Much GOOD has happened, though! So, in no particular order...
1) I finished my course of Prednisone! (Can I get a whoop whoop?)
2) I got my first car, at the age of 26! It's a beige (although they would probably call it something stupid like "Champagne Sands") 2003 Toyota Corolla LX with low mileage. And I bought it from John Elway, the football player. Sort of. He owns several car dealerships in SoCal and I just happened to get my car at his Manhattan Beach Toyota store.
3) Went to my brother's house in Seattle for the 4th of July weekend, saw him & my father for the first time in nearly 2 years and my mother for the first time in seven months. One of my high school best friends, Abi, came over with her 4 year old daughter Lucy for a day and it was wonderful to catch up - we realized we hadn't seen one another in SIX YEARS. Holy guacamole. We spent the day catching up and playing with Lucy, who is the giggliest, sweetest kid ever. Then, the next day, my aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins came down for the 4th of July. I hadn't seen them since my grandmother's funeral 3 and a half years ago, so it was good to see them on a happy occasion. Was there just long enough to catch up with everyone (48 hours) but I wish I could've stayed longer.
4) In about 45 minutes, Dave and I are leaving for Las Vegas for a 3 day weekend vacation together and I can't wait. It'll be his first real days off in we don't know how long, because he's been going in to work on weekends a lot the past several months. I got a very cute new swimsuit and have packed two kinds of sunscreen + aloe vera gel, because unlike my childhood where I was nut-brown all summer long, I rarely get sun exposure now and am whiter than white. I glow. Really, I do. It frightens small children and dogs. We're going to try and snag discount tickets to see Phantom of the Opera, and have plans for some nice dinners, but mostly want to relax by the pools, then go window shopping and look at seriously expensive, often ugly, designer stuff. Oh, yeah, and people-watching, always fun in LV.
Those are the major points of news at the moment... Lots of funny and/or weird stuff has also happened, but I don't have the time to write about it right now. Ta ta!
My gym manager noticed on Wednesday that I was looking pretty exhausted, and asked if I was doing okay. I told her how I was pretty much mainlining caffeine all day at work to stay awake - but stopping around 2pm so I could try and get some sleep at night. She recommended green veggie smoothies with kale, spinach, and spirulina & chorella, two forms of algae. "Like, I swear, the first time I had one, it was like I'd drunk 3 cups of coffee!"
At that point, I was ready to try anything. Thursday night during a Trader Joe's run, I picked up a bottle of Veggie Protein juice, which contains all of the aforementioned green things plus wheatgrass & barley juices, ginger, odorless garlic, and apple/mango juices for flavor.
This morning, I drank half a bottle for breakfast. It looked like thin green sludge, and tasted okay, albeit with a powdery aftertaste. I thought, "Well, if this works, I can handle the taste."
About an hour later, I started feeling sick to my stomach. Really, really sick to my stomach. I sipped water and tried to keep working, but even after a light lunch of salad and white rice, still yuck. So bad I ended up going home early to take some Pepto and a nap.
When I woke up, three hours later (Oh, sleep, I missed thee!), I googled "spirulina + chorella + nausea." Um. Yeah. Dammit. I'm not trying that again. Spinach & kale in a smoothie? Sure. Algae? NOT ON YOUR LIFE, BUB.
So. What to write about, as I sit here watching a TiVo'ed So You Think You Can Dance.
Last Saturday night, we went to a local Lebanese restaurant for dinner. The food was good, but not great. My favorite part was the freshly made hummus - I can't stand packaged stuff, so real, fresh hummus is something I could (and have) eaten by itself. I had grilled shrimp, and Dave had some sort of lamb thing that had too much cumin or coriander or some other spice, it was overpowering to me but he liked it. We were tucked into a corner booth, and the booth next to us was empty most of the time we were there.
As we were winding down our meal, a couple in their late 60's came in and sat beside us at the next booth.They were both tall, dressed in really bad designer resort wear, and very, very, very Boca. Oh, the voices. Nasal, grating, entitled. High-larious. He reminded me of Stan from Golden Girls.
