Somebody Must Be Joking

This summer I had not one, but three outpatient procedures to have a benign lesion removed.  About a week before procedure number three, I had two root canals on the same day.  I'm scheduled for another surgery (still outpatient but this time I'll be going under and recovery will be longer) in December, two days after my apartment lease is up, and not even a week before Christmas.  I'm not happy about all of this, but I have long since accepted it. 

On Wednesday, I was with my trainer when I felt a weird sort of popping in my wrist.  I look down, and there's a big bump on my wrist.  Not easily deterred, I continued working out for another 45 minutes.  Thursday I decided it was probably tendonitis or something and bought a better keyboard for typing and a bean bag for my wrist.  This morning, it was bothering me so much I finally went to the doctor.  Turns out it's not a tendon, I have a cyst.  Great news is I caught it early and the doctor said there's a chance it will go away without any sort of procedure.  All I have to do is wear this: 

for the next MONTH!

Surely, this is a joke.  Have you ever tried to type or staple with one of these things on?  Luckily, I don't type all day and I'm left-handed.  Oh, wait, I'm right-handed and I am on the computer ALL THE TIME.

At least there's an alternative treatment.  My FIL offered to whack me with the biggest book he can find.  Sounds super.

The New and Improved Breakfast of Champions

Gone are the days of my breakfast consisting of an ice cold Diet Dew.  Instead, I've replaced my highly caffeinated, artificially sweetened and colored beverage of choice with steel cut oats.  I know, it doesn't sound nearly as appetizing, but it's so delicious.  The quick cooking kind are perfect for someone on the go and usually a few minutes behind schedule.  I put a cup of water on to boil, add a 1/2 cup of oats, reduce the heat, stir for a minute, turn the stove off, and leave the oats there while I finish getting ready.   Right before I sprint out of the house to my car, I add about a tablespoon of almond butter, a hint of agave nectar for sweetness, some honey for flavor (just a tiny bit), and sprinkle with cinammon.  I'm lucky to have about a 6 minute drive to work in the morning so I take my coffe cup of oats into the office with me, and eat it at my desk while catching up on my morning emails.  The oats normally keep me satisfied until at least 12 and sometimes 1.  Not half bad.  And the best part is they're detox friendly.  I still crave the Dew from time to time but I haven't had one of those in weeks.  You should probably avoid me if I ever have one again.  Something tells me I'll be bouncing off the walls.

Detox, Day ?

I kind of started the detox, kind of not so much.  Part of the problem was Ryan had a Groupon to a Japanese steakhouse he'd been trying to take me to for a couple of months but we never had time and it was about to expire, so we went.  Then there was a total lack of proper planning on my part.  Oh, yeah, and I'm planning a wedding and we haven't picked a cake vendor so we have tastings lined up for tomorrow, and last night my parents invited Ryan and I over for dinner, and tonight we're celebrating one of my friend's birthdays so....I have a lot of excuses. 

Considering I haven't properly paid attention to what I was eating since I was in college, I don't think I'm doing so bad.  About 75% of the food I eat is detox friendly, some days my eating is almost perfect, and a I haven't had caffeine or artificial sweeteners in over a week.  I have promised myself that on Monday, after the cake testing is finished, before we plan any additional events, and long before Thanksgiving, I'll start in earnest.  Scout's honor, I will start, and strictly follow, the detox beginning Monday, October 10th. 

Why do I think I can stand the torture and stick with it?  Because even with the few modifications I've made, I can already feel a significant change in my body.  Gone is the mid-afternoon onslaught of overwhelming exhaustion, my stomach feels better, I have a little more energy (impressive, considering the lack of caffeine and narcolepsy), and I'm not hungry nearly as often.  It's amazing. 

Tonight, I'll toast my friend on the eve of her 30th birthday, and Monday I'll swear off the booze for a minimum of 30 days.  Thank goodness I don't have any tailgates planned until the Florida/Florida State Game Thanksgiving Weekend. 

Birds

Getting up early is for the birds.  The birds aren't even up yet.  I'm going back to bed. 

Fine, I'll stay up and get things done, but I'm not going to be happy about it. 

