Yesterday's success was designing winter coats for my characters. I learned that most of the coat designs that we wear today are rooted in the 1940s, especially the dressier wool coats.

Today's big adventure is driving DH to his second vaccine shot (Pfizer). I'll drop him off and walk around the hospital complex since we learned from the first time that they prefer to keep the number of people in the space minimized. I'll need to dress warm since it's gray and 44 degrees here.

Exercise +40, 755/1400 minutes for March

Good morning,

Yesterday was a little over budget and no exercise. I hurt my back doing a strength training workout the day before, and my knees are constantly sore. I'm prob doing something wrong.

Bill, interesting the city does not provide your garbage cans. I'm glad you found the lid.

Karen, congrats on the weight coming down.

curly, it would be interesting to see how the WW points translate to calories.

Maryann, I'm glad you are able to do your walking again. I hope the transition to the classroom goes well.

Joy, yay for getting vaccinated!

Wednesday - Erin Go Bragh - Saint Patrick's Day (since 432 AD)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Trip to the supermarket was the adventure. Boring. Everyone wore masks and socially distanced. And I . . . I . . . strode about vaccinated. I still rushed through as if evil was lurking.

Fun was my class based on the book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harari waddled about comparing our happiness to the happiness of homo sapiens before the agricultural revolution. We lost. Began to feel I was reading his opinions since sociological studies of human happiness do not go back 40,000 years. He suggests that one's only hope for happiness is to reach nirvana in Buddhism. And almost nobody gets there. The other students in my course are accomplished professionals who weren't ready to be told that their lifetimes of achievements did not contribute to happiness. It was a good trip to work on the issue of what constitutes happiness for me. All of us agreed on one of his points: giving folks more money only works up to a certain level; after that it'll never be enough.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was baked Cod - Tuesday is fish day for us because DW goes to Whole Foods that has a good fish monger. Cod has a great fishy taste that we enjoy.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Love the notion of designing winter coats for fictional characters - never thought of that. Congrats to your DH for his second jab.

maryann - Good to hear that you'll have your kids in person, again, at last. A full year of catch-up in the last quarter might be a challenge.

Karen (karenrn) - Congrats on that "slowly headed down." 18 pounds in your pack is a healthy start.

curlyjax - Kudos for taking care of yourself in the evening instead of beating on yourself for whatever list of other things you didn't do.

Penny. - Ouch for a hurt back - an essential organ. The city supplies our recycle bins; we supply our own trash barrels.

Readers -

Quick wave. I have some things to do today before work starts. I did manage to get some aerobics in last night. If I can remember, I might follow some online beginning salsa videos for fun, just to change exercise up. Food was mostly OP although I was hungry so I got into some snacks. Veggies are great but they don't fill you up. I am going for a walk during lunch with a friend so I know I 'll get my exercise in. Happy hump day all!

Good Morning, Coaches.

Boy did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed. I am cranky about everything - email replies, the cleaners put a crease n my jeans ( who creases jeans?) when they altered them, and I left my favorite "puffy jacket" at school. Scowl. I am tired, as well. My job was to dance among the cars during the the "luck mid terms" car rally. Credit for exercise, no credit for bad mood. Oh Well. I don't have to overeat to fight it. The important thing is knowing this too shall pass.

Watched High Noon with DH. Great movie, big message. In the end you must rely on yourself to do the right thing.

Sorry to grumble and hop off. Tomorrow is another day.

Good morning!

Yesterday was on plan and exercise was done. My back seems to be almost back to normal and my knees still hurt.

The alarm clock was harsh this morning. As soon as the covid testing job is over, it will be nap time!

Have a great day!

DH's vaccine went well -- much faster than the first shot. I only got to walk about ten minutes around the parking lot. So far, he hasn't had any ill effects.

I'm researching Loughcrew for a little St. Patrick's Day project that will work well for a blog post on Friday about the Spring Equinox.

Exercise +60, 815/1400 minutes for March

BillBlueEyes: I'm still listening to Sapiens. I'm up to comparative languages and the origin of the term Aryan. I have a feeling this will lead to tragedy.

