Playing Catch-up

The holiday season is a killer, don't you agree? I think this is the first free moment I've had a in a week. Even at the library I've had very little time to do anything but read a blog or two...literally. It sucks. But I'm back, so there you go. There are about a million things I want to share, but now that I'm here I can't seem to remember it all, so I'll see what I can do.

The Friday before Christmas was Ian's last day as a 1:1 at the elementary school. He just couldn't take working with kids who have so many problems so young. During the last week of school he shaved his beard differently each day to entertain the kids. This one is my favorite.

My BFF, Julie and I entered a raffle outside of Trader Joe's a few weekends ago and as I result I won a new orchid. Yay for me!

Not only did I win the new orchid, but the orchid that I got as a gift last June has new blossoms on it. It'll probably take months for them to actually bloom, but it's still exciting.

I also got some cool stuff for Christmas: quilting books, a book on how to use old socks to make stuffed animals, a new coffee grinder, a french press coffee maker, lots of DVDs, new pajamas, and a book on living green.

Sadly, although I know I have more to share, this is all I can think of at the moment. Boo.

A week?

Jeezie creezie! I can not believe it has been a whole week...no wonder my stat numbers are down. Yikes!

This is my last week of work before Christmas vacation (officially Mid-winter break...but being a non-practicing Catholic, it'll always be Christmas vacation to me). I think my shopping is done. I've finished 2 of the 3 sock monkeys...and sock monkey #3 body is complete...he just needs things like eyes, ears and a tail. Nothing big. Another hour, maybe.

Food, as I'm sure it is for many of us, is just getting harder and harder. I've been trying to eat a series of small meals many times a day so that I never get hungry enough to binge on holiday treats..but it doesn't seem to be going as planned. It's not terrible in that the small meals keep me from binging but don't keep me from passing on them. I guess I'll take what I can get.

Chris and I are gearing up for the big holiday. We went to my work dinner last night, we have one with his extended family tomorrow night, and then Thursday night is his holiday work dinner at Morton's Steakhouse. After that I'm hoping for a quiet weekend. Christmas will be as follows: Christmas eve: go to my father-in-law's for a "picky dinner" where we just graze for a while. Christmas morning: My parents house for brunch and gifts with my 3 brothers and my BFF Darth Bruce. Christmas dinner is done at my mother-in-laws house. The day after Christmas? Sleep and play with my new toys.

Should be an interesting end to this year. I'll try to be "good" until then, and update sooner than a week!

Golden Compass!

I can't wait to see this movie! I loved all the books in the series.

Drowning in Christmas

I think I might literally be drowning in Christmas. Chris and I did about 25 Christmas cards...mostly family and extended family. We're going to finish up the last bit tonight, plus we need to go over our Christmas lists and see who still needs gifts. We are also going to try to decorate our tree tonight, but we may have to put that off to another night. Exhausting.

Our weekend was nice...a ton of good food and dozens of great people. Fun, but tiring.

Work has also been busy. With the upcoming vacation, my students are getting more and more stressed out. They hate coming to school, but they really hate spending time with their flesh and blood more. A number of them are acting out for that reason alone.

I personally can not wait until vacation...9 more school days...or calendar days. Woo-hoo! Then I can sleep for 3 days straight and still have more than a week to do whatever I want. Whoopie!

Yikes!

I have not been here in about a gazillion years. (gazillion = 1/52 of a year, or one week) I don't know where this week has gone. I've been working on Christmas cards, trying to get Christmas shopping (online so far) under control. I attended two meetings after school hours this week (Quality Improvement and Reading Department). I am beat as a result.

My hands are also crazy dry. 129 year old lady dry. Cracked mummy dry. At night I've been putting Gold bond Foot cream on them and then wearing gloves and that seems to do the trip, but by the end of the day, my hands are dry and red again. Must be winter or something. I think that I'm going to have to go on strike when it comes to the dishes for a little while...which means that our dishes will pile up for longer than usual. Bah.

I wish that I could say that I've been doing a ton of sewing...I have a list of things that I would like to make for people for Christmas, but can't seem to get the energy up to get it done. I think I'm just going to have to suck it up and try to get it all done. It's going to be tough, as I've got a lot going on this weekend, but I think I can squeak some time here and there.

To Do:

1. Iron new fabric that I bought last weekend at JoAnn Fabrics (which is the second one to be closing shop within my driving range...the closest one will now be 90 minutes a way)
2. Make templates from the internet patterns I bought from FutureGirl, and for the infant shoes I want to make for my friend CA's unborn baby who we affectionately call Jumby (Jumby is due on Christmas Eve, so the kid need Christmas presents !)
3. 3 sock monkeys: one for my father-in-law who was caught walking around my apartment with Chris' because he loved it so much, one for Jumby, and one for my work Holiday dinner where we have a "Chinese Auction" (sorry to anyone who is offended...I just learned what this was and I have not other name for it). The auction has a theme of "thing with 4 legs"...so a sock monkey it is.
4. Lunch with Chris and my college roommate.
5. Dinner at Lyndhurst Castle with the 'rents...we don't actually get to eat in the castle, but we'll be in the carriage house...which is lovely. The old horse stalls have been changed into booths, and the tacking room fits about 15 tables. It's really beautiful...and I've even saying this as someone who used to waitress weddings at this place. The worked sucked, but the ambiance was always gorgeous.
6. Work at the library on Sunday.
7. Indian dinner with Chris and my father-in-law on Sunday night.

Yeah, I'm a tad busy this week.

First Snow!

I am happy as a proverbial clam...we had our first snowfall this morning! snow is one of my favorite things. It's crisp and white and puts a nice chill into the air. And it's right in time to make it feel like the holidays are actually on their way!

The unfortunate side is that later on we're supposed to get sleet and rain...nothing good can come of that...perhaps a 2 hour delay for school tomorrow morning, but not much else.

In personal news: I still have no voice...in fact it's gotten worse. I'm working at the library as I type this and I've had a number of people grin when I've tried to speak to them. Great.

301

I can't believe that this is my three hundred and first entry into this blog...Hooray!

I'm at work at Job #2: The Library...and I'm a tad bored. I'm at the check-out desk for the first time in 5 months. Reference took over the information desk, which is fine. I have more leeway with the computer at the check-out desk...as in- I don't have to sneak using it for personal matters like this blog. I'm actually allowed to use the computer here because patrons can't see what I'm doing. I should be reading my Stephen King book (The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla), but I'm too tired to really focus for long periods of time.

