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DRAFT TODAY, POST TOMORROW: Some posts may be in draft status until I (aka procrastinator extraordinaire) get around to posting them.



Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Every Single Day

The provided lunch at my work event was a beef meal; several people had the vegetarian option.  Arrangements were made for me to get a chicken meal with all my restrictions in mind, so I had salad with oil and vinegar, and a boneless grilled chicken breast with white rice and veggies.  The chicken was a little dry, the rice and veggies were cooked fine, but there was NO seasoning.  At all.  I ate it with some salt and pepper.  Instead of the crazy chocolate dessert everyone had, I got a fruit plate with a lot of melon; I ate the pineapple and berries.

On my way out of town, I had to make a stop to get some paperwork.  I changed clothes for my drive home and got a large ice tea from Panda Express.  Yes, I like their tea, even though I can't eat there anymore.  I forgot how huge their drink sizes are!

When I got home, I had a can of Muir Glen tomato basil soup which was good, but chunkier than I expected.  I recently had the tomato bisque (it contains no diary), and I think it was better.

During my trip, I visited with an elderly man whose wife doesn't recognize him and an elderly woman who misses discussing decisions with her (now deceased) husband.  As much work as being married can seem to be at times, I am grateful that I have been blessed to find this love, something I never expected or sought.  Even when he's jumping on my last nerve, I want to love him every single day.

Update: I'm certain the can of bisque I ate had no dairy ingredients, but this is no longer the case or I haven't been able to find it.  I'm certain I can make bisque by adding alternative milk (which one, which one?) to the tomato basil soup and maybe using the immersion blender to make it less chunky.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Flemings (Eating out in the Palm Springs area, Part 2)

My boss, my supervisor and another coworker were planning to go to dinner.  We went to PF Changs, but there was a wait.  We checked next door and were seated right away.  I haven't been to a Flemings in years.  I asked for the gluten-free or allergen menu and was provided with a gluten-free menu.  Most of the steaks are made with just salt and pepper, but I wasn't planning to eat beef.  I narrowed my choices to a chicken dinner or a "small plate" of scallops and vegetables.  I decided I wanted to get a salad, so I went with the smaller, less expensive dish.

I was freaking out a little as I ordered because the waiter, while trying to be very accommodating, said that he could tell the kitchen I am gluten-free and they would take care of me.  I felt like I had a very hard time convincing him that I am not JUST gluten-free.  I was able to order in a manner that I hoped would keep me on track.

Others at the table had bread and crab cakes; fortunately, the salads came before the crab cakes so I wasn't drooling.  The person who ordered steak wanted to share with everyone, so I had a very good surf and turf with a glass of red wine.

The meal was good, although very expensive (I did not pay, but I still watch).  I appreciate the gluten-free menu and am glad that I didn't have to send anything back to the kitchen.

Eating out in the Palm Springs area (Part 1)

I made it to Palm Springs in about four hours.  I checked in and then headed out for lunch.  I did my homework but it didn't pay off.  I found an area that had a few restaurants at which I was certain I would be able to eat well.  The map said they were about 20 minutes from the hotel, but I was about 15 minutes out and wasn't even halfway there, so I turned around and went to a small Mexican restaurant that I had noticed.  It appeared to have a crowd, usually a good sign.

When I got my menu, I became nervous that I was going to have to go elsewhere.  I asked about the chips (they looked awesome, kind of puffy) but they were contaminated, so he took them back and left the salsa for me.  I ordered the only thing I could: chicken tacos, rice and beans, no cheese on the tacos or beans.  I was going to order guacamole but he told me they put sour cream in their guacamole.  Who does that?  Grr.  I used the salsa on my tacos and ate as much as I could, the meal was so good.  Or I was so hungry.  Maybe both.

Manic Monday

I was packing for my trip and my husband asked me if I'm suicidal.  I cannot imagine ever killing myself, so this surprised me.  No, I'm not suicidal!  Why would you ask that?  He found my note.  I explained that it was just how I felt at the time, but I wasn't considering harming myself.  Thinking that I should have died does not mean that I will make that happen!  Does depression mean that suicide is inevitable?  I don't think so....

