G'day all,

No posts to read either yesterday morning or this morning
Hope everyone is well.

Magnificent morning here this morning, you can tell spring is on the way.
DH is still in Melbourne, my visitors are gone again and I had a very quite night last night.
DD rang this morning to say she had the best night out with DH last night. Normally dh just overnights but he had to stay on and took dd and her dh out to a fancy restaurant.

Work is the same as usual, very little to do but I keep very busy doing stuff on my laptop
It looks like I might be finishing up at the end of the month. The department I work for is relocating to another building as a cost cutting excercise, I will be one of the costs cut
The office manager wants to take me with them to the new location but she is doubtful she can justify that.
I really will be very happy to finish up but if they want me to stay on a bit longer it will be hard to knock back that bit of extra spending money!
Hope we will still be leaving Sydney in October.

The chiropracter is starting to help me heaps, my back is getting much better but I am also sleeping much better. I have a general feeling of being well in myself. In this practice there is a nutritionist as well, I intend to go and see him and get his opinion as to what my body is missing and where I could improve with diet etc.

Have a great day all....
Cheers
Maria

Hi: I posted on the last thread. I think Maria and I must have started our posts at the same time but I took longer and didn't see she had started a new thread. Here it is:


Hi Everybody
Looks like everybody has been really busy...not many posts. Of course I can't remember anything from the previous threads, and can't see them now. We went to the lake over the long weekend and then yesterday drove out to see an Aunt and Uncle of mine who live in a small town about 3-1/2 hours (by car) away from us. It was their 64th Wedding Anniversary. My Uncle is 90 and my Aunt is 83. They live in lovely senior's Condo with a shopping mall right next door to them. DH had to make a business trip to one of the car dealers so I went along especially so I could see them. I really enjoyed my visit with them and I know they were pleased I had come. The only thing was, they didn't have their air conditioner turned on and it was so hot in there I thought I was going to die. It reminded me of the Seinfeld show where Elaine is with Jerry visiting his parents in Florida and they didn't even know how to turn the air conditioner on, because they never felt the need to and Elaine was dying from the heat. Going there and back in the same day was a really long trip but I am happy I went. We had a great time at the lake. Our grandkids were "tubing" and knee boarding along with other kids, so that is always fun to watch. On Sunday we had ton of King Crab Legs for supper (except DH, he had lobster) and were they ever good. Our grandson got sick from them almost immediately after eating them (that is the second time) so we are certain he is allergic to them. DIL says she will have him tested, but we all think he likely is. Fortunately his throat does not swell up or anything like that, just very sick to the stomach.....spending time with his poor little head over the toilet bowl.
Well that's all my news for now............

Slavika: Sounds like you had a great time! Poor Prince. Sounds like he is allergic to crab. My DH is allergic to alot of things, mushrooms, walnuts, melons. But he gets a severe throat swelling. Me i go thru the same as your grandson with certain beans. Its horrible. So I feel for the little prince. Hope he is all better now! I know you probably hugged him a thousand times. But heres a hug for him {{{{hugs}}}} Im sorry I missed your BD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!


Maria: Im suprised you are ready to let the job go. You have seemed to enjoy it so much. Glad the chiropracter is starting to help. Sleeping better is good! The nutritionist will give you some good ideas. Let us know what they say.

Well I went to the Dr today for my yearly thing. Asked lots of questions about giving up my pills (Estrogen). She told me it was up to me. Not to cut back or anything, just give them up. After all I have been reading, Im still a little scared, as I have been on them for ever. Lots of Pros and cons. But Im giving them up starting tomorrow.
I was really worried about the Calcium thing. But she said have a test next year and see how Im doing. As long as I keep taking what I am and exercising like I am, she says I should be fine. Time will tell.
She did say I would probably be a B@!T*! for a while. So if I dont post you know whats going on. Already warned DH. He ran for cover
to be seen at a later date


Wish me luck!

G'day all,

Yes it is that time of the week again Friday.

