Hip Update

Not much to report. Have been getting some medical help, but not much is really working. I need to find something else. Am not sure what the next step is. Maybe just give up until after the new year and see what comes my way.

Sidelined

I have been sidelined from playing my beloved tennis.

I'm having hip issues and am in the process of figuring it out. (If I can weave my way through Kaiser's maize to actually make an appointment, that is!)

I haven't played in three weeks and I still have daily pain in my hip. Drats.

I am very motivated to fix this since it was the first time EVER I have enjoyed and looked forward to exercising. Even at 6:30 in the morning! I knew I'd have to adjust to something else as winter set in and it would be too dark and or too wet to play. But this was way too soon!

Weight is holding fairly well. A couple pounds back on, but I haven't been eating as "cleanly" either.

ADHD Awareness Week

So, I've just become aware that this is ADHD Awareness Week!

You can attend a "virtual" conference, set for September 22-24 (next week). You still pay a conference fee, but you can attend via phone or listen to MP3 recordings of it! Since it's right before the NSGCD conference, I'm thinking about "attending" by downloading the recordings and listening to them later while I exercise. One of the many wonders I've discovered since joining the 21st Century and using an iPod. (Really, if I can do it, anyone can! I'm 47 and certainly not a techno geek. I typed--yes I said typed my college papers on a typewriter.)

Anyway, it's only $247 to attend (and there are a number of sessions, so by listening to the recordings, you can hear all of them.) If you want a CD as well as written and printed transcripts (they are covering all the modality bases), it's $100 more.

http://www.adhdconference.com/

I encourage you all to learn about ADHD if you haven't already. And even if you don't attend this conference, try picking up a copy of "ADDitude" magazine--I saw it at Barnes and Noble yesterday, or looking at their website. There are usually some free downloadable tip sheets. ADHD is not just about kids--kids grow up to be adults with ADHD, and those are our co-workers/spouses/siblings/parents!

http://www.additudemag.com/

Another great resource is the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, the ADDA.
http://www.add.org/

Wow! Just as I was typing this, I got an e-mail from the ADDA about two teleclasses this week--one tonight and one tomorrow. This week, they are free to members and non-members. What a great resource! (Yes, it's probably a symptom of ADHD that I would go and look at my incoming mail in the middle of writing this!)

Wednesday, September 17
Speaker: Nancy Ratey
Title: "The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents"
Time: 9:00 pm EST (That's 6 pm Pacific)

Thursday, September 18
Speaker: Dr. Stephen Hinshaw
Title: "Q and A - Everything You Wanted to Know about AD/HD - But Didn't Know to Ask!"
Time: 9:00 pm EST (That's 6 pm Pacific)

Go to http://www.add.org/awareness/ to get the log-in info for these classes.

And, no, this was not a paid announcement for the ADDA or ADDitude Magazine. Just great resources!

Margaret

Tennis on Crack

I have been anxiously awaiting my time to post this blog with that title!

I recently visit to my hometown for my 30th High School Reunion, and I had been looking forward to playing tennis against a backboard that I used to play against all the time when I was a teenager. Just a need to revisit that time and place, especially since I've been playing again this last month.

But this real-time visit was preceded by a 21st Century visit via Google Maps. (I really should be boycotting Google Maps since they have been violating privacy rights all over Sonoma County by trespassing on private roads in order to photograph homes for Google Street View. Now they are saying they are not going to stop and will challenge the privacy rights!)

But I did use aerial view and street view to check out my old beloved backboard at the intersection of Alexandria and Hammer. Yes, it was still there. No, it didn't look like it had become a "bad" part of town.

So DH and I got up at 6:30 am (a very good idea to get up early in Stockton in the summer if you plan any physical exertion) and headed over. Beautiful morning, still cool and of course very clear. None of those low clouds and coastal fog of Sonoma county!

