working out for Disney

[Songbird76]

I was one of the crazies that woke up early to watch the coronation. I am not a fan of the tabloid style drama, but I enjoy seeing the elements of these big events. The carriages, choirs and Crown Jewels along with the event pageantry/historical tidbits are what keep me engaged. I got up around 4:45am CT to watch, had a friend to chat with through some of it, and was back in bed by 7:30am for another few hours of shuteye.

I did eventually get in a workout. It was in the upper 80s outside by the time I found the energy, so I decided to push myself to the 15 mile goal on the bike. I managed it with 45 minutes of intense pedaling and 2.5 minutes of cooldown pedaling. It actually felt really good! After that, I did arms, stretching and abs. I tackled my harder ab component again and was able to do it. So, I’m definitely getting stronger.

I can completely understand the draw. I'm sure everything is beautiful. The drama just turns me off. I considered reading Harry's book, but it's really expensive and not worth that much to me. Maybe some day when it's cheaper.

I guess from a distance, where the drama doesn't really affect us, it's not as bad, but I have friends in England and they are really tired of all of it. I'm probably biased because of that.

 

[Songbird76]

I just think it's so odd that people revere a person who was born into a certain family. It's the luck of the draw. You didn't get to your position though hard work and tenacity, you were born into it. Yes, I know they "work," but it's just doing public appearances and stuff. They claim they bring in revenue through tourism, but I have to wonder how much of that revenue leaves London. It's probably not going to Manchester or Torquay. London is a solid city in its own right, it can stand on its own without the Royal family.

Yes, and I suppose you have a unique understanding more than I do of how things work. I feel the same way about our king here, too... Like... What does that work entail? Generally, they go visit a place and have all sorts of stately dinners and whatnot. Boring, but not exactly back-breaking. I wouldn't like the lack of independence or privacy though. Our poor crown princess has been basically under house arrest this year because of death threats and she's only 19. That's no way to live. And to have to do that when you don't really have any responsibility for anything that happens. You have no real power, but people are treating you like everything is your fault and they want to kill you for it. So she was only allowed to attend her university classes and that was it and she had security to take her there and back home everyday. I feel bad for her. But I think it's good that she's getting an education and would be able to have a career later if they decide to dissolve the royalty. I know people aren't satisfied here with the king. He only took over a few years ago and people are calling for the system to get rid of the royal family because they don't actually rule. And there was a big controversy during the pandemic because we were all in lockdown and the royal family went on a luxury ski vacation in like Switzerland or something. It came across as pretty out of touch and entitled to be spending so much on a vacation when the people who have to pay for it can't go anywhere and have a curfew etc. People were very angry. I don't know how the British royal family is perceived in England other than my friends, but my friends are not enamored.

 

[Songbird76]

Good morning.

Checking in with an upper body + HIIT workout. It was pretty good, particularly the HIIT portion. My husband went up north last night and won't be back until Thursday. I decided to stay here this week. I get a little bit of socializing throughout the day with my son, plus potential cat-sightings! lol

My husband made reservations for this pub in Philly for Sunday. I am on the fence about keeping it. I kind of would just like to stay at home and chill out in the yard. I don't know. I'll think about it. I have until Friday to decide.

Oh right... You live up in that area, right? Are you familiar with the Philly airport at all? We have an 18 hour layover there and I just booked a hotel for that night so we can get a good night's sleep before the connecting flight to Florida. I think we'll need to eat somewhere in the airport before going to the hotel and I'm wondering how the airport is set up and what our options are for food.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I can completely understand the draw. I'm sure everything is beautiful. The drama just turns me off. I considered reading Harry's book, but it's really expensive and not worth that much to me. Maybe some day when it's cheaper.

I guess from a distance, where the drama doesn't really affect us, it's not as bad, but I have friends in England and they are really tired of all of it. I'm probably biased because of that.

