tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57102295308805844592024-03-13T19:52:06.041-07:00Let's be genki!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-67681400264683080062016-06-09T20:58:00.000-07:002016-06-09T20:58:14.916-07:00終わり - The EndSomehow I'm finding the time to write this, even though I don't feel like I have the time to LIFE. But that's because I'm filling up my life with all kinds of awesome, cool stuff, so I can't really complain.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MIp1OvyU7CA/V1o5AevQPvI/AAAAAAAADkQ/P6Na9YMa67Ypc9lPXLshsBNrhjYx388-gCLcB/s1600/Photo%2BMay%2B15%252C%2B2%2B14%2B00%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MIp1OvyU7CA/V1o5AevQPvI/AAAAAAAADkQ/P6Na9YMa67Ypc9lPXLshsBNrhjYx388-gCLcB/s320/Photo%2BMay%2B15%252C%2B2%2B14%2B00%2BPM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Kira and I hanging out,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>watching my boyfriend's bike race</i></span></div>
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I have found myself having so much fun recently that I just don't have the motivation I used to for this blog, because I was originally using this to try to fill a void in my life that I don't feel these days. That's the truth of the matter, and I don't think I've talked about it before.<br />
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A couple of years ago, I was really dissatisfied with my career. I read somewhere that you can either find a more satisfying career by turning what you love into what you do, or you can just do your job as a job and also do what you love as a hobby, and that may be enough. So I tried to think of what I spent my time doing outside of work, which would tell me what it was I enjoyed doing, and found that almost everything I did related to health. I exercised a lot, enjoyed shopping for good food and cooking good food, and strived to find a balance of friend-time and me-time (which relates to health because it affects emotional/mental health). Given this discovery, I thought I should spend even more time in this area that I seemed to enjoy so much, and share my personal journey, challenges, and accomplishments.<br />
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And it has been quite a journey.<br />
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Of course the journey is never over, but I recently achieved something HUGE, and I think this is a good final blog entry topic. I mean final in a very loose sense, since I know this blog will always be here when I need it, but I don't want to feel guilty about not keeping up with it anymore.<br />
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So here it is, my accomplishment: my elimination diet that I've been doing hardcore since April, 2015 is DONE.<br />
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As you may recall, I was having significant digestive issues and just always didn't feel well. Starting when I moved back to the U.S., I eliminated all potential problem causing foods and drinks. This left me being able to eat meat & fish, most fruits & vegetables, and a little bit of rice & corn as my starch/carb source. For about six months, I didn't eat dairy, gluten, oats, soy, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans/legumes (including peas), cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, cocoa, black tea, coffee, and alcohol. Not even in trace amounts, and man did oils seriously make it hard to eat at restaurants.<br />
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How did I have the patience and energy to do that??? Looking back, I have no idea.<br />
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After about six months I was feeling way better and no longer had any of the digestive issues I was working to resolve. Yes, it really did take that long on my strict elimination diet to feel better. So that was an awesome accomplishment, and I got to start reintroducing things one at a time. If I tested an item and it all went well, I got to keep it in my diet, and if it didn't go well I had to eliminate it again and wait until I felt better to move on to the next item. As I'm sure you can imagine, this was very time consuming, and ended up taking another seven months.<br />
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The very last item on my elimination diet that I saved till the end was alcohol, and I celebrated reaching this point with a glass of wine on the six month anniversary of my first date with my boyfriend (awww).<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ao0Yp-dZ1Ds/V1o4-YeSOFI/AAAAAAAADkI/m57fxR03A-0p9Ysi4VW4dunJibQg2gZ6gCKgB/s1600/Photo%2BMay%2B14%252C%2B3%2B21%2B57%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ao0Yp-dZ1Ds/V1o4-YeSOFI/AAAAAAAADkI/m57fxR03A-0p9Ysi4VW4dunJibQg2gZ6gCKgB/s320/Photo%2BMay%2B14%252C%2B3%2B21%2B57%2BPM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Celebrating goals achieved and new things to look forward to!</i></span></div>
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So my end result is that dairy, gluten, soy, peanuts, and more than a small serving of cabbage upset my stomach. It still makes life difficult, especially in social settings, but it's way better than where I was at a year ago. And now, at least I know. Just knowing is a huge relief.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-36876595704544380592015-11-15T09:50:00.001-08:002015-11-15T10:12:57.394-08:00Beating the food craving monsterHi all you mysterious readers somewhere out there on the Internet! I apologize for the long absence. This poor little blog of mine has been forgotten about as I've adjusted to a new life and new routine. Gotta be honest with you - I used to write all of my entries while I was bored at work. At my current job, though, I do not have this problem. Which is great (for me)! I have lots of exciting things to write about today, because I've made significant progress in the past 6 months. And then I'll probably disappear for a while again.<br />
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As you know if you've been reading this blog, I've been working really hard for a long time on being healthier, and thus happier. Genki-er! The biggest problem I was having was a number of digestive issues, so I have significantly changed my diet in order solve those. I started with an elimination diet, which I did until I was feeling well for a long period of time, and then have been testing different foods one at a time.<br />
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At this point in time, I know that I do not do well with dairy, gluten, soy, and cabbage. I have successfully brought back in to my diet eggs, black tea, and pumpkin in small amounts. Being able to eat eggs has been HUGE for me. It opens up worlds, from eating eggs as a cheap and healthy protein source, to being able to occasionally eat gluten free baked items. I actually had eggs and toast for breakfast last weekend!<br />
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While I've been primarily focused on digestion and healing my gut, this elimination diet has come with a lot of other great side effects that happened so gradually that I didn't really notice anything changed until suddenly it was a drastic difference.<br />
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I've talked before about food cravings, and how difficult of a beast that is to deal with. I purposely don't buy food that might tempt me, because a bag of cookies containing 11 servings would disappear in one sitting. And to the dismay of some of my readers here, when I was given cookies or chocolate or something else I couldn't eat, I would politely accept it, take it home, and immediately throw it away. If I kept it in my house for longer than a day, I would always end up caving and eating it. Even with no snacks at all in my house, I would sometimes desperately eat strange items that I was ashamed to admit to, like spooning straight sugar and sesame seeds into my mouth. I hated myself for this, beat myself up about it, and felt really guilty and shameful. Not only was the sugar not healthy, these emotions were really not healthy.<br />
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A few months ago, it suddenly dawned on my that I hadn't eaten my way through an entire bag of chips, rice cakes, etc in one sitting for a very long time. It used to be something that happened every weekend. For more than a year I kept track of my calorie intake with my Fitbit app, and despite my best efforts it wasn't uncommon for me to go one or two thousand (or even more) calories over my daily goal on the weekends. But that trend changed, and with very little effort I found I was sticking to my goals every day, even on Saturday and Sunday. Guys, this is AMAZING!<br />
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Here's my theory. My elimination diet has forced me to significantly reduce carbs in my diet. Carbs are addictive, because it just gets processed in to sugar by your body, and we know sugar is addictive. It feeds the bad bacteria in your gut, throwing off the balance of your microbiome, the affects of which doctors and scientists are only just beginning to understand. It also acts like a drug in stimulating the pleasure centers in your brain. Hence my ridiculous cravings while I was trying to be healthier. But my elimination diet gave me really strict rules that I couldn't bend or break without having to start all over again with the whole process. By not being able to eat almost all processed foods as well as baked goods and a number of other items, I made it through the withdrawal and reached a point where I no longer consistently crave these things.<br />
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WOOHOO!!<br />
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And you want to know what the other great side effect of all this has been?? I discovered yesterday that in the past six months I've lost 13 lbs (almost 6 kg). *jaw drop* Not only have I reached my goal of getting back to the weight I was when I graduated college, I've even dropped slightly below that. And I'm still working out regularly, including more weight lifting than I used to do, so it's not muscle that I've lost. I think I look really strong and lean now, and I feel amazing!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3d8wjPY80c0/VkjKmYn9AMI/AAAAAAAADg8/BLKlCqq978Q/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B15%252C%2B10%2B02%2B09%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3d8wjPY80c0/VkjKmYn9AMI/AAAAAAAADg8/BLKlCqq978Q/s320/Photo%2BNov%2B15%252C%2B10%2B02%2B09%2BAM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Goofing around taking celebratory pictures with my mom.</span></i> </div>
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It's been an incredibly challenging journey, and it's not over yet, but I'm finally seeing significant success and it has been totally worth it! Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-73022520017717987592015-08-03T21:01:00.000-07:002015-08-03T21:01:07.564-07:00Instagram – it’s for food<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I got an Instagram account about a year and a half ago because a friend insisted I needed to. I barely used it at all, though, until just recently. Most pictures I want to share with my friends, I post on Facebook. I didn’t understand why in the world I would want to post pictures for anyone to see, because I didn’t see strangers being interested in what I post. Even this blog, which I post without any restrictions, I’m pretty sure is only read by people I know.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A couple months ago I downloaded an app called “Handpick.” It’s a collection of pictures of different dishes, with a list of ingredients for each one and a link to the source. These pictures are collected mainly from blogs and Instagram. It can be used to look up one or more ingredients, and then see all the dishes on the app that have those ingredients. I like looking there for ideas when I’m not sure what I want to cook.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I got to thinking, if they’re pulling some of these pictures from Instagram, maybe I should start posting photos of dishes that I’ve made myself. The more people who do that, the more there is available to make this app really useful. Also, if one of my pictures did get chosen… what an ego boost!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So now I used Instagram as it was, apparently, intended – to post pictures of food. I only post homemade dishes that I’m eating. Usually that means it’s something I made, but occasionally I get a good meal from a friend or someone in my family. This blog used to be the only place to share my dishes, but now you can see them all if you follow <a href="https://instagram.com/cactuslynx/" target="_blank">@cactuslynx on Instagram</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My profile looks a bit like this:</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DTVdd9W-gzY/Vb0-I2sSh0I/AAAAAAAADf8/OzolBG3_KZE/s1600/Photo%2BJul%2B27%252C%2B10%2B49%2B48%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DTVdd9W-gzY/Vb0-I2sSh0I/AAAAAAAADf8/OzolBG3_KZE/s640/Photo%2BJul%2B27%252C%2B10%2B49%2B48%2BAM.png" width="356" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m starting to get the hang of hashtags, so most of the “likes” my pictures get are actually from people I don’t know! It’s super interesting, and the marketing researcher in me wants to find out if certain hashtags correlate to more likes. Excel sheet, coming up!</span></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-16157448585775522542015-07-01T12:54:00.000-07:002015-07-01T12:56:49.759-07:00Ooooh that smell. Can't you smell that smell.I haven't written something new in FOREVER! I think because I do so much emailing and talking on the phone at work, the language center of my brain is just pooped. Which equals no muse :( But we are saved by my mom stepping in and reminding me of some stories I could share, so thank you Mom!<br />
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Because of the strict elimination diet I'm doing, I can basically only eat food that I've cooked for myself. So I cook a lot. And I try to cook all of my food for the whole week on Sunday, since I don't have a lot of time during the week.<br />
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Last weekend I was working on a few dishes while my family was outside doing yard work. We were all trying to get this type of work done in the morning before it got too hot! Side note: it's currently 1:00pm and 100º F (38º C) outside and we haven't turned the a/c on inside yet. Yeah, that's what we're dealing with out here in Livermore. At least it's not humid like Japan - that makes such a huge difference.<br />
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So, to get back to my story, I first started working on a <a href="http://www.onceuponachef.com/2013/02/balsamic-glazed-roasted-beets.html" target="_blank">recipe for balsamic glazed beets</a>. Just have to say, not only are beets #deliciousandnutritious, they're also strikingly beautiful!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Roasting some beets! #nofilters</i></span></div>
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While roasting the beets, I was simmering balsamic vinegar with honey
(substituted for maple syrup) to reduce it down to a syrupy glaze,
evaporating the vinegar but leaving all the delicious flavor. Both my
mom and my step-dad came up to the window and asked, "What are you
doing?!? Are you cooking with vinegar? It smells all the way out here!"
