Weekly check-in

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Summary

Photo credit: iStockPhoto

Change this week: +1 Total change: -12 Pounds to goal: 8 Non-smoking weeks count: 6 Miles this week: 4

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Food and Exercise

Bad bad bad this week. There was peanut butter off the spoon, cinnamon toast, an entire package of rice cakes in one sitting. And there was very little moving - several days without exercising at all. See below..

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Notes and thoughts

I'm on the upswing of what (so far) is the worst bout of depression I have ever been through. I went to see my doctor and we're playing the balance the meds game, which is helping me. I am out of bed and not constantly stuffing my face, anyway.

You know, I used to be ashamed to say what's wrong with me when these episodes happen. I've always claimed I have migraines because that seems more socially acceptable that I'm really, really sad for no good reason. It might be hormonal, I don't know. Something is wrong with me though and my medication is no longer cutting the mustard.

It's not really like that anymore. I don't know if it's because I'm older, because I work at a different sort of place now, because depression is a more socially acceptable now, or some combination. The end result is that I tell the truth. So sorry I had to call off work - I couldn't get out of bed. I was barely able to put pants on before I left the house to go to the doctor and I crawled right back into be as soon as I got home. I couldn't write or read or knit. All I could do was lay there, cry, and watch stuff on Netflix.

I'm now on two different anti-depressants. Not sure if it will stay this way. I sort of hope not. The add-on has side effects that I really am not keen on - I itch, I'm not sleeping as well as I should, my stomach is churning, and I have a little headache that never really goes away. I have an appointment next week with my gynecologist because my primary care thinks the way these dips are cycling is indicative of some sort of hormonal imbalance. I don't know what it is. All I know for now is I can get out of bed, I can wash dishes, I can eat something that contains neither bread nor peanut butter. Therefore, I am doing better.

And I'm not worried at all about a number on a scale right now. What concerns me? Making it through this slump without going back to smoking. Doing my job in a way that doesn't case any lasting damage while I'm still not feeling quite 100%. Making sure my boyfriend knows that when I lash out, it's this mood that has me in its grip and not me lashing (even though I know I am hurting him - I hope like hell he understands and can keep being patient with me). I guess my goal for now is to keep myself together.

We shall see what next week brings.

Trip to the HobLob

We had some plans yesterday that (purposely) did not include spending money. We were going to make a picnic lunch of yummy, healthy oatmeal cookies and turkey on multi-grain bread; ride our bikes to the park; eat; wander the zoo; and ride back home. But then Mother Nature said fogeddaboutit and made it rain all day long. So, enter back-up plan. Girl 5 and I rode in the car to the Chinatown Buffet (with the all new sushi bar!) and had a LOT of lunch, then we went shopping at Hobby Lobby.

I can't get out of the HobLob without spending more than I planned to, which was nothing yesterday. But I am pleased with my finds and thought I'd share some of them.

I collect pigs, and I'm working on transitioning to black and red as my colors house-wide, so this guy really needed to come hang out in my living room. He's got the cutest little piggeh grin, too, which you totally can't see in this picture. He has since moved to the side table where he can be all gloriously piggish and smile his piggy smile on us. I might be a little in love with Sir Pigton Piggypants, in case that wasn't obvious.

I picked up a packet of these pink, pearl-like beads and some .5 mm clear elastic. I had a rather complicated idea in mind for a little cuff bracelet that I wanted to try but when I got ready to make it, I discovered that my bead needles have magically disappeared (I've moved twice since the last time I used them so I am really not surprised). So I just did them in a string, with a nice square knot to hold them together. It's just the right size to loop three times on my wrist and I like it.

My guy had mentioned that he really wanted cork coasters. The ceramic ones vacuum seal themselves to any beverage container that has the slightest amount of dampness on the outside and then fall, loudly and breakingly, when they feel like it. He's scared to use the ones I crocheted because (direct quote) "they're so nice." So I grabbed a package of plain cork round coasters and some red acrylic paint and made these. The patterns are totally random (by choice) and are created by sticking scotch tape onto the coasters then painting them. I rather like them.

