Haircut!

I got my hair cut short a couple of weeks ago. Pictures!






I love it and I'm really glad I got it cut short. It looks so much better. K said it "balanced out my head." When I told one of our friends that he asked where his girlfriend could get a haircut like that because her head needed balancing out too. LOL.

In other big news, nous allons à Paris pour notre anniversaire cette année! (We are going to Paris for our anniversary this year!) Gotta brush up on the French.

Je parle un peu de Francais, mais Je ne parle pas Francais tres bien! Parlez-vous Anglais?

So exciting! Anyway we're looking at staying at the Hotel Splendid Etoile, which is RIGHT down the street from the Arc. I can't wait to go to the Louvre, Versailles, Tour Effiel, Notre Dame, the Seine, Caffe on the balcony, sidewalk cafes, street crepes, bistros, boulangeries, patisseries...yum!

Where did June go?!

Wow, June went by so fast! I kept thinking, you know, I really should update my blog. But alas, I never got around to it. I'll try to summarize the major highlights of June.

We replaced the appliances in the Kitchen, I have before and after pictures that I'll try to post today. It was very much a "If you give a mouse a cookie" sort of exercise. The fridge went out so we ended up getting a new fridge, stove, range hood, dishwasher, and front porch light.

I went to the orthopedic specialist about my knee, apparently I am genetically predisposed to having an issue where my kneecaps slip laterally. When they do that repetitively, the kneecap rubs on the cartilage in a painful way. I'm in physical therapy for it, and it is getting better. I'm hating that I can't run or lift with my lower body.

I am actually maintaining weight although I'm very limited on activity right now. I found out that I'm really sensitive to starchy carbs and that I wasn't eating enough veggies. I love Precision Nutrition!

Work is going really really well. I am working on a new "project" and I really like the people I'm working with and the work I'm doing. Good stuff.

We're still trying to sell the house, K is putting an ad in the local newspaper today. Hopefully someone will find it is just right for them.

News

Okay, so my post back on April 22 was about some things going on in our life. The big news is that K is opening a business for computer repair, and we're going to buy or build a new house.

We put a sign out in front of this house, and I've got to get a notice to the newspaper this week, we're going to try to do for sale by owner.

In other news, the refrigerator broke yesterday. I kept hearing something clicking in the kitchen and couldn't figure out what it was. Kept checking the oven (it clicks when its heating up or cooling down). Finally last night at like 8 we figured out the freezer was melting and we were both all "AHA! Must be the fridge! ...crap!"

So we went this morning and bought the part we *thought* was bad, but it actually wasn't that part. So now we think its the compressor which is going to be even more expensive, and a pain to change, not to mention when we would be able to get one, it being a holiday weekend and all.

I asked if we were going to go refrigerator shopping today. We'll see.

Sick

Bleh. Yeah, I'm sick. Right when I'm about to take a vacation! Last time I got sick was *also* a day I was taking leave from work. What am this, some kind of conspiracy??

Anyway, I'm home today because the fever, sneezing, coughing, and drainage are NOT fun at work. I may have to go in for an hour or two today or tomorrow, but I'm not really planning on spending a whole lot of time in the office for the next two days. Plus I don't have any REAL cold medicine. Stupid meth people ruining it for everyone! Now I can't just go buy cold medicine that actually works, it has to be this big production and I have to wait until the pharmacy opens, yada yada.

The Ongoing Quest

So my weightloss had sort of stagnated for a while and I was just maintaining. I got a lot stronger when I was doing afterburn, and achieved a greater level of overall fitness. So I feel that I was successful with it, I just didn't "shrink".

Well, I posted a while back I was going to meet with the trainer. I've never had a trainer before. I *love* having a trainer. I don't have to plan workouts or obsess about what body part I'm working, or when the last time I did deadlifts was. All I do is show up and do what he tells me to do. Its fabulous.

So he asked me about my eating habits and also what I was doing for cardio. He seemed surprised that I had only been doing 20 minutes 3x a week and he told me I needed to increase the amount of cardio I was doing. So I did.

Now I've been going to him for a week and a half tomorrow, and I've increased the amount of cardio I'm doing. I've lost 3 lbs already. Which is really fantastic considering the guideline for safe weight loss is 2 lbs per week maximum. That puts me right on target!

Last time I trained I told him that I had already lost 2 lbs, and he just said it was really all me, and thats true, I did do the cardio work. However, he's the one that told me my eating was fine I just needed to do more cardio. And he was right.

I broke my blog

Apparently I'm more popular than I thought, or perhaps just less tech-savvy than I thought. Either way, I've managed to break all the pictures I posted this morning, so in an effort to be kind to imageox's bandwidth, thumbnails are now posted below and you will have to click on them to see the full-sized version of the picture.

What I did this weekend

K has tests today, so he had to study. My parents called to see if we wanted to go out on the boat since it was such a nice day, and I took the dog and left K at home in peace to study. We went out on the lake, and then up a couple of creeks that feed the lake.


















(no, I don't know that guy...)

