Today's horoscope

There's nothing you can't accomplish now as long as you can visualize it clearly. So what's the hold up? Start picturing exactly how you'd like your life to be. Your only boundary is the reach of your imagination. Meditate, dream and fantasize.


Om.

I'm off to find my yoga mat!

Namaste, friends.

Monday mutterings and mumblings

Thank God for no overnight snowfall! I stayed up waaaay too late last night reading the book my cousins got me for Christmas, "The Girls of Riyadh." I couldn't put it down!

Work was good, relatively uneventful. Nothing too exciting to report there, except a new yoga studio is opening in the 'hood soon. Might have to go check it out.

Food's been pretty good:
Breakfast:
- 1 squirrelly bread with 1TB PB
- 1 tall non fat, no foam, no H20 chai

Snack
- 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup All Bran, 1 cup fruit salad (homemade)
- 2 cups peppermint tea

Lunch
- 2 cups homemade chicken noodle/veg soup

Dinner
- 1 cup basmati rice, chana masala & aloo ghobi (homemade)

Dessert
- homemade tazo chai with a splash of nog

Sunday LSD

I don't remember how long it's been since I ran. A long time, that's for sure! Thank God Sundays are long and slow, is all I can say. Environment Canada says it's a balmy -11C with no wind out there, so it's perfect running conditions. I'll letchya know how it goes...

I'm baaaaack! Didjya miss me?

Did 8.66 km and spent an 1:20:45h doing it. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Quite proud of myself for not consuming all 976 calories I burned when we went to S'bucks after. Now I'm having leftovers from last night: basmati rice, chana masala and aloo ghobi. I'm a good cooker, if I do say so myself!!

The rest of my day is going to be pretty laid back: yoga, Coronation Street, laundry and maybe some knitting. And a nap. Definitely a nap!

H =)

Hibernating

Well, we're still stuck in a wind chill deep freeze here (-29C), although it's almost 10 degrees warmer than yesterday. Even so, I'm staying put!

Dinner last night was really good. There were buns (2.5, to be exact) and butter (the daily butter was arugula/pesto...Mmmm), tea with milk and sugar (is there any other way?), along with the clam chowder, Manhattan style, so much healthier than the Boston creamy one I was expecting. The lobster Mac 'n Cheese was quite simply, the best mac and cheese EVER. I got extra broccoli so I felt somewhat virtuous. For dessert I had a mini angel food cake with whipped cream and berries. The consensus was appetizers and mains were fabulous, but the desserts were quite underwhelming.

I finally got to sleep past 0430h today! I got 5 whole hours on top of that! I'm still tired though, so I'm having an easy day. Did a little yoga to wake up and I think I'll spend the rest of the day on the couch, knitting. Such an exciting life I lead. =)

You'll notice a link to the Biggest Loser Blog Edition on the right. That's right, I'm adding an additional layer of accountability. I've been to goal before and stayed...this time I'm not leaving!

I took the online assessment for the Alliance Francaise classes yesterday. I called AU and spoke the graduate student advisor about my concerns and basically got nowhere. So I may become a graduate school drop-out! But really, what's the point if the program isn't meeting my expectations?

I'm not sure I'll be as dedicated about posting food photos as some of you other bloggers, but I can certainly post my menus. I did discover a great new yogurt, though: Astro balkan style vanilla natural yogurt. It's thick and creamy and has a great ingredient list (all pronouncable): skim milk, cream, sugar, skim milk powder, honey, active bacterial culture. For three points per half cup, it's the same as my previous fave, Activia, but without the fructose, gelatin, modified corn starch, artificial flavour, locust bean gum and malic acid.


Today's menu:
Morning hit o' caffeine: homemade Tazo chai with a splash of light eggnog

Lunch (slept through breakfast): homemade kicked up baked beans (1 cup)

Dinner: TBD

Tuesday's Eats

Thought I'd try blogging the food (sorry, no pictures today) and see if that helps keep me accountable.

Breakfast--half a cup of homemade chai (1/4 c 1% moo, 1/4c H20, steeped, 1/2 tsp honey)

Lunch--1 cup of homemade beans (Bush's Boston beans with bacon, onion, red pepper and celery)

Snack--12 almonds

Dinner--Parker House. It's a new restaurant in town and we've heard good things. I'm going to have Clam chowder (it's -37C with the windchill here) and lobster Mac 'n Cheese (it has broccoli in it--I'll ask for extra).

Happy Friday!
H =)

Tuesday mutterings

Well, the day started off not so well. The snow removal company that the condo board has hired likes to clean our sidewalks at 4:30 a.m. My bedroom window is right over the front walk. So four snow shovels and a snowblower were my alarm clock this morning. Did I mention it's my day off?! Arrrgh! My landlord so far has proved to be useless in dealing with issues, so I'm not holding my breath. I am, however, documenting each and every time so that if I do have to break my lease, I have my ass covered.

Carol and I are heading to a noon WI today. My scale shows me down 0.6 which makes me happy. Oh, how I long to see the 170's again! Not long now, my friends. On that note, I should get out of my jammies and prepare to brave the -37C windchill.

I. AM. CANADIAN.

But when did I become such a winter wimp?
H =)

How'd it get to be 2009 already?

Egad! I haven't updated this blog since Thanksgiving. Oops. Time flies!

Well, since then I've started my new job, which is going smashingly well. It's no longer an ordeal to drag my sorry ass out of bed and get to work. I don't bound out of bed each and every morning, but it's more frequent than it has been in almost three years or so!

Usually the New Year is focused solely on resolutions. I also like to acknowledge what I accomplished in the past year. How's this:
1. I ran two of the fastest half marathons of my life this year (Calgary with Donna (2:38:56) and Fun-couver (2:40:56) by myself).
2. I ran 3 half's and 2 10K's this year.
3. I quit a job that I hated!! (maybe this should be number 1)
4. I survived (barely) the loss of my Doodlebug, but in the process gained a loving, playful, highly entertaining Nermal.
5. I'm slowly weaning off of the happy pills.
6. I've got a great network of friends!


What will 2009 bring?
1. A return to my goal weight!
2. I will run Vancouver, the Underwear Affair and Melissa's again. Maybe Okanogan too...
3. I'll continue to embrace the clean eating and 100 mile diet lifestyles.
4. I will continue my education, whether it be my masters (still not sure what to do about that...opinions/advice welcomed) or take French through the Alliance Francaise.
5. Travel...not sure where, not sure when. I've got 365 days to decide.
6. Yoga...daily (or as close to it as possible) and my yoga retreat in May.
7. I will also spend more time in the mountains. Skiing (downhill and x-country) this winter and hiking in the summer.

And with that, I'll end this first day of 2009. Bring it on!