tuesday 9.8

Busy day. I went to the first meet up for the Tampa Photography Forum. I was late and will be since I have to wait until the bus picks up Ryan. No big deal. We met at Café Kili which is a coffee shop run by Kenyans. So my request for a black tea latté threw them off a bit. She ended up steeping black tea in whole milk. Rich!

The meeting was interesting. Moslty new people, a few who go to the NPPF meetings. One guy asked a lot of questions about how to use flash with his camera. I really need to get a flash. A few of us had photos to show. My slideshow went OK. I need to have to pics stay longer before it moves onto the next one. They did say there will be some Monday morning walks. Good. But I hope they are not too early.

All the photo talk made me want to go shoot. But where? No one was local to Temple Terrace so no good suggestions. I thought about the Big Top Flea Market but they are only open on Saturdays and Sundays. I turned around to go to Lettuce Lake Park. As I passed the bypass canal, I saw a concrete drainage ditch covered in graffiti. I think it would be a cool spot to shoot with the right light. I added it to my list.

I don't know what I was thinking going to Lettuce Lake Park. I didn't have the time to wander about. So I walked on the boardwalk until I could see the lake then turned back. The lake is overgown and is not continuous. The most exciting thing I saw were squirrels.

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The appointment. We got there early but had to wait. They called us in and we went to get weighed. Andy hesitated since it is one of walk/ride scales. But he let them weigh him. 138. Next was the height. He didn't want the thing to come down so I adjusted it and he went under. 5'-6". He would not allow the nurse to take his blood pressure with the wrist cuff. I did it to show it wouldn't hurt. I was surprised my blood pressure was not high, 117/79. I like that wrist cuff much better than the arm cuff that practically squeezes your arm in two.

Then we waited. And waited. And waited. It was 3:50 when the doctor finally showed up. He listened to Andy's heart and checked his knees. He asked him to touch his toes and stand on one leg, then the other. And we were done. He seems like a really nice doctor. His specialty is rheumatology. The appointment was free!

We were too late to pick up Ryan and I knew he would be upset. We stopped at Wendy's to get fries. OK I got a junior frosty... I was thirsty and didn't want any caffeine.

Ryan was upset but it didn't last long. Whew.

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On the way back from the doctor's office, I saw Shannon's Produce Market. It looks bigger than the other places I have been. I will have to back this week and check it out. Speaking of fruit, I got some great peaches and kiwi from Target. Yeah, I know.

weekend update

Saturday. Not much to blog about today. I wasted a couple of hours in the morning with my eyes unable to open. Only a full bladder made me wake up enough to remove myself from that chair. The rest of the day was more productive. I backed up hard drives and updated software. I made 3 cards and processed my photos from yesterday. On the home front, I did some laundry and made 3 meals. Actually 5 meals if you consider that I don't eat the same breakfast nor dinner as the boys. I ate lots of fruit and vegetables today. Lots. The boys hung out in their rooms most of the day.

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Sunday morning. I got up at 6, grabbed some tea and sat that chair. Then spent the next 90 minutes on my iPhone checking email, reading Twitter and blogs. I looked up to see the sky light and realized that I had missed the sunrise. Nothing new, I miss the sunrise everyday and that is what hit me. I am never just being unless I am asleep. When awake, I am always doing. Reading, eating, creating, working, blogging, shooting, cleaning, washing, driving, walking, shopping... But never just being. I need to work on that. Ironic, I know.

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All I wanted to do today was sleep. I didn't but I wanted to. I made some granola to send to a friend. I made another card and did some laundry. I filled out the form for Andy's physical and read. Not exciting at all.

I think the neighbors had all the excitement. Lots of screeching and wooting coming from the pool. I am glad all is quiet now.

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Keeping it real/TMI... I ate a lot of fruit this weekend. A lot. I wasn't doing any fruit fast of cleanse. I was just enjoying all the fruit I got at the markets last week. However, after this effects of eating a lot of fruit, I know I will never do a fruit fast. And that's all I am going to say.

