justathought

I did not have the best week this past week in terms of tracking my efforts in diet and exercise.  I had a very tough week in the trenches at work and that made me less inclined to do the things I know I should.  I started off great with the food tracking:

Monday:

Meal one: oatmeal 2 cups water

snack: Swiss roll, 1 cup water

meal two: salmon w/peppers and onions, potatoes, green peas, and 2 cups water

meal three: cashews, 2 cups water

Tuesday:

meal one: oatmeal

meal two: Arby’s Turkey sandwich and curly fries, 2 cups sweet tea

meal three: cashews, 2 cups water

Wednesday:

I loss track of the effort from here.  The only thing I am certain of is that I ate Arby’s at least one other time for lunch last week.  I had cashews for dinner many times.  I guess I did that because I would be so exhausted by the time I finished work that the thought of preparing a meal was far far away from my mind.

In terms of exercise, I walked during my break each day, so it was 20 minutes of exercise Monday through Friday.  On Saturday I went to a fitness class at B-Risque that included Pole Dance for beginners, Strip Tease, and Lapercise (lap dance exercise).  It was an amazing workout and I was sore for at least two days after it.

I lost a pound last week, so overall I am happy with my efforts.

Age: 31

Weight: 198

I was reading an essence article: http://www.essence.com/relationships/men/articles/wouldyoudateoneoftheseguys 

which talks about the different “nice guys” types out there who get overlooked by women for various reasons.  I had these thoughts to share about that article:

 As I read this article, I could only nod my head at each “nice guy” described. When I was in my twenties, each guy except the Jonathan and Alex type was on the “thanks but no thanks list”. I think when you are younger you tend to be more superficial.

I stayed away from the Michael types because I believed a man with children has already proven his see is potent and I did not want children. Also, I was not prepared to start something and have it end badly - -thus disappointing a child.

The John type was just a little too sweet and when you are young, you are always attracted to the guys that will treat you like crap.

The Robert type just seemed too suspect even before the term down low became so widely known and the Daniel type just did not inspire you to imagine being whisked away by a big strong protective man.

Now in my thirties, I can look back and realize that I let some truly quality men slip through my fingers. I also can admit that it was not because there was anyhting wrong with them, but everything wrong with me. I was still learning my way, figuring out the woman I would become.

Luckily, I did learn my lesson and I find myslef with a good man now. He is not the man my twenty year old self would have chosen, but his is the perfect man for my thirty year old self and beyond.

While flipping through the channels on TV, I paused on Headline News.  The commentator and guests were discussing a recent survey which revealed that 97% of all US kids play video games.  As I listened to the group talk, I wondered why anyone found the statistic startling. 

We have increasingly disengaged from the lives of our children.  Rather than invest time and energy into developing our future generations, we welcome anything that allows us to escape them.  Hence, the emergence of a kid culture immersed in video-mania.  This outlet offers them a world where they are always in control and welcome.

A caller, Caty in Connecticut, phoned in to say she has no problems with her children’s gaming addiction.”Video games are like having a friend,” she said.  When I was growing up, I played a little Atari, but not to the exclusion of everything else.  It definitely made some time to enjoy the world outside my front door.  I could only roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of her statement.  My childhood was not filled with a plethora of friends.  I read books, but I never considered those a replacement for human contact.

My boyfriend has two sons.  We spend time with them at least every other weekend.  He takes them to the park.  They practice skating in the neighborhood in preparation for the times we take them to the skating rink.  They study letters, reading, and math during power hour.  They play board games and watch a little TV.  They spend a wealth of time just talking.  They don’t miss the video games.  Children will do what they are allowed to do.  Parents have to set limits. . . .

