GI issues...

Ok folks... I'm having some GI issues.

I know that any time I change my diet significantly I have a few days of adjustment to look forward to... but really, I haven't changed my diet much at all this last week... just stopped with all the snacking. And yet here I am with some REALLY uncomfy issues.

Everything, (and I do mean EVERYTHING) I eat is giving me wicked heartburn... and once I do finally digest things they're way outstaying their welcome in my colon causing some pretty horid bloat and flatulant nastyness.

I don't know what else to do. I'm taking my fiber, drinking TONS of water, but this is REALLY wearing me down and making me not want to eat at all.

I may call in sick to work at some point this week. UGH!

took a pass

I decided to take it completely easy yesterday and have a rest day. I went to Bikram this morning and had a tough time with the ballance poses on my right leg... but it was a good practice and I'm glad I went.

Today is gardening, and hopefully later this evening I'll get some more work done on the kitchen paint.

*sigh*

not a lot to say I guess.

Father's Day!

Dinner last night was fabulous.

While I will maintain that food is fuel, there is no reason you can not enjoy the fuel you take in on a regular basis. On the contrary I think it is IMPORTANT to enjoy the visceral experience that eating can bring. Fueling your body with healthy, whole food that TASTES GOOD is a "good thing" (tm) because it satisfies the pleasure centers of the brain... and I don't know about you... but I LIKE the pleasure centers of my brain... and while eating to fuel my body is priority numero uno, I still spice my chicken breast 8 ways from Sunday... and grill my veggies to add some char-flavor... and cook my brown rice with chicken broth for a savory kick.

That being said... Dinner last night R to the O to the C-K-E-D.

Appetizer was the pupu platter... salmon pot stickers, sweet-potato spring rolls, mushroom dumpling, pork and shrimp shu mai, tapioca chicken dumplings (not my favorite), and vietnamese salad rolls. Then we shared a Green Papaya Salad which Mike LOVED but was a bit too tart for me, tho the texture of the grated green papaya was really awesome. I had the crabcakes and grilled tenderloin of beef. About four ounces of the most tender and luscious (grass-fed, organic) beef I have ever tasted, and the crab cakes were firm, hot, flavorful, NOT greasy and garnished with a mango and thai-basil relish that just kicked ass. Mike had the Javanese roasted Salmon, which may very well be the very best Salmon in the world. The bartender whipped up a custom drink for Mike before dinner as well which he coined the "Brando" 1/2 oz brandy, 1/2 oz Godiva Dark, 1/2 oz Godiva White, 1/2 oz of some nut-based liquor, cream, cinnimon, shake with ice, serve in a martini glass with chocolate shavings on top. FREAKIN AWESOME!!! I had 2 glasses of red wine and we shared the crispy rice-pudding spring rolls with chocolate dipping sauce for desert.

Awesome meal, awesome food, not too much of it (perfect portions) and a good time was had by all.

Fitness wise I'm a little torn about what to do today. I have upper-body and running on the menu, but I have a VERY VERY tight muscle (almost to the point of being pulled) feeling behind my right knee extending from hamstring down into my calf. This does not bode well for running... so I may just do some upper body and call it a day.

I've been spot on all this week with eating, water, and exercise and rather than injur myself it would seem prudent to try to heal a bit, so I can rage on into next week full steam.

whoops...

ok, maybe we didn't cover this:

I hate crowds... I get claustrophobic and mean. I am a bitch on wheels. Crowd me and you get a pointy boot in the ass or a choice phrase in your ear. Thus, I DO NOT like to go out to eat on holidays... hell... most Fridays and Saturdays are right out as well. I don't do well. Its anxiety driven I am sure, and potentially linked to my low tollerance for rude ass-holes who treat their servers like shit and don't leave decent tips even tho they're working their asses off on THE MOST CROWDED day/night of the year which you, in your eminent assholery chose to contribute to by going out on that VERY BUSY day and then only make worse for everyone around you by showing your true colors.

Thus... no Father's Day crap for us... nor Mother's Day, nor Valentines, Christmas, any of the 8 nights of Hanukah, Easter, New Years (unless its a friends party), etc... etc... ad nauseum.

We stay home those days.

Its better for everyone... believe me.

I fell asleep in bikram...

do you think that maybe I'm a little fatigued?

I mean... come ON! Who falls asleep in a 105 degree room full of people? Apparently I do. To be fair class hadn't actually started yet. I was just laying on my mat getting used to the heat like I do before every class when I realized I was dreaming... and that just didn't seem right... so I woke myself up. It was probably one of the strangest sleep experiences I've ever had. It is VERY odd to be aware that you're dreaming, but that you shouldn't be. In any case I did wake up and class went well, tho I wasn't stable enough to kick my leg out in standing head to knee pose this time. My legs are TIRED today.

Tonight is FREE MEAL night in my R&B FiF Challenge! Usually I take my free meal on Friday night or Saturday morning (god I loves me some breaky-foods! pancakes, crepes, french toast, eggs, hashbrowns, chicken-fried steak, gravy... you get the idea)... but tonight I am taking Mike to Saucebox for Fathers day... yes, today is NOT father's day, but I believe we've already covered this. There will be drinks, appetizers, entrees, and possibly even a shared desert with coffee... and all 100% guilt free because its my one meal of the week where just about anything goes, AND honestly, the food is pretty damned healthy... I mean how can you go wrong with a seared filet of salmon with braized spinach? Seriously? I can think of no way.

In any case I am being extra vigilant with my food as well today. I skipped my eggs this morning and found that I didn't really need them. I would skip the whole-wheat english muffin instead, but I really enjoy it, and I think some complex carbs in the morning are a good thing to get the day started... and with a protein shake at 10:30 am, I'm still getting adequate protein.

ARGH! Enough with the anal-ysis! God, even when I'm in a challenge I can't let it go enough to just eat... there is SERIOUSLY somthing wrong with me.

;)

Comments

Ok... I've turned off comment registration until TypePad gets their heads out. You may now comment at will! I will continue to moderate comments, but hell, I'm on line pretty much all day long, so if you post, the delay to it being viewable will usually be under an hour.

Yoga yesterday was pretty good. The Tuesday instructor is Bert, and he's much more strict on the 60 second pose times than some of the other instructors and MAN is that challenging (in a good way). I actually kicked my leg out for the first time (both sides) on Standing Head to Knee Pose (#5). I didn't get my leg completely straight, but I did get it out there!

My Second day of the R&B FiF Challenge is going VERY well. Its nice not to have to figure out what I'm going to eat each day. I just look at my list and eat what it says, and move on. My GI tract seems to be enjoying the influx of good veggies and such as well. I had the same sweet-craving post lunch that Renee has been talking about, and since I'd recommended she try half a protein shake post lunch, I figured I'd better try it out myself to see if it curbed my sweet craving. Low and behold it did! It only took a few sips and the craving was completely gone! ALL HAIL CHAMPION NUTRITION CHOCOLATE WHEY POWDER!!!

In other news... only 5 days of school left!!! HOORAY!!!

???

So Typepad is being weird... its' inserting strange characters in the "email address" field of the comments and then telling you that your email address isn't validated or some such.

I'm whining to Typepad now... in the meantime, feel free to email me (link to your left or lexine at gmail dot com) if you want... I lurve email!

Workout yesterday was fun, but it took longer to do my upper body than anticipated, and all the treadmills were full by the time I was done lifting, so I jumped on the eliptical x-trainer and did the 28 minute weight-loss program (level 4 and 7) with a 5 minute cool-down. I was good and drippy by the end.

Today is going well, food is ON-TRACK for a 100% on-plan day. I have a raw spot inside of my nose because I've had a drippy nose for the last week and even the puffs-plus-with-lotion tissues are starting to irritate my poor widdle nose. Yoga today (yay!) so much h2o drinkage is going on... 2 litres so far.

Otherwise it is a slow day. My hair looks FABULOUS today tho, which is always a good thing! ;)

Recipie

I don't do this often but thought I'd share a recipie:

My favorite roasted potatos:

4 small red potatos cut in 1/2" cubes (by small I mean no bigger than about 3" diameter)
2T dijon mustard
1T olive oil
1t chopped garlic (2-3 cloves)
healthy pinch of kosher salt
ground pepper

mix everything from the mustard down in a medium bowl, whisk together thoroughly. Dump in the potatos and toss to coat. Spread taters on a baking sheet (lightly sprayed with cooking spray) and roast for 15 minutes. Stir and continue roasting for 10-15 more minutes checking every 5 for tenderness.

this will make 2-3 servings but DON'T make too much because you WILL eat everything you make... 's all I'm sayin.

;)

b

Food

Renee and I have been chatting a lot about daily diet and the power of food. The fact of the matter is that food is fuel, nothing more, nothing less... however, the power we assign to food to provide comfort, solace, mind-numbing relief, etc... gives food a role that it was never meant to take. The role of friend.

