The Bitter Christian

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:17:55 PDT

1) Don't forget to "RATE MY BLOG"!

2) Put your Little Man on my map!

Next up: The Fall Classic

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:51:38 PST

November 15 - The Fall Classic Half Marathon

December 6 - The Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon

The Coffee Shop

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:02:38 PST

My favorite hideaway has become a new coffee shop about
3 blocks from my home. I grab my little red Netbook, run
over there, set it up, buy a coffee and make the virtual rounds...
check my Facebook, browse my emails, listen to my
latest addiction, Tom Waits (I love him and want to have his babies!
--on the provision that he hires a nanny to care for them all.)
I spend time there pondering the great issues of life:

the pleasure of music
the pleasure of a good cup of coffee
the pleasure of good friends--virtual and in the flesh
the pleasure of great literature
the pleasure in accomplishments

The warm aroma of coffee, cake and hot soup wafts out
around the room comforting and encouraging us.
I listen to the steady buzz of people's chatter and
savor the laughter and life that envelopes me in a
warm cocoon off in the corner, an accompanying soundtrack
of "Time" by Tom Waits swelling up from the earphones
adding a poignancy to the surrounding humanity.
I watch each person in turn and wonder what they feel,
what tragedies have they endured,
what are their hopes and dreams....
I wonder about the human condition. And then I feel hope
for them. and for me.

Never Let Go

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:13:22 PST

Never Let Go
Well, ring the bell backwards and bury the axe
Fall down on your knees in the dirt
I’m tied to the mast between water and wind
Believe me, you’ll never get hurt
Now the ring’s in the pawnshop, the rain’s in the hole
Down at the Five Points I stand
I’ll loose everything
But I won’t let go of your hand

Now, Peter denied and Judas betrayed
I’ll pay with the roll of the drum
And the wind will tell the turn from the wheel
And the watchman's making his rounds
Well, you leave me hanging by the skin of my teeth
I’ve only got one leg to stand
You can send me to hell
But I’ll never let go of your hand

Swing from a rope on a cross-legged tree
Signed with the one-eyed Jack’s blood
From Temple and Union, to Weyley and Grand
Walking back home in the mud

Now, I must make my best of the only way home
Marley deals only in stones
I’m lost on the midway, I’m reckless in your eyes
Just give me a couple more throws
I’ll dare you to dine with the cross-legged knights
Dare me to jump and I will
I’ll fall from your grace
But I’ll never let go of your hand
I’ll never let go of your hand
I’ll never let go of your hand

Dot the Rebel!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:57:38 PDT

Oh yes, my beloved readers (don't pretend you aren't there ;) I have done it yet again! Forced back the boundaries of conservativism and got a new piercing!

I admit it is not a nipple piercing or a cleavage piercing or even an eyebrow, lip or nose piercing...however it is a cartilege piercing which should count sufficiently in order to qualify as rebellion of a sort!

Particularly in the accounting world. mwahaha!

So now I am actually 116 lbs and have some abs (okay they are scant abs, but they are still abs). I am now on a quest to ditch 6 of those 116lbs to get to my now projected ideal weight of 110lbs.

To accomplish this I will:

eat whole foods, (this does not include the damned Tim Horton's smiley cookie that came into my possession and was half eaten by me today)
climb Grouse Mountainonce or twice a week,
do Power90 Super abs program 3 times a week,
lift free weights every other day ,
run three times a week
and..um...well..nothing else actually. If that doesn't do it, please shoot me!

Also I have completed my 3rd year toward my BBA so only 1 more year to go!
Then a mere 2 years of fulltime work while taking the extra studies to get my CGA and I'll have it made in the shade! A breeze, right....?

