Healthier Lifestyle Thread 16th Feb till 22nd Feb

[stephbolt]

Hi All!

Have had a good last 2 days, yesterday went to a step aerobics class and today to a body conditioning class. Tacori, I was all pumped up to try Zumba tonight, but the class was already full when I got there! The sign up for classes is so frustrating at the university I attend - they don''t let students sign in until 20 min before classes start, but people get around it by waiting in line for up to 45 minutes for the more popular classes! As a grad student I''m already stretching it to find the hour to attend the class in the first place. Luckily tonight there was the other class starting at the same time so even though it wasn''t what I had planned I got my workout. Spring semester just started here last week and I''m guessing gym attendance will be down after spring break!

Anyway just wanted to check in, hope everyone has a great end of the week tomorrow!

 

[Skippy123]

I went to Sports Challenge class tonight at the gym, it is 40 mins of sprinting and jump rope and then 30 mins of core, tons of planks, muscle work and leg work. I was dying; I use to do this class a few years ago and boy am I out of shape!!!!

It was a great workout!

The lady that teaches the class I went to high school with her daughter and she (the instructor) was on the cover of a workout magazine for women at different ages and life this past year. I thought it was pretty cool because her daughter works to the magazine and her mom has always been an inspiration to her; this woman is in crazy fit shape so I told her congrats and also that she is an inspiration!

I took a bunch of stuff to the recycle center today (we have pick up but I ran out of the special bags) so I did my part in helping the environment. hehe I went to Trader Joes and bought a chicken dinner for us to eat tonight. I also stocked up on tomato basil boca burgers which I love and they are only 2 ww points. hehe

Oh before I forget, thank you for all the info on SLUMDOGS; I am going to go see it this weekend with my friend, yay!!!

Have a great evening friends!


ROD, hi friend!!!

MARCY, glad you are having a great time in class but sorry about your back. hugs and sending you healing vibes! I hope you sleep better tonight and heehe for telling Marty! How is your dad doing? It took awhile for my dad to heal but now he is better, his eye was red for awhile. Now my dad needs a root canal like me too, poor guy; I guess that is life. hehe

ZOE, how exciting you are going to Key West; I was wondering what KW was and then I figured it out. hehe I took mezicline (sp?) my neighbor is a doctor and he says that it the most effective motion sickness medicine; I get super sick easily. Hopefully they don't stop the boat, the swaying makes me super sick but I took 2 tablets and carried 2 just in case. I started taking them day before so they would for sure be in my system. I am sorry, I hope you get to go but I completely understand how you are feeling, I freak about that stuff. hugs. Maybe ask the company how big the waves swell to? About the check I guess I would forget about it because it was forgotten? Personally I would say it was 9 yrs ago there is nothing you can do; if it was within the year I would call them. Maybe try cashing it but I highly doubt that would work? Usually banks won't cash a check older than a year I think. I am sorry; I wish I knew the answer.

ARA ANN, good to see you but sorry you were sick, hope you feel better soon!!!

STEPHBOLD, yay for your step class and body conditioning!!!

TACORI, hi friend, thanks. How was the gym; here is hoping hubby got home in time to watch Tessa!!! Yay for all your workouts!!!

LORELEI, oh bummer on the elliptical. Good for you being dedicated to the treddy; I am imagining you all bundled up working out. Hugs and hope it warms up soon!

KIMI, hugs and have a great trip!!!

APPLE, ha, that is funny. I on the other hand do lose weight in the chest, boo!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Skipped class but did 30 mins on the elliptical. So far that is 3.5 hours of cardio this week. Good for me (I know normal for most of you. I will try to go once more but who knows. They don''t have child watch on the weekends. I finished 3 full weeks...starting on my 4th of working out. Still not seeing any results but its early. I got to go to Target ant the supermarket ALONE after the gym! Bliss! T is teething really bad. We had to hide her baby motrin in her yogurt. Poor kid. I am sure it hurts (molars).

Skippy, sounds INTENSE! How sweet about the instructor!

Lor, sorry about your elliptical! Bummer!

Kimberly, thanks. I have hope that one of these days I will be pleased at the number.