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It's a good thing Bonnie called or I might have spent the rest of the afternoon semi-conscious in that chair.

I did manage to get potd posted and a slideshow for tomorrow's meet-up. Other than that... I did make dinner though dessert was really sad as there have been no cookies for 2 days. I ate a bowl of mini marshmallows.

I read The Graveyard Book. Very good. A++

friday 9.4

It's foggy this morning. Outside and inside my head. The fog makes everything louder. Including the neighbors 4 houses down who sound like they are in my driveway.

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I am still have bad ankle pain especially in the morning. So I stayed home and I made a couple of cards this morning. I could really get used to be just a housewife again. Can one be a housewife if one is a widow? Am I a housewidow?

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I set up an alltop page thinking it might be better than the blog reader. But I can only see a text brief and no images. I think I'll stick with google reader. But I need to prune some blogs. I can't get through all of it.

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I was trying to figure out what to wear today. I prefer my wrap skirts but I already wore them Wednesday and Thursday and I only have 2. I looked in my wardrobe and found 3 chino skirts I had forgotten about. And they fit!

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Yesterday I got a refill of tea for $.54. Today the refill was free! This make better economic sense that buying a venti.

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I am early to pick up Andy.

Oh man! He gets so excited to leave early and his teacher just eggs him on. The poor boy needs new shoes!

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Now we are real early for Ryan.

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Crud! I jinxed myself. I add to this post while at Barnes & Noble. The last thing I typed was that it just figures that now I have an iPhone, the wifi works. I went to save my post and the wifi hiccupped and I lost it. I actually thought the whole thing was lost but it turns out it was just the update. OK so...

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Ryan was not let out very early. In fact, just as we got ready to leave, they stuck a stop sign in front of our car. This is to allow the pre-schoolers, walkers and bike-riders extra time to get out. The car loop runs along side the sidewalk and if a kid should slip off the curb... SPLAT! This wait made the boys upset but there wasn't anything I could do. We left soon enough and then got to the salon too early.













We walked around the back by the pond but it was hot in the sun. So we waited inside. It was Dana, her client, and Lori. I set up our appointments for the rest of the year.



Andy saw Dana and said "Welcome you back." Unprompted.

Both boys were apprehensive about getting their hair cut. Ryan did OK but Andy was extra squirmy.



We then made our trips to Wendy's and Chick Fil A then back up the road to Barnes & Noble. I got a chai latté that was very good. I looked through The iPhone Book: How to Do the Most Important, Useful & Fun Stuff with Your iPhone, 2nd Edition since The iPhone Book, Third Edition (Covers iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch) (3rd Edition) is not available until September 11. Huh? I checked amazon and it is available now and I meant to put it in my cart but clicked buy now instead. Oops. Oh well.

Ryan found the new volume of The Complete Peanuts, 1973-1974 and could not wait for it to be shipped. It costs almost $10 more at Barnes & Noble! Good thing Andy opted for a Thomas and Friends: Steam Engine Stories (Thomas & Friends).



There was a bit of thunder while we were in the store. But we made it home through only a few drops. The Service Traction System warning sign came on again. I wonder if it has something to do with the rain. My 2000 Montana had a problem with the oil light coming on when it rained.

thursday 9.3

I decided to make some Moo Cards. I got the size requirements and decided on 100 images. I dragged them into Photoshop and start cropping. First I goofed and put some in the wrong folders when I saved them and then I couldn't find them. Ugh. OK got that fixed. After Ryan was off to school, I decided to only work on this for 30 minutes. I didn't spend much time on each photo, just crop and go! It's amazing how quickly I can work when forced. Some photos just don't work when cropped to that size and I had to ditch them. I had 90 photos done when the timer went off so I just finished. I started the upload of 95 images and went to take a shower.

