What About Jen?
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Ballulah" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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07:17 pm
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Biology, Whale Blubber, and Final Grades
It's the end of the semester and I am sitting in the library next to a snowy window view. I'm watching the world turn to white. I'm reading over the comments on my How to Preserve The Endangered Blue Whale paper, which I got an 8.5/10 on. Teacher is a tough grader. I hope I get at least a B in her class or I'm going to cry.
I'm excited that I got the paper back before I finished my final exam, because I'm going to use some of the facts on this paper on my next paper which is The Life and Times of the Modern Blue Whale, with less emphasis on saving it and more emphasis on how it lives and what it's like to be a blue whale.
I can't help but think of the blue whale every time I slather on my Rimmel Lip Balm. My friend Joey told me a month or two ago that it's probably made with whale blubber. I feel like a hypocrite, but I love my damned lip balm and no where did it say on the label that it was made with exploited endangered whale blubber. Just a stupid picture of Cocaine Kate simpering for the camera. How was I to know?
Current Mood:  tired
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04:02 am
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Rationalization:A Vice of Pizza--Why pizza even not in moderation once in a while might not kill me.
So I'm up late, kind of sick to my stomach after starving myself all day out of sheer laziness and then having quesadillas for dinner. And as I'm dealing with that, I'm processing my late night random thought process. Process. process process. Ping ping pa ping.
For some reason I never noticed my saturated fat intake. I'm sure it's enormous.
It's supposed to be about 30% of the daily fat intake or less, about 20 grams for every 65 grams of fat.
Four slices of Greg's favorite pizza, The Works from Papa Johns, exceeds 20 grams of Saturated Fat, is 164% of my daily sodium requirement, and it's 1400 calories. Boo. However it's also 8 grams of Fiber, 80% of my daily calcium requirement, 60% of Vitamin C and Iron, 24% of my Vitamin A. Almost nutritious.
However change it to Garden Fresh and I can have four slices at 1200 calories, 124% of my daily sodium intake and 16g of Saturated fat. Nutrition-wise it's eight grams of fiber, it's 80% of my calcium and Vitamin C, 32% of my Vitamin A, and 60% of my Iron intake.
But wait! Let's add an extra slice!
At five slices, the Garden Fresh is still at a decent 1500 calories, 155% of my sodium intake and 20 grams of Saturated fat. Booya, that's a hell of a lot better AND. AND! That's one whole extra slice! And get this: 10 grams of fiber, 100% of my daily Vitamin C and Calcium, 40% of Vitamin A, and 75% of my Iron intake. Spend the rest of my day eating vegetables and fruit, and I can clock out under 1800 calories. That sodium intake is still really bad though.
If we overlook the fact I can eat way more than that in one sitting even after eating normal food all day, you could say I'm being nutritious by ordering pizza once in a while. Although it's unlikely and my arteries are totally clogged. Blech.
Current Mood: fat
Tags: saturated fats!
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11:23 am
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Tribute to Inspiration: The Klutzy Kitchen
I have this LJ friend, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) elizabethsays. She has always been such an inspiration to me. Both of us are LJers from ages ago, but I first added her in 2001 or 2002. As I've gotten to know her and all she's been through, all her dreams, goals, thoughts, we've gotten pretty close. We started talking on the phone in 2004 or 2005 and I even, if in a sneaky way, set her up with her future husband when she finally moved up closer to my area in 2007. I have to say that I still think she's the coolest and that I owe a great deal of my sanity to her.
I'm always impressed by all the projects she takes on and how creative she is. About five years ago she began showing a serious interest in cooking and recently began her very own LONG overdue cooking blog:The Klutzy Kitchen. I recently was able to sample a recipe from it, her Brie pizza. Oh my god, awesome.
I recently gained an interest in cooking, too, merely just from watching her in the kitchen and looking at all of her pretty pictures. She makes it look effortless. IT'S NOT. Inspired by her craftiness, I decided to make an effort of my own.
Salmon Stuffed Eggs
( More Cooking Adventures Under Cut With Pictures )
Then after I made the Salmon Stuffed Eggs I let them chill in the refrigerator overnight. While they were chilling in the refrigerator, I went to bed and then woke up the next morning to enjoy my very last lab, working with lab mice:
They peed and pooped everywhere. But they're kind of cute!
