First, The Bad
Lately I've been wondering whether I have Alzheimer's or dementia or senility or something like that.
I thought I'd found the answer to the problem in nutrition. I don't always include the oil allotment in my daily diet. Because it's only a couple of teaspoons, I tend to try to save it up. I'll use a fat-free dressing on my salad at lunch thinking that I'll want to have olive oil on my dinner salad, and then end up not eating a salad at dinner.
Add that to the fact that I'm too Points cheap on the Flex Plan to eat anything but fat-free everything: milk, yogurt, cheese, and the result is I was virtually on a fat-free diet for most of the days of the week for a couple of months.
For a few weeks I've had this intermittent memory loss. It's not my usual ditziness, which is somewhat always there and tends to be endearing and cute, but I'm at least aware of it. This was scary memory loss that made me wonder whether DH was going to get a telephone call from some men in white coats saying they had me in a padded cell and would he please come sign the commitment papers.
Of course, anything that affects me as dramatically as that gets me poring through my nutritional books and what did I discover? (Not that I didn't already know this at one time or another....) If you take all the fat out of your diet, your body won't absorb some vital vitamins and minerals. One of them is calcium. Another are some B vitamins that are crucial to cognitive functioning.
I changed my daily routine to take my oil on a teaspoon with my other vitamins right after breakfast each morning. If I wanted olive oil on a salad, I just counted the Points. I did feel better, but there wasn't a really appreciable difference in the memory loss.
I still felt as though I'd lost my "edge." I was sleepy more often and worried nearly constantly about it.
It was affecting my work. My head had a constant pressure in it and I had to think really hard to do normal everyday things. It took a lot of effort to get through the day.
I believe I now know how someone with Alzheimer's must feel in their good moments.
A couple of days ago I suddenly recalled that I'd had a head injury a few weeks ago when a six-foot-long window shade roller fell from about 10 feet over my head onto it.
I was dazed but didn't fall over unconscious, so I just continued with my day.
Today I asked DH to take me to the doctor to see if the accident and the brain fog symptoms were related and yes, I have a concussion! The doctor expects the symptoms to last as long as two months.
I'm getting a CT scan next week to make sure nothing's going on in there that we need to worry about. The doctor didn't think there was because my neurological tests were normal, but just in case....
And Now for the Good
It's temporary.
And Even More Good
For those following the weight loss:
1. Not only can I wear that red plaid dress now, but the mother-of-the-bride dress I wore at DD's wedding in 1999 fits better than it did then;
2. Thanksgiving did not affect my downward trend; and
3. I'm down a total of 30.8 pounds.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Rewired Circuitry
I've been spending three to four evenings a week at 24 Hour Fitness for the past six weeks or so.
Not only am I seeing results in my body, but my mind as well. For one thing, I'm actually listening to those pep talks I give myself.
But the funniest of all the mental phenomena involves my circuitry.
We listen to Classical music at home. It's what we play on the radio. If we reach for a CD, nine times out of ten it will be a symphony or an opera. (The one out of ten could be anything from bluegrass to comedy.)
When I got a song stuck in my head, it would be a symphony or a piano sonata or, rarely, an operatic aria.
Since I've been exercising at the gym, I've noticed my circuitry has gone Techno.
This morning I made breakfast to the driving strains of "I'm turning Japanese, oh, yes, I'm turning Japanese, oh, yes, I think so."
Not only am I seeing results in my body, but my mind as well. For one thing, I'm actually listening to those pep talks I give myself.
But the funniest of all the mental phenomena involves my circuitry.
We listen to Classical music at home. It's what we play on the radio. If we reach for a CD, nine times out of ten it will be a symphony or an opera. (The one out of ten could be anything from bluegrass to comedy.)
When I got a song stuck in my head, it would be a symphony or a piano sonata or, rarely, an operatic aria.
Since I've been exercising at the gym, I've noticed my circuitry has gone Techno.
This morning I made breakfast to the driving strains of "I'm turning Japanese, oh, yes, I'm turning Japanese, oh, yes, I think so."
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Weight Loss Progress Report
I have been working to save our Weight Watchers at Work program for the past two weeks.
Last week our meeting was actually "dark" because the leader was giving us one more week to come up with the minimum number of people.
The week before last was so stressful, I didn't have time to eat properly and I fell off the plan big time.
I realized it was really silly for me to have so much eating stress over getting enough people to join a Weight Watchers group and it really wasn't worth it for me personally to blow my eating plan. I decided it was the last time I was going to do that and I announed it today at our meeting, which we pulled off by the skin under my fingernails. (Five minutes before the meeting, even, someone dropped out.)
Anyway, I knew I had gained last week and I joined the gym and got the trainer as a place to channel the nervousness instead of into eating.
So overall, I gained 0.2 pounds, which could just as easily be some muscle I'm adding because of the training. Anyway, I'm happy with it and expect I'll see a loss next week.
My weight is now 211.8 which makes for a total loss of 26.2 pounds.
Last week our meeting was actually "dark" because the leader was giving us one more week to come up with the minimum number of people.
The week before last was so stressful, I didn't have time to eat properly and I fell off the plan big time.
I realized it was really silly for me to have so much eating stress over getting enough people to join a Weight Watchers group and it really wasn't worth it for me personally to blow my eating plan. I decided it was the last time I was going to do that and I announed it today at our meeting, which we pulled off by the skin under my fingernails. (Five minutes before the meeting, even, someone dropped out.)
Anyway, I knew I had gained last week and I joined the gym and got the trainer as a place to channel the nervousness instead of into eating.
So overall, I gained 0.2 pounds, which could just as easily be some muscle I'm adding because of the training. Anyway, I'm happy with it and expect I'll see a loss next week.
My weight is now 211.8 which makes for a total loss of 26.2 pounds.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Mr. Murphy Lends a Hand
You know those people who say, "I never win anything?"
I'm not one of those people. I win things.
Really!
It started when I was 14 years old and one of my friends had her own telephone. ("Huh?" you say? Don't all 14-year-olds have their own phone? It's called the Family Plan, right?)
Okay, don't get smart with me. (Har har. Get Smart**, remember? The spy who had a telephone in his shoe?)
I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but kids these days just don't know how lucky they are.
But I digress.
See, I wasn't allowed to have my own telephone and certainly wasn't allowed to use the family telephone (party line -- know what that is, kids?) to call radio stations.
Anyway, my friend Dee had her own telephone and I used to spend a couple of hours every day at her house calling radio station contests. One day I won two tickets to see the Ice Capades in St. Louis (the nearest big city, 20 miles away).
I thought my parents would be furious. After all, 1) I wasn't allowed to call radio stations; 2) someone had to go to the box office to pick the tickets up; 3) there were only two tickets so my parents would have to spring for a third if we all wanted to go, and on and on.