I have no desire to read the book. I'm sure there are some interesting details, but as you noted, the drama is a real turn off. I think this is why I soured to Diana back in the 80s and 90s. While media isn't what it is today, there's so much press manufactured drama and oversaturation of these figures in the mix that it just becomes too much. I too think about all of those things like the cost to the people, what it does to them as people, and how society often gives them a free pass on the rules. I know there are UK groups that have been pushing for quite some time to have the country be done with the monarchy, but it's also a money maker. Most tourists visiting London wind up sinking their money into a handful of royal based activities during their stay. So, there are significant profits to be considered. I have several friends that live in the UK. They all used to get into the various royal events, but in more recent years, most have gone silent on such things. Still, what do I know? I'm just an American looking in on this and one of those people that fed the tourism machine when we visited London.

 

[Songbird76]

I have no desire to read the book. I'm sure there are some interesting details, but as you noted, the drama is a real turn off. I think this is why I soured to Diana back in the 80s and 90s. While media isn't what it is today, there's so much press manufactured drama and oversaturation of these figures in the mix that it just becomes too much. I too think about all of those things like the cost to the people, what it does to them as people, and how society often gives them a free pass on the rules. I know there are UK groups that have been pushing for quite some time to have the country be done with the monarchy, but it's also a money maker. Most tourists visiting London wind up sinking their money into a handful of royal based activities during their stay. So, there are significant profits to be considered. I have several friends that live in the UK. They all used to get into the various royal events, but in more recent years, most have gone silent on such things. Still, what do I know? I'm just an American looking in on this and one of those people that fed the tourism machine when we visited London.

I think even if they got rid of the monarchy, they could still use previous royalty to generate revenue. Everyone knows about Henry the eighth and all his wives... History is a big part of tourism. Museums, historical sites, etc... Even though those figures are long gone, we still learn about them today and visit places tied to them. People would still visit Buckingham Palace even if the royal family wasn't housed there anymore because it's still significant to the history. And it always will be. So the idea that they generate revenue only if they are still titled as royalty is simply not true. Look at how popular Splash Mountain merch is now that it doesn't exist. People scramble to get the last pins or magnets, because the ride doesn't exist anymore, so all that merch is worth more now. If the royal family were stripped of their status, there would still be people wanting to buy royal family merch and see places where they lived. So it would still make lots of money, but NOT cost tax payers anything to maintain their lifestyle. People are going to be fascinated with castles and palaces and mansions regardless of whether they are currently in use for a royal.

 

[Sans Souci]

Yes, and I suppose you have a unique understanding more than I do of how things work. I feel the same way about our king here, too... Like... What does that work entail? Generally, they go visit a place and have all sorts of stately dinners and whatnot. Boring, but not exactly back-breaking. I wouldn't like the lack of independence or privacy though. Our poor crown princess has been basically under house arrest this year because of death threats and she's only 19. That's no way to live. And to have to do that when you don't really have any responsibility for anything that happens. You have no real power, but people are treating you like everything is your fault and they want to kill you for it. So she was only allowed to attend her university classes and that was it and she had security to take her there and back home everyday. I feel bad for her. But I think it's good that she's getting an education and would be able to have a career later if they decide to dissolve the royalty. I know people aren't satisfied here with the king. He only took over a few years ago and people are calling for the system to get rid of the royal family because they don't actually rule. And there was a big controversy during the pandemic because we were all in lockdown and the royal family went on a luxury ski vacation in like Switzerland or something. It came across as pretty out of touch and entitled to be spending so much on a vacation when the people who have to pay for it can't go anywhere and have a curfew etc. People were very angry. I don't know how the British royal family is perceived in England other than my friends, but my friends are not enamored.

That's ridiculous about a 19 year old getting death threats. I can understand people being frustrated, but that's not the way to create change.

I can only speak about my husband and his family, but nobody seems too enamored with Charles. My husband said when he was a kid, he remembers a big street party for one of the Queen's jubilees. My MIL said there were no street parties near her. My MIL did not watch the Coronation. It was just a bad look. Many people are living a very austere life. It's tone deaf to have this pompous ceremony footed by the taxpayer. My husband's family are from Liverpool and my husband was watching the Liverpool FC match on Sat. They booed while "God Save the King" played and they were chanting "{Bleep} the royal family. Feed the poor" during the match.

