I learned a lot at the bariatric surgery class yesterday. The presenter for the class is one of the actual surgeons, and he has 11 years experience doing bariatric surgery. He really knew his stuff. The last 1/2 hour of the class was presented by a dietitian explaining what vitamins will need to be taken for the rest of our lives, and also the portion sizes post-surgery. The success rate for the surgery in terms of weight lost and low rate of regaining weight makes it very appealing. I made an appointment with the surgeon for Monday, which is when I'll learn, among other things, the weight I need to get down to before surgery. They weighed all the class participants yesterday, but the amount of weight we need to lose is based off our highest weight on record at Kaiser over the past year. I asked the surgeon if it's possible (or recommended) to use a meal replacement program (like Opti-Fast) to lose the weight prior to surgery. He said he doesn't recommend it because he wants patients to learn strict portion control, healthy eating and practice chewing each bite very well. I will discuss Opti-Fast again with him on Monday, and in the meantime, I'm still keeping my appointment for with the Opti-Fast physician for Tuesday morning, and I should have an idea about what I decide to do by Tuesday afternoon, right now I'm leaning more toward surgery simply because of the much lower rate of regain. According to Kaiser's statistics, the average person loses 66% or more of their excess weight, and over 70% keep most of the weight off for more than 10 years.
After the bariatric surgery class, I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the recumbent bike. Tonight is aqua aerobics, followed by poker. And tomorrow morning is dog training class.
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Ceejay - Enjoy time with your sister. Safe travels.
Laura - Safe travels to you as well. My heart, thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Annie - I hope you have a great weekend!
Shad - I hope you don't have to put in any work time over the weekend. Get out for a lovely walk if the weather is suitable.
Susie - I hope you have a nice, fun, relaxing weekend.
Happy - Any fun plans? Are you pulling any weekend shifts at the shop?
Terra - keep on walk, walk, walking away the pounds (either indoors or out).
Morning all,
Time to get this done before I get into the swing of housework, present buying, deciding what I have to buy before I get fully packed and stop cooking and what I can eat out of the fridge/ freezer before I leave and general sorting for packing.
It's been busy at work as we try to sort out all the problems before we sign off the project. I think there will be some who will stay on after d'day but it won't be me. I have this project in front of me. They want it done and dusted in 2 and 1/2 weeks. I doubt that it will happen. I have the doco ready to go, but our wonderful ;P implementation screen don't seem to want to come to the aid of the party as far as doing the system stuff goes. There have been some real bullshit reasons as to why they can't do it - apart from the real one, which is they don't know how. But hey, they have already done it for another category in the same transaction. What's with not being able to do it for this category????? Bulldust, bulldust, bulldust.
Other than that project, two more mini projects have landed on my desk. One is almost done, the other I don't think will get done before I go. I'm waiting on business input and that doesn't seem to be forthcoming.
Anyway - 'nough about work.
Terra -
Ceejay - Have a great family time with your uncles and sisters and the extended family. It will be hard without the boss there to whinge to. I can understand the reluctance to dig and delve among pipes to find valves that have been put in the wrong place anyway - or not relocated during upgrades and renovations.
Laura - hope the journey goes well. Such a hard thing to do. Shame on the airlines for not offering bereavement leave. I haven't had to try for any recently but when my dad went, Air New Zealand bumped off a passenger to get DS2 and I a seat when Dad died, and we got first class treatment all the way. Qantas wasn't quite so accommodating but I still got a discount when Mum passed.
Looked up the drongo word.
We will see you when you get back.
Michelle - glad that you have made a decision. Interesting that you were going on optifast because of the surgery, but the surgeon is not impressed. Must admit that I agree with him. Yours is going to be a hard road to tread, but you are educating yourself and maybe you now need to take some cooking lessons as well. I'll send you my cooking for one recipe book. I don't use it because I cook for 2 or 4 and freeze the portions. Just remember that American portions are not natural and that's what got you to where you are now in the first place.
Happy - you are beginning to sound like Ruthxxx. Retirement is busier than work.
Certainly walking hills and inclines will burn more calories than walking flat land. Different muscles are used on the way up than on the way down. Just keep walking. DH will find you eventually The trip away sounded nice.
