What's Going On, Dr. Crazy?

I started this post as one in which I was planning to vent my spleen, but then I realized that I wasn't really feeling like doing that. The semester, all in all, is getting off to a pretty spleen-free start. I mean, yes, I was irritated by an advisee looking for me to be bad cop and to take responsibility for her getting her work done with whom I met yesterday, and I had to be a heavy and tell her that I would not be her babysitter, and yes, I would like to set the university bookstore on fire for their incompetent book-ordering policies, but ultimately I'm feeling pretty even, even about those things. I'm beginning to think that I should have started the whole eat healthy and work out four times a week thing a long time ago.

So yes, the new year's resolutions are in full effect and I continue to make progress. Since Jan. 1 I've lost about five pounds, and I've been really good about getting my ass to the gym. Somebody requested that I post about how I'm getting motivated before, and I wish I had some secret, but the truth is this: there's no big secret, other than that I feel better on the days that I work out. Also, I go on my way home from campus, and I keep my crap in the trunk of my car so that I do not have to go home first. Once I'm home, I will not go back out. But if I'm on my way home, well, you get the picture. Also, I lie to myself and say that I only have to work out for 10 minutes and if I don't want to be there still I can go home. Once I've started, I tend to be able to keep going (much like with writing, actually). As far as the eating well thing? Well, that's simple. I only have good stuff to eat in the house. That, and I'm allowing myself to cheat on Fridays. A girl can't live life without treats. Oh, and that reminds me. For those of you looking for a low-calorie and delicious dessert, try the following Kiwi Parfaits:

Ingredients:
2 pkgs. sugar-free pudding
3 cups skim milk
1 cup lite cool whip
6 kiwis, peeled and sliced
almond slices

Directions:

1. Mix milk with pudding until smooth.
2. Fold in whipped topping until blended.
3. Layer pudding and kiwi in individual serving-sized cups, like reusable gladware-like plastic containers.
4. Top with almond slices for some crunch.

Serves six, and each serving has around 180 calories. I found the recipe in "Your Diet" magazine, along with some soup recipes that I'm working on trying.

Ok, so the diet/exercise things are going well, teaching is going well, and I'm slowly but surely getting on with the research agenda stuff. So yes, I remain Crazy - but now in the sense of being Crazy-Productive and fairly mellow. It's a really nice change, though I wonder how long this sense of well-being can possibly last.

(Man, I hate this post. I promise I'll come up with something less self-congratulatory to post about in the next day or two. I figure, though, that it's ok that I've posted this sort of a post given all of the moaning and self-loathing of last week. It's all about finding the right balance.)