It is another glorious day here today and the weekend promises to be quite warm

LilyI am surprised I gave the impression that I enjoyed the job so much, I guess I did initially but as people left and there was less and less for me to do, it has become a bit of a chore. Mind you I am not complaining and it would have to have been the cushiest job I have ever had, with the best possible office views but it has also been quite challenging to keep occupied. I have done heaps of tutorials on my own laptop and have learnt such a lot but at times it has been quite lonely receiving about 5 phone calls in the day and very little other human contact other than of course the board here. It has been a nice little earner but it is high time to move on.
Good luck with the cessation of taking HRT, I am sure you will be fine. I think the knowledge of how it may effect you is a big thing, at least if the moodswings etc. return you will know you are not going crazy and it will only be a temporary thing. It must have been very difficult in the 'olden' days when women were much less informed than what we are today.

Slavika you painted a vivid picture of your trip visiting your aunt and uncle. How did everyone survive before airconditioning in cars and homes
Your day at the lake sounded great fun as well. One question, isn't the water in the lake incredibly cold to swim in?? I am assuming the water temperature stays fairly well constant throughout the year as our seawater does.

Two days ago DH and I decided to take a bit of a gamble and buy a substantial amount of Lucent Technologies shares. They are very low at the moment, the stock having dropped over 90 percent since January 2001. We figured it cannot drop much further and would have to start to pick up well..........news reports from Reuters this morning do not paint a very bright picure
There is little we can do now and who knows in 5 years time we will be bragging about our foresight

Have a great weekend all
Cheers
Maria

Hi Everybody
Maria no, our lake temperatures are not constant. In the winter they freeze right over and on some lakes you can put up "Fishing Sheds" to use when you go ice fishing. In the summer the lake temperatures are quite nice. Our lake is not a very large one, nor is it that deep, perhaps 20 feet in the deepest part. Lots of the lakes are much much larger and deeper and they also warm up very nicely in the summer months. Our lake is also stocked with fish, mostly a fish called Perch. They are very small but if you get enough of them, they sure make for a nice meal.
I think the hardest thing about owning any shares is watching them when they go down and hoping that they start back up. If you bought low, you might end up being very very pleased in a relatively short period of time.
Lily I am now officially off HRT, and I can't say that I have really noticed any big changes happening. I was hoping that my headaches would decrease, but I haven't noticed that either. Keep us informed as to how you are doing. I think Karen wanted to know how we would be without the medication. Glenda how are you making out with your new boss? I hope everything is going ok for you.
I had a nice surprise today. There at my door was a delivery man holding a beautiful floral arrangement for me. It was bright red carnations and white dasies. It was from the Aunt and Uncle I went to visit, thanking me for coming out to see them. Of course I phoned her as soon as the flowers arrived to thank her. I told her the flowers were certainly not necessary but that I really appreciated them. She said they just wanted to give me something so that I would know how much my visit meant to them. Ahhhh, what a couple of dears.

Slavika how nice of your aunt and uncle to send some you flowers. They sound so pretty and perky. I remember that Seinfeld show about the air conditioning. My next door neighbor is in her 80's and she doesn't have it either. It has finally cooled off after the sweltering heat that we have been having. It is so pleasant - like a fall day. The grass is all brown and burnt. At least it hasn't been growing and neither have the weeds. Maria are you planning on finding another job when this one is finished and you are wherever you are going to be? Glenda how is job going with the new boss? Have you straightened him out yet? Wonder where Ann is. Lily how is it going without the HRT? Is dh hiding? I have been working soy into my diet. I bought a soy smoothie thing and it is pretty good. I have had the soy burgers before and I like them. I like the flame grilled one. If you have the chance, go to Hawaii. I didn't win my fortune at the casino's over the weekend. But I hardly bet anything either. It amazes me to see what people put in those machines. All the boats here have started dockside gambling. You used to have to get on at certain times for a "cruise". If the boat went out you had to stay on till it docked. Now you can come and go as you please. They are so smokey that after a short time I hate it. We celebrated my youngest 31st birthday yesterday. Even better, he cooked for us. Time for a morning walk,