Then I got all dolled up for the Sveaborg Society Potluck, looking kind of ghostlike, heh. I don't take very good pictures with the new phone ... I always turn out very pale and white. Maybe because I am very pale and white!
I love my new phone because I can use a USB to upload photos all at once! Yay!
Current Mood:  cheerful
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07:24 pm
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2009 in Review
You can tell I'm really procrastinating when I start wondering what to put on my 2009 end of year meme. I'm being an early bird!
To not spoil it for all of you, I'll put it under a cut and work on it from this entry, then post the finished product later. Or just make this private. HAHA YEAH RIGHT.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Passed a college-level Statistics course, took two college-level science courses at once and enjoyed it, watched every last episode of Friends, drove to DC all by myself, bought a bridesmaid dress online, drank copious amounts of wine without getting drunk, learned the Swedish alphabet, took online courses in the winter, spoke Swedish to Swedish people in person, 2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? If I made resolutions, they weren't serious ones. I usual set realistic goals each month I try to meet.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My best friend Rochelle had a daughter and a childhood friend Marla had a son.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather died on Valentine's Day.
5. What countries did you visit? I didn't visit any countries.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? More energy and organization to stick to my workout goals.
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? February 14, 2009 - the day I lost my grandfather, Earl McCarroll Sr.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? My FULL scholarship, thank you.
9. What was your biggest failure? Losing it at work in front of everybody. I wish I hadn't let so many people push my buttons.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I always get lots of colds and stomach problems, but nothing major like the flu, thank goodness.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Friends Box set.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? All of my friends and family on my mom's side. They were really there for me this year, moreso than other years. Thank you.
And MEGAN for making it through boot camp!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My grandpop. FOR DYING ON VALENTINE'S DAY. >:( (kidding!)
Haha, OK seriously? My father. I reached out to him several times and he kinda ignored me this year. But it's not his fault. I mean, he lost his dad. I can't imagine what he went through this year. So that depressed me a lot. Not appalled though, just sad. I love him.
Behavior of those that appalled me. My rotten neighbors. Bunch of drug-dealing good for nothing dirty punks. 14. Where did most of your money go? Bills and groceries. Boo.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Going to see the musical, Annie. All of Linda and Liz's parties. Seeing Rochelle. Seeing my family and friends, especially around the 4th of July when we played all those great board games and ate all that great food!
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Zooey Deschanel singing the Cotton jingle.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? a)100% happier. A much better year, socially, than last year. b)Fatter. Need to lay off the wine. c)Richer because Greg has a job!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Exercising, going to Church, cleaning. SLEEPING.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? I watched far, far, far too much TV this year. And I cried far too many tears over things like death and mean coworkers.
20. How did you spend Christmas? I really don't know how I'll spend Christmas. All I know is that it will probably be super-depressing since nobody is giving anybody anything except cookies.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009? Greg and I are doing good. I got over a few past loves though.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Glee! United States of Tara! Big Love!
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I hate really, really, really bad drivers. And people who chew their gum with their mouth hanging wide open. And people who blast their stereos.
24. What was the best book you read? Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Baltimore's 95.1 SHINE FM!
26. What did you want and get? New tires for my car.
27. What did you want and not get? Weight loss of 50+ pounds.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? Coraline.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 27, and I spent the day on the Eastern Shore, going to Ocean City and hanging with my parents.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? My friends! I can't believe how great they were this year! I went to so many parties and did so many neat things! Last year it felt like I had no friends. It's crazy! Last year I cried all the time and was lonely and now this year I feel loved and grateful.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Sandals as much as possible. And neon purses!
32. What kept you sane? Greg!
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? It's a toss up between Weird Al Yankovic and Zooey Deschanel.
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Abortion. There are these anti-abortionists who do demonstrations every Saturday morning right in the Arnold area. It pisses me off because I have to drive by it on my way to class, but luckily most mornings it was raining. :-)
35. Who did you miss? My father. My long-distance friends.
36. Who was the best new person you met? So how about a whole group of great folks? The Maryland Sveaborg Society!
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Just because someone is older than you does not mean they can't be big freaking immature babies.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
We'll sing until the whole world hears.
