Mid-Day Check-In 01-11-19

I started the morning with a doctor's appointment with a new doctor. Accomplished getting my routine physical and the blood draw for related blood tests.

I got some financial things straightened out including fixing our autopay for garbage that got screwed up when the bank reissued our cards so that's fixed now.

I think I've getting the hang of quilling though gluing coils to the paper is definitely not my favorite part.





To Do List:

• Fold Laundry
• Put together storage cubes in the craft room
• Unpack one mystery box
• Unload the dishwasher
• Listen to Nursing Lectures
• Knit some on the Monster Blanket
• More quilling!

Mid-Day Check In 01/10/19

I'm tired of selfies right now so have a picture of the quilling kit that I'm playing around with. Contents: Paper Strips, Quilling Tool with slot and embossing head, Awl, Quilling board, Curling coach, scissors, pins, precision tip glue bottle, scissors, and tweezers. I have officially recertified in CPR and as a bonus got to take the class with a fellow member of my nursing school class and a former classmate from my Anatomy and Physiology class who is now a nursing student in another program. CPR class is way more fun if you know some of the people. The bad thing is that my knees are really hurting today. I took the morning easy and did some reading for fun.
 
When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses.

They didn't expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn't expect those mermaids to have teeth.

This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets.

This is lovely near-future horror written by one of my favorite authors. I love the portrayal of deaf and wheelchair-bound characters. There are great moments of humor interspersed within the horror. Even knowing that no one survives, I still enjoyed the entire journey.

The ocean is home to many myths,

But some are deadly...

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

This is the sequel to Rolling in the Deep and it comes with even more killer mermaid goodness. Most of the main characters are scientists so their exploration of mermaids is wonderfully science based. I enjoyed the revelations about the anatomy and nature of the mermaids. I am always so impressed by how much thought Mira Grant puts into the science behind her fiction.

Today, I get to go renew my BLS CPR certification. Hopefully there aren't any newbies in the class and we can just power through.

I got the quilling kit that I ordered yesterday and spent some time practicing making coils.  The regular coils are easy so I tried out some other shapes. The heptagon is cool but I was definitely aiming for a triangle...  I think I have the hang of making teardrops though I need to get some practice in making consistent sizes.  Next step: turning the coils into a cohesive whole. My kit came with a couple pre-designed layouts so I may give that a try first.

Night time Check-In 01/06/19

Today, I did a short foresty romp called the Kelley Creek Loop. Our explorations were in the name of exploring our new region of town so we also scoped out 3 city parks. One was really nice and the other two were basically open fields with no development which was a bit puzzling.

Erranding occurred, including a stop at Home Depot yielding more storage solutions for my craft room in progress.

I stopped resisting and ordered a kit for experimenting with quilling. I'm really excited to give quilling a try.

Mid-day Check In 1/05/19

I had a lovely hike at Powell Butte this morning. You can expect to see Powell Butte pretty much every Saturday until tax season is over since my husband is a tax practitioner. It's a lovely bit of forest that is convenient to home and his work with a wide variety of trails to vary our route.

To Do List:

• Grocery Shop
• Listen to past Nursing School Lectures (Alternating Patho-Pharm and Chronic)
• Fill newly emptied recycling bin with cardboard from craft room mystery boxes
• Prepare for the removal of indoor Christmas Decorations
• At least 5 NCLEX-RN mastery questions
• Unload and load dishwasher
• Sort through box of clothes from craft room
• Laundry
• Put away lingering clean laundry
• Weave in ends of reflective scarf

Currently Reading: 

Building a Bucket List #127-133

Mendenhall Glacier in Junaeu, Alaska (2018)

127. Snowshoe at Crater Lake National Park
128. Snowshoe at Yosemite National Park
129. Snowshoe at Yellowstone National Park
130. See a live performance of Cats
131. See a live performance of Avenue Q
132. See a live performance of Kinky Boots
133. See a live performance of Come from Away

Mid-Day Check In 1/04/19

Today, I was able to find the motivation to workout before I got sucked into the internet so here is a post-shower picture.

