Just how few calories do you need per day before a Slim Jim starts to look like a tasty and attractive snack option?

In case you've ever asked yourself the question above, in moments of quiet gastronomic reflection, I can now tell you that the answer is 1,600. Thats how many calories I'm currently on a day here at New Life - the relative paucity of which has to be the reason why the mechanically separated chicken snack (so thoughtfully provided by the lovely Charles) started to impinge on my consciousness as a viable protein choice late this afternoon. Back out in Old Life, I'd rather gnaw my own fingers to the bone in preference to even remotely considering eating one of those flexible fructosian fiends, so I knew urgent, remedial action was needed! So, after dinner (which was very tasty - just bugger all of it!), I quietly snuck out of NL and high-tailed it to the local grocery store for supplies! I had an alibi all ready in case of discovery (I actually also needed to buy deoderant too, so there was a legit reason for my visit) but fortunately it wasnt needed. As it happens, I bought very healthy snacks - blueberries, almonds, yoghurt raisins (went a little crazy there) and organic 85% dark chocolate (physiologically impossible to eat more than 2 squares at a time) so even if the diet Nazi's had tackled me to the ground on my return and demanded to see my caloric contraband, at least there wouldnt have been illicit bags of Doritos and Cheez-Its spilling forth from my rucksack!

Today's schedule
Way too blissed out to write much. Here's what I did today:
8am: breakfast (didnt quite make it out of bed for 7am stretching & Qigong - oops!)
9.30am: short nature walk
10.30am: cooking class
12.30pm: lunch
2pm: pilates
4pm: thai yoga massage
5pm: gentle yoga

Just about to float down for dinner before tonight's talk on "living green". Check for me for recycling already (thanks, Mum!), plus i at least own a book on how to live green (thanks again, Mum!) so I guess thats a start!

Cooking with George Bush
So I've just figured out who Jimmy le Sage, founder and owner of New Life, reminds me of. It came to me during the cooking class he was leading - he could be Dubya's long-lost twin! He looks like him, is a similar body frame & height and sounds almost identical. Maybe they should think about trading places? (Jimmy would probably even do a better job of running the country!)

Whilst i wasn't pondering the resemblance, I did actually learn something - how to use tamari to make a soup roux. I'm also sensing a kitchen investment somewhere in my near future - he made us a smoothie using this kick-ass Vitamix blender (i think they're the same ones that Jamba Juice use). I've just thrown away my crappy Cuisinart one (again!) which was completely useless, so I think my STARS are going to be put to good use in Macy's kitchen dept when i get home!

Ohashi, not sushi

Got up early for Qigong at 7.30am, but (as i later found out!) I was in the wrong place (doh!), so ended up taking a stretch class instead. Was very good, though, nonetheless, and made me resolve to..err.. stretch more when I get back home. Such a simple thing but which I just never seem to get round to doing.

After breakfast, went on the intermediate hike (about 5.8miles) which was very pleasant, not too challenging as it was on dirt roads, so the ground was pretty even (except for a steep, slippy hill down to the river. WELL DONE me for not going arse over tit, as usual). It had absolutely chucked it down the night before with an enormous thunderstorm, so the more usual hikes up and down mountains weren't being offered as the ground would have been way too dangerous underfoot. After stopping at a bug-infested bridge for our fruit break, we tromped back to the vans and headed back for lunch.

I think someone must have slipped Ambien in my lunch cos afterwards, I completely and utterly crashed out! Despite predictions of more rain, the weather outside was beautifully sunny - i was so knackered, though, I couldnt move from my bed and so slept right through the gorgeous sunshine! Ah well - think of all the sun damage to my skin I'm preventing! Anyway, had to rouse myself in time for my 5pm Ohashi method massage with Deidre. I'm gradually working my way down the list of spa services and the Ohashi massage was described as "Oriental diagnosis followed by deep, but non-painful pressure applied on the acupuncture meridians, along with gentle stretches and limb rotations. Balances energy flow, relieves stress, enhances range of motion and eases aches and pains, especially for shoulders, back and hips". Ahh.... shoulders! I have to say this part of my body has been getting extra special attention so far this week and they were loving it so far, so they were very excited about this latest treat.