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11:47 pm
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Maybe Far Away or Maybe Real Nearby ...
Wow, so what have I been up to in the last nine days or so?
Maybe in a house all hidden by a hill ...
I got to go see Annie at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. While there were some rough spots (a blasted cell phone rang for a good five minutes right in the middle of it, throwing off the actors timing in one scene), overall it was a fantastic performance.
You should have seen me. Or perhaps not. :P I was in full fan-girl mode: jumping up and down, counting down the minutes until curtain, in sobbing hysterical tears the minute the first strains of Maybe reached my ears. (It's true, you can't take me anywhere.) I cried almost every song and I knew all of the words, which I gently mouthed along the whole time while bouncing up and down in my seat in an embarrassingly childish manner. Even though not everyone was able to hit all of the notes, it did not distract me from my full-on love fest that I have for this musical.
Their one mistake was givin' up me ...
All I could think about is the time when I saw Annie at the Lyric in Baltimore in 1997 as a freshman in high school with a wealthier family friend who I called Aunt Lil, merely days before my parents decided to end their 20+ year marriage. Afterward, how I related to Little Orphan Annie's struggle to find hope in Depression-Era New York was a central psychological theme throughout my high school years.
I remember when I hit bottom in high school in early 1999, six months after the death of my stepmother and right after her son moved away. I'd often cut school and walk to the public library to write poems in my salt and pepper notebook. My saddest, most depressing poem definitely had a lot of references from Annie and how I felt I'd forgotten how to feel things like hope or approach life in any other way than merely surviving. Wake up, open my eyes, breathe in, breathe out, repeat. Stanzas heavily laden with Maybe references, of course.
It was quite pathetic, but I really felt my life was over and that my family and friends had turned against me for good, that I had finished being useful to the world in any way, shape, or form.
( Cut (ahahah CUT!!!) for really bad pre-emo sixteen year old girl poetry )
Haha. Oh, gloomy sixteen year old me was never Emily Dickinson, that's for sure. But even then I still I thought a lot of Annie. I struggled, sure, but I never gave up. A year after writing this poem, I was happier than I'd ever been. After my mother moved me to Denton and I began my days anew at a new school, I was fully grateful for a second chance to be happy, well-adjusted, and safe. :D
Betcha he reads, betcha she sews, Maybe she's made me a closet of clothes
Watching a live performance of Annie now reminds me not only about that time in my life, but also the passage of time and how far I've come from those days. It also makes me miss my Dad a lot. I remember coming home every day and having him be there. I wish I had seen and known he was unhappy. I wish I could remember our last Christmas together in that house or the last Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that I can remember the first Christmas afterward, when everybody was happy about being separated because they found love and I was happy because I got SO MANY PRESENTS that year!
Maybe they're strict, as straight as a line. Don't really care as long as they're mine ...
However, as an adult I wonder what my Dad and I have to talk about. And really I wish I visited him more just to watch TV and not talk at all. I remember my evenings with him and Susan and she and him would talk for hours in the kitchen and I'd strum my guitar and I'd know peace. Unfortunately, our lives were very different and I didn't feel that near the end he was happy having me in the house. And both of us spend so little time together now I get shy calling him, not knowing what to say or what he expects of me. I am so grateful that we are on good terms, but time flies between visits and before you know it he's been all over the world again and I've missed it.
So maybe now this prayer's the last one of its kind ...
I watched the 1982 film Annie starring Carol Burnett every single day as a child with my parents. I also watched the Wizard of Oz. My dad would get so delighted when I sang songs from those movies. He'd sing along with me and sometimes sit me in his lap in front of his stereo with a microphone among all the model airplanes and his artwork and we'd duet together while mom smiled: two-year old me and thirty-year old him, being incredibly relaxed and silly and the dog wagging her tail in time.
Won't you please come get your baby?
All these memories, and much darker, uglier ones I have chosen not to share, unlocked in the first strains of Maybe.
Maybe.
Current Mood:  nostalgic
Current Music: she's sittin' playin' piano, he's sittin' payin' a bill ...