They seemed pretty doubtful that I was cooking something good, but when
my mom tried my beets later she was very impressed and absolutely loved
them!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyQcBmW_-UU/VZQu4l4UqXI/AAAAAAAADe8/XktmvGfQa9U/s1600/Photo%2BJun%2B27%252C%2B12%2B11%2B50%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyQcBmW_-UU/VZQu4l4UqXI/AAAAAAAADe8/XktmvGfQa9U/s320/Photo%2BJun%2B27%252C%2B12%2B11%2B50%2BPM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Balsamic glazed beets on a bed of beet greens</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>and carrot/zucchini/turkey patties with pesto sauce.</i></span></div>
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After making the beets, I started working on a recipe for <a href="http://www.veggienumnum.com/2010/02/eggplant-curry-w-tamarind-mint/" target="_blank">eggplant curry with tamarind and mint</a>. I used whole spices as much as possible, and ground them by hand. Freshly ground spices are so much more aromatic and flavorful!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DikRaRt7Shs/VZQyUOPsf4I/AAAAAAAADfI/7K7SBa603ZI/s1600/Photo%2BJun%2B27%252C%2B9%2B51%2B15%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DikRaRt7Shs/VZQyUOPsf4I/AAAAAAAADfI/7K7SBa603ZI/s320/Photo%2BJun%2B27%252C%2B9%2B51%2B15%2BAM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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While simmering these spices with coconut oil (substituted for ghee or peanut oil) and crushed tomato, my mom again approached the window, this time wanting to know what I was cooking because it smelled so GOOD.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8Q8c2tflVg/VZRDRxMObwI/AAAAAAAADfY/5icwoi4c0xc/s1600/Photo%2BJul%2B01%252C%2B12%2B19%2B00%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8Q8c2tflVg/VZRDRxMObwI/AAAAAAAADfY/5icwoi4c0xc/s320/Photo%2BJul%2B01%252C%2B12%2B19%2B00%2BPM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>It turned out GOOD too!</i></span></div>
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I can only imagine being out in the sun, digging and planting new flowers and bushes, pausing for a second to wipe the sweat off your brow, when you're suddenly bowled over by the pungent smell of vinegar. A while later the sweet scent of a spice mixture wafts by, tickling your nose and your appetite.<br />
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Sorry, guys, didn't mean for my cooking to disrupt your yard work! And sorry, but I'm not sharing :PLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-6422406458439383182015-06-06T09:49:00.000-07:002015-06-06T09:49:30.510-07:00Quick note on happinessNot too long ago I watched this fascinating TED Talk on happiness:<br />
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One of the most interesting things I got out of it is that your memory of an event can be completely different depending on the very last part of that event. In the talk he uses colonoscopies as an example, but it can apply to anything.<br />
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Yesterday I had an ok day at work. It wasn't really significantly better or worse than any other day this week. However, the very last thing I did before finishing up for the day was call a new client, and it put me in the BEST mood. He was super enthusiastic and excited to get going, and it made me excited and motivated to make things happen too.<br />
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I left work feeling energetic and looking forward to the next work week. And unlike most weekdays, I not only felt up to cooking dinner, but actually wanted to make something awesome.<br />
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I first thing I said to my mom that night was, "I had a great day a work!" and looking back over everything that had happened, I realized it was all because it had ended with that phone call.<br />
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The free taco bar for lunch was pretty cool too ;)Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-26511433409502877372015-05-30T14:00:00.000-07:002015-05-30T14:00:51.086-07:00Wait, where did May go?I'm staying up late (past 9:00 pm) on a Friday night to write JUST FOR YOU, my dear readers. All five of you. Just kidding, I keep learning about more and more people who read this, so that's cool. Thanks guys, glad to know I'm not just writing for myself!<br />
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Sadly, I've left you without a post since... wow, 25 days ago. I thought moving was what would keep me away from writing, but it turns out that it's my new job. Which is ok, because it's great.<br />
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So, I thought I'd check in and give a quick recap of how genki I've been this month. If you're not sure what I mean by genki, I discussed it a little in my <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.com/2014/10/introduction-whats-up-with-genki.html" target="_blank">introduction blog</a>. Just to recap, in Japanese, genki can have many meanings. As defined by my phone
dictionary (which I relied on almost every single day to get through life
in Japan) genki means: health(y), robust, vigor, energy, vitality, vim,
stamina, spirit, courage, pep. For me, it's an all encompassing word which means healthy in many aspects including physically, mentally, and emotionally, as well as having energy and basically just feeling good.<br />
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So, how has my physical health been doing?<br />
<ul>
<li>Stomach and digestion</li>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li>I am still on an elimination diet. Since my last post, I have (sadly) added sweet potatoes to what I'm eliminating, because I had a few poor digestion days last week which correlated to the few days I ate lots of sweet potato.</li>
<li>I will continue my elimination diet until my gut is healed, which I will determine by having a week or two straight with no symptoms.</li>
<li>In general I'm doing pretty good, just mild symptoms here and there. I want to be totally and completely good, though, before I start testing foods to add back in to my diet.</li>
<li>Oh, just remembered, the whole family, including myself, got food poisoning from pico de gallo I bought at a local Mexican market. That sucked and messed up my digestion for a while.</li>
</ul>
<li>Headaches</li>
<ul>
<li>During the first week or two of my new job, I had a mild headache basically everyday. Possibly stress related, or because I'm not used to sitting all day and looking at screens a lot.</li>
<li>I had one migraine, but I was at home and was able to medicate and go to bed before it got very bad. It continued for about 24 hours, but was under control.</li>
</ul>
<li>Exercise</li>
<ul>
<li>My legs are healing from shin splints. Again. I got excited to run with my mom when I first moved here, but pushed myself too hard before actually buying some new good running shoes. And as I learned last year, this takes forever to heal.</li>
<li>I stretch every morning during the time that I would normally be jogging if my legs didn't hurt.</li>
<li>I would like to work out (low or no impact for now) every evening, but have found that with working full time I am only finding time to do so a couple times a week. Hopefully once I get settled into my schedule I can start doing this more.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
Next, my mental health:<br />
<ul>
<li>The past three months have been incredibly stressful. During the few weeks before and after my move, I often found myself having absolutely no patience at all, and constantly hitting my breaking point of I JUST CAN'T DEAL every day, sometimes multiple times a day. During the past month, however, I can only think of two instances where I felt like that. So, getting better.</li>
<li>My new job has been challenging parts of my brain that have been chilling out since I graduated college back in 2009, so it's kind of fun to get that mental stimulation. I've been in training for these first few weeks, and it feels a lot like being a student again. But with 7-8 hours of classes a day, 5 days a week, it's a bit tiring. Today I coined a new term, "Brain Fart Friday."</li>
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Closely tied in with that is emotional health:<br />
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<li>So, I put stress under mental health, but it has such a strong influence on emotions that I almost put it here. However, what stress isn't actually and emotion, but what it does to my emotions is make them stronger. So anger is angrier, happiness is happier, and so on. More mood swings than I'm used to. Exhibited a lot in my <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-like-it-hot.html" target="_blank">blog about my last day in Japan</a>.</li>
<li>I feel like recently I've been really excited and happy about my new job, and this has been giving me a lot of energy. I hope this feeling continues, and isn't just a honeymoon phase.</li>
</ul>
One more thing that I've never really talked about before is spirituality. Maybe that ties in with mental or emotional health, but I feel like it deserves it's own category here. What many of you may or may not know is that I'm a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers" target="_blank">Quaker</a>. There are a lot of inaccurate preconceptions about what exactly that is, so please <a href="http://www.quakerinfo.org/index" target="_blank">do your research</a> before making any assumptions about me. For example, it has nothing to do with oatmeal. And clearly I don't wear a gray bonnet. So, my spiritual health:<br />
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<li>I became a member of the <a href="http://olympiafriends.org/" target="_blank">Olympia Monthly Meeting</a> in April, 2009. While in Japan I did not join any Meetings because I could only find info on one, which was in Tokyo (very very far from me). Since moving, I've been an active member of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/livermorequakers?ref=bookmarks" target="_blank">Livermore Worship Group</a>. <--- Check it out, I made a Facebook Page for our group. Give it a 'like'!</li>
<li>I've been very happy to have this small community of like-minded folks. It's really a very small group here in Livermore, but we're under the care of the <a href="http://www.quaker.org/berkmm/" target="_blank">Berkeley Monthly Meeting</a>, so I hope to get to know them better as well (and actually meet some people my age). I've also reconnected with some of the Olympia Monthly Meeting members, so I'm definitely feeling the love and connection that I didn't realize how much I've been missing.</li>
<li>Getting re-involved with the Quakers has led to a lot of introspection and meditation on my values and how my actions reflect those values.</li>
<li>I feel like some of what is important to me may have gotten muffled in the chaos of life, so I'm reconnecting to the Inner Light and trying to let that guide me. It's not easy to listen.</li>
</ul>
So there you go, a somewhat brief update on my current state. Let me leave you with a picture:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WVZpPsIob0E/VWlGgDW_PlI/AAAAAAAADd8/TQMI6zz5lfw/s1600/Photo%2BMay%2B25%252C%2B10%2B16%2B40%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WVZpPsIob0E/VWlGgDW_PlI/AAAAAAAADd8/TQMI6zz5lfw/s320/Photo%2BMay%2B25%252C%2B10%2B16%2B40%2BAM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Laura and Daphne: These two cousins were both born not breathing.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>So glad we made it through and are alive and kicking today! </i></span></div>
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-28268048108287292932015-05-04T16:32:00.000-07:002015-05-04T16:32:29.048-07:00Things that have made me happy since moving back to the U.S.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d1iqS7LAed0/VT5zVfZvU9I/AAAAAAAADcs/uLvqJfsCCNA/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B05%2C%2B5%2B15%2B15%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d1iqS7LAed0/VT5zVfZvU9I/AAAAAAAADcs/uLvqJfsCCNA/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B05%2C%2B5%2B15%2B15%2BPM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>First weekend back, Oakland says, "Welcome to AMERICA."</i></span> </div>
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First of all, I have to say, I STILL LOVE JAPAN. After all, I lived there for over five years for a reason. But instead of feeling homesick, I'm focusing on the things that I am enjoying here in the U.S. that I couldn't in Japan.<br />
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To begin with, food - so many options! Such variety! I have been making killer salads, trying all kinds of vegetables, and have had lots of food substitutes available that fit with my special diet.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Black olives can be bought at ANY supermarket!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Also, cheaper avocados!! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I can still have the same awesome breakfast I've always had,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>but now with coconut milk based yogurt instead of soy. </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ktlR_wRIv70/VT5t1BzRURI/AAAAAAAADbI/XgkS-QuQNWM/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B25%2C%2B12%2B53%2B16%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ktlR_wRIv70/VT5t1BzRURI/AAAAAAAADbI/XgkS-QuQNWM/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B25%2C%2B12%2B53%2B16%2BPM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I thought I would miss some things from Japan, like little fish,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>but there's an Asian market where I can get almost everything. </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_xwgpOshRzA/VT5uKcW7ARI/AAAAAAAADbQ/CfLeX9Y03E4/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B26%2C%2B12%2B40%2B50%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_xwgpOshRzA/VT5uKcW7ARI/AAAAAAAADbQ/CfLeX9Y03E4/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B26%2C%2B12%2B40%2B50%2BPM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>What's this crazy vegetable? Watermelon radish!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From the farmers market, yay. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Watermelon radish in my salad! Plus, baby spinach & kale, hard to find in Japan.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>And various colors of cherry tomatoes and roasted cauliflower. </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l3xadFeJB9U/VUJTJvViFJI/AAAAAAAADdI/XGcrfkcHbRY/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B28%2C%2B6%2B58%2B31%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l3xadFeJB9U/VUJTJvViFJI/AAAAAAAADdI/XGcrfkcHbRY/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B28%2C%2B6%2B58%2B31%2BPM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Artichoke, lamb, and roasted cauliflower</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A pork tamale and braised kale</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Fuji apples are good, but nothing compares to a tart Granny Smith!</i></span></div>
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It's not just food that I've been enjoying either. I get to spend more time with my family & their pets, and visit friends I haven't seen in ages. So far I've gotten to see my college roommate and her new baby, and a close friend I worked with in Japan who now lives in San Diego. I also have plans to go visit my BFF in Washington (State, not DC) and hopefully meet up with a bunch of my closest friends from high school too whom I haven't seen in ten years.<br />
I'm spending lots of time with my mom and step-dad, have visited my uncle, his wife & three kids, and will get to see lots more family when they come visit for Memorial Day weekend. Looking forward to seeing you, Grandma!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I have joined a pack. We go running together.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Three little fluffy bundles of love.</i></span></div>
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In addition to all that, I'm loving all the things I can do here. Like driving a car, going to see my favorite musicians in concert, and living it up in the California sunshine.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Totally bought my dream car.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Yep, been wanting an Eclipse since I was 11 years old. </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5FM1bUvMkZo/VT5yIWeMPOI/AAAAAAAADcM/dy49LIanXMg/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B22%2C%2B3%2B12%2B08%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5FM1bUvMkZo/VT5yIWeMPOI/AAAAAAAADcM/dy49LIanXMg/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B22%2C%2B3%2B12%2B08%2BPM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I know these tickets say Morrissey, but what I'm really going for is</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>the opening act - AMANDA PALMER!!!!! </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Also in the background is a job offer - I start in May!) </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UIKWz-WN7ss/VT5yZxOq_WI/AAAAAAAADcU/3B06L2q_uwI/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B04%2C%2B4%2B29%2B06%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UIKWz-WN7ss/VT5yZxOq_WI/AAAAAAAADcU/3B06L2q_uwI/s1600/Photo%2BApr%2B04%2C%2B4%2B29%2B06%2BPM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Panorama of my mom's amazing backyard.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is actually a screen shot my BFF took of me lying in the hammock</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>while we were video chatting. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I got to go in a hot air balloon at</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>the San Diego Wildlife Park! </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">To wrap it all up, what does this have to do with being "genki"? A happy mind can help with a healthy body, and vice versa.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laoq1eeIUxQ" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">"Fitter, happier, more productive" -Radiohead </span></a><i> </i></span></div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-38550966712764291042015-04-26T09:20:00.000-07:002015-04-26T09:23:55.945-07:00Elimination diet in the U.S.If you've read my <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.com/2014/10/introduction-whats-up-with-genki.html" target="_blank">introduction post</a> or <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.com/2014/11/faqs-aka-questions-ive-been-asked-at.html" target="_blank">FAQ post</a>, you know that I'm experimenting with what I can and cannot digest well by doing an elimination diet. At first I just cut out dairy, gluten, and eggs because those are all very common problem causers. I couldn't really do it though, because these ingredients often showed up in the school lunches I had to eat at work. So my recent move back to the U.S. has been a great opportunity to finally eliminate these.<br />
