Posts Tagged ‘mentioning my family’

Randomness!

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Randomness!

Last night for dinner, we had honey mustard chicken.

  • Take 2 breasts of chicken, salted and peppered to taste
  • Mix together:
    • ¼ cup of honey
    • ¼ cup of spicy mustard
    • ½ teaspoon of paprika
    • ½ teaspoon of parsley
    • ½ teaspoon of basil
  • Put the chicken in a small, lightly greased baking dish and spoon half the mixture over the chicken.
  • Bake it at 350* for 30 minutes.
  • Turn the chicken over and spoon the rest of the mix over that side.
  • Bake it for another 15 minutes or so, until the juices run clear and you’re sure the chicken is done.

I ate it over spaghetti squash.  Next time I do this, I’ll remember that the squash will need to cook hotter and longer than the chicken because it was still a little crunchy when I took it out.

Yesterday the VP over my area had his monthly performance review meeting and I had to give a quick presentation on the 5S status in the area.  To give you an idea of how out of my depth I was in that company, let me quickly explain my organizational chart.  First there’s me.  I report to A. He reports to B.  B is the group head for my department.  B. reports up to C, who’s the director of several departments.  There are several level B guys under C.  C. is one of several directors who report up to D.  D. is one of several VPs who report up to the president of the company.  I’m pretty sure that broadly covers how we’re organized.  So yesterday, I gave a presentation to the level D. guy for my area.  I don’t do a lot of public speaking and especially not to people who get paid that much.  Hopefully I didn’t stumble around too much and I hope I answered all his questions adequately.  The director (level C) came over afterward and thanked me for doing my part at the meeting, which was really surprising.  He’s not a man who gives out positive feedback very often.  So that was nice.

I’ve been wearing makeup to work the last couple of days.  Yesterday, obviously, I had the important meeting.  But I read some articles that said studies show that women in business who wear makeup and skirts are more likely to be respected and advance in their careers than women who don’t.  Also, people who smile a lot are more likely to be trusted.  So, I already like to wear skirts more than pants, so I’m good there.  And I’m pretty good at smiling a lot.  So I’ve started wearing a little makeup, not because I feel like my face needs it but because it’s a tool to try to get more respect at work.  It’s taking some getting used to.  I’ve got to schedule more time into my prep time in the morning.

One of the things that’s really frustrating me at work right now is the amount of perceived self-importance.  I get really tired of dealing with people who think that they’re more important than anyone else around them or that their little piece of paper is more important than whatever else I’m working on right now.  I understand that I’m a small duck on the totem pole, but I’m really tired of hearing the squawking from the rest of the puffed up geese around here.

Justin and I have been playing a video game together that’s got a lot of “go out into the woods and find these items” or “go out into the woods and kill these birds” and stuff like that.  It’s a lot of fun!  My brain is a strange place, though.  Driving into work this morning, I saw a bird land on a wire and thought “What kind of bird is that?  Is that one I need for that quest?  Target the bird to see what kind of bird that is.  Tab.  Click.  Wait, I can’t actually do that!  Dang it!”

Happy birthday, Tim!  I know he doesn’t read my blog, but let him know that I remembered, Erica?  He probably doesn’t care, but I wish him a happy birthday anyway.

I tried my first pistachio on Tuesday.  It was yummy!  Very salty, even though the sodium count wasn’t too bad.  I had a handful of them and enjoyed them.  So I threw some in my lunch bag yesterday for snacking on during the day.  When I went to eat them, I got through 4 of them before my throat started itching and swelling up.  It’s so annoying.  I took a children’s strength allergy medication and felt fine a little while later.

On a slightly related note, if anyone knows where I can get Emerald’s Sweet and Salty Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter mixed nuts for cheap, let me know.  I have a serious addiction to those nuts and, besides the addiction, they haven’t effected me poorly at all.

I’m also really enjoying sugar free Peppermint Patties.

If you don’t hear from me again for a couple days, we have plans with friends for most of the Memorial Day weekend.  I expect that our days will be filled and our evenings exhausted.  But I’ll try to post pictures later.

