Hangovers In Your 30’s

April 21, 2019June 24, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked / Leave a comment

I had an unbelievably fun Friday night with one of my best friends from Connecticut. She was here visiting with her husband, who is her college sweetheart. They both went to Rollins, and her husband’s family has a condo here.

Speaking of condos here on Siesta Key, my parents have sold their place on the intracoastal, where they have lived intermittently for the past 20 years. It’s going to be weird to say goodbye to the condo where I spent countless vacations. And what’s possibly weirder is now I work on the key… Not really sure what to make of all this, but it’s ultimately not in my hands.

So, back to Friday… my boss let me leave at 2pm on Friday and then Adam, my boyfriend of 3 years, and I drove to my friend’s parents’ condo at the other end of the key. We met up with the two of them and their two girls (aged 1 and 2), with another baby 1/2 way cooked coming in August. It was a blast to bond with these new humans, and I really had such a great time getting to know them. I think they liked me, too.

I do want kids, even though the responsibility scares me considerably. My friend kept saying how I would be such a good Mom. That makes my heart happy. Some women have an innate desire to be a mother, and I’ve always (very quietly) been one of them.

Again, Friday night, after boating around the bay, we met my friend’s parents for dinner at Casey Key Fish House and had a great time. We boated slowly home, and then my friends wanted to keep going. My boyfriend was exhausted, so he went home and I stayed on to keep drinking. Ugh… it’s Monday and I’m still paying for it. That’s what getting old is like sometimes. Bummer.

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Need To Write More!

April 8, 2019June 24, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked

I need to write more.

It’s not good to let my writing get rusty. I communicate a lot through written email at work, but it’s not the same. It’s writing for clarity vs. writing for creativity and passion. So, what to do? Blog? Perhaps.

We babysat a puppy yesterday. He was a 5 month old French Bulldog named Stark. The popular dog of the moment, but I love the breed. I think he wore us out more than we did him. I ran around the neighborhood and he kept up with me. He pooped outside twice and inside once.

It’s tough to have a puppy. It truly is like having a toddler, but slightly easier (puppies can lick things off the floor, and I probably wouldn’t let my child do so).

I would like to get a puppy eventually. It would be nice to have a yard for him to go out, so we didn’t have to use a leash all the time. My boss did say I could have one at the office, but I don’t want to commit to that much of a responsibility, you know? Adam is wanting to avoid the puppy stage, as am I, as it’s pretty time consuming and can be stressful.

A rescue dog would be the best, but then you don’t get to pick the breed or necessarily know the temperment. I have had a puppy in the past — a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Charlie. He was the sweetest thing and I do miss him. Long story with that one, but it involved me separating from my ex-boyfriend. Blah!

My Diet: Spoiler Alert – I Eat Like A Toddler

March 12, 2019June 24, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked / Leave a comment

I don’t live to eat, I eat to live. I can appreciate good food, but for some reason my appetite has always been fairly small. Don’t get me wrong, I do very much enjoy a good melt cheese on s#%t session (that’s kind of an ‘in’ joke, but hopefully it translates) or ice cream binge, just like pretty much everyone else. However, I keep a very simple diet.

Most mornings during the work week, I usually eat a banana and then half a gluten free bagel with cream cheese and cucumbers. I usually space these out across the morning, so that I am hungry for lunch at 12:30ish.

For lunch, I have either tuna salad (tuna fish with mayo, celery, salt & pepper), tomato, and lettuce on toasted gluten free bread, which I should just switch to straight lettuce. Now that I am writing this all out, I am seeing where I should be cutting out the excess sugar from gluten free products. Boo, this blog post is taking a turn toward the negative.

I don’t like being gluten free. At all. It’s honestly the worst, but my body tells me it’s best. For many years, I was prescribed and took the highest dose of adderall for my height and weight. I went gluten free almost 5 years ago, I felt nearly 100% free of ADHD symptoms. I’m not always diligent, but when I fall off track I really feel the effects and remember why I cut delicious gluten from my life.

