Elizabeth July 2nd, 2008
It is day two of my New Financial Year Resolution diet, and it sucks. I am craving all sorts of stuff that I wasn’t even eating last month, simply because I’m not allowed to have it this month.
I am acutely aware of how dumb that is.
So you can imagine my relief when I found my soulmate on YouTube today, thanks to Dooce…
Elizabeth July 1st, 2008
There’s something inspiring about a new month, and I like making resolutions (even if they don’t last forever!). Here are my goals for July:
1. Take my multivitamin and asthma medication every day
2. Lose 3kg
3. Find a new job
I’ll be pretty happy with myself if I can achieve all three!
Elizabeth June 9th, 2008
I had grand plans for the Queens Birthday long weekend. I was going to check out the Camberwell Markets, spend some time on Chapel St, clean up the house for next week’s inspection, job hunt and blog a whole lot.
Instead I spent the entire weekend on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and drowning in my own snot. Aren’t you glad I spared you detailed blog posts this weekend?
Last Thursday night I felt like I was coming down with something, but pushed myself to go to the gym anyway. I was greeted by the Personal Trainer from Hell, but left there feeling so good that I actually ran home from the tram! I was pretty sure that I was going to feel a bit stuffy for a day or two afterwards, but didn’t expect that it would develop into a full head cold.
I only managed to make it through half a day at work on Friday before waving the white flag and going home.
Since then the weekend has just been a blur of cold & flu tablets, 4-hour “naps”, bad daytime movies and ginger tea. I can tell that I will walk into the office tomorrow morning feeling like I never left, and I feel completely ripped off. At least this will just be a short week.
Last week was notable in a number of ways. Firstly, I have made the decision to leave my current job, but to do it slowly and wait until the right thing comes along. It’s amazing how much easier it is to get out of bed in the morning having made that decision, even though I don’t know exactly when I’ll resign. To say that I was feeling “trapped” is an understatement, so it’s nice to feel in control again.
I’ve discovered that I am not capable of pointless, passionless work. I’m pretty sure that I couldn’t have done this job for much longer even if I was on double the salary - it’s just too many hours in a week going down the drain. I need to know that I am helping people, or doing something meaningful… that my effort is contributing to something that makes somebody’s world better. Or failing that, I need the time and resources to be doing something outside of my work hours that makes a difference.
My current job leaves me without time, money, meaning or passion. That makes it pretty easy to leave behind.
Justine took me to see a preview screening of Sex & The City last Wednesday night, and it was so good that I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I’m glad that I ignored the hype and saw it without any expectations; I loved it.
Afterwards we grabbed a hot chocolate at Groove Train, and chatted about all of her wedding preparations. The girl is a wedding machine - in two weeks she has designed her ring, picked the dress, found a dressmaker, venue and a new house and set the date! She’s planning to have the first “set and forget” wedding in history, so that she can just forget about it all and turn up on the day.
Newlyweds everywhere are reading this and shaking their heads, but if anybody can do it Justine can!
She has asked me to be maid of honour at her wedding. I accepted, after a short period of negotiation in which I asked to be known as her Busty Bestie instead! (Still waiting for that t-shirt, lady…)
Despite the lack of posts here lately I have been making progress with my 101 Things in 1001 Days. The next few posts will be devoted to catching up on my list and ticking off a few more boxes!
While I catch up, leave me a comment and tell me what’s new with you! Did I miss an important post of yours during my hiatus? Tell me what’s happening in your life, even if we haven’t met yet!
Elizabeth June 1st, 2008
Remember that scene from Run Fatboy Run, when Dennis finally begins training for the marathon, and the only reason he doesn’t stop is because Mr. Goshdashtidar is following him on his scooter and hitting him with a spatula?
Well, right now I need a Mr. Goshdashtidar in my life. Somebody to remind me that I am neglecting some important aspects of my life, and to keep the spatula just a few inches from my butt. But since I don’t have a crazy Indian landlord with a scooter and kitchen utensils, I thought I’d write about it here instead.
