Tea Time

A new year and I've been able to drink tea without adding any sugar or honey- now that's an accomplishment! Using "myfitnesspal" app and a cardio app I am doing my best to stick to my 1200 daily calorie allowance by logging everything I eat and drink. Today, I was over 100 calories and it's simply b/c I can't exercise and the walking I do on a daily basis wasn't enough to counter the extra snacks/liquid calories I consumed today. I realized that as the day progresses, the more calories I consume at each meal. So, I'm hoping to change the calorie intake in the evenings (maybe try eating more at breakfast and lunch instead of at dinner) and work on fixing more high in fiber dinners. I've lost a couple pounds since I last stood on a scale at the doctors, so I know I can drop the 20 pounds I want/need to. The drugs are kicking in, so hopefully after another week of, I can start getting back into the gym which will speed up the weight loss. So, now, I drink my comfortime tea, a nightly ritual-sans any sugary additive and am all ready for bed. I can barely keep my eyes open (yes, I realize it's only 7:30 on a Friday night) so I'm off to bed. Can't wait to see how much snow falls over night!

Meds

After a week of being sick- I still have a sinus infection (after finishing a Z Pack) and still suffering from bronchitis...I went to the doctor. I waited an hour in my room to be seen b/c the patient ahead of me nearly collapsed and couldn't breathe so they had to attend to her (would have been nice if someone told me this while I was waiting ever so patiently in the room). I don't think I was 100% healthy when I caught the infections I did after Christmas and after consulting my pulmonologist this morning, it was recommended that I be seen. So now after spending 2.5 hours at the doctors, it's round 2 of antibiotics for 10 days. Doubling the dosage and usage of my 2 inhalers (for at least a month), a nasal spray to help with the sinus swelling, Advil for my sinus headaches, continue using my netty pot and humidifier and moved up with some cough medicine with codeine at night (sorry NyQuil, you just weren't doing the job) and some other cough medicine during the day... and sometime b/t all that I have to measure my peak flow, use my eye drops and remember to take allergy medicine (but not at night b/c I will be like the dead taking it with the codeine). Sleep, drink lots of liquids and tons of steam. Now I'm going to pop in a movie and curl up on the couch and wait for the meds to kick in. Damn, I feel old!

Back to Work

First day back to work. Got up at 7:30 (30 minutes early than last year), did my hair, made a latte, packed my gym bag. Went to catch the bus and whoa! There were 2 buses! Hopefully this isn't a fluke and they finally listened to our requests for having 2 buses at 8:30. I got off one stop sooner than my usual stop so I could walk a half mile to work. Snapped this photo of what's left of the snow (sad to say not much) on the way. I made it in on-time, yay! My left ear was plugged so it was kind of hard to hear. I did managed to get through my pile of mail on my desk (2 weeks worth) and spoke with one of two nurses for 2 different specialists today. I hope my ENT calls me tomorrow b/c I'm doing everything I can do on the pulmonary side. I did make it to the gym for a quick workout (low impact of course). I started calorie tracking and logging my daily exercise. Now, I'm all ready for bed, still have major sinus pressure, but nothing more I can do, so I'm going to try to sleep.

WInner?

After 12 straight hours of sleep, I woke up still feeling yucky and spent the day working on New Year's Resolution #5: taking care of myself by laying around watching daytime soaps and the movie "Easy A", filling my tummy with soup and liquids. I have my "sexy" voice for at least a week, if not longer. I am going to slowly get back into a new routine. I did buy a few lottery tickets for tonight's Mega Millions draw, it's been year's since I last played and stopped the night the numbers I always used came up in the jackpot. After that, I didn't play again, and that was 10 years ago. But, it's a new decade, so I used the money I made from a neighbor parking in parking spot to buy a few tickets, so even if I don't win, it's not like I really lost the money. So now, I'm all ready for bed, watching the Biggest Loser to get some motivation to lose 20 pounds. I <3 trainer Bob!