 

[Sans Souci]

Oh right... You live up in that area, right? Are you familiar with the Philly airport at all? We have an 18 hour layover there and I just booked a hotel for that night so we can get a good night's sleep before the connecting flight to Florida. I think we'll need to eat somewhere in the airport before going to the hotel and I'm wondering how the airport is set up and what our options are for food.

I do. I have only flown in from an international flight once and I am trying to remember if you pass by any restaurants. I know when you exit the plane, you don't return to the terminal. You are funneled directly onto this glassed in walkway that overlooks the terminal that takes you to customs. It sounds like you are flying in on American Airlines because I think that is the only airline in PHL that flies to European cities.,

I am going to ask my husband if he remembers. OK, he called as I was typing this and he also thinks there are no restaurants once you get off of the plane. Where are you staying for the night?

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello

Checking in with a 30 min kettlebell workout. Today was a rest day on the program I am doing, but I was in the mood for a little bit of kettlebell. I also went for a stroll. The weather was really mild and sunny.

I watched The Wife last night. I'd seen it before, but I like to watch things I've seen before when I am trying to wind down for bed and my husband's not here. lol. It's really good, Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater are in it. It's kind of heavy in parts, but still worth the watch, IMO. I think tonight will be "Golden Girls". I watched I Smile Back with Sarah Silverman on Monday night and that was really and truly hard to watch. I'm done with drama for the week. I need levity tonight. lol

 

[Songbird76]

That's ridiculous about a 19 year old getting death threats. I can understand people being frustrated, but that's not the way to create change.

I can only speak about my husband and his family, but nobody seems too enamored with Charles. My husband said when he was a kid, he remembers a big street party for one of the Queen's jubilees. My MIL said there were no street parties near her. My MIL did not watch the Coronation. It was just a bad look. Many people are living a very austere life. It's tone deaf to have this pompous ceremony footed by the taxpayer. My husband's family are from Liverpool and my husband was watching the Liverpool FC match on Sat. They booed while "God Save the King" played and they were chanting "{Bleep} the royal family. Feed the poor" during the match.

Yeah, that kind of matches up what my friends in the UK say too. None of them are very positive about the royals in general. When Queen Elizabeth died and I asked if they were upset at all at the end of the era, they all indicated it was time for the era to end and that having not met the queen personally, it didn't really upset them to hear she had passed. They felt bad for the family for their loss, but had no sense of loss themselves and would rather that the whole institution be gone.

 

[Songbird76]

I do. I have only flown in from an international flight once and I am trying to remember if you pass by any restaurants. I know when you exit the plane, you don't return to the terminal. You are funneled directly onto this glassed in walkway that overlooks the terminal that takes you to customs. It sounds like you are flying in on American Airlines because I think that is the only airline in PHL that flies to European cities.,

I am going to ask my husband if he remembers. OK, he called as I was typing this and he also thinks there are no restaurants once you get off of the plane. Where are you staying for the night?

We're staying at the Double Tree at the airport. If we have to, I guess we can uber somewhere for dinner. That's so strange to me that there would be nothing for people just getting off a plane....airplane food is not known for being a real popular thing. I'm betting a lot of people, especially those on international flights, come off the plane pretty hungry. I guess I'll look and see if Double Tree has a restaurant or if there's something close.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We're staying at the Double Tree at the airport. If we have to, I guess we can uber somewhere for dinner. That's so strange to me that there would be nothing for people just getting off a plane....airplane food is not known for being a real popular thing. I'm betting a lot of people, especially those on international flights, come off the plane pretty hungry. I guess I'll look and see if Double Tree has a restaurant or if there's something close.

Not that this is substantial but the Double Tree gives you a warm chocolate chip cookie upon check-in, or at least they used to. They are pretty yummy too.

 

[Sans Souci]

We're staying at the Double Tree at the airport. If we have to, I guess we can uber somewhere for dinner. That's so strange to me that there would be nothing for people just getting off a plane....airplane food is not known for being a real popular thing. I'm betting a lot of people, especially those on international flights, come off the plane pretty hungry. I guess I'll look and see if Double Tree has a restaurant or if there's something close.