You know, I have been totally beat this week...I'm sure it's residual stress from the whole house debacle. I got home from job #1: The School today and took an hour long nap before getting up, and I'm still a bit tired...but I get off from work in less than an hour and I can dive right into my jammies. No problem. I'm just thankful that tomorrow is not only Friday, but it's payday...so I'm going to take a trip to the nearest JoAnn Fabrics to spend a bit o' cash.

Food hasn't been great today. I've been eating lots of fruit...and that's all I've really wanted to eat for the past few days...which is not great...so I made myself get something with some fat in it. I got a soup-bread-bowl from Panera and it was a delicious treat. I didn't' even eat most of the bread, so I refuse to feel guilty.

Other than this drivel, there is nothing going on. Hope all of you are well!

Okay, okay

Yes, it's been 5 days since I've posted...I'm abso-fruitin'-lootely sorry. I am having one bitch of a month. First the no National Cert thing which bit royally. Then the big secret fell through...we were going to buy a house with my parents. It was a huge raised ranch with a 3 bedroom accesory apartment on an acre of land. Was it that we couldn't get the money up for a giant down payment? Nope. Trouble getting a mortgage? Nope, our credit is in the high 700s. Was it the engineer's report? Nope. Was it a family member of my husbands who did sneaky things to undermine the confidence of other people related to my husband, taking advantage of their anxiety issues and thus turning everything into a crisis...complete with family member #1 calling Chris telling him he'd better calm family member #2 down because he/she is afraid that he/she will hurt him/herself? And that family number #1 had the audacity to cancel my appointment with an attorney and change it to a day that he/she could go and didn't even ask about my availability to go see my lawyer? I think that has a ton to do with it. So, we're not getting the house. I'm only a little bitter and it's fading...which is great because otherwise it would be a very horrible Christmas for us.



In other news:

1. 30/100 is not going so great at the moment, but I still have time, so I'm not sweating it.


2. We have a new student at my school who needs reading services...and I'm psyched because he's a nice kid and he wants to become a better reader.


3. I've got banana bread in the oven...do'nt tell Chris, but I put FiberSure in it for good measure.
4. This video makes me laugh....a lot:

Tagged!

I was tagged by the always adorable Marta! Thanks Marta!

5 Random/Weird things about me:

1. I am obsessed with taking my temperature. I don't know why, but when I'm well, I take it once in a while for kick, and if I'm sick...forget it, I have that thing in my mouth every 45 seconds.
2. I had an imaginary friend when I was a kid. I'd play with her for hours. Her name? Little Alanna. Apparently I was creative enough to imagine another little girl, but not creative enough to come up with a different name.
3. If I have to use a pencil, it has to be dangerously, poke your eye out sharp or else I get aggitated and I can't focus. That's why my desk at work has a multitude of mechanical pencils...and I have an electric pencil sharpener just in case. When I work at the library, the first thing I do after taking off my coat is sharpen the pencils.
4. I hate to be woken up in the middle of the night. I am calm before I go to bed, I'm a fairly peppy person in the morning. Wake me 2 or 3 hours into a night's sleep and I'll tear your everloving face off. I'm beginning to think this is a hobby of my husband, who seems to think it's funny. It's not.
5. My favorite genre of movie is horror. If the FBI were ever to look at people's Netflix queuesto find potential serial killers, my husband and I would be called in for questioning. 98% of our movies are horror with a comedy or sci-fi film thrown in for good measure. The FBI would think those were just to "cover something up".

Hmmm....5 people to tag, I'm only going to tag 3:

1. Chai
2. Cory
3. TrixieBelden

I'll be back later...I've got secret work to do this afternoon!

Sick, again!

I was at the doctor's office for the second time in a less then 7 days. Last week I went because of my ears and went back because by Friday I had a fever, by Saturday I had a dry cough, and woke up Sunday morning with a "productive" cough. I started the antibiotics Friday, and should have seen improvement, not movement. So now I have an antibiotic that's a tad stronger, and a night time cough medicine that I think is regulated by the FDA...so I'll be able to sleep. I love my doctor.

I've got some cool stuff in the works, but I don't want to jinx it, so I'm not going to mention it...yet. Once the dust settles, I'll be sure to post about it.

Reuben the spoiled

Did I ever tell you all where my dog sleeps at night? Yeah, on the bed and under the covers. Every person I have ever met that has a weimaraner have snuggly dogs who sleep under the covers....I guess it's a weim thing.

And yes, there are sock monkeys on my sheets.

More Van Halen!

Annoying Samus Samuellson

Random movie generator = awesomeness.

Brief update:

Today is day 8 of 100...first day of my WW week and so far so good. Very core thus far. Yesterday was WI and I lost .6 and considering the weekend's debauchery, I am ecstatic.

I finally had my ear looked at by my doctor. No redness, but there is fluid. It's Mucinex and tons of water for me for the next 4 or 5 days...if that doesn't clear it up, I have a prescription for antibiotics.

I think that's all I've got for now....ta ta!

More about my weekend...

Tuesday night Keisuke took us to...what? Van Halen at Madison Square Garden? With David Lee Roth heading the group? You bet your butt...and the seats were awesome!

Where to start?

I do not know where to begin....so maybe at the beginning, right?

Friday night was fun...happy hour and then a nice wine tasting right after...nice.

Satuday night was all about sock monkeys...always a good time.

Sunday night my family went to Ruth's Chris for dinner and we had a fabulous time.

Monday, Chris, Ian and I went into NYC to see Chris' old roommate Keisuke...Keisuke and his friends flew in from Tokyo to see Van Halen at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. We took them to McSorely's as it's Keisuke's favorite American (Irish) Bar.

Booo..hissss

The major thing that was stressing me out is over for now. I got my result back from the National Board and I did not get national certification. I'm now trying to figure out if I want to appeal my score on the basis that the students I work with make up only 1% of the special education community...and on top of the that, 8.3% of that scant 1% are disturbed enough to be sent out of district for schooling...making it imperative that my work should have been looked at through that lens. When you work with children who are severely ED, what would be considered minimal progress in other cases are great leaps. Plus, I also signed up to redo the 2 parts so that next year at this time, I could be considered nationally certified. I'm fine with the rejection, it was the waiting that was making me totally insane.

