And it's ONLY because of the program (on which I have NOT been perfect). Despite desire, never made it to yoga this week...NO formal exercise...AGAIN. But I am vigilant with what I ingest. And THAT must be important. I am not losing fast like the June - July period, but very very slowly moving down...and with NO real exercise. When I kick the exercise back in gear...WATCH OUT! ;-)
Leaving for a week in NYC tomorrow to celebrate my mom's 80th...I may be here or not. But I am reading you all and still WITH you even when not commenting. :-)
Happy Halloween/Samhain! :-)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sad end to long-term relationship a/k/a U2 concert
I had a great time last night, but I thought the show sucked. From what I see on-line today, I must have been the only one. I feel like I broke up with my favorite band last night:
It was already bothering me that they give lip service to saving the planet but are hauling those huge stages around the world (not to mention that they must have had to take a private plane from NYC to LA yesterday to make the show -- maybe that's why they seemed so lackluster to me). Then to have tickets cost $250 (for where I sat -- luckily I got mine free) PLUS exorbitant parking fees (I loved the "party bus" we took, by the way...would do that again...so nice to not have to drive). And THEN to have them completely (in my opinion) not interact with the audience -- I mean they had those huge bridges moving around all the time and I think Bono came out to the outer ring ONCE and Edge once?! They seemed much more worried about filming their show for yet more dough than with giving a good show for the people who were THERE. I actually hear that it was good on-line. But I was THERE and I was very VERY disappointed. Very. I actually cried about halfway through when I realized they just aren't the band I fell in love with in the 80s. This doesn't mean that I don't still LOVE the music. But I really don't see myself going to any more of their shows... :-(
I'm pooped from not getting to bed until 2 am -- maybe I'm just OLD. Nahhhhh... ;-)
Good news is that I took all my own food and drinks so did very well on program. :-)
It was already bothering me that they give lip service to saving the planet but are hauling those huge stages around the world (not to mention that they must have had to take a private plane from NYC to LA yesterday to make the show -- maybe that's why they seemed so lackluster to me). Then to have tickets cost $250 (for where I sat -- luckily I got mine free) PLUS exorbitant parking fees (I loved the "party bus" we took, by the way...would do that again...so nice to not have to drive). And THEN to have them completely (in my opinion) not interact with the audience -- I mean they had those huge bridges moving around all the time and I think Bono came out to the outer ring ONCE and Edge once?! They seemed much more worried about filming their show for yet more dough than with giving a good show for the people who were THERE. I actually hear that it was good on-line. But I was THERE and I was very VERY disappointed. Very. I actually cried about halfway through when I realized they just aren't the band I fell in love with in the 80s. This doesn't mean that I don't still LOVE the music. But I really don't see myself going to any more of their shows... :-(
I'm pooped from not getting to bed until 2 am -- maybe I'm just OLD. Nahhhhh... ;-)
Good news is that I took all my own food and drinks so did very well on program. :-)
Friday, October 23, 2009
Lazy lazy lazy
Lazy blogger, lazy exerciser, lazy is my middle name this week. But, with all that, somehow I have managed to really keep my weight down. This morning I am just tenths of a pound higher than my absolute lowest. I also am maintaining here at 30 pounds down from two years ago. While I am not thrilled that I am stalled with 10-15 more lbs to go, I am trying to pump myself up by patting myself on my back for my success and continuing vigilance.
Last weekend was a ball -- in some ways I like this "decompression" better than I like the big Burning Man event itself. It's a lot closer (3 1/2 to 4 hour drive instead of 12 hour drive), cleaner (sand instead of dust that sticks to your every pore...and even a hot springs and shower if you're into that!), and smaller so more friendly. We had a fantastic spot for our camp (under some trees -- which is nice in the desert -- and among the derelict train cars that are part of the art on this property) and ended up with 6 adults and three kids. Our camp was away a little bit from the two main camping areas -- one in a "wash" and one up a road on a hill -- so we were really in the middle of it. DB and Mr. Microwave did an amazing job of setting it all up on Friday so it was finished when we finally arrived at about 11:30 Friday night.
