death and taxes

ha HA! Morning taters :)
Tuesday morning is spin class, and it was a good one today. Jocelyn (of the smily kind and deceptively nice sort who whoops your ass) was instructing and I did some pushups and ab/core/back things after and feel rather fabulous. Sweaty and full of happy endorphins.
Spent last night doing our taxes (oh woo) since today is the deadline to get them sent off...what a lot of time spent just to send in the numbers. We never get much back, but we don't owe either so we just poured ourselves a drink and I wrote and J checked my numbers and we muddled through. I've been thinking a lot lately (after reading a chapter in a particularly well written favourite old book of mine) that taxes and tithes play an important role in society and I will happily pay mine. I've been lucky enough to find a job in the field I trained for and (most days) I love what I do...and I even get paid for it. They can take some taxes and (I hope) make things better for everyone. It's a community that build a happy and healthy society with normal caring people and I never want to lose sight of that fact.

Ah...I'm babbling. Sadly, I have to run off...have my yearly physical today with my new GP and I have a few things to get to before I leave for that. Hope I'll be told all is well again. I checked out my holiday damage on the scale this AM and I have 5 Lbs to send away back to holiday munchland, but that can be done. No biggie...I've come to realize that the trick to maintenance is reigning myself in every once in a while and staying the course in the long run. I ate how I used to eat for 3 weeks with no exercise. And it was not something I care to go back to (atho a short visit to cidertown was lovely!). Even after just getting back to a few healthy days with exercise and I already feel better...incentive to keep at it :) This is the rest of my life here...and there is so much to DO! I want to be able to do it all. :)
And so, I must dash. Have a great day!
Later taters!

hooray I survived

Well, after 3 weeks off I was back at it today. Spin and sculpt class. And I didn't die and feel all the better for it, although it was tough. I can tell I've lost a bit of muscle strength.
Between being sick and then the holiday and then killer jetlag with a clingy cold I just wasn't ready for morning workout. But I realized I was dragging out my holidaying and slothing and munching and such and if I didn't get back to it there would be much much to fix (as opposed to just a bit). I have been really non-attentive to my eats and I can tell...so last night was a final tasty meal of stuffed pork tenderloin and roast potatoes and some lovely wine to send off the holiday properly and today it is back to the regular healthy life of moi.
And here we are.

At the London conference...
can you tell I'm excited?!
And so I must get back to life with a capital L. I have crazy people to wrangle and labs to move. Finally over my jetlag and this cold has given up so I feel human again. I was surprised that we didn't take as many photos this trip...I was caught up in enjoying the moment and not photographing it this time (if that makes any sense) and it was fantastic. Got to learn a lot at international conference, present my poster and still have time for delicious meals and visits with old friends and seeing places I've always wanted to. We saw the royal observatory...prime meridian and watched the time ball drop. Had a picnic on the grass at the Naval academy. Wandered Greenwich and Camden and got a few neat toys...Wandered through Harrods, Hyde Park at sunset and even got out to see a favourite DJ of J's friday night in Camden and then took the night buses back to our hotel. While I was at conference J found a 200 year old umbrella shop and toy store. Adventure :) Then it was visiting with old friends. We had planned biking throught he country side but my friend K hurt her leg so we walked through her town in the sunshine (it was spring there!!) and had cider in pub gardens listening to live blues and watching the kids and dogs run around in the sun on a lazy sunday.
It was lovely. I'm sad to be back, but glad I went. Learned a lot and played a lot. As it should be :)

This weekend was mellow...seemed positively slow after all the crazy of late. Last week I had jetlag that kept me waking up at 4 AM so a few days I came in at 6 to work and got started on a lot of things I had to catch up on and actually got a lot done (noone there to bug me yet). Today is back to more crazy business as I have just 2 weeks of work before we all go hiking in Utah for a week. I've never been and I am so excited. My husband who is not very outdoorsy but loves to hike is both excited and nervous. I'm hoping we can keep him happy and enjoy the hikes in the desert. I can't wait :)  Just have to make it through a busy insane prove-my-worth time at work first.

I'm back baby!

Hiya.
I am home, full of memories and full-on jetlag.
And I still have this dang cold.
But I am happy.
Very happy.
Must dash. I get no time off to recoup and have to jump into work running.
I will post when I get a bit of time...hope you're all doing fantastic :)

wachoo too

Well my throat feels better but my head is still all stuffed up with sneezing and such.
Slept in again to give myself more rest...hoping it will help. Work is insanely busy so I can't miss that so I'm just trying to be good to myself. Takes all the fun out of trip planning though...

Wachoo

Woke up this morning stuffed up with a raw throat so I slept in an  hour, made some oatmeal and some lemon honey tea before coming in to work. Did not relish the thought of gasping for air in spin class.
Hopefully the rest will do me good. I'll try and take it easy for a few days and rest up...with any luck I'll be on the mend before we leave. Holidays are no fn when you're sick.


lovely

This weekend was lovely. I spent it relaxing with J. Yes I could have gotten more done, but his last episode went to air friday night and after watching and celebrating with the crew he was free for the first time in about 2 months to just relax with no worries. Had the time to cook some wonderful meals, go out for walks, started another batch of lemoncello and even got out dancing saturday night. Sunday we got to see the Oz film, which was gorgeous. J and I both read the books a lot as kids so we really enjoyed it. Drank a bit too much wine over the weekend (I need to not undo all my hard work with drinks on the weekends) but other than that, it was charming. I went in to the weekend stressed out and not feeling myself. I've come out of it feeling refreshed and back to me again.
Unfortunately I woke up this morning with a sore throat and croaky voice out of nowhere so it seems I may be coming down with a cold, but if I'm lucky I'll get over it by saturday when we leave (!!!) for England. I haven't been sick in eons, so I suppose I'm due.
This morning I came in for spin and sculpt class and had a nice workout. despite the sore throat I could still workout no problem, so I figured I'd give it a go. Now I have the last of the baked banana blueberry oatmeal from the weekend for breaky, and it's off to the land of management. :/
Here goes nothing my good peeps.
Happy monday :)

friday!

