Thank you! 

Thank you, Dearest ❤️    Friends, I am exhausted.   Today I combined my Monday and Friday leg days and managed 500lbs on the hack squat! Then finished out leg press with 270lbs (290lbs with machine weight). Also did deadlifts and the hip abduction/adduction but no major weights there. I didn't bring lifting straps and my grip was slipping at the end for deadlifts.   Food hasn't been great this weekend. We were part of a parade and the event didn't have food vendors or anything so we were snacking mostly. It was hot and boring. Bleh. Then yesterday the Man brought home pizza for lunch and I ate a little too much of that. Back on track today, though. I haven't gotten an update from Coach about increasing macros but she did say something about increasing this week before I leave. I'm right at macros (I'm 5g over my buffer limit on fat) but I can adjust lunch/dinner as needed to make up for it. I also am 10g shy of my fiber goal today so I need to figure out something to help out there. Hopefully I'll get something from Coach before lunch so I can adjust a bit easier. I don't have any snacks planned so it's just adjusting main meals right now if I want any hope of hitting my goals. Otherwise, I was good all last week on macros which was very nice.   The Man's finals are done! He has some minor work (1-2 page paper, discussion boards) to finish up this semester - due by Sunday so we'll aim to finish before we leave Thursday evening. We will have a week off and his new classes will start the Monday after we return. Such a relief to not have to worry about homework or regular work on vacation!   I've managed to add gratitude and intentions to my coffee every day thus far with success. I've also managed to Gua Sha and have gotten a couple days (including today) of dry brushing done. Nothing directly spiritual, but it is a bit of self care and taking time to myself for a few quiet moments so it feels special and worth keeping up. My dry brush is so small I might sneak it into my bag to take with me on vacay. I have a spare gua sha tool I have packed for travel. It's plastic (my primary is quartz) so less likely to break during travel so it has come in handy. The New Moon is on Wednesday so I'll knock out that ritual before we leave. I have yet to pull a weekly card for this week but it is on my to-do. I know there's some online decks I can use to pull for next week. Although not the same, I'd rather not pack all that for one card pull on Monday. I will also need to be sure I'm intentional about my daily gratitude and intentions as I will be sharing a rental house with 4 other adults (not including the Man since I already live with him) and 2 kids which will likely disrupt my morning quiet. There was also mentioned it is hard to get quality coffee as they export most of what they grow/produce. We shall see but that may also cause some issues with my coffee intentions haha!   Alright, off to a work call. Will do my best to check in up through Thursday ❤️   

I'm in, as a writer, not a drawer. 1-ish page vignettes sounds like the writerly equivalent to sketches to me

Rock on! I’m sorry it got your back, but yay, getting the length just right is not a guarantee and you did it! Can you use this one as a guide for the next one?

I'm not sure what specialist I'd be looking for. I went to the Charite--they have a section that deals with CFS--and they tested and diagnosed me with POTS, a mild immune defect, and chronic fatigue. They don't treat people. I went to a cardiologist and they noted my tachycardia and told me to do some exercise. I went to this fatigue doctor (actually a Heilpraktikerin--a sort of alternative functional doctor) and she gave me a fucktonne of supplements and the hypoxia, infusions, and so on. No improvement. Other than the Charite, the only other non-alternative place I found is a children's hospital in Munich. I am not a child so it's not for me. I don't really know who else I would go to. Maybe a different cardiologist could treat the POTS, at least.      That's very kind of you both. I am open to suggestions.  I suspect that, since there is no cure and no approved treatment, my best bet is learning to manage it, reducing my crash triggers, and trying to figure out how to have an okay life despite it. 

Hope you can get back into a good sleep routine soon!

Oh, how'd it turn out?      *ahem* sharing is caring.     Very much living for this ongoing progression on your cherry trees. They're very special trees to my region of the great lakes.      How stable are your region's weather patterns? I think we're experiencing a 1.5 FH increase that's certainly affecting our winters and the lake effect in our region.     GBBO is playing here lately. Do you ever watch Over the Garden Wall?      I've really enjoyed learning about your region. That's wild.      Very here for anything Halloween themed, except a Halloween themed headache. 0/5 stars     Congrats on the progress!!

Big hugs. I feel dumb for suggesting this, but have you had any luck in seeing a specialist? Not for the "miracle cure" angle, but for some input on exertion patterns that have worked for other people in the same diagnosis-family? Apologies if you already have, you're so pro-active it's hard to imagine you haven't already thought of this.      That's agonizing.  Zero guarantees, but if you're okay with it, Laura offered to ask her provider who specializes in CFS for any German recommendations. Very understandable if you've already gone this route and don't need daft American's mucking about in Deutsch medicine.

Sorry! Bodies are fickle     Weird, I wonder if he felt something twinge in that set and called it? Gender and age combo usually doesn't predict for cautious behavior around injuries, who knows

The Tao oh Pooh is gorgeous!   I have the Te of Piglet as well in a beautiful illustrated book   Both are mirrored on the Tao Te Ching.   Hope you have a lovely day AP xx