In addition to dairy, gluten, and eggs, I realized a few months ago that peanuts are probably a problem as well, so I've cut those out. Peanuts are not actually in the nut family, but are legumes. Another legume that commonly causes problems for people is soy. Living in Japan, it was nearly impossible for me to avoid soy, but back in the U.S. I figured I'd try eliminating and testing that as well.<br />
With peanuts and soy already cut, it seemed like a good idea to eliminate all legumes. After all, beans, beans, the magical fruit... And tooting is one of the main symptoms I'm trying to fix with all this diet experimenting :P<br />
(Oops, I just realized that peas are legumes too. Guess I haven't been eliminating that for three weeks already like I thought I had...) <br />
Finally, both caffeine and alcohol most definitely affect my digestion, so I've eliminated those as well.<br />
To help anyone who is cooking remember all this (including myself) I made a list on a white board and put it by the stove.<br />
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It's easy to update, so once I've successfully eliminated all of these foods and have at least one week symptom free, I'll start testing them in small amounts, one by one, and keep track on the white board what I'm doing.<br />
I also keep a daily food diary about what I'm eating, how my stomach feels and how well I'm digesting, plus whether or not I have a headache, how my mood is, and if I exercised. As I'm often saying, I believe our physical, mental, and emotional health is all connected, so I'm curious to see if I can notice any patters and correlations.<br />
The really great thing about living in the U.S. now is that there are so many alternatives to the foods I am no longer eating. For example, my milk options in Japan were cow, goat (but it was hard to get) and soy. Now there are all those, plus almond, rice, cashew, coconut, and more. Don't even get me started on ice cream (<a href="http://coconutbliss.com/" target="_blank">Coconut Bliss!!!</a>).<br />
Also, coconut oil is cheap! Fruit, vegetables, and meat are cheap! The only thing that's more expensive is fish, but that's ok because it's not too bad at the Asian market I recently discovered.<br />
This might just be a honeymoon phase, but right now I feel like the U.S. is food heaven. And food makes me <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFtHZkbSkcA" target="_blank">HAPPY :D</a> <---this links to an unrelated but very happy video I made recentlyLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-27951500823886904072015-04-22T10:54:00.000-07:002015-04-22T10:54:43.969-07:00I like it HOT!I know I haven’t updated in a really long time - the longest I haven’t posted anything since I started this blog. So if you’ve been waiting, I apologize!<br />
<br />
I mentioned a couple times before that I was moving back to the U.S. after being in Japan for over five years. So yeah, that happened.<br />
<br />
A lot has happened since I last wrote, and I have way too much for one entry, so I’ll try to remember the important thoughts I’ve had and spread it out over a few posts. First, let me tell you about my last day in Japan. If you read to the end, I promise it does have to do with health and being “genki.”<br />
<br />
*****<br />
<br />
It was a Tuesday morning that started with waking up in a beautiful hotel room overlooking Okayama Station. My mom and I enjoyed a morning jog along a nearby river, the Nishigawa, under the cherry blossoms.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5K0FYyi9dU/VTffN1TjFXI/AAAAAAAADWo/JH1GTgsDwLw/s1600/Photo%2BMar%2B29%2C%2B5%2B28%2B47%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5K0FYyi9dU/VTffN1TjFXI/AAAAAAAADWo/JH1GTgsDwLw/s1600/Photo%2BMar%2B29%2C%2B5%2B28%2B47%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Our jogging path</i></span></div>
<br />
This was followed by a healthy breakfast at a Japanese restaurant in the hotel featuring a buffet of typical Japanese dishes - lots of veggies, fish, and great stuff like that. So the day started with me feeling great - healthy and happy.<br />
<br />
My mom and I went in to Kurashiki, where I had to pick up my final paycheck at City Hall. We enjoyed the rest of the morning walking around the city and visiting the main shrine, Achi-jinja. Kurashiki is beautiful in the spring, especially the Bikan Historical District.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>View from Achi Shrine, overlooking the Bikan Historical District</i></span></div>
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After a quick light lunch, it was time for getting stuff done. In addition to picking up my last paycheck, there were a lot of other loose ends I had to tie up before flying out the next morning.<br />
<br />
I went to cancel my bank account, only to discover that my branch was closed and being torn down! Thankfully I was able to read the signs directing me to the temporary location and got that done. Then it was time to cancel my cell phone contract. They canceled it and ended my service right away, happily enough, and I quickly no longer had a working phone. But I still owed them for my usage since the last bill, plus a cancellation fee. I was ready to pay it all, right then and there, but was told I couldn’t. Huh? The lady tried to explain to me why, but my Japanese knowledge doesn’t cover the vocabulary she was using. So then I explained to her that I was leaving the country the next morning, had no more bank account for them to automatically withdrawal from, and no address to send the bill to. She still seemed reluctant, but said she would call and make a request to see if I could pay that day. So I waited. And waited. She told me that whoever she was trying to contact (I didn’t understand, but maybe headquarters or something) was very busy, and she had not be able to get through yet. So I waited some more.<br />
<br />
By this point my mom and I were exhausted from being out and about all day, and when we were informed that we might have to wait another hour on top of the hour we had already waited, we were ready to bail. Since our hotel was back in Okayama, and we were currently at a shop in Kurashiki, I asked the lady if I could go to a different shop later in the day and finish paying there. She said that was fine, and looked a bit relieved to be done with us.<br />
<br />
So, we got back to the hotel and I was feeling grumpy and getting a headache. I still had things to get done, but I did my best to put them out of my mind while I did some yoga in an attempt to feel better before going back out. It didn’t really help. All I wanted to do was just be DONE with everything, but I wasn’t yet and my brain wouldn’t stop nagging me.<br />
<br />
I set out to finish my to-do list, and stopped at the post office first to send my last box of stuff home. I had already filled out the customs form and everything, and thought it would be a quick drop off. But the guy working there wanted me to translate everything I had written on the form that was in the box. Ok, sometimes I’m asked to do this, no problem. Then, for each thing I translated, he wanted to actually look in the box and see it to make sure that’s what it really was. What?!? I’ve never before had someone at the post office want to look through my box. But whatever it takes to be done with my errands as soon as possible. Then he became concerned about one of my items - a kitchen knife. So I had to wait forever while he called and talked to the Japanese customs office. He then informed me that it was ok with them, but he did not know about the U.S. regulations, and so he thought the box could get stopped in customs on that side. So he wanted me to talk to the person I was shipping the box to, and have them contact the U.S. customs office to confirm that it was legal. I explained that I was shipping it to myself because I was moving the next morning, and that yes, it is fine with U.S. customs. But I guess he didn’t believe that I actually knew that, and would not ship the box with the knife in it. By this point I had been in the post office for over half an hour, and this guy was making me MAD. So I snatched up my knife (all bubbled wrapped and safe, don’t worry) and shoved it in my purse, filled out a new customs form that didn’t include it, and finally sent my box.<br />
<br />
I stormed out of the post office with my headphones blasting some loud yelling music with a knife in my purse, and headed to the mall where the cell phone shop was. I got all pumped up walking there, like YEAH I’M GETTING THINGS DONE AND YOU CAN’T STOP ME!<br />
<br />
And then I hit another road block when I had to go through the whole song and dance about my cell phone all over again. The guy told twice that I couldn’t pay that day, and I kept telling them I had no other option. Seriously, you’d think they would want my money. I was getting ready to just leave, because it wasn’t my problem and I was happy enough to keep my money. But he asked me to wait while he contacted whoever it was to get the authority and the exact price to collect my last bill. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And the guy wouldn’t even make eye contact with me while I was waiting. Then FINALLY he handed me a bill, I paid, he didn’t even say thank you or any of the customary phrases Japanese store clerks use to excel in customer service, and I left.<br />
<br />
Right as I was leaving and getting ready to go back to the hotel, I got an email from my mom, who was waiting back in our room. Even though my cell service had been canceled, I could use wifi while I was in the mall, so I tried to read her email. But it was ridiculously slow and wouldn’t load. I walked around the mall trying to get a better signal, but it still wouldn’t load. I kept trying everything to load my email thinking maybe she was asking me to buy something while at the mall, but after half an hour I had finished at the supermarket, was ready to leave, and gave up on email. By that point I was so angry, if I were a cartoon character I would have been bright red with smoke coming out of my ears.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xpYvyaWGFPo/VTfa0apRaCI/AAAAAAAADWQ/OK7rT4C8K9c/s1600/yosemite%2Bsam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xpYvyaWGFPo/VTfa0apRaCI/AAAAAAAADWQ/OK7rT4C8K9c/s1600/yosemite%2Bsam.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
While storming back to the hotel, I saw a familiar figure riding his bicycle down the sidewalk toward me. It was my good friend, and he stopped to say hi and how’s it going.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kl7GWQKt9AA/VTfcSrVC5fI/AAAAAAAADWc/6YAY3tsNPDE/s1600/533973_10100678475671306_1015730730_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kl7GWQKt9AA/VTfcSrVC5fI/AAAAAAAADWc/6YAY3tsNPDE/s1600/533973_10100678475671306_1015730730_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We've been through so much together. Like front and center for Muse.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcXURC_nNhc" target="_blank">#youvegotafriendinme</a></span></i></div>
<br />
I looked up at him and said, “I’m having a really bad day,” and burst out crying. That was how bad my mental and emotional state had gotten. So we stood there, in the middle of the sidewalk in the middle of Okayama, while I cried on his shoulder for a few minutes. I finally pulled myself together because I did still need to get back to my mom waiting in the hotel room, find out why she had emailed me, and then figure out what we were doing for dinner.<br />
<br />
So now, finally, we get to the point of this whole story. And yes, I feel it was necessary to tell that entire store so that you fully grasp what had brought me to this point.<br />
<br />
It was time to decide what to eat for dinner. I was completely wiped out. My body was tired, my brain gone to pudding, and my emotional state teetering on the verge of collapse. This is a dangerous time, when it’s tempting to throw all the rules out the window and do whatever you feel like, because you couldn’t give a flying f- anymore.<br />
<br />
We were trying to decide what to have for dinner, and all my body was telling me was to eat donuts and deep fried cheese and have a shot of tequila. Pretty much as bad as you can get and guaranteed to make me very sick, because we know my body doesn’t handle any of that well. The only thing that stopped me was imagining what it would be like to have an upset stomach on an overseas flight the next day. No one enjoys a ten hour flight, and I knew I had to do everything possible to make it as non-stressful and uncomfortable as possible.<br />
<br />
We finally decided on Thai food. For anyone in Okayama, let me recommend <a href="http://aeonmall-okayama.com/shop/detail/336" target="_blank">Rocket Kitchen in AEON Mall</a>! Especially the green papaya salad. It is so spicy and so delicious, and it made me feel completely better. That’s the great thing about spicy food, it releases endorphins that make you happier, and it’s totally healthy. So even though I felt like I could breath fire, and was having a hard time finishing up the last of it because it just burned, my mood had done a complete 180 and I felt amazing. It burned so good!<br />
<br />
The lesson from this is, next time overwhelming cravings for sugar, carbs, alcohol, and other terrible foods hit, instead go for hot. Bring me the fire, baby!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-59233867115496970102015-03-09T04:23:00.001-07:002015-03-09T04:28:35.878-07:00A short fishy story<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08i</style>I’ve always loved fish and all kinds
of seafood. Growing up, it was something I would only occasionally
have; it was a special treat. These days, living in Japan, I eat fish
all the time. Especially small fish, ranging from the size of your
finger to the size of your fingernail or smaller. Fish so small that
you can eat them whole, heads, tails, and all. And I love it! </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-srwYsbqolR4/VP2AGwOpHCI/AAAAAAAADU8/SBmuW0jzkps/s1600/Photo%2BJun%2B25%2C%2B12%2B45%2B02%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-srwYsbqolR4/VP2AGwOpHCI/AAAAAAAADU8/SBmuW0jzkps/s1600/Photo%2BJun%2B25%2C%2B12%2B45%2B02%2BPM.jpg" height="299" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Can you see the little fish in there?</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Eating smaller fish is much better for
the sustainability of the oceans, since they are lower down on the
food chain, so more energy efficient and available in great amounts.
And, <a href="http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/take-action/sustainable-seafood/" target="_blank">according to National Geographic</a>, “Those (species) smaller and lower on the food chain … can reproduce
quickly to sustain their populations.” It’s the larger (and more
popular) types that are over-fished and at risk.</div>
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We all know that fish is really
healthy, packed full of omega-3 fatty acids and other awesome
nutrients. Eating these little fish whole is also even healthier than
eating larger fish. For one thing, fish lower on the food chain have
lower levels of mercury.</div>
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</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iPr79P58-9I/VP2BXP72JLI/AAAAAAAADVE/BQbgHQYcPHU/s1600/MercuryFoodChain-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iPr79P58-9I/VP2BXP72JLI/AAAAAAAADVE/BQbgHQYcPHU/s1600/MercuryFoodChain-01.png" height="320" width="274" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Source: Wikipedia - mercury in fish</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Also, by eating them whole, you’re
getting calcium and other nutrients from the bones as well. I love
shishamo (a type of smelt), which are not only eaten whole, but with
their bellies full of eggs!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CiOTgKzXUqo/VP2Bq7sFgYI/AAAAAAAADVM/0hHvFW0bpxU/s1600/Photo%2BJul%2B03%2C%2B12%2B48%2B19%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CiOTgKzXUqo/VP2Bq7sFgYI/AAAAAAAADVM/0hHvFW0bpxU/s1600/Photo%2BJul%2B03%2C%2B12%2B48%2B19%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Delicious fish and roe, all in one!</i></span></div>
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At the supermarket, I always look for
fish I’ve never tried before. I have found many delicious kinds
this way. So last week when I saw some iwashi (sardines, not canned)
being displayed on the end of the aisle, I snatched them up. They
looked dried, or at least drier than the iwashi I’ve bought before
in the fresh fish section, and I’m pretty sure the display they
were in was not refrigerated, although it was next to the
refrigerated section. And the name in Japanese was <span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">イワシ丸干</span>,
which my dictionary translates as “dried whole sardines.” So I
assumed they were safe and ready to eat, and was looking forward to
having them that night. Especially since many of my favorite snacks
consist of dried fish. I was craving some good fishy snack time!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R9Y7IaEJaQ8/VP2CC9LnN5I/AAAAAAAADVU/Q1VcL3K4zsE/s1600/Photo%2BMay%2B20%2C%2B12%2B46%2B27%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R9Y7IaEJaQ8/VP2CC9LnN5I/AAAAAAAADVU/Q1VcL3K4zsE/s1600/Photo%2BMay%2B20%2C%2B12%2B46%2B27%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="315" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Crunchy little dried fish with slivered almonds, my favorite snack!</i></span></div>
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I cozied into my kotatsu table, found a
tv show to watch on my computer, and excitedly lifted an iwashi with
my chopsticks to my mouth. Head fish, I chomped down on the little
guy.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Once, when I was very young, I dreamed
that I was eaten by a giant. He just picked me up, tossed me in his
mouth like popcorn, and swallowed me whole. It turned out ok, because
the inside of his body was more like the inside of a building, with a
staircase for his throat and a lobby area for his stomach. I escaped
by taking an elevator down to his big toe, where his toenail was a
window that I could open and crawl out of. Unfortunately, he saw me
running away and caught and ate me again. And this time he <i>chewed</i>.
