If I'd checked in here earlier, I might have remembered that it's Super Bowl Sunday. Then, I wouldn't have made the rookie mistake of going to the supermarket at mid-day. I knew why the parking lot was so crowded when I saw my first Kelce jersey. I only saw Chiefs gear while I was out today.
When I remember, I make a point of going to the store at kick-off time. I have it completely to myself!
I just read that the clocks spring forward on March 10. Thats less than a.month away. We had two days of really warm temperatures. The sun had real heat!
So I go to Sunnybrook tomorrow. Last Monday they paused my freatment so my skin could calm down. I was prescribed a medicated salve and some antihistamine pills. Mid week I felt great. Feet no longer itchy. Hands improving. I felt.good enogh to take a drive out to my studio Thursday morning for something I wanted.to use on Friday Art Day. I didnt see what I wanted. But I did see my big mess. Studio landlord hates that chaotic mess. And by coincidence I ran into the landlord.who asked me qhat my plans were for that stuff and I gestured toward the industrial garbage bin. He said right. Well I was going to call you to say I have to put your rent up cause you're using a lot of space. DH said he'd help me Sunday. Today we didnt get over there. I was at an all day Expreasive Collage workshop on Saturday. I left all my energy there. While I was out, the self-inflating queen size mattress DH ordered from Amazon arrived. We set that up last night and when I woke up today I was a wreck. Plus the itching has returned to feet and hands and other areas look like red.patches. On top of this, DH informed me on Thurs he was coming down.
with something. Tonight I have a scratchy tickly throat. How this may affect me.tomorrow, I dont know. My only job is to tell fhe Dr tomorrow the truth about how I am. She will decide the rest. And as for cleaning up my studio, I have a lot of stuff to throw away. I've been thinking about the bottom line for what stays or goes in that space and honestly, if its not directly related to making things it has to go. I dont have room there for general storage plus art making. Boxes from my.mother and my brother and my grandmother have got to go.
I better try to sleep. Dont know if I can. Good night anyway!
Monday - French fashion designer Christian Dior presents his "New Look" (1947)
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Traveled the playground, CREDIT moi, with the visiting (3.5 yo) DFGD, DS, and DIL. Little Bit made an instant playground friend to run about all the structures to climb and slides to go down. Friend was 5 yo - reminding us how easily DFGD reaches up to older kids to bond. Friend was wearing an outfit of Anna (from Frozen); the two of them discussed their various Disney character wardrobes. Just amazing. Wish I was racking in the money Disney is making from all the kids' parents buying branded merchandise from Frozen. Playground was joy and good exercise for Little Bit until the end when her Friend went over to the party being held and collected her party bag. It had to be explained to the DFGD, one more time, that she goes to many, many Birthday parties and some happen where she isn't invited.
DS and DIL were interested in my visit to the Cannabis dispensary. Helped fill in the details that I didn't have correct. Their experience is that every dispensary is nearly identical: same products, same prices. DS explained to DW that the paper bands that came with the rolling papers I'd been handed are called 'filters' that allow holding a joint until the last puff without having to use a separate roach clip like shown in movies of the '60's. They don't filter - they're just bands outside the paper - but do look like filters on tobacco cigarettes.
Food was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. I watched the Super Bowl in my own living room with none of the highly touted snacks the game is famous for calling to be served. DW came down for the final minutes of Regulation and for the breathtaking Overtime. I felt like every person in the US had Buffalo wings and guacamole except me. And dark chocolate and cheese cake and Beef Bourguignon. While feeling sorry for myself might as well make it worth my time, LOL.
onebyone - Wish you well on your trip to Sunnybrook today. It does sound like you have attentive doctors who'll make the right decisions. Thanks for the reminder that the clocks spring forward on March 10 - that always feels like Spring to me.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - LOL at hitting the supermarket with the abundant crowd of Super Bowl shoppers. Congrats for the victory of the Kansas Chiefs - even if you're not an active fan. You will now suffer the fate suffered for a few years by the New England Patriots: being the most despised team in the NFL due to your success. And to the stunning skills of your young quarterback.