Maria: I know that feeling. When I first started where I am now. It was really boring. There wasnt a lot to do. Spent alot of time playing solitare on the computer. Didnt have internet access at the time. I got so bored I wont even open up solitare anymore. Then I got internet access and I spent my time learning how to make web papes and write HTML. But you can only do so much of that also! Now Im busy and kind of miss the free time I had. But it does make the day go faster thats for sure!
I agree with Slavika on owning shares. Its hard to watch them go up and down all the time. The way things are with Telecommunicatons right now it is scary. But Lucent has been around forever. Im sure it will pick up. DH owns stock in Intel and its at its all time low right now. But he sold some a while ago before it dropped and made quite abit. So just keep hanging in there!


Slavika: Glad to hear its going good for you being off HRT. There is hope for me! I really dont think I will have problems. So heres hoping! Wow what a nice suprise you got. I love flowers. And Carnations and Daisy's are so winderful! That was very sweet of them. Your visit really meant alot to them.

Peggy: DH isnt hiding yet. Its to soon to tell anyways. Sounds like you had a fun weekend. I cant put to much money in those things either. I also hate all the smoke in those places. They should really make them go outside. It gives me a horrible headache.

Later!

Hi: I'm not lost just having computer problems. Can't get online easily, freezes up, get booted off, and generally is a pain. I called the msn tech service and so far have talke with five differernt ones. Each has a different solution. HOpefully, things will get back to normal again. Tomorrow is weigh-in again and I sure hope it is better than last week. Don't worry about the HRT. I was on the patch for a long time, and then I was changed to Evista, good for Osteoporosis, and can't say that I have had any problems. So hang in there. Hope to write more on the morrow. Ann

Just want to say my weigh-in was much better. down 2 lbs. I now have to keep it on the downward trend.
I finally decided to have the eyelid reduction. Had a test to show that it was needed for vision, not for cosmetic reasons. (I'm tired or looking through my eyelashes): Going to have it done the 14th. Say a prayer that things go well-please.

Hape everyone has had a wonderful weekend. Ann

Ann: Congrats on the loss! Thats great! Sounds scary the eye lid reduction. But I hate anyone near my eyes. My thoughts will be with you on the 14th! Keep us posted! Is it and in out type thing or are you in the hospital for a day or so?

Been a lazy weekend here. Didnt sleep last night, have Insomnia again. Sure could use a nap but I dont think I will sleep. ALAS.

Later!

G'day everyone,

Nice to have a big read this morning

The most outstanding post would have to be Ann's down 2 lbs well done Ann. As far as your operation, I know of a few people that have had this surgery and it makes them look ten years younger, it also didn't seem to be that much of a major thing. Good luck on the 14th and look forward to hearing how you fared.

Slavika how nice of your aunt and uncle to send flowers. It is nice to get a token of appreciation. My friends that stayed recently send me a lovely 'Thank you' card, no need for it but it was a nice thoughtful gesture.

Peggy We will only be in Sydney another 5 weeks or so when I leave work so I won't be looking for other work. I told the agency if they have a day work here and there, I would be interested but will be giving full time work a miss for the last weeks that we are here.

Lily thanks for the vote of confidence in the shares! Very few people in Australia have heard of Lucent, so it is nice to hear from you that they have been around forever and all will be well eventually.....we hope. We would be in trouble if they went bankrupt but I would hope that is unlikely and perhaps in 5 years time things have turned around.
It is good to hear of someone who can relate to how I feel about this 'cushie' job, it definetly is much better to be busy.

