The smell of freshly cut grass

So the last few days here in Boulder have been beautiful - not humid, about 70 degrees, sunny. It's absolutely gorgeous. And today, they've cut the grass outside of Peter's house - a sign that summer is definitely here to stay - yeah!! Now, I know that most of the time we've been couped up in the house looking after son number 1 and his knee - he's at his first physio appointment as I write this so as I had a few minutes I thought I'd post what we've done since we've been here.

- went and saw Baby Mama - it's HYSTERICAL. Love that movie. I want to watch it again, but I think it's going to go down as one of my favourites. Everyone was so great in it - what a fun movie.
- we went to dinner at Frasca, a beautiful restaurant - the food was fantastic.
- after the surgery we stayed home (of course) - but it's given me a chance to cook some basic English home comforts. I made shepherds pie with minced turkey (rather than beef) - I thought it was pretty good.
- Peter's friend Bill then brought over a pot roast on Saturday and that was fabulous too.
- Peter was feeling better by yesterday (Sunday) so we went out to lunch for Vietnamese which was awesome followed by (in the evening) a bar of his and we had some more English fare - curry and chips, and sausage roll - favourite, favourite food. It was yummy.

Today Peter's not feeling so well. It's a combination of coming off the narcotic pain killers and the removal of that natural high you normally get after surgery. I'm sure after physio he's going to be wiped out - so tonight it's going to be toad in the hole* (more English comfort food) for dinner.

Toad in the whole is sausages baked with yorkshire pudding batter in the oven. The batter is basically pancake batter...but the English kind, not American. For the recipe see http://www.deliasmith.co.uk/recipes/toad-in-the-hole-with-roasted-onion-gravy,1030,RC.html - Delia Smith is an icon of British cooking.

In other news....we're training with Billy next Sunday. Very excited about that. He's got a new gym, right across the street from the old one so I'm able to still do my classes and then go train with him. It's certainly making me think about working out while I'm in Colorado - that's for damn sure.

OK back to work:)

Patient progress

Peter's surgery went well yesterday. He had his ACL replaced on his left knee. Now he's home recovering and all is well. The drugs are now wearing off so I'm expecting that it'll start to hurt a lot more - they have loaded us up with drugs so that's great - if he needs them they're here.

After the snow of the other day it's now beautiful again and quite warm. We sat outside for an hour this morning - and yes, I got sunburn....:) We broke out the factor 30, but it was a bit too late.

So now, we're in recovery mode. Rach arrives on Friday so we'll get to spend the evening together and then we go home Saturday.

Did I miss summer?

Is it May 1st today? Did I miss something? Check out the picture.....I'm in Boulder, CO - and it's snowing!

The temperature isn't too bad - about 50 degrees, but holy moly....it's snowing!

Fuel prices

To give everyone Stateside a view of what fuel prices are like for UK peeps check out this article.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/42909/Filling-up-That-ll-be-84-please

Can you believe it? Makes our $3/gallon look postively good value!

The Horror

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=562724&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

This is one of the most horrifying stories I've ever read. I just feel for them - can you imagine never having seen daylight? Ever?

Water

I have 2 stories on water.

1) I went to get a teatowel from under the sick yesterday and they were all wet. On investigation one of our sinks had lost it's seal in the drain and water had been free flowing into the cupboard below....oh yeah for us. It's totally damaged the bottom of the cupboard. Hopefully the plumber will be able to fix it today.

2) On a worse note, after all the building work that's been done (like $250,000 worth!!), unit 2 (you know, the guys who lived with us in Jan and Feb) took water yesterday and they've got damage in their living room. Can you believe that?

it sucks

More celebration

...Rachel got her visa through too in the lottery - she's safe for 6 years! Yeah for us....

What a GREAT day for the family!

Celebration!

Stop press - our green card application was approved today! yeeeeeehaaaaaa!

Pickled

After a weekend of drugs for the cough and itching I feel totally pickled. This is how the weekend went:

First thing - 2 puffs of inhaler, 2 pills, tsp of cough syrup
After lunch - 1 pill
After dinner - 1 pill, 1 tsp of cough syrup
Before bed - 2 puffs of inhaler, 2 pills, tsp cough syrup

I'm happy to report that the rash is getting better slowly, especially on my face. My legs, chest and hands are taking longer. I appear to be coughing less, although a little tickly this morning.

What I didn't realize is the cortizone treatment he recommended was Prednazone which is a steroid.....so all weekend I've been sooooo hungry and been eating everything in sight. Luckily I'm only taking for another 5 days - if not, the smaller pants I'm now wearing would rip!

Good news, though - right?

New MeMe

Thanks Penny for this. I’ll live up to my reputation and complete it. This one is going around again on email. You put an X for each item you've done, then answer the questions below. To make it NEW again, let's say it has to have been in the past ten years.

() Gone on a blind date
() Skipped school
() Watched someone die
() Been to Canada
() Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
() Been on the opposite side of the country — what’s opposite? I live in the middle!
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
() Played cops and robbers
() Recently colored with crayons
() Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
() Danced in the rain
() Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
() Watched the sunrise with someone you cared about
(X) Blown bubbles
() Gone ice-skating
() Been skinny dipping outdoors
() Gone to the movies by yourself

1. Any nickname? Well officially Phil is my nickname
2. Mother's name? Ruth
3. Favorite drink? A nice English cup of tea (little milk, hot and strong) made with Tesco premium teabags
4. Tattoo? None
5. Body piercings: Just the ears
6. How much do you love your job? Loads – most of the time
7. Birthplace? Hemel Hempstead, England
8. Favorite vacation spot? Heron Island, Australia
9. Ever been to Africa? No
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yes
11. Ever been on TV? No
12. Ever steal any traffic signs? No
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 door
15. Favorite salad dressing? Asian Sesame
16. Favorite pie? Apple and blackberry – smothered in Bird’s custard
17. Favorite number? 7
18. Favorite movie? Rocky Horror Picture Show
19. Favorite holiday? May bank holiday/Memorial Day (it’s the start of summer!!! Yeah!)
20. Favorite dessert? Banana Angel Delight with Cadbury flake sprinkled on top or Lemon Meringue Pie
21. Favorite food? English sausages
22. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
23. Favorite brand of body wash? Dove (the one with no perfume or additives)
23.5 Favorite Hand wash? Bath and body works white tea and giner
24. Favorite toothpaste? Sensodyne
25. Favorite smell? Ylang Ylang candles
26. What do you do to relax? Go to the gym, surf the internet for hours and hours
27. How do you see yourself in 10 Years? Still at the company I work for, more senior with serious plans for moving to somewhere warmer (and the ability to buy outright from all the money we’ll make on our condo in NYC)
28. Farthest Place you will send this message? Only Blogger
29. Who will respond to this the fastest? Penny’s started this so probably no-one else

New Format

So, do you like it? I got bored with the old one, then I didn't like the first one I picked. I thought this looked pretty contemporary and cool.

The Doctor

So, this post is about my actual doctor - not one of my favourite shows, Dr Who. As an aside, if you've not watched Dr Who....see it. That, and Torchwood. I think they're on SciFi channel as well as BBCAmerica.

So, since having flu a few weeks I've got the following ailments:
- really bad cough, dry, annoying to everyone and myself
- my rash that was on my eyes is better but it's now spread to top of legs, chest, hands and forearms
- I need a prescription for my HRT - I'm bad at taking it but need something to stop the night sweats (oh, the joys of menopause.....even so, better than PMT and periods!!)
- My thigh muscle hurts. It's hurt about 8 weeks. I thought I'd just pulled a muscle but rest and exercise haven't made it any better. I think I should get an xray/scan/MRI just to check it's nothing more serious

So....I have the name of an orthopedic surgeon and an obgyn so will be making appointments next week.

