My weekend to-do list with semi-related pictures I found on Pinterest

Published September 25, 2015 by Malia

1. Make house look like two sane people inhabit it, instead of one sane person and one deranged squirrel person.

Accurate depiction of me avoiding responsibility.

2. Work on wedding Thank You notes. Why is this such a difficult task for me to complete?

3. Find the bathroom decorations that are still packed. I’m tired of our bathrooms looking like they belong in a college dorm.

4. Go to the gym. I hate that when I miss a few weeks at the gym, I actually can tell. I miss being young and unaware of the need to exercise. Now, it makes me feel all the pain, and I tend towards being super cranky.

5. Make bread. We’re completely out, and I want toast.

6. Figure out someway to make the spiders go bye-bye. I want to be able to go sit on my swing without living in fear of having something 8-legged climb on me.

7. Watch Doctor Who. Strange, that I have to actually write this down, but I didn’t have a to-do list written up on Monday and I completely missed the premiere of Big Bang Theory.

8. Find a plant for my office. My boss said it’s fine to put one in the window, I just need to buy one.

9. Actually complete tasks I have on this list.

Weighty Wednesday: Week 2~Marathon Queen

Published May 21, 2014 by Malia

I’m the queen of the marathon…the movie marathon that is. As they say on How I Met Your Mother, if you don’t marathon Star Wars at least every three years, the Empire wins. Personally, I think if you don’t marathon Lord of the Rings (the extended editions) at least once a year, then Ring might as well have survived Mount Doom and be back on Sauron’s finger. (I agree with the boy, there should be a statute of limitations on spoilers. The books have been out over 50 years, and the movies have been out over a decade. I refuse to put up a spoiler alert).

Here’s the thing, much as I’m into the couch potato marathon, everyone else in my age group seems to be into the marathon that requires actual running. I’ll be honest, I don’t get it. Everyone I know seems to constantly be going on an on about exercising and preparing for races and actually running races. What’s really weird? They actually seem to enjoy it. It seems to make them feel good. Now, I do get up and exercise five days a week. I do it because it’s good for my health, and I’ve found that when I don’t exercise, joints start to hurt (I know that’s an old person thing to say, but it’ true). However, I don’t enjoy exercising. I don’t get any kind of high from the experience. It’s just one of those things that must be done and so I do it.

So, I head into my second week. I’ve worked on really keeping an eye on what I’ve eaten (helped that I had to have more dental work in the middle of the week. Nothing like pain to make you eat less), and I’ve been exercising faithfully. And…I’ve gained weight. On the bright side, my t-shirts feel like they’re fitting a tiny bit looser (not my imagination, they totally are), so I’m going to rule this as a week where the scale doesn’t matter. (Otherwise, I’ll start feeling super depressed and give up, which would be stupid, since I’ve only been at this a week).

Weight to Lose: 111.5 lbs.

Weight to Mini Goal: 12.5 lbs.

Weighty Wednesday: Week 1

Published May 14, 2014 by Malia

Before I get into this post, I have to correct something from my last post. I misremembered (and, yes, I’m totally going to pretend that’s a word) the conversation I had with the boy about Jar Jar. He’s the one who suggested that they mature slower. The boy pointed this out to me, and since he has the better memory, I’m going to go with his version instead of mine. However, all the supposition and thought put into the theory mainly came from me.

Okay, now I feel better. No longer unintentionally claiming thoughts that aren’t mine.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this whole weight loss thing. There seem to be two schools of thought when it comes to losing the weight (at least among us bigger girls). The first school of thought is that, “This is the size God made me, and ya’ll can just deal with it.” The second is, “Love me the way I am, but support me as I work to get smaller.” I definitely fall into the second group. I know that those who love me the way I am now are people who genuinely love me. However, I have a lot of respect for girls who are in the first group. I know it’s not easy being on the bigger end of the scale, and it takes a lot of self-confidence to be able to stand proud and say, “This is who I am, and I’m not changing!”

So, I gave myself a week. Kind of a last hurrah. Ate junk food, didn’t really exercise, and started to try to do some mental prep for what I know is going to be a decently long journey. In following weeks I’ll make sure my camera is actually charged and my hair isn’t gross, so that I can track my progress via picture. For today, though, both of those things are working against me. So, I’ll just list what my starting goals are, and next week, I’ll share my first week’s progress.

