gina_r_snape: (Noel emotional breakdown (NME shoot))
I posted this Saturday on LJ. But remembering there are folks over here not there, I'm posting it again.

---

Greetings flist. I'm feeling melancholy and nostalgic this morning. The weather is freezing out and I woke up with low blood sugar. At breakfast I drank too much very strong tea and now I'm trying to recover before starting my day. I plan to make a challah bread, and after that I'm not sure. Plans for a "board game" evening with friends were thwarted, and T-Rex has a lot of tasks to take care of during the day today.

While waiting for my blood sugar to normalize and the caffeine to settle down, I watched a show called How The Edwardians Spoke. It was very interesting; and watching people listening to recordings of their deceased relatives got me thinking about my own. All three of my grandparents (I never met my paternal grandfather) died over 10 years ago. My brothers have silent home movies of my maternal grandparents from the 1960s and 70s, but when I've asked them for a copy I always get told they are stored somewhere in the attic and they are too busy/lazy/disinterested to dig them out for me. So I got a bit emotional on the couch, thinking about them. One woman in the documentary said she couldn't remember what her brother sounded like, which of course got me thinking about what my grandparents sounded like. I longed to hear their voices. How could I not start crying, right?

Have I mentioned that I've met T-Rex's mother? I've been to her place twice now. She's a lovely, funny, interesting woman in her 80s with witty and painful stories of her life in the Ukraine and the States. Her flat reminds me of my paternal grandmother, clean but cluttered, overstuffed and decorated with cultural brick-a-brac (in her case Ukrainian instead of Spanish). When she tells me stories, I find myself longing to hear my grandparents' stories. Of course I regret never having the foresight to interview them before their passing. My maternal grandfather, in particular, would tell me bits of things about the neighborhood where I live; I live where he grew up and frequently walk past where he was born. He and I weren't as close as I was to my very affectionate grandmother. He was a quiet man, not terribly demonstrative. But "still waters run deep" as they say, and I know he loved me.

I suppose it's better to cry over the loss of loved ones than to cry over never having them, though. Right?

It's very cold in NYC. And work has been tirelessly pressing. The clients complained about the draughts (our building is in desperate need of repair but funds remain unforthcoming). So after gaining permission from the city, we were able to put tape (and in some cases plastic) on the windows to stop the draughts.

Of course, the temperature then went up to the point where the clients wanted to undo the tape and open their windows. But that was short-lived and we are plunged into freezing temps once again. We have a particularly needy, whiny bunch at the moment. And I am worried about getting audited while on holiday at Gallifrey. So this week I'll be doing my best to prepare my staff in case that happens.

On the physical front, I've been waking up with low blood sugars for a few days. I'm not sure how much of it is hormonal, but if it continues after a few more days I will know it's because I've now lost 7 lbs. T-Rex bought me a "Fitbit One" tracker and I've been using it to track my steps, miles, calories burned, sleep, and logging my food and weight. It's working. And although the numbers suggests I should be losing about 1 to 1.5 lbs per week, I am losing between .5 and .75 a week and that's good enough for me. When you have diabetes, it sometimes gets in the way of best laid plans. Blood sugar drops mean more calories. But it occurred to me not long ago that I really shouldn't complain about having a disease where one of the "cures" to a critical problem is eating sweets. I also think my metabolism is slow, and so I probably don't burn as many calories as the device assumes based on height, age, etc.

The best part about having the Fitbit is that the goal setting works. As a behavioral modification tool, it does actually get me moving more than I might have otherwise. I am motivated to meet my daily step goal. And as T-Rex walks A LOT, this is something we can do together. Plus, it's something I can keep up unlike other exercise plans such as workout videos or a gym membership (as history has shown unsustainable for me).

Anyway, I'm grateful today is Saturday. I can take things at a slower pace and do something that makes me feel good. So challah bread it is! Oh, and prepping for Gally. I will be COSplaying someone else this year in addition to Queen Victoria, and her outfit is not yet fully together.

Happy Saturday, flist.

Meh

Apr. 4th, 2011 10:50 pm
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Boosh Noel F* Me shoe)
Well, I got nothing done this weekend. I felt completely listless, so I watched 30 Rock and curled up with my cats on Saturday. I did meet up with [livejournal.com profile] pomona513 on Sunday, however, and bought a funky tie with vegetables on it. And I went to the DWNY video meet for a short while, where I got to hang out with [livejournal.com profile] tennis_bear.

