I handed the nice gentleman at the desk this morning my card, and I wondered why he was giving me such a funny look. He says to me "this is a library card..." Too bad I was at the front desk of my local YMCA.
Okay, so I didn't look when I pulled the card out of the front of my wallet. I guess I have been using my library card more than the Y card, since that was the one that was in front. He was nice, and let me go in anyway.
So this means that I did get my rear end out of bed, and to the Y to run on the treadmill this morning. My sorry butt has not exercised for over two weeks. I was starting to go into withdrawals. So I ran for half an hour. With my new Christmas gift - an mp3 player that will hold up to 16 hours of music, or so it says. So I have been putzing with my new toy, putting exercise friendly/motivational music on it. I need to dig through my CD collection to see what I want to copy on to it. Anyone have any suggestions for good music to run to?
Oh yeah, and this morning, as I was getting up and putting on my exercise clothes, there was something odd in my sock. So I pulled out a business card of my husband's. As I was sitting pondering how/why on earth it was there, I turned it over. The note on the back said: "I love you!" Can you say awwwwwwww? He's a keeper.
Christmas was a good time. I did not stress about food, ate what I wanted, never stuffed myself silly, and the scale is pretty much where it started... of course my clothes are feeling a bit tight. This is what happens when you start losing muscle, and gaining some "padding" fat. I don't think that I will be hopping on the "diet" bandwagon again any time soon, but I will be exercising more. I am feeling way less stressed about food, feeling non-deprived, and a bonus is that the nails on my fingers are looking quite healthy and not splitting or cracked. And, I have clothes that fit me, and look good.
Eric really liked the gift that I got him. He was suprised that he got what he did - I got him a small wood lathe. Slowly but surely he is building up his shop in the basement. Last year my parents and I purchased him a table saw, which he has had a lot of fun using in the last year. Now we just need to get him some sort of dust collection system so the sawdust does not end up all over that area of the basement (and all over the laundry that has been put down the chute!)
Anyway, that's about all I have to say at the moment... perhaps more later after I mull over a few things that have been floating around in my brain that I just don't know what I want to say about them - let's just say that I'm not the only one who has drama (llama - Hi Hil!) in the family...
ta!
~a
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
At our household!
Yes, still alive....
We have lights up - Eric and I spent a lot of time on Saturday the 9th, making the outside look pretty. Red and Blue lights on the gutter around the house, 3 spiral light trees in the front, the front door outlined in candy cane rope light, and the front walk lined with blue rope lights. The front window inside also has white lights arount it. I love Christmas lights. We could not put them up at our last house, because there was no outside power outlet... so I am happy we can do it now. Eric helped, but I actually did the majority of the work, including standing on the ladder and hanging the lights on the gutter of the house. He was going to do it, but then our son showed up to borrow the portable ice house, and they started doing "man" things... looking at fishing stuff, Eric showing off some of his home projects, so I just grabbed the ladder and started, being a do-it-yourself kind of gal.
Last Sunday, I finished decorating the tree. I didn't get to it the weekend before, because I had to go to our work Christmas dinner after finishing the lights outside, then I spent three days in Fargo last week. Good times. But, the tree is up and decorated, I finally bought Eric's gift, and my shopping is oficially done! Sunday, also amongst the many loads of laundry, I also got together the Christmas presents and stockings for April and Donovan (stepdaughter and her husband), and boxed them all up, ready to be mailed. That was also a relief!
And yesterday, I got out the Christmas letter. 60 of them. Not sure how the list got so long, but there you have it. If you want one, I still have plenty of cards left - let me know! All I can say is that I am glad that I got the mail merge to work, and that I could print the envelopes on the printer, rather than writing them all out by hand. A friend here at work was saying that she has been sending electronic Chirstmas cards, but even if I take a shortcut with the computer, I still enjoy sending the letters/cards. I know I look forward to the Christmas season and getting cards, so I need to send them myself - the traditional way.
Tonight, on the agenda is baking. At work, I have made a tradition of coming in the day before the Christmas holiday with banana bread and biscotti as gifts to the folks that are working that day. I figure if you have to work, you should get rewarded for it. And I make fabulous banana bread and biscotti, if I do say so myself!
This is definately my favorite time of the year....
So, on the WW and exercise front.
Yep, not so much. I have not been to weigh in since the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I guess I just don't want to. I'm not a big fan of the leader, and I don't look forward to going. I think I am done beating myself up. I am going to try and eat healthy, and in moderation. It has been working a bit, since the scale is down when I step on it in the morning. I just want to be able to live my life without being obsessed about food.
And I have not exercised in more than a week. I keep telling myself that I will go, then life seems to rear it's head. I actually think it has been good for me, since the hip muscle that was giving me some pain has stopped hurting. I think I started out again too hot and heavy. I have to just learn not to push myself so much - knowing that I can't crank out 6 miles when I have been doing no miles.
And I did go out and purchase myself some more pants, sizes 12 and 14's. And they fit. And I feel good about how I look. That's what counts, right?
That's about it. The work year and the Jaycee year are wrapping up, then on to the next!
Ta
~a
Yes, still alive....
We have lights up - Eric and I spent a lot of time on Saturday the 9th, making the outside look pretty. Red and Blue lights on the gutter around the house, 3 spiral light trees in the front, the front door outlined in candy cane rope light, and the front walk lined with blue rope lights. The front window inside also has white lights arount it. I love Christmas lights. We could not put them up at our last house, because there was no outside power outlet... so I am happy we can do it now. Eric helped, but I actually did the majority of the work, including standing on the ladder and hanging the lights on the gutter of the house. He was going to do it, but then our son showed up to borrow the portable ice house, and they started doing "man" things... looking at fishing stuff, Eric showing off some of his home projects, so I just grabbed the ladder and started, being a do-it-yourself kind of gal.
Last Sunday, I finished decorating the tree. I didn't get to it the weekend before, because I had to go to our work Christmas dinner after finishing the lights outside, then I spent three days in Fargo last week. Good times. But, the tree is up and decorated, I finally bought Eric's gift, and my shopping is oficially done! Sunday, also amongst the many loads of laundry, I also got together the Christmas presents and stockings for April and Donovan (stepdaughter and her husband), and boxed them all up, ready to be mailed. That was also a relief!
And yesterday, I got out the Christmas letter. 60 of them. Not sure how the list got so long, but there you have it. If you want one, I still have plenty of cards left - let me know! All I can say is that I am glad that I got the mail merge to work, and that I could print the envelopes on the printer, rather than writing them all out by hand. A friend here at work was saying that she has been sending electronic Chirstmas cards, but even if I take a shortcut with the computer, I still enjoy sending the letters/cards. I know I look forward to the Christmas season and getting cards, so I need to send them myself - the traditional way.
Tonight, on the agenda is baking. At work, I have made a tradition of coming in the day before the Christmas holiday with banana bread and biscotti as gifts to the folks that are working that day. I figure if you have to work, you should get rewarded for it. And I make fabulous banana bread and biscotti, if I do say so myself!
This is definately my favorite time of the year....
So, on the WW and exercise front.
Yep, not so much. I have not been to weigh in since the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I guess I just don't want to. I'm not a big fan of the leader, and I don't look forward to going. I think I am done beating myself up. I am going to try and eat healthy, and in moderation. It has been working a bit, since the scale is down when I step on it in the morning. I just want to be able to live my life without being obsessed about food.
And I have not exercised in more than a week. I keep telling myself that I will go, then life seems to rear it's head. I actually think it has been good for me, since the hip muscle that was giving me some pain has stopped hurting. I think I started out again too hot and heavy. I have to just learn not to push myself so much - knowing that I can't crank out 6 miles when I have been doing no miles.
And I did go out and purchase myself some more pants, sizes 12 and 14's. And they fit. And I feel good about how I look. That's what counts, right?
That's about it. The work year and the Jaycee year are wrapping up, then on to the next!
Ta
~a
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Screeeeeeeach.........***CRASH***
Thud.
Okay. So a bit of derailment here. Really, no work pun intended (yes, I work for the railroad) but that's what I feel like.
I was doing so well... until life got crazy again. I tried planning, but then I threw the plan out the window. I had a development course I went to on Friday, the 1st. Packed my lunch and everything, but decided I would rather go and have Arby's. I honestly don't remember what we did for dinner, but I'm thinking it was not "healthy."
I thought about going to weigh in on Saturday, and talked myself out of it. I knew I was going to have a loss, and probably a significant one too... so why did I need to go? Oh yeah, so I could hold myself more accountable THIS week. Saturday started out very well. I NordicTracked for a solid hour, and it was good. Ate a bowl of Wheaties and soy milk for breakfast. Went to the Jaycees' training, ate a healthy lunch. Then the good sense was thrown out the window all for the sake of beer. There was an awards banquet that night after the training, so I rented a hotel room so I would not have to chase home and change, and get all rushed and annoyed, etc. It turned into a hospitality room, with, no lie, 6 cases of beer. And I drank too much. And munched. And spent a good portion of Sunday trying to soothe my stomach with comfort food and carbs.
Monday, I stopped at the store for healthy snacks to eat at my work meeting, because I knew they would have stuff to much on in the afternoon. I still ate the popcorn, soft pretzels and potato chips and dip. And too much food and decadent desert at the dinner that night. At least I was not interested in alcohol...
The next day was some of the same. I told myself I did not need the salty snacks, but damn, do I love salt. Even more than sugar. Put out chip dip and I am gone. My redemption for Tuesday was that I actually ran on the treadmill in the morning for 40 minutes, and got in 3.5 miles.
But about that treadmill... I was planning on spending an hour exercising in the morning at the hotel exercise room, but when I went down the first time, the janitor who was cleaning the floor shooed me away, telling me it was not open yet. When I went down a bit later, there was someone there who had gone in about 5 minutes after I had tried the first time. The room was accessable, and he didn't disturb anyone, but it was outside of their "posted" hours. For cripe's sake... I should have just gone there after waiting to be able to sneak by the "guard."
Yesterday was okay foodwise, until I decided I needed to eat animal crackers that I NEEDED to dip in a tub of frosting.
Can I blame it on my period???
Work has been a whirlwind this week and last. Catching up on things that need to be completed by the end of the year, and since a lot of people take vacation at the end of the year for the holidays, it pretty much needs to be done by the 15th. After that, I might have some time to breathe.
Hopefully tonight, we will be able to get out the Christmas decorations. I keep seeing all these people with lights on their houses, and I am jealous. I was planning on doing stuff on Sunday, but I was not feeling so hot after the beer fest the night before... so I slept and was a slug for most of the day. I am looking forward to putting up and decorating the tree, and wrapping the Christmas presents that are sitting on the guest bed. After we got home from Thanksgiving, I did a bit of cataloguing, and it was great to find that I had most of my shopping done already. And Eric and I got two more people crossed off the list last night after doing a little bit of shopping. I love finding people the "perfect" gifts.
On that note, time to get some more work wrapped up before I head home to wrap!
~a
Okay. So a bit of derailment here. Really, no work pun intended (yes, I work for the railroad) but that's what I feel like.
I was doing so well... until life got crazy again. I tried planning, but then I threw the plan out the window. I had a development course I went to on Friday, the 1st. Packed my lunch and everything, but decided I would rather go and have Arby's. I honestly don't remember what we did for dinner, but I'm thinking it was not "healthy."
I thought about going to weigh in on Saturday, and talked myself out of it. I knew I was going to have a loss, and probably a significant one too... so why did I need to go? Oh yeah, so I could hold myself more accountable THIS week. Saturday started out very well. I NordicTracked for a solid hour, and it was good. Ate a bowl of Wheaties and soy milk for breakfast. Went to the Jaycees' training, ate a healthy lunch. Then the good sense was thrown out the window all for the sake of beer. There was an awards banquet that night after the training, so I rented a hotel room so I would not have to chase home and change, and get all rushed and annoyed, etc. It turned into a hospitality room, with, no lie, 6 cases of beer. And I drank too much. And munched. And spent a good portion of Sunday trying to soothe my stomach with comfort food and carbs.
Monday, I stopped at the store for healthy snacks to eat at my work meeting, because I knew they would have stuff to much on in the afternoon. I still ate the popcorn, soft pretzels and potato chips and dip. And too much food and decadent desert at the dinner that night. At least I was not interested in alcohol...
The next day was some of the same. I told myself I did not need the salty snacks, but damn, do I love salt. Even more than sugar. Put out chip dip and I am gone. My redemption for Tuesday was that I actually ran on the treadmill in the morning for 40 minutes, and got in 3.5 miles.
But about that treadmill... I was planning on spending an hour exercising in the morning at the hotel exercise room, but when I went down the first time, the janitor who was cleaning the floor shooed me away, telling me it was not open yet. When I went down a bit later, there was someone there who had gone in about 5 minutes after I had tried the first time. The room was accessable, and he didn't disturb anyone, but it was outside of their "posted" hours. For cripe's sake... I should have just gone there after waiting to be able to sneak by the "guard."
Yesterday was okay foodwise, until I decided I needed to eat animal crackers that I NEEDED to dip in a tub of frosting.
Can I blame it on my period???
Work has been a whirlwind this week and last. Catching up on things that need to be completed by the end of the year, and since a lot of people take vacation at the end of the year for the holidays, it pretty much needs to be done by the 15th. After that, I might have some time to breathe.
Hopefully tonight, we will be able to get out the Christmas decorations. I keep seeing all these people with lights on their houses, and I am jealous. I was planning on doing stuff on Sunday, but I was not feeling so hot after the beer fest the night before... so I slept and was a slug for most of the day. I am looking forward to putting up and decorating the tree, and wrapping the Christmas presents that are sitting on the guest bed. After we got home from Thanksgiving, I did a bit of cataloguing, and it was great to find that I had most of my shopping done already. And Eric and I got two more people crossed off the list last night after doing a little bit of shopping. I love finding people the "perfect" gifts.
On that note, time to get some more work wrapped up before I head home to wrap!
~a
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
She gets motivated...
Be warned, I'm going to ramble about things....
Today started out early. The alarm went off at 4:40 am. I had told Eric last night that he needed to kick me out of bed when the alarm went off. I was very tempted to get back into bed and snuggle under the covers, but I did motivate myself to get dressed and out the door.
It was an oddly light, calm morning as I walked out to my vehicle. I almost felt like going for a run, the weather was just feeling just right for it, but I pressed on. I tried starting my heart rate monitor readout, but apparently it needs a new battery.
Yep, I was on the way to the Y to go to an early morning spinning class. The schedule I looked up on the computer said that it was at 5:10 am. But when I got there, it was actually starting at 5:30 am. So I ran 5 minutes on the treadmill to warm up, stretched, and got on the bike for the class.
I quite enjoyed the class, actually - it was an "endurance" day, so basically it was 60 minutes of medium-intensity, cardio work. And I sweated buckets. It was great. I find that morning workouts, when I get my ass in gear, are the best.
So this week, I have gone swimming and biking. I just need to get in a run, and we have a triatholon!
Coming home, I noticed a kid standing on the corner of our lawn, waiting for the bus. I was tempted to ask him if I could give him a jacket, since he was standing there in a t-shirt and long pants, and it was about 26 degrees outside. But I guess wearing a jacket would just not be "cool". Makes me wonder why his parents let him out of the house without a jacket. I know my mother never would have let me do that... plus the fact that I never would have done that - I like being warm!
You know a weird thing happend to me on Monday night, driving home. I had gotten off of the freeway, and was driving on a city street, when all of a sudden, something scampered out of the hood, looked at me through the windshield while hanging on to the wiper, then it scampered back under the hood. A mouse. I suppose it found the engine to be a warm place while it was parked in downtown, and I bet I just freaked it out by driving it to the suburbs. Oh, and now I am having flashbacks to one of my favorite childhood stories - about a city mouse that goes to the country to visit a cousin, or vice versa... anyone remember that one? Well, I got home, and Eric and I looked under the hood to see if we could find and remove it, so it would not eat any of the wiring. We didn't find it. I'm sure it was glad that it had escaped with it's life.
Tonight, we are probably going up to visit Eric's mother and his older sister (who is in town from California, she came for Thanksgiving) so I'm not sure what the food plans are... this is one of the reasons I went to the early morning class, since I don't know that I will get a chance to exercise tonight. I didn't exercise last night, because Eric was kind of whining about having to go to a meeting, and what was going to be for dinner... so I went home and we had brown rice (yum), baked tillapia, and veggies (leftover beans and artechoke hearts for me, corn for Eric). It was healthy, tasty and filling. The trifecta.
I just don't know what to expect with visiting Eric's sister. She called last night and was very civil to me on the phone. I just know last year she was telling everyone that I hated her. Oh well, what is life if you have no drama?
~a
Today started out early. The alarm went off at 4:40 am. I had told Eric last night that he needed to kick me out of bed when the alarm went off. I was very tempted to get back into bed and snuggle under the covers, but I did motivate myself to get dressed and out the door.
