Rambling Check In

Hey everyone. This is going to be kind of random, just some thoughts.

I did weigh myself on Thursday. Not sure why I didn't post. I didn't lose or gain any weight. Stayed at 267.0 pounds. I can't seem to really get my act together. If I do well on food, I'm bad at exercise and if I'm good at exercise the food part sucks. Not sure what I'm going to do.

Who else watches White Collar? I loved this week. Especially the Harry Potter references and subtle Twilight slam. First Neal asked if Hogwarts was having a field trip and towards the end of the conversation Peter said "10 points to Gryffindor." I was laughing so hard. I love that Neal and Peter know Harry Potter well enough to reference it, not only just a random reference but in ways that made sense. I'd like to imagine that they get together with Elizabeth and Mozzie and have HP watching parties. Then later Peter made a reference to "that kid from those vampire movies." Heh. He didn't know the names and I found that really funny.

I'm going to sign up for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. I wouldn't have found it if Lisa hadn't mentioned it on her blog. It sounds like it will be fun. I already have my list of topics figured out and saved as drafts. I figure it's better to write the posts out now and have them saved as draft or scheduled so that when the time comes I just have to post them rather than freak out and try to think of a topic and write the post. I think the posts will be interesting. You'll learn a lot about me

I'm soooo ready for the NASCAR season to begin. I'll be writing a post in the next couple weeks about my predictions for the upcoming season.

I'm still doing some tinkering with the blog. Also still getting ready for my Etsy shop. I was trying to rush through it and get it done NOW but I was feeling rather stressed. So I set a specific goal date to reopen it which gives me time to get things together without stressing out.

That's it for now.

Best Buy's Craptastic Customer Service

You might be wondering why I'm writing this here on my blog rather than telling Best Buy directly about their crappy customer service. Two reasons: #1 on Best Buy's website the way to contact them is on the phone and I'm more well-spoken in text than on the phone (I tend to lose my temper and start swearing like a drunken sailor from frustration) and #2 because a public forum (blog, magazine, newspaper, etc.) is a powerful weapon against bad customer service (here's proof). So here we go...
My dad was given an iPod for Christmas, and he's slowly buying accessories for it. He's decided that he wants to listen to it through speakers rather than through earphones. So while he was out running errands today he went to Best Buy. He's not knowledgeable about technology or electronics so he has to rely on the help of those who are, like the Best Buy employees. So he found an employee and told me that this was this conversation he had:

Dad: I want to listen to my iPod through speakers.

Employee: Okay, I can help you with that. Here's what you need.

So my dad bought a $50+tax docking station to hook his iPod to a sound or entertainment system. The problem with this is that he doesn't have a sound or entertainment system. He was looking for portable speakers. I know that some people are going to blame my dad: "Well why didn't he just ask for speakers?" But the employee should have asked a couple questions. It would have taken less than 60 seconds to figure out what my dad actually was looking for with one question: Are you looking for a docking station to connect the iPod to an existing system or do you need speakers for the iPod? I've worked in customer service before and I know that not every customer knows exactly what they need, so it's best to ask questions. But this employee didn't ask my dad any questions to find out what he was really looking for and needing. All they were concerned about was getting as much of my dad's money as they could as quickly as possible with the least amount of work.

After he got home, he showed me what he had bought. I pointed out that what he had purchased wasn't going to work for him and he needed to return it. So we went to Best Buy together this time so that I could  make sure that he got what he needed. This time we went to a different Best Buy that is closer to our home and we were hoping the customer service would be better. So we walked in and the employee right inside the door put the little sticker on the box and pointed us towards the customer service counter. I mean, he literally just pointed and said "Back there." The customer service counter shares a u-shaped counter with the Geek Squad and the in-store pick-up. There's signs in the air in the general vicinity but unless you spot the 8.5x11 sign, you'll end up in the wrong line. We almost did; I didn't spot the sign until my dad had already gotten into the wrong line.

So when we walked up to the desk, an employee turned his back on us and walked off. He had seen us; he'd made eye contact with me before turning away. He went into a back room, then came back out and acted surprised that someone was standing there. And this exchange happened:

Employee: Oh! Can I help you? (walks about two feet out of the back room)

Dad: I bought the wrong thing so I need to get the right thing. (Places docking station box on counter with receipt)

Employee: Sure, we can do that. Hang on just a second.

And he walked back into the back room again. After about 30 seconds, a different employee came out...

Employee #2: Hi, how can I help you?

Dad: I bought the wrong thing so I need the right thing. I wanted a station thing...

Me: You need portable speakers.

Dad: Yeah, speakers.

Employee #2: Okay, do you want to just return it or exchange it or what?

Dad: Exchanging it would be okay.

Employee #2: Okay. Just go get what you really want and I'll keep this up here.

I don't understand why the first employee walked away the first time into the back room without acknowledging our presence. Then when he did acknowledge us he acted surprised that we were standing there. That's just odd. Then the second employee wasn't particularly helpful or nice. She wasn't outright rude but she did look at us as though we had extra heads growing from our shoulders. We weren't rude, antagonistic or dressed oddly so there was no justifiable reason for her to give us that expression.

So we went over to the iPod accessories to find some speakers. There was an employee already helping a customer in that section. I had to reach around them to pull items from the rack and said excuse me, both the customer and employee gave me dirty looks. I know Best Buy can't do anything about the customer, but the employee was rude to give me a look like I'd shoved a dog turd under his nose. Then the employee finished helping the customer before my dad and I had finished looking at the speakers. Instead of asking us if we needed help or were finding everything we needed, he gave us another dog-turd expression and walked off. We took my dad's selection (only $9.99+tax) back to customer service and Employee #2 finished the transaction. But of course there was a bump in the road again.

Employee #2: So we owe you $42.96. I'll put that all on a gift card. Or I can give you $3.69 in cash and the rest on the gift card.

