Chris-Tien Jinn

Week 2 Day 4 It's been a busy week at work, and the time has just been flying by. I've been eating OK and staying within the weekly buffer. As work gets more stressful, my creativity in the kitchen falls away. But I made a list of apple, Fall-themed foods to fit in over the weekend. I ran the Week 8 Day 2 Zombies, Run! 5K training run. The 5K run for day 8 should fit into Thursday's calendar somewhere. Pound on Monday was as fun as always. I'm fitting in daily walks by strategic parking. And I started pottery class this week. Throwing pots on the wheel is HARD!!

I am mostly disappointed. I think @Tanktimus the Encourager put his finger on it. It would be a fine story on its own, but it doesn't feel right as "ancient history" for LotR. And there are too many characters without a protagonist that I can really follow. LotR had a lot of characters, but it always felt like we had Frodo as the anchor.

Some of them will come up to the back deck and sip out of the flowers while we're here. I really like the feisty, little birds. One just came up to me, checking out my red coffee mug and looking over my burgundy bathrobe very carefully. I should mention that I am in said bathrobe. Usually Star Wars, although I haven't done much lately. Sometimes, D & D, especially if it relates to the challenge. For one challenge, I did a Once Upon a Time theme. Week 1 Day 7 Hubby is gone for the weekend, which I'd looked forward to, but we ended up with thunderstorms almost all day yesterday. So, I puttered around the house, did some work, and did one of my strength-training workouts. I increased my lat pulldowns to 95 pounds .... new record!!! And I managed to find a little time between storms to get in a walk around the "long block" .... about a mile. I ate reasonably all day and decided I wanted to go out for dinner. Pizza Ranch is one of the few places in town where I can get a big salad and then just eat some protein. Yea, the chicken was deep fried, but it was yummy. No pizza or bread sticks. A little soft serve for dessert. And then I watched Captain Marvel when I got home. I started a Hero's Journal yesterday. 91-day journal in which you pick a goal, turn it into a quest, and commit to three tasks each day toward that goal. I had purchased it for my daughter last Christmas ... she didn't want it. So, I decided to use it. I have 4.3 pounds to lose to hit a healthy BMI, and I often stall out at this point, getting distracted with other shiny things. So, the journal will help me keep focused!!

I've been chased out of their territories. Visiting my mom in AZ, I'd run by the water canals where they liked to nest ... good for speed work!!!

Congrats!!

It is actually really good. I skim over a bit of the chemistry, but the author is doing a good job of explaining at an accessible level. The Secret Perfume of Birds: Uncovering the Science of Avian Scent by Danielle Whittaker. I'm watching the hummingbirds chasing visiting birds away from their favorite feeders and wonder about their perceptions now. Surprisingly, the hummers are often chasing away much larger warblers when they show interest in the nectar feeders. Today, I did Week 8 Day 1 of Zombies, Run! 5K training. The first 20 minute run is DONE!!

My weight definitely seems to swing up and down more post-menopause, except that I seem to have a set-point at 156. I'm hoping to move that sweet spot to a lower point and figure out the habits that will keep me there. Pound class was a bit too ambitious on Monday. So, I just walked yesterday and did my Zombies, Run! 5K training training run this evening. Finished week 7!!! Ideally, I'll do strength training tomorrow.

Hum ... I'm tracking it in my challenge thread. Not sure I'll post here every day.

You too!!

My scale's battery is losing power, and I am considering letting it die. Maybe put in a new battery at the end of the challenge and see how well I did??? Could be interesting in a Scroedinger's Cat experiment kind of way. I tend to let myself eat more when the scale's reading is "good" ..... what would my behavior be if I didn't know?? I'd have to stick to the points values, wouldn't I?? Sunday was lovely here. We have early fall weather, although looking at the forecast, summer is coming back by mid-week. So, hubby and I went hiking in the morning. Great day to be outside on the trails. We usually go out to a particular restaurant, but we decided to change that habit. The menu doesn't change, but the service has become so slow. In short, we realized that we are not enjoying it as much, and it is not worth the calories. So, we enjoyed our "made ahead" foods and the backyard. For dinner, we had grilled veggie burgers and local corn on the cob. It might be another couple of weeks before the local sweet corn is gone ... so enjoying while we can. Exercise was just hiking and some gardening. I might have overdone it on gardening ... my back is really stiff this morning. Hopefully, it will work out before Pound class. This week's college focus is Witherbloom College, which focuses on the natural world. I've lined up a book my daughter gave me on bird behavior while we watch the migrations gradually begin.

So, Week 0 ended well. I was not feeling great .... coldish .... so I didn't eat much and managed to increase the point buffer for the week. Since we had a rainy day, I ate soup for lunch and dinner. I got in a 20-minute walk in between rain episodes. We've had some nice, steady rainfalls, and it has made such a difference in everyone's yard. Not feeling perky, I spent some time researching how to play a new character in Skyrim again. When I took some time to improve gear and potions, I didn't die so easily. There must be a life lesson somewhere in that.

These really help as I am increasing my running distance ... standard part of a runner's tool kit.

YEA!! Looking forward to the results. (Isn't it fun to see the numbers gradually increase?)

Following for chaos .... good, neutral, evil???

Friday's Theme ..... It was not a complete disaster on the workout and diet front, but I definitely was in the red zone in terms of self-care. Lunch was hijacked by students and fellow faculty members who just had a "quick question" .... and before you know it, lunch was over. I do keep Soylent shakes in the office for just such a day, however. So, I got something, but each one is 1/2 day's worth of points. We had planned for pizza for dinner at a favorite restaurant, and had planned to skip the beer. But I caved when we were there and drank a beer. I should have listened to my hunger signals and therefore eaten less pizza. But the "clean plate club" impulses won out. I stuck to the principle of logging no matter what the points are ... and have a buffer of 6 left. Coming down with a cold, but I did get in 40 minutes of walking by parking the car far, far away from my office.