So the treatment was very different, interesting & good. She picked up on my shoulders straight away (they were very pleased) and, encouragingly, said that the rest of my meridians were pretty well balanced. I felt suitably pleased with myself - obviously my meridians have been getting on with the job well enough without any conscious interference from me! In the course of the diagnosis, she asked me a couple seemingly random questions (did i have allergies, was i well organized, when i moved to the US, did i bring many momentos with me, did i have a problem with letting go?) which I'm sure had a meaning but (being British) was far too polite to ask for a further explanation of. In the case of the "Letting go" comment - it was actually quite astute of her but, rather than letting go, I was more concerned with not "letting rip"!! Forgive the gory details, but I am extremely windy at the moment due to this diet (I think i ate too much fruit today) and with someone squishing your tummy, it was all i could do not to let one flying. Thank God I didn't, otherwise they would have had to have sent the HazMat squad in, in full biowarfare gear, to come recover our melted and putrified bodies. Honestly, the whole of Killington has no idea, at the moment, just how close it is to becoming part of a major bowel-induced bioterror alert. Only the strength of my arse-cheek muscles, keeping it clenched for King and Country, is preventing a full-scale wipeout.

After such exertions, it was time for a restorative supper before going to Deidre's talk on an intro to Chinese Medicine and Healing. It was interesting but she did slag off the drug industry a fair amount which annoyed me a little as I dont think she gave enough credit to how I think times are changing and the increased recognition, within Western medicine, as to the value of the Eastern philosophies and a more holistic approach to health & wellness. I dont think you'd find many people in the Pharma industry who would claim, for any illness, that drug treatment is the be-all and end-all - probably not many physicians would either. I certainly don't. But, I guess that doesnt make for such a provocative talk - very few people actually want to hear (or believe) that the drug companies are actually trying to make a positive difference in advancing our understanding of human health and medicine. But, I kept my figurative soapbox tucked neatly away underneath my chair - its a tiring discussion to have sometimes and I just wasnt in the mood, so I just listened and accepted that she had a different viewpoint to me on certain things. After the talk, I was ready just to retire and hit the sack. So, had a nice long soak in the bath, read a bit before lights out. Goodnight!

ps.
Massage was excellent - just the right balance between applying deep pressure and more relaxing stretching. It did get a little painful round the shoulder area but it wasn't as grit your teeth as usual, so its got to be helping! Chuck even threw in a bit of energy work for good measure (I asked him afterwards and he said he likes to mix techniques up) - dont know what its called, but the bit where he laid his hands above my head was especially good. They weren't touching my head but i could feel the heat radiating out from them and it was very soothing. So pretty much floated back to my room and now having an early night ready for Qi Gong at 7.30am tomorrow morning. Good night!

pps. According to the pedometer my Mum bought me for my birthday, i walked 10,747 steps today or 5.088 miles. Not bad - more than my usual Saturday in Manhattan!!

Day 1: Let the chillin' out commence!

Ahhh.... What an absolutely perfect day it's been. An ideal blend of being outside, inside, active and relaxed. Already feel significantly more relaxed and chilled out - and its only Day 1!! Think I'm going to have to be poured back onto the plane come next Saturday!!

So, breakfast at 8am was grapefruit with sprinkles of coconut, followed by oatmeal lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Again, delicious. I'm amazed, though, how completely obsessed everyone is with food - thats all people talked about at dinner last night and at breakfast again this morning!! Even whilst we were eating brekkie, people were speculating what would be for lunch!! I guess i'm loving the food cos i eat this way normally, but there is a significant amount of grumbling about the lack of salt, sugar and the rest. I'm probably one of the only folk in here who's not plotting to escape to the local bakery down the road or the pub across the street to fill up on contraband pastries or beer!

After breakfast, was time for my first hike. I totally had to laugh at myself this morning because, dressed in all my full-on hiking gear, with boots, thick socks, Camelbak and Buzz-off insect repelling shirt. With not a scrap of make-up on (I didnt even bring it with me this week!) and hair stuffed under a floppy hat, I'd be surprised if anyone from work would have recognized me! Chose the "nature walk" - NLHS code for "beginners" but it was perfect for what i was after. About 4miles or so, dirt road over gently rolling hills, leading us through the forest to finish at a very pretty waterfall. The weather was perfect with the sun shining and a light breeze (although it was a little sticky) and there weren't too many bugs about so I dont think i got chomped too badly. I had all my camera kit with me (Sam would have been proud!) and even lugged my tripod so I could take some pics of the waterfall. There were also lots of beautiful (and enormous!) butterflies which was a real treat to see - you dont get many of those down on 13th St!!

