Proving My Worth

Happy Monday Amazons!

If you're like me, you probably feel like the weekend wasn't nearly long enough and you're probably feeling a little grumpy because it's Monday.  Yes yes, we all know the feeling.

Surprisingly enough, though, I haven't felt too badly today.  This despite the following:

• it IS Monday afterall
• woke up @ 4:45AM, rather than 5:00AM
• it's been a killer slow day at work
• didn't get nearly enough time with my guy this weekend

This week I am working full 8-hour days while the main secretary in our office takes a much needed vacation (to San Diego no less!); I'm in charge of keeping things running smoothly while she's away (hence the title).  Okay, so it's not a super tough gig, especially on a quiet, uneventful day such as this one.

But to make things a little easier, I'm happy to report that it is a beautiful day here in Seattle!

Perhaps Spring has finally sprung!

 I'm also happy to report that I feel as though I'm doing a good job in my coworker's absence.  One more little notch of experience that I can add to my resume.  I'll concede that working in an office setting is not my idea of a Dream Job.  Can't I just get paid to travel the world and eat good food?  No?  Well that's disappointing.  But I will say this: I've learned a lot in the 6 months that I've worked here at the medical center.  I won't be curing cancer or forging peace in the Middle East, but I handle wayward patients who call our office and you'll never meet a better mail-sorter in your life.  Plus I like it here and it is my hope that I'm slowly but surely proving my abilities to my coworkers and superiors.

As far as the workouts go, I'm satisfied (somewhat) with where I'm at.  Haven't tried running since my doctor's appointment several weeks ago and I will say that the pain seems to have subsided for the most part.  There are always the occasional flare-ups and quite often I get some twinges of pain when on the elliptical.  But I don't let it stop me because I'm made of tougher stuff than that.

                            "Pain is weakness leaving the body." -Unknown

 The abs are coming along nicely; perhaps I'll never have a six-pack (nor do I think I want one) but I'm sure not a Flabby Florence either.

I was the recipient of some playful teasing this weekend.  Friends were discussing a dish, called the Garbage Can to be exact, served at a neighborhood bar and everyone was oooing and ahhing about how delicious it sounded; everyone except me.  Apparently I had a grimace on my face, though I'd never know it because I seemed to be perpetually unaware of my facial expression at any given time.  Anyways, I was deemed too healthy and conscientious to appreciate such fare.  A title that I gladly accept and wear with pride.  Wouldn't you want it as well?

I'm a lean, mean, fridge-demolishing machine!

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Obtained via Google Images

Happy Monday Amazons:

I'm back from my Bavarian getaway in Leavenworth this past weekend.  It was marvelous in all senses of the word and it was just what was needed if life is going to get a little crazier in the coming weeks (which it very well may.)

I return to Seattle well-rested (if not a few pounds heavier, because that's what carbs and Black Forest Cake tends to do) and good thing because tonight WE PARTY!!!

For those of you scratching your heads right now, tonight is the night that Maroon 5 performs at Key Arena here in Seattle.  They'll be joined by Owl City and Neon Trees but let's not kid ourselves, we spent the money that we spent because I'm going to marry Adam Levine.  He needs to find a nice Jewish girl that he can bring home to his mother and that girl is ME.

Okay, just kidding.  I won't pretend to actually be that delusional but it makes for laughs.  I have been eagerly anticipating this night since all the way back in October when I bought the tickets.  I also have my sign that I made.  It's classy yet to-the-point. Don't you agree?

As a result of my Maroon 5 date tonight, I think it will be highly unlikely that I make it to the gym tomorrow morning.  It's unfortunate that I'll be missing another workout given that I didn't go when we were in Leavenworth (though I got all kinds of other physical activity) but even I can't justify stumbling bleary-eyed into the gym on just a few hours of sleep.  I've got some errands to run tomorrow after work but my hope is that I'll have enough fuel to do some crunches and perhaps some yoga.  It's anyone's guess what kind of condition I will be in tomorrow but I want to be as functional and coherent as possible when I get to work.

