Boring health post and a question about ice trays

[clevermanka]

I got to work at 10:00 this morning (lady doctor time, yay), and I am ready to go home. I've got a headache coming on (there was a time I used to look forward to thunderstorms), and I'm crazy bloated. If I scoot my chair close enough, I can rest my belly on my desk. I didn't want to strip out of skirt and stockings (and put them back on) after my appointment, but now I really wish I'd changed into Real Work Clothes afterward, before coming up to work. These jeans? Not Comfortable. This sucks so much. It's ridiculous that I should plan my wardrobe around a health problem that only surfaces part of the time. I gotta admit I'm starting to become a little bitter about it.

The lady doctor gave me some tough love about getting off my ass even though I'm still tired all the time. The three and a half months I've slacked off on exercising hasn't done me any favors, and I know getting up and moving even a little will put me on a path towards more movement. So. I'm going to try this Monday night Zumba class even though the idea of taking such a thing makes me cringe. Nothing wrong with Zumba, really. It's just...not my thing. But since I'm not doing Monday yoga anymore, this will give me an opportunity to restart a movement mentality. Also, a friend of mine, whom I don't see near enough, has been going to this class for several months now. So it's an opportunity to see her. If nothing else, this should provide some serious lulz. In the interests of full disclosure, I shall mention that I was further enticed by the fact that the guy who teaches the class is a tall black man with dreadlocks. *ahem*

Although I've considered it before, this article on the health benefits of bone broth has convinced me to start drinking a mug of broth in the morning. Now that I've given up my morning coffee (and have only three days left of my morning decaf tea), it's perfect timing to try something completely new.

I got a question about storage, though. Everyone talks about pouring broth in ice cube trays and then just using a cube or two when you want to use the broth, but whenever I try this, the damned things won't come out of the tray. Anyone got suggestions on why my broth cubes are so sticky and how I can successfully remove them (moderately intact) from the tray? Running it under hot water does not work. Already tried it.

I was talking with mckitterick last night about the snacking and he asked what was I snacking on before. I thought about it and realized: I can't be snacking! I have no food in my office other than what I bring for lunch. So why am I having these sensations of being deprived of food right now? I think it's the antibiotics. I think there's something happening in my gut that is triggering a hunger response.

Also: I'm not just swelling in my abdomen after meals. I'm also swollen around my hips and thighs. I noticed this just now when I was sitting in my desk with my crazy tight jeans (which, btw, I eventually had to unbutton at my desk). I didn't notice it for several hours after the swelling first started, but after a while, I was like "why are the thighs of these jeans so uncomfortable?" Then I noticed that I could feel every inch of the fabric squeezing down almost to all the way down to my knees. This additional swelling is probably why my legs and hips hurt.