1. If a major newspaper wrote an article about you today, what would the headline be?
You too can create low budget redecorating by moving furniture to new rooms.
I swapped my sofas family room sofa is now in the living room and living room sofa is in the family room. We also had a major house clean. as a back up...
Lady finds restriction..Again ;) the little tightening is working great!! No weight loss yet but my hunger is much quieter.
2. Name one thing you like about being an adult.
Control-I chose what I want to do when I want to do it (of course there are all kinds of compromises...or are they consequences?
3. What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon when you were a kid?
Hong Kong Phooey and Johnny Quest.
4. When is the last time you told someone HONESTLY how you felt about them?
David, My husband. While Grace was gone we took off in the car and were talking about something (I can't really remember what now) but we were so engrossed in our conversation that we drove right past our exit and kept on going. I noticed after a while and said...wow we have been married for 10 years and we still have enough to talk about that we forget where we are...How cool is that. and we kept on driving.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in life and in blogland.
I talked about the busy already. I have actually caught up in blogland a bit as with school and work settling back in I took computer time. Last week I fell behind with all of my running around and biking.
Living with a lapband after seeing goal is just as much work as getting there. This blog chronicles my journey to qualify for band surgery, my work to goal weight and now living with the band long term. Weight will always be an issue but there is a whole lot of living to be done.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Ahh Sweet Restriction
My two year check up was today..with a new nurse practitioner. She was actually good. Whenever they have pushed me in with a new person (not my dear old surgeon Dr. Wolfe) I get a little angsty. It has never..until today...gone well. I like the new girl (even though she is quite a youngster). She did the old are you eating, do you have acid reflux blah blah..asked me if I was wanting a fill and bingo bango popped the needle in and viola I was filled. Not only did she get that so often troublesome needle right into my port but she actually did it twice as the first .5 cc fill was a tad too much. She backed out .2 ccs and I am now running at 7.8 cc's of fluid in my little bandy.
So back to the check up..I am good. on the low end of protein but in the normal range. At the low end of Vitamin D but in the normal range. At the low end of iron but in the normal range....This is the story of my life actually. I have always been at the low end of everything in blood tests. It is my weight that was always high.
I told my girl Maggie (that is her name) that I was hoping to get the last little bit off so I could feel 'normal' on the bmi range for once in my life. I told her I didn't care if it even lasted for just a day and that I would evaluate the wrinkles and figure out if I liked it but wanted to give it a try. She said with only ten pounds between me and it I should be able to get there no problem. :) I like a positive response..yes I do.
So back to the fill..she put in the .5 ccs, I asked for my first cup of water and it went down. The second..not so much...it caught a really big air bubble and did a bit of a sit. I asked to have a skosh(I love that word said with a North Dakota/Canadian accent) taken out and she popped that needle back in and sucked it out. This time she left the needle poking out (soo freaky for some but I thought it looked kinda funny...like me as a dart board) and I drank down another cup of water successfully.
I came home via Starbucks (they really should pay me to advertise for them) and although of late i have been drinking venti (I know bad Tina...bad bad) sized drinks I bought a tall skim peppermint mocha. It is here beside me almost an hour later half finished but still warm....Goal weight...here i come!!!!
So back to the check up..I am good. on the low end of protein but in the normal range. At the low end of Vitamin D but in the normal range. At the low end of iron but in the normal range....This is the story of my life actually. I have always been at the low end of everything in blood tests. It is my weight that was always high.
I told my girl Maggie (that is her name) that I was hoping to get the last little bit off so I could feel 'normal' on the bmi range for once in my life. I told her I didn't care if it even lasted for just a day and that I would evaluate the wrinkles and figure out if I liked it but wanted to give it a try. She said with only ten pounds between me and it I should be able to get there no problem. :) I like a positive response..yes I do.
So back to the fill..she put in the .5 ccs, I asked for my first cup of water and it went down. The second..not so much...it caught a really big air bubble and did a bit of a sit. I asked to have a skosh(I love that word said with a North Dakota/Canadian accent) taken out and she popped that needle back in and sucked it out. This time she left the needle poking out (soo freaky for some but I thought it looked kinda funny...like me as a dart board) and I drank down another cup of water successfully.
I came home via Starbucks (they really should pay me to advertise for them) and although of late i have been drinking venti (I know bad Tina...bad bad) sized drinks I bought a tall skim peppermint mocha. It is here beside me almost an hour later half finished but still warm....Goal weight...here i come!!!!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Sweet 100 Award
1. Thanks to Cara at The Dash for giving me this sweet award! It is better than cake or candy :) of course While I was typing Debi at Hawaii Bound Bandster also nominated me for the award (wow a double whammy).
