IT'S FRIDAY!

I'm happy about this, other than having to pay the bills. We'll have, I think, $50 left afterwards. And that's assuming I know about everything that hasn't hit the bank yet. Not happy about this. But that's life!

I finished reading Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern by Anne McCaffrey this morning. I wouldn't have made a point of finishing it this morning if I had known how it was going to end. It depressed me. But it is a terrific book. I'm about to start Nerilka's Story which actually coinsides with the other one. So I already know some of the things that will happen. (Like her GOOD news!) So I should at least have a happy read for this next one.

I'm going to spend some time cleaning up my apartment tonight and tomorrow. And hopefully finish this book! It shouldn't be two hard since it's only a little over a 100 pages long!

The cleaning lady cleaned our counters at work this morning, so I had removed all my stuff from the counter last night. When I was hooking it back up this morning I decided to leave off my computer speakers. I never use them! My desk looks nicer without them. They stayed under the overhand, but I can actually slide more of my "important" things there now. Such as my dragon figure, my stress apple, my pirate ship.... Yes, I keep lots of toys at work! It makes work more fun!

Well, everyone have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Nothing reallly....

I really don't have anything. I've been doing some reading. (That's the norm lately!) My class starts tonight right after work. I'm scared it's going to be boring. I'll be missing my weekly weigh in next week because our center is closed for the 4th. There isn't another early morning weigh in, so I'm just going to give in and miss. I'll do a weigh in at home just to see if I'm lower or not, but nothing official. I'm scared if I don't do SOMETHING then I'll end up really off track. I weighed this morning so I would have something to compare to. I should have thought of this yesterday, but oh well. I do hate having that big A for absent in my book though. That really will bother me. :)

Let's see, there's one other thing. I'm considering trying to find some sort of yoga program to help with flexibility, and hopefully my back. But I'm not really sure what I should do. Anyone have any suggestions for a beginner???

I'm Addicted to Blogging!

75%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

New Laptop!!!

I'll be getting a new laptop for work sometime in the fairly near future. I think it's really cool! I actually kinda found out about it yesterday, but I got it confirmed today.

One of the upper-level type guys told me yesterday that my coworker and I were getting new computers. I asked him today if they were going to be laptops again, and he said yes!!! The reason I actually asked him is beause my work laptop backpack has had it. The padded laptop compartment is going unstitched. So after they come in (I doubt they actually place the order until sometime in July) he is going to get someone to order me one of the padded cases that just holds the laptop. And I'll continue to use my personal bag. The great thing about it is that my backpack is perfectly balanced, and had wheels for when my back is bothering me more. Sometimes I roll it and sometimes I wear it on my back. I love it!!!

Anyway, I'll probably be getting a Dell Latitude D620 Notebook. It's got 2 gigs of ram and a DVD burner! And a 14.1" Widescreen. It's the university's new base laptop since we are now going with Dell. I almost wish they would get us the high-end laptop, but I doubt it. I don't know the specs on them, but I know they are a world above the base model. I'm also thrilled because this will be the first new computer I've gotten at work. In the 5.5 years I've worked here I've gone through 9 computers. They have all be hand-me-downs, and most of those were on their last leg when I got them. Only my previous Dell was a really good one. I had it for nearly two years. (It was a high-end when it was bought, and only a year old when it was passed on to me.)

Anyway, that's my other good news of the moment! On top of a good raise this year, I think I'm going pretty damned good at work right now!

Wednesday Update!!!!

Yes, I did go to weigh in. Yes, the ticker above is correct. I lost 3.5 pounds!!! (And I was so sure I had gained....)

After weigh in when I got back in the car the song I Don't Wanna Stop by Ozzy Osbourne was playing. So I sang along with it. It just felt appropriate somehow (the first line I heard was "I don't wanna stop").

I'm still good and on track with my walking. I meet a couple of ladies for a 15 minute walk yesterday after work. I thought it was going to be longer, but they wanted to go to water aerobics. I still got in about an hour of walking yesterday, so I'm proud. It was over 7000 steps for the day. Guess I'll have to keep up this walking deal since I had such a great weigh in this week. See if maybe I can repeat it a couple of times!

Let's see, in other news, Josh still hasn't heard back from his interview. But that's ok. I think he's going to try for a position on campus with iTech (the department I work for). It wouldn't be a great position, but it would be a bit better than what he has, but a small raise included.