For the flu symptoms I have the following:
- inhaler for morning and evening
- cough medicine 3 times a day
- hydrocortizone treatment for the rash

Apparently the diagnosis was that I have allergies - and that the rash that is creeping around my body is the same as the cough - and you can't itch a cough.

So, we'll see how that all goes.

This weekend I get to choose all the colours for the walls and floor. We are having the place decorated throughout while we're in Colorado. The walls, woodwork, having the TV mounted on the wall, surround sound, bathroom floors redone and then mirror/waste disposal in the kitchen. I can't wait. They're also going to put together the cabinets I bought for the living room. Oh yeah!!

Fart filter

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7367572.stm

I laughed out loud - although I know at least one woman who could benefit too:)

UFOs

Do you believe it?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1091885.ece

I never believed in ghosts or UFOs or anything like that until Penny had the ghostbusters in her house. When I heard recordings of the ghosts not only did it send chills down my spine (especially when you heard "pen-ny" in the background!!) but it opens your mind to what's out there.

What do you think? Fake or real?

How lovely

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKL2487835120080424

I thought this was touching - while some of us may not enjoy going to the pub, others do. I think this was a great idea. So remember kids...when your parents are in a nursing home you can find them extra friends!

We have a cheese shop!

http://www.thecheesestorehoboken.com/

Now, I'm not one for cheese but a lot of my family and friends love it. We've got a Cheese Store. How cool is that?

So, for when you guys come and visit we've got something else to do.

A record...

One of my new year's resolutions was to get out for lunch more. It may be the middle of April but I'm happy to report it's only Thursday and I've been out for lunch 3 times....and each time it's been for over an hour. We've had beautiful weather and I have to tell you.....I have no motivation at all to work.

The other thing is that at work the pressure has been off for a few weeks - and I'm realizing I only work well when I'm under the gun and busy as crap. I really do have to get my butt in gear because I know I'll be mad if my boss doesn't think I'm "superior"...but at the same time I can't get into it. Hopefully while we're away in Denver I can get lots done to get organized for the second half of the year.

I'm starting to freak out about how I'm going to keep up the exercise while I'm away. At the best of times I'm bad at getting motivated, but at least when I'm home I do go to a spin class 4 times a week and other occasional things. I have no excuses because we're staying at a hotel and they'll be a pool and gym available. I wonder if I should find a trainer for while I'm there - OK back to reality - like I have money for that.

I'm trying to book a flight to go back to the UK in early June but holy cow, the flights are expensive. I'm sure something will turn up - I'm going to take a week on vacation and a week working.

OK, I've gotta work...

Leah vs. Chad vs. Matt vs. Ana vs. Carla

470 vs. 500 vs. 570 vs. 600 vs 670. My spin teachers and the average number of calories burnt in a 45 minute class. What's interesting about this is that is also in ranking order of who's my favourites. Tonight I was in Leah's class for the first and last time. It was so boring. I was there for ages and looked up at the clock and a whole 15 mins had gone by. It was awful.

I just love Carla and Ana's classes, and Matt's OK. Tonight was just terrible - to the point where I felt the need to type this.

Now I'm desperately trying not to eat the 470 calories in cookies and chocolate!

What artist should paint your portrait?

Who Should Paint You: M.C. Escher

Open and raw, you would let your true self show for your portrait. And even if your painting turned out a bit dark, it would be honest.

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

Work

Don't get me wrong - overall I love my job. I have an awesome boss and the people I work with are great. But sometimes I just wonder. I will say here that I'm a perfectionist, that I know I don't suffer fools gladly and I get frustrated easily when I see people who don't work as hard as I do or aren't as loyal.

My company was acquired last week and now we're this huge-ass company with a new brand etc. I think the communications through this acquisition have been great. The particular part of the organization I work in has most of the management team from my old company so a lot of the cultures and expectations aren't really changing very much. Yesterday was the day we got to meet some of the staff from the other company. They were a mixture of people - both training staff and managers. My focus here is on the managers (think VP or Director) and how they're assimilating their staff into this brand new world. We had meetings and then the day ended with drinks at a bar - there were probably 200 people in this place so it was very busy.

Now, I don't like to let it all hang out when it's business, but at the same time I do like to have fun. I see it as an opportunity to shake the hand of people I don't know and find out what they do. Now, wouldn't you have thought that these people who are trying to assimilate to the team would do exactly the same thing? Right. Well they didn't. I'd done a couple of swoops around the bar - and then I found 6 of them huddled in a little group..... these poor people. I know that not everyone's the same - but they had been told by the SVP to meet at least 6 people they don't know. Not sure how they were planning on doing that all sitting with each other. Anyway, I grabbed them, split them up (having secured assistance from another colleague) and we started introducing them to other people.

I know I should be more understanding - but c'mon people, we're all fighting for our jobs right now - you'd think you'd want to put your best foot forward, right? I think I'm most frustrated with the manager of this group - because he should know better.

Still, I had a great time - got to hang out with a few peeps. And I didn't get a headache in the morning.

Ok, thanks for reading - I feel better already:)

IKEA

For anyone who's ever been to IKEA will find this article hysterical. I stole it from Penny.....I just couldn't resist. This website is now one of my favourites.

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/how_to/the_nonexpert_ikea.php

To delegate or not to delegate

I'm a control freak. I know I am. I try not to be....but it just doesn't work. As a manager, I always feel incredible guilt when I don't delegate and let go of the reins enough to let someone else have a go. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

In this new job of mine (although not so new any more.....it's been since Jan 1) I don't have any direct reports so a lot of what I do I have complete control over. There are times when I feel I'm doing very mundane admin work and my boss will find out and fire me. While I know that it won't happen, it makes me think that when it's very very administrative I should train someone more junior to do the work.

That's what I did last week. AND WHY DOES IT BACKFIRE?

All I wanted this person to do is open up a reporting program, filter by an account name and product and copy and paste it into Excel. Now do it 23 more times for each of the other accounts. Easy right? Foolproof right? Yeah.....well......not. I thought I'd done the right thing. I showed them, they showed me - we're all good. This person has always done stellar work before so I saw no reason to check at all.

I find nothing worse when I'm trying to get lots of managers to do things differently, I give them information and it's wrong. I feel like a complete idiot - and I'm mad as hell. Not only because I look stupid, but more importantly it's now taking more time than it would have if I'd just done it myself. I'm not cut out for this mentoring crap - I just should suck it up and do it myself.

I've just finished the "you made errors, so please do it again - correctly this time" conversation. The big question is will I trust the results?

The answer is a big...fat...NO NO NO NO NO.

Ah well....such is life.

Chuckle

This made me laugh. If it was April 1st I'd think it was a joke article. Hahaha.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKL2290323220080422

Happy Tuesday!

Monday already

Man, the weekend went by fast. While I did spend some time relaxing, I feel like I did lots of stuff too.

First things first, 1 managed 2 days in a row to get a lie in. One thing that's annoyed me for the longest time is that I'm awake by 7am, and usually up and doing chores by 8am. I hate that. I always wanted to have a lay in until noon,.....but my body wouldn't allow it. For whatever reason this weekend I managed it. Saturday we got up at around 11am, and then Sunday was about 10am. Not bad for people who are usually early birds.

Now, that may have something to do with the fact that we had an impromptu party on Friday at our neighbours place. We grilled out, drank wine, checked out their new patio furniture and generally hung out. Oh yeah, and the weather was gorgeous all weekend so that made for lots of socializing.

