neurodoc-- the sodium always gets me.
We went to a restaurant I'd never been to before and they have lunch specials. They just assume you're doing the special and start bringing things-- before we ordered they brought us hot and sour soup (my favorite) and a small salad with some kind of ginger dressing. I ordered grilled shrimp and vegetables and did get brown rice. I ate it all plus a fortune cookie so much more food than I usually eat for lunch. If we go again, I'll try to tell them I don't want the lunch special and I'll probably get a big bowl of hot and sour soup.

Today is the first day of a 4-day holiday for me. Yipppeee!

I'm dragging DH out kayaking for the first time this year. I say dragging because he, starting his diet and exercise program in earnest yesterday, went for a 6 HOUR WALK!!! I'll have to fold and unfold him from the boat. We'll paddle for about 1 1/2 hours (then his sore arms will match his sore legs when we go biking Saturday).

Happy Canada Day to the Canadians!

Dagmar

Happy Canada Day Canadians! Dagmar, for some reason it seems bizarre to me that Canada wasn't entirely independent from the UK until 1982.

Have fun kayaking Dagmar! DH should be okay since he needs his arms more than his legs to kayak, right?

Jen, did you pack enough shoes? When I overpack it's always because I brought five pairs of shoes (sandals, sneakers, dress shoes...) and I only end up wearing one.

Allison, sounds like your DD will have fun on her trip!

The latest update on the situation with DH's grandma is that right now she is still in the rehab facility for two more weeks, to make sure she is able to walk okay. Also, they need to draw her blood frequently to check the levels of the blood thinner she is on. MIL is bringing her over to her house Saturday just for dinner (then back to the rehab) so we will be seeing her then and will probably also stop by on the 4th. Then next week MIL is going to go with DH's grandma, the physical therapist, and the occupational therapist to DH's grandma's house, so the PT and OT can determine whether it will be okay for her to be there and what they need to work on with her in rehab.

The biggest concern is that even if she has very specific instructions of what she can and can't do in her house, she will ignore them and do something dangerous (like going down the stairs to the basement). She did that once before a year or so ago -- climbed up on a table to change a lightbulb, fell over, and got a massive black eye. I guess at some point it is in her own hands.

I believe the Queen (or whoever is Britain's monarch) is still Canada's Head of State. Also Australia's and perhaps New Zealand's. And maybe some other places' too.

Mid-afternoon here and I have just woken up from an hour and a half's zizz. Luxurious. It was the DB's prize-giving this morning and we celebrated his achievements with a Chinese takeaway. Very unusual for me but I planned for it so all is well.

Hi all,

My power came back on Wed. at midnight (or Thursday AM at midnight?) - yay power! We slept so soundly with the AC back on, I feel human again. I've got a 3 day weekend from work! Except I think I need to work a few hours on Sunday. Some friends are having a 4th of July party on Monday afternoon, and there will be fireworks Monday night on the beach here. Other than that I don't have any particular plans besides the usual - getting up as early as possible to walk the dog (to avoid the heat), cleaning house, etc. BF and I might go boating but I think he's got some other things scheduled already. I'm just going to enjoy having a few days off in a row. Once again in June I've had obligations or worked on Saturdays and not really felt like I have weekends.

Happy Canada Day!

Silver, ah! I love a good nap. So refreshing.

Jessica, it can be so tough convincing elderly people that they can't do something they once did so easily. BF had a very dear friend who passed away at 83 a few years ago. He was always falling, and it was a real battle between him and his daughter & friends to give up driving. Of course after my foot surgery a few years ago I was getting up off the couch when I shouldn't, I'm sure I'll be a tough nut when I'm older too.

Neuro, I also find it really hard to order off a Chinese menu, think you're ordering something safe, and then it comes in a mystery sauce you didn't order, or didn't realize it was there, etc. I don't know why but it seems Chines is hardest for me! I'm sure after a few days out of your hospital shift, and lots of water and some regular workouts, those two pounds will leave. Give it a few days. It could be water retention from stress & being on your feet.