Today's To Do list

• Make an appointment with a new Doctor due to change in insurance (Called and left a message)
• Unpack one mystery box from the craft room
• Listen to Pathophysiology-Pharmacology and Chronic Illness Lectures from Week 1 of Semester 2
• Review Kaplan Fundamentals A Focused Review Test
• Answer at least 5 NCLEX Style Questions
• Research how to replace broken tiles in front of the fireplace
• Unload Dishwasher
• Nightly dog walk

Building a Bucket List #120-126

120. See the Prague Castle
121. Visit the Blue and John Crow Mountains in Jamaica
122. Visit Mt Rainier National Park
123. See the Oriental Pearl Tower
124. See the Brazilian Atlantic Islands
125. Visit the Nez Perce National Historic Park
126. See Post Modern Jukebox in concert

Building a Bucket List #113-119

113. Visit Petra in Jordan
114. Visit the Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo
115. Visit the Manhatten Project National Park
116. Go Zip lining
117. Visit St Basil's Cathedral
118. See the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System
119. Visit the Minidoka National Historic Site

Weekly Weigh In Jan 18

This week was a rough one for me since I'm still adjusting to having night classes after work. My step count was down a bit this week since I spent the entire weekend studying Anatomy and Physiology instead of moving around. It might be time to get the standing desk going again.

Regarding the goals I set last week:

Log my calories completely on at least 3 days
I was able to fully log my calories on 5 days this week.

Avoid eating Dairy
I was really doing well until Friday night when all I wanted was a chocolate milkshake. It was very tasty but the resulting sinus headache should deter me from making this a regular thing.

Increase the number of workouts from last week's number
I did manage to squeeze in one more work out this week than last weekend. I can also feel good because the workouts that I did were of greater intensity.

Goals for this week:

1. Log my calories on at least 6 days
2. Drink 80 oz of water each day
3. Workout at least 6 times

Statistics:

Morning Workouts: 2
Lunchtime Weight Lifting: 0
Evening Dog Walks: 2
Bedtime Yoga: 1
Step Counting:
     Monday: 10074
     Tuesday: 10102
     Wednesday: 11891
     Thursday: 7452
     Friday: 10624
     Saturday: 1954
     Sunday: 1127

     Weekly Average: 7603
     Last Week's Average: 8272

     Weekly Total: 53224
     Last Week's Total: 57904

     January Average: 6653
     January Total: 113106

Current Weight: 254.6 pounds
Last Week: 254.2 pounds

Weight Loss/Gain: 0.4 pounds gained

Starting Weight: 249.4 pounds
Highest Point: 255.2 pounds
Lowest Point: 238.4 pounds

State of the Knitting: January 2016

Celtic Knot from The Ultimate Book of Knit Afghans

I call this my Monster Blanket.  I've been working on it off and on for about 10 years. Unfortunately, blankets get to be a certain size and then they are no longer portable. Projects that aren't portable often get shuffled aside by projects that are.

Double sided Steampunk Scarf in Caron Simply Soft

I've done the drafting to create stitching patterns that should read as gears. This project is pretty far on the back burner but I definitely intend to get back to it.

Lions, Tigers and Bears Blanket, Free Pattern by Red Heart

Not technically knitting since this is a crochet pattern but I'm putting it here anyway. I made one of these to give to my niece for Christmas and it was so adorable that I started another one. It helps that the squares are a wonderfully portable project.

2015 High Temps Blanket, January-June in Red Heart Soft

I did two rows per day representing the high temperature of each day. This is the first half of the year and it got long enough that I decided to split the blanket into two parts. This half is off the needles and just needs to have the remaining ends sewn in to get removed from this list.

2015 High Temps Blanket, May-December in Red Heart Soft

Part two of this epic project is still on the needles and has lots of ends to be sewn it. I like that it has a very different color emphasis than the first half of the year. I'm still deciding whether or not to do a similar project for 2016

Blue Scarf in Red Heart Reflective Yarn

This one is a delayed Birthday Gift that I ran out of yarn and had to wait for more to complete. Sadly, it seems like this yarn is no longer available at retailers in my area.

Long Cabled Vest in Lion Brand Homespun

This one is a delayed Christmas Gift. I can't tell if the pattern was a little weird or if it is just my inexperience with knitting garments but this isn't one of my favorites.

Elegant Lapghan in Unknown 

I needed something portable to work on that wasn't white at the same time that I really wanted to play with this yarn. I'm only using one strand instead of the two stated in the pattern so this should be a light and airy blanket.

Chunky Braided Scarf in Lion Brand Homespun
Look! It's not another blanket! I really love this yarn. I adore the subtle color change and it's a fun yarn to work with.

My goal is to end 2016 with far fewer projects on needles, or at least to have a mostly new set of projects. Also, in the interest of being kind to myself, any Christmas knitting requests will need to be received before the end of the summer. Thanksgiving is way too late to start presents, especially as a full-time Medical Assistant and part-time student. Rushing that hard to complete a present after studying my brain out for finals is just not very enjoyable.