Dad: No, that's okay. Just put the 40-whatever on the card.

Employee #2: Huh? So it's okay to put it on the card or what?

Dad: Just put it all on the gift card.

I have no idea why the employee got so confused. I was standing right there, and my dad plain-as-day said to put it on the card. No accent, no mumbling, no loud noise to interfere with what he was saying. So after he got the gift card, we browsed around the cds for a few minutes (Which was a whole 'nother crappy experience, why does everyone treat country and Celtic music listeners as thought we're second rate humans? We'd buy more stuff if you gave us more options! Duh!).  My dad picked out a couple cds and we went to the registers.

There was one cashier and a line of five customers ahead of us and I think two, maybe three, behind. Two customers had gotten in the wrong line because they were making a return and had also received the vague "back there" point from the door employee. So it wasn't just us. And the cashier also did a vague gesture in the direction of customer service for the first gentleman who was in the wrong line. He ended up in the Geek Squad line. The second wrong-line customer made it to customer service after realizing he was in the wrong line on his own. Then another employee came over to run a register and announced in a loud voice "I can take the next customer" then in a soft, hardly audible voice "as long as it's credit or debit." What's the point of opening a register that can't help ALL customers? Not cool Best Buy, not cool. 

Somehow my dad managed to buy the cds without incident but the whole over all experience left me irritated. I can see why I've read articles about how Best Buy is tanking. Their customer service is mediocre at best. And of course there's the fact that if the employee from my dad's original trip to Best Buy had truly done their job, there wouldn't have been the second trip back. Next time I need something that I could get at Best Buy, I'll think twice before shopping there again.

 

 

Drama and The Identity Crisis

I know that I've been kind of quiet blog wise the last few days except for links or photos. Part of it is just that life has gotten in the way. I've been working towards the reopening of my Etsy shop, making samples for photos and writing down my patterns. There's also been some extended family stuff going on that has created a ripple effect of drama within my immediate family.

Another part of it is that I haven't had much to say. It would just be the mundane updates about what I have or what I haven't been doing about losing weight. And since I don't want this to be a niche blog about weight loss. Not that they're bad, I just don't want to write about one thing and only one thing.

I also had some issues with the look of this blog. If you haven't been here before a few days age, the background was a photo of some trees in snow and the blog was light text on a dark background. And when I looked at it a couple days ago, the words that popped into my head were dark and cold. Which then leads to things like antisocial, depressed, lonely, etc. etc. So I wanted something light and cheerful. So I picked this background. I've also been tinkering around with some of the posts, playing with how they look and how I want them to look. So the blog's going through a bit of an identity crisis. But I figure now is the time to have one rather than in six months or some time even later than that.  If you come across a broken link or something really horribly funky looking, please leave a comment or @ me on Twitter (@hermitpanda).

That's about it right now.

 

Today's Amazing Links

Here's todays eye-catchers.

Failbook: Wise Idiot - Obviously someone thinks this girl is stupid.

Seal, Heidi Klum announce seperation - Usually I don't give much attention to the celeb bed-hopping. But this just makes me so sad.

Dear Workout Woman in Bebe Sport Outfit - I remember people like this well from the gym. My dislike for them is part of the reason I no longer go to the gym.

This Isn't Where I Parked My Car

Bayne braces for part-time Nationwide slate - This makes me really sad. I really like Trevor Bayne and wish he could race full time. Seems like the world is just against him doesn't it?

Okay so it was a couple days of links because I kept forgetting. But whatever. It's my blog and I can do what I want.

Friend Makin' Monday

I know I skipped last week but here's the one for this week's Friend Makin' Mondays. I got the questions and and graphic to the left from All the Weigh. Wanna participate? Check out this post.

Mac or PC? PC. I've never used Mac so I stick with what I know.

Do you paint your own nails? Yes and make a sloppy mess of them. I have to use q-tips with polish remover to make them look nice.

Beach or mountains? Mountains. Definitely. If I don't see this every day I get very, very homesick.

What’s the title of the book you’re currently reading? Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott

Do you dance? Not seriously. But I love the DWTS exercise dvd's and Just Dance 2 for the Wii. I'd love to take lessons but I've never been able to find a dance studio that has times and prices that go with what my schedule and budget is.

CNN or Fox News? I don't really watch the news. I suscribe to a local news feed on Google reader. But I guess Fox News.

Do you ride a bicycle? I can but I don't very often. My legs aren't strong enough to propel myself up mountains and hills and I don't know how to use the gears to make it easier. Seriously.

Do you get a yearly flu shot? Hell no. I never have. Everyone I've worked with or been friends with that has gotten the shot has gotten the flu. I've never gotten the shot and only had the flu a couple times.

Best movie you’ve seen in 2012? Hmmm... I've only watched a few: the newest Alvin, Holiday, Sylvia Scarlett, A River Runs Through It (Oh my god I hated this movie), and Deathly Hallows 1 & 2. So I'll say DH1&2. Cause as awesome as Holiday is, I mean come on, Harry Potter.

Do you prefer to workout at home or at the gym? Home. The gym is crowded, stinky and hot. I'll stay home thanks.

Last airport you were in? DIA in 2008 when I came home from a trip to Chicago.

Married or single? Single

iPhone or Android? Neither. I don't have or want a smart phone.

Do you prefer to be in pictures or taking pictures? Taking. And wasn't this a question two weeks ago?

Quick side note: I'm having all kinds of issues typing today. This morning it was because I was still half-asleep and right now it's because I put on some false nails (to protect my own from breakage and biting) and I keep hitting wrong keys. Please keep this in mind if you see any typos. Now back to the regularly scheduled programming...

Favorite brand of sneakers? Saucony. I get the Jazz Original and the Jazz low. They have the perfect amount of cushioning for me and are soooo comfortable. And I love getting a different color every time I buy new sneakers.