"Oh, I don't knaaaaw about this day-cor. Hunny, you weh maaarried to a Lebaneezer once, is it accurate?" He yelled.
"Yeh, sorta. Needs maw draaaapes." She pontificated.
"Lez lookadda menu. Aw, sheet, there's raw food on heah. I cayn't eat raw fewwwd. Wanna get some baba ganoowee?" (Baba Ghanoush)
Snort.
They then proceeded to grill the waitress for a good twenty minutes on what dishes had uncooked elements and what they could possibly swap out as to not miss the full "Lebaneezer" experience. The man also flirted with said waitress, badly, asking if she was an actress and if she were Lebaneezer herself - no, Eyetalian? Reeeally? Waaaaw. Nevah wouldah guessed.
On the way home, Dave and I kept saying "Wanna get some baba ganoowee?" and cracking up.
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves and/or nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup cooked pureed sweet potatoes (I used canned)
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup cold milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups cranberries, chopped roughly
Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine all dry ingredients in 1 bowl, and all wet ingredients in another (except cranberries). Fold the 2 together until just moistened, then add cranberries.
Distribute batter evenly amongst muffin cups, and sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar if desired. Bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through cooking time.
Well, my measurements didn't change, pretty much. Body fat went down a half of one BMI level (Percentage? Point??) and my arm/waist/bust/etc measurements stayed the same. I gained two pounds.
BUT.
Three things are significant here:
- I am currently carrying quite a bit of water weight from every woman's favorite time of the month.
- I am also on Prednisone per Doctor's orders for another outbreak of parotitis, which makes you a)retain more water and "persistently gain and retain weight, and b)makes you hungry 24/7. To put the hunger in perspective, imagine eating a Thanksgiving-sized meal, until you are so stuffed you can barely move. You sit down on the couch to watch a half hour episode of, say, The Simpsons. By the time it's over, you are as hungry as if you hadn't eaten for two days. It. Stinks.
- They measured my body fat percentage for muscle vs. fat, and of the two pounds I gained, one of those was pure muscle. So, there was an improvement, and my trainer told me the other pound was water weight, not fat.
In old movies and books, during fights with monsters and demons, the heros always say "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
Now, maybe it's just me, but I'd prefer to have Satan right in front of me, where I can see the nasty little douchebag. If he were behind me, then, um, hello, he could attack without my seeing.
On doing some research the other day about healthy "etting" (as my father would say), I found out that the ideal weight for someone my height (5'5") and age (26) is in the 125-135 range. This means that in order to be what a doctor would consider perfectly healthy, I would need to lose half of myself. No small feat, given that I haven't seen that side of the 200 mark on the scale since I was 16.
I've got the working out part going again, and it does help. I can produce bicep muscles on command, (Hrrrrrngh!) and my energy level is up. After working out 4-6 times a week for the past five weeks, I haven't lost a single pound, though, and I know it's because of my snacking habits. (At least I haven't gained any!) Mealtimes I do okay, lots of veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and such. Quite virtuous. But I eat when I'm bored. When I'm tired. When I'm sad. When I'm happy. When my cats are fighting one another again. You get the idea.
More to come on this subject, I'm sure...
Middle-aged, ash blond dyed hair, and a fairly rotund midsection and very skinny legs (I believe one would call it the "apple" silhouette.) Perfectly normal, yes? What was special was her outfit.
Black leggings about three sizes too small, pulled up to just under her bosoms, cinching her torso neatly into two amorphous blobs. No bra (and Lord, there should have been one.), just a verrrrrry thin white tank top with spaghetti straps holding those jumping, jiving things in place.
I could practically hear the overtaxed straps moaning "We weren't made for this!"
Why, why, WHY do the crazies always like me? Do I have some sort of “nice aura” going on?
We all know I've had issues with crazy women thinking I'm just lovely, yes? Okay, moving on.