Cha-Cha-Changes!

K and I are going through some decisions right now regarding some major things. I'm not going to say too much until the details are more concrete, but please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we make these decisions :)

Eye Appointment

I went for my annual eye exam yesterday, and they dilated me. Blech. I hate being dilated. Actually, I hate when they check the pressure in your eye. It really, really is uncomfortable.

Anyway, I've had glasses since I was four years old, so I can't remember a time when I had good vision. When they first started doing Lasik a lot, when I was in high school, I was interested in having it done. The doctor I had been going to before this year had told me because my vision was so bad, they wouldn't consider it unless I went to 5 years of checkups without having a change in my prescription.

I just thought, well, I'll ask and see what this new doctor has to say. So I talked to her about it and she said "No, 2 years is what we recommend, as long as you're over 21." But she said that the procedure was only approved to correct up to a certain point, and they wouldn't be able to fully correct my vision to 20/20, but it would be much better than it is now, and I would just need glasses for sharp distance vision (like driving or going to the movie theater). That was kind of disappointing but I told her I was still interested.

So she went out to get the machine to do a preliminary measurement of my eyes to see if I'm a candidate for the procedure, and she asked the doctor who does the actual surgery about it. He said that he agreed that due to my prescription being constant for the past couple of years and my age that they would do it, and he also said they had just gotten approved to correct more than they could before. So the new level they can correct to is even more than I need!

And then she measured me and she said I have enough corneal thickness to be able to do it!! I'm so excited (and a little nervous, lol).

K and I are going on vacation the second week in May, and I have to wear glasses for 2 weeks before my appointment to do a complete "pre-op", and then for 2 more weeks between the "pre-op" and the actual surgery. So, what I'm going to do, is make the appointment for 2 weeks after I get back from vacation. That way I don't have to deal with wearing glasses all the time while I'm on vacation.

Oh! And, the insurance I have offers a discounted rate on the surgery, and the doctor I go to is the only one approved by that agency in the town I live in. It just really seems like its coming together. Hopefully everything will go smoothly with the pre-op and they'll tell me with certainty they can do the surgery.

Trainer

So I had my first appointment with my trainer last night, and it went really well! He's a real personable kind of guy, and I enjoyed it. I went ahead and scheduled my next session for Tuesday.

The first superset we did was really challenging for me, and I think he kind of got scared that I was pushing myself too hard so he backed way off. I'm not sore today. I'm going to make sure I let him know that, but I also know that he's just trying to get a feel for what I'm capable of to begin with.

Ohyeah! And he's going to teach me how to beat a bag! YAY BOXING!! I'm so excited!

Erg, he also told me I'm not doing enough cardio. I guess 20 minutes 3x a week just isn't going to cut it anymore. LOL.

Cool Site

I was just browsing around the 'net for some stock photos, and found the coolest web page! It is NASA's astronomy picture of the day.

Enjoy!

New Ducky

Lilly got a new ducky this weekend. We have to buy her one every couple of months because after a few weeks, they start looking like this:

And then she won't play with it anymore. And it must be a ducky, I think its some instinctual spaniel thing, although I'm not really sure about that. Its just that we give her other types of toys, and she will play with them a bit, but she really rips into the duckies. They are by far her favorite.

K and I are planning a trip down to see my Dad and Stepmom in May and then we're also going to spend a couple of days at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Its been a few years since I went to Universal, and I've never been to Islands of Adventure, so I'm really looking forward to it. Its going to be a lot of fun! We're due for a vacation, we haven't gotten away since we went to Charlotte in December.

Afterburn is going well, all said and done I was able to get 2 out of 3 scheduled weight sessions and cardio sessions in my first week. Those weight sessions are so hard, that I'm happy with what I was able to do. Today is cardio and tomorrow is weights. We went out to lunch with some friends and one of them told me should could tell I was leaning out. Always nice to hear!

Afterburn Part Deux

First weightlifting Afterburn session...Oh Emm Gee! H-A-R-D. HAAAARD!!!

I didn't expect it to be easy...but I didn't expect it to be so HARD! LOL. I expected it would be difficult but not so hard you have to say it H-A-R-D to convey the point. I have always worked hard when I'm lifting, always to the point of failure, but I never really get sweaty when I'm weightlifting. I just don't sweat a lot. I was positively DRIPPING last night.

When I was looking at the routine previous to going, I thought the hardest thing was going to be the 20 (twenty!!) squats I had to do. I was wrong, that was the easiest thing in the routine. LOL.

The standout winner by far was the SHELC. If you're looking for a new hamstring exercise that will make you feel like your hamstrings are cramping and being set on fire at the same time, this guy takes the cake. I couldn't believe how difficult that one was.

But, still, I completed the circuits! Well, mostly. I did absolutely as much as I could, and I was happy with my level of effort.

If you're feeling like your current weightlifting/fitness routine isn't challenging you enough, or you're not getting your desired results in terms of strength, overall fitness, or fat loss, I *highly* recommend the Afterburn program. I know they always make those fitness book sites look so cheesy, but thats good stuff right there!

