Wednesday, May 25, 2016

The Self-Improvement Struggle



My weight has reached a plateau. I mean, that's pretty good. I'm within 10 lb of my goal, and proud of myself for achieving this milestone. I'm down 5 lb since I returned from my travels. I had used travel as an excuse to go off track and put on some weight. I am pretty close to walking 10, 000 steps every day. It is my goal to accomplish at least that many steps. I attend exercise class 3-4 times a week, and lately, it's been possible to make my five day a week goal. I cannot workout like I should because of my pain and arthritis, but my mobility has improved a lot. My physician performed a neck injection, but it has not helped a lot although I have some improvement in symptoms.
I'm so happy with the results of my recent plastic surgery and dermatology procedures. It was a bit scary before I moved forward. However, my emotional health is so much better. Aging is an issue for me. I want to look the age I feel, which is younger than my chronological age. I also desire a more positive outlook about the results of my weight loss. I had vowed I'd never have a tummy tuck, and now I'm thinking about it. Initially, Cal was not supportive; now he is.
I think he recognizes that there are benefits to surgery. At first, he did not even want a joint replacement himself. Then he swore he'd never go through another operation after his knee and hip replacement. Now he is planning to schedule his other hip replacement in the fall. It makes me glad because it will get him out onto the golf course again. I do want him to be more active.
I'm doing my bit to help with our nutrition. I'm not a cook and am a bit overwhelmed by the process of meal planning, shopping, and preparing. It's challenging for me physically, too. However, I'm subscribing to Sun Basket and love the service. It's rare to have to use a heavy pot for the Sun Basket meals (I can get assistance with that), and I can prepare 2-3 portions from every meal they send me. It's about $69 a week for the service - Sun Basket delivers three dinners or 2 dinners with two breakfasts. Cal likes the seasoning, and the ingredients are top quality. It was a bit upsetting when he did not like the first meal I made, but his response is a positive one now. I love that they provide just enough for each recipe. No fridge full of jars of unique ingredients with only one spoonful missing. Check out The Digiscrap Geek Podcast next month where I chat about Sun Basket along with Digi scrap topics with Christy Strickler and Peppermint Granberg Jones. 
The school is over. It was a challenging semester though I learned quite a bit. Too much writing. I acknowledge, here I am with a blog. It must seem odd to find me complaining about writing. I loved the gallery reports; I believe it was just too confining to write up the lab experiments in Artists Materials and Processes and answer the specific exam questions in International Contemporary Art. I'm looking forward to my fall semester, though. Printmaking, bookmarking, history of photography and a ceramic mural class. Maybe too much, but they all look fun!
Improving the body and improving the mind, a never-ending quest with a lot of delightful and sometimes challenging adventures!


My continuing dating saga

 This morning, I criticized a supposed professional for lousy spelling when replying to a brief text message on a dating site. If grammatica...