Yesterday I ordered my Bodybugg SP. This is the only one of the three items I was hoping to purchase (as I wrote about here) that I'll actually be buying. The reduction in my shopping list from three items to one was brought about by recent financial misfortune as chronicled here. Are we caught up now? Good.
My logic is that if I am able to calculate, with numbers-geek accuracy, the calories I burn by vaccuming and mopping I will dislike these chores slightly less, cancelling out the need for the robotic vacuum cleaner and floor mopper. And, of course, we know my logic is always spot-on, right? RIGHT? I thought so!
But here's the thing...the agonizing I went through before I allowed myself to purchase this item was fairly impressive, even for me. I'm starting to realize that....well at the risk of seeming like a pompous windbag I'm going to quote my favorite author, in my favorite book, and say that "The chamber of unreasonable guilt is part of my mental architecture, and I doubt that I will ever be able to renovate that particular room in this strange castle that is me" - Dean Koontz, Odd Thomas.
I love that quote, I adore the book and I desperately await the next book in the series so that I can have more wonderful quotes like that one, and "Nothing is worse than being alone on the evening of the day when one's cow has exploded." God please let there be another one soon!!!
Wow did I get off track. Shocking, I know.
ANYway, why do I subject myself to all this guilt? I work hard, I've had fairly impressive success in my career considering that I don't have a degree. I make decent money, though I won't be hiring servants any time soon. So I spent $209 on something I've been wanting FOR YEARS. Something that will, theoretically, make me a healthier person. Something that I have researched extensively and that holds the ringing endorsement of experts in exercise and diet. So why do I feel the need to justify this over and over and over again, to myself, to you?
Sunday I did nearly nothing. I got up, allowed The Man to buy me brekfast (because I'm a giver that way), we went grocery shopping and I did nothing but read, watch TV and nap from about 12:30 until 6:30 when it was time to go bowling. If not for the fact that I felt like absolute crap I would have not been able to bear the enjoyment of it. I would have had to get up and do something productive. And even now, two days later, I still feel guilty because there is dust on my furniture, my hampers overfloweth and my taxes remain unfiled.
I made an appointment today to get cortisone shots in my elbows. I learned the last time I did this that I DO NOT want to go back to work after. It's fairly painful in the hours that follow the shots, though totally worth it for the longish-term relief. So I made the appointment for a Friday morning, because a Thursday evening wasn't available, and I put in for a vacation day. And do you know what? I'm actually LOOKING FORWARD to the time after, though I know I will be in pain, because I will be able to justify in my sick mind a few hous reading or sleeping during the day without feeling like I should be doing something else.
Let's be clear, I'm not a saint or a martyr. I'm not saying, by any stretch, that I DON'T do nice things for myself....I do. I just then feel guilty as hell about it.
Seriously...what the FUCK? When did it become a sin to be nice to ourselves? Or is it just me?
I don't think it's just me. I know too many people who suffer the same self-inflicted angst. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why are we SO FREAKING HARD on ourselves? Why can't we be as good to ourselves as we are to others without feeling selfish? Or, maybe a better question is...is being selfish necessarily bad?
If I'm good to me, then I can be good to you? No? YES!!!
So....my BodyBugg will be here this Friday. Saturday I will begin counting calories with the enthusiasm whith which I count hours and wages at work. And then...you know what? Some time this weekend, without being at death's door or anything, I will spend two hours reading. I make this commitment to you, but do me a favor, make a commitment to me to do something nice for yourself too. Ok?
What will you do for you?
Today's lunch: Amy's Pesto Tortellini bowl. Yeah, I know I'm repetitive. But it's GOOD.
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Cookies are Definitely Involved
Hello my friends. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. Things have been especially hectic at work and my elbows have been especially sensitive which makes me not so writey.
It's tax time which means I have a new obsession...what to do with my refund. This year I stand to get a decent chunk of change since it's my year to claim The Boy (The Ex gets him every 2nd year). Sure, the smart thing to do would be to send 100% of my refund to my friends at US Bank, but honestly they pretty much own me now and the amount of this refund wouldn't buy back my little finger.