It was an oddly light, calm morning as I walked out to my vehicle. I almost felt like going for a run, the weather was just feeling just right for it, but I pressed on. I tried starting my heart rate monitor readout, but apparently it needs a new battery.
Yep, I was on the way to the Y to go to an early morning spinning class. The schedule I looked up on the computer said that it was at 5:10 am. But when I got there, it was actually starting at 5:30 am. So I ran 5 minutes on the treadmill to warm up, stretched, and got on the bike for the class.
I quite enjoyed the class, actually - it was an "endurance" day, so basically it was 60 minutes of medium-intensity, cardio work. And I sweated buckets. It was great. I find that morning workouts, when I get my ass in gear, are the best.
So this week, I have gone swimming and biking. I just need to get in a run, and we have a triatholon!
Coming home, I noticed a kid standing on the corner of our lawn, waiting for the bus. I was tempted to ask him if I could give him a jacket, since he was standing there in a t-shirt and long pants, and it was about 26 degrees outside. But I guess wearing a jacket would just not be "cool". Makes me wonder why his parents let him out of the house without a jacket. I know my mother never would have let me do that... plus the fact that I never would have done that - I like being warm!
You know a weird thing happend to me on Monday night, driving home. I had gotten off of the freeway, and was driving on a city street, when all of a sudden, something scampered out of the hood, looked at me through the windshield while hanging on to the wiper, then it scampered back under the hood. A mouse. I suppose it found the engine to be a warm place while it was parked in downtown, and I bet I just freaked it out by driving it to the suburbs. Oh, and now I am having flashbacks to one of my favorite childhood stories - about a city mouse that goes to the country to visit a cousin, or vice versa... anyone remember that one? Well, I got home, and Eric and I looked under the hood to see if we could find and remove it, so it would not eat any of the wiring. We didn't find it. I'm sure it was glad that it had escaped with it's life.
Tonight, we are probably going up to visit Eric's mother and his older sister (who is in town from California, she came for Thanksgiving) so I'm not sure what the food plans are... this is one of the reasons I went to the early morning class, since I don't know that I will get a chance to exercise tonight. I didn't exercise last night, because Eric was kind of whining about having to go to a meeting, and what was going to be for dinner... so I went home and we had brown rice (yum), baked tillapia, and veggies (leftover beans and artechoke hearts for me, corn for Eric). It was healthy, tasty and filling. The trifecta.
I just don't know what to expect with visiting Eric's sister. She called last night and was very civil to me on the phone. I just know last year she was telling everyone that I hated her. Oh well, what is life if you have no drama?
~a
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Thunderstorms in November?
In Minnesota? It makes me wish that I had a view of a window when I am at the office. It was really raining down this morning and into the afternoon. If it was that much moisture, but in the form of snow, nothing would be moving right now.
Well, I'm back from Thanksgiving in Oklahoma. I weighed in on Saturday before we left, and I was up 2 pounds. I was not real happy about that, but I figured since we went out for Chinese food the night before, and I had done a bit of exercise that week, that was what did it. Why do we feel so tied to the scale? And why do we let it affect our mood so much? Are we a better, nicer person if we are two pounds lighter? Yeah, not so much.
We had a nice time taking time off. I actually got quite a few miles in, but I think I might have over done it, since my left hip muscle is quite sore. I kept telling Eric that I felt old, because it hurt to walk, and to go up stairs. Not sure what is going on, but I hope I can work through it.
I also took the week off of journaling. I don't think I went nutso with bad food or anything, and made some pretty healthy (and some not so healthy) choices. I never stuffed myself to the point of being uncomfortable. And I exercised. I managed to run close to 5 miles on Monday, we went hiking at a state park for about an hour and 15 minutes on Tuesday, wandered around the Tulsa aquarium on Wednesday, and I ran a little over 6 miles on Thursday. If I calculated it correctly, I earned 11 AP's on Thursday. Friday, we got up early and did a bit of shopping. But nothing extravagant - we were at Target at about 7:30am. Still lots of people, still lots of stuff on the shelves, but not horrible, and no waiting in line to get in the door. I know Best Buy had a number of great deals, but really, nothing is worth standing in line overnight!
We drove home on Saturday (8am - 7pm in the car, basically). It was a long day.
Sunday, I ventured onto the scale to see what kind of damage had been done - and it said that I had lost about 3 pounds. Not sure how it happened, but I will take it!
I am taking today off of exercising - I am sore from swimming last night, I did laps in the pool for about 45 minutes, and my arms are telling me I did something unusual, and the darn hip muscle is sore again. I'm thinking I will run some errands, then soak in the tub for a bit.
Yep, I'm boring!
~a
Well, I'm back from Thanksgiving in Oklahoma. I weighed in on Saturday before we left, and I was up 2 pounds. I was not real happy about that, but I figured since we went out for Chinese food the night before, and I had done a bit of exercise that week, that was what did it. Why do we feel so tied to the scale? And why do we let it affect our mood so much? Are we a better, nicer person if we are two pounds lighter? Yeah, not so much.
We had a nice time taking time off. I actually got quite a few miles in, but I think I might have over done it, since my left hip muscle is quite sore. I kept telling Eric that I felt old, because it hurt to walk, and to go up stairs. Not sure what is going on, but I hope I can work through it.
I also took the week off of journaling. I don't think I went nutso with bad food or anything, and made some pretty healthy (and some not so healthy) choices. I never stuffed myself to the point of being uncomfortable. And I exercised. I managed to run close to 5 miles on Monday, we went hiking at a state park for about an hour and 15 minutes on Tuesday, wandered around the Tulsa aquarium on Wednesday, and I ran a little over 6 miles on Thursday. If I calculated it correctly, I earned 11 AP's on Thursday. Friday, we got up early and did a bit of shopping. But nothing extravagant - we were at Target at about 7:30am. Still lots of people, still lots of stuff on the shelves, but not horrible, and no waiting in line to get in the door. I know Best Buy had a number of great deals, but really, nothing is worth standing in line overnight!
We drove home on Saturday (8am - 7pm in the car, basically). It was a long day.
Sunday, I ventured onto the scale to see what kind of damage had been done - and it said that I had lost about 3 pounds. Not sure how it happened, but I will take it!
I am taking today off of exercising - I am sore from swimming last night, I did laps in the pool for about 45 minutes, and my arms are telling me I did something unusual, and the darn hip muscle is sore again. I'm thinking I will run some errands, then soak in the tub for a bit.
Yep, I'm boring!
~a
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Pleasantly sore
Yep, that's me.
It took a while to get there - to meet my friend to go running. There was a massive traffic jam on the freeway trying to get there, and I spent about 25 minutes in stop and go traffic, in a manual transmission vehicle. Yep, by the time I arrived (30 minutes later than what we had planned) my left leg was a bit sore. My friend actually did not get out of work on time, so as luck would have it, we got there at about the same time.
I'm glad we went, but it sure was dark at that time. Makes me remember why this is the time of year that I start heading back into the gym. That, and I am paying for the membership, I might as well get some use out of it...
It's nice having someone to run with. Keeps you feeling safer when it is dark. Helps to pass the time in gasping conversation.
We talked about a couple of things - Like the fact that I started running again four years ago the week of Thanksgiving. I think I had lost about 40 pounds at that point, and one of the reasons I wanted to lose weight is because I wanted to be able to exercise without feeling like I was going to keel over. I ran a lifetime ago when I was on the track team in Junior High. My event was the half mile. I consistantly came in last, but at least I was out there trying. I did that in 8th and 9th grades. When I got into 10th grade, I started doing synchronized swimming, and it conflicted with track, so the running went by the wayside. And thinking back on High School, it's hard to believe that I graduated weighing somewhere around 120 - 125. And I thought I was heavy through most of High School. Body image, isn't it grand?
I talked to my aunt tonight too, and said something about going running. She asked me "do you really like running?" To which my answer was "yes." She said that she is just one of those people that doesn't enjoy exercising. I told her that I needed to get myself motivated some days, but once I start, it's a great feeling. I guess I just need to concentrate on "that feeling" to get myself in gear once again.
And I will be doing it next week. I have the week off of work, and Eric and I are heading down to Oklahoma to stay with my sister for the week. I was kind of hoping to find some sort of Thanksgiving Day run to participate in, but it appears the only one on Active is in Oklahoma City, and we will be rather far away to do a silly race - she lives near Tulsa. I did, however, briefly contemplate registering for a race on the 19th in Tulsa. They are doing an inaugral marathon (route 66 marathon) in Tulsa, and there is a Half marathon along with it too. Like I said, I considered, but in reality, we won't be getting there in time without really killing ourselves, and yeah, if I am having issues running 3 miles at a decent pace (we did the 3 mile loop today in about 32 minutes, with two walk breaks for me) there is no way I could finish a half marathon.
In another unrelated topic - I came home to an "intersting" message on my answering machine: My mom calling, and saying that she and dad had gotten back, and went to the emergency room, and dad hadn't had a stroke, but he had something called Bell's palsy that was causing the muscles in his face to freeze up. Um, whaaaa? You were thinking that dad might have had a stroke???? Yeah, he started having the face paralysis when they were in Mexico on their cruise, and mom just forgot to tell me when I talked to her on Sunday. It was still a little unnerving to come home to that message. And again, they both hate the ER, still. And dad will be going to his own doctor, where the ER doc recommended that he have a Lymes test. Makes sense to me - hopefully it will be something like that.
Yep two posts in one day. What is the world coming to?
~a
It took a while to get there - to meet my friend to go running. There was a massive traffic jam on the freeway trying to get there, and I spent about 25 minutes in stop and go traffic, in a manual transmission vehicle. Yep, by the time I arrived (30 minutes later than what we had planned) my left leg was a bit sore. My friend actually did not get out of work on time, so as luck would have it, we got there at about the same time.
I'm glad we went, but it sure was dark at that time. Makes me remember why this is the time of year that I start heading back into the gym. That, and I am paying for the membership, I might as well get some use out of it...
It's nice having someone to run with. Keeps you feeling safer when it is dark. Helps to pass the time in gasping conversation.
We talked about a couple of things - Like the fact that I started running again four years ago the week of Thanksgiving. I think I had lost about 40 pounds at that point, and one of the reasons I wanted to lose weight is because I wanted to be able to exercise without feeling like I was going to keel over. I ran a lifetime ago when I was on the track team in Junior High. My event was the half mile. I consistantly came in last, but at least I was out there trying. I did that in 8th and 9th grades. When I got into 10th grade, I started doing synchronized swimming, and it conflicted with track, so the running went by the wayside. And thinking back on High School, it's hard to believe that I graduated weighing somewhere around 120 - 125. And I thought I was heavy through most of High School. Body image, isn't it grand?
I talked to my aunt tonight too, and said something about going running. She asked me "do you really like running?" To which my answer was "yes." She said that she is just one of those people that doesn't enjoy exercising. I told her that I needed to get myself motivated some days, but once I start, it's a great feeling. I guess I just need to concentrate on "that feeling" to get myself in gear once again.
And I will be doing it next week. I have the week off of work, and Eric and I are heading down to Oklahoma to stay with my sister for the week. I was kind of hoping to find some sort of Thanksgiving Day run to participate in, but it appears the only one on Active is in Oklahoma City, and we will be rather far away to do a silly race - she lives near Tulsa. I did, however, briefly contemplate registering for a race on the 19th in Tulsa. They are doing an inaugral marathon (route 66 marathon) in Tulsa, and there is a Half marathon along with it too. Like I said, I considered, but in reality, we won't be getting there in time without really killing ourselves, and yeah, if I am having issues running 3 miles at a decent pace (we did the 3 mile loop today in about 32 minutes, with two walk breaks for me) there is no way I could finish a half marathon.
In another unrelated topic - I came home to an "intersting" message on my answering machine: My mom calling, and saying that she and dad had gotten back, and went to the emergency room, and dad hadn't had a stroke, but he had something called Bell's palsy that was causing the muscles in his face to freeze up. Um, whaaaa? You were thinking that dad might have had a stroke???? Yeah, he started having the face paralysis when they were in Mexico on their cruise, and mom just forgot to tell me when I talked to her on Sunday. It was still a little unnerving to come home to that message. And again, they both hate the ER, still. And dad will be going to his own doctor, where the ER doc recommended that he have a Lymes test. Makes sense to me - hopefully it will be something like that.
Yep two posts in one day. What is the world coming to?
~a
Running again.
I went running on the treadmill yesterday. After a week of packing my gym bag, and telling myself I would , I finally did. I set it for 5mph, and 45 minutes. And I did it all. I love it when my body, after about 10 minutes, finally says "hey, this is not so bad" and after about 30 minutes when the endorphins kick in, and it feels soooooo good! All told, with the warm-down time, I got in 4 miles. It's a start.
It's also not too shabby, considering that I gave blood on Saturday, and that normally makes me pretty lethargic. I guess the extra iron I have been taking is doing me some good.
Speaking of Saturday, it was sure an experience! I got up in the morning, dressed and got ready to go... went and weighed in (down .4 for a total of 5 lost now), skipped the meeting, and went to meet my friend and her running group. Ran the 3-mile route, then went with them to Panerra, where I stuck to coffee, and the Kashi bar I had brought with me. Then I went to donate. After that, I went home, made a decadent desert (White Russian Tiramisu) from Cooking Light, then took a long bath. Eric and I went to a friend's house for dinner with a bunch of other folks - and I definately ate and drank too much. And the Tiramisu was absolutely divine.
Good news is, I exercised, and had some extra points from giving blood. And I tried to journal it all. It sure is shocking to see that I ate around 65 points in one day. Yikes.
The other good news, is that since I have not been making a habit of eating a lot, it has not shown up on the scale... two days of water, water, water, staying in my points, and the run yesterday, the scale this morning actually said I was down a little more.
Speaking of "yikes" and points, check this out. It is shocking to see that a Long Island Ice Tea (12 oz) is 16 points. That is 789 calories, folks.
I am also excited to say, that I am meeting my friend again to go running tonight, so I am outta here to go get ready.
~a
It's also not too shabby, considering that I gave blood on Saturday, and that normally makes me pretty lethargic. I guess the extra iron I have been taking is doing me some good.
Speaking of Saturday, it was sure an experience! I got up in the morning, dressed and got ready to go... went and weighed in (down .4 for a total of 5 lost now), skipped the meeting, and went to meet my friend and her running group. Ran the 3-mile route, then went with them to Panerra, where I stuck to coffee, and the Kashi bar I had brought with me. Then I went to donate. After that, I went home, made a decadent desert (White Russian Tiramisu) from Cooking Light, then took a long bath. Eric and I went to a friend's house for dinner with a bunch of other folks - and I definately ate and drank too much. And the Tiramisu was absolutely divine.
Good news is, I exercised, and had some extra points from giving blood. And I tried to journal it all. It sure is shocking to see that I ate around 65 points in one day. Yikes.
The other good news, is that since I have not been making a habit of eating a lot, it has not shown up on the scale... two days of water, water, water, staying in my points, and the run yesterday, the scale this morning actually said I was down a little more.
Speaking of "yikes" and points, check this out. It is shocking to see that a Long Island Ice Tea (12 oz) is 16 points. That is 789 calories, folks.
I am also excited to say, that I am meeting my friend again to go running tonight, so I am outta here to go get ready.
~a
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Update!
Yep, changed my layout. Now I have to play with it again to put back some stuff, but I am not stressed out about it.
The week had a lot of stuff...
Saturday, the 4th, was my parent's 39th wedding anniversary. They were in Florida, because they left on a cruise on Sunday. I did call them and wish them a happy anniversary...
Saturday, I also had a goal of getting stuff done around the house, but not much of that happened. I did get the boxes of stuff for work out of our attic, and the boxes that were in bad shape were repacked, then they were all loaded into my truck to bring them to work to have them shipped out. Some trinkets for a conference - they were left over from last year, and I offered to store them at my house, instead of my boss having to have them shipped to Calgary, then back to the US... and eliminating the need to go through customs twice. Eric, who said he would help me with some house work, then went out to the garage to putz with the boat, fishing gear, etc. I followed him out (nice day) and started going through some of the boxes in the garage, and he started hovering over my shoulder to make sure I did not throw out anything "important". Um, lets see, broken boxes, with broken glass in them, since they have been flung about for many moves, etc. You lose the luxury of keeping everything! I did also find, in a shoebox of crap, his old wedding band. He says - "I wanted to sell that at some time..." Um, you've been divorced for how long?
Anyway, after all of that, we went out that evening on a bar hop. I was one of the organizers of the event, so I drank diet soda and soda water for the evening. It was a lot of fun, but it really wiped me out with the cold I had been fighting.
Sunday, I slept in, and lazed around the house for a while, and Eric went fishing. I did rouse myself, and did a deep cleaning of the kitchen and both of the bathrooms. And some laundry. It makes me happy to have clean sinks, I tell you!
