Damn, damn, damn. Yeah, the ab exercises are totally not working on my abs. My back does not roll down along the floor, it flops in one movement as the fip flexors do all the work.
So I pulled out the inside ab ball, the one I sit on at the computer. Not the one I used for crunches in the weightlifting sessions. Now I do yoga and yogalates on my living room rug and it has worked great. Ab ball and living room rug equals no traction for my feet.
After what felt like ten wasted minutes, I got to do crunches with my yoga mat on the floor and continue the workout. But I’m feeling that old loathing of my body’s inability to do something welling up again.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Friday, February 29, 2008
Progress Report
Started February 28, morning commute: I think I’m trying for too many daily MITs. I’ve been consistently finishing two a day when I plan six.
I know, I’m supposed to aim for three. And this is why to get rid of the feeling overwhelmed constantly. I still feel a little overwhelmed because I missed homework deadlines last night. But the feeling has gone down heaps from the levels it was running before.
I wonder if it’s a genetic makeup thing. Like my body will get fat extremely fast if I eat the wrong things and sit on my ass too much, my brain looks at the daily schedule and scoffs “Streamlined? It should be bulgy too!”
And I have to admit to poor time management decisions. I’ve been way too blog chatty when the time and energy can be spent other ways. But then I get stuck in traffic and write a blog post. *Shrug.
February 28, evening commute: Today felt a lot more productive than a lot of the past week. I focused and got stuff done. Unfortunately, I only had half-projects with me so I can’t cross them off yet.
February 29, morning commute: I forgot to do the evening routine Thursday night, which slowed me down considerably in the morning. But I have two plus sides to it. I think Outlook has finished finding all the junk mail it was dragging out of various email accounts connected to the websites, because I forgot to turn the computer and program off last night. Second positive is the wreck at Walker had already occurred before I pulled off at the exit to refuel. Had I left earlier like I had wanted to, the options would have been stuck at the gas station behind it or in it. And it was a dozy.
Now at work and playing with SimpleGTD, I realized I was still planning too much shit to do that I am not going to do. Next weekly review I have, I need to be ruthless with stop doing that.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
I know, I’m supposed to aim for three. And this is why to get rid of the feeling overwhelmed constantly. I still feel a little overwhelmed because I missed homework deadlines last night. But the feeling has gone down heaps from the levels it was running before.
I wonder if it’s a genetic makeup thing. Like my body will get fat extremely fast if I eat the wrong things and sit on my ass too much, my brain looks at the daily schedule and scoffs “Streamlined? It should be bulgy too!”
And I have to admit to poor time management decisions. I’ve been way too blog chatty when the time and energy can be spent other ways. But then I get stuck in traffic and write a blog post. *Shrug.
February 28, evening commute: Today felt a lot more productive than a lot of the past week. I focused and got stuff done. Unfortunately, I only had half-projects with me so I can’t cross them off yet.
February 29, morning commute: I forgot to do the evening routine Thursday night, which slowed me down considerably in the morning. But I have two plus sides to it. I think Outlook has finished finding all the junk mail it was dragging out of various email accounts connected to the websites, because I forgot to turn the computer and program off last night. Second positive is the wreck at Walker had already occurred before I pulled off at the exit to refuel. Had I left earlier like I had wanted to, the options would have been stuck at the gas station behind it or in it. And it was a dozy.
Now at work and playing with SimpleGTD, I realized I was still planning too much shit to do that I am not going to do. Next weekly review I have, I need to be ruthless with stop doing that.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Number Crunching 113
Blank: Number Crunching 113
2/29/2008
February Budget Meeting
Quicken Cash Flow = 243.25
Reconciling Quicken with bank statements: Everything reconciled.
Reconciling last month’s budget: I spent $564.66 income I got and hadn’t expected. So where are my problem areas?
I didn’t do the weekly reviews and had no idea how much I was spending, so I overspent. I wish it was something more dramatic, but stupid wins this month. I missed the weekly review for February 8 because I overspent and didn’t want to face it. Then when the family went into emergency mode over my grandmother, I didn’t budget any spending. I just spent. Recipe for disaster, and I’m glad the damage isn’t worse.
Creating March’s budget: So now to fix things. I’ve been soaking up financial advice via the blogsphere, and they have been extremely useful in pointing out where I need to change my habits. My efforts in frugality have been jokes at best. I need more income, especially multiple sources. But first let’s crunch the numbers before getting into behavior changes.
OUCH! Okay, I earned it. Two paychecks this month and counting the payment from Kai, income covers
Regrouped and found the electric bill and the mortgage bill. Both had changed this month so that freed up a grand total of $19.23 to put in Groceries. I’ve started doing online surveys and I should be getting my income tax refund this month, but I can’t plan those in. Besides, I want to the tax refund to go straight into STEF. I have food in the pantry and freezer, and I can supplement that with buying off my Lagniappe account at the SLU campus convenience store. So out of pocket will cover cat food for Mustard and any household items I have to have--contact solution and toothpaste, for example. Everything else is on buying freeze.
Determining how much cash to withdraw for the pay periods in March: That is the quickest I have ever been able to do that calculation in. I can only have $9.62 a pay period. Everything else needs to remain in the credit union to pay bills.
Ensuring all automatic payments for February went through: Everything automated is listed on the bank statement.
Ensuring all automatic payments for the next month are set up: Everything went fine last month, so no changes necessary.
Review short-term saving goals:
Update NetWorthIQ statement: It moved up! It moved up!
Updated No Credit Needed Network Savings Chart: Starting in the month of March, I created a six-month savings chart to illustrate me reaching the STEF goal. I’m trying to reach it in less than six-months, but I figured that was a good time frame.
Overview and plans: Starting over sucks, but it is an undeniable fact of life. A good thing I calculated. At two visits per week for the rest of the year, I am paying $0.87 out of pocket for a safe track to walk on, shower, locker, sauna, and towel. Alumni rates are not nearly that affordable, so I need to be positioned to start my bathroom remodel in January 2009. *Twitch
I’ve realized I have to get savings out of my hands, away from my debit card, or I will spend it away. There are online savings accounts you can set up, so I will be researching that. I have to have quick access to the money if it’s an emergency, but I want to be steps to getting it (have to fill out a form for a transfer of funds for example). That way I stop and think about what the hell I’m getting the money out for. As soon as I have $100, it will be opened.
Following Dave Ramsey’s advice is a simple plan to follow. There’s a great blog meme discussing all the baby steps in detail starting at Cash Money Life. For my purposes, I’m not looking beyond the first three: save, pay debt, save more. No trying to climb out of debt without having an emergency fund in place.
Now some debt bills I can’t just not pay. *Sigh If I could skip three months of them, I would have the STEF fund with no problems. Every so often, my credit union offers to skip payments for a month on car loans and maybe other loans too. If STEF is still looking pretty lean when the next one rolls around, I will probably do it to put the funds in STEF. That aside my first goal is to fund the STEF, which is what I have determined I need for a month’s worth of expenses.
Dave Ramsey calls his debt pay off plan “snowballing,” which has led other personal financial bloggers to come up with “snowflaking”. I’m going to focus my first snowflaking on the STEF fund. Once it is fully funded, I can turn the snowflaking to eliminating my debt. I’m more positive this can happen now. Did you see the NetWorthIQ graph? The line went up! So all money I earn from other endeavors will go into the STEF. That includes all money the government gives me to, income tax return and the rebate thingy that I don’t half believe they are going to give me because I got gypped out of the last one they did. I like the idea I found about randomizing snowflake money between debt/savings/retirement/mad money, but I can’t start that until after I have a STEF. My grandmother could end up in the hospital again.
Habits to change:
Financial Projects
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
2/29/2008
February Budget Meeting
Quicken Cash Flow = 243.25
Reconciling Quicken with bank statements: Everything reconciled.
Reconciling last month’s budget: I spent $564.66 income I got and hadn’t expected. So where are my problem areas?
- Bank charges: Because I wasn’t watching when I spent what, I earned a shit load of overdraft charges.
- Writing expenses: I bought the Ereport course this month.
- Eating Out: That’s what I was doing with my money during the week at the hospital.
- Personal Care: Vitamins: OUCH! I forgot to budget for my pills running out.
- Telephone: I spent more money than budgeted for setting up the Verizon cell phone and I haven’t gotten my rebate back yet.
- Medical: Why am I not surprised this is on the list? However, this should be less of a problem now that I don’t need to go in to the chiropractor every week.
- Auto Fuel: And the price of gas just keeps going up.
- Entertainment: I don’t even remember what I ended up spending. Wait, seeing Juno with Mom and buying Jurassic Park el cheapo, but I hadn’t budgeted for either.
- Citifinancial Loan: Had a late charge from the December 2007 payment that came through on February’s bill.
- Categories that went over but under $5.00:
- Federal taxes
- Federal Medicare tax
- State taxes
- Natural gas
- Household maintenance
- Auto Service: Which actually isn’t good, because I’m WAY overdue for an oil change.
- Clothing: Mom spent $100 on an outfit for me, which I added to the total balance of what I owe her. I spent under what I had budgeted out of my own pocket.
- Groceries: I don’t know how I managed that one, except that the week at the hospital that killed my Eating Out Allotment kept me out of the grocery store.
- Personal Care Items: Stayed under budget on this too. I think staying out of the store is the cause.
- Acadiana Medieval Faire: the price of website stuff came in under budget. This is a loan and I should get paid back (crossing fingers).
I didn’t do the weekly reviews and had no idea how much I was spending, so I overspent. I wish it was something more dramatic, but stupid wins this month. I missed the weekly review for February 8 because I overspent and didn’t want to face it. Then when the family went into emergency mode over my grandmother, I didn’t budget any spending. I just spent. Recipe for disaster, and I’m glad the damage isn’t worse.
Creating March’s budget: So now to fix things. I’ve been soaking up financial advice via the blogsphere, and they have been extremely useful in pointing out where I need to change my habits. My efforts in frugality have been jokes at best. I need more income, especially multiple sources. But first let’s crunch the numbers before getting into behavior changes.
OUCH! Okay, I earned it. Two paychecks this month and counting the payment from Kai, income covers
- Federal taxes
- Federal medicare
- State taxes
- LASERs
- Deferred Compensation Plan
- Life insurance
- FSA Medical
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Auto insurance
- Car note
- Mortgage
- Citifinancial Loan
- Pelican Loan
- Natural gas
- Water
- Telephone and cellphone
- Electric
- Medical
- Auto Fuel
- Payment to TurboTaxes to finish submitting my taxes
- STEF
Regrouped and found the electric bill and the mortgage bill. Both had changed this month so that freed up a grand total of $19.23 to put in Groceries. I’ve started doing online surveys and I should be getting my income tax refund this month, but I can’t plan those in. Besides, I want to the tax refund to go straight into STEF. I have food in the pantry and freezer, and I can supplement that with buying off my Lagniappe account at the SLU campus convenience store. So out of pocket will cover cat food for Mustard and any household items I have to have--contact solution and toothpaste, for example. Everything else is on buying freeze.
Determining how much cash to withdraw for the pay periods in March: That is the quickest I have ever been able to do that calculation in. I can only have $9.62 a pay period. Everything else needs to remain in the credit union to pay bills.
Ensuring all automatic payments for February went through: Everything automated is listed on the bank statement.
Ensuring all automatic payments for the next month are set up: Everything went fine last month, so no changes necessary.
Review short-term saving goals:
- STEF = $2202.00. Current total = $35.06.
- Wish list fund: Dishwasher fund = $500.00. Current total = $0.00
- Reenacting garb fund = $200.00. Current total = $0.00
- Paying off Minor Debts fund = $965.52. Current total = $0.00
Update NetWorthIQ statement: It moved up! It moved up!
