15 Week Challenge - Week 1

So, I recently signed up for the 15 week challenge on Amy’s Quest to Skinny. I thought it would be a good way to motivate myself. I’ll also be able to get with more bloggers and this always motivates me to do better. There are 164 people participating, so I certainly don't envy her the work involved!

Anyway, today was my Week 1 weigh in. I lost 4 pounds this week (weighed in at 213). Go me! I’m very happy with the result, because that puts me back to a total 25 pounds lost since I started Weight Watchers.

The challenge, in addition to the weigh ins, has two other things you can do each week. On Workout Wednesday Amy posts a workout for everyone to do, if they want to. I can only do a portion of it this week due to all the different crunches she has included (doctors orders not to do crunches due to a bulging disc), but I’ve done the rest. I’ve done some modifications to get in some ab work.

The other challenge is set each week. This week, it is to remake one of your sinful favorites into a healthier recipe. Being the lazy bum that I am, I’ve chosen something simple. I’m going to tell you how I’ve changed making stew.

In the past, when I made stew it was beef, lots of carrots and potatoes (cut fresh), a can of whole kernel corn, and a can of mixed veggies to fill it out. THEN, once that was good and hot, I added gravy mix and made it REALLY thick. Then ate a lot of it.

Now, this is not the worst thing in the world to eat, but could easily be made more healthy. And be made with a lot less effort. So, I’ve changed how I make my stew.

Ingredients

≈1.1 lbs. of a lean beef, frozen (whatever is available in the sale row at the grocery store)

≈1/4 cup of light soy sauce (I really just dump a bunch in, but this was the measure when I started)

≈2 teaspoons of thyme (Again, I don’t measure anymore. I just dump some in)

≈2 teaspoons of crushed rosemary

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

2 bags of frozen mixed veggies

Enough water to cover everything (doesn’t have to COMPLETELY cover the veggies)

I put the above things in the Crockpot (in the order listed) and cook on high for about 6 hours. (I put it on at lunch and it’s ready when I get home.)

To finish out the healthy meal, I cook rice to serve this over. Brown rice is obviously better, but I use white rice because I’ve never cared for the taste of brown rice. (I’m also not sure if my husband likes it!) I cook the rice in a rice cooker, but even instant would be fine. I also sometimes eat a salad while waiting for the rice to cook.

I don’t have any pictures of this, but I think it’s fairly easy to imagine. I usually cook this on the nights I have class since it doesn’t take the rice long to cook and the main portion of the meal is already done.

Sadness...

Not about the recent celebrity deaths... I don't care about those, to be honest.

My doctor has grounded me. No biking for two weeks. I won't go into why, it's not really important. And it's probably a good thing anyway since I'll be getting an epidural for my neck on Thursday.

I went with a bunch of friends to see Transformers 2 this weekend. It was a pretty good movie. You should definitely go see it if you enjoy an action movie.

I've been trying to play a 'new' game on the DS. Atlus recently re-did The Dark Spire. It's freaking HARD. So I've switched back to playing Luminous Arc 2. It's proving a little hard since I'm more than half-way through, but I'm enjoying it a lot more.

I also read a good book this weekend. Love without Blood by Raz Steel. It's a romance novel, but doesn't really read that way. I also didn't figure out the title of the book until the VERY end.

Well, I'm off to working and blog reading, and all that stuff. Have a great week everyone!

Summer Reading

Currently, I'm reading Feast of Souls by C. S. Friedman. It's a very good book, and I hope to finish it and move on to the second book in this trilogy soon. If you have an interest in magic or fantasy novels, give it a try.

Another book I'll be reading this summer is Relentless by Dean Koontz. He's been a favorite of mine for years. I even wrote a paper about his work while I was in high school. Koontz has a terrific article on just why you should read this book this summer. Check it out here.

On the bike front, I made it to work this morning without incident, again. Although there is one pedestrian on this campus that I could shoot at the moment. Really, is there a reason you have to walk so slow that a snail will pass you? Why can't people actually move their feet? If I tried to walk that slow I would end up falling flat on my face! End of small rant.

Hmm, trying to think of something that doesn't involve the bike. That seems to be my main focus in life currently. Well, I'll be paying off the hubby's car when I go home for lunch. That's something big. I'll be nice to have that taken care of. No more worries about getting to that bank. And we'll have that money to put towards other bills in the coming months. YAY!

Wednesday Weigh In

Well, not happy news on the scale front. I was up 5.5 pounds. I hope it was fluid and will be gone next week. But if not, I can deal with that.

So, on to other things. I did make it home on the bike yesterday without difficulty. Ok. Without accident. Cause that hill is still hard. I didn't ride to work today because I had a doctors appointment this morning. My bulging disc is a little worse, enough to cause the numbness and pain I've had in my left arm. Not bad enough for surgery. Thank goodness. I'm scheduled for an epidural next Thursday afternoon for that. Just what I wanted. Another huge bill. Oh well. We'll manage.

I made a 90 on my last test in class. I think I did better on the one last night. I'm really enjoying this class, but I'm ready for it to be over as well...

The Bicycle Saga Continues

Yes. I made it another day on the bicycle. Well, I still have to ride home from work, but I will do that. It is my only ride home. :)

I almost didn't ride the thing back from lunch. It was a rough ride home, and my butt is sore. I'll get used to it though. I also have a blister forming on my right hand. I guess it's from grip shifting.

I'm not going to ride it to class tonight though. Since class doesn't get out until 10pm, I'd rather not ride the bike. And it's only a two minute walk to class. Of course, the ride back from class is the worst hill of my ride home from work, so I'm REALLY not interested in tackling only that hill for a ride. I'm sure it would be great for my legs, but I think I'll stick to the walking for that.

WHY?!?

So, the University decided to increase the parking fees from $50 to $135 a year. I live a half-mile from my office. I decided I was NOT going to pay that much to drive a half-mile one way.

So, I got the bright idea of buying a bicycle. I haven't ridden a bike in nearly 6 years. I haven't exercised for the past year. Needless to say, it was a tough ride this morning. I have an up-hill portion of the ride each way. It totally sucks. And it's really hot outside. But, even though I'm jelly-legs and have a headache, I feel good for having ridden the bike to work today. I even rode home for lunch. Go me!!!

I lost 2.5 pounds last week. I can't wait to see what this week does. I'm really hoping the bicycling helps my weight loss. Walking to work did, but it's just too hot for that.

Now, my bike is nice. It's a NEXT PowerX. I bought it used at the local bike shop. Rides like a dream. I currently have the seat a little too low, but I'll be raising it up higher once I'm used to riding again. I'm riding in traffic, and I'm not quite used to the breaks yet. I like being able to put more of my foot on the ground at the moment. But I think I'll be used to it by the end of the week.

I didn't get to go see Daddy for Father's Day. Momma had to work, and he had to mow both their yard and my grandparents' place. So my sister and I are going to visit with them on another weekend. I hope it's soon. I want to see everyone again.

School is still going well. I made a 104 on my first test. I get the second grade tomorrow night. I really like my legal class. I hope I have the opportunity to take another class under Mr. King. He's really great.

I'm learning to play Legend of the Five Rings. It's a really great collectible card game. I finally got to play my first game without major help last week. I might try to get another game in tonight with my hubby. A new friend is also starting up a game of Hackmaster. It'll be fun to play a game I haven't played before. I enjoy trying out new things, even if I end up hating them.

And, I think that's the full update on me. I'll try and post my weight loss progress on Wedneday, as well as an update on the bike ride.

And, another update with a long break

Well, at least it wasn't months this time before a new post.

I managed to lose one pound this past week. Considering I had gained up to 215, I hope I do better this week.

I may drop my finance class this summer. I have to contact the teacher tomorrow to see just how bad my test grade was. It's certainly not good though. I think that class will definitely need to be taken as a full semester course.

I did fine on my Legal Environment of Business test though. Well, I won't get a grade until next week, but I know I did fine on that test. So at least one class is going well. I'm really enjoying this course. I hope I can take something else under the professor later.

On a different note, my bulging disc might be getting worse. I'll be having an MRI next week to compare it to the last one (six years ago).

My wrist seems to be doing better from my ganglion cyst excision. I'm still having muscle craps in my hand, but that may go on a while.

Well, that's very bland, but that's life at the moment too. I don't have much going on outside of school. Of course, that MIGHT be changing by Friday if I do decide to drop finance. I can't decide which I would really prefer!

Creepy Stalker?

I just had a really creepy guy in the office that did NOT want to leave. He just kinda kept staring at me. I had to come up with three different ways to say "I'm finished. Now YOU leave." before he would turn and walk away. And he turned back THREE times to look at me before turning the corner that is 10 feet from my door.

I've had stalkers at work before, but none as creepy as this guy. To summarize:

1. The friendly guy that I was kinda friends with who came into the office all the time to just talk.

2. The licquor store manager that came into the office twice a semester for 8 semesters to ask me out to lunch, and to ask why I hadn't called him for lunch. Even after he knew I was married.

