Guava's Growth [Archive] - Page 8 - John Stone Fitness Forums

guava

Fri, December 7th, 2007, 10:48 AM

I found a recipe (http://community.cookinglight.com/showpost.php?p=531949&postcount=5) for Zelten if you're feeling ambitious ;).
Oooh, nice! Closer to Easter I bought some Hot Cross Buns delivered to the grocery store by one of the commercial bakeries. They were quite nutritious; I will take a peek to see if they sell them year round. Something like this (http://recipes.lightandtasty.com/eRMS/recp.aspx?recid=36068&r_d=y), or I'll try the Zelten. :D
You know I dont think I've ever had fruitcake. How is this possible :confused: ?

Did you get a flu shot?
I keep overhearing people and there are also a few in the office that say after they got theirs they had extended low grade sinus or respiratory infections or symptoms, and it wasnt just once, but two or three times so they dont think it's a coincidence.I absolutely hated fruitcake until about three years ago; now I can't get enough of it.

No flu shot for my family. I'm suspicious of drugs. I don't even take Tylenol for a headache unless reminded. :p I agree that the flu shot is likely to create low grade symptoms. It's also not guaranteed to be the correct preventative strain, so you could catch a different type of flu. :doh:

In adults, vaccines show high efficacy against the targeted strains, but low effectiveness overall, so the benefits of vaccination are small, with a one-quarter reduction in risk of contracting influenza but no effect on the rate of hospitalization. In children, vaccines again showed high efficacy, but low effectiveness in preventing "flu-like illness". Side effects of the inactivated/dead flu vaccine injection are mild soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given; fever; and aches. These problems usually begin soon after the shot, and last 1-2 days(wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_vaccine))

I also haven't vaccinated my kids against anything that's not required. I occasionally feel guilty and unsure about my choice, but I haven't seen enough evidence to make me want to opt in, except for with the HPV vaccination, which I'll be approving to my daughter when she's in grade eight (A public health nurse does it at school. There's a huge backlash from the Catholic school board. :lol:)

On June 8, 2006, the FDA approved Gardasil, a prophylactic HPV vaccine which is marketed by Merck. The vaccine trial showed 100% efficacy against persistent infections, not just incident infections. The vaccine has no side effects with the exception of soreness around the injection area.

Yesterday:
toast, peanut butter, banana
eye of round roast, spinach
grapes, carrots
eye of round roast, spinach, bread
sweet potato, broccoli, dried cranberries, roasted soy nuts
apple, yogurt

I felt terribly bloated and somewhat crampy in the evening, which I usually blame on dietary issues, but it might have been something else. :confused:

These are some of the things I've learned:

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

I've learned.... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
~Andy Rooney

Chopaholic

Fri, December 7th, 2007, 10:55 AM

No flu shot for my family. I'm suspicious of drugs. I don't even take Tylenol for a headache unless reminded. :p I agree that the flu shot is likely to create low grade symptoms.

if you're not a high-risk group, it's not a big deal. :)

i can't stand fruitcake. although it remains one of my favorite "insults."

because i'm 10 years old.

Happy Monster

Sat, December 8th, 2007, 11:34 AM

Stop eating cake.. :p

guava

Sat, December 8th, 2007, 12:12 PM

Stop eating cake.. :p:confused: I have been recording my food here. The last cake was a long time ago. Yesterday, I found some chocolate truffles in the cupboard, but I haven't found a suitable reason to indulge yet.

Yesterday I took the girls Christmas shopping, so food options were limited
toast, peanut butter, banana
highliner frozen entree, plus extra broccoli
pomelo
chicken teriyaki stir fry from food court. Gave half of rice to daughter
apple, yogurt, small portion of pinto bean energy bar

I bought sundaes for daughters from McDonald's, and managed not to order anything for myself, though before we browsed the books at Chapters, I treated myself to a tall decaf Christmas blend with a splash of soy milk and two sweeteners.

Calories for the day were maybe 1400? Quite a bit short of targets, especially on protein. I suppose it's no surprise that I struggled a bit with my lifting.

pull-up/ chin-up 5, 4/4, 4, 4
overhead press 10x17.5, 8x25, 9x25
tricep extensions 10x17.5 (for no particular reason)
One legged Stiff-legged deadlift 10x35, 5x35+5x35 (lost balance), 10x35

bodyweight dips 20, 20
Romanian deadlift 10x45, 10x45
hammer curl/press 4x25, 3x25, 3x25
supermans 20, 20

shrugs 10x45, 10x45

It was pretty close to the last time I did this workout, but I did one more rep on hammer curl/press, plus an additional set of 3, did one less rep on overhead press (because I moved the pull-ups ahead of them), 1 more dip, and added 20 pounds to the shrugs, while removing 10 reps (which I could have done in another set, but I was tired). I did an additional set of chin-ups too. I even debated doing another 2 or 3 sets, but my pillow was more persuasive.

The one legged deadlifts are awesome; I can feel them working the hamstrings much better than with traditional deadlifts. But I've been doing my weights in bare feet, and it's very hard to keep a grip on the unevenly carpeted floor. (My husband was a little bit worried when I fell over and landed on my butt. :o) I can't lift my leg as high as in the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWLg7MrA9y4) I posted last week, so I'm keeping it lower for now, but I may need to wear shoes to get better stability.

Ha; nice pic:
http://exercise.about.com/od/lowerbodyworkouts/ss/deadlifts_2.htm

Anything unattempted remains impossible.

guava

Sat, December 8th, 2007, 08:38 PM

Lazy day, so we played pool.

I won the first two games, my husband won the next two, then I won the tie-breaker. :dance:

Then I explored www.addictinggames.com for a few hours :bang:

Cake Mania is awesome.

I still haven't received payment, nor have heard from the last voice mail message I left. But I'm still too chicken to go and knock on his door. :scared: I'm such a pacifist. :o

toast, peanut butter, banana
eye of round roast, bread, broccoli, sweet potato
mandarin orange, gingerbread cookie
broccoli, pork tenderloin

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. -- Bill Cosby

Naturegirl

Sun, December 9th, 2007, 07:33 PM

I havent had a flu shot in 15 years and have only ever gotten colds in that time :nod: I'm not so sure about the Gardisil thing either, but I havent read enough about it to make any informed decisions.

Those coffee shops are everywhere. And along with the coffee concoctions, they have things like gingerbread coffee cake, blueberry muffins, lemon poundcake, danishes :drool: You better believe I put all sorts of sugar free flavored syrups in my coffee to avoid those baked goodies!

guava

Sun, December 9th, 2007, 08:18 PM

And along with the coffee concoctions, they have things like gingerbread coffee cake, blueberry muffins, lemon poundcake, danishes :drool: You better believe I put all sorts of sugar free flavored syrups in my coffee to avoid those baked goodies!Yeah, me too. Then I feel bad about the artificial ingredients. :doh: If I don't look at them, I'm fine, and usually they're far enough away. It's another reason I do baking here, because I use very little sugar, and high fibre flour, which turns them slightly more "snack-like" and slightly less "treat-like". (Those are huge buzz words in our family. I don't ever want them thinking that a muffin is a smart harmless choice for breakfast)

Which reminds me, the breakfast program is not moving in the direction I'd like, but it's okay because I'm not immersing myself as much this year. I buy the food and drop it off, without concerning myself about how they serve it. The co-ordinator took a visit to another school to see theirs in operation, and came back with some ideas about how to make ours easier. She bought the little tiny boxes of raisins and some yogurt tubes, neither of which I'm terribly fond of both because of high sugar content and high cost for such a small serving size. But she sounded pretty proud of herself, so I told her to go ahead and serve them for the next breakfast. The district supervisor sent over a new recipe for banana bread. It wasn't nearly as bad as the apple crisp, but I checked it in fitday and found that 46% of it's calories came from fat. (11 grams per serving) I let her know, and passed along some alternate suggestions:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Almost-No-Fat-Banana-Bread/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mimis-Giant-Whole-Wheat-Banana-Strawberry-Muffins/Detail.aspx

I think the woman who expressed an interest in shopping and menu planning is still eager to take over after Christmas. In short, it's clear that the program as a whole does not conform to my nutritional standards, so it's best that I remove myself from it.

I tried to restrict my carbs at dinner by having just vegetables with my pork last night, and it backfired. :doh: I wasn't going to admit it, but I couldn't resist last night having a small portion of the carrot cake that I made for Mr. Dynamic. :o I delivered it to his house along with a nice note. His daughter is lovely.

Today:
toast, peanut butter, banana
beef stew
pomelo
salmon, broccoli, red pepper, purple onion, brown and wild rice

Family skate: about 45 minutes on the ice
About to do weights

I'm thinking about taking the girls skiing or snowboarding next weekend. There's a hill not far from our place. But I'm not sure how I'd arrange the runs. I know how easy it is to get separated from each other, so I'm not completely comfortable about the idea. My husband's been a couple of times and doesn't sound that crazy about it, so I'm not sure he'd come. I've been skiing eight or ten times. My older daughter is the stronger skier of us, because we had her in a ski camp a few years ago. My younger daughter has never been skiing. Maybe it's best to let my older daughter off on her own (snowboarding, she would prefer), and get skiing lessons for myself and my younger daughter. :confused:

As for the future, your task is not to forsee it, but to enable it.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery (The Wisdom of the Sands)

guava

Mon, December 10th, 2007, 06:28 PM

Weight workout was good. I don't feel like typing it out, but I advanced in weight, reps, or sets in each exercise. :dance:

Still getting nausea, which is frustrating. I don't think three times a week is all that often to be working abs, but for some reason, it bothers my system. :( So, I'll keep ignoring it; it's only another couple of weeks.

toast, peanut butter, banana
pineapple, pork tenderloin
apple, yogurt
toast, peanut butter banana
extra lean turkey burger on whole wheat bun (not yet eaten) plus some kind of vegetable (not sure what we have)

I'm going to keep eating about like this until Friday, then start to cut by adding a session of cardio every other day or every day, depending on how I feel, and by taking out about 300 calories from each day's food. Doing that will mean I'll need to be more careful about fitting all of the nutrients in.

Don't give up at half time. Concentrate on winning the second half. Paul "Bear" Bryant

Seltzer

Mon, December 10th, 2007, 06:42 PM

I'm thinking about taking the girls skiing or snowboarding next weekend. There's a hill not far from our place. But I'm not sure how I'd arrange the runs. I know how easy it is to get separated from each other, so I'm not completely comfortable about the idea. My husband's been a couple of times and doesn't sound that crazy about it, so I'm not sure he'd come. I've been skiing eight or ten times. My older daughter is the stronger skier of us, because we had her in a ski camp a few years ago. My younger daughter has never been skiing. Maybe it's best to let my older daughter off on her own (snowboarding, she would prefer), and get skiing lessons for myself and my younger daughter. :confused:

As for the future, your task is not to forsee it, but to enable it.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery (The Wisdom of the Sands)

I know that your kids are too young for cell phones, but have you thought about buying an inexpensive pair of walkie talkies?

When my kids were younger I bought a pair on E-bay and they were very useful for keeping in touch in situations just like you're contemplating being in.

guava

Tue, December 11th, 2007, 12:01 AM

I know that your kids are too young for cell phones, but have you thought about buying an inexpensive pair of walkie talkies?Nobody is too young for a cell phone. :nono: But I think the cost is ridiculous, so I don't have one even myself. We bought walkie-talkies about five years ago, and have used them about a dozen times (mostly for theme parks), so I guess they've been worth it. The last time we had them out, we couldn't get through to each other, which was really upsetting and messed things up. :mad: Something is wrong with the connection, and one of them doesn't ring anymore, even after changing channels and checking the battery connection. So it's actually on my list of things to buy this week, because we'll want them in Cuba, where I'll leave my eleven-year-old to supervise the other three kids while we're somewhere close by (the bar, maybe :whistle:)

I've been in a crabby mood. My current reality is not sitting well with me (for no particular reason except that it's a Monday), and I'd like to complain about the things I can't change. :( So I added an isolation workout tonight to give me something to at least work towards. (Then got disappointed because I couldn't lift as much as I thought I should be able to. :rolleyes:)

The thinker without a paradox is like a lover without feeling; a paltry mediocrity. ~ John Naisbitt

guava

Tue, December 11th, 2007, 03:54 PM

What kind of person doesn't even call to thank someone for dropping off a carrot cake? :mad::mad::mad:

My ipod kept telling me to lift weights this afternoon. :rolleyes:

Good idea! :D I'm so much stronger when nobody is home to interrupt me. :flex:

I took longer rests, and did an extra set on several of these. But it took me an hour to get it done. That seems like an awfully long time. :confused:

pull-ups 4,4,3
overhead press 12 x22.5, 10x25, 10x27.5
chin-ups 5,4,4
one legged stiff legged deadlift 10x27.5 10x40R, 10x40L, 10x40L, 10x40R
romanian deadlift 10x40 8x45 8x45
superman 20, 20

Pleasure and pain feel the same when the night is through ~KISS

Happy Monster

Tue, December 11th, 2007, 05:44 PM

What kind of person doesn't even call to thank someone for dropping off a carrot cake?
Guava, you've tried the cake, now you need to use the stick.. :blank:

guava

Thu, December 13th, 2007, 12:00 PM

I decided I'm going to start cutting the calories and adding cardio tomorrow. I don't think I've either gained or lost weight in the last forty days. I have about 1 kg of FAT to lose.

I'm also going to add step-ups into my workouts, and do leg curls and leg extensions in place of many of the squats. My upper thighs are the only place I really need to tighten up; they don't seem to have done anything in the last few weeks. :confused:

Soybeans and kidney beans will be a large part of my diet for the next week and a half. Then I'm going to write an book called "Ten Days of Tofu", post miraculous before and after pics, get on the best-sellers list, and make millions.
http://www.theofficeexperts.com/forum/images/smilies/encore.gif

This would normally go in the private media gallery, but I thought it would be funny to humiliate myself in public for a change. :p I've always been intrigued at how different things can turn out just by using flash/no flash. All photos taken this morning. Experimenting with lighting, I found a spot that creates a really interesting warm glow at the right time of day. I should rent out this space for progress pics. That could make me millions too. :nod:

"It takes heavy resistance to builds strength...absolutely nothing else will do it. And...the faster you move, the lighter the resistance must be. It is utterly impossible to lift a heavy weight rapidly...you can throw it, but you cannot lift it; and throwing will not build strength." - Arthur Jones

Happy Monster

Thu, December 13th, 2007, 02:54 PM

Looking strong!! :nod:

Naturegirl

Thu, December 13th, 2007, 10:27 PM

I would hardly call it humiliation :nope:
Your muscles are probably going to show very nicely from just a couple pounds of fat lost, like you are planning.
Good luck! :tu:

MannishBoy

Thu, December 13th, 2007, 11:12 PM

"It takes heavy resistance to builds strength...absolutely nothing else will do it. And...the faster you move, the lighter the resistance must be. It is utterly impossible to lift a heavy weight rapidly...you can throw it, but you cannot lift it; and throwing will not build strength." - Arthur Jones

:confused:

Not sure I agree with this. Of course, he's of the HIT persuasion, which I'm not much of a fan of in general.

"Throwing will not build strength" is pretty simplistic. You could as easily say "slow reps will not build power".

Power is a function of force and velocity, so you might lift a lighter weight more quickly and create more force than lifting a heavier weight slowly.

Sorry to go off path. What I was really going to post was you've developed some nice calves and gotten some good lat and shoulder development :tu:

guava

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 10:59 AM

I would hardly call it humiliation :nope:
Your muscles are probably going to show very nicely from just a couple pounds of fat lost, like you are planning.
Good luck! :tu:
I think the celuite shows up better on my screen. When the photos aren't cropped. But I'm really happy with how I look in the right lighting. :D It could be much, much worse.
"Throwing will not build strength" is pretty simplistic. You could as easily say "slow reps will not build power".

Sorry to go off path. What I was really going to post was you've developed some nice calves and gotten some good lat and shoulder development :tu:Good point. I do include some explosive movements into my workouts, because I find that they're effective in getting past strength barriers. If I throw something today, then I sometimes find that I can lift it tomorrow, so throwing is not completely useless.

Calves are about the same as they've always been; I've never done any work on them specifically. But I'm pleased with how the lats are continuing to progress. Thanks! I meant to take some measurements, but I don't know if I'll be bothered.

_______________

Man, I'd forgotten how much I hate leg curls. :mad::cry: It's frustrating that I can't feel them in my hamstrings. All I feel is a debilitating weakness throughout my entire ankle, calf/shin, and knee. Though, maybe they're supposed to be that tricky. Sometimes I beat myself up about not being able to do some things that most people can't do anyway. :p

Bench step-ups are torture as well. The bench is above the height of my knee, so the climb up there is quite unnatural. After the first few reps, I switched to the stairs, but that was too easy. Stepping up to the second step seemed a good compromise, and wasn't as tricky as I imagined it would be.

My bench is pretty useless. I have the sand-filled plastic plates, with a maximum load of 45 pounds on the leg attachment, so I have to do them one-legged, which adds in the trickiness of balance, co-ordination, and extra time on task. :(

I'm thinking that on any exercise I can do at least 6 reps, I should be able to do a single rep at a higher weight, which should allow me to boost the weight for the next session. I'd like to try more of that, but it will be harder while on a calorie deficit. I'm going to have to plan pretty carefully for my preworkout meal.

leg extensions 20 x 40 warmup 10x40 Right 10x40 L 10x45 R 10x45 L
leg curls 15 x 40 warmup 8x30 L 8x30 R 8x30 L 8x30 R 10x30 L 10x30 R
step-ups with 22 lb* dumbbells 10 L, 10 R on bench (too high) 20 L 20 R (*Next time will use 35 or 40, but these were the only ones I had in the basement at the time, and I didn't want to go up to get my regular set)
DB alternating lunge 10x22.5 R and L (don't like these all that much, so one set is enough!)
DB floor press 10 x22.5 7x35 7x35
DB bent over row 10x22.5 7x35 8x35
(I found my old printouts of exercise descriptions and reviewed form. These feel much better with my palms facing the back of my body, as in the last set, than with my palms facing inwards towards each other, which promotes an odd range of motion)
DB squat 7x40 6x40 4x45 with bad form
These are disappointing, because my quads could handle a lot more. Part of the limitation is the hang weight of the dumbbells, which puts a lot of strain on the shoulders, but I'm also continuing to hear odd snapping/grinding/popping sounds with my knees and hips. What's promising is that once I've moved up to a higher weight, the snapping sounds no longer occur at the lighter weights, which seems to indicate an improvement on strength of joints.

I was comparing my numbers from old workout logs that I found, and some of what I'm doing now is quite impressive. :D Other areas I haven't improved very much. I waver between wanting to "balance" those areas and get proper proportional growth, and wanting to just work on my preferred muscles, the ones that make me look and feel better about myself. (For instance, I have no interest whatsoever in calf strength, because I'm generally happy with how they look and what they can do, other than how they may be limiting other muscle groups.:()

Anyone who has ever had any particular thoughts about my workout, place your comments here. I could use some guidance in technique, neglected muscles, rep schemes, warm-ups, etc.

Scale reading 54.6 kg 18.8% body fat.
My scale has been refusing to tell me my body fat percentage in the past few days, so I replaced the batteries, which I guess wiped out my profile. I don't know how many centimeters tall I was (5'5", last I checked), so I left it at the default 170, and it should be 165. (I think that means the body fat measurement should be closer to just past 19%, but I still don't know if that reflects the true amount).

It's confusing being a Canadian. I drive 10 miles in 1 degree Celsius weather to buy a pound of bananas and 200 grams of black forest ham. :blank:

Anything unattempted remains impossible. ~ Unknown Author

guava

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 12:16 PM

An angry Jennifer Love Hewitt is defending her curves after photos of her in a bikini were ridiculed on the Internet.

“I’ve sat by in silence for a long time now about the way women’s bodies are constantly scrutinized,” the 28-year-old actress writes on her Web site. “To set the record straight, I’m not upset for me, but for all the girls out there that are struggling with their body image.”

The photos show Hewitt, with a bit of cellulite, on a Hawaii beach with her new fiance, Scottish actor Ross McCall.

Video (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22112299/)

http://www.egossip.com/files/images/Jennifer%20Love%20Hewitt%203.jpg

MannishBoy

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 12:24 PM

An angry Jennifer Love Hewitt is defending her curves after photos of her in a bikini were ridiculed on the Internet.

I saw that. I think it's good she stood up for herself, but she ain't no size 2, just like I ain't ripped.

guava

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 01:29 PM

I saw that. I think it's good she stood up for herself, but she ain't no size 2, just like I ain't ripped.I wondered about that too. But the sizing is so messed up now. It's quite possible that she is. It's pretty much meaningless to say that you're a size 2 and expect people to understand what you mean.

Here's a standard size chart (http://pics1.edeal.com/images/p2/wl/mjrsales/ebayTemplate/html/sizechart.html), which says to be a size 2 you should have 32 1/2 bust, 24 inch waist, and 34 inch hips. However, very, very few of the size 2 pants I've tried on in the last five years have had smaller than a 26 inch waist. Most of them have been too big on me, and that doesn't make any sense at all. :bang:

Interesting, that if you look at a pattern size chart (http://www.butterick.com/tech/charts/bmisses.html), which has never been changed, you'll find that the smallest size is called a size 6, and accomodates a 30 1/2 inch bust, 23 inch waist, and 32 1/2 inch hip. That's much smaller than a current size 2.

I would guess that she probably has a 26 to 27 inch waist, 36-39 inch hips, BMI about 22 to 24, and about 25-30% body fat.

J_W

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 05:20 PM

An angry Jennifer Love Hewitt is defending her curves after photos of her in a bikini were ridiculed on the Internet.

“I’ve sat by in silence for a long time now about the way women’s bodies are constantly scrutinized,” the 28-year-old actress writes on her Web site. “To set the record straight, I’m not upset for me, but for all the girls out there that are struggling with their body image.”

The photos show Hewitt, with a bit of cellulite, on a Hawaii beach with her new fiance, Scottish actor Ross McCall.

That's depressing. She's not fat unless you go by Hollywood standards. Her proportions look similar to mine (although she has bigger boobs) and I wouldn't call myself fat. But maybe I'm just in denial :rolleyes:.

And people wonder why women get eating disorders...

ETA: guava, you look phenomenal!

guava

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 06:25 PM

Thanks HM and J-W. :)

And people wonder why women get eating disorders...

ETA: guava, you look phenomenal!It's really unfortunate. Because we see so many images that have been manipulated and airbrushed, we think there's something wrong with us when we have cellulite. (guilty!) It helps if I look at models as a kind of different creature; someone who's been given the gift of physical flawlessness, while I've been given other equally valuable, but different gifts. :) The acting industry is so competitive now that besides good memorization, projection, stage presence, mannerisms, voice, etc, you must also be a perfectly attractive physical specimen to succeed.

Check out this beautiful singer:
dkGdistZd9Y

Nutrient Units Intake RDA % RDA
Vitamin A mcg_RE 701.06 800 87.63
Vitamin D mcg 0 5 0
Vitamin E mg_ATE 7.54 8 94.22
Vitamin K mcg 129.49 65 199.22

Water-Soluble Vitamins
Nutrient Units Intake RDA % RDA
Vitamin C mg 282.16 60 470.26
Thiamin mg 1.5 1.1 136.4
Riboflavin mg 1.56 1.1 141.88
Vitamin B-6 mg 2.05 1.3 157.8
Vitamin B-12 mcg 1.61 2.4 67.18
Niacin mg 15.23 14 108.77
Folate mcg 382.52 400 95.63
Trace Minerals
Nutrient Units Intake RDA % RDA
Iron mg 11.49 15 76.63
Zinc mg 9.8 12 81.69
Selenium mcg 60.95 55 110.82
Copper mg 1.5 --- ---

Major Minerals
Nutrient Units Intake RDA % RDA
Calcium mg 769.35 1000 76.94
Phosphorus mg 1352 700 193.14
Magnesium mg 448.65 320 140.2
Sodium mg 2865.7 --- ---
Potassium mg 3556.1 --- ---

Low in vitamin D, but I'm going to be taking a multivitamin every day. (Which I should have already been doing, but I'm not.:spank:)

Cals Fat Carb Prot
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 large slice ) 157 3 30 6
Peanut butter ( 1 tablespoon ) 95 8 3 4
Banana, raw ( 1 medium ) 109 1 28 1
Apple, raw, ( 1 medium ) 73 0 19 0
Yogurt, plain, nonfat milk ( 1 cup (8 fl oz) ) 137 0 19 14
Tangelo, raw ( 0.6 cup, sections ) 69 0 17 1
Grapefruit, raw ( 0.6 cup ) 44 0 11 1
Spinach, raw ( 1 cup ) 7 0 1 1
Barley ( 0.25 cup ) 163 1 34 6
Pepper, sweet, red, raw ( 0.5 medium ) 16 0 4 1
Beans, kidney, red, ( 0.75 cup ) 163 1 30 10
Rice, brown and wild, ( 1 cup, cooked ) 147 1 31 4
Olive oil ( 1 tablespoon ) 119 14 0 0
Tomatoes, ( 1 cup, cherry tomato ) 31 0 7 1
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 1 large slice ) 79 1 15 3
Turkey ham ( 3 slice (1 oz) ) 109 4 0 16
Total 1518 35 248 69

I think my best self lives in my stomach, she said, & only comes out around the hors d'oeuvres at parties. I think you can tell a lot about people from the hors d'oeuvres. I nodded & hid my Vienna sausage in a big plant in the hall & avoided her for the rest of the evening. ~Storypeople

:lol:

Naturegirl

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 10:59 PM

Women get scrutinized but so do men. They're too fat, too scrawny, too short, too bald, too poor. Oh and as long as we're comparing body parts, let's not forget that they live with the fear of being too small where it's supposedly most important. I just dont understand why they're not as vocal about it? I say men should be! :) Maybe because they're men and supposed to be stoic or something.

