THE LIFE AND TIMES

THE LIFE AND TIMES
Meeeeeeeee

Friday, October 31, 2008

Chick er Chreet


I remember as a kid, moving from Japan to Port Angeles. Everything was new to me, and I did everything I could to assimilate. I didn't want to be that Japanese girl with the thick accent who dressed funny and ate weird things. I wanted my name to be Alyssa Green, and I wanted to be wearing the coolest 80s styles....I had denim boots with a jeans pocket on the ankle, some white tights with lace at the bottom which I wore under my shorts, and a hypercolor sweatshirt of some guy who's clothes came off as you blew on his body...ha ha. I can't believe Mom let me buy that. Do they still sell hypercolor shirts? They should make a come back! Anyway, I remember moving to this new city, and thinking America was soooo cool....little did I know that Port Angeles was hardly America! One thing I remember vividly, was that Mom would take us to the local library, and I would check out books about two things in particular: mummies and Halloween. What a weird kid I was. I was obsessed with Halloween. I thought it was the neatest holiday ever! Dress up as a total weirdo, and get candy from total strangers. How much better could it get for a kid? I remember Mom made Lisa and I costumes as Malificent, the witch from Sleeping Beauty. My cape lining was teal, and Lisa's was fushia...I opted for the witches hat to appear less dorky, and Lisa of course went all out with the horns. Hmmm, I think Lisa still likes to wear her horns sometimes....just kidding. I remember preparing by carving pumpkins with Mom, and getting our hands all yucky with snotty guts. Mom would toast the seeds, and I just thought they were gross. She was so into holidays that she would put Halloween stickers in our lunch boxes all month...they were scratch 'n sniff monster stickers that smelled like dirt. So cool...they didn't have THAT in Japan. Anyway, I believe Lisa and I were the witches from Sleeping Beauty for about 3 years or so. Our costumes grew smaller and smaller each year, but Mom didn't want to sew new ones....I don't blame her (She never did sew that Michael Jackson jumpsuit for me like she promised either,....and now I'm grateful that she didn't!) Anyway, I miss those Halloween nights as a kid. It is so different as an adult now. Go to a bunch of parties where every girl in the room is some kind of excuse for a skanky display....Look! I'm a slutty postal worker! or I'm a naughty turtle! or check me out! I'm in my bra and underwear and some devil horns or angel wings and it's okay i'm not a slut cuz it's halloween shenanagins. Barf. But it's those creative costumes that I like to see, and those cute kids running around. And a bit of little Lani still lingers when the Halloween candy comes out. Mom and Pop made me chew sugar free Trident gum, but got them back by spending all of my weekly allowance on candy! May we remain youthful for as long as we can, and have a Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Just about that time


am i getting old or what? seems as though i get more and more tired these days... but i guess i did train 9 people today, and that my friends, is a long day if i may say so myself. sometimes i wonder if people really understand what my job is about. sure we get to wear our pajamas to work, yell at people to get on their hands and knees and give me 5 more, and criticize our clients on their sodium consumption....but there is so much more to personal training than just 50 minutes of belittling. to me, it's more of a case by case, i'm-gonna-help-you-figure-this-weight-loss-thing-out-if-it-nearly-kills-me kind of attitude i choose to take. each person to me, is a puzzle and a precious flower that needs tender care and handling. i do my best to get lost in every session and to put myself in each of my clients' shoes. some days i come home feeling more emotionally exhausted from the personal interest i take in my clients' goals, than the physical tiredness i experience from the rediculously heavy weights i attempt to lift. and i guess i could get by as a trainer that kind of cares about dr. so and so, or Mr. blah blah blah who spent all day arguing a case in court, or the Draper Mom who has been chasing her 3 kids around the house....but i can't help but get lost in each person's life, and each person's goals, family, interests, hobbies, talents, emotions, and vulnerabilities,....i believe that to truly help an individual with his or her personal health goals, i must also come to understand personal histories, insecurities, and strengths. and honestly, i can say with all of my heart, that it is my pleasure to do so. with every new client, i acquire a friend and an experience....i learn a new perspective which improves my ability to help future clients. i love my job. and for good reason, it wears me out. so now, this personal trainer/friend/therapist/weight lifter, is going to bed, probably falling slowly asleep to new exercizes being invented in the far reaches of my brain.

Five More!

Five More!