I'm feeling great this morning, but a good loss (it's been a while since I really had a good one) is a great mood raiser. Both myself and the lady that weighed in before me had great ones. She got her 20 pound star today. If I can have another good week I'll get mine next time maybe! (And I'm really close to that 10% lost goal. I can almost taste it at this point!)
Well, I can honestly say that I am ending this month on a good note. Today was my last weigh in for the month, so time to start working for July!

And, on a lighter note, go check out the Hump Day Hunk! He's enough to make me wish I worked at the cafe!


Update: I did get an A in my class!!!!!!!!!!

Music Video

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A friend sent me this video today. I thought I would share it with everyone.

And It's Over

I've finished my management course, for better or worse. I didn't do so well on the final as I had been doing in the course, but then again, I didn't study as much. I got tied up in something else. But it's ok. A 50 on the test would give me a B. But I hope I did well enough for an A in the course. I should know tomorrow.

My Fitness Walking course starts on Thursday. I'm excited about it. Even if I won't really get a break between it and work. I'll survive somehow. :) I'm even going to meet with one of the campus walking groups after work today. I think they walk for about 30 minutes. Probably plenty long enough for me to want to die from the heat!!! It's bad enough on the 10-15 minute walk to work (depending on my route!)

We got business cards at work yesterday. They are generic and for the entire office, but they meet our needs. It is incredibly rare for us to give our personal phone numbers, so generic cards it is!

There's a preview at school today (incoming fall student's orientation) so I will be a bit busy and not catch up on blog reading today. But that's ok. I'll get it done. The month is nearly over, and I'm excited to be half-way through the year. I think it's great. (Although if I'm not careful I'm going to get a ticket! My car's inspection sticker has been out for three months already!) I've been thinking about a July goal. I think I have the perfect one planned out. It's something I've never done before, and it is not related to my losing weight at all. I'm going to actually FOLLOW MY DOCTOR'S ORDERS! I'll be seeing her July 3rd, and I'll be doing whatever she tells me to do.

Y'all have a great day!

What Goddess Are You?

You Are Aphrodite!

A total shining star with a ton of admirers And no wonder: you live life to the fullest! When things get bad, you can easily take off to a happier place But occasionally, you need to deal with problems head on

What Goddess Are You?

Friday Joke

A man went to the Police Station wishing to speak with the burglar who had broken into his house the night before."You'll get your chance in court," said the Desk Sergeant."No, no, no!" said the man. "I want to know how he got into the house without waking my wife. I've been trying to do that for years!"

Joke is from AJokeADay.com.

I can honestly say that I wish my husband could do this. If I'm in bed when he gets home he wakes me up to tell me all about his evening. Although I can honestly say that he didn't do this Tuesday night. But it could just be that I refused to wake up!!!

Update

I gained a pound last week, but that's not such a shock. It was a holiday-ish weekend for eating, and I had been sick the week before. I usually show a gain the week after I've been really sick. I think that's normal.

I'm already over 3000 steps for today, so I don't think hitting my low goal of 5K will be difficult. I'm thinking of trying for 1oK today. I can take a walk or something. I have to do some running around campus at lunch anyway. I certianly think that will help build up the steps.

What I have to do at lunch is sell back my management text book. I'll probably put all, or at least most, of that money straight onto my summer univ bill. I hate that I bought the book and have only opened it once. The teacher told us we needed to study it. And I fell asleep within 8 pages in the first chapter. So I haven't opened it again, and have done perfectly fine in the course. Stupis waste of money. Oh well! It only cost me $108.30. Maybe I'll get $20 back. I hope. That would put a decent dent in my $177.50 bill for the summer.

I read Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton this week. Not a bad book. You definitely see some changes starting in Anita Blake's character. (And some of the others as well.) I could probably say a lot of things about it, but no sense boring everyone to death. If you're interested, pick up the series. It's awesome (although long, with the 15th book having come out this year).

Just started The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. The first book is Storm Front. I'm not very far in, but I'm enjoying it. I'm picking up character bits on Harry Dresden that I didn't catch in the tv series. Then again, they may not have been there either. But it's really interesting so far. I like it because it's a mix of paranormal (he is a wizard!), cop stuff (he is on retainer with the local police), and mystery (I like trying to figure out who done it!). It's really catching me. I would love to own these, but there are already several out and I really can't afford to buy every book I want.

