I did try Zumba and loved it over the break, but I haven't been able to fit it into my schedule since rehearsals started back up. I am hoping to go on Saturday. My plan this week: Sunday: rest Monday: weights (back and biceps) and cardio (5 min. elliptical then 40 min. treadmill) Tuesday: horseback riding, probably a walk around the neighborhood too Wednesday: weights (lower body) and cardio (same as above) Thursday: hike (approx. 45 min. - 1 hr.) Friday: weights (triceps and chest) and cardio (same) Saturday: 30 min. treadmill, then Zumba class (60 min.) I have been doing the treadmill and raising the incline. I want to start doing the elliptical, but whenever I try it, my legs hurt so much, I give up. I am hoping to do just 5 min. at a time this week, and see how it goes.

Are we talking just dried herbs and spices? Not that many. Sea salt, peppercorns, Himalayan salt (because why not?), garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, chili flakes, herbes de provence, 21 Seasoning Salute (Trader Joe's), African spice rub, ginger, shichimi togarashi, a couple different kinds of furikake, goma shio, probably a few more. If you add the other seasoning/sauce items, it's quite a bit more. Soy sauce, oyster sauce, minced ginger, Chinese rice wine, Chinese black vinegar, mirin, sake, chili paste, ponzu sauce . . .

I'm considering the insurance, too, as I understand goldens are prone to some pricey medical problems. We do have savings for emergencies, but it may be better to do the insurance. I'm just trying to figure out expenses and logistics as much as possible before we actually get the dog. :-) We are excited; I miss having a dog (we had two different dogs when I was growing up). I went for a hike yesterday and saw a few retrievers (labs). I think it will be fun to have a dog to hike with. Dh also wants to take the dog running once or twice a week. And ds wants to play frisbee and fetch at the park. We were talking about where the dog would sleep at night. We plan to have a "crate" and bed downstairs, where we figure he/she will be most of the time with the family. At night, will he/she be lonely in the crate or bed when we're upstairs in our beds? I thought maybe he/she can sleep in a bed in ds's room. Ds is happy with that as long as he/she isn't too noisy. Thanks!

Thanks! Anyone else want to chime in? We are hoping to adopt a young adult golden from the local rescue group this year. I want to make sure we can afford it!

How much do you budget for food, toys, grooming, and annual physical/shots? I was thinking $100 a month.

Do you have an Asian market in your city? If they don't already have it, they could probably get it. Bring yours so they can see what you want.

Yuck. We are seriously considering adopting a golden retriever, which will be our first family dog. (Dh and I both had dogs in our families as kids, but we've never had our own.) One of the things I have looked into is how to clean up after him/her on walks. I have OCD, and I was originally thinking of carrying one of those claw-type things that scoops up the poop. But then I saw some bags that are extra thick at the bottom; you sort of stick your hand in, pick up the poop, then turn it inside out and close it. Might not be too horrible. Dh was teasing me that I'll wear surgical gloves and use three bags at a time! But I wanted to know what we'd have to do. I'm trying to be prepared. :-)

I'm jealous of you. We go up to Flagstaff every winter for a couple of days of "snow play". We go sledding, dh goes skiing (we tried it last time but it didn't go very well), and once we all went cross-country skiing by the light of the full moon. One thing we've never tried is snowshoeing, and I keep suggesting it. It sounds lovely to make to hike through the forest in the snow, but to my guys it sounds terribly boring. They would rather build a snow fort, sled, or ski. So far I have not convinced them to try it.

I am so jealous! Post pictures!

That reminds me of my ds, too. We saw a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit at the art museum once, and now ds is a big fan. He likes to design in a similar style on Minecraft. Recently he made a four-family residence with separate entrances, very Lloyd-esque in it style. I keep meaning to take him over to Taliesin West.

I buy the Show Me The Whey protein powder at Sprouts. I'm pretty sure it contains no soy. I have tried both vanilla and chocolate.

Beautiful! I love how they keep their tails high. I've never been around Arabians. This video is reminding me how much I miss "my" horse and lessons. (Two weeks off for the holidays.) I am addicted to riding after six months. Sigh.

I'd be happy to come over to Scotland and inspect your cottage, if you like. :drool5: Scotland is one of the top places on my dream destination list, largely because I have Scottish ancestors.

I'm so confused. You keep mentioning Waterloo, but that's not part of the French Revolution. Napoleon becoming emperor ended the republic the revolutionaries began, correct? And by the time of the play (beginning 1815), there is a new king (whom not everyone who even accepts a king agrees is the legitimate king), correct? So although the turmoil continues, the actual French Revolution ended in 1799. When I hear French Revolution, I think Robespierre, Declaration of the Rights of Man, Reign of Terror, that guy who was murdered in his bathtub, Marie and Louis trying to flee, beheadings in the square, etc. That all happened in the 1790s. Are you saying Napoleon, Waterloo, etc., are a continuation of the same revolution? That's not what I understood. And I know Hugo goes off on tangents; that's what makes me a little reluctant about my plan to re-read the book this year.