With the strawberries - try freezing them when they get to the point that you know you can't eat them all. Then you can make jam, put them into ice cream, make smoothies, stew 'em up and make couli for around puddings etc and just use them in puddings where the recipe calls for frozen or fresh berries, or they can go in fruit loaves etc. Yummo.
I went on a long walk this morning. Up around the rose gardens (just getting ready for the winter prune, down Tinakori Road and looked at Antique shops and old buildings. Down Hill Street to Parliament buildings, past the Railway station and ending up on the wharf. Beautiful morning. I discovered you can have the ultimate apartment on the waterfront for $10 million - let me know if you have a spare million or two lying around. Checked out the maritime police station and its boats and then came back to the apartment to cook breakfast, do the housework and ponder on what to buy my sister for her birthday. Then I thought I should check in here and catch up on the goss.
I've taken some pictures which I will try to put up on the site shortly.
See you.
Aaah yes forgot. I was also having problems with posting. I found that if I clicked the post button again nothing happened, but if I clicked Go Advanced, then it would give me a message that I could not duplicate the post so buzz off. And when I looked, yes it was there.
Right pictures:
It could be an early spring around here - well we haven't really had winter yet. In the Bot Gardens this morning I saw:
Magnolias coming into bloom
Azaleas well into their display
Poppies - windblown but a great display
Snowdrops
Tulips poking their leaves out of the group. Should be a great display later
Here are a few pics. In the last you can see the $10million apartment at the top end of the wharf. The monastery on the left has just been sold and will be converted to luxury apartments. Obviously we like to cater for the wealthy.
Laura ~ Yeah Im having fun making my t-shirt quilt
Michelle & Shad ~ I will be sure to keep up on the walking
Happy ~ Yeah Im sure it will give me happy dreams too, I agree it is a great remembrance
I woke up at 9:00 am this morning, I decided to sleep in this morning so I didnt go for my morning walk but I did take Clyde outside and I took my pills and thats all I've done so far this morning, Im about to have breakfast though. I think Im gonna clean the bathroom today and I still need to dust the computer desk and everything on it so thats what I'll do today.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Hello chicks,
Happy Saturday. Thrift shop meeting went ok, not as I thought it would but that's ok - incentive for me to back off and concentrate on other things like setting up Facebook pages. I am still stuck taking minutes - a lesson I often forget that sometimes it pays NOT to be good at something I worked yesterday afternoon - my partner who is in her 70's and small in stature - I'd say maybe 10 to 15 pounds max off ideal weight had some heart tests. She has a terrible family history of heart issues - one of those lot whose body manufactures a ton of bad cholesterol even with the benefits of medication. They put a stent in her, found that both her carotid arteries were severely blocked. She had been having some fainting spells and it's good they caught things when they did. They are telling her strict diet and lose weight and really up the exercise. I know we are a nation of chubbies but it seems the doctors want us all to look like tiny Chinese women
Something definitely to be said Shad for the American portions. I look at the servings of Lean Cuisine meals which are fine for a light lunch and many times are quite enough to satisfy me but I often thing that this is what the entire dinner should look like - my dinners are often healthy but have far more foods than that. I guess it's a good retraining tool.
Ceejay - I hope you have a most wonderful time with your sister. Do share the details of the "big night". I hope it didn't end with naked dancing and lamp shades on the heads
Shad - lovely flowers. Our lily of the valley have just petered out about 2 weeks ago. I watch some of those reality real estate shows on cable tv so I have seen the insides of these million dollar plus apartments. The thought rolls over and over in my head that many people have far too much money for totally frivolous stuff. Also interesting that in New York City - many of these high priced flats are sold to international clients. The common man (and woman) is more likely to be the one holding the door, cleaning hair out of the pool drain and scrubbing the loos. Sounds like you have adopted the healthy attitude of if you want it done, you have to co-operate with me and give me what I need. Do you remember I am leaving in 2 weeks? Not my problem if you dilly dally. Thanks for the many tips on the berries. I am not a fan of mushy thawed out strawberries however since these are so flavorful they could be used as a coulis or for tasty cakes or something. And of course there is always the smoothies although I must admit my love affair with them has tempered out.
