The challenge is to get exercise even though it is suddenly cool and rainy in the Boston area. Gotta remember that I own rain gear, and to also remember that Dagmar takes the dogs out in all weather.

My plan for the week is to continue to avoid the over sized snacks that have been my recent past. Nuts and dried fruit are easy to overdo since they're "good for me." Boy do they contain calories.

A quick "hello, maintainers" before heading back to my ongoing love affair with Quirk & Greenbaum, in the shape of 500 pages of grammar-filled gobbledygook. I must be a glutton for punishment, because while it's hard, I still find it interesting. Don't ask. I even make linguists' jokes at times. (Past and present walked into a bar. It was tense. Ha, ha. You can tell I'm also high on various medication that makes me giddy and silly and light-headed and other stuff. Can't wait until this is all over.)

Anyway. Hope you all have a good week. ^^

My 8 a.m. dog is away this week so I get some extra time this morning to catch up on my gardening. We have some sort of vine which is threatening to engulf the garage and is also trying to get inside the back door .

I am right on red line - not bad for a week of dog sitting with very limited cooking facilities.

I went to see an interesting ballet production yesterday - Hamlet. First act was terrible - "musical" accompaniment sounded like someone was torturing cats. I almost left but then decided to stay. I can endure 2 hours of almost anything. The second act was totally different and really entertaining, in a melancholic sort of way (everyone dies at the end). Very minimalist sets and everyone dressed in grey, brown, with Hamlet in black.

Boy those male dancers are fit, flexy, and cut. I did enjoy them . Particularly a lanky fellow with the moniker McGee Maddox (from Spartanburg SC).

Mudpie seems to be sickly. TMI and pretty gross what happened with her yesterday so she's off to the vet this week for some expensive tests. I hope it's something that can be treated without thousands of dollars. We just don't have the resources to spend that much, no matter how much we love her. SIGH.

Good Monday all!

Dagmar

I feel better about my pile of assignments after working through a good part of the weekend. On Saturday, I went antiquing with my mother, who then wanted to stop at an Indian casino in the area when we were finished. I sat at a corner table in a coffee shop within the casino, pulled out my laptop, and worked at rewriting several knotty paragraphs of Chinese English while my mother played the penny and nickel slots. And then on Sunday, I did a little more of the same work, then dipped into reviewing work by native English speakers. If I read Chinese English for long periods of time, I start becoming accustomed to it, and can't "hear" proper standard business English anymore, so I have to take breaks periodically.

I just realized I'll be downstate for a good part of the coming week, between visiting the apartment complex on the weekend and attending a two-day leadership skills seminar at my office on Monday and Tuesday. I'm a little afraid of the leadership class. You know, it's those exercises they make you do.

Good luck on your kitty, Dagmar. I heard that it is national hug your cat day today in the US, but I'm sure Mudpie would appreciate a hug regardless!

Didn't sleep too well last night but managed to get my workout in this morning--I'm kind of shaky from it still.

Off to work. Hoping it won't be too hot here. Just the opposite of you, Bill. I'd be thankful for some rain.

I'm in the process of coordinating my next trip--the Smooth Jazz Cruise in January. We're hoping to take my brother and sister-in-law along, but she isn't too big on cruises. I'm hoping the BIG names on the music line-up will entice her.

kery, my cousin is an English teacher, one time she failed a student who became quite irate, she demanded to know why she had been flunked, Jan told her that her she had missed too many classes and her grammar was poor. Student sreamed " I have not been absent too much and there is nothing wrong with my grammar." As she stormed to the door she screamed "and you are the most "shittiest" teacher I've ever had." So much for grammar !

Allison-- who will be on the cruise and where will you go? Sounds fun!

Very quick fly-by for me. I returned back from New York last night for my (gay) cousin's wedding. It was a great trip and I'm so glad I went. I came back to way too much to do and tons of stress though-- my house is a mess and we've had two huge AmEx bills in a row so we've got to rein it in! So I whirled around my house trying to clean it up at 11 pm-- changing sheets, mopping the floor, changing the cat litter, etc. Felt good to sleep in my bed, but I returned to tons of work at school.


So, hopefully I'll check back in later when my brain calms down.....

Oh, and I'm up three pounds so I need to get to the gym and back on plan. Zero exercise this weekend except running through airports-- especially Chicago-- that is a big airport!

2013 LINEUP
GEORGE BENSON
DAVID SANBORN
MARCUS MILLER
CANDY DULFER
BRIAN CULBERTSON
JONATHAN BUTLER
ALONZO BODDEN
RICK BRAUN
RICHARD ELLIOT
KEN FORD
JEFF GOLUB
BOB JAMES
BRIAN SIMPSON
ANGIE STONE
STEVE COLE
PAUL TAYLOR
LARRY BRAGGS
RAUL MIDÓN
DW3

I've heard of most of these people and have seen a handful in concert before. The cruise goes round-trip from Ft. Lauderdale to Cozumel, Belize and Key West (not a lot of stops so it's a lot of ship time to listen to the concerts).

Not a fan of this weather, but fun lies ahead. I had a really nice, relaxing weekend and am hoping the excitement of my new running sneakers will result in daily activity. Some friends signed up for the Color Me Rad 5K and one of them called me a "runner" which is funny/endearing to me because I am out of breath after two miles.

It's been a week with my new roommate and I love her dearly. She sings and plays banjo in her room and it's so, so comforting. I can't wait until she starts work at Dinosaur BBQ and brings home leftovers.

Going by the kitten-sized hairball Mud finally coughed up I think she will be OK now. Not a peep out of her after that and she's eaten her dinner, done the box thing, and all is quiet. For now

I think DH might actually be home by 7 p.m. tonite - first time in 6 weeks. I have gotten very used to having only animal company at dinner. Conversing with someone who answers back will be fun! I'm making food in the oven (couldn't do that at the dog sit) and salad and everything.

Good evening all!

Dagmar

That's funny, Saef. I sometimes notice that I use broken English- even if I don't need to! I think this is a symptom of colliding/merging languages and technology.

. . . but can be tied in to weight loss so here goes.

I was watching Oprah's "Lifeclass" last night - an epi about aging well. She kept mentioning using beauty as a "calling card" and considering what beautiful women do when the beauty fades. Having lost that "calling card" what do they use in its place?

I had an "aha moment" (Oprah again) while watching the show. It applied to my work though, rather than my physical appearance, as I have never been particularly physically attractive.

My "calling card" has been hard work, reliability, punctuality, going beyond what's required, etc.

To me it seems none of these things really matter much any more. So now I'm thinking about what I can replace them with.

As for weight loss Oprah (whose struggles with her weight are there for all to see in the media) said that when she is thinner people treat her differently. She said that in today's society being overweight is regarded as being not "quite up to standard".

Any thoughts on that maintainers?

Dagmar

Today is voting day in California. I do not use a mail in ballot, I still like to go to the polling place and cast my vote.

I always use a mail in ballot as I never know for sure if I will be home from work on voting day...sent mine off last week

ALLISON ~ Thanks for the kudos on my kitchen....

that Karma would look real nice in it!

Our company did the Fisker in Irvine a year and a half or so ago...

very small showroom...

but at those prices you don't have to sell very many!