The new room

My house now has a guest room (yay?).  It was supposed to be my crafting studio, but it was converted to a guest room in anticipation of Mr. B's relatives staying with us over the weekend of his sister's wedding; after all the work, the relatives never showed.  This is where I would typically go on a rant about how this is the story of my life with his family, where they steal my personal blah and then I put in a lot of work to do blah for them and then once it's theirs they don't need it because of blah....but I am trying to let it go.

I will be reclaiming the room as a creative space, but just so the rest of you know, I now have a guest room with a queen sized bed.  I gave over my old twin set to my brother's daughter, and I hope she gets some good use out of it--it was a good set for me.

My husband got a job offer contingent on background check, and we might be moving south (only about an hour from where we are now, close to where the RenFest is).  My job job hasn't been quite as expected; it's alright, but more stressful on certain days than anticipated.  I am driven to get published as quickly as possible.

I restocked our fish tank last weekend, and we now have small schools of bloodfin and black skirt tetras, and some orange and green swordtails.  I am looking to add a cory or two, and perhaps some snails.

 I've lost about 15 pounds since the start of June, and still have 30+ to go.

Alula

Lean Pockets Culinary Creations

Ladies,

I had to post a quick review here of a product that I recently discovered in my grocery store.  Maybe they had been there for a while, but I only recently noticed them.  The Hot Pockets brand has added some new flavors to their Lean Pockets "health food" line.  Granted, these items are microwaveable frozen things that don't really fill my personal definition of a healthy food due to the preservatives and general lack of fresh plant matter, but they are pretty good for sticking to a diet at 250-270 calories per pocket.  

Usually I like the Ham & Cheese, or the Turkey & Cheese, and there's also one that has broccoli thrown in the mix for color.  When I recently went to the grocery store to refill my freezer's emergency stock, I noticed new flavors, deemed the Culinary Creations line.  Admittedly, some of the flavors looked kind of weird, but my curiosity was piqued so I grabbed a few.  My verdict is that they were pretty good--at least, they added some variety to the Something & Cheese that I usually buy (they all kind of tasted the same before--not bad, just not distinguishable).

The Chicken, Bacon, & Dijon impressed me--I will definitely be buying this one again.  The Spinach Artichoke Chicken was okay, but didn't wow me.  I'm thinking that it may have something to do with my attempting to eat a food containing artichoke as a breakfast food; for lunch or dinner, it probably would have scored higher marks.  (Also note that artichoke does not mix well with Rockstar; learned the hard way so you don't have to!)  I will probably try the Garlic Chicken White Pizza and the Chipotle Chicken next.

Alula

The month of April

I had initially planned to put these topics into separate threads, but no one wants to hear me talk that much, so here is a condensed version.

After literal months of applications and rejections, I got picked for further consideration on three positions recently.  One evolved into a phone interview (have since heard back that I was not selected), one a face-to-face interview, and one was testing (which I aced, and am now expecting a recruiter to contact me for interview).  I am keeping my fingers crossed on these last two and really hoping for a job.

My old red '93 Isuzu Trooper finally hit a point that drove my husband to buy a new car.  Old Red decided not to start after we refueled at a gas station, creating quite a scene, and then periodically would or would not start--ended up dropping it off at my dad's for repair, and he has decided (for the time being, at least) that he will be resuming ownership of the vehicle as a spare, as the car is worth nothing with the cost of repairs.  So, Mr. B went out and overspent exactly like I didn't want to and got himself a shiny new 2011 Subaru Outback; it's a nice car, but it was outside of our set budget, and I am a little pissed about it because my husband seems to think I only became opposed to the cost after the purchase (to which I replied, "I have been saying I don't want to spend that much for weeks.  I said I didn't want to buy it on the lot.  And when they refused to drop the price, I said you were getting handled.  What part of all of that sounds like I wanted to do this?").  It's not that we can't afford the car, but it was outside what we wanted to spend--I told Mr. B that if he really *needed* it that badly that he could have it, but I find new cars pompously arrogant and unnecessary.  Why buy new when you know a used car is just as good and half the price???  --Anyways, I am now driving his old Outback.  (I'll post some fond memories of my Trooper when I clean it out and take some pictures.)