I would like to avoid having another one. The other two were nice guys. Nothing creepy other than the constantly coming to talk and ask me out. This guy looked and acted creepy. I've informed a guy I work with that if this dude EVER comes back in the office, he is REQUIRED to come rescue me. At least I have a lot of nice men working in the office!

Been Away....

Ok. I've REALLY been away from my blog for a while now. But I'm back. No guarantees on what posts will be like for the next little while, but I'm GOING to post. I'll probably get folks up to date on what's been going on over a few posts.

Honestly, I just haven't really felt like writing. Nothing personal, just haven't wanted to. However, I had quite the little wake up call at the Weight Watchers office this morning. I was up 4 pounds! And even if I'm not writing about weight loss or how I'm doing in that area, I'm still more conscious of that when I'm writing here. Something to do with the name of the blog, I think. So I'm back.

Back in April I was diagnosed with a ganglion cyst in my left wrist. Great to know why I was hurting so much. I had it removed at the end of April. According to the doctor I'm doing well on my recovery. However, he says it will be winter before I stop having some pain. At least I have a general idea of the when. 6 months to do, and he said the pain should be gone by the time my scars go white! Yeah, a measuring stick there too.

I managed to get an A and a B in my Spring classes. Summer classes started this week, and I like my teachers. The course material is another matter entirely. My finance class is two nights a week for the month of June, and I'm taking the Legal Environment of Business one night a week for two months. These classes are 6pm-10pm. It kinda sucks. But I have to take them to graduate. Unfortunatley, this kills my gaming schedule for June. :(

A few weeks ago the hubby and I, along with a group of friends, went to Mobicon in Mobile. It's a small gaming convention. We had a blast. Some of us playtested a new game, Untold. It was awesome! I just sent in a request to get play test materials so my group can play it some more. Especially since not everyone was able to attend Mobicon.

Let's see, nothing else of major importance. I've just been lazy. I'm off to work on finishing up my homework for class tonight. 2 problems to go, or he won't give me the answers!

April Fool's Day - But a NICE scale....

It may be April Fool.'s Day today, but the scale didn't play a nasty joke on me.  If anything, it was overly friendly.  I went to Weight Watchers to see a wonderful MAINTAIN this week.  I was really expecting another two pound gain on top of last week's two pounds.  But, no, it was very nice.

I have recently discovered that I can't manage to control my eating when I'm not taking my Prozac regularly.  So, back to the daily pill.  I'm doing the stickers on the calendar for everything again, considering I had quit putting them up there.  So, while it is a joking day, I'm taking life seriously.  I'm 208 pounds again, and this simply cannot continue!

Beautiful weather!

Ok.  For those not aware, that's a bit of sarcasm.  It's nasty rainy here in Hattiesburg at the moment.  Good thing I don't mind rain.  And that I have no where to be but home.  I would mind being out and about in it.

The University siren went off early in the evening, and we've been on the local tv channel since.  Apparently we're under a tornado watch at the moment.  (At least I think that's what the guy on the tv said.  I haven't paid that much attention!)

I'm just happy that the power only BLICKED earlier.  It hasn't actually went out totally.  We did have a bit of a scare with the tv though.  The picture didn't want to come back with the regular lights!  Luckily everything is fine.  The thought of ANOTHER tv going out at the moment is really scary...

Contest!

Newlywed Girl, who has an awesome blog, is running a little contest. It's for a really cool personalized necklace.  And she has a great story for WHY the necklace.  It's really sweet.

There are several ways to enter, including giving a small donation to for a charity walk she is doing.

So go check it out.  Even if you aren't interested in the contest, you can show a little love and support!

Excited!

Ok, so this week has kinda sucked. Sunday night my external hard drive crashed. It's where I stored all my ebooks, a lot of music, all the files for my current DnD character, resumes, old school work, and the backup of my work laptop. And we can't do anything about it. This really pissed me off. But, I should be getting my new external harddrive today. Of course, I will have lost a ton of stuff. But I will get by. I don't really need the old school work. It's about time to do a new backup of my laptop anyway, I can download my ebooks again, my wedding pictures are all on cd SOMEWHERE in the apartment, and I backed up the journal and character sheet for Mori on googledocs. And my current semester of school work was still on my l aptop. The bad thing is that I don't think I have another copy of my resume anywhere. At least Josh should have his around somewhere. And all the downloads I did during Spring Break (with the exception of one) are still on my laptop. I haven't deleted those yet. So, in addition to studying for my Economics exams, I'll be spending the weekend downloading files and moving stuff to my new harddrive. I guess that's not a bad way to spend the time. Now, off to see if I should use the software that comes on it, or format it right way. It's a Seagate FreeAgent, so if anyone has experience with these, let me know what you think!

And it ends...

Today is the last day of my Spring Break.  I've got the bad luck of ending it on with a headache.  I'm just hoping it doesn't make it to migraine levels, although it's definitely trying.

Today Josh and I are at his parent's house.  We watched The Transporter 3, and I really enjoyed it.  I slept through them watching some stuff that didn't interest me.  Now we're watching Kings, at least I think that's the title of the show.  It's interesting, but not necessarily something I'll try to keep watching at home.

I'm still loving the haircut.  It's lightweight and doesn't require any work.  Very nice.  I love simple.  I might have to keep this one, depending on how I like it after a week at work.  I think that's the real test.  How it works if I'm running late and have to wash it, if I can keep the bangs out of the way, etc. 

Well, I'm off and away!  Here's hoping the headache is gone in the morning!

The New 'Do

I went this afternoon for my haricut, and I am rather pleased. Here you go!

















April put in peek-a-boo streaks in a red called forbidden. Since I took the pictures with my cellphone, I don't think you can really see them. She also did the color so I can show off more or less of the red. The streaks are slimmer with it parted as in the picture, but if I do the bangs to the other side, they are bigger and stand out more. I'll have to dig out my camera to try for some better shots.

What's really great, is she didn't really do anything to fix my hair. Just dried it. No curling iron, round brush, no hair products. It does the flips and curls naturally. Now I just can't wait to see what it looks like when I do it myself!!!

Haircut?

I'm going to get a haircut on Monday afternoon. I'm excited. I have something VERY different in mind, and several people have told me it's a good idea. Of course, the closer I get to the appointment, the more I get nervous about it. The final decision and execution will really fall to my beautician. If April likes, we do. If April says no, I'll just tell her to do something that she thinks will look good.

When Josh and I went to her house for his haircut this morning, we did talk about my coloring plans. We decided on red streaks. I think it will look awesome, with any haircut. The color will start out kinda stark, but it will fade into my actual hair color. And she said if I think it's fading too quick, she can get me a shampoo with the same pigment in it to keep the color brighter.

I wish my appointment were earlier!!! Oh well. I'll just have to pretend to wait patiently.

T-Virus

Ok. So any gamers out there are at least a little familiar with Resident Evil and the Umbrella Corporation. You'll also remember, from the game or movies, the container.




Avon had a new product that is interesting. It's supposed to fill in wrinkles, or something like that.




So, what do you think???

Watchmen

I went to see Watchmen last night. It was a good movie, although I don't think I'll see it a second time in the theater. I wasn't expecting such an Adult movie last night when we went to see it.

While this is definitely a good movie to see, view it before deciding if the kids get to. There are definitely some parts that a few parents would object to letting their kids see. Makes me wonder if they will put out a PG-13 version on DVD...

Fan Girl!

This afternoon I'm in fangirl mode. The mailman brought my signed copy of As Shadows Fade by Colleen Gleason. And it is beautiful!




Get a blurb and sneak peak here.

I started reading this series shortly before the second book came out, and fell in love. In this Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Pride and Prejudice series, Victoria Gardella not only has to juggle to whirlwind social life of the ton, but to hide her stakes so she can take out the vampires in the shadows.

And, what paranormal novel, romance or otherwise, is complete without a hot male in the works. Colleen gives us TWO hot and dangerous guys to lust over in this series. And her fans have been divided into two distinct camps on who should win Victoria. In When Twilight Burns Victoria makes a choice, but how will the men really react? This final entry in Victoria Gardella's story promises to be rather exciting.

And, if you buy it this week (it came out Tuesday), Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting another photo contest. He's taking Standard entries (you and the book) and Creative entries (have fun!); and he and Colleen are giving away gift cards to the winners. So, what are you waiting for? Go pick it up and take a picture!

Fail Blog

I've been reading failblog.org today, and added it to my feed reader. But this one was great, and had to be shared.


see more pwn and owned pictures

Been a few days...

I've just been killing time the past few days. I have went to work and to class.

I had a trip to the Gulf Coast Research Lab (a USM campus) yesterday. I ended up hurting my back after slumping down to take a nap on the ride back. It's still hurting a bit today, but I'll get over it.

I had a half pound gain this week, but I'm not feeling bad because of it. I didn't do my best diet wise. And I had a 'skinny' moment before going to weigh in this morning. Ok, so I didn't ACTUALLY feel skinny. But I realized that I felt very comfortable in my skin, and didn't feel FAT. It was a good way to start my morning after sleeping late.

It came today!

IT is the new battery for my MP3 player. I have tunes again! It's been so long since I really used the thing that I'm a bit surprised by some of the tracks. For some reason I have Ride of the Valkaries. Now, I'm willing to admit that it is a wonderful Wagoner piece. I'm a fan of it. But it's not really the kind of thing I would normally put on my MP3 player. Kinda strange. Hopefully I'll be able to get the software installed fairly soon so I can update my tunes list. It's a bit out of date...

Another Day, Another Migraine...

Yes, I again woke up with a stupid migraine. Luckily, I'm finally feeling a little better late this afternoon. I decided to check out Netflix for some entertainment this afternoon, and found that they have Xena on the streaming service. It's one of those older series that I can still enjoy watching! A lot of the action sequences are kinda hokey, but I'm enjoying it. I think she is a great heroine, and she is very inspiring when it comes to my journey for a healthier me!

WOOHOO!

We got a new TV!

Ok...so it's not EXACTLY new. We have Josh's Mom's LCD tv that she got 2 Christmas's ago. It's very nice! All the hookups we need, bigger than the one we had, and is HD. So Josh will quit complaining about how the XBox 360 looks. It even has a PC hookup. So WooHoo!

Just thought I would update y'all on the goodness. He just put on an episode of Bleach to test the PC hookup.

I finally found it!

Ok, so now you wonder what exactly I found, right? I found something that can suck me into Facebook for hours... DnD Tiny Adventures. I'm waiting for my character the rest up and heal all her hit points back so I can go on another adventure. I just click for adventure, then fiddle in other places online until it's ready for me to do something else. WOO!

Now I can be one of those folks logged into Facebook for hours straight. But at least it easily fits in around everything else!

And I did 35 minutes of walking yesterday for the Lent challenge...

Pay It Forward...Blog Style

I saw this over at Paige's blog and loved the idea. She got it from Boo Bear's Place.

For the first three great folks to comment (and you are ALL great), I'll send you a gift sometime this year. When and what are the great surprise.

The catch, you have to post this on YOUR BLOG before you comment here. I think this is a great way to share some love in these economically challenged times. So, blog away and come back here!

Something for my warmage to remember..

I love DnD, and have LOVED most of my characters. One of my favorites is a warmage that I don't get to play much. With our varied group, it is hard to get together on a regular basis.

I also love webcomics. Especially ones that are based on role playing games like DnD. I recently added anti-Heroes to my GoogleReader so I can keep up. And today was something JUST FOR my lovely warmage. If you're interested, take a look!

And now for the news...

I did well diet and challenge wise yesterday. I went three points over my target, so I'm on good ground. I can certainly live with that. I also got in 30 minutes of walking for the Lenten challenge. WOOHOO! I did not get up and go to the gym yesterday OR this morning. Maybe tonight, maybe not.

I got the first disc of Bones last night. The first four episodes. I really enjoyed it. Much better than watching the reruns on TNT, especially considering I don't miss the first ten minutes since it's a DVD.

I finally gave up on my teacher showing up in the lab and went back across the road to the test room to turn it in. Crazy lady messing up my afternoon. LOL. At least I'll be prepared come final exam, or if I have her again.

While I wait...

While I wait for the teacher to showup at the lab to take in our bonus credit work (all nothing but a signature of it!), I decided to check my work e-mail, then hit my google reader. Here's some fun for you to share....

Vision?

So apparently my eyeglasses correct my astigmatism and my contacts don't. After wearing my glasses for a week and a half, I decided to put my contacts in at lunch. It's been sunny some, and I wanted shades. Yeah, I can't see very well now. Lovely. And I have that test.

Oh well, I may go back to just glasses for a while if it's gonna be this way. At least my glasses are cute, right? LOL

Hump Day Update!

Well, even with my binging week I managed a .5 lb loss. So YAY! I'm tracking again starting today though. It can go hand-in-hand with the Lenten challenge. Giving up the laziness by exercising daily, AND TRACKING.

The doctor's office still hasn't received my test results so I haven't been able to get my next test on my wrist scheduled. I'll try them again today, then call the neurologist's office if I have too. I want to get this figured out.

I have a mid-term today. I should probably be studying for it since I haven't actually done any of that yet. But, instead I'm blogging. That's the way it goes! I'll manage it at some point this morning I'm sure. Of course, I hate that we still haven't gotten the grades for any of our assignments. She won't give the grades until EVERYONE has handed in the assignment. And some people asked for extensions on the first assignments, and the others aren't even due until Saturday. Silly considering we take the exam today, huh? Ok, enough griping about school.

Life is still going good. I'm just doing the work and class thing. And hoping to play DnD tonight. Well, off to find out the game status! Have a great Wednesday!


Update: No game tonight, but I'm cool with that. I'll actually cook instead of just throwing stuff in the crockpot at lunch!

Bad News...

My tv is officially busted. It's an HD CRT. And the tube is blown. Wish I weren't broke....

Mythos Discussion

AE Rought has a great post at the Midnight Moon Cafe today about how some writers have been changing the myths of various magical creatures lately.

If anyone is a reader/viewer of vampire/werewolf/other creature stories, you might want to check her entry out. I thought it was interesting, and I (and I imagine the great Moonladies and Moonlette) would like to hear your opinion.

And, I absolutely LOVE the picture she has with it. It's worth checking out JUST for that...

40+ Days of Exercise Awesomeness for Lent

FatBridesmaid has an awesome Lent Challenge planned. 40 days of exercise. 30 minutes every day.
When she decided to do it as a group thing, I signed up quick. No sense in letting myself get talked out of it, right? Seems like a great way to get my exercise back on track. And I'm going to try to do most of it in the GYM. Since I haven't been in ages, seemed like a good starting idea. With any luck, I might even manage it in the mornings.... Yeah, not making that a goal.

Anyway, if you're interested in joining a group of folks to get some exercise in, check out her post!

Also, in hopes of keeping me going on this, I ordered a new battery for my mp3 player. I'm hoping that the new battery will have it working again. I don't do so well when my mind is left free to go its own merry way. While the poor old thing should probably just be retired, I don't have the bucks for an ipod right now. I really hope the battery is the issue and I can make it to Christmas....

Cory is an INTJ Strategist...

A friend took a personality type quiz on Facebook this weekend and shared the results, etc. I thought it was cool and decided to do it as well. I thought it was kinda cool, so here are my results...for anyone who cares....


Famous INTJs include President Thomas Jefferson and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

INTJ Personality Summary
Independent, original, analytical, and determined. Have an exceptional ability to turn theories into solid plans of action. Highly value knowledge, competence, and structure. Driven to derive meaning from their visions. Long-range thinkers. Have very high standards for their performance, and the performance of others. Natural leaders, but will follow if they trust existing leaders.

Weregeek Greatness

Love this comic today.

The Joys of DD Breasts....

When it rains, you get wet from the top of your breasts up, and from your knees down...

Weigh In

I gained 1 pound this week. I'm ok with it though. I didn't really track over the weekend, and after 3 weeks of good losses, a small gain is to be expected. Nothing I can't survive, especially considering the number of 'skinny' days I've been having lately.

Looks like my current DnD game will actually be meeting tonight. We haven't met in about a month because the DM is trying to finish his senior project. It'll be fun to throw some dice around tonight. And I won't be sitting at home with the munchies. They're much more controllable when I'm at other people's houses!

Quick Test Update

I made an 85 on the Economics test last week. He's giving us an opportunity for up to 15 extra points. I'm not sure how hard I'll work on that though. Depends on how time goes. I plan to work better on studying the actual class material for the next test though...

And the verdict is...

Still unknown. $800 out of my pocket later, I know that my wrist pain is not caused by:
A. Broken bones.
B. Lupus.
C. Carpal Tunnel.

What we don't know, is why my wrists hurt. But, at least we've ruled out a few things. I wish I knew what it was already though...

I should get my economics test back this afternoon. I'm a bit anxious to see how I did. I'll be happy with whatever the grade is considering I was sick when I took it. I also took my first quiz for E-business Applications last night. It was really easy. Now I'm just going to have to study the REST of the material to take the next three quizzes and prepare for the test next week.

I'm feeling a little better than I was over the weekend (allergy/sinus problems). But I'm still not feeling perfect. I'll get better with time.

Well, I can't think of anything else at the moment, so off I go!

Yucky weekend

I've been a bit sick this weekend. Allergies or sinuses have really done me in. I'm hoping it will clear up soon though. Or else I should buy stock in benedryl!

I might get a test tomorrow to check for carpal tunnel. It's scheduled, but the doctor's office called me late Friday to talk about it. Unfortunately I didn't get to check the voicemail until after they had closed.

