New Business Start Up - in Record Time

Well...when we decide to do something, we don't mess around, hubby & I.

Thanks to the fact that hubby already had a business we are able to get up & running with very little lead time. We already have PST & GST numbers... waiting on his license - but that should get here any day... and in the meantime, we've got a good start on a webpage for Cottage Country Pest Control, and I'm working on backlinks, of course :)

One of our biggest advantages over DH & co. is that we have a whole lot more skill when it comes to the Internet and SEO - also, a much higher level of computer skills to handle the office management and organization end of things. I had made a database for DH but he ended up firing R. before I ever gave it to him ...so guess who will be using it now?

We also have our old video store database that includes a whole lot of customers that know R. well and will likely be willing to support him in his new venture .... will be having Tamara come up next week to do some telemarketing for us.

He's just back from picking up the equipment he needs to get started; the product is on its way, and we've already got a couple of customers lined up - - - so DH & co. can just go f.....well, I won't say it...but you can probably guess.

Stephanie even did a tarot card reading for R. re: his new business venture.

I wish I wasn't going to be away so much over the next month ...and that I didn't have so darn much of my own work to do ... but oh well... will get through ...and hopefully even enjoy myself while I'm away.

Tomorrow I'm off to Ottawa to attend The Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences and to meet with my new employers at the National Archives of Canada about the project I will be working on .... then on Thursday I will be heading to Brampton to stay at my sister's and meet with some people about my research project on Friday. Hubby will pick me up there and bring me home for a week and then on June 6 he'll take me back, as that is the day my sister & I fly out to Victoria BC for a week long course in Digital Editing (for me; sis gets to do whatever she wants while I'm in class).

I expect I'll find time to do some blogging while I'm gone ... taking both my netbook and my Roger's stick with me... but doubt I'll manage to keep up my Entrecard dropping. But we'll see.

Anyway ... time to go figure out what I need to take with me and what the heck I'm going to put it in!

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Tay Township Trail ~Improvements~

I think that soon I am going to have to move my daily walk to the morning - it is just too hot to walk the Tay Township trail between my house and the post office any more. It really is too bad - the town took it over and have made a total hash of the whole thing.

Used to be that we walked the trail - hubby more than me - and there was shade. Not ALL the way - but most of it was lined with trees on both sides. It was gravel then - now they've paved it, cut down most of the trees that used to line it - which provided shade and made for a much more pleasant walk, as well. I would always prefer to look at trees - and birds - and other assorted critters - than at people's trailer homes and houses. I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't!

Not only that, but we used to be able to use the trail year round - now, since they've ~improved~ it, it is no longer usable in the winter. Because they used such a craptastic grade of pavement, they kicked the snowmobile clubs off of it, so there is nothing to pack the snow - which means that the only reasonable way one could use it is with snowshoes.

This season they've added a little park - picnic tables and a few benches - right where there USED to be a whole bunch of beautiful mature trees that would have - - - could have --- provided a lovely shady area for a park. Now it is all cleared - no shade whatsoever. If they had any sense at all they'd have left the damn trees - or now, since it's too late for that, at least put up a gazebo so that it would offer some relief from the sun. No such luck, of course.

*sigh* gotta love such ~improvements~

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Trying to Watch HOUSE

Oh sure! Now that House is over, the guys have gone outside. I have been gritting my teeth in frustration for the last half an hour or so - one of hubby's friends came over to chat, which is fine...

or was, as long as he stayed in the kitchen, where hubby was doing dishes, and chatted out THERE.

But then he decided to come sit in the living room - in the chair closest to the television - and talk to hubby through the cut out in the wall instead. Not TOO annoying!

House ended and THEN they go outside to unload our new (and free?!) central air unit from the truck to the garage. That's what buddy does - heating and cooling - apparently a unit fell of a truck or something. Which is nice - but they should have gone and unloaded it before and let me watch my show in peace, don't you think?

Scrooge & I went for our walk today - I thought I'd try it without taking Tylenol3s to head off the back pain before I went. Took a couple of regular Tylenol's instead. Bad idea. Really need to do something about the back pain - it is severely limiting my ability to get the exercise I need to get to help with my weight loss. And besides that, it irks me!

