Recap

Oh look at that!  That date can't be right, can it?  It's been two months since my last post!  Someone has been busy!  Honestly, I can't remember what was keeping me so busy during the month of April, but May was chock-full of business trips, vacations and other social occasions...

So, now that I'm back here, I'll try to catch you up (you 4 people that read me, that is).  While I've been remiss in my blogging activities, I've mirrored that in my WW vigilance.  My tracking has been sporadic, starting in late April with my friend's daughter's birthday party.  It's hard to track during parties (it can be done, and I've done it, but I got lazy) - there's excuse number 1.  Past experience has taught me that I need to track my food or I slip quickly into old habits...which I did.  As a result, my weight loss has been pretty much flat-lined for the last 2 months.

I'm still down over 15 lbs, so I'm not using this plateau as excuse #2 to stop trying!  Nope, excuse #2 was the last minute whirlwind business trip to Long Island, NY.  Traveling on-plan is tough to start with, and I didn't plan ahead.

Excuse #3 was the bachelorette weekend in South Lake Tahoe that immediately followed the business trip.  After 2 weeks of not tracking, the old habits were just waiting in the wings to take over.  I discovered Ben & Jerry's Frozen Greek Yogurt and the fact that I have no control with anything that comes in a single pint container.  Still a better binge than their regular ice creams, but heavy on the points...

Enter Excuse #4 - vacation in Florida visiting my old college roommate, Moriah.  We hit the beach, the zoo, St. Augustine and had an all-around good time.  (I'm hoping she did too, as I can only speak for myself.)

After that, I did half-arsed tracking for about a week before slipping again.  I managed to maintain during the week that I tracked, though I did use all of my weeklies.  I blame cheesecake, which has a direct correlation to my lack of control.  That cheesecake was fully tracked and accounted for, though.  So, that's something.

Excuse #5 was all of the recent activity surrounding my step-brother Mark's wedding this past weekend.  I got permission to work remotely last Thursday and Friday so that I could attend the rehearsal (I did half of the prayers of the faithful during the ceremony) on Thursday evening and the luncheon on Friday afternoon.  Naturally, much food was involved...not to mention the wedding on Saturday and the brunch on Sunday - none of which was tracked.

So, my WW week has reset as of today, and I am done with the excuses!  (Please hold me to that statement.)

Early Days

I am so off of my normal schedule today...  I had a conference call to attend this morning at 7:30am.  Way too early!!  I usually start work in the late morning and work into the early evening, so I knew this would be a challenge and I was determined not to be late to the call.

Normally, I would have simply gone to bed a lot earlier, but I had a hair appointment last night that was sorely needed.  As I told my hairdresser, there was so much white at the top of my head that I looked like a really short snow capped mountain.  That may have been the teensiest bit exaggerated...but my roots were grown out over an inch and I can see the white (maybe I wouldn't see so much of it, if I stopped looking for it).  Anyway, the hair appointment was not something to be put off, and I didn't get home until 11:30pm.  By the time I got to bed it was midnight, and naturally I could not fall asleep.  Isn't that always the way?

I must have fallen asleep at some point, since the alarm jarred me awake at 5:30am.  I really had to drag myself out of bed.  It was an effort, but I was successful.  Yes, miracles do happen.  I made it to the office in time to get my coffee (serious meeting necessity) and ended up as the 2nd person to call the conference line.

As tired as I have been all day long due to the lack of sleep, it was kind of nice to leave work while the sun was still shining.  I made a detour to Target on the way home and found a gift for my nephew, who is turning 2 on Saturday.  A few other items somehow found their way into my cart, too, but most of them were things I needed (I made an effort to avoid the clothing/shoes/accessories area of the store since I didn't want to spend all evening there, which is entirely possible).

My victory of the day though (non-work related) is pushing myself to hit the treadmill when I got home.  So far, I have been only following the food portion of WW, and had not started incorporating the exercise part.  I know I can't keep putting it off, or I will plateau.  I'm down 5 pounds over the last 4 weeks, which is a better weekly weight loss average than I've ever experienced in the past.  I am fully convinced that it is related to me tracking 24/7 instead of just the 3 days before weigh-in.  Making the effort to follow the good health guidelines has to be helping, too.

That being said, I did hit the drive-thru yesterday for the first time in weeks.  I needed to grab something quick between work and my hair appointment (which is close to my home, but an hour from my office).  I checked out the nutritional information before I left work and stuck to my pre-determined order when I got there.  And then I kept my hand away from the candy bowl at the hair dresser's...

Previously, I would have let that trip to Burger King derail the rest of the week through the end of the weekend.  I am consciously not doing that this time.  Today I was right back on plan, including the exercise.  I pre-planned/packaged my lunch for tomorrow too.  I'm still hoping that I can maintain this motivation!  Wish me luck!

Scales & Pins

We'll start with the scale issue:

Since I've been back on Weight Watchers, I have pretty much been following the program online, and have not been back to the meetings.  I'm still debating whether or not to switch my membership to online-only in order to save some cash.  I hadn't been getting much out of the meetings for a while, since I don't find the current leader very motivating.  In fact, she's downright irritating and condescending.  However, I like the women that do the weighing in, and have thought of going back just to see if the meetings are any better...

