Friday 31 October 2008

Lost, walking, and gelato.

First I would just like to say holy crap batman it is cold. Really really chilled to the bone I broke down and actually turned the heat on to 15c cold. It has been getting down to almost 0c at night which is just not cool, or warm as it may be. This has certainly hampered my master plan to make up excuses to go walking. I don't really plan walks I just make sure I am really inefficient and make lots of trips to lots of places, I do try to walk over my lunch break and yesterday when I was at a site that has three building set up over 1/4 of a mile I made sure I volunteered to do the errand running between buildings. It payed off my pedometer said i walked 7.14 miles yesterday! Woo hoo.

This was somewhat negated by the fact that I found a gelato shop near where I was working. Good thing I probably won't be going back to that site for a very long time. I find that on a whole your normal everyday ice cream in England is &^%* so it is really not a temptation but who can resist gelato, apparently not me. I did order a small.

Lost, I am not sure if I am just over it or the fact that this was a short series due to the writers strike but I thought it fell short. Don't get me wrong I still find it much better than most programs on TV but it seems a little magic is gone. I guess we will have to see how the next series goes.

Thursday 30 October 2008

Weigh in Wednesday and Lost

So I stayed the same at my weigh in last night. I am finding it really hard now that it has gotten so cold to make myself walk more and eat well. All I want to do is eat chocolate, so I start another week fresh with the hopes I can beat my demons and loose the magical 1.5lb to reach my 10% goal.

I got the new series of Lost on DVD Tuesday night and have somewhat gone into hidding while I watch all the episodes. I should resurface sometime around Sunday.

Sunday 26 October 2008

Slacking off Sundays

So I realized that I had not posted any kitty picture recently so here you go kitty.



He nifty I can jump out the window using dads back!

Excuse me you are ruining my beauty sleep. I can't believe he was ever this small.


I kill you.

Look at the bargain I found at the supermarket.





Wednesday 22 October 2008

Weigh in Wednesday

Start Weight: 13st 13lb (195lb)
1st Weigh in: 13st 091b (191lb) -4
2nd Weigh in: 13st 07lb (189lb) -2
3rd Weigh in: 13st 5.5lb (187.5lb) -1.5
4th Weigh in: 13st 2.5lb (184.5lb) -3
5th Weigh in: 13st 1lb (183.0lb) -1.5
6th Weigh in: 13st 0lb (182.0lb) -1
7th Weigh in: 13st 1lb (183.0lb) +1
8th Weigh in: 12st 13.5lb (181.5lb) -1.5
9th Weigh in: 12st 11.0lb(179.0lb) -2.5
10th Weigh in: 12st 09.5lb(177.5lb)-1.5

Total Weight Loss 17.5lb

So overall I am really happy as I missed two weigh ins and kind of lost control last week. Here is to being back in control. I am only 1.5lb off of my 10% weight loss.

Friday 17 October 2008

Update on DorkFest 08

So there is really no hope for me to come even close on DorkFest but that’s okay if it has taught me anything it is that it okay to fly my dork flag. To take a look at some of the contenders head on over to www.michael5000.blogspot.com some real dorks hanging out over there.

Update on WW

So due to my schedule I have missed two weigh ins and I am feeling a little lost and having a hard time going it on my own. I am still at about the same weight but it is hard to tell as I have really stupid scales at home. I think this week’s errand will be to buy better scales so I can actually tell if I am loosing weight. I am back on the band wagon next Wednesday and will post accordingly. I am also going to try and drag my more than ample behind out of bed tomorrow AM and head on out to the meeting I tried to go to last Saturday.

A pumpkin hunting we will go.

So this weekend project involves pumpkins I am hoping to find some at a grocery store around here but I am not so sure as Halloween just isn’t that big here. If I can find some I will post pictures of my project on Yankee Crafts in England.

Christmas cards are also coming along well hoping to get most of them coloured in this weekend and start designing the ones I am donating to the Christmas Bazaar at the C of E my MIL attends. I was just going to copy mine exactly for the bazaar but then I realized we send a lot of cards to the members and I don’t want mine to match the ones they may have purchased.

Weekend meal plans.

