Why am I so susceptible to getting myself in over my head?

It seems I no matter how ridiculous a challenge is, I just keep jumping in head first! Is there some sort of disorder that causes this? Is it treatable, or am I doomed to a life of spontaneous commitment and resulting torture? Last year it was the triathlon that turned into TWO triathlons, which has turned into FOUR triathlons this year. One of these triathlons is scheduled to be an Olympic distance one. EEEK! In all my wisdom, I figured that these FOUR freaking triathlons would be much easier to do, if I didn’t have to lug all my extraneous weight around while training. Logical conclusion? Yes.

You might be thinking that the FOUR triathlons is where I got in over my head, but you are wrong.

To make a long story short, a co worker and I made a weight loss bet. Over lunch one day, we discovered we weigh exactly the same and both wanted to drop some of it. A week later we signed the contract for the bet. We have till March 31st to reach a certain weight. There is about $150 in prizes at stake for this bet. Now, allow me to tell you a bit about the guy I have to beat. He is two inches taller than me and massively muscular. He is also 18 years older than me (which I suspect is all I have going for me). The weight we are trying to reach by March 31st is also his target weight. My target weight would still be about 1000 lbs less than even that. He also spent a good portion of his life as a personal trainer. Ugh. Wish me luck!

A Perfect 10 Year Aniversary Post

This is a transcript of a chat conversation I had this morning with my friend Brett.

Brett: so...
me: as you were saying...
Brett: did i mention i decided to try out eharmony?
me: are you getting married? not that I recall...
Brett: just wondering if there are more quality people out there than the ones that i sometimes date...you know, like cute smart girls who maybe work at hooters...
me: and...
Brett: (that's where you laugh and say "yeah, i know of someone perfect for you that fits that mold!")
anyway... the way it works is that you get anywhere from 1-8 "matches" a day...
me: i can't wait to see where this is going!
and one of your "matches" today is someone I know?
Brett: well, linnea... you receive an email about each one with their name and age in the morning.
so when i was looking at them on my blackberry, i got one that said "eharmony would like to introduce you to linnea, 33!"
me: you should totally take her out! I bet she is AWESOME!


Artur and Linnea's 10 Year Aniversary--Today!

Guess What Song...

....we had too much fun with at the office today.

Linnea Buys a Ticket

I finally got this to be right side up and with sound. Be impressed. Be VERY impressed (with both my ticket buying skills, and my video editing skills - which are both about the same level).

My Day in LuKong

I have been informed that my pictures are "boring"...so here is some video snippets of some daily moments that may prove less boring to watch...perhaps. Arwyn and I made it with Artur in mind, but hey...why not just open it up to the world...right?

Taiwan Day 2

Things Taiwan Does Well Part II

1. Pineapple Cake
2. Oreo Milkshakes
3. Giant Carved Wood Tables
4. Masks for Scooter Riding (I have GOT to get one of these)
5. Christmas Cards (which is weird to me since they don't celebrate it)

Things Taiwan Does NOT Do Well Part II

1. Smog Control (Yes this can make the list twice)
2. Kiwi Milkshakes
3. Notify you that the "colored tofu" you are eating is really congealed pigs blood
4. Joke when you pay the $79 NTD bill in $1 NTD coins
5. Insulation

12 Hours in Taiwan....

Things Taiwan Does Well...

1. Orange Juice
2. Scooter Traffic
3. Chinese Food
4. Recycling
5. Make Garbage Pleasant (the Garbage Truck sounds like an Ice Cream Truck which I think could turn out to be quite a let down under the right circumstances)

Things Taiwan Does NOT so well...

1. Sidewalks
2. Mosquito Control
3. Smog Control
4. Mattresses (is that how you spell it?)
5. Hot Water Heaters (I thought I was DONE with cold showers after living in Tbilisi).

I Am Kinda In Love With This...

I Finally Got a Picture of This!

I have been hoping this would happen again for a long time so I could catch it on film! The batteries in my FIL’s remote went out and this was his solution. Too bad the camera on my phone isn't better.

It gives you a second burst of CO2!

Monday this week was a VERY cold and VERY rainy day. I got home early and curled up to watch the older Waffle Episode of Good Eats. I was so enthralled with the idea of waffles and double acting baking powder (it lets off a second burst of CO2 when the batter his 120 Degrees)! On Wednesday night I was all primed and ready to get home from work and go running. I first stopped at the store on the way home from work for a few things. While there I was again enthralled with the idea of waffles and double acting baking powder! It was again cold and rainy, and being the cravenly runner I am, I decided to swap running for waffles! Be honest, you all would have done the same thing! Anyhow, off I went in search of Double Acting Baking Powder. It sounds like a specialty item so I hoped they had it. I didn’t know it at the time, but it turns out that most baking powders ARE Double Acting, but I didn’t know that and I bought one anyway.

While making my waffles and using my NEW DOUBLE ACTING BAKING POWDER, I remembered that I had recently already bought baking powder. I decided to brave my giant spice cabinet mess to see if I could find it. I did find it, and two others as well. I checked the expiration dates on them and just about died laughing. I guess it has been a while since I cleaned out the spice cabinet. I laughed just long enough to take the above picture and then pitch the extraneous expired double acting baking powders in the trash. I guess it is sad when your house clutter even expands to the spice cabinet!

The waffles were FANTASTIC and I am certain it is all because of the second burst of CO2 when the batter hit 120 degrees! Gotta love Alton Brown!