I'm not talking Democrats or Republicans - I'm talking about a vote you can feel good about and can't we all use a little of that these days. There will be no negative campaign ads or ridiculous sound bites if you just head over to Peanut Blog & Jelly and get inspired by Sarah. I did.
Sarah is trying to win the final round of a contest for a triathlon team. Sarah is a runner who recently lost a lot of weight and she is trying to get a spot on the Evotri triathlon team. Please help a weight loss winner out and vote for her. Go Sarah!!!
You can vote for her by sending an email to: vote@evotri.com with 'Sarah McKibben - Final Round' in the subject.
http://pbj.typepad.com/peanut_blog_and_jelly/2008/02/the-final-count.html
Don't forget to vote!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Stir Crazy
I've been stuck in the house for over a week and I'm going a little stir crazy. I've only gone out of the house to go food shopping - the last time was at 8 a.m. this morning in the pouring rain because B woke up and wanted a ham and cheese omelet and we had no cheese or bread. I've spent the past week taking care of his every waking need and I'm exhausted. I'm planning on going back to work tomorrow and I'm worried about him being home alone. He still needs help getting in and out of bed. SY and his Dad will be around to check on him but it isn't the same as having someone stay with him all day. He hasn't slept much because he can't get comfortable in any position and now depression is starting to set in (for both of us). It's going to be a very long 6 weeks.
The first thing I did this morning was throw away a very large vanilla "get well" cake and a plate full of gooey chocolate brownies that B's mother made. Sugar is not medicine. Over the past few days I ate way too much cake and tiny little pieces of brownies before getting so disgusted and throwing the stuff in the trash. Even though it was making me sick I knew I would keep picking at it every time I walked in the kitchen. When someone hurts everyone wants to feed the pain with food and it usually isn't good food that will help a body heal. The comfort food people bring is full of sugar, flour and fat.
After tossing the cake and brownies in the trash I made sure I bought lots of healthy stuff for the week. I even saved $9.99 by using my free Purdue chicken coupon I won from Pasta Queen's chicken giveaway (thanks PQ). There are some amazing chicken recipes in the comments of that post so go and check them out. I still want to try the diet coke and ketchup one - it sounds weird but yummy.
Weight Watchers BBQ Chicken
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 cup of ketchup
12 oz can of diet coke
Mix together ketchup and diet coke. Place chicken breasts in a large skillet over high heat. Pour the ketchup & diet coke over the chicken. Heat until it reaches a full rolling boil. Cover and reduce to medium heat. Flip chicken once during cooking. After 45 minutes, uncover and turn heat back up to high. Cook until the sauce thickens.
This one sounds easy enough even I can make it. Looks easy enough to make when I get home from work tomorrow night. I eat chicken so often I'm always looking for different ways to prepare it but I don't like spending tons of time in the kitchen. Let me know if you have any easy chicken recipes.
Hope you all had a nice long weekend for those of you who celebrate Presidents' Day. Happy b-day Prez. Thanks for the day off. I can't remember the last time we didn't spend Presidents' Day playing in the snow. I told B we had to plan a snowmobile vacation for next Valentines Day to make up for this year.
Gotta run, my patient is calling.
Update: I made the chicken/diet coke/ketchup dish and it was delicious (and really easy). Try it, you'll like it.
The first thing I did this morning was throw away a very large vanilla "get well" cake and a plate full of gooey chocolate brownies that B's mother made. Sugar is not medicine. Over the past few days I ate way too much cake and tiny little pieces of brownies before getting so disgusted and throwing the stuff in the trash. Even though it was making me sick I knew I would keep picking at it every time I walked in the kitchen. When someone hurts everyone wants to feed the pain with food and it usually isn't good food that will help a body heal. The comfort food people bring is full of sugar, flour and fat.
After tossing the cake and brownies in the trash I made sure I bought lots of healthy stuff for the week. I even saved $9.99 by using my free Purdue chicken coupon I won from Pasta Queen's chicken giveaway (thanks PQ). There are some amazing chicken recipes in the comments of that post so go and check them out. I still want to try the diet coke and ketchup one - it sounds weird but yummy.