The upload was done when I come out. I started to look at their crops and realize I didn't get the right dimensions. I was using the bleed. Many photos are OK, some needed adjustment. But quite a few don't work so I deleted them. I get down to 50 to print which gives me 2 of each if I want to save one. Why? I have the original. I am a little disappointed that there is no option for a custom back. You can choose one of their icons and type in up to 6 lines of type. I kept it simple. When I do get to the point where I need more professional business cards, I probably won't be using Moo. I went to checkout and 1password crashes safari. Feck! Back to the upload and ... This time I was able to checkout without a problem.

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I called to make an appointment for Andy with the doctor. I could have gotten in today or tomorrow but times conflicted with bus routes and haircuts. I felt bad saying no. We have an appointment on Tuesday at 3. It may be cutting it close but S assured me she can get me in and out quickly.

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11:00 @ Starbucks. Crowded. I had to sit at a table! Oh a chair has opened up but I am OK. I should leave soon anyway. Someone (a guy) smells good. It's been too long since I have smelled men's cologne.

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I saw two helicopters hovering around the Hillsborough river on the way to the chiropractor. Hmm... Good adjustment and they are always so appreciative of my cookies. (Yeah, I know, but I love the praise.)

I couldn't decide where to go to shoot so I went to Tijuana Flats for lunch. Food was not hot enough and cooled off to quickly. And there were too many noisy kids around.

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A steady rain so I didn't try anywhere to shoot. I went home via Bearss and stopped at the market. Bigger selection. Better photos.

Then I went to Publix and home. Not too many shots taken today. Most of the cloud shots had to be tossed. I don't have anything for perspective. I guess I won't be on theme today.

Just enjoying the quiet until Andy come home. Oh there are the beeps.

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Andy's bus came earlier than expected. I was in the bathroom. I need to readjust the time.

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Ryan came home and did 5-10 minutes of homework. I think it was math since he did it right away. Then he wanted to go out. Dang, it's humid! Ryan snuck back in and I was left out alone. Andy came back out and we saw that our neighbors were out. We went over & visited. T climbed a tree and I took some pictures but they didn't come out. A hawk grabbed a lizard from the driveway and ate him while sitting on my mailbox. I had the wrong lens. Those birds are pretty amazing.

wednesday

I had plans to do some walking and shooting around Seven Oaks this morning. But it rained. It doesn't normally rain in the mornings, grrr.

I decided to get some tea, cash, gas and then up to the Lake Jovita Farmer's Market. On Bruce B Downs at Williamsburg, the signal light beam was sitting on the side of the road. I circled around and illegally parked my car and got out. Even with the rain I had to take pictures. When do you ever get a chance to get so close? Man, those are big!

The ATM froze at the bank so I had to circle around and right a check. I didn't feel like waiting in the rain anymore. The gas pump gave me some problems and I finally moved on to another pump. I realized then it was user error. I did get it to work but can someone please explain why you are asked if you want a receipt but when it comes time to get it you are prompted to see the cashier? No, this isn't a one-off. It happens all the time at that Hess. and maybe someday I will learn and click No?

It was a bit sad driving up to San Antonio. The pastures which where short grass and few shade trees is now filling up with scrub since the cows are gone. The produce looked and smelled good but the selection was slim. It's not a true Farmer's Market as the owner goes to Plant City then brings it back. I wonder how much farther it is to Plant City?

I drove back 52 to the interstate. I stopped at Marathon Coach and asked to take some photos of the custom rigs sitting outside. The office manager was hesitant but she asked her boss. He was very nice and said "Sure!"

I went to Tijuana Flats for lunch and it was good. Just a small bean burrito meal with half & half tea. Then I remembered that I had forgotten the cookies for Dana. I thought I had enough time to dash home. I was a few minutes late but then I had to wait a few minutes. I just rattled on and barely let Dana talk. At least I looked I at the baby book so subtly placed on the cabinet in front of the chair. The new salon is nice. There are 4 stylists and each one has her own room.

When I was home to pick up the cookies, I got my prints from MpixPro and my DCI I Am Not a Paper Cup. I went back to Starbucks. I tried the vanilla rooibos since it has no caffeine. It has a different flavor. I might get used to it. Or maybe I should try to get used to the chai? My prints look great. Now I realize I should get some business cards for the meet-ups. A good excuse to get some Moo Cards.