Do you like snow? As long as I don't have to drive in it, yes. I don't mind driving in snow but the transplanted people have no freaking idea how to drive in it so I try to avoid going anywhere when it's snowing.

Do you have/want to have kids? Yes I do want kids. Contrary to what some people may think about me, I do actually like them. I just don't like brats.

Summer or Winter? Ummmm... Summer I think. I like all seasons for different reasons. But I'll go with Summer because I'm sick of the damned freezing cold wind.

Do you know how to swim? Yes but not well. I could probably tread water for several hours until someone rescued me if something happened but that's about it.

Do you prefer to shop in store or online? I split my shopping 50/50ish. I really like window shopping but my shopping style tends to draw attention like I'm shoplifting (picking stuff up, putting it back, walking laps around debating, pick it up, walk more laps, put it back etc.) so I like online shopping. No being followed and asked to empty my purse out.

There you are, my answers for FMM.

Some Rambling....

Sorry that I haven't been very exciting the last few days. But I guess that's what you get for reading the blog of a hermit.

Did anyone else watch White Collar on Tuesday? I'm so glad it's back. It's my second favorite show (after Leverage). I've had a crush on both Neal and Peter since the beginning and I love Mozzie more every episode. But the real standout this week was Elizabeth. Was she freaking awesome or what? It would have been okay if Peter had come to her rescue and saved her from the kidnappers. Because hey, he is her husband and he's an absolutely amazing FBI agent. But she rescued herself. Not bad for an events planner. The turning up the heat and convincing the kidnapper that he has an infected dog bite was pure brilliance. Then to use her wedding ring to score shatter proof glass before whacking the crap out of it with a chair, that definitely took her out of the damsel in distress category.

Watched a couple movies last night that starred Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The first was Holiday. I've seen it a couple times and I love it. One of my favorites. Then I watched a movie called Sylvia Scarlett. It sucked. Really bad. Katharine Hepburn cross dressed and was good. And Cary Grant talked with a cockney accent and was good. But the movie was just really stupid. Lots and lots of stupid. And they didn't end up with each other! That's just... not right.

Did anyone else realize that the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction was Friday? I didn't. I was really BLEH about it this year. DW's active campaigning to be inducted pissed me off. There were other people who deserved to be in it. What makes him so special? And I like him, it's not like I'm a hater. I just think some more of the pioneers should have been in before he was in. And I'm not a Cale Yarborough fan at all. And what the hell was NASCAR thinking moving the induction from May to January? That has got to be one of the stupidest moves EVER. I would never make a special trip to Charlotte for an induction that wasn't during a race weekend. Not even for Kasey Kahne. But I would go if it was during a race weekend, even if the race was the All-Star Race. Plus weather in January is all kinds of weird all over the country making people reluctant to travel. And it's right after Christmas! People haven't had enough time to replenish their savings after Christmas. Sooooo stupid. Brian France is a freaking idiot.

Watching Deathly Hallows part one right now. And RuncornHarry just dropped those awesome little wind up things outside of Umbridge's office. Ha. I love Fred and George and their inventions. I just love the whole Harry Potter universe. I've going to wrap this up now so I can keep watching. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Today's Amazing Links

So I've changed my mind yet again and decided to post links daily. You'll just have to deal with. Although, some days I'll see tons of interesting stuff. And others it will just be one or even none. So anyways... Here's today's.

Pueblo Family Rejoices After Kidnapped Girl Found Safe - This is just proof that kids are not stupid. If you teach them, they will learn. Hopefully they never have to free themselves from a kidnapper. But it's better for them to be prepared.

The Little Red Wagon - This is brilliant no matter what anyone says.

The 11 worst-dressed players at the Australian Open - Not a tennis fan but I like seeing what crazy outfits they come up with. There's one of the tennis dresses that I really like and have saved a picture of for my inspiration book of clothes I want to duplicate.

Facebook: Friends' Happy Pictures Make You Sad? - I'm not a huge fan of Facebook and this just cracks me up. I can see where it makes people sad.

5 Outfits Guys Secretly Hope You'll Wear - None of them are skanky either.

3 Styles For Curly Hair - Found this from the last link. I like the 2nd and 3rd looks but the first one makes the girl look like a poodle. Not attractive.

Links!

Here's another batch of links. Enjoy.

Italy enthralled by ship's tale of of two captains - I think that Schettino should have to see one of those t-shirts every day of his life.

Anthony Bourdain Slams Paula Deen After Diabetes Announcement - I hate Paula Deen with a passion. I have for several years and lots of reasons. I have NEVER heard her say to eat in moderation on any of her shows or appearances (GNephew likes watching the Food Network so I can't help but see her). She makes some of the most obnoxious, unhealthy shit I've ever seen. She should be using her diabetes diagnosis as a platform for healthy eating and how to take an unhealthy recipe and use substitutions to make the dish healthy. Instead, she only revealed her diagnosis to profit from YOUR money buying diabetes medications. She doesn't care what your glucose levels are, just make sure your cash gets in her pocket.

The Three Most Important Questions to Ask Before You Eat

Makeup Counter Salesgirl Becomes YouTube Beauty Sensation - Lately I've been considering a change to my normal makeup routine so when I saw this linked on Yahoo's main page I read it. Then of course I started watching the videos. I watched A LOT. I can definitely tell you I will NOT be copying the Bridget Bardot look. But I did get several ideas, including how to fix my wonky brows. So I'll be playing with my makeup. I don't want to spend the amount of time that this girl does doing makeup but I'm open to change. I might need to buy new brushes though. Hm.

Top Five Ways to be a More Efficient Medical Transcriptionist/Editor

Medical transcriptionists and editors are an important part of the medical world. Most people don't even realize that there's someone who is responsible for typing up their medical records (Doctors can't possibly be bothered doing it themselves. That takes time away from sexing up the nurses and practicing their golf swing.) And since there's a limited amount of time for the transcriptionist to get the report returned to the hospital or doctor's office, they have to be extremely efficient people. So I came up with a few ways for them to be more efficient.