At dinner time, I tend to be tired and less disciplined. Sometimes, I’ll just snack and lose track of calories, not that I have ever really counted them.

Favorite Foods:

Cheese (all kinds!)
Pastas (Macaroni & cheese, please!)
Doughy bread (bagels, calzones, pitas, oh my!)
Dumplings

Do you see why I don’t like being gluten free? Ugh, I dislike the diet world, too. It’s so in your face. I just ordered some takeaway soup and rice from the local Thai restaurant. It should be here soon!

Your 30’s Is A Popular Time For Back Pain… It’s Really Great!

February 27, 2019June 24, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked / Leave a comment

Have you experienced back pain in your early 30’s? Then you are among over 95% of us… Honestly, I just made up that statistic, but it feels like dang near everyone I’ve talked to in their 30’s have experienced some kind of back pain.

Is it that we slow down in exercise, so busy with work, and simply no longer as active as we used to be? Your core needs to be strong to protect your spine. Which is something that I am learning the hard way. But, hey, silver lining… it will stick. My abs are sore already…

Apparently, 2019 is going to be the year of the core. In more ways than one. And that’s not so bad. Much much better than pain and/or surgery!

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It Feels It Should’ve Been The Weekend Yesterday

February 1, 2019June 29, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked / Leave a comment

Oh, it has been a week. I am glad, as always that we are coasting into the weekend soon.

I went to visit my 98 year old grandmother yesterday, and it was grim. She told me, “I have totally lost it.”

That makes me feel a little sick. She’s lived a long life. More years than many can even hope for, although I don’t hope to get quite that old. She has seen a lot of change over her almost century of living. It’s wild to think about, really.

Today at work, I was the only one there with my crazy engineer boss. I use that term fondly! Fortunately I ended up having a decent amount of work to keep me busy most of the day. And now, I am thinking of going to bed at a decent hour, so I can wake up and do it all over again tomorrow. Blah!

Trying to be optimistic. Well, for one thing it’s warm in Florida compared to up North. It was in the high 60’s today, which is chilly for here, but so much better than the polar vortex.

I remember walking my dog in Upstate New York and finding it difficult to breathe in -20 degree weather. It was frightening, because I feared that I may pass out from lack of oxygen. No thank you.

So, anyway, I am about to eat some foods (too late!) and then get my sleep on. Woo!

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Happy 2019!

January 24, 2019June 24, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked / Leave a comment

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Happy New Year, folks!

It has been a long time, and for that, I apologize. I should get in the habit of writing more, if I intend to reach people, which I do. I have a message that is worth sharing. More than one, I think. Though my focus will be anxiety, for sure. And ADHD, adoption, and now… back/spine health!

On my birthday this year, turning 34, I decided to go to the beach to take pictures for a yoga challenge. Nothing unusual and it was an absolutely beautiful evening. The water down here in Florida has been in the 60’s and we have had red tide. I was taking a few shots down by the water’s edge and then decided to wade in to about ankle deep and do a backbend.

That’s when I heard something pop in my back and I felt it go into spasm immediately.

From there, it has been some of the most excruciating pain I’ve ever been in, in my life. For that, I am thankful, because I am certain there is much worse pain to be in. However, there is no denying it was awful. I went to the doctor and he sent me home with three prescriptions — steroids, anti-inflammatory, and muscle relaxants. Also a shot of pain meds and cortisone. Ugh!

After a week, the pain had subsided for the most part, but I was experiencing numbness in my right toes and left leg. It felt like pins and needles and there was definite weakness affiliated with the lack of feeling.

I was told to get an MRI to see what we’re dealing with, and that way we would know what kind of PT I would need. The results showed a herniated disc — I have a large tear and am a candidate for surgery, if I so choose. The plan is to continue with decompression at the chiropractor and then see how I am doing in a month.