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Posted in Living! |

This week’s getting away from me fast

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

I started writing an update yesterday and then started feeling really ill, went home, and slept the rest of the day away.  Justin was awesome and did a lot of fetching and carrying for me, making me dinner, and taking care of me.  I am so lucky!

I’m feeling better this morning.  Well enough that I came into work, albeit a little bit late, and I don’t anticipate going home early, though I am feeling less and less well as the day goes on.  I’m apparently fighting off a bug of some kind.  Either that or stress is catching up with me.

Justin’s mom and grandma flew out yesterday.  It was a bit of a whirlwind visit.  As the pictures show, we went into Savannah on Saturday for the sidewalk art festival and parent’s weekend.  We saw the art in Forsyth Park and then went downtown to River Street to catch a photography show.  After that we went to Huey’s for dinner and I got a delicious slab of salmon on wilted spinach and a house salad without cheese or dressing, and didn’t eat the cornbread or grits that came with my order and watched as the others ate beignets. 

This diet sucks.  On the other hand, though, I can’t complain about the results.  I had my weigh-in yesterday before I went home and I was down 3.5 pounds from last week.  And I haven’t been exercising yet because of having company over.  That was a goal for last night, but I ended up sleeping instead.

We went to the beach on Sunday.  Justin’s family laughed at me as we covered every inch of my exposed skin with 85-SPF sunscreen.  And then they stretched out in the sun while I curled up in the shade of our umbrella.  They wandered around the beach while I sat in the shade and chatted with Justin’s grandma and read a book.  They splashed in the water, but I only waded for a couple minutes (there’s jellyfish in there and riptides!).  And I still burned a stretch of my back brighter than a tomato.  It hurts.  I woke up in the middle of the night Monday night because I’d rolled over, rubbing the burn against the sheet, and my nightgown was pressing against it and it hurt so badly I thought I might scream.  I got up, put Dermoplast on it and slept the rest of the night on my stomach.  It might be part of why I wasn’t feeling well yesterday.  I got Justin to put more lotion on my back several times yesterday and spent the afternoon and night on my stomach again.  It’s finally faded to pink in some places today, but it’s still very red in spots. Stupid sun. 

Anybody wanna buy me this?

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Posted in Living! |

Still going on about food . . . .

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Is anyone else tired of hearing me talk about food yet?

So I went home last night and had a broccoli stir fry mix from a bag mixed up in my wok (Pam-ed instead of oiled) and with some of the left over spaghetti squash thrown in.  And it was really yummy.  And then I stood there and figured out how to peal a grapefruit like Erica taught me and boiled up half a dozen eggs so I could have one for breakfast and Justin could use the others for egg salad (I’m only supposed to have 2 per week) and chatted with Justin’s grandma while she got herself sorted out in the living room.

I’ve realized that now that I’m not supposed to eat carbs, I have no idea how to cook.  Can’t make up a pot of pasta or rice.  Can’t make a grilled cheese sandwich.  Can’t have pizza.  Can’t have corn dogs.  Can’t have pancakes.  Can’t have baked potatoes.  No oatmeal or cereal.  I’ve just described most of the contents of our pantry and freezer.

Do you know how hard it is to find recipes that are carb, sugar, soy, and dairy free?  Ridiculously hard. 

But really, this is about complaining.  It’s a cry for help. :)   Please!  Send me food ideas!  I need breakfast ideas that are prepare-ahead or fast or make-at-workable.  I need meal ideas!  I’m building a new repertoire here and I’m looking for ideas.

I spent time over my lunch hour digging through AllRecipes.com looking for ideas.  When I get home, I’m climbing up on the counter in our kitchen and pulling down the cookbooks to look up there for ideas.  Because I’m really starting from scratch and I’ve got a lot of learning to do.

Other news!

I tried making a loaf of bread last night using a new all wheat recipe and it didn’t work at all.  It didn’t cook all the way and ended up falling in on itself.  Just a little more mass and we could have had a black hole in our kitchen.  Unfortunate, but I still ate a little bit of it anyway.  And that, my friends, is the depth of my addiction.  *Sigh*  Also, I have been drinking so much water today to make up for that.

