Health Update First of 2018

Monday was my check-in with the endocrinologist. Last check-in was early November 2017 and I had just started the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet just then and we wanted to see what would happen. I didn't stick to the eating plan during the holidays, but I did show good numbers at the beginning.

However, my A1C crept up: 8.0 from 7.7 in August 2017. So my doctor said I have to get my morning numbers under 150 in a month by going back on the eating plan and increasing my exercising. Otherwise, I'll have to start taking bedtime insulin. My family history is once started on insulin, they never got off of insulin. So naturally, I'd rather not be on insulin especially since there is no other method of delivery other than injections. *Shudder*

Eating plan: Chose a meal to have carbs with, lunch or dinner. You can have whatever you want but you have to eat it in one hour, otherwise your body pushes out another dose of insulin and then the cycle starts all over again. In my pre-holiday experiments, I found lunch worked best for having normal blood sugar on my after-supper check.

Beginning weight is 191 lbs. My muscle tone is pitiful flat. My fasting blood sugar level on lab day was 188.

Monday: I made the carb meal breakfast. That was a mistake, I was ravenous for supper and the dressing I put on the salad shot my sugar up. Tuesday: I saw it was the salad dressing because I ate the exact same meal for supper minus the salad. Wednesday: Since I was leaving early for my chiropractic appointment, I thought about changing the carb meal to supper. I changed my mind by lunch and ordered a taco salad. It got made with refried beans and rice in the salad. I never order it with them, but decided to eat it like that rather than cause a fuss plus the chocolate cake I picked for desert. Even though I finished in the hour time frame, my blood sugar shot up and stayed there. Supper ended up being chicken noodle soup because I had convinced myself I had carb-free meals in my freezer and I didn't need to stop for a salad. I didn't. Thursday today: the blood sugar came on down over night 159 is higher than we want, but better than what it was when I went to bed. I had a carbs in my Chinese lunch but I didn't go get any chocolate. And I will pick up a salad on my way home tonight.

NOTE: Carb or carbohydrates is my short-hand for food that sends the blood sugar skyrocketing. It's a list of starches and certain vegetables and fruits.

Exercise: I had made up a routine of yoga and body-weight routines and then refined it with actual rest days back in December and promptly didn't do it. I dusted it off, refined it again, so I know what I want to do, but I still have the issue of when.

• The alarm is set for 4:30 a.m.
• I have to leave the house between 5:45 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to miss the worst of the commute traffic and get to work on time
• paying job is 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and once I eat lunch there's no time to workout then
• usually get home between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
• supper, writing, or a little unwinding
• bedtime at 8:30 p.m. for 8 hours of sleep.

Seriously, if we had the Flintstones' push cars so I'd have constant exercise on the commute, I'd be the healthiest damn person on the planet. :p

Right now, my plan is to do my most involved workout on Saturdays and do the others as soon as I wake up on workdays. Hopefully, I won't have to shift my wake-up time.

Also my chiropractor fussed about how I'm sitting too much while at work. "Forty minutes you need to get up and move." I experimented two days with slotting in a stretch after thirty minutes of sitting/two of my fifteen micro-sprints and that worked. I found some office appropriate yoga moves so I will add those in next week.

I'm tagging Monday, February 19th as my monthly check-in with the blog and my doctor. See you then.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod Third Try Fifth Month Update

So I figured I maintained through the holiday season. I ate too many sweets and didn't exercise, but I also stuck to my dietary changes and took my medicine and supplements. My weight reached 174 pounds at Thanksgiving and then bumped back up to 178 by January 8th.

But human nature being what it is, all I could concentrate on was what bad I had done. My bloodwork was done on January 2nd and I kept my expectations so low.

A1C = 5.5
Fasting blood glucose = 91

My endocrinologist was ecstatic. "Your A1C hasn't been that low since 2007." He didn't change any medication and I decided to bring that up when my A1C hits 4.x.

I'm not out of the woods yet. My cholesterol numbers show a high amount of inflammation in my body, so my next appointment with Dr. Jessica will start working on that. And my goal for this three-day weekend is to clean and set up yoga so I can do it easily when I get home.

Another side effect is my Jerkbrain/Fear Monger seem to have taken a permanent vacation. On January 1st I finished The Wayne Legacy's rough draft and looked around my office for what to tackle next. "Stellar Gift of Death's edits" and then I cringed waiting for the jerkbrain to start attacking me for letting that project go for so long.

All was blissfully silent in my head.

And I was absolutely flabbergasted. Don't get me wrong, I've been worried over the ferocity of the attacks to myself, the anxiety over submissions to the point where not working on original fiction was easier, and the growing thin-skinned-ness I've had over fandom wonk that used to roll off my back. I poked again. "Edit to a second draft and hire an editor for ebook publication." Nothing from the jerkbrain amid the excitement to be back in that universe again. Now it is possible to combat one's jerkbrain, but I haven't done any of that work. I just wrote fanfiction and started dietary changes that I detailed in Intentionally Left Blank: Hot Bod Third Try. The last time I remembered a jerkbrain outbreak was around September 4, 2014, when I was only fourteen days into the program.

The other piece of the puzzle was stumbling onto Epbot and reading her archive. This part from her A is for Agoraphobia post jostled back to the surface when I thought about how weird it was for my brain NOT to be screaming obscenities at me.

Next, I went to my doctor for a check-up. (Ergo that Halloween blood draw.) Since this next step will undoubtedly cause me more anxiety, I need the peace of mind that comes from a current clean bill of health. Not only that, there are several deficiencies that can cause increased anxiety: deficiencies of magnesium, potassium (both of which were critically low for me in the past), B vitamins, and even calcium.

Some of the same deficiencies I got worried about after reading Drug Muggers. Was my jerkbrain and the submission anxiety 95% biochemical?

I wish that was my only test, but last Friday I learned that my job may or may not be in jeopardy from the mid-year budget cuts that will force the Department of Insurance to layoff people. I don't feel like panicking nor is my back in knots. Boy, that was a case of not knowing how bad it was until it was over.

On a purely aesthetic note that I'm not using as a measure of anything, I bought new pants with Christmas gift cards and the three I bought are all 14s. I don't remember when I was last fit into a 14 anything. Now I just have to hem the suckers so I can wear them.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod Third Try

Okay I REALLY suck at keeping an updated blog when I'm writing. Yeah all the words are going to a story! Boo, anybody knowing what's going on right now. :p Hopefully the summary helped catch everyone up. This post is pretty much dealing with my diabetes, because I'm on a new regimen and I need to make notes of what's happening. Curses ahoy, don't read this one out loud.

My 2014 goal of more exercise and overhauling my food choices slacked off in February when I stopped measuring myself to see what my body was telling me about my health. So I got less strict about what I was eating and never developed a good exercise routine to follow. The time period wasn't just me completely ignoring my health. I ponied up the money for monthly massages—namely because there was no way exercise was happening as tight as my muscles were—and they have helped immensely.