I seem to be in a very Asian mood lately and this weekend will be no exception Saturday’s Dinner will be Funky Chicken on sesame noodles and Sunday’s will be Asian BBQed ribs as pork ribs are Mr Y in E’s favourite food. If I truly get all domestic the ingredients for carrot cake pancakes with cinnamon cream cheese are hanging around the house we will just have to see.

On a final note.

I was somewhat ambivalent when London was chosen to host the 2012 London Olympics. Not really my thing actually I have toyed with the idea of planning Spawn in England to coincide so that I would be on maternity leave while the games were going on. Now the building works have really gotten under work and my train journey takes 15 minutes longer due to the fact that there are speed restrictions in the area of Stratford I am not so ambivalent anymore. I am hoping these speed restrictions will not be continuing until 2012 because I really don’t enjoy having to get early trains than I am already getting.

Wednesday 15 October 2008

Dork Fest 08

So MK5000 is holding his annual Dork Fest. I don’t think I really hold any chance of winning but in the spirit of self inflicted public humiliation I decided to make my post and fly my dork flag.

Compulsive Tendencies

I believe that to be truly dorky you must have a compulsive tendency or 30. So mine in no particular order are

I don’t ever use the first toilet stall in a public bathroom unless it is the only one available.

Spreadsheets are my friend I love them in a way that is sick and wrong. I make spreadsheets for everything. The finances, the Christmas budget, the Christmas card list, grocery shopping list.

I am already making my Christmas cards. One can never start too early.

Before I started doing the spreadsheet for groceries I actually wrote it out in order of how I would go down the aisles. If someone wrote out the shopping list I would have to rewrite it so it was in the correct order. Needless to say this caused great stress when I moved to England and had to learn the aisles.

It actually irritates me that they do no keep all of the dairy items in the same place in English grocery shops. Milk is on one aisle all other dairy is two aisles down.


Public Transport Dorkiness

I can’t sit on the window seat I must be on the outside.

I prefer to ride backwards on the train.

I figured out where each person joining a train carriage would need to sit to give the most people, the most amount of space, for the most amount of time.

I can tell you what time each train leave my station between 5.15 am and 9am M-Sat

I can name all of the stops on the Central line in Zone One both going from east to west and west to east. On the topic of the tube it is my ambition to ride each of the lines before I leave England. I am down to three I have not ridden. One is suspended until 2012 for works.

I actually know where to stand on most of the Tube platforms to be closest to the exit when I get off at the desired station. I weigh this with knowing where the least packed carriages are going to be at any given time of the day and choose depending on my mood to be close to the exit and being crushed alive during rush hour


Just plain weird

I read really weird books like a dissertation on Eleanor of Aquitaine when I was a teenager, or Ancient Pagan Religions of the United Kingdom

On the subject of the United Kingdom I can explain to you the difference of British Isles, The UK, and Britain. I also have a grasp on the whole Common Wealth thing.

In the tradition of Tom Leher and Weird Al Yackovich I make up song parodies when bored, drunk, or a mixture of both. My most recent was a parody of Queen’s I Want to Break Free to explain to my husband how much I needed to use the toilet at that very moment. This was followed by a parody of Under Pressure to explain just how my bladder was feeling

When choosing a name for my cat it was a toss up between Hemmingway and Faulkner. Both based on my love of short stories I had to read in my Expository Writing class in 10th grade. Yeah I know the writing class did not help you don’t have to point it out.

When I realized I could not do Soduku I bought a book to learn

I can now curse in American and British sign language and this gives me great pleasure because my victims have no idea what I am saying. Yes they are two separate languages if you want me to explain the whole thing to you leave a comment.

I watch Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Jericho, Heroes, and Doctor Who. Not only that I plan my life around when the last two will be on TV. If for some earth shattering reason I can not be home to see them I set up the VCR to record them.

Okay this is really embarrassing, I also watch Stargate SG1. I have not kept up with it since I moved to England but I watched it religiously when living in the US. I will however lie if anyone asks me outright.

My goggle reader must be organized at all times. I have more folders than can be imagined, because I can’t handle the cupcakes sites being in the same folder as the normal cake sites.

Socially I always turn up to the event wearing the wrong thing.

I own no heels over 3in high, um well my wedding shoes were but really when am I ever going to wear them again.