Weight Watchers BBQ Chicken
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 cup of ketchup
12 oz can of diet coke
Mix together ketchup and diet coke. Place chicken breasts in a large skillet over high heat. Pour the ketchup & diet coke over the chicken. Heat until it reaches a full rolling boil. Cover and reduce to medium heat. Flip chicken once during cooking. After 45 minutes, uncover and turn heat back up to high. Cook until the sauce thickens.
This one sounds easy enough even I can make it. Looks easy enough to make when I get home from work tomorrow night. I eat chicken so often I'm always looking for different ways to prepare it but I don't like spending tons of time in the kitchen. Let me know if you have any easy chicken recipes.
Hope you all had a nice long weekend for those of you who celebrate Presidents' Day. Happy b-day Prez. Thanks for the day off. I can't remember the last time we didn't spend Presidents' Day playing in the snow. I told B we had to plan a snowmobile vacation for next Valentines Day to make up for this year.
Gotta run, my patient is calling.
Update: I made the chicken/diet coke/ketchup dish and it was delicious (and really easy). Try it, you'll like it.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
A Broken Heart is Better Than a Broken Back
This will certainly be a Valentines Day to remember. After a very long wait in a room full of hurting bitchy people waiting hours to see the back specialist we now know the bad news - B broke his back (compressed fracture at T-12). The good news is he will not need surgery but won't even start to feel better for at least 4-6 weeks.
B says he knows what he's going to feel like when he's 100 yrs. old. I feel so bad for him and wish I could take away his pain. B is not a very good patient but is hurting severely so I can't blame him for being a grouch. He can't do a damn thing without assistance. I have him hopped up on percs and valium now (thanks doc) so hopefully he can get some pain relief and sleep.
B's snowmobile season is definitely over and I probably won't go riding the rest of the year without him. Anyone want to bet that this will end up being the best snowmobile season in decades now that we can't ride?
I'm going to start calling him Murphy. You know, Murphy as in Murphy's Law. My boss says I should stop taking time off because almost every time I take a vacation or have a day off something happens. If it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. Ok, enough of the pity party. I'm sorry to be such a bummer on this Valentines Day, Pre-Presidents Day weekend, spring training reporting Day.
I'd rather be at the office job I hate than playing nurse to the man I love. I don't think I'm getting any hot Valentine love today. I hope you all enjoy this Hallmark holiday whether you celebrate with a significant other or celebrate some self-love.
Achy-Breaky Valentines Day Wishes
B says he knows what he's going to feel like when he's 100 yrs. old. I feel so bad for him and wish I could take away his pain. B is not a very good patient but is hurting severely so I can't blame him for being a grouch. He can't do a damn thing without assistance. I have him hopped up on percs and valium now (thanks doc) so hopefully he can get some pain relief and sleep.
B's snowmobile season is definitely over and I probably won't go riding the rest of the year without him. Anyone want to bet that this will end up being the best snowmobile season in decades now that we can't ride?
I'm going to start calling him Murphy. You know, Murphy as in Murphy's Law. My boss says I should stop taking time off because almost every time I take a vacation or have a day off something happens. If it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. Ok, enough of the pity party. I'm sorry to be such a bummer on this Valentines Day, Pre-Presidents Day weekend, spring training reporting Day.
I'd rather be at the office job I hate than playing nurse to the man I love. I don't think I'm getting any hot Valentine love today. I hope you all enjoy this Hallmark holiday whether you celebrate with a significant other or celebrate some self-love.
Achy-Breaky Valentines Day Wishes
Monday, February 11, 2008
Isn't it Ironic?
An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
....
Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face
....
Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out
- ALANIS MORISSETTE
Doesn't it figure that no sooner do I write a post about good things that something bad happens? B, SY and I met GP at the breakfast place early Saturday morning and we were anxious to get out on the trials in the fresh snow. We snowmobiled all morning in prime conditions. Almost two feet of newly fallen snow was groomed flat and the trails were in better shape than I've seen in years.
