To snow or not to snow?

This winter.. well heck, it's fall still!  This FALL'S weather is confusing me.  We have a dump of snow, no sun and snow might come again today.  I have to drive out of town next week to work and I am praying for sun and no snow.  The weather reports are conflicting right now.
I've had a weird schedule this week at work, I'm working on a special project all week in another department.  It's going really good and I've learned a few tricks I can put to use in my area.  I also got a job offer yesterday.  I had to laugh when it was offered though, because I can't imagine why the person offering would think I would take the job.  It's a huge step down career wise and not something that I am interested in at all. It would take alot for me to leave my job and my work-spouse.
I went to an awesome show last night featuring Chinese acrobats.  WOW!  Those sure are some talented kids!  It was a variety show with about 10 different acts.  There was a magician who performed two different acts that was amazing!  There was one girl who was always in the background that really caught my eye.  Her body type was really different from the other girls.  She had thick legs and a thick neck.  She wasn't fat, but definitely bigger mass wise than the others.  I soon found out why.  She is amazingly strong and could balance 3 or 4 other girls on her body, lifting them.  She was also really flexible and could fold herself in half just like the bendy girls.  She was awesome!  I can't wait to see the performers today at work in the cafeteria, I'm going to look for her so I can talk to her.

Yesterday was great food wise, and I hope today to be more of the same.  With this project my meal times are all screwed up, but I am making do.  I am doing pretty good with the vitamins too and in fact am going to go take today's dosage and get ready for work...

Veet-Ah-Mean-es & other crap

Today's post is going to be about vitamins.   I have a stash of prenatals (no I'm not preggers) that I try to be good about taking.  The reason for the prenatals is they promote wicked fast hair and nail growth.  I'm sure they do a body good too.  Anyhoo.... I have never really taken anything other than a multi-vitamin except when I was a kid and had to take massive amounts of iron pills that were prescribed to me and I was supposed to take until death do I part.  I stopped somwhere in my teenage years with the iron, but I can't recall why because I am still anemic according to the local blood bank who has repeatedly turned me down for donations.  Oddly enough they still call and call and call and call and call and call asking for blood.

I also need to find a good doctor who will let me see my blood test results and not just give me the "you are ok" speech.  I despise my doctor... anyone remember the nose bleed visit I had with him?

So, anyway I decided to start actually swallowing my vitamins and add vitamin D to the bunch.  The reason being I read somewhere sometime a while back that vitamin D deficiency and depression have a link, especially Seasonal Affective Disorder.  There is a big lack of sunlight this time of year and to be honest with my job I go in before sunrise and very often especially in the wintertime come home after sunset.  The sun didn't even show it's face today. I know, I looked!

My weekend cookie and poptart binge turned me into a cranky girl yesterday.  I want to change I really do. I feel way better when I eat right.  I have had really bad heartburn all weekend.  Today about 3pm it hit me again and I feel miserable.  I can't imagine anything I ate or drank today would have caused me to have heartburn, so I can only imagine that it is risidual from the weekend carb/sugar fest. I ate chili, but that doesn't usually give me heartburn cuz IMA Wimp who doesn't make it spicy at all.

Ok, so weekend binge confessed.

Now onto the sleep part.

I haven't been using my cpap mask.  I don't have an excuse, I just haven't been using it and poor, poor HeZug has had to sleep on the couch because I've been singing way too loud.  With the mask on I either don't snore or it's a quiet snore that he can deal with.  He says I don't really snore with it on though.  Yeah! Cuz I can BREATHE! So this week I decided I have to get back into the groove with it.  I have to remember to turn the humidifier on a bit earlier so I don't inhale cold air and get a sore throat.


THE FOOD:

Breakfast:
none

Lunch:
chicken salad
milk

Supper:
leftover buffalo chili
strawberries
banana
I'm craving fruit!

Must increase water intake, I got really cranky this afternoon in a 4 hour meeting because there was no water and no breaks.  Cruel and unusual punishment!

I'd like some input on something... when do you take your vitamins?  In the morning or at night?

I ask because I have always taken mine in the morning, but HeZug takes his at night because he says that is when his body needs the vitamins... because he's not eating and is resting and his body will use the vitamins the most.  Thoughts???

Cabin fever

One of my favorite things to imagine is what this area looked like way back when there were no skyscrapers, roads or settlers.  Just the Natives living in their teepees.  I especially think about them when it snows as it did today.  All day long.  Big wet flakes, then small flakes piling up on the fence and crunching under my feet as I walked to the mailbox.  I try to think of where in the valley they could have settled in the winter to stay out of the bitter cold and the whipping wind that comes off the mountain.  Would they have migrated further south or huddled into an area called hidden valley.  Hidden valley could offer them some protection from the elements, but there is not alot of room for setting up camp that I can remember.  It's been about 8 years since I traveled into hidden valley.

It's my favorite daydream, especially on a day like today where I was stuck at home.  I was waiting for the fix-it-guy to come and fix something.  He didn't show despite the fact that I had an appointment.  Apartment management had no explanation and offered to reschedule. BAH!

It is a good thing he didn't show though because he would have seen this scene upon entering: 

Me in my winter PJs and pink fuzzy slippers zoned out on the couch with cookie crumbs on my chest and milk dribbling down my chin.  A carb coma.


Breakfast:
eggs
milk

Lunch:
chicken sausage/mustard

Carb coma inducer:
soft baked chocolate chip cookies
milk

Supper:
buffalo chili (so good!)