Justin went with his grandma to pick up his mom from the airport this morning.  As far as we know, she’s still not planning to stay at our house.  In fact, our impression, given her farewell as she and his grandma set out for Charleston for the afternoon, was that she doesn’t intend to see him the rest of the time she’s in town.  We’re just rolling with it.  Whatever happens, happens.

We bought me a nice new pair of headphones for me to use at work since I work in a noisy environment and it’s hard to concentrate on my work with all the noise.  They arrived yesterday and I’ve been wearing them all morning.  I’m not sure I’ve ever really listened to recorded music before!  These things sound amazing!  I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to regular little headphones ever again.

I brushed and flossed my teeth after lunch today and now I’m afraid to eat the grapefruit I brought for snack.  My gums are sore and bleeding.  That’s not a good combination with citrus.  But it’s definitely helping me avoid the mindless snacking.  I figured when my mouth feels clean, and doesn’t taste like food, then I don’t think about food so much.  That’s the theory, anyway. I’m working on proving it.

And that’s enough of all that!  Please, send me food ideas!  I’m looking for fast, easy, delicious, soy-, dairy-, carb-, and sugar-free.  Can’t be that hard, right?!

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Posted in Living! |

This is why I haven’t been writing

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

Sunday was great!  Slept in, got breakfast in bed, read a book, talked with all my immediate family, got delicious dinner, and watched a funny movie.  It was delightful!

Monday, my department moved from one side of the building to the other and considering all that has to happen with that (people to move the computers, people to move the boxes and bookshelves and file cabinets, people to move the phones) and the number of people moving (about 30) and trying to get some work done at the same time, it went surprisingly well.  My feet ached by the end of the day, but I think it was the most smooth move we’ve done yet.  I got lots of compliments on how well I got everybody organized.  It almost makes up for how frustrated I was getting at the end of the week when people kept interrupting me to answer their questions about why the printer still wasn’t working or where they could get keys for their desk or what to do about it being so cold on one half of the room (the other half is warm and part of the problem there is that the thermostat for the warm half of the room is actually out in the hallway, and the thermostat for the cold half of the room is broken — we’re working on it).  Anyway.  It was successful.  I went home, Justin rubbed my feet, I fell asleep sitting in a chair, but woke up in time to watch Castle.

Tuesday, I woke up and couldn’t move my right arm very well.  I couldn’t raise it up above my shoulder and it hurt.  All day, I kept on trying to solve moving issues and try to get a document completed that I’m really late to submit.  That evening we went to the chiropractor’s office for adjustments and he (actually, let me put in here that when I say “my chiropractor” I could mean one of three people — it’ s a family business, so it could be the father, his daughter, or his son — but it’s just easier to be non-specific) (in this case, it’s the son) fixed up my shoulder blade so I could move my arm, commenting that I “really messed it up.”  Trust me, it gets worse.  And afterward, we stayed behind for a health talk and free pizza.

I have no strong recollections of Wednesday, so it’s safe to say it was a lot like Tuesday.  Answering annoying questions while trying to get work done.  Not making it very far on my work, but resolving a lot of moving issues.  I did manage to make a good deal of progress on one aspect of the project, though, so that was good.  Unfortunately, my shoulder was still hurting.  And I spent the evening working on paying bills and balancing the checkbook.

Thursday I worked from 7am to 8pm and it was exhausting.  I had to finish up as much of my project as I could, so I eventually put on my headphones and put up a sign saying that I was trying to finish up this project, so please let me concentrate.  And I’m pretty sure that my lead started turning people away and telling them to let me work because I was able to get a lot of work accomplished without being interrupted.  I was still there after everyone left, but I managed to get it done and sent out for review and I might actually get it submitted before the middle of next week.  Still VERY late.  I went home, Justin drew me a bath, and I sat in the bath, reading, until after 10, when I got out and went to bed.

Friday, I slept in a little before going back to the chiropractor’s office again because my arm was feeling even worse.  He (the son, again) started poking at different spots on my shoulder to try to identify the problem.  Once he found the spot and I stopped gasping in pain from him poking a finger at it, he took his activator (hammer thing) and tried to put it back into place.  Once I stopped crying from the pain (seriously, it hurt SO MUCH! it was like an 8 on my pain scale), he put a cold laser on it and then gave me a cold pack and said that if it wasn’t feeling better by morning, I should come back in and he’d take an x-ray.

