04 October 2008

Speaking of technology

I've used PKWARE for years. These are the folks who make zip. I'm sure everyone has unzipped or zipped a file of some sort. I know most of my downloads are zipped. That makes the download so much faster. If you tried to download the original file you would be days waiting for it to complete, even with a high speed connection. Not to mention security!! I just spent hours trying to get my wireless network secure. I won't want to put everything at risk by sending an unprotected file. With PKWARE's new software, Secure ZIP express, you can compress a file and encrypt it so that only the person it was intended for can open it. Very good idea!!!

Well, the nice folks at PKWARE are having a contest, Decrypt and Drive. You can win a Honda Scooter, a Nintendo Wii, Fuji bikes, gift cards. Sounds like a great contest. If you go to the site, www.decryptanddrive.com, you can enter to win the Honda Scooter. But if you download SecureZip Express, there is a public key in there. Once you enter for the Honda, you will be sent an email that tells you how to open the key to see if you are an instant winner. There are over 200 prizes so the odds are pretty good. Just head on over to www.securezip.com, download the program and get to work seeing if you're an instant winner.

Anyway, just thought I'd let you know. I know that we've all used zip compression or extraction and now it could win you something. How cool is that????

Technology!! I hets it!!!

I swear technology will be the thing that causes me to a) drink, b) go on a shooting rampage, or c) kill myself. It is annoying and frustrating and insanity causing. Maybe I should explain.

I got my laptop today. FedEx tracking kept telling me it would be delivered on Oct 8th. So they tried to deliver it yesterday!! I of course wasn't home and had made no arrangements with my nice neighbors since I had no clue it was coming yesterday. I hets FedEx!!! Luckily the local FedEx office is open on Saturdays for pick ups, so I went and got it this afternoon. Since the entire purpose of this thing is to free me up from the computer room, I needed to get a wireless router. A quick stop at Office Max took care of that and the gentlemen explained enough so that I was comfortable buying the one I did. All good so far.

I got home 2 and 1/2 hours ago and went to work charging the laptop and setting the router up. I just got it running about 10 minutes ago. I could not get the security on it to work with my laptop. I found out there are a number of wireless networks in this neighborhood and since I do all my banking and financial stuff online, I wanted to be sure no one could get into my network. But every time I set the security on the router I lost the network. When I turned the security off the network worked fine. Obviously I was doing something wrong. After 2 hours of changing things and re-entering passwords and yada, yada, yada, I was just ready to give it up completely. Then I tried one last time but I did it backwards. It worked!!! Who knew!!! So finally my wireless network is up and running. It has a funky name if anyone else sees it, and a password no one will check.

After all that, I am no off to....... I don't know....surf the web on my laptop :)

Frozen Yogurt, it's not just for breakfast anymore

For the last 4 days I have felt like the Goodyear blimp and I'm not sure why. I hate when I get this feeling, especially when I've done nothing to bring it on (at least I think I haven't). I know my water intake is down a little, but it's 2L instead of 3L. Could that make that much of a difference?? And on Thursday my eating was screwy, but yesterday I made a point to eat good, whole food at regular intervals. That didn't help. Ugh!!! I'm not sure what to do to get rid of this feeling. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep eating right, drinking water, and working out and hopefully this too shall pass.

The Bodybugg continues to provide a whole lot of fun, interesting facts. I know how many calories I burn at rest. When I'm walking. When I'm working out. When I'm eating. It's big fun. Yesterday I managed to create a deficit between calories burned and calories eaten. Not as big a one as I wanted, but a deficit none the less. Actually, because I had school yesterday morning I didn't get a chance to work out. If I had worked out I would have easily gotten my 500 calorie deficit for the day. So I'm good. I'm pretty on track and if I just stick to my plan I'll be fine.
The program provides a meal plan for you based on a your preferences and a whole bunch of questions you have to answer. I have a problem with some of the meal plans though. Here is today's:



Notice what's for breakfast, 1/2 a cup of frozen yogurt?!?!?!?! Now I'm not sure why they would recommend you start your day with a frozen confection, but I do know myself. If I started my day with frozen yogurt that would set me up for a free for all binge all day long. I realize it's just a computer program that doesn't know the difference between frozen yogurt and oatmeal, it's only looking at the numbers, but that's just a little crazy. And seriously, what am I supposed to make with lunch?? Shredded cheese (which I'm not a big fan of cheese at all), Wheat Thins (which will send my blood sugar on a roller coaster ride), yogurt, strawberries, and carrots. There is way to many carbs and not enough protein to balance it out. I would rather eat a huge salad with hummus and goat cheese. That would be a much more tasty and satisfying lunch. So, yeah, not following their meal plan, it's too weird. And there's way to many processed foods in it. I just don't eat that much processed food anymore and I'm not going to start now.

Okay, I've rambled on enough for now. I should get my butt moving. I have lots of studying to do and errands to run today.

03 October 2008

Bodybugg Day 1

I'm sorry if I become annoying with this thing. After a couple of days the novelty will wear off and I'll just be my regular annoying self :)

So yesterday I wore the bugg all day and logged all my food. I should state upfront that it was not a normal day. My eating was terrible and sporadic.

This is the information you get. How cool is that??? It shows how many calories I burned, how many I consumed and the deficit/surplus. As you can see yesterday was a surplus. I love the little graph at the bottom. That actually tells me how many calories I burn per minute doing things. Also, most of those little spikes you see in the graph are when I was eating something. Except for that big spike early in the morning, that was when I was exercising. Anyway, it's all pretty cool. So yesterday I had a 435 calorie surplus. I'm hoping to change that today although I did not workout this morning. Yesterday and today are kind of intentional. I want to see what a typical day is like for me. While yesterday wasn't exactly typical, it happens more often then I would like it to.

Wearing it all day is a little annoying. You have this thing on your arm that gets sweaty and itchy. I'm sure I'll get used to it. Hubby asked me yesterday how many ipods I have now. He, and everyone else, seems to think it's some sort of iPod even though there are no earphones. Oh well, that's okay.

Alright, school this morning, have to run....

01 October 2008

The Bodybugg has arrived....


let the calorie counting begin. I'm very excited. I sat tonight and got it all set up. I can't wait to see what I learn from it. Their website is a little awkward to navigate and they don't support Firefox :( But other than that it's all good. I set my diet preferences. I set my weight goal and weekly weight loss. I'm very excited, did I say that?? Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I'm very excited :)

I have to find the balance

between sleep and life. It appears that graduate school students run in a constant state of tiredness. Everyone in class last night was talking about how tired they are. Good, I'm not alone. There has to be a balance I'm just not finding it. Maybe there isn't. Maybe it will be this way for as long as I'm in class. Luckily the semester is only 12ish weeks and we are almost halfway through it :)

I had class last night so I didn't get up this morning. I'm trying to work my off days as the days I just can't get up. It's funny that I wake up pretty much without an alarm. On mornings when I don't have school the night before, I wake before the alarm goes off so I'm half awake when it's time to get up. On days when I had class the night before I don't wake before the alarm and I barely hear the alarm. That tells me I need sleep more then I need exercise. Oh well, 7 more weeks and then I'm pau.

I was talking to an acquaintance yesterday who needs to get someone some alcohol rehab. She's looking for a good drug treatment center locally. That's sad when that happens. I hope it all works out for them.

Alright. Enough of this. I really have to get my butt to work. I'm so thankful I have Thursdays off now, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Nor that it's a free day, I spend the day doing school work. But at least I'm not at work. Woo Hoo!!!!

29 September 2008

The final piece of the puzzle??

Okay, this post encompasses a couple of topics that are all tied together. Let's see if I can make it work.

The new season of the Biggest Loser started 2 weeks ago now - yikes!! Anyway, I recorded it and finally got a chance to watch the 2 episodes over the weekend. I love this show. I think it is so inspirational and it really motivates me to move. I do wonder though about some of these people. Bob surprised one couple at a donut shop. These people are overweight, moaning about how they need to lose weight and get healthy and they are in a donut shop ordering a couple of donuts each?!?!?!? If you want to lose weight that badly, start by getting your butts out of the donut shop. Okay, rant over. In spite of that, I like the show. A. Lot....