My husband and I are sitting down this month and figuring out our current debt. Then I'll figure out how we are going to pay it off. It's a lot, but Josh does have a pretty big cash payment together for his credit card this month. That will put a decent dent in what we own. (I haven't decided if I will include his car in the estimate or not. What do y'all think?) Hopefully we can get out pretty quickly (2 years? yeah right!), but that will kinda depend on if he gets the job he interviewed for this week. I'm being positive with him, but I'm not really expecting it. And even if he does get it, the increase in pay will be eaten up in our gas money. The job is an hour and a half away on the coast. We would move to a half-way point, and I hope that would really drop our rent payment. But don't know...


Update: They didn't buy back my book. :( But I did manage a 30 minute walk during lunch. I feel really good about that. That's got me at nearly 50 minutes for the day. And I still have my walk home! If nothing else I'll get some good exercise in today!!!!

Thursday Thirteen!

Thirteen Books I Have On Hold At the Public Library

1. Bite by Laurell K. Hamilton
2. Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
3. Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong
4. No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong
5. The Good Guy by Dean Koontz
6. Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
7. Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
8. Legends II: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy
9. Hunter's Moon by Cathy L. Clamp
10. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
11. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
12. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
13. The Reef by Nora Roberts

These are only the books that weren't currently in when I looked them up. I have an even longer list of books in my notebook that I want to pick up that are currently in (or were when I last checked!) A couple of these are books that come out soon, and No Humans Involved is one that I ordered from Amazon. However one of the books I ordered then was backordered and I haven't received it yet. If it comes in before I can get it through the library, great. If not, then I'll check it out!

Sorry...

I haven't been the best blogger this week. Things are going decently well for me though.

I was out of the office in a training session most of yesterday. And today I just haven't felt like spending a lot of time looking at the computer. I don't think I got enough sleep for my eyes to handle the glare!

The weekend was fun.

Saturday was partially spent with my parents, then driving home. We didn't see any movies, but I enjoyed my time with them. Even if it was very short. I even went for a 30 min. walk Saturday morning instead of sitting in front of the tv. My sister's daughters are getting bigger everytime I see them. You can check out some of the latest pics at her blog.

Sunday was spent at Josh's parents' house. We watched The Prestige, Man of the Year, Next, and The Illusionist. I enjoyed seeing them all, although I had watched them before. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed Man of the Year.

That's mostly it. I don't expect to hear the best news in the morning at weigh in. But that's ok. I'm not terribly concerned. It will be good or bad, and I'll go on.

My business class is almost over. I made a 95 on the last test, and the final is next Monday. Only one LONG lecture night left.

Oh! And I didn't get to see the premiere of The Closer last night on TNT. I'm slightly upset about that. But it's ok. It will be on again later!!!!

Y'all have a wonderful week!!! (And I promise to catch up on the blogs soon. Sometime this week.)

I saw that Sarah Ellerton, writer of Inverloch, had hers posted on her livejournal and decided to take the quiz. Josh will be proud, he'll see a monkey!

Revisting the past....

Ok, not exactly. But it's a title that isn't about it being Friday.

I was sitting at work yesterday thinking about the fact that it's almost time for me to give blood again. (You may or may not remember the story of my FIRST time to give blood a while back.) And I realized that I had no clue where to go to do that. And then I thought about the fact that I hadn't received my donor card yet from the Red Cross. It came in the mail yesterday.

I thought it was cool to learn that I am O+. I've never known my blood type. I'm sure that this knowledge could come in handy some time in the future, but hopefully not to be honest.

Since I haven't studied anything related to blood type since middle school science I thought it would be interesting to take a quick look at wikipedia and learn what this meant for me. It means that almost anyone can use my blood. Which I think is super cool. If I pass out every time I donate, I think I will still have to donate in the future. But it will hopefully go better next time! I also read a little (not much) about the Japanese idea of blood type relating to personality. I am apparently outgoing, passionate, and driven (not so much outgoing, but I AM passionate and driven!, if I really care about something), and type O people are often referred to as warrior spirits.

And, of course, there is the blood type diet. Type O people are referred to as hunters (strong, self-reliant, leaders) and this is thought to be the earliest human blood group. This means that I am supposedly muscular and active, and should eat a meat-rich diet along the lines of the Paleolithic diet (which I know NOTHING about at this time). And, just because I find it interesting, here are my strengths and weaknesses, as posted on Wikipedia.com.