When I was about 5 years old or even less, I refused to wear this coat my mom got me because it made me feel too 'big'. She said that I said I looked and felt 'fat.' I remember thinking my legs were too thick and my tummy too protruding at this age. My cheeks were too chubby. It was a unique situation because I was homeschooled for many years, grew up without television, without barbie dolls, without fashion magazines, without bombardments of advertising, without trips to the mall, without playmates besides my brothers (no other little girls to compare myself to), without girlfriends of my mom's to come under the influence of. Why at such a young age did I feel this way? My mom was very overweight but I just saw her as Mom. Did I somehow pick it up from fairytales she told us? These were the oldschool fairytales BTW, with death and gore and pure evilness. Was it the ugly witch, Cinderella's fat sister? The big lumbering giant?

I think eating disorders are highly dependant on the person's genetic personality. Certain influences of society might bring them out, but they were there to begin with. Maybe I'm thinking more of the severe manifestations like anorexia, which is a multifaceted mental disease and is usually fatal though :confused:

Not saying that it's not retarded how much plastic surgery people get or how much they airbrush photos to death, so much so that they look CGI (computer generated imagery). And one thing I really dont like is the homogenized barbie look, it takes away all the character and interesting uniqueness of a person's real face.

BTW loved that video :tu: It was creative and she's got a beautiful voice too.

MannishBoy

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 11:06 PM

Women get scrutinized but so do men. They're too fat, too scrawny, too short, too bald, too poor. I just dont understand why they're not as vocal about it? I say men should be! :) Maybe because they're men and supposed to be stoic or something.

Men have been emasculated for a long time.

Just look at sitcoms. How many stupid, bumbling, can't do right, out of shape dads are there? It's the stock character. It's always the wife that is sensible and hot.

Flip that around, and there wouldn't be an audience. The only sitcom I can think about in the reverse was that "Dharma & Greg" show, and even then she's not the screw up, just the free spirit.

I do think being out of shape with gray hair (or no hair) is more acceptable in men, though.

phillydude

Fri, December 14th, 2007, 11:49 PM

I do think being out of shape with gray hair is more acceptable in men.

It's always worked for me. :madpimp:

Happy Monster

Sat, December 15th, 2007, 04:39 AM

And that's why the ladies call Philly, the 'Silver Fox'!

:lol:

SxyK1tty

Sat, December 15th, 2007, 10:36 AM

guava

Sat, December 15th, 2007, 11:46 AM

When I was about 5 years old or even less, I refused to wear this coat my mom got me because it made me feel too 'big'. She said that I said I looked and felt 'fat.' I remember thinking my legs were too thick and my tummy too protruding at this age. My cheeks were too chubby.

I think eating disorders are highly dependant on the person's genetic personality. Certain influences of society might bring them out, but they were there to begin with. Maybe I'm thinking more of the severe manifestations like anorexia, which is a multifaceted mental disease and is usually fatal though :confused:It's hard to have daughters. My youngest one is starting to say she's "too skinny" and I realize it's because I've told her that a couple of times to encourage her to finish her dinner. :doh: First and foremost, I want them to get good nutrition, and plenty of activity, but I'm also conscious that if they don't fit the notion of what an "average" girl looks like, they'll feel terribly uncomfortable in their skin. :(

I started feeling fat when I was 11, but really I was a bigger than a lot of other girls in my class. I wore a size called "pretty plus", which Sears no longer sells, probably because they realized that despite any positive-sounding name they might give it, girls still understood that it meant they were chunkier than their peers. I actually remember that in grade six, I had a 27 inch waist, which is bigger than I am right now.
I don't know if either of those sizes are particularly unhealthy by definition, or whether either of those sizes might indicate poor nutritional or psychological habits. :blank:

The current view of orthodoxy (http://personalitydisorders.suite101.com/article.cfm/eating_disorders_and_personality)is that the eating disordered patient is attempting to reassert control over her life by ritually regulating her food intake and her body weight. In this respect, eating disorders resemble obsessive-compulsive disorders.

"Weight loss is viewed as an impressive achievement, a sign of extraordinary self-discipline, whereas weight gain is perceived as an unacceptable failure of self-control."

BTW loved that video :tu: It was creative and she's got a beautiful voice too.Does she sing in that clip? This one was pretty fun:
mEieFuIWPYc
I'm trying to figure out her nationality. Oddly enough, I know a Chinese woman that looks very similar to her. :confused:

Men have been emasculated for a long time.Just look at sitcoms. How many stupid, bumbling, can't do right, out of shape dads are there? It's the stock character. It's always the wife that is sensible and hot. Flip that around, and there wouldn't be an audience. I'm not sure if "emasculated" is the right term for what you mean, but in the mid 1990s, there were hundreds of commercials very critical towards men and their homemaking skills, and even some that poked fun at their lack of common sense and general intelligence. Yet it wasn't politically correct to complain about them. If there had been a backlash, the criticism would have been "You're not man enough to take someone poking fun at you." :rolleyes: I wonder how many people other than me were silently steaming.:mad:

Your recent pictures are amazing!! Totally inspiring ;D:tucool:Thank-you K1tty. :)

__________________________
A few things are going on.

I wasn't hungry last night, but was slightly irritable and felt like snacking, but decided against it.

My husband isn't that thrilled that I've added on restrictions to my diet. He's never either supported nor sabotaged my choices; he knows that I keep track of my nutrients and try to make sure that I give my body whatever it needs, but he sometimes rolls his eyes that what I'm doing is unnecessary and may be adding stresses to my life. Usually, it's the opposite, but sometimes he's been correct. :)

Just after supper last night, I was exceptionally, extremely cold. :( The elliptical workout generated some heat, but three hours later, I was cold again. :( It's 22 degrees (72) in the house. Plenty warm enough.

So it's tempting to keep my body weight and/or body fat percentage at least as high as it is currently to avoid the chills, but, on the other hand, I can't be sure that's what's causing them either. :confused:

300 calories on elliptical last night = 25 minutes

Today:
M1
2 slices whole wheat bread
4 slices turkey bacon (100 calories, 4 g fat, 20 g protein total)
2 whole eggs
3/4 C (approx) spinach

Liv Tyler was particularly grateful when the 15-month long Lord Of The Rings shoot wrapped - because she could get her curves back. The 5'10" actress had to keep her weight down to a medically unsafe 126 pounds while playing Arwen in the trio of fantasy films, but started piling on the pounds as soon as the New Zealand shoot finished - pumping up her weight by 28 pounds. She says, "Now I'm fat but happy. I was sick and tired of starving myself to look thin. It was no fun. I feel more comfortable at this weight - and I'm enjoying my food. I don't care what people think. There shouldn't be a standard for how we all should look."

guava

Sat, December 15th, 2007, 05:11 PM

300 calories on elliptical = 25 minutes

I need a dinner rich in calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, magnesium, folate, niacin, thiamine, B-12. And about 500 calories.

At least the protein is looking better for today, at 34% of calories so far. :tucool:

Cals Fat Carb Prot
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 1 large slice ) 79 1 15 3
Turkey ham ( 3.5 slice (1 oz) ) 127 5 0 19
Spinach, raw ( 1 cup ) 7 0 1 1
Egg, whole ( 2 large ) 149 10 1 12
Pumpkin, canned, without salt ( 0.5 cup ) 42 0 10 1
Yogurt, plain, nonfat milk ( 0.25 cup (8 fl oz) ) 34 0 5 4
JELL-O Sugar Free Low Calorie Gelatin Dessert Strawberry, 8 0 0 1
Crackers, graham ( 1.5 large rectangular piece) 89 2 16 1
Granola, homemade ( 0.2 cup ) 82 2 13 4
Soy nuts ( 0.2 cup ) 88 5 6 7
Fish, breaded Healthy Bake ( 1 cup, cooked, flaked ) 220 6 12 26
Cauliflower, cooked, ( 1 cup, (1" pieces) ) 29 1 5 2
Salad dressing, ( 1.5 tablespoons ) 82 8 1 0
Total 1033 41 86 82

guava

Sat, December 15th, 2007, 07:42 PM

"What do you want for supper?"
"Meat"
:rolleyes:
"We have burgers in the freezer."
"No"
"Chicken breast?"
"No"
"Chicken legs?"
"No"
"Pork tenderloin?"
"No"
"Fish sticks?"
"No"

Everyone would be much happier if I served them chicken wings, ribs, and steaks every night. :bang: I ended up going out and buying fresh pork sirloin chops, and my husband barbecued them. They were all REALLY miserable about that choice, but they turned out so good they completely disappeared, leaving me with only a sweet potato and some fruit salad for supper. :blank:

My totals now say I'm low on Vitamin D and calcium, but the multivitamin should take care of that.

Total: 1595
Fat: 46 414 27%
Sat: 11 96 6%
Poly: 11 100 7%
Mono: 12 106 7%
Carbs: 217 727 48%
Fiber: 35 0 0%
Protein: 91 364 24%
:tucool:

...but I have a feeling I'm going to be hungry later on.

Naturegirl

Sat, December 15th, 2007, 10:46 PM

When I was in school I tended to want material objects more than anything. They had computers and cars and pagers. It's tough alright, kids, especially girls have to contend with not only wanting to look physically different than themselves, but materially different too. I remember my friend had freckles all over her body and face and I thought they were so alluring. She hated them. My other friend had a gap between her two front teeth and I thought it was adorable. She hated it. They both liked my blue eyes. I wanted brown eyes. Or green. And their boobs :D

Yes I was wondering what nationality she was too :confused:
Ever since I saw Journey of Man I look at people's faces and wonder who their ancestors were.

I dont know what it is about pork, but it just smells like :moon: to me.
Bacon, ham and bbq ribs are cured so you can't smell it then, and I like bacon and ham a lot, but pork chops, eh. Since you have the culinary skills you must know how to make it taste good. :tucool:

Happy Monster

Sun, December 16th, 2007, 05:55 AM

And do you like how you look now? I see nothing wrong! :D

guava

Sun, December 16th, 2007, 09:56 AM

And do you like how you look now? I see nothing wrong! :DMy butt isn't in those pictures. :blank: And there's no front view. If I could control my fat distribution, I'd work on growing myself the same breasts I had when I was pregnant, without the added bulk on the thighs, hips, abs, and everywhere else. :( Sure, I like how I look now, but I'm no Jessica Alba :nono:

Weights last night didn't go as well as usual, but that could be because my expectations were lower on lower calories.

pullups 4, 4, 4
lateral raise 10x12.5 6x15
OLSLDL 10x2x20, 10x2x25
hammer curl/press 15x15, 2x25 :cry: 5x22.5 :bang:
chin-ups 5,5,3
front raise 8x15, 6x15
tricep kickbacks, extensions, etc. (various)

Happy Monster

Sun, December 16th, 2007, 11:20 AM

Guava: you should be eating these (http://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2007/08/cookies-make-yo.html) cookies..

guava

Sun, December 16th, 2007, 12:53 PM

Guava: you should be eating these (http://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2007/08/cookies-make-yo.html) cookies..
:spaz: Yeah, but F is a little bit of overkill. And it doesn't mention what would happen to my butt. :(

I've ruled out soy (http://www.trans-health.com/displayarticle.php?aid=2) and marijuana therapy. :rolleyes:

But, hey, if the cookies are tasty, there's no harm in trying, right? :eat:

guava

Sun, December 16th, 2007, 05:57 PM

Nutrition stats are about the same as yesterday at this time of day, other than lower protein intake.

Eggs, ham, spinach, tomatoes, and toast in the morning are a really good idea. :tucool: I'm much less hungry on fewer calories and more nutrients.

I'm making ribs and garlic sausage plus rice for the rest of the family, so I'm really not sure what I'm going to have. Possibly an oatmeal, egg, protein powder pancake. Honestly, I'd rather have just a nice hot bowl of oatmeal, or any cereal but I think something higher protein would be a better idea.

Cardio: about one hour public skating, plus about 2/3 mile walk there, plus 2/3 mile walk back home. Will maybe need to shovel the driveway later, but probably will save it until tomorrow. My husband has already cleared it off three times. I have no idea how much snow we got, but it looks like more than a foot. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home. I've been good about breaking my habits. Muffins are 27 cents when ordered with coffee (99 cents alone), so it's hard for me to pass them up, but I gave it to my daughter. Also, I threw out the leftover pizza crusts the other day, instead of eating them. :dance:

I bought Ryvita Muesli crunch (http://www.ryvita.com/canada/english/) at Wal-Mart the other day when I forgot to bring a lunch. Tasty and wholesome, but calorie dense, so I'm saving them for treats. Contain rye flour, currants, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, oat flakes, kibbled rye, honey. In 31 grams (2 crackers) 120 calories, 2 g fat, 3 g protein, 24 g carbs, 7 g sugar, 3 g fibre. Similar to Frosted Mini Wheats or Shreddies, I suppose. I'll be taking them to Cuba, because I'm picky like that. (I tend to find very few things up to my standards at buffets, so I'm a little bit scared about going away. I don't know how I'll survive a week if they don't have broccoli or spinach. :scared: Eating from a restaurant of my choosing would make it a little easier, but all the food and alcohol has already been paid for, so that's not likely to happen.)

"I think every young actress comes to a point in their life where you decide whether to subscribe to some sort of social standard of what you're supposed to look like. Aesthetics and artificiality make up such a huge part of the industry, so you can either go for that or choose to look the way you do. The body image stuff just obliterates women's self-esteem. I'm never going to be the thinnest girl in Hollywood, or the smartest, or the funniest, or the richest. I finally came to peace with that. You have to let go of that garbage if you're going to get anywhere. It's so cool when I meet other actresses and know they don't give a rat's ass, either. That's why they'll be successful. You'll never be good if you're caught up in that." ~Reese Witherspoon

Naturegirl

Sun, December 16th, 2007, 10:43 PM

We stopped at McDonald's on the way home. I've been good about breaking my habits. Muffins are 27 cents when ordered with coffee (99 cents alone), so it's hard for me to pass them up, but I gave it to my daughter. Also, I threw out the leftover pizza crusts the other day, instead of eating them. :dance:

:claphigh:

Those muffins are hard to resist, the biscuits are the hardest for me.
And then I just had to try the croissant sandwhiches at Burger King.

guava

Mon, December 17th, 2007, 05:57 PM

the croissant sandwhiches at Burger King.
Oh, those are nasty! No temptation at all here. :nope: I'm not at all interested in any type of sausage either, or French Fries.

But it's gingerbread season! Gingerbread all around me. :spaz: :spaz: :spaz: It smells so good! I volunteered at the school today, and she made me sit directly in front of the gingerbread train all afternoon. :rolleyes: It's unbelievable how good just plain marshmallows can smell. :drool:

Yesterday looked something like this:
Total: 1735
Fat: 44 398 25%
Sat: 9 77 5%
Poly: 14 130 8%
Mono: 17 155 10%
Carbs: 244 768 47%
Fiber: 52 0 0%
Protein: 114 455 28%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

More calories than I'd intended (didn't realize until bed when I put it all into fitday), but I think that did my mood some good. :nod: Honestly, I'm really not sure any of my counts can be accurate within closer than about 20% anyway, because I never weigh or measure my food. :p

Cals Fat Carb Prot
Turkey ham ( 3 slice (1 oz) ) 109 4 0 16
Egg, white only, cooked ( 5 white ) 82 0 2 17
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 regular slice ) 138 2 26 5
Spinach, raw ( 1 cup ) 7 0 1 1
Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, ( 1 cup, cherry tomato ) 31 0 7 1
Beans, kidney, ( 1 cup ) 218 1 40 13
Barley, pearled, cooked ( 0.5 cup ) 97 0 22 2
Pepper, sweet, red, raw ( 0.5 medium ) 16 0 4 1
Olive oil ( 1 tablespoon ) 119 14 0 0
Onions, young green, raw ( 2 medium ) 10 0 2 1
Pumpkin, canned, without salt ( 0.5 cup ) 42 0 10 1
MORI-NU, Tofu, silken, soft ( 1 slice ) 46 2 2 4
JELL-O Brand Sugar Free Low Calorie Gelatin ( 1 serving ) 8 0 0 1
Granola, homemade ( 0.25 cup ) 102 3 16 4
Soy nuts ( 0.2 cup ) 88 5 6 7
Raisins ( 0.2 cup ) 87 0 23 1
Soy protein isolate ( 0.6 oz ) 57 1 1 14
Tofu, silken, soft ( 0.5 slice ) 23 1 1 2
Egg substitute, liquid ( 0.15 cup ) 32 1 0 5
Oats, raw ( 0.3 cup ) 93 2 16 4
Oat bran, uncooked ( 0.15 cup ) 35 1 9 2
Flax seeds ( 0.1 cup ) 72 5 5 3
Apple, raw ( 0.5 medium ) 41 0 11 0
Pineapple, raw ( 0.5 cup, diced ) 38 0 10 0
Orange, raw ( 0.5 small (2-3/8" dia) ) 23 0 6 0
Banana, raw ( 0.5 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) ) 54 0 14 1
Yogurt, plain, nonfat milk ( 0.5 cup (8 fl oz) ) 68 0 9 7
Total 1735 44 244 114

Ha, that's a crazy long list!

So, I've been trying to be extra careful today to get sub-1600, and I may have undershot. :doh:

Total: 808
Fat: 15 133 17%
Sat: 3 25 3%
Poly: 7 59 7%
Mono: 4 34 4%
Carbs: 116 399 50%
Fiber: 16 0 0%
Protein: 67 267 33%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

Very low in all of the fat soluble vitamins. :confused:

My kids are asking for baked spring rolls and stir fry for dinner. If I forgo the noodles, and add some fat to my vegetables and/or meat, I should be close to my target macros.

But I bought some fresh brussels sprouts, and I was really looking forward to those. :(

I bought some frozen orange juice concentrate, specially formulated with added vitamins and minerals for people who don't drink milk, but I've been unreasonably afraid of juice for the last three years. :scared: I could cook my barley in it; that would be good.

You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your soul's own doing. ~Marie Stopes

Happy Monster

Mon, December 17th, 2007, 05:59 PM

It's mince pie season here.. :drool:

guava

Mon, December 17th, 2007, 08:40 PM

I'm kind of confused because my meals are done for the day and here's where I ended up:

Cals Fat Carb Prot
Turkey ham ( 1.2 slice (1 oz) ) 44 2 0 6
Egg, white only, cooked ( 3 white ) 49 0 1 10
Onions, young green, raw ( 1 medium (4-1/8" long) ) 5 0 1 0
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 regular slice ) 138 2 26 5
Soy protein isolate ( 0.6 oz ) 57 1 1 14
MORI-NU, Tofu, silken, soft ( 0.5 slice ) 23 1 1 2
Egg, white only, cooked ( 1 white ) 16 0 0 3
Oat bran, uncooked ( 0.2 cup ) 46 1 12 3
Oats, raw ( 0.3 cup ) 93 2 16 4
Flax seeds ( 0.1 cup ) 72 5 5 3
Yogurt, plain, nonfat milk ( 1 cup (8 fl oz) ) 137 0 19 14
Banana, raw ( 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) ) 109 1 28 1
Pineapple, raw ( 0.25 cup, diced ) 19 0 5 0
Chicken, breast, ( 0.7 breast, bone and skin removed ) 182 2 0 38
Cauliflower, cooked, ( 0.5 cup, (1" pieces) ) 14 0 3 1
Vegetables, mixed, frozen, cooked, ( 0.5 cup ) 54 0 12 3
Teriyaki sauce ( 0.125 cup ) 27 0 5 2
Spring Roll Baked ( 1 egg roll ) 78 3 9 4
JELL-O Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding ( 1 serving ) 34 0 8 1
Milk, soy, dry, reconstituted, ( 0.5 cup ) 40 2 2 3
Total 1237 23 156 119

Total: 1237
Fat: 17% Sat: 3% Poly: 7% Mono: 5%
Carbs: 43% Fiber: 25 g
Protein: 40%

There's really no reason for me not to eat some of the gingerbread train I made with my daughters a few days ago. :evil:

Except that I'm low in vitamins A, D, E, K, Zinc, Calcium, and Folate. :(

I need some of these chewy chocolate supplements (http://www.expotv.com/videos/reviews/11/125/ChewyChocolateCalciumSupplement/138477). :nod:

I could eat about 10 of them. :drool:

I want to make these ornaments (http://www.dotcomwomen.com/crafts/cinnamon_ornaments.shtml) with the kids. My youngest made some in school last year, and they smelled SOOoooo good.

Hmmm.... I think I need to find a way to build some cinnamon into tomorrow's diet. :lol:

MannishBoy

Mon, December 17th, 2007, 09:08 PM

Ginger bread.....</Homer Simpson voice>

Ginger and cinnamon are both favorite spices for me. Up there with chipotle and chili powder on the other side of the spectrum.

The good thing is all are healthy. The bad thing is a lot of the stuff they are used in are not if eaten in quantity. :bang:

EDIT: Oh, and here (http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=1019) is you another chocolate supplement :D

guava

Mon, December 17th, 2007, 09:28 PM

Ginger and cinnamon are both favorite spices for me. The good thing is all are healthy. The bad thing is a lot of the stuff they are used in are not if eaten in quantity. :bang:

EDIT: Oh, and here (http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=1019) is you another chocolate supplement :D
Yeah, I think savyart mentioned that in her blog.

Promotional literature makes many positive claims about Chocamine, including increased energy, appetite suppression, increased lipolysis (fat burning), improved mood, improved concentration, increased alertness, improved physical performance, aphrodisiac properties, and health benefits.

:spaz: :spaz: :spaz: Something for the Christmas wish list maybe?

I put ginger and cinnamon on my chicken sometimes. :nod:

I used to make chicken and prunes (http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Poultry%20and%20Game/Chicken%20and%20Prune%20Tagine%20%20%20HT%20%20MC% 20%20Moroccan%20%20140mins.htm) all the time.

MannishBoy

Mon, December 17th, 2007, 09:34 PM

:spaz: :spaz: :spaz: Something for the Christmas wish list maybe?

:madpimp:

I put ginger and cinnamon on my chicken sometimes. :nod:

I use ginger (fresh and dried) in a lot of Asian-ish concoctions I come up with, from stir fries to pan fried tuna steaks (which I'm cooking right now).

I've been making cinnamon/ginger protein oat pancakes as well as using a lot of cinnamon and some ginger in some oatmeal cookies I've been making from an amalgam of "healthy" oatmeal cookie recipes. :eat:

I used to make chicken and prunes (http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Poultry%20and%20Game/Chicken%20and%20Prune%20Tagine%20%20%20HT%20%20MC% 20%20Moroccan%20%20140mins.htm) all the time.

Looks like something I'd like. :eat:

guava

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 11:23 AM

:bang: I only got about four hours sleep last night, even though I went to bed about 11:00 and didn't have to get up until 7:00.

I don't know if I've been drinking too much coffee too late in the day, or if it's something else that's distracting me. But it was odd. My body was exhausted, but I just couldn't turn my brain off. Stuff was racing around in there, rattling everything up. :(

I had to cancel my blood donation for this coming Thursday evening because it was at the same time as my daughter's Christmas concert. They couldn't schedule me any earlier, had no clinic operating until mid January in the next town over, and had no openings that would fit my schedule two towns over either. :cry: She suggested that I call the day ahead, because there's usually about a 10% cancellation rate from colds and stuff.

