“Everything else you grow out of, but you never recover from childhood”

~Beryl Bainbridge

I’ve been thinking alot about my childhood lately.  This usually happens about once a year when my birthday is quickly approaching.  Plus, this year I will be spending my birthday in New York City.  Technically, the trip was planned around a concert, not really my birthday.  Yep.  The concert.  Another “blast from the past”.  New Kids on the Block.  NKOTB (now that they are in their late 30s and 40s).  Those were the days. I must have been around 15 or 16 when the obsession started.  I was their #1 FAN!  Posters covering every inch of my walls, literally.  Writing hundreds and hundreds of pen pals with the same obsession.  Spending all of my earnings from my job at McDonalds on TeenBeat and BOP magazines (do these even exist now?).  Buying concert tickets.  (In the late 80s and 90s I think I went to at least 8).  Falling in ‘love’ with Jordan Knight, staking my claim on him, forbiding my older sister to ‘like’ him, demanding she pick one of the other boy band members.  Just so you know, she picked Jordan’s older brother, Jon, who recently stepped out of the closet.  Just Sayin’.  So, anyway, I guess the upcoming concert and my fast approaching 36th birthday got me thinking ’bout ol’ times.

Are there things you vividly remember about your childhood?  I swear, I remember more from my childhood than I can recall from last week.  No kidding.  My cool toys, special Christmas gifts, popular songs and when I first heard them, good times, the bad times, the goofy clothes my mom made me wear, mostly because I was too fat to wear regular clothes, and the stupid, yet down right hilarious pranks things I did growing up.

I’m thinking it might be fun to blog about some of the stuff from my childhood.  Occasionally my stories will surface when certain topics come up in conversations.  Everyone usually breaks out into gut-busting laughter, probably doubting the validity of my stories.  Me, I know they are actual events from my real life.  Most people tell me I should write all this down so I can write a book.  What?  First of all, I will never forget.  Second, who has time to write a book?

Okay, so pull up a chair because over the next few weeks you’ll get to experience tiny bits from my childhood.  It may help explain why I am who I am today!

Tune in next time for…MIDDLE CHILD SYNDROME

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

                                                                                 ~Benjamin Franklin

So, no excuses for why I haven’t blogged.  Here’s the truth.  I’m lazy.  That’s it.  Have a nice day.

I love my Ipod Touch.  Believe it or not, I won that thing in an office weight loss challenge last November.  Sadly, I’ve gained 16 pounds since then.  Yes, I said 16, sixteen, 1-6, 10 plus 6…you get the picture.  I’ve made some changes recently, hopefully to lose those 16 pounds and another 10.  I’ve joined a gym,  cleaned out my snack drawer at the office,  and I’ve tossed out the ‘bad’ food in my cabinets.  I’ve even started drinking water, which is a huge surprise, considering my love affair with Diet Mountain Dew.  I’m going to succeed this time.  I need to make at least one more change…

MY PLAYLIST!

I’m getting tired of my current playlist.  It’s getting boring.  I’m repeating the same songs over and over again.  I need a playlist makeover.  Here’s my current playlist (don’t laugh)…

• Hot and Cold by Katy Perry
• Now That We Found Love by Heavy D and the Boyz
• Whoop! (there it is) by Tag Team
• Baby Got Back by Sir Mix a-lot
• Don’t Cha by The Pussy Cat Dolls
• You’ve Got the Right Stuff by New Kids on the Block
• Single Ladies by Beyonce
• LaLa by Ashley Simpson
• Crazy in Love by Beyonce
• Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas
• Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry
• SexyBack by Justin Tinberlake
• Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
• Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice

Any suggestions?

I wished I could say that I have developed an addiction for exercise, but I can’t.  Not yet anyway.  In fact, I’m still forcing myself to exercise.  I have not had the chance to ride my bike in over a week due to the rain.  I’ve been stuck inside.  Wii fit and I have become good friends.

I have a confession.  I’m addicted to my scales.

Normally I hate them.  I try to stay as far away from them as possible.  In the past two week I have grown very fond of them!  In fact, I sometimes weigh several times a day.  Why do I do this?  I weigh in the morning.  I weigh when I get to work (yes, I have scales at work too!).  I will go to the bathroom and weigh again.  I weigh before I go to bed.

I’ve lost 6.5 pounds (based on my last weigh in 5 minutes ago).  Great.  However, I have gain something else.  Some weird scale fetish addiction.

Does anyone else do this?  I’m sure it’s not health.  In fact, it is a distraction.  I just can’t help myself.

I’m hoping to love exercise as much as I have learned to love the scale.  I’m guessing I’m going to need a few more “dates” before I declare my true feelings for exercise.  I may never get there, though…

For now, I have a “date” with my scales.  It’s been at least 5 minutes.

Yes.  That’s right.  Diets suck.

But…I’ve lost 4.5 pounds.  Oh, yeah!

I hate being on a diet.  I went to the doctor today and after a huge lecture, she put me on blood pressure medication.  Ugghh….35 years old and on blood pressure medication.  This is what being overweight does to people.

I’m still riding my bike, and luckily, no more wrecks.  Honestly, I still have to force myself to exercise.  It seems like such a hassle to load up my bike, drive to the trail, and ride for 5 miles.  I’m literally driving 25 miles just to ride for 5.  That sucks too.  It just seems like it would be easier to have a treadmill so I could do the work at home.  I bet lots of folks try to convince themselves of this, only to end up using it for a clothes rack…but honestly, if I didn’t have to drive so far to exercise, maybe I would do it more often.  I have my heart set on a Bowflex TC5000.

The local gym is offering Zumba classes.  Zumba is an aerobic exercise routine inspired by Latin dance.  It sounds fun enough.  I think I’m going to give it a try.  I’m waiting for an evening class.  Hopefully it won’t be too long.  I have a history of losing interest…quick! 

So, there it is…I hate diets but I have lost weight.  I guess eating right and exercise really does work.  Who knew?  Only 20 more to go.