It's day three of my 30 in 100. I went for happy hour and then to a wine tasting. I had a fabulous time and came out with 17 flexies left until Wednesday. I have dinner at a steak house tomorrow, so most of my meal has Core potential. Monday we're going into the city to see Keisuke, who is coming in from Tokyo on business. He was Chris' college roommate and he makes a point of seeing us every time comes to NYC. Tuesday night Keisuke is taking us to see Van Halen...with David Lee Roth as front man! Oh yeah.

Hope all of you are enjoying your weekends!

Day 1/100

So far, day one of 100 has been uneventful. I've used one flexie so far, which is good because it seems as if my weekend is going to be full of alcohol...at least one crack-a-rita, maybe a couple of Corona lights, a wine tasting, dinner at Ruth's Chris on Sunday, dinner with Chris' old roommate who is coming in from Tokyo on Monday...I've got my work cut out for me when it comes to eating. Plus, what I'm trying to figure out: with all this drinking that I have to do this weekend...when will I be able to (or sober enough) to go running? Yikes!

On the up side, I will hopefully have pictures to share once the weekend is over. That'll liven things up around here...right?

Cuh-razy!

I'm am going a little nuts at the moment, but it should all end shortly, thank God. I'll be sharing all about that once all the piece fall into place...there is a chance that none of the pieces will fall into place, and I'll report out regardless of the end results. I feel as if I'm juggling 3 things at the moment...two of which are intense and one is just plain fun, but the timing has to be just right.

On the Weight Watchers front, I'm thinking about giving the 30 pounds in 100 days challenge again. Tomorrow will be day one of 100 in and we'll see how it goes. I can't ask for anything more. My starting weight is 183...it's an official WW weight.

Me and my freaky, stressed out, bride-of-Frankenstein haired self will be back tomorrow (I hope!)

Should I be totally creeped out by this?

And how weird is this...

Secret present!

I decided I'm going to post about the secret project that I made for my friend, CA, who is having a baby at the end of December. I can see about 10 different mistakes in the Tigger quilt, but the baby ain't gonna care. All the baby will know is that Aunt Alanna loves it to death!

It's actually the first quilt that I have ever made from beginning to end on my sewing machine...so at the very least, it was a learning experience. For example...flannel stretches easier than regular cotton. Who knew?

I think I'm going back to sock monkeys for a little while...I love them...plus I owe my friend, Collette, a sock monkey for her 2 year old daughter.

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

In this town we call home everyone hail to the Pumpkin Throne!

I love love love Halloween.

And so does Reuben!

Doors in the Men

Yay for Pumkin ice cream! I didn 't occur to me that Edy's would have a season ice cream for Thanskgiving...but hello, I read all about it on Sarah's blog Living to Feel Good. No less than 10 minutes after reading about it, Chris and I were in the car on the way to the store to search for some. We found 1 container left, encased in ice and it's been downhill ever since...but downhill in the most tasty way.

I also saw another World of Warcraft reference on TV today. I was (regrettably) listening to America's Most Smartest Model while I was using my sewing machine (Listen...I need brainless background noise when I use the machine). On it they set up teams of 2 models to do fake sunscreen ads...then at the last minute, they threw each team one "nerd" who has done nothing but "play World of Warcraft for the last 4 (?) months". They were pasty beings. I'm not sure how I feel about being a "nerd"...I prefer "gamer geek".

I can't wait until Sunday when I can reveal what I've been working on. It's for a friend of mine, and I'll be giving it to her on Sunday. I will be sure to take picture of the mystery item. I can't wait! Actually, I can't wait to finish it so I can make some evil sock monkeys for fun...and possible profit. I'm considering putting some on Etsy. I'll have to see how that works out, but that's to be discussed on another day.

On an exercise note: Today was back and biceps at the gym, and tomorrow will be a nice run...I have to do that after my reading team members and I interview another candidate. Should be interesting.

Paranoid

I think someone is out to get me- it smells like hot dogs and kraut in my office. The student cafe is below my office and I think the dean is making them a "special" lunch today. My God...it smells awesome. I must focus on the Reading Department lunch that I'm leaving for in 40 minutes....although, hot dogs are my fav....

I must control my hot dog lust! (ooooh, that come out dirty....sorry!)

Update of the Future

Future...future...future.

Meh, I'm bored. I feel as if I have a million things to talk about and no words in which to express them. I'm not feeling creative at all...completely unmotivated, but I've got this underlying feeling that I have to post...about what? I'm not sure. I'm just blah.

We're currently interviewing for a new reading specialist. And by we, I mean, the reading department interviews candidates and gets to pick who moves on to interview with the supervisors. How awesome is that? We lost 2 at the end of last year; one to retirement, the other to be an at home mom to her 4 active kids....The first interview went kind of, uh, beige. The woman was nice, but didn't seem terrible enthusiastic to work with our team. It didn't help that Looney answered all the questions before the interviewee had a chance. The rest of us can't figure that out...Looney already works there, we're not testing her. Candidate number two was awesome. She is lively, well spoken, passionate about working with kids, and knowledgeable about current literacy theories. We liked this candidate so much we called and left a message with our supervisor to hurry up and set up a second interview. It also helped that Looney didn't sit for this interview. Nor can she sit for the next 3...so we might get some more decent candidates that will actually get a chance to talk.

In other new, my ears are feeling better. It's all allergy build-up for me. I bought Mucinex nasal spray and that helped a ton. Made my nose run like mad, but that was the point. I was congested and I needed my sinuses to clear out in a big way. The way people clear out a room when a dog toots...that bad.

In other news...I'm tired. It's Thursday night and I'm at the library. I came here directly after work where I worked an extra hour and 45 minutes due to the interview. I am exhausted. Woo!

I almost forgot....one of the students on this campus was being fresh, so another student told him to stop or I would pick him up and throw him...."cuz Alanna's mad strong and she doesn't take any garbage"...I love that my students think I'm really strong, and that I don't take garbage. Fab-u-lous.

I think tomorrow is going to be a gym day for me, and a run day on Saturday. Or if it's nice enough tomorrow I might opt for a short run and then a trip to the gym with a long run on Saturday. That would work out nicely.

Wow...I know that I just post random stuff, but I think this post takes the cake!

