"Caffeine"--Eric Clapton's New Hit

It’s such a gloomy day outside. I haven’t felt like doing anything.

I did, however, manage to get up this morning and stay up. Usually on Friday mornings I’m so tired from the rest of the week that I get up, drink coffee, watch Mythbusters and then go back to bed, too exhausted to do any sort of yoga.

But this morning, I actually got past the coffee and TV part. I did some yoga, did Bible Study and ate breakfast. THEN I went back to bed.

My mom woke me back up about 30 minutes later, complaining about me sleeping instead of doing my school. I’m not sure why she had a problem with that.

Sleep is very important. My motto (okay, one of my abundant mottos) is, “Sleep at every waking moment.”

Wait a minute.

Well, I’m sure I got the point across. I also have another motto. It is, “Drink caffeine as much as possible.”

For those of you that know me too well, that motto is the reason.

My dream day is when I would wake up, go to Starbucks, get a Vanilla Mocha Latte (iced if it’s warm outside and scorching hot it it’s cold) and go to a REALLY long yoga class. Then I would go BACK to Starbucks, get more coffee, go home, and do school (I don’t know about you, but I LIKE school, thank you very much). While doing school I am reminded not to over-use exclamation marks and to not write run-on sentences.

After school I would grab a couple Mountain Dews for lunch and then head over to swim practice. There we’d do 20 100’s, 10 IMs and 10 free alternating and then play water polo or something. Anyway, after that I would go to an all-night improv practice, all the while drinking a six-pack of Vault.

However, since I am SUPPOSED to be a healthy person, it is my place to say that you shouldn’t have 10 caffeinated drinks a day. And, unfortunately, “sugar crash” is not a valid reason, nor is “people will look at you in a weird way”.

Anyway, I really need to go drink something caffeinated. I’m becoming a zombie. Just in time for Halloween. Yay!

~Jessica

Packs and Lenny Krayzelburg

Hooooo-boy, I’m tired. And I have to go do it all again tomorrow.

Yes, it was 55 degrees today again. It felt colder. I used it to my advantage, though. We had hard sets (well, harder than usual, anyway) and since I didn’t get too hot, they were easier. There was no humidity in the air (duh) so I could breath fine (except when I got out of breath).

But I’m sleepy. *snore**snore**snore* I’M AWAKE!!! I have a poster of Lenny Krayzelburg now. Cool.

So, we did 12 50’s on the :50. Fun. I like the new Weird Al CD. It’s totally emosewa. I have a two-pack if I flex really hard. It would be really cool if, in a few months, I got a four-pack. Or a six-pack. Or a 12-can box of Mountain Dew. Or I joined a wolf pack. Or played on the Wolfpack. Or maybe I should just get out more.

I am writing a new song. I would post the lyrics on here except a) Why would YOU like to know them? b) Legal reasons (dude, I could sell it or sing it or something) c) It’s not done yet d) I don’t think I would anyway.

Those are very good reasons. Adieu.

~Jessica

Soccer, Swimming and Doughnuts

Well, I was reading on Spice Line that there is a Soccer Club for highschool s. You know, a kind of place that’s no-pressure, where you (actually) learn skills and stuff for soccer. This would be good for me especially since I used to play soccer a lot with my neighbors. I don’t suppose I was that good, but I enjoyed it and would like to try it out again.

However, I have *cough* checked my schedule and, while I am free on the day it’s on, I already have 7,000 other activities every week (as mentioned before) and I am quite certain that my parents would either die of exhaustion or just get really mad at me for…well, several reasons.

So, I was thinking. Maybe I could stop swimming on Wednesday or something and then I could do soccer on Fridays. I wouldn’t feel as guilty about stopping one day of swimming if I were doing something else athletic. It’s technically cross-training. I get to run and…well, stuff. Maybe I should go buy some new shoes first. I need some anyway.

Buuurrrr. I can’t believe we had to swim today. It was 55 degrees (Fahrenheit, unfortunately) outside and Coach promised us that if we didn’t complain about the water being cold, then he would let us (Silver) out 15 minutes early. We didn’t, and he did. So it’s all good. I just feel really sorry for anybody who swam this morning. It was forty-something, I think. I would die of hypothermia.

