HOME HAPPY!!!! WE MISSED YOU OF COURSE!! GLAD YOU'RE BACK SAFE AND SOUND. I CAN IMAGINE THE BODY REBELLING. HOPE YOU GET BACK TO "SORTS" SOON!

I BELIEVE MISS RUTH'S BIRTHDAY IS THE 10TH BUT SHE IS HIDING IT ON HER PROFILE

IT IS JUST AMAZING WHAT SOME FRESH AIR AND SHUNSHINE CAN DO FOR A PERSON THE WEATHER IS GORGEOUS. WINDOWS ARE OPEN AND I DID SOME DUSTING AND HOOVERING JUST LIKE SPRING CLEANING!!!
IT'S LIKE BEING ON SPRING VACATION!!
I HOPE THE SUN IS SHINING FOR ALL THE WORLDLY CHICKS!

Mel, how lovely to see you feeling better. Even your avatar is jumping about like a mad woman! (I confess the last one also reminded me of M&M's, but then maybe right now everything would...) I was feeling so bad for you, what with the tooth and your poor friend and that annoying cloud hovering over you all the time. Let's hope it was just a hang-over from 2007, and is now gone for good.

Madcat, you've got a new avatar too! Maybe I should change mine as well, since the 'horrible snow cat' doesn't really like being in all the rain and snowmelt puddles we've got along with the weirdly warm weather! And speaking of cats, my blue boy is much better since his Depo shot last week, the sores where he had licked through the skin are drying, and he's much calmer. From previous experience, this will last a few weeks before the licking starts again, and that's when I may bite the bullet and send him to his new outdoors home.

Happy, I wondered if you'd get to a Cirque du Soleil performance. I've always wanted to see one, but haven't yet. Too bad about the table minimums increasing, it spoils the fun for recreational gamblers. Take care of that out-of-sorts feeling - you don't want to lose the benefits of your Vegas getaway!

Shad, you were right about my laptop! The tech came to get it this morning, and just called to tell me all is fine, and I really must avoid those illegal shut downs... All the files are safe, and he's just going to tidy it up a bit and bring it back in the next day or two. Such a relief!
If you get the at-home contract, will it be a nice long one? Sure hope it works out!

Painter, nice to see you dropping in again, and sorry to hear about your fiend. I'm not much good at the individual messages either, what with no short-term memory and poor typing skills, but I do try when I have enough time.

Ceejay, I know what you mean - weekends are never long enough!

1day, Shy, keep up the good work with the exercise!

Last night was one heck of a demanding spin class! Quite exhilarating, actually! In fact this week has been a pretty good start to the year. FitDay does help with the food control, although there have been a couple of minor food porn incidents. And there's been some kind of exercise every day since the back spasm left. My spare room is crammed with the rebounder and the Gazelle, barely room to get from the door to the window, and I've actually used them!! Considering joining WW and gym, but because of putting my budget on a diet have decided to do things gradually for once instead of paying for stuff I'll never use.
Ten more days before it's back to work. This semi-retirement stuff is great!

CARLA...LET ME TELL YOU SISTER, I WAS BEGINNING TO WORRY ABOUT ME TOO! BUT SOMEHOW I AM BACK TO BEING MEL AGAIN. MY MOODS SEEM TO COME AND GO SO QUICKLY 'ROUND HERE! GLAD YOU GOT IN THE EXERCISE AND THE LAPTOP IS SAVED FROM A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH.(OR BEING THROWN UP AGAINST THE NEAREST WALL/OR OUT THE NEAREST WINDOW) GOOD FOR THE TECHIE!!!
THEY ARE A BREED THAT STANDS ALONE!!! GOTTA LOVE A MAN WITH ELECTONIC KNOWLEDGE!! GIVES ME HOPE THAT SOME MEN ACTUALLY READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUALS!! YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT DRESSING UP YOUR EXERCISE ROOM SOMEHOW AND MAKE IT MORE INVITING!! THEN MAYBE YOU WOULD SPEND SOME TIME IN THERE WITH ALL THAT LOVELY EQUIPTMENT!!!! LOL HOPE YOU ENJOY THE NEW WORK!!

