The Bug

Today was a one step back kind of day in the food plan department. I did well until this evening. Basically I ate instead of hydrating. Then, even knowing I was eating instead of hydrating, I continued to overeat.

I haven't been hydrating well for the past few days, and it shows not only in tonight's eating, but also in my runs. I ended up with 2 miles today on the treadmill, and those were interspersed with breaks every half mile. I'm certain hydration had something to do with how I felt. I even made tea, which I haven't done for the last few days. Then I had the bright idea to add Amway's Nutrilite to the tea, which ruined the taste completely. I should have just made another batch, but I didn't.

I did accomplish several things today, including getting my car washed and cleaning the kitchen floor. I also spent quite a bit of time preparing my meals for the coming week. I have the plan perfectly balanced for my basic calorie requirements. This means I will be challenged to balance any additional calories from exercise or working at my Mom's. I don't know if I have enough vegetables in the house to balance those additional calories. I guess I'll have to work something out, even if it means another trip to the grocery store.

I also stretched after running. I woke up with my lower back VERY stiff, so stretched my back as well as my legs. Did I mention how excited I am about Friday's massage?

I'm failing on the studying front, though. I was supposed to study yesterday and today, and it just didn't happen. Things took longer than expected, and I made choices which excluded the studying. I have to start making it a priority, and am considering going back to the "every day" concept I started with. Even if I only learn one thing a day, that is better than how I'm learning now (read NOT). 

I submitted another resume to Progressive today, as well as emailing my high school friend who works there. This position is for a college student who graduated from a Masters program in December (that would be me!) or expects to graduate in early 2012. I haven't had any statistics classes, and could not detail a time when I made a proposal or recommendations to a manager or business leader, but I'm a whiz at Excel and I am willing to learn...

5 Positive things about today:

1. My neighbor stopped by and we talked about "The Occassional Dining Club" which apparently will
    have another meeting the weekend before Valentine's. No clue where we'll go to eat, but it should be
    enjoyable!

2. I didn't get to run in it, because things took longer than expected all day, but it was a gorgeous 50+
    degree day again. I can handle this kind of winter here!

3. I've been completely entranced by the Yellow Bird movies of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,
    The Girl Who Played With Fire, and now The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. (the movies
    are available on Netflix) I haven't read the last book, but these interpretations (done by a Swedish
    film company) are spot on to the books I have read, leaving literally nothing out and changing
    nothing either.  They are dark and fascinating. It's a shame the author died, as I understand there
    were plans for more in the series.

4. My cold is just about gone. No need to medicate, and only a one minor coughing jag. Now to get
    my endurance back...

5. I'm incredibly thankful I chose to list only 5 positive things about my days, as I usually get stuck
    around 3 or 4, and the 10 I was originally contemplating would likely have been impossible!
    Overall, I have good days, but the good things do not stand out at the end of the day.

Because I have no pictures for you, I offer a smile. My one and only celebrity crush...

Happiness is...

A new treadmill.

The box was as big as my living room

This is what I was left with

The instructions kept saying
"ask your assistant to hold..."
"ask your assistant to place..."
My assistant was not exceptionally helpful...

While searching for my level, I accidentally cleaned my utility room
unburying my craft area

Ready to run!

It took me a bit to figure out how to put the treadmill together, without a real assistant. Getting distracted by the utility room didn't help either, but finally it was done! Then I had a decision to make. Run on the new treadmill, or outside in the 56 degree sunshine. Hard choice!

Ultimately I decided to run on the treadmill, hopefully thinking I could put in 2 or 3 miles inside, then another 1 to 3 outside. I had to test the treadmill out, after all. I did 3 miles, and there was no way I was adding more outside. Those 3 miles were very difficult. I know I keep saying I'm not quite well yet, but it's true. I didn't take any medication at all today, with only a minor touch of congestion and one coughing fit. It was obvious on the run, however, that I've lost all my endurance. Yes, I ran 3 miles, but that was with several walk breaks. Also, I have to take my Brooks shoes back to the store. They bothered my arches through the entire run, enough so I switched back to the Kinvaras for the last half mile. If I can't even run 3 miles in them, there's no way I'm going to run 10 or 20 or more.

Again, I did a few stretches after my run. This seems to be my favorite time to stretch, even more than first thing in the morning (which hasn't been happening lately). Somehow the day had gotten away from me though (I didn't study AT ALL), so I was more focused on getting cleaned up and packed up for FNO. I did a couple leg stretches and moved on.

Knowing I wouldn't have much time this evening, I decided to do a quick job search and get my resume submission off my list. The sites I've been searching lately haven't had many new jobs posted, so I added Cleveland Clinic and University Hospital job sites to the list. I applied for an Operation Analyst at the Clinic. I don't know what the expiration date is on their assessment testing but the test I took a few months ago is no longer in the system, giving me the chance to improve my score. This test challenges problem solving and short term memory skills. The last portion is a headache, no matter how brilliant you may be. You have an email stream to read and a list of math problems to solve at the same time. Both are on timers. You can only reference emails you received within the last minute, and they are popping in your box at the rate of 2 or 3 a minute. Some of the emails ask questions referring to other emails, which have already expired from viewing. The problems you have approximately a minute to solve, and are told it's better to pass out of one rather than let the timer run out.

I don't do math in my head.

I did not score very well on this test, the first time through.

I don't expect to score much better this time. Some, because now I know what to expect. I can write some of the pertinent email info down. I can be more aware of the timers.

I wish they at least let you know if you passed or failed, instead of laughing every time you ever hopefully post a resume.

I ate rather well during the day today, except for an abundance of coffee candy. I really have to switch to a lower calorie creamer. Then I had the Nachos Supremo for dinner. I didn't eat all the nachos, but I sure ate everything on top of them. Not much in the way of vegetables, which is ok for an off day. It looks like I'm going to have to be creative tomorrow, as I ended up with leftovers from a friend's fajita. Again, not much in the way of vegetables. I'll have to fill it out some to balance, as I only get one off day per week.