The girls spilled a big mug of hot chocolate on the floor this morning, and, of course, it was my job to clean it up. :rolleyes:

I had a nice hot bowl of cooked apple chunks, oatmeal, cinnamon, and yogurt, but it didn't do much for me. :( So I was going to toast myself some bread and sprinkle a tiny bit of brown sugar and some cinnamon on it, until I realized that what I REALLY wanted was a piece of gingerbread train, and nothing would do until I got some. :nope:

I'd left my calories as they were last night, so I definitely had room for the extra energy intake. I ate that big chunk of gingerbread, and it did lift my mood. :) I'm feeling surprisingly a lot better, but not completely top notch. I'm wondering if I should be feeling guilty. :confused: Or if I should feel guilty that I'm not feeling guilty. :doh:

Dammit, I want this Christmas vacation to start already. :bang:

"Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." ~ Samuel Ullman

Gordo

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 12:15 PM

guava

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 12:31 PM

How's the snow out there?

Hey have you checked out PC's Extra Dark chocolate (http://www.presidentschoice.ca/FoodAndRecipes/GreatFood/ProductDetails.aspx/id/19160/name/PCExtraDarkChocolate/catid/193/type/2), I'm addicted, in a very bad way :drool:

300g for $2.99 is a steal. Having it almost nightly.Snow has been okay, other than Sunday. The girls were disappointed that their fort was destroyed, but now they have bigger and better plans for individual personalized forts, flanking the driveway, one of which is equipped with a slide. :spaz:

I haven't tried the PC dark chocolate. Mr. Annoying bought me two large chocolate bars a couple of weeks ago as a bribe to get my work done, and I've only eaten a third of one of them. One was Lindt Excellence 85%, and the other is Cote d'Or 70%. The one I opened is 85%, and I wasn't that crazy about it because it is not very sweet. Actually, I find the best value in chocolate is the big bags of Hershey's semisweet Chipits, at $5 for a 1 kg bag. I don't know what percentage cocoa solids that would work out to, but it's richer than a milk chocolate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_chocolate). It's really good portion control too; 10 chocolate chips makes an interesting perk-me-up. :)

I also found just last week the box of chocolate truffles I bought just after Christmas last year. :doh: These ones (http://www.presidentschoice.ca/FoodAndRecipes/GreatFood/ProductDetails.aspx/id/18188/name/PCTheDecadentDarkChocolateTruffle/catid/193/type/2). They are truly the best chocolate I've ever tasted. I can't believe I didn't eat them all. They were on for $2.99 for the 260 g box last January. :tucool:

I'm not buying anything else rich or decadent until the new year. :nope: (But maybe I'll have one of those truffles after dinner tonight. :)) Thanks for popping in Gordo. :p

Chameleon

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 03:23 PM

Snow has been okay, other than Sunday. The girls were disappointed that their fort was destroyed, but now they have bigger and better plans for individual personalized forts, flanking the driveway, one of which is equipped with a slide. :spaz:

I haven't tried the PC dark chocolate. Mr. Annoying bought me two large chocolate bars a couple of weeks ago as a bribe to get my work done, and I've only eaten a third of one of them. One was Lindt Excellence 85%, and the other is Cote d'Or 70%. The one I opened is 85%, and I wasn't that crazy about it because it is not very sweet. Actually, I find the best value in chocolate is the big bags of Hershey's semisweet Chipits, at $5 for a 1 kg bag. I don't know what percentage cocoa solids that would work out to, but it's richer than a milk chocolate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_chocolate). It's really good portion control too; 10 chocolate chips makes an interesting perk-me-up. :)

I also found just last week the box of chocolate truffles I bought just after Christmas last year. :doh: These ones (http://www.presidentschoice.ca/FoodAndRecipes/GreatFood/ProductDetails.aspx/id/18188/name/PCTheDecadentDarkChocolateTruffle/catid/193/type/2). They are truly the best chocolate I've ever tasted. I can't believe I didn't eat them all. They were on for $2.99 for the 260 g box last January. :tucool:

I'm not buying anything else rich or decadent until the new year. :nope: (But maybe I'll have one of those truffles after dinner tonight. :)) Thanks for popping in Gordo. :p

wow... your back looks awesome in your avatar :nod::bow:

the one thing, and the only thing, I miss about snow is making stuff out of it, forts, slides, snufalufagus's (from sesame street :p), tunnels, soooo much fun :spaz: I'd love to see pictures :D

I think Christmas is going to cure me of my sweet tooth for at least a few months... there's so much junk food in this office, and today was our annual Holiday breakfast potluck... OMG is there a lot of food in this office, and to top it all off, our Customer Relations Manager (CRM) has two long meetings today that I have to attend, and he ordered even more food :no:

guava

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 03:47 PM

wow... your back looks awesome in your avatar :nod::bow:Thank-you Chameleon. :D Like I said, I have discovered a sooper dooper extra special extreme flattering lighting set-up. It would make anyone look fantastic. You still need to come for a visit, then I'll let you borrow it. :p Think you can handle the winters? :evil:

Gordo, did you get that same weather my sister was talking about? She was all excited that they might cancel school for the day once last week, because it was set to reach the board's criteria of temperature plus windchill impact equal to or colder than -45 Celsius. But they missed it by 2 degrees, to hit only -42. (-49 F)

I stopped by again to the employment centre. I thought if I tried to call Mr. Egomaniac from an outside line, that perhaps he might not ignore me this time. I spoke to a woman who is not a regular part of the employment centre staff (she's actually one of the one's who interviewed me for that other position that I didn't get) and she gave some very helpful advice.

Anyway, I've sent off this e-mail to him, with a bcc to the president of the corporation that he is representing as a business developer.

Are you having problems with your cell phone? I have not been able to reach you through repeated attempts all through December, and have not received any response from any of the voice mail messages I have left.

I've been patiently waiting for my cheque since receiving your past e-mail, but I'm a little worried now because it's taken longer than I expected. If I can get it this afternoon, I'll finally be able to finish my Christmas shopping! Will you be able to drop it off on your way home from work, or would you like me to come and pick it up?

Thanks, and Merry Christmas!Attached is an excel sheet detailing the hours I put in, with a brief description beside each segment.

Yay today!

Cals Fat Carb Prot
Apple, raw ( 1 medium (2-3/4" dia) (approx 3 per lb) ) 81 0 21 0
Oats, raw ( 0.5 cup ) 156 3 27 6
Yogurt, plain, nonfat milk ( 0.5 cup (8 fl oz) ) 68 0 9 7
Cookie, gingersnaps ( 1 large (approx 3-1/2" - 4" dia) ) 133 3 25 2
Peanut butter ( 0.5 tablespoon ) 47 4 2 2
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 1 thin slice ) 57 1 11 2
Ham, steak, ( 4 oz ) 138 5 0 22
Egg substitute, liquid ( 0.5 cup ) 105 4 1 15
Spinach, raw ( 1 cup ) 7 0 1 1
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 regular slice ) 138 2 26 5
Total 931 23 122 63

62% of the day's target calories consumed, and greater than 62% of the day's nutrients on all but three elements. (Calcium, D, E) I really think I'm going to go and buy those chocolatey chews. :drool:

FBChick

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 04:00 PM

badgolfer

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 04:08 PM

bcc to the president of the corporation that he is representing

Very nice. That will be sure to get his attention.

phillydude

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 04:12 PM

Very nice. That will be sure to get his attention.

if you bcc'd it, he'd never know.

MannishBoy

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 04:14 PM

if you bcc'd it, he'd never know.

Unless he gets asked by the president what the heck this stuff is about, and has to explain it.

badgolfer

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 04:16 PM

if you bcc'd it, he'd never know.

:o

guava

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 04:39 PM

Unless he gets asked by the president what the heck this stuff is about, and has to explain it.
Yes, that was my intention.

I'm leaving him to see if he'll cough it up on his own.

If I haven't heard from him by Thursday afternoon, I'm going to phone her first thing Friday morning. I just wanted her to have the background information before I need to move on to the next step.

I don't think she has any control over whether or not I get paid, so I didn't even want to involve her. (The employment centre suggested I contact her right away, weeks ago.) I think the only thing she can do is confront him and ask him why he's been dishonest.

Do you think it would have been better to cc her? I'm not even sure he pays very much attention to e-mails, and might have missed it anyway.

I got an Autoreply that she's out of the office today :(

Gordo

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 04:59 PM

Gordo, did you get that same weather my sister was talking about? She was all excited that they might cancel school for the day once last week, because it was set to reach the board's criteria of temperature plus windchill impact equal to or colder than -45 Celsius. But they missed it by 2 degrees, to hit only -42. (-49 F)

I

Somewhere in MB or was that elsewhere? Wpg has had weird weather the last week...going from -34 C to -12C in the span of a few days but we haven't seen -40C yet, talk to me in Jan and Feb and I'll have lots of "&@#$ it's cold" reports for you ;) . A light dusting of snow but that's about it. Yesterday and today are unseasonably nice (-7C, the river has swallowed 2 trucks so far... read: lazy ice fisherman). Kids hockey is full bore. If it's going to be outside I prefer watching them in -7C than -27C (the criteria to cancel a game or practice). At least that's when the coaches can't legally hold a practice, it doesn't seem to stop the kids :doh:

guava

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 05:41 PM

That was less than an hour from Winnipeg, where my mom and sister live. It was a minimum temperature that occurred at some point overnight. They are SOOooo happy to be going to Cuba. :cool:

Yuck, I wouldn't want to watch a hockey game at -27.

Happy Monster

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 06:34 PM

By now, I don't think he has any intention of paying you. :blank:

Sorry, but it's either that, or he is so lax with payments that you should never work for him again IMHO.

guava

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 08:20 PM

By now, I don't think he has any intention of paying you. :blank:

Sorry, but it's either that, or he is so lax with payments that you should never work for him again IMHO.Ha, no, if he asks me to work for him again, he will pay me in advance of any work I do. $20/hr. I'm worth it. :D

The woman I spoke to today can help me to build a case against him to present to the Ministry of Labour, which will follow on to small claims court if required. My husband says to let it go; it's not a lot of money to him, but I could buy myself a tall Cafe Americano every single week completely guilt-free for 3.8 years on what he owes me. :nod:

25 minutes on elliptical 354.5 calories. Quelle belle surprise. :D

Dinner was chicken with prunes similar to above, but I had no prunes, so I used dates. Then I wasn't sure if I should eat them, so I threw out most of what was left once they'd flavored the chicken. The brussels sprouts I cooked in the pan with them were fantastic. :bow:

Total: 1318
Fat: 27 243 19%
Sat: 7 59 5%
Poly: 7 65 5%
Mono: 10 90 7%
Carbs: 152 521 41%
Fiber: 22 0 0%
Protein: 124 494 39%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

Weights tonight. :eek:

I should eat something else. :confused: With Calcium, D, and A. And, what a coincidence, there's chocolate pudding in the fridge. ;)

guava

Tue, December 18th, 2007, 10:57 PM

Weights were done. Not very happily, but they were done.

sumo squats (bodyweight) 20/20
squats 5x40 5x40 5x40
crunches 15, 15
leg curl (with ball) 15
floor press 10x22.5 8x35 8x35
bent over row 10x22.5 8x35 8x35
leg lift 15, 15
power bridge (http://bodyweightworkout.wordpress.com/2007/05/03/power-bridge-a-back-bridge-exercise/)15, 15
leg lift (on front) 15, 15

Mostly, it's going to be a focus on glutes and hamstrings for the next few workouts.

Strict calorie control doesn't work well for me.

I found a "PMS mood stabilizer" product at the drug store when I went looking to buy calcium supplements. I would have bought it if it had been a chocolate chewy thing or a candy instead of powdered pouches. But the chocolate product on the shelf below was for symptoms of menopause. :( Silly marketers.

Naturegirl

Wed, December 19th, 2007, 03:57 AM

I wouldnt let it go, he needs to account for himself and you need to be paid for the work you did for him.

This same thing happened to my mom, from what my brother told me, and I guess the guy had done this to other people.
I dont know what ended up happening, but knowing my mom, she probably got her money just from pure bark and persistence.
Years ago I was locked in a public pool restroom by one of the lifeguards. My mom asked for an apology and didnt get one. So she sued for wrongful imprisonment. It took over a year but she won :D

What was in the PMS mood stabilizer? Lots of magnesium and calcium?

Chameleon

Wed, December 19th, 2007, 09:32 AM

Thank-you Chameleon. :D Like I said, I have discovered a sooper dooper extra special extreme flattering lighting set-up. It would make anyone look fantastic. You still need to come for a visit, then I'll let you borrow it. :p Think you can handle the winters? :evil:

Gordo, did you get that same weather my sister was talking about? She was all excited that they might cancel school for the day once last week, because it was set to reach the board's criteria of temperature plus windchill impact equal to or colder than -45 Celsius. But they missed it by 2 degrees, to hit only -42. (-49 F)

I stopped by again to the employment centre. I thought if I tried to call Mr. Egomaniac from an outside line, that perhaps he might not ignore me this time. I spoke to a woman who is not a regular part of the employment centre staff (she's actually one of the one's who interviewed me for that other position that I didn't get) and she gave some very helpful advice.

Anyway, I've sent off this e-mail to him, with a bcc to the president of the corporation that he is representing as a business developer.

Are you having problems with your cell phone? I have not been able to reach you through repeated attempts all through December, and have not received any response from any of the voice mail messages I have left.

I've been patiently waiting for my cheque since receiving your past e-mail, but I'm a little worried now because it's taken longer than I expected. If I can get it this afternoon, I'll finally be able to finish my Christmas shopping! Will you be able to drop it off on your way home from work, or would you like me to come and pick it up?

Thanks, and Merry Christmas!Attached is an excel sheet detailing the hours I put in, with a brief description beside each segment.

Yay today!

Cals Fat Carb Prot
Apple, raw ( 1 medium (2-3/4" dia) (approx 3 per lb) ) 81 0 21 0
Oats, raw ( 0.5 cup ) 156 3 27 6
Yogurt, plain, nonfat milk ( 0.5 cup (8 fl oz) ) 68 0 9 7
Cookie, gingersnaps ( 1 large (approx 3-1/2" - 4" dia) ) 133 3 25 2
Peanut butter ( 0.5 tablespoon ) 47 4 2 2
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 1 thin slice ) 57 1 11 2
Ham, steak, ( 4 oz ) 138 5 0 22
Egg substitute, liquid ( 0.5 cup ) 105 4 1 15
Spinach, raw ( 1 cup ) 7 0 1 1
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 regular slice ) 138 2 26 5
Total 931 23 122 63

62% of the day's target calories consumed, and greater than 62% of the day's nutrients on all but three elements. (Calcium, D, E) I really think I'm going to go and buy those chocolatey chews. :drool:

ummmm... no I don't think I could handle your winters... I think it's too cold down here in the winter :lol: although I'd love to see Canada in the winter... but...umm... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr r :p maybe in the summer ;) anyways... I won't be able to go very far right now anyway since I'm in school again ;)

good for you on the bcc to your bosses boss :tucool: it's not right that he's being non-responsive :nono:

guava

Wed, December 19th, 2007, 10:24 AM

What was in the PMS mood stabilizer? Lots of magnesium and calcium?Once I ruled out that it was chocolate, I didn't look very carefully. :p I couldn't pronounce the first two ingredients, so I didn't read any further.

But it was 80% off, so I might go back and take another look when I have time, and bring a pen and paper so I can research it at home. :read: I've been really crabby and negative for the last three days, so it could be something that might be very valuable. :nod:

Seltzer

Wed, December 19th, 2007, 01:40 PM

I agree with your decision to continue to pursue your lack of payment and to escalate it. You did the work in good faith and completed your end of the agreement; there's no reason why he shouldn't fulfill his obligations.

Happy Monster

Wed, December 19th, 2007, 05:57 PM

Kick his ass Guava! :spank:

guava

Wed, December 19th, 2007, 06:00 PM

I agree with your decision to continue to pursue your lack of payment and to escalate it. I'm going to do as much as I can, and keep asking for assistance in getting to the next step. It makes no difference whether I need the money or not, or whether it's a big amount or a small amount. The point is that what he did was dishonest and illegal, and someone needs to make sure he stops doing such mean stuff.:(

Calories so far are 1069. That's a little low unless I have a larger than usual dinner (350-400 has been my recent average per meal), or two more meals. (For those who've been following, I don't eat six meals; it's usually something like breakfast, two lunches, dinner.) I haven't been feeling like doing cardio or weights. I feel like I'm so much wimpier than everyone else, who can, for weeks on end, do cardio five times per week, lift weights three times per week, and eat at a calorie deficit, with no discernible negative consequences. :o

But I bought the chewy chocolate calcium chews, and they are very, very tasty. Like a tootsie roll. :D

I need to be drinking a LOT more water. :(

"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are." ~ Muhammad Ali

Naturegirl

Wed, December 19th, 2007, 10:41 PM

I thought about buying fruit flavored fiber chews before, and maybe as long as I'm going to have a craving for something it might as well possess some redeeming health qualities :confused: I mean besides inherently healthy things like frozen strawberries.

guava

Wed, December 19th, 2007, 10:55 PM

as long as I'm going to have a craving for something it might as well possess some redeeming health qualities Honestly, I think they're somewhat ridiculous, and if I'm not on serious cutting plans, I avoid them, because they're added calories, and terribly expensive.

But I enjoy them just as much as I enjoy tootsie rolls, so it was a good investment for me at this point.

I ended up REALLY hungry at dinner, so I had plenty of calories for the day for my current goal.
Total: 1610
Fat: 35 317 21%
Sat: 8 73 5%
Poly: 9 77 5%
Mono: 14 129 8%
Carbs: 253 865 56%
Fiber: 37 0 0%
Protein: 90 361 23%

My calcium supplement is not in Fitday's database. Add 20 calories. Little low in B-12 and Folate. Wonder what that's all about. :confused:

I feel very bloated, whereas I should be feeling very lean. I was only 0.2 kg lighter today than a week ago. :confused: Maybe someone is feeding me intravenously while I sleep.

I need to drink a LOT more water. :spank:

Seltzer

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 10:09 AM

My calcium supplement is not in Fitday's database. Add 20 calories. Little low in B-12 and Folate. Wonder what that's all about. :confused:

Guava, if the supplement is something that you're going to be taking on a regular basis you can easily create a Custom Food in Fitday so that you can accurately track your intake.

guava

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 12:50 PM

I made my first lunch, then put my foods into fitday before eating it. Calories seemed high, so I just ate half, and I'm saving the rest for later.

Cardio: walk 2 1/2 miles. How many calories does that burn?
Zz3zMzVdlX8

There's a column for distance in Fitday, but I can't seem to be able to edit it. Their whole activities guide is pretty weird. :lol:

Activity Time Spent (hrs:mins) Calories Distance Units
Cooking or food preparation-standing or sitting or in general (not broken into stand/walk components) 14 --- ---
Serving food, setting table-implied walking or standing 14 --- ---
Implied walking-putting away clothes, gathering clothes to pack, putting away laundry 12 --- ---
Walking, 3.5 mph, briskly and carrying objects less than 25 lbs 160 --- ---
Dressing, undressing (standing or sitting) 14 --- ---
Cleaning, light (dusting, straightening up, vacuuming, changing linen, carrying out trash), moderate effort 41 --- ---
Cleaning, heavy or major (e.g. mop), vigorous effort 96 --- ---
Total Calories Burned 349

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. ~G.B. Shaw

TheRyanator

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 05:46 PM

Excellent looking back and delts! Is that avatar recent?

Sure hope your payment issues work out in your favor. I hate it when people owe you something and then make the effort to get it from them so difficult you question whether it is worth the stress involved. Did he respond to your letter?

guava

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 05:50 PM

I'm not sure why Vegetables, mixed, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt would have 107 calories per cup, and Broccoli, cooked, from frozen, fat not added in cooking has 27. It doesn't say which vegetables they are counting, but it does not include a source of fat.

Anyway, here's how my completed day will look once I finish eating all of my planned meals.

Cals Fat Carb Prot
Egg substitute, liquid ( 0.25 cup ) 53 2 0 8
Soy protein isolate ( 0.5 oz ) 48 0 1 11
Oats, raw ( 0.5 cup ) 156 3 27 6
Oat bran, uncooked ( 0.25 cup ) 58 2 16 4
MORI-NU, Tofu, silken, soft ( 2 slice ) 92 5 5 8
Tangerine, raw ( 1 cup, sections ) 86 0 22 1
Grapefruit, raw ( 1 cup ) 74 0 19 1
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 3 thin slice ) 170 3 32 7
Banana, raw ( 1 medium ) 109 1 28 1
Peanut butter ( 1 tablespoon ) 95 8 3 4
Fish, breaded Healthy Bake ( 1.7 cup, cooked, flaked ) 373 11 20 45
Vegetables, mixed, frozen, cooked, ( 1 cup ) 107 0 24 5
Pepper, sweet, red, raw ( 0.5 medium ) 16 0 4 1
Total 1436 35 199 103

Fiber: 34g Protein: 103 g 30% of calories :dance:

Nutrients looked VERY good; not just slightly over 100%. Short in zinc, folate, calcium, D, and K. Otherwise, much better than most other days. :D Okay, I can add a touch of spinach.

1 L of water down; 1 to go.

guava

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 05:57 PM

Excellent looking back and delts! Is that avatar recent?:nod:

It's not much different from how I looked a year and a half ago, but sometimes just maintaining is good. :)

Sure hope your payment issues work out in your favor. I hate it when people owe you something and then make the effort to get it from them so difficult you question whether it is worth the stress involved. Did he respond to your letter?No response to the e-mail.

I called his cell phone.

I called his blackberry.

I called the president of the company.

She was away, so I left a detailed message on her voice mail saying that I'd like to know if he still is working for her, and I wondered if she had any idea why he might not be able to pay me.

That was 12:30, but no word yet. :(

Yet that hasn't stopped me from still having a bit of a shake to my hands, elevated heart rate, and generalized anxiety.

I don't know what to do next (ie.tomorrow). I'd like to be smart and responsible enough to be able to handle this myself without asking for more assistance, but I'm unclear about what the next step should be.

badgolfer

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 06:00 PM

I'm unclear about what the next step should be.

:evil:

guava

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 06:23 PM

I got a reply!
:evil:
:evil:
Subject: Re: Pay for November 8th through November 28th

Diligent worker,
I have recieved your time sheet as requested ,please forward your invoice to this e-mail address and we will process it for payment..... Asap
thankyou
Mr. Egomaniac
_________________________
To: Mr. Egomaniac
cc: Mrs. President

Dr. Mr. Egomaniac,
Please note I have added two hours to my time sheet to cover a portion of the time it has taken to collect my pay (checking e-mails, forwarding documents, etc.).

Thanks

Merry Christmas!

Diligent worker

:evil: :evil: :evil:

______________

Do you suppose asap is sometime before Sunday afternoon?

TheRyanator

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 06:30 PM

Glad to see your persistence paid off! :claphigh:

Happy Monster

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 06:57 PM

Hurrah!

(don't work for him again without prior payment.. ) ;)

Seltzer

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 07:15 PM

I'm glad that he finally acknowledged his obligation, but it was far too much effort on your part. The process should have been seamless, but his lack of response has perpetuated this stressful situation for over three weeks by my recollection.

Shame on him and I would seriously consider either never working for him again or drastically shortening up the pay cycle to a weekly basis.

I'm gettin riled again.

Happy Monster

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 07:17 PM

The lack of an apology suggests he either doesn't see anything wrong with what he did, or just doesn't care. Either one would have me getting angry. :blank: :mad:

guava

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 09:49 PM

Glad to see your persistence paid off! :claphigh:

Hurrah!

I'm glad that he finally acknowledged his obligation,
Um, guys, I have no money yet. :blank: Remember, he's already done this three times, always on a Thursday or a Friday.

The lack of an apology suggests he either doesn't see anything wrong with what he did, or just doesn't care.Right. And that's the element that will make me never work for him again. I can work for someone who is late, who makes makes promises and then realizes he can't keep them, who makes mistakes, etc, but not someone who doesn't recognize or acknowledge the difference between right and wrong.

In other news, I'm still suffering from wicked bloat. So much so that I had trouble doing up my pants, and people are clearing the room as I enter it. :( So I need a strategy for the next few days. I don't think I've let any lactose slip in, so I'm considering that it might be a sensitivity to wheat. I suspected this before, and I'm thinking I might just for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday limit my intake of bread and everything that contains gluten, and see if I feel better.