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08:02 pm
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Conversation at the H1N1 Call Center Today
Me: H1N1 Information Line, may I please help you?
Citizen (For two and a half minutes in a very hyper manner without taking a breath): Okay what I want to know is if you're still taking appointments for the H1N1 flu shot and also I need to know if you're making appointments for the flu mist because okay I have a six year old son who has asthma but I'm not sure whether he can get the flu mist or the flu shot and I heard you guys were taking appointments for the H1N1 flu vaccine today and also I need to know is there an easier way to get through because I have been calling 50 times since 8:30am trying to get through and this is the first time I got through and I also and this is very important I would like to find out if you are doing anything for the children who need to get a second shot because my daughter got her first shot two and a half weeks ago and I know she can't get a shot yet but I think you should be able to make appointments in advance for those priority children who have already had their shot and also I need to know if there are any side effects and is there a different system because not everybody can make it to certain clinics ... (she just keeps going on and on in this hyper fashion without stopping and I lose track of everything she's saying because she won't let me answer any of her questions.)
Me(Finally there is a pause and I jump right in there): Okay, first of all to answer your question we are no longer taking appointments for the H1N1 vaccine.
Citizen: You're kidding!?!
Me: No, ma'am. There are no more H1N1 vaccine appointments available. All appointments are currently full. You'll want to check for updates on the Anne Arundel County Department of Health website: http://www.aahealth.org for information on the H1N1 vaccine and clinics.
Citizen: So what you're telling is that there are no appointments even though I've been calling all day long.
Me: That is correct.
Citizen: What can I do to get an appointment?
Me: You'll want to keep checking the website for updates.
Citizen: Yes I know that already, but not everybody has access to the internet, sweetie.
(Yeah, and you're a real peach, GAYLORD, I thought.)
Me: (Completely straight-faced despite her snotty condescension) That information will also be released through the media. You may also want to check the television and the radio and the newspaper. If you don't have a television ...
Citizen:: Okay, you don't need to get sarcastic with me!
(Me being sarcastic? Really?)
Me: It wasn't my intention to be sarcastic. Is there anything else--
Citizen: I know you're being sarcastic, as obviously I know to watch the television.
Me: Okay and I also want to let you know there is free internet access at your local County Library.
Citizen:: YES I KNOW THAT ALREADY.
Me: Ma'm is there anything else I can do for you today???
Citizen: No I think that's it thank you.
***
And that should tell you how my day went.
Let me tell you, I had the call center in an uproar over this special snowflake. Not everybody has internet access, SWEETIE.
Current Mood: amused
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07:29 pm
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Another Friend Moves Away
I ended up going to see my Rochelle. Nan, Kris, Jay, and Nan's hubs were there, as well as the kids.
OMG I can't believe the next time I see her we'll be thirty.
The only thing good at Rocky Run tonight was the wine, except our stupid waitress over-poured my glass so it didn't even taste right until I was almost finished with it. I ended up giving it to Roe. I find that part of the fun of wine is sharing it. :) (Especially since I don't find getting drunk to be a pleasant past-time)
I wish I had a hippy commune and could get all my friends to move there ... and that the commune was this big mafioso mansion with all the hookups. Then I wouldn't have to say see you later to anyone.
Current Mood:  drunk
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09:27 am
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What Would Be Ten Things I´d Tell Myself In 1999?
1. Go for a run, 30 minutes a day, while you still have the time and the good knees. You are going to get hideously fat and all the starvation in the world isn't going to help. Running, however, will.
2. Study Swedish instead of Spanish. You're not going to give a crap about Spanish in a few years and it's not going to help your career as much as you think.
3. Tell your mom to stop taking the back roads home to avoid getting hit by a deer. You're going to be in car crash with her that is going to screw your legs up, otherwise. Also, make your mom go on walks with you. Not only are you going to miss her like crazy a couple years after you graduate, she's going to need to be fit before she gets neck surgery and diabetes.
4. Be aware of how you come off to other people. It's okay to not care what other people think, but there's a difference between having good self-esteem and being an asshole. It's part of caring for others besides yourself.
5. Enjoy your time with your Dad. Give him some space with his new girlfriend. They're going to be together for a long time and you want her to like you. A connection to her means a connection to your Dad, trust.