I also got a call from my brother-in-law on Sunday afternoon, asking me if I knew that my sister was in the hospital... now he has been known for trying to joke about stuff like that, but when he asked about getting a hold of my parents, if I knew where they were, I knew he was not joking. Evidently she had a racing heartbeat, and after a visit to the emergency room (in Boston, where she was for a work meeting) they couldn't figure out what it was, they admitted her to the hospital where she stayed for two nights while they ran tests - and found nothing conclusive. My BIL ended up flying there (from Oklahoma) on Tuesday, to fly back with her. They thought she might have a blood clot, so sis was glad for the company, but it was sure a long trip for her husband - he flew there and back all in one day. My sister has scheduled some appointments with her doctor to see if there is anything. It is also putting her over the fence about the decision to get a continuous glucose meter, to go along with her insulin pump. Hopefully this will get her to have fewer health issues and insulin reactions (in case you are wondering, yes, she is diabetic).
Monday was work, and a Jaycee board meeting.
Tuesday was work, again, and in the evening, for fun, after doing my civic duty and voting, I balanced the checkbook, and went to the grocery store. Good times.
Yesterday, I got out of my work meeting at about 2:30, so Eric got off of work early, and we went fishing. It was a absolutely calm, gorgeous night. I am guessing that it will be the last time I will be in the boat this year. Not many times you have 70+ degree days in November, so we took advantage of it. I casted for a bit, then just sat back in the boat, and enjoyed myself.
And I am still enjoying the WW e-tools. It's still my shiny new toy.
The next piece is exercise. Yep. I'm gonna get there, really! I have a running date set up with a friend of mine, to run with a club she has tried and enjoyed, on Saturday - so if nothing else, I will do that!
So that's life in the big city.
~a
The week had a lot of stuff...
Saturday, the 4th, was my parent's 39th wedding anniversary. They were in Florida, because they left on a cruise on Sunday. I did call them and wish them a happy anniversary...
Saturday, I also had a goal of getting stuff done around the house, but not much of that happened. I did get the boxes of stuff for work out of our attic, and the boxes that were in bad shape were repacked, then they were all loaded into my truck to bring them to work to have them shipped out. Some trinkets for a conference - they were left over from last year, and I offered to store them at my house, instead of my boss having to have them shipped to Calgary, then back to the US... and eliminating the need to go through customs twice. Eric, who said he would help me with some house work, then went out to the garage to putz with the boat, fishing gear, etc. I followed him out (nice day) and started going through some of the boxes in the garage, and he started hovering over my shoulder to make sure I did not throw out anything "important". Um, lets see, broken boxes, with broken glass in them, since they have been flung about for many moves, etc. You lose the luxury of keeping everything! I did also find, in a shoebox of crap, his old wedding band. He says - "I wanted to sell that at some time..." Um, you've been divorced for how long?
Anyway, after all of that, we went out that evening on a bar hop. I was one of the organizers of the event, so I drank diet soda and soda water for the evening. It was a lot of fun, but it really wiped me out with the cold I had been fighting.
Sunday, I slept in, and lazed around the house for a while, and Eric went fishing. I did rouse myself, and did a deep cleaning of the kitchen and both of the bathrooms. And some laundry. It makes me happy to have clean sinks, I tell you!
I also got a call from my brother-in-law on Sunday afternoon, asking me if I knew that my sister was in the hospital... now he has been known for trying to joke about stuff like that, but when he asked about getting a hold of my parents, if I knew where they were, I knew he was not joking. Evidently she had a racing heartbeat, and after a visit to the emergency room (in Boston, where she was for a work meeting) they couldn't figure out what it was, they admitted her to the hospital where she stayed for two nights while they ran tests - and found nothing conclusive. My BIL ended up flying there (from Oklahoma) on Tuesday, to fly back with her. They thought she might have a blood clot, so sis was glad for the company, but it was sure a long trip for her husband - he flew there and back all in one day. My sister has scheduled some appointments with her doctor to see if there is anything. It is also putting her over the fence about the decision to get a continuous glucose meter, to go along with her insulin pump. Hopefully this will get her to have fewer health issues and insulin reactions (in case you are wondering, yes, she is diabetic).
Monday was work, and a Jaycee board meeting.
Tuesday was work, again, and in the evening, for fun, after doing my civic duty and voting, I balanced the checkbook, and went to the grocery store. Good times.
Yesterday, I got out of my work meeting at about 2:30, so Eric got off of work early, and we went fishing. It was a absolutely calm, gorgeous night. I am guessing that it will be the last time I will be in the boat this year. Not many times you have 70+ degree days in November, so we took advantage of it. I casted for a bit, then just sat back in the boat, and enjoyed myself.
And I am still enjoying the WW e-tools. It's still my shiny new toy.
The next piece is exercise. Yep. I'm gonna get there, really! I have a running date set up with a friend of mine, to run with a club she has tried and enjoyed, on Saturday - so if nothing else, I will do that!
So that's life in the big city.
~a
Saturday, November 04, 2006
4.6
That's how much I lost this week, when I weighed in this morning.
Even after I managed to eat about a half a pound of cheese on Thursday. I knew I should not have started eating the cheese curds after I bought them - but my had just kept reaching in for another, and another, and another as I was driving home.
I had packed low and no point snacks, and ate some of those too, but the fresh squeaky cheese was just so completely tempting. At least I owned up to it, and measured, and jornaled the whole thing. Next time, they go in the back of the truck, and not in the seat next to me.
So... I took my test yesterday. The nice thing about taking the exam on a computer is that the test gets scored right away, and you know if you pass or not. I passed! Woo hoo! Eric took me out to dinner last night to celebrate, and I did really well. There were chips and salsa, but I told him to keep them on his side of the table, and he did. He had a margarita, which I had two sips, but otherwise I drank my club soda with lime. I really think that is my new favorite drink!
But, it's another night of stuff to do. Tonight we are going on a bar hop. It's a "Mystery Bus Tour", and only the planners of the event know where we are going (I happen to be one of the planners, and I am responsible for giving the bus driver directions to each place).
Off to the shower to get ready!
~a
Even after I managed to eat about a half a pound of cheese on Thursday. I knew I should not have started eating the cheese curds after I bought them - but my had just kept reaching in for another, and another, and another as I was driving home.
I had packed low and no point snacks, and ate some of those too, but the fresh squeaky cheese was just so completely tempting. At least I owned up to it, and measured, and jornaled the whole thing. Next time, they go in the back of the truck, and not in the seat next to me.
So... I took my test yesterday. The nice thing about taking the exam on a computer is that the test gets scored right away, and you know if you pass or not. I passed! Woo hoo! Eric took me out to dinner last night to celebrate, and I did really well. There were chips and salsa, but I told him to keep them on his side of the table, and he did. He had a margarita, which I had two sips, but otherwise I drank my club soda with lime. I really think that is my new favorite drink!
But, it's another night of stuff to do. Tonight we are going on a bar hop. It's a "Mystery Bus Tour", and only the planners of the event know where we are going (I happen to be one of the planners, and I am responsible for giving the bus driver directions to each place).
Off to the shower to get ready!
~a
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
stick a fork in me
I'm done...
I am pretty irritated at the moment.
Why do people ask me questions, and then not follow instructions, then tell me it's my job to straighten out the mess that ensues? Why the fuck don't they just do what they want to do in the first place, and leave me out of it? I want to know where in my job description does it say that I need to straighten out hotel reservations? Last time I checked, that was NOT MY JOB! I had lots of snarky e-mails that I started writing back to this manager after he told me that I needed to straighen out the billing, after he approved an employee's expenses without checking to make sure it was an appropriate expense. Finally, I just wrote: "I am done with this." and I will leave it at that. If the employee gets reimbursed for an expense he did not incur, it is a problem for that employee and his manager. Breathe. Accept that people can be incompetent boobs.
On another note... it is day 15 of journalling everything. Both on paper, and on line. Turns out WW does not support my particular model of Palm Pilot at the moment. I bought the thing 9 months ago, I wish they would keep up! I also stepped on the scale this morning, and as of right now, it looks like I am down a couple of pounds.
Yesterday was an interesting day. I had said something about my friend with the pottery shop in my previous post. Well, she is a small business owner. She has one part-time employee. MN OSHA is currently doing a project to eliminate silica exposures, and since she has a business that falls under one of their "target" categories, she got inspected, and was issued some citations with fines. I helped her draft the documents to contest the citations, then they scheduled an informal conference with her to negotiate a settlement. That was yesterday. The letter they sent her asked to let them know if she was bringing legal representation, and she left a message for them that she would be "represented." So they were there with their legal council... thinking I was her lawyer, when in fact, I was just a friend with knowledge of the safety regulations. Long and short of it, they offered a reduction in fines (40%) and an extension of some deadlines, if she agreed to go to a free one-day safety course for small business owners. I made some good arguments that they should lower the fines more, so they offered a 50% reduction, which was what we had pretty much asked for in the contestation letter. And since she is a retail business, and the holidays are coming up, she does not have to attend the course until after the first of the year. Never take their first offer!
Funny thing is, their lawyer told me at the end of the conference that I argued better, and made points better than a lot of the lawyers that come in to represent people. Made me feel good. I guess the debate competitions and negotiation training that I have had the opportunity to do through the Jaycees is paying off. I think my friend was happy with the outcome. It was probably better than what she would be able to do on her own. The OSHA guy also told her that she was quite lucky to have a friend like me to help her out. The sampling I did last Friday alone would have cost her more than what the OSHA fines were. It just makes me angry, because stuff like this is why small business owners have such a hard time making it. If you are a one-person show, how on earth can you know everything you need to to comply with all of the governmental regulations?
Anyway, I guess I have some stuff to wrap up before I need to get on the road. I get to travel to the exotic locale of Portage, WI tonight. A glamourous life, I do not lead!
~a
I am pretty irritated at the moment.
Why do people ask me questions, and then not follow instructions, then tell me it's my job to straighten out the mess that ensues? Why the fuck don't they just do what they want to do in the first place, and leave me out of it? I want to know where in my job description does it say that I need to straighten out hotel reservations? Last time I checked, that was NOT MY JOB! I had lots of snarky e-mails that I started writing back to this manager after he told me that I needed to straighen out the billing, after he approved an employee's expenses without checking to make sure it was an appropriate expense. Finally, I just wrote: "I am done with this." and I will leave it at that. If the employee gets reimbursed for an expense he did not incur, it is a problem for that employee and his manager. Breathe. Accept that people can be incompetent boobs.
On another note... it is day 15 of journalling everything. Both on paper, and on line. Turns out WW does not support my particular model of Palm Pilot at the moment. I bought the thing 9 months ago, I wish they would keep up! I also stepped on the scale this morning, and as of right now, it looks like I am down a couple of pounds.
Yesterday was an interesting day. I had said something about my friend with the pottery shop in my previous post. Well, she is a small business owner. She has one part-time employee. MN OSHA is currently doing a project to eliminate silica exposures, and since she has a business that falls under one of their "target" categories, she got inspected, and was issued some citations with fines. I helped her draft the documents to contest the citations, then they scheduled an informal conference with her to negotiate a settlement. That was yesterday. The letter they sent her asked to let them know if she was bringing legal representation, and she left a message for them that she would be "represented." So they were there with their legal council... thinking I was her lawyer, when in fact, I was just a friend with knowledge of the safety regulations. Long and short of it, they offered a reduction in fines (40%) and an extension of some deadlines, if she agreed to go to a free one-day safety course for small business owners. I made some good arguments that they should lower the fines more, so they offered a 50% reduction, which was what we had pretty much asked for in the contestation letter. And since she is a retail business, and the holidays are coming up, she does not have to attend the course until after the first of the year. Never take their first offer!
Funny thing is, their lawyer told me at the end of the conference that I argued better, and made points better than a lot of the lawyers that come in to represent people. Made me feel good. I guess the debate competitions and negotiation training that I have had the opportunity to do through the Jaycees is paying off. I think my friend was happy with the outcome. It was probably better than what she would be able to do on her own. The OSHA guy also told her that she was quite lucky to have a friend like me to help her out. The sampling I did last Friday alone would have cost her more than what the OSHA fines were. It just makes me angry, because stuff like this is why small business owners have such a hard time making it. If you are a one-person show, how on earth can you know everything you need to to comply with all of the governmental regulations?
Anyway, I guess I have some stuff to wrap up before I need to get on the road. I get to travel to the exotic locale of Portage, WI tonight. A glamourous life, I do not lead!
~a
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Lather, rinse, repeat
I feel like I am doing the same thing, over and over again....
I went to a WW meeting this morning. I need the accountability. I even signed up for the montly pass, so now I will feel more guilty if I do not go - instead of just saying to myself that I am a lifetime member, so all I have to do is pay the weekly fee when I feel like going. The fun thing is that it comes with e-tools, so I get to plug in everything into the computer, and if I cannot do that, I can put things into my palm and do it that way. See, it's a shiny new toy! But, it did motivate me to go out for a long walk, so I could enter it into the exercise section. I walked something over to a friend's house that I keep forgetting to get over to her, and enjoyed the sunny weather - because the nice weather will be gone sooner than I like!
Lots of things going on in my world - I finally got off my ass and made an appontment to take my certification exam. My elegibility expires on Nov 3rd, and guess when I am taking my test? So this week will be dedicated to cramming. Along with other assorted work stuff.
My mom and dad were here yesterday. I went and picked up my mom at the hairdresser's while my dad was getting his hair bleached. And yes, that is what he was doing... perhaps a little background? Well, my dad is Santa. And I truly mean that. He does seasonal work as Santa Claus in the mall in St. Cloud, MN. He has the full natural beard and the long hair. The thing is, he still has some of the dark color in his hair, he is not completely white yet, so he needs a little help from the hairdresser... and it takes a long time, like at least 4 hours, so my mom did not want to sit there the whole time. So, I picked her up at about 1:30, and then I took her to my freind's pottery shop, where I needed to do some air monitoring for my friend. (Another story - perhaps later I will explain.) After that, we came home and my mom went "shopping" in my closet. She and my father are going on a cruise, and she wanted to borrow some things. So, she borrowed three shawls, one dress, a pair of pants, and three pairs of shoes.
I tried on some of my fancy dresses at the same time, just for the hell of it. Yeah. Not so good news, but you know, if you gain 30 lbs, things just don't fit the same...
Anyway, I am plugging along.... still alive.... trying to keep my head above water with all the stuff happening at work... seems like everyone wants to pull me in different direction, and have me do things that really are not my job, but since I seem to do such a good job at these things, etc., etc.
Off to prep some food for next week. Hopefuly I will have time to update next week!
~a
I went to a WW meeting this morning. I need the accountability. I even signed up for the montly pass, so now I will feel more guilty if I do not go - instead of just saying to myself that I am a lifetime member, so all I have to do is pay the weekly fee when I feel like going. The fun thing is that it comes with e-tools, so I get to plug in everything into the computer, and if I cannot do that, I can put things into my palm and do it that way. See, it's a shiny new toy! But, it did motivate me to go out for a long walk, so I could enter it into the exercise section. I walked something over to a friend's house that I keep forgetting to get over to her, and enjoyed the sunny weather - because the nice weather will be gone sooner than I like!
Lots of things going on in my world - I finally got off my ass and made an appontment to take my certification exam. My elegibility expires on Nov 3rd, and guess when I am taking my test? So this week will be dedicated to cramming. Along with other assorted work stuff.
My mom and dad were here yesterday. I went and picked up my mom at the hairdresser's while my dad was getting his hair bleached. And yes, that is what he was doing... perhaps a little background? Well, my dad is Santa. And I truly mean that. He does seasonal work as Santa Claus in the mall in St. Cloud, MN. He has the full natural beard and the long hair. The thing is, he still has some of the dark color in his hair, he is not completely white yet, so he needs a little help from the hairdresser... and it takes a long time, like at least 4 hours, so my mom did not want to sit there the whole time. So, I picked her up at about 1:30, and then I took her to my freind's pottery shop, where I needed to do some air monitoring for my friend. (Another story - perhaps later I will explain.) After that, we came home and my mom went "shopping" in my closet. She and my father are going on a cruise, and she wanted to borrow some things. So, she borrowed three shawls, one dress, a pair of pants, and three pairs of shoes.
I tried on some of my fancy dresses at the same time, just for the hell of it. Yeah. Not so good news, but you know, if you gain 30 lbs, things just don't fit the same...
Anyway, I am plugging along.... still alive.... trying to keep my head above water with all the stuff happening at work... seems like everyone wants to pull me in different direction, and have me do things that really are not my job, but since I seem to do such a good job at these things, etc., etc.
Off to prep some food for next week. Hopefuly I will have time to update next week!
~a
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Yargh.
This time of year is crazy.
Too many meetings, too many things to do outside of work, Halloween around the corner, parties to attend...
