A Different Kind of Number

I think dieters sometimes focus so much on the scale that they forget there is more to good health than just losing weight. I went to the doctor today and had the lowest blood pressure I think I've ever had as an adult. 110/72.



WOW!!

Now of course a lot of that is because of medication, but I can't help but think the different way I've been eating since joining WW has had an impact. I've been on medication for quite awhile, but my BP has never been that low.

Anyway, I was quite thrilled. As was the doc.

I did get weighed too, of course, and only had a disappointing 3-lb loss. But I'm not going to record that as official since it wasn't on the WW scales.

Anyway, I'll be back to the weight loss numbers next week, but felt my BP number was worth celebrating!


'Oh, God. Is the world ending? I have to research a paper on Bosnia for tomorrow, but if the world's ending, I'm not gonna bother.'

Running in the Wrong Direction

I said I was back on track with regards to WW, but ...

I gained .8 lbs this week. It was completely surprising and unsurprising at the same time. I have been easing back into WW, but I was pretty much on it for most of last week. I had fish twice. I had nuts and fruit and water, etc. Yogurt for breakfast. That alone would knock a pound or two off I would have thought.

However, I have NOT eased back into exercise yet. Did none of that.

AND, it was my birthday weekend, so I had some cupcakes and some pizza. A lot of cupcakes and a lot of pizza actually. Yikes ...



I guess that's where the .8 came from. But birthday is over, so I do feel like I'll see some progress for my next weigh-in.

I feel really sad about Heath Ledger today (and his daughter especially). So I dedicate the Buffy quote to them.


'The first day of kindergarten, you cried because you broke the yellow crayon, and you were too afraid to tell anyone. You've come pretty far. Ending the world, not a terrific notion. But the thing is, yeah, I love you. I love crayon-breaky Willow, and I love scary-veiny Willow.'

Rip Her (or Him) To Shreds

She looks like the Sunday comics

She thinks she's Brenda Starr
Her nose job is real atomic

All she needs is an old knife scar

Yeah, she's so dull, come on rip her to shreds

She's so dull, come on rip her to shreds

-Blondie

I just got through watching the Democratic debate from South Carolina, and it was something else. Barack and Hillary were tearing into each other like two wild cats! Damn ...

It probably isn't too good for the Democratic Party, but holy carpoli, it was fun.

Movie

Cloverfield: I'm always interested in seeing something from JJ Abrams, the creator of Lost and Alias. And written by Drew Goddard, a writer from Buffy, Angel, Alias, and Lost. I mean, damn, you can't get much better than that!

Yet, the movie was a bit of letdown. It was definitely entertaining and kept the heart beating a bit faster than usual, but it wasn't spectacular or supremely innovative or jaw-droppingly original or anything like that. It was a pretty good creature feature. It used the Blair Witch hand-held camera thing, which honestly just gives me a headache after 30 minutes or so. I know that is supposed to add realism, but it adds frustration for me. And seriously, even amateurs don't shake so much these days when filming something.

Worth a rental I'd say, but not a whole lot more than that.

Spring is on the way

Yes, it is about 50 degrees and dark and rainy today, but gardening season is really not that far away. I've already started planning for it.

Hopefully I can scrounge away a few dollars to order my usual Burpee plants. For the first time, I'm going to focus exclusively on cherry tomatoes this year. They come in all sorts of great colors, are easy to eat (which is a big deal for me since I am going to learn to eat tomatoes in 2008!), and are easy to grow.

If I have any funds left, I'm sure I'll do the usual peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, and herbs. Maybe sqaush.

I really haven't had a terrific garden since I moved into my house, so hopefully this year will be the year. I'll post pictures all spring and summer if I have any success. And I'll share with my wonderful blog readers! :)

'Zombies don't eat brains anyway unless instructed to by their zombie masters. A lot of people get that wrong.'

Round Two

All right, I'm back for more WW. As you can see from my total weight loss above, these past two months of not being on WW has taken a toll. I am just 22 lbs down now, as opposed to nearly 40 lbs down back in November.

Frankly, I am happy with the 22 though. I thought it would be less.

I went to Central Market yesterday and stocked up on good, healthy food.

• Tilapia


• Lean sirloin


• Wheat pasta


• Spinach


• Mixed salad greens


• Sweet potatoes


• Organic chicken breasts


• Oranges


• Apples


• Bananas
• V-8 (I'm gonna try it, but no promises there!)

I'll let you know how it goes. Weigh-ins as usual every Tuesday. I need to see that number in the header moving up again!

'I know what you made me do. Your promises of happy fields and dancing schnauzers and being demigods won't work on me anymore.'

You've GOT to be kidding me

Well, I just lost an hour of my life that I will never get back watching that ridiculous Golden Globe winners press conference.