Silverbirch - Such cleaning you're getting done. Love that all your efforts are making the house look spacious. Your DD's 1938 Singer sewing machine is the classic shape I associate with the sewing machines of my youth.
maryann – Happy skiing way up there in Canada. Hopefully their newspapers don't cover US politics, LOL. Your 'Niners put on a grand show last night. Maybe next year.
curlyjax - Encouraging to read about your success with clearing the house to be ready for your post-surgery recovery. I can imagine the mobs at supermarket shopping for Super Bowl snacks.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 8Stage 5 - The Motivation-for-Life Plan The following techniques will help you remember why it's so worth it to keep up your efforts.
Go back to Phase 1. Remind yourself how easy it had become to practice these skills. Return to implementing them daily: . . .
What do you want to do next time? Write a letter to your future self in you Diet Notebook under the heading "Get-Back-on-Track-Letter."
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 201.
I buzzed around to 2 grocery stores, home to dump stuff, then back out to Target to stock up on paper good supplies, and some valentine treat for DD. I heard one youngster bitterly complain that the valentine stuff was so picked over; she hasn't figured out that many people do plan ahead with holidays I guess! I had a long chat with my aunt's helper who informed me my aunt seemed to be worse cognitively and having balance issues, so i'll have to contact her doc. wondering if she had another stroke or something.
DD and I went to BFF where we had wonderful food like chili, cornbread, guac and ice cream, and I ate wayyyy too much. We were going to watch the halftime show but got lost chatting, and then BFF couldn't' get the tv to work on regular channels so we watched some junk tv instead. I told her she needs a cheap antennae which is what I use to bring in the free shows, since she cut cable or part of it anyhow. TV was so much easier back in the day!
I slept terribly due to hip pain and probably over eating, but up and at em!
Silverbirch-sounds like you're moving things along nicely! Back stretches are so great and really work quickly.
Gardenerjoy-Brilliant strategy to go to a store at kickoff, i'll remember that!
Onebyone-Good job deciding on what stays and what goes at your studio. The organizers I watch have firm words about keeping only your stuff, and stuff you use for the life you lead right now.
Bill-The beef bourguignon would be worth the calories indeed! Too cute that DFGD assumes she is invited to every party; that's the type of attitude to have.
I'm playing with a new breakfast idea. DH got into avocados about three weeks ago. And then he developed tummy issues. The current thinking is that those two things were related. So, suddenly, I'm tasked with eating the three ripe avocados that are left from his experiments.
I smash a wedge of avocado with some cottage cheese for protein and spread it on a slice of my homemade whole-grain toast. It's tasty and filling. We'll have to see whether it works well with my body including if it helps me with some weight loss.
Another mild and breezy day with some warmth in the sun. We’re moving on through the year now. A poor day for food caused, once again, by not having enough milk. I went out to the garage to buy some (it’s two or three miles away) and also bought two smallish bars of chocolate (one for me and one for the SO who is still miserably plugging away at job applications). I won’t burden you with the rest but it went wrong some time in the afternoon after a nice omelette for lunch. And now we don’t have any veg for tea. Things are badly out of true in the food department at present. But I tried to bring down some cobwebs which fought back, and cleaned paintwork and windows today - with some success! The SO continued in the bathroom. Credit for doing some windows - the view out to the mountains in the afternoon sunshine is so lovely.
onebyone, March 10th for clocks going forward?? We have to wait until the 31st (the last Sunday in March).
gardenerjoy, going to the store at kick-off time is a such great idea. Bad luck that it slipped your mind this time!
Bill, my goodness, are they called “dispensaries”? So interesting. Credit for getting through the Super Bowl without all that food. Yes, that’s more or less the sewing machine.
