What's Up?

Wondering what the heck is going on in my world?  Well let me tell you!

I was finally able to get the proper orders to get my MRI Johns Hopkins wanted in November.  For some reason, my mind thought CT Scan so boy was I surprised when I got to the tiny tube.  Luckily we were just doing my thighs so I didn't have to go all the way in.  What was really cool is they now have Pandora and headphones that you can listen too while you lay there.  Makes the banging and clanking of the Sputnik easier to tolerate.  Because we were doing both legs, I was forced to lay still for 1.5 hour.  Can I even begin to describe how sore I was when it was time to get up?  In fact, I was way hurting.  My back hurt like no tomorrow and my legs were wobbly.  But the "jerk" that came to get me up rushed me along and acted pretty frustrated I was moving like I was 95 (or maybe 105).  I explained I have a muscle disease and quite off balance but he didn't care.  Told me to hurry along because someone else was waiting.  Luckily I made it to the dressing room okay where I could sit and fold myself in half to stretch my back.  Eventually I was able to make it to my car and on my way home.  I wasn't sure how long it would take to recover but.....

I had a date that night.  I got brave and invited Mr. 9 hour coffee date to come over for a wine and chat complete with shoulder rub exchange.  I thought it was a great opportunity to use some of the wine I bought last Fall in Idaho (it wasn't very good...leaving a nasty taste of Idaho in my mouth and mind!  HAHA).  We did however have much better conversation.  We laughed and I gave him an awesome back, foot, and hand rub.  In return, I got a very mediocre massage but it was nice to have someone to visit with.  It was also a challenge for me to open up my home to someone new.  But it was comfortable and we had fun.  He is kind of a funny curmudgeon of a guy.  I don't know that we will ever be more than friends but he is interesting none-the-less.  And I cut him off when when started going on his Trump tirade and told him I do not agree with his outlook and there is probably no reason to discuss it.  Hopefully he did hear my point of view on the "Absurdity" of the women's march (it was not focused enough to be effective, he said) and why women are so upset  (grabbing a pussy might be a "man's world" but for women, it is a huge violation that we will not tolerate in a president, I said).  He backed down quite a bit after that and we moved on to other topics of conversation.  And I was very glad I still had a massage scheduled for the next week since he wasn't all that good at it.  And And, my back and muscles relaxed so it was all good.

I also dated a new guy, we will call him Mr. Toothless Trucker.  Such a sweet guy but a little scruffy and missing his front 2 teeth (Black and rotted out).  He is nice and attentive.  I was trying to tell myself anyone could be cleaned up (and sent to the dentist) but then I got cold feet.  Especially when he started texting and calling me pretty much all day.  Even when I told him I was busy with work, he would call.  Then get mad if I didn't answer.  So I finally told him I just am not ready for all he has to offer.  I tried to be very nice about it but I still felt bad.  He chose to quit talking to me which was okay.  So back to the looking.

I think I have 2 dates next week with new guys but we will see how it pans out.

I went to another singles night last night.  I planned to catch up with Paul, a very soft spoken guy I've seen several times.  He is super shy and people told me he talked more last night than ever.  I'm a little afraid to consider dating someone from the singles group if that isn't ironic enough because if it doesn't work out, it would make the meet ups awkward.  He told me his wife passed 10 years ago.  He loves to travel and has 2 cats (1 he rescued at the Jordan River Parkway before it froze to death in the cold weather we had 2 years ago).  I visited with other people too.  MaryAnn, the tall woman was there.  She is so well spoken and so much fun.  Other women too.  They invited me to go to dinner with them but I was out of calories for the day and they were headed downtown which is a mobility issue for me.  So I declined but will catch them another time.

Work is busy.  My ex boss/co worker is getting ready to take 4 weeks paternity leave.  So April is going to suck because I will be covering for him and we have lots going on.  My boss got me some help but it is going to be minimal.

I'm getting ready to go on another cruise.  Next week at this time, I will be in NYC!!  I am excited but also nervous about navigating the city and getting on the ship next Sunday.  I've not been to NYC since 2012!

Mom and Chuck have been coming to Salt Lake every 2 weeks to work on the Democratic committee stuff.  I had them over for dinner.  It is always nice to see them and catch up!

Speaking of food, I started doing Hello Fresh meals.  I get 3 dinners for 2 people each week.  It is all fresh and everything you need for a delicious and nutritious meal.  I've really been enjoying it although they are higher calorie and fat than I am used to eating.  The meals are really just as good as going to a nice restaurant.  It is a little bite to the budget but if I don't need to buy groceries, that helps balance it. I'll probably do a separate post about them complete with photos so you can salivate over the deliciousness I am creating 3 times a week at home.  :-)  With the left overs, I get 6 meals out of it so really there is only 1 day a week I need to figure something else out.

You can probably gather from my notes that I am dieting.  I am logging in MyFitness Pal.  I get 1350 calories a day and sometimes they go fast!  I was trying to do the no white thing but the Hello Fresh violates that. So I try to skip whites when I can and stay in my calorie goal.  Some Hello Fresh meals are 750 calories so it can make the rest the day pretty skimpy!  I found some delicious fresh tomato feta soup at Trader Joes that I can have 2 cups for 200 calories.  Tuna is also a good choice.  And when I want to get in my nitrates and fat, I have a bunless hotdog for 110 calories!  Haha.  (I had a craving for hot dogs last week.)  I'm very slowly losing weight again.  It can't come off fast enough for me since I am dating and wanting to feel better.  I was going to the condo gym and riding the bike but sometimes I just can't make it.  I wish I loved exercise more.

Philip is good.  He and Tiffany are getting ready to move to an apartment.  They need to find a new home for Cement the kitty.  I'm secretly hoping John or Mom will take her.  I think she is a good kitty.  If not, she will have to go to the Humane Society.  They will find her a new home.  It is a no kill center.

Speaking of cats, the first kittens came into the nursery last week.  They have a litter of 6, 1 single little kitten, a 3 day old kitten, and a momma and her babies she had on the way to the nursery.  I got a call today to see if I was trained for Momma and babies.  Sadly I am not yet and I am leaving out of town but I hope to have some fosters when I get back in early April!   Let's hope this year goes better than last.

So that is a recap of my last week or so.  Thanks for reading along and sharing my world.  I hope all is well with you.