Wednesday - Galileo Galilei discovers Callisto, 4th satellite of Jupiter (1610)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Made a journey to get a piece of mail to a previous neighbor. After leaving the neighborhood a year ago - and having issued extensive mail-forwarding notices - an occasional piece of first-class mail gets delivered to their old address. It gave me a chance to chat for a minute with an old friend while standing at their front door both wearing masks.
Excursion to the supermarket was boring. I march through as if each minute was increasing my chances of encountering the virus. Brought DW two bundles of Tulips from Holland - seems a tad early for tulips to have arrived but she was happy to put them in a vase for the kitchen table. The bundles weren't identical in color. We debated whether they were too close to being the same red to be placed in the save vase. Finally decided that they looked OK together. Great fun to have an issue to debate that wasn't about Washington, D.C. or COVID-19.
Achievement was to select some six grocery bags of clothing for Goodwill, CREDIT moi. Hardest for me were some unworn quality items. One was a new hooded sweatshirt that I won at a trade show - really good. I just don't wear hooded sweatshirts anymore.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was salmon grilled on the patio with spinach and a green salad. Evening snack was the standard half of a Cara Cara Orange and a Cosmic Crisp Apple.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - So cool that folks took action that you didn't have to lead. I HATE that we're seeing an increase in racist graffiti recently.
Karen (karenrn) - Congrats on that pound down. Neat that your hike included having to climb over boulders.
curlyjax - Thanks for the tip to Alfredo Aiello - a local company. Will have to look for it. Neat that you have a serious distraction for the next 11 days to keep you away from news from Washington, D.C..
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 3Get Ready to Lose
Before you start, however, I would like you to do the following 10 essential tasks:
task 10 Make Response Cards
Now, with your supplies and Response Cards in hand, you're ready for Stage 1. You're ready to learn the step-by-step skills that will help you stick to the Think Thin Eating Plan - for life.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 46.
I did eat the foods on my plan yesterday, but far too much soup at lunch and it wasn't a low calorie soup. I didn't get on the scale this morning because I didn't want to see the number higher due mostly to sodium. I did get a short steep hike in yesterday, but today will be a day off from hiking. I'll do my food plan shortly and I will do my arm/shoulder exercises and plank. Today will be some grocery store time and also I'm sure I'll be watching to see what goes on in DC.
My son is out of quarantine in Thailand and back to where he lives when he is there. He posted a photo on FB and grew a beard that he probably started prior to quarantine. Boy does he have a full beard and boy does he have a lot of grey in it. I have to say I felt pretty old seeing it. I haven't spoken to him yet, only messaged, but I am curious to hear if he feels the covid is really as well contained as their numbers seem, or if they don't reflect what is really going on.
Bill You have done an amazing job getting rid of clothing. I agree it is difficult to give up good quality clothing that hasn't been worn. I have a skirt that I purchased quite a few years ago and I still can't give it up.
GardenerJoy Very cool that someone you influenced organized the vigil.
Curlyjax Good luck getting your son ready to leave for college. I can about imagine if it were my son. He would wait until the last minute thinking, no problem, no problem.
Maryann Waving to you and hoping school is starting off well.
My exciting news is- I was able to get the vaccine. I feel a bit wierd about "jumping the line" since i'm still working from home. One of the smaller hospitals opened up the opportunity to get vaccinated to agencies like ours that work in elders homes. I also felt a bit wierd about being a guinea pig as the vaccine is so new, but i talked about it with a few people, got a beter understanding of it and decided to do it. I had absolutely no side effects and go back in a month for the second one. The nurse stated some people report more side effects with the second one like diarrhea or nausea so there's something to look forward to but I was relieved to feel fine. It was strange that another patient there had her mask just barely covering her nostrils, which goes to show how the covid is still spreading. Hopefully the nurse said something about it.
I did a 15 minute workout on the treadmill and ate healthy veggie burgers and salad for dinner. Then I was hungry after and filled up on not so healthy stuff. Bill-wow, you are really sorting thru clothes! Just remember they will be used by folks who really need them, that always makes me feel better. Yay for tulips. Gardenerjoy- good for you for doing the vigil, i'm sure that was great for the kids to see.
Yesterday DH talked to me during my quiet time in the morning about changing business plans because of his looming cancer surgery. I thought it was a very important conversation to have. It set me back all day, though, in terms of time. I missed my lunch walk, I ate too many of the pecans I because it was very emotional, and it affected my prescheduled counseling appointment. Then DS had friends at the house which sent me into the garage cracking more nuts. I ate more. Finally, I made a rather extensive "breakfast for lunch" dinner that the boys have been asking for. I picked at that. All in all, a tough food day. I am three pounds from ticker. Today, I do not have to make dinner and will have the house to myself after school. I will walk in the evening because I have to write sub plans in order to go to DH pre surgery appt. So much to do. Eating extra food will not help with any of it - not even with the call back mammogram. This week is full of Dr.'s appt which I am never thrilled about.
