I like a lot of things.

I like trashy romance novels, and almond related pastries, and carnivals, and mountains, and really loud concerts, and listening to disco on trains, and the internet, and about a million other things.

But sometimes I think that while I probably like all of these things equally, there are a few things that I enjoy doing/ eating/ watching/ etc. that really make me feel most like myself. For example, when I listen to Celtic music (or anything that incorporates a lot of bagpipes), I feel most like Tara. This isn't to say that I like that music any more than I like listening to show tunes or metal or anything else in my music library, in fact I can go months at a time without feeling the need to pop in a Gaelic Storm CD, but when I do it just seems to get under my skin a little more than any other kind of sound.

Lately a few things in life have conspired to leave me feeling a little off kilter, and last night I quite accidentally had an evening that seemed tailor designed to make me feel more like myself. When Grant and I lived in Kingston our most recent apartment was right over a Vietnamese restaurant, which is basically one of my all time favorite kinds of food. I don't think I've had Vietnamese food since the last time I was hungover in Kingston, so when my parents suggested we try a local place, I was pretty excited to indulge in the Jersey version of the #34 that I always used to order. Afterwards we went home and ended up watching a documentary that I've been wanting to see for some time, 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould, which if you like music or non-linear storytelling, go watch it immediately!

It sounds kind of douche-y and pretentious to say that Vietnamese food and an avant-garde Canadian documentary clicked me into feeling a little more like myself, but who are you to judge? Grant, you've been quiet for a few weeks, I challenge you to a topical blog post: what activities/ sounds/ sights/ tastes make you feel most like yourself?

One Hundred Push-Ups

...or I'll just go ahead anyway.

I forgot to eat dinner again. I usually end up eating dinner around 8 or 9pm because I get distracted by a productivity streak or Tara's request that I set up our blog.

My body type is what I call "skinny bitch" (Are we cursing in this blog, Tara? Answer your phone so we can discuss this!). I get defensive when the subject of anorexia comes up, since I have a very healthy attitude towards eating.  I just happen to be a distracted young man with a fire-burning metabolism.

The skin-and-bone look isn't really working for me, so I'm trying to get fit. I'm not bothering to bulk up, since my metabolism should slow down eventually. Just working on strength and flexibility. I'm focusing on arms and core right now, with the help of a delightful website: http://www.hundredpushups.com/. It's great for several reasons:

1. There are plenty of options for different fitness levels.
2. Commitment of time, effort, and resources is basically nil.
3. The results are measurable.

I'm on Week 3 of the program, though it's really Week 8, since I've done each week twice and took some breaks. But I've gone from collapsing before five push-ups to doing five sets of ten push-ups.  My biggest obstacle is wrist pain; I suspect that comes from playing video games and using a touchpad -- working on a solution for it. 

One might suggest a better, more effective program for me, but this one makes me feel great.  I can't wait to see how different I look and feel when I hit 100.

Grant