After walk, back to hotel in time for lunch. Today was a lentil soup, followed by tuna salad - yum! After lunch, I had a slightly more active afternoon than yesterday as I decided to do all 3 exercise classes back to back. First up was Pilates, then strength training followed by Fit Ball. The same lady taught all three (so I was mildly competitive in wanting to keep up with her!) and, to be honest, it wasnt massively strenuous in terms of being aerobically challenging. She focused very heavily on core work throughout each of her classes, so i'm sure my abs are going to have something to say about it tomorrow!! For now they feel fine, but we'll see!! After the last class finished at 5pm, I had just enough time to jump in the inside hot tub, followed by a dip in the much cooler pool, then hot tub etc etc. My shoulder is still giving me a bit of trouble so I'm reliably informed that will help! Also hoping it will pre-empt any stiffness from today's exertions too.

Then time for a quick shower before dinner which today was salad, a chicken/soba noodle combo, followed by peach cobbler. Alas had misfortune to sit at table with the very loud and annoying people (sadly, from New York) but fairly successfully managed to tune them out until one of them started telling me this very long-winded, convoluted and ultimately not very interesting story about how he met a Bowes-Lyon on the Hamptons Jitney. YAWN!! Managed to feign sufficient interest until the peach cobbler was finished and then scarpered at the first opportunity! I'm fairly laid-back but even i have limits!! Anyway, now writing this as I wait for my first spa treatment, a full body deep tissue massage with Chuck - he's supposed to be excellent. I reckon after he's done, i'm heading straight for bed!!!

New Life Hiking Spa here I come!!
Yey!! Very excited as holiday is here!! After an absolutely crazy week at work (was still working until 12.45am last night!), had a bright and early start as was up at 4.45am, ready to leave the apt at 5.30am to make it to the airport for my 7.20am jetblue flight from jfk to boston. Cos of the ungodly hour, it was a pretty short cab ride with no traffic, so i arrived with plenty of time and no stress. The flight was good, smooth and only 40mins - just enough time to chug down the complementarily bad Dunkin Donuts coffee, before landing at Boston.

Then had a 2hr layover in boston, so again, already in chilled out holiday mode, I just enjoyed the time, read my book, people watched and had some butternut squash soup for breakfast(!).
Also had to re-check in for my Cape Air connection - was this tiny desk staffed by what looked like 3 14-year olds, who asked for my weight (no, I didnt fib!) but who then also weighed my hand luggage so as to "balance the plane". Oh holy crap, I thought. What about my boots?? They're really heavy! What if I inadvertently cause the first ever plane crash due to hiking boot overload?? And just what the hell am i flying in?

A quick look out of the terminal window onto the tarmac soon gave me my answer as, ranged on the apron, were several of the tiniest planes I'd ever seen! (Cessna 402's to be precise, for all you data junkies out there). A grand total of 7 seats including the pilots! There were only 2 passengers, including myself, so i indulged myself in fantasies of this being my private jet! The boarding process was somewhat different to what i'm more usually used to as we were taken by a guy with orange plastic wavy things across tarmac to plane. My backpack was loaded into wing (how cool is that!) and I sat right behind the pilots so had a front row view.

Wow. The whole experience was utterly fantastic and just gives you a totally different, more raw perspective on flying. The airconditioning before take off was the pilot opening his window and it felt like we had been loaded into a mini-van with wings. After the obligatory safety "announcement" (honestly, if this puppy is going down, there's really no point to knowing about the emergency exits, other than for retrieval of our splatted bodies!), we started trundling down the runway, bouncing along enthusiastically! We were in a line of 3 other little planes, behind this enormous AA jumbo, which took off before us and again challenging my limited understanding of the theory of flight! Then it was our turn - WHOOO-HOO!!! SPEEED!!!! It was just awesome - we just went so fast and then up, up and away!! We had a brilliant view of the airport and city all laid out below, so i spent my whole trip with my nose glued to the window.

After a while we hit our cruising altitude of 6500ft. The whole thing reminded me of eddie izzard skit re small planes and the pilot who hid the biscuits! The flight took about 1hr, and we flew over the Vermont spine of the Green Mountains. It was just beautiful. I saw many individual houses tucked away in the hills and lining the many lakes & mildly resolved to own one one day. Landing was as fun as taking off - as we approached runway, it felt as if could brush the tops of the trees with my fingertips. I also had several more prosiac thoughts involving hoping the pilot was a good aim as runway was pretty narrow!

Rutland airport was in direct proportion to the plane - ie tiny. The best bit was the baggage "carousel" - basically a hatch in the external way with a metal tray, they just stuffed your luggage through! Bloody brilliant. Must remember to take a picture on the way back out! I hadnt thought to prebook a taxi but, by happenstance, met the taxi man there as he was collecting lost luggage. The drive to hotel took about 30mins & Terry, the cabbie, gave me suggestions for palces to stay on last night. He even offered to put me up for the night if i lucked out - hmm...