Curleyjax: I have an opportunity for the vaccine as well. Our state officially recognized teachers as first responders because of the desperate need to get kids back in the classroom. I haven't decided whether to take it. I am also worried about the rushed nature of the science. I am a teacher of history. I could list dozens of incidents when the cure was worse than the disease. gardenerjoy: I get much of my daily news from DH. Unfortunately I have to sift through all the Washington insanity to present some kind of objective lesson plan for the kids. The point of the plan will be primary and secondary sources and to show various headlines of the event with the students guessing the viewpoints of the different media outlets. My goal is not to convince but to give them the tools to sift through media within a historical perspective. Karen: I envy your pound down. I need to tighten up my food plan.
I successfully made it out to this morning's vigil on time and dressed for the cold. I was interviewed by a television station! The best part was chatting, masked and a few feet apart, with people I'm used to seeing regularly, but haven't seen in months.
Today, I'm aiming for a more quiet and contemplative day, but I'll need to figure out how to make the transition. A part of me says "eat something." But that's not as good as working my list and doing some yoga (if I ever warm up enough to want to do a barefoot workout),
Exercise +70, 580/1500 minutes for January
karenrn: I hadn't really thought too much about some places appearing to do better with COVID, when really they're just doing a poor job of detecting and recording the incidences. A friend at the vigil this morning said that she thinks that Missouri isn't adequately capturing all the numbers and may be contributing to the under-reporting -- and to making us think that we're not at as much risk as we are.
curlyjax: I have a friend who is a school nurse. A month ago, she was saying that she didn't trust the vaccine, but she's done some research and, now, she's ready to get it as soon as possible. That made me feel good about it. Although, I don't think my place in line will come up for many months. I pre-registerd with our county's Department of Public Health yesterday. DH is likely to get it long before I do because he turns 65 on March 31st.
Thursday - RIP Lewis Carroll: "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1898, England)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise was chase the (5yo) DGD day, CREDIT moi. A great joy was experiencing her getting into the "real life" book, Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, a descendant of Harry Colebourn, the British soldier who found the bear Winnie who ended up in the London Zoo. Seemed to me that the story would be over her age group, but she was mesmerized. When DW walked by, the DGD explained the book to her, "and it's really true!" Just boggling to encounter the mind of that kid.
Eating was on plan with no unplanned daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. As planned, I ate the Gala Apple that the DGD hadn't finished. I know that Dr. Beck writes about avoiding becoming the garbage can for your children's food - but there I am, every single week. Since I plan to do it, I call it OK.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Encouraging that your nurse friend went from skeptic about the vaccine to wanting it.
maryann - Thanks for "Eating extra food will not help with any of it." Always seems to call as if it would.
Karen (karenrn) - Ouch for the reality of noting that your DS has gray hair. Father Time just keeps creeping along.
curlyjax - Congrats for getting the vaccine - I'm glad that you're getting it so that you're more safe visiting your elder clients.
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 3Get Ready to Lose
Before you start, however, I would like you to do the following 10 essential tasks:
task 10 Make Response Cards
Research from Boston College shows that the people who are the most successful at making any major life change - quitting smoking, giving up alcohol, losing weight - generally start with one small step. The confidence they gain from successfully taking that first step leads to the next step and the next ... and the next.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 46.
Yesterday was kind of an off plan day for me. I had 2 off plan drinks and also didn't do my arm/shoulder exercises or plank. The news is just distressing and I have difficulty understanding how people think what they do at this point. The good news of the day is that on 1/19 I can sign up to get my first vaccine since they have lowered the age to 65. I have read plenty about it and I want life to get back to something more closely resembling normal. I don't think that can happen until most of us are vaccinated.
Bill I do feel your dgd is extraordinary and I'm sure having her bright parents and grandparents are a great influence.
GardenerJoy Seeing people in real life with masks is great. Cool that you were interviewed for tv too. My former work tribe is planning to get together safely in the near future and I can't wait. We meet regularly on Zoom, but it just isn't the same.
Maryann Your plate is awfully full. We all know eating doesn't help, but boy oh boy. Sending prayers and good thoughts your way.
Curlyjax I'm so glad you were able to get the vaccine. A number of my friends have had theirs and they have all done fine with it. As far as worrying about the long term effects, of course we don't know for sure, but there seem to be plenty of long term effects from COVID that I wouldn't want.