Time is not always kind. However, I am very aware of how fragile our health can be.

Fabulous Filthy(?) Friday…

October 20, 2018June 25, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked / Leave a comment

Thank goodness it is the end of the week — I feel like I say that every week, but it’s always true! One might suggest that means I need to make some changes in my work life. The Sunday scaries aren’t horrible, so I know I’m not at toxic level… yet.

Speaking of toxic… I have some serious cleaning to do in my apartment. It is embarrassing how bad I let it get, but it is what it is. I’ll do what I can to clean it up before maintenance comes to replace my fire sprinklers. (Meaning they will be spending extended time in my apartment). And they will be here on Monday!

I have to clean the bathroom, mop floors, vacuum, do something about ALL THE LAUNDRY and clean clothes I have piled around. And I need to throw out a ton of trash. It’s awful, I’ll admit it. Over time, I’ve made quite a job for myself. Hoping to get it all done tomorrow.

Don’t worry, I do see a therapist and my parents know what a slob I am. It’s something I need to work on by having a place for everything, as well as cleaning up as I go. My ADHD prevents me from doing so, but perhaps that’s just an excuse for being lazy.

However, when I used to take medication for attention deficit disorder, I was almost anally neat. Since I went gluten free, I realize I do not need a prescription to concentrate. That’s only if I strictly refrain from eating wheat flour, which is hard to do for me. Guh, I love bread – garlic, cheesy, stuffed, twisted, a delicious sandwich, and on and on and on. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. But, I gave it all up (mostly) for my mental health.

Maybe I’m messy, but I’m getting by, just like you. Just like everybody else.

So, what are you doing for the weekend?

Hump Day Hey!

October 19, 2018June 24, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked / Leave a comment

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Recently I’ve been watching, or rather re-watching, Grey’s Anatomy. I watched it when it was on tv in college, and have seen the first two seasons several times with my mother — during recovery from tonsil surgery, wisdom tooth extraction, and a benign palate tumor removal. (I suppose I can get into that later).

The show is based in a Seattle hospital, and it has me thinking a lot about life and death. I’ve also been thinking about miracles.

Things happen that we cannot explain. Things that the best of of the best scientists and doctors do not understand. Things that simply do not make any plausible sense. And yet, they do happen and we’re left scratching our heads.

Are we getting deep in an early post? You bet… let’s dive in.

Do I believe in a higher power? The answer is absolutely, I do. There is an energy or something powerful beyond our comprehension. It’s not the bearded man in robes up in the sky that I imagined as a little girl.

To be continued… (apparently)

Monday Musings

October 15, 2018June 24, 2019 / notthatanyoneasked / Leave a comment

Today was a fairly uneventful Monday. No complaints, except that, of course, it’s Monday and the weekend is over. Always a bit of mourning there. The alarm literally startled me awake, because it’s so dark in the morning. The time change is in a few weeks.

So, this past Saturday, my father was named Commodore of the Sarasota Yacht Club. There was a ceremony, great food, and dancing, which was actually really fun. My Dad makes me very proud. He works so hard to create a community and culture based on the traditions set before him by past commodores.

The Changing of the Watch Ceremony on Saturday, the 13th of October is also my Dad’s father’s birthday, so that was special for him, too. My Granddad would have been 103 years old. Only my Mom’s mother, my Gram, is still with us (kind of?) at 97 years old.
I cannot imagine living that long, even though life seems to be speeding by pretty quickly.

I’m tired. Always. I didn’t go to yoga today and I should have. It calms me in ways nothing else can. It’s amazing, and yet I actually have to get there for it to have an affect. Though, I do practice a little at home, especially handstands and headstands.

Nothing particular to say, but if you are reading this — Hope you have a very happy Monday!!! The week has just begun. Let’s go.

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Not That Anyone Asked…

Musings of a fairly unremarkable 34 year old woman :)