My Life as I Know It

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:03:19 PDT

So I've now run 5 half marathons!
The Seattle Rock n Roll --what a blast that was!--was this past weekend and I'm not even stiff.
In fact I ran a fast 5K with my running group today quite nicely.
The only down side during the weekend was when I put on my bikini (the one that displays a really nice cleavage) to sit in the hot tub and my boobs didn't really fit in the cups quite as well. They sort of kept floating out when the suit relaxed in the warm water. Yikes!!
How come all the outfits you thought would look fantastic after losing 20 lbs suddenly look downright nasty?? Very strange. Very mysterious.....oh well, nothing another shopping trip won't fix, right?! :)

I am now 119lbs, a scant 4lbs from what should be my ideal weight!
My abs are coming along though I still have a tiny bit of belly fat over them--but no muffin top!
I have arm definition.
My half marathons are a breeze.
I'm positioning myself nicely for a couple of A+'s in my summer classes (for my BBA).

Life is coming along just fine about now for the most part....and anything that's not I can handle.

On Your Marks, Get Set, GO!!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:16:15 PDT

I have now run 4 half marathons!

Delta Half Marathon-August 2007- 2 hours 27 min
Whitbey Island Half Marathon-April 2008 - 2 hours 46 min
Disneyland Half Marathon-August 2008 - 3 hours 4 min (recovering from injury)
April Fool's Half Marathon-April 2009 - 2 hours 37 min

Not bad, huh? A little on the slow side, but I think I can get faster now that I'm going to the Wednesday night running room tempo training sessions.

Next up on the agenda:

Run for Light 5K
Science Fair Run 5K
Seattle Rock'nRoll Half Marathon
Harrison to Haney 100K relay-team of 8 girls

Okay now I have a bone to pick with some of you ladies out there! How many times have I heard some dimwit say "just eat the fries, drink a milkshake. You may as well enjoy yourself because you'll never look like you're 16 again."

Yah? Well tell that to my ass which is getting smaller and firmer by the month! I weigh 129 lbs with a goal of reaching 122 by May 31 and I look pretty damned hot already. A little consistent ab and butt work on the ball and some weigh training every day is beginning to pay dividends as well. So go ahead, eat your greasy fries and guzzle your milkshakes. Ain't no way YOU'LL ever look good again.

As for me, I'm headed for hottyville! Yippeee!

Oh and if you want to tell me off, I'll be the one out running in the skimpy little top and that cute little running skirt.....

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:13:24 PST

Okay so I know its been a long, long time since I've been here but, hey, I'm here now!

Here's the scoop:

I am now in my 3rd year of my BBA in Accounting program
I have run 3 half marathons and am in training for my 4th
ummm....oh! I got a new haircut that is fabulous!!!

But what I really wanted to talk to you about is "men". You know how they are always kind of a mystery. Well actually you don't realize they are mysterious because, as women, we think we understand men. Only I have to tell you ladies, we actually don't. We think they think like we think. They don't. We think they are as complex as we are. They're not.

On that note, I am now going to direct you to this well-known missive (this word is indicative of the impact of my college education! cool huh!):

"He's Just Not That Into You!"

--by Greg Behrendt & Liz Truccillo

If there is any book that every single woman, young and old, should read, it is this one.

I kid you not.

Here I am!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:24:10 PDT

All right then. Here I am again to tell all of my fans and admirers (oh I know you're out there! don't be coy!)just what I am up to. So, I've now run two half marathons (badly), had two running injuries after each one (damn), finished half of my four year stint of university towards my BBA in Accounting, won a renewable $4000 scholarship (that's $8000 smackeroonies people!!), and already worked 6 full time weeks through my summer vacation. I'm only going to work 7 weeks total and then live the life of Riley as much as humanly possible. Perhaps I'll go shopping, have Tim Horton's coffee three times a day, work on my tan.... Anyways, I've signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon on the labour day long weekend this year which should be very exciting. They have this "thing"--a megatron, or meglatron screen or something --that projects a gigantic image of your humble person sweating and groaning as you weave and sway drunkenly down the third base line in the Angel's stadium to finish the race. That should be memorable. (oh lord.)