Goodbye San Diego, Hello Boston

San Diego from Airplane
I'm exhausted. It was rainy when I left San Diego today, fitting seeing it was raining the day I arrived too. Got up at 5:15 after going to bed at midnight. I am so exhausted and was able to get my seat in the exit row so I had lots of leg room. I took the window seat this time around (as opposed to the aisle I usually grab) so I could sleep. I had issues with my ears plugging on the descents, and my left ear is still plugged. It was a short flight from PHX to BOS and I did fall asleep. We got in over 30 minutes early and I managed to get my 3 suitcases and my "personal item" bag home safely via the T and everything made it in one piece! I made a quick trip up to the store to get a free movie and some ginger ale (forgot I had some in the fridge) but it was nice to walk in the fresh air. Also, this year I am mouse free! The traps I had out before I left worked! I caught the poor mouse and I am so glad that I cannot smell to save my life b/c I have no idea which day of the 13 I was gone that it died. I'm just glad it was 100% dead when I got home, since my fear was that it would be yelping and moving around when the time came. So, all is good. I have unpacked a little, but am so exhausted that I took my NyQuil, have my humidifier running and ready for a great nights sleep. Hoping this will be the cure I need before going back to work on Wednesday.

Packing

Well, my time in CA comes to an end and I didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted/needed to. I didn't get as much packed up as I had hoped and can't fit everything I wanted in my 3 suitcases (which is going to be fun getting on and off buses and the T tomorrow- but I've done it before). I did box up some things that I want shipped in the future, but looks like I will be making another trip out to pack and go through more stuff. I just hope I can get it all done before my parent's lose their house (if they lose their house with this bankruptcy/home remodification stuff they have been dealing with for most of 2010). Being sick for most of my time here didn't help, but can't do anything about that or really anything else. A rainy day here in CA, the Pats beat MIA (not that it mattered for them, but it's a personal thing), I went to church with my mom and enjoyed singing in Latin, hit up the Super Walmart and bought some spices that I can't find anywhere in New England, spent some time with the babies, bathed my cat, and packed what I could. It's now 11pm west coast time, I have to get up at 5:15 tomorrow. It's going to be a long day, sitting at SAN until I board my flight to PHX where I can stretch my legs on the plane (since I don't have to change planes) maybe switch seats if I don't get the exit row seat I always sit in when I board in SAN, and take the 5-6 hour flight before finally getting back home...Boston!

Happy New Year!

Rang in 2011 twice. Once with a glass of Wilson Creek Almond Champagne watching the NYE ball drop live on CNN, then stayed up until 2011 made it to the West Coast. I have to admit, I only stayed up that late b/c I wanted to see NKOTB and BSB perform. I think I might seriously have to buy a ticket to their concert when they come to Boston. So, started the new year off tired but feeling slightly better than when 2010 ended. A New Year's Day tradition is watching the Rose Parade live on KTLA with Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks hosting commercial free, and this year was no exception. I remember one year camping out overnight on the streets of Pasadena along the parade path with a bunch of friends from high school. Tt was cold, we got wet from sprinklers coming on making us cold and unable to sleep; by daylight I was so ready to be home before the parade even started. One of those things you have to do once in your lifetime, and I did it... maybe this year I'll be spending NYE in Times Square, as that too is on my list of things to do once. So what about resolutions? Yes, like the Rose Parade, it is a tradition that I make a list of resolutions so here I go with 10 things I just thought of off the top of my head, time will tell how well I do with these:

1. Less status updates and more gym time.
2. Travel for myself.
3. Drink less than I did in 2010.
4. Lose and keep off the 20 pounds I want to lose.
5. Take better care of myself.
6. Do a better job keeping in touch with old friends.
7. Spend less money by buying less "things".
8. Work on spending less time on Facebook, the internet and chat and spend more time connecting with people face-to-face.
9. Listen to myself and only do the things I really want to do. (Basically learn to say no and not feel guilty about doing so.)
10. Smile more. :)

Here's to a wonderful year, a fresh start and new adventures.