But since there was no way for me to collect the tickets at all unless I told them, I stiffened my upper lip and told my mom.
Who was just pleased as punch!
"I have always wanted to go to the Ice Capades!" she gushed.
"But" -- sputter, sputter -- "there are only two tickets and we have to drive all the way to St. Louis to pick them up!" I moaned.
No problem!
I was so struck dumb that I hadn't been struck dead that I forgot to say, "Gee, I never win anything."
Since that fateful day I have lost count of the number of things I won, but here are a few:
A number of record albums (kids, picture CDs only much bigger, black and not digital) ranging from blues to Anne Murray
("I just love Anne Murray!" gushed my mom.)
An untold number of door prizes and centerpieces.
A trip for two to San Francisco, including air fare and hotel. (Before I lived here....)
The California lottery -- 5 out of 6 when the odds were much better. (I think my share ended up being about $3,000 or $4,000.)
A $2,500 shopping spree at a huge shopping mall in Los Angeles.
And only today I was the right caller at the right time on my local Classical radio station with the answer to the question: "What was the name of the cat in the 1950's Dick and Jane readers?"
(Answer: Puff.)
I was so excited! Luckily, I remembered to ask the DJ when the tickets were for (I hadn't heard that part). They're for the night DD is going to be here and we'll be in San Jose at the theatre (see Everyone's Favorite City Disappoints MOI, herein).
I had to pass the tickets to the next caller.
Murphy's Law strikes again.
**When I originally wrote this, I did not know that the star of the show, Don Adams, had passed away a couple of days before. I was amazed to find he was seven years older than my own mother. In my mind, he was still younger than I am now and still cracking me up with his silly antics. Well done on a life well lived.
I'm not one of those people. I win things.
Really!
It started when I was 14 years old and one of my friends had her own telephone. ("Huh?" you say? Don't all 14-year-olds have their own phone? It's called the Family Plan, right?)
Okay, don't get smart with me. (Har har. Get Smart**, remember? The spy who had a telephone in his shoe?)
I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but kids these days just don't know how lucky they are.
But I digress.
See, I wasn't allowed to have my own telephone and certainly wasn't allowed to use the family telephone (party line -- know what that is, kids?) to call radio stations.
Anyway, my friend Dee had her own telephone and I used to spend a couple of hours every day at her house calling radio station contests. One day I won two tickets to see the Ice Capades in St. Louis (the nearest big city, 20 miles away).
I thought my parents would be furious. After all, 1) I wasn't allowed to call radio stations; 2) someone had to go to the box office to pick the tickets up; 3) there were only two tickets so my parents would have to spring for a third if we all wanted to go, and on and on.
But since there was no way for me to collect the tickets at all unless I told them, I stiffened my upper lip and told my mom.
Who was just pleased as punch!
"I have always wanted to go to the Ice Capades!" she gushed.
"But" -- sputter, sputter -- "there are only two tickets and we have to drive all the way to St. Louis to pick them up!" I moaned.
No problem!
I was so struck dumb that I hadn't been struck dead that I forgot to say, "Gee, I never win anything."
Since that fateful day I have lost count of the number of things I won, but here are a few:
A number of record albums (kids, picture CDs only much bigger, black and not digital) ranging from blues to Anne Murray
("I just love Anne Murray!" gushed my mom.)
An untold number of door prizes and centerpieces.
A trip for two to San Francisco, including air fare and hotel. (Before I lived here....)
The California lottery -- 5 out of 6 when the odds were much better. (I think my share ended up being about $3,000 or $4,000.)
A $2,500 shopping spree at a huge shopping mall in Los Angeles.
And only today I was the right caller at the right time on my local Classical radio station with the answer to the question: "What was the name of the cat in the 1950's Dick and Jane readers?"
(Answer: Puff.)
I was so excited! Luckily, I remembered to ask the DJ when the tickets were for (I hadn't heard that part). They're for the night DD is going to be here and we'll be in San Jose at the theatre (see Everyone's Favorite City Disappoints MOI, herein).
I had to pass the tickets to the next caller.
Murphy's Law strikes again.
**When I originally wrote this, I did not know that the star of the show, Don Adams, had passed away a couple of days before. I was amazed to find he was seven years older than my own mother. In my mind, he was still younger than I am now and still cracking me up with his silly antics. Well done on a life well lived.
Monday, September 26, 2005
My Coworker Pinky Toe
The coworker who sits nearest to me is originally from Korea. She was raised Catholic and now studies Buddhism.
We share a work ethic, the love of mankind and Classical piano. Since we can never find time to get together to play duets, we are contemplating returning to the earth as twins in our next life.
I explain to her American idioms and she tells me parables. We each make the other laugh.
A couple of weeks ago we were walking to a work luncheon together and she told me about her pinky toe.
She said that one time she hurt her pinky toe very badly when she closed a sliding glass door on it.
The pain referred to her foot, then to her leg, then to her lower back, then to her neck and then to her head.
She said, "'Oh, Pinky Toe,' I said, 'I have newfound respect for you!' Here was something so small and seemingly unimportant, yet it created big and far-reaching effects."
By that time we were nearly at the restaurant. I was at once in stitches and reminded of why I love her so. But then she went on to tell me about her boss.
(Of course, I know her boss because we sit so closely together, but this was her perspective on her boss.)
"Sometimes," she said, "when I am so intent on my work and have to work really hard to make a deadline, I shut him out and do not talk about anything but work, work, work. Then he gets a really long face.
"But when I talk to him about my life and my family and my interests, he gets very cheerful.
"I think," she said, "that maybe I am a pinky toe."
When we returned from lunch, I told her, "From now on, I will call you Pinky."
She corrected me.
"Pinky Toe!"
We share a work ethic, the love of mankind and Classical piano. Since we can never find time to get together to play duets, we are contemplating returning to the earth as twins in our next life.
I explain to her American idioms and she tells me parables. We each make the other laugh.
A couple of weeks ago we were walking to a work luncheon together and she told me about her pinky toe.
She said that one time she hurt her pinky toe very badly when she closed a sliding glass door on it.
The pain referred to her foot, then to her leg, then to her lower back, then to her neck and then to her head.
She said, "'Oh, Pinky Toe,' I said, 'I have newfound respect for you!' Here was something so small and seemingly unimportant, yet it created big and far-reaching effects."
By that time we were nearly at the restaurant. I was at once in stitches and reminded of why I love her so. But then she went on to tell me about her boss.
(Of course, I know her boss because we sit so closely together, but this was her perspective on her boss.)
"Sometimes," she said, "when I am so intent on my work and have to work really hard to make a deadline, I shut him out and do not talk about anything but work, work, work. Then he gets a really long face.