1. Muzzle your children. This is much more cost effective and less time consuming than feeding them, changing their dirty diaper, giving them a toy to occupy them or even worse: hiring a babysitter. Muzzle them. I recommend Duck Brand Duct Tape because it's available in a variety of colors and fun prints that your kids will love.  Just be sure to leave their noses uncovered.

2. Train your dog to bark at any potential distractions. Forewarned is forearmed as they say. I suggest a 5-block radius. This gives you ample warning. Distractions could take the form of squirrels, emergency vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, vehicles of any sort, pedestrians, other dogs, leaves on trees, and even air.

3. While we're talking about training your dog, I suggest training them to step on your foot pedal for you. Avoid those pesky calf cramps. Do not teach them a command to stop. Running the dictation constantly makes you type faster, which in turn makes you a more productive transcriptionist (I didn't say anything about accuracy).

4. Bathroom breaks are a waste of time. Invest in some adult diapers or hold it till your bladder and/or colon explode. Astronaut Lisa Nowak wore a diaper. Okay... so maybe she was just a teensy bit crazy and a lot obsessed with her boyfriend. But she should be your diaper role model.

5. Do NOT move your hands from the keyboard! You should not be picking your nose, scratching your butt, or pulling at a wedgie. Above all else, DO NOT TOUCH THE MOUSE. Don't even think about it. I see you eyeing that adorable little electronic critter. It wastes your time to touch it. So don't. In fact, your employer may have programed it to explode because it's such a waste of time.

Author's Note: I actually don't believe in muzzling children. Especially not with duct tape. But for heaven's sake, don't touch the damned mouse. This is so important that your employer will show up and cut your hand off at the wrist if you touch it. Try being efficient then.

It's a Loss

I have a confession to make. I wrote that post about my freshly adjusted plan and guess what? I've crapped out and been unable to make myself do anything about it. I haven't been sleeping well lately and as a result have been dragging my way through the day. I know, I know, exercising will help me get energy for the rest of the day and will also help me sleep at night. But when you feel like an elephant tap danced on you all night, it's hard to get the motivation to actually start exercising. I need to just suck it up and do it.

I still managed to lose weight this week. Most of it was lost before Sunday but even with my blahness I lost a little bit the last couple days.

Weight: 267.0 lbs
Change: 1.3 lb loss
Pounds to Goal: 122.0 lbs
BMI: 41.90

It wasn't neccessarily a pretty loss, but I'll take it. Now if I can just get my ass in gear.

 

 

Links!

Here's a new batch of links that caught my eye on the web.

NBA Legend Yao Ming's Panda Mission - Yao is now my favorite basketball player (we won't discuss the fact that I don't like basketball and don't give a rip about any basketball player). How could you not love a man that big holding an animal that adorable? Everyone say it all together: Awwwwwwww.

3 Tips for Pushing Past a Weight Loss Plateau

World's Prettiest Hotel Pools - GNephew and I like to wish list pool elements for if I ever win the MegaMillions.  Pretty sure the two level pool in Indonesia is going to get added into the mix.

It's a beautiful thing. - Yes, yes it is.

Edwards opts out of Nationwide series in 2012 - My mom and I discussed the possibility that racing consistently in multiple series holds someone back as a driver. I think this is a good choice for Carl.

5 Drivers I'm Watching In 2012

MuggleNet's Fan Art of the Week: Mandrake Baby Fan art is hit or miss. They either suck badly. Or are totally fantastic and make you jealous that you didn't come up with it. This one is freaking awesome.

2 Pandas Munching Bamboo Amid French Chateaux - So freaking adorable. How can you not love pandas?

Come Back Eliot!

Did anyone watch Leverage last night? Who thinks either Dubenich or Latimer survived that fall/shot? I think one of them is going to be the serial baddie again next year. It's too bad that Nate didn't let the gang keep the batcave. That woulda been awesome. But I read an article that they're going to be in Portland next year. Not just to film but that will be the setting. I think that'll be cool. I'm ready for it to come back NOW. RIGHT NOW! Tooooooo long to wait! 

But!

My second favorite show is coming back tomorrow! Yay! White Collar is back in just over 24 hours! That will make the wait for Leverage to come back less painful. I'm gonna be really pissed if Mozzie takes off with the treasure and leaves Neal, Peter and Elizabeth just hanging to deal with Keller. I also hope that Sara comes back. I liked her and Neal together.

So I dyed my hair burgundy on Saturday. I did a crappy job applying it so I'll have to dye it again in a week or so because there's big patches that I missed. But I'm loving this color. The reds never look the way I want them to and they fade super fast. And the brunettes are boring. But this... I'm keeping this. Depending on the light it looks auburn, brunette or even purple. Ha! It's fantastic.

I'm off now. Gotta cut my mom's hair and work on some more stuff for my Etsy shop. Hopefully I'll be able to reopen it in a weekish. That's it for now.

 

 

Adjustments to the Plan

 Ahhh... change... Isn't it exciting? This time instead of the usual terror that I experience at the mere thought of change I'm looking at it as exciting. Yes, my brain is fighting me on this and since I've made my decision last night, there have been a few moments of "I'm soooo screwed, this is never going to work." But I'm fighting against that and I keep telling myself over and over that my decision was the right one.

Friday night my mom said something to me that initially hurt my feelings but then yesterday I realized she had only said the truth. We were talking about weight loss and she said "You're just going to have to get serious about it." I sort of shrugged her off and said that I was. But inside I was soothing hurt feelings by justifying it as the pot calling the kettle black and the whole spiel about those who can't do criticize. So yesterday, the giant neon billboard sign in my brain flashed on and on it was "SHE'S RIGHT." And you know what, she is. I've only been half-assedly attempting to loose weight. Yeah, I've been cutting calories bit by bit and made progress, but I haven't really done much to confront my food issues, like eating just because food exists or emotional eating. And exercise is hit and miss with the majority being miss.