Strengths:
Hardy digestive tract. Strong immune system. Natural defences against infections. System designed for efficient metabolism and preservation of nutrients.
Weaknesses:
Intolerant to new dietary and environmental conditions. Tendency towards an overactive immune system.

Ok, and now that everyone is bored to death, I'll just say that I'm hoping to have a slow day at work. And I hope to have a great weekend. Everyone be sure to move some instead of just sitting in front of the tv!

Hump Day!!!!

And it's a good one!

I weighed in this morning and have now lost the 2 pounds I had gained in the past two weeks. I'm very happy about this. I'm slowly getting there!!!!

I got a call from the library this morning. They have one of the books that I placed a hold on ready for me. They must have just gotten in a new copy. I'll go pick it up at lunch, and take back the book I read last night. I may even pick up a couple of other books. There were two that I was going to place holds on, but then when I went to do it they said they were in. And since I had already checked out my books (and I'm sure they hadn't checked in all the books I returned) I decided to wait. But I might get them now.

And yes, this means that I did not study last night. I will study today at work. I promise!

Let's see, work has been busy this morning. But not terrible. It's finally slowing down. We just had a lady that insisted on putting in 10 work orders for different computers. I really hope the tech can get them done quickly. (It's for one of the grouchier departments on campus, although the secretary that actually put them in is really nice).

Ok, I think that takes care of the news. Head on over to the Midnight Cafe to see the Hump Day Hunk!

Well, to be perfectly honest I have nothing of incredible interest to report today. What a shock! :)

I've decided to forget about water aerobics since I'm having so much trouble with my back. I've tilted the seat of my work chair a bit. I'm hoping that helps some.

I'm finally starting to get into Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison. I had tried to get into it before, but I just it just wasn't the right time. It sort of clicked for me last night. I'm 64 pages in now instead of 15!

My management teacher decided to skip some slides last night and let us go "early". It was still the latest we had stayed before. Our test is tomorrow, so I have to get some studying done tonight. Don't wanna though! And, on a side note that may or may not interest you, I can't decide if my teacher always has a hardon in class or if he's just that well endowed.

In other news, I'm making my library run tonight right after work. And I'll be returning The Phantom of the Opera. I haven't watched it yet, but I got Josh to rip it for me. Now I can watch it whenever I want!

Y'all have a wonderful afternoon and evening!

Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason

The glorious nineteenth-century city of Rome gives rise to a new threat from the Immortal Undead...

I don't want to tell much more than that. A lot of the online stuff I have read give away a little more than I want to!

Colleen's first book, The Rest Falls Away, was a fantastic debut. This Buffy the Vampire slayer meets Pride and Prejudice series is enough to grab anyone's attention. While the books are marketed as romance, they don't really fit that perfectly to me. But, I don't really care what the publisher classifies a book as, as long as it is a good one. And Colleen definitely delivers a terrific story. And keeps you wanting more!

For readers of the first book, there are more fight scenes, and more carriage rides in the second installment. And more information on the Venators.

So, run out and pick up these two books!! Now! Even if you don't read a lot. And check out Colleen's site. She's got some great info up, and writes a terrific blog.

Monday Again

I dread class tonight. My back is to the point that sitting for long becomes agony. I'm not sure if I don't know HOW to sit, or if it's something else. But I WILL make it through class. Even if I don't retain very much!

I finally stopped being sick yesterday. Too bad the back pain didn't go along with it. Luckily the pain from my canker sore did. Maybe that's what was causing me to be sick? I barely feel it today!

I'm going to hit water aerobics again tomorrow, or I plan to anyway. We'll see after another session if I'm going to have to bow out for the summer or not. I'm planning to take a walk before class tonight. I'll drive over there after work and leave everything in the car and walk around for a while. At least I'll get some activity in. I didn't walk to work today because I didn't want to have to carry so much weight around. I'm not expecting excellent things in my weight over the next few weeks. I have a feeling I'm not going to be doing a ton of exercise.

I'll be making a library run tomorrow night after water aerobics. I have a list of things to pick up. Half the list is books I read in high school that I want to read again. Other than that, I'm picking up Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton, Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen, and Darkfall by Dean Koontz. I haven't read a lot of Koontz lately, and he was one of my favorite authors in high school. I may even pick up a Mary Higgins Clark book that I haven't read before. Those are two of my FAVORITE authors, I just haven't bought anything by them lately. I even wrote a paper in high school comparing the Master and the Queen of Suspense!