I finally got to attend StarFest.  Last year I was presenting at AAG in Washington, DC, for work.  The year before I was presenting a group project for my MLS (while Brent Spiner was wandering the dealer's room, mind you--I cried when I found this out).  This year, I feel I finally had my priorities straight--this event is part of my personal history and heritage.  It's what my husband and I did every year before attending Prom that night.  I had fun, and feel that my "old self" life goals have been recharged and my direction in life has been reaffirmed and is a little clearer.

Q took me to The Golden Spoon.  The prices are good, the frozen yogurt is good, and the calorie count is fantastic.  I did the math and one could literally eat a pint of this stuff and then work it off with a half hour of dancing.  Amazing.

I bought a game for the Wii out of curiosity.  It's called Just Dance 2, and as the title suggests, you pop it in and "just dance".  The songs are great, the moves to the songs actually match the music videos in some respects, and when run on the shuffle mode, this can actually make for an impressive cardio workout.  The game takes advantage of your (or my, I guess, if I'm the only one) compulsive need to dance in front of the bedroom mirror when a catchy song comes on the radio.  You watch the characters on the screen and mimic them like you are watching yourself in the mirror, and the game tracks your accuracy using the Wii remote you hold in your right hand.  My husband has demonstrated to me that this game can be played from the couch, but that's really not the point--there isn't a strong point or reward system in the game, so the satisfaction really comes from rocking out and bogeying down to your favorite tunes (you can even buy more from the game store).  So far, so good--I've had the game for about two weeks now and it's still holding my interest and making me sweat.  The first time I played it my arms hurt so bad that they woke me up that night, if that's any indication of the level of workout you can get from this.  In terms of cardio, it's much more entertaining than the programming provided on the Wii Fit, though the Fit still provides necessary Yoga, Balance, and Strength training that this game does not.

Alula

Accomplishing too much

Since getting out of school, I have done the following:

-bought a few new games for my PSP, which I am new playing.  One of them is called Class of Heroes; it's kind of Harry Potter meets classic D&D.  A group of students attends a school for adventurers and goes on dungeon raids where turn-taking fights ensue.  I bought it used and on sale through GameStop along with two other games for 1/4 the cost of a new pair of shoes!  

-I am now rewriting Redemption in the 3rd person and with a more generous narrative.  Anyone who wants in on this editing project, contact me.

-I am attempting to beat all of the campaigns in Zoo Tycoon 2.  I am halfway there.

-My MIL the Librarian got me a wok for Xmas, which I now cook with daily, and all the chicken breast and veggie stir fry is part of my campaign to lose weight.  (Anyone who would like to adjust their resolutions for this year, please email me--I did well this year except for my weight, which is now higher than ever since the fast food binge I went on while Mr. Borealis was sick the first half of the year.)

-I finally talked myself into treating myself to some new skins from Decal Girl.  I have never had a skin from this company before, but the reviews are very good.  I'm getting one for my Barnes & Noble Nook and another for my new phone.

-Speaking of new phone--I wanted to get an LG Ally, but it turns out this phone has been discontinued (LG, I feel this is a bad move, as the slide out keyboard is a very functional feature that does not usurp screen space to use).  Instead, I am getting the LG Vortex.  I should have it in hand by the end of this week--review to follow.

-My husband got me Hermione Granger's Time Turner for Christmas.  I was very impressed by this present, because I never directly told him I wanted it, but I really love it.  

-I've made it through a few more rounds towards the library position I am applying for, which I still dearly hope I get.

-We went to Oklahoma between Xmas and New Years.  We drove with my family.  At the last minute, my brother decided to come, bringing two of his kids along (7 & almost 5).  My husband and I got to drive in the car with my dad and the 7-year-old; she traveled very well.  However, my mom and my sister shop WAY too much, and we had too much luggage (for TWO cars, mind you) on the way home, resulting in airline-like seating conditions.  Once again, Mr. B and I have vowed that we will never again drive with family out to Oklahoma--we will take our own car.  The gas money is worth it to have the leg room, stop when we want, listen to what we want, and not have to mind our language.