I still vividly remember his tooth pressing into my back, and I woke
up just before he bit down, with my body all contorted and my back
arched trying to avoid certain death.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The feeling of small crunchy bones,
chewy muscle, and gooey brains & guts that the giant would have
felt chowing down on me is probably quite similar to what I
experienced when I bit into this iwashi. It was disturbing, to say
the least. I immediately spit it out. Only then did I notice, right
there on the front of the packaging, a sentence saying to please fry
them in oil and then enjoy eating them. Not quite as ready to eat as
I had thought…</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That bite had been so gross, I couldn’t
bring myself to cook and try eating them again until the next day.
But I love fish and hate wasting healthy food, so I wasn’t about to
give up.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So yesterday I dumped them into a
frying pan with generous amounts of coconut oil, and once again
excitedly looked forward to eating them. But the weirdest thing
happened while they were frying. It was like their stomachs exploded.
Everything else stayed intact, but that round area just below the
mouth had burst open on all of them, and dark colored fish guts were
mixed in with the oil, all over everything in the pan. It’s not
like I wasn’t planning to eat that part, since it’s part of
eating fish whole, but I wasn’t expecting it to become an
effortless surprise sauce either.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l4Wwd5jyeh4/VP2CVQGrPHI/AAAAAAAADVc/CC_v9G-aelk/s1600/Photo%2BMar%2B09%2C%2B5%2B14%2B37%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l4Wwd5jyeh4/VP2CVQGrPHI/AAAAAAAADVc/CC_v9G-aelk/s1600/Photo%2BMar%2B09%2C%2B5%2B14%2B37%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
End of the story is, they don’t look
real appetizing, but they are at least edible. I will happily enough
eat them all, but I doubt I will be buying them again in the future.</div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-18258006274311435132015-03-05T00:16:00.000-08:002015-03-05T00:16:00.615-08:00I made a thingJust a little thing I thought of while walking home from work last week. I don't even think it's interesting enough to be worth sharing. But if I don't share it, what's the point of having made it?<br />
<br />
So, here's the thing that I made.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxPERETyG0E/VPgMp6vsakI/AAAAAAAADUo/M4I1v9BCzx4/s1600/FebruaryHaiku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxPERETyG0E/VPgMp6vsakI/AAAAAAAADUo/M4I1v9BCzx4/s1600/FebruaryHaiku.jpg" height="278" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
If you can't read it, it says:<br />
Winter's bare branches<br />
Give way to pale plum blossoms<br />
Life, under grey skies <br />
<br />
Here's another thing that a friend and I are making. It's more exciting, I think. Totally not done yet, though, so this is just a teaser. Eventually it will be part of, "Happy - A Rainy Day in Ehime."<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxFVk8kZQFFWk1sOYbPWXe_ik6bJ3PkQhMGgcvRkfRRlr2Bnlw0hA6Lk5yhLAvarH0aqHTimCx02C7VCEulRQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I went to visit her last weekend, and it was the last time we'll hang out before we both move back to the U.S. I'm sure we'll get up to more shenanigans in the Seattle and San Francisco areas!<br />
<br />
So, what do either of these have to do with the theme of my blog? Let me tell you!<br />
<br />
If you may recall, <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.jp/2014/10/introduction-whats-up-with-genki.html" target="_blank">this blog is all about health, encompassing physical, mental, and emotional well-being</a>. I believe creativity plays a huge role in the mental and emotional aspects of health.<br />
<br />
So, take for example the first picture, my February haiku. That day I was feeling lethargic, kind of down, but looking forward to the near future. These feelings come across, right?<br />
<br />
Then, in the video I am clearly happy. This is because I was hanging out with a close friend whom I hadn't seen since Thanksgiving. But I also had a headache. Imagine how much more energetic and happy I would have been if I had been feeling physical healthy as well.<br />
<br />
So that's all I have right now. Expect my posts to be shorter and less often this month, since I am really busy getting ready to move overseas. I apologize in advance!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-77097961378778281822015-02-22T23:56:00.000-08:002015-02-23T00:00:44.757-08:0010 things to learn from a belated Festivus party<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
<br />
10 things to learn from a belated <a href="http://festivusweb.com/" target="_blank">Festivus party</a> <b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<b>1. Awesome friends are awesome.</b>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Seriously, so many interesting and
hilarious conversations to be had. Did you know that reading <a href="http://www.harukimurakami.com/" target="_blank">HarukiMurakami</a> while listening to jazz can cause an implosion, creating a
wormhole that leads to Portland? Don’t forget to pack a mustache.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>2. Bringing food that you can eat
(to share with everyone, of course) is necessary, because almost
everything else is potentially problem causing.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One of the salads had pasta in it,
another one had cheese. Lots of mashed potatoes made with milk &
butter. Then there were the endless baked goods…</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>3. Turkey is the most delicious
source of protein. Ever.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There’s nothing better than some
moist dark meat!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Moist</i> dark meat. Moist <i>dark</i>
<i>meat</i>. Yeah. Even though this joke is failing, there is
definitely chuckle-worthy potential there for the gutter-minded folk.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>4. Beef is nasty to those
unaccustomed to it.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You might think to yourself, “Beef
production is so terrible for the environment, I shouldn’t eat it.
But all these other dishes are so terrible for my digestion, I
shouldn’t eat them. Guess I’ll be selfish and have some beef.”
Bad idea. Gross.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>4. Mead is too sweet. And
deceivingly strong.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sip one – wow, that’s got some
kick! Sip two to twenty – oh, look, my glass is empty already,
how’d that happen? Repeat three times. Why does my mouth feel all
sticky, syrupy, and gross?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>5. Jalapeno cornbread, brownies with
peanuts, and old fashioned donuts are impossibly difficult to resist
after sugar & alcohol (a.k.a. mead) has already been consumed.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You came prepared with your <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.jp/2014/11/thanksgiving-in-japan-days-1-2.html" target="_blank">tried and true safe dishes of mashed sweet potatoes with Moroccan spices andquinoa vegetable stuffing</a>. You ate multiple servings of these dishes,
plus a lot of turkey. This should be enough, but for some reason you
still feel hungry. Desperately hungry. Cornbread is made with a
cornmeal and flour mix, right? So that means it has a lower amount of
gluten than the other baked goods, right? So just one piece should be
fine, right? And once that piece has been eaten, it wouldn’t be any
worse to have one more, right? And now that you’ve already broken
your rules, you’re screwed anyway, and might as well break them
even more. Right?? See, once you start down this slippery slope,
there’s no turning back…</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>6. Trying to sneakily eat baked
goods when your friends aren’t watching makes you feel like a
junkie hiding a bad habit.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Is anyone paying attention to what I
have tucked in the palm of my hand and am occasionally snacking on?
Did anyone notice that earlier I made a big deal about how I couldn’t
eat any of this, and just now picked a piece up off the plate like a
sly thief? Are they not saying anything to be nice, but secretly
judging me? I’m such a terrible hypocrite.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>7. Admitting it later is even worse.
But it’s part of the self-improvement process.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Hi, my name is Laura, and I’m a
carb-oholic. Oh, and a peanut addict. Sometimes I’m really good and
have amazing will-power. But occasionally it all flies out the
window. Please help me be stronger.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>8. A belly full of stomach-upsetting
foods and drinks leads to a very restless night’s sleep. </b>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Collapse into bed feeling slightly
nauseous. Toss, turn, toss, turn, wake up drenched in sweat and kick
off the blanket. Toss, turn, toss, turn, wake up parched and get a
glass of water. Shiver and pull the blanket half on. Lay there wide
awake with your heart pounding for no reason. Drift back to sleep,
toss and turn some more, wake up parched again. Get a glass of water.
Kick off the blanket again. Find a lighter-weight blanket to pull on.
Toss, turn, toss, turn, wake up to the alarm going off. It’s a work
day. Mutter profanities.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>9. Sunday is a bad day to break diet
rules.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Monday’s school lunch always has
bread, so gluten on Sunday leads to double trouble. Indulging in
lemon poppy seed cake on Saturday makes that a triple whammy.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Eating too much, even if it’s all
good food but especially if it’s bad food, on Sunday is also bad if
you do your weekly weight and waist size check on Monday mornings. Oh
dear, February keeps getting worse and worse…</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>10. Yeah!</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I don’t actually have anything for
number ten, just felt like it was a nice round number for a list. If
I ended it at nine, I’m sure you’d be left feeling unsatisfied.
So, you’re welcome.</div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-49475233322829667542015-02-14T20:00:00.001-08:002015-02-14T20:00:47.902-08:00One sufferer's experience of one type of migraineMigraines come in many shapes and forms with varying symptoms that depend on the person and depend on each specific migraine episode. One migraine sufferer could have a very different experience from another. And those who are lucky enough not to have migraines often have no idea what it actually means. No, it's not just a bad headache.<br />
<br />
My mom wrote a great post debunking migraine myths and explaining clearly what they really are. I re-posted it for everyone to see, so PLEASE give it a read. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cactuslynx/posts/10101311942039626">https://www.facebook.com/cactuslynx/posts/10101311942039626</a><br />
<br />
I only occasionally have migraines, and each one is its own individual beast. This is the story of just one experience.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
I woke up on a Saturday morning, happy and refreshed having slept in a couple hours later than on weekdays. I greeted the day with a jog - nothing too strenuous but still a good workout. The rest of the morning went as Saturdays usually do, with a big healthy breakfast, a load of laundry, and a couple long Skype calls with my parents. I had a healthy lunch, and then sat down at my computer to work on updating my resume.<br />
<br />
I was having trouble concentrating on the work, feeling restless, and had a bit of a headache in the front part of my head, behind my eyes. This is fairly common for me when I spend a lot of time motionless at a computer, and a bit of exercise often helps, so I decided to go for a walk and stop at the store while I was out. The store I wanted to go to was pretty far, and it made more sense to go by bike, but I often enjoy going for long walks on the weekend.<br />
<br />
I set out, enjoying the warm sun and plum blossoms signaling the approach of spring. I tried to ignore the fact that the sun seemed overly bright, always shining right in my eyes. I also tried to ignore my runny nose and tingling in my sinuses that seemed to be reaching back into my brain, like too much wasabi.<br />
<br />
After about an hour I was getting really tired and glad I had just reached the store. I could feel my pulse in my head, and thought maybe I should take the bus rather than walk back home after finishing my errands.<br />
<br />
I only had five things on my mental shopping list, and I like to shop efficiently, getting what I need in the order than it's laid out in the store. So I walked straight to the escalator, heading to the department where I wanted to pick up a gift for my friend. <br />
<br />
Department stores seem to be full of middle-aged and elderly women, and a surprising number of yelling children. There are also many lights, colors, sounds, and smells.<br />
<br />
I found myself wandering in a circle, briefly forgetting what I was looking for and where it could be found, my brain fuzzy, not being able to sort through everything bombarding my senses. "The noisy part of the store, what I want first is probably near there..." I thought, changing directions once again. "Did they reorganize the store? Or is it just not here? Oh, it's probably seasonal. I have to wait until summer. I won't be here anymore then." My thoughts came slowly, one at a time, while my feet trudged along trying to bring me to my goal.<br />
<br />
A sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I had to stop and take a deep breath through my mouth. My eyes were only half open, as I tried to filter out the light and relax my face and temples. "Ok, next. What do I need to buy next?" I walked very slowly, all the while breathing deeply but not through my nose to avoid smells that made my stomach churn. I picked up a couple items and tried to buy them, but I was at the wrong cash register. Department stores in Japan can be so confusing. I backtracked, looking for dotted lines on the floor letting me know when I had left the section my items where from and looked for the big ¥ sign within those lines, all with half-closed eyes.<br />
<br />
Looking back, I should have just skipped the store completely and taken the bus straight home. But migraines make me think slowly and not clearly, and it took far too long to realize how bad it really was. I had set out with a goal, and I wanted to finish my goal.<br />
<br />
I then set off for the supermarket on the first floor to get a couple items before heading home. I could no longer remember what was on my mental shopping list. I knew there were five items, one I had not found, and two I had already bought. I literally stood in the middle of the store counting these off on my fingers, because my brain could no longer just visualize it. So, two more items, and they were both food. But I could only remember what one of them was.<br />