Good morning coaches,

Food was on plan yesterday and weight was up .2. Just a little fluctuation which I do expect but of course I would like them all to be down. Lunch out yesterday was really good, lots of veggies and a tiny bit of grains and 350 calories. I don't think there was any protein to speak of, but I get plenty of that. This morning I hiked with a friend and my weighted backpack again. All of a sudden I have many plans on the calendar. I have gotten a little used to not being as busy. I hope I can ramp it up. For starters Tucson Suz called yesterday and asked to spend the night tonight. She can get a vaccine here easier than in Tucson, so she'll spend the night and get her vaccine in the morning and head home. Then I'll get the sheets changed and get ready for the relatives that I will pick up at the airport at 11:00.

GardenerJoy Glad dh's vaccine went well and I hope he continues to feel just fine.
Penny I'm glad your back is better. Are you doing squats? Anyway, whatever is bothering the knees, I hope it is better soon.
Maryann I hope the crabby passes soon. I hate feeling crabby and sometimes it is just so hard to hide it.
Curlyjax Happy Hump Day and Happy St. Patrick's Day too!
Bill I have to say I feel pretty darned safe after being doubly vaccinated. I just can't wait until most people are. When I walked Otis this morning he could finally touch noses with the little Scottie who he loves since her owner is also doubly vaccinated and is okay with getting a bit closer.

Well, I guess I better get moving. I need to pull the lounge chairs out from the hidden side yard and get ready to put their cushions on them. It's supposed to be in the 80's the next three days and I have a feeling my company will all want to sit in the sun.

Have a great day all of you!

Thursday - Barnum & Bailey Circus opens; lasts for 146 years (1881-2017, NYC)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - The DGD chose to attend a major Saint Patrick's Day event at her nursery school - costing us our precious Wednesday with her. It's part of our growing up to accept that she will begin to want her friends' events from time to time. Have to give myself a "letting go" lecture. Still stings.

We used the time to explore a place where we might take her for an adventure. It's a large hilly area with enough glacial erratics to gladden the heart of any amateur geologist. Next to it is a farm with alpacas and llamas that are easily watched from the street. Will be a good trip - even for a chilly day if we keep walking.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Glad that your DH's second vaccine jab went well. Fun to read about Loughcrew - new to me. Yep, all the great steps forward in Sapiens lead to things getting worse, to bad times, to unhappiness. Maybe we need to send Harari a seed catalog so he'll have something happy to look forward to.

maryann - Moving High Noon to the top of my list - can't even remember if I've seen it. Must have since it's been around since 1952 so it was available when I was going to cowboy movies in my youth.

Karen (karenrn) - So good to have a full calendar - as if 'normal' were possible again. Happy that Otis can sniff his little Scottie friend.

curlyjax - Yay for a walk planned with a friend.

Penny. - Neat that your back is getting itself together. Nap time is always a good idea.

Readers -

I got a good walk in at lunchtime with my friend. We are both looking forward to getting out more, and in the evenings too, when the weather is nice. She brought me some dessert that was extras from her house. I declined the cupcakes but did accept a scone, and enjoyed it.I was mostly OP after that.One of these days I will need to figure out the calorie count of foods, but it gets tricky with things like meatloaf or casseroles.
today is my job interview. I think i'm prepared; hopefully there won't be too many dumb general questions. I don't have patience with that when they already know me and the issues i've dealt with there. But you have to play the game I guess!
Karen- that is so sweet that Otis gets to socialize more now too! yay for getting busier and seeing more friends.
Bill-ah yes, the letting go. I remember when DH was sad because the kids didn't want him to read to them anymore; he wasn't ready to stop.

Good morning coaches,

Food was on plan yesterday. I'm not making a plan, but I am logging my food, so on plan now means I've stayed within my calories. Suz got here mid afternoon in time to take a rest on the lounge chair in the sun. She offered to bring some enchilada casserole and I accepted so I didn't have to think about dinner except for a salad. Often company means having a drink, but I'm trying to change that habit. Suz had a drink and I stuck with my water, no problem. Today I will do a little last minute housework before picking up my company. I woke up at 2:30 so I hope they'll want a nap later. If not, they will likely want to lie in the sun and I'll catch a nap.