So I trucked along in this subpar fashion and then signed up for the Reversing Diabetes World Summit 2014 on May 5. Initially I just followed Mark Sisson there, but I ended up listen to everybody and taking notes. Suzy Cohen, RPh. talked about how a lot of the side effects of medicine were caused because the medicine steals vital nutrients from you and the over-the-counter supplements are not pharmaceutical or medical grade so you wouldn't be replacing what your body is missing with those. Well crap, how long have I been on metformin? Dr. Josh Axe gave me goal numbers to be aware of.

Diabetic

• A1C level = 6.5 or above
• Fasting morning glucose is greater than 125 – 130

Reversed Diabetes

• A1C level = 5.5 or lower
• Fasting morning glucose = 100

Looking back, I think I picked up my mother's defeatist attitude when it comes to living with diabetes. She watched aunts follow the strict doctor's orders, kept themselves skinny, and still lose legs and eyesight. Her mother lived a lot longer (albeit in horrible shape by eating whatever she wanted. I thought I was doing better by at least being aware that I function best on a Primal diet, taking the medicine prescribed to me, exercising until I fell off the wagon, but I never sought out any additional research until the Summit dropped itself in my lap.

I checked out Drug Muggers by Suzy Cohen and Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, since so many presenters at the Summit said his work was their starting point. I got my bloodwork done at the end of May for my June appointment with my doctor.

May 28, 2014 – June 4, 2014

• Fasting morning glucose = 183
• A1C = 7.8

He added a new prescription for Farxiga. I read my books, watched my food slightly better, and waited until I ran out of bad supplements.

I took my list of supplements modified with the information found in Drug Muggers (but not by much) to my chiropractor, who I had bought multi-vitamins from before. The office manager confirmed they sourced pharmaceutical grade and she'd price my list for me, but she recommended that I go see Dr. Jessica, a Traditional Naturopathic Doctor, for a check over. "Honey, you probably don't need all of these."

That sounded reasonable, and was even more reasonable when I saw the price tag on my list of supplements. I got an appointment to see Dr. Jessica on August 21st and filled out her health assessment before I went. My weight on August 13th had ballooned up to 194 lbs. and I had my worse week of sleep ever that week. So I answered the "list you current health concerns you would like changed" with "put my body in balance to fight the diabetes, better quality sleep, knowledge of what foods I should eat. Losing weight and getting off my medication are long-term goals." And by long-term I meant I never see it happening but I'm okay with it as long as I don't have to take insulin shots ever.

The two issues that alarmed Dr. Jessica the most about my assessment was how much aspartame I was consuming and how little water I was really drinking. Yes, I had heard many times how aspartame is evil but I didn't want to deal with caffeine withdrawal headaches and I ALWAYS figured sugar was my real enemy. "If my blood sugar ever gets to normal then I can switch back to normal drinks" was my thinking on the issues. Dr. Jessica said it was better to switch to a sugared drink for caffeine and deal with the sugar than use aspartame. And guess what, Nature just published an article on "Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota." Thanks a whole FUCKING lot food industry!

The not enough water thing, I counted all the fluids I drank but never considered the diuretic properties of caffeine. So right away my 24 oz. of Diet Dr. Pepper put me in a deficit. Add to that Farxiga's side effect of making you pee more and how we all need to drink half our body weight in ounces of water, my body was retaining fluid like it was a dam just to function. At 194 lbs. I should be drinking a little over three quarts of water.

Dr. Jessica recommend I change my diet to gluten and dairy free, switch to sea salt, and eat more salads for lunch. Dairy-free surprised me, but she suspected it was the reason behind my always annoyed sinuses. She only prescribed three supplements to help support digestion and pancreatic function and recommended a cinnamon-based drink mix that uses mâte for caffeine called CinnaMâte. I took a sample of that to see if I liked the taste, but expected to switch the regular Coca-cola, since regular Dr. Pepper tasted off to me after so many years drinking Diet Dr. Pepper.

When I went grocery shopping that weekend, it was another thanks a whole FUCKING lot food industry! moment. I cut out high fructose corn syrup as much as I can because human bodies do not process it like sugar (you lying TV bastards!) it is addictive and they have put it into everything they can put it in. The lying TV commercials just cemented my hate of this product. Guess what 90% of all commercial, readily available not-diet sodas are sweetened with in America? Double fuck you food industry! I did find Virgil's Sodas and OMG! Not advertising hype the cream soda and Dr. Better flavors I had gave my taste buds a Great Gatsby party. Unfortunately, they are caffeine free. :p

Turns out I did like the taste of CinnaMâte and it kept the caffeine-withdrawal headache away. But I had to wait until I got paid again before I could buy a month's supply. So I foolishly decided to just have one Diet Dr. Pepper to get me to work without a headache.

The pain that hit my spine with that drink was worse than any whiplash I have gotten. So Tuesday, August 26th was when I drank my last Diet Dr. Pepper. I brewed iced tea when I got home for the commute until I got the CinnaMâte on Sept. 8th or found bottled tea made with real sugar.

I started the new supplements on August 26th too and tried to start a new Yoga routine of fifteen minutes daily. So far the exercise has been a miss. I can squeeze it in during the evenings, but not if I wake up late and leave all my chores for the end of the day. This week has been me rediscovering how I've ignored my personal checklists and getting back on them.

So this my third week into the changes and I already have some improved numbers.

Sept. 8, 2014

• A1C = 6.4
• Fasting morning glucose = 117

Sept. 18, 2014

• Fasting morning glucose = 111
• Weight = 186.5 lbs.

Like I said above, weight loss is not my goal but if I lose weight while getting my numbers in a much healthier spot, I'll take it. The fasting glucose isn't at a steady sweet spot quite yet either; I have had some days of higher than 130. Dairy-free has been less strict than gluten-free, because dairy sneaks in ways I don't think of. And every time I have some, I wake up to a half-clogged nose. Issues I have to bring up to Dr. Jessica: going back on MSM, still taking an hour to fall asleep, and sporadic leg cramps.

But overall I think everything is looking better than it has for most of the year.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Summary of What I Didn't Blog About

So it's been a while, huh? Thing is, I didn't really notice since I was posting at least two days a week at Discipline Under Fire. So I dug into those posts to figure what I've been doing in the meantime that wasn't writing.

