Jessica~our office shares minutes. I have most everyone on a 250 minute per month allotment. My son tends to use one minute each month!!! Luckily his minutes go into the pool so the guys who use 400 minutes don't go over. In our group, we have 8 smart phones, 1 USB internet drive and about 10 regular phones. My only overages come from the chronic texters--you can't pool texts so sometimes I have to juggle who gets what in terms of text. I have some guys who just don't text at all and others that seem to do it constantly. I found out that one guy texts his friends while golfing...must do 100 in one game! Yikes!

allison - Happy Birthday! I still have another pound before I can call it halfway. Mighta been there with you if not for that Girlfriend's Weekend ... but that is the stuff of life and it happens. I can relate to the "screw it" mentality all too well. The difference between losing and maintaining just might come down to the frequency of SIMs (screw it moments) for me! Once a month = loss, once a week = maintain, once a day = 2009-2011 and +9 lbs.

Happy Birthday , Allison.
I looked at your profile, what great looking kids you have.

Happy, happy birthday, Allison!

I'm checking in from a mildew-smelling Travelodge room right near Mt. Airy Lodge casino in the Poconos. Other than the splendid weather, this trip is a bust. I went to look at an antique desk. I had an appointment set. I called ahead from an antique mall about 20 minutes ahead of the appointment to confirm, but did not reach anyone. I kept calling. When we got to the address, there was no one home. The owner's boyfriend was supposed to meet me and let me see the desk, and if I liked it enough, I planned to pay for it right away. But he wasn't there. The owner was furious at him. He called & apologized but we were miles away when he reached us. We'll try again tomorrow morning.

Other than the bluebirds hanging around the empty house, and the splendid warm weather, I don't much like the Poconos. The two antiques malls that we visited were crammed with junk and bric-a-brac. "Burn it all," I kept muttering to my mother. "Burn the whole damn place down." It's impossible that all of these things should find homes in this lifetime, and some of the dealers' booths looked like "Hoarders: The China and Glass Edition." They've overbought and have not sold much. Unsurprisingly, many had 20% off all merchandise, which means they probably just want back what they paid. Also, this Travelodge is quite horrible. And the dining options for the evening don't look good, unless I go into the casino itself, which I was trying to avoid.

Okay, it's one night, I'll try again to see the desk tomorrow, and then we're out of here.

saef, good luck with the desk. I take it you don't like casinos but usually they have excellent food just go for dinner. I am in the midst of Indian Casinos here in Northern Californis and Reno and Lake Tahoe are a short drive from here. I always have to laugh to myself when I go to Sacramento when I see the exits for Reno and Lake Tahoe. It makes me feel like I am on vacation.

That is such an old picture!! I need to update it!

We beat the storm and got in a full round of golf. We were a little concerned at first because it was really windy, but after the second hole, it cleared up and was calm, warm but cloudy. Once in the clubhouse for lunch (yes, burgers and fries--don't even want to try counting those calories!) it began to rain. DH and I hit the grocery store on the way home, put everything away once home and then went to the mall where I found a very cute dress (isn't it always the way, neither Macy's website or Ralph Lauren website have the dress! But this is very similar dress although the one I got is more white background with red, blue and yellow "flowers"). It'll look even better after I lose another 10 pounds!

Still in a holding pattern, still need my seat on the May Train.
If it becomes necessary to cancel my reservation you will be the first to know.

After yesterday's disastrous lunch, DH and I couldn't even think about dinner. Weight up only 1 pound this morning, for which I'm thankful.

Went back to Macy's today and got new shoes and a new purse! Yay!

The Travelodge had rust stains in the tub, a rust-ringed toilet with a pale pink 60s lid, no regular coffee, a broken refrigerator, a threadbare blanket and a really noisy heater/airconditioner unit. Not to mention the pinholes in the blackout curtain and the mildew smell. This was quite bad. Like, one of the most dismal motel rooms I've stayed in. But my mother dislikes paying much for a motel room, and it was close to the casino, and I was comfortable with the idea of my mother getting back to the motel after playing her beloved penny slot machines for much of the night.

I watched three episodes from the last season of "Madmen" on my laptop, woke up too early and had to sit in the bathroom on the floor eating breakfast to keep from waking my mother. Watched one-and-a-half more episodes.

Finally got to look at the desk. The guy who'd let the appointment slip his mind was really contrite and apologetic. I was hopeful. But what a disappointment. It was a slant-top desk, authentically old. A really nice piece, constructed of wide-plank, hand-planed cherry, made probably somewhere in southern Pennsylvania during the 1830s or 1840s. But someone gunked it up good. They botched their refinishing job by pouring some kind of varnish or shellac with the thickness and messiness and much of the ruddy color of candy apple syrup on the exterior and then all over the pale maple interior. After looking over the outside, I was disappointed, but then after opening it up, I said, right away, "I'm sorry, I can't make you an offer on this. Thank you for showing it to me."

So we drove home, after visiting my aunt near Scranton, and after stopping at an antique shop in Clarks Summit, and having a bad dinner at a diner in Binghamton. (The green beans were boiled to mush, the broiled bluefish was just okay.) No time to get to the gym and rain kept me from running outside.

I wish I could go back to Friday and re-do the whole weekend. What a bust.

Sorry the weekend was a bust Saef..... doesn't sound fun. And sorry the desk didn't pan out either.

Now that's one awful weekend, saef. I feel guilty since I just returned from one of those weekends when everything went right and, by the law of averages, hope I wasn't the person who caused yours, LOL.

With all my meals prepared from institutional kitchens, I stuck to my eating plan. Which meant skipping some rather yummy looking desserts with Maine blueberries and lots of pastry stuff. And skipped some hot cinnamon rolls at breakfast whose smell filled all space with that come-eat-me smell like Cinnabun at the malls. So, I'm still on the train.

Bill, I don't think I could have passed up the blueberries. But those Cinnabuns they sell at the mall, trust me they are not as good as they smell.
I am on the train, too.My weight is beginning to inch up, I hate it !

Well, well, well. Down three pounds from Friday morning. My inexplicable reward for 1) not exercising yesterday, 2) dining on mushy watery green beans and pungent bluefish at 4:30 PM on Sunday at a Greek diner in Binghamton, and 3) overstuffing myself on Saturday night at the Mt. Airy Casino buffet. I walked away from that buffet with my stomach hurting, a feeling I haven't had in a LONG time. True, this was mostly due to a big raw salad vegetable plate, then a hot plate crammed with cooked vegetables that I scavenged from the sides of the meat dishes, and that seemed to be garnish more than part of the meal. (These country buffets are sadly short on wholesomely cooked veggies.) But still ...

Just when I think I understand my body and weight, it throws me completely.

Ladies, our cycles are in sync
Running to my other clinic-
catch yous all lata!

KC - what cycles are you talking about, I wonder?

Please may I sit down? An out-of-the-blue hormonal event has just started (yes, 57 y.o.) and I worked out hard at the gymn this morning. I ask for two slices of toast and raspberry jam to be taken into consideration.

At least I know why I have been so terribly, terribly tired for the last few days.