What Google's satellite or car mounted spy eye couldn't show me, however, were the number of cracks in the court surface. Big fissures. Fault lines you might say. (Get it, fault lines, in a tennis court...) It gave me a new kind of practice where I had to second guess which way the ball was going to bounce off a crack. Sort of a combination bumper pool/tennis game.

We played for a bit on the back side of the backboard (a double-sided structure) since the surface was a little better, and the sun not in our eyes. However, we quickly realized the disadvantage to playing on the side that can't be seen from the street. In a public park. I'm used to bits of condensation here and there in Sonoma county--that fog I mentioned is ever-present even in the summer. Stockton, however, had been in the 90s all week. That was not condensation in the corners of the backboard. We left a couple balls at the court. Some dog will be extremely happy to find them, pre-scented and all.

DH had brought DD's child racquet to play with since he didn't have one at that point (small one and pink, very cute). I used it for a bit, but realized the grand difference between a $12 racquet and a $270 one. (Now, I must interject, I did not pay $270 for my racquet. There is a definite racket when it comes to racquets. Big 5 carries a dozen or so models and at any one time half of them are on sale. Usually at a deep discount. I paid about $70. We found similar deals when we bought DH a racquet later that day.)

We got in a good hour of tennis-on-backboard, worked up an honorable sweat, and headed back to the hotel to get ready to go to a Baptist church service. (Yes, possibly another post of its own. The music was great.)

The poor condition of the backboard courts left me with greater respect for my current courts which are in perfect condition. If I were Bill Gates, I would donate the money to have them resurfaced (and all the others in town while I am at it!). But alas, I am a mere professional organizer still paying off my daughter's preschool loans (just kidding...sort of ), and I can only broadcast my appeal to the wealthy residents of Stockton...hey, donate some money to parks and rec and get those backboards in shape! They are good not just for tennis, but racquetball and handball. Let's keep our kids in shape.

Ok, time to go. DD had her first birthday party sleepover and the cherubs have awakened.

Margaret

Three-Oh Update

The reunion was fantastic. Although a really low turnout and the hall was in a place even the current Stocktonians couldn't find, it was fun. No name tags! Added an element of intrigue.

Had nice talks with a number of people. A person who never liked me (it was mutual) kept coming up and hugging me. Faulty memory or water under the bridge? I'll never know.

And one person who I hadn't seen in 30 years finally came to a reunion and it was really great to reconnect. Looking forward to that relationship continuing. And hey, I just realized I didn't get to see pictures of his kids....are you listening TGQ? :)

Reconnected with Stockton, too. My next post will delve into the tennis aspect. The Blackwater Cafe is up and alive again, but it was a dive from hell. The first clue was the 8 smokers sitting outside at 11:30 in the morning. Inside smelled just as bad so we left. Nice Thai place in the "new" downtown. Drove around the old neighborhood near American Legion Park. Visted Big 5 and the Weberstown Mall since DH needed to do his once-a-decade clothes shopping. (And we got him a tennis racquet, too.)

And yes, I found a great dress to wear. I liked it and felt good in it. And DH said I looked great. (Good boy.)

See ya all in another 10, SM '78 grads!

And to all you folks who still live in Stockton and didn't show up--shame on you!

To all my friends in far away places who have NEVER shown up...hey you missed probably your last chance to look great. We're all going to be nearly 60 next time around. Not that we can't look great at 60, but the chances are going to get slimmer....:)

Anyway, I'll still be a year younger than all of you!

;)

The Big Three-Oh!

Well, tonight's the night. The big 30th High School Reunion. I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I guess.

I've actually been feeling some anxiety about it in the past few days. I have no idea what to expect. I really have no expectations. At the last two reunions, while a few of my "group" were there, many of them have never shown up for these things. So if they do show up tonight, it will have been nearly 3o years since I've seen them. These are folks I've had no contact with in three decades, yet they were the main players in my life (my drama) of my teen years.

I feel confident in who I am. I feel independent of those years, even though formed by them. I am who I am.

Now back to that weighty issue.

I've been very good about playing tennis almost every day for the past two weeks. I found myself discouraged last week when I actually gained a couple pounds, yet continued to eat cleanly and play every day (I'm up to an hour against the backboard now).