The hubby got me a madoline slicer for Valentines. It's what I wanted, and I even picked it out myself. I'm very happy with it, and can't wait to use it. I got him the messenger kit for the XBox 360. He complains whenever our friend John tries to chat with him on it. Now he'll be able to type back quicker.

Can't think of anything else right now. Probably just gonna try going back to bed and hoping I wake up feeling better than I do now.

Good week y'all!

Your International Spy Name is Kitty Deathbird

Your Code Name: Kneecaps You Reside in: Geneva Why You're a Good Spy: You're agile

What's Your International Spy Name?

SwagBucks???

So, Jeannie did a post on this site called Swagbucks. It awards points for web searches, etc. Then you redeem your points for prizes. You can also get points for searching through this site, recycling old cellphones and mp3 players, etc. It seems pretty cool from what I've seen so far.

Some of the lower level prizes are pretty cool too. $5 Amazon gift card for 45 points, $5 at Starbucks for 50, $15 at iTunes for 145... They have bigger items too, such as ipod nanos, portable dvd players, and digital camcorders.

It seems pretty cool, and it you're interested, sign up here!

Dr. Visit

I didn't learn much today while I was at the doctor. I learned that my blood sugar is awesome, I have some inflammation SOMEWHERE, and I don't have lupus. At least it was all either good news, or something I know. (We knew there was inflammation since that's what I'm going for.) I have a test scheduled on Monday to check for Carpal Tunnel. Then I'll talk to my doc again in a week (via phone this time) to see where we go next. Well, I'm off to bed. Hopefully I'll catch up in the blog world tomorrow!

Quickies

I woke up seriously sick this morning. Luckily I got to feeling better late in the day.

I lost 1.5 pounds this past week.

I'm trying to figure out that facebook thingie since everyone seems to be doing it these days. I think I'm still confused though!

I had an Economics test this afternoon. I think I did ok, although I probably would have done better if I actually listened to the lectures. Guess I should think about that for the next section...

A couple of local chicks from SparkPeople have been trying to put together a walking group here in the 'Burg. We might even manage to get together this Saturday. Just waiting for more details.

And now, it's past time for bed. Good night all!

Genie Lift

Is walking under a genie lift the same as walking under a ladder? I can't help but wonder because they are doing roof work on the building next to the one I work in...

I'm generally not superstitious, but occassionally it just doesn't feel right to ignore one of these things...

Weekend Update

I had a great trip up to my sister's for Abby's birthday. It was a fun party and everyone seems to have had a good time. I really enjoyed the party, and it was a prety day for travelling.

My older neice, Ashleigh, was all about having me help her with the new-to-her V Smile gaming system she got Saturday. It was fun, but I couldn't figure out what to do with some of those games!

Momma had brought us some deer meat, so we're having deer stew tonight. I just hope it turns out good.

I also did good with the tracking this weekend. I wrote down EVERYTHING, although I haven't figured out the points for some of it yet... At least I tracked, and I should be able to get the points part done tonight. Luckily I hadn't used ANY flex points before Saturday, so I have plenty to cover Saturday. I was fine at home, and fine there, but the traveling part is what does me in everytime. I get the munchies in the car, and only chocolate (and lots of it) covers me. (And a McD's chicken biscuit for breakfast!)

------------------

Ok. I just did the points. I used 24 of my flex points Saturday. However, I was right on point-wise for Sunday, I have a lot left today too. And, I had actually used 2 on Wednesday. But I still have 9 to get me through the rest of today, and Tuesday. Guess it's going good this week too!

What's Your Word?

Your Word is "Hope"

You see life as an opportunity for learning, growth, and bringing out the best in others. No matter how bad things get, you always have at least a glimmer of optimism. You are accepting and forgiving. You encourage those who have wronged you to turn over a new leaf. And while there is a lot of ugliness in the world, you believe that almost no one is beyond redemption.

What's Your Word?

WOOO! It's Weekend!

This was a rough week at work, especially today. And next week will be bad as well. But, I have the weekend now. And it's almost for me.

Tomorrow we'll be making a day trip to my sister's house. It's my neice Abby's birthday party. Josh and I will be spending around 7 hours in the car by the time we get back home. But it'll be great to see the family!

Sunday will be mostly for school work. I have an economics exam on Wednesday, and either one of two quizzes in my MIS class due by the 14th. But, I'll make it through both. The MIS class has been interesting so far, and Economics is survivable, if boring.

I think I've done fairly well during the rest of the week diet wise. I've tracked faithfully and mostly made good food choices. Things didn't work out for me to really do lunch today at work, so I ended up raiding the vending machine instead. But this shouldn't be the case next week. I guess I'll see how it actually goes though.

I got a great surprise in my e-mail this morning at work. I got a thank you message from a lady that I helped yesterday. She had e-mailed my manager to thank both of us, but didn't know my last name. Nor could she find a list of iTech employees to figure it out. And my manager forwarded it to me, as well as the two folks above her. What a great start to my day, huh? That certainly makes some of the less enjoyable calls worthwhile. This lady was great to work with, and very easy going. I wish they were all that easy...

Weight Today!

Down to 207 today. That's half a pound less than I started 2008 at. So I'm getting back to where I was.

I'm actually VERY happy with the loss. (It's 2 pounds. Who wouldn't be happy with that in a week!!!! LOL) I was really expecting a gain when I weighed this morning because I didn't track during my migraine last week. But turns out that was ok. Now I just have to make it through this week. One week at a time, that's the key!

I'm hoping to be below 200 pounds when it comes time for Josh's high school reunion thissummer. I know he doesn't care about anything like that, but it's a nice goal for me. I really easy one, just 7.5 pounds to be out of the 200s. And while I really don't care what those people think about me (I don't know them!) I do care about what I think about myself. And this is my goal. While I would love to have lost 20 pounds by this summer, I'm not going to set myself at something so high. I like the WW think of 5 pounds for short-term goals. It's a small number, and vewry achieveable. Even in a short period of time. Can't wait to see how February goes for me!

I hate Comcast...

So, while I watching House tonight I decided to get online for a few minutes. Just to check e-mail, etc. (And do my daily post for a SparkPeople challenge...). My Internet connection was beyond slow. The only thing I managed to pull up was my Gmail account, and that took 10 minutes. So, after House went off, I called Comcast instead of watching The Closer. I talked to a lady and she decided the problem was my router and transferred me to Linksys. By the time I got someone on the phone there (don't get me started on people that can't speak English well and treat me like I know nothing about computers...), I have NO Internet connection. 25 minutes later, she tells me to call Comcast back. Then to call her when I have an Internet connection again.

The hubby decides to call Comcast this time. He thinks the lady there might have been insulted when he accused her of trying to push my call off on someone else. They couldn't get it working either. So, after 1 hour 45 minutes on the phone, we have an appointment for Wednesday morning. Great. No internet at home until Wednesday. I can't believe I have to wait that long to watch The Closer... LOL I'm more upset about the fact that we don't have any Internet AT ALL, but have TV. Really weird. I wish there were more good shows on TV these days...

Lunches....

I find that even going home for lunch every day doesn't match a cheap and healthy lunch easy. I have a tendency to just find something that I can fix within 5 minutes or less, and go from there. This ranges from a cheeseburger, a hotdog, or a sandwich usually. This isn't necessarily healthy though. I don't get in a fruit or veggie this way. Although, I do occassionally eat a piece of fruit when I'm finished, or fix a fruit snack for the afternoon at work.



However, we're still talking 8-11 points on Weight Watchers, and not much in the way of good nutrition. Refrigerator Raid has a great lunch post today. There are some great tips on what to toss into your lunch box, or your kid's lunchbox! So, if you're short on time for lunch, or just want to carry something better than McDonald's with you, and don't know where to start...Go check out her post for some good ideas. And if some of those don't work for you...well, it will probably get you thinking about your own healthier ideas...

Back to the Real World

I'm recovering from a 2+ day migraine that took me out of commission for the end of last week. Totally sucked. But, I'm down to a mild headache now, and work tomorrow shouldn't be too big a deal.

With the migraine, the diet went to hell. Ok, not THAT bad, but I wasn't really worried about anything other than getting a few calories here and there. I ate out more than I have been because I didn't feel like cooking. I'm glad that I'm past that though. I just have to figure out what I'm cooking for dinner tommorrow! At least I went shopping yesterday and have more food to cook. We were getting low on some items.

I'm going to focus on exercise this next week. I really don't think I've been doing enough. And I'm going to try and make it into the gym, but we'll see how that goes!

Well, since I haven't been watching the Super Bowl anyway, I think I'll go do a little homework. It's time to start thinking about those assignments. They don't do themselves, unfortunately!

Redecorating

Big thanks to Twisted Cinderella over at Ever After - My Way. I've been wanting to update my blog for a long time, but I don't know how to do all that crazy stuff. And, after working all day, I don't want to put in the computer time to really figure it out. She came through with this AWESOME template for me. Isn't she a doll???

