Paul's Corner

OK,... I admit it...I'm stupid.
can somebody please tell me: what the hell does LOL stand for???????????/

Hi Peter,

No, you're not stupid. I didn't know either. I thought it meant "lots of love". Silly me. It's 'Lots of laughs". I would rather just say hahahahah. But...that's just me.
Telling your personal story must have been liberating. I appreciated your sharing. Lets me know again and again how fortunate I am an that I really don't have room to complain about anything.
Not that I don't, of cource.

Margie

Okay, you got me, Peter. When I wrote that Paul's fantastic 20 year-old body would not return, I didn't mean to imply that he can't be in better health and overall condition than he once was. I really was thinking about the young dancer's body that has, for instance, a flexibility that's not generally possible as one moves into middle age. Dance is hard on the body and Paul has already acknowledged that dancers' careers are short.

How's that? Am I redeemed?

Hi, Tricia! And hugs to you, Evelyn. Sorry you're feeling down. I've had a bit of that lately myself.

sorry, margie, that's wrong--
those of us who were (unfortunately) braving the dark, scary world of telnet and Compuserve back when LOL was first coined know that it means Laughing Out Loud.
I wish, however, that I didn't know that and, rather, had a social life.
you make your priorities, eh?

Margie & Sarah, Thanks for clearing that up. It makes sense now. LOL!

Diane, Yes,you're correct. Reality bites! We may never again soar with the eagles, but I'll keep trying to be less of a turkey. Sorry if I caught it out of context, I'm just too damn passionate about that subject. Never say never!

Just climbed on board my new mountain bike for it's maiden voyage. All I can say is WOW!!!
I'm used to my time trial bike that needs roads as smooth as paper (OK, cardboard is passable).
This is gonna work. Goodbye blubberguts.
Now I just have to ride 6,500 km's to burn the neccessary calories. Oh well, it's 7:40PM, so there's still some daylight left, better move.............
Cheers

Hey Paul,

My name is Tiffany and I'm a new "post-er" to the site. I live in the US and first remember seeing you in the movie Exit to Eden several years back. Just recently I rented the movie Strictly Ballroom and I was like, whoa, this guy looks familiar and made the connection. I've perused your site and I just wanted to let you know that I enjoy and appreciate the work that you have done. You seem to be an amazingly deep and intelligent individual who is both beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside. Multifaceted one might say. :) I look forward to your future posts and will most definitely visit this site often. Will you be in the states anytime soon? By the way, I am a fan of Josh Groban and on his website I posted some info about you and some pictures, you should check it out. If you ever have any difficult times to get through or just want to zone out, check Josh out. There's a player on his site with his music. I've found music to be very healing or at least good to help you get those tears out. Anyway, onto happier things, happy anniversary Paul, I hope you had a lovely, romantic evening. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

- Tiffany

P.S. Quick note, noticed that you are a beer aficionado, ever tried any Croatian beer? Karlovacko is pretty good. :) And yes, I am of legal age to drink, I'm 22. :)

Dear Paul,

I was sooo happy to learn that you are still interested in doing choreography! I really thought that dancing was put on the back burner because of the beer!

I think of "Cha Cha" O'Connell, and his contribution to "Strictly Ballroom" and "Moulin Rouge" and we all know you could do as well, and even better...way to go!

Texas, thank you for your sweet remarks about being married 50 years...actually, in our retirement community we are considered the "babies." Many couples are together well over 50 years or more (some 60+) obviously blessed with reasonable good health, and still involved in many of the activities that are offered in this community.

For instance, in my variety show, that will be on stage in March, I had selected one little couple, who, though not married, are living together...she is 85, and he is 91! They auditioned for the show singing a duet...he starts out singing "ain't she sweet, see her comin' down the street" and she answers, complaining, with "Ma, he's makin' eyes at me"... At the end they give each other a soft, peck on the lips, and take their bow...the rest of the cast loved it, and I know the audience will go bananas!

I wish Paul and his family, and all of you a Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year, filled with love, joy, good health, AND PEACE!

Grandma Mildred, just a reminder that I choreographed my solo in SB - very proud of it too. Baz and Cha Cha seemed to like it as they left it in the movie as choreographed. Would have done more perhaps if Baz had of returned my calls!!