<br />
I walked up and down a couple aisles in a daze. I stood staring at juice for no apparent reason. I noticed a young girl and her mother were looking at me and talking intently to each other. This meant I had been this girl's English teacher, and she was working up the courage to say hi. I pretended I didn't see them, and continued staring at the juice that I didn't need. They walked up, and the girl said, "Uddo Ro-ra Sensei?" Oh great, now I have to put on teacher face and talk with them. I said, "Hello!" trying to radiate a joyful expression. Smile, Laura, smile. We all stood there awkwardly in silence, beaming at each other. The girl's mother started talking to her daughter, "It is her! Aren't you glad you said something? Why don't you talk to her?" As sensei, I realized it was my job to engage with this child. I said in a big, happy, clear voice, "How are you?" The girl grinned and hid her face behind her mom. Her mom continued to encourage her. This exchange of me trying to force my brain and face to do the appropriate things and the mother trying to get her daughter to speak more continued for a few more minutes. The whole time I was internally screaming, "Go away! Go away! Go away! I just CAN'T right now!"<br />
<br />
I couldn't process anything outside of my immediate sphere - the overly enthusiastic mom, the shy girl, juice that I couldn't remember if I wanted to buy or not. Bright lights. Deep slow breaths. Churning stomach. Static in my brain. Static that I could FEEL, like a million little pin pricks.<br />
<br />
Finally we said our farewells, and I turned back to the juice. Green. Green is good. Get some green juice. And GET OUT OF HERE. My brain had finally realized that I needed to go into serious emergency mode.<br />
<br />
I bought my items, trying not to inhale the scents of the nearby bakery, and made a beeline for the door.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure how long I had wandered through that confusing nightmare of a store, but by the time I left the sun was disappearing, the wind had picked up, and it was really cold. I crossed the street to the bus stop, and looked at the time schedule. I comforted myself seeing that the bus would come in about ten minutes, not too long. I then sat down on the bench, the first time I was off my feet since I left my apartment earlier.<br />
<br />
I dug through my purse, pulling out the little container I keep a stash of medicine in. I considered, "Should I take two or three ibuprofen? No, wait a minute, don't make the mistake of underestimating a migraine, it's time for the big guns." I pulled out a triptan, and put my pill box away. I then realized that the foil had already been opened, and there was no pill inside. In a previous migraine haze I had probably put the empty foil back into my pill box. So I dug into my purse again, praying that there was a second triptan. There was, and I made sure to properly throw out the packaging this time.<br />
<br />
I huddled on the bench in the cold wind, waiting for the triptan to kick in and waiting for the bus to arrive, ignoring the people and everything else around me, focusing on my breathing and trying not to cry.<br />
<br />
A bus pulled up, and I almost grabbed my bag and got on, but thankfully realized that it wasn't the bus I wanted. It had the same end destination as my bus, but took a different route to get there - a route that would completely miss my apartment. This time I looked up the time table on my phone, knowing that I had the correct bus line bookmarked, and wouldn't make a mistake like I had with the numerous signs posted at the bus stop. I checked the time. My bus wasn't coming for ANOTHER ten minutes. Deep breath, don't cry.<br />
<br />
While waiting, two more buses that weren't mine went by. I was the only one left at the stop. The wind was biting through my sweatshirt. I started to doubt my ability to think clearly at all, and wondered if I was even at the right bus stop. "Isn't there only one bus stop? How are there so many buses? I didn't know there were even that many bus lines in this little town. Am I, like, a block away from where I should be? Will my bus ever come? This has to be the right place, I've caught the bus here before! Haven't I? I need to pee. I think."<br />
<br />
Finally my bus came and in my excitement I stood up too quickly and nearly fell back down. I stepped onto the bus, searching for the card reader to scan my ICOCA card to pay for the bus fare. I was dizzy, everything was fuzzy, and I could only focus on one thing at a time. Step up. Card reader. Beep. Step. Sit. Don't cry. Old lady smells like old lady. Deep breath. Home soon.<br />
<br />
I half sat and half lay on the seat, my eyes mostly closed and my mouth hanging open. I couldn't even find enough energy to keep my mouth shut, although I was fully conscious of how ridiculous I probably looked, and hoped nobody I knew was on the bus. I couldn't bother to actually look around and check. <br />
<br />
When my stop was announced, I lifted my arm in slow motion, like moving underwater, and reached to push the button signaling I wanted to get off. It gave me an odd sense of pleasure, that it was exactly within reach of my outstretched arm.<br />
<br />
Once home, I dropped my bags on the floor, slowly and deliberately used the bathroom and washed my hands, and then collapsed in sobs. My brain felt like an old dish rag being wrung out, and crying made it feel like it was also being beat with a hammer. I grabbed a stuffed doll and started whacking it against the wall out of frustration. "WHY?!?!" I screamed, as tears and snot dripped down my face.<br />
<br />
Taking a few deep breaths, I collected myself, and went about making myself comfortable - made a mug of tea and brought it along with some dark chocolate to my kotatsu table. I curled up under the blanket with the heater on, hydrated, nibble at the chocolate, and put on an old episode of Whose Line because it required no energy and made me laugh.<br />
<br />
Eventually the pain and frustration faded away, my stomach settled, and I felt ok. Kind of out of it, but ok.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-47929576274467909902015-02-10T18:54:00.001-08:002015-02-10T18:54:18.037-08:00Dear friend in health, let's share ideas.Email from my aunt:<i></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Hi Laura,</i><br />
<br />
<i>I just wanted to let you know that I have
been looking at your blog. </i><br />
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>I have done some
changes in my diet for the sake of our new insurance that says that we
need to stay healthy and get more healthy. My body weight is at the
border line of being too heavy and I have too high cholesterol. My new diet is:</i></div>
<div>
<i>1. no snacking between meals (if I have to, eat veggies or nuts) </i></div>
<div>
<i>2. cut carbohydrates in half, eat whole grains </i></div>
<div>
<i>3. no butter or jam or honey on my bread during the week </i></div>
<div>
<i>4. no sweets during the week </i></div>
<div>
<i>5. no eating more than two helpings at meal times</i></div>
<div>
<i>I let the weekend be the time I allow a sweet treat or eat something I don't eat during the week. </i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Success:
managed to cut out jam, butter, honey during the week, mostly good
about not snacking between meals. Mostly been good about sticking to no
more than two helpings during meal times, drinking more water, eating
more salads, veggie sticks, and nuts, etc.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Unsuccessful:
Still fall into eating too much carbohydrates. Example: crackers,
muffins, biscuits pasta, homemade breads, brown rice and white rice,
pancakes, waffles etc. I cannot find a substitute that gives the same
comfort feeling and fullness I get from eating carbs. Once in a while I
end of eating way too many sweets, especially during the holidays. When I
was 26 I ate a whole batch of cream cheese frosting and got really sick
for three days. When I was 16 I had a lot of pastries filled with
berries and only stopped when I realized I gained 5 pounds from eating them
almost every week day. I am hoping that I can managed to control my
sugar intake when I turn 36 <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1460408786" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">two years from now</span></span>. </i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Generally
I eat well and I did get a great grade for my health, but there is
always room for improvement. The thing I have the most problems with is
exercising. I am really lazy, but I am trying to work out a little bit
more. My husband and I do 15 to 30 minutes of exercise twice a week
together in the mornings. </i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Well, I better go now.</i></div>
<div>
<i>God bless</i></div>
<div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***** </div>
<div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
My response:<br />
<br />
I’m glad you emailed me! One of the reasons I
started writing a blog was because I was hoping it would spark some
conversations. Also, I sometimes wonder if there’s actually a point in
writing and posting, so it’s always nice to hear from someone that they
do actually read it! <br />
<br />
Making changes to your lifestyle is
definitely challenging, and I think you should be proud of every step.
Even if you can’t do what you want to right away, take longer than you
planned to achieve your goals, or frequently have to restart your
efforts, just the fact that you ARE trying is great.<br />
<br />
I’ve found
that the best way to go about it for myself is to make small changes,
implement them, then once I’m used to them make some more small changes.
If I tried to jump from my lifestyle five years ago or even three years
ago to now, I’m afraid I would probably fail. It can be overwhelming
and discouraging if you try to change too much at once.<br />
<br />
I find
that with both food and exercise, if I exceed my daily goals by a lot or
set my goals too high (very low calories or very hard workouts), I can
do it for a couple days, but then I not only won’t be able to keep it
up, but I’ll swing to the other extreme and do very poorly. For example,
maybe for two to four days I eat 1000 calories less than I burn. Then
for the next couple of days I’ll overeat by 1000, 2000, or even more, completely ruining all the previous hard work. However, if I
have moderately challenging goals, like eating 500 calories less than I
burn, I can maintain that all week, and not have wild swings that I
later feel awful about.<br />
<br />
Having goals concretely written out, like
you do, I find to be very useful as well. I also like to put those
goals somewhere I’ll see them regularly. Especially a place where I’ll
see them when I’m tempted to not follow them, like on the fridge or on
the wall next to my computer, because I often want to snack when I’m
watching TV online. And have a visible record of when you achieve those
goals, like putting stars on a calendar for each day you succeed.<br />
<br />
Given
how scientifically minded everyone in this family is, it’s no surprise
that I have similar thinking patterns and ways of understanding the
world. Because of this, I find that the more information and knowledge I
have, the better motivated I am. Just deciding to cut carbohydrates
because that’s what the doctor recommends isn’t enough for me, and I
probably won’t do it well. But if I read about how the body digests and
absorbs carbohydrates versus protein and fat, and how each of those
affect different functions of the body, and why a high protein and fat
but low carbohydrate diet is therefore the healthiest, based on
such-and-such research (give me facts!), I can fully understand,
internalize, and then follow these diet recommendations.<br />
<br />
Like
you, I have found it challenging to feel satisfied and full after a meal
low in carbohydrates, especially when I was first trying to cut back.
Some tricks that help me are:<br />
1. Eat TONS of vegetables. When I make a
salad for myself, I use a mixing bowl and fill it completely, then eat
it all. That’s how much many people usually make for the whole family.
Yes, it takes a long time to eat, and a bunch of vegetables on their own
might not satisfy, but it helps fill the physical space in your belly.<br />
2.
Get your calories from protein and fat. If you’re cutting
carbohydrates, your body needs to get used to burning fat for energy
instead. Fat has been vilified for decades, but research shows that
the human body needs fat to survive, while it does not actually need
grains and other high carbohydrate foods at all. Sure, people who eat
lots of fast food are unhealthy. But why exactly are french fries so
bad? The fat, the carbohydrates, or the fact that they're highly
processed? If you’re always cooking for yourself and/or cutting
carbohydrates, I say don’t be afraid of fat! Add avocado, tuna, olive
oil, nuts, etc. to salads, don’t remove the fat from your meat, sauté
vegetables in coconut oil, eat Greek yogurt if you’re ok with dairy, and
so on.<br />
3. After dinner I always drink a large mug of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Seasonings-Herbal-Bengal-Spice/dp/B00JSC9FKW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1423622172&sr=8-2&keywords=bengal+spice+tea" target="_blank">Bengal Spice tea (by Celestial Seasonings)</a>. It also helps add to the feeling of
fullness by taking up space in my stomach. Plus, it has a very strong
cinnamon flavor, which I associate with dessert, thereby making me feel
like I’ve had dessert, even though there’s no sugar, sweeteners, or
calories at all in the tea.<br />
4. If all else fails, I have sweet potato
or pumpkin. They give me that full feeling, while still being packed
full of vitamins and minerals and relatively low in calories. It’s also
easier for the body to digest than grain-based foods. And again, don’t
be afraid of fat! I drizzle olive, peanut, sesame, or coconut oil on my
sweet potato or pumpkin after grilling it. For a savory taste, season it
with salt and other herbs and spices. For something more dessert-like,
use cinnamon and cloves or even cocoa powder (but no sugar!).<br />
<br />
As
far as exercising goes, I approach it the same way I approach food – by
making small goals, and slowly improving my overall lifestyle. For many
people, having someone to exercise with can help you stay on track
because you are holding each other accountable, so it's great that you
and your husband are doing it together. And if exercise isn’t really your
thing, keep trying different methods until you figure out what works
best for you. Some people prefer weight lifting, jogging, or joining
various types of classes offered at the gym. Personally, I get bored if
I’m always doing the same type of exercise, so I like to change it up
all the time. In one week I usually jog three times, do a low impact
cardio workout two or three times, high intensity interval training
about three times, and yoga once. For examples of each of those, check
out the videos I posted in <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.jp/2014/11/faqs-aka-questions-ive-been-asked-at.html" target="_blank">my FAQs blog</a>. Also, don’t push
yourself too much or you’ll burn out! Start at whatever your level is.
