I am really excited about next week’s trip, but at the same time I am also nervous. I’m not a social person at all & I hope & pray that I won’t say or do anything to embarrass Best Dude.

But, I am placing all my concerns before God’s Altar{ metahorically} A priest I know & love once advised me to, when worried about anything, to close my eyes & envision myself placing my concern at the altar in Small Parish.

As a whole, I am fairly impressed with the novel. Th author clearly did her research on the topic, until I read this novel I knew pretty much next to nothing on the arrest of French Jews during the Holocaust. Naturally I knew that Jews were not persecuted in *only* Germany & Russia, but this was the first time I had read anything of the arrest & deportation of French Jews.

This is not an easy novel to read. The author describes in detail the horrors experienced by a young Jewish French girl.

As a Christian with Jewish heritage { my Mom is Jewish so by Jewish tradition I am Jewish & VERY PROUD of my heritage} I hope that people ho might not otherwise know much abouy the horrorsof the Holocaust might glensomething from this novel. hae noticed, specialy here in he Deep Souh where I live, that many people do not understnd than anti-Semitism & holocaust-denying that *still* exists even now.

The story is told from the viewpoint of young Sarah and it alternates with a sub-plot of the French-American journalist who researched & wrote about the deportation of French Jews in the summer of 1942. My only complaint about the book is that the author makes the story more & more about the journalist’s family issues the further the story moves along. the last two or three chapters focused almost exclusively on Julia’s{ the journalist} marital problems more so that on Sarah’s story.

In my opinion, the author could have skipped some of the marital drama, even if doing s would have shortened the novel. When I finished with the novel, I did a Google search on French victims of the Holocaust. Any book that teaches me something important is always worth reading, but I must admit that the predictable ending of this novel disappointed me.

When I read that ALL Facebook users’ accounts shall automatically switch to the ” Timeline” Format at the end of this month, I decided to take matters into my own hands & change MY page on Facebook If change is inevitable, at least I changed my account over to the new format when I chose to change it.

I made the switch before ” they” made me do it. ;O)

I hate change.

Last night I was in bed reading the novel _Sarah’s Key_ last evening when the screen on my Nook suddenly ” went blue” .Thats right, folks: the screen simply quit working.. { and it quit RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CHAPTER IN THE NOVEL I AM READING!! GR…}

Anyhow, est Dude & I drove me to Pensacola so we could ask one of the techie-type people at the store where he purchased the device for help diagnosing the problem After performing ” exploratory surgery” on the Nook Tablet, the technician deduced that the problem with the Nook was its power cord. Apparently the particular device I own was shipped from the manufacturer came with an inferior power cord. In short, the Nook’s batter died because it never got a chance to fully charge.

Thankfully, Best Dude bought the extended warranty , so pretty much anything that can happen to a Nook is covered. While I am grateful that I* could* ave gotten a new Nook if needed I am very grateful that it was only a defective power cord. It was not easy for us to set up the Wi-Fi for my Nook, as AT&T U-verse’s customer service is { in my opinion} lacking in knowledge. All my data is safe & the Nook is working splendidly now. the service people at the store were professional & friendly.

Football: My Steelers lost. Yesterday I begrudgingly cheered for Tim Tebow but the Broncos lost. I didn’t watch the games today , but I read that the Ravens advanced to the next round of playoffs. Since I live in N’awlins Saints’ country, yesterday I stepped on the “Brees bandwagon” & hoped that the “other” black & gold football teams would win. No such luck.

Hockey: Best Dude & I watched our Tampa Bay Lightning play both on Friday evening & this afternoon. Our Lightning lost both games, including a loss to the Penguins this afternoon. The Bolts REALLY ned to fix their goalkeeping situation. At this rate, the Lightning will not make the NHL playoffs….

Fitness: I took two days off this week. Inasmuch as I did not wish to skip a day of working out{ much less skip TWO days} I woke on Wednesday with a horribly sore throat. But it felt GREAT to be back at the gym on Friday. I’ve discovered that I enjoy working my legs on the skiing machine much more than I enjoy my mile run on the treadmill. :O) While I’ll faithfully complete ALL of my cardio workout each day, the thought of donning swim fins, a bathing suit & a snorkel & swimming laps keeps me motivated.