Time to get up, have some breakfast and hit the trail. I need to get back to walk Otis and then give him his xanax an hour before his noon grooming appointment.
Pretty dull day yesterday. I was tired yesterday so I didn't push myself to exercise. Today I will make myself do my weights at least;there's no pain at the injection site so I have no excuse. I got lost in the world of reddit and did absolutely nothing for hours in the evening. Today I need to get one thing done on my list. At 7:30 I will stop relaxing and look up some financial stuff. There, I posted it and will report back tomorrow. Karen- that is very true about the long term effects from Covid. I'm glad you'll be able to see your work buddies soon, it does make a huge difference to be there in person. Bill-that book sounds really cool. Yay for DGD's energy and youth, I'm sure its a real spirit picker upper. Gardenerjoy- yes, I'm listening to the medical professionals who have read about it and taken it themselves. Interesting that you can pre-register; I haven't heard anything here about how they're going to roll it out. Maryann-I was told that the vaccine is the type that has been around for 10 years which made me feel a lot more secure. If I was pregnant or wanting to be I night have second thoughts but thank goodness those days are over! Something to consider is it would be great to have the vaccine protection if DH is going to be having any treatment after surgery that will decrease his immune system ie radiation or chemo.
The scale proved this morning I am still only maintaining. Ok. For this week I will take it as a win. Yesterday morning we were told we will be going back in person with the kids on Feb. 1 even though it is illegal in California right now.Yesterday afternoon I spent getting a call back mammogram and scheduled ultrasound. I was grateful the radiologist looked at the new scans immediately and was able to cancel the ultrasound. All clear. I wrote sub plans and came home. I ate too much dinner watching movies I have seen a million times. I did not walk. My average steps this year are 5,400 a day. My goal is 5,000. So this morning before I go to meet DH to go to Drs appt., I will take a 3 mile walk. Credit.
I had a dream I was eating plates of candy and bakery goods. I was even licking the plates. In AA we call that a "drinking dream." So grateful I don't have to do that anymore.
It has been helpful to hear everybody's take on the vaccine. curleyjax: I woke up this morning thinking I might have to take a leave of absence depending on DH's aftercare. Karen: I would love to meet my tribe face to face. That is not going to happen for awhile. BBE: DH loves Winnie the Pooh. I highly recommend Disney's Christopher Robin for you and DW . It is a great live action movie for adults who loved the books. Don't confuse it with Goodbye Christopher Robin which is the MOST depressing movie ever about the real life Christopher Robin and his estrangement with AA Milne. Blick! gardenerjoy: I have been thinking about your state lately. One of my best friends has decided to join the Exodus from California and buy a house 35 miles out of Sedalia, MO.I looked at the listing and am astounded how far money goes in your real estate market. She is a very big outdoors woman so I think it might be a good fit.
I am going to finish reading the book the doctor gave us on prostate cancer. I am so glad I will be allowed into the appointment.
Tonight, I have three overlapping Zoom calls. Why does everyone want me on Thursday night? It's usually crickets the rest of the week! I'll skip DH'sfamily call, leave early from one school district's call so that I can arrive late for another school district's call. What could go wrong?
I'm going to take the jumpy energy of the day to try to speed through the things on my list that are bugging me so that they can stop bugging me.
Exercise +35, 615/1500 minutes for January
maryann: The cost of living is definitely a plus, here. Housing costs are low in St. Louis compared to other cities and our small towns and rural areas are even lower. My hometown currently has two mansions for sale. The one with the Mississippi River view is $380k. The other one is even larger and is listed for $285k. A perfectly serviceable 3-bedroom, 2-bath ranch is listed for $73,000.
Friday - Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England (1559, Westminster Abbey)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was previously-grilled salmon, green beans, artichoke ravioli, and green salad. The artichoke ravioli was a lot of pasta for a small amount of joy. Fun to have tried, but won't be purchased again. Our standard was set high by some locally made pumpkin-gorgonzola ravioli we had a few years ago. Have to get back to that shop; one gets to watch it being made - gets to watch noodles being cut before one's very eyes. Felt like being in Italy.