The point of my rambling is that I have been weighing myself at home on my ancient scale with the old-school dial.  I want to get a digital one, so that if I've lost (or gained) less than one full pound, I can see the difference.  It appears that I've lost a full pound a week so far, but I'm really estimating based on the dial read-out.  The scale is a bit touchy, too.  My weight will fluctuate depending on the way I'm standing.  That doesn't make me feel very confident about the readout either.

So - any suggestions for accurate digital bathroom scales?  I don't need a lot of bells & whistles.

Now, onto the Pins portion of my post:

It's official.  I've joined Pinterest.  So...now what?

I created 2 pinboards to start with.  One will be dedicated to recipes that I want to make, with the other one dedicated to crafty-type stuff.  I figured that it would be a good way to keep track of the recipes I am interested in making without having to bookmark each one.

Aside from having pinned about 5 recipes and 1 craft, I really don't know what else to do with the account.  Does anyone else have an account (of my readers, that is)?  What do you use it for?  Do you have any tips or tricks to share?

Dieting Differently

This go round with my diet, I'm doing a couple of different things.  You know, besides the obvious: trying to actually follow the WW plan.  I'm eating real cheese that melts like it's supposed to and half and half that doesn't have any partially hydrogenated oil in it.  Fat free half and half is an oxymoron anyway, and I have little tolerance for morons.  Instead of relying on foods that are created as "diet-friendly" (many of which have added sugars to compensate for the lack of fat), I'm trying to eat a realistic diet.  If this is supposed to turn into a lifestyle, it needs to be full of foods that I enjoy eating.  And believe me, I find no joy in fat-free cheese.

Don't get me wrong, if it's a naturally fat-free item, I don't have a problem with it.  I'm just trying to eat generally healthier.  I'm not doing away altogether with processed foods either, but I'm trying to choose more carefully.  

Conseqentially, I've been doing a lot of cooking for myself lately, and also a lot of dishes.  (Note to self - contact apartment management to fix the garbage disposal!)  I'm making more frequent trips to the grocery store for fresh produce, and actually eating most of it as opposed to my old habit of forgetting that it exists and finding it in altered states in the bottom of my crisper.*

I've discovered that my preferred cooking method for fresh broccoli is tossing it in some olive oil and roasting it in the oven, which really brings out the flavor.  I've discovered that trying this same cooking method with fresh eggplant doesn't quite work the same, as those little buggers are like sponges and soak that oil up before you can coat it at all and ends up burning to the bottom of your pan.  It still tastes good though.

I'm learning to enjoy oatmeal that doesn't come pre-sweetened and packaged.  I've started eating it as a snack...though I still prefer it with some pure maple syrup (1T = 1PP).  It even keeps me satisfied for a while.

Yes, I realize this simple eating plan of mine is not a very revolutionary idea.   It's definitely do-able, and I think encouraged, on the Weight Watchers plan.

The other thing I'm doing differently than in the past is related to the 49 extra weekly PP that each WW gets.  Previously, I would horde all of these points and give myself a "free" weekend.  That meant I wouldn't track my foods on the weekend and I'd allow myself to basically eat any crap I wanted.  Somehow I was fooling myself into thinking that my splurges were within my points, though they may or may not have been.  Obviously, that wasn't really following the plan, and is most likely the reason that I was not losing weight on the diet.  (Because I wasn't really following it.)

No more.  I am tracking 24/7 now, weekday or weekend.  If I've used my minimum daily PP allowance and am still hungry, I will eat something else using my Weekly PP.  That's what's they are there for.  If I don't use them, I don't worry that they've been "wasted."  Using the plan this way (as intended), I am not left feeling hungry.  What a concept, right?

Now, I hope this all becomes habit and I can keep it up.  I think my mindset is where it needs to be for success right now, I just hope it stays there.

*Clarification:  the veggies are in an altered state, not me, just in case there was any confusion.

Back So Soon?

I have yet again re-dedicated myself to my weight-loss... I know, I know... You hear that a lot from me, don't you? Well, this time I mean it. Okay, fine. So I say that a lot, too. Too bad. This broken record is going to keep on playing until at least 20 pounds have spun off. (That metaphor may have spun away from me.)

In all seriousness, I had originally re-dedicated myself to the Weight Watchers program months ago, with exercise and everything. Then I'm not sure what happened. I got really busy at work with a special project, working late and on some weekends. I believe I used that as an excuse to slack on tracking my food and I stopped my mid-day walks when I was working through lunch. It's amazing how quickly good habits go by the wayside. Especially when I know that in the back of my mind I resent having to actually work to lose or maintain weight. Too bad I love food so much!

Reality hit at Thanksgiving, when there were photos taken. Standing next to my tiny mother (who recently had some very successful weight-loss herself), I looked positively stout. Mom looked great though! But, naturally, all I could focus on was how much bigger I looked than I had in any photos taken earlier in the year. Reality struck again when I visited the doctor about the recurrence of my tendinitis and saw the scale.

The Thanksgiving Pie Bar did not help matters.

I decided to hold off on going gung ho into Weight Watchers until after the Christmas festivities were over. Anyone that knows my family will understand the food-fest that any holiday entails. Plus, my father just moved down the Central Coast, and so close to Solvang, I knew I'd be powerless when faced with those excellent bakeries...and I was right.

Heaven on a plate! Cinnamon in the pastry dough!