5 positive things from today:

1. My new treadmill!!!!!!!!

2. This has been an exceptionally warm winter. It's supposed to be in the 40s until Thursday, and I fully
    intend to run outside while there is no snow or ice on the ground. Tomorrow, 4 miles around the
    neighborhood. Even if walking is involved, I will be outside in the sun!

3. I think Dr. J planted a seed, as I've been thinking more and more about my clay. Clearing out the
    utility room and unburying the craft table was not just a coincidence, even if I did decide I couldn't
    work in that space unless the sun was shining, and even then it's cramped and dark. I spent some
    time on Etsy today, looking at necklaces like the ones I was thinking about yesterday. There weren't
    any exactly like the ones I was thinking about....

4. I haven't always had the best relationship with my mother. I butted heads with her horribly as a teen,
    and we weren't what I would call "close" for many years. That's been changing over the last several
    years, and specifically over the last few months. I'm enjoying the time I spend with her, and the
    daily conversations are giving me an entirely new insight into who she is as a person.

5. I set up my first myofacial release session for this coming Friday. I'm very excited and hopeful,
    though I realize there is no such thing as a magic pill or bullet or whatever that will fix everything
    all at once. I'm hopeful it will help, that I won't feel so stiff, that it will relieve some of the issues
    I've become accustomed to living with.

Looking forward to an off day

From this...

to this... 

to this.

You can still see where the padding fused to the floor. All in all though, I think it looks very nice. The wood gives the first floor an entirely different feel.

After scraping and steaming the dining room floor, I moved into the kitchen.

I removed the paneling on the back wall of the kitchen. The paneling covered adhesive from the tile that used to be there, so that had to come off as well.

I learned my lesson when Energizer Bunny helped me start this project early in December. I still have a mark on my hand from the heat gun. Today, I wore gloves. So much better!

5 and a half hours. One clean floor and one clean wall. My arms are ready to fall off from all the scraping and furniture moving this week. I'm looking forward to an off day tomorrow!

I'm also looking forward to an off day on my food plan. Tomorrow is FNO, which means Mexican most weeks. My off day doesn't mean I can eat myself out of house and home. It just means I don't have to be quite so careful with balance and calorie allotment. The basic menu stays the same, except for dinner. I've built an off day into my food plan because I know myself, and restricting my diet just makes me want things more. That's why, technically, I can have anything I want. I just have to be able to mitigate with an equal amount of calories in vegetables. 

For the record, these are not vegetables. If my self destructive half is determined to have junk food, however, they are not a bad way to go. I did not manage to balance my diet with vegetables today. I do worse when I'm tired, it seems. Still looking for food to give me energy, even when I know in this case it won't. 

The weather has warmed up, the snow was melting and I wanted to run outside today, but I have this thing about running in the dark. I'm certain I'll trip over a raised bit of sidewalk. I don't lift my feet enough when I get tired. That and I don't trust my neighborhood. I'm not sure I know of a neighborhood I would trust after dark. While it was still somewhat light out when I got in car at my Mom's, by the time I was close to home there was just barely a tinge of blue in the horizon. I drove right by my house and went to the Y.

The last couple nights have not been restful, and I've been pushing my body all week both at my Mom's and the Y. Also, my cold is getting better but not yet gone. I only dosed myself with a single Dayquil today, instead of the recommended two. Better living through chemistry, as my Mom says. It's easy to forget I'm not quite healthy when the symptoms are subdued. Until I actually get on the treadmill that is. I knew I was tired, but didn't know I felt that exhausted until I started running. I also didn't know my back and torso were that tight, until I started running. I wanted to do 3, but 1 mile was enough for me today. I'm hoping to log several after my new treadmill is delivered tomorrow!

I stretched several times today. Arms and back while I was working. Legs and hips after running. I don't know that I feel any looser or more relaxed. I'll be calling for an appointment with my Christmas present masseuse tomorrow. I'm looking forward to experiencing myofacial release. I understand it's not comfortable, but that it's totally worth it. <fingers crossed>

I didn't get anything done on the house when I got home. Just sat down in front of the computer. Tired. It's been a long week and I've been very productive, overall. I'm looking forward to something of a day off, even though I still have to study and do several things on my list tomorrow.

I did submit a resume, for an Investigative Data Analyst with Progressive. An old high school friend works as a Business Analyst there, and I know a few other people in other departments. I plan to touch base with them tomorrow, and see if that takes me anywhere.

5 positive things about today:

1. Tomorrow is Friday, which means my treadmill will be here!

2. There was a beautiful sunset over my Mom's back yard. Pretty reds across
    several cloud layers.

3. The snow melted, meaning I can run outside this weekend.

4. Even though I'm tired, I can feel myself getting stronger from what I've
    accomplished this week. My trunk is stronger. My legs are stronger. Now I
    just have to get used to this level of activity...

5. I had an idea for clay necklaces today. I haven't had a clay idea for a long
    time, believing all my creativity was taken up with my parent's house. I
    don't have the time or energy for clay right now, but it's nice to know there
    will be ideas when I do. 

The dining room edition

From this...

To this
(and yes, Bronte was right in the middle of everything
the entire time!)

I pulled the carpet from my Mom's dining room today. It is obvious this room saw quite a bit more traffic than the living room over the last 30+ years. You can see where the table was. You can see where the padding fused to the varnish on the wood floor around the table. I am not exaggerating when I say at least half the room was fused. Not just stuck. Stuck and compacted and one with the varnish, which was one with the wood. I spent 7 hours on this room today. I still have to go over it with a wet mop and a razor scraper to get the last remnants of padding off. Actually, I have to do the same with the first part of the living room I did, since I realized a sharp razor makes a considerable difference in how much I can remove.