Updated No Credit Needed Network Savings Chart: Starting in the month of March, I created a six-month savings chart to illustrate me reaching the STEF goal. I’m trying to reach it in less than six-months, but I figured that was a good time frame.
Overview and plans: Starting over sucks, but it is an undeniable fact of life. A good thing I calculated. At two visits per week for the rest of the year, I am paying $0.87 out of pocket for a safe track to walk on, shower, locker, sauna, and towel. Alumni rates are not nearly that affordable, so I need to be positioned to start my bathroom remodel in January 2009. *Twitch
I’ve realized I have to get savings out of my hands, away from my debit card, or I will spend it away. There are online savings accounts you can set up, so I will be researching that. I have to have quick access to the money if it’s an emergency, but I want to be steps to getting it (have to fill out a form for a transfer of funds for example). That way I stop and think about what the hell I’m getting the money out for. As soon as I have $100, it will be opened.
Following Dave Ramsey’s advice is a simple plan to follow. There’s a great blog meme discussing all the baby steps in detail starting at Cash Money Life. For my purposes, I’m not looking beyond the first three: save, pay debt, save more. No trying to climb out of debt without having an emergency fund in place.
Now some debt bills I can’t just not pay. *Sigh If I could skip three months of them, I would have the STEF fund with no problems. Every so often, my credit union offers to skip payments for a month on car loans and maybe other loans too. If STEF is still looking pretty lean when the next one rolls around, I will probably do it to put the funds in STEF. That aside my first goal is to fund the STEF, which is what I have determined I need for a month’s worth of expenses.
Dave Ramsey calls his debt pay off plan “snowballing,” which has led other personal financial bloggers to come up with “snowflaking”. I’m going to focus my first snowflaking on the STEF fund. Once it is fully funded, I can turn the snowflaking to eliminating my debt. I’m more positive this can happen now. Did you see the NetWorthIQ graph? The line went up! So all money I earn from other endeavors will go into the STEF. That includes all money the government gives me to, income tax return and the rebate thingy that I don’t half believe they are going to give me because I got gypped out of the last one they did. I like the idea I found about randomizing snowflake money between debt/savings/retirement/mad money, but I can’t start that until after I have a STEF. My grandmother could end up in the hospital again.
Habits to change:
- DO WEEKLY BUDGET REVIEWS! DO MONTHLY BUDGET REVIEWS! I cannot skip these EVER AGAIN!
- Be more frugal
- Stop buying so much over the budget and bring the budget down.
- Signup for MyGroceryDeals.com and plan meals around sales and coupons.
- Cook crockpot meals and freeze. Make sandwiches a part of the packed meals. Stock up on dried foods and frozen foods.
- Shop more at Big Lots for household items
- Take the debit cards out of my wallet
- Bring snacks to work
- Get multiple sources of income
- Find a Baton Rouge consignment shop to sale my clothes to
- Finish setting up the Amazon sales
- Sign up for online surveys
Financial Projects
- Measure weekly budget reviews with Joe’s Goals.
- Sign up for MyGroceryDeals.com
- Find a Baton Rouge consignment shop
- Finish setting up the Amazon sales.
- Take debit cards out of wallet.
- Pack food to work: breakfast, lunch, and snacks
- Do online surveys every night before going to bed.
- Print out taxes.
- Submit taxes electronically.
- Fill out the rebate calculator and see what that will be.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Iron Experiment Redux 02
Second workout went as well as the first one, but I always begin well. Though I think Yogilates have finally clued me in on where my ab muscles are and the crunches on the ball really worked them out.
Now that worries me about my Yogilates workouts—especially the crunches on the floor that I think are using my hip flexor muscles instead of my abs. Hmm, should I try it on the ab ball even though that’s not the instructions on the DVD? Thursday is a rest day, so I have time to think about it.
I’ve been discharged from chiropractic care and moved to the maintenance wellness part. Basically, I go in once a month and they make sure I haven’t fucked my back up. Given how often I do fuck my back up, this makes sense to me. I’m hoping the weightlifting will strengthen my back so I should only need to see them every two months.
And I have noticed a strange phenomenon developing my work pants. I’m nearly stepping on them while wearing them. Especially the pants from Coldwater Creek, if I wasn’t wearing a slight heel, I would be stepping on them. They fit fine in the waist, so all I can think of is there is less gut and butt pulling the leg material up. Does this count as a change in the way clothes fit?
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Now that worries me about my Yogilates workouts—especially the crunches on the floor that I think are using my hip flexor muscles instead of my abs. Hmm, should I try it on the ab ball even though that’s not the instructions on the DVD? Thursday is a rest day, so I have time to think about it.
I’ve been discharged from chiropractic care and moved to the maintenance wellness part. Basically, I go in once a month and they make sure I haven’t fucked my back up. Given how often I do fuck my back up, this makes sense to me. I’m hoping the weightlifting will strengthen my back so I should only need to see them every two months.
And I have noticed a strange phenomenon developing my work pants. I’m nearly stepping on them while wearing them. Especially the pants from Coldwater Creek, if I wasn’t wearing a slight heel, I would be stepping on them. They fit fine in the waist, so all I can think of is there is less gut and butt pulling the leg material up. Does this count as a change in the way clothes fit?
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
It's my birthday!
Top Birthday Comments Graphics
And so really begins the third decade of my life. Am I the only one in the world who gets a headache from the moving glitter images? I don’t want to sound like an old, cranky butt on my birthday, but really it was this image or one that was totally NSFW to look at. Since I’m composing at work, I went with candles.
If anybody wants to get me anything, money I can put on a laptop or books always appreciated. *Cheesy grin.
What would I like to see me accomplish before I’m 32?
- Reach optimal weight. I’m aiming for 120 pounds, though muscle mass may throw that off. Since I’m 59 pounds away from that goal, I don’t think I have to worry about muscle mass vs. fat mass just yet.
- Finish Zy’s Novel. And the first thing I have slated for fiction writing is not it. *LOL There is method in that madness of the plan, I promise. But after Strix is done, the next original fiction project will be Zy’s Novel.
- See networth creep up. I doubt I can be debt free in a year, but I’d like measurable progress toward that goal.
- Earn money by writing and get paid consistently for it. I’m currently in the research how and low-balling my expectations. Currently, I’m feeling if somebody paid me fifty cents I’d be ecstatic. I can’t live on that so I’m working on telling myself more money is good.
Reading back over my previous B-day posts, I’m a lot more buoyant this year than in years past. Despite the economic woes in the news and worried that my nation is going to screw the hope of the country up in politics, it looks to be a fantabulous year ahead.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Yoga Workout 5
Damn, no caffeine in house *Whimper* I completed the workout. Will add that it is much easier to do with contacts on and glasses not falling off head during downward dog. Must remember to put them in first from now on.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Monday, February 25, 2008
Walking 1
Using an mp3 player, WOW! Why the hell did I resist for so long? I mean nonconformity is well and good, but playing the mp3 player—even loaded with too much Celtic ballad music for writing inspiration—enabled me to drown out the insecure voice in my head pointing out how I suck compared to the skinny bitches passing me on the track. No offense meant, I’m still cranky from caffeine withdrawal. Anyways, I walked for thirty minutes and got 3331 steps. I have no idea how many laps I did. I probably can walk for an hour, but I decided it was better not to push it. I do need to switch the mix of available songs before the next walking session though.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Finding Rhythm
I guess I will have to leave the house at 5:45am to go to work. This level of traffic is ridiculous at 6:30am. I made it to work on time, but no extra. Mass transit, the area needs mass transit, say it with me. *Sigh
My grandmother has been moved out of ICU and into a private hospital room. The list of what is wrong with her: congested heart failure, renal failure (ongoing she’s been on dialysis for nine years), MRSA also known as Methicillin-resistant Straphyloccus aureus, bacterial infection from the toxic build up and possible a bacterial infection attacking the valves of her heart (I don’t know if these are the same as MRSA or a different bacteria), fluid and blood leaking into her lungs (the fluid gets removed temporarily by dialysis but not the blood platelets), no short term or long term memory but good with the now, pneumonia in one lung, chronic low blood pressure, half-paralyzed from a stroke fourteen years ago, and diabetes. She’s seventy-four-years-old. My father’s parents are in their eighties with short lists of health issues but more mental issues. Not hard to see why get healthy and stay healthy is so high on my list, is it?
The new evening routine last night made this morning a breeze. Now I can only hope to make it a habit. And when the title of this blog post finally occurred to me, I was struck by how appropriate and odd it is at the same time. I have no rhythm, perhaps said in PC vernacular as “rhythmically challenged” or “suffering from rhythm deficit.” The only time I can clap in tune with a song and not go horribly astray is to have someone leading the clapping where I can watch. And we are not going to discuss my dancing other than to say I don’t do much. I can’t even use a treadmill without holding on for fear of skinned knees and bruises.
But I spent all day Sunday preparing to reestablish a routine, a rhythm to my life. Because no matter how much I may bitch and moan about the routine, my life is better on it than trying to OD on caffeine and chocolate to calm the stress. I had a week, that’s enough. Time to pay attention to what’s best for me. And ironically enough for the rhythmically challenged gal, that means giving my life a rhythm to follow. Get up, exercise, write, go to paying job, go home, everything else, go to bed. Okay, extremely simplified and ignoring the fact that you do have to change things up or stagnate, but it’s a real need regardless.
Sunday was spent preparing for the new rhythm to start Monday morning using brainstorms I had with Zen to Done on Zen Habits (and I will be buying the ebook, maybe for a birthday treat). I exercised, handled twelve week business, emptied my inboxes (email is still elusive), and rearranged my desk space a little. So far the only complaint is from mustard. His ledge in front of the monitor got smaller and he almost fell off last night. Again, I can only hope I can make a habit of not piling the space with stuff.
It sounds like I’m trying to pick up a bunch of new habits at once. Exercise and writing are down. This past week messed them up, but I missed doing them. The new habit is to plan my days to actually accomplish more goals and process my inbox everyday so no more pile-ups. The pile-up was what took most of the day Sunday, that and trying to connect all my emails to Outlook (too tedious to talk about, honestly). I have my project lists and next-actions from GTD, but I still try to do it all at once. Zen to Done gives you the routine to pick what is most important to finish today.
Like today, I picked thirty minutes writing, chapter to read for homework, and walking at the gym. Those I have to do. Anything else is lagniappe. The joy of the system is not losing next actions but making you plan your day around them. There will be days that the best laid plans are sent through a nuclear holocaust, I know this. But I really do much better on a routine, so this is what I’m sticky with for thirty days to make a habit.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
My grandmother has been moved out of ICU and into a private hospital room. The list of what is wrong with her: congested heart failure, renal failure (ongoing she’s been on dialysis for nine years), MRSA also known as Methicillin-resistant Straphyloccus aureus, bacterial infection from the toxic build up and possible a bacterial infection attacking the valves of her heart (I don’t know if these are the same as MRSA or a different bacteria), fluid and blood leaking into her lungs (the fluid gets removed temporarily by dialysis but not the blood platelets), no short term or long term memory but good with the now, pneumonia in one lung, chronic low blood pressure, half-paralyzed from a stroke fourteen years ago, and diabetes. She’s seventy-four-years-old. My father’s parents are in their eighties with short lists of health issues but more mental issues. Not hard to see why get healthy and stay healthy is so high on my list, is it?