Even if you’re a complete beginner, there’s no shame in that. Go at your
own pace, always challenging yourself a little. When I started jogging,
I couldn’t go more than five minutes, but now I can go for an hour or
more!<br />
<br />
Finally, something that can help a lot with motivation is
rewards. I have a friend who is trying to lose weight, and she has
various reward levels as she reaches different weight goals. If you like
buying clothes or shoes, motivate yourself with the thought that you’ll
need new clothes if you lose weight! Want a new dress? Get that one
you’ve had your eye on once you’ve dropped a size or two! Or your
favorite author just released a new book? You can buy it if you’ve stuck
to your goals for x amount of time. If I have stayed on track with
exercise and diet all week, I’ll reward myself by taking a break from my
daily workout and watching a movie on Friday night. Just try to avoid
food or drink rewards, because they defeat the purpose! So what’s
something you’d like but wouldn’t normally get for yourself? Choose
small rewards for small goals, and something really awesome for a big,
challenging goal!<br />
<br />
Thanks again for reading my blog and also
emailing me! It makes me feel good about what I’m doing when I know I’m
not alone, and I hope it is similarly encouraging for you. Keep me
updated on how you’re doing! Good luck!</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***** </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And for those few readers who made it all the way to the end, I leave you with this.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.gocomics.com/baldo/2015/02/10/" target="_blank"><img alt="83b2b6708e2a0132c3ee005056a9545d" class="strip" src="http://assets.amuniversal.com/83b2b6708e2a0132c3ee005056a9545d" height="125" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.gocomics.com/baldo/2015/02/10/" target="_blank">http://www.gocomics.com/baldo/2015/02/10/ </a></div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-76404096380111696532015-02-02T02:28:00.002-08:002015-02-02T02:28:21.056-08:00Yummies and stuffHey everyone, it’s been a while. Not much new to report. I’ve been pretty much on track all week, exercising once or twice a day and eating well. A couple weeks ago I chose not to go to a dinner party with friends because I figured it would be really hard to eat enough while following my rules, so I ate at home and then met up with them afterward for the second party. Another friend of mine did the same thing, which was awesome because it felt like we were comrades in this fight to be healthy. Any more comrades out there? Send me some comments so we all know we aren’t alone! What are you working towards, what do you find challenging, and what have you had success at? Even if we have different approaches to health, let me know! We all have different goals, different bodies, and different beliefs about what’s healthy, but we don’t have to agree to support and motivate each other!<br />
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In food related news, last Friday at school the fifth grade students made mochi. For those of you not familiar with this, it consists of cooking a special glutinous variety of rice and then pounding it with a large wooden mallet until it’s a big glob of sticky gooey deliciousness. It is then separated into smaller pieces and formed into balls that can be eaten right away or allowed to harden and saved for quite a while. Hardened mochi can be cooked to return it to its original texture by being toasted, grilled, fried, or boiled in soup. One of my favorite ways to eat it is fried and then put in soup, or with kinako (soy bean powder) for dessert! But this fresh mochi was great to eat as is, and I very much enjoyed my two pieces! It might not be the healthiest of foods, since it’s a lot of carbs and not a lot of nutrients, but it didn’t break any of my rules! Plus, it was Friday, so why not have a little treat?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HgWpLRbxt5I/VM9OxaPZ2SI/AAAAAAAADTU/x_ymkzy1sZw/s1600/Photo%2BJan%2B30%2C%2B10%2B36%2B10%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HgWpLRbxt5I/VM9OxaPZ2SI/AAAAAAAADTU/x_ymkzy1sZw/s1600/Photo%2BJan%2B30%2C%2B10%2B36%2B10%2BAM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Right after it's made is when mochi is at its best!</i></span> </div>
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And in other food related news, I cooked some pretty awesome dishes this past week. Check it out: crazy looking cauliflower, slow cooked pork with spinach, wakame and tomato salad, and Hawaiian chicken.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iLDs_CwFDv0/VM9O_E5ACzI/AAAAAAAADTc/-vOG_Vbtegk/s1600/Photo%2BJan%2B23%2C%2B6%2B45%2B23%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iLDs_CwFDv0/VM9O_E5ACzI/AAAAAAAADTc/-vOG_Vbtegk/s1600/Photo%2BJan%2B23%2C%2B6%2B45%2B23%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is so much more exciting than regular, round, while cauliflower.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JdMCgJA9Nz8/VM9PQ62tqtI/AAAAAAAADTk/JKzQYjJYBrA/s1600/Photo%2BJan%2B31%2C%2B2%2B16%2B06%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JdMCgJA9Nz8/VM9PQ62tqtI/AAAAAAAADTk/JKzQYjJYBrA/s1600/Photo%2BJan%2B31%2C%2B2%2B16%2B06%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Craving <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laulau" target="_blank">laulau</a>, made this instead.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9mc4w8XnXL0/VM9Pqz_U6EI/AAAAAAAADTs/eTNU_Zfta2g/s1600/Photo%2BFeb%2B01%2C%2B12%2B22%2B08%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9mc4w8XnXL0/VM9Pqz_U6EI/AAAAAAAADTs/eTNU_Zfta2g/s1600/Photo%2BFeb%2B01%2C%2B12%2B22%2B08%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Love me some seaweed. Plus the secret ingredient, sesame oil!</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WYhy1qkL90/VM9P5g515DI/AAAAAAAADT0/v52SlJgBgIw/s1600/Photo%2BFeb%2B01%2C%2B12%2B49%2B43%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WYhy1qkL90/VM9P5g515DI/AAAAAAAADT0/v52SlJgBgIw/s1600/Photo%2BFeb%2B01%2C%2B12%2B49%2B43%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">First a laulau substitute, then Hawaiian chicken... I must be missing Hawaii.</span></i></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-68929986276231581952015-01-23T04:04:00.001-08:002015-01-24T16:03:34.528-08:00How I learned to stop scorning yoga and appreciate it's benefitsI never did school sports as a young kid, or any other kind of class for exercise or health, other than the required P.E. class in school. When I was 12 or so I joined a jujitsu school because my mom wanted us kids to be doing something active with our free time. At first I went to a few classes a week, and then I started going every day after school, sometimes doing as many as three classes in one day. These were highly active classes, always beginning with a challenging workout, and often including sparing drills (like kickboxing), as well as other strength-intensive training activities. Toward the end of class we generally had a bit of free grappling or sparing and grappling for the higher ranks. Basically, it was one to two hours with almost no down time. And it was FUN! It was exciting, got my heart pumping, and made me feel great. In comparison, yoga sounded so boring!<br />
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I didn’t know much about yoga when I decided that it wasn’t for me. I basically saw it as fancy-pants stretching for people who were too lazy to do real exercise or had too much time on their hands. I know that probably offends a lot of people, but come on, do you really burn that many calories when you’re not even working up a sweat? Plus, I’m not very flexible. I’ve spent most of my life not being able to even come close to touching my toes. So I had no desire to do something that I was probably really bad at, and didn’t seem to have a point to it anyway.<br />
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Yoga wasn’t just a passing fad, though. It stuck around and is still really popular. I continued to blow it off, until I realized that a lot of my peers and other people I highly respected, like the singer Amanda Palmer, made yoga an important part of their lives. And these were genuinely healthy, active people, so yoga for them was not just a lazy way to have a false sense of being healthy. What, then, was the appeal?<br />
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When I found out that my friend was a yoga instructor, I finally gave in and decided to give it a try. I really just wanted to support her by going to her class, and I was between jobs at the time so I felt like I had plenty of time to waste.<br />
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The first class was pretty much as I had expected. I felt awkward with my butt up in the air, uncomfortable with my body twisted all around, and overall just bored. It did not get my heart pumping, I did not work up a sweat, and I felt like I had accomplished nothing. We spent the end of the lesson just lying on the floor with our eyes closed, for god’s sake! I even heard one person snoring. If taking a nap helps you lose weight, I can easily do that for free at home! Despite this initial experience, I continued going occasionally to support my friend.<br />
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My new job started and it was initially pretty stressful. There were so many new situations, I was thrown right into everything with minimal training, and I was dealing with the energy of elementary school children! So when Friday rolled around, I was wiped out and really not feeling up to my usual workout at home. I didn’t want to just do nothing, so I had a bite to eat and then hopped on the bus to go to yoga.<br />
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This was maybe my third class, so I basically knew the flow and how to do the regular poses. I concentrated on listening to my friend, trying to understand as many Japanese words as I could, and focused on doing the poses really well. I thought about my body, where each arm and leg should be, how to make straight lines, keep my spine aligned, and hold different positions with strength and balance. My mind was empty of everything except what I was doing in each and every moment. I didn’t look at or think about the people around me, but concentrated only on myself. And when we “took a nap” at the end, I didn’t have various thoughts running through my head, but just laid there feeling connected to myself, the ground, and the background music.<br />
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At the end of this lesson, I finally got it. I finally understood why people do yoga. I felt so much better! I had let go of my stress and felt like I was now complete. I felt at peace, fulfilled, satisfied, and happy.<br />
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I’ve been doing yoga either in that class or at home about once a month since then. I haven’t had such an amazing experience again, but I think that on that particular day I really needed it and was in the right mindset to get the most out of it. I learned that yoga does indeed have benefits, so now I can appreciate it much more. While I may not always get the same fulfillment out of it, I no longer feel like I am wasting my time when I practice yoga.<br />
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(In case you were wondering, my friend who is a yoga instructor is Hiroe, and I take her class at <a href="http://shanti-yoga.wix.com/shanti-yoga" target="_blank">Shanti Yoga Studio in Kurashiki</a>, although she teaches in other places as well).<br />
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ADDED 1/25 - here's an amusing video about yoga that I think fits nicely with this post.<br />
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-9701009716216431452015-01-20T02:19:00.001-08:002015-01-20T02:19:15.726-08:00Genki genki genki \(^o^)/<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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The past few days I’ve been feeling great! Super genki! I’m not sure why, but I keep waking up feeling happy and energetic. Including Monday morning, even though I was out late for dinner with friends on Sunday (at a pizza restaurant - that was difficult!).<br />
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I think I’ve been doing pretty well at getting back into exercising regularly. And I’ve mostly been eating only the types of food I want to eat, although in greater amounts than I probably should.<br />
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Since deciding that I’m moving back across the ocean, I’ve been thinking about what to do with all the stuff I’ve acquired over the past five years. One large item I have is a free-standing pull-up bar/dip/push-up station that I got for my birthday last year. Just last week I promised it to a friend, and he’s ready to come take it off my hands anytime. Given how much I’ve used it though, I feel like I haven’t gotten enough value out of it in just one year. So for the next couple of months I’m going to try to focus on doing workout routines that include exercises I wouldn’t be able to do without that type of equipment. Maybe someday I’ll be able to do a pull-up…</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>What is this even called? Exercise thingy!</i></span></div>
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So, I noticed once again that if I break one of my food rules, it’s much easier for all the rules to go out the window. For example, last week I had a school lunch that had both bread (gluten) and cream chowder (dairy). I also had been given a few little cakes and cookies. I took them home in order to either give them away somewhere else or just toss them, but I didn’t even manage to resist long enough to do either of those plans, and ended up eating them. Then I ate a huge dinner that was also high in carbs.<br />
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Perhaps this happens because I feel like I’ve blown it anyway, so I might as well not bother for the rest of the day. Or perhaps having food that my body doesn’t tolerate well actually increases my food cravings because of whatever chemical things are going on in my gut and brain.<br />
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Knowing that this is a problem, I was prepared for bread day this week, and make an extra hard effort to eat well for the rest of that day. A dinner high in fat and protein really helps when you’re limiting carbs, so I had both chicken and pork plus some grilled zucchini, and did quite well! I even resisted adding a bunch of my newly bought local honey to my tea. Hey me, high five! For dinner tonight I had salmon, chicken liver, and this awesome salad I just invented. It's celery, pear, and a dressing made of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and fresh rosemary. I don't really like celery, but I know it's an awesome healthy vegetable, so I'm always trying to find ways I can enjoy eating it. I used to eat it with peanut butter, but since I recently have been trying to cut peanuts, that isn't an option anymore. This salad was a great, though. Hey me, high five again!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Best part? The pear was only ¥50 because the skin was brown,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>even though it still tasted great, because Japanese fruit must LOOK PERFECT.</i></span></div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-24565503485469305012015-01-15T01:56:00.001-08:002015-01-15T01:56:56.605-08:00New Year's resolution? Each and every year's resolution!These days many people are talking about their New Year’s resolutions and focusing on self improvement. That’s great, and I wish everyone the best! I want this blog to be a place where people can encourage and motivate each other, so I’d love to see some positive comments about your own resolutions and also comments supporting others in their efforts.<br />
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Personally, I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. If you’ve read even a couple of my posts, you probably know that I’m constantly working on self-improvement – setting goals for myself, tracking my progress, and adjusting my goals when I get new information or experiences. It’s a continuous work in progress, so if I were to make New Year’s resolutions, they wouldn’t say anything different than what I’ve already been saying all along. So I guess I could say that my resolution for 2015 is to be MORE genki! I will work on eating healthier, discovering more clearly what foods are or are not good for my body, exercising more, spending my free time in enjoyable ways, reducing work stress, and being in a more positive frame of mind.<br />
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And on that note, time to get back in the habit of exercising regularly!<br />
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Last Friday evening I did a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ8Zdj0OPMI" target="_blank">30-minute workout</a> that focused of abs while getting a maximum calorie burn, and the next morning I went running. I’m still not running as much as I did before getting shin splints last year, so even though I did 5 miles on Saturday morning, 40 minutes of it was running and 27 minutes was walking while doing arm raises with hand weights (alternating every 9-10 minutes).<br />
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After those two workouts, I was starting to feel pretty sore, but joined my friend’s martial arts class on Saturday evening anyway. He teaches Kaju Kenbo, which includes elements of various different styles of martial arts. His classes are always intense, leaving everyone exhausted and beat up, but happy. In this lesson we did a lot of striking drills and sparring. We also did this really awful toughening exercise which involved hitting our partner’s shins with our own shins. My shins are now black & blue and feel just like they did during the worst of my shin splints. As much as I loved everything else, I can do without ever doing that exercise again!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>At the end of class we're dripping sweat, aching all over, and feeling amazing!</i></span></div>
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A quick note for anyone that reads this blog but doesn’t see my Facebook posts, I have some news to share. This year will be a year of change for me, as I am moving to California in April. (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/cactuslynx/posts/10101259724244506?pnref=story" target="_blank">Read more about it here</a>). It will be a challenge to stay on track with my goals when I am busy getting ready to move overseas in March, but that will also be the most important time to stay on track so that I feel energetic, not too stressed, and free of headaches & stomachaches! Then in April it will be really interesting to see how I adjust to eating a different assortment of food while still sticking to my food rules. I have a feeling it might actually be easier, given the greater variety available to choose from, but there will also be more temptations! So that’s something to look forward to in 2015.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-41850776363602074962015-01-06T00:53:00.000-08:002015-01-06T00:53:01.689-08:00Post Holiday BluesHaving my brother visit for 11 days was a lot of fun, and I am so happy that he enjoyed Japan so much. But it left me exhausted! I am feeling very “blah” today. It’s cold and rainy, and all I want to do it curl up at my kotatsu table, watch TV, and eat a giant bowl of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_bean_soup" target="_blank">zenzai</a>. Which is basically what I did yesterday, instead of cleaning, cooking and getting ready for my work week. So I had to do some of that this morning, rather than getting back into my jogging routine like I planned. Blah. I want at least two more days of being lazy! But I also want to feel happy and energetic, and get back into a healthy routine. Blah.<br />