Sound effects sold separately

Today was a tiring day. I woke up tired, dreaming that I called in sick. I got through the work day and then after dropping baby brother (Ian) at the gym, I went running. After running I went back to the gym to do back and biceps. Now I'm exhausted and drinking a glass of red wine, which is making me melt into my couch.

Cheers everyone!

World of Warcraft is taking over!

I can not believe that I just saw a World of Warcraft reference on How I Met Your Mother. How awesome is that? Makes me want to "suit up"...in plate for level 46 of course. Earlier this month it was reference on The Big Bang Theory. And who could forget South Park's "Make Love Not Warcraft" episode? Not me!

I'm NOT fat...that's my money belt

I'm still loving the suject-o-matique!

I am so incredibly happy...I was part of a multi-family tag sale today and I sold the ugly man-chair! The man-chair was a beige recliner that Chris got for free when he was working as a mover right out of college. It was a very comfortable chair, just bulky and ugly. I got $20 for it...Chris got 6 or 7 good years out of it (for free no less) and we made $20. Nice.

My ear has been bothering me as of late. It's just a tad achy, not painful, just achy. I've been trying to do something with my congestion, but it's slow going. Plus, now I'm achy from helping Chris carry the recliner down the stairs in our 2nd floor appointment and wiggle it into my car. It's worth it considering I don't have to look at that thing anymore.

Tomorrow I have to work at the library, plus stop by the day two of the tag sale...I think I only have about 5 things left to sell. I'd like to get that massage that I promised myself and I'd like to go for a run. Pretty big day for a Sunday!

Early bird gets the worm. But what about the early worm?

I still love the suject-o-matique on Yahoo. It's all good fun.

Tonight was my WW meeting. Lost 2 pounds this week, which I attribute to running and almost follwing plan. By almost I mean that I followed plan but for dinner on Friday and Sunday nights, I didn't. I figure I ate all (if not more) of my flexies on those nights. Any extranious points used during the weekdays were APs. I don't know if that'll work for me this upcoming WW week, but we'll see.

I think I'm going to treat myself to a massage this weekend. I haven't had one in a while and I think that I deserve one...between the actually running a bunch of times and I'm a little sore. Friday is payday, and I think I can scrape the money together.

Despite running and getting to the gym (did I mention that? I don't think so) I have been having trouble sleeping. Chris, my evil husband, thinks it's entertaining to make noise so that I freak out while half asleep. He doesn't do this often, but did it to me the other night. In my half asleep stupor, I think I threatened to kill everyone in the world. I am not a night person. So, as a result, let me apologize for threatening to kill you all. Sorry about that, I was half asleep. I'm hoping to get in a solid 7-8 hours tonight.

Also, the stereo in my Subaru decided to stay on forever. I can't turn the channel, I can't control the volume, it won't take CDs. Even when I turn off the car, the digital screen stays on. Subaru is going to replace the whole thing, but in the mean time I have to listen to 1010 Wins at a medium volume.

For Chai Girl, The Cure addict

Chai Girl is a complete Cure addict...they are all over her blog recently. So I found my fav to share!

Time-off for good behavior

I wish! My principal did tell me today that 1) I did more work in September and October than some teachers do all year 2) That if he could give me bonus pay or time off, he would 3) That he's not going to worry about anything I do this year because obviously I'm very devoted to getting things done and am willing to pitch in more than my fair share of work. Yay for me!

I am dead beat tired. I did not sleep well last night. I woke up every 40 minutes or so. Lots of tossing and turning. Despite being tired after work, I went for a 35 minute run. It was a good run. A nice run. I am exhausted now. I was perusing blogs this evening and I was dozing off while reading them. I am hoping for a better night of sleep tonight or I will be fried tomorrow morning, and I have a ton of things to do at work including team teaching US History!

Not much else is going on. Reuben is fine, although they are upping his doggie anxiety meds because his separation anxiety has gotten worse recently...including all his OCD behaviors. The Vet and I agreed that feeling anxious all day can not feel good...so his meds are upped a tad, and broken into 2 smaller doses rather than one large dose. The vet is confident that it will ease the anxiety but won't affect his personality or his energy level. We love Reuben's exuberance, but we don't like it when he turns and scratches for 2 minutes before he can lie down.

Save some funk for Sunday

I love Yahoo's subject-o-matique. It's a title lifesaver for me at times.

So, whooo, I haven't been here in nearly a week! I haven't exactly had blogger time this past week. The English teacher at my school was out until Friday afternoon, so either I was teaching English (I have the license, so I might as well pitch in) or helping the sub by giving her the class plans, removing disruptive kids, teaching the harder classes for her (there's no teacher aid to help out). Plus, I was doing my own job as best I could. I was keeping appointments with my scheduled reading students, plus, I was asked to write an unofficial reading report at the last minute. Yikes! It all got done...the district was happy with the reading information, determined they wanted him to get one to one reading and they are now paying my school extra for reading services. The kid is happy, the district is happy, and my school's billing office is happy.

I also re-entered my gym a couple of times this past week and I went running twice. I am a maniac....actually, that 's not true. I decided to stop worrying about nonsense and I decided to start training for the Webster Lake Danskin Tri that is held in July. I haven't done it in 2 years, and I figure if I focus on training for that I'll a) have time to sort things out mentally as I run...and that's when I do some really great thinking and b)I'll fall asleep quicker at night and won't have time to worry about useless things. It seems to be working.

So, between being tired from work, and then hitting the gym or trail, I have been too exhausted to do anything!

Woah

Hey all! Things have been a little nuts 'round these parts. Good nutty. Happy nutty....good times but eating too much nutty.

First off, I met my college roomie for lunch on Saturday. I haven't seen her in about 10 years. It was strange in that recently I was googling her trying to figure out how to reach her. All my leads led to dead ends. After my last lead fell through...guess who I get a phone call from? You guessed it....ROOMIE! It was decided that we have to do a better job of staying in touch because we have too much fun together.

Another cool thing is that I have a 3 day weekend...I was supposed to work at the library, but it closed unexpectedly because of a heating/air conditioning malfunction. So I literally had a 3 day weekend. Very rare for me during the school year. And better yet...I get paid anyway.