"But when I talk to him about my life and my family and my interests, he gets very cheerful.
"I think," she said, "that maybe I am a pinky toe."
When we returned from lunch, I told her, "From now on, I will call you Pinky."
She corrected me.
"Pinky Toe!"
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Lessons You Can't Teach an Optimist
The other day someone told me I was too charitable. I disagreed, especially in the context in which I was told this.
On further reflection, I realized there may be a kernel of truth in that statement.
Some lessons I haven't learned no matter how many times I've been taught them.
Take food, for instance.
It seems there are a few foods I don't like. I'm not a picky eater, so the list isn't long.
(Random musings: Why is it that someone who reads lots of different books can be widely read but a person who eats a variety of foods can't be widely eaten?)
When I was a little kid, I didn't like watermelon, popcorn or lobster.
Eventually my taste buds changed and I grew to love lobster, tolerate popcorn and sometimes enjoy watermelon.
Perhaps because of this change in tastes, I have always given my dislikes the benefit of the doubt. (Then again, maybe it was just too many readings of Green Eggs and Ham.)
"Maybe I've changed my mind," I think. "I'll give it another try."
This doesn't apply strictly to food, either. It could be art, music or even people. (Thus, from the friend's point of view I can be too charitable.)
Today I have decided to learn a lesson. In order to learn this lesson, though, I need to talk to my future self. (Bringing me to the full range of Talking To Myself, within blog.)
So, Self, please remember this:
I really don't like okra and I really don't like Milky Way Bars.
This hasn't changed in over half a century.
It is not necessary to keep trying them to see if maybe I've changed my mind, because unless the slime is genetically altered out of the okra and the recipe for Milky Way Bars deletes 70% of the sugar and adds some nuts, this won't change.
Nor does it make a difference that it's in a different recipe or that the company has changed CEOs. You really won't like them and if you try them, you'll feel like punishing yourself for forgetting this lesson.
So please, Self, resist the temptation to "Just try it" this once.
Just don't.
Thank you, thank you, Sam I Am.
On further reflection, I realized there may be a kernel of truth in that statement.
Some lessons I haven't learned no matter how many times I've been taught them.
Take food, for instance.
It seems there are a few foods I don't like. I'm not a picky eater, so the list isn't long.
(Random musings: Why is it that someone who reads lots of different books can be widely read but a person who eats a variety of foods can't be widely eaten?)
When I was a little kid, I didn't like watermelon, popcorn or lobster.
Eventually my taste buds changed and I grew to love lobster, tolerate popcorn and sometimes enjoy watermelon.
Perhaps because of this change in tastes, I have always given my dislikes the benefit of the doubt. (Then again, maybe it was just too many readings of Green Eggs and Ham.)
"Maybe I've changed my mind," I think. "I'll give it another try."
This doesn't apply strictly to food, either. It could be art, music or even people. (Thus, from the friend's point of view I can be too charitable.)
Today I have decided to learn a lesson. In order to learn this lesson, though, I need to talk to my future self. (Bringing me to the full range of Talking To Myself, within blog.)
So, Self, please remember this:
I really don't like okra and I really don't like Milky Way Bars.
This hasn't changed in over half a century.
It is not necessary to keep trying them to see if maybe I've changed my mind, because unless the slime is genetically altered out of the okra and the recipe for Milky Way Bars deletes 70% of the sugar and adds some nuts, this won't change.
Nor does it make a difference that it's in a different recipe or that the company has changed CEOs. You really won't like them and if you try them, you'll feel like punishing yourself for forgetting this lesson.
So please, Self, resist the temptation to "Just try it" this once.
Just don't.
Thank you, thank you, Sam I Am.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Everyone's Favorite City Disappoints MOI
It seems the world is conspiring to drive me to cookies.
Sometimes it's hard to believe I live in a major metropolitan area. We're talking San Francisco, fer Pete's sake! I mean, how do they get off calling it The City?!
Unless you're into the bar scene, the sidewalks roll up here even earlier than some of the one-horse towns where I lived in the Midwest.
My DD is visiting us in October from L.A. and there is not. one. single. musical. theatrical. performance. in San Francisco during the week she'll be here.
Not one!
She's missed Wicked and now Annie and she's too early for any of the holiday stuff.
Of course, there's Teatro ZinZanni but I refuse to pay those outrageous ticket prices and pay an additional $10 for a "dinner fee" once I get there. Maybe I'm just cheap, but I'm perfectly willing to let the tourists spring for those tickets.
I thought it was going to have to be Beach Blanket Babylon or nothing, but then I found this an hour's drive away:
Little Women with Maureen McGovern.
Perfect! We drive down for an evening show, spend the night in a hotel so we don't have to worry about driving home too late, and voila! The perfect mother-daughter night.
Don't make me sing it alone, now...
"Do you know the way to San Jose?" La, la-la-la la LA la la la-la la-la.
Sometimes it's hard to believe I live in a major metropolitan area. We're talking San Francisco, fer Pete's sake! I mean, how do they get off calling it The City?!
Unless you're into the bar scene, the sidewalks roll up here even earlier than some of the one-horse towns where I lived in the Midwest.
My DD is visiting us in October from L.A. and there is not. one. single. musical. theatrical. performance. in San Francisco during the week she'll be here.
Not one!
She's missed Wicked and now Annie and she's too early for any of the holiday stuff.
Of course, there's Teatro ZinZanni but I refuse to pay those outrageous ticket prices and pay an additional $10 for a "dinner fee" once I get there. Maybe I'm just cheap, but I'm perfectly willing to let the tourists spring for those tickets.
I thought it was going to have to be Beach Blanket Babylon or nothing, but then I found this an hour's drive away:
Little Women with Maureen McGovern.
Perfect! We drive down for an evening show, spend the night in a hotel so we don't have to worry about driving home too late, and voila! The perfect mother-daughter night.
Don't make me sing it alone, now...
"Do you know the way to San Jose?" La, la-la-la la LA la la la-la la-la.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Testing My Mettle
It's not fair.
I was good.
I followed the plan.
I avoided (most) temptations all week long.
I gained 1.4 pounds!
I used to think my weight loss was showing results from the week before weigh-in because that's how it seemed. But I've been good for two whole weeks, so that logic doesn't fly.
Of course, my bent now is to abandon the plan entirely. I know where that path leads.
I'm going to stick to it another week and hope that I get rewarded big time next weigh-in.
But in the meantime I'm still going to pout.
I was good.
I followed the plan.
I avoided (most) temptations all week long.
I gained 1.4 pounds!
I used to think my weight loss was showing results from the week before weigh-in because that's how it seemed. But I've been good for two whole weeks, so that logic doesn't fly.
Of course, my bent now is to abandon the plan entirely. I know where that path leads.