Jen, Allison, I like to cook but find that I don't have the motivation for anything elaborate when I'm time-crunched or extra tired. But it's hard for me to watch Food Network etc. - it makes me want that food, now, and once I get a food in my head it's hard to get it out!

Dagmar, your DH sounds funny, he really takes things to the extreme, doesn't he? He is either totally on board or totally off the wagon. At least kayaking requires arm strength, not legs.

Speaking of leg strength, I've got to buckle down and take Emma for a loooong walk tonight. Of course she gets some exercise, but not as much as I usually give her this week. She really needs to walk at least 4 miles to get sort of tired.

Got to get some work done before the end of the day. Happy Friday (and 4th of July weekend) all!

Now after reading all this I want Chinese food! For future reference, in most Chinese places you can get an order of plain steamed veggies.

Right now I am avoiding a company party in the break room with beer and pretzels. I have no interest in pretzels, I can't drink beer since (a) I have to drive home in 20 minutes and (b) my medication says not to drink alcohol with it. So I am just avoiding the situation. I always find socializing with my coworkers awkward in any case. I'm not sure if the problem is me or them! It's always awkward with a bunch of engineers.

Megan, glad your power is back! Do you ever take Emma running with you?

Well, I had Greek food for lunch today. Very yummy!

I'm officially taking the weekend off of my diet. Not going to do anything stupid, but I'm tired of ripping open little packets of dried stuff and mixing it into water for a meal. LOL

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend! I'm leaving work in a few minutes to drop off a spec book and then head home. Temperatures are predicted to be around 118 Saturday and Sunday so we'll stay in or go to movies (which isn't always the best idea as you come out to your car that's been sitting in the hot, hot sun for a couple hours!). No golf. Much too hot for that now. I'm sure I'll fit in a nap or two (if I go in and read I invariably fall asleep!). Right now I'm actually waiting for Fed Ex to show up. They're scheduled to deliver my cat's new cat pole and I want to take it home for DS to put together. Regular Fed Ex always shows by 1 PM, but this is Fed Ex ground. Much less reliable.

jessica "We are, we are, we are the engineers. We will, we will, we will drink all the beers" -

Megan is it possible to bike where you are? That would tire Emma out quite easily and I think she's old enough to do it with no injuries to herself. It can be quite easy to train a dog to run at a moderate pace beside the bike.

silver ah naps! Love 'em. Every day after work the cats and I nap for about 20 minutes. Actually I nap and they sulk , waiting for their dinners.

DH survived the kayaking. Tomorrow biking! I think his diet/exercise plan just kicked up a notch.

He is getting a real lesson on what it actually means to be truly obese - all the problems and complications in life that result from excess weight. His sister has asked him to build her a ramp for her electric wheelchair. He has been wrestling with design problems all day and keeps coming to the same conclusion. In order for the ramp to be strong enough to support the weight of her (300+ lbs.) and the chair (300 lbs.) it will be too heavy for her husband and son (also both obese and totally inactive) to move. His dad can't help either because he now weighs in excess of 400 lbs. and can barely get up off the couch.

His sister is literally trapped inside their rented townhouse until the management builds her a permanent ramp. And they don't want to do that because they are sure she will not be there much longer. So sad.

I'm not a fan of my dad (as you all know) but, at 88 years old, he still lives mostly independently and went to Estonia for the summer. He is constantly doing things there on his farm, takes 2 walks every day wherever he is, and has maintained a reasonable body weight all his life.

I plan to do as well, if not better, than that!

Good evening all - TGIF!

Dagmar

Dagmar, sad to say, but she needs an electric lift. That is such a sad story. I hope your DH sees the sadness in this and makes a positive and lasting change.