Oh, I see what you mean. Napoleon came to power at the end of the republic established by the Revolution, so I thought of his time as post-revolution. But it's not like history works in neat little boxes; obviously the struggle between royalists, republicans, various factions, etc., continued. But a lot of people get confused and think the battle at the barricade depicted in the story is part of the French Revolution. It's a generation later. I need to re-read Les Miserables; it's been awhile. I remember pages and pages of political discourse. Should I re-read an unabridged version, or try an abridged translation this time?

It's actually not the French Revolution (1789-1799); it's the Paris Uprising of 1832, a much smaller (and unsuccessful) revolt.

I'm not a professional musician, but I've been singing/acting all my life, from church choirs to classical oratorios to musical theatre. I saw Les Miserables a few days ago, and I have seen the touring production three or four times live, and watched the 10th and 25th anniversary concerts over and over, and listened to the soundtracks (I have about three different ones) until I can mimic each singer. I bought the album for the movie yesterday, and it reminded me how the singing is really hit or miss in the movie. Russell Crowe is out of his element; he can certainly carry a tune, but that's about it. (For an amazing Javert, go to youtube and type in Norm Lewis Javert.) Anne and Amanda don't have musical theatre voices, but Anne's performance is so powerful that it works well for the film. (She could never carry it off in the West End, I don't think.) Amanda's voice is thin and has such vibrato constantly that, listening to it without watching her performance is disappointing. But again, her loveliness and acting makes her succeed in the film. Eddie Redmayne sounds like he has more of a theatre voice; I liked his singing very much. Hugh Jackman, of course, has a lot of musical theatre experience, and I LOVE him in Oklahoma. His acting as Valjean is wonderful, but I will admit there were a few times I really wished they had cast someone like Alfie Boe or John Owen-Jones. He didn't nail "Bring Him Home". Again, check youtube and watch Alfie Boe sing that song. The chorus numbers were all shorter in the film, and in the cinema, the voices didn't seem to blend as well as I would have liked. The Thenardiers are not really singers, and I wasn't impressed with them. I like Matt Lukas and whoever the lady is with him in the 25th anniversary better. Enjolras was pretty good, but again you need a more commanding presence and voice onstage for that role, I think. The film version is definitely a different species than the theatre version. I did like it, and will definitely buy it on Blu-Ray and watch it again, but at the end of the day (do you see what I did there?), I'll prefer the 25th anniversary concert.

Flatfoot 56!

Ah, a jealous flat-chested relative, eh? :tongue_smilie:

I do have one family member who tends to buy me tops or sweaters that look like they're for my 85-year-old MIL instead of for me. I love her dearly, and I realize it's hard to buy for someone who lives out of state, but she DOES know how old I am. (Younger than her, for the record.) :D

Great minds think alike! I just saw the movie tonight. I don't know why they cast Russell Crowe; he wasn't awful, but he just didn't fit. I was so glad that Enjolras was good; I love that character. Amanda's thin voice and vibrato didn't distract me as much as I was afraid they would; her acting was really lovely. Hugh Jackman was very good, but I have to be honest and say there were a few times I was disappointed in how he did certain lines. But overall, he was a very good Valjean. Anne Hathaway hit it out of the park. Samantha Barks was good, as I expected. Eddie Redmayne has a pleasing voice, and his face is so honest and expressive. He was very believable; loved his "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables". Gavroche was the best I've seen. Little Cosette was excellent. Thenardiers were fine, but not my favorites. I loved seeing Colm Wilkinson as the bishop! I cried several times, and not always at the times I thought I'd cry. (I've seen the touring production three or four times, and the anniversary concerts, etc.)

Well, there may be only 45 adoptions "pending" at the moment, but annually over 1,000 Russian children are adopted by Americans, so there are other families who were just beginning the process, or planning to adopt, that are affected as well.

The cheapest ones I've found are at the sporting goods store. Last year, I bought boots for ds at Big 5 Sporting Goods for about $20. His feet have outgrown kids' sizes now, though, so I'm sure I'll have to pay more this year.

My dh used the word at work, and his coworkers laughed and thought he was making it up. He had to show them online that it was a real word. :smilielol5:

When my teenage son took the headphones I bought him out of the package, he asked me why I bought him pink headphones. I said, "They're red. The description said, black and red." But upon closer inspection, I had to agree that the red parts were sort of pinkish red, almost magenta in certain light. Combine that with the shiny decorative oval on the ear covers, and yeah, they do like kinda girly. So I guess I got new headphones, and I will let ds pick out another pair. Oh, well. They're nice headphones for the price, and I didn't have any (just earbuds), so I'll keep them.