sassy the energizer bunny – just add coffee.

I had released myself from the tyranny of requiring coffee every morning.

This week has been a difficult week to keep up with this as I have been doing “honest work”. 

Mind you, I am much more sensitive to the stuff now. It actually wakes me up.

Today, I walked around the wards like a little rocket.

I task-mastered some final-year medical students. To quote myself “If you are going to come on my round, I expect you to work. In a few months you will be doing this so you’d better start now. I have four rules. One: get the notes. Two: get the charts. Three: draw the curtains. Four: Keep up with me.” Seriously, though, I would have loved it if somebody had acknowledged me like this when I was a medical student. we were mainly ignored or told to piss off.

I am forbidden to blog about the other inner workings of the place I work, so I cannot share the other fun stuff I did today, and need to debrief elsewhere. But it was fun and I powered through.

Yeeeehaaaaaaa!

I have quite enjoyed this week. I am doing a 14 hour day tomorrow and then again on sunday, hope the energy remains! Off for a long run on Satdee.

On the topic of other good habits, I am embarking on a mission to let my nails grow. I have been a lifelong nail-biter. I have painted them with nail hardener and yukky stuff to stop me biting. They look soooo good  I just want to keep looking at them (and, unfortunately, wanting to bite them).

Crap on telly tonight. Think I’ll read my book. A dirty secret – I love Candace Bushnell (author of Sex and the City, in case you aren’t familiar). Love SATC too.

P.S. Remember how I said I was Lil miss 7min km? Now a slow km is 6:53! yeah!

P.P.S. Note to self: take notice of the “excess consumption may have a laxative effect” message on the artificially sweetened ice-cream pack.

I likey.

Did some honest work today. Instead of overseeing all the work I actually did it while one of the other registrars is off on study leave. 

And you know, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed cracking jokes and teaching stuff. I like working with interns. I have missed clinical medicine. I enjoy it and had not lost my touch as I feared I had. When I was unwell, facing people was extraordinarily difficult and I really hated my job. I shudder to think of how bad I was. I now appreciate being at work (dumbass admin I could do without).

Am on a liquid diet this arvo for my pillcam today. The pillcam, for those who don’t know, images the gastrointestinal tract in the small intestine where neither a gastroscope nor a colonoscope can reach. It is for the investigation of unexplained iron deficiency. Basically I swallow a tablet with a camera in it and it takes photos of the intestine. The pill itself costs about $1000 (covered by medicare) which will officially make it the most expensive thing I have swallowed (or, for that matter, pooped out – no, they don’t want it back after, it goes to Werribee).

A liquid diet is good. My dinner tonight – Maccas sundae with chocolate and caramel topping (and the girl didn’t charge me extra for the double topping – happy days), chocolate big M and a big glass of wine. I am a bit pissednowdon’tfinkthelikwidcoatsdatumswel……..hic.

Even after my epic journey yesterday and notwithstanding the liquid diet, I went to running training, good to train in the sun. The coach said, while I was doing triceps dips “I won’t talk to you now, you look like you are in a happy place”. No. Just trying not to swear and looking up at the clouds. I didn’t want to miss training. I looked forward to it.

I likey.

Oh, and PS: I just want it known that I would like to lose 2kg before I go overseas, in about a month. Ambitious but I thought I would put it out there. Will help me rein the indulgences in.

A frickin’ awesome run!!!!!!!!!!!

I did SIS 2 today. I think I finished in about 56 or 57 mins which is better than 58:54!!

Sorry to bore youse, but I have to do the blow by blow account for posterity.

As per all my running internet buddies, I started near the back of the pack and relaxed. I started quite slow. There was a lady who was about at my level at the 3 km mark and I said to her “lookin’ good”. She said “I’m trying to keep up with you.” I told her that she had to run her own race, she sounded quite breathless. Got to 4km in about 27ish minutes and still felt like I well and truly had another 4 km in the legs. I sped up around the 5km mark and around the 6km mark I got quite excited and picked up the pace. I was really starting to overtake other runners, I think they were a bit p155ed off, they were sprint-walking and exhausting themselves, but I comfortably jogged and passed them. At the 7km mark I really picked it up and powered up the last hill. Coming down the hill to Alexandra Gardens on the home stretch I went quite fast and wondered what it would do to my knees. The final 20 metres I sprinted and felt like I was about to take off, will be an awesome photo. Gun time was about 59 minutes but I started well back, probably about 2 or 3 minutes.