I was packing for my trip and we said our goodbyes before he left for work.  I had a four hour drive to Palm Springs for work.  I took a couple of audiobooks.  The first I listened to was short--Eat That Frog!  This was our newly revived book club selection.  Next I started a fiction book, Walter Mosley's Last Days of Tolemy Gray.  The drive was over in no time!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Hiking White Tanks

Teka

Cassi found a big stick

Hiking


Thursday, January 26, 2012

Dr. H

I'm allergic to everything. My previous test said wheat, egg whites, and brewers yeast.

I got my new one back. The items in the 0 column are supposedly okay, but may not be if I haven't been eating them.

My highest reactions were to whey, banana, amaranth, I'm skeptical of how they are reading the results because within the 0 (no reaction) column, I see wheat, brewer's yeast, and egg white (all of which was on my previous allergy test!), egg yolk and soy; I also reacted more to Baker's yeast, Lima beans, cranberry, and sesame seeds.

I'm totally freaked out. I can't eat anything.
Isn't whey in all those dairy things?

WTH.

FML.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Agility class

Teeter to start
 We had a variation of the Excellent FAST course that Cassi ran on Saturday.  Cassi did the teeter as the first obstacle and got it both times; she got the tunnel one time but not the other.  She did pretty well otherwise.  It was interesting to see that she got through the course under time the first time, although she was a little longer on time the second time since she had to figure out the tunnel.

distance: jump to tunnel to frame (right)
Teka had more trouble with the tunnel the second time and had trouble with the A-frame both times, as well as the jump.  She also got excited right afterwards and did all the jumps in a row, including the final jump, which was not what I was trying to do.  I wanted to take the jumps around to the other end of the tunnel, then to the finish jump.

finish jump
There were several strategies discussed.  The dog should be in front of you, not behind, when you are headed for the distance work so that they don't see you decelerate.  Once they commit to the tunnel, move toward the (in this case) left and away from the line so you have room to gain momentum going toward the A-frame.  Turn a little more toward the dog when pushing out to the jump.  It was good to watch how some others ran the course nearly the same but slightly different to see how it flowed.

Durant's

I've been having some trouble getting dressed in the morning.  I wanted to dress very professionally today, so I found a black blazer that worked well with a blouse I have.  I tried on a pair of pants--too big, then another--the black didn't match the blazer, then another--too big.  So I put on my skirt--a little too big but not noticeable.  I was wearing peep toe slingback shoes, and I just recently found out that you are NOT supposed to wear pantyhose with those (I usually just wear them with pants) so I went with bare legs.  Someone at work said I was "out of code" but someone else said I couldn't wear hose with them, so....

Sometimes, you meet someone who is brilliant and interesting, and you want to absorb everything they say.  I was able to get invited to dinner with a group after our meeting.  The dinner was a the historic Durant's.  Apparently, this wheat thing is getting incredibly common, as the waiter interrupted me when I started to tell him about my wheat allergy.  He told me that all the sauces, even the au jus, have gluten.  The safe foods were one of the steaks (not for me) or salmon with no sauce, and either mashed potatoes (dairy) or asparagus or vegetable medley.  I got the salmon and veggies, and the salad with no croutons.  Obviously I did not eat any of the bread or brownie dessert, but as everyone was going to share a dessert I decided to have a cappuccino.  I don't know why, I just wanted it, so I did it--I cheated.

I was actually feeling full, almost uncomfortably when I left to go to class.  The weight on the scale hasn't really moved so I don't know why everything seems so baggy, but I was hiking my jeans up during class.  I guess it's time for another round of closet purging.  And some shopping.  *sigh*

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

What I'm eating now

I've been trying products with some good results, some not so good results.  The yogurt (plain and flavored) made of coconut milk was not great and not worth the money.  The falafel chips were meh.

Quinoa flakes were an excellent discovery--it's like a Cream of Wheat substitute and it's pretty quick to cook too.