Friday night I also worked out with my 3rd trainer. Her name is Debbie. She's better than Mitch, but still not the same as Billy. I didn't hurt particularly, but at least I felt like I was working out. I also managed a spin class on Saturday. I bailed Sunday and decided to rest, but tonight I'll do spin plus a strength training class so that's pretty good. My right thigh is still bugging me - so I had a massage at the weekend to see if that would fix the nagging problem. the only time it hurts is when I"m doing a lunge with my leg at the back....it's right at the top of the thigh, but below the hip bone. My gut tells me it's muscular, but if it doesn't sort itself out soon I'm going to have to go to the doc to make sure it's not serious.

On other health issues, I still have weird rashes all over me....and again if that doesn't go by Friday it'll be back to the doctor to see if they can figure out what it is. My cough is also still here and not going anywhere. while it's a tad irritating to me - it's way more irritating to my colleagues who seem to think I have the black plague every time I cough:) If I eat hard candy or chew gum it's not so bad....but my jaw gets tired periodically.

My diet is crap. I think I'm going to have to start blogging everything I eat - while it's boring for the readers, it seems to keep my sorry ass in check - and I'd really like to lose another 10-20lb before summer....and time is running out. I read an article at the weekend that said people who work out a lot (ie, me!) tend to compensate and eat too much. I think I'm definitely guilty of that - while I eat well during the day and am careful - when I get home from the gym I'm usually ravenous and while I start off and prepare a healthy meal I usually find that doesn't work - and then I blow it all and eat crap. I have to get out of that habit. So my work day will consist of an omelette for breakfast (one regular egg plus one egg white, cheese, bacon), salad for lunch with meat, and then a granola bar at about 4.30pm. Then I'll have a smoothie before the gym, and a protein type meal afterwards. Let's hope that works...

On the furniture front, we put together our first cabinet yesterday. It looks great and I'm really pleased with it. Overstock.com is awesome and my new favourite website. We were going to wait to put it all together until after the decorating etc, but realized if it's damaged that it would be a problem returning the stuff - especially as the painting won't be finished until the end of May ish.

In other news, I sold the Grand Prix. An end of an era. I love that car - it's fast, cute, drives fantastic and has a heated drivers seat. It's staying within the family - Carrieanne is now the proud owner. she's taken great care of it over the past couple of years, so it's great she wants it. She's so excited to have a great car...and we're excited she's happy.

Saturday we went out to a Sushi restaurant at the other end of our town. We walked out with our neighbours - it's about a mile. I think we decided while the food was good, the service was terrible, atmosphere average and the drinks OK. It certainly wasn't worth the hike of 14 blocks....we could have got the same, if not better, experience more closer to home. Luckily where we live a taxi is a flat $5 so getting home was a breeze.

OK, back to work.....

Now seriously...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=560193&in_page_id=1773

Who goes and gets 32GG boobs? That is the most ridiculous thing I've read in ages. Now I know that those with no boobs want bigger ones, and that those of us with big boobs really could without them and just yearn to be able to buy a t-shirt with a shelf bra and it actually fit. But c'mon....who in their right mind thinks that this woman looks attractive?

On a brighter note, my flu is gone except for a lingering cough that's annoying the crap of everyone I sit with at work....but hey, not much I can do about it.

Is this bad?

I will preface this by saying that I did a strength training class plus a spin class tonight.

OK, so I'm sitting here watching the finale of The Biggest Loser on TV. Is it bad of me that I ate a small tub of ice cream and a chocolate bar?

While I'm feeling guilty I did work my butt off in the gym....so it's OK, right?

Sense of taste

So, when does it return? I'm getting mightly fed up of not being able to taste food. I know I was ill, but I've finished the antibiotics, I'm back in the gym regularly and to everyone on the outside it looks like I'm fine and dandy. I'm sitting here this morning drinking my first cup of tea and I still can't taste it. Definitely weird. I can taste stuff on my lips, but not a thing in my mouth. Doesn't stop me eating bad things though:)

We are now finally in the state at home where this is no chocolate. This can only be good. While we do have a few cookies and such I really never think about eating those unless it's a Saturday morning - don't ask me why, I don't know...I just don't. So, we're back to eating sugar free jello if I want a sweet fix.

Man, I wish my sense of taste would return. I wonder how long I should wait before I ask a doctor....?

Gym

Things are changing on the gym front. Billy quit, Mitch is OK....yeah yeah I hear you say. I'm waiting with baited breath for the gym across the street so I can train with Billy again - that said I still have 28 sessions at the gym that need to get used. In talking with Debbie (the 3rd trainer who'll be at this new building), she's excited for not only the changes but is a more bubbly personality than Mitch. While Mitch is OK... I'm not settling and the sooner I acknowledge that the better. So, I'm spending an hour with Debbie on Friday afternoon. We'll see how that goes.

I'm keeping up with the cardio and getting in at least 3-4 sessions of spinning a week which is good. I'm starting to notice the lack of muscle tone though in my arms - hence the session on Friday. I will also try and be more dedicated to the Bodypump class which is all about weight lifting.

In addition, I've really got to look after my hip/back - it's still giving me trouble, even though I'm taking it easy in the gym.

What colour is your mind?

Your Mind is Blue

Of all the mind types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Mind?

Well again

Man, that flu kicked my ass. I can't believe it took nearly a whole week before I felt normal. I can't believe it's Sunday night again already. I broke down on Thursday and went to the doctor who gave me antibiotics, cough medicine and cream for my eyes. Outside of the high temperature, the crappy eyes were awful. At least all the drugs have made that better - it's not perfect, but it's better. I feel like I aged 20 years. I'm hoping most of the lines will disappear....I guess if they don't I'll be stuck with it.

From an eating perspective I've eaten way less than normal...and it's showing on the scales. Hopefully during the week the smaller stomach will mean we'll see inches lost. For the gym, I went to spin last Thursday, but I went easy on myself. I did the same Saturday. I met Mitch today - and I did OK. So, I'm back to normal.

I'm still not brilliantly OK with Mitch. He's OK...but he's no Billy. Talking of Billy, I found him a new job:) It's funny how life throws you these things. There's a new building that's opened right opposite the gym, and there's a gym there. I happen to be friends with a lady who works in real estate and knew that that building was looking for a trainer for their gym. The plus side is that it looks like I'll be able to train with Billy there. I really hope so - I do miss him.

On the ailments front I've got a sore back and a sore right hip/top of thigh. I think I'm going to get a massage to see if I can fix it - otherwise it'll be a trip to the doctor. I think I'm starting to get worried as it's not getting better. We'll see...

OK, well I'm off to watch the final of Bret Michel's Rock of Love....complete and utter crap reality TV. But it's great.

Sick sick sick

Oh my....I can honestly say I've not been this sick in years. I've taken 2 days sick from work and I feel terrible. Since Sunday afternoon my temperatue has been between 100-103 - this afternoon is the first time I've felt even a vague inclination get off of the bed or to open the PC (yeah, I know....it was bad). I think this is the first time I've taken sick leave at this company - and I've been there 5 years. Usually I'm a "I'll work from home today as I don't feel good"...that just hasn't been possible this time.

It is definitely flu. I looked it up on WebMD, and I have ALL the symptoms. Even the weirder symptoms like an eczema type rash on the eyes (think like teenage mutant ninja turtles....that's EXACTLY what it's like) - check out the pic.

I can't believe it's wiped me out like it has. I can see me being out of action for the entire week - I'm so tired.

One thing I don't like is the fact that I have terrible back ache....and nothing is helping. Makes for being most uncomfortable.

When I'm up for it I'll post about the past weekend when we had friends to stay.