The new evening routine last night made this morning a breeze. Now I can only hope to make it a habit. And when the title of this blog post finally occurred to me, I was struck by how appropriate and odd it is at the same time. I have no rhythm, perhaps said in PC vernacular as “rhythmically challenged” or “suffering from rhythm deficit.” The only time I can clap in tune with a song and not go horribly astray is to have someone leading the clapping where I can watch. And we are not going to discuss my dancing other than to say I don’t do much. I can’t even use a treadmill without holding on for fear of skinned knees and bruises.
But I spent all day Sunday preparing to reestablish a routine, a rhythm to my life. Because no matter how much I may bitch and moan about the routine, my life is better on it than trying to OD on caffeine and chocolate to calm the stress. I had a week, that’s enough. Time to pay attention to what’s best for me. And ironically enough for the rhythmically challenged gal, that means giving my life a rhythm to follow. Get up, exercise, write, go to paying job, go home, everything else, go to bed. Okay, extremely simplified and ignoring the fact that you do have to change things up or stagnate, but it’s a real need regardless.
Sunday was spent preparing for the new rhythm to start Monday morning using brainstorms I had with Zen to Done on Zen Habits (and I will be buying the ebook, maybe for a birthday treat). I exercised, handled twelve week business, emptied my inboxes (email is still elusive), and rearranged my desk space a little. So far the only complaint is from mustard. His ledge in front of the monitor got smaller and he almost fell off last night. Again, I can only hope I can make a habit of not piling the space with stuff.
It sounds like I’m trying to pick up a bunch of new habits at once. Exercise and writing are down. This past week messed them up, but I missed doing them. The new habit is to plan my days to actually accomplish more goals and process my inbox everyday so no more pile-ups. The pile-up was what took most of the day Sunday, that and trying to connect all my emails to Outlook (too tedious to talk about, honestly). I have my project lists and next-actions from GTD, but I still try to do it all at once. Zen to Done gives you the routine to pick what is most important to finish today.
Like today, I picked thirty minutes writing, chapter to read for homework, and walking at the gym. Those I have to do. Anything else is lagniappe. The joy of the system is not losing next actions but making you plan your day around them. There will be days that the best laid plans are sent through a nuclear holocaust, I know this. But I really do much better on a routine, so this is what I’m sticky with for thirty days to make a habit.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Iron Experiment Redux: Beginning Another 12 Weeks
It's the end of another twelve weeks, so I have covered thirty-six weeks total of weight loss. So I restarted Iron Experiment for twelve weeks twice-a-week workouts. This is a great time since I have to take measurements. I can see actual progress.
Week 36 = 179.3
Week 35 = 178.6
Week 34 = 179.4
Week 33 = 179.4
Week 32 = 178.8
Week 31 = 179.2
Week 30 = 181.7
Week 29 = 181.9
Week 28 = 182.8
Week 27 = 182.7
Week 26 = 185.3
Week 25 = 188.2
Week 24 = 188
Week 23 = 186.7
Week 22 = 187.4
Week 21 = 186.9
Week 20 = 186.2
Week 19 = 186.4
Week 18 = 186.3
Week 17 = 186.5
Week 16 = 187.2
Week 15 = 188.6
Week 14 = 188.8
Week 13 = 189
Week 12 = 187.6
Week 11 = 187.8
Week 10 = 189.6
Week 9 = 188.9
Week 8 = 193.4
Week 7 = 194.5
Week 6 = 194.5
Week 5 = 195.5
Week 2 = 199
Week 1 = 205
Total weight loss is 25.7 pounds or 11.7 kg. Which is a number I am proud of but still wish was bigger. :p
Starting set of tape measurements
height: 62.25 in/158.1 cm
weight: 194.5 lb/88.2 kg
neck: 37.5 cm
bust: 119.2 cm
waist: 102.2 cm
hips: 118.3 cm
thigh: 55.1 cm
calf: 40.6 cm
upper arm: 30.3 cm
lower arm: 25 cm
End of 12 Weeks Measurements
height: 62.25 in/158.1 cm
weight: 187.6 lb/85.1 kg
neck: 37.5 cm
bust: 115.1 cm
waist: 102.3 cm
hips: 118.5 cm
thigh: 63.2 cm
calf: 40.5 cm
upper arm: 32.1 cm
lower arm: 26 cm
End of 24 Weeks Measurements
height: 62.25 in/158.1 cm
weight: 188 lb/85.3 kg
neck: 37.5 cm
bust: 115.4 cm
waist: 102.5 cm
hips: 117.2 cm
thigh: 63.6 cm
calf: 40.3 cm
upper arm: 30.5 cm
lower arm: 26.2 cm
End of 36 Weeks Measurements
height: 62.25 in/158.1 cm
weight: 179.3 lb/81.3 kg
neck: 36.4 cm
bust: 111.6 cm
waist: 97.7 cm
hips: 116.2 cm
thigh: 61.2 cm
calf: 39.5 cm
upper arm: 29.2 cm
lower arm: 24.6 cm
Neck changes: 37.5 - 36.4 = -1.1
Bust changes: 119.2 - 111.6 = -7.6
Waist changes: 102.2 - 97.7 = -4.5
Hips changes: 118.3 - 116.2 = -2.1
Thigh changes: 55.1 - 61.2 = 6.1
Calf changes: 40.6 - 39.5 = -1.1
Upper arm changes: 30.3 - 29.2 = -1.1
Lower arm changes: 25 - 24.6 = -0.4
FitTogether online went away, so I plug all my numbers into Excel and made graphs. *Silly grin* Okay, it's unnecessary but I get a thrill seeing the lines move down. I printed them out and hung them on my fridge.
Starting BMI Measurements
Height is 62.25 inches/158.1 cm.
Weight is 194.5 pounds/88.4 kg.
Body Mass Index is 35.3 kg/m2.
According to Better Ideal Weight Body Calculators, I should be:
between 105 - 138 pounds/47 - 62 kg
with a BMI between 19 and 25.
I want to weigh 120 lb/54.4 kg with a BMI of 20 kg/m2.
End of 12 Weeks BMI Measurements
Height is 62.25 inches/158.1 cm.
Weight is 187.6 pounds/85.1 kg.
Body Mass Index is 34 kg/m2.
End of 24 Weeks BMI Measurements
Height is 62.25 inches/158.1 cm.
Weight is 188 lb/85.3 kg
Body Mass Index is 34.1 kg/m2.
End of 36 Weeks BMI Measurements
Height is 62.25 inches/158.1 cm.
Weight is 179.3 lb/81.3 kg
Body Mass Index is 32.5 kg/m2.
How far to go:
Weight: 179.3 - 120 = 59.3 lb/26.9 kg
BMI: 32.5 - 20 = 12.5 kg/m2.
Picture comparison time. And while I think that Pasta Queen's overlays to show progress is the coolest shit ever, I am unable to make it work for three twelve week periods. The last time my current head fit on my first picture's shoulder when the feet are lined up correctly. And I'm unwilling to mark my floor or buy a tripod or run down someone else every time to take the picture. But now you can see progress. :D
I'm shrinking! I'm actually shrinking! *Happy dance*
Like I said at the beginning of this super-long blog post (I have other things to do today I must finish), I found a new weightlifting for women blog All-round Strength Training by gubernatrix and redesigned my Iron Experiment workouts. Hence the Iron Experiment Redux.
So according to her advice, I have created goals for my weightlifting. End goal for Squat is 179 pounds, Deadlift is 179 pounds, and Bench press with 89.5 pounds or at least the closest my weight set will let me get. The exercises I'm going to concentrate on for this twelve week are the squat, bench press, dumbbell row, shoulder press, backstroke level 1, crunches, and bicep curls. Now what I messed with last time around, I would have done all of them three times a week. Gubernatrix pointed out a better way is to make sure the routine has a push exercise, a pull exercise, bent-knee exercise, and core exercise. So I have divided the seven exercises into two sessions. I have also gone with the 5 sets of 5 reps, include a warm-up set and the rest working sets, and start everything out with just the weight of the bare bars and will build up to larger weights.
The weekly schedule I have come up with:
Sunday - weightlifting Session A
Monday - rest - walk track at gym
Tuesday - yoga
Wednesday - weightlifting Session B
Thursday - rest
Friday - Yogilates Workout 1 - walk track at gym
Saturday - Yogilates Workout 2
I think this is a doable workout schedule (providing I wake up on time), and I can drop walking the track if its too much. Warm-up set will be the last amount of weight I was able to do comfortably. I'll add weight in five pounds increments as I need to move up.
And I started today. And the routine takes about 30 minutes, same as the yoga and yogilates workouts.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Week 36 = 179.3
Week 35 = 178.6
Week 34 = 179.4
Week 33 = 179.4
Week 32 = 178.8
Week 31 = 179.2
Week 30 = 181.7
Week 29 = 181.9
Week 28 = 182.8
Week 27 = 182.7
Week 26 = 185.3
Week 25 = 188.2
Week 24 = 188
Week 23 = 186.7
Week 22 = 187.4
Week 21 = 186.9
Week 20 = 186.2
Week 19 = 186.4
Week 18 = 186.3
Week 17 = 186.5
Week 16 = 187.2
Week 15 = 188.6
Week 14 = 188.8
Week 13 = 189
Week 12 = 187.6
Week 11 = 187.8
Week 10 = 189.6
Week 9 = 188.9
Week 8 = 193.4
Week 7 = 194.5
Week 6 = 194.5
Week 5 = 195.5
Week 2 = 199
Week 1 = 205
Total weight loss is 25.7 pounds or 11.7 kg. Which is a number I am proud of but still wish was bigger. :p
Starting set of tape measurements
height: 62.25 in/158.1 cm
weight: 194.5 lb/88.2 kg
neck: 37.5 cm
bust: 119.2 cm
waist: 102.2 cm
hips: 118.3 cm
thigh: 55.1 cm
calf: 40.6 cm
upper arm: 30.3 cm
lower arm: 25 cm
End of 12 Weeks Measurements
height: 62.25 in/158.1 cm
weight: 187.6 lb/85.1 kg
neck: 37.5 cm
bust: 115.1 cm
waist: 102.3 cm
hips: 118.5 cm
thigh: 63.2 cm
calf: 40.5 cm
upper arm: 32.1 cm
lower arm: 26 cm
End of 24 Weeks Measurements
height: 62.25 in/158.1 cm
weight: 188 lb/85.3 kg
neck: 37.5 cm
bust: 115.4 cm
waist: 102.5 cm
hips: 117.2 cm
thigh: 63.6 cm
calf: 40.3 cm
upper arm: 30.5 cm
lower arm: 26.2 cm
End of 36 Weeks Measurements
height: 62.25 in/158.1 cm
weight: 179.3 lb/81.3 kg
neck: 36.4 cm
bust: 111.6 cm
waist: 97.7 cm
hips: 116.2 cm
thigh: 61.2 cm
calf: 39.5 cm
upper arm: 29.2 cm
lower arm: 24.6 cm
Neck changes: 37.5 - 36.4 = -1.1
Bust changes: 119.2 - 111.6 = -7.6
Waist changes: 102.2 - 97.7 = -4.5
Hips changes: 118.3 - 116.2 = -2.1
Thigh changes: 55.1 - 61.2 = 6.1
Calf changes: 40.6 - 39.5 = -1.1
Upper arm changes: 30.3 - 29.2 = -1.1
Lower arm changes: 25 - 24.6 = -0.4
FitTogether online went away, so I plug all my numbers into Excel and made graphs. *Silly grin* Okay, it's unnecessary but I get a thrill seeing the lines move down. I printed them out and hung them on my fridge.
Starting BMI Measurements
Height is 62.25 inches/158.1 cm.
Weight is 194.5 pounds/88.4 kg.
