birthday | Ann's Immaterium

I had a birthday this week, which was fun since my husband and I make a big deal out of those days. We happened to watch some random video about camels about a month ago, and I had forgotten all about it, but we had a conversation where I told the story about how in Kindergarten I found out that camels were called “ships of the desert,” which led me on a youthful quest to get my hands on anything I could to learn more about camels.

To this day I have a soft spot for camels. My husband had no idea and he thought it was funny that this never came up after being married for going on 30 years now. So he came up with the idea of a camel-themed birthday. 🐪

Sun, June 5th

Rest Day.

Calories: 2000, Protein: 101 g.

Mon, June 6th

We followed along with The Jack Lalane Show (DVD 5, Episode 1) shortly after waking up. In the evening, I did two hours of wrestling referee training for two hours, and some stretching.

Calories: 1997, Protein: 130 g.

When I opened this card over breakfast, it hadn’t yet dawned on me that this was going to be a camel-themed day but I did get quite a laugh*

Tues, June 7th

(Morning) Leg Day at the Physical Therapy Office: I warmed up on their recumbent bike.

Rocker Board Balancing (feet together to make it harder): 2 sets x 1 minute
Calf Stretches (both legs): 2 sets x 30 seconds
Played toss with a 4 lb. ball for about three minutes while standing on dyna pads.
(Tri-Set) Monster Walks (blue band, forward and backward): 2 sets x 10 reps +
- Lateral Walks (blue band, each direction): 2 sets x 10 reps
- Squats with Resisted Hip Abduction (blue band): 2 sets x 10 reps
Step up with Knee Raise and Raise 6 lb. Ball (each leg): 2 sets x 10 reps
(Super Set) Standing Hip Abduction (green band, ea. leg): 2 sets x 10 reps +
- Standing Hip Extension (green band, ea. leg): 2 sets x 10 reps
Bird Dips (12″ block when needed for balance, ea. leg): 10 reps
Seated Leg Press: 335 lbs x 2 sets x 15 reps
I finished with some stretching, ice, and electric muscle stimulation. The therapist also did some ultrasound therapy on my knee.

(Evening) I went to wrestling referee training for two hours. Got a lot of in-ring time and I think it was a particularly good session for me.

Calories: 2000, Protein: 128 g.

He bought me a couple of nice t-shirts. Some of my old ones were starting to show their age so he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said, “Maybe a couple of t-shirts.” I was thinking of something a bit more generic, but I really like his choices! I wore the one on the left when we went out to dinner.

Wed, June 8th

(Wake-up) We followed along to The Jack LaLane Show this morning (DVD 4, Episode 3).

(Morning) Back Day at the Physical Therapy Office. I warmed up by doing some dynamic stretching and light calisthenics. The therapist did some ultrasound therapy and massage before I began exercising.

(Super Set) Standing Rows (purple band): 2 sets x 15 reps +
- Shoulder Extensions (purple band): 2 sets x 15 reps
Cheerleaders (pink band): 2 sets x 15 reps
Bilateral External Shoulder Rotation (green band): 2 sets x 15 reps
(Super Set) One-Handed Standing Rows (each arm, cables): 2 sets x 17 lbs. x 10 reps +
- One-Handed Pulldowns (each arm, cable): 2 sets x 17 lbs. x 10 reps
(Super Set) Prone “M’s”: 0 lbs. x 15 reps, 1 lb. x 15 reps +
- Prone “T’s”: 0 lbs. x 15 reps, 1 lb. x 15 reps
One-Handed Bent Over Row (each side): 12 lbs. x 2 sets x 15 reps
Serratus Slide/Clock (orange band): 2 sets x 15 reps
Standing Windmill Stretch: 2 sets x 10 reps
Zottman Curls: 15 lbs. x 3 sets x 10 reps
- I did these while I was waiting for the therapist to set up for the ice and EMS.
We ended with some stretching, and ice with electric muscle stimulation. I also did some leg stretches and a set of Single Leg Raises (each leg) while I was icing my back. I learned this exercise yesterday during leg PT.

No idea what I consumed for calories today. Probably around 3000 and lots of protein. We went out to dinner and I had a lovely t-bone steak for the first time in a couple of years. (First steak, not first time going out to eat.) We couldn’t go out to celebrate on my birthday because of our schedules that day.

I ended up having a single piece of chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream at the restaurant, rather than a whole cake. The idea was to celebrate the day and get right back on my food plan the next day rather than having a bunch of high-calorie leftovers lingering or being forced to throw away a bunch of food. My husband said that if I had a cake, he was going to have a bakery make a cake that was in the shape of a camel or at least camel-themed. He really went all out.