6. Your family members and friends are adults. They're going to do things you strongly disapprove of or things that aren't healthy. Forgive them immediately for it. Just be nice to them and keep your door open. They love you as much as you love them. You're going to miss them terribly when you're too busy to visit them and feeling awkward because of some stupid fight isn't going to help.
7. Your grandpop, right this very minute, is getting Alzheimers. You're going to have maybe three major conversations with him before he dies of it in 2009. Make them good ones.
8. The world is going to change in a majorly big way. Don't let it discourage you from chasing your dreams, but maybe you could warn your country what's going to happen once they elect George W. Bush instead of Al Gore in 2000 so they can prepare for the terrorist attacks, war, Hurricane Katrina, and the economic downturn. Even if they don't believe you, you're going to look very smart once it all eventually happens, heh.
9. Your Aunt is going to have a baby and a few years later so will the only cousin you are close with on your Dad's side. These babies are going to grow up super fast while you're in college and working. You're going to love Aurora and Tony very, very, very much.
10. That guy from high school, the one who made a fool out of himself at your surprise sixteen party, is going to be a major relationship. He's going through possibly the very worst year of his life this year, even worse than yours. Maybe if you reunite with him now instead of waiting until 2001 he'll have less of a chip on his shoulder and you'll be better off in the future when you two fall in love. Oh, and tell him to record every Empty Nest episode RIGHT NOW before they go out of syndication.
Current Mood: amused
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11:17 am
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Me On TV, Just Doing My Job
So, I was on TV yesterday.
Here is the clip I was in posted to our local Channel 13 WJZ Eyewitness News: http://wjz.com/video/?id=62274
Fastforward to the 2 minute point where County Executive Leopold is being interviewed and you'll find me behind him (see the below picture) taking a phone call and pushing my hair out of my face.
A star is born.
Reporters actually had shoved a microphone in my face while I was taking a phone call along with a camera and lighting, but I was prempted by some better shots and soundbytes, heh.
Current Mood: amused
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11:12 pm
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Oh God Hurry Up Vampire Staked Steak!
My addictions current interests are as follows:
Cafe World
Glee
Staying up really really really late
Wine
THIS MUST END!
Current Mood: groggy
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10:23 pm
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What epic evenings are made of:
10:17 PM me: mer pokey41: Mer! Mera! Aldrig mer igen! 10:18 PM me: Eh? 10:19 PM pokey41: "Mer" means "more" in Swedish. me: Snoo. 10:20 PM I think my favorite part tonight was holding Roe's baby And when Patrick hugged me and called me his favorite whore in the whole world hahaha And touching people's hair. pokey41: Schnö. me: oh! and when you touched my boob! :D 10:21 PM pokey41: 'Twas fun...an act of unconscious subterfuge.;)
***************
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It's been a fun couple of days. Birthday parties, going-away parties ... I've had at least four different kinds of cake and pizza this week!
Not looking forward to school tomorrow. Midterms!!! Gaaaaah!
But, ah, another party afterward! SWEET.
Current Mood:  busy
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08:34 pm
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Writer's Block: Cyberstalking
I have a lot to say about this. It depends on the ex.
If my ex 1)wasn't that serious of a lover 2)was more of a friend than a boyfriend in the first place, then I don't "keep tabs" as much as "keep in touch" as I consider them a friend. :)
It's nice to move past differences and keep in touch with old friends. Having friends is awesome and if you have a tiny, slightly flirty history that you can move forward from then I don't think it's unhealthy to keep in touch. This only works, though, if you have no feelings for the person anymore other than platonic and know that you have no future with them. Otherwise, you're being cruel to yourself. Let them go. Seriously. Don't try to win them back or they'll think you're a bunny burner or something.
Then sometimes there are those exes. You know the ones. Or at least, I know my experience. That first time falling in love is so romantic, so quick and fleeting. So much burning lust. Long talks that seem better than sex. Sex that seems better than ... well chocolate. This is it! You've found the one! Happily ever after, the end. But wait, the end does come. That passion fades out and there's nothing left but bitterness. You fruitlessly and brutally work and fight for what you once had until that acrid taste in your mouth makes you thrilled to move on. Yes, it ends. Horribly. Callously. Cowardly, it ends one unfaithful cruelty at a time. Sob sob, yadda yadda.
