Life Update and Weight Rundown

So, I was supposed to see my first clients last week. I, along with another student therapist, were scheduled to see a premarital couple. Usually, we see clients one on one, but with premarital it is a little different. I'm not going to lie, I was happy as hell, because seeing my first clients is pretty nerve racking. Knowing I have another therapist there to back me up if I forget something feels nice.

But they didn't show up.

SO, hopefully they will show up this week. Otherwise, I may be reassigned to another client. I was really looking forward to a premarital couple because it is a lot of psychoeducation. We get to do talks about sex and birth control...we even get to put condoms on cucumbers and everything.

bummer :(

On other news, I have officially gained TEN pounds in the last year. When it was just 2-3, I didn't really think about it much. Then I started Grad school, and when it was 5-6, it started to bother me, but not enough to do anything serious about it. Now that it is ten...well....I'm not happy one bit.

I can see the difference in my clothes, they are definitely much tighter. It's getting back to the point where I will try 4-5 things on and hate them all before I finally find something I'm ok with. The proof is in the piles of clothing I leave on the bed every day out of frustration, and then have to come back and hang back up later that evening.

I know some people are thinking "psh? ten pounds? stop complaining!" I used to think that too. But what it comes down to is that I DON'T want to go out an replace all my clothes. Not only that, but I just don't feel good or confident about my body like I did before. I want to get on this while it is 10 lbs, rather than let it get much higher like I did a few years back.

I've tried, albeit half-heatedly, to lose some weight when I was about 5-6 lbs up, but on a grad school schedule it is difficult to keep your stress levels low enough to lose very easily.

Time to stop blaming stress and get my butt back on the weight watchers points before this gets to be more than it needs to be. As soon as I get paid, I'm going to the grocery store to stock up on lots of soup, lean cuisines, healthy choice, and smart ones....whichever is on sale. With a busy schedule, these are the easiest to cook quickly while knowing how many points you are consuming.

I'm also going to have to discuss my intentions with Brian since we eat together a lot, and it isn't always super healthy. I'll take him to the store with me and have him buy some foods he likes so we don't have to be eating the same thing every time, and so I can stay within my points easier. No sense in making him eat eat lighter with me...he never needs to lose weight... and yes, I'm jealous.

I'll also need to get back to drinking 4-5 bottles of water a day too.

I'll be keeping a ticker on this page to try and keep myself accountable for sticking to things.

All in all, double bummer.

Ladylike Behavior

I just had to post this...she is too cute.


And yes, dear readers, you can fully expect that I will be posting far too many blogs on my cats. I do not have children, and my work/school life is rather boring. I would much rather post about something fun and cute.

Tawny has begun to adjust more and more each day. Her kitten side is coming out, and she runs all over the apartment chasing her toys from one end of the other. She has also started making this little chirping sound. she doesn't meow, but chirps...especially when running.

Her and my other cat are too interested in each other to continue keeping apart all of the time. When the gate is up, they just poke each other through it anyway. When Tawny is calm, Baby is fine with her. However, she is a kitten and likes to play. The problem is that since Baby has always been an only cat, she does not know the difference between play and being attacked. Every time Tawny tries to leap towards her in a playful gesture, Baby gets scared and hisses. Fortunately, that is all she does. Tawny seems to know that when she is hissed at, she should back off...at least for a minute or two, lol.

Tawny has started jumping up on the bed whenever baby is there with me. She caught her reflection in the mirror the last time she was up here, and got so excited. Cutest. thing. ever.

She has also learned from my other cat that there is water in the toilet. Of all things for Baby to teach her, this is not one I was expecting. She now goes and gets water from the toilet when the lid is up...even if she has plenty of water. Oy.

Such ladies.

Recipe Rundown

Ok, so I've been trying, as money allows, to try out new recipes every once and a while. Since I didn't cook often in my itty bitty kitchen at the old place (it was just plain annoying to cook on 2x2 counter space and a half sized stove), my basic cooking supplies had dwindled down to nearly nothing. Things like spices, olive oil etc...Thus, initial shopping trips have been rather expensive.

I now have updated my kitchen with a lot of the basics...so I should be able to do a little more experimenting.

I made this recipe called Spicy Chicken Spaghetti last night for Brian and I. I'm one of those people who LOVES to spice things up with hot sauce...the spicier the better. I've always wanted to find a decent spicy spaghetti recipe, and this one looked interesting.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 10 chicken tenderloins
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (10 ounce) can whole black olives, drained
• 1/4 cup canned jalapeno pepper slices, undrained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook 6 minutes on each side, until juices run clear. Set aside, and keep warm.
2. In a large pot, mix spaghetti sauce, tomatoes with liquid, red bell pepper, corn, olives, and jalapenos. Bring to a boil, and season with garlic powder, onion powder, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken in the pot. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, and cook 2 to 4 minutes, until al dente. Drain, transfer to a bowl, and toss with remaining olive oil and butter. Spoon the sauce over the pasta to serve.

I forgot to take a photo after making it, so the photo above is actually of the leftovers I had for dinner tonight. If you like spicy food, this recipe is VERY good(even as leftovers)...I'm a spicy food lover and it even had my nose running.