Surf Shop

I looked up the local surf shop to see what the surf was supposed to be doing this weekend. I knew the owner was a Christian, but I found some neat stuff on the site. He's got pictures of the surf, and overlayed on them are bible verses and devotional quotes. I'm so glad that there are local people in the surfing community that stand up for what is right and good. Actually, there are a whole bunch of people who go to my church who are part of that community.

Its refreshing to see the joy and friendship come from surfing as opposed to the jealousy and strife that often accompanies it. The other neat thing about the surf report site is down at the bottom of the surf report, Tony (the owner) reccomends my church to anyone new in town or visiting. Its only appropriate I suppose, since the church we go to is unofficially known as the "surfing church". And thats just because the church is decorated in a beachy theme, with surfboards strewn about, and is extremely laid back. I *love* that I go to church in jean and flip-flops all the time. I *love* that my pastor wears shorts to church. Its so cool to me, because it shows that the community of the church isn't worried about extraneous thing such as "do you have tattoos, or not? Do you dress up for church and put on a show, or not? What kind of car do you drive? Do you speak 'churcheese'?" Because none of that stuff really matters.

What really matters, and is the whole point really, is being with other people who are like-minded to you and also learning more about God. Its so refreshing that the main thing is still the main thing.


On another note....Afterburn. That man is crazy, oh yes he is! I read that book and he identifies 3 intervals for the "energy work" (cardio) for the first four weeks. I thought, meh, that will be easy peasy! I've been doing intervals for 3 months! Heh...not! See, when you run all out as fast as you can for 1 whole minute...it is not easy. I don't care what kind of shape you're in. LOL.

It was good though. First circuit training will be today, given I get off of work at a reasonable time.

Afterburn

I got the Afterburn book a couple of days ago and read it when I layed on the beach this weekend. I've been wanting to try out Afterburn since I read about it on Skwigg's blog, but I told myself I would wait until mid March to order it. Mostly because I had just bought Precision Nutrition, and also because I was working out BFL style. I didn't want to change everything right out of the gate, and I did get much fitter since January doing the BFL style lifting/intervals.

But I'm so stoked about starting Afterburn. It looks like I'm going to be in pain after the first workout on Tuesday. The book identifies what it calls "energy work" which is what most people would think of as cardio, and then it also has a weightlifting circuit you do. Alwyn says you can do the energy work anytime other than before the circuit work, which means you can do it after the circuit work. The short of it is, I can go to the gym 3x per week and be following the program. However, I dunnow if I'll be hardcore enough to do that after looking at the program, lol. My first circuit is scheduled for tomorrow, so I'm going to do my first energy work today. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to run after the circuit!

Alwyn is crazy, the first four weeks has things like squats and step ups, and he expects you to do 20 reps each circuit! With weight! Crazy man...lol. But truthfully I can't wait!

As I mentioned above, we went to the beach this weekend. We had such a good time! The only downside is the dog wasn't able to go with us, as they don't allow doggies on the beach in the county we live in. They do allow them at the beach in the next county over, so I think perhaps we will take her over there next weekend.

Eeeek!

There was a dog and cat food recall. I checked the list, and Lilly's food isn't on there. You can get more info at the Menu Foods Website.

Apparently there are some doggies that have died, and more are sick. Scary stuff!

Not so nerdy?

I'm not like Weird Al in that I don't know Pi to 1000 places (only to 3 places)...but I don't have to! With the Internet age, all that information and more is available with a few key strokes. Today is Pi Day. Pi-the number so cool, it has its own holiday (being that today is 3.14...like pi, get it?).

Anyway, if you ever wanted to check out the value of Pi, the information is only a click away. Happy day of Pi!

TechnoCool

Sometimes you see something so amazing you stare speechless. This is one of those things.

G15 Keyboard

I take 2 steps forward...and then apparently I also strafe right a fair bit.

Kids, this is what your keyboard will look like if you don't coat the keys before using it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry, this doesn't apply to you :)

Barstools

We went to Target today after church and got bar stools! They are the ones I had wanted a couple of months ago, and they were on sale, so we bought them!

K is going to start a video blog, so I'll link to that once he has it up and going.

Its a beautiful sunny day today, and I really want to go to the beach. K has homework, so he's going to work on that while I'm at the gym and we'll see how much he gets done, and if we can go to the beach.

Access Card

Okay, so I can't go to the gym. Not because I don't want to. I do. Not because I'm not motivated to. I am, in fact I got in the car on my way to the gym, and actually got a whole block away from the house.

I left my card to get on base (where the gym is) in my computer at work. No one is there to call the gate for me, so I can't get my card until tomorrow morning when someone is at work. Bugger!

So I'm doing bodyweight exercises at home. I'm doing supersets of squats/lunges/calf raises. Its still pretty hard even though I have no weights. I'm sweating.