Made another pot of tomato sauce today - it is quickly becoming a staple around here. I use tinned tomatoes (with no salt added) and add lots of veggies and seasoning. I use it to poach my (allowed) egg in the morning cuz I'm tired of boring eggs... and quite often also use it with my lunch/dinner portion of meat .... it makes it seem like more.

Dang... he got my hopes up ...said he was leaving, but got talking again ... *sigh*

We get up at 6 a.m. these days...I'm about done in...REALLY not inclined to be even minimably sociable any more tonight.

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Just Flitting through my first week off

After several years of year round school, I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself now that I have time off.

I'm figuring it out.

Scrooge and I have walked a lot this week .... expanding my distance, and picking up speed. My back has been really bothering me, especially when I walk, which is a pain - but for now, I'm taking pain killers before I go... but I am also considering going to a chiropracter to see if they might be able to help.

I would rather fix the problem than take pills.

Hubby is too busy with work this time of year to be running me all over to appointments, so I talked to my sister in law... she and her husband both go regularly, so I will try their chiropracter and hopefully book to go at the same time.

Went shopping with a friend yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I bought a new shirt and a dress - both made out of a wonderful cotton that I just love. I also found a pair of dressier shoes that work with my orthotics - I need my orthotics, so that is always a consideration. I paid more for that one pair of shoes than I have EVER paid for shoes - but I am really happy with them. Having to wear ankle high walking shoes for most things is one thing, but it will be nice to have at least one pair that I can wear for dress-up.

I also bought a floppy hat that I really like - except for the fact that it kept blowing off my head today! I guess I should have got one with strings - might have to add some. It is not a big deal for walking, but I would hate to lose it in the lake when I go out fishing. Or, if my back can handle it, just rowing.

My diet is still going well - ate some dry ribs @ Boston Pizza yesterday while we were out that I probably shouldn't have ...was not a happy surprise when I added them to my-calorie-counter!!

But I didn't bother kicking myself too much - just made it a lighter dinner, and back on track today.

I have lost 25lbs so far - I'm sure some of that was water and it will probably slow down some - but I'm proud of my success anyway, and motivated to keep going... I need my drivers license back!

Anyway, other than walking and eating watermelon and celery and cantaloupe and radishes, I've managed to get a good start on organizing my bookshelves. I have also started writing my major research paper even though I am still waiting for feedback from my advisor and from the ethics board at the university. The first section, discussing emerging adults as a market segment, can be done without the research interviews, so might as well get going on it. I am also almost finished reading Stephanie the rocket scientist's latest novel, which some publisher should hurry up and publish.

And now I'm off to go beat up my pork tenderloin for dinner - I want schnitzel ... so I am making schnitzel (with melba toast crumbs cuz I'm allowed melba toast).

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food flitting

Three weeks into my diet, I'm 23lbs lighter and still doing very well with it. I thought it would be a lot harder than it has been, actually.

Even the things that I really missed at first - like bread! and pasta! aren't calling to me all the time any more. I gave up coffee without a whimper - not allowed the caffeine and just doesn't seem to be much point to decaf to me. I would probably still be missing chocolate, but I found a low-fat, no-sugar brand of chocolate ice cream that I can have. I'm sure technically it's not on the diet, but since it has less calories than the same amount of cottage cheese, I have decided it is an allowable option for my 1 cup of milk a day.

I am eating a lot of baked zucchini these days... and have a container of baby carrots, celery and radishes on the counter, and cut & ready to eat melon in the fridge, that I snack from whenever I want something.

my-calorie-counter.com is probably the biggest key to my success - I use their online food diary to keep track of everything I eat and find it really useful. Not only does it keep track of calories, it also shows fat, protein, sodium, cholesterol and so on ... the default daily allowances are for 2000 calories a day, but I'm only on a 1000 calorie a day diet so I just cut them all in half.

When I first started using it, I was putting things in after I ate them - now I put them in before... that way I can see what the food is going to do in each of those areas, and if it throws any of them over, I just don't eat that. It has been particularly helpful when it comes to my salt intake. Who knew there was SO much salt in SO many things?!

Since I have cut my sodium intake down drastically, I am noticing that some foods that I used to enjoy - like processed cheese for example - are just loaded with it. My cheese slices don't even taste like cheese any more - I had one yesterday and it was disgustingly salty! Even the low-sodium tomato juice that I thought was bland when I first started this whole diet thing tastes salty to me now.

