Only 4 more days!

Yesterday
Exercise 1/6: Walk
Time: 30 min

Colin is off work from now until Jan 9! So after I got home from work we went for a walk.

Today (there was frost this morning!)
Exercise 2/6: Walk
Time: 45 min

Took a different route today. The sun dipped behind the mountains at 4:23 and then Colin took some photos...then had to run to catch up. I would get him to post them...but he has gone to Nagoya for a staff party...and I am cooking supper.

Mom and Dad Madland...are you ready to do something active everyday that you are here? I need to keep posting even while you are here...and besides, you will need to keep warm somehow ;-).

Blogging Slump

I have to say I have been in no mood to blog this week. I was almost inclined to forget working out this week too. I even said to Colin that I was just going to give someone iTunes this time around. But this blog is like a splinter in my mind. I can't NOT do something. So, even though I havn't been faithful in posting, I HAVE been exercising!
btw...One other reason I haven't been blogging is because I have been using every free moment to knit! I have become knit-crazy. Why? I have no idea. Some of the other female ALT's in this area have started a knit club. I was half amused (cuz they are, like, 10 years younger than me) and half impressed. So I retaught myself to knit! I am working on a scarf. I started searching the internet for a beginner's lesson and found an amazing amount of info/clubs/free patterns etc. Now Selah has started on a scarf for one of her stuffed animals. :-)
(So, Gramma...bring your knitting when you come next week!)

Monday
Exercise (1/6): Abs workout
Time: 27min

Wednesday
Exercise(2/6): Walk and frisbee
Time: 1 hour

Friday
Exercise (3/6): Walk
Time 30 min

Saturday AM
Exercise (4/6): Abs (BB's)
Time: 27 min

Saturday PM
Exercise (5/6): 100 sqats
Time: irrelevant

Sunday
Exercise 6/6: Frisbee
Time: 30 min

So, in Canada right now, it is 10:30pm PST on Saturday. I did it. Not because I wanted to, nor thought I could, but because the blog is here. YOU are here.
Don't give up on me...cuz I just might give up. Somebody came awfully close to getting iTunes this week.

Friday-Now

Exercise 4/6: Walk
Time: 1 hour

Had a work-related meeting, Friday, at a different location. My bike tire has something wrong with it...so I got a ride there from a friend and walked home. Colin picked me up on his way home... I made it to our frisbee-playing place within an hour. Not bad for walking. :-)

Exercise 5/6: Billy's 8 min cardio
Time: 8 min

Did this first thing this morning


Exercise 6/6: Walking
Time: 20 min

Went to Ogaki today and did some brisk walking up and down Station Street.

Present time: 11:54pm, PST Saturday in NA

Yesterday's Marathon

Exercise 3/6: Billy's 8min Cardio, then Abs
Time: 35 min

The kids had their "Marathon" yesterday. I MIGHT be able to convince Mixon to post here...but Selah was a no-go...so I will brag for her. ;-)
Each grade runs with their own, and each grade up, runs a bit farther. Selah ran 800 meters (yes, that was her "marathon"...but ya gotta start somewhere, neh!). She came in 4th! Yea, Selah!

Marathon time...

Exercise 2/6: Lower Body Workout (Billy Blanks) + Karate stretching
Time: 30min

It is marathon time in Japan. (this isn't really about my workout...but it is exercise related!) Students all over the country have been running in Phys. Ed and at recess in order to prepare for their upcoming "marathon"! Now, before you get TOO impressed, the Japanese definition of marathon is entirely different from the western one.
In North America, "Marathon" = a running race of 26.2 miles or 42(approx) km
In Japan, "Marathon" or マラソン= a long distance run..."long distance" being whatever you like, really. My high school students run their marathon on Friday...10km. My kids run their marathon tomorrow (elementary school)...2-3km? I will get Mixon to post about his marathon tomorrow evening.

Its cold!

Exercise 1/6: Abs Workout
Time: 27 min

It is COLD. It is now hovering between 1-5˚C . Mount Ibuki, our local, tallest mountain [volcano?] , which affects our weather patterns, has snow on it. To the locals, this means that winter has arrived. Sure feels like it. No snow down here though.

later

Exercise 6/6: 100 squats
Time: NA

Japanese Language Proficiency Test in 10 hours.
Wish me luck!