Personal Trainer

I got sick, yet again, about 3 weeks ago. That was the fourth time I had gotten sick in 3 weeks, so I decided to take a break from the gym until I was totally better to give my immune system a little bit of a break. I ate pretty well while I wasn't going to the gym, probably a bit more free foods than I would have had otherwise, but really I did well, and it was a break I needed. I can tell now looking back on it that it did me good.

I went back to the gym at the beginning of last week full of energy and looking forward to working out again, and I felt great. I pushed up my intensity on everything higher than it had been, I was able to lift heavier than before my break, and just in general I feel really good. Yesterday was free day, and today I've still got to go do lower body. I'm headed to do that in about 30 minutes.

Today at church we talked to a guy that K went to high school with, and he told us he was about to start working at his home business full time in just a couple of weeks. Apparently he's a personal trainer and he's build a gym to train his clients at. I'm going to call him Monday and set up an appointment to go meet with him. I'm looking forward to it, I'm going to record my meals between now and when I go see him, and I'm going to bring him my workout log, and also the BFL and BFFM books to show him where my info is coming from. I'm not sure if he'll like that, or maybe think I'm a little strange, but I want to get as much as I can from training with him.

I put on my size 8 gap jeans on Thursday. I was able to get them on and get them zipped and buttoned and all but they're still...slightly (snort!)...to small to wear, you know, in public places. LOL. I'll get there. I'm happy with my progress, I can still tell things are continuing to lean out.

Cupcakes are Carbs Too

That's right. I ate a cupcake as my carb portion with some ham on valentine's day. K's mom brought us over some cupcakes and chocolate-dipped strawberries for valentine's day. Of course, that counted as a free meal, I just thought it was funny..."Ooh, cupcakes! Hmmm, I have to have a protein with this..." LOL.

I've come down with some crud again. This time I think its pollen-related. Even so, I decided no working out for me until I feel completely 100% better. So, I'm just taking it easy until then, still eating healthful food.

The new game is just stunning graphically. My elf went to the elf city for the first time yesterday, and all I can say is wOw!! It really is incredible. They did a fantastic job on the visuals. You can check out some screenshots of the locations here, and specifically I was in Lethe Nurae last night. That's just one little portion of the city, its actually HUGE.

K made a dwarf in my game to try it out and he liked the game as well, so I installed it on his computer and bought him a licence key for it. He had fun playing it last night, and now he's doing Calculus, and will be all weekend most likely.

Those classes he's taking, Calc1 and Physics sure are doing a number to his free time, but he's doing so great with it. I'm really proud of his dedication. Most people would have given up in frustration with the time consumed already, but he's still plugging along. I think he actually likes it too...LOL.

In all seriousness though, I'm so happy that we've come to a place in our lives that he's going to go to school to get the degree he really, truly wants. God is so good to us that he put us in a situation where we can do that.

New Baubles

I got a new game to try out. I was getting sort of bored I suppose with City of Heroes. I log in and not really know what I wanted to play, etc. So I decided I wanted to try something a little more fantasy based. I did some research and I came up with Sony Online Entertainment's new game called Vanguard:Saga of Heroes.

I've really been enjoying the new game so far. Its very immersive. There are I think 15 or 17 different races and about as many classes that you can choose to be. The neat thing was, I made a dark elf, and based on the quests I was given and the way the NPCs talked to me, the character felt like a bad guy (as dark elves should be). Then I made a wood elf and I got to heal wolf pups as one of my quests. Too cool. I'm also looking forward to trying out the crafting and diplomacy stuff. So far I've just done the adventuring, and I also haven't grouped with anyone yet. I'm still trying to get the hang of things, its a lot different than I'm used to. And I still don't know what mana, energy, and all that stuff are for. But I'll get it sorted out. Truthfully I'm sort of glad I don't know enough about the mechanics to be min-maxing yet.

So, maybe the game will get old after a couple of months, I don't know. But it is very well done graphically, and so far I've been very happy with the characters and quests I've tried out.

Doggy is doing good, the bump started to swell back up somewhat, but she didn't have any skin irritation like I was afraid she would.

K is always busy doing homework! But he's doing good in school so that's worth the time and effort spent. He's got another Physics test this week...its funny, he asks me for help, and I have a hard time with it because its been so long since I took Physics. I just take a little while to remember all the concepts, and I think he expects me to just be able to rattle them off and tell him if what he's doing is correct. I'm sharp, but my memory isn't that good! LOL.

I'm not going to post a total meal plan for this week, but I will post my menu of dinners:

-Pork Roast with White Beans and Cranberries
-Slow-Cooker Chicken with Peppers (this one really could not get any easier, 3 ingredients in the slow cooker)
-Pork Chops with Brussel Sprouts and Wild Rice
-Chicken-Avocado Soft Tacos
-Italian Lentil Soup with Beef
-Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

Leave a comment if you want a recipe!

Also, the air conditioner is broken at the gym (eeks!!). Funny thing is, we didn't even notice it until last night, since it has been pleasantly cool for a while. Its been broken for a MONTH! I'm sure they're trying to get it fixed, but its a government base, so, eh...I'm not going to hold my breath. Summer before last the A/C in my building at work was broken for 2 1/2 months before they fixed it.

