Candy Collecting Sugar Skyline
It’s been a few hours and I think I am recovered now from my earlier attempt at pre-candy calorie control. I managed to crawl my shaky, sweaty body all the way to the couch and stare at the candy for about an hour. Then I got up, took a few puffs from my inhaler, drank some water, took a shower and put on a pair of tight jeans and a few t-shirts. It’s called “layering”. Good for fashion and for lump coverage. I walked around the house and outside, doing little chores and tasks that I like to do when I am avoiding my homework. I cleaned up the yard a bit, filled up the bird feeder, picked some dead flowers, and took some sky pics. The usual. I have resisted eating any of the candy. Hard work and shortness of breath can help you re-prioritze your original plan for the day. That was to get stupid sick on candy and alcohol while NOT doing my social norm assignment. Instead, I now choose to just walk around with my children, enjoying the dropping temperature and pretending to be excited for fun size Snicker bars. I don’t even like Snickers. Gets stuck in my teeth and causes deep dental pain. But that’s just me. The kids are home and getting ready to go. The village says we can only stay out until 6 pm. Halloween stinks on Monday. Most of our neighbors aren’t even home yet and won’t be until later. Usually after the time. I know I never got home until 7. Well, at least it’s not raining and my kids do have very cool costumes this year. If they let me, I’ll take their pics and post them later. MORE exercise! Here I come! I guess I can lay flat all day tomorrow then right? No. I have actually set a goal for myself regarding exercise. The goal is to do two days of exercise in a row. That’s it. TWO days of actual exercise. TWO days, IN A ROW. I get in once a week at best lately and that is not going to cut it if I plan on running that 10K again next May. I barely finished it last year and I cannot repeat that sad event. Freezing cold and hyperventilating, with just enough breath to keep me upright, and fifth from last, is not my idea of success. I need to be at least 20 to 30 people inside the tail end and sprinting, instead of hop-walk-shuffle-staggering to the time strip. Standards, people. I didn’t even get a post race snack because I was so late crossing the finish line. But hey, it wasn’t on the police cart, so, small victories. OK enough. The soldiers are restless and night is falling. To the streets we go. Later.
Back of the Bench because I know you want to see it
This is my favorite bench so far. I am pretty sure I haven’t put up even half of the bench pictures that I have in my files, but when I do, you will agree, this one is really cool.
I had to take a short 45 minute exercise break. Here’s a question…if an overweight middle aged lady collapses in her house all alone gasping for air, does she really make a sound?
Well I didn’t fall but I was making some unusual noises. Heavy footsteps, creaking limbs, pounding heart beats, throbbing head bangs, wheezing, moaning, and dry throated screaming. Not to mention the shaky limbs and dripping secretions. It really is like a haunted house over here. It’s a middle aged nightmare! Too bad it’s broad daylight and so damn sunny and temperate outside. Kind of takes away from the whole horror scene situation. Just makes it sad. It’s embarrassing how out of shape I am. Especially with all this free time I’ve been having. I should not be struggling to breathe and laying near the door with the phone half dialed to 9-1-1. Wait. I think I forgot to unlock the deadbolt. Crap. Death AND a broken door. Tricks on me. Boo.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Home all day edition!
Well, I seriously thought I would have a job by now! This stinks! BUT…I am still “being actively considered” (thank goodness for that at least) by several hospitals, so I guess I just have to wait. Now that’s a trick! Scary too. I have never been unemployed this long in my whole life! Anyhomeeverydayway….
I spend most of my time on the computer filling out apps, checking sites and reapplying where ever I can. It takes a long time believe it or not, and some of these hospitals have a really complicated application process. We should get points just for filling them out all the way to the end. After staring at the computer screen all day and trying to come up with new ways to write a cover letter or explain (beg) why I want this particular position, I am burnt out and not interested in posting about my failures.
But today is a brand new week. And a brand new month is about to strike. Besides tomorrow is the really scary day. All Saints Day. The spirits get restless and try to walk around. That’s the day to go hang out in the cemetery. Nothing like swirling demons and the undead to occupy your mind and time. Bring them some of that candy, light a candle, say a few words for peace and staying in the grave and carry on. If I’m up top it’s already a good day. So, anyway, I have pictures and other fun stuff like that, that I have been doing when I am not actually sitting on this hard ass bench desperately searching for a way out of my ever increasing depression! Cheery!
Obviously today is Halloween, so that means free candy! My kids are going to suck it up one more year and do the ho stroll for tricks and treats. So in addition to the exercise I am about to go do so I can eat all that candy without guilt, I will be getting additional exercise later walking around gathering more with the children. They are old enough to go on their own and I don’t think they’ll get kidnapped or sex offended but they like for me to go too. And since I have discovered the joy of walking around with a holiday “beverage”, I am happier, the trip is easier, and I stay warmer longer! Winning!