My home wi-fi is acting up again, grrr. This is the 3rd time this week I have had to reboot it.

Andy is home. The bus driver said he did well during the bus evacuation. I had never heard of such a thing. He has also has had 2 fire drills, though one wasn't planned. They don't seem to bother him.

It started raining after Ryan got home. Soon Andy was running and looking for his umbrella. He had seen Ryan out with his and wanted to play. They were in the backyard and I could here thunder in the distance. I was checking to see how close the more intense storms were when they came back inside just as the rain came down in buckets. We got about 2 inches or more and those noisy frogs were at it all night.

Ryan is now able to wash his hair without me, yay!

I follow too many blogs clips too many articles to read. Newspaper? TV? No time!

I am having a hard time staying away from my awesome cookies. At least they are fresh and made from scratch.

stumble trip stumble trip

That is the sound of me trying get back on the right path. Apparently good intentions only go so far.



I should know that the first week of school is always a bit crazy and not to expect a lot of exercise time. But now it's week 2 and I have walked a total of zero times. Good grief! This has got to stop!

Monday I had a good excuse. Mostly. I went to an iPhone workshop at the Apple store. No, I didn't learn a lot but it was fun. What I didn't need to do was go out to lunch at Sinigual. And I didn't need to eat the chips and salsa (I was glad it was a small basket and refused a refill) and I didn't need to order the flan (but I could only eat a third of it before I realized how stuffed I was). In fact, I was so stuffed that I didn't eat the rest of the day. Well, except for a peach around dinner time. And really, the chicken tacos were not big. It must have been the beans.

I should have walked Tuesday but needed to get some cards made and cookies baked. I baked some awesome oatmeal chocolate chip Heath bits cookies. Of course I had to make sure they were good. Tuesday was the first day of Robynn's 30 Day Throw Down and although I did not eat anything overly processed, I didn't eat all that well either. Well, I was fine until I tasted the cookies. A healthy breakfast and healthy lunch were followed by a cookie about every 2 hours. No dinner.

Today? Besides the hurting ankle? I have an appointment to get my haircut. It's been 3 months, no guilt. Well, as long as I eat a healthy lunch. And I had plans to walk around and take some photos. Guess what, it's raining. It supposed to rain in the afternoon and evening not in the morning. Oh that probably explains the ankle. Damn arthritis!

As far as weigh ins go. Well, I am hovering over the next digit. I hate that. One day it's XX0, the next it's XX2. Make up my mind already! So I need to get back into that rhythm so the scale can move down.

I drank the kool-aid

We don't call it bribery, we call it incentives. When Andy was learning to poop in the potty, I offered him an iPod as a reward. It worked, mostly. When it came to Ryan, it wasn't so easy. He gave up his pull-ups and readily sat on the toilet but he still has a problem with his bowels. Research has suggested it is encopresis. Incentives and rewards won't work for this.

When I began my weight loss journey, I didn't think of smaller goals and rewards for myself. Then I realized that it is a long term effort and why not reward myself. OK, actually this was just an excuse for making me wait and work for things I wanted but didn't need. I made a goal for each 25 pounds that I lose, I can buy... At the end, when I lose the 150 pounds, I will get myself an iPhone.

Things changed.

Ryan learned how fun it is to watch movies on Andy's iPod. I asked him if he wanted one for his birthday. "Yes!" Hmm... do I buy Ryan a new iPod? OR... give him my iPod Touch and then I can get an iPhone! It seemed like a perfect plan since a new iPhone would be cheaper than an iPod Classic.

But Ryan wanted an iPod like Andy's. Ugh. It took some convincing but Ryan soon realized that the iPod Touch is way better. It has games and the internet! Cool! I can't wait.

Ryan's birthday is September 22. I realized it would occur during the current money cycle. So why wait? Why not get it now? I called my local AT&T but they don't have any in stock. The Apple Stores have them so I drove down to the mall and got one. So quick and easy. Too easy.