QUIZ

Courtesy of my cousin Emily. Don't explain anything and don't judge!!!! Let's have fun and get to know one another!

Level one
() I have had an asthma attack
() Smoked A Cigarette
() Smoked A Cigar
(X) Been drunk
(X) Been In Love or still in love
(X) Been Dumped
( ) Been Fired
() Been In A Fist Fight
(X) Snuck Out Of A Parent's House
Total so far: 4

Level two
(X) Been Arrested or Seen Someone You Know Get Arrested
(X) Made Out With A Stranger
(X) Gone Out On A Blind Date
(X) Had Crush On someone older than you
(X) Skipped School
(X) Went out with A Co-worker/ team mate
() Seen Someone / Something Die
Total so far: 10

Level three
(X) Been On A Plane
(X) Thrown Up From Drinking
(X) Eaten Sushi
(X) Been Snowboarding/Skiing
() Been Moshing
(X) Taken Pain Killers
(X) Loved or Lost Someone Who You Can't Have
() Been in a bad relationship
Total so far: 16

Level four
(X) Laid On Your Back And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By
(X) Made A Snow Angel
(X) Had A Tea Party
(X) Flown A Kite
(X) Built A Sand Castle
(X) Gone Puddle Jumping
(X) Played Dress Up
() Jumped Into A Pile Of Leaves
(X) Gone Sledding
(X) Cheated While Playing A Game
Total so far: 25

Level five
(X) Been Lonely
() Fallen Asleep At Work / School
() Used A Fake / Someone Else's ID
(X) Watched The sun set/ sun rise
( ) Felt An Earthquake
( ) Kissed A Snake
() Been Tickled
() Been Robbed / Vandalized
( ) Robbed Someone
(X) Been Misunderstood...
Total so far: 28

Level six
() Pet A Deer
(X) Won A Contest
() Been Suspended
(X) Had Detention
(X) Been In A Car/ Motorcycle Accident
() Had / Have Braces
() Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(X) Had déjà vu
() Danced in the moonlight
(X) Hated The Way You Look
Total so far: 33

Level seven
() Questioned Your Heart
(X) Been obsessed with post-it-notes
() Squished Barefoot Through The Mud
(X) Been Lost
(X) Been To The Opposite Side Of The World
(X) Swam In The Ocean
(X) Felt Like You Were Dying
(X) Cried Yourself To Sleep
Total so far: 39

Level eight
(X) Played Cops And Robbers
() Recently Colored With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Did Something You Told Yourself You Wouldn't
() Made Prank Phone Calls
(X) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose
(X) Kissed In The Rain
(X) Written A Letter To Santa Claus
(X) Been Kissed Under the Mistletoe
Total: 46

Level nine
(X) Watched The Sun Set With Someone You Care / Cared About
(X) Blown Bubbles
(X) Made A Bonfire
(X) Crashed A Party
() Have Traveled More Than 5 Days With A Car Full Of People
(X) Gone Rollerskating / Blading
() Had A Wish Come True
( ) Been Humped By A Monkey
(X) Worn Pearls
() Jumped Off A Bridge
Total: 52

Level ten
(X) Seen Dolphins swimming in the ocean
(X) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole/ Freezer/Ice Cube
() Kissed A Fish
() Worn The Opposite Sex's Clothes
() Sat On A Roof Top
(X) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs
() Done A One-Handed Cartwheel
() Talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(X) Stayed Up All Night
Total: 56

Level eleven
(X) Picked And Ate An Apple Right Off The Tree
() Climbed A Tree
() Had / Been In A Tree House
(X) Have been/Are scared To Watch Scary Movies Alone
(X) Seen/heard a Ghost
() Have/had More Than 30 Pairs Of Shoes or Flip Flops
( ) Gone streaking
() Been to/Visited Someone At Jail
() Played Chicken
() Been pushed into a pool with your clothes on
Total: 59

Level twelve
() Broken a bone
(X) Been Easily Amused
() Caught A Fish
() Caught A Butterfly
(X) Laughed So Hard You Cried
() Cried So Hard You Laughed
() Mooned / Flashed Someone
() Had someone Moon / Flash You
Total: 61

Level thirteen
(X) Cheated On A Test
(X) Forgotten Someone's Name
(X) French braided someone’s hair
() Been Kicked Out Of Your House
(X) Rode A Roller Coaster
(X) Went Scuba-Diving / Snorkeling
(X) Had A Cavity
Total: 67

Level fourteen
() Been Used
() Fell Going Up The Stairs
( ) Licked A Cat
() Bitten Someone
(X) Licked Someone
() Been shot at
() Flattened someone's tires
(X) Drove/rode in a car until the gas light came on
() Had five pounds or less and bought something
Total: 69

Where I've been

It feels like an eternity since I've posted. And it really has. For a variety of reasons I didn't post but here's a brief view of what's gone on in the past week.

1) Last Thursday I was asked to leave work, I was removed from payroll and until I fixed my visa situation I couldn't work.
2) I left the country last Friday, returned Tuesday
3) Have been busy as crap all the way through

I didn't post I had to leave as I wanted to surprise Mum and Dad by turning up - and once again we managed to do that. Tim and I now need to figure out a different venue for a surprise...because turning up to the local cafe and asking for a Full Monty breakfast is now old. Still, the food was very yummy.

I don't want go through all the minute details of why this happened but suffice to say when our green card finally does arrive and neither of us are tied to our employers it'll be blinking marvelous.

Carrying on with the exercise/diet thing...

Balance (before I left) 1260
2 classes Tues + 983
1 class Thurs + 680
Total calories 2923
1 Cadbury's creme egg 167
Balance 2756

I'm back on the straight and narrow again - i really miss Billy. I wish I could find a way to work with him again. Mitch just isn't cutting it - primarily because he's never flipping available. I've gotta get a better plan together....

Wish me luck

You should avoid...

For those of you not aware Heathrow Airport opened a new terminal this week, they did. Now anyone who has worked on a large project knows you should never go "big bang" - which is what they did. Check out this article - it shows the frustration of some flyers.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=547050&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

Rule of thumb - don't fly out of a new terminal in the first few weeks, and for those running the flipping project - don't subject the poor passengers to this.

Balance

It's been a crap day today. Let's talk about my calorie balance

1440 carried forward
+ 600 SPIN Class
- 340 2 x Creme eggs (Wed)
- 170 1 x Creme eggs (Thurs)
- 270 2 x Cadbury Flakes (Thurs)
1260 current balance

It really is easy to see why I'm not losing weight. I would really like to give it up, but that's easier said than done. If I had not had any chocolate then my balance would be 2500. It's easy to see how it whittles down when you eat crap. I'm going to work on it. I did it the fall quite easily.

Penny, good luck with surgery tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you.

Chocolate

Well I did good yesterday and didn't eat chocolate - suffice it to say that I made up for it today. But, using my new rules it goes as follows:

1300 calories in the bank
+600 calories for SPIN class = 1900 calories
-2 x cadbury creme eggs (170c each) and 1 curly wurly (120c each) = total 460
1440 calories remain in the bank

So, luckily I did a SPIN class which was good....however I should have more resolve tomorrow.

Good night.

Tag - you're it

My cousin Emily sent me this....figured I'd post for everyone.

Two names you go by:
1) Phil 2) Oi you!

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Black twinset 2. Grey trousers/pants (I'm at work!)