On the weird side, I'm not feeling like myself...it's an on and off thing and I don't like it. I'll go from feeling fine to feeling like I've forgotten about something important...almost a paranoid feeling. I've also been getting a little pissy at times. I think it's my hormones trying to re-regulate themselves (I recently stopped an optional medication ladies use for preventing the development of smaller replicas of themselves and their partners, if you catch my drift). I don't remember being like this before, and I was forewarned. I just need to give it time. (And no, I'm not preggers!)

All these things have lead to me falling off the wagon. Eh, it happens. I'm waiting for it to ride by again so I can jump on.

Pictures!

Who can resist taking rainbow pictures when you can see them off your own porch? I sure can't!













Praying Mantis anyone? I haven't seen one of these in years...but this one was on my neighbors front porch. Chris saw one the say before in a different town













And finally a picture of Reuben's new best buddy, Rascal. He's a mini dachshund. Whenever Reuben hears Rascal barking outside, he runs to the front door. He loves, loves, loves little Rascal, and Rascal loves to terrorize Reuben. He puts his cold nose on the back of Reuben's heels. He tries to sneak up on Reuben. It's all good doggy fun!

rotating platinum pants

I had no idea what to title this, and I nearly titled it "Happy Thursday", but I used the subject-o-matique on yahoo email instead. Rotating platinum pants is loads more interesting.

I decided that I need to post more frequently...that way anyone who comes here might be compelled to comment more frequently. Sounds like a plan, right? So here's what going on in my life:

1. Had to skip the gym yesterday. Ian (the baby brother) had a meeting at 3 that went long. I could have gone to the gym, but I was not willing to give up my WW meeting.
2. I gained a pound last week, but I figure that sometimes the 3 steps forward and one step back approach is not a deadly one and I still have a total loss of 2 pounds this WW go around, so I'm happy. I decided that I'd like to lose 2 pounds this week, so I took a bright yellow garage sale sticker with a pink "2" written in it. It's now living at the top of my computer screen so I see it all day. It's rather bright, so my eyes are attracted to it. It disappears after a bit, but it's still there, reminding my subconscious mind that my goal is 2 pounds.
3. Tonight is parent-teacher night. I like meeting the parents. Unfortunately, we don't get to see so many because apples don't grow on pear trees, and if you have and ED or school phobic kid, you can guess that more than likely, the parent is ED or school phobic. It's not true in all cases, but enough to make it true.

This is all I have for you lovelies. I'll come back again soon with some pictures I took this week that I think are totally cool. Check ya then!

Deadly week

I'd like to start by asking, "Where the hell did the week go?" I was going to post on Sunday while I was working at the library, except the security guard decided not to do any rounds and just sit at my desk and use the other computer. I didn't feel comfortable writing in my blog with him looking over my shoulder every 5 minutes. I hate that. It makes me feel ooky.

I haven't been following core this week. I think about 3/4 of my meals have been core. Better than nothing, and I refuse to get bent out of shape about it. Next week is a new week, and it's not as if I've been shoving food into my cake hole. I'm fine with it. It's mostly done. Whatever. Tomorrow night is weigh in and we'll see what happens.

Today I took Reuben for a nice walk. We usually don't go for walks. Usually he runs around my parents back yard with their dog, Una. I was happy that I got him out. He got to meet 2 dogs. One was a little beagle whose owner was worried about the size difference between them. When I told her that Reu's new best friend is Rascal, the mini dachshund who lives next door she was relieved. The other dog was Jake, who came bounding at us from across the street. Unleashed dogs make me uneasy. I don't know if I've explained Reu's situation completely. Reuben suffers from OCD and anxiety. He's on anxiety meds. He's not terrible good at meeting new people, unless they have dogs with them. It could be that people who have dogs just exude dog confidence, or that Reuben is distracted by the possibility of a new buddy. Who knows. Not me. So, I've got this strange dog running at us at full speed. Although Reuben likes most dogs, he doesn't like all dogs, and this very well could be one that he will not like. The strange dog's mom is yelling, "Jaaaaaaake, noooooooooo". Reuben has his hackles up. I'm putting myself in between the 2 yelling, "Is your dog friendly?" Jake was very friendly. Reuben was not exactly happy with Jake, but he didn't growl or show teeth either. I think he was put off by the fact that Jake came bounding out of no where. Now we're sitting on the couch, I'm typing, Reuben is asleep ( a result of over-stimulation: mental, physical and anxiety).

Ooooh, one last thing. I finally made it to the gym yesterday and I plan to go tomorrow, too! Woohoo for me!

Week One? All done.

I lost 3 pounds this week despite my falling off the core wagon a couple of times. I'm happy...but the true measure will be when I take my chub rub measurements next Sunday. Then all will be official.

I'm sorry that I haven't been around as much as I'd like...especially when it comes to reading all your blogs. I'm still reading, I'm just not commenting. Work has been a bear. I don't have my set schedule yet...but I'm getting closer with every moment. I've been pitching in extra at work to help out because I don't have the set schedule yet, so I have the flexibility to do so...and it's running me ragged. It's completely worthwhile because it helps keep the kids "in line" and my principal has told me more than once this week that he appreciates how much extra work I'm doing when times are tough. It's always good to make a positive impression on the new boss-man. I would have done it anyway...it keeps things calm!

Pigs in a Blanket...

are my kryptonite. Chris and I went to his bosses house for a little UFC...which was awesome because I forgot how much I like Forrest Griffin. He always seems like a nice guy...hardly trash talks, even though he wins most of the time. In his post match interview with Joe Rogan he said something along the lines of: The last match that I lost was motivating...I did go home and eat a lot of cookies, though. Totally endearing for a guy covered in blood. But hey...at least it was his own blood.

The main story here is that I went out and I only did so-so with food. There was bread and spinach dip, which I had in moderation (check!). I had diet coke instead of beer (check!). And then they came....the hostess brought out the pigs in a blanket. Yikes! It was after a ton of deliberation that she even made them. I, believe it or not, told her not to bother, and that there was plenty of food. The men, however, disagreed. Damn! So now I'm about negative 10 flex points left. My best bet is to just tone all my food down until weigh in. It's the only think I can do, right?

I heart Core!

I guess it might be just me, but Core is totally awesome. I forgot how good I feel when I'm right on track. the pic to the left is of my snack today. I made myself polenta chips and ate them them with salsa from Trader Joe's that has jicima and cucumber in it...yummers! I guess I'm becoming "hard core" so to speak.