DW is on a tear. She set out to clean the base of some cupboards. Got to mucking about with all the tea stashed in the back. Brought it all out. Seems that we grow to like a tea so we stock up. Then we grow to like another tea, instead. Repeat. Then I stopped drinking afternoon tea. Then we stopped serving tea to friends because we had no one over for "tea and biscuits." Tons of very old tea is now gone - food for the worms in our compost bin. Only the stuff she's currently drinking was saved. We're set free to buy a small amount of fresh tea should life ever return to the state where we have guests. She claims that this happened because she was inspired by the clothes that I set free. CREDIT moi for being the inspiration and the supporting cast as it went away.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Overlapping Zoom calls is a bit much. LOL at "What could go wrong?" That was DW's response to the idea she heard last night that Polar Bears could be saved from extinction by moving some to the South Pole where they could feed on the penguins - penguins who have no defense against land predators because they've never had a land predator. Yep, "What could go wrong?"
maryann - Thanks for the tips about the Christopher Robin movies. I don't need a depressing movie right now. Sending supportive thoughts as you and your DH face his doctors.
Karen (karenrn) - I join you in, "I want life to get back to something more closely resembling normal."
curlyjax - Yay for a "dull day" - looking forward to a day of dull news.
Readers -
Quote:
chapter 3Get Ready to Lose
Before you start, however, I would like you to do the following 10 essential tasks:
task 10 Make Response Cards
You are about to take your first step . . . and then your second . . . and then your third . . . and so on, until you grow into a confident dieter who can stick to the Think Thin Eating Plan in any situation, during any mood, and even when cravings, stress, or negative emotions increase your desire to eat.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 46.
Credit for getting my weights done and spending 20 minutes on my treadmill- an old fashioned cheap one that is powered by me, so has some resistance built in. It did feel good. And I got money sent for DD's college tuition and am set to do so for DS once I get the answer to a question about it. Demerit for making a banana flavored chocolate cake with frosting- I was smelling ripe bananas all day and craving chocolate- and then getting into it in the middle of the night when I woke up, which I never do. It was emotional eating and I feel full and disgusting this morning. Onwards. Maryann- that is amazing to go back in person when your state has so much covid. I know there is a push to get the kids back in school but it does need to be done safely. Yay for a clear ultrasound, you don't need any more issues in your life right now. Gardenerjoy- wow, that is very low for a house. MA has a very high cost of housing and it boggles my mind how people can afford these 700,000 mcmansions, plus real estate taxes. Bill- yay for being the one to inspire cleaning out. January feels like a natural time to do this.
UC Davis was intimidating. We had to walk into the giant cancer building. It made everything real. The drs however were confidence inspiring and said DH might qualify for “attentive watchfulness” rather than surgery. Two more procedures will give them enough information to make the call. So we wait for six weeks.
Yesterday was very emotional for me. Overeating only compounded the problem. I dove into flour products and the scale is high pounds from ticker.
Today’s plan is to keep things simple. I will not assign anymore work for the kids. We will have an easy weekend. I will walk at lunch and have a Friday free of flour. My priority will be to stick to the food plan I have made.
Food has been on plan, but weight is a little higher than the low I hit the other day. I got on the scale after breakfast yesterday and knew the number looked pretty good and it helped me stay on plan for the day. I am doing an easy hike with a couple of friends who live here part time from MN this morning and my food plan has been made. They are far less careful than I am and it does make me a bit envious, but one gal has had a number of friends with COVID and I don't want that. I don't really have any plans for the rest of the day, but I think I will run by Costco. I found some yoga tights or whatever, Sketcher brand with a straight leg and the ones I purchased are a little loose. I will keep them but also get the smaller size if they still have them. Costco seems to be my main clothing store these days so you know how dressed up I get.
Maryann Sounds like a very good thing to keep things simple after the week you have had. I'm sure your students will be happy about that too. Hang in there.
Curlyjax Seems like you are being quite consistent with your weights. Good for you!
Bill I need to do like dw and go through my tea. I found I have quite a few boxes of it and I don't even know the expiration dates on it. I don't drink much tea so I may as well toss most of it.
Well I'd better get ready to go. Wish me luck, this is one of those visits where you can not discuss the elephant in the room or either of the two elephants.
The flurry of Zoom calls went fine. My best contribution for both, though, was what I wrote up beforehand. I'm constantly amazed at how much power can be pulled from a little librarian research compiled into a punchy memo.
We got a winter weather advisory for today in the middle of the afternoon yesterday. I quickly changed my plans and went to the supermarket, instead of taking the risk that I'd have to go out in snow today.
I think I may have discovered a better time to shop than my usual mid-morning. At 3pm, there were fewer customers, fewer stockers, and no Instacart shoppers. It was much easier to stay socially distanced than recent shopping trips.
Wednesday - Galileo Galilei discovers Callisto, 4th satellite of Jupiter (1610)
but I was relieved to feel fine. It was strange that another patient there had her mask just barely covering her nostrils, which goes to show how the covid is still spreading. Hopefully the nurse said something about it. 