Jessica & Dagmar - Emma has jogged with me, and though she sometimes wants to stop & sniff that's no big deal for me. I stopped about 2 months ago due to the heat & humidity here. I try to take her out late, or as early as possible on the weekends, but she still pants terribly (I don't blame her, I'm sweating like crazy!). I hope to start jogging again in a few months when the weather turns. Dagmar, Emma has come far on her walking skills since I've gotten her but not far enough to bike with me! I've thought briefly about biking as we do have a really nice bike path that runs parallel to, but is separate from, the road. Emma no longer pulls towards people or cars as she once did, but she still tried to drag me towards other dogs (to play with), or cats, squirrels, occasionally birds (to eat?!) and I'm afraid I would get terribly injured if I tried to bike with her and her leash the first time she decided she wanted to go somewhere off the bike path. We do occasionally take her on the boat to an uninhabited island, where we can let her off the leash and she can run, run, run. She loves that too!

I did just take her for a ~4 mile walk mostly on the beach tonight, and it wasn't too crowded. We had a nice low tide, so compact sand to walk on, and Emma loves to chase ghost crabs. I enjoy it, but as I'm also outside more in the summer the problem is that sometimes I'm just beat by the time I get home, have dinner, and it's cool enough to take her out. But, of course she depends on me, I need to make more of an effort. I try for at least 4 long walks (3-4 miles) per week.

I have to say that if I hadn't had a dog while I was directing my play this spring, I'm sure I would have gained weight due to the stress and less time to work out! Since I had just gotten Emma I made time every day to walk her.

Dagmar, seeing some members of my family who are suffering from obesity-related health problems always makes me feel a mix of emotions - sadness, but also a reminder of why I try to live my healthy lifestyle to the best of my ability. Maybe it will remind your DH of that, too. Good luck to him this weekend.

allison Things are greatly complicated at DH's sister's by the fact that they don't have any income except pensions and disability. And they rent so an electric lift is pretty much out of the question. DH isn't sure they can even afford the materials for a plywood ramp he is designing.

And here is one of the things I love about DH - his ingenuity. He is broke too right now (from the CMA studies). So he found a free wheelchair ramp on Craig's list. He will disassemble that one to get the basic materials for the one he'll build for his sister. I never would have thought of anything like that.

megan You are making a real effort with Emma. I know, from personal experience, that after being out in high heat and humidity all day it's difficult to face going out again with the dog. That's why I don't have a dog of my own right now - it wouldn't get enough exercise! A halti would probably really help with the pulling (after she gets used to it). I use them on all the labs as they all jump at food (and other gross things) - picture Emma x 4, 4 times a day. And the panting is her way of sweating. As long as she is panting and her tongue doesn't seem to get larger than her face she's probably ok.

DH has a day off from my today. I have too many household things to do. He will have to cut the lawns and go for a 30 minute walk this afternoon and this evening. And I will limit the two of us to one shared popcorn at the movie tonite. We are going to see "The First Grader" - a film about an 80-year old black man in Kenya who wants to learn to read before he dies. He applies to go to school with a bunch of 6-year olds. I really like these kinds of "small" films sometimes as alternatives to the mega-hits/blockbusters.

Good Saturday all!

Dagmar

Dagmar-- that is so sad about dh and his sister. I truly hope this makes a lasting impression on him-- it certainly would on me.

My weight continues to confuse me. I've dropped about 10 pounds in the past two months. I'm *almost* too thin but the last time I thought that I packed on pounds very quickly and couldn't take them off. Yesterday I changed a few of my foods which is big for me because I tend to be a creature of habit. I ate about 350 calories in nuts (didn't realize how much they were until too late) and was worried my weight would be up today. I went to Bikram Yoga and also was out in the sun for about an hour and got a little sunburnt. In the evening, I felt like I might be getting sick. I felt like I had a fever but I didn't think the sunburn was enough to cause that. Anyway, I woke up this morning hungry and feeling fine but my weight was down 2.5 pounds over night-- an all time low of 117.2. I wonder if I might have been dehydrated or something?? Anyway, dh is due back from Asia today and I think we're going out for a big Italian meal so I suspect my weight will be way up tomorrow and I won't need to worry!

Thanks for listening to me ramble.

Happy weekend everyone!!