Still busy. Popping in for a quick log.
It's snowing again. I have nothing left to say about that.

This morning was spin and sculpt class. Most excellent.
And now...full day.
Gotta run :)

Busy. Gah!

SO busy, but wanted to log.
Did crazy spin class with yelly Mel and some ab stuff after.
Gotta go!

Much much later:
Wow. What an insane day.
Had more duties added to my crazy time with many people moving and new equipment and packing...and...yeah. Just a little busy. Add to that the fact that I am mega stiff from yesterday and today and I must say...it's bedtime :)
Night!

no show

Again with the no sculpt instructor. Given her stellar  track record of not showing up I do not think she will be on the summer and fall schedule. She teaches a wicked class...when she actually shows up. Pity.

So it was make your own workout again with classroom gear. I winged it with 3 rounds of:

25 good mornings (18Lb bar)
20 bent rows (18 Lb bar)
12 dragon curtsey squats (10 Lb dumbell)
10 full burpees
20 bicep curls (10 Lb dumbells)
12 one legged deadlifts, each side (12 Lb dumbell)
20 overhead shoulder press (18 Lb bar)
15 overhead tricep extensions (12 Lb dumbell)
20 deep squats (12 Lb dumbell)

Then 26 minutes on the hill program of the elliptical followed by 40 hanging crunches and 40 back extensions. Done and done. :)
Now it's another day of moving and packing at work. Lots more new gear coming in.
Must dash. :)

Lets spin baby, lets spin

Ah. Lazy evening. It was nice. Knitted. Read. Futzed about.
This morning I came in to workout and it was spin class with yelly Mel and holy mama did we work out today. Sweaty crazy 45 minutes of spin madness.
Muahaha.
Yup, it was a solid workout, after which I did a few core things (supermans, flutter kicks, bird dogs and rows with the medicine ball) and now I'm in for work. I've been having lemony greek yogurt with my breakfast granola and banana lately and YUM. It's like lemony perfection. I'm a gonna get more tonight when we head out for groceries.
Gotta run - we're getting in semi-loads of lab equipment for the new labs today and I have to help receive and unpack it. it's like christmas :)
This favourite dance song (a favourite to run to for me) has been stuck in my head since I woke up...now it can be in yours. Heheheheheh!

Have a great day!



Back to it

Ah. Back to regular schedule. Which I find oddly comforting...
This weekend was nice, but not long enough or free enough. I wish we got today off as well, but we don't...
It was nice to spend some time with J this weekend since he had friday and parts of saturday off. The family meals were OK, but I honestly would rather have stayed home with J and just hung out together instead. Still, good visits with people and lots of good food, and what was to be a potluck for a friends' birthday saturday turned into a late night of shenanigans with old friends i haven't seen in a while - it was nice to get out and have some fun :). Sunday was more enforced family time - managed to not go too hog wild on the food and enjoyed a bit of wine. While I enjoyed the new Doctor Who I sadly forgot to PVR the new Game of Thrones and realized in the middle of easter supper...hoping it's on again or on SHaw on Demand soon so I can catch up. Doh.
I did get a little activity in this weekend at least. I spent 3 hours out on the front sidewalk chipping all the ice and slush off the front walk and steps so now there's a trench for the melting snow to trickle away and not fill up the walk and no one will fall down on our sidewalk. It was hard work and I was really sweaty by the end, but the sidewalk is clear now. Once the snow is gone my home workouts will be lacking I think. Have to find other work to keep my busy! :P The great melt has begun and there is water EVERYWHERE... I need to dig out my rubber boots. Already made my winter boots squishy on my way in today. I'm glad I cleared away the side of my house because there's a LOT of melting to do...here's hoping it all stays outside my basement.

And, I have to ask since I'm wondering if I'm being unreasonable about something- would you call anyone at 9 am on a saturday (holiday saturday no less) to ask a mundane question? My brother and his wife have a frustrating habit of calling me early on the weekends, usually on the only day I have to sleep in to ask me something that could wait for later. They just assume that since they've been up for hours I am too, and if not I'll just ignore the phone ringing. Thing is (as I keep reminding them), because of my job, I have to be on call all the time and if the phone rings at an odd hour, I assume it's important and answer it. Getting out of my warm cozy bed to answer a phone and find my brother on the line asking me a question that he could have emailed or texted ("can you bring an extra set of cutlery for supper?") or even just waited until later to call me about is annoying and I end up PO'd and can't go back to sleep after. I'm too polite to tear a strip off them but I'd like to. I don't call people before noon or after 9PM out of common courtesy unless it's very important. I ask them to do the same...but they don't respect that. I'm trying to figure out how to tell them without telling them off...any ideas?