Weight to lose: 110.5 lbs.

Weight to lose until I reach first mini goal: 11.5 lbs.

And now I’m going to go wash my hair, because it really is gross.

Well, Today Happened…

Published April 1, 2014 by Malia

Sometimes, the best that can be said about a day, is that I got through it in one piece. If today had walls, I’m pretty sure there would be fingernail claw marks on those walls. And why is this?

Well, today was one week since I had the big root canal. Woot woot. I had a pretty bad reaction to the meds I got sent home on, so I’ve been treating the pain with copious amounts of ibuprofen. Now, if you know anything about ibuprofen, taking copious amounts of it for long periods of time is not exactly recommended. So, over the last three days I’ve been working to wean myself off the ibuprofen, and today I decided to try to go cold turkey. It actually went better than expected. The pain is pretty much down to a dull ache, which is totally tolerable. The only really rough moment came when I decided to try to chew gum. Yeah, that was quite painful. On the plus side, Dr. Pepper bubblegum actually does taste like Dr. Pepper. Pain wise the day was okay. Emotionally, the day stunk.

This always happens the first day I go cold turkey after being on meds. I so rarely have to take meds, I really don’t handle them well. Basically, the first day off, my emotions go completely bonkers. Everything feels very extreme. I always feel completely worthless (which I’m not). I always feel like everyone one hates me (which they don’t). I get really shaky and feel like I’m going to burst into tears any moment. It’s a nasty cycle. Fortunately, the first day is always the worst. Tomorrow will be better.

In other news, today was the first of April, which means the first Camp NaNoWriMo of the year has officially started. And I have officially written ZERO words. Go me. I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to write about, but I’m sure something will come to me eventually. It’s more about the exercise of writing than anything. Although, I’m currently feeling like this when I face the blank paper I’m attempting to fill with words…

It’s the big 2-9

Published November 24, 2013 by Malia

This is it. As of 2:35 this morning, I entered my last year of my twenties.

Praise God.

Seriously.

It seems like the majority of people dread the end of their twenties. Thirty seems to be a death sentence. I, however, don’t see it that way. My twenties sucked. There were definite positive moments, and I’ve made some incredible friends; but overall the whole twenties thing was less than impressive.

So, since it is the end of a decade, it seems like I should put some actual work into becoming the woman I want to be, and not just keep thinking, “Yeah, I’ll do it later.” Here are a few things I intend to work on this coming year:

1. Exercise consistently. I’m really bad at this. I’ll do a few weeks faithfully, and then a month will go by before I exercise again. Not a solid life plan.

2. Eat healthier. This one should be simpler than it is. Mostly, I’m very rebellious, and I don’t really want to eat right, even though it’s what’s best for me.

3. Update my blog more frequently. I have this, I really should use it more than once every month and a half.

4. Read more new material. Raise your hand if you’ve read Lord of the Rings more than ten times…twenty times..thirty times…Wait, am I the only one with my hand still up? How many times have I read it, you may ask? Well, the truth is, I know it’s more than thirty, but I really don’t know. I was super obsessed for many years. I need to force myself to get some fresh material in the mix. Suggestions welcome.

5. At least make an attempt to show people I care about what’s going on in their life. I really struggle to let people know I care. My heart will be breaking on the inside, but on the outside, I’m usually a jerk. It’s not intentional, I just have some lousy social skills.

6. Clean my room and unpack. This is more than a little embarrassing. I’ve never really unpacked from moving home. I have lots of boxes that I’ve been refusing to deal with.

7. Work on looking more feminine. Something else I really struggle with. Looking attractive terrifies me. I’m sure that seems silly, but it really does freak me out.

Long Lost Summer

Published August 7, 2013 by Malia

If there’s one word I could use to describe this summer, it would be “lost.” I’m not really sure where the summer went, and honestly I kind of feel numb about most of this summer.