As far as my spiritual life goes, I must confess that I am not attending church at all now. I am tired of feeling manipulation in any form and am particularly rebellious these days. I have decided that I will go when I feel like going and not when I don't.

Car Accident

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:32:28 PDT

In other news, I had a car accident. I have this motto for my life. It goes "If you are going to sin, sin big!". I kind of borrowed that from Martin Luther.... In other words, why smash into one car when you can take out two?! And how, you ask, did I manage this extravagant feat? Well, I'll just tell you. I was leaving the entrance of my complex one morning. There were cars parked all down the street to my left and to my right blocking my view and a zillion cars whizzing back and forth. In order to get out, you have to wait for an opening and then floor it. So I look to the left. I look to the right. I look to the lefttt. I look to the righttttt, look to the right, there's an opening, looking to the rightttt, FLOOR IT! Right into the rear quarterpanel of this little Mazda truck coming from the left which coincidentally is the exact same color as the wet pavement. I stop dead but the spiteful bastard in the truck keeps going. in a clockwise semi-circle. kind of like in slow motion with his rear end circling around more and more until he finally is stopped by this ridiculous parked car in his way. Everyone is fine. Both of those vehicles are in sad shape. Mine is perfectly fine except for the licence plate torn off the front and laying in a somewhat twisted condition beside the truck hub cap. The two men whose vehicles I have likely totalled are nice and philysophical (sp). "No one is hurt. That's the main thing." I wonder if they will be saying that tomorrow...? I'll be long gone by then, thank the Lord. Anyways, there you have it. Dot the scourge of the road... stay out of my way if you know what's good for youse!

See Dot Run!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:11:15 PDT

You can congratulate me now!! I ran my first half marathon on August the 12! That is a big "21K" for the uniformed in our midst. Nevermind that it took me 2 hours and 27 minutes and I strained the thing that runs along the side of my knee...I did it! The medal sucks but at least I got one anyways! Hurray for me! Now I have to bike for a week or two until my knee is back to normal. Oh well, that's the way it goes. I'd swim too except for my NEW TATTOO!!! What a wild woman, hey!?! And no one better call it a 'tramp stamp' either or they will have to deal with me, okay? On the other hand, what do I care about the opinions of the uncool anyways! All the same, keep it to yourselves unless you have something supportive to say.

I DID pass my first year by the way. For the second term, I ended up with the following:

Business something------- A-
Computer Systems--------- A
Financial Management----- B+
Macroeconomics----------- B+

Not too bad, I'd say.

My weight is now down so far, I only really have another 10 pounds to go before reaching my ideal weight!

Off to the Races!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:57:02 PDT

Ummm...okay, so I lied. I never did reach the "Imgoingtoacethesetests" phase and second midterms are upon me. Very dismal, really, but I'll pass, don't worry.

Now I will impress you with my progress in the running department! I have run 2-5K races and 1-8K race! I was safely and securely ensconsced well within the middle of the pack each and every time which is very respectable. I am signed up for another 2-10K races in April as well. And I continue to shape up and drop pounds--you'd be very impressed if you could see me.

One More Time

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:14:09 PDT

How does one recapture a lost youth? Is it possible, I wonder, to somehow go back in time while remaining in the present and relive those past years..... are they gone forever, evaporating like morning mist as the sun appears. Can one reach with arms stretched out to grasp, one more time, the vitality, wonder and freshness of regeneration? I believe it just may be so.

My Life As I Know It

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:13:56 PST

So all this regular running is having a wonderful side effect! I've lost all kinds of weight and have almost regained my previously pretty darned good body. Great! The down side is I keep having to re-buy clothes every time I fall a size. Oh well, I'll somehow live with it. :)

School is off to the usual shaky start--I'm at the "OMGoshI'llneverdothis" stage which will predicatably shift to the "IthinkIcanIthinkIcan" phase and peak with the "I'vegottoACEthisthingatanyandallcosts!" mindset. I know I'm a sentimental creampuff but I have to admit I sorely miss all my old profs and classes.....it actually depresses me somewhat to have given up those classes. I particularly miss Microeconomics. At first I found the prof very demanding and the concepts unfathomable but as I progressed it turned into the class I loved the best.

