In Your Dreams -2023 -Movie Review

I​ am a Rom-Com queen. This is my preferred way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I’ve watched so much Hallmark Channel that I can tell you how the new movies will go. But I was pleasantly surprised to run across a movie on Prime that was a little different. The name of the movie is “In Your Dreams”, its a international Romantic Comedy with a little drama. It starts out a little hokey but gets your attention when the 2 main characters wake up married and can’t remember the last 2 years.

This is a must see if you are still looking for someone to spend your life with. I recommend you give this movie a chance. It’s a mish match of what we want, what we want to present to the world that we are, and connection with something deep in our souls. I think the film presents a question that hits hard on what life is about and if we are open what life can be.

I​ want to complement the writers, Umut Acikalin, Ferhat Ergun, and Serhat Solmaz on keeping the movie interesting in the way the events unfold. The way the movie comes together is interesting and I’d like to see some more movies by this director, Cemal Alpan. It’s also great to watch an international film from time to time. It connects us with other regions by unifying how we think.

It’s great to see that people are still optimistic and that dreams can come true. So if you get a couple hours watch it, it might show you something you crave in your own life.

#drivingwithoutapermit, #moviereview, #Cemal Alpan, #internationalROMCOM

New Year, New Goals 2023

So the New Year is here along with my targets for this year.  My theme is going to be “How to live twice as good on half as much”.  This quantification will not be strictly dollars, but immeasurable item like health, fun, etc.  Just know the goal is to live better and be happier and healthier on a daily basis.

So my first thing I want to tackle is my weight.  I would like to lose around 50 lbs. in 5 months.  Big target, but it will improve so much in my life.  If I can do half it would be a big accomplishment.  So let’s figure out how to look at this project.

The first building block to me is to get myself in better physical shape.  So down to “fighting” weight.   Last year I was able to lose 20 lbs. by increasing my physical activity.  That meant walking either on the treadmill or outside for 15 consecutive minutes.  I use music to keep me motivated.  It sort of gets rid of the monotony of just walking.  I usually play upbeat music that is inspiring to me.  I love Megan Trainor and Pitbull because the beat keeps me moving.  I would like to lose 50 lbs. this year and keep it off, but 25 would put me in a good place.

I also changed my eating to some type of intermittent fasting schedule.  16  hours fasting and 8 hours eating.  My biggest problem is that I really like to snack, I used to smoke and that was my oral gratification but now candy and food fill the void.  I find sugar free gum works for a while, so I replace every 15 or 20 minutes.  This week I will try to drink water to flush some of the toxins and replace all other beverages except my coffee shake which is a 16 oz. glass filled with ice, 8 oz. of coffee and tablespoons of sugar free creamer (usually French vanilla or hazelnut).  I sip it through a straw and the coffee is a kick to get me moving in the morning.  Its’ my own version of doing intermittent fasting.

For those of you not familiar with intermittent fasting it’s a way of eating where you fast for a certain amount of time each day and limit the hours in the day you are able to eat.  This doesn’t mean go hog while but eat things that will nourish your body.  In my case, I’m not a breakfast eater so it’s easier for me to eat from 12 noon to 8 pm.  That gives my body 16 hours before I eat again.   I’m working on tricks to be able to do this so if you have any hacks let me know. I don’t want to rely on any appetite suppressants or diet pills.

Lunch consists of either a big salad, a bowl of soup or a bag of vegetable heated up with seasoning only.  Please look at me crazy when I through that bag of broccoli in the microwave, but the results were amazing.  No cheese sauce!  Just the broccoli florets a 12 or 16 oz. bag with seasoning.

If you want to snack, try fresh vegetables like celery, baby carrots and a little dip, or some nuts between you lunch and dinner or after dinner.  If you eat a whole bag of broccoli it should keep you until dinner about 6 pm. Also if you feel hungry drink a glass of water, it could be that you are just thirsty.  Dinner should be as it would be normally.  So whatever you cook for the family if fine, just make sure you don’t overdue it.  Don’t pile the plate to the sky.  

So my goal this week is to increase my water to a minimum of 64 oz. daily as well as to work on my intermittent fasting.   So that will be no breakfast, just lunch and dinner .  I will try not to eat after 8:00.

The Day I Started to Get Fat

Keeping it Moving is the Key

The Day I Started to Get Fat

I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was about to turn 29 and I got my second car, a Brown Toyota Corolla 1983.  This is the day I didn’t have to walk to the bus anymore.  This was a happy memory but it also was the day that my body did not get regularly exercised.  Before this time it was automatic that I would get at least 2-3 miles a day walking to and from the EL or Bus.  I didn’t have to think about it.  This is the day that my inner thighs began to close in. 

My job downtown soon came to an end and any job I had over the next 30 plus years would require me to only walk to and from my car… maybe 300 ft. a day.  Being that I work in the administrative field there would be no long hours standing on my feet or walking around the plant so the weight began to settle.

How can I be so certain that this contributes and is responsible for the extra 50 plus lbs. I have on my frame?  I am confident that my theory is right because every time I have been without a car, the weight just starts dropping off.  Without even thinking about changing other things it seems to melt away.  I haven’t been without a car for a while so slowly but surely the pounds have multiplied.  I am blessed that I’m not real flabby but I am THICK, and not in a good way.

I know the key to losing weight is to increase your movement and change your eating habits.  Both are a problem for me.  I am a glutton.  I was taught to finish my plate no matter what’s on it.  I eat so fast sometimes I scare myself.  I need to find some type of physical activity that I can do without thinking its exercise.  Because I am so overweight my first choice is walking.  I don’t mean power walking just regular walking.  I know I’m overweight because my back hurts when I walk too far.  To build up stamina, I will start walking around the block, approximately a ¼ mile.  Yes my current walk is ¼ mile.  That’s all I can do at this time, but I am shooting for doing this 4 times a day. My walking schedule is once when I get to work, then once about every 2 hours till I go home.  So that would be 4 walks a day and equal to one mile.   Think about how that sounds, I walked a mile today.  That’s an achievement!  That’s my goal for this week. You do what you can do. 

I’ve tried to do too much coming out the gate which never works out.  I went to Zumba 3 times in one week when I was trying to start exercising and my body told me stop.  My neck and arm got stiff and I couldn’t raise my right arm.  Your body will tell you when you do too much.  When I get close to the end of my walk my back starts to ache a little.  That tells me my length and pace are just about right.  When I get back with no problem I’ll add another half block.

Let me know if you have any ideas for exercise that we can disguise and do without thinking that you are exercising.  I know I like to dance and that’s great exercise so I might try to add line dancing to my activities because it will also give me something fun to do when we go to parties – after the pandemic.  I could try to learn a new line dance every week or 2.  Remember by adding each new dance to a practice routine you will end up with a great fun work out!

My New BFF, Stanley

One of the things I hate is doing housework.  It has been my life long dream to have it done for me.  I have come up with ways not to sweep and mop which included passing that task on to my son or  any males in my house or paying my cousins to do it for me.  When things look too unkept, I  will sweep and mop but let that be our little secret. 

I thought about having a housekeeper come in and do it for me, but I feel that they judge you.  Also I’ve had some bad experiences with things going missing.  By missing I mean someone put it somewhere and I have no idea where.  One person who helped me clean and organize put my underwear in one of the drawers in my dining room buffet!  Don’t understand the logic behind  that and  it took me weeks before I came across it.  It was a great excuse to buy more.

At my age 60, I’m always looking for something to make my life easier.  I still have to work a 40 hour a week job.  I have a side hustle selling t-shirts.  I really don’t have a lot of time left for leisure so I’m not willing to be mopping, sweeping and doing dishes with what I do have. I want to kick back and relax just like everyone else.

So I saw one of the Sweeping Robots  with the Auto-empty attachment.  I thought that was really cool because I had one of the robots before I picked up at a garage sale for $25 and I liked it…that is until I had to clean it and change a few parts.  After that it seemed useless, but I enjoyed the idea.  I love the idea of coming home to a clean house, food ready, etc.  So now that there is no one at home but me and my husband who has a few medical issues, I want to make it easier on us but especially me. 

My husband has been getting a little relaxed with his sweeping and mopping and I really can’t blame him.  I’m lucky he’s done it this long.  He goes to dialysis 3 times a week and works a full time job.  He’s been on dialysis about 10 years now and its beginning to tire him out.   So I found something that will be helpful to both of us.  House work is not my thing.

I would suggest you do your research before purchasing one of these robots.  They have lots of different features so you should be aware what your will do before purchasing.  I’m budget conscious, even though I purchase things others think are frivolous,  I research things to see what I need and want and try to see which ones are deal breakers.  I love Youtube and find it not only entertaining but a wealth of information. I looked at about 20 videos on Robot vaccums and decided that since I only have tile and wood floors that I would go with the iLife 5.  It was a budget vacuum and it did very well on the type of floors I would be needing it on.  It was programmable and returned to its charger when done.   I don’t have to remember.  And on top of all that it also can be used for mopping.  I detest Mopping!!!!

So I began the search on Amazon and lucked up and found a newer model for only $20 more.  I really haven’t figured out how I paid so little since when I look up the model now it’s $219+. I received it in a few days and have been in love with it ever since.  I know its not as good as many of you clean-a-holics feel that you can do, but it’s a whole lot better than I can.  Also it’s another thing off my list of chores to take away from my leisure time.  I come home and my house is swept or mopped if I change the attachment.  Just empty the dust bin and inspect the brushes and set it back on the base for another day.  I have this thing programmed for 10 am daily and have been amazed at the amount of dust it picks up daily. On Saturdays I change the attachment and it mops to. Love it!

My new best friends name is Stanley and I will defend him to his death.   Stanley is my new BFF.  You can just imagine coming home to a swept or mopped floor after a day at the office and just being able to take a few minutes to relax and say Thank You Stanley.  If he could make me a drink and bring it to me, he would be PERFECT!

Older And Better

I’m not so sure that as you get older you slow down.  I think that we learn how to take one thing at a time.  I am a multi-tasker, I always have several things going at the same time.  At my job I do purchasing, manage the office, diagnose and fix the computers and customize programs, design the flow of paperwork, as well as training.  My Boss is frugal and it always seems to get added to my plate.   At home I always have a new craft, business idea or machine I’m trying to learn.  I like gardening, making soap, making t-shirts and gifts with my Silhouette Cameo as well as trying to repair everything in my 120 year old house.  Needless to say my mind is all over the place.  I have projects started in every room of my house and that is something I’d like to change.

Now that I’ve hit the 60 mark, I’m starting to look at things a little different.  I want to learn to take one thing at a time.  There always seems to be someone with requests for one area or another.  My problem is that I allow them to interrupt what I have going on and it’s harder to get back to where I was.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the variety and pride myself on all the knowledge I have accumulated.  I do wish I was better compensated for what I do but all in all I like my job(s).

I want to see if I get more done and feel better about what I’ve done if I do one thing at a time.  I believe it will cut down some of the confusion and frustration I sometimes feel.  I need to let them know they are on the list but I can’t stop everything else to find them a screw when they wait till the last minute to order.  Prior planning is essential to keeping the ship afloat. 

I have to admit that there are a lot of things I want to do that I allow others to jump in front of me.  I want to do more things that bring me joy.  An example is I want to make cookies and send them out for the Holidays. My sister likes to cook and this is something we can do together. She is excellent at this type of thing and I need to learn the patience she has.  I’m always rushing and she seems like a snail to me but her projects turn out a lot better than mine.  If I keep the end in mind I think it will help me.  I think that being older helps you to pull from a larger database of experience which should make the projects overall easier.  Does that make sense? 

I’m not sure what this blog will focus on aging, cooking, crafts, what I’ve learned and want to pass on or just opinions, but you can help guide me by commenting, suggesting and responding.  Like I said, I like variety so help me to be a better me.  That’s me driving without a permit!