I’ve decided to embrace the start of a new month by making some positive changes.
The truth is that I’ve been in a bit of a slump for the last couple of months. I’ve been working in my new job for a few months now, and the situation there has become pretty hard to bear. I’m lucky enough to share my role with a girl who has become a good friend, but she’s the one oasis in an otherwise miserable workplace.
Things are going well in other aspects of my life, of course. Tim and I have gone from strength to strength, our little dog has adjusted to his new life really well, and Melbourne is still an incredible place to explore in our free time. We’re slowly making new friends in this city, and I think both of us are now feeling completely at home here. I feel lucky to have so much good stuff happening in my life.
But in many ways this job is ruining me. It’s a job where I really don’t get any personal satisfaction whatsoever. I don’t leave at the end of the day feeling like I have achieved something. I don’t derive any enjoyment from the menial tasks that I do, because they contribute very little and somebody else gets the credit for them anyway. I don’t get to help clients or coworkers in any sort of meaningful way. I don’t have any opportunity to extend myself and grow as a person - every day is exactly the same as the day before.
All this would be bearable if I was making more money, because I could be making better use of my free time. I could focus on saving up for a new computer to replace the one that is breaking, or the hot air balloon ride that I am dying to take someday soon. I could treat myself to a kickass all-day breakfast whenever I felt like it, or buy myself a couple of new shirts for work. The sad reality is that my salary covers my bills - and nothing more. Living month-to-month is just something I have to do right now.
The long-term plan is to use the “experience” that I am gaining to ask more of my next position. When I took this job I had just come out of a long period of self-employment, one that gave me very little to offer in an office environment. I am surviving all of this by reminding myself that it’s not forever - there is more out there and next time I can have it. It’s the short-term plan that has left me stumped, and caused me to neglect myself and the stuff I care about.
So for the last two months I’ve been undoing all the hard work I did at the beginning of the year with my diet and exercise. As you’ve noticed, I’ve badly neglected this blog. I haven’t been writing in my paper journal, haven’t listened to any new music, haven’t sought out or created any art. My workdays just drain me of energy and creativity, and even the desire to take care of myself properly. It really can’t go on.
So I’ve made a few decisions…
Firstly, I’ve decided to use part of my workdays in ways that benefit me personally. I might start by writing in my paper journal in my lunch hour, and using quieter parts of the day to plan/write blog posts. I’m still not comfortable blogging from work, but I can at least email them to myself and publish them from home. I have zero remorse in using work time for personal endeavours, since my workplace provides me with so little. My work will still get done.
Secondly, I want to start making my lunches more often in order to cut out some of the bad stuff I’m eating. I’ve been finding it really hard to eat well with the onset of Winter, but putting it in the “too hard” basket isn’t an option. From now on, Sunday to Thursday is dedicated to eating well - no matter what. That means less bread, rice and potatoes. More salad, maybe with soup. The plan is to eat my biggest meal in the middle of the day, and better plan my meals at night.
Thirdly, I need to get more exercise. It’s dark when I leave for work in the morning, and dark again when I leave the office. I start work at 8am, and it takes me an hour to get there. Exercising in the morning is basically not an option, since I am already getting up at 5:30 just to make it out the door on time. I need to find ways of exercising at night, even though it’s dark and cold and I just want to fall into bed.
Fourthly, I really really need to get stuck back into my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I’ve actually managed to cross a couple of items off my list in the last couple of months without really trying (I’ll write about these in a later post), but I’ve stopped using it as a tool for keeping me on track with my goals. I’m looking forward to getting that positive momentum back in my life.
And lastly…
This blog has been a really big motivator for me, thanks to the comments and emails that you guys send me from time to time. It certainly wasn’t a deliberate decision that caused me to stop writing here - just a general case of “the blahs” that made it seem too hard. I’d like you guys to think of yourselves as the wooden spoon hovering right near my butt, and giving me a bit of a slap if you notice me falling off the wagon.