I used a whole grain pasta to try to and add a healthy element to the recipe. It tends to be slightly stickier than regular pasta, but better for you and not different enough to justify not using it. I'm guessing it would be possible to make the sauce in large batches, and freeze it into smaller portions. I may try doing that next time.

Anyway, that's my review of spicy chicken spaghetti. I'll post more on my cooking successes (and failures) as I try more recipes on for size.

Tawny

She has been here since Monday morning, and she seems to be adjusting slowly but surely. At this point, she mostly stays under the bed or in the "closet cave" we created for her, but will come out to be social if you are sitting anywhere near those 2 places. She is still very shy, which is to be expected since she has spent her entire 9 months of life in shelters. She loves to be scratched, and will even roll over on her back to get belly scratches. No snuggling just yet...we are hoping that will come with time.

(If you look at the first image, you can see she is still missing all the fur on her little pink belly belly from when she was spayed. So cute!)

At night, when she thinks we are sleeping, is when she goes crazy. She runs all over the room, into the bathroom and chases her toys from one end to the other. I currently have a baby gate separating the living room from the bedroom so that the two cats can't kill each other. I catch them sniffing each other through the gate from time to time. Tawny is very ok with Baby, but Baby tends to hiss at her. I know this is to be expected...they just aren't ready to be fully introduced just yet.

I'm trying some behavioral stuff and giving Baby things like turkey and catnip whenever she has a nice relaxed visit with Tawny. I want her to start associating the new kitty with positive things, rather than viewing her as that little tart who is taking her family away.

That's all for now. I'm hoping to see enough of a breakthrough in the next two weeks that I can feel comfortable taking down the gate for my trip to Arizona...we'll see...

A New Friend

Brian and I have been talking about getting a new kitty. The one we fell in love with is named Samantha, and she is with a rescue organization called tail chaser rescue.












She's 9 months old and super adorable. We like her because she is tiny, and on the mellower cuddly side, which will be a perfect pairing for my tiny 13 year old lady kitty.



My kitty has been an only kitty her entire life. There are probably going to be some jealousy issues at first, but I'm hoping that over time, they will lean to get along.





We're not too keen on the name Samantha, and have contemplated changing it. Ideas that have come up so far are Tawny and Gabby. Any thoughts?

We are going to meet her tomorrow at 10am. After that we have a few days to decide if she is going to be a good fit. Wish us luck!

Motivation Drain

I'm really having a hard time getting motivated this semester. I still feel so burned out from the first one, that it is really difficult to find the drive necessary to do really well in the program. It's only week 3, and I'm already skimming the readings to save myself a few hours of boring reading.

This could potentially come back to bite me later. Like...right around midterms.

Placements have turned out to be a bit more complicated than anticipated. I have applied to two different places, and am waiting to find out if I can get an interview. Most people I have contacted thus far have been really difficult to get a hold of, and will not return your calls or emails for weeks. Meanwhile, the waiting list is piling up with lots people like me, wanting to interview for just a few positions.

The day before yesterday, I attended a two hour orientation for the county mental health center. Apparently, you have to attend orientation before you can even get an interview. The up side to this placement is that they can guarantee you will get paid around $12 an hour...which is far better than working for free like I would at most other places. Hey, in this economy, an extra 600 bucks or so a month couldn't hurt. The down side is that because it is a paid position, it is likely to be far more competitive. Not only that, but with budget cuts, it is entirely possible that my intended supervisor could have been laid off by the time I start this Fall.

As for my clinical experience in class, I'm not going to lie...I'm super nervous to get my first client. Three of my cohorts have been assigned clients so far, and we are just waiting to drum up enough business for everyone to get a client. It is going to be super weird sitting in front of my very first client, trying to pretend like I know exactly what I am doing all of the time.

On happier news, I'm looking forward to spending a quiet Valentine's day at home with Brian. This is our 2nd one together now, and I'm all for the idea of making something for dinner together and curling up in front of a movie. After all, Valentines day is supposed to be for being with and appreciating your loved one, and that is pretty hard to do while waiting 2 hours at your favorite restaurant just to get seated.

Furthermore, home is closer to the bedroom ;-)

Can't beat that logic!

I hate it when...

I hate it when people punish you for things they are unhappy with about themselves.

Losing weight is hard. I know this.

There is a friend of a friend who always treats me like crap whenever she talks to me. Fortunately I don't have a lot of contact with her, but I do have some, given that she is close to a very close friend of my own.

About while back, we were talking about dresses that we had to buy. I mentioned something about how I bought my dress at a store, and it fit well, but was a bit too long, so I was having it altered.

Her comment (in a snippy voice) was
"well, not ALL of us can buy dresses off the rack"

Then she looks at my friend who is slightly overweight as though she is looking for support to back her up.

What the hell?

Following that was CONSTANT comments finding ways to insult me for being the size that I am.

I'm sorry, I worked very hard to be where I'm at. And even where I'm at, I'm just like every other girl who is self conscious about her body image.

I just saw her again recently, and while she was not making rude comments, she was not particularly friendly either.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have to walk on egg shells, for someone who is unhappy about their own image. She needs to either accept herself for what she is (because what she is is perfectly fine!) or do something about it.

DON'T PUNISH ME!