Saturday morning I woke up in our tent to the sounds of DB and the Microwaves chatting in our dome/living area and thought how nice it was to hear beloved voices as your alarm clock. The whole day I felt so much love for everyone -- it was very very emotional and wonderful. DB and I roamed looking at art, meeting people, etc. in our costumes (see below). I read a book a lot and chatted with people who came by our camp. Changed costumes late in the day and read and roamed some more. After dinner (yes, DB and I did very well staying on plan), we roamed some more to watch the big "burn" -- two guys dressed up in fireproof outfits with fire shooting through their hands somehow destroying a cardboard city that someone built -- kinda like a real-life Godzilla movie. It was fun. And then behind that they were showing Harry Potter with a silly voiceover...it was a night like that.
Sunday we spent several hours breaking down and packing up. As usual, some people help and some don't. It's disappointing that everyone doesn't pitch in for the WORK, but all expect the fun. One person who came with us actually showed up with no tent, just a sleeping bag, gallon of water, some chips and nuts and a box of wine. Seriously. She expected us (mostly DB) to do everything for her...including feeding her our meals. I told DB that we cannot invite this person anymore...she did a similar thing last time she went camping with us and I resent it. Oh well...
Despite what I half-heartedly thought last Friday, I did crap crap crappy at getting back to exercise this week as in I did NONE. :-( I'm not sure what I need to do to get that going again, but it's hard now that it's dark when I get home from work. I am focusing on this A LOT. Am determined to hit the local yoga studio at least once next week.
This weekend is going to be super-busy: tomorrow we have to unpack from last weekend and then I have to pack up for U2 on Sunday! It's going to be like a mini-camping trip. They are playing at the Rose Bowl and, while they are my favorite band of all time, the whole experience is going to be an ordeal. You have to arrive around noon or something, spend the afternoon picnicking or whatever in the parking/park area, then the show (Black Eyed Peas opening) starts at 7. After the show (probably about 11:30, I expect it will take HOURS to get out of parking and home). I'm a little irritated with U2 for choosing this venue...not the greatest for aging fans like me!! But Mrs. Microwave and I are going and we are going to have FUN, dammit!! ;-)
Last weekend was a ball -- in some ways I like this "decompression" better than I like the big Burning Man event itself. It's a lot closer (3 1/2 to 4 hour drive instead of 12 hour drive), cleaner (sand instead of dust that sticks to your every pore...and even a hot springs and shower if you're into that!), and smaller so more friendly. We had a fantastic spot for our camp (under some trees -- which is nice in the desert -- and among the derelict train cars that are part of the art on this property) and ended up with 6 adults and three kids. Our camp was away a little bit from the two main camping areas -- one in a "wash" and one up a road on a hill -- so we were really in the middle of it. DB and Mr. Microwave did an amazing job of setting it all up on Friday so it was finished when we finally arrived at about 11:30 Friday night.
Saturday morning I woke up in our tent to the sounds of DB and the Microwaves chatting in our dome/living area and thought how nice it was to hear beloved voices as your alarm clock. The whole day I felt so much love for everyone -- it was very very emotional and wonderful. DB and I roamed looking at art, meeting people, etc. in our costumes (see below). I read a book a lot and chatted with people who came by our camp. Changed costumes late in the day and read and roamed some more. After dinner (yes, DB and I did very well staying on plan), we roamed some more to watch the big "burn" -- two guys dressed up in fireproof outfits with fire shooting through their hands somehow destroying a cardboard city that someone built -- kinda like a real-life Godzilla movie. It was fun. And then behind that they were showing Harry Potter with a silly voiceover...it was a night like that.
Sunday we spent several hours breaking down and packing up. As usual, some people help and some don't. It's disappointing that everyone doesn't pitch in for the WORK, but all expect the fun. One person who came with us actually showed up with no tent, just a sleeping bag, gallon of water, some chips and nuts and a box of wine. Seriously. She expected us (mostly DB) to do everything for her...including feeding her our meals. I told DB that we cannot invite this person anymore...she did a similar thing last time she went camping with us and I resent it. Oh well...
Despite what I half-heartedly thought last Friday, I did crap crap crappy at getting back to exercise this week as in I did NONE. :-( I'm not sure what I need to do to get that going again, but it's hard now that it's dark when I get home from work. I am focusing on this A LOT. Am determined to hit the local yoga studio at least once next week.