A lot of people talk about balance: living a balanced life, finding balance, eating a balanced diet.  My idea of balance is probably a little skewed in the eyes of many other people.  I like to think of it as balancing everything else around the gym and maintaining a healthy body.  But it's been a long road since I first decided that enough was enough and that I wasn't happy with myself. 

Start slow Amazons.  Swap out the French fries for a side salad.  Walk around the block.  And make sure there is plenty of Maroon 5 in your life and you surely can't go wrong!

Until next time Amazons!

The Crux of the Affordable Care Act

Oh Amazons, it's finally Friday.  Thank goodness because I've been chomping at the bit to have this weekend within reach!  My stud is taking me to Leavenworth, WA as my belated Christmas/Hanukkah present and I couldn't be more excited.

Unfortunately my excitement and enthusiasm, about spending the weekend with him in Washington's Bavarian Getaway, has been tempered by my disappointment in learning how expensive and limited health insurance is for an individual to acquire here in WA state.  I've known for a while that the health insurance provided through my mother's work would not cover me if I just walked in to a doctor's office, but only recently did I learn that my doctor will not refer me to a doctor up here (which would allow me to receive coverage).  Compounding the problem is my recent flare-up with knee problems and my FOURTH referral to a physical therapist.

For those of you who have never experienced physical therapy, it is an expensive (though often worthwhile, if not tedious) process.  Keyword: expensive.  So here I sit between a rock and a hard place: continue on as I have and wait to see how painfully sore my knees become or shell out a lot of $$$ for treatment.  Without insurance, physical therapy is expensive.  With WA state insurance (which may or may not even cover PT), I'll be paying $100/month PLUS a $1000 annual premium before the insurance coverage will actually kick in and do anything for me.

Now I don't know about you, but I'm a relatively healthy individual.  I rarely get sick and usually only go to the doctor for annual exams, etc.  And I can say with complete 100% honesty that I never thought I would be in the position of sitting here, experiencing the reality of life without health coverage.

I love our President; I voted for him in 2012 and I believe that overall he is doing the best he can do for our country.  I believe that the Affordable Care Act (call it Obamacare if you want) is something that will ultimately do more good than many of its opponents believe.  Unfortunately right now I don't see how it's helping me.  So many of the proposed changes have to be phased in over the span of YEARS (which my inner intellectual can understand) but that leaves so many people without help NOW.

I need to step back and say that I'm not homeless, hungry, or destitute.  I'm a college graduate with a part-time job, which pays all my bills except rent which my mom covers.  And perhaps that's the most important part of this whole thing.  I'm not looking for a free ride, I don't want to receive government assistance or be labeled as a charity case.  There are SO MANY much more deserving/needy people in the world who need it more than me.  And yet I'm still stuck in this situation despite the bright potential of my existence.

What should people like me do???

I feel obligated to shift my gaze to how I can continue being an Amazon during this obstacle, because it's just an obstacle and not a permanent detour in my life.  [ALWAYS STAY POSITIVE AMAZONS!]  I'll work to incorporate more zero-impact exercises into my fitness regime.  I've got some great fat-burning yoga poses that I'm sure are worth checking out.  I hate swimming but if I can gain access to a pool at some point it's something that I would be willing to attempt (again).

The ironic thing is that I had just gotten to a point where I was running 3 miles without much difficulty and I was actually enjoying it!  But I fear that it was said running that caused this sudden return of my knee problems.  That doesn't mean I'll stop in the long run, after all "Pain is weakness the body."  Step back, assess, change the approach, go forth.

Amazons, don't let obstacles (big or small, whatever they may be) stop you.  You can't, YOU MUST NOT.  Excuses show that you are weak and you are not weak.

This has been a catharsis for me, truly.  I feel much less down-on-myself than I did an hour ago.  The  weekend is nearly here and I plan on making the most of our weekend getaway!  Perhaps I'll do a fat-burning yoga routine tomorrow morning before we depart...


Until next time Amazons!
xoxoxo