I have 10 points left for the week (more when I start back at the gym on Monday...yay me!)...and I am fine with that. I had a great dinner out last night, and that's more important than the number of points I have left...right?

I also want to thank everyone for their ring suggestions. I'm still tossing around a few ideas. Once I make a decision, I'll let ya'll know. However, if anyone else wants to make a suggestion..please feel free.

Lastly. tomorrow is the day I'm going to take my measurements. I figure every other Sunday will be good enough for now. I don't want to upset myself...

It's all new!

Okay, so maybe it's not "all" new. I finally went back to Weight Watchers. I had not been to that meeting house in so long, that they no longer had my booklet. I had to start all over again. New folder, new books, new everything. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better situation. There is nothing to remind me of past failures. It's a clean state. Joan, my WW leader (who is incredibly awesome) thought this was a great thing...a fresh new start. Just what I needed! So, I've been doing really well with Core today, and I hope it continues. We'll see if I survive happy hour tomorrow...

Also, I've decided not to pay too much attention to the scale. Sometimes, you can find a way to cheat the scale: no water, skipping lunch, etc...but you can't cheat THE TAPE MEASURE. In an effort to reduce my chub and how it rubs I am going to start measuring myself every 2 weeks. I think that will be the best medicine for defeating the chub rub.

And I think I've decided what my reminder will be. Let me start off by saying that I really wanted to find something that could be with me at all times. I believe I'm going to buy myself a ring. I found several nice ones on ETSY, I'm just waiting for the "right" one to show up (I'm not all that into jewelry). There is a woman who will customize a saying or a word on a simple ring, but I can't think of anything that would give me purpose without calling out "hey, I'm trying to loose the chunk". If I think of something, I might do that.

New Monkey!

My youngest brother, Ian, requested an evil sock monkey for his birthday. I finally finished the sucker. So here he is, done and done.

Here is a close up of his face. I enhanced his fangs with glow-in-the-dark thread for a little extra evil. Note the extra cool scar. This is one tough monkey!

And what evil animal could be complete without claws....they're made of floss, but they are claws all the same.

The Chub Rub

I was just commenting to Marta's blog The PudgeBudge when I realized 2 things....I haven't posted in about forever, and I hate that. Especially since my comment to Marta was that I missed her because she's been too busy to post in about 2 days...then I realized that I'm not the only one hangin' out here sometimes. Yikes! What if someone out there misses me? It may not be true, but then again, I have sitemeter, so I know someone is lookin' around for new stuff! So here I am.

The other thing (I've actually been thinking about for days) is: How I hate the chub rub! I am so tired of having my thighs touch to the extent that they do. When I was younger, and more athletic, and 124 pounds my thighs still touched...but it was more of a brush than a touch. I'm tired of not just the thighs, but there are other areas where chub rubs me the wrong way. I hate it and it stinks. I'm ready to start again. I've been sitting at the weight all summer and it needs to start coming off. I need to set up a better plan of action. I need to get out my crock pot and make some really yummy soup. I need to cook more than 97% fat free hot dogs. It's got to get better than this...especially the internal pity party.

I need to make myself something I can hold in my hand that could symbolize the chub rub for when I have weak moments. I'm not sure what this item is going to be, but I'm going to figure something out. I think I need some suggestions from you all...so what do you think my chub rub symbol should be?

I'm working at the library at the moment; it's my first Sunday since June, so I might be posting again as I sit here and agonize over what I'll be doing to start taking the chub rub away.

Can't Keep Up!

I can not wait to get completely back into the swing of things here at work. I'm struggling to get it all done. I know, I know, it's a working woman's cliche, but it's so true. I'm tired all the time because I'm not used to the sleep schedule yet. What's worse is that I went to VA over the weekend to visit with old family friends, but more on that later. I'm trying desperately to get back into the Core thing....I did pack lunch today and I've been good at keeping core foods in my work fridge. I'm hoping that it'll start to get easier at least some of the time instead of being hard all of the time. So I'm back to tracking my food. I'm trying to make use of my Komen Pink Ribbon pen as a physical reminder that by losing the weight again I reduce my chances of getting breast cancer, and that if I do get it, I'll be healthier and have a greater chance of kicking it. (I don't think I've ever mentioned it here, but my maternal grandmother died from breast cancer)

There are good bits to work. I now carpool with my baby brother, Ian, who got a job as a 1 to 1 teachers aid at another division of my school system. He's working with elementary school kids who have emotional disturbance. He started yesterday. Lucky for me, his school building is a block away from Starbucks, so I'm not really going out of my way at all!

Although I complained about the lack of sleep I got from going to VA this past weekend, it was wonderful to visit with old friends. They're a couple that my family used to go stay with every summer when I was a kid. Bill went through school with my dad and they were the best of friends. Bill met Sue when he was in college. They both have art degrees and are artisan leather workers. They things they make are amazing.

I'm also hopping on the band wagon when it comes to taking pictures of what I'm eating. I'll do it was much as I can and I'm not going to chastise myself if I don't get it done. It's a fun little project is all, and it could possibly help in the future when I can't decide what to eat...I can go back and look and perhaps psyched myself into eating something that's good for me...

Breakfast was fat free, plain Greek style yogurt with ground flax (I count that as core) and a FF latte from Starbucks.

For lunch I had whole wheat pasta with tomatoes, broccoli, red pepper flakes and a tsp of EVOO.

Oh, and the cleanse is a 2 week cleanse for those of you who asked.

First days of the school year

Only 10 more months until summer vacation! Yeah, it's that time of year again. Things have been pretty calm at work for the first 2 days of school. We have a good number of return students who understand how things are run, but we have a couple of new students who were big fish in little ponds last year...they just haven't realized yet that they are not the toughest kids at my school. This one particular young man was the "bad" and "tough" kid at his old school. He's been strutting around bragging "I got thrown out of my old school...your districts just decided to send you here" What he doesn't realize is that most of the kids have been thrown out of their own schools...it was just more than a year ago and they are continuing at this school because they are successful. I'm predicting one of two things will happen:

1. He'll stop the bragging once he hears some of the other kids stories, and/or sees that they are tons tougher than he is by how they carry themselves and ignore his bantering.