• April 14: I accomplished it yesterday actually, but I finally sprayed down my house for termites and carpenter ants and bees.
• April 21: Saw Captain America 2 after watching the "spoiler" episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I thought the movie was excellent and Bucky needs so many hugs (as soon as you stop being a homicidal maniac, dear.) I am still adoring the Marvel Cinematic Universe tying everything together and I'm crossing everything I can cross that we will get a Black Widow and Captain Marvel (especially before Katee Sackhoff is too old to play Carol Danvers).
• May 5: I signed up for Reversing Diabetes World Summit 2014. It's an online free starting today and running for twelve days. Lots of info and luckily, it's been a quiet day to let me listen. This lasted for two weeks and gave me lots of things to consider about my health, but that's an upcoming post.
• May 12: Shopping for medicine and food. Found out my insurance company wants to go crazy over the copay for my glucose testing strips. Confused the deli counter lady because I needed a slab of turkey to cut into cubes.
• May 13: Last episode of Agents of SHIELD season one. *SNIFF*
• Saw Godzilla in May didn't take note of when. It opened May 16th. Can't wait to get in on BluRay. "Oh no, there goes Tokoyo. Go go Godzilla!"
• May 26: Since I had the day off thanks to Memorial Day, I cleaned house and got a lot done on other computer projects. Sadly, I have found a bug with XMarks that is eating links I need for this story. So there's a new computer project that I wasn't anticipating. What I'm looking forward to: Laptop purchase on the third paycheck this month. What I'm not looking forward to: Paying bills with third check that may not let me buy laptop. GRRRR. Once I get XMarks saved bookmarks correct I have to have a massive save page as party and completely change how I archive my research for everything now because I can't trust the paying job computer not to screw with it somehow.
• May 28: Bloodwork and thyroid ultrasound successfully completed. Made it to the paying job despite the weather. The rain finally stopped for a while.
• May 29: I bandaged Mustard. And he's grounded. A couple of weeks ago, he got some lacerations on his neck that didn't look like the results of a regular cat fight. I doctored them, and they scabbed over well. I let him go outside and thought the rain drove him back in. Hours later, one of the scabs is gone along with a chunk of skin. Luckily, my parents had some cohesive gauze because all I have is human-won't-scratch-off-the-bandage variety in my first aid kit. So now I have to leave orders that he doesn't get to go outside while I'm gone the whole weekend.
• May 30: Did not get to buy a laptop with my third paycheck like I had been hoping for since February. I also took Mom to IP for the weekend and we saw Joan Rivers show. I know I'm typing this up after she has died but I really didn't like her routine. Every F-bomb her television shows prevented her from saying, she saved for the stage show. I admired her energy considering her age. I hope I move that well when I reach my 80s
• June 1: I came home from the casino with just about the same amount of money that I brought.
  
• June 9: Bought some food, but didn't get the stuff to clean the moldy leather. And I didn't start my sewing project either. I forget when I found that the lack of AC in the back bedroom let mold grow all over my leather garb I had stored back there, but it took me a while to finally buy tack cleaning soap and conditioner and deal with it.
• June 10: Whelp, I thought I'd at least buying the corset busk online today, even if I didn't get to sew when I get home. What the back of the pattern envelope asks for: one corset busk. What the online shop offers: this simple type ranging from 7 inches to 14 inches long, spoon busks in two different sizes, heavy duty busks for curvy people 12 inches to 14 inches long.
  
  What I'm looking forward to: Laptop purchase that I don't know when I'll get to make now. :( The bills ate up the money I thought I would have for it. Maybe next month if I'm good with the money. A bonus to my paycheck this week! *Checks paystub* That's enough to buy my laptop—I'm ordering the laptop!
  
• June 17: Mom's cleaning out the shed project: my items in the shed are too cumbersome for her to deal with and I forgot about it last weekend. So I got my great-grandmother's bedframe and my extra door (I knocked out the wall it was in years ago) to the front porch. Next up the heaters that were replaced by a modern one and I don't want to get rid of them for sentimental reasons. Tugged the one on the shed floor towards the door and lots of paper debris (the rodents chewed up a whole Monopoly game that had been stored out there) came out as it moved. I tilted it to lift it up and the mice living in it ran for their lives, circling around the heater and me as they crossed my path to get back to the safety of the still covered with stuff wall. I know I saw at least two, heads were mousy not rat-like, but of the two one was as big as a rat so it may have been three or more all moving as one while shrieked and jumped out of the shed.
  
  Okay, I'm a country girl and I accept wildlife outnumbers me at my home. But what flashed in my head while I reenacted every cartoon mouse encounter I have ever watched was the episode of Medical Investigations with Hantavirus and OMG how fast those soldiers DIED! After my brain rebooted, I realized Mom would be dead from it last week if those rodents were carriers, but I was done for the night. What I'm looking forward to: Laptop purchase that I don't know when I'll get to make now. :( The bills ate up the money I thought I would have for it. Maybe next month if I'm good with the money. A bonus to my paycheck this week! *Checks paystub* That's enough to buy my laptop—I'm ordering the laptop! I'm not going to talk about how the laptop purchase didn't happen AGAIN. I've paid shit off, I'm not supposed to be broke every paycheck any more.
  
  Weekend plans still look good, and my baby sister is coming down next week. What I'm not looking forward to: New issue: I have to get those heaters out before I leave on Friday for the weekend. So I'm going to see if Mustard will actually hunt in there before I move anything. I'm hoping for something like this, I think.
  
