Achoo!

It’s just a little cold, but I’m a bad patient. Why is it these things happen at the worst possible time? Of course, I have my own thoughts on that… we work ourselves into the ground, past the point of common sense, and so, when little bugs come around, blammo! If I was getting enough sleep and relaxation, maybe I’d be better prepared.

But, no sick days for me. And cooking? Not so much. Though, these really are the times when it’s best to have something good and healthy. So far, I’ve compromised and gone for good and healthy, but with minimal effort, like sandwiches. I still need to roast some veggies, and knock a few thousand things off of my to-do list. I’ve mostly done raw foods. I tried a grilled cheese, but let’s just say it was not blog-worthy. I don’t cook well when I’m sick.

So for tonight, maybe get those veggies prepped with as minimal effort as possible, maybe some long grain rice or some such to go with it, and that’s all folks. Now, if I could just get some elves to help me with the to-do list…

Oversharing Sunday

Some cooking has happened lately, photos to come. Mostly, I’ve been stressed out and yes, possibly burnt out. I guess everyone feels this way sometimes. They used to call it “Spring Fever”.

New do: This is a huge deal, more in my head than on it, but isn’t that always the way? It’s the first time I’ve gone all-out in a long time. It was cathartic.

Goodbye nail: Also in the cathartic change column, my long-infected toenail decided to depart. I was grateful to see it go, and am now taking extra-special care of the new growth and the bed, hoping that the cause left along with it.

Saw a show over the weekend. It was nice to get out and experience culture. I tend to hole myself in sometimes.

Saw an old friend who I haven’t seen in a while, and that was really nice. Had takeout pizza, but at least it had vegetables on it, and she brought us homemade tabbouleh for a starter. Yum!

Enjoyed dinner out, and ordered off the healthier choices section. Felt good that I had delicious salad and bread, but didn’t overdo it. Also felt good that I was plenty full and still was able to take home leftovers. I think you can make good choices eating out- you don’t have to deprive yourself of anything, but you don’t have to treat your stomach like a dumping ground, either. Balance.

Have a wonderful week!

Sharing is Caring: New Yorker Article

Interesting article about the Oscars here.

Love and Food

How do I know you love me?

You gave me food when things were horrible and you knew I was living on french fries and Cheerios.

You bought me rice milk the first time I came over, and continue to do so, even though you love your whole milk like someone in a commercial.

Peanut butter is one of your favorite foods, but you don’t eat it when I’m around because you don’t want me to get sick.

You went out of your way to make foods I liked, even though up until then everyone in my life said cooking for me was difficult. What’s even more meaningful is that you still do it.

You got me to try foods I thought I couldn’t eat, and feel safe enough to do so.

You support my blogging, even though your natural skill in the kitchen far surpasses my creative attempts.

Sunday Stuff

Quiet week in blogland. Sorry about that. I’ve only made a few noteworthy dishes this week. Those posts are forthcoming. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been up to.

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Watching The Biggest Loser: Now that the behind the scenes of this show have been brought to light, and what we found out wasn’t so pretty, it’s hard not to have feelings about this show. Then Jillian Michaels came out, I read part of her book website, and found both inspiring. So, I watched the premier, and while there was a lot I didn’t like, there were also things I did. Mostly, it’s the drive of the contestants that amazes me- people doing things they never thought possible. Once the reality show politics come into play, I might not feel as motivated. But for now, I’ll take the motivation.

Watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead: Doesn’t it sound morbid? I thought it did. But, then I watched the trailer. The film follows one man in his goal to just consume freshly made juices for an extended period of time. On the way, he manages to lose weight, meet people, and inspires others to try a Reboot, as he calls it.

Like Biggest Loser, there is a commercial aspect to this film. But unlike Biggest Loser, I didn’t feel it was in my face while watching the film itself. I only came upon this aspect later, when going to his website. As a film, I liked the personal approach, and the story about a truck driver he meets. It felt more real, less scripted, and inspiring.

For better or for worse, someone on The Biggest Loser said something about a Carbitarian, and that rang true. Then Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead emphasized just how many nutrients veggies really give you. Takeway: I should eat more veggies!

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Watched the premier of Cyndi Lauper’s show: I suppose I should state here that I actually hate reality shows as a genre. Yet, here I am, mentioning two of them. This show is probably geared toward women who were affected by Cyndi Lauper’s music in the 80s, and for that purpose, it’s “good enough”. But while the show was entertaining, it was not entertaining enough for me to watch on their schedule. The network website used to have the full-length first episode online, which led me to believe they’d all be online. Well, I guess they aren’t, so I guess I’m not watching.

Tried Command Hooks and Command Strips for the first time: My friends and family love these products. I, on the other hand, do not. What a waste of a day trying to get these things to work! In the end, I just took out a drill and hanging hardware, and was finished in 5 minutes.

Watched a lot of Star Trek Voyager: Perfect for crampy days spent indoors.

Wanted to make scrambled eggs but didn’t: Because I didn’t feel like doing errands (like buying eggs) whilst crampy. So, I made other things for breakfast instead, like yogurt bowls and the Crockpot Oatmeal.