2. He'll say the wrong thing to the wrong kid and he'll get popped for it and lose all his "status" and be the low man on the totem pole until everyone forgets. Hopefully the kid who pops him won't be a girl because no one will forget that until June. Yup, the girls at my school are tougher than this kid (not that there is anything wrong or unnatural about being a strong woman!)

Other than that, not much is going on. I'm not following any specific plan, but I have reigned in my eating and I'm eating mostly core foods. I'm also in the middle of a digestive cleanse...I bought a kit at Trader Joe's last weekend. It was well priced (12.99). I like the idea of disposing of toxins. And frankly, it's keeping me from eating crap because I don't want to undo the cleanse before I even finish all the stupid pills!

It's been a while

I have been pretty busy for the past bunch of days. On Saturday, not only was it Marta's birthday, it was Reuben's. We got him a brand new dog bed that he fits on even if he sprawls out! He totally loves it. Its cover is made of denim so Reuben's OCD turning and scratching will not rip holes in it.


Reuben also had Una sleep over on his birthday. It wasn't' really a party because Una does nothing but harass poor Reuben. She loves him so very much, and does anything she can to get his attention. She would love nothing more than

for him to play with her or let her snuggle with him. As you can see in the pictures, she tries to get as close to him as possible without him noticing. At times, Reuben would be trying to sleep on my bed, and she would sneak up, stand on her hind legs and put her front paws on his head. Very amusing.

My best friend, Darth Bruce, had her birthday yesterday, so Happy Birthday Bruce!



Another Labor Day weekend thing is trying to cram as much fun stuff into three days as possible because school started today. No students, but I still had to go to work today. Blah!

And finally, I made my friend, Cathy, a sock monkey for her birthday. We have a sock themed birthday thing going for the last few years, so I thought this was appropriate. I gave it to her at work today, and he sat with her, in her chair, at her desk this morning as we got ready for out back to school meetings. I think she liked him. Another friend of mine, Collette, wants one for her 2 year old daughter, and I am happy to oblige.

Tomorrow is the big 8 for Reuben on Rye...I can't believe that he's that old (and still has that much energy). He will be having a sleep over with the famous Una tomorrow night, so I'm sure there will be many picture of dog to dog torture.

I made it through my first week back to work, but just barely. All I did was act as literacy consultant all week...not one student to be seen...and I came home exhausted each day. Wednesday I came home early, ate lunch and fell asleep on the couch for almost two hours...and still got to bed on time. Yikes!

It was also a bad week when it came to eating...mostly breakfast foods. Bagels from Panera. I'm happy to report, that as tasty as they are, I am sick of the cinnamon crunch bagels and reduced fat hazelnut cream cheese. At least I've got that in my corner. Soon, I'll be bringing my lunch to school and a supply of core snacks to leave in my fridge. My office is going to be a "safe" place. I also had a co-worker ask me if I would like to walk everyday at lunch to which I agreed.

Also: Happy Birthday, Marta!

Honey, I'm Killing Myself

I'm watching the ever entertaining "Honey, We're Killing the Kids" and I had that revelation...again: I know what I have to do to be successful and lose weight and yet, I'm not doing it. Ridiculous. My best weight loss is when I'm doing a variety of fun exercises and eating mostly core foods. It's just so strange that I know and understand the ins and outs of nutrition...but I can't get my emotions/motivation/self-esteem to actually get it done! WHY?

Update:

I got off my sorry ass and made a core dinner of lemon-pepper tilapia with quinoa

Kinesis

I was inspired by Marta, who just signed up to have her own personal trainer to ask what ya'll thought of:

Kinesis
Kinesis is a functional fitness strength training system done in small group sessions. It involves integrated movements of balance, core strength and burns 30% more calories than traditional equipment training. Thirty minute sessions include a circuit of 5 stations.

Yeah, it costs extra, but it sounds cool. The people I know who tried it are totally into it....so readers, tell me what you think!

Are you kidding me?

Hello...does that kid really say he plays with his poops in the toilet? Poops? In the toilet? And this is run during the day? Jeezie creezie, people. The first few times I saw this commercial I thought he said "boat" in the toilet. That was scary enough. Where are today's parents? Yikes!

Nothing special going on. I worked today. I'm thinking of telling them I can't come in on Friday, which would give me a 4 day weekend. Nice. Food is going so-so, but 5 o'clock is another hour, and tomorrow is day one of my WW week.

And Chai, no worries. At work I only blog complaints about my weight, and I don't care if they record that. I would blog about training if I were actually participating in any.....(sniffle, sob)

Busy-ness!

I am back to work as of today..just helping to organize the English curriculum, but it's back to work all the same. I had a fun day today with all the other high school Reading and English people, so I'm getting excited about the school year.

Next week is when I'll have my office set up with my office computer and I think I'll be able to blog more often.

I am exhausted, and not quite eight PM. Sheesh!

Hello from space!

I am feeling very motivated these days. I'm really tempted to plot my motivation cycle and compare it to my other cycle, if you catch my drift. It does feel like the planets are aligning for me these days, so I'm going to ride the wave while it lasts, and I hope it's a long ride....I'm rockin' Core hard and I'm enjoying it.


I have to send out a big "Thanks!" to Chai for having slide presentations on her site because that's where I got the inspiration for doing my photos that way. So, thanks Chai!

Summer is coming very quickly to a close, and although I'd like it to last a bit longer, I am getting excited about school. I get to make my own schedule this school year. My crazy coworker is going to be working out of another location, so I won't have to look at her. We have a new principal who, so far, is really awesome. I get to keep the office I had last year, so I don't have to move like I did the last 2 years. Nice!

Bronx Zoo

I spent mid day today at The Bronx Zoo with Mom and Ian. I'm estimating that all that walking earned me about 6 activity points, so double cool!

I might add more pics once I get the ones my mom took!

I'm feeling really motivated so far this week. I'm thinking it's going to last.

Farm Fun!

My mom, Ian (my baby brother) and I went to visit the animals at Muscoot Farm and had a blast. Ian hadn't been there since he was 9...he'll be 24 next month. We were the only adults there that didn't have toddlers with us....but who cares?

The Unkown Post

I have not one clue as to what to title this, so there you go. I think this post is going to wind up being an even bigger mish mosh of stuff than I usually stick in here, but what the hell?