Peter, passion is good, just watch the sarcasim - thats the unburnt bit of passions energy that often ends up burning those that dont deserve it. I had a mountain bike whilst in the Highlands and absolutely loved hurtling down the gib with my mate Peter Valerio as fast as I dared. Some good tracks and some killer ones too. Whats the bike?

I will add that it is totally impossible to have the body I had when I was 20. That body was young and lithe. With work I may get a body that is similar but it will always be older and lithe. There is a difference which I am not interested in chasing. Who said it - Whitney, Tim??? Just be happy with the level of fitness that makes you feel good and right, dont try to chase the dream of yesterday gone too quick. Agh, you got to love hindsight!

Welcome Tiffany, thank you for your thoughts, I will have a look at the site.

Diane, I often think of young dancers bodies!!!!! I can still remember when my wife joined the dance company I was with. Alll of us guys used to hang around up the back of class and just look at her butt!! It was magnificent. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Sorry, but it was. Now days I think it is just as good!!! It/she/me might not be 20 - 25 etc but it/she/me is still mighty fine!!! I reckon that will be true when we hit 60!!

Whitney thanks fr the beer post but I am rather annoyed that they think Pilsner Urquell is watery bland - it is the Mother of PILSNER and as such is one of the worlds great beers! Okay I'll get off my soap box now and have a nother pilsner urquell. Any one care to join me??

Evelyn thanks for the poem.

Tim probably said that and he's right. We have to be realistic. Besides, you guys look good as your faces fill out with maturity. Just don't overfill!

That Beer quiz was supposed to look different, with spaces inbetween. You matched the answer to the beer. You didn't think I was giving you the answers with the test? Don't worry, we love Pilsner Urquell.

Personally, I think I chose Corona for that question. I had to go online and research a lot of the info: like locations of brewerys.

Was an Australian beer drinker able to match American tv commercials and beer slogans with the correct brew? (I think they were all nasty lagers) I doubt it, but I thought you could revise this beer quiz for your area. Are you a lone brewwer or do you have a posse?

One of my favorite slogans is "It's the water". Sounds more like an excuse to me.

This place should have a way to post files and images. Since it doesn't, you could send your answers through your blog or visit my site where I have form mail which allows people to send me messages without having to give me their email address. Click on the email button. I think it still works.

You have to complete this quiz or I'm concluding that you're a Fosters drinker or something: "Australian for Budweiser".

Paul, I'll join you on the Pilsner Urquell--a little later in the day, after the liquor store opens and I can get some.... Last night I finally had the beer I wanted to have for two weeks, but with the stomach flu I didn't think it would have been the smartest beverage to have then. Turned out to be a good companion while feeling blue :-) and having to take the dive I had hoped to avoid. Oh well, good thing I love to swim and I am on my way up to the surface again. And am I going to let the 15 doors that slammed shut yesterday stop me? Hell no!!! I am going to look for the 16th door that I didn't know was there. And to Tim (not the one who posts here!!!) who added insult to injury and inflicted pain that pushed me over the edge yesterday "Screw you!!!"

Diane, thank you for your hugs and here are some for your as well. Hug, hug, hug. (In German we have this saying "All good things come in threes) I hope you will feel better yourself.

Whitney, glad my poem lifted your spirits, that's actually quite humbling.

Congratulations Grandma Mildred on nearly 50 years of marriage and to Margie on 15 and again to Andrea & Paul on 15!!! Wow! The longest I've made it in (that kind of) relationship is 2 1/2 years ... :) or :( ??? naahhh :) I'm glad not to be with them anymore, it was fantastic while it lasted though.

Welcome to Tricia and Tiffany. I hope you guys will stick around.

I think the liquor store might actually be open now :-) got to run ................>

From one dog-paddler to another....

You sure got that image right Paul! Just remember that there are lots of us out there, and sooner or later we are bound to bump into each other in that dark sea and cheer each other on or point others toward the shore if they have lost their way. That is after all what this 'corner' is all about!

p.s. thanks to all for the warm welcome in November.

