May 28, 2003 - 7:35 p.m.

If It Isn't Pollen It's Mold

I swear that half the people in my neck of the woods are walking around this week with raspy voices, watery eyes, and blocked sinuses! Allergy season has hit with a vengeance this year, and if we could come up with some commercial use for excess mucus (all natural styling gel? new kind of rubber cement? wallpaper paste?) we have the problem of the sluggish economy solved!

You'd think that after all the rain we've had that should have knocked back the pollen a fair bit, everyone should be feeling better. Instead, I think that as soon as the pollen count went down (it was over a thousand last week!) the persistent damp allowed colonies of mold to start multiplying like fungal rabbits. Ugh. Whatever the cause, my sinuses are drowning in gunk and I am coughing up bits of what has managed to drain from there and settled in my lungs. Ick. It's good that life is going my way this week, because my body is revolting (in more sense than one) against the outside world!

Speaking of my body (not a common phrase coming from me!), I am getting frustrated with the fitness challenge. I've been working pretty hard at the gym, at least judging by the copious amount of sweat I've been generating. I feel as though people are staring at me and wondering how someone so small can drip so much. I've also been eating quite healthily. I have only had the occasional dessert, and even then it has been something lighter like sherbet or a homemade oatmeal cookie. My carb intake is down a bit in favor of more fruits and veggies as well as lean protein. Despite all that I don't seem to be making much progress. The scale isn't budging a bit, though my clothes do feel a teeny bit looser, and, unless I am imagining things, my muscle definition is slightly better as well. Alas, unless the scale starts registering some results I am screwed. As nice as it is to look better and fit more easily into my "skinny" clothes, the only way we can judge the competition is by weight loss. I am not so competitive that I can't stand the thought of losing to Sam, but I would love to get treated to the professional massage that is our grand prize.

Incidentally, I had to take B to a make up taekwondo class today (his dad usually takes him on Saturdays). One of the kids in the class isn't even three years old yet, and I watched him break a board today! This kid looked like he weighed about the same as a medium roasting chicken and would have trouble breaking a blade of grass, but after several tries he did it. I didn't even know kids under 3 had the attention span and dexterity to take a martial arts class, but this little guy sure showed me. Very cute!

today's project: getting the wee humans outside during the brief sunny break between storms.

musing about: maybe finding some classes or activities for the summer (dance lessons, cooking class, a volleyball league)

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