May Check-in

Me, in mixed white stripes on a sunny day.
It's important to have contrast, thus red shoes.
And for accessories, my black-and-white dog.

Today starts my 13th week on the weight loss meds. I started February 12. How am I doing? So far, so good! Things are going pretty well!

As of today, I've lost about 15 pounds. This is fuzzy, because I waffle on what my starting weight was. My weight is volatile on a daily basis. But since there is no official registry of my weight or weight loss, I have decided to measure from the single highest weight I have been this year, on January 24. That was right after my January vacation and about three weeks before I started the drug. But it's a choice that makes me feel good, because it shows today's numbers in the best light. And who am I accountable to for this? No-one, that is! So let's go with the feel-good choice!

Speaking of feelings, how do I feel overall? Pretty good, that's how! This is a big change from a couple of weeks ago. I got home from France having over-exerted myself and with a head cold, and felt crummy throughout the body a lot of the time. My internet buds tell me often the GLP-1 drugs lead to a decrease in arthritis swelling and pain, both for rheumatoid and osteo forms (I have osteo). But I felt crummy throughout my joints and muscles, all.

But that was two weeks ago! Now, I feel SO much better! What am I doing that might be helping this? 

- Prioritizing sleep. Rigorous go-to-bed times. On those occasions I'm awake in the middle of the night, tossing and turning, and I end up with less than six hours sleep, I take a nap. But that's happening less, the past couple of weeks. I've racked up some super slumber time.

- Prioritizing exercise. I've been doing a functional strength workout with a trainer twice a week for some time now, but I'm pushing myself harder and volunteering for heavier weights. And, significantly, I've added back a cardio component. I did this in February, then fell off the bandwagon in March and early April. On the trip, I was appalled at how out of shape I was for all the walking I did. So back onto a cardio machine four times a week now. It's for just 15 minutes right now, but I'm pushing my heart rate up high and keeping it there for most of the time. After three weeks of this, I'm able to keep up a much higher intensity for most of the ride. Nothing motivates me quite like actually seeing the improvement!

- Taking a supplement and a longer-term anti-inflammatory. For my frequent body pains, I take tylenol. I can't take ibuprofen because it ruined my stomach. Tylenol helps quickly with pain, but does nothing to change the underlying condition. But let's not discount dealing with the pain! I also had in my medicine cabinet from my knee doctor a vial of a prescription anti-inflammatory, Celebrex. It doesn't act quickly, but over time it is supposed to be very good at treating inflammation. I've got a couple of months supply on hand for daily consumption. In addition my doctor recommended, in an off-hand way, taking a supplement I'd never heard of, Co Q10. I still don't know what it does or how it does it, but I'm taking it daily. Of course I've googled it, but evidence on supplements is scarce and shaky. But it doesn't seem to be hurting me, at least.

Sleep, exercise, and tylenol make me feel better right away, and the first two also have longer-lasting positive impacts. But I'm not sure I'd stick with them without the immediate impact. I've always had a hard time believing in the impact of vitamins, supplements, and long-term remedies. You have to take them on faith, faith in the science and studies. But tracing how I feel right now to these longer term remedies is tenuous at best.

So I feel good right now! Yay! But I am suspicious, and I don't trust that this will continue. But I'm continuing with both the supplement and the drug, as an experiment. It's an experiment with a flawed design, since I changed a few things at once. But just in case it's making a difference, I'll continue for now. 

They say that 15 pounds is about a clothing size. The truth is, I was in denial about how heavy I was for the past year - I assumed I'd lose the weight in a week a or two. So I had bought very few clothes for my large size, and instead wore clothes that strained a bit. So now, those clothes are fitting much better! 

My wardrobe in retirement consists mostly of clothes in which I can hike, garden or sail. I have in my closet wedding/fancy clothes, but not much of nicer but not dressy clothes. When we went casual at work many years ago, I was wary of specific prescriptions of what constituted suitable clothes. I suggested a test: if, when you got home, you were going to mow the lawn, change the oil on your car, whip up a huge batch of floury bread from scratch, or hike a few miles on the Appalachian Trail, and you didn't feel a need to change from your office attire first, then your office attire was incorrect. Those very slightly nicer clothes are the ones I've been digging out of my closet and trying on. The picture at the top is an example. I'm still not sure I'm suited for white clothes, because my impulse to just drop to my knees outside and start pulling weeds is somewhat incompatible. I don't want to look like a fashion plate, but I'm trying to not look like I'm about to hike when all I'm doing is meeting someone for lunch.

France - Overview

This was a great trip! It is always a bit of an risk, taking a trip without knowing anyone else, but it worked out great. I am totally fine doing the traveling-to-destination on my own; I had years of experience during my heavy travel days at United. And now, on vacation, I love wandering around new places during the day on my own, but I do enjoy being with others at the end of the day to compare notes while relaxing with drinks and dinner. My tall ship experiences by their nature require constant interaction with crew and fellow passengers, and Road Scholar trips (my Norway and Greece trips) tend towards interactive experiences. I know river cruises are geared towards couples (all the boats are made with only double cabins) and so I wasn't sure how it would go. 

The flight over was uneventful, what we all hope for. I went back and forth on whether to check my bag, which was about the maximum carry-on size allowed. My checked bag did not arrive with me in Norway last summer, and since this cruise departed the same day I arrived I was afraid a late bag would never catch up with me. On the other hand, it was a single non-stop, and so I took the risk and checked it. (Spoiler, no problem.) In spite of talk about long TSA lines, things moved quickly at Dulles. Certain airlines and airport combinations allow you to upload a photo of your passport in advance to the airline app, and then go through the pre-check "touchless" lane - I didn't even have to show the passport as it took a new photo and compared it to my passport on file. I had gotten a "miles + money" upgrade to business class on the way over, and with the lie-flat bed I got a solid, deep, almost three hours sleep on the way over - so much better than sitting up in coach! If I hadn't done the upgrade, I probably would have flown over a day early and gotten a hotel room to catch up on sleep.  

There had been a lot of internet buzz about the new European/Schengen region "EES" (Entry and Exit System) which will use biometrics to record every person from outside the region. There is a regulation requiring it to be in full effect as of the day I arrived. There are kiosks at all ports of entry to the Schengen region (The EC plus Scandinavia, Switzerland, a few others but not UK anymore), where initial biometric readings of fingerprints as well as face photos would be taken and stored. Eventually, the idea is not to need passport documents at all, but setting up the database would obviously take time initially. So there were warnings about huge delays upon arrival. I was arriving in the morning, and the ship wasn't scheduled to depart until evening, so I wasn't worried. As it turns out, my flight got in early, at 7:15 am, and they didn't have the kiosks up and running. So processing was relatively smooth, passport scan, photo to compare, stamp by human being. BTW, this EES system is separate from the ETIAS system scheduled for the EC in the fall, essentially a visa system good for multiple visits for a few years at a time. 