2. Now 10 things I love:
1. The energy losing weight has helped me find.
2. My family
3. My friends
4. My new jobs!
5. My swanky new office (I built new bookshelves today and sat at my desk..there is a door and everything!!)
6. My bike
7. SUMMER
8. Shopping
9. Traveling
10 Knitting
3. Ten of my favorite blogs (but i am going to list in order the most recent 10 people who commented on my posts)....I follow those who comment. Although I use this blog gig to as a reflective journal of sorts, I do love to hear what people think. I love to get advice, just a 'hi how are you doing' and even a 'you are full of crap' every now and again.
so...in order:
Liz..you know who you are and you do not have a blog but you basically commented in person tonight at the school party.
Caroline at Lonicera's LapBand and Other Stories. I love it that you leave comments and I totally love your blog-filled with your life, photos and the band.
Debi at the Hawaii Bound Bandster Ok she nominated me for the award too but I am listing the commenters in order and she earned her spot :). Debi's blog is bright and summery. She talks band and life and occasionally shows us her beautiful paintings.
Colleen at This Time I mean It. She lives in New York and is working her band steadily (Down 60 pounds!!). She has also chimed in to meet up with me/organize something while I am in New York in October.
Stephanie at A New Me I just started watching her blog. She is on working the sometimes long and frustrating job of getting approved. She can use lots of support from Old-lapbanders and new.
Cara at The Dash-yup she also
nominated me for the award-She is my pal in Perth..We swap pictures as we pass by each other seasonally-When I was headed into Spring she was headed to Fall...and so forth. My favorite season is on her side of the earth now :)....I need pictures!!
The Draz....We all know her. We all Love her. She is the queen party host in blogland.
Nola She takes cute pics of her doggies. She manages a Candy/ice cream shop!! She lives in Tazmania and she tells the greatest stories in her blogs. And she is working like all of us to work the band.
Miss Vickie at the Queen Bee's Lapband LifeI just found her but she is a great commenter :) and she is rocking her band!
Tessie Rose at Band Me BabyTessie Rose is an excellent commenter! She also has a coolarific profile picture. I love the looking over her glasses all knowing look about the picture. Tessie Rose is an excellent poster who always includes great pictures in all of her posts.
And additionally-Amanda at Amanda's Waning. Amanda is a fellow Oregonian and a fellow bike-rider. She is rocking her band and writes really thought provoking posts.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Summer is Over and Back to the Grind-
The last week run up to the start of another school year should have been relaxed (oh and we sure did fit in a bunch of fun) but it seemed a bit crazy at the end with quick preparations for school on Tuesday. My oldest daughter took my youngest off for a week providing David and I a glorious child free week to celebrate our 10 years of wedded bliss. We had a wonderful time at home (after the bike ride weekend) just being grownups. We had coffee out late at night. We went out to lunch and downtown for an art show. I enjoyed every minute of our time together. I guess the marriage will work for at least another 10 years :)..knock on wood.
Grace came home at just before bedtime on Monday night. David and I cleaned her room before she got home(you know those kind where you manage to filter out all of the bits of paper a child of 9 manages to stuff into corners). In the end it took three garbage bags and a large box to give away before we had things tidied up. We rearranged her room a bit to give her a new fresh start to her new year and new/old school (she returned to our neighborhood school this term..long story that I won't get into here).
After a couple of outfit try-ons and a quickly put together lunch we were ready for the next day. She went..she liked and I went off to work.
At work I proceeded to spend the day running around getting my employment papers filled out, parking passes purchased, checked surplus for bookshelves and then ended up getting permission to go to Ikea to buy some. I ran my fool backside off, ran home to pick up Grace after school then drove out to Ikea to pick up the shelves then back home just in time for bedtime.
Today after a mammogram appointment it was back to work to lug the very large and heavy bookshelves out of my car and to the elevator and upstairs to my office. I had some help but I tell you those boxes are HEAVY!!!!! I then left my oldest to study and took my grandson on a bit of a campus walk to the main office of my department to turn in my receipts, then coffee then home for his nap (he is heavy too)...
While Grant napped I cut cheese and prepared food for a wine-tasting fundraiser my daughter was organizing. I don't think I have told you this but my second oldest daughter is working as a campaign manager for a nearby local representatives race. I offered to donate the food for the fund-raiser and of course got to attend the event :)..the wine was tasty. Grant woke up and we dashed to pick Grace up at school then my oldest daughter at the train (she was studying with a classmate and took the tube closer to home)...finally after a trip to costco for some extra bits we loaded up the car, dropped Grace off with my oldest daughter for the evening and headed out to the wine-tasting party.