The funny thing was, last night it was hot and soooo humid that everything was absolutely COVERED in water from condensation. I actually had to use a towel and dry the floor under the squat rack because I was afraid it would make me slip while I was squatting. And we got so hot. I was just unbelievable. It made me feel like "a real man". LOL.

So, between the heat, and the beating I gave my legs last night, they were really tired. I tried to step over something to spot K on his bicep curls, and my hamstring actually cramped up when I curled my leg under me. And then, when I stepped back out of where I was standing, I hit a plate with my foot. Apparently it wasn't on the rack very well and it came crashing down onto my other foot. 45 pounds dropping onto the top of your foot when you can barely stand anyway is so fun, let me tell you. I felt very graceful.

Always about the dog...

She has had this little bump on her side for a long time, maybe a year. We took her to the vet when it first showed up and he said it was most likely a little fatty deposit and nothing to worry about. He said he would remove it if we wanted him to, but he really didn't think that was necessary. In retrospect, I wonder why he didn't offer to do a needle biopsy. Its non-invasive and would have determined immediately the nature of the bump.

Anyway, its been there for a long time, it never went down (he said it might). K had looked at it before and said it looked like there was a little puncture to it, but we couldn't tell if it was dirt or what, because it was dark.

Well, I was sitting outside on the deck with the dog today, just petting her, and I looked at the bump and the little dark spot was still there, and it looked like it was protruding a little. Now, that's strange I thought. You may want to stop reading here if you're squeamish or likely to get grossed out.

So I put a little bit of pressure on it. Not much, just a bit. It apparently was some kind of large cyst. A bunch of yellowish cheesy looking stuff came out of it. I mean like a LOT. Even when the bump seemed flat, it never had blood come out, so I pressed it again gently and stuff STILL came out! So gross. She didn't act like it hurt her or anything. She never whimpered, or bit at me, or tried to get away or anything.

Now I'm all worried, what could this be? I looked it up online, and the page I found that tells all about the different kind of cysts dogs can have all say this about them: Don't squeeze it! It can cause a severe allergic reaction!

Well, CRAP! I've already done it now, I'm a terrible dog-mom. And the vet said it was just a fatty deposit? Last time I checked nasty infection doesn't come out of fatty deposits. I called the vet. Apparently they take a nice long lunch, until 2 pm. I left a message. I'm going to ask about it when they call me back. But I feel bad that I did something I wasn't supposed to do, I feel bad that she had that infection under her skin for a YEAR and I didn't do anything, since I took the vet's word on it, and I am worried that now she's going to get all caterpillar-swollen again and break out in hives or something.

And she's just a dog. Le Sigh. Its going to be really bad when I have actual human children.

Desktop

I made a desktop wallpaper for K. Took maybe 30 min, I'm happy with the way it came out. I might tweak the light in the bottom corner a bit, I'm not sure that I like that. Other than that though, I'm quite pleased.

Confession: I didn't go running today. I was going to, but decided that just getting over a cold, running outside, where the high was 37 today, wasn't a good idea. I also ate a salad from taco bell (eep!). But, I decided no more free meals til next week for me. AFTER I weigh and measure next week, lol. I didn't do that this weekend since I had a (ahem) large piece of very free paradise pie last night.

Sniffle

We went out to Chili's last night for a free meal. I had lettuce wraps and a Chocolate Paradise Pie. Hey, protien and carb portion, right? Anyway, I decided to try Dustin's technique of shooting from the hip and decided my camera's shutter speed is just too fast. It turned out kinda cool anyway though. Thanks for the tip, Dustin!

I've had a bit of a cold. I guess standing out in the windy cold drizzle will do that to you. Honestly, there has been something going around work, so I think that I came down with whatever it was. BUT, I kept popping Esther Cs and Airbornes so it didn't hit me that hard. I took some cold medicine and slept yesterday afternoon.

Because of this I haven't worked out since Wednesday. But the good news is, I think I'm feeling good enough to where sprinting today shouldn't cause a relapse. But ohhh, its been so much fun to sit home and play with GIMP and City of Heroes.

But I know I've got to get back to working out, so I'm going to sprint here today. Yay for running outside! My hamstrings will thank me tomorrow (Har Har...). The only bad thing is I don't yet have a belt clip for my iPod. I think I'm going to order one from iFrogz. One of the girls in the office got one, and they're really cute. You can even get a custom picture put on the wheel cover, and she got one of the pictures of her hubby on their honeymoon put on there. Too Cute!

Poke, Poke

I keep poking myself. See, I've lost fat that was on top of my ribs. And I keep poking myself!

Maybe I have to keep poking to convince myself its really gone?

Maybe I think if I don't poke, it will come back and I won't know about it?

Maybe I'm in awe and keep poking because its just so cool?

I'm not really sure, except when I realized I had been poking my own ribs all day I had to laugh at myself. I wonder if other people noticed too and are laughing at me??