With that in mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave me a comment with any ideas you have for making these changes. I’m particularly interested in hearing how you eat well in Winter when all you can think about is potatoes and steak and pasta and ohmygod did I mention potatoes?
Elizabeth March 29th, 2008
I’m genuinely sorry that it has been so long between posts. I’ve been looking forward to writing here (I even have a bunch of posts half-written!) but work has been kicking my ass so thoroughly that I am crawling into bed every night after dinner.
Posting from work isn’t simple either, since I share my role with one other person who is sort of my superior. I’m sure that once I settle into a better routine my blogging will become regular again, but bear with me for another couple of weeks while I learn my job.
And speaking of regular…
You know that one person in your group of friends who catches every single bug that goes around? In my group of friends, that’s me. So when people at work started to drop off like flies from the flu and gastro, I knew it would only be a matter of time before it was my turn.
On Thursday afternoon I crammed myself into a tram at Flinders St, after being unable to get on any of the previous four. A major tram stop is being upgraded there right now, and getting home from work has been a little like being shipped off to a concentration camp. I found myself smooshed up against a group of men who reeked of BO and old cigarette smoke, and by the time I got off at my stop my stomach was churning, which was the first sign that something was wrong.
On Friday morning I got dressed for work, and spent an hour trying to leave the house. I eventually surrendered and took a sick day, not wanting to risk being too far away from a bathroom on my morning commute. Turns out I made the right decision, as I spent all of yesterday between the couch and the bathroom, hopped up on gastrolyte and swimming in Tim’s old track pants. At some point I braved the outdoors to get more Panadol, and when I came home I was so exhausted that I just fell into bed with the lights on. Tim came in later to tuck me in with the toy squirrel that his mum gave me.
After 12 hours sleep I think I’m actually worse than I was yesterday. This is a really shitty (see what I did there?) way to spend the weekend, and I’m so over it.
But anyway, in other news…
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the recent cold snap in Melbourne, and all the beautiful rain we’ve been having. Winter clothes make me happy from head to toe, and my new haircut looks a zillion percent better when it’s not humid. It has been so great to see our yard turn green before our eyes, and to switch the heater on for the first time. I can’t wait for Winter to hit properly, but first I need to stock up on the right clothes
…Which would be easier if my first paycheck had been correct, just quietly.
I’m hoping to crank out another couple of posts that I’ve been planning this weekend, and get this blog up to date! I haven’t had much time to read your blogs over the past few weeks, so please leave me a comment and link me to a couple of interesting posts you’ve written lately!
Elizabeth March 19th, 2008
I have been following the discussion in this post with great amusement over the past week or so. It seems that when it comes to women and their periods we all have an opinion… and no matter which side of the fence you’re on it is Very Serious Business!
When I wrote that post, I didn’t really expect anything more than a few laughs. It was, after all, intended to be funny - and so many men and women can relate to the author of the letter, exaggeration aside! Instead, the discussion turned into very heated debate - which is not surprising given that a male reader helpfully suggested we girls all have our ovaries removed!
I thought I’d add some fuel to the fire with this article, discovered at the Sydney Morning Herald today. Tell me what you think!
Australian women suffer significantly higher rates of severe and debilitating poker gratuitonoble pokertilt poker7 card stud gratisstri pokerdownload giochi poker gratistavoli da gioco pokerpoker texano on linepoker on line in italiano7 card stud inlineapoker il giocodownload live pokereuropean poker tourper giocare a pokertornei di pokerpoker online bonusscommesse internetpoker online italiatorneo poker on linepoker on line gratis,poker gratis,download video poker gratisgioco video poker gratisgiochi internetholdem poker,poker texas holdem on line,holdem poker downloadgiochi di poker on linescaricare gratis pokerstrip poker flashpoker comstrategia pokeronline casino gamescasino’ onlineregole crapswww giochi casinoslots machine gratisvip casinogioco di roulettebaccarat onlinemobile casino gamesgiochi jack blackplay free baccarat onlinepc game casinoall slotsgiochi on line casinosistemi rouletteroulette europeacasino bonus no depositi casino onlineonline kenoblack jackcasino per pccasino da scaricare gratis premenstrual syndrome (PMS) than females in Europe and Latin America, a new global survey has found.
