Busy day

So this is a picture of the thing that I am forsaking - red meat at its lovely, aged best.  We are staying in the hotel where Gallagher's is - and they are among the best of the best for New York steak houses.  Oh, and we're across the street from Smith & Wollensky's as well.  You could cry, they're so close and yet so far away.  The smell of burgers, steaks, skin on fries are just so enticing and frustrating at the same time.  But I'm still doing well.

Today I went to an AA meeting, which is part of my coursework for Treating Chemical Dependency.  I went to the 10 am Language of the Heart meeting at the Riviera Casino/Hotel.  It's hidden away and in a corner in a non-populated wing of the casino.  Like all other AA meetings, the refreshments were funded.

It was a small group, 10 people including me, and we all spoke.  I told them about being a social worker in the court, and about having to give up something that was important to us for 15 weeks, and then got to watch them in their camaraderie and fellowship, and to see how they help each other.  And learned more about it being one day at a time.  A good number have a lot of sobriety under their belt, but even more tendencies towards relapse.  One gentleman stated that after his last relapse, it took him 1 1/2 years to regain sobriety, that he knew he had the capability of another relapse in him, but that he didn't know if he had another 1 1/2 years of regaining sobriety, and that was what kept him on the straight and narrow.  Folks from all walks of life, retirees, a trauma doctor, a consultant.  It really is a disease that can hit anyone at any time for any reason.

I walked back the nearly 4 miles to meet Wayne for lunch (seafood/sushi), and then came back to the room, where we pretty much collapsed.  We are headed out to a buffet dinner tonight before we go to see another Cirque show, but I think I can handle it - one meal at a time.

Not so big tests, but tests nonetheless

Another day spent in Vegas with no slip-ups!  Monday morning found us in the gym in the hotel, after which we went to breakfast at the Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana for some wonderful eggs and doppio espresso.  No meat on my plate, and potatoes exchanged for plain yogurt.  Fantastic!  And the toast was to die for. 

To the side you do indeed see a mimosa, and that is the trusty old iPad bringing me up to speed on the news.

Later, we walked down the strip to Caesars to go to the Apple Store (and where did you think we would be going?), where it was easy to resist the temptation technology (how the heck would we get it home) as we compared the new iMac with a MacMini/monitor combo.  We will figure out what we need when we get home.

Then it was back to the Hawaiian Marketplace, where we had Indian buffet lunch (tofu and chicken for me, veggies, tofu and chicken for Wayne), and back to the hotel for a nap and a little creative work on my part to find tickets for a show Tuesday night since the one we wanted to see, Absinthe, is dark on that night.  We got tix to Zarkana, the newest Cirque show in town.

Naps ensued, followed by a return walk to Caesars, where we went to the Palm for dinner. I had a birthday coupon for a 3 lb lobster, and Wayne chose crab cakes.  No need for temptation there, as the side that Wayne ordered was asparagus.  The lobster was huge, but delicious, as was the lobster bisque.  Unfortunately, my poor belly distended from all the food, and that is how it remains this morning.  Hopefully, walking down to the AA meeting (my assignment for class) and then walking back (2.6 miles each way) will help cut the belly back.

Lunch is teppanyaki today, followed by dinner at the Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan, so I know I'd better get my butt in gear and start walking.  We did over 6 miles yesterday (great new app we are using that tracks movement), and it looks like it will be a similar day!

Sigfried and Roy on their tiger at the Palm.

Survived a day in Sin City

The whale count yesterday was a success - it took until nearly the end of the morning, but we had a show from what I think was a young male. He slapped his head several times, and then treated us to a breach.  Note the kayaker in the bottom right hand side of the picture…wouldn't you have loved to be him?

Nice image to focus on, right?  

After the count, the plantar fasciitis was really screaming again, but we went to KBC (Kona Brewing Company), where I had ahi and a Caesar salad for lunch (see, no chips, fries or meat), picked up Eliot, and had chicken and rice for dinner after a nap and packing to head to Las Vegas.