Body Mass Index is 35.3 kg/m2.
According to Better Ideal Weight Body Calculators, I should be:
between 105 - 138 pounds/47 - 62 kg
with a BMI between 19 and 25.
I want to weigh 120 lb/54.4 kg with a BMI of 20 kg/m2.
End of 12 Weeks BMI Measurements
Height is 62.25 inches/158.1 cm.
Weight is 187.6 pounds/85.1 kg.
Body Mass Index is 34 kg/m2.
End of 24 Weeks BMI Measurements
Height is 62.25 inches/158.1 cm.
Weight is 188 lb/85.3 kg
Body Mass Index is 34.1 kg/m2.
End of 36 Weeks BMI Measurements
Height is 62.25 inches/158.1 cm.
Weight is 179.3 lb/81.3 kg
Body Mass Index is 32.5 kg/m2.
How far to go:
Weight: 179.3 - 120 = 59.3 lb/26.9 kg
BMI: 32.5 - 20 = 12.5 kg/m2.
Picture comparison time. And while I think that Pasta Queen's overlays to show progress is the coolest shit ever, I am unable to make it work for three twelve week periods. The last time my current head fit on my first picture's shoulder when the feet are lined up correctly. And I'm unwilling to mark my floor or buy a tripod or run down someone else every time to take the picture. But now you can see progress. :D
I'm shrinking! I'm actually shrinking! *Happy dance*
Like I said at the beginning of this super-long blog post (I have other things to do today I must finish), I found a new weightlifting for women blog All-round Strength Training by gubernatrix and redesigned my Iron Experiment workouts. Hence the Iron Experiment Redux.
So according to her advice, I have created goals for my weightlifting. End goal for Squat is 179 pounds, Deadlift is 179 pounds, and Bench press with 89.5 pounds or at least the closest my weight set will let me get. The exercises I'm going to concentrate on for this twelve week are the squat, bench press, dumbbell row, shoulder press, backstroke level 1, crunches, and bicep curls. Now what I messed with last time around, I would have done all of them three times a week. Gubernatrix pointed out a better way is to make sure the routine has a push exercise, a pull exercise, bent-knee exercise, and core exercise. So I have divided the seven exercises into two sessions. I have also gone with the 5 sets of 5 reps, include a warm-up set and the rest working sets, and start everything out with just the weight of the bare bars and will build up to larger weights.
The weekly schedule I have come up with:
Sunday - weightlifting Session A
Monday - rest - walk track at gym
Tuesday - yoga
Wednesday - weightlifting Session B
Thursday - rest
Friday - Yogilates Workout 1 - walk track at gym
Saturday - Yogilates Workout 2
I think this is a doable workout schedule (providing I wake up on time), and I can drop walking the track if its too much. Warm-up set will be the last amount of weight I was able to do comfortably. I'll add weight in five pounds increments as I need to move up.
And I started today. And the routine takes about 30 minutes, same as the yoga and yogilates workouts.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Blank: It’s Saturday, Already
I have solo duty with my grandmother. Fun with ICU, they only have four thirty-minute visits a day with three-hour waits in between them. Her official condition is “stable but critical.” After the whole snafu with Dr. Powers, she decided to give the treatments another twenty-four hours and have dialysis on Friday. Dialysis went fine, they got her off the NEO and the other medicine to keep her blood pressure up and it goes up and down all day without getting into normal blood pressure range but not straying into the too-low-to-live range.
The disease doctor says her infections are getting better, so apparently they found the right antibiotics. “But the infections are the least of her problems,” Mom replied and he had to admit that was true. The pulmonary doctor says he’s out of tricks and he’ll support whatever her wishes are. If she gets out of here and it’s still hugely iffy, she would be a bed patient in the nursing home—something she never wanted.
Mom had to open the store today, so I got hospital duty. I packed for the three hour waits and even dragged the laptop up here, only to discover it is well and truly dead. I get a power is available light but it doesn’t turn on. Not really surprised, but it’s not good timing. Maybe Dad will let me borrow his new toy (laptop) if it’s an emergency. I finished writing For Worse yesterday and I was hoping to catch up and finish the typing I missed this week. Oh well, move to next project.
What happened on my watch? A lot of sleeping, but she hasn’t been so she needs to catch up. Mom had one freak out and I still don’t understand that. I just told my sister to keep her off the phone. Mama remembered who her visitors were the night before and gave me the cryptic comment: “I prayed and was ready but God didn’t get close enough last night. They got me back.” Turns out her blood sugar had dropped into the 40s during the night because of no snack and hell everything else she’s been through. *Shakes head* Stay healthy for as long as possible is all I can say.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
The disease doctor says her infections are getting better, so apparently they found the right antibiotics. “But the infections are the least of her problems,” Mom replied and he had to admit that was true. The pulmonary doctor says he’s out of tricks and he’ll support whatever her wishes are. If she gets out of here and it’s still hugely iffy, she would be a bed patient in the nursing home—something she never wanted.
Mom had to open the store today, so I got hospital duty. I packed for the three hour waits and even dragged the laptop up here, only to discover it is well and truly dead. I get a power is available light but it doesn’t turn on. Not really surprised, but it’s not good timing. Maybe Dad will let me borrow his new toy (laptop) if it’s an emergency. I finished writing For Worse yesterday and I was hoping to catch up and finish the typing I missed this week. Oh well, move to next project.
What happened on my watch? A lot of sleeping, but she hasn’t been so she needs to catch up. Mom had one freak out and I still don’t understand that. I just told my sister to keep her off the phone. Mama remembered who her visitors were the night before and gave me the cryptic comment: “I prayed and was ready but God didn’t get close enough last night. They got me back.” Turns out her blood sugar had dropped into the 40s during the night because of no snack and hell everything else she’s been through. *Shakes head* Stay healthy for as long as possible is all I can say.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Trying to stay current
February 18th: Hopefully, I will get to post this tomorrow. It's been a crazy almost-a-week and I don't know when I will get a chance. I didn't even get to finish my 30 minutes today. I still haven't finished my budget review either and I skipped a week on purpose already.
Last update on my grandmother, we thought she had made herself sick since they drew three liters off her Thursday. The hospital reduced her fluid intake and they pulled off another three liters Friday or Saturday. Sunday, they moved her to ICU and pulled another 2.5 liters off with dialysis. Then her blood pressure starts to bottom out. I don't know which doctor is trying it--i.e. signed off on it--but they have her on two medicines in an I.V. trying to keep her blood pressure normal. Dialysis today was another three liters. Her heart is enlarged and the fluid is going into her heart cavity and her lungs. She is also having dreams about her dead son.
I stayed home from work today to be at the hospital and whatever errands Mom needed. Tomorrow, I get to pick up Kai and Atticus from the airport. I'm trying to keep up my routines, but it's hard. I need to remember to email my professor in case I don't get a chance to turn in my assignment on time. So if I seem to vanish for a while, this is why.
February 19th: Kai and Atticus supposed to arrive on the 8:30 flight into New Orleans. Due to security on the Austin end, they missed that plane and had to get the next one out at 2:30. Yes, I was at the airport parking garage when she called to tell me. I am way too used to scheduling two hours to get through New Orleans traffic, so it was an automatic calculation. I did much better the second time around.
Atticus only had one meltdown because Mommy left him with me to go see Mama Ree. He got over it pretty fast.
The cardiologist gave us new information. None of the doctors can figure out what is causing her symptoms. He wants to put in something to take a look at the heart and see if there is an infection there. Apparently, you can have an infection with a major organ of the body and not have a fever. Mom agreed to it because you don't know who else in the family may come down with this.
Mama Ree has no blood pressure. Little bit gets pumped into the heart and what gets pumped out, goes into her lungs with fluid. They did decided not to do dialysis yesterday. Her breathing is very shallow.
February 20th: Mom is already at the hospital and we're planning to go for the 2pm visit unless Mom needs us there earlier. I need to do homework and budget stuff and eventually writing stuff, though if I make the same handwritten progress I made yesterday I will be happy with that one.
I don't know when the next chance I'll have to blog is. If I get stuck out there tonight, I'm going to try to take the laptop and see if it cooperates. I doubt they have a WiFi signal at the hospital, which makes Verizon's offer of a laptop broadband (counts as another phone line on my account and I can have up to five) sound really good. But I don't even know if I can make the damn laptop turn on, so I'm saving it for the new one.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Last update on my grandmother, we thought she had made herself sick since they drew three liters off her Thursday. The hospital reduced her fluid intake and they pulled off another three liters Friday or Saturday. Sunday, they moved her to ICU and pulled another 2.5 liters off with dialysis. Then her blood pressure starts to bottom out. I don't know which doctor is trying it--i.e. signed off on it--but they have her on two medicines in an I.V. trying to keep her blood pressure normal. Dialysis today was another three liters. Her heart is enlarged and the fluid is going into her heart cavity and her lungs. She is also having dreams about her dead son.
I stayed home from work today to be at the hospital and whatever errands Mom needed. Tomorrow, I get to pick up Kai and Atticus from the airport. I'm trying to keep up my routines, but it's hard. I need to remember to email my professor in case I don't get a chance to turn in my assignment on time. So if I seem to vanish for a while, this is why.
February 19th: Kai and Atticus supposed to arrive on the 8:30 flight into New Orleans. Due to security on the Austin end, they missed that plane and had to get the next one out at 2:30. Yes, I was at the airport parking garage when she called to tell me. I am way too used to scheduling two hours to get through New Orleans traffic, so it was an automatic calculation. I did much better the second time around.
Atticus only had one meltdown because Mommy left him with me to go see Mama Ree. He got over it pretty fast.
The cardiologist gave us new information. None of the doctors can figure out what is causing her symptoms. He wants to put in something to take a look at the heart and see if there is an infection there. Apparently, you can have an infection with a major organ of the body and not have a fever. Mom agreed to it because you don't know who else in the family may come down with this.
Mama Ree has no blood pressure. Little bit gets pumped into the heart and what gets pumped out, goes into her lungs with fluid. They did decided not to do dialysis yesterday. Her breathing is very shallow.
February 20th: Mom is already at the hospital and we're planning to go for the 2pm visit unless Mom needs us there earlier. I need to do homework and budget stuff and eventually writing stuff, though if I make the same handwritten progress I made yesterday I will be happy with that one.
I don't know when the next chance I'll have to blog is. If I get stuck out there tonight, I'm going to try to take the laptop and see if it cooperates. I doubt they have a WiFi signal at the hospital, which makes Verizon's offer of a laptop broadband (counts as another phone line on my account and I can have up to five) sound really good. But I don't even know if I can make the damn laptop turn on, so I'm saving it for the new one.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Weight Loss Weekly Update
So the next weekly one of these blogs I do, I get to report with measurements and photos. And I get to start trying on clothes again and cleaning out the closet.