Studying my ?????? off!!

Exercise 5/6: Billy's 8min Cardio and Abs Workout
Time: 35min

Study Study Study Study Workout(#5...just finished) study study study study workout(#6...later) study study study study study sleep JLPT Test!!!!!!

First Night in December!

Exercise 4/6: Tae Bo
Time: 40 min

I can't believe it is already December! Mom and Dad M come in 23 days! Christmas is in 24! I only have 2 weeks of school left! (I just took the 3rd week of December off from work...I would only have 1 class to teach that week :-P) It looks like Colin and I get a week's holiday together before Mom and Dad come. The kids are in school until the 26th...yuck! The Japanese don't officially celebrate Christmas so it is a school day. We haven't decided yet whether they will go or not. They will ONLY go if Gramma and Grampa can come see their school that day (since it is the last day of classes).

Chillin' with my boy.

Exercise 3/6: Walking and frisbee
Time: 45 min

Took a walk to the post office to pick up 2 packages. (Thanks, Mom!)
Mixon offered to keep me company, and Selah had just gone to a friend's house, so we headed off together. When we returned, we played frisbee till it got dark, then walked over to pick up Selah. Pretty light workout...but we were moving AND spending time together. :-)

Then we came home and made a big batch of curry & rice. This is a Japanese staple. It is pretty mild over here for the most part. Although you can definitely get HOT curry here. The curry comes in blocks of (almost) dry paste...that is the best way to describe it. You add it to a pot of boiled veggies and meat of choice. (It looks like stew) Then you put it on a plate BESIDE white rice. So, half the plate is white rice, and half the plate is curry. Then you MUST eat it with a spoon...not chopsticks...not a fork...A SPOON! (lol)

The kids at Colin's school freaked out on him when he ate his school lunch of curry with a fork. They wouldn't leave him alone...so he kept eating with his fork. :-P One night we had one of my students and her sister over...we served them curry. As an experiment, we put out chopsticks, forks and spoons, just to see what they would take if they had an option. When I cleaned up supper, I put all forks and chopsticks back in the drawer because they were untouched!

Let's enjoy curry and rice!

Genki Teacher Day

Exercise 2/6: Calisthenics/Volleyball
Time: 30 min

It is exam week. This is how it works: first 3 periods in the morning are exam-time. Then the students go home to study. This goes on all week. In the meantime, teachers are madly marking and preparing the next test. This afternoon, though, was the yearly First Aid/AED training + Teacher Volleyball . So, I sat on a cold gym floor for 1:30min, learning how to use an AED in Japanese! (fun times! :-P) But after that we got to play a couple games of volleyball. THAT was fun. :-)

100 posts!!!

This is now 101, but I just noticed on my dashboard that I had hit 100! (Not that anyone cares but me...but, yea me! ;-) )

Exercise 1/6: Karate
Time: 1:30

Do scroll down if you haven't visited recently. There are lots of new entries AND PICTURES! :-o

Study break update...

Yesterday,
Exercise 5/6: Abs Workout
Time: 27 min

Good 'ol Billy!

Just now...2:07 pm (9:07 pm Saturday, PST)
Exercise 6/6: More Frisbee!
Time: 30 min

Maybe we will have to find an Ultimate Frisbee League in Kamloops next year. Anyone know of one?

Happy Belated Birthday Rachel!!!!

My wonderful, sweet, alway-remembers-everyone's-birthday, sister-in-law, Rachel Zalinko, had a birthday on Friday.We missed it. (We suck. Sorry, Rach.)

Rachel is a cool Aunt, a loving sister, a doting mother, a faithful wife (not to mention a "pastor's" wife!), a wonderful daughter (in-law) and Grand-daughter(in-law), and a great friend.
You wear many hats, Rach but you wear them with Grace.
We love you!
We miss you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
お誕生日おめでとうございます

Exercise=study breaks

Here are some more pics from the hike we went on a couple of weeks ago...


Fall Colours!!!















View of the valley below...











...more fall colours...