I stepped on the scale on Tuesday morning. And it said something that I SWORE that it would never say again. I don't know why I seem to keep sabotaging myself. I know I can make excuses, but who is is hurting? Um, that would be me. I know I need to lose some of this weight. I told that to my husband the other day while staring into the LARGE mirror in our bathroom just after getting out of the shower. I don't like how I look. I used to look much better. He asked me what needed to happen - I told him he had to stop feeding me things like chocolate silk pie from Baker's square.
It's been a better week from a food/exercise standpoint. I went to the Y on Wednesday after my meetings were over for the day, and did 60 minutes on the bike, and 25 minutes on the treadmill. And, I have been writing down my food, and making healthy choices. Of course Wednesday was book club, and I overindulged on food, but I did not have any wine. Thursday, at our Jaycee general membeship meeting, as they had the police there doing an alcohol awareness program (4 volunteers drinking lots of beer, sobriety tests, good times!) I stuck to soda water.
Yesterday, I just wanted to go shoe shopping, and to get myself something pretty... and I could have gone with my friend after shopping to get quesedillas and beer, but like a good girl, I decided I should go home. I did make a stop at Target on the way home, but successfully avoided the pitfall of Halloween candy. I thought about getting some cheese dip to eat with tortilla chips - it was 8:30pm and I still had 11 points left - but I told myself to quit making excuses, and went home and ate a banana with some natural peanut butter. Yummy.
Today, a friend and I are planning on going for a run, then out to lunch. A mix of good, and scary for me at this moment.
On another note - I found out something at work this week that makes me completely angry. One of our vendors has been selling a product to our employees (boots) that he was telling them that they complied with our policy. I took a look at them (on someone's feet) and told them that they did not comply, not even close. I guess there are a lot of people with these boots now. We have a list of items that are approved, and that is what they are supposed to sell. If they have something new that they want to add to the list, they need to check with me to make sure it is okay. I have not been able to get any response from this vendor for billing issues I have been having for the last year and a half, and this is just the last straw. They will be pulling a list of the employees who have purchased these boots, and they will be replacing them with something that does comply with our policy, or they will be refunding the company the money that was paid for them. Stupid Bastards. I also talked to our purchasing folks, and I will be removing them as a vendor. When that will happen, I don't know, but it's not going to be soon enough.
On that note, I need to get packed and going, for a day out and about!
~a
Too many meetings, too many things to do outside of work, Halloween around the corner, parties to attend...
I stepped on the scale on Tuesday morning. And it said something that I SWORE that it would never say again. I don't know why I seem to keep sabotaging myself. I know I can make excuses, but who is is hurting? Um, that would be me. I know I need to lose some of this weight. I told that to my husband the other day while staring into the LARGE mirror in our bathroom just after getting out of the shower. I don't like how I look. I used to look much better. He asked me what needed to happen - I told him he had to stop feeding me things like chocolate silk pie from Baker's square.
It's been a better week from a food/exercise standpoint. I went to the Y on Wednesday after my meetings were over for the day, and did 60 minutes on the bike, and 25 minutes on the treadmill. And, I have been writing down my food, and making healthy choices. Of course Wednesday was book club, and I overindulged on food, but I did not have any wine. Thursday, at our Jaycee general membeship meeting, as they had the police there doing an alcohol awareness program (4 volunteers drinking lots of beer, sobriety tests, good times!) I stuck to soda water.
Yesterday, I just wanted to go shoe shopping, and to get myself something pretty... and I could have gone with my friend after shopping to get quesedillas and beer, but like a good girl, I decided I should go home. I did make a stop at Target on the way home, but successfully avoided the pitfall of Halloween candy. I thought about getting some cheese dip to eat with tortilla chips - it was 8:30pm and I still had 11 points left - but I told myself to quit making excuses, and went home and ate a banana with some natural peanut butter. Yummy.
Today, a friend and I are planning on going for a run, then out to lunch. A mix of good, and scary for me at this moment.
On another note - I found out something at work this week that makes me completely angry. One of our vendors has been selling a product to our employees (boots) that he was telling them that they complied with our policy. I took a look at them (on someone's feet) and told them that they did not comply, not even close. I guess there are a lot of people with these boots now. We have a list of items that are approved, and that is what they are supposed to sell. If they have something new that they want to add to the list, they need to check with me to make sure it is okay. I have not been able to get any response from this vendor for billing issues I have been having for the last year and a half, and this is just the last straw. They will be pulling a list of the employees who have purchased these boots, and they will be replacing them with something that does comply with our policy, or they will be refunding the company the money that was paid for them. Stupid Bastards. I also talked to our purchasing folks, and I will be removing them as a vendor. When that will happen, I don't know, but it's not going to be soon enough.
On that note, I need to get packed and going, for a day out and about!
~a
Monday, October 16, 2006
update on the life of Anneke
I'm here. Really.
The last couple of weeks were nuts. I was in Calgary, then I returned on the 6th, to go home and re-pack for a weekend in Kansas City, left on another airplane on the 6th...
Had fun in Kansas City. We ended up going to the Renaissance Festival there. It is much bigger than the one here. It was kind of odd going there not dressed up in my garb, but I didn't want to drag it all with me, then have us decide that we were going to go in street clothes, so I made the decision to just not bring the stuff. It was a weekend of poor food choices: with the beer at festival, then the dinner of tacos, accompanied by chips, guac, and con queso, bloody marys, beer, and wine...
I didn't run that weekend either.
Then last week. I was so cranky on Monday, I bitched for about 10 straight minutes to my husband. He was not sure what to do. It's just that I was trying to make sure the things were done for the meetings I was facilitating, and it was not done. And it is really not my job to make sure that these things were done, but the admin person who was here before has taken a different position, and the new person in the job is not sure about what needs to be done. So amongst the myriad of conference calls, catching up from a week out of the office, and getting together the infomation I needed for facilitating the meetings, I got calls from people about their hotel reservations not being correct, I needed to adjust the time the bus was picking us up for the event, and I needed to get someone to pay the remaining $600 for the tickets to the hockey game we were going to attend the following evening. Then I had to go pick up the said tickets, since I did not want to leave that to chance... and honestly, if I had not stepped in, things would have been complete crap, and I would have gotten blamed for things not running smoothly, as I was the "representative" on site.
I'm sure the banquet manager was pretty fed up with me and all of the changes/problems we seemed to have. At the meetings on Tuesday, I needed to fix the direct billing of hotel rooms, increase the number of people we had for meals, and adjust meal times, not once, but twice. I kept apologizing. She kept telling me that it was fine, but I would have been fed up with me.
At least it's over. And people keep telling me that it was a well-organized event. Just a tad bit stressfull for me.
And I ate all of the food I could manage to find at the meetings - delicious pastries for breakfast (not one, but two) salad with real dressing, potato chips and cookies at lunch. Tootsie rolls and hard candies they had set up on the tables for the meetings, then dinner at the hockey arena. More chips and dip. More cookies, but at least, no beer.
And the following day was pretty much a food fest too. (that being Wednesday). I don't even remember everything I had. Eric and I also went out for a drink that evening, so I had a margarita and some tortilla chips and salsa.
Thursday, I made fried fish for dinner. That's what Eric wanted, so that's what we had.
Friday, I took the day off of work. I had the best of intentions on getting up and exercising, but it didn't happen. I went to have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, but the milk was completely sour, so I had two eggs and toast with laughing cow spread on the toast. Lunch was microwave popcorn, snack was a TJ chickn pizza (about half) and dinner was at DQ, on the way to camping in Southern Minnesota.
Yes, we went camping this weekend. I realize it was cold (um, lows in the high 20's) but the days were nice, and there was a great campfire. And, we had a cabin with a heater (some folks still tented it, but not us). Again, lots of food and alcohol. But I did have the redemption of going for a short run, and a hike on Saturday, and for a run on Sunday morning.
It still did not make the hop on the scale this morning any nicer...
But, I'm not traveling at all this week, and the meetings are not as large and stressful. I am just glad when this part of the year is over (planning for 2007, corporate safety goals, Safety Committe goal setting, planning, etc). It's my busy insane season.
On that note, I need to compile some more stats.
~a
The last couple of weeks were nuts. I was in Calgary, then I returned on the 6th, to go home and re-pack for a weekend in Kansas City, left on another airplane on the 6th...
Had fun in Kansas City. We ended up going to the Renaissance Festival there. It is much bigger than the one here. It was kind of odd going there not dressed up in my garb, but I didn't want to drag it all with me, then have us decide that we were going to go in street clothes, so I made the decision to just not bring the stuff. It was a weekend of poor food choices: with the beer at festival, then the dinner of tacos, accompanied by chips, guac, and con queso, bloody marys, beer, and wine...
I didn't run that weekend either.
Then last week. I was so cranky on Monday, I bitched for about 10 straight minutes to my husband. He was not sure what to do. It's just that I was trying to make sure the things were done for the meetings I was facilitating, and it was not done. And it is really not my job to make sure that these things were done, but the admin person who was here before has taken a different position, and the new person in the job is not sure about what needs to be done. So amongst the myriad of conference calls, catching up from a week out of the office, and getting together the infomation I needed for facilitating the meetings, I got calls from people about their hotel reservations not being correct, I needed to adjust the time the bus was picking us up for the event, and I needed to get someone to pay the remaining $600 for the tickets to the hockey game we were going to attend the following evening. Then I had to go pick up the said tickets, since I did not want to leave that to chance... and honestly, if I had not stepped in, things would have been complete crap, and I would have gotten blamed for things not running smoothly, as I was the "representative" on site.
I'm sure the banquet manager was pretty fed up with me and all of the changes/problems we seemed to have. At the meetings on Tuesday, I needed to fix the direct billing of hotel rooms, increase the number of people we had for meals, and adjust meal times, not once, but twice. I kept apologizing. She kept telling me that it was fine, but I would have been fed up with me.
At least it's over. And people keep telling me that it was a well-organized event. Just a tad bit stressfull for me.
And I ate all of the food I could manage to find at the meetings - delicious pastries for breakfast (not one, but two) salad with real dressing, potato chips and cookies at lunch. Tootsie rolls and hard candies they had set up on the tables for the meetings, then dinner at the hockey arena. More chips and dip. More cookies, but at least, no beer.
And the following day was pretty much a food fest too. (that being Wednesday). I don't even remember everything I had. Eric and I also went out for a drink that evening, so I had a margarita and some tortilla chips and salsa.
Thursday, I made fried fish for dinner. That's what Eric wanted, so that's what we had.
Friday, I took the day off of work. I had the best of intentions on getting up and exercising, but it didn't happen. I went to have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, but the milk was completely sour, so I had two eggs and toast with laughing cow spread on the toast. Lunch was microwave popcorn, snack was a TJ chickn pizza (about half) and dinner was at DQ, on the way to camping in Southern Minnesota.
Yes, we went camping this weekend. I realize it was cold (um, lows in the high 20's) but the days were nice, and there was a great campfire. And, we had a cabin with a heater (some folks still tented it, but not us). Again, lots of food and alcohol. But I did have the redemption of going for a short run, and a hike on Saturday, and for a run on Sunday morning.
It still did not make the hop on the scale this morning any nicer...
But, I'm not traveling at all this week, and the meetings are not as large and stressful. I am just glad when this part of the year is over (planning for 2007, corporate safety goals, Safety Committe goal setting, planning, etc). It's my busy insane season.
On that note, I need to compile some more stats.
~a
Thursday, October 05, 2006
greetings from Calgary
Yep, I'm traveling, again.
I know that Calgary is an interesing city, but when you are here for meetings, you just don't see much of it... Like yesterday, I got into work at 7:30 am, we had meetings until 4:30, chatted with my boss for about 45 minutes, went to the hotel and changed out of my skirt and heels (jeans and running shoes, big sigh of relief) then went and met co-workers for a drink. I got back into the hotel at 9:00 pm.
The day was gone.
I ate poorly, since they had all of the food out, and I just didn't care what I was eating at the time, since I'm a time zone off, and they scheduled us for lunch at 1:20pm. That's like two hours after I normally eat lunch.... and we only had 30 minues to eat, and get back to our meetings, so it was a case of grab and gobble.
Last night, dinner was a veggie burger and fries. And two beers. I was proud of myself - in the original bar, I started out with a diet soda, and only had one beer.
And yay for me, I got up this morning, and put in 50 minutes on the treadmill. I know it is time to start exercising and losing weight, because my arms keep falling asleep when I am in bed, and it pisses me off. I know what I need to do, I just need to do it, dammit.
So last week, my food plans got totally derailed. Literally. I was doing good, had journaled for four days (on paper) and was staying within my points, had only used like 4-5 flex for those days, and Thursday night, I got about 1/2 hour of sleep before I got a phone call to get out to a derailment. So up and out, and some roasted edamine to munch on in the car on the way there to keep me occupied and engaged, along with a diet coke.... up until 3, grab about two hours of sleep (in my truck...) and back out do observe and deal with things. And they had bunches of non-healthy food. I had Kashi granola bars in my truck, but noooooo, I needed to eat a cookie. Then another. And lunch was then brought in - I wouldn't eat the hamburgers, but the candy and the chips were good options, right????
On another work note - hopefully this re-organization we have been going through for the last year or so will give me a better guideline of my job and expectations. I sat next to the head of our department at the first bar last night, and we acutually had a pretty good talk. About what has been going on with me and all of the crap that gets dumped on me, and why since that is not what I am supposed to be doing that I don't get the stuff that I am supposed to be doing done, then I get a "partially met" on my annual review. It makes me angry that people don't talk to me about their expectations, then when I don't meet them, they say bad things about me. And I am willing to pitch in, but it really is not my job to plan meals for meetings, or to pay invoices for different departments, even if it is for safety gear. I do a lot of stuff that none of the other folks with the same title as me do, but all my "customers" seem to see is that I am not doing what other safety advisors seem to be doing.
Okay. So today and tomorrow we are in meetings, discussing what our jobs are supposed to be, and what we will be doing. Think positive. I need to choose my state of mind. This will be a good thing!
On that note, I need to hop in the shower, and get ready for another day.
~a
I know that Calgary is an interesing city, but when you are here for meetings, you just don't see much of it... Like yesterday, I got into work at 7:30 am, we had meetings until 4:30, chatted with my boss for about 45 minutes, went to the hotel and changed out of my skirt and heels (jeans and running shoes, big sigh of relief) then went and met co-workers for a drink. I got back into the hotel at 9:00 pm.
The day was gone.
I ate poorly, since they had all of the food out, and I just didn't care what I was eating at the time, since I'm a time zone off, and they scheduled us for lunch at 1:20pm. That's like two hours after I normally eat lunch.... and we only had 30 minues to eat, and get back to our meetings, so it was a case of grab and gobble.
Last night, dinner was a veggie burger and fries. And two beers. I was proud of myself - in the original bar, I started out with a diet soda, and only had one beer.
And yay for me, I got up this morning, and put in 50 minutes on the treadmill. I know it is time to start exercising and losing weight, because my arms keep falling asleep when I am in bed, and it pisses me off. I know what I need to do, I just need to do it, dammit.
So last week, my food plans got totally derailed. Literally. I was doing good, had journaled for four days (on paper) and was staying within my points, had only used like 4-5 flex for those days, and Thursday night, I got about 1/2 hour of sleep before I got a phone call to get out to a derailment. So up and out, and some roasted edamine to munch on in the car on the way there to keep me occupied and engaged, along with a diet coke.... up until 3, grab about two hours of sleep (in my truck...) and back out do observe and deal with things. And they had bunches of non-healthy food. I had Kashi granola bars in my truck, but noooooo, I needed to eat a cookie. Then another. And lunch was then brought in - I wouldn't eat the hamburgers, but the candy and the chips were good options, right????
On another work note - hopefully this re-organization we have been going through for the last year or so will give me a better guideline of my job and expectations. I sat next to the head of our department at the first bar last night, and we acutually had a pretty good talk. About what has been going on with me and all of the crap that gets dumped on me, and why since that is not what I am supposed to be doing that I don't get the stuff that I am supposed to be doing done, then I get a "partially met" on my annual review. It makes me angry that people don't talk to me about their expectations, then when I don't meet them, they say bad things about me. And I am willing to pitch in, but it really is not my job to plan meals for meetings, or to pay invoices for different departments, even if it is for safety gear. I do a lot of stuff that none of the other folks with the same title as me do, but all my "customers" seem to see is that I am not doing what other safety advisors seem to be doing.
Okay. So today and tomorrow we are in meetings, discussing what our jobs are supposed to be, and what we will be doing. Think positive. I need to choose my state of mind. This will be a good thing!
On that note, I need to hop in the shower, and get ready for another day.
~a
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
weird dream
I had a very strange dream this morning.
I dreamed that I was at an event, I think it was a baseball game, doing what I normally do - trying to smooth out what I percieved as chaos - and this man came up to me, and offered me a job, doing PR and logistics for the Kansas City baseball team. The only catch was that I needed to start the next day. I knew in my dream that I was having a good hair day, and that I feeling excessively capable. I told him I would do it the next day, since I was free, to see if I liked doing the job. Why Kansas City? Well, I am going to be there in a week and a half. Otherwise, who knows.
