I went a bit too far today and had way too many vegetables. It was the yams, officer, it was the yams!
I have to admit I got very little done today. One load of laundry. I was just tired. I stayed in bed for hours, just drifting in and out of bad dreams, and then took a long time to get going. Sailorboy has been working almost 24/7 lately so he was beat too. We crashed in front of tv at his house tonight, overdosing on the big “O”. (Olympics, unfortunately, not the other one…)
However, I did bring the snowshoes so I can go for a hike in the morning. That will be a good thing. I have to get all my chores done early because it is gold medal hockey #2 tomorrow night!
Whew, a long day yesterday, but good. Today will be challenging: I have been given responsibility for an additional department at work which means I now have four portfolios. This morning I meet with the staff in this group and tell them about the coming restructuring. No one is losing their jobs, but there will be a lot of change coming down the pipe for them, and the whole process is going to require close attention from me. These are all young, inexperienced, nervous people who like to gossip. And to keep it really interesting, in my whole department there are now two dating couples. I don’t like that at all.
The scale is cooperating, and the number keeps going down. Maybe I will be able to re-expand my wardrobe come March 30! I have to sub in more vegetables but so far I am feeling good about the low-carb lifestyle. Struggling to give up my wine-and-cheese ‘ritual’.
Lots of family strife too right now but we will all get through it, I know. Onward and upward!
For about the 5th time since Jan 1, I am below 180. This time I will NOT relax and allow cookies and chocolate back into my daily routines. This time I will stay aware.
Well, I got up early to exercise but instead spent the last 30 minutes surfing news sites. I am not sure that was an effective use of time.
Training for Olympic fan-dom around an afternoon bonfire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFYXTwvXzDc
The video is funny because of the music that happened to be in the background.
Well, I am still trying to wrestle the scale into submission and so far it is a tie. I am sticking pretty closely to the atkins principles and I am re-reading the book to remind myself of the rules. I do feel better, and I know that when I stay away from sugar and flour the restless leg syndrome is dramatically better. I am still in this Biggest Loser contest with Son #1, but I haven’t asked him about his progress because mine has been so slow. I don’t want to psych myself out.
I actually cooked a full meal last night..some cheeses as an appetizer, then a spinach/mushroom stirfry and a mound of shrimp. I was inspired because I cleaned out a cupboard and found some seasonings and ingredients I had forgotten about. Why would I have 3 bottles of rice vinegar?
Sailorboy and I have a playdate planned for tomorrow. We will try out the new snowmachine and maybe figure out how to use the surfkite with a toboggan. The only way to get through winter sane in this part of the world is to figure out how to play in it.
There is a small hitch in this plan that he is not aware of yet. The men’s hockey team plays the US at 4:40pm. I have the Olympic gear, including the mittens, and the face tattoos - I am ready to watch the game on Sailorboy’s huge tv.
Next weekend it will be all about the medal games. Unless something terrible happens the women’s team will skate to gold. I like the women’s team much better because it is not filled with NHL ringers… and Sailorboy does not watch hockey! Go figure.
I have to say I do not understand this sudden concern with the fact that the Canadian women’s team is way way better than any other country. A ‘mercy’ rule? Why? Because girls should play nice? Give me a break. This is world-class hockey - suck it up, then go home and practice!
Today though is chore day. I am going to sort through laundry, etc and hopefully finish the filing required for taxation prep. Even though I do most of the bill paying and financial stuff in the virtual world, everyone seems to insist on sending me paper, which I then shred to recycle. Maybe the banks are getting kickbacks from the recycling industry????
Shallow self-absorbed commentary to follow:
1. Finally got my hair done today and I love it. I have been letting it grow and it is now shoulder length (from a pixie cut) and every 2nd month I get it professionally coloured. Finally she got the colour right and it is a glorious deep reddish hue. Plus she gave me a very good blowout. I may never wash my hair again!
2. Although I had promised myself I would not buy clothes until I was able to try on everything locked away in the ‘too small’ closet in March, I gave in and bought a nice silky blue and white top ($15), beige skirt ($10) and a sequined grey t-shirt dress ($24) and a pair of burgundy flats ($13). Yay spring sales!!!
3. As soon as I get back from walking the dog, I am going to have a bubble bath and then give myself a mani-pedi. I don’t really like having someone else do it, something about having a stranger touch me like that. And they always want to chat….but I feel a need to have bright toenails. Haven’t decided on the colour - we’ll see where the mood takes me.
4. I am finally addressing the financial management problem. On Monday I will go into the bank and deal with the credit card debt. i have equity in the house, I should use it to solve this problem. I have cut up the cards and kept only the lowest interest/lowest limit one for travel and emergencies. ( REMEMBER THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS A SHOE SALE AN EMERGENCY!)
Off to the cold outdoors….
Wed morning and it is a grey gloomy day. After several days of snow, the temperature has climbed to just above freezing and now everything in the city is turning to grey slush. It won’t last - winter is far from over - but right now things look grim and grimey.
I spent most of yesterday afternoon at the dentist. I know people say they hate going to the dentist but I really do. I was sweaty and so tense I almost threw up by the time I got out of there. I blame it on the childhood experience of a very rough dentist who didn’t use freezing. Even though this guy is gentle and patient I can’t control my physical and emotional reaction.
I am going to spend the day puttering around the house and dealing with some paperwork…getting ready to do the tax return always requires a couple of hours of last minute organizing. Sailorboy gave me a beautiful box of chocolate-covered cherries for V- Day and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I can’t stand them…lol. I will quietly give them away or trash them. At least this means there is very little sugary temptation in the house today!
This afternoon dog and I had a long snowshoe hike on a lonely bay. About 30 minutes into it a snow squall moved in over the lake, and soon after giant flakes came straight down. We trudged through all shades of white and grey, no sound except ice shards moving against the beach.
It is a holiday day and once again I am holed up in front of Sailorboys fireplace. It has been snowing steadily since early morning and it is quite beautiful. The house is on the edge of river and is surrounded by trees. It is set back quite a ways from the road so it is very private.
I am planning a long walk with the dog this afternoon, and then I have to go to my house and deal with a few things there. I am feeling a bit disconnected from things; this has been a long and draining week.
I do like my funky new rowing machine, I have worked out a routine with music, rowing, and weights. Probably once I build some strength this will not be quite enough, but for now it is challenging and I am feeling the muscles working. I work out in front of the wardrobe that contains my ‘too small’ clothing. It is locked until the end of March, I hope by then I can fit into some of it at least.
I must remind myself to be kind and celebrate each good thing I do for myself.
