Good morning, sleepyheads!

Good morning! I had a great weekend. It started with a movie night with DH on Friday while DS was at his HS homecoming game (they won). DH and I shared a popcorn and we each had a lite beer during the movie. Actually that was dinner due to us having gone out for our usual Friday lunch, so we weren't too hungry. We saw Never Let Me Go. It was good, it followed the book quite well, so I was happy with it.

Saturday we drove to Fullerton to meet DD for dinner and then attended her concert. We found a new restaurant there and I tried their jalapeno martini. Wow, was it good! Just like a margarita, but not as sweet as it was just tequila (infused with jalapenos), fresh lime juice and a little Cointreau. I had seafood enchiladas (lobster and shrimp) and DS ate all my rice and beans because his dish didn't come with any. It was nice not being tempted by that. And I only ate one chip. That is a huge thing for me!

Sunday we went to see RED. Oh, my that was a hilarious movie! Then I made a nice chicken curry over rice for dinner and served it with a cucumber salad.

I'm happy to report that my weight is down! Usually after the weekend, I wake up to a high scale reading, but not so today so I'm starting the week off on a good note. Of course it helps that I got my workout done this morning--something that didn't happen at all last week. That was bad!

This afternoon I'm going to concentrate on learning my PT exercises for my left elbow which seems to have tennis elbow. I have to be so careful--especially here at work--not to lift anything as it causes excruciating pain. I'm more mindful of it at home, too--things like lifting the gallon of milk has to be done right-handed, and often having DH do some of the cooking things to relieve me of lifting heavy pans is always on my mind. I do hope this goes away soon.

Everyone have a great day and week!

Good morning midwife!

Allison, how long has your tennis elbow been going on? If it's a recent development, I would suggest picking up a compression band to use for a few days. They are basically a little velcro wrap thing that you put on your forearm just below your elbow and they provide compression for the irritated tendons. Not good to use long-term, but they can help a lot during the acute phase of the injury. Also, ice and massage can help.

Dagmar, how was dim sum? I can't ever go to dim sum without overeating. It is just SO GOOD and I get to eat it so infrequently (no more than 1x/year). For future reference, if you go again, usually in addition to the carts with all the dumplings they often have carts cooking up steamed veggies, and they have seaweed salads. Otherwise my gut instinct is that shu mai are probably the lowest-cal item on the menu.

Well, DH made it to the finish line of his half marathon but his leg gave up at 8 miles just like it did in training. He seems to be taking it pretty well -- better than I expected -- although he did have a few moments of depression the past couple days. Yesterday I had to just leave the house for a while (took Carter for a walk) to let him stew on his own, and he was okay when I got back.

In any case though, even with the leg problem he did great for a first time IMO. Came in at 2:19 for a 10:40 average pace. They do a time split at the first 5 miles, and he was keeping up an 8:37 pace when he was at mile 5. Unfortunately somewhere between mile 8 and mile 9 his IT band gave out and he had to walk/stretch/jog the last four miles. He was limping all day after the race but did a lot of ice and massage and stretching and seems to be walking okay now. I'm trying to talk him into seeing a physical therapist to get some exercises that will be targeted to his problem. He has decided that he's diagnosed himself via the internet and that a PT or sports medicine doctor won't be able to tell him anything he doesn't know, but I'm insisting, so hopefully I can get him to go in a week or two. We need to figure out whether his insurance requires a referral for PT.

In the meantime we got him a punch card for the pool so he can come swimming with me once a week for cross-training, plus we can bike together. Unlike running, I'm at least as fast as him in the water and he doesn't mind going slow with me on the bike. Also I ordered DH a copy of the men's version of New Rules of Lifting (NRLW probably would be just as good, but I bet he'd be embarrassed to be seen carrying a women's book around the gym).

At work they're having signups today and tomorrow for group fitness classes, yay! I'm going to register for a 6-week yoga class.

Jessica, are compression bands the things I see football players wearing? I watch college football (go BSU Broncos!), and I see kids wearing these bands on various places on their arms. Not all the kids and kids on different teams so I thought it might be some medical thing. Congrats on your DH's 1/2 marathon! It may not have gone the way he wanted, but I'm impressed that he finished. Has he tried water running, BTW? Track coaches use it for injured runners. I loved water running.

Allison, kudos on the scale! Sounds like you had a lot of fun this weekend. I had tennis elbow after I broke my arm. It was so painful, I thought the break hadn't healed. Hope it feels better soon.

So I'm going to be on the Suze Orman show in about 1/2 an hour. If you watch the show, it's the Can I Afford It segment. Not sure when it will air. I'm getting a bit of "stage" fright already, wondering if I'm going to be tongue tied. My mouth is already dry. Oh, well, they can always edit out my part.

Been enjoying working out at home on my elliptical and with my bands and exercise ball. I definitely get more exercise. Plus not driving to the gym is "green", right?

Have a great day, everyone!

Allison, I'm impressed with your food choices. WTG!

Jessica, sounds like you need more than a 7 day week to get all that exercise in. Congrats to your DH! I agree he could benefit from seeing a PT.

Sheila, good luck with the show! Are you trying to afford something?

Some old, same old around here. DH has an interview for a promotion of sorts at work. It would be quite a bit more money, which we sure could use these days.

Yes, and we were APPROVED!

