Nutrition Tip of the Day

Reduced fat sour cream is ok. It still tastes like sour cream. Reduced fat cream cheese is not ok. It tastes like sugar.

Oh CRAP

Against my better judgment, I am watching the YouTube video of Barack and Michelle's first inaugural dance, to "At Last," a song which has long made me cry because of it's simple beauty.

So yes. I am crying. Damn those Obamas and their happy loviness that is just too sweet for words. :) How often do you see that much love in the faces of a married couple? It's just Too Much. sigh

I'm going to go get my glasses now.

Fog and Goals

Gestern Morgen war viel Grauschlier, und war es sehr kalt. Here is a foggy image of the old 522, Lake City Way, facing North. I mean, REALLY. I wanted to get some shots of campus as well, but I got distracted and by the time I remembered it was all burned off.

So I'm on about day 8 of some rather nasty version of the Bubonic Plague that's going around, and I must say that this soupy fog resembles what it feels like inside my head/brain.

I have been thinking about my goal setting. I got stuck, for some reason, but I think I'm back on track. Really my main goal is to take better care of myself, in a conscious, caring way, and all the rest of the things fall under that. Individual steps, I guess. So today I came up with

• Get more sleep - I have been accomplishing this, with physician approval, by taking OTC sleep aids so that I fall asleep at a reasonable hour instead of midnight or 1, and then being completely exhausted the next day. I have made a point the past few nights of taking them by 10:15 or 10:30, even if I feel panicky about homework. This way, I have no choice but to go to bed by 11:30. NONE. :) I'm hoping that as I continue and my body adjusts to this, my little circadian rhythm will be reset to "normal" bedtime instead of "oh shit, is it really that late????" bedtime.
  results so far: despite being sick as a dirty dog, I have more of a sense of well-being in general, feel more rested (although I'm tired from leukocyte wars), and am fighting a little less against getting up in the morning.
  
• Take my vitamins and medicine every day - I have been pretty lackadaisical about this lately. In fact I didn't take vitamins at all for many months, and it was hit or miss with my BP medicine. So I recently acquired a little pill-keeper like little old people use. I got it included in a "freebies" water bottle from Walgreens (of which Bonetti got one too). So it is very very red, with white letters on top, and every Sunday I load it up and leave it in a conspicuous place. So far I have missed one day since 1/10. Incidentally it was the day that I bragged to Bonetti "I took my vitamins EVERY DAY THIS WEEK!" ha ha!
  results so far: well, I am having success, but I can't say that I feel any different. I guess the knowledge that I'm doing something positive for my body will have to do.
• Volunteer! - Something that has always been a big part of my life is volunteering. It started back in 1985 when my mom had me go with her and volunteer at a Seattle Urban League event. It's been in my blood ever since! It's a great way to get outside or involved with something you really enjoy, a great way to meet new people, and sometimes you get free shit. And you never feel badly about volunteering. So with that, I am going to check out Sakya Monastery (I don't know why but I feel inexplicably drawn to that place) Seattle Works and WTA, and my goal is to find a volunteer project for February, and I will find and select my project no later than 1/31.
  results so far: I feel good that I've made this decision, and didn't really realize how much I miss volunteering. I figure that if I plan it right, I can make volunteering a regular part of my life again; at least that is the goal.

And those are my goal-setting attempts for today. I feel very good about them.

Healthful Lunch and Homework.

OK so Bonetti is putting me to shame by being all healthful and holistic up there in Juneau. Not to be outdone, I decided to go with a healthful lunch of cod cooked in a smidge of butter with garlic salt and dill, and a whole yellow squash tossed with a little olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and steak seasoning (the miracle seasoning in my opinion), the cooked over medium heat for about 2-1/2 minutes and finished off with a sprinkle of parm. I must say, it's very tasty. I must also point out that I resisted having tartar with it, even though I love tartar on my fish, so I'm feeling a bit virtuous there, too.

Happy MLK Jr. Day. The day dawned crisp and beautiful, with bright sunshine and thick, thick frost on everything. I know this because I woke at 6 a.m. and tried to cough my lungs out. It didn't work, so I took some Tylenol Cough Syrup which, though exceedingly vile, (and because it's vile you have to take 2 Tblsp which might as well be a gallon), is extremely effective. I have found my miracle symptom masker, only next time I will get the "chesty cough" formula, which amuses me because while it IS a good description, I am somewhat of a chesty gal, so it's doubly apropros! HA!

Anyway I must study my Deutsch. I have to do my Projekt, study my vocab, and do a couple of assignments. This chaper is called "Alltagsleben," which means every day life, and I feel like my whole communication ability is opening up as I learn how to say things like to like, to want, to leave, to arrive...it's fantastic.

Then I have 2 more sections of calculus to finish by Wed for the Exam, and I will be learning the substitution rule (which I already know the basics of) and actually that's it! Hooray! I am ALL over it. :) And here's a MLK quote to leave you with:

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Three Day Weekends!

Happy three day weekend to you and yours. It is 10:29 a.m., and I am flitting between chores and homework and loading my i-Pod. I went and got a buttload of CDs from the library yesterday and am now listening to Le Savy Fav to see if I like them....the jury is still out but I think I might.

I have come down with a mild version of the Plague in honor of my 3-day weekend, so I am sequestered indoors in my flannel pj's, surrounded by various types of beverages; tea, water, sparkling water, grapefruit juice, and soup, which isn't technically a beverage but since I'm not really inclined to eat solid food for some reason (which is really weird if you ask me), I'm drinking tomato soup and chicken broth like there's no tomorrow. The best part though, is my Vick's impregnated Puffs. It's seriously like nose porn!!! Soooooo good. I'm glad I got myself a box.