After getting my bag, I called the boat to verify its location, to ask what exactly to tell the taxi driver about how to find the boat. The person I spoke to was SO NICE and pleasant - and he set the tone for absolutely all the staff on the ship. An official taxi is much more expensive than the train, but anywhere in the city of Paris from the airport is a fixed rate, no meter or negotiation. I had decided in advance to go with that, rather than schlepp my bag or deal with uncertainty. To my surprise, the taxi driver spoke no English, but my fatigued brain was able to limp along enough in French to convey what he needed.

Arrival on Paris riverbank, fatigued!
Eiffel Tower way in background.

Cabins would be ready by 2 pm, but it was still morning when I arrived at the boat on the Seine. I dropped my bags, had a glass of water and used the restroom, was invited to have a pastry and hang out in the lounge, but I instead set out on a walk. The boat was just inside the city limits all the way downstream on the left bank, and the Eiffel Tower was a couple of kilometers away along the bank. The weather was lovely, and I had scouted the neighborhood on-line before leaving. I walked along the river bank, decided I wouldn't make it all the way to the tower, and headed inland. I visited a supermarket, stopped for a sandwich at a sidewalk cafe, and just looked at things. I also stopped in a pharmacy, where I bought a fancy facecream/moisturizer with SPF 30 in it, and also three different brands of sunscreen. (Internet research had indicated EU sunscreens have some formulations not approved in the US. My current favorite US sunscreen makes my eyes water and my nose run, though it feels fine on the rest of my body. I used the face cream on the ship, the sunscreens await trial as the weather gets warm here.) I hung out for a while on a reclining bench by the Seine, soaking up sunshine while listening to my Paris-set mystery novel. Finally, back to the ship, where my cabin was ready a bit early. I started unpacking, but the bed called, and I took a deep but relatively short nap.

The first night, we all met in the lounge and did quick introductions (about 130 guests on the boat). It became obvious that not only was it almost entirely couples, but mostly groups of couples traveling together. In age, I may have been about the median. But as we broke up from intros and headed to dinner, I ended up next to what turned out to be the only other solo woman on board! We agreed to find a place to sit together, which was a relief because the dining room set up was tables for 4, 6 or 8. It would be awkward, especially with all those big groups, to occupy only one seat at one of those tables, closing off another couple from using it. We picked a table set for 6, with two couples already there. It was fortunate! They were friends traveling together, but they were really open, friendly, and funny. Laughter at the table ensued, we sat with them every night, and have exchanged photos and emails. We sat with others, also friendly, at lunch, and breakfast usually I was on my own because no talking before coffee.

My new friend Susan and I

My new friend Susan and I agreed to join the same smaller group for tours each day, and we exchanged texts so we could double check neither was being left behind. Mostly, however, I did my own thing and she did hers, our preferred modes of operating. It was a nice arrangement. She had been a bank examiner, a professor of finance, and lastly a diplomat as her third career! She had been on three foreign tours, Mongolia, Poland, and I forget the third. So she was an accomplished and confident traveler. Also extremely amusing.

My cabin aboard was roughly three times the size of my cabin in Norway in January, very nice with a lot of storage and a mini fridge. The bathroom with shower was about as small as it could get, the same size as the Norwegian one. I had a floor-to-ceiling window that opened. Sometimes the view from my cabin was great, and sometimes it was blocked by another riverboat tied up to next to us. Some times we had to walk across the other ship to get to ours. 

Robes were provided, and I was surprised to see shipboard laundry service was available, I thought it wouldn't be. But I had brought the right clothes and didn't need it.

The weather was forecast the whole time to be between 45-65, with chance of showers every day. Pretty much that's what we got, though only really rained on once. 

For the nine days, seven nights aboard, I had brought the following clothes, and wore them all (including airplane clothes):

- Three pair of pants (one water-resistant hiking, two nicer but comfy stretch with good pockets)
- Five tees (two merino, three cotton, merino worn multiple times)
- One big overshirt (slight mistake, works best as top layer, not good under a sweater, should have brought a smaller one for layering)
- Three sweaters (one fleece, two wool, could have got by with one less bulky wool sweater)
- Enough underwear and socks for clean every day (luxury since I had room in bag, no sink laundry required!)
- Sweatpants and tee for pajamas (nice enough to wear for workout or very early coffee run)
- Two silk scarves, two buffs (small infinity scarf) One chunky necklace (Wore buffs during day, scarves or necklace for dinner at night)
- Three pair of soft shoes (should have brought more sturdy sneakers for cobblestones)
- Light rain jacket
- Light down puffy jacket (what the Scandis call "summer weight down")

My next post will be about the specific destinations we visited. Pretty much, each day we had a two shore-based opportunities, walking or bus tours, with lunch back on the ship. They would divide us up into groups for tours. They used a technology for the tours that I really like and appreciate, and has been used on most guided tours I've done in the past several years. Basically, it's a short distance radio, where the tour leader has a microphone and every person has a receiver and an ear bud. It allows you to listen to the tour guide while wandering around a bit and not jockeying for position to listen. The tours involved a lot of walking (I averaged over 10,000 steps a day for the trip), and the guides were very informative, universally excellent. But still, sometimes I skipped the organized tour and wandered on my own. I hadn't done the kind of detailed research and planning I would do if I was all on my own, but I did enough to keep interesting things to see. 

The food was a nice part of the trip. Breakfast and lunch were buffets, and dinner was usually four courses plated. There was an appetizer, choice of a clear or cream soup, a choice of meat, fish or vegetarian for main, and dessert, sometimes a choice. They had their own ice cream machine, and ice cream (my kryptonite) was available at every lunch and dinner. 

Typical dinner main, nice presentation. 
The plated food was not big food, 
very European.

As you know, I was a little worried about how eating would work out. Sadly, but maybe fortunately, the croissants on board were not up to snuff. (I did buy one at a bakery ashore and it was fabulous, but I didn't finish it. I got my croissant fix, at least.) They had European and American breakfast choices. I got into a routine of a heaping portion of fresh fruit, maybe topped with a small amount of yogurt, big scoop of scrambled eggs, one bit of breakfast meat (bacon or sausage) and a small pastry, which I didn't always finish. For lunch, they had soup, salad bar, hot bar meat, veggie and starch, hamburgers and fries available to order, and a baked dessert and ice cream. Again, as a routine, I usually did hot meat and cooked veggies, supplemented with something from the salad bar to get more fiber (like garbanzo beans if there was gravy). Susan started and I followed having *two* lunch desserts! But again, I often tasted but didn't finish them. I did have a problem on the buffets with my eyes being bigger than my stomach (as my mother used to say) and I resigned from the clean plate club. But I was happy with how it all worked out. I skipped nothing because I thought I "should" skip it. And I ate nothing that didn't bring pleasure. Because lunch was usually around noon, and dinner at 7:30, I wanted an afternoon snack, and I got in the habit of munching some of my dried edamame beans in my cabin before heading up to the lounge.