One major plus to this whole diet thing is that it gives me an excuse to buy veggies that I like but hubby doesn't... he likes his corn ... but my diet sheet clearly says NO corn. So I make corn or whatever other boring veggies he wants for him, but I have asparagus or brussel sprouts or broccoli or spinach or zucchini or... well, you get the idea.

Eating out is still a pain - but even at restaurants I have been able to keep my calorie intake below my daily allowance. So far, anyway. This weekend we're going to a reception on Saturday and dinner at hubby's daughter's on Sunday ... so we'll see.

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Time Off

Okay... so I have a week or so off before I need to get going on my Major Research Project... papers are done, marks are submitted, ~stuff~ is done.

I SO do not do this off thing well.... I find it more exhausting than being constantly busy, I think.

Think I'm going to haul out my YA novel and try to get back to work on that tomorrow... and will keep working on trying to organize my mess of books.

Or maybe I'll start in on the MRP after all. But then if I get THAT all done, what AM I going to do with the rest of my summer?

Time to get writing I think!

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Timing is Everything

I'm rather amazed... last semester, right near the end when all the essays were due, that's when I had a car accident and broke one wrist and sprained t'other.

THIS semester I made it through the last of my essays... and an hour later, had to trundle off to emerg to find out why the left side of my face was swelling up... so if nothing else, I seem to have learned better timing, eh?

Face is quite a bit better today - it's just a blocked salival gland, and I am on antibiotics and painkillers...not even needing the latter now

The antibiotics seem like they may well be a plus - they upset my stomach and make me nauseous... good for the 1000 calorie a day diet, if nothing else.

I record everything I eat in my food journal at My-Calorie-Counter.com ...today's total was about 300 calories... of course, the fact that I slept until noon might have helped some :)

I was actually in the negative (cuz I burned off more calories walking than I'd eaten) but then we had (no fat no sugar) chocolate ice cream with fresh strawberries.

Anyway ...I'm off to bed... getting up early in the morning with hubby ... he's off to do a bat job on an island somewhere and I am going to enjoy my first FREE day finishing off a bit of stuff, maybe organizing some books, and watching stOOpid judge shows.

Oh yeah, and blogging :)

In addition to my own blogs this week, and Scrooge, my walker hound's new blog, I'm also filling in on Ask The Rocket Scientist Anything... no rocket science questions but if you've got any others you'd like me to have a go at, feel free to stop by and ask 'em!

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A long day ....

And it is far from over... didn't do so well at working en route today - I have a lovely little Aspire netbook and I did get SOME work done while hubby drove me to Peterborough and back ... but not really work on the essay I need to write (by tomorrow) itself - mostly I just futzed around copying & pasting bits from various resources that I expect I will use in one way or another.

Picked up my students' exams and marked some of them while we drove to visit friends of hubby's who live up that-a-way ... really hadn't thought about going there seeing as how I have this essay to get done - but the last time he wanted to go I also had an essay due and we ended up not going because of it.... so this time I said it was fine, let's go - even though it really wasn't fine and I have no idea how I'm going to manage to get it all done now *sigh*

It was a very nice visit - just really aware the entire time that I had SO much work yet to do. Left there shortly after 5 pm, got home just after 8.

Anyway, I'm home now, and the bat visitor we found in the house when we got home has been ejected, so it's time I was knuckling down to get some work done!

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Weekly Update

So far so good! I have been able to meet my goal of posting a daily article on both Flitting on Fiction and Back to School for Grownups... and to drop my daily 300 Entrecards as well.

On Flitting on Fiction, articles include

• today's review of Clive Cussler's Plague Ship (with Jack du Brul)
• articles about Viral Contagion, and Pandemic II
• and pictures of my happy leprechans (aka my grandbabies)

Back to School for Grownups has mostly been about

• my search for housing for next fall
• the grad student residence option
• summer school in Victoria BC, and
• finding something to write about every day.

Have not got to flitting.org....will try to get an update about our ongoing difficulties with TD CanadaTrust up there sometime this weekend, though.

Another new blog that you might be interested is Ask Me Anything, which is Stephanie, the rocket scientist's latest .... well worth a visit.

Also, if you happen to be a grad student ... or might want to be one someday, why not stop by The Grad Cafe? I'm really enjoying the interaction there...and learning a lot about universities in the US in the process, which I think will help me to do a better job of Back to School for Grownups.

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