Michelle - I guess I never considered that but after you mention it, I think the doctor makes an excellent point about rethinking food vs the shake plan. I suppose too that you will have to maximize your protein levels so you may have to focus on "learning to love" if you already don't - new foods that are nutrient dense in some areas. Lots to think about. One thing I heard that was interesting was that you lose the maximum weight in the first year and after that you have to work just as hard to lose the weight as pre-surgery. So I suppose it's best to use that first year to retrain yourself as much as possible. Did they talk about loose skin too - especially for those of us not in our 20's with good collagen anymore. And what's with thoroughly chewing everything? Is that so that things don't get "stuck" and it makes it easier to digest with the smaller stomach? Do they recommend a vigorous exercise program from the get go also to help with the toning and weight loss? Guess it totally does turn one's world upside down, doesn't it? Sounds like you have a pretty busy weekend ahead of you. How long is the dog training classes? As to your question to me, nothing exciting planned for the weekend - I do have to start focusing on clearing out some things to take to the thrift shop and get them out of the house. Our donations are starting to drop off so they can use the stuff as well. I am going to Chicago in August and I want to maximize this time left to focus on getting the house in order. I am also going to set up 2 Facebook pages - one for the thrift shop and another for a local business so I need to bone up on some tips for that - will probably do that on Sunday. Did the weather cool off a bit so that it's more comfortable sleeping for you?
Laura - thinking of you this weekend
Annie - one of the restaurants we go to on the lake has 3 dogs, one of which is a 7 week old dachshund puppy. Cutest thing ever. No wonder you are so enamoured of Sassy. Still pulling for you on the job front, it will happen when it does but I can totally understand getting antsy about it already. Things sure aren't like they used to be.
Hi Susie, Terra
It's supposed to be warm today - it's already muggy in the house. I suppose I should get started before it gets too uncomfortable. There is a good breeze blowing through the house even if it's a warm one and with it being sunny out, it will heat up in here once the sun gets overhead so I'd best get busy.
Hello Everyone. I spent most of yesterday cleaning house in the AM. I still need to dust the living room today.
We watched our nephews for a few hours last night while my brother and his partner went to dinner and a movie. They rarely do anything without the boys. It was good for all of them to be apart for a bit and we had a great time with those little guys. Talk about a workout...getting up and down off the floor!
We ended our 12 weeks TOPS Lose-a-thon fundraiser. I ended up with 6 losses, 4 stay the same and two gains and lost 7 lbs. I also made $132 for our chapter. We are going to do another 12 week challenge soon where we will each put in $12 and each week we lose we get a $1 back, if we stay the same or gain that $1 goes to our treasury. We are interested to see how we do with this one. Some people are motivated by "winning", some are motivated by telling others what they want to do and don't like to admit that they "didn't do it"--I think I'm in that group but I'm also very competitive.
I had a 3 lb loss this past week.
Terri: Have you done anymore with the quilt project?
Happy: It's very warm in Ohio this weekend. I'm so happy we have the air on.
Thanks for explaining the tag sale. Was it a big success?
Ceejay: I hope you are having a nice time away this weekend. YIKES about shutting those filters and things down manually! I would be terrified to climb over all those pipes and things.
Shad: I keep forgetting that you are in the "winter" season. From the looks of the flowers blooming perhaps it will be a short and mild winter for you.
You are so right about the American portions!
Michelle: As you know, I tried the shake thing and it just wasn't for me. I don't mind one every once in a while but daily they aren't for me. I will say that I'm thinking about making them my "snack" when I come home from work. I'm always hungry when I walk through the door and struggle to not overeat at that time. The shakes that I was using are full of protein and I know that I don't get much of that so I think that using them as that snack (when I just can't get past needing "something" would be a good idea for me.
I'm looking forward to hearing what you find out with your appointment with the surgeon.