One of the tools they use on the show is the Body Bugg. I've been interested in the Body Bugg for about 4 years. A health researcher at UH was involved in developing this and a private gym here was involved in the beta testing. I wanted to get in on the beta testing but at that time the Body Bugg cost $600. A little to rich for my blood. I've met the researcher a number of times for other reasons and he can't talk enough about how great this thing is. He can talk your ear off for hours on what all went in to developing these things. Anyway, this year, for the first time, they covered a little bit of what the Body Bugg can do and it peaked my interest all over again.

I know I've said this before, but over the past few months I've made huge strides in getting my head and my habits where I want them to be. I've got the eating under control, I'm not perfect but I'm so much better than I used to be. I've gotten a real handle on the exercise front. I still have my days of not getting up, but those are getting fewer and fewer. I'm doing good. The one item that I am missing that would make my arsenal complete is how many calories I actually burn in a day. I've used all kinds of estimators and calculators that are available. I've gotten results anywhere from 1400 to 2600 cals per day. 2600 is good if I want to cut calories. But cutting from 1400 a day leaves me a whole lot of nothing. Plus, which is right??? I can't find a physiology lab to do the actual testing, I guess UH has one but I haven't been able to find it. And I'm fairly certain I can't afford it anyway. So what's a girl to do???

Well, here is where I bring it all together. After watching the Biggest Loser I hopped online to see what the Body Bugg was going for now. I found them on sale for $199. I was so excited. Literally the last time I checked they were $600. $199 is a deal..... So I ordered one. It will be here on Wednesday. I'm very, very excited. I think this will be the final piece of the puzzle that I need to really jump start my weight loss. I can't wait to start using it. I'll keep you posted on how it's going.

28 September 2008

Whole Foods

On Sept. 10th Hawaii's very first Whole Foods opened. Every weekend since then I've been driving past wanting to go inside. The parking lot has been so crowded I haven't stopped. Yesterday we turned into the parking lot and it was over half empty. Yea!!! I finally get a chance to go to Whole Foods.

I've been to Whole Foods on the mainland so I knew what it was like, but having one here in Hawaii is different. It's very exciting. I was able to purchase a couple of items that are incredibly hard to find here, Greek yogurt and ground buffalo meat. I really wanted to buy a buffalo steak but Hubby was freaking out at the $22/lb price. Of course, it's just the 2 of us so we don't need a huge one. But I got ground buffalo meat. Hopefully he'll like it and want to try the steak.

Anyway, the store is huge and amazing and expensive. I think we spent about an hour in there just roaming the aisles. I bought a couple of things, the above mentioned buffalo and yogurt, some really great coffee (I'm drinking it now), some cereal I've been wanting to try but haven't been able to find, some interesting fruit for the birds, and a cappuchino cheesecake. Yeah, one grocery bag was $40. It's not cheap and I won't be going there all the time because it's on the other side of the island, but I like it. They are opening one on this side and if it opens before I leave I'll shop there often. There are also plenty in Colorado so I'll be shopping there when I move.

So a week ago I ordered a computer from HP. They said it would be built by Oct 1 and shipped. I got the notice yesterday that it had shipped. Yea!!! I'm very excited. I ordered it for a number of reasons. I have a pile, literally a pile, of work for grad school. I want to be able to take it with me and work on things whenever I want to - like at lunch time. I've tried using a flashdrive and while that's fine for carrying finished projects back and forth, it doesn't work so well for working on things. Also, Sam the cockatoo, is in my computer room. After about 7-7:30 at night he wants me gone so he can sleep. It's hard to work on my stuff while the bird is bitching at me to get out. Finally, I can sit anywhere and work. Sometimes sitting at this desk is just a pain in the butt. Now I can sit on the couch with a TV tray and work away. I'm stoked about all this. So I'm excited that it's on it's way. Woo Hoo.........

Okay, time to go workout. Sunday morning has become my day for my big workouts. It's pretty much the only morning I have enough time to do 2 hours or so worth of stuff.

Conversation with Hubby

 So yesterday morning I presented my idea of working out at home to the Hubby. Once I presented it to him, he said he was in. I told him I h...