Opinions for Nothing

2012: The Year of Good Health... and Money

I am anemic. I have been that way for about six months. It's a side effect of gastric bypass. My body does not absorb all of the nutrients from the food I eat. I've made it worse by not taking my iron supplements faithfully, and not eating the foods I should be eating. If I don't get my iron levels up in the next three months, I will need to have an IV iron infusion. My calcium and vitamin D levels are low as well. I haven't seen a nutritionist since I had surgery.

I have lost 100 lbs in the past year. My surgeon wants me to lose 30 lbs more in the next six months. If I had been exercising at all during the past year, that 30 lbs would already be gone. I weigh 195 right now. That would put me at a final weight of 165. I'd rather be 145.

I have a numb spot on my right calf that has yet to be diagnosed and did not response to a course of steroids. The next step is to get a referral to a neurologist. I've been putting that off.

I've never had a mole check with a dermatologist. I have a referral to see one, but I haven't made an appointment yet.

I need to be screened for the breast cancer gene. I'll ask about that about my six-month follow-up mammogram next month to check on the calcifications that are still in my right breast.

I haven't created a budget spreadsheet for at least five years.

My savings accounts and retirement accounts are as anemic as my body is.

I did not meet my goal of paying off all credit card debt by the end of the year.

We are woefully behind on our taxes.

All of this is going to change in 2012.

My first priority is health. My second priority is finances. With everything I do, I will ask myself, "Is this the healthiest choice I can make right now?" or, "Is this the best financial choice I can make right now?" and, in that order. For instance, is watching three episodes of Gossip Girl the healthiest choice I can make at that moment? No. I could do something more active. I could play Just Dance on the Wii with my girls, or go for a walk, or clean up clutter around the house, or prepare meals for the week, or go to bed and get a reasonable amount of sleep. Is watching three episodes of Gossip Girl before bed the best financial choice I can make at that moment? No. I could get tax paperwork together, or work on my 2012 budget spreadsheet, or list things for sale on Craigslist and eBay.

Health. Finances. That's it. If I can't get those two things under control, everything else falls apart. I'll still parent my children, and be a wife to my husband, and be a model employee, but I won't be taking any classes and I won't be making any committments to anyone else if there is something else I can be doing that would be better for my health and finances.

The Hump List: Yuletide Edition

The reason the Hump List needs to be updated a couple times a year isn't because my tastes change, it's more like, "Out of sight, out of mind." If I haven't seen a humpee in a movie or on TV in awhile, I tend to forget about him.

Have you never heard of a Hump List? It goes by several names. I used to call it the Freebie List, but I prefer the more vulgar Hump List. I'm a classy, classy lady. This is a list of the five celebrities with whom my husband will allow me to have sex, should the opportunity arise. I like to pretend that, since I live in Southern California and I have friends who are actors and producers, this might actually happen one day. That is why I am so diligent about having an up-to-date list.

Humpee: Justin Timberlake, Hump List alum
Recent appearances in which he was hot: Friends With Benefits, In Time

Humpee: Ian Somerhalder, Hump List newbie
Recent appearance in which he was hot: The Vampire Diaries

Humpee: Henry Cavill, Hump List alum
Recent appearances in which he was hot: Immortals, The Tudors, Men's Health cover

Humpee: Karl Urban, Hump List alum
Recent appearance in which he was not hot, but reminded me of times when he was: Star Trek
[This is the only age-appropriate entry on the list. He almost didn't make it.]

Humpee: Chace Crawford, Hump List newbie
Recent appearances in which he was hot: Gossip Girl, my dreams

All I Want for Christmas is Chuck Bass in Ian Somerhalder's Body

If you agree with that title, we're probably already besties. (Bonus points if you didn't cringe at my use of "besties.") I don't have cable TV, so when a series I haven't watched before is added to Netflix streaming, I tend to binge-watch every single episode to the exclusion of all other television viewing. Last month, it was Gossip Girl. This month, it's The Vampire Diaries.

I've never really been the type of girl who goes for the bad boys but, watching Gossip Girl made me realize I hadn't encountered the right type of bad boy. The kind I like is the billionaire playboy, not the dirty motorcycle mechanic.

See: Chuck Bass

I like the character of Chuck Bass. The actor, Ed Westwick, is not really my type. Well, not enough to be added to the Hump List anyway. He's too short and I like a prettier face, like the one to be found on Ian Somerhalder.

See: Ian Somerhalder

 

Pretty, pretty, pretty. Ian plays Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries. Damon is a 150-year-old vampire, so you can see why I'd prefer a human billionaire. Ian is a bit on the short side as well, but he is half an inch taller than Ed, and with that pretty, pretty face, I'm willing to overlook this minor flaw.

Which reminds me, it's time for a new Hump List.

Video: Shit Girls Say - Episode 1

Watching this video was like having a conversation with myself.

 

Call for Opinions: Christmas Eve Dinner

We go to my parents' house for Christmas, so I like to cook Christmas Eve dinner at my house so that my kids will have a tradition that is just for our little family. I'd like to find something that I can make every year. The first year I did it, I made lasagna. The second year, I made enchiladas. Those are the things I make the best, but they don't feel very Christmas Evey. I don't want to make turkey or ham because that is what we have for dinner on Christmas Day.

What does your family do for Christmas meals?