Research presented at an international mental health conference in Melbourne showed that about 40 per cent of women get PMS, typically mood swings, irritability, stomach bloating and sore breasts in the two weeks prior to getting a period.
Physical symptoms were more prevalent than emotional symptoms, but the latter were more “bothersome” for women, according to the findings collated from phone interviews with more than 4,000 women from eight countries, including Australia, the UK, France and Brazil.
About three per cent of women across all countries suffered the most severe type of PMS, called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
But the rate was significantly higher in Australia, where nine per cent of women interviewed met the criteria of at least five physical or mental PMS symptoms suffered on a severe scale almost every period.
Research leader, psychiatrist Professor Lorraine Dennerstein from the University of Melbourne, said the preliminary findings were both surprising and concerning.
“It’s very new data which hasn’t been fully explored yet so we don’t know what it’s linked to,” Prof Dennerstein said.
“But we know smoking is bad for PMDD, and it can also be affected by stress, income levels, cultural background and other factors.”
She said it may also be that Australian women were more aware of their bodies and reproductive-related problems.
“What ever the reasons, it is worrying because this syndrome is very, very debilitating,” she said.
“It has a major impact on how a woman runs her daily life, her work, her relationships.”
The research was funded by a pharmaceutical company which is soon to launch a new contraceptive pill in Australia that is claimed to help alleviate PMDD symptoms.
Prof Dennerstein said the pill, called Yaz, works on both physical and mental symptoms by partially suppressing the menstrual cycle.
Conference convenor professor Jayashri Kulkarni said the pill was promising. Other medications like new generation antidepressants known as SSRIs and anti-anxiety drugs had also shown some benefits, she said.
Some women were also able to manage their condition with vitamins like evening primrose oil, exercise, cognitive behavioural therapy and by reducing the stress in their lives, Prof Kulkarni said.
“This is not a minor problem, it’s terribly disruptive, so we need to explore as many different pathways as possible to find treatments.
Elizabeth March 18th, 2008
I began a mildly fanatical exercise and diet regime at the beginning of February, as part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge. Since then I’ve lost a bunch of weight and am feeling a million bucks.
Writing about my weight here feels a bit strange, to be honest, because it’s a fairly private thing for me. But in the spirit of tracking my progress, I think it’s important to make mention of two big milestones!
Firstly, yesterday I went clothes shopping. It’s something that I did out of necessity, because the best-fitting work skirt I own is at least one size too big for me. I really resent spending money on clothes right now because I still have weight to lose, but it had reached the point where wearing this skirt wasn’t even an option anymore.
The skirt I bought is a cute little number from Portmans, TWO SIZES smaller than the skirts I was buying there 6 weeks ago! I’m wearing it today, and it’s pretty fabulous.
Secondly, and this is even more impressive…
I have taken ownership of my skinny boyfriend’s cargo shorts because THEY FIT ME and I want them so he’s lost them. Words cannot explain the moment when I tried them on and they looked good!
(I told Tim that if he said ONE WORD about those shorts being big on him I would break his nose. So far he hasn’t!)
Elizabeth March 8th, 2008
I know it’s a little late to be posting this, but I’ll just add it to the list of things that are overdue! I wanted to write a recap of February before moving on to the stuff I’ve been doing in March, so here goes.
