HA! No, I have dogs & cats but don't do primates. I have had a few rushes too, but never an epidural : )

Tattoo pain: Honestly? For me it felt like someone taking an exacto knife to my back. My other friends swear it doesn't really hurt. I will say this: after about 20 minutes of it, I kind of just zoned out- not that it didn't still hurt, but it wasn't too bad. The bottom line is, if you really want one, you'll do it and gloat about how much of a trooper you are getting through the pain!

Going for a walk to get some exercise in this morning. Snowing, but if I keep using the weather as anexcuse I will never leave. I live in the Maritimes where the weather is very unpredictable so I need to get a move on. Hugs to everyone. To those keeping track, still smoke free and loving it.Two months, two weeks, six days, 19 hours, 54 minutes and 20 seconds. 808 cigarettes not smoked, saving $323.32. Life saved: 2 days, 19 hours, 20 minutes.

Dear wantto -- (love your name) -- BIG congrats on giving up smoking!! My older sister smokes, and since our parents and our brother died a few years ago she has become even more precious to me. I so wish that she would quit, but I hear it's reeeeaaally hard. You go!! Props for braving the weather too : )
anita

... serious pain

hi chicas

woke up this morning doubled over with the same--turns out i've got a v nasty UTI and will be on antiobiotics for the next 2 weeks.
suppose that might wreak havoc w/my diet becuase i feel way too and loopy to prepare and cook. ugh

tgif to the rest of u, enjoy ur weekends!

Yuck! I'm sending good thoughts your way, Jandaman. Hope you feel better soon. Liquids and rest, liquids and rest....

Jada - :hug" get better hon!!!!

Jandaman - feel better!

Well, it does hurt. But if you're REALLY bad with pain, you can get skin-numbing cream stuff to help you. I'm a bit of a wuss myself, and since my tattoo was my first tattoo the artist recommended I buy some of the stuff, and she slathered it onto my back to numb it. Worked a treat.

For the first hour.

The other five hours, though? Not so much with the numbness. (It was a six hour sitting with a 5 minute break in the middle.) But you know, it was fine. Sure, it's not madly comfortable, but pain is always much less painful/scary when you know what it is and why it is, you know? And as soon as the needle moves on, the place that was uncomfortable feels fine - like getting your ears pierced.

But I think it's a YMMV thing too - before I got mine done I was always asking people how much their tattoos had hurt, trying to gauge it, and answers ranged from 'not at all' to 'worse than childbirth'. !!!

But the discomfort is short-lived, and then you have a lovely tattoo!

I'm havign a BLAH day.. I didn't sleep well - so I'm going to try to catch a nap here in a little bit. I'm waiting for Jor (BF) to get up so that DD and I can take one together - otherwise she won't let me sleep.

I'm feeling bad about $ right now - it's stressing me out. I'm BROKE - I mean I get paid on Monday, but I haven't been like this in over a year! I know the reason - I just bought a new car, and all the little expenses to go with it cleaned me out Sorry - just frustrated...

Diet wise - everything's good... I actually made it on plan 5 days - and I'm working on today being the 6th.

I need a nap - I'm grumpy!

enygirl- I hear everything you're saying! I've managed to come down with bronchitis, and made my usual remedy last night which is a fatty vegetable and dumpling soup. Mistake. I had 3 big bowls and went to bed bloated. Today I'm so congested and coughing that I've barely eaten anything, so I'm going to try again and make another pot of much healthier stuff with loads more garlic and cayenne (I'm trying not to reach for over-the-counter meds to combat this, see if folk remedied work at all). Don't worry all, I get bronchitis like a dog gets fleas. Its over in a few days, and I'm exercising unless I start having breathing issues.

Is anyone else experiencing lottery fever? I've been picking up scratch-offs and lottery tickets for like 2 weeks for the first time since I became legal, and its fun! I have 4 draws by fluke, I asked the girl for one $3 ticket, and somehow got 3 $1 tickets. I got the one I wanted and just kept the others, couldn't hurt. But I've been feeling like something big is going to happen to me, big in a good way, so I started playing the lottery, lol.

broadabroad- I didn't use numbing cream, but after the first half hour or so I zoned out, too. Mainly, I was counting how many little drawn on hairs the giant cardboard scorpion had on its claw (I'm getting a cutesy butterfly done, and I lay down and look up and scream- big blue cardboard scorpion. WHY?!). The needle didn't hurt as much as having him stop periodically and wipe it off- felt like he rubbed all my nerves. I can't say anything about comparison to childbirth, but it wasn't the worse pain I'd ever felt.

I've had the BUSIEST week. Dear lord!

Its been a HORRIFIC diet week, and the one day I tried to cook healthy, I put salmon in the oven to bake for like 10 minutes and went to sit on the sofa and catch a break. Then I woke up to a nice smell of FLAMING salmon.

Aren't I the ?

I had to use a fire extinguisher again, and I was hoping I wouldn't have any accidents this year! But I guess I was to blame. I should've picked up Subway or something, but it was like 11, so they were closed. This week won't be busy at all. I have it off!

I tried to catch up with the posts, so please bare with me!!

I LOVE sunflower seed kernals. IDK why I didn't think of that!

I know exactly what your talking about. Those are YUMMMMMMMMY.

I know what you mean! However, being a teenager, I still get them anytime, it doesn't matter if it's close to TOM.

WOW!

Get better!!

I scratchers. I almost had an... erm... addiction. I was spending like $100 a day!

howdy chicas!

just a quickie, thanx for the well-wishes..pain has gone but the meds have left me durrrrr and super-loopy. hafta figure out how to teach in this mental state lotsa quiet/group work.

hope ur week starts out great! skim mocha lattes for everyone!

Hi All,

This is my intro to the Alternachicks and didn't want to start a new thread...

I am an expat living in Asia (Tokyo for 3 years and now Beijing - been here for 8 months). I am hoping to find some like-minded people on this forum to chat with occasionally...want to lose around 15 lbs.; but more importantly, want to make the gym a regular thing rather than a sporadic thing! I think I need someone to hash out neurotic issues with...I seem to have a disconnect between knowing what I should do and what I actually do.

Biggest obstacles I am facing here are food safety issues and air pollution! In Tokyo, I walked to do my errands, but here I would choke on smog - so I have to rely on the gym for ALL of my activity.

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

hi belleinasia, and welcome --
Boy, that disconnect b/t "should do" and "actually do" is true around the world!

okay, i had to come in for an early mtg and so didn't go to the gym (or even walk my dog) this morning, so i WILL go this evening -- so if i go, you go, okay?

Now that I've "said it" to someone I feel more committed!
take care of you and have a great day,
anita

Wantto, You deserve the biggest hug in the world for your commitment to quit smoking. That is so very hard, and you are kicking a*s at quitting smoking. I bet it feels so good to not smell like smoke and think about it all the time.

I hope you have a lot of supportive people around you telling you how great your life change is.

Bell, welcome. You will find so many supportive people on this site! Sorry to hear that the smog is making working out more difficult for you to incorporate into your routine.

Hope everyone has a great week!