That's why I don't foster. I would adopt everyone they gave me.

I do help out by spreading the word when a pet comes up that I think would suit someone I know. I have had some success with this, particularly when I was walking all the labs.

Dagmar

Shannon, no I'm nowhere near the fires. My son is kind of close to the one in Anaheim, and Michele is close to those in Napa. The Napa and Sonoma fires are absolutely devastating.

I am a foster failure (with the latest kitty). I doubt I could be a successful foster. I have a friend who fostered three kittens this past year. Her husband made her sign a contract that she wouldn't keep any of them!

Thursday morning at 161.6.

I'm in a two-day management training class all day today, with an earlier start and a later finish than usual. I'm on adrenaline today because of the constant interaction required.

I am near the fires, though praying that we aren't so close we'll have to evacuate. I spent some time yesterday thinking about what I'd take if I had to leave suddenly-- I decided my pets, my meds, my chargers and my car. It is super smoky here and the school is taking precautions, though not cancelling at this point. Tonight is the family night of the book fair and I've got food trucks coming-- we are going to contact them this morning and make sure they're still coming-- and try to move the eating part inside, rather than outside.

Shannon-- you are definitely an on or off person. I am too. 100%.

Michelle, I'm glad you are safe for now. The fires are terrifying. One good friend lost her house in Santa Rosa. Another friend from vet school lost her house and her equine clinic, she has nothing left.

Michele - glad to hear that you are safe right now. I very much hope that doesn't change.

My thoughts are with everyone affected by those terrible fires I live in the middle of ag land, surrounded by plowed fields and orchards, so the chance of a big fire is extremely small.

Birchie, I have not decided what to eat at the buffet. Generally I don't get bread (which is always the first item one passes in line). I can resist most of the desserts, but usually pick one favorite to have. There are plenty of salads and lean meats to choose from, but I have to admit a weakness for the butternut squash ravioli with cream sauce, and the green chili rellenos.

I'm putting a smiley face on my calendar for each day I stay under my calorie goal and reach my step goal. So far three smileys out of the last four days.

Hey folks, I have been slacking off on checking in here and slacking off on eating accordingly. Sigh. No real changes in weight at all. Time to focus more.

Your weight hasn't gone back up. Good thing right?

Dagmar

Thank you for the warm welcome back! I saw 158.0 on Saturday and had a run of 3 days in the "normal" weight category before I left again Tuesday. The new job is a good fit for me. As another one of those perfectionist types, it drives me a little nuts that I am not already an expert on everything I need to know. I am, however, enjoying the return of my drive to make things better and simpler. And the travel so far has been terrific! I visited a beautiful place called the Angel Fire Resort - and was treated to the views as I drove from Albuquerque to Angel Fire - 3 hours of amazing views. When your head's in the right spot, even a traffic jam is a good thing because it gives more time to look at things. Yes ... Andy Grammer is correct - it is "Good to Be Alive".

Becky!

Dagmar

Jessica, good observation by Dagmar. If your weight hasn't gone up, that's good!

Becky, so exciting!

Alice, somehow I hadn't realised that it was a buffet. Now it all makes sense! I'd have the salmon (probably without the cream sauce), the acorn squash (without the cranberry jam), the mixed greens salad (without the red onions or dressing) and definitely the Waldorf salad. Yum.

Michele, thinking of you near those fires. Terrible news, JayZeeJay, about your friends' houses and the clinic.

saef, how on earth do you go about finding a new therapist who will suit you?

Must go. Time for lunch.

Friday morning at 160.8. Another day of constant interaction in an all-day class. It's not beginning well. The instructor put dry spaghetti on the table and told us we are going to partner together and build something.

Saef, forgive me but this made me laugh out loud. I can understand this feeling, very well.

Becky, sounds like things are going well! It's great to be reminded what a gift our lives can be.

Jessica, I agree that maintaining can be a smaller form of victory. I had nearly three weeks of eating at a substantial calorie deficit, with plenty of exercise on top = no change in weight. I then had another few weeks of slack eating with too many carbs by far = no change in weight. I'll try to consider it a win, although the amount of energy/attention required for me to eat at a constant deficit does create disappointment when it doesn't pay off.

Saturday morning, at 159 exactly.

JZJ, yeah, you have to laugh. Our materials for building something in a team were 20 sticks of dried spaghetti, a roll of masking tape, string and a marshmallow. There's something called "The Marshmallow Challenge" which this was supposed to illustrate and yes, there's a TED talk about it. Here are the relevant buzzwords & concepts: Teaming, collaboration, creativity, project management, iterative design, the superiority of kindergartners.

I'm feeling pretty good on Saturday morning and hoping to hold onto this for a while.