My cat died, and it hit me really hard. I’m not sure why, either. Usually when I’ve had pets pass on, it’s been sad, but not so overwhelming. So, yeah, that threw me into a tailspin where I stopped caring about eating right and exercising, but enough is enough. I started back to exercising today, and I’m also back to measuring and monitoring what I’m eating. It’s soooooo super exciting.

One positive thing I did this summer was to write the first draft of what I hope will turn into my first real book. I started working on the second draft this week, and am doing my best to not get all perfectionist about it.

And that’s how I lost my summer.

Mugshot Monday~Week 3

Published April 1, 2013 by Malia

I’m so tired of calling it “Weight Loss Monday.” So, instead, from here on out, it’s Mugshot Monday! Camp NaNo, has officially started, so tonight’s entry is going to be short, so I can get back to my story.

This week, there wasn’t great victory on the scale. However, my clothes are fitting way better, and I’m now up to walking four miles a day! I think this next week will definitely show some loss on the scale. My main victory was that I didn’t gain.

This was me on January 7th, 2013.

This is April 1st, 2013. I may just be seeing things, but I think my face looks like it’s got a little more shape.

So, I’m 6.7 lbs away from Skyfall. Here’s hoping that changes after this week!

This is rare…

Published January 21, 2013 by Malia

That’s right, it’s a morning post! The sun is actually out (or at least I’m assuming it is out somewhere behind the piles of dark grey clouds outside) as I write this.

There’s not very much that’s new in my life. I’m quite busy at work. I really love that it lets me make use of my minimal OCD-ness. I’m really only OCD at work, although my parents are really hoping that maybe my need for everything to be in a certain place and done a certain way will translate into my room getting put in order and my boxes unpacked. I’m not sure why it’s so difficult for me to unpack. Maybe it’s because I have moved so many times, I just am leaving stuff packed because subconsciously I’m expecting to move again, and what would be the point of unpacking in that case? (Wow, that’s a terribly constructed sentence, and yet I refuse to fix it. I’m just that kind of rebel.) Anyway, work is pretty fun and on occasion slightly gross. I like that while there’s the structure of routine, I’m getting different specimens to sort every day, so I never get very bored. This is a good thing, because I get bored quite easily.

I’ve been working out almost daily (usually M-F with breaks on the weekend). I can tell my clothes are fitting much better. I haven’t had a chance to weigh myself in a while, so I have no idea what my weight actually is currently. Therefore, I’m labeling my weight as “Less-Fat.” I’m still fat, just not as fat as I was. I’ve been using the Leslie Sansone walking videos to work out. I do anywhere from 1-3 miles a day. It all depends on how awake I am and whether I get to go to work at regular time, or if I have to leave and hour earlier for work (car fun, which has led to sharing of vehicles, which means I usually end up at work 1.5 hours early. This is okay, though, because I’m getting lots of reading done!)

I got a new betta this weekend. My last betta, Elvira, passed away while I was at school last fall. She was living here at home because I wasn’t sure she’d survive the 8 hour drive to Grand Forks. Anyway, the new betta is a really beautiful blue color, and kind of looks like the eye of a peacock feather. I had a terrible time not bringing home all the bettas at the store. I know they’re a little fish, but it seems kind of inhumane to keep them in those itty-bitty little cups. It makes me quite sad. Enough with the sadness. My new betta is named Perseus Jackson or PJ (for short). I figured that naming a beautiful fish after the son of Poseidon could only help it survive! Now, I’m just wishing I could figure out how to take a good picture of him.

Whosday

Published January 1, 2013 by Malia

Alrighty, it’s 2013. Today is the first day of the rest of the year, or something like that… So, before I get to my Doctor Who weekly obsession (who are we kidding, it’s more like a daily obsession), it’s time to get the list of goals for the new year listed.

Malia’s 2013 Goals

1. Lose weight. (This is kind of a no brainer, and I’m sure I’m not alone in having this at the very top of my list.)

2. Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes 3 days a week.