But I realized that two things really contributed to that gain (or lack of loss). One (TMI alert) was the fact that my period started. Apparently I do gain weight for a whole week. And two, while I ate "cleanly" I did eat out a lot since it was my "Stay at home vacation" (more on that in another blog). I had lunch out three different times during the week, and we were traveling on the weekend. A chocolate coconut bliss shake here (see this Blog about Guayaki Yerba Mate Bar in Sebastopol) and a raw vegan brownie sundae (at Seed vegan restaurant in Santa Rosa) there really adds up. Yes, it was all vegan. And yes, I am not the skinny pale vegan most carnivores like to refer to in defending their own diets. It is a great time to be a vegan these days, but not for one who easily gains weight!

So late this week the scale did start to tip downward, as I had hoped it would, once the monthly bloat went away. And today I can officially say I have lost 10 pounds since the start of this endeavor. I am at 152.0 pounds! Yeah! Yes, I had hoped to lose 20, but I knew that was probably unrealistic without attending some sort of boot camp. I think the 10 I did lose is a "solid" ten and a healthy one. Yes, I'd like to see 10 more go away and I will keep working on it. The tennis is fun and I've been able to get the backboard court if I get there very early. I honestly don't think I'd have as good a workout if I played a real game with a real person!

OK, off to finish packing and see my cohorts of 30+ years ago.

I'm sure we will all look just fabulous!

And being a year younger than all my schoolmates is finally paying off....

Weight update

Well, right before our trip to family camp, I got the invitation.

The 30th Reunion is in only one month....the middle of August.

I have to re-arrange DD's BD party (scheduled for that weekend). If I can plan that far ahead (that date had been settled for months), why couldn't they?? Not sure why it's such a last minute thing.

So family camp didn't help me out any with food--they had plenty of vegan food and it was good. And vegan desserts. And vegan snacks. And I only hiked one day. (Did a lot of reading and a little napping--when the large groups of noisy boys moved away from my cabin, that is...) So, I can't really blame FC, but I can try.

What this all means is I have to go into superdrive for getting some exercise and watching what I eat.

I did start reading a book "The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size" by Julia Cameron and just today bought a "training" DVD. She promises to whip me into shape. OK, good starts.

I've begun my "writing" and did a little shopping to ensure that I had a good cereal for tomorrow's breakfast. And our plums, peaches and blackberries are ripe so I have plenty of fruit. Back to watching every meal and recording it. And finding the time for exercise each day.

I think I hear my tennis racket calling me.....

Margaret

Great Wiki Article on How to Accommodate Veg'n Guests

Just in case you don't read my "It's a Cookbook!" blog, here's a great article I found on Wiki How.

How to Accommodate Vegan and Vegetarian Guests

What happens when you're having guests for dinner, and they are either vegan or vegetarian? Some preparation beforehand can ensure that your vegan and vegetarian guests enjoy the event as much as the other guests.

Steps

1. Ask your guests if they have any dietary restrictions when issuing an invitation to a meal, and try to remember them - they'll greatly appreciate your efforts and respect you. When discussing the subject, ask them if they are willing to eat Jello, eggs, dairy products, honey, or animal-derived gelatin. Individuals may differ in how strictly they adhere to their chosen restrictions under certain conditions.
   
2. Know the differences to avoid awkward errors or unneeded effort on your part. There are different types of vegetarians. Don't be afraid to ask specific questions and what options are safe to serve.
   
   • Lacto vegetarians eat non-meat animal products, e.g. dairy (milk, gelatin-free yogurt, butter, rennet-free cheese) and honey, but no fish, chicken, meat, or gelatin.
     
   • Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat eggs in addition to dairy products, but no fish, chicken, meat, gelatin, or cheese that contains rennet.
     
   • Vegans avoid eggs, dairy products, honey, and gelatin.
     