So that's on the plate for tomorrow, along with removal of the paneling (and the adhesive holding it up) in the kitchen.

Before I went to my Mom's I spent some time updating Linkedin, Cleveland Jobs, and Dice.com with a new resume. When I came home I added Indeed.com and Cleveland Careerboard to the list. I also applied for a Business Systems Analyst for Data Warehousing position. Again, my existing skill set does not exactly match what they are asking for, but I do have some of the skills required. I also happen to like working with databases, which is essentially what a data warehouse is.

After leaving my Mom's, I went to the Y for my run. I almost opted to run in place for 15 minutes or so on my little trampoline thingee. I was completely covered in dust from the carpet padding and was not liking the idea of going home to get cleaned up, then going right back out again. I decided to just go get my run on regardless of the dust. I wasn't sure how far I would run, considering how tired I was and the fact that I'm still not exactly healthy. I made it 2 miles, at 5.3 mph. That's an 11:19 minute mile, according to the treadmill. I'm getting pretty speedy, even without speed work lately.

I did some stretches right on the treadmill, then some more in the dressing room. I really need to stretch more than my legs and hips, but that's all that got attention tonight. They have a table that is the perfect height to stretch my hips like this:

Source

I'm going to try it on my bed as well, after seeing this. Not sure how well it will work, since my bed is quite high with a double set of drawers underneath. Guess I'll find out!

I came home in my running clothes. There was no way I was putting those filthy work clothes on again. I immediately threw all my work clothes, jacket, shoes, bag, everything into the laundry. Instead of doing housework, I then just walked around putting random things away. Things like the wrapping paper that's been on the stairs since Christmas. The magazine that never made it to the bathroom. I also went on line and ordered a new belt for a vacuum I almost put on the curb, because I can't find a belt for it anywhere in town.

I stumbled a little with my food plan today, because I realized I've been miscalculating my "coffee candy" (the amount of creamer I put in my coffee which makes it drinkable for me). I somehow calculated about half the calories that I'm actually consuming. This makes matching those calories with vegetables a bit more challenging. Today, out of 1,925 calories consumed, only 657 were from vegetables (843 if I include the blackberries I had for desert). I could balance it out with the 385 calories left in my budget (again, 100 calories per hour of working at my Mom's), but there's no way I'm hungry enough to eat that many vegetables. I'm actually not hungry at all. I very much like the idea of being allowed to eat anything I want, as long as I have 2x the calorie allotment so I can balance those calories with the same in vegetables. That is how I'm trying to look at this plan now. If I have a 150 calorie cup of coffee, I also need to have 2 Boca burgers or a bowl of green beans.

5 positive things from today

1. Monkey Boy had me laughing again today. Here is our text exchange:
    ME: Just sent you a package. No clue when it will get there...
    MONKEY BOY: Ok what's it for?
    ME: You'll see
    MONKEY BOY: Ok. I don't think I can live through another batch of cookies lol

    ME: No cookies. Promise.

    MONKEY BOY: Is it a pony?

    ME: lol! A pony wouldn't survive the trip...

    MONKEY BOY: U sent me a unicorn

    ME: !!!How did you guess!?!?!?!

    MONKEY BOY: Everyone knows unicorns don't need air

    So now I'm thinking of sending him a unicorn...

2. Bronte was cracking me the heck up today, too. She loves having me working downstairs, but
    apparently I was in her space. She got in my space quite often in retaliation. The fact that I was
    sitting on the floor didn't help, because that must mean I'm at her level specifically to pet her.
    Moving her bed with toys meant I must be trying to play with her. She was so preoccupied with me
    she completely missed the mailman walking across the porch right behind her. The mailman is the
    most exciting part of her day!

3. I am very pleased with how productive these last few days have been. In addition to all I'm doing at
    my Mom's, I'm staying on top of my other goals and making progress. Progress is good.

4. I'm getting a kick out of sending job prospects to friends. Didn't you always want to teach at a
    college level, even if you don't necessarily have the degree to do so? Don't you want a job that will
    send you to Spain and Portugal? I found a database administrator one today for an adult novelty
    store. The ad stated specifically that the position would require viewing of photographs with adult
    content. How is that position not filled yet?

    And how is this scene not on Youtube? 

    Betty Childs, Pi-Delta-Pi: [blissfully] Oh, Stan. You were wonderful. You did things to me you've
    never done before.
    [Lewis takes off his mask]
    Betty Childs, Pi-Delta-Pi: [gasps] Ahhh! You're that NERD!
    Lewis: Yeah.
    Betty Childs, Pi-Delta-Pi: [blissfully] Oh, you were wonderful.
    [gasps in ecstacy]
    Betty Childs, Pi-Delta-Pi: Are all nerds as good as you?
    Lewis: Yes.
    Betty Childs, Pi-Delta-Pi: How come?
    Lewis: 'Cause all Jocks ever think about is sports, all we ever think about is sex.

5. Superman. 'Nuf said.

whooped

From this...

To this.

Plus random paint touch-ups, a sidewalk and half of a driveway shoveled, and the 2nd floor wood floors steam cleaned.


7 hours.


One tired puppy.

I almost skipped running, choosing to walk a mile or three instead. In the end I decided the deal was to run, so run I would. I stopped at the Y as originally planned, walked a quarter mile, ran a mile at 5 mph, then walked another quarter mile. Then I stretched, though I could probably do with some more stretching in the lower back region.

I spoke to a headhunter today. Unfortunately, the job he wanted to talk to me about is in Akron - about an hour drive on a good day with no traffic or snow or anything. I told him it would be difficult to come up with enough salary to cover travel costs. He did say he would send my info over to the Cleveland office, so hopefully something will come of that.