I WAS BROWSING SOME 3FC FORUMS AND FOUND THIS WEBSITE POSTED ON ONE OF THE "YOU: ON A DIET" THREADS. HERE IS A SAMPLE OF BREAKFAST IDEAS FROM REALAGE.COM AND ALSO THE ADDIES
:
9 High-Energy Ways to Start the Day
Morning madness can make you feel like food is a time-luxury you can't afford. But research shows that breakfast eaters are slimmer and healthier than their coffee-only counterparts. One reason: People who start out empty are more likely to overeat later. Need something to eat almost anywhere? No problem. Fuel up with these 10 breakfasts -- they've got lots of fiber to control cravings, protein to trim appetite, and a dab of healthy fat to keep you full for hours.

Brown Bag
What to take along for the car, bus, or train: A stick of string cheese, a slice of whole-wheat bread, and a cup of seedless red grapes.
212 calories, 10 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 17 g sugar, 3 g fiber

Blender Bliss
Throw everything here into the blender and whip up a delicious smoothie: one small banana, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, 1/2 tablespoon honey, 1/2 tablespoon flaxseed oil.
357 calories, 15 g protein, 71 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 47 g sugar, 5 g fiber

Grab and Go
On even the craziest mornings, there's still time to prime your body with this fast-and-healthy food: a pear or apple, a handful of almonds, and seven low-fat Triscuits.
392 calories, 10 g protein, 54 g carbohydrate, 18 g fat, 18 g sugar, 12 g fiber

Desktop Parfait
Not ready to eat first thing? Take something for later. At home, alternate layers of low-fat vanilla yogurt (1 cup) with 1 cup sliced strawberries in a clear plastic container. Put 1/4 cup Grape Nuts cereal in a baggie and sprinkle on top when you get to work.
253 calories, 10 g protein, 53 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g fat, 28 g sugar, 7 g fiber

Morning Mini Meeting
Even if your meeting’s casual enough to eat while you work, think quiet food: half a peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread, a banana, and a half-pint carton of skim milk.
349 calories, 17 g protein, 50 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat, 28 g sugar, 6 g fiber

Before or After Workout
This simple homemade trail mix will get you going: 1 cup Cheerios, seven walnut halves, 2 tablespoons raisins, and a sliced medium apple.
317 calories, 5 g protein, 55 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 23 g sugar, 8 g fiber

Convenience Stop
Even mini-marts have some healthy options. Snag a low-fat yogurt, a small orange juice, and a single-serving box of whole-grain cereal.
316 calories, 11 g protein, 54 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat, 25 g sugar, 5 g fiber

Chill Chaser for Warmth
Get stick-to-your-ribs goodness by mixing 1 cup hot oatmeal with one diced apple, eight chopped pecan halves, and 1 cup skim milk.
365 calories, 14 g protein, 56 g carbohydrate, 10 g fat, 28 g sugar, 4 g fiber

The Drive-Through Dash
Not a first choice, but better than nada. At Dunkin' Donuts, get half of a wheat bagel (they're huge), a small OJ, and a half pint of 1% milk.
343 calories, 18 g protein, 70 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 24 g sugar, 2 g fiber

Slow Sundays
At last, there's time to savor the day -- and the meal. Start with half a grapefruit. Scramble a large egg with some sautéed veggies and crumbled turkey sausage. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat toast. Relax.
355 calories, 19 g protein, 39 g carbohydrate, 12 g fat, 12 g sugars, 6 g fiber

FOR THE BREAKFASTS ABOVE:
http://realage.typepad.com/food_bite...energy_wa.html

FOR THE REALAGE SITE:
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/recipe/

AND THE ADDIE FOR THE DOCTORS ideas from their book:
http://www.realage.com/ct/shape-up-s...you-on-a-diet/

This year is already turning out to be crappy.
There's Mel in a melancholy mood, and her tooth hurts and she is thinking of wearing a parcel - sorry Mel the box is not that big. Let's see if the lady was right - 10 working days and I posted it on Monday - so that means that somewhere around 21st of Jan, you should be wearing the box on your head or feet. Let's just see how good they really are.
Hope the tooth comes right soon. I'm told that the good baby food (in jars not tins) is very tasty these days (and probably low fat as well)

I am sorry to hear of the passing of both Mels and Painters friends. Specially since they both had forms of cancer - a disease that seems to be on the rise in many places these days. The number of young women presenting with breast cancer over here is staggering. It seems the age is dropping from around 52 to around 30.

