Update and a bit of blather
It's been a while since I've had any significant amount of time to myself, but right now I've got a moment or two to spare. I don't feel quite so guilty about typing out a post. :)
As far as my goals go, it's been a struggle with all of them. I'm most likely not going to make my book goal this year. I've only read 9 books this year, and by this time I should have read 26. Part of it is a distinct lack of time. I just haven't had the luxury of several hours to sit with a book and read. I've had to take my books to work with me and read maybe 5 or 10 pages while I eat lunch in a noisy break room. I practically have to wait for a day off to get any significant amounts of reading done, and if I'm spending time with friends, family, or Rich, I certainly don't get an opportunity to sit on my butt and ignore the world while I get lost in the pages of a novel!
Keeping my house clean is really, really hard. There's always four or five days a week when I can't do more than one or two chores a day. That means everything else is piled up on those other days and I'm lucky if I get 1/3rd of it accomplished. For example, I took a short vacation, starting with yesterday and ending Thursday. Saturday night I went to dinner with Rich and a friend of ours, got back in time to watch some TV and then fall asleep for an hour and fifteen minutes, and then drove to Rich's parents house so we could get up early and go to Easter Sunday Mass at 9. I spent most of the morning/early afternoon at their house having brunch, exchanging baskets, and socializing until it was time to go to my parents' house. The drive took just over an hour and when we got there we immediately sat down to eat. After that, I tried on some clothes my mom gave me, we all sat down and watched Get Smart, and then sat around socializing and watching TV until it was after 11 at night. By the time I got home, it was time to go to bed. Today I slept in for the first time in well over a week. It's been the first day I've had to myself in a little while, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I do love my friends, my family, and Rich. I just need some "me" time every once in a while. When I have a full day of uninterruptedness, I can get a lot accomplished. I did the garbage, the laundry, the dishes, fed the cat, cleaned the litter box, cleaned off the tables in the living room and dining room, cleaned out the kitchen sink, put away everything my mom gave me yesterday (clothing and food), changed the Brita pitcher, and even managed to make myself some breakfast and lunch and go shooting at the gun range for two hours with my parents. In the midst of all of this, I also picked up a new book and started it. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through it, and it's a 375 page book. I hope to have it mostly finished by tomorrow. I also hope to have more of the house clean, as well. I'm definitely putting to good use this little break I've given myself from work.
One thing I haven't managed to do today is exercise. But I still have some time left! I plan on exercising for an hour today and burn off maybe 500 calories. I'd love to do more, but I know my limitations. I'll see what I can do. I've managed to exercise almost every day for the last 3 weeks or so. I've taken a break here and there, but for the most part I try to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day (sometimes as much as an hour or so). Despite all of that, I'm not losing any weight yet. There was the initial 5 lbs, and now I'm just not going anywhere. Hopefully my plateau will break sometime soon because I'm starting to get seriously frustrated. My parents have both gone on a diet that they really want me to start following, but I absolutely refuse. I don't like the way the company that designed the diet makes you dependent on their products, makes you have two fasting ("cleansing") days per week, and only gives you about 800-1200 calories a day. Why aren't my folks hungry? Because of all the appetite suppressants they have in their products. I don't trust this diet and I will never subject myself to it, even though my parents seem to be dropping weight like crazy (which has never been easy for my mother before). Both of them have lost more than 30 lbs a piece on this diet, and they've only been on it a month. I'm happy for them, but I not only cannot afford the diet ($150/person/month), I have asked several doctors and the pharmacists I work with, and none of them have said it seemed like a good idea. I plan on doing what I can do with exercise and diet and even though it might be slow and steady, I'd much rather do it safely and slowly than be on a diet where I have no idea how to integrate food in the real world with the company's regiment once I've lost all my weight.
In other news, Rich has had an interview with a company in Little Rock, AR. It would be a job selling medical supplies to hospitals, clinics, and patients in the Little Rock area. He'd be making more than twice what he is now even without the commission he'd earn. Next week he should get a call for a second interview with the district manager for the company and there's a good chance that Rich will get it. I pray that he does, because he can't keep working at the same place he's been. He's miserable and making less than most cashiers make where I work. I'm also sad at the same time because if he does get it, I won't be able to move with him. I want to be at least engaged before I move with him and I'd have to find a job. We can't get married this year because it would be cutting it too close to have a wedding in October and he still hasn't saved enough for a ring. For another thing, I'd like to be able to pay off as much debt as I can, but if I transfer to Little Rock sometime in the near future, there's a very slim chance I'd be making as much as I do. His getting the job would be wonderful because he'd finally be able to start planning for the future, but until we could get engaged and I could find a job over there, he and I would only get to see each other every other weekend. I would miss him terribly. On the plus side, I'd have all my evenings free during the work week which would enable me to take care of my house, my exercise, and any other incidental bits of life I usually have to push aside while I'm spending time with him or others. I feel really good about this opportunity for him, though. It'll be hard at first, but I know it would be great for us in the long-term.
I'm sure everything will work out in the end. Speaking of workout: time to turn on the television and run on my Gazelle Glider!
As far as my goals go, it's been a struggle with all of them. I'm most likely not going to make my book goal this year. I've only read 9 books this year, and by this time I should have read 26. Part of it is a distinct lack of time. I just haven't had the luxury of several hours to sit with a book and read. I've had to take my books to work with me and read maybe 5 or 10 pages while I eat lunch in a noisy break room. I practically have to wait for a day off to get any significant amounts of reading done, and if I'm spending time with friends, family, or Rich, I certainly don't get an opportunity to sit on my butt and ignore the world while I get lost in the pages of a novel!
Keeping my house clean is really, really hard. There's always four or five days a week when I can't do more than one or two chores a day. That means everything else is piled up on those other days and I'm lucky if I get 1/3rd of it accomplished. For example, I took a short vacation, starting with yesterday and ending Thursday. Saturday night I went to dinner with Rich and a friend of ours, got back in time to watch some TV and then fall asleep for an hour and fifteen minutes, and then drove to Rich's parents house so we could get up early and go to Easter Sunday Mass at 9. I spent most of the morning/early afternoon at their house having brunch, exchanging baskets, and socializing until it was time to go to my parents' house. The drive took just over an hour and when we got there we immediately sat down to eat. After that, I tried on some clothes my mom gave me, we all sat down and watched Get Smart, and then sat around socializing and watching TV until it was after 11 at night. By the time I got home, it was time to go to bed. Today I slept in for the first time in well over a week. It's been the first day I've had to myself in a little while, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I do love my friends, my family, and Rich. I just need some "me" time every once in a while. When I have a full day of uninterruptedness, I can get a lot accomplished. I did the garbage, the laundry, the dishes, fed the cat, cleaned the litter box, cleaned off the tables in the living room and dining room, cleaned out the kitchen sink, put away everything my mom gave me yesterday (clothing and food), changed the Brita pitcher, and even managed to make myself some breakfast and lunch and go shooting at the gun range for two hours with my parents. In the midst of all of this, I also picked up a new book and started it. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through it, and it's a 375 page book. I hope to have it mostly finished by tomorrow. I also hope to have more of the house clean, as well. I'm definitely putting to good use this little break I've given myself from work.
One thing I haven't managed to do today is exercise. But I still have some time left! I plan on exercising for an hour today and burn off maybe 500 calories. I'd love to do more, but I know my limitations. I'll see what I can do. I've managed to exercise almost every day for the last 3 weeks or so. I've taken a break here and there, but for the most part I try to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day (sometimes as much as an hour or so). Despite all of that, I'm not losing any weight yet. There was the initial 5 lbs, and now I'm just not going anywhere. Hopefully my plateau will break sometime soon because I'm starting to get seriously frustrated. My parents have both gone on a diet that they really want me to start following, but I absolutely refuse. I don't like the way the company that designed the diet makes you dependent on their products, makes you have two fasting ("cleansing") days per week, and only gives you about 800-1200 calories a day. Why aren't my folks hungry? Because of all the appetite suppressants they have in their products. I don't trust this diet and I will never subject myself to it, even though my parents seem to be dropping weight like crazy (which has never been easy for my mother before). Both of them have lost more than 30 lbs a piece on this diet, and they've only been on it a month. I'm happy for them, but I not only cannot afford the diet ($150/person/month), I have asked several doctors and the pharmacists I work with, and none of them have said it seemed like a good idea. I plan on doing what I can do with exercise and diet and even though it might be slow and steady, I'd much rather do it safely and slowly than be on a diet where I have no idea how to integrate food in the real world with the company's regiment once I've lost all my weight.
In other news, Rich has had an interview with a company in Little Rock, AR. It would be a job selling medical supplies to hospitals, clinics, and patients in the Little Rock area. He'd be making more than twice what he is now even without the commission he'd earn. Next week he should get a call for a second interview with the district manager for the company and there's a good chance that Rich will get it. I pray that he does, because he can't keep working at the same place he's been. He's miserable and making less than most cashiers make where I work. I'm also sad at the same time because if he does get it, I won't be able to move with him. I want to be at least engaged before I move with him and I'd have to find a job. We can't get married this year because it would be cutting it too close to have a wedding in October and he still hasn't saved enough for a ring. For another thing, I'd like to be able to pay off as much debt as I can, but if I transfer to Little Rock sometime in the near future, there's a very slim chance I'd be making as much as I do. His getting the job would be wonderful because he'd finally be able to start planning for the future, but until we could get engaged and I could find a job over there, he and I would only get to see each other every other weekend. I would miss him terribly. On the plus side, I'd have all my evenings free during the work week which would enable me to take care of my house, my exercise, and any other incidental bits of life I usually have to push aside while I'm spending time with him or others. I feel really good about this opportunity for him, though. It'll be hard at first, but I know it would be great for us in the long-term.
I'm sure everything will work out in the end. Speaking of workout: time to turn on the television and run on my Gazelle Glider!