I also picked up some post earring blanks and some pretty flowers to affix to them, but I want to go to Michael's and pick up some Martha Stewart jewelry glue to do the actual affixing. Plus her line has some really beautiful cabochons that I'm drooling over. I may as well make several pairs at once, right? I'm dreaming, though. I definitely cannot swing blowing money at Michael's when I did the same thing at HobLob just yesterday. Or I could order a whole bunch of stuff from Sun and Moon Craft Kits, and get exactly what I want delivered to my house.

The Internet is so awesome.

Weekly check-in

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Summary

Photo credit: iStockPhoto

Change this week: 0 Total change: -13 Pounds to goal: 7 Non-smoking weeks count: 5 Miles this week: 19.8

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Food and Exercise

I can't even begin to say I made good food choices in the past week. There was vacation - hummus and pretzels in the car, Olive Garden for dinner (and the leftovers the next day), breakfast sandwiches both days of the weekend. Then there was Ruby Tuesday for lunch with the guys on Wednesday - and I did not stick to the salad bar. There were M&M's, pretzels, and amazing brownies at work. Basically, not my best week food-wise. And The scale agreed, since it did not budge.

I did try a new recipe last night: Bean, Corn, and Tortilla Salad (from HRH Queen Martha). It was delicious and it I'd eaten a serving rather than half,  it would have been a really workable number of calories. Half of it was only 770 calories, though - and packed with nutrients. I've been trying out different meatless recipes to see if I can find any that can be in our regular menu rotation, and this one definitely can. (The other one that's made the cut? Omelettes made with pepper jack, and grilled veggies (eggplant, green bell pepper, and red onion).

Exercise has been great this week. I haven't yet met my bike riding goal of ten miles for this week, but walking and biking together are at 19.8 miles as of now, pretty close to my average on a Friday morning. The differences that the miles don't show? I've pushed the bike riding up a tiny notch - still so slow that it's only "leisure" riding but I'm getting there - and my walking pace on my lunchtime walks is consistently at 4 MPH (by comparison my bike rate is about 8 MPH - I know! I almost walk faster than I ride!).

I've been doing my normal morning workouts, too. This morning I am up early enough that I may do a 45 minute routine - I'm pretty stoked about that, let me tell you!

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Notes and thoughts

I really wish I was a little farther along by now, but I know that what I am doing is not about losing weight - that's just an easily quantifiable touchstone. It's about my health. And I've been noticing some things that are changing that don't have anything to do with my weight. One of them I've already mentioned: it's becoming easier to ride my bike. I think that's the result of a combination of things: I weigh a little less, my legs are stronger from the exercise I'm doing, and (most of all) not smoking is making it way easier to breathe.

Another thing that's awesome is the way my clothes are fitting. I have two "uniforms" that I alternate - dresses (or skirts and tops) and exercise clothes. In my "normal" clothes, I've gone down one letter size and two numbers since I started and they just fit differently. My skirts sit at my waist like they should, my dresses sort of skim, as they are designed. On the workout-gear front, I actually bought smaller tank tops. I need more bottoms - the ones I have now that don't have drawstrings fall down when I really start moving, and I don't like drawstrings.

And yet one more thing I've noticed: there has been a nearly total lack of evening snacking for a while now. I used to be a piece of toast, handful of pretzels, bowl of popcorn girl - and around 7 PM since we eat dinner early. Thinking about it now, I've had one evening snack (that I can remember) in like over a month - a rice cake. I'd say that's a huge improvement.

On that note, it's time to go and move my butt. Maybe next week I'll share information about the tool I started using this week. I think I'l be familiar enough with it by then that I can be all share-y and information-y. Have a great week, everyone!

Love and strays

Guys, I've fallen in love. I keep bringing it up to my boyfriend and he keeps poo-poo'ing it and telling me we do not need another cat. And then.... I named him.