It doesn’t matter so much about the time, but I ran well, ran the whole way (apart from walking through the drink stops) and I am so happy 🙂

The brother in law (who ran SIS 8km in about 35ish minutes) is coming around to cook us dinner. Vegie stuff. Yumm.

ADDIT 1652 hrs: time 58:26 – about a 30 sec improvement. Pffft. Oh well. Still waiting for splits. Lesson for next time: be a bit less conservative in last 1-2 km and really empty the tank for the end.

ADDIT 1840 hrs: 1st 4k 29:56, 2nd 4k 28.30, a negative split. Yeah.

I got pooped on by a bird.

Apparently that is good luck. Maybe it will mean a PB in SIS 2 on Sunday??

Woke up last night feeling sickly, thought I may have to wag work, but woke up feeling better. I think it was due to the dietary indiscretions of last night.

On my coach’s advice, I took yesterday off exercise, and went for a short run around prinny. It was a good one. I had something of a revelation. The first 2km my legs were really aching, then that beautiful moment when they loosen up – that, my friends, is the warm-up effect. It was a great moment and quite a good run.

I was telling a friend about mine and hubby’s housework habits. Instead of taking all the stuff off the line, we take it down on an “as needed’ basis. Ditto the dishwasher. I asked her, why can’t we just empty the line and the dishwasher and put stuff away like normal people. She giggled and said that she did the same thing herself. Halle-frickin-leujah! Other people raise laziness to an artform as well….

Better go take washing off line and empty dishwasher. A bird may have pooped on our clothes. That is not so good luck.

Size 13 – F@%k yeah!

Work as per usual today – some controversy requiring me to *discipline* some people…not something I like to do (no, really, I don’t enjoy it). I figure that, with the people I work with, when I am asked to tell them that they have done wrong, I don’t get angry, that only makes them angry, I appeal to their better judgement or well developed sense of guilt. Works most of the time. Honey attracts more flies than vinegar. I think it is better that I do the feedback rather than some of the folk I work with – they would be much more nasty and just likely to piss them off rather than achieving any real end. I have developed a better understanding of human nature in my job, particularly the position I am doing now.

Went to my bro’s birthday, saw his beautiful Grecian goddess girlfriend….I am sure part of the attraction for her to my bro is that it pisses her dad off…Greek dads don’t want their precious daughters dating Skippy boys. But they have been together for nearly 3 years, obviously they have something.

Had my treat night – fish and chips, more chips (mmmm, chips) and glass of wine, with a choccy chaser. Feeling a bit icky – the choccies a bit sweet today, think my palate is changing.

Now, to the topic of the post….I went into Jeans west to try on some jeans – usually I take a size 14 jean there (on account of my big buttocks – I take a 12 in skirts- go figure). Well, with trepidation, I picked out the skinny jeans in size 13, quite a tight cut I am told, and they fit with hardly any muffin toppage! Woo hoo, go me! The fructose friendly diet is agreeing with me, I am sure that weight loss is a bit more complicated than calories in versus out, because this weight loss is relatively painless, or maybe I have made a wholesale change to my lifestyle….hmmm.

Sassy needs bed now. And so does Mr Sassy.

G’night.

Reviewing my goals

Was just looking through my blog, all very interesting, looking at all the little blowouts of choccy and cake and all the running milestones reached.

To quote Sept 15

My exercise is good but my eating could be better. I will stop snacking on chocolates and lollies so much and eat more fruit. I will have vegetables with lunch and dinner. I will bring healthy snacks and lunch in with me to work most days. Since I can’t eat a lot of take out stuff, I will have to cook at home more, this is definitely healthier. I will stop eating when I am full. I will decrease caffiene intake to 1 to 2 cups a day. No more than 2 glasses of wine 2 times a week (this is fairly generous but gotta give somewhere). I will keep to the 90/10 rule and allow myself a weekly treat.

Snacking on chocs and lollies: prob 3 times a week rather than every day. More satisfied with fruit.

Vegies with lunch and dinner: check.

Bringing healthy snacks: check -nuts, fruit.

Cooking in: Check.

Lunch brought in most days. If bought in food court, have sushi or stirfry with vegies and rice (apart from little incident with pizza last week)

Caffiene: sipping on green and white tea, as well as herbal teas. 1-2 coffees per week now. Only have replaced coffee with hot choc or choc milk…..hmmm.

Wine: 2-3 times a week, between 1-2 drinks. 

Improved, definitely. Room to improve more: Cut out lolly munching entirely (or rarely), replace hot choc with green tea as fewer calories. Need to designate 2 “treat times” a week and make them good.