Adventures and beyond!! Here in Banff Sunshine Ski Village, I have seen the mountain the top of the mountain ( at least the one inside of me) and It was good!!. I am staying in the lodge that is on the mountain which has no formal roads to it - accessible by a five mile gondola. It is majestically beautiful and intimidating. I wasn't feeling up to snuff after this week on a new mountain with my buddy who is an expert skier - I felt the quakes. But as it says in the book "The Comfort Zone." humans thrive with pursuing through discomfort. Also, for those of you who are not skiers, the first day is always awkward, quaking and fiddling. So I was awkward and fiddling and then decide to take a private two hour lesson and send my friend off to explore.. While trying a few practice runs, I couldn't see because my new millions dollar googles over glasses were fogging, my helmet was DS' child one. I had also forgotten my poles and, to top it off, when I went to the restroom, I dropped my glove liners into the toilet. Wow!! 1/2 left before the million dollar personal lesson I went into the ski shop and spent another million dollars on liners ( threw the old away), a helmet ( donated the other one) and defogging stuff. Hmmm.
Then the magic happened. The teacher was incredible, the equipment worked, the mountain was beautiful and I learned a totally new way to ski that matched my new equipment. We practiced on bunny hills to force my brain to accept new muscles memories. I ache in new places but they are the right places. I had a wonderful ramen lunch, and then more skiing. Accomplishment. I think I am especially please to challenge the old dendrites because of the depression pathways that had kept me down. I want new neural pathways. So grateful that i could throw a little money at the problem. Grateful for my health.grateful for the day.
Tuesday - Mardi Gras: Laissez les bons temps rouler
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Made the executive decision to make my supermarket run on Monday instead of Tuesday (today) due to the impending Armageddon of a snow storm. At least a foot was predicted to accumulate. Expected to fight the mobs with the same idea. To my surprise, many parking spaces were available with few shoppers. Thought maybe I'd read the wrong weather predictions, LOL. Entering the supermarket required running a maze of Valentine's gifts: Mylar balloons, candy packaged in heart shaped boxes, bouquets of flowers - mostly roses, some of them looking tired. None of it for me; I'm good with the cast iron skillet DW picked up herself earlier in the week.
Am now Kids-Facebook friends with my (8 yo) DGD. Kids-Facebook is run under the parents total control; DD had to invite me and approve my acceptance. Am impressed that the DGD and I had a text message conversation. Her major contributions were large-sized emojis. Kids-Facebook exists for kids to send emojis back and forth to each other. Felt like entering a new age.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Spent some time thinking about what I'd like to nibble on instead of doing some review work that I have to have done before a Zoom meeting tonight. Ultimately rejected food and had another cup of coffee.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Having to consume three ripe avocados is one fine First World problem. I haven't quite gotten around to having avocado toast, myself.
Silverbirch - Ouch for a day gone bad but Kudos for taking the time to enjoy the view of the mountains. Yes, the cannabis industry here sells through "dispensaries". I had wondered if the sales force dressed as pharmacists or doctors to keep up the image. No, they call themselves "Budtenders" - their word play on "bartenders". Mixed message, LOL.
maryann – Waving back to Banff - one of the loveliest places on earth. Do like hearing that making lemonade in life requires taking a series of pro-active steps to get thing working. Kudos for charging forth.
curlyjax - Bitter lesson to learn in life that some people plan ahead leaving the procrastinators with the "picked through" stuff. Wait until she tries to buy a bathing suit in June when they're all sold out. Glad that you had the traditional guac on Super Bowl Sunday.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 8Stage 5 - The Motivation-for-Life Plan
It is important for you to know that maintaining your weigh loss will likely be cyclical.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 202.
5:36am. Im here at home snuggled under covers. I wasn't convinced 12hrs ago that that would be caae.
So lots of good things happened on my Sunnybrook treatment day.
1. Ive kept up with drinking 12 cups of water all week, so my veins were nice and plump. Bloodwork waa still a.bit of a.challenge but it was so much easier and.they only needed.to try one arm, not both.
2. My Dr. told.me.the bloodwork.looks good. With that and questions about it my skin (it's better) I got the greenlight to proceed to chemo for 2 drug immunotherapy #2 of 4. Halfway.