I also applied for a Jr. Reporting Analyst position, which matches some of my skill set. I don't fulfill all the requirements, but I figured it was worth a shot.

I ate well, and still have a ton of calories available, which I will not use. I counted all the work at my Mom's at 100 calories per hour, which seemed more than reasonable. I'm going back and forth about including fruit in the "50% of calories consumed are vegetables" goal. I start the day with just over 50% of my daily calorie allotment figured from vegetables. Today, I had a Clif bar before my run, which was at 7pm and prior to dinner because I wouldn't have run if I'd gone home to have dinner first. I was not able to balance those 250 calories with an equal amount in vegetables, though I had the budget to do so. Instead I ate 2 large Boca burgers with my spaghetti squash dinner, then several cups of blackberries for desert.

I've decided I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Today was a good, healthy day. 'Nuf said.

I haven't gotten anything done on MY house today, unless you include the plastic containers I bought for my yearly financial files purge and 7-year storage. I haven't actually done the purge yet. Just planned it and purchased the boxes so I can organize a little better. Xmas items 75% off at Wal-Mart = super cheap plastic containers and another 3 rolls of wrapping paper. Can't beat wrapping paper at $.60 roll.

Maybe I'll vacuum my bedroom before I collapse in bed. Maybe.

check, check, check and check!

Good thing we didn't get buried in snow, as predicted!

what we were promised

what we actually got

Neither of these pictures are mine. I've been terrible lately with the picture taking. Aunt Gertie was right and basically what we got was the news and weather people running around screaming "The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We're all gonna die!"

Then nothing happened.

I took advantage of the nothing happening and got a lot done today. First, I slept in. If you've been reading here for any length of time you know I don't sleep well. I took my Mom's advice and tried a PM cold remedy last night, since the previous few nights I've been waking up as many as 10x per night.

Knocked.
Me.
Out.

I slept about 7 hours, got up for a minute, then went back to bed for another 3.

Is it any wonder I'm feeling particularly productive and energetic today?

I got up and started right into studying. Today I played with Access, remembering they have a nutritional database similar to MyFitnessPal or Fitday. Similar in theory anyway. I fussed for half an hour or so just trying to get the existing database to let me put my height in as 5'6". As soon as I tabbed out of the field it rounded up to 6', which gives me about 2K calories to play with, which is about 700 more than I need on any given day if I want to lose weight. Turns out that field is coded as an integer, which only allows for whole numbers. That particular code is buried a little, so I had to do some research, griping and grousing the whole time. I laughed on the phone with Superman later, because he's pointed out to me that I get frustrated when I'm learning - or at least when I don't understand things, until I learn. That was the whole point of getting in and playing with the database though. I have to get used to the program, and how it does things. To do this, I have to have data I understand, and an idea how I want the database to work. So today I learned.

After beating my head against the Access database for a while, I decided the weather was not prohibitive to running errands, so I headed out. I have a holiday blogger gift exchange I want to put in tomorrow's mail, but did not yet have the bits I wanted to include. Sad panda. Turns out the local chocolate companies do not sell chocolate covered bacon this time of year - only around Father's Day. Sorry Rose. I wasn't sure you'd be able to eat it anyway, considering. Just thought it would be fun.

Always wanted to try it
Seriously thinking about making some
but don't want a whole batch sitting around
calling my name

It's also time for a new pair of running shoes. Experts say you're supposed to replace your shoes every 250-400 miles, though I hear you can run in Vibrams literally until they fall apart. I'm too lazy to do the math to find out how many miles I've run since I purchased mine 7 months ago. I'm not running in Vibrams, and even with only a 4mm heel drop on my Kinvara's (most neutral shoes are anywhere from 10-20mm), I can see where they are worn, and how that wear would affect my gait. Mostly, I'm feeling it in my feet and knees. I am in the market for a new brand, as Sauchony tend to be narrow and my foot is wider than most. I normally wear a men's shoe, and the men's Kinvara is still a tad tight.

Enter the Brooks PureConnect. The fit is snug, but not in anyway binding or uncomfortable. The cushioning is focused on the arch, which makes me focus on foot placement. The heel drop is the same as the Kinvaras. I'm looking forward to testing them out on my new treadmill, which is scheduled for delivery Friday morning.

I went straight from the shoe store to the Y and put in 2 miles on their treadmill, fulfilling my run every day edict. I could have tested out the new shoe, but I already had the old ones in my gym bag, so those are the ones I wore. I planned to do the full 3 miles on my schedule today, but got to a mile and a half and realized 1) I'm not quite healthy yet, which means I get exhausted easily, and b) I could totally feel that all the running I did yesterday was in the Nike Free. Nike Free are extremely flexible, and my plantar fascia (the tendon that runs along the bottom of the foot) is not extremely flexible.

I stretched after running. Feet, hamstrings, thighs and hips.

The weather did get a little dicey on my way home from shopping. Living near the lake has more than one benefit, as lake effect snow passes right over me, dumping 2 to 3 times the snowfall I get into Superman's yard. I made it home with no ill effects, and after my run got busy rearranging the upstairs to make room for the treadmill. I couldn't take a picture that adequately showed the room I made the in front bedroom, complete with desk and internet connection for when I want to watch movies while running, but also with a clear view of the window. I also tried and failed to take a decent picture of the back bedroom, which is now set up with the Wii and DVD player, and room enough to do yoga. Halfway through this project I realized someone had stolen one of my garbage cans, which are traditionally bungee'd to the back of my house. That plus the need for a 3-to-2 prong plug adapter sent me to Home Depot. Home Depot is one of those places I can never walk into, even with a list, and walk out with only what I intended. 

This wasn't on my list
but the last spot cleaner I tried didn't work as well as I thought
the next day the spots showed right back up
Guess I'll see if this works any better.

