Random Musings of a Banded Bad-Ass (not really)....

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

"The Mendoza Line"



So, if you're not a baseball geek like me, you likely don't get the reference, so I'll share its definition with you:

The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose lifetime batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. Even though Mendoza's career batting average over nine seasons was .215,[1] most often the cutoff point is said to be .200, and when a position player's batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be below the Mendoza Line. This is often thought of as the offensive threshold below which a player's presence in Major League Baseball cannot be justified, regardless of his defensive abilities.

I hope you're not bored to tears, but I'm there. Hovering at The Mendoza Line.  On the brink of Onederland, with an inability to hang tight under 200. I have seen a low of 198.5, but the very next day, I was back to 200.5, with no real explanation. I've been eating well and exercising, so I refuse to get all bummed out. For now, I'm just hanging around the Mendoza Line, hoping I can get sent down to the minors real soon!

P.S. I still can not comment, even after following Jen's direction.  So frustrating!




Monday, September 26, 2011

Why Can't I Comment?

All of a sudden, none of my comments will go through. I remember someone else asking about this several weeks ago, but I can't find the dang post & answers. Can someone help, por favor?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Hoo-EEE! Is anyone melting yet?

Holy Toledo, is it hot and sticky enough for you?! I just want to bathe in a tub of ice water. All is well around here, with not much to report. I saw a new low on the scale today, 209.5, which takes me into a new weight decade. It's so interesting how I can be stalled for weeks and even months on end, only to have the scale start to move for no real reason. Actually, I think I've been less active with this heat. So, on the band front, I really need to pay a visit to my surgeon. My port incision continues to be problematic, and not only do I still have a slightly open wound there, but there is now a tiny hole beneath it, and {gasp!} I think my port is exposed a bit. I'm packing the wound and keeping the hole clean and covered, but this can not be good. I had Dr. B call in a heavy dose of antibiotics to give it one last shot to close, because I'm pretty certain my only other option is a revision surgery, which I really want to avoid.

Husby and I just got back from our National Lampoon RV Vacation. I wanted The Caribbean or Hawaii, I got Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, via motor-home. Alas, it was very beautiful, but we could have enjoyed some nice tropical digs for the coin we dropped on renting an RV. It's a good thing they get such great gas mileage, because that made it a real bargain {at least compared to chartering a private jet to an island paradise}. Eh, at least we got to bring the pup along.

So Lovelies, I'll leave you with a few pix from our madcap adventures....Excuse the no-make-up look in my photo, but I found it to be very difficult to look put-together whilst camping. {I do love that my pup is masking my arm flab}.








Monday, June 27, 2011

Not Feelin' It.

How does the mojo disappear so quickly? I get on a roll, and I think, "I can do this; no problem." But then there are always problems. Problems like: frustrations when I am so good with eating and exercise and the scale won't budge; or stresses beyond my control that drive me to stress-eating; or delicious desserts brought into my home by those with the best of intentions. All these things cause my weight loss to slow down. I know I am the one making my own decisions, and ultimately I drive my successes and failures, but dang, it sure is easy to get off track, isn't it? I know I'm being whiny, and truth be told, it's not all that bad. Even though I haven't lost in the past two weeks, I am down 9 lbs. over the past two months, when I last saw my surgeon. I'm just bummed, because I wanted to be under 200 by the end of July, and my hope for that is fading fast.

On a lighter note, want to hear a funny story? So, my sister-in-law caught a stomach virus [obviously not the funny part], so she sent her two girls to our house for a couple of days. We had a blast, swimming, baking and even had a homemade beauty spa night. Anyway, a series of mishaps [note: it is never a good idea to let a four-year old dry-mop your hardwood floors, even if it is covered with rainbow sprinkles] caused a couple of breakables to hit the floor, one right after the other. I was trying to hide my disappointment when my four year old niece put it all in perspective by telling me, "It's really OK. It's way better than somebody dying in your house." Yep, I've got to agree with that wisdom.