After all of the festivities, my two Christmas celebrations (Dad's on Christmas, Mom's on New Year's Day) and New Year's Eve, it was time. Again. Which brings me back to the point of this rambling post. I'm back on the "journey" (as so many WW members call it) as of about 3 weeks ago. Tracking, healthier choices, cooking for myself instead of picking up fast food or take out, and relying on fewer convenience foods. Of course, I'll admit that I have not really incorporated exercise into my plan yet, but it will happen. I'm down 2 pounds already, and hope to see continued success.

Expect more frequent blog posts from now on, since I'm afraid my Facebook friends will get tired of me posting all of my food photos there and hearing about my weight loss issues repeatedly. Besides, if I keep my hands busy, I can't use them to stuff food into my face. Alas, this blasted tendinitis has severely curtailed my crafting, which was previously a satisfying non-food activity!

Back on Track...Again!

I knew I had a busy weekend chock-full of celebrations and temptations coming up for Father's Day weekend. Aside from Father's Day, Sunday is also my mother's birthday, and I had been invited to a graduation party at a swanky steakhouse. Since I just re-dedicated myself to following the Weight Watcher's plan and have been doing so well on it, I decided that I was not going to make excuses and allow this weekend to derail me. I was going to plan ahead, track my meals and snacks and be in control! Yeah! No one can stop me but me!

Stop...back to reality... Nothing ever really goes exactly as planned, right? My plan was to spend Saturday afternoon with my Mother celebrating her birthday. Since she's also on a diet (lifestyle, I know), we were going to simply meet at her house and have a healthy lunch there. I was also going to go through the WW materials and make a list of point-friendly steakhouse foods, so I'd have an idea of what I could order at the party without going overboard. I wasn't too worried about the food at my father's house on Sunday, since he typically cooks pretty healthy meals and the key for me would be to avoid foraging through his pantry.

Here's what actually happened...Mom and I were both running late (this must be a genetic trait), and I had to stop at my step-sister's house to drop off some stuff for her community band's fundraising garage sale, I got to my mother's much later than anticipated and was faced with a freshly baked peach pie and a cherry pie (my absolute favorite) in the making. She asked me to help assemble the cherry pie while she did some other stuff, and I managed not to sneak any tastes. So far, so good.

We prepared ourselves some healthy sandwiches, and out of the blue, the phone started ringing and my stepfather came inside to say he just got a call and his sister suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. Shock and chaos ensued. I did not know my step-aunt well, as my mother got remarried after I was grown and out of the house, and I only met her a few times, so while still shocked and upset, I was able to support Mom and step-dad while the phone kept ringing and they tried to contact my step-siblings to tell them the news. They were both very much in shock, understandably. I wasn't sure if I should still go the graduation party that night, and wanted to be there for Mom if she needed the support. My mom and step-father were originally also attending, as the graduate is my youngest step-brother's girlfriend. I talked to my mother and asked her if she would prefer that I stay home with them, but she said she wanted me to go and sent me with the gifts and cards.

Since I got lost on foot between parking in downtown Sacramento and getting to the restaurant, I very likely got in maybe 1 activity point. I wandered around downtown in my ill-fitting (but very cute!) chic silver retro-looking high-heeled sandals for at least 20 minutes before I found the restaurant. I was getting close to panicking when I found a city map on a corner across from the capital building. (Good thing that's the area I was in or I would have really been in trouble.) It confirmed that I had wandered in the complete opposite direction from where I should have. I already knew this, since I didn't park that far from the restaurant, and should have only had to walk about 2 blocks. Too bad I didn't take the Garmin from my car and use it while walking.

I am glad that I went because my step-brother was there and in shock and able to talk to me a bit about stuff without ruining the celebration for his girlfriend. He wasn't sure he should have gone to the party either, but then he and his girlfriend also reminded themselves that it's what his aunt would have wanted (they were telling me that she was quite a spitfire and was pretty no-nonsense). With all that had happened that afternoon, I didn't end up prepared for the meal as planned, as I didn't have a chance to look up the points for common steakhouse items. I did try to be moderate with sauces and dressings (though I do think I could live off of Bearnaise now) and didn't finish my dessert.

After the party, which was fun and lively, I drove the hour to my father's house. I didn't have a chance to track my points that day, since I've become dependent on my computer for tracking and it was so late. I didn't end up tracking on Sunday either, since I was spending time with my family and honestly just not thinking about it. I did cave to a craving yesterday though, and stopped at McDonald's on the way home. Instead of the usual extra value meal that I would normally have ordered, I got a cheeseburger Happy Meal. Bonus - toy!

This morning, I tracked everything from the weekend, and managed to somehow still have weekly points left (a whopping 16). Considering the Chocolate Mousse I had for dessert at Morton's, which per the online points finder is 25PPV (and absolutely worth every single point), I am kind of amazed that I have a any weekly points left at all. Granted, I did not get all of my healthy oils or fruits/veggies in yesterday, but I still think I did pretty well with the hectic and emotional weekend.

Nobody's perfect, after all.

I'm back from Disneyland...

...and woefully behind in my posting! So, while I think of something witty and brilliant to post about, I'll leave you with a small sampling of photos from the happiest place on Earth.

The happiest breakfast on Earth

Main Street all gussied up for the holidays

And finally, this little gem from the holiday version of the Haunted Mansion:

Disclaimer - I did not take this photo...it was snagged from the Disneyland Facebook page

The ride had been completely re-done a la The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I think it had been improved from the last time I was there during the holidays (2007, I think). One of the best parts was this gingerbread house and the Christmas scene in the ballroom, where they pumped in the scent of gingerbread. It smelled crazy delicious, and made me hungry. Also, notice that zombie gingerbread man in front of the house there - it moved like it was breaking free from it's grave.