I also made new forum signatures in GIMP for K and me.

When I Grow Up...

I don't know what I want to be! Right now I'm working as an electrical engineer, and its a great position for me to be in, because I'm able to help Mr. Mira go through graduate school to get the degree he's always wanted. But I think engineering isn't what I want to do long term.

I want to stay home with my kids when I have them. I also think I would be more fulfilled doing something more creative. My mom is a photographer, and she's GREAT at it (linky! Shameless plug). She always was home with me when I was growing up, even though she was a single mom. Kudos to you mom, I know it was hard, and you did a great job. I appreciate the sacrifices you made for us.

Anyway, I've helped her with photography when I was growing up, and even as recently as when I was in college for my engineering degree. I really enjoyed working with her photographing weddings, so that might be something I would be interested in. I know I would have a great mentor for it.

The other thing that I'm interested in is graphic design. I really love to sit down and play with GIMP. So, I'm also thinking about taking some classes in graphic design/simulation. The community college is offering courses in it, and maybe getting a certificate in it would be good for me. Its only about 5 classes, and I would know if it was something I would be interested in pursuing at that point. Even if I'm not, it would be fun to take the classes. Here is something I made last night playing around with some new GIMP brushes I downloaded. Actually I made it 1280x1024 and its on my desktop right now.

On another note, its really chilly here today! I mean, 25 degrees this morning, come on people! Its Florida. I only own like 3 sweaters. Sheesh.

Meal Plan

I decided to start posting a meal plan so that you could get an idea of what I eat on a typical BFL-friendly week. This is the plan I make at the beginning of the week, then I buy all the stuff for the meals I have listed. I generally cook all the "dinner" meals in a given week, but the "snack" type meals tend to change up day-to-day based on what I feel like eating. What I mean is, if I feel like eating apples and cheese on Monday instead of Tuesday, I swap the meals so I'm eating Monday's meal 2 on Tuesday since I ate Tuesday's meal 2 on Monday. Got it?

Anyway, here it is. Saturday is sort of cut off in the image, but Saturday just says "free day". If you want any of the recipes leave a comment and I'll post it.

Goals and Results

First off: Goofy Gym Picture. Well, we were on our way to the gym.



I was examining my stats in my fittogether account and for my goal, which is 20% bodyfat, I'm only about 8% away. That's really fantastic, I thought I was much further away than that. And, in order to get there, I need to loose only about 18 more pounds (if all the lbs come from fat and I don't gain any more muscle mass).

Based on my progress to date, that will take about 8 more week, if the progress continues as it has been. That's pretty encouraging. I've just finished the 4th week, and its funny, because sometimes I feel so great about the progress I've made and how I'm looking, and sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one who sees it. My clothes are looser on me, but the stuff I used to wear when I had lost weight before still doesn't fit. But that probably is just going to take some more time. Maybe when I've finished week 12, I'll be able to get back into those jeans.

Today was weigh and measure day again, and I've lost another 1.5 inches total since last week's weigh and measure (but gained a pound) which means my grand total since starting is about 12.5 inches and 3 lbs lost. And this is only week 4, so that's not too shabby.

I think the key is that I've still been pushing myself hard. I know in the past, I've tended to stagnate with my cardio sessions especially. Not so much with the weight training, because its pretty easy to push yourself to failure with the weights which ensures you're reaching the right intensity.

In the past, I would become acclimated to the speed I was doing my intervals, and wouldn't ramp up the intensity. I've been very careful not to do that this time around. I was making notes in my workout log while I was doing my sprints (20 second all out sprints with 40 seconds of walking) yesterday, and I got that Oh-man-I'm-going-to-either-puke-or-pass-out feeling after interval #6, but I kept going for the full 12. It was a really good feeling. Of course, all the people in the gym on the ellipticals doing SS "fat-burning" (yeah-right-fat burning heh heh) cardio probably think I'm psycho and ADD for turning the treadmill to 9.5 mph every 40 seconds. But after four weeks, I think I'm pretty much over caring what the people in the gym think of me. I've even taken to doing single leg split squats which look completely ridiculous, but are super hard.

On another note, I ended up not even playing City of Heroes last night because K's mom invited us over for dinner. I told her I was back on the fitness thing, and she had made ribeyes, broccoli, and sweet potatoes, so I had a pretty healthy dinner over there last night. I also got a cool picture of the steaks right when they came off of the grill. Anyone hungry??

Wah Wah Wah

I don't FEEL like working out today. I don't FEEL like running. I don't FEEL like pushing myself to and past my limits today.

I FEEL like coming home straight after work today. Its double XP weekend in City Of Heroes. What I FEEL like doing is coming home, ordering a pizza and playing video games tonight.

But what I FEEL like doing isn't important. My goals are important. I'm going to sprint, and I'm going to sweat, and turn red, and get out of breath, and push myself to my highest because that will help me meet my goals.

