h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

quiet, ain't it? not been up to much, gym, cooking, and reading. basically did suitcase-dead-lifts today at gym. knackering for dinner tonight. probably going to make pita, to accompany sumac marinated chicken, red pepper and onions, for Xmas dinner or perhaps the spicey garlicy beef meatballs with … something cardiac scan immediately in new year, and then testosterone injection, assuming I can get the medication from the surgery Testosterone already starting to get low

Sounds like you've got great plans for your Christmas Dinner! I enjoy the traditional turkey dinner so I'm looking forward to that.

I've had three 'Christmas dinners' already, with social groups - the first one was supposed to be Root Vegetable Crumble with Vegetables, but was Vegetable Crumble with Vegetables so there were too many red peppers and not enough root vegetables for my taste The second was supposed to be traditional turkey dinner, but they substituted half the turkey for ham that I can't eat The third was Thai noodles, which was delicious.

Good luck with the medication situation

I just managed to catch a last minute xmas duck and am off to see the family. Happy solstice to all!

- we nearly went for a duck for Christmas too... as it was reduced

The sumac chicken was fab... I did it slightly different to how I made it origionally, some weeks/months back, adding red peppers and long green chili peppers sliced, to it and the pita bread came out really well; even if it did explode in the fridge twice (OK may have used a tad too much yeast in it... ) - made way more than we needed, so what should have lasted Xmas day plus boxing day, will be finaly finished off tonight... Well, there is a bunch more pita left too, but that won't last long...
The garlic beef meatballs/cofter came out really good too even if my fingers felt so painful after hand slicing/chopping four bulbs of garlic (about 49 cloves I think) (it can be done with the hand blender, but it really needs a slightly rougher texture; it helps the meatballs/cofter hold more moisture and stay more suclent).

More meatballs today, with cous cous, for lunch

Today was first day back at gym.... - there was only one other person in the entire place so that was an amusing morning of cardio on the elyptical, plus suitcase dead-squats, and upper-body weights on the barbell - its still loverly and quiet out; no traffic other than domestic on the roads; so no trucks and vans etc )

Pub last night was good too, and Christmas day at the pub was a hoot knackered now after the gym... just two days off and form is lost so quickly back to reading after lunch I think - currently having a splurge on all the sax Rhomer books and keep expecting to have Chinese fiends from the takeaway downstairs leaping out at me, at any moment the evil cunning fiends...

Oh... and have just put in a 'custom request' for the testosterone prescription, so will see if that works (the text by the prescription correctly says '10 weeks' still, yet, the 'check-box' to request the prescription is not available; as it says unable to order until September 2020, One Year, after the previous prescription
Cardio scan at hospital, silly early in morning, on the.... 3rd Jan I think...

So you have the concentration for reading again? That's great!

Soon as I stopped taking levothyroxine (the thyroid medication). Some things changed... -
. my hair started growing again (now just reached my bottom again
. My concentration came back (not stopped reading since,
. Some brain fog vanished; hard to describe, like lifting 'mist'
. my hearing improved- I can hear things 'spatially'
. due to change in hearing I can cope in noisey environments again; started going to live music


and... actually more things improved, spatial awareness in general got better, and I just 'don't feel as crap'

yet. Drs 'insist' I go back on to it as 'there is no other option' - they are unaware the NHS changed guidelines on prescribing T3 (the other thyroid medication available in the UK), so that people like me can be put on to that instead

The Drs also seem unaware, that, for at least one of their patients (a good friend of mine going back to university days), is, under the hospitals guidance and monitoring, buying and importing natural desiccated thyroid extract, from the USA, under her own expense, and taking that, with the hospitals go-ahead- the hospital monitors her blood figures, and advises her on dosage increase/decrease as appropriate.



just did the gym this morning and showered.

Just phoned the cardiac hospital, as I'm due to have cardiac scan 7th Jan- we filled in their form so as in accordance with their instructions I have to phone them to advise them of all the implants and opperations I've had, even though I have no relivent left-over medical implants left in my body, cept for some silicon implants (no, not that* sort... - the ones stopping the haemorridged blood vessel in my head from leaking )

stopped off at our Halal butchers and green-grocer's, after gym, got chicken and chilis and red peppers, and some more spices and things - fish tonight however, and will marinate some chicken tomorrow for dinner tomorrow

knackered now, after gym... 20 minutes doing multiple things on the elyptical; forward, and backwards, with and without plantiflexion, and dorsiflexion sideways forwards and backwards, and 'bow' feet backwards and forwards (with toes pointing outwards and heels together to work abductors and aductors).
Then did deadlifts (suitcase style), back squats, plus upright row and curls, shoulder press, and overhead tricep and bicep.... and more squats, and some other assorted bits on the bar

no gym tomorrow, then in Thursday for a tricep and bicep session, with our PT; and, maybe also Jefferson deadlifts (whatever the hell they are.... )

Roast veg with fish tonight, probably potato, carrot and parsnips... not sure what fish...

will go to pub tonight, but not sure yet, which pub...