tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91208267061433082562011-08-02T12:50:11.098-04:00An imperfect perfectionist plodding through the idiocracy.Janisnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-28236809708190771802010-09-23T19:44:00.001-04:002010-09-23T19:45:25.154-04:00

So many things, you taught me. You taught me to be self-reliant, then begrudgingly smiled called me "Little Miss Independent" when I tartly insisted, "I do it my-sef!" You taught me that I was to respect others; adults, other kids, people I thought were different from me (they weren't, I learned that from you). You treated people as you wanted them to treat you, and I saw that. You showed me

Janisnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-19143167616068810842010-09-02T20:57:00.000-04:002010-09-02T20:57:33.631-04:00

Of course it is. But cliche`d sayings become that way for a reason - because they are true. Bad things happen to good people. Family man. Self-employed. Builds pneumatic machinery for a living. Experimenting currently with ways to recycle fiberglass and plastic and make the combination into something useful. Did I mention what a nice guy he is? A shredder he's using catches his gloved hand,

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-37487283831330177732010-08-27T15:10:00.000-04:002010-08-27T15:10:05.057-04:00

It's not something that happens very often. To most people, we're a vague memory on one of the worst days of your life. We don't often get to find out the outcome of the time we spend with you. Was our diagnosis correct? Did we do everything right? Did we make you better? Did you have any idea how much we cared? However, last Tuesday, we had the honor of meeting a patient who, over the past year

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-35623158592558989812010-08-21T00:17:00.000-04:002010-08-21T00:17:49.033-04:00

Geez, where does one begin when so much time has passed? There's been fun. There's been love. There's been birth. There's been death. There's been a lot of work and daily life and monotony in between. Let's see if I can condense it into one of my beloved bulleted lists, and promise never, ever, ever to be gone this long again. Married my soulmate in April, on the day in between our two

Janisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-34809725890357712932010-03-06T09:00:00.002-05:002010-03-06T09:00:02.289-05:00

Temple Grandin, currently showing on HBO channels. Claire Danes is nothing short of fantastic, and Temple herself is a fascinating person. I've watched it 3 times in 2 days and I'm not even close to tiring of it.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-38937462110985394952010-03-05T00:43:00.000-05:002010-03-05T00:43:25.811-05:00

My beloved just confirmed to me today (very tactfully, as is his way), that I am a much easier person to be around when I get my workout in every day. It's been a rough couple of weeks... I've been sort of tied to the house while he goes to work and a guy with long legs, a comically short torso and hilarious eyebrows shows up and hangs out in the basement for several hours, muttering. He's not

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-31365289076462829752010-03-02T15:23:00.000-05:002010-03-02T15:23:14.786-05:00

How much I love this dog. What is it? Is it the expectation of nothing more than a couple of meals and a couple of trips outside a day? The sheer jubilation when I have more to offer? Maybe it's the way she stands there looking at me with those eyes of molten chocolate, then - so as to further cause my heart to melt - rests her chin on my knee, or the chair, or the side of the bed... just

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-35008574045409152582010-02-10T00:13:00.001-05:002010-02-10T00:14:54.383-05:00

This is the struggle. I can work out for 2 1/2 hours (like I did today), and eat right all day, fighting cravings at home tooth and nail, with only my careful planning to rely upon... Only to come to work, to this.It's like saying to a crackhead, "I'm just going to put these rocks here on the counter... you don't have to smoke them. In fact, feel free to ignore them." It's like buying an

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-5490964401852411972010-02-08T13:14:00.000-05:002010-02-08T13:14:03.970-05:00

Why. When we have days and days advance notice, do you, the public, insist upon getting into your vehicles and venturing out into a blizzard? I know you have food in your houses, because I saw you ALL at the grocery store Thursday night. Every damn one of you. I will give you a pass on being out until evening rush hour Friday; the weather had not yet started when you left for work in the

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-91873175458392220102010-02-05T09:38:00.001-05:002010-02-05T09:38:35.479-05:00

I had a late night last night, as, like the rest of the mid-atlantic, northeast, and east coast, I had to go grocery shopping. Seems I always let the fridge get completely empty the day before a snowstorm is forecast. So, while my fellow 'Burghers were loading their carts with milk, bread, and the all-important TP, I was shopping for the basics - while hungry. I escaped unscathed, with only the

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-79334182956507545732010-02-04T10:32:00.000-05:002010-02-04T10:32:45.451-05:00

I've got a very important and life-saving invention and I need a good pitchman. And it needs to be a pitchMAN for this one. See, I've noticed that men seem to be totally clueless about their words and actions and... that... breathing too loud thing they do -  around women, during what I will delicately refer to as Rage Week. My invention, an Estrogen-Sensing-Pod (or ESP for short), senses the

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-84400407401659733432010-02-03T16:26:00.000-05:002010-02-03T16:26:46.599-05:00

No. Really. So I kicked up the cardio a couple of weeks ago. I noticed that I felt allover more stiff the rest of the day for the first few days, then I seemed to acclimate to it. Little bit of heating pad lovin' or whirlpool time after the gym and it would be gone. Mostly. (Side note: ThermaCare patches 1) DO NOT get hot enough and 2) do NOT stick! Don't think just because it's on your butt