Went to running today, calves and hammies and tib anterior felt like concrete. Changed my style so a bit more relaxed.. I told my coach that in the past 4 consecutive days I did step, running, pilates, running. He said yes, any wonder you are fatigued. This made me feel better.

Little bro’s birthday party tomorrow – woo hoo, treat night!

SIS 2 on Sunday – am hoping to see the crew there!

A good pilates class.

Went to run training for the first time in 2 weeks yesterday, had a good time, tearing around prinny doing shuttle runs and exercises is good for my soul. There was a new girl who started. I am always glad to see newbies, I was one not long ago, and I particularly admire this girl because she is a quite large. I know that it takes real courage to exercise with people who are slim, fit and fast. Some people have the theory that they want to get fit before they start serious exercise. I think (and I am sure this girl thinks) that this is bullshit. Good on her. She is making a good choice.

Skived off work a bit early with the intention of turning my poster into a medical journal article – alas, got distracted by Women’s Health magazine (a trashy girly version of runners world and not nearly as good as RW, so why do I bother???).

Went to pilates class, it is a bit of a step down from what I was doing previously but it is a bit more relaxed and I enjoy it more. No arm torture today. We have a couple of blokes in the class who make the tone of the class more carefree. We were doing a move which was on a foam roller (therefore unstable) which required a lot of co-ordination. One of them yelled “this is shit” and everyone cracked up, including the instructor. Usually swear words are muttered under the breath in class, not out loud.

I taught my boss, the director of medicine (not the prof) some stretches today as he was complaining of a stiff neck. I even got him down on all fours, showing him how to stretch his trapezius. He is a good bloke.

Oh and I forgot to write this in my blog last week, but my posters both won prizes for research week, some ahead of quite seasoned medical researchers. I am sure it is just a “keep it up little one” prize but I was very proud nevertheless.

I am going to make some bircher muesli tonight. Since the folk reading this blog will probably enjoy it, I will put the recipe here.

5 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pepitas

1/2 cup linseeds

1/2 cup sultanas/raisins

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1 litre of water

Mix all ingredients together and soak overnight. Add grated apple or berries. Serve hot or cold with milk. Yumm.

Better go now, tonight is cuddle up with the hubby and watch NCIS night.

I GOT DA POWAAA!

I went to my first step class in some time today. I powered right through until the end. I feel like I am now starting to become one of the fit, strong, powerful girls at the front of the class that I envied at the beginning. It is amazing how the body image changes despite the body not changing so much – seeing it as powerful and fit and healthy rather than skinny or fat.

Went to supervise some lectures today, good to keep up on the new bits in medicine. Also, I wore sandals so I got to stare at my nicely coloured toenails.

I really must do some tidying….arias on tonight….boring….

Toenail polish.

A good day today. Took the mother in law for a walk (sorry Em, was not at training, was being trainer for the MIL). Went to go see my mum in Werribee, we had some lunch together with the suburban folk at werribee plaza. I decided that I was sick of having yucky toenails so I thought I would buy some nail polish for my toes (my fingernails are bitten ragged). Just for kicks, I let my mum pick the colour. Here are the results.

Sort of a dark plummy colour. Please note that it was super hard to take this photo on my puter.

Also very bravely bought some bathers without trying them on. Well, the gamble paid off – they actually look semi-flattering. And the bottoms are boy-leg so no major bikini line surgery need occur.

Went for a swim for the first time in a while. There is a pool at my gym which I have never been in. I did 10 laps then went. I am a much stronger breast-stroker than freestyler. I tried the freestyle for a little while and I am sure I looked like I was drowning. Better put the triathlon aspirations on ice for a bit (unless you can breast-stroke in the open water….hmmmm).

Then went out for my good friend’s 30th birthday. A nice civilised affair.

This is an article from The Age today. What’ll they think of next.http://www.theage.com.au/national/world-first-as-scientists-turn-fat-into-beating-heart-muscle-cells-20081018-53nl.html

Hooray, now I can eat all the chips I like.:)

Whoops….time to ‘fess up.

Bad sassy. Bad, bad sassy.

Ok.

So I ate 3 slices of pizza and 2 of garlic bread (not meant to eat wheat with fructose malabsorption but sick of not having pizza on friday pizza day at work…must stop saying pizza).

Then ate a wagon wheel. Not satisfied. Ate bertie beetle and jelly snake. Had another one of each.

Tummy starting to get sore (prob from wheat).

I am not going to flagellate myself….just record this for posterity. It has been a long time since I have blown out like this, which, I suppose, is good.