Do You Love Me, Do You Surfer Girl?

Turns out I am a natural at surfing. While we were in Costa Rica, we took advantage of the location and enrolled in lessons. I was certain I would be anything but good at the sport especially since my family and I went to Hawaii and took boggie boarding lessons. I spent most of my time eating salt water, getting beat up, and listening to the instructor yell, "Don't turn your back on the ocean! Don't turn your back on the ocean!." I didn't exactly take up wind surfing, skiing, or even water skiing no matter how many times I've attempted those. Shit, I am still trying to be good at running. Yet, somehow, someway, I managed to surf fairly well. I road in standing every time I attempted to get on the board AND I managed to get up without the instructors help. I did so well, the instructor showed me a couple of extra tricks and techniques. Since finding a sport I'm good at has been a challenge, I am going to stick with it and take a couple more lessons. Yay athletic ability!

Hola Mis Amigos!

We've been in Costa Rica for two and I have been jogging for two days. The boyfriend's new mommy is a physical fitness guru and the first day we were her, she and her husband roped me into going jogging. She's such an amazing trainer - whenever she heard my breathing becoming labored, we would walk. When she saw that I was ready to go again, we were running. I've only been running one to three miles a day BUT in this heat, it's more than what I was doing at home. Being with someone so positive makes the runs fun and enjoyable, even if they are embarrassing at times. 

Size Queen

Two days ago I finally made it out to do some shopping... It was a pain in my ass. When I tried on my normal size, the clothes were way too big. Score, right? I'm so fit! I went for the size down and, well, it was like shoving ten pounds of flour in a five pound bag. What the h? How can one feel gigantic and small at the same time? I ended up taking whatever fit and skipped the bikinis. Why not go to the beach in jeans and a t? It's not exactly a busy location we're going to soooooo no E! TV to put me on the "don't" list. 

Start, Pause, Repeat

I like the way most of my blog titles are "After A Brief Pause" or "Back in the Saddle." How many times do I stop running and then re-start? I've discovered that being athletic and constantly working out is HARD. When I signed up for the company Weight Watchers program at Cengage nearly two years ago, I made jokes to my co-worker that I would have to quit my job in order to complete the recommended work out sessions. In order to get more than one Weight Watchers point, I had to work out for two hours. Who has the time to work out that much every day? After a nine hour work day with an hour and a half commute one way, the last thing I wanted to do was work out for TWO hours. And now that I don't have a full-time job, but a series of part time ones, I still find that I don't have the time to run as much as I would want. Instead, I would rather sit on the couch in front of the television playing a game of "I don't know, what do you want to do tonight" with my significant other. In theory, that time wasted could have gone to a short run. So maybe it's not the time but the commiment to running. Apparently, I'm afraid of commiment on more than one level.

Work It Out

Now that we have less than a week before our beach vacation, I've decided to work out. I've been doing pretty well with running and lifting weights three times this week. Last week, that only happened once. I've been running a mile at a time but then do a 30-45 minute cardio routine with weight lifting. I am not trying to lose four dress sizes before Costa Rica, although I'd like to, but re-establish my routine. Jog, weight train, shower, work. It helps that I have to get up early in order to drive the boyfriend to his place of business. He has more mobility so rather than make his lunch, I go for a jog. The boyfriend's a big boy, he knows where we keep the puddin' snack packs and the chocolate milk. And I know where I left my dusty tennis shoes. They missed being used.

Shoe Therapy

One of the saddest things I hear while working at the shoe store is from middle aged women that say, "This store isn't for me, I'm just a mom." What do you mean this store isn't for your? Are there not shoes you like here? Does it have too much soul, too much fun that you can no longer enjoy? Does being a mother automatically mean disliking shopping? And when did you become "just a mom?" What were you before? Was there some sort of identity you had before becoming a mother that disappeared the moment you discovered you were pregnant? Or were you nothing before and the most you'll ever be is "just" a mom? It's odd - men never say things like this: "Oh, this store isn't for me, this store is for my son. I'm just a dad." No, it's solely women that box themselves into their unhappy lives; women that watch their daughters enjoy things like funky boutiques and fabulous shoes. It's like the mothers live vicariously through their daughters but then what happens when the daughters become mothers, too? Are they "just" moms now and everything they were before vanishes? Betty Friedan wrote the Feminine Mystique in '63 but now, nearly forty six years later, the ideas still ring true. What's more fulfilling than letting yourself go in a store you love with products you can't enough of. Mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts, let's go shopping. After all, we're just girls.

End of An Era

Today I re-arranged my email accounts as my Berkeley account expired. Apparently, I have been out of college for three years now. I don't feel like I am a responsible adult. I feel like I am still that 21 year old that knows better than everyone else. But alas, I am not. I am the struggling adult that pays bills on time, worries about what to feed the boyfriend, and does the grocery shopping on Sunday. Goodbye youth, how I miss you.

Don't worry, for those who use the Berkeley email address, all emails are forwarded to my gmail account. I'll still receive them but when I reply, my gmail address will pop up instead of the Berkeley one.

You Wear WHAT While Swimming?

Since the boyfriend got his ouchy, there's been little time for Becca to do her jogging. So little time, in fact, that I've completely forgotten about Costa Rica at the end of this month. We have an all expense paid trip there AND I have gained weight by not being active (I'm active - just not athletically so). I heard that July is the rainy season for Costa Rica but I am thinking it's not like the rainy season in the Bay Area. I won't be able to hide behind layers, big boots, and scarves. No, all my wobbly bits will be out for the world to see in a teeny, tiny bikini. Le sigh.... Curse you American Society! If this were Europe, I would be hot!! Saggy boobies? No problem, go ahead and let them out on the beaches of Spain. Wrinkles? Pish posh, move to France and you'll be considered wise, intelligent. Ohhhhh places that don't require a firm waist and perky breasts, how I love you.

A Cure For What Ails Ya'

I've had sleeping issues where I wake up several times throughout the night and am more exhausted in the morning than what I was before bedtime. We alleviated one part of the problem with an automatic feeder for the cat. In theory, it's supposed to feed her five times a day including a session at midnight and five in the morning. These are her noisiest times so we were pumped about the purchase. Unfortunately, she thinks of the feeder as the "Magic Food Box of Terror" and cowers whenever it makes the whirly sound signaling a change of compartments. It takes her about two hours after the sound to gain courage and eat the food. This means two straight hours of meowing.
Besides the cat, I am pretty sure I have sleep apnea. I was telling my boss that I made a doctor's appointment for the issues and she went off on what drugs I did and did not need. Apparently, a time release pill is the best for me and it may or may not be called Ambien (I really can't remember - there were a long list of drugs). If I would ever like to "try it out," her handbag doubles as a pharmacy and she has plenty in stock. It's nice to know that others have similar issues BUT I'd like to get to the cause of the sleeping problems, not just the cure.