Top Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Work out 2. Hanging out with friends

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Green card 2. Be thin (yeah, like THAT is gonna happen)

Two favorite pets you have had/have now
1. Trudy (dog) 2. Candy and Holly (cats, they came as a pair)

Two people who will most likely fill this out:
1. Penny 2. Can't think of a second

Two things you did last night:
1. Double spin class 2) Watched the movie Mona Lisa

Two things you ate today:
1. Omelette 2. Handful of nuts

Two people you last talked to:
1. Trevor 2. Jennifer

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Working 2. and Working

Two longest car rides:
1. St Louis to Boulder (12 hours) 2. Chicago to Hoboken (17 hours)

Two favorite holidays:
1. Memorial Day/Whitsun (last weekend of May) 2. Christmas

Two favorite vacations:
1. Australia, specifically Heron Island 2. Jamaica

Two favorite beverages:
1. Tea 2. Equal second Tanqueray (Gin) and Tonic with 3 limes or Surfer on Acid (Malibu, Pineapple and Jagermeister - equal parts) - depends what mood I'm in

Fitness assessment

Now we're living on our own again it's time for an assessment. Q1 has been a bit stagnant on the dieting front, especially with our neighbours living with us. Not that they were a problem, but we definitely did eat out way more than I would if I was on my own. I've decided to go back to doing what I did when I first kicked off this drive - start blogging exactly what I'm eating/doing. When it comes to chocolate, the more of the stuff I eat, the more I want. It's cold turkey time....and that's hard especially as we bought 2 boxes of Cadbury's creme eggs from Sams Club at the weekend (and they're not the boxes of 4....they're the boxes of 36!). Anyhow, I'm going to give up chocolate during the week and allow myself to eat at weekends. You'll be hearing here just how well that's going. Hopefully with sugar free jello at home in large supply we should be good to go.

So, I worked out twice with Mitch this weekend. He's my new trainer. I'm still so mad at Billy for leaving like he did...but I have to get over it. I'm trying to look on the positive and have spent all weekend trying not to compare them - but ya know, that's really hard. Billy and I got on soooo well - and Mitch is just so different. The jury is out on whether this is a long term relationship. I thought I'd write the positives and negatives down to see if I can organize my thoughts. So, here goes...

Positives
- He's into fitness
- He always checks to make sure I'm doing the exercises correctly
- Like his personality even though he's quiet
- He doesn't mind me whining/complaining/cursing when I get tired
- After Friday's session the backs of my thighs were very sore indicating a good workout

Negatives
- Not sure he works out all the muscle groups each time
- He's not working me as hard, it's so much like a cardio workout like it used to be
- He's not always available when I want him to be
- He's not Billy (I guess that translates to he's not familiar)

So, I think that on the whole we're doing OK - I decided to give him another 3 sessions to see if we can work on what I want out of it. Hopefully that'll sort it out, if not I'll be on the hunt for someone else. I wish I could just run away from the gym and tell them to stuff it, but I don't earn a million $$ a year and just can't turn down the fact that I have 30 sessions to go.

Yesterday was my first day of the start of the new regime (yeah yeah, again I hear you say). I came up with a great way to track progress. Record what I eat that's normal/healthy but then record the # of calories burnt in the gym (using my watch) less the number of calories consumed in a bad way. Cool eh? So here goes...

Monday
- 2 eggs (one regular, one white), cheese, side of bacon
- salad, no meat
- granola bar
- bowl of soup, salad and a few Mini Cheddars, Activia yogurt, sugar free jello

Gym: 2 x SPIN class, calories burnt - 1300
Bad things: zero
Balance: 1300 calories

Let's see how we go:) I did really well yesterday - let's see if i can keep it up. I am planning a Bodypump class (that's strength training/weight lifting) plus another SPIN class. The only thing that would change that is that my right hip is giving me a problem. I thought I'd bruised it and that I'd knocked into something, but couldn't remember what. Well, the bruise has gone down and it still hurts. Oh well, we'll see how it goes.

Making my blood boil...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=541598&in_page_id=1770

Is this weird?

Try and imagine this...

I'm looking out of the office window to a very colourful sky - there are at least 6 windows so I have a pretty wide view. The view is split into 3 - sky on the left, a high rise building in the middle, and then more sky on the right. The view is of New Jersey, across the Hudson river.

Why is it that the clouds on the left are moving quite fast and that the clouds on the right are stationary?

Do you think that's weird? I do. I've been looking at it for ages, and it's still doing it. If I had a camera I'd take a picture, but I don't.

Awful story

Isn't this an awful story? For the record, Mum (and Dad) - I love you. While there were rules when I was growing up (sometimes lots!!) I never doubted you loved me. This story breaks my heart.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=540153&in_page_id=1879

I also know that even though I was propelled into Motherhood many years ago that my daughters don't think of me this way either.

OK, I'm off to find a happy article....

What personality cluster are you?

Your Personality Cluster is Extraverted Thinking

You are: Organized and logical - a master at puzzles Competitive in almost any arena of life Objective when necessary, but passionate about what you truly love Intolerant of excuses and incompetence

What's Your Personality Cluster?

What kind of breakfast are you?

You Are Toast

Old fashioned and a bit of a homebody, you totally go for comfort food. You're the type who loves to cook for friends, and they love you for it. You truly know what tastes good, and you can often pick out the best dish at a restaurant. You don't fall for food trends. You stick with what's been food for a long time!

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

Slowcoaches

Today was one of those days where people think they can get in the "commuter lane" and be slow. Let me explain. At commuter times there are rules. The people on the right can move at their own pace, the people on the left walk as fast as they can. It's the rules.

Not sure what happened today but both this morning and on the way home I was behind slow coaches. Now, I've been here long enough to know that you can say "Excuse me sir/ma'am". Most of the time they move their asses out the way, sometimes they don't. I don't mind unless I'm late for the bus and then I have zero patience for slow coaches. Tonight was one of those nights:)

Vodka

Check out the medicinal version of Vodka:)

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSKUA76164020080317

When is equality not equality

Call me strange, but I never want to get a job or be selected for a project based on my gender or ethinicity. Never have, probably never will. Do I think that women have to work harder than men to be successful in the corporate world? Probably. I know I've experienced a few times where I've felt guys have got away with stuff that I never could. Is it unfair? Probably.

Here's article where I think it's taking things too far... for my US readers Labour = Democrats.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=536050&in_page_id=1770

I've interviewed and recruited many times, and I've always usually had a diverse team. I can honestly say I have never, ever hired based on gender or race - it's all about skills. Certainly in my last job I had waves of hiring just guys, then just girls but never of a particular race. I find it hard to believe that in my mother country they would consider giving a job or position to someone based on those factors.

Maybe I've been lucky, or maybe I've got to do the things I've done because I worked hard for them - on my own terms.

The Hawaii Chair

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2008/01/hawaii_chair.php

I haven't laughed so much in ages.... well, since last Friday night, but it's blinking funny!

End of a training era

My trainer quit. I'm gutted and mad all at the same time. I signed up at new year for 50 sessions on the basis that he'd be there. It's not cheap, but buying this number gets me a good discount and it's worth it. I'm mad at Billy because he quit. And let me down. He went on "2 weeks vacation" then apparently 30 minutes before we were due to meet he canceled and said he'd quit.

I've never been so gutted. It feels terrible. Now, it's not like I've not been working out or anything like that - I have my classes etc and I keep up with them deliberately. But....it's not the same as a trainer.

I was also told that I could get my money back, but when I actually tried to do that this week it wasn't allowed. Worse, the way I was treated has left me with a very very bad taste in my mouth. This new management at the gym sucks.

Today I bit the bullet, called the gym, and asked to set up a training session with Mitch. It's who Billy recommended. I find it very weird when I talked to Rob (who introduced himself as head physiologist and been in the job 6 weeks) that he didn't know where Mitch was. He wanted to palm me off with another dude.