In February I managed to complete six items from my list of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days. They were:
#49 - See a Gold Class movie
Thanks to a very generous gift voucher from Sally, Tim and I saw Sweeney Todd in the luxury of La Premiere. It’s something we’ll do many more times, now that we know what we were missing!#32 - Go to Luna Park
The St Kilda Festival was on this month, and we spent the day there listening to bands and soaking up the sun. Luna Park was one of the places we checked out, and it wasn’t until after we’d been through it that I remembered it was on my list!s#50 - Go to an outdoor movie
I can’t do this justice with a short summary - you should really check out my post about it to see how awesome this place is!#10 - Walk to the city and back 8 times in one month
One month? Pffft - I did it in 14 days! In that time I walked 100km, and lost a bunch of weight. I’m now starting a running program to continue the good work.#18 - Teach myself to use Excel
February was the month that I defeated Excel, and started making kickass graphs.#7 - No chocolate for a month
I am living proof that one month without chocolate will not kill you… but it did come pretty close.
Overall, February was a fantastic month for my general health and fitness, and has gotten me well on the way to completing some other health-related goals. It was also great for learning more about Melbourne.
For such a short month, I really feel like I accomplished a lot!
Elizabeth March 4th, 2008
Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge.
This is a chocolate mud cake that I made for my Aunt’s birthday last year
I don’t know exactly what strain of insanity was running through my head when I decided to put this item on my list, but there was no escaping it. I chose February as my Month of Denial for two reasons: a) it happened to coincide with the general health-kick that I’ve started, and b) it’s the shortest month of the year!
I suppose I should have chosen February 2009 and avoided that twenty-ninth day, but part of me really wanted to put this task behind me.
I’m proud to say that I didn’t slip up once, even a little bit. I didn’t pick the chocolate off the rocky road at Adam’s place, I didn’t swipe any of Justine’s choc-top at the movies, and I didn’t even drink that sachet of fat-free hot chocolate that’s been sitting in the pantry since Sally visited.
I was SO GOOD. I had so many opportunities to cheat, and I didn’t. I think the fear of having to start this task over was what kept me in the game.
The strange thing is, it’s now March 4th and I still haven’t had any chocolate. I was writing in my paper journal last night about how I have lost all desire for cheap chocolate, and would much rather have a small amount of something high-quality and rich.
This year, I only want one really good Easter egg!
Elizabeth February 15th, 2008
Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge
It feels soooooo good to cross this one off my list!
I unintentionally completed this task in a fortnight, rather than a month. I’ve been trying to exercise at least every second day, and walking anywhere other than the city felt like a waste! I’m now looking forward to heading in a different direction and finding some new stuff next time I walk.
Some of the positives to come out of this task:
Very happy that this one is out of the way! I know that this is one thing I couldn’t have achieved without my trusty list, so I’m extra proud of myself for working my way through the tasks.
10 down, 91 to go!
Elizabeth November 8th, 2007
I have been completely unable to breathe through my nose all day. I think my sinuses are so inflamed that they’ve just closed right up. I’m one step away from being That Nerdy Kid Who Is Always Blowing Her Nose that everybody went to school with. You know the one.
Don’t let me become a statistic. Do you have a miracle cure for pollen-related allergies? It’s Spring here in Australia, so this is basically as bad as it gets, and all of the dust from our constant state of drought is just making everything worse. Especially when a certain someone brings it inside.
Polaramine knocks me right out, and I wake up feeling like I’ve just come out of a 15-year coma. I’ll take it if things are really bad though, and if I’m heading to bed anyway. Daytime allergy products don’t seem to put a dent in my symptoms, but I am willing to try anything at this point. It’s been a year since I’ve tried them.
Tell me about your kickass allergy solution, especially if you’re Australian and I’m likely to be able to buy it here! I will repay you by writing far more interesting blog posts when I am not distracted by my snot.
Elizabeth June 16th, 2007
There is a new breakthrough in weight-loss that is revolutionising the way we think about dieting. I have noticed INSTANT results just by making a few small adjustments to my lifestyle!
Please refer to the diagram below, and consult your doctor before beginning your new regime.
Elizabeth June 16th, 2007
I will go to extraordinary measures to avoid my dentist.
My last check-up was at least two (but maybe three) years ago. At that time my bottom wisdom teeth were breaking through my gums, and causing an infection that would flare up about every 6 weeks. I spent the better part of a year ignoring the problem and assuming it would eventually tire itself out.