Zoe, I would be sad but ignore it. Either they never noticed it wasn''t cashed, forgot or didn''t care. 9 years is TOO long to bring it up! Which chick book did you get?

stephb, some of the classes at my gym are so popular you need a "ticket." They are pretty full. That sucks you have to wait in line. Do they offer it at a lot of different times. Did you peak in to see if it was something you might be interested in?

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 2/19/2009 10:01:21 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Skipped class but did 30 mins on the elliptical. So far that is 3.5 hours of cardio this week. Good for me (I know normal for most of you. I will try to go once more but who knows. They don''t have child watch on the weekends. I finished 3 full weeks...starting on my 4th of working out. Still not seeing any results but its early. I got to go to Target ant the supermarket ALONE after the gym! Bliss! T is teething really bad. We had to hide her baby motrin in her yogurt. Poor kid. I am sure it hurts (molars).

Thanks, I haven''t been to the gym since last week. hehe You are doing fabulous!!!! Woooo hooo for your 4th week workout!

Hang in there you are getting stronger! poor T, hugs.

 

[Rod]

Hey......It was another typicaly long day at work, but a least a productive one. I didn''t leave till well after 6, but at least I met Charlie afte work for a terrific diner dinner. I had gumbo soup as an appetizer and then this terrific grilled strip steak (kind of mexican style) with peppers and onions over brown rice. It was so yummy and only cost $10. We had FroYo for dessert, which is something we just haven''t had the time to enjoy for a while. I had green tea with fresh blueberries. All in all it was a yummy relaxing evening. YAYAYAYAY that tomorrow''s Friday. It''s been a loooong frustrating week for the most part, so I''m really really ready for the weekend. Charlie''s working tomorrow, but will be off in time for us to have our usual Friday Sushi.

Zoe, my recommendation is to shred the check and forget about it. It''s not legal tender any longer. I checked and most states allow a bank to not honor a check that is not cashed within six months of being issued. It''s unfortunate that family never bothered to call and ask why you didn''t cash the check, but it was a long time ago and it would be best to just get rid of it and chalk it up to having been a teenager. I''m looking forward to hearing all about your trip to KW and sure hope you have a wonderful time.

Marcy, I''m sure it must have been amusing for that person to go on about Marty losing so much weight, when he has NO idea you''re the weight loss queen! I hope your dad''s eyes are ok after the surgery.

Oh thank you dear Skippy!! Sounds like it was really good you went to that class and I hope you continue going. Woo Hoo!

Hey Ara Ann. Sorry your computer died and you got the flu. I hope you''re feeling better soon.

Thanks Tacori!

I''m so sorry your elliptical decided to go pants on you Lorelei. And you just got it moved in to a warmer place.

I hope you''re feeling better Kimberly. I saw recently there may be a real break through in the cure for the common cold. For teachers like you, who are exposed to every rhino virus under the sun, it could be a godsend.

Yay for good measurements apple!

I''m glad you''ve had a good couple days stephbolt!

OK, it''s 11 and I need to get some sleep so I can start a new day. Sleep well everyone........

 

[marcy]

We are almost to the weekend.Yippee!

Hi everyone!

Marty has his new PC.It’s all put together and he is installing software now.When he was formatting the hard drive I would walk in there (he was watching TV) so I’d go look at it and ask him questions like “what does failed disk drive” mean.He just doesn’t think I am funny.

I practiced some cake decorating tonight with some leftover frosting.My stuff turned out much better than my cupcakes last night.Yippee.I even practiced making roses too.

Zoe, I hope you do go on the sunset sail.It sounds like a really nice time.I look forward to a slower pace but don’t know when that will be.Oh well, I am pretty used to it.Going to visit grandma and my dad takes at least an hour out of my evening and that is sure catching up with me.Too bad the $100 wasn’t cash.I would probably just shred it.

Ara Ann, sorry to hear about computer problems.I hope you get better soon.

Tacori, I can easily believe it would take you and your mom 5 hours to decorate a bunch of cupcakes.I did post my pictures in the cupcake thread.Every time I look at the teddy bears I totally crack up.The chocolate frosting was so stiff it was like try to decorate with cement.Oh well, I am enjoying learning how to do it.Yeah for being on week 4 of your workouts at the gym.Poor Tessa.

