I may not be an Olympian but I think you'll be duly impressed

This morning when I signed on to blog, I was diverted by my own will to an Olympian's blog which I thought was really, really cool. It's at http://carissagump.blogspot.com/ and is about Carissa Gump who is a member of the USA Weightlifting team. I won't give away the ending here but the pictures of her journey to and within China are waaaaay cool. She's just a regular American and reading her blog made me think that the Olympics have so many great people, stories and events.


Of course, most of the Olympic events are on late at night here in the US and I don't possess a DVR; I know I'm one of about one hundred Americans that don't own one. Don't hate on me for that but feel free to guffaw and mock me a teensy bit but know that I still cannot hear you.


If it makes you feel better go ahead and chuckle because I also only have a track phone. That's right, dear readers, I am going on record here to say that I do not text, access the Internet, or take pictures with my phone. I also do not have voice mail set up on my track phone. I rarely turn it on and it's never actually rung.

I use it to make a few random calls now but it gets the most use when I call parents from my desk at school as our phone system there requires a ridiculous amount of number punching to try and call people who may have a cell (which is almost everyone, even families in the rural area where I work). Plus, the phone at work is attached to the wall by the door, effectively eliminating your ability to try and sit nearby and have some sense of privacy.

But this is the BIG news, what you have been waiting for during the last few torturous paragraphs. Friends, Romans, countrymen and women: I have cleared the first board on Pac-Man!

I did this last night and for only one time, but by golly I did it! Talk about pushing yourself to the limit! My nightly meds were kicking in and after some loud cussing, the impossible dream turned itself on its head, the planets aligned, and I accomplished what I thought was elusive.

Okay folks, this just goes to show you that anything is possible.


Other stuff:

1.) About Pac-Man, I have had some comments telling me to never ever ever get rid of it. Apparently this is a game that lives on in the hearts of other 30- ,40-, and 50-somethings. To play you must use your arrows on your keyboard (they're between the letters and the numbers area). Click on the screen to make it pop out and it will cover up my blog (the things I do for you readers). If you turn on your speakers you will also hear the Pac-Man "music" and this may take you back twenty years and I take no blame if you pull on some leg warmers and do a Flash dance.



2.) In other news not about Pac-Man: Freerice.com is also a big hit with several people on here. If you go to the link below, you may need to cut and paste it, you'll see the the first delivery from Free Rice. The video even starts with kids in a classroom playing the Free Rice game. I know some other teachers have mentioned using it in their classrooms and I plan to do so myself this school year.

http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=148&Key=193

** FreeRice reaches Bangladesh **The first consignment of rice bought with funds raised through the award-winning FreeRice site reaches refugees from Myanmar sheltering in Bangladesh...

This really is a legitimate UN program and you can have fun and help the world at the same time! Please stop by, check out the video, and fill up your bowl with some rice to give to others. I am a firm believer in the more that you do for and give to others, the more you receive peace within yourself.

3.) On the getting healthier front, I started writing down everything I eat in a WW journal but not counting the points yet. I'm working my way back to that. I have made considerable progress with fruits and vegetables, as in I am actually eating more of them. I'm also trying to get in more protein as I love those carbs.

I exercise when I can do it physically, mostly starting out with my WATP (Walk Away the Pounds) DVD, then moving into 20 minutes of a restorative yoga pose, and then my stretching for arms and legs. I walked a little more than 1.5 miles last night with the DVD and I did the rest of my "rigorous" program and my legs are not too awful today.

I have some great stretches from my occupational therapist for my arms/hands and some lower body stretches from her and other sources. I was actually able to lift my leg up high enough yesterday to put on my sock without too much trouble. I am really using my yoga strap to get some of these stretches done because my flexibility is about nil right now. I feel some nice changes and I am pleased with that.

4.) My parents have offered to pay $1,000 towards LASIK eye surgery. That came out of left field the other night. I never ask for money, have never asked for it, and never would. This just came to me as a gift and I didn't quite know what to make of it.

I am scheduled for my free consultation next week on Thursday. I know if I can have the surgery that it will certainly cost me more than my parents' donation, but this is something I had thought about in the past. I was just getting ready to go have my annual eye exam, purchase new glasses, and get my contacts which I have now cancelled.

My parents explained that they would be willing to do this because I am having such issues with my hands. I am a tad bit worried that there may come a day when I can't do contacts anymore because all my fine motor stuff is becoming increasingly difficult. So here's an option to explore and I'm not used to being offered something like this. It's a weird feeling to have rolling around in my gut.

5.) This is the end, almost. Thanks readers for pushing me over the 200 hit mark. (Hits are how many times people click on your site.) Someone out there is reading this or parts of this or at least clicking on the page to play Pac-Man. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend and deft fingers if you choose to play Pac-Man. Don't forget to check out Free Rice, too.