There was a daily cocktail hour in the lounge, which included a group discussion of the day, and what to expect the following day. I had a couple of pre-dinner drinks, but not every day. And with dinner, beer and wine were included. It turns out I didn't love the wines (I'm not such a wine person) except for one night where a Cote du Rhone was fabulous and went down way too fast. The house German draft beer was good, and it came in a small size that often I didn't finish - but I really enjoyed what I had.

I was in coach on the flight back. There were more internet horror stories about the time required to make it through CDG to the gate, so I arranged a taxi to get me there four hours before the flight (internet said three hours minimum - I had to be out of my room early so it made sense to me to get to the airport early rather than sit in the boat lounge and fret). There was speculation about needing to register for the EES system on the way out, but instead they were just using the buggy old passport / face matching system. It took 90 minutes from bag check to gate. I had time to visit the duty free - sadly for me, it was mostly high end fashion and not liquor. I was interested in cider or brandy from Normandy, but in the terminal I was in, the selection was sparse. There was lots of designer shops, though, many with velvet ropes across the doors barring entry unless you were up to their standards.

Uneventful flight home, used the CBP app to speed immigration (I don't have Global Entry, but the app takes your uploaded passport and your checkin upon arrival to match with a face scan), bag was ready quickly, and my BIL picked me up and delivered me home. After sitting for so long, and walking so much all week, my OG bad knee collapsed on the way up the steps to my house and my BIL had to carry my suitcase in. I was so happy to get home where I was instantly smothered with dogs and dog hair. 

The next morning, I was up by 5 am, and got on the scale with trepidation, prepared for a big jump up. But yay! The exact same number I saw the day I left! That is a victory, when ice cream was a thing every day, and sometimes twice! Moderation is my new middle name. 

I don't have anything booked for between now and Antarctica. I might need to change that, but we'll see how my finances and legs feel after a week or so (boat coming out of boat yard, dryer needing fixed or replaced).  

Excellent Day!

I like the shirt-over-tee look.
Note the gold sneaks. First time wearing,
but I want to make sure they will be comfy 
for France.

Yesterday was my birthday, and many lucky things came together. It was sunny, and the warmest day so far this year. I spent the morning out in the garden, doing long-neglected chores. The only member of my globe-trotting family actually in town had locked in dinner and a movie with me for the evening. It stayed lovely and warm and we were able to sit outside for dinner. As it turns out, the movie Project Hail Mary was absolutely fabulous, a rare 5 stars from me. As my girl said, "competence porn and the cutest alien ever" made for a rousing end to the night. 

Prepping for my French trip is on my mind, especially how to manage eating while traveling. I used the day to experiment with some food.

 I've been really very good at eating to hit my goals. But, I live alone and mostly eat alone. That makes things way easier to control things. For my birthday, I decided to choose food first and track only after eating. I am curious - what choices will I make when I listen to my body and figure out what I really want? And, alcohol. I've been on the drug for 5 1/2 weeks, but I haven't had a drink. How would that go over?

I've noticed that I get hungrier much earlier in the day than before. With an ambitious protein target, I've started eating very early. I'm up between 6-7, and by 7:30 (or earlier) I have been eating either a cup of cottage cheese or half or a whole bottled protein shake. Then, after exercise and getting dressed, I have a second breakfast. So, on my birthday, I dutifully wolfed down a portion of cottage cheese before going off to the supermarket to replenish my fruit supply. I decided I could treat myself to a pastry, and browsed the selection. While an apple turnover has been my absolute favorite, I went with a standby - a blueberry scone. I found, when I did a gut check to see what feels good (as opposed to sounds good), the less sweet and fat but more filling alternative hit the mark. When I checked later, it turns out they are fairly even in terms of points-heavy and protein/fiber poor. 

The breakfasts kept me satisfied as I busied myself in the garden. I had lunch after noon, driven as much by the clock as hunger. I wanted to pace myself so that I would be hungry for an early dinner out. I had a simple meal of lean meat and fruit, no urge for carbs. In the late afternoon, I wanted a pick-me-up, and I had some delicious halvah. 

I picked the Irish bar based on wanting a good beer and the ability to sit outside. My poor vegan girl was stuck with side dishes, fries and spinach and mushrooms. As I went through the menu, I was sure I was hungry but equally sure I wouldn't be able to finish anything I ordered. Again, trying a gut check, imagining how I'd feel after eating anything. Fish and chips had been on my mind, but I didn't think that would work. I love their red meat entrees, beef stew and lamb stew, shepherds pie and corned beef and cabbage, but they seemed heavy for what was feeling like a summer day. So I ended up with a club sandwich, with a side salad. And a couple of my girl's fries. I didn't finish the beer (though it was wonderful) and took half the sandwich home, where it's today's lunch. 

After dinner, we stashed my leftovers in the car, and stopped at Ben and Jerry's before the movie. I got their smallest cup, chocolate fudge cake, and loved it but was satisfied before I was done. Very rare for me to toss unfinished ice cream in the trash! 

So when I tracked today, it ended up being 62 points! For reference, my daily allotment is 23 points, with roughly 20-30 points to spread over the week. So my birthday put me in the hole, I'm showing negative weekly points! But, a joy of Weight Watchers is a daily reset on the daily points (I've got another 23 today) and a weekly reset on the weekly extras. So I can't start a day or a week already behind. But, despite all the points, I made neither the protein nor fiber targets. 

What did I learn? That thinking "no rules" doesn't mean I'll go absolutely bonkers. It was just under 1600 calories. I regret nothing, except maybe the late-afternoon halvah (5 points). A tangerine or an apple would also have worked on my desire for a little sugar boost. I also noticed a real difference between what sounded good in the abstract, the kind of thing I used to really want, and how I imagined it would make me feel after I ate it. I have some data to base those imaginings on. I am pretty sure one of the reasons I didn't go bonkers is because of the sense of fullness that comes easily to me. There is a lag between eating and feeling my stomach, but my projecting forward of how I'll feel in the future is based on what's been happening recently. Also, eating slowly allows the feelings to catch up before I've gone too far.