   • Pescetarians aren't technically vegetarians but may eat a mostly vegetarian diet. They will eat seafood. Some eat more than others or specific types of seafood.
     
   
   
3. Check the ingredients of the recipes you were planning on serving. Some recipes may already be acceptable, or could be easily adapted (for example, using soy milk instead of cow's milk to make a dessert vegan). When purchasing products, look out for hidden animal ingredients such as meat broths, gelatin, casein or whey, lactose, butter, cheese, etc.
   
4. Don't guess. If you have a question about something, ask. Or better yet, consider having your vegetarian friend cook with you - if they enjoy cooking. You can learn a lot about vegetarian cooking this way. Ask them about a particular recipe and if it's agreeable and then pick up ingredients. Most vegan ingredients will have a vegan label.
   
5. Do not assume that vegetarians will pick the vegetables out of a meat dish. Prepare a separate meat-free dish for them, without using the same utensils utilized in cooking the non-vegetarian dishes.
   
6. Make sure that the quantity and quality of food served to all the guests is similar. Don't expect a vegetarian guest to feel satisfied with an iceberg lettuce salad while everyone else has a full meal. It is a surefire way to ensure that they don't want to return.
   
7. Include filling dishes such as pasta, rice, or potatoes as well as fruits and vegetables. Don't forget to include protein, otherwise the guest will still be hungry. Good protein sources are vegetarian lentil soup or chili (made with beans). Mock meats can be useful, but check their ingredients as some may not be vegan. Also, not all vegetarians are crazy about mock meats, especially if they were raised as such all their lives.
   
8. Search. It is easy to Google for vegetarian recipes online, or buy a vegetarian recipe book and plan in advance.
   
9. Order out. If you cannot plan to cook separately for your vegetarian guests, then order some food from a local restaurant, checking that their dietary restrictions are met. Lots of restaurants accommodate vegetarians, e.g. Indian, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, and Ethiopian among others. Many cities also have vegetarian restaurants. In a pinch, even pizza (as long as they eat cheese with rennet) will do. You can also do a cheese-free veggie pizza. Tell the restaurant your needs and they may be able to steer you in the right direction for your order.
   
10. Make simple non-meat dishes if you're feeling lazy or don't have vegan or vegetarian versions of things (such as mock meats or soy dairy, or switch vegetable stock for meat stock in recipes). Things like macaroni and cheese or sandwiches are incredibly easy and don't require anything extra.
    
11. Look for ingredients at your local health food store. Many have delis and the staff are often quite knowledgeable. Don't be afraid of ordering dishes from the deli or asking questions of the deli workers. They'll be happy to help.
    
12. Buy enough for your vegetarian guest and also enough for your other guest to try. It could be a great time to sample vegetarian dishes and your vegetarian or vegan guest won't feel singled out at the table.
    
13. Remember to pick up dessert items and appetizer items your friend can enjoy as well. Consider doing a dessert assortment so everyone can have a little something. Veggie trays work well for everyone but the deli at your local health or fresh food store may also have tasty options.
    
14. Give them notice. If you truly cannot accommodate your vegan or vegetarian guests, then warn them in advance so they can eat before the event or bring some food with them. You should still offer a veggie and/or fruit tray selection that everyone can nibble on.
    
15. Remember that many of the foods that you eat may already be vegetarian or easily converted to vegetarian versions.
    
16. Consider stocking up on several dishes and ingredients if your guest will be there over night or eating more than one meal. You may prefer to wait until they arrive and take them to the grocery store with you. Try to find a health food store in town and consider stopping there. You may also prefer to plan more meals out.
    

Tips

• Always ask guests about their dietary requirements and be as clear as possible. Have them write it down if necessary. If you are not sure whether or not you can accomodate them, ask them for suggestions!
  
• Consider how you would want to be treated if you were a vegan or vegetarian. Asking someone why they are vegetarian at the dinner table can be considered rude, and it puts them on the spot.
  
• A search on Vegetarians and Vegans to understand your guests' choices better may help prevent giving unintentional offense.
  
