Ladies, Ladies

So today I did some exercising (I've done 23.5 miles this month, which means I'm ALMOST keeping up with my goal), and when I was done I turned the tape off and watched TV while I was stretching. Some channel was playing Ice Princess, which might be one of the worst movies EVER MADE. Joan Cusack plays the "Mean Mommy" role ("Professional athletes have a shelf life!") because clearly she just can't agree with her daughter's dreams. The most manipulative parenting I've ever seen on screen, and that's saying a lot. We all know people can't start college after the age of 18. Kim Cattrall plays the competition's mean mommy. It was really weird watching her in this role because I expected her to sleep with the judges Samantha style, all of them at once, to throw the score in her daughter's favor. I don't think she translates well to Disney fare. So I made it through about 20 minutes of that drivel, and I'm pretty sure I know the ending.

I finally finished "The Duchess" and let me tell you, that book was wayyyy better than the movie. That woman was a MESS. She gambled incessantly, and lied to her friends and banks to "borrow" money which she never intended to pay back. She was also one of the most influential women in politics ever, and it was interesting to read about those two sides of her- the political genius and the gambling wreck. Another interesting note: both she and her sister went abroad for several months to have their illegitimate children in relative privacy and no one was the wiser. It sounds like thanks to the work of the Victorian censors (who thought they were doing their ancestors a favor) it was hard to figure out just whose child was whose between Georgiana, her sister Harriet, and her "friend" Bess (who is another interesting character and probably needs her own biography). Back then it was not uncommon to go visit the continent for months (or years) and concealing a pregnancy was par for the course. Unreal. Can you imagine trying to do that now?

This weekend has been busy. Yesterday I did a two mile Walk Away the Pounds walk and then did a 20 minute dumbell routine from SparkPeople.com. (It's here if you're interested- there is also great 15 minute stablility ball workout- try it out.) I had bookclub and spent waaaayyy too long on Facebook. Today I went grocery shopping and prepped all of my snacks and veggies for the week. I even cut up chicken and froze it for quick meals later. I cleaned a lot, did laundry, walked 3 miles, and started another bookclub book. Tonight I'm making pizza for dinner and camping out on the couch to watch "Wuthering Heights" on PBS. It's going to be SO GOOD. I'm a sucker for 19th century British costume dramas.

Other things happening on Planet Heather:

• I'm thinking about getting a tattoo for my 30th birthday.
• I'm doing some excercises in the "Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook" and I think they're helping.
• I have gained almost 10 lbs since Christmas and it's making me furious. HOW? WHY???? This is why I'm hitting the exercise DVDs/videos pretty hard.

Does anybody else tend to gain weight in winter? Or is this something that just happens to me because I'm extra special?