Well as a result of the previous post, not only did I get inspired to work out (which I did for a nice 30 min cardio) but I was also inspired to find a way to post each time I worked out and what sort of workout I did on my blog. Sort of additional inspiration and maybe a little in the way of confessions too since it’d be easy to see if I didn’t update in a while.
This led to my noticing that just one sidebar seemed to require too much scrolling.
Thus I updated the theme for my blog overall for 3-column format. And then I saw a couple of new widgets and decided that a countdown wouldn’t be bad considering this fall’s set of fun things coming up in our lives.
So uh…there’s some new stuff.
Ok it sounds silly, but did you ever flip channels and get sucked into an infomercial?
Sometimes it’s cooking tools, other times it’s makeup miracles and a lot of the time it’s exercise programs. They’re designed to inspire, to draw you in and make you want to exercise. And of course, buy that program.
As to the programs out there, eh. Some of them are fun, some of them aren’t my thing. I like to buy a DVD set once every couple of years to spice up what I do for cardio. In general, I’m not interested in adding to my “collection” currently. But I did notice an odd side effect - getting sucked into any of the fitness infomercials in general does give you a touch of inspirational motivation to get up and go work out.
Not surprising since it’s intrinsically designed to motivate, but a little surprising that I’m susceptible. Not a half bad thing either and not something I plan to resist - it can only help me to get up and go slip in an extra workout. I just don’t plan to actually buy what they’re selling. 
Ok - I’ve got my photos all over the place. It’s actually getting to be annoying trying toupdate my online albums and whatnot when I want to share pics with family and friends.
I used to use Gallery - and still have a lot of stuff there. But Gallery has been quirky and has stopped creating thumbnails properly when I upload pics which means I have to create thumbnails in addition to web processing my pics which is just that much more to do.
I use Flickr for some things because Ravelry allows me to link to Flickr for pics of my ongoing projects or happy dances. I also use it to link the pics for the Thai Golfer’s Association to the website I maintain for them. It’s also a forum for my nicer photography pics. But I don’t really like the way the pics are displayed for say, looking at a photo album of vacation pics.
That brings us to Picasa, through Google. My lil sis used it to share pics with me from Otakon and it looks to be more of what I’m looking for. I’m thinking about test driving it certainly.
It’d be nice to centralize all my photos in one place - which means I’d choose Flickr. But from an album perspective, Picasa looks nicer for vacation and event pics. Hmm…
(and the sutff on Gallery… taking that down would mean I’d have to update links in my hearthCraft blog methinks. Or I could be lazy and just let those links stay broken and link things correctly moving forward…any suggestions?)
Well, I just hit a bump in the road. Not a big one - but it does cause us to rethink the plans a little.
My new place of employment has an HR policy that requires an employee to work for a full year before they are elligible for tuition reimbursement. Well now, that’s a little different - I’d thought it was only three months like the benefits and probation period (not uncommon for companies to have).
Hubby and I discussed and I had choices. We could definitely afford to have me continue my Masters program at the same rate I’ve been taking classes - but it would squeeze things a bit tight and we might have to give up some expenses to make that happen. Plus, it’s not like we’re putting in the money up front with the expectation of getting reimbursed - so the money goes out of pocket and doesn’t come back. My second choice could be to wait until I qualify for reimbursement - but I didn’t like that either because it pushes my graduation back another year.
So let’s explore that a little - why do I want to graduate next year? Cause classes are getting tiring. But realistically, this IS me, and those who know me will know that I will continually go out and find additional stuff to go learn so its not like I’m dying to finish taking classes in general. Do I need to finish my Masters next year for a professional reason? No, neither my current job nor the next one or two steps I could logically take in my career would require the Masters degree, so I don’t need it for a good, oh, five years or so. Do I want to finish so that I can have a baby? Well, honestly since my current job is working out to be as promised and my manager is definitely more than considerate of when I can and can’t travel (he’s very sympathetic because he has a one year old little girl of his own) - I feel confident that I’ll be able to have a baby and still finish up a class or two. The working from home aspect of my job makes my time much more flexible and I have very supportive family and friends all nearby so baby is very realistically manageable in addition to my career and wrapping up my degree even a little later than expected. I just have this impetus to finish because…because I should progress and finish. But that’s not really logical.
So I made a compromise decision. I’ll take the fall semester off - both to rest and to focus on my job. Hubby and I will re-evaluate in the spring as to whether I should take a class in spring or wait another semester for my tuition reimbursement to kick in. In the current economical atmosphere it does us some good to stay on the conservative side and it’s only a delay of graduation for a max of Spring 2010 which will coincide my graduation for my Masters with the little bro’s undergraduate graduation from the Air Force Academy.