Laura: Happy to hear that you had a loss at WW. Keep focusing on that you are 20 lbs down from your highest weight and when you get back from being with your family I know you can refocus and get back to losing weight.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Morning all,
The saga of the cats continues. I swear we have had more issues with these shelter cats than we ever did with cats off the street. Took the older one in for her annual check up. She has always had weepy eyes - at the shelter they said it was due to stress. And it did seem to clear up once we brought her home and she calmed down - for the most part. Would flare up every now and then and she is very skittish so getting near her to clean her eyes is just not happening. The doc said that her eyelids are actually turning inwards and that the eyes are weepy because they are probably irritated. She gave us some eyedrops to be applied twice a day. I'm not sure what happened in Meadow's past life and she was at the shelter for 2 and a half years so she is very, very skittish. Our progress with her has been in little tiny bites at a time and slow in coming. When we first got her if we walked past her she crouched down and bolted from us. It was very difficult to touch her. At first we mostly just left her alone to get comfortable and then gradually we just pushed ourselves on her - first time around we could only brush her once or twice before she ran away. Now she actually comes up to us, meows, gets "in position" facing away from us and expects to be brushed. Her coat looks so much better now with regular grooming. She is weird and certain things can only happen in their "specific place". ie - she will let me sit next to her on the couch but only in the basement. If I try and sit next to her in the living room, she will run like mad. She has just begun to allow me to sit on the vanity bench at the foot of the bed and pet her when she lays at the foot of my bed on a blanket each evening. Some days she is affectionate and allows us to touch and cuddle her, other days she looks at us with fear and runs if we look at her for too long. We usually trim her nails when we take her to the vet because DH had to almost hog tie her when he trimmed her himself and only got 8 of 10 nails at that. So knowing he had to take her to the vet last week, for 2 weeks prior, he would approach her after brushing and pick her up and put her in his lap - which lasted all of 20 seconds tops. But she was getting used to being picked up. He got her to the vet on Tuesday. Wednesday we snatched her in the morning - I held her in my arms and DH administered the eye drops. As soon as I set her down - she bolted under the bed where she stayed pretty much for the next 24 hours. If she did come out and saw us - she flew to the basement and went under that couch which means sitting on the bare cold, cement floor. By yesterday she allowed me to touch her again although she is still very skittish and will not allow DH anywhere near her. So we get a call from the vet on Friday. Meadow's blood work came back and she is diabetic. This means a total change in the habits of the cats. Nina is on expensive prescription cat food for her food allergies - although it does seem that she has grown out of them for the most part now that she's out of the kitten phase. We set out dry food and they both eat the same thing. DH has started giving them wet food - Nina takes a few licks but Meadow is the chow hound. Nina's food is too high carb for Meadow so now we need to get 2 kinds of prescription food - one for each cat, restrict their food intake and re-train them from free range nibbling throughout the day to twice a day eating on demand and no sharing of each other's food. The worst part is that Meadow may need insulin injections twice a day. That is just NOT going to happen. The doc said the needles are fine gauge and don't hurt a lot but they do pinch - I'm thinking oh SURE - just like the dentist says "you'll feel a pinch and your eyes start tearing from the pain". I told the vet that we can't even get ahold of Meadow to trim her nails or give her a second dose of eye drops much less rustle her twice a day for shots. I am willing to do what needs to be done but the poor thing is horribly traumatized when we come near her. I don't want to be scaring the bejeezus out of her and I seriously doubt outside of permanently kenneling her, there's no way we'd catch her. The vet said she understood so we are going to try changing out her food, restricting it so she loses some weight and see how that goes. Her "diabetic" issues have just recently surfaced so hopefully we can manage her disease with less invasive methods. We are both just sick about this.
Also my tooth / root canal is no better than when I first went to the dentist. Don't know what's going on but now it is again super sensitive to both heat and cold. And I have a tender spot all the way up by the curve of my nostril against my face so I am so scared of some sort of infection so close to my brain. - I have taken a second round of antibiotics which has made no difference at all. I don't know what's going on and I'm nervous about leaving town next month. So that and a few other things are weighing heavy on my mind. Kind of in a bummed out mood. I guess the best thing to do is immerse myself in some "need to do things" for the time being.
Susie - glad you had fun with the nephews - I'm sure the change of pace was good for them also. I hear you on the shakes as meal replacement. I am so not one of those people who can eat the same thing day after day - the only two things I do routinely is have 1 morning coffee and drink Coca Cola Congrats on the 3 pounds down - that is a great loss for the week I think having a challenge at TOPS is a great motivational tool. It's fun to have group events like that.
I hope everyone is having a nice Sunday. I'm going to go get busy.