Arrived hotel just before noon. Room wasnt quite ready so got orientation tour first. The New Life Hiking Spa is not a fancy or particularly modern place, but there's something about it thats extremely charming and very welcoming in feel. Its pretty well equipped for facilities - indoor pool and sauna, hot tub, gym, tv room, hospitality room, exercise "tent" where all the classes happen, spin studio plus full service spa salon. In addition to hiking, of course.

Lunch was at 12.30pm, sharp. Today was delicious gazpacho soup followed by an extremely garlicky chicken caeser salad. LOVE the food - so clean, no salt or sugar, simple and v tasty. And i love the fact too that there is no apology at all for how it is - its a real philosophy and approach to nutrition that is fundamental to this place. Given my own recent success with cleaning out my diet, its great reinforcement and validation that the choices I'm making are the right ones.
After lunch, back to room for snooze and read and to figure out what treatments I want to book. Cos of my early start, i awarded myself a very lazy afternoon and just relaxed til dinner time. The menu was salad to start, then i had a "combo" platter which was half portion of the steak and half portion of the stuffed summer squash. Followed by fresh fruit salad and delicious

After dinner, signed up for first batch treatments, then back to room to finish book and have early night. Spoke to Charles who's at my place looking after the boys for me til Tues - apparently they're disappointed he wasnt me but I assured him they'd soon get over it and by the time I get home next Sat, I'll be the one being treated with lofty disdain!! Now time for bed, ready for my first hike tomorrow!

Beaches, big branches and bubbles
So checked out of hotel fairly early this morning (which, in the end i was quite glad to as it was all a bit dark & depressingly Victorian in feel) and had an enormous cranberry almond muffin and coffee for breakfast, before driving out to the riding stables for my beach ride. Unfortunately all the private rides were already booked, so i had to go with a group of beginners (so no trotting or cantering) but it was still nice to be on horseback riding through the woods, then on the beach. Got chatting to one of the wranglers and pretty much heard his entire life story(which was very..er.. colourful!) during the ride, but that was fine - meeting new and interesting people is all part of the fun of travelling on your own!

After the ride, was time to drive back to West Sonoma spa. Instead of the coastal road, I chose to drive a more direct, inland route - glad i did, cos it was bloody long way and again took me longer than anticipated. Note to self - next time, check the distances more thoroughly and don't underestimate how long its going to take to get anywhere!! But it was actually a good choice in that it took me through some beautiful redwood forests again, with the road winding through ancient groves of the some of the most majestic trees i've ever seen. With golden shafts of sunlight occasionally piercing through the verdant cover, the light had this amazingly diffuse and soft quality that was quite ethereal and almost spiritual in feel. I parked up for a few moments during my drive so as to just sit for a while to soak up the atmosphere and reflect - it was a very moving experience that left a deep impression.

So, obviously the only way to follow that experience was with a good dollop of alcohol. And fortunately, I happened to be driving through one of the best places in the USA to go sample - Anderson and Sonoma Valley!! Alas, this is where the "travelling on your own is just as rewarding and fun" argument falls down somewhat - as it was just me driving, I was pretty limited in the number of vineyards and tasting houses I could visit. So, ever true to form, I picked the Roederer Estate - the West Coast outpost of the famous Louis Roederer champagne house. Oh my. I think i did well to leave with just a case of Rose champagne and a jereboam of NV house bubbles! Its going to be one enormous party when i crack that little puppy open!

Anyway, am now back in West Sonoma ready for final drive back to San Fran tmrw and flight back to NYC. Has been a good trip - poignant at times because i'm here on my own but, on the whole, a restorative one. Plenty of fresh air, more natural beauty than should be legal plus time and space for reflection. I'm glad I came and i'm also looking forward to going home and seeing what 2008 holds. Bring it on!!!