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-23524853548919014982010-01-30T13:35:00.000-05:002010-01-30T13:35:00.060-05:00

I'd like to get an "abnormal labs" call, and instead of showing up at a nursing home for an 80 year old who looks healthy enough to beat me in a foot-race to the hospital... I'd like to find this instead. Just sayin'.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-36555621211186531842010-01-27T09:17:00.002-05:002010-01-27T09:17:00.685-05:00

Do you pay attention to what you tell yourself? Make it a point to listen to all of those thoughts, both the nagging and the fleeting, for just a few minutes. I think you'll be surprised at the things that run though your brain from one moment to the next. Any of these sound familiar? I can't. I just don't have time. Ugh, I'm so fat. Look at her running that 5k! I couldn't possibly accomplish

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-17247805323237685732010-01-25T09:04:00.001-05:002010-01-25T09:04:00.150-05:00

I'm a people-watcher. I have this tendency to create my own names, identities and backstories for people who I run across in everyday life, but whom I don't know from a can of paint. Lately, I keep seeing the same faces at the gym and I amuse myself during those cardio sessions when the closed-captioning on the tvs is pissing me off and I can't watch any more. A few of the regulars: Daddy:

Janisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-24857761351300619662010-01-22T17:02:00.000-05:002010-01-22T17:02:05.244-05:00

(shhh) ... I've gotten back into my gym schedule. I have made it to the gym 5 days Monday through Friday, which means I've hit my attendance goal. I'm not half-assing it either, people. I made a commitment to myself that I'd kick the cardio up to an hour per session. I need to do that until this weight comes off. Yes, I'm in great shape and I am seeing muscle definition I haven't seen in years

Janisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-51073450556536357472010-01-07T07:27:00.001-05:002010-01-07T07:27:31.023-05:00

That's what I get for taking a couple weeks month(ish) off of my 5 day a week workout schedule. My chicken cutlets - as they call them on What Not To Wear (the area between your underarm and boobs) - and my pecs are positively throbbing with pain - I swear my upper pecs are even a little swollen. (I do not desire or need more swelling in this area.) Reaching over my head produces an involuntary

Janisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-33930409907701120192010-01-04T06:35:00.002-05:002010-01-04T06:56:42.684-05:00

The holidays have, thankfully, come and gone. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy them. What I don't enjoy is the onslaught that begins earlier and earlier every year. I remember nearly having a fit of apoplexy in Kohl's when I saw Christmas displays up in mid-October. I remember mumbling psychotically to myself and shaking my head. I may have twitched once or twice. Hey, it keeps the pesky salespeople

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-64405452713015748392009-12-25T17:42:00.002-05:002009-12-25T18:38:59.603-05:00

Hard to believe the last entry was Thanksgiving. There's been lots of blood, sweat, tears, achy muscles, long days and nights, deaths and saves, between then and now. Life has settled and I finally have a moment to just sit and write.Two years ago today, I got the best surprise of my life. A scavenger hunt of note cards led me, finally, to a little box from the jeweler in the bread drawer and a

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-62131655270774049192009-11-26T09:09:00.001-05:002009-11-26T09:11:09.013-05:00

I saw several herds/gaggles/gangs/mobs of turkey this morning on my drive to work. I wonder if they were going to Thanksgiving dinner?

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-29332578790907497062009-11-25T09:10:00.003-05:002009-11-25T09:52:21.685-05:00

... to see just how good it is where you are now.We celebrated our Thanksgiving day yesterday since we're working through the holiday. Dinner with all the trimmings, mini-pies for dessert. I do my best to eat in a healthy way. I strive for foods that are minimally processed. I avoid flour and sugar. I don't eat pie. I don't eat mashed potatoes and gravy. Yams are microwaved with a little pat of

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-25381784270056251512009-11-22T08:49:00.002-05:002009-11-22T09:31:37.316-05:00

*sigh*Have you ever felt that - while things were stable and you were accomplishing the things you wanted to accomplish - that you were on the precipice of it all crumbling? That is how I feel. It's not really the upcoming holidays; I feel that I've worked very hard to overcome that holiday Buffet Pig-Out mentality and mastered the art of 90%.It is the disruption of my routine. Believe it or not,

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-24094764928299176182009-11-17T08:18:00.003-05:002009-11-17T08:46:37.322-05:00

Dear Dude Working Out On Treadmill In Front Of Me:It has been well over 20 years since someone farted so horribly in my presence that I nearly threw up (and that's saying a lot, I'm in healthcare). The last time was on a road trip, trapped in a Ford Tempo with my brother; 80mph down the highway, but I seriously considered the tuck n' roll, if only it would allow me to escape that thick, lingering

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-26250904610528378172009-11-11T20:34:00.004-05:002009-11-11T20:47:07.526-05:00

This blog is not dead, just temporarily neglected. My days have consisted of a blur of physical therapy appointments, gym workouts, and painting and remodeling my house for the tenant who is moving in mid-December.I remember why I only paint once every 10 years: I hate it. I hate moving stuff. I hate covering stuff. I *VERY*hate cutting in.However, my month of night shifts is drawing to a close

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-22142077886443582612009-10-22T16:03:00.000-04:002009-10-22T16:32:17.425-04:00