That bag of chips-ahoy you ate when you were distraught over a relationship hurdle, problem at work, financial disaster? You made it your emotional crutch, your friend who would never give you bad advice, never betray you, never refuse to be there for you. A cookie should not be held to the level that other human beings in our lives are held. And it is unfortunate that oftentimes the humans in our lives aren't nearly as reliable as good old food.

Food is not your friend. Food is not my friend. Food is Fuel. Period.

And so, in an act of solidarity, and because I, also, have been using food for MANY reasons outside of fueling my body lately, today begins the R&B FIF Challenge (The Renee and Brenna Food Is Fuel Challenge). 3 weeks of eating on plan (doesn't matter what that plan is, as long as its out there, and we follow it) in an effort to return food to its right-full place in our lives.

I will put my meal plans in Fit Day the night before and I will follow that plan each day. I'm behind for today right now, but I'll go get things in there asap.

I want to be able to emote, to express, to deal with stress and feelings and hurt without turning to food. To do that, I must practice. This is where I begin.

Workout plans for this week are thus:
Monday - upper body weights and 40 minutes running
Tuesday - Hot Yoga (lunch - 45 minutes)
Wednesday - 60 minutes running
Thursday - Hot Yoga (lunch - 45 minutes)
Friday - upper body weights and 40 minutes running
Saturday - Hot Yoga (Full Class)
Sunday - Rest, recover... do laundry... etc.

This weekend was fabulous. I was tanked after Helvetia, but I went down town with my older son to catch part of the Rose Festival Parade and some of the Dragon Boat Races... we missed the races (suckky traffic, no-where to park) but we caught the tail end of the parrade which he thought was pretty durned cool. I don't know yet how zambo did... but I'll post later! Sunday was CLEAN THE FREAKIN HOUSE day... the boys rooms are clean, the kitchen is clean, the living room is clean 95% of the laundry is done, and I even washed the inside and outside of the livingroom windows and the sliding glass door. It was a good weekend.

cheers!

Drop Top 10k

I haven't written a race report in a rather long time. Some time last fall (fool that I am) I swore off running forever. I was sick, injured, and unmotivated to continue... oh woe was me. So I stopped running... and very quickly gained 20 lbs. There were other factors in the gain, but not-running figured highly in the equation. And so this spring I've been returning... slowly... to running. Before today, the last time I'd run 6 miles at a stretch was Pints-to-Pasta last September... nine LOOOOOONG months ago.

I can't say I was nervous last night as I set out my clothes for this morning, so much as lost. I forgot what I liked to wear for races... couldn't remember which shoes I should put on... couldn't find my watch or my Garmin, or my rain-coat. Eventually I put it all together (except for my rain-coat... I never found that... still need to look for the bugger) and as I layed it out in my closet it looked... well... kinda like nothing much. No big deal. Just another pile of running clothes for another run in the rain. WHOOPDEDO...

In any case, once my prep was done I crawled into bed and got comfortable... and then got comfortable again... and then one more time for good measure... and about an hour later I think I finally fell asleep. I woke up bright and early at 3:30, and then at 4:45... and then again at 5:45 when the alarm went off. Again... not nervous... just... well, I guess you could say I was there. keyed up. ready.

Getting up was pretty easy, toast with PB and OJ for breaky, and 20 oz of water. Grabbed my number, my cell phone (with which to hopefully meet up with Alissa) and jumped in the car, which had no gas.

Ok... if there is one thing I can not stand it is when the car is left with no gas. ESPECIALLY when I'm getting up early on a Saturday and finding an open gas-station in our neighborhood (because I don't have enough gas to get OUT of our neighborhood) is a near impossibility. I limped into the ARCO and filled up and was back on the road with little incident, but boy was I annoyed.

The drive out to Helvetia was nice, and as I got close to the stadium I called Alissa to see where she was... she was at the Starbucks (I was jealous... no am coffee for me) and would call me when she got to the stadium. I parked, got situated and started walking around to check things out. Sponsors like Jamba Juice, Clif Bar, and adidas had displays set up. I found the "coat-check" for future reference and used the restroom... and then I started to look for Hollie (Hollumns to those in the know). When I finally spotted her it was only 10 minutes to race-start and I still hadn't heard from Alissa, so I gave up, checked my phone and key and Hollie walked me out to the start line.

Have I mentioned how much I freakin' LOVE Hollie? Hollie is a runner's runner. She volunteers at races when she isn't participating in them, she coaches with Portland Fit, she is indescribeably upbeat and she is DEAD FUCKING HONEST with herself and the world around her and if you can deal with it then you'd best just find someone else to hang with.

