New Directions

I’ve not posted in this blog in a very long while. I guess I’m not sure what kind of place I want to make this.

A weight-loss place?

An adventures-of-Ginger-the-cat place?

A random place?

To be honest, I don’t even know if enough people read this to make it worth my while.

I’ll post again soon, just wanted to check in and say “helloooo!”

Also please note I’ve added a “blog with integrity” badge to the right-hand side of my blog. No lies here, people, like you might find on other blogs-that-shall-remain-nameless.

(Maybe this should be a multihyphenate-word place?)

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Ginger the Goofball

My cat is unique.

I know a lot of people say that about their pets, and it’s probably true. In my case, friends have commented on how there are things Ginger does that they’ve never/rarely seen other cats do.

For example, Ginger likes to “groom” me — specifically my hands and arms — whenever she can. She would do this all day if I let her.

She also licks my forehead if I my face is close enough to hers. Again, she’d do this for eternity if allowed.

And lastly — but not leastly — every so often she’ll stick her tongue out. I’m not sure if it’s directed at me or the world in general, but it cracks me up every time she does it. I’ve tried to snap a photo of her doing it, to no avail.

Until now.

Helping Older Animals

I just read this article on USA Today’s Web site and pretty much cried through the whole thing.

Chance for Bliss Sanctuary Has Happy Endings for Old Animals

Please consider visiting their Web site and donating. You can do a one-time donation, sponsor animals for as little as $10/month (they are looking for 1,000 donors at this level), and there’s also a wish list of items they need (monetary donations for vet bills, feed and overhead being the greatest). I delved deeper into their “How You Can Help” section and there are a myriad other ways to help as well, from visting Etsy sites and donating used books.

I’d love it if you could pass this information on to any animal lovers you know. Stories of animal cruelty just break my heart and make me hate the world. Reading stories like this restores a little of my faith in the goodness of people. From what the article says, this couple is in severe financial distress, which in turn means this wonderful sanctuary is in the same dire straits. Any little bit helps!

And here’s a little bit of gratuitious begging in the form of a photo of my cat, Ginger, who thanks you for helping the animals!

Post WW@W Weigh-in: Week One

I’m down 1.9 pounds.

Taking this with a grain of salt, of course. My last Weight Watchers at Work weigh-in was at lunch time when I was fully clothed. This week’s was this morning in my pajamas before I left for work. And it still puts me above the goal that Sparkpeople.com has set for me. But now I at least have a base to work from, a number to which I can aspire.

It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Little Fish, Big Fish, Swimming in the Water

Water exercise, while good because of the small amount of impact it puts on the joints, is definitely not easy by any stretch of the imagination.

Last night I went to the gym for the “Water Walking” hour, and hopped in the pool with four elderly people and did my little water jog for about 40 minutes. Tonight I went for a full-on, hour-long water aerobics class. The fact that I’ve gone to this class three weeks in a row is a real testament to the instructor. She’s just a lot of fun and keeps things interesting. I don’t think we’ve done the same exact routine twice.

Tonight when I got home I had some dinner and did some dishes. Now that I’m sitting in front of the computer, I am starting to realize how sore I am. Almost as if I were lifting weights.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing. I’m just a little surprised. When you’re in the water, it doesn’t always feel like you’re getting a workout, so I’m happy to be able to feel the results now that I’m on dry land.

Excitement in the World of … Ketchup

I very rarely get excited or agitated about ketchup. I mean, it’s just ketchup, right? Hasn’t change much in the bajillion years since it was developed. The only time I get annoyed about ketchup is when my friend Roy gets up on his soap box about how unhealthy high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, and a main ingredient in ketchup) is. My aunt, who is a nurse, agrees.

And for the most part, they’re right. While there are conflicting studies about the health risks surrounding HFCS (even the Mayo Clinic won’t take a stance one way or the other!), more and more people are electing to avoid it if at all possible. It’s a main ingredient found in lots of different foods, including bread, which, I agree with Roy, is very odd indeed.

I read on a blog (sorry, can’t remember which one) about how organic ketchup is — obviously — free of HFCS. My theory on organic food is that if it were less expensive, more people would be inclined to eat it. This is a big reason why I’ve yet to buy a ticket on the All-Organic Express. So I decided to first check out my local grocery store to see if they sold any ketchup devoid of HFCS.

Imagine my delight when I came across a name-brand ketchup that has a new, non-HFCS formulation! I did a quick Google search of “high fructose corn syrup free ketchup” and it looks like this name brand’s competitor is following suit.

So of course I bought it, because fries and cheese curds just aren’t the same without ketchup.

Now, if only a store-brand version of non-HFCS ketchup would come along, I’d be an even happier girl.

Fin

Our last Weight Watchers at Work meeting is in just over an hour.

We won’t be continuing, since we weren’t able to get the required number of members to re-up for another session. I’m okay with this. I think Weight Watchers and I have gotten all we can from one another. I know I will have gained weight this week due to the fact that I probably pulled every abdominal muscle I have at Core Bodyworks last Thursday, and was barely able to sit up without screaming in pain until Sunday. I’ve also only worked out once this week and was “being what I’m repeating” food-wise.

But, today starts a new weight-loss week, and I hope with the help of SparkPeople I can start to lose weight consistently again.

My Hometown’s Contribution to March Madness

The Wisconsin and Marquette men’s basketball teams may be out of the hunt for the NCAA championship, but a Milwaukee influence still remains.

Click on the link to see what I mean, and to watch a really cool video.

Trusting the Universe

I’m not normally a Michael Buble fan; my radio has a feature that tells me who is singing the song, and if I see his name scroll across the display, I switch stations.

Not tonight.

I’m hoping this was the Universe speaking to me. Only time will tell, I suppose.

Haven’t Met You Yet

I’m not surprised
Not everything lasts
I’ve broken my heart so many times
I stop keeping track
Talk myself in
I talk myself out
I get all worked up
Then I let myself down

I tried so very hard not to lose it
I came up with a million excuses
I thought I thought of every possibility

And I know someday it’ll all turn out
You’ll make me work so we can work to work it out
And I promise you kid that I give so much more than I get
I just haven’t met you yet

I might have to wait
I’ll never give up
I guess it’s half timing, and the other half’s luck
Wherever you are
Whenever it’s right
You’ll come outta nowhere and into my life

And I know that we can be so amazing
And baby your love is gonna change me
And now I can see every possibility

Somehow I know that it’ll all turn out
And you’ll make me work so we can work to work it out
And promise you kid to give so much more than I get
I just haven’t met you yet

2010 Tips to Live By: No. 1

Be very careful who you trust, particularly on the Interwebs.

There are a lot of nasty liars out there.