Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

It’s been hard for me to stay motivated with triathlon stuff. Commuting between my place and the boy’s place had put a definite damper on it, as has his work schedule (he has to go to meetings for work that are well after what I would consider my optimum ‘go to bed’ time). College students suck – if you want to participate in things on campus, do them at normal hours like a real adult, not at 10+ at night, ‘you hosers’. I’d happily smack the lot of them upside the head and welcome them to real life. And naps.

Nonetheless, I need to do more, after straining my mid-back TWICE this past week. Ugh. So there’s been a lot of soul searching re: what do I want to do with my training. And, you know, making my body worth more in the sack. Getting married and all that. Wanting to perform better. Yeah. ‘Nuff said.

I found another reason to haul out my porta-sling: it makes a nice pull-up bar.

I know I’ve said it elsewhere, but I don’t think I’ve said it here: there is little better than homemade mayonnaise. And once you’ve made it at home, why would you ever buy the commercial stuff? That has to be one of the more exciting recent food discoveries. Turns into a nice salad dressing, too.

Also, as I’ve been cooking in the boy’s place I’ve realized how incredibly spoiled I am in my own kitchen, because I’ve had time to slowly build up a good collection of kitchen equipment, giving me a greater range of things that I can prep/make (like the aforementioned mayonnaise – the food processor is key there, though a blender can work, too). Another reason why I look forward to combining our households, so I can cook more for us.

My recent cookbook reading has been Paleo-based, which I’ve been enjoying. No (or minimal) dairy, which is good for lactose-intolerant me. Lots of veggies, also good. And not afraid of full-fat meals, which is a lot tastier than a lot of stuff. Not exactly ‘the two fat ladies’ level, but some good stuff. And the boy hasn’t complained about most of it, which is also a plus. He’s pickier to feed than I am, his diet is fairly bland, so finding stuff he’ll eat has been a challenge. Trying a shepherd’s pie tonight, we’ll see how that goes, though his text response to the suggestion was excited, so I’m thinking it’ll be a win.

The only really fun part has been that it avoids wheat in its entirety, which isn’t the easiest, or even the tastiest. But I have found when I avoid wheat products my digestive system seems to be quieter than not. Annoying, that, since, well, bread & noodles are delicious. But perhaps not the best for my gut. Not allergic to it, was tested on that back in November, but I definitely feel better after I haven’t eaten it for a while.

The combination of stuff is going better now. We added several new bookshelves, and are gradually moving his books over, bag by bag. Also in the process of converting an old, large bookshelf into large dressers. Yay convertible Ikea furniture. It’s gonna be cramped, but it’s doable. And it’s getting better than the last entry when I was going nuts. Still haven’t found the yoga strap, though.

Injured my back twice this week, once while biking and once while lifting a large water bottle for the office water cooler. Not the lower back, strangely, but the mid-back, lower ribs, on the outer back. Guess it’s past time for more strength training. Phhhbbbbttt! Letting it recover a bit, then will work on strengthening the area. Past that, training has been almost non-existent, again. Commuting and his work schedule are completely non-supportive of doing any training. Blech. I may still be able to do the tri in May, but the half marathon in March is out at this point. Ugh. I hate wasting the money on the race fees, not to mention the loss of health and weight gain. Another thing to look forward to when he moves in – no more driving across town twice a day, and time to exercise.