So I'm now four beach trips down -- three to go. I went with my mom on Thursday to Belmar, which was different, but relaxing.
That makes August the bum rush for the beach! I should be going Monday with... Val and Megan I think - I'm determined to hit the magic number!

GO SEE YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN ON BROADWAY WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!
I want to put Roger Bart in my pocket. He'd totally be a pacifier when the A.D.D. type behavior kicks in... That strange noise he made during The Producers as Carmen Ghia -- that strange clapping his hands in front of his face to make that popping sound -- he can actually make that noise himself! - he did it in one scene during Young Frankenstein -- and is therefore even more amazing.


Anywho....
The family vacation to Virginger went very well.
No one died. No explosions.
Just lots of Gingers, Australian Karen (Our Garmin guide), roller coasters, amazing Thai food, ghost stories and cheap alcohol.
Val was very sweet to offer up her comp tickets for us to use. In turn, Chris and I paid for the hotel and taught her how to drive more aggressively. ;-)
We haven't done anything just the three of us since Senior Year I think, so it was nice.
I really need to upload our ye-olde-time photo for shits and giggles (after I get it copied at CVS winkwink)


So - I've recently become re-addicted to a favorite childhood pastime.
Arcade style video games. Chuck-E-Cheese style.
Except now it's at Dave & Busters where I can have alcohol, but it'd throw off my game...
I hope to win a gigantic fuzzy hippopotamus, or a Wii.
Dan seems at least half as excited (more like 1/4 as excited) as I am when we go, so it's totally okay. We've also dragged John, and will hopefully convert others.
We went there last night...with coupons... got $20 worth of free game play.
I broke a game (temporarily... actually I think it was on its way to being messed up), set off a tilt alarm (but was not caught), and beat Dan on a motorcycle racing game (take that -- you and your jingling keys, you! find the throttle while you're at it...)
We both have just under 1,000 tickets on our accounts now - huzzah!


I've been going to Yoga at the gym, and am not disappointed in the amount of weight I've lost so far this summer. Thanks to my Fit-Flops (...maybe) - I think my legs look great.
Yoga's been a calming treat, and I can bust my ass on the elliptical machine for 45 minutes if I have the time. I've been...well... too busy.
Eating right is hard. I'm a sucker for sleep on workdays and don't get up to pack salads or make eggs - and going out with friends (which always involves eating horribly and drinking excessively) is even harder. In those situations... my will-power shrinks. A lot.

And it's a shitty excuse. It's not even an excuse. More like a lame statement. But I'm still proud that I'm maintaining -- AND indulging. And building up endurance. Instead of indulging and tipping the scales and doing worse at the gym.

That says a lot I think. So I can't be too heartbroken.

The summer's not quite over, and I still have a lot to be proud of. So I'm setting some smaller goals and working to hit those, maintain them, and keep going... I think at this point, it's going to be more realistic for me (also good to realize.) Watching habits of healthy people also helps.


And this October I have my "Work your ass off running around like a crazy person (literally), don't sleep, and like it, dammit" diet to look forward. Jumping wagons is ridiculously good for your arms ;-) And um, there might be a reality TV show about Bates and how they put a haunt together and the people who run it. So if it takes off, there might be a lot of me chasing a certain someone around haranguing her while she behaves badly. I'm already in the Travel Channel haunts episode for all of 15 seconds getting my makeup done - so I've got a background in television? hah. It'll be neat to see how this element will add to the madness.


Speaking of which ---
I keep having ridiculous dreams... like... REALLY ridiculous dreams. Featuring a lot of the same people - some who I barely even get to see, so what does that say? People are very much caricatures in these however, so I've been waking up going, "What the... holy hell... was... wait? What???" and sort of giggle to myself. I've been sleeping pretty hard -- probably since I've been spending a lot of nights at Gary's new place painting/priming -- they started the first night I painted actually... maybe there's something in the fumes? Might need to open some more windows!

Lots in my head though recently. Almost so much that I'm having a hard time channeling it.
I apologize in advance if you wind up being that person sitting across from me with a drink who gets to hear me out...

This post was brought to you by parenthesis and ellipses. (...Seriously.)

And thanks to the usual suspects for your comments.
Ali and I used to say to each other after she graduated, "It's not for a lack of caring it's for a lack of time." Hopefully we'll just find some time soon.... and then we'll be set.