Also on Friday I discovered that my NOOK Tablet will play music, & since the charger to my Ipod is missing, The addition of listening to my own playlists helped keep me going whilst at the gym. When I go to the gym, my intention is to work on my FITNESS, not to mix & mingle. / Women, in particular, chatter at my gym & although most of these chatty gals are my age or younger, I’ve discovered that I’m perfectly happy NOt to be included in their chatter about husbands, kids, their neighbors & other such domestic drama.

I’d much rather work out earlier with the jocks: as generally I don’t fit in well with the ” mommy set” at the gym. As much as I love teaching children, since I am not a mom I tend to prefer the company of women with grown children or women who are childless by choice. Just saying…

Anyhow, although I ave not lost any weight, I’m concerned tha I am not getting enough protein in my diet. If anyone knows of any protein supplements that do not taste like hydrated chalk, please let me know. My public email address is : Sarahbethstaugs@gmail.com I’m looking for a portable protein supplement; I’ll probably drink it after my workout. I’m also on a budget, so the less I need to pay for a protein supplement.

Thanks.

We had about 8 or 9 confirmads and one Reception from the Roman Church & one Reaffirmation of faith. It was a glorious Sunday. Our Bishop also pronounced God’s Blessings on a ship’s bell and our new Parish Archive. All in all, it was an eventful day. Best Dude & I also watched my Steelers get ” T-Bowed” during the NFL playoff game against Denver. Ugh. But I must admit that my Steelers’ O-Line was NOT there during the first half on Sunday’s game. They somewhat rallied during the second half, but it was not enough to salvage the damage done during that HIDEOUS first half. Oh , well….

Well, I got some really lousy news today. Apparently a high school classmate died today after suffering a long illness. My heart is heavy & this news only strengthens my resolve to live a healthy, active lifestyle. I’ve be criticized for my obsession with health & fitness this year but I am almost on the close side of the BIG 4-0 & I want to have a healthy , happy & active life.

On Monday evening Best Dude & I watch “the” college game: a much-anticipated rematch versus the Louisiana State Tigers & the Alabama Crimson Tide. Although I cheer for Bama & am pleased that they won the National Championship, as a football fan I’d hoped for …much more of a contest between these two teams.Bama DOMINATED over LSU all while kicking FIELD GOALS. Yep…I’ve always stated that games can be either won or lost depending on the skill of any team’s kicker. The loan run over the goal line was scored by none other than Pensacola’s Trent Richardson! :O)

Anyhow, Its Wednesday & I’m nursing a sore throat. I felt so lousy when I awoke this morning that I missed my morning workout with LPC & stayed away from Wednesday Mass. This morning I went back to sleep after enjoying my morning coffee.

When I awoke I sat in bed & read one of the new books I bought on my NOOK Tablet. That little Tablet is an amazing piece of technology & according to an article I read recently on CNNMoney.com, the Tablet-type ereaders are supposed to DECREASE in price in 2012. My NOOK Tablet does eerything that my laptop computer does & is * much* more portable. I’m very impressed with the quality of the e-books I’ve readthus far on my NOOK Tablet— the controls are almost entirely touch-screen based & the ” pages” of the NOOK books look just like paper books. Unlike the first-generation Kindle, one needs not push buttons to turn pages, One swipe of a finger turns pages of Nook books. Best Dude bought me a * PURPLE* leather-like coer for my NOOK tablet & this further aids one in confort while reading.

Currenty I am reading _Nicholas & Alexandra_ on my NOOK—in print, this tome is a heavy 600+ page volume. I carry the electronic it in my slim, light Nook . On B&N.com I also found a complete Book of Common Prayer for the weekly cheap prince of $3.99.
Have a great wek, everyone.

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night. On this day, we liturgical Christians celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men from the East. These astrologers were commissioned to seek out the Christ Child & then report to King Herod. But, warned in a dream, they saw th Christ child, brought Him expensive gifts , and returned home” another way.”

My question to myself this day is: How must I find “another way” to come closer to Our LORD? What is God asking ME to bring to His Son, Christ, this year? We are called to offer Him our best, as did the tree astrologers whose visit to the Christ Child we commemorate today. If I am not physically the healthiest I can be, than I am not offering my best to Our Lord & Savior.