I think it was the day that I was unable to fulfil my commitment to a tasty steak that I finally caved in and made an appointment. It was an anxious week while I awaited my fate and imagined the worst.
My teeth are straight and hole-free, and I’ve never had a filling or braces or been drilled into. I know I’m lucky, and yet my lack of experience in the chair is also the cause of my massive fear of dental procedures. I’m so sure that my time will come, and I’ve had 27 years to consider how a needle might feel if it was jabbed into my gums. Finding out for sure excites me about as much as the prospect of a drill in my retina.
So when I saw that dentist a few years ago, at the height of my flare-up, I was pretty anxious. And he didn’t really make it any easier by making fun of my genuine fear and holding me down while he scrubbed my throbbing gum with a hard toothbrush until it bled. I was in tears by the end of it, and didn’t exactly entertain the suggestion of coming back in a month to have my wisdom teeth removed by the same thug. I followed his instructions at home, and scrubbed my gum until my toothbrush turned red, and eventually the infection just didn’t return. I was free! Well, except for all those pesky reminder cards that came in the mail.
Of course, I like my straight teeth so it’s been in the back of my mind that my wisdom teeth may still need attention before they started messin’ up my smile. However such concerns were usually able to be dulled with a steady diet of reality TV and crack cocaine. It was going to take something pretty sneaky to get me back in the dentist’s chair.
Last week my mother delivered what was needed: bribery. What sounded like a generous offer to pay for teeth whitening was actually a dark and elaborate plan to hand me over to her dentist, and like a fool I fell right into her trap! I had agreed to her offer before considering all the consequences, and by the time the horrible realisation set in the appointment had been made. I’ll never know for sure whether she and the dentist were in cahoots, but by then it no longer mattered. I was an unwitting pawn in their sadistic plan, and so began a fortnight of nightmares and hallucinations that woke me screaming from my sleep.
As it turns out, my vanity won the battle against my fear and I found myself at the dentist yesterday morning. I was feeling pretty calm as I was led to the chair, and decided to remain in control of the situation. After all, thought I, how much damage can you do in three years when you live in a city without fluoride in the water and you eat chocolate three meals a day and you love your coffee with extra sugar and you have an on/off relationship with mouthwash and oh my God what if he notices that I still have my wisdom teeth and wants to rip them out and WHY didn’t I just drive one block further and spend this hour shopping? The illusion of calm was shattered in about 3 seconds flat, and I found myself offering the dental hygienist vast sums of cash to doctor my records and let me go. She was in fits of laughter by the end, which made one of us.
And that’s when things started to go very wrong. As I was lying there almost horizontal I willed the halogen light above me to shatter and lodge its pieces in my head so that I would instantly be rushed to hospital and far, far away from the drill. What happened next wasn’t quite as dramatic as I had hoped, but the light did suddenly go out and was deemed unfixable after many attempts. Moments later, the electric scaler made a series of disturbing noises before sparking and taking its own life. “This has never happened before!”, said the dental hygienist, and I assured her that it was completely my fault. She was slowly beginning to understand that I wasn’t kidding.
We were moved into another room and this time all the equipment worked just fine. She took x-rays of my teeth for the specific purpose of checking my wisdom teeth, and since I was feeling a bit guilty about nearly burning down the surgery I decided to suck it up like a grown-up. I reminded myself that I could simply cancel any further appointments if there was bad news, and choose a new dentist three years from now. Nobody would ever catch on.
Nobody expected what happened next.
… my x-rays were perfect, and my wisdom teeth were growing at a great angle. Furthermore, I didn’t even have upper wisdom teeth at all, so they’ll never ever cause me any trouble - ever! No holes, no crowding, barely any plaque. When the dentist finally joined us he went looking for problems, and finally told me to halve my brushing time. Halve it! How many people can say that their dentist told them to brush less?
