wednesday wisdom 08.19.09

"Never say you don't have enough time...You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." - Author Unknown

on music

(this was supposed to be yesterday's post, but that never happened so...)

um, wow, so I just totally digressed and started reading about the Smiths & Morrissey. I have discovered, probably within the last year, that I adore The Smiths. Why did I not discover them until this recently?! It makes me sad. However, it's good to know that Morrissey has sold out ALL of his 2009 shows. I like him.


Anyways!


This was going to be about The Thompson Twins. I think everyone has asked "why did they call themselves The Thompson Twins when there were 3 of them?!" I came up with a theory yesterday while listening to Lay Your Hands on Me. Here goes: All these years later, people still remember them, still listen to their music, and keep asking why they were the twins when there were 3 of them. I think they did it as a PR move. If we go for something crazy like this, people will remember us. It worked. However, I wiki-ed them and found the story behind their name. Still good, but I like my theory better. LOL


And now I want to share with you my favorite lines from songs, in no particular order and for no particular reason.

"If you're feeling low, turn up your radio"

"Will your system be alright when you dream of home tonight?"

"I'm just tired and bored with myself"

"The shutter clicked but the film did not go 'round"

"A city wall and a trampoline"

"It's alright as long as you got somebody to love"


I love music!



xo

p.s. I also love The Traveling Wilburys :)

of farmers' markets and such

GourmetGirl often writes about her food findings at various markets & what amazing things she does with her produce. I attempt to follow, but she's a gourmet cook. Me? I just muddle around in the kitchen.

Today. I am finally home on a Saturday with nothing going on. I debated going to the Ithaca Farmers' Market, but didn't want the bother of finding a place to park, nor the bother of keeping my produce fresh whilst wondering around Ithaca and on the drive home. Also, I didn't want to get out of bed! :) So I opted to go to the Vestal Farmers' Market instead. (They don't have a website, but their information is here.) I wanted to get there earlier, but didn't make it 'til 9. As I sat on the Vestal Parkway waiting to turn into the Library parking lot, I realized that there was about as much traffic here as there would be in Ithaca, but the entrance way is bigger! (And I can walk if I feel so inclined!) :)

First stop, The Lettuce Lady. She's easy to find - always has the biggest crowd around her tent. I'm sure she has some name like "So-and-so's Farm", but here in Vestal, we all just know her as the Lettuce Lady. I got a small bag of mixed lettuces, a bunch of carrots, and a green pepper. I elbowed my way back out of the crowd & proceeded to peruse the rest of the market. I bought tomatoes, plums, dried apricots, sesame seeds, and dried thyme. (It's my new spice since I've been doing FLT.) All the vendors were there today. All sorts of produce, local honey, baked goods, flowers, etc. It was a gorgeous day - a few clouds floating in a clear blue sky, with temperatures pushing 80. I love the Vestal Farmers' Market. It's local & I always see someone I know. Not only that, but everyone is friendly at the Farmers' Market. I love that sense of community!

(Must resist urge to blog about sense of community.....!)

I stopped at Starbucks for a tall decaf drip, went to the post office, and went to the grocery store for non-produce items (milk, eggs, yogurt, chick peas, bread). Then I made a clothing return, and bought t.p., shampoo & hand soap at Target. I made a few other stops before returning home. Yes, everything was in a cooler, so it didn't spoil before I got it home. Once I got home, I realized I should probably use my veggies to make lunch, and blog about it. Because sometimes, that's what I do!

I looked at recipes for a bit, then decided to just wing it. Which is generally what I do all the time when I cook. (I DO follow recipes when I bake.)

I started out sauteing onion & garlic in canola oil. To that, I added chopped yellow squash (thanks, Mrs. S!), green pepper & cucumber. I let that cook for a while, then added chopped tomato. I seasoned the dish with salt & pepper, thyme, sesame seeds & soy sauce. While it was cooking, I didn't like the smell, but there was nothing I could do at that point. Well, as far as taking anything out! So I threw on some cubed mozzarella at the end & let it melt. Then I scooped everything into a bowl and ate it. It was YUMMY! And, no, I didn't take a picture because it just looked messy. All the veggies kept their texture, so that was nice. I don't like mushy vegetables!

Then I ate some dried apricots for dessert and now I am going to do something else.



xo

this, that & a few other things

I washed my dishes before I started blogging. Be proud of me. Julie Powell would be. I hope.

I just finished reading Julie & Julia. I read it in 2 days at work. Hmmm... who has nothing to do at work?! Getting paid to read at work... Perhaps I should just go be an editor?! :)

Anyway...

