My (So-Called) Paleo Life

Bah humbug.

Or maybe bah crumbug.

Whatever.  I feel like crap.

Crap warmed over.  Crap on a stick.  Crap on toast.  Crap crap crap crap crap!

I'm fairly certain I shouldn't hang out under where people are dangling pianos from a pulley.  That's how crappy I feel.

And apparently how crappy my powers of conveying a mental impression are.  See, if I were to stand under a dangling piano, I'm pretty sure it would FALL ON ME.  That's how crappy everything is right now.

Sore throat.  Headache all weekend and today, particularly if I turn my head just so (throb Throb THROB).  Today I almost fell off/over my chair.  I didn't fall on the floor, but the jolt as I fell onto the chair's seat hurt nearly as much.  Now my back hurts too.  And I think I have cramps.  WTF? 

whine Whine WHINE.

I don't feel like doing much of anything.  Except sleeping and reading.  I found this great new author over the past week (Nalini Singh, really like her Psy-Changeling series in particular) and really would rather read than do just about anything else.

Including eat, clean, exercise.  Bathe.  You know, the usual.

A sign of non-specific free-floating anxiety.  Precursor to a big depressive episode.

Why?

Hmm, not totally sure.

But I will say, I would be a LOT happier if after four-plus years I could get a raise without having to go ask for one.  It sucks to feel as if I'm the one who holds it all together/meets all the deadlines/does all the work and not be recognized in (almost) the slightest for it.  I have to start working weekends again next week.  There's just too much to do and I'm usually the only one who ends up doing it.

Le sigh.

I think I will book a massage this week.  Maybe that will help rub the crap right out of me.

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Updates on Humping and Ta Tas

(That'll confund the search engines for sure!)

The car repairs turned out to be both inexpensive and pricey.  Inexpensive in that it was only about $4.00 more than they estimated plus I had a coupon to get the rental car for free, so the sum total was about $110.  Pricey in that it was just a leaky gas cap.  So now I have the world's most expensive gas cap. 

I also found out that the 60,000 mile service is the biggest one for this car.  And I am at 56,000 miles.  (I knew the last part.)  I had thought it was the 90,000 mile which was the big one, and it would take me about ten years to get to 90,000 miles.  But no.  I do most of the services on the list routinely so that will help but we're still talking probably $700 minimum.  Well, now I know where this year's November/December overtime is going towards!

On the ta tas front, my mammogram came back clean on the first try.  Since this was my first so they had no prior films to compare it to, everybody had told me I'd likely end up having to go back in to do a more detailed scan to clear up questioned areas.  But nope!  The breasts are beautiful, inside and out.

Up next:  New glasses!  And once I get the rest of my year-end overtime pay on Monday, start pricing trips to Grandma's house.

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

It WILL be a happy hump day!

Hot on the heels of my joy at finding out the vet bill was half of what I had expected it to be, an indicator light went on in my car.  Today it is at the shop.  I am hoping that it's something minor (and cheap).  But they haven't called yet so I'm a little worried....

I had to get up fairly early to get out to the dealership this morning.  My dog was making pathetic little whimper noises as I did so.  I came back in asking, what's your deal?   YOU get to go back to sleep!  Which she did.  She did drag herself out of bed as I was leaving to relocate to sleeping on the sofa.  The other dog was sleepy and blinky too.  I kicked them both outside for doody duty.  I have no sympathy.

A couple of reasons I am hoping the car repair is inexpensive:  one, I need new glasses desperately; and two, my dad and grandmother are making "ungrateful children" noises at me through my mother.  So I am hoping to plan my visit to them sooner rather than later.  Also, my grandfather turns 80 in a couple of weeks and it would be nice to gift him with my presence for that (that's how my grandmother would look at it; me personally would want to be left alone on my 80th birthday). 

