Lost: Mojo (1)

I have no motivation. 

Is it the summer blahs?  The idonwannas? Jupiter aligning with Mars?

I don't know.  But I just can't seem to get anything done

Articles sit in my head, waiting to be channeled through my fingertips onto the computer screen.  Coursework goes undone.  Laundry sits in the hamper, and the cat hasn't been brushed in I don't know how long.

It's bad.

Today I tried moving my work station to a new spot.  Jimmy Buffet is a proponent of a change in latitude leading to a change in attitude, or something like that.  So I thought I'd give it a try.

I also made a list, which got partially completed.  But at least I have a record of what I want to accomplish right there in front of me.

And finally, I opened my productivity log, which I haven't looked at since mumble mumble.

Did any of this help?  Maybe.  A little.  I think so.  It's a step back in the right direction.  And a step, however little, is better than nothing.

If anyone has any suggestions for motivation, please leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear them!

Toaster bags for gluten-free living

Yes, I know, this was supposed to be posted yesterday, but...well, it wasn't.

So here it is today.

This morning I was ordering something off of Amazon, and I was a little short of the $25 threshold for free shipping.  Don't you hate that?  I didn't want to pay for shipping, so I thought for a while about what else I needed, and it dawned on me...

Toaster bags!  I've been meaning to try these things for a while.  And finally I remembered them when I needed to push my order over the shipping threshold. 

If you're not familiar with them, toaster bags allow you to toast your gluten-free bread without fear of cross contamination.  Evidently, they make awesome grilled cheese sandwiches, too.  I think they'll be great for traveling and such.

They should be here in a week or so.  At that time, I'll give them a go and report back.  Can't wait!

In the meantime, if you've used these, please write a comment and let me know what you thought.

Wish I'd seen this two weeks ago...

"Being in a hurry is a sure fire way to injury. Slow down. Take your time. Do the work. The finish line will still be there."
~Slow Runners Club

Maybe I'll remember that before my next injury...

The good news is my hamstring is reacting favorably to walking.  So we're doing lots of that.  The bad news is it still isn't crazy about running, so this week's 9 miler was cancelled.  Oh well.  I have 10.5 miles to look forward to in a couple of weeks.

4th of July musings

With the holiday, there's not much going on here today.  A few movies, a bit of reading, some general lazing around, and a barbecue, and I call this day a success. 

One thing I wanted to write about today was that I have been in an awful mood, and I've been taking it out on cyber-space.  Back in May I wrote about giving up negativity. It sure seemed like a good idea at the time.  But the idea seemed to get shoved aside in a hurry as soon as I had some stress enter my life.  Funny how that happens...

I still think it's a good idea, however.  So I'm renewing my efforts to drive negativity out of my head.  At least a bit.  So as of now, and for the next month, no more negative posts. Nothing but positive news here.

And bunnies.  Because bunnies are cute. 



Happy 4th!

Gluten is NOT nutritious

I feel a big rant coming on.  I haven't been able to run since Monday, due to a strained hamstring, and I'm seriously endorphin-deprived.  I can't get to my happy place, haven't had my moment of zen, and no longer possess inner peace. 

You have been warned.

(begin rant)

I hereby declare war on all doctors and dietitians!

No, I don't.  (They outnumber me.)  But I want to...

I just read again this morning, for the umpteenth time, a dietitian saying that following a gluten-free diet, if you don't need to, can lead to nutritional deficiencies.  I have read this (and heard this firsthand) from so many people in the medical profession over the past several years, and it boggles my mind each and every time.

Seriously, how effing stupid can they be?

Gluten is a sticky protein.  It makes breads elastic and causes things to better stick together.  Gluten is NOT necessary to human survival.  Human beings existed healthily for millions of years before wheat, barley and rye were first domesticated, and will continue to exist healthily for millions of years after the gluten industry lobby has finally been destroyed. 

If you do not eat gluten, you will not die.  You will not develop rickets, or scurvy, or shingles; beriberi, goiters, or the Heebie-Jeebies.

In fact, nothing bad will happen to you at all if you do not eat gluten.  Ever.

If you are developing nutritional deficiencies, then you are not eating foods that contain proper nutrition, regardless of their gluten content.  Period. And dietitians and doctors should know that.  Seriously, I would bet that most people who are gluten free eat far healthier than those who don't.  When you have to read every label on your food, you become much more discriminating about what you put in your body.

Frankly, if a medical professional ever tells you that eating gluten-free is bad for your health, I suggest you run away screaming.  Who knows what other falsehoods they believe?

(end rant)

By the way...

If I am wrong and gluten itself contains some nutritional substance without which the human race will not survive, please let me know.  Enlighten me!  I will happily proclaim my own ignorance and assert someone else's superiority in this very blog.