Game On!!

The definition of "accountability", according to good ole Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary, is "the quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions".  I like accountability.  I particularly liked it 5 years ago when I tried Weight Watchers.  Just knowing that one person was going to see my weight loss (or gain...depending on the week) made me work a bit harder to make sure the scales went in the right direction.  After all, there would be no one to blame should the number go in the wrong direction but myself...thereby making me solely accountable.  That time around I lost 13 lbs in 4 months. 

As some of you may know from earlier posts, I've entered into a bit of a challenge with an old friend (and troop mate).  She lives on the other coast of the country, so this is truly an East vs West challenge.   And in honour of our time together....a whole year between language training and Depot...we've decided to make this a marathon, not a sprint.  So in my twisted logic, if I lost 13 lbs over 4 months only being accountable to the one person who weighed me in...imagine how good I'm going to do with all my readers holding me accountable!!  I'm guessing (read hoping like hell) it can only be better!!  Therefore, you'll notice an addition on the right hand side of the blog which will reflect my progress on a monthly basis.  Okay Shelley....Game On!!!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Today's tidbit is likely only going to be of interest to other like-minded Corrie fans like myself.  Okay, I've probably just lost 95% of my readers right there...but hey, I learned this today, and I think it's worth writing about....so there!!  We all know that William Roache, aka Ken Barlow, is coming to Halifax in March.  (Well, you would have known it if you read my blog way back when!)  I'm unable to go as I've got a golf trip to Myrtle Beach already booked...otherwise, I'd have been there, front and center.  But, yes, I know, that's old news.  What I learned today is that another Corrie show is coming to Canada and it will showcase the old Corrie characters Ashley and Clare Peacock, Andy McDonald and Reg Holdsworth.  So far, it's only going to be available at certain Ontario locations....and...all around the last week of March...the same time that Ken Barlow is in Halifax...and the same time I'm in Myrtle Beach.  Damn it...DAMN it... DAMN IT!!!

The Oompa Loompas are coming! The Oompa Loompas are coming!!

Well, it's been over a week of my new "lifestyle" and things are going well.  I've been getting alot of use out of the new treadmill and have incorporated some diet changes.  I've drastically reduced my sugar intake.  I've not eliminated it completely, but significantly, for sure.  I'm pretty serious.  How serious, you ask?  I went to a movie today and gave away the Smarties that came with my combo!  How's that for serious!!! I'm expecting the Oompa Loompas to arrive at any time now to hold me down and force chocolate down my throat.  I'm sure the Chocolate Factory is at risk of closing up a wing or two.  Oh, is that the doorbell I hear???

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  There's a big seat sale on right now with Porter Airlines.  There is 50% off Halifax and Moncton departures.   Just book before February 3rd.  And there's currently a movement afloat to try to get Porter to fly out of Saint John.  To participate in the movement, just register for the VIPorter loyalty program.  Enough interest in the area and Porter will look at the feasibility of flying out of our airport.  I'm sure they'd be a welcome addition and would offer a bit more competition...as long as you can overlook that little incident a year or so ago...remember... where the pilot fell asleep on approach into the airport.  What with the technological advancements of "auto-pilot", I'm sure the pilot is just added weight in the cockpit to keep the nose of the plane down!  ;)

Drastic Times Call For Drastic Measures

I was reading about a celebrity (recently ejected from an airplane for failing to turn off his cell phone when told to do so by the flight attendant) who has lost 30 lbs in 4 months by cutting sugar out of his diet.  It may be time for me to do something drastic like that!  "Can she do it?", you're saying.  Well, I have managed to cut out Coke/Pepsi from my life and now only consume small amounts of diet soft drinks.  "But cutting sugar out completely is tough", you're saying.  Don't I know it.  Sugar is my crack, my cocaine, my heroin.  Is there a methadone for getting off sugar??  Some would say exercise is the answer....to this I say Bull*#^t!  I had a pretty good idea of what foods I'd have to cut out to eliminate sugar from my diet.  They include the big ones....bread, pasta, rice, cereal, and of course chips, chocolate and candy....but did you know it also includes such things as ripe bananas, raisins, flavoured yogurts, potatoes and the list goes on...and on....and on.  This will be a bigger challenge than I'd ever imagined.  And of course, the celebrity no doubt has a chef on the payroll who can prepare the food that stays within the diet restrictions.  Can MY chef do the same??  I've just asked her....and she says "oui, oui"!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  When visiting in England a few years back, we met a family friend named Edward Lane.  Back then he was in his early-mid 90's and was an amazing old chap.  Very spry and sociable.  Every day he consumed one hot toddy....just to keep the blood circulating....and to give him a reason to get up in the morning, I'm sure.  Well, I learned that he passed away last week at the ripe old age of 99!  As I said in my e-mail to his daughter Margaret, it may have been Star Trek's Mr. Spock that coined the phrase "live long and prosper", but it was Edward that epitomized it!  RIP Edward!!