On the subject of gingerbread, I (re)start my diet tomorrow, using the completely re-vamped Weight Watcher's program. I am wiping my slate clean, so to speak, and starting over as if I were a new member. Wish me luck, and more importantly, wish me willpower! I still have to really look at all of the new materials and get a feel for the changes, but I know I can do it.

It helps that Thanksgiving fell before the unveiling of the new WW plan. I spent it with my paternal family in Southern CA, and had a blast. I miss seeing that side as often as we used to (which was still not often enough). Did I mention there were 4 turkeys? Here's proof:

Turkey 4 ways

I also had the opportunity to shoot a potato gun...and I took it. Did I mention my family is crazy? It probably explains why we always had so much fun at family gatherings. Amazingly, I didn't set myself on fire, though my cousin did manage to singe his hairline. Luckily for him, he has the hereditary incredibly thick mass of hair, so you can barely tell it happened at all. Though he did say he smelled burning hair until the next morning. Have I mentioned how much I love my family?

Vacation Time!

Yep, as of this evening, I'm officially on vacation. I took three days off of work to hit Disneyland with my family (luckily, my company gives the day after Thanksgiving off as a paid holiday anyway).

It's going to be a busy week, too, starting tomorrow. Due to my usual severe procrastination, I haven't yet packed a thing...so, tomorrow will start off with a frenzy of packing, then a drive up to Sacramento to attend the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert with my Mom's side of the family. Rather than driving home afterward, I'll be spending the night at my step-sister's house and rolling out of bed (or couch, as the case may be) way too early to get on the road to Anaheim. Since I'm driving down there with my brother, I expect to be dragged out of the house while still technically asleep. That's okay, though, since I have no problem sleeping in the car.

We have arranged to meet up with my Dad (and step-mother, brother and step-grandmother, who are all driving down together from San Andreas) at a Krispie Kreme along the way, so that we'll all arrive at the park at the same time. You know, I don't think I've ever actually been inside a Krispy Kreme before. They'll have coffee though, and I will need it!

Sunday afternoon, after checking in to the hotel (we're staying on-site at the Grand Californian), we're heading into the park and not leaving until they close on Wednesday night (except of course to go back to the room and sleep). We check out on the morning of Thanksgiving, when the family (and my friend Kerri, who is meeting us down there for the week) hops back into our cars and cruises over to my cousin's house in Newport Beach for Thanksgiving dinner. I don't get to see that side of the family very often, so I'm pretty psyched that this worked out this way.

Friday morning is the long drive back home. I also think this will be the first Black Friday in years that I haven't gone Christmas shopping with my mother at the Folsom Outlet Mall. I'll deal (though I will miss my mother).

As much fun as I am expecting to have on this trip, I do think that I'll need the weekend after to recover. And to upload photos, of course.

I am consciously not dieting on this trip. As I told my co-worker today, this is my last hurrah before re-starting my diet. I've decided that since Weight Watcher's is unveiling their new (re-vamped) program during the week after Thanksgiving, that's when I am going to start all over again as if I were a new member. (I need a kick in the pants on that front anyway, and am hoping that the new plan will motivate me to actually follow it.)

Chop Chop and Other Random Thoughts

After all of my recent baking and the non-stop eating, I decided I need to hop back on the Weight Watcher's wagon. Yes, it's true, I do come to this realization at least once a week, if not more often. Regardless, this time the realization caused me to cook, or at least prepare to cook. One of my co-workers re-dedicated herself to WW last week (she calls it food rehab) and had printed out the recipe for the zero point soup, which I found on the printer. This inspired me, and today I chopped up a ton of veggies and threw them in the crockpot, which I'll leave on low all day tomorrow so I can come home to a nice hot dinner. I did change up the recipe a bit, since I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth, left out the sweet red bell pepper (there is no way I am paying $2.50 for a single pepper - what are these things grown in? Pure gold soil? Crazy.) and the swiss chard. I also finally found a use for that sugar pumpkin I bought weeks ago. I peeled, seeded and chopped that puppy up and threw half of it in the crockpot, too. (I roasted the other half and ate with some butter and brown sugar for dinner.) I hope it turns out okay, but am a little worried that I overfilled the crock... I guess I will find out when I get home, based on how much soup ended up on my counter...

During the chopping session, and pumpkin peeling (what a pain!), I discovered that I must not do enough cooking anymore. Why? Because I ended up with a blister on my pointer finger, right where I was holding the knife. Of course, I just might need better knives. Any suggestions?

Now to randomly change the subject...

I believe that the horde of 2-3 year olds at my friends' party yesterday must have worn me out. I believe there were around 17 little munchkins running around during the party. I don't know where they get their energy, but I swear I got tired just watching them go! And to prove it, when I set my alarm last night I accidently set it for PM. I haven't done that in years! I knew there was a problem when I woke up this morning feeling awake. Luckily, my new boss was really cool about it and didn't give me any grief (I gave myself enough). I also found that I had left a candle burning all night. I haven't done that in ages, either.