I have only ever flown into Philly and O'Hare from international trips, so my experience is limited. I think they try to keep the area between the aircraft and customs "sterile" for security reasons. They might have refrigerated vending machine with sandwiches and salads. I have seen them at Philly. I think they are called "Farmer's Market" or something like that. I did google your hotel and it looks like there is a sports bar with food. Maybe that's a good option. Then you won't have to worry about getting an Uber to another restaurant after a long flight. The food at the airport is crazy expensive and it's heavily taxed on top of it.

 

[Sans Souci]

Not that this is substantial but the Double Tree gives you a warm chocolate chip cookie upon check-in, or at least they used to. They are pretty yummy too.

I just looked at the hotel website and it says they do!

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning

Checking in with 2 workouts. Yesterday was a leg workout and today was an easy 35 min circuit workout. I am glad today was a light workout, because yesterday was an absolute beast.

It's going to be really nice here today. I wanted to sit on my deck, but then I noticed the cat spent the night on the outdoor couch we have and...it looks like I am going to spend some time scrubbing cushions today. I know it's not her fault, but it is a bit frustrating. I'm just going to keep them indoors when they are not in use. I bought her a little perch that's attached to the kitchen window. So maybe she will start using that.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I think even if they got rid of the monarchy, they could still use previous royalty to generate revenue. Everyone knows about Henry the eighth and all his wives... History is a big part of tourism. Museums, historical sites, etc... Even though those figures are long gone, we still learn about them today and visit places tied to them. People would still visit Buckingham Palace even if the royal family wasn't housed there anymore because it's still significant to the history. And it always will be. So the idea that they generate revenue only if they are still titled as royalty is simply not true. Look at how popular Splash Mountain merch is now that it doesn't exist. People scramble to get the last pins or magnets, because the ride doesn't exist anymore, so all that merch is worth more now. If the royal family were stripped of their status, there would still be people wanting to buy royal family merch and see places where they lived. So it would still make lots of money, but NOT cost tax payers anything to maintain their lifestyle. People are going to be fascinated with castles and palaces and mansions regardless of whether they are currently in use for a royal.

The article I'd read a while back noted significantly higher anticipated revenue and employment with an active monarchy. Of course, there may be biases, but there are businesses that would struggle or go under without them and there are valid points concerning the tourist attraction aspect. It's been a year or so since reading it and I can't seem to dig it up, but I recall it compared Buckingham Palace to other palaces and castles now open to the public. There seemed to be a correlation between active royalty and visitor numbers. I guess it's kind of like a trip to Hollywood. Many go for the sights, but are partly there for the possibility of catching a glimpse of fame (or in this case, royalty). The rest hinged on what would happen to the iconic sights and traditions. While many sites would remain open and accessible to the public, things like seeing the changing of the guard or the royal horse guard parades would likely become a thing of the past. Tower of London and the Queen's art gallery are up in the air as well since there may be access to the physical buildings, but will the big draws be moved into private if the monarchy is abolished (or in some cases, eliminated)? If so, what happens to the palace guards, Yeoman, ravens, etc.? They also speculated how many will pass on a trip to the Tower of London if there's no Crown Jewels as part of the experience. On one hand, I can understand taxpayers not wanting to foot the bill for the royals' lifestyle, but at £1.29/pp a year, it may still be worth it for the overall profits and the livelihoods of non-royals that rely on the royal family to help them keep food on the table. It's not like I have a say in it though, so I'm merely a spectator in the game.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I've been on track with my workouts, but I still have to find the time and energy for it today. On Wednesday, I got in 11.55 miles during lunch followed by arms, abs, and a little yoga/pilates flow I've started adding back in. Yesterday was 10.55 miles during lunch, a trio of barre leg routines, abs, and more of that flow. I think I'm going to work in today's sometime before dinner. My pre-work morning was chaotic and I'm dragging from lack of sleep.