So I'm now stuck in a rut. I have 34 sessions to use up and with no trainer I want to train with. I feel duped.

And I'm still pissed at Billy for being so hot-headed that he left me in this position.

Totally totally depressed.

Is it April fool's yet?

Check out this article....do you think it's for real?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article909822.ece

Spring is here...

2 reasons why I think spring is around the corner:

1) my eyes sting like crazy in the morning (a sure sign that spring allergies are here)
2) I keep getting zapped from the static

I also managed to lose ½lb in weight....first bit all year. Yeah! Spring is definitely here

Weird...

Ok, at work this week I got weirded out. Here's a scenario - you tell me if you thought this was weird too.

So there's a colleague of mine who's getting married in a few weeks. She received her first wedding gift. She was mad/upset/peed off that the value of this gift was $40. I don't mean just a little bit - I mean she went on and on and on and on and on about it. To the point where she removed the online registry so no-one else could purchase the same thing.

I think it made her even more mad because I didn't see the problem. I told her that when I got married (both times actually) it never occurred to me to worry about the value of the gift. I pinged Rach and asked her (as she's getting married) and asked her if she'd be mad if she got a $40 gift. She kept my sanity and confirmed that it was OK.

Now, I think this is a tri-state thing. Apparently (!), it's a big deal and when you accept an invitation to a wedding you should plan on giving the amount of the plate (ie food, drink, tip) (x2 if you take a partner) in either money or gifts. It's looked on poorly if you don't. Now, to put this in context, a plate of food per person at a wedding here is about $200. That means you're expected to drop a gift of $350-400 just for showing up to celebrate with your husband/partner.

I honestly couldn't believe it.....can you?

Blinking weirdos over here on the east coast.

Photos from last weekend

I will have emailed a lot of people these pics, but just in case I didn't, check out the pics from the past weekend. We had a blast and even though we didn't get to see everyone we had a great time.



We also had formal photos taken at Sears - check them out here.

Iowa

We had a blast. Here's the run down.

Arrived Thursday night but not before having got stopped for speeding in Illinois. Oh well, Trev was driving - good flipping job I saw the cop when I did, coz Trev got nabbed for 86 in a 65. That's $95 gone.

Friday we didn't do much in the morning, but we met Carrieanne for lunch, then went and got a manicure and pedicure before heading out to the bar to celebrate Trev's birthday. Rachel, Mike and Peter joined us along with oodles of friends. Let's see if I can remember those who joined us. Matt and Jackie, Greg B, Sue and Pete, Tammy (and a friend, didn't know her), Jenness and Tom, Jane and Carlos. We knew Jane and Carlos from when we worked at APAC and they are (were) Trev's bosses at his current company - however they came and stopped by as they'd got fired that day. Sad...but we had a great night. The great news of the evening is that Mike popped the question to Rachel and they're now getting married - so cute. Lots of tears, hugs, phone calls etc - made the night extra special. Special thanks go to Hunkydory - thanks for getting us back to the hotel in one piece on Friday night.

Saturday was a whirlwind again - after our late night we were up and at Sears ready for pics (the one here is the dumb one we had taken....it's the #1 family!!), then we met our friends Bill and Margo for lunch and coffee. The kids headed off out to see their friends and do stuff, we headed back to the hotel and had a quick nap. Then it was off to Matt and Jackie's where we played Rock Band on the Xbox for most of the night. Jackie and I played guitar, Trev played drums, Matt sang....lots of martinis later we were an amazing band. So much fun.

Sunday was primarily travel. First thing we forgot about daylight savings. Once we'd got over that we went to the Old Mill and met Betty for coffee (Darren was a misery guts and didn't make it), then after picking up Peter we met everyone in Iowa City for lunch at our favourite Indian restaurant. Then it was back to Chicago where I booked into my cheap ass hotel (thanks Hotwire....love that website. $60 got me a night at the Hilton on the airport...very nice it was too) and Trev flew back home.

And that was it. I'm bummed we didn't get to see Darren or Penny but we'll do it next time. We've decided we hav eto do that trip more than once a year - we have so much fun.

You know you're in Iowa when....

So this was part of the previous post, but as the weekend in Iowa progressed the list of "you know you're in Iowa when..." got longer and longer. This is what I can remember.

- bad, bad karaoke (I can't even describe how bad) and people think this is "THE" night out of the week
- smokey bars - ie, you can still smoke in a bar - (I'd forgotten that you smell at the end of the evening
- breakfast, out, for 2, for under $20
- hotel room service is run by the over 60s
- there's a super-Target AND a Super-Walmart within a mile of each other
- the snow piles are taller than you are
- you enter a bar/restaurant at 5.30pm and people are leaving having FINISHED dinner
- you're in a bar, and there's a 2 year old there, and no-one is saying anything
- at a traffic stop light, it goes green and it's a full 5 seconds before the first car moves, and no-one honked their horn
- you're at a traffic stop light with 2 lanes and everyone's in the right hand lane (until I come along and zip past them all!!!!!!)
- you're waiting for a table for lunch...and you're kept waiting for 20 minutes (and starving hungry) only to find when you walk in the restaurant 25% of the tables are free
- old ladies drive cadillacs ( badly)
- a car is parked taking up 3 spaces........and no-one cares

If I remember more I'll update this list.

Excited

We made it to Iowa. I still have my stinking cold, but if I take enough cold medicine I can be in continued denial.

We've been here less than a day and we're going through the "You Know You're in Iowa When...." - here's the list so far:

- bad, bad karaoke (I can't even describe how bad) and people think this is "THE" night out of the week
- smokey bars (I'd forgotten that you smell at the end of the evening
- breakfast, out, for 2, for under $20
- hotel room service is run by the over 60s
- there's a super-Target AND a Super-Walmart within a mile of each other
- the snow piles are taller than you are

....not a bad start for less than 24 hours

I can't wait to see everyone tonight.

Who has time?

We all love IKEA, right? I know I do. I have to say though when you read this article you'll wonder if there are some people in this world who don't have enough to do.

I'm happy to share my to-do list with them....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=527862&in_page_id=1770

Sick

I'm flipping sick. It sucks. I've been ignoring it for 24 hours, but there's no denying it. I feel like crap.

I got a sore throat yesterday, followed by yukky nausea. I'm sure it didn't help that I ate an omelet for breakfast followed by sushi for lunch:) I ate noodle soup for dinner, but not before I thought I could exercise my way out of this.....so I completed a Bodypump class and an hour's spin class. Still no luck - feeling terrible. I popped Tylenol Cold Remedy nighttime so I slept OK.

This morning, I popped more day time Tylenol....and then ate cereal for breakfast. There's no denying it - just in time for my weekend in Iowa. We're getting family pics done at Sears on Saturday morning - the first in about 6 years so really excited. How cool it'll be for me to do that with a nose like Rudolph. Yipp-di-flipping-doo.

Really really looking forward to our weekend away. I'm sad Penny can't make it (she hurt her leg ski-ing) but that just means I need a trip to Des Moines at some point this year. That said, still really looking forward to meeting up with old friends and the kids in Iowa. This is the reason I do not have time to be sick.

Green card woes

Oh my.... it had to happen, it was just a matter of waiting. The bomb dropped yesterday. It sucks ass. Our green card application was denied. Yes, denied. So before everyone panics and thinks we're moving we're not....Flipping Americans....can't they organize anything?

Remember back in October when I said that we were notified that the Immigration Dept wanted more info? And remember I said that we never got notified, and remember we contacted Immigration to say this, twice. Well, apparently they found our case and promptly denied the application.

