Testing, Testing, Anybody There?

Wow, it's been . . . a while since I've posted here. I'd apologize for my absence but it hasn't been unproductive and I'm here to update and get back into the whole swing of updating things.

First, the weight loss/fitness challenge. I hit a stumbling block and I hit it hard. I have hypothyroidism, have had it for years, and my dosage on my medication has been steady for that entire time. A couple months ago, the dosage needed to be increased. It took 3 years to get a diagnosis of hypothyroidism in the first place and a little over a month to convince the doctor to check my levels again (I had them checked in February and everything was fine). I finally showed him the handfuls of hair that were falling out and he ordered some new tests. My dosage was increased, I'm not sure it was increased enough, and I went back in today to get everything checked again. I've stayed between 297 and 293 pounds  since May and it's very frustrating. However, all of my clothes are a size too big, even without the weight loss, and that is definitely a positive sign.

Second, the writing. Oh, have I been writing! I've got 3 new short stories in various stages of editing and a couple more that are almost finished. I've also gotten another 20 or so pages finished on the novel. It's so close to being completed, I can taste it. All writing that wasn't done on the blog was done on the short stories and novels.

Third, the book reviews. I have admit that I've been slacking on these and for that I really, sincerely apologize. I've intended to tell the world about some of the amazing gems I've read for the last year and I just haven't taken the time to sit down and write about them.

What else have I been doing with my time? Well, I got a job! Yay and boo. Yay for money but boo for being so freaking busy again. Add to that the fact that I still haven't figured out how to pack a lunch that will still be edible by the time I get to it and that will allow me to continue on my health/weight loss journey and you'll see a very frustrated worker bee.

So, I may not be posting as regularly as I once was but I am going to do my utmost to keep writing about my creative journey. I'm feeling the need to pull the sewing machine out again and I'm on a story telling roll. I may also share things I find out about health and wellness that I find interesting.

Thanks for sticking around and enjoy the posts that are to come!

Steampunk Sunday: Flowers

Something pretty for this Mother's Day

Honestly, I'm not entirely certain what this is supposed to be but it looks like a bouquet made out of metal and enamel flowers. So lovely. There are several more lovely pieces at the link.

I have a real weakness for Steampunk jewelry. This one is no exception. It's so delicate and lovely. Sigh. 

I love this polymer clay pendant. And I think I've found another blog to read. I nearly got lost looking at all her craft tutorials!

Steampunk necklace with scissors. I love these!

This reminds me so much of Alice in Wonderland! It's so cute!

Steampunk Midweek Motivation

Flash Fiction Friday: Black Vengeance

Black Vengeance

          

  Adalind had been waiting for this moment for years. It had taken that long to perfect the ritual and she knew she wouldn’t have a second chance at it. Part of her mourned what she’d given up to come to this pass. It would take all the power she had to complete the spell and it would sever the connection she had with her goddess. What she was about to do was against everything her goddess stood for, a perversion of the power she’d been granted with her vows on the day she’d become a woman.

            She considered the last five years of her life a perversion of creation. The inevitable conclusion of the abuse and shame was resting in her belly and it would fuel the ritual she was preparing. Generations would pay for what had been done to her.

            Slowly and with exquisite care, she started drawing the symbols on the floor of the room she’d been locked in since her condition had become known. All the hate and pain she’d experienced in this room coalesced and poured into each line drawn in blood and called to all the powers she’d possessed.

            The spell was time perfectly to end exactly at midnight. As the sun went down, Adalind spared a passing thought for her ability to complete the ritual. It had required fasting for the last week, meditating on everything that had happened and focusing her mind on exactly she wanted to happen.

            At full dark, the door to her tower opened and a cloaked figure entered. Adalind’s hand shook as she continued pouring her power into the symbols she was drawing on the floor. The cloaked figure sat across from her and started drawing her own symbols. The circles joined and the power from the new comer joined Adalind’s. Her hand stopped shaking and she finished her ritual strong, at exactly midnight.

            She could feel every person in the castle who shared blood with the creature in her belly. Her first target was its father. He woke in his bed, gasping for air and clutching at his heart as he felt it stop. His skin shriveled as all of his bodily fluids evaporated. The same thing happened to every male of his line in the castle, with one exception. The life forces coalesced around her, almost solid. There had been a lot more men of this line in the castle than she had suspected; more than a few bastards had been hidden among the servants and guardsmen.

            Adalind added a blood condition for the exception she had left. He would have to feed the men of his line from his own body. She worked the blood into the conditions for breaking the curse, too. Every curse had to have a way to break it to truly take hold. This curse was meant to last for generations.

            As she released the power into the castle, Adalind waited for the change to come over her. 

Quick update

Quick update and an explanation, kind of, for why not a whole lot of posting lately.

There was no Health Journey post this week. Partially because I've been in the middle of a pity party (which I'm trying to get out of) and partially because I have no freaking idea what's going on. I have some health issues outside of the weight I'm trying to lose that I thought I had a handle on. Turns out, maybe not so much. 2 weeks of insomnia, weight gain and mood swings have done a number on what I was working on. Trying to get it back under control but it's been a struggle.

Also, Blogger. This dashboard thing I'm looking at? This is awful. Really. It hurts to use it for any extended amount of time.

I'm working on a Flash Fiction for tomorrow. It should be up around midnight.

Steampunk Midweek Motivation

Love a lady with a big gun . . .

The Health Journey: Week 10

Week 10! Wooho! I was so excited today when I left my weigh-in!

Let me explain: Last week was a week of nutritional hell. I spent several 12-14 hour days sitting at my computer to work and struggling with a sugar addiction that's much worse than I originally thought as I talked about in this post. I ate a lot of crap and a lot of eggs and bacon.

Going in to weigh myself today, I was hoping that I'd only gained back about 2 pounds so I wouldn't be over the 300 pound mark again.

Was I in for a surprise!

The only thing I can think is that I kept a calorie deficit every day and I was eating the "right" kinds of fats. One of my favorite movies these days is a documentary called Fat Head. You can watch it on Netflix or Hulu if you're interested in learning a lot about health and the giant experiment we're all taking part in.

I'm very happy with what I did last week and I am looking forward to this week. I'll actually have time to do stuff!

Also, I went shopping yesterday and got 2 new pairs of shoes on clearance. 90% off for one pair. I'm a very happy camper these days.

This weeks numbers:
Starting Weight: 316.8 lbs
This weeks weight: 296 lbs
Weight lost this week: 2 lbs
Total weight lost: 20.8 lbs

I've averaged 2 pounds a week for a while, even with a few set backs. My goal for the next few weeks is to ramp up the weight loss and to start doing some more cardio. I'm thinking I want to join a Tae Kwan Do class or possibly kick boxing but I don't know if we can fit it in the budget. If all else fails, I'll be walking every day. I'm also going to be working on toning my legs and butt so I can wear the new shoes for longer than an hour at a time because they're gorgeous!