Get going Lard Ass!!!

Now that the treadmill is up and working, I have no excuse for not exercising.  None... what.... so.... ever!  But it's not as easy as going down, getting on the treadmill and running.  No, no, no.  There is an entire routine that must be followed (yup, that little OCD kicks in again!).  First off, I hear that voice in my head while I sit on the couch watching Coronation Street.  It says "Get up Lard Ass....get up, get up, get up.  You bought that huge piece of furniture in the basement, now get down there and use it!!"  No, it really is the voice in my head...it's not Kier's voice I'm hearing (although he might be THINKING it)!  Okay, so I get up and change into something warm enough for the basement...but not too warm so that I overheat.  Then, down to the basement to check my water bottle....not full, back upstairs to fill it.  Must stay hydrated!!  Back down to check  my workout schedule....is it a running day, or walking day?  Cause if I'm walking, it's back upstairs to get my book so I can read...oh, and don't forget my glasses...I can't read without them!!  Where are my sneakers...gotta find my sneakers...they're down stairs beside the treadmill.  Back down I go.  And what music do I feel like??  Is it Glee...again??  (Yes, I'm a gleek!!)  And when all that's sorted, I'm good to go.   But I'm tired now.... to many trips up and down the stairs!  Maybe I'll just sit on the couch and watch some Y&R ;)

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Muscle weighs more than fat.  Okay, okay, I'm not sure I learned that today, or that it's even a scientific fact....but it MUST be true.  This is where you nod and agree with me...cause after 6 days of working out....I've GAINED a pound!!  *#@&*!!

Everyone else, but not me

It's finally happened...I've become one of the people I used to hate when I worked in uniform.  You know the ones...those that disregard all the warnings on the radio to "stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary".  But hey, picking up my treadmill today was "absolutely necessary"!  No, really, it was.  The sooner I get started running on it, the sooner I'll see those numbers on the scale start to get smaller.  The truth of the matter is that the weather just didn't look that bad when we set out from home.  We started to clue in when we saw the first wreckage on the side of the road, followed closely (about 100m) by the second, then the third, fourth, fifth and sixth all within 2 km...and if you count the jack knifed tractor trailer that was just beyond our turnoff, then it was seven accidents all together.  I've never seen anything like it before.  The good news is that the treadmill is assembled and operating...I've got no excuse now...ooooh, maybe I should have waited for the snow to clear up...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Drivers in the Maritimes are much less crazy than in other places we've lived (read Ontario!).   Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying they're perfect...not by a long shot...but, they seem to be a bit more self-effacing.  For instance, today when we noticed the accidents up ahead on the highway, everyone immediately started moving into the other lane.  Every car, in turn, moved over, all very ordered and seamless.  Now, had this been the 401, someone would have taken this as an opportunity to "move to the head of the line" and raced past everyone in that empty lane, only to get right on top of the accident and then attempt to force themselves back into the flow of traffic...much further ahead then they would have been before.  Cause some people think they have more important places to be than everyone else...but...apparently not people around here!!  That's a good thing!!!

And the award goes to....

It's the television award show season again, what with the Golden Globes and People's Choice recently on, so I thought I'd present a few of my OWN awards!!

The "Will you ever get that right" award goes to the company who, for whatever reason, just can't "get it right".  After three months of bills, each followed up by a call to customer service and the billing problem STILL isn't resolved....the award goes to....Rogers....nothing more needs to be said about that....many of you can relate!!

The "Who'd have thought you'd get a better deal in the store than on the website" award goes to the company who...you guessed it, offers a better deal to you when purchasing the same item in the store than was offered on their website (which is contrary to what I expected, for sure)...the award goes to ....Sears.  We found the treadmill we wanted on line and on sale...when we ordered it at the Sears store, low and behold...$100 cheaper than the on-line sale price....plus an addition $120 savings for opening a Sears card and getting "10x the points" (whatever the heck that means!) Whodda thunk!!