So I'm thinking a compromise is in order, maybe 60% to the bank and 40% to me, to buy some gadgets that I've been admiring.
I hope that cookie was good because you now have to spend three hours on the dreadmill to work it off!
or
Good girl, nice workout, now you may have a cookie.
I'm paraphrasing, of course, but cookies are definitely involved.
The next gadget I've beenobsessively researching considering is this:
It's the Neato XV-11, AKA "The Roomba Killer". Of course I don't actually want to kill my Roomba, as I stated here it's one of my favorite things, but it could be so much better, and the Neato seems to have a lot of the features that Roomba lacks. So I'd like to get one of these for downstairs (doghair central) and put Roomba upstairs where the dogs don't go and less debris is tracked. Think of upstairs is sort of like Boca Raton for Roombas.
And, the third thing I really want to get is:
It's a Scooba 230. It mops! I had a Scooba 330 a few years ago and it did a decent job, but it was big, bulky, heavy, hard to clean and not very durable. The 230 appears to have solved the first four issues, the durability issue will remain to be seen.
Sadly this new version isn't available yet....the website says "Soon"...rumor is it will come out in the spring.
These three items combined will be roughly 1/3 of my tax refund. They are individually extravagent and combined they're nearly obsecene but they will make my house cleaner and my body leaner and doesn't that mean something?
The first person who points out that I would be leaner if I incorporated mopping and vacuuming into my daily routine to burn calories gets their very own voodoo doll modeled after them.
Besides....how would I know how many calories I burned? I rest my case.
Today's lunch: Amy's Pesto Tortelini. Yummy yumm yum.
It's tax time which means I have a new obsession...what to do with my refund. This year I stand to get a decent chunk of change since it's my year to claim The Boy (The Ex gets him every 2nd year). Sure, the smart thing to do would be to send 100% of my refund to my friends at US Bank, but honestly they pretty much own me now and the amount of this refund wouldn't buy back my little finger.
So I'm thinking a compromise is in order, maybe 60% to the bank and 40% to me, to buy some gadgets that I've been admiring.
First, ther's this little gem:
It's called a Bodybugg and I've been lusting after it for a couple of years now. As much as I obsess about my caloric intake from food/output from exercise you'd think I'd be thin but sadly this is not the case. I'm SUCH a numbers geek, seriously I've been known to keep elaborate spreadsheets and charts on net calories compared to the weight loss result. This doodad promises to take the guesswork out of it. It's supposed to work with my phone to tell me one of the following two thingsI hope that cookie was good because you now have to spend three hours on the dreadmill to work it off!
or
Good girl, nice workout, now you may have a cookie.
I'm paraphrasing, of course, but cookies are definitely involved.
The next gadget I've been
It's the Neato XV-11, AKA "The Roomba Killer". Of course I don't actually want to kill my Roomba, as I stated here it's one of my favorite things, but it could be so much better, and the Neato seems to have a lot of the features that Roomba lacks. So I'd like to get one of these for downstairs (doghair central) and put Roomba upstairs where the dogs don't go and less debris is tracked. Think of upstairs is sort of like Boca Raton for Roombas.
And, the third thing I really want to get is:
It's a Scooba 230. It mops! I had a Scooba 330 a few years ago and it did a decent job, but it was big, bulky, heavy, hard to clean and not very durable. The 230 appears to have solved the first four issues, the durability issue will remain to be seen.
Sadly this new version isn't available yet....the website says "Soon"...rumor is it will come out in the spring.
These three items combined will be roughly 1/3 of my tax refund. They are individually extravagent and combined they're nearly obsecene but they will make my house cleaner and my body leaner and doesn't that mean something?
The first person who points out that I would be leaner if I incorporated mopping and vacuuming into my daily routine to burn calories gets their very own voodoo doll modeled after them.
Besides....how would I know how many calories I burned? I rest my case.
Today's lunch: Amy's Pesto Tortelini. Yummy yumm yum.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Its Here! It's Here!!!
No time to write today. The gift cards came yesterday so I spent today's lunch break buying my new toy!
But I did think my lunch was pretty & colorful, so here you go:
Today's lunch: Salad with "artisan lettuce" from WSM, with turkey, tomatoes, walnuts, dried cranberries, real bacon bits (just a few!) & balsamic vinaigrette.
But I did think my lunch was pretty & colorful, so here you go:
Today's lunch: Salad with "artisan lettuce" from WSM, with turkey, tomatoes, walnuts, dried cranberries, real bacon bits (just a few!) & balsamic vinaigrette.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Look At Me Acting all Healthy'n Sh*t
It's FRIDAY and I'm entering the home stretch. Since the plague took from me the majority of last weekend (I slept until 4pm on Saturday) I'm looking forward to the two days to come.
I'm also in a MUCH better mood today than I was yesterday, which I attribute primarily to Pandora starting my day out with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Johnny Cash. I should really be legally required to have music playing near me at all times. It drastically reduces the likelihood that I may hurt someone for something as trivial as being an idiot.
Of course it helps to have something to look forward to. The light at the end of the tunnel has been burning dimly in the distance for me lately but today I feel the glow.
Tomorrow The Boy and I, possibly accompanied by his "friend" (a GIRL!) are going to visit The West Side Market. I try to get there a few times a year just for the experience of it. My Grandmother and Great Grandmother used to shop there. It's so historically rich, architecturally interesting and just plain cool, but it's also about 40 minutes from my house so the trips are a treat. I admit I tend to buy things I shouldn't, either because they're not good for me or because I'll end up not using them, but there are so many things there that you can't get at the big chain grocery stores (pig head anyone?). The Boy hasn't been there since he was too little to remember so when we saw a special on TV about it a few months ago he said he'd like to go. Of course I am firmly rooted in reality and I know, without a doubt, that five minutes in he'll be asking how much longer I plan to be there, but I'll try hard not to let him ruin the experience and hope some day he'll take HIS kids and tell them about how their Grandmother, who they love dearly, brought him there.
I promise to pick up something that I can photograph and eat when next I Blog Over Lunch.
Another thing I'm looking forward to is the impending delivery of several Borders gift cards which I purchased with my Discover Cash Back Bonus (yes, there IS an upside to living rediculously far outside of one's means). I'm going to use the gift cards to buy a Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet. I'm beyond excited about this. 90% of my reading is done in bed, with my cell phone running the flashlight app and pointed at my book because The Man is sleeping. He gets up 2 hours before me so I don't want to keep him awake with the light. The rare occasion when he's still awake when I climb into bed gives him a bit too amusement for my taste. The laughter distracts me from my book. Apparently I look like a total doof with my illuminated phone propped up on my chin. So I'm about to join the E-Reader owners of the world and stop accumulating books. Admittedly I'm going to miss hard copies, and will still try to buy Dean Koontz novels to add to my collection, but it's time to go green. Plus I have MAJOR iPad envy (three of my bosses have them) and this is basically a low-rent, less powerful iPad knockoff running on the Droid operating system, which I already love on my phone. So I ask the Postal Service Gods...please please PLEASE bring me my gift cards so I can go buy my new toy this weekend.
I also think, though it has been neither confirmed nor denied, that the oldest of The Girls may be moving home this weekend. This is good stuff either because I love her very much or because I'm just crazy enough to want another teenager to be living in my house. Probably both.
So that's what I'm looking forward to....your proverablial warm and fuzzy for the day brought to you by yours truly. Relish it my freinds, because as we know I'm not typically a ray of frickin' sunshine.
In addition to all of the looking forward to type stuff I also have a busy weekend of not entirely exciting stuff going on. I may not have mentioned that I'm participating in a weight loss contest at work. I'm actually a team captain if you can believe it. So I've promised myself and my team that I will exercise. I'm committed to a half hour on the dreadmill and a trip to the gym to swim in addition to the walking at the market AND my normal sunday night bowling league. Look at me acting all healthy'n shit.
AND...I need to pay bills and as God is my witness I will at least start doing my taxes. Maybe.