I was eating lunch in the café on the bottom floor of the building I work in, and was sitting by the door, which was open. A woman was walking by the open door, dressed in about sixteen layers of slightly ragged (but still clean) clothing and carting around a Dole banana box on one of those wheeled presentation carts debaters like to use. She apparently saw me and came running in to say (conversation is repeated below, as verbatim as I can remember):
Do you read a lot of novels?”
Sometimes, yes.
“Is Julia Roberts an author?”
I think she’s an actress.
"Oh, I thought she was like Nora Roberts. I saw her in that Pretty Woman thing. Did you know that the Pretty Woman lady and Julia Roberts are the same person?”
Yes, I think I did.
“I went to high school with her, but no one would ever let me see her. They lied to me.”
Oh.
“Does she dance for Michael Jackson?”
I don’t think so. Sorry.
“How do you KNOW all this? You’re so smart! I never knew all of this. I went to school with Cindy Crawford, too, but the people at the store wouldn’t tell me where she is. I know they’re all at a big fancy movie studio in downtown LA. No one will tell me. It’s not fair.”
I’m sorry about that.
“You look like Julia Roberts, with your haircut. I thought you were sisters.”
Tom Cruise?
"Yes, him. "
Really? Wow.
"He and Julia Roberts, they got their start dancing for Michael Jackson."
Groooooooooaannnnnnn....
I was telling David about this when I picked him up from work, and we realized... Every time I get accosted by the loonies, it's when I have short hair. There must be some sort of sign glowing on the back of my skull that only shows through when my hair is pixie-short.
I need a wig.
Here's the thing; when you blog for a living, it's one of the last things you want to do when you get home at night. But a lot has been happening!
First & foremost, I am extremely, extremely proud to say my husband got into BOTH UCLA & Loyola Marymount University's MBA programs!!!!! He has decided on UCLA, and starts classes in September, on track to graduate in June of 2012. It will be hard for us for him to be away evenings & some weekends, but worth it.
My company bought a shopping & lifestyle blog and I'm currently the main writer for it, in addition to my regular workload. It's fun, and yes, there's samples involved, but it's a lot of work. I'd rather be busy than bored, though. Bored means there's no work to do, and that you might get laid off. Been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt and have no desire to do so again.
And... I've joined a gym. Me. Guess which one it is?
Curves.
I just couldn't do it on my own anymore, and when you're not paying to use a gym (the one in our apartment complex is free) you're not as accountable. Plus, I got really, really sick of working out with musclehead guys and bikini model women. I saw a TV ad, went online to investigate, and the rest is history. I've been going for about a month, and it's hard work but do-able. I enjoy the company, too! I haven't changed my eating habits, so I don't know as I've really lost any weight, but I already feel stronger and have more energy. Giving up the cookies & cake is the next step. I'm planning to do some research into fibromyalgia diets, as it seems a lot of foods can trigger pain reactions - including, apparently, of all random things, green peppers! Caffeine and sugar I expected, white flour, white rice, red meat... but green peppers? Learn something new every day.
So, that's what's been happening around these here parts lately. What have YOU been up to?
"So yesterday I went to three grocery store's in search of a specific brand of cookie's." (The cookies do not own the grocery store. How can a carbohydrate possess property?)
"The girl's decided they wanted to play Barbie's and asked me to join in, but I was working on checking my email's so I said I'd play later."
I'd go on, but I think I'd get sick to my stomach's.
Please don't get me started on your/you're and their/they're/there. Nothing good can come of it.
I went to Costco this afternoon to buy milk, and on the little plastic ad on the back of the shopping cart was one for a private mortgage consultant. His tag line was, "Come and see why I am HIGHLEY recommended!" I nearly lost my lunch. You can't spell, but you want me to trust you with my financial future. Hmmm. Gonna have to consult the 8 ball on this one: "Outlook looks grim."
If you are a cat owner, you are a member of a secret society. One that has an arsenal of tricks up its’ sleeve so devious and crafty, they can’t even be spoken out loud.