So, I'm planning to add several servings of yams to make up for the starchy carbs, hoping to keep fruit and vegetables about at the same level, and keep lean protein similar or slightly higher. Edit: sounds like rice is fine; it's only wheat, rye, barley, and oats that mainly need to be avoided.

I went back to visit the PMS product. Here's what it is:
PMS Escape (http://www.peak-nutrition.co.uk/about-pms-escape.php)
PMS occurs when serotonin (often referred to as the 'happy hormone') levels drop during the pre-menstrual period. This can result in feelings of anger, irritability and mood swings. To restore serotonin levels the amino acid called tryptophan is needed. This occurs in a variety of foods which will help, but, like all food, it can take several hours for it to be processed in the stomach. A speedier and more convenient solution is now available.

Main Ingredients: dextrose, malodextrin, potato starch
Additional Ingredients: calcium, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6

They're selling it for £14.95 on that website, and it's $5.95 at the drugstore, but, even so, I don't think I have a particular need for sugar and starch.

Naturegirl

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 10:09 PM

I dont know how much better that product would work since you already eat at pretty regular intervals :confused: It's not supplying anything that you dont currently have in your diet.

Sorry for the bloats. I know how that feels!

MannishBoy

Thu, December 20th, 2007, 10:13 PM

I got a reply!

:evil:
Subject: Re: Pay for November 8th through November 28th

Diligent worker,
I have recieved your time sheet as requested ,please forward your invoice to this e-mail address and we will process it for payment..... Asap
thankyou
Mr. Egomaniac
_________________________
To: Mr. Egomaniac
cc: Mrs. President

Dr. Mr. Egomaniac,
Please note I have added two hours to my time sheet to cover a portion of the time it has taken to collect my pay (checking e-mails, forwarding documents, etc.).

Thanks

Merry Christmas!

Diligent worker

:evil: :evil: :evil:

______________

Do you suppose asap is sometime before Sunday afternoon?

Bill him for your time to collect your pay. Then JSF Consulting can bill for consultation fees for collection of said wages.

Seriously, glad to see it's moving in the right direction at this point.

guava

Fri, December 21st, 2007, 10:27 AM

I had decided early this morning that I was going to have a bad day. :(

After I stepped on the scale and saw that I am 54.5 kg. :blank:

That's a tiny bit heavier than what I was before I started decreasing calories and adding cardio last Friday. :cry:

So I'm half thinking about just not eating anything today, but that wouldn't be much fun. :bang:

Therefore, I need a plan to make the day a little bit brighter and more cheerful. :neener:

Tryptophan has often been hyped as "nature's prozac" or "nature's serotonin solution." While certainly an exaggeration, these extravagant claims have some basis in fact.

Serotonin deficiency is often a major factor in depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and weight gain, to name a few. Simply supplementing serotonin when there is a deficiency would appear to be the easiest solution; however, since serotonin cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier, direct supplementation with serontonin is in fact ineffective.

Tryptophan is a routine constituent of most protein-based foods or dietary proteins. It is particularly plentiful in chocolate, oats, bananas, mangoes, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, sesame, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, spirulina, and peanuts.

Hmmm... chicken breasts, dates, pumpkin seeds. :eat:
chocolate, bananas, peanuts. :drool:

My daughter's Christmas concert was last night. http://www.theofficeexperts.com/forum/images/smilies/areindeer.gif

She has such great poise. :claplow:

"The star of the new show "Fat Actress" Kirstie Alley says that any time she strays from her diet she's going to donate $100 to one of her favorite charities. In a related story three diseases have been completely eradicated." ~ Conan O'Brien (2005) :claplow:

Seltzer

Fri, December 21st, 2007, 12:22 PM

Um, guys, I have no money yet. :blank: Remember, he's already done this three times, always on a Thursday or a Friday.

Remember the jello solution that BG suggested?

Is there anyone else besides the president of the company that has leverage with him? Is there another way that you can possibly contact the president? In one of your posts you mentioned that you had already gone to his house. What about doing that again at a time when there's a high probability that he'll be home, such as eight o'clock on a weeknight?

His lack of response to your numerous attempts to contact him is just plain rude; even if there was some financial reason why he couldn't pay you now he should at least come forward with an explanation. You have forty hours of unpaid work, IIRC, and are entitled to the agreed upon money for your efforts. If it was me, I wouldn't let this go and at a minimum you should call/e-mail him asking for a specific date when you can expect your payment.

Good luck.

guava

Fri, December 21st, 2007, 12:46 PM

If it was me, I wouldn't let this go and at a minimum you should call/e-mail him asking for a specific date when you can expect your payment. As for right now, I'm refusing to chase him down any further. My last step was to let him know by e-mail that "I will be pursuing the legal advice I have been given if I do not receive my pay by 2:00 on Friday." He has only 2 1/4 hours left, so that likely means I'll need to pursue it. :( :( :(

I had a banana and three pieces of chocolate for breakfast (285 calories). Lean Cuisine chicken in wine sauce (130 calories) plus a cup of wild/brown rice (150 calories) for my first lunch.

:blank: :blank: :blank:

And a M@ smiley

http://www.foolserrand.com/funneh/smiley/s_twitch.gif

Seltzer

Fri, December 21st, 2007, 02:03 PM

As for right now, I'm refusing to chase him down any further. My last step was to let him know by e-mail that "I will be pursuing the legal advice I have been given if I do not receive my pay by 2:00 on Friday." He has only 2 1/4 hours left, so that likely means I'll need to pursue it. :( :( :(

I had a banana and three pieces of chocolate for breakfast (285 calories). Lean Cuisine chicken in wine sauce (130 calories) plus a cup of wild/brown rice (150 calories) for my first lunch.

:blank: :blank: :blank:

And a M@ smiley

http://www.foolserrand.com/funneh/smiley/s_twitch.gif

Less than sixty minutes to go. Still no word, I assume.

guava

Fri, December 21st, 2007, 02:28 PM

Less than sixty minutes to go. Still no word, I assume.
:bang:

Worse than that. At least he sent me instructions this time about what he didn't like about the format of my invoice. :rolleyes:

I corrected it to his specifications, added on another two hours, and requested that he send it by registered mail.

http://www.foolserrand.com/funneh/smiley/s_twitch.gif

Happy Monster

Fri, December 21st, 2007, 03:15 PM

Perhaps one option would be to tell him you will go to the local press with the story if he doesn't pay you what he owes you. I'm sure he wouldn't want negative publicity to harm his future work possibilities.

bballer143

Fri, December 21st, 2007, 10:45 PM

Excellent looking back and delts!

I agree! :tu: I wasn't able to comment on the pictures you posted a few weeks ago, but you're looking fantastic Guava! :)

Um, guys, I have no money yet. :blank: Remember, he's already done this three times, always on a Thursday or a Friday.

Gosh, this guy is such a jerk!!! :( I can't believe that this whole situation is still going on. I really hope it gets settled soon. You deserved to get paid (and an apology as well :o)!

In other news, I'm still suffering from wicked bloat. So much so that I had trouble doing up my pants, and people are clearing the room as I enter it. :(

The last part made me laugh. :lol:

(I apologize if it wasn't supposed to be funny, though :o)

guava

Sat, December 22nd, 2007, 10:05 AM

Gosh, this guy is such a jerk!!! :( I can't believe that this whole situation is still going on. I really hope it gets settled soon. You deserved to get paid (and an apology as well :o)!
Just as I was waking up, I dreamed that he sent his wife to the door with my cheque to apologize on his behalf.:p I was really disappointed when I realized it was a dream

The last part made me laugh. :lol:

(I apologize if it wasn't supposed to be funny, though :o)They all laugh, so you might as well too. :lol:

This is what yesterday looked like:
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Nutrient Units Intake RDA % RDA
Vitamin A mcg_RE 523.39 800 65.42
Vitamin D mcg 0 5 0
Vitamin E mg_ATE 8.75 8 109.4
Vitamin K mcg 0.796 65 1.22

Water-Soluble Vitamins
Nutrient Units Intake RDA % RDA
Vitamin C mg 429.8 60 716.33
Thiamin mg 1.15 1.1 104.63
Riboflavin mg 0.884 1.1 80.38
Vitamin B-6 mg 2.45 1.3 188.82
Vitamin B-12 mcg 0 2.4 0
Niacin mg 8.32 14 59.41
Folate mcg 393.75 400 98.44
Trace Minerals
Nutrient Units Intake RDA % RDA
Iron mg 9.7 15 64.64
Zinc mg 5.38 12 44.82
Selenium mcg 24.79 55 45.07
Copper mg 1.74 --- ---

Major Minerals
Nutrient Units Intake RDA % RDA
Calcium mg 295.01 1000 29.5
Phosphorus mg 687.19 700 98.17
Magnesium mg 374.07 320 116.9
Sodium mg 2108 --- ---
Potassium mg 3907.1 --- ---

Besides A, D, K, and Calcium, I'm extremely low in B 12, Niacin, Zinc, Selenium, Iron, and low in others too. But really, I'm not surprised. I was out of the house from 3:00 until 10:00, and didn't prepare well, so I had very few options.

Cals Fat Carb Prot
Chocolate, sweet or dark ( 0.7 bar (1.45 oz) ) 145 10 17 1
Banana, raw ( 1 cup, NFS ) 138 1 35 2
Chicken Breast and Vegetables in Wine Sauce, frozen entree 179 6 9 23
Rice, brown and wild, cooked, ( 1 cup, cooked ) 147 1 31 4
Brussels sprouts, cooked, ( 20 sprout ) 164 2 36 11
Date ( 1 date ) 23 0 6 0
Cashew nuts, roasted ( 0.3 oz (18 kernels) ) 49 4 2 1
Almonds, NFS ( 0.3 oz (22 whole kernels) ) 49 4 2 2
Walnuts ( 0.3 oz (14 halves) ) 56 6 1 1
Chocolate, sweet or dark ( 0.55 bar (1.45 oz) ) 114 8 13 1
Tangerine, raw ( 1 cup, sections ) 86 0 22 1
Grapefruit, raw ( 1 cup ) 74 0 19 1
Yam, cooked, ( 1 cup, cubes ) 158 0 38 2
Total 1380 42 231 50

:o

Today might end up looking simlar. (But I'll try for some more chicken instead of so much chocolate :spank:) I can cover the missing stuff with vitamins.

By the accident of fortune a man may rule the world for a time, but by virtue of love and kindness he may rule the world forever. ~ Lao-Tzu

Robert2006

Sat, December 22nd, 2007, 10:15 AM

I can't find the intial post about the payment issue. So if I've got some facts wrong correct me :D

If I remember you're some place in Ontario.

This is a non-union job.

All I can say is ministry of labour.

But do it something like this. If the place has a HR department contact them first. If not contact some body at the company with some pull. Say something like "I'm really sorry and I didn't want to do this but with the holidays and the kids presents I'm going to have to go the labour ministry".

Don't believe the guy is forgetting to pay you. I'll bet good money it's intentional. His plan is to get you to give up. :spank: He strings you along. Sooner or later you get so fustrated you give up and the money doesn't come out of his budget.

guava

Sat, December 22nd, 2007, 10:48 AM

:cry: If I can't have toast or cereal, I don't want to have breakfast. :cry:

I had an apple, and that's about all I can handle. :(

I had no bloat at all yesterday, but did have a small bit of gassiness late in the evening. It's possible it could be from the lactose in the chocolate, though. :confused:

_________________________

Yes, we're in Ontario. I stil have the feeling he has not begun the payment process, but I'd like to believe that his initial intention was to follow through, and he just ended up short of money.

I should have set a better cut-off date. Now that I'm going away for a week, it's going to be hard to stay on top of. The Ministry of Labour is the next step; which ideally should be Monday when I confirm he hasn't sent the cheque by registered mail; but unfortunately won't be able to be until January when we return from holidays.

He is a private individual. His business development company is named, but he is the only one who is a member, and I think I might have been his first employee. The only pull I can think of is to contact his clients (I only know the one I was working on behalf of; he may have others) to let him know how he's been treating me. Interestingly, I've gotten no response from the president. I thought she might at least phone me and ask to hear my side of the story. I don't know if she's said anything to him.

I'm feeling a little stupid because it's possible I may have been targetted due to my trustworthiness. :doh:

Happy Monster

Sat, December 22nd, 2007, 11:15 AM

I agree with Robert2006. I would guess he is trying to avoid paying you by making it difficult and uncomfortable for you to hassle him, exactly the things you are least happy with doing.

However, you do have options and.. you know where he lives. :evil:

Robert2006

Sat, December 22nd, 2007, 11:24 AM

I'm feeling a little stupid because it's possible I may have been targetted due to my trustworthiness. :doh:

Nah I'm sure he tries the same stunt with everybody. Including one off suppliers. He is testing to see if he can get away with it.

guava

Sun, December 23rd, 2007, 10:27 AM

No "after" pictures because I didn't achieve what I dreamed. No official weigh-in either. I don't consider it a failure, because it's possible that I retain this type of bloat every month at this specific time, and it'll be gone in a couple of days, and I'll look better than I've ever looked. Hey, I can always keep dreaming, right?

Yesterday looked something like this:
Cals Fat Carb Prot
Apple, raw ( 3 medium ) 244 1 63 1
JELL-O Pudding powder ( 1 NLEA serving ) 26 0 6 0
Milk, soy, ( 0.5 cup ) 40 2 2 3
Fish and rice with lemony sauce ( 1 cup ) 345 9 39 24
Broccoli, cooked, ( 0.7 large stalk ) 55 1 10 6
Beef, rice, carrots, broccoli, soy-based sauce (mixture) (3 cup) 600 22 62 37
Chocolate, sweet or dark ( 2 small pcs ) 83 6 10 1
Total 1394 42 193 72

Nutrients were surprisingly close to okay.

I'm not looking forward to "vacation" because it's not an activities-based (ie. theme park) vacation, which means I'll be dead bored. :blank: But it's what everyone else wanted, so I'm bring a lot of books, activity books, and games for Nintendo. I'll find a shady spot outside and pretend I'm doing something I couldn't have done just as easily in my own home. :cool: In general, I'm not a beach or pool person, and I don't like hot weather (or cold :p). It would be great if there was waterskiing and parasailing, but I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so I'll just cross my fingers.
Hey Nostradamus (http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Nostradamus-Novel-Coupland-Douglas/dp/B000GG4I38/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198419858&sr=1-9)
The Answer is Yes (http://www.amazon.com/Answer-Yes-Novel-Sara-Lewis/dp/0156005646/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198419824&sr=1-1)
The Pleasure of My Company (http://www.amazon.com/Pleasure-My-Company-Novel/dp/0786869216)

Something you don't want to hear from your aesthetician "Just sit there for a bit with this witch hazel on your thigh. Where I pulled there, it's starting to bruise." :cry: I also got a nice big blemish on my cheek a couple of weeks ago that just won't go away. I'm pretending it's a beauty mark, because it looks almost exactly like this (http://access.nscpcdn.com/gallery/i/m/mendes/mendes_gal1.jpg) but a little more reddish. :nod:

The good thing is, it seems there's really nowhere to go from here but up. :lol:

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. -- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Happy Monster

Fri, December 28th, 2007, 07:11 AM

Hope you had a good christmas! :nod:

Maya

Fri, December 28th, 2007, 10:00 AM

Something you don't want to hear from your aesthetician "Just sit there for a bit with this witch hazel on your thigh. Where I pulled there, it's starting to bruise." :cry:

For those type of emergencies get Arnica Montana. I have homeopatic, liquid version. Works like magic, I swear.
I bruise quite easily and putting on compress of arnica right away (just wet a paper towel with it and put it on) and ice on top of it for 5 min. No bruise whatsoever.

guava

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 12:30 PM

Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.The island has a tropical climate that is moderated by the surrounding waters.

Cuba is the most populous nation in the Caribbean. Its people, culture and customs draw from several sources. The White Cuban makes up 65.05% of the population, (mainly Spanish; also French, Portuguese , Italians, Russian, and also Canarian, Catalan, Andalusian and Galician). Africans make up 10 to 25% of the population. Remaining Cubans are Asian and Middle Eastern.

Following the Cuban Revolution of 1959 relations deteriorated substantially, and have since been marked by tension and confrontation. Each time the Cuban government nationalized American properties, the American government took countermeasures, resulting in the prohibition of all exports to Cuba on October 19, 1960. The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Cuba and has maintained an embargo which makes it illegal for U.S. corporations to do business with Cuba. The Cuban Democracy Act prohibits foreign-based subsidiaries of U.S. companies from trading with Cuba, forbids travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens, and disallows family remittances to Cuba. As well, any vessel which has traded goods or services with Cuba cannot within 180 days dock at a U.S port. As a result, multinational companies have to choose between Cuba and the U.S., the latter being a much larger market.

Since Cuba became a declared socialist republic in 1961, the United States Government has initiated various policy measures against Cuba which have had a considerable political and economic effect on the island; these have variously been designed to encourage Cubans to remove the leadership and to undertake political change towards liberal democracy. The most significant of these measures was the United States embargo against Cuba and the subsequent Helms-Burton Act of 1996. The act has been condemned by humanitarian groups because these groups argue that sanctions against an entire country will affect only the innocent population.

Well, it was nice to see the family for Christmas.

I didn't wear my bathing suit for the whole week. :lol:

My younger daughter (and my husband) had a great time. My older daughter and I enjoyed ourselves, but we both would have been happier about 375 miles north-east. :p

The shows at the resort were pretty interesting. My older daughter was horrified with the lack of coverage in the costumes. My younger daughter wants to be a dancer when she grows up. (Her favorite number in the show was one based on the musical Cabaret.:doh:)

Christmas Eve was memorable. It almost topped the year where my Dad died in early December, we flew home from China for the funeral, and my mom went on her trip to Mexico anyway. My husband had to fly back to China early because he was the head guy in charge of all the Y2K stuff. My sister was with her inlaws, so my daughter and I celebrated Christmas with a cousin. :blank: But at least this year had more elements of excitement than that year. :dance:

My mom thinks my stomach problems are stress related, which is starting to seem more likely than a dietary problem.

Very nice to be back home. :nod::):D I've really been missing broccoli, pomelo, and my computer, and getting tired of sweet rolls and chocolate sauce, and the beach. :confused:

Maybe I don't want a Happy New Year, he said. Maybe I want an intense New Year with a lot of growth experiences
& I had to admit I'd never thought of that ~Storypeople

Happy Monster

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 02:18 PM

Welcome back! :)

Seltzer

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 04:23 PM

Welcome back and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

guava

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 05:53 PM

Thanks guys! :)

It's so good to be back. I went grocery shopping a couple of hours ago, and went completely crazy with the fruits and vegetables. :lol: I didn't buy my Christmas fruitcake yet, but I will at one point soon. :nod:

My older daughter had a nasty case of traveller's diarrhea a few days ago, and now my younger daughter has chicken pox.

There was no cheque in the mail.

Various pictures of Cuba:
1. The Resort 2.The beach. "Our" beach was nicer than this one I took a picture of, but I was capturing a lizard at the edge of the frame there. 3. My mom paid for us to ride on a dromedary. That was fun, because it was so unexpected. 4. We rode on a double decker bus back to the resort after a day of strolling through town. I don't know who any of those people are, but they looked funny when they shrieked and ducked whenever we drove too close to the palm trees. We were on the other side of the top deck, so we didn't get trapped like that. 5. Bicycle cab, old car, and horse and carriage, in Havana.

Maya

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 10:35 PM

Happy New Year Guava!!

guava

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 10:47 PM

Happy New Year Guava!!Happy New Year Maya!

I was just reading in your journal about Café Américano and how it's different in Europe. I miss the woman that had been making my coffee in Cuba for me every morning. This Maxwell House stuff in the drip machine just isn't quite the same. I'm going to have to start driving to Starbucks in the morning for a double Americano, now that I'm used to that extra jolt of flavor. :spaz:

Unfortunately, the drive to Starbucks is twenty minutes. There's a café in town that has a nice machine, but they don't open until 11:00 am, for some odd reason.

guava

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 10:49 PM

Oh, and we're getting snow! I hope you stocked up on egg whites and chicken breasts!

Maya

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 11:09 PM

Happy New Year Maya!

I was just reading in your journal about Café Américano and how it's different in Europe. I miss the woman that had been making my coffee in Cuba for me every morning. This Maxwell House stuff in the drip machine just isn't quite the same. I'm going to have to start driving to Starbucks in the morning for a double Americano, now that I'm used to that extra jolt of flavor. :spaz:

Unfortunately, the drive to Starbucks is twenty minutes. There's a café in town that has a nice machine, but they don't open until 11:00 am, for some odd reason.

Hey Guava!!

You can buy a little cafetera and make your own espresso every morning. The little machine is very cheap, the good ones go for $15-20 or so.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafetera (3rd one from the top)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Coffe_percolator_moka.jpg/559px-Coffe_percolator_moka.jpg
I would recommend better brand like Bialetti. I got mine in Italy, but I think you can get them here as well. I bought some cheaper ones in Spain, but they don't last that long (esp the seals)

All you need to do is to fill up the bottom portion with filtered water and fill the middle part with find grind coffee (espresso). Take it off the stove right after it's done (takes like 3 min)
Add some hot water (this little one makes like a triple espresso) and enjoy!!

Oh. I love an italian coffee called Gioia. You can get it at Dominion. They have silver and gold one available. The gold one is better :tu:
Another italian coffee- Illy is very good, but very expensive.

Maya

Mon, December 31st, 2007, 11:10 PM

Oh, and we're getting snow! I hope you stocked up on egg whites and chicken breasts!

Yesssss!! Went to Costo and No Frills yesterday. Got loads of both :D

Naturegirl

Tue, January 1st, 2008, 03:43 PM

OMG I would have loved to have gone to a tropical beach or island to get away from the cold! :dreamy: I can see the little lizard in the corner of that picture, how cute he's just popping his head up like that :lol: Glad you had an okay time :)

Is everyone else in your house gonna get the chicken pox too?

guava

Tue, January 1st, 2008, 06:26 PM

Is everyone else in your house gonna get the chicken pox too?I don't know. :( I think the rest of us have already had chicken pox, but, then again, I heard that it's a myth that you can only get it once.

I'm pretty sure that my niece and nephew will become infected soon. I had no idea the incubation period was so long. :eek: Her best friend had come down with chicken pox during the last week of school, and it took about two weeks for it to pass along to her. So she was contagious through most of our time in Cuba; probably her most infectious period was on Sunday when we were in the plane. :doh:

Happy Monster

Wed, January 2nd, 2008, 08:12 AM

Ouch!!

eleonardo

Wed, January 2nd, 2008, 09:13 AM

Best wishes for the new year, Guava!

Seltzer

Wed, January 2nd, 2008, 01:14 PM

Bummer about not receiving the check yet.

Thanks for sharing the pictures and and even though you didn't enjoy it as much as some of your other family members it seems you picked a pretty place to vacation.

I use the same coffee maker that Maya mentioned every weekday morning. I usually just use regular coffee and it's the right size for my one mug of the day. I have the brand that Maya does, Bialetta (sp?); I paid about 17 USD for it somewhere between three and four years ago. The seals are degrading although it's still usuable.

guava

Wed, January 2nd, 2008, 02:17 PM

Best wishes for the new year, Guava!Thanks e! There's not a lot of people visiting journals with simple wishes like that anymore. I feel like it used to be a friendlier place when we were smaller. *sigh*

You can buy a little cafetera and make your own espresso every morning. The little machine is very cheap, the good ones go for $15-20 or so.

Oh. I love an italian coffee called Gioia. You can get it at Dominion. They have silver and gold one available. The gold one is better :tu:
Another italian coffee- Illy is very good, but very expensive.Ah, oops, I missed this post. :doh: Good thing Seltzer mentioned it. :lol:

Dominion? Odd, I can't think of where there is one, other than way over where I used to live somewhere near Dixie and Dundas. I'll have to look it up, or do you think Superstore or Sobey's might have it? Have you tried any of the coffees from Winners/Home sense? They certainly look impressive, but it's hard to tell. They have a Godiva coffee which I just about bought because I liked the decadent look of the gold bag. :lol: The Cuban coffee is aparently really good, but I didn't buy any. My family bought me a bag of Starbucks house blend for Christmas. :) I keep intending to buy a grinder and whole beans instead of continuing to use coffee that's been ground a year ago and opened several weeks or months ago. Used to be that I couldn't tell the difference, but in the last few years since I've cut way back on my fat and sugar consumption, my tastes are more distinctive.

I really like the idea of a vacuum coffee maker (http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.brewers.vacuum.shtml). Aparently they brew a slightly weak cup of coffee though.

