Fear itself

I believe in aromatherapy. I have a database of inspirational quotes. I tout the psychological benefits of exercise, and I practice what I preach.

Yet somehow, I end up spending a good chunk of my time afraid.

Part of this is necessary. I take a decent amount of (healthy) risks, because you can't savor a fear and adrenaline cocktail from the comfort of your couch.

Still, I don't welcome fear with open arms. It surfaces in a variety of forms. Sometimes I fear I won't hit certain life milestones. (Thanks, Facebook!) Sometimes I fear I'll regret the quality of my relationships, or lack thereof.

And sometimes -- like right now -- I fear things as mundane as a kickball game.

Naturally, my first instinct in this situation is to remind myself that concentrating on fear is a losing proposition -- it will consume your thoughts to the point where your dreaded outcome materializes.

That approach doesn't always work. Maybe it's too rational. So I've turned to Courage -- as in, the name of a tube of bareMinerals lip gloss in my purse right now. Laugh, but I use it very selectively and so far it has a perfect fear-conquering track record.

We all have a version of Courage lip gloss -- something that temporarily blinds us to what we consider a really complicated world. Sometimes, however, fear disappears when we realize it really isn't that complicated after all.

I'll leave you with an excerpt from Roger Ebert's new memoir:

I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime.

To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances.

Lakebottom Bootcamp, part 2

I heard this song on my way to bootcamp AND on my way home. Coincidence? I think not.

In the name of entertaining my faithful readers, I followed through on a promise to attend Lakebottom Bootcamp this morning.

Short recap: I had fun!

And now, for the longer version. I arrived right at 7:30 a.m. and learned we were doing a PT test today -- a setup slightly different than the usual workouts, from what I understand. Basically we had to do sit-ups, push-ups and a half-mile run.

There wasn't really a quota, just an expectation to try your hardest.

It was a good format for my first time, since not everybody did their sit-ups and push-ups at once. You stood in line and stretched while waiting for your turn. When that moment arrived, the instructors timed you (2 minutes) and counted your push-ups, then sit-ups.

We all did the half-mile run together. The morning session had about 12-15 people, and I've heard the night sessions can attract up to 100. This morning had all women, spanning a variety of ages and backgrounds. Everybody was really nice, especially the two trainers.

I'll go back again, probably within the next few days, to see what it's like on a non-testing day. And yes, Lakebottom Bootcamp is still FREE. Check it out.

Lakebottom Bootcamp is held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Morning session is 7:30-8:30 a.m. and evening session is 6:30-7:30 p.m. Meet at the track at Lakebottom Park.

Lakebottom Bootcamp

I'm going to start attending Lakebottom Bootcamp, a free exercise program offered on weekdays at -- you guessed it -- Lakebottom Park.

It's held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Morning session is 7:30-8:30 a.m. and evening session is 6:30-7:30 p.m.

My plan is to attend tomorrow morning (Thursday), but don't hate me if I'm too tired after obsessing over tonight's "Big Brother" finale.

It sounds like a pretty cool program. I'm only concerned about a likely emphasis on sit-ups. I had a bad experience in sixth grade involving sit-ups, PE class and a public meltdown. Let's leave it at that.

Anyway, I'll post a review after my first session. And yeah, did I mention it's FREE?!?

I know this post doesn't overtly pertain to nightlife and/or dating, but we all want to feel good about ourselves on the local meet market scene, right?

Will you marry me?

YourTango directs us to poll results suggesting one in 10 women have proposed to a guy.

Empowering? Maybe not. Here's an excerpt from the writer's post:

Having to propose yourself seems almost like saying, "Sure, honey, I'm willing to take on ALL the work—including asking you to be my husband." Screw that! The least a guy can do is make up his own mind to get married, plan the proposal, and get on one knee!

Do you agree?

I hate our culture's rigid gender expectations regarding marriage. It's frustrating that women can do so many things personally and professionally...but marriage remains the one arena where you basically have to sit back and abide by a man's time frame.

I'm even more frustrated that most women can't just say, "Whatever. I'm going to defy tradition and propose myself!"

Because honestly, a proposal that relies on the woman popping the question is viewed differently than the traditional scenario. It's often viewed as evidence of desperation, regardless of whether that's really true.

So what happens next? Do you think we'll get to a point where a woman can propose without worrying about social stigma? Are we already at that point?

Interracial relationships

In these Gallup poll results, 86 percent of U.S. adults said they have no problem with interracial marriage.

Jezebel notes, "Apparently this is supposed to be reason for celebration, but it's still disturbing that more than 1 in 10 people are against two people loving each other because of the color of their skin."

As someone who frequently peruses the racist rants in the online comments that accompany Ledger-Enquirer stories, I'm fully aware of these attitudes.

I know the race dynamic in the South is uniquely complex, but even while living in other parts of the country I encountered people leery of interracial relationships.

Even if things are improving, it's still sad that you sometimes need a certain level of courage just to walk publicly with the person you love.

What do you think? Does your community accept interracial relationships?

What's cooking?

These survey results suggest nearly a third of Americans don't know how to cook.

Surprised?

I bought more groceries than usual over the weekend, since I'm making a renewed effort to eat more meals at home.

My domestic abilities strike a healthy balance between "cooking" and "not cooking." Yes, I have about a dozen dinner entrees in my repertoire. No, not everything in those entrees is made from scratch. Yes, I'll occasionally rely on canned sauces and pre-cut vegetables.

Does that still count as cooking? You decide.

Many daters swoon at the promise of a home-cooked meal from their significant other. Yet they rarely specify their definition of "cooking" in this scenario.

So weigh in: If your date made you a "home-cooked meal" that relied largely on canned ingredients, would you be disappointed? Or is this a scenario where the thought counts more than the final result?

(If you're a novice chef, consult the Ledger-Enquirer's food blog for advice!)

Monday power anthem

I danced to this tune in hopes of making my weekend last longer. It didn't really work.

Still, this is one of my favorite party anthems. It's bittersweet, however, because Natasja Saad -- the woman featured in the song -- died in a 2007 car accident. RIP.

So seize the day and make time for a few brief dance parties in her honor.