I am a much better Girl Scout today than I ever was back in elementary school, for now, I am always prepared. Coworkers know they can always come to me when they are ill or infirm in any way, because I have a veritable pharmacopeia of drugs in my desk. Boo-boo? I have band-aids and Neosporin. Have a headache? I’ve got acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and OTC migraine pills. Tummy upset? How’s about some Tums, Pepto Bismol, or Gas-X? Got a cold? Sure! I’ve got Dayquil and Tylenol Cold & Sinus, take your pick. Need a tampon? Take two, they’re small.
Only problem with my pharmaceutical generosity is… Now I have a burgeoning cold and/or sinus infection, and I’m out of medicines.
I should start charging or something. I’m not a vending machine, you know.
I used to believe that if I was a good person, everybody would like me. That if I had that one "it" piece of clothing (HyperColor t-shirt, acid-washed jeans, what have you), I would be popular. That if my brother didn't act so weird, everyone wouldn't refer to me as "that crazy guy Mark's little sister." I now believe all of that is a crock of shit, and my brother is effing awesome.
I used to believe that there was a magic bullet that would make me thin. I swore up and down to myself that there would be some one diet or exercise I would love and adore, and could really stick to. This time it would work. Then I found out nothing really does.
I used to believe that God only wanted things one way, that of what's written in the Bible. Then I experienced eighty kinds of hypocrisy from so-called Christians, and realized that so much of what was going on around me didn't feel right. I went to college and studied religion and theology from an academic perspective and grew increasingly disillusioned, yet yearning for a connection to the God I know is there. I have rarely gone to church services since leaving home, but every time I do I leave feeling unfulfilled. I speak to God in my own way many times a day, asking Him or Her (or both?) to care for and keep and bless those I love, and even those I don't love. I think They listen.
I used to believe I would never get married, because who could love me? Fat, overeager to please & be popular, and always saying the wrong thing. But then I met David, and he brought me to life in a way I never knew possible. He is my other half, completely. I never expected to marry at 22, but I know it was right and feel more secure in it each passing day.
I used to believe I wanted a Ph.D. and a professorial job, and maybe children, maybe someday. Now my greatest desire is to be a mother. My health has changed my priorities so much, I barely recognize myself sometimes. I don't want money, I don't want fame, just a close circle of friends & family and to raise children with David. I hope they have his beautiful dark eyes.
I used to believe that having a large group of friends meant I'd be popular, and therefore happy. I am comfortable with my small circle of wonderful, amazing, intelligent, funny, quirky, imperfect friends and want nothing more, and am ecstatic in their company. I love them all.
I used to believe my parents were totally unfair and didn't know how to be "cool" parents. I still believe they're not "cool," but they're the best people I know and were amazing parents. Chalk one up for moving out of the teenage years...
I used to believe in a lot of things, but now I believe in more but less at the same time. I am a richer person emotionally, but know that there is much more growth and pain ahead of me in life. To that I say, "Bring it on. I've got phenomenal people and God on my side."
This I believe now.
A decision was made that a used Honda CR-V in the cheaper end of the price spectrum would be acceptable. Internet research has been done, carefully and thoughtfully, and a price range and mileage range were agreed upon. Kelley Blue Book values were duly noted.
And then we got hasty.
On the way home from brunch at the LA Farmer's Market, we decided to stop at our storage unit to grab some stuff we needed. Oh, looky there, a gigantic Ford dealership and Honda dealership, both right across the street! Why not take a look-see? We drove across and pulled into the Ford dealership's entrance, by accident. The swarm began. Old men with strange accents and ill-fitting trousers and coffee-stained ties, hungry looks in their eyes, instantly came forward. The winner of the shuffling race was a Middle Eastern man named Ali who was quite possibly one of the most persistent people I've ever met.
"I can geef you rock-baattom price! What you budget?"
Eight thousand.
"What? You no get good car dat way. I show you. You lak MUSSStang? The 'Stang, she cool."
No, thanks, just an economy car. How about that 2008 Nissan Versa?
