Finally Done!

It only took me two years, but I am finally done with the trip reports for a trip to Jamaica with a friend.  If you have been following that trip, here are the last two installments. 

Jamaica Me Smile Day 3

Jamaica Me Smile Day 4

I am trying to get back to regular posting on Postcards from Patrice so check back there often.

Weight Watchers Week # 10

Fail.  Epic fail.  Life stress got me way off track for the last week and a half.  I couldn't even bring myself to go to the WW meeting.  My husband and I had some serious talks about some big decisions we needed to make and it really stressed me out.  I gained 1.8 pounds.  My official weigh in day was Thursday morning and I haven't gotten back on track.  Friday night I gorged myself while out with friends and then Saturday we went out for fondue and had all 4 courses.  Melted cheese and chocolate is healthy, right?  I tried today to get a plan to get back on track by going to Jenny Craig to stock up on food so I could start fresh Monday morning...but they were closed!  Ack.  They changed their hours since I had last been there on a Sunday.  I am going to try to get there tomorrow morning, but it is supposed to be snowing so we'll see.  I am sure I have gained more since Thursday than the 1.8.  I need motivation! 

Week +1.8
Overall -7.4

Amazing Talent!!!

Ever wonder what happened to the Disney princesses after ever after?  You must watch this video...trust me that it is worth 4 minutes of your life.  This guy is amazing!

Dress You Up Cold Hearted Snake

Glee played to my love for 80's music tonite!  In case you missed it, here are the originals. 

Remember dressing up like Madonna??? 



And let's pay tribute to Paula Abdul before she went all crazy.  Despite what anyone thinks of her today, she was a huge pop star and obtained a level of success most only dream of.  Let's remember her at her high point.  After all, she dated Arsenio Hall, MARRIED Emilio Estevez...and brought us MC Skat Kat!

Hey Look!

I finally wrote a new post for my travel blog!  I am trying to get that one going again too, but the posts take me a really long time to write.  I need to get back in my travel blogging groove to get the words to come more easily again. 

You can find a link on the side bar or here it is below.  The new post is day 2 of a trip so you may want to read day 1 if you want to start from the beginning.

Jamaica Me Smile (Day 2)

Jamaica Me Smile (Day 1)

Hope you enjoy!

Cous Cous the Bored Lion

Somewhere in middle of nowhere California is a private animal park named Cat Haven where a lion named Cous Cous recently killed a woman who was cleaning his enclosure.  The problem here is the word "enclosure".  Big cats do not like being held captive and I am sad whenever I hear a story like this.  It is sad for the woman killed, but also sad for the cat because he was killed as well.  I read that the cat was in a separate cage while the main cage was being cleaned.  Cous Cous was able to use his giant paw to open the door and hit the woman so hard across the head that it broke her neck and killed her.  Cous Cous then played with her body and would not leave it alone so he was shot and killed.

I am so torn on issue of captive animals.  I am a huge animal lover and struggle with the idea of eating meat, but I still do it so I am a hyocrite.  Without places like this for people to see animals there may not be the interest in saving them.  But on the other hand these animals are miserable. I refuse to ever got to a zoo again because of the way the animals are kept in small areas and just pace.  It makes me so sad. 

I have two cats who we used to keep indoors to keep them "safe" as we have been tought.  One them is now institutionalized and is too frightened to go outside now.  The other one was so depressed and bored being inside that after five years we decided to let him go outside.  We have been very lucky that nothing has happened to him, but he is so much happier when he gets to go outside.  Being that it is currently the middle of winter, he has cabin fever.  I play with him every day, but he loves to hunt and kill.  He is a murderer.  Another thing I struggle with.  I liked it better when he would chase thing and get some exercise, but not catch anything.  Now he catches stuff.  Sometimes he eats it and sometimes he just plays with it.  He does not like it when his little friends no longer play with him.

Cous Cous I am sure was just bored and the woman was a toy to him.  Some are now blaming her because she was talking on her cell phone at the time and not paying attention to the cat, but blaming the victim is not going to change anything.  Wild animals kill, they are not domesticated just because they are put in a cage.

RIP Cous Cous and your keeper.

Weight Watchers Week # 9

I am not really sure how this happened, but I lost 1.4 pounds this week!  I tracked only for about half the week and of course the days I didn't track were the bigger eating days with chips and fajitas.  I have no plans of giving up Mexican food.  I think this week may have been partially due to my thyroid medicine being adjusted so hopefully that will help me get a little more of a loss each week.  I am still on track at 9.2 pounds down in 9 weeks but it feels really slow.  I do feel like I have a good balance though.  Some weeks I indulge a little and others I don't.  It definitely shows up on the scale but I am ok with it.  I am now completely off of caffeine and sweet and low which is an accomplishment.  I have also been eating fruit for snacks quite a bit (I am in love with mandarin oranges right now) and actually had a craving for a banana!  I unfortunately found a new salty crunchy snack that I love and had a couple times in the afternoon instead of fruit.  Pops chips are very tasty.  I like the plain flavor but not really the BBQ or cinnamon sugar.  They are crispy and salty and yummy.  This past week I would say has been the first time that I noticed that I look smaller.  My clothes have definitely been fitting better but I didn't notice anything in the mirror until just recently.

What are your favorite snacks???

Week -1.4
Total -9.2

The TV Hiatus

Why do TV shows go on "hiatus" so often?  It really ruins the flow of a show. 

They only work part of the year to start with and then two or three times a year there is a month or so break.  I don't get these kinds of breaks so why should they?  I am lucky to get 5 weeks vacation a year but it is a struggle to get it all in because nobody does my work while I am gone so I usually end up working extra late nights and weekends before and after a vacation to make up for it.  Oh and I can only take one week at a time.  What I would give to be able to take two or three weeks off at once!  Only twice since I started working after college have I had a two weeks off.  The first time was for when I got married (10 years ago) and the second time was when I was in between jobs and moving from CA to VA (8.5 yeas ago).  So although I had two weeks off, packing and moving was not much of a vacation. 

I wonder if TV shows lose viewers who do not come back after a hiatus?  I would much prefer a shortened season that goes straight through.  Even on holidays...we all have DVR's now so we won't miss it.

Snowquester

We have been really lucky here in northern Virginia the last couple of winters.  It has snowed, but not enough to even bother shoveling.  Whenever it snows just a little my husband and I debate whether to shovel or let it melt.  If we don't shovel and it doesn't melt, well, our driveway will be an ice skating rink.  I get excited each year for the first snow fall because it is so pretty, but shoveling really really sucks.  It looks like our luck has run out though.  I live somewhere on the line between blue and purple.  C'mon blue!!!

It's March!

 

I made it through another January and February!  Yipppeee!!!!  As you all know, I hate the cold weather and winters here in Virginia.  March is the point where emotionally I believe winter is over and good times will be here again.  I suffer a bit from the winter blues each year but this year was not so bad since it was the first year where I recognized it and tried to do something about it rather than wallowing in it.  Soon there will be the smell of mulch in the air and my husband will be glued to the TV watching March Madness.  There will be a sprinkling of nice days where everybody wants to be outside and on their decks.  Daffodils will start popping out of their winter homes.  I know it is still technically winter and a big snow storm is brewing for next week but as Barry Manalow said, "looks like we made it".