A Smaller Target

Fitday & Hostess: WTF?

Weight: 195

Log into Fitday to record food / protein.

Cue ghostly fading in of cream-filled cakes both below and to the right of the journal feature.  Have them repeat at every new screen.

3 cakes = 100 calories. 

Wonderful.

This new relationship is not helping my carb issues.  What's next Fitday?  Ads for diet Snicker bars? 

Thoughts anyone?

Added 7/17/08: Alison is right in her second reply.  Below is a screen shot of my journal entry page as of this morning (you can click on it for a larger version).  The words "not really helpful" do leap to mind. 

For anyone about to helpfully suggest I consider paying for Fitday's software so I don't have to put up with any ads, let me just say I'd love to and have twice tried to do so.  Unfortunately, as they told me 3 years ago, Fitday doesn't think writing a version of their software for the macintosh is worthwhile as "such a small number of people" use them.  I think I know all of you.  Much as I like Fitday, I don't think they're worth breaking off my 22 year relationship with my macs.

Okay, enough.  Grumpy is going to get some iced coffee and a walk.

Blimey! England in August

Weight: 193

You know how it is.  The exchange rate dollar to pound is worse than it been for most of my lifetime.  Airfares at record highs.  And August is high season for travel to the UK.  What does this mean? 

Paul and I are going, of course.  The reasons are involved, but they have to do with his family.  I was dreading the trip at first, mostly for the expense but also because of the time involved.  Now that we have tickets ($1400 RT by STA on Air New Zealand and trust me that was the best fare by far) and are starting to make plans, I'm feeling really excited about it. 

The trip's coming up fast too.  We'll be gone for two weeks (that's all I can be away) from August 5 - 19.

Oh, and the little video below was one that made me laugh so hard that iced freedom bag water almost came out my nose.  It would have, except I wasn't drinking at the time.  (A side note is that it's filmed all around West LA so I was busy noticing what locations were used when.)  Enjoy!

http://view.break.com/530967 - Watch more free videos

Normal For Norwich?

And now for some news from our friends across the sea.  In the Daily Telegraph today, an article about a 19 year old girl who found a bat in her bra. 

"In her bra" as in "in the bra" she was currently wearing.   At work. 

Abbie Hawkins, a hotel receptionist, thought her mobile phone was ringing when she felt vibrations coming from her clothes.

But she later discovered the tiny creature tucked away in the padded pocket of her underwear.

As staff and colleagues crowded around, Miss Hawkins, 19, produced the frightened bat, which was the size of her hand.

Yeah. 

I once had a cockroach on my foot at work, but this definitely trumps it.  Young Abbey seems very kind hearted as well, commenting that

"Once I realised it was a bat I was shocked, but then I felt quite sorry for it really.
It looked very snug in there and I thought how mean I was for disturbing it."

I'm not sure what I'd do if I found a flying rodent in my bra, but I suspect I wouldn't spend time feeling guilty about removing it.  If my reaction to the roach is any indication, I'd be too busy screaming.

If it's Tuesday...

Weight: 193.4

... I should try and answer some of the questions so kindly asked in the comments. 

• Many thanks to everyone for the good wishes.  It's true, I was down for a while.  I'm not anymore.  In fact, quite the opposite, despite the lithium. 
• Alison and *S*: I'm still afraid about the loss of both productivity and general brightness with the taking of medication, but I've promised myself to try it for a year (assuming it remains a good medical choice). The fact is, even not feeling especially smart, I seem to be able to work, something which was impossible for months.  As I've thought about my past more over the last few months, I've realized that my highs are associated with some behaviors that make me cringe even to remember let alone talk about.  Basically I'm trying to do what I'm told here and not think about it too much.  Easier said than done and all that.
• *S* - I like Power Crunch bars more due to their texture because they're structured like a wafer cookie rather than a big chewy blob.  Cinnamon roll isn't my favorite flavor (that would probably be strawberry cream or vanilla) but isn't bad.  The protein in them comes from whey not soy so they'd probably be okay for you in that sense. GNC carries them (at least the ones in Oregon and California do) so you might want to pick a couple up before deciding you want .  We're all different, but they do work for me.
• About Theo:  I am going to talk to Dr. Friend and ask that Theo be sent home should he not be interesting to the child anymore.  I've also had the offer of another Theo (who had been a gift to Harriet) but I think she needs a bite-y T-Rex as much as I do.  Finally, as Paul mentioned to me after reading my post, I do have a female version (a T-Rex named Dora) so even if Theo doesn't return, I'm not without an attack dino when one  is needed.
• Finally -- I'm back from Portland.  My dad has gone from getting ~14 mpg to getting ~27-30mpg. 

And that's about it.  Did I miss anything?

PS.  I love the idea of everyone getting a Vespa.  Me, I'm looking for the perfect bike.  I suspect when I find it, it will be orange.

Unexpected Road Trip

I'm probably going to be quiet for a couple of days.  I'm taking a weekend road trip with my dad from LA to Portland leaving this afternoon.  We'll be back Sunday night.

He's somewhat impulsively decided to sell his Tahoe and get a smaller car.  Because the truck is still registered in Portland, they still officially live there and Oregon has no sales tax, it makes sense to him to take the truck up there and buy the car up there.  Plus he'll get to spend the holiday weekend with my mother. 

Great, but the trip is 16 hours each way.  That's a long way to drive alone and the idea of him doing it was freaking my mom out.   Me too actually when I heard about it.  In a perfect world Paul or my brother could go and share the driving.  We don't live in a perfect world and work keeps either of them from being able to sign onto this adventure.  I don't drive but I can go and be a good passenger.  So that's what I'm doing.  After work today, Sacramento here I come.  W00T!

And no, I'm not just doing this because I'm a good daughter.  I'm doing it partly because this impulsive decision is my fault at least in part (though I haven't told my mother).  You see, when he and I were walking on Santa Monica Pier Sunday, I mentioned that my very small carbon footprint (I take the bus and walk everywhere) probably means our family is breaking even despite his 14 mile per gallon gas guzzler.   

Yeah.

I'll have to remember that he listens to me sometimes.  O the power!

Childishly heartbroken

Weight: 196

The question "what's really bothering you?" springs to mind.

Last night I had dinner with my closest friend from graduate school (though she's Dr. Friend now having already completed her PhD) and her small son. She and her family are headed to Chicago for her first professional position. I'm thrilled for her -- it's a great job.


Anyway, last night they came over to our apartment after we'd eaten. I was doing my best to amuse her small son (our apartment isn't the most kid-friendly place) by pulling out whatever (vanilla) toys I could find. When they left, I gave him all sorts of cheap plastic toys I'd collected via McD's Happy Meals. He was beyond excited by them and I was pleased to see them go.

And then he asked if he could have Theo. Theo is my plastic bite-y T-Rex dinosaur. He's from the Natural History Museum in London and I tend to use him (at least in my imagination) to attack those who thwart me. I've had him for 5 years. On the other hand, the child asking is four years old, has a father who's been unexpectedly away for two weeks due to a family emergency and had just this past week had to see all his things including toys, packed up and shipped away in a truck to some place he's never been. So of course I said he could have it. I was glad to give it.

Except I woke up this morning feeling deeply sad about the loss of Theo.

Huh?

My only hope is that I'm really mourning the loss of my dear friend who's moving away. I think that's the case. I couldn't really care this much about a plastic dinosaur head on a stick.

Could I?