BTW, for interest's sake, I put a little cartoon avatar of myself and my dog on the site. My dog is much better looking in person though.

Running the 10K!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:13:23 PDT

So I'm on Week 4 of my running program in an effort to prepare for the Sun Run in April this next year. So far so good! Only 9 more weeks to go and then I'll be doing my first 10K. I am surprised to see the muscles in my legs developing so fast. After this 10K, I will be progressing towards a half marathon. To do that I will need to begin another program that involves more intense training. I now have acquired a Garmon GPS apparatus to help. This tracks distance and maps out the course you've taken. Very nice tool to have in running. I am also thinking of taking my bike to school when the weather gets a bit nicer...do some cross-training. That would be good preparation for the next phase in the training, don't you agree? If you know of a good training program for marathon running, feel free to recommend it in the comments.

I Can Fly!!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:08:28 PDT

I never realized how much I would change through the pursuit of further education...or how fast. It's like discovering you had wings to fly but never knew it. All these years, I had no idea of the power of knowledge..or the empowering of it. There's just no feeling like setting goals and then forcing your way through to them.

Here are some of my goals:

I am now running regularly with a goal this next April of completing the Vancouver SunRun 10K. (and it feels f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c, people. fantastic!)

I want to get an A+ in one of my classes next fall (or this summer) so I have downloaded all of the online chapters from the author to study ahead of time. I also am looking over a book on statistics that my Business Math instructor gave me to prepare for my Stats class next fall.

I have begun reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand just to say I've done it..and to talk intelligently about it if it comes up in conversation.

I have set a weight goal of 120 pounds.

There's nothing quite like getting a new lease on life.

Crossed The First Finish Line!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:09:10 PDT

So here I am with my first semester under my belt and feeling damned fine. I scored one 100% on Fundamentals of Business (actually I got one wrong but the prof knew I was aiming for 100 so he gave it to me--does that count?) and I almost got 100% on the Business Math midterm (I screwed up two simple computations). Overall, I got 90% for the term, so my first mark is an A+ (applause here, please, while I humbly bow). Economics, however, is much more of a challenge. I decided that my goal was to top the class. To do this, I was required to study like a maniac all hours of the day and night...still waiting for the results. Not only that, I may have won a $1000 scholarship as one of 5 chosen by the Business faculty. Go figure. Someone believes in me...

I'm not sure why I have turned into this hyper-competitive freak, but I kind of like this new me! School is the best thing ever!! Love it. I may have to work over the summer, just so that I can prolong the experience as much as possible.

I also took up running as a new hobby in an attempt to regain my youthful figure which, admittedly, was pretty hot in its day. even if I do say so myself.

So here's the question: Why is it that whenever you set the bar high, there is always someone(s) to try to convince you that YOU have no hope in heck of jumping that high??

What does it hurt to try? Two people decided to "enlighten" me to the fact that I am not capable of perfect marks. really? I guess those two previous near hits were just fluke and I really am a stupid as I have been led to believe all these years. Well, here's a newflash! I am officially rejecting that old mindset. Not only am I going to have a killer body, I am going to have a killer brain too!

and, I will people. I will.

UPDATE:
Here are my final marks for my first semester:
A+ Business Math
A+ Fundamentals of Business
A+ Microeconomics
B+ English(Rhetorical Critique)
B+ Communications

School kind of sucks.

