Maine or bust!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Plugging away...

Fitness - I could use a kick in the ass. Rob has been "encouraging" (read: guilting) me to do crunches, bicep curls, and occasional stints on the stair machine, but I really REALLY wish I had my treadmill running. In the interim, I'm doing what I can. Diet still needs a bit of work, because I really do fail at planning.

Knitting - I'm finally starting to make some progress on the super seekrit test knit :) It was frustrating, but I'm just about ready to join in the round. I haven't knit on anything else, because if I'm honest, this is due way too soon and I don't know how I'm going to find time to finish it with all the other shit I have to deal with. But I'll keep going because I'd like to get it at least most of the way done by then.

Food - I really need to learn to plan. Like, have a dozen hard-boiled eggs in the fridge at the beginning of the week, a big pot of couscous or quinoa or whatever with veggies and cheese in it, have the meals planned for the week, etc. Because I'm one of these classic procrastinators who will put literally ANYTHING off until the last possible second, I'm always scrambling to find something to eat, which is how I end up eating so much junk food. Well, for the first time in months, I'm not expected to go anywhere on a Sunday. I roasted a chicken last night (thawed it last Wednesday, so I was afraid it would go off) with some baby potatoes and some beets, so that's dinner tonight taken care of, which leaves me free to make a big pot of quinoa. The last remaining eggs got boiled last night, so I've got some for tomorrow's and Tuesday's breakfast. I think tonight's project before the kids go to bed will be clearing everything out of the refrigerator and keeping only the condiments we use regularly (Fish sauce, you're either being rehomed to a mason jar that will actually FIT in the fridge, or you're going in the trash). I know that almost all the fruit & veg in the fridge is fuzzy *sigh* so there may be a brief trip to the produce store this afternoon to replace some. I also need to catalog what's in the freezers, but that will be a project for another day.

School - ah. Well now we come to the crux of the blog post. The real reason I'm sitting here blogging on a Sunday afternoon. I have an assignment to do for my Documentation and Terminology class that is insufferably tedious and there's a lot to be done. I've had the whole term to work on it, but as mentioned above, I'm a pretty determined procrastinator. It's not that I don't WANT to get it done, I really do. Desperately so. But I can't seem to bring myself to work on it. Today, I worked for an hour before I started doing something else. That something else? Laundry. If I've voluntarily started doing laundry to avoid doing something, that's pretty serious. I need a huge kick in the ass. I wish I knew why I procrastinated, because I really don't like it :(

Everything else - Where do I even start? I have an essay due for my Judaism class, our audit at work is starting on Monday, I have to completely rejig the way we track things since we discovered our database is no longer able to produce accurate results (this is a problem with the actual database since it's from the 1980s and failing rapidly). I have to get my apartment in order because I'm truly sick of living in a pigsty. I need to clean my car out because a friend will be borrowing it while I'm in Chicago. I have to wash and pack clothes for my trip to Chicago. I'm so effing swamped I can barely breathe. And yet I'm sitting here blogging.  Priorities: I haz them.

Priorities by XKCD

Friday, March 15, 2013

Why is it still snowing?

Fitness - Well..... well. This week, I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday which mainly raised more questions than it answered, but that's okay. At least we have a direction to move in now. My body is apparently producing very high amounts of Prolactin. That's the hormone that promotes breast development and milk production. Which would be awesome if I was, y'know, pregnant or breastfeeding. But as I'm neither, it's a bit of a concern, and I have to undergo more tests to see WHY my boobs think I'm feeding someone. My blood sugar was a TINY bit on the high side, so we're going to focus on eating habits and exercise as lifestyle changes to try to bring that back into normal range :) NOTE: I have NOT been diagnosed as diabetic, and my doctor thinks this can easily be solved by diet and exercise, so NOBODY go telling my mom I'm diabetic, got it? :P As for exercise, I'm working on it :)

Knitting - I have been so insanely busy with work, I have knit precisely ONE row on the test knitting project, and that's all I've done since last weekend's knit night. Boo, hiss. I did take pictures, I promise.... I just haven't uploaded them off the camera yet.