Welcome Kevin. You are right the ocean is full of us and I believe we just bumped into one another. When I wrote that I had this very strong image (something Lunig would draw) of a deep dark ocean with perhaps a touch of reflective moonlight skimming across the surface and just enough to reveal hundreds of eager looking faces of big nosed people busily dog paddling their way across the surface. All intent on going somewhere but from the looks in their eyes you know they dont know where. It is a humorous picture of the compassionate plight/flight of mankind.

It always seems so scary to leave a safety net, but it seems you have it under control. I guess you never know your strengths, abilities, or even your limitations until you test them..."nothing ever came from nothing".. or it goes something like that.
Belated congratulations on your anniversary. I missed that somewhere. Happy Birthday ahead of time in case I miss that one too :)
As far as age goes, I don't always think it matters. I have older brothers and sisters and when I stop and consider their actual age it doesn't seem to matter. I am the youngest of ten. I am 32 and there is 21 years between the oldest and youngest, so, everyone is getting up there (yeah, I'm used to being around old people :).. ;).. :].. :/ okay not funny..) It's always nice to have everyone think that you are younger than you are (immaturity runs in our family...) but I think it is all relevant or irrelevant... I mean you still get the ailments that comes with age, but it is how you feel about yourself. Some people are more serious and some people are easy going...what I mean maybe is that your attitude controls your age. Okay, now I'm rambling..."you're only as old as you feel"..that's what I mean.
As far as getting in shape, my husband turned 40 last month and he actually has lost weight this last year. You wont want to know what he credits it to. He stopped drinking beer. Okay, before you ban me from this site it is a long story but he can't drink anything anymore. I believe with diet and exercise anything is possible.
I also believe that anything is possible in life when you have someone you love sharing it with you. No matter what happens in this world you have a wife who loves you for who you are and not how you look.
Anyways, there is so many good conversations and topics going on here that you can't respond to it all at once. And I am starting to get "long winded" (yeah about four paragraphs ago, huh?!). So, if I find I am not locked out of this web site for the beer comment :) I will be back to listen to everyone's thoughts....

Thank you for welcoming me evelyn!! very sweet!
this is a cool place..u all seem so close..its nice you guys share your own philosophy...to help and advise each other!! omg...kevin and paul thank you for your thoughts on the whole ochen idea...i gotta an image in my head...i will paint this ochen..in several blues...and add what colour for us lost people...mmmmmmm.....need your suggestions...it will then make sense to me where i am and that i will eventually diverge with other people!!oh im being called..im needed ...sigh.....bye!

Dear Paul,
I knew that you choreographed that great solo dance that you did in Strictly Ballroom, before and after "Fran" peeks into the room!

The retirees that saw the film for the first time (on a 9ft. screen, for openers) remarked that you had to be a classically trained dancer, and they just looooved those moves of yours, especially the closeups as you faced the camera, and moved those shoulders...be still our hearts!

I asked our Recreation Department director if she could get "Strictly Ballroom" in 35 mm in order to show it on our mega screen in our newly renovated theatre (970 seats), where my variety show will also be on stage in March. The director said "yes", and I almost jumped with glee, but contained myself...one must act one's age! I think SB will be shown in time for Valentine's Day in February, 2003, in the manner in which it deserves to be seen...on the big screen!

Love, Grandma

Paul, A good point and well taken. Sorry. My enthusiasm may be a little misdirected. I'm sometimes too cryptic and not well understood. It's my failing. I just (unreasonably) expect everyone else to know what the hell I'm talking about. I did not intend any sarcasm, but I see what you mean. It looks like I stuffed up. Perhaps my perspective is still a little out of focus.

The bike's an Appollo. Nothing flash, just a middle of the road alloy frame. I bought the bike primarily for the upright riding position. My other bike's a Cannondale, but it demands flexibilty I don't always have in order to get into the time trial position, which is how it is set up.
Yeh, some of the tracks on the Gib are killers.
I used to ride dirt bikes, so I know most of the tracks around.
Pete Valerio is a very nice man and no doubt a good mate to have.