3. The port! OMG the look of relief on the chemo nurse's face, when she realized she wouldn't have to try to find a vein again, reinforced it was the right thing to do. The port worked great.
4.Midway through treatment my hands exploded.in itchiness like never before. It was almost too much it was so bad. Wet paper towels helped a lot anda the nurses gave me handcream and that helped too but wow.
5. In the last 20 minutes of the infusion I turned to DH to say something and my normally nimble tongue felt like wood (Hungarian phraae that immediately came to mind ). It was kind of numb. It felt swollen. I heard my speech sounding different and I told the nurse who immediately paused the infusion. I was this close ---> <---- to being an emergency but it all started to.improve. My tongue gained back its movement. My mouth felt more.normal. They took all my vitals and I was good.
6. When I went to Sunnybrook yesterday I had a slight cold. Mostly a dry cough. Then there was an ever so slight runny nose. I was also exfremely physically and mentally exhauated.
7. In the car I realized I had zero.itching. Hands that were driving me.nut? Completely quiet. I got an image of a giant red reset button being pushed. It felt like all systems peaked/collided and I was at a new stage. When I got home I swear 50% of the rwmaining symptoms just fell off of me at the threshold. I sleptfrom 7 to 9. 1 to 3. 3;30 to 5. and now will sleep again. Its choppy but its sound.sleep.
Satisfying work day yesterday with lots of good interactions.I only ate my lunch and didn't get into any treats at work, yay. I still haven't heard anything from my dr's office so i'm going to assume all is well with my heart. At home I worried a lot about DD who worked overnight and is coming home this am, as we are having a snowstorm, and then she has to go back again tonight. Thankfully, the snow in our area seems a lot less than predicted and knock wood all will be well. I listened to a digital recording about decluttering while I made baked salmon, roasted squash and steamed broccoli, so back on track with getting good nutrition in. Then I caved and had some chocolates since I was hungry, but oh well. The decision was made yesterday to work at home, so I get to do that today, yay.
Gardenerjoy-thanks for the reminder about avocado toast. I'd forgotten about it, and can have some for breakfast today with my new toaster oven.
Silverbirch-yay for getting more cleaning done and a beautiful view. I will probably need a professional cleaner when the time comes to sell my house, I have let it get so out of control.
Maryann-glad you had a wonderful experience after the frustrations. Very good to keep those new neural pathways going indeed.
Bill-That is wonderful you are facebook friends with DGD, she will love sending you messages.
Onebyone-so glad everything worked out and your side effects magically went away. And hooray for halfway through treatment!
I started a new programme with my gymn coach. I’ve finally left the ranks of the injured and am starting to make good progress again. Thank goodness. It’s really been a while. The energy generated by such a great session fuelled an afternoon in the garden, filling the garden recycling bin and making the place look like it wouldn’t take too much effort to knock into shape. (We know, of course, that if the house doesn’t sell by May then all bets are off as vegetation goes wild during “the May flush”. Let's see.) Food has been less than usual which is good but not terrific in content although roast chicken is on the horizon as I write.
maryann, so pleased that you were able to take control rather than let things spin out of control, and that your teacher was good! Glad you had several million dollars to spend on making it right.
Bill, interesting about Kids-Facebook. Remember, you can always practise emojis with us here until you get the hang of it! “Budtenders”?? (I wanted to put the moving emoji with the hair going on end here but then I remembered how I dislike the ones that move. To be honest, I'm not really very keen on them at all but there's a time and place for them and one of those is probably with an eight-year-old!)
onebyone, that’s great that you’re halfway through already! So glad you’re at home and have got some sleep under your belt.
curlyjax, “baked salmon, roasted squash and steamed broccoli” sounds like my kind of meal. Delicious. Good to work from home if there’s a threat of a snowstorm. Hope all is well with DD.
I picked up a couple of Wild Twist apples at the store on Sunday because they were on sale. I just had one and liked it! They aren't as sweet as some of the other new varieties, so other flavors can come through. Weirdly the other flavor was less apple and more grape. I wouldn't want it as my only apple of the year, but fun for a change!