As I mentioned, I went to Kristin's party yesterday. I helped her out with some of the planning and stayed afterwards to help out a bit with the cleanup. After the party, I reached up to scratch my head and noticed that I had 3 brightly colored spider rings in my hair (probably what caused the itch in the first place). The spider rings brought back fond memories of my maternal grandmother (which is why they ended up in my hair after I picked them up off of the rug in the first place). Grandma used to cover the screen door on her porch with those artificial spiderwebs and place a bunch of the plastic spiders throughout her blonde hair. The neighbor kids called her the spider lady (only at Halloween, mind you. She didn't do this daily.) My family always had a great time when we visited my grandparents on the night before Halloween, which is when their town trick-or-treated. They called it beggars night, I think. Then we'd go out again in our own neighborhood on the day of Halloween. All of us, except probably my grandfather (usually in the living room watching baseball) got pretty deeply into the spirit of Halloween, and I wonder sometimes if that's why I still enjoy the holiday so much. And the reason why the spider rings always make me smile. I miss you Grandma! (And Grandpa, too, but I can't imagine him with a spider ring in his hair.)

My favorite photo of the spider lady and her husband - 1945

Just Call Me June...

...because I am just busting out all over. And in more ways than one.

I was having one of those days where you know you're really not any heavier than the day before, but you feel like you've gained 10 pounds overnight. This is probably due to the fact that I actually have gained about 10 pounds over the last 6 months (or less). Add that to the fact that I was wearing a pair of pants at least a half of a size too small today (poor planning on my part and a sure sign that I need to go shopping again), that has a metal buckle sewn into the waistband... I was sitting at my desk fantasizing about being able to finally take them off! That buckle was just digging into my flesh all day long. I'm surprised I'm not actually bruised.

So, in addition to feeling like an uber-chunk all day, I also have this giant pimple (not a flea bite even) smack in the middle of my forehead, the likes of which I don't think I've seen since high school. How incredibly attractive!

*sigh* I need to work my diet and shake these 10 pounds. I can feel the difference, and I don't like it! The random adult break-outs I will just have to deal with, because they probably are going to keep happening.

Holy Crap, she's posting!!

Hello everyone. I hope you all had fun long weekends and that none of you were forced to work over the holiday. I headed up to Sacramento for most of the weekend and hung out with my friend Kerri and her family, then spent Saturday with my Mom and the step-family.

Lots of games were involved (card and board, not mental), and it was all quite fun. I have determined that my mother has a strong tendency to believe anything I say, as evidenced by her constant choosing of my wrong answers to Beyond Balderdash. (The edition we played had dates as a category instead of laughable laws, which sounds like a better category, if you ask me!)

In other news, I am still following the WW plan (except for weekends, when I'm not tracking, but still trying to exercise and make smarter food choices). I have lost 4.4 pounds in the last 3 weeks. It is a good start, and I will keep it up! (I am determined...again!) In keeping with this, I was inspired to actually turn on my oven and cook last week! (Before this current heat wave hit.)

teaser photo

A co-worker brought in a giant lawn bag full of fresh rosemary clippings, which also contributed to my culinary inspiration. Visit here for the recipe.

Diet Revisited

Okay, it's day one back on the diet - I tracked all my food today (did not get in my daily oil or all of my veggies, but at least I'm trying), and even...are you sitting down? I even exercised!!

After last week's weigh in disaster, I decided that I needed to forcibly push myself back on track...I'm weak though, so not sure the wheels are firmly on the track yet. We'll find out if it moves or not... Anyway, I bought a new exercise DVD - Pilates Core Challenge. Apparently, this is not a workout for the beginner! I got through 20 minutes and thought I was going to die. I think I will go back to my easy beginner's Pilates video (VHS) until I build up a bit of strength and endurance. Wish me luck. I am hoping that I don't give up on the exercise!

In honor of day one of diet determination (couldn't start over the weekend, you know...it was father's day, and Dad was barbecuing), I took the below quiz. Note that it says I am 59% Chunky...should I be offended??

Your Score: BROWNIE BATTER!

You scored 81% SWEET, 59% CHUNKY, and 62% UNIQUE!

brownie batter ice cream with a rich brownie batter swirl

Mmmm....you are a very sweet mix indeed! You are warm, loving, and caring to all those around you, but you're not boring in the least! You have a wild streak and a creative, unique streak, too. You are a great friend, an interesting person, and you know how to have fun without ending up crouching over a toilet bowl. Nice!

Link: The Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Flavor Test written by weered1 on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(weered1)

Random Rant

Is it me, or are retail salespeople becoming more rude? Actually, I think I may be over-reacting due to the craptastic day I had at work. I'm sure tonight's Hallmark trip just pushed me over the edge...

So, after an okay morning and a nice lunch hour, I received a litany of snarky emails from the boss, which soured the day. I hit the Weight Watcher's meeting to weigh in, and am now only 15 pounds lighter than I was at my heaviest. The diet has been completely derailed. I blame work stress (which is awful) and my complete lack of will-power. That, and I am so sick of tracking everything I eat. I hate it. I measured myself for yet another bridesmaid's dress the other day and had to order a 12. (I had tried on the dress a few months ago, but David's Bridal didn't write my size down in the file. So, that was a pointless waste of gas.) I haven't been that size in years, so that made me unhappy too.