This is also the reason I need to STOP BUYING FOOD.  I bought all these lovely, healthy groceries with which to feed myself, and then I keep finding/having reasons to pick up food.  One night I had to do errands and it was late/I was exhausted/blah blah blah.  Last night was all of that plus I really wanted pizza.  I'm still not feeling 100% over my cold and sore throat.  Sounds weird, but I am hoping that it really is an actual sore throat sicky kind of a thing and not, say, erosion of my esophagus from acid reflux.  Because one of those is not so big of a deal and doesn't cost a lot of money to get over. 

And I'd like to hang on to my money at the moment.

Happy hump day!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Just MIA, not KIA.

Howdy hey everyone.  My tank was on empty for most of last week and by Friday morning the engine shut down.  I stayed home from work with a headache, a sore throat and probably a case of sleeping sickness.  Why else would I sleep until 3:00 p.m. on Friday?  And then I went back to bed by about 9:00 p.m. and slept another fourteen hours or so.  Yikes.  That reminds me, I need to take my vitamins.  Thinking maybe my body chemistry is all wonky and that's why I've been so tired.

So, I'm feeling better-ish now.  Saturday I took my dogs to be tortured the vet.  It wasn't as bad as any of us thought:  the dogs only got up close and personal with a thermometer rather than the full on stool/urine sample (and on the stool sample, if it does not come to the vet then the vet goes to it, if you get my drift) and the bill was only half of what I had been anticipating.  Everybody's still alive, although I declined to renew my dog's licenses for more than one year.  They're both good on shots for two and three years respectively; I am fully prepared not to have to do shots with them ever again. 

Today I went for a run with my friend Jules.  It was butt-ass cold and foggy and damp, even more so on the run as it went along Fanno Creek.  I was regretting not wearing my gloves.  We started out at a really good pace and decided to go farther than originally planned; unfortunately my hip flexor then tightened up so that it felt like my hip bones were grinding together with every other step and I had to walk most of the route back.  Must do more stretching.  Jules wants to get to a solid 12 minute mile and I want to get back to where that is an easy pace for me; I think together we can easily do it.  Definitely need to do more stretching before next Sunday's run!

It's back to work tomorrow although I'd really rather sleep.  For at least a week.  Really must go take those vitamins.  Consensus on Facebook is that it is perfectly okay to wash those down with beer (in case you were wondering, as I was at the time). 

I'll need to be extra healthy to meet my goal of doing one complete push up.  I decided I should look up how to do a push up correctly; I wasn't sure where to put my hands (in terms of width apart) or where my elbows should be.  I'll share the handy dandy video I found with you.  The music is very exciting.  Turns out I was pretty much doing it all correctly, except for my feet.  I never noticed or realized that you want to be on the balls of your feet, not your toes.  Once I get to actually trying them on the floor -- I'm doing incline push ups against my stairs to start -- I'll have to remember that. 

My dog CBS is insisting it is time to get off the computer and do something, and now the other dog has seconded the motion.  Welcome to the new followers!  I haven't had a chance to check out your blogs, if you have one, but I will.  Best case scenario, they will keep me awake :)

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Think you'll get porky on the Pill?

Not necessarily, says a recent study by Oregon Health & Sciences University.

I'd be more impressed if they hadn't qualified the language quite so much, e.g., "....does not appear to be true...." 

Well, I guess it's true for rhesus monkeys, yeah?  There's something!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Naked time and another 2011 race has been added

I realized after I posted the ta tas story that I forgot to include my own nakedness.  Not pictures, thankfully.  But I forgot to add about how they give you this gown that closes in the back.  It would make more sense in the front but since you have to walk to the mammogram machine room (all of four feet, in my case) they want patients to be as covered as possible.  And to quell the urge to flash, I'm sure.

To do the squishing, we had to take the gown off of half of me and it kept getting in the way.  After about five seconds, I just said that I was fine with being topless and let's ditch the gown.  So the rest of the time was spent with me bouncing around (literally) wearing only jeans chatting with the tech.  I realized then that I would be perfectly fine on a topless beach.  Going the full monty, I'm not sure.  I'm fine with being topless or sitting around bottomless talking with my doctor but I don't know about walking about completely.  I think it would just be too drafty.  Plus there are no pockets.