• Don't embarrass a guest by making an entire separate meal for them. You should incorporate their options into your menu.
  
• Please do not be offended if your guest cannot eat what you prepared because of a certain ingredient overlook. For many vegetarians, this is not a flexible subject and "just a little" cheese/chicken stock/gelatin, etc. is not acceptable. The effort is greatly appreciated,and they should be gracious enough to explain that they cannot eat a certain product but that they appreciate the effort. It's not a personal attack, they just simply cannot eat certain items.
  
• Vegetable bullion is readily available on the supermarket shelf next to chicken and beef. It's tasty and when used as the base for soup, risotto, or in which to cook beans, it works fabulously.
  
• Most cheeses sold in the US/Europe contain rennet, an enzyme complex derived from cow stomachs. Unless the label says "microbial rennet" or "vegetable rennet" cheese is not vegetarian.
  
• Another consideration when accommodating some vegetarian/vegan guests is that your soap is animal friendly and hasn't been tested on animals. If the label doesn't say that it wasn't, it has been tested on animals.
  

Warnings

• Do not lie to your guests and claim that dishes are vegetarian when they are not. This may very well be violating their ethical and/or religious beliefs. This is a very big violation of trust and friendship. If they find out you've lied, which is likely, they will feel they can no longer trust you. Some people may have severe allergic reactions to the animal ingredients you are trying to sneak in. Many vegetarians and vegans will become sick after eating animal products as their bodies are not used to consuming them.
  
• Don't forget to keep a vegetarian dish vegetarian by using separate kitchen tools and equipment, both when preparing and serving it. It is generally not acceptable to slice a pot roast and then slice your vegan guest's tofu with the same knife. If you must use the same utensil, make sure to serve/prepare the vegetarian dish first.
  
• Check the labels of all foods/snacks/seasonings to ensure they don't contain meat or meat-derived ingredients. For a vegan recipe, additionally avoid: "Lactose," "Whey Powder" "Modified Milk Ingredients," "Honey," "Dried Egg -Whites or -Yolks." "Gelatin" usually refers to the kind produced from animal bones or hides, so avoid it if it's not specified as coming from a non-animal source such as carrageenan, agar-agar, or Irish moss.
  
• Not everyone likes giant mushroom sandwiches, bell peppers, and tofu. Don't try anything weird to impress the vegetarian guest. Rice, beans, rolls, macaroni, salad, corn, and other plain old foods will suffice.
  
• Don't lecture your guests about their diet. Chances are, your vegetarian guest knows way more about how much protein, B12, and other nutrients they need than you think you know! They have done the research, and they have made the choices that they feel are best for them.
  
• Don't make fun of the foods that your guest likes. Don't joke about the guest eating bark and seaweed or rabbit food. Don't joke about the guest being a "hippie", "tree hugger", or "new age nut". Vegetarianism has been around for ages and shouldn't be equated with any specific political slant or religious affiliation.
  
• Not so much a warning as a request: Please don't spend the entire meal asking the vegan/vegetarian guest to explain why they are so. Don't tell them horror stories about how you know someone who has a relative who met someone whose neighbour was a vegetarian but got so sick he almost died. That's just rude and sick.
  
• Most health food stores offer a higher quality product, offer foods with less preservatives or have a more specialized staff. This usually results in higher prices passed along to the consumer. Plan to spend more when shopping specialty stores or in the health food section of your better grocery stores.
  
• If using cheese, find out if it was made with rennet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet), which is made from a calf's stomach. There are cheeses made from "vegetable rennet" available.
  

June Update

Uh, well, uhmmm. Still at 4 pounds. Lost that is. (Well, I found some of them, and then lost them again.)

Have not used my log at all. Have not exercised at all. It's hot again. Have been schlepping the DD to swim lessons and playdates. I blame the root beer floats. We had an end-of-the-school-year root beer float party for DD and her classmates. Not everybody came so we have ended up with a lot of root beer!