We have had some incredibly warm weather (27 degrees) when it is still officially winter . We had breakfast at 6.30 this morning on our balcony, it was very pleasant.
With the finish of work looming here in Sydney, we are wondering where we will be in 6 months time. I am hoping to be home for a month or so before we go off somewhere again.
DH is having a meeting this morning about working in Mumbai (Bombay India), not too sure about going there. DH wasn't that keen on the place when he has been there on his own.
There never seems to be any certainty until we are actually on a plane going so I am trying to put it out of my head and just hope we will be home for 1 month or so.
Who knows they may tell us that 'it's been nice knowing you but it is now time to part company'

I also did my 'Dreamweaver' course, it was a great day and I met some interesting people. The course was well presented but boy it is not easy, I will be practicing what I learnt all this week before the final lesson next Saturday.

Have a great day/night all
Cheers
Maria

Good Morning,

• Maria, I can just imagine how you will relish a month in your home. I would so be looking forward to it. I hope your next assignment is to someplace that you both want to go. I don't think that I would like India. Enjoy your time off from working too. You can play with all your new skills.
• Lily, have you gotten any sleep? I never seem to have that problem, unless I have had a lot of caffeine before sleeping. I think you need that Hawaii vacation.
• Glenda must be working hard. Hope it is all going well with her job.
• Karen, what are you up to? I saw somewhere that there is some kind of WW bracelet that you can make to keep track of your points. Sounded sort of interesting.

Maria: Where are you taking the dreamweaver course? On line or in a class? Sure hope you get to go home for a month. Im sure you miss being in your own home. I know I would!

Peggy: There is a braclet that you can keep track of your points. I think right now its only in marketing areas to see how well it goes. Its not in my area. But I have heard about it. Yep I got some sleep. Actually over slept this motning. Didnt make my threadmill. But I did get to the gym. Just wanted to keep sleeping forever today

Well off to work we go

Have agreat day!

Hi Everybody
It seems that the days are going faster and faster all the time. I sure don't want to see summer end.
Our grandson's birthday is at the end of October and DH and I bought him a really great looking bike over the weekend. We bought the Princess one a couple of weeks ago (her birthday is at the end of the month). We gave her the one we bought before her birthday because she really was too big for her old bike. We had the kids over for dinner last night, just BBQ burgers and had some nice corn of the cob. A couple of weeks ago my friend's dil made some Cornmeal Muffins to go with our King Crab Legs dinner we had out at the lake. I really liked them so got the recipe from her. It was just a sort of basic cornmeal muffin recipe but I made them adding kernels off a cooked cob of corn and also I put in 1 cup of blueberries. I made them again today, and I really like them. I received the WW newsletter today and they gave a recipe for "Sweet corn cakes" which looks good too. I think I liked the muffins because the texture was different then the usual muffins I have been making. If you get a minute look up the WW recipe.
Glenda we haven't heard from you for awhile. Is everything going ok for you?
Ann way to go on the 2# loss. That is terrific.
Peggy any idea where you saw the WW bracelet? We probably will not get it in Canada for a long time if they are just "testing" it in some states.
Maria your life is never boring, that's for sure. I hope you do get a chance to spend some time at your own home before you head off to someplace else.
Karen have you seen the WW bracelets yet?? Are they trying them out in your part of the world?
Well gang, that's my news, talk to you all later.

G'day all,

Back to sort of winter here, it is cool, windy and rain has been forecasted.

Slavika your grandson will just love his bike. It brings back memories of my dd when she got her first new bike. We had given her presents(a book, a hanky, some crayons) inside the houes, and she very graciously thanked us for the presents but we were sure she was thinking all the time 'is that all'. We than told her to go and have a look under the pergola outside, well she just went crazy to see a brand spanking new blue bike waiting for her. The nice part is we captured it all on video and I will never tire of seeing her reaction.

Lily I am doing the Dreamweaver course in a classroom, 2 x 7 hrs. Next Saturday is the last one. Do you use Dreamweaver? I find Frontpage very easy but Dreamweaver a different story. I redid the tutorials at work again several times and will continue to do so this week so I will have it firmly in my head and can ask any questions on Saturday.

Glenda I hope that new boss is not wearing you down and we will soon see you post

I am all by myself today at work, everyone has gone to Canberra for some meeting. Should get lots of practice doing Dreamweaver

Cheers
Maria