Cona Vacuum Brewers are beautiful, elegant, and a bit scientific-looking; aficionados of these believe it's the ultimate brewing method. I think the results are remarkable ...I have never brewed a bad cup on the Cona.

It's main features is that the coffee is entirely prepared in glass; there's no contact with metal components. Because it operates by a vacuum principle, coffee is always infused at the precisely correct temperature every time, and over-extraction is not possible. It's the brewing method for romantics, and is prepared at the table with heat provided by the spirit lamp.
http://www.tabletools.com/ttools/images/std_img/11000.jpg

I really like the taste of those coffees made by the machines that produce a little bit of foam on the top, like you'd get with a good Americano. (Black still, no milk of any kind; it's just a little bubbly) A friend of mine had one of those fancy espresso machines that ground a fresh batch of beans for every single cup immediately before brewing! The coffee maker was insanely expensive (in the thousands of dollars; probably similar to what they use at Starbucks) but it was insanely good coffee. :drool:

We have a basic steam espresso machine, kind like this one (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006IUTZ/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=), but it doesn't make the foam, so it doesn't taste the same. My husband makes cappuccino in it, but he tried doing it with soy milk for me and said it didn't work. :confused: Maybe if I used the Silk brand like they use at Starbucks? :confused:

I don't understand why those Tassimo (coffee pod) machines are so popular. I had a sample of a cup at The Bay, and it was awful; basically tasted like instant coffee.

Bummer about not receiving the check yet.

Thanks for sharing the pictures and and even though you didn't enjoy it as much as some of your other family members it seems you picked a pretty place to vacation.
Hi Seltzer. I've completed the "self help package" I got from the Ministry of Labor and forwarded it to my employer; if nothing comes of it within 15 days, I'm ready to file my claim with them.

He's already replied (10 minutes after I sent the e-mail) that he's put the cheque in the mail :rolleyes:, but, again, I'm not holding my breath.

I could put these skills in my resume:
patience
persistence
solutions-oriented as opposed to problems-oriented

Cuba is a pretty place, and relaxing too. It's too bad that not everyone get maximum enjoyment out of the same environments. My brother-in-law mentioned that my sister would hate the kind of vacation I have in mind. :doh: (science centres, theme parks, hiking, shopping, sightseeing, fast food, and lots of coffee shops) And my poor mom; she just wants everyone to be happy, and feels so bad when we're not. :(

Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment. — Jean de La Bruyere

Robert2006

Wed, January 2nd, 2008, 02:50 PM

I've been on a french press coffee fix for awhile now.

Mokas work fine if you want something like an Expresso. Easy to use if you remember to tighten them enough and don't let them run dry.

I'm trying to remember who owns Dominon now. A&P? IGA? If you've got either near you they likely stock the exact same stuff Dominon does.

Chameleon

Wed, January 2nd, 2008, 03:21 PM

Happy New Year Guava

very pretty pictures from Cuba :nod:, even if it wasn't your idea of a perfect vacation it was a change of scenery and looks like it had to be relaxing ;)

FBChick

Wed, January 2nd, 2008, 03:46 PM

Happy New Year!!

And I agree.. the pictures are beautiful, so I hope you at least enjoyed the change of scenery!

Naturegirl

Wed, January 2nd, 2008, 10:18 PM

Well hopefully if anyone else gets the chicken pox, it wont be too bad. There are degrees of severity (mine wasnt too terrible.)

I was given a tiny little coffee grinder and coffee beans for Christmas, and it tastes much better than the already ground stuff in the tubs :nod: Have you ever used instant freeze dried coffee as a topping for ice cream though? :spaz:

KittyKat

Thu, January 3rd, 2008, 08:59 AM

Happy New Year, Guava!

I'm trying to catch up what I missed in your journal the last few weeks but I think it'll take a while! I feel exactly like you though, happy to be back at home with the usual food around :nod:

guava

Thu, January 3rd, 2008, 11:04 AM

Well hopefully if anyone else gets the chicken pox, it wont be too bad. There are degrees of severity (mine wasnt too terrible.)

Have you ever used instant freeze dried coffee as a topping for ice cream though? :spaz:
It doesn't seem to be too bad. The wikipedia page has some frightening photos. :eek: Two days ago was pretty sad. She was so, so itchy. :cry:

Is there something different about freeze dried coffee or is all instant the same? I never really thought of "eating" it, but I mix it into gravies sometimes, or add it into cakes.

Coffee Beef Roast

1 2 1/2 pound boneless beef sirloin tip roast, cut in half
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup sliced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water

In a large nonstick skillet, brown roast over medium high heat on all sides in oil. Place in a 5 quart slow cooker. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms, onions and garlic until tender; stir in the coffee, salt, and pepper. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast and keep warm. Pour cooking juices into a 2 cups measuring cup; skim fat. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir in 2 cups cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with sliced beef. 6 servings.

I feel exactly like you though, happy to be back at home with the usual food around :nod:Happy New Year kk!

Yeah, my husband has been giving me a hard time. He thinks it's amusing how uncomfortable I get at all-inclusive beach holidays (the same thing happened when we were in Turkey). It might be kind of pathetic to admit, but food plays a huge role in deciding where we want to vacation. I need well-equipped grocery stores where I can buy fruits and yogurts (a Starbucks is a huge bonus), and the rest of them need McDonald's in order to feel relaxed and content.

I'm refusing to step on the scale, but I would guess I gained about 1 to 1.5 kg over the holidays. We had a friend over the other day and he told me I still needed to gain weight. :blank: My husband thinks I look much better now than a couple of weeks ago, but still would be happier if I was heavier yet. :blank: I'm still fine with how I look in clothes, but the currect reflection in my bathroom mirror is not the one I like best. I don't placate him all the time, but when it's convenient for me, I will. It's convenient now, because that means more chocolate. :drool: When summer comes, I'll lean out again. I really feel more confident with less fat on my butt, but it would be nice to be able to get there without losing any of my other fat mass anywhere else.

We're hosting a Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner on Sunday January 6th. My husband e-mailed me a huge list of recipes; I don't know if that means he expects me to cook some of these things from scratch. :confused: Traditionally, the event is supposed to be a big religious ritual, but I don't know how closely he's intending us to replicate it. It could end up to be very complicated (http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/holidays/christmas/ukraine.htm), and I probably should start cooking now. :spaz:

I got the cutest little petit fours from the grocery store; they look a lot like these ones:
http://www.mrs-o-kitchen.com/images/cmpet.gif

But if I serve all or most of the required foods, I'll at least get to insist that we sing Christmas carols at the end. :dance:

In reality, what I think is going to happen is that one of our guests is bringing the perogies, I'll prepare cabbage rolls from frozen (not even meatless), and the rest will be a nontraditional meal, probably with sweet and sour meatballs as one of the side dishes for my husband, and brussels sprouts for me. :eat: I made the kutya last year, and it didn't turn out all that well, so I'm not sure if I'll try it again. We'll have pumpkin pie and fruitcake for dessert with the petit fours.

The woman who is subjected to the continual adulation of strangers does not win, nor does the woman who denies herself attention. A woman wins by giving herself and other women permission – to eat; to be sexual; to age; to cover up or go practically naked; to do whatever we choose in following – or ignoring – our own aesthetic. A woman wins when she feels that what each woman does with her own body is her own business ~Naomi Wolf

guava

Fri, January 11th, 2008, 10:52 AM

I seem to have stabilized.
Scale is reading 54.0 kg 20% body fat

I'm trying to find one of those skirted bathing suits, because I have such ridiculously high standards of physical presentation that I just can't comfortably believe I am projecting a vision of beauty when I step out onto the beach. Women's bathing suits are pretty much a joke, and I can't understand why we haven't all collectively rebelled and insisted on something more flattering to adorn ourselves with. I can look perfectly presentable in a sundress or medium-short shorts. :cool:

The blood bank called and asked if I'd like to set an appointment, so I'm going on Monday. :tu: But my iron intake has been scarce and I'm worried I'll fail the hemoglobin test again. :scared: So I'm checking all the labels on my cereal and eating the one with the greatest amount. Frosted Mini Wheats surprisingly has twice as much as Cinnamon Shredded Wheat. :confused: I eat it with strawberries to boost the iron absorption. :eat: I should be eating a lot more red meat, but it sounds really unappetizing to me this week, what with my cold and all.

I got my cheque in the mail. What a stupid liar. :mad: Interestingly, it was a company cheque signed by Ms. President. It's possible I never would have gotten paid if I hadn't brought her into this mess. I need to refocus my efforts on resuming my job hunt. :cry: There's a "volunteer coordinator" position come up at an ecological centre that I really must apply for, but I'd really rather work somewhere where I don't need to interact face to face with other people.

A woman who once babysat my youngest daughter has been charged with abuse towards one of the children in her care. She mentioned it to me at the bus stop the first day the kids went back to school. This woman is more loving and attentive to children than practically any other woman I've met before, but once a charge like this comes up, it's impossible to make it go away. She's so lost and sad, because she loves those kids so much. So I'm going to spend more time with her this week; go out shopping and for coffee and chats. If there's anyone who deserves to be happy, it's her. :nod:

Both my girls are turning a year older this month. I should be planning birthday parties, but they're each aiming for something fairly low-key, so I think I'll just make sure I have a few back-up activities handy, in case they get into conflicts. And we need helium balloons. :spaz:

The breakfast program at the school starts up again next week. I was unable to completely unload the responsibilities of menu planning and shopping, but we're having a meeting late this morning to brainstorm menu ideas that the volunteers will be more agreeable about :dance:

I planted some early spring bulbs in the fall, and they're starting to peek their little greenery up through the ground. :spaz: They'll be like this (http://www.paghat.com/irisreticulata.html) in a few weeks! Then this (http://www.paghat.com/tuliplittlebeauty.html) will come a couple of weeks after that. :D A touch of spring in January/February; what a mood booster. :D

I have found that if you love life, life will love you back. ~Arthur Rubinstein

bmacntmac

Fri, January 11th, 2008, 12:28 PM

I have found that if you love life, life will love you back. ~Arthur Rubinstein

Someone told me recently to not fall in love with anything that is not capable of loving you back.

But I do agree with this quote about loving life. You get out what you put in.

FBChick

Fri, January 11th, 2008, 01:17 PM

Glad to hear you finally got paid, but what a miserable process to have to go through to get someone to own up to their responsibilities.

A woman who once babysat my youngest daughter has been charged with abuse towards one of the children in her care. She mentioned it to me at the bus stop the first day the kids went back to school. This woman is more loving and attentive to children than practically any other woman I've met before, but once a charge like this comes up, it's impossible to make it go away. She's so lost and sad, because she loves those kids so much. So I'm going to spend more time with her this week; go out shopping and for coffee and chats. If there's anyone who deserves to be happy, it's her. :nod:

It sad how a stigma like this can be stuck with someone for life.

Happy Monster

Fri, January 11th, 2008, 02:28 PM

Sounds like you have a lot going on at the moment! I'm glad you got paid eventually.. good going on chasing this up, he would never have paid otherwise I don't think.

Seltzer

Fri, January 11th, 2008, 05:05 PM

It's nice to read that your perserverance finally paid off, but what a PIA!

That's too bad about the woman; it's hard to get past something like that even if you're eventually exonerated by the courts.

guava

Fri, January 11th, 2008, 08:15 PM

That's too bad about the woman; it's hard to get past something like that even if you're eventually exonerated by the courts.I think that's why I'm so sympathetic to it. My Dad went through something similarly taxing, and, though the charges were eventually dropped, he was never the same again. He ended up on long term disability unable to work due to the horrible stress he'd been through. He'd been a teacher, and had to start right back at square one with a new career. I have a feeling she'll have to do the same, even though the parents of all of the other kids she's watching would currently like to have her keep watching their kids, she says she can't do it right now and doesn't know if she'll be able to. :(

Really too bad that there isn't some failproof way to tell who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. And some creative way to punish those who cry wolf without just cause. :evil:

I wrote the cover letter for the job I'm making myself apply for. :dance: I sent it off to my mom for proofreading.

bballer143

Fri, January 11th, 2008, 09:49 PM

I got my cheque in the mail. What a stupid liar. :mad: Interestingly, it was a company cheque signed by Ms. President. It's possible I never would have gotten paid if I hadn't brought her into this mess.

:claphigh: Yay for finally getting paid!

A woman who once babysat my youngest daughter has been charged with abuse towards one of the children in her care. She mentioned it to me at the bus stop the first day the kids went back to school. This woman is more loving and attentive to children than practically any other woman I've met before, but once a charge like this comes up, it's impossible to make it go away. She's so lost and sad, because she loves those kids so much. So I'm going to spend more time with her this week; go out shopping and for coffee and chats. If there's anyone who deserves to be happy, it's her. :nod:

That's terrible. :( It's very nice of you to devote some of your time to hanging out with her this week. I'm sure having a friend as wonderful and caring as you to talk to will help her a bit in trying to cope with this unfortunate situation.

J_W

Sun, January 13th, 2008, 02:12 PM

I wrote the cover letter for the job I'm making myself apply for. :dance: I sent it off to my mom for proofreading.

Good luck! Hopefully this job will turn out to be better than the last one. I'm also considering applying for a TA position at the university. I need to talk to a few people first though and find out what exactly a TA does :D.

Robert2006

Sun, January 13th, 2008, 02:14 PM

I need to talk to a few people first though and find out what exactly a TA does :D.

Whatever the Professor doesn't enjoy :lol:

J_W

Sun, January 13th, 2008, 02:21 PM

Whatever the Professor doesn't enjoy :lol:

Yeah, I thought so. :doh: But I could use the job to build my resume.

guava

Sun, January 13th, 2008, 03:11 PM

Good luck! Hopefully this job will turn out to be better than the last one. I'm also considering applying for a TA position at the university. I need to talk to a few people first though and find out what exactly a TA does :D.Cool. :cool:

I imagine that the experience of a TA can vary widely, depending on which tasks the prof likes, how he relates to other people, and how much control he wants to give you. I'm really enjoying the volunteering I'm doing in the grade one classroom this year. The teacher seems to understand the type of things I like doing (photocopying, filing, choosing books, etc.) and usually has enough things laid out to keep me busy, but last year, the kindergarten teacher wanted me to call kids over and help them do their artwork, which wasn't as much fun for me. :doh: :lol:

There's an ad in the paper for a Youth Justice Committee volunteer. It sounds interesting to "meet with all affected and negotiate an appropriate way for the young person to make amends for his or her actions" but again, I'm preferably looking for opportunities where I don't actually have to talk to anyone. :o

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~ Mark Twain

zenpharaohs

Sun, January 13th, 2008, 08:15 PM

Yeah, I thought so. :doh: But I could use the job to build my resume.

TAs do different things in different departments, and it can come down to differences between individual professors. So check with people who have had the TA in the same department.

kateykate

Thu, January 17th, 2008, 08:19 PM

:wave:

guava

Thu, January 17th, 2008, 11:12 PM

Fri, January 18th, 2008, 12:15 PM

Santa got the girls an Xbox 360, but they played it an hour and got bored of it, so we returned it to the store.

:eek: :cry:

I take it you did not get Viva Piñata (http://www.vivapinata.com/#1/Channels/vivapinata.com/products/**/Channels/vivapinata.com/products/vivapinata/What%20is%20Viva%20Pinata) as one of the games? :confused:

FBChick

Fri, January 18th, 2008, 12:24 PM

Hi kateykate! It's so exciting that you've returned for a visit!

My older daughter now has the chicken pox. :blank: It would have been more convenient a week or two ago. Now she has to postpone her birthday party. :( So it might have to be the same day as her sister's. :spaz:

I had a successful shopping trip with my friend. :) So much fun she wants to got with me again next week. :nod:

Santa got the girls an Xbox 360, but they played it an hour and got bored of it, so we returned it to the store. We're waiting on a Wii, but nobody will confirm when there will be more. There is a rumor there may be some in stores tomorrow morning, so we're crossing our fingers.

"There is a short pause as she diagnoses the depth of my confusion. That I am not kidding. I am thrown, because for a minute there I thought she might be on my planet, which also has waterslides, but as it turns out, she is not, after all, on my planet." ~Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius)

ICK on the Chicken Pox! My son actually caught it from my daughter after she had gotten the immunization for it (caused a very mild outbreak for her that he picked up) Thankfully we're over that hurdle!

I think you guys will love the Wii! I'm not a video game type person and never really get into them much, but my kids catch me playing it all the time:o. My favorite is the "Dance, Dance Revolution" Comes with a hefty price tag for the dance pads, but makes for a great, fun workout when I can't hit the gym. The kids and I can play for hours on the weekend! Now I'm just trying to find some free time to try out the football game in Raymen Raving Rabbids II. I can kick butt in the cow tossing game in the Rayman Raving Rabbids I game, even though I can't stop giggling at it.

guava

Fri, January 18th, 2008, 01:59 PM

:eek: :cry:

I take it you did not get Viva Piñata (http://www.vivapinata.com/#1/Channels/vivapinata.com/products/**/Channels/vivapinata.com/products/vivapinata/What%20is%20Viva%20Pinata) as one of the games? :confused:Well no...
Technically, we didn't buy any games for it, just used the ones that came with it, so I suppose it wasn't much of a fair trial :whistle:, but we all liked the idea of the Wii a little better.

I've had my heart set on Cooking Mama for months now. :D

I've also heard great things about Wii sports.

I think you guys will love the Wii! I'm not a video game type person and never really get into them much, but my kids catch me playing it all the time:o. My favorite is the "Dance, Dance Revolution" Comes with a hefty price tag for the dance pads, but makes for a great, fun workout when I can't hit the gym. The kids and I can play for hours on the weekend! Now I'm just trying to find some free time to try out the football game in Raymen Raving Rabbids II. I can kick butt in the cow tossing game in the Rayman Raving Rabbids I game, even though I can't stop giggling at it.

Cow tossing sounds like fun. :lol:

I applied for another job this morning, but it's not perfectly suited for me either. The interesting thing about applying for jobs that you don't want very much is that you can be outrageous in the application process, and 100% honest in the job interview. So I broke a few rules in form in the cover letter, resulting in a rather creative piece of writing. If I get interviewed, I'm planning to ask how much time I get to spend alone. :p

What do you want? I said & she said, in the abstract or the concrete? & I decided to rephrase the question. I'm going to the store, I said. Need anything? & she frowned & said, Obviously, you meant concrete

Seltzer

Fri, January 18th, 2008, 02:34 PM

I applied for another job this morning, but it's not perfectly suited for me either. The interesting thing about applying for jobs that you don't want very much is that you can be outrageous in the application process, and 100% honest in the job interview. So I broke a few rules in form in the cover letter, resulting in a rather creative piece of writing. If I get interviewed, I'm planning to ask how much time I get to spend alone. :p

What do you want? I said & she said, in the abstract or the concrete? & I decided to rephrase the question. I'm going to the store, I said. Need anything? & she frowned & said, Obviously, you meant concrete

Not that I've been on an interview in a long time, but aside from the "fun" aspect that you pointed out, it's also a good way to keep your interview skills honed. My wife went on just such one a week ago.

Gordo

Fri, January 18th, 2008, 02:49 PM

guava

Fri, January 18th, 2008, 04:27 PM

My kids uncle got them a wii for x-mas (for the casual gamer it's awesome)....
Places to look for a wii (and games):

Bestbuy/FS ...bestbuy is advertising them again (finally) in this weeks flyer
EBGames
Rogers Video
Walmart
The Bay
Zellers
DELL

Raving rabbids I is $20 (even though the package says $29) at ebgames and is hilarious. My little guy got that one.
wii sports rocks....4 person tennis is "the" adult party game.
My 2 boys work up a sweat beat the crap out of each other in boxing.
Sonic versus Mario Olympics looks interesting.
Big Brain academy has a versus mode which is fun!

Accessories (controllers, charging stations etc...) can almost equal the cost of console itself. Be warned.
Dell recently had a deal on controller and the nunchuk for $54. That special comes around often so check Dell periodically.
Awesome Gordo! :tu:

My husband was going to check Bestbuy today. They told him on Wednesday that they might have some in this morning. I didn't hear from him yet.

I've seen the prices of the games and half-heartedly peeked at the accessories online. :eek: There was a broomstick racing game for only $18.97 at Wal-Mart that looked kinda cool, but when I googled it, it didn't seem to get very good reviews.

We've really enjoyed Brain Age on the DS, so I think Big Brain Academy would be a hit too.

If we don't get one today, I'll try a few more stores on Tuesday. :)

Thank you for applying for the position.
We are currently assessing the 44 applicants and will get back to you
in about a week.

Happy Monster

Fri, January 18th, 2008, 06:45 PM

The Wii is fun for all the family, whereas the PS3 and Xbox 360 are more for older dedicated gamers.

FBChick

Sat, January 19th, 2008, 12:22 AM

Raving rabbids I is $20 (even though the package says $29) at ebgames and is hilarious. My little guy got that one.
wii sports rocks....4 person tennis is "the" adult party game.
My 2 boys work up a sweat beat the crap out of each other in boxing.
Sonic versus Mario Olympics looks interesting.
Big Brain academy has a versus mode which is fun!

Wii Sports is the best for group play if you ask me. We constantly pull it out when we, or the kids have friends over.

I spend more calories laughing at Raving Rabids, then I do actually playing the game! Ravings Rabids II is even funnier, but a bit more difficult.

For christmas we splurged on Guiter Hero and Dance, Dance Revolution. Guiter hero is fun, but seems to be my son and hubby's thing more. But my daughter and I love to get our grove on with DDR (They actually just put a similar setup in our corporate gym! :lol:)

eleonardo

Sat, January 19th, 2008, 05:00 AM

The Wii is great! Fun for the whole family. I got it for my bday last year. There were sold out EVERYWHERE so my friends got it for me in Germany. Actually, they're still hard to get. Nintendo won't go broke anytime soon I suspect :cool:

Hi, Guava :o

Gordo

Sat, January 19th, 2008, 03:28 PM

The Wii is fun for all the family, whereas the PS3 and Xbox 360 are more for older dedicated gamers.

hehe, describe dedicated (you probably meant sophisticated)....my buddy was over yesterday and we started playing Mario versus Sonic Olympics at 8:30 pm....we tired out somewhere around 3 am. I was exhausted physically from playing that game (Kinda reminded me of Olympics for the C64 back in the day)
I paid the price since I had to take the kids to swimming lessons at 9am this morning :(

Sorry to hijack Guava :D

Good luck finding one....i hope you luck out.

I forgot a few places:

ToysRUs
The SourceCC
Costco
Amazon.ca

http://www.nintendo-wii-console.ca/
http://wiitracker.com/
http://www.instocklocator.com/
http://www.corwin.ca/wii/

Ecrivain

Sat, January 19th, 2008, 08:12 PM

I applied for another job this morning, but it's not perfectly suited for me either. The interesting thing about applying for jobs that you don't want very much is that you can be outrageous in the application process, and 100% honest in the job interview. So I broke a few rules in form in the cover letter, resulting in a rather creative piece of writing. If I get interviewed, I'm planning to ask how much time I get to spend alone. :p

Not that I've been on an interview in a long time, but aside from the "fun" aspect that you pointed out, it's also a good way to keep your interview skills honed. My wife went on just such one a week ago.

:nod: And you might just get offered the job! When you don't want the job, you're more likely to be relaxed and confident during the interview. It's similar to the effect of job-searching while you're still employed. You don't reek of desperation.

guava

Sat, January 19th, 2008, 08:19 PM

:nod: And you might just get offered the job! When you don't want the job, you're more likely to be relaxed and confident during the interview. It's similar to the effect of job-searching while you're still employed. You don't reek of desperation.I've had much better success at interviews when I didn't need the job. :blank:

I have a third job to apply to; only about 5 minutes from my husband's work, and maybe about half an hour from home. :blank: He says if we get the job maybe we'll move. :whistle: It's always in the back of my mind that I'd like to get my older daughter into late French Immersion, (which isn't available here) so that would be kinda cool. :cool: We're in a great area now, though, with a house that's perfect for us, so I don't imagine it would be easy to find anything similar.

No Wii yet. But I adore Mr. Fancy Pants Man. He's so cute how he scoots around and flies through the air! :D

http://www.addictinggames.com/fimages/4555.jpg (http://www.addictinggames.com/fancypantsadventure2.html)

Happy Monster

Sun, January 20th, 2008, 07:24 AM

Good luck with the job hunting!

..and.. Matthew in your avatar? Again?? :p

Zoetastic

Sun, January 20th, 2008, 12:38 PM

I take it you did not get Viva Piñata (http://www.vivapinata.com/#1/Channels/vivapinata.com/products/**/Channels/vivapinata.com/products/vivapinata/What%20is%20Viva%20Pinata) as one of the games? :confused:

i've watched this cartoon on saturday morning tv :blush: and i kinda wanna watch it again.