Throughout most of my adult life I’ve been very ‘ wishy-washy’ at bet & downright lazy at worse regarding my attitude towards my bodily health. I’ve been skinny all of my life & have used my titanium-infused back to steer away from honest cardiovascular & strength training. Over the Christmas season, I’ve realized that I am NOT getting any younger & that if I do not start seriously tending to my physical body, later in life I will not be healthy enough to serve God & my community with my best. Being my best includes fitness in four areas, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual , and Spiritual. In the past I’ve ben faithfully working on 3 out of the four aforementioned areas. This year, however, I am making a HUGE change in my health & fitness routine.

I’ve had an Epiphany: I need to focus on becoming STRONG, NOT SKINNY”

I’ve come to the conclusion that , in order to present myself as a living offering to Our LORD, I must be as healthy as possible. My committment to my exercise program is not in order to compete against other ‘gym rats’ such as myself. I committed myself to improving my physical countenance so that I may better serve Christ. Our bodies are given to us on loan from God , and it is an act of good stewardship to tend to one’s physical health. I don’t go to the gym every day to show off{ and ayhow, I’m a neophyte in the world of ” gym rats”} I wake up & go excercise every day. It isn’t easy to get out of my warm bed, eat m oatmeal, drink my coffee, get dressed & meet ether Dad or LPC for my gym time.

It isn’t easy, but it is so worth it! I can already feel an increase in my stamina & general well-being in the short time I’ve been on my fitness regiment.

I usually write about my life as it pertains to my Church activities & other ” spiritual ” topics. Lately I’ve been writing about my promise to myself to get HEALTHY in 2012. This includes eating more of the right kinds of foods, reading more to stimulate my brain & regular strength-building exercise. I’ve solicited advice from one of my college classmates on Facebook and I’ve also told my intentions to make this “The Year Of The Healthy Sarah” to Best Dude. He is very supportive of my endeavors towards total health & for this I am grateful.

To me, total health is not just about the physical body. Total health encompasses the emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of we humans. During the past few years I’ve come to realize that I’ve used my ack disability as a crutch for NOT working to get my body in shape. I’ve done not badly with the other three areas of health, but I’ve neglected my physical self. For too many years I’ve been underweight & physically weak. But this need not always be true for me: there are elements that I can add to a workout program that will help me attain my goals while still keeping my titanium-infused spinal column safe.

If I do not take good care of ALL of myself, I cannot be a good faithful servant of God.

When I got there, the cardio theatre was closed for cleaning & maintainance. :O( Apparently this is a weekly occurance…from 12 noon until 2 p.m. every Thursday they close ALL the treadmills, stair-steppers & ski machines.GRR! But I quickly regrouped & did 20 minutes of intense work on my legs on the stationary bicycle. I am not a fan of the stationary bicycle, but I did have my NOOK Tablet with me & I read several pages of my book while my legs enjoyed a healthy yet monotonous workout. I’m a runner, not a biker. After sitting all morning I really wanted to get the core of my body in an upright position. But the important thing is that I completed my workout. That being said, I won’t voluntarily use the stationary bikes again.

I still had time left before the strength training with hand weights, so I tried the elliptical machine. My gym only has ONE such machine & my father uses it every morning when he works out. Today was the first time I’d been on an elliptical machine & I like it as much as I like the skier & much better than that stair-stepper. My legs felt like rubber by the time I was finished with the elliptical. It was great.

Today I DID remember all my swim gear & the pool ‘s temperature was a refreshing 80 degrees this afternoon. :O) As soon as I slid into the water, all my aches from the intense leg workout disappeared! I swam my usual 25 laps, but had to make time & room for mask adjustments. When one is swimming with a mask & snorkle, one does not want water in ANY part of the mask or{ especially} the snorkle. I’m adept at clearing my snorkle while in motion in the water, but it is harder for one to adjust a water-filled face mask without one’s nose also filling with heavily-chlorinated water. It took three adjustments, but I finally got the mask to fit correctly on my face.

But, in my opinion, the only truly bad workout is no workout at all.