Perpetual Vows

Here are pics from my sister's Perpetual Vows. More to follow when I am not quite so sleepy.

The Plato Family Trip East

Stay tuned to the blog for posts along our journey. Here's a brief itinerary:

Monday, August 3: On the road
Tuesday, August 4: Arrive in Lee, MA
Thursday, August 6: I turn 40. I think it was on Nostradamus' list for Armageddon, so, if there is a next day, we'll still be in Lee.
Monday, August 10: Head to Reading, PA
Tuesday, August 11: Girls' Night with some old friends
Friday, August 14: Head to NJ
Saturday, August 15: AM's Perpetual Vows Ceremony and Reception; start to head west that evening
Sunday, August 16: Home again, home again, jiggedy jig
Monday, August 17.... wait, that's not vacation anymore... it will be avoided until then

What's new in the land of diet and exercise...

Well, here we are three weeks before August. Some lessons I learned:

1. Depression apparently is the enemy of healthy weight.
2. Depression meds are, apparently, part of the enemy forces.
3. Jumping in to a heavy-duty exercise program would have been OK if I wasn't working at the same time. Too much fatigue for both parents.
4. Supplements may or may not be helpful. I have to take them long enough to make a definite conclusion.

So, tomorrow, I will begin a new regimen geared more to the fact that I am almost 40 and fighting some demons that I didn't necessarily fight "back in the day."

EXERCISE: I am using the Slim in 6 program. This program starts off very basic and allows you to move up when you feel you have mastered basic moves. I am not doing the dieting part of Slim in 6, as some of its tenets were recipes for failure for me. For example, it suggests that you do a two day fast before starting the program. Yeah, that will not work. Also, they recommend a slew of supplements. Went that route before, too. I'll just be completing the exercise portion of the workout. Slim in 6 is based on the idea that, in 6 weeks, you'll be slimmer than you are now. Of course, in advertising, they show dramatic results. These are people who, undoubtedly, went whole "hog" with the diet, supplements, meal replacement drinks, etc. I will just be happy to be back in a good place with my motivation.

DIET: I will be using Complete Nutrition's Reveal program. I like the idea that the company notices that older people need different supplements and that different times of the day require different nutrients. I will also be attempting to consume their SMART smoothies. These protein smoothies are supposed to be quite good and high in good protein and (good) cholesterol.

Should be interesting since I start a week of technology training tomorrow. At least my mind will be busy. For day 1, I'll take the makings of a smoothie with me, but if that doesn't work well, I will just eat the regular lunch on Tuesday. I'm trying not to do a lot of huge sacrificing, as that has backfired on me in the past. As I eat, I am just going to try to half the portions I would normally take. That's a huge step! I will, however, try to avoid excess sugar. That was a major portion of my diet, and it was dragging me down. I won't avoid it all together, but I want to be more conscious of how much of it I am eating and drinking.

Speaking of drinking, many programs advise against diet drinks. We'll see how that goes. I do have my occasional diet beverage, so I don't think I'll have to worry too much about that. I will be a LOT more conscious of getting in my water, though.

So, that's all for now. We shall see how this goes. Both programs have gotten really good results, so I look forward to a hybrid approach.

Happy Fourth of July

Even though it was rainy, we still got in some fireworks (Towanda) and some sparklers. It was Max who really pushed us to get in the car and go see what was going on. We were sure that the shows would be postponed. We were wrong! He kept saying, "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" as he saw the fireworks while we were driving.

Happy July!

It is overcast and cool. Crazy. June was hot and humid. Yeah. Global warming.

LASIK: Two weeks later

In the last two weeks, I have seen Dr. Lockhart three times (not including my surgery). He says my eyes are doing great, and I now have 20/15 vision. What does that mean? Some comparisons:

To have a pilot's license, one must have 20/20 vision. To drive a car without corrective lenses takes 20/40 vision. 20/80 is where you could be considered for special assistance. 20/200, you're legally blind.

My laywoman's explanation: The 20 represents what a "typically"-sighted person should see at 20 meters. The second number represents my visual acuity. The higher the second number, the worse your sight is. So, 20/15 vision means that I could read something at 20 meters that a "typical"-sighted person would need to move 15 meters away from to see. My sight is better than typical. If a person is 20/80, that means that, what a "typical"-sighted person can see at 80 meters, that person would have to move to 20 meters to see.

Basically, my surgery was a huge success. I still have my regimen on drops, but they are now decreasing in frequency. The Refresh drops I use about 2 x an hour, and I am alternating Pred Forte and Decadron every other hour until this weekend, when I can decrease that to every two hours. I am also still placing Zymar in my eyes 4x a day, but that will end soon as well.

Things are not necessarily as crisp as I had thought they would be with my new vision, but I think that's mainly because I have not been resting my eyes a whole lot. Also, I guess I believed that people who could see without lens corrections saw as well as I did with my contacts in. Probably not the case. I can drive, see the TV, shave my legs in the shower, etc. all with my "new eyes." I am very glad I took the plunge.

Summer begins

I have elongated my school year by consciously choosing to participate in and lead various workshops. Why, why, why? Well, because it was all stuff I liked doing. But now, I am really, really tired and I feel like summer will finally begin for me on Friday... close to summer's actual start date.

Sigh.