Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in vlynn's LiveJournal:

[ << Previous 20 ]

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
7:55 am	WW Met my first 5% goal and, for the first time, the Wii Fit says I'm within the "normal" BMI range. Another 5% to go at least. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 27th, 2009
12:57 pm	updatiness Life's feeling very much like it's in a real state of change at the moment. In a lot of ways, I'm still very much adjusting after Mom's death. It's still sinking in a little at a time. I still find myself thinking of things I want to send her, tell her about and such. And I think there's going to be a lot of change to come in family relationships, holidays and such. It's like someone pulled away a big chunk of earth and now the tectonic plates are shifting around to settle into a new configuration; I know the landscape's changing but I don't know how it will end up in a lot of ways. Work's shifting a lot and I'm working hard to set plans in motion for all that will happen in the coming year. No matter what happens, it's going to be a wildly different year from the one I've just had...my first year in this role. I think I need to shift some of my evening energies into something more productive but have been feeling like I need more downtime lately, so trying not to push myself too hard. What I do need to add back for sure is PT and gym time. I'm having some real pressure relief on my knees, probably a result of the PT I've done, the meds and the weightloss all together, so the current plan is to wait on surgery for now. I like that plan. And on the really good sides, I'm so excited that Meekay's almost finished with his MBA...so proud of this crazy two years he's done and looking forward to a little stress reduction for him. And of course, his acquisition of a shiny new airplane just adds to the happy potential for both of us. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, August 21st, 2009
9:42 am	Ponyo Found a little bit of extra time last night between work and meeting up with Meekay to celebrate his last night in the classroom, so I caught a showing of Ponyo. Loved it to bits. Found myself wishing I knew a teeny person to share it with. Think it was even better than Spirited Away. Plus, thanks to collecting movie points, I got the movie and the popcorn for free! Even better. Right now have to do a little bit of work from home, then heading to the shore for our company party. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
9:52 pm	WW As of today, I'm down 6 lbs since starting WW. A few weeks ago, I was 1/2 a pound less than I am now, but I gained some back while dealing with everything with Mom. I now feel back on track with the program again. Have to say I loved hitting the kayak Saturday. It felt so satisfying to do something so physical without having any limitations from my knees or hips. I worked the hell out of my body, pushing it really hard, and it did what I wanted. My arms and shoulders burned like fire that night, but it was totally worth it. Would love to do that more often. My hope is that post-surgeries I'll be able to work up to where I can cycle, too. Monday I see the doc about surgery planning. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
11:14 am	getting back on track Got home last night. Felt so good to be here. Was still pretty wiped out exhausted and realized I really needed a day just to take care of myself, so I won't go back to work until Thursday. I got about 11 hours of sleep last night. It's been two weeks since I had a real, full night of sleep. As of now, I am officially back onto WW after a nearly 2-week break. I'm up 2.3 lbs from the break, but still down overall since starting. It'll get there. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, July 13th, 2009
9:05 am	happy to be a loser Week 1 of Weight Watchers: down 2.6 pounds. So it really has been the jumpstart that I needed. We'd been trying to lose for a while but I was just stuck where I was. And I still had 5.5 weekly points and 17 activity points I didn't use for the week. This week my goal is to earn more activity points than last week. I'll earn 12 points from my 3 PT sessions, so it shouldn't be too hard to do. So far, so good. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 6th, 2009
12:53 pm	start Just signed up on Weight Watchers. Today is day #1. (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 14th, 2009
7:43 am	again Off on yet another there-and-back-same-day Maryland trip. These are wearing me down. (Comment on this)
Friday, June 12th, 2009