My favorite is the "Dance, Dance Revolution" Comes with a hefty price tag for the dance pads, but makes for a great, fun workout when I can't hit the gym. kudos to anyone that is coordinated enough to be able to do DDR. it is a GREAT workout if you get really into it.:tu: i would think that guava's fam would be all about that ;)

I've had my heart set on Cooking Mama for months now. :D

I've also heard great things about Wii sports.

what's" cooking mama " :confused:?
Wii sports are great, but stretch first! i hurt my shoulder playing Wii boxing :blush: :)

We've really enjoyed Brain Age on the DS, so I think Big Brain Academy would be a hit too.

i've been seriously considering getting the DS so i can play brain age. do you recommend it? i've been on the fence on whether or not it was worth it. but i really like the idea of the whole "stimulate your brain" in today's age of... brain mush :). i tried to do a long division problem on paper a while ago... it was... disheartening, lol ;)

p.s. Hi Guava :wave: :D take a moment to remember that you are fantastic and awesome and we all :heart: you :)
ok.. that is all ;) move along now.

guava

Sun, January 20th, 2008, 02:24 PM

what's" cooking mama " :confused:?
Wii sports are great, but stretch first! i hurt my shoulder playing Wii boxing :)
Cooking Mama:
-CaHPMPckcE
Cut, peel, mix, chop, fry, flip...
The voice is a little annoying. Are all of the Nintendo games designed and created in Japan? It's available for DS too, which might be just as much fun
MjyCjNRDKkI

They're also soon coming up with Wii Fit:
5oNVIcMnZh4
Have not researched this yet. It doesn't look like it would be a strenuous workout, but would probably raise the heart rate a little and help with balance and coordination.

i've been seriously considering getting the DS so i can play brain age. do you recommend it? i've been on the fence on whether or not it was worth it. but i really like the idea of the whole "stimulate your brain" in today's age of... brain mush :). i tried to do a long division problem on paper a while ago... it was... disheartening, lol ;)

Brain Age is fun for the first 12 hours or so that you play it, then gets monotonous. What's nice is that they leave some things unplayable, and they "unlock" new features once you've completed some levels.
4YyV6s2B-fo
Calculations x 20 and calculations x 100 were pretty nice, and it's satisfying when he tells you that you work at "jet" speed, but there's not really anywhere to go from there.

There's one activity called "reading" which seems pretty dumb. You can practice reading anywhere.

Some things are surprisingly difficult. I had a lot of trouble with the syllable count. :doh: But instead of trying to get better, I just never played it all that much. :whistle:

Head count is pretty fun, keeping track of the number of people who are zipping in and out of buildings. The sounds of their trampling feet is what really makes it. :lol:

He also randomly asks you to draw pictures of various objects, which can really highlight poor artistic ability. Then he shares your pictures with the other people who are signed in to the game. :o My daughter laughed at some of my pathetic attempts. :lol:

I never figured out how to do the triangle math. :confused:

Once I unlocked all of the games, it wasn't as much of a challenge anymore, so I've only used it for Sudoku since. However, that in itself makes the game worthwhile. It's a much more neat way to play Sudoku, and it has a timer built in, which really motivates you to solve quickly. I completed all of the Sudoku puzzles in each of the three levels. (Maybe 90 in total?) I've gone back to try to improve my score in the ones I did poorly. Like I said, it's nice to see that score of "jet speed" and get praise from the wacky Japanese guy.

There's a roller coaster building game called Thrillville that I'm looking at. I don't know if it would be good for DS or better on the Wii.

aZF_4-5UG4Y
We've been playing Roller Coaster Tycoon, Sim Coaster, Skateboard Park Tycoon, etc. on the computer. I tend to have a bias towards the one I first learn (RCT) but my older daughter always wants to try new games. I'm not sure it's different enough to invest in it as well. :confused:

p.s. Hi Guava :wave: :D take a moment to remember that you are fantastic and awesome and we all :heart: you :)
ok.. that is all ;) move along now.Z!!!!!:love:
You're so sweet. :dreamy:

I made an online gift for you, but I lost it. :( I'll give it another try later on.

A couple years ago there was a giant billboard in downtown San Francisco that I'll never forget. This particular day I just happened to glimpse up and see these words:

"YOU LOOK REALLY NICE TODAY!"

Now, the reason I remember this is because, somehow, this silly billboard managed to bring a smile to my face. Even though I recognized
the 'corporate cleverness' at play I have to admit that the message made me 'feel' good.

The sign also made me realize how fragile our human egos are and how
much we crave recognition and appreciation. Maybe this is because we
don't always take the time to appreciate for ourselves who we really are.

Today's poem by Rumi is a reminder to all of us that if we look a little
deeper, past all those things that are temporary and superficial and
past the fears and confusion that are part of being human, we are
destined to find a very, very beautiful person. This is who we truly
are. And this is the most important person we will ever meet.

Wishing you the moon and the stars!

Ron Atchison
Inspiration Peak http://www.inspirationpeak.com/

"You suppose you are the trouble
But you are the cure
You suppose that you are the lock on the door
But you are the key that opens it
It's too bad that you want to be someone else
You don't see your own face, your own beauty
Yet, no face is more beautiful than yours."

Rumi, 1207-1273
Persian Poet and Professor

guava

Sun, January 20th, 2008, 02:40 PM

..and.. Matthew in your avatar? Again?? :pHe warms my heart. :dreamy:

Phillydude was kind enough to point out that he and Kate Hudson are on the cover of Glamour magazine this month.

I had to look in six different stores (for some reason, that's a hard magazine to find in Canada, and the first couple of times I saw it they still had December's issue on display :confused:)

But in the issue, he says this:
"Trailer life. I like where I am. If I wake up one morning and feel like moving on, I get to hook it up and move. I get a new backyard for 30 bucks a night wherever I go. Sometimes you don't even have to pay for the spot. And you can pull into the most beautiful spots. In Utah I pulled up next to an old train track two miles into the dessert."
:confused::D:dreamy:

https://secure.reservexl.net/wwwimg/img/tours/3319-5.jpg

Happy Monster

Sun, January 20th, 2008, 02:57 PM

And I'm sure his good looks don't help that warmth at all. :p

Ecrivain

Sun, January 20th, 2008, 06:35 PM

Cooking Mama:
-CaHPMPckcE
Cut, peel, mix, chop, fry, flip...

Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems somewhat unfun. All the hassles of food prep without the delicious, edible reward at the end. :confused: Kind of like fishing simulators. :sleep:

Silver

Mon, January 21st, 2008, 01:01 AM

Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems somewhat unfun. All the hassles of food prep without the delicious, edible reward at the end. :confused: Kind of like fishing simulators. :sleep:

:nod:

guava

Mon, January 21st, 2008, 07:54 PM

Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems somewhat unfun. All the hassles of food prep without the delicious, edible reward at the end. :confused: Kind of like fishing simulators. :sleep:

I'm thinking you're right. :(

So, the plan is: cook with daughter more often.

I had a great Monday again, helping out at the school. There's a little boy that always comes up to me with sweet little puppy dog eyes and asks if he can please, please, read to me. :dreamy:

A really, really, really exciting opportunity has come up - to create a database of a particular industry which included specified fields of interest. It's really in line with all of my questionnaire and analysis strengths, but it's quite a bit more open-ended and independent than I'm used to. I have ten days to come up with a proposal, including resume, work samples, references, work plan and timeline, and breakdown of costs. :scared:

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. ~Milton Berle :tu:

KittyKat

Tue, January 22nd, 2008, 09:01 AM

A really, really, really exciting opportunity has come up - to create a database of a particular industry which included specified fields of interest. It's really in line with all of my questionnaire and analysis strengths, but it's quite a bit more open-ended and independent than I'm used to. I have ten days to come up with a proposal, including resume, work samples, references, work plan and timeline, and breakdown of costs. :scared:

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. ~Milton Berle :tu:

Good luck with coming up with a proposal and getting all the stuff ready...sounds like a lot of work! And I love the quote :nod:

Ecrivain

Tue, January 22nd, 2008, 10:30 PM

I'm thinking you're right. :(

So, the plan is: cook with daughter more often.

I like this plan. :nod: My parents didn't include me or my sister in the kitchen very often. I learned from watching cooking shows on PBS.

guava

Tue, January 22nd, 2008, 11:36 PM

I went shopping today.

I bought
10 pounds of onions
10 pounds of beets
10 pounds of carrots
($6 so far)
2 boxes (10 pounds ?) of mandarin oranges
4 Asian pears
3 packs of Asian noodles
4 pounds of cherries
2 pounds of grapes
2 pounds of bananas
2 tomatoes
4 large cans tomatoes
4.8 L ketchup
4 large cans salmon
2 loaves of whole wheat bread
large whole wheat hamburger buns

I'm planning to cook Authentic Ukrainian Borscht (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ukrainian-Red-Borscht-Soup/Detail.aspx) (no sausage). :eat:

Oh, and I found a Psychology Assistant posting. :spaz:
"Will be instructed on how to administer and interpret the results of standardized psychometric tests. Must have a psychology degree."

That's exactly what I want to doooooo... :jumping:

Tomorrow will be a busy day, applying for jobs.

kSDELVkcxcM

The most important question to ask on the job is not "What am I getting?" The most important question to ask on the job is "What am I becoming?" ~ Jim Rohn

Jedi

Wed, January 23rd, 2008, 03:40 AM

Oh, and I found a Psychology Assistant posting. :spaz:
"Will be instructed on how to administer and interpret the results of standardized psychometric tests. Must have a psychology degree."

That's exactly what I want to doooooo... :jumping:

Tomorrow will be a busy day, applying for jobs.

kSDELVkcxcM

The most important question to ask on the job is not "What am I getting?" The most important question to ask on the job is "What am I becoming?" ~ Jim Rohn

Finally this seems more like the sort of job you are skilled and qualified for :) :gl:

guava

Wed, January 23rd, 2008, 02:32 PM

Finally this seems more like the sort of job you are skilled and qualified for :) :gl:It's exciting! :spaz:
I'm getting a lot of help with writing up a new cover letter and resume.

If I don't get the job, but do get an interview, then I'm on the right track and I'm going to try to target my job search from this point to the hidden job market instead of going for just posted jobs. I realize I could have been doing this from square one, but the thought of networking and making cold calls absolutely terrifies me, as opposed to applying and interviewing for posted jobs, which is simply just standard scary. :scared:

I have the proposal to work on too. It was pointed out me that not many people will take the time to make a proposal, so as long as it's half way decent, I have a very good chance of being selected.

Don’t wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom. ~ Jim Rohn

bmacntmac

Thu, January 24th, 2008, 05:32 PM

Don’t wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom. ~ Jim Rohn

You always have the best quotes in your journal, Guava. Do you get them from the "Insight of the Day"? I can't remember if it was you or Chameleon that said that you get an email everyday with quotes. (If it was you.....thanks....a little late because I've been getting them for awhile now after seeing them here at JSF)

guava

Thu, January 24th, 2008, 05:41 PM

It's exciting! :spaz:
I'm getting a lot of help with writing up a new cover letter and resume.I have an interview on Tuesday for the volunteer coordinator position. :claplow:
It's one of the ones that's not really perfect, so I'm going to try not to worry so much about it. The nice thing about it is that it's a part time thing, so I would probably be able to keep all of my volunteer commitments, and not worry about conflicts with the family's extracurricular activities.

I've finished the proposal and timeline for the other consultant position. I e-mailed it to my cousin who's going to help me come up with a cost breakdown, if possible. She's written hundreds of proposals, worked for years as an independent consultant, and, coincidentally enough, she currently working for the government in the Agriculture Department! (The consultant position I'm submitting the proposal for is all about farming) Different province, but she might have some tips anyway.

What's intriguing is that I could probably hold both of these jobs at the same time. :) AND keep volunteering. :D

I have my cover letter and resume almost ready for the assistant psychology posting, and, in the meantime, another posting, nearly identical, also appeared in my inbox! :spaz:

So I took down my Christmas tree this afternoon...:whistle:

I already had it "down", but I finally packed it nicely away in a box.

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller

guava

Thu, January 24th, 2008, 05:45 PM

You always have the best quotes in your journal, Guava. Do you get them from the "Insight of the Day"? I can't remember if it was you or Chameleon that said that you get an email everyday with quotes. (If it was you.....thanks....a little late because I've been getting them for awhile now after seeing them here at JSF)
Initially, I built up a document of favorite quotes from selecting my favorite topics from

www.quotegarden.com

I get e-mails from

www.insightoftheday.com
www.inspirationpeak.com/
www.storypeople.com
www.realsimple.com

I file my favorite ones under the appropriate category in the previously mentioned document. As I post the quotes here, I highlight them pink so that I (ideally) don't post the same quote more than once.:)

Happy Monster

Thu, January 24th, 2008, 06:18 PM

Good luck with the interviews Guava!! :)

Jedi

Fri, January 25th, 2008, 10:08 AM

I have an interview on Tuesday for the volunteer coordinator position. :claplow:
It's one of the ones that's not really perfect, so I'm going to try not to worry so much about it. The nice thing about it is that it's a part time thing, so I would probably be able to keep all of my volunteer commitments, and not worry about conflicts with the family's extracurricular activities.

I've finished the proposal and timeline for the other consultant position. I e-mailed it to my cousin who's going to help me come up with a cost breakdown, if possible. She's written hundreds of proposals, worked for years as an independent consultant, and, coincidentally enough, she currently working for the government in the Agriculture Department! (The consultant position I'm submitting the proposal for is all about farming) Different province, but she might have some tips anyway.

What's intriguing is that I could probably hold both of these jobs at the same time. :) AND keep volunteering. :D

I have my cover letter and resume almost ready for the assistant psychology posting, and, in the meantime, another posting, nearly identical, also appeared in my inbox! :spaz:

So I took down my Christmas tree this afternoon...:whistle:

I already had it "down", but I finally packed it nicely away in a box.

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller

Well I hope you end up actually being able to choose the one that sounds most appropriate at the moment :)

guava

Fri, January 25th, 2008, 01:09 PM

Well I hope you end up actually being able to choose the one that sounds most appropriate at the moment :)

:D Moment by moment.

I have six active applications out there, and two more that I'm going to send later today, and now I'm nervous that I won't be able to keep track of them all. :( Also, it would be really hard for me to accept a job if I knew that there was another one slightly better suited for me possibly right around the corner, but that I only have a slim chance of being interviewed for.

Part of me thinks I should only apply for the jobs that are the ones I would LOVE to do (but am a little bit weak on the experience required), and the another part of me understands that I should be applying for the jobs that I think I can get.

The Ontario Government puts out new jobs every Friday. There's some really cool postings on there, but sometimes it's hard to tell if I'm qualified, yet it's not clear which, if any, experiences could make me a stronger applicant.

Birthday party tonight. :)
And tomorrow morning. :lol:

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Ecrivain

Fri, January 25th, 2008, 02:23 PM

Part of me thinks I should only apply for the jobs that are the ones I would LOVE to do (but am a little bit weak on the experience required), and the another part of me understands that I should be applying for the jobs that I think I can get.

The Ontario Government puts out new jobs every Friday. There's some really cool postings on there, but sometimes it's hard to tell if I'm qualified, yet it's not clear which, if any, experiences could make me a stronger applicant.

Apply for them all! Being able to pick and choose among job offers is a fantastic situation to be in. You can stall on less-than-perfect offers while waiting to hear back from awesome-jobs. Also, don't let postings intimidate you. Sometimes employers create lofty expectations to weed out the slackers. You're no slacker. Go get 'em.

Good luck with it!

Zoetastic

Fri, January 25th, 2008, 10:19 PM

I made an online gift for you, but I lost it. :( I'll give it another try later on.

LOL, you made me an "online gift?" i'm intrigued but don't worry about it guava. you're the gift ;) (my parents always say that when i ask what they want for christmas).
:nod:

Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems somewhat unfun. All the hassles of food prep without the delicious, edible reward at the end. :confused: Kind of like fishing simulators. :sleep: i agree!

Apply for them all! Being able to pick and choose among job offers is a fantastic situation to be in. You can stall on less-than-perfect offers while waiting to hear back from awesome-jobs. Also, don't let postings intimidate you. Sometimes employers create lofty expectations to weed out the slackers. You're no slacker. Go get 'em.

Good luck with it! once again, E and I concur :) what's the harm in applying for them all? you rock socks, get in there!! :D

guava

Fri, January 25th, 2008, 11:36 PM

LOL, you made me an "online gift?" i'm intrigued but don't worry about it guava. you're the gift ;)

you rock socks, get in there!! :D
I did, I did! I made you a gift! But I'm too lazy to make it again. Make your own. It's here:

http://db-db.com/nudemessenger/

I wonder if there's any portable device I could get that's as helpful for my motivation and you guys are. :dreamy:

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open. ~John Barrymore

Zoetastic

Fri, January 25th, 2008, 11:38 PM

I did, I did! I made you a gift! But I'm too lazy to make it again. Make your own. It's here:

http://db-db.com/nudemessenger/
LOL!!!:lol::lol::lol:

I wonder if there's any portable device I could get that's as helpful for my motivation and you guys are. :dreamy:

Doubtful ;)

guava

Fri, January 25th, 2008, 11:50 PM

LOL!!!:lol::lol::lol:
Yeah, they ran onto the screen in varying rhythms and spelled out

YOU ROCK !

The guy at the end of the exclamation point was sitting down, and the guys that made up the straight part were leaping in the air. The guys that made up the "YOU" part were tapping one foot impatiently, and all of the guys who were part of "ROCK" had balloons in their hands. Then there was a line of guys at the bottom with speech bubbles that said Zoetastic.

I had a few extra men in the bottom row, so I tried to delete all but one, and instead was left with none.

I can't help but think there's some foreboding message in there somewhere, which might somehow relate to my life. :cry:

Ecrivain

Sat, January 26th, 2008, 07:15 PM

i agree!

once again, E and I concur :) what's the harm in applying for them all? you rock socks, get in there!! :D

I like it when Zoe agrees with me. People should do that more often. :nod:

And, to return the favor, I must agree with her as well. Guava, you do, indeed, put the "R" in sock rocking.

guava

Sat, January 26th, 2008, 07:28 PM

I like it when Zoe agrees with me. People should do that more often. :nod:

I agree. (http://ackle.com/agree.htm) :nod:

Silver

Sat, January 26th, 2008, 08:20 PM

I like it when Zoe agrees with me. People should do that more often. :nod:

Now you just need to be right more often. :whistle:

guava

Sun, January 27th, 2008, 04:59 PM

I'm suffering from mild generalized anxiety, which I have a tendency towards. The two birthday parties back to back were a little hard on me. Several, several months ago, my huband bought me one of those big economy-sized bottles of St. John's wort, but I'm so against self-medicating that I never think to take it unless he tells me to. So I just pulled out the bottle. They are printed with the expiry date of March 2007. There intially were 180 tablets in the bottle; I think I've only ever taken 6 or 8 tablets. :p

I'm intending to "study" for my job interview on Tuesday. :read: I'm going to give myself an essay test about which of my experiences have best prepared me for this position and why I'm the best candidate they'll see. Then I'll keep rereading it until I believe it.

I know I'd feel better if I was lifting more regularly, which I haven't since mid/late December. :o

And I'd probably feel better if I'd been eating something a little more substantial than pizza crusts and birthday cake in the last couple of days. My weight is actually down a bit, so I'm not overeating, just eating the wrong things.

I went grocery shopping again today and bought blueberries, Romaine lettuce, pomelo, cantaloupe, broccoli, red pepper, and other stuff. I'm drawn straight to the bakery when I'm stressed. There was a chocolate fudge supreme cake calling my name. It was 40% off and looked really, really divine. But I said "You must be looking for someone else," and walked away. :D But then a box of chocolate truffles (with creamy hazelnut filling) jumped in my cart! They rode around with me down two aisles, but then I realized they were looking for someone else as well, and I ditched them beside the granola bars. :nod:

I had this for "lunch"
http://www.bolthouse.com/graphics/ProteinJuicebg.jpg
Ingredients: Vanilla Chai Tea (Soy Milk, Brewed Green Tea, Natural Flavors, Vanilla Extract), Soy Protein Isolate, Apple Juice, Carrageenan, Calcium (Tricalcium Phosphate), Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Magnesium (Magnesium Oxide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Zinc (Zinc Sulfate), Iron (Ferrous Lactate), and Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin).
There's 19 grams of protein in the bottle, with about 320 calories. A large percentage of the calories seem to be from apple juice.

I still haven't made that borscht. :spank: The vegetables are waiting in the cold room for me, growing old. :(
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Arcimboldo_Vegetables.jpg/451px-Arcimboldo_Vegetables.jpg

"There's no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen." ~Wayne Dyer

Happy Monster

Sun, January 27th, 2008, 06:48 PM

Hi Guava,

Sorry to hear you are feeling a bit anxious about things lately. Me too. It's no fun. Hope we both get better soon!

guava

Sun, January 27th, 2008, 07:37 PM

Hi Guava,

Sorry to hear you are feeling a bit anxious about things lately. Me too. It's no fun. Hope we both get better soon!Hi Happy!
We'll get better.:cool: The frustrating times are when you're in a crappy mood, being mean to everyone, and not even realizing that you're out of character. :(

So, I finished off lunch with a leftover protein pancake and a peach yogurt. Then I ate half of the pomelo. :p For supper, I had an open-faced roast beef sandwich with lots of Romaine, and an open-faced garlic-lemon tuna sandwich. There's still a lot of birthday cake in the house; sometimes it seems like a good idea to cut myself a slice, and sometimes not.

My daughter has this really weird French assignment. She was to write out a recipe for a pizza, so she did, and chose quite a unique recipe. Then last week she told me that she's required to actually bake it and bring it in as a visual aid. Then everyone in the class will get a chance to sample it. Chocolate pizzas have been very popular, but hers has a cake mix base, liberally spread with icing, topped with squished caramels, gummy worms, chocolate chips, and sprinkled with coconut. I really don't think it's an appropriate assignment, and I'm kind of annoyed about the whole thing. There are 27 people in her class, and they'll be doing four presentations each class until they're finished.

Probably it's stupid of me to be excited about something that isn't such a big deal, but I'm still of the opinion that an institution of learning, when food is included in the learning process, should take the time to discuss the nutrition of that food.

But that's just me.

It's a beautiful pizza, and we had a lot of fun making it. :)

My husband is away for the week again. :(

EbJtYqBYCV8

J_W

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 01:12 AM

I'm still of the opinion that an institution of learning, when food is included in the learning process, should take the time to discuss the nutrition of that food.

Wait, you expect school to actually teach kids something?

Silver

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 02:43 AM

It's a beautiful pizza, and we had a lot of fun making it. :)

:nod:

Jedi

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 03:25 AM

sweet pizzas:rolleyes: this is new to me, haven't seen any pizzerias offering them yet in Nice...

Have a good study day tomorrow for your interview :tu:

camarogirl

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 10:33 AM

Gymnastics was fabulous, and my daughter just shines.:D The two other mothers there started making comments about every ten minutes "Look at her....The coaches are going to be begging you to get her into competitive....You know, competitive is really expensive.":lol: She had a fantastic time; was running and jumping and showing off the whole time. She learned a few new moves already too.

That's so awesome that you put your daughter in gymnastics! :tu: I'm a gymnastics coach~I think all kids should do it!

guava

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 12:08 PM

Wait, you expect school to actually teach kids something?Hey, that would be a great idea! :dance: Maybe I'll suggest that at the next council meeting. :tu:

That's so awesome that you put your daughter in gymnastics! :tu: I'm a gymnastics coach~I think all kids should do it!
I adore gymnastics. :dreamy: I only ever did it myself for two years; now I realized I should have bugged my mom more about it.

The program I picked this fall was too much for my little girl (6 hours per week), so I had to pull her out, forfeiting a month's worth of training fees :doh: I'd really like to see her do more (she was working on back handsprings, and was doing cartwheels on the beam), but for now she's happy with a trampoline class one hour per week (plus she's in swimming lessons). Soccer will start in the spring, and go through the summer. Next fall I'm going to ask her again if she'd like to possibly try training four hours per week, but I have a feeling it's really not her thing to be so intense about it. Another option is to get her into acro dance, which might be a bit less structured and technical. She really doesn't like the stretching and conditioning her coaches were making her do.