So, after the poo day (yes, I am mature) and weigh-in, I decided to hit Hallmark to get some packaging for the Father's Day gifts I got for Dad. So, I'm tooling around the store, and then at about 8:10 (I'd already been there a while, mind you) I was looking at some mugs in the front, and the teenager (I'm assuming) standing by the door with another customer, looks at me and says, "Um, we're actually closed? We close at 8?" (I hate it when people speak in all questions. Gee, if you're that unsure, maybe I can convince you otherwise.) So, I look at her and say, "I've been here a while." And she tells me I'd better pay quick then. (I didn't care for the way she said that!)

Anyway, part of what irritated me about this statement was the fact that I'd already been in the store for nearly a half hour and had merchandise in my hand. I had not even been acknowledged by the sales staff. Had they come around the store, which isn't that big to begin with, they would have known there were still people shopping. I've been there in the past, where they check to see if people are there about 5 or 10 minutes before closing and gently remind them that they will be closing. I wouldn't have been annoyed, if she had simply phrased it all differently.

Urgh, definitely over-reacting. I mean, she probably gets minimum wage and wants to go home. But is that an excuse for having no manners?

Fitting Frustration

Just how much weight do I have to lose before I stop feeling fat in a fitting room? (It's a rhetorical question...as is the next one.) Why do bathing suit sizes not correspond to any other clothing size? Or perhaps the real question is, why does my body not fit any actual manufactured size? (Oh - I know the answer to that one! I don't have the body of a 10 year old boy! So, naturally, women's clothing isn't proportioned for me!)

Ah...yeah....So, if you hadn't guessed, I went shopping today. To make matters worse, I was looking for a new bathing suit (thought I'd try to get a new one before my trip to Santa Cruz this weekend. Looks like I'm stuck with what I've already got! Oh well, it saves me some cash). I should know better by now. And, since I was heading into the fitting rooms anyway, I picked up some other cute items to see how they'd look on me. Sizes no longer have any meaning. I'm totally convinced. Most places I shop I am a medium top, and about an 8 bottom. Today, a medium was way too small. One size 10 was too big, and one size 10 was way too small. Go figure. The medium one piece suit was fine on top, but too long for my torso (and the legs were cut too low, so I looked like a pear shape, even though I'm an hourglass. Who designs these things? I didn't want to spend any more time getting irritated at nothing working, so walked out with no clothes. Wait - let me rephrase that. I walked out without any NEW clothes.

And this morning I was all set to be on time to work. I grabbed the bag of frozen meals to take in to work, and the bag of stuff I was returning to Target after work, and headed down to my car. It was overcast, and had rained during the night, and I was totally dressed for summer, but was not turning back to change. I got to the highway and realized that I did not have my purse with me. That means no wallet, no driver's license, no cell phone, no money, no tax refund check that I had finally stuck in my purse to take to the bank...I had to turn around and go get it. I feel naked without it, somehow. So, that made me late again after all. :(

And because I promised Dagny some food porn, here it is:

It's not the bean salad I had planned to make. I got home way too late to start all the chopping that would be necessary for that. So I threw this makeshift omelette together instead. I like to think that I excercised a great deal of restraint in not swinging into a drive-thru on my way home, since I was starving half to death before leaving the store. And I spent the whole drive home thinking about what I had at home that I could prepare quickly (that would contain the necessary number of points for the rest of my day). With the omelette, I figured I could use the rest of the sliced mushrooms that I bought for the scallop dish before they went bad in my fridge. I sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil and added the eggs right to that, then threw in some vine-ripened tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh minced parsley. Yum! And filling. 7 points for the whole thing, which was plenty. It's not really a recipe, so I'm posting it here instead of at the recipe corner. And yes, I realize I overcooked the eggs - they are browner than I normally make them, as the liquid from the mushrooms was fooling me into thinking the center of the omelette was not fully cooked. It still tasted good.

Bits and Pieces

Well, I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July. I continued my tradition of joining Kerri's family at their annual barbecue. And this year was a scorcher! It was 99 degrees in the shade outside...but a great day to go swimming. Which we did. We had 12 people in the pool, which appeared to have amused Kerri's brother in law. Kerri and I also taught her 7yr old niece and friend how to play Uno (Kerri and I had a bit of a tournament going on, in the shade, under the fan). Funny thing about Uno - it always makes me think of my Aunt Fran, because I seem to have memories of playing it with her in my grandmother's kitchen when I was younger.

After fireworks in the street (during which Kerri's brother in law tempted fate numerous times with the lighter and fuses) I headed back home, since I had to work on Thursday. Or so I thought. I got to work Thursday morning, on time for once, and noticed that it was warmer than normal once I moved from the hallway into my department's area. Then my co-workers started complaining of a funny smell. No, it wasn't me. And I hadn't noticed it until they started talking about it. Then I smelled it. Strong and acrid...and quite unpleasant. Everyone was wondering what was going on and if anyone had talked to facilities. Turns out that the air conditioning had blown a motor, and there was not only the smell, but smoke coming in through some of the overhead vents (apparently, one of the vents in the boss's office). So, I've been at work for maybe 10 minutes, and my boss comes down the side of the cubicle row with her purse telling everyone to come downstairs with her and get fresh air, until the problem is figured out. So, we all proceed downstairs and I head out back with some co-workers to sit on the patio. Minutes later, word comes around that the big boss (the one directly over my boss, who's office had the smoky vent) decided to let all of our department head home for the rest of the day, since there was no telling how long it would be for the problem to get fixed, and she wouldn't make us work with the smell (she's very scent sensitive).

