First ramblings

Earlier this week I took the momentous step of starting a blog. However, it was on another site, one that requires registration so I could not include all my friends without getting them to sign up as members of the site. This seemed pointless and ridiculous so I made a decision to seek out a free, no membership required site to host this blog. My first post on that other site was one I want to keep and share so I am going to copy and post it here so it is a part of this blog.

As posted on January 19th to that other blog:

My beginning ramble
mood: contemplativeI have never been a journal writer. I always wondered how people could find enough words to fill a blog or a diary. So what drew me to LiveJournal? Truthfully I am not really sure. I guess I just decided to see if I could really do it. Can I find enough interesting things to type about? Probably not but my ramblings are my own. Others are welcome to read as much as they can stomach but this is simply and expressly for me and nobody else.I have discovered that I feel the need sometimes to just write it out. With that in mind I started this fun little blog to ramble on about whatever comes to mind. Today's ramblings revolve around weight loss and Weight Watchers. A friend on Dotties Weight Loss Zone asked a question to get us all thinking. She asked how we stop sliding backward on our good habits when we notice this happening. I rattled off an answer to her about how I have not found an answer to this problem as I am still sliding, which I am. However, as I think more on the question I wonder, is this really the whole truth? Because the fact is I have put a stop to my slide but I have not made any forward progress. Why? Oh that is simple. I am "skating" as the flylady would say. I am doing just enough to get by without really tackling the issues that are before me. I do some exercise, I sort of watch what I am eating and make a token effort to get my water in each day but I am not REALLY working the program. I am not journaling, diligently drinking all my water, getting all my fruits, vegetables or healthy oils. As a matter of fact, I am not even doing the most basic thing, eating breakfast. So am I helping myself? Sure I am. I am staying heavy. I am allowing myself to not work the program and lamenting the fact that the program is not working for me. Now I am aware. I have considered this issue thoughout the day. I will continue to consider it as I work on what I am doing right. I am starting to exercise on a more regular basis, I have cut back on the soda consumption in my diet, I am making more conscious food choices. I am aware. That is a step in the right direction.

And a post from January 20th as well:

Basketball Saturday
mood: tiredToday was all about basketball. It should have been about bunnies and basketball but the bunny field day got forgotten about until it was too late to attend so it is just basketball Saturday. First up was my daughter's game. She is a 5th grader and is playing on a recreational team. I try to stay positive because while she is supposed to be learning the skills necessary to go on to play more competetive ball, it really is just for fun. However, I get so frustrated sometimes with other parents and the volunteer refs. The parents because they are so hard on their kids and the refs because they do not make the calls that need to be made to teach the kids what is and is not acceptable within the rules of the game. I too tend to be hard on my daughter if I feel she is not living up to her committment to the team by not working hard enough or hustling when she should be but I do save the critical comments until we are in private. It makes me sad to see and hear other parents berating their kids in front of others. Now on the issue of refs.... I admit to being critical of refereeing in general. I watch a lot of college sports and feel that the refereeing in general is not what it should be. However, it is worse at this age when the kids are supposed to be learning. The ref we had today is one we have had in the past and he is so inconsistent. He will let things go and go and go and then make a call that makes no sense. In the end, despite playing well and working hard, DD's team lost by 5 points.After finishing up in the gym, we headed out to watch our favorite college team, the Oregon State Beavers, do battle on the hardwood. It was a fun, boisterous game with absolutely lousy refing, see the reference above regarding my opinion on referees in general, and the guys ended up adding another to the loss column. It is disappointing as a fan to see loss after loss after loss particularly at home but really I should be used to it considering the fact that we had 28 YEARS of losing seasons with our football team, a memory that still stings in spite of recent success. I certainly hope that our basketball program, once one of the winningest in the nation, does not suffer a similar fate. Some will wonder why I care so much, after all I don't have a personal connection to any of the players. I can't really explain it either. I guess it is a simple matter of those who can play do and those who can't, watch. I am a watcher with a secret desire to play but that will never happen. In the grand scheme of things, is it better to blow off steam at refs that can't hear me anyway for the other 3000 voices in the colousium or is it better to blow off that same steam on my driveway and then pay for the medical bills? I would rather go for the colousium full of shouting fans.

So these are just the beginnings and I am just getting used to sharing my thoughts so freely. It may take a while for any of this to make any sense... to me or to you but at least I am writing these ramblings down.