"Is $16,000. I get you our lowest price. Test driffe, yes?"
Ok, fine, anything to get you to shut up.
As we were getting in, I noticed a cigarette burn/hole in the back seat upholstery, and pointed it out to the dealer.
"We can fixxat."
Test drive went fine. Didn't love the car, seemed kinda cheaply put together. Before we knew it, we had been dragged into the Ford office to discuss prices. Here's where I really started to love David.
Ali: "Okeydokey, what can we do to ernnn your beeezness today? What price? You wanting the financing?"'
Dave: "Possibly. We're not committed to doing anything today, but I already told you, our price is $8,000 and you didn't have anything like that. Make us some offers, and give us your business card, and we'll call you if we're interested."
The following pattern ensued: Ali did some by-hand calculations on a piece of paper, muttered to himself, and scuttled off to his manager's office. He'd come back with an infinitesimally lower number and Dave would repeat his line firmly. After several choruses, the sales manager, an African gentleman, came back with Ali and attempted the same bad line.
"What a-would it take for you to a-walk outta here a-today weeet dis car?" Manager intoned in a half-friendly half-threatening baritone. And repeat. He finally said $12,500, and we managed to escape with a business card and vague promises of phone calls.
We were getting into the car when the Manager ran out to us and said "If I do coupon price, give you $11,000, do today, yes?"
Sorry, no.
We drove over to the Honda dealership where a very similar process was repeated with a few less accents and a little less pressure, with similar ending results. All the while, my stoic, manly man husband held firm and steadfast, like the man on the Brawny Paper Towels wrapper. Only missing the red plaid shirt and hefty axe. (Please note, Dave is usually very shy and quiet with people he doesn't know.)
As we finally made our way home, I turned to Dave and said "You. Were. SO. Sexy. Back. There."
"Huh?"
"The way you just took charge, held firm... It was amazing! I loved it!"
"So to make you gooey, all I need to do is be a jackass?"
"Um... Well, I never realized it before, but yes. I guess so."
"Well then. Ah huh."
I have a feeling that I may have just given him the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. He knows the way to earn my business now.
2. Name One Thing That Made You Smile Today: Watching the Jack In the Box "Mini Sirloin" commercial at work with my boss.
3, What Were You Doing At 8 Am This Morning? Turning on my computer at work.
4. What Were You Doing 45 Minutes Ago? Eating dinner.
5. What Is Your Favorite Candy? Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
6. Have You Ever Been To A Strip club? Mom, don't look at this answer. (Yes, I have)
7. What's the last thing you said out loud? I have no clue.
8. What Is The Best Ice Cream Flavor? Swiss chocolate curvature gelato from Melt Cafe.
9. What Was The Last Thing You Had To Drink? Water
10. What Is The Longest You Have Gone Without Sleeping? Probably when I flew to London in college. Give or take, I was up for 23 or 24 hours.
11. Have You Ever Made a Promise You'd Die to Keep? Yes.
13. The Last Sporting Event You Watched? Do episodes of "Mythbusters" count?
14. What Is Your Favorite Flavor Of Popcorn? There's flavors??
15. Who Is The Last Person You Sent A Message On Facebook? Kim Valkenaar.
16. Ever go camping? Yes! But not overly fond of it.
17. Do You Take Vitamins Daily? I take so many prescriptions that honestly, I always forget about vitamins.
18. Do You Go To Church Every Sunday? No.
21. Do You Drink Your Soda With A Straw? Only if it's fountain pop.
22. What Did Your Last Text Message say? I don't have my phone with me and I'm too lazy to go get it.
24. Where Is Your Dad? In Walla Walla I'd assume.
25. Look To Your Left, What Do you see? David on the couch.
26. What Color Is Your Watch? I don't wear a watch
28. What did you do yesterday? Went to work, made shrimp stirfry, watched some TV, played with my cats. Helped Dave edit & turn in his MBA applications. Kind of boring, but nice.