I'm seeing someone on the side. There's been this unanswered throb inside of me, calling out, unanswered, for release. God bless him, my sweet fiance did his best to give me what I needed. I will always love him for that. I even tried desperately on my own to satisfy my need for release. It ended, embarrassingly, with me on the floor, and feeling dirty. I met him this morning. He promised me that

Janisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-43311644968615967162009-10-19T09:26:00.003-04:002009-10-19T09:58:03.887-04:00

So the week in review's a day late. Big woop, wanna fight about it?It was a decent week, in general. Despite getting up at 4:50am, I still can't seem to actually set foot on the gym floor until 6am. I refuse to get up earlier than that, so I need to become more efficient in the morning. (HA!) However, I don't have to worry about becoming more efficient for four! more! lovely! beautiful! awesome!

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-35824679775634176952009-10-15T08:11:00.000-04:002009-10-15T08:11:16.241-04:00

It's GYM, not Jim. Jesus, that's all I need is you starting nasty rumors with Jims living next door on both sides of us.Furthermore, I'm off this weekend and starting night shifts Monday. I was planning a couple of nice long walks for us this weekend and lots more time together the next 4 weeks. So... chill! And quit pawjacking my blog.Love, Your feeder/walker/butt-scratcher

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-58641035287798837772009-10-14T08:34:00.004-04:002009-10-14T08:57:25.269-04:00

Who is this... Jim?Every morning, you wake up hours before everyone else muttering about going to Jim. I don't know who Jim is, but I strongly disapprove of this relationship.See, when I see you getting up early and lacing up those running shoes, that always means that I'm going somewhere with you. The park, the trail, the lake.... maybe just a walk around the block. That's our time and this Jim

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-4318347717455104342009-10-13T10:10:00.003-04:002009-10-13T10:45:39.673-04:00

An open letter to my public safety brothers and sisters:Let me start off by saying that if you got into this for recognition and glory and media coverage, get out NOW. Your job is to protect the public, comfort and treat the sick and injured, and be ready to do it all again tomorrow. Without fanfare. Without a mention on the 11 o' clock news. Many times, without so much as a thank you. If you are

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-19502593502041821542009-10-11T08:14:00.000-04:002009-10-11T08:33:02.809-04:00

It's been a good week in life and in TWOM (the Work of Me). I've been getting to the gym at the ass-crack of dawn before work a minimum of 5 days a week and getting a good hour-plus in. Bonus: the commute from the gym to work is 100% less annoying than from either house from which I commute. The wrap-up:Monday - legs, no cardio. I just couldn't get it together that morning. It was, after all, a

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-86239482591533496972009-10-02T17:09:00.005-04:002009-10-02T17:34:43.983-04:00

I've found my Anchor.For a while now, I'd resisted joining a gym. I have a nice treadmill. Dumbbells, exercise balls, and a weight workout all written out at whatever house I may be occupying.However, soon after joining the gym, I realized that it was having one place to which I could go and get everything I needed that was going to cement my routine.I get out of bed, swill some coffee down,

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-57573443320129209392009-09-30T10:39:00.002-04:002009-09-30T11:18:27.677-04:00

But, first, a happy picture. There's a dog in my house! My house has found a new purpose: Doggy Day Care. When it's going to be a long work day, we bring the little girlie to my house for the day. It's in the area in which we work, so she's not stuck in the house for 14 hours without a break. It's really nice to come home and find a dog happily wagging her entire back end simply because I've

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-33359887046951066622009-09-23T12:06:00.004-04:002009-09-23T12:11:04.997-04:00

... She would have turned 71 years old today.There is an inexplicable ache that hits me, every year since I was 13 years old, on September 23rd, and on April 23rd. Then I see the calendar, and the understanding hits me. These are the day my mother was born in 1938, and the day she died in 1984.I know she is still with me, but I miss her.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-17954570124869727582009-09-23T11:40:00.004-04:002009-09-23T12:03:30.501-04:00

I'm in a transition period right now. Still in my house part of the time, but spending more and more time at his; it will be my home, too, when we can get it together to make room for me and my stuff. That will be weeks of work. Everything and everyone I love in my life now is there. The only piece missing from that puzzle right now is me.Missing is a good word to describe my general demeanor now

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-47006268365886694142009-09-13T22:58:00.003-04:002009-09-14T03:05:33.239-04:00

She came into my life in November of 2001, by a twist of fate. I had just closed on my house and Gunner and I had moved in just weeks before. I happened to be on a call with one of our local cops who mentioned in passing he was trying to re-home his 6 year old German Shepherd, because he had to move from a house to an apartment. He was heartbroken. What if I had not been on that call with that

Janisnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-87939679420625228442009-09-09T13:13:00.004-04:002009-09-09T13:23:01.983-04:00

This song. I downloaded this for my workout playlist and I just couldn't keep myself at a walk with this blaring through my speakers. Seriously, try it. Perfect cadence. Laziness. "But, how can laziness make you start running again?", you ask. Simple. I am too lazy to block out/plan for an entire hour of exercise on most days. If I run and do a weights workout I can be done in 40 minutes and have

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-90208018506773793042009-09-06T08:34:00.000-04:002009-09-06T08:34:00.657-04:00

Another rough week, schedule-wise and life-wise. Ol' Biddy, aka Tara, made a full recovery from Much Ado About A ButtThing; I knew she had recovered when I came home to a guilty-looking dog and a half-eaten butternut squash that had been pilfered from the pantry. I snapped a picture with my phone and sent it on to Dr. Kate, my best friend and her regular vet, and got the reply, "Yep! All better!

Janisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-65255642863570124852009-09-05T21:26:00.005-04:002009-09-05T21:46:48.333-04:00

And man, it's raining Dish! Hallelujah, it's raining Dish.Honestly, I think my love affair with tv has ended. I knew last winter we were bad for each other. We'd sit there together, not even speaking or moving a muscle. I felt like I could outgrow the toxic relationship if I could only get away for a little while, but the draw, the attraction... oh, it was so strong.In a moment of PMS-laden

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-64362762762656899002009-09-03T16:19:00.007-04:002009-09-04T21:10:27.106-04:00

Every career out there has its myths. Stay-at-home moms eat bon-bons and watch Oprah reruns all day. Doctors are filthy rich and roll around naked in their millions at any given opportunity (sometimes if the light is right and you look real hard you can see the occasional $100 bill still sticking out of the Doc's scrub pants from the latest romp). Who hasn't heard of the hooker with a heart of

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-28165723473566886132009-09-02T17:52:00.003-04:002009-09-02T17:55:47.452-04:00

Today's Theme - Exuberance Photo by: Dan Miller Photography

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-36779359533733611992009-08-30T12:19:00.006-04:002009-08-30T13:14:27.926-04:00

It's been a tough week. Actually, the whole month of August has, for the most part, blown hairy goats. This just underscores the fact that what I'm doing has to be built into my lifestyle. Not something I can stick up on a shelf when times get tough, and take it back down and use it 6 months down the road and 30lbs heavier. The Work of ME (TWoMTM)has to get done, more often than not, regardless

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-1328237856169404242009-08-26T11:58:00.001-04:002009-08-26T11:59:18.068-04:00

... I'm so glad you're feeling better. I wasn't ready for this to be it.Love,The Food Bringer and Butt Scratcher

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-58585683964591361002009-08-25T10:00:00.005-04:002009-08-25T10:56:13.267-04:00

we've known each other for 8 years now. Quite a tough adjustment when you first came into my life; two strong personalities clashed, and many were the times I agonized and wondered if we were right for each other. As time went on, and we learned each other's ways, I grew to wish that I'd known you all of your life. You're fiercely loyal, you love without pretense or judgement or shame, and you

Janisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-34956352510400464462009-08-24T19:59:00.000-04:002009-08-24T19:59:01.121-04:00

Apparently, we've got to go back to the ol' drawing board with the uniforms. In the past 2 weeks, I've been mistaken as:1: A Shop N' Save employee2: A Sunoco convenience store employee3: A Wal-Mart employee4: A copThe only company I haven't been mistaken for representing is FedEx, which I find ironic, given how much our uniforms resemble theirs. I draw the line when someone asks me whether they

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-67419783036561249322009-08-23T12:56:00.000-04:002009-08-23T12:57:06.772-04:00

Not my finest hour. Or series of hours.Monday - C25K W4D1. Completed it just fine, but treadmill display is acting up.Tuesday - Body Fat Solution Workout BWednesday - Slept in, then worked. Didn't do anything when I came home from work.Thursday - Body Fat Solution Workout AFriday - Slept in, worked 14 hours. Not motivated to work out at 10pm. Imagine that.Saturday - I have no excuse for not

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-56474636216800931902009-08-22T08:51:00.000-04:002009-08-22T08:51:00.351-04:00

A (crappy cell-phone) photo essay of all of the temptation facing us every day. This was just part of my shift yesterday. For me, this is akin to someone yelling, "NORM!!!!" at an alcoholic and buying them a round of shots on every street corner.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-24530999689701867762009-08-21T08:15:00.006-04:002009-08-21T11:14:14.211-04:00

This hasn't been the best week, exercise-wise. The display on my treadmill is taking a crap halfway through my workouts, which has made regulating my pace an annoying guessing game.I have been ambivalent about using it until I know what's wrong with it, so as a result, I've conveniently used that as an excuse to skip two C25K workouts this week."Run outdoors!", you say, "Just lace up your Brooks

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-38695450168688839412009-08-17T07:13:00.001-04:002009-08-17T07:13:00.687-04:00

...when this is the only way to keep the blood from your patient's uncontrolled bleeding head lac from overtaking the back of the truck. This is just a fraction of the bleeding - pretty much what weasled its way around the multiple pressure dressings and dripped off the back of the stretcher. There were long clots of coagulated choogie, as I like to call it, hanging from the back of the stretcher

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-9718290911972047802009-08-16T21:19:00.003-04:002009-08-16T21:35:38.936-04:00

(sing it with me!) It's the most WONderful tiiiiime, of the monnnnnnth...Ok, so any males who cross my path may not understand, but ANY woman knows what it means when another woman orders a combination of chocolately chocolate, salty/sweet peanut butter, topped off with brownies and - what else? - more chocolate! And they give that woman whatever she wants. Because they feel her pain, and they