Jessica~I don't know what happened to my elbow. My DD was here in late September and it was then that I realized that the pain in my elbow had been going on for several days and it was after she left that I self-diagnosed via the internet. One thing that seems consistent with my self-diagnosis and what I've read is that something as simple as lifting a gallon of milk can trigger it--especially with age. It really sucks! I am so used to doing things like holding a pan in my left hand and scooping out the contents with my right and I can't do that. Anyway, my FIL had tennis elbow last year and he still had his compression band so I'm borrowing it and he gave me his list of exercises by the therapist (same one I saw for my knee problem) so I'll start on those today. I meant to start last week, but didn't ever get around to it. My FIL said as soon as he started the exercises the compression band didn't seem to do much good (I've worn it 3 out of the last 5 days) and that the exercises really worked to ease the pain, so I'm hopeful that they'll work for me as well. If not, I'll go do PT again.

Sheila~for what are you approved? Good luck on the show!

That is cool Sheila! I've seen that show and she hardly ever approves anyone!

Hi to everyone!
I went to a wedding on Saturday and allowed myself the freedom to eat and drink what I wanted. I haven't been to a wedding in five years so I figure I can get the weight off (up 2 pounds today). I almost never drink alcohol so that was a splurge and probably why the scale is up-- I had 2 glasses of champagne and 3 small rum and diet cokes over the evening. Had a blast and dd flew home from college to go with us. She is returning today but I leave Thursday to go see her for parents' weekend. Cannot wait!!

My portfolio is due for my masters before I go so I am busy finishing tweaking it. I hope it passes! If it doesn't pass you get one chance to revise it.

Dh is home from his two week trip to Asia. I think he is here for a week or two before he leaves again. I can never keep track of where he is or where he's been!

I also finished my bookfair-- hooray! No more bookfair until the Spring so life should be a little easier this week.

Allison-- what is Red about or who is in it? I haven't heard of it but I've been too busy! Dd wants to see Secreteriat when I go up there because she is a horse lover but maybe I could talk her into Red or maybe we'll have time for two.

Hi to everyone else!!

Sheila, I bet you see some athletes wearing them. You can google for "tennis elbow strap" and you will find some pictures. I'll see if I can talk DH into water running. Right now he's still in the phase where it's best to rest his leg until it feels a bit better. When he came swimming with me yesterday I gave him a pull buoy to use so he was only working his arms.

Let us know when your Suze segment airs! I will totally watch it!

Midwife, I'll keep my fingers crossed for your DH.

Allison, definitely do the exercises and do some icing. The longer you let these type of injuries go untreated the longer it takes to heal them.

Michele, sounds like you had fun at the wedding! Good luck with your portfolio.

Today was the last day of running out the door at 7 a.m. to do cat sitting .

Dim sum was great! The whole foodie tour was excellent. We went to a bakery first - had tea and savoury and sweet pastries. Then we visited an herbalist and had several different teas. Then we hit a supermarket and identified all sorts of things and ate a fruit called "rambutan". A couple from California were the only other people on the tour so we got to ask all sorts of questions from the guide and chatted quite a bit about our respective goverments, school systems (he was a history teacher), etc.

Unfortunately, by the time we got to the dim sum we were all ravenously hungry due to the caffeine and sugar before. We ate like little pigs! I had all sorts of little dumplings, chicken feet, pepper beef , steamed veggies, and an egg custard tart for dessert. Yummy!

I am up 3 lbs. from all this but I'm sure it'll come off in a day or two of regular eating.

Dagmar

Happy Monday morning all. (OK, so I'm a day late. Thanks midwife for getting us started.)

Spent the weekend at a family reunion - food centric of course. I'm pleased that I only wandered a little bit off path; the opportunities for wandering far were omni-present.

I'm happy that I don't need to go to work in the dark this morning. And I'm also happy that I can stretch/lift weights again in the mornings. My body misses all my exercise components when I can't do them.

I think we have an extension of the nicer weather today too! It's going to be a good week.

I'm sure my dim sum extravagance will be gone by weigh-in time tomorrow.

Have a great Tuesday all!

Dagmar (only 13 days 'til Cesar Millan )

Michele~RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) has Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Richard Dryfuss, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker and Ernest Borgnine in it (among others). It is really cute and entertaining.

I got sick yesterday. Around 10 AM I started getting dizzy and queasy. I was hoping it would pass, but I finally went home just before noon. The animals were happy to see me and all three of them never left my room for the 3 1/2 hours I "tried" to sleep. Unfortunately Ringo was pretty busy and kept getting into things or jumping on the bed which Chico didn't like, so he would jump on and off. Finally after 2 hours Ringo went behind the curtain and fell asleep so I finally did, too. DH attempted to fix me soup for dinner. Why he could only find the Campbells soups that I keep for cooking and not the better Progresso for eating, I don't know. Anyway, I got it out and started heating it for myself and he served me and cleaned up and ordered pizza for he and DS. He used to be able to cook... Anyway, I feel a bit better this morning. A little stiff in the back and shoulders, but my stomach is better and I slept like a rock last night, so that much is good.

Everyone have a great day!

I had a great day today! Sunny, breezy, and beautiful!

One of the ditzier dogs is finally walking really well without the halti, and she did two returns for me in the afternoon without the long line. I'll be glad when I don't have to lug that along with me any more.

Everyone else also behaved and I didn't get held up by the garbage trucks once.

Just had my dinner solo (DH is doing something at work that he can't/won't leave) and now I'm all showered and relaxed and settling in with a couple of new magazines.

Going to carve up a ripe pineapple later and have some for dessert and then call it a night.

have a great evening all!

Dagmar

OMG! I thought this was going to be a good week. One of my clients did not have her contract renewed so she just gave me the news that her dog will no longer be able to come out with us.

I will have to get busy and find some new business soon or I won't have a business.

I thought I had built up enough of a reputation that word of mouth would suffice for new dogs but I guess I'll have to look into advertising again.

That's what I hate about self-employment. No job security ever.

I WILL NOT EAT TONITE!!!

Dagmar