Then the alarm went off, and I needed to get back to reality.
I had a pretty productive evening, after my board meeting, last night. After making myself something healthy to eat, I finished taking the meat off of the turkey I cooked the other day, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, washed the hand wash dishes, cleaned the sink, and wiped down the counters. I told Eric that I had won. (He had loaded the dishwasher earlier, then watched the baseball game...).
But, he did go do the grocery shopping the other day to get himself food for lunches. I have been so bad at that lately - seems like I just don't want to find the time to do that. We do have quite a bit of food in the house right now, but it all needs to be "prepared". Hopefully I can do some cooking tonight. As of right now, the next trip I have is to Calgary on Oct 3rd. That leaves me lots of evenings free this week to catch up on things. I have also purposely not scheduled anything for myself for this weekend, so I can take the time for myself. I think I need it. I feel like the house is just rising up around me, and I can't take the mess for much longer.
So, the food for today has been:
Breakfast with my boss, I stuck to
Instant Oatmeal, plain - 2 points
Banana - 2 points
Total = 4 points
F/V = 1
Milk = 0
Water = 0
I just need to find some time to exercise today....
~a
I dreamed that I was at an event, I think it was a baseball game, doing what I normally do - trying to smooth out what I percieved as chaos - and this man came up to me, and offered me a job, doing PR and logistics for the Kansas City baseball team. The only catch was that I needed to start the next day. I knew in my dream that I was having a good hair day, and that I feeling excessively capable. I told him I would do it the next day, since I was free, to see if I liked doing the job. Why Kansas City? Well, I am going to be there in a week and a half. Otherwise, who knows.
Then the alarm went off, and I needed to get back to reality.
I had a pretty productive evening, after my board meeting, last night. After making myself something healthy to eat, I finished taking the meat off of the turkey I cooked the other day, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, washed the hand wash dishes, cleaned the sink, and wiped down the counters. I told Eric that I had won. (He had loaded the dishwasher earlier, then watched the baseball game...).
But, he did go do the grocery shopping the other day to get himself food for lunches. I have been so bad at that lately - seems like I just don't want to find the time to do that. We do have quite a bit of food in the house right now, but it all needs to be "prepared". Hopefully I can do some cooking tonight. As of right now, the next trip I have is to Calgary on Oct 3rd. That leaves me lots of evenings free this week to catch up on things. I have also purposely not scheduled anything for myself for this weekend, so I can take the time for myself. I think I need it. I feel like the house is just rising up around me, and I can't take the mess for much longer.
So, the food for today has been:
Breakfast with my boss, I stuck to
Instant Oatmeal, plain - 2 points
Banana - 2 points
Total = 4 points
F/V = 1
Milk = 0
Water = 0
I just need to find some time to exercise today....
~a
Monday, September 25, 2006
Woo hoo, Carrots!
Yes, I believe it has come to this.
I need to start writing down my food intake. And I can't seem to make myself do it on paper anymore.
So, today:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with some creamer - 3 points
Michelena's Lean Gourmet 5-Cheese Lasagne with extra vegetables - 6 points
Apple - 1 point
Boost, chocolate - 5 points
Soup at Hand, Chicken noodle - 2 points
Salad with 3oz turkey, 2T pine nuts, FF vinagrette - 5 points
Couscous - 3 points
Total= 25
Milk = 2
F/V = 5
Water = 6
(This will be updated as I eat food during the day)
Dinner on Friday night was lovely. I got dressed up, had a good hair day, and we went to a lovely dinner. I had the special, scallops crusted in lobster and crab with a tarragon cream sherry reduction, with blue cheese mashed potatos. We shared a bottle of wine, and a desert - white chocolate mousse. MMMMM it was devine. I took the first bite of the scallop, and I actually got goose bumps, they were so good. The waitress looked kind of suprised when I told her that, she said that was not a normal reaction, and that she would pass it along to the chef. I also guess it was the day for anniversaries... there were four other couples there for the same reason.
Saturday, I worked out at the Renaissance Festival. It was acually pretty nice until about 4, when it started raining. That cleared out a lot of people, and made it cold. I was glad that I had brought both of my capes, as my friend would have been very cold without the one I loaned her! It was kind of a long, tiring day... then I went to a housewarming party, where I ate too much of the party food: baked brie, pickle roll-ups, white chocolate, cheese and crackers, etc. I had drank enough at Fest that the beer and beverages were not attractive though...
Sunday was a nicer day at Fest. I bought a Ruth Thompson print for myself. It is "Thunderstruck" if you know her work - she does fantasy stuff, with a lot of cool dragons. I just need to figure out where I want to put it now... It was kind of sad, because it was the last weekend I was working. They are people that I don' t usually see for the rest of the year, so I swung through after my shift was done and said my farewells, and got a lot of hugs.
I did hear something about an "incident" that occured there last weekend, that just makes me sad and pissed off all at the same time. It appears that a good friend of mine was charged with 5th degree sexual assault. I don't know the whole story, but knowing my friend, that is not something that he would do. The person that told me about it (another good friend) said it was probably a case of the woman basically daring him to do something, then when he did it, she called foul. And now it appears that he's the only one that will be getting into trouble. It just pisses me off with how women can seem to do whatever they like, but when they push and inuendo without setting lines, and something happens, they set off a fire alarm. I know I have been uncomfortable out there, but I talked to the person, and we set things straight amongst ourselves. No harm, no foul. Misunderstanding occur. Deal with it without blowing it out of proportion, and without endangering the reputation of a person that can never be repaired. Even if the charges are dropped, he will always have that on his record. It makes me want to cry for him.
That being said, I have some projects I need to work on.
~a
I need to start writing down my food intake. And I can't seem to make myself do it on paper anymore.
So, today:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with some creamer - 3 points
Michelena's Lean Gourmet 5-Cheese Lasagne with extra vegetables - 6 points
Apple - 1 point
Boost, chocolate - 5 points
Soup at Hand, Chicken noodle - 2 points
Salad with 3oz turkey, 2T pine nuts, FF vinagrette - 5 points
Couscous - 3 points
Total= 25
Milk = 2
F/V = 5
Water = 6
(This will be updated as I eat food during the day)
Dinner on Friday night was lovely. I got dressed up, had a good hair day, and we went to a lovely dinner. I had the special, scallops crusted in lobster and crab with a tarragon cream sherry reduction, with blue cheese mashed potatos. We shared a bottle of wine, and a desert - white chocolate mousse. MMMMM it was devine. I took the first bite of the scallop, and I actually got goose bumps, they were so good. The waitress looked kind of suprised when I told her that, she said that was not a normal reaction, and that she would pass it along to the chef. I also guess it was the day for anniversaries... there were four other couples there for the same reason.
Saturday, I worked out at the Renaissance Festival. It was acually pretty nice until about 4, when it started raining. That cleared out a lot of people, and made it cold. I was glad that I had brought both of my capes, as my friend would have been very cold without the one I loaned her! It was kind of a long, tiring day... then I went to a housewarming party, where I ate too much of the party food: baked brie, pickle roll-ups, white chocolate, cheese and crackers, etc. I had drank enough at Fest that the beer and beverages were not attractive though...
Sunday was a nicer day at Fest. I bought a Ruth Thompson print for myself. It is "Thunderstruck" if you know her work - she does fantasy stuff, with a lot of cool dragons. I just need to figure out where I want to put it now... It was kind of sad, because it was the last weekend I was working. They are people that I don' t usually see for the rest of the year, so I swung through after my shift was done and said my farewells, and got a lot of hugs.
I did hear something about an "incident" that occured there last weekend, that just makes me sad and pissed off all at the same time. It appears that a good friend of mine was charged with 5th degree sexual assault. I don't know the whole story, but knowing my friend, that is not something that he would do. The person that told me about it (another good friend) said it was probably a case of the woman basically daring him to do something, then when he did it, she called foul. And now it appears that he's the only one that will be getting into trouble. It just pisses me off with how women can seem to do whatever they like, but when they push and inuendo without setting lines, and something happens, they set off a fire alarm. I know I have been uncomfortable out there, but I talked to the person, and we set things straight amongst ourselves. No harm, no foul. Misunderstanding occur. Deal with it without blowing it out of proportion, and without endangering the reputation of a person that can never be repaired. Even if the charges are dropped, he will always have that on his record. It makes me want to cry for him.
That being said, I have some projects I need to work on.
~a
Friday, September 22, 2006
Happy Anniversary!
To me!
Today is my 5th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that it has been that long. Time sure flies when you are having fun! Eric and I have plans to go out to dinner tonight at the Lake Elmo Inn. I am looking forward to having a lovely dinner with my hubby.
And we did some dancing last night. A friend of ours is taking lessons at this studio, and has done a lot of work on their website, and they were having a free group lesson last night. I guilted him into going with me... I asked him "Don't you want to dance with your wife?" "Well yes, but I don't want to look like a fool while doing it." "That's why we need to take lessons!" So we went. It was kind of fun, but I felt like I was in junior high gym class again: "men, form a circle, women, find a partner", dance for 30 seconds, then "move to the next partner", repeat. We learned the basic steps for the Foxtrot, the Tango, Salsa, and Swing. Kind of a teaser to get you to sign up for lessons. I think it was an excellent event. Although Eric told me I was harder to dance with than some of the other women. I guess I need to learn how to follow better. And Eric needs to learn how to lead stronger. Takes practice, I guess!
It's been kind of crazy at work lately. They keep doing reorginization stuff - I am now in the HSSE department (Health, Safety, Security and Environment). They finally posted the position that has been vacant for over a year externally. They want to fill the postion by Nov 1st. I hope that they fill the position soon. I am getting really tired of dealing with all the crap. I honestly feel like a party planner - I am planning a team-building activity for one of our groups, we are going to a Wild hockey game. So I need to arrange a bus, plan a meal, arrange the meetings, etc. And we are having a senior management "walk-about" next week, and honestly, it's almost like herding cats, as I can't get people to follow directions to save my life. I called up my (new) boss the other day and instead of saying "hello Bill" I managed to start my conversation by saying "Hell Bill". At least he laughed.
That's about all I have time for at the moment.... except to say that it has been so crazy and nuts, that I just have not been exercising. I am trying to make healthy food choices, but I need to get my act together. My jeans are really starting to not fit. And I don't want to go up another size.
Le sigh.
~a
Today is my 5th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that it has been that long. Time sure flies when you are having fun! Eric and I have plans to go out to dinner tonight at the Lake Elmo Inn. I am looking forward to having a lovely dinner with my hubby.
And we did some dancing last night. A friend of ours is taking lessons at this studio, and has done a lot of work on their website, and they were having a free group lesson last night. I guilted him into going with me... I asked him "Don't you want to dance with your wife?" "Well yes, but I don't want to look like a fool while doing it." "That's why we need to take lessons!" So we went. It was kind of fun, but I felt like I was in junior high gym class again: "men, form a circle, women, find a partner", dance for 30 seconds, then "move to the next partner", repeat. We learned the basic steps for the Foxtrot, the Tango, Salsa, and Swing. Kind of a teaser to get you to sign up for lessons. I think it was an excellent event. Although Eric told me I was harder to dance with than some of the other women. I guess I need to learn how to follow better. And Eric needs to learn how to lead stronger. Takes practice, I guess!
It's been kind of crazy at work lately. They keep doing reorginization stuff - I am now in the HSSE department (Health, Safety, Security and Environment). They finally posted the position that has been vacant for over a year externally. They want to fill the postion by Nov 1st. I hope that they fill the position soon. I am getting really tired of dealing with all the crap. I honestly feel like a party planner - I am planning a team-building activity for one of our groups, we are going to a Wild hockey game. So I need to arrange a bus, plan a meal, arrange the meetings, etc. And we are having a senior management "walk-about" next week, and honestly, it's almost like herding cats, as I can't get people to follow directions to save my life. I called up my (new) boss the other day and instead of saying "hello Bill" I managed to start my conversation by saying "Hell Bill". At least he laughed.
That's about all I have time for at the moment.... except to say that it has been so crazy and nuts, that I just have not been exercising. I am trying to make healthy food choices, but I need to get my act together. My jeans are really starting to not fit. And I don't want to go up another size.
Le sigh.
~a
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Community
So what do you do in the community that you live in?
It's been a crazy kind of couple of weeks. I feel so overwhelmed with the amount of "stuff" that I need to do, and I'm just hoping that I can get everything done that I want/need to and not disappoint anyone.
With that being said, it has also been an amazing few days. I have heard more people speak and inspire me in the last four days, it's amazing. And some of the conversations I have had have also been eye opening.
If you know me, you know that I am a member of an organization, that in all actuality, I have not talked about a lot to people that don't know me. And I have decided that needs to stop. The not sharing with people part.... I am a proud member of the Saint Paul Jaycees. We had a state convention last weekend, and it was such a great experience. Put aside the awards our chapter recieved, it was one of the most relaxing and rejuvinating times I have had in a while. (It has taken me 3 months to find time to go to the dentist...) The national Jaycee President spoke at our dinner on Saturday, and I found out something that I did not know: John F Kennedy had two chairs for guests in his oval office, one on either side of his desk. One had a crest of the place that he credited for his "formal" education: Harvard. The other chair had the crest of the place where he credited his "informal" education: the US Jaycees. Did you know that 75% of the US Presidents have been Jaycees?
Skipping forward - the Jaycees International President was at our chapter's board meeting on Monday night. He had to be one of the most interesting and dynamic people I have had the opportunity to see speak. He talked about the orgainzation, and our responsibility to our communities. He challenged us to "live the creed" (The Jaycee Creed):
We believe:
That faith in God gives us meaning and purpose,
That the Brotherhood of Man transcends the sovernty of nations
That economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise
That Government should be of laws rather than of men
That Earth's great treasure lies in human personality, and
That Service to Humanity is the best work of life.
What have I done lately to live this way? Started a business, got involved in the government, learned about a new culture, participated in a community event?
As a good friend said to me the other day: If you do something for yourself, it will die with you. If you volunteer, and do something for the community, it will live forever. We have to stop asking the question "What's in it for me?" and just do.
Nothing happens until someone takes action. I have decided I need to surround myself with people that are going to challenge me, and to raise me up, and inspire me.
Anyone with me?
~a
It's been a crazy kind of couple of weeks. I feel so overwhelmed with the amount of "stuff" that I need to do, and I'm just hoping that I can get everything done that I want/need to and not disappoint anyone.
With that being said, it has also been an amazing few days. I have heard more people speak and inspire me in the last four days, it's amazing. And some of the conversations I have had have also been eye opening.
If you know me, you know that I am a member of an organization, that in all actuality, I have not talked about a lot to people that don't know me. And I have decided that needs to stop. The not sharing with people part.... I am a proud member of the Saint Paul Jaycees. We had a state convention last weekend, and it was such a great experience. Put aside the awards our chapter recieved, it was one of the most relaxing and rejuvinating times I have had in a while. (It has taken me 3 months to find time to go to the dentist...) The national Jaycee President spoke at our dinner on Saturday, and I found out something that I did not know: John F Kennedy had two chairs for guests in his oval office, one on either side of his desk. One had a crest of the place that he credited for his "formal" education: Harvard. The other chair had the crest of the place where he credited his "informal" education: the US Jaycees. Did you know that 75% of the US Presidents have been Jaycees?
Skipping forward - the Jaycees International President was at our chapter's board meeting on Monday night. He had to be one of the most interesting and dynamic people I have had the opportunity to see speak. He talked about the orgainzation, and our responsibility to our communities. He challenged us to "live the creed" (The Jaycee Creed):
We believe:
That faith in God gives us meaning and purpose,
That the Brotherhood of Man transcends the sovernty of nations
That economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise
That Government should be of laws rather than of men
That Earth's great treasure lies in human personality, and
That Service to Humanity is the best work of life.
What have I done lately to live this way? Started a business, got involved in the government, learned about a new culture, participated in a community event?
As a good friend said to me the other day: If you do something for yourself, it will die with you. If you volunteer, and do something for the community, it will live forever. We have to stop asking the question "What's in it for me?" and just do.
Nothing happens until someone takes action. I have decided I need to surround myself with people that are going to challenge me, and to raise me up, and inspire me.
Anyone with me?
~a
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
When you can't think of anything else to say....
Steal from someone else:
This was taken from Kyra who said she stole it from someone else:
Checklist MemeJust bold the things you have accomplished in your life.
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents (stepfather)
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication.
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
62 out of 150. 41.3% I guess I have to get out more....
~a
This was taken from Kyra who said she stole it from someone else:
Checklist MemeJust bold the things you have accomplished in your life.
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents (stepfather)
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication.
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
62 out of 150. 41.3% I guess I have to get out more....