Building a Bucket List 106-112

106. Visit the Forbidden City in China
107. Visit the Archaeological Monuments Zone of Xochicalco
108. Visit the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
109. Go Sky Diving
110. See the Burj Khalifa
111. Visit the Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quiriguá
112. Drive the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail

Reading Jan 1-11

1. Feed by Mira Grant
 

You may remember this one from last year but it's a personal favorite. Sometimes you just need to read an awesome zombie book. This novel combines a zombie horror movie with a political thriller and no one is safe. Particularly not the main characters. It also seems to be an especially appropriate read leading up to the primaries in real life. Granted, the stripper congresswoman running for office might be a better candidate than some of the real life candidates.

2. Deadline by Mira Grant

Second book of the Newsflesh series. Also, ridiculously awesome. I would really love to see this series get made into a movie.

3. Blackout by Mira Grant

Once I started the series, I felt the need to keep reading. Oddly enough, this is the only one of these books that I have a paper copy of. The other two I have as kindle editions that I read using the Kindle App on my phone. In case you are wondering, I love pretty much every word that Seanan McGuire has written, both as herself and as Mira Grant.

Currently Reading:

eBook on My Phone: The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Audiobook on Audible: Lock In by John Scalzi

Paperback on my Nightstand: Confidence Game by Michelle Welch

Please note that all links are affiliate links to Amazon.com. This is less for monetization purposes and more to make it easy to find and recognize the books.

Weekly Weigh-In Jan 11

One of my goals for this year is to get outside for a hike or outside activity each weekend. This week we checked out the lower garden trail at The Grotto.  It's January in Portland so everything is a nice evergreen color. The Grotto still has the lights up from their Christmas display so it was interesting to compare what we saw then with what we can see in broad daylight. The lower garden path is pretty short and about every 25-50 feet there is an alcove with a bronze scene from the life of Jesus. It was a nice mini urban adventure but we probably won't go back to the Lower Garden Path. That said, we are definitely going to visit the Upper Garden path sometime in the Spring or early Summer.

Regarding the rest of my physical activity, it was a pretty normal work week so my step count looks much closer to my 10,000 steps a day goal. I wasn't really disciplined about my workouts but I was able to focus on getting good quality sleep and reasserting my normal sleep schedule. I only logged my food on 2/7 days last week so that is definitely something to work on.

Goals for this week:

1. Log my calories completely on at least 3 days
2. Avoid eating Dairy
3. Increase the number of workouts from last week's number

Statistics:

Morning Workouts: 0
Lunchtime Weight Lifting: 0
Evening Dog Walks: 1
Bedtime Yoga: 3
Step Counting:
     Monday: 8030
     Tuesday: 10860
     Wednesday: 10119
     Thursday: 7426
     Friday: 10187
     Saturday: 5811
     Sunday: 5471

     Weekly Average: 8272
     Last Week's Average: 3862

     Weekly Total: 57904
     Last Week's Total: 27038

     January Average: 5988
     January Total: 59882

Current Weight: 254.2 pounds
Last Week: 253.2 pounds

Weight Loss/Gain: 1.0 pounds gained

Starting Weight: 249.4 pounds
Highest Point: 255.2 pounds
Lowest Point: 238.4 pounds

Building a Bucket List 99-105

99. See the Empire State Building
100. Visit the Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche
101. Visit the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve
102. Visit Machu Picchu
103. Visit Antigua, Guatemala
104. Go Scuba Diving
105. Visit the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area

Books Read in 2015

I was able to squeeze in a fair amount of reading between work, classes, and traveling. A number of these books are ones that I was re-reading because I love them. Featuring prominently are books from independent authors and new releases from authors that I enjoy every word they write. 

My hope for 2016 is that I read more books than 2015 and that my reading list has a bit more diversity in it.

What are your reading goals for 2016?