Hey Paul,

Thank you so much for your response! :) I feel so excited and pleased. I realize these questions may have come up before in the past, but since I'm a "newbie" please bear with me. I was just curious as to what sort of music do you listen to, what books interest you, favorite authors and what you like to do in your spare time? I know that maybe these questions aren't as intellectually stimulating but I'm very interested. :) Thanks again for your reply and also thanks to Evelyn for your welcome! Talk to you soon!

- Tiffany

Btw,

Just wanted to say that if you're looking for a new forum to move this forum to, www.ezboard.com is excellent. It allows tons of users, photos, links, etc. :) Check it out.

- Tiffany

Gosh
I miss a couple of days and the last post is almost shut down and a new one is up with 39 posts...DAMN!
To all re: my weight. I probably over shot with the pictures idea, but it's just a committment on my part. I HAVE to lose most of the excess I'm carrying for physical reasons. My bloodpressure will keep fluctuating if I don't get it off, however with the depression and psych meds you never know when you're weight is going to skyrocket on you. A huge fucking see saw that I have to ride. I will tell you though that I am losing weight..I've lost since last Sunday and will do so again this week. And Paul and everyone else...I know I cannot and will not look like I did when I was 20. Actually I don't want to. I was too skinny. My shoulders were pathetic, absolutely nothing worth looking at. I was funny as hell though and my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me going.
The midlife crisis issue is true. I definitely started that and am still experiencing it. It's where you reach the point you are seeing some of your peers children now graduating from college and getting married or just they didn't go to college got married (or not) and have kids. ARGH
I am too damn young to be a grandparent..But chronologically that is NOT true. Spiritually it's impossible.
I will be and forever remain 32. I think that was the bomb of a year. You've reached a great peak in your life. Your body has filled out, your mind is alert and you are more confident. Sex is still 80% of your waking thought process. I'm going to have to get out of work early today and pick up my niece on the way home so we can go out and do it in the car after the movie like we used to. : ) Maybe some of you still think about it 80% of the time...but my mind is so jumbled with kids, money, school, bills, WHAT IN THE HELL AM I DOING? questions all the time...well you see my picture.
Ah..so Paul..
you are not alone my dear friend. That ocean is full of a bunch of people. You are not dog paddling alone. Look around you in the mist...we're all there with you mate. If someone could link this boat ride to a predetermined destination subject to our own choice of course for a fee he/she would have more money than GOD.
Congratulations on 15. My wife and I celebrated 15 this year in March, March 21 2003 will be 16 and we have an 11yo son, 9yo son 4yo son and a 4month old daughter. And for mothers day this year I gave my wife a present..I got neutered. : ) I love them dearly but I sure as hell can't afford anymore. And age is an issue as well.
Agent..that is the best news. You cannot sit back and let someone that has such a huge impact on your life just bounce you around. Of course I'm not an actor and I haven't had to deal with those issues, but I have had to deal with a really bad employer, unfortunately I didn't learn until later that I had the right to express myself and I had the right to be dealt with fairly and with dignity and respect. As it relates to you, you are paying them (maybe not up front) but still, to represent you and it's in their best interest to do that well.
This is a long post...sorry but I have one more thing to say now..
Someone said..yep we want him on screen but what'a we do..
well I'll tell you something we did for Adam Garcia. He's not been having a lot of luck since Coyote Ugly back in 2000. His last movie 1st 20 Million had a limited release in LA's Century City and in Manhattan. It was pulled in like four days. I called 20th Century Fox. They said it might be at STVI or an STVA. Straight to Video or Straight to Vault. I'm a fan of his too, he's a dancer as well for those of you that may not know him. Anyway, I obtained contact names at FOX and we wrote cards to them telling them we wanted the movie. Don't send it to the vault.. Put it out for sale or in the video stores..etc. We did a marathon mail out in September just after is had it's limited release. I followed up a couple of weeks later and they had received a collosal amount of mail from fans..so they relased the film to vid. Sorry for the length..but numbers add up and if you speak up and loudly and to the powers to be...you CAN make things happen WE DID. I DO.
My back is killing me..gotta go
Paul..hang in there. Do not give up. It's just hazy right now. I have days like that all the time. Somedays quite frankly the bottle of Xanax looks too full. But that's not the answer either.
Later
Tim