-I have fully organized my basement using the shelves Mr. B got for me for our anniversary.  The room is now functional.

-I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins on the way back from Oklahoma.  Actually, I started reading it in a Barnes & Noble in Tulsa using the "read for free" feature on the Nook while using my Nook coupon for a free raspberry smoothie.  The smoothie was awesome, and the first chapter of The Hunger Games was so good that I felt $5 was worth it to get the whole book.  The storyline follows Katniss, a teenage girl who finds herself entered into the morbid Hunger Games that are orchestrated by the Capitol--twenty-four children are picked ever year to fight to the death in these games for the Capitol's amusement, and the winner takes home food and glory to their District.  (I can lend this book from my Nook, so let me know if you're interested.  Also, check out the free e-reader screensavers Barnes & Noble are offering here.)

Alula

A Wii Little Experiment

Hi Ladies!

A few weeks back, Mr. B and I attended his cousin's wedding in Oklahoma (there's yet another great inlaw story here, but that's another post entirely--in fact, between Q and I, that could be another blog entirely). The point is, we spent one night in a hotel in Oklahoma, and something neat happened.

Mr. B got an overview statement of all the hotel points he's raked up from having a job where he travels for a quarter to half the year, and we had enough points to "buy" a Wii Fit with them.

For anyone who hasn't heard of this device, it's a board that connects to the Wii and is intended for use with games (included with the purchase of the board). As the name implies, it's a workout device that comes with routines for Yoga, Strength, Aerobics, and Balance. There are also games like skii jumping, snow boarding, hula hooping, and others. The Wii Fit posts your progress with charts in the game, tracking your weight, how much time you spent working out, how your balance is, your "real age", and how many calories you burn in exercise, and other things. You can even customize your own workouts to target trouble areas.

I've been using the Wii Fit since we purchased it, and have already seen some weight loss (about 3 pounds, which isn't bad for a couple of weeks). And good golly, for just being a board, some of the exercises will make you hurt the next day--my arm muscles give me the most grief after workouts, while Mr. B complains he feels in more in his thighs.

Having struggled with my weight for a while now, I decided that this is something I can do. It's low impact and people at the gym don't have to watch my wiggly butt in sweats doing squats.

Riding the BMI line between overweight and obese, I finally decided to get Mr. B involved to make me do something about it. I've been using the Lose It! app since the start of this year, and showed him the chart of how much I weighed on January 1st, and then how much I gained when he got sick and went to the hospital. Since then, I've managed to get back to my start-of-the-year weight. I signed him up to get weekly email updates tracking my weight and what I'm eating (caloric intake), and he can see when I'm on the Wii Fit, for how long, and session activities.

He has similarly committed to working out with me to try to gain weight as per his doctor's orders, and is increasing the amount that he eats.

I don't know if anyone here has an interest in seeing my weekly caloric intake, but I'm hoping that I continue to see enough progress with the Wii Fit to be worthy of mention here. Hopefully it can get me back to swimsuit weight, and then I can start swimming laps like I did back in high school.

In other news, I think I'm going to start another blog devoted to ereaders. I've developed an unhealthy relationship with my nook (as in, it now joins me at work so I can read scientific articles from our library on it instead of the computer screen, I sleep with it, and I miss it when it's not around). I have found so many cool resources for ereaders in the last few weeks that I am going to try to organize them somehow. I also wrote to author Jennifer Roberson to inquire if she was going to release any of her Chronicles of the Cheysuli books in digital format, and she wrote me back less than 5 hours later (!) saying she was trying to do it--it's more in the hands of the publisher. (For anyone who hasn't read these books, there are 8 of them, they are a dynastic fantasy genre, and they are very good--you may have trouble finding them in a bookstore because they are older, but they are worth it to order from online.)

Alula

Everything in my life (including the kitchen sink)

What's new with me...?

