Jacque, I am sorry that your friend passed away. Are you okay? We look forward to hearing from you on Monday. We will be thinking of you at this difficult time. Take care!

Jacque, I'm so, so sorry to hear your friend passed on. Our hearts are with you in this sad time. Feel comforted in knowing that your friend is no longer suffering and that she is surely looking on and feeling the love you gave her during her time here with us.

A quickie here. Must do some work I've been putting off and putting off. I am suffering from the massive quantities of beer I consumed last night. As usual, what was supposed to be a one-on-one to discuss work turned into an all-nighter when other co-workers showed up then dragged me to karaoke after the bar closed down. I had to stay home from work today and that is really no good. Ah well, it was pretty fun though it ended in kind of a mess, or that is, with me in kind of a mess emotionally. The past week has been tough and things came out with the beer. There's really no where to put sadness, is there? It just needs time to take the rough edges off it.

Crime girl, your horoscope for me was right on. Emotional rollercoaster is right! Upsetting extremes. I'll say! Uncannily on. Hmm, "stay in the middle of the road" ? This sounds a bit dangerous, like a good place to get run over! No, just joking, I think what you mean is to try to be open to change, right? I love these horoscopes. I hope you have fun thinking them up. You know, I was feeling good yesterday to start with, with that walk and all listening to some great ZZTop, then work started to wear on me, what with the place falling apart even more, and more of the guys on my desk being screwed over with their schedules and so. So the talk at the bar was pretty ugly, or rather, about the ugly things happening at the office. That kind of fuels the emotions along with the alcohol. Also, I hadn't eaten all that much during the day. Made a huge salad for lunch though. Yum. Part of the problem too is that I like one of the guys at work, but he has a girlfriend and is quite young. Just a oneway friendship thing that leaves me feeling dissatisfied and my pouty demanding 2-year-old in me comes out. God, do I need a life! Crime girl, you are doing great with the exercise. If it's tough for you then it's good. Don't look at the level and think it's low. If it's stretching your comfort zone just the right amount then it's perfect. By the way, I couldn't listen to the Laura Love song. My computer just won't play those clips and I've tried to download Realplayer but it won't work. I searched for the song on Limewire but they didn't have it. I'll keep trying. No, never heard of Michael Buble, but then I am very bad with names. Oh yes, rereading your horoscope for Friday for me about soaring at work. Yeah, well, the soaring was after work with the work buddies. Oh, God, I still can't think of it without feeling ill.

grasshopper -- hang in there, girl! I know how it feels to be locked into a situation that you are railing against. I am like that with exercise when I visit my father in the States. They don't move and it's out in the suburbs but there are no sidewalks. I have to make an effort to get out and walk and walk. I feel so caged. Last time, however, I was able to find a gym and work out. With the food too, when we go out to eat, it's hard to sometimes make good choices at the place they take me and yet I don't want to feel like I'm criticizing them. I hope you can get to Australia some day to see your father. It's an expensive place of the world to fly to. At least from here there aren't many cheap flights. What, by the way, is churches chicken? Ugh about the water, huh? and what is your grandmother doing washing dishes in clorox!?! I sure hope you survive this outing without getting too sick.

stormy -- thanks for being so sweet and saying you worry about me? Maybe I do seem like a flake, but I'm not really at all. I just feel things very deeply, good and bad, or should I say, sad, happy, angry the whole gamut. Deadlifts huh? Those are a real total body exercise and, yes, very easy to do wrong. I haven't been doing them but should. My favorite leg exercise is the squat. I am the queen of the squat and used to do reps at 130 kg (286 lbs). The guys at the gym always like to watch me though I haven't been going too heavy anymore. They always compliment me on my form. I see so many people doing them wrong as well and endangering their backs. Even the trainers don't know good form. I had to step in and fix the form of someone the other day, and the trainer was showing her! I can't stand to see them leaning forward and putting all that strain on their lower backs. Actually, I can't say I like doing squats, I mean any leg work is tough. I'd say the think I like training the most is my back and chest, least would be arms and shoulders, oh, and abs! I've been slowly building up again from that 4 months more or less of doing nothing last year. I have lost fat, though not weight and I see the approving looks from one of the trainers there, the 13-time national champion. He loves to see people progressing and is always so straightforward with his words that people joke about him and how they try to stay away from him when they're going through a slump. But, we all know he is right. It's just hard for us all to be such champions! Good luck on your exercise and eating. Your day sounds very full. You should be proud of all you do.