This weekend is going to be super-busy: tomorrow we have to unpack from last weekend and then I have to pack up for U2 on Sunday! It's going to be like a mini-camping trip. They are playing at the Rose Bowl and, while they are my favorite band of all time, the whole experience is going to be an ordeal. You have to arrive around noon or something, spend the afternoon picnicking or whatever in the parking/park area, then the show (Black Eyed Peas opening) starts at 7. After the show (probably about 11:30, I expect it will take HOURS to get out of parking and home). I'm a little irritated with U2 for choosing this venue...not the greatest for aging fans like me!! But Mrs. Microwave and I are going and we are going to have FUN, dammit!! ;-)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Camping in Costume
Yes, that is what I will be doing this weekend. Yee haw! I need a mini-vacation after the last couple of weeks at work. Jamming to try to leave the office a little early (it's a 3 1/2 hour drive...DB and Microwave daddy have already left...Microwave mommy, kids and I are following later), but wanted to quickly post.
Called the doc on Monday and described my breast pain...he thought it might be a nerve thing and told me to ice then heat the area that night and, if it wasn't better, to call. It's better. Whew. :-)
Still on a quest for shoes...bought some more Tevas and Earth shoes this week...walked about a mile this morning wearing Converse and my toe was hurting after a block. Sadly ('cause they are my fave shoes ever) I think I'm going to have to seriously curtail Converse-wearing unless I'm walking less than a block (which rarely happens). :-(
Weight is still staying in the same (lower) range. Not great 'cause I'm not losing, but not horrible. I know why this is happening: NO ORGANIZED EXERCISE. This has got to stop. It's great to know that I can maintain on this plan without exercise, but I still want to LOSE. It's been over a decade since I've gone this long without organized exercise. Bad bad thing. It's probably contributing to all my physical issues. I've got to get myself back into the habit.
Had a big talk with DB last night about Mexican food. He agreed with some friends that we would go have Mexican dinner without talking with me. I hate going to Mexican restaurants because they are the one place where it is really REALLY hard to stay on plan. I am powerless over tortilla chips when I'm hungry and almost nothing Mexican has good veggies (except fajitas...which aren't even real Mexican food!). I was extremely cranky because either (a) I was going to overeat, or (b) I was going to eat on-plan and be miserable watching everyone else enjoy "treats" that I can't have. This is why I avoid restaurants like this like the plague. I didn't do horribly, but the chips did suck me in and I felt FAT afterwards. I asked DB (probably not very nicely) to NEVER agree to go to Mexican again without talking with me (this is hard for him because Mexican is probably his favorite food). I explained my issues with it. He felt too full too and finally understood how I feel. Karma: this morning, my weight was down 0.2 from yesterday...and his was up 2 lbs.
I wish food wasn't such a big issue in my life. But it is. Coping with that is, I guess, one of my life's great lessons. But I don't have to like it. ;-)
Called the doc on Monday and described my breast pain...he thought it might be a nerve thing and told me to ice then heat the area that night and, if it wasn't better, to call. It's better. Whew. :-)
Still on a quest for shoes...bought some more Tevas and Earth shoes this week...walked about a mile this morning wearing Converse and my toe was hurting after a block. Sadly ('cause they are my fave shoes ever) I think I'm going to have to seriously curtail Converse-wearing unless I'm walking less than a block (which rarely happens). :-(
Weight is still staying in the same (lower) range. Not great 'cause I'm not losing, but not horrible. I know why this is happening: NO ORGANIZED EXERCISE. This has got to stop. It's great to know that I can maintain on this plan without exercise, but I still want to LOSE. It's been over a decade since I've gone this long without organized exercise. Bad bad thing. It's probably contributing to all my physical issues. I've got to get myself back into the habit.
Had a big talk with DB last night about Mexican food. He agreed with some friends that we would go have Mexican dinner without talking with me. I hate going to Mexican restaurants because they are the one place where it is really REALLY hard to stay on plan. I am powerless over tortilla chips when I'm hungry and almost nothing Mexican has good veggies (except fajitas...which aren't even real Mexican food!). I was extremely cranky because either (a) I was going to overeat, or (b) I was going to eat on-plan and be miserable watching everyone else enjoy "treats" that I can't have. This is why I avoid restaurants like this like the plague. I didn't do horribly, but the chips did suck me in and I felt FAT afterwards. I asked DB (probably not very nicely) to NEVER agree to go to Mexican again without talking with me (this is hard for him because Mexican is probably his favorite food). I explained my issues with it. He felt too full too and finally understood how I feel. Karma: this morning, my weight was down 0.2 from yesterday...and his was up 2 lbs.