After scrubbing spots on my bedroom carpets, I spent some time submitting my resume for an entry level Buyer position which looked interesting, and setting up a few searchable resumes on Dice.com. I love talking about how we had a computer in the house before there were hard drives and mouses, where I had to load Word Perfect floppy after floppy in order to write papers in high school.  Hopefully that little blurb will be enough to convince someone I know my way around computers enough that having taught myself how to use applications like Microsoft Office, I shouldn't have a problem learning SQL Server. <fingers crossed>

I have my menu set for the week, and my eating has been within prescribed parameters so far today. I say so far because after I posted about how well I was doing last night, I made the mistake of opening a bag of Almond M&Ms. I had the calorie allotment to have a single serving, but I did not stop there. Maybe if I had separated out that serving and immediately put the bag away... At least I didn't finish the entire bag. Only half...

5 positive things about today:

1. I slept! I feel rested, and even though I still obviously have a cold, I feel better than yesterday

2. I had an awful lot of fun shopping for and putting together my blogger gift.

3. Monkey Boy made me laugh out loud today. He was apparently in Africa for 2 weeks over
    Christmas, and that somehow entitled him to grow a beard. He's very proud of his beard. Says he
    looks like Gandolf from the Lord of the Rings...

Imagine this image in a text string, and you'll understand my confusion.
Why are you sending me naked pictures, my boy?
And what is that smudge on your chin?

4. My treadmill will be delivered Friday morning! They called twice and texted me twice, just to be

    sure I was aware of the delivery time.

5.

Enough said

This is doable (and how I lost my mind... again)

Here it is, a brand spankin' new year, and I'm feeling very much that my list of goals is exceedingly attainable.

Clean and maintain the house
I finally got my storm windows up on both front and back doors. Apparently I paid myself a favor forward at some point, took the doors apart, and put them back together upside down. Switching the storm windows consisted soley of pulling them up and making sure they latched in the proper notches.

Learn SQL and Access
I didn't actively study SQL or Access today. I did, however, search all over Amazon.com for SQL books, and determined there is no way I'm going to learn everything I need to learn before I get a job. Yeah, I'll study, but I'm going to have to convince someone somewhere to give me a chance to learn hands on.

List 5 positive things about today
1. I had a fabulous time chatting with Dr. J, her husband, Energizer Bunny, and Superman today. Dr. J
    is heading back to Florida tomorrow (providing the airport doesn't get snowed in), and I would have
    been sad if I hadn't had the chance to see her one last time.

2. Ninja stopped by in a surprise visit tonight, showing me a picture of a very special something I don't
    think is mine to talk about yet. I knew it was coming, but didn't know he had yet pulled the trigger.
    Happy me, just to see him - even more so to see him happy.

3. I lost my mind today and bought a treadmill. Not just any treadmill. A treadmill half again the top
    end of my budget. I'm in love with it though. I ran at least a mile testing out all the different
    treadmills available, and just kept coming back to this one. It is well cushioned, quick to speed up,
    quick to slow down, sturdy with a strong motor. Everything I want in a treadmill, without all the
    bells and whistles of the lower priced models, which were not as sturdy. I was annoyed by most of
    the bells and whistles of the other treadmills.

4. Energizer Bunny recieved a gas card from her insurance company, soley for recommending I talk to
    them. I did not go with that insurance company, but they sent her a gas card anyway. She gave said
    gas card to me.

5. I made a spaghetti squash chili dish for dinners this week, that came out incredibly tastey. Not bad
    for the first time making spaghetti squash, and just winging it with the rest of the ingredients.

Remodel my parent's house
This didn't happen today, but I'm very happy to have worked out something of a schedule (or at least a list of what needs doing) on yesterday's blog. Hopefully the schedule won't be disrupted too much by the predicted blizzard we're supposed to get. So far, no snow, no worries.

Stay within MyFitnessPal calorie allotment and make 50% of calories consumed from vegetables
This is going to be an interesting challenge, for several reasons. I know I'm within the calorie allotment today. If I follow my planned menu I'm within the 50%, but I'm not done eating. 600-800 calories of vegetables is a whole heck of a lot of food! I still have a box of green beans & almonds, plus a green pepper not yet consumed. I'm stuffed. I had to tweak the menu a bit when I was out shopping for a treadmill and got really hungry. I replaced one non-veggie item with another of almost the same calorie count. I'm going to have to allow for some flexibility in here. At the same time, it's helpful to have the same things to eat every day, at least every day in a week.

Stretch
This has not been the easiest goal to achieve, lately. I started out good, but lost momentum and have not been able to pick it back up. I do have plans to rearrange the upstairs for the treadmill, making certain there is room for Yoga as well.

Submit a resume a day
Today, this resume went to a headhunting agency. Hopefully they'll be able to find me an entry level database administrator position, where I can more quickly learn the skills I'm trying to teach myself. If not that, then maybe they will be able to line up my skillset with something more appropriate.

Run every day
I ran a mile today on Energizer Bunny's treadmill. I'm still ill and it was not a pleasant experience, but it fulfilled the run every day goal. I don't have to run 3 miles a day in order to achieve the 1K/365 goal, because I know there will be many days I run farther than 3 miles. I expect the mileage to average out as I ramp up toward marathon distances. I actually ran 2 miles today, once I figure in the test runs on all the treadmills.

Goal tweaking

With the new year, everyone is rather focused on resolutions and goals. I don't set resolutions as a rule, but this has me thinking of my own goals and how I can tweak things so I am more likely to succeed.

Clean and maintain the house

The problem I'm having with this goal is I am no Martha Stewart. That, and there are so many other things I want to do with my time. Scheduling housekeeping in on the calendar is helpful, but still not a surefire way to accomplish something towards it every day. I'm leaning toward a schedule that varies little from day to day, so 9am is working on the house time no matter what.