NBK -- no, don't stop talking about you and your guy. I'm joking when I say I'm jealous and besides it helps to hear couples having fun. I see so much of them not that I start to wonder why people are together at all and that is not good for me as I'm still aiming to find that one great guy out there for me! I'll try that orange juice thing. I never drink juice, except for an occasional apple or grape juice. Now, I think I'm getting a craving for just that! Am going to run out to the vending machine. This is the land of vending machines, by the way, you can buy anything in them, including some things I will not tell you about here! Speaking of great guys. Next week, I will be meeting and interpreting for one of the Japanese Olympic swimmers, Kosuke Kitajima. I think he won two golds in Athens. A guy at work started up a foreign sports journalists club and we had a vote for the top Japanese athlete of 2004 and the top foreign athlete competing and living here in Japan. The two guys I voted in were the winners. Kitajima got it for the Japanese athlete. And the Mongolian sumo wrestler Asashoryu got it for the foreigner. Anyhow, Kitajima is going to receive his award on Tuesday from us so he has agreed to give us a talk. Should be fun. Have you heard of him? I don't think your name, Tiffany, sounds like a stripper/crack addict/whore All I think of is Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's when I hear it so between her and the store itself the name sounds very elegant and classy to me. You should think the same! Here is the picture of you I have in my mind: http://www.imdb.com/gallery/mptv/130...th_key=0054698 Audrey Hepburn is very popular in Japan so I see a lot of her. You see it helps that I don't have these talk shows to listen to here.

*********

OK, gotta try to get some work done. KJK, where art thou?!!?

Hi everyone!
I have finally rolled out of bed and I am ready to start a brand new day. Yesterday was horrible- tough time at work, school struggles, and exhausted from a long week juggling my life. It all came out unfortunately in my eating and I ate a horrible lunch and a really bad dinner so I have probably blown it yet again for the week. Oh well- can't seem to get through 1 week without sabotagting myself. At least I worked out hard for 6 days last week.
Well- need to look ahead so..

Red- you are sounding better and better every day. Despite the obviously undesirable hangover I am glad you got out for a night and had some fun. This guy at work that you are interested in- how serious is the girlfriend?
Also- your interviews coming up sound really interesting. Is it you at your paper that gets to talk to the Olympic athletes?
To answer your question for LG- Church's is a chicken fast food joint kind of like Kentucy Fried Chicken although the food taste better. I think LG is a little frustrated because it is hard to eat healthy at Church's.
I am glad you are liking the horoscopes- I have been having a lot of fun writing them.
Michael Buble is a really great singer- you should check him out. Doesn't hurt that he is freaking hot too.
Laura Love is probably a little hard to find- she is definitely not mainstream. If I see a site that might have her I will let you know. You should really hear that song- it is a great song to put on when you need a laugh.

Red's horoscope of the day:
Alignment of your moons heralds change in your life. Today will bring happiness and joy around every corner. Don't be weary of your good fortune-Embrace life and welcome this shift torward the better.

Little grass- Glad you could drop on at your Grandma's. Have fun and relax. Don't worry too much about your food intake- you will get back on track. It sounds like when you can make smart choices- you do so what more can you ask of yourself.
As for the Clorox- my mom use to do that sometimes. It can be perfectly OK as long as she rinses the dishes really thoroughly. Maybe try to rerinse dishes while you are there- when you can.
Have a great time and try to jump on when you can.

Jacque- I am so sorry about your friend. I am glad you can get some needed support here. If I can do anything to help don't hestitate to ask. PM or email me and I will do anything I can. I will keep you and your friend in my prayers.

Alright well- I better go get some breakfast and workout with Maya. I have to study, get my house clean, run a thousand errands, and a million other things this weekend. Sigh- I can't wait to graduate!

Have a wonderful day everyone! kjk- where are you??? Michiemesh- are you out there?
More later-

Good morning!

Red, you lifted that much in squats. Wow!!! Was this with a barbell? That is crazy! My favorite body part to work is my abs. For some reason my abs come along quickly. My thighs are the worse to tone up. How is your working out coming along this week?

CG, you have a busy day today. Try to not get too stressed. I am so happy that this Xbox keeps you motivated.

Well I forgot to answer yesterday's what have I've been doing to move my butt question. My answer is the same as usual. Tae Bo, Pilates, weigh training, Boot Camp, elliptical, etc. I did not work out last Fri, Sat and Sunday b/c of school which was disappointing but I got over it and got back into the routine on Monday.

Today is cheat day. We are having lunch at this place called Fat Moes. The title says it all. One hamburger is like a heart attack on a plate. They have seasoned fries there which I love. Plus it is cheat day, right?

Good morning. I have forced myself to get up early to work on this article I must have done by tomorrow but so far, ugh, I'm just sitting at the computer playing around and now writing this. Why is it that I hate writing so much and yet proclaim to try to be making this my way of earning money? Well, I guess because I CAN do it. They say a lot of writers are like that. I don't know. I suppose too, work is just work and this story is absolutely nothing interesting, just some racing official who didn't say anything interesting and I have to try to make him sound interesting. Bureaucrats.

Today is weigh-in day but I am expecting nothing too good because of that beer night Friday night and know that will surely have thrown a wrench in things. Oh well, at least I am getting back on track.

