Howdy, all!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks for me. I have been studying like mad for the LSAT (fingers crossed that it is doing me some good).

This past Thursday, October the 2nd, I went to see one of my favorite plays. Sweeney Todd is playing in Nashville right now!!

The basic premise of the play is that Sweeney Todd, a barber, sneaks back to his home land of London after being exiled for life over a trumped up charge that he was innocent of in the first place. Sweeney is trying to find his wife and daughter. Upset when he hears that his wife killed herself over being assaulted by the judge who sent Sweeney away, Sweeney lets his evil out. He starts slitting throats to gain his revenge. Mrs. Lovett is the patron of the meat pie shop under the apartment where Sweeney used to live with his wife and daughter. She recognizes Sweeney for who he truly is, but sees his return as an opportunity for a love connection. When Sweeney begins slitting throats, Mrs. Lovett has the idea to make Sweeney's barbarism beneficial to her business too. In the end, everything begins to crumble for the odd couple.

So,  Sweeney Todd is playing at TPAC through the Nashville Repertory theater, from October 4th - October 25th. You need to go see it!  In my (not even close to professional) opinion, this play was great. The actors' voices were not always right on pitch, but on the whole, they transported their audience right into London.

Matthew Carlton, who played Sweeney was just ok in my opinion. His voice was pretty good, but it just felt like he wasn't totally into it. I just wanted him to let go a bit. I mean, he is supposed to be playing a man who has totally lost everything good in his life, a man who has turned to gruesomely murdering people to make himself feel a bit better. I just didn't completely feel it from him. I thought Johnny Depp did a much better job with the overall desperate, murderous feel that Sweeney should have in the recent film version. I really wanted to just go ask Mr. Carton if he could just let a guttural growl loose. I feel like it would do him some good with filling this role.

He just looks evil doesn't he?

Mrs. Lovett, played by Martha Wilkinson truly stole the show.  She was funny. She was a great singer. She was Mrs. Lovett. I believed that she loved Sweeney down to her toenails, and that she would do absolutely anything for him! She played her part so well. I mean, I wanted to be Mrs. Lovett by the time I walked out of the theater.

Judge me how you will…I've loved this play ever since I read it, and watched a film of the Broadway rendition with Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett in college. Think on that one for a minute…the same woman played Mrs. Lovett and Mrs. Potts.

Below are a few pictures of my trip to London in college. You know I had to track down fleet street!

Meredith was pretending like Sweeney got her.

This is Hen & Chicken Court (off Fleet St)

This is me being Cwindy Todd for halloween one year.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Go see it!

Just a little bug

 

Howdy! So...the writing a novel this month may not work out as well as I had hoped. I have not written much (if any?) since my last post. I decided this week that getting into law school and--fingers crossed--getting some grant money too is more important right now. So I have been concentrating on studying this week. I hope to be doing LSAT problems in my sleep come December.

I recently got the first time home buyer bug After looking through this adorable little house.   >>>

 I've been on Zillow.com. I've scoured through realtor.com. I have a problem! 

I am not going to tell you where it is because I hope it will stay on the market for long enough for me to have it as my very own. I actually did a walk through with a realtor, but when I got home and did some excel magic with all my debt, I started having heart palpitations. I am trying my very best to be responsible about this. Trust me though, I have a deep, deep need to drive to a bank right this second and beg them on my knees to approve me for a loan--any loan-- just so I can have this house. This is doubly irrational because this is the first house I have ever stepped foot in with the thought of possibly moving. I think the fact that it is a new and gorgeous house is the root of the problem. It has all hard wood floors and the cutest little courtyard attached, but the best part is the neighbors. I just love everything about it! 

So, here's the plan: do the debt snowball thing (see daveyramsey.com) hard core. And (don't judge me!) I might even start entering in some of those, "like us on Facebook and we'll give you $5million" sweepstakes. I actually entered myself for a few gift card giveaways today on southernsavers.com. Hopefully by the first of the year--probably REALLY wishful thinking--I will feel like I am in a little better shape to maybe take on a bit more in the way of living expenses.  

Don't worry. The law school dream has not been forgotten. I will sign up to take the LSAT in December. I can't actually enroll until 2015 though due to deadline cutoffs.

P.S.

Just in case you were wondering what the "after" looks like ;) The test is actually still a pencil and paper deal. I miss one out of every set, and its killing me. I'm getting my number 2 pencils ready!

LSAT practice--LET'S DO THIS!!

So…this is what I will be doing all week during my lunch hours. Can you work it out?

copied from  http://www.cambridgelsat.com 

This is what the logic portion of the LSAT looks like. It is the portion giving me the most grief! I am going to take this boogery test in December, so I decided this weekend that I need to GET ON IT! It would be awesome if I could kill this test and get some (all would be better!!) of law school paid for. It may be wishful thinking, but you have to dream big, right?!  

Random life update

Quite a lot has changed since 2012…

 I have unlocked the secret to all the crazy stomach issues I was having in 2012. Turns out I have food allergies! I had been trying to get myself figured out for a while--see all past blog posts dated 2012… I had been through multiple tests, scans, and scopes to nail down the issue. I was having terrible migraines, stomach issues, and acid trouble to name off a few of my previous problems. Honestly, I had all but given up on knowing the why behind my issues. I was so tired of spending a ton of money on tests only to be told that I was "healthy as a horse," or that "we can't find anything wrong." It was when I stopped sleeping that I picked the quest back up (about mid way through 2013). I just couldn't sleep. I couldn't go to sleep. When I did actually get to sleep I would start awake and not be able to go back to sleep for hours. I began sleepwalking…creepy! I was averaging about 3ish hours a night for about 4 months before I finally went in to a sleep doctor, thinking I had sleep apnea (a sleep disorder my dad has). I paid out yet another twelve hundred dollars for a sleep study. Guess what they told me? You guessed it! "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You don't have sleep apnea. Your brain waves look good. You were very restless, but we don't think you have restless leg syndrome… etc." The doctor did say that beginning to sleep walk in adulthood does not happen…so he wanted me to do another sleep study, so that he could personally sit in and figure me out. 

Super frustrated, I finally decided to contact a holistic doctor. I filled out the thousand pages they wanted me to, and went to see the sweetest, most patient doctor I've ever met. Dr. Grace suggested that I try out an elimination diet. It was the week right after Thanksgiving, which would mean an incredibly sad holiday eating season, but I was so ready to feel better that I said I'd try it.  So, I took anything even a remotely tasty out of my diet for 8 weeks. We are talking everything…I couldn't even eat pepper.  Then I began to add everything back in slowly and was really diligent with keeping a list of what was going on with my body to document what might be the source of all my grief.  

Turns out (per my own elimination diet notes, and per blood work) I am allergic to wheat, soy, dairy, and eggs.

:(

:c

:,C

Good thing I ate a crap ton of ice cream as my last meal before starting the elimination diet… It is amazing what just changing my diet has fixed. I sleep. I don't have migraines (I do have headaches now and again, but I have only had one old school (knock me down) migraine since cutting allergies out of my diet…and that was after I decided I could have (literally) 2 bites of a friends full of allergens birthday cake). My stomach is completely normal. I do not have acid problems anymore (I was taking Prevacid every day, but it wasn't working). I feel 1000 times better, and I have lost a good 50 pounds to boot. 

I have to be a total food diva now. I have to research what goes into food. I have to ask a million annoying questions. I have to make servers ask the cooks random things. I have to order my food without anything ooey gooey on it. I can't eat cake. I can't eat ice cream. I can't even eat a freakin candy bar, but I really am fine! I am happy. It is worth it to me to make a fool of myself everywhere I eat. It is worth it to my body to just not eat cake. So, judge me if you will…but please, don't feel bad for me!

Enough of that! Some other things that are going on now:

I got my very own nephew in March :D He's the cutest, and I am his co-favorite aunt!

