I am woman. Hear me waffle

Waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle...
No I don't crave one. Right now I am one. I am Wimbly incarnate.
I keep thinking "OK girl. This is it. No more wimbling - get to this diet and exercise thing! You have no reason now to not do it. You know how good you feel when you keep up with it. You LOVE it. Come on!"

And then I sleep in...or I make a yummy meal and eat too much of it, or I get busy with Life, the Universe and Everything and blink and a week has gone by with no workout other than my belly dance classes. I'm not knocking that, but 3 hours a week on one day does not make for a level fitness program!

I know part of it is the fall, less sunlight blahs, and part of it is trying to adjust to my husband's new morning schedule (I get up before him now. WEIRD...and I am not a good companion early in the AM. Shared breakfasts is wierd. Lets just say I exude...erm...morning...crank. Yes, that's a good word...I'm missing my morning solitude). I'm trying to make my new life fit me and not make me crazy and I'm not sure what to do next. And part of me is freaking out at it all, because very soon it will ramp up even more.
Why?
Well, I'm probably bursting my big announcement bubble I'd planned once all the paperwork was officially dotted and signed, but it looks 98% sure that starting in January I will officially be a graduate student. Don't get me wrong -this is really exciting for me. I'll get to work on a Masters project that will directly impact patient care and improve breast cancer diagnosis. I will help make people's lives better. Help fight cancer in my own little way. Yes - it's a really freaking fantastic opportunity, and my boss is even kind enough to let me work full time while I do this. And that is the thing - I will soon be working full time AND be doing a Master's program at the same time...and I'm already challenged with fitting in my workouts. There's a little panicked 5 year old voice in my head going "Aaaaaaaah! How can I do this! I'll never fit it all in! I'm gonna fall on my face!".

Now don't get me wrong. I know I can do this. Everyone - my supervisors, my lovely husband and my family believe I can. *I* know I can pull it off. It just really scares the ever loving shit out of me. Honestly and truly. And so I'm trying to get my act together so that when January rolls around I'll have a bit of a routine to follow to stay sane...and I don't really know where to begin. For me that's always the hardest part. I'm a great planner...it's the jumping in with both feet and a raincoat that scares me to death. I'm prepping for 2-3 years of insanity...

Eep.
Please humour me over the next little while as I try and make my life a more sane, fit world to be in. If you have any advice for me please, chuck it my way. Right now I could really use some advice...

Sans pants

I can tell when I'm tired, as usually I start adding the phrase "in my pants" (usually just in my head) to things I'm saying throughout the day.
Try it. It's great. I dare you not to smile after you've tried it a few times...

I've got pants on the brain after something completely unrelated on TV last night. I don't watch a lot of TV, but during little breaks from cleaning the (whole damn) house for impending company I tried to skoosh in watching a bit of my guilty TV pleasures - cake decorating shows and fashion "what not to wear" sorts of shows. Last night the TV gods were kind enough to combine both fashion AND cakes together into one little package - it was a contest to design a cake for the opening of the fall line of a Toronto fashion line (nice clothes...already forgot the designer sorry). Wacky fashion cakes. Only 8 hours to make them. 4 different cakes. Whenever I popped in the TV area I could listen a bit & watch the cakes come together (those chefs make some crazy looking cakes you know). Cool.
As I turned off the TV I remembered my Grandma's first a fashion tip ever offered to me: "to avoid overaccessorizing take a look at yourself before you leave and take off one item. A real lady is understated and elegant and not overdone and tacky".
Then I giggled off and on for the next half an hour.
If you know me you know I'm a (mostly) reformed tomboy. Yes, I do actually make an effort on my appearance (most) days, but accessorising is usually not a big thing for me. I honestly don't really get to that point unless it's a special occasion or I feel overly girly for some reason. Hell, I'm contented if all my clothes are on and they match. If I stopped and took off one thing before I left the house, it's likely I'd likely arrive at my destination without any pants.

Noone wants to see that...

I heart sammiches

Hiya.
I admit, today I've got nothing fitness wise. Not a thing. Sorry. I'm just so happy to be healthy I gave myself a final night of delicious sleep and healthy breakfast and here I am, right back in life again. Cool huh? Nothing makes you feel good about being normal more than getting over being very sick. I'd almost recommend it for a kick in the arse perspective wise...if it weren't for the whole having to be sick part.

What can I tell ya? Well...did you know that tomorrow is National Sandwich Day?
Why? Who knows!
Who cares? I do!
I LOVE sammiches. Plain. Toasted. All good.
I was raised a soup and sammich for lunch while watching the Flintstones with strawberry jello for dessert kinda gal all through my childhood and teens. Mmmm...real sandwiches with soft yummy bread and lots of lettuce...and no not thin bland wraps. I know they're lower in carbs but they're also lower in yum and flavour and there's just no bread. I'll eat one to be healthy...but I hae to say - nothing beats soft yummy bread. (My husband like wraps better than sandwiches-Heathen)
Having just acquired a bread maker, I'm loving the potential of eternal sandwiches in my home. Yum. And this morning I stumbled across the amusing fact that tomorrow is National Sandwich Day. I have no idea why, but I'm in! :)

And so I want to know: What is your favourite sandwich? Do you even like sandwiches? What topping are a must? What is the weirdest sandwich you've ever had?
Inquiring minds want to know...

Happy Halloween everybody!

I'm waiting to fill little goblins full of sugar. I've gotten sour candies and Fizz candies and am eating pizza and having a beer...because I feel 9 zillion times better.
Celebrate the little things :)

Happy birthday - I got you the flu!

I spent most of yesterday coughing and fevery and chills, but thankfully today my muscly aches are pretty much gone. Hot damn. It was like severe PMS...for 4 freaking days. Yes, lets say I'm overwhelmed and joyous at the less achy bit. I'm not too sure if it was me being sick or the vaccinations. Either way I'm glad it's gone. It was not cool.
Feeling better today - no more fever and such, and I have more energy. J feels guilty having given me what he has, but spending a romantic weekend away together pretty much guaranteed that whatever he got I would eventually. I'm just hoping it goes away relatively soon. J was feeling good enough to head back to work today, so I'm hoping that by the end of the weekend I'll be well on the mend. I already feel better than yesterday.
I'm supposed to go bridesmaid dress shopping together with a friend and her mom and sisters tomorrow, so I'm hoping I'll be at the drug myself up to the gills stage by then so I can get out for a bit. I'd hate to put it off again - it's the only time in 3 months we could all get together in the city to do it...and it would be fun. I just don't want to spread the plague. We'll see how I feel.
Friends and I were having a bonfire tonight for my birthday and my lovely J and others are setting it up. I'm determined to bundle myself up and go even for a little while and sip hot chocolate...I'd hate to spend my whole birthday in bed!
I have watched a lot of James Bond though...I still think Golden Eye and Casino Royale are my favourites...for plot and strong characters and low cheese level.
Anyways, I should have some tea and put the lappy down and go have a nap. Boring as it is, it'll get me better.
Have a nice weekend all!

Achy butt is a symptom of what again?

I think I'm getting what my husband has. Last night I ached all over (even my butt...that was wierd...), especially my arms, which I'm assuming is from the shots. I'm still stiff in one arm today and generally feeling wiped out. This morning I have developed a nasty cough. Boo.
I think getting 2 immunizations pushed me over the edge and weakened me up a bit. After an important meeting I think I'm going home to bed to see if I can cut this off before it gets too bad. J is really really sick, and I have no desire to get that sick...
Here's hoping.

plague prevention

Well I didn't work out this morning but I had a very valid reason. I was waiting in a ridiculously long line to get both flu shots before work. Luckily my labs are part of the hospital, so asthmatic little me (who gets really sick when I get the flu) could get both the regular flu shot and the H1N1. I know the H1 N1 flu isn't too serious a strain, but for me it's worth it. My husband is coughing and appears to be coming down with the flu....I don't know if I got in on time to miss what he has, but I'm hopeful....
My doctor friends are freaking me out (since they know I've taken it) and telling me about all the potential side effects from the adjuvant in the vaccine in Canada, and admittedly I am a bit concerned at how it was rushed through approval. Still, given how VERY sick I get from complications when I do get the flu, it was not a choice for me. In addition, work paid for it, so really...I'm there. I find it strange that every province has been allowed to have their own H1N1 immunization responses and I've been ranting loudly about my province's: here the H1N1 is free for all, but the regular flu shot is open only to seniors and health care workers this year. Yup you heard right -in the past I was told it was critical to get seasonal flu shots (and I agree) because of the complications my asthma brings to the flu (usually pneumonia and bronchitis...wheee).
This year in Saskatchewan? Nada. I cannot get it any other way. I have tried to get it by other routes - I could not. Not through the immunization clinics, not through my doctor even, and regular flu clinics were cancelled to make sure the H1N1 vaccine got out to everyone.

Ridiculous I say. I was just told that I should write a letter to the minister of health about it and I have. I haven't gotten a reply yet....I'm curious to what their response will be about how suddenly a "vital" vaccine isn't necessary for me, since I need to get a vaccine to a less virulent form of flu instead. My coworkers and husband are sick of me ranting about it. Luckily now it's moot. I have both.
As a microbiologist I get the theory: Yes H1N1 is a new strain of flu never gotten before by humans. That means if you are exposed you will catch it. Period. End of story. You have no built up immunity to it yet - our whole species is lacking...but since it's much milder than the average flu, it's not such a huge risk unless you're old, very young, pregnant or have heart/lung conditions. Honestly, I think they are responding well, as if this was more virulent, we'd be screwed. Really , we would. As it is there will be a lot of missed time at work for a lot of people this fall. I know someone who's brother had H1N1. They said it was a mild flu. Not that big a deal for the average person.

I was struck this weekend by the deep chill of fear about a *real* pandemic. I mean, what if the next pandemic is more like SARS? Or worse...something that kills healthy people on a mass scale? Something very contagious? When we were at the mall this weekend I saw someone very sick and thought..."wow...that's how it would begin". Slowly 1 or 2 people would be sick, then more and more and by the time we tried to limit exposure people would be sick all over the place...health care providers too. I mean, it happened with SARS on a small scale. The plague in Europe and the spanish influenza knocked out huge chunks of the population. In our modern age with increased sanitation and very good immunization programs, those of us living in the developed world have no concept of what a strong pandemic could do. We don't see our loved ones die of illness like even our parents did. I've never seen anyone with polio or the measles...and I think it makes us a bit soft. Despite the rare risks from a limitedly tested vaccine, I was in line this morning, yawning away, to get both vaccinations. (for the company's info sheet on the vaccine being distributed in Canada, go here. Make an informed choice. The last 4 pages are standard patient info and the rest is all the info gathered on it that your doctor would get. Ask your doctor about it. I'm guessing he's smarter than me :) )
I count myself as lucky. Vaccinations are important. I cannot risk giving flu to my Mum, Grandma or my little neices or nephews-they could get very ill. It's really about the community health, not just me. Handwashing and good hygeine will help keep you well - but there is no serious harm in getting vaccinated.
If I was not asthmatic I don't know as I'd get the H1N1 vaccine until I saw more data about the vaccination affects, simply because I'm a bit paranoid, and I like to know things are well tested before I take them. The vaccine company's website lists all the testing done on the vaccine, and it is far from thorough and complete in my opinion. There are complications (like any medication), and age gaps in testing results and pregnant women (in my opinion) should not get the vaccine with adjuvant - it's not know what it will do to them. There will be an adjuvant free vaccination for them and small children. This vaccine just is not as well tested as the other vaccinations we have. Yet, in my opinion, safe enough to take for the average person. I am definitely provaccination. I know the difference in my health when I get this vaccine. I'll let you know if I develop a third arm or have a wierd complication K? K.

Here's hoping I miss the flu this year :)


Much later in the day: I am tired...arms still sore, but I'm still here. Pretty much what happened last year when I got the shot. :)