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-19635778284051023472009-08-15T09:01:00.004-04:002009-08-15T09:54:24.699-04:00

It used to be so easy; hit the CoGo's. Spend $10 on sun chips, fudge rounds, strawberry milk and pepperoni rolls. Eat on the way home to the point of uncomfortable fullness, but stopping just short of the nasty pukies. Grab some Tums on the way in for the inevitable reflux and pass out. Disappointment = handled. Dealt with. Put in its place.That was the past.These days, I don't quite know what to

Janisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-15705685895292521542009-08-12T11:06:00.003-04:002009-08-12T11:14:28.494-04:00

It's not a dream for world peace, or universal healthcare (though, yeah, that would be great), or the end as we know it of assholery, fatrocities and rubbernecking (the trifecta of EMS annoyances).No.My dream is simple.My dream is this:My alarm goes off, or I wake up. I actually get right up, without procrastinating, complaining, making excuses or otherwise delaying the inevitable. I put my

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-20506768088058645992009-08-11T22:46:00.003-04:002009-08-11T22:53:22.973-04:00

Grace is all I'm askingWhen will Grace return?Grace is all I'm askingThat was the theme of the final vigil held for the women brutally murdered last Tuesday at LA Fitness in Collier Township. The resilience of those who were injured, of the responders, of the community. Myself, I prefer grace.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-9101428424471168132009-08-09T08:03:00.008-04:002009-08-09T08:03:00.179-04:00

Wow. What a week. Work-wise, I don't think it could get more stressful than the last 7 days. I'm really glad to have had a solid week of eating and exercise under my belt to keep me on an even keel, and able to deal with it all without - for the most part - resorting to food or sloth for comfort.Recap:Monday - C25K W2D1 - love the Podrunner intervals. LOVE. Tue - BFS workout B - had half a donut

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-35208086343646027582009-08-08T13:57:00.003-04:002009-08-08T14:36:08.291-04:00

You know, Crazy George, as he playfully referred to himself. George, who hated women because he couldn't communicate with them. George, who apparently flew cross-country to take a dating seminar from models, but showed no evidence of asking for help for his personality disorder, other than some Google searches.Dan and I had been talking about joining that particular LA Fitness for a couple of

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-59929763022636303442009-08-06T09:54:00.004-04:002009-08-07T09:25:56.378-04:00

This is your Motivated Self talking. I know that you're taking a vacation, and for that I am thankful. Feel free to extend that vacation longer, I know that you have had quite a busy year, undoing any progress that I have busted ass to accomplish. Kick back. Grab a beer. Put your feet up - hey, that's what you do best, right? That's what you'd like me to do.In case you do decide to suddenly cut

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-46527752595799427152009-08-05T00:46:00.003-04:002009-08-05T01:19:31.847-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/04/pennsylvania.gym.shooting/index.htmlI could have finished out my career without ever having done so, and I would have retired a happy person. Once again, an apparent coward with a chip on his shoulder has decided to play judge, jury and executioner to many people who never even knew he existed. Lives were taken, and lives were forever changed.As this occurred in

Janisnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-62658612018515975062009-08-03T07:04:00.001-04:002009-08-03T07:04:00.283-04:00

... this is what I have to contend with several times a day at work. This is provided by the hospital to which I bring patients slowly dying of heart disease, diabetes, cancer - you name it. Maybe they're trying to drum up future business? I know what you're thinking: Just avoid it! That would be great, except I have to go into this room and walk past this stuff to replace what I've used on the

Janisnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-53031641147429453972009-08-01T08:06:00.005-04:002009-08-02T09:02:03.297-04:00

The planets aligned, the clouds parted, I had a mind/body-meld, and I started working out Tuesday. Not just working out, but working out with a plan. Some people could be trusted to just wake up every day and say, "Hmmm. I think I'll bike today." Or, "Good day to run!" Or, "I'm going to wail on my pecs and then do my back." True, I say all these things to myself, but I can't be trusted to

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-59236122089945136482009-07-30T13:30:00.003-04:002009-07-30T13:32:59.662-04:00

Planks, especially of the "side" varietyOne-legged hip extensionsSupersets Loose sphincters on elderly dogs

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-31224551450438292772009-07-29T14:15:00.004-04:002009-07-29T14:39:17.574-04:00

Normally those two words would never appear in the same sentence, let alone right next to each other. Let's face it; what can a 25 year old nephew who still lives with mommy teach his successful 38 year old aunt?That's not to say I'm not proud of my oldest nephew. I grow more sure of his future every day, though it scare the bejeesus out of me that he's getting himself geared up to go to Army

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-86371816309116413412009-07-23T22:00:00.003-04:002009-07-23T22:11:32.597-04:00

If you look at the clothes I'm wearing (same size as last summer), or the number on the scale (same number +/- 5lbs as last year), it looks like nothing is changing, despite 1 1/2 years in a therapist's chair, purchase of a very nice treadmill, pending purchase of a very nice bike, and completion of Couch to 5K.Outwardly, where one can see, nothing is changing. Inwardly, I'm preparing. Ironically

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-45876252045993949532009-07-20T23:45:00.003-04:002009-07-21T01:06:38.359-04:00