• June 18: Got my stuff from the shed to my porches. I didn't have to throw Mustard in because Mom wrestled with the rodents while I was at the paying job. I got about 80% of stuff I needed to do before the weekend finished.
• June 23: Well, I tested our new time keeping system for the paying job, by taking Tuesday and Wednesday off and putting in while at home. My baby sister came home and I got roped into taking her and Mom to IP Biloxi for nice break for Krista, she hasn't had a vacation in years. Now I REALLY need the laptop.
• June 27: It's assessment season at the paying job, so I'm pleased I got as many words done as I did. Oh and I got the library errand out of the way. What I'm looking forward to: I am actually going to sew this weekend no matter what happens.
• June 28: Laundry, saved my leather bodice from the evil mildew, have the first pattern traced and nearly ready to pin to fabric, and found way more things I need to buy after I pay the bills. What I'm looking forward to: I am sewing and starting to inventory the material stash. That needs to happen because we found more fabric when we cleaned out the shed.
• June 30: Paying job assessments are done to be mailed out tomorrow. I meant to type yesterday, but got caught in alternating sewing with bill paying and other budget chores. I also need to sit down during my breaks so my feet don't ache so much I can't fall asleep.
• July 4: Sewing! I'm determined to finish my Victorian underwear this weekend. And catch up on my rough draft. And inventory the fabric stash. And clean house. I finally settled on 45/15s. Sew for 45 minutes, inventory fabric stash for 15. Write rough draft sitting down for 45 minutes, edit the One Rule which became type Chapter Twenty for 15 when I finished the first task.
• July 5: Patterns traced out. New chemise cut out. I have no idea if I have enough material for the drawers. Nothing is actually wearable yet.
• July 7: My chemise is up to the last stage of hand sewing and hemming, and I just could not face it today. So when I wasn't typing and writing on the rough draft, I worked on inventorying the fabric stash. I'm down to eleven fabric pieces to put into the notebook, but I'm running out of stuff to store the fabrics on (wooden hangers and cardboard pieces to wrap bolts around (I found out that cutting a cardboard presentation board is perfect for this and gives me four pieces)).
• July 9: I'm researching corsets. I think the pattern I have is pretty decent for my figure and I just need to get the sizing right and buy supplies. But my sewing friend may need a different style based on her shape.
• July 14: I'm a bit surprised I managed to get over the personal daily goal with the amount of mail we had to get through at the paying job. Assessment season has kicked into gear now. What I'm looking forward to: Getting the two books I want out of the State Library. I went Friday, but they are closed now. Today had to work overtime and they were closed by the time I left paying job. Hopefully tomorrow.
• July 15: Library and only came home with three books!
• July 16: I am done shopping for sewing supplies. But I didn't get a chance to clean the living room at all.
• July 21: Almost finished the hand sewing part on the chemise while in the waiting room with my uncle's appointment. Didn't get the cleaning done that I wanted to, but finished the worst area in the kitchen over the weekend. Everything that's left is more spot-checking cleaning. What I'm looking forward to: New mattress, July 30th I hope. I had to use my mother's credit to order it online after Sam's Club did not have the size my bed is. But this way they will deliver it to my house.
• July 22: My corset supplies came in today! I really wasn't expecting to see them until August. What I'm looking forward to: New mattress, July 30th I hope. What I'm not looking forward to: Rearranged the sewing disarrayed living room so the new mattress can get inside my house.
• August 3: My weekend writing time has been eaten up by sewing and I still haven't figured out how to accomplish both at the same time.
• August 6: Budgeted the paycheck before I got it! Really hate the numbers I came up with because they leave out the tires. I really need tires. What I'm looking forward to: Everybody getting off my back about how's the new mattress? It's new, I sleep on it, my Chiroflow pillow needs some adjustments so I'm not pinching the nerve that makes my hand go numb. Second thing: seeing Guardians of the Galaxy this week when I get paid.
• August 8: Bought my movie ticket and fretted over the sticker shock. But it was worth it. Guardians of the Galaxy was such a fun ride from "pelvic sorcery" to "We ARE Groot."
• August 11: Tires for Rizzo are on order. And I was typing up a storm when the news broke about Robin Williams. "O Captain! My Captain!"
• August 12: I had hoped to do more typing when I got home, but the computer decided to be petulant and update needy. So no typing, but I did get a book I'm not done with renewed from the library.
• August 13: I just realized I forgot to pack another pack on loose-leaf in my black bag. I'm in no danger of running out today, but I should have replaced it already.
• August 16: Finally bought new tires using Dad's credit card so I can have four at the same time instead of two.
• August 19: What I Accomplished in the Narrative Today: I'm still writing Chapter Twenty-Five's rough draft and now I've started typing it. Never again will I publish a WIP. NEVER. Fave line: That simple declaration brought Bruce onto his feet with the fewest repetitions of push-ups that Alfred had ever witnessed him perform. – It is sad how much I like the obsessive amount of push-ups. What Else I Accomplished Today: I didn't finish the rough draft so blah. What I'm looking forward to: Payday! What I'm not looking forward to: Take the bras back to the store that didn't fit. I'm not crazy about underwires. I have a petite torso and they constantly poke me in the arms. But I am of the boob size where the only bras you can get are underwire. These that I'm taking back gave me under-boob. I didn't think that was possible with underwire bras but hey, time to prove me wrong about that too.
• August 20: I lost thirty minutes coming into work (Stupid traffic made me 15 minutes late and we have to take time in 30-minute intervals). Then I ended up staying late for thirty minutes. But I got the bras returned! What I'm not looking forward to:
  
  Remember the whole XMarks situation I’ve been not dealing with waiting for the eventually I’ll do it? Yeah, more fun on the paying job computer and I synced to not lose my open tabs and discovered XMarks ate all the bookmarks saved on the server.
  
  I didn't lose my data; I've been backing up my bookmarks at home so I could do a flush and clean install. But since reading over reviews for this year and talking with a coworker, I'm leaning towards using Dropbox to keep things in sync instead. The only con I can see is it is not cross-platform like XMarks, but I never used that feature of XMarks. So yes, all that has to happen this week. Probably Friday or Saturday since I have a doctor's appointment Thursday after work.
  
• August 21: Doctor visit: I'm dehydrated and need to wean myself off aspartame like ASAP. Food-wise: shift the diet to gluten and dairy free for a while. I'll be covering this more in a future post. What I'm not looking forward to: First thing: Don't plan on going anywhere because I need to up my water intake to where it should be. BUT I have to finish grocery shopping on Saturday.
  
  Second thing: XMarks freaked out when I got home and freaked out again at work. Good news: everything matches up to the home computer's saved set now. Bad news: I don't trust XMarks to keep the safe, especially the stuff I reference for story writing.
  
  So my weekend plans, such as they are and scheduled to change everything permitting:
  • Drink more water and pee every five seconds (probably).
  • Grocery shopping.
  • Scour the computer for stuff I'm not using, delete what I don't need, archive what I want to save, and backup.
  • Clean out the mass of bookmarks.
  • Set up Dropbox account to sync bookmarks.
  • Sew my corset.
  • Write Chapter Twenty-Six.
  • Regularly schedule chores.
  Hopefully the weekend won't turn into this:
  
• August 22: Shopping, too much shopping, so I didn't have as much shopping on Saturday.
• August 25: Visited parents who made it in from their trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Over-scheduled the weekend as usual, so I've got to spread things out throughout the week. Decided to start cleaning my hard drive with the game demos from Big Fish Games since I have the bad habit of not deleting something I'm sure I won't buy. I reached the M's. XMarks did not go cuckoo today. What I'm looking forward to: Three-day weekend! What I'm not looking forward to: My weekend week plans:
  • Drink more water and pee every five seconds (probably). I think I've got this under control now and I am feeling better.
  • Add in new 15 minute yoga routine.
  • Scour the computer for stuff I'm not using, delete what I don't need, archive what I want to save, and backup.
  • Clean out the mass of bookmarks.
  • Set up Dropbox account to sync bookmarks.
  • Sew my corset.
  • Regularly schedule chores.
  Made it through Monday, bring on the rest of the week.
  