Well, not too terribly much. I'm inundated with obligations, as usual. :)

I'm glad to hear that the business is moving along! Thanks for being the primary on this one, because I don't know if it would be humanly possible for me to take on more right now. I've been assigned room configuration for the Annual All-Hands Meeting at work next week (tables, chairs, setup, take down, A/V, etc., for all 40 participants). I'm still frantically trying to pull together a PhD advisory committee and application, and figure out funding. We've had funding cuts, and some additional drama at work, that has meant a higher up has decided to cut parts of the tuition funding option at work--I may be on my own for half, and up to all, of the tuition cost of school. Get this: after doing the math, I still make more money keeping my job and paying 10K of it to school than any other option (lottery aside). I'm mid-semester, taking 4 classes, and in another group project (yay.).

Mr. B's health is up and down, and we recently started to seriously investigate a move to the North West. Sure, I would lose my job, and the PhD option, but we've had some issues with family lately--his mother misses him. So we've spent the last 6 weekends in a row with them (not an exaggeration). She's upset about his health and puts him on a major guilt trip every time he says we're too busy (or we want to spend time together...alone). I'm trying to gently get her to understand that she's doing real harm to my marriage because we're straining to accommodate her needs. We need out, and we like the rain, so we figure Washington state might not be terrible, and as it turns out jobs in both our fields are plentiful there.

But enough of the serious: here's some fun and quirky.

Mr. B has recently discovered audio books, and likes to listen to them on his long commutes. We check them out from the online 2 week downloadables at our local library. He's now listened to Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, The Golden Compass, and a few others. We're discussing books together, a long-held dream that I never thought would be reality. We're considering an Audible account in the future, but right now the library is working out really well (FREE!).

We watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog at the last movie night, and it was truly AWESOME. Anyone who hasn't seen this 45-minute short film needs to. It's about an aspiring super villain and his bid to join the Evil League of Evil.

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of getting our cats. They're a year and a few months old now, and having left their kitten years, they're now teenagers discovering who they really are. They've discovered that now that they are able to sit still long enough, watching birds out of the kitchen window is a really fun pursuit. And where they used to run themselves until they passed out wherever, they are now more selective in their sleeping habits, and discovering certain preferences for location and position:

My garden continues to grow. It survived despite a recent, near apocalyptic, hail storm. It hailed marble-sized hail for a solid ten minutes, and it looked like snow when it was done: everything was 3-6 inches deep in white. It pummeled one of my birdhouses to the point of actually breaking it (repairable). But the wind direction just barely saved my garden, and the peas are doing very well.

My niece was cast a Bell in a kid's version of Beauty and the Beast, and she remembered all of her lines (pretty good for a 7-year-old!).

My diet is back on track, and I've finally lost all of the hospital weight I put on during the first 4 months of the year--the Wii Mr. B got for his birthday is helping. I think I'm going to give myself a 6 month grace period to finish my yearly resolutions due to all of the craziness this year.

Oh, our kitchen sink disposal also needed replacing recently. It was old, and it sprung a leak and I didn't figure it out until after cleaning out the fridge and putting it all down the drain (messy).

Alula

Wish me Luck

So I'm trying as a virtual personal assistant I have one guy that I'm starting work for and i am just hoping that I am not getting scammed and this will turn into my dream job of being able to work from home! Tomorrow I will submit the LLC paper work for our soon to be web store and start the process for a sales tax stuff. And I start work at a local tourist attraction next week. Plus raising a kid that is being a brat at the moment even though I love him but he is sure great at driving me nuts. What is it about me that makes me toss a bunch of balls in the air and see if I can juggle and not drop anything. Positive thinking is what I need to do, house work is probably what will be dropped unless I somehow manage to figure out how to schedule my day. Well at least being this busy means that I may loose weight.

Fuzzy

(yea right)

Holiday Psychosis

I just turned in my last final yesterday. Being entirely honest with myself, I did my best but I'm going to say the assignment is really worth about an 80%--I'm just not that good at Lakota. Really, I just want to pass my classes. I am way beyond the value of grades at this point, because I've come to the realization that they are entirely subjective to the opinion and abilities of the Professor teaching the course. I learn, and I pass, and I don't worry about jumping through the flaming hoops of tailoring my opinion to fit that of whoever is grading anymore.

