One reason for all this rain, right?
I loved this view while driving home yesterday.
Put the camera down and drive.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Cool Clouds on I-285 Yesterday
One reason for all this rain, right?
I loved this view while driving home yesterday.
Put the camera down and drive.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Ok, kids: Lesson of the Day time
Today's lesson of the day is about SSRIs, anti-depression medications. They are a little white pill (mine is white) you take to make yourself calmer, less stressed out, and generally give you more feel-good chemicals for the brain. The lesson really is about not taking them. The problem with anxiety and depression is that the medication slowly makes you feel better to the point where you feel like you don't need to take these anymore. And then you stop taking them. When I say you, I mean I. And then you stop taking them, feel better for about six weeks, and BAM. It hits you. Antidepressant withdrawl.
And let me tell you.
Antidepressant withdrawl is a major bitch. Especially this week. I thought I had the flu. I thought there was a problem with my thyroid. I thought I needed to stop drinking the two beers I have a week. I thought I might be preggers. It was some scary shit. Turns out, the BF C looks at my bottle and goes "You filled this in April of this year and you have how many left?
There is something not right about this." True, I have trouble remembering to take my meds. And the bitch about mild anxiety is that you can still get up and be a somewhat normal human being, go to work, and carry out other adult relationships. Until you can't. Monday I came home from work and took a nap until C got home and I was so out of it I didn't know what time it was. I had been sleeping for five hours. So researching the symptoms for antidepressant withdrawl, they were identical to what I was experiencing this week: anything from flu symptoms, nausea, extreme fatigue, spaciness, light-headedness, and dizzyness. And I had all of these at some point. So I have to be better about taking my meds.
No wonder I didn't make major progress with the weight-loss this week. Didn't gain much, about a half of a pound, but this week I basically came home and slept after work everyday. I was a sloth. That is not like me. I didn't eat much, because that's a side effect of antidepressant withdrawl too, appetite loss. I am usually the kind of person that likes to go for a run after work and see what other kind of social activity I can get into later. I didn't feel like trivia, I didn't feel like running, I just felt like sitting, and that feels awful.
Thank god C has some experience with SSRIs because I had no idea what hit me. He saw the symptoms right away (since we are basically living together now) and noticed the thing with the bottle and was able to piece things together. But yeah, back on the weight loss wagon this week.
Peace out kids,
Jenn
And let me tell you.
Antidepressant withdrawl is a major bitch. Especially this week. I thought I had the flu. I thought there was a problem with my thyroid. I thought I needed to stop drinking the two beers I have a week. I thought I might be preggers. It was some scary shit. Turns out, the BF C looks at my bottle and goes "You filled this in April of this year and you have how many left?
There is something not right about this." True, I have trouble remembering to take my meds. And the bitch about mild anxiety is that you can still get up and be a somewhat normal human being, go to work, and carry out other adult relationships. Until you can't. Monday I came home from work and took a nap until C got home and I was so out of it I didn't know what time it was. I had been sleeping for five hours. So researching the symptoms for antidepressant withdrawl, they were identical to what I was experiencing this week: anything from flu symptoms, nausea, extreme fatigue, spaciness, light-headedness, and dizzyness. And I had all of these at some point. So I have to be better about taking my meds.
No wonder I didn't make major progress with the weight-loss this week. Didn't gain much, about a half of a pound, but this week I basically came home and slept after work everyday. I was a sloth. That is not like me. I didn't eat much, because that's a side effect of antidepressant withdrawl too, appetite loss. I am usually the kind of person that likes to go for a run after work and see what other kind of social activity I can get into later. I didn't feel like trivia, I didn't feel like running, I just felt like sitting, and that feels awful.
Thank god C has some experience with SSRIs because I had no idea what hit me. He saw the symptoms right away (since we are basically living together now) and noticed the thing with the bottle and was able to piece things together. But yeah, back on the weight loss wagon this week.
Peace out kids,
Jenn
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Weight, summer, and more
So I haven't been completely open about my Weight Watchers joining two months ago, but I suppose I can report it's going pretty well. I always thought I'd never have to join a dumb program like that, that I can do it myself, but hey, sometimes we all need a little bit of help. I was getting up to a number on the scale that was just in my scary zone and had no idea what to do.