If you've been thinking of a big change, or just a little one, check out her template page. And, of course, check out her other blogs too. She does some fantastic posts, and great recipes too!

Always Another Book...

I don't think I have any readers who don't realize I have a mistress in books. I don't remember a time when I wasn't looking for another good book to read. Always on the hunt for another good author, and intro into another genre and series...

A while back I was able to pick up Rachel Vincent's Stray at the public library. And I fell in love. Although, this library is a little weird, so they didn't get book two, but have book three ordered. But, I will manage to read this entire series soon.

That being said, book three, Pride, come out on February 1st, and I'm excited to know that the series did well and is being continued. And, I'm excited to know about the contest Ms. Vincent is offering on her blog. (Yeah, we all LOVE contests!) She offering a signed copy of all three books OR a $20 Barnes and Noble gift certificate. AND Godiva chocolate. Talk about temptation....

Anyway, I should give everyone a taste of the new book, right? Otherwise you might not put it on your shopping list!!!

I’m on trial for my life. Accused of infecting my human ex-boyfriend—and killing him to cover up the crime. I’m not guilty. But tell that to the panel of Alphas sitting in judgment. Infecting a human is one of three capital offenses recognized by the Pride—along with murder and disclosure of our existence to a human.

I’m two for three. A goner.

On top of that, Marc is in danger of being tossed from the Pride, then we discovered a rogue stray terrorizing the mountainside, hunting a wild teenage tabbycat. I think I can protect her from both the ambitious rogue and the scheming of the territorial council.

If I survive my own trial…

"Zombies Ahead"

Well, it's funny. Read the story at Fox News.

Photo Credit

A Successful Week

I've done rather well this week, and am proud of myself for it. LOL

I tracked my food and exercise every day, and even had a few points of my weekly allowance left at the end! I also took my meds every day. I've got a sticker on my wall calendar for tracking and one for my meds every day. I'm going to keep this up. Seeing the calendar with its pretties is helping me remember. (It's hanging right outside my bathroom door!)

And, all this committment lead to a success at my weigh in this morning. I had lost the 3 pounds I had gained last week. So I intend to keep it up again this week.

And I should wish my sick hubby a happy birthday. He's got a cold, and turns 28 today. What a way to spend your birthday, huh? His parents are taking us to Olive Garden tonight to celebrate. Luckily his mom waited until AFTER his 7:15 am alarm to call this morning. She used to call him before his alarm went off!

Well, I'm sure there's other great stuff to mention, but I don't remember it! More later...

A Scale Giveway

With all my moves over the past few years I've managed to keep all the parts to my food scale. Except the actual scale. Now that I'm REALLY trying to do Weight Watchers again, I've thought about getting a new food scale. Luckily, there's this:

Check out the scale giveaway on Roni’s Weight Loss Blog! I can win an Affordable Food Scale from Eat Smart and so can you! Click here for contest details!

Weekend Update

Well, I'm doing well so far on my eating and tracking. I ended up going a little overboard on Saturday, but that was because of an unexpected invitation from a friend. And I started today out with 10 points of my allowance left (I still haven't finished tracking today!)

Friday night the hubby, myself, and a friend went to see the new Underworld movie. It was pretty good. Too bad we had to sit on the front row! It was pretty fuzzy, but I don't know if it was just out of focus because we were close or not. The movie could have been better, but it wasn't bad. Very enjoyable for a night out.

Saturday we hung out with a couple of friends we rarely see. One of them works on boats, but recently broke his hand. So he's off duty for a few weeks and was bored. So we went to his house and played Anima and Guillotine. Two awesome card games.

Sunday was a stay home day, and was greatly enjoyed. Although we did go out on a brief shopping expedition to pick up some needed items.

I've noticed that lately I've had many more 'skinny days' than 'fat days.' While I know I'm still majorly overweight, I've been feeling much better about myself. And that's the important part, right?

I've also completely caught up on my blogs again. A good thing because it was a little overwhelming this morning. But I adore the google reader. Not only do I like using the reader, but I love the reader plug on my personalized google homepage. It's awesome!

I did discover something sad tonight. The second tv in our apartment doesn't pick up the channel that House comes on. (I gave the hubby the regular tv to play his game. Easier than moving the PS2!) This discovery was good for one thing though. I watched last week's episode of House online, then The Closer on TNT, then watched this week's House online. So I am caught up for next week! Anyone else watching House???

Reader Finished!

I finally have my Google Reader up to date. I have 75 subscriptions in it, 23 of which are old site that are no longer updated. However, I like the info on them, and it seems a great way to keep up with them now.

Next tasks, the bookmarks in my GoogleToolbar.... That's another scary one.

Then, a list of blogs and stuff for my sidebar here...

Randomness

Since I haven't been blogging regularly until the past few days, I can't remember what I've blogged about and what I just planned to, but never did.

So, first, I have skinny jeans. Some of the jeans the MIL bought me were 18s. I was worried that maybe I should have gotten 20s when we bought them. However, they are already fitting looser. And I really do feel skinny every time I wear them. YAY! Clothes that always make me feel skinny!

I'm trying to move all my feeds to the Google reader. I always get annoyed when I'm home and want to catch up since they are all on my work computer. This is an annoying tasks. I had imported all my feeds sometime last year when I tried it, but decided I didn't like it. I actually LIKE it now, but it's annoying going through and getting everything fixed. But I'm slowly working through. Figuring out what to delete because I don't read it anymore, and reorganizing everything... It's quite a task. But if I ever finish it, I'll be happy!

Well, off to work on the google reader tasks, and catch up on some blogs while I'm at it! Have a great weekend!

On Track

So, this week's gain was a little upsetting, but motivating as well. I've stayed on track the past couple of days. I've been a few points over my target both days (started tracking again on Wednesday) but nothing bad. I've done my meals at home, so that helps as well.

My wrist has bothered me a lot today (both of them actually) but that's to be expected. The University's switching to a new e-mail system, and I was responsible for getting the instructions together for Outlook 2007. It's going to be a big change for the University, but hopefully it will work out better than the other system. Sad to think that it hasn't been in place for a year yet and we're moving on. I'm hopeful, even if it did take me FOREVER to get Outlook working. I think my directions are pretty good. Apparently they'll be having the helmets and crayons try them out tomorrow. (And I don't mean to be insulting to anyone disabled. But when you're working in the tech field and cannot figure out how to run anti-virus software, it's kinda bad...)

I was looking forward to really starting a good workout schedule today, but didn't feel well this morning. My head was all kinds of light and I was a bit dizzy. So I stuck with just walking to work, then home for lunch and back. I would have walked home at the end of the day, but I felt really bad. I'm still not feeling great, but hopefully tomorrow will be better!

For anyone who read my intentions to dye my hair purple, I actually did. It was a semi-permanent dye so it's already washed out, but I really liked it. It started out bright purple, but had faded to a nice purple-pink color within three washes. That stayed for a week or so, and now you can JUST see the highlights if I'm under the right kind of light. I think I'll be getting some kind of color done professionally if I can afford it. I also have to get my haircut fixed. The lady at Regis all kinds of jacked it up. That's what I get for cheating on my beautician!

And the hubby and I have started hosting our anime luncheons again in order to save money. Our friends are invited to our apartment at lunch (provide your own bag lunch) and we provide entertainment. We're currently watching Code Geass and Vandread. We have a friend that can only make Tuesdays and Thursdays, so two different shows. We've done it in the past, but it got boring because we only did sandwiches (the hubby and I did kept all the stuff on hand for everyone). I'm hoping this works out better since everyone can provide their own variety and what they want each day.

Well, that's really all I've got. Nothing major going on in my world yet with school, especially since I ignored most of my economics lecture yesterday afternoon in order to fight Outlook! But I'll try to keep everyone informed with my progress as the year continues.

WI Today

Today wasn't so great on the weigh in. I gained this week. But I'm ok with that. I'll do better next week!!!

After Christmas Update

I've been meaning to write an update since I got back from my parents' house right after Christmas, but it just hadn't worked out. Things are starting to slow down a little at work now, though they will soon be picking up again.

I had a good Christmas. I got a TON of clothes, which were very needed. Unfortunately, the pants Momma bought me didn't fit. Well, they would have been a perfect fit other than the crotch going almost to my knees! And when I went to Wal-Mart to exchange them, EVERY pair of dress pants I picked up hit me the same way! But I had a couple of other Wal-Mart returns as well, so I have nearly $40 on a Wal-Mart gift card for later. If nothing else, I can buy some dress pants from Lane Bryant and use the gift card on regualar stuff at Wal-Mart, but I'm still holding out a little longer on that.

The hubby got me some great stuff too. I got two Nintendo DS games. Disgaea DS (which I have been wanting for a while!) and Zelda. I also got a Dragons daily calendar for my desk at work (another request) and a BEAUTIFUL glass dragon figure. AND a table for the sewing machine. It's a four-foot table with adjustable legs, and the table folds in half for easy storage after I fold the legs up. I'll be getting it out this evening to fix the hubby's work shirts. This is probabeinly my FAVORITE gift of the holiday.