Curlyjax Good luck on the job interview. I agree some foods are hard to figure and my enchilada casserole was one of those. I try to take a smaller portion and overestimate rather than underestimate calories if I really want to lose. Of course that doesn't always happen.

Bill Oh my, dgd is growing up. My calendar is filling up quickly partly because they are all hikes and we want to get out and do as much as possible before it is too hot. Already having to go north for some of them.

Waving to the rest of you.

gardenerjoy: Your tombs reminded me of visiting Newgrange - in Meath, Ireland. It was our first stop after flying into Dublin and the oldest site to which we went. Immediately made us feel like all Americans are just babies in the civilization timeline.
Penny: When my knees hurt biking I always raise my seat on the bike. I was told in spin class my leg should be a full extension if I put my heel at "6 O'clock" position.
curleyjax: Good for you for braving the interview. One thing I really like about my job is it keeps me busy which lets me get out of myself. ( Although yesterday stretched that hypothesis.) :)
BBE: I feel I am the poster child for working on Letting go this year.
Karen: Credit for letting your friend bring dinner. Sometimes I get into the "I must do everything" mode and it is hot helpful to anyone.

Yesterday I learned many new things at my job. I was so clumsy and bad at everything that eventually the cranky mood dissipated because even I was laughing at myself.. The funniest event was dropping myself out of the Google Classroom using the "discipline function." So the teacher Mary Ann couldn't let the student Mary Ann back in. Class was then canceled for the day. Oh Well. Another teacher of my generation and I tried to prepare for the new tech required for kids coming back next week.She told me a couple of things I should have been doing for about six months. Frustrating that admin/tech department never comes in and checks what I am doing nor offers help. It is because they don't know what to do either having no experience in the classroom. So a 57 year old women is suppose to blindly build a better mouse trap while completely transforming a curriculum for the virtual world.. DH put it right. I didn't do better because I didn't know better. It is midterms today. I will practice the new tech I learned and get ready for a new quarter.

Food continues to be snacky. I recorded the time I stopped eating in my calendar. The goal today is to stop eating earlier. A little earlier each day is what I will work toward this week.

Yesterday's cold rainy day lent itself to DH baking brownies. I took one warm one and will portion any further servings appropriately.

I will not take a second cold rainy day in a row as an excuse to eat more. Instead, I'll paint more, research more, and write more.

Exercise +45, 860/1400 minutes for March

Good morning.

Yesterday was not perfect and I'm overbudget 400 calories for the week-counting exercise calories burned. I should probably not deduct exercise calories.

Friday - Mongolian victory at Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China (1279)
 

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Two Zoom classes make for a full day. The Absalom Absalom! class is highly interactive. There's much fun discussion. Boggles my mind to get hit upside the head with a perspective that I hadn't even considered. Faulkner deserves all the praise he's received. One member of the class dropped out - just couldn't get into Faulkner. Loved that he was so clear and so public. Not everybody can get into a tale told by unreliable narrators in (to the reader) random order.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner from the freezer was one of the Christmas gifts from my DS and DIL - a Coconut Three Sisters concoction. There are so many ways to prepare squash, corn, and beans that I'll never find a link that looks like the one we had. Felt like a Native American. DW paired it with Native American Fresh Spinach and a Native American Baguette. (Authenticity of the baguette could be challenged, but it was baked about two miles from here on land that was once trod by natives.) So, I'm a vegetarian for the day.


Joy (gardenerjoy) - Having a spouse that makes brownies would be a killer for me. Kudos for a measured response.

maryann - LMAO that "the teacher Mary Ann couldn't let the student Mary Ann back in." Zoom has so many twists and turns that are slowly being discovered by the masses. Ouch that every teacher in America is discovering the new technology on their own.

Karen (karenrn) - Drooling for enchilada casserole even with no idea which of the zillion ways it was made. I think I'm longing for foods as a substitute for longing to leave home and have a leisurely restaurant meal.

curlyjax - Yep, a scone can make the heart flutter. Thanks for the story that your DH was sad when the kids didn't want to be read to any more. Not looking forward to that. Hope the job interview went well.

Penny. - To deduct or not to deduct - that is the question. Kudos for marching forth even if "not perfect."

Readers -