SueWorks

Beauty Regimes

As I sit with one foot in spa water and one in Jasmine's capable hands, I read a 4 year old magazine highlighting the "latest" in beauty treatments. And I am reminded that I really need to throw away that Olay eye massage roller thing that looks like my mascara primer tube.

Why do I keep all those half used containers, jars, tubes and bottles of little miracle cures?!? They clutter my countertop, my various gift cosmetic bags, and even partially packed luggage. Why indeed!

Because each one is just that, a potential little miracle. A chance at light bright eyes not puffy dark circles. The hope of smooth, invisible pores not large, dark filled acne ones.

I mistakenly found myself in the special skin room at Nordstrom today. Some dollars later, I have a new miracle to try.

The Olay roller might see the waste bin today!

Leaky Gas Syndrome

It is actually Leaky Gut Syndrome, and I read about it on Dr. Oz. I think I have it. I'm not an overeater! My gut is just not working well.

When I first read the article I honestly saw "gas!"

Pkin agreed, all to readily, that I have it.

Killer Kutikle Knippers

I tried to go cheap and quick for a pedicure this week. Now I have a cut index toe and a story.

You can't skimp on your toesies. Pay the necessary bucks for clean tools, skilled technicians and quality service. It is sooo worth it.

Also, don't skimp on candy. Being from CA, I've grown up with See's as the baseline for quality chocolate. Keep your high proced Godiva away from me, and Hershey's isn't rich enough. Lindt can be good, maybe too smooth for my palate. See's milk chocolate is perfect, especially when paired with almonds. Yum!

Heaven would be a pedi and See's party!

Exercise

I'm a heifer these days.  It's understandable, in some respects, but I need to get a handle on it. 

To that end, I spent an hour in the local Jazzercise class, now my right shoulder is kind of sore.  Typing, texting and Judi Sheppard Missett may be just too much.  I'm getting a pedi as my treat.  Fortunately I have birthday gift certifcates.  Yay, Mom!!!

The Perfect White Blouse

There is no such thing as the perfect white blouse, but there is a better white top that goes with the outfit you had planned for two days.

We went to a party on Saturday; the invitation said "casual."  The one word all men love and most women dread.  It's such a large category, and that is why Pkin loves it and I hate it.  You have to dress appropriate to the venue, the crowd, the weather and your hips.  These are major factors for a dieting woman.

I found a great denim shirt at Target, and had a bright Springy green sweater, and I also had a very decent white top.  It's slightly scoop-necked, not too thin nor too thick in cotton.  The sleeves are 3/4, and the length is generous enough to cover my waistline but not too long to conflict with my short-waistedness.  Yes, that is a real condition.  It is why my legs appear longer than those of someone my height.

About 15 minutes before departure time, I noticed a spot of orange juice on my chest.  My perfect white top was ruined for the day.

After trying on seven other white blouses, tops, sweaters, and the thought of changing outfits all together, I found the second best white top in my closet.

Pkin thinks that "fine" in reference to gift wrap and clothes is the same "fine" that is used for precious metals.  He's wrong.

20 Minutes is a Freaking Long Time

It's not really that long but I have an ice pack on the small of my back.  It's over my clothes and I'm leaning in the chair to hold it in place.  I'm leaning ever so slightly but enough.

I have a hurting back.  The chiropractor thinks it's a pinched nerve, but it could be a strained muscle.  He's still figuring it out.  All I know is that it hurts and I'm walking like a very old lady.

I need to find the Alleve or Advil, apparently the Tylenol I've been taking (which hasn't done anything) does nothing for inflammation.

It's been 4 minutes.  It's going to be along day!

Paranoia or Good Sense

I was looking at articles on H1N1 yesterday.  Two people in China may have died due to the vaccination.  A local medical center is buying gallons of hand sanitizer monthly.  I've heard of schools cleaning door knobs multiple times throughout the day with germ killing chemicals.  To get to the restroom at work, I need to open three doors one way.  That's a lot of germ infested door knobs to touch. 