~a
Friday, September 01, 2006
I miss my husband
Even though he is not out of town... I hate being a State Fair widow. He reports to work at 6pm. His shift ends at 7am. Therefore, during the State Fair, I get to see him, maybe for a couple of minutes after he gets home, and for a little bit before he goes to work.
I got to see him when he was at work yesterday. I went to the fair, and met my parents at about 2. Called him at 3pm, to see if he was up and moving. So he headed over early to wander a bit with me. We met up around 4:30. He checked in around 6, and there was not much going on, so I got him until 7. I about cried when I had to leave. I have not seen him enough lately. Enough sap already?
So, Food yesterday. I made myself a smoothie for breakfast, then waited until I got to the fair to eat. I had a cone with honey ice cream, an ear of corn, 4 chicken strips, a beer, and a couple of sips of Eric's 1919 root beer. I was actually a little hungry when I got home... I guess the food there just was not calling to me. I don't know what it is - I passed up cotton candy, fries, cheese curds, mini-donuts, popcorn... and at home I ate some chips and dip. It makes no sense.
We were having fun doing some shopping. We put money down on a spray-on bedliner for the new truck. If we are going to haul stuff, we need it, as we already have several scratches in the bed, and I don't want them to deteriorate any.
I did get up this morning and go running. Did my 3-mile loop. 34 minutes, so not too bad. Once again, taking advice from my running magazine, I was taking it kind of easy, and worked on speeding up my cadence. Shorter steps, faster. I did 3 repeats of that. It was a completely gorgeous morning for a run. 58 degrees, sun starting to come up, I enjoyed the morning. Had I had a bit more time, I would have run further - it felt that good, and cheered me up so much. There's something to be said about all of those natural endorphins.
And the scale this morning STILL said 184.
Tonight is happy hour for my birthday. Tomorrow is a 5K race. Sunday and Monday is back out to Renaissance Festival. And next week is shaping up to be busy. I had a bunch of calls yesterday with people wanting my time next week. Good that I am needed, sucks that I go in such streaks of busy, and more relaxed. Such is the nature of this business: hurry up and wait.
I got nothin' else.
Happy Labor day weekend!
~a
I got to see him when he was at work yesterday. I went to the fair, and met my parents at about 2. Called him at 3pm, to see if he was up and moving. So he headed over early to wander a bit with me. We met up around 4:30. He checked in around 6, and there was not much going on, so I got him until 7. I about cried when I had to leave. I have not seen him enough lately. Enough sap already?
So, Food yesterday. I made myself a smoothie for breakfast, then waited until I got to the fair to eat. I had a cone with honey ice cream, an ear of corn, 4 chicken strips, a beer, and a couple of sips of Eric's 1919 root beer. I was actually a little hungry when I got home... I guess the food there just was not calling to me. I don't know what it is - I passed up cotton candy, fries, cheese curds, mini-donuts, popcorn... and at home I ate some chips and dip. It makes no sense.
We were having fun doing some shopping. We put money down on a spray-on bedliner for the new truck. If we are going to haul stuff, we need it, as we already have several scratches in the bed, and I don't want them to deteriorate any.
I did get up this morning and go running. Did my 3-mile loop. 34 minutes, so not too bad. Once again, taking advice from my running magazine, I was taking it kind of easy, and worked on speeding up my cadence. Shorter steps, faster. I did 3 repeats of that. It was a completely gorgeous morning for a run. 58 degrees, sun starting to come up, I enjoyed the morning. Had I had a bit more time, I would have run further - it felt that good, and cheered me up so much. There's something to be said about all of those natural endorphins.
And the scale this morning STILL said 184.
Tonight is happy hour for my birthday. Tomorrow is a 5K race. Sunday and Monday is back out to Renaissance Festival. And next week is shaping up to be busy. I had a bunch of calls yesterday with people wanting my time next week. Good that I am needed, sucks that I go in such streaks of busy, and more relaxed. Such is the nature of this business: hurry up and wait.
I got nothin' else.
Happy Labor day weekend!
~a
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Depressing news
Yep, it's official - they guy they offered the position to has decided not to take the job. He does not want to move to Chicago. I don't blame him, as I told him, he needs to do what is right for him, but it is still depressing. I have been covering for this open position since last July. Yep. For over a year. Bastads.
So it looks like I will be going to Chicago to take care of some things next week. Joy and exhaltation....
I'm trying to decide if I want to take Friday or Tuesday off... I really think I could use a massage. Friday, my parents will be in town (we are going to the fair on Thursday, then I am having a happy hour for my birthday on Friday), and Tuesday is my actual birthday. It's actually kind of depressing working on my birthday, so I think I might opt for Tuesday.
I got up and ran this morning. Yay me. I am out of town (in Superior) for work, and the hotel does not have an exercise room, but I still got up and hit the pavement. It is actually kind of weird - I grew up here. Sometimes I feel a bit nervous in cities, especially at 5:30 in the morning, but today was not bad. It also helped that out of the 5 cars that went by me on the darker streets, 2 of them were police cars. I ran for about 32 minutes, so I figure it was around 3 miles. I am running a 5K on Saturday morning, and don't want to totally embarass myself.
So I am seriously thinking about training for a marathon. In February. In Tampa Bay. My parents winter there, so I would go and stay with them, and I could run. I need the push/incentive to get my rear out of bed in the morning to run, and as you probably know from reading my blog, 5K's are really not any incentive anymore. My attitude is: "It's only 3 miles. That's nothing." And I know it's a deal for some. But just not for me.
I also renewed my driver's licence this week. And yes, I lied about the weight. But not by much. I put down 180. I'm somewhere around 187. I hope to make the number a lie by being too much. The old licence said 160. That would be nice. Thus, the plan to train for a marathon. I did go to two WW meetings, and maintained at the second meeting from the first. And I tried to be good, and write everything down, and stay within my points (okay, so I went over) . And the next week, when I wasn't so anal, on my scale at home, I still maintained. (Didn't go to the meeting the 3rd week.) It's depressing. And yet, I continue to make poor food choices. And I am going to the state fair tomorrow.
Yeah, I know. Excuses, excuses. What do I want? To be in better health, to feel good about my appearance, or to eat anything I want. I want both. I want it to be easy. And nothing good is really easy. I just have to rember that.
On that note, I am getting hungry, so I need to get something healthy before I start wanting to eat absolutely everything in sight.
onward
~a
So it looks like I will be going to Chicago to take care of some things next week. Joy and exhaltation....
I'm trying to decide if I want to take Friday or Tuesday off... I really think I could use a massage. Friday, my parents will be in town (we are going to the fair on Thursday, then I am having a happy hour for my birthday on Friday), and Tuesday is my actual birthday. It's actually kind of depressing working on my birthday, so I think I might opt for Tuesday.
I got up and ran this morning. Yay me. I am out of town (in Superior) for work, and the hotel does not have an exercise room, but I still got up and hit the pavement. It is actually kind of weird - I grew up here. Sometimes I feel a bit nervous in cities, especially at 5:30 in the morning, but today was not bad. It also helped that out of the 5 cars that went by me on the darker streets, 2 of them were police cars. I ran for about 32 minutes, so I figure it was around 3 miles. I am running a 5K on Saturday morning, and don't want to totally embarass myself.
So I am seriously thinking about training for a marathon. In February. In Tampa Bay. My parents winter there, so I would go and stay with them, and I could run. I need the push/incentive to get my rear out of bed in the morning to run, and as you probably know from reading my blog, 5K's are really not any incentive anymore. My attitude is: "It's only 3 miles. That's nothing." And I know it's a deal for some. But just not for me.
I also renewed my driver's licence this week. And yes, I lied about the weight. But not by much. I put down 180. I'm somewhere around 187. I hope to make the number a lie by being too much. The old licence said 160. That would be nice. Thus, the plan to train for a marathon. I did go to two WW meetings, and maintained at the second meeting from the first. And I tried to be good, and write everything down, and stay within my points (okay, so I went over) . And the next week, when I wasn't so anal, on my scale at home, I still maintained. (Didn't go to the meeting the 3rd week.) It's depressing. And yet, I continue to make poor food choices. And I am going to the state fair tomorrow.
Yeah, I know. Excuses, excuses. What do I want? To be in better health, to feel good about my appearance, or to eat anything I want. I want both. I want it to be easy. And nothing good is really easy. I just have to rember that.
On that note, I am getting hungry, so I need to get something healthy before I start wanting to eat absolutely everything in sight.
onward
~a
Friday, August 25, 2006
many directions, lots of links
I have all of these things running around in my brain. Too bad they are not tied to my legs, for running that is...
So my friend sent me this link yesterday, and I spent waaaaaay too much time looking at some of the comments that people were making. The article, I found interesting, if disturbing... I was telling my DH about it last night about it, it basically says that if you are married to a career woman, you are more likely to get divorced than if you are married to a housewife... hmmmm, perhaps that would be because if you (being an educated, employed female) have a job with which you can support yourself and kids, you are less likely to stay in a miserable siutation. And of course there are more two-career marriages that are ending, because there are just more two-career marriages...
The comments on the articles kind of made me sad. Have we become the society that name-calls and bashes people they don't even know on message boards? I know it can be a fun place to go to "meet" people (Hi Jessifer and Snackie!) and to ask questions of folks. But make any controversial statement, and WHAM it turns people into comlete byotches and asshats. I have enough drama in my life to try and deal with that too. And I think some people just do it on purpose, to get a reaction out of folks, and to get themselves some attention. Just back away from the keyboard.... think for 10 minutes before firing off a snarky remark that will make your blood pressure raise and ruin your whole day because some person you don't know, fires off their uneducated, unenlightend, goddammit I'm right no matter what, of course I won't listen to reason or logic, opinion.
Moving on... I made this gazpacho the other day, and it is completely fabulous. I went out and worked at the Renaissance Festival (as a beer wench, as always) and brought it and Tabouli with me, along with some chicken sausages (there's a grill set up behind one of the pubs for the workers) and did not succumb to any of the food there. Well, except a dill pickle, but does that really count? It really was a Woo-hoo, Carrots, moment.
And in another direction. Have I talked about how much I like the Running Times magazine I have been reading? They have all sorts of cool info that I have found. My favorite at this point would be the link they gave to being able to acucrately map running routes wherever you might be traveling, or even in your own neighborhood. Have you ever wondered exactly how far your are going? Try out the fun program! You can even save them for other folks to follow, or you can look up routes that other people have already mapped. Or you can check out the area to which you are going to travel, and see what the locals do.
In last month's magazine, they had an article about some of the common mistakes that people make with their running workouts. The one I found most informative, was the mistake that people make about not refueling properly after a hard workout. You need to eat/replenish as soon as possible, and really, within two hours at the most. They said that liquids were more easily absorbed than solid food, but you do need to get some protein into the mix. So you know all of those "electrolyte balanced" sports drinks with all of the carbohydrates (sugar) to get your energy stores back correctly, and to keep your metabolism performing properly? You'd actuall be better drinking chocolate milk. Sugar, nutirents, and protein. Who'd have guessed?
Comments?
~a
So my friend sent me this link yesterday, and I spent waaaaaay too much time looking at some of the comments that people were making. The article, I found interesting, if disturbing... I was telling my DH about it last night about it, it basically says that if you are married to a career woman, you are more likely to get divorced than if you are married to a housewife... hmmmm, perhaps that would be because if you (being an educated, employed female) have a job with which you can support yourself and kids, you are less likely to stay in a miserable siutation. And of course there are more two-career marriages that are ending, because there are just more two-career marriages...
The comments on the articles kind of made me sad. Have we become the society that name-calls and bashes people they don't even know on message boards? I know it can be a fun place to go to "meet" people (Hi Jessifer and Snackie!) and to ask questions of folks. But make any controversial statement, and WHAM it turns people into comlete byotches and asshats. I have enough drama in my life to try and deal with that too. And I think some people just do it on purpose, to get a reaction out of folks, and to get themselves some attention. Just back away from the keyboard.... think for 10 minutes before firing off a snarky remark that will make your blood pressure raise and ruin your whole day because some person you don't know, fires off their uneducated, unenlightend, goddammit I'm right no matter what, of course I won't listen to reason or logic, opinion.
Moving on... I made this gazpacho the other day, and it is completely fabulous. I went out and worked at the Renaissance Festival (as a beer wench, as always) and brought it and Tabouli with me, along with some chicken sausages (there's a grill set up behind one of the pubs for the workers) and did not succumb to any of the food there. Well, except a dill pickle, but does that really count? It really was a Woo-hoo, Carrots, moment.
And in another direction. Have I talked about how much I like the Running Times magazine I have been reading? They have all sorts of cool info that I have found. My favorite at this point would be the link they gave to being able to acucrately map running routes wherever you might be traveling, or even in your own neighborhood. Have you ever wondered exactly how far your are going? Try out the fun program! You can even save them for other folks to follow, or you can look up routes that other people have already mapped. Or you can check out the area to which you are going to travel, and see what the locals do.
In last month's magazine, they had an article about some of the common mistakes that people make with their running workouts. The one I found most informative, was the mistake that people make about not refueling properly after a hard workout. You need to eat/replenish as soon as possible, and really, within two hours at the most. They said that liquids were more easily absorbed than solid food, but you do need to get some protein into the mix. So you know all of those "electrolyte balanced" sports drinks with all of the carbohydrates (sugar) to get your energy stores back correctly, and to keep your metabolism performing properly? You'd actuall be better drinking chocolate milk. Sugar, nutirents, and protein. Who'd have guessed?
Comments?
~a
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
and more on the fair
honestly, who thinks this is a good photo to advertise for the fair? (The top photo). When they handed out the schedules, with the top photo the first thing you see, the staff (DH being one of them) thought it was a gag.
Hmmmmmm wonder if it was a guy that approved that photo...
Let's all go to the great state fair
It is starting... 12 nights of sleeping by myself.
Yep, Eric is working overnights again. He drives around at night, taking care of the garbage at the assorted Park and Rides that are used by the fair goers. His shift is from 6pm until 7am. It really sucks, 'cause I pretty much don't get to see him. Makes me wonder how people who work different shifts on a regular basis can live with "passing each other in the night" or so to speak. At least he will be bringing in a bit of overtime money, which is always welcome.
So at work, they have finally hired someone to fill the position like mine in the Chicago Service Area. He is here this week, trying to get some oreientation, and up to speed on things. But.... he came in this morning (day 3 of the job) telling me that he thinks he is going to turn down the position. It just does not make sense to him financially... he is not going to sell his house, and relocate his wife who has a good job, to move to Chicago, and he lives 150 miles away from where his office would be, and if he rented an apartment, he would pretty much be making less money than he is now, 'cause there are no cheap apartments in Chicago. Well, there are, but I would be scared to live there.
We talked to the boss, and he said he was going to see if there was a way to headquarter him somewhere closer to his house, so when he has to be in Chicago for meetings, etc, he can expense a hotel (as the company would be saving serious $$$ by not having to give him a relocation package). It's a postion that has a lot of travel involved, computer work, and conference calls, but I'm not sure that the Service Area Managers would like having him not officed where they are. So it's seeming like I am alone in the game once again.
It was so close, and now it seems like it is so far.
It really sucks.
Damn fucking reorganization crap.
How do I really feel?
On anoter note, I got to visit one of my favorite/dangerous stores yesterday, and I scored a set of Queen size 500 thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets. For $39.90. And they are completely fantastic. 16" deep, with elastic around the whole fitted sheet. They fit over our fat mattress, with the memory foam pad, with extra to spare. As one of my friends tells me - "It's just not a bargain if Anneke can't tell you about it!"
That's my story, and I am sticking to it. Send positive thoughts my way, so we can keep this person on board in his position. I want the nightmare to end. Make the lambs stop screaming.
~a
Yep, Eric is working overnights again. He drives around at night, taking care of the garbage at the assorted Park and Rides that are used by the fair goers. His shift is from 6pm until 7am. It really sucks, 'cause I pretty much don't get to see him. Makes me wonder how people who work different shifts on a regular basis can live with "passing each other in the night" or so to speak. At least he will be bringing in a bit of overtime money, which is always welcome.
So at work, they have finally hired someone to fill the position like mine in the Chicago Service Area. He is here this week, trying to get some oreientation, and up to speed on things. But.... he came in this morning (day 3 of the job) telling me that he thinks he is going to turn down the position. It just does not make sense to him financially... he is not going to sell his house, and relocate his wife who has a good job, to move to Chicago, and he lives 150 miles away from where his office would be, and if he rented an apartment, he would pretty much be making less money than he is now, 'cause there are no cheap apartments in Chicago. Well, there are, but I would be scared to live there.
We talked to the boss, and he said he was going to see if there was a way to headquarter him somewhere closer to his house, so when he has to be in Chicago for meetings, etc, he can expense a hotel (as the company would be saving serious $$$ by not having to give him a relocation package). It's a postion that has a lot of travel involved, computer work, and conference calls, but I'm not sure that the Service Area Managers would like having him not officed where they are. So it's seeming like I am alone in the game once again.