I've been allowing myself to slack off.

Well, not any more. It's time to get serious.

So here's my all new adjusted plan...

Food: I'm going to start abiding by the suggested calories that Lose It comes up with. It will adjust with my weight and exercise. I set it for losing 2 pounds a week and without any exercise my base amount of calories is 1866 right now. Plus there's the added bonus that the more I exercise the more I get to eat. I also need to increase my water intake. I'll go days at a time without drinking any water at all, only coffee (with just some creamer powder) and tea (sometimes hot, sometimes iced, with nothing in it).

Exercise: The every day plan is to do yoga and walk Noel every day. I have a couple yoga dvds and the Wii Fit has yoga on it. I typically use a dvd that I got from McDonald's and I really like it because there's a few routines that are all 15 minutes to choose from. But for right now I'm going to try something different. I programmed in a routine on the Wii Fit that was about 22 minutes this morning. I'll tweak it over the next few days and do that for a while. See if I like it or no. As for walking I'll stick with my normal route that's about a mile (1.0 or 1.1 depending on which street I turn onto). If I walked it by myself it would only take me about 15 minutes. But Noel can't walk as fast as I do, and she has to stop and poop (there's just no way to say that delicately) so it ends up taking about 25 minutes with 20 of actual walking. I'll use Sunday as an active rest day doing just the yoga and walk. The other six days of the week I'll do three days of strength training and three days of cardio. For strength I'll either do my Biggest Loser yoga dvd (there's a lot of holding poses, it makes my muscles ache as if I'd done strength training) or the strength exercises on the Wii Fit. Cardio will be the stationary bike, elliptical (if my sis-in-law really gives me her elliptical) or any one of my DWTS dancing dvds. I also have Just Dance 2 for the Wii, so I might do that also. It just depends on my mood that day.

Weigh Ins: Thursday will still be my official weekly weigh in but I'll start weighing myself on Sundays to see where I'm at partway through the week. This way if it looks like I'm off-track I have a few days to get my act together before my official weigh in.

So not much of a change. Mostly just the calorie thing. And then the actual implementation of exercising. So that's it for now.

The Super Exciting Life of a Hermit

I did nothing exciting today. I gave myself a manipedi and watched A Very Potter Musical. I have to wonder how did I not ever see this before now? It's freaking hilarious. Google it.

Then I worked on a scarf I'm crocheting for a while.

Then I finally got motivated to dye my hair. I got a new color this time: Burgundy. I know I need to re-dye it in a couple weeks. I didn't straighten my hair before so the dye didn't go on very even. But I also am not sure if it turned out burgundy. It looked sort of Elmo red in my bathroom mirror. But the lighting isn't great. Will have to wait till tomorrow after I straighten it and there's sunlight to tell what it really looks like.
So that was my day. To make this post more exciting here's a song for you to enjoy. Carrie Underwood's "The More Boys I Meet".



That's it for now.

Leaving of Liverpool

Spent most of today working towards reopening my Etsy shop so I don't have much to say. But this little gem was on my Google Reader and since I love Marc Gunn, I felt the need to share it with you. Enjoy it.



He's totally awesome right? Go buy a cd.

That's it for now.

Links

More interesting links from my wanderings around the web.

President Obama Sings "Born This Way"

Can Yoga Wreck Your Body? - Try getting some studies conducted in this century and then we can talk.

Fake It 'Til You Make It: 5 Easy Slimming Wardrobe Pieces to Wear Until You Get Back in Shape

What Your Child's Name Says About You - I didn't really need this article to tell me that Gwyneth Paltrow wants to be in the spotlight. But it's interesting.

Divorced NYC Man Suing Over Wedding Pics Speaks - I have two words for this guy: MOVE ON.

Five Film Facts: "Beauty and the Beast" 3D

NASCAR bans driver-to-driver communications for all races, will change Daytona plate size again - On one hand I love the two-car tandem. But on the other I hate it. Someone is always being a dumbf*** and spinning their partner or someone is getting the short-end of the stick and being screwed out of a good finish. And I understand safety being a concern. I don't want to see any driver get injured, even ones I can't stand.

10 Sneaky Ways to Eat Less

Kasey Kahne: I Didn't Demand Kenny Francis Join Hendrick Motorsports

Yay! Good Week!

I weighed myself today but before we get to that I want to address a couple things:

First, thank you to Patrick for praising my last post. I'm trying to write quality posts that aren't just random thoughts every time. The ability to save drafts has become my best friend. I can put ideas in drafts and then revisit them and expand them (like I did the last post several times over last week). I have openly admited that I started writing a novel and I'm using the blog as almost a writing practice. So you're my lab rats. Hopefully, I'm treating you humanely.

Second, I'm sorry if I've been kinda flaky on the blog and twitter the last few days. I was looking at the blog posts and it doesn't really look flaky but I feel like I've flaked. I even lost track of what comments I've responded to and what I haven't. Oops -so if you commented and I didn't respond, I'm so, so sorry. I read your comment, thanks for it, I've just been a bad responder- I've spent most of my brain power thinking about reopening my etsy shop. I've debated with myself for and against several times and talked it out with my mom. I've decided to reopen the shop. I'll be carrying crochet for sure, and I have ideas for some other products that I believe other people will enjoy owning as much as I'll enjoy creating them. I'm also creating a second blog to support my shop so I will probably not be talking much about crafting here. I will tell you when I start that blog running and get the shop open again.

Okay, on to the weigh in!

Weight: 268.3 lb
Change: 1.5 lb loss
Pounds to Goal: 123.3 lb
BMI: 42.11

Happy dance!!!!