10:20 pm	back...yet again The last few entries have all been times coming home from MD. This is another one. We thought we were bringing mom home from the hospital yesterday, but no go. They wanted to keep monitoring to make sure she really is stable. She might go home tomorrow. We'll see. It's a busy weekend for that...my grandmother is also heading home from the nursing home Sunday. Wish she could have stayed there. I'm going to try to make a there-and-back-same-day trip on Sunday to visit them both. But tomorrow is a fun day...Meekay's graduation! :) His folks are in town. We had a nice dinner with them in Chestnut Hill tonight, then we'll head to graduation early and to White Dog for lunch. And lots of celebrating the awesome boy. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
11:14 pm	home home from md. was there since a thursday emergency run. mom is back in icu with still more complications. i has boy and kitteh. is good. no caps...kitteh is sleeping on my hand. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
11:15 am	Photo credit Suh-weet! Check out the photo on the top right of this Schmap page. (Comment on this)
Friday, May 15th, 2009
2:38 pm	2-day week Only a 2-day week here, but it's seemed hella long and I can't really wait to get out of here. I also just had a roughly 30-second conference call--so much win I can't even believe it. Star Trek tonight, Maryland visit tomorrow, wedding Sunday and then hopefully only a 3-day week next week. I finished reading Michael J. Fox's new book while we were away and then started Midwives. I can't put my finger on why it seems so familiar to me. Also, I made sure to watch the season finale of Lost last night since I was already getting hit with spoilers. Darned FB comments. I promise not to give any. I hear a lot of folks weren't very happy with this season, but I really enjoyed it. I hate that it'll be 2010 before they come out with the next season. No fair! (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
9:36 am	Thanks Thanks, everybody, for all the wonderful support. It helps. We're back at work. I feel like confetti. Not in a good way. (Comment on this)
Friday, April 24th, 2009
9:14 am	Friday in so many ways Fridays lately haven't had quite the feeling of expectant exhiliration that they should. It's just been so chaotic that they haven't been feeling as much of a relief or a sense of promise as they used to. But today, it *feels* Friday. Not just because it's the day of the week. It's also sunny, gorgeous and warm. Our tulips are finally coming up. It's omelet day at work (screw the oatmeal just for today). I have time to get out of the way some of the deadlines that have been hanging over me. I only have one meeting scheduled for the day. It's possible I might be able to leave a little bit early. And the best parts...tonight our home will be full of wonderful people, good food and games in honor of an awesome chica, and tomorrow we'll witness a wedding of one of my all-time favorite people. So, while there's still an awful lot of hard, sad, nervewracking and upsetting going on in our lives, today somehow still feels like a little piece of respite. Current Mood: peaceful (Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
8:10 pm	update So, for those who aren't following over on facebook... No luck on getting any fingerprints from any of the items, so about nil chance we'll catch these guys. We did get my keys, so there's a little less freakout about them trying to break into the house or the car. We did change the house locks anyway. I'm so lucky that my credit union was able to set it up so that my direct deposit paycheck today didn't get rejected. PHEW. Now I just need to actually be able to access the new account sometime soon so I can get to my money somehow.  Luckily I at least have access to our joint account for the time being. I should have a phone again as of Thursday, with the same phone number as before. It really feels freaky to be without one. Also, it felt really creepy coming home alone tonight. I so don't like feeling uncomfortable in my own home and neighborhood. I hope that somehow eases up in time. Mom's mastectomy Sunday went smoothly. We spent the night in the hospital and then got her settled back home on Monday. She continues herceptin treatments tomorrow and Thursday they'll set her up for radiation, which begins next week. Her hair's starting to look like a buzz cut now...really coming in. (Comment on this)
Saturday, March 28th, 2009
5:46 pm	progress So we're back from our exploration of the crime scene with the same police officer who helped us last night. We found bunches of my stuff and one receipt from Mike's wallet. The best part...we have my keys!!! So we don't have to worry about security at the house or about them stealing Mike's car.  Huge relief. There were some things they might be able to get prints from, so they're running those in the lab now. We should hear tonight if they found any prints. Seriously, keep your fingers x'ed...it would feel so good to get these guys. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