In other news, my furnace broke the same time as my clothes dryer. The furnace is fixable, but four figures worth. The first couple of dryer repairmen I called told me mine is a piece of crap that they won't work on. (Word in the 'hood is most appliance repairmen are quirky curmudgeonly types. Give me a break, I respect experts in all fields, but I don't feel like catering or coddling.) I also owe taxes and have a big boatyard bill coming up. So I've decided to forego a dryer for the time being. I strung a clothesline in the back yard, and I've got a drying rack in the basement. Just a couple of blocks away is a nice lavanderia with a convenient and not terribly expense wash-and-fold service - I used that after my knee operation when I couldn't handle the basement stairs. So I'll limp along, perhaps until I get back from France.

Full Scandi

I've decided to go Full Scandi(navian) this winter. I've decided to embrace the dark and the cold. And to do that, I'm all in on the warm and cozy clothes and blankets. I want to get out there every day, but dressed so that I can enjoy being out there. This is only partially motivated by my planned trip in January to the far north of Norway, into the polar night. It's also just a way of coping with the inevitable slog through this season. 

For the trip, I've got a new waterproof as well as warm coat, and a new pair of waterproof boots with a great luggy sole, for tromping through uncleared snow drifts. I already had a lot of wool clothes - I ol pants. I've got a couple of polar fleece sweaters, one pair of fleece-lined nylon pants, two pairs of long johns (excuse me, "base layers") and many wool and fleece hats and neck gaiter-scarves. I'm happy for the cold weather and today's snow as a chance to get out there and see what works. 

I went out for a walk at about 7:30 this morning, just as a full-on blizzard was starting. It was enchanting! The boots worked well, easy enough to get on and off, easy to walk in. I'd taken the hood off my coat, and wore just a hat instead. I was wearing a neck gaiter, and it got damp from snow coming down around the edges of my collar. The lined pants stayed dry on the inside. It only took a couple of blocks to realize I would be too warm if I kept going up hills. I circled around the hood, and after about a mile I ran into the neighborhood parents and kids at the elementary school bus stop. I stayed and chatted - the bus was runnng very late, so I was there for 20 minutes, giving the layers a chance to show how well they kept me warm when just standing around. I suspect my trip will have a lot of standing around, looking up at the sky.

Yesterday in contrast was sunny and cold, and Bixby and I took a very brisk walk around the 'hood. I was a fountain of energy around the house, spurred on by the sunshine. It was invigorating! There was a huge full moon last night, and Bixby and I took a few minutes to enjoy it outside. But I was pleased at the prospect of a darker day today, and planned nesting-type chores, slow cooking, and a fire in the late afternoon to keep things cozy. I have no appointments, no-one needing me today.  I filled up my on-hold queue for ebooks and audiobooks at the library this fall, with long-term wait periods - six weeks, 12 weeks, even 20+ weeks. But a whole slew of them have come through at once in the past week or so. I have to hunker down and read for real, not just fritter time on tiktok or bluesky. The audiobook that came through this afternoon turns out to be 32 hours long! I'm not sure I'll be able to pay attention that long! But with a fire in the fireplace to tend, and lego flowers and some coloring books, I can sit and listen a lot.

Every morning starts with stepping outside with my cup of coffee to admire the sky dressed only in PJs while Bixby uses his nose to catch up on overnight vistors to the yard. (I'm channeling my inner Cecilia, an Instagrammer who lives in Svalbard and does the same, in colder weather and with much more spectacular views.) I'm eating my ryecrisp toasts, and smoked salmon, and brown goat cheese. My homemade dishes tend towards cabbage and potatoes and savory lentils with coconut and curry. Hot tea appears in the evenings, sometimes with a slug of whiskey. I would really like to bake, but it doesn't fit with my current eating goals. Still, my girl is coming over tomorrow and there may be cookies in her plans, along with the Christmas decorating.

I'm definitely going for my maximum hygge. 

Wet and Cold

I'm back from my first adventure trip of the season - a four-day jaunt from Old Town Alexandria, down the Potomac, and back up the Chesapeake Bay and Patapsco River into Baltimore, aboard the Pride of Baltimore II. This is the ship I've taken several trips on before. This time, my friend's husband (also a friend himself!) came along. I had a great time, but still the way to summarize the trip is cold and wet. Or wet and cold. You get the idea!

My compact bag and boots

For a couple of weeks before the trip I followed the weather forecast. We had days in the seventies here, where I had all the doors and windows open, airing out the house. But the forecast for the trip got progressively worse and worse. By the time we left, the forecast for the four days started with pouring rain in the 40s, 30-knot winds with temperatures in the 30s, to a relatively benign sunny and 40s with light and variable winds. Welcome to spring, climate change style in the mid-Atlantic!

I hate to be cold, and staying dry is also a key part of staying warm. So I packed fairly compactly, but I brought all the outerwear I would bring on a longer trip. It all fit in a neat little carry-on sized backpack, with my waterproof seaboots attached on the outside. In fact, the first time I zipped the bag, it went too easily, so I opened it back up and added more socks and doubled up on hats and gloves. 

We joined the ship Sunday evening at the dock in Old Town Alexandria, a town that pre-dates the founding of Washington DC. It's got plenty of George Washington sites, and parts of it were surveyed by Benjamin Banneker, in a project run by President Jefferson. In fact, the original 10-miles-square District of Columbia included most of the city of Alexandria, but when the federal city grew only slowly, it was returned to the state of Virginia in the nineteenth century (along with the sites of the Pentagon and DCA National Airport). As we enjoyed the waterfront and getting to see the ship, it was just starting to drizzle.

Through the bridge at 3:30 am

A highlight of the trip for me was going under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, interstate 495. This relatively new bridge only opens between 2 - 4 in the morning, so after orientation aboard ship, we settled into our bunks for a quick sleep. We were roused to the deck in the drizzle at 2:30 am, and the ship cast off the dock and went through the open bridge at 3:30 am, using the engine with no sails. After that, two thirds of the crew were dismissed to go back to bed, but my friend and I, along with some professional crew, stayed on deck on watch. I noted when we passed Mount Vernon on the shore south of the bridge. The skies opened up to a pouring rain, and we motored down along the narrow and twisty river with very little visibility. We spent the next four hours straining to see ahead and to the side, occasionally pointing out to the watch captain some object. There were flashing lighted buoys to show the channel, but they were far apart and unlighted buoys were more frequent. There were essentially no other boats out, which was a relief. We had GPS with displays to help out, but actual eyes were needed. It poured the whole time. Dawn came very slowly, impeded by the heavy cloud cover and rain. 