The flight was not very pleasant, lots of turbulence from incoming fronts, and only a short amount of time to sleep.  When we awoke, my foot continued to throb amazingly badly as we traversed from terminal 6 to terminal 7 in order to catch the short hop to Vegas.

We arrived here without difficulty, managed to get ourselves to New York New York with a minimum of difficulty, and then checked in early for an extra $20 added to the bill.  Not too slim or shabby, and I continued my good streak thus far of maintaining meatlessness.  Red meatlessness, as it were.  Today was day 14, and I made it through, despite some serious temptation!

As you can see, we had quite the German menu.  You might see better if it were right side up, I'll have to figure out how to edit that some time in the near future.  Just about everything was pork or beef, but we managed to find chicken bratwurst, so the lunch was saved!

The stein of dunkles bier was another thing.

From there, it was back to the hotel to take a nap, and then get ready for Love at the Mirage, followed by a random dinner.  Somehow I managed to walk the 1 1/2 miles to get there, and we saw the show, and hobbled from the Mirage to Caesar's Palace to get dinner.  At first, I was buoyed by the site of Carmine's on the directory, but was sadly informed that it will not be open until spring.  Trevi's, another Italian restaurant, was available though, so we went there.  I almost slipped, ordering a meatball/spaghetti meal, but caught myself in time and got a margarita pizza instead (didn't eat it all, we have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow).  Wayne promised me at dinner that he would watch out for me while we were here.

I'm going to guess that being really tired, and smelling a lot of great meat in the air made me more than a little vulnerable, as did looking at the plate of the man across the way from us.  Two ginormous meatballs.  It's good to know I have a sponsor of sort in my husband, who has definitely got my back.

I did not bring the blood pressure monitor, so will not be tracking that over the next week.  Let's see what a week of travel planned before I took this pledge to give up my favorite foods for 15 weeks turns out to be.

Good night all!

 

Rainy day predicted, hopefully not bad for whales

Flooded with vivid bad dreams about failing the last semester of school again because I skipped 3 classes, and had absolutely no grades.  And then that would mean no law school.  What a nutty dream.

I guess my dreams interfered with the spouse's sleep cycle, because he is out in full on passive aggressive this morning.  Enough so that I decided to go in here and write rather than begin the slow simmer associated with the blood pressure rising.

Speaking of which, BP 126/85, HR 81.  I was moving around a bit, and the blood is flowing, and I am aggravated!

So this morning is the whale count, this afternoon lunch at KBC, pick up Eliot, and then dinner at home, with eventual transition to the airport as we head to Las Vegas, and then San Francisco!  I guess when Pam asked what we were doing to celebrate law school, I should have said Vegas instead of what we actually did.

Geek, the new black.  That's me!

So there is rain scheduled for the afternoon, which could impact the count, but I hope not.  

So on with day 13!

It's Aloha Friday, Counting Whales on Saturday!

Friday morning, 5 am, and we are awake.  My blood pressure logs in at 125/76, with pulse of 75.  Woo hoo!  Pre meds and coffee though, which Perry, my former psychiatrist, tells me is cheating.  I think I will get another cuff reader and bring it in to the office.  May even have to start checking in the evening.
Still trying to find whatever it is white boy knocked off in the bedroom at 4:56 this morning.  Haven't found it yet.  So I'm just sitting down to blog.