I've been using Lose It to track all my food and exercise. It's been a week and so far I have absolutely no complaints about the site. If you're looking for an online calorie counter, I highly recommend it.

I've also decreased my calories back to 2400. I've been there for two days and so far, so good. No binges. I only went over by 32 calories the first day at 2400. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

That's it for now.

Maintaining Objectivity

Sometimes it's a little hard to look at your results realistically while you're in the middle of losing weight. I spent almost all of December beating myself up for not meeting my calorie goals but once I removed myself from the situation a little bit, I was able to look at my calorie counts and see that I was under or within 100 calories of my goal more often than I went over or didn't record. But from that experience I learned a few tricks to help myself maintain objectivity and I thought I would pass them on.

So here we go...

1. Look at your statistics the next day.
If you think you're being too hard (or soft) on yourself, allow for some time before you look at your stats to pass judgement. If you use an online calorie counter, DO NOT look at the final tally after logging the last of your food. If you're doing the old-school no-technology approach to logging and using a notebook, after you write down your last foods and their counts just close the book and put it away. The next morning you'll have fresher, more objective eyes.

2. Color code your log.
I recommend using Google Docs or markers and a notebook for this. I don't know of an online calorie counter that will allow you to color code the records yourself (if you know one let me know). Use a stop-light coloring method (we're already programmed to look at green as good and red as bad). Green for daily goals you met - staying under your calorie goal or getting in all planned exercise. Yellow for things that you came close but didn't quite meet it - I give myself a 100 calorie cushion, for exercise I would say if you did anything color it yellow. And red is for when you go beyond your calorie cushion or when you do absolutely no exercise. Now look at your results. Count up how many you have of each color. How is it split up? If you have more green and yellow combined than red, you're doing okay. You need to step it up some, but quit beating yourself up. Concentrate on increasing your greens. If you have more green than yellow and red combined, then you're doing really well. Now it's time to focus on having no red days. (Side note: I would suggest coloring rest days or no-count days a different color. I use purple on the days that I don't count calories.) And once you have no red days, then you really have nothing to worry about. That's where #3 comes in.

3. Allow yourself to make mistakes.
You are not perfect. No one is. There's going to be times when you go over your calories or not get quite enough exercise in. And that's okay. Decide on the amount of Gimme-Days (days when it's okay to screw up) you'll allow yourself  month. As long as you stay below that number, you're doing just fine.

4. Ask yourself what you would tell a friend.
If a friend came to you and said "I went over my calories by 50 yesterday," what are you going to say to them? Chances are you're not going to tell them that they suck and  need to get their shit together. You'll probably tell them to brush it off, move forward and try again tomorrow. Before you start beating on yourself, look at your stats as though they were someone else's and figure out what you would tell them. Then tell yourself that.

5. Examine your goals.
Are you setting realistic goals? If you're having issues with your calorie consumption, find an online calculator to find an estimate of what your calories should be based on your weight, age, and activity level. Of all the ones I've seen and used I like Lose It's the best. Same concept for exercise. Increase your activity a little at a time. I've never heard of anyone going from being a couch potato to a marathoner in 24 hours. So don't expect that of yourself. Start with short distances or short exercise times. If you did nothing yesterday, 15 minutes today isn't anything to sniff at. You have to have a learning curve.

6. Have a trusted friend look at your statistics.
If you've done all of the above and you're still beating yourself up, ask someone else to look at your statistics and goals. And I don't mean your co-worker who just ate two doubles with extra cheese and a large salt with fries. Ask a friend who's into health and fitness. Have them identify your places for improvement. Get their opinion about whether your goals are realistic. As a side note, always ask them if they would take a look at them before you give them your statistics. Don't just give them the stats. And don't get your feelings hurt if they say no. Just ask someone else.

There you are. The tricks I learned about maintaining objectivity. I hope that if you need them, they help.

That's it for now.

Hi

Just checking in cause I have some other things I need to do.

I've been sort of slacking in the exercise department since Saturday. I was sewing and lost track of time and didn't walk Saturday. I did Sunday but then yesterday I didn't. I haven't done the bike since Saturday either.

But I have been right on with eating. I only went over 2500 one day and that was by 2 calories. Yes. 2 calories. Otherwise I've been under so today I'm going to decrease to 2400.

I received a compliment that the blog is pretty. I wish I could take credit, but I can't. It's a picture that I found in the Blogger Template Designer. You have to do a little bit of digging but they have some fantastic pictures to use as backgrounds.

I also have been thinking about writing a learn-to-crochet series accompanied with videos. Actually it's something that I've wanted to do for a while and have been waffling on it. When I learned to crochet I got very frustrated that I wasn't making something RIGHT NOW. I was just making stupid swatches and that's not fun. I definitely have ideas for ways to improve on how I learned. Is anyone interested? Have you looked at other videos available on the net? Did you like them or no? Did you get frustrated with the process of learning like I did?

Have also been looking at reopening my Etsy shop. I have several ideas for items that I believe would sell. We'll see what happens with that. I'll let you know if I reopen it.

Anyways, that's about it right now. I shaved Noel this morning so she's giving me dirty looks. It's a good thing she doesn't know how to operate the phone. I have no doubt she would try to call child services and claim I'm abusing her for giving her a much needed hair cut. That's it for now.

 

 

Friend Makin' Mondays

I got this from All the Weigh. You're supposed to answer the questions on your own blog then include the link in your comment on the original post. So here we go...

FMM: Getting To Know You
1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday? Sewing, browsing craft stores, crocheting and in the summer gardening and reading outside

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.  I can't think of just three. Leverage and White Collar are the top two definitely. But then it's a three way tie between Hawaii Five-O, Criminal Minds and Modern Family. So many good ones to choose from.

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them? I like taking them because I'm self-conscious of double chins, my teeth, etc.,  but it bothers me that no one cares enough to take pictures of me without me asking them to.