I am reading a book about the 12 laws of success (book review to come when I am done) and in the current chapter, the author encourages readers to “Start Today!”  Starting today is the philosophy I have adopted in my exercise/diet goals for this past week.  I have decided not to worry about the previous weeks.  Weeks that were not centered on physical activity or meal awareness.  This past week, I planned my meals in advance.  If there were changes to the plan, I made a note of those changes..  By no means do I consider my diet a healthy one; however, tracking what I eat is a start.  I am convinced that if I become more aware of the items going in, I will hold myself more accountable.  So here is my meal week in review:

Monday:

meal one: turkey and cheese croissant, 2 cups water

meal two: grilled cheese, baked fries, 2 cups water

snack: large soda (coke)

meal three: cheeseburger pie, grilled veggies, 2 cups green tea

Tuesday:

meal one: oatmeal, 1 cup orange juice

meal two: cheeseburger pie, grilled veggies

snack: banana, 2 cups water

meal three: mushroom and spinach pizza, 1 cup water

Wednesday:

meal one: oatmeal, 1 cup orange juice, 2 cups water

snack: peanut butter crackers

meal two: Chic-fil-a chicken sandwich, fries, 2 cups sweet tea

meal three: grilled chicken, collard greens, 2 cups water

Thursday:

meal one: peaches, 2 cups water

meal two: salmon salad on croissant, chips, 2 cups water

meal three: salmon salad on croissant

Friday:

snack: cheezits crackers, 2 cups water

meal one: Arby’s Fresh Market Turkey Sandwich, curly fries, 1.5 cups sweet tea

meal two: 2 beef hot dogs, baked fries, 1 cup water

I won’t keep record of my weekend meals . . . everyone deserves days off.  However; from review of the meals, I see automatically that my french fry intake is too high.  I will work on improving that.

In terms of exercise, I made time for a twenty minute walk during work on Monday and Friday.  I took a 50 minute walk, did thirty jumping jacks, and 100 crunches on Saturday.  Admittedly, it is a slow start.  However, it is a start!  I won’t focus on how much more I could have done yesterday.  Each day, I will focus on what I can do today.

Age: 31

Weight: 199

CONGRATULATONS TO ME . . .. 2LBS DOWN!!!

I was talking to a young lady today about how crazy her work situation is right now.  She is putting in 15 hour work days and feels like the hamster on the wheel. . . .always running and getting no where.  She has a son who is five years old and he seems to be getting placed on hold as she tries to “fix” the mess that has become her job.  My heart goes out to her, but at the same time I wonder why she is killing herself.  The one thing that could “fix” her situation is the one thing the company won’t give . . .more staff.  In this time of economic strife, all companies are trying hard to do more with less.  I think the thing they fail to realize is that when you cut your staff you dilute your service.  A rubber-band can only stretch so far before it pops.  All around me I am seeing the evidence of the strain on my department.  I am trying my best to stay upbeat.  Letting my work environment define my attitude will ensure me a fast ticket to the loony bin.

As I worked a few hours today I found myself communicating with this young lady and asking her was it worth it?  She is too young to be as frustrated and on edge as she currently is . . . . .is a paycheck worth losing her sanity?  I think not!

I am off today to celebrate the one year anniversary of my baby sister’s marriage to the father of her two children.  It is crazy to realize that it has been a year.  She is my baby sister and she has been married for a year.  As I think about it, it made me begin to think about what marriage means to me.

 When I was a little girl, I never wanted to get married.  I did not view marriage as something two people could enter in to and honestly keep the commitment they made before God and family.  That may have something to do with the fact that my Mom and Dad are separated.  They have been for as many years as I have been on this earth -31. It may have something to do with the fact that my Mom was involved with a married man for almost as many years.  It may have something to do with the fact that during my childhood, I didn’t see many married black folk.  Yeah, my grandmother was married - it was her second husband and she always talked about how “sorry” my Mom’s dad (her first husband) was.  It may have something to do with the fact that all of the books I read and shows I watched when I was a kid showed happy, married white families.  So maybe I always thought marriage was a “white thing”.

Either way, I never planned to take the plunge.  It was not because I did not believe it to be a beautiful sacred thing.  It was because I believed in it so much, I refused to make the commitment to someone if I could not hold up my end of the bargain.  I guess you could call me a commitment-phobe.

Anyway, as I plan to head home to celebrate my little sister’s matrimony, I begin to wonder how much my opinion has changed on the whole topic of marriage.  I am in a relationship that is going on three years and he is my best friend.  Should he pop the question one day, I am certain I will say yes.  I will say yes because I love him and I can’t imagine life without him; but, there will be a small part of me wondering if I can truly live up to the promises I make.  Can anyone?  How do you make it past the broken promises to get to the other side where the love still exists?