Fight depression

I'm tempted to take this off the list as an active goal, because it does not seem concrete enough. How does one fight depression on a daily basis? Focusing on the positive is one way, so I'm changing the terms of this one to: list 5 positive things about the day, each and every day.

Learn SQL

The learning goal is a combination of things: SQL, Access, Database Administration... any marketable skill. This week was the first I had a chance to study without physical exhaustion from working on my Mom's house. Instead, I was exhausted from being ill. Again, I'm hoping scheduling the time in will help. I have some books, some website bookmarked, and some books I may either purchase or borrow from the library. What I need is focus, and I'm hoping blocking time out on the calendar will help with that.

Lose 35 lbs.

Losing 35 pounds is now actually closer to losing 40 lbs, as I've been binging horribly almost from the moment I stated this goal. One of the things I realized is just stating the goal does not tell me how to achieve it. I am replacing this goal with 2 new ones: stay within the MyFitnessPal.com calorie allotment, and make 50% of those calories from vegetables. I intend to make this work even on FNO days, though I won't beat myself up too much if an occasional meal out takes me over. It's the meals in I have to make sure fit my plan.

Remodel my parent's house

This goal is on track for completion by the end of January. That's not entirely true as I will still go over at least weekly even after I'm working elsewhere, to help out. I'm thinking Monday dinners Mom, just so you know. There are also projects which cannot be completed until Spring at the earliest. The major portion of the the plan, however, will be done. I've completed both 2nd and 3rd floor, and am currently working on the main floor. This includes:

• pulling carpets from living and dining rooms
• pull paneling and adhesive from kitchen
• patch kitchen, living room, dining room, and basement stairwell
• paint kitchen ceiling
• prime kitchen, living room, dining room, and basement stairwell
• organize a painting party with my siblings to paint kitchen, living room, dining room, and basement stairwell (both color and woodwork)
• rehang basement stairwell handrail

Spring brings the following projects:

• prime, paint, and install 2nd floor molding
• pull first floor radiators and patch walls behind
• prime and paint walls behind radiators
• repair radiator boxes
• reinstall radiators

By summer, I will probably be mowing the lawn and doing other yard work on a regular basis, supposing the lawn mower works. 

Stretch

I'm hoping scheduling a specific time for this will work, in the same way I'm hoping it will work in other areas. I'm rearranging my "exercise room" to facilitate both Wii yoga and DVD yoga, and plan to stretch extensively on the days I am not running extensively.

Train for and run a marathon

The marathon goal is another I'm changing for the new year. Looking at my marathon plan, knowing I have to build both distance and speed slowly, I'm concerned about completing training for a marathon in 2012 without injuring myself. I've decided to push the marathon out to 2013 and focus in 2012 on building mileage. I will still train for the marathon this year by gradually increasing my weekly long runs. In addition, with distance in mind, I'd like to hit 1K miles this coming year. I did the math and figure I have to run an average of 3 miles per day.

My running has divided into three separate goals. 1) train for a marathon distance; 2) run 1K miles in 2012; 3) run every day. I know the last goal is ambitious, and likely will not happen. I would like to see how long I can make it happen, though. 1 mile will count, and anywhere from 1 to 3 miles will be considered my light "rest" days, where I will also focus on stretching and yoga. With that final goal in mind, I'm looking at treadmills. I envision throwing a pair of shorts and my shoes on first thing in the morning, immediately after getting up and visiting the bathroom for my morning ablutions. I haven't made a decision yet, and I really should be saving my money, but I'm pretty sure I will purchase a treadmill within the next week or so.

Get a job

The only (because what I have listed already is not nearly enough) other goal I have is to find a job, toward which I intend to submit an average of an application a day. This will also be scheduled in, and if I miss a day because I worked long at my Mom's or I overslept I will have to do double the next day. I'm running out of time on this one, and have to do something even if I don't yet feel prepared.

These are all ambitious goals, specifically when added together into the "do something towards each goal, every day" matrix. I hope to make most of them a habit, wherein I do not have to fight to work them in. I'd like to think of myself as the person that just "does" these things, that they are simply who I am. The basic theory on making most of them work will be in the schedule, which I will have to work out on a weekly basis, dependent on what needs to be accomplished that week. My menu will also be worked out on a weekly basis, though I expect once I find one that works it will not change much.

Here's to accomplishing goals, and to a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

So much for vengeance

 

Nothing going on here but sleeping, coughing, and sneezing.

Back in the Saddle

This is my calendar for the next week. I'm back with a vengeance from a week off running, where I ate excessively and did not accomplish much on many of my goals. My holiday was everything I hoped it could be, considering this year's circumstances. Superman gifted me with several hours of professional massage to help me recuperate from my long runs and physical labors. My family was delighting and wonderful. That said, it's time to get back to work.

I decided yesterday I should fill out a weekly calendar, then update it daily as I go. I have been trying to pack an awful lot into my days without a clear understanding of how long each thing will take. Case in point, today I planned to be up by 8 (my normal waking time). I gave myself half an hour to putter around and make coffee, etc. before focusing on planning out my meals for the week. I originally had a 5 miler on the calendar, but that didn't happen. I went to bed way late, woke up late, then spent some time on the phone with Aunt Gertie. I'm fighting some sort of bug, and the fact I was stiff and achy did not help get me out the door.

Today was the perfect example of how plans can change. When I got up and moving, I dressed for running but ultimately decided not to run. I then planned to stretch instead. I worked on my marathon plan by adding cross training in the form of yoga on non-running days. I even cleaned up the front bedroom so I have room to do said yoga. It turned out yoga didn't happen either, though I did stretch while working at my Mom's. I planned to work at my Mom's until 4, but didn't leave until 6. When I got home I adjusted the rest of the work week accordingly, realizing I probably will do the same at least tomorrow.

This is my Mom's living room.