Week 35 = 178.6
Week 34 = 179.4
Week 33 = 179.4
Week 32 = 178.8
Week 31 = 179.2
Week 30 = 181.7
Week 29 = 181.9
Week 28 = 182.8
Week 27 = 182.7
Week 26 = 185.3
Week 25 = 188.2
Week 24 = 188
Week 23 = 186.7
Week 22 = 187.4
Week 21 = 186.9
Week 20 = 186.2
Week 19 = 186.4
Week 18 = 186.3
Week 17 = 186.5
Week 16 = 187.2
Week 15 = 188.6
Week 14 = 188.8
Week 13 = 189
Week 12 = 187.6
Week 11 = 187.8
Week 10 = 189.6
Week 9 = 188.9
Week 8 = 193.4
Week 7 = 194.5
Week 6 = 194.5
Week 5 = 195.5
Week 2 = 199
Week 1 = 205
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Week 35 = 178.6
Week 34 = 179.4
Week 33 = 179.4
Week 32 = 178.8
Week 31 = 179.2
Week 30 = 181.7
Week 29 = 181.9
Week 28 = 182.8
Week 27 = 182.7
Week 26 = 185.3
Week 25 = 188.2
Week 24 = 188
Week 23 = 186.7
Week 22 = 187.4
Week 21 = 186.9
Week 20 = 186.2
Week 19 = 186.4
Week 18 = 186.3
Week 17 = 186.5
Week 16 = 187.2
Week 15 = 188.6
Week 14 = 188.8
Week 13 = 189
Week 12 = 187.6
Week 11 = 187.8
Week 10 = 189.6
Week 9 = 188.9
Week 8 = 193.4
Week 7 = 194.5
Week 6 = 194.5
Week 5 = 195.5
Week 2 = 199
Week 1 = 205
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Saturday, February 16, 2008
How the rest of the week went
Or alternatively, why pictures took until Saturday
Tuesday I tried take night pictures and didn’t think they came out well. So Wednesday, I planned to get home before dark, taking pictures, and put them up in the post. Then my mother calls at 3:30pm, telling me my maternal grandmother is in the emergency room. I leave work as fast as possible.
The way Mom sounded I thought Mama Ree was checking out, so imagine my surprise to find her in the emergency room only hooked up to monitors and oxygen. “They think it’s pneumonia.” Okay, that is serious. She sounded horribly congested and all the doctors told Mom double pneumonia would kill her. Apparently early in the afternoon, she was talking crazy to Mom about imaginary rats in her room at the nursing home. “When they start talking crazy and hearing things and talking about babies, everybody says that’s when they’re dying,” Mom explained. I think our research into the subject is vastly different. The stories I’ve heard from near death experience or from others at deathbeds, it’s usually tunnels of light or seeing dead relatives or angels and talking to them. Maybe the dementia about rats and baby rats are edited out?
So I ended up at home after dark Wednesday night. And I had such good plans too. After getting the pictures and mp3 player, I was going to walk at the gym and take a shower. That didn’t happen. I leave while still dark Thursday morning to go to work. Thursday night class let out early so I got my shower. Back home Thursday night after dark.
Thursday night I also get the latest prognosis on my grandmother. They took her to dialysis and pulled three liters of fluid off her. She’s not supposed to have liquids, but she sneaks it anyway. And since she was happily claiming that after three days stay in the hospital we could get therapy for her again, we all think she drank ice water until she made herself congested with fluid build-up. I told Mom since all she gets out of therapy is touchy-feeling massage stuff (she doesn’t try to walk which is what she’s supposed to do), it would probably be cheaper and less whining from her just to hire a masseuse to see her once a week.
Friday after work I returned the extra Spider-man DVD copy for Jurassic Park (which I haven’t had since Kai borrowed it twelve years ago and it was in her pile of movies that were stolen in the dorm room. I still need to find A Fairy Tale on DVD another one that got lost in the same incident) and bought Mortal Kombat at half-price, factoring what was left of the gift card. Home after dark. Yeah, the only sun I get to see is on the weekends and while at work, I’m so glad the office has windows now.
So I took the pictures Saturday morning. Today, I have a birthday party to go to and I need to clean up the house a bit for company tomorrow. Not that I have oodles to do, but I’d like the dishes and laundry washed and my paperwork done.
I also did a preliminary circumference of the downed part forty-seven and one-eighth inches. I still think there’s enough there to do something with, even if it can’t be a chest. At worst, I can transform it into a playground for Mustard.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Tuesday I tried take night pictures and didn’t think they came out well. So Wednesday, I planned to get home before dark, taking pictures, and put them up in the post. Then my mother calls at 3:30pm, telling me my maternal grandmother is in the emergency room. I leave work as fast as possible.
The way Mom sounded I thought Mama Ree was checking out, so imagine my surprise to find her in the emergency room only hooked up to monitors and oxygen. “They think it’s pneumonia.” Okay, that is serious. She sounded horribly congested and all the doctors told Mom double pneumonia would kill her. Apparently early in the afternoon, she was talking crazy to Mom about imaginary rats in her room at the nursing home. “When they start talking crazy and hearing things and talking about babies, everybody says that’s when they’re dying,” Mom explained. I think our research into the subject is vastly different. The stories I’ve heard from near death experience or from others at deathbeds, it’s usually tunnels of light or seeing dead relatives or angels and talking to them. Maybe the dementia about rats and baby rats are edited out?
So I ended up at home after dark Wednesday night. And I had such good plans too. After getting the pictures and mp3 player, I was going to walk at the gym and take a shower. That didn’t happen. I leave while still dark Thursday morning to go to work. Thursday night class let out early so I got my shower. Back home Thursday night after dark.
Thursday night I also get the latest prognosis on my grandmother. They took her to dialysis and pulled three liters of fluid off her. She’s not supposed to have liquids, but she sneaks it anyway. And since she was happily claiming that after three days stay in the hospital we could get therapy for her again, we all think she drank ice water until she made herself congested with fluid build-up. I told Mom since all she gets out of therapy is touchy-feeling massage stuff (she doesn’t try to walk which is what she’s supposed to do), it would probably be cheaper and less whining from her just to hire a masseuse to see her once a week.
Friday after work I returned the extra Spider-man DVD copy for Jurassic Park (which I haven’t had since Kai borrowed it twelve years ago and it was in her pile of movies that were stolen in the dorm room. I still need to find A Fairy Tale on DVD another one that got lost in the same incident) and bought Mortal Kombat at half-price, factoring what was left of the gift card. Home after dark. Yeah, the only sun I get to see is on the weekends and while at work, I’m so glad the office has windows now.
So I took the pictures Saturday morning. Today, I have a birthday party to go to and I need to clean up the house a bit for company tomorrow. Not that I have oodles to do, but I’d like the dishes and laundry washed and my paperwork done.
I also did a preliminary circumference of the downed part forty-seven and one-eighth inches. I still think there’s enough there to do something with, even if it can’t be a chest. At worst, I can transform it into a playground for Mustard.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
House Updates
I can’t seem to get used to having mobile music or audio books. Told myself to pack the mp3 player for walking tonight and forgot it. And I haven’t set up my cell phone for music yet. But at least, I remember the cell phone most days. But I did remember the workout clothes, maybe I can stop on my way to the gym. Digressing.
So I had just seen the tornado watch alerts yesterday when Mom calls me at work. “Your house is fine.”
Visions of the Wizard of Oz flash through my head, namely what the farmhouse looks like after arriving in Oz. “What?”
“Your house is fine.” Then the vision of my parents’ house in Oz. “The cedar tree didn’t fall on it, but Uncle Scott says we’re still getting hail.”
I didn’t care about hail. Hail would need to be softball sized or powered by Ming the Merciless in order to hurt my house. “The cedar tree?” That also didn’t make sense. Now, the crepe myrtle, which sprouted when there was only a chicken coop where my house (built circa 1919) is now, looks like I can push it over with one hand—that I expect to fall. But the cedar tree was planted in Dad’s childhood. Only the oak tree is younger. I have a vision of uproots destroying my porch.
“Well, half the cedar tree. It fell towards the camilla tree. It didn’t hit the house. But I wanted to tell you, so it didn’t shock you when you got home.”
I thanked her for the heads up, but it still didn’t help by the time I got home. I reasoned that part of the cedar tree had been eaten by wood ants to the point where it hadn’t produced foliage in months. That had to be the part that fell off. I tried to get home before dark and didn’t make it, so I turned on the brights on my headlights when I pulled into the driveway. My front yard is filled with green cedar tree.
I’m amazed that the camilla tree wasn’t crushed. I park, go inside, all the way through to the front porch. Half was a good estimate. It looked like the biggest spur of the trunk had fallen over. The wood-ant-chomped part still, upright. The ancient crepe myrtle, still upright. At least no wires had been clipped when it fell over.
Comparison shots of the damage in daylight and one taken Tuesday night. Third pic is of the ancient crepe myrtle. I wandered to my parents’ house. “I’m in need of chocolate. You made brownies last night.”
Mom: “Sorry, hun. They ate them all already. And Uncle Scott says he ain’t doing anything to it until you call homeowners insurance.”
“What can they do? What do I do with it?”
“You’re the homeowner. Make a decision.”
She has a bloody opinion about everything you don’t want an opinion about, but when I request one, she has none.
So this morning I call my homeowner’s insurance agent. “Your policy only covers trees if they are hit by lightening or they hit your house. Was it hit by lightening?”
“Ma’am, I saw it twice in the dark. All I could see was half of it was on the ground.”
“Well, we can go out and look at it, but I didn’t want you to be surprised if the claim was rejected.”
So now I’m waiting to see what that verdict is, waiting till I can go home with some daylight to take decent pictures, and trying to decide what to do with it. Do I chop the whole tree down or just the damaged parts? Is there enough cedar timber to make something for the house? Probably not enough for a cedar robe (wardrobe made out of cedar), but I don’t know what else the wood would be good for. Any ideas?
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
So I had just seen the tornado watch alerts yesterday when Mom calls me at work. “Your house is fine.”
Visions of the Wizard of Oz flash through my head, namely what the farmhouse looks like after arriving in Oz. “What?”
“Your house is fine.” Then the vision of my parents’ house in Oz. “The cedar tree didn’t fall on it, but Uncle Scott says we’re still getting hail.”
I didn’t care about hail. Hail would need to be softball sized or powered by Ming the Merciless in order to hurt my house. “The cedar tree?” That also didn’t make sense. Now, the crepe myrtle, which sprouted when there was only a chicken coop where my house (built circa 1919) is now, looks like I can push it over with one hand—that I expect to fall. But the cedar tree was planted in Dad’s childhood. Only the oak tree is younger. I have a vision of uproots destroying my porch.
“Well, half the cedar tree. It fell towards the camilla tree. It didn’t hit the house. But I wanted to tell you, so it didn’t shock you when you got home.”
I thanked her for the heads up, but it still didn’t help by the time I got home. I reasoned that part of the cedar tree had been eaten by wood ants to the point where it hadn’t produced foliage in months. That had to be the part that fell off. I tried to get home before dark and didn’t make it, so I turned on the brights on my headlights when I pulled into the driveway. My front yard is filled with green cedar tree.
I’m amazed that the camilla tree wasn’t crushed. I park, go inside, all the way through to the front porch. Half was a good estimate. It looked like the biggest spur of the trunk had fallen over. The wood-ant-chomped part still, upright. The ancient crepe myrtle, still upright. At least no wires had been clipped when it fell over.
Comparison shots of the damage in daylight and one taken Tuesday night. Third pic is of the ancient crepe myrtle. I wandered to my parents’ house. “I’m in need of chocolate. You made brownies last night.”
Mom: “Sorry, hun. They ate them all already. And Uncle Scott says he ain’t doing anything to it until you call homeowners insurance.”
“What can they do? What do I do with it?”
“You’re the homeowner. Make a decision.”
She has a bloody opinion about everything you don’t want an opinion about, but when I request one, she has none.
So this morning I call my homeowner’s insurance agent. “Your policy only covers trees if they are hit by lightening or they hit your house. Was it hit by lightening?”
“Ma’am, I saw it twice in the dark. All I could see was half of it was on the ground.”
“Well, we can go out and look at it, but I didn’t want you to be surprised if the claim was rejected.”
So now I’m waiting to see what that verdict is, waiting till I can go home with some daylight to take decent pictures, and trying to decide what to do with it. Do I chop the whole tree down or just the damaged parts? Is there enough cedar timber to make something for the house? Probably not enough for a cedar robe (wardrobe made out of cedar), but I don’t know what else the wood would be good for. Any ideas?