I had said to myself that I wasn't going to make a big deal about it but I can't help it. I am a kid with a new toy even if it only has 2 more functions than my iPod Touch. I am a geek. But I love it! I love the grease resistant screen! I love the camera! I love that I can use it even when I can't get a wifi connection!

I didn't get a case for my iPhone. John Gruber doesn't use one. I do prefer it without a case, typing is easier. I just have to be careful and not drop it. It's a bit to slickery.

scheduling

I am finding it hard to get used to the new schedule. I need to find a routine and stick with it.

For the past few years, I had a routine. I can't say whether I liked it or not but it's what I had. Now it's all changing. Have I mentioned that I don't like change? Especially when it isn't my idea? Now the getting up and getting fed is a bit earlier but that's not so bad. It's the waiting for busses that has become longer and strung out. Instead of waiting for one bus in the morning and one in the afternoon, I get to wait for 2 buses at each time. And it's that gap in between that messes me up.

(Ack! Is it busses or buses? Busses looks goofy. But actually both are correct. I hate the english language!)

Thursday, I was actually productive in between mornings busses. I made a card and got the rest of the family album pages done. I didn't do anything productive in the afternoon.

Perhaps I should plan my time instead of seeing how the mood strikes me? I could be spending time with the boys one on one? Then again, they are at that age when they would rather be left alone. I guess I could do some housework but we all know how lazy I am. I need some self discipline. Without deadlines and due dates I just wander from task to chair and... Yes, that chair where minutes warp into hours.

I am also trying to get back in the groove of blog posting. It was easy to do a synopsis of the day during summer break. But I can imagine it would get so boring for me let alone the reader. What I need is a life!

waiting

It seems I spend a lot of time waiting these days. Waiting for busses to pick up the boys and waiting for busses to drop of the boys.

Andy's bus was very late today. We were sitting outside on the bench. I was reading blogs and Andy was sitting, getting up and walking around and sitting down again. I didn't even realize it was late until 8:03 and the scheduled pick up time is 7:47. At that point, I could have driven him to school and probably made it back in time for Ryan's bus. But Andy didn't want that, he wanted his bus.

At 8:15 I called the bus depot to find that it had broken down and was running very late. At that point, I emailed Andy's teacher to let her know. Andy was trying not to cry. He was upset but trying to control himself. A few minutes later we heard the bus.

The bus arrived and the tears came. Tears of relief and tears of things not being right. There was a different bus driver too. The aide tried to soothe Andy. I hope he will be OK.

Now I am sitting outside waiting for Ryan's bus. At this point, it's 7 minutes late.

[edited to add: Ryan's bus did not show up as of 9:00 so I drove him to school. I am waiting in the drop-off lane until 9:25 when I can set him free. Tea latté? Why yes please!]

back on the right path

During summer break, I found myself frustrated with my weight loss goals. There wasn't enough progress. I couldn't walk and the gardening wasn't eating up enough calories. Counting calories became tedious. I decided to give myself a break. I was mindful of what I ate and what I did for exercise but I didn't keep track except for weighing myself. I did lose a few pounds.

Now it's back to routine and back on the right path. I wasn't so good yesterday as far as exercise is concerned and I won't be so good today. (Driving the boys to school eats up about 2 hours and it is still hot.) But...

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My blogger friend Robynn is have a 30-day Throw Down! of NO fast food. Not just fast food restaurants by no convenience foods either. Make it from scratch! She is giving away a $100 amazon gift certificate so check out Robynn's Raving, join and get a bit healthier.

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During the summer, I was in the habit of eating popcorn in the afternoon every other day. Monday and Tuesday I was too busy and didn't think up it until 5 pm. By then it was too close to dinner. But then a couple of hours after dinner, I think I am hungry. In the past I would have eaten popcorn, or ice cream. But I know it's best not to eat so close to bed time. Though if you have to eat something, pick a protein as it will not spike your sugar levels and will digest slowly. So what to choose? Some of Ryan's chocolate milk.