Well, I hope that everyone had a terrific weekend. The only thing I can say about mine is that I did some reading!

What Tarot Card are You?

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

It's Friday!

And wow, with my wrist brace I managed to post absolutely nothing! Stupid bulky thing!

Anyway, I fell like crap today. Don't know why, just that I do. Guess I'll spend another evening in bed trying to get over whatever it is I have.

And my wrist decided to join the pain party with my back. I think my body just hates me right now. Luckily it is only by right one. While having my primary hand in this thing makes work very difficult, it's even worse if I have both braces on. And my left wrist is giving me problems too, just not quite so bad.

I'm supposed to go to a wedding tomorrow, but if I'm still sick I will be staying home. It will really suck because I like the couple. But I certainly don't want to pass around a bug. That would just be cruel of me!

I drove to work today since I felt bad. It's a good thing. Right now I don't think I could walk to the closest intersection, much less all the way home. But at least it is after 1, and I have less than 4 hours left to suffer at work.

I may read some this afternoon, but I'm not sure. I guess it just depends on how busy we are.

Books

I finished reading Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton. I loved this book. Of course, I loved Guilty Pleasures and The Laughing Corpse as well. These are fantastic books. However, I've heard of Anita Blake before, and these books just didn't really mesh with what I had been told.
When I finished the book last night, I saw that there was an afterword from Ms. Hamilton. After reading it, I realize that I'm about to start reading the stuff I've heard about. After this book things really change for Anita. There's not good and bad, but things in the middle as well. Or, at least, that's how I feel after reading the note.
In the first three books Anita is still innocent. She would never tell you she was, but she still really believes in good and evil at this time. She believes that she is the good guy and that vampires are the bad guys. I've really enjoyed reading her story. She's a bit like a breath of fresh air after reading the last book of the Merry Gentry series.
However, I'm glad to know that things will be changing for her. I don't think I would enjoy reading more about her without her growing up more. Her innocence would get old after a few more books.

If all goes well I'll be heading to the library to pick up the next book tomorrow. If not, I'll be doing it on Tuesday (more than likely). I really can't imagine waiting longer to pick up the next piece of Anita's story.

Since I finished the last of my library books I picked up Rises the Night this morning. I'm thrilled to be starting it finally. As of now I'm not further than what I had read on Ms. Gleason's website, but I intend to change that. I might even find some time to read at work today. I've been avoiding that at work because we got in a new boss, but he didn't say anything when I was reading it before work this morning, and didn't say anything about me having the Hamilton book sitting on the counter most of yesterday. Of course, I would be better off studying my management notes. But Ms. Gleason's writing is SOO much more entertaining!

Friday's Feast!

Appetizer

What do you consider to be the ultimate snack food?

Anything Chocolate

Soup

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), about how popular is your last name?

8 or 9? I honestly don't know a lot about the sirname Williams. However, Smith, my maiden name, ranks a 10.

Salad

Who is your all-time favorite sitcom character, and why?

Uhhh....I don't really watch a lot of sitcoms...

Main Course

Do you shop online? If so, name some sites you like to browse for goodies.

I shop Amazon.com a lot. I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

Dessert

Fill in the blank: I think ___________ should be ___________.

I think June should be a cooler month. Sorry, the heat is really starting to get to me!


Get the code for Friday's Feast!!!!

Thirteen Books I Cannot Wait to Read 1…. Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason (I have it, but I have to finish another book first) 2…. The rest of the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton (I am reading the 3rd book now) 3…. Unmasqued by Colette Gale (I think it comes out in August) 4…. No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong (I pre-ordered this book from Amazon, but one of the books I ordered with it ended up backordered and I haven't gotten it yet.) 5…. Safe Harbor by Christine Feehan (It comes out at the end of this month!) 6…. Dark Possession by Christine Feehan (It comes out in August. While I agree with many people that the first books aren't wonderful {TSTL heroines} but the latest books have been wonderful!) 7…. The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason (Comes out in February. Yes, I already cannot wait to read the book that comes after one I haven't read yet!) 8…. A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton (Comes out in October. It's the latest Merry Gentry book.) 9…. Storm Front by Jim Butcher (I cannot wait to read the entire Dresden series, but best to start with the first one!) 10…. Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong (Comes out in 2008. Yes, another one after one I haven't read yet. But when you really love an author, it's allowed!) 11…. Bite by Laurell K. Hamilton and others 12…. Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black 13…. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J. K. Rowling (I don't think there are that many people not eagerly awaiting this book. July seems a long way time to wait.) Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

And now for the update...

Since I posted about a news item earlier, I'll do an update post for you now.

On my back, it does feel a bit better today, but I don't think I can take my prescription painkillers at work. They make me entirely to loopy. So I'll suffer with Aleve, and take the other before bed. I only need to knock the edge off the pain to function anyway. However, I'm going to skip water aerobics tonight since it was right after the class that it REALLY started to bother me.

I decided that I wanted to watch The Phantom of the Opera. And the library is closed until Saturday. So I decided to rent it (although the hubby says I should have waited). It was a free rental since I had to create an account at Movie Gallery. I'll hopefully be able to make it to the library on Tuesday. I'll need new reading by then. And I can hopefully pick up a couple of audio books to listen to while I walk.

I also discovered at lunch that one of the tires on my car was almost completely flat. It made me 15 minutes late coming back from lunch. But, I had more than enough overtime in to cover it. (I'm looking at at least 1.5 hours of overtime this week!)

In other news, I could potentially finish Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton tonight. Depends on if I actually watch Phantom tonight, or wait until the weekend. And I'll actually have to study for my next management test. It should be easy, but I'll need to study because it's actually some new material for me. And I've decided that I want to get a real gym bag. I've been using a Books-A-Million book tote. And it really just doesn't cut it. I guess I'll ask for one for a birthday present of something.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day (and if I come up with something good, I'll even post a Thursday Thirteen later!)

New Medical Condition???

CNN.com reports today on the idea of Wiiitis. This is a medical condition related to spending too much time on your Wii. It presents itself as the sports injury most common to the sport that you spend time playing in your livingroom. So, if you play tennis on the Wii, and feel like you might have tennis elbow...Now you have Wiiitis.

Not the first video game related condition, but the first that I might eventually suffer from. If I ever have time to actually play.

The fix...take ibuprofen and leave your Wii turned off for a week.

Post Lunch Post

Wow, me doing two posts in a day. This doesn't happen often, but I remembered stuff.

I had gained a pound today. It doesn't bother me though. I can live with it. And it should be gone next week if I keep up my workouts.

I logged 16,587 steps yesterday by the time I factor in my water aerobics class. That's TWICE my previous max since I started wearing the pedometer. Luckily the WOMAN challenge I'm participating in had a chart for converting some activities to steps.

I went home for lunch and did some chores. I took out the trash, loaded the dishwasher, and straightened up the freezer. And realized just how badly I need to go grocery shopping. But our balance in the checking account is $18. But Josh gets paid on Friday, and as long as he remembers to deposit his check at lunch we should be able to go shopping that evening. At least I have hamburger meat in the fridge so I can cook some supper! I even left the car at home and walked back to work. I know that's the only way I will hit my 5,000 step goal today.

I think that might be it for today. Y'all have a great afternoon and stuff!

News...Good and Bad

Ok, First, I went to water aerobics last night! It was fun, but a small class. Things had apparently come up at the last minute for several of the ladies that were planning to come. But it was really nice to get in the water again. Rosy (my preferred teacher) is teaching both classes this summer. It's somewhat disappointing that I will only be able to participate in half the classes. She's also teaching Cardio Variety on Monday nights, so I may take up that class in the last half of the summer.

Of course, water aerobics lead to a decision I've been avoiding. I've been having trouble with neck pain (bulging disc) and lower back pain (not really sure what that problem in) for the past few weeks. It's been bad enough to bother me, but I don't really want to go back to the doctor. It's going to be VERY expensive, and we don't really have the money. However, my lower back on the left started hurting pretty bad during class. But I made it through and it wasn't bothering me after I got home. However, we I went to wash my hair last night it got REALLY bad. So bad that I thought I might just not rinse out the conditioner. And it started spreading across to the right side. Needless to say that was the last straw. I'm going to see my back doctor, Dr. Folse, on July 3rd. I hate that it's then because I am supposed to have a Staff Council meeting, complete with a meet and greet for our new university president, Dr. Saunders. But it's then or wait an additional two weeks to get in. Oh well, I'll just miss the cool meeting....