I hope you all have a fantabulous weekend of things to look forward to. If not, why not plan something now? Do something nice for yourself. I worry about you.
Today's Lunch: Light Life Asian Teryaki. Pretty good stuff once I got over the fact that it doesn't have any meat in it. I'm sure I thought there had to be chicken in it when I bought it. Carnivorous as I am, I still kinda liked it.
I'm also in a MUCH better mood today than I was yesterday, which I attribute primarily to Pandora starting my day out with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Johnny Cash. I should really be legally required to have music playing near me at all times. It drastically reduces the likelihood that I may hurt someone for something as trivial as being an idiot.
Of course it helps to have something to look forward to. The light at the end of the tunnel has been burning dimly in the distance for me lately but today I feel the glow.
Tomorrow The Boy and I, possibly accompanied by his "friend" (a GIRL!) are going to visit The West Side Market. I try to get there a few times a year just for the experience of it. My Grandmother and Great Grandmother used to shop there. It's so historically rich, architecturally interesting and just plain cool, but it's also about 40 minutes from my house so the trips are a treat. I admit I tend to buy things I shouldn't, either because they're not good for me or because I'll end up not using them, but there are so many things there that you can't get at the big chain grocery stores (pig head anyone?). The Boy hasn't been there since he was too little to remember so when we saw a special on TV about it a few months ago he said he'd like to go. Of course I am firmly rooted in reality and I know, without a doubt, that five minutes in he'll be asking how much longer I plan to be there, but I'll try hard not to let him ruin the experience and hope some day he'll take HIS kids and tell them about how their Grandmother, who they love dearly, brought him there.
I promise to pick up something that I can photograph and eat when next I Blog Over Lunch.
Another thing I'm looking forward to is the impending delivery of several Borders gift cards which I purchased with my Discover Cash Back Bonus (yes, there IS an upside to living rediculously far outside of one's means). I'm going to use the gift cards to buy a Velocity Micro Cruz Tablet. I'm beyond excited about this. 90% of my reading is done in bed, with my cell phone running the flashlight app and pointed at my book because The Man is sleeping. He gets up 2 hours before me so I don't want to keep him awake with the light. The rare occasion when he's still awake when I climb into bed gives him a bit too amusement for my taste. The laughter distracts me from my book. Apparently I look like a total doof with my illuminated phone propped up on my chin. So I'm about to join the E-Reader owners of the world and stop accumulating books. Admittedly I'm going to miss hard copies, and will still try to buy Dean Koontz novels to add to my collection, but it's time to go green. Plus I have MAJOR iPad envy (three of my bosses have them) and this is basically a low-rent, less powerful iPad knockoff running on the Droid operating system, which I already love on my phone. So I ask the Postal Service Gods...please please PLEASE bring me my gift cards so I can go buy my new toy this weekend.
I also think, though it has been neither confirmed nor denied, that the oldest of The Girls may be moving home this weekend. This is good stuff either because I love her very much or because I'm just crazy enough to want another teenager to be living in my house. Probably both.
So that's what I'm looking forward to....your proverablial warm and fuzzy for the day brought to you by yours truly. Relish it my freinds, because as we know I'm not typically a ray of frickin' sunshine.
In addition to all of the looking forward to type stuff I also have a busy weekend of not entirely exciting stuff going on. I may not have mentioned that I'm participating in a weight loss contest at work. I'm actually a team captain if you can believe it. So I've promised myself and my team that I will exercise. I'm committed to a half hour on the dreadmill and a trip to the gym to swim in addition to the walking at the market AND my normal sunday night bowling league. Look at me acting all healthy'n shit.
AND...I need to pay bills and as God is my witness I will at least start doing my taxes. Maybe.
I hope you all have a fantabulous weekend of things to look forward to. If not, why not plan something now? Do something nice for yourself. I worry about you.
Today's Lunch: Light Life Asian Teryaki. Pretty good stuff once I got over the fact that it doesn't have any meat in it. I'm sure I thought there had to be chicken in it when I bought it. Carnivorous as I am, I still kinda liked it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)