Yeah, I always give Rob bug detail.

Just sweating out Saturday here in Brooklyn. Rented Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and a couple of other movies. Feeling a little low energy. We were going to do a day trip to a garden along the Hudson called wave hill, but I think I'm going to postpone that until next weekend.

Until tomorrow, chicas muy bonitas.

Hi, Ladies. I've had one lazy day in the recliner, and it's felt so good! I managed to catch a cold on our trip, so I'm snuffling and froggy...So much better to be home when you're sick.

We've been invited to stay at the house of a friend for the seven weeks Howie needs to be in Maryland for his surgery! She and her husband fenced in 1/4 acre of their yard (puppy-proofed, even) for their "granddogs", and they have two bedrooms in a wing of their house they never use. They have a fitness room with a treadmill and they both eat the American Heart Association diet, too. They're only 45 minutes from Johns Hopkins. It couldn't be more perfect. It's yet another "God thing". We feel so secure in the fact that He really is in control.

Now, on the other hand, we have not been in control with our eating, LOL. The days in Maryland and travel to and from, we were off plan. We didn't gorge ourselves, but we definitely were not on plan. It felt good to come home and get into our good routine again. I'm not weighing this week!

Great news! Well, it seems pretty reasonable that you'd fall off the wagon considering! I know that I feel relieved after a trip to get back on my program.

My gym is having a membership social type of thing this Thursday. I'm not sure if I'll go or not. One of those things that sounds good in theory, but in practice.... There's a guy that works there on Sunday mornings that looks and sounds just like Morgan Freeman, I wouldn't be surprised if they were related.

Today we took subway sandwiches and walked around the park. Finally a gorgeous day.

September is the big month here for what they call block parties. Neighbors get permits to block off a given street, then the families come out and share food and drink, sit on lawn chairs and watch their kids play together. For most blocks usually about 4 or 5 families participate, from what I can see. I think there's so many people in transition that it's hard to get a really involved neighborhood effort like that going.

I love the whole block party idea. Last summer, there was a community garage sale on our street and the next one down (each participant having the sale at his own residence), followed by a potluck at one neighbor's house. We couldn't make the potluck, but we had a garage sale that day. No event was held this year.

Our friends in Maryland tell us there's a YMCA in the town we'll be staying in. I e-mailed the YMCA membership director and asked if we can temporarily transfer our full membership to their facility. While Howie won't be able to use it, I can see where having that outlet will help me be a better caregiver to him. If we can't transfer it, we'll at least suspend our local one for those six or seven weeks.

Good (early) Monday morning, ladies!

Kimberley, I'm so glad things are working out for you guys. Of course, it sucks that you have to go through any of this at all, but at least all of the pieces are falling into place to make it all a little easier to deal with. It'll be so much better for your sanity (and your wallet!) to stay with friends after Howie's surgery.

Well, we spent Saturday with Jeff's father's side of his family. We went out to his aunt and uncle's house and arrived around 1pm and just hung out for a few hours talking to his dad (he lives in Florida, so Jeff doesn't get to see him much) and watching tv. Then we went to the hall around 4:30 to make sure everything was set for the party--his aunt and uncle were having a 20th wedding anniversary party, and over 100 guests were expected, so it was pretty much like a family reunion for their side. It was nice to meet so many people from Jeff's family (though I'll probably never see many of them again, as often Jeff even had to be introduced--lots of "oh my goodness, last time I saw you you were 'this tall!'"), but it was fun. We left semi-early (just after 10pm) since pretty much everyone there, with the exception of the few small children, was drunk. Jeff and I don't drink, so we actually had to drive his dad out to the store for creamer at one point since we were the only ones completely sober. Who knows how they all got home that night...

So, needless to say, I didn't do very well with food over the weekend. However, much to my surprise, I hopped on the scale this morning and am only up about 3 pounds, which should be no problem to get rid of over the next few days (especially since I am working at the restaurant tonight and tomorrow night). We ate out at restaurants a lot, but I have been making some better choices (not necessarily perfect, but at least better ). For instance, I have given up french fries, so I always get a baked potato or side salad or something like that instead. I also try to opt for grilled chicken instead of fried, and at Ruby Tuesday on Friday night, I had a bison burger instead of a regular hamburger (much less fat). I also sometimes used to get regular soda when we went out, but now it is strictly diet soda, light lemonade, or water. I figure why add extra calories in something that is so easy to control? If only I'd been so smart all along

Well, this coming weekend, I have to start packing! Moving day is now less than a month away. I start packing this weekend, then go to Virginia Beach to go wedding dress shopping with my sister next weekend, then pack the rest the following weekend, and move the weekend after that! And hopefully through all this, I won't have to be working at Ruby's at all, so I can just focus on the new part-time gig, packing, and keeping my sanity

Hey, Jill - good to see you. Glad you got to meet all the various and sundry relatives over the weekend. I went to a family reunion with Howie before we were married, so I can relate to being introduced to all the relatives who hadn't seen my honey since he was a snot-nose kid. LOL

I got the call from the hospital about 1:00am that my father had just passed away. Still, I don't feel much, but that's kind of the norm anymore when it comes to him. I did my grieving over the turbulent time a few years back when he'd re-established contact only to try and manipulate me to take his side on things and use me. When I wised up and cut off contact with him, that's when I did my grieving for what could have been -- his death now just seems to make that final. It's a weird, weird feeling.

That's a great idea about the Y, Kimberley. I know it always perks up my mood after I do a workout. It's a great outlet.

They're always have stoop sales here (our version of garage sales). I think there must be about 100 or so objects that just keep passing from one hand to another.

Jill, I amaze myself that I actually order salads at restaurants now. Definitely not every time though. (That's the rub!) At least I have in my mind to pick lower fat dishes rather than any ol' thing I may be craving, which is what I would have done in the past.

I really don't like Mondays. Anyway, the day's about half way through so I guess I'll survive!

No posts since early yesterday afternoon? Hope everyone is getting more rested and relaxed than I am!

I am at work. I have been at work for about 2 and a half hours already. I have done NOTHING work-related since I have been here. I think in the last 3 work days, I have successfully accomplished about 30 minutes of actual work. I just can't concentrate or focus on anything or more than like 30 seconds at a time--it's horrible! I keep thinking about my new part-time job (if it'll be too hard, if I'll make enough money, if I'll have time to do it all, if I won't get any assignments, if I'll be able to figure out my taxes as an independent contractor...), moving (when I'll pack, what to pack first, when we get the truck, how we'll manage to move everything with just the 2 of us, if we'll have internet hooked up in the new place right away--damn ComCast!--if we'll kill each other in the first week...), quitting Ruby's (missing the people, letting down the manager, giving up the steady flow of cold hard cash, having more free time at home to overeat...), weight loss (why I feel so hungry all the time even though I haven't really changed my eating habits, having to go to the gym, keeping up with things at TOPS...), the list goes on and on. My mind is racing, and I just can't get myself to think about whether or not there's supposed to be a comma in this sentence of a government document!

To top it all off, I have been having really weird dreams lately. Last night was a rough one--I was dreaming I was being raped. I have dreamt of being raped a couple of times in the past few months. I don't like it--it makes me wake up all stressed out and tired as if I hadn't actually slept at all, ya know? And a lot of my dreams (including last night) include being in a grocery store. I looked up "rape" and "grocery store" in a few dream dictionaries online, and rape is a symbol of feeling violated (duh), and a grocery store is a symbol of necessity, so I'm being violated by something that is a necessity I don't know...I just know it's really affecting the amount of good, normal rest I actually get, so even though I went to bed at about 9:30 last night and got up at 4:30 this morning, I feel dead tired!

Sorry to hear about your dad, Kimberley. It sounds like a tough thing to deal with, especially with everything else you and Howie have been going through...

I hear you, Jill re: the salads. They always seem to be the most expensive thing on the menu. I kinda figured it was because the salad fixings were more perishable so a restaurant has to buy more to make them fresh. Didn't want to believe it was just a scam... I worked, in college, at the university deli (the Bear's Lair, we were the Berkeley Bears, heh heh). I remember the manager used to use the stale bread to make bread pudding then charged something like $3 or $4 for the pudding. Yikes.

The rape dream feels like an anxiety issue (maybe you feel vulnerable and out of control, and like someone else is trying to take control of you), since you do seem to be feeling really anxious about all the changes going on. That's understandable, just moving or changing a job is anxiety producing. Both together is a lot to deal with.

When I'm feeling out of control I usually dream about water overcoming me. A large wave, a swimming pool, etc.

A technique I learned to deal with lots of different issues at the same time, is to mentally separate them. Don't think about them in a jumble. Like 1) you have your work, your career goals; 2) you have your friends at Rubys (make a mental plan to visit or stop by there, or keep up with the people you like by phone and/or email); 3) your physically moving (all of those details); 4) what it will be like to live with your boyfriend. Makes it much easier and less overwhelming to think about them separately.

Aimee, where art thou?? Miss your posts, girl!

Really kind of quiet here in NY. I got up extra early to go to the gym today, even saw the full moon as I was walking there! Sheesh, I'll probably collapse in about an hour. Luckily, work is slow today. I've got to catch up on filing.

Take it easy, chickies.

Goodmorning! I had a NICE sleep in yesterday morning, and managed to get some cleaning time in, and it's looking pretty decent in here, yay! My friend suprised me and we went for a 45 minute walk yesterday, it was nice to get out and talk with her. And hey, we were working off some calories too!