It's easy to do now that it is summer and there ar fresh fruits and veggies everywhere, but the Georgia summer heat makes it impossible to want to exercise. I swear some days I feel like I just want to curl up and an ice box and hibernate until, say, October. Funny since I complained about nothing but the cold when I lived in Minnesota. I wonder what the weather will be like in Oklahoma, if it will be quite so extreme as the two places I've lived the longest in my life.
But I was pleased with a 0.6 lb loss this week, considering my weekend food choices haven't been the best. I like weight watchers because you can eat just about anything you want, and you can have a beer or three on the weekend as long as you don't get carried away and move more later in the week. It's all about portion control and planning your meals, which is really hard for me to do. And mindfulness. Mindfulness is not something I've always done around eating. It's a new set of skills, I tell you.
I actually really like this idea and may end up making one of my own:
I was proud of my 0.6 lb loss this week because it brings my total loss to 8.2 lbs down in 2 months. That's roughly a pound a week. Which is what you are supposed to do for healthy weight loss and for maintenance's sake. So I suppose that is a positive in my week. We will forget that I am celebrating with a glass of wine tonight, but that's OK because it's totally allowed and I budgeted for it with my points.
My mom always likes to say that a pound is equal to a stick of butter when I complain about not feeling that difference. So in essence, I have lost 8 sticks of butter. That sounds a lot better, doesn't it?
My clothes are fitting a little better too. I can get into some grey slacks that were hard to get into two months ago. I also feel like I'm running faster and stronger than before the weigh loss. So there's that. I am doing a couch-to-5K training program with the help of an app on my phone and have gotten up to 2 miles again! Feels great. Not only that, but I am getting back to my old pace, which is 10 min for a mile or faster. I actually saw my pace hit 9.45 per mile yesterday, which feels great. I haven't done that since my junior year of HIGH SCHOOL. :) (I was thirty pounds lighter then than I am now, so I only have room to improve from where I am now.)
Please let me not end up here:
The program likes to chart milestones in terms of % body weight lost. I'm frustrated that I've been 2 lbs away from 5% for two weeks, but I have to realize that it will come off eventually and I just have to be patient and not focus so much on instant gratification. I'm bad with that, but aren't we all? I love the weight watchers community too. So supportive and non-judgmental.
So here it is, the weight-loss post. I'll check in from time to time about this. But I want be a part of the community and blogging seems to be a way to do it. To keep me honest and accountable. Welcome to my journey.
I'll leave you with this image because it's a good thing to end on. :)
It's easy to do now that it is summer and there ar fresh fruits and veggies everywhere, but the Georgia summer heat makes it impossible to want to exercise. I swear some days I feel like I just want to curl up and an ice box and hibernate until, say, October. Funny since I complained about nothing but the cold when I lived in Minnesota. I wonder what the weather will be like in Oklahoma, if it will be quite so extreme as the two places I've lived the longest in my life.
But I was pleased with a 0.6 lb loss this week, considering my weekend food choices haven't been the best. I like weight watchers because you can eat just about anything you want, and you can have a beer or three on the weekend as long as you don't get carried away and move more later in the week. It's all about portion control and planning your meals, which is really hard for me to do. And mindfulness. Mindfulness is not something I've always done around eating. It's a new set of skills, I tell you.
I actually really like this idea and may end up making one of my own:
I was proud of my 0.6 lb loss this week because it brings my total loss to 8.2 lbs down in 2 months. That's roughly a pound a week. Which is what you are supposed to do for healthy weight loss and for maintenance's sake. So I suppose that is a positive in my week. We will forget that I am celebrating with a glass of wine tonight, but that's OK because it's totally allowed and I budgeted for it with my points.
My mom always likes to say that a pound is equal to a stick of butter when I complain about not feeling that difference. So in essence, I have lost 8 sticks of butter. That sounds a lot better, doesn't it?