Silver

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 02:00 PM

It becomes a lifestyle at that point. My gf is a professional dance teacher (as in teaches kids in a professional training program) and, for some of those kids, dance is more important than school or anything else. I guess it's not that much different than high level hockey or other sports...but there's still something odd about it. Plus, it breaks your body pretty badly. My gf really can't even run now because her knees and hips are almost ruined because of all the stretching and twisting and wrenching her body went through in dance.

camarogirl

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 03:38 PM

Was she in a pre-team or tops program or competitive team? Also, how old is she? It might have just been too much too soon... Don't give up. If she takes a break she'll probably end up begging to go back one day and then you will know if she really likes it.;) (I see it happen all the time!)

Ecrivain

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 04:26 PM

My daughter has this really weird French assignment. She was to write out a recipe for a pizza, so she did, and chose quite a unique recipe. Then last week she told me that she's required to actually bake it and bring it in as a visual aid. Then everyone in the class will get a chance to sample it. Chocolate pizzas have been very popular, but hers has a cake mix base, liberally spread with icing, topped with squished caramels, gummy worms, chocolate chips, and sprinkled with coconut. I really don't think it's an appropriate assignment, and I'm kind of annoyed about the whole thing.

Pizza for French class? Je ne comprends pas. :confused: I think you have a right to be annoyed in this case. It's a real stretch to find any educational value at all about the assignment, let alone to relate it to French. And, kids get enough encouragement to eat crap food without having schools contribute.

I mean, I got extra credit in my university French classes for cooking food. But, ya know, it was stuff like crepes and petits fours. The prof had a serious sweet tooth. :whistle:

Silver

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 05:25 PM

Pizza for French class? Je ne comprends pas. :confused: I think you have a right to be annoyed in this case. It's a real stretch to find any educational value at all about the assignment, let alone to relate it to French. And, kids get enough encouragement to eat crap food without having schools contribute.

I mean, I got extra credit in my university French classes for cooking food. But, ya know, it was stuff like crepes and petits fours. The prof had a serious sweet tooth. :whistle:

the "French" aspect of it probably comes from vocab expansion - figuring out the words for a variety of ingredients, as well as how to structure different types of sentences and give direction in French

but I'm just guessing...either that or the teacher's a huge pig

guava

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 05:28 PM

I guess it's not that much different than high level hockey or other sports...but there's still something odd about it. Plus, it breaks your body pretty badly. My gf really can't even run now because her knees and hips are almost ruined because of all the stretching and twisting and wrenching her body went through in dance.
It IS a little scary. I've heard the parents talking about their kids working through sprained ankles and other injuries. :eek:

Was she in a pre-team or tops program or competitive team? Also, how old is she? It might have just been too much too soon... Don't give up. If she takes a break she'll probably end up begging to go back one day and then you will know if she really likes it.;) (I see it happen all the time!)She was one level below pre-competitive, if that makes any sense. She just turned 7 a couple of days ago. She would not be allowed to compete this year, but if she had stayed in this program, she would have started competing around next Christmas. It would have been a special type of competition which would not have pit her against other girls, but instead, against some kind of standard. The following year, she would have done real competitions.

I think her absence in this year's program disqualifies her from participating next year in the competitive program, but that might not be right. (After all, there's always the option of being evaluated by another club.) Regardless, the fit doesn't seem quite right for her, as she's not at all in it to win (she doesn't care one little bit how her skills compare to anyone else's) and she doesn't really have much of a drive to improve her techniques. She's just in it as a form of expression, which makes me think dance might be better.

She's also a lighting fast runner and a natural at soccer, so there's that too.

Pizza for French class? Je ne comprends pas. :confused: I think you have a right to be annoyed in this case. It's a real stretch to find any educational value at all about the assignment, let alone to relate it to French. And, kids get enough encouragement to eat crap food without having schools contribute.It's a novel idea, because it's something different, and it provides some material for them to present in French, but it would have been just as relevant instead of creating a pizza to, for example, create a map to a new travel destination and describe the tourist features, or to invent a game and describe the rules. It seems that food is used so often as a motivational and inspirational tool for kids. And the cooking really did take quite a lot of time at home that could have been used in a more productive manner, I think.

guava

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 05:30 PM

the "French" aspect of it probably comes from vocab expansion - figuring out the words for a variety of ingredients, as well as how to structure different types of sentences and give direction in French

but I'm just guessing...either that or the teacher's a huge pigI don't know what motivated the pizza choice. Maybe it's written into the official curriculum. :lol:

Food has always been a big learning tool.

I personally favored money, however.

Silver

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 06:15 PM

I personally favored money, however.

We used to have to give up a fake dollar every time a fellow student caught us speaking English (I took French Immersion).

Constant shouts of "un dollar!" were tiresome for our teacher after awhile, so it got scrapped :lol:

Big_D

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 06:36 PM

She's also a lighting fast runner and a natural at soccer, so there's that too.

TRACK!!!!!!!!!

It's the best sport there is.

guava

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 07:15 PM

TRACK!!!!!!!!!

It's the best sport there is.All sports are hard on your body if you do them to be better than other people.

Runners have all sorts of problems with their bodies, just like other athletes. :(

camarogirl

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 11:01 PM

(After all, there's always the option of being evaluated by another club.) Regardless, the fit doesn't seem quite right for her, as she's not at all in it to win (she doesn't care one little bit how her skills compare to anyone else's) and she doesn't really have much of a drive to improve her techniques.

If you feel it may be the wrong gym, I would suggest trying another. (Also, does the gym she goes to turn out a lot of high level gymnasts?) It would be a shame to let her natural talent go to waste, considering it is hard to find kids who are natural in gymnastics. (Strong, flexible, small framed, fast twitch muscle...)
I may be wrong but did you say she was training 6 hours per week in the level before pre-team?
I work in one of the best :D gyms that turns out a lot of college level gymnasts and we don't even push the kids that hard. Our students in pre-team practice 4 hours per week. Level 4 competitive team practices 9 hours. But for the most part the kids still love it so they don't mind the hard work.

Also keep in mind that she can stay in recreational gymnastics and continue getting all the benefits of gymnastics training without dedicating her life to it. But if she quits and at age 12 decides she wants to be a gymnast, there is little she can do from there.

guava

Mon, January 28th, 2008, 11:29 PM

If you feel it may be the wrong gym, I would suggest trying another. (Also, does the gym she goes to turn out a lot of high level gymnasts?) It would be a shame to let her natural talent go to waste, considering it is hard to find kids who are natural in gymnastics. (Strong, flexible, small framed, fast twitch muscle...)
I may be wrong but did you say she was training 6 hours per week in the level before pre-team?
I work in one of the best :D gyms that turns out a lot of college level gymnasts and we don't even push the kids that hard. Our students in pre-team practice 4 hours per week. Level 4 competitive team practices 9 hours. But for the most part the kids still love it so they don't mind the hard work.

Also keep in mind that she can stay in recreational gymnastics and continue getting all the benefits of gymnastics training without dedicating her life to it. But if she quits and at age 12 decides she wants to be a gymnast, there is little she can do from there.No, this is a good gym. We were in a gym last year that was not as good. She has the strength, flexibility, adventurousness, but not the drive. Yes, she was (supposed to be) training 3 hours twice per week when she was six. She actually ended up only doing it once (plus a four week trial of 2 hours twice per week). The 8-year olds train 9 hours per week, and the 9 year olds train 12 hours per week. By the time they're 10 years old, they need to miss a couple of hours of school in order to train. It's the same in both of the gyms nearby. That's for the provincial stream.

I don't really know what the levels mean, but I was reading the results in the newspaper this morning. From the gym she was at last year, we have 12 year old gymnasts at level 9, and 9 year olds at level 7 and 8. There are less competitive programs available at the gyms. When we pulled out of the competitive stream, they recommended a program with no out-of-club meets that ran for 2 hours twice a week, but it was still too much at the time. That's the one we would do next year if we did one. It says "We recommend the following skill achievement: Girls 8+ yrs old – Level 5 CanGym"

Her favorite apparatus is the vault. She looks so very cool running at it at full speed. :D

Jedi

Tue, January 29th, 2008, 03:35 AM

Her favorite apparatus is the vault. She looks so very cool running at it at full speed. :D

:D

What sports did you do when you were little, Guava?

guava

Tue, January 29th, 2008, 09:32 AM

What sports did you do when you were little, Guava?

Not many. I don't like group environments.

I did gymnastics for two years, played soccer one year in junior high, baseball for a season or two. I was on a ringette team for two years, and did some basics in figure skating.

I think Big_D is on the right track. I think she could be an awesome triple jumper or pole vaulter. :spaz:

camarogirl

Tue, January 29th, 2008, 11:22 AM

No, this is a good gym. We were in a gym last year that was not as good. She has the strength, flexibility, adventurousness, but not the drive. Yes, she was (supposed to be) training 3 hours twice per week when she was six. She actually ended up only doing it once (plus a four week trial of 2 hours twice per week). The 8-year olds train 9 hours per week, and the 9 year olds train 12 hours per week. By the time they're 10 years old, they need to miss a couple of hours of school in order to train. It's the same in both of the gyms nearby. That's for the provincial stream.

I don't really know what the levels mean, but I was reading the results in the newspaper this morning. From the gym she was at last year, we have 12 year old gymnasts at level 9, and 9 year olds at level 7 and 8. There are less competitive programs available at the gyms. When we pulled out of the competitive stream, they recommended a program with no out-of-club meets that ran for 2 hours twice a week, but it was still too much at the time. That's the one we would do next year if we did one. It says "We recommend the following skill achievement: Girls 8+ yrs old – Level 5 CanGym"

Her favorite apparatus is the vault. She looks so very cool running at it at full speed. :D

It sounds like that program is really intense. It sounds like maybe it's an elite (above level 10 such as national team members, olympics) training gym. In my opinion that is too much, but some gyms are more demanding and if someone is looking to be an elite athlete, that is the type of program they would come from.

I think missing school is too much commitment from a 10 year old. I firmly believe gymnasts should have a life outside of the gym. Even our level 10's do not miss school. But each gym is different and had different methods of training. They may be a better gym and if they are training elites then your daughter has a better chance of moving up in gym vs. a gym that does not. It is a huge commitment not only from her but for the family as well. (Time, financially, travel, etc.)

I would try the 2 hr program, it may be what she is looking for! :)

FBChick

Tue, January 29th, 2008, 05:09 PM

So I took down my Christmas tree this afternoon...:whistle:

I already had it "down", but I finally packed it nicely away in a box.

At least you had it down already.. our tree just made it down this weekend!:o

I have six active applications out there, and two more that I'm going to send later today, and now I'm nervous that I won't be able to keep track of them all. :( Also, it would be really hard for me to accept a job if I knew that there was another one slightly better suited for me possibly right around the corner, but that I only have a slim chance of being interviewed for.

Part of me thinks I should only apply for the jobs that are the ones I would LOVE to do (but am a little bit weak on the experience required), and the another part of me understands that I should be applying for the jobs that I think I can get.

:gl: on the job front! So good to hear the search is mooving along so well. Agree with everyone just keep applying for them all. There are ways to handle putting off accepting an offer while waiting on hearing from another.

I adore gymnastics. :dreamy: I only ever did it myself for two years; now I realized I should have bugged my mom more about it.

I only lasted for two years as well.. especially once I discovered my sister was always going to be much better at it then me! :D

Sounds like you have the little one quite active already. Personally I believe in allowing my children the choice with activities.. so long as they pick something. I think it's a good thing to let them feel a bit empowered about their lifes and I find they really enjoy the sports more when they feel they have choosen them.

Jedi

Wed, January 30th, 2008, 03:45 AM

Personally I believe in allowing my children the choice with activities.. so long as they pick something. I think it's a good thing to let them feel a bit empowered about their lifes and I find they really enjoy the sports more when they feel they have choosen them.

I think so too, though of course they need to be presented with some options to know whats out there. Also unless the equipment is outrageous i don't think it really matters if they change what they do every year. I mean I am all for commitment etc but sometimes you don't know til you have tried.

J_W

Wed, January 30th, 2008, 04:03 AM

Not many. I don't like group environments.

Me neither. I have found out that activities where I can be by myself suit me best, so weight lifting, biking, hiking etc. are perfect for me. I don't do well at team sports because I'm a perfectionist and have the tendency to take over and be bossy when I have to work in a team. :rolleyes:

guava

Sat, February 2nd, 2008, 12:21 AM

I don't do well at team sports because I'm a perfectionist and have the tendency to take over and be bossy when I have to work in a team. :rolleyes::lol: Yeah, that's my older daughter. She's not good in teams either.

But both my younger daughter and I don't like teams because we are too afraid of doing something wrong and being ridiculed by someone like you. :scared: ;)

Breakfast program is going as usual.

We're having a fundraiser, so the co-ordinator suggested we raffle off, among other things, a gift bag of chocolate.

:dance:

I suggested that February is a good time to present something that maybe promotes heart health and stroke prevention, like skipping ropes, pedometers, and exercise balls. She didn't respond, so I'm not sure what direction she's going in.

Then today I was informed of another fundraiser where the kids will be given the privilege of wearing a silly hat for donating a dollar to the breakfast program. Whichever classroom raises the most money wins a pizza party.

:dance:

I mentioned that rather than allowing pepperoni-topped refined white pizzas into the school, I would be willing to buy whole wheat crusts, vegetable topping and low fat mozzarella to make our own. She seemed to think that was okay, so I think I'll be a pizza chef for a bit.
http://www.theofficeexperts.com/forum/images/smilies/chef.gif

Both of these ventures are a little confusing to me as well. It seems pretty odd to be doing the fundraising for the target group from within the target group. :confused: Why not just charge for the breakfast if that's the case?

Man, I am annoying. :neener:

The job interview was great. :) It doesn't matter if I get the job. In the whole eight years they've been operating, this is the first time anyone has ever been compensated financially; everything in the restoration of the park back to its natural habitat has been done by completely volunteer efforts. The woman part of the team who interviewed me runs the gym in town. I'm expecting that possibly some of those volunteers must have applied for this job, and would be a better advocate for them. They interviewed 6 of the 44 applicants, and said they were going to try to make their choice on Friday, so I should know by Monday.

I received an e-mail that my proposal was received for the farm consultation position and they'd get back to me between Feb 11th and 15th. Since they're calling for the project to be completed and presented April 15 and since I'll be gone for a week in March, I expect I'll be declining, unless they make me some kind of sweet deal.

I was rejected as a donor for my last blood donation, and I'm a little nervous that I've not yet boosted my iron intake enough to make it for the next time either. :( I have no appointment yet, and I'm not sure whether to make one.

Light weight high rep workout today, plus a whole bunch of shovelling snow. Man, we got a lot. :eek:

"If you know what to do to reach your goal, it's not a big enough goal."~ Bob Proctor

zenpharaohs

Sat, February 2nd, 2008, 12:49 AM

I suggested that February is a good time to present something that maybe promotes heart health and stroke prevention, like deadlifting.

:tucool:

Jedi

Sat, February 2nd, 2008, 03:42 AM

:lol: Yeah, that's my older daughter. She's not good in teams either.

But both my younger daughter and I don't like teams because we are too afraid of doing something wrong and being ridiculed by someone like you. :scared: ;)

Breakfast program is going as usual.

We're having a fundraiser, so the co-ordinator suggested we raffle off, among other things, a gift bag of chocolate.

:dance:

I suggested that February is a good time to present something that maybe promotes heart health and stroke prevention, like skipping ropes, pedometers, and exercise balls. She didn't respond, so I'm not sure what direction she's going in.

[/I]

Some cool ideas, Guava. I reckon a pedometer competition could be appealing... as walking a little bit more anyone can do even overweigth kids :nod:

[/I][/QUOTE]The job interview was great. :) It doesn't matter if I get the job. In the whole eight years they've been operating, this is the first time anyone has ever been compensated financially; everything in the restoration of the park back to its natural habitat has been done by completely volunteer efforts. The woman part of the team who interviewed me runs the gym in town. I'm expecting that possibly some of those volunteers must have applied for this job, and would be a better advocate for them. They interviewed 6 of the 44 applicants, and said they were going to try to make their choice on Friday, so I should know by Monday.

I received an e-mail that my proposal was received for the farm consultation position and they'd get back to me between Feb 11th and 15th. Since they're calling for the project to be completed and presented April 15 and since I'll be gone for a week in March, I expect I'll be declining, unless they make me some kind of sweet deal.

[/QUOTE]

This getting exxciting :D

J_W

Sat, February 2nd, 2008, 06:10 AM

:lol: Yeah, that's my older daughter. She's not good in teams either.

But both my younger daughter and I don't like teams because we are too afraid of doing something wrong and being ridiculed by someone like you. :scared: ;)

I don't ridicule people :nope:. I don't have a problem with people doing things wrong as long as they're genuinely trying. I do get fed up quickly with people who are just plain lazy and think because it's a team effort they can let the others do all the work.

Ecrivain

Sat, February 2nd, 2008, 08:49 PM

Both of these ventures are a little confusing to me as well. It seems pretty odd to be doing the fundraising for the target group from within the target group. :confused: Why not just charge for the breakfast if that's the case?

Man, I am annoying. :neener:

An educational institution is no place for logic. :nope:

guava

Sun, February 3rd, 2008, 11:14 AM

I don't ridicule people :nope:. I don't have a problem with people doing things wrong as long as they're genuinely trying. I do get fed up quickly with people who are just plain lazy and think because it's a team effort they can let the others do all the work.I think the problem I had with team sports is that I always imagined everyone else on the team was more devoted to the sport than I was. (Which may have been the case.) The whole thing was just frustrating; to depend so much on someone else in order to succeed, and believing that if I made a mistake, it would negatively impact dozens of others.

I don't know if I mentioned that there is a self defense class (at a karate school) that I'm trying to get into for their next session. I couldn't do it this term because of swimming, hockey, gymnastics, and science club conflicts, but I think she's starting with a new group at the end of March. :spaz:

An educational institution is no place for logic. :nope: Well, it makes a tiny bit of sense. The students who can afford to pay will somewhat supplement those who can't, but, when it's done so that those who donate are identified (with a crazy hat) it takes a bit away from it.

The whole purpose of the program is still a little bit fuzzy for me. As I mentioned before, it's designed more to fill the needs of students who don't have the time or money to eat breakfast, and only secondarily as a place to learn and participate in good nutrition. We were so proud of how many kids we had coming out to eat the breakfasts, but at one point, the program coordinator told us that our participation numbers were too high. So we're supposed to encourage participation without stigma, but at the same time, we're not supposed to make it so fun and tasty that those who could eat breakfast at home will come to us instead. :confused: Odd, because the snack programs that are run in other schools have completely different rules than the breakfast program we run. They are served to every single student in the school, during a regular classroom break, whereas ours are for people who find their way to the gym before school officially begins for the day.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. --Buddha

Nowhereman

Sun, February 3rd, 2008, 11:24 AM

I tried to be small advocate for educating parents at our school about the powers of breakfast but I was quickly shot shot down by our previous principal. My reasoning is that, as teachers, we our leaders in our community and if something like this is affecting our students we should take some active role in solving it. Only about 2 kids in my classroom eat breakfast. I can't even imagine how hungry a kid gets by lunch time without breakfast. The new administration mentioned something about doing some kind of parenting classes next year. I'll totally be all over it.

bmacntmac

Mon, February 4th, 2008, 10:11 AM

www.usaweekend.com

I thought you might be interested in next week's edition. ;)

guava

Mon, February 4th, 2008, 10:49 AM

www.usaweekend.com

I thought you might be interested in next week's edition. ;)
Aw, his "most amazing Valentine's Day ever" :love:

We don't do a romantic dinner out. :nope: We have a special candle-light dinner with the kids. Either a heart shaped pizza, if it's available, or Chinese food, and for dessert, chocolate lava cakes. :drool: Then we give each other special Valentine's Day presents. It's my favorite holiday. :)

Fool's Gold opens in 4 days (http://foolsgoldmovie.warnerbros.com/). :spaz:

Oh, and I didn't get the volunteer coordinator job, so I'm still looking for entry level marketing research positions. :dance:

The more you prepare, the luckier you appear. ~Terry Josephson

Happy Monster

Mon, February 4th, 2008, 05:15 PM

Hope the job hunting goes well for you Guava. :)

guava

Sat, February 9th, 2008, 04:13 PM

Curse the PMS food cravings. :bang:

Yesterday:
Cals Fat Carb Prot
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 8 regular slice ) 551 9 103 22
Banana, raw ( 2 cup, NFS ) 276 1 70 3
Peanut butter ( 3 tablespoon ) 285 24 9 12
Apple, raw ( 1 small (2-1/2" dia) (approx 4 per lb) ) 63 0 16 0
Grapes, raw, NS as to type ( 1 cup, NFS ) 114 1 28 1
Cake, fruit cake, dark,( 1 piece (1/12 of 7" dia) ) 366 10 70 3
Total 1654 47 297 41

So, that's interesting. :rolleyes:

297 grams of carbs. :spaz:

I tried to be better today. :o I had some of those fake crab sticks, with broccoli and celery for lunch. But I didn't eat enough. :cry: (There are hardly any calories in those things!) I got hungry, and made some garlic bread. :drool:

So, here's where we're at today:
Totals 554 17 82 26
It's about 30% of target caloric total, and I'm on track with hitting at least 30% of the nutrients so far, except Vitamin D.

I don't usually buy preprepared items, but this roast beef was nearly the same price as one that's uncooked, and the nutritional profile (http://www.greatmealsinminutes.com/NutritionalInfo.aspx?pid=3) is pretty good. (Honestly, I have trouble believing that it's true. It doesn't seem quite right to me. :confused:)

Beef Pot Roast in Homestyle Gravy
When you are looking for that authentic taste and texture in a home style Beef Pot Roast, look no further than this succulent roast. Maple Leaf Beef Pot Roast is so tender you can pull it apart with a fork.

We had one last week, and it tasted delicious. :eat: Really, it's only about enough meat to feed three, but I might be able to make it stretch.

Fool's Gold was beautiful to see in the theatre. :dreamy: The leanest I've ever seen the man. Wow! :eek: :drool:

Surfer Dude (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976247/) should be released soon, as it's in post production. It should be equally easy on the eyes.

y1D6VIYPucs
:lol:

Then he's in one called Tropic Thunder (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0942385/) (the one Owen Wilson was supposed to be in), which has a whopper of a cast, including Robert Downey Jr. :dreamy:

There was a boy with skin as dark as the earth & a girl with eyes as blue as the deep & they loved each other so well that people could not tell them apart, for in their hearts, there was no difference between them. ~Storypeople

Happy Monster

Sat, February 9th, 2008, 04:38 PM

Looking at pictures of him is not my idea of fun :nope:

Back on-topic: Why worry about the food? The more you obsess about the bad food you ate (and write it all out) the more energy you give to it. In effect you are programming or telling your subconscious you want it again.

(See, that's from my hypnotherapy training ;))

So.. don't worry about it, forget about it and focus on the gym, being slim, healthy foods. All the positive things that will help you change to how you want to be and look.

guava

Sat, February 9th, 2008, 04:55 PM

Why worry about the food? The more you obsess about the bad food you ate (and write it all out) the more energy you give to it. In effect you are programming or telling your subconscious you want it again.
I'm not really "worried" about the food. Mostly, I'm glad I ate it. I don't know if failing to report less than ideal days would give any advantage. It might. But I think instead of that it's highlighting how different options would have been better, which, I think, should hopefully encourage me to choose them more often. Maybe. :confused:

It's also highlighting the fact that I eat those things, but that I have the self-control to regulate them to not go to extremes.

It's there as a record of the way that I eat during certain moods or health conditions. When I "binge" on "bad foods", I still keep it pretty close to my maintenance calories (and often under). :p I've always automatically carbed-up with PMS, but the way I used to eat was to add the treats to my regular meals, now I just eat them instead. From a nutrient uptake position, it might not be ideal, but from a weight management perspective, it's been working famously for more than three years. :cool:

I wonder if there were any nonfood ways I could have quieted those cravings as effectively as the carbohydrates did. At particular focus points in my plans, other things might have worked (going for a walk, drinking tea, eating an entire head of cauliflower smothered in sweet chili garlic sauce), but mental health is top priority in my current fitness goals, and eating the bread and cake seemed the easiest way to alleviate the pain.

Happy Monster

Sat, February 9th, 2008, 05:01 PM

I eat junk too, but I also tend to eat it instead of normal foods (instead of in addition). So, like you, my weight stays the same for months (if not years now).

Reporting junk food, or logging it is fine I think. But I would be careful about stressing or getting an emotional reaction to eating it (and talking about it here). :)

guava

Sat, February 9th, 2008, 05:12 PM

Reporting junk food, or logging it is fine I think. But I would be careful about stressing or getting an emotional reaction to eating it (and talking about it here). :)

On the other hand, if there's no emotional reaction to the negative consequences of eating poorly, there's no incentive to change.