Well I have lots more pictures I will just throw up every few minutes or hours depending on what else I do today. The above picture is from the “Benches” collection that I gather over the summer. They did a special one for Halloween so I captured all the angles and the accompanying decorations in the surrounding area. I will post more in about an hour or so. I have to go do that cardio I was talking about or I can’t eat any more junk. And that would make me even sadder. And we can’t have that. No suicide attempts on Halloween! That sounds like a good book title! Or at least a good headline for my next post. Later.
Are you sick of looking at that gaudy duck too?!?
Our weather has taken a turn for the better these last few days. It’s our last blitz before the horrible cold and (according to the weather predictors) record breaking freezes and snow inches. Yay. The only good thing about the snap in temperature is that it ends any allergic sneezing and runny eyes and noses. Annoying. The cold sucks though. I don’t know why I stay here where it’s all “seasonal”. Oh wait. I know why. Family. No job. Can’t sell the house. Can’t buy a new one. Etcetera.
Anyhow this nice weather really causes me to procrastinate on the schoolwork. But it does inspire me to get off my fat butt and exercise. Which I desperately need. How long can I keep pushing the 40+ envelope before I get some medical problem that I will actually have to go to a doctor for?? Let me tell you, you creeping, increasing, scary pounds on the scale…not much longer. After my initial health kick earlier this autumn where I shed a pants-applicable 5 pounds. I have managed to hold steady without a lot of effort. That means little to no exercise but no eating either. I’m squeezing the clothes on, but it is not pretty. There are lumps and bumps where there should be none.
So here I am again. Finding myself having to go run and eat healthy. If only I could keep it up for longer than a week or a jean size. Now, at least, I have the added inspiration of trying to outrun my daughter. Since she started cross country (it’s over now—but she did really good) I tried to help her with practice runs, but I am far too slow. These damn kids are fast. And they make it look pretty easy. I was practically having a seizure on the trail. I was counting down in my head by hundreths of a quarter mile just to make it two miles without stopping. I felt pathetic, old and out of shape, but there was no one around to hear me count and watch me dry heave and it did give me something else to think about besides my collapsing lungs.
And I did finish that two miles. 26 minutes. As usual. Every single time I start “running” again, that’s my go-to time. (Let’s not forget I broke a foot this summer so back off!! It’s a miracle I can run at all!! Let’s go with that excuse ok??) Anyway. It’s only been two days of avoiding crap food. Processed, sodium infused, alcohol infused, fried, etc., and I have to say I think I feel a bit better. I can breathe and my head doesn’t hurt too bad. The key is to drink alot of water. Something I have also been neglecting. I can tell that right away though. Because my eyes get all loopy and I feel dizzy. I also tend to go for the dramatic flair and claim that my throat feels like it is closing and I can’t sleep. I actually went to bed last night feeling hungry. My stomach was protesting the fact that I didn’t stuff it so full of food it could try and trick me into sleeping flat so it could give me massive heartburn and laugh in my ear, “HA HA, you have to sleep sitting in a chair!” Spoiled American.
I have heard of this anti-inflammatory diet (which is very similiar to a blood pressure diet or sodium restricted diet) and I guess that’s the one I will have to settle into. It seems to be credible and addresses quite a few of the problems I have been having as a woman aging in this world. It’s so hard to make the right changes even when you know you should. I give myself until 45. That’s the outer limits of my neglect and disregard. After that I think my ability to skate by like a paunchy middle aged lady will totally catch up to me. And I would hate to wait that long and be forced to change. Fun stuff huh??
I wanted to do more than just this post today. But typing on the computer for hours on end makes me really really REALLY crabby. I’m not sure why. But I am feeling the irritation building. I was able to finish my paper. With 7 hours to spare! And I applied for more jobs today. I think that’s what sets me over the crabby edge. The internet is awesome for job hunting and applying but it can be super tedious and repetitive at the same time. Now I am here. Getting ready for school tonight and trying to post something worth reading.
I’ll do some lighter, fun stuff later. No need to keep it so serious. Here’s a picture I took of Stevie’s cross country conference race. These are the 7th grade girls lined up and ready for the whistle. I like the way it looks. Kind of fishbowled out with the coaches behind them. It looks like something exciting is about to happen. These kids are awesome! Track is in the spring so we need to get training! It gives us something to look forward to during the long winter and a goal to shoot for. Skinny and fast. Fall back. Spring forward. All right.