Once you get past the drama and messiness, maybe weeks later, there's that Facebook request. Or that Twitter follow. Or, back from my last rejection in the wonder years of the internet, that last button-pushing instant message or rageful, ranting e-mail. A puzzling war of away messages.
This is what's unhealthy. Don't go there. Get offline and chill. These feelings need time to cool off. Step away from that keyboard. Lay off the Google. Feel your feelings without becoming obsessed.
Maybe a few years later you'll get the Google itch and wonder whatever happened to whats-his-face and find he's divorced with dopey looking kids in Detroit with no job and a stinky beer gut. Or that he's a sexy doctor living in some exotic and hip location with his pretty little wife and they are contented and fulfilled. *gag*
Or that he misses you desperately and never stopped loving you and always wanted to reconnect and try again. I have to say, if it wasn't for keeping tabs online I wouldn't have reunited the current love of my life. :-)
Current Mood: optimistic
Tags: cyberspy, cyberstalk, writer's block
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08:58 pm
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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
I've been typing here for eight whole years.
If I'd got knocked up when I was nineteen, I'd have an eight year old now. Whoooooa.
(I've been blogging since 1997 though, before the word blog was even much in use.)
Current Mood: old :-)
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10:45 am
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Cold versus the Flu
I've had a cold for the last week. It's funny because I work for Anne Arundel County Government, where the H1N1 influenza virus is a main political topic.
Let me take a minute to convey my observations: the mass hysteria over H1N1 is unfounded. The percentage of people contracting it is less than those that get the seasonal flu.
Also, the hand sanitizer companies must be making a fortune because dispensers have been installed in all the government buildings, schools, and malls throughout the county. So each time I cough, sneeze and get the sniffles and come to work, people glare at me and start talking about the swine flu. I think this is grossly annoying. Therefore, I'm posting a useful link out there so people can be informed about the difference between the flu and the cold:
http://www.flufacts.com/about/cold.aspx
In addition, here is a useful chart I copied from the above link:
| Symptoms | Cold | Flu | Fever | Rare | Usually Present | Aches | Slight | Usual, often severe | Chills | Uncommon | Fairly common | Tiredness | Mild | Moderate to severe | Sudden Symptoms | Symptoms appear gradually | Symptoms can appear within 3-6 hours | Coughing | Hacking, productive cough | Dry, unproductive cough | Sneezing | Common | Uncommon | Stuffy nose | Common | Uncommon | Sore throat | Common | Uncommon | Chest Discomfort | Mild to moderate | Often severe | Headache | Uncommon | Common |
I did have a very slight fever and cough before I got my cold, but I think that had to do with a reoccuring sinus infection I always get when the seasons change. I didn't have chills, tiredness, sudden symptoms, a dry, unproductive cough.
Current Mood:  sick
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10:40 am
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Sick Day
I was feeling pretty icky this morning (headache, fever, sinus pressure) so I decided to stay home. I definitely had trouble sleeping last night so I am in major need of pampering and rest. A little sleep, some Rachel Ray and The View
Now I'm going to go a bit link crazy here, but I like to share with everyone some of the things I like to do to feel good in the shower.
The first thing I did was take a luxurious shower with some Dove Go Fresh Energize Beauty Body Wash. Then after using Tresemme on my hair I coated my legs with the same conditioner. I find it to be really calming to my legs, which tend to get really dry and irritated. I shaved with the Gillette Venus which is a pretty simple, but awesome, razor. I have two kinds of lotions I enjoy using. I have my Playboy Bath Bunny Lotion in Strawberry and my CVS Moisturizing Cream for Dry, Sensitive Skin. I have both lotions slathered all over my skin, especially on my feet before I placed them in some nice thick socks. I feel much better already! (Well Tylenol is helping a lot, too.)
Now I'm going to take a nice nap and maybe clean the kitchen this afternoon and do some homework.