SHEEZ LOUISE.. I fucked up on that last post..Re the 80% process I MEANT TO SAY...pick up my niece to BABYSIT while my WIFE and I did it in the car..Shit...that was a sick read..hope you made it to this one...if CAT can edit please feel free...

dog paddling through....

except now i have this mental picture of big nose people!

much prefer the images of hard, tight athletic bodies....seeing a performer or athlete at the top of their craft/sport is magical - sexy, yeah that too!

tiffany - heading over to the jgroban site to see your posting

later all

Whitney, thank you for the electronic kick in the ass yesterday. I still feel it today. I also like to walk the dogs early in the morn. Nothing like the fresh smell of a new day. Aerobics, biking,walking, kickboxing, swimming ect are some of my enjoyments. I agree, excersize does relieve anexity.

Tim Hord, Congrates on the weight loss and the continued determination to take care of yourself.

Welcome Tricia and Tiffany. I look forward to seeing some of your posts

Evelyn, that is a lovely poem

Grandma Mildred, 50 years of marriage,WOW that's fantastic. Your my new role model. We recently had our 13th.

Paul, Your right. Life is too important. I need to get on with it and not become so self- absorbed and put my prioritys in order. What's more important? My inner self or outer self. How I judge myself or how do others judge me. I have to except me for me and love myself before others can.

Suz

Tim, I'm glad I read that second post first. I was able to laugh at your muddled message in post one.

So If you don't mind mentioning the Xanax, is it too personal to ask what anti-depressent they have you on?

Congratulations on losing weight! Did I read a previous post in which you said you wouldn't
do BFL? It is so frigging complicated! Of course one of the biggest hassles is taking the photos not to mention eating all that food and exercising. The last time I successfuly lost weight (Hiltonhead), I videotaped myself. Gruesome! I was up to 165 at the time. You could really see me lose! I dropped 30 lbs.

I keep getting a handle on this weight thing and then failing to mantain it. It's really pissing me off to have to deal with a problem over and over again. Some people would say give up, but that's just not an option for me. I'm really tenacious.

Suz, here's another virtual kick in the ass! I did an elliptical trainer for 20 minutes yesterday. Of course later I went to a Winter Solstice party and ate and drank myself silly. I guess I don't worry very much about what I eat. I try to focus on keeping up some form of exercise.

Talk to you later,

Evelyn,
That was a beautiful poem. It left me reflecting on things for a good while. Thankyou.
Hope you're feeling a little less blue.

Thanks all for reading the second post (preferably first).
Anyway..It's Xanax for me, with Celexa and Depakote. I've had prozac (which is the same damn thing as Celexa) zoloft, effexor, paxil...think that's it. zoloft, prozac...get out the weight change guide...you'll blow up like a balloon.
BFL...to much.. Just doing what I know how to do and I did a little kick inthe ass thing first to get me started...it's headed down.

Tim

I have now watched Saturday Night Fever for the bazillionth time. Paul, I realize you were a "baby" in 1977 (ok. a little older than that maybe). I have now decided that John Travolta really wasn't that great of a dancer in this flic. (Sacrilege, I kno) Could you have done it? Would you have done it differently?

Tim, have you ever tried Welbutrin? Paxil gave me nightmares!

If you can direct any sort of Paul promoting activity I would do my part. In who's ear must we whisper?

Sorry forgot that one from the last list...Wellbutrin...well add another button is what it should be called.
I tell you I could write a book on almost every one of those damn things and tell you what they can and cannot do. One thing I will tell you which since we are such an open board..for you guys out there don't ever..EVER let them talk you into more than a small dosage of Effexor. You will be a Eunich...no drive. no pulse. NADA. It will even inhibit ejaculation. I'm serious it's badnews. Nuf said.

I don't know who we might contact but I'm thinking about that. I come up with some off the beaten path ideas sometimes and you never say never.

Later.
Tim

My dad was on Thorazin (sp?). I think it had a detrimental effect on that area of his life too. Bummer!

Wellbutrin hasn't given me any problems. Unfortunately, I can't always afford it, so I've used aerobic exercise to help ease my depression.