Lorelei, darn it anyway.I hope you didn’t get too cold going out to use the treadmill.

Kimi, your weekend plans sound divine and a real treat for your heart and soul.Have fun.

Appletini, congratulations for good results with your measurements.

Stephbolt, that is too bad it’s hard to get in to the popular classes.That is nice you were still able to get in to a class anyway.

Skippy, your sports challenge class sounds like quite a workout.How is your mouth feeling?My dad was doing well today and said he can see pretty well.The doctor was also pleased with his progress so far.I am glad your dad’s eye healed okay but I hate to hear he has to have a root canal too.Neither procedure sounds very fun to me.

Rod, your dinner sounds great and how nice it was so reasonable.It was funny about that guy talking about Marty’s weight loss.I was telling a friend about it and she said – you told him then right?I didn’t say a word I just thought it was cool he had no idea what I used to look like.My dad is doing well, thank you.

Take care everyone.One more day then it’s the weekend.I think I’ll go torment Marty and see if I can break his new PC.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey everyone!

I''ve been avoid the HLT because I''ve done nothing in terms of working out. But I went to yoga today with my sister. We have plans to go tomorrow too. I bought myself another month pass so I''m dedicating myself to it for at least another 4 wks. Oh and some guy friends of friends showed up to yoga! We''re getting a regular support group. Cool!

Marcy, I''m with you one the achy back thing. I''m embellishing some Save the Dates for our upcoming wedding. I did 15 envelopes and my back''s all achy. James said it looks awesome though, so I''m pretty happy

Rod, glad you had a good day of work. Gumbo.... Mmmm. Anyone know of a good recipe for one? I want to make it since it got freaking cold again.

Dee, how was the house showing?

Skip, that Sports Challenge sounds like quite the workout. It''s weird how good skipping rope is for cardio. And it''s so low-tech too. I remember rocking it in grade school. Not quite as coordinated anymore.

Zoe, how''s KW?? Enjoy the sunshine and warmth for me! I LOVE going to book stores! I can always spend $100 in one. That, Target & Bed Bath and Beyond.

Tac! Hooray for your workouts! you''re kicking tail girl! Rock on!

Lore, damn the elliptical! But I admire your dedication!!! Can hubby drag the treddy inside and swap out the elliptical?

StephB, sorry you didn''t do Zumba but from what Tac says about it, I can see how it''s quite popular. Hooray for doing al your classes though. You ever think of doing an Olympic tri? James and I are thinking of doing one late this summer. He has to finish up his masters and won''t have much time to train for an earlier one. Where are you located? We''re in Chicago. If anyone knows of any good Olympic Tris let me know!

 

[Lorelei]

Lliang, Hubby tried to fix the ellip but no idea what is wrong with it, absolutely no resistance. I think the treddy will have to stay where it is regrettably, what a PITA!!!

 

[appletini]

I did my 30 min walk/jog routine this morning...it felt good to get some exercise....that is 5 days in a row this week! Tomorrow the plan is go for a 4 mile walk with my BFF for I go out of town for a bachelorette party.

Also yesterday in honor of my weigh-in and super stressful busy week at work I totally splurged....I ate a whole box (minus the 4 cookies I had the previous day) of lemon girl scout cookies while I was at work...they were so good. And then my friends met for a pizza dinner at my favorite byob pizza place before we went to see Shopaholic. I had 2 pieces of bread and 3 slices of pizza...I didn''t drink any wine (only b/c I had to finish up some work when I got home after the movie). The funny thing is that I would normally not go on such a splurge-a-thon but the challenge of being forced to eat not just healthy, but restricted to specific types of food for the week, just made want all the bad stuff even more. Normally I am fairly healthy/well balanced eater during the week so any wild cravings are controlled.

I am just glad to go back to my normal way of eating. Although I think the challenge was tougher on DH b/c his daytime meals aren''t as healthy as mine usually are, so he wants to keep that part up during the day.

 

[Lorelei]

I am stoked, used the treddy again this morning so that is 4 workouts this week!

 

[stephbolt]

Hi everyone!