Anyhow.  I signed up for another 2011 race, the Spring Burst 5K on April 9.  This is on my nemesis course in Cook Park in Tigard.  Every time I have run a race there, I'm injured or sick or just having a seriously off day.  This time, I plan to nail this course!

Happy hump day!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

Save the Ta Tas!

Today, we're going to talk about the ta tas.

 

You know the ta tas, right?

The boobies. 

Gazongas.

Jugs.

Melons.

Boobs.  Tits.  Headlights.  Dinner plates. 

Bazooms.  Fun bags.  Bosoms.  Hooters.  Knockers.  Lovely lady lumps.  Torpedoes. 

High beams.  The girls.  The twins.  Sweater puppies.  Chesticles.  Breastage.  The pointer sisters.

Breasts.

I had my first mammogram yesterday.  Due to my rather large amount of breastage and having recently turned 40 with a history of breast cancer on my mom's side, my doctor recommended I start having mammograms this year.  Since I also have a friend younger than me who has gone through breast cancer twice, I felt it was in my best interest to do it.

It really wasn't that bad.

There was the odd positioning and definite squishing, of course.  But it was for five seconds, tops.  I mean, between getting a full mouth set of x-rays at the dentist and the mammogram?  I'd choose a mammogram every single frickin' time.

I have a really small mouth and the x-ray films hurt.  Having large breasts make it a bit easier to get a mammogram.   And you can always pull the damn teeth.  I have plenty to spare.

Not so with the breasts.  I have two and that's all I get.  And as much as I'm not always all that fond of having humongous ta tas, they are pretty bodacious. 

I'd really like to keep them. 

After all.  Some day, somebody else is going to appreciate the hell out of them. 

Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States.  Your genes may predispose you to breast cancer, but with monthly self exams and regular exams by your doctor, breast cancer can be caught and treated early.  Do yourself a favor and give them a good squeeze on a regular basis.   The girls are beautiful in all their shapes and sizes.  Let's keep them healthy.

Cheers,

the CilleyGirl

Stupid ticker

I spend all this time setting up nifty weight tickers and then I can never get them to update again EVER.  Bleah.

But I have been keeping track of my weight.  Sort of.  Over the past few months I wasn't as "get naked and weigh every Monday morning" as I usually am.  I was still naked.  Just not weighing myself.  I like naked.

I have no idea where this is going.

Oh, right!  Naked reminds me that I have another, probably better, post planned out based on a new experience I had today but as I was gathering some pics to illustrate it I realized they're probably not the kind of pics I should put on my office computer.  We're pretty lax here and they weren't porn or anything, but nothing I'd want an outsider to see.  On my computer, that is.  So the other, naked, post will have to wait.

Instead, here's where I am weight-wise so far:

January 2010:  188.0

January 2, 2011:  196.6 (I blame Hot Pockets!)

January 9, 2011:  194.2

January 17, 2011:  193.4

Going downwards from the beginning of the year, yay!  I wonder how I managed to be so good at the beginning of 2010?  Maybe it's just that I was really, really not good for the end of 2010.  Yes, that must be it.

Coming soon:  Nakedness!!  And boobies!!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

The Flex Diet

For those in the Portland environs, Powell's is having a book signing of The Flex Diet by local doctor James Beckerman, M.D. later this week.  I have not read this book so this is not an endorsement one way or the other but I did recently read about it and I do support the idea that there is not just one way to lose weight.  So, take it for what it's worth and if you're bored and looking for something to do on Thursday, here you go.

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

"Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy."

The above is one of my favorite quotes, and so true.  Whenever I find myself in a funk, I think of that and it helps snap me out of it.  Because no one really cares if I'm in a bad mood.  In other words, don't worry; be happy.

Yeah, whatever.

Anyhow.  After dragging my carcass into the office following a mostly sleepless night punctuated by bizarre dreams (cannibals and whether blood will wash out of my white dog's fur) and said white dog not wanting to jump off of or back into the bed, I come in to find out my boss -- after being back from ten days in Hawaii for a whole TWO DAYS has taken today off. 

