Mr. Spreadsheet

I got my first tattoo today. I was this close to leaving the parlor with nothing. But we made some adjustments to the design and I decided to go for it. I'd been so excited about it and knew it was just the jitters. It hurt in spots but was not as bad as I anticipated. It helped that the artist was chatty and able to distract me. I love it.

Today I decided to stop tracking my exercise and food. I have this elaborate spreadsheet that I've been using for the past 4 years. I posted a portion of it in an earlier post. I started it when I began running. It was a way for me to track my achievement and goals regarding miles and speed. It has evolved into...... a place where I obsess about unrealistic goals for food and exercise. It's no longer the spreadsheet I knew and love. Instead of being a place to reflect on my accomplishments it's a place where I document my continuous failures because I demand perfection of myself. It's the epicenter of an unhealthy preoccupation with exercise and food. So, no more for now. I know that I'll exercise because it makes me feel good and it's part of my lifestyle, and personality at this point. I know that I will not eat dairy or sugar because it's just not an option in my mind. I'll try to eat as healthily as I can, but indulge when I see fit. I'm interested in preparing more raw foods and I'll continue to work towards that goal. These are all things I know and don't need to write down. They are personal values.

So long Mr. spreadsheet. Today I leave you in the dust!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Begrudging Post

I feel terrible. Mentally and physically. I'm bloated. I spent all day negotiating my return to work with three different parties just to realize that I'm not ready to go back to work. Well, my foot is not ready. I, on the other hand am dying to return. When I have this much time off I find trouble and get depressed and I'm on my way. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

Just some crappy crap

Today a grocery store opened up just 7 blocks from my house. I celebrated by eating a jumbo size container of raspberries.

I also went to the free local pool for the second day in a row. I definitely prefer running, but I am grateful to have an alternative form of exercise available to me. I had no idea until 2 days ago that DC provided it's residents with free pools all around the city. My pool is less than a mile away in a building I've walked past a million times. Inside it is toasty warm and the pool is surrounded by glass. On the overhead speakers they play hits from the 1950's. The water is so warm that even I do not have a problem jumping right in. (If a pool is cold, then I'm not getting in. As you can imagine, I don't swim much.) Most of the people are older than me. It's a very low stress crowd.

Thank god

I am a hot mess of a swimmer. At the conclusion of my first day of laps a woman commented on my swimming style with general befuddlement. "Do you breathe above water the whole time?" she asked. "Yes", I replied, "what's the alternative?" She explained to me that most people exhale under water and alternate taking breaths out of water. She told me that it is actually much harder to swim the way I do. I know I'm not making it look easy either. I'm pretty sure I sound like one of those whales blowing water out of their backs. If I had to use one word to describe my forward stroke, I'd choose flailing. Luckily I don't give a shit, and it doesn't seem like any one else is anything but amused. I'm happy to provide amusement and grateful for my free neighborhood pool.



I made an all raw vegan dinner of stuffed poblano peppers and carrot stew. I embellished on a couple of recipes that I found on the internet. It came out great and did not take me long at all. However, I still had plenty of time to turn the kitchen into a total disaster zone.

I love reading blogs. I became a regular blog reader about 5 years ago. Since then, I usually have 3-4 that I check up on regularly in addition to an online newspaper. The blogs I read change with me and my interests. My longest run with one blog was about one year. An unfortunate feature of blog reading is when you find a blog you love, and the blogger stops writing. It's so disappointing! Or if they blog few and far between. So, as a responsible blog owner, I'm going to try and jot down at least one thought per day and a picture of something pretty or interesting from my day. By putting a picture I'll make it more enjoyable for readers and it forces me to document something beautiful or miraculous from my environment. It will encourage me to look for the good around me. Kind of like a positive thinking exercise. Here's a picture of me and my sister's vegan Thanksgiving. In the future I'll try to keep the pictures current.

Dehydrator Dilemma

Following two days completely raw I ate my normal sugar free vegan diet. I definitely noticed how tired I get after eating one of my big carb heavy meals. I always thought that was a normal reaction to eating a decent meal, but after eating raw, albeit for two days, I've come to the conclusion that there is an alternative. My goal is to go raw for the next 14 days and after that integrate some cooked foods in moderation. I've yet to further cut down my caffeine consumption. I think I'll cut it in half again tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

In order to make the raw lifestyle sustainable you need a food dehydrator. Plus the prospect of crafting my own dried food treats excites me. My next task is to figure out what brand of food dehydrator to get. I've narrowed it down to L'Equip and Excalibur. It's hard to make a decision.