At Fresh & Easy, they had some Enjoy Life cookies on clearance, so I bought all three flavors they had: chocolate chip, gingerbread, and lemon.  The chocolate chip were okay and I haven't had the lemon yet, but the gingerbread cookies were surprisingly good.  Now, I should clarify that they are more cake-like cookies, but the flavor is awesome.  I've been eating them two at a time with a little glass of Peppermint Mocha Kahlua and Almond Milk.

I'm still eating the Food Should Be Good sweet potato chips and jalapeno chips and have found some cassava chips that are similar to Ruffles.  I also like the adzuki bean chips.  Unfortunately, they are all more expensive than "regular" chips so I make sure I eat them all!

I have found some really great goat cheese variations.  Most recently, I ate Gouda that I got at Fresh & Easy.  I'm planning to go back to Trader Joe's for some more cheddar, and I picked up some mozzarella at Sprout's.  I'm trying to rotate them as I want to make sure they don't go bad before I have time to eat them.  Waste not, want not, or something.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Paws for a Wish AKC Agility Trial

Previously Wags for Wishes, held last year at Rawhide, Paws for a Wish was held at PERA Club in Tempe.  I forgot my page with the ring schedule (the order that things happen in each ring) and there were three rings, so I checked what was happening in each ring.  I was wearing my new Vibram Five Fingers; the grass was wet and it was cold, and I wondered if I should have worn socks--but then they would be wet, so maybe not.

Teka ran in Open FAST.  We have been working really hard on her "out" but I know it's still hard for her.  I took her over a jump, into a tunnel, through the tire, leading into the send bonus area starting with a jump, to the A-frame, then to a jump, all at a 10 foot distance from me.  As she came down the A-frame, she started coming towards me; I tried to keep her focused out, but she came into me.  I was able to get her over the out jump on the third try, but I did get a fault.  I ran her through the rest of my planned course; she missed one jump, but otherwise did very well.

Cassi ran Excellent Jumpers with Weaves and was just spazzy and unfocused.  She started out okay, but after a few jumps, she did a spin before jumping, was sniffing, popped out of her weaves, and then, when she was nearly done, she ran off toward the entrance.  It was disappointing, but I guess she had fun.

Excellent FAST was running a little weird since Excellent JWW and Excellent Standard were running.  My husband and I had a breakdown in communication and he missed our run.  Cassi did really well, even doing her 15 foot distance four obstacle send bonus.  The judge even commented on our "perfect timing" as we hit the last jump as the buzzer sounded.

I was nervous about Cassi's Excellent Standard run since she would have to do the tire twice.  The tire was not her issue; she was sniffing the ground and completely distracted.  She started okay but got an early refusal, then went back onto the teeter when we were going to the table, then jumped back over the jump she just did instead of wrapping it.  On the other side of the A-frame, she completely lost her focus and made her own course, even going around the finish jump.

Teka's Open JWW course was similar to Cassi's until more than halfway through.  I had to cheer over every jump.  She missed her weave entry but I was able to get her through.  Near the end, she picked up speed and energy.  The judge clapped for us, but I later found that we did not get a Q.  I should re-read the rules, but I think she was just too slow.

Her last run was Open Standard.  She needed even more encouragement to start.  When she went over the jump to the tunnel, she wasn't paying any attention to me at all and went into the wrong end.  I sent her back in; when she came out, she would NOT do the weaves.  I ran her past and kept going.  She did everything, but just wasn't into it.  I got a clap from the judge at the end, I think just that he was glad to see she did it, although she couldn't Q without the weaves.

I was really disappointed that she did not get any Qs.  I was disappointed that neither of them were really playing on the same team with me, except for Cassi's FAST run.  For some reason--the judge didn't review the results after the class closed--that was the only run I had that didn't have the results posted when we left several hours later.  I was really disappointed that I did not get confirmation that we got our Q, so I did not get a ribbon, I have no photo, and I have no video.

The highlight of the day was actually not agility related.  We decided to take Teka to the lure course, and she went insane.  She loved it.  She went nuts for that little "mouse" on the pulley.  We actually had trouble catching her--she jumped over the fence, through the fence, around the fence--she was just crazy for that "mouse."  It was the best $7 we spent all day!  If she could run next to another dog, I would LOVE to run her in lure courses.  I'll have to just keep an eye for this type of event for her.