People say you can't base your relationship with God on feelings. That's true about so many things. You can't give up on your goals because at the moment you don't feel like doing what it takes. You just have to do it, knowing you'll feel proud and accomplished that you did what was right, even if you didn't feel like it.

So, I'm going to strap on my running shoes, pack my t-shirt and polar heart rate monitor, and go back to work. And when I get that cable made that I'm working on, I'm going to change, and go do some sprints. I'm going to sprint hard, motivated by the fact that my feelings don't control me. Because I'm stronger and wiser than my emotions.

And only then will I come home and save Paragon City.

OhSnap!

My iPod came in!! YaYYY!!!

Sooo excited!

It came in a 'leee-tle' box, which for some reason cracked me up. Okay, okay, so its just a little box, but in my head I hear "Its a leeee-tle box!"

2 New Things I Love

First is a new breakfast. I'm kind of take-it-or-leave-it about oatmeal, but I went and bought some steel cut oats because there supposed to be less processed, better for you, yada yada. Short of it is, I LOVE STEEL CUT OATS. They are so yummy. If you can boil water, mash things, and stir, you can make this recipe. Here it is:

Banana-Walnut Oatmeal (1 serving)

-1/3 c. steel cut oats
-1 c. water
-1/2 ripe banana
-1/4 c. chopped walnuts
-1 scoop vanilla protein powder
-1.5-2 tbsp. sugar free maple syrup

Combine the oats and water in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. While the oats are cooking mash up the banana in a bowl. Add the protein powder to the banana and stir it up. When the oats are done add them and the walnuts to the banana and stir until completely combined. Top with a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup. Delicious! I should add, as with any time you cook oatmeal on the stove, the only thing to watch out for is that it doesn't boil over. When it starts to boil if it looks like it will overflow, blow on it.

The other new thing I LOVE is a supplement. I was reading about ZMA, and its supposed to help with endurance, recovery, etc., but what I was really interested in was the 'help you sleep better' thing. I constantly feel like I don't get enough sleep on weekdays. So, I didn't really want to order the stuff from t-nation, because I'm impatient and didn't want to wait. I went to Vitamin Shoppe last night and got 15mg Zing Asporotate caplets, 30 mg OptiZinc caplets (which are a combination of Vitamin B-6 and Zing Monomethionine), and 400 mg Magnesium Asporotate caplets. I took one of each of these about 45 minutes before bed last night (K did too), and I'm telling you what, I got one of the best nights of sleep I've had in a long, long time. I woke up this morning not the least bit tired and feeling fantastic. Legs were a little sore last night when I went to bed, not at all sore this morning. So, just over one night I can completely tell a difference and will be continuing to take this stuff.

Ragout

This is one of my favorites, and probably K's favorite meal right now. Its from cooking light magazine, and very BFL friendly. The stats on a serving are 250 Cals, 9 g Fat, 21 g Protein, and 21 g Carbs. I substitute mustard greens for the escarole and I don't add the parmesan.

Sausage, Escarole, and White Bean Ragout

12 ounces sweet turkey Italian sausage
Cooking spray
1 cup prechopped onion
1 cup cubed peeled red potatoes (about 6 ounces)
1/3 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine
tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
4 cups sliced escarole (about 4 ounces)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Remove casings from sausage.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add Italian sausage and onion to pan, and cook for 4 minutes or until sausage browns, stirring to crumble. Drain sausage mixture well; return to pan. Stir in potatoes, wine, garlic, beans, and chicken broth; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 7 minutes. Stir in escarole and rosemary, and cook for 4 minutes or until the escarole wilts, stirring occasionally. Ladle 1 1/4 cups soup into each of 4 shallow bowls, and sprinkle each serving evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese.

3 week results

For anyone in suspense, the dog managed to live through the caterpillar episode with no long term symptoms. By Monday night she was totally fine. She even did sprints with me yesterday.

I did a weigh in and measure this morning, the end of week 3. I'm quite pleased with the results. I'm down 4 pounds, 5.75% body fat, and 10.75 inches combined from my hips, waist, abdomen, arm, and thigh.

I was able to get ALL of my workouts and meals in this week also, despite having to work overtime at the beginning of the week.

On Wednesday I drove by the gym at lunchtime and there were a ton of emergency vehicles gathered outside, and all the people working out were gathered around the gym outside. I went in later and found out that a man had passed away while he was in the gym that afternoon. Its so terribly sad, one minute he was talking to someone on an elliptical trainer, and the next minute he was in convulsions on the floor. I was talking to someone else at work yesterday, this particular person was at the gym working out with the man when it happened. He said the final diagnosis was a brain aneurysm that killed him. He was only 51, and in relatively good health.

I think it made a lot of people around the base realize that life is short and you really don't know when something could happen to you. There have been a lot more people around work walking and working out at the gym since then. I hope that for some of them, the memory sticks and helps them to lead healthier lives, physically and spiritually. I also pray comfort and peace over his family in their grief.