Friday night was poker....got home late, but had a good time. Then it was up early on Saturday to take Santa to training. The dog training classes are supposed to end in a few weeks, but it's taken us a bit longer to learn "auto-sit" where the dog automatically sits when we stop walking, so now the trainer says we can join in with the beginner class that starts in August and he won't charge us. Very nice of him. That way, we'll get through all of the classes (assuming that the new class doesn't get stuck as badly as we did). Speaking of that, I should take Santa to the park today for practicing before I drop him off at day care while I go to the gym and then to yoga. I didn't work out yesterday, got my hair trimmed and colored (strawberry blonde) instead, so I'm going to the gym later to do 1/2 hour on the bike and then go to my yoga class.
For years, I've known I was a sugar addict, but yesterday proved it to me. After my time at the salon, I was hungry and wanted to get some ice cream (for purely medicinal reasons...to raise my blood sugar...yeah, right). Instead I went to Chipotle (a healthy Mexican chain restaurant) and got my favorite...a salad with steak, beans and brown rice. No dressing, instead I use the pico de gallo salsa. Then right after, I craved something sweet...so I wanted ice cream. Nope. I went home instead. Later, Santa and I went to the dog park, and on the way home, I wanted to drive "just a few blocks out of the way" to get ice cream. Nope, I went home and had a container of Greek yogurt instead. But I swear, I felt like an addict who was "jones-ing" for her next fix. Sheesh!
I have just started a great book. "It Ain't Over 'till the Thin Lady Sings" by Michelle Ritchie. She is a counselor who has worked with drug and alcohol addicts and also works with weight loss surgery patients. She has also had weight loss surgery and really describe what to expect, how to prepare, and most importantly what won't/can't be magically fixed by having weight loss surgery (our relationship with food, turning to food for comfort, etc.). I'm only a few chapters into the book but so far I think it would be beneficial with anyone who struggles with losing weight and turns to food in times of stress, even if there's no way you'd consider weight loss surgery (just skip over those parts).
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Shad - You are right about American portions not being natural! And that, along with the massive carb intake over the years, are what got me where I am. A cooking for 1 cookbook sounds perfect. I'll also check the local colleges and see if they offer any basic cooking for 1 or 2 classes. I am going to have to train myself to start enjoying cooking, and in smaller portions. And you're right...this is not going to be easy, but I must do it, so I will do it. Anytime I think of eating or drinking empty calories or skipping a chance to exercise, I'll just envision myself with a walker or in a wheelchair, because that may not be too far off.
Terra - I'd love to see a photo of the quilt when you have it done.
Ceejay - Hope you're having a great time with your sister and other relatives!
Happy - You are definitely keeping busy in your "retirement"! You're right about Lean Cuisine portions. If that's the proper portions, I think 99% of America needs to be retrained. And to think, after surgery, a Lean Cuisine will likely be 2 meals for me. Though, due to the sodium and preservatives, I will definitely want to cut back the amount of processed food I eat. You and Shad continue to stretch my vocabulary...drongo, bulldust, and now coulis? What is a coulis? After surgery, the number 1 rule of eating is EAT PROTEIN FIRST because it keeps you feeling full longer. I will definitely have to retrain with nutrient dense foods because there simply won't be room for empty calories. Due to the way gastric bypass works, I will have to take lots of different vitamins daily to ensure I get the necessary nutrients. You are right, about the first year being key. This is for a few reasons...the first being that for the first year or 18 months, you don't feel hungry. Something about the surgery inhibits the production of the hormone ghrelin that makes you feel hungry. Good stuff!! Also, it is possible to stretch out your pouch, but we don't want to do that, because after the first year when the hunger hormones come back, we need the smallest pouch possible to minimize our eating and maximize our feeling full. So the surgeon said that the first 12-18 months post-surgery are the "prime time" to lose as much weight as possible. The reason for the insane chewing is to throughly mush up the food to aid in digestion and nutrient absorbtion, and so things don't get stuck. I am realizing now how very little I chew my food - a few chews and down the hatch! They do most definitely recommend exercise. Starting with walking on the day of surgery in the hospital, gradually working up to faster pace, and eventually incorporating weights a few weeks (not sure how many weeks) post surgery. To answer your question, the weather here has been nice. In the low to mid 80s. We occasionally get temps in the low 90s, but at least it cools off at night, so with the fan circulating the air, I'm able to sleep. The 7 wk old dachshund puppy sounds adorable. I feel so bad for poor dear Meadow. She must have had a rough life before you found her at the shelter. Good luck with the eyedrops. Actually, the insulin needles aren't too bad. We had to give our cat twice daily insulin for about 10 years. Just lift the scruff of the neck and inject it there into the scruff. My cat never even flinched. In fact, after a few months, he would come and "remind" us that it was time for his shot. The insulin injection will likely be much less traumatic and feel much less invasive than the eye drops or nail trimming. I hope your dental/sinus issues clear up soon.