Remember this thread? A household's nutrition. (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=25600&) :eek:

Happy Monster

Sat, February 9th, 2008, 05:22 PM

OrangeTiger

Sun, February 10th, 2008, 12:49 PM

Guava, I thought you'd like to know that Matthew M. is on the cover of Men's health right now.

;).

guava

Sun, February 10th, 2008, 01:17 PM

But the subconscious doesn't know positive or negative. If you give it an image or a thought and invest it with energy (emotion) it will try to achieve it. We might consciously think I shouldn't have ate the cake and feel angry and disappointed, but we are telling the unconscious to find more cakeI think it just makes me happy to even think about cake. ;) On a non-stressful day, I can find cake, look at it, admire it, imagine how it tastes, and be done. I bet you that could almost be classified as a superpower.:flex:

Guava, I thought you'd like to know that Matthew M. is on the cover of Men's health right now. ;).Again?!!!! Wow, this is so exciting, thanks!:spaz:

I don't know if I can find this USA Weekend magazine, but I'm making a trip to Chapter's this afternoon. I'm quite sure they sell Men's Health. :D

I'm taking my older daughter to a show this evening. It sounds really super cool. To the sounds of a human beat box and live DJ, we will witness kung fu battles, dancing roller skaters, skateboarding, and breakdancing, some of it in vivid lighting on a pitch black stage. :spaz: :spaz: :spaz:

Pessimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The good news is -- optimism does too. Since you're free to choose, choose success and happiness. Choose optimism!

Happy Monster

Sun, February 10th, 2008, 02:31 PM

To the sounds of a human beat box and live DJ, we will witness kung fu battles, dancing roller skaters, skateboarding, and breakdancing, some of it in vivid lighting on a pitch black stage.
Is this a modern update of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? :confused:

guava

Sun, February 10th, 2008, 11:17 PM

Is this a modern update of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? :confused:Not quite.

Unfortunately, it was somewhat like "What kind of horsing could we do that we could write up a description for that would make people pay money to come and see us?"

The rollerskater/dancers were excellent. :tu: They did a particularly nice disco number. And the tap dancing on top of tables in skates was unique. The trick inline skating was very good, but not executed very artistically. Neither was the kung fu. Their acrobatic specialist was most disappointing. :( I presume that she couldn't do either a back handspring or a somersault, because they're both pretty basic, and she didn't attempt them. She did a lot of aerials, which she seemed to want a lot of applause for, but I was unimpressed, because I've seen too many seven-year-olds with better form. She had a poor sense of timing as well, so I don't know how she could possibly be considered a performer. The breakdancers however were very very good. They got a lot of height on their front and back handsprings, and some of them got thrown by the other members a couple of times as well, which was really cool. They incorporated some video clips into their acts (eg. a scene of a couple of them inline skating through the subway system somewhere in Europe), but they were not integrated well with the live video feed, which should have been easy enough (ie. zooming down the stairs at the Subway station and following right through onto the stage, instead of cutting to a static shot of the skater up on a platform)

It was good. It just wasn't as professionally choreographed as I was expecting it to be. They had a few weak members, and the act did not flow cohesively together, but it had some exceptional moments that made it worthwhile.

The ticket agent said I can get tickets to Stomp next weekend for 15% off if I also purchase tickets to another peformance, so I'm thinking about it. They're a very reasonable price.

And I'm not telling you what I had for a snack or for supper. :neener:

Zoetastic

Sun, February 10th, 2008, 11:20 PM

i saw stomp when i was younger and i loved it!
i bet your kids would like it :)

guava

Mon, February 11th, 2008, 12:03 AM

i saw stomp when i was younger and i loved it!
i bet your kids would like it :)

We saw this movie in IMAX, and it was unique, artistic, and full of exceptional talent.

Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey (http://www.pulsethemovie.com/)

I think it was probably what made tonight's performance slightly disappointing; to have known what it could have been, and wasn't.

KittyKat

Mon, February 11th, 2008, 11:04 AM

I think it just makes me happy to even think about cake. ;) On a non-stressful day, I can find cake, look at it, admire it, imagine how it tastes, and be done. I bet you that could almost be classified as a superpower.:flex:

Pessimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The good news is -- optimism does too. Since you're free to choose, choose success and happiness. Choose optimism!

:lol: that's amazing! I wouldn't be able to do that with something sweet in my hands but when something sweet smells very strongly (e.g. when it's being baked) I can really endulge in the smell without wanting to eat it. it gives me a great feeling to know that I can smell as much as I want, enjoy it and yet not have a bad feeling for eating it... but this only works when I have a strong bout of discipline :o

another great quote, thanks!

Ecrivain

Mon, February 11th, 2008, 04:27 PM

guava

Mon, February 11th, 2008, 04:49 PM

There's no "almost" about it. Where is your home planet? And do you have a cape?My planet is called Utopia. I have a cape of sunbeams, raindrops, and snowflakes. :cool:

It's kinda cold here today. :cry:

The sporting term will be ending in a couple of weeks, and we're looking into the next phase. I've been encouraging cheerleading for the gymnastically inclined, and martial arts for the Type A child.

We got a receipt last from the town for our taxes. This is new for this year:
The children's fitness tax credit lets parents claim up to $500 per year for eligible fitness expenses paid for each child who is under 16 years of age at the beginning of the year in which the expenses are paid. As with most other non-refundable tax credits, the children’s fitness tax credit is calculated by multiplying the total expense by the lowest marginal tax rate (the rate for 2007 is 15%).

The breakfast program is driving me mad, but nobody has offerred to take over, so I feel pretty much stuck with it.

I'm so excited about Valentine's Day! :spaz: :love: This guy is hiding in my closet, which means I am 1/3 done my gift-buying, and need to spend some quality time in the mall tomorrow searching for just the right thing for the other two.
http://www.bbtoystore.com/Merchant2/webkinz/T_WK_penguin.jpg

Why not let people differ about their answers to the great mysteries of the Universe? Let each seek one's own way to the highest, to one's own sense of supreme loyalty in life, one's ideal of life. Let each philosophy, each world-view bring forth its truth and beauty to a larger perspective, that people may grow in vision, stature and dedication. ~Algernon Black

Happy Monster

Mon, February 11th, 2008, 06:15 PM

Sounds like you had a good time. Valentine's day comes around soon.. It sure doesn't seem like a year to me since the last one. :confused:

J_W

Tue, February 12th, 2008, 03:06 AM

There's no "almost" about it. Where is your home planet? And do you have a cape?

http://images.cafepress.com/product/87073027v13_240x240_Front_Color-Royal.jpg

guava

Tue, February 12th, 2008, 12:37 PM

Sounds like you had a good time. Valentine's day comes around soon.. It sure doesn't seem like a year to me since the last one. :confused:Things are going swimmingly. :D

I'm getting some very flattering rejection letters. If I play my cards right, they will turn into leads for additional opportunities.

I was at the employment centre yesterday, and they made me call to follow up on a job I applied for but didn't get invited for an interview. :o (The one that's perfect, perfect, perfect for me.) I didn't want to do it. But it ultimately didn't kill me, and although the guy I talked to said they already filled the position, he said they'd be hiring again in another couple of months and he'd keep my resume on file. :dance: Now I know to keep my eyes open in that direction.

I heard back from the woman who was coordinating the farm study. Rather than send me an e-mail, she phoned me to say she was very impressed with my resume and my proposal, but they've teamed up with a grower whose proposal was more complete than mine. :tu: I still believe they were undercompensating for the work they require, so better her than me. :lol: She said they may be hiring in different areas in the future and she will keep me in mind. I will phone her in April, when the grower is to be finished her report, and will ask if any new work has come up as a result of those findings. :tucool:

I've come across some really exciting openings for my husband as well, so I'm encouraging him to branch out into new areas, because I feel his current administration does not value his supreme problem-solving skills, nor are they able to accommodate his determined ambition.

Where can I get that shirt?

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Ecrivain

Tue, February 12th, 2008, 03:19 PM

Things are going swimmingly. :D

I'm getting some very flattering rejection letters. If I play my cards right, they will turn into leads for additional opportunities.

That's such an awesome, positive attitude!

Lo0p

Sun, February 17th, 2008, 06:37 AM

You are my new hero. I'll elaborate later... :D

guava

Sun, February 17th, 2008, 10:31 AM

You are my new hero. I'll elaborate later... :D:dance:

Whatever it is, thanks for letting me know. :tu:

I hope you have the right thread. ;)

Lo0p

Mon, February 18th, 2008, 10:03 PM

I hope you have the right thread. ;)

^^Hehe :lol:

You are just so very helpful around here! Your responses are always so complete and cohesive and articulate it's impressive.

Your advice and contributions are always right on the money---I just think that were all lucky to have you here and fortunate that you like to spend time dispensing wisdom.. :bow:

There are a lot of people around here that do that I guess..this place is just cool

-random musings (sry :o)

guava

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 10:44 AM

Thanks Lo0p; glad to do what I can to help. :) Now if only the people in the schools would listen to my nutrition advice. :rolleyes:

Something's still/again not quite right with me, but at least I think I'm still on an upward journey instead of a downward slide. My diet's been really, really, really high carb, but it's helping a lot to stabilize my mood. Bread, peanut butter, and banana works almost as well as chocolate.

! :p You should not substitute chocolate in your diet (http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/humannutrition/_timely/Chocolate.htm)for the main food groups of grains, vegetables, fruits, protein foods and dairy products

itunesU has some neat lectures you can listen to for free. So I'm currently "taking" NS 10: Introduction to Human Nutrition from UC Berkeley (http://itunes.berkeley.edu/). :read:

I'm researching the funding now for our local Recreation and Parks programs. I'm pleased with the new Spring and Summer guide that came out last week, because it clearly indicates where to go for financial assistance for those people who don't have the money to pay for swimming programs, etc. For people who want to volunteer with the programs, there's a new mandatory volunteer leadership course, which carries a program cost of $140. That doesn't seem fair, to charge people money to help you build a stronger, more active community. :( I was discussing that with the head of our local pool and asking if she anticipiates that this may cut back on available volunteers. She gave me the contact number of the volunteer coordinator, so I'm going to check with her about why there is a cost associated with this training program, and also to let her know that I'd be willing to subsidize the registration for participants who would be held back by insufficient funds.

The school ski trip, for which I have volunteered to supervise, and for which I will be provided a free lift ticket, is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I still haven't been skiing in years. :cry: I keep meaning to take the kids out, but the weather has not been cooperative, plus, I'm still a bit chicken. :scared: The cost-benefit analysis is throwing me for a loop as well. If we got lessons, it would run more than $400 for the three of us for the day including the equipment, and if we didn't get lessons it would still cost about $200, and we might seriously injure ourselves, so I'm really not too sure either way....

I found these Emperor oranges at the store the other day. Just a little bit bigger than a golf ball, and sooooo sweet. Anything that's tiny, my kids think is adorable, so they didn't last long in the house. :eat:

"A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before we changed." ~ Earl Nightingale

Butterflyer

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 11:03 AM

Cutest li'l orange ever!!:love:

I have to be really really high carb too!:nod: If I'm not, I get allergic and/or angry.:nod::lol: Some of us are just made to need more carbs, I guess.:eat:

MannishBoy

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 12:14 PM

I found these Emperor oranges at the store the other day. Just a little bit bigger than a golf ball, and sooooo sweet. Anything that's tiny, my kids think is adorable, so they didn't last long in the house. :eat:

Looks like another name for a Clementine/mandarin. Probably not raised in Spain, so it has a different name.

We have all kinds of those. They call them names like "Cuties", etc. Many have small seeds, unlike Clementines.

guava

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 01:07 PM

Looks like another name for a Clementine/mandarin. Probably not raised in Spain, so it has a different name.

We have all kinds of those. They call them names like "Cuties", etc. Many have small seeds, unlike Clementines.
I can never keep then straight.

Mandarin cultivars fall into several classes (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mandarin_orange.html):

Class I, Mandarin:

'Emperor'–believed to have originated in Australia, and a leading commercial cultivar there; oblate, large, 2 1/2 in (6.5 cm) wide, 1 3/4 in (4.5 cm) high; peel pale-orange, medium thin; pulp pale-orange; 9-10 segments; seeds long, pointed, 10-16 in number. Midseason. Grown on rough lemon rootstock or, better still, on Poncirus trifoliata.

Class II, Tangerine:
'Clementine'

These ones didn't have any seeds. Well, at least the ONE I got to eat didn't have any. :p

I found a blogger who says she bought a kilogram, at $2.60/100 g. :eek: Mine were reduced to 50% off because they were a little old. Original price was $1.99, for a basket that looked to be about 300g. The one I took the picture of had more white on it than any of the others, but the inside was fine. None of them were spoiled.

I keep buying pomelo. Those things are really addictive. :drool:

Ecrivain

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 04:51 PM

I found these Emperor oranges at the store the other day. Just a little bit bigger than a golf ball, and sooooo sweet. Anything that's tiny, my kids think is adorable, so they didn't last long in the house. :eat:

It reminds me of Eddie Izzard's bit on oranges versus satsuma from "Definite Article" (http://youtube.com/watch?v=hh5a0ucs8kQ) (starts at about 3:20 in the youtube clip):

To eat a Satsuma , it’s a piece of piss, you just go (mimes opening the fruit, taking a piece and eating it) And you break off these one by one, don’t you? And you’ve got so much of it, and if there’s people in the room, you go, (mimes offering a piece) “Go on, go on!” It’s like a very cheap round, isn’t it? “Go on, Satsuma for everyone!” And if you’re the other person in the room, you go, “No, no… Well, all right, yeah… (mimes accepting piece) Thank you very much.” Yeah…

So Satsumas are great, eating’s a piece of piss, but you can’t do it with an orange. You go, “You want a bit of orange? I’ve got… f'ing ‘ell! (mimes hammering on the orange to open it) Can’t f'ing… hell…” ‘Cause inside an orange- it’s like the film “Das Boot” in there!

guava

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 05:12 PM

It reminds me of Eddie Izzard's bit on oranges versus satsuma from "Definite Article" (http://youtube.com/watch?v=hh5a0ucs8kQ) (starts at about 3:20 in the youtube clip):That's quite the jacket. :eek: He'd be an attractive guy without the eyeliner and the painted fingernails.

I don't know what "a piece of piss" means, but I don't think it should be used in reference to foods. :nono:

I used to buy the Satsuma bodywash from the Body Shop. It smelled so delicious. Now we're using a bodywash that smells like cucumbers. People really like smelling like fruits and vegetables.:nod: I put a fragrance called "carrot cake" in my van.

Maya's journal reminded me to read my Starbucks cups. :read: The last one said:

"Men are valued as instruments; women are valued as ornaments."

Ecrivain

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 05:54 PM

That's quite the jacket. :eek: He'd be an attractive guy without the eyeliner and the painted fingernails.

He's an "executive transvestite (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6npfjWoBCRM)."

I don't know what "a piece of piss" means, but I don't think it should be used in reference to foods. :nono:

British slang for "easy task." (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=piece+of+piss)

People really like smelling like fruits and vegetables.:nod:

True. Not so much with other food groups, though, huh? I haven't seen roasted chicken body wash, or cedar-planked salmon post-shower spritzer, or bbq ribs air freshener. :confused:

Happy Monster

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 05:55 PM

At the moment I have a shower gel with extracts of silk in it.. :D :lol:

BTW: Piece of Piss is slang here for Easy.

Eddie Izzard is quite popular here, and he always likes wearing feminine attire. ;)

Ecrivain.. It took me so long to post that here that you beat me. Why is it slow here?

guava

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 06:11 PM

I haven't seen roasted chicken body wash, or cedar-planked salmon post-shower spritzer, or bbq ribs air freshener. :confused:
Oooh... cedar planked salmon. :dreamy:

Maybe it just hasn't been tried yet.

You should get right on that! With the right people in the ads, you could make a killing! :spaz:

Ecrivain

Tue, February 19th, 2008, 06:42 PM

Maybe it just hasn't been tried yet.

I'm too late on the air (http://www.mcphee.com/items/11585.html) freshener (http://www.mcphee.com/items/11076.html). :cry:

guava

Thu, February 21st, 2008, 10:55 PM

Eating-wise, pluots were a hit (http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/p/pluots.htm) in this house.

Superstore has their Clif bars and Luna bars on special this week for $.99 (half price). As far as I can tell, they're the same thing, but the Luna bars are only 180 calories, and the Cliff bars are 250 calories. So I bought about 12 of them, mostly Clif bars, because I suppose I'm a manly kind of woman. :whistle:

That (and my previous post) reminds me of the antiperspirant battle, which basically proves that women are stupid enough to pay more for the same things as what men get for cheaper. Again, the male and female versions are the same price, but different sizes. Men and women don't normally want to smell the same as each other, so this doesn't often work.:(

I also picked up several packets of Kool-Aid. I've never been quite sure how the Crystal Light company has been successfully selling so many packets that make 3 L for $1.99 (more expensive than bottled diet Coke!) when you can just add a few pennies worth of whatever sweetener you want to a 20 cent packet of Kool-Aid. :confused:

I was not nearly busy enough this morning, so I spent some time admiring Marlon Brando's early work. My heart rate has not yet returned to normal since before lunch. :love: :drool:

yCENBce_dls

(And Happy Monster, just because I'm posting it here doesn't mean you have to watch it and then complain about it. :spank: Just leave it for the rest of us to enjoy.)

Naturegirl

Thu, February 21st, 2008, 11:14 PM

Oh I love those little cuties! You rarely get a bad batch, large oranges seem to taste funky more often than the tiny satsumas or navels. The little ones peel so easy too.

Your most important job for the ski trip will be to supervise, so at least you wont be required to instruct, correct? :D

guava

Thu, February 21st, 2008, 11:23 PM

Your most important job for the ski trip will be to supervise, so at least you wont be required to instruct, correct? :DI'm not required to go skiing, but my daughter has said that someone else would have liked to if I hadn't been able to, so I at least feel obligated to use the free lift ticket.

So I'm trying to figure out the least terrifying way for me to be able to do that.

Yes, I know, I need to stop talking about how scary it is, then it will become less scary.

guava

Sat, February 23rd, 2008, 08:30 PM

:dance:

Our private snowboarding lessons are tomorrow at 10:40. Just for me and the youngest. The older one is confident enough to go it on her own (we sent her to a week-long ski camp when she was just a little older than my youngest).

I wonder if snowboarding is as much or more fun than skiing. :confused:

Forecast is partly cloudy, and only very slightly below freezing. :)

:dance:

My younger daughter did the "try-it" for the cheerleading sessions. The instructor was wonderful. She was once named Ms. Canada Royalty (not sure what that means) and was involved in cheerleading for the Canadian Football League! It's unclear how many of the classes she actually teaches herself, and how many are taught by people she's trained. The only drawback is that it's a half hour session, and 20 minutes from home. :confused: So I think we might piggyback it with a hip hop class immediately following in the same location.

Her gymnastics showcase was this afternoon, and I failed to be impressed. :blank: The trampoline was way in the back corner, so I couldn't see her from my seat (that I had to pay $5 for). They highlighted some of the higher level gymnasts, which was nice, but the presentation seemed to be quite rigid; the emcee actually commented on some of the missteps and about the botched landings and how the girls would have to work harder in the next few weeks before their competitions! :eek: I thought it was sad that they were not allowed to be proud of the moves they had nailed, and instead were encouraged to focus on the weak spots. It reminded me of parts of my childhood that were really awkward, and reminded me that probably none of these competitive or any group activities are entirely within my comfort level. I hope my girls are made of tougher stuff. :flex:

Trusting your intuition means tuning in as deeply as you can to the energy you feel, following that energy moment to moment, trusting that it will lead you where you want to go and bring you everything you desire. -- Shakti Gawain

guava

Sun, February 24th, 2008, 10:52 PM

:eek:

Whew, that's a tough sport to master!

The lesson was a good idea. :nod: Instruction was essential, though I don't think our instructor was the best. :blank: I didn't really have a problem with her, but I think she could have explained a few things a little better, and made better use of our time on the lift.

We lasted from about 10:40 until about 4:40, with a break for lunch, and a short drink break. I don't think there's any part of me that isn't sore. At least four times I fell so hard that I knocked the wind out of myself. :cry: And I had no idea that I'd be required to spend several minutes before each run with my butt on the snow redoing my bindings. :mad: I didn't wear ski pants, and was wet right from about half way through the lesson until the end of the day. Fortunately, I did bring spare clothes, so I had something to wear at the end of the day.

The girls want to go again next weekend, but the school ski trip is the next day, so I explained that we'd probably be too exhausted. (Plus, I'm not ready to put down another $250. :()

Snowboarding is an activity that is very popular with people who do not feel that regular skiing is lethal enough. ~ Dave Barry

Seltzer

Mon, February 25th, 2008, 12:03 PM

guava

Mon, February 25th, 2008, 12:37 PM

Kudos for attempting to snow board. When I went skiing a couple of weeks ago my kids were trying to get me to try it out, but I stuck with fuddy duddy skis. They give me enough trouble as it is, I can only imagine how sore I would be from a day of snowboarding.There was a kid at the top of the hill chatting to me for a bit. He was only about 13 to 15 years old; not the kind of person I normally talk to, so it was really interesting. He said "First time up here?" I said "Yeah." Then he watched my daughter go down, and said "She's really good!" I said "Yeah, I'm amazed at how quickly she picked it up." Then he asked me "Can you make it down that far?" :p I told him I could, but not with that much style. Then I did my run, and hoped that he wasn't watching. :o Mostly, I was going with the technique called sideslipping, exactly as illustrated in this clip (http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com/learn-snowboarding/sideslipping-heelside.asp). The hill we were on had about that same angle to it (a little steeper in the top half) so I couldn't get enough control at the speed it would have put me at if I'd gone down regular. (I think my daughter had an easier time because her centre of gravity is lower down. Yeah, that's it. ;))

I moved on to somewhat of a modified "falling leaf". (Like this (http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com/learn-snowboarding/falling-leaf.asp), but on the heelside, not the toeside) I can't imagine ever getting to the "linking turns" stage. Another guy I talked to suggested that if I get one lesson each year for the next two years, I should be fine. (If I'm going to do that, it might be worthwhile to actually buy the equipment and go for season passes. :confused:) In one week, I get to try again, in front of dozens of twelve-year-olds. :spaz: :scared: :o

Talking from morning to night about sex has helped my skiing, because I talk about movement, about looking good, about taking risks.” ~ Ruth Westheimer

guava

Thu, February 28th, 2008, 12:37 PM

I'm planning sports!! :spaz: :spaz:

We are so lucky there are so many options for activities for my kids in this area.

Someone mentioned synchronized swimming yesterday, so I sent off an e-mail to the coach and asked how the program works, when they meet, what it costs, etc. They recommend 8 years old before starting, so I'm rather proud of myself that I'm ahead of the game. :p She's also supposed to be Aquaquest 8, so I have to figure out what equivalent that is. I think it's swimmer 6, and she's only swimmer 4, so we should probably spend the year working on those skills.

I also e-mailed the ski hill and asked why they don't have any group snowboarding lessons for kids under 8. There are ski groups for kids as young as 4 years old, so I don't get it. :confused:

I figured out that for next year, taking 4 week ski lessons (lift ticket for the day included) is pretty much the same price as getting lift tickets for 4 visits, so we'll probably do that, or even the 8 week sessions, which is cheaper than paying for a lift ticket 8 times. The season pass costs equivalent to 11 visits, unless you want a Saturday night pass (5 to 10 pm) which is equivalent cost of 3 1/2 visits.

Equipment rentals would add on about $170 each for the 8 weeks, or I could buy equipment. But I looked at equipment to buy and I'm getting all confused. :cry: I found a snowboard (new, with bindings) for as low as $30, and some as high as $300, and I have no idea how to tell the difference. I'm also not completely convinced that specialized snowboarding boots would be required, since my own insulated winter boots look very similar.

I'm going to take a look at the local parks and see if there are any hills suitable for snowboarding a little closer to home. Could people theoretically snowboard at a designated ski hill for free, as long as they didn't use the lifts? We stayed in the beginner area, and I found it was actually quite easy to walk up the hill, and preferred it in many cases. I only took the lift about 8 times maybe, and maybe walked up about 6 times.

I'm thinking about applying for a job at a weight loss centre, but I'm afraid that I might know too much about gimmicks and promising quick results that it might be a really bad idea. :(

"Faster, faster 'til the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death."