Now, the lawyer believes it's because they never received the information they asked for....and all we need to do is wait until we receive details about the "why" surrounding the denied notice, we can then send the info they want and hey presto, all will be well.

Those of you who know my husband will know he doesn't take bad news well...and this was no exception.

We're waiting with baited breath. Will keep everyone posted.....but please don't hold your breath - the way it's been going it'll take blinking months and months, if not years to have a resolution.

As an aside, check out this blog...I find it super funny when I check in on the odd occasion. Any of you who have or have had preschoolers you'll love this particular post http://supamb.com/supafine/2008/03/03/never-take-your-babies-to-the-mall/

Moving out day

Remember back in December when our neighbours moved in for 2 weeks? Well, they moved out yesterday! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!! We got on really well, learnt a lot from each other and celebrated many times. That said, it's still nice to be able to walk naked to the 2nd bathroom if you need to:)

We have the house to ourselves again.

A faux pas today though. It was Mother's Day in England.....AND I HAD NO IDEA. Usually it's the Sunday before Easter but I guess this year it wasn't. I had no reminder, there was nothing on all the UK websites I visit everyday either. I was bummed. When I did find out I tried to call Mum, and then Dad and I couldn't get through. I felt terrible when she called me from Turkey. Ouch. Sorry Mum, wasn't intentional at all - I'm glad i was thinking "oh, it must be Mother's day soon I better look up when it is" - because that's how I found out.

Overheard conversation

OK, so I'm in the bank this evening getting out a wad of cash for the coming weeks (in NYC you need buckets of the stuff...but you never know what for?) and I nearly peed myself when I over heard this.

Girl 1 "I love my mom"
Girl 2 "That's nice"
Girl 1 "She looks great. She's thin, she works out, she looks after herself"
Girl 2 "Hmmmmm....that's great"
Girl 1 "Well, time is running out. She's 41 this year"


I nearly burst out laughing. I couldn't even tell you how old these girls were, but the fact that I said girl and not woman sums it up. The fact that they thought 41 was "running out" blows me away.

It's funny how you think that 41 is really really old when you're in your early 20s, but I can honestly say I like my age, I don't feel past it, I like having had the experiences I do and I like the assurity that maturity brings. Can't say I'm happy with middle-age-spread and crinkles, but hey everything has a price.

I think that exchange was priceless - it made my day!

Two pints

One of my favourite shows is Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. It's on the BBC3 channel in England - I usually have to wait to buy the UK DVD which I can only play on my crappy region free DVD player. The BBC at the end of last year launched the iPlayer - a website where you could download the previous week's TV programmes. Very cool. Downside is that you can only do it from the UK - and I'm crap at trying to figure out how to get a UK IP address to fool it into thinking I was there. Any suggestions on a postcard please....

Anyway, the BBC3 website you can actually watch the latest live episode online....very very cool. For whatever reason it's not subject to the IP address rules - all the other links are, bu tnot this one. Then, I found out that iTunes now has some BBC programmes online that I can buy. Of course they're not available on the US iTunes site - but luckily I have a UK credit card....so that works pretty well.

That makes me happy.

A snow day brings a ton of guilt

Why am I struggling so much with this diet? I did so well for months, managed to lose pounds in the holidays. It sucks.

Today is a snow day - about 5-6 inches of slushy wet horrible snow - decided to stay home. Now I know those of you in Iowa have had oodles of the damn stuff - but this is our first downfall this winter. And we have to walk everywhere in it. Yuk, at home.

Anyhow....Jackie (my neighbour) and I decided that we needed to clean. So we did. that is no excuse for the amount of food I've eaten today so far....I'm embarrassed, and have decided to cleanse myself of this evil doing I'm going to admit to what I've eaten. It is 3.30pm on Friday Feb 22nd, here is my guilt fest....and in no particular order

Bowl of Readybrek (British instant oatmeal type thing), yogurt
2 Aero bars
About 8 Bourbon biscuits (cookies)
Bit of mango (and really not much at all)
Left over chinese - take 1 - chicken curry
Left over chinese - take 2 - chicken and mushrooms

It has to have been 6 months since I've indulged so badly. I feel like crap, I've not followed my protein/carb diet plan at all and it's paying off.

My pennance is that I will get my ass to the spin class tonight, and then do at least 1 class tomorrow (if not 2).

Do you think it's because Billy's been away a few weeks? While I've exercised, it's been nothing like the gruelling schedule I normally put myself through. I dunno... maybe. I've still done 3 classes in the last week (1 weight training and 2 spin) so it's not awful....it's just not like what I usually.

We also got our quote for all the work we wanted doing in the apartment. $30,000. Enough said. We'll be rethinking what we want to do....that's for sure.

What a fat ass I am.....and I'm still thinking of the flipping chocolate. This evil twin of mine needs to take a flipping hike!

Willpower and chocolate

I'm struggling. I workout, I eat, I workout, I eat. Something has to change. I work out - a lot. You'd think you'd see some change to the waistline....but it's been static since the holidays. Part of me thinks it's because I feel entitled to eat really really bad stuff as I work out so much.

Take last night. I was in a foul mood. I'd had a really crappy day at work....the crappiest in a really long time. I had eaten Ok during the day (an omelet, pasta and sauce). I'd been out at a work do on Tuesday night so had planned on going to spin class. When I got home I really couldn't be bothered - mind you when both of my neighbours were going I dragged my sorry miserable ass to the gym and finished a spin class.

By the time I was done I was sooooooooooooooooooooo hungry - like shaky, couldn't think straight etc etc. I kept telling myself to eat a banana, some grapes etc and be healthy. And it worked - for about 2 nano seconds. I even had a bowl of cereal for dinner - Kashi cereal, so really healthy - but then it started. Found chocolate and ate it.

What a complete idiot. I feel like I'm going to have to detail my every last mouthful of food and then exercise just to lose weight. How freaking boring is that?

Maybe I'm still in my bad mood..............can you tell?

My day off

I can't say it was totally relaxing but I think I achieved quite a lot. Given that everyone else I knew (outside of work) was actually working I didn't do so badly.

First off, I attacked our mountain of paper - it's been festering for years, and nothing got chucked or filed. I now have new rules - if I can get to it online then I don't need a paper copy, if I'm never going to read it then why keep it? Seemed to work. I through two thirds of our crap away. i think I was mostly embarrassed by the state of our tax documentation. i could find paper for everything, but I now have a new project which is to print stuff off so that it looks like I know what I'm doing. I wanted to get an accountant this year and have them review everything - right now that's just not possible.

I also cooked dinner - made a kick-ass chilli, got lots of crap done and then got a massage which was awesome. I was bad and ate loads of crap chocolate, but I countered that with a spin class.

All in all, very productive.

Hail for President's Day

This weekend is awesome. I have a 3 day weekend. Yesterday I went to the gym, did a bit of housework and then we went out to the Sushi Lounge with our neighbours (the ones who are staying with us right now). We had a good night although Nick did some funny stuff. Jackie and I headed to bed around 11.30pm, very early for us but it was a good night. I don't remember Trev coming to bed at all as he was watching a movie with Nick. When we got up in the morning and came outside the vodka was finished, the tequila had taken quite a hit and there was jello (jelly for my English readers) in the sink and then lots of lemons and limes all over the place. The PS3 was also still on. At 4am there had been a big bang, we went and investigated but could find nothing.

When they got up we found that Nick had been playing the PS3 all night....by playing I mean randomly pushing buttons and pretending to play. Apparently Jackie found him at 4.30am and he could hardly walk. The bang was him falling down in the bedroom. How blinking funny. Mind you when Trev went to play the PS3, Nick had wiped out all his cars and while he could still have his points he's basically having to start at the beginning again. I'm writing this as he's playing the basic courses to get a decent car. I think it's pretty funny. Nights like that don't happen often.