I'm pretty certain that I'm going to retire her from agility, I was thinking when I retire Cassi, but I'm thinking this might be her last season either way.  She's so great at it when we aren't at trials, so it's so disheartening that she doesn't really seem to like it most of the time in public.  And she's SO fun when she does like it.  *sigh*  I'm considering retiring Cassi too as the times may be too short for her in Excellent, but I think she likes it, and several people have asked me about dropping her to Preferred heights, which would mean starting over at Novice, so I have more to consider before the fall.

Friday, January 20, 2012

It's my fault.

I expect too much, and then I'm disappointed.  Or, even worse, irritated.  At lunch with coworkers, I was unable to find anything on the menu that I could eat, but the waiter (and the chef came out too!) came up with something for me--specially designed just for me.  I was appreciative.  It was pretty good, but after we left, I realized that I was still hungry.  So I was a little disappointed.
shrimp tacos and steamed vegetables
I came home and found beautiful flowers on my table.  They are from my garden.  Pretty awesome.  Other things made me a little irritated.  But it's the end of the day, I'm worn out, easily overreact, and to me, "it could be worse" means "it probably will be worse."  As seems to happen every time I'm excited about tomorrow, I'm worried that I may have eaten something or overdid something and won't feel well tomorrow.  But I won't know till then.  I guess this is anxiety.  But it will be better.  Or worse.  Tomorrow.

In unrelated news, I took my monthly survey--no change.  And I modified a recipe, basically making chicken with cranberry sauce and orange juice, and red quinoa with a little cranberry sauce and OJ.  My husband doesn't really like quinoa but he thought this meal was alright and he ate it all.  I thought it was good and I have leftovers.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Hi, my name is V and I'm a big spender.

A lady I work with came out of her way, into my office, to tell my that I look so much healthier.  Not thinner.  Healthier.  That made my day.  In all the years I've been trying to lose weight, it wasn't the number on the scale that really bothered me, although it did of course; it was that I didn't feel good and I thought I would feel better if I was thinner.  Hell, I DID feel better when I was thinner, so I think that is reasonable.  Unfortunately, that was before.  Before MS.  Before MS drugs.  Before allergies.  Before drug trials.  Before it was so hard to feel healthy.  Just, before.

I planned for, and took, a very long lunch break.  My first stop was Runner's World.  I was hesitant to go there since I thought I would pay more for shoes, but I wanted their expertise.  I have not had a pair of althetic shoes that really fit me great in a long time.  I've gotten rid of almost all of them as I lost weight, but have one pair left.  I noticed last night that my heel, even up the back of the heel a little, was hurting after I got home from running agility.  My heel has been moving around in my shoes for a very long time; it seems that my heel is a little narrow for the size of my foot.  It's not an issue in open shoes but I feel my heels moving in closed shoes.

At Runner's World, I told the man who was helping me that I need shoes for trail walking and for running agility; I wasn't sure I could get one pair for both activities.  He showed me how the bottom of trail shoes and running shoes are different and tried for something in between, leaning toward hiking.  I tried on a few pairs but the first pair, which were size 10.5 Asics, were the best.

I knew I was between sizes.  (Usually half sizes stop at size 10.)  The last time I remember a good fit in my althetic shoes was when I found a pair of 10.5 size BUM shoes at JC Penney Outlet, and those weren't even really athletic shoes, just super cute tennis shoes.  OMG, I hope that is not really the last time--that was about 20 years ago.  I am NOT kidding.  I remember picking them up--I worked there; it was when the store was still on Rural, before it moved to Arizona Mills; and it was before my car accident.

I took my custom insoles with me and he mentioned that they were probably making my heel sit up further in the shoe, so after I had tried the shoes on with them, I tried them without my inserts, and I think they felt better.  So my inserts really were a waste of money since I can't wear them with most of my shoes (professional and sandals) anyway.  He said the heel cup that I've tried is also making my heel sit up further in the shoe, so probably NOT helping.