4) Why do you blog? It's easier to say what I'm thinking on the internet with the shield of anonymity than it is to say it in real life. Plus on the internet I can be unaware of how many people read (or didn't) what I wrote.

5) Share five websites that you visit regularly…
Netflix waaay too much
Ravelry friend me if you're on it, I'm pandatattoos
Simplicity I refuse to use a pattern made by any other company
Facebook I don't usually say much but I keep up with family and a few friends this way (add /kathrynweldon to the link and that's me, you could friend me there too)
Twitter

6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list who would it be? are we talking celebs or real life people that we actually have the chance of seeing? Celebs I'd probably have to say @kaseykahne but for real people I would say either Heather - @aparadoxflawed or Megan - @dangitmegan Actually they're the only two people I follow that I actually know. I worked with Heather and I met Megan when my tour group and her tour group were combined to make a bigger tour group on a trip to France several years ago

7) List a few of your favorite snacks. strawberries, popcorn, Fritos, beer dip

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind? My sweet, pound-puppy, cocker spaniel Noel. I have lots of pictures of her here

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without? my crochet hooks (the collection counts as one right?), Berni, my piano

10) What’s your favorite drink? Cherry Pepsi and coffee are tied

11) Do you enjoy cooking? Yes and no. I do like cooking. But my dad complains about my cooking every time and I'm not a bad cook. He's extremely picky but he's not consistent. One time he likes spaghetti sauce and the next he swears he can't stand it. I don't  know why he's that way but it's a constant source of irritation that takes the enjoyment out of cooking.

12) Do you have children? Of the 4-legged or 2-legged kind? 2 legs, no. But I have Noel :) She's my (extremely spoiled and totally unaware she's a dog) baby

13) What are your favorite hobbies?  crocheting, reading, sewing, gardening

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change? Wow there's a lot I would change but I guess my shyness. It holds me back socially, romantically and professionally.

16) Who is your favorite actor/actress? Doris Day. A very close second is Audrey Hepburn. Then the rest of my top ten is filled in with mostly actors and actresses from that time as well. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade.

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?  Made jammies. It's the first time I've made jammies so I was happy that I got to the end with only a few minor issues.

18) Do you live near your family or far from them? Both. I live with my parents and in the same city with Brother #3 and his fam (GNephew is his son) but Brother #1 and his fam is in Kansas City and Brother #2 and his fam is in Portland

19) List three of your talents. music, crocheting, writing

20) What is your greatest attribute? I don't know. I have many good qualities but I don't know what my greatest is. And I don't know what others appreciate about me. No one has ever said anything like "The greatest thing about you is your *insert quality here*" so I'm not sure what it would be.

Alright, there it is. My first participation in Friend Makin' Mondays. Check out the home for all of this at All the Weigh.

Crafty Me

So... I was fairly crafty this weekend. I got three projects started and finished.

Update: 3/28/12: In the process of reorganizing my photos and albums, I messed up the links for this post. Sorry.

On Friday and made a case for the thread crochet hooks that my mom gave me for Christmas. I used some San Diego Chargers fabric (yes, they're my favorite team) that I've had hanging around for a few years and haven't done anything with.
Then yesterday I made a case for my larger crochet hooks.

And then Berni got jealous that I was taking pictures and hadn't taken any of her. So here's her portrait.

And then I made some pajama pants today. This is what I had originally bought the fabric for. I bought a whole bolt of each with the plans to make pj's for myself, my dad and each of my three brothers. But I've just never gotten around to it. But I made a pair for myself. I started with the Simplicity pattern #4380 and tweaked it. I had to increase the size because a size 18 (the largest size on the pattern) was too small. Then I cropped them to make them capris. And I also skipped putting elastic in because I don't like elastic in the waists of my pj's. I also made my own drawstring.


Well, that was my weekend. I enjoyed it. How was everyone else's?

Hi

Just a quick check in. Noticed that I've posted every day since the beginning of this blog and didn't want to break that habit. But I didn't have another draft ready. Uh oh. Several in progress. But anyways I want to finish my crochet hook cases. Then move on to something else. Like jammies.

Did yoga on the Wii Fit yesterday and tried but crapped out on some strength training exercises. I'm contemplating not doing strength for a while, especially when my own body weight is involved. Maybe waiting till I take some weight off. But I did do the bike today.

I'm so-so on it. I'm bummed because I didn't do it to the level that I did Thursday. I had to do it on level 3 instead of 4 and instead of maintaining 80-90 rpms I had to slow down to 60ish. Either GNephew or my dad shared their cold. Not cool. I feel like baby elephants have moved into my sinuses and on the bike I just couldn't get enough oxygen to workout at the speed and intensity I wanted.

Am doing good calorie wise the last couple days. Moving back up to 2500 was a good move for me.

That's it for now.

Yet Another Dose of Links

More links. I like the twice weekly format so far of posting them on Friday and Monday. I can start the post, set it to publish a certain date and time and then add links as I find interesting ones. Anyways, here's these...

Top Reasons to Eat Breakfast @ Shine

Healthy Resolutions and How to Keep Them @ Yahoo Health

7 Food that Burn Somach Fat @ Shine

Did NBC Pipe in Salsa Music During Victor Cruz's TD Dance? @ Shutdown Corner

Paralyzed Carolina Bride Still Hopes to Walk Again @ Yahoo News

10 Fashion Trends We Hope Disappear in 2012 @ Shine

Workplace Wonderland@ Yahoo Finance

View From The Top With Dean Spanos @ Chargers.com - I am beginning to believe that I will never see the Chargers win a Superbowl. Sigh. At least former-Chargers Drew Brees and Darren Sproles are all kinds of awesome with the Saints.