So, no point in being in a bad mood because he's not here to take it out on.  But still, a day off?  Really?  Apparently he went into full-on grump mood when I was off on Friday.  My co-worker stopped him from calling me at home to re-confirm with me what they'd already confirmed a half dozen times which didn't even need confirming in the first place.  Dude, it is a given (not to mention THE LAW) that if a legal deadline falls on a weekend or a holiday then it bumps to the next business day.  It even said this ON THE FORM HE WAS LOOKING AT.  Le sigh. 

Moving on.  I paid bills last night and had some money left over so I signed up for a couple of races:  Fanconi Anemia 8K in February, Shamrock 15K in March, and the Cinco de Mayo half marathon in May.  There is one more I want to sign up for in April, the Spring Burst 5K on my nemesis course in Cook Park, but registration was not yet open.  I figure one race a month between now and the marathon should keep me on track (so to speak) and not bankrupt me. 

I'm a little concerned about my white dog, CBS.  She's taken to sort of randomly sitting down/half falling over or falling over all the way, then kind of going "how did I get here?"  I think her hip or her knee is giving way suddenly.  It's odd.  It's a little bit like a narcoleptic but without the sleep part.  Maybe she has an ear thing and is losing her balance.  Hmmm.  I've been ready for a couple of years now that I'm going to lose my dogs sooner rather than later.  Just as long as they're not in pain....  I'm in process of setting up vet appointments to update their shots anyhow.  We'll see how it goes.

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

2011 Goals

Let's see, what do I feel like doing this year?  Nothing?  Okay!

Oh, fine.  I guess my motivation will catch up eventually.

1.  Do the marathon.  Do the marathon training.  Don't die.

Yep, I have signed up for another marathon -- the Vancouver USA Marathon on June 19.  I have no idea why.  Hopefully I will get my motivation back by the time official marathon training begins at the end of February.  I'm going to follow the same plan I did for Eugene.  I felt very prepared with that plan, and I was only running four days a week.  I plan to add in cross-training this time around, however.

2.  Do a full, for-real pushup.

My upper body strength SUCKS.  This seems like a good goal in conjunction with the marathon training, to get me to do the cross-training I should do.

3.  Go paleo.

I felt so much better when I did the 30 day paleo challenge.  I will be doing paleo 85-15, which basically means up to three meals a week can be non-paleo.  I think for me that will mean one or two meals off plan and then a few grazes here and there to make up the third.  In addition to getting healthier weight-wise with paleo, I also hope it will help repair the acid reflux damage I've suffered.  That has been getting very bad lately.

4.  Visit my grandparents.

I owe them a visit.

5.  Ask for a raise.

My boss owes me a big raise.

6.  Break 35 minutes for a 5K.

Last year my primary focus was on distance.  I do not believe I can incorporate speed work with marathon training, but with consistent running my speed does improve.  Breaking 35 minutes is absolutely doable if I train consistently.

7.  Break six hours on the marathon.

I finished Eugene in 6:25.  Getting one minute faster per mile will get me to this goal.  One way I can do that is to train consistently to improve my endurance and therefore my speed overall.  Another way is to work on walking faster.  My running speed is slow but decent.  I walk incredibly slow, however.  If I need to walk, I need to walk faster.

I think that will do it for 2011.  I have a few other things I plan to do this year but nothing I feel like elevating to goal level.  And I already have a couple of ideas about goals for 2012, which hinge on meeting my 2011 goals. 

All in all, I think 2011 will be an even better year.  Many people had a bad year last year, but not me.  I completed a marathon, I turned 40, I really got comfortable with me.  I plan to keep building on all of that.

Cheers!
the CilleyGirl

I'm a winner baybee!!!

I always knew that I was a winner but now it's official -- I won Little Fruit Fly's giveaway!!  How fabulous is that?  Please go give her a read, she always has something great to say; her blog is one of the first blogs I check every day and I always smile when I see she has posted.

Yippee!!!  Ronda, I will root against the Ducks tonight, just for you!!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

The 2010 Recap

I went back and dug up my goals for 2010.  Funny, some I had completely forgotten that I had made into a goal.  Overall, I did pretty good. 