The trip to my parents' was great, although I was sore for two weeks in one arm. My 4 year old neice Ashleigh decided to turn me into her personal jungle gym. I complained about being sore, but it was worth it. It's good to know that she does love me, even if I only see her a few times every year!

It appears that I may have tendinitus. I'm currently in brace and awaiting some test results to see. What fun! I just want to know what's causing me pain, and then I'll be happy. I go back Feb. 12th to find out more on that.

My classes are going well so far. I'm falling behind in my reading for Economics, but I'm ahead in my MIS class. I'm going to try to stay on track and not fall behind this semester, but I know that will not happen.

I had bought a some clothes off the Lane Bryant web site, and was kinda excited to find out the pants were WAY to large. So I finally took those to the store yesterday and got a pair of dress pants that fit. The pants I bought were brown stretchy jeans, although I could have worn them to work any day of the week. I exchanged them for brown dress pants, and will wash them tonight to see how much I have to hem them up. I really like them though!

Josh and I got a new washer last week. The motor was going out on the old one. I really like the new washer, and it's nice to have the clothes spinning out properly! They dry much quicker that way!

Hmm, I'm sure that there is other great stuff to mention, but I can't think of it right now. So I'll do some work stuff, and catch up on everyone's blogs until I come up with something else!

Quickie Update

I'm doing alright still. I lost 1.5 lbs this week. I had to weigh in early because the WW center will be closed Wednesday. It was my usual ladies doing the weigh ins yesterday though. I was happy to hear that they will be open next Wednesday so I can get back to my usual early morning Wednesday weigh in. I had to weigh in at lunch last week.... I had stayed the same. It will be interesting to get back to my normal time so I can see what I have really lost. I'm several pounds heavier at the end of the day than the beginning, like most people.

Last week we went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Jackson. They put on an awesome show. If they come near you, and you can get tickets, it's well worth the money!!!

With the third week of new WW material, I still like the Momentum program. However, I have yet to spend more than two days REALLY following it! Figures, huh??? I'm going to though! I do like the new weigh-in book though. And it is a BOOK! There is a pocket in the front for your daily tracker, an A-Z food list, then a section about goal setting. Then it has 56 weeks of weigh-ins. And your points finder is attached to the back. It's really cool! And there are 10 weeks of new material covering the plan.

So far I'm enjoying my Christmas break. I managed to get all of my Christmas presents early, and got them wrapped without having to buy any Chrsitmas paper. Of ocurse, then we were given my Mother-in-Law's new laptop, Christmas from the FIL, to get updated, install software, etc. So now I have to wrap it. I was talking about going to buy another thing of Christmas paper since I'm out, but I really think I might just use some of the wrapping paper that was left with the apartment when we moved in. I don't really like it, but that will keep me from having to go out for some.

The hubby is off work for the rest of this week. We'll be doing Christmas with his parents tomorrow, then head out to visit my parents a few days. I'm looking forward to spending some time with my parents since we don't see them often. Momma will probably also help me take up all my pants that will probably be too long!

I got my hair cut this past Saturday. It had grown out way past what my last hair style was really designed for. But, five months will do that! It's simple now. Falls to my shoulders with some long layers. I'm planning to put some purple streaks in it over the Christmas break. I'm thinking some in the bottom layer, and then some on the top. But we'll see what I actually do next week! I'll be sure to post a picture...

Well, I think I'll catch up on a couple of blogs and then try and get some actual work done today... Merry Christmas y'all!

Moving Forward with the PLAN...

Last night was all about the shopping...

1st stop: Lane Bryant. Our local store didn't carry the pants I had ordered online. So I guess I'll try to return them on the coast this weekend... Or just wait until after Christmas when I see if anything else needs to be returned.

2nd stop: The Calendar booth in the mall. I had to get a wall calendar for the 2009 fitness plan. And I did. Although I wasn't too happy with their selection.

This is my wall calendar. I think it might be a little motivating picture wise...

I also picked out a daily calendar for my desk at work and mentioned it to Josh. I'm trying to give him enough ideas that I won't actually know what I'll be getting!


3rd Stop: Books-A-Million. I picked up some books to read in the coming weeks. Like I didn't have enough already...

4th stop: Dollar Tree. Didn't need anything there but a big gift sack and tissue paper. Now I have my portion of the Staff Council Fire Family gift wrapped. I'll have to drop it off tomorrow...

5th stop: Sams Club. We picked up Wanted. Awesome movie if you haven't seen it. Also got another bottle of Flintstones and some blank DVDs.

6th stop: Wal-Mart. Needed a few various odds and ends here, but didn't manage to find everything. Leads to...

7th stop: Wal-Mart. Yes, we visited two Wal-Marts last night, only to still be missing an item or two from our shopping list...

Anyway, I had a slightly boring night of it. But the shopping is mostly done. Now I just have to start with the wrapping of Christmas presents and straightening up the living room. That way I'll have room to exercise at home over the holidays!!!

Feeling Good About Myself...

I'm currently 210 lbs, yes that's more than at the beginning of January. But I'm actually feeling ok about this. Sure, it's not a great thing thing, but there is a positive in all this.

I can actually fit in some size 18 pants. Sure, some are still 20s...but, my MIL bought a pair of 18s for me, and the 20s I ordered online are TOO BIG! I'm going to try and hit the mall and see if I can exchange them at the local Lane Bryant instead of sending them in. So, even if I am up for the year, apparently I'm a little tinier.

For me, it's not all about the number on the scale. My journey is about me feeling good about myself. I currently don't, to be honest. I feel kinda icky most of the time. But trying on a pair of pants and finding out they are WAY too big is a major boost to my self-esteem. Using the number on the scale is just the easiest and quickest way to track my progress on a regular basis.

Weight Watchers appears to be releasing the material on their new program this week. So, I'm excited to say that I will be officially starting over on all my tracking this Wednesday. I've been trying to make smart decisions lately, but not pushing myself on tracking and such. I'm going to use a wall calendar to track things like taking my pills (can't forget the Prozac and birth control!), taking vitamins, exercising, etc. And, of course, changing the contacts. I could track that stuff here or at SparkPeople, but it doesn't seem to really work as a daily basis thing for me. At least with the wall calendar I will see it on my way to bed and hoping go "OH! I forgot X! Have to do that before I can go to bed!" I'm sure this won't be perfect, but it's a good start. I'm going to by some cute stickers to use and have a legend for what the stickers mean. Of course, I probably won't start the sticker thing until January. I got an Avon calendar today, but I think I might buy some cute motivating calendar to hang up.

Well, I hope that everyone had a good weekend (at least, the people for whom I haven't seen blog entries about it!) and everyone have a great week! I have my last final (economics!) tomorrow evening, so we know where some of my evening SHOULD be spent!

The Party...

So, I went to my neice's 4th birthday party this year. I was excited to go because I've never made it to her party before. With her party always being a week after Thanksgiving, and 3.5 hour drive, I just can't afford to go for both Thanksgiving AND her birthday.

The theme was dalmations and Jackie went out of her way to make sure it was awesome. There were dalmation sack puppets for the kids to glue dots on, cupcakes with dalamations, bone cookies, and a bowl of dog food. There were even bags of doggie treats to take home! Ashleigh got tons of stuff, and loved all of it. I even helped Jackie put together one (she got two or three) baby doll strollers and the doll house before Josh and I headed home. She also got a Leapster, which was apparently a big hit.

Josh and I even ate at Logan's on our way home. And found a cell phone in their parking lot that we managed to return to its owner.

Of course, all that was Saturday. A day trip up there is a little tiring, so we didn't actually do anything on Sunday.

Friday night was Josh's work Christmas dinner, at one of our local steak houses. It was a fun evening, even if we were the youngest people there by far!!! I even had a new shirt to wear because my Lane Bryant order had been delivered Friday. That had me feeling good about myself because I didn't have a clue what to wear. I went casual in a long-sleeved t-shirt. I wasn't feeling great about wearing anything in the closet, but that new shirt had me feeling all confident in my appearance!!! It's amazing what new clothes will do for you, huh?

New Contest at Roni's Blog

I entered the Mary Lou's Weigh Platform Giveaway!

Check out Roni’s Weight Loss Blog for more information.

It's been a while....

Sorry it's been so long since my last update! It's just been one of those years for me.

My weight has not went well this year, mostly because my exercise has been minimal. But that's ok. I'm not worrying about it. I have managed to lose a tiny bit inch wise. I'm only aware of this because I have bought a couple of pair of pants in 18s. However, it's still mostly a 20 for bottoms, 14/16 for tops. And I'm ok with that.

I know I'll get back on the ball next year, although that's not saying I'm going to just let go for the month of December. It's just me admitting I probably won't go full out on a lot of things. I am going to start tightening up though. And after I get back from my Christmas visit with my parents I'll really be working it.

I have a full two weeks off at Christmas this year. I hope to get some work done in my apartment during that time, but it usually doesn't work out that well. We'll see what happens though...

This semester of school should finish decently. I have finished all my work for my MIS class, and should pull off a B unless I did much worse than expected on the test yesterday. And my Economics final is next Tuesday. I should pull off a B in that class as well without too much trouble. I'll just have to remember to study this weekend!

My husband is getting an XBox 360 for Christmas, from his parents. He's happy because he can pick up some of the games he's been wanting. I'll probably be getting something for the DS myself. Right now I'm hooked on Luminoius Arc 2. It's a somewhat addicting game!

Hmm....I can't think of anything else right now. Guess I'll see about getting something done at work!

Update

Ok, I'm being a bad blogger again. I finally managed to get caught up at work though! Maybe it will stay this way...

I have read everyone's blogs, I just haven't had time to comment...

I lost 1 lb. this week, so I guess I'll go update my trackers.

Y'all have a great weekend!

Weigh In Results

Up .5 this week. But pleased nonetheless. It could have been a lot worse!

Quickie Update

This past week has kinda sucked. My coworker is still out, and I'm getting a little crazy at work. Things are NOT calming down as they should. Probably has something to do with our record enrollment this Fall.

I have barely tracked at all. But I think I might show a tiny loss today.

School sucks, as usual.

I'll be back with my weigh in after lunch!

WooHoo!

I did my tracking all week and lost 1.5 pounds. I did not really follow the program all that well, but I was much more conscious of snacking and controlled that rather well I think.

I've donated plasma twice, and that went fairly well.

Can't really think of anything esle right now. Life is going along, but there's not really anything abnormal.

EcoEagle

So, the university I work for just started a sustainability program this summer. We're doing a great recycling program that is going to save the University a lot of money. Anything paper, and plastics 1 and 2 go into one can in the office. It's fantastic and going well so far. We have one of the largest, if not THE largest, university recycling programs in the country. I'm really proud of what this office is doing for us.

One of the things the Office of Sustainability decided to do, was create a group of like-minded individuals on campus that could serve as an outreach group to the University at large. We'll have monthly meetings where we'll be educated on different aspects of sustainability, and then we'll be able to answer questions from people around campus.

I love to get involved with different programs on campus. Most of my life revolves around this place in one way or another. So I enjoy getting more involved in the campus community and actually meeting people I deal with face-to-face instead of just through phone or e-mail communications.

Anyway, just wanted to share a little about the program.

Starting over

Well, when yesterday's weigh in went so well, I decided to start over in my WW stuff. I've done well on my tracking so far. I went 7 points over and only earned 1 activity point. But considering I made the decision to track and do all that in the middle of the day, I think it was fine. That's what flex points are for anyway! :)
I'm doing much better today. I've gotten hungry now, but I have a lower point supper planned, and fruit at home to snack on since I'm hungry now. I have 9 points left for the day, and I've earned 2 points. It will be 3 by the time I get home.

Today at work has been pretty good. My coworker that had surgery is doing good as well.

I found a recipe on SparkPeople's recipe site for supper. It's Cube Steak, cooked in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. We had picked up a pack of cube steak last week at the grocery market. We like to hit the 5 for $20 bin and just pick whatever actually looks good. 5 is about all we have room for any way. I don't have everything for this particular receipe, but I can make some changes for what I do have at home, and I think it will be pretty good anyway. I was mostly looking for a starting place anyhow...

WOW, Two posts in a DAY!

Ok, I went to weigh in at lunch. I got to weigh in witht he newbie worker, which as just fine. I generally weigh with the older lady that works there. She was actually the reason I quit attending meetings, but she's grown on me. Anyway, considering I was going at lunch instead of the morning, I was already planning out my rationalization arguement for a gain. Or, if it was a big one, part of the gain. I really expected to have gained 2 pounds. I had actually lost .5!!!! So, naturally I had a not good for me lunch from KFC. I didn't have anything to eat at home since I'm doing my shopping tonight!

Then, I get back to the office and have this incredibly rude e-mail from some student who can't figure out how to "Press 4 for a technician" and wait. Instead she presses EVERY OTHER OPTION and listens to the recordings until she's spent over $5 in long distance charges. And had the nerve to yell at us via e-mail. THEN, we she gets the automated reply to her message to us, she e-mails back complaining about how the messages says the person can always call us if it is a critical problem!!!

Oh well. I'm getting over it now. I answered her question, I hope. If she had sent us her phone number, I would have called her back! But she's not that smart apparently!


Ok. I'm over my grouching. Almost every student I've dealt with this fall has been extremely nice and understanding. So it's no surprise that the angry ones are pretty rough. At least it was an easier morning today than yesterday!!!

One of my favorite authors, Colleen Gleason, is part of a fundraiser for CF. She is also doing a promotion this week, so check out her blog and give her some encouragment!

Things are going alright for me personally. Yesterday at work was pretty tough, but today hasn't been nearly as bad. With my coworker out I've decided to do my Weight Watcher weigh in at lunch until she is back. My center doesn't open until 7:45, and they have been pretty busy the past couple of Wednesday mornings. While I've been known many times to weigh in and get to work before 8, I don't want to risk it with only two people working in the mornings. I really hate weigh in at lunch (messes up my weight!!) but that's ok. It's the long run I'm worried about anyway.

I'm doing good in my classes so far, although I've really got to start working on my Economoics studying. Since I'm not attending the lectures for the next bit (until AFTER the first test!) I really need to be reading and doing problems. But it's boring and I don't want to! LOL

Well, I just wanted to give y'all an update. I think I've read everyone's blogs now, with the exception of a couple of new posts. I didn't leave comments everywhere, but I am reading again. I'm also slowly getting active on SparkPeople again. It's great to be catching on everyone's lives again. I certainly missed A LOT!

Just the Weekend

I've had a fairly easy weekend so far, and somewhat beneficial.

We stayed in last night. I read a book for a little while and did nothing else.

This morning, I stayed home while Josh went to help his parents with some yard work. I did some simple chores around the house and a little studying, although I will have to hit that harder tomorrow. We bought a Clorox ready-mop a few weeks ago, and let me say that it makes mopping a more pleasant task. We only have three small pieces of non-carpet in the apartment, so mopping was always a weird task before.

Josh's parents decided to come into town and take us to eat and to a movie tonight. We went to see Bangkok Dangerous. It was a good movie, although the others weren't pleased with the ending. While I wish it had ended differently, I wasn't really surprised. Or THAT disappointed. It kinda made sense to me.

Also, between eating and movie time we went shopping. I went window-shopping at the local mall with my MIL, something I generally don't do. She's a few sizes smaller than me, so we don't shop the same sections of the store. After a while she decided to take me to Lane Bryant and look for something in my size. I lucked out. She bought me two pair of pants and two tops from the clearance rack! I'll have to take some new pictures pretty soon and post for everyone. I'll do that in one of my new outfits! Also, since I got my hair cut off back in July I haven't taken a decent picture.

Well, I hope that everyone is having a good September so far, and I'm slowly working through my blog list to catch up. Hopefully I'll be able to get that done in a reasonable amount of time!

Weigh In

Well, I had lost 1.5 lbs when I weighed in this morning. That put me back to a .5 lb loss for the year. I have 4 months to lose the 21.5 to my goal for the year, so I had better get started! :)

Today hasn't been too bad considering it was a storm weekend. And I got a new book in the mail today. Dark Curse by Christine Feehan. I've been waiting for this one for a while, and can't wait to get started tonight.

I have my Economics class this afternoon. Hopefully I will be able to stay conscious. I stayed up too late last night! And probably will tonight too since I got this book.

Anyway, I just wanted to update everything here with my latest weight. I think this will help me recommit to my goal for the year. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Back?

Well, maybe I'm back. Summer ended up being a little tough at times. And Fall looks like it might be tough, but it's hard to say.

Right now I'm riding out Hurricane Gustav. We certianly haven't gotten hit HARD, but we've had lots of wind, some rain, and a couple of tornado warnings in my area. I haven't had any loss of power, and don't expect to at this point, even if we aren't out of the woods yet. I have seen a few flickers on the cable tv, but I think those were network problems instead of the local cable. Especially since the cable internet hasn't given me any problems.

The University officials decided yesterday not to open for business tomorrow. So I get an extra day off. I'm thrilled by that day off too! I'm nost sure what I will do with it. I should probably do some housework and study. But we'll just have to see how tomorrow goes. I may run into the office for a little bit just to make sure everything is good there. But they expect it to still be a little windy and rainy, so I may not.

On the weight loss front, I'm currently a couple of pounds up for the year. But I'm saying I'm holding steady for the year. I really have to get my butt in gear on that. I've started lossing some of my fitness level. Which is much more important to me than the number the scale says. I'll have to get back to doing more than walking to work and home. I just have to decide what type of program I'm going to do. I might work on that tomorrow.