The party was a new experience for me as although I have strong political leanings I have always limited my active politics to voting only. It was interesting to see how fund-raisers work and hear about the process by which candidates work their way up to running for office. It is an expensive business but I came away feeling like working with local politicians probably has a greater impact than voting as you really see your actions put to work. Now don't get me wrong..I'm not going to run out and start knocking on peoples doors any time soon :)I'm impressed by the process and OK with my daughter working in the business as experiences go.
On the weightloss front after a regain of 6 pounds over the past month I am now bobbing down around 174 again. The last two days of running around have meant little time to eat and thus a loss. I am hoping I can get closer to 171 before my appointment on Friday as I think I am going to ask for a little tweak of a fill. I would really like to be at goal when I go to New York in October. I want to buy my goal wrap dress in New York! For some reason I seem to thrive on crazy.
Grace came home at just before bedtime on Monday night. David and I cleaned her room before she got home(you know those kind where you manage to filter out all of the bits of paper a child of 9 manages to stuff into corners). In the end it took three garbage bags and a large box to give away before we had things tidied up. We rearranged her room a bit to give her a new fresh start to her new year and new/old school (she returned to our neighborhood school this term..long story that I won't get into here).
After a couple of outfit try-ons and a quickly put together lunch we were ready for the next day. She went..she liked and I went off to work.
At work I proceeded to spend the day running around getting my employment papers filled out, parking passes purchased, checked surplus for bookshelves and then ended up getting permission to go to Ikea to buy some. I ran my fool backside off, ran home to pick up Grace after school then drove out to Ikea to pick up the shelves then back home just in time for bedtime.
Today after a mammogram appointment it was back to work to lug the very large and heavy bookshelves out of my car and to the elevator and upstairs to my office. I had some help but I tell you those boxes are HEAVY!!!!! I then left my oldest to study and took my grandson on a bit of a campus walk to the main office of my department to turn in my receipts, then coffee then home for his nap (he is heavy too)...
While Grant napped I cut cheese and prepared food for a wine-tasting fundraiser my daughter was organizing. I don't think I have told you this but my second oldest daughter is working as a campaign manager for a nearby local representatives race. I offered to donate the food for the fund-raiser and of course got to attend the event :)..the wine was tasty. Grant woke up and we dashed to pick Grace up at school then my oldest daughter at the train (she was studying with a classmate and took the tube closer to home)...finally after a trip to costco for some extra bits we loaded up the car, dropped Grace off with my oldest daughter for the evening and headed out to the wine-tasting party.
The party was a new experience for me as although I have strong political leanings I have always limited my active politics to voting only. It was interesting to see how fund-raisers work and hear about the process by which candidates work their way up to running for office. It is an expensive business but I came away feeling like working with local politicians probably has a greater impact than voting as you really see your actions put to work. Now don't get me wrong..I'm not going to run out and start knocking on peoples doors any time soon :)I'm impressed by the process and OK with my daughter working in the business as experiences go.
On the weightloss front after a regain of 6 pounds over the past month I am now bobbing down around 174 again. The last two days of running around have meant little time to eat and thus a loss. I am hoping I can get closer to 171 before my appointment on Friday as I think I am going to ask for a little tweak of a fill. I would really like to be at goal when I go to New York in October. I want to buy my goal wrap dress in New York! For some reason I seem to thrive on crazy.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
New York Tickets Purchased-Hotel Reservations Made
Does anyone in New York want to meet for lunch, Dinner, coffee or a late night drink? I'm in town from Thursday Oct. 21-Mon. Oct. 25.
My plans for this trip are:
1. Do the conference thing
2. Do the socializing with conference colleagues thing
3. Meet a few New York banders
4. Buy my goal weight wrap dress
5. shop some knitting stores
6. buy some more small (well small for me) clothes
7. Enjoy the wonderful city of New York
8. Walk my arse off.
My plans for this trip are:
1. Do the conference thing
2. Do the socializing with conference colleagues thing
3. Meet a few New York banders
4. Buy my goal weight wrap dress
5. shop some knitting stores
6. buy some more small (well small for me) clothes
7. Enjoy the wonderful city of New York
8. Walk my arse off.
Friday, September 3, 2010
BYOC
1. In the spirit of back to school time - what is your favorite school supply?
Well...I love school supplies too...I love all things supply-ee. Personally my big purchases this year were calendars (one for my purse, one for my fridge and a project book to take notes in during meetings)...I also bought some colored sharpies. Usually I woulds say engineering graph paper is my fave but I am on an organization kick at the moment (math geek=graph paper :))
2. Assume your house is on fire and the whole thing is going to burn to the ground and your loved ones are out and safe….and you have a few minutes to grab 5 things. Just five. What would they be?
1. my pictures of when the girls were young
2. our passports, birth certificates etc.
3. The server (all of our digital stuff is stored here)
4. nope only three things....the rest is replaceable.
3. In the spirit of my new found love on vacation – what is your favorite drink – alcoholic or not?
Vodka Mojito..hopefully from the McMinnamins.
4. When is your birthday (if you want to say, no year needed) and what is your Zodiac sign. Does your sign match your personality?
Valentines day is my birthday :) I would say for husbands it is the toughest birthday to have...all that expectation rolled up in one holiday birthday :)
Aquarius women are androgynous in nature with well-balanced male and female energy-sounds good to me..im not a girly girl thats for sure.. Their highest value is friendship, not love. So don’t get confused if you are deep in courtship and she’s still referring to you as her best friend. Yup friendship is more important.
Love
It is important to realize how loyal Aquarius women are because it is not immediately obvious. She may not be with you very much, but her affections are steadfast and you are always on her mind (don’t expect her to tell you that)I agree. The best way to fall in love is through a mental connection where you appreciate her mind and share a vision for the future.for sure She is not interested in dwelling on the past or even the presentOk I disagree with this one. We de value history and only have to look to the past to figure out what we are doing today. Aquatian women have a knack for turning romance into friendship, and you will find that she is inclined to keep you at arm’s length though you are very special to her. I don't know about this one...sure the friendship thing is a good idea but I don't think my ex husband would call me his friend.
Work
Aquarius women need to work around electrical equipment, on the Internet, or with something futuristic. In general, they have little interest in the past or any kind of emotional or heart connection.Horse pucky..I use technology but I am a teacher and history and emotional connections are what doing that is all aobut. They prefer to work with concepts or at arm’s length through a cool medium such as e-mail, text messaging, radio, or cell phones. There is not an Aquarian woman in the world who wants to be told what to do. I hate teaching online classes...so not true.If she makes the mistake of working for someone, she has to be handled with kid gloves to avoid rousing her rebellious side.Ok totally true..if someone tells me I have to do something I usually do the oppotiste Be prepared for some eccentricities and idiosyncrasies. She can make a brilliant contribution if allowed to do work her own way. A female Aquarian boss is likely to be absent a large portion of the time, either mentally or physically. She will want to deal with you in an abstract way and may prefer to leave instructions on your desk or your cell phone rather than give them to you in person. The best use of Aquarian energy in the workplace is harmonizing groups. Aquarius women are happiest when they have space to be an individual in a group of strong equals.I like collaborating but not sure if I would rather leave a note or email.
Spirituality
Aquarians channel higher truth. They link the present to the future. Their best spiritual approach is to be an open channel for higher vibrations. They are dedicated to the advancement of the species and serve all intelligent life forms. Highly developed Aquarius women have the ability to not just meditate but be meditated. Creative visualization and time travel may prove very enlightening. I am a scientist....so no religiosity here.
Shadow
The mad scientist is Aquarius energy out of control. An Aquarius woman gone bad is the creator who rejects her own creations as imperfect and ugly because she lives in a fragile world of ideals. Dedicated to the cause of humanity in general, she can be completely oblivious to the people around her and may be impossible to get along with. Aquarius females can ignore the plight of their own husband and children to serve a “higher” cause. Their need to be shocking can be disruptive and serve no purpose. Ok maybe this one hits a little too close to the truth...but i am working on it
5. A little spin on my repeat question. I usually ask which blog or comment stuck with you and why? You can answer that as usual or how about just giving a summary of your week or how you feel about blogland this past week or anything you noticed…does that make sense?
I have not been a good reader this week-I have done some drive by reading but I have a lot of deadlines at work and took my little weekend away. The Jack Sh*t Getting fit was my highlight post as I am struggling with what maintenance will be and whether I am in it or not.
My difficulty this week is heading in for my two year check up and wondering if I need a fill. I slammed a muffin today and have been on a sugar crazed fest all week. My restriction has gone away but when I was on my bike I had trouble swallowing water...makes no freaking sense.
Well...I love school supplies too...I love all things supply-ee. Personally my big purchases this year were calendars (one for my purse, one for my fridge and a project book to take notes in during meetings)...I also bought some colored sharpies. Usually I woulds say engineering graph paper is my fave but I am on an organization kick at the moment (math geek=graph paper :))
2. Assume your house is on fire and the whole thing is going to burn to the ground and your loved ones are out and safe….and you have a few minutes to grab 5 things. Just five. What would they be?
