[BillBlueEyes]

I learned this: If I were a bird who flew non-stop for 90 hours on my northward migration, I'd lose 20% of my body weight in one night.

Now that's a reason to want wings, LOL.

With that fantasy behind me, my weight stayed the same all week due to studiously refusing cookies and pastries on some six occasions. The stuff is coming out of the factories in massive volumes and somebody gotta eat it. So it seems it's all being offered to me with the expectation that I'll do my share. All I can think of is Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times. Oh, Well.

[Mudpie]

Originally Posted by BillBlueEyes

I learned this: If I were a bird who flew non-stop for 90 hours on my northward migration, I'd lose 20% of my body weight in one night.

Now that's a reason to want wings, LOL.

With that fantasy behind me, my weight stayed the same all week due to studiously refusing cookies and pastries on some six occasions. The stuff is coming out of the factories in massive volumes and somebody gotta eat it. So it seems it's all being offered to me with the expectation that I'll do my share. All I can think of is Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times. Oh, Well.

Bill on turning down all of that baking! Aren't birds the most marvelous creatures? I keep wondering how such seemingly fragile creatures can be so tough and sustain themselves on such long flights.

My weekend was uneventful, except for looking at a gorgeous house that I can almost afford. That seems to be the norm. I can afford all the wrecks that need $100K reno but the nice newer houses that have been redone are not within my budget. I've only been at this a week so will soldier on until the middle of April when I have a difficult dog sit. Then I resume in May. I hope to have a place bought by the end of May.

My weight, which I'm not really focussed on right now, remains a constant 137. DH is LOSING - - and I think he's starting to feel a lot better about himself. He's also set up the weight bench and recumbent bike and is doing a session with each every second day.

Good week all!

Dagmar (trudging on)

[ICUwishing]

Bill, I'm guessing that if you were to ask a bird if he'd prefer a longer drive, but with rest stops and fast food, he'd probably be up for it. Great job on resisting the baked stuff. I never use the term "wasted food" when discussing factory-built semi-edibles; once it's paid for, they never give it another thought.

Dagmar, glad to hear that DH is discovering the joys of movement! Hang in there - the right house will come.

We had our walk-around on the siding with the project manager; I am pleased to report he'd documented more things wrong than DH and I did. Looks like the gutters are going to wait a while, as there is a substantial amount of siding material that has to be reordered and work done over/differently. I never would have guessed this would end up being a 6-month project! Good grief.

[saef]

We've already assembled quite a dawn chorus here, Bill, though it's mostly of overwintering birds. In the morning, on the way to the gym in the dark at 5:25 AM, I'm hearing them start to warm up, and it sounds like Carolina wrens, robins, mockingbirds, cardinals, and within the past few weeks, song sparrows, some of the other leaf-litter-feeding sparrows, and lots of blackbirds.

I'm in recovery from a weekend where I mostly ran from one thing to another. I saw a new musical, "Hands on a Hardbody," based on a documentary film about a Nissan dealership in Texas that ran an annual contest in the July heat, giving away a pickup truck to the person who could stand there holding their hand on it for the longest time. Think of the 1920s dance marathons and all the back stories of people in hard times who so badly want a vehicle that they'd willingly undergo that kind of test of endurance. I'm not the type who's into musicals -- in that sort of thing, I prefer stuff like Sondheim and "Cabaret" -- but I liked this and the American vernacular music used for the various songs, from country western to gospel to southern rock & etc.

I've got two days straight of management classes this week and am hoping they don't leave out bowls of candy like the last class.

Dagmar, I looked at apartments here for about eight months before finally putting in a purchase offer on this one. I also got discouraged a lot, and had to tell myself that I was under no obligation to the real estate agent, who seemed to be getting a little impatient with me. All I can tell you is that when I found the right apartment, I just knew it as I walked through it. I'd already made up a methodical little list with my top three apartments, and was pretty sure I'd put in a purchase offer on No. 1 on the list, so I went to see this one just because I felt I should, not because I thought it would measure up. Once I did the walk-through, I found that it had blown Nos. 1-3 right out of the water, so to speak. Anything else would have felt like "settling." This was finally the right one. So hang in there and wait. The right one is a visceral feeling: You're afraid to walk away for even a minute lest someone else get it away from you, that's how badly you want to hang onto it.