Tacori, I didn''t get to peek into Zumba because I had to go sign up for the other class, which was in a different part of the gym. I know even if I don''t get to try it over the spring semester, things will be much quieter over the summer so I''ll try it eventually.

lliang, so far I have only done 2 sprint tris but I am seriously considering an olympic this september. I should just sign up so that I am forced to start training! I am doing at least 3 sprint tris in june/july/august so shouldn''t be that hard...but I am scared of the 6 mi run at the end! I''m close to Philly, but i use TriFind to search for races.

I''m off to the pool for the first time in three months in half an hour! Hopefully it will go ok, gotta get started again sometime. Hope everyone is having a great Friday!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids! Just back from a day of continuing education. Ack. At least now I''m good for another two years.

This morning I did 65 mins on the dreadmill. Ran A LOT (not the whole time though). Felt great! Really, endurance is not my problem (I can go at 6.5 mph forever) but those damn shin splints! I iced my knees when I got back from CE and I will probably do it again before I go out tonight. And surprisingly my knee isn''t a big problem either. I mean, I *feel* it but I''m not in *pain.* Seriously, maybe this glucosamine is working!

Have a zillion things to do for clients right now, so gotta hop, but have a good Friday everyone!

 

[Dee*Jay]

ETA: Meant to say I iced my SHINS when I got back, not my knees...

 

[Skippy123]

Hi all! I got my shots and went to Costco early today. It ended up being a tough day today, I won''t get into it but I think we we shouldn''t forget to let friends and family know how much they mean to us. Hubby and I went for a nice long walk this afternoon about 50 mins. I am soooooo sore today; I had sore muscles in places I didn''t know I had muscle from the core work. ha!

Tomorrow I am going to take a long walk with my cousin and also go to lunch with our neighbors. We haven''t seen them since before the holidays.
I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend, hugs to all

ROD, TGIF! Wow your meal at the diner sounded fabulous, you have me craving thinly cut steak. I wish we had a FroYo; sounds totally yummy! I am sorry your week was so frustrating, huge hugs and hopefully you will have a nice relaxing weekend.

MARCY, yay that Marty''s computer is fixed. cool for practicing. How is your dad? My tooth is better now that they fixed it, thanks friend. haha to breaking Marty''s new PC, you naughty.

LLIANG, yay for yoga!!! yay for a regular support group. Jump rope is totally hard and good for us! I love skipping, too bad they didn''t have skipping in class and that is a good workout too. hehe Yay for Save the dates; when is the wedding? I am excited for you!

LORELEI, oh not to ellip, darn. Woo for 4 workouts, how about next week we have a workout challenge? just a thought since we are all inspiring each other!

APPLE, yay for your walk jog and 5 days of workouts! Yum, sounds like a good splurge. Was Shopaholic good?

STEPHBOLT, yay for the pool, you are the athlete!!!

DEEJAY, I use to get the worst shin splints back in the day in hs when we ran 3 miles, can you stretch the shins 10 mins into cardio? I hate shin splints, glad the knees are okay!

 

[dragonfly411]

hey everyone. if you know yoga... and you knwo sun salutations. Go do some to Nickelback''s If Today was your last day . Absolutely the best yoga of my life. Did that tonight as a sort of way to release myself from finding out about my friend''s cancer. It''s been a rough day.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 2/20/2009 11:13:42 PM
Author: dragonfly411
hey everyone. if you know yoga... and you knwo sun salutations. Go do some to Nickelback''s If Today was your last day . Absolutely the best yoga of my life. Did that tonight as a sort of way to release myself from finding out about my friend''s cancer. It''s been a rough day.

Dragonfly, I have you and your friend in my prayers.

 

[Lorelei]

I am up for a workout challenge Skip! Any suggestions ?

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 2/21/2009 8:56:54 AM
Author: Lorelei
I am up for a workout challenge Skip! Any suggestions ?

I don't know, I just notice that since you and Tacori and Apple mentioned how many workouts you did it inspired me to workout more!!

Maybe start off the week with the workout challenge that isn't a competition (that isn't what I intend) just to motivate each other. And at the end of the week I can tally up how many workouts we got in for a grand total?? Sound like fun??

hehe What do you think Lorelei?