Diet Coaches/Buddies – Carefully planned that before breakfast, I'd do a first round of shoveling of the 12 inches of predicted snow. Hadn't come yet, so I thought I'd shovel a quick pass on the public sidewalk just before my 10 am class (that had been changed from in-person to Zoom due to dire snow warnings). Hadn't started yet; replanned. Did this all day. It was waiting for Godot. No snow stuck to the ground; a little fell as 'flurries' along with the rain. That was nice; never even brought the snow shovels up from the basement. It went somewhere; I'll go read the morning's paper and see who got it.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was flounder baked in the oven - planned in order to avoid using the outdoor grill during the snow storm. Had to eat and rush off to an evening working meeting on Zoom for an organization that I support.
onebyone - So good to hear that you overcame all the hurdles to get to your half-way point of chemo therapy. Best line ever, "I got an image of a giant red reset button being pushed."
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Was surprised to read that your Wild Twist Apples are reviewed as 'salacious.' How fun to have a naughty snack.
Silverbirch - That's an interesting goal - to get the house to the point that it looks as if it could be knocked into shape without too much effort. Good news that you're no longer among the injured.
curlyjax - My weather map shows that you got some snow even if not as much as planned. Don't remember if you posted whether your new toaster oven met expectations. I'm curious because ours is ancient and when it goes we'll have to replace it immediately since it's part of our daily life.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 8Stage 5 - The Motivation-for-Life Plan
You get down to your maintenance weight, and then you may gradually loosen up some, without even recognizing what you are doing.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 202.
The predicted 8-12 inches of snow went elsewhere but fortunately not here. Or rather it snowed, but nothing stuck to the pavements. I had to brush off the cars but that was it, and DD got home safely, and then went back to work at night again in decent driving weather. It was very cozy to sit on my couch watching the snow checking email etc while DD snoozed, and I even took a brief nap on it. There's something different about a couch nap vs a bed nap.
DD's light switch is suddenly not working which sent me into a tizzy as its hard to get an electrician for a small job. I'm going to wait until post surgery and find a few other things that could use work. I know some people fix these themselves on Youtube but I'm not that brave.
I made a tiny amount of greens, roasted pork tenderloin with dry rub again, and baked potatoes. Yum so good! I still haven't gotten thru a day without eating sweets-and it probably won't happen today-but i'm eating less at any rate. I think all the worrying about snow exhausted me and I went to bed a bit early.
Silverbirch-I haven't heard of the May flush, I like that expression. I can see how that could deter a potential buyer.
Bill- yesterday was the maiden voyage of the toaster oven and it worked out fine. I wanted something that was very basic and fit in a certain space. There was only one choice at Target which made that an easy decision https://www.target.com/p/black-decke...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
Yesterday was a light skiing day of about 3 hours. My quads refused anymore. The downside of sleeping on the mountain is the lack of anything outside entertainment at the end of the day - especially if you don't drink alcohol. I studied some chess moves, read, and then rewatched some episodes of Ted Lasso. My buddy is easy about parallel activities but does have some very intense mood swings which are a little startling. I am trying to just let it be and not involve myself. I am thinking a week might have been too long a plan but we are now moving to a Unesco site of Lake Louise Fontaine Chateau. So there should be plenty of activities - starting with a a cross country across a turquoise lake. We are very compatible with exercise, movment and food so I am lucky. Also, maybe it is me who has mood swings
Hi
Monday - French fashion designer Christian Dior presents his "New Look" (1947)
so we watched some junk tv instead. I told her she needs a cheap antennae which is what I use to bring in the free shows, since she cut cable or part of it anyhow. TV was so much easier back in the day!
“Budtenders”?? (I wanted to put the moving emoji with the hair going on end here but then I remembered how I dislike the ones that move. To be honest, I'm not really very keen on them at all but there's a time and place for them and one of those is probably with an eight-year-old!)