Archive for August, 2006
Thursday, August 31st, 2006
As an add on to yesterdays posting on the blog, I also had good news from another writer of mine. She sent through another four pieces for Getting A Backbone.
The writer for this piece has told me that when she tells me about things that happen, she just knows that my first words are ‘write it down, that will make a good story’.
I’ll soon know if I am pestering too much, when people don’t answer the phone or ignore my messages. But until then, hey if it makes me laugh I’m sure it will do the same for others. Unless I have a really warped sense of humour, but I don’t think so!
My friend who is doing the diet made me laugh out loud with an anecdote from her recent holidays. It shouldn’t really have been a laughing matter, but because it can happen to anyone, is what makes it so appealing.
Maybe this excercise will make me more observant of conversations and how people interact. It’s probably the same way that comedians collect their information.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’ve just thought. Maybe I could buy some James Bond type equipment to record my observations, but then again it could look a bit strange if I start talking to my handbag.
Although on the plus side, if I want a quiet day, people will avoid me!
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Wednesday, August 30th, 2006
Felt a little bit more motivated today.
A really good friend of mine called me today, feeling very excited about a Personal Journey she is about to start.
Having battled with her weight over the last few months, due to many reasons, she has taken a really positive step and is embarking on a new diet.
To some it would appear an extreme diet as you have no more than 500 calories per day and is called the Lighter Life diet. It is not for the faint hearted. You need to ensure you are fit which calls for a check up with your doctor and you only eat the food that is provided by the company.
It seems to be predominantly a soups and shakes type diet, but has all the vitamins and nutrition your body could need. It also has the benefit of counselling, to help you through the process and to discover, for instance, why you may be addicted to food. Which is why it really is a personal journey.
It is the type of diet that not only needs a strong will power to carry it through but also a really good understanding from people around you. You can do without people trying to encourage you to have a ‘little bit of this’ or ‘ just one biscuit’, or to have any people around you like the housekeeper from Father Ted saying ‘go on, go on, go on’.
My friend is no fool and has done ample homework on the diet. Yes, it may be extreme but when other avenues have failed what is wrong in trying something different. Medically she is sound and she has weighed up all the pros and cons. At the end of the day if it doesn’t suit her, she is sensible enough to stop.
The point of me highlighting this is two fold. As a friend I am proud of her for trying and for having the determination to do it. It will also take understanding from myself and another friend of ours as we do like our girlie meals out.
My friend who is doing the diet has already pointed out that she doesn’t want this to stop, but in place of a meal she may be bringing along her own food or not eat while we are out. As friends, if it is okay with her, then it is certainly not a problem with us. (The naughty part of me though can’t wait to see the look on waiters/waitresses faces!)
I couldn’t believe though when she called me tonight, before going to her first briefing, that one of her work colleagues had spent all day asking her not to go. How unfair is that? She hasn’t even started and has encountered negativity already.
The second point to this is that she will be keeping a personal diary with photographs, measurements etc and has asked if I would be interested in it as an article for the website. Would I ever?
It will be a great article as I don’t think people realise the underlying pressures and emotions that people must go through when they know they need to lose weight. My friend has used the term ‘clinically obese’ which I must admit stopped me in my tracks.
In an age where concerns over weight and what we eat is continually in our faces, I think it will be a heart warming encounter.
So thank you to my friend for allowing the website to use the information and good luck. I can’t wait to start learning more about you on your personal journey and to see you achieve all your personal goals.
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Tuesday, August 29th, 2006
As promised here is a snippet off the introductions page, from the website, for one of the writers who has agreed to produce a regular piece for me.
"Crazy, mad, depressed and this is when she is in a good mood! Our writer of Getting a Backbone is seriously not normal but we mean that in a loving way.
Telling the story of a woman in her forties getting her life in order and winning - but not without a fight.
Our writer shares some intimate details in a bid to rid herself of old demons. Linking present life to past experiences we build up a picture of how she’s got where she is today. Funny, cringing, sad with some laugh out loud moments - everything we all experience at one time or another.
We were hooked from the first few paragraphs she wrote for us, we hope you are too."
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Monday, August 28th, 2006
It just seems to be one thing after another that is stopping me from progressing at the rate I want to. Is this a message? Or does it just mean I need even more determination?
I was going to carry on with my action plan last night, but while in the garden yesterday, something bit me and no joking it has come up the size of a saucer on the back of my leg. I hope I poisoned it, whatever it was!
Trouble was I had to take some Piriton syrup, as it was the only anti histamine type thing I had in the cupboard and the warnings aren’t wrong. They don’t just make me dozy, they make me zombie-fied.
So I felt very sorry for myself last night, clutching an ice pack to my leg to bring the heat down.
It’s still up tonight and I have had more medicine, but I am determined to do at least 10 minutes of work before I zzzzzzzz!
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Saturday, August 26th, 2006
Last night I did as I promised. I started moving things forward.
Firstly, I signed up to Technorati and Del.icio.us which will improve traffic to my site. I have to say it made a difference pretty quickly after checking before and after stats.
Secondly my husband let me use him as a sounding board to start action planning. "I’ll only take about half an hour of your time" I said, as nearly two hours later we agreed it was time to pack up and get some sleep.
My husband did smile at me (or was that a gentle laugh) as I pulled out felt tip pens and started writing up my action plan with colour coded titles. I adore stationery and it seemed reasonable enough to me to make it pretty!
I came up with the first 6 titles for the ‘regular features’. For each of these areas I discussed with my husband the frequency for changing the articles on the website, how many articles I needed to launch with ie how many I need in my back pocket to ensure I don’t run out.
I then totalled up how many articles I had written for each area (or how many I hadn’t in some cases) and then where I will be sourcing material from.
A lot will be coming from family and friends, but we discussed looking for ‘article writers’ which will be a job in itself to find writers who will cover the topics I want and write in a similar vein to the existing people.
We did discuss ‘new ideas’ which will bring in even more research work, but I have to say it was a really good exercise to just talk about it. I needed this to motivate me again. Plus I have some information to talk to my friends and family about and how they can help and contribute.
Tonight I shall continue the action planning and look more closely at the ‘in-depth’ items we discussed last night. I will also start drip feeding some information via the blog to give little tasters of what the site will be about.
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Friday, August 25th, 2006
After having now rid the household of head lice I felt the need to wash everything in sight. This is the reason why I haven’t progressed any further.
I have now got the washing pile down to a manageable level which is great, but means I have had my thoughts elsewhere.
I’m going to make up for this tonight by sorting out my action plan. I have to do it now as my friend is coming back from holiday in the next couple of days and she will be looking for results!
That in itself is a good motivation (she’s very good at asking the right type of questions that make me think).
So post it notes, watch out, tonights the night.
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Monday, August 21st, 2006
I feel fed up tonight. My evenings this week have been taken up with the dreaded head lice. The full story will no doubt feature somewhere on the website at some point.
I can’t believe it really, especially as it’s the school holidays. I am usually quite vigilant during term time. Having taken my eye off the ball, so to speak, I have battled all week with the dreaded little terrors as they had taken hold more than I care to admit.
It’s my own fault, I’d only been thinking recently how we had escaped them, when all the letters were coming out from school over the differing weeks. Ha blooming ha!! Lesson 1, keep thoughts to yourself.
My mind is still brimming with ideas for the website but my appointment with the post it notes has yet to happen. My wonderful husband decided to enlighten me at 2.00 this morning with a good idea he had for the site. Thanks love. It was a good idea but then I couldn’t get back to sleep.
Anyway, I turned my attention to accounts tonight, so feel pretty good anyway. I’ve just produced a to do list for all the things I have to check off for our accountant on a monthly basis and now it’s displayed on my wall complete with some ticks.
It’s a job I’ve been meaning to do for a while, so I can manage my time better. Maybe a spreadsheet is a better way to do my action planning. I can type quicker than writing. We’ll see.
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Saturday, August 19th, 2006
I am completely exhausted today, so my action plan for the website will more than likely be shelved unless I get a huge burst of energy later.
Mentally I can’t stop thinking about things, but physically I am going to grab a cuppa and curl up on the settee for 5 minutes. I can’t relax for long though as I have to do a pick up from a party in less than an hour. Never a dull moment.
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Friday, August 18th, 2006
Well I did discuss the website with my husband and I am now clear on what information I need to give him to make the site live.
I have to finalise my menu button titles and provide the words around them for when you click on the links. This is okay as I already have drafts for these.
I also have to decide the layout of the front page in terms of which articles or headings I want and to choose the details for the menu down the side.
It’s now time to plaster the wall by my desk with all my ideas so far and put them into an action plan. My husband has offered to be a sounding board for this to start with and then I think I need to get my friends involved again.
With the school holidays it is all going to take longer but if I can chip away at it and see little bits of progress or ‘bite size chunks’, then that is better than getting frustrated at nothing happening.
Post it notes, here we go again Good job I love stationery!
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Thursday, August 17th, 2006
Well that can be taken two ways I suppose.
So far today I have put out washing, put washing on, made everyone’s breakfasts, loaded the dishwasher, emptied the dishwasher, loaded it again (I didn’t clear the kitchen last night!).
I have also contacted HM Customs, completed an article this morning and chased one of my writers. See I can do things if I put my mind to it.
I did successfully clear most of my desk and surrounding area last night, I have about 1 hours more work to get it to the state I want it, so feel quite good this morning and I chased another of my writers last night.
Now I shall pin my husband down (not literally unless it helps get a job done!) to do some more work on the website design tonight. Hence the reason for doing my blog now. I have made space available (now that’s organisation - isn’t it?).
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