Beef and Broccoli and Oh So Hungry

Are you trying to tell me it's the last day of March already!?! How did THAT happen?

I'm starving right now. I ate dinner and two hours later, I'm starving. Guess what I had. Chinese food - bingo! Beef and broccoli, of the homemade variety, in case you were wondering.

I tried to replicate the beef and broccoli we get at our favourite Chinese restaurant, King's Fortune. OK, granted, it's the only Chinese restaurant anywhere near us, but it IS good, or we wouldn't bother with it, regardless.

Anyway, my homemade version was fine. I over cooked the broccoli, just a bit. It wasn't as good as King's Fortune but it was edible.

Now, it's 7:45 p.m., I'm ravenous and I have a scant 4 Weight Watchers points to see me through to morning. sigh. If you eat your own leg, does that count for any points? It should be a net loss really, when you think about it.

I did my weekly 5K, this afternoon. It continues to get easier. I REALLY need to put a more effective play list on my iPod, however. Slow, sad, angst-filled alternative music from the '90s isn't the most motivating thing to listen to when I'm trying to run up the hill, back to the house.

Living at the top of a hill affords good views and hard workouts. The worst part of the run comes right at the end, when I have to (one way or another) heave my busted, tired butt back up to the house. So far, I've been successful. When I eventually can't make it back up, that will be the sign that it's time to move. I don't anticipate that day coming for some time.

Anyway, I must dash. Easter prep begins tonight and continues through to Sunday. Busy. Busy.

If anyone out there has had great success recreating their favourite take-out dish, I'd love to hear about it. I'm always on the lookout for new recipes.

Who's Writing These Lyrics?

Here's a little piece of personal trivia.

I don't always hear (quite) everything I should. Those of you who have ever had an actual conversation with me, have probably figured this out.

If you're not facing me when you're talking to me, I'm not going to hear you. If you're across the room and the TV's on, I'm not going to hear you. If you've just said something to me and I'm staring blankly and nodding, I've given up. I haven't understood a word you just said and I'm now trying to fake my way out of the conversation, completely.

It's always been this way for me and I don't consider it a big deal. I don't intend to do anything about it so don't refer me to you ear, nose and throat guy. Been there, done that.

It frustrates my three-year-old at times, which only serves to amuse me.

Three-year-old: "mumble mumble mumble"
Me: "Pardon?"

Three-year-old (slightly louder): "mumble mumble mumble"
Me: "Pardon???"

Three-year-old: annoyed sigh "LISTEN!"
Me: "Hey, it's not my fault, I can't hear you!"

My sister (nhoward in the comments section) can empathise with his pain. She's been repeating herself for me, her whole life. Except, I don't actually try to understand what she's saying. I usually just take a wild guess and repeat what I think she's said. I usually 'think' I've heard something pretty ridiculous. This annoys her very much and she starts ranting about how I don't even try to understand people anymore. It's true, and I find I'm more relaxed.

Given my propensity to miss words in conversation, it's no surprise that I was pretty ill-suited to my former occupation as a receptionist.

Customers would call in and if there was the least bit of background noise, on either end of the phone, I couldn't hear them and didn't know who they were calling for. I would have them repeat themselves a couple of times, three if I thought there was any hope of catching what they wanted, and then I'd give up and forward the, now exasperated, caller to the service department. There, the caller would repeat themselves again and be forwarded to the person they actually phoned to speak to.

It was a survival technique. For some reason, I preferred people to think I was incompetent rather than admit I wasn't hearing properly.

Anyway, I'm bringing this up because I was jogging today, in the cold and the wind, and I was listening to my iPod as I trotted and shivered along. With the ear buds and without distractions, it was the first time I'd heard some of the songs clearly and...dios mio some were down right raunchy!

I had to look up some of the terminology on urbandictionary.com to fully understand what was going on and then, ey ey ey double dios mio! I'm glad I was the only one who could hear it. I was probably blushing through half the run.

Fake Pine and Sewage

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I never thought St. Paddy's Day was a very big deal, but this year EVERYBODY is wearing green! I love to see that team spirit, Go Irish!

I went for my second weekly run today. It's already getting easier to finish the 5 km. A lot of the challenge seems to be mental. This week, I was able to pace myself, control my breathing and I run comfortably the whole time. The only time I stopped was to pick up my iPod, when it fell on the road.

My little jog took me past a house that was having septic troubles. I really had no way around it. There were contractor trucks and equipment all over the place and the front yard of the house was dug up.

The air was ripe. It had a piquant, sewagey bouquet. Then, ever so gradually, the sewage smell was replaced by the smell of artificial pine. It got stronger until I was passing the open window of the contractor's truck.

'Holy air fresheners!' I thought. Then I made the connection. These guys dig up septic systems for a living. I decided they were entitled to have as many pine tree air fresheners as they could wrap around their rear view mirror and I cut them some slack.

We're at the halfway point this week. How are you doing? My workouts have been good, but my diet could be a little better. I'll try to eat really well tomorrow.

Daily Exercise, Yes - But Let's Not Go Nuts

Daily exercise is good for you. It probably doesn't need to be said. Exercise burns calories, makes us strong, gives us an outlet for frustration and regulates mood. If, after all that, you still need another reason to hit the eject button on the La -Z-Boy, I've got a good one for you.

I was reading today, on the Women's Health website, that exercise eliminates the dangerous fat that builds up around our vital organs. While it's possible to maintain a healthy weight, through diet alone, without exercise you may still have a congestion of fat build up internally. You may, in fact, be less healthy and at greater risk of certain health problems than a heavier person who is active.

Suffice to say, it's important to exercise regularly. Earlier this week, I mentioned my intention to add a 5 km run to my weekly workout rotation. That's all though, just 5 km...no marathons.

Another interesting tidbit, I read today, is that marathon runners have an increased risk of heart attack, because the exertion of a marathon is so intense it actually causes temporary cardiac damage. With rest, the damage usually repairs itself, but it still exposes you to (I think) unnecessary risk. It seems to me, that if you're damaging your heart, you're trying too hard.

Then I learned about a sport called ultramarathon. Ultramarathon is for people who find a regular marathon too pedestrian. It's an extreme race that, by definition, exceeds the standard marathon distance of 42.195 km, and often involves additional challenges including extreme climate and terrain. This sounds like a fantastic idea. I can't imagine anything going wrong with this at all.

The most ultra of the ultramarathons is the Badwater Ultramarathon. It spans a distance of 217 km, beginning in the Badwater Basin and crossing Death Valley all the way to Mount Whitney, CA. It happens every July, a time of year when temperatures in Death Valley can reach 55° C (130°F). A small sub-set of runners will attempt a double crossing, presumably in an attempt to get back to their car. Most runners don't complete the official race, let alone the second crossing.

Nothing about this race sounds reasonable or well advised. I've been to Death Valley in the summer and I can tell you, there's a reason they call it that. It's a crazy place and it will try to kill you, no joke. I don't know who the people are who attempt this race and I probably don't want to. I applaud their desire to push themselves and 'suck the marrow out of life' and all that good stuff, but I won't be joining them.

I just want to do my little 5 km and carry on with my day.

Don't forget that tomorrow is weight-in day. Stop by and give us an update!

One Month Down...The Rest Of My Life To Go

This blog has been up and running for a month now. We've certainly covered a lot in a short time. There's still a long way to go, though. Weight maintenance is the bi product of a life-time of vigilance, or so I've heard. If you're new here, settle in...we're around for the long haul.

Today, I am a broken woman. That run, yesterday, did me in. I'm sore all over and I've pulled something in my ankle. I've been hobbling and whining all day. Can you tell I'm not a regular runner?

I don't really aspire to being a 'runner.' I have no desire to run a marathon or anything like that but I would like to run 5k without being destroyed. That's why I'm thinking of adding a run to my weekly workout rotation. I enjoy jogging along with my i-pod on a nice day, I'd just like to be more competent at it.

So, it's decided. Once my crippled body has healed I will start running once a week until 5 km is no longer a big deal.

Has anyone else set new fitness goals lately?

Prepare for Take Off

Pant...weeze...pant...weeze...gulp...pant...pant...omg...weeze...omg...weeze...I just ran 5km. My inner asthmatic didn't like parts of that.

Ask me why I ran 5 km.

Why?

I'll tell you, imaginary Craig Ferguson-esque sidekick.

It didn't rain today. It's beautiful and sunny and warm. I wanted to be outside and I wanted a challenging workout. For me, jogging is always a challenge.

But the real reason is, I'm excited today because we booked our trip to Europe! It's official, I have six weeks to whip my busted, tired body into a brick house.

In no time at all, we'll be touching down in sunny tropical England. Ahh, England in April; the words are synonymous with bikinis and coconut scented sun screen...or jackets and a sensible pair of shoes, either way.

After a couple of weeks in Britain, we'll carry on to Italy for a week.

I'm going to visit the remains of Pompeii, this time for sure. It's been on my bucket list since I was in 10th grade latin and Quintus was in triclinio bibit. I have to tick the Pompeii box before I die, or before Vesuvius erupts again and consumes the archaeological record. I'll be there soon. Come on, no volcanic eruptions!

So in a little over a month, I hope to lose a little over 10 lbs and I really want to tone up my arms and abs because this is the summer of the tank top.

Says who?

Says the UN...don't argue with me, imaginary sidekick.

In further news, it's taco night. I'm making chicken tacos with whole wheat tortillas, sautéed peppers and onions, sour cream, chipotle salsa and a slice of avocado on top. Just say California fresh. What are you having tonight?