Thursday, February 11, 2010

And the Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down . . .

And it cancelled PT again! Thanks to the freezing rain last night, Liberty had a two-hour delay yet again (this makes two days in a row), so PT was cancelled. Considering the shape I'm still in, I was rather relieved to not have to get up at 0445 and work out at LU at 0550. Obviously those in charge are planning to go easy on me for awhile, but even so, I was worried about working out again so soon, and puzzled as to what on earth I would even be able to do! Since I don't want to undo all the good work I was accomplishing from my workouts before my injury, I am going to start doing some low-key stuff on my Wii Fit today, and then start using the pool either tomorrow or Friday (thank you, Liberty, for building that lovely state-of-the-art workout facility).

The hand is looking a little better today. After being iced all day yesterday, some of the swelling has gone down (although it is still a bit swollen) and I have feeling back in my fingers. My thumb still gets periods of numbness, but not as much as yesterday. Obviously, the pain is still pretty bad. Last night I got the second migraine of 2010 (the first came on Sunday), so I had to dope up a bit on migraine meds, which meant that I slept really well for a change - actually, I slept a little too well. I woke up at 1200! I guess my body needed it, but it sure was strange to look at the clock and realize that that much valuable reading time was gone.

I had another terrific find at the store on Monday (the infamous Walmart trip where the woman slammed into my hand), which simply must be shared. As my readers all know, I am diligently sticking to this sugar-free lifestyle, which is not without its share of challenges. On Monday afternoon, I am sorry to say, I made the decision to break free for a moment and indulge in a small bag of peanut M&Ms. As I replied when Dr. Saxon, who knows of my sugar-free ways, questioned this choice: "To heck with health; I've had a horrible day and I want chocolate!" The little indulgence made me feel a little better, so I think it was worth it (just that once). When I went to Walmart that night, I still really wanted something sweet. To be specific, I desperately longed for one of my favorite comfort foods, banana pudding. Now there are two problems with that craving: 1. I cannot have bananas because they are too high on the glycemic index, and 2. The vanilla wafers used in banana pudding contain a great deal of sugar. I knew that I had a box of sugar-free banana pudding mix at home, but without the bananas and vanilla wafers, it just wouldn't seem right. Saddened, I walked through the cookie aisle, pausing to gaze wistfully at the vanilla wafers, sitting there taunting me with their unattainable deliciousness . . . when "what to my wondering eyes should appear" but a box of sugar-free vanilla wafers! Kudos to Murray brand for making life a little sweeter for us sugarless folk! I also discovered, to my surprise, that shredded coconut is not as laden with sugar as I had supposed, so I can have some in moderation. Thus fortified, I went home and made my pudding. It was banana-less, but still very delicious since it still had the other key components.

Today seems the perfect day for another experiment in the kitchen. I have a deep fondness for muffins, which I have been unable to have since there is a paucity of healthy muffin recipes that fit my rigid dietary standards. So, I have resolved to create my own whole-wheat, sugar-free apple bran muffin recipe. We shall see how it goes. If the muffins come out well, I will post pictures and a recipe. If not . . . well, there's always Jasper, my furry garbage disposal. I'm sure he'll gratefully make use of any flops!

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"Passage—immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!
Cut the hawsers—haul out—shake out every sail!
Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough?
Have we not grovell’d here long enough, eating and drinking like mere brutes?
Have we not darken’d and dazed ourselves with books long enough?

Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go, And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

O my brave soul!
O farther, farther sail!
O daring joy, but safe! Are they not all the seas of God?
O farther, farther, farther sail!"

~Walt Whitman, "Passage to India"