January Week 4

Another week is gone. I can't believe that there's only one more week left in January. The time is already flying by. This week was kind of frustrating at work because I'm still troubleshooting this one assay and it's just not working. I wish I could just be done with it but it has to get done. Hopefully this crap doesn't take too much longer. On a brighter note, Dan got an internship! It's paid and everything, and it sounds like it will be a really great opportunity for him. I'm thrilled and relieved because he needs it to graduate and I know he was nervous about finding one.
In other news, I tripped on the stairs while carrying laundry (good job, me) and thought I had pulled my left quad. Now I'm not sure it was the muscle at all, because the pain became that lovely tell-tale ache that means I messed up a ligament in my left knee. It's probably just a strain of some kind because taking acetaminophen and bracing it when it really hurts does seem to be helping. But if it's not feeling better by my next doctor's appointment in February I'll mention it and see what can be done. I hate having stupid joints.
It's been really cold this week, just ridiculously cold. Today it's warmer but there was freezing rain this morning so everything is coated in ice. Luckily it should melt because it's going to be above freezing for the next couple of days. Then it's going to get really cold again, of course. I wish the weather would decide because the constant up and down in temperature is just hell on my sinuses.

Week 3 of January

I  made it through another week! Actually, this week was alright, although it felt like it went very slowly. I may have gotten an actual result at work, so there might be some progress instead of just beating my head against the wall. That's how biology tends to be, lots of crap and then suddenly results. So having a result is a relief. Tomorrow is MLK day and it's a university holiday so I have it off, and that's nice because it's good to have a holiday.
It was so warm and nice yesterday, and today we have a couple of inches of snow. I forced myself to drive to Hyvee to prove that I can drive in the snow. I was very anxious about it since during the last snow storm I got stuck twice and had to call the cops once for help. There were some slippery spots but I managed to get there and back. I'm glad I did it but I'm relieved that I can stay home for the rest of the day. I ordered some pizza and the cats are all curled up with me.
I haven't done a whole lot else. I played a lot of Harvest Moon this week. I wish running a farm and having a life was as easy as Harvest Moon sometimes, because I'm really good at that lol. Usually I spend my evenings watching TV and playing video games. It's a good way for me to unwind after a long day. Yesterday I did build a couple media towers for my games and DVDs. They're kind of small, not so towering, but they work, and they were only 20 bucks. If I can get another one soonish I will so I have room to grow.
In health news, I've lost a pound since I went to the doctor. I'm using my fitbit to track my steps and caloric burn. I set the food tracker to tell me how many calories I can eat based on losing 1/2 pound a week (it's a 250 calorie net loss a day). So far that's worked. It's been two weeks and 1 pound gone. Hopefully it keeps going! I'm trying to increase my protein intake too, since I eat a lot of carbs right now. My doctor wants me to lose 4 pounds by the time I see her in the middle of February. I should be able to get close to that as long as I keep following the calorie count.

Second week of January

Sorry about the lame post titles, but I'm not feeling particularly creative and I hate leaving something untitled. Anyway, this week was about the same as last week except that I was at work all week. I still haven't gotten any good results from either of my projects and it's getting frustrating, but there are a few things my PI suggested that I'm working on. Hopefully I get some data soon, because it's really obnoxious to have nothing work. It definitely makes it harder to be motivated to want to do anything.
I still haven't unpacked everything from my vacation, although it's mostly done. Oops. I guess I need to make that a priority for the upcoming week. I also want to buy another bookcase-I'll probably do it tomorrow-and put all my DVDs and games there since they are overflowing the two tiny ones I have in my living room right now. The two little ones will go upstairs and become Lego display cases. I've put all my Christmas Lego together and my Black Pearl one, and I want to get a bunch of them rebuilt. I just have to have somewhere to display them where the cats won't knock them over or steal pieces from them! I really enjoy building Lego; it's very zen and calming for some reason. Plus I have a bunch of Harry Potter ones that I want to put back together.
Other than that, I've been playing lots of Harvest Moon: A New Beginning. Harvest Moon is one of my favorite game franchises. I've almost beaten the newest Paper Mario game too, but Bowser kicked my ass the last time I tried to beat him so I'll have to change my strategy.
I actually caught the cats cuddling last  night! They stopped as soon as I noticed them, but it actually happened. I knew they were friends but just didn't want to admit it. Right now they're sleeping on the bed, not touching, but almost!

First Week of 2013

The first week of 2013 is over. It was a pretty good week for me. I didn't go back to work until Thursday, so the first part of the week I spent relaxing and getting a few things done around the house. Then I spent two days at work where not a whole lot got done. I had to plate bacteria and then you just have to wait for them to grow, so there's not a lot to do except sit around. This week I'll have more to do so that will be better. I don't like being so busy that I'm overwhelmed, but I don't like sitting around doing nothing either.
Besides that, I weather stripped my patio door on Saturday. It was really drafty, so much so that I could feel cold air blowing in all the time and it was getting hard for the heater to keep it warm downstairs. I used the self-adhesive foam stripping because it's cheap and easy, and I'm renting so I'm not putting more money into this place than I absolutely need to. I can already tell that it's working so that was 4 bucks well spent. I also bought thermal blackout curtains for the patio door and those seem to be helpful too. Plus it makes me feel less weird about people maybe seeing inside the house. Then today I woke up and went to the gym and I feel all good. I used the elliptical because I slept weirdly on my ankle and it hurts, so I didn't want to do anything high impact. My ankle still hurts and it's annoying. Now I get to relax for the rest of the day!

New Year's Resolutions

I always forget what my resolutions are so it's probably better to write them down somewhere. Plus it makes me sit and think about what's realistic and what's not. So here are my resolutions for 2013.

• To write more in my blog and my paper journal, and to write about my feelings and not just what happened. 
• To try and cook more for myself. 
• To set smaller, manageable fitness goals that I can meet and not feel overwhelmed. First is to go to the gym once a week, every week. 
• To use my fitbit daily and not forget about it! 
• To use my scheduling software and CBT journal to keep myself motivated and my anxiety under control. 

That's pretty much it. I have to remember to take care of myself because that makes a huge difference in my overall happiness. All these things should help. I would resolve to play video games and enjoy that more, but I don't have trouble remembering to do that!