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Well, the holidays are over. How did you all do? I think I made it through pretty well. The main challenges were Christmas gifts of various treats that I got, and trying to find safe dishes to eat while traveling. A couple times my brother and I spent an hour or more trying to find a safe restaurant, and still ended up being limited to just one option on the menu. Twice I had to eat Japanese curry and rice for lunch, which I’m not really a fan of. And despite being so careful, I still had digestion problems. I suspect the artificial flavorings, colorings, etc. in prepared food could be a problem. Staying at a hostel with a large, nice kitchen helps a lot!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfKnMfP7Qr0/VKuhfWB3hWI/AAAAAAAADRw/I1znZlO9CQ8/s1600/kyoto_kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfKnMfP7Qr0/VKuhfWB3hWI/AAAAAAAADRw/I1znZlO9CQ8/s1600/kyoto_kitchen.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I recommend <a href="http://www.khaosan-tokyo.com/en/kyoto/" target="_blank">Khaosan Kyoto Guesthouse</a> for their nice kitchen and other facilities!</i></span></div>
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I only went jogging a couple times during the winter holidays, and didn’t exercise at home at all. I did a lot of walking, though, and reached 10,000 steps or often much more every day.<br />
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I plan on being as strict as possible with what I eat until I start feeling better again. And I need to get back in the habit of regularly exercising! January and February can be a couple of the longest, dreariest, least motivating months of the year, but hopefully I can muster some will-power to do my best and feel awesome.</div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-65185929215768785962014-12-28T21:11:00.003-08:002014-12-28T21:11:38.639-08:00Quick mid-holiday update<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! I've been busy celebrating Christmas and showing my brother around Japan. Today is one of the only days we have a bit of free time, so I managed to squeeze in this post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My brother learning how samurai swords are made.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As expected, some of the Christmas gifts I got included food that I'm trying to avoid. And of course it was all food that I love too! So I did break my rules a couple times on Christmas Day, eating peanut butter filled pretzels (gluten) and a couple types of chocolate (dairy).</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvq_-1Q9Syw/VKDhVbaCJ2I/AAAAAAAADQ8/QGwXCmT70uY/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B29%2C%2B2%2B04%2B31%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvq_-1Q9Syw/VKDhVbaCJ2I/AAAAAAAADQ8/QGwXCmT70uY/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B29%2C%2B2%2B04%2B31%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Apparently I've been naughty, because I also got some coal!</span></i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My brother is also trying to avoid gluten, but we both made one exception that was planned ahead of time, because you just can't visit Japan and not try ramen! We went to Ippudo, my favorite ramen shop in Okayama. We thoroughly enjoyed the rich pork broth of their tonkotsu ramen!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So after eating gluten, peanuts, and dairy one day, and then even more gluten the next day, I definitely wasn't feeling too well. I've been strict since then though, and have been totally sticking to my goals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A couple weeks ago I tried making sauerkraut for the first time, and finally gave it a test today. Delicious! And hopefully those active cultures will improve my gut health.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NMAkdcgVsw/VKDh18spWYI/AAAAAAAADRM/67tmRfZTmss/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B29%2C%2B1%2B23%2B52%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NMAkdcgVsw/VKDh18spWYI/AAAAAAAADRM/67tmRfZTmss/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B29%2C%2B1%2B23%2B52%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Homemade red cabbage sauerkraut.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I probably won't write again until after my brother leaves. Here's hoping that I continue to eat well during the rest of the winter holidays!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year everyone!!</span></span>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-79683273422958925942014-12-22T03:36:00.000-08:002014-12-22T03:36:11.585-08:00This, that, and the other thingHey everyone, it’s been a while! Miss me?<br />
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I’ve been slowly writing this post a paragraph at a time over the past couple weeks, so the end result might be a bit disjointed. I was going to post this two weeks ago, but then I caught a cold and didn’t feel like doing anything. Anyway, here are some thoughts I’ve had.<br />
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I’ve been very gradually working towards improving my health over the past ten years, increasing my effort more and more as I felt less and less healthy. Since starting this blog I have focused my energy on what I’m eating, and have been doing a fairly good job overall at sticking to my goals. I think it’s finally paying off! I’ve been feeling pretty good, digestion wise, and I’m starting to notice a couple correlations that I had not realized before, so that’s exciting.<br />
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Now that I have my definite trouble-makers, dairy and gluten, mostly out of the way, it’s a lot clearer to me what else affects my digestion. Remember when I said that I was going to quit eating peanut butter and nuts because they’re expensive and I suspected hard to digest as well? So I did that, and all went well. Then I decided to test peanuts, so I had a handful with dinner. I am now fairly certain peanuts give me gas. Pretty deadly too! It’s possible there was another trouble maker in my dinner, so I’ll probably test peanuts once more after I’ve eliminated it again. We all know how much I LOVE peanut butter, so if this turns out to be true, I’ll be really disappointed.<br />
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I’ve heard that being tired can make food cravings worse. However, since I almost always crave snacks, I couldn’t really tell that it made a difference. This past week, though, I was doing surprisingly well at not having cravings, even when I felt slightly hungry. It was so strange, and so awesome! I suspect it’s possibly because my body is finally getting used to not having snacks. Eating those carbs just makes your body want more carbs! So anyway, on Sunday I went out to dinner for a friend’s birthday and was out pretty late, resulting in going to bed a lot later than usual. On Monday I didn’t feel too bad, but by the evening I had that overwhelming urge to lie around and eat and eat and eat, with very little motivation to resist it. Hmm, interesting… I guess getting a good night’s sleep is important for even more reasons! Is it totally lame that I’m always excited for bed time? Oh no, a classic symptom of getting old!<br />
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So, I realized that I haven’t written about exercise in a while. Exercise used to be my primary focus when it came to getting in better shape, but I guess recently I’ve been concentrating more on what I’m eating to improve digestion. I’m still exercising, though! After six months of recovery, I’m finally able to go jogging without suffering from shin splints. I haven’t amped up to how much I used to run, but I’m working toward it.<br />
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I’m trying to exercise at least once a day, but I hate to admit I haven’t really been staying on top of that. I feel like I don’t have enough time these days. I can think of three things that could be taking away from my exercise time. One is writing this blog! Another is the increased time I’ve been spending grocery shopping and cooking so that I can stick to this new food plan I’ve been doing for the last couple months. And finally, it’s winter and it’s cold and I have such a hard time dragging myself out of bed in the morning! Even though I wake up at the same time as always, I often don’t get up that early.<br />
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Don’t expect me to post again for another couple of weeks. My winter vacation just started!! And my brother arrives in Japan on Christmas Eve, so we’ll be busy having lots of fun!<br />
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I’m going to continue trying to eat well for my body over the holidays. I’ve learned a lot of tricks over the past few months, like making safe dishes for myself like I did at Thanksgiving and immediately giving away or throwing out anything tempting that could cause me problems. Wish me luck! And good luck to you with whatever you decide to do, including eating all the fudge if you’re so inclined!<br />
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I’ll leave you with a couple beginning of the holidays pictures.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bonnenkai (End-of-the-year-party) #1 - raw chicken</i></span> </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PkKro1nOpRo/VJf-2BqcRtI/AAAAAAAADQY/M_pw1f7y_1s/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B13%2C%2B8%2B48%2B26%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PkKro1nOpRo/VJf-2BqcRtI/AAAAAAAADQY/M_pw1f7y_1s/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B13%2C%2B8%2B48%2B26%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bonnenkai #2 - nabe</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cu22jgMjXkU/VJf-2kjhWhI/AAAAAAAADQg/CpgXAOpuQws/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B19%2C%2B8%2B14%2B25%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cu22jgMjXkU/VJf-2kjhWhI/AAAAAAAADQg/CpgXAOpuQws/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B19%2C%2B8%2B14%2B25%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bonnenkai #3 - sashimi, garnished with a fish head</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Bonnenkai #4 has no picture, but I ate sea cucumber for the first time!) </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KuqX--We8h4/VJf-2NL-bUI/AAAAAAAADQU/1W9zNIXVkPM/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B22%2C%2B12%2B29%2B29%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KuqX--We8h4/VJf-2NL-bUI/AAAAAAAADQU/1W9zNIXVkPM/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B22%2C%2B12%2B29%2B29%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Christmas in Japan = fried chicken and cake. So popular,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>it's even in my school lunch. Why? Because. Marketing. </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hmfOwcB4SA0/VJf-3V6Rd0I/AAAAAAAADQk/rOvPg8PdBHw/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B22%2C%2B4%2B58%2B32%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hmfOwcB4SA0/VJf-3V6Rd0I/AAAAAAAADQk/rOvPg8PdBHw/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B22%2C%2B4%2B58%2B32%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My presents don't quite all fit under my tree...</i></span></div>
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Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!<br />
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-52577184419917363002014-12-04T23:56:00.000-08:002014-12-04T23:56:45.799-08:00Oops, maybe I didn’t win Thanksgiving after all<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Remember the
<a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.jp/2014/11/thanksgiving-in-japan-days-1-2.html" target="_blank">four turkeys’ worth of bones and giblets that I got at the end of the Thanksgiving party I went to and immediately froze when I got home</a>? I’m afraid it’s unsafe to eat and needs to be thrown out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>NOOOOO!!!!</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://thebloggess.com/2012/02/her-name-is-juanita-juanita-weasel-unless-you-can-think-of-something-better/" target="_blank"><i>Juanita feels my pain.</i></a></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The day after
the party, I ate the giblets and some other leftovers, no problem.
Then, later in the week I made a turkey soup with some of the bones.
I ate that soup and other leftovers for the next two days, again no
problem, and then finished off the last of it on the fourth day. That
night, roughly four hours after dinner, I got really bad stomach
cramps and felt nauseous while trying to fall asleep. I did manage to
sleep, though not well, without incident and felt better in the
morning. I figured it was because the leftovers had been kind of old,
and honestly I hadn’t exactly followed safe food preparation rules.
For example, I let the turkey bones thaw at room temperature rather
than in the fridge. And after the soup cooked, I let it cool at room
temperature (and forgot it on the counter overnight…) before
putting it in the fridge. Granted, room temperature is pretty chilly
these days since I’m cheap and haven’t used my heater yet this
season, but I still don’t think it’s within safe food storage
temperatures. So yeah, my bad, I figured.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This week I
made another batch of turkey soup with some bones and a neck to make
a nice flavorful broth. I was very careful to prepare everything
properly this time, thawing the turkey in the fridge on Tuesday,
simmering it for many hours on Wednesday and then promptly
refrigerating it, and heating it up on the stove with some added
vegetables on Thursday, after which I promptly ate it and put the
leftovers back in the fridge. But, like last time, roughly four hours
later while I was trying to fall asleep I got severe stomach cramps
and felt nauseous. And this time I wasn’t able to sleep it off, and
unfortunately was sick. Thankfully it was over quickly, and a couple
hours later I fell asleep and felt better in the morning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, yeah. I
conclude that my beloved turkey hates me. Why must it be a one-sided
relationship?? Throwing all that out is going to be really hard. Much
harder than the little cakes and cookies so many people felt that I
wasted in <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.jp/2014/12/tracking-progress.html" target="_blank">my last blog</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Speaking of
my last blog, it sparked <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cactuslynx/posts/10101215319047876?pnref=story" target="_blank">quite the comment thread on Facebook</a>! I know
everyone was trying to be helpful, and I apologize for replying
negatively, sarcastically, and passive-aggressively. It’s just
really hard, what I’m trying to do for my health, and I felt like I
was being misunderstood and criticized. That plus a number of other
things going on in my life were making me have a super stressful day,
so it was particularly hard on me to feel like I was getting negative
feedback for something that had been difficult but that I was proud
of accomplishing. I appreciate the advice, and will definitely
consider taking some of your suggestions. I will also continue trying
to do what I think is best for myself. Sometimes you just need to put
your own health first!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-31184563783751361002014-12-02T02:38:00.000-08:002014-12-03T03:38:07.402-08:00Tracking progress<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week,
Wednesday’s school lunch had everything I’m trying not to eat,
and I couldn’t avoid it by not eating one or two of the dishes
because it was ALL dangerous. So I shrugged my shoulders and ate my
lunch. Up until this point I had had three or four days of feeling
great. However, on Thursday I could definitely tell that at least one
of the possible problem causing ingredients (dairy, gluten, or egg)
was most definitely causing me a problem. I had issues for three days after that. This is the most clearly I’ve been able to notice a
difference in digestion when I don’t vs. do eat dairy, gluten, and
egg. So now I just need to determine which, if not all, of them is
villain.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9dHLUWW45U/VH2SU5CO21I/AAAAAAAADPE/ju0OnEtmz8w/s1600/Untitled%2Bdrawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9dHLUWW45U/VH2SU5CO21I/AAAAAAAADPE/ju0OnEtmz8w/s1600/Untitled%2Bdrawing.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Very unsafe lunch</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, I’ve
decided to quit buying peanut butter and nuts. They’re both just
too expensive for how fast I go through them, and really packed full
of calories. Plus, I think they’re hard to digest in large amounts.
So if I’m gonna have something expensive and calorie-packed, it’ll
be coconut oil, which shouldn’t be so hard on my guts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Monday this week,
lunch had dairy and gluten, but not egg. I was expecting to feel the
effects on Tuesday, but that was not the case. Does this mean that
egg was the trouble maker last week? However, I’ve already
established a while ago that both dairy and gluten can cause me
problems, and yet they didn’t seem to this time. I know, some foods
can cause problems even weeks after eating them, so when I don’t
feel well and think it’s because of a recent meal, that might not
be the case. Also, some things your body can handle in small amounts,
but if you’ve been having too much recently it can be an issue.
Digestion is complicated! So I’ve decided to try keeping a food
diary. Here’s what I’ve made to begin with (sorry if it’s TMI):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0nGFbrEvrbs/VH2PFXIq91I/AAAAAAAADO4/ve-93QFE0wc/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B02%2C%2B7%2B00%2B24%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0nGFbrEvrbs/VH2PFXIq91I/AAAAAAAADO4/ve-93QFE0wc/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B02%2C%2B7%2B00%2B24%2BPM.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Tracking the foods I eat and my digestive issues, hopefully to find correlations.</i></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In addition
to that food diary, I have another monthly calendar I use to track my
progress attached to my Food Rules. I update my Food Rules every month based on
how I did the previous month and what I think I need to focus on.