• August 26: Everyone decided to call me while I was trying to do the yoga routine, so the fifteen minute program took thirty. :p
• August 27: XMarks did not go cuckoo today. I shifted my chiropractic appointment to today instead of Thursday, so I have lots of spare time in Baton Rouge today. Unfortunately I need the time at home to get ready for weekend trip. :p
• September 8: XMarks did not go cuckoo today. At the paying job, I’ve been switched over to a virtual machine. So far the only difference I’ve noticed is how much room there is for my feet without the desktop tower under my desk. What I'm looking forward to: Finish copying the patterns so I can take the book back to the library.
• September 9: XMarks did not go cuckoo today. Paying job moved everyone in my office to the virtual desktops. It went as well as anything concerning technology does. I also finally finished all the scanning. I have no idea if I will ever make any of those outfits, but now I have source material if I move to a new time period. What I'm looking forward to: Finding a dairy-free eggplant recipe.
• September 10: Library book returned and no new ones checked out. Tried out a new recipe.
  
• September 11: The bitching from my coworkers over switching to a new system has commenced. Today has been a headphone with music playing day.
• September 12: Covered already.
• September 13: XMarks did not go cuckoo today. Mom asked me to test her old washing machine that has been sitting next to mine on my back porch for months. So I hooked it up only for my outlet to spark when I plugged it in. Turns out my outlet broke. By the time we got a new outlet inside the box, it was four hours after I had gone out to start laundry.
• September 14: I'm still working on laundry and cooking meals for the week, which got interrupted by eating out with the parents. At this point, I don't know if I'll get any sewing done at all. And I didn't, the whole weekend was a bust on the sewing front. But I did managed to working in twenty minutes on Tuesday night!

Up next, I probably over share on health news, but hey it's good news.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

2013 In Review and 2014 Plans

Last night or early this morning, I had a dream featuring my dead cousin. He was murdered back in October, and while we had been inseparable as children, family circumstances separated us in our teens. I never knew the man he grew into. In my dream, we were digging garbage out of my house and yard, sorting stuff out for recycling. Nicky drove up in a battered truck wanting to confront someone he blamed his problems on. He didn't look like the last pictures I had seen of him, the full head of hair threw off my recognition. I woke up when I realized he is dead.

What a way to start the end of the year. But it was a positive dream. I was rooting out what doesn't work for me and I'm not blaming anyone else for my faults. My finances, health, and writing are not where I want them to be thanks to my choices.

Same song, same lyrics, every year.

But if you're expecting me to go dig up what I swore I was going to do in 2013 and beat myself up for not doing it in this post, nope, I'm not doing it. I do have changes on my mind and I have already tweaked my KanbanFlow checklists, so this is more what do I have to look forward to than what I regret.

Writing including Blog posts: I shunted off the original work again, despite having a productive word count. That's okay, I'll pick it up for 2014. Blog posts I wrote and typed and never posted (as you can see by the post-dated post I've been posting today). I can post daily--see Discipline Under Fire--so I don't think posting every week is an impossible task. So Tuesdays will be my blogging day and I'll compose in Blogger's editing window, so I won't gather typed posts that I don't post.

Three writing projects at once is too many. I never should have let the Muse team up with the Perfect Girl who thinks everything must be done as son as I think of doing it. However, bouncing between two projects hits the sweet spot. Rather than concentrate on meeting a word count--even though I will track it--I'm making a list of what I want to work on for 2014.

• First draft of Strix: Forget the Sun
• Second draft of Stellar Gift of Death
• Post TDKR: Weapon of Shadows
• Post Part of the Night: the Wayne Legacy
• Rough draft of the next story in Signs and Portents

Health: I'm officially a diabetic now, my Achilles tendons have been tight every morning I get up for weeks now, and my hips have been tightening and causing me pain. I have to exercise and I have to overhaul my food choices.

The Primal exercise program I developed worked well until I stopped doing it. :p So that's where I'm starting tomorrow with that mix of body-weight exercises and yoga routines. Plus the elliptical machine since my blood sugar and weight are so out of whack I need more exercise to bring it down.

I know what to do food-wise, but I didn't buckle down during the holidays. Holidays are over now, so no more excuses.

Finances: I refuse to beat myself up for what has happened, so my goals for 2014:

• Pay off car
• Get current on all bills
• Stay current on bills
• Reward car payoff with laptop purchase
• Remodel bathroom

That's all I'm putting on myself for 2014. Now I have writing, posting, and cleaning to do.

Have a happy New Year, everyone!

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod Post 04

Well, it's been an interesting week. Last Wednesday I was diagnosed as an official diabetic. So Thursday April 25, I weighed and measured myself and restarted the SHRED diet with the intentions of following the exercise recommendations as well as the food. Doctor's orders: log blood sugar numbers before breakfast and before supper and take my prescription medication twice a day.

Date	4/25/2013
Weight	189 lbs.
Neck	38 cm
Bicep	28.7 cm
Forearm	26.2 cm
Bust	116.8 cm
Waist	105.9 cm
Hips	117.6 cm
Thigh	59.8 cm
Calf	38.9 cm

I can safely say I went off the diet over the weekend, but it was a birthday party. I didn't gorge myself, but we have established that my stomach and my eyes have no idea what normal portions are.

Exercise hasn't been as consistent as I wanted. Thursday and Friday I did as close to thirty minutes on the elliptical machine as I could. Saturday my thighs ached but it was a rest day, so okay. Sunday, same pain and I had to get a massage. Monday, the pain receded to just above my knees and on Tuesday, my legs were back to normal but I was fighting a head cold that put me back to sleep for five hours over my regular eight. The cold has finally dissipated enough for me to consider working out this weekend. (I'm hoping; I still don't have much of a voice.) Each check mark that equals one point on the Joe's Goals graph below is fifteen minutes of exercise.

My weight didn't change, but the other measurements did.

Date	4/25/2013	5/02/2013
Weight	189 lbs.	189 lbs.
Neck	38 cm	37.0 cm
Bicep	28.7 cm	28.3 cm
Forearm	26.2 cm	26.0 cm
Bust	116.8 cm	114.0 cm
Waist	105.9 cm	105.7 cm
Hips	117.6 cm	118.2 cm
Thigh	59.8 cm	59.4 cm
Calf	38.9 cm	38.5 cm

My fasting blood sugar is slowly coming down. For the past two days, it has been 173 and 191. I'm not sure if the medicine has kicked in or if it's my food choices and portion control, but I'm not going to stop either one now.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod Post 3

No pounds lost to report this week, though my body measurements shifted all over the place so something is still working. I think I've hit the point where I must start exercising again. And since today was the first day since Daylight Savings Time started that I actually woke up with the alarm clock, I should be able to start next week. Boy, I miss the lamp. The timer went wonky and would not shut off when it was supposed to be off after the time change. :p

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2013 Post 2

186.5 pounds at the weigh-in, lost 4 in one week! WOOT! I noticed my pants felt looser, so I was expecting at the most two pounds lost. So what a lovely surprise I got in the morning. And without exercising because that has so not happened this week. Here's the weight change graph since April 1, 2012.