****

Crime girl -- Thank you again for the horoscope. I don't know if I can deal with so much positive energy, so many positive thoughts! What are you doing to me, trying to make me feel good or something? Oh, crime girl, I am a hopeless romantic and have to always have someone in my life to hang my obsessions on so to speak. So this guy at work is really just that. I couldn't see us actually together or anything. He and his girlfriend sound very serious though I can't imagine why. I met her once and she was a freaking *****, like no Japanese I have ever met, the kind of come-down-heavy and hold-the-guy-captive type, and so many guys seem to think that's desirable it seems. I cannot fathom it. I think it comes from some throwback to their mothers or something. And it seems like all the guys I know are like that, they sound like they are being "kept in line" and I hate that. To me, it all has to be totally voluntary. If a guy doesn't want to be with me then I just let him go, no rules, no restrictions. Anyhow, maybe that takes a guy with a lot of self-understanding and discipline and there don't seem to be too many of them. Sigh. I can't even imagine what kind of guy would work with me. It seems I go after guys like a cat after a mouse, play with them and then just lose interest and walk away. And I do lose interest quickly. It would take quite an interesting mix to hold my interest. Another sigh. The talk with the Olympic swimmer is just interpreting. I have no idea what he'll talk about. I suppose it depends on the questions he's asked. Because I'm at a paper and have press credentials we can basically talk to anyone who agrees to talk. This thing is because of this club that a guy at work started up but really has nothing to do with the paper at all. And since he needs someone who speaks Japanese he always wants me to interpret but it's a lot of work and just volunteer. Still, since I have a soft spot for young guys with bodies to die for, I said I'd do it. Though you get very used to meeting all sorts of top people and celebrities the novelty wears off. Still, I like it for the fact that people like this are tops in what they do and I always like talking to them to see what makes them tick. Crime girl, you are doing utterly fantastic working out as much as you are. How can you say you've "probably blown it again" even if the weight doesn't drop. The exercise simply has to have a good effect. There is so much to this whole thing, some of it is not visible but things will be changing inside and that will make a difference later. As I said before, I consider exercise to be far more important than eating, although the eating will have to improve to see ultimate results. You are doing awesomely! Keep it up and don't get bummed out.

stormy -- have fun on your cheat day. Fat Moes sounds like an awful place to eat though! Please be careful. We don't want any heart attacks happening. Your exercise really has variety, something I maybe should try to incorporate into my own routine. Yes, those squats were at the rack with a barbell on my shoulders. I was really into powerlifting in a way, meaning I never got the fat off enough to call it bodybuilding though I did work my whole body. I had amazing thighs, like Olympic cyclists. It is fun too to walk over to the squat rack and ask a guy if we can share and then do the same weights as he is. These of course are only with weak guys or beginners. I always try to encourage them so usually I won't do this because it can be a real ego deflator for them. But, sometimes if there is some really arrogant guy who has no muscle but thinks he is hot and is making a lot of noise working out I will say to him something like, "wow, that really sounds like you're having a hard time even though you're going so light." That shuts them up like you wouldn't believe! As for working out, the night out took away some working out and yesterday was a loss as well. Today, because I've put off doing this article is going to be another loss as far as getting to the gym is concerned. I'm hoping to get in a ride though. Good luck with your exercise. You are so busy with work and school that it is very impressive that you are also able to fit in the exercise as much as you do.

Okay, guys, since it's Sunday morning here, here is my official weigh-in number. . .

73.4 kg (161.48), which is down 0.44 lbs from last week, but still up 1.32 lbs from starting weight on Jan. 2.


*******************



*******************


Well, like I said earlier, can't say I was expecting great things. Still, I have been doing so much more than I was and to have the weight sticking here is frustrating. I suppose it's the muscle but jeez, it's kind of pathetic, isn't it? How do people ever stay thin? I guess actually getting rid of fat stores is just really hard to do when you're already active. I should talk to sumo wrestlers and find out what they do when they retire and get small. Actually, not many do it seems but some do. I just wish that that starting weight on Jan. 2 hadn't been so low because it really looks like I have done nothing at all this month. I mean, I am still up from that weight. It seems very strange that I could have been so low then. Maybe I was dehydrated or something. Can't remember. And I always say, oh, yeah, maybe it's muscle but how much does muscle actually weigh and why wouldn't fat be burned off as well when I put it on, hopefully resulting in a drop in weight. I mean, how will I ever, ever, lose 30 lbs? It just doesn't seem possible at this rate? I don't know I am seriously being tried here. You know, it was like the other night in the karaoke box. I don't like karaoke because I can't sing but I was really trying to be a good sport and choose songs. I must have looked up eight songs and keyed them in but not one of them came up. It was freaky. I was doing everything everyone else was doing. I watched them. I saw how the numbers were keyed in and I kept trying. Then I just gave up. The guy I like was telling me to choose songs and I said I had but nothing came up and he kept encouraging me to try again and try again but you know, I was just so discouraged, so sick of trying, truly trying and not seeing results. It was so reminiscent of my life these days, stuck, I AM changing things but nothing seems to work. It's not fair. I don't know how to lose weight. Really don't maybe.

Heh guys. I'm back from riding, trying to work on this story. Where is everyone?! Sorry about my last posts. Was just bummed. But I'm going to keep at it. Try tweaking things more and just trying to be more consistent. Too, maybe today was a "high day" Really, tired. It was very windy and the horse freaked out a few times. Puts my gut in a knot and my nerves. But I stayed ON! It was freezin cold.

Hope someone writes soon.

Good morning!
Here is the link to the new thread...
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...072#post766072
Enjoy!