Tomorrow my bestest friend in the whole world (besides Damon, but she's part of the DAR triumvirate) is coming to stay for an unspecified amount of time!
YAY!
I am so excited I can hardly contain myself.
In other news, something slightly unusual has been going on with our catch-all calendar e-mail address. Either the SPAM filter is letting more stuff through, or there are just more of these e-mails than there used to be. Regardless, there is a marked increase in the number of e-mails seeking men who are unhappy with their penis size.
For some reason, this surprises me. Is penis size really that big of a deal? I always thought it was more about security/insecurity.
Regardless, since the first of the year, the number of "Surprise her with your phenomenal love stick!" e-mails has AT LEAST doubled.
New Year's resolutions? Gearing up for Valentine's Day? I'll keep everyone posted.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
There Will Be Blood
Or rather, there was blood -- taken from my arm -- during my cholesterol test in October. My doctor called me back with the results today.
Good news: My LDL's (good cholesterol) are up, so those are lookin' pretty perfect right now.
Not-so-great news: My HDL's (bad cholesterol) are down, but they're still high for my age. So she suggested the following remedies:
- skim milk
- go easy on the red meat (which I do already)
- eggs ONLY once per week (and Eggbeaters or another substitute is preferable to actual eggs. Since I don't like eggs that much, no big deal.)
- low-fat/no-fat cheese.
- the worst: stay away from yellow cheeses (like cheddar) as they have higher cholesterol levels.
Cheddar cheese is my fave, so that was sad for me to hear.
And in general, I feel weird being 27 years old and making changes in my diet to deal with my cholesterol level. I've touched on this before, but it really sinks in when I'm having conversations with my doctor about what I should and shouldn't be eating.
I've gotten a lot (a LOT) better in my eating habits in the past year and a half, but I still have a ways to go. I need to start implementing a serious exercise program (once a week = not enough, as it turns out, and I'm lucky if I manage to exercise even once a week). I have a stockpile of foods I can make that are healthy; it's just the eating out that kills me. And may actually end up killing me.
It's funny how people seem to have the luxury of eating/doing whatever they want until something happens to make them seriously evaluate how they're living their lives -- I think it's safe to say that most of us want as much time on this planet as we can get, so it makes sense to take steps to prolong your life rather than shorten it. That's common knowledge. But people don't really seem to get it until a major event -- be it a doctor's diagnosis or the death of a loved one or chest pains, whatever -- makes you stop and think about what you're putting into your body and whether it's the best option for you.
It's all about baby steps. I'm better than I was last year. Next year I hope to be truly on the right path. I know how to get there. I just need to suck it up and do it.
Good news: My LDL's (good cholesterol) are up, so those are lookin' pretty perfect right now.
Not-so-great news: My HDL's (bad cholesterol) are down, but they're still high for my age. So she suggested the following remedies:
- skim milk
- go easy on the red meat (which I do already)
- eggs ONLY once per week (and Eggbeaters or another substitute is preferable to actual eggs. Since I don't like eggs that much, no big deal.)
- low-fat/no-fat cheese.
- the worst: stay away from yellow cheeses (like cheddar) as they have higher cholesterol levels.
Cheddar cheese is my fave, so that was sad for me to hear.
And in general, I feel weird being 27 years old and making changes in my diet to deal with my cholesterol level. I've touched on this before, but it really sinks in when I'm having conversations with my doctor about what I should and shouldn't be eating.
I've gotten a lot (a LOT) better in my eating habits in the past year and a half, but I still have a ways to go. I need to start implementing a serious exercise program (once a week = not enough, as it turns out, and I'm lucky if I manage to exercise even once a week). I have a stockpile of foods I can make that are healthy; it's just the eating out that kills me. And may actually end up killing me.
It's funny how people seem to have the luxury of eating/doing whatever they want until something happens to make them seriously evaluate how they're living their lives -- I think it's safe to say that most of us want as much time on this planet as we can get, so it makes sense to take steps to prolong your life rather than shorten it. That's common knowledge. But people don't really seem to get it until a major event -- be it a doctor's diagnosis or the death of a loved one or chest pains, whatever -- makes you stop and think about what you're putting into your body and whether it's the best option for you.
It's all about baby steps. I'm better than I was last year. Next year I hope to be truly on the right path. I know how to get there. I just need to suck it up and do it.
Monday, February 11, 2008
To a Tea
I have become a firm believer in the theory of quitting a bad habit while you are already feeling bad. Last week I was laid up with a sinus infection and the flu; everything that could possibly be wrong with my body, was. I was in some not-inconsiderable pain merely being awake.
Close friends of mine will know how addicted I am to caffeine. Seeing as I don't drink heavily and don't smoke cigarettes, my morning triple latte was one of only a handful of true vices that I have. If I ever forgot to get coffee, I would wind up with a splitting headache around noon that reminded me. So that didn't happen -- coffee was a morning necessity in order for me to function throughout the day.
Well, last weekend that was not possible. Even thinking about coffee first thing in the morning was likely to make me throw up the water or Powerade slush or whatever it was I had managed to drink (and keep down). Coffee isn't kind to stomachs, and even though my head hurt like crazy, it was easier to deal with the head than to try and drink some coffee and see what my stomach did with it. And honestly, I felt so terrible that I didn't even notice the headaches.
When I finally woke up in a condition to go to work, I realized that I was no longer addicted to caffeine. I had battled through the withdrawal during my incapacitation, and so the last thing I wanted to do was to fall back into the habit of drinking an obscene amount of coffee first thing in the morning.
For a week now, I've been drinking tea in the morning -- green tea, with tons of antioxidants. So I've been taking good care of myself and I'm proud of it. I've had two lattes since I quit, and I plan on keeping my espresso machine for treats and late nights when I might actually need it, but I'm happy without my morning dose of Splenda and espresso and milk. And I plan to keep it that way.
I guess the moral of the story is: If you want to give something up, get really sick. You'll be so preoccupied with your ill feeling that you won't miss whatever it is you're trying not to miss.
Close friends of mine will know how addicted I am to caffeine. Seeing as I don't drink heavily and don't smoke cigarettes, my morning triple latte was one of only a handful of true vices that I have. If I ever forgot to get coffee, I would wind up with a splitting headache around noon that reminded me. So that didn't happen -- coffee was a morning necessity in order for me to function throughout the day.
Well, last weekend that was not possible. Even thinking about coffee first thing in the morning was likely to make me throw up the water or Powerade slush or whatever it was I had managed to drink (and keep down). Coffee isn't kind to stomachs, and even though my head hurt like crazy, it was easier to deal with the head than to try and drink some coffee and see what my stomach did with it. And honestly, I felt so terrible that I didn't even notice the headaches.
When I finally woke up in a condition to go to work, I realized that I was no longer addicted to caffeine. I had battled through the withdrawal during my incapacitation, and so the last thing I wanted to do was to fall back into the habit of drinking an obscene amount of coffee first thing in the morning.
For a week now, I've been drinking tea in the morning -- green tea, with tons of antioxidants. So I've been taking good care of myself and I'm proud of it. I've had two lattes since I quit, and I plan on keeping my espresso machine for treats and late nights when I might actually need it, but I'm happy without my morning dose of Splenda and espresso and milk. And I plan to keep it that way.
I guess the moral of the story is: If you want to give something up, get really sick. You'll be so preoccupied with your ill feeling that you won't miss whatever it is you're trying not to miss.
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