Becky, I love that "factory-built semi-edibles." Oh, how I love that. In fact, I'm going to think that next time I'm in the grocery store and get a whiff from the Entenmann's boxes and have a momentary fit of self-pity over the stuff I won't let myself eat. I'll remind myself that stuff is SOOO not worth eating and that I should just go sniff a bottle of vanilla extract for a minute and it will be almost the same experience, without the calories.

[alinnell]

We had a nice weekend. Saturday was filled with errands and chores that we've been neglecting. It felt good to get things done. Sunday started with golf--FIL got his best score ever--just 2 over par. I didn't do so well. It's such a mind game!

DS's car should soon be back from all the work needed after his accident. I'm SO glad we have AAA insurance! I was talking to our tire guy (who we've done business with for years). He said that AAA insists on new parts direct from the manufacturer of the car. Others insist that they get used parts. Also, there were some scratches on the under part of the bumper that AAA wanted to get fixed. They aren't even noticeable to the eye as they are UNDER the bumper. But it is now at the Bumper Clinic getting that done. They're so nice there--they're even fixing some scratches on his side mirror for free. They weren't from the accident. I had said that I'd pay for it separately but they said that what AAA had estimated for the bumper repair would cover this small thing, too.

Dagmar~I so do not look forward to when we need to downsize from this house! Not only deciding on what to buy (house vs condo) but where--there are so many areas that I just wouldn't like living after having lived in this fabulous neighborhood. But realistically we don't need this big of a house once DS leaves for college.

Oh, and I think he's going to go to Cal Poly Pomona. Turns out this girl in his class is going there and I think they're a little more than just friends! LOL

[Megan1982]

Hi all,

My weekend was filled with mostly social events and I once again felt I got little done around the house. This seems to be a constant with me. If I don't get cleaning done on the weekend, trying to find time during the week is impossible because after work I'd rather be out walking the dog, or making dinner, etc. I went to see a production of "Much Ado About Nothing" yesterday and it was great. Even my friend who hates Shakespeare enjoyed herself. They moved the setting to the 1920's and I'm not sure if that really added anything, but still, a great show. My car is still sick. BF put the new starter on and that's not the problem. We are so mistrustful of our local mechanics bc they've screwed up so much on both of our cars, and many friends cars, that he wants to take my car to the city to his friend's shop. It seems like such a long way but I'm so sick of getting lied to and having to pay twice to get the same work done locally. I miss when Neil's shop was nearby.

On Saturday night I had a dream that my old gym expanded and re-opened - not only open Saturdays but open all day Saturday and Sundays, had new equipment and more space, and I renewed my membership. Hmm... what does that mean? Probably that I miss being a gym rat!

Saef, I often wonder at musicals created from subjects that just don't seem to lend themselves to music, but then are really good. Who comes up with these ideas?

Alison, glad DS's car is almost done at the repair shop.

Dagmar, hang in there. This house hunting will be a slow process. That's normal.

Bill, good job resisting the baked goods. I too often envy the instincts of wild animals when it comes to food. Migration is just more important. Food is always in the forefront of my mind.

Have a good week everyone.

[traveling michele]

Allison-- glad ds made his decision. Cal Poly Pomona is near you, right? My dd almost went to Cal Poly SLO but decided against it. I find it fascinating that she (my dd) got in and your ds didn't but that was what I heard about SLO. It depends on what major you are applying into and the other applicants for that major. Your ds had way better grades than my dd and more AP classes for sure. My dd did very well on her ACT (not sure how your son did) and I think that helped her a lot.

Bill-- I don't think I want to fly for 90 hours straight-- that doesn't sound worth it.

My weekend was surprisingly good considering we worked on taxes all weekend (or dh did) and I went to a funeral. We still found time to go to bikram together yesterday (the owner conducted the class because he is short on instructors and it was AMAZING), out to breakfast yesterday, did some stuff together, and enjoyed our last weekend together for awhile. He leaves for China on Friday.

Dd (younger) comes home this weekend to go to Prom with a friend (??). It will be nice to see her but I'm not sure how much we'll see her. She was wanting to change her major to Art because her Art teacher is so impressed with her and we (hopefully) have talked her out of it. We want our girls to get degrees where they can actually get jobs.