He told me that his trick for my slipping heel problem is to skip the next to last hole when lacing the shoe; we tried this and the fit was perfect.  He also suggested a thing that you put in the back of your shoe that grips (like fabric?) as your foot starts to slide up so that it doesn't.  It wasn't a gel thing like I've tried in the past, but he said that it is sold at nicer department stores.

Once we decided on the Asics, he asked if I wanted to try the Vibram 5 fingers that I had asked about earlier.  He measured my foot in women's and men's sizes as I might be a little between women's sizes.  He brought me a pair and explained that I should focus on putting my big toe in first.  The right foot wasn't too difficult but the left foot needed more guidance since I don't really have full feeling in all of those toes.  It was a little weird to feel the toes individually wrapped.

Women's 42 and 10.5
I walked around in them and they were really comfortable, almost like being barefoot, but not quite.  He said they are washable and/or I can wear socks with them.  I forgot to get socks, so I might look for a pair to try, but they are fine without.  To break them in, I'm supposed to wear the shoes for a half hour at first and increase the time.  I really want to wear them for the agility trial this weekend, so I think I'll wear them tonight and tomorrow night around the house.  These shoes are actually less expensive than the others, but I can't walk trails in these.  A lady there said she wears hers about 3 times a week and I'll feel it in my calves afterwards, like when you exercise muscles you don't usually use.

I met my friend A for lunch at Babbo's, not too far from Runner's World or A's house.  She also told me how healthy I look!  We both had the chicken with roasted brussel sprouts, beets, raisins and goat cheese, mista salad (mine with no cheese) and green ice tea.  It was a great meal.  As we were talking the whole time, I noticed that I didn't eat quite as much as I would by myself but I still ate most of it.

She is having (has been having) some health issues and we discussed diet and her thoughts about the possibility of Candida.  A candida diet (part of the strictest MS diets I researched when I was diagnosed) eliminates all sugar.  I was thinking how hard that would be for me to do, but I've done it in small increments before, AND I would have thought what I'm doing now is too hard but I'm doing it anyway.  I woke up this morning with a new "zit" on my upper chest and wondered when I saw it, did I eat something that caused that.  Now I'm wondering if it was sugar and if I'm going to have to reduce my sugar even more.

I didn't realize that her husband is allergic to corn, peanuts, and tomatoes.  It's really amazing, and maybe a little disheartening, how many people are having these diet issues.  I'm encouraged by more awareness but wish it wasn't so sensationalized sometimes.  Yes, wheat is messing a lot of us up, but the evils of wheat--is that necessary?  And I should clarify, it's disheartening to me because nothing is being done from the top to address the issue; we all have to do our own research and then spend unbelievable amounts of time weeding through the food products to find decent products to consume.

We also talked about our dogs.  She thought it couldn't hurt to try the earplugs idea on Teka, but I should try it in practice first to see if she will actually pay attention to my body language enough for that to work.  She thought I should not get discouraged by a huge gap in Q's (qualifying scores) in Excellent; that it is a huge difference from Open to Excellent for Cassi.  And me.  She didn't really seem to think either of them needed to be moved to preferred but that I should probably be jumping them in class at the height they run in trials.  Right now Cassi jumps 20" in class and 24" in trials; we don't really set the bars higher than 20" in class for whatever reason, maybe to reduce the number of height changes.  And to give me a break, Teka only jumps 20" (her trial jump height) on nights we do exercises if our whole group is at 20"; otherwise, and on course nights, she jumps 16" so I get a break between them running.  It's something to consider.

We talked about family too, but that's just more of the same, right?  She thought my "shoes in the closet" story was hilarious though.  No, I have not told that on my blog and am unlikely to tell it here since I cannot protect the identity of the involved party or parties.  But I am totally going to put that in my memoir if I ever write one!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Agility class

tire to tunnel to jump
It was course night and we were able to run three times.  The beginning was a tire with a left turn into the far side of a tunnel.  The third time, we came up with the "slingshot" method--instead of placing the dog in front of the tire, we set them far to the left and did more of a moving start, so they actually end up doing a U-turn into the tunnel.

weave exit to that jump in the middle
Coming out, there's a jump, then an angled weave entrance.  I clicked for Teka all the way through and she was great once she figured out the entrance.  Coming out of the weaves was a wonky turn to a jump, then a right turn to the A-frame.