Chores are stacking up around my house, and I suppose I'm going to have to take care of those today (to include laundry--washing/drying/folding/putting away, dishes, refilling fish tanks, and wrapping gifts). This will all be happening after work today, which I will run from 1-4, so hopefully I can get it done by the time Mr. B gets home from work.

All my Xmas decorations are up, and I'm trying to work out plans for the holiday. It's my family's turn this year, though I have a feeling that Mr. Borealis's will (as always) try to steal it in any means possible. I'm taking off next week from work to deal with the craziness of the last few months, and my Xmas shopping is 90% done.

I am strongly considering my resolutions for the coming year; I'm 1 for 3 this year, but my goals on the online store kind of changed when I got my current job. I'm still willing to do what I can if someone else is willing to manage day to day operations. I am officially ending the year the same weight I started at, and hoping I can turn this around now that I have the money to pay for a gym because I got a job (excuses, excuses--I squarely accept the blame for my own laziness , but continue to dream that I will develop some self-control and discipline). Here is my in-progress list of resolutions for 2010:

-lose 30 pounds (it's still medical--and the medical need to do this is becoming progressively worse)

-either get into a PhD program to keep my current job, or find a new job with equal pay

-get published

Additionally, I am henceforth resolving to clean out my closet and donate at least 2 laundry baskets of cloths. Anyone who wants to do resolutions with me, feel free--I will once again post them on the site where they will constantly harass you to be a better person.

'Tis the season,

Alula

Gym Period Sucks.

Well, I am back from my first evening at the local Community Center, where I sweated to Lady in the Water while doing 15 on the elliptical and 20 cycling.

Apparently there's a kids swimming class letting out at the pool there right when I need to be changing in the locker room, so that was awkward. I crammed myself into a tiny bathroom stall to change because there are otherwise no changing rooms and I just wasn't cool undressing in a room of 5-year-olds. I will probably just change at work after today (much more spacious bathroom stalls).

School, Weight, and Sleeping Computers

I'm exhausted. And I have a hyper-involved group for one of my group projects. This is not a bad thing, but good god, my email and our group page is going to explode. I am taking a break.

And I have officially given up on dieting. I suck at it. I sit on my widening butt for 8 hours every day because of my job, and cutting calories has never given me more than 2 pounds of weight loss. So I am finally admitting defeat--I caved and spent the money for a 20-punch pass to the local rec center today. I'm going to try a 5-week experiment where I go for four 1-hour days every week.

I am effectively instituting a gym period in my life. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Today, one of my coworkers (an older-than-me woman who is also in my MLS program) called me from home to say she was really worried about her computer because it had crashed again. Now, she's not the most technically apt of people--the last few times she's called me regarding computer problems were because she was worried someone had "hacked" her when her computer started doing automatic updates, and once when her computer would not turn on (result of dead battery). This time, she informed me, she was sure she had done it in--she had accidentally hit "logout" instead off "power off" and the computer "seemed to be stuck--the lights are all on but the screen is blank and it's not turning on or off!"

Well, my goodness! I calmly explained the sleep and hibernate functions of laptops to her and told her to hold down the power button until the laptop shut down, and then to reboot it like normal.

And she was very grateful--she once paid a certain highway robbery group of technically oriented people dressed like a '90s stereotype and run by a large electronics store more than $150 to fix a problem like this.

It's nice to be appreciated. It's nice to help. It's also nice to look at people my parents' age and think how cute they are, and not mean that in a demeaning or derogatory way--computers are confusing to people who don't use them often, and sometimes I forget that.

Alula

Happy Birthday, Lady A

Well ladies, Lady A called me last night. For those of you who have forgotten Lady A, she's dating our friend the Ambassador. She moved across the country to come out here, and the Ambassador is now in China on some sort of teaching stint. Lady A habitually hangs out at my place every other week for movie night, and I have expressed to Mr. B that if they break up, my vote is that we keep Lady A.