I wish food wasn't such a big issue in my life. But it is. Coping with that is, I guess, one of my life's great lessons. But I don't have to like it. ;-)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
So freakin' busy
Thanks to everyone who is still checking in with me even though I've been MIA for over a week....
Last week was incredibly busy at work...a couple of big deals and juggling all my usual stuff left no time for blogging and only limited time for reading the rest of you. It was one of those weeks where I really earned "the big bucks". ;-)
No, I have not yet been to the doc, but I'm calling tomorrow. The pain is bad some days, but not debilitating most days. However, it's been going on long enough that I don't feel like I hypochondriac going to check it out.
Weight-wise, I had a good week. I feel like I'm back moving in the right direction. This morning my weight was just 1 pound above my absolute lowest...and that's unheard of for a Sunday (Saturday is carb-up night and I had a couple of beers last night).
Yesterday I went to Goodwill to buy some jeans that fit...most of mine, while they are not falling off, don't look so great because they are baggy (I think that makes me look fatter than I am). It was fun to have almost every one I tried on fit. :-) I have some good-fitting jeans now and some that will be perfect in 5 pounds. And they are only $6 each! Can't beat that.
I've also been haunting ebay all week...trying to find cheap deals on different brands of shoes to try to find some that work for my wacky feet. Got some Merrells -- they are nice for my bunion, but they don't work well with my bad toe. The Teva boots are really good so far. Am going to try to get some Earth shoes this week because it seems that the shoes that go up in the front help support the bad toe (many Tevas do this). Even in Tevas though, sometimes (this morning) my toe hurts after walking not even that far. So I'll still be checking out more brands on ebay...trying to find ones that work for cheap.
Today we're working to pack up for a camping trip we're going on next weekend...yay! :-)
P.S. For those of you who aren't my Facebook friends, I went roller-blading for the first time ever on Thursday night!! I was slow and scared, but I didn't fall down a single time and I think that's pretty darn good for a 47-year-old who had never been on blades before! :-)
Last week was incredibly busy at work...a couple of big deals and juggling all my usual stuff left no time for blogging and only limited time for reading the rest of you. It was one of those weeks where I really earned "the big bucks". ;-)
No, I have not yet been to the doc, but I'm calling tomorrow. The pain is bad some days, but not debilitating most days. However, it's been going on long enough that I don't feel like I hypochondriac going to check it out.
Weight-wise, I had a good week. I feel like I'm back moving in the right direction. This morning my weight was just 1 pound above my absolute lowest...and that's unheard of for a Sunday (Saturday is carb-up night and I had a couple of beers last night).
Yesterday I went to Goodwill to buy some jeans that fit...most of mine, while they are not falling off, don't look so great because they are baggy (I think that makes me look fatter than I am). It was fun to have almost every one I tried on fit. :-) I have some good-fitting jeans now and some that will be perfect in 5 pounds. And they are only $6 each! Can't beat that.
I've also been haunting ebay all week...trying to find cheap deals on different brands of shoes to try to find some that work for my wacky feet. Got some Merrells -- they are nice for my bunion, but they don't work well with my bad toe. The Teva boots are really good so far. Am going to try to get some Earth shoes this week because it seems that the shoes that go up in the front help support the bad toe (many Tevas do this). Even in Tevas though, sometimes (this morning) my toe hurts after walking not even that far. So I'll still be checking out more brands on ebay...trying to find ones that work for cheap.
Today we're working to pack up for a camping trip we're going on next weekend...yay! :-)
P.S. For those of you who aren't my Facebook friends, I went roller-blading for the first time ever on Thursday night!! I was slow and scared, but I didn't fall down a single time and I think that's pretty darn good for a 47-year-old who had never been on blades before! :-)
Friday, October 2, 2009
Ouchy body parts
Maybe I'm just getting old...
The past two mornings I have woken up with really bad pain under my left arm, up around my breast and radiating down my arm. Yesterday, the pain went away by afternoon. This morning it woke me up early and hurt so much I couldn't go back to sleep. I've promised DB that I will go see a doctor (but which doctor?!) early next week if it's not better. It's probably hormonal (started the day after I stopped progesterone for the month), but it is worrying...even though I just had a clean mammogram two weeks ago, I worry about lymph nodes, heart, etc. I am a great hypochondriac.
It also may be caffeine...I've been having a little more lately than usual...but usually only on Saturday and Sunday.