I actually really like comfy shoes like Clarks, Birkenstocks, and Doc Martin. I compete with my best friend to find the most comfortable shoes. I wore Dansko clogs before they were cool with Geeks, Nerds, Dorks, and the hippy crowd.

I practice saying what coffee I want to order from Starbucks before I go in. I actually contemplate which ingredients should be listed first but when I get up to the counter I open my mouth and stutter. If you are wondering it is a grande skinny latte with only one shot of espresso and sugar free hazel nut syrup. Why oh why does it never come out that easy?

There were only three grades in my world while in high school A which was the only one worth having. B did not work hard enough. C I must be a freaking retard because in my world that was failing.

I have an odd habit of saying commonly used phrases like she was raked over the coals wrong. In afore mentioned examples it came out she was raped over the coals. This has become somewhat of a game with friends where we make up new phrases such as if a “Is a bear Catholic?” and “Does the Pope shit in the woods?”


So as I said in the beginning I really don’t think I am a Dork, probably closer to a Freak or OCD. Well I will just have to wait for OCD Fest 08.

Hope on over to www.michael5000.blogspot.com to see the entries. I am voting for Rebel (only because I think she is cool in a dorky kind of way) and Rex because well he seems a little jaded he did not win last year.

Tuesday 14 October 2008

Chchch Changes

Yeah so the dots were driving me crazy. I am more of a traditionalist anyways. So if you would like to leave a comment about the changes please do. I make no promises to heed those comments but I will consider.

Sunday 12 October 2008

Slacking off Sundays



Y in E Goes Punting!!!!!


Not long after I moved to the UK I saw a program on Cambridge and punting on the river Cams. Needless to say I was hooked and wanted to go punting. I love water and being on a boat so it was definitely up my alley. This got filed on a very long list of things Y in E wants to do while she is in England.


When the Paris trip fell through I knew there was only one other thing I could throw together in a week that I wanted to do as much. So on our anniversary Mr Y in E and I drove up to Cambridge and I was able to tick punting off my list. No I did not actually do the punting but I did enjoy watching our hunky college student do it for us and enjoyed the history lesson of the colleges the ran along the river.






PS for anyone keeping track I did get my sorry back side up in time to walk down to the Saturday WW only to find out that meeting had been canceled for this week so alas you will have to wait until Wednesday to have a weight update.



Thursday 9 October 2008

Press * if you have lost your mind

So while sitting on hold last night I heard something completely new. “To make you time on hold more enjoyable press one for pop. Press two for urban. Press three for R&B. Press four for Indie. Press five for smooth jazz. Press six if classical is more your style.” Can I press seven to just find out why all of a sudden my voice mail is not working?

Wednesday 8 October 2008

Weigh in Wednesday

Sorry folks I learned last night that I was going to have to work a late tonight so I am not going to be able to make it to my WW meeting. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow after work so I won't be able to make one tomorrow evening. I am going to try and make the one on Saturday morning near my house just so I don't miss a whole week if I can help it. I will post my results if I go on Saturday

Tuesday 7 October 2008

Stupid people explained

"Natural selection no longer has death as a handy tool." I found this quote in the newspaper this morning on my way to work. It was made by Prof Steven Jones, from the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. I have taken it slightly out of context but reading it this morning it gave me a good chuckle to think I had something to blame the stupid people I have deal with everyday on.

Monday 6 October 2008

Going with the flow can be good

So it never ceases to amaze me how slow the ticket guy at my train station is. I know I should be more compassionate as he is from a time long before computers but my god it took me ten minutes to get my monthly ticket today, it normally takes me two when the other guy it there. Not only that but it comes with more chit chat than I care to have with a relative stranger at 5:55 am. Normally I get my ticket the weekend before it expires but alas this weekend it was raining and I forgot so I had to deal with slow poke.



I did something very un Y in E a few weeks ago and have been meaning to blog about it since then but have not had the time to sit still long enough to do so. Thursday before last I was out smoking a cigarette and contemplating my life in general. I would like to point out that even though I am polluting my lungs I am trying to have something positive come out of it. Anyways as I sat there pondering my life and the direction it was taking I decided that I did not want to be a corporate receptionist for the rest of my life. Not that there was anything wrong with being a corporate receptionist it works very well for what I need right now but I don't see it working in the future. Not the next year future but maybe in the 3-5 year future. This lead me to contemplate what I did want to do in the future. I came back to a thought I have had for the last 4-5 years of being a sign language interpreter. I had done and ASL course before I came to England and really enjoyed it, however when the move to England became permanent the problem became I no longer signed the right language. So as I finished my ciggie I decided to go back in and find out what I needed to do to get qualified in sign language interpreting. In the process I came across a class in my area called up the college and with in 20 minutes of my ciggie I was enrolled in BSL I which is a whole year course over hear in the UK. The following Monday I payed my dues (surprisingly cheap compared to tuition in the US) and started the class.



You might be asking yourself why this is so un Y in E. Well for anyone who does not know me very well I will tell you. Normally when I make a decision more important than what I am going to eat for dinner I think about it for a few weeks, then I research everything to do with it for a few more weeks, then I come up with a plan in my head and discuss it with Mr. Y in E or someone else who I trust to give me good advice, then I think about it some more. I really hate making snap decisions if it can be helped, I want to be able to figure out as best as possible what effect each major decision will have on my life, the life of those I care about, and my finances. So yeah I didn't really have the money to take the class but I stuck it on my credit card and payed half off this month and will pay the other half off next month. I don't like doing that as I had just cleared my credit card and only wanted to use it for emergencies but really if having£150 on my credit card for a month is the most sinful thing I do right now then so be it. It has caused no other serious financial burden than the interest that £150 will incur and I know I can pay it off.



There are benefits for me beyond the fact that I love learning and that is when I tend to keep myself busy at an optimal level I am more productive. When I am bored I tend not to get stuff done that I need to, however if I have planned activities I get the small stuff done better because I know that on certain days or times I won't be able to do it.

Thursday 2 October 2008

Weigh in Wednesday Part 2

Some reflections on last night blog post that I was just to excited to sit down and post at the time. Plus the new season of Hero’s was about to start and I have priorities. So for anyone not keeping track and that would be everyone but me 19lbs is my 10% weight loss goal. I am 3lbs away from that now, I hesitate to put an exact date on when I want this accomplished by because I can follow the plan to the T and exercise and only loose .5lb. I can also follow the plan to a T exercise the same amount as the week before and loose between 1.5 and 3lbs. So I am going with a broad goal of the end of October but as long as I am loosing steady then if it takes me six weeks of loosing half a pound each week so be it. I am more worried about learning new eating habits and being able to stick with them. As a gift to myself for hitting the one stone mark I bought one of the WW cookbooks that were on sale as I have had really good luck with their recipes. I do find that you need to figure out how to season them as most only call for salt and pepper and at the Y in E household we like fresh herbs and spices.

Someone asked me what my goal weight was the other day and I am still not able to answer that question. For my height and build WW says my healthy weight range is 118-145lbs. There is quit a difference in those numbers. I have been 125lbs at my lowest and I had people telling me I was too thin. When I was 140 I felt a little too chubby so I think I am going to aim for between 130-135 but I am not ready to set a final goal weight.

Finally a bit of good news from Mr Y in E, he stepped on the scales the other day and then replied he thought they were broken, when I asked why he said because they say I weigh less than normal, how much less I ask. About 10lbs since weighed my self last. When was that I asked. I don’t know a while back. Um sweetheart they are not broken you are loosing weight from all the healthy food you are eating I replied

Wednesday 1 October 2008

Weigh in Wednesday

Start Weight: 13st 13lb (195lb)
1st Weigh in: 13st 091b (191lb) -4
2nd Weigh in: 13st 07lb (189lb) -2
3rd Weigh in: 13st 5.5lb (187.5lb) -1.5
4th Weigh in: 13st 2.5lb (184.5lb) -3
5th Weigh in: 13st 1lb (183.0lb) -1.5
6th Weigh in: 13st 0lb (182.0lb) -1
7th Weigh in: 13st 1lb (183.0lb) +1
8th Weigh in: 12st 13.5lb (181.5lb) -1.5
9th Weigh in: 12st 11.01b(179.0lb) -2.5


Total Weight Loss 16lb

To say I am happy with my results is an understatement. I had to stop doing the happy dance long enough to cut and paste everything for my post. 3lbs away from 10% weight loss. Happy Dancing will now resume