Drowned rats, ready to go below

By the time dawn came, the fun had pretty much gone out of it. Did you know that most rain gear, exposed to hours and hours of pouring water, will end up letting moisture through? I discovered after being dismissed below at 8 am that I was not wet to the skin or on the bottom of my 3-4 layers, but I did have very damp fleece outer layers under the wet insides of my rain gear. I turned it all inside-out and draped it about the cabin. The lining of the rain gear was dry by afternoon, and everything except my thick gloves were dry by the next day. A hot filling breakfast and a morning nap were very welcome. I was distressed to realize that my phone had gotten so wet it was acting very fluky, but there was nothing to be done except see what happened. (They have a dedicated rice bag to rescue phones!)

Nan at the helm!

We went back up on deck on watch at 4 in the afternoon, after hanging out down below chatting with crew and the cook. The rain was tapering off, and we had rounded the corner out of the river and turned towards north and home to Baltimore in the wide Bay. We were still under power, as the wind was from the wrong direction, and the Captain was anxious to get to a safe and sheltered anchorage before the 30-knot gale started. We, the amateur crew, were given a chance to steer the ship! We each took two hour-long tricks at the helm, and it was a lot of fun to manage such a large, heavy object being buffeted by wind and waves. There is a significant lag time to when you turn the wheel and when something happens, and you have to stop turning the wheel long before the ship comes to a heading. It's not easy, and as the winds and waves picked up, it got harder. Over the course of our four-hour watch, the rain stopped and the temperature dropped and the wind picked up and it got dark. Because of the wet and the cold, I found I was holding a huge amount of tension in my neck and shoulders, and two hours on the wheel was physically challenging. But fun!

My friend at the helm

We were dismissed below at 8 pm, had another hot and nourishing dinner, and I went right into bed. Hygiene suffered, as I wasn't anxious to shed layers and add wetness to my cold and tired body. I normally sleep with an eye mask for darkness, and I am used to listening to a book or a meditation to help me fall asleep or get back to sleep when I inevitably wake up at night. I have acquired a "Musicozy", a soft head/eye wrap with build-in tiny flat speakers that bluetooth to my phone and play privately into my ear. It worked very well! A bonus is that it is thick and soft, and actually added warmth to my head sticking out from under my large heap of blankets.

In the middle of the night we heard the chain rattle, and I realized they anchored the boat without my help. I snuggled back down into my nest of blankets and fell back asleep to another chapter of my Italian murder mystery (I am constantly rewinding because I miss things as I fall asleep!)  

The next morning the whole crew slept in, with no engine noise and not a lot of motion. We had an 8 am breakfast, and the Captain informed us we'd be staying put for the day as the wind chill put the temperature down at 18 degrees! We had a schedule to meet back in Baltimore, but years of experience have taught them to build in significant buffers for weather and for things breaking. The crew had plenty of maintenance to do on the ship, and we were welcome to pitch in or else lounge about. 

At anchor in Annapolis

The Captain, feeling some obligation to the guests, made himself available for an "ask me anything". This guy has made this ship his life - he's done a lot of other nautical things over the years, but he has been involved with the Pride of Baltimore II since before it was built! He's commanded every trip I've been on (this was my 5th). I've learned he loves to talk. He is an expert, and he knows it, and he explains things very well. So that was decent entertainment for the day. I also took periodic trips up to see the sun-drenched but chilly outside. In the afternoon, I found a little niche to hide in, down on the deck between a couple of crates, out of the wind but in the very strong sun, and just hung out for a comfortable while. My friend's son lives in Annapolis, and he came down to the shore and got a shot of us at anchor, right by the Naval Academy. 

Weighing anchor in the pre-dawn

We also enjoyed watching a small fleet of teenagers aboard little fiberglass sailboats practice their racing moves in the late afternoon. One unfortunate boat capsized four times in the still brisk winds. Three times the crew righted it, climbed aboard and kept going. The fourth time, they were significantly separated from their boat, and they must have been very cold and tired. One of the four little motor boats shepherding the fleet came and got the two people out of the water, and another one towed the capsized boat back. They did get it righted again, and the crew went back aboard, but they went right into shore - good idea!

Sails up!

Early to bed, and a pre-dawn all-hands assembly on deck to head off to Baltimore. The crew raised the anchor with a manual lever and capstan. The engine was running, but we raised sails as soon as the anchor was aboard. With two sails up, off went the engine and we were sailing!

 

 

 

Always anxious - will we fit under the bridge?

It was a gorgeous day, though still nippy. The wind was unfavorable, so we sailed close-hauled under the Bay Bridge, and then tacked our way up the bay for the rest of the morning. Sail handling is a lot of work, and this was only the second or third voyage of the season, so the crew needed a lot of coaching by the Captain and the chief mate. I have learned to mostly stay out of the way as I am not that useful in hauling on the big heavy ropes. I did do some rope coiling, however.

 

 

 

Close to the bridge! Captain at the helm

 

 

Typical view on the bay -
wooden ship and modern freighter

We dropped the sails before heading up the river to Baltimore. The crew, and a couple of the more eager guests, headed up the mast to tightly furl the sails. We motored through the remnants of the Key Bridge (the one that collapsed a year ago) and into the ship's permanent home. My brother-in-law came to get us, saving us the train ride home. It seemed warm and sunny once we were at the dock!

Going aloft to furl the sails

 

 

Bridge remnants - eerie!

 So, the verdict is, it wasn't the best trip ever, but it beat staying home! Sadly, my phone is permanently wonky, but I was able to use it on the last day to take more pictures. I got a new phone yesterday, (I had been contemplating the upgrade anyway - it's a significantly better camera, and who knows what's happening with imports) and spending the day setting the new one up seemed as ambitious as I needed to be for the entire day. I was still tired!  

BIL admiring the boat

There may be more trips like this in my future. This one, while disappointing as far as sailing went, showed me that the right and sufficient clothes make a huge difference. Standing around will be colder than moving around. And, this trip had very little disruption of my sleep - up most of the night Sunday night/Monday morning in the rain, but a good night's sleep both Monday and Tuesday nights. There is a lot of ladder-climbing required aboard ship, and that went well. All the work I've done to strengthen both legs has paid off!

Big Feet

I did another Marie Kondo event, this time on my shoes. It was partly prompted by buying new hiking boots. The ones I had worked ok, except after a couple of hours my feet hurt in them. I was nervous about buying new boots because you can't tell about that "after a couple of hours" in a shoe store, much less on line. So I went to REI and got measured. I was shocked to hear the sales guy recommending a full size up in length from what I thought I needed! (BTW, new hiking boots working great, have worn for hours and miles. Still glad to take them off afterwards, but no pain.)