I'm going to stick to it another week and hope that I get rewarded big time next weigh-in.
But in the meantime I'm still going to pout.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
More Good Penguin News!
The penguins from New Orleans have been rescued and are now safely residing nearby.
I am happy about that. I will certainly pay them a visit while they are in the area.
I am happy about that. I will certainly pay them a visit while they are in the area.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Talking To Myself
I doubt it's very unusual to talk to oneself. I hear people say they do it all the time. (Usually followed by that chestnut about answering oneself, hahaha. Some people have no imagination.)
I didn't put much more thought into it until a few years ago when the habit became an obsession and moved from the vertical to the horizontal. Or something like that.
(Cue back story)
When I was a pre-teen, I was obsessed with Mark Lindsay, then lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders. (Now I say I was obsessed. Then, I knew I was in love.)
I had three girlfriends at the time and we were all obsessed-cum-in-love with all of the Raiders, but they (being wise and cognizant of solid leadership and possessing the better part of valour) pretty much allowed me dibs on Mark Lindsay.
Every afternoon we watched Dick Clark's Where The Action Is and swooned over Mark. I nearly needed a blood transfusion when he announced he was going to cut off his ponytail, and I felt entitled to win the contest to own it when they did. (I thought I'd never forgive the person who won it for not recognizing my entitlement to it.)
(No, I did not stalk her.)
(She had an unlisted number.)
We babysat and mowed lawns and always managed to buy every single teen magazine Mark was in. I wrote a poem to him and sent it to him. I sketched his portrait from one of his photographs and sent it to him.
One time we went a little too far. A photograph in one of the magazines showed him talking on a telephone. There on the face of the telephone (pre-cell phones, pre-Touch Tones by golly!) we could just make out the telephone number when we used one of our grandmothers' magnifying glass.
So we took the number and pooled our money and met early before school one morning at the pay phone outside the cafeteria and we called it (squeal)!
We were so smart that we even knew that we needed to use the Los Angeles Area Code and dial a 1 first.
What we didn't remember was that Illinois was two hours ahead of California. And since this was also pre-answering-machine/voicemail-to-screen-calls, we woke some poor guy up at 5:00 a.m. asking for Mark, only to be told we had a wrong number.
I thought I would
Just.
Die.
Mark later left the Raiders and things were never the same. I won't get into all the drama of the lawsuits over the rights to the songs and Mark's right to use the Paul Revere and the Raiders name on his website, etc. That's legal history and it's pretty boring if you're not as much of a fan as I was. Besides, I'm legally bound not to tell because....
A few years ago I found myself on a temp job in Studio City working for an entertainment lawyer who, it so happened, represented Mark Lindsay.
Moreover, he still represented Mark Lindsay.
Morever,
(jump up and down squealing)
MarkLindsayCameToHisOfficeWhileIWorkedThereAndIGotTo
I didn't put much more thought into it until a few years ago when the habit became an obsession and moved from the vertical to the horizontal. Or something like that.
(Cue back story)
When I was a pre-teen, I was obsessed with Mark Lindsay, then lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders. (Now I say I was obsessed. Then, I knew I was in love.)
I had three girlfriends at the time and we were all obsessed-cum-in-love with all of the Raiders, but they (being wise and cognizant of solid leadership and possessing the better part of valour) pretty much allowed me dibs on Mark Lindsay.
Every afternoon we watched Dick Clark's Where The Action Is and swooned over Mark. I nearly needed a blood transfusion when he announced he was going to cut off his ponytail, and I felt entitled to win the contest to own it when they did. (I thought I'd never forgive the person who won it for not recognizing my entitlement to it.)
(No, I did not stalk her.)
(She had an unlisted number.)
We babysat and mowed lawns and always managed to buy every single teen magazine Mark was in. I wrote a poem to him and sent it to him. I sketched his portrait from one of his photographs and sent it to him.
One time we went a little too far. A photograph in one of the magazines showed him talking on a telephone. There on the face of the telephone (pre-cell phones, pre-Touch Tones by golly!) we could just make out the telephone number when we used one of our grandmothers' magnifying glass.
So we took the number and pooled our money and met early before school one morning at the pay phone outside the cafeteria and we called it (squeal)!
We were so smart that we even knew that we needed to use the Los Angeles Area Code and dial a 1 first.
What we didn't remember was that Illinois was two hours ahead of California. And since this was also pre-answering-machine/voicemail-to-screen-calls, we woke some poor guy up at 5:00 a.m. asking for Mark, only to be told we had a wrong number.
I thought I would
Just.
Die.
Mark later left the Raiders and things were never the same. I won't get into all the drama of the lawsuits over the rights to the songs and Mark's right to use the Paul Revere and the Raiders name on his website, etc. That's legal history and it's pretty boring if you're not as much of a fan as I was. Besides, I'm legally bound not to tell because....
A few years ago I found myself on a temp job in Studio City working for an entertainment lawyer who, it so happened, represented Mark Lindsay.
Moreover, he still represented Mark Lindsay.
Morever,
(jump up and down squealing)
MarkLindsayCameToHisOfficeWhileIWorkedThereAndIGotTo
MeetHimAndShakeHisHand!!!!!!!!!!
(dead silence)
(pregnant pause)
There's something about pre-teen love. As hard to believe as it may be, it doesn't last.
Here I was a middle aged woman with a grown child of my own who I'd already seen through her pre-teen years. I met Mark Lindsay and his wife and we chatted a bit about the past and how much a fan I was, the present and how much he loved living in Hawaii, the future and how if I ever came to Hawaii I should visit. Quite tame, really.
The first thing I thought of doing afterward was to call my 13-year-old self on the phone!
Here was news! I had to tell someone! It was the exact impulse I would have had at 13 but there was no one who would understand it the way I -- and my contemporaries -- could. I had long lost touch with my pre-teen compadres before I even got out of high school.
I really needed to talk to me!
I think I pondered that concept for at least two weeks. To this day I still haven't managed to wrap my wits around it entirely.
I still think you're okay if you talk to yourself.
Hell, after all that, I even think you'd be okay if you answered yourself.
Hahaha.
(dead silence)
(pregnant pause)
There's something about pre-teen love. As hard to believe as it may be, it doesn't last.
Here I was a middle aged woman with a grown child of my own who I'd already seen through her pre-teen years. I met Mark Lindsay and his wife and we chatted a bit about the past and how much a fan I was, the present and how much he loved living in Hawaii, the future and how if I ever came to Hawaii I should visit. Quite tame, really.
The first thing I thought of doing afterward was to call my 13-year-old self on the phone!
Here was news! I had to tell someone! It was the exact impulse I would have had at 13 but there was no one who would understand it the way I -- and my contemporaries -- could. I had long lost touch with my pre-teen compadres before I even got out of high school.