The most profound part of our conversation (and our conversations are rarely profound) came when I mentioned that I feel it is important to not suck sometimes. To which Hollie replied, now THAT would make a good blog title, and we discussed the inherant truth that is, "It is important to not suck, sometimes." I'm hoping she will revive her online presence because while she thinks her writing is "wordy," I have always found it very honest and engaging... oh and then right after I told her that, I turned around and completely (tho ACCIDENTALLY) goosed a huge dude that was standing behind me... I mumbled a quick apology and then tried to disapear into the crowd as Hollie teased me incessantly about being a big perv who only goes to races so I can touch the butts of random strangers.

She could be onto somthing there...

WHOAH... ok, wait... this is supposed to be a race report, right? RIGHT... OK... so to the race... Hollie and I were actually so engaged in our cackling about butt and boob touching that I totally missed the starting horn... but when people started moving I got the idea that the race was starting and waving a hearty goodbye to the big "H" I took off toward the line.

I think I was probably about mid-pack and I started my garmin as I crossed the start line (a feat I have only been able to replicate twice now, since I seem to be VERY good at double-pushing the buttons). My strategy from the start was that I would run 10 minutes and walk 2 in cycles... and try to keep an overall 11minute/mile pace. The thing is... as it went, I didn't walk, except a few steps at each race station to be able to swallow the PowerAde and water they were handing out.

The first 10 minutes passed without incident... I was running a 10:45 average pace which I was happy with... I'd passed most of the walkers in the first mile so the obstacles had let up and most of the pack was moving together so I wasn't being passed much anymore either. The first aid-station at 1.5m was the Portland Fit station and they had music and a dancing yellow creature, and of course water and PowerAde. I grabbed a water first, walked a couple of paces to down that, and then the PowerAde... couple more paces... and it was back to running.

Just before the 2m mark the 10k course split off from the 1/2 marathon course and we turned down the Highway 26 frontage road heading west. 2m mark found me feeling good, so I just kept the pace and headed toward the next aid-station at mile 3. About mile 2.5 the road went from asphalt to gravel and it has been a VERY long time since I've run on gravel. It turns out, I HATE running on gravel. I felt out of control and about to turn an ankle every single pace. I think I slowed significantly to deal with the terrain, but once I hit the turn around and could see the end of the gravel I was MUCH happier.

Back on the asphalt I was approaching the 4m mark. Mile 5 is always, in a 10k, my most challenging mile. Mentally I usually have a tough time keeping any sort of a pace and pushing thru. At some point as I watched the mile marker on the side of the road approach I convinced myself to make mile 5 my strongest mile and to pick it up and push thru to try to rid myself of that block. I'm glad I did that. At mile 5.5 we were back to the Portland Fit aid-station, and again with a couple of PowerAdes and some water I was back running after only about 10 paces.

right after that aid-station a woman who had been pacing me the whole race started talking to me... she drew along side and we chatted about the course, the gravel, the weather, how proud we were to have run the whole thing... etc... it was just a FABULOUS pick-me up as we rounded the last couple of corners to find the Hillsboro Stadium again. And then... at the 6 mile mark, there was Hollie... my buddy (I never did catch her name) was mid sentence when I caught sight of Hollie and SCREAMED "HOLLIE!!!" at the top of my lungs and threw my arms in the air. She screamed "BRENNA!!!" right back at me and then the REAL race was on.

"Come on Brenna, finish strong... RACE ME!" And she took off running... "Pass HER!" she whispered as we approached another runner who had been slightly ahead of me the whole race, and I did... "Come on!" she said, and I did... "Lets, Go!! You've Got it... BEAT ME!!" she said... "I did a MARATHON last weekend, you can catch me!" She said... all the while keeping 1 or 2 good paces in front of me. And there was the stadium, and the shute and I was sprinting, and stretching out the paces... and she ran along side as I crossed the line in 1:10:53 (official race time... Garmin said 1:10:37).

And I tore off my tab, got my "medal" (ceramic on cord instead of metal on ribbon, but hey... it's a 10k, not a 1/2 marathon.) and grabbed the first cup of PowerAde I could find! Hollie gave me a big sweaty hug and then got recruited to stand and usher the finishers on their way so I had to leave her to get my T-Shirt, Helvetia Burger, and other miscelanious food and stuff. I sucked down a couple of samples of Jamba Juice (RazzleBerry... YUM!) and then it started blowing and raining and my skin got clammy and I started to shiver.