He found these two camels at a local silver shop. They were being sold to be attached to a charm bracelet but he had the clerk turn them into earrings instead. Pretty fancy!

Thur, June 9th

I needed a rest day from all the festivities yesterday. I spent quite a bit of the day working on the next anthology that I’m planning to publish in October.

Calories: 1995, Protein: 129 g.

The final piece in this birthday tour de force is the interesting item to the right. Hubby didn’t know what it was other than he thought it was cool and had a camel on it.

In fact, at least according to the lady at a local shop I like to go to that sells mystical stuff, it is a ward against the evil eye. I found a nice place in our dining/game room that I thought could use such a talisman. When one of us loses a particularly hard-fought game of chess or I’m “cheating” at Parcheesi again because of my preternaturally timely lucky die rolls, there are occasionally some hard looks that it might not hurt to have some protection against!

Well, it was awfully sweet of my husband to make my birthday such a fun day. I am planning to make his birthday fun too, though I didn’t go with a theme. Maybe I will next year though it probably won’t be camels.

Fri, June 10th

(Wake-up) We followed along with The Jack Lalane Show (DVD 5, Episode 4).

Still didn’t have too much energy (Wednesday as it turns out was quite the party, lol) but I did do a little much-needed yard work in the morning before it turned hot outside.

Calories: 1997, Protein: 105 g.

Sat, June 11th

We went for an afternoon walk in the forest that lasted about 90 minutes.

Calories: 2000, Protein: 122 g.

I was the same weight this as last week. My total loss is 21.5 lbs. over seventeen weeks for an average of 1.26 lbs/week. My calorie intake for the week was probably between 16,000 and 17,000 calories.

* The card was funny, but what made me really chuckle (inwardly at the time) was the fact I purchased exactly the same card for his birthday, which is a few weeks after mine. I’m looking forward to seeing the look on my husband’s face when he opens his card a few days for now.

I had another birthday not too long ago and it was a fun day.* My family made me a sort of rectangular cake. I was pretty impressed that it was five layers and it is always lovely to have a birthday cake that is handmade instead of something from the grocery store or bakery. The candy bits were good too. I don’t eat much in the way of candy these days so it was a welcome treat and I spent the evening and most of the next day dancing on the frosting edge of gluttony-induced sickness, like the Masque.

It was tasty too: yellow cake with white frosting is my favorite.

Received some fun presents too. On the hobby front, my husband, after classified consultations, duplicitous deceits, nebulous negotiations, and perplexing pacts, within and without the Dark Mechanicum, presented me with a Chaos Knight and a pair of baby knights!**

Nicely wrapped too. What could they be?

Questor Traitoris House Wycoff is most pleased.

We spent a little time before the party doing a Social Distanced Birthday Hike. We saw this fine, serpentine personage when we were crossing some railroad tracks. It isn’t every day that you meet a talking snake so I dug out my cell phone, snapped this picture and went on our way as directed.***

I had never seen this species of snake before, but it didn’t look like the coral snakes I had encountered in the ’80’s when I lived in Texas. (We’re living in the hills outside of Santa Cruz, California now.) Once I got home and investigated the matter a little more, I learned that my loquacious friend was a California Mountain Kingsnake.****

California mountain kingsnake June 2020 talking

Not very friendly, really.

For next time I hope to post a work-in-progress picture of Frank’s Pig Demon that I’m trying to complete for the Miniatures of Magnitude painting challenge, which ends on July 3rd. So far the challenge seems to be shaping up nicely with completed offerings by Azazel’s Bitz Box, Convert or Die, Dreadaxe Games, Just Needs Varnish!, and Scent of a Gamer.

Until next time, I hope everyone is well.

Balloon Clip Art 125 wide

* It is amazing how fast the years go by now. I suspect it all is some sort of unasked for boon/blessing from Tzeentch or something in return for painting a bunch of lesser horrors back in 2017.

** I suspect that that my husband might have made plans within plans within some sort of overall master plan birthday present-wise. I have been making vague, periodic noises, which probably won’t ever amount to anything, about “nurgling up” an imperial knight that has been sitting in his office closet for like five years now. He has always grumbled about this being a grave insult to both (his beloved) Ultramarines and Questor Imperialis House Wycoff. So maybe he’s trying to redirect and outsmart me? If so, color me outsmarted and happily so!

*** I don’t like to stress out wild animals by lingering around them or picking them up, so we moved on fairly quickly.

**** I received a post about “Degenerate Serpentfolk” right in the middle of typing up this little spiel about my friend the kingsnake. I wonder if this is some sort of cryptic message from the Ruinous Powers that I need to include some more snakes (other than just this lone representative) in my coterie?