First Brick workout. Doll stuff. Kinda long.

I tried my first "brick" workout. I'm not sure how authentic it was. I did a 8-mile bike ride to the school where I work and back, then ran into the house to see what time it was (I have GOT to get a digital watch) then a brief run (about 1/2 mile). Coming and going there are a couple of nice, long hills to climb, as it passes through a small arroyo. My time sucked, don't even ask. For a couch potato like me, though, encouraging. <--To the left is a topographic map of the area that that Husband and I do our road bike rides through, the area where we live. We're just above 5000 feet elevation. The combination of my workout and finishing Jayne Williams's book has got me feeling all sassy. I even have a bit of swagger in my step.
In other thoughts, I guess I know now why my friends were so horrified at the thought of me glorifying Barbie in any way. (Understand that I was never a girly-girl, so this may be old info to you, but it's new to me. I was given a Barbie once, and she spent most of her time in great peril, while I and my gang of rowdies formed teams to rescue her. I think she is buried in my former backyard back in Hoover, Alabama. But once again, I digress). Now get this: if Barbie were a real woman she would have measurements of about 38-21-34, weigh 110 pounds, be 6'2" to 7' tall, and have a size 5 shoe. That Barbie AIN'T runnin' no sprints.

Now, In my (admittedly, aimless) search on the subject, I also found out that there are some very cool doll companies out there. As a woman, with a daughter, and future school psychologist, this is of great interest to me. Big Beautiful Dolls sells full-figured fashion dolls. Girls Explore sells doll sets and biographies of women such as Harriet Tubman, Amelia Erhardt, Dot Richardson, and other notable figures. Tonner Dolls sells the EMME doll AND some of the most beautiful dolls representing women of color that I have ever seen. Finally, Mattel has a line of dolls that are really action figures for girls, called Get Real. Get Real dolls are slender, but have an athletic build. Last but not least, there are novelty action figures, like Rosie the Riveter, the Librarian, and the Barrista, to name a few.

Finally, I found this great poem: PHENOMENAL WOMAN by Maya Angelou. Now, I don't want to come off as someone who runs around yelling about how women are oppressed. I think most of that is long past, and to be honest, I think most women are satisfied to oppress themselves. It's up to me to be empowered.