Friday, June 3, 2011

No Power Last Night = Glimpse inside my head

Good morning (or afternoon/evening depending on which part of the world you’re in). We finally have power back this morning. We had no power most of the day yesterday and the same transformer blew a second time about an hour after I got home from work. Since I had nothing better to do last night, I sat at the dining room table and wrote by candlelight. So for your entertainment, I decided to use today’s post for last night’s musings. Enjoy!

2 June 2011 – Starting around 7:30pm EST

There’s not much else to do tonight as we don’t have power right now. Rick (my fiancĂ©) told me the building had been without power most of the day; it came back on about 10 minutes before I got home. About an hour later, the same transformer blew out again.

We’ve been without power since then. It doesn’t appear that it will be fixed tonight. Right now I’ve got candles going so I have light to write by. Rick’s already gone to bed. Interestingly enough, we have power in the bedroom; only in the bedroom.

I was on the computer playing The Sims 3 until Rick wanted to go to bed. Now I’m writing. It’s been so long since I’ve written by hand (instead of typing), my hand is already starting to cramp. That’s pretty sad, I think.

It is going to be a very long and boring evening. Usually on Thursday nights, I watch Police Women of Broward County. Yes, I have no life because I stoop to watching reality TV. What can you do on a work night when you’re not really a partier though?

Writing Prompt:

“You know, on some days it’s like I can see the whole ‘divine plan’ behind the universe. On others, I think the world was thrown together from whatever bits of trash the universe could spare.”

“Well aren’t you just a ray of sunshine today?”

“I’m serious Kaylee. Did you hear about that 16-year-old kid that murdered his parents? You can’t seriously think God had a plan for him.”

“Actually, I do. There is always something good that comes out of anything bad. Maybe one of that kids family members made a commitment to get off drugs before they’re murdered by a drug dealer or something.”

I just took a glance outside and it looks like we may be in for another storm at some point (just an FYI…we did not get any storms last night). It’s gotten cloudy and it’s been windy most of the day. If we do get more thunderstorms, I hope it doesn’t spawn any tornadoes like those in Western MA (this happened on Wednesday).

Four people were killed by those. It’s really rare for us to get tornadoes this far north. Although, this is, I believe, the 3rd time that I can remember.

The first tornado in MA, that I can remember, was in Great Barrington, MA back in 1995 (I was only 11 at the time). That was 16 years ago. I think it stuck in my memory because I was a kid and up until that point, I’d never heard of such a thing.

Alright, it’s about 9pm now and honestly, the candlelight is making me drowsy. I’m off to bed now and pray to the gods we have power back tomorrow morning. I’ll be pissed if I have to throw out all the meat in our fridge and freezer.

I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into my mind. And yes, we did have power back when I woke up this morning (around 5am). Nothing in the fridge spoiled (at least not the stuff I’ve checked so far). I might cook the chicken tonight if I’m feeling better.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful day!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Book of the Month - June

I read a really good book last weekend (in the evenings) called One Second After. It's basically a fictional account of a small North Carolina town after the United States is struck by an EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) that wipes out all electronics.


Think cars, lights, cell phones, electric stoves, computers, etc. The author William Forstchen really did his research right down to the nitty-gritty details. The storyline itself is really creepy (because it is dead-on and could happen). Mr. Forstchen really knows how to wrench your gut with emotion. I found myself crying more then once while reading this book.

If you're looking for something to read on vacation (or anytime really), I highly recommend this book. Just make sure that you keep a box of tissues handy because you'll need them!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Today is good

I tracked every last bite yesterday and today, so I'm doing much better then the first couple of days. Sadly, my leg is still swollen (all that walking this last week + heat/humidity). I did not walk at lunch today for two reasons: 1. It was humid and hot and 2. My leg still hurts.

On another note, I heard from a friend of mine that he's been reading my blog and wants to see more of my 'musings' on here. So, I went out and purchased a new notebook for writing and plan on doing some over the weekend. I'll post the better pieces/fragments here next week.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Disappointed in Myself

After all that walking and exercise that I'm not used to this past weekend, I ended up gaining 2 pounds. Our scale has me at 310lbs. That's 4 pounds less than my absolute heaviest last autumn. To say I am vastly disappointed in myself is an understatement. Below is a picture of me this past Sunday.



On the other side of the coin, I did make myself walk for 30 minutes at lunchtime today, even though every step hurt. As promised, below you’ll find some photos from our trip to the mountains. These were all taken at The Flume Gorge near Franconia, NH.




One of my favorite waterfall shots from this weekend. Considering I have a 5+ year old camera (that's maybe 5-6 megapixels), I'd say it came out awesome!


And of course, I had to add the obligatory shot of the mountains! Hope you're all having a great Tuesday!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Back from the Mountains

We got back fairly early this morning (around 9:30-10ish) and have been trying to cool off ever since. It is really hot and humid here today (around 80°F or 26°C). I decided to forgo the weigh-in until the swelling in my leg goes down.

We visited the Lost River Gorge on Saturday and the Flume Gorge yesterday (which is 2+ miles). Both were about an hour's drive from the cabin we rented in the Weirs Beach/Laconia area. At one point we considered checking out Canterbury Shaker Village...until we got there and realized they didn't open for another hour.

All in all this weekend went well, even if my leg does hurt like hell. It was worth it because I got some great pictures. I plan on posting a few of them with tomorrow's post. As for now, its getting late and I'm exhausted!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Weekend in the Mountains

Alright, I can do this. 3 days up in the White Mountains without a computer means 3 days of not being able to use the food journal on WeightWatchers.com. Monday is my weigh-in, so I have to be at least semi-good this weekend.

I bought watermelon and grapes to take with us, and already had apples in the fridge. I also bought Fiber One pancake mix (more fiber, less sugar). I’ll let you all know how it tastes when I get back. Since the cabin we rented also has a grill, I got some 90/10 hamburgers (leanest they had) and some Baked Lays.

I heard that it’s supposed to be really nice this weekend, so I’m going to drag Rick out to walk around with me when I take pictures. I will be back at some point on Monday and will post the best of my photos from the weekend.

I will also make sure to let you all know how I did with my weigh-in. Since I’ve gone for 30-minute walks at lunch the last 2 days (and will be walking more this weekend), it might be off a bit thanks to my leg swelling.

Hope you all have a good weekend and I will see you on Monday!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

No longer on hiatus

I'm appalled at myself that it’s been over a year since I wrote on this blog. I have to say, I have missed it terribly. Since so much has happened in the last year, let me give you the condensed version:
For starters, back in December my sister had her third son, so I am the proud of auntie of three wonderful nephews now. Next up, I got engaged in January and will be getting married this October. We'll be having a Star Wars themed wedding and I cannot wait! It's going to be epic awesomeness!

On that note, all eyes (or at least my mom’s side) are on me to bring a little girl into this family; which won’t happen until well after the wedding and a significant weight loss (think at least 50 pounds).

I recently stepped back on a scale after several months of being unaccountable. I was at 297 when I stopped weight watchers last time (down from 314), but when I saw that I am back to 308 it was a wakeup call.

For those that aren’t already aware, I have a genetic pre-disposition to DVT’s (or blood clots) called Factor V Leiden. I found this out at age 20 when I developed a blood clot behind my left knee. I got a 2nd blood clot in the exact same area at age 25 (after being laid out on the sofa with pneumonia for 2 weeks).

That was 3 years ago, and since then I have been on blood thinner (and will be for the rest of my life most likely). This means I have to be careful when flying, going into the mountains or if I have children (higher hormone levels increase the risk…that’s why it’s on birth control warnings).

That being said, losing weight (even just 5-10%) will be a huge help. Hopefully, it will also allow me to get out and walk more without hurting as much (nerve damage/chronic pain from the first clot). I used to walk several miles in a day, but now walking even 1 mile makes my leg swell and hurt for a few days afterwards. That means I will be making use of our apartment complex’s pool this summer.

So if you like, pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage and join me as I write not just about fictional characters, but also about my weight-loss journey.