I had wanted to stay and watch for Alissa to finish the 1/2 but I knew if I sat I would freeze and since I hadn't found my rain-coat I had nothing else to put on... so I grabbed my keys, cell-phone, and without much ceremony, I left... I couldn't even find Hollie to say good bye :( SORRY ALISSA and HOLLIE!!!! I SUCK!

So 9 minutes off from my best time, but for not having run the distance in 9 months, and having only run 5 miles once since I started training again, I'm not displeased at all. I kept a consistant 11 minute pace the whole race, and I ran it... one more race number for the wall... one more medal for the case... each one spurring me toward the next.

And Hollie... I don't HATE running... promise.

;)

R E S T D A Y

well hey howdy hey. I have muscles, and joints, and connective tissues most of which are puffy and a little bit annoyed with me today!

65 minutes running + 90 minutes Bikram = R E S T D A Y

But really, I don't feel too bad. I am EXHAUSTED... dead tired... and am trying to get the good nutrients and vitamins to rebuild after the tear-down yesterday... but overal my hammies are a bit tight, shoulders and neck are stiff, but otherwise I'm feeling pretty normal.

I'm feeling very motivated right now. Not sure why. I know that I have an opportunity to get into really good shape again before I get pregnant I guess and I'm just really wanting to take advantage of that. I've never had a "Fit Pregnancy" to speak of, and I'd really like to do that this time. I want to stay active, flexible, strong, etc... it will do me good, I am sure, thru the delivery and recovery to stay in the best shape possible. And maybe its the yoga. Its somthing new, and VERY challenging, and I'm already seeing myself get better at it which keeps the motivation alive.

Motivation is an odd duck... sometimes its nearly impossible to find, and yet it can pop up at the oddest moments. I've needed some motivation for a good long while, so I hope to chain it to my ankle for the rest of the summer and use it to propel me forward. (I'm picturing motivation as a very strong dog... St. Bernard perhaps... that just keeps pulling and never lets my feet stop moving... I'm kinda visual that way, sue me.)

In any case, it's here, I've found it... time to go for a ride.

Ran, and will Yoga too.

I don't think I've been pushing myself hard enough lately. I certainly haven't been challenging my fitness levels with the on-again off-again training I've been doing. But despite that, I was reminded today that I am not in as bad a condition as I'd thought. Workout today was 60 minutes on the Treadmill. I did a 2 minute walking (3.8mph) and 10 minute running (5.5mph) cycle. And honestly my legs/body were fine. It was my brain that didn't want to cope with everything. I'm of the opinion that training your brain to believe you CAN do somthing is much harder than training your body to actually do it.

Now that I've registered for the Helvetia/Drop Top 10k I figured I'd better see if I can keep moving for an hour at a time, and shore-nuff I did! I covered 5.3 miles and burned 640 calories to boot. I feel good, I plan to go to Bikram this afternoon for another 600+ calorie burn and some DEEP stretching. I think I'll do an easy run on Thursday and take Friday off before Helvetia. (and yes, I'm hydrating... I just finished litre #3 of water and will be powering thru at least two more before yoga.)

I haven't talked much about home/kids/etc. lately but that's mostly because everything is good. We're anxious for school to get out (they're not done until June 22nd here) so we can do more fun family stuff and start swimming lessons and the like. My older son is at or above grade-level in all of his subjects which is a HUGE accomplishment considering the challenges we had at the beginning of the year. My younger son (3 yrs) can sing his ABCs and count to 20 and is recognizing about 1/2 of the alphabet. My hubby is spending a lot of time at work, but when he's not we're doing well and I'm feeling very loved and appreciated these days.

Oh... and DAMN I am loving the yard. Going to try to get the irish moss in between the rocks this weekend... its a goal, ya gotta have em, don'tchaknow.

Mid-day joy.

Bikram at lunch rocks.

I feel all loose and bouncey... like I'm not wearing a bra, only I am... just bouncey.

Which is funny because this morning I was a raging hormonal Bitch (yes,with a capital B) and was literally groaning due to the cramps that ibuprofen didn't want to mess with... Damn you ibuprofen, you used to be my go-to-guy... why has thou forsaken me??? I almost skipped class.

But I didn't.

I sucked it up, freshened up (read: got a fresh vaginal blood sponge) and went to Bikram. And now I feel bouncey. I don't know if its the heat, the movement, the exertion, the sweat or just the restorative benefits of yoga, but I feel 100% better.

