The Mosher Pit

The interactive memoir and blogspace of Helen Catherine Heath Thompson Mosher.

Nifty People I Met Randomly on the Internet

The Association Channel

The Faith Channel

The Friends List

The Health Channel

The Media Evolution Channel

May 2008
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Apr		Jun »
	1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Archives

Is there a 12-step group for compulsive writers?

Archive for May, 2008

May 31st, 2008

The next-20 challenge

I was terribly disappointed this morning to find that after hovering just under the second-century mark for the two months since my last weigh-in that I’ve gained about 7 pounds this week, which I’m sure is the result of dining like a rich woman in Philadelphia at some of my favorite places (Dahlak, especially). Although, some of it may be muscle; we walked extensively during the trip and I danced for the first time in ages at my friends’ wedding. There’s video evidence of this somewhere, although I don’t know when or if it will be shared online. I got MisterMosher to the Mütter Museum, finally, last Sunday–we took the R5 from Ardmore and wound up walking around the Rittenhouse quadrant for several hours on a beautiful day.

So anyway, vacation has been wonderful, and we’re back home in the Shenandoah Valley, for as much “home” as it is when I’m pining for Philadelphia and my quiet little ex-hometown of Narberth, Pennsylvania. What I’m realizing I need to do to lose the next 20 pounds is find a way of incorporating my Philadelphia self into my exurban life. I miss walking to the train station, dancing with my friends every weekend (and sometimes during the week), and having my aunts at ready access when they are, emotionally, my closest family. That’s on our long-term radar to deal with more directly (i.e., move back north) after I finish grad school, assuming career factors allow us to do so. But I was so shocked to find how affordable Narberth and Ardmore, etc. are compared to Northern Virginia (even out here in the valley) that I had a serious moment of “Why did I leave?” It made sense at the time.

Anyhow. I’m coming back to weighing-in every Friday even though I cringe at having to start back up at 205, so technically I’m challenging myself to lose another 25 pounds in the next two months. I really believe I can have myself back at a buck-sixty by the time of our wedding celebration, which will be (drumroll) October 25. So, uh, save the date, although we’ve now changed that date so many times I understand if you roll your eyes.

Posted in Philadelphia, Wedding, Weight Loss by: Helen
No Comments

May 14th, 2008

Pop Song Death Match

This will be a recurring feature in which I take two songs and debate which is the better song. It occurred to me in a twitter moment when I had Bizarre Love Triangle earworming me and it took me a second to parse that it was not my favorite New Order song, which is True Faith. Then it occurred to me that Bizarre Love Triangle is the one with a pop song legacy, while True Faith has gotten shorter shrift.

So in this pop song death match, I think True Faith wins on musical strength. But others might disagree. Curious to see if it gets any Twitter feedback; I’ll keep you posted.

Posted in Music by: Helen
No Comments

May 5th, 2008

New 80’s playlist

Been a while. I really need to get DJ gear and start spinning at unconferences, given the reception these things have been getting among my social media friends. I have several more that I’ve been working on and hope to get to soon, including one of … gasp! current pop music that catches my ear. It does happen from time to time.

Posted in Music, Playlists by: Helen
3 Comments

May 3rd, 2008

What-not: A short recap of where the heck I’ve been of late

When last I actually talked about my weight loss, I believe it was shortly before Easter, and I had crossed the threshold past the 200-lb. mark to 199. I’m still there, for no other reason than the insane work and conference schedule I’ve been keeping these past few weeks has made it impossible for me to work out or eat as mindfully, so I’ve been working on some other things, like weaning myself off soda again and doing a series of stretches every morning. Twice in as many weeks I’ve succumbed to marathon sleep sessions, and my house looks like a tornado ran through it–something I shouldn’t joke about given how close one came to tearing up my parents’ house last week. (And I, being so swamped, didn’t actually find out about it til this weekend.)

In 10 days, I attended Podcamp DC, the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds expo, and an Alban Institute-hosted focus group on social media and congregational development. Amid all this, at work, I developed a new blog for their use, mapped out the June issue, and started training the new managing editor. I had houseguests last Saturday–local neighbors I’d met through Twitter (and how awesome they are, let me tell you!) and my brother and his new girlfriend came up on Sunday. I just really found myself hopelessly slammed.

Nearly gone nova
So it’s probably a good thing that Dean and I postponed our wedding last December; had I actually been getting married tomorrow as we had originally planned, I think I would have become a singularity in my own right and the universe would have caved in around me, gradually sucking all known matter into this Front Royal hillside.

Couple of things that have come out of this weekend: First, I’m writing an exploratory syllabus to formulate a course on social media for congregational leaders. Secondly, we’ve set a new date, September 1, and in so doing we’re already getting the “are we invited?” questions from several fronts. We’d love to have a wedding, but after the financial insanity of this past winter it’s just not financially viable. The ceremony itself will be private. However, we intend to have one hell of a party, probably a few weeks later as the fall colors set in out here in the Shenandoah, and we’ll make it a BYO/DIY-reception (an unreception?) with as many amenities as we can afford. Details to be announced, and if you would like an invitation, email me your address. (helenmosher at the gmail.)

So anyway, the weight loss. In about two weeks, I resume my more normal schedule of telecommuting regularly and having every other Friday off. I’m looking forward to returning to less harried relationship with food and being able to spend lunch hours with Jennifer Kries again, and let’s see if I can knock the next 20 pounds off. If I can do that in the same six weeks I did the first 20, I’ll be totally on track to lose a total of 60 pounds by August. That may be overly optimistic, but as long as I’m getting healthier, that’s what matters.

Posted in Faith, Life, Wedding, Weight Loss, Wellness by: Helen
1 Comment