I have tomorrow off. My company takes off all the financial holidays. Everyone else has to work so I've arranged my day by doing some chores, finishing off with a massage around 3pm. I think that'll be a good day.

I had a good work week last week so there's minimal for me to do before I get back to my meetings next week which I'm happy about. Things are looking pretty good right now.

We're off to Cedar Rapids in a couple of weeks for Trev's birthday which will be cool. Really looking forward to seeing everyone. We're staying in town so we'll be able to catch up with everyone. Peter's flying in, Rachel and Mike are driving down and Carrieanne's got time off work. We're really excited. I'm also going to book time at a photographer - the last time we did pics was when Rachel graduated high school in 2002. It'll be soooo cool.

Getting my hair cut again this week - I think we're going to go with a graduated bob....should look pretty cool.

OK that's it for now....back off to do nothing

I think I have OCD

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Do I have it? I never really thought so, although now I'm wondering. A weird thing to write about, but it just struck me that I might have OCD.

Stupid things like...my mugs, glasses, plates, cutlery, cooking utensils all must be in their homes. Not just in the right drawer or cupboard, but in the right order. For example, let's take my mugs. The poor mugs can't just be on the right shelf, they have to put together in their sets with their handles all facing the same way. OCD? I think so. Next, my cutlery. Knives on the left, next big forks, then small forks, then spoons. Small teaspoons at the bottom. Ditto the OCD question.

It's the fact that I know I like it like that. It's how I respond when I open the drawer or cupboard and it's not like that.

Our neighbours have been living with us for nearly 2 months. We've actually got on really well, no major hiccups at all. We share groceries and bills and it's working out OK. Now there are times when I'd like to be on our own (TMI I know...but it was VALENTINES night last night....and it's been many years since I've had to be quiet if you know what I mean). On the whole though, it's been OK with houseguests.

So back to the OCD question. When I open the cupboard and the mugs are haphazard I get annoyed, immediately have to change it all so it's back the way I like it. Same with silverware, saucepans, cushions etc etc.

OCD? I think so.

Diagnosis over.

Note to self

You have lived in NJ/NY for 2 years, this is your third winter. GO AND BUY YOURSELF A PAIR OF FLIPPING BOOTS SO YOUR FEET DON'T GET SOAKING WET WHEN IT'S SLUSHY SNOW.

Point taken.

Ski-ing in Breckenridge

See our pics from our trip to Breckenridge, Colorado where we went ski-ing. Peter joined us with his friends, Jacob and Chris, we had a great time.




This makes it look really cool, right? Well I have to tell you 2 days into this trip i'd been in floods of tears twice and really really really hated it. i couldn't understand why everyone else could walk around with relative ease in these flipping awful ski-boots. I'd put my rental ski-boots on and within about 5 minutes I had a bruised feeling on my shin and my feet had gone totally numb. Not the best feeling in the world. i changed my boots 3 times, but in the end it was tolerable.

I can't say I'm a complete convert, but by day 3 I was feeling like I could do it again - as long as I bought my own boots and they fit me. Apparently I have fat calves, which I've always known. I'm back in the land of the living again. Hope you enjoy the pics.

I suck

Having got back yesterday I made a big effort and headed off to a spin class last night - was quite impressed as I felt a million times better than I had for a few days. I keep forgetting how exercise makes you feel and it's so easy for me to go back to old habits - even after 3 years of this malarky. Does anyone have bright ideas on how to change that? Maybe it's just ingrained in me....or maybe it's that I associate England and my family with being sedentary....who knows. What I do know is that I'd really like to change it so tell me if you can think of anything.

What I was upset about was the message the scales told me this morning. I'm sure that by tomorrow it'll be better, but they had crept up a few pounds. I'm hoping by eating right today and doing double duty at the gym tomorrow. My clothes still fit OK so I'm hoping it's just bloating from all the travel and we'll be back on track.

I'm a lover of sausages - and in the US you really can't get any good ones. They have too much meat in the them an dit makes them dry and inedible, in my opinion anyway. I counted last night how many I ate while I was in England - and it was between 15 and 20. For a 10 day trip that is TERRIBLE.

No wonder I'm fat.

Nice surprise

It's Sunday evening. I travel back to the US Monday morning. My family live about 2 hours away and commuting for a 10.30am flight means driving right through rush hour. To save them the trouble, I decided to book a hotel near/on the airport. As always last minute....and looking on the travel websites one that was convenient was 150 pounds ($300 ish). too much - I'm too mean for that. Checked my Hilton points which I've not used in a couple of years and found that I had 70k points. There was a night available at the hotel at the airport - promptly booked it being chuffed with myself for not spending the money.

Arriving here was such a surprise. Apparently i'm still a "gold" member so that means I have lots of priviledges. The main ones being that I get my room upgraded (it's pretty bog standard as far as I can tell), I get access to the Executive Lounge with a happy hour for 3 hours (snacks, drinks etc) and free internet. Bloody marvelous. I'm so impressed. Couple of gin and tonics, snacks, fruit....lovely jubbley.

So, what's the first thing I do when I've got so much work to do? Yep - you got it. Log into blog....

Ok, back on track:)

Mum's doing great - she stayed in a night but is home now and doing well. Even though she had a growth removed from her nose there's no bruising and she's on her feet. Watching her doing nothing is quite funny - it's almost like it's impossible. Good luck with that one Dad:)

Dieting has been awful - my hotel room has scales in it....but really really scared to stand on it. I've already got spin lined up (2 classes 6pm and 7pm) so i'll feel back in the swing of things in no time.

Differences

Ever since I moved to the US I've always been amazed at the differences between the two countries. I always thought as English was the native language of both that it would be easy to navigate - I was wrong.

I came across this article about under age drinking - this really shows the difference in the two countries. I can honestly say when I drank underage I never got rowdy or obnoxious - probably because my idea of underage drinking was sipping a bacardi and coke and being like my Dad (ie ACT LIKE A GROWNUP), rather be a complete twat. I'm guessing times have now changed.

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/newswire.php/news/pa/uknews/story0.html&template=/news/feeds/pa_story_template.html

I guess this article will stop that....it will be interesting to watch developments.

Quick week

Can't believe it's flipping Saturday again. I feel like I flew to England, saw the fam, went to work Sunday afternoon and then didn't rest again until today. Work was crazy - really really good meetings and stuff but the days went something like this. 6am alarm, get up, go to work, meetings started at 8.30am, meetings stopped at 6pm, worked through all breaks and lunches, drinks/dinner started immediately at 6pm. Got back to hotel room anywhere between 10.30pm and 1am. Crazy crazy. Had a great time but it would have been nice to have one evening where I got to choose what I was doing. Oh well, it's over now.

I do have one funny story. Tuesday night we're at a restaurant and after dinner I wanted a decaf black coffee. Simple, right? So, I ask for that. "No madam, we don't have that. You want expresso". "No", say I, "I do not want expresso, I want ordinary coffee, no milk, decaf please". Anyway, this went on for 5 minutes. In the end I ordered an americano decaf. Apparently that's not the same (?go figure?). Ohhhh, the joys of being in England:)

Mum's in surgery today having her nose sorted out. She's OK, but staying in the hospital overnight. We're off to go and see her in an hour or so (here in the UK they dictate visiting hours!!). Trev leaves for the US tomorrow and will be back in time to watch Superbowl. I leave Monday morning. Next weekend, we're off ski-ing, so I think we'll be truly knackered by the time we're done.