It's decided...

I just withdrew from teacher training. Four months of stress and chaos isn't how I want to do my teacher training. So I won't.

Jasper is great, but COLD! I haven't been brave enough to check the wind chill this morning.

S. survived meeting my big bro (he's 6'5" and more than a little intimidating), SIL and niece. We went to a great place for dinner where lobster and shrimp were devoured by most.

Off to make some oats (we have a kitchenette) and then find some milk for chai!

Enjoy the last day of 2009!

H-woman =)

p.s. Happy Birthday, Dad! RIP.

Confusion Reigns Supreme

I'm so confused! What to do, what to do?!

Over an hour on transit, at night, in the winter holds absolutely no appeal to me. I also can't make it to and from work in time on days where I work late (or have yoga during the day and have to work at night). Shit! Am I looking for an excuse just not to do this? I don't think so.

I would not commit to this training until I knew where it would be so that I knew I could get there easily. They've known for at least two weeks that the location they gave me was not where it was going to be. And they've given me a week (during the holidays no less) to figure out what to do. How do I know this? Well, the chica who I spoke to on the phone told me and then I got an email from the other chica telling me that since they gave me incorrect info, they would refund my entire deposit. Deposits don't get refunded in full when there's less than a week before class starts!

Arrrrgh! I also don't want to be completely reliant on someone else (and that's assuming I can find someone to carpool with) twice a week for four months! It would be different if we were sharing the driving, but all I can offer is money for gas. That's the control freak in me coming out....

My mom's suggestion was to take the money I would've spent and put it in the bank and wait. Another opportunity will come up and then the money will be there.

So I guess I need to sit on my mat for a bit and see what comes to me...or what comments you leave!

What would you do?

AAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Just got an email about teacher training (starts next Monday). THEY CHANGED THE FREAKING LOCATION!!! Instead of being downtown (minutes from work, in fact, so very easily within walking distance for me) they've now moved it into the freaking suburbs! After I called twice and emailed once to confirm the location all BEFORE I committed.

I want to do this training BUT using transit for over an hour each way on top of four hour training sessions and having to be at work for 6 am the next morning....sheesh. What do I do?!?

What does this mean?
Is this the wrong training for me?
Is Nora the wrong teacher?
Maybe I'm not ready for teacher training yet.
Is this a lesson for them and not me?

Aaaaarrrrgh!

I mean, ooooohhhhmmmmm......

Monday Mayhem

Whew! Finally....a chance to breathe!

I started my day with a 50 minute yoga practice and now I've got yoga brain. I love it! Santa brought me a prepaid Visa card to buy some new yoga clothes for my teacher training. As much as I love Lulu, I can probably get more pieces at Costco. Definitely something to ponder. Do I dare brave the crowds at Costco? Or just walk down the street to Lulu?

My to-do list today includes much cleaning: the kitchen, living room, laundry, bathroom. My house looks like a bomb went off and while I'm no Martha Stewart when it comes to house cleaning, even I have a limit!

I went for a run yesterday. I had to drag my ass out the door, though! Since I hadn't run since the 20th (yes, a whole week--so much for my activity getting me through the Christmas week without a gain), I was good with 40 minutes (my longest scheduled run during the week). I hit 20, the half way mark, and was feeling great, so I kept going! I'd slept in a little though, so I knew I couldn't go much longer than an hour. 1 hour, 1 minute and 1 second later, I'd logged 7.78k and burned 624 calories. Not bad considering I didn't think I'd make 40 minutes!

Total kilometres ran so far: 145.69. Holy moly, Batman!!

This week's goals:
-drink more water!
-enjoy all Jasper has to offer: skiing (downhill and x-country), snowshoeing, shopping, hiking

Have a fabulous Monday!

The Aftermath...

Well, it wasn't that bad!

Santa was incredibly generous. Ate way too much. Didn't drink enough. Lemme tell ya--singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus was a little too much! And wearing happy birthday party hats, no less. Sheesh. Oh well, two minutes of my life I'll never get back, but the story will live on forever!

Worked today. And tomorrow. A day off and then one more shift till Jasper. I braved Coast Mountain Sports today to see if I could find a fabulous new ski jacket and pants. No luck with the jacket, but I scored a sweet deal on a pair of Columbia ski pants.

And with that, I'm going to go heat up some dal and chug some more water (you know it's bad when you CRAVE water).