Please allow me to introduce Emerson:

He came to visit with me during my walk on Monday and Tuesday. I didn't walk on Wednesday so I missed him. I have promised myself, and anyone who will listen, that if he's still out there the next time I walk, he is coming home with me. He's sweet, and pretty, and loving, and gorgeous.

And I named him.

I am pretty sure that Noel will adjust to him just fine. They have the same personality, after all. Maybe it's a tabby thing?

Daddy, please let Mommy bring Emerson home! I am so lonely without other kittehs!

Taxidermist

I was listening to "Stuff You Missed in History Class" the other day while doing computer-y work and heard an episode in taxidermy (specifically it was about Walter Potter, an artist whose medium was taxidermied animals).

From The Telegraph

Listening to the episode reminded me of my first real "what I want to be when I grow up" - a taxidermist. I was fascinated by the show Quincy ME, and wanted to do exactly what Quincy did, only with animals. I may have checked out the insides of some already dead animals (birds and the moles the family cat brought as gifts to the back step) and some body parts (pig castration - 'nuff said).

from Wikipedia

Looking back, I have two reactions - what an odd child I was, and how far I drifted from what I dreamed. I mean really? Other kids want to be teachers, nurses, ballerinas, princesses, firemen, astronauts, millionaires. I wanted to cut open and preserve dead animals, professionally. Oh and find out what killed them, of course.

Part of me is glad my childhood dream did not come to fruition. Computers are, after all, much cleaner. Another part misses the me that I could have been. I would have made a wonderful Walter Potter. I could have dressed all my taxidermied bunnies in hand-knit sweater vests and jaunty berets with holes for their wee ears.

Song? Yes, of course.

Everyone needs a friend, and a FO

Remember when I said I do still knit, and I finish things? But I forget to take pictures of them? I am trying to change my ways.

This cowl/infinity scarf came off the blocking board yesterday. It's my own design. Basically, it's a 200 stitch pattern with a KTOG-YO every 10 stitches (so 8 knit then the KTOG-YO). The yarn overs made a cool diagonal pattern. The yarn is Knitpicks Shadow Tonal Lace in Goldrush (lace weight 100% merino). It's gone into the gift tub and will be someone's Christmas gift, most likely.

I do stuff that's not knitting, too. Remember last November when I won NaNoWriMo? Well I went back and glanced through that book - that very, very rough draft -  not too long ago and decided to just start writing a new book. I think I might edit Book 1 someday, but it's so bad that I don't want to tackle it right now. My biggest reason to not tackle it is this new story in my head that wants to come out.

I started a couple days ago and am about two chapters in. I'm imagining what will come next (I should outline but the bones just appeared in my head and I'd rather get as much of it out of my head as I can now and worry about the details later - which works really well for me since I have a whole book that I don't want to edit. I wonder if I can pay someone to edit it for me?).

Anyway! There's other stuff, too! I read books (currently reading a Jack Reacher book), I exercise, I make blog posts, clean stuff, cook stuff, watch Star Trek, love my boyfriend. I love my life.

On the exercising front, I had a new friend for part of yesterday's lunchtime walk:

She was silky-soft and very, very sweet. If I find her out there again she just might have to come home with me!

Today's songs are throw-backs. Really good stuff is really good stuff, no matter how old it is! (by the way, it took me a nice little bit of looking to find a version of Dust in the Wind on Youtube that would play here. Nothing is too much for you people. You're welcome.)

I need to take like a week off

Going back to work today was tough, people. I didn't want to get up, I didn't want to work out, I didn't want healthy breakfast after two days of eating just about anything I wanted, and I definitely didn't want to leave our sweet little house. But I'm a grown-up, so I did all of those things. Well, not so much because I'm a grown-up. Really it's because I want to go out of town again (soon) and I need money to do that, and work is where the money comes from.

Some highlights of Weekend Trip, Day 2:

• Civil War battlefields in and around Richmond VA
• Many hours driving home
• iPhone in the toilet (it still works - they are nothing short of amazing)
• Pictures. I'll post some for you. Cause I love all of you.

We'll be back to my normal ramblings about knitting and Star Trek and how it's super cold in my office tomorrow. For now, enjoy!