Older dd leaves Houston today-- she went to San Antonio for the weekend to see her friend which was a good move for her-- hopefully she gets out of the in-laws house without too much drama. She got back there yesterday afternoon and immediately was told to take Owen for a walk-- she really isn't feeling welcome. Then my mom-in-law was trying to call her down for dinner and was calling her every name (Debbie, Kim) but her own. I wish my father-in-law would pull his head out of the sand. Dd was contemplating looking for teaching jobs in San Antonio but after visiting she said she would not want to live there so it was a good trip to focus her on where she wants to work.

Hello and good morning to everyone else!
I am going to be focused this week if it kills me. I was up to 130 after my cruise (from 123) and was up and down during the week only to see 130.8 on Saturday...ugh.... so I buckled down over the weekend and was 128 today. Not at all where I want to be but I was so afraid of gaining more over the weekend. I just want to get under 125 again for now (my red-line).

[alinnell]

Originally Posted by traveling michele

Allison-- glad ds made his decision. Cal Poly Pomona is near you, right? My dd almost went to Cal Poly SLO but decided against it. I find it fascinating that she (my dd) got in and your ds didn't but that was what I heard about SLO. It depends on what major you are applying into and the other applicants for that major. Your ds had way better grades than my dd and more AP classes for sure. My dd did very well on her ACT (not sure how your son did) and I think that helped her a lot.

Well, he hasn't decided for sure, but I think he's leaning toward Cal Poly Pomona. It is close inasmuch as it's not as far as Berkeley would have been! It's about a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive. And he did want to go to Cal Poly SLO but didn't get in. I don't think he did anything wonderful on his SAT tests, either. What major did your DD apply for? DS is going into computer science.

[traveling michele]

Originally Posted by alinnell

Well, he hasn't decided for sure, but I think he's leaning toward Cal Poly Pomona. It is close inasmuch as it's not as far as Berkeley would have been! It's about a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive. And he did want to go to Cal Poly SLO but didn't get in. I don't think he did anything wonderful on his SAT tests, either. What major did your DD apply for? DS is going into computer science.

She applied in Psychology. She wants (if she doesn't change her mind) to become a Speech Language Pathologist. Because they don't offer that major (Psychology was the closest), she decided to go to a college that offered her specific major. Good luck in his decision. I've never been to the Pomona campus but I've heard it's very nice.

[paperclippy]

Speaking of the impressive physical feats that birds accomplish, this one has always been very impressive to me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar-headed_Goose They actually have different adaptations in their red blood cells that allow them to fly at extremely high altitudes.

In more local bird news, I saw a bird in our yard that had a lovely pink breast. Google tells me it may have been a house finch. Other than that it's the usual robins, sparrows, and cardinals around here.

Dagmar, unless you're on a deadline, I'd say take your time to buy a house. I think if we hadn't had a set move-out date from our apartment we probably would have kept looking longer than we did before buying our house, but we basically had the option of renewing our lease for another whole year or moving out when it was up.

Megan, I hope you can get your car fixed soon!

Re: last week's thread about mani/pedis, I had my nails done for the first time when I was 20, and I've probably only gone maybe three times since then (one of which was for my wedding). I played violin and piano all though high school and college, in addition to typing a lot, so I like keeping my nails very short. Sometimes I'll slap on a coat of polish at home, and very occasionally have them done at a spa in conjunction with a massage or something, but I don't really like going to nail parlors for the same reasons others have already said. I'm terrible about keeping my nails up in any case -- once I put polish on it basically just gets chipped and flakes off, then I pick at it until my nails are a giant mess, then finally if I'm not too lazy I'll just remove it.

Our weather has gone from the 9 inches of snow a couple weeks ago to 70 degrees and lovely! We spent some time this weekend sitting on our back deck with Carter. He also appreciates having all the windows in the house open so he can sniff. I'm working from home today and Carter was very upset that the meter reader was coming through the neighborhood. He pretty much ran from window to window barking his head off with all his fur standing straight up for 20 minutes.

