In spite

In spite of the dreary weather . . .
In spite of my currently low iron level (read: zilch energy) . . .
In spite of a birthday weekend full of high-calorie foods . . .
In spite of my own lack of motivation and pushing myself . . .

I've still managed to lose 1.6 pounds since last week. :o) I was praying to just break even . . . but I lost.

I'm going to run tonight, rain or not. Bring it, El Nino!

Sleepless in San Jose

A second night of sleeplessness . . . An inability to fall asleep creates a panicky feeling that I might not wake to my alarm clock -- which perpetuates the inability to fall asleep.

For two nights I've taken long baths (complete with book, aromatherapy of the lavender-chamomile variety and a cup of herbal, decaf tea). For two nights I have tossed and turned trying to shut my mind off and Just. Go. To. Sleep.

Tonight, I am going to turn off all stimuli for at least an hour before bed -- phone on silent (alarm still works if phone is on silent), computer off, TV off. If I can't catch "The Biggest Loser" and finish watching it before 9:00 PM, I'll just have to watch it on On-Demand.

I'm thinking . . . bath, yoga, tea and reading and lights off by 9:45 to give myself time to fall asleep. I love sleep. I have absolutely no qualms about it. If I could get paid to do it, goshdarnit I would. Typically I sleep like a champ.

Not lately. Anyone reading . . . what are your strategies?

Today it is pouring in Palo Alto and San Jose. I will be needing to hit up Target after work for an umbrella, but I'm so excited about the weather. I felt the flick-flick-flick of tiny rain spatter on my face waking up this morning (slept with the window open -- rain was blowing in a little bit).

Bliss.

I love the rain. Alex and I have talked about how cool it would be to live in Portland or Seattle, where it rains a great deal.

Of course, prolonged rain does get depressing after a while, but generally speaking I love it. I have a sixth sense for when it's going to rain. I can feel it, smell it, KNOW that it's going to rain . . . Of course, the grey clouds are a pretty big tip off, but even on overcast days, there's something distinctly different that goes along with the rain.

Tonight, on the way home, I'm picking up broth, green onions and a few other ingredients I'm missing so I can make potato soup.

Will blog about how this turns out . . .

Small victories

I'm about five pounds lighter than I was a couple of weeks ago. :o)

I'm celebrating, even if I still have a couple dozen pounds to lose still. Ha ha.

Piss-and-moan du jour!

Okay . . . here it comes. The gripe list of the day:

1. I'm tired!
Ian wanted my help with a video project for his French class last night. Of course, it was due today, which negates any hope of being able to do some and save the rest for later. Brilliant. Went to bed at a quarter to midnight. Had to get up at 5. Ugh.

2. I'm sick!
There is nothing that ticks me off more than nasal congestion. Seriously. I'll take bronchitis over it any day of the week. (Okay, slight exaggeration there, but I've had bronchitis before and it's not nearly as scary as it sounds.) I have managed to go to bed later than I anticipated two nights in a row now (the first was my fault, the second - see above) and with getting up by 5:00 every morning, it doesn't make for a lot of rest and recuperation, which leads me to . . .

3. I can't run!
I have a marathon in less than 30 days and I'm nowhere near as prepared as I should be! Part of it's my fault for not training better right from the get-go, and while I know I shouldn't be too hard on myself for that (it's a daunting task, but I know it's not going to be my last race), it still aggravates me that now that I need to knuckle down a bit more and go with it, I can't! I ran a few days ago before I really got knocked off my feet and it was fine, but now? I wouldn't be able to breathe all that well.

4. Work is lame!
I really want to stay home for a bit. The last two weekends haven't exactly been my own, so I've been in need of some R&R. Carol's been out sick, and while I wouldn't wish being sick on anyone and I don't blame her for getting sick (it happens), I wish she'd come back so the office wasn't so freaking stressful. Mostly the stress comes from trying to figure out who's doing what. Without the capabilities and the computer access to do all of the work that she's done, it's not like I can step in and do it for her. Ugh.



While I know that a lot of this stuff (okay, ALL of it) isn't really a big deal, it seems like it is right now in the heat of my frustration, upset and general ticked-offness about the whole shebang. I am going home tonight, will be going to bed early. Just me, some NyQuil (the good stuff!) and a cup of Sleepytime tea.

My bed with my beautiful fluffy down comforter is looking so lovely in my mind.