Chelsea is the first dog my husband and I ever brought into our household. She’s going to be nine this year.
Average life expectancy for Shelties is about 10 years give or take a year or two.
Chelsea has always been a sweet, adorable and lively princess in our home - known for her absolute cuteness and ability to finagle a cushion for her naps no matter what the circumstances. She’s also the perfect model and always so very good posing for the camera:
Her last vet appointment was in May during which the vet said she was an optimal weight and form. She was in good health and had just a little dental issue that a quick teeth cleaning would fix right up.
Since then, she’s only lost half a pound but suddenly she’s gone from optimal body form to very bony. I can feel her spine too easily and her ribs are too prominent under her skin. It’s hard to tell because of her full double coat - but when I brush her and when we spend time cuddling I notice the difference. Her skeletal structure is becoming too prominent and it’s frightening me.
At first I thought maybe it was weight loss and a few weeks ago hubby and I upped her food intake - no improvement. Then I thought maybe she might have picked up worms - but she hasn’t lost a significant amount of weight, only half a pound and that could be a difference in weight scales between the vet and my home. Then I had to count the years and admit that yes, some Shelties would be about at their time by now and my baby girl only has a few years left with us. When my first dog, Gypsy, passed away she had similarly begun showing skeletal structure and shrunk down in a matter of months even though there was nothing else wrong with her but age.
The prominence of Chelsea’s skeletal structure is really worrying me - I will be taking another stool sample in to the vet to rule out parasites. But at the very least, she’s more prone to injury and likely won’t bounce back readily from bumps and bruises, maybe even have more risk of breaking something. She doesn’t show signs of knee or hip displasia that is common in Shelties and can climb the stairs easily. She’s taking more effort to get up onto a bed or couch though.
So I’m getting worried, and lavishing attention and time on her. But there’s little more that I can do besides double check in regards to parasites. Other than that she shows every picture of great health. So here’s hoping I’m worried over nothing.
I thought this one looked cute and I haven’t done a meme in a while…
The idea:
1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.
5. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
My movie quotes:
1. I can feel this body DYING all around me!
2. Can’t go to school now. I can [yawn] hardly keep my eyes open. Hate to stay at home and let Gil, get ahead.
3. Well, I’m really not supposed to speak to strangers, but we’ve met before.
4. I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand, to have someone understand… I want so much more than they’ve got planned. - guessed correctly by Laura: Beauty and the Beast
5. What would I give to live where you are? What would I pay, to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you smiling at me?
6. Wait. All my life I’ve wanted to be one of ABC’s perfect ballerinas. I wanted to be you, Juliette. But I’m not you, and I’m not perfect,I’m just me, bad feet and all, and I’m starting to think that I like that just as much.
7. Now I need not call you Mr. Knightley. I may call you *my* Mr. Knightley.
8. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, even if you are my least favourite vegetable. Take care, Turniphead!
9. What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn’t he? - guessed correctly by Alice: LotR Fellowship of the Ring
10. You’re out here collecting tickets instead of being inside at the dance. You spend your weekends doing extra credit algebra, you play way too much Monopoly with your parents, and you’ve never eaten anywhere near the fountain. And in 4 years I will be YOU unless I get into that dance.
11. Way I remember it, albatross was a ship’s good luck, ’til some idiot killed it… Yes, I’ve read a poem. Try not to faint.
12. I don’t know. I was about to be hanged. It seemed like a good idea at the time. - guessed correctly by Alice: The Mummy
13. Courage of the heart is very rare. The stone has a power when it’s there. - guessed correctly by Laura: Secret of NIMH
14. Well, Mother, a few weeks ago, I decided to try and find out about that yellow house. So I wrote to the postmaster in Beulah, and he answered! His name is Ossium Popham - isn’t it a beautiful name?
15. If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded, sire, but that you first make thieves and then punish them?
So Sunday’s golf tourney was ok for me - considering that I hadn’t practiced at all in the month since I had last made it to a tourney, my performance wasn’t bad. It took me most of the front nine to fix my swing to quit cutting left. I had some very good shots using my irons and definitely had some great initial drive shots on the back nine. My putting on the other hand was horrendous. Plus I almost hit my dad once or twice because he was playing in the group in front of us and I didn’t expect my shot to really make it all the way to the green where they were putting.
Hey, hubby almost hit them once as well.
There should be a prize for closest to hitting another golfer in the TGANJ, sorta like closest to the pin. -_-
Anyway, hubby came in with Lowest Net score as well as best back nine. So he came home with a nice big, shiny trophy for the first time. Yay hubby!
All in all it was a beautiful, breezy afternoon outdoors with lots of bull frogs at the water holes and a nice stroll along the golf course. I had a good time and got in a bit of decent exercise too. Not bad at all.