I have read a few good books since I last posted. I'll have to post some reviews in the near future. Maybe that will get me back in the habit of posting here. Sorry to have run off on everyone! Hope y'all have been haivng a good year (I've been slacking on reading too!) and I'm going to try and get back in the habit of posting at least a couple of times a week.

For those who might be in Gustav's path, or Hanna's, stay safe!

Weekend Review

So, I had a pretty awesome weekend, with a couple of minor obstacles.

Friday at work wasn't too bad. Then I went home and read some while my husband took a nap. Then we went out to eat and went shopping. We didn't get home until nearly 10, and I cooked and did housework for close to an hour! He didn't care for what I had made, but I decided to carry it to the work party anyway. Maybe someone would like it.

Saturday rolls around and I'm up early cooking and cleaning again! So, I finish my cooking and shower and get ready to head out to the work party I had to go to. After a couple of various stops we had to make, we were about 30 minutes later than planned getting to the boss's very nice house. The party was fun, and I think even my husband had a good time. I entered my "nut crack", as the guys refer to my spiced pecans, into the cooking contest. I won second place, so the hubby and I have dinner for two at Applebees. As a door prize I also won a pound of coffee from Starbucks. I was informed that the recipe from Friday night, Baked Cinnamon Crisps, was good. For exactly the reason Josh didn't care for it. Makes me happy I took it with me!

After leaving the boss's house shortly after 5 we headed out to hang out with our friends Shay and Dee. We spent 2.5 hours in their pool. It was a TON of fun. We ended up watching Batman Begins later in the evening. I slept through a bit of it though because I was a little tired. And all the time in the pool left my back in nasty shape. I was glad I had filled by painkiller prescription Friday night!

Sunday was the Pepper's Party at Dee's house. That was a blast even though there were only 5 folks there. Dee had gotten veggies and fruits and I brought stuff for a cheese tray. She also had little weenies. We had a fantastic time during the party, and I had fun getting everything set up with Dee. It was also a lot of fun to hang out with just girls. Normally we're overrun with guys!

Anyway, back at work this morning and we're a bit busy. One of our guys is on vacation this week and it's left us terribly short handed. I'm hoping that we are back to normal by tomorrow and not so busy!

Oh! And another minor inconvenience. I'm in two separate walking challenges right now. And I wear a pedometer to help me keep up with my walking. Apparently I lost my pedometer out at Dee's last night. Or possibly before I got there. I'm not terribly sure. All I know is that I'm lucky I knew were a cheapo one was at the house so I could have one for today! I'm hoping to find mine, but if not I guess I'll just have to replace it.

Economic Stimulation Package

Since I chose to do a direct deposit on my tax return this year the hubby and I got our economic stimuls check today. But I'm a bit concerned on it. I know that it is supposed to be money to help everyone out. But how is this going to affect my taxes next year? Am I going to have to pay taxes on it? Is it considered an advance on next year? I'm actually scared to spend all of it.

I know that it is supposed to be "free" money, but I don't actually trust the IRS. Is that a bad thing???

Plans....

I had PLANNED to post a book review today for Colette Gale's new book Master. But I haven't been able to get it yet. Oh well. I'll something else instead... (And I'll get the book ordered this weekend!)

I'm attending a work cookout on Saturday and have volunteered to bring something along the appetizer/dessert line. I say it that way because I'm planning to make two different things, and I think they could qualify for both. The first is some seasoned nuts that my friends LOVE. Although I'm going to make them with slightly different spices. I'll let you know how those turn out this time. The other is a recipe I found on SparkPeople that I've wanted to try. It's called Baked Cinnamon Crisps. You cover tortillas in butter, cinnamon, and sugar then bake them until they are crisp. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

This morning I decided to make my own character sheet for a DnD character I'm playing right now. I decided to set it up in Excel and have it calculate everything for me. That took a fair chunk of my morning at work. Which is a good thing because it's been a little slow. But it's cool because I have it set up where if I change one thing, it changes everything that is affected by that for me. Pretty cool huh? And if for some reason I misplace my character sheet, no biggie. I can just print it out at work again. The sucky thing, we're not playing tonight because the DM has a big deadline at work. :( But at least I can use the time to work on my cooking for the party on Saturday!!!

Well, I'm off to check up on all y'all. Have a great day!

Quote

I have the Wild Words from Wild Women daily calendar sitting on my desk at work. I do not keep up to date on it. However, today I decided to get it up to date. It was still showing March 3rd. And, I thought I would share today's quote because I looked over and it struck me as funny.

"Just saying 'no' prevents teenage pregnancy the way 'Have a nice day' cures chronic depression."
-Faye Wattleton, past president of Planned Parenthood

There was another awesome one that I read, I forgot the date, but I'm not sharing it yet. :) I'm holding it out for a book review I'll be posting as soon as I get the book.

Y'all have a fantastic day!

Wednesday Weigh In

Well, being completely and totally broke was good for one thing this week, I lost 2 pounds! I guess not eating out is a bigger thing than I had thought!
Ok, so I knew it was having an effect. I just didn't realize it was that much! Because that is the only thing I did different. I've been exercising just the same. Walking is almost all that I do. I'm doing a light strength training program, but nothing major. I'll be kicking that up in the next few weeks and doing more.
That 2 pounds this week was a nice thing though. It really makes me feel like I can accomplish my goals this year. I'm now three pounds down for the year with only 19 to go to hit my goal for the year. I still hope to blow it out of the water, but I want to keep things simple and achievable. And I do know that it will take effort and work on my part.
Well, even while I'm not doing a ton of commenting, I have been reading everyone's blogs. I promise I'm not ignoring you! Everyone seems to be doing fantastic. And now I'm off for something work or something.....

What a weekend!

I didn't accomplish ANYTHING.
I did go to my friend's graduation on Friday afternoon. He was one of the last to walk. It was cool though.

I spent the entire weekend in pain. My back had started bothering me on Thursday afternoon, and Friday evening and Saturday were awful. I just sat at home miserable. :)

Luckily it was a little better on Sunday. Josh and I visited with his parents. We bought his mom a rose bush for Mother's Day. We watched the USA movie marathon, or at least the first two movies. I had never actually seen The First Wife's Club. It's actually a pretty good movie.

I called and catched with my mom, but we're not visiting them until June. With Mother's Day and Father's Day being so close together she asked my sister and I to just come in between the two and us celebrate them at the same time. Fine by me. I can't really afford the gas anyway!

I'm happy to say that my back is doing better today, but it's still not 100%. It's bothering me a bit. But at least I can survive work. One of my coworkers is out sick today. Which really sucked this morning. We had a LOT of calls this morning. Between teachers entering grades and students wanting to see their grades we didn't have a break!

Well, y'all have a great week!

The Peril's of Work...

I've been a bit psyched lately because we had a new guy start at work. We've been seriously short handed since February, and short handed for a while before that. The guy had been working out pretty well. He was interested and able to talk about a lot of the stuff that is discussed in a helpdesk environment. IE, computers, video games, movies.
Well, while I was off work sick this Monday he apparently called in because his wife was sick and he had to carry her to the doctor. Then he didn't call in or show up Tuesday or Wednesday. My boss-type lady (I honestly don't know WHAT she really is...) finally heard from him this morning and apparently he's quit since the wife is sick.
I hate that he had to quit because he was a great guy. It made lunch time in the office a lot better. And if he had to quit, why couldn't it have waited until NEXT week. I have to skip work for a graduation ceremony tomorrow afternoon, and we're even more short handed on Fridays than the rest of the week.
Oh well. I'll probably just be working by myself for an hour while the other two folks in the office eat lunch. Not like I haven't done that before. And who knows, maybe someone will volunteer to do lunch at MY usual lunchtime of 11am. (I was going to have one of the guys go at 12 since both of them went at 1.)

Now I wonder if I'm the only one going to graduation tomorrow. It's one of my friends FINALLY graduating, and I don't know if any of our other friends that work for the university are taking off to go or not. If it's just me that will still be cool, but a little lonely. Graduations are boring!

Wednesday Weigh In

I lost a half pound this past week. I'm feeling good about that, and hoping for another half pound this week. I know that's not much, but small goals to start with. I'm trying to turn everything back around!

Iron Man

I went with some friends to see Iron Man Saturday afternoon.
Awesome movie. Everyone should see it a couple of time!
I would say that this is the best comic book adaptation I have seen.

I also found this awesome post about the movie on Holly Black's livejournal that I thought I would share....

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Book Series I Collect (in no particular order)

1. The Cynster Novels by Stephanie Laurens

2. The Bastion Club by Stephanie Laurens

3. The Casebook of Barnaby Adair by Stephanie Laurens

4. The Gardella Chronicles by Colleen Gleason

5. The Dark Series by Christine Feehan

6. Ghost Walkers by Christine Feehan

7. The Drake Sisters by Christine Feehan

8. The Mercedes Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs

9. The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward

10. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

11. Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon

12. The Drakon Books by Shana Abe

13. The Merry Gentry Series by Laurell K. Hamilton