The "Will you ever get into the 21st century?" award goes to the company who continues to use old billing guidelines so whenever you submit your claims you inevitably exceed the allowable claim amounts so get stuck paying more out of pocket...and the award goes to...the Public Service Health Care or Sun Life as they are better known.  Every claim I submit...dental, medical, prescription, whatever, they always come back with that same line that the amount billed exceeds the provincial limits.  When I ask at the service provider if they are charging over the NB guidelines, they respond with, no, the insurance companies are using outdated guidelines.

And finally, the "No matter how desperate I am for a trip, I won't go with you" award goes to the company that I would rather stay home than travel with (so you know it MUST be bad for me to opt to stay home!!)...and the award goes to Costa Cruise Line...but more specifically, the Captain of the Costa Concordia... sad situation!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  No matter how old I get, I still don't look forward to the dentist when I know there's a needle involved.  Got to go for a filling this morning....yech!

Being tall is really over-rated!

They say you get shorter as you age, but they don't tell you that you also get shorter when you drywall.  Yup, it's true.  I was helping out Kier with the basement ceiling yesterday afternoon.  Now this is not the best task for someone battling back from a shoulder injury.  We had the huge sheet of gyp rock propped up over head and I was holding the brace from below when...you guessed it, it fell down and landed flat on the top of my head.  I swear I'm 2 inches shorter now...those sheets are heavy!!  But, the good new is  that a) the gyp rock didn't get broken...oh...and b) I didn't get a concussion.  Both good things!  BTW, I really am NOT a carpenter!! 

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Skype...it's not as confusing as it sounds.  Well so far it isn't, but then I haven't actually used it yet.  But I did create a cute little avatar to represent myself.  Oh, and take it from me, when you set up your laptop to go live, be sure it is slightly elevated, like on a shelf or a higher table.  It's preferable that you are looking up at the web cam...trust me, much more flattering ...way less double chinage and jowlage!!  No, I'm serious...you just try it the other way...you'll see what I'm talking about. ;)

Put off at your peril

Today has been an "odds and ends" day.  You know the type...getting all those little niggling things done that you've been putting off for so long.  I got my internet security software installed on all my computers today.  I downloaded my Australia pictures and put all my photos from my old computer onto CDs, I did some income tax research for a small win that Kier had in Vegas in 2011 which had over $500 in withholding tax taken from it (I've got an ulterior motive on that one...I get to keep 1/2 of all the money he gets back from the US Gov't...hey, my fees are high, but my service is worth it!!), and found the air pump to blow up my exercise ball (that one I could have done without!).  The first 2 tasks were particularly important...no one wants to get their banking information, or any other important stuff, hacked.  And it's only a matter of time before that old computer kicks the proverbial bucket taking every one of my photos down with it.  Now, granted, I don't take photos like I used to.  It really requires a major trip or event for me to haul out the ole brownie.  Okay, so it's really a Samsung...but it still takes something major for me to get it out.  But the photos I have taken...I want to preserve...you know, for posterity...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It really is winter in Eastern Canada.  I'm really not a huge fan of winter and less so of snow.  No longer being a skier makes me wish for a snow-free winter season.  It's bad enough when its so cold out that you don't want to go out, but even worse when its snowing out and you don't dare got out.  I'm missing a movie tonight because of it...and you know how much I love my movies...I'm not a happy camper!! 

Every cloud has a silver lining

This past weekend was the Provincial Playdowns for the NB Police Curling.  Last year we played in NS and were runner's up.  This year we placed third.  Not bad, right??  Well, it certainly wouldn't be bad...if there had been more than 3 teams in the bonspiel!  We're not too upset about missing out on the trip to the Nationals in Montreal this year.  It would have caused some upset to our scheduled golf week in Myrtle Beach.  There's always next year!!

Although curling remains a popular winter sport in NB, police curling has certainly fallen out of favour.  There was much discussion at the club about how to rejuvenate the whole provincial program and spark some interest amongst the younger members of the policing profession.  Not sure that's possible, but with the newly elected executive of the association, we're hoping for some success.  And speaking of the election...it's easy to see that male chauvinism is still alive and well!!  With 12 curlers in the bonspiel, and only 2 of them female, when it came time to put forward nominations for the executive, they were quick to nominate Kier for a position.  Hmmmm...they nominate him because a) he's a man and it's a man's world after all (wrong!); and b) he retired as a Superintendent so they just assume he'd be a keener (wrong again!).  Just to play into their stereotypes, I volunteered (who's the keener after all??) for the secretary/treasurer position.  I even told them I'd be sure to wear a short skirt for all the executive meetings.  I don't think they understood my sarcasm!!  Surprised?? Not in the least!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Watching the scales is a bit like watching my investment balance.  It's not something I should be doing every day, because you don't see much movement.  But wait to check it every week or two, and BANG...big changes...and usually not for the better...neither one!!!