1. On Basilisk Station by David Weber
2. The Honor of the Queen by David Weber
3. The Short Victorious War by David Weber
4. Field of Dishonor by David Weber
5. Flag in Exile by David Weber
6. Honor Among Enemies by David Weber
7. In Enemy Hands by David Weber
8. Echoes of Honor by David Weber
9. Ashes of Victory by David Weber
10. War of Honor by David Weber
11. Crown of Slaves by David Weber and Eric Flint
12. The Shadow of Saganami by David Weber
13. At All Costs by David Weber
14. Storm from the Shadows by David Weber
15. Torch of Freedom by David Weber and Eric Flint
16. Mission of Honor by David Weber
17. A Rising Thunder by David Weber
18. Shadow of Freedom by David Weber
19. Cauldron of Ghosts by David Weber and Eric Flint
20. Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire
21. Libriomancer by Jim Hines
22. Codex Born by Jim Hines
23. Unbound by Jim Hines
24. Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
25. Winter's Heat by Cristin Harber
26. Introductions by CL Stone
27. The Game by Terri Schott
28. Priceless by Shannon Mayer
29. Garrison's Creed by Cristin Harber
30. The Change by Teyla Branton
31. Innocent in Las Vegas by AR Winters
32. Green Eyes in Las Vegas by AR Winters
33. Red Roses in Las Vegas by AR Winters
34. Cupcakes, Trinkets and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge
35. Baggage Claim by Amanda Tru
36. Prudence by Gail Carriger
37. Parasite by Mira Grant
38. Symbiont by Mira Grant
39. Feed by Mira Grant
40. Deadline by Mira Grant
41. Blackout by Mira Grant
42. Countdown by Mira Grant
43. San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats by Mira Grant
44. How Green this Land, How Blue this Sea by Mira Grant
45. The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell by Mira Grant
46. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton
47. The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K Hamilton
48. Circus of the Damned by Laurell K Hamilton
49. The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K Hamilton
50. Bloody Bones by Laurell K Hamilton
51. The Killing Dance by Laurell K Hamilton
52. Burnt Offerings by Laurell K Hamilton
53. Blue Moon by Laurell K Hamilton
54. Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K Hamilton
55. Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K Hamilton
56. Cerulean Sins by Laurell K Hamilton
57. Incubus Dreams by Laurell K Hamilton
58. Micah by Laurell K Hamilton
59. Danse Macabre by Laurell K Hamilton
60. The Harlequin by Laurell K Hamilton
61. Blood Noir by Laurell K Hamilton
62. Skin Trade by Laurell K Hamilton
63. Flirt by Laurell K Hamilton
64. Bullet by Laurell K Hamilton
65. Hit List by Laurell K Hamilton
66. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
67. A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
68. Redshirts by John Scalzi
69. Live Free or Die by John Ringo
70. An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
71. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
72. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
73. Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire
74. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire
75. The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire
76. A Rose Red Chain by Seanan McGuire
77. The Heir (The Selection) by Kiera Cass
78. Spirit Hackers by Aaron Crocco
79. Arena Mode by Blake Northcott
80. Assault or Attrition by Blake Northcott
81. Final Empire by Blake Northcott
82. The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox
83. The Housewife Assassin's Deadly Dossier by Josie Brown
84. The Housewife Assassin's Handbook by Josie Brown
85. All Fall Down by Erica Spindler
86. Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger
87. Chimera by Mira Grant
88. The Park Service by Ryan Winfield
89. Isle of Man by Ryan Winfield
90. State of Nature by Ryan Winfield
91. Quantico by Greg Bear
92. Ridiculous by DL Carter
93. Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb

Weekly Weigh In Jan 4

The Holiday Season was rough on my willpower this year so I'm up a bit of weight that should drop off once I get back into strict logging of calories. I definitely disappointed myself last year so, this year I really need to be strictly disciplined. My biggest goal for the year is to continue to be more active. The good news is that since I spent most of the last week at home relaxing, I have no where to go but up this week. Of course, this week is starting with snow and ice so I need to be even more diligent.

Statistics:

Morning Workouts: 3
Lunchtime Weight Lifting: 0
Evening Dog Walks: 0
Bedtime Yoga: 2
Step Counting:
     Monday: 517
     Tuesday: 10634
     Wednesday: 8784
     Thursday: 5125
     Friday: 1109
     Saturday: 151
     Sunday: 718

     Weekly Average: 3862
     Last Week's Average: 6473

     Weekly Total: 27038
     Last Week's Total: 45314

     January Average: 659
     January Total: 1978

Current Weight: 253.2 pounds
Last Week: 245.4 pounds

Weight Loss/Gain: 0.8 pounds gained

Starting Weight: 249.4 pounds
Highest Point: 254.6 pounds
Lowest Point: 238.4 pounds

Building a Bucket List #92-98

92. See the Tokyo Tower
93. Visit the Wrangell St. Elias National Park
94. See the San Antonio Missions
95. Learn how to surf
96. See Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janerio
97. Visit the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
98. Visit the Palenque ruins

Building a Bucket List #85-91

85. Visit Times Square
86. See Sitka National Historic Park
87. Visit Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
88. Learn how to make lace
89. See the Arcopolis in Greece
90. Visit the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
91. See the Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point

Building a Bucket List #78-84

78. Visit Lake Clark National Park
79. See the Burg Al Arab Hotel
80. Tour Independence Hall
81. Learn how to refinish wood furniture
82. See the Pyramids of Giza
83. Visit the Noatak National Preserve
84. See the Taos Peublo