A Blast from the Past

Well, what a November it has been!

-I hit a new low of 210. I can feel 200 coming up, and I welcome that number with open arms!
-I survived Black Friday! Huzzah!
-I am 95% done with my Christmas shopping! DOUBLE HUZZAH!



Now, for my main idea. A blast from the past. This is a homage to my childhood/adolescence. I have always been a pretty positive person. I have my moments, my doubts, my disagreements; but ask anyone who has known me forever and I'm probably described as "permanently happy".

This is actually a bit true, and a bit false. I have many more moods than radiant and gleeful, but I have found that being a sour puss through life is just going to make it harder to cope. So, I be happy. I smile, I help, I put 110% into my everyday life so that it's easier. After all, you attract more bees with sugar, right?

So, that being said, there are a few things that can cause an instant bad day for me. Stubbing a toe or finger is near the top of that list. It just hurts and hurts and the pain radiates through the rest of the limb... it just plain sucks.

What tops my list of instant-bad-day though? Being called a "brown-noser". Not a suck up, not a teacher's pet, but actually being called a brown-noser.

I liken that word to me as the word "cunt" is to women in general, or the "N" word to a black person. I do not appreciate it, and I think it's a vile word.

Look- I get it. Some people don't understand why I'm so agreeable, or understand that maybe I don't totally hate my job, or prefer to be in a good mood. But just because you are miserable at your job, or maybe you think that my willingness to be the volunteer or boss's go-to-gal means I'm trying to get ahead, but that's just ridiculous.

This happened on Saturday. This miserable old woman that I work with called me a brown-noser after I congratulated another associate for coming in early to help the store out. At my store, I'm the morale-booster. I high five everyone when I come in, offer nice words, and simply try and make the work environment a little less miserable, because we all know how stressful retail can be during the holiday season.

It put me in a sour mood for the rest of the day. I just don't understand why some people WANT to make those around them miserable?! I really don't remember much of the day itself, but towards the end of the day my boss caught up with me and managed to get it out of me. He really turned into the father-figure and instead of blowing it off childishly, he gave me some comfort and told me that I'm better than that, and that I shouldn't let people bring me down. Especially me, because according to him I'm the "beacon of the store, and the store is a better place when I'm working."

I know right?! How nice of him to say that. I felt a million times better after I left. I snuck into his office and left him a "thank you" on a sticky note, because that little extra effort he made to be compassionate needed to be returned in favor. Now he knows that I truly appreciated his advice.


So, lesson of this story? Words are just words. They aren't brick, and they don't have to be made into weapons. It's about how you handle the situation. I handled mine poorly, and chose to dwell on the feelings instead of rising above them and being the better person. Now I know that I truly am appreciated at work, and if anyone tries to bring me down I will just smile at them a little brighter and sing my song a little louder, because stooping to their level isn't going to happen anymore.

:)


Have a happy week!


((And to be kind of mean, here's a song to get stuck in your head!))

To life, liberty, and the pursuit of 150 pounds.

Good morning!
I just got back from my orthopedic doctor's appointment for my 3-month check-up. I did not drop the 15lb he wanted, only about 6-7 of it actually. But, he didn't say anything bad. Instead, he focused on the good. My 20lb drop since starting to see him, the increased flexibility in my knees, and generally less knee pain than before I started seeing him. He's a very positive person, and has frequently said he doesn't want to do anything invasive for at least 2 years, possibly longer since I am really taking his advice and losing weight and doing my exercises.

Then I dropped a bombshell on him. I'm not doing the knee exercises. I try, but 5 minutes to sit and flex my knees isn't really something high on my list. He burrowed his brow, but said nothing for a moment. Then:

Doc: "How often do you go to the gym?"
Me: "Not often enough. Maybe twice a week."
Doc: "Do you not like going? Why pay all that money if you don't use it to your full advantage?"
Me: Pondering.... "I guess I just don't make the time."
Doc: "Well, let's try a new strategy. Don't do the knee exercises at home. Make it a part of your gym routine. After stretching but before you begin any serious workouts, get on that knee machine and take 5 minutes with no weight to get the blood flowing. This way, you get the exercises in, you have more motivation to be there more often, and you don't need any fancy chair at home in the way."
Me: "Challenge accepted."

So, that's my challenge for the next three months until my next appointment. He said if I drop another 5-10lbs that's great, but he wants me to focus on the knee exercises more than anything. Oh, and cut about 200-400 calories out of my daily intake.

That's the easy part. Soda and I have officially broken up. For good. I'm not going back. That should easily cut at least 100 if not 200 out of my day. Then, Doc asked that I add more veggies and fruits. In some form or another (yogurt, frozen, etc). So there I go. More fruits and veggies, which means I can eat more quantity of, because I have cut out sodas and will cut back on the bad stuff. (I don't eat sweets or chips now, I just don't fill my plate with fruits/veggies like I should.)

I feel like shit when I only make it to the gym once a week. I feel that on top of a 40ish hour workweek and the [[AT LEAST]] 7-10 hours I spend on schoolwork, I don't leave a lot of time for John and I.

Let's break it down:

-Hours in a week: 168
-Sleeping (8.5hrs per night): -61
-Working (incl drive time): -40
-Schoolwork (@ home): -10
-In class: -3

So that leaves me with 54 free hours, broken down over 7 days is 7.75 hours per day.

Now, I didn't include meals, or the hour or so John and I are usually in bed watching TV before sleeping, or the hour-ish per day I take to get ready for work (that includes eating, showering, etc).

But, looking at that, I see where I waste my time. Here. In front of the computer. I think I need to get a timer. No more than 1 hour of surfing the web per day. (homework and school functions not included). I will spend at least 1 hour with John prior to bedtime, hopefully I can get him out of the house and on a walk or something?

I think my challenge to myself for the next week will be to accurately record my time, and what I do with it. We'll see where time gets wasted.

For now, I'm gonna run to the grocery store. I need something to cook for tonight, and maybe stock up on a couple of fruits/veg for the next couple of days. :)