I could sit in the dark muttering to myself about movies, and it would be more interesting than that inane dreck I just watched. My dog Lizzie has more intelligent commentary than those two Access Hollywood Airheads.

Yikes ...

If this WGA strike is still going on at Oscar time, just shoot me.

'You know, I started it. The whole having a soul. Before it was all the cool new thing.'

By the way ...

Southern Gothic would have been an awesome prom theme. If only I had been on the prom committee in high school, I could have saved my senior class from "At Rainbow's End" or whatever the hell our theme was!




Complete strangers ...

Theme of the Month

Theme? For what? That HUGE party I'm having? The complete redesign I'm doing on my house? The prom? No, of course not.

I just want a theme. A theme for the month. Yes, it is weird. No, I won't be doing anything *with* the theme. I'll just have it. If anyone asks about my current theme, I'll have an answer. And you'll have an answer if anyone asks you, "Hey, what's your friend Jason's theme for this month?"

So, without further ado ...

My theme for January is Southern Gothic. It makes sense. I am originally from Mississippi, home to Faulkner, Welty, and other Southern Gothic authors. I also enjoy a little darkness/weirdness on occasion.

You really should click on the picture and bring it up in another window to actually see it clearly. Blog limitations prevent me from making it larger.

'Honey, are you sure you're a Vampire Slayer? I mean, have you tried not being a Slayer? It's because you didn't have a strong father figure, isn't it?'

Movie

Sweeney Todd: I loves me some Tim Burton, but this was a disappointment. It just did not really work for me. I love musicals too, but I think it is easier to convey comedy or romance with music. It is hard to take drama or even horror seriously when the actors break into song. I must say Helena Bonham Carter was delightfully goulish though. She was the definite highlight.

By the way, did you know that HBC and TB are together, but they still maintain separate houses, one built right behind the other? Now that's my kind of relationship!

'And try not to bleed on my couch I've just had it steam-cleaned.'

Trapped ...

I can't go out in my back yard. Neither can Lizzie. We are trapped inside by two giant dogs. It is crazy.

Anyone who knows me knows I love dogs. I don't think I have ever been scared of a dog, but these are two hell hounds that weigh about 70 lbs each. They bark and bare their teeth every time they see me, and the one time I went out to "pet" them (hahaha), they both chased my fat ass all the way back inside. Seriously, I was about halfway out in the yard, and I had to run (I mean RUN) back inside as they both chased me. I am sure that was something to behold.

I can't fully investigate, but I believe they belong to my neighbors and have found a hole in the fence to climb through. But I certainly can't go out there and fix it or I'll be killed. So I left a note on my neighbor's door explaing the sitch. I hope they fix it soon.

I can't believe I can't walk out in my own yard. Because of dogs!

Liz needs to pee and run around ... poor thing. I guess we'll have to walk around the block this evening.


'Stop touching my magic bone!'

Movies

So I had all sorts of movies lined up to see during my Christmas vacation, but only made two.

National Treasure 2 -- Not really my type of movie -- it was a family pick. Seemed very long. Not funny, although many in the theater were laughing. A lot. The action was so-so, and the climax lasted FOREVER. Hey, there's Helen Mirren. What's she doing here? Oh hell ...

Juno -- Much better. A really quirky, funny movie somewhat in the vein of Little Miss Sunshine. Dialogue feels a little too precious at first, but you get used to it and there are some great one-liners. Superb cast, from mostly unknown Ellen Page to Alias' Jennifer Garner. And don't forget not one, but TWO stars from Arrested Development!


'I think Anya's gonna try to cook. Wanna come watch the tears and recriminations?'

No Resolutions ... Yet

I love New Year's resolutions and always make some, but that's not what this post is about. That'll come later.

As I mentioned previously, I enjoy repitition, marking things off my list, keeping track of things, etc. And I like adding little tasks to my health/diet routine to make it more interesting. So this is a list of all the little things I may do in 2008. This has less to do with weight loss, per se, but is more about overall health.

I got these ideas from this great series of books I have been reading.

• 1 T. of olive oil daily (raise HLD cholesterol, among other benefits)
• 1 oz. nuts daily (omega 3s, protein, flavonoids)
• 3 servings of fish weekly (omega 3s)
• 1 cup soybeans daily (protein, fiber)
• 8 oz. tomato juice daily (folate, lycopene)
• 1 cup Cheerios daily (fiber)
• 64 oz. water daily
• 10 T. tomato sauce weekly (lycopene)
• 1 glass red wine daily (resveratrol)
• 3 glasses green tea daily (inhibits fat breakdown, speeds metabolism)
• 1/2 t. cinammon daily (increase insulin receptivity)
• 1 garlic clove daily (lower blood pressure)

I'm going to give many of these, if not all, a try. Can't hurt. Right?

'That was my sarcastic voice.'