Mendocino Madness!
Had v weird, work-related dreams last night - very odd, very vivid and linked to the market development activities i'm leading for Fibromyalgia. Crikey. Think these few days off have come not a moment too soon! Woke up reasonably early cos room was roasting, so got up, had a freebie coffee in the lobby bar and agonised over how best to spend the day!! There is just soo much to do here - it would take weeks to do it all justice! Went for brekkie at a little coffee house and bakery, then a wander round town (none of the shops were open til half ten!) and discovered this fantastic gallery right next to the hotel, absolutely stuffed full of amazing stuff. Lots of beautiful wooden treasures plus these amazing cat sculptures made of wire. Ummed and aahed for a bit, but couldnt decide, so figured i'd mull it over and see how i felt by the end of the day! So, back to then planning the rest of my day and after fretting awhile and making several different itineraries in my head, i decided just to jump in the car and see where the day would lead me!
So, firstly led me to the Russian Gulch State Park - according to the guide book, there is a very cool blow hole there - buggered if i could find it!! But was still pretty spectacular with the beach plus this huge roadbridge spanning across the gulch (i remembered the white knuckle drive acroos it the previous day!). Got my feet soggy tramping across the beach in search of the perfect picture but it felt like an adventure all the same!


Then back in the car ready for the next place - ended up driving into Fort Bragg and, after a brief peek at finding myself heading through to Noyo Harbour. Went and had lunch at Captain Flint's overlooking the harbour - very yummy fish sandwich, chips and coleslaw! After lunch, had a quick wander around Fort Bragg and visited the tattoo museum. Was thinking of getting a tattoo, but bottled out (again!). Is only a matter of time, though! :-) Then, decided to visit Glass Beach where - as the name would suggest - is full of multicoloured glass fragments, worn smooth by the sea and time. You're not supposed to collect the glass but, seeing as everyone else was, i thought "bugger it" and ended up collecting some beautiful fragments of green and white glass. I'll figure out what to do with them when i get home!


By this stage, it was 4pm, so time to hightail it back to Mendocino to make it back to the gallery before it closed at 5pm. Kept thinking about my little wire cat, so i figure i probably really wanted it and so should go claim it for my own. Got very very tempted also by this beautiful salad bowl - a snip at a mere $410!! Fortunately a quick phone call to Rachel brought me to my senses, so i ended up just buying the cat and an equivalent wire mouse - a snip at a mere $550!! I did feel guilty about leaving the other wire cat behind - i bought the Dylan one but left Izzie behind!! If i can find somewhere to put him, i'm sure i'll be giving the gallery a call once i get home to ask them to send him along too!

So now sitting in the beautiful lobby bar of the Mendocino hotel writing this, and supping a glass of chilled Handley Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2005. Despite my moods going up and down more than i would like, at the moment, life feels pretty good. And, seeing as i'm only on my first glass of wine, i dont think its the drink talking (although the glasses here are noticeably bigger than the ones you get back in NYC!). Am going to check out another place for dinner tonight (called the MacHouse!) and then i'm off horse riding tomorrow, so am very much looking forward to that!

Day 2: Highway 1 beckons...

Ah.... slept soooo well last night and it was just perfect to wake up with the fireplace still flickering, casting dancing shadows across the room. Was another beautifully clear and sunny day - sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine as i ate my sesame noodles from the airport yesterday for breakfast! Packed up, checked out and set off for the Armstrong Woods Pack Station and a hike through the redwoods. Was advised by the hotelier not to shell out for the horseback ride but really to focus on the hiking instead. Was good advice as it was absolutely beautiful - i was the only person on the trail and it was just so peaceful, hiking through the woods. Is so important to me, to be able to get away and decompress from all the craziness of New York - just helps to set everything back into perspective and to appreciate just how lucky i am, despite all the little annoyances and stresses. At the top of the East Ridge Trail, just before i started back down the hillside, I sat on this little rustic wooden bench, closed my eyes and had a lovely moment of peace and contentment.

Walking back to the Visitor Centre, it was then time to continue my roadtrip along Highway 1 to Mendocino. Grabbed a quick lunch of (bad) Mexican before leaving Guerneville at around 2pm. Oh my God, the scenery was simply amazing. It was just unfortunate at times that i was driving because the temptation to gaze around at the just spectacular scenery was so strong! Needless to say, i did have numerous picture stops - so many so that i had to get tough with myself and say "no more stopping!", otherwise i'dve never have made it! As it was, it was already past sunset when i was driving through some of the areas right next to the beach - a real shame, cos i think they would be stunning, but maybe I'll see them in daylight on the way back down.

Finally got to Mendocino just after 6pm and checked into my hotel. Is right on the cliff front, overlooking the sea, and the waves just CRASH into the rocks and coastline below. It really is quite a spectacular sight. Was quite tired after the long drive, so decided to stay in the hotel for supper - was pretty busy but the food was OK. Is supposed to be a Zagat rated restaurant - had wild mushroom ravioli for starters followed by wild hen - again, was OK but i guess i' ve been spoiled by NYC restaurants! After dinner, decided to have a fairly early night, so in bed by 9pm.