I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I decided to make a sock monkey's for Chris' boss' daughter's 1st birthday. I finally finished it. Here she is, all wrapped up. She actually has a couple of board books and a cloth book on her lap because I have to give books to babies as gifts. I'm a reading geek, after all.

The evil sock monkey will be sad to see the new one leave the house, but Evil Sock Monkey still has Reuben to snuggle with, and Reuben needs a ton of snuggling today because he's exhausted from swimming this morning.

And for no reason at all I decided to stick this picture in. It's the underside of an elephant ear leaf. I love those plants, and I never realized how beautiful the underside of those leaves are!

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Piiiiiiiieeeee!

It's a good thing that my goal for the week is to journal everything and not actually lose weight. You see, I love chicken pot pie*. Chris and I used to get a whole wheat double crusted one that was a measly 5 points. We haven't been able to find those in quite a while, and I've been craving one for about three weeks, so last night I was at the point of desperately needing one and it was cool enough to turn on the stove, so why the hell not? I ran out to the store and grabbed one that bragged of using only white meat, so I grabbed it and ran out. I ate it; it was delicious! I later figured out that it was 25 points. Twenty. Five. Points. I need to find those whole wheat ones....

In other news, I decided that I'm going to use the little purple cool notebook that I originally bought to use. Instead of taking a ruler to it for the points, I'm just putting a check at the end of the line for core, or the points number/flexies left. I had to get it into my head that nothing is going to be absolutely perfect, so why get frustrated.

I wrote recently about going to a tea room and to answer Marta's question: it's like a coffee house excepts it's all about tea, and tea traditions. It's very luxurious. You can have scones with creme fraiche and jam. You can have tea sandwiches that come on toasted bread with the crusts cut off. It's a very girly thing to do and definitely wonderful. We went to Silver Tips Tea Room in Tarrytown, NY. It is fabulous!

*Not as much as I love hotdogs, however.

Hanging in there

I had a rough start to the week, and I screwed up yesterday when I went with my mom and the local elementary school volunteer "grandma" to a tea room. It was wonderful! So I actually started logging in food today. I don't care if I wind up with negative flexies as long as I get it all down on paper. It's a start, right? One thing at a time, one thing at a time.

Oh Mah Gah!

I am floating on bloggish air at the moment because Jojo gave me this award:





"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award."

In turn, I am going to award this to:

Marta at The Pudge Budge
Trixie at Last Pick
Cory at Dragon's Loss

For all the extra support they've given me!

And to Chai at Eye2Mind for being just plain nice.

What have I done?

I think I screwed the pooch...now that I have sitemeter, and I can see how many people visit here, I feel compelled to be funny, charming and work on my writing skills. It's a little stressful. I'm sure it'll pass. I have to admit that the sitemeter thing is awesome. I had a hit from a European country today. Who knew? I sure didn't, but I'm glad I know now!

On another note, I'm back from WW and I'm down to 181.4, which is different from my Fatbloke weight. Strange, but true. I consider them to be separate entities, and life goes on. I'm feeling more back on track with food choices, which is awesome, but I'm struggling with the journaling thing. The 12 week planners don't do it for me...I feel conspicuous when I use them. I've tried using notebooks, but because I feel the need to transform them to be more WW friendly, they become too time consuming. I'm at a loss. Do any of you have a journaling system that works for you? I'm curious to know.

I'm also going to start running again. Just running. At least at first. I think that in the past I've tried to do too much when it comes to exercise and I get overwhelmed. I think I'm going to focus on the running, and maybe do some push-ups and various ab exercises at home. Once I get into a good routine with that, then I'll add spin or swimming.

Lurkers!

I just signed up for the freebie version of sitemeter because sometimes I would look at my sitecounter and do a mental head count (me, Marta, Darth Bruce, Trixie, Cory, Chai *and others that come around once in a while ) and sometimes the numbers don't gel. Sitemeter will let me me what state people are from, and how long someone stays. It's all in fun, I'm not trying to be Big Brother, I'm just curious about who comes and reads but doesn't post!

I hope I'm not freakin' anyone out. Please, come in, stay as long as you like. I'm just curious by nature and I love new people. Maybe I'm just plain nosy. I'm not expecting to see a million new people on here....I'm no Snackie, Foo Foo, Anne, or Nytro...all of whom get tons of hits. I just want to know a little more about you all.

So, if you are a lurker or a sometimes visitor, don't be afraid just to say "hi" so I can visit your blog and do the same.

* If I forgot someone, please don't be insulted!

Breaking out

It occurred to me today, as I sat with my 93% fat free burger with soy cheese, no bun, and a handful of french fries that I'm stuck in the mental rut of labeling myself as either being "good" or "bad" with food. I think that mindset is getting in my way, tripping me up, and possibly could be part of the reason that I self sabotage so often these days. I have to stop thinking in terms of good vs. bad; it only makes me feel down if I have something I've proclaimed as "bad". I need to think in terms of "Core" and "gotta spend some flexies"...that's all it really is, isn't it?

There has got to be more to eating to live than bad and good food. I admit, there are foods that are better for you. That's obvious. But is any food really that "bad" when eaten in moderation?

Day by day

I went to Target today and bought myself some stuff to help get back into gear. I got my self a small blue spiral bound notebook to use to journal my food. I also bought 2 athletic skorts! One of them is nice enough to double for work...like I can work and then just go running in it. How awesome is that.

I've decided that as part of this 600th new beginning, I'm going to take things in small increments....like 2 hours at a time.

Garden of Paradise

My mother's backyard had turned into an awesome place to hang out with the dogs. She decided to plant Elephant Ear plants and they have gotten HUGE!
Una is sitting a couple of feet in front of the biggest leaf...it makes her look like a small dog...she's not. She's a good 65 pounds!

I'm not going to do it

I'm not going to get on my own case. Like Marta commented here recently, losing weight is not a do or die situation. I refuse to drive myself crazy...especially this week where I've been hole up in a classroom from 8-5 (most of the time 4) learning about being a teacher-leader. There is a lot of moving around in this class and I come out of there totally beat! And then I drive home in a carb coma. I've decided that I'm still going to log all the stuff I ate for posterity. Then when I finally get myself together I can look back with the ghost of bad-eating-habits-past and laugh at my bagel gorge.

Other than struggling mentally with the whole process, I am tired from being in class all day...plus, I'm at work now. I want my vacation back!