Kim-Chee took me out shopping yesterday to Sam's Club and the Cash and Carry to buy heavy things in bulk. I learned on my trip to Sam's club that baking soda comes in twelve pound frickin bags!!!! TWELVE POUNDS!!! Isn't that fabulous? Now I don't have to keep buying those little boxes and running out all the time. I'm just pleased as punch.

Anyway the trip was a success, I was able to renew my membership, get some veggies, broth and tomatoes, and some other things that I've been wanting for quite awhile AND I stuck within $5 of my alotted budget, which made me proud. I'm reminded that I need to slice up a cucumber for snacking on today. Oh and make more soup. ACHOO!!!!

So today I am working on definite integrals. They're a LITTLE confusing in spots, but for the most part, pretty manageable. This is what I'm figuring out right now. It's just a matter of making sure you integrate and then put everything in the right spot. So I ask; what's all the fuss about?

If f is a continuous real-valued function defined on a closed interval [a, b], then, once an antiderivative F of f is known, the definite integral of f over that interval is given by

And with that, I really must get back to it. Song 2 on the Le Savy Fav CD was frighteningly raucous, but this 3rd track is more my speed.

HALLELUJAH

HALLELUJAH, IT'S BUSH'S LAST HURRAH!!!! GOODBYE GEORGE!!!! DON'T LET THE DOOR HITCHA WHERE THE GOOD LORD SPLITCHA!!!!

It's the little things

A prospective student just came in, and I advised her as best I could, and we chitted and chatted and compared school notes, since she needs a prereq and wanted to know if she could take it at NSCC. She said she majored in physiology because when things got too small they stopped making sense. I said I loved the why of things, and then she mentioned something about the size of the orgasm; then caught herself and corrected herself to "organism," and turned a lovely, lovely shade of red! Hee hee! I said "see, isn't science exciting!"

Ahhhh...lifes little hilarities.

Goal Setting

OK So we are easing into 2009, and not much too catastrophic has happened yet. I know a lot of people are into New Year's resolutions, but I see a resolution as a set-up for failure. I prefer goal-setting and plan-making/implementing.

So given that, one of my major goals is to take better care of Carey. And this is broken into categories, which I will have to figure out as I go.

I'm starting out fairly well with a little self-indulgence. This weekend JC Penny had BOGO on bath towels, so I indulged and bought $18 "hotel" towels. They are brilliant white, textured, and sooooooooooooooo incredibly soft. And of course, it was $18 for 2, so I didn't have to feel too guilty about the purchase. Well screw that. I will NOT feel guilty. My old towels are just about ready for the rag bag, I've had them for years, and I Deserve Nice Things. Within reason. So needless to say, my post-shower dryoff this morning was absolute heaven. I didn't realize what a difference a quality towel could make in my life! :) So this fits into the subcategory of "Quality vs. Quantity." I've recently become mindful of the fact that when it comes to Carey, she gets the lowest quality product. When making purchases for others, they get high quality; when it comes to her, she purchases low quality, which sometimes winds up costing more in the end when things have to be replaced. So I asked myself; what is it about Carey that makes her less deserving of Good Things than her friends and family? And do you know, I could not come up with one thing! So. No more crap unless it REALLY doesn't matter.

Another goal is to have my goal list finalized by the end of January. I will add/subtract/fine tune as needed, and then compose a pretty document, put it in a sheet protector, and mount it where I can see it. Maybe I'll make 3, and put a copy in each of my school notebooks.

And I think that's it for today. I have more but I'm going to set them in my Palm or something.

Tuesday

Well, here it is, the 2nd day of the quarter. I was a little freaked out when I realized my tuition still hasn't been paid, and I called the Financial Aid Office and they didn't know what the hell I was talking about, and said they couldn't hold my registration, and blah, blah blah. Then at the last minute I remembered going straight to the director last year so to her I went and she was all 'no problem, I'll fix it for you' and voila! I'm all set. :) Happy Days. Now I am registering for an additional credit of "Math Workshop," which will REQUIRE me to spend at least 1 hour/week in the Math Learning Center. Can only do me good, right? Watch me kick calculus ASS this quarter. :)

First Dinner

Here it is, my first dinner of 2009. Very Donna Reed. For some reason, I am taking an odd amount of delight in the fact that I am having peas. I don't usually have them hot, buttered and on a plate. I put them in green salad, or make pea salad, or have split pea soup, but not just Hot Peas. They are tasty. I put garlic salt on them though, which I don't think I'll do again. Just salt and butter.

So anyway, happy 2009. I have survived (barely) yet another holiday season, and the relief I feel on this day is tantamount to having the weight of the world off my shoulders. I started the day with a good sob, but I think that was the last of the holiday tension leaving. I did manage to stay blue for a good portion of the day, being crabby not only with the Bloody Trombonist but also with the OMA. Then I checked out for awhile and my mood is steadily improving and I'm getting back to my normal self. My house is an absolute disaster though, and I really need to work on it.

My sleepy feline is having a nice little nap on the couch. Last night we played fetch with her favorite new ribbon. She can go on playing fetch for quite awhile, like a little doggie. Anyway, here are the pictures to prove it. Now I'm going to go clean my hovel.

Bringing me the ribbon, and then waiting for me to toss it back out (she stares at it while she waits).