Current Mood: recumbent
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10:30 am
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Joseph Sniadach's Ten Minute Workout
Original Post Found Here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=142567057425
_________________________
Joey's simple workout.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 11:07am
If you all have been reading Jen McCarroll's status' lately, she has been saying she has been doing "Joeys". I thought I would share the simple workout I showed her that I started recently and designed for myself. I am comfortable doing the workout, but not everyone will be. So, I decided to write a note about it and post the instructions for the workout just in case anyone is interested in trying it. Hope you all have a wonderful day :-)
Stretches
Overlap hands on top of each other. Stretch as high as you can over your head towards the ceiling. Hold stretch for 5 seconds. End stretch.
Bend left arm at elbow. Place left hand on upper back, using right hand, place on left elbow over head and pull slightly to a comfortable stretch. Hold for 5 seconds.
Repeat stretch with right arm bent at elbow and right hand placed on upper back. Place left hand on right elbow. Pull into a comfortable stretch. Hold for 5 seconds.
Extend arms straight above head and stretch to the sky, bowing back behind you slightly to stretch your abs. Hold full stretch for 5 seconds.
Exercise 1. Around the World (Standing Crunches)
Hold abs as tight as you can during all of your standing crunches.
Place hands behind head or hold your ears with your hands, whichever is most comfortable. These are standing crunches. Start with your left side. Do 20 crunches to the left returning to standing position after each crunch. Hold the last crunch for 5 seconds.
Starting in the standing position, do 20 crunches forward, returning to standing position between each one. Hold the last crunch for 5 seconds.
Starting in standing position, do 20 crunches to your right side, returning to standing position between each one. Hold the last crunch for 5 seconds.
Starting in standing position, do 20 back flex crunches, meaning bend backwards. Do not bend to the point of a back bend, just push back until your body has a slight concave like that of a bow and arrow. Returning to standing position between each one. Hold the last crunch for 10 seconds.
Stretch to the sky, hands apart as high or hard as is comfortable to you.
Exercise 2. Butterfly Squats
Standing with feet shoulder width apart, hold arms over head. Do a squat and while going down, move arms in as big of a circle as you can, towards your back. When you hit the bottom of your circle, you should be at full squat position and returning to upright position. Do 10 of these, stretching to the sky when finished.
Exercise 3. Shoulder Extension squat
Standing with feet shoulder width apart, hold arms straight out to your sides at shoulder height. Do 10 squats while holding arms straight out. Do 10 of these, stretching to the sky when finished.
Exercise 4. Full upright squat
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Raise arms straight up, with fingers pointing to the sky.Do 10 squats while holding arms straight up, stretching to the sky when finished.
Cool Down
Pull left arm across your chest, holding your arm straight. Place right hand on elbow and pull to a comfortable stretch. Hold stretch for 5 seconds.
Pull right arm across your chest, holding your arm straight. Place left hand on elbow and pull to a comfortable stretch. Hold stretch for 5 seconds.
Overlap your left hand over your right hand, so that is laying on top of it. Stretch right up to the ceiling and hold stretch for 5 seconds. Keeping your hands in the same position, bend at your waist and stretch towards the floor. Hold stretch for 5 seconds.
And you are done. You can always switch it up and do more crunches or squats as you feel comfortable doing. Have a good day loves. :-)
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11:49 pm
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Optimism
Glee, being my new favorite television show, has quickly become something I watch over and over in the background while I write papers. In particular, Kristin Chenoweth and Lea Michele singing Cabaret's Maybe This Time. Therefore my living room sounds quite a bit like this, since I'm singing along:
(In case the embed doesn't work due to last week's security issues, it can be downloaded, hopefully, here: DivShare File - maybethistime.mp3)
I have to say I sound delightfully silly ... kind of like a very old, very loud, and also very drunk bag lady, heh. One of the lines I even sung as "Not a loser, anymore, like the last time and the wine before ..."
Mmmmm wine. That reminds me of last weekend. I love knowing that anytime I'm sad or just need a friend I can drive down to DC and play with Liz and Patrick's dogs and drink their wine and just watch them be amazing, because they are. They're like the brother and sisters I never had. And that if I do drink their wine they don't mind me crashing on their couch so I don't drive home drunk. Only butt munches drive drunk. No one likes a butt munch. Oh, and they don't mind me waking up at dawn and rearranging everything in their kitchen. Or they just haven't said anything to me. (God, waking up at other people's houses is so awkward. I never know whether to make breakfast or clean or just hit the road!)