Lady A's birthday was last night, and in grand fashion we (including myself and spouse and a couple of her friends) went out late last night and had kalamari and cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory in Denver. Mr. B and I left a little early (he had the LSAT this morning), but the rest of the group went dancing afterwards. It was her 21st birthday, and she doesn't have many friends out here yet, but I do count myself among the friends she does have.

Q and I have tossed around the idea of inviting her to post here, I see her so much lately. I think if we're still close in January, I will invite her to post, or at least send her a link to this forum. I would greatly appreciate comments (pro or con) on this topic.

Other stock items include a book I am currently editing. I have sworn to myself I will try to publish this one. I have already invited Q, GymRat (a friend of mine), and *gasp* Mr. B to read it as test readers. Anyone who wants to read it, shoot me an email and I'll give you the document link--if I ever make it big, I promise you all a very nice dinner, at least. I've decided one of my resolutions for next year is to get published.

And that brings me around to this year's resolutions. With 3 months left in the year, I'm assessing my situation once again. I got the job. Q is selling online, and has plans to utilize the online store we set up together. Now all I have left is my weight, which I admit, has been a big problem for me. I'm trying to zero in on it these last few months, because this needs to get done.

How is everyone else doing?

Alula

The Plagues of Egypt in my home...

So the wasps in my kitchen ceiling are back. Today I discovered a patch on my kitchen ceiling where it appeared they were attempting to knaw through because the drywall under the paint was gone. Another theory ran that the pesticide shot up there had caused water damage. Still another theory ran that the pesticide had damaged the drywall making it soft and allowing the freak zombie wasps (which are actually yellow jackets, I've been told) to munch away at it. Anyways, the patch is 8" by 6", and any way you cut it, not good. I'll post pics of Q and mother's ingenious solution later.

So just to sum things up here, I thought I'd recap all of the plagues of Egypt my home has suffered this summer:

Blood: period that lasted a month.
Frogs:
Knats: Never had them before. Now they are in every house plant I own.
Wild Animals: Gretal and Count. Enough said. Oh, and the deer incident.
Pestilence: We'll substitute "wasps" here.
Incurably Boils:
Hail: Yup. That too--on car, garden, and home.
Locusts: We'll substitute "husband" for this one, as he killed my garden.
Darkness: 3 power outages and counting. One of which made us both late for work.
Death of the Firstborn:

We have also suffered flooding in the basement and in our upstairs bathroom when the toilet overflowed, a heart attack, and a car accident. And for some reason all the walking I've been doing has caused me to gain weight, rather inexplicably, and I'm hitting 185 again walking 2.4 miles a day--what with that?

Boy, I just can't wait for the frogs, incurable boils, and death of the firstborn to get here. (Not really--please don't smite me further!)

On the bright side I got my shiny new badge yesterday and a work laptop (DELL latitude 6000 series...oh baby!) today. I was also invited by my colleagues to speak at a conference in April.

Also, I feel like a really crappy friend. It feels like every time I call Q lately it’s to have her cover my butt, save my butt, or drive my butt somewhere. Q, hon, you’re the greatest—and please feel free to say no. And I totally owe you a deck of tarot cards for everything you do for me. Just send me an email link to what you want and I’ll order it with my school books.

Alula

The long walk

Ladies, today I did the full circuit--more than 2 miles. From my home to the water tower and back.

Also, Mr. Borealis called me while on the walk. He asked me if I could come down to Pueblo to keep him company. I said, "Oh, sweetie, I would but I have a job now."

And he said, "Well, can't you just quit your job?"

I said, "I would, but then I'd get bleeped at for not having a job."

He paused, and then he said, "Well that's true. You just can't win, can you?"

Ah, the plight of women.

Alula

Checking in on the New Year's Resolution

Hi all,

So now that we're a little more than halfway through the year, I'm checking in on my New Year's Resolutions (listed on the right sidebar). I'm a little behind on the dates I had set for myself, but generally optimistic about things.