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Writing Resource Links
Revise Your Work: How to Revise Your Work
12 Essential Blogwriting tips
What Makes a Hero Part 1
What Makes a Hero Part 2
Find in the library: Your Money or Your Life
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
12 Essential Blogwriting tips
What Makes a Hero Part 1
What Makes a Hero Part 2
Find in the library: Your Money or Your Life
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Blank: Entertainment and Other Updates
Mom and I went to see Juno, a movie on teen pregnancy with surprising crossover appeal. Course I can geek out over a character who shouts “Thundercats are go!” when mobilizing the family to get her to the delivery room.
Then the Centinneal cell phone canceled my account right on schedule, but without me transferring the phone number. So much for saving money and doing it at the end of February. Saturday, I ended up at Verizon with shiny new phone, plan, all courtesy of a one-day sale…
And the TomTom STILL didn’t work with the new phone. The Verizon store guy pointed out that their Navigator service that works on the phone will have live Traffic reports in a few months. Sold. So if you need my new phone number and didn’t get it, email me.
Monday was a lot of disappointments in a row (no, you can’t have the phone number everyone already has down for you *raspberry* being the biggest one), but Best Buy made me happy because they took the TomTom and gave me shiny in-store credit for it. I went home with Doctor Who Series 3, BattleStar Galactica: Razor, Spider-man 1, and Spider-man 2. I discovered this morning that I had Spider-man already, so I get to go back for something else. It won’t be Spider-man 3 not because I hate the film (weak, but I actually enjoyed the Saturday Night Fever homage) but because I don’t have enough store credit for it. Doctor Who was the major score, everything else lagniappe.
Now I think I have some quiet time to squeeze in my thirty writing minutes.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Then the Centinneal cell phone canceled my account right on schedule, but without me transferring the phone number. So much for saving money and doing it at the end of February. Saturday, I ended up at Verizon with shiny new phone, plan, all courtesy of a one-day sale…
And the TomTom STILL didn’t work with the new phone. The Verizon store guy pointed out that their Navigator service that works on the phone will have live Traffic reports in a few months. Sold. So if you need my new phone number and didn’t get it, email me.
Monday was a lot of disappointments in a row (no, you can’t have the phone number everyone already has down for you *raspberry* being the biggest one), but Best Buy made me happy because they took the TomTom and gave me shiny in-store credit for it. I went home with Doctor Who Series 3, BattleStar Galactica: Razor, Spider-man 1, and Spider-man 2. I discovered this morning that I had Spider-man already, so I get to go back for something else. It won’t be Spider-man 3 not because I hate the film (weak, but I actually enjoyed the Saturday Night Fever homage) but because I don’t have enough store credit for it. Doctor Who was the major score, everything else lagniappe.
Now I think I have some quiet time to squeeze in my thirty writing minutes.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Yoga Workout 4
Blank: Yoga Workout 4
02/12/2008
I accidentally did a lot of squats at Clovis’s house Saturday and by Monday, the glutes were still hurting. So I held off the workout. Waking up late didn’t help either. Tuesday had a slightly better get up time, but I still ran over my writing time thanks to needing to workout.
When going out to eat with parents, order water! How many times do I have to fudge up my sleeping schedule before I learn this?
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
02/12/2008
I accidentally did a lot of squats at Clovis’s house Saturday and by Monday, the glutes were still hurting. So I held off the workout. Waking up late didn’t help either. Tuesday had a slightly better get up time, but I still ran over my writing time thanks to needing to workout.
When going out to eat with parents, order water! How many times do I have to fudge up my sleeping schedule before I learn this?
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Weight Loss Weekly Update
No changes from last week, but I think I had a resurge of period bloat. And with the start of classes, I haven’t been watching the carb intake as much as I should. No fries this week.
Week 34 = 179.4
Week 33 = 179.4
Week 32 = 178.8
Week 31 = 179.2
Week 30 = 181.7
Week 29 = 181.9
Week 28 = 182.8
Week 27 = 182.7
Week 26 = 185.3
Week 25 = 188.2
Week 24 = 188
Week 23 = 186.7
Week 22 = 187.4
Week 21 = 186.9
Week 20 = 186.2
Week 19 = 186.4
Week 18 = 186.3
Week 17 = 186.5
Week 16 = 187.2
Week 15 = 188.6
Week 14 = 188.8
Week 13 = 189
Week 12 = 187.6
Week 11 = 187.8
Week 10 = 189.6
Week 9 = 188.9
Week 8 = 193.4
Week 7 = 194.5
Week 6 = 194.5
Week 5 = 195.5
Week 2 = 199
Week 1 = 205
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Week 34 = 179.4
Week 33 = 179.4
Week 32 = 178.8
Week 31 = 179.2
Week 30 = 181.7
Week 29 = 181.9
Week 28 = 182.8
Week 27 = 182.7
Week 26 = 185.3
Week 25 = 188.2
Week 24 = 188
Week 23 = 186.7
Week 22 = 187.4
Week 21 = 186.9
Week 20 = 186.2
Week 19 = 186.4
Week 18 = 186.3
Week 17 = 186.5
Week 16 = 187.2
Week 15 = 188.6
Week 14 = 188.8
Week 13 = 189
Week 12 = 187.6
Week 11 = 187.8
Week 10 = 189.6
Week 9 = 188.9
Week 8 = 193.4
Week 7 = 194.5
Week 6 = 194.5
Week 5 = 195.5
Week 2 = 199
Week 1 = 205
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Yogalates Workout 5
Awake ontime for a Saturday, but I have a lot to do. Heard the end of Coast to Coast AM and Dr. Morgus the Magnificant. And wow Morgus works on radio. Workout is done now. Today is looking great. My weight has gone down off of period bloat, and I think I will start losing weight faster once I get walking and add free weights back into the routines.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Friday, February 08, 2008
Walking Workout 1
So I did the oversleep thing on a Friday again this week. I think it may be caffeine intake. So since I had finally gotten the locker rental renwal straightened out and wanted a shower to scrub my hair, I decided to go the campus eat dinner there, workout, shower, go home.
HA! Okay, I first attended SLU in the summer of 1995 with no car and I didn’t have my parents come get me every weekend. I soon learned then to buy provisions for the weekend from the cafeteria before noon because everything closed Friday afternoon and didn’t open again until Monday morning. Luckily, I was still part of Upward Bound and they fed me with their high school students the times I forgot.
That hasn’t changed in over a decade. So I had to back track to a fast food joint that got my order wrong. Okay, I am going to walk the track for an hour. It’s cardio but low-impact, and hell because the words are coming so well, I’m going to writing and walk at the same time. As long as I don’t run into a wall or another gym user, I’ll be fine. And if I slow down, I’ll be fine because I’m going to truck for an hour. Then take a shower and go home.
So I pick up my paperwork, dress out, and find the notice of operating hours. Gym closes at 8pm. It’s already 6:50.
So I walked for 30 minutes, and the pedometer, which I’m not sure is accurate or not, measured 3224 steps. The handwriting in the notebook is atrocious, but I’m practically up to the end of the scene. Which means I need to do some rough outlining to make sure the next POV jumps work. But I’m used to my handwriting being atrocious, I just have to recopy it fairly soon.
Got my shower and got out of there a little after closing time. I will work walking into my schedule more on shower days, since I need a little more cardio to go with the weight training and yoga stuff. I’m hoping to be able to resume the Iron Experiment at the end of February or beginning of March when the temps stay in the warm range more consistently.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
HA! Okay, I first attended SLU in the summer of 1995 with no car and I didn’t have my parents come get me every weekend. I soon learned then to buy provisions for the weekend from the cafeteria before noon because everything closed Friday afternoon and didn’t open again until Monday morning. Luckily, I was still part of Upward Bound and they fed me with their high school students the times I forgot.
That hasn’t changed in over a decade. So I had to back track to a fast food joint that got my order wrong. Okay, I am going to walk the track for an hour. It’s cardio but low-impact, and hell because the words are coming so well, I’m going to writing and walk at the same time. As long as I don’t run into a wall or another gym user, I’ll be fine. And if I slow down, I’ll be fine because I’m going to truck for an hour. Then take a shower and go home.
So I pick up my paperwork, dress out, and find the notice of operating hours. Gym closes at 8pm. It’s already 6:50.
So I walked for 30 minutes, and the pedometer, which I’m not sure is accurate or not, measured 3224 steps. The handwriting in the notebook is atrocious, but I’m practically up to the end of the scene. Which means I need to do some rough outlining to make sure the next POV jumps work. But I’m used to my handwriting being atrocious, I just have to recopy it fairly soon.
Got my shower and got out of there a little after closing time. I will work walking into my schedule more on shower days, since I need a little more cardio to go with the weight training and yoga stuff. I’m hoping to be able to resume the Iron Experiment at the end of February or beginning of March when the temps stay in the warm range more consistently.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Counting Eggs before they’re hatched
I do honestly try. Especially with money. See the whole Budget category for why with money.
But nothing makes me see red faster than being told lies when I asked all the right questions. I asked Sallie Mae about the half-time status and was it required for the Student Signature Loans. “Nope.” Asked the school’s Financial Aid department. “Nope.” Take twice to fill out the online application because I need a co-signer. Call the school yesterday, “We’re going to denying it because you’re under half-time status and according to your FASFA score you should be able to pay this bill.”
My response: “FASFA lied to you.”
Call Sallie Mae up again. Different loan, but money comes directly to me, half-time status doesn’t matter. Go to fill that online application. Can’t get as much out as I would have with the Federal loans. Then the form won’t proceed to the next level no matter what numbers I put in. Call Sallie Mae, won’t work with the over-the-phone-instructions. Print out form, fill it out, and fax it in. Just faxed off this morning because of course they asked questions on the form I only have at home. And I’m expecting to hear back from them that I filled something out wrong or I can’t get the reduced amount I’m asking for.
Well I guess if this flops, I can always go sell an egg. My ovaries are perfectly healthy, and if you put me completely under, I could deal with the thought of surgery. Oh just Goggled it, probably not the best way to go, very time consuming. And Cylons made it look so easy on Battlestar Galactic. :p
I’m trying not to have to go get a pizza delivery job, but if this last loan falls through and my credit union is unwilling to help me again, I may have to get it to pay off this last class. *Shmeg*
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
But nothing makes me see red faster than being told lies when I asked all the right questions. I asked Sallie Mae about the half-time status and was it required for the Student Signature Loans. “Nope.” Asked the school’s Financial Aid department. “Nope.” Take twice to fill out the online application because I need a co-signer. Call the school yesterday, “We’re going to denying it because you’re under half-time status and according to your FASFA score you should be able to pay this bill.”
My response: “FASFA lied to you.”
Call Sallie Mae up again. Different loan, but money comes directly to me, half-time status doesn’t matter. Go to fill that online application. Can’t get as much out as I would have with the Federal loans. Then the form won’t proceed to the next level no matter what numbers I put in. Call Sallie Mae, won’t work with the over-the-phone-instructions. Print out form, fill it out, and fax it in. Just faxed off this morning because of course they asked questions on the form I only have at home. And I’m expecting to hear back from them that I filled something out wrong or I can’t get the reduced amount I’m asking for.