After ten days of:Driving, eating crap road food (if I never see another goddamned Cracker fucking Barrel again I will die a happy woman), sleeping until a whopping 8am, jetskiing, lake swimming, tubing, beach-going, eating grilled steaks and shrimp perfectly inebriated in their beery bath, meeting for the first time friends I've known for years, staying in a fabulous resort, hitting 2 Disney

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-87133719014925172009-07-08T09:00:00.000-04:002009-07-08T19:03:31.354-04:00

It always precedes and bleeds into the first couple of days on a trip out of town, when I have to put my beloved girlies in the care of others. Of course, I cried when we dropped Cecil off at the kennel. She hates it, and I hate it for her, even though they take great care of her. It also didn't help that my pet sitter left me a long rambling message a couple days before I left town, making sure

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-73022202599936422009-07-06T20:38:00.001-04:002009-07-06T22:32:17.070-04:00

Just because I'm nearly deaf and my eyesight fails me sometimes and I bump my head into the wall if I try to turn too quickly... Just because after a walk halfway around the block I'm ready to get my nap on (thanks for the orthopedic bed by the way, it's the shizz! as you youngsters like to say) .... Just because in dog years I'm 14, and in human years - well let's just say I knew Jesus before he

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-13578532015566512692009-07-06T11:21:00.000-04:002009-07-06T11:38:54.220-04:00

If you want a really good workout, slather a ton of shea butter on your legs and go jetskiing as my fiance's passenger. Guaranteed kickass thigh adductor workout. For the nursing home staff I heard whispering amongst themselves, "The medics always think it's the Ambien!" (when an 85 year old lady who rolled out of bed kept asking to go back to sleep at 1:40am). Guess what? It was the Ambien. For

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-19510822471789356222009-07-05T00:59:00.003-04:002009-07-05T04:17:40.886-04:00

... what we have made of our holidays.Once a time to gather and reconnect with family and friends, to honor those who sacrificed for our freedom ... now a time to gorge ourselves and always look for more, more, more. I think I am particularly disgusted because, like a lot of people in public safety, I've had to participate in a few parades this past week.Sure, I'm going to sound like an old biddy

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-28655932789616434412009-06-30T05:39:00.001-04:002009-06-30T05:41:16.983-04:00

Seen on the back window of a Hummer H3:"Silly boys - Jeeps are for girls!"God help us all.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-90212329582099310852009-06-26T09:00:00.007-04:002009-06-26T12:01:58.410-04:00

You're 8 years old today, and you're changing so quickly I can hardly keep up.You are smart... top of your class. You are so beautiful, although it is clear you don't realize it. Your giggle is infectious, as is that devilish gleam in your eyes. You're independent most times; clingy at others. Sweet as can be, with the wry power of observation of one with many more years and experiences under

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-26058525536430984872009-06-24T08:54:00.003-04:002009-06-24T09:01:04.875-04:00

Your dog could be AKC registered, arrive at my house delivered by the Publisher's Clearing House people, bearing a check for 10 meeeeellion dollars in its mouth, could poop gold bouillion, clean my house for me, and take its own bath and clip its own toenails once a week.It could do all that and more, but I still wouldn't buy a dog from you, because someone who claims to be a dog breeder should

Janisnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-64960639181594252012009-06-23T08:05:00.001-04:002009-06-23T08:05:05.739-04:00

Lemme tell you why:1) I'm at the mall getting my entire face threaded. The lady was nice enough (grrrr) to point out that I had "sideburn" - what I would refer to as cheek fuzz, actually, but whatever ... I let her talk me into doing my whole face. I came prepared this time: Motrin beforehand and iPod to drown out that rrrrrrriiiip sound as a whole lines of hair follicles were forcibly emptied of

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-32820959959429276192009-06-22T09:36:00.010-04:002009-06-22T09:36:00.917-04:00

I saw evidence of it yesterday evening. Amid a weekend of some really bad calls, a miracle of sorts.Backstory: Jake* is an infamous drunk in his 70s who resides in our area. Just the mention of his address over the air is enough to send medics spiraling into a cuss-fit of which any Touretter would be proud. It would be one thing if ol' Jake were just a drunk. We see enough of those every day that

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-55426846348417878172009-06-21T21:04:00.003-04:002009-06-21T23:32:18.833-04:00

... then you know there's Still One Out There.(sort of like the old X-Files tagline "The Truth Is Out There", except medic-specific). Yes. Bad things really do come in threes. Just like, inexplicably, with each full moon, psych calls increase exponentially. It's just one of those facts of life written indelibly in SharpieTM in the Old Testament of the Bible of Public Safety and Healthcare.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-26142352767054248062009-06-20T08:29:00.001-04:002009-06-20T09:35:59.078-04:00

... it's making its way into my subconscious - my lack of cable.Until the BIG DIGITAL SWITCH, even after having the Comcastards shut off my cable and haul away my beloved DVR, I could still get a fuzzy version of CBS.Which is good, because for the most part I hate CBS. In my neck of the woods, it's KDKA, and any time I watch KDKA, I can feel wiry white hairs start to poke out of my scalp, and I

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-57347817121941115492009-06-18T09:34:00.000-04:002009-06-18T09:34:01.585-04:00

Lyrics: Funny the Way it IsBig Whiskey and the GrooGrux KingDave Matthews BandSo simple in its irony. It's the song I would write if I had any talent for that sort of thing. I see these occasionally funny - but oftentimes cruel - twists of fate in others' lives daily. I'm there on the worst day - the worst moments - of many people's lives. A front row seat to your misery in your living room,

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-18495335097203303602009-06-17T09:41:00.000-04:002009-06-17T09:41:00.990-04:00

Today's theme - Where????

