Day 146: Baby It's Cold Outside !

 

I had so much hope for 2024, but I haven't accomplished anything. I failed miserably getting back on my diet and exercise program. I lost my job. I can't seem to keep my house neat, though I'm trying. Here is a link to my first post of 2024: New Year  I feel like I'm still in the same place. I started and stopped so many times and I have yet to "get it right". I am going to be starting 2025 with the same goals as 2024 .. and 2023 ... and probably 2022. I have to pull myself out of the hole I've dug and start this final section of life: retirement. I'm not going to fool myself into thinking I will magically find a job in the new year. In all honesty, I don't want a new job. This means I have ZERO excuses not to fully devote my life to losing the weight. I have nothing but time. I do not want to end 2025 in the same place. I want to be thinner and happier.

I wrote the paragraph above on 12-16-24. I'm going to repeat it in every blog through 12-31-24.

I was awake just after 8 and got up shortly after. It was 3 degrees outside but a balmy 64 in my bedroom, which is close enough to the set temp of 65 ! The dining room was at 66, with a set temp of 68. Close enough there too ! In the laundry room it was 60, which is not unusual. That room will struggle whenever the temp dips before the 20's. My kitchen water was fine and that was really my only concern. I'm really hoping that insulating under the sink cabinet is enough to keep things running all winter. The test will be February, when we tend to have a few days of below zero temps. If I make it through the entire winter with no frozen water pipes, I will be ecstatic !

My plow guy came around 6 am and cleared the few inches of snow that fell over the past couple days. I would have done it today, but considering it's so cold, I'm not mad that he beat me to it .. lol !

I did 2 loads of laundry yesterday but I didn't shower, change my sheets or wash the dishes. The items are on the list for today. I was thinking about running errands today, but I'm not sure I want to do out in the cold. It's 6 degrees, with a forecast "high" of 14 ! We'll see !

It's almost 2 pm now and it's only 9 degrees. As such, I'm not going anywhere today. I spent the morning watching YouTube and playing Cookie Jam. At this moment I'm on level 8448. To move up in rank I have to get to pass level 10,500 - so I still have more than 2000 levels to go. It's doable, but it'll take a while. I just cleaned out the litter boxes while I wait for my pizza to cook. After lunch my plan is to shower and change my sheets.

I have a lot to do tomorrow so I plan to have breakfast and then hit the road. I need to get gas, go to Wegman's, go to the liquor store, stop at Coppertop to get a gift certificate for Alyssa & Erin, and then stop at Walmart. Tuesday is Christmas Eve, so I have to get everything done tomorrow. My oil change can wait until next week or the week after.

It's almost 2:30 and my pizza was delicious ! I'm going to shower in a little while. While I was making my pizza I looked at the thermometer in the kitchen window and the temp on it was about -2 ! Either the temp has gone down or the temp being displayed on my phone is completely wrong. Could the thermometer be broken ? It doesn't seem like it. This makes me wonder what the actual temp was when I got up ! In spite of the outdoor temp, the laundry room is up to 64 and the dining room is at 68. I'm convinced setting the thermostat lower has made the heating system work more efficiently. I do have the electric heater going in the living room, just to add a little more warmth where I'm sitting. At the moment, Minnie is enjoying the benefit of that as I'm sitting at the other end of the couch. It's ok, she is getting old and I'm happy to keep her warm. She sat with me all morning but settled into my seat while I was making my pizza.

There are only 9 days left in 2024 after today. Despite my goal to get back on my diet all I've been thinking about lately is all the foods I'd like to make. I want enchiladas. I want chili. I want tapioca. All would be permissible in reasonable portions, but there is my problem right there: "reasonable portions". I have a freezer full of Nutrisystem enchiladas, so I won't make my own anytime soon. I could make a pot of chili, but would I abide by the "reasonable portion" ? Same with tapioca. Here is the problem: I know myself. I would not. I would have a giant bowl of chili. I would eat the tapioca in large bowls until it was gone. No half cup serving for me ! I have to give myself a fighting chance to settle back into being on a diet and restarting an exercise program. I'm going to have to figure out what to eat when rock & roll bingo starts again. I may start just getting a salad at the burger place. That would solve 2 issues: eating less calories AND make it easier for cost sharing. Kim & Joe and Rich & Barb can get separate checks or take turns paying, which is what they used to do. I can get a beer at the burger place or just chip in whatever it costs to whoever is paying.

I've been on the fence about starting over on January 1. I was thinking about taking that day to eat what I want. I keep pulling myself back from that thought, because I'm supposed to be "starting over" in 2025 and January 1 is the start of 2025 ! My day to indulge is going to have to be 12-31-24, whether I'm home or out. I may just make that tapioca and enjoy it for a couple days. I have 3 boxes of it, so I need to use it up or toss it. I think the last time I made it was 2021 or 2022. I made it for mom because, even though it was one of her favorites, she stopped making it years ago.