I took K to school around 5:45am today. The school choir has a long weekend in South Padre. I was about halfway home after dropping her off when I received a frantic call. K forgot ALL of her bathing suits. Her room is a bit of a disaster area. She wanted to come home and look for herself, but there was too much risk of her missing the bus. So, I went home and got lucky finding them in the first drawer I checked. The dog has come to associate suitcases with people leaving, so while I was away, she took her anger out on the contents of a bathroom trashcan. Upon my return, I had a large mess of shredded tissues and nastiness to clean up. As I tried settling into my workday, Sam came in all crazed because some garments we bought were too small and now stuck on her body. So, I had to peel them off of her and will need to put together my return. After that, she wanted help with her hair, but K took the good hair products, so she was left with a greasy looking mess of tresses with what we had. Thankfully, she is good with wearing a ponytail. She was about 1-2 minutes late for school and marked tardy for the day. Still...I'm going to get in that workout today! I think my mind needs it...even if it's a more gentle pace for a longer period of time.

 

[Sans Souci]

Happy Saturday.

Checking in with a full body strength training workout.

I had my husband cancel the afternoon tea for tomorrow. I'd rather stay home and relax in my yard. I am making no-bake cookie butter mini cheesecakes to serve tomorrow. It was something I saw on YouTube. They look easy to make, so why not?

 

[Songbird76]

Not that this is substantial but the Double Tree gives you a warm chocolate chip cookie upon check-in, or at least they used to. They are pretty yummy too.

Yeah, I know. That's why I booked that one....there were several to choose from, all in the same kind of price category, but I went with double tree so I could get Hilton points and a cookie. Though last time, the cookies we got were a kind none of us would eat. They had nuts in them. I've heard that the flavor of cookie varies, so I'm hoping for one that we'll actually eat this time.

 

[Sans Souci]

Happy Mother’s Day to the moms of humans and the moms of four legged friends!

Today is a rest day for me, but I’m going go for a long walk today. My husband and son got mochi donuts for a little surprise. They are really good. I’m not a big donut person, but they have fun, unique flavors.

I watched this documentary about Michael J Fox last night. It was a recalling of his life, but it centered on his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. He was diagnosed in 1991 and he showed these clips from movies in the 90s where he was hiding the tremor in his hand by doing things like rolling up his sleeve or making a gesture with both hands. I enjoyed it. I have always had a soft spot for him.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day

Friday wound up being an unconventional workout, Saturday was a rest day, and yesterday was a semi-normal workout (a medium pace 13.30 miles on bike, barre and arms, twist plate for obliques).

On Friday, my husband reminded me that he wanted to remove part of a tree. It's technically an ornamental, but it's split off into three medium sized sections, each which is about as tall as a 2-story house and a heavy amount of canopy. Stage 1 was sawing and guiding. He sawed while I manned the ropes and played tug-o-war to guide the limb away from the street and mailbox...so basically shifting it in the complete opposite direction it would have gone if allowed to fall in its natural growth direction. This took about 20 minutes. Stage 2 was unplanned, but it was helping him get the chainsaw unstuck from the tree. I still don't understand how he got it stuck, but he had tried using a hatchet to carve out the area to get it to break free, but insisted it was jammed in place. I used an ever-so-scientific method of tugging and kicking. After about 10-15 minutes, I got it out of the tree. Even more impressive was that I did it without destroying it. Stage 3 for me was to process a seemingly never-ending sea of branches as he broke down the big parts of the limb. I spent over an hour and a half using the snippers and shears to break down the large branches into smaller pieces for bundling. He eventually needed a break from processing the big parts and I needed a break from using the snippers and shears. So we moved to Stage 4, which was bundling. We spent about 30 minutes putting down twine, gathering bunches of broken down branches and I'd hold them down while he tied. Then they'd be moved to the curb. Stage 5- since it was getting dark and we were exhausted, was about 20 minutes of dragging and carrying everything out of the driveway and edge of the street that we didn't finish (which was A LOT).

On our way out to softball the next day, I took pictures of the disaster area in our yard. My husband admitted that he didn't realize there was so much to the limb he wanted to remove and may have bitten off more than we could chew with the time that we have. He started leaning towards hiring someone to do the rest, but didn't want to pay an arm and a leg. I suggested he ask our lawn guys to see if they had any suggestions. They actually said they could do it, their price was really reasonable, and they said they'd also lighten up some of the remaining canopy to help allow in more light. When we got home from softball, it was like a fairy tale where yard fairies came and cleaned up the entire mess and then some. Now if they could just help with all of my mosquito bites from Friday!