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:14:42 PDT

So here I am in post-secondary half way through my first semester and depressed as heck. I am surrounded by a sea of 17 year old kids but my peers are actually more the age of the teachers. Do you have any idea what I would give to come in, grab a coffee, go to my office and socialize with the instructors? But no. Instead I walk around like a robot from class to class. I am the one who DIDN'T learn how to make charts and graphs on Excel in 3 nanoseconds because there were no PC's when I was in school. I'm the one who DIDN'T take Grade 12 Economic, oh, about 20 years ago when I was in school so I have no bloody idea what the hell is going on. Maybe that's why I got ZERO for graphing some simple data by hand (and pretty damned proud of it until I got my paper back) because I didn't use software package to do it. I'm looking like a fool, I tell you. The only light at the end of the tunnel is that I'm wasting everyone in Business Fundamentals where I actually got 100% on my last midterm. Of course, this is offset by the miserable C's I'm getting in Communications (and I thought I knew how to produce a memo) and English Critical Thinking. I am lonely, people! I'm in baaaad shape.

Look At Me...I'm A Coed!!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:49:06 PST

So I did it! I quit my job and went back to school. I am going to a 'University College' which is not quite university but I'll just say it is anyways. So far, so good. I topped the class on a few tests which I absolutely cannot resist bragging just a smidge about.

But today, I'm on a bit of a downer. In English, I was gently reprimanded after class for 'arguing the Bible'. The thing is, I really wasn't trying to argue the Bible. You see, the text said we were supposed to pick a tool to analyse material. The examples were Freud where you do this psycho-analysing kind of thing and Marx doing a political sort of version. The writer of the essay we were analysing had a background in theology so I says to myself,

"Hey! I'll just use the Bible and match the symbols, style and references."

At least its something I'm familiar enough with to use as a tool. No one else could see my point of view. It was dismal. I even researched the writer's background to make sure I was on the right track, but I wasn't even given a chance to state my case really. The prof explained how easy it is to superimpose your own feelings and ideas onto literature, which I guess is true. And it is a critical thinking and analytical class, after all. (sigh) Should have listened when Will kept looking at me sideways, and saying "you're making a mistake" out of the side of his mouth. I'm still right though. Some things a person just knows.....

The Man of My Dreams, Steven Harper!!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 23:56:32 PDT

I just adore Steven Harper! I may even be in love with him! He's the first leader we've had with balls since...well, since Pierre "Just watch me" Trudeau! I know it's crazy but I find him almost sexy! It must be an irresistable attraction to power or something....I mean, this man actually does what he says! Amazing but true. I can't wait to see what he does next. It's kind of like I actually got to vote in the Prime Minister of my dreams, someone who holds the same values as me for a change! Not another wishywashy, middleoftheroad, speakoutofbothsidesoftheirmouths, standforanythingaslongasitsnotmoral garden variety type leaders. Could it be that one man can single-handedly restore common sense and good old fashioned logic to our country once more? Okay, maybe that's taking wishful thinking a bit too far, but he's off to a good start anyways!

Atlas Shrugged...

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 10:58:57 PST

I just finished reading this bloody great tome in order to attempt to win $5,000. towards my pursuit of a degree in accounting this fall. Now I know you all have never read this thing...you're just pretending. you know you are. It is a very long declaration of humanism at its finest. I read for 2 hours a day over about 3 weeks during my commute (see previous message) to finish it. Now just to show you all how intellectual I am, I will tell you that I actually understood what she was saying pretty well. Surely no one thinks that human beings could actually pull off a decent society all on their own at this stage in the game....? I mean, look at the balls up (I LOVE that phrase)we have made of things so far. At this point, though, I have to say that this book had a way of putting a spotlight on a not-so-nice tendancy of mine--I have some "eat the rich" attitudes that have to go! So now how the heck can I write a nice agreeable essay on something I know is not true and could never really work? I'll do it, but it will be clear what I think about it all. Therefore, I'm doing it, but there goes my $5 thou out the window.....

Anyway I have a totally non-related confession to make. I'm actually kind of embarrassed about it but that phrase "balls up" reminded me of it and being the impulsive person I am, I had to mention it. I am anonymous, after all. Do you remember that song by Sweet 'Give us a Wink'? There was this part that I thought was "up to my balls in cider" that I sang along to loudly and heartily when I was about 14 years old. My dh turned to me with wide, incredulous eyes when I referred to it in passing one day. "Are you for real?" Sadly, I am. "That song is "up to my balls INSIDE HER". "WHAT!!!" I go quiet for a few minutes absorbing the full horror of this. Now that was a real balls up, if I ever saw one!!