Ceejay - is there ever a weekend that is long enough?? No matter how many days, we still want more.

Hi Patty - Happy new year to you. I hope you are ready for the big push this year.

Madcat - Thanks for the crossed fingers. Now you can uncross them and get on with peeling the potatoes or whatever. Very hard to do these common daily chores with fingers crossed. I am meeting with the director of the company on Friday. Still trying to find my c.v. DS2 is going to send it to me, but he has drama's of his own at the moment. Good friend tried to overdose last night. He will be okay. Apparently we (well DS2 anyway) has inherited the dog for the time being. Wonder what the cat will think about that. Have you tried changing the battery in the pedometer? Silly question but it happens. Otherwise go invest in a new ped.

Rennie - I would suggest that you lay off the squats and lunges and any leg presses for the foreseeable future. They put an awful strain on the legs. If you have a heated pool nearby then walking or runnin in water up to the top of the chest is very good exercise and one the physios suggest for knees and ankles. We put a huge amount of stress on these joints just by standing or kneeling on them.

Painter - Generally speaking I used the Go Advanced button which gives me the last fifteen or so entries and I work from that. Sometimes I just read through and make notes about what I am going to burble on about. Sometimes I just address a couple of people if I am in a rush and say to the others. It's all about timing and we just don't have the time to sit on the computer these days. If you want to use the smileys - you can print out the list and then just type in the code as you need it. Beats scrolling through the list and missing the one thing you wanted to find.

Happy - shame you didn't enjoy it as much as you thought you would. Okay - I wonder - are they trying to get rid of the little bloke because he causes more trouble or just costs more to cater to?? Seems that they will lose the bread and butter if they only cater to the high rollers - but then what do I know?? I hate those places.
Glad you enjoyed the Circque de Soleil. Sounds like a lot of fun. Beatles music??? Well well.

Okay - times gone again. I'm out of here. The natives are restless!!! and whinging. Better go see what they have to squawk about.

WOW! JOINING THE WEBSITE IS FREE AND THEY EVEN GIVE YOU A 20 MINUTE WORKOUT AND 2 WEEK PLAN FOR MEALS AND SHOPPING LIST. WHAT OTHER BOOK AUTHOR EVER DID THAT?? WISH BOB GREENE WOULD HAVE! HE MADE ENOUGH MONEY OFF HIS BOOKS AND OPRAH WINFREY!! MAYBE THESE 2 GUYS CAN HELP ME LOSE MY BELLY FAT!!! GOD KNOWS I HAVE TRIED FOR YEARS TO DELIVER THIS BABY!!

I guess i did the don't turn the page trick because I see Carla and Mel on the up and up again.

And I still better go because the natives are still restless and with no training today, they will be looking for something to do. Well they won't but I will be finding something for them to do!!!

Only 18 days until Shad's liftoff! Sorry to hear about DS2's friend. I hope he'll be okay both physically and mentally. And thanks for the tip about printing out the smilie page - it had never occurred to me, and so much better than just tossing in 'lol' all the time!

Madcat, I forgot to mention that I have two pedometers right now. One was like yours, undercounting my steps. I thought maybe it was because my coat was keeping it too still to count the steps. So I wore the other one at the same time, and got much more satisfying results. A little too satisfying - I finally checked it out and realized it was counting many, many more steps than I actually took. I'd be happy to send the generous one on to you if you'd like it... I'd like to get one of the kind you can just put in a pocket instead of wearing it on the waistband. In fact I saw one advertised (not sure if it's available in Canada yet) that's about the size and thickness of a credit card, and I really, really want it. Yes, I am a gadget junkie.