Here are my goals for 2010, and how I did.

1. Do the marathon training.

Success!  My back flared up fairly early on, then I injured my calf/tendon in some weird way towards the end but working around those two things I did do the training. 

2. Do the marathon. Don't die.

Success!  But you probably knew that, since otherwise I would be dead and not typing.  Although I do have this weird craving for brains.....

3. Use the crap I've bought before buying new crap.

Ehhhhhh.....  Kind of.  I still don't know anything but the basics with the dSLR and I haven't used the printer all that much, but then again I didn't buy any new crap either.  I didn't buy any new fitness and nutrition books either. 

4. Try five new vegetables.

Not sure if I met this goal or not.  I definitely tried four new veggies:  kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and rutabaga.  The trick comes with the fifth; I can't remember if I tried butternut squash in late 2009 or in early 2010.  I think it was the former, and then work craziness left me eating no veggies whatsoever for about two months.  Okay, that's an exaggeration but it was very nearly true.  I think I made a great effort though.

5. Eat healthy and responsibly.

Ehhh......  When I had the time I did fairly well.  When I didn't, I did extremely lousy.  I started to slide in November because of work, then it all went wonky in December.  I did paleo for 30 days and felt great when I did.  My acid reflux flared up in a huge way when my eating habits went horrible.  I'd say I managed this goal for nine months and change worth out of the 12. 

6. Make some new girlfriends. (Or guyfriends, I'm not picky, I'm just a hermit.)

Early on in 2010 I thought I had done this, then they turned out to not really be friends after all.  Ultimately, no great loss.  But late in 2010 I met a new friend through Jack Sh*t's blog and I am looking forward to building that friendship. 

7. Go for a run with strangers.

Success!  It was fun to do the weekend long runs in the morning and then have brunch afterwards.

8. Go camping.

Success!  I forgot I made this one a goal.  Me and the dogs went camping and had fun, but it was somewhat tiring to be responsible for every little thing for the three of us.  And we went in the middle of a heat wave.  Nice at night, but not conducive to the daytime naps I enjoy when I go camping. 

9. Race all the distances: 5K, 8K, 10K, 15K, half marathon, and marathon.

Success!  The 10K was hard to fit in, but I managed it. 

10. Get a new tattoo.

Another goal I had forgotten I made.  I know what I want to get and where, but when I was ready to get it I was lacking in the funds to do it.  Maybe this year.

11. Keep track of the books I read in 2010.

Once again I petered out in April.  Oh well!

I'll be back soon with my goals for 2011, once I figure out what they will be.  And I have an announcement to make as well.  Here's a hint:  I'll be making a couple of repeat goals from 2010. 

Until then, cheers!
the CilleyGirl

....And we're back!

Happy new year everyone!  I am back and ready to get this year started!

But first, let's recap 2010, shall we?

• I worked 246.95 hours of overtime in 2010.  That is almost six weeks worth of extra work.  Ack!
• I took 13 vacation days and had five sick days.  At least two of those sick days were for a back injury.
• I ran 413 miles, give or take, in 2010.  Including 26.2 miles at the Eugene Marathon.  Most of those miles were between January and May. 

When I look back on 2010, mostly I remember being tired.  Wonder why that was? 

2011 is off to a great start, although so far I'm still really tired.  I've already worked 10.75 hours of overtime.  That was just on January 1 and January 2.   I also did the midnight first run 5K on New Year's Day and pulled in one of my best times yet -- 39 minutes and change.   Pretty good considering (a) it was midnight and I'd just worked 54 hours that week, (b) it was freezing, and (c) I couldn't feel my feet for the first 2K.  Got home at 3:00 a.m., caught a few hours of sleep, then I went back and ran another 5K at 10:00 a.m.  Not one of my best times for that one, I pretty much walked the whole thing, but I did it. 

I will be back later to figure out what goals I met for 2010 and I still need to determine what I want to do with 2011.  Oh, and I need to decide if that includes another marathon!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl