Keto-licious

Pic of the week 

Yup.  Phin got a flat.  Luckily it was basically just at a stop light and then it felt weird when I started driving again rather than blowing out going high speed around a turn - which is something that terrifies me.  After waiting for a two truck, getting him into the shop and getting a Lyft home, it ended up being a 3-hour endeavor.  BUT Phin is back in fighting shape.  Though who knows for how long.  My mechanic said he thinks Phin may not be long for this world and that I just to pay especially careful attention to oil levels.  When I bought Phin, they said scooters usually last about 40,000 miles and he's at about 62,000, so I think that's pretty good.  My mechanic said he wants to keep Phin on the road as long as possible and he'll do what he can.  So we'll see.

Quote of the week

"I was going to say the Coronavirus"
- A kid at a Story Pirates show letting us know what he thought the pineapple named Pineapple should have been afraid of instead of people.

What's going on?

What a week!

I went to the doctor on Monday since I now have insurance and an annual checkup is free.  I'm in pretty good health, so there wasn't much to talk about.  He did a little blood work and I'm going back in a couple of weeks to talk all of that over with him.

I talked to a guy about a potential new job this week.  I know.  I already have plenty, but this is basically an extension of my job as a Standardized Patient, it's just with a different company because it's more invasive stuff - testicular exams and rectal exams and the like.  And I'm all, "Whatever!  It pays so well!" So that'll probably be happening.

Big news this week - I started the Keto diet.  I've been thinking about it for a while, but decided to finally take the plunge.  I'm not generally very good at following through on stuff like this, but I've actually stuck to it this week!  And it's not so bad.  I mean, the diet is basically eat a bunch of meat and cheese and cream and butter, so it's comfort food city.  And there are so many keto-friendly treat recipes out there that though it's not quite like having a warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookie, it's close enough that I can do this diet for a couple of months.  I'll let you know how it goes!

What I'm cookin'

Even though I think the name of this website is problematic, this Instant Pot chicken tikka masala was so good.  If you don't have an instant pot, that's okay.  You can just do it in a slow cooker.

What I'm listening to

I thought this episode of Hidden Brain was interesting.  It talks about the idea that the people who are more "political" often treat it as more of a hobby than actually being involved in political change.  Get out there and vote, y'all!

Falling in love with love

Pics of the week 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Got health insurance (finally bit the bullet) and went in to have my foot looked at.  Doc said there are no fractures, and that it's probably just due to my posterior tibial tendon (which runs kind of right behind and under the inside ankle bone) getting tired while training and then because it hadn't fully recovered when I ran the race, my foot took a lot of the stress, so I just need to rest up and take it easy for 3-4 weeks and I should be right as rain.  I'm a little bummed because I genuinely enjoy getting out for a jog, but doctor's orders are doctor's orders.

Some friends and I got up at the crack of dawn to make it down to Disneyland for the new Star Wars ride: Rise of the Resistance.  Because it's new and fancy they're operating it with boarding groups, so you have to get a spot in a boarding group or you don't get to ride the ride.  Most days the boarding groups open right when the park opens and are gone by about one minute later, so you gotta be quick.  But we got a group and got on the ride.  This picture is really only about 10% of the way into the ride and already we were floored.  This is seriously one of the coolest rides I've ever been on. I can't wait to go again. (Also!  Look for that handsome guy in the maroon jacket in a new comedy on NBC coming soon!  I have famous friends!)

What's going on?

I was ostensibly recovering from a cold this week.  I really only started feeling human again on Thursday.  It was a brutal one.  Despite that, it was a very full week.  Disneyland (I know, but I did Disneyland BEFORE the doctor told me to take it easy.), Valentine's Day, doctor's appointments, Story Pirates trainings, two plays (saw What the Constitution Means to Me, and honestly, if you ever get the chance, you should ABSOLUTELY go see it.), and lots and lots of soup.

What I'm reading

Recommended by my good friend Tara and I'm loving it so far.  It goes through a very cursory timeline of the founding of Islam in one chapter, and the parallels to Mormonism are fascinating. 

What I'm watching

This show was fine. It's a fashion design competition show.  I think Tan France is a better fashion consultant than host, but it was still some fun, mindless TV to watch while doing taxes with a cold.  

What I'm puzzling

New Titles!

Pic of the week 

I ran a half marathon!  I was unsure if I was going to make it because one's 30s can be rough, but I did it!  That guy in the blue is my friend Duke who trained and ran with me.  Luckily he stayed with me the whole time, which was great because if he hadn't I probably would have walked the last 3 miles or so.  Nothing has ever tasted as good as the fruit cup I ate right after crossing the finish line (and regaining my balance). My official finishing time was 2:01:37.  And I'm pretty thrilled with that.  My foot/ankle have been bugging me all week, but I also just got health insurance this week so I'm headed to the doctor soon to get that looked at.

What's going on?

Just life and stuff, ya know?  I've missed a couple of weeks this year on this old blog and so this numbering system, I think, has run its course.  I'm just going to start giving these posts regular ol' titles. 

The day after my half-marathon I went to Disneyland with a friend.  I couldn't put a lot of weight on my foot and didn't think it'd be wise to hobble around Disneyland for a whole day, so I rented a wheelchair and it was honestly the best.  It doesn't really do much for you at California Adventure because all of their ride lines are wheelchair accessible, but at Disneyland it's great.  We were able to get on a ton of rides and really just had an awesome time all day.  ALSO - hot tip:  The Smuggler's Run (Millennium Falcon ride) line is wheelchair accessible, but the single-rider line is not!  Since there were only two of us that day we decided to just do single rider and they sent us through the fastpass line instead. It was great!  We also got preferential seating for World of Color and didn't even need a fastpass for it!  What a day.

The rest of this week I've been down with a cold.  Blurgh.  But I'm taking it extra easy this weekend and trying to fight it off the best I can. 

Not much else to report, honestly.  Story Pirates shows, and tutoring, and Kidville.  All the usual suspects. 

What I'm reading

A cute fictionalized book based on the true story of a gorilla who lived alone in a mall (meaning his enclosure was in a mall and he was the only gorilla) for 27 years. 

What I'm watching

This is on Netflix and is so funny.  I don't remember there being any language in this one, but maybe Google it just to be sure.