Well, I’m absolutely starving. I ate cereal for breakfast (yes, I have a strange obsession with talking about what I eat), then some pretzels after swim practice, then half a bell pepper while doing my science. It’s dinner time but the casserole isn’t quite ready, so I must wait.

I feel very un-fat right now. As a matter-of-fact, I feel like I need to eat about 17 doughnuts right now. So I’ll go get a bag of Sweet 16, then go to Krispy Kreame and get another one (glazed with sprinkles) and then I will have approximately 17. But the Sweet 16 don't count as 16, because they’re little. So I’ll go BACK to the store and buy another bag. Then I will sit down, eat them all and become very sick. When I am well again I will probably ask for a cookie. If you give me a cookie, I will probably ask for some milk. If you give me some milk…

Um, never mind.

Well, I’m going to go pace around the kitchen as my body mass deteriorates. Bye!

~Jessica

Let Happen What May

My friend Kara and I were talking after practice today about the Seahawks vs. RSA. Not in a meet (Please no; they wouldn’t race us anyway. And if we forced them to we’d be squashed like pumpkins). You see, I had been considering joining their team for my senior year. Now I’m not sure about it.

Mostly because, as Kara pointed out, they are more Olympics-type-oriented, while what Kara and I want is just something to challenge us. I, personally, love swimming. Kara does too. And we were just thinking that devoting, in a sense, our entire lives to it might take all the fun out of it.

Today was a challenging day for a Jessica. Well, this Jessica anyway. There’s plenty of Jessicas that would have scoffed at my tiredness, but WHATever. Kara said that for the past year and a half, Coach Finneran has been challenging the Silver team more and more, to set them apart from the Blue team (not in a bad way). I love it, but at the moment I am very tired.

I’ve realized that, when you get into a sport, particularly a racing sport (swimming, biking, running, skiing, unicycling, pogosticking, point-shoe-tip-toe-walking [to name a few popular ones]) you have to let go. Don’t let anything hold you back. You can’t really set specific goals for yourself. Just do your best. As a matter-of-fact, do better that your notion of what is your best. The only way to get better is to do better. To just do what you THINK you can do is holding you back.

Let happen what will. In any of the above racing sports, it doesn’t matter what YOU want. It matters what happens. It’s up to you to make sure that those happenings are remarkable (yes, even the slightest achievement is considered remarkable. Never question that). Go beyond what is typical of you. Whether it's age, newness to the sport, "failure" or something you’ve already accomplished, don’t let it hold you back. You may find that you are incredibly talented at whatever it is you’re doing. If you are, don’t let opponents who are even better limit you or discourage you. If you believe you’re only mediocre, it doesn’t matter. But don’t ever believe you’re mediocre, because if you’re doing whatever you are doing to begin with then of course you’re not. Don’t let any negative thoughts stop you from working hard. If you love it, it doesn’t matter if exceptional at it or “not”.

Stretch beyond what seems possible. Love what you do. Don’t despair…why do that when there are so many joys to have in your sport?

~Jessica

PS Pointshoetiptoewalking was one of my best sports…but then I sprained my ankle. Ice your ankle thoroughly and put it above your heart as much as you can for 48 hours at least. Never ice longer than 20 minutes at a time. Please consult your ankle and other humans before continuing in your sport(s). You do not want to damage it again (do what I say, not what I do…)

Swimming Scholarship...? Nah...

Sorry. Sorry for not writing in a very long time, anyway.

I’m an extremely stubborn person. If I don’t like it, it really doesn’t get done unless somebody threatens me. Fortunately, I’ve become more optimistic and as a result I like more things.

One thing I still don’t like, however, is listening to my father rant and rave about how I can be better at…well, whatever he finds that I should be better at. I mean, I know that I need to improve on a lot of things. I also understand that he’s older and more experienced in everything. But I want to do my own thing. I know my weaknesses and I want to figure out how to overcome them myself. I don’t want a third party to help me out.

Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper too??

There are several things I, myself, would like to improve on. I would like to be more time efficient, for one. Being a very hyper person naturally, I love staying busy. But lately I’ve become much more busy than usual. I swim 3 days a week, I babysit, I do bookkeeping for my dad, I have Bible study and improv and, most of all, school. I’ve found that practically every spare moment has to be devoted to some sort of school. Right now I should be reading about Kidneys (yay). But instead I’m sitting here listening to Pink Floyd writing about how I SHOULD be more time efficient.

Well, good luck with that.

So, my dad’s latest crazy idea is that I should get a swimming scholarship.

Smells like Nirvana to me. He’s on a plane and he can’t complain. Whoohoo.

Okay, enough randomness (for the moment, anyhow).

So…gosh, the Nirvana guy is really selfish…FINE!!!! Anyway…swimming scholarship. Uh…well, that rules out Georgia Tech. Not that I wanted to go there anyway (no offense, but the only thing I can think that is exceptional about Georgia is that it’s on the way to Disney World).

YAY!!! Aerosmith!!!! Every emo teenager should let go and rock out to Aerosmith sometime.

I suppose it is completely logical for me to get a swimming scholarship. After all, my motto is, “It’s not impossible, you just haven’t done it yet.”

CALL ME THE BREEZE!!!

Oh, alright, I admit it. This isn’t a blog entry, this is a radio commentary. Now, back to the commercial.

So what if I started swimming on a team only last December? I’ve been told I have potential. I don’t know about you, but I really would like to loose 3 seconds off my 50 by at least the end of next summer. Even though I still won’t be exceptional, but I know I am perfectly capable of it. I may die in the process, but WHATEVER!!!

Remind me that I said that in about a year.

Anyway, I need to go do homework (aka extra school).

~Jessica

Fitness--five minutes in your bed (estimated time)

I was thinking the other day, what if I answer Elizabeth's question about bed workouts sometime soon? Well, I thought about it for a moment. You see, most of any bed workouts I do are done in MY bed. It recently occurred to me that Elizabeth sleeps in a bunk bed, where leg circles are rather difficult.

What is recommended is yoga and pilates. Depending on the height and length of the bed, there are several things you can do. Lay on your stomach. Extend your arms and legs out. If you have a bad neck like I do, you might want to keep your legs extended but put your hands beneath your chin. Now, lift both your legs and your chest up simultaneously, hold for 3 seconds, then come back down. Do this for 2-3 sets of 8 reps each (or whatever you feel comfortable with). These are called "Superman". They work the back and buttocks, part of your core.

There is also the basic crunch. You can bend your knees or straighten your legs, the latter working the lower part of your abs more as well as your upper. 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps is suitable. Remember to inhale when you're down and exhale as you come up, contracting your abs. Let your abs do all the work. Don't lead with your chin.

Push-ups are good for your chest and your arms. 2-3 sets of 10 reps each is recommended.

Lastly, your legs. It's more difficult to find bed workouts for legs because, well, you're laying down. So, roll over on your side. You can do several things while propping yourself up on your elbow. Point your toe and lift your leg up and down about 20 times. Don't rush. Repeat on the other side.

Try this and report back. Tell me if it works, how it works if it does, or if it stinks. Also, I wouldn't recommend doing it at night, because you'll most likely get some sort of second wind and you will have trouble getting to sleep. Good luck!

~Jessica

The Stinky Plastic Box (not the gym, just another leisure blog)

There are so many things I have continually told myself I would never do again. But where does that get me? y nowhere, I tell you! It is quite pointless telling oneself that one is never ever ever ever ever ever ever going to use a port-a-potty EVER again.

Yes, folks. It had been YEARS! Many years full of many strategies of holding it in. From the classic crossing of the legs to reading a book to various upside-down yoga positions, I WAS NOT going to go in a port-a-potty. They are the #1 grossest places on the planet. I spend hours wondering over whether Adrian Monk would die or not, were he to ever find himself at least within 100 feet of one.

But yesterday, well, that was a different story.

