fitnessprincess’s BodyBlog

I opened today’s Metro and saw that Nikki had been selected “Pet of the Week” Woo! Hoo!  He just turned 20 years old and the irony is I tried to have a piece published in the Boston Globe, was even willing to pay for it, and they wouldn’t return my emails or phone calls.  Not interested.  Amazing considering how they are struggling right now. 

Anyway, here’s the link to Nikki’s photo and blurb. Kind a cool!  http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/07/12/21/1424-82/index.xml

Note: you have to scroll down to see Nikki on the page.

Usually when I start a new diet, I receive a cool response from friends and family. Makes sense. From their vantage point it means I am eating more weird/healthy food. Well, this is a first because my cat Nikki is quite excited about the new diet. I am eating organic chicken, 96% ff ground beef, fresh fish. LOL! It’s a cat’s dream apparently! I think my biggest challenge so far is fending off Nikki. Nah. We share everything so I always give him a piece of whatever I am eating. Hey! It hasn’t hurt him any. Nikki just celebrated his 20th birthday Saturday.  Below at left is a photo from his 20th Bday party.

“Cats are kindly masters, just so long as you remember your place.”- Paul Gray

Today I celebrated the nineteenth birthday of my best friend, constant companion, and other half, Nikki!  Nikki is a male (neutered) seal point Siamese cat that I adopted at the Metrowest Humane Society on June 7, 1992.  For those of you who aren’t owned by a cat – nineteen is about 94 in people years – so I feel really blessed today.  Nikki has been with me essentially since the start of my academic career and has shared in essentially all my adult life.  We have done everything together - traveled together on airplanes, trains, buses, and cars.  As I said at the start he’s my other half – my best half.

As I always do on his birthday, I cooked fresh chicken livers (his favorite food!), tuna (the dark part is what he likes best), and shrimp.  My mom and I sing “Happy Birthday” and serve Nikki his special meal on a platter and I present him with his birthday cards (about which he cares very little).  After dinner, Nikki appreciates a good catnip “buzz” so I serve him his “appertif.”

My Nikki is a simple man and enjoys the simple pleasures of life.  I learned this long ago after purchasing countless windup toys, cat treats, and specialty items like cat drinking fountains.  So, his presents this year were those he enjoys best – they don’t cost anything but they come with much love:  a paper bag (good for sleeping and hiding in) and some of that crinkly paper that they wrap your clothes in when you shop at nice clothing stores (Nikki loves to sleep on that and newspaper).

All in all – it has been a good day for us both.  I really do feel blessed!  Here’s to many, many more wonderful years together!

Summary for 6/7/08

Rest day

Breakfast 9:30 am
eggwhite omelet w veggies,  black coffee
oatmeal
Lunch 2 pm
Mori-Nu silken tofu baked
2 akara bean cakes
South River hearty brown rice miso
16-oz herb tea
16-oz water

nap

Dinner 6:30 pm
Tofu or vegetable-based meat substitute
Spring mix salad w. Bragg’s aminos and cider vinegar
½ tbsp Udo’s oil
158-g sweet potato
South River hearty brown rice miso
32-oz herb tea
16-oz water

9:30 pm
pp x2
16-oz tea herb

Getting a bit behind here on my blog.  Here’s a summary for yesterday (Saturday):

I had such a good time today.  Today I climbed the stairs at One Boston Place to raise money for the American Lung Association.  I am still waiting for my official time so I will report back on that to you later but I really enjoyed doing this and it was really fascinating.  A lot of fire companies participated in this event and health care workers.  Over 400 people.  Not exactly the crowd I anticipated.  Some younger people but I would say most were between 30 and 50 years old.  Very fit people - a very different physical look than the crowd you usually see walking or running for charities.  Lots of folks with very nice butts and legs - LOL!   In hindsight I think it makes sense.  Stair climbing is physically demanding.  I met so many amazing people.  I met Mike Petit a former fire fighter from Danvers who is a 2x lung transplantee.  This was the second year he made the climb.

I did a number of errands on the way home - nice walk - and when I came home it was late afternoon. I went to sit down and finally eat (didn’t do well on the eating today) and enjoy a cup of green tea, a piece of smoked salmon and some termis and I heard this thud.  Didn’t give it a thought and then Nikki, my 18-year old male siamese cat, appeared coming from my right.  His whole rear end was covered in "Perfect Litter."  So I need to backtrack now and set the stage:  I cleaned out Nikki’s box yesterday morning and put in new litter.  He howled (a siamese thing - LOL!) but did use the litter box. Last night I came home and found Nikki had used the box but it was clear that all wasn’t well.  Litter was scattered widely outside the box.  At that point I had already decided the experiment was a failure but I thought I would ride it out.  Continue to use the litter until the box needed to be refilled - after all why waste it?  I knew when I left this morning that Nikki wasn’t happy but I ignored it.  OK so segue back to this afternoon.  Poor kitty!  Nikki jumped up on the sofa leaving a trail of "Perfect Litter" all throughout the living room and yep!  on the sofa - ugh!  He tried to bite me several times when I tried to brush some of the litter off him.  He was one angry cat!  And he’s 18-years old and usually very mello.  I groomed him and decided that I better check out the litter box.  What a mess.  He had emptied half of it all over the place. I cleaned it up - it was all over the room, emptied the box, and made an emergency run downstairs to see if I could find some clumping litter (Nikki’s preference) to put in his box.  The pharmacy downstairs was all out so I had to come back upstairs grab my coat and go out to Whole Foods to get some. I got there and there was none on the shelf.  Luckily I found a terrific sales clerk and he looked all over in the back and finally found one container for me!  Bless him!  Anyway that’s the end of "perfect" litter as far as I am concerned.  It ranks right up there with pine litter and these little silica gel balls - chuckle!  a couple of very bad "experiments" Nikki suffered through in his youth.  Gotta say he’s been a good sport over the years!

Breakfast at Steve’s
eggwhite omelet with veggies and small fruit cup
black coffee
245 cal 22P 1F 36C

stair climbing! One Boston Place 41 flights in about 10-min
24-oz DD coffee w skim
Elations glucosamine/chondroitin supplement
66 cal 2P 0F 15C

Lunch
4-oz smoked salmon
termis 95-g ST
16-oz coffee w skim
349 cal 40P 13F 22C

Dinner
Blackwing ostrich filet - yep surprised me, too! baked it in the oven - kinda tough but not bad
134-g brussel sprouts
skyr.is
Amy’s flax thins 18-g GFAT
32-oz green tea
435 cal 67P 9F 31C

total 1094 cal 131P 22F 105C - protein good fat and carbs low