Really old, super cool property marker

Old school fence and buttercups. Isn't it pretty?

Brigadier General Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox, of North Carolina. Cool dude, with awesome hair.

My boyfriend LOVES old, rotted trees. See how excited he is?

Some steps that go right down to the water - like into it. Shortcut to swimming with the fishes?

Tredagar Iron Works - this place was a history geek's Nirvanna. So much to see! So much outside of my favorite time period and yes, I soaked it all up like a sponge.

More steps (I love steps, I guess). These are made of railroad ties. Cool, huh?

This sign was actually spotted on Saturday but it still must be shared. It tells us that we're not allowed to, among other things, "throw missiles at" animals in Virginia parks. In case you bring your missile launcher on vacation, or something.

Oh and here's an awesome song for you. Nothing but love here!

Weekend trip, day one

Yesterday was Day One of our Virginia History Odyssey (yes, caps are required). Things we did not do include taking of pictures. Things we did do:

• Pay $2.75 each for sodas
• Eat too much at Olive Garden
• Buy Mother's day presents at the most amazing Yankee Candle Store ever
• Take some tours in Colonial Williamsburg
• Look at some Navy ships
• Get stuck in traffic
• Talk, lots
• Hold hands, ditto

It was the first time I've been to Williamsburg in the spring (the fourth or fifth visit, total). The gardens are in bloom and they are absolutely gorgeous. So beautiful. We wandered into yards and gardens all over town. We did the Governor's Castle tour - and it was the best one I've ever done. The interpreter was simply amazing. She knew her stuff and obviously loved what she was doing.

The girl in the weaving and spinning display was good - although a demonstration would have been cool and I was a bit disappointed when she told us that the great loops of colored wool along the wall weren't spun by them. The guy in the armory was also great, and very knowledgeable. In all, it seemed that most of the workers/actors/interpreters we ran into were very good.

Of course I was all into picking up the anachronisms, like the woman in the bake shop who tried to hide her hair elastic by wrapping a crocheted chain around it, but it was so obviously made of red heart, or similar, variegated acrylic yarn that, even if it would be believed that a colonial had crocheted (there is no evidence that it existed before 1800), it would have been done with hand-spun wool. Dyed one color, if it was dyed at all.

The tentative plan for today is Yorktown or Richmond - we're still discussing. Yorktown is mostly Revolutionary War history - it's the place where the British surrendered, after all. Richmond is a hotbed of Civil War history, and is a hop skip and jump away from Appomatox. On the one hand, it's sort of a tough choice (I have to add in the fact that Richmond puts us closer to the Bay Bridge than the Bridge Tunnel and entry costs are lower there than Yorktown). My guy says it's totally up to me. I may flip a coin.

I'd ask you guys what you'd do, but I know you won't answer. :)

Whichever and whatever, I do need to get up and get moving. We're certainly not staying in this motel any longer than necessary! Next time, he is picking where we stay. I choose badly, obviously!

Weekly check-in

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Summary

Photo credit: iStockPhoto

Change this week: +1 Total change: -13 Pounds to goal: 7 Non-smoking day count: 28 Miles this week: 22.9

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Food and Exercise

Food: I've switched from cow's milk to almond milk (unsweetened vanilla is the only one I've tried so far - 30 calories a cup and, well, it doesn't come from a cow). The only way I drink milk anymore is in my coffee and in my smoothies, and it's delicious in both.

I know my other food choices have been less than spectacular, per the scale, but I feel wonderful about how I feel (more on that below) so I am not overly concerned.

Exercise:  Since last check-in, I skipped one morning workout (the day after I went to the orthodontist - my teeth were so sore I was pretty sure I would die if i bounced around doing cardio). I did the expert level on Punch! on Saturday and Star Trainers the rest of the time.

There were two lunchtime walks (I was at work four days and two were rainy) and three bike rides (ditto on the rain) which got me to almost 23 miles this week, up about .5 from last week. We're just going to keep on raising that number up.