But actually, the eating is going pretty well. Once you get out of a habit (like having dessert every night or a piece of chocolate every 5 minutes), it's easier to not start again. Probably a bit of an addiction thing going on there. And it's nice and simple to remember "one whole grain/one fruit or veggie/one protein" with each meal.

Trying to drink lots of water, but face it, water is boring. I have enjoyed making ice tea every day (with a little agave nectar and soy milk it's a lot like a Thai iced tea) and using "fizzy water" plus a little juice to make a cheap natural fruit soda.

Maybe next week I'll get back on the courts. (When it's not 100 degrees.) Or I'll do some pool time.

Update on the health routine

This "blogging once a week" stuff is harder than I thought! I certainly have enough thoughts to keep up a blog, but the habit and practice of sitting down to write is another issue!

The "skinny" on the new health routine...

The food part is going pretty well. I think I'm pretty good about sticking to my "diet." I'm keeping a log each day, marking off each item at each meal (fruit/whole grain/protein/water/veg/etc.) and that really helps me to stay aware of what I have or haven't eaten. It makes eating more intentional. I find am much better about what I eat if I keep up this log. The days I slip in using it are the days I slip in eating. And if I haven't taken the time on the weekend to meal-plan, then I am really up a creek each night when trying to get dinner ready for the clan. Doing pretty well with the "3 sweets a day" thing as well as the "3 drinks a week."

What I've been awful about the entire time is the exercise part! I'll tell you, it helps when you have a child that can read and understand your chart and she says, "Mommy, you haven't exercised at all this week!" (I hadn't even explained my log to her, she just understood it.) OK, my excuse for part of one week was the heat....it really was 102 degrees here one day. Stockton weather, for sure, here in the Bay Area. So what's my excuse one week later when the high was 58 degrees? No excuse at all. Got out of the habit, and so hard for me to get back in. And today I have a sore throat and the sniffles. So I really have some work to do still on this aspect.

And the poundage? At one point I had lost 4 lbs. Not quite the 2 a week I was hoping for, but a start. But without the exercise part of it, I know the pounds are only going to barely eek off me. But it's a start and I'm happy about that. I think visualizing myself in that skinny brown dress I bought at New Year's will help. The goal of being "slender" (or at least "slenderer") by the end of August is the key to keeping food out of my mouth (the wrong foods that is) and a kick to get me back outside.

Grow the Roses! (or "Trim the Roses!")

I'll be 47 next month. That's been harder to say than saying I am 46. I'm not sure why.

I've decided to once again try and lose some weight. Especially since I just gained 10 pounds last December. Yes, it all seemed to come on in one month.

I am a vegan, mind you, and I have a weight issue. (So much for the image of a skinny, pale undernourished vegan, huh?)

What I struggle with these days, in addition to the addition of pounds, is the need to not make a huge deal about pounds and weight in front of my little sponge I call my daughter. I doubt she will have the same body issues as the rest of the Pearson clan, since her genetics seem to have blessed her with the "tall and slender" genes. But I still don't want her to obsess over her body. Those issues can swing far either way.

What I am trying to emphasize these days is being in shape and eating a healthy diet, vs. losing weight. I am a sloth, yes, so if I actually get out and move my tuckus, I will probably lose weight. I eat a pretty healthy diet already, but it seems that the big "M" or the "pre-M" is hitting and my body thinks it needs to store up for a long winter. Doesn't it realize that there will be global warming, not cooling?

My body has also been going on strike now and then in the form of muscle spasms in the back and neck and other muscle issues. All, I'm sure, related to the fact that I don't use them much. So here's the plan, and you, my friends and family can help me stick to it.

The goals:
Weight: Around 135 would be ideal. (Which means losing about 25 lbs.) I'd feel thin, even though I know I weighed much less than that in high school at the same height (5'5"). If you can believe it, at one point I weighed about 105 lbs, but was usually around 120 lbs. And I always thought I needed to lose 5 lbs. Talk about distorted body image! But I don't need to be that skinny again. After all, the wrinkles start to show if there's no fat to plump them up!


