the moment of truth

C is out of town for business for the next couple of days, so the puppy and I have the house to ourselves. What that used to mean for me was bingeing. I would make a pound of spaghetti and meat sauce and eat it all in one sitting. Make a meal for four and eat it all myself. Order a large pizza and inhale it without a second thought or a single piece leftover.

10.29.13 -- loan progress

Undergrad: $0
Law School: $45,401.58

10.28.13 -- weigh-in

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I have to say about that.

Start (08.17.13): 199 lbs.
Week 1 (08.24.13): 196.5 lbs.
Week 2 (09.02.13): 198 lbs.
Week 3 (09.09.13): 198.5 lbs.
Week 4 (09.16.13): 195.5 lbs.
Week 5 (09.23.13): 195.5 lbs.
Week 6 (09.30.13): 196.5 lbs.
Week 7 (10.07.13): 193.5 lbs.
Week 8 (10.14.13): 192 lbs.
Week 9 (10.21.13): 192.5 lbs.
Week 10 (10.28.13): 193 lbs.

my very own nigerian prince

I got the most awesome email sent to my work account today.

perception

There is a psychiatric disorder known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It occurs when people see flaws that don't exist when they look at themselves in a mirror.

While it's not a psychiatric disorder, sometimes I feel like I suffer from anti-BDD. When I look in the mirror, I don't see myself as I actually look. Then when I look at pictures of myself, I am disgusted by myself in a visceral way that I can't quite describe. There is a phenomenon that explains why this reaction occurs for most people, but I don't think that's what's occurring with me.

little miss crankypants

C just got on the treadmill and ran farther and faster than I can, even after 3.5 weeks of c25k. No warm-up or anything; just got on the treadmill and ran a half mile. No big deal.

I know it's not a competition with anyone other than myself, but I can't help but feel discouraged. For a self-professed non-runner (thanks to his pigeon toes), C sure can run. Now I feel bad for feeling this way. Grr. 

if at first you don't succeed...

...rip it out until you get it right.

healthy break

So since I've started this whole 52 lbs thing, my friend Ashlye and I have been reasonably dedicated to taking what we call "healthy breaks" at work, every hour on the hour. We just get up and walk down the hallway, no big deal, but it's good for our mental health. (Humans just are not made to work 8+ hours a day sitting at a desk.)

10.21.13 -- weigh-in

No good news to report here. I gained 0.5 lbs this past week. Sad :(

Start (08.17.13): 199 lbs.
Week 1 (08.24.13): 196.5 lbs.
Week 2 (09.02.13): 198 lbs.
Week 3 (09.09.13): 198.5 lbs.
Week 4 (09.16.13): 195.5 lbs.
Week 5 (09.23.13): 195.5 lbs.
Week 6 (09.30.13): 196.5 lbs.
Week 7 (10.07.13): 193.5 lbs.
Week 8 (10.14.13): 192 lbs.
Week 9 (10.21.13): 192.5 lbs.

my boys

This was a good weekend.

10.18.13 -- loan progress

Undergrad: $0
Law School: $46,371.00

the itch is back

OMG do I want to knit today. Found some yarn for the shawl my mom wants for her birthday. Better buy it soon so I can actually have it done by then!!! If only I weren't so slow. I still need to finish the gifts for C's friends. I really want to start on that blanket. Sigh. So many projects, so little time. Fortunately for me, I don't think I have anything going on this weekend other than a hair appointment on Saturday morning.

Now if only I could figure out a way to knit while walking on the treadmill... :)

tmi post (sorry)

This week is an interesting week for me. On Monday, I had my annual exam, and I had my doctor take out my IUD. (woah) This is the first time since I was 15 that I haven't been on hormonal birth control. (double woah) It's weirding me out a little bit. It's like I told the MA at the OB/GYN, it's so bizarre to be at a point in my life where pregnancy isn't something to be avoided at all costs. It's just a mental switch that I'm going to have to do.