I made granola from scratch last night... ala Alton Brown only I didn't have any cashews, so I just doubled the sliced almonds and HOLYGODDAMNBATMAN is that stuff GOOD! CHEEP to make too!!! The only spendy items are the nuts, and if you can get those bulk you can make a whole batch for round-abouts $2.50... and skip all the nasty preservatives and crap they put in the boxed ones.

PLUS... you get the JOY, the pure absolute JOY of smelling it as it toasts for an hour and 15 minutes in the oven... plus, can I just say... warm granola right out of the oven is WORTH the tongue scalding.

;)

Fabulous weekend, and a good run.

My sister was in town this weekend (happy birthday, sis!) with her two beautiful daughters. Our kids played outside a bunch (when it wasn't raining) and we went to the coast for a bit as well. The trade off to all of the fun is that I skipped the Starlight 5k. Ah well, such is life. I will be doing the Helvetia 10k next weekend (and cheering the half-marathoners!) as a run/walker. I am not ready to do 10k all running yet, but hey, I might surprize myself, right?

In any case, after Helvetia I will be returning to p-town to cheer the Zamboanga DB Paddlers to victory. I don't know if I mentioned but I made the decision to stop paddling with Zambo a while back. It was for several reasons... I missed a lot of practice with my trip to Alaska and subsequent illness, but more than that, I was really feeling over-scheduled and I missed my family a lot. As much as I really enjoyed padlding with Zambo, I just couldn't justify the evenings and weekends away from my hubby and kids. Mike and I get very little time together as it is with our oposite work schedules, and losing one evening and part of both weekend days to paddling sucked. It just did.

So I run, and I am going to do hot yoga at least twice a week for the next couple of months... and from there we will see what happens. I'm feeling leaner and I'm down a couple of pounds on the scale in the last week, so that feels nice and motivates me to continue what I'm doing.

Like today for example: 45 minutes on the TM, aproximately 3.8 miles and 460 calories burned.

Tomorrow is hot yoga at lunch... glee!

just a little better.

Denise said somthing yesterday that really hit me in the gut as being the gods-honest-truth. Its somthing I have always said to myself and to others, but in not such succint and clear terms. Denise definitely hit the nail on the head with this one:

"Yes, I'm getting stronger by the minute and I still have hope, so I know that anything's possible. I won't ever be perfect and I don't need to be, I just need to do a little better than I am right now. This I can do."

Those last three sentences are the most important... "I won't ever be perfect andI don't need to be, I just need to do a little better than I am right now. This I can do." I don't care who you are or where you are in your journey. I don't care what you've achieved or what you have left to achieve. I don't care what your goals are, whether they are strength gaining, fat loss, speed improvement or body accpetance and self esteem improvement. I don't care how old you are, how long you've been at this, how many times you've tried, slipped, tried again, gained, lost, given up or not given a damn. All you have to do is remember that you don't need to be perfect. No one is, no one ever will be, just do a little better than you are at this very moment and things WILL change, things WILL improve... and remind yourself of that... because "just a little better" is somthing ANYONE can do.

you can.

I can.

we will.

meme

I've never been tagged for a meme before, so I figure that since Tzuj tagged me I'd better follow up, or I may never be tagged again...

You are stuck inside Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

I guess the point here is whether I'd want to be a shocking, free thinking book that would be burned, or some quiet, non-threatening book that would probably survive... I think I'd want to be Dante's Inferno, or the writings of Nietsche... and I'd probably be burned for sure.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Not that I can recall.

The last book you bought is?

"The Seven Silly Eaters" for my neices, and "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth." But "I Am Not The New Me" and "Tales From the Scale" are both on my amazon wishlist for next paycheck.

The last book you read was?

Duck for President (read to my son before bed last night) Oh... for me? I think the last book I spent any time reading was Ina May's Guide to Childbirth or Stich-n-Bitch.

What are you currently reading?

since when do grownups have time to read? uh... I read snipits of Fred's book (From Chunk to Hunk) when I'm alone for a couple of minutes in the bathroom... I read my Midwifery magazines as soon as they come... but adult books just don't get a lot of attention from me right now.

Five books you would take to a deserted island?

Martin Buber - I-Thou.
The Harry Potter Series because I haven't read any of them.
The Hitch-hikers Guide (all of them in one book)
The Torah, Koran, and Bible.

ok... so that's six, and more like 11 total... but hey, its a deserted island, right?

And now I shal tag my good friend Lee because it is my understanding that she should be reading her Nutrition texts, but I'm willing to bet there are other books on her plate right now as well!