Here’s November and December.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>November</i></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5k9n8yzznOo/VH2PCD5EPQI/AAAAAAAADOw/AGHdVWe46AU/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B02%2C%2B10%2B06%2B41%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5k9n8yzznOo/VH2PCD5EPQI/AAAAAAAADOw/AGHdVWe46AU/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B02%2C%2B10%2B06%2B41%2BAM.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">December - notice a few changes.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Every month has at least a couple updates.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In good news, I've been eating well other than school lunch! Today I found cauliflower at the store, which is not very common so it was exciting, and I made cauli-rice. Check it out.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_2FUpJh2Dc/VH2TKjXC6KI/AAAAAAAADPQ/q9o9fY6xP6U/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B02%2C%2B6%2B04%2B53%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_2FUpJh2Dc/VH2TKjXC6KI/AAAAAAAADPQ/q9o9fY6xP6U/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B02%2C%2B6%2B04%2B53%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Is that fish on rice? NOPE! No grains here, just cauliflower!</i></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also, I continue to resist the gifts of sweets from coworkers. One of the schools I teach at is quite small so I only go there twice a month. That means I have two weeks worth of sweets piled up on my desk. We've got quite the haul for Today's Trash!</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d8XwSUdxHY0/VH2T0JFc-yI/AAAAAAAADPc/681RyGv1anc/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B01%2C%2B4%2B43%2B23%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d8XwSUdxHY0/VH2T0JFc-yI/AAAAAAAADPc/681RyGv1anc/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B01%2C%2B4%2B43%2B23%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>All of this plus three rice crackers that I could eat was waiting for me on Monday.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jck_-5lp8do/VH2T0GEuH5I/AAAAAAAADPY/8zLhY3aDKYQ/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B01%2C%2B4%2B45%2B16%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jck_-5lp8do/VH2T0GEuH5I/AAAAAAAADPY/8zLhY3aDKYQ/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B01%2C%2B4%2B45%2B16%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took it all out of the packages so you could see exactly what I can't eat.</span></span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eFDRG3O9LiY/VH2T0V3zuUI/AAAAAAAADPg/PxTVm8NBIcA/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B01%2C%2B4%2B46%2B37%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eFDRG3O9LiY/VH2T0V3zuUI/AAAAAAAADPg/PxTVm8NBIcA/s1600/Photo%2BDec%2B01%2C%2B4%2B46%2B37%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Proof that I resisted! Goodbye foods that hate my guts. (Get it? Guts? Hehehehe)</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">UPDATE:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ok, ok, sorry guys, I take it all back! I absolutely love and appreciate every single school lunch and all of the sugary treats my coworkers so generous give me, and I never EVER throw anything away. That is not, in fact, a trash can you see in that picture, but rather it is a... um... feeding receptacle! Yeah! For Bobifer! He's real, I swear. And he has guts of steel, so he can eat anything, no problem! He is also amazingly resistant to medical conditions, so he'll never have to worry about heart disease, diabetes, etc. Lucky guy! Even though he doesn't have to worry, he's still really supportive of me and this journey I'm taking to improve my physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Thanks Bobifer, you're a swell guy!</span></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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</span>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-22280044390343381352014-11-25T03:04:00.000-08:002014-11-25T03:04:17.511-08:00Thanksgiving in Japan, days 1 & 2<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last Saturday
one of my closest friends and I celebrated Thanksgiving, just the two
of us. She has far more food sensitivities than I do, so we planned
out dishes that were safe for her. Anything that’s safe for her is
definitely safe for me too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I spent a
couple hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon cooking
for our special feast. I really love cooking, just wish it didn’t
make so many dirty dishes to wash! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-srqU6pwwo8g/VHRbZNOTHFI/AAAAAAAADM8/QPBsKtWLI0o/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B11%2B54%2B23%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-srqU6pwwo8g/VHRbZNOTHFI/AAAAAAAADM8/QPBsKtWLI0o/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B11%2B54%2B23%2BAM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Making the first dish of the morning, rice bread.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tmJhOMMIOjM/VHRaWpfBRNI/AAAAAAAADMk/-hcM3VE-P3A/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B6%2B59%2B23%2BPM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tmJhOMMIOjM/VHRaWpfBRNI/AAAAAAAADMk/-hcM3VE-P3A/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B6%2B59%2B23%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Finished rice bread - kinda chewy but still yummy. Like mochi, but bread!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oz4wgFXasmg/VHRZ46Mo2jI/AAAAAAAADMI/iTUMRX771M4/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B5%2B30%2B41%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oz4wgFXasmg/VHRZ46Mo2jI/AAAAAAAADMI/iTUMRX771M4/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B5%2B30%2B41%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Unfiltered apple juice + whole spices = spiced cider!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RIYXeAqMuug/VHRZnCenT9I/AAAAAAAADMA/Ha-JlEuokP8/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B5%2B09%2B08%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RIYXeAqMuug/VHRZnCenT9I/AAAAAAAADMA/Ha-JlEuokP8/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B5%2B09%2B08%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>While one dish was cooking, I prepped for other dishes.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Not much counter space, so these are balancing on my toaster oven and a roll of paper towels. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I cooked so much, I actually gave myself a blister and sore muscles. Chopping, stirring, more chopping, more stirring... Totally worth it!</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--oDK9NT631o/VHRaKAzH1UI/AAAAAAAADMQ/3VZ32Flb2Bs/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B6%2B57%2B43%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--oDK9NT631o/VHRaKAzH1UI/AAAAAAAADMQ/3VZ32Flb2Bs/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B6%2B57%2B43%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">First course - quinoa salad and rice bread.</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gSbemxRqjeo/VHRaQOgnkLI/AAAAAAAADMY/7W8NTldI1yo/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B6%2B59%2B04%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gSbemxRqjeo/VHRaQOgnkLI/AAAAAAAADMY/7W8NTldI1yo/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B6%2B59%2B04%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Quinoa salad close up</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M19F5shqFV0/VHRbUgageHI/AAAAAAAADM0/A1dSQibtZdg/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B7%2B58%2B18%2BPM%2B(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M19F5shqFV0/VHRbUgageHI/AAAAAAAADM0/A1dSQibtZdg/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B7%2B58%2B18%2BPM%2B(1).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Second course - </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>lentil soup, mashed sweet potatoes with Moroccan spices, and quinoa stuffing. </i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kEwCHZNsMJs/VHRZiMCtMkI/AAAAAAAADL4/dB0HQ9ABBWE/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B5%2B20%2B44%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kEwCHZNsMJs/VHRZiMCtMkI/AAAAAAAADL4/dB0HQ9ABBWE/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B5%2B20%2B44%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Quinoa stuffing close up</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Sunday I
went to a Thanksgiving party hosted by a friend. I brought leftovers
from the day before for myself plus some homemade gravy, because I knew I wouldn’t be able
to eat a majority of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes being
served.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NFXguE3rzUo/VHRd9CZBqDI/AAAAAAAADNQ/RKd7bXJcKww/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B12%2B52%2B47%2BPM%2B(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NFXguE3rzUo/VHRd9CZBqDI/AAAAAAAADNQ/RKd7bXJcKww/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B12%2B52%2B47%2BPM%2B(1).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Made chicken bone broth a couple days before, chilled it,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>and ended up with this beautiful, healthy, nutrient & collagen-packed gel.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5jTiFg-ZRwk/VHRdtWGNIuI/AAAAAAAADNI/l-LvSjqVlOE/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B1%2B10%2B19%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5jTiFg-ZRwk/VHRdtWGNIuI/AAAAAAAADNI/l-LvSjqVlOE/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B22%2C%2B1%2B10%2B19%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Added some cornstarch and spices to my bone broth,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>and got this huge jar full of gravy!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My friend generously gave me a discount since I was only
partaking in the turkey.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egYlRo15ots/VHRep_c5p6I/AAAAAAAADNc/iQx6MrTf5mU/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B5%2B22%2B28%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egYlRo15ots/VHRep_c5p6I/AAAAAAAADNc/iQx6MrTf5mU/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B5%2B22%2B28%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Thanksgiving spread, of which I only had turkey.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tkq6hjjUS0A/VHRetv62kzI/AAAAAAAADNk/8KaykpgIsbM/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B5%2B22%2B37%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tkq6hjjUS0A/VHRetv62kzI/AAAAAAAADNk/8KaykpgIsbM/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B5%2B22%2B37%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The pies weren't nearly as tempting as those peanut butter cookies!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Somehow I resisted. </i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wpuOFZblsDE/VHRfDwUy8xI/AAAAAAAADNs/rksf5jxvTvg/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B5%2B41%2B25%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wpuOFZblsDE/VHRfDwUy8xI/AAAAAAAADNs/rksf5jxvTvg/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B5%2B41%2B25%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Got some turkey, added my homemade gravy, stuffing, and mashed sweet potatoes.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Also had a large salad and there in the back is <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.jp/2014/10/dairy-free-egg-free-but-not-delicious.html" target="_blank">my special pumpkin pie</a> with no crust.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So for two
days in a row I was able to safely indulge in Thanksgiving feasting!
I am very thankful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During the
party clean up I rescued four (small) turkey’s worth of giblets and
bones from being thrown away. Such delicious and nutrient rich parts
of the turkey, and they’re all mine!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hIidG0JTWs0/VHRgk9tm1XI/AAAAAAAADN4/WYtZHK7_PVE/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B9%2B20%2B46%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hIidG0JTWs0/VHRgk9tm1XI/AAAAAAAADN4/WYtZHK7_PVE/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B9%2B20%2B46%2BPM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is how much bones and giblets four small turkeys make. All for MEEE!!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aExwk7fUPXY/VHRhBmE2c_I/AAAAAAAADOI/iCstKhrUmkE/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B9%2B34%2B43%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aExwk7fUPXY/VHRhBmE2c_I/AAAAAAAADOI/iCstKhrUmkE/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B23%2C%2B9%2B34%2B43%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My freezer is half full of turkey. Yes, half FULL, and it makes me so happy </i>:D</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bagged up and froze all the bones and giblets I got. Gonna make so much amazing
SOUP. I feel like I won Thanksgiving.</span></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5710229530880584459.post-1750577341681748302014-11-21T00:24:00.004-08:002014-11-21T00:37:16.534-08:00Ups & Downs, and Thanksgiving plans<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Looks like a
lot of people took a look at my blog at least once to see what it
was, but haven’t looked at it since. The number of page hits is
definitely dwindling. That’s alright, though. As I said at the
beginning, this is mainly for myself. To quote one of my favorite
artists/muscisians/authors, Amanda Palmer, from <a href="http://amandapalmer.net/blog/20141118/" target="_blank">her recent blog</a> <i>“when i decide that i
need to cut something out (like, say, i decide to go sober for a
month, which i did the month before i started writing, to clean my
system) then the best way i’ve found, is to announce my intentions
to everyone around me. that way i’m beholden to my entire network
of friends, and my community, and stepping out of my commitments
feels like a breach of trust to them, not just against myself. so
when i decided not to read any reviews (which came out of a long
conversation with Jamy Ian Swiss, my book doula), i told neil, told
my publishers, told my team, and them, lastly, told my blog. and i
turned off my google news alerts. and after i did all that, i was
like: well, NOW if i click on the link i see on twitter saying “17
reasons amanda palmer’s book is made of pure bullshit” i’m
really….breaking my promise, to everyone. so, final advice:
announce your intentions. it helps.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sorry guys,
I’ve been breaking my promise to eat a reasonable amount of
calories every day. This hasn’t been a great week for me. I’ve
been tired and grumpy and haven’t had much motivation to stick to
my goals. And I made a recent trip to the import store, at which time
I stocked up on peanut butter. I’m afraid I might have to just quit
buying it…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also
haven’t been exercising much. Although, I did get one workout in
the other night, with a bonus challenge at the beginning which I
filmed! This is probably the highlight of this week’s summary, so
please watch and join me in laughing at myself. Say it with me now,
“I can’t do pistol squats!”</span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyy8oTAcV8Mr3I6JjgCEXVvQe6kP0L4Y5xeSr7F7X-5Ux4tIkkY2kPreLBUdYXcZo7pceP4r5Qv9z-E0P0yQw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This weekend
is a three-day weekend here in Japan, and so it’s when we (my group
of friends, organized by Dave) have decided to celebrate
Thanksgiving. There will be a big gathering with the full
Thanksgiving feast, all the works. It’s not a potluck, but instead
all dishes are planned and supplies bought ahead of time, then
everyone pays to participate. Most of the dishes I will be choosing
not to eat. I know, that sounds unbelievable and impossible, but I
have a plan! I’m going to bring a bunch of safe and delicious
dishes for myself that I can eat instead. I’ll bring a great big
awesome salad, maybe with persimmon & walnuts or maybe make the
salad Emiko brought to the Halloween party. I’m also going to try this
quinoa stuffing recipe: <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-stuffing/">http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-stuffing/</a>.
I’m going to make <a href="http://letsbegenki.blogspot.jp/2014/10/dairy-free-egg-free-but-not-delicious.html" target="_blank">my dairy-free, egg-free pumpkin pie</a>, but without
the crust, so I guess it’ll be more like pumpkin custard. I’m
going to make gravy with my homemade chicken bone broth and
cornstarch instead of flour. And I might also bring some mashed sweet
potatoes that don’t have any butter or sugar, but spices for
flavoring instead. So probably the only thing I’ll eat at the party
will be turkey. Lots and lots of turkey! It’s the one chance a year
I get turkey in this country, so I’ve got to make the most of it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And to finish
off this post, here’s Today’s Trash:</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x07pWu94Bfc/VG716kZOwWI/AAAAAAAADLo/t5jS85lCyZs/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B18%2C%2B5%2B32%2B02%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x07pWu94Bfc/VG716kZOwWI/AAAAAAAADLo/t5jS85lCyZs/s1600/Photo%2BNov%2B18%2C%2B5%2B32%2B02%2BPM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Actually had
to open one to see if it was safe or not. Not.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hopefully lots of Thanksgiving picture to come! </span></span></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03890521912348224179noreply@blogger.com0