My clothes are fitting a little better too. I can get into some grey slacks that were hard to get into two months ago. I also feel like I'm running faster and stronger than before the weigh loss. So there's that. I am doing a couch-to-5K training program with the help of an app on my phone and have gotten up to 2 miles again! Feels great. Not only that, but I am getting back to my old pace, which is 10 min for a mile or faster. I actually saw my pace hit 9.45 per mile yesterday, which feels great. I haven't done that since my junior year of HIGH SCHOOL. :) (I was thirty pounds lighter then than I am now, so I only have room to improve from where I am now.)
Please let me not end up here:
The program likes to chart milestones in terms of % body weight lost. I'm frustrated that I've been 2 lbs away from 5% for two weeks, but I have to realize that it will come off eventually and I just have to be patient and not focus so much on instant gratification. I'm bad with that, but aren't we all? I love the weight watchers community too. So supportive and non-judgmental.
So here it is, the weight-loss post. I'll check in from time to time about this. But I want be a part of the community and blogging seems to be a way to do it. To keep me honest and accountable. Welcome to my journey.
I'll leave you with this image because it's a good thing to end on. :)
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Nothing of substance, just a distraction post tonight
Because someone posted this to facebook today and it made me chuckle.
1. Coffee, n.. The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade, v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent.
6. Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightie, gown.
7. Lymph, v.. To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence, n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash, n. A rapidly receding hairline.
12. Rectitude, n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon, n. A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent, n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men
1. Coffee, n.. The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade, v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent.
6. Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightie, gown.
7. Lymph, v.. To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence, n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash, n. A rapidly receding hairline.
12. Rectitude, n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon, n. A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent, n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Originally written 3/14/04
So I'm staring at my box of Crayola crayons tonight, wondering what color to use next, when the thought comes to me that certain colors that get absolutely no use whatsoever. Their points are as clear and sharp as the day they popped out of the crayon machine at the Crayola factory. I wonder if the crayons that don't get used every get their feelings hurt? I mean, there's your rasberry red and your robin's egg blue that are worn down to flat tips, and then there is your burnt sienna and apricot and melon and peach and salmon that are precise and sharp, even if your box is more than 2 years old. Why is that these colors are shunned by coloring fanatics world wide? Could it be crayon racism? Or Crayon prejudice rather? Colorism would be a better word for it I guess, or bias of the colored kind. Or not. But do you tink the apricots and the sepias of the box feel inadequate because they don't get used like the others? I imagine that they feel self-conscious sticking head and shoulders above the others. Like an overgrown girl at a seventh grade dance. But when it comes right down to it those are the colors no one, or at least me, would never dream of using. They just aren't as satisfying as the other colors.....(12:30 pm)
As promised, old writing
Originally "published" February 25, 2004
Compiled by Jennifer Rose for ELAN 4120 (Writing instruction for Elementary Teachers)
Welcome to the soundtrack of my life. I chose to represent my culture musically because music means a lot to me and has always been a part of who I am. I have been playing the piano since before i could ride a bike. I loved anything that made noise before that. My family always had a large record, tape, and CD collection and I don't remember a day that went by when something wasn't on the stereo.
I chose to do this assignment the I did because there is always a song in my mind for any situation I am in. I can't think of a time when I wasn't mentally singing a song. I wanted to showcase a few of those songs that I am constantly singing to myself here.
Broadway musicals, as you will see from my selection, are a genre of music that mean a lot to me. They are as much a part of my culture as the house that I live in. I had a hard time narrowing down the selection of songs from musicals for this project, so the ones represented here are just a tiny fraction of the musicals I adore.
In fact, I really had a hard time choosing just 20 of the songs that represent me in all my glory. (Or non-glory, whatever the situation may be.) I chose 20 because it was a nice round number that wasn't too big or too small. I could have chosen much, much more than I did however, I really did not want to dedicate any more time to this project than I already have. (As it stands, I have spent a total of 12 hours writing and formatting this book.)
I hope, by listening to this tape and reading the notes that follow each song, you gain an insight to me. I hope you get a general idea for how I define my culture and what it means to me. I hope you are not bored. I hope you have fun. Happy listening! Happy reading!