Decisions, decisions...

First off, I have to start by saying...I hate exercise.  I don't dislike it or just prefer not to do it... I HATE it...full stop.  So that contributes to the difficulty I am faced with in the decision I am trying to make.  I'm torn between joining a gym and buying a treadmill.  Odd dilemma for an anti-exercist (is that even a word)??

Secondly, I must add, I have zero willpower.  So just planning on switching to a menu of lettuce, lettuce and more lettuce, followed by a dessert of celery is destined to fail.  So, the alternative, as I see it, is to just ramp up the exercise program.  Then I'd only have to moderately reduce the snacking between meals, and limit my sugar intake and WHAM...results!!! 

Okay, so which form of exercise will it be??  I join a gym to the tune of $46/month for ev-ver...never actually buying anything, or owning anything, but continuing to "rent" for as long as I grace them with my presence.  Or, I could buy a treadmill for somewhere between $1500 and $2000, set it up in front of a tv, and work out in the comfort of my own home.  Sounds good...and easy...but aside from a lack of willpower, I also have a lazy streak about the width of the Grand Canyon...not a good combination.  The upside, though, is that I'm currently motivated...those numbers on the scale that I've never seen before are helping out there.  The gym has variety, the treadmill has convenience...so that's what it boils down to variety vs convenience.  Which will win out?  Hopefully me!  No matter what my decision, I will definitely benefit from either choice.  Now, for the hard part...deciding!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  There are an inordinate number of people from the Netherlands who are looking at (I can't assume they are actually reading it) my blog.  I check my stats on a regular basis to get an idea of where in the world my blog is being viewed.  For instance, this past week I've had 90 page views in Canada...no surprise, seeing as most people I know live in Canada.  But get this, I've had 72 page views in the Netherlands!  I don't think I know anybody there!  Wow!  So what do I say to that..."Welkom"!!

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader

I love books.  I love the smell of them and the feel of them.  I'm a bit quirky about my books too.  I don't like library books, or borrowed ones.  I have to buy new.  I must be the first person to break that binding...hear it snap.  With this passion for the hard copy book, you might think that my transition to e-books must have been difficult.  You know, I thought it would be.  It wasn't.  I love my e-reader.  Especially for travel.  I can pretty much pack my whole library with me when I go.  It's great.  And my reader is full of my favourite authors...James Patterson, Stuart Woods, Carol Higgins Clark, Chris Bohjalian, Jodi Picoult, to name a few.  I occasionally pick up a new author, either through the recommendation of a friend or after hearing the author interviewed.  Sometimes, I get so involved in the story line that I am actually disappointed when it's finished.  Have you ever had that feeling??  You just hate to see the end of the book come cause it was just soooo good.  But on the flip side, there 's nothing quite so disappointing as when you read the first book of a new author and it's just fabulous....so when you see another one by the same author, you jump to buy it...only to find out that lightening doesn't strike twice, and it's a dud...a complete dud.  I just finished one of those, and I'll be striking that author off my reading list!!  I can't wait for when my friend Shelley gets her first book published.  I'm certain she'll be following her first bestseller with several more after it.  And for every one she writes, she's going to remember her friend with the love of books and send me one....autographed...right Shell??  Maybe one day, after she's written 10 or 12 books, I'll even get a dedication!!  (Got to get my pitch in early...before she becomes rich and famous!)

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It is possible to go to a movie and NOT have popcorn.  I did it today, but I must say, the whole experience is a bit less enjoyable w/o paying way too much for a tiny bag of corn that's been popped, and a jug of pop that could burst your bladder.  And as I mentioned before, it only takes 21 days to create a habit...so another 20 movies w/o popcorn and then I'll have this licked!!  If my New Year's resolution lasts that long...

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

It's that time of year again when we start on the long road to keeping our resolutions.  Mine for the year follow that decade old concept "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle":

1. Reduce...many of the numbers in my life...my waist size, my pant size and the number on the scale.  The only number I want to see increasing is my bank account!!
2. Reuse - see previous...if I start "reducing", I can re-use a lot of the old clothes in my closet.  Most of my contemporaries will know what I'm talking about...you know...the couple of sets of clothes that are hanging there waiting for us to "shrink into them".
3. Recycle - okay, more like re-cycle, or cycle again, you know, get my bike out and do more cycling...or any other form of exercise really which will all help me achieve number 1 and 2 above.

Best of luck to you all in making, and keeping, your own resolutions for the year!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  Today is the first day of the rest of your life!