Day 1 in San Fran!
Early start today! 8am flight from JFK so up by 5.30am - ouch! Even more ouch considering had only got back in from the UK just before midnight yesterday! But managed to drag myself out of bed and onto my jetBlue flight for the 6hr coast to coast trek. Landed in San Francisco at half 11, then picked up bags and headed, via Airtrain and shuttle, to the car rental place. The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS - beautifully clear and sunny day and WARM, WARM, WARM!!! 60 degrees! Drove north along Highway 101, through SF and before i knew it, found myself crossing the Golden Gate bridge! Very cool indeed - was singing "Unwritten" at the top of my voice and it felt gooooood!! Felt very happy and content with life - as it should be. Stopped and took a few pics at the lookout point - was v lucky as it was a completely clear day. I remember the last time i was in SF, the bridge was almost completely shrouded in cloud, so this was a real treat.

Then, back in the car to start the Pacific Coast Highway adventure proper as i dropped onto Highway 1. Very windy, twisty road taking me through some of the most stunning scenery anywhere - LOVE IT!! Drove for about half an hour before stopping in Muir Woods National Monument and my first experience of the Redwood forest. Just a short 1hr trail through the woods - very touristy but still stunning to see some of these amazing trees at close hand. Am going on another, less busy trail tomorrow, through the Armstrong Pack woods - according to the front desk guy, a very moving, almost spiritual experience.

After Muir Woods, time to continue drive up to Guerneville. Stopped for coffee and pizza at this fab little restaurant - got chatting to the owner who was telling me about his problems with his starter dough! A rather different work-related problem to the ones i face in the office! The drive - with multiple photo stops, despite Sam not being around any more - took longer than anticipated, so it was well after dark before i reached my hotel. Staying at the West Sonoma Inn and Spa and its excellent! Got an enormous suite, with real working fireplace, kitchen area, massive bed and really nicely done out. Well - after the crappy couple of weeks i've had, i bloody well deserve to treat myself!!

OK - time for bed now - can't wait for tomorrow's adventures!! Goodnight!

Doing what I do best!!

Whoo-hoo! Its travel time again! Off to the UK tomorrow for a 3 day business meeting, so am in the throes of laundry, tidying and packing. It'll be fun to go back to the UK and see some old friends and colleagues again. Staying down in Ashford in Kent, back down in the area where i used to live. Already got an order in from my Mum to buy some Cadbury's Easter eggs whilst i'm there!

Am also very excited about my trip when i get back from the UK. Its President's Day weekend here in the US on Mon 18th, so i'm taking the opportunity for a few well-deserved days off. I get back from the UK on Weds, then fly out to San Francisco first thing on Thurs. Am then renting a car for 4 days and exploring the Pacific Coast Highway, from SF to Mendocino. Its been on my mental travel Rolodex for a while, so i cant wait! Still working out my itinerary, but on the list is horse-riding through the redwoods of Armstrong State Reserve, whale watching in Point Arena and champagne tasting at the Roederer Estate. BRING IT ON!!

Rudolph? Is that you?
Ugh! After a great start to 2008, have been waylaid by an absolute stinker of a cold that arrived from nowhere and wiped me out within a day! Started sneezing on Thurs, was off sick from work wrapped under a duvet on my sofa on Friday, and coughing like a terminal TB patient by Saturday. Goes without saying that my nose looks like one of Santa's quadruped helpers but I think the copious amounts of Airborne, Sudafed, Vicks cough relief syrup and Chloraseptic spray seems to be dong the trick today, as i'm actually feeling much better and less like the living dead. My good friend Rachel came round yesterday on a mercy of mission with the aforementioned vitals plus chicken soup, so obviously a good healthy dose of Jewish penicillin has also done the trick! Just as well am feeling better as i'll actually have to leave the apartment today (havent been out for 2 days!) as i need to pop back to Sam's to de-fur his sofa (!) and remove any residual Dylan and Izzie traces before he gets back from his holiday today...

Hello 2008!!
First day back at work today after the Christmas holidays - it went sooo quickly! I'm looking forward to 2008 - 2007 was quite a challenging year for me, so i'm excited about whatever this year is going to bring! Have started as i mean to go on and am back working with Lacey twice a week and have also managed to get back on track with a healthy eating regime and have cut back on alcohol significantly, so hopefully 2008 will be the year i finally get back to my perfect weight! Bring it on!!