Kimberley - I'm glad you have a closing on your father, an ending helps. Things are falling right into place for Howie, thats great Although surgery is never fun, at least you have things set up in a nice way and don't have to stress and can focus on healing.

Jill - When I'm dealing with multiple things I write everything down, all of my concerns, worries, etc. I find even writing it all down helps, perhaps it's just getting it all out. Hopefully those dreams stop, they sound pretty scary. On the salad issue, when I go out I do get salads a lot of the time, I figure I'm paying for the experience of not cooking and can justify paying 8 bucks for a chef's salad seeing as I don't have to do dishes! Heck I'd pay MORE to not have to do dishes... heh.

Marge - hey lady! I was sitting here typing and noticed we weigh the same! Oh yah, I'm in denial about my scale this week... I seemed to have put on 1.5 pounds from my period! But my official weigh in isn't until Thursday... so keep those skinny fingers crossed for me!! Did you watch Oprah yesterday? I am excited for a new season, reruns of her and Dr Phil are driving me insane!

I've been realllly trying to eat tons of fruits and veggies to calm this stomach thing down, so far? It's working a little bit, last night I managed to sleep thru it, but the night before I had to resort to Pepto again, that stuff just can't be good for the body! I have to make up my mind if I'm going to try The Wild Rose detox, basically you are given a list of foods that are acid forming, alkaline forming and neutral and the idea is that you eat a certain balance of that and it'll balance that stomach. It's pretty hard, just restricting your foods and measuring stuff. So we'll see! I am meeting the new manager today, I'm a little scared, I had to go into work last night to check to see if payroll was emailed off... well the judgmental part of me noticed that the manager uses all caps when emailing and thinks she's not so bright. She must have gotten to her position for SOME reason, right? I'm going to go in with an open mind, push that judgmental part of me away! Shoo!

Oops! I'm supposed to be in the shower 10 minutes ago! I better run! Have a great day!

-Aimee

I know a couple people who e-mail and post on forums in caps because they're visually impaired and it's easier for them to see their typing that way. Looks to everyone else like they're shouting, LOL.

Jill, Marge is right -- you've got so many things going on in your life, it's no wonder your mind's reeling and you're having weird, stressful dreams! Shoot, the grocery store could just be a food-related setting. And the rape, if it's symbolic of violation, maybe could have to do with having your own "space" violated when you move in with someone else after being on your own. It's a big step, you know? Marge's idea of mentally compartmentalizing each subject is helpful, something I surely can use lately, too.

Marge, I've not been to the gym since catching this wonderful cold, but Howie's gone swimming each day since we've been home. My back and hips feel a little better today, so as soon as I'm not coughing my head off, I'm heading back there myself.

I've been playing around with the same couple of lbs, up and down, for the past couple of weeks. Grrr. I'm really, really ready to get out of the 60s.

My boss writes me emails sometimes in all caps. On the one hand, he has this block against technology and kind of falls apart when he has to do simple things on the computer. On the other, he has to have all the latest services and computer gadgets. He ends up crashing his computer and spending hours with phone technicians trying to fix it. And he keeps emailing me scanned documents that he saves as jpegs instead of pdf.

Ah, that hit a nerve with me!

The place down the street from us makes such good salads, spinach with walnuts and blue cheese; another one with pears and polenta croutons. A lot fancier than I would bother to make at home. Those are nice treats.

Well, gotta go prepare some legal docs. Take it easy, chicas muy bonita

Goodmorning! I got up at 8:30am... it was pretty hard.. I like to sleep in when I can! But my friend showed up and we headed to the track, and we walked around the little lake (took about 15 minutes each time around). And my friend even talked me into running part of it! Phew, it was a great workout.. now if we can keep it up, we'll be running the whole thing in no time! It feels good..

So I met the manager yesterday, she was a tiny bit odd! I was alittle shocked when I went in, she's bald.. like willingly bald. I just wasn't expecting that, and as I was talking to her it became clear that she's extremely educated. Still doesn't explain the CAPS! I suspect she's also got a block against technology, she was definitely a hunt-and-peck typer. She's definitely going to help me get to the top if I impress her, so I definitely appreciate that!

I've been watching this "Tyra" show lately... I'm not sure how I feel about it... I'm getting addicted tho! Today's show was really good, I missed most of it.. grr! hehe. I better go to work, talk to ya'll later!

-Aimee

They talked about Tyra's show on VH1's "The Best Week Ever" and from what I saw, it's not my cuppa tea.

Man, been feeling lazy and blue the last few days. I have zero motivation here, and I need to get my butt moving. I've had a cold and felt lousy, but now that I'm feeling better and my back's better, too, I need to exercise and start catching up on some stuff around the house. Not much to report today, just been kinda blah and layin' low. I did take a few photos of the yard this evening, first I've done in a while. Most is drying up and going to seed, preparing for winter.