I'll be honest, I have been hungry on this diet. Some times because I can't eat according to the schedule and some times because of the portions. Did you know one serving of Brussels sprouts is six of them? I'd fill up one of my smaller containers, so I was probably eating three servings at once. At least that was healthy item to overeat on.

And Atkins protein shakes, *sigh.* I was in a bind this morning by running out of food I can have (I don't want to do heavy grocery shopping until after we get back from Biloxi), so I stopped at Wal-Mart. They fulfill the SHRED diet's calorie requirements and fulfill my low-sugar no grains requirements, so I bought a pack of six. Tried my first one today and I am not a fan. They have been regulated to the "put in lunchbox when there is nothing else and no money" section of the fridge. The book has fruit smoothie recipes in the back, so either I will make those or switch to Naked brand bottled fruit smoothies, which also fit all the requirements.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2013 Post 1

Good news, I have maintained 191 pounds since the end of November 2012. Bad news, that's seventy-one pounds away from my goal weight. I'd settle for losing half of it by Krista's wedding and be pleased with my appearance at the event. And I'm not upset with the plateau. With the eating choices I have made and lack of exercise, I'm surprised I haven't gained.

So Mom gave me SHRED the Revolutionary Diet book for my birthday. She's been raving about a talk show host using it (the show isn't one I watch so my brain hasn't retained any names) and has started it, so I'm not really surprised that she helped it along to my house. However, nothing in the plan--except maybe the exercise—goes against Primal principles and it covers six weeks. So I've decided to give it a solid go, with a few tweaks.

Not tweaks on the food or the exercise (I've decided after the wedding, I can go back to the Primal exercise plan), but the schedule. Here's what the book has: Do not eat the last meal within 90 minutes of going to sleep. (pg. 16)

• 8:30am – Meal 1
• 10:00am – Snack 1
• 11:30am – Meal 2
• 1:00pm – Snack 2
• 3:30pm – Meal 3
• 7:00pm – Meal 4
• 8:30pm – Snack 3

My bedtime is 8:00pm, so no way this will work.

Okay, I think I've done all the math right.

• 6:30am – Meal 1
• 8:00am – Snack 1
• 9:30am – Meal 2
• 11:00am – Snack 2
• 1:30pm – Meal 3
• 5:00pm – Meal 4
• 6:30pm – Snack 3

That fits my life, and close to how I already eat. Now I have to make the meal plans fit what I have in the kitchen already since I can't buy groceries until next week.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

February's Here Already

Time is relative, but I think that was the fastest January has ever flown by. So how did I do on my monthly goals?

• Exercise 30 days in a row. – I managed 10 days. Exercise also doesn't travel well.
• Cut out grains as much as possible. – No, I didn't stay away from the sweets like I should have.
• CCFairy's homework is due Jan. 18th. – Done.
• Finish all alien languages for Stellar Gift of Death - I'm going to run a day over.
• Write 20 days on Strix: Forget the Sun - I have wrote and brainstormed, but not 20 days worth.

I could have done much worse.

February Boulders

• Use BodBot for a month. – I want to kick up my exercising and push what my body is capable of. This web-app tailors exercise programs for you.
• Cut out grains as much as possible.
• CCFairy's homework is due Feb. 20th.
• Write 20 days on Strix: Forget the Sun.
• Read through Stellar Gift of Death and wiki catalogue details on aliens and locations.
• Post all the TDKR fanfics.

Another do-able list; let's hope I get more done.

I had a good time this past weekend. I ended up playing a wizard, which I don't recommend after too little sleep and too early for cleaning. It was a fun adventure, even if we didn't get to finish it.

This weekend's plans: avoiding the Superbowl and starting Krista's wedding dress. And if Mom isn't up for sewing, I've got writing and housework to do.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hiatus Over

Thanksgiving is over. And the break between it and Christmas is probably the worst time to reestablish my groove, but I need to find balance again so my brain stops feeling like it must bounce around like a kangaroo on speed.

I'm prickly and grumpy and attempting not to take it out on anyone, which only fuels the itch to go find a punching bag and hit it. Violence, my default setting. That I'm pushing forward with changes is the true culprit and what the inner Beast wants to shred. Maybe I gave it too many changes today.

• Monday yoga routine
• New bra that I thought fit but it pokes me in the arm just like all the rest
• New purse that is a Christmas present but is fraying my last nerve because I can't keep it on my shoulder
• And I'm still annoyed that I left $20 worth of books I bought for me at my sister's in Texas!

*Inhale* Okay, admitting that has eased off the desire to claw at something. But it sucks that my first post in so long is bitchy and whiny.

• Despite not exercising, eating too much, and not measuring, I only gained three pounds since the last time I weight back in August.
• I finally found a website that explains why underwire bras stab me in the arm: I have a petite torso.
• I spent quality time with my family, especially my nephew.
• My coworkers told me how to fix my purse issue, so I can continue to use it without aggravation.
• My shoulder pain is finally clearing up enough to work out again.
• I worked out!

So why the hiatus? When I last posted I was attempting therapy with the Inner Committee on the whole fear of success issue. The therapy fell apart followed by the daily scheduled. Enough chores were avoided to cause a cascade effect on my life, which led to kangaroo brain on speed. Basically while I scrambled to keep up, I didn't want to blog about what a worthless failure I am. And the Inner Committee got off the hook and successfully avoided therapy for over a month.

I need to start it again because I had to be closing in on something uncomfortable for such an extreme reaction. Some time soon.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 9

This past week, I managed to get two days of heavy lifting exercises, two days of yoga, and one day of the new sprinting routine. I have avoided the yogiliates DVD and don't know if that will change if I have to stay late at the paying job this upcoming week.

My lower back and hips still feel owie, and it just occurred to me that I may have been looking at the wrong part of anatomy for why it hurts. My abs are flabby and that is probably the reason why my back hurts. The yogilities DVD concentrates on abs, so I need to get my life in gear to use it.

My sprint session only lasted for 5 minutes, so I will need to build up to the fifteen minutes recommended. I have given up on the wall squat and moved onto the assisted squat, which I can actually do. I have hit the goals on the Elevated< Jack Knife press and the Hand/Knee Side Plank over three weeks, even with the week off, so I have moved onto the Jack Knife Press and Forearm/Knee Side Plank.

The pattern that has developed over the last six weeks over my weight loss numbers is that I hold for a week, then drop again. This is my hold week, so next week hopefully new numbers. *crossing fingers*

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 8

Despite the week of hell and not getting proper sleep or exercise, my weight dropped to 185.5 lbs. Right now, I'm attempting to soak up some sun to keep me in a good mood for the upcoming week. Some changes I need to make the next time I attempt this: 1) buy a lawn chair (all the ants in the grass are visiting my yoga mat and towel), and 2) set up in one of the side yards because the oak tree keeps the front yard super shady until about 1pm.