That's me grilling yakisoba! (yes, with chopsticks)

















Here is Selah with one of her best friends, Konomi-chan, eating grilled meat and onigiri (rice wrapped in seaweed - they eat this in place of our sandwiches)



As for today...
Exercise 4/6: Cycling/Frisbee
Time: 1 hour

Until December 3rd I am buried in my Japanese books. So, I am going to use my exercise as study breaks. I think it will help me stay focussed (sp?) and alert. At the very least it will keep me from becoming fused with my desk!
This morning, the fam went for a bike ride to the castle and played frisbee. Great weather for it. Slightly overcast, not much of a breeze and about 12˚C. Lots of fun.





This is the view from where we play frisbee...

Thanksgiving #2!

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006
Exercise (3/6): Walking
Time: 1 hour

Okay, so I take it back...but I didn't understand how much walking we would be doing! Plus the "fitness trainer" said it definitely counted! ;-)
We had a great time in Nagoya and needed the walking cuz we ate WAY too much. We were planning to go the Hard Rock Cafe but it was closed that evening. :-P So, we walked to Sakae (the shopping district of Nagoya) and went to the restaurant we ate at last year on this holiday...The Outback Steakhouse and Grill. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to general western readers...but it has been a year since we have eaten like this! We shared an appy and and an entree and were still WAY too full. (I will take that as a good sign!) Lots of ribs...
Then we walked to the Apple store (for Macs....not fruit) and looked around. Cool shop! Then we had to take and hour and a half to walk, ride the subway, ride the train, walk to the car, and drive back to Ogaki. Back in our own town, we went to the late show...yea,...we were milkin' the babysitting for all it was worth! ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving...to Americans and Japanese...
Nagoya is all decorated for Christmas. It was very pretty at night, all lit up.
(Gasp!) A picture! On MY blog!

Time to Catch Up!

Sunday, Nov. 19th, 2006
Exercise 1/6: Karate
Time: 1:30

Due to the weather getting colder, the workouts are getting more intense as well as the warm-up time is getting longer. Can't stretch and work cold muscles hard. (There is no heating in the gym)

Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006
Exercise 2/6: Tae Bo - 8 min Cardio + Abs workout
Time: 40 min

Wednesday, Nov 22, 2006
Exercise: Walking around Nagoya....(mmmm, doesn't count. :-P)

Tonight, Colin and I are going on a DATE! Now, this may seem like no big deal to y'all...BUT IT IS!
We haven't been out by ourselves (on a date) since we left Canada over a year and a half ago. The Japanese don't seem to have a concept of babysitting...or of married people actually spending free time together. :-/
Anyhow, some other JETs figured this out and have bent over backwards to make us arrange a time! (thanks, guys!) So, I am meeting Colin the the big city of Nagoya for supper tonight and we will do some Christmas shopping and see a movie! Woohoo! All while our children are having a blast with trusted friends, Josh and Miki.
(All this to say...I will have to find a time to do a make-up work-out for tonight...)

Studying my ?????? off!!

Saturday, Nov. 18th, 2006
Exercise 5/6: Frisbee with Colin
Time: 30 min

So I am a bookworm right now. I have a Japanese Language Proficiency Test on Dec. 3rd. I totally bombed level 4 (lowest) last year and so, logically, I enrolled in Level 3 this year! :-P
Anyhow, I am madly studying. But, for a study break, Colin and I went to the local shrine and played some frisbee. (that's just not something you hear everyday, eh? ;-) It is the largest space to play nearby. We were wondering how old the original structures are. They look real old and weather-worn. (Hey! Maybe we should ask a local or something...ya think?)

Sunday, Nov. 19th, 2006 - 2-3pm (deadline is 4pm...)
Exercise 6/6: Frisbee and Karate practice
Time: 1 hour

We enjoyed yesterday so much that we went back. :-)
Off to Karate later tonight.

TGIF

Exercise 4/6: Tae Bo: Abs
Time: 27 min

We missed Karate last night, so I am going to have to do a make-up work out between now and the deadline! :-P

Last night

Wednesday, Nov. 15/06

Exercise 3/6: Tae Bo
Time: 40 min

yep. Worked out.