Mel, thanks for the breakfast suggestions. I do get a little tired of the same old latte and smoothie every day, but it tastes good and can be stretched over quite a long time. (I make them very thick.)

Gotta go. to all.

http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=104453

This is the Choice Magazine's (part of Australia's consumer watchdog) survey on pedometers and tests on pedometers. You may find it interesting.

Went to the doc and she looked at my knees. Said just strain on them, to make sure I am doing more of a cool down and more stretches wouldn't hurt either. They are feeling better everyday. I have switched around how many of things I do so I don't do so many at one time. Spent a few hours cleaning up the yard today since it was so nice out. Lots of bending and stretching nothing very hard on the knees. My body feels pretty good now.

Painter
The answer to that question would be not to have to do anymore 202 questionnaires lol.

Ruth
Happy birthday, don't want to forget you.

Happy
Glad you had a nice time.

Melody
I pop a couple of Tylenol once in a while but I am not a big pill taker. Pretty much the doc just said take it easy and go ahead and do the knee lifts and such just don't lift the knees so high until they aren't bothering me anymore. Hope you are feeling better. I love your avatar. It is so happy and upbeat. Baby food isn't so bad lol I had to eat just about nothing else for months at a time.

My gosh it was so beautiful over 67 today, that my yard looks like I did all the work that I usually do in the spring. Bet it makes getting the yard ready for mowing in the spring much easier.

Not sure whether Mel's avatar is from the acrobats at the Circque de Soleil or it is Mel in a happy mood getting in her exercise!

Thanks for the link to the ped tests, Shad. The one I have isn’t in the list but that may be because it is a local brand. It’s fairly new so I doubt it’s the battery. It’s wasn’t an expensive one so I’ll just do a bit more research an then pick up one that does see to work better. Funny, but just wearing it for a day (even at its inaccurate best) made me more aware of the walking I did in the day. And that’s a good thing.

Carla~ I love your horrible snow cat (or HSC as we will now refer to him). It always stuck me as a cat out of a Dali landscape. So interesting.

Welcome Back Happy~ Glad to hear that you had a great time. Vegas really is starting to go upscale again, no longer the grotty, cheap and cheerful den of sin of old. . The Cirque show sounds so great. Travelling is nice but it does take a toll on the system, doesn’t it? Be nice to yourself and reset for a new start.

Rennie~ I had a physio guy who told me that people with bad knees should never do squats unassisted. It’s too hard to keep your knees over your toes and way too easy to blow out a joint out. Of course he may have said that because I’m a klutz. Still, there are other exercises you can do. Your dr.’s advise about stretching is really good.

Mel~ Look at that dancing avatar! Makes me tired just looking at it. It’s amazing what a bit of warmer weather can do for the mood too. I feel a bit of “Spring” in my step too. Wow, this is a cool website you posted. Thank you, I’ve bookmarked it to look at in greater detail later.

Shad~ You’re right – I just can’t type with my fingers crossed. Consider them metaphorically crossed. Sorry about your DS’s friend. I hope he recovers and gets help if he needs it straighten out. Does the “tried to overdose” implies this could be a cry for help? If so, I hope he finds it.

K, today as a weight day and that went well and I did manage to walk home. There is still a bit too much crap food floating around the office though I have managed to avoid most of it. One of my friends brought in these odd Japanese tempura-battered seaweed snacks. I only had a couple – they were interesting but a bit spicy for me. I am still having stomach issues which is actually a GOOD thing since chocolate is one of the things that makes it worse so it makes it easy to avoid the boxes and boxes of chocolate.

Ok, I think it’s bedtime guys. Hope everyone has a lovely night.

Greetings...
Here I am up in the middle of the night... all excited because I did some painting. This art stuff is enervating... And I didn't eat since an early dinner.
If you want to answer 202+ questions the link is:
http://SNIfiles.com/docs/101Questions.doc

I'm surprised that the link works if you aren't "paid up" but it did for me.
Even though there's a lot of repetition in the questions, sometimes writing the same answer over and over really helps get it through my thick skull that somethings ARE priorities.

TTFN.