Yesterday, SOMEbody was dragged along to her brothers’ football games. The games are held at a very popular park where real bathrooms would be welcome by ready tax-payers and open-armed locals. But instead, the poor citizens must endure the trauma of the port-a-potties the park is doomed with.

Toilet paper askew. Greasy finger prints at every turn. The stuffy stench confined to the plastic box I am expected to pee in. The soap is all gone. It provokes claustrophobia to the highest degree known to mankind. Even the not-so-squeamish scream when they see one. I meant to tell you before this paragraph began that if you were eating something while reading this, that you should either eat later or read later. Please do not barf on the keyboard as this will only make it worse. You would have to go buy another one and then sue me because of it. And that wouldn’t be nice because I’m not here to be sued. Consider THAT before making another move, mister!!

Basically, I was forced to tinkle twice in the terrible tower of toilet trouble. I would have thought of better “t” words if I weren’t so cautious about what I say.

Until next time, I bid thee adieu. Please, for the sake of Jessica, avoid port-a-potties at all cost. And if you ever must go in one, remember this entry. You’re not the only one who s them.

~Jessica

Exercise Maniac

After my unhealthy Saturday, I forced myself to get up earlier than usual on Sunday morning so that I could get an abs workout in before having to get ready for church.

I was planning on doing the bare minimum. Just two abs sections of “Gilad’s Total Body Sculpt”, then I would go eat. But after my little fling, I wanted more. So, because I had extra time and because I felt like it, I turned on “Core Max 1” and did it.

On a normal day, I don’t really want to get faster or stronger or skinnier. Today I did but that’s not the point. I just do whatever exercise because I love it. I want to show everyone (that ends up reading this) how to love fitness. I mean, I love working out, I love training and eating right and I love the psychology of it all.

Now I’m starting to freak myself out. I’m starting to sound like a perfect exercise maniac…HELP!!! Well, I guess I just want to present the bare facts to you. And the only way to do that is to…well, you know.

But I just wanted to say that love really is the center of all things. Love what you do, and everything else will fall into place after that.

~Jessica

Name Pronunciation Complaints Line (leisure blogging)

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by and other name would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called.”

Translation for all the Shakespeare-deficient:

“Your name sucks. Get a new one.”

Apparently the name Jessica is both over-used and confusing.

I am constantly introducing myself to people, only to hear them reply, “Oh, I have/had a friend/cousin/girlfriend/mom/grandma/aunt/great aunt/sister named Jessica.”

WHAT a coincidence!!! Way to make me feel special. Sometimes the above remark is even followed by, “Isn’t that nice? I’ll definitely be able to remember your name.” Yes, wonderful.

My mother, may she rest in peace once she dies in about 55 years (or more *crosses fingers*), thought Jessica was a unique name, wherefore naming me said name I am now referred to as. I looked up my name online and I believe in 1990, Jessica was the third most popular baby name.

So, there’s the over-used part. As you may or may not recall, depending on how well your brain works (if you’re one of those cousin-named-Jessica-I’ll-remember-you people mentioned previously then obviously you do NOT recall what I am about to refresh you on) I pointed out that Jessica is a very confusing name.

I was so confused with my own name when I was smaller, I referred to myself as “Ed-i-ca”. My brother Marck, when he was born, called me “ca-ca”, our next-door neighbor Trey, when he was younger, called me “si-ca” and my youngest brother Robert called me “ga-gi-ga”.

However, Robert and I were more on track than some people these days. No, I don’t mean those who call me “Jessi” or “Jess”, because those I really don’t mind. They’re pet names and provoke pet-like qualities including loyalty and cuteness. Side affects may include following around like a puppy and amnesia.

The most common mispronunciation of my name is “Jess-kuh.” Grown men and women are apparently so consumed with their jobs that they seemingly have no time to include the second syllable in my three-syllable name.

“Now I’ll have more time to play LEGOs! Yay!”

“But I don’t know how to play LEGO.”

“But you don’t have to…it’s that simple.”

Alright, well…enough of that. Goodnight everyone.

~Jessica