 

[Skippy123]

Good Morning friends! We are meeting the neighbors for lunch today, ate this yummy Greek place. We haven''t visited with since before the holidays.
Then this afternoon I am going for a walk with my cousin.

Everyone have a great weekend!!! The weather is suppose to be nice all weekend so I am looking forward to that.

Dragon, sending you a hug.

Lorelei, hope your weather warms up soon!

 

[appletini]

I did my 30 min walk/jog around the neighborhood this morning....it was my bonus day of exercise since it was #6.

Skippy,
Make a goal for yourself to exercise X days a week. Even if you just go walking for 30 min or do yoga it counts! My new years resolution was 5 days of exercise a week and so far I have stuck to it. Even though I usually exercise during lunch, if I know I can''t go at lunch, then I will go in the evening with co-worker #2 and put it on our outlook calendars so I have an accountability partner. One day it was a Sunday and I bit hungover but I''d only gotten 4 days in that week, so I made myself go for a walk so I could get in my 5 days.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Skippy, just to motivate you

I went to the gym today and did 30 mins of cardio. That ends my week with 5 times with 4 hours of cardio. I would like to try to motivate myself to lift weights more. I only did arms this week. Usually I am so tired after cardio I just want to go home.

Scale still is not budging...I know it will. Maybe this week!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Saturday kids!

Did an hour on the hampster wheel this morning. Should have done arms too but I ran out of time before my first showing. And speaking of showings, the market is hoppin'! I have actually even picked up two new buyers this week and am getting calls on all my listings so life is good!

Am currently sitting here with ice on my right knee and left shin again. So much for saying that my knee was good yesterday!

No much else to report. Have eating a random array of perhaps not the best of all possible foods today but, hey, it's the weekend, right?!

 

[Skippy123]

Hi all, we had baklava, yum yum. I also had a chicken pita. I went for a 65 min walk with my cousin. I am now feeling sleeeeepy! I think I might go take a nap.

Great Job TACORI, wooo hooo!

DEEJAY, yay for your workout! Stay warm, I hear it was snowing out there!

ROD and MARCY, hi friends.

APPLE, yay for your workout!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Went on a walk with T so I guess that adds 20 mins. to my cardio. Basically 5 hours for the week (I don''t keep EXACT track).

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.My cold came back with a vengeance.I am freezing and sleepy (I am always cold when I am sick and I took an antihistamine which makes me sleepy).Stupid cold.

I spent the day brewing up a cake and frosting then mixing up the different colors I need for class on Wednesday.Tuesday night will have to make more frosting and ice the cake.I can’t believe how much time this class is taking on the weekends trying to get things ready for class.

Lliang, glad you went to yoga and signed up for another month.My back is achy again for baking and making frosting today.It gets better over night but just standing is not something I am used to doing.I bet your invitations are very pretty – a labor of love.Sorry to hear it is bothering your back but I do hope you get over it quickly like I do.

Lorelei, rats for the elliptical being broken and the treadmill being out in the cold gym.I hope it warms up for you soon.Glad you did get to workout on the treddie today.

Appletini, it sounds like you had a wonderful night off and enjoyed some real treats.No worries though as I know you will go right back to your normal routine.

Stephbolt, good plan to sign up for the races now so you’ll be motivated to practice for them.

DeeJay, glad the glucosamine seems to be helping.That is awesome.Congratulations for doing such a great workout today.I hate to see that today your knee and shins are hurting.Darn it anway.

Skippy, sorry to hear you had a tough day – no need to explain but hugs to you.Yes, it is so important to always let people you care about know it.Glad you and your husband got to go for a nice long walk.My dad is doing great, thank you.I am glad your tooth is doing better.Marty keeps teasing me he is going to password the new PC so I can’t “break” it.LOL.

Dragonfly, sorry to hear about your friend.Hugs to you and them.

Tacori, congratulations on the great workouts this week.No worries, the scale will budge.

Well I can barely stay away and I haven’t even graded papers yet.Rats.

Take care.Have a great Sunday.
Marcy

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/21/2009 11:45:22 AM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 2/21/2009 8:56:54 AM
Author: Lorelei
I am up for a workout challenge Skip! Any suggestions ?

I don''t know, I just notice that since you and Tacori and Apple mentioned how many workouts you did it inspired me to workout more!!