We rode from the state park in Groton and stopped for lunch in a little store about 75 miles north in Greensboro. After lunch we were cruising down the trails when we noticed B wasn't behind us. GP was the first to turn back and SY and I followed. We found B off trail, sprawled in the snow with the sled beside him. He got sucked into a field just off trail and hit a 5 foot culvert and smashed the other side and got thrown in the air. He thinks he and the sled went head over heels a few times and landed about 20 feet away with his sled landing a few feet from him facing the opposite direction. It took him over 30 minutes to get up with assistance.
Thankfully he always wears a helmet but he wasn't wearing the helmet cam I gave him for his birthday (he hasn't figured out how to use it yet) and B was last in line so we're not positive of the exact details of the crash but we could see the track marks of where he launched, the other side of the ditch he hit, how far he was in the air, where he initially came down and where he eventually landed. GP tried calling 911 but we had no service in the woods. We had to limp back to the store where we had lunch about 2 miles away. I thought the ride back was going to kill him, I could see tears in his eyes riding over every little bump and turn. B's snowmobile was barely drivable so SY drove B's and B rode less than 5 mph in serious pain. We called a friend to pick us up at the store but B had to sit and wait on a bench in excruciating pain for an hour and then another hour drive back to the camp.
I'm so glad the other guys were there because I would have been freaking out if it were just the two of us snowmobiling that day. GP and SY rode the trails back to the truck and drove the truck back to Greensboro with the trailer to pick up our sleds. It was a very long day that started off great and ended horribly.
B is a hurting unit and really messed up his back. He has an appointment with a back specialist but they can't see him 'til Thursday. He went to his old chiropractor just for an evaluation today; he doesn't think anything is broken and said he is lucky there was so much snow to cushion his fall or he probably would have broken his back.
Needless to say, we didn't get to ride the rest of the weekend. SY helped me plow out the camp, shovel the roof off and close down the water before heading back home yesterday. The 3 hour drive home was hard for him but he is more comfortable here at home and I really wanted him to go to the hospital here in the city instead of in the back woods of Vermont.
So the long weekend I was so excited about didn't turn out very good. I'm probably going to have to take a few additional days off of work to take care of him because I don't think he can be alone yet. He can't even get out of bed without assistance.
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
....
Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face
....
Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out
- ALANIS MORISSETTE
Doesn't it figure that no sooner do I write a post about good things that something bad happens? B, SY and I met GP at the breakfast place early Saturday morning and we were anxious to get out on the trials in the fresh snow. We snowmobiled all morning in prime conditions. Almost two feet of newly fallen snow was groomed flat and the trails were in better shape than I've seen in years.
We rode from the state park in Groton and stopped for lunch in a little store about 75 miles north in Greensboro. After lunch we were cruising down the trails when we noticed B wasn't behind us. GP was the first to turn back and SY and I followed. We found B off trail, sprawled in the snow with the sled beside him. He got sucked into a field just off trail and hit a 5 foot culvert and smashed the other side and got thrown in the air. He thinks he and the sled went head over heels a few times and landed about 20 feet away with his sled landing a few feet from him facing the opposite direction. It took him over 30 minutes to get up with assistance.
Thankfully he always wears a helmet but he wasn't wearing the helmet cam I gave him for his birthday (he hasn't figured out how to use it yet) and B was last in line so we're not positive of the exact details of the crash but we could see the track marks of where he launched, the other side of the ditch he hit, how far he was in the air, where he initially came down and where he eventually landed. GP tried calling 911 but we had no service in the woods. We had to limp back to the store where we had lunch about 2 miles away. I thought the ride back was going to kill him, I could see tears in his eyes riding over every little bump and turn. B's snowmobile was barely drivable so SY drove B's and B rode less than 5 mph in serious pain. We called a friend to pick us up at the store but B had to sit and wait on a bench in excruciating pain for an hour and then another hour drive back to the camp.
I'm so glad the other guys were there because I would have been freaking out if it were just the two of us snowmobiling that day. GP and SY rode the trails back to the truck and drove the truck back to Greensboro with the trailer to pick up our sleds. It was a very long day that started off great and ended horribly.
B is a hurting unit and really messed up his back. He has an appointment with a back specialist but they can't see him 'til Thursday. He went to his old chiropractor just for an evaluation today; he doesn't think anything is broken and said he is lucky there was so much snow to cushion his fall or he probably would have broken his back.