Running is NOT an option
I was behind this Jeep on the way home from school one day. Pretty cool I thought. And now I have a place to put it! I’m going to just have to face the fact that I cannot use my foot the way I want to. Since I broke that toe (or two) three weeks ago, the swelling and bruising have gone away but the pain remains. I’ve been walking on it and doing various other dumb things, like trying to bowl, droppingamotorcycleonit, and even trying to run. Fail. I hobbled out one fourth of a mile. Being generous. My son was walking faster than I could run. And the next day, forget it. I couldn’t even put my shoe back on and the top of my whole foot was kind of fat and swelly.
This is the first time in my life that running can not be my main form of exercise. Walking is really pushing it. One more reminder that I will not live forever. Suh-uh-ucks!
So I have to find a way to do cardio type, but stationary, working out. Preferably with no shoes. I have some Yoga X and some Kenpo I can do from the P90X workout system. And I have to say, Jillian Michaels Beginner dvd’s are pretty good. It’s something new I added to my page, What We Have In The House Right Now. (I’m trying to do this fabulous site and update all this old information.) Anyway, like I said a few days ago, we are trying to accomplish alot this summer. Body and Brains. Now that daily school is over, exercise needs to be the only option along with healthy eating. The weight is creeping up and so is my B/P. We weigh again tomorrow to see if any of our small changes this week have knocked out an ounce or pound or two. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy big. Remember, if you are doing it too this summer, anything the same or less is good as long as you are moving every day and trying to make the better choices.
Speaking of which. I need to get some water. It’s HOT over here! 96 degrees. I guess the heat is here to stay for awhile. I’m going to take that water and sit out in it for a bit. Sweat some of the gunk out.
Oh wait a second, Two and a Half Men is about to come on the TV. That reminds me of my favorite kind of water made by Skyy. Yes, I have seen them all, but that doesn’t make them any less funny or easier to watch with a big glass of. Of. Ummm. Liquid.
Later.
More “work” today
So. My town is doing pipe work on our water system, which is very old and crappy. We are a 70 (or so) year old town, with 70-year old pipe systems underground. You break one, you break them all, back to the source. And I guess that is what happened. Work on a side street (one block over) you end up working on the through streets when you break the main.
My neighbor called to tell us the good news. We may not have ANY water until the next day. Which is today. Fun! So we left the house to go get water and food that doesn’t need to be cooked with water or washed with water and doesn’t need dishes to clean up after. It’s just a big mess at the end of the block and we get re-routed in the other direction. When we got back at about 5:30, work seemed to be over but a hydrant was open, pouring water into the street towards my block. Oh well. We planned for a waterless night anyway, so no big deal.
But the fates were shining on us, because we had water! It was orange and rusty and full of debris, but you have never seen three people take showers faster in case they turned it off again. We didn’t even have hot water because I had turned the gas off to the heater when I found out it may be off all night. But who cares. We could flush the toilet! It’s like some survival stuff. For one whole day. Not even. Like, 8 hours. We are marshmallow people for sure. But, since this is not an end-of-the-world problem, I won’t go on about it.
Happily, they are back today. More trucks going by, lots of beeping noises and heavy equipment clanging and banging down. I expect in about an hour the water will be off again. Whatever. It’s a good reason to go exercise and study some test material. So you know what that means…I will be posting throughout the day!! Stay tuned!
And FYI for those who need to know…weather is awesome! Perfect. Sunny, clear, warm. And my foot still hurts! Later!
Back to the books!
And not the fun, light summer kind.
As usual I spoke too soon. I finally got my test date! So…it’s back to studying! I have about a month to bring it all back. That pic is old, when I was in the heart of classes. The advice I was given is to focus on one source, one type of question/testing and then use another trusted source for clarification of things not understood. Don’t go crazy, but answer questions and study a bit every day. So my book pile is significantly less than this. It actually works out good with the summer slim down plan. I even gave it it’s own category! But I think I’m changing it to:
Body AND Brains! That’s really what it all comes down to anyway.
Rolls off the tongue better than “34 Day Summer Slim Down”. Right?
But you can call it whatever you like! Just get yer booty up and out of that chair and go do something! We will be here if you need a boost! I am partial to BeachBody and the whole P90X gang, but since I broke my dangin’ foot, I am having trouble with the athletic shoe thing. So instead, Jillian Michaels has to kick our asses into gear with high tech calisthenics until I can run and jump like a Tony Horton nut!
Time to hit the floor. Get up! Get out! Let’s GO!
When it rains it pours
Not literally. The weather is so last Thursday. I mean that I had a bunch of stuff lined up and ready to go and a bunch of other crap happened that disrupted my nothing. I can’t even keep up with the weather anymore. It’s like Florida here every day now. Rain in the morning. Sunshine. Threat of rain in the afternoon, maybe a sprinkle or wind or dark, ominous clouding, then sun again. Humid too. It’s annoying. Throw in unexpected driving trips, long distances and sketchy computer-looking eyes late at night and you have the perfect storm of nothing but boring rainfall posts.