Pros of the excalibur:
--Horizontal blowing fan. This means that you are not blowing the odors of different foods into eachother. Another benefit to the horizontal fan is that you don't have to worry about the dripage of foods into the fan.
--Has a cult following. Not sure if this should really count in it's favor.
--Claims to have the largest amount of space.
Cons of the excalibur:
--Most expensive home dehydrator out there.
--Ugly.
--May be loud.
--5 year warranty

Pros of the L'Equip
--Supposed to have excellent knowledgable customer service.
--Less expensive
--10 Year warranty
--Cuter
--Quieter
--Comes with the sheets you need

Cons of the L'Equip
--Not as popular. Again, this shouldn't really count for anything.
--Fan is on the bottoms of the device.

So, really it comes down to the location of the fan. I think given that I'm a novice, I'm going to go with the cheaper underdog, L'Equip. I"m also very attracted to knowledgable customer service as I am new to the dehydrating world.

Is all sugar sugar?

I'm on day three of complete rest. I just woke up and I don't want to recline all day. I don't know how sick people do this. I'll never take my mobility for granted again.

Today also begins day three of raw. I've felt a lot lighter the last three days despite sitting around like a sack of potatoes. I've cut my caffeine consumption in half and have not noticed a big energy drain. For dessert I've been having a big bowl of frozen fruit with cinnamon, almond extract and a cut up dried date or two. It's so sweet! In fact last night it was too sweet. After eating it I felt the sluggishness I would feel after two trays of cookies. Not as extreme, but the same type of sensation. So, my new goal is to cut way down on my dessert portion and ditch the dates. They are sweeter than candy. While I'm inclined to eat them because I'm a sugar junkie, I'm also a little over-inclined. Basically I eat them when I don't want to which makes me think it's a problem. Plus, I didn't come this far to substitute white sugars for natural sugars. To some extent, sugar is sugar. And I don't want to be ruled by it, period.

Blog Morph

It's been over 4 weeks since I have consumed sugar! No syrups, no agave nectar, no beet or date sugar. I have been eating a decent amount of dried fruit and fresh fruits. Dried fruits are high in natural sugars but I don't feel the rush and lethargy I experience when I eat refined sugar. Also, I've got to give myself some credit and be happy with the success I have had. So, I'm not thinking too hard about the drawbacks of the sugar in dried fruits. But, that's not really what this post is about.

I broke my foot. It's a stress fracture. I run a lot. Running saves me from myself. I don't feel like life is worth living without running. What's this blog called? Sugar junkie. Well, there are junkies and non-junkies and I'm a junkie. I ran my foot down until it cracked, all because I love running too much to take two weeks off. I felt a tiny twinge of pain in my left foot for the past 2 months. I trained for a marathon and trained through the pain, which was minimal. If I stopped running for every little nagging crick and creak then I'd never run at all. Well, I should have paid attention to this one. Two days ago, half way through my six mile run I HAD to stop. I was on the mall so I sat down on a bench and watched a frisbee game. I realized that as many times as I have ferociously jogged up and down the national mall, I have never once stopped and sat on a bench. It was nice. I watched all the runners. I looked at the capitol and the washington monument. I people watched. I slowed down for once. Then I limped three miles home, which was not fun. I was in much more pain than could be ignored. I couldn't even bear weight on my foot. I knew I was screwed.

The next morning I frantically called orthopedists and finally found one with an open appointment. As I suspected my foot was broken. He couldn't yet see the fracture on the x-ray, but based on his exam and my symptoms he seemed to be confident. He told me I can't run for 3 months and I have to "obey the pain". For the first time I cried in a doctor's office. No work for a week. Sitting at home alone for a week doing nothing! This is bad news for the junkie. I am NOT a movie junkie. I get nauseous if I surf the net for more than 2 hours. NO RUNNING FOR THREE MONTHS!!!!!!! After I got over myself, I was filled with empathy for all my patients. They too are stranded, but in hospital beds, at the mercy of the hospital staff. 99.9% of the time their diagnosis don't go away in 3 months. I vowed to return to work with extra sympathy and respect for the people stranded on their islands of hell. But back to me. How the hell am I supposed to stay sane???? Will I become a blogging junkie?
Here is a partial list of things I can do:

Build a buff upper body
Draw designs for my first tattoo
Clean (gag)
Write handwritten letters
Christmas shop online (partial gag)
Go raw! Master raw cooking!
Make songs using garageband on the macbook
Sing
Find new bands
Sew
Cut down on caffeine (gasp)

That's all I've got for now. I'm going to stay positive through this.....