[ChrisMohr]

Hi friends,
I landed yesterday in New York. Today is the first rehearsal of my opera From the Realm of the Shadow. Vanity kept me away from all sweets, and I'm sure my first day in NY I lost weight. That is an achievement, as NY literally has my favorite food offerings in the world! My plan is to have another great diet day today, then treat myself a little tomorrow, feast without guilt on Thursday, and fly home on Friday! Wish me luck, this week is one of the biggest of my life.

[Megan1982]

Morning all,

Another day, another dollar. I'm just itching sitting in my office. The spring field season is just barely getting started - and I'm still spending too many days sitting in my office in my opinion. With the longer evening hours I've got lots more daylight to walk the dog, and it's starting to get warm enough that I want to wait a bit after work so she doesn't get too hot. My car is finally fixed! And we decided to just bypass that pesky switch connection so it didn't cost much.

Jessica, I can relate. With the season of open windows Emma can also hear more of what's going on in the neighborhood and is barking her head off. It's a territorial thing she only does at the house that I haven't been able to deter her of - she never barks on our walks or anyplace else, even when barked at. Glad you're getting some nice warm weather up there!

Michele, sorry your DD wasn't feeling welcome at your in-laws. I was just talking to a friend about her and her kids relationship w her in-laws, who speak rather harshly. "It's just the way they are" doesn't do much to soothe hurt feelings, does it?

ETA: Chris, I missed your post earlier. Good luck! How exciting for you!!!

Bird update from Florida: My office got another "injured loon" call yesterday, but someone else picked it up before we got there. This time of year we get quite a few, but these loons should be migrating out of here asap. They get weak and end up on land, and can't really take off because they're water birds, so they just kind of sit there helplessly. I keep my eye on the sand island where the terns nest every day on my commute, and finally saw a group of birds sitting on their spot yesterday, though they won't have nests down for another month. The American Oystercatchers are starting to lay their nests.

[Shannon in ATL]

My dad is coming up this Friday and is going to help me get my grandmother's cedar chest, which has been with my aunt since my grandmother died in 1997. My Aunt has moved to a smaller townhouse and is selling the office where the chest has been living, so she didn't have room for it anymore. She mentioned donating it and I jumped in and said I wanted it. I have no memory at all of what the outside looks like, but I remember the lid up and looking at things inside with my grandmother. Placing in cards and letters and newspaper articles, going through those same cards and letters and newspapers articles when she was gone. That can't be donated, jut can't. It will live at my house. My aunt has also offered me an antique steamer trunk and three wormwood side tables that she has no room for - the trunk is fantastic, I'm definitely getting it. I figure I'll get the tables and see if I can do something with them, otherwise I may look for someone who could use them. Wormwood is pretty hard to find now I think. I'm pretty excited about the cedar chest - it will need some refinishing, which is a little terrifying but I think I can do it.

[Shannon in ATL]

Originally Posted by ChrisMohr

Well in two weeks I have a diet challenge in NYC for a few days, but that will be the least of it! I'm an opera composer, and rehearsals for my opera "From The Realm Of The Shadow" begin April 9. I'll be there!!! Lots of dance elements in this work, so on the first day of rehearsal I will be surrounded by beautiful, lithe, 20-something New York dancers and actors. Vanity demands I look slim for them and what the hey I can use that for motivation to stay on focus with losing three more pounds by then! My opera has been out on Naxos Records since 2001 but never performed till now. Performances May 2-3 at Riverside Church at Broadway and 120th. I rescued a girl from a gang-rape when I was 19, and that was my introduction to the "Shadow," those parts of ourselves we don't want to look at. The opera begins in terrible violence and anguish and ends up in a field of love. Took 20 years to compose, then recorded with the National Symphony and Choir of Ukraine. You can find out more at www.fromtherealmoftheshadow.com. We're funding it through an Indie go-go campaign, hundreds of people donating $5-$10-$50+. It’s hard for me to ask, but I hope you’ll take a look at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/1s...-of-the-shadow. Maybe I'll see some of you in NY when we open the show?

Chris - is it better to donate through the main website for the opera and the donate tab or the indiegogo link?

[Mudpie]

Chris enjoy your time in NYC. Eat a couple of babkas from Zabar's for me.

Dagmar