I just got my hair cut. I don't love it…

I have a sweet puppy (Luna). She's a Great Pyrenees. She's awesome, see?

I am trying to learn to run. I am so bad at it! I hope that one day it'll just happen if I keep trying! *fingers crossed!* 

I am participating in a non official novel writing month right now. I currently have about six thousand words written. Not terribly impressive for the eleventh, but better than nothing! Hopefully by the end of the month, I will have a semi completed collection of sideshow act related short stories. Sort of a book of origins (maybe). I have started stories on the strong man, the wolf boy, and a goat girl. We will see where it goes. I am trying to remind myself that finishing the whole collection isn't the important thing. Writing is.

I am studying for the LSAT. :/ That is a scary one to admit. I am putting it out there because a lot of people already know, and my boss (who I told in confidence) kind of let the cat out of the bag at work. So, I am just owning it now. We will just see what happens ;) **fingers double crossed**

March 11th-April 15th

Regrettably, I must again start out with an apology. 8/ Turns out I am not quite as disciplined as I would like to think...remember the days in January when I blogged every day? I have no clue what happened to them. I am not that busy-not any more than I was in January. I guess I could make excuses all day, but I won't. I apologize for the absence. I'm here now, and I'm going to try to be better! Promise.

On the diet/weight loss front it has been a win/lose situation here recently. On a happy note, this morning's weigh in unveiled that I've lost over 40 lbs(!), but today is the first time in three days I've been able to really eat anything substantial-and even then it's been a little touch and go. The slow carb thing that I am doing throughout the week seems to be working wonderfully for my tummy all except for cheat day. I feel great until about Sunday afternoon. Saturday is cheat day-the day of bread, ice cream, and chocolate!! Those three make weekly appearances on cheat day for me. They are my weaknesses. Not too bad, right? A little chocolate, a biscuit or two, or maybe a sandwich, and a bit of ice cream. Yes, these are all fine things to eat...for normal people. I know that being allergic to gluten, or having a gluten sensitivity is all the rage right now, but I really do think gluten dislikes me with great intensity! I also (recently) have been wondering if I have a dairy weirdness too.

I was doing pretty well with the exception of Sunday and sometimes Monday. I was just about ready to decide that I was going to just start skipping cheat day all together and just always do the veggies and beans (and sometimes fish and chicken) route since it was working so well. Then Easter came and with it came a family potluck...dun, Dun, DUUUUNNN!! My mom made all these yummy foods and I even, upon the request of the men in my family, made a yellow layer cake with homemade chocolate icing. I went to their house Friday night to help my mom get her taxes together-which is always a beast because my dad is self-employed. We worked all through the night Friday then got up and finished them around 2 o'clock on Saturday. Since no one can handle getting food on their own in my family, after the taxes were done we went out to get some food. Pizza was chosen (not by me). Pizza always hates me :C I also had a little bit of cake on Sunday. I have had the worst week of my life this week! Lots of liquid...not much real food.  As a result of the Easter belly badness though, I made an appointment with my normal doctor for Monday night to talk to her about all of this. And hopefully she will send me on to a GI doctor who will at least be able to tell me what I'm up against! Hopefully! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

February 15th-March10th

Ok, so...it has been a while! My computer crapped out on me the week after my last post and then Meredith, my roommate (aka the person who owns the only other computer in our house) had mid-terms the next week.  She is doing a distance learning program through UTK, so she had to have her computer for mid-terms, of course.  Then, last week, I had all four wisdom teeth yanked out of my head.  I am still in a bit of pain...and I've had a bit of trouble this week.  Meredith has gone home this weekend for her mom's birthday and she left her computer.  So, I am finally felling a bit better (no hurting so bad) and I have been left home alone with a computer.  Here goes!

Up until getting my teeth out these are the kinds of things I was eating:

Basically sticking to the four hour body way of eating (beans!) while implementing fish in the month of February. These are the only pics I have, but they are pretty representative of what I was doing.