It was also partly prompted by what I went through getting shoes for the fancy wedding I went to this summer. I don't wear heels, and I won't, but I did feel the need to make an effort in the flats. I realized NOTHING I had in my closet would work for several hours mostly on my feet in a dress, so I mail ordered three pairs of sort-of-fancy but flat and wide shoes, and ending up keeping two pairs. I may have been the only woman at the wedding that never changed her shoes on board. How crazy is it that women can't have shoes that both feel good and make us happy that they look good? I find the tradeoff unacceptable, and I refuse to compromise on a basic level of comfort. [End of Shoe Rant]

Since I retired, I haven't needed to dress up hardly at all. I just wear my sneakers or sandals almost everywhere. That doubled down with the pandemic, where many days I never ventured farther than around-the-block with the dog, and flip flops or slippers actually sufficed. So maybe the lack of structured shoes led to my feet spreading out in all directions? Also, I've gained weight, and perhaps that has had an affect. And, I have a huge bunion on my right foot, making it quite misshapen, distorting all the toes on that foot. I recently regarded my left foot, and noted how attractive it is, just a normal foot with straight toes. Maybe some day I'll consult a doctor about the right foot distortion, but for now, if my shoes fit, my foot doesn't hurt, so why pursue a medical surgical solution?  It just makes it harder to get shoes that fit.

So I retrieved all my shoes from three different spots in the house, and laid them all out. The picture shows just leather shoes, "work shoes". I had different arrays of sneakers and sandals. First went away any too worn, or that I never liked anyway. Then I tried on some favorites, and was distressed that some of the ones I liked a lot really didn't fit. So I finally got down to a much smaller shoe collection. In fact, I may end up buying some shoes to fill holes in the uses. I remain on a search for casual shoes as comfortable as sneakers but that look nicer. Obviously, I will size up any new shoes I buy.

When I retired, I decided all my work clothes would stay in my closet for at least a year, until I saw what my life was going to be like. Again, the pandemic changed all that, and so I have literally a closet full of clothes where I haven't touched maybe 90% of them since 2019. I'll get around to them, probably this winter as I move more activities inside. But next up on the clothes pruning list is hats, gloves, and scarves. I've spread the storage over two different places, (plus pockets of coats) and it's time to consolidate and prune. I got through last winter without having to buy new gloves, hooray! I was pretty sure I own a warm wool beanie from Norway, so I didn't buy another for myself from the constant opportunities to shop in Iceland, but now I can't find the one I'm looking for. Time to dig deeper.

Fat

I started this post several days ago, and abandoned it after a while. It had nothing new to say about what to do with the fact I am fat. If I don't want to be fat, I should eat less and move more. Specifically, I should have better portion control at meals, eat more vegetables, and fewer sweets, especially at night. And if I was an Intuitive Eating success story, all of the above would come naturally. But while of course I'm not happy with how I look and feel, I am not willing to make a stringent commitment to do something about it. So I'm muddling along, making changes at the margin some days, other days, not so much.

I was going to delete the partial post below, but I think the emotion expressed is true, and I want to capture it, for myself.

 

I am fat. I weigh more than I have in 25 years, and it isn't all muscle. I am fat. My clothes do not fit well. My stomach gets in the way of certain exercises or stretches. These are facts, not feelings.

I don't like the way my body looks and feels. I am ambivalent about what and how I have been eating. These are feelings, not facts.

Fuck you, intuitive eating! You have screwed up how I think and feel and act around food. Before I read the book, I would have said I only needed to modify two main things in my diet: better portion control at every meal but especially at night, and better control of night time sweets. Now, I think I'm in much more disordered eating, because IE advocates eating whatever you want whenever you want. The subtlety of IE comes in the word "want" - getting that right - but I'm not sure I'm ever going to get there. And I'm also not willing right now to go back to the more structured eating I was doing before. So I'm stuck, and not happy about it. But it's all within my control. I just want to let go and not have to be in control. Ugh.

Sock Explosion

How many pairs of socks can a person own? It appears like too many! Ever since I stopped buying cotton socks, no sock of mine has ever worn out. For a while, I was losing them to the Very Hungry Labrador, but that's over now. No Christmas holiday goes past without socks given and received. And hardly any trip to Costco goes by without a pass through the sock display. And socks are the easy, likely-to-fit, easy premium to be stashed in a goody bag at any sporting event. And they just keep piling up!

So I Marie Kondo'd them. I found them stashed in three places in my room, plus I finished all the laundry to be sure I had them all. First, I got rid of those with no spark of joy - that was a whole grocery bag full. Then, I sorted what was left: running socks, hiking socks, thick wool winter socks, cool short and thin summer socks, dress socks.... I weeded them down further within categories - I don't need 10 pair of hiking socks! But I do need socks to match each pair of running or walking shoes, with different color stories each. With what is left, it seems like a whole lot. Three dozen, plus compression socks and huge non-skid welcome-home-from-the-hospital socks, and Christmas socks (but only 3 pair of Christmas socks, not 5) and Thanksgiving socks! But I freed up more space in my dresser drawers.

Checking In on Intuitive Eating

I'm committed to not focusing on my weight, and instead focusing on being strong, and eating what feels like the right thing in the right amounts. To that end, I've covered up my scale, though I step on it daily. To keep from obsessing about it ("Think about anything except a white bear") I can look at my weight records if I want to. I've made a loose rule that I will look at my weight on weekends if I like, and I've checked in a few times, though often I'm like "never mind". I look at my whole body in the mirror, and I continue to wear clothes that reflect my body size and shape. So I'm not divorced from my weight, though I think about the numbers less and how I feel more. I'm really focused on being strong for my March hiking trip, but there is a nagging worry about making sure my clothes continue to fit for it, because I am for sure gaining weight.

Integral to the IE principles are to consider all food as equal - do not demonize any of it! Also, honoring hunger means to not restrict anything. It's considered critical - because the "snap back" effect is so powerful. These first steps in IE are called the "refeeding" stage. It's assumed, when the rules go away, there is some period of going wild, before your body wisdom kicks in and the emotional components wane, and you settle down into a more sedate pattern of eating. And, if you don't settle down, it's because you have not truly internalized the principles yet. Just eat more, for longer, trust the process. I'm still a skeptic.

Because I never followed other's food plans, I learned to reject conventional diet wisdom back in the last century, and more recently I embraced the concept of only eating things I really like, I assumed I didn't have to deal with jettisoning much in the way of emotions or rules attached to food. It turns out that is not strictly true. While I long ago eschewed lousy diet substitutes and ate no food I didn't like, I have not actually regularly eaten everything I do like. I made spaghetti for myself the other day, and I realized the number of times I've cooked pasta is maybe once a year for several years. It felt...  deliciously naughty is the best phrase I can come up with. I lost much of my original weight on low carb dining, and I blamed previous nightly pasta dishes and excellent bread for my weight gain in my thirties to my top weight ever. I ate a reasonable portion of pasta this time, and I felt good. But I was startled by the frisson of naughtiness that came with it. I wonder if I can work this into my meal lineup, and stay reasonable?