Yesterday was the worse case of exhaustion I have had in years. I nearly slept for twelve hours and only got dressed to go grocery shopping. Then I had to fight with the Inner Workaholic who kept pushing that I wasn't getting website work done, I wasn't getting stories written, I wasn't washing dishes. I should have made yesterday the lay out in the sunshine day, but I was too tired to rub on the oil.

Today is better. Not only am I taking enforced outside time and plan on putting myself to bed at 7pm--with a blindfold because of Daylight Savings Time--I feel awake enough to deal with creative tasks, find the kitchen again, and cook meals for next week.

Next week: I have to have three meals for five days prepped to brown bag. Monday I have a massage session scheduled and will probably be the only day I get home at a decent hour. I already pack breakfast and lunch, but bringing supper will keep my eating normal. I tweaked my schedule to keep exercising. And I need to strictly limit the caffeine and see if that helps.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 7

Another week of lingering at the previous week's progress. I didn't work out as much as I should have. Today I woke up too late to do any sprinting before the heat climbed up, and I've been avoiding the yogilities DVD. Do better next week.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 6

Lesson #1: Do not try to implement changes to exercise program during that special week of the month. You'll be lucky if you can maintain what you've already started.

Lesson #2: The exercise routine travels well (except for the Yogilites DVD). But if you don't DO them, it doesn't count.

Lesson #3: 80/20 rule of moderation is most definitely in effect for travel weekends. However, if I'm going to be going every other week to participate in the RPG, I will need to shop/cook stuff I can have.

Despite the setbacks, my weight dropped to 188 lbs!

Given that I ate more fried chicken than I probably should (limited options and all that), I was expecting another week at 191. So this was a great surprise to start the week.

My goals for this week: add in the more exercises I wanted to last week and keep an eye on my back. Some muscles are triggered that I didn't even know were and I can't tell this morning if it's getting better or worse.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 5

Two weeks of exercising and eating mostly Primal (I think I overdid cheese and commercially fried chicken is not Primal, but I didn't order any Popeye's biscuits!) and if I had any progress it got lost with my period starting yesterday. :p TMI ALERT Feel free to skip On the upside, last month I was unnerved that I had an entire week of menses that did not want to flow out of my body. It was always dark brown and spotted the pads. I'm not exactly happy to report that this month that flow is back to its gushing bright red self because the cramps are killing me. I avoided taking anything for the pain yesterday because pain medication always affects the flow, but today I have a cramp and a headache. Fine, medication wins. END OF TMI Good news, I didn't notice any PMS mood swings or craved any chocolate, so something's working.

This past week I changed my vitamins. I had a few days during the first week where I couldn't eat enough. At least, I thought I had a reasonable meal felt full and had a rumbling tummy and hour later. First, I packed more snacks to the paying job. Then when I snacked at home, I started worrying that I was in a mindless eating rut. Second: added 1200mg of fish oil and 415mg of cod liver oil to the vitamins to balance out my Omega3s to Omega6s ratios. My hope is that they add to the fat = satiety. I also upped my potassium to 550mg after having leg cramps last week. It would probably be healthier to just eat bananas, but fresh fruit doesn't keep well in my kitchen.

Exercise: Habit is well on its way of being formed. The only day I came close to missing was this past Thursday when I woke up late thanks to interrupted sleep. Sore lower back is plaguing me too. I don't feel it sitting down, which worries me that my desk job and weight have knocked it off kilter. It's not a sharp while in use pain, more like a dull ache over the back of my hips that makes me what to pop joints.

Last week's goal was to fin a better spot for the wall squat and I did, but I don't feel like I'm progressing as I should. A feel strengthened when the scale nor the measurements didn't really move this week. (For my mental health, I'll post those results on a monthly basis so not to get discouraged.) I don't think it's my impatience showing, but I'm reviewing Primal Blueprint Fitness to double-check what I'm doing.

Problems: Not spending enough time exercising: *Snort* I should have realized it was going too easy. The three Move Slowly days, which I've been doing yoga on) need to equal 3 – 5 hours of low aerobic activity for the week. Yoga is not enough. But what to fill in the rest of the time with?

Walking is an approved exercise; I miss walking. My neighborhood is not set up for walking. More sidewalks were laid down around the park at work, but we're in the 90 degrees (F) is low temps for the day part of the year. Yes, I realize these sound like excuses.

What about more yoga? I have DVDs that I haven't used in years. Okay that's my new plan for Move Slowly Days: yoga routine in the morning fresh out of bed. Yogilates DVD when I get home before supper. I'll buy another yoga mat for the living room too.

Lifting Heavy Things: Oops, I'm supposed to do two sets of the exercises. I can progress to the next level when I meet the goal for the exercises during both sets.

Sprints I need to do longer and more off. Full out jump rope, rest, repeat until fifteen minutes are done.

Not doing the movement right: I reviewed Mark's video and discovered I was trying to keep my feet positioned for a regular squat and the stance should be wider for a wall squat. I'll fix that for next week.

I've got a lot to work on next week, but I can do it.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 4

WOOT! I'm so proud of myself. Seven days of exercise, so the whole roll out of bed and exercise was the step in the right direction. Now I didn't take measurements back on June 10th like I should have (driving home from Shreveport most of the day will wipe anyone out), but I dropped 2.5 pounds since I last measured on April 22nd. PROGRESS!

Today is tweaking paperwork so I don't have to spend time in the morning looking things up. The Lift Goals are now on my log sheet so I don't have to guess how close I am to the goal. Two days of lifting, four days of yoga, and one day of sprinting—which I used my new ropeless jump rope. That device is awesome; I didn't trip at all! What I don't like is the wall squat. I get stuck and can't slide. That's my goal for next week, to not get stuck.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 2

So I had a week and now I need to report progress. I exercised Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I used the rest option on Thursday because I woke up with a knot in my left deltoids muscles that made it painful to turn my neck and it is still present today. Friday through Sunday I skipped, mostly to avoid more pain from the knot.

So Monday I’m going to get back in the yoga groove and make an appointment to see a massage therapist this week because the self remedies I’ve been trying haven’t alleviated the symptoms.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

Hot Bod 2012 Post 1

It’s so cliché to make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or get into shape, I’m almost embarrassed to declare this goal that it may be mistaken for the same thing. But my embarrassment doesn’t change the fact that my body can’t do all I ask it to do and I don’t want to hurt when I do it.

So the first step is to see how bad the damage is. I found a three-column journal that never helped me master my finances, but gives me lots of room to record weekly measurements.