Food - Well, I clearly need to make some changes to my eating habits, and part of that is going to be control. I can't control myself with food. At least, not very well. I tried to watch Supersize Me to motivate myself, but I had to turn it off after 10 minutes (the guy pukes out his car window after forcing himself to eat the biggest meal possible). So now the trick is going to be to look at a poster I made myself before I put anything in my mouth. This poster shows a picture of me this past August at my cousin's birthday party. I spent most of the party running around after my nephew (he had just turned 2 - he's fun!) and finally sat down to eat a good while after everyone else was finished. My brother started taking pictures of my cousin's wife holding his new baby - she was sitting right next to me. So in the background of the pictures, you've got fat-ass me sitting there chowing down. I didn't like the picture when he posted it, and I don't like it now. I'm wearing a top that my boyfriend thinks looks sexy on me, but when I look at this picture, I see a blue blimp. Nothing sexy about it. The bottom of the poster is a few before/after pics I saw online of people who had been successful in dropping a significant amount of weigh, to prove that it IS possible. I'm working on it.



School - As said in my last entry, I went to class this week, I've started working on my big project, but I'm a bit frustrated at my own stupidity where PowerPoint is concerned. But I am working on it! I'm glad I went to class though, because I discovered that the university told the prof he couldn't just NOT have a final exam, so we are having one after all ;) Good to know! Working furiously to finish my book report for Judaism class so I can put the book away and be done with it (and start reading the NEXT one). I am SO looking forward to starting the second Hebrew textbook after Pesach, because this one focuses on word forms, grammar and maybe even some MEANINGS. :D

Everything else - Well, Jeff and the kids came home from Disney last Sunday. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, Skye woke up sobbing. I finally asked her if she was upset because she wasn't at Disney anymore, and she hiccupped, "Yeeeeehheeeehheeeeheeeessssss!" :) So there we have it. My daughter wants to live at DisneyWorld. My son? Just wants to live anywhere that isn't Mom's house. Apparently I'm way too strict. It's report card time, and he "forgot" to bring his home last night (whereas his scatterbrained sister had hers front and center - guess who got decent grades?) LOL If someone has a trick to surviving teenagers, I'd love to hear it!

Last night we went to the dollar store so I could pick up some fountain pens - the dollar store at Plateau carries disposable fountain pens with a few refills per pack. They are AWESOME. I've been using the last one I bought at the office, and I love it. So last night I went by and bought ten more LOL (hey, I can't even find a basic BIC pen for a dollar anymore!) Zachary got some art supplies - a couple of canvases, a plastic divided palette, some brushes. Skye got a ring (glass, since her hands tarnish everything else within hours) and some umbrella straws. I don't know... she has her reasons, but that's what she picked. She has a karaoke thing at school tonight, and she is SO excited!

Monday, March 11, 2013

A crazy week!

And it's only Monday!!! Thank you to everyone who commented on the last blog (even if one of you shares a bed with me LOL). I'm actually surprised how many people I don't know read this blog!

Fitness - Frustration. We're just not talking about the treadmill anymore. The treadmill no longer exists. And I may have to get a lawyer. *ahem* I've been wearing my sneakers the last couple of days in the interests of taking a walk when the opportunity arises. Unfortunately, I've been too damn busy with work for the opportunity to arise. I need to get moving. I CRAVE movement. I've been dying to go back to yoga, but I'm too timid to join a class on my own (and I think Jeff might kill me if I take another evening class, so I'll have to either find someone who wants to join a morning class with me, or a weekend one). If any of my Ottawa friends want to join a class with me, let me know! I would LOVE to go! I may actually try to get my daughter involved. She'd love it :)

This is pretty much what I think I look like when I do yoga LOL
Knitting - I'm test-knitting a super-secret pattern for a friend right now, so not much else is getting worked on. I did make a hexipuff out of some sock yarn one of the girls at Knit night gave me (thanks, Chantal!), but that's about it, other than the "if I tell you about it, I have to kill you" project ;)

Food - I watched "Dive" again this week. If you haven't seen this documentary yet, find it and watch it. I've thawed a chicken to roast for the kids this week, and I'm feeling the urge to make spaghetti sauce, so I may buy the fixings for that this week. I tend to eat it with baked potatoes, or squash, or rice or quinoa. I rarely eat pasta (I find it too heavy) but I love the sauce I make. It's very chunky and there are so many yummy things in it!

