Suburb of Heaven

My birthday on Friday was marked with a lot of pastry - a cinnamon roll in my work mailbox, cake at one, and then Bemo and I walked over to The Cup and had an evening cupcake. And I was given, by various co-workers, an old hymnal for the purposes of cutting up and making into magnets and pendants and so-forth, a pop-up bee handcut out of paper, and a little wooden otter floating on his back (from someone who had just come back from Florida).

I bought myself that necklace and also a pair of shoes, but I'm already iffy about the shoes and will probably send them back unless they turn out to be really awesome in person. It's just that my options are so limited when it comes to shoes that I sometimes find myself buying ones that are a little more matronly than I'd like. Plus, I really shouldn't have spend the extra money.

Cher mailed me a loverly gift card to Barnes and Noble, so I of course went and spent it immediately (no impulse control when it comes to books.) I bought Hello from Bordertown (short review: I enjoyed it, although I had to space it out a little bit because that much Bordertown all in one gulp can be a little difficult to cope with, also some of the stories really worked for me better than others, and I probably wound up liking the Charles de Lint one the best, which is perhaps not surprising because it features Green Men. Also, it was sad. And also also, I think BorderTown works better for me in novel-form, and my favorite work out of the lot of them is still Finder.) I also bought Shades of Milk and Honey because it's been recommended to me all over the place, and also The Magician and Mrs. Quent, which I am unsure about.

This weekend was my last officially scheduled one at the co-op, although I've already been asked to work week after next. I'll see if I can accommodate the request, but I haven't made any promises yet. I may still be feeling my freedom. I did go to the co-op softball game (we field a team that plays other teams from around the city, and it's all for fun and very much an amateur event) and cheered on the guys and gals in green (Go, Co-OPERATORS! WOO!) And then Bemo and I went and had ice cream at a little roadside stand - the kind that only opens in the summer and is full of soft-serve and bees and little sticky children and chili dogs.

And tonight, I pull out that Groupon I've been sitting on and go have my first kickboxing class. Am not sure if I'll survive, but we'll see. Fast-burst cardio is the stuff I struggle with the most. I can chug along on the elliptical all day and not really worry, but jump roping, windshield wipers, all that kind of stuff...it gets me huffing and puffing and feeling like I'm going to barf really quickly. So I don't know what to expect.

Got an email from the personal trainer company acknowledging that I will no longer be auto-renewing from month to month - April should be my last bill from them. "Hold onto that email just in case," advised Bemo, and so I shall, just in case. Have also just signed up for the rec center as planned, and will use the pool facilities there (and maybe other stuff - to be determined.)

Am currently feeling bored and frustrated with my workouts, like I'm simultaneously trying too hard and not trying hard enough and it's not interesting anyway. I'd like more stuff like aikido, where I work and get sweaty and move around without it being exercise. I'm contemplating karate or kickboxing or some of the classes at the rec center, but it's all more money. What I really need to do is get my diet back under control. I've gained a few pounds instead of losing them - it's not crazy yet, but I'm concerned and my food intake is really what it's all about. The problem is that I get frustrated and end up going back to that old comforter, food. I've been doing a lot of staring in the mirror thinking how bland and potato-like I look. I've been invisible for most of my life, but suddenly it hurts a little bit and I'm trying to push against it, probably to no avail.

In other, less navel-gazing news, I spotted a flyer hanging on my co-op's giant community billboard. Apparently my town has a convention - I had no idea! It's called Constellation, it's very inexpensive to attend, it's coming up in a few weeks (April 15-17) and it looks like a fun con where I could dip my toe in the water. (I'm assuming it'll be more colorful than, say, AAM, although likely with fewer fruit bats.) And jimhines is guest of honor, so I could perhaps say hi to him and tell him in person how much I appreciate his LJ. Has anyone else been? (I'm guessing not...I think it just launched last year?) Is anyone else out there planning on going?