This is what it looked like when I started pulling carpet.
I didn't expect the padding to stick quite so much...

This is what I scraped and swept up, after pulling the carpet

And this small portion of floor (behind where I took the first picture)
was all I was able to clear after 5+ hours.

I hoped to pull the dining room carpet today, too.
That obviously didn't happen.
Bronte was very helpful, laying all over any carpet I did pull
and moving to a different section of that carpet whenever I tried to move her off.

I installed a door stopper and fixed the record cabinet that's been broken for as long as I can remember. Gorilla Glue for the win! I also did some shoveling, as we finally got snow 2 days after Christmas.
 

I'm still working on the eating thing. I was good today, until I got home. Then, for some reason, I couldn't wait for dinner to cook and just started grazing on everything in sight.

We'll see how tomorrow goes, and how I'm feeling by then. The way I feel right now, there will be no running then either.

Nothing gets done when I paint

This is my mother's newly painted bedroom. I still have to trim to do tomorrow. Somehow just pulling the TV off the wall and painting the room, dressing room, and closet took me 9 hours. Not surprising nothing else got done. It turned out really nice though.

I'm beginning to realize I do not like to stretch when I'm stiff. Particularly when my back is stiff. I do little half-hearted stretches that are uncomfortable, then move on with my day, never going back to relieve the stiffness. You'd think that would be when I'd want to stretch the most. I haven't figured out how to change this, yet.

I'm also beginning to realize how incredibly bad soda is for me. At least that's what I'm blaming for my eating today. I did not make my tea this morning, opting instead to start the day with a soda and 2 liters of Amway Nutrilite. Next thing I know that's all I'm drinking is soda, and eating myself out of house and home.

Is anyone else anxious for the holidays to be over, and for normalcy to return? Maybe it's not so much the holidays I want gone, as it is some sense of normalcy back. This has been a long week, having nothing to do with Christmas except as a time frame to finish the bedroom. I believe I would have had the same long days if I weren't trying to finish by a certain date. It just makes sense to complete each step in a single day, as opposed to splitting it up over a few days. The long days just have me a bit frustrated in relation to the rest of my goals. No, Dr. J, I am not kicking myself over them. Just impatient to be working on them. I'll get there. I should just calm the f down and enjoy the season. One week isn't going to make or break anything.

Reveling in amazement and wonder

This is me, most evenings. I'm either catching up on blogs, comics, or playing World of Warcraft. I wonder sometimes if I would binge so horribly if I were, say, reading a book or watching a movie.

I used to think it was my computer that kept me from sleeping. I stay up late sometimes, getting stuck at my desk just flipping through webpages. I've learned over the past week or so that when I'm truly tired I go to bed at a reasonable hour. And when I don't drink soda or coffee, I sleep for 8-9 hours a night. WHAT?!? Who is this person? Yes, I've been sleeping for once. I go to bed at a reasonable (for me) hour, like midnight. I wake up once or twice, depending on the needs of my bladder and/or my cat. Then I go right back to sleep, and don't wake up until 9. I know. Hate me for being unemployed. This will all change, I'm sure. I'm just reveling in amazement and wonder that I'm capable of doing this night after night. It has to be the lack of soda and coffee, which I have cut almost completely out of my diet since starting to drink a gallon of tea a day. No lack-of-caffeine headaches. Just more sleep. That's a trade-off I can live with!

They say sleep helps with athletic goals, because it gives your muscles time to heal. They say it helps with weight loss goals, because you don't eat excessively looking for energy. I do know I fully expected to be sore and in pain after yesterday's run and painting. Today my muscles are a bit tired, but I was able to get up and paint again with no problems.

Besides eating right (which I did... YAY!), painting was the only goal I held to today. I had a very full day, away from my house. My mother's bedroom and dressing room ceilings are painted, and the walls are primed. I also fixed a few small issues with the hall ceiling. I was able to do all this in plenty of time to get ready for mass.

Big Bro and my SIL met my Mother and I at church for the mass dedicated to my father. I haven't been to mass in a very, very long time. They have changed things, at least at this church. Not necessarily for the better or worse. Just different. I'm not a big fan of change for the sake of change, but whatever. The priest seemed nice... very animated. The reading was a love poem from the Song of Songs. It made me cry, thinking of my Dad, and of my Mom thinking of my Dad. I didn't bawl, but there were several tears. I was very focused on my Dad all day, in part because of the mass, but also because a train went by as I left the house. The whistle just kept blowing and blowing and blowing. My Dad was a huge train buff, and they will forever be linked to him in my head.

On the happiness front, Rose over at Eat, Drink and Be Meiri made my day by offering a post holiday gift exchange. I haven't decided if I'm going to do a real gift or a white elephant, but either way I'm looking forward to the fun.

Tomorrow is another busy, busy day. I paint the walls of the bedroom/dressing room, then go holiday shopping with Energizer Bunny. At some point I'm supposed to run 6 miles, but I'm not certain there will be time. I may opt for situps and/or pushups, and do the 6 miles on Friday morning. Friday will be a really long day as well, painting woodwork. I guess I'll just have to see how it all shakes out.

BTW, I have a new anthem...

Whew! What a day!

This is me after today's speed work. 5 x 800's @ 6 mph. That's 5 half miles at 10-minute-mile pace, each separated with a quarter mile walk. I love doing workouts I didn't think I was capable of. I wasn't even sure I could run a half mile at that pace, not to mention run it 5 times. Guess I'm going to have to bump my quarter mile interval pace to somewhere in the 9's...

After my run I went to my Mom's. 8 hours later, I did not complete everything I set out to do there. I vastly underestimated what had to be done and how long it would take.

First I moved all the furniture out and away from the walls, then covered everything for painting purposes.

Next, I had to repair a few spots in the ceiling that pulled down when I textured. Most of that went ok, but there is one spot I am very not happy with. I'm also not sure how to fix it at this point, so I think it's just going to have to be a hot mess.