Searched “vegetarian” on WordPress many times, and got annoyed with people including meat in recipes labeled “vegetarian”. Also randomly got annoyed at the excessive use of tofu. Then realized I had pms.

Didn’t drink coffee even though I would love a cup, because it does not play well with my system this time of the month.

Finished the workspace. Which involved the above drilling, and vacuuming, and cleaning out the darn vacuum, and taking out trash, and rigging miniblinds and moving furniture, and a thousand other assorted tasks. But, it’s worth it and a long time in the making.

Did a lot of laundry. Now, that’s blog-worthy!

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Happy Sunday!

A quick thank you…

I’m still working on my response posts for each award, so this is just a quick thank you to three of my favorite bloggers for being kind enough to nominate me.

If you haven’t checked out these three blogs, you really should. There’s a reason all three are on my daily read list!

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Peri’s Spice Ladle

Healthy Frenchie

Dispatches from the Gypsy Roller

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Thursday Thoughts: Holiday Highlights 2012

After the slow start, I had a wonderful, joyous, and fulfilling holiday season. Here are some of the highlights:

• Cookies.
• Putting up the tree and getting a few thousand new ornaments this year.
• Village People. Both the decorations and the band…
• Karaoke! See above.
• Xmas dinner with the family.
• More Xmas dinner with more family.
• A very special Xmas card.
• Watching a zillion Xmas movies.
• Xmas gifts. For me, this year, it was just another way for my loved ones to demonstrate they’ve got me.
• Although this is an ongoing thing, since I did the bulk of the work in the holiday season, carving space for growth and being given the freedom to do so is another meaningful gift.

Wrapping up and moving on

December was a month of epic stress, peppered with some genuine holiday cheer. I didn’t really get down to properly celebrating until the very last minute, and have been doing so ever since. Needless to say, I was very glad that I’d had the foresight to set up the carols ahead of time, which meant that blogland could remain my refuge. It’s just… something- how you can have your own life pretty well taken care of, but then find yourself thrown completely off course by those metaphorical tornadoes that high drama folks create.

So, that’s Resolution #1 for 2013: Remain centered.

I feel proud that I kept my 2012 Resolution. That one? The unoriginal “Lose Weight”. But, I did! I actually lost about 10 pounds since January of 2012. This came about through general lifestyle changes. I’d be lying if I said there was any kind of structured plan. All I have done is try to eat fresh as much as possible, cook my own food, eat more vegetables- that kind of thing. I also have been focusing on making protein-filled choices as much as possible. Which leads me to…

Resolution #2 for 2013: Lose 10 pounds. If I lose more, great. But, before the holidays, I was already approaching a second 10 (from last year’s number), and so I think 10 from today is attainable.

Plan to get there: Work out indoors this winter. I think carving out a space was a good first step. New Year’s gives me the chance to pick it back up and just get back to where I was over summer.

I think 2 Resolutions are all I can ask of myself at present, but I do have some mini-goals in mind for this year as well.

1. Stay true to yourself. We try so hard to be people-pleasers. We say yes when we mean no, we worry constantly about what other people think. We are usually women, and we need to stop this now.

2. Figure it out. where am I going? what am I doing? do I like this way?  So, picking up the GPS and checking my coordinates.

3. Try to remain positive. Shit happens. You will be alright.

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Wordless Wednesday: Gay Lunch

*Wonders what a gay lunch would be like, because if it’s anything like those adorable rainbow cakes, I’m in!

Sounds of the Season: Tracks 6-10

6. Home on Christmas Day, also Cyndi Lauper.

This song addresses being away from home at Christmastime and the way that can feel. This became a favorite when I was away from home, but it’s held up for those times when mind and body are not in the same place at the same time.

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7. I Hate Christmas, Oscar the Grouch.

The Christmas fuss can just be a bit much sometimes. Oscar’s take on all of this is truly hilarious. This is old school Oscar at his Grouchy best.

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8. Keep Christmas With You, Sesame Street.

This song starts off with something very easy to relate to: “When Christmastime is over, and presents put away, don’t be sad…”. I especially love when Cookie really gets into it with his gravelly voice. (Different people take different verses in different versions. Bob starts off the film version, Susan starts off recorded version I linked to, which has Cookie doing his thing. They later updated and re-recorded it, so multiple versions exist. Make sure you have the one you want.) The simple reminder to keep these feelings and memories in your heart is a great message for both young and old.

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9. A Christmas Duel, Cyndi Lauper and The Hives.

This is NSFW and definitely not one for the kids due to both content and the proliferation of cursing. This is for when your life is so hopelessly ridiculous that you just need to step back and see how surreal it is to be celebrating Christmas. After the dust has settled, it’s still great for a laugh.

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10. The Chipmunk Song, The Chipmunks.

“Alvin? Alvinnnnn!” After you’ve had a little too much holiday cheer, this is a great song to imitate. (Some of us do this completely sober…) Note: It looks like there are a few thousand versions of this song. Check to be sure you have the one you want before purchasing.

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Enjoy!