I really like the book and am looking forward to seeing the movie. I was hoping to see it with S & B, but it doesn't seem to be working out. We are all too busy on the weekends. Or something. :) One of these days I will get there.

I enjoy cooking & spending time in the kitchen (unless it involves washing dishes...), but I have no desire to do a Julie/Julia Project. I am just not that ambitious. (And besides, I live in upstate NY & am poor. Such an undertaking does not suit my current situation!) But still. I want to get WHAT she got out of her project, and that is this:

"Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world. It's not what I thought it was. I thought it was all about - I don't know, confidence, or will or luck. Those are all some good things to have, no question. But there's something else, something that these things grow out of.

"It's joy.

...

"I read her instructions for making bechamel sauce, and what comes throbbing through is that here is a woman who has found her way."

I still haven't found what I'm looking for, oh wait, that's U2. I still don't have anything that I get so excited to do. I guess I need a project. In fact, there's lot of them floating around in my head, but I never start anything. And if I do start a project, it never gets finished. I have lots of started projects. I guess that's why I like school so much. There are deadlines for projects. They usually come around much to quickly. Especially in Art School. My writing also is the same way. I get through a conversation in a character sketch and then I'm stuck. Argh.

And while we're on the topic of food, I was very excited to get home from work today and find the latest copy of Everyday Food in my mailbox. I like the things I make from there. I have too many recipes!

But as far as the reading goes... Since I finished Julie & Julia in a couple of days, I should be able to whip through Special Topics in Calamity Physics in about 3. I'll try it next week. Too much work for a Friday.

I came Back East with a copy of said book. Can't remember who's outgoing book pile it came off. I miss those piles. I miss having friends whose houses I spent quality time in. I digress. I went to a book sale at The Art Mission and found this!



It was pretty and it cost me all of 50 cents. The people who were taking the money just did not understand why I was so excited about a book with a weird title. I told them they should read it because it was really good. They looked at me like I was losing it. And this was at an art gallery! Ah well...


On a completely different topic, I forgot to tell you about the exercise part of my new "lifestyle". It's simple really. I invested in a pedometer, ankle weights, and hand weights. I try to get in 10,000 steps each day (though some days I don't try very hard!) And I carry the weights with me on my 40 minute walk. Nothing strenuous. If I want to take a stroll around the block with my nieces and it takes 40 minutes, that totally counts. See, you just have to be up moving around. This is a point I keep trying to make with my Dad and I don't seem to be getting anywhere. grrr!

Food confession... I had ice cream last night. And I enjoyed it! :)

I must go for now. I'm running out of time to make it to the grocery store before Bible study. Love you!


xo

thankful thursday 08.13.09

Today I am thankful for...

** home

** family

** and this verse: "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3





xo

wednesday wisdom 08.12.09

Sorry for posting so late in the day :s





"I long to accomplish a great and noble task,
but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks
as if they were great and noble."

- Helen Keller



xo

about me

In this blog, I commented on the attractiveness of the men from that city that gives me panic attacks. There's more... The one with the eyelashes and the girlfriend is getting married this weekend! He's also 28. So I would assume that makes the other one somewhere between 28 & 35... And as of yesterday, I developed a HUGE crush on the guy. The likes of which I've not had since I've been back East. (If you remember my crush on P., this one is just as bad!) He was in one day last week to pick out some tile for his bathroom. Then he was in yesterday to pick up said tile and he flirted. Today, he came back to see if he could get this other size in the same color. But I couldn't find anywhere that he could. I told him he should just get purple - on-going joke - and he says, "Oh my little girl would love that." I asked how old (6), but didn't ask about her mother. I just couldn't bring myself to that... :D

But enough about the crush.


Health-wise, I'm feeling better than I've felt in a long time. I've lost 6 inches off my waist & 7 off my hips. I think that is debatable because I'm sure my original measurement was lower than my current one. If I had really lost 7 inches off the original measurement, nothing would fit at all! Seriously! I've also lost 41.4 pounds since I started this program on 1 April 2009.

Yes, I gave up coffee on April Fool's Day and everybody thought it was a big joke. In the last 18 weeks, I've probably had 10 cups of decaf. I didn't believe it was possible, but the withdrawal was SO bad, I decided I never wanted to do caffeine again. Yes, I know. I also think I'm kinda crazy. I can't remember what all the health benefits are, but I definitely don't get sluggish in the afternoons anymore. Which is very exciting. I don't even stash chocolate in my desk. I gave that up too!

I also gave up soda, fast food, and all processed food. Basically, I just started eating "like I was supposed to", but, up until now, I hadn't been able to do it on my own.

When I was in Seattle, I walked everywhere. I also ate horribly and never got enough sleep. Once I got home, I didn't walk anywhere & I didn't eat quite as horribly. Nor did I ever get enough sleep. :/ I was feeling pretty crappy, but never did anything about it. I'd been choking on things like bread & my mom's dry chicken. Finally, I went to see a friend.

I've known Todd & Jenny for quite a few years. They were regulars in the drive-thru at Starbucks. He is a compounding pharmacist. They had a pharmacy in Binghamton. Then within the last year, they opened a health food store in Vestal. I made an appointment with Todd. He ruled out gluten-intolerance quite quickly and asked a lot of questions about my health, my level of activity, etc. He said that I was on track for Type 2 diabetes. I sat up and took notice. He suggested a life-style change - called it "lifestyle therapy." I thought, well, I like physical therapy, so why not give it a try?! It's called First Line Therapy.

Those first 3 days without coffee were agony. I was PMS-ing and therefore craving chips and pop. The ACA shooting happened. I work 4 blocks from there so it was a bit stressful. I went to bed really early that night. I woke up the next morning symptom-free. I thought it was just a fluke, but on Day 6 of the program, I flew to Seattle. (I don't recommend going on vacation at the beginning of this program, but, somehow, I survived.) I was up at 4 EDT, went into work for 1.5 hours, flew out of Syracuse, landed in Seattle around 6 PDT, had dinner & went to prayer meeting. I am usually totally wiped out when I get to Seattle, but this time, I wasn't. It was weird, but good.

In the following weeks, I have gotten onto an eating & exercise program that has enabled me to lose about 2 1/2 pounds per week. My upper respiratory conditions are improved. I'm sleeping better. I'm definitely eating better. My knees are better. My back still has issues, but they say that will take more time because I've had surgery.

"First Line Therapy is a specialized therapeutic lifestyle change program unlike any other.... in that the FLT system targets the underlying causes of chronic illness by incorporating a sensible eating plan, exercise, nutritional supplementation, and stress management." (from here)


Breakfast

I consume 1600 calories/day. They say I could eat more, but I'm rarely hungry, so I'm sticking with the lower number. It's helping the pounds come off! :) I eat eggs & toast for breakfast, a big salad with about 3 ounces of protein & homemade dressing for lunch, and dinner is protein & veggies. For my morning snack, I generally drink a meal-replacement shake and eat carrots with hummus. My afternoon snack is either another shake, or 2-3 ounces of protein with either fruit or nuts. I eat from 9 categories: concentrated protein, legumes, dairy, nuts/seeds, "water" vegetables, root vegetables, fruit, grains, and oils, plus 1 or 2 shakes/day. I often feel like I am eating so much. I rarely eat out during the week, and only occasionally on the weekends. Sometimes I really miss all the "bad" stuff, so I try a bite, and then I'm like "ugh! I can't believe I used to eat this all the time." Apparently, according to a guy I know, I am the only person in the world who can eat just 2 Doritos. I shrug & laugh.

I've been in the program for 18 weeks. I went through the detox and then onto "life". Life happens. There is going to be birthday cake and Tim Horton's chocolate-glazed donuts and Doritos. I eat it all, just in very small portions, and I get back on track as soon as I can. It's been tough going, but I'm so glad I made the decision to get healthy. Now if I could just keep my clothes on... :D



xo

thankful thursday 08.06.09

Today, I am thankful for my health and for poetry.


Red Geraniums

Life did not bring me silken gowns,
Nor jewels for my hair,
Nor signs of gabled foreign towns
In distant countries fair,
But I can glimpse, beyond my pane, a green and friendly hill,
And red geraniums aflame upon my window sill.

The brambled cares of every day,
The tiny humdrum things,
May bind my feet when they would stray,
But still my heart has wings
While red geraniums are bloomed against my window glass,
And low above my green-sweet hill the gypsy wind-clouds pass.

And if my dreamings ne'er come true,
The brightest and the best,
But leave me lone my journey through,
I'll set my heart at rest,
And thank God for home-sweet things, a green and friendly hill,
And red geraniums aflame upon my window sill.

Martha Haskell Clark




xo

wednesday wisdom 08.05.09

"Summer bachelors, like summer breezes,
are never as cool as they pretend to be."
- Nora Ephron