missy--not trying to hog, promise! just creeping along through august jealous that i am not on holiday as everyone else seems to be. oh well, i'll talk to myself on this thing if i have to. like i said, i do much better when i post. ~cheers.
anita--i'm from north alabama and recently moved to the boston area. definitely ain't in kansas anymore.
ditto on the changing the way you think about food and hunger. my biggest obstacle is leaving behind "comfort foods" i.e. i had a bad day so that means i can eat a quart of ice cream and drink a 2 liter of dr. pepper to make it all better. tis gettin better. hard when you got someone in the house that still has the same bad habits. it's like you gotta have the will power of two.
Guiness is good for you?!? OMG, I'm so going to the likka stow after work.
So, any alternachicks up for a Samhain challenge? I do best with goals and the end of october is a "goal" month for me because thats when I'm heading to San Fran to see my man. I'd love to lose at least 16# by then. Any joiners? If there are we can start a thread.
good idea ghost! san fran to see your man, huh? that's got a nice ring to it. i need some inspiration and accountability for when class starts back cause that's when i tend to sit on me arse all the time (reading and studying of course) but have trouble making time for exercise.
*weighed 149.9 this morning, wondering if its gonna stick*
other than that just saying hello told you all i was posting everyday to remind myself to do this thang.
Glad to read how much everyone here likes Guinness... I work for the company that makes it!
Ollie, have you been through a real winter before? As someone who grew up just outside of NYC and has been living in Connecticut for a long time, I love the change of seasons. But I could understand how someone who's not used to the cold would suffer up here.
Last edited by LetsGoMets; 08-14-2008 at 10:09 AM.
"Real winters" can be a shock. I am a native Virginian who lived in Wi for several years. Brrr! I like seasons too -- LOOVE spring and fall -- but winter just shouldn't last that long.
anita
We sort of get a discount...that is to say, every quarter, we are reimbursed for whatever we've spent on our own products. The amount we get back varies by what level employee you are. At my level, we get $900 a year.
Back in "the day," I've heard it was standard to send employees on a tour of the Guinness brewery in Dublin. That practice came to an end a number of years ago - just way too expensive. I've only worked here 6 months but people still talk about it.
The Guinness people sit on the 5th floor and are a crazy group. They have a gigantic electronic ticker that counts down the days until St. Patrick's Day, which for Guinness, is a very important day on the fiscal calendar.
Our company makes many other premium brands but of course Guinness is one of the most famous and iconic.
Anyway, yes, it does seem that winter can go much longer than the other 3 seasons!! We got off easy last winter - it really wasn't too bad, my son only had 3 snow days. So we'll see what Mother Nature gives us this year. Hopefully, she won't go too nuts on us!
Glad to read how much everyone here likes Guinness... I work for the company that makes it!
Ollie, have you been through a real winter before? As someone who grew up just outside of NYC and has been living in Connecticut for a long time, I love the change of seasons. But I could understand how someone who's not used to the cold would suffer up here.
you work for Guinness? word.
the winter bit - ummm. i haven't seen snow in years and years. i'm kinda freakin out about what's to come as i feel totally unprepared. never have i ever shoveled snow or made a snowman that was bigger than 10 inches. i feel like i should be ducktaping my windows and buying batteries or something...is this why everyone is so pissy up here? cause they know what's coming in a couple months?
Lol @ Ollie, that would be the exact reason everybody is pissy! I live in ALASKA! And everybody is totally stressed about winter coming. Last year it was like 9 months of solid blizzard, just getting to my truck in the morning was a challenge never mind actually driving it to work. Hope that 149.9 changes for the better, I'd hate for your to get stuck there...lol!
Well, I don't work for Guinness directly, but for the company that owns them. Trust me, it's a fun place to work.
No one I know, with one exception, likes the winter. It's unbelievable. Everyone's grown up here and yet each year, they are shocked and horrified when the weather changes. And then come the months of pissing and moaning about it. Because clearly going from a heated home to a heated car to a heated office is "roughing it." It's really annoying to the likes of me, who does not really mind winter one way or the other. No, I don't like ice storms - they can be dangerous - and no, I don't like being uncomfortably cold. But...there's really no reason to be cold to the point of discomfort. That's why there are delicious sweaters to wear! That's why we have heat and fireplaces!
All I know is that from December to May, all I hear from my coworkers is how much they hate the cold. So when I politely suggest they move to a warmer climate, I'm greeted with a look that could kill. Move?? Leave their families?? Never!! So on goes the complaining, year in and year out. Last time I checked, we live in NEW ENGLAND, people...we WILL have some funky weather!! Still, it can be so beautiful and if we get even just some decent snowfalls (not enough to make day to day living rough), then we don't have to hear about water restrictions come summer.
Ollie, all I can advise is to BE PREPARED. Hey, we might get another winter like last year, in which nothing really happened. A few snowfalls here and there, which melted quickly. However, you should always have flashlights and candles (all year round, not just winter) - that's just practical. If you have a car, make sure you have decent tires. Wear the appropriate clothing (unlike one of my coworkers, who insists on wearing sleeveless shirts in the dead of winter, and then complains about being COLD). So much of it's common sense...you'll be fine!! And maybe you'll even find some beauty in it! If nothing else, it will make you appreciate spring just that much more.
Ghost, I lived in Nome for each of the solstices (that was enough for me!) What part of Alaska?
Seattle gets just wet and misssssserable winters. Cold dark and damp.
I think this year I might get a light box...
ghost - alaska! that's too cool (ha, i'm punny). that's def a place on my want to see list. i don't know what it is about people round these parts but definitely something is up the bum.
mets - thanks for the tips. fortunately, i sold my car before i came up here (these drivers are insane!) but i do need to invest in some good snow boots. and yes, i am sure we'll find beauty in it. can't wait to see how everything looks with that first white coating. i tend to appreciate all the seasons, even winter, but my fav is spring.
and down south it's the same in the summer. from may to september it's "howabout this heat" but it was kind of endearing. something to talk about with strangers in the grocery line. so far, up here we just get scowls in the grocery line.
Ollie, you have to bear in mind that hard core, old-time New Englanders are not a warm and fuzzy bunch. It's that gruff Yankee persona. Not that they can't be amazingly supportive and communal, but it's just a very different mind set. I used to know someone who lived in Vermont for a while. He found it very hard to gain acceptance, since he and his wife were considered "newcomers"...even though his wife was something like an 8th generation Vermonter.
Anyway, yes, a good pair of boots will hold you in good stead. It sounds corny, but if your neck and head are exposed, you'll feel chilled to the bone! I think what also gets people nuts is the lack of daylight. No one likes it to be dark by 4:15 p.m. I'm up at 5:15 a.m. and in the winter, I feel as if I rarely see daylight during the week.
People do get fired up for the first snowfall. I think it makes things more childlike, and I mean that in a good way. It can be so peaceful. We've been snowed in a few times (nothing too serious - not days or anything, just til our snowplow guy came and cleared us out; our driveway is a hill) and if you've got food in the house, a good fire going, and a good book - well, that can be pretty nice!
Last edited by LetsGoMets; 08-14-2008 at 03:57 PM.