What I hurt, somehow, was my sternoclavicular joint, though I’ve got no idea how I really did that because usually it takes something like getting punched in the chest or something with a contact sport.  But let me tell you, it hurts.

I went to work after getting an ice pack from home and managed to get caught up on another project that I’d been neglecting all week and left after about 4 hours of working.  I went home, kept putting ice on my collarbone and relaxed.

I was still in pain this morning, (I keep moving wrong in my sleep and hurting it) though not as bad as the last couple days.  The constant pain has dulled down to a localized dull ache from a pressing pain across the whole shoulder and I have a lot more range of motion through my arm.  I still went back in and the chiropractor (son, again) took an x-ray.  It didn’t show anything, which was a little disappointing.  But I guess that’s still the better option rather than having something broken or obviously wrong.  He put the cold laser on it again, did NOT hit me with the activator (I think I might have punched him if he’d tried again), and told me to rest it and keep in icing it.

And that’s the plan.  Rest.  Ice.  Tomorrow I’m singing at church and Justin’s running the projector from the back.  Today we have no plans.  So I’m resting.

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On barium and pancakes

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Friday morning, Justin and I drove to the hospital on Hilton Head, where we sat in the waiting room for, I don’t know, 45 minutes?  And then they took Justin away to make him drink a barium smoothie and barium smothered crackers and other barium flavored things for about 15 minutes, if that long, before telling him that there’s nothing wrong with his swallowing, so whatever the problem he’s having, it’s not because of that.

Wohoo.  What a way to spend a morning.

So we went back home and he went to bed because poisonous heavy metals and chemicals to which he’s allergic do not a happy husband make.  While he slept, I went shopping at thrift stores to find a bowl to replace the one I dropped Thursday afternoon.  That was the second such bowl I’ve destroyed at work and I’ve determined that if I’m going to go through them at this rate, then I’m going to stop paying any more than $1 for them.  I tried on some clothes while I was there, and then stopped trying on clothes and stuck to house wares because new clothes are so overrated.  And three hours, a delightful conversation with my sister, and $1.07 later, I’ve got a “brand new” bowl to take to work, microwave oatmeal in for a couple months, and then accidentally drop somewhere in the building.

Saturday was much more sedate, with a lot of sitting around and watching TV and poking at computers and letting Justin rest.  I did some organizing projects that I’d been meeting to get around to doing and watched too much “Ghost Whisperer” just because it was on TV.  And I got most of our movies inventoried on to the iTrackMine website. (Useful website, by the way, if a bit time extensive without a barcode scanner.)

Sunday, Justin was supposed to run the computer at church, but he woke up freezing with a fever and shaking, so I called the worship pastor and we both agreed that Justin should just stay in bed; so I tucked him back in, with a couple extra blankets and an electric hot pad and let him sleep away the morning, while I finished inventorying the movies and video games and tidied the house and organized the closet in my office a little better and started a loaf of bread in the bread maker and basically just puttered around the house for hours.  (Run-on sentence!)

Later in the afternoon, after Justin was up and showered and everything, a friend of ours stopped by to play card games and hang out.  It was so much fun!  The last time (which was also the first time), we met somewhere in town and ate dinner together and chatted, but it just wasn’t comfortable.  This time was so much better.  We laughed, we played card games, we introduced her to “Wonderfalls,” we played Wii games, and we watched Justin make pancakes for dinner.  It was great!

I enjoy so much having people over to the house.  Making friends and cooking them food and hanging out, relaxing and laughing.  It’s wonderful!

Today, Justin’s still not feeling tip-top, but he hasn’t been tip-top for months and months, so we’re used to this.  Hopefully we’ll hear back from his doctors soon to figure out what to do next.  Meanwhile, I’ve got a lot to accomplish at work because I’m going to be out of the office part or all of the day on Wednesday and all day Thursday because Mom and Dad are going to be here (YEA!!) and there’s a lot to do before then.

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