It does seem that I have my hunger cues pretty well covered. I'm eating breakfast a little earlier than before, lunch time is varied depending on many factors, and dinner is early. (Yes, I'm an old person that would appreciate a good Early Bird Special.)  I still over eat at a good evening meal, sometimes nearly to Thanksgiving levels. Something in my body equates "stuffed" with comfort. And I am often driven to grab something and stuff it down heedlessly late at night, again for comfort. These are not sweets, but usually carbs. The other day, the way I stuffed in some crackers while standing at the kitchen counter reminded me of The Very Hungry Labrador who had apparently sworn never to go hungry again. I also will eat from bland boredom, seeking pleasure in my mouth. This is usually sweets, in the evening or night.

Since I know these things, I'm trying to work with them rather than fight them. What are other comforts and entertainments? This is highly personal, and a work in progress, so I don't have any answers to offer here. But I do think awareness is key. Progress, not perfection.

Impulse Buying

I spend lots of time on the internet, and that allows the internet to track me and target ads. It's a little pathetic, like a neglected puppy, I show the slightest interest, and a product / product type is all over me. Sometimes, it's amusing. Sometimes, it actually works on me. I am very suggestible, I have money, I have time, I have endless optimism about whether I'll use something, and I'm always seeking the new and novel. In fact, I subscribe to some emails (including Wirecutter from the NYTimes) so I'm getting "push" into my mailbox. If I didn't want to buy anything, I wouldn't do this.

For budgeting purposes, I have a list of possible big purchases (defined as over $100) and things have to be on the list for a while before I act. I have to do at least some research, and be sure I want it. But there is an amazing array of things one can get for less than a hundred dollars, and I have been known to just push the button and buy. I try not to - I will go so far as to put things into my shopping cart on a site, and then close the browser thinking I'll come back tomorrow with a clearer mind. Sometimes that even works and I don't buy the thing. But more often than I like to admit, I do.

Clothing is an obvious category. For me, its not so much party or dress up clothes, or any kind of bling. Things that catch my eye are specialty clothing for adventures I hope to have some day. So recent purchases include a merino wool tshirt from Woolx ("the only tshirt you will ever need") and, in contrast, a quick-dry cooling long-sleeved tshirt from Arctic Cool ("like wearing an air conditioner"). They are nice. I already own a bizillion tshirts. Now I have a bazillion plus two.

Anything to do with travel catches my eye. Gadgets, of course, luggage, purses. I have disposed of enormous numbers of suitcases and bags and backpacks, and yet I'm constantly browsing, looking for something new. The ideal is small, has a million tiny but capacious pockets, holds everything, weighs nothing, and transports itself. Such a thing, The Luggage, exists in Discworld (by Terry Pratchett). But I keep searching in this world. Each trip planned is likely to generate some wistful looking, if not an actual purchase. Right now, I have storage space set aside for all the bags and backpacks and suitcases I own, but any more purchases will drive another round of purges. I also have bags to put in bags, of course, more than a few. Which leads, when traveling, to endless hours of unzipping things to see what is each one. I just went through all that have, got rid of the most tatty, and washed all that remain. Ready to go someplace!

Lately, I've been tempted by food things. A young blogger, Athena Scalzi, has written of several things she has tried and I've jumped in behind her. I got Honey Pops (a Maryland company, Waxing Kara, makes them) and found them a lovely treat - not one I want all the time, but something to savor. I got a "box" of treats from Japan. It was so fun: the whole family sat around after dinner and sampled the twenty things in the box. Weird and sometimes wonderful, great entertainment.  This strikes me as really expensive for what you get, but this is not food to shovel in mindlessly, but to taste and explore. The whole package - literally packaging and all - makes for a lovely experience.

2020 Report Card and Final Wrap-Up

 Herewith is my final report card for the year. After this, 2020 begone! I'm only looking forward!

 

First up: Activity. This past year was not great for my moving. Kim's friend Chris would be sad for me. I expended fewer calories overall, had fewer high activity days, fewer steps, more days very sedentary, and what I'm saddest about, many fewer days working out with weights. I got the bike out once, and tried running once. Only in "intentional miles" walking am I up slightly - and I think that is because I was more assiduous in tracking those miles. (In order to be logged, a "walk" needs to be at least 1 1/2 miles - no counting the incidental miles in the course of living my life.)

I have reasons and excuses, of course. The main one is I felt bad much of the time. Joint and muscle pain, headaches, upset stomach, all the things that are elusive and not subject to definitive diagnosis or fixing. But I'm extremely optimistic that I've now got a firm grasp on the mind-body approach to this, and this next year will be much better. 

 Next, my weight. I didn't achieve any big goals here, but I guess in the quarantine context I'm doing ok. I weigh slightly less than last year at this time, and (not shown) slightly more than I did in November, my lowest point of the year. Not coincidentally, I'm planning and tracking food much more often. I'm also really tuning into my hunger and satiation signals. I think I'm on the right track here, and again, I'm optimistic things will be even better next year.

 

On mind-body, it's a mixed picture. Not shown or tracked, I started serious therapy this year for the first time ever. First, in January, for twelve weeks I was in a structured (zoom) group, and following that, I started individual therapy over facetime. What I'm doing is geared towards somatic issues, specifically to address those with chronic pain of the types I have. On those things I do track, I'm meditating, less than last year (huh, if I didn't track it, I would have guessed different). My migraines are up for the year, but there were NONE in December and I think this is an effect of the emotional work I'm doing to re-train my brain. I am generally a champion sleeper, I certainly have plenty of time. My resting heart rate, which generally shows an overall fitness level, is slightly better than last year.

On the category I might term "self-actualization", if you are a regular reader, you know for sure I was a reading fool this year. I blogged more than last year, less than I would have liked. I started tracking "trips downtown" last year after I retired - generally trips last year were social, catching up with former work friends. Most of this year's trips were solitary dawn walks, reminding myself the city even exists. It feels like I sailed a lot this year, but seeing that it's less than last year, it must feel like more because it stands out so clearly in such a mass of otherwise undifferentiated days. Other accomplishments include a tap dancing class at the local community college (surprisingly effective over zoom) and several seminars and on-line short courses. I also got into sewing masks, and really engaged on the design and engineering creativity side while doing it.

I think I'm going to add movies watched to this list for next year - I would like to see a movie a week. This seems so very do-able, and I find setting a quantitative goal and reporting it here would be helpful. I want to do even more classes and short courses, tap class again, and sit down at my piano sometimes. I don't know I'll be tracking quantitatively here, though tracking can be part of the reward system that encourages me to keep going. I aspire to travel, but you know...