Keep thinking PR man. My grandmother always told me that "Can't never could." and I've noticed that people often accomplish fantastic goals simply because they don't know they "can't". There's no telling what we can do.

Hi everyone
Gee, its really hard keeping track of all the conversations. How do you all do it??

Peter, Whitney and Tim
“Good luck” and “Go for it”.
At the grand old age of 38 I’ve mostly cracked the “fit body” thing (unlike EVERY single other area of my life) so I offer a couple of tips which may or may not be of any use whatsoever.
a) I swim a LOT (including competitively) and I have NEVER LOST A SINGLE POUND BY SWIMMING. If your knees and back can stand it, the only thing that shifts the fat for me is running (no, call it jogging. No way can you call what I do “running”)
b) You need to be out and about every day (its our hunter-gatherer genes). ANY activity counts (including hoovering) but they must all make you feel calmer, happier, relaxed or self-satisfied at the end. No punishment.
d) For me, dieting is a) boring and b)boring and c) fattening because if I tell myself I mustn’t eat something then automatically I want it REALLY REALLY BADLY. So if you’re going to eat unhealthily (as we do), then you have to match the amount of unhealthy food with an equal amount of extremely healthy food.
Good luck with Christmas

Peter
Where was the sarcasm bit?? I couldn’t find it anywhere! Like you, my enthusiasm is always getting me into trouble and my feet into my mouth. If you ever work out how to get your “perspective back in focus” please god, let me know the secret.

Tim
Thank goodness you corrected your slip! I swear I read your original sentence at least five times thinking who is this guy??

Paul (and Suz)
My sisters just turned forty and she says it doesn’t feel old ‘cos when she turns fifty she’s going to be looking back at her forty-year-old self and wishing she was that young again

Uncle Peaches.
Love the café suggestions!

Love to all and festive greetings for Wednesday
Lesley

Peter, I’m glad my poem gave you something to reflect about. In a way this feels really weird to me, because I’ve gotten that response a few times now. After I wrote this in early December I decided to use this as part of the text of my Holiday Greeting Cards and it seems to be touching people in different parts of the world in so many different ways. In a way it seems so simple, but then choosing to love instead of anger and frustration, to be joyful instead of being sad, to be at peace in the midst of a storm that knocks me about and in a current that pulls me under, proofed to be quite a challenge this weekend, when I felt I was constantly pulled under water, felt as if I was drowning most of the time. I used this as an anchor for myself this weekend, printed it in very large type and hung it on my wall as a reminder that I am free to choose these things. Right now I’m just floating in this vast ocean, taking a rest, to gather the strength I need to swim back to land, listening for the silent whispers that come from the stillness of my soul, guiding me. I’m not hearing it yet, because there are so many loud and conflicting voices pounding my head, confusing me, but I know it is there and perhaps that is enough for now.

Tim, your slip made me laugh on a day when I mostly cried—I wasn’t laughing at your expense, please believe me!—and within a split second, I knew what you had meant to write, before I read your second post. And congratulations on the first successes in your weight loss!!! Pretty exciting, right? I know you know this, but just prepare yourself that there will be a time in your weight loss where the weight just doesn’t go down even though you are doing the same amount of exercise, food etc. Try not to get upset then. For me it seems to be going in this cyclical pattern: losing some weight for a while, then an absolute standstill, losing some weight, standstill. I added some Pilates exercises yesterday to my work out regiment—I have to do different things or else I get bored—and while I’m surprisingly not as sore as I expected to be, I’m sore in the weirdest places. :) Good luck to everyone in their weight loss and search for better health!

Oh, by the way Peter, I belated welcome to this group, I don't think I ever did--and now I'm hoping that I'm not missing anyone else. If I am, welcome to you too.

"Can't never could." I like that, Witney. Very wise woman, that grandma of yours.

I tell my kids, "Can't means won't." It's a decision thing...like, the only things that can bother you are the ones that you LET bother you.

Paul, the dog-paddle image Imagined With Intent: you decide you don't need to move your limbs, and you push over onto your back and look into the stars and let yourself Be. Let the water flow into your ears til you ear the hum of your Creation. Nothing, yet Everything. With new understanding, you backflip down and swim as a whale now, as Those Who Hold the Secrets of Existence... safe in your ocean, communing, Being... then blasting out of the surface to fly and create joy among the stars, where you also belong, content above as you were below.