Below zero temps = busted water pipes

The water has been shut off at my apartment complex for three afternoons/evenings in a row.  Pipes are busting everywhere.  Even at work and at the restaurant the water has been shut off due to busting pipes.  Everytime the water comes back on and fills the master boiler system it makes a lot of noise and kitty goes into freak out mode. 

Lunch:
leftover roast beef

Supper:
leftover roast beef

I really hope the water isn't shut off tomorrow

Super Scribbler Award

A while back I received a little blog world award from Skinny Minnie.  My apologies for not posting this earlier!
Here's my award:

There are a couple of rules to the award and here they are:

1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass the award on to five most deserving bloggers (see below).
2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author and the name of the blog from whom s/he has received the award.
3. Each Superior Scribbler must display the award on his/her blog and link to The Scholastic Scribe, which explains the award.
4. Each blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr Linky List. That way, they'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives this prestigious honor.
5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

I have decided to award these great blogs with the same honor:

Oct ~ October Sol

Low Carber ~ Losing 320 lbs/ 140Kilogramをやせる！

Harry ~ Healthy Fellow & The Wowee Zowee Blog

Marjie ~ Count calories

Methuselah ~ Pay now live later

Cleaning tip #1

I have been making my own all purpose cleaner for a couple of years now.  I decided to faze out all store bought chemicals.  I will be sharing new recipies with y'all as part of my One year ~ One girl goals is to be more natural in ways other than nutritional.  Here is the first in the series which was my favorite chore as a kid!

Tip #1 Simple drain cleaner

Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down your drain and follow with a slow drizzle of vinegar (about a cup).  Pour a little vinegar and listen for the fizzing, then pour more when it stops.  When you don't hear anymore fizzing, follow up with very hot tap water for a couple of minutes.  You can repeat this if needed to clear your drain.  To keep drains running good do this regularly.

Feeling better

Today is a great day!  I left work early... shhh, don't tell!  It's that time of year where business is really slow and getting out a nice treat.  Especially since the next couple of weeks will be interesting and I won't have my normal schedule.  I left work and headed to the post office to buy Christmassy stamps. Yikes! The side roads are still really bad.  I didn't get stuck, but my car squirmed a bit navigating those roads.  Next on the agenda, Wal-mart.  HeZug has requested a shrimp dish for supper.  While there I stocked up because another storm is heading our way tonight or tomorrow.  I bought some ground buffalo instead of beef.  I hemmed and hawwed a little over it since buffalo is a tad bit more expensive and finances are tight with the opening of the restaurant.  I decided to go for nutrition over cost since the difference was just over a dollar.  I am rethinking the organic Whole Foods shopping and will go back to buying whatever organics Wal-mart can offer me. 

Today's Eats:

Breakfast:
strawberry cake (!)

Lunch:
doner kebab
onion salad

Supper:
sauteed shrimp
veggies to be decided later

My friend who is sick with the same thing bugging me told me his doctor just told him to take a very hot shower and breathe in the steam to open his lungs up.  She told him the cold air tightened up his lungs.  I'm going to try that this afternoon.

Karma?

This morning I woke up with a rattley chest and a cough.  I guess that's what I get for calling in sick yesterday.  But then again, everyone at work thinks I was worse yesterday without me saying anything.  Of course I didn't say otherwise.  A friend has the same chest rattle I have and went to the doctor, but I don't plan on going unless I get worse.  I think it has to do with breathing in such cold air.  As soon as I go outside the air hits my lungs and I start coughing and hacking until I get back inside.  I've been really cold today and am trying to keep wrapped up in blankets. The high today was 11 degrees and it was 2 degrees when I went to work this morning.

Breakfast:
nothing

Lunch:
pork chop
tomatoes

Supper:
leftover pot roast

Before bed:
Hot toddy (to keep the rattle at bay)

Snow day

Today I took a sick day.  I am not "sick" as in cough cough, sniffle, sneeze, but I am feeling down.  I don't like to admit that I have a bit of depression, but there, I said it.  I tend to get a little blue this time of year and much to HeZug's dismay I called in to work today.  He thinks I should just go in anyway, but I'd much rather spend the day at home.  Instead of staying in the dumps, I have formulated a plan of attack.  A bump in the road derailed me for a few hours, but as soon as I publish this post the plan is going into action.
My Sister text messaged me this morning at 4:30 am and woke me up 90 minutes before I had set my alarm for.  A quick look at the weather made me shiver and head for my pile of blankets on the couch.  It was -3 degrees this morning.  Right now 5 hours later it is 1 degree!  It is gorgeous out and the sun is shining.  The high for today is only 20 though.   So, I layed on the couch dozing for a couple of hours until HeZug left.  I didn't want his disapproving look.  Now I've got the dishwasher loaded and laundry sorted and the plan to organize my desk and then start in on the christmas cards.  I discovered this morning that Season 5 of Lost is now on Netflix, so I am going to watch that while I clean up.  Later I'll venture out to the grocery store and pray I don't run into anyone from work... ... maybe if I am bundled up enough... ...

In other news the cat has been really snuggly this morning and totally adorable.  She gets really touchy feely when I am depressed.  She's actually laying on my wrists as I type this.  She has only left my side this morning to go bird watching while I loaded the dishwasher.  I'm going to take her heated bed into the bedroom while I clean so she can have somewhere warm and cozy to lay while I am occupied. Purrrrrrr

The view from my living room: