Darkfoxx 3: With A Vengeance

[Fonzico]

A well-earned "A"! Great job this week, DF.

 

Especially with the whole "sitting around wasn't appealing" part - that's a huge shift in perspective! Awesome to hear

[darkfoxx]

I'm totally pumped about it Especially on top of already doing a 30 Day Shred workout and jogging/walking around the neighborhood. And now I'm thinking of adding weights to my routine ...

 

The travel pics are finally done & have been posted. Check 'em out if you are so inclined: Edinburgh / Inverness & Loch Ness / Aviemore & Blair Atholl / Glasgow, Newcastle & A Night Ferry To Amsterdam / Amsterdam

 

Now it's on to the travel journal!

[Pookie]

You photos are lovely! We where in Edinburgh for about 2 and a half days and my fiancé wanted to show me so much, we really didn't even have close to enough time. The graveyard there was cool, we did look round that. Went to the main museum too, I wanted to go to the medical museum (gooey things in jars!) but we didn't have time when it was actually open. We where meeting a lot of his friends he hadn't seen for ages and needed fitting for a kilt and all its attachments, so we had to prioritise! The Camera Obscura was really cool, I enjoyed that! 

[darkfoxx]

Thanks! Ooh.. medical museum.. that will definitely have to make the list for next time we go back - I love medical history stuff.  

[Pookie]

*nods* Edinburgh was a big centre for surgical advances and medical knowledge (the body snatching for autopsies and things is very famous). It was only open on the Friday though, and we had to go for the kilt fitting which took a pretty long time and was more important!

[Ordimoi]

Darkfoxx- Your pictures are amazing.... Also.... is that Tokidoki I see in your blog? Because.... I have the pink unicorn.... and may have squealed just a tiny bit. *chuckles* 

Great job this weekend! Your A's are awesome! 

[darkfoxx]

@Pookie: Oh yeah. Totally forgot that from history class

 

@Ordimoi: Thanx! Yes! Tokidoki! <3 I have a squadron of pegacorn and have been totally in love with Tokidoki for years. I'm scheming how to transfer the "guys" (adios and chiao chiao) from my old Tokidoki wallet to my new "grown up" wallet - or at least somewhere on one of my purses. I've had this wallet for a total of a week and miss my guys already!

[darkfoxx]

Week 4 Day 1 Update

 

Goal 1: Drink Like A Fish. 

 

I got this. Drank over 60 ounces of water with no problem.

 

 

Goal 2: I See Those Workouts. Let's Take Them A Little Further. 

 

Did my Yoga Meltdown Part 1 and was a little weak, but not bad. 

 

 

Goal 3: Metrics! All The Metrics! 

 

Metrics. Spreadsheet. Lurve. Math! Blergh!

 

Had my DH's green smoothie for breakfast; my fav. salad from Trader Joe's for lunch; and a heavenly burger (Pat LaFreida aged beef patty + a slice of the aged gouda we fell in love with in Amsterdam + caramelized onions) for dinner with a side of 'no tato' salad. I'm sad I don't have that burger in my mouth any more. 

 

 

Goal 4: Finish What You've Started.

 

I kicked ass on this goal yesterday. I not only got in a couple hours of knitting, but I printed pics from the trip (I think I'll reprint them, though, because they are all very tiny) and organized all my brochures and whatnot for the trip journal. I have a lot of heavy crap (i.e. 'funny money') to tack in that book - hope it can handle it  

 

My yarn ball is so small! I'm debating whether I'm done with the scarf after this skein or if I'll go for a third - not sure there. It's a little short right now, but it might work? I'm eager to finish so I can move on to a scarf for the hubbs, other projects, and maybe knitting little Star Wars guys. 

[darkfoxx]

Week 4 Day 2 Update

 

Goal 1: Drink Like A Fish. 

 

I got this. Drank over 60 ounces of water with no problem.

 

 

Goal 2: I See Those Workouts. Let's Take Them A Little Further. 

 

Did my 30 Day Shred Part 1 with spider pushups added in for a little extra fun. I actually did well with the pushup/planks - kicked my knees up to where they're supposed to be and everything. Staying focused during the workout was hard, but I pulled it together and finished strong.

 

 

Goal 3: Metrics! All The Metrics! 

 

Metrics. Spreadsheet. Lurve. Math! Blergh!

 

Had my DH's green smoothie for breakfast; a skinny vanilla latte on the way back from the vet's as a 'fuck this I need caffeine' treat; leftover no tato salad (eventually) for a desk lunch; roasted chicken with fiddlehead ferns for dinner; and 'the DH isn't home so I want to snack' snacks after dinner - nori sheets and some of the reserve pack of travel nuts I found in my hubby's pack.

 

All in all, I managed to not do that horribly, metrics-wise: 89g fat, 116g carbs (at the low end of the maintenance band), and 63g protein (just under goal).

 

 

Goal 4: Finish What You've Started.

 

I did a bunch toward this goal again today. Knitted for a couple of hours while catching up on Once Upon A Time, and plotted a bunch of cutouts for the trip journal. And I set my pics up to re-print because they were just too tiny the first go round. 

[Fonzico]

Oooh I love fiddleheads! My hubby's family on the east coast will occasionally send some our way... I was a little freaked out by them at first, but once I decided the reminded me of asparagus, I got over it

 

Sounds like a lovely night, knitting and tv-watching

[darkfoxx]

Yeah, I was totally envisioning them unfurling like giant insect legs to take over the pan while I was cooking them (which actually made me want to eat them more). This is the first time I've made them at home, and they weren't bad. Since the hubbs wasn't home, I wasn't as careful with seasoning and they were crazy lemony and winey, but still pretty good. 

 

The knitting was great - I'm at the point where continuing on with the project I am working on without jumping to something else is hard - the urge to just. move. on. is killing me - but I'm going to force myself to stick with it and ride this wave through. Besides, what I really want to move on to is the same damn thing - another scarf, only in grey or something for the hubbs. 

[Fonzico]

Ah, I SO know what you mean about wanting to move on - I'm terrible for actually finishing projects myself. It took me three years to finish a painting I did for my sister. Granted, it was huge, but still. I would just not work on it for months at a time, and feel so guilty about not working on it, that I couldn't work on other things. It's a vicious cycle. 

 

But these goals are so good for helping with that, eh?

[Pookie]

I've never had them, heard of them though, I don't think they grow here in the UK.

 

How's the dog back from the vet? My friend has 2 dachshunds and they seem to cost her a fair bit, its such a shame pedigree doggies have so many genetic things that can sneak up on them, my St Bernard had kidney problems due to that just being genetic. 

 

I'm looking forward to a craft night too!

[darkfoxx]

@Fonzico: True, true. That's what I keep telling myself, but it is h-a-r-d. 

 

@Pookie: Funny you should mention that. I read your post and seconds later, the vet called. The little one (dachshund) is feeling much better this week and everything with him is getting back to normal - looks like it was just a muscle tweak afterall. The big one (lab/chow mix) is having surgery today to remove kidney stones and 2 masses on his chest that may or may not be cancerous. His kidneys are good - they're thinking either the masses are cancerous and kicking calcium into his system, or there is something on his parathyroid gland that's jacking the calcium up (the calcium is causing the kidney stones). Either the lump-ectomy will work and his calcium will go back to normal (and he'll quit having stones), or it's the other and we will have to go through surgery again some time in the future so he doesn't keep having stones. They did an ultrasound on his throat, and didn't see anything on the glands (which isn't 100% conclusive; sometimes we're talking a cell or two), but his blood work is borderline and doesn't fully support a parathyroid drama diagnosis. So, we're going the conservative route, rolling the dice, and hoping for something good. 

 

So, long story short, he's in the hospital and will be home Friday (hopefully). He will then either get 100% better or we'll have to go a second round of drama some time down the road. We won't know for a month or so - after his followup blood work is done, his staples are removed, and the biopsy results get back from the lab.

 

In case you haven't seen who I'm talking about before, here are my guys: D'artagnan (Dar) (and a third because this dog is so damn photogenic) and Nembutal (Nembu). 

 

In related news, TIL that I'm a terrible dog parent and need to make Nembu let me take his picture more often. My blog is weiner dog city; Nembu? Not available for the paparazzi (except his butt and no one wants to see his butt. Seriously. 60% of the pics I have of this damn dog are of his butt - especially in the days pre-digital). 

[Pookie]

How strange, same friend used to have a big dog called D'artagnan from her childhood, lovely boy, I forget his breed though, and now she has the dachshunds. 

 

Poor boy, I hope things work out ok for him, pets have always been a huge part of my life, I hate when people don't understand just how much part of the family pets really are and are dismissive of those feelings. I was super worried about Ebony a couple months ago and dragged her to the vets, the vet was brilliant, she was Polish and she loved Ebony and she said (with neat accent) "Oh she's a MONSCHTER!!" and helped sort her mouth out for us. 

 

*laughs* one of our cats, Muffin, is totally un-photogenic as well, Beastie is like a super-model, Ebony loves the attention and poor Muffin, just doesn't photograph well, she's super cute, but just not good in photos!

[darkfoxx]

We are hoping so too. He's 12 and this is the first really expensive thing that's happend to him - he had mange as a pup, had a bad histamine reaction to shots as a teen, we discovered a thyroid issue in his middle age, and now as an old guy this happens. Ok, so looking back at it, I guess he isn't as impervious to crap as I've thought he was. Poor big man. He will have more cuddles than he likes to contend with when he gets home and most likely some beefy treats (maybe even a doggie meatloaf or his old post-vet standby kids' bunless hamburger happy meal if the doc okays). 

 

I don't know what it is with that boy and pictures - possibly my dressing him in funny hats on holidays, holding him down to take a blackmail pic, and laughing at him for good measure when he was a pup didn't help matters. Most (non-butt) pics I have of him are either of him so relaxed he doesn't care any more and laying down, or with some part of my body restraining him. It's funny how animals can have such different picture personalities - just like people in that regard. 

[darkfoxx]

Week 4 Day 3 Update

 

Goal 1: Drink Like A Fish. 

 

I got this. Drank over 60 ounces of water with no problem.

 

 

Goal 2: I See Those Workouts. Let's Take Them A Little Further. 

 

Did Yoga Meltdown Part 2 and I kicked ass at Crow. I'm still not into it for the whole hold time, but I can get into it a few times per session for a few seconds each time. Progress! I'll take it

 

 

Goal 3: Metrics! All The Metrics! 

 

Metrics. Spreadsheet. Lurve. Math! Blergh!

 

Had my DH's green smoothie for breakfast; made a salad for lunch (not as fun as getting a treat salad from the grocery store, sadly); snacked on some nuts after lunch; and had tacos with the leftover chicken from last night + cauliflower tortillas + broccolini + spicy mango broccoli slaw + sriracha. I really liked the tortillas (and they use much less resources than the other kind) but the DH; not so much. He thought they were too thick and tasted eggy. Poo. Back to the using 99999 eggs + expensive coconut flour variety for us, I suppose. 

 

I did ok today on my 'goals' - 92g fats, 102g carbs (just over weight loss), and 60g protein (10g under). This whole metrics business has had the added bonus of making me better at math - I had no idea there would be so much mathing! 

 

EDIT: Forgot to add that my skin is super freaking out (most likely from last week's crap binge) and my face feels like it's been coated in wax. And I have tiny pimples. Hating it and washing 3x a day + face resurfacing treatments (home scrubbie warming stuff) isn't cutting it. I am not a fan. 

 

 

Goal 4: Finish What You've Started.

 

I cut out a bunch of shapes to use in the book and knitted a bit. 

[darkfoxx]

Dog update: Surgery went well. My old man is resting up and should be home tomorrow (Friday). They removed the stones and chest masses; we're hoping they were cancerous at this point so we know definitively what was causing the calcium drama and we're also hoping the lump-ectomy knocked the problem out. 

 

In other dog news, the little one has no idea what to do with himself. He has never been alone in the house without Nembu and it is not his favorite thing ever. Going out to pee is always Nembu's idea; and there is no one to wander around with or harass when it is just me in the house. Poor little guy keeps walking into rooms, kicking things, and leaving - just to cause some sort of ruckus. And giving the littlest cries ever (kind of like baby hoots) when he doesn't find that 'fat bastard' or his dad. He is, however, enjoying curling up on all the beds (we have 3 dog beds + the couch + the bed) with luxurious amounts of space. 

[Pookie]

Oh good, I'm glad he is on the mend!

 

I think Muffin photographs badly as she is all black, and actually black-black. Ebony is, well, Ebony, so photos highlight that. Beastie is just beautiful! Muffin is also scared of many things, most things... heck pretty much everything, my favourite photo of her is really O.O at the camera, its very funny and totally Muffin.

 

Ever tried making socca? Its besan, chickpea flour, with egg and water, olive oil if you want it. Then put in a dry hot pan, wait for bubbles to form, then flip to finish it off. I use 50g besan, a medium egg and enough water to make batter, to make one large socca which we share.

[darkfoxx]

I have not ... and had to look up besan I have had it before, somewhere sometime, but hadn't thought of making it myself. That does sound like a good tortilla type, but not exactly paleo. Probably better than a bunch of white flour, though. I will have to give them a spin  

[Fonzico]

I can really tell your mad yoga skillz are coming along! A little better here and there - it's obviously adding up. Good job!

 

No fun at all with the skin thing... I'm sure it will bounce back of its own accord soon enough, but there's nothing like that constant visible reminder that you messed up, eh? Oh well, at least it reaffirms that your regular diet is good for you!

 

Glad to hear pup is doing alright, hopefully the surgery did the trick.

[darkfoxx]

Thanks! I'm completely excited about my small yoga victories. And I totally forgot until just now - my husband - the man who is zero percent flexible, thinks yoga looks like girly torture, and panics if I even gently suggest that he might like it - got down on the floor and showed me how to do wheel pose. And then had to help me get into it. So, maybe since he showed me how the mechanics work, I'll get there some day. I still can't believe he a: could do it, and b: did it. He did pay for it, too, his back was not happy about bending the other way one bit. 

 

Priceless! 

 

And my skin is still driving me insane. I can't stop touching it to see if it is as groady as I think it is in my head, which is totally not helping one bit and is going to make it worse. Ugh. I need a floor buffer. For my face. 

[darkfoxx]

Week 4 Day 4 Update

 

Goal 1: Drink Like A Fish. 

 

I got this. Drank over 60 ounces of water with no problem.

 

 

Goal 2: I See Those Workouts. Let's Take Them A Little Further. 

 

Did 30 Day Shred Part 2 and thought I was about to die. To die, I tells ya. 

 

 

Goal 3: Metrics! All The Metrics! 

 

Metrics. Spreadsheet. Lurve. Math! Blergh!

 

Had my DH's green smoothie for breakfast; made a salad for lunch; snacked on some cherry tomatoes after lunch; and made a red quinoa/pork chop/bacon/egg/pea/celery concoction for dinner. 

 

I did ok today on my 'goals' - 62g fats, 108g carbs (just over weight loss), and 75g protein (finally hit the bar). 

 

 

Goal 4: Finish What You've Started.

 

I finished the first few pages of the journal and got some knitting time in. And I've decided to add another skein of yarn to my scarf afterall, so I may have to grade this goal on a curve. I thought I'd be done after this skein; apparently yarn doesn't stretch as far as I thought. 

 

Mental note: the hubby wants a scarf with multiple colors. Find a good combo. Grey/navy? Something in a green? 

[Fonzico]

Ah, but you didn't die, did ya? Unless you're posting from the afterlife, in which case, my sincere condolences ;P  Point being, you got through it, and are slightly more awesome for it!

 

I think you made a good choice to add another skein... there's nothing like talking yourself into "good enough" and then regretting it later. And a grey/navy scarf for the hubs would be super classy.

[darkfoxx]

Yes, that's me ... writing from the great hereafter No, I guess I didn't die, and it *was* a great workout I went into it with the 'I don't wanna's' and stuck through it and finished strong (and sweaty). 

 

I'm thinking grey/navy would be good - I've just got to be careful with the shade so it doesn't blend into his pea coat too much. Ooh. Another thought: I could do graduated shades of something. I'll have to play at the yarn store. I might also try out a different stitch for his; but first thing is first - finish the scarf I am working on!