So, I got Thursday off after all. Too bad I didn't know in advance! I didn't want to turn around and head home right away, since it's a 45 minute drive, so I got my oil changed, which I've been putting off. The funny thing about that is that there was a huge line at the oil changers, but when I go on my lunch break (like I normally do) there's never anyone else waiting. Even with the line, it only took 1/2 hour, and I still didn't want to go home yet, so I headed over to Starbucks and read my book while having some much needed caffeine. Later, I went to visit Christyn and the new baby (don't worry, I called first). He's so cute! Seems so small for being 9 pounds. (Of course, I didn't have to give birth to him...I'm sure he seemed plenty large to Christyn!) I swung by WW on my way home later, to find that I had gained a whole freakin' pound over the past week. I think it was those chips I couldn't stay away from at the BBQ. I'm sticking to it though (trying to at least).

Friday, the smell in the office was pretty much gone. The air conditioning was not working in my wing though. Everyone with those mini desk fans had them going on high. Maybe I'll stop complaining about cold it normally is in there...(nah, not going to happen).

Yesterday, I finally made the flight reservations for the annual family picnic in Buffalo (okay, the picnic itself is not in Buffalo, but that's where I fly into and stay with my Aunt). Tickets are expensive, and went up in the 10min it took me to consult my Aunt about my plans! But, I am going. I didn't make it out for the picnic last year, since I went out in June for my cousin's wedding.

Now, I'm hoping that the a/c at work is fixed tomorrow...

Fun w/ Fondant

I spent last weekend at my Mom's house to celebrate her birthday. Mom made her own birthday cake (from scratch - lemon with berry filling). She is practicing for my step-son's wedding, set for September, when she'll be making and decorating the cake. So I helped her with decorating ideas.

She likes the look of rolled fondant on a cake, but hadn't worked with it before (me neither). So, we gave it a shot. In the process, I managed to break the marble rolling pin that she's used for the past 10-15 years (I think she's had it that long)...I don't know if I used too much pressure or what, but I actually cracked the handle. There's me on the left (a highly unflattering shot of me, if I do say so myself...say hi to my 5 chins - they've come out of hiding!) pulling a MacGuyver and fixing the rolling pin with duct tape. It's a temporary fix... Some little slivers of splintered wood may have ended up in the fondant decorations. Good thing we'd already managed to cover the cake, and I was just rolling the rest out to play with decorating motifs.


Now, please realize that the below cake - our never really made it to finished product - is not how we would actually decorate a wedding cake, but was a platform for practicing. Like a very high calorie blank slate. All things considered, it's not so bad. Even though it looks like a veiled hat from the 40's.


Mom and I also made my great-grandmother's cream cheese mints, which Mom is thinking of making for the wedding as well. They turned out great, but I think I may need some helpful hints from my aunt. (Aunt Fran made a great batch at Christmas that she shipped out to Mom's.)


And, after the weekend food-fest, I am officially back on WW. According to my weekly tracker (I have the 3 month journal), the last time I tracked my meals was the end of March. Gee, wonder why I've been steadily gaining weight? Anyway, I'm back on track, and treating it like a new start. I'm even exercising...well, I'm walking at lunch again. A couple of my co-workers go for about a half-hour each day. Now that I'm "in" with the walkers (there are only 2...and one of them is leaving the company after next week), they said I'm staying in. That should help keep me on task. Wish me luck! (Again!) I only have 10lbs (give or take a lb) to go...though it was less a few months ago...The gain stops now!

***OMG - Can you believe I've had over 10,000 visits to this site?? Who'd have thought it?***

Looking Good?

I have been going through a little phase of feeling rather blah about myself. Might have something to do with getting back up to 10lbs over my lowest weight at WW last week, when I was less than a pound from goal around this time last year. Maybe it has something to do with this week having sucked so royally at work. (Too much work, constant requests for information/special projects/general crap from the bosses, 2 new employees that require training and don't know how to use basic software like Word and Excel...um, yeah, that kind of crap making me unable to get anything done).

:( So, I decided to dress up a bit today to help me feel better about myself. I finally wore that cute red skirt that I bought a few months ago for David's christening, but couldn't wear because it was too cold in GA. I had on my favorite retro style 3" heels, and pantyhose. I don't know if I've gone into my fondness for pantyhose on my blog or not...but I'm weird and enjoy wearing them, as much of a pain as they are, because they actually make me feel more feminine and maybe a bit more refined. Plus, my legs look way better in them than without them...and they come in styles that suck in my tummy for me! Anyway, sorry for the slight diversion... I got a few nice compliments from co-workers, which I do appreciate. And then the inevitable obnoxious questions.

Only this time, no one asked if I had an interview. Nope, they must have figured out by now that I'm not going anywhere. (Now, maybe I'd have gotten that question if I came in wearing slacks and a matching suit jacket...which I no longer own in my actual size.)

Instead, I get the whole, "What's his name?" I don't need a man around for me to want to look nice. (Besides, I'll never meet one if I look as schlumpy as I usually do, now will I?) I really want to answer this way: His name is self-esteem, and I am trying to build him. But, I probably wouldn't say that... Instead I give a self-deprecating comment about there being no men and no prospects (while only slightly self-deprecating, as it's true). And naturally, since the earlier compliments did give me a boost of confidence, and I did think I looked pretty good today, I didn't run into a single attractive man today (okay, none that spoke to me). (Not that there are many around the office anyway - I work with all women...and I think we've scared off all the men.)