1. my pictures of when the girls were young
2. our passports, birth certificates etc.
3. The server (all of our digital stuff is stored here)
4. nope only three things....the rest is replaceable.
3. In the spirit of my new found love on vacation – what is your favorite drink – alcoholic or not?
Vodka Mojito..hopefully from the McMinnamins.
4. When is your birthday (if you want to say, no year needed) and what is your Zodiac sign. Does your sign match your personality?
Valentines day is my birthday :) I would say for husbands it is the toughest birthday to have...all that expectation rolled up in one holiday birthday :)
Aquarius women are androgynous in nature with well-balanced male and female energy-sounds good to me..im not a girly girl thats for sure.. Their highest value is friendship, not love. So don’t get confused if you are deep in courtship and she’s still referring to you as her best friend. Yup friendship is more important.
Love
It is important to realize how loyal Aquarius women are because it is not immediately obvious. She may not be with you very much, but her affections are steadfast and you are always on her mind (don’t expect her to tell you that)I agree. The best way to fall in love is through a mental connection where you appreciate her mind and share a vision for the future.for sure She is not interested in dwelling on the past or even the presentOk I disagree with this one. We de value history and only have to look to the past to figure out what we are doing today. Aquatian women have a knack for turning romance into friendship, and you will find that she is inclined to keep you at arm’s length though you are very special to her. I don't know about this one...sure the friendship thing is a good idea but I don't think my ex husband would call me his friend.
Work
Aquarius women need to work around electrical equipment, on the Internet, or with something futuristic. In general, they have little interest in the past or any kind of emotional or heart connection.Horse pucky..I use technology but I am a teacher and history and emotional connections are what doing that is all aobut. They prefer to work with concepts or at arm’s length through a cool medium such as e-mail, text messaging, radio, or cell phones. There is not an Aquarian woman in the world who wants to be told what to do. I hate teaching online classes...so not true.If she makes the mistake of working for someone, she has to be handled with kid gloves to avoid rousing her rebellious side.Ok totally true..if someone tells me I have to do something I usually do the oppotiste Be prepared for some eccentricities and idiosyncrasies. She can make a brilliant contribution if allowed to do work her own way. A female Aquarian boss is likely to be absent a large portion of the time, either mentally or physically. She will want to deal with you in an abstract way and may prefer to leave instructions on your desk or your cell phone rather than give them to you in person. The best use of Aquarian energy in the workplace is harmonizing groups. Aquarius women are happiest when they have space to be an individual in a group of strong equals.I like collaborating but not sure if I would rather leave a note or email.
Spirituality
Aquarians channel higher truth. They link the present to the future. Their best spiritual approach is to be an open channel for higher vibrations. They are dedicated to the advancement of the species and serve all intelligent life forms. Highly developed Aquarius women have the ability to not just meditate but be meditated. Creative visualization and time travel may prove very enlightening. I am a scientist....so no religiosity here.
Shadow
The mad scientist is Aquarius energy out of control. An Aquarius woman gone bad is the creator who rejects her own creations as imperfect and ugly because she lives in a fragile world of ideals. Dedicated to the cause of humanity in general, she can be completely oblivious to the people around her and may be impossible to get along with. Aquarius females can ignore the plight of their own husband and children to serve a “higher” cause. Their need to be shocking can be disruptive and serve no purpose. Ok maybe this one hits a little too close to the truth...but i am working on it
5. A little spin on my repeat question. I usually ask which blog or comment stuck with you and why? You can answer that as usual or how about just giving a summary of your week or how you feel about blogland this past week or anything you noticed…does that make sense?
I have not been a good reader this week-I have done some drive by reading but I have a lot of deadlines at work and took my little weekend away. The Jack Sh*t Getting fit was my highlight post as I am struggling with what maintenance will be and whether I am in it or not.
My difficulty this week is heading in for my two year check up and wondering if I need a fill. I slammed a muffin today and have been on a sugar crazed fest all week. My restriction has gone away but when I was on my bike I had trouble swallowing water...makes no freaking sense.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
New York Advice and meet up?
I am going to be in New York from October 22-25 for a conference. If anyone is interested in meeting up for drinks or dinner I am your girl. I will have some blocked out times due to conference meals and such but we can negotiate :)
I am currently looking for apartment rentals as I am hoping to share a big (nice) place with friends who also attend the conference. Right now there are five of us. Does anyone know of a place to look? Any advice will be appreciated!
Tina
I am currently looking for apartment rentals as I am hoping to share a big (nice) place with friends who also attend the conference. Right now there are five of us. Does anyone know of a place to look? Any advice will be appreciated!
Tina
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