2:14 am	First, we are ok... But meekay  and I were robbed at gunpoint tonight. Two blocks from our house, walking home from dinner. They got Mike's wallet. We got my purse back later tonight, but they took: treo (so I have no phone), house keys (so we're nervous and have to change locks in the morning...Mike's staying up tonight...my hero)  and my keys to Mike's car (including the remote entry so we're hosed there too), my checkbook, cash of course (dollars and euros), and worst of all...completed passport applications for both of us, with wild amounts of private information, that were in my purse to bring home and shred. Also...the dumbasses left my diamond necklace and credit cards, but took my $5 sunglasses and my tic tacs. WTF? (13 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
9:13 am	live from Frankfurt Greetings from Frankfurt, where it is sunny and warm enough to go walking in just a light jacket. No piles of snow around...nice change of pace. Arrived this morning and promptly crashed for a couple of hours. Cleaned up and met a few coworkers for a walk and some lunch. Now I really should be getting some work done but am having a hard time getting my brain going to get started. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
8:04 am	I'm off Off to Maryland for Mom's breast cancer surgery. She's been making such awesome progress. Fingers x'ed! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, February 20th, 2009
10:26 pm	relationship meme What are your middle names? Darlene and Joseph. You'll just have to figure out which is which. How long have you been together? Two years last October. How long did you know each other before you started dating? We didn't. We met on Match. Who asked whom out? I contacted him first. We chatted a while. The moment he heard I used to work at NASA, he asked what I was doing for dinner that night. So he asked first. How old are each of you? I'm 36 and he's 31. Though the wii fit somehow thinks I'm younger than he is much of the time. Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine because she lives closer. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? The crazy stressy lifestyle at the moment? The kitteh that won't let us sleep? Or the fact that I keep bugging him to answer memes?  Did you go to the same school? Nope. Mike went to college in Illinois and I did in Maryland and PA. Now he's working on his MBA at Drexel. My boy...he is the smart. Are you from the same home town? Nope...he was born in Nebraska and I was born in Maryland. Who is smarter? We divide and conquer by areas of expertise. He has a great head for figures. I'm the word girl. Together we can do some pretty good damage on a crossword puzzle. Who is the most sensitive? *snuffle* me *snuffle* ;) While I'm getting all teary at an emotional movie, he just wants to know if Nicole Kidman's getting naked. Where do you eat out most as a couple? Probably the Chestnut Grill at this point. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We had a pretty excellent trip to Switzerland and Germany two years ago. This weekend we're booking up our next vacation, to tag onto the end of his international course in September. Who has the craziest exes? We both have some stories, but his are clinical. Who has the worst temper? We both have pretty bad tempers, but his gets triggered more often than mine. I'm pretty good at figuring out when it's time to just give him some space. In particular if there's a software install going on, it's time for me to go run some errands or something rather than face the onslaught of curses hurled in Microsoft's or Oracle's direction. Who does the cooking? That's either me or the two of us together. He's learning. Who is the neat-freak? bwah! Alas, neither of us is. But my tolerance level is lower on the need for cleaning. We're thinking about getting someone to help out with the housecleaning while things are so crazy with our schedules. Who is more stubborn? *snerk* Could this two donkey household be the reason we need to bring in a housekeeper? Who hogs the bed? We're back and forth on that. Whoever gets to stay in bed longer turns in to a starfish, too. If there's enough room for that around the starfished kitteh, that is. Who wakes up earlier? Weekdays I do. On weekends often I'll linger in bed with a book while he gets up and going. Where was your first date? Dinner and drinks at Kildare's in West Chester, then short films at the West Chester film festival. Who is more jealous? Not really either of us. How long did it take to get serious? We were together most every day from the beginning. We moved in together after two years. Who eats more? At meals we usually eat about the same or I might eat a little more at lunch. He snacks more during the workday. Who does the laundry? He is fabulously the leader when it comes to laundry. I do some, but he does the vast majority of it. I take the lead in the kitchen. Who’s better with the computer? He's better with most everything on the computer, but I am the PowerPoint queen and take charge of our photos. Who drives when you are together? Usually he drives unless I'm picking him up from work on the way somewhere downtown. (Comment on this)