Down Home Down Time

Somehow I survived my busy week which seems to become exponentially tougher in the summer time when we start experienced that over hot heat we are so well known for. Just to give you an idea, it was 109 yesterday. Today it is already 103 at almost 12:15.

I did run yesterday morning, about 5 miles. It was already warm when I left the house at 6:15. This heat is just killing me. I don't know what I hate more, the treadmill or that sluggish feeling I get when I run in the heat. Don't know if I can motivate myself to get moving earlier because that means my body has to be functioning first thing and my metabolism can only start working so early.

This has been the major make plans with out of town friends week. Some highlights include one of my online maintenance buddies, Carolyn, joining me at my Wed night Bellydance class -- YEAH! How fun it was to turn around and see my cyber-buddy dancing right behind me. And you tell me cyber life isn't real?

We had a chance to reconnect the next day at lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. She brought her darling son Jacob. He is so cute and has such a great sense of humor.

Anyway, she took a picture of us with her cellphone at bellydance class.

As for bellydance class, I did make it in time this week for the beginner 2 where we pranced around with our veils and attempted to coordinate zills with movement. Talk about rubbing the tummy and patting the head at the same time.

I expressed my amazement of the possibility of coordinating these moves and how well the teacher does it when Carolyn pointed out that I have the same body parts as my teacher and with practice, I too can "get it." You know she is right.

Her words of wisdom are the same ones that rang true five years ago when I injured my hamstring while training for my first marathon. I was down in the dumps over not being able to run or even walk when she pointed out how my "arms weren't broken." That was when I set to work on developing the best arms I had ever seen on my body, like that lady in T2! Now working my upper body has been a habit I have been able to keep more or less since then. It sure helps to balance out my developed athletic leg muscles. (see positive self-talk)

Tonight will be Choreography class and after that I may zip over to the opposite side of town for my "free" bellydance class at the gym.

This morning I tried a Jacqueline Chapman Bellydance DVD I got from Netflicks. It was easy to follow plus we learned a sophisticated-looking dance by the end even though the moves were very basic. Why I can't piece together such a basic dance, I don't know. I must suffer from attention deficit disorder half-way through a song. I loved the costume changes throughout the DVD and how she incorporated her veil in one example. I definitely give this DVD three hip-lifts!