School - Oh lord... it's been weeks since I've been to my uni class, and I've barely had time to work on the project. Judaism class is going awesome. I'm almost done writing my first book report - if you can find a copy of "Sunflowers" by Simon Wiesenthal, I highly recommend it. We had a Hebrew test tonight, and I aced ;)

Everything else - It's just been an insane couple of weeks at work. I worked most of the weekend, and I've been leaving work late every night just to get this massive project done (it was my fault it wasn't done earlier anyway). Now it's done, so I can concentrate on the audit we're having on Monday *shudder* I need to organize things a bit better at work, and at home, so I can have leisure time where I don't feel guilty, I don't look around in disgust at the mess around me, and I have time to do fun things with the kids. I've been checking out Hidden Harvest, and they have a lot of stuff I'd like to go to (nature hikes and such) but I never have time. I think we need to do a major purge of the entire house (including - gasp! - yarn...). And then we might find it a bit easier to live in such a small space and find things and respect each others' space. I think maybe the spring cleaning bug has hit me! (let's hope?)

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Feeling good....

No usual format today, just a list. But first, please listen to this song. Go on, I'll wait.


Something extraordinary happened to me today. I was poking around on Ravelry, and this lady posted a thread. Doesn't matter what it was about, doesn't matter who it was. Basically she was being preachy and judgy and bashing on her daughter, and I tried to play devil's advocate and gently told her that maybe she didn't fully understand the situation and was being premature. She got a bit nasty at the fact that she wasn't receiving a bunch of warm fuzzies, and I said, "Well, dude... look at what your original post sounds like." And her response, I shit you not, this total stranger on the internet said to me, "And how do you sound, you ugly fat bitch? Why don’t you go on a diet?"

I could have gotten upset, I could have crumpled, but if I'm honest, I was tickled PINK about this. It was just so hilariously over-the-top that I sat there and laughed my ASS off until tears were streaming down my face. Person after person sent me private and public messages of support, and I struggled to respond coherently while I was hiccupping with laughter at this poor pathetic woman thinking she was going to hurt me with words that meant *nothing*. They meant nothing because she doesn't know me, doesn't know my life, doesn't know my struggle, and certainly doesn't know my heart. She was just a bitter, angry person lashing out at the first thing she saw. 

I swear, I spent most of the day laughing about this, and my stomach is still a bit crampy from laughing so much (it felt awesome!). So then this evening, I've spent a couple of hours looking up videos on youtube in the hopes of creating the best playlist ever for when I'm walking on the treadmill, doing yoga, or just want to feel awesome about myself. The list is a work in progress, certainly, as I'm sure I will add many songs to it over time, but this is the list as it stands today. That video at the beginning of this post? That's the kicker. Right there. I am feeling GOOD. And I want to keep feeling good. If you're in the mood, jump in on the comments and suggest your own feel-good song. No arguing about questionable musical tastes (heck, there's a Taylor Swift video on my list that I only love because someone did a screaming goat version of it that's HILARIOUS). 

