance

Miss me?

I just haven't had much to say lately. Life goes on.

I've been working on the ever slow weight loss process. It's frustratingly slow. Especially when I watch the Biggest Loser (as I did this morning courtesy of TIVO) and see these folks with massive weight loss each week. I know it's not a realistic situation and I know at my weight, I'll never see those numbers. Even worse, being on tamoxifen, it is a constant battle to simply maintain my weight. Not sure I'm going to hit my goal this month, but it should be close. You'd think with a 2 lb goal, it wouldn't be such a big deal. Didn't get to ballet today because Rachel is ill and home from school. Tried pushing myself in the gym instead. Not the same but it's better than sitting around.

On the other hand, one of the primary reasons I have been working so hard on diet and exercise is for my overall health. I've been on medication for my lipids (aka cholesterol and triglycerides) for 9 months now. Just got my 3 month supply for a mere $125 that would bring it to a year. I also just got my recent blood test results.

NORMAL
100% totally normal!!!!!

I have to say I was totally blown away by those results. I had been concerned about "cheating." I love my carbs far too much. Giving up red meat was not hard at all. But carbs... they are my friend. Especially simple sugars. I've already gone to whole grain breads and pastas and greatly limited even those but I admit I am a sucker for a few Hershey kisses, cookies, or a few jelly beans. I should explain further. After 3 months on the medication, my cholesterol was normal, but the triglycerides were still a hair over the line. My cholesterol is now at the bottom of the normal range at 125! And my triglycerides are squarely in the midst of the normal range at 100.

I can't take all the credit. I do have to admit it probably wasn't just all diet, exercise, medication, and fish oil supplements that did this. I suspect a portion of the credit might go to tamoxifen as well. I've been on that for almost a year now. Tamoxifen is known for a having a positive effect on the lipid profile in most women. So, I'll tip my hat to tamoxifen too.

My tumor markers are normal too, as is everything else. It's funny. Having normal blood work is something I very definitely took for granted in the past. Today, it's all extraordinary phenomenal news in my book!

Going to celebrate with a jelly bean or two or three. :P