Maybe start off the week with the workout challenge that isn''t a competition (that isn''t what I intend) just to motivate each other. And at the end of the week I can tally up how many workouts we got in for a grand total?? Sound like fun??

hehe What do you think Lorelei?

Sounds good to me Skip! Ok then for those who want to participate then start tomorrow then see how many workouts you can do in the week. This really helps me by making me feel I am not alone, '' cos I can think of Tac and Rod, Dee, Apple etc all working hard too!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 2/22/2009 6:44:13 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 2/21/2009 11:45:22 AM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 2/21/2009 8:56:54 AM
Author: Lorelei
I am up for a workout challenge Skip! Any suggestions ?

I don't know, I just notice that since you and Tacori and Apple mentioned how many workouts you did it inspired me to workout more!!

Maybe start off the week with the workout challenge that isn't a competition (that isn't what I intend) just to motivate each other. And at the end of the week I can tally up how many workouts we got in for a grand total?? Sound like fun??

hehe What do you think Lorelei?

Sounds good to me Skip! Ok then for those who want to participate then start tomorrow then see how many workouts you can do in the week. This really helps me by making me feel I am not alone, ' cos I can think of Tac and Rod, Dee, Apple etc all working hard too!

Cool!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Hiya,

We had a great trip, lots of wandering (Pismo, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles) a bit of wine tasting, and relaxing. It was nice to get away before returning to work next week.

We went for a walk when we got home, and will be having some sort of pasta for dinner, it''s what there are groceries for in the house.

See ya on next weeks'' thread.

K

 

[Skippy123]

Today my friend and I went and saw Slumdog Millionaire; it was a good movie, the beginning was hard to watch though. Then she and I walked for 1 hr and 1/2 so we did a little over 5 miles; my legs are tired. So 4 workouts this week which is good

For dinner hubby and I had boca burgers; he went for a nice long bike ride. I started my parents taxes and finished our taxes. I plan to finish my parents tomorrow but it is dark and I like to do them during the daylight so I don't miss any tiny detail (those forms are always so little). hehe

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend; it was 68 degrees here so I am a happy camper!!!

MARCY, your cupcakes look great!! Sounds like lots of fun! boo to the cold; hope you feel better soon

ROD, I missed you this weekend!

LORELEI, hope it warms up out there.

TACORI yay for 5 workouts this week!!!

eta: KIMI, glad you had a great trip!!! Yay for your walk; glad to see you back!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Long time, no post. Hi guys!

I''ve been keeping up with my workouts and eating until I hit the dreaded January illness that I also got last year. Well, actually, the cold weather had scared even me off from running for a bit around Christmas, then I got sick in January, then I found out I was pregnant a week ago. So I am trying to get back into my workouts but at about 80% of normal. I''m succeeding with the FIrm workouts but not with running/walking yet. I have a naturally high heart rate (around 90 BPM before I got in shape, 82 last week at a checkup) and I''ve read that letting your heartrate get too high during pregnancy is a concern, so I''m not going to run until I talk to the doctor. But I want to do more purposeful fast-walking.

I must admit, it''s fun to eat a little more than usual! I want food with taste . . . peanut butter filled pretzels, vanilla wafers, cheddar and sour cream chips, etc. I''m convincing myself that it''s ok to eat these because my normal snacks--Kashi fig newton type cookies and granola bars--just aren''t doing it for me right now. All the aforementioned snacks are organic/from the health food store, not because I''m afraid of nonorganic wheat or other ingredients, but because there tend to be so many more unrecognizable ingredients in your everyday products. So basically I''ve just been going around the natural food section of the grocery store going, yum, that looks good, and yum, that looks good. Today I discovered a cookie that tastes just like my favorite Girl Scout cookie, do-si-dos!

For as small as I am I think I''m going to be one of those women who gain a considerable amount while pregnant. I''m just so hungry and no carrot sticks or apples will make it go away (although I am eating those too of course). But on the other hand, given that I''m not drinking alcohol anymore, my extra eating may be close to the recommended extra 200 calories a day.

Skippy, I agree that Slumdog Millionaire was hard to watch. My mom and I found it so stressful that we couldn''t enjoy the storyline.