SHAD~ SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE FRIEND OF DS2. THE SAME JUST HAPPENED TO OUR MAINT. MAN JIMMY'S COUSIN. 28 YEARS OLD BUT HE DIDN'T MAKE IT. THE WEEK BEFORE, HIS OTHER COUSIN 38 DIED OF ALCOHOL COMPLICATIONS. SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF WASTED LIVES. I JUST WISH THEY WOULD ASK FOR HELP BEFORE THINGS GET SO OUT OF HAD AND DESPERATE FOR THEM. SAD. HOPE DS HAS A BRIGHTER WEEK. POOR KID HAS HAD A LOT THESE LAST FEW WEEKS. AS FOR YOU LITTLE LADY:
18 days
434 hours
26059 minutes
1563585 seconds FLY LITTLE SECONDS FLY!!!

CARLA~YPUR PEDOMETERS CRACKED ME UP. MAYBE YOU SHOULD WEAR BOTH AND TAKE THE DIFFERENCE AS THE AMOUNT OF STEPS WISH THEY MADE ONE FOR THE WHEELCHAIR!! THIS WEEK I HAVE HAD A LOT OF SMOOTHIES!!

SHY~ HOPE THE KNEES FEEL BETTER EVERY DAY. GOOD YOU WENT TO THE DOCTORS. MAYBE WE CAN START A NEW FAD....THE GERBER DIET....OR THE BEECHNUT DIET I AM NORMALLY NOT A PILL POPPER EITHER. STOMACH HATES PILLS. BUT MY ALEVE SEEMS TO KEEP ME GOING

MADCAT~ THE OFFICE IS STILL LOADED WITH JUNK AND IT JUST KEEPS POURING IN. I CAN SMELL THE SUGAR IN THE AIR!!! HOPE THE TUMMY FEELS BETTER. AND IT'S NICE TO BE ABALE TO READ YOUR TYOING NOW THE FINGERS ARE UNCROSSED!!

PAINTER~ THE PAGE FINALLY OPENED BUT IT ASKED ME FOR A NAME AND PASSWORD FIRST. I JUST CLOSED THAT LITTLE WINDOW AND THE PAGE FINALLY OPENED.
I'LL PRINT IT AND CHECK IT OUT. DIAL-UP IS A REAL PAIN TO LOAD STUFF. THANKS FOR THE LINK.

PINK SKY, PINK CLOUDS, EVERYTHING LOOKING AND FEELING VERY EERIE OUTSIDE. RED SKY IN THE MORNING IS A SAILOR'S WARNING! BUT WHAT ABOUT PURPLISH-PINK??? I WAS WATCHING THE CONSTRUCTION MEN AND THEY'RE ALL LOOKING AROUND UP IN THE AIR. I SEE IT RAINED AND AM WONDERING WHAT'S GOING ON. BUT I HAVE NO TIME TO PONDER THIS. THERE IS LOTS TO DO TODAY FOR THE DENTIST TOMORROW.... ANOTHER LONG DAY. SOMETIMES I WISH I HAD A VALET TO TAKE WITH ME OR A WELL-MUSCLED GOOD LOOKING MAN TO DO ALL THE LITTLE THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE LIFE EASIER. JEN USED TO COME WITH ME BUT SHE'S TO FRAGILE FOR THE "HEAVY" STUFF. THE HOSPITAL IS SUPPOSED TO ACCOMODATE ME BUT WHEN SHE WOULD COME THEY EXPECTED HER TO DO EVERYTHING. SO "SHE WHO TRAVELS ALONE" TRAVELS FASTEST. THE ATTENDANTS THERE DO THE EXTRAS AND IT GETS DONE FASTER.
I BETTER GET GOING. I'M IN ONE OF THOSE "SLO-MO" MOODS. HARD TO GET GOING TODAY.
HAPPY WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY AND HAVE A GREAT DAY

I MAY AS WELL SAY HELLO TO HAPPY CAUSE I AM SURE SHE IS NEARBY!!! HAVE YOU RECOVERED FROM ALL THE HOLIDAYS AND TRAVELING? I HOPE THIS WEEK WILL SEE YOU SETTLED DOWN MORE.