I got my job at more pay and more hours and better perks than I had envisioned; however, it is a desk job, and the first few weeks pretty effectively crashed my diet back to start. Worse than where I started, actually.

Prepare for the brutal honesty. And if any of you tell Mr. Borealis (or anyone else, for that matter) my real numbers, I will torture you with a spork.

I went from 170 to about 185. My feet started killing me because I have a genetic condition where my tissues lack the normal degree of collagen, so I think the arches in my feet just gave. This was around the time that I had to buy new shoes with better arch support. However, I started severe damage control on my weight about 2 weeks ago, as it was my second resolution after getting a job to finance school. I weighed in this morning at 179, with my goal still being in the 140s.

I'm not sure how the online store is going; lately I don't have time to make my own products to sell. I'm still hoping to get that thing running by year's end.

Alula

First Real Sit-Up of My Life

Just quickly--I've never been able to do a "real" workout because of my connective tissue disorder. I was told no running, jumping, or twisting/pressure on my senstive joints. But recently I became so upset about how far I've degressed just since my wedding that I decided I was going to start doing this hard since I'm already dieting and suffering through school.

I'm doing wall push-ups to keep off my knees. I was doing crunches, and I realized I'd never been able to do a "real" sit-up, even when I was a young spry strong thing (lol, I've always been sickly). I assumed it was because my back just wasn't strong enough or put together right or something, but in the drive to get flab-free abs (not likely) I was determined. So I defiantly stuck my feet under the dresser in the bedroom and strained until I got all the way up in one motion.

Ladies, it felt like something ripped in my back during the last 5 inches. I collapsed on the floor and didn't move for about 20 minutes. When the pain lessened, I got up and moved to the bed. I feel fine now and everything still works so I'm thinking it wasn't serious.

My goal tomorrow is to do 3 of them.

Alula

I order you to precipitate!

Right now, my weather website of choice is reporting it is snowing here. Above it what it actually looks like. Weather reports keep taunting me and I want rain or snow--either would be great, but we keep getting sun and it's screwing with my head.

I still have no job, though I am on track losing my weight. I'm getting ever closer to opening my online store. I still have bills to pay at the doctor's and I still have to turn in my application for time off from my Linguistics MA (it's due by May, so no one freak out). I have commenced worrying about how the hell I'm going to pay for school, as I've applied a lot of places now and I'm stuck in the rut where I'm either over qualified and the employer thinks I'll leave at the first offer of a "serious" job (they're right) or I'm passed over for the serious job because I haven't completed enough credits on my MLS, I'm not available every single weekend (I have class then), or I'm recently married and pose a pregnancy homemaking threat (though Library positions seem to worry a lot less about this, which is great).

I really hate to say this, but I really hate other women right now. Mr. B has two female co-workers right now that he's sure are going to quit soon. One has set up with a boyfriend such that her income is only supplementary so she's going to quit and "work for his company." The other is pregnant and is leaving once she has the baby.

What the hell is wrong with us? I'm sorry, but my life goal is not to be a man-serving baby factory. Someone give me a damn job. One that isn't a part-time hobby for supplementary income. I really hold a grudge for every woman out there who perpetuates this cycle, because I'm sick of the casual interview question "Are you married?...Oh, that's great, when did that happen...? And your husband works...?"

And at that point, my stock has dropped. With 20,000 people losing their jobs in this country every day, there are better candidates. Because my husband already works, there are people more deserving and needing of the income. I'm married just over a year with steady income, so I'm statistically getting ready to pop a kid out and start baking cookies all day.

I'm taking my GD rings off. I have absolutely no desire to stay at home changing diapers and wiping faces on a permanent basis, and I need a job before that accident happens and I wind up a stay-at-home mom because Mr. B is too cheap to pay for childcare. I want to run my own business and work, and Mr. B really sucks right now because as I previously reported would happen, he now wants kids someday.

Munchkin, stop worrying--I'm ordering the dress for your wedding by the end of next week.

I'm incredibly frustrated right now.