I spent a good part of yesterday doing prep work required for my fall law school attendance.  I have now done official transcript requests, taken my plagiarism initial training, started filling out my health clearance form.  This means a visit to my primary care physician is in order soon (maybe after weight starts to decline again) for signature. I've also paid my deposit, put in my request for a commuter pass (although I may wind up busing it), and attempted to see the class list for the first semester.  My brother in law has been kind enough to offer to send me his 1L notes, which is also very helpful.  I'm slowly but surely getting ready!
Yesterday marked the beginning of the end of one of my cases, which goes to legal guardianship in April.  I started with them in August of last year, and my girl (I'll call her Sally, to save the innocent) has really blossomed.  She was entering her third year in placement, with constant yo-yoing on the part of the state.  You're going back to your mom, and then mom would relapse.  Sally was shy and withdrawn when we first met, and I drew her out with the help of an iPhone and pictures of my cats, my spouse, and my underwater adventures.  I showed her the pic that made my mother anxiety ridden as well.  And no, the shark is not as close as it looks.  I also gave her a "cattitude" sticker, which went over well with the whole family.  It got to the point where it was well past time to leave, and Sally wanted me to stay even longer, despite the fact that her foster parents were making dinner.  I finally left with a tongue twister, and felt good knowing that she will remain placed in that house where she is loved and cared for.  It's a good feeling
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And now we are in meatless mode thought.  11 days down, and into the 12th.  I have had some cravings, and have found it very hard to walk past the potato chips, but I'm still going strong.  I will be attending an AA and an NA meeting in Las Vegas while we are there en route to MacWorld (and boy, it's going to be chilly), and I may wind up feeling silly and being silent.  Although it went over well in class, calling myself a meatarian in a room filled with people with chemical addictions just doesn't seem quite right.  It will be interesting to see where it all leads.
I won't be blogging on this site while I am in Vegas and San Francisco, instead I will be blogging on our regular webpage, www.thebatzers.com.  I will transpose some of the highlights over to this page, though, or, at the very least, put in a daily  link.  It should be interesting.
And now it's time to prep and head to the gym for my workout.  And a day at the CASA office! Have a great day, everyone!

Ok, a little victory dance this morning

Outside the law school

I indulged last night, albeit it not in meat or potatoes.  Curry pad thai with calamari and evil jungle curry instead.  And champagne.  Woo hoo! 

First to the basics and then elaboration.  BP 124/85, HR 71.  Since starting with consistent exercise in December, my resting heart rate is down over 15 bpm.  Of course, it will probably be elevated for my next doctor's visit, as it always is.  I seem to need to meditate in a chair for a few minutes after checking in.  Maybe I should meditate before I check in.  Hmmm.

The soreness and stiffness of yesterday morning is gone, so it appears that it was back to the gym, and not flu, related.  Consistency in working out is probably going to be my friend.  I also don't have the foot pain intensity of the past several weeks this morning.  I wound up getting a plantar fasciitis brace for my foot in the mail yesterday, plus a night brace, and wearing the night brace appears to have had a positive benefit in managing pain levels.

Now, why celebration, you ask...I received a phone call yesterday morning near the 10 am hour from Elizabeth Steele Hutchison that made me scream like the girl that I am.  She is the Director of Admissions and Special Projects, and her call, she told me, is the best part of her job.  Where is she the Director of Admissions, you ask???

Drum roll here please...................

The William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii Manoa!!  I got in!!!!!  I'm going to be a 1L student!!!!!!  Oh my freaking Gawd!  I have been wanting to get in and go to school for family law since I first stepped foot into the Family Law courtroom in July last year.  We had to observe a half day of court sessions as part of the CASA program, and when I stepped out, I realized I wanted to be a lawyer.  And that I could be a lawyer.  I talked with Wayne about it that day and night, and he started doing some google searches about the school itself.  It's a small class, LSAT scores ranging from 154 to 159, less than 20% acceptance rate into the program, grade point average (undergraduate) of 3.5.  Now, the GPA as an undergrad gave me some worry, and I started listening to LSAT and law school prep podcasts.  The podcasts all agreed that the LSAT and the personal statement were the two most important parts of the application, and that the GPA and resume were less so, so I breathed a little easier with my 2.96 undergrad (plus 3.6 and 3.8 graduate) GPA.  I asked for and received two wonderful letters of recommendation from Sandie Kato, who taught me Social Work and the Law and got me started in the CASA program, and Joel Fischer, the president of the NASW Hawaii PACE committee (where I serve as secretary/treasurer).  Amphay Champhathong, my practicum instructor and the CASA program manager, gave me excellent advice on my personal statement, which I tucked away in my mind.  Have a theme, he said, tell a story.  You will be a very viable candidate, but tell your story.  He also offered me a  letter of recommendation (which I wound up not needing, the school accepted me yesterday, but I would have loved as he now knows me well and is an alum himself).  

