Monday,
March 31, 2008

Firmly in headless chicken mode

Sometimes, life has a way of interfering with things and you can't quite manage what you had planned. For example, today I had to finish a short story for an editor, compile, upload and quality check Issue #8 of Helix SF, fill out background information forms for my job interview tomorrow, print off writing samples for same, do some necessary food shopping, wash clothes and dye my hair in addition to exercising. And in between all of this I dashed off a 750 word essay on the (string) art of writing for Circlet Press. So if I seem a bit rushed, it's because I bloody well am.

It's the story of my life, really -- weeks at a time when I have nothing pending, and then wham, it all hits at the same time. It keeps things interesting, I suppose.

So, let's talk about calves

Specifically, my calves. More specifically, the fact that I can see them again.

I'm wearing shorts because it's quite warm and pleasant today in the clavicle of Texas. While sitting at my desk I chanced to glance down at my calves, and realized that I could see muscle definition. Not a lot of it, granted, but there is a definite cutting in of the gastrocnemius muscle where it meets the Achilles tendon. There is also matching toning in the thighs, although it's harder to see there because there's so much padding in that area. Still, I can see a nice depression in the outer sides when I flex my quads, so I feel pretty damn good about that.

I also really, really need to shave my legs. But I digress, plus I have an editor patiently waiting for a short story, so leg shaving can wait.

Walt mentioned in an earlier comment that it took him a while to build up to 30 minute walks. In my case, I'm genetically blessed with legs that tone up remarkably fast (crappy knees, mind you, but the rest of the legs are golden). In fact, my lower back actually causes more problems on walks than my legs.

Now, this isn't to say that I can gleefully trot along for 40 minutes with a song in my heart and a spring in my step -- I'm still a big ol' gal, so I'm sweating like a pig and looking for the ibuprofen when I'm done. But I can do it, which is good.

Oh, by the way, see that picture at right? That's what my calves looked like in 2002. That, my friends, is my first goal.

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