Needless to say, we didn't get to ride the rest of the weekend. SY helped me plow out the camp, shovel the roof off and close down the water before heading back home yesterday. The 3 hour drive home was hard for him but he is more comfortable here at home and I really wanted him to go to the hospital here in the city instead of in the back woods of Vermont.
So the long weekend I was so excited about didn't turn out very good. I'm probably going to have to take a few additional days off of work to take care of him because I don't think he can be alone yet. He can't even get out of bed without assistance.
I really hope he is just bruised and doesn't need surgery. He paid $40 to the chiropractor today; it will be $300 to walk in the door of the back specialist, additional $ for any x-rays and $2,000+ if he needs an MRI. It wouldn't be so bad if he had health insurance but it could be a bumpy road if we have to pay any crazy hospital bills. Let's be sure our next president is someone who is serious about universal health coverage.
I think there is some old Yiddish saying about not admitting you are happy or life is good because you are tempting the fates or something like that. I was having such a blast riding and looking forward to getting lots of miles in over my long weekend. Looks like our snowmobile season is over and not because of lack of snow.
I guess I'll go back to bitching and moaning.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Happy Days
This post has nothing to do with Fonzi and the gang but I thought I would interrupt this regularly scheduled bitch and moan session about my weight loss (or lack thereof) to talk of happier things in my life. After reading through some of my posts I realized that I come across as rather sad and desperate but the truth is I am not as miserable as this blog makes me sound. My angst over my weight is always in the back of my mind but I do manage to have fun in spite of the fat.
While I don't like my job I make a decent paycheck that allows me to escape the city on the weekends and head north to Vermont. It is like a two day vacation every week because it is such a drastic change from living and working in the city. B and I bought a small camp about 9 years ago and we've been going there constantly ever since. Even though B has been out of work (again/still) which certainly puts a strain on our relationship we are happy together and just celebrated our 25th anniversary. Maybe we'll make it legal someday but that piece of paper was never really important to me but things change when you get older and you never know what could happen if we ever make that trip to Vegas.
B and I both upgraded to newer snowmobiles this year and we got well over a foot of snow in Vermont this week so we're planning on three days of good riding. I'm taking a vacation day Monday, next Monday is a holiday (happy b-day presidents), and then the following week I'm taking the week off. I hope we get even more snow so we can ride all over the state. The snowmobile season has been pretty lame the past few years (damn that global warming) so we're really excited about being able to ride in some great conditions. I'm so excited. I can't wait to ride.
I hope you all have a great weekend and if you live in the northeast get out and enjoy the snow!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!
While I don't like my job I make a decent paycheck that allows me to escape the city on the weekends and head north to Vermont. It is like a two day vacation every week because it is such a drastic change from living and working in the city. B and I bought a small camp about 9 years ago and we've been going there constantly ever since. Even though B has been out of work (again/still) which certainly puts a strain on our relationship we are happy together and just celebrated our 25th anniversary. Maybe we'll make it legal someday but that piece of paper was never really important to me but things change when you get older and you never know what could happen if we ever make that trip to Vegas.
B and I both upgraded to newer snowmobiles this year and we got well over a foot of snow in Vermont this week so we're planning on three days of good riding. I'm taking a vacation day Monday, next Monday is a holiday (happy b-day presidents), and then the following week I'm taking the week off. I hope we get even more snow so we can ride all over the state. The snowmobile season has been pretty lame the past few years (damn that global warming) so we're really excited about being able to ride in some great conditions. I'm so excited. I can't wait to ride.
I hope you all have a great weekend and if you live in the northeast get out and enjoy the snow!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Patriot Nation
It is a very dark day in Patriot Nation. I'm still in shock. I just can't believe the Pats are not the Super Bowl Champions. It was a truly amazing season and they should be proud of what they accomplished but they didn't get the icing on the cake. It looked like the Patriots were destined for a perfect season until the last 3 minutes of the Super Bowl. I don't understand how Manning broke out of that tackle. Where was Tom's protection all night? What was up with Bill's red hoodie sweatshirt?
I'm too depressed to write anymore. We will have to wait another year to see the Pats get some new championship bling. I guess we need to put this under the category of "You Can't Win Them All."
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