It was so close, and now it seems like it is so far.
It really sucks.
Damn fucking reorganization crap.
How do I really feel?
On anoter note, I got to visit one of my favorite/dangerous stores yesterday, and I scored a set of Queen size 500 thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets. For $39.90. And they are completely fantastic. 16" deep, with elastic around the whole fitted sheet. They fit over our fat mattress, with the memory foam pad, with extra to spare. As one of my friends tells me - "It's just not a bargain if Anneke can't tell you about it!"
That's my story, and I am sticking to it. Send positive thoughts my way, so we can keep this person on board in his position. I want the nightmare to end. Make the lambs stop screaming.
~a
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
It's a Wednesday...
The menu for the evening, with me hosting book club is lovely. Makes me wish I had not used so many flex points on Sunday.
Appetizers:
Marinated grilled veggies and mushrooms
carrot spread (carrots, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, cumin)
cheese and crackers
Soup:
Chilled tomato
Main Course:
Pasta with sauce made with shrimp, roasted garlic, chard and tomatos
Bread with cheese, peppers and onions
Desert:
Lemon Curd Mousse with fresh raspberries
And I am looking forward to sitting on the patio with my girlfriends. I have not decided if I am going to drink wine or not. I am leaning towards not, just so I can use the points on food! Hey, this points thing still needs to be a shiny new toy!
So today at the office, I talked to one co-worker that I try to avoid talking to... she drives me a little crazy. She's one of those people who tries to complete your sentence for you. She hears you start the last word, and rushes to say it along with you. Okay, I know I have a tendancy to complete people's sentances myself, but I do it when people are pausing, searching for a word. I had an ex-boyfriend tell me that I needed to stop doing that. I guess he thought that his friend was thinking I thought her dumb, but I was just trying to be helpful. My co-worker, on the other hand I think does it to show that she is listening to what you are saying... but it is freaking annoying! If you are listening, don't speak!
And another co-worker is setting up a meeting, she's the new admin person here. I talked to her yesterday about it will be the same as the meeting last year, she just needs to find a meeting room and block off some rooms at the hotel. She came back to me today telling me that the list from last year (the attendees) was not complete, and that she needed an accurate accounting of who was going to be invited, so she could give the hotel the numbers. What about the message was I not communicating - plan for the same numbers as last year... so what if I don't have all of the exact names, it's two freakin' months away! I admit it, I raised my voice.
And they wonder why I go out in the field to get out of the office.
Blek.
Well, off to get more water and coffee - 0 points in those, and I am saving up for tonight!
~a
Appetizers:
Marinated grilled veggies and mushrooms
carrot spread (carrots, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, cumin)
cheese and crackers
Soup:
Chilled tomato
Main Course:
Pasta with sauce made with shrimp, roasted garlic, chard and tomatos
Bread with cheese, peppers and onions
Desert:
Lemon Curd Mousse with fresh raspberries
And I am looking forward to sitting on the patio with my girlfriends. I have not decided if I am going to drink wine or not. I am leaning towards not, just so I can use the points on food! Hey, this points thing still needs to be a shiny new toy!
So today at the office, I talked to one co-worker that I try to avoid talking to... she drives me a little crazy. She's one of those people who tries to complete your sentence for you. She hears you start the last word, and rushes to say it along with you. Okay, I know I have a tendancy to complete people's sentances myself, but I do it when people are pausing, searching for a word. I had an ex-boyfriend tell me that I needed to stop doing that. I guess he thought that his friend was thinking I thought her dumb, but I was just trying to be helpful. My co-worker, on the other hand I think does it to show that she is listening to what you are saying... but it is freaking annoying! If you are listening, don't speak!
And another co-worker is setting up a meeting, she's the new admin person here. I talked to her yesterday about it will be the same as the meeting last year, she just needs to find a meeting room and block off some rooms at the hotel. She came back to me today telling me that the list from last year (the attendees) was not complete, and that she needed an accurate accounting of who was going to be invited, so she could give the hotel the numbers. What about the message was I not communicating - plan for the same numbers as last year... so what if I don't have all of the exact names, it's two freakin' months away! I admit it, I raised my voice.
And they wonder why I go out in the field to get out of the office.
Blek.
Well, off to get more water and coffee - 0 points in those, and I am saving up for tonight!
~a
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Fold or Scrunch?
I think I have found something new to obsess about:
Toilet paper.
I was watching some show, I think on Discovery Health, or some such cable program, and they were going around a couple of public bathrooms, trying to determine if the Women's or the Men's bathroom was dirtier, accorning to cultures that were taken. Fecalform bacteria if I remember correctly. They discovered that the women's had more. Attributed it to the fact that women are more likely to bring children into the bathroom. Then, they did a study to see if there was difference with the amount of Toilet paper you used, and if you got bacteria on your fingers. 3 sheets, folded, 6 sheets, folded, and 9 sheets, folded. There was a difference, of course, with the 9 sheets having the least amount (they had the volunteer take the sheets then press them on the bacteria, then press their bare fingers on a petri dish.)
Then, they had the voulnteers scrunch the paper, 3 sheets, 6 sheets, 9 sheets. And this experiment showed that scrunching the paper was more effective than folding the paper. To the point that the 3 sheets scrunched had less growing than the 9 sheets folded.
So there you go. You need to scrunch your TP.
But all still had some bacteria growing, so you still need to wash your hands after doing your business. And since it is shown that while 90% say that they wash after, other studies have shown that only 50% do, so use that paper towel to open the door!
Yeah, yeah. All interesting you say, but how am I doing?
I have journalled everthing since Friday. Drinking my water, eatin' my veggies. Woo-Hoo, Carrots!
Found a new crunchy food to eat. They talked about it at my WW meeting on Saturday, the Gerber finger foods in banana flavor. 1 cup, which is a lot of pieces, is 1 point. I even looked on-line to see about ordering Vita-Muffin mix (you add the egg whites and water) but am balking at spending $40 on six boxes of mix. I can make brannies for a lot less than that...
Now I need to get my rear moving in the exercise front. I am signed up to run a 5K on September 2nd. I should really run some before that... I would like to have a halfway decent time. It's just a little hard to get motivated for a 5k... it's only 3 miles. Am I sad or what?
And a last reminder - wash your hands!
~a
Toilet paper.
I was watching some show, I think on Discovery Health, or some such cable program, and they were going around a couple of public bathrooms, trying to determine if the Women's or the Men's bathroom was dirtier, accorning to cultures that were taken. Fecalform bacteria if I remember correctly. They discovered that the women's had more. Attributed it to the fact that women are more likely to bring children into the bathroom. Then, they did a study to see if there was difference with the amount of Toilet paper you used, and if you got bacteria on your fingers. 3 sheets, folded, 6 sheets, folded, and 9 sheets, folded. There was a difference, of course, with the 9 sheets having the least amount (they had the volunteer take the sheets then press them on the bacteria, then press their bare fingers on a petri dish.)
Then, they had the voulnteers scrunch the paper, 3 sheets, 6 sheets, 9 sheets. And this experiment showed that scrunching the paper was more effective than folding the paper. To the point that the 3 sheets scrunched had less growing than the 9 sheets folded.
So there you go. You need to scrunch your TP.
But all still had some bacteria growing, so you still need to wash your hands after doing your business. And since it is shown that while 90% say that they wash after, other studies have shown that only 50% do, so use that paper towel to open the door!
Yeah, yeah. All interesting you say, but how am I doing?
I have journalled everthing since Friday. Drinking my water, eatin' my veggies. Woo-Hoo, Carrots!
Found a new crunchy food to eat. They talked about it at my WW meeting on Saturday, the Gerber finger foods in banana flavor. 1 cup, which is a lot of pieces, is 1 point. I even looked on-line to see about ordering Vita-Muffin mix (you add the egg whites and water) but am balking at spending $40 on six boxes of mix. I can make brannies for a lot less than that...
Now I need to get my rear moving in the exercise front. I am signed up to run a 5K on September 2nd. I should really run some before that... I would like to have a halfway decent time. It's just a little hard to get motivated for a 5k... it's only 3 miles. Am I sad or what?
And a last reminder - wash your hands!
~a
Monday, August 14, 2006
Too much of a good thing?
As I was driving last week, I was listening to a lot of public radio... it engages the mind and makes the miles seem to go faster.
So in one of the stories, they talked about was too much water. There really is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and it does not mean desert. I found it kind of interesting. Especially the part where they said that caffeine gets a bad reputation for dehydrating you. But, that's not actually the case. Yes it makes you pee, but if you were ingesting that amount in plain water, it would do the same thing for you. So I guess I should not feel as guilty about the 2-3 cups of coffee I drink at work each morning. Except for the fact that my doctor says that it hinders the absorption of calcium, which is definately important in women...
Well, I did as I said I would, I went to a WW meeting on Saturday. I suppose it could have been worse. Now I just want it to be better! I need to treat it as a shiny new toy again. I was actually pretty good on Saturday, I gave myself 5 extra points for the day, since I dontaed blood, and I did not dip into any of my flex. And I had a very relaxing, tv-watching, doing a lot of nothing day.
Sunday was another matter. I slept until about 9:30, then I got up and started doing some stuff around the house. Laundry, kitty litter cleaning, (washing of hands, of course), some food prep for the book club I am hosting on Wednesday (check out the book), then Eric came home from being rained out while fishing. We decided to go out for some lunch - I had not had anything to eat yet... and we got to the restaurant at about 2:00. I was starting to feel a bit hungry at this point... if you can imagine! I did pretty well there, considering. Ate half of my sandwich. Had a cup of baked potato soup, some coleslaw, and about 6 fries. Felt extremely full, and stopped eating. After that, we ran some errands, and went home for a bit, before going to a friend's "happy hour" for his birthday. One large margarita, and a large beer, and chips and salsa, and then a trip to DQ for some ice cream later, I was about 23 points over for the day.
Remember: shiny new toy! I want to journal! (The good part is that I did track everything) I want to make like this is a new adventure, not just some place I have visited, and liked, but could not live there for longer than a few weeks. Eat to live, don't live to eat.
And there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. All things in moderation.
~a
So in one of the stories, they talked about was too much water. There really is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and it does not mean desert. I found it kind of interesting. Especially the part where they said that caffeine gets a bad reputation for dehydrating you. But, that's not actually the case. Yes it makes you pee, but if you were ingesting that amount in plain water, it would do the same thing for you. So I guess I should not feel as guilty about the 2-3 cups of coffee I drink at work each morning. Except for the fact that my doctor says that it hinders the absorption of calcium, which is definately important in women...
Well, I did as I said I would, I went to a WW meeting on Saturday. I suppose it could have been worse. Now I just want it to be better! I need to treat it as a shiny new toy again. I was actually pretty good on Saturday, I gave myself 5 extra points for the day, since I dontaed blood, and I did not dip into any of my flex. And I had a very relaxing, tv-watching, doing a lot of nothing day.
Sunday was another matter. I slept until about 9:30, then I got up and started doing some stuff around the house. Laundry, kitty litter cleaning, (washing of hands, of course), some food prep for the book club I am hosting on Wednesday (check out the book), then Eric came home from being rained out while fishing. We decided to go out for some lunch - I had not had anything to eat yet... and we got to the restaurant at about 2:00. I was starting to feel a bit hungry at this point... if you can imagine! I did pretty well there, considering. Ate half of my sandwich. Had a cup of baked potato soup, some coleslaw, and about 6 fries. Felt extremely full, and stopped eating. After that, we ran some errands, and went home for a bit, before going to a friend's "happy hour" for his birthday. One large margarita, and a large beer, and chips and salsa, and then a trip to DQ for some ice cream later, I was about 23 points over for the day.
Remember: shiny new toy! I want to journal! (The good part is that I did track everything) I want to make like this is a new adventure, not just some place I have visited, and liked, but could not live there for longer than a few weeks. Eat to live, don't live to eat.
And there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. All things in moderation.
~a
Friday, August 11, 2006
Four things about me
This was sent as an e-mail from a friend of mine, but instead of answering her back, I thought I would do it here....
Four Things about me - - - - - - - -
A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
Four Things about me - - - - - - - -
A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
- McDonald's
- Lifeguard
- Normal Volunteer (at the National Institues of Health)/Research Assistant
- Telemarketer for NordicTrack
- Princess Bride
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
- Highlander
- GI Jane
C) Four places you have lived:
- Sheboygan, WI
- DesMoines, IA
- Saint Peter, MN
- Superior, WI
D) Four TV shows you love to watch:
- Grey's Anatomy
- Desperate Housewives
- House
- Big Love
E ) Four places you have been on vacation:
- Jamacia
- London, England
- Rome, Italy
- Charlotte, NC
F) Websites you visit daily:
- saintpauljaycees.org
- comcast.net (e-mail)
- my bank website
- various blogs
G) Four of my favourite foods:
- Cheese
- Popcorn
- Scallops
- Bananas (but they can't be too ripe)
H) Four places I would rather be right now:
- Marty's pool
- On the beach
- Snuggling with DH
- At my parent's house
A weekend with no plans?
Time, blessed time - all to myself.
That's what I am going to have this weekend. And I think I need it. Life has been crazy nutso. But what else is new?
Last Friday, I left work early to go shopping. I needed to get food etc. for the party I was having at the house on Sunday. So, I went home and picked up the truck, and headed over to Trader Joe's. I made the find of the week there, I think... they are now making 100 calorie pack snacks - oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate graham cookies. Can we say yum? Picked up some other food stuff and 2 cases of wine. (for the party...) And I was doubly glad to have the truck instead of the car because a) it's an automatic and it was getting into rush hour and b) it's very BIG, and you can see everything in front of you in rush hour! Two more stores later, I was headed home to do some food prep.
So food menu for the party:
deli meats and cheeses for sandwiches (with buns)
marinated and grilled mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant
cabbage salad with ramen
tuna noodle salad
hummus with veggies
shrimp with cocktail sauce
cucumbers in rice wine vinegar
cucumbers and onions mixed with sour cream
crackers
It was nummy, and pretty healthy too...
So why was I having a party? My stepdaughter got married on May 30th, and she and her husband were going to be in town, so I wanted to have the family meet them, so I threw a party. I sent out 25 invitations, and probably had about 30 or so people come through on Sunday. I think it went well. My sister came to the house on Saturday to help me straighten up, and to help prep the food. Thank goodness. She helped me keep some sanity.
And this whole week, pretty much, I have been traveling for work. I had a 3-day conference on Mon, Tues and Wed near Milwaukee, WI, then I needed to be at a meeting in Fargo on Thursday. After getting into the hotel on Wednesday evening at 10pm, then firing up the computer to do some work until midnight, knowing I needed to be on the road at 6am was quite fun... I was wondering how I had managed to start burning the candle in the middle, along with both ends!
But I have a weekend to destress. I have nothing planned. No committments that I have made, except maybe to myself.
I have decided that I need to get myself back to WW meetings. I need the accountability. And goodness knows I have not been doing it on my own. I am planning on going to a different center - one that will be closer to my house, so I will not have more excuses not to go.
That's my story and I am sticking to it.
~a
That's what I am going to have this weekend. And I think I need it. Life has been crazy nutso. But what else is new?
Last Friday, I left work early to go shopping. I needed to get food etc. for the party I was having at the house on Sunday. So, I went home and picked up the truck, and headed over to Trader Joe's. I made the find of the week there, I think... they are now making 100 calorie pack snacks - oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate graham cookies. Can we say yum? Picked up some other food stuff and 2 cases of wine. (for the party...) And I was doubly glad to have the truck instead of the car because a) it's an automatic and it was getting into rush hour and b) it's very BIG, and you can see everything in front of you in rush hour! Two more stores later, I was headed home to do some food prep.
So food menu for the party:
deli meats and cheeses for sandwiches (with buns)
marinated and grilled mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant
cabbage salad with ramen
tuna noodle salad
hummus with veggies
shrimp with cocktail sauce
cucumbers in rice wine vinegar
cucumbers and onions mixed with sour cream
crackers
It was nummy, and pretty healthy too...
So why was I having a party? My stepdaughter got married on May 30th, and she and her husband were going to be in town, so I wanted to have the family meet them, so I threw a party. I sent out 25 invitations, and probably had about 30 or so people come through on Sunday. I think it went well. My sister came to the house on Saturday to help me straighten up, and to help prep the food. Thank goodness. She helped me keep some sanity.
And this whole week, pretty much, I have been traveling for work. I had a 3-day conference on Mon, Tues and Wed near Milwaukee, WI, then I needed to be at a meeting in Fargo on Thursday. After getting into the hotel on Wednesday evening at 10pm, then firing up the computer to do some work until midnight, knowing I needed to be on the road at 6am was quite fun... I was wondering how I had managed to start burning the candle in the middle, along with both ends!
But I have a weekend to destress. I have nothing planned. No committments that I have made, except maybe to myself.