Naturally I was feeling pretty smug by this stage and quietly patting myself on the back for all the money I saved in the past 3 years. Since I broke half the surgery they ran out of time to make an impression of my teeth for the whitening treatment, so I had to go back again today and see the other dentist who works there. “No problem!”, I said. “See you tomorrow!” and I skipped out the door like it was International “Elizabeth Is Awesome!” Day.
There was no trepidation when I entered the surgery this afternoon. I happily flicked through magazines in the waiting room and noted the models whose smiles were almost as dazzling as my own. Eventually I was called into the room by a very severe-looking hygienist with a thick Russian accent. “Zeet down,” she said, and as I followed her orders I was quietly thankful that she wasn’t rostered the day before when I was really panicking. And I know it’s horribly politically incorrect to giggle inwardly when your dentist can’t pronounce the word “teeth” (instead saying “teese”, as in Dita von) but the truth is that I was still coming down from yesterday’s adrenaline and therefore can’t be held responsible for my inappropriate thoughts. He was terrific actually, and answered all of the weird questions I fired at him including “how come I can’t sing properly for 2 hours after I brush my teese?” Gargling with salt water is apparently the solution. Now I was going to be even more perfect than before!
Obviously this cockiness and self-adoration wasn’t going to last, and the Universe made sure to knock me down a peg before sending me back out into the world. After the lengthy conversation with my dentist, and another one with the receptionist, I skipped back to the car and drove off happily into the sunset. Five minutes from home I caught my refection in the rear view mirror and noticed the MASSIVE splotches of solidified white plastic stuck to my nose and cheek from the cast he’d just made of my teeth and NEITHER the dentist nor the receptionist thought to mention it. I looked like the Phantom of the Opera*, or the victim of a horrible experiment in self-waxing. It was everywhere! I was greatly consoled by the fact that I didn’t have time to stop at the shops as planned, or this could have been a whole other post.
Moral of the story: I was right to be suspicious of dentists and those that they employ. However, I should place more faith in my own awesomeness from now on. That I can do!
* a possible exaggeration.
Elizabeth March 18th, 2007
Yesterday was my birthday, and millions celebrated it with beer and green hair. The problem with being born on St Patrick’s Day is that I never actually feel like going out on the day, it’s just too much hassle. I hate not being able to get to the bar - the free birthday drinks lose their appeal if you sober up in between each one.
Yes, I am aware that I am starting to sound my age.
Up in the Northern hemisphere they’re still celebrating my birthday. The one nice thing about having my boyfriend in another timezone is that my birthday is now 38 hours long. He’s just about to leave the house and have a drink for me 
Anyway, to be honest my birthday itself was pretty depressing overall but I did get a nice haul of presents. I got a signed cookbook from Spirit House, plus a CD and apron to match, some jewellery, some house stuff for my move, and money to put towards the printing of my holiday photos and the framing of some prints I bought overseas. Plus, I had wanted to hire a treadmill for a few months but my parents found a great one second-hand and bought it for me. It looks like it’s never been used, so I guess I should be careful to not fall into that same trap. It’s sort of enormous, but I now have the beginnings of a home gym. Time to cancel the real gym membership that’s been collecting dust recently.
So today I’m beginning something new, tentatively entitled my New Age Resolutions. When I woke up I drank a big bottle of water, took my vitamins and asthma medication and had a good breakfast. I’m going to start my day this way as regularly as possible, and fit in heaps of exercise (despite the high 30C/100F temperatures - that’s why God invented air conditioning). I’m going to use that time to watch a bunch of movies that I’m yet to see, and listen to a bunch of albums that I haven’t gotten around to listening to.
Less coffee, even less alcohol than I currently drink, less sugar and less meals based on carbs. Lots more fruit, and continue to keep up my vegetables. In short, I think what I need to do is turn my food pyramid upside down and go from there.
It’s time to start walking the talk and get back to being healthy again.
| Completed: 16/101 | |||||||||
Keep track as I complete my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge (commencing Jan 1st, 2008).