Health: No more muscle spasms would be great! Feeling fit and healthy and able to walk and run and bike and walk upstairs easily!


When: Well, that greatest of all incentives, the high school reunion is around the corner! It will be my 30th reunion, and I am assuming it will be in August or September, I haven't heard yet. So I'd like to be at or darn near my goals by then.


How I plan to do it: I think I have found two things I like to do: play tennis and walk or jog on a nature trail. Both are near my house. I've already started this, just have to keep it up. And actually, I'm not playing tennis, but just hitting against a backboard, which is much more actual exercise than playing with someone. Bicycling is a third option. The bike is in need of new tires, so that is on the list of "to do's." I'm hoping my tail-bone can survive riding a bike. I bought a new seat, (wish I could do that to my body as well!), but the bike needs a huge tune-up first. Hmmm, also like me....


Eating: Well, of course, I am sticking to my vegan diet. I need to keep it simple and I have started a log to keep myself honest. Each meal will have a whole grain (which I've been slowly including anyway--the best kind of carbs around--brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta), a protein, a fruit and two glasses of water or other low-no-calorie liquid. Lunch and dinner will include a veggie, too, and for breakfast I will add another fruit or juice. Our fruit trees will help me out soon with plums, Asian pears, peaches, Bartlett pears and apples soon. Snacks I'll try to keep to fruit and nuts. Sweets I'll keep to three a day (like 3 cookies or 3 small pieces of dark chocolate) and limiting alcohol to 3 a week. We'll see about that one!

I'm hoping that all of this will mean a loss of 2 lbs (or a little less) each week. I won't beat myself up if I don't reach that each week, just keep on plugging. Check out the "Roses of Success" video from Chitty Chitty Bang! Bang! at the bottom. I used it on my business blog, but I like how inspirational it is.

So, if any of you out there have great ideas for exercise that have worked for you, or found wonderful foods you love that are still healthy and low-ish on calories, SHARE! And if any of you need a buddy in a similar venture, let's do it together! Call me, email me or leave comments on this post.

I survived Disneyland

I survived.

This is what I learned...

Disneyland is not vegetarian (and certainly not vegan)-friendly.
(Walt, fruit is a snack, not a meal to be eaten three times a day.)

Disneyland is a long ride from home.

The town of Buttonwillow is not as cute as it sounds.

Disneyland is a long ride from home. Oh wait, I said that already!

"It's a Small World," the only ride I was looking forward to, is closed for rehab until November.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" (OK, so I was looking forward to that one, too) is pretty cool, even though it has been rehabbed too since the movies came out. Look for Captain Sparrow in at least three places. He looks so real it's creepy. Or is it just because he is creepy?

Churros are really yummy. (Not vegan as I later found out.)

Mary Poppins (in her full "Jolly Holiday" outfit was absolutely beautiful. Or should I say, 'practically perfect.'

I'm anxious to go back....in another 5-10 years!

Margaret is a-Musing

I so could kick myself for not thinking of that pun until long after I had created this blog and captured my blogspot URL. Oh well. (That's a deep subject.)

Puns are on my mind at the moment, not just because I think myself a-musing. I read a book today (a sure sign I am procrastinating about something else. In this case, it is a talk I am to give in a week.) The book is Maybe. (Maybe not.) by Robert Fulghum. (The same guy who wrote All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Also a Unitarian minister.) I recommend this book highly. When I wasn't laughing, I was in tears. (Good tears.)

Anyway...in one chapter he talks about a friend playing a trick on him and signing him up for all these weird organizations (which really do exist). One of them was the International Save the Pun Foundation.

Well, that got my attention! I joined right away. (I think I joined. It's hard to tell.)

I submitted my first pun, which by the way, is original and created while on our first trip to Cape Cod. Here it is:

Q. What did the Language Professor wear when she went to the beach?
A. Why, a diphthong, of course!

I submitted it in the name of the "Original Pearson Punster," Hal Pearson. (Easter Sunday was the 5th anniversary of his passing.)