29. Do You Go In At A Fast Food Place Or Just Hit The Drive through? Drive thru.
30. What Is Your Favorite Number? 8
31. Who's The Last Person You Talked To On The Phone? Dave
32. Any Plans Today? Too much going on at work, so no, just relaxing.
34. Biggest Annoyance In Your Life Right Now? Rather not say in a public forum.
35. Last Song Listened To? Something by Rascal Flatts.
36. Can You Say The Alphabet Backwards? pointless
38. Favorite Pair Of Shoes You Wear All The Time? black flats
39. Are You Jealous Of Anyone? Probably but I don't really think about that.
40. Is Anyone Jealous Of You? Good God, WHY?
41. Do You Love Anyone? Dave, family, friends.
43. What Do You Usually Do During The Day? Promote some useful, some useless, stuff. Write. BS with coworkers.
44, Do You Hate Anyone That You Know Right Now? Hate is such a strong word... honestly, I don't hate anyone.
45. Do You Use The Word 'hello' Daily? Who doesn't?
47. Do You Like Cats? I have two. "Like" is a strong word. ;)
48. Have You Ever Been To Six Flags? no
49. How Did You Get Your Worst Scar? Got run over by a car on my bike in 7th grade - not bad, just tapped, really, and my shin got shredded on my bike spokes. Still have scars.
50. Last big talk? Again, not saying in public forum.
51. Last Cd Played? Original Broadway soundtrack to "Godspell."
52. Last Bubble Bath? Not for awhile, I usually do straight bath baths.
54. Last Meal? Homemade tacos and refried beans. YUM.
55. Have You Ever Dated Someone Twice? I'm not sure what this means. Been on 2 dates with someone, yes. Dated the same person (as in boyfriend/girlfriend) twice, no.
57. Have You Ever Fallen In Love? yes :)
58, Have You Ever Lost Someone? Several
60. Have You Met A Famous Person? Judi Dench
61. List Five People You Can Tell Pretty Much Anything To? Dave, Megan, Kelly, Mom & Dad, Laura
62. List Three Favorite Colors/shades: Red, blue, purple.
63. Laughed Until You Cried? I have the greatest friends - of course :)
64. Went Behind Your Parents Back? Not too much.
66. Opinion on Gay Marriage? If two people love each other, no one should get in the way
(I stole this answer from someone else but it was so beautifully worded that I left it as-is)
67. Lowering The Drinking Age? hard to say. I know people drink underage anyways but now they have to do it in secret and end up driving drunk more often...maybe lowering the drinking age would make drinking less of a big deal and teens would binge drink less, and wouldn't be afraid to call their parents to pick them up? If anything I think maybe we should raise the driving age. (I bogarted most of Kristina's answer on this one, it was very nicely worded)
69. Who Are The Best Huggers That You Know? Dave and my parents.
70. Do You Believe In Love At First Sight? I guess that depends on your definition of love. I think you can have attraction at first sight that can develop into love, but I feel like to love someone you have to know them well.
71. Is There Something You Want To Tell Someone? STOP LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. It is cold. It sucks. The wind cuts down my back.
73. Would You Kiss Someone On Your Top Friends? I don't have a top friends. What is this?
74. How Many Kids Do You Want To Have? Between two and four.
75. Do You Want To Change Your Name? I did when I was younger but now I like it.
76. Last Time You Saw Your Father? Gah, nearly 2 years ago. TOO LONG. Dad, get down here for a visit.
77. What Time Did You Wake Up Today? 6:45
78. How Old Are You? 26
79. What Were You Doing At Midnight Last Night? sleeping
80. What Is Your Favorite Thing In Your Room? Toss-up: Dave or my cats.
81. Where is your best friend(s)? Um... Meg is probably at work, Laura is probably studying, Kelly might be working on a flight, and Dave is right next to me.
Of course, I can't end this entry without mentioning all of the wonderful calls, texts, and messages from all y'all. I am incredibly blessed to have you all as my friends, and I just wanted to say....
THANK YOU!!! :)
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