Well I guess if this flops, I can always go sell an egg. My ovaries are perfectly healthy, and if you put me completely under, I could deal with the thought of surgery. Oh just Goggled it, probably not the best way to go, very time consuming. And Cylons made it look so easy on Battlestar Galactic. :p
I’m trying not to have to go get a pizza delivery job, but if this last loan falls through and my credit union is unwilling to help me again, I may have to get it to pay off this last class. *Shmeg*
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Yogalates Workout 4
Is my body on a campaign to drive me crazy? I have to wonder when I wake up at 2am and can't go back to sleep. Which made getting up at 3am easy, but behind the wheel of the car shouldn't be a fight to keep the eyelids open. Not after working out not after being up for three hours already.
I'm still worried I'm not engaging the abs enough during the exercises. I feel them working on some exercises and not in others. That makes me wonder if I'm using other muscles instead.
Period is still not acting right. I haven't started the new pack yet hoping that will make something happen. I've been delaying going back to the gynecologist because usually the next month it will behave normally. At least now I have some data in MyMonthlyCycles that this brand of birth control ain't helping.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
I'm still worried I'm not engaging the abs enough during the exercises. I feel them working on some exercises and not in others. That makes me wonder if I'm using other muscles instead.
Period is still not acting right. I haven't started the new pack yet hoping that will make something happen. I've been delaying going back to the gynecologist because usually the next month it will behave normally. At least now I have some data in MyMonthlyCycles that this brand of birth control ain't helping.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Monday, February 04, 2008
Yoga Workout 3
I probably need to start sleeping in my workout clothes. I end up going over my time allotment by about ten minutes.
I’m in a skirt that I haven’t been able to wear for about a year and a half. I have coworkers who have never seen it. But the control top panty hose gives me a bit of a muffin top. It’s not so bad that I need to change outfits.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
I’m in a skirt that I haven’t been able to wear for about a year and a half. I have coworkers who have never seen it. But the control top panty hose gives me a bit of a muffin top. It’s not so bad that I need to change outfits.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Money and Writing Part Two
So I have spent three days on this topic in my head and working it out on paper. Paper does help; I can see where the train of my thoughts has gone and where they have derailed. To recap: I am a writer who can appeal to an audience. I want to earn supplemental income from my writing. And I get paralyzed by fear of making the wrong decision and end up an indecisive mess.
Neil Gaiman also gave me an incidental boost. I wish I could find the blog post to link to it, but Firefox at home is being cranky and not loading stuff fast enough. But he has said that him current WIP originated from an idea he had ten years ago. A reader questioned him about that, and his answer was basically sometimes you have to wait until you’re the writer that can do the idea justice. I needed that gentle reminder that the muse is a fickle thing, and me and mine should fight less over the proper time to work on something (which really only comes from me, my muse sits in the corner and sulks taking my drive and enthusiasm with her). I have found that the universe seems to be hitting me with a boffer sword lately, and I’m going to pay attention before it moves to the proverbial two-by-four.
My decision is to buy the course, and keep track of the expenses on this venture. If I don’t earn at least my money back, I’ve flopped and made a bad decision.
Now for the changing writing habits. Lord and Lady, it feels like I have tried every trick in all the books. Write to Done was actually pretty inspiring with writing first thing in the morning before anything else and I’m up already at that time . . .
working out.
I don’t work out everyday (yet) but I don’t want to write everyday. So my choices are get up even earlier *groan or find a different time. Yeah, slapping my hand and telling myself to write at lunch has worked so well in the past. However, option one appears to be turning me into a night owl by sending me to sleep during the day. Brain doesn’t want to turn on by the time I get home. So it looks like I’m left with getting up earlier in the morning. 3am instead of 3:30, maybe that will be enough. Do it for a month, then evaluate. I’ll be starting Tuesday February 5th. Remind me to evaluate March 5th.
What to work on is more up in the air.
I don’t know how long it’s going to take to finish the course. So to get started in my establishing-writing-time habit, I’m going to finish the current fanfic and then start on Strix set-up story. As long as nothing goes crazy in my life. And I need to make real deadlines to keep.
From Novelist’s Boot Camp (which I found has the most helpful discussion on how to plan your calendar):
Currently, I’m in the second one-third section of time with the fanfic. Thirty minutes a day for sixty days becomes twenty days to finish the first draft, twenty days to revise and proofread, and the third twenty days will be planning on Strix unless I have vastly under estimated. So started in February 5th, my deadline dates are February 24th to finish the first draft, March 15th to finish editing and publish, March 16th to start brainstorming on Strix. My daily goals are to write thirty minutes a day and write at least 258 words a day.
Okay, I have a game plan for fiction. What about blogs? Well, they are my accountability monitors so I need to keep them up. But they must come after thirty minutes on fiction even if I don’t make the full word count. And I’m going to start tracking word counts on the posts. One of the things I worry about is all my energy getting sucked up by them. So don’t be surprised after these monster posts if you don’t hear from me for a while.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Neil Gaiman also gave me an incidental boost. I wish I could find the blog post to link to it, but Firefox at home is being cranky and not loading stuff fast enough. But he has said that him current WIP originated from an idea he had ten years ago. A reader questioned him about that, and his answer was basically sometimes you have to wait until you’re the writer that can do the idea justice. I needed that gentle reminder that the muse is a fickle thing, and me and mine should fight less over the proper time to work on something (which really only comes from me, my muse sits in the corner and sulks taking my drive and enthusiasm with her). I have found that the universe seems to be hitting me with a boffer sword lately, and I’m going to pay attention before it moves to the proverbial two-by-four.
My decision is to buy the course, and keep track of the expenses on this venture. If I don’t earn at least my money back, I’ve flopped and made a bad decision.
Now for the changing writing habits. Lord and Lady, it feels like I have tried every trick in all the books. Write to Done was actually pretty inspiring with writing first thing in the morning before anything else and I’m up already at that time . . .
working out.
I don’t work out everyday (yet) but I don’t want to write everyday. So my choices are get up even earlier *groan or find a different time. Yeah, slapping my hand and telling myself to write at lunch has worked so well in the past. However, option one appears to be turning me into a night owl by sending me to sleep during the day. Brain doesn’t want to turn on by the time I get home. So it looks like I’m left with getting up earlier in the morning. 3am instead of 3:30, maybe that will be enough. Do it for a month, then evaluate. I’ll be starting Tuesday February 5th. Remind me to evaluate March 5th.
What to work on is more up in the air.
- Piper of Shadows universe – has oodles of fun potential, but I don’t really have characters or a plot to go with it yet. What I know about it though, I think it has a shot with a mainstream market of some sort.
- Zy’s universe – including the novel and short stories I also consider a mainstream shot.
- Underneath the Colored Lights universe – I’m on the fence with this one. I can see where it could work in mainstream. And I can see playing up the Lovecraft homage that gave birth to this universe, how mainstream it isn’t.
- Strix universe – self-published, especially with jumping mediums.
- Capt. Kate’s universe – I might find a mainstream home for some of this, but not the way I want to do it (with using “thou” correctly for Elizabethan English grammar). Right now, I’m leaning heavily towards self-publish for it too.
I don’t know how long it’s going to take to finish the course. So to get started in my establishing-writing-time habit, I’m going to finish the current fanfic and then start on Strix set-up story. As long as nothing goes crazy in my life. And I need to make real deadlines to keep.
From Novelist’s Boot Camp (which I found has the most helpful discussion on how to plan your calendar):
- Establish your deadline.
- Cross out time allotted for work, family, vacations, religious observance, exercise, and other obligations. Take the remaining time and allocate:
- one-third to mental preparation, planning, invention, and development
- one-third to producing a quality draft
- one-third to revision, editing, and proofreading
- Mark your calendar with these key dates.
- Further guidelines:
- Do set daily goals.
- Do plan on vacations, breaks, business trips, and the like.
- Do give yourself some breathing room—build a “fudge factor” into your time plan.
Currently, I’m in the second one-third section of time with the fanfic. Thirty minutes a day for sixty days becomes twenty days to finish the first draft, twenty days to revise and proofread, and the third twenty days will be planning on Strix unless I have vastly under estimated. So started in February 5th, my deadline dates are February 24th to finish the first draft, March 15th to finish editing and publish, March 16th to start brainstorming on Strix. My daily goals are to write thirty minutes a day and write at least 258 words a day.
Okay, I have a game plan for fiction. What about blogs? Well, they are my accountability monitors so I need to keep them up. But they must come after thirty minutes on fiction even if I don’t make the full word count. And I’m going to start tracking word counts on the posts. One of the things I worry about is all my energy getting sucked up by them. So don’t be surprised after these monster posts if you don’t hear from me for a while.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Yogalates Workout 3
Made it through Yogalates Workout Two, two days late. I overslept both Friday and Saturday. This week I think I suffered from period bloat, because today's weight was 177.5.
Week 33 = 179.4
Week 32 = 178.8
Week 31 = 179.2
Week 30 = 181.7
Week 29 = 181.9
Week 28 = 182.8
Week 27 = 182.7
Week 26 = 185.3
Week 25 = 188.2
Week 24 = 188
Week 23 = 186.7
Week 22 = 187.4
Week 21 = 186.9
Week 20 = 186.2
Week 19 = 186.4
Week 18 = 186.3
Week 17 = 186.5
Week 16 = 187.2
Week 15 = 188.6
Week 14 = 188.8
Week 13 = 189
Week 12 = 187.6
Week 11 = 187.8
Week 10 = 189.6
Week 9 = 188.9
Week 8 = 193.4
Week 7 = 194.5
Week 6 = 194.5
Week 5 = 195.5
Week 2 = 199
Week 1 = 205
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Week 33 = 179.4
Week 32 = 178.8
Week 31 = 179.2
Week 30 = 181.7
Week 29 = 181.9
Week 28 = 182.8
Week 27 = 182.7
Week 26 = 185.3
Week 25 = 188.2
Week 24 = 188
Week 23 = 186.7
Week 22 = 187.4
Week 21 = 186.9
Week 20 = 186.2
Week 19 = 186.4
Week 18 = 186.3
Week 17 = 186.5
Week 16 = 187.2
Week 15 = 188.6
Week 14 = 188.8
Week 13 = 189
Week 12 = 187.6
Week 11 = 187.8
Week 10 = 189.6
Week 9 = 188.9
Week 8 = 193.4
Week 7 = 194.5
Week 6 = 194.5
Week 5 = 195.5
Week 2 = 199
Week 1 = 205
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Friday, February 01, 2008
Money and Writing Part One
Okay, this was supposed to be a day to finish a couple of personal projects and noodle with my brain on more important things. Of course, my supervisor called me to help edit the step-by-step procedures for the office that lasted all day today. Now my brain is mush but still begging for the resolution promised by the noodling process. So if this noodling is less than entertaining, it’s because my brain still hurts from having to remember everything my office does.
Right, so to start with the nebulous problem. State of writing and what future it holds. Let me make this clear to myself: I am a writer. I have been a writer since I was eleven-years-old and decided that a haunted house story in which the ghosts are resurrected was a good idea. I haven’t stopped since. Since I started keeping sporadic (but the best so far) track in May 2006, I have written a grand total of 137,375 words. Now that’s divided between fiction, non-fiction, homework assignments, and blog posts. And I know I haven’t counted the words of every blog post. Though the division may have contributed to my feeling lack of focus and discipline. My mind is not as nimble as it once was, but it is probably just tired.
And the sneering argument that publishing marks a true writer doesn’t hold up (part of me doesn’t believe it, part of me was influenced by my family not believing I was a writer until I won a cash prize) because I have been published. Other people besides friends and family have validated my writing.
However, I don’t earn an income from my writing. It may be debatable that money is the route of all evil, but it certainly is the root of a lot of my issues. While going through Suze Orman’s financial exercises, I realized I cannot have a life without a steady paycheck. The only way I can even conceive of it being possible is if I get a huge sum of money that I can pay off all my debts, then conservatively invest, and live off the dividends. And since I’m having issues with submitting and don’t play the Powerball very often, the odds of that happening are not in my favor. So let’s rule quitting the paying job to write full time or start my own business out.