3. Write a blog entry once a day.

4. Write non-blog related things.

5. Finish the blanket I promised mom I’d make her 3 years ago.

6. Read through the Bible in a year.

7. Take at least 1 photograph everyday.

8. Watch all the Doctor Who episodes, starting with the first ones from back in 1963.

Okay, so this leads into my weekly (at minimum) discussion of all things Who. It occurred to me two days ago that I can’t really call myself a true Whovian unless I go all the way back to the beginning. There are a couple hundred episodes and more than a few Doctors for me to catch up on. I actually started this monumental task on the 30th, but I figured it was better to start early than not at all. So far I’ve made it through the first three sets of episodes from season 1 (1963). Here’s my initial conclusions…

-The stories are really good. Even though there’s so much I dislike about these early episodes, I really like the plots, so it makes it worth it.

-So far, the companion Ian, does almost everything. The Doctor is pretty much this old guy-that I spend most of the episodes wondering if he’s a dementia patient-that does nothing but be a jerk and cause more problems than actually do any good. Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, is incredibly annoying. The first episode, Ian and Barabara (her teachers, who end up becoming the first human companions to the Doctor) both spend quite awhile discussing how smart Susan is. I’m not necessarily doubting her intelligence, but I’d like to be given some evidence of it.

-Speaking of the women, man have times changed since 1963. Basically, the sole role of the women thus far has been to scream at everything and do absolutely nothing to help themselves. Seriously. There’s one part where Susan gets tapped on the shoulder when she thinks she’s alone, and instead of investigating (like one of the modern female companions) she screams and basically has a meltdown. There’s a lot of screaming done by these two women. Also, it really bugs me that there’s this general attitude that if the young handsome men don’t do something, it can’t be trusted to be done right.

Also, I spent New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day getting mom and dad caught up on season 6 & 7 of the current Doctor. I’ve now seen the ending of The Angels Take Manhattan about 4 times, and I still bawl like a baby. I’m super excited to see the Christmas episode and the rest of season 7.

In closing, here’s today’s photos (remember, taking at least one photo every day):

So, I got this bee in my bonnet to try making these brownies I saw on Pinterest. I started with a box of brownie mix and several packages of peanut butter cups:

I then made the batter:

I then poured part of the batter into the bottom of the pan:

I then laid out the peanut butter cups:

Then I covered that with the remainder of the brownie batter and popped them in the oven. Then out came this:

Mom cut them:

And I ate one:

The brownies needed to have cooked longer. Honestly, thought they were done, but I basically ended up with brownie batter goo in the middle (the top and sides were mostly completely cooked). However, if you’re going to end up with brownie batter goo, it’s best to have Reese’s right in the middle of it. Peanut butter cups make any baking “disaster” much better.

Now, here’s some pictures of my cats. Howard wasn’t thrilled I was taking pictures:

Best picture I’ve ever gotten of Gracie (She always moves before the picture finishes taking, no matter how fast I’ve got the speed set):

Gracie also has a thing about boxes (mostly, she likes to eat them):

Then, there was sunset and dusk:

And now, it’s bedtime for Bonzo.

Weight Loss Monday ~ Week 4: The Good, The Bad, and The Meh

Published September 24, 2012 by Malia

Good news or bad news first. Hmmmm….well….let’s get the negative stuff out of the way.

Bad news: I didn’t lose any weight this week.

Good news: I didn’t gain any weight.

I’ve got a myriad of excuses, but I’d rather not resort to them. I think my plateau is mainly due to the fact that I was lazy last week, and chose to be completely unhealthy over the weekend. And by “unhealthy,” I mean, “I ate and drank quite a bit more than I worked out.” Amazing how that whole skipping an exercise can totally screw with losing weight. However, I still refuse to give up. I’m just starting my fourth week, and to be honest I’m just happy that I’ve stuck with it this long. I really want to get out 3 months, six months, even a year and be able to look back and go “I’m smaller than I was!”

I’ve been reading this blog, written by a self-proclaimed “fat” woman over the last year, and I’ve found it really interesting. Unlike me, she’s not all about trying to lose the weight. Instead, she wants to work towards people having fat acceptance. She’s encourages her readers to be proud of themselves and their size. Honestly, I wish I could be brave like that. Sometimes I really struggle to remind myself that I am so much more than what the tag in my jeans say.

So, here I go into week 4! (That sounds cheesy. That’s okay, though, sometimes life needs cheese.)

Also, since there wasn’t any change in the weight, I’m choosing to not post my mugshots this week.

Any Second Now...

This will all make sense?

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