Laura - Been thinking of you all weekend. Sending you and your family lots of love and prayers.
Annie - Hope you're having a great weekeend. Sending you lots of love and good vibes.
Susie - Congrats on the losses at TOPS, especially the 3lb loss this past week!!!! So nice of you and your DH to watch your nephews. I can totally relate to sometimes just "needing" a little something. I'm really finding the best bang for my buck in terms of feeling satiated/filling me up/staving off hunger are Greek yogurt or string cheese. Thankfully those are both low-cal and will be things I can use after surgery.
Okay...time to get ready for the day, make out a shopping list to go with my 1200 cal a day plan, get to the gym and then yoga later. Does anyone know if/how on MyFitnessPal if you can set it so that the calories you burn exercising DON'T get added to your food allowance?
A coulis (/kuːˈliː/ koo-LEE; French, from Old French couleis, from Vulgar Latin cōlāticus, from Latin cōlātus, past participle of cōlāre, to strain) is a form of thick sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits. A vegetable coulis is commonly used on meat and vegetable dishes, and it can also be used as a base for soups or other sauces. Fruit coulis are most often used on desserts. Raspberry coulis, for example, is especially popular with poached apples.
The term originally referred to the released juices of cooked meats, and today can sometimes refer to a puréed soup of shellfish.
Knowledge that might come in handy for post-surgery
Happy - You are right...it is good for me to know about pureed fruits and veg, as that will be my diet for a short while after surgery. Thanks for the education.
I'm pretty tired after riding the bike and then doing yoga. I have to finish reading my bariatric surgery binder before tomorrow afternoon's appointment, so I'd best get to it.
Ate things yesterday that I shouldn't have and paid for it big time this morning. Was going to go to church this morning with my sister and bil but told them I just didn't feel like it. I had to drive home in a down pour and thunder and lightening. They were going to Nashville after church. I got home and crashed on the couch. Also got a phone call from my Missouri sister wanting to know when I was coming up in August. I told her on Labor day. She's making plans.
I got to see people that I haven't seen in a long time. But felt like a third wheel so to speak. These people were upper classman.
Will be back later do to personals. I'm still tired,
Sounds like you have adopted the healthy attitude of 
if you want it done, you have to co-operate with me and give me what I need. Do you remember I am leaving in 2 weeks? Not my problem if you dilly dally. 
Thanks for the many tips on the berries. I am not a fan of mushy thawed out strawberries however since these are so flavorful they could be used as a coulis or for tasty cakes or something. And of course there is always the smoothies although I must admit my love affair with them has tempered out. 
And what's with thoroughly chewing everything? Is that so that things don't get "stuck" and it makes it easier to digest with the smaller stomach? Do they recommend a vigorous exercise program from the get go also to help with the toning and weight loss? Guess it totally does turn one's world upside down, doesn't it? Sounds like you have a pretty busy weekend ahead of you. How long is the dog training classes? As to your question to me, nothing exciting planned for the weekend - I do have to start focusing on clearing out some things to take to the thrift shop and get them out of the house. Our donations are starting to drop off so they can use the stuff as well. I am going to Chicago in August and I want to maximize this time left to focus on getting the house in order. I am also going to set up 2 Facebook pages - one for the thrift shop and another for a local business so I need to bone up on some tips for that - will probably do that on Sunday. Did the weather cool off a bit so that it's more comfortable sleeping for you? 
Still pulling for you on the job front, it will happen when it does but I can totally understand getting antsy about it already. Things sure aren't like they used to be. 
- I have taken a second round of antibiotics which has made no difference at all. I don't know what's going on and I'm nervous about leaving town next month. So that and a few other things are weighing heavy on my mind. Kind of in a bummed out mood. I guess the best thing to do is immerse myself in some "need to do things" for the time being. 
I think having a challenge at TOPS is a great motivational tool. It's fun to have group events like that. 