Jan. 15, 2012
Height = 158.12 cm
Weight = 197 lbs
Neck = 38.1 cm
Shoulders = 121.7 cm
Bust = 121 cm
Waist = 112 cm
Abdomen = 115.6 cm
Hips = 121.7 cm
Thigh = 65.8 cm
Knee = 40.2 cm
Calf = 40.5 cm
Ankle = 22.5 cm
Upper arm = 31.3 cm
Forearm = 25.7 cm
Wrist = 15.6 cm

Fit Day result = BMI = 36.03 Obese

Step two: Make daily exercise a part of my routine. Primal Blueprint Fitness concentrates on moving slowly, lifting heavy things, and one day of sprinting a week. Since my flexibility has gone to crap, I’ll do yoga on the move slowly days: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Tuesday and Friday are the lift heavy things days concentrating on five body weight movements: push-up, pull-up, squat, overhead press, and plank. Today I need to assess myself to see what my maximums are to calculate which level to start the exercises at.

Set back already. I had bought an Iron Gym Express in 2012 when I found it on clearance since my attempt at building a pull-up bar on the front porch flopped. Plus I wouldn’t use it when it got cold. So one that you can set up in a doorway seemed like a good investment. Today, I put it together to do the pull-up assessment and found that my doorways are too wide for it to fit. *headdesk*

All is not loss because they packed in a Cardio Jump ropeless jump rope. Jump ropes have been my enemy since elementary school. This lets me jump without something to tie my ankles together.

Assessment Outcome
Push-up = 3 start with Wall Push
Pull-up = 0 and have nothing to do them on
Full Squat = 15 start with Wall Squat
Shoulder Press Push-up = 5 start with Elevated Jack Knife Press
Forearm/Feet Plank = 74 sec. start with Hand/Feet Plank Level 3 (90 sec.)
Forearm/Feet Side Plank = 25 sec. start with Hand/Feet Side Plank Level 1 (45 sec.)

That takes care of the lifting days; what about yoga days? I like my yoga DVD, but I’m not ready for its routine. Luckily, I kept my notes of poses to help my problem areas: hip openers, core strengtheners, chest openers, and weight loss.

Always start with Sun Salutations. Even if I have no time for anything else, that is better than no exercise. Wow, it actually works out. I have four days for yoga and four problem areas.

Mondays
Sun Salutations x 2
Hip Opening Routine

• Butterfly
• Left Leg Pigeon
• Left Leg Head to Knee
• Left Leg Happy Baby
• Double Pigeon
• Butterfly
• Right Leg Pigeon
• Right Leg Head to Knee
• Right Leg Happy Baby
• Double Pigeon

Child
Corpse

Wednesday s
Sun Salutations x 2
Core Strengthening Routine

• Mula Bandha 30 lifts x 3
• Find TA
• Happy Baby x 3
• Toe Taps x 4 each foot
• Bridge Pose x 2
• Dolphin Pose
• Dolphin Plank Pose
• Locust Pose
• Downward Dog
• Left Foot Low Lunge
• Right Foot Low Lunge
• Handstand Prep

Child
Corpse

Thursdays
Sun Salutations x 2
Chest Opening Routine

• Cobra
• Boat
• Downward Dog
• Right Leg Pigeon
• Downward Dog
• Left Leg Pigeon
• Downward Dog
• Fish
• Bridge
• Table
• Cat/Cow Breathing

Child
Corpse

Saturdays
Sun Salutations x 2
Weight Loss Routine

• Hero
• Camel
• Child
• Rabbit
• Child
• Half Shoulder Stand
• Plow
• Bridge
• Table
• Right Foot High Lunge
• Right Foot Warrior 1
• Downward Dog
• Left Foot High Lunge
• Left Foot Warrior 1
• Downward Dog
• Mountain
• Five Pointed Star
• Right Foot Warrior 2
• Five Pointed Star
• Left Foot Warrior 2
• Five Pointed Star
• Right Foot Triangle
• Five Pointed Star
• Left Foot Triangle
• Five Pointed Star
• Mountain
• Right Leg Tree
• Mountain
• Left Leg Tree
• Mountain

Child
Corpse

Yoga is blance, hence my reminders to do both legs. Yes, I have forgotten before. Overall, I feel good about these routines. Let’s see what happens next week.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

October's first week is done

October is moving along, faster than anyone probably likes. I realized it had been a while without an update, so here I am.

Progress with Primal lifestyle: I didn't lose any weight during the challenge, so I think I'm cheating somewhere and not realizing it. And I never managed to work the exercises in. But I'm feeling tons better, energy up, and no trouble with getting out of bed (and getting the lamp alarm to finally work has helped more than I expected it to). Keeping a food diary and opening up the routine to exercise are the next steps.

TV viewing has went way down. I'm taping Castle and watching Bones. What did they do to Bones' hair? For three episodes now, at random points during the show, I'll blurt out "I really don't like her hair." I laugh and concentrate on the mystery, so it really must be bothering me.

Creating threesomes for the sake of threesomes isn't me. So I was mildly surprised when my brain chimed in with Brennan/Booth/Hannah could work. Of course the one who will put up the most resistance will be Booth (oh Catholic guilt trips!) followed by Brennan (if I love people I lose them so let my brains keep me away from the rest of the human race). I still want to fix their confrontation in season five. Booth should have mentioned her baby want. Really, I didn't expect another outcome, including running away to Indonesia, but damn it the writers just left that alone like they forgot about it.

And Haven has gone bye-bye until second season (squee!). Frell, I did not see the twist they ended on coming at all, and I have been really good at picking the twist up by the thirty-minute mark. And what does it mean about Agent Howard, who also trained Mulder (*giggling*)? But how awesome is Vince, who knows so much more than he is telling but seems to have a strict hands-off policy to keep living in Haven. The tattoo appearing and disappearing on Julia and going back so far into Haven's history, delicious. It's not a separation between Troubled and the norms, so I'm intrigued with what else it could be a marker for. Poor Nathan and the Chief, but I was glad to see the Rev again. I thought they hadn't played enough with the fundamentalist wacko theory (the Troubled are Godless or cursed by God), so I'm looking forward to him shaking things up next season.

Mom and I went yesterday and saw Secretariat, and what an awesome bio pic it is. I'm still in awe at how they shot it to make you feel like you were riding the greatest racehorse that ever lived.

Novel Push Initiative: NPI has also been keeping me busy. I gave myself the goal of 250 daily words for the month of October in Zy's novel, which I finally named Stellar Gift of Death. So far I've kept ten days in a row.

I've also been working on editing "Covenant of the Restless," so it fits into the Piper of Shadows universe. Details are over in DUF.

Fun stuff: I found a new YouTube user whose fan trailers I adore. I really wish this one could happen for the small cameo at 0:30. *Sigh*



I would also love to sit through this movie:



And this one, the World's Finest moment makes me tear up:



Something Positive had a rift on witches that should amuse all the Oz fans I know.

And now I'm off to blog about NPI day 10, to finish folding laundry, and to edit "Covenant."

Read Free!
The BookWorm