This is in addition to kind of ouchy swollen knees for the past couple of days. I can't figure out what made this happen because (unfortunately) I haven't done any odd exercise that would have caused this. I did eat some bad salty nuts on Tuesday night while I waited for the tsunami (oh yeah, we had a tsunami advisory...ended up being nothing) and that probably contributed. I also am having trouble with a bunion...
Sunday I walked almost literally all day. Half the day was in my good Tevas (the only shoe that is REALLY comfy on me with my foot issues) and half the day was in my Converse (which I love, but which definitely are not made for walking...at least for me). Monday, my right foot (where I have a bunion) was incredibly painful. I got some spacers at the drugstore and also some toe spreaders to wear each night for 10 minutes. These seem to help, but I wonder if this foot stuff didn't also contribute to the knee stuff...
I have to find some more brands of shoes that I can wear...my mom has/had horrible bunions and I have her feet. I don't want to have surgery so I'm trying all these other things. And I need to find a brand of shoes that works on my feet (Clarks and Birkenstocks and Crocs, for example, which work for a lot of people do NOT work on my feet). I also need to find a brand that makes nice "work" pumps that I can wear with dresses that don't look like old lady shoes. So far, I have been unsuccessful in finding such so if anyone has any hot tips, please chime in!
Tonight we have Princess staying with us before we take her to the airport tomorrow to go visit her daddy in the South. I'm really looking forward to this because we rarely get just Papa/Helen/Princess time alone anymore now that she has three siblings!!
My mom moved into her assisted living today and I went over at lunchtime to see her progress. It's a really nice place and she's excited to be moved (even though there's a LOT of unpacking to do!).
And, oh yeah, the beer took its toll -- I'm up 2 pounds from last Friday. But I seem to stay in ranges until my body adjusts to new lows -- now the range I'm in is about 4-5 pounds less than it was a month ago. And that's a good thing.
The past two mornings I have woken up with really bad pain under my left arm, up around my breast and radiating down my arm. Yesterday, the pain went away by afternoon. This morning it woke me up early and hurt so much I couldn't go back to sleep. I've promised DB that I will go see a doctor (but which doctor?!) early next week if it's not better. It's probably hormonal (started the day after I stopped progesterone for the month), but it is worrying...even though I just had a clean mammogram two weeks ago, I worry about lymph nodes, heart, etc. I am a great hypochondriac.
It also may be caffeine...I've been having a little more lately than usual...but usually only on Saturday and Sunday.
This is in addition to kind of ouchy swollen knees for the past couple of days. I can't figure out what made this happen because (unfortunately) I haven't done any odd exercise that would have caused this. I did eat some bad salty nuts on Tuesday night while I waited for the tsunami (oh yeah, we had a tsunami advisory...ended up being nothing) and that probably contributed. I also am having trouble with a bunion...
Sunday I walked almost literally all day. Half the day was in my good Tevas (the only shoe that is REALLY comfy on me with my foot issues) and half the day was in my Converse (which I love, but which definitely are not made for walking...at least for me). Monday, my right foot (where I have a bunion) was incredibly painful. I got some spacers at the drugstore and also some toe spreaders to wear each night for 10 minutes. These seem to help, but I wonder if this foot stuff didn't also contribute to the knee stuff...
I have to find some more brands of shoes that I can wear...my mom has/had horrible bunions and I have her feet. I don't want to have surgery so I'm trying all these other things. And I need to find a brand of shoes that works on my feet (Clarks and Birkenstocks and Crocs, for example, which work for a lot of people do NOT work on my feet). I also need to find a brand that makes nice "work" pumps that I can wear with dresses that don't look like old lady shoes. So far, I have been unsuccessful in finding such so if anyone has any hot tips, please chime in!
Tonight we have Princess staying with us before we take her to the airport tomorrow to go visit her daddy in the South. I'm really looking forward to this because we rarely get just Papa/Helen/Princess time alone anymore now that she has three siblings!!
My mom moved into her assisted living today and I went over at lunchtime to see her progress. It's a really nice place and she's excited to be moved (even though there's a LOT of unpacking to do!).
And, oh yeah, the beer took its toll -- I'm up 2 pounds from last Friday. But I seem to stay in ranges until my body adjusts to new lows -- now the range I'm in is about 4-5 pounds less than it was a month ago. And that's a good thing.
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