variations on a theme

Been really busy this week, since my mom's been in town. Now I'm at work as usual, and spent way too long trying to catch up on LJ and facebook stuff.

I'll try to get a real update here soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to drop off some links so I can close the tabs in my browser. >__>

Andrew Bird- Dark Matter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kw3xQXyZA4
(Do you wonder where the self resides
Is it in the head or between your sides
And who would be the one who will decide
it's two locations)

Degrassi
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/07/16/Degrassi_Premiere_to_Include_Trans_Teen/
I'd never heard of this canadian teen show, but now I'm interested in checking it out.

Life of a Dandelion
http://lifeofadandelion.blogspot.com/
Cute blog my mom showed me written by the mother of a transgender boy

I am J
http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-J-Cris-Beam/dp/0316053619
This book hasn't come out yet, but my mom scored an advance reading copy and passed it on to me. I'm going to try to do a proper book review soon. Also I think it's going to end up being the perfect thing to send to my pop to help him understand where I'm coming from with all this trans stuff.

Toxic lube
http://amorkov.livejournal.com/52794.html
This is scary. ;__;

Mental Iterations
http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/1227164.html
poem by Elizabeth Barrette

put on muscle

I've noticed some overall physique changes over the last week or so. Between regular intense workouts and my first few doses of T, I am gaining muscle mass and losing fat. Losing the fat is painfully slow, especially now that I am paying attention to it. It seems like there is still a lot of it on my limbs and torso and face.

I got weighed thursday when I got my fourth shot. 164. Down more than 5 pounds from four weeks earlier. And I know I've put on muscle, so I must have lost more than that in fat.

If I stop looking at the fat that's still there, I can see that I've definitely lost a lot in the hip area. I still have some love handles, but they don't dominate the shape of my torso anymore.

I took a shower today and looked in the mirror before I put my binder on, though already wearing a tee and undershirt. I realized I still read myself as male moreso than even with a binder two months ago. My shoulders are broader- latissimus dorsi bulking up. My biceps, too, are starting to take some shape, though it's hard to tell without feeling them because the fat on my arms is still softening the visible edges.

This week in particular I also noticed a pretty sharp increase in strength. I can hug Edwin so tightly it starts to hurt. He doesn't complain about the increased backrub strength, though, and I found it particularly enjoyable for myself to work my arm muscles and fingers on his back. The muscles wanted to stretch, to be used, and they loved it, and he loved it and that was good.

more links

Uhh. More links. Working out edition. This is what I did today. Among other things.

Couch to 5K running plan
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
I'm interested in getting this into my weekly schedule. Might poke at it a bit while I'm still working on the P90x stuff, but don't want to commit just yet.

Apple Cider Vinegar
http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvinegar.html
Apparently good for weight loss, acne, and a bajillion other things.

US Navy Seal Workout
http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/brent2.htm
More for future reference than current goals

Workout Database
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workoutdatabase.htm
more future reference

Bad stuff about protein drinks
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/july/food/protein-drinks/whats-in-your-protein-drink/index.htm
Muscle Milk is awful! I've never had it but there's ads all over BART lately. D= The AWE60 stuff I was taking is on there, with reasonable levels compared to the other products. The AfterShock stuff I'm taking now isn't on there, though. I wonder how bad it is. >__>

Shovelglove!
http://www.shovelglove.com/
Neat idea for a quick (week)daily 14-minute workout.

MovNat
http://movnat.com/
I don't actually remember why I opened this tab, and don't feel like looking through the site at the moment. So... random grab bag, I guess.