Once in a Lifetime Comeback!!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 23:11:01 PDT

So I'm waiting in line for the "Cattlecar" (the B98 commuter bus which is just nasty!)after work a few weeks back and it's hot. Work was stressful and I'm not going to put up with any BS. This small lady (from a country that obviously doesn't understand what it means to wait one's turn) keeps trying to get past me in line. First she tries the waituntilImnotlookingandslowlyedgeahead approach but I casually swing my backpack off my shoulder and hang it down at my knee to effectively block her move. (This is actually my favorite and most used defensive tactic.) Next she shifts to the left to try the quickmaddasharoundthebackaspeoplecrowdaround method but I smoothly step to the left and, intercepting her, again frustrate the move. Lastly she fakes a lunge to the left before abruptly trying to muscle through on the right. At this I turn around and say very pointedly,

"Excuse me!" staring her in the eye disapprovingly.
"I know I'm behind you, okay?" she sputters.

---get ready, here it is! That once in a lifetime line that will never pass this way again-----

"Yes," I say in measured clear tones. "And it's a lot of work to keep you there!!"

You may now applaud, lifting me up on your collective shoulders, cheering my achievement, while being secretly green with envy! You know you wish you'd said it....

Prayer is like sex.

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Sat, 20 May 2006 23:12:29 PDT

Okay, so I know this is going to sound crazy to some people but it really is true. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Sex is really a kind of communion (The act or an instance of sharing, as of thoughts or feelings)between two people--an intimate, deep communication. Sometimes when I pray, its like God begins to communicate with me in somewhat the same way only all the sensation is in the heart instead of...you know where (I'm not going to SAY it!!). There are these zingy electric shock sort of feelings that take your breath away, and a nice warmth that spreads all over. And when its all over, you just want to laugh. Who wouldn't get addicted to that??

No worries, I've got it covered!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Tue, 16 May 2006 19:12:45 PDT

So for all you women (notice I didn't say ladies) out there who pee on the toilet seat......Hey, don't worry about it! I just mopped it up for you with my BARE ASS!

My friend (yes, I do have one) told me about seeing a poster somewhere that depicted a woman with one foot on each side of the toilet seat squatting over it and peeing. The poster went on to reassure the people who do this that it is not necessary since they strive to keep the toilet sanitary. I mean, come on. You can't tell the difference between a basin on the ground with foot pads on either side to squat over and a toilet??? Sheesh. Maybe we need to be giving lessons somewhere.....Of course this doesn't excuse Will (dh) who is too lazy to lift the seat at home!

Inflatable Bozo Gets A Fresh Start!

noreply@blogger.com (dotbar) — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:05:57 PDT

Another Sunday, another hour in the prayer room. I feel a bit like one of those inflatable Bozos..you know, like the ones we used to buy as kids that would last about a day before springing a leak and then lay around getting dusty for a year? Well it appears my leak has been patched and someone is blowing me back up again. Let's just hope I can avoid become a punching bag again!! Anyways, today in the service, I could actually feel the Spirit...in fact at one point, while we were singing a version of "At the Cross", I almost went up to the front to really and finally put the past behind me, and genuinely forgive all those guys who made my life difficult in ministry. The Spirit seemed to be urging me to go. But then, I'm so tired of theatrics. If I went up, I'd have to ask myself if it was just because I was secretly craving attention or something. I don't think I was, but because we all know that "the heart is wicked and deceitful and who can know it", you just never can tell. Besides, this church is pretty conservative and I don't feel free to go with these inclinations just yet. My friend, the former Pastor's Wife with the dying husband (see archived posts), figures I over-analyze all these things. Oh well, I'll just have to catch the next Holy Spirit train passing by and jump on board....maybe.