**Gross picture alert**

After getting these things yanked out (I totally asked to see them after the "operation" and they bagged 'em up and gave 'em to me!) this has been my diet-for a WEEK! :C

Don't get me wrong.  I love eating things like ice cream and pudding, but after a week of eating this and this alone-hardly anything solid-it gets really old!!

The good news is I had an awesome cat nurse:

My wonderful roommate made me a really cool basket of things to do while I was out:

I got a free shirt out of the deal!

And! Last, but not least...I stole an illegal pic of my teeth!

Getting this picture was quite the experience...This was after my consultation-the dentist (who's name is...are you ready?...Harry Joe Mack...His real name is Harry, but everyone calls him Joe) had already turned the light off and walked out of the room.  I was free to go, but I saw my chance and I took it!  The reason it is weird and not straight on is because I thought I was going to get caught at any second!  I actually had to turn the light back on and then snap the pic...I got it though and I didn't even get caught!

I have actually been eating real food today!!  See...

I feel like I have been starving for a week solid, but today after eating things like this I feel stuffed!!  I think it may take me a while to work up to eating right again.  

Updates on the food front: Starting in March I am going to give chicken and turkey a go.  That is turkey bacon on my egg sandwich, by the way!  Fish went really well in February, so I thought I would give chicken a chance!  I really think that my problem is gluten, I really do.  Hopefully birds won't give me any grief!  

February 8th-February 14th

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!  This week has gone by incredibly fast for me.  I just don't really know where it went.  I am going to try to start blogging on the weekends (hopefully with next week's post).  I think a nice Sunday afternoon blog session won't be too hard.  We'll see though.

This week has been a bit of a rough one for me.  Nothing really to do with food.  My wisdom teeth are giving me grief-really just one of them.  My top two have been up for a while, but it is like the bottom two got stuck or something.  They are about half way up...and the left bottom one is trying like everything to fully meet the rest of my mouth this week.  I have had a fever (off and on), an ear ache, a big swollen face, and (of course) a very achy tooth.  So, I have not been able to eat a ton of anything since about Thursday.  Want the good news? I have a consultation today to schedule the removal of all my teeth of wisdom.  I have been told for a while they all need to come out and by multiple dentists.  So, now is the time!

I do not have many pictures this week because I haven't been terribly excited about even trying to eat, but here are a few.

Meredith made us this Tuscan bean soup with kale earlier this week.  The Tuscan bean part of the soup was really good, but I found that I am not the biggest fan of kale.

Basically this week I have kept to the 4 hour body style of eating.  Veggies and beans, veggies and beans, beans and veggies...

For breakfast on cheat day this week-Saturday- I made vanilla bean scones.

They were yummy!! I also made walnut chocolate chunk brownies.  (Yea, I am really good at taking it easy on the gluten...)  I am bad at this cheat day stuff.  By Friday at lunchtime I am extremely tired of just beans and veggies-extremely!  So, by Friday night, when I head to the grocery store to stock up for cheat day, I want to buy every bad thing in the store. We ended up buying a brownie mix, some chips, M&Ms, small candy coated Cadbury eggs, and some ice cream. You see what I mean? As it stands right now, cheat day is just a day for me to totally pig out and make myself feel sick.  I feel like I eat so much junk on cheat day that I don't really want it through the week that much (until about Friday).  Maybe that is the point.

My tummy is still doing really well throughout the week (when I am only eating veggies and beans).  I am still having a bit of trouble surrounding cheat day...but I am eating a whole bunch of junk, so that could be it.  One day I am going to be strong enough to not go completely insane on cheat day.  I hope.

Also, just this morning Meredith told me that I look like I have lost weight...in my head.  She just kept saying that it was my head that looked thinner.  I laughed quite a bit and then asked her if my big ole head really looked thinner.  She, of course, meant my face. =) I hope she is right. 

I will leave you with this- Happy Valentine's day, rawr!

   

Believe it or not, you can get this little guy at your local Wal-Mart on a shirt in the ladies section.  I thought it was perfect for Valentine's day!