A-frame, jump on left then right, table
Coming off the A-frame was a right turn over a jump, then keeping them out long enough to come back over the next jump to the table.

table (left), jump, tunnel
Coming off the table, there is a jump with another in front of it that they don't go over.  Instead, it's a left turn into a tunnel that is right next to the dog walk.  The only way we were successful here was for me to move all the way to the other side of the jump while the dog was on the table, then do a front cross to the tunnel.

serpentine jumps (right), chute (left)
Coming out of the tunnel was a right turn to the teeter, which they both did great.  (I gave Cassi a click at the pivot and the end.)  Then a right turn to the jump and another right to the dog walk.  I tried it the easy way on the right, and then a front cross to be on the left.  On the other end, it was better to have done it on the left, but it was a little awkward with the tunnel there.

From the dog walk was a left turn to a jump (although the tunnel was directly in front of us) and then into a serpentine.  This serpentine leaves a tricky entrance to the chute.  I was so pleased that Teka is doing her "go-on" over the last jump.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

I'm depressing, but not depressed.

I know people who deal with depression and I feel for them; it's a terrible fight.  Somehow, I've always found my way out of the wallowing very quickly.  But last night, I wrote this...

I don't think of myself as a depressed person or someone who suffers from depression.  But I find myself occasionally weeping, silently crying at night.  Thinking about all the times I've wondered why I didn't die in that car accident.  I was supposed to die.  I have suffered indescribable misery since then, increasing trials of my strength.  I just have those moments when I wish I died that day.  So I wouldn't remember the misery before.  And I wouldn't experience the misery after.

But then the moment is gone.  I am blessed.  My struggles make me look for the brightness, the lightheartedness, the good news, the fun times.

And I try to forget those dark places.  Rolling in a truck in the desert.  Unspeakable things in a bathroom, in a boarder's room, in a church--things that should not happen to little girls; the cruel things done by people who are supposed to love a little girl, in a kitchen, a bathroom, on the street.  Guilt for the girl I didn't (couldn't?) help.  And I weep silently in the dark.  And wonder...what if I died that day?

Monday, January 16, 2012

It's Monday.

I didn't feel great today.  Was it the "regular" corn tortillas?  Did I overdo it?  Is it just random?  Well, I made it through.  I entered a giveaway for Innocent Indulgence via Gluten Free Frenzy.  It would be cool to win desserts I can eat.  Cheesecake with no eggs, no dairy, no soy--can you believe it?  I'll take it!  And a coaching session, too!

Defining gluten sensitivity (also Celiac disease and wheat allergy)

Sunday, January 15, 2012

2012 Hike #2

We went to White Tanks and did the Waterfall Canyon hike and another loop that connects to that trail.  It was probably a little over 4 miles.  It took a couple hours since we stop for the photographer.  We gathered a pretty good size crowd at one location when Cassi was on a rock; several hikers took photos of her.

We made lunch at our house--chicken with salsa verde, white rice, and beef tacos.  I had a taco and some chicken and rice.  I used some of the cheddar goat cheese for my taco.  It was fantastic.  This jar of salsa verde was milder than the last one (same brand).  I'm going to have to make my own when I have time.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Agility fun run

There is an indoor agility facility where I have gone for some classes, and there will be a trial there soon, so they offered a practice session, or fun run.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to enter the trial, so I decided to take Cassi and Teka to the fun run.  I made it right on time and it was already packed.  I found an empty kennel for them and then set up my kennel for Teka, leaving Cassi in the other kennel.


serpentine on left coming from weaves
The jumpers course was set up with two sets of course numbers, so we could run twice with different course flow; unfortunately, it confused me and I missed part of both courses.  Teka would NOT do the weaves on the first course so I made her leave without finishing.  On the next course, I used the clicker and she made it through.  Now, if I could use a clicker during a trial, that would totally help, but alas, that is against the rules.

