I drank an energy drink (I REALLY need to start buying Zero Carb Rock Star in bulk), made an extra $150, put a little bit of make-up on, and re-styled my hair within the last few hours. I'm having a MUCH better day now!! What can I say, I'm easy to please

Wendalyn - hey! I've missed your presence Glad you had a great time in HAWAII and only gained 3 pounds on your vacation... that's awesome! And those three pounds will probably come off as quickly as they came on once you get back on plan.

DG - awesome that you went to the gym yesterday even though tired. I had the same deal going on... I didn't get much sleep the night before last and I was wondering how I would even make it through 30 minutes on the elliptical (yawn, yawn, unmotivated, yawn), but somehow, with the help of TV, it happened.

joyofsix Lisa - GIRL, you've had SEVEN kids. If you didn't have loose skin and/or stretch marks, you wouldn't be human. Why do you think celebrities seem to go directly to hotels after pregnancy? It's like as soon as they leave the OBGYN, it's time to visit the plastic surgeon!
Does Adeline's (pretty name, btw) hair still look like mine?

Tuesday, Tuesday, back to work. I feel like I haven't been at my desk for a year! I think I will go to the gym later and do a weights and core workout.

Shane, glad your day has perked up! Did anything in particular happen to bring on such a bad morning?

joyofsix, sounds like your house looks great. I LOVE Christmas decorations - the only thing I hate is when a light bulb burns out and a whole section of a string of lights is dark, and then you have to try every single bulb to figure out which one is out. I