Anyway, that sort of ties into the latest quiz I took. I think it fits me, but I guess I should ask my friends if they agree with it's assessment of me.

Your Beauty Element is Water

Feminine and dreamy, your beauty style is classic and very vintage. But you never look out of style! You have a way of making classic looks modern again.

What's Your Beauty Element?

Vacation Recap

Okay, so I've updated you all on the first half of my vacation. Here's the update on the rest.

I already mentioned that we went to the Aquarium on Sunday afternoon. I got some cool photos (or at least I thought they came out cool):

The beluga whales were entertaining. Showing off for the humans, according to the presenter.

I can't remember what these are called. I just snapped the photos without writing stuff down (I'd never be able to remember what was what anyway). I have way more photos, but haven't finished messing with them yet.

The kids were back in school on Monday, so Lilibet, her sister, Kerri and I all went to tour an old plantation home in Roswell. We ended up taking two cars, since Lilibet had to take off at 2pm to pick up the twins from school. We missed the 1pm tour, so Lilibet actually missed that part, but the outbuildings were the self-guided part of the tour, so at least she was able to see those. No one else showed up for the 2pm tour, so it was pretty much a private tour without the extra expense. Since it was just us 3 girls, the tour was pretty informal, and I actually was chatting with the tour guide about the Titanic exhibit before we started. (She was reading a book about Titanic, so I just started blabbing, and she was mentioning that the huge Titanic museum is located in Atlanta. Too bad we didn't have time for that much sightseeing!) Here's me and Kerri with Lil and our godson David on the front porch of the plantation home.

After the tour, Kerri and Roz and I hit a cute little cafe in Roswell on an old street lined with antique-y type shops. It was a cute little spot and I noticed it had a pressed tin ceiling (weird that I notice things like that). Then it was back to the house to spend more time with Lilibet and the kids.

We didn't have much time to do anything on Tuesday morning, so we ran out for coffee quickly before Kerri and I had to leave for the airport. It was a good trip, though it felt like it was too short. (Don't they always?) It did feel great to spend almost a full week free of stress. And honestly, that much time stress-free does wonders for the attitude! I just hope it lasts for a while before the stress takes over again.

The funny thing is that after my WW weigh in (blah - vacation gain), I stopped at the Thai place to get some take out, and the woman that seems to run the place (she is always behind the counter) told me I looked better today and asked if I'd been staying home! (She mentioned last time I was there that I looked tired, and I was, since I'd worked late that night.) She's funny, and always recognizes me and chats for a while. Today before I left with my finished order, she laughed and told me she loves talking to me! I feel sort of bad, since with her strong accent, I only understand about half of what she says, but we still manage to have a decent dialogue. Anyway, she told me I looked fresh and rested today, and we had a good laugh when I told her I just got back from a vacation. Funny how that conversation perked me up a bit after I was getting annoyed at myself over gaining during my absence.

Big Loser

Phew! I seem to have finally broken my weight gain trend... I am down another 1lb+ today, as of weigh in. Just goes to show that following the WW plan really does work. I've been back on track the last two weeks (tracking and everything!) and it's paying off. I hope I don't blow it all next week when I'm on vacation!

In other news (there really isn't much going on around here), I joined the no-end-in-sight-ripple-along. See the snazzy new button gracing my sidebar - it's clickable! Anyway, I found the blog last weekend and figured that in the spirit of my no-new-craft-purchases-during-Lent, this was an ideal project to work on. I don't have to buy any new yarn, and I'll get a big old afghan I can toss over my bed in the wintertime. (I don't have too many blankets here. I keep making them and giving them away! I have one that I keep on my couch that I made for myself a few years ago.) Anyway, since it uses all the random yarns leftover from old projects, I'm not sure what it's going to end up looking like. Hopefully it won't be hideous! It will be containing random stripes and different textures (I posted more detail on the CAL site, if anyone is interested)...here's what I've done so far:

And, since it's a never ending project, I don't have to worry about making any deadlines. Which also means that I can pick it up and put it down at will. (Christyn, you'll still get your baby blanket.) And on the very off chance that I run out of yarn, it's random anyway, so new stuff that comes in can just transition into the (non) pattern.

Caught in the Act!

This photo I took last night incrimates all the inhabitants of my household...Me, for finishing off the ice cream the night before weigh in, and my cat, for viciously attacking the carton of deliciousness as soon as it hit the table. Don't worry, I whisked it away from her after getting the picture.

As for the weigh-in, I still don't know how much damage I did over the last week, as I ended up working so late that I missed the WW meeting. Oh well.

In other news - did anyone else feel that 4.2 earthquake? I did, and it felt a lot stronger than 4.2 to me. Scared my kitty too (okay, and me as well). As I sat frozen in fear on my couch, all I could think of was the quake in '89 (Loma Prieta), and was wondering if this was a big one further away. Luckily, there was not. And my earthquake strength guage is way off, since I was bufferred by the full force of the '89 quake by the shocks on the van I was in on the road. Because of that, most of the aftershocks felt worse to me. But, this one that happened tonight seemed to go on for a while. I kept waiting for more after the shaking stopped, but it was truly over. That was fine by me.