Jumpers course
Cassi was pretty excited to play.  She went around the start jump, which was a triple (pictured above), so we restarted.  She tried to go under the tire but I said no and she went through it.  (I'm sure that would be a refusal at trial.)
serpentine around to jump

The standard course was also set with two sets of course numbers.  Teka and Cassi both had trouble with the weaves and another lady thought her Vizsla didn't like how close they were to the wall.  As with the jumpers course, there was a serpentine, but the 3 jumps here were exactly in a row while they were more angled on the jumpers course.  Cassi did fantastic, and did the teeter (and I used the clicker, which she seemed to like.) Teka did well on the weaves when we were heading to the wall and I used the clicker.
weaves go straight back from jump

I had a chance to talk to a lady who has been doing agility a long time and been involved with dogs for decades.  She recommended that Teka might benefit from wearing ear plugs (one human ear plug cut in half) during trials to help her tune out the noise and nervous energy.  The lady who runs the place recommended I teach a verbal with the clicker; I'm not great at noises but I'll have to figure out a "click."  She also told me to be careful about running in socks because someone "broke her toe that way."  She doesn't want "outside" shoes on the matting, so I was running in socks because I only have one pair of athletic shoes that aren't humongous on me, and that pair is the one I've been wearing to my outside agility class, so they are dirty.

The upcoming trial will have all of the Excellent courses run first, then the Open and Novice levels will run.  After today's adventure, I'm not sure that I will enter Teka in the trial.  I usually enter Teka since I'll "be there anyway" but this trial, I can leave after Cassi is done.  Oh, what to do, what to do....

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Dr. H

I saw Dr. H. today.

And saw Ronald McDonald at his house (my office had a charity event to feed the families.)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Agility class






Cheating Part 3 (of 3)

I decided to have my Egg McMuffin to prepare for my allergy and Celiac tests tomorrow.  On the way, I picked up a large vanilla latte (with almond milk) at Ground Control.  What a fantastic breakfast.  When I was done, I went to JCPenney to return some shoes I ordered online, and to get some tights since I just put a whole in the one pair I had.  They had a lot of clearance racks going on; it looked like they might be doing their pre-inventory sale.  I wanted to spend more time but decided I needed to go home to my own bathroom.  Other than that, I have felt okay today.

I was working at home, sitting at my desk in my office, when the smoke detector started beeping for a low battery.  My Teka dog had a total panic or anxiety attack!  She crawled into my lap and shook like a leaf.  It was crazy.  I finally went and got a little bed to put under my desk for her so I could get back to work.  Since I was done cracking up at her ridiculousness.  I'm sure she does not agree, but it was hilarious.  She's so goofy.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Just tell me what to eat already.

Now that it is Tuesday, I wondered if there would be some residual effects of my wheat-fest, but it seems to have all gone through pretty quickly.  Why such a different reaction from last week?  Was it the beer?  Was there something else?  What, what, what???

Someone told me that wheat has to be consumed within 48 hours of the Celiac test, so I called the lab to confirm.  I told them that I had wheat on Sunday; they said I should have some more sometime before my test.  *sigh*  I can't think of anything I really want; the things I can think of that I would kinda want are not available (to my knowledge) anywhere around my side of town, and of course I'm not going to the office tomorrow.  If I don't think of something tomorrow, I'm getting an Egg McMuffin on Thursday before my appointment.

My husband is not always a fan of my (healthy) cooking but we haven't come to this!  Home Cooking (as seen on Oh Noa!)

Monday, January 9, 2012

Taco meat acorn squash

From Paleo Cooking Comfort Foods for the Gluten Free Kitchen. The meat was fantastic; the squash just tastes like squash. It would be better diced and mixed in.


Garden Views












Sunday, January 8, 2012

Cheating Part 2 (of 3)

Wings. Beer. Fried Zucchini. Fan-freaking-tastic.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012