My cape arrived today. It sort of helped, but I was particularly amused by the language on the return form. They called it a "counterfoil" and I'm not sure why it amuses me, but it does. I also liked how the paper that lists your purchase was called a "Despatch Note" rather than "Invoice" or "Packing Slip."

The weather was weird today, but the perfect temperature for my new cape, so at least I got to wear it home.

The State negotiated to keep some of the homeless funds we lobbied for. They plan to replace the former housing voucher with something new - to be announced at a director's meeting on my birthday. FML

I have a meeting on Wednesday with my dissertation chair and second. I might have to shell out real money for mplus, as my chair informed me that the University didn't purchase new licensed copies. And my friend who was going to give me her copy doesn't think it'll work now as the license expired. Anyone have an idea for a tacky fundraising auction I can do? I have a YouTube account, if it helps.

At least work was relatively quiet today.
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Buzzcocks Noel Sit On Desk)
I went with my friends BE and KS to Mara's Homemade last night. We thought it was going to be their last night, but the owner has decided not to give an official date.

I've discovered I have a deep deep love for char grilled oysters. And they go exceptionally well with Pimm's. Mara's recipe calls for Pimm's, lemonade, Sprite, and mottled mint and cucumber. I could suck those babies down all afternoon. And it'll be my new summer drink, I've decided.

If only summer weather were closer. Today it's 37F with a constant misty drizzle that occasionally gathers the strength for rain in NYC. A part of me wants and needs the sun, because I'm feeling melancholy. But a part of me takes comfort in contemplating how much the weather reminds me of London and Edinburgh. I threw caution to the wind and wore yoga pants and a zip-up sweatshirt to work today.

I made one "April Fool's" prank at work - wrote a fake agenda for our meeting with a discussion of client issues. It took my staff a minute to realize it was a fake, too. But eventually they figured out that Lindsay Lohan isn't coming in drunk and attracting press, Dan Radcliffe doesn't need a pass for his evening job, and Muammar Gadhafi is not trying to rally troops to start a client coalition.

Speaking of sucking things down, I (SPOILER ALERT) inhaled Downton Abbey in two sittings )


So, if you've watched Downton Abbey and wish to discuss in the comments, please do. I think I'll be making today an endless-cups-of-tea sort of day. I long to be curled up on my couch with my cats.

What a day

Mar. 16th, 2011 02:34 pm
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Show off my cape)
Thanks to everyone who sent words of encouragement yesterday! It was a very long day, and I was falling down tired by the end of it. By the time I got home, I looked something like this



However, the day itself was pretty good. After a 3 hour drive, the Homeless Services United organizer gathered us all in a room - 70 people came to lobby! We were split into groups and assigned different elected officials to meet with. My team met with Jose Peralta's Legislative Fellow, who seemed very interested in some of our talking points. Unfortunately, our afternoon meeting was canceled as the finance committee held a previously unscheduled meeting in the senate chamber. But we dropped off materials and went our way home. I feel our day was productive, but you never know until the final budget has passed. I really enjoy lobbying as it employs some of my best features - being able to provide concise information, tailored to the listener, with a compelling message, and I get to wear a suit and tie.

If you are interested in the issues want talking points, let me know and I'll be happy to elaborate. Larger versions of all the photos (including ones I did not post) can be found here

Here's a few pics of me and my team )


I also got the chance to hang out with [livejournal.com profile] prof_pangaea at lunchtime, who popped down to meet me for lunch. I am still laughing at one thing he said - that he can't look at my face without hearing "Wuthering Heights" in his head. :dies: Ever the perfect gentleman, after finishing our sandwiches he walked me back to the Capitol building. Alas, we did not take a picture together, but I will leave you with this picture of me in a cape! When [livejournal.com profile] pomona513 and I met up Monday evening we popped into a secondhand shop and I found this little number for only $40. How could I resist? Now I definitely need to go buy those gold Chelsea Boots as they would go perfectly togethertogether )


Now I just want to go home and pass out!
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Tea Mitchell (Being Human))
Yeah, alright. I'm in a sad funky mood and work is weird today what with clients complaining about the cold and the multiple people hospitalized over the weekend and the physical discomfort of wearing multiple layers to protect myself from the window draft. And I've got at least one conversation going on this topic, so I might as well just do a separate entry just on the season opener of Being Human. So who watched it last night? )
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Boosh green room freakout)
It's a good thing I woke up early today and ate breakfast long before coming to work.

One of our clients just had a stroke )

Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew.
gina_r_snape: me as drawn by pennswoods (Sad Yang)
LJ-cut for details that may be triggery.

Today at work I witnessed one of our clients die )

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