Breakfast and Caterpillars

We got up this morning and the dog was playing with a caterpillar that was all curled up. She was licking it, and tossing it around. I have no idea how it got in the house, but I made Kevin get it from her and get rid of it.

We went out to breakfast, being as its free day, and with all the eating going on during the week we have no food left in the house from last Sunday's grocery excursion. We went to this little place in town called Bayou Joe's. Its one of my favorite places around here, its such a cool little restaurant. Its actually built out on an old dock, the kitchen and everything. Some people drive up on their boats to eat breakfast. And its a gorgeous day for eating outside today, 75 with a slight breeze and just a few clouds in the sky. They have fantastic food, some of which you aren't allowed to specify what you want in it, because its completely up to the chef's discretion. One such dish is the Garbage Potatoes which is what K got. I had an omelet loaded with ham and veggies. They've got all these assorted coffee cups that don't match. You know, the kind you get for free from banks and such. They use the Christmas cups year round. Its all quite charming.

We go home, K calls out to me in the other room "Hey, baby, whats wrong with the dog? Her face looks like Will Smith's in Hitch when he eats that fish or whatever." Her face is all swollen up, her muzzle and her right eye, and I'm thinking it must be from the caterpillar she played with this morning. At least she's acting normal and playing with toys. She didn't seem to be in any pain, but I was worried her face would continue to balloon up and she wouldn't be able to breath. We called the doctor and he said to give her some Benadryl and I stayed home from church to watch her. She's all dopey and knocked out now. She's laying on the floor looking at me with one eye and not moving her head around.

NYC Starvationists

My back is so much better than it was last week. I was even able to go do my upper body workout with pretty much full intensity last night, I just couldn't do anything lying down. I'm just glad I was able to get through it without pain in my lower back. I also walked/jogged the dog yesterday, so far, so good. I'm going to try sprints outside today, as the massage therapist forbade me from using the elliptical machine until my back is completely better.

The dog and I went to PetSmart night before last and got her some of her old Nutro Ultra food, and that stopped the sickness. She feels better, but she's a little annoyed I think because it doesn't taste as good as the Bil-Jac. Monday night I had to sit in the floor with her and throw her food on the ground so she would eat. She wasn't interested in it when it was in her bowl. She's such a silly dog...when it was on the floor, I could see her thinking "Oh my! Its on the floor! Mom dropped something, I better scarf it up!!!" and then she would walk to her bowl and go "Mehhh, nahhhh, I don't really like that stuff."

I found this story talking about how fainting passengers are the top reason for subway delays. And the people are fainting because they're "loosing weight" for their New Year's resolution so they aren't eating. I don't know, do people really think not eating is a healthy way to loose weight? Common sense should tell them otherwise.

Also, Apple announced its iPhone yesterday. Shiney! Its $499 for the 4GB model, and $599 for the 8GB model, and cingular has a multiple-year exclusive contract on it. I'm already at cingular...and I've been wanting an iPod....hmmmm. I probably won't get it though, I like my Razor, and I think it makes more economical sense for me to keep the phone I have and get an iPod. It sure is purdy though.

Sick Dog

I bought the dog a different brand of dog food because when we had her in her training class a while back, the guy said this stuff was better for them than the kind we had her on (which is Nutro Ultra). Well, I feel terrible, because I should have weaned her over slowly. I knew some dogs can have tummy problems if you switch them to a new food cold turkey, and I just didn't think about it. Sure enough, she's been puking a bunch for the past couple of days.

That got me to wondering also if this new food really was better. She loves the taste of it and gobbles it down, but hey, kids gobble down candy, that doesn't mean its good for them. So I did some research into doggie nutrition today, and the Nutro Ultra isn't the best thing I could buy for her, but its a very good food. Healthier than the Bil-Jac which is what we switched her to. So, I'm going to go buy the poor little thing a bag of Nutro Ultra today and stop feeding her the Bil-Jac. Then I'll decide if I want to switch her from the Nutro, which is considered a "Premium" food, to one of the "Ultra-Premium" foods. I looked up some prices today, and the "Ultra-Premium" isn't any more than we were paying for the Nutro, so if I can get it in town somewhere, I'll probably switch her. But I'm going to do it gradually this time.

Fitness wise, we have some new goodies coming! I ordered Ian King's Get Buffed!, and I'm ordering Precision Nutrition tonight. I can't wait to read them, its like getting new toys!

First Week

So far, its been a good week. I'm back to eating healthfully, and working out, and I feel great about that.

I did hurt my back last week, on Thursday, standing up from a chair of all things. Apparently I have a tendon that sometimes catches on my SI joint and pulls. At least, thats what the massage therapist said. She worked on it, and then I couldn't walk for the rest of the day. So, its been ice packs on the couch and movies for me. But I did continue to do well with my eating, and managed to do a very light lower body work out yesterday. They probably wondered why I was doing squats with just the bar, lol. But in all fairness, my form was perfect!

We've got lunch with some friends after church today, and its free day, and still I'm having visions of grilled salmon and sweet potatoes, and making my own dressing for my salad at the table. What a nerd.