I then go on to list the songs, their lyrics and a description of why I chose that song. Here is a listing on the songs I chose for my life circa 2004, almost ten years ago!
1. In My Own Little Corner, from Cinderella
2. Far from the Home I Love, from Fiddler on the Roof
3. Circle Game by Joni Mitchell
4. I'll Be Okay by Amanda Marshall
5. Whistle a Happy Tune, from the King and I
6. Gypsy by Suzanne Vega
7. Someone to Watch Over Me (the version from Mr. Holland's Opus)
8. I Will Pass This Way Again by The Small Potatoes
9. Master's Degree by David Roth
10. Rondo alla Turca from Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major K331 by Mozart
11. Back in the USSR by the Beatles
12. Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da by the Beatles
13. It's a Perfect Relationship from Bells are Ringing
14. Happy Girl by Martina McBride
15. All Star by Smash Mouth
16. Many A New Day from Oklahoma
17. The Devil Went Down to Georgia, performed by Mike Rayburn
18. Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
19. The Windmills of Your Mind from the Thomas Crown Affair performed by Noel Harrison
20. Variations on Pachelbel's Kanon performed by Mike Rayburn
I suppose I owe my reading audience YouTube videos of these, and they are to come, along with a description of what I wrote then and how my views have changed now. Piece by piece, I will be writing again. :)
The Soundtrack of My Life: Songs that Tell the Story of Me
Compiled by Jennifer Rose for ELAN 4120 (Writing instruction for Elementary Teachers)
Welcome to the soundtrack of my life. I chose to represent my culture musically because music means a lot to me and has always been a part of who I am. I have been playing the piano since before i could ride a bike. I loved anything that made noise before that. My family always had a large record, tape, and CD collection and I don't remember a day that went by when something wasn't on the stereo.
I chose to do this assignment the I did because there is always a song in my mind for any situation I am in. I can't think of a time when I wasn't mentally singing a song. I wanted to showcase a few of those songs that I am constantly singing to myself here.
Broadway musicals, as you will see from my selection, are a genre of music that mean a lot to me. They are as much a part of my culture as the house that I live in. I had a hard time narrowing down the selection of songs from musicals for this project, so the ones represented here are just a tiny fraction of the musicals I adore.
In fact, I really had a hard time choosing just 20 of the songs that represent me in all my glory. (Or non-glory, whatever the situation may be.) I chose 20 because it was a nice round number that wasn't too big or too small. I could have chosen much, much more than I did however, I really did not want to dedicate any more time to this project than I already have. (As it stands, I have spent a total of 12 hours writing and formatting this book.)
I hope, by listening to this tape and reading the notes that follow each song, you gain an insight to me. I hope you get a general idea for how I define my culture and what it means to me. I hope you are not bored. I hope you have fun. Happy listening! Happy reading!
I then go on to list the songs, their lyrics and a description of why I chose that song. Here is a listing on the songs I chose for my life circa 2004, almost ten years ago!
1. In My Own Little Corner, from Cinderella
2. Far from the Home I Love, from Fiddler on the Roof
3. Circle Game by Joni Mitchell
4. I'll Be Okay by Amanda Marshall
5. Whistle a Happy Tune, from the King and I
6. Gypsy by Suzanne Vega
7. Someone to Watch Over Me (the version from Mr. Holland's Opus)
8. I Will Pass This Way Again by The Small Potatoes
9. Master's Degree by David Roth
10. Rondo alla Turca from Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major K331 by Mozart
11. Back in the USSR by the Beatles
12. Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da by the Beatles
13. It's a Perfect Relationship from Bells are Ringing
14. Happy Girl by Martina McBride
15. All Star by Smash Mouth
16. Many A New Day from Oklahoma
17. The Devil Went Down to Georgia, performed by Mike Rayburn
18. Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
19. The Windmills of Your Mind from the Thomas Crown Affair performed by Noel Harrison
20. Variations on Pachelbel's Kanon performed by Mike Rayburn
I suppose I owe my reading audience YouTube videos of these, and they are to come, along with a description of what I wrote then and how my views have changed now. Piece by piece, I will be writing again. :)
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