I really needed to talk to me!
I think I pondered that concept for at least two weeks. To this day I still haven't managed to wrap my wits around it entirely.
I still think you're okay if you talk to yourself.
Hell, after all that, I even think you'd be okay if you answered yourself.
Hahaha.
Stick by Stick
I didn't post my progress report after weigh-in on Wednesday. Current events made my weight-loss efforts seem too petty a subject, and there were already more than enough words flying around about the current events themselves. To add to them would have been meaningless.
So I gave $100 to a volunteer who needed air fare and called it a day.
Still, the weight-loss news is good. I lost 0.8 pounds last week for a total weight loss of 27.8 pounds.
It takes a little bit of creativity to take comfort in a less-than-a-pound loss in a week.
What does it for me is butter.
Butter is pure fat that comes in quarter-pound sticks. Whenever my week's loss is 0.2 pounds or 0.5 pounds or 0.8 pounds, I imagine the equivalent in butter. Am I happy to have lost the equivalent in fat of over 3 sticks of butter last week?
You betcha!
I just imagine those sticks of butter and then I melt them down in my mind and see how much ghee they make. Then I imagine the fat in my body melting and the ghee flowing out of it and puddling at my feet.
One great thing about imagination: the cleanup's a snap.
So I gave $100 to a volunteer who needed air fare and called it a day.
Still, the weight-loss news is good. I lost 0.8 pounds last week for a total weight loss of 27.8 pounds.
It takes a little bit of creativity to take comfort in a less-than-a-pound loss in a week.
What does it for me is butter.
Butter is pure fat that comes in quarter-pound sticks. Whenever my week's loss is 0.2 pounds or 0.5 pounds or 0.8 pounds, I imagine the equivalent in butter. Am I happy to have lost the equivalent in fat of over 3 sticks of butter last week?
You betcha!
I just imagine those sticks of butter and then I melt them down in my mind and see how much ghee they make. Then I imagine the fat in my body melting and the ghee flowing out of it and puddling at my feet.
One great thing about imagination: the cleanup's a snap.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Phishing Phun
Whew! Today is my lucky day! I got this email today that says:
"PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY
"Congratulations! You have received this Notice because the records of PayPal, Inc. indicate you are a current or former PayPal account holder who has been deemed eligible to receive a payment from the class action settlement in accordance with PayPal Litigation, Case No. 02 1227 JF PVT, pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose.
"In your specific case you have been found to be eligible for a payment of $88.99 USD."
Hee! $88.99 USD! Can you believe it!
I never win anything!
Wow! This must be an international class action suit because they have to put "USD" after the amount. That means U.S. Dollars so someone in New Zealand or Canada doesn't get confused and think they're entitled to NZD or CAD.
I never even heard of this class action before! And I never even spent $88.99 in my entire history with PayPal!
I just cannot believe how lucky I am.
Now, what do I have to do to get my $88.99 USD?
Let's read on.
"Confirm Your Bank Account.
"The aforementioned settlement funds may be transferred directly to your bank account providing you have a linked card. The funds may not be credited directly to your PayPal account as this would render Paypal to be accumulating interest and thus profiting on litigation settlement funds which contravenes Federal law. Your bank account will be credited within 7 days upon submission of account details."
Is it my imagination or does this writer kinda talk funny? He sounds like a furriner if you ask me. See, I work in a law firm and I understand legalese, so I know it's not funny sounding because it's written by a lawyer. Unless it's a foreign lawyer who learned English as a second language. From a British teacher.
Oh, well. Maybe his rates are lower than anyone they could find in the U.S. Or maybe the original party to the class action was a furriner and hired someone he could relate to.
"To credit your bank account please click here.
Don't forget to check your bank account for the PayPal deposits and get Verified!"
Huh?
"If you are seeking an alternate method of receiving your funds PayPal will be contacting those who do not submit their details by the 31th of March with instructions to receive a cheque in the mail. However this will incur a 7.5% processing fee deducted from the settlement amount and therefore PayPal only recommends this option to those users who do not currently have a bank account with linked Bank Card."
31th, huh? That's funny! I say that sometimes, too, just for a joke. This foreigner has a real good sense of humo(u)r. It's even funnier when you say "32th" because it sounds like "thirty-tooth." I wonder if he says that, too. I need to meet this guy!
"Please Note that under United States federal law credit cards are not a legally approved method of settlement for Class Action suits and cannot be processed for transferal of funds in this case."
Huh?
"This notice is a summary and does not describe all details of the settlement. For full details of the matters discussed in this notice, you may wish to review the Settlement Agreement dated January 11, 2005 and on file with the Court or visit https://www.paypal.com/settlement/. Complete copies of the Settlement Agreement and all other pleadings and papers filed in the lawsuit are also available for inspection and copying during regular business hours, at the Office of the Clerk of the Court, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 280 South First Street, San Jose, California 95113."
Hmmm. I know that court. Filed a few things there myself. In fact, I could send our service over to get a copy of those papers during regular business hours so I can inspect them. Of course, it would kind of eat into my $88.99 USD to pay the service for the trip and the copying.
This is sounding more and more legit, isn't it?
"DATED: September 02, 2005
BY ORDER OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA"
Okay, now that's weird. (Scratching chin....) I mean, this arrived on September 1st (oops. September 1th) my time. And my time is San Jose time. Courts don't usually date things in advance. That much I know. And here this thing is dated September 2th.
Oh, I get it! I think this is just like that test they give you in school to see how well you follow instructions. The one that has as step one, "Read the entire test through before beginning." Then at the end it tells you to disregard all the instructions after number one. So the people who can't follow instructions are picking up their pencils and writing their names and making circles and squares around them and all sorts of stuff that are in steps 2 through the end and the people who can follow instructions are just sitting there doing nothing.
Like I said, today is my lucky day. Luckily, I passed that test and I've been READING THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY just like it says.
Know what else? If you enter the referenced website (https://www.paypal.com/settlement/) into your browser (rather than link to it), you find out that PayPal has put a huge notice to their customers that THIS EMAIL IS A PHISHING SCAM!
Yup, my lucky day. I got to forward something to spoof@paypal.com and get phodder for my blog all in one day.
"PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY
"Congratulations! You have received this Notice because the records of PayPal, Inc. indicate you are a current or former PayPal account holder who has been deemed eligible to receive a payment from the class action settlement in accordance with PayPal Litigation, Case No. 02 1227 JF PVT, pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose.
"In your specific case you have been found to be eligible for a payment of $88.99 USD."
Hee! $88.99 USD! Can you believe it!
I never win anything!