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-84607813966942874212009-06-16T15:09:00.002-04:002009-06-16T15:18:18.905-04:00

... in the ER.Two daughters stare down at their mother in a hospital bed. The mother is in severe, chronic pain. Arthritis with chronic pain, morbid obesity and - most recently, a fall - have all taken their toll and the mother is begging to be allowed to die. When a Fentanyl patch and 15mg Oxycodone don't even touch the pain, and I ask to die, you'd better let me. No, strike that. You'd better

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-59589241120116459812009-06-11T08:52:00.020-04:002009-06-11T14:56:56.769-04:00

Lizz at One Nerve Left has bestowed upon me! - (not so) little ol' me - this fabulous award.With such great prestige and recognition, however, comes great obligation. Upon my acceptance of this award, I have been tasked with monumentous responsibilities. By the end of the week I must: Cure cancer.Reduce the national debt by 50% (Eliminate it, you say? Are you nuts? I'm not a miracle worker.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-49096098067277116322009-06-08T12:18:00.000-04:002009-06-08T12:35:13.250-04:00

... you should always patronize the mom-and-pop businesses in your area. Had another of the world's dumbest deer strike my fender and headlight - the brand new fender and headlight from the first dumb deer that ran smack into my car. Of course you can't just replace the cracked headlight cover. The whole assembly has to be replaced. $$$$. Not to mention the thingey that holds it in place. (I

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-74052349619091155332009-06-07T09:36:00.003-04:002009-06-07T09:53:16.727-04:00

All it took was seeing my future husband in traffic, on his way home.Had I not seen him, instead of taking the left turn lane toward home, I'd have taken the right turn lane toward McD's and had myself an unneeded Big Mac meal (with Diet Coke, of course), and some sort of dessert, maybe even two.I didn't want to face the innocently posed question: "Where ya headed?" Of course, I could lie and say

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-5924899974148579422009-06-06T19:51:00.002-04:002009-06-06T19:58:53.129-04:00

gold bracelet ... $200replacement deck boards ... $25 a guy who will take apart the back deck to find said bracelet that you dropped between the slats, because it's the first Valentine's gift he ever got you... Priceless.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-50180338163797942132009-06-05T09:41:00.000-04:002009-06-05T09:56:26.541-04:00

Clouds obliterate the sun or any thought in your mind that the sun could even be up there. It's jeans - and for lots of people - jacket weather, too. No need to remember the sunglasses for driving, but if you don't have a hoodie or jacket you'll be sorry. This, more often than not, is Pittsburgh in June. I sit here, on cup of coffee #5, wondering why it has no effect. Almost fell asleep at the

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-63949726433792019672009-06-02T21:22:00.005-04:002009-06-02T21:51:25.318-04:00

In case you haven't tried it, this is heaven in your mouth.. without all those pesky angels flying around. If you like dark chocolate, and you like chili pepper, you will - like I did - fall foolishly, hopelessly, giddily in lust. Like love (or lust), it can be elusive. After I tried it, it immediately set my dopamine and serotonin receptors throbbing and pulsing like I'd mainlined Ice. Then,

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-83427158604000113652009-06-01T08:23:00.006-04:002009-06-01T08:23:01.721-04:00

Another one from Cooking Light. It looks delicious; and in these times of stretching a buck til' it squeaks, skinless boneless chicken thighs are just what my wallet ordered. For under $20, I can get a Costco multi-pack of 6, each containing about 5 thighs.Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken ThighsPhoto: Randy Mayor; Styling: Jan Gautro Photo from Cooking LightYield4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-6413182665030920822009-05-31T20:16:00.002-04:002009-05-31T20:19:34.713-04:00

(installment #250,319 in a series of 10,000,000) Naming my stuff

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-27554370185529203672009-05-30T14:01:00.004-04:002009-05-30T22:32:17.585-04:00

They were high school sweethearts. He - tall, skinny and painfully shy - just transferred from a private school. She - valedictorian material with a little of the hot geek thing going on - was and is still my best friend in the world.She asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance and that was it. They were inseparable for all of senior year and the summer that followed.They braved undergrad a few

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-24825270268822786572009-05-29T10:04:00.004-04:002009-05-29T10:04:01.188-04:00

When put in such cut and dry terms, I think it's achievable. I'm talking about the 90% compliance with your nutrition plan that Tom Venuto advocates for losing body fat without depriving oneself and feeling that one must be "perfect".This flies in the face of my all-or-nothing mentality, which is good, because that mentality has only set me back and gotten me fatter in the past.Venuto's

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-80626935033919664712009-05-28T09:43:00.004-04:002009-06-01T13:25:31.502-04:00

... in my struggle to not use food for anything other than fuel for my body. I tend to feel a binge coming on and say to myself, "Ok," instead of having a conversation about the possible consequences of going through with the binge. Sometimes I don't even think enough to get to the "Ok" part. I just do. And that leads to a pattern of hours and sometimes days - at the worst times, months - of