Once the ceilings were patched, I started wiping all the dust off the walls and baseboards. This part in particular I underestimated. It took a lot more time and energy than I expected.

When all the dust was gone I could finally start priming. Because we removed wallpaper and could not get all the paste off the walls, I primed all of the closet and most of the dressing room, including ceilings. By this time I'd been working for 5 hours already, and still had the entire main room to deal with. In the end I decided to only prime the ceiling and whatever wall bits I had extra paint for. I went through almost 3 gallons of primer, and will probably pick up more tomorrow to ensure there's enough for the walls that have yet to be done. I'll need it for the first floor anyway.

It was important to get the ceilings primed, as tomorrow I paint them. I have to stop at Home Depot first and return the gallon of ceiling paint we purchased. I forgot the kitchen ceiling also needs paint, and a 2 gallon bucket is considerably cheaper than 2 one gallon cans.

So tomorrow I stop at Home Depot, prime the rest of the walls, and paint the ceilings. If things go really well I might paint the kitchen ceiling too. All this has to be done before 4:30ish, though. At that point I have to stop and get cleaned up, because around 5:00 my Mom will come home, and we're going to mass. They are saying a mass for my Dad at our local church, and I offered to go with her.

I'd say, between the run and the 8 hours of work, I'm good on my weight loss goal today. I didn't get anything done on the housekeeping or learning goals, but I'm ok with that. I'm rather exhausted, and as soon as I post this I'm heading to bed. We will see what tomorrow brings.

One down, 10 to go!

This is totally me! Well, some days anyway. Some days I don't dread my run, and some days I actually enjoy being out there. Today was a mix of the two. I was still stiff from Saturday's long run in the snow, so planned on a slow, easy, shake-out sort of 6 miler. I expected it to be uncomfortable and difficult, and the first few miles were certainly not pleasant. I loosened up by mile 3 though, and flew through the final mile in just below 11 minutes. I love running, when I'm flying. It's obvious I'm getting stronger and faster. Marathon goal = check!

With the snow gone and the temps in the 40s, I'd planned to finally fix the storm windows on my front and back doors. These are a bit of a pain. I don't like screens open on the bottom, because hands tend to go through them there, so flipping the storms was my solution. Unfortunately, that means twice a year I have to take them off their tracks and put them back the way I want them, instead of the way they were designed. You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men, right? Yeah, switching the storm windows didn't happen. Instead, I discovered one of my furry friends has been pee'ing on the rug in my closet again. Luckily, with my closet in the basement, this is an area rug on top of concrete. I was able to soak it with Oxy Clean and vinegar, then run it through the washer with the same concoction. A second run through the washer with regular laundry detergent, and the rug does not smell like pee. I spent some time cleaning the concrete, then sprayed it liberally with Lysol, and my closet does not smell like pee either. Now if I can just get them (him. I'm pretty sure I know which one.) to stop pee'ing there, I'd be much happier. Housekeeping goal = check!

Today was the first weekday since I finished classes, where I didn't go to my Mom's to work. Instead I puttered around, read emails and blogs, got my run in, then got to studying. I've found a slew of tutorials on Youtube, so went through a couple. I downloaded and installed a free version of MySQL server, and took some notes.

Apparently it's impossible for me to learn without a physical notebook. Also, the notebook has to be new. I have a few lying around, with only a few pages used. Apparently those were not good enough. I found myself hopping in the car with no clear idea where I was going or what I was looking for, and ended up with notebooks. I knew about my fascination with office and school supplies. This did not surprise me. It did amuse me. Learning goal = check!

As I lay awake at 2am this morning, trying to get to sleep, my brain pondered a conversation I'd had with my mother the other day. We were talking about food, about eating plans. I'd brought up something Ninja had posted on his Facebook, about pre-packaging his meals for the week so they are 1) ready and 2) he knows what he is eating on any given day. He and I did this before he moved out, and it worked for both of us. The conversation with my mother surrounded her planning out meals on a daily basis, where Ninja was planning his weekly. 2 am this morning, my brain finally put 2 + 2 together and reminded me that preplanning like that DID work for me. I've sort of been doing it already, hard boiling eggs and putting my veggie bags together. The epiphany was to combine what had worked for me before, but was not really working now, with what works for my Mom. I got up this morning and planned out my food for the day. As the day progressed, I knew what I could eat, and had choices from the menu I'd planned. Oatmeal at 11:30? Sure! Tuna and egg salad at 4? No problem! A stop at Chipotle? Not on the menu today. Now, at the end of the day, I have nothing left on the menu, so cannot eat any more tonight. I do, however, have probably a quart left of the gallon of tea (yes, I said GALLON) I made. I can't remember when I've been this well hydrated, and I'm liking it. Weight loss goal = check!

I did stretch today, but I've kinda been falling off this goal the last couple days. Technically, what I did qualifies. I did a real stretch of my thigh/hip area. One stretch. I really want to get that routine in the morning going, as well as random stretches throughout the day. That didn't happen today. Maybe tomorrow. Stretch goal = half check?

On a side note, I found out today I somehow slipped through the cracks of the Run With Jill 2nd Annual Blogger Gift Exchange. I sent in my email as requested on 11/28, but apparently she never got it. I didn't think anything of it until, again, 2-ish am this morning. Sad panda. I would really like to be part of this blogging community, but somehow never quite seem to fit in. Maybe I'm trying to fit into the wrong section of the blog world. Maybe I'm trying too hard. Ah well. On the plus side, I don't have to worry about mailing yet another package out. I think I made my last trip to the post office today, with my loan deferment request. I was afraid I'd have to send in a hard copy request for my diploma, but was able to do that on line. Yeah, all the formalities regarding my degree are officially complete. One goal down, 10 to go!