On the good side, the minute I mention I am waiting, and content to wait for, a test date, the e-mails start to appear. People are beginning to plan their futures! But not me. Still no word. Eligibility pending. So I still wait. I’m not the only one so I won’t jump on the panic wagon yet. My plan is now for the first week of August. Kids will be on their annual vacation with their dad so that’s what I am aiming for. I should be done and over by the time they get back. Jobbed and registered for the next degree. Wishful thinking.
Anyway, we made a new goal to aim for, so this already boring and monotonous site may become even more deserted and bland. Stevie wants to do a 34 day exercise/food/burn the fat/wear a bikini to Indiana Beach/crazy workout/summer slim down. And I think that’s a pretty good idea. (34 days is starting tomorrow and ending July 31.) What the hell right? We could all stand to lose a few. We’re making it official and everything with a weigh in and promises of special sandals and new swimsuits. My kids are kinda strange sometimes. The first week is always the hardest right? Especially when you have issues like, love of food, love of the couch, love of xbox and air conditioning, and a still broken foot.
Oh yeah. It’s going to be GOOD!! Do you wanna hear about it every day? This is my plan for the summer. (I mean, besides scheduling the nclex, studying for the nclex, taking the nclex, passing the nclex (probably the KEY part of the whole plan), then getting a job, taking more classes, and eventually moving to a house that actually has enough rooms for all of us). There is no 5-Mile to aim for this year and no other races that I will be entering. Can’t take the pressure.
So follow us here. Leave a comment. Leave two or three…hell…you can join us if you want. Get up tomorrow. Weigh yourself and start exercising! Post here and let us know what you are doing to eat better, workout harder, burn more calories. (I could really use some ideas to get a boy up and out of the house who would really rather not. And make it FUN!) We don’t need specifics. We don’t care what you weigh exactly, just tell us what you lost! Or what you gained! Strength, agility, speed, a tan! Let me know! You inspire me and I will try my very hardest to inspire you!
Now, I have to go meet my BF for one last bit of the crazy, then I’ll post on the progress and all the other random stuff in between. Up and out. Sky is clear. Looks like no rain for tonight. Ha…had to get in one more little weather bit. Have a great night wherever you are!
FYI–that’s a pic of my morning life as reflected in the grill. See, no kidding. RAN–DUM(B).
Love and other drugs…
This is what my kids love. (Well, this and X-Box Live. I think the Microsoft Corporation is seriously brainwashing our kids {and a whole lot of grown-ass men} thru the consoles. At least all the ones that aren’t being brainwashed by Sony Corp. I’m talking to you PS3 people!)
Summer (unofficial) practice starts today. Ya gotta bowl with the new stuff to really bowl!
We do: Kids Bowl Free! Click it to sign up. We use the alley we have leagues in, but there is a variety of bowling centers to choose from. Kids Bowl Free is awesome, and I LOVE our regular bowling center, however, it’s farther away from home and gas ain’t cheap. BUT, I did sign the kids up this year anyway, because it’s still free bowling!
Luckily, we have several bowling corporations in our area so I was able to sign them up for another program too, which I highly recommend:
Summer Unplugged! Free Bowling for Kids! This is for AMF Lanes exclusively.
Click it and sign up. We go EVERY day. No joke. And if you like to bowl, pay the extra and sign yourself up too. It really is a good deal. (Even better if you have your own shoes!) We do two separate programs, but I would recommend the AMF program to start. A few bucks extra, but more summer days, and lots of available bowling time. Also, cheap rates for games if you need to bowl a few more because you are, let’s say, breaking in a new ball, and you need to work on that curve.
Bowling gets you up and out of the house. And it’s pretty good exercise. Do it, even if it’s just so the house feels cooler when you get back! Plus, once you’re out, you may find a whole summer of fun waiting for you on the other side of the couch! Click one, join one, then turn off the computer and GO PLAY!
June Two. Day Two to the Dash.
National Running Day is over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get out there and run! If you did it yesterday, go do it again today! Here in Chicago it’s pretty nice right now. Not too hot, and perfect for going outside and working up a sweat! I will be leaving the house shortly to do just that. Thank goodness the Warrior Dash has obstacles to break up all that running! Yesterday was not my proudest day of exercise. The good part is that I managed to get my son out there and moving, but, the sad and pathetic part is, that I struggled with a measly ¼ mile. Really. I was a plodding old lady. Apparently running once a week for varying distances and so inconsistently is not the way to train for anything. Maybe my theory about eating all the junk in the house and drinking all the wine before starting the summer shape up was not as brilliant as it seemed. I probably should have just threw all the crap away. Oh well, too late now! We did manage to squeak out 2 miles though. So we are about to go do again. I really only need about 3.2 miles in a row. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Be back later.
just shy of pretty 