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Notes and thoughts

I am choosing not to focus on the scale, but to be aware of it. I know I need to be more careful while I am losing and the real formation of lifelong habits will happen when I get to maintenance. But I have to get to maintenance first, and per my doctor that's still a good number of pounds away. Little treats and indulgences need to wait a little bit longer.

But, that being said, I am still feeling really, really good. This is more than just weight loss, it's overall health. Some of the things that make me feel I am still on the right track:

• I am using my NRT much less than I was at first. I'll actually be able to quit at some point (not quite ready for that yet...)
• I hardly ever get out of breath. Being breathless was a frequent coinsurance 15-20 pounds age. Now the only thing that makes it happen is riding uphill and forgetting to downshift.
• The pants that fit me when I bought them three weeks ago (needed something for spring that wasn't a dress or skirt) are already too big for me. I no longer know what size I wear, so after this last round of buying I intend to slow down or stop entirely until I get to where I want to be.
• I chose fresh cherries over circus peanuts* at Giant yesterday.

I feel really good about what I am doing and the direction in which I am going. My choices get better all the time, and sometimes I find myself picking the right thing without having to put any thought in - that tells me I am beginning to internalize this, and to make changes I will be able to sustain when I get to an age where daily cardio and reckless bike riding are no longer good options. And it's not just the cherries and circus peanuts. The other day, I went to the little cafe in my building at work and when the lady behind the counter said "caramel macchiato?" I said no and got a plain coffee.

We're leaving in a little while for our weekend away in Williamsburg and I need to go pack the cooler with bottled water and healthy foods, so I'd best get a move on. We'll see how I do next week!

*my real snack/candy thing? Marshmallow. Much, much more than chocolate. Peeps, circus peanuts, the big puffy ones you roast over a fire - I love them all.

The Hindenburg had a smoking room

So I was working on this guy's new computer in a remote session and listening to "Stuff You Missed in History Class" (I'm a geek, you know) and heard an episode about the Hindenburg. As always, the Missed in History ladies told me lots of cool stuff. The coolest thing? It had a smoking room. A smoking room.

Seriously.

I was thinking about using sub-headings on this post like I did on that post, but then I decided that headings might be just too much work. Plus, I'm listening to some PowerShell training and I can only double-task, not triple or more. So, you don't get headings. Deal with it.

I started casting on my second honey cowl today (I was searching for a file on the very big file server and needed something to do to keep me busy while I waited so I didn't wander off, start on something else, and forget what I was doing) in a really pretty green yarn. It's going to be all soft and snuggly - like a fluffy green cloud. I'm not even close to halfway cast on so I'm just guessing here, by the way.

I've been finishing and blocking things like crazy. I should really take and post pictures. Because this was originally supposed to be a knitting blog, as I'm sure you've guessed. One where I talk about knitting. And blogs are supposed to include picture, right? Anyway! I finished a really cute cowl in this gorgeous yellow variegated yarn, a couple dish cloths, and one of those potato chip scarves from Red Heart Sashay. Yes, my yarn snob self bought Red Heart yarn. I bought Lionbrand, too. Stop judging me!

Speaking of Lionbrand, the KAL goes well. It's "get gauge"  this week. I got it, cast on, did the nine inches of ribbing, and worked the back up to the armhole decreases. I'm hoping to finish the back tonight, but there's a 10 mile bike ride planned so I probably won't have time. And the bike ride has to happen since it's either been kid weekend or raining since, like, forever. I have a goal - 40 miles this month. That means 10 miles a week. So yeah, 10 miles today. Someone please call my boyfriend and tell him we need to take a break at Mile 5, thankyouverymuch.

Speaking of pictures, I took some on my walk today. Wanna see? Of course you do!

The Mannokin river - I cross it on a little footbridge. Pretty!

Baby geese. Mommy and Daddy geese were NOT happy with me stopping to take pictures of their offspring. They didn't attack me, though. Good thing too or I'd be having goose for dinner tonight!

Okay people. Time to do other things, like work on my cast on or pay attention to my training or something like that.