I severely internalized the lesson “unemployment is bad” from my childhood, even though I don’t think of my childhood as deprived. I also think that the warnings of how hard it is to succeed in writing got twisted by the financial child in me as “CODE RED! SHE’S TRYING TO FUCK UP HER LIFE! STOP HER! STOP HER!” So I finish the first draft of something, and never edit. I tell myself to go research markets and never end up at a library. I promise to work on original fiction and finish by the deadline, and blow it to work on fanfic. Constantly beating myself up, telling myself I will change and find my groove again, and nothing changing because I didn’t know where the problem was really stemming from.
Writing has never been a problem once I get started. But getting started was an issue. It hasn’t been lately, but I have been focusing on the Educator’s Guide and now the latest fanfic. So what I brought up earlier about divided focus, I think it related to the brain issues brought up with GTD. The brain cannot multi-task. The brain will try to remember everything it ever thinks of if you don’t have a trusted method. I have my story idea box, notes in binders and notebooks, and the list of what I want to work on—but my brain still goes into overload with what I should be doing. Because I should be working on original fiction and stop wasting time with fanfics.
Except that this view isn’t how I used to feel about my stories. It used to be that what I wanted to write I blitzed through the first draft. The most multi-tasking I did was editing one story while starting the next first draft, but I always picked something I wanted to work on no matter what it was. This “no not fanfics right now” is recent and I think I have imposed an outside view on myself.
The truth is I want to finish my Biker Mice series. I’m sucked into the universe quite badly and I want to usher it to the end I envisioned. At the same time, I want to be ethical about it. I will not make a profit off the fanfics. Ad revenue on the Library’s website would cover costs only. I won’t sell the experience of reading my fanfics. The right holders are nice enough to let me play, and I won’t fuck with that.
Which leads to the financial woes portion of the noodling. I have halfway good news; I was approved for the student signature loan for this semester by the lender. Now we’re waiting for SLU to finish their end. I figure I’m going to give them until Wednesday (which really isn’t fair because of the Mardi Gras holiday but hell I have to work on Monday, you should to) before bugging financial aid. (I don’t need to fill anything out on your end, the original paperwork still good? And I’m getting the remainder, right? Because I won’t be responsible for my actions if you tell me you’re sending it back to the bank.) So optimistically, I should get the STEF in place, pay off my parents (and get that off my guilt trip button), buy the dishwasher, and widen the monthly expenses a smidge—i.e. getting closer to what I really spend so I don’t dip into the STEF. But I can’t count on it until I actually get it.
And thanks to my good fortune not to have to buy classes in the Fall semester, I have nothing to fall back on in August should the summer budget explode in my face. So unless I managed to get rich selling the stuff I don’t want, that means a second paying job. Something I have pushed to the absolutely-last-thing-I-do-to-get-on-financial-stable-footing place. Convergys scarred me and with my commitments, it’s hard to work a part-time into my schedule. And it will kill the time for writing even more.
So make writing the second paying job. I wrote it down in a brainstorming other income streams session. Then Holly Lisle started “another way to earn writing income” advice column soon after. She recommended a course by Jimmy D. Brown, and I was a little unnerved (if that’s the proper word for the emotion I felt) to find out that the writing tutorials I did for free was what he would considered the basis for making money. And what I write to sell on the Internet doesn’t stop me from selling other stories to mainstream markets. So it works, and it sidesteps my impatience. The few times I managed to submit, the wait was horrible. By the time I got the rejection was the time I figured the Post Office ate it and the editor never saw it.
There is an opportunity to spend money that I hadn’t planned on spending to further getting paid for writing goal. Oh now it’s a goal, noodling process helpful. I didn’t even know it was a real goal when I started. But that flies in the face of what I’m trying to accomplish with the budget. *headdesk*
So here I am and at an indecision. Still. I’m on page three of this and no decision. I know I want to change my monthly and weekly totals and start reaching them repeatedly. And I want to earn money. But do I spend the money at this point? Do I do it on my own or do I pay to learn what someone already uses?
I want to write fanfics and I want to write original fiction and I probably need to write more nonfiction, but I need to keep myself from having a divided focus. For an exercise in psychoanalyzing myself, this isn’t completely helpful. I thought I’d have my game plan done by this point. Instead, I’m scared of making the wrong decision and losing money.
I’m scared of making the wrong decision.
I don’t like being wrong, and I have a tendency to dwell on my mistakes. I try to let that go when I realize I’m doing it, but I think my brain has come up with another way to avoid the problem. Put the decision in limbo and no wrong decision is made. I don’t know if I’m peeved or impressed with myself now. *headdesk*
Make a decision. Make deadlines. Make changes to habits. No Fear.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Right, so to start with the nebulous problem. State of writing and what future it holds. Let me make this clear to myself: I am a writer. I have been a writer since I was eleven-years-old and decided that a haunted house story in which the ghosts are resurrected was a good idea. I haven’t stopped since. Since I started keeping sporadic (but the best so far) track in May 2006, I have written a grand total of 137,375 words. Now that’s divided between fiction, non-fiction, homework assignments, and blog posts. And I know I haven’t counted the words of every blog post. Though the division may have contributed to my feeling lack of focus and discipline. My mind is not as nimble as it once was, but it is probably just tired.
And the sneering argument that publishing marks a true writer doesn’t hold up (part of me doesn’t believe it, part of me was influenced by my family not believing I was a writer until I won a cash prize) because I have been published. Other people besides friends and family have validated my writing.
- Second place in Creative Writing for State Beta Club Convention in 1995.
- Eighth place in Creative Writing for National Beta Club Convention in 1995.
- Six stories published in Argus, Northwestern’s literary magazine from 1995 to 1999.
- Second place in Gargoyles Gathering short story contest in 2001.
- Ghostwriting an EBook in 2006.
- “The Gingerbread Girl” published on a paranormal blog in February 2007.
- Educator’s Guide for Acadiana Medieval Faire 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons.
- People still voting for me to continue the Writing Tutorials.
- Well-behaved fans who devour fanfics I write and then beg for more.
However, I don’t earn an income from my writing. It may be debatable that money is the route of all evil, but it certainly is the root of a lot of my issues. While going through Suze Orman’s financial exercises, I realized I cannot have a life without a steady paycheck. The only way I can even conceive of it being possible is if I get a huge sum of money that I can pay off all my debts, then conservatively invest, and live off the dividends. And since I’m having issues with submitting and don’t play the Powerball very often, the odds of that happening are not in my favor. So let’s rule quitting the paying job to write full time or start my own business out.
I severely internalized the lesson “unemployment is bad” from my childhood, even though I don’t think of my childhood as deprived. I also think that the warnings of how hard it is to succeed in writing got twisted by the financial child in me as “CODE RED! SHE’S TRYING TO FUCK UP HER LIFE! STOP HER! STOP HER!” So I finish the first draft of something, and never edit. I tell myself to go research markets and never end up at a library. I promise to work on original fiction and finish by the deadline, and blow it to work on fanfic. Constantly beating myself up, telling myself I will change and find my groove again, and nothing changing because I didn’t know where the problem was really stemming from.
Writing has never been a problem once I get started. But getting started was an issue. It hasn’t been lately, but I have been focusing on the Educator’s Guide and now the latest fanfic. So what I brought up earlier about divided focus, I think it related to the brain issues brought up with GTD. The brain cannot multi-task. The brain will try to remember everything it ever thinks of if you don’t have a trusted method. I have my story idea box, notes in binders and notebooks, and the list of what I want to work on—but my brain still goes into overload with what I should be doing. Because I should be working on original fiction and stop wasting time with fanfics.
Except that this view isn’t how I used to feel about my stories. It used to be that what I wanted to write I blitzed through the first draft. The most multi-tasking I did was editing one story while starting the next first draft, but I always picked something I wanted to work on no matter what it was. This “no not fanfics right now” is recent and I think I have imposed an outside view on myself.
The truth is I want to finish my Biker Mice series. I’m sucked into the universe quite badly and I want to usher it to the end I envisioned. At the same time, I want to be ethical about it. I will not make a profit off the fanfics. Ad revenue on the Library’s website would cover costs only. I won’t sell the experience of reading my fanfics. The right holders are nice enough to let me play, and I won’t fuck with that.
Which leads to the financial woes portion of the noodling. I have halfway good news; I was approved for the student signature loan for this semester by the lender. Now we’re waiting for SLU to finish their end. I figure I’m going to give them until Wednesday (which really isn’t fair because of the Mardi Gras holiday but hell I have to work on Monday, you should to) before bugging financial aid. (I don’t need to fill anything out on your end, the original paperwork still good? And I’m getting the remainder, right? Because I won’t be responsible for my actions if you tell me you’re sending it back to the bank.) So optimistically, I should get the STEF in place, pay off my parents (and get that off my guilt trip button), buy the dishwasher, and widen the monthly expenses a smidge—i.e. getting closer to what I really spend so I don’t dip into the STEF. But I can’t count on it until I actually get it.
And thanks to my good fortune not to have to buy classes in the Fall semester, I have nothing to fall back on in August should the summer budget explode in my face. So unless I managed to get rich selling the stuff I don’t want, that means a second paying job. Something I have pushed to the absolutely-last-thing-I-do-to-get-on-financial-stable-footing place. Convergys scarred me and with my commitments, it’s hard to work a part-time into my schedule. And it will kill the time for writing even more.
So make writing the second paying job. I wrote it down in a brainstorming other income streams session. Then Holly Lisle started “another way to earn writing income” advice column soon after. She recommended a course by Jimmy D. Brown, and I was a little unnerved (if that’s the proper word for the emotion I felt) to find out that the writing tutorials I did for free was what he would considered the basis for making money. And what I write to sell on the Internet doesn’t stop me from selling other stories to mainstream markets. So it works, and it sidesteps my impatience. The few times I managed to submit, the wait was horrible. By the time I got the rejection was the time I figured the Post Office ate it and the editor never saw it.
There is an opportunity to spend money that I hadn’t planned on spending to further getting paid for writing goal. Oh now it’s a goal, noodling process helpful. I didn’t even know it was a real goal when I started. But that flies in the face of what I’m trying to accomplish with the budget. *headdesk*
So here I am and at an indecision. Still. I’m on page three of this and no decision. I know I want to change my monthly and weekly totals and start reaching them repeatedly. And I want to earn money. But do I spend the money at this point? Do I do it on my own or do I pay to learn what someone already uses?
I want to write fanfics and I want to write original fiction and I probably need to write more nonfiction, but I need to keep myself from having a divided focus. For an exercise in psychoanalyzing myself, this isn’t completely helpful. I thought I’d have my game plan done by this point. Instead, I’m scared of making the wrong decision and losing money.
I’m scared of making the wrong decision.
I don’t like being wrong, and I have a tendency to dwell on my mistakes. I try to let that go when I realize I’m doing it, but I think my brain has come up with another way to avoid the problem. Put the decision in limbo and no wrong decision is made. I don’t know if I’m peeved or impressed with myself now. *headdesk*
Make a decision. Make deadlines. Make changes to habits. No Fear.
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
Discussion for Research
The Doctor is In: Vanity Press Part One
The Doctor is In: Vanity Press Part Two
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
The Doctor is In: Vanity Press Part Two
Read Free!
The BookWorm
There is a new renaissance festival in Louisiana! Check out the Acadiana Medieval Faire at: http://www.acadianafaire.org/
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