I checked the thermometer just before 4 pm and it read -5 !! As of 5:45 it reads about -8 ! My phone app says the temp in Mexico is 5 .. so I'm not sure why there is a 13 degree difference. Is it really that cold ? Hard to say. Regardless, my heat and my pipes are hanging in there. It's 62 in the laundry room, 69 in the dining room and 65 upstairs. The upstairs thermostat is set at 65 and the downstairs are set at 68, so only the laundry room is struggling. This is nothing new !

I took a shower and put clean sheets on my bed, so I've accomplished everything I wanted to today. Tomorrow I will have breakfast, get dressed and hit the road ! I want to get my errands done and be home before dark.

I spent the afternoon scrolling my phone, playing some Cookie Jam and watching YouTube. I finished all the challenges on Cookie Jam, so it's nice to just play for pleasure. New challenges will likely be up tomorrow or Tuesday.

When I shop tomorrow I will probably buy myself some things to enjoy between now and 12-31. Call it my last hurrah before cracking down on 01-01-25. I have to admit, I'm really enjoying having pizza every day and I will definitely miss it. I've also been having cheese danish for breakfast, but I think I'll be ok without that. I really like the cinnamon rolls and waffles from Nutrisystem. I also like the protein shakes, which I will start having as my morning snack again. For my afternoon snack I have a block of cheese I need to use, along with a bag of crackers. I'll worry about buying whatever I might need after Christmas. Tomorrow I'm just going to buy what I need, along with some treats to enjoy over the next 9 days. Since I didn't get out to buy the stuff to make the biscuit cookies, I'm going to make them the day after Christmas unless Kim & Joe are inviting everyone for New Year's Eve. If they do that, I'll make them on 12-30.

It's about 9:45 now and my kitchen thermometer says it's -15 degrees ! My phone says it's -2, so I'm not sure which is accurate. What I do know is it's freaking cold ! The temp in the laundry room is down to 60 and the dining room is reading 67. The upstairs may be holding at 65 since heat rises. I'll find out shortly when I go to bed ! The temp is supposed to start rising around 11 pm but only into the low teens by morning. It will still be pretty cold when I go out tomorrow, but I have no choice. Today is easily the coldest day of winter so far. I don't recall it being this cold last winter, so it may be the coldest day of 2024 ! It's going to warm up starting tomorrow and we're looking at 40 by Saturday ! The snow will likely melt again and I'm ok with that ! The good news is as we approach the end of December we'll start adding a little bit of daylight each day, so it won't be pitch black at 5 pm anymore. When I had to commute every day I hated December because it was dark when I left for work and dark when I left work. I don't miss that commute, though I would gladly do it if I still had my job. In all honesty, I'm glad I don't have to be out there in the cold and snow.

Today was a good day. I got some things done, the house was warm enough and my pipes are handling the cold weather. I am SO glad I took the chance and put that insulation under the kitchen sink. If I hadn't, I bet my pipes would have froze ! It was worth the effort it took to get down to the floor and get back up. My right shoulder has been sore since I did it, but it's nothing that won't resolve in a few days. I took a Tylenol for it yesterday but didn't feel the need for any today.

There were several fires today and I'm going to guess they were related to people trying to stay warm. One was an abandoned barn in Clay and I'm going to guess a homeless person was trying to get warm and the fire got out of control. Another was a hoarder house and apparently started in the bathroom. They may have been using a space heater near combustible materials. The 3rd fire didn't list a cause, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was related to a space heater. The good thing is no one was injured ! Things can be replaced but you only get one life.

Speaking of things, when I was cleaning out my office closet I came across my old digital camera ! One of these days I need to plug it in and see if there are any pictures on it. I would imagine it still works as it's been in the case for years. I've managed to keep my office neat since I cleaned it up, so I'm proud of that. I heard today that procrastination can be a sign of ADHD in adults. I read a little bit about that angle and I wouldn't be surprised if I have it. I may add a goal in 2025 to research techniques to address procrastination. I really want to start getting things done without waiting until the very last second. I'm thinking I will try to address a specific room in the house each week to start. My first impulse here was to say a specific room each day, but that may be a bit too ambitious to start. I've been having some success with doing little things each day, so I will continue with that. One thing I'd like to solve is the cat litter. No matter what I do, Minnie kicks it all over the place. I tried cutting her back to 1 box and she was not happy with that, so I'm stuck with 2. I'm half tempted to buy the smallest baby pool I can find and just make that a giant litter box.

Well, it's 10:30 now and the weather app says it's -1. I'm going to guess my outdoor thermometer is still well below zero. I'm going to refill my water and head for bed. Lots to do tomorrow so I need to get up early and get a move on !