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-4652705587569383002009-05-27T21:08:00.004-04:002009-05-28T07:57:20.181-04:00

Though that was my major and my intention in college, I am realizing now that would have been a terrible career path for many reasons. Primarily, because I'd fucking slap people.Don't get me wrong; I have empathy. I do! But after watching Obsessed the other night, that just confirmed in my mind that I am right where I need to be, career-wise. For some reason, the more people cry and say "I can't"

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-73504262027701727552009-05-25T09:00:00.004-04:002009-05-25T09:00:11.855-04:00

Bloated on road food from my trip south, I've got these cravings: "Summer-y!!", says my brain. "Fresh and grilled!!", say my taste buds. "Healthy. PLEASE.", begs my ever-widening ass.So, to meet those demands and those of my wallet, we're revisiting an old friend, and making a new one. Note that these recipes use many of the same ingredients. I hate nothing more than letting that fragrant bunch

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-74251873878469672642009-05-24T18:06:00.000-04:002009-05-24T18:06:01.205-04:00

You've probably got to be a fan of McSweeney's lists to appreciate this.Names heard in the Pens playoff game last night that could also be names for deviant sexual acts:DupuisFedotenkoKunitzLetangEatonScuderiRuutu Satan

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-53884093518077852522009-05-23T15:53:00.004-04:002009-05-23T19:17:16.601-04:00

I am in love.Let me introduce you. Her name is Dragonfly, and she is my kayak. Now, I had all intentions of giving my Perception Prodigy - the 2nd best Christmas gift EVER, in case you were wondering - a totally badass name. Also since I got shot down on naming the jetskis Shepherd I and Shepherd II, it was pretty firm in my mind that I was going to honor my girls in some way with the boat's

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-34296788399511862542009-05-22T08:24:00.000-04:002009-05-22T08:24:01.217-04:00

I did it.I ate the them. Whatever those sweet, oaty things were that you left on top of the hot cooking box. Yeah. Ate 'em. Made my ears itchy afterward, but hey. You only live once.I assume - and maybe I'm making an ass out of u and me when I do so - when you leave something so obviously yummy and right in my reach, that it must be for me. I hear, "There, Ceece, I'll just put these up here for

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-15855982742150183882009-05-21T09:30:00.001-04:002009-05-23T19:18:18.586-04:00

Every time I look at this, I start again.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-46293345805689313372009-05-19T23:25:00.002-04:002009-05-19T23:54:47.661-04:00

Sorry. Sometimes I just bark like that to get attention. Just like rolling on my back and bicycle-kicking my legs up in the air, despite the fact that I'm in what they call my "golden years". Sure, it hurts a little when my bony back hits the floor and I squirm my atrophied hips from side so side.. but it hurts so goooooood when I can scratch just the right spot as I roll on that carpet. Anyway,

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-67629268290863805512009-05-16T14:25:00.006-04:002009-05-16T14:33:56.084-04:00

... that I should happen upon this on the 18.5th hour of a 20-hour shift. It took a 20oz Diet Coke and 5 cups of fair trade dark roast before I could communicate in more than a series of unintelligible hoots, grunts, and clicks. As you can see by comparing my actual consumption to the curve above, I never got to the God sighting part.. However, since God has never been accused of having a

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-58254879848364700762009-05-13T12:57:00.001-04:002009-05-13T12:57:23.288-04:00

Wish I were with you, but I couldn't stay. Every direction leads me away. Pray for tomorrow, but for today, All I want... Is to be home. - Foo Fighters

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-69038655180565953282009-05-12T20:23:00.000-04:002009-05-12T20:28:48.521-04:00

How many fleas must one pluck off of oneself before it is considered an act of self-preservation - and not Yankee snobbery - to leave the infested area, and head for the comfort of home?That threshold, for me, was a little less than 24 hours. I got to see my family, and my beloved Brian, and I got to see some great friends. In the words of the Foo Fighters, all I want ... is to be home. I'm

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-448950155370668872009-05-12T12:09:00.001-04:002009-05-12T12:43:03.310-04:00

I mean it.In the past several days I've run the gamut. I've spent hours and hours behind the wheel on seemingly endless highways. Spent a couple leisurely days with friends touring and lunching and chillin'. More time behind the wheel, then the hush of a hospital room and the wheeze of an 83 year old struggling for each breath. A blissful night reconnecting with him, both of us miles from home

Janisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-837613995709828582009-05-10T08:12:00.001-04:002009-05-10T08:25:39.105-04:00

It's been a pretty great weekend for me.. Finishing a 5k (and NOT on a treadmill - wow!), meeting up with good friends, and seeing Atlanta through the eyes of an architecture and history buff. Not such a great weekend for Dan. He got a phone call that his Mom was hospitalized with cardiac symptoms, and he was fortunate to be able to drop everything and head to Tennessee to be with her - a rare

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9120826706143308256.post-6471137093156535952009-05-08T20:34:00.000-04:002009-05-08T20:35:25.105-04:00

I'm in Georgia... Saw a car without a hood going down 85.

Janisnoreply@blogger.com0