You just can't win

So we finally have some rain. We're getting the remnants of Fay and so it's rained non-stop for two days...the first rain I've seen here in I don't know how long. Still not enough to get us out of this drought, but needed nontheless. Yet, I want the rain to stop. The time to do my veg sampling is quickly running out. The leaves have started turning and that's bad news. I'm in a perpetual tense state and unfortunately, my boyfriend bears the brunt of it. :o( I'm sure everything will work out in the end...even if it does mean I'm in graduate school for and extra semester or two.

A couple of thoughts

When you're in the woods for hours on end by yourself, you have a lot of time to think.

#1 I really should stop watching crime shows...I have very little doubt that I'll stumble upon a body someday.

#2 They call dense patches of rhododendron "rhodo hell" for a reason.

My Campus Ride

Here is my ride to campus about which I've been talking:

Campus Ride by MapMyRide.com

Oh, and don't let me forget by golly--I have to give a shout out and props to MY BIG BROTHER for referring me to this awesome website. If he hadn't told me about this site, I can guarantee I wouldn't be where I am today. :oP

Great idea!

I think this is a fabulous idea, although some may find it tacky and informal:

save the date * save the trees







I found this site via Brenda's Wedding Blog.

Passionate about passion flower

A while ago I saw a picture my friend posted of a passion flower. Having just moved from New Mexico, I thought this flower was so unique and something that one would only see in the tropics. I was quite pleased to find out it's a common wildflower in North Carolina. I was also quite pleased to find out that I have several growing around my property.

Some interesting notes on the passionflower:

The species found in the southeastern US is Passiflora incarnata. This species is also known as maypop, wild apricot, or purple passionflower.

It produces a fruit about the size of a chicken egg. It is edible, but mostly benefits wildlife because of the abundance of seeds. The purple fruit produced by a different species is toxic.

P. incarnata leaves are used to make a tea that treats insomnia, epilepsy, and "hysteria". It also has painkilling and antidepressant properties and the dried leaves can be smoked.

Curiously, its name did not originate from the idea of love, but rather from its structures likened to the crucifixion of Christ on the cross. From Wikipedia: ...the radial filaments which can number more than a hundred and vary from flower to flower represent the Crown of Thorns. The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles. The top 3 stigmata represent the 3 nails and the lower 5 anthers represent the 5 wounds.

There you have it folks!

Kitchen renovation has commenced!

The guy is here doing the electrical work right now, the cabinets are being delivered today, and the installation occurs tomorrow. YAY!

Proof I help with these projects:



Chris thinking about what he did that landed him in time-out:

Goal #2 Accomplished!...

...as well as goal #1 again. I rode to campus and back for a total of 12.75 miles in an hour and 7 minutes. Not only did I ride there and back, but I also rode all the way back up my driveway without stopping. My fuel? Chris acting like he didn't think I could do it. What a great motivator. :o) I know it's hard to see, but here's the ride elevation. I was going to post the ride itself from MapMyRide.com, but I don't have the patience to figure that out right now. :o)

Sunday Weigh-in

Beginning weight: 148

Current weight: 145.2

Beginning body fat %: 35

Current body fat %: 35.7

As you can see, my vacation to the beach didn't help with my weight loss. I've also had a hard time getting back to logging what I eat and not eating the leftover food from the wedding. It doesn't help that I don't have a kitchen right now...we took the cabinets out yesterday. :oP I have high hopes for this week!

My Garden

One of the things I was so excited to start after moving into my home was a garden. I bought Month-by-Month Gardening in the Carolinas by Bob Polomski and quickly started my plans. I figured my best bet was to buy small plants (instead of starting from seed) and I was so excited to get to planting that I jumped the gun and planted them too early. I lost a couple of plants, but not all of them. I chose tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers (I think I only have the red kind left--I don't even like that kind), yellow squash and zucchini. I think I had others, but they haven't survived.

I'm a novice gardener and it definitely shows. Something's eating my squash plants and I have yet to determine what it is. I thought I'd put up chicken wire fencing in case it was the neighborhood cat or the groundhogs, but the fence was too flimsy to put up without stakes (my bf maintained all along that it wouldn't work, but I was determined--I admitted, reluctantly, that he was right and I was wrong). I also tried to do some sort of organic pesticide, but I couldn't decide on anything. Sadly, I took the easy road and used the spray pesticide my bf bought. So no squash yet. No bell peppers because...well, I don't know. I don't know if they pop out later in the season or whether I'm supposed to be picking the flowers off so the plant will put more energy into the fruit. No strawberries. Why? I don't know that either. I got the roots on sale so it's possible they were old. It's also possible I planted them too late in the season or incorrectly. The tomatoes are the only plants that have produced fruit so far. This was the only reason I planted them--I actually don't even like tomatoes, but I knew they are hardy plants and I'd have to drop a bomb on them to kill them. BUT, even still, I'm dealing with problems associated with these plants. One: the tomato hornworm. If this thing wasn't so big, I'd be okay with it. But this thing is...gross. And yells at me when I try to take it off the plant. Seriously. It was disturbing. I'll probably have nightmares tonight. Two: I didn't realize I bought 2 tomato plants that both produce salad sized tomatoes. Geez! I guess I'll be eating a lot of salads... :oP

My favorite

I walk around 'singing' this all day!

A Major Milestone

So I've been steadily increasing the distance I bike so that I can make it to campus without dying half way through. I'm up to 8.2 miles round trip. I could probably go further, but I'm a weinie and want to wait for the bf's assistance on NC-107. At any rate, like I've said before, my driveway is steep and the drive to my driveway is steep. I can manage riding out of my driveway (because I still have all my energy) but I've never managed to ride back up the drive to get back to my house. UNTIL TODAY! WOOHOO! I just about passed out, but I made it! :oD I should treat myself to something wonderful...maybe a day off from the field. ;o)

The new challenge...

Check out the link to the right to see what I'm starting tomorrow!

Sunday Weigh-In

And for all the world to see! I asked myself my reasons for posting my stats and I realized if I hadn't done well this week, I probably wouldn't. I also know that there's more accountability and I'm more likely to stick with it if I post my numbers every week.

Two things I did early last week: I joined My Food Diary (http://www.myfooddiary.com/) and it has really helped. Also, I went and bought a kick-ass scale that measures one's weight, body fat %, and hydration level.

Starting weight: 147.2

Goal weight: 128

I picked my goal weight by figuring out my "ideal weight" on MFD (122-135). And then I just took the "median" of those two numbers.

Here's how I did this week:

So I lost 4.3 lbs over Tuesday through Sunday. My body fat percentage has been all over the place and I'm not sure why. I figured it would go down instead of up. Unless I'm losing weight because I'm losing muscle. But that doesn't make sense to me either since I exercised more last week than I have in a while. As for the big jump on Tuesday, I did weigh myself at a different time on Tuesday. All of the other days have been in the morning.

That's it! If I do as well next week I'll be in the 130s. That would be exciting since I haven't been there since last summer. :o)

My nemesis

I was curious to see what low-calorie alcholic drinks are out there and thought I'd share what I found:

1. From mecinenet.com:

How Many Calories in Popular Cocktails?

So just how many calories are in your favorite cocktail? These calorie counts for popular alcoholic drinks are approximate, based on popular recipes, but may vary depending on ingredients and portions.

Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories
Mojito (8 oz): 214 calories
Cosmopolitan (4 oz): 200 calories
Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz crème de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438
Margarita (8 oz): 280
Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148
Martini (2.5 oz): 160
Port wine (3 oz):128
Bloody Mary (5 oz): 118
Red wine (5 oz):120
White wine (5 oz): 120
Alcohol-free wine (5 oz): 20-30
Beer (12 oz): 150-198
Light beer (12 oz): 95-136
Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95
Champagne (5oz): 106-120
Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348
Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 oz): 310
Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100
Eggnog with rum (8 ounces): 370
Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (8 oz): 380
Hot buttered rum (8 oz): 292
Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150
Mulled wine (5 oz): 200
Vodka and tonic (8 oz): 200
Screwdriver (8 oz): 190
Mimosa (4 oz): 75
Gin and tonic (7 oz): 200
Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780
White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425
Mai Tai(6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350
Rum and Coke (8 oz): 185
Rum and Diet Coke (8 oz): 100
Mike's Hard Lemonade (11 oz): 98

Medically Reviewed December 17, 2007.

2. From clubplanet.com:

The best low-calorie cocktails:

Vodka Cranberry: Otherwise known as a Cape Codder, this classic drink not only has few calories (about 65), but the cranberry juice also helps flush alcohol out of your system—just make sure it’s the light kind. For an extra splash of flavor without adding calories, squeeze a lime wedge in your drink and rub it around the rim of the glass.

Light Beer: Beer is a slippery slope: think of how many beers you can down in a night versus the number of mixed drinks you can handle, and both are equally as calorie-laden. As a general rule of thumb, if you’re going to drink beer, make sure it’s light— both in calories and color. Darker colored beers (think a hearty mug of Guinness) pack more calories than their lighter counterparts. Two good options to reach for: Michelob Ultra (96 calories) and Miller Lite (98 calories). Sure, they may taste like beer-flavored water, but the diet-conscious drinker does what s/he must.

Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut Champagne: Take a cue from super-slim model Kate Moss who sips this dry champagne whenever she goes out. The drink only has 60 calories a glass, so you can have three times the bubbly for what you would normally ingest in a single glass of regular champagne.

Mojitos, Done Right: There are plenty of ways to slim down this refreshing, summery drink made with muddled mint leaves and rum: make sure the bartender uses fresh lime juice and ask her to hold off on the sugar, substituting it with Splenda instead. You can also swap out the club soda for Fresca, a citrusy-carbonated beverage that has a negligible 2 calories per every 8 ounces. A health bonus for this low-calorie cocktail: this drink is rich in antioxidants thanks to the lime and mint juices.

Watermelon Martini: While some sugary martinis contain enough calories to classify as dessert (they don’t call it “liquid lunch” for nothing), this fruity, pink concoction of vodka, simple syrup, and pureed watermelon is the smarter choice, clocking in at a mere 125 calories. Nightclubs such as Lotus and Level V craft the cocktail exactly this way, so you can be sure they’re not slipping anything unwanted in there. To cut calories even further, request that it be made with agave nectar instead of simple syrup, which has fewer calories and requires a smaller amount for the same level of sweetness.

Margarita, Redux: At a whopping 400 calories, a frozen margarita may not be worth its salt-rimmed glass after all. While a margarita on the rocks (170 calories) is a considerably better option, try mixing tequila with Crystal Light lemonade and Sierra Mist Free or Diet Sprite Zero for a drink that tastes like one without all of the calories.

Diet Tonic Drinks: No matter which 80-proof liquor you choose as a base (gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, and vodka), they all have the same nutritional value of around 65 calories and zero fat. What matters is the mixer you choose to pair it with—that’s where the sugars and calories that contribute to your side tire lurk. The most popular pick, tonic water, is one of the highest sugar mixers out there, so make sure to replace it with diet tonic or club soda and you’re in the clear.

The Maggie McQuade: Get your sweet fix with this saccharine-tasting drink, named after the stylish (and skinny) twenty-something who created it, which mixes vanilla vodka with diet ginger ale.

Vodka and Diet Red Bull: When made with sugar-free Red Bull, this popular club-goer staple will help you keep slim (it’s only 75 calories) and buzzing all night.
White Wine Spritzer: Sure, it may be the preferred drink of your Great Aunt Ethyl, but maybe she’s smarter than you think: diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water means you get more glasses for fewer calories (around 100 each round). Stick to dry wines, which contain fewer calories than their sweeter counterparts.

Water: Okay, so this isn’t a low-calorie cocktail, but it's important to start your night off with a no-cal glass of agua and continue to have one between every drink you order. Water helps you maintain hydration so you’re not chugging cocktails to quench your thirst, fills you up, and allows you to monitor the amount of calories you consume throughout the night. Plus, it prevents you from having a hangover the next day, so we say cheers to that.

3. glamour.com has a great slideshow of 'instead of this...have that' at http://www.glamour.com/health/slideshows/2007/03/bestworstdrinks?slide=1

The rare occasions I enjoy my research

If only snails came with text bubbles...

I tell people all the time that if I wasn't doing my research in such a beautiful place, I would go crazy. No joke. Insanity would have slowly taken hold had the following not occurred:

1. Sneaking up on a mother black bear and her two cubs by accident while checking traps (It scared the living daylights out of me, but it's a great story!)

2. The most amazing sunrises

3. Seeing all kinds of cool rodents (I had a picture of a dead vole stuck in a trap, but I'll spare you the horror.) Here are some pictures of some (but not all).

Carolina northern flying squirrel

Southern flying squirrel

Red squirrel

4. Seeing the leaves change with the changing seasons

5. Getting in the back of a pick-up with a man holding a rifle who had just shot a rattlesnake. Grrrrr! >o[

6. Witnessing tons and tons of bees "drunk" off of filmy angelica. It must be a trade-off of some sort because the risk of predation goes up sky high when they're like that.

7. And finally, (I'm sure there are others I'll think of later) today I got to see loads of swallowtails (butterflies) chilling on the side of the road. I tried to take pictures with my phone (forgot my camera at home) but they didn't come out. :o( I also tried to remember what they looked like so that I could identify them, but that was a ridiculous idea. At any rate, it was really cool.