It seems this year that there is such an increased focus and emphasis on the Presidential election.  My friends and family seem to spend a lot of time discussing the latest Palin/Obama news.  Please notice that I did not say McCain/Obama news.  Most people have nothing to say about McCain other than he is old and needs to sit down somewhere.  I begin to wonder if we are so focused on the non-issue based commentary related to Obama and Palin, are we losing focus on the true goal.  The true goal is to put elected officials in place that will fight to make this country more of the dream we talk about and less of the nightmare we have become.  Elected officials-plural, this means we must be aware of all positions that will appear on our ballot and vote from an educated standpoint.  I encourage everyone to spend a little computer time going to your County Board of Elections website so that you can see all of the positions that will be filled based on your vote or lack thereof.  There are numerous items on the ballot come November 4th.  Time is running out to educate myself on those people and positions that require my vote.  At this delicate time in our society, we can’t afford to make mistakes about any of our elected officials.

In NC the last day to register and be eligible to vote on Election Day is 10/10/2008!  If for some reason you miss that date, you can register and vote the same day at the early voting sites.  We should all make sure we are doing our homework and not missing out on this opportunity to roll up our sleeves, join the battle, and support the candidates we believe will work tirelessly to make our county, state, or country better.

I don’t often like to admit to my vices, but I had to talk about this one for a quick minute.  I am a fan of the “I Want to Work for Diddy” show.  When watching last night’s episode, I felt like it went by too quickly.  The contestants were supposed to throw a “Diddy” style party.   One team was successful while the other just flopped.  In the end the UpTown Team was called to the carpet and the two heads on the chopping block were Red and Stephanie.  When the final decision was Red, Capricorn had a hissy fit.  I found myself wondering “what the heck for?”  Did I miss something?  Was Red some untapped talent that somehow went under my radar?  I do not recall anything that made him great in the episodes, so the only conclusion is that Capricorn has an agenda against Stephanie.

How can she be an impartial judge moving forward?  Maybe it’s just me.  If you watch this show and you feel that Red did something great, please point it out to me because from where I sit. . . .I think the right person went home.

I have been a weight loss loser for the past two weeks.  I have not done any exercise and I have not managed my diet.  It shows in the scale . . . .

Age: 31

Weight: 201

Yesterday I decided to actually enjoy a day off work by doing something unheard of for me, I took the day off. I made up my mind that I absolutely would not work and instead, I would enjoy the new Tyler Perry movie, The Family that Preys Together. I am attempting to become a better manager of my money, but I decided that I deserved to splurge a little on myself. However; conscious of my new “better money management” practices, I decided to drive to my local branch office to withdraw funds from my account rather than pay the fees for using another ATM.

Sliding my card into the ATM card reader, I felt a bit anxious because I was running behind schedule. My movie started at 1:20 pm (note I decided to watch a matinee rather than an evening show–to save money) and the time on my cell phone read 1:24pm. My mild irritation at the patron that used the machine before me (she took FOREVER) turned into major irritation when the machine informed me that my account was actually in a negative balance state.

I admit, I have a lot of growing to do in the area of fiscal responsibility, but there was no way I spent an entire paycheck (and then some, hence the negative status) in less that twenty-four hours. Even in my worse tequila drinking days, I’ve never had such a spending spree. I sat down with a bank teller and discovered that there were purchases in excess of $500.00 made in my name. It would seem that I had become the charitable source that allowed someone to put a little gas in the tank ($25.00), have a nice meal at IHOP for two ($22.06) and fulfill their wildest Wal-Mart shopping desires in the tune of $530.00.

Having your identity stolen and getting fleeced happens in an instant but getting the bank to reimburse your funds takes forever. According to the bank representative, it will take ten business days to investigate my claim and confirm that I did not make purchases in NC and then turn around and make more purchases in CA in less than four hours.

I am left wondering, how did this happen and why me. I always joke with my friends that my identity is the last one a person would want to steal. I’ve done an excellent job of screwing up my own credit that an identity theft would find no success in trying to impersonate me. So what did I do differently on this payday that I have never done in the past? I paid for gas with my ATM card and used the Visa Check option. I bought lunch and used my Visa check card. I always use cash, but for once due to an empty tank and a lack of time, I took advantage of the “ease of access” that a Visa check logo affords us. I won’t make that mistake again.