So that left the LSAT.  The UH Alumni Association sent out an email that they were hosting a prep LSAT test in September.  I ignored it at first, but then Wayne (who is on UH staff) forwarded it to me, and I took it as a sign to take the prep test.  I registered and took it, and got a 152.  I knew it was starting to look like it could be possible, so I got some prep books and started to study in late October for the December LSAT.  

I was sick the week prior, really sick, and tired and worn down the day I showed up at the UH Business School to take the exam.  4 1/2 hours later, I didn't know how to feel, I was just tired and glad it was done.  All the prep books went to the library (I'd get another set if I had to take another LSAT, and go to a prep class), and I waited.  I went to Costa Rica with Wayne for Christmas and New Year with our daughter, Darien (check out the blog and pictures at http://www.thebatzers.com).  Results were (in theory) due in 3 weeks, but by the end of 4 weeks, they had not arrived.

On our second to last night in Costa Rica, January 2nd, I received my score.  157.  I was in the race!!!  I didn't expect word back until March, so I have been butterfly stomach since the 2nd.  I even talked with Wayne about applying again in September for admission in 2014, getting a year's experience as a social worker, and another letter of recommendation in the packet.

All along Wayne, Darien and my Dad kept resounding that I was getting in just by looking at my resume.  I didn't have the same level of confidence for first time acceptance, especially since I was "suiciding" by only apply to one school (it's all we have in HI), but I knew I would know in March.

And then yesterday I got the call!!!!

I'm now officially enrolled in the fall 1L term, and going to the school's acceptance day in March to meet the dean, the staff, and my fellow classmates.  

It's been a bumpy ride, but baby, I'm here!  Bring on that champagne.

Oh, I did!

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!!

p.s. 11 days meatless, 94 to go.

Oh she of the procrastination

Ok, I can say it, I've been more than a bit bad.  Not when it comes to meat and fried potatoes, though, just when it comes to writing and measuring my health statistics.  And taking my blood pressure meds consistently.  When we got back from Costa Rica, I think I just vegged out for a bit.  The plantar fasciitis was so bad that I couldn't walk, I even needed support to walk to the bathroom!  From my bed!

But that is slowly starting to change again.  I finally went back to the gym yesterday, as my sore muscles will tell you today, and hit the rowing machine and ab machines.  Woke up feeling like I'd had an encounter with a bus, which was worrisome at first given that Wayne has been sick with something flu like and achy for several days, but I'm going back this morning to bicycle and get some weight training in.  As soon as the heel has died down, I will start walking for fitness, ellipticalling for fitness and stairmastering as well.  Plus, I am going to hit the pool at the gym tomorrow.

I replaced the batteries in  my wrist cuff this morning as well.  Blood pressure reading after the first cup of morning tea and breakfast was 128/83, not bad given that I've been off the meds consistently for 3 weeks.  I better not tell the doctor that....

I passed my first two temptations, albeit one with difficulty, in the past 4 days.  On Sunday, we went to the Marriott for brunch.  Oh, the meats they had out for brunch.  I think I miss crispy bacon the most of all of them.  They had replaced the typical chicken dish with Asian beef as well.  I wanted to cry.  But instead, I stuck to fish products and some cheeses, fruit and miso soup.  Score one for me!

Yesterday afternoon at school, I had the tired munchies, and I headed for the school cafeteria.  I snapped up a small bento of garlic chicken (fried stuff), and started to the checkout.  And then I stopped, put it back, and went to Subway for a six inch turkey sandwich.  I didn't add on chips or cookies or soda, either, and topped it with spicy veggies to keep the metabolism going.  Whew.  Good to know I can consciously make the right choices.  At least for now.

Time to get mosying along and back to the gym.  Don't know exactly how much or what I will get done, but I will do something!

Have a great day!