The Further Adventures of Deluzy: To blog or not to blog

Health and Wellness

The Google 15
An excellent weight-tracking tool that keeps track of your moving weight average over time so that no single weigh-in is a cause for ecstacy or despair.
Understanding Your Tests
A good preliminary resource for understanding your lab work (though of course it's no substitution for discussing results with your doctor)
FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal
An essential tool for me during my first 6 post-op months -- and a good reality check for anyone keeping track of daily food intake (e.g., calories, fats, carbohydrates, etc.) and activity levels
Gmaps Pedometer
A wonderful tool that allows one to map exercise routes and calculate miles covered and calories burned

Products I Like

Spanx
A line of comfortable foundation garments (and even easy-to-pack clothing) that comes in handy post-op to corrale that wayward, formerly obese flesh and make you feel comfortable. Available online, at Lane Bryant in larger sizes, at Nordstrom in smaller sizes, and sometimes at outlets for less.
Pure Protein RTD shakes
At an average of 35 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs, and 160 calories, these ready-to-drink shakes work for me because I can chill them, grab them, pack them, and go. Available from a variety of online sources or at GNC stores.
Perfectly Sweet
Expensive but excellent source for sugar-free and no-sugar-added bakery and candy items.
Low Carb Corner
As near as I can tell, this site sells nothing but two kinds of breakfast cereal -- but as one who's avoided cereal since my DS surgery because it contains virtually no protein and far too many carbs, Protein Crunch is a wonderful option (i.e., 27 grams protein, 2 net grams carbs). It's horrifyingly expensive but for WLS cereal lovers, it's worth the occasional splurge.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

To blog or not to blog

Ohmygod, it's A minus 9 -- 9 days to go until the cruise to Alaska, and I'm going to be able to think about it and get myself organized for the trip exactly one day before I leave, because I'll be grading, grading, grading until then.

One of the things I need to decide is whether to bring a laptop so that I can blog while I'm away -- for myself, mind you, not for the Adoring Masses that read what I write (that was a joke, by the way). As near as I can determine, there's wireless available on board ship, but I think one has to pay for it, and I can only imagine the exorbitant fee that would be charged for that.

But, while I won't be going online while I'm away, I do like the idea of being able to write whenever I wish. After years of using a computer and composing at the keyboard, I can no longer write longhand, and taking a laptop means I could simply save whatever I write in a Word file and post entries upon my return, if that's what I want to do.

On the other hand, who wants to lug another bag?

And yet it's not as if I'm backpacking or anything, for god's sake. I'm going on a cruise in which transfers from airport to hotel to ship are being handled for me, and I'm not going to have to do much (if any) hauling of my own bags. I should be able to deal with my laptop case and a purse.

These are the mindless things I fret about between grading tasks. Fretting over these kinds of issues is more pleasant that fretting over Excel spreadsheets, which I've been doing all day. (Basically they're now good to go: I'm now ready to hole up in my study or at a Starbucks with my iPod and engage in marathon grading sessions during the next week.)

Posted at 05:49 PM in Blogs, Cruise, Travel, Writing | Permalink