1. Stronger - Kelly Clarkson (I cry like a baby every time I hear this song because it's just that awesome).
2. Raise Your Glass - Pink
3- Firework - Katy Perry (yes, I like Katy Perry! Granted, this is one of like, TWO Katy Perry songs I know LOL)
4- Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves (the original 80s feel-good song!)
5- Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (seriously.... who doesn't love Mick Jagger?)
6- Alice (Underground) - Avril Lavigne (loved this song since Alice in Wonderland came out!)
7- Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Bublé (I may have a thing for Michael Bublé...)
8- I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift (seriously, search YouTube for Trouble Goat)
9- Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (go on, laugh. It's catchy and it makes me feel good!)
10 - Falling for You - Colbie Caillat (great song I discovered during my time at Michaels)
11- Whistle - FloRida (I know, it's terrible, but so damn catchy!)
12 - Gangnam Style - Psy (I LOVES GANGNAM STYLE!)
13 - All Will Be Well - Gabe Dixon Band (you NEED TO LOOK THIS UP. SERIOUSLY. GO.)

I'm kind of tempted to add All By Myself, because this version from Glee is the most hilarious thing ever:


But since the song itself is kind of hilariously depressing on its own, I will not add it to the list (besides which, it's cheating to add a song just because of a 4-second clip of Emma Pillsbury sobbing to it). Something by Adele has to be added, but there's nothing up-tempo enough that isn't mind-numbingly depressing yet. Maybe now that she's a mom. 

So seriously, time to get some comment action around here. What's your favorite feel-good song? :D (PLEASE COMMENT *whine*)

Monday, March 4, 2013

Tired and sore today.

Fitness - Still no word on the treadmill parts. I did finally manage to get a hold of the "service" person at the store, and the best explanation he could give me was that the company they ordered the parts through was in Europe and they were having trouble reaching them. Funny, because in about 5 minutes online, I was able to find contact emails and phone numbers for every single distributor in Europe. I swear, if I ever buy a piece of fitness equipment again, I will NEVER deal with Club Piscine again. I have, on the other hand, been doing my crunches and curls religiously (except for one day where I did stairs instead of crunches because my stomach was feeling wonky). I skipped them for the first time last night, because I was very sore after an afternoon/evening of hauling a very active 5 month old and even more active 2 1/2 year old brother around! Gauging by how I feel this morning, I had quite a respectable workout yesterday! I may go for a walk at lunch to make up for the curls/crunches though.

Knitting - A few more hexipuffs have come to life, and some progress has been made on Skye's sweater. I've reached that point on the Baby Surprise Jacket where you have to knit the tab that goes down the back, but the line of instructions on the old photocopy I keep in my knitting bag has been obscured by water damage and friction, so I need to print myself another copy. (I scanned the printed copy I bought so I wouldn't have to worry about damaging it). I'm feeling kind of bored with my knitting lately, but I think that maybe that's just because I can't envision the finished products. I have so much other stuff in my stash that I want to make things out of. I'll be taking a bit of a break on the rest of it this week while I start a test-knitting pattern I'm doing for a friend on Ravelry :) I know I promised knitting pictures, but things kind of blew up for me last week, so maybe I'll get some taken this week.

No, mine don't look like this.

Food - Not much to report. I've hardly been home this past week, so time to cook has been relatively rare. Today for lunch, however, I'm enjoying some cheese tortellini with spinach tomato sauce, and some steamed waxed beans (OMG YUM!) for lunch. Not sure where the beans are from, probably somewhere in South America, but they looked so fresh and plump, I had to grab them!

School - Well, this is "reading week", so there's no class at uni. Hopefully this will give me a kick in the pants to start getting my project finished. In Judaism class, we're having a couple of sessions on ethics and law within the Torah, and it's fascinating! I love it when the Rabbi leads the discussions. He's such a smart person, and his viewpoint tends to be very balanced.

Everything else - I spent part of Saturday evening helping Kari pack, and it's put me in mind of downsizing my own apartment somewhat. I've also decided to look at the whole weight-loss effort as part of a downsizing operation. I just don't have the resources to continue maintaining this current ... mainframe :D There, that's a nice non-guilt-inducing way of looking at it. I spent a good part of yesterday wrangling my niece and nephew at my parents' house. Great fun, but boy am I sore today :) I'm just glad that my own are past that age, because I wouldn't be able to keep up with them. I miss my kids today, and I hope they're having a blast at DisneyWorld!