After water aerobics I went to Books-A-Million. I just had to buy a copy of Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason. I actually paid for it at Joe Muggs (their coffee shop) because I didn't want to wait in line (and a mocha sounded good!) The barista laughed when I asked her to take my picture for a contest. I entered sent it in for the contest over at Stainless Steel Droppings. Which is a pretty interesting blog. I can honestly say that I've been finding some cool blogs to read just following Colleen's interviews. (I won the book, but I just HAVE to support her on this release). I'll be reading it later this week. First I'm going to finish the third Anita Blake novel so I can make a library run first. (Yes, I find it hard to believe myself that I am putting off reading a book ONLY because I had read a couple of pages of another one first!)

And last, the grade for my test Monday night has been posted. I made a 97.5! The only question I missed is the one that I KNEW I had missed when I walked out the door. I was one that I wasn't sure about that. I found the right answer when I checked my notes. It drives me crazy because I ALMOST chose the right one. I almost had a 100. But that's ok. I just hope I can keep my grade an A in the class.

Well, I'm going to leave my post at this for the moment. It's time for me to go to lunch, and I don't recall for sure if I had anything else important to post or not!

Win A Book!

No, it's not me giving it away. A few months ago a picked up the book The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason after reading about it online. It's an awesome book! I immediately feel in love with it, and even read the author's blog on a regular basis.

Well, the sequel Rises the Night just came out, and Twisted Kingdom is having a contest! It's a scavenger hunt, and the prize is an ARC of The Bleeding Dusk!

So, if you love a good book, and love checking out new ones, go over there and check out the contest. Also, check out Colleen's blog for some other contest going on right now.

It's a Monday

The weekend wasn't HORRIBLE, although it certianly could have been better. I ate out Friday night (did fairly well though).

Saturday was DnD, and my character died. It kinda sucked. I really liked her. But they might actually try to get her resurrected later on. That just depends. I'm planning to build her twin sister and bring her in. It'll be a month before we play again, so I should have her finished. There's just no clue HOW she'll meet up with the party.

We also watched The Rise of Taj. I really liked it. It was a great movie. It had some awesome scenes. A lot of people say it isn't as good as Van Wilder, but I honestly liked this one more. But I'm odd anyway, and we all know that!

Yesterday I had a serious migraine and didn't do ANY studying for my exam tonight. I'll do that this afternoon at work. I did go over the first chapter Saturday night at the game though. Hopefully I will do well. Since I still have remnants of my migraine today I'll make that my excuse if I don't do well. ;)

I'm feeling ok going into this week. I weigh in on Wednesday, but I'm not really expecting good news. However, I do start Water Aerobics on Tuesday. For the next three weeks I'll be able to do that twice a week. Then I'll have to find something else to keep me going for the rest of the summer. I've been wearing a pedometer the last couple of weeks, and I can hit 7,000 steps on a good day. I just have to start working on the bad ones more!

The Challenge

Joy wrote on her blog about the past month in the 2007 Challenge. She wrote something that I had noticed throughout the month as well. We didn't communicate with each other nearly as much as we have in the past. Now, I know that people have been away from their blogs with vacations and such, but I also know that I haven't been nearly as supportive as I had been.
Many of us found May to be a difficult month in our weight loss journey. We ran in to obstacles that we weren't prepared for. We had those vacations and other celebrations that tend to be a small setback. I know I didn't follow any good plan while I spent four days celebrating my anniversary. I think that since June is here now we should all just take a deep breath and try to expel all the negativity from last month. Many of us are still struggling a bit with our troubles, but we can't let them consume us.
In January we decided that 2007 was going to be our year. We've all made a ton of progress. We've learned new habits, even if we haven't kept to them all the time. We've all learned that we feel wonderful when we go to the gym (or where ever we exercise). We've also learned that it doesn't feel as great to eat all the junk food we were accustomed to before.
Lets not let the first half of the year end on a low note. Let's all refocus, and begin again. We have succeeded this year, there's no reason not to continue that success!
And don't forget that we all need support. Remember to post and inspire your friends. Remember to encourage them. I'll be the first to admit to a lot of reading and non-commenting in the past month or so. Let's not let that continue. We need our friends so much, and there's no way for us to really show each other just how much the support and well-wishes mean. Just the few moments it takes to say Congrats, to say Good Luck, to say I'm here for you, are a small thanks that could mean the difference between success and failure for a fellow blogger.