Blessed *BE*, dearest Paul...
Dhiana

You sound like a kind and caring person Lesley. I've been trying to solve this problem for years too and that's why we'll eventually triumph; because we just won't give up! I'm listening to anything you have to say.

I've heard wonderful things about swimming. I could do it, but I'd have to go really early in the morning and I'm just too lazy! As for running, it was fun when I was young. I ran in high school and jr high, but stopped when I was 18 because I was told (med student) it would be hard on my connective tissue: chest, butt, knees and ankles. Needless to say, my focus is on low / no impact.

And being the admittedly lazy and undisciplined person I am, I've given much thought to the ultimate minimalist, free-weight work out. Having finally (sigh) come to accept that I'd have to work out if I wanted to keep my muscles (even normal female ones) as I got older, I felt pretty comfortable with the amount of effort I had to put forth in the Body for Life schedule: 45 minutes every other day with one day of total effortlessness (yes!) per week. Naturally, I hope to do a little less when I'm done with the program (remember, I'm lazy!). My biggest deterrents are, not having the room to stretch out and needing a real kitchen. Also,once you get too far out of a routine, it's so darn hard to go back.

I'm currently in a sort of limbo land. I did the BFL on January 1st, 2002 the first time and once again for another three months or whatever it is, after that. This time, I plan to do a variation of it and give it my best shot. I'm worth it and I can't stand to let anything beat me without a proper fight. If I don't win this battle, I have to live with it for the rest of my life in the form of poor health and pain. I'm just not ready to throw in the towel.

Yeah, I agree that exercise should be fun and positive. Walking in the woods always has the best affect on me. I try to become more aware of the "fountain of thoughts" that stream through my mind; it's so easy to become convinced that this mental babble is something I should attend to. I sometimes say silly things to myself that worry me like "You can't make it. Give up.", but I've learned to say better things instead.

I shoot for a thankful frame of mind. I enjoy climbing along, hoping positive outcomes for the lives of my friends and myself. I look at the trees and know that there is something bigger than me. How smart it ultimately gets, I don't know, but just being here seems like a dream. I'm trying to enjoy it, but there's this thing called money and they want me to work for it! Have you heard about it?

Well, I'd better stop. I'm sure I'm posting messages that are way too long (bad nettiquite!). Thanks Dhiana for the nice compliment of my grandmother and her saying. I always thought she was so wise. She liked to sing a song to me from a musical that I think they called "Annie Get your Gun": "Anything you can do , I can do better! I can do anything better than you!" I miss her, but I remember the things she taught me and the way I was raised with love and respect.

Virtual kick start Suz!

hi!!
i noticed that the topic we are discussing is "clean break"....and since its so close to chrimbo ....well more importantly new year...should the new year be an excuse to start afreash...vow that you are going to do something new..like excercise...or something challenging and positive in your life?????i think that it should..well...i vow to TRY and help people best i can...im gonna start with my mate who has been having the toughest time lately..i feel so bad for her...so i wanna advise her the best i can..im only 18.but have 4 months more life experienced than her(!!!!!!!).i hope i can do it...and not get too involved.....WOW im talkin rubbish...mmmmmm!!

have a safe and good christmas!

Tricia

hello paul my name is michele and i just want to wish you a merry christmas and i just want to ask one question what kind of music do you like and have you heard of denzel washington.

Dhiana
I love your prose. Very thought provoking. I wrote something similar about my mother after she died. Finding herself in another place floating in the ocean with dolphins surrounding her carrying her shore, where she found her self young again and surrounded by loved ones and old friends. Well anyway I loved what you wrote.
Lesly
I'm so glad you read the second post too. Press that Post button too fast without rereading a long post and OMG you could be in trouble.

The weight is still dropping and I'm standing tall with it. And I am prepared for the point where it plateaus for awhile, but oh well... I'll just keep forging ahead when I get there.

Later
Tim

Way to go Tim! You're my hero!
Happy Holidays!