But yes, yes. I have decided I love wine and that it is going to become part of my life more often in moderation. I've never been much of a drinker. I detest beer and almost everything else. There's just something sexy and sophisticated and yet deliciously unsophisticated about wine that has attracted me. Or I could always just leave orange juice in my fridge for a couple of months and let it ferment. That's less expensive and quite unsophisticated booze too. Ugh, can you imagine the smell?
I'm still earning excellent grades in school. I'm definitely ready to graduate from AACC now. Walking around campus alone depresses me sometimes. It reminds me too much of when I was eighteen and on my own, living with my dad and loving too many boys. I'm nervous about transferring to UMBC though. I'm not even entirely sure if that's the school for me anymore.
I'm trying really hard to like my job again. To feel grateful, to appreciate my coworkers more, to relax and not feel so tense. I want to go into it with the same attitude as the song I sang above. I'm trying to let it encourage me in everything that makes me feel uncomfortable lately: working in a tense environment, feeling alone and sad walking around campus, my sense of feeling overwhelmed by Chapter 7 in my Biology textbook. Everybody loves a winner. And right now, I can't remember the last time I won in the long run regarding life. But maybe this time, I'll be lucky. The odds are in my favor.
If I could get in that rocking mindset again, I know I could start feeling better.
Current Mood:  awake
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06:38 am
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Monthly Weight Progress and Link to Joey Workouts
Me now--
Me last month:
218 lbs.
Neck 16 inches
Bust 48
Waist 40
Hips 50
Size 20W
Blood Pressure 139/88.
BMI 36
BFP 49%
Me today:
210 lbs.
Neck 15 inches
Bust 47.5
Waist 38
Hips 45.5
Size 18 misses in hip region, size 16W in hip region, size 18W in waist region, still a size 20W in chest region. Barbie syndrome! Was size 20W all over a month ago.
Blood Pressure will be updated when I check it later today.
BMI 34
BFP 45%
Anticpated long term goal (hopefully five years or less)
150 lbs
Neck (I'd love a thinner neck, but it can stay 16 inches)
Bust 39
Waist 31
Hips 40
Size 14
Blood Pressure 110/70
BMI 24
BFP 28%
I am very excited about how much weight I have lost this month (8 pounds!) and how many inches I have lost from my hips. My hips are thinner than they have been in a very long time. I am glad my waist is back in the 30s. It is becoming quite visible in my clothes.
I have not been dieting. I have basically been listening to my hunger cues and trying to make sure I stop eating when my body wants me to.
Last month I found the gym to be too inconvenient and found a GOD SEND in something I call Joey Workouts:
Joey's simple workout
Click on the link above to see what I do 2 to 3 times a day, four days a week. Joey does it daily but agrees that a rest day in between when one is using their muscles so much is prudent to prevent injury.
I plan on making another change this month in hopes of shedding more pounds. Nutritionally I would like to see me increase my vegetable and fruit intake so I can benefit from more antioxidants. Physically I plan to start a daily cardio routine, no more than 20 to 30 minutes. I do not want to do too much cardio because it will make me hungry and then I will eat more. I think if I introduce cardio gradually in my routine that I will not feel like I am starving all the time, which I have identified was my downfall before. Nothing like craving a Big Mac after a 3 hour trek on a bike to pretty much ruin everything, heh.
Enjoy this entry, I have run out of time to write and to spellcheck. Follow me on Twitter or Facebook to hear my mini blatherings! (I am under whataboutjen on those, too.)
Current Mood: accomplished
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08:50 pm
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Chapter 5 Homework
Chapter 5 Homework
Research cholesterol and hypercholesterolemia. Find drugs that they use to treat this disease. Explain how the drug actually works to bind with the LDLs. Site your source.
( to prevent brain bleeding, do not click here! )
Current Mood: accomplished
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01:21 pm
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Yes, yes ...
I am very tired. I owe everybody gratitude and thanks for your friendship. I'm not ready to write about this now.
Love,
Jenny
Current Mood: melancholy
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