AT-HOME SPA NIGHT WITH THE GIRLS

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Defying Logic

Why does soft tofu get stuck in my band, yet I can eat a half a can of Pringles with no problem? Why do I ache in pain (then cough it up) when I try to eat tuna salad, but I can put away tortilla chips and salsa like there's no tomorrow? Senseless, I tell you. It sure is easy to get off-track, when so many protein-rich foods are off the table, and junk food is easy-as-pie (oh, don't get me started on pie). If you come across my self-control and discipline, would you kindly return it?

Kind Regards,

Monday, May 23, 2011

I'm Baacckk!

OK, so I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. We're not talking a couple of weeks, or a month or two. I friggin' haven't blogged since January. I'm not sure why, other than I haven't had much of anything to share. My weight loss has been slow but steady. I'm at 219 as of this morning, down 115 lbs in total and 101 since my surgery date. It's so weird how this works. I've been avoiding the scale for the past few weeks, because I wasn't exactly "on task", but when I weighed in yesterday and was down 5 lbs. I've given up trying to figure out this madness, but I'll take the loss.

Husby and I recently returned from a trip to The Kentucky Derby, and we took a side trip to Nashville, as well, just for kicks. SO. MUCH. FUN. One of Steve's clients has a sweet suite at Churchill Downs, so we were able to do the Derby right. All the mint juleps a girl could want (which is exactly zero for this girl--BLECH!) Anyway, I sort of ate my way through the South, as much as my band would allow. On our way from Louisville to Nashville, we did the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which knocked me on my keister. Boy, what beautiful country that is.

Here are a few shots from the Kentucky Oaks and Derby:






My husband actually picked Animal Kingdom, the long shot who won the big race, making up for two days of losses. Now he thinks he has bragging rights.

Well, I'm glad to be back (in So Cal and in Blogland). Have a great week, y'all [said with my best southern affectation].

Saturday, January 8, 2011

50 Followers....That's Just Super!


Thank you so much for reading my blog. 50 followers is pretty awesome! It's been a good week, for the most part. I was a bit sad at the start, as the husby had to return to work after being off over the holidays, but, alas, someone has to earn a living around here (I quit my job in May, to look for something closer to home, but I haven't even started looking--so many more fun things to do!). It's been friggin' cold here in the San Diego area. Now, I know cold is a relative term, and all you North Easterners would probably kill for temps in the high 40's, but for wimps like me, it's been an icy-cold and wet winter. We had such crazy rains the week before Christmas that we were stuck at home for two days, as the creek ran over (remember, I sort of live in The Sticks). Here's a picture of the creek (usually a trickle) running over the road to our place--by this point it had gone down considerably, but you get the idea:

On the band front, I was ever-so-happy that my port site incision finally closed on New Years Day (after several months), but it reopened just five days later. I see Dr. B. on Tuesday, and will ask him to do a culture to determine what the heck is going on. I want to exhaust all options before agreeing to a relocation surgery. I still need to lose 3 lbs. to hit 100 down by my visit on Tuesday. Here's hoping for a lofty loss this weekend. Click shakes are my friend, and my enemy at the same time. Ciao!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Sorry for my absence....I was busy eating fudge.

Happy New Year! I know it's been awhile since I've posted. Part of it is that I've been busy with the holidays, and part is that I've been a bad girl, and hate to fess up. The good news is, I made it through the holidays without gaining. The bad news is, I made it through the holidays without losing. I know where I messed up. Things like: I made sweets for the neighbors, and when my fudge didn't properly set, instead of throwing it out, I kept it in the garage fridge, and helped myself to a spoonful whenever I got a hankering for a sweet treat. Turns out fudge-by-the-spoonful is DELICIOUS, and goes down oh-so-easily. I had those fudge hankerings most days, until I finally tossed tossed the gooey mess of yumminess.

Other than that, I'm glad the holidays are over, and I'm ready to buckle down for progress in the new year. I see my surgeon on 01/11, and want to lose 5 lbs before then, which I am confident I can do. This will get me to 100 lbs lost, in 11 months, which is really amazing. I love my band....oh, and I've finally named her: Prudence, she is. She keeps me real, and helps me to exercise sound judgment.

We just returned from a few days at our family cabin in Big Bear (San Diego's local mountain resort). It was just lovely, and we had about six inches of snow. Here's a shot from the front of our cabin, looking up the snowy road.