I have decided that I need to get myself back to WW meetings. I need the accountability. And goodness knows I have not been doing it on my own. I am planning on going to a different center - one that will be closer to my house, so I will not have more excuses not to go.
That's my story and I am sticking to it.
~a
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Our house has been shot
Well that statement caused my husband to panic a bit...
I was sitting in my living room on Tuesday, reading a book, minding my own business, when I noticed something was not right with our front window. Looking closer, there was this odd shaped chip on the storm window. Looking even closer, I notice a small round hole in the outside window. Evidently someone in the neighborhood thought the house windows were threatning, so they decided it needed to be shot. There are two holes in one of the front windows. At least they are only in one window (There are 5 panes in the front bay window.) And the pellets did not go through all of the panes into the house. But still...
So I called the police to make a report, and I swear the officer that came to the house looked like he was about 12. Am I becoming one of those people that thinks that people look too young? Anyway, he came and looked at the window, asked if we knew who might have done it (no) if we saw anything (no), and if we had anyone mad at us that might have done it (no). Then he told us that he could not really do anything without more information. I knew that going in, but I wanted to make the report for (a) insurance purposes and (b) in case anyone else in the neighborhood was having any problems so there is a record of it.
It is just irritating, and it will likely be pretty expensive to fix the window.
In another direction - I was staying at a hotel last night and invited my sister and nieces to come join me for a bit to swim in the pool there. They have all been staying at my parent's house, where there is a lake, but a pool is just different. There was, however a huge group of kids in the pool area for a birthday party. It was just mass chaos. One of the kids about jumped on top of my niece's head - she didn't look before she jumped, so my sister went to go tell her that she should watch what she was doing, because she could hurt someone. Then said girl's mother told my sister that she should mind her own business - "I run a daycare, I know how to watch kids!" Evidently that was not the case, as she pretty much just chatted with the other adults there, drinking a frozen (I am assuming alcoholic) drink, and nipping outside to have a cigarette. It just drives me nuts when parents don't watch what their kids are doing, or when they put infants in the hot tub. I kid you not, there were about 12 kids with floaties in the hot tub. A mom even put her kid (who was under 1 year old) in a inflatable in the hot tub. HELLOOOOOO, what the hell are you thinking?
It was just massive craziness. We wouldn't let my nieces get in the hot tub. I wouldn't get in the hot tub. With that many kids, and warm water, who knows what kind of bacterial growth was running rampant?
It was a relief to drag our two out of the pool, and to get out of the area.
And that's what I have to say on that subjet...
Later!
~a
I was sitting in my living room on Tuesday, reading a book, minding my own business, when I noticed something was not right with our front window. Looking closer, there was this odd shaped chip on the storm window. Looking even closer, I notice a small round hole in the outside window. Evidently someone in the neighborhood thought the house windows were threatning, so they decided it needed to be shot. There are two holes in one of the front windows. At least they are only in one window (There are 5 panes in the front bay window.) And the pellets did not go through all of the panes into the house. But still...
So I called the police to make a report, and I swear the officer that came to the house looked like he was about 12. Am I becoming one of those people that thinks that people look too young? Anyway, he came and looked at the window, asked if we knew who might have done it (no) if we saw anything (no), and if we had anyone mad at us that might have done it (no). Then he told us that he could not really do anything without more information. I knew that going in, but I wanted to make the report for (a) insurance purposes and (b) in case anyone else in the neighborhood was having any problems so there is a record of it.
It is just irritating, and it will likely be pretty expensive to fix the window.
In another direction - I was staying at a hotel last night and invited my sister and nieces to come join me for a bit to swim in the pool there. They have all been staying at my parent's house, where there is a lake, but a pool is just different. There was, however a huge group of kids in the pool area for a birthday party. It was just mass chaos. One of the kids about jumped on top of my niece's head - she didn't look before she jumped, so my sister went to go tell her that she should watch what she was doing, because she could hurt someone. Then said girl's mother told my sister that she should mind her own business - "I run a daycare, I know how to watch kids!" Evidently that was not the case, as she pretty much just chatted with the other adults there, drinking a frozen (I am assuming alcoholic) drink, and nipping outside to have a cigarette. It just drives me nuts when parents don't watch what their kids are doing, or when they put infants in the hot tub. I kid you not, there were about 12 kids with floaties in the hot tub. A mom even put her kid (who was under 1 year old) in a inflatable in the hot tub. HELLOOOOOO, what the hell are you thinking?
It was just massive craziness. We wouldn't let my nieces get in the hot tub. I wouldn't get in the hot tub. With that many kids, and warm water, who knows what kind of bacterial growth was running rampant?
It was a relief to drag our two out of the pool, and to get out of the area.
And that's what I have to say on that subjet...
Later!
~a
Monday, July 31, 2006
Two pounds
of loss, in sweat.
Seriously. I stepped on the scale on Saturday morning and Sunday morning both, and I was down two pounds on Sunday. I sat in this horrific heat wave, in a tent, selling tickets for RibFest this weekend. I did ride my bicycle there on Saturday, and lovely man that he is, Eric picked me up after I worked from 11:30 am until 10:30 pm. I would have ridden home, had I needed to, but it was nice having him take me and bike home.
Man, I was completely wiped after just sitting out in the heat. Makes me wonder what the people wandering around were feeling like!
The bad news about my weight loss, was that it was completely temporary. I am back to where I was before, and more. I'm thinking I just might have to get myself back into a meeting. My clothing is not fitting again, and in the stores, the sizes are going up. Not where I want to be.
I was thinking about going to the gym after work, but once again, I made excuses. Tomorrow is a new month, and a month for no excuses. At least tonight I got both checkbooks balanced (finally) and I will be working on getting the guest bedroom together for guests that are coming this weekend. I need to buy a mattress. The other one went with my stepson when he moved out....
On that note, off to use my muscle!
~a
Seriously. I stepped on the scale on Saturday morning and Sunday morning both, and I was down two pounds on Sunday. I sat in this horrific heat wave, in a tent, selling tickets for RibFest this weekend. I did ride my bicycle there on Saturday, and lovely man that he is, Eric picked me up after I worked from 11:30 am until 10:30 pm. I would have ridden home, had I needed to, but it was nice having him take me and bike home.
Man, I was completely wiped after just sitting out in the heat. Makes me wonder what the people wandering around were feeling like!
The bad news about my weight loss, was that it was completely temporary. I am back to where I was before, and more. I'm thinking I just might have to get myself back into a meeting. My clothing is not fitting again, and in the stores, the sizes are going up. Not where I want to be.
I was thinking about going to the gym after work, but once again, I made excuses. Tomorrow is a new month, and a month for no excuses. At least tonight I got both checkbooks balanced (finally) and I will be working on getting the guest bedroom together for guests that are coming this weekend. I need to buy a mattress. The other one went with my stepson when he moved out....
On that note, off to use my muscle!
~a
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Has it really only been one week?
Wow. Work has just been nutso crazy.
My parents and sis were here last Sunday. At my parent's house on Thursday evening, my father asked if I had noticed anything in my bathroom.
My answer to him:
"Well, I put in 12-hour days on Monday and Tuesday, leaving the house at 4:30 am both days, Tuesday I didn't get home until after 10, then Wednesday morning, I packed and left... so no, I didn't notice anything."
Evidently he fixed the toilet. It had not been flushing properly, so he said that he told Eric how to fix it, and Eric told him that it did not really matter because we were going to get a new toilet, so my dad fixed it himself. Who would have thought that adding more water would fix the problem? So now we don't have to purchase a new toilet, or go through the hassle of installing it. I had asked Eric if it was possible to fix it, and he told me no... but let's not go there. Enough about toilets already. I'm sure it was fascinating.
Work has been a mixture of bad and good. Monday sucked. Not only did I need to get up at oh god early to drive an hour to be at a meeting at 5:30am (no lie), they basically told me that I was full of crap, and that I was sent by "the company to put a positive spin on things". Um, no, you asked me here as a subject matter expert, then tell me I know nothing, so really, why was I there? Because I enjoy being yelled at? Yah, that was a great start.
Tuesday was marginally better, as days go, but it also started out pretty miserably. I had to catch a flight at 6am. So I had carefully printed out my itinerary the night before, to make sure that I was going to the correct airport. The code on the sheet said MSP (Minneapolis-St. Paul International, for the non-travelers). So I parked in the ramp there, and lugged my laptop and assorted reams of paper (so it felt like anyway) to check in. I can't find a ticket counter with my airline name on it. Walked from one end to the other, then was told that my flight left out of the Humphrey terminal. So I had to get on the light rail, and walk for what seemed like forever to get to the correct ticket counter. GRRRR. If it's at the HHH, please put that on the itenerary! I would have parked over there, as it is much easier anyway! I talked to the travel service, and they agreed, the only way I would have figured out that it was at that terminal was to get on line, and check which gate the flight was leaving from. Like I am going to boot up the ol' computer at 3:45 am! But the day progressed better from there, the meetings I had in Milwaukee were pretty productive.
Tuesday afternoon, I was on a plane heading back. Of course the plane did not leave on time, as it made funny noises when the brakes were applied, after we had pushed back from the gate and were moving to line up for takeoff. They had to go back to the gate to have people make sure that all of the doors were closed properly! Therefore, I got back, just in time to go to my friend's house for book club. I was of the opinion that I was not really fond of the book. I had been reading it the weekend before, and it just made me depressed. Other folks seemed to like it. It was pretty well written, and it engaged you, but the subject matter just left something to be desired, I felt. Plus it was the writer's first novel so there were several holes in it that just did not make sense or that should have been filled. The other thing was that it proclaimed that it was not "Chick Lit" and it so much was.... The book was: The Bitch Posse by Martha O'Connor.
Wednesday, I packed, got some time in at the office, then hopped in my truck to go to Alexandria, MN. More work meetings. I did not participate in the "team building" golf outing, I thought it was more important to get on a conference call that our VP had scheduled, plus I had been working on putting together all of the stats for said meeting, so I kind of needed to be there.
Thursday was meetings, then I went to pick up my sister and niece, and we went to the outlet mall to support our economy. I really seem to go in streaks on feeling like I have money to spend, to feeling poor and pinched. The poor and pinched usually happens when I manage to balance both checkbooks, and pay all of the bills. I have not been doing such a good job of that lately, as I have a.) had the time, and b.) dread doing it, since I leave it for too long because of a. I did pick up a new winter coat for $32 at the London Fog store that was going out of business. That made me happy.
Friday, was also a rather interesting day. We were out performing a job performance analysis on an employee that had been held out of service. There had been some complaints about him that he could not do his job, which is very physical work. I don't want to get into details, becuase of confidentiality issues, but I ended up calling the test off, becuase this employee was exhibiting very obvious signs of heat stroke - so we are rescheduling for after this hot weather breaks.
It just makes me glad that I am doing something about my health, and trying to stay in shape, so I can go out in the heat without it making me ill.
On that note, I am going to dust off my bycycle, and head over to sell tickets at RibFest. I know it will be a warm ride, but I gotta do it!
~a
My parents and sis were here last Sunday. At my parent's house on Thursday evening, my father asked if I had noticed anything in my bathroom.
My answer to him:
"Well, I put in 12-hour days on Monday and Tuesday, leaving the house at 4:30 am both days, Tuesday I didn't get home until after 10, then Wednesday morning, I packed and left... so no, I didn't notice anything."
Evidently he fixed the toilet. It had not been flushing properly, so he said that he told Eric how to fix it, and Eric told him that it did not really matter because we were going to get a new toilet, so my dad fixed it himself. Who would have thought that adding more water would fix the problem? So now we don't have to purchase a new toilet, or go through the hassle of installing it. I had asked Eric if it was possible to fix it, and he told me no... but let's not go there. Enough about toilets already. I'm sure it was fascinating.
Work has been a mixture of bad and good. Monday sucked. Not only did I need to get up at oh god early to drive an hour to be at a meeting at 5:30am (no lie), they basically told me that I was full of crap, and that I was sent by "the company to put a positive spin on things". Um, no, you asked me here as a subject matter expert, then tell me I know nothing, so really, why was I there? Because I enjoy being yelled at? Yah, that was a great start.
Tuesday was marginally better, as days go, but it also started out pretty miserably. I had to catch a flight at 6am. So I had carefully printed out my itinerary the night before, to make sure that I was going to the correct airport. The code on the sheet said MSP (Minneapolis-St. Paul International, for the non-travelers). So I parked in the ramp there, and lugged my laptop and assorted reams of paper (so it felt like anyway) to check in. I can't find a ticket counter with my airline name on it. Walked from one end to the other, then was told that my flight left out of the Humphrey terminal. So I had to get on the light rail, and walk for what seemed like forever to get to the correct ticket counter. GRRRR. If it's at the HHH, please put that on the itenerary! I would have parked over there, as it is much easier anyway! I talked to the travel service, and they agreed, the only way I would have figured out that it was at that terminal was to get on line, and check which gate the flight was leaving from. Like I am going to boot up the ol' computer at 3:45 am! But the day progressed better from there, the meetings I had in Milwaukee were pretty productive.
Tuesday afternoon, I was on a plane heading back. Of course the plane did not leave on time, as it made funny noises when the brakes were applied, after we had pushed back from the gate and were moving to line up for takeoff. They had to go back to the gate to have people make sure that all of the doors were closed properly! Therefore, I got back, just in time to go to my friend's house for book club. I was of the opinion that I was not really fond of the book. I had been reading it the weekend before, and it just made me depressed. Other folks seemed to like it. It was pretty well written, and it engaged you, but the subject matter just left something to be desired, I felt. Plus it was the writer's first novel so there were several holes in it that just did not make sense or that should have been filled. The other thing was that it proclaimed that it was not "Chick Lit" and it so much was.... The book was: The Bitch Posse by Martha O'Connor.
Wednesday, I packed, got some time in at the office, then hopped in my truck to go to Alexandria, MN. More work meetings. I did not participate in the "team building" golf outing, I thought it was more important to get on a conference call that our VP had scheduled, plus I had been working on putting together all of the stats for said meeting, so I kind of needed to be there.
Thursday was meetings, then I went to pick up my sister and niece, and we went to the outlet mall to support our economy. I really seem to go in streaks on feeling like I have money to spend, to feeling poor and pinched. The poor and pinched usually happens when I manage to balance both checkbooks, and pay all of the bills. I have not been doing such a good job of that lately, as I have a.) had the time, and b.) dread doing it, since I leave it for too long because of a. I did pick up a new winter coat for $32 at the London Fog store that was going out of business. That made me happy.
Friday, was also a rather interesting day. We were out performing a job performance analysis on an employee that had been held out of service. There had been some complaints about him that he could not do his job, which is very physical work. I don't want to get into details, becuase of confidentiality issues, but I ended up calling the test off, becuase this employee was exhibiting very obvious signs of heat stroke - so we are rescheduling for after this hot weather breaks.
It just makes me glad that I am doing something about my health, and trying to stay in shape, so I can go out in the heat without it making me ill.
On that note, I am going to dust off my bycycle, and head over to sell tickets at RibFest. I know it will be a warm ride, but I gotta do it!
~a
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Weekend's wrapping up!
I wanted to do an update on the exercise. I finally got my rear out of the house to go running. I did 3 miles this morning, easy, and acutally ran the whole way. And it felt great.Yesterday did not go according to plan. But what does? I went downstairs to get a dent made in the laundry, and the basement, as always really was making me depressed. My husband, much as I love him, is not into making things organized. At all. He has all of these books on how to organize, and how not to be messy, but things are always a disaster. As much as a perfectionist he is about some things, this is not one area that he feels the need. Pretty much ever. He saves all of this stuff, because he might want/need it someday. But if you can't find anything, what good does it do you? And then all of the crap masks all of the stuff that you really need, like the lawn sprinkler. It's pretty shameful actually, our lawn. You wouldn't know that Eric has a degree in landscape technology by the shape of our yard.
So I spent about 4 hours in the basement, straightening. And ignored eating for a long time. When I could not stand it any more, I ate a couple of tofu & Spinach eggrolls (Trader Joe's, and quite yummy I might add) and the rest of the Pina Colada from the night before. Then Eric came home, and I pretty much yelled at him for all of the crap all over. He said the least I could do would be to greet him first... which I had told him hello when he came home... but I was in a much better mood later than I had been when I was discovering more crap, on top of crap, under crap.... at least I did something about it instead of being pissed off and eating because I was pissed off.
Today was a day with my sister, my parents and my two nieces. We went out to brunch, then headed to the mall. Lots of trying on of clothes ensued. I ended up with three nice outfits, and my sister got a bunch of stuff for my nieces - school clothes shopping, if you believe that for July! But, things are less expensive here, because there is no tax on clothing.
Anyway, I had to go into the office this evening to get something done (got a call from one of the VP's as I was in the dressing room) and I won't have time to do it tomorrow before he needs the info. So I get to go home and fold all of my laundry. Joy.
Woo hoo, carrots.
~a
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