OK, so my next pun is (thought of today):
Q. What do you call a liaison with a mental health professional?
A. A psyhchia “tryst.”

Groans are expected. It's just as good as applause to punsters.

Good day. Have a pun weekend.

Thanks, Dad.

The (little) Free Things in Life

I'll add to this list as life goes on. But here are a few things I love:

• That first moment of a hot shower.
• That steam facial when opening the dishwasher.
• The first sip of beer on a hot day.
• "Beer ice" when you put beer into one of those frozen mugs.
• That moment in Yosemite Valley as you drive in when you can see both sides of the walls at once and it takes your breath away. Even when you work there and you see it 5 times a week.
• Daffodils blooming in February. They just seem so optimistic.

What's on your list?

Musing about Monkee Music

I am no expert on music, but I've been enjoying it quite a lot lately, especially since I have discovered iTunes, taking individual songs from "old" CD's already in my collection and burning my own "mix" CD's. Yes, I know it took me a few extra years to be finally "in" the 21st century. Better late than never.

Today's musing is about the Monkees. The "Pre-Fab Four." Yes, the "Hey, Hey We're the Monkees!" Monkees. You didn't think I had misspelled the other kind of monkey, did you? (SpellCheck thinks so.)

I am a true child of the 60's. Meaning, I was a child in the 1960's. My older sister and I raced home to watch Dark Shadows, and we didn't miss The Monkees, The Partridge Family or Lost in Space. (Or the Smothers Brothers if Mom and Dad let us stay up that late. No wonder we're all Democrats now! Butterfly alert: I have been personally kissed and hugged by Dick Smothers--in full view of my husband and elderly parents, I might add.)

Back to the Monkees. For years, I was in love with Davy Jones. He was little, cute and British. What was not to love? I was little, cute and, well, American. His instrument of choice (after his voice, that is) was the tamborine--something I imagined, that I, too could play. I swooned over the song I Want to be Free. It was pretty, had the word bluebird in it, and of course, Davy sang it. What more could an eight year old want? Well, when I heard it again as an adult (and actually listened to the lyrics), my whole image of Davy was shot straight to heck. I realized what a schmo he was being. Wanted a girl to be there for him, and yet wanted his "freedom" too, eh? Geez, what a loser. Girls, run from this kind of schmuck, please. Who buys the cow when you can get the milk for free, huh? (Such an ironic phrase for me to use considering I'm a vegan and I hate referring to women as cows. Maybe "Why buy the soybean field when you can get the soymilk for free? Or...Why buy the vineyard when you can get the wine for free? or... Why grow the wheat when you can get the seitan for free?" I think you get it. I'll have to work on getting those into the popular vernacular.)

So, my love affair from afar ended with the little guy. My thoughts turned to Mike Nesmith, the only purported "musician" in the bunch. But really, he held no interest. (Sorry, Mike.)

There there's Peter Tork. Poor old Peter, always a befuddled look on his face. Always a few steps behind his Monkee-mates. And the rumors that he had gotten into drugs. But in reality, this was the best and classically trained musician of the group. Yes, he had taken a turn into drugs and alcohol, which got him into trouble. Seems he's out of it now and has been for years. In an interview he said he was most proud of "Riu Chiu," sung acappella by the four in a Christmas special. See it below for a real Monkee-treat.

But really, start listening to Micky Dolenz. A wonderful voice and another true talent. In the Davy-shrouded fog of my youth, I didn't realize that Micky sang lead vocal on so many of their songs. (Last Train to Clarksville, Pleasant Valley Sunday) Yep. Micky's my favorite to listen to now.

In my research for this essay, I ran across a petition to have the Monkees inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I signed it. Will you?

Even though Davy fell out of my favor all over the lyrics to "I Want to be Free," I still love these guys and I know that each one of them is a real talent. We can thank the Monkee's producers for their creation (Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson), who according to Peter, bankrolled the movie "Easy Rider" with Monkee-money.

Go figure. Only in America.