On the money front, I've spent some time working on the budget. My goals for this year were to get a handle on where the money goes, and specifically to reduce costs on food and clothes. Missions accomplished! This is the one area where the quarantine really helped. I cut food spending by 25%, mostly because I'm not eating out. Clothing was down by more than a third. (There was really no reason for me to buy any clothes at all this year, but I get bored and just want something new.) 

As another couple of money accomplishments, I did a final distribution to my family of the money from my mother's estate, and cut down on the number of different bank accounts I have. My mother's probate estate was something of a nightmare to deal with, and the IRS combined forces with the US Postal Service to screw some things up that created a great deal of angst for me. So when I close the estate's last bank account next week, I'm going to do a happy dance.

I tend to be analytic and want to be intentional about how I live my life. My current focus is trying to engineer my days to build good routines. When do I do what kind of exercise or other work? I've learned about habit formation so I'm thinking about this as another design challenge. What is my trigger to make me go work out? What might be the barriers? How can I make it easier to start? I know I hate going outside on days like today (grey and drizzling) so what can I do to get over the hurdle? Or is there something I can do indoors instead? Stay tuned!

Mask Crafts

I've spent quite a bit of time on designing and sewing masks. I've been through several different designs, surfed around on the 'net, watched a bunch of youtube videos, ventured onto pinterest.

The first masks I made back in April were being done when supplies were not widely available, and a general call came out from some hospitals asking for masks. I ransacked my house. I hauled out my old sewing machine (bought in 1981) and I found some elastic and threads. I had some bits and pieces of fabrics from projects planned and never done. I also looked in my clothes closet and linen closet, finding cotton clothes and old pillow cases that could go into masks.A very basic rectangular design, with two layers of cotton, 2-3 folds and ear loops were the basic starting point. The first one took a few hours, subsequent ones came more quickly. I supplied three each to my local family members. 

Too matchy-matchy?
But an excellent all-day fit

Then I started wearing the masks. More and more evidence indicated they were a good thing, with more suggestions on the best materials. I realized the masks I had made first had some flaws. As a wearer of glasses, often during masked walks my glasses were steamy. I had a few occasions when I had to wear the mask along with my hearing aids, and ear loops were no good. I noted comments on TLo about how one should up their mask game for fashion purposes. I also found I liked sewing them. Making the masks became a creative outlet, requiring engineering skills and allowing some artistic license. 

I bought a new sewing machine (after forty years, what the heck). I have serious sewing friends who have very expensive machines, but when I went online I found new, apparently adequate, machines from brands I never heard of for even less than $100. The top-rated one at Wirecutter was sold out everywhere (hello, apocalypse thinking), but I got an "also good" Singer heavy duty. It doesn't squeal when the wheels go round, but otherwise seems the equivalent of my old machine.

White hair and black mask
But a good fit

So here are attributes of a well-designed mask: the fit from the bridge of your nose to under your chin is important. (My family varies from 4.75" to 5.75" in that measurement.) It is helpful, especially for glasses, to have a shaper over the nose, bending the mask to follow the face's contour. I worked with some pipe cleaners I had in the house, but then bought purpose-made metal strips on-line. It's important to have fabric layers as padding under the metal strips. It's good to have some space between your mouth and the mask, which requires some structure to be built in (the rectangular masks do not do that well). If the side of the mask is done as a sheath, the ties or elastic aren't sewn in but instead threaded - they can be replaced easily - and so a mask can convert from ear loops to behind your head fastenings. Two layers is good, and the inner layer should be soft. Three layers is better, but you don't want a big bump of fabric seams piling up on top of your nose, especially if you wear glasses. Cotton is universal, but a silk lining helps with comfort, facilitating breathing while still efficiently trapping particles (and adding warmth when outdoors). A lazy, quick mask can be made out of tshirts by just cutting ear loops right into the mask itself.

So now I pick up pieces of fabric, stack them double or triple, and first look at a light bulb through the stack. If I can see the outline clearly, it's a no-go. Then, I hold the stack over my nose and mouth and try nose breathing through it. If that works, I'm in business! I'm venturing into new pieces of fabric, aiming at fashion now that I have the basics of structural design down. I have a feeling we'll be wearing them for a while now.

Enough About the World. What About ME?

One way I've been coping with our crazy world is by turning ever more inward. Here is an update on some of the things I track, adding September and October since the last time I reported.

These measure how active I am. (More green is better.) Generally I'm trending upward, though I managed to do an insane amount of walking in July and am not likely to match that. I do have some very low days, and days when I feel like moving but manage to sit down until the urge passes. Everything except intentional miles walked is lower than last year, and I want to try to reverse that. I foolishly do not use my home gym very often, and I'm feeling the effects of not doing strength exercises. Also, I'm not biking or running but I'm leaving the rows in because I might.

Weight is one area where I'm doing better than last year, though not stellar. Not only have I avoided the Covid 15, but I'm slightly down, and tracking pretty often.

My mind and body are doing ok. A highlight is that migraine hours are down. Meditation is up, driven by the anxiety I felt over the state of the world. My sleep typically is least during the light months of the summer, and is slowly increasing as it is getting dark.

 

 My distraction and entertainment continue. I'm reading a lot of books, and listening to them too. I'm not much downtown, but have kept a steady set of sailing dates.

 

 Money is generally going ok. I still think I spend a ridiculous amount on food, but it's getting a bit better. At least I've stopped buying clothes that I have no place to wear. (Not shown: the money I spent on lap blankets and throws so I can huddle up and stay warm while wearing my jammies all day.)

 

Style Icons

Looking at my clothes, trying to decide what to do with them, made me muse a bit on what I own and how I want to be seen in the world. My entry into the working world was coincident with the era of skirted (but man-tailored) suits. I had shirts from Brooks Brothers, and little silk floppy bow ties. I was happy to have a uniform. As I grew more confident at work, I finally evolved to slacks, a blazer, and a T, or rarely, a tailored shirt. Imagine my delight to find Samantha Bee create a name for herself in exactly the style I wanted! At last!  A role model of a woman whose work and look, both, I admired!

 But, since I was roughly twelve years old, there is a style I adopted and wore as much as I could, when not at work.  But, not until very recently did I ever see someone representing the way I choose to look. But, finally I did. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Stevie Budd!

The plaid shirt, tee, jeans, and sneakers is me. Though lately, more likely yoga pants than jeans.

(Except for the hair on both. I'm a short-hair girl for life, since I got my ponytail cut off right after my high school yearbook picture was taken.)