Weird Weight Loss Tricks That Really Work @ Yahoo Health

9 Best Moves Of All Time @ Yahoo Health

The NASCAR Classifieds @ All Left Turns - My mom and I were laughing so hard when we read this I'm surprised neither of us hyperventilated.

Video: Mom Asks Permission to Kill Intruder - If I'd been in this woman's shoes I'd have shot the man also. At least she had the presence of mind to call 911 so that there's a record of what happened.

27 Rules of Conquering the Gym @ Wall Street Journal - Robby put a link to this on Facebook and
that's how I found it.

Five Reasons to Learn Knit or Crochet in 2012 @ Lion Brand Blog - #6 is that when you're hands are occupied with yarn, you can be using them to shove food in your mouth. Seriously. (As a side note, is anyone interested in a learn to crochet video series by moi? Or is the web too saturated?)

What Daniel Radcliffe Worries About @ Parade.com - I lust for Daniel Radcliffe. I do.

Daniel Radcliffe on Fame, Self-Doubt and Falling in Love @ Parade.com - I told you.

Sewing on Fleece @ Sewing Secrets - I've never sewn with fleece cause it's stretchy. But there's a few things I want to make so... maybe...

An Easy Workout With a Hard Name @ Y!Screen - I usually avoid exercises that involve jumping. Busty + Overweight = Lots of (sometimes painful) bouncing. But these actually look fun.

Sea Turtle High-Five

That's it for now.

 

Starting Over

So guess what... I have started over again with losing weight. Yeah. I know. The reason why is because I started tracking my calories using Lose It! and I have this thing about the first day of my tracking corresponding with my first weigh in. Weird, I know, but whatever.

I have been using a notebook. You know the old-fashioned books of paper held together with a spiraled piece of metal. I know that sometimes in this high tech world people can lose touch with the basics. I was logging everything and using nutrition labels to count. And I was getting kind of tired of it. So I wanted something online. I've used Calorie Count before and used to be really happy with it. But at some point while I was computer-less they changed it. Not cool. Now there's some Calorie Camp thing and it just irritated me when I was looking at it. So I went looking for a new online calorie counter. And through Google I found Lose It! and another one that will remain nameless. So I signed up for both because they both looked good but really the only way to find out whether you'd actually like the process of logging is to actually sign up and look at their logging.

So while I was flitting around with those I put it out on Twitter that I was looking for a new calorie counter and did anyone have any suggestions. And Patrick gave Lose It! his thumbs up. So between the recommendation and the fact that I found their site and logging system more appealing than the other one, I decided to use Lose It!

With that said, today is Day One!! Again!!! I weighed myself and actually exercise. Gasp.

So here's the weigh in:

Weight: 269.8 lbs
Pounds to Goal: 124.8
BMI: 42.35

And I made use of the stationary bike that my mom and I bought at a garage sale a few months ago. I did the "Ride in the Park" program for 30 minutes on level 4. It felt good. I think I could probably go up to level 5 next time. My butt kinda fell asleep (am I the only person who's butt goes to sleep on a stationary bike?It's just my butt, not my legs). But I did manage to burn 199 calories. I was really trying for that 200 in the last few seconds but the machine just refused to give it to me.

I also learned that I like our bike way better than the ones at the gym. Today was the first time I've actually used it for more than just a couple minutes. Not that it's more comfortable, it's not. But I could actually feel the tension change. At the gym, no matter what level I set the bike to I could never feel the tension change. It always felt like I was just free-wheeling. But with our bike, you can feel the tension change. I was going along and then the machine adjusts like you're going uphill and it gets harder! Then when it changes so you're back on flat land, bam, it just lets go and it feels like you're pedaling while coasting down a hill. I think this bike and I might become friends.

I'm still going to abide by The Plan. I did adjust my calorie intake back to 2500 instead of 2400. I kept going over and I felt like someone was holding my head underwater trying to stick to 2400. So I'll back off and concentrate on doing a really good job of sticking to 2500 before I try 2400 again.



Alright, that's it for now.

 

Well That Just Sucks

 

Today was my weigh-in. It wasn't a pretty one.

I should have been prepared but I wasn't. I didn't count New Year's Eve or Day and just ate and ate and ate some more. And not good food. Chips, cheesecake, sour cream dips, cheesecake, jalapeno poppers, cheesecake, breaded mushrooms, cheesecake, barbecue wings, cheesecake, meatballs. And did I mention cheesecake? I don't think I did. I didn't drink. Didn't want to walk all the way out to the garage fridge to grab a beer (leftover from making beer dip for Christmas) or a hard cider (Yuuuum).  Then yesterday we had Chick-Fil-A for lunch, normally I can stay under on my calories when we eat CFA but I ate everyone else's unwanted fries, along with my own. Then last night I helped myself to some German chocolate cake. I should have known what was going to happen. I even wrote in my journal last night that I was prepared to have a gain, but obviously. I wasn't. So anyways here's the weigh in.

Weight: 270.9

Week Change:+3.7

Total Change: +3.7

BMI: 42.53

Week Change: +0.59

Total Change: +0.59

So... time to buckle down. Back to calorie counting. And I gotta get started doing something exercise wise. GNephew is here. He doesn't go back to school till Thursday. He's currently building a Lego Space Shuttle. It's pretty awesome if I do say so.

That's all for now.

Links! Yay!

More links that have caught my eye in my wanderings around the net.

Titanic Artifacts Up For Auction In NY In April @ Yahoo News -I find this extremely sad. The items from the Titanic shouldn't be "owned," they belong in museums

Key "Dark Knight Rises" Scene Revealed @ Yahoo Movies -Who else is excited about the upcoming Batman? I hope that Anne Hathaway is amazing as Catwoman

Father Daughter Dance Medley @ Y! Screen

Swedish Woman Finds Wedding Ring After 16 Years On A Carrot @ Yahoo News

Lift Up A Friend In 2012 @ Ryan D. Sullivan

That's it for now.