=)

It's Christmas Eve!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Nog
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa does not have time to wrap.
3. Coloured lights on tree/house or white? I like the old school mixed up coloured lights.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Not before Dec. 1. EVER.
6. What is your favourite holiday dish? Stuffing.
7. Favourite Holiday memory as a child? The year Mom and Dad wouldn't get out of bed so Scott and I carried all of the presents to their room. We unwrapped on their bed.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My brother. With the wisdom only an 8 year old can possess, "H-woman, think about it: Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny--they all write JUST LIKE MOM!"
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Nope.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? An eclectic collection--I try to add a new one every year.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it in the mountains. Not on streets or sidewalks.
12. Can you ice skate? You betchya! We used to live beside a big slough and a river--there was always skating. But no girly figure skates. Hockey skates all the way!
13. Do you remember your favourite gift? Too many...but the year my brother moved away from home, he bought me a stuffed dog--Pooch Patrol. A black Doberman named Midnight. He's still on guard in my closet.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family. And food.
15. What is your favourite Holiday Dessert? Hmmm...pumpkin pie and Auntie Shirley's three layer jello salad
16. What is your favourite holiday tradition? Stockings.
17. What tops your tree? An angel that was made by a neighbour
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I know the politically correct answer is giving (which I like to do, don't get me wrong) but really, who doesn't love presents?!
19. What is your favourite Christmas Song? Grandma got run over by a reindeer, O Holy Night by John Berry is amazing, but this year, I've got new favourites from the Christmas Carol Project: Bah Hum Bug and God Bless Us Everyone.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yuck. I'm a caramel girl all the way.

And with that, I'm off to change out of my work clothes and hope that Visine will soothe these tired eyes. Wishing you all the Merriest of Christmases! I hope that wherever you are, you are safe and with the people you love.

Merry Happy Ho Ho!

p.s. Thanks Jessica, for letting me borrow your survey!

Is it Friday yet?

No? Almost, though!

My list from yesterday:
bake the cookies I mixed up last night: DONE. 5 dozen triple ginger gingersnaps. YUM.
have a bath: DONE. Soaked in RMSC Sore Muscle Soak while reading Impact magazine.
go to bed: DONE. By 2130h, no less!

Today:
MUST. WRAP. PRESENTS.

TTFN!

Last minute thought: I have eaten vegetarian for the last two days! I like it!

Tired Tuesday

I know I've been trying really hard not to use that word, but today's just been one of those days.

I bailed on my run. It's cold. It's dark. I'm tired. I need to make cookies. All excuses, I know. Oh, and spending the time to put my hair in rollers before I go to work is pointless--my hair + humidity at work = flat hair. *le sigh*

My plan for the night: bake the cookies I mixed up last night, have a bath, go to bed.

Good family news today: SIL passed her big exam so no more cranky pants at their house! It's a big coup, as only 44% of people who wrote the exam passed. She's a smart cookie, that one. =)

Second batch of good news: fancy schmancy city lawyer (as opposed to small town cousin lawyer) called--court date for discoveries booked in June. Justice will finally be served!

When do the days start getting longer?! I'm ready to hibernate!

Day of Rest

And man, do I ever need it!

I got up this morning and finished the last of my cards and wrapped Mom's stocking up. I hit the post office just after 9 and $40 in postage later...

I'm finishing up some laundry that I started yesterday, but it's snowing outside and I have to go out there to get to the boiler room (where the washer/dryer are...ONLY downside of my fabulous house). I obviously learned lots at Excuses Be Gone!

I've been catching up on Coronation Street and have a big pot of pasta sauce (onion, red, yellow & orange pepper, 'shrooms, zuke, garlic, 28 oz tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste along with some basil, oregano, 2 TB brown sugar and Arrabbiata spice from Epicure, plus some vino) simmering away to make a veggie lasagna later. Oh yeah, there's some TVP (textured vegetable protein) in there too.

A nap is in order pretty soon, je pense and then I might break out my knitting.

For anyone in Calgary that reads this, go see The Christmas Carol Project!! It's in it's 14th year, but first time in Calgary. It's a musical interpretation of the classic. Seriously, it was like being at Folk Fest in the dead of winter! All of us (me and S, and the rest of my Folk Fest family) LOVED it!! And take something for the Food Bank--there are too many people in this city that use it and shouldn't have to in a province this rich.

Happy Monday!

Garmin says:

11.12 km
829 calories
1:35:07

This puts me at Popkum Rd overpass, Exit #138 to Bridal Veil Falls along the Trans Canada.

Had a great run--big snowflakes started to fall just as I was heading out, so it was really a winter wonderland out there. There weren't many people, so it was nice just to enjoy the reasonably warm temperature and the snow melting on my tongue!

I've got one load of dishes done and laundry is sorted. Of course, it's in the tub, so I need to do it before I can take a shower!

And I'm going to have a Sunday nap today!! I don't remember the last time I had one, so today's the day. Oh, and I journalled everything I ate yesterday and this morning. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Have a great day...only 5 more sleeps!

I know you're out there somewhere...

Someone recently posted a picture of the alarm clock they bought their significant other for Christmas--it gradually lightens the room to simulate dawn.

Who was it?

Which clock was it?

I can't remember, nor did I bookmark! Help a girl out!

Does anybody know?

If you can download music that's only available on myspace? If you can, how do I do it?

Finally!

My stretch of work is OVER!! I know now that working part time is the BEST decision I have ever made. Here's why I don't work full time anymore:

-I'm exhausted. Short shifting plus six days in a row + loud neighbours = not much sleep.
-My house looks like a tornado hit. I hate this kind of chaos.
-Laundry has piled way too high. I despise laundry.


On to better news:
-Christmas shopping DONE!! (I also called S. after work and guess where he was? Yep, that's right! Shopping!! I knew he wouldn't wait till the 24th.)

-Down 2 pounds this morning!! Almost made it back to the 170's. Next week for sure. I pulled out my journal. There was nothing written since Tuesday's breakfast. I'm shocked by the scale, to say the least. Nevertheless, I will take it and run with it (pun intended).

-Scheduled for an 11K long, slow run tomorrow. Can't wait! Forecast is perfect for running: Cloudy. 60 percent chance of snow late in the morning and in the afternoon. Fog patches dissipating in the morning. Temperature steady near minus 8. Perfect.

-Going to see The Christmas Carol Project tomorrow with my Folk Fest family. Dinner first at The Broken Plate. Haven't seen Bill & Joanie since Alli & PK's wedding last September, so it'll be great to catch up with them.

-I can sleep in on Monday! I know my idea of sleeping in isn't very late, but oh, what I would give to not be rudely awakened by an alarm clock just once this week!

And with that, I'm going to go heat up some of the corn chowdah I made earlier this week and have a cup of mulled cranberry & apple juice. A nice, long soak in the tub and I'm calling it a day.

Oh, by the way, I went with bulgur, not orzo. More fibre and easier. A cop-out, I know, but still.

And Santa came to my house early! He spotted some fabulous hot rollers on sale at Shopper's Drug Mart on Thursday and I picked them up for him on Friday after work. You didn't really think the old man had time to shop and deliver this close to Christmas, did you?!

Six more sleeps!

Fly-by Friday

Not much new here. Work, sleep, eat. Repeat. Thank God I've got today and tomorrow and that's it! Two days off to recover (and wrap, and go out and see old friends, and bake cookies, finish Christmas cards, make Folk Fest 2009 compilation cd's....). OK, maybe there won't be a lot of recovery.

Anywhoo...off to work now (0530h) so I'll check in later. M's coming over to celebrate completing her exams (she's in med school--I'm so proud!) and I'm cooking a Mediterranean Tilapia dish. Not sure what to serve as a side though--orzo or bulgur?

Thoughts?

p.s. Shirls, I'm so glad that your mom is a good cook. I know that there had to be someone other than Nigella and Jamie! ;-)

Callin' it a day!

I know, it's barely 7 o'clock MST, but I'm absolutely knackered!

I came home and ate the remaining brie/cranberry sauce dip from Monday night. Yum! Remind me to run tomorrow, because I sure didn't today. After a chat on the phone with my mom, I whipped up a magnificent concoction (sorry, I ate it before realizing I should have taken a photo):

-sauteed 1/4 onion and 1/2 yellow pepper in 1 tsp oil
-added leftover bruschetta and 12 raw shrimp
-poured on some leftover pinot grigio
-added some spinach till just wilted

Served over 1 cup of cooked 'sghetti. I split it in half and also have lunch made for tomorrow!

Christmas dinner plans are finally finalized! Apparently the packing has began at the in-laws already, so we're having dinner at a lovely hotel in the city! Yaaaay! There won't be 4 hours of winter driving involved, nor bad cooking (dear that she is, S's mom can't cook worth a hoot. She's British and is the stereotypical bad cook)! Now, if I can convince S to do his shopping prior to Christmas Eve, that means we can have some serious Christmas quality time!

'night!

Great run!

Just got back and am now running around like the proverbial headless chicken. Shower, lunch, pack dinner for work, blah blah blah.

Scarfing down the last of the pho--it's super yummy but messy (bean sprouts and noodles need to be cut next time).

I've already shut off the garmin (thank god I found it!!) but I did 5K in 40 minutes (3 min running: 2 min walking). I feel great! The weather was perfect--about -15C and little, if any, wind. The new shoes are bright and shiny and perfect. My feet are happy which makes my knees happy which make my hips happy which ultimately makes my back happy. It's win win.

Now, if I can make it out of the house without caving in to the various forms of cheese in my house whispering my name....yeah, that whole break up hasn't gone so well!

Crazy week has begun!

I was up at 4 yesterday (I don't sleep when I work the 6 o'clock shift, it's like I'm afraid I'll miss my alarm or something) and had a brutal day at work. I had to do maintenance on the machine that is my nemesis (mostly because I never get to work on it, which makes me not like it more). I have only done this type of maintence ONCE before (while I was training, so really, I watched someone do it) and guess when that was? Yep. You guessed it: JUNE. Neither the instrument manual or our procedure manual gives enough direction to be able to do it without assistance from someone who knows what they're doing. This in itself makes me livid. I am an intelligent, educated woman. Give me good directions and I'll be fine. But two books that together can't give me what I need and I start to seethe. The topper on the day? When N. came to help reassemble the machine and water started to spew from places it wasn't supposed to. Six techs all stand around the machine:
"Have you ever seen it do that?"
"Nope, I've never seen that. You?"
"I have never seen water do that before. I'm sure I would have noticed that!"
So as I was leaving (almost an hour late), the service guy was being dispatched. I don't imagine they'll be very happy since they were there twice on Friday, got the machine up and running (it worked like a dream all weekend) and then what do we do on Monday? Rip the f&*$@ing thing apart because the calendar says it's due for monthly maintenance. But whatever!

Party at my house last night was good--lots of food left, though!! Is it wrong to have leftover baked brie & homemade cranberry sauce on a baguette for breakfast? I didn't think so, either.

I work evening shift tonight, then days through till Saturday. Keep in mind that I only work 4 days a week, so to work 6 in a row is likely to send me over the edge. Prepare yourselves for ranting, as it's quite likely to happen. =)

Had to reschedule my hair appointment to Thursday night. I don't know that I can wait that long, though. The sparkly bits are awfully sparkly!!

It's a balmy -19C out there! Too bad the wind chill makes it -28C. Brrr...I'll wait for a bit before I run, I think. Worst case scenario, I run tomorrow once the chinook comes (forecast says -12C with wind tomorrow morning).

I made pho!

Or something very close to it!!

In a big stock pot, bring to a boil:
1 tetra pack of low sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
big chunk of ginger (peeled)
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 TB fish sauce

Add:
3 small julienned carrots
1 baby bok choy, julienned
1/2 red pepper, julienned
1/4 large onion, thinly sliced half moons
1 small zuchinni (sliced in half, then in half moons)
1 cup sliced 'shrooms
1/2 bag of seafood medley (shrimp, calamari, clams) thawed
2 heaping tsp Epicure Thai seasoning

Throw in some rice vermicelli noodles. Serve over bean sprouts. I meant to squeeze some lime juice in it, but was too lazy to cut the lime. Next time!

I ate it before I got a photo, sorry! This soup has some kick!

How do people do it?

Run on a treadmill, that is. Egad! I made it for 75 minutes, but wowsers. I forgot my iPod, which certainly didn't help. I ran 8.8 km on the treadmill + 1.8 km there and back. Good enough for me!

I'm now at the exit for the Chilliwack Airport. Are there any flights going somewhere warm? I'm not picky!

I must be crazy!

It's -29C (-42C with the wind) and I'm going out in it! Walking 0.9km to the big gym by my house to run on the treadmill (or the track, but I don't like running in circles). Egad.

Brunch with my fave peeps, S & L and my S at 1130. I need to bake L some more cookies since the Cookie Monster mysteriously broke into my house and ate the last ones! L is my biggest fan when it comes to cookies (gingersnaps, especially). I can get pretty much whatever I want if there are cookies involved. =P

Did a HUGE grocery shop last night and $403 later...I have a fridge and freezer full of food. Overnight I made a chicken taco soup in the crock pot (onion, celery, red pepper, drained and rinsed black beans & red kidney beans, 1 TB chili powder, 1 TB Epicure Taco Seasoning, 1 can kernel corn, 1 skinless bone-in chicken breast and a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with a sploosh of chicken broth). My house smells soooooo good, I need to get out of here! I'll take the chicken off the bone and shred it when I get home from my run.

After brunch, I'm going to make another vat of pasta sauce to use in veggie lasagna (I'm going to use sliced zucchini instead of noodles) and a batch of meatballs. I also bought the ingredients for corn chowdah (I may add a can of crab, too). I've got a crazy week ahead of me: 6 shifts in a row (I usually only do 4) AND a short shift (evenings to days) right smack in the middle. I've also got a bunch of people coming over on Monday night for our work Christmas party. EGAD!

Must run now...I'll let you know how it goes. Keep warm, wherever you are!

I am a winter wimp

I'm not sure when it happened, but I've become a winter wimp! Tomorrow I'm going to run indoors, although in my own defense, I'm testing out new runners and if they don't work, they'll be pristine enough to return.

Went for coffee with the girls this morning. My scale was up just a smidge. It wasn't a surprise, since nothing was tracked in my journal since Dec. 8. That was Tuesday. I'm back on track this morning though, so next week will have a very different result, I'm sure. (The four gingersnaps have been dutifully recorded and the remainder packed up to give away!)

We're supposed to go to a house party tonight and then S. has to work, but it's freaking freezing out there: -27C. I don't want to bail on the party, but I also don't want to be out in that if it all possible. Brunch tomorrow morning should be interesting as we're supposed to get another dump of snow tonight. And it's not even technically winter yet!!

Who pissed off Mother Nature so badly and how can we make it up to her?!

On a much happier note, I found my Garmin!!!

TGIF!

Was it just me, or did this week seem to take forever?!

Quick recap:

Wednesday--S's 10 minute drive from his work to my house turned into 90+ minutes. Traffic in Calgary was NUTSO on Wednesday. We missed the wine tasting/book reading and went to Wildwood for dinner instead. Mmmmm...Strongbow, shared hot wings, and lamb meatloaf with mashed spuds.

Thursday--borrowed the new Harry Potter dvd (blu-ray)from a work colleague. Went for NOODLES at my fave noodle house (Vietnam Fortune on Kensington Road). Beef sate soup with extra veggies. Baked up some triple ginger gingersnaps at S's (he is in awe of my cooking prowess--I like it!!) and watched the movie. Well, he watched the movie, I apparently fell asleep half way through. Good thing we saw it in the theatre! Can't wait for November 2010 and July 2011 for the last two.

Today--worked. Bought some of S's Christmas present (the pricey wine from the food & wine festival). Came home and went for a run (it's -12C and snowing; with wind chill, it's -18C). I had a pretty good run, except my ass got cold again. I tried wearing my long johns under my tights but it didn't help much. Stopped at my fave local running store THE TECH SHOP 'cause there's a SALE on right now! They're moving across the street and I scored a new pair of shoes for 20% off. Anytime I can get shoes for less than $150, I'm a happy girl. =)

On tap for tonight: Christmas cards, thank you cards for the Underwear Affair (6 months after the event) and hopefully some knitting.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Or Winter war-zone, which ever you prefer. Seriously, if you own a business, one would think you'd clear the walk so as not to cause bodily harm to the customers you want to spend money in your store. Or maybe it's just me.

The snow we got over the weekend (and it started again today--oh joy!) is a slippery mess to walk on. Oh well, walking to work has now become a work out!

Waiting for S. We're supposed to be heading to a wine and literary pairing shindig tonight, but traffic in this town has been frightful since 3:30 when I came home. Steve left work half an hour ago and hasn't moved very far or fast since. We may just be going for dinner instead!

Either way, I've got makeup on and curled my hair so am good to go.

New job opportunity at work came up today.
PROS:
-no weekends (unless big project launch)
-set schedule (M-F, 8-4)
-new position so there are no shoes to fill

CONS:
-real possibility of taking work home with me
-full time vs current part time
-much paper pushing

So I'm pondering....I may just apply to see if my current bosses figure out that unless they do something about the schedule, they're going to start losing the good techs. Then again, they may miss that point altogether since they're pretty oblivious.

I Lurve Days Off!

Slept in.

Had a great visit with my friend, Jen and baby G.

Went directly to Original Joe's for lunch and visit with April. Lived vicariously through her as I perused her two scrapbooks from her trip to the UK this summer. *sigh* Must get S. on a plane!!

Headed downtown to pick up thank you's for the Underwear Affair (yes, I KNOW they're 6 months late), some photos for Christmas prezzies and our Christmas card for those who don't appreciate a hand made card.

Stopped at Safeway for dinner and lunch fixings.

Started laundry.

Headed out for my run. It was one of those ones that sucked the whole time. I didn't do what was scheduled: my knee, hip, and shins were protesting from yesterday's walk in the boots. I ran when I could and walked the rest. I was 10 minutes short of what was scheduled, but at least I got out. Came back in and did some weights: squats, lateral raises, shoulder and chest presses, abs, bicep curls, and rows.

Dinner was pub fare at home:

El Molino Fibre Select chips
generous 1/2c of refried beans heated with some salsa
1/4 c finely shredded tex-mex cheese
extra salsa on the side

I was going to have a cider too, but apparently my sun room is colder than I thought. It was frozen solid! I guess an after dinner drink will be in order instead.

Christmas cards and thank you's are on the agenda for tonight. In between laundry loads, of course. =P

So much for day of rest!

Monday is my scheduled rest day from running. Or it's supposed to be!

I was sitting in the lunch room about to enjoy my snack (leftover brekkie--bulgur, plain yogurt, peanut butter and homemade applesauce) when I realized that I didn't remember turning the burner off under the applesauce. I remembered turning it down, but not OFF. Shoot!

So the boots went back on and home I speed walked (home to work and home again is 3.68 km). Got home and realized that as cute and warm as the Sorels are, they are NOT meant for walking! I can't get my orthotics in 'em so my feet were killing me. Not to mention the bruise I somehow acquired (I think I did 'em up too tight) on my shin. I changed into my runners for the walk back to work.

And the burner?








Off. But I'm now in Chilliwack!

Not the best photo...

but it's the only one we've got!



There was no photographer at the party, so we moved furniture around my house when we got home and set the timer on the camera and used the cupboard shelf that my plates sit on as a tripod. Then the batteries died and I didn't have more. Not the best angle (I think I look preggo, not exactly flattering), but what's a girl to do?

Dinner was good, but incredibly late. Like over an hour! Did I mention this was a family friendly party? No? Well, the kids were getting close to their witching hour (so was I, thank God for open bar) by the time the food made it to the table. Didn't exactly make for relaxing pre-dinner drinks. Anyway, we'll definitely go back, but on a night when it
(a) isn't -30C and
(b) is just us!

Off to work. No wind this morning, but it's still -26C. Time to break out the Sorel's to keep my toes warm, me thinks!

Brrr!

The windchill let up a bit, so I headed out for a long run. It wasn't the scheduled 8K, but 5.71 km with a -29C windchill is good enough!

Apparently it was so cold my heart rate monitor wouldn't even work. Either that or I'm dead. =P

Lentil chili for lunch, a warm bath and then the primping begins!

Awwwww.....

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse....

WI Results

180.8

With all of the evilness of the cookie exchange surrounding me, I'll take it!

Christmas goal is 175.

I'd also like my ski pants to fit again. It makes the ride up the chair lift much more bearable (for everyone) if:
(a) there is no camel toe
(b) I can breathe without the ass of my pants busting open
(c) I can get the pants done up in the first place

The run is postponed for the day. I don't run when the windchill dips below -30C. Weather Network says it's currently -18C with light snow and windchill of -31C. Guess there's no excuse not to get the house cleaned, laundry done and get beautiful by 5!

Maybe I'll do an inside workout...we'll see how ambitious I get! Happy Sunday. Keep warm and cozy, wherever you are!

Cha Ching!!

Overtime!! Gotta love that at this time of year! And also when you're only scheduled as 0.7 in the pay period (I should have had one more shift, but for some unknown reason, got short shifted this time around and an extra one next pay period) and it's the season for buying things for people (ahem...I may have gone a little overboard on S...but I've found all of these PERFECT things!).

Disappointed that my trudge today only burned 183 calories. Didn't even make a dent in the number consumed (evil cookie exchange), but it's all good. We had a great team in and got everything done that we needed to.

I came home & shovelled out the back door--it was drifted in--I couldn't get out! Good thing I've also got a front door! While doing that, I had some leftover pasta sauce and 4 meatballs heating in the toaster oven (in the new Epicure dip baker). Yummy. I measured out a cup of s'ghetti (I haven't been measuring lately, but think I should start again) and added half of the sauce and balls. Still a little growly in my tummy, so I ate the rest of the sauce and balls sans sauce. It's all veggies and lean protein, after all! Oh, and there may have been some Merlot.

The rest of my evening is going to be pretty chilled. I think a soak in the tub and some knitting may be in order.

Tomorrow's the big party and my girl-y friend is going to come over and help me primp. I'm thinking hot rollers to get lots of curls and then pinned up with my bangs swept to the side...what do you think? I've also got laundry to do...but we all know how much laundry and I don't get along, so we'll see. I still have clean clothes to wear to work....

And the training schedule says 8K...*gulps*...Environment Canada says:

Cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries. Wind north 30 km/h becoming light in the afternoon. Temperature falling to minus 21 in the afternoon. Wind chill minus 30.

Hmmm...guess bundling up is in order!

Cancelled!

The snow day that me and Nerm had planned for today, that is! Just got a call from work--two people are stuck in the 'burbs and can't get to work. One more reason to walk to work, people!

So I need to eat, make a quick lunch (good thing there's leftovers) and hop in the shower before I TRUDGE to work. I live a block away from a shopping district, so chances are good that the majority of the sidewalks will be sort of clear. I hope!

Good luck to all in the Santa Shuffle!

p.s. I'm going to wear my heart rate monitor just to see how many calories I burn trudging!

Snowy Friday!

Winter has arrived! Here's the view from my back door about an hour ago. I decided to go for a run early and am sure glad that I did!



I logged 5.08K this morning (that included my 10 minute cool down to go & fetch the party dresses!) I have ran over 100K since October 5. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

Speaking of the party dresses, here they are:


Turquoise silky number (and the Spanx will make that tummy roll disappear!)


Fabulous Jones New York Retro Print

And the shoes:



Classic black pumps for the green & Purple Audley's for the retro dress

Sooooo.....which one should I wear on Sunday to S's company Christmas party?

Remember how I told you I lost Nerm awhile ago? Well, here's her new secret hiding place:

Where to start?

I should be getting ready for work. I'm still in my jammies. I'll eat lunch and then do it.

I have pink eye. Confirmed by doctor yesterday. I'm not to be surprised if I get yet another cold, either. Sheesh! Enough already! Eyes look better than yesterday though, so maybe I'm getting over it. I hope so!

Went to the doctor yesterday and spent the rest of the day with my mom. We shopped for my brother's b-day gift (we got half of it and then I picked up the remainder after dinner last night). We got all the stuff to make S. a Christmas sock (he doesn't have one and stockings are the best part of Christmas!), had lunch at Subway and coffee at S'bucks before I hit the road.

I need to whip up one more batch of cookies for the exchange tomorrow. Then I'll also have enough for L's b-day present, some for S, and maybe a few for me, too!

I'd better run, time's running out!

H =)

Back to work...

My day off flew by yesterday! It could have been because I hardly left the kitchen!

My fridge and freezer are well stocked now, so there is no excuse for not eating well. The vending machine at work will not tempt me as I am not taking money to work.

Went for a run this morning to pick up my rental car--it wasn't nearly long enough, but it felt great! The sun was shining and it was the perfect running temperature. Too bad I was overdressed, yet again.

Work tonight, off tomorrow (driving to doc 1.75 hours north), evenings again on Thursday and Friday. On call on Saturday, Christmas Party on Sunday night!!

Operation Christmas Party Dress continued after my return home with the car. There was the sweeping of the deck, hauling up of the Christmas decorations, and then the weights came out. Curls, shoulder presses & raises, chest flies while v-sitting, pushups, tricep extensions and some abs.

The Spanx also arrived! It is not sexy in any way, shape or form, but holy noodle! It drops me at least one size! And smooths out the lumps and bumpy bits. It's freaking AMAZING and I've been poring over the catalogue they sent with it (Christmas is coming, you know!). It was drilled into me from a very early age (both my mom and aunt are excellent seamstresses) that undergarments make or break an ensemble. They also taught me how clothes are supposed to fit--which makes buying things off the rack incredibly frustrating. But I digress. I've got less than a week before the party and it's GAME ON!

I <3 Yoga Brain!

Even a short, 15 minute practice is enough. *sigh*