Don't get me wrong, C and I are not yet trying for a baby. We're just using the 1950s condoms-only birth control method. And I'm not going to lie, I love having sex with condoms. SO much less messy. I could really get used to this!!

happy birthday weekend

This past weekend was my friend Ashlye's son's birthday, and there ain't no party like a 2-year-old party. :) I took a LOT of pictures of him opening presents, but here's some fun ones from the party.

10.14.13 -- weigh-in

More progress this week! I love being able to see results for my efforts:

Start (08.17.13): 199 lbs.
Week 1 (08.24.13): 196.5 lbs.
Week 2 (09.02.13): 198 lbs.
Week 3 (09.09.13): 198.5 lbs.
Week 4 (09.16.13): 195.5 lbs.
Week 5 (09.23.13): 195.5 lbs.
Week 6 (09.30.13): 196.5 lbs.
Week 7 (10.07.13): 193.5 lbs.
Week 8 (10.14.13): 192 lbs.

bodymedia

I'm not going to lie, I really like this BodyMedia Fit Coach. It's hokey, but it really does make me feel proud of myself.

how i met your father (part 2)

You can read part 1 of the story here...

So concentrate I did. I finished up my last semester of 1L (mercifully) and celebrated the return of a break from school. I was single and spending all of my "free" time at school or studying, so I was feeling a bit disconnected from society. I decided that I wanted to join an atheist group. A lot of the reason that people join churches is for the social aspect, so I figured this way I could get that without the god crap. I was really pretty nervous about joining. I lurked the meetup page for quite a few weeks before I gathered the courage to go to a meeting.

i made it... barely

Yesterday was the first day of Couch-to-5k, and boy did it kick my ass. I felt reasonably ok while I was doing it (as ok as one can feel while running, anyway), but afterwards... woo boy. I did an appropriate cool down... more than the C25K app even asked for, since I had to walk from the canal back to my office (with a much-needed rest in the people mover) and then from my office to my car. My vasovagal syncope never fails to rear its ugly head in situations like these though. On my drive home, I started feeling... prodromal. I didn't exactly feel like I was going to faint, but I felt like if I had to stand or walk anywhere, that I would.

evenings unplugged

We haven't had internet since Sunday night [insert Comcast rage here]. And, man, is it annoying. Especially since we don't really have cell service in our limestone bunker of a house. (first world problems, I know)

sick days

Last Tuesday was my birthday (hooray!), but last Wednesday-Friday I had an unfortunate case of gastroenteritis. I made it to work on Wednesday, but Wednesday night brought fever, aches, and chills, so no work for me on Thursday or Friday.

Despite having intermittently working internet (Comcast rage), I managed to catch up on How I Met Your Mother. Now I can watch it live tonight for the first time since the first season! I also got some knitting projects finished up.

10.07.13 -- weigh-in

Big progress made this week. It's amazing what happens when you actually are aware of the food that you put into your mouth:

Start (08.17.13): 199 lbs.
Week 1 (08.24.13): 196.5 lbs.
Week 2 (09.02.13): 198 lbs.
Week 3 (09.09.13): 198.5 lbs.
Week 4 (09.16.13): 195.5 lbs.
Week 5 (09.23.13): 195.5 lbs.
Week 6 (09.30.13): 196.5 lbs.
Week 7 (10.07.13): 193.5 lbs.

what just happened?

I'm sorry, I don't run. What on earth have I done?

good friends, good weekend

This past weekend C and I went up to Chicago to celebrate my birthday. For anyone who knows either of us, this is likely surprising to you. I hate Chicago (give me NYC any day of the week), and C hates cities. However, there were a couple of places that I wanted to go that are only in Chicago, and we both have friends who live up there.

It was true to The Year of Austerity in that we didn't spend a whole lot of money to have fun. We went to brunch with my friend Julie and her boyfriend, which was super fun! Then we went to a fancy knitting shop [side note: I'd never actually been to a yarn store. It seemed like an outing fraught with danger.] and walked around awhile. Then we went to Flor (with a detour at a baby store) and to The Spice House. The only thing we actually bought was brunch and 2 jars of spices at The Spice House.