Category: Uncategorized

Owning It

Today I happily arrived at my followup appointment at the doctor; the appointment where the doctor is to tell me that my blood work showed some abnormalities that were making it difficult for me to lose weight. The doctor enters the room looks down the results and says “Everything is normal.” Apparently there is absolutely nothing wrong with me. Oh Shit! I have run out of excuses. It is time for me to own my weight problem. It is time to recognize that I am the sole cause of my weight issues.
I feel like I am in a transition period right now. This blog started as a way for me to document my gardening, photography and cooking but I feel at least one or more of those activities could be counterproductive to my weight loss goals. I only desire to cook things that are either high in carbohydrates or high in fat. For me to carry on and still work on my health, I would have to transition to somewhat a healthy cooking blog. As for gardening, it is getting in the way of my running (running is a big time suck); and getting in the way of my life in general. I am already way behind for the spring gardening. Photography on the other hand is easy to continue, as long as I make time to work on my skills (see running is a time suck). And then there are the reviews I do on Yelp – which center on eating. How do I continue that activity? Some priorities will be set. Some changes will be coming. The details of those changes are not even known to me at this time. I only have to say “Hold on tight and enjoy the ride.”

2011 Blogging as Therapy

2011 was a crappy year. I am not one to shed all my personal details on the internet but 2011 has been one hell of a roller-coaster for me . I am starting to realize this silly little blog that has little content and very little direction has been very therapeutic for me. While I don’t feel comfortable pouring my heart out to everyone on a day to day basis, it is very uplifting to blog about positive aspects of life; to concentrate on things that make me happy and make a permanent memoir of those moments. Looking back hopefully there will be a catalog of good times and positive memories. All the negativity will be in the distant past.
I used to have a reoccurring dream that I had moved into an apartment in New York City. Typically a girlfriend of mine would be my roommate. Always at some point in the dream I would walk home and realize my apartment was in a bad neighborhood (sometimes I would get lost on the way home). Inevitably I would come home to an apartment that has been broken into and all my crap was stolen.
People who know me know that I am not materialistic. I will buy a few nice things here and there but for the most part material things are low on my list. So what does this reoccurring dream mean? It probably means that deep down I have a fear of losing something. Most appropriate in my case it probably means losing people you care about, people you love, and people who love you. Recognizing this fear, and after the extremely tough year that is behind me, I hope to make 2012 a year where I foster better relationships with my husband, family, and friends. People are very important and are essential in helping you pull your head above the water when you feel weights are pulling you down. This also means that I will cut people out of my life who choose to bring me down rather than lift me up. I am not one for making resolutions. Resolutions seem to be a setup for failure. Didn’t Yoda say “Do… or do not. There is no try.” ? I feel resolutions are all try. In 2012 I will continue to exercise. In 2012 I will be more compassionate; but only in such a way where my energy is not being sucked dry.
Luckily 2011 is ending on a high note. I have had lots of good vibes lately from friends and family and running is making me regain some self-confidence. I am not expecting 2012 to be this miraculous year. I hope it will be ordinary. Why do you ask? Because my ordinary life is in fact, fine. Let us raise our glasses to another ordinary year!

Happy New Year!!!

All By Myself

From Photo Challenge

Today I am alone. My husband is off visiting his best friend. My dog is staying with her grandparents. All that is left is me, one cool cat, and one cat that insists on waking me up each morning (each day earlier and earlier: 6:30, 6:00, 5:30, 4:30 and now 3:30 am!!!). I managed to do the dishes, take out the trash and make my own dinner.
Tonight is Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Basil Soup. For this simple recipe I cooked one spaghetti squash and warmed up some tomato basil soup. I cut the squash in half and scooped the seeds out (I may save the seeds and try to kill grow them in the yard some time later). I baked the squash in the convection toaster oven at 350 around 70 minutes or until it is easy to tear apart. I warmed up the soup according to the  instructions on the can and topped it off with some shredded hard cheddar cheese.
If you leave the cheese off, it is a vegan recipe. Isn’t that fun!

From Photo Challenge
From Photo Challenge