Alula

Save the Turkey Soup

So in an effort to lose weight and save money, I'm cooking more now. I've got my turkey recipe just about right:

That's one fine looking bird.

But as always, the issue is eating all that turkey before it goes bad. I've discovered that freezing it straight out usually doesn't work so well. So instead, we go the route of turkey sandwiches out the wazoo. And this time around, I attempted a turkey soup that turned out so well I thought I'd post it here.

Basically you strip your turkey after it's done and save the meat. Also save the turkey drippings and bones--save everything but the gross bits that remind you of Eli Roth films (in my case, I cook the giblets in the pan for extra flavor and then throw out the liver, heart, etc., and the spine). The rest of the stripped bones you can throw into a slow cooker and add the turkey drippings (in my case, I initially cooked the turkey in 4 quarts of chicken boullion with some added herbs). Maybe add a little more water if the crock looks low--you're shooting for half-full with liquid.

You cook the bones in the drippings and water for about 2 hrs for flavor, then fish out all of the bones. Cut up about 2-3 cups of leftover turkey into small bite-size portions and dump it in. Then do the same with about 2 cups carrots, 1 cup celery, and 1 cup red potatos (or adjust to your preference). Cook for about another hour until it all comes to a boil and all the veggies are cooked through.

Then I portioned it up into single-servings in tupperwares for freezing (how cool is that?--now I can freeze the turkey without losing taste!). Salt to your preference before eating:

The awesome part is it's mostly turkey and veggies, so it's healthy and keeps your system moving. It's a good start for weight loss, as I've found. You can eat it like a soup with more liquid or like a veggie bowl with less, and all the colors from the orange carrots, green celery, and red potatos make it very appetizing.

Enjoy!

Alula

The stomach flu diet

I do not recommend it. I was going to post a picture of a toilet to summarize my Friday night, but it was a little too gross to do. Puked every two hours all night and couldn't even keep water down--thought I was going to have to call someone to take me to the hospital in the morning for dehydration because I had it out both ends so severe I lost five pounds by morning (not the way to do it).

I had to miss my orientation for librarian school because I was so sick, but like a stupid animal trapped on the other side of a six lane highway looking at her mate on the other side, I still made the hour and a half drive to where Mr. Borealis was out of town on work later that day.

Folks, that move makes #3 on my list of stupidest things I've ever done, right after pulling an all-nighter to drive to Arizona and riding a horse right after knee surgery, and just before the time I played tag using cars in a school zone (I was a stupid teenager with a bunch of other stupid teenagers, and it was a weekend, but still).

On the bright side, I'm getting some beautiful pictures to post here later.

I will out myself too!

hey ladies.
I clock in at 225 lbs. Its a sad number I weight more than my husband and thats just sad. He is around 175lbs, and that is were I would like to be. I am also 5'7'', but I have been in the 130 to 140lb range and people though I had a eating disorder. I did not like how I looked at that weight and I really do not want to drop down to that weight again. I would however be very happy to be around 175 or 180. Its not a excuse its a fact, Munchkin has some pictures from back then so she is my witness. I have been shedding pounds on my own over the last few months, about a pound a week. I am on the right track, but I am ready for things to move faster. I really want to be under 200 by the time Mr. Q gets home in August.
Other goals for this year are to get a new job.
Become a better wife.
Find space in my house.
and save up money for the tea store.

Outing Myself.

So, I listed my goals for the year to the left (anyone else wants to join in, shoot me an email). One of them was finally taking off the 30 pounds my rheumatologist recommends. To do this, I decided to get honest.

Really, really honest. So I told Mr. B exactly how much I currently weigh so he keeps me accountable. I also told him I put on about 15 of that in the last year since we got married (His response was as follows: "I knew it!"). But really, he was much calmer about it than I had ever thought he would be.

Ladies, the number is 175. We are shooting for 13os to 140s. I am 5'7" tall, so my current BMI is 27.4, putting me as overweight. Getting down to the goal range will put my BMI back in normal range and relieve a lot of the pressure on my joints.

So now I am outed.