Pkin and I were at Costco, at check out the family behind us had two preteen girls who were sneezing.  No hands were covering mouths and I didn't see a tissue anywhere.  Pkin moved us to the front of the cart - so there were only sneezing on our purchases. 

Wow!  All this stuff can make you crazy.  Do you wear a mask?  How much hand sanitizer should you use?  How can you not shake hands?  I heard something about elbow bumping as an alternative.  Heck, I'm ready to wave only.

Happy Monday

I have weigh-in on Monday, which makes me think a little more about what I eat on Sunday.  It's a good thing.  Today was a good day, down 1.6 pounds.  That seems like such a little bit but it's like half a can of coffee.  That's something!

My friend, and main non-paid motivator, is on Lindora which is a high protein, very low carb plan.  She is losing weight much faster than I am but I like my carbs, love them in fact, this is best plan for me right now.  If only, only I can get exercise in.  We spent a hour at the shooting range, and I'm sore but 'cause of the big ass bruise on my arm that Pkin poked really hard last night.  He can be a major pork chop most of the time.

There was a study in Australia or New Zealand, I think, about low carb versus not low carb diets.  Carbs make people happy, they help in serotonin production.  Though people lost about the same amount of weight, the carb eaters were happier.  It's supposed that happier people have better eating and exercise habits overall.  I like that kind of thinking. 

I'm also afraid to write this next bit.  If I continue on track, I will be at my goal is 31 weeks and my super goal in 36 weeks.  Neither is a long time.  I'm been on plan for 5 weeks so far, that is 13.9% of the way there.  That's like what tax will be next year, at the rate we're headed.  That's almost 15% and that is a lot, a lot!  Wow, I've accomplished so much already and it's been a process but not really super hard.  I just need to keep it up to keep my weight down.

Have I shared about Pkin's diet by proxy?  I'm sure he's down as a size and a half.  He was wearing a formerly sausage shirt that now is only slightly snug about the belly.  He's so lucky I'm doing all this and that he gets the take advantage of the benefits.

Topics for Today

There is a choice of topics for today.  The current leader is "the futility of committee" or "some people's co-workers just s&ck."  Another possible choice is "boobs, not just for milk anymore."

After a bothersome work day I had the pleasure of visiting a Breast Health Center.  All the accents were in pink.  The machine manufacturer even incorporated the pink ribbon into the product logo.  The little pink caplet that covered nothing set off the whole experience.

I guess I'm over the bothersome work day, but if you want to think about and/or get some help if you have a day like that, read Alexander's tale.

Depends, or How I Spent My Saturday Night

[After writing a fun entry on grocery store experiences, TypePad @#$%@ed out.  Here's goes Take 2!]

I do not know how to grocery shop.  Some people shop for economy, some for health, some for culinary expression and then there is me.  I shop for things that I think will make me happy.  When Pkin and I got married, neither of us had really managed a home of our own, by ourselves (me even less so.)  I have never learned the skill of meal planning.  It's so interesting to me that people plan two or more weeks of dinners at home and then actually make them and eat them, leftovers and all.  I shop for A meal.

The worst happened last week, after shopping for my small part of Easter dinner (candy and homemade cheesecake) I came home to color eggs and make dessert.  Mom was visiting too.  We started the cake, and were thinking about the eggs and decided it was lunch time.

How yummy tuna melts would be, was my thought.  I went to the cupboard and looked, no tuna.  After moving around 6-year-old soup cans, exploring the cabinets under the countertop, and even searching in the "rice" cupboard, I realized that I did not have tuna.  (The stuff that can live in your cabinets for years, not the fancy, trendy steak kind.)  I always have tuna.  Tuna is a staple of the raised-Catholic.  You just have to have tuna, especially during Lent.

After another week, I finally went to the store.  Pkin and I stopped after dinner out.  We bought three containers of milk (Pkin loves his milk,) one gallon of ice cream (it was on sale,) two cups of yogurt (I get bored quickly,) apples (my concession to good health,) and tuna.  The massive Von's computer decided that our purchased indicated a need for Depends during our next shopping trip. 

I think the major Safeway corporation thinks we're lactose intolerant or perhaps that we are 75 years old.