No Going Back

It's official - we aren't eloping or having just the tiniest of weddings.  Save the Dates were mailed late Friday, the mailman picked them up on Saturday, and our guests should be receiving their Save the Dates as early as today.  As we were taking them to the mailbox, Ryan made a joke about how he thought I had been putting it off because I was thinking about calling off the engagement.  I reassured him there's absolutely no hesitation about marrying him; I had been waiting on a few addresses and I wanted all of them to go out at the same time.  I also knew once the stack of envelopes sitting on my coffee table was put put in the mail, our chance to quasi-elope was gone for good.  Wonderful man he is, he said he never wanted to elope and he didn't think I really wanted to either.  Pause.  Awkward silence.  Ryan repeated himself.  Pause.  "I was waiting for you to say you don't really want to elope," he said. 

I knew exactly what he was waiting for and we joked about it, but I've not-so-secretly always wanted to elope.  I'm still waiting on the Catholic Vegas option that allows my father to walk me down the aisle.  If only such a thing existed.  No muss, no fuss, just me in my white dress, straight off the rack, and our friends and family, having suddenly appeared out of nowhere, there to celebrate with us.  No floral arrangements to think about, ties to pick out, or cakes to taste and design.  Were it not for the fact I really love my family and could not imagine starting my new family with Ryan without the rest of our families, and the whole Cradle Catholic thing, I would be perfectly happy hitting up a justice of the peace at the nearest courthouse with no one but Ryan by my side.

Alas, the envelopes were put in locked drop boxes and I couldn't go get them even if I wanted to.  Those envelopes are in the care of the U.S. Postal Service, in mailboxes, or perhaps there's even on in your hands right now (not now as I'm typing, but now as you're reading).  Guess it's too late to turn back now.  Not that I really would turn back if I could.  I'm a Gemini, and while one side of me may want the Vegas Chapel or courthouse option, the other side of me can't wait to walk down the long, red aisle towards the love of my life, with all our friends and family there to celebrate with us.  This time, the more traditional twin won, and I'm glad she did.

Holy HTML

I've been trying to customize my blog for quite some time now, but have never really had the time to dedicate to a full on makeover.  Yesterday, while watching my lectures for Entertainment Law, I decided to play around for a little bit.  Not.  Smart.

During my internet adventures, I found a site I thought was going to be the answer to my prayers.  Free design elements and a video showing me how to make the changes in HTML?  Yes, please!  Alas, because of the recent changes to blogger templates, I couldn't use the basic template shown in the video and the result was disastrous.  Hence the uber plain design you see today.  Some of the sites I found would help me with Blogger but extolled the virtues of WordPress.  Daisy extolled the virtues of WordPress when I first started my blog, but I thought I could figure everything out in Blogger without too much trouble.  Boy, was I wrong.

It turns out I am not the most technically savvy girl out there and I don't understand HTML.  Sure, I can fix all the computers in the office by telling people to make sure all their cords are plugged in, restarting their computers, and deleting and reinstalling printers, but that's pretty much day one of Kindergarten these days.  Now there's a thought--I bet I could hire a 6th grader to design my blog for Justin Bieber shirt.  The kids still like Bieber these days, don't they?

What do you think - Blogger or WordPress?  Have any tips, hints, or suggestions for me?

Delicious Lentils

I was given the original version of this lentil dish from a friend of a friend of the owner of a local restaurant.  It's not on the menu so I don't feel so terrible sharing my modified, detox-friendly version of it.  Here's what you'll need:

1 jar of pasta sauce
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
4 cups of water
1 onion (I use Vidalia sweets whenever I can and this recipe is no exception)
6 whole cloves of garlic
1 bag (1 lb) of uncooked lentils
4 dried bay leaves
1 lb. of lentils (I use Publix green lentils)


Wash the lentils well (I like to check mine for small rocks too) and set them aside.  In a medium/large pot, combine everything but the lentils over high heat and bring to a boil.  Add the lentils and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft (about 45 minutes to an hour).  Remove garlic, onions, and bay leaves, and serve.


It's super easy, so delicious, and easy on the budget.  The last time I made the lentils, I might have forgotten how much water it called for and only used 1 1/4 cups (the recipe calls for a full cup of olive oil but I substitute some water for olive oil).  Oops.  While it was cooking, I gradually added a cup or two of water as needed.  The lentils weren't as soft but it was still delicious and you could eat with a fork if you wanted.  You can also add more than the 4 cups of water the recipe calls for if necessary.


Normally, I add some fresh Parmesan to mine, mix it in, and sometimes pop it in the microwave to make it melt, but I won't be doing that until I'm finished with the first 30 days of detox.  It's great as a meal or a side dish and freezes really well if you need something fast and healthy on hand.  Sorry there aren't any pictures, I made it late in the day and was so sleepy and hungry and I forgot.  Next time I post a recipe, I'll try to remember to take some pictures for you.