Wow! This must be an international class action suit because they have to put "USD" after the amount. That means U.S. Dollars so someone in New Zealand or Canada doesn't get confused and think they're entitled to NZD or CAD.
I never even heard of this class action before! And I never even spent $88.99 in my entire history with PayPal!
I just cannot believe how lucky I am.
Now, what do I have to do to get my $88.99 USD?
Let's read on.
"Confirm Your Bank Account.
"The aforementioned settlement funds may be transferred directly to your bank account providing you have a linked card. The funds may not be credited directly to your PayPal account as this would render Paypal to be accumulating interest and thus profiting on litigation settlement funds which contravenes Federal law. Your bank account will be credited within 7 days upon submission of account details."
Is it my imagination or does this writer kinda talk funny? He sounds like a furriner if you ask me. See, I work in a law firm and I understand legalese, so I know it's not funny sounding because it's written by a lawyer. Unless it's a foreign lawyer who learned English as a second language. From a British teacher.
Oh, well. Maybe his rates are lower than anyone they could find in the U.S. Or maybe the original party to the class action was a furriner and hired someone he could relate to.
"To credit your bank account please click here.
Don't forget to check your bank account for the PayPal deposits and get Verified!"
Huh?
"If you are seeking an alternate method of receiving your funds PayPal will be contacting those who do not submit their details by the 31th of March with instructions to receive a cheque in the mail. However this will incur a 7.5% processing fee deducted from the settlement amount and therefore PayPal only recommends this option to those users who do not currently have a bank account with linked Bank Card."
31th, huh? That's funny! I say that sometimes, too, just for a joke. This foreigner has a real good sense of humo(u)r. It's even funnier when you say "32th" because it sounds like "thirty-tooth." I wonder if he says that, too. I need to meet this guy!
"Please Note that under United States federal law credit cards are not a legally approved method of settlement for Class Action suits and cannot be processed for transferal of funds in this case."
Huh?
"This notice is a summary and does not describe all details of the settlement. For full details of the matters discussed in this notice, you may wish to review the Settlement Agreement dated January 11, 2005 and on file with the Court or visit https://www.paypal.com/settlement/. Complete copies of the Settlement Agreement and all other pleadings and papers filed in the lawsuit are also available for inspection and copying during regular business hours, at the Office of the Clerk of the Court, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 280 South First Street, San Jose, California 95113."
Hmmm. I know that court. Filed a few things there myself. In fact, I could send our service over to get a copy of those papers during regular business hours so I can inspect them. Of course, it would kind of eat into my $88.99 USD to pay the service for the trip and the copying.
This is sounding more and more legit, isn't it?
"DATED: September 02, 2005
BY ORDER OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA"
Okay, now that's weird. (Scratching chin....) I mean, this arrived on September 1st (oops. September 1th) my time. And my time is San Jose time. Courts don't usually date things in advance. That much I know. And here this thing is dated September 2th.
Oh, I get it! I think this is just like that test they give you in school to see how well you follow instructions. The one that has as step one, "Read the entire test through before beginning." Then at the end it tells you to disregard all the instructions after number one. So the people who can't follow instructions are picking up their pencils and writing their names and making circles and squares around them and all sorts of stuff that are in steps 2 through the end and the people who can follow instructions are just sitting there doing nothing.
Like I said, today is my lucky day. Luckily, I passed that test and I've been READING THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY just like it says.
Know what else? If you enter the referenced website (https://www.paypal.com/settlement/) into your browser (rather than link to it), you find out that PayPal has put a huge notice to their customers that THIS EMAIL IS A PHISHING SCAM!
Yup, my lucky day. I got to forward something to spoof@paypal.com and get phodder for my blog all in one day.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Another One Down
I didn't post last week out of embarrassment because I had climbed back on that plateau and weighed in at my 25-pound loss again.
This week I'm down two pounds for a lowest-weight mark since beginning this program in January.
Yay! I get to add another paper clip to my chain.
My weight is now 211 for a total of 27 pounds lost.
This week I'm down two pounds for a lowest-weight mark since beginning this program in January.
Yay! I get to add another paper clip to my chain.
My weight is now 211 for a total of 27 pounds lost.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
And I Didn't Think I Was an Investor!
I've never bought stocks but back in my halcyon days when I had an American Express card and used it prudently, I bought a set of china.
I was well beyond my newlywed days by then and the china I already had looked embarrassingly ingenue. Amex had enclosed a circular offering 12 place settings plus serving pieces of a Villeroy & Boch pattern for $550.
I didn't hate the pattern and it seemed a pretty good buy, so I ordered it. It's been my special occasion china ever since. It's seen me through many a birthday, Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashana, and the occasional dinner party. Some of the pieces I've used even more often. (I remember one time at 3:00 a.m., working tête à tête with a court reporter on an expedited transcript, serving coffee with the full coffee service just to keep our spirits up and our bodies awake.)
I kept Small Island Trader bookmarked in my viewer and occasionally pondered whether to buy another serving piece or two. (The link goes to my pattern, Botanica.)
Today I checked the bookmark and learned that the link to my pattern had been changed and -- Holy cow! -- so had the cost of the replacement pieces!
I just finished adding up all the pieces I own at the prices they're asking and came up with $2,824.99. I'd say that wasn't too bad for my original $550 (including shipping) investment, but some guru will have to answer the question.*
Is five times the original purchase price in 16 years a good investment?
I was gloating over this discovery when I realized the reason for the price increase on the pattern is because it's probably discontinued.
Discontinued patterns: What dead ladies leave in their estates.
I so much preferred thinking of myself as a savvy investor.
Now I feel old.
*No spam, please.
I was well beyond my newlywed days by then and the china I already had looked embarrassingly ingenue. Amex had enclosed a circular offering 12 place settings plus serving pieces of a Villeroy & Boch pattern for $550.
I didn't hate the pattern and it seemed a pretty good buy, so I ordered it. It's been my special occasion china ever since. It's seen me through many a birthday, Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashana, and the occasional dinner party. Some of the pieces I've used even more often. (I remember one time at 3:00 a.m., working tête à tête with a court reporter on an expedited transcript, serving coffee with the full coffee service just to keep our spirits up and our bodies awake.)
I kept Small Island Trader bookmarked in my viewer and occasionally pondered whether to buy another serving piece or two. (The link goes to my pattern, Botanica.)
Today I checked the bookmark and learned that the link to my pattern had been changed and -- Holy cow! -- so had the cost of the replacement pieces!
I just finished adding up all the pieces I own at the prices they're asking and came up with $2,824.99. I'd say that wasn't too bad for my original $550 (including shipping) investment, but some guru will have to answer the question.*
Is five times the original purchase price in 16 years a good investment?
I was gloating over this discovery when I realized the reason for the price increase on the pattern is because it's probably discontinued.
Discontinued patterns: What dead ladies leave in their estates.
I so much preferred thinking of myself as a savvy investor.
Now I feel old.
*No spam, please.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Back on the Road to Onederland
Well, I finally cracked that plateau I'd been on for two months.
Remember the red plaid dress that was supposed to revitalize my resolve to lose weight? (The Target Now In the Sights. See Previous Posts in this blog.)
Nope. Didn't do it.
Nor did the size-16 jeans my DD shrank out of. (Dang! I was going to get skinny first and show her how good she could look when she got old. But then she lost 6 pounds while she was in Italy and it motivated her to keep going. Unfortunately, I can't afford a trip to Italy at the moment.)
Nor the two pant suits that my office manager and fellow Weight-Watchers-at-Work meeting attendee shrank out of last week and gifted to me.
No. This is what did it.
Tower Market on Portola. More correctly, Mollie Stone's Tower Market on Portola.
I rarely shop there unless I happen to be passing by on my way home at a time when I'm tired and desperately need to pick up something and the thought of driving past home to go to my regular store is too much to bear.
That is why I had no idea that the solution to my problem plateau hung right inside the entrance.
You can't miss it. It's a huge, round, convex mirror. It's the kind that you put at the end of a driveway or garage or a blind curve in an alleyway to avoid collisions.
Ouch!
See the biggest mirror in my apartment is the one on the medicine chest in the bathroom.
When you walk into Mollie Stone's Tower Market you just can't help but stare up into that big, round, convex mirror because your own motion above your head draws you into it.
What did I see when I looked up there?
I'm still fat.
That's all it took. A loss of 25 pounds seems like a lot to most people. But when it's only about a quarter of what you need to lose, it takes something like the sight of yourself in a big, round, convex mirror to realize you're not finished losing weight yet, Darling!
Ahem.
So....
At weigh-in yesterday I'd lost 1.2 pounds for a total of 26.2 pounds down. I'm back on the road to Onederland!
When I hit 50, I think I'll do some grocery shopping on Portola.
If that doesn't work, I'll go look for a House of Mirrors at Pier 39.
Remember the red plaid dress that was supposed to revitalize my resolve to lose weight? (The Target Now In the Sights. See Previous Posts in this blog.)
Nope. Didn't do it.
Nor did the size-16 jeans my DD shrank out of. (Dang! I was going to get skinny first and show her how good she could look when she got old. But then she lost 6 pounds while she was in Italy and it motivated her to keep going. Unfortunately, I can't afford a trip to Italy at the moment.)
Nor the two pant suits that my office manager and fellow Weight-Watchers-at-Work meeting attendee shrank out of last week and gifted to me.
No. This is what did it.
Tower Market on Portola. More correctly, Mollie Stone's Tower Market on Portola.
I rarely shop there unless I happen to be passing by on my way home at a time when I'm tired and desperately need to pick up something and the thought of driving past home to go to my regular store is too much to bear.
That is why I had no idea that the solution to my problem plateau hung right inside the entrance.
You can't miss it. It's a huge, round, convex mirror. It's the kind that you put at the end of a driveway or garage or a blind curve in an alleyway to avoid collisions.
Ouch!
See the biggest mirror in my apartment is the one on the medicine chest in the bathroom.
When you walk into Mollie Stone's Tower Market you just can't help but stare up into that big, round, convex mirror because your own motion above your head draws you into it.
What did I see when I looked up there?
I'm still fat.
That's all it took. A loss of 25 pounds seems like a lot to most people. But when it's only about a quarter of what you need to lose, it takes something like the sight of yourself in a big, round, convex mirror to realize you're not finished losing weight yet, Darling!
Ahem.
So....
At weigh-in yesterday I'd lost 1.2 pounds for a total of 26.2 pounds down. I'm back on the road to Onederland!
When I hit 50, I think I'll do some grocery shopping on Portola.
If that doesn't work, I'll go look for a House of Mirrors at Pier 39.
Jungle Fever
Some time back in an effort to control our portion sizes, DH and I started to buy smaller sized dishes with fun patterns on them. Usually they're children's dishes with colorful cartoonish animals on them. Eating at our house is not very elegant, but it sure is fun!
As a result of this project, I now have a new and wonderful obsession. It started with this:
I happen to love animal prints anyway, especially leopard, so when I caught sight of these demitasse cups on eBay, I just had to have them.
Once I got them, I wanted a teapot to match or at least coordinate. I got outbid on one that the same seller had on sale, but she was kind enough to inform me when she got more jungle animal crockery to sell.
Which led to my buying this:
and then this:
Luckily, DH loves them. I've been justifying the purchase by exploring recipes that will present well on them when taken to potlucks. I'm going to have to rearrange the china cabinet to fit them in and I have very-little-to-no wiggle room for any more china in the apartment now.
The eBayer who sold me the above has become one of my favorite sellers. They don't have a lot of china to offer so I'm lucky in that respect, but they do have some great toys my adopted grandkids are going to love.
Although, my original standing search for a jungle animal teapot came up with this recently. I successfully resisted bidding on it:
Until yesterday.
Oh, well. Maybe I should start searching for curtains, rugs and pillows in animal prints to complete the theme. At least I have some room left for those in the apartment.
As a result of this project, I now have a new and wonderful obsession. It started with this:
I happen to love animal prints anyway, especially leopard, so when I caught sight of these demitasse cups on eBay, I just had to have them.
Once I got them, I wanted a teapot to match or at least coordinate. I got outbid on one that the same seller had on sale, but she was kind enough to inform me when she got more jungle animal crockery to sell.
Which led to my buying this:
and then this:
Luckily, DH loves them. I've been justifying the purchase by exploring recipes that will present well on them when taken to potlucks. I'm going to have to rearrange the china cabinet to fit them in and I have very-little-to-no wiggle room for any more china in the apartment now.
The eBayer who sold me the above has become one of my favorite sellers. They don't have a lot of china to offer so I'm lucky in that respect, but they do have some great toys my adopted grandkids are going to love.
Although, my original standing search for a jungle animal teapot came up with this recently. I successfully resisted bidding on it:
Until yesterday.
Oh, well. Maybe I should start searching for curtains, rugs and pillows in animal prints to complete the theme. At least I have some room left for those in the apartment.
In the Company of Geniuses
wrnglrjan is a genius! (see her comment on my last post)
You mean I can blog again?
"Overthinking a coincidence." I'm so good at that I should have it trademarked.
I'll be in touch, ya'll.
You mean I can blog again?
"Overthinking a coincidence." I'm so good at that I should have it trademarked.
I'll be in touch, ya'll.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Blogspot Is Evil
I tried posting to my blog from home this morning and I couldn't.
Blogspot said that I didn't have java script or cookies enabled on my browser.
Not true. I checked. I double checked. I closed the brower and reopened it.
Blogspot still wouldn't let me log in.
Then I recalled that yesterday at work while I was browsing through the blogs, hitting "next blog, next blog, next blog" suddenly something started streaming into the line at the bottom of the screen.
So I quick did an anti-virus check of the C drive and found out an Adware thingie had been added RIGHT THEN -- right then when I saw the streaming.
So I.T. had to run Spybot and they found hundreds of these things in my system.
Boy did things speed up after they were finished!
So I'm thinking my super-duper internet protection at home was keeping Blogspot from opening because they couldn't install that Adware thingie on my computer at home.
So I'm left on the horns of a dilemma. A moral quandary. A tough decision.
Do I keep blogging on my breaks and lunch hour and after hours at work knowing full well that I'm leaving my employer's computer open to this stuff and clogging it up with Adware?
Or do I let the guard down on my Internet protection at home enough that I can blog, leaving my personal computer open to attack?
Sometimes I hate having been a Girl Scout.
I know the answer.
I can't blog anymore. Period. It just isn't ethical any way I slice it.
So unless I find out there's a way to fix all this so I can have my cake and eat it, too (oh, spare me the diet metaphors!) I have to quit this blog.
If you want updates on the weight loss, email me (if you know my address). Everybody else, sorry. 'Bye.
Love,
Jo Anne
Blogspot said that I didn't have java script or cookies enabled on my browser.
Not true. I checked. I double checked. I closed the brower and reopened it.
Blogspot still wouldn't let me log in.
Then I recalled that yesterday at work while I was browsing through the blogs, hitting "next blog, next blog, next blog" suddenly something started streaming into the line at the bottom of the screen.
So I quick did an anti-virus check of the C drive and found out an Adware thingie had been added RIGHT THEN -- right then when I saw the streaming.
So I.T. had to run Spybot and they found hundreds of these things in my system.
Boy did things speed up after they were finished!
So I'm thinking my super-duper internet protection at home was keeping Blogspot from opening because they couldn't install that Adware thingie on my computer at home.
So I'm left on the horns of a dilemma. A moral quandary. A tough decision.
Do I keep blogging on my breaks and lunch hour and after hours at work knowing full well that I'm leaving my employer's computer open to this stuff and clogging it up with Adware?
Or do I let the guard down on my Internet protection at home enough that I can blog, leaving my personal computer open to attack?
Sometimes I hate having been a Girl Scout.
I know the answer.
I can't blog anymore. Period. It just isn't ethical any way I slice it.
So unless I find out there's a way to fix all this so I can have my cake and eat it, too (oh, spare me the diet metaphors!) I have to quit this blog.
If you want updates on the weight loss, email me (if you know my address). Everybody else, sorry. 'Bye.
Love,
Jo Anne
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Best News of Today
'Penguins' march defies summer box office trend.
A cold story that warms my heart.
This is the Best. Movie. Ever.
A cold story that warms my heart.
This is the Best. Movie. Ever.
The Target Now in the Sights
You wouldn't know it by this photo, but this dress is drop-dead gorgeous!I found it on eBay (permission to use the photo given by the seller). It's red plaid rayon and the bodice and sleeves are embroidered all over with a filigree pattern in black which isn't visible in the photo.
It's a size smaller than I am.
I realized that my progress began to slow after I had lost enough to fit into a pair of jeans I loved. I still had two more pairs of jeans that were a bit smaller, but I didn't care for their styles.
So rather than aiming for the size, it appears I should have been aiming for the specific article of clothing that inspired me.
This oughta do it.
I've bought the accessories to go with it so that the day it finally fits is the day I get to wear it.
Onederland*, here I come!
*Onederland: That place where all your weigh-ins are under 200 pounds.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
squcps, a history
Before you ask, it was the funny-looking word in the box that you have to type when you create a blog.
Obligatory Pet Reference, No. 1
These are my cats, Booger and George.
Booger is the grey striped one. She is half Siamese, although you can't tell it by looking at her. You can sure tell it by listening to her, though. She has a lot to say and she ain't afraid to speak up at any time of the day or night.
George is a female. She got her name because of Fate or Kismet or ESP or Eerie Conicidence or however you prefer to think of it.
She was part of a pair of nearly identical kittens. Her sister had the same features but with black on the opposite side of the face and white on more paws.
DD, then about 15, was holding the box the two of them were in as we brought them to their new home. We'd agreed that we'd each claim and name one of them. She had chosen to name hers Metallica for obvious reasons and to call her "Talica" or "Tally" for short.
I was still pondering a name for mine while I was driving. The name "George" kept popping into my head and I kept ignoring it because this was a girl kitty.
But then I remembered my favorite character in Nancy Drew was a girl named George, and I thought George Sands and just when I was thinking in those terms, the kitten popped her head out of the box again and my daughter poked her back down and said, "You're just like Curious George!"
That did it. How could I ignore such an obvious communication from the cat herself?
I must say, it suits her.
Weight Loss Progress Report
Back to accountability.
After losing 25 pounds I'm plateauing.
This isn't a "my body is catching up to its new size" plateau.
This is an "I'm tired of all the planning that it takes to lose weight" plateau.
The good news: I am at least down 0.6 pounds for the past two weeks.
The bad news: The way I did it.
I did it by:
1. Getting very, very sick;
2. Staying home where there was no "illegal" food; then
3. Getting well and returning to work with no groceries in the house and having to eat out every meal and thus throwing diet to the winds and enjoying pizza, chocolate and chicken tikka masala to my heart's content.
Now I have to get back into the habits I so easily threw away. I'm not off to a good start today but hey, I've got another six days before my next weigh-in, right?
Okay, so here are the stats:
Down 0.6 pounds for a total of 25.6 pounds lost since mid-January.
Weight: 212.4 (Ouch! I did promise to be accountable, though, didn't I?)
After losing 25 pounds I'm plateauing.
This isn't a "my body is catching up to its new size" plateau.
This is an "I'm tired of all the planning that it takes to lose weight" plateau.
The good news: I am at least down 0.6 pounds for the past two weeks.
The bad news: The way I did it.
I did it by:
1. Getting very, very sick;
2. Staying home where there was no "illegal" food; then
3. Getting well and returning to work with no groceries in the house and having to eat out every meal and thus throwing diet to the winds and enjoying pizza, chocolate and chicken tikka masala to my heart's content.
Now I have to get back into the habits I so easily threw away. I'm not off to a good start today but hey, I've got another six days before my next weigh-in, right?
Okay, so here are the stats:
Down 0.6 pounds for a total of 25.6 pounds lost since mid-January.
Weight: 212.4 (Ouch! I did promise to be accountable, though, didn't I?)
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