TREATS

My PT sessions are back! To illustrate this I have a highly informative picture of my super shaky hand that feels like it’s stuck in grip-mode after a hard workout (and yes you can also check out my nails with their icy winter manicure).

I worked out with my personal trainer for ten weeks last winter, and it was the best money investment I had made in a long time. You really get to push yourself in a new way. Plus get a bunch of new moves to work on. And, it really is something of an investment, not only from the money point of view, but also (cheesy sentence alert:) an investment in yourself because you know, your body is the one thing you have to live with your whole life. So at the end of last year I gave myself a present when the tax return money came and got myself a set of 10 new sessions. A great decision, once again.

I have always worked out, sometimes more, sometimes less, even though it seldom makes it here more than in a mention or two. What I really loved doing was Savate; French (kick) boxing. I’ve always liked martial arts. I used to do Tae Kwon Do when I was in my late teens. But then my knee got fucked up (a friend sat on my leg so it turned the wrong way, kind of, and things broke) and I had to take a break and then other things came up and I never returned. The reasons I then quit savate about seven years ago were that my working hours in the harbour were so hard I seldom managed to work out on a schedule. That, and that my other knee got fucked up (things broke during a jumping practice) and I had to have an operation and take a 6 month break. Afterwards I returned but when I started performing the bruises all over did not really fit in. Now I live too far from the boxing gym for it to be convenient and my nails are too long to fit in the boxing gloves. But one day I will return! (Add to list of things to take up again). Because, there is no such thing as too old.

Speaking of which; being older today than yesterday, as we all are, I remember reading a blog post from some 19-20-21 year old fashion blogger quite many years ago (I must have been about 26 or 27) where the young author was posting some red carpet celebrity pictures. She was being surprised and impressed that this one celeb woman (can’t remember who and don’t care) could be in such good shape at the age of thirty four! Well, this of course was met with some  amusement from many older (or, “older”) readers that stumbled by, and also by me, not because I didn't think thirty-something was that old back then, but mostly because I had always though I would be in a helluvalot of better shape at 34 than I was at, say, 22 or 26. See, even though I was working out regularly at that time I also went out and partied very regularly. I always thought (and was perhaps hoping) that at 30-something I’d be working out more smart and more dedicated, going out less and having less drinks. And so on. And, ta-da, so indeed I am! After childbirth few will have the same measurements back as one had when 21, but I am in better shape now, in a smarter way, than I’ve ever been before. Moving around for a living also helps, and now of course also because of the pilates training. Being healthy feels good, but I consider myself to be the kind of person that will never get super duper I-will-start-an-instagram-account-about-it fit, neither do I have the need to, because, well, chocolate and red wine are also totally awesome things in this world. But when I’m 34, which is this yearI’m going to be ripped! (or then not, you know, because chocolate. But I like saying it just for fun.)

I also gave myself another treat - a set of vouchers for Liangtse Wellness (a Chinese medicine wellness center). (To illustrate that is the tiny little tea pot you are served tea in when you wait, and later a content me in those small gold pyjamas you get to wear during your treatment.)


I got a gift card there from Eddi for Christmas - I had been planning to of there for years but I am the kind of person who is really bad at getting such things done for myself. Now as I was at it I went all pay-now-think-later and got myself that voucher set.  But it was a good pey first think later moment, because nothing beats someone kneading you aching head for half an hour. Well that would then be one whole hour (and perhaps some other things as well. But it definitely makes top ten of certain lists at least!) My relaxation for the ongoing year is guaranteed.


Now if I could only learn to treat myself to do my book keeping on a regular basis and to fall earlier to sleep at night things'd be even better.

BURLESQUE BRUISES

I used to train savate, french boxing, before and I liked it a lot. Now I haven't put on my gloves for more than a year and I, or at least my body, has a bad conscience about that from time to time. The reason is simply that I a) just do not have the time for it anymore and I b) have also become a bit very lazy. And then I c) tell myself it's OK because it wouldn't really look that good on stage as a burlesque dancer with my legs full of bruises now would it.

However, turns out you can get pretty bruised legs from doing burlesque too, who would've thought? I have this number that's pretty wild which resulted in me kicking down an amplifier from stage last weekend as I did a split and obviously underestimated the length of my legs. While that was pretty much just considered rock n'roll and I didn't break the damn thing, phew, I definitely beat my own knees up the other night at Glitter Grill by just jumping down on them in a twirling frenzy. Well I guess it was a great show and nothing really hurts on stage due to the adrenaline but afterwards I was wondering what the hell I'd done and why my knees hurt so much. The result sure ain't pretty:

But it's a good thing I'm not into short hems :)

SOME THINGS HURT IN A GOOD WAY

Dress - Carlings
Belt & Shoes - Vintage

One of my favourite pairs of shoes are my grandmother's from the early 1940's. They are in such good condition but sadly a teeny-weeny bit too small. (Should I start doing some body-modifications? Maybe cut all my toes off a few millimeters?)

...I still couldn't resist wearing them today to town, and of course my toes were a bit aching at the end of the day.

Later I went for a pass of savate training for the first time in weeks. Normally I go to these technique/ full-but-controlled contact training but today I did a cardio pass which means punching the sack and doing muscle stuff for 75 minutes non stop. Boy was that heavy considering my poor liver has been working out more than me this summer and I've been smoking like hell recently! People work out so hard at those cardio passes the whole room smells like the kitchen of a chinese resaurant afterwards - like stir fry.

Umm, I don't know if that inspired me or not but later in the evening I went out with a friend for chinese food around the corner and my legs were so shakey and tired I took the elevator instead of the stairs back home :)

But I actually like it, it sort of hurts in a good way.

WORK WORK WORK

This is how I look most of the time when I'm working. Comfy comfy. A bit boring maybe. I've been wearing the same cardigan for the whole week while working and having some occasional combined lunch - job meetings. I have a lot of work right now and I don't know where to start. And in the same time there are so many happenings - parties, a farewellparty, a dinner and a few interesting gigs - in the near future I dont' want to miss and I have no idea how to get it together. I want to have time to train my savate too because there is a test for my next level next week. In savate you get a higher colour on your glove by each level, kind of like getting a different belt in martial arts (but it's only symbolic. My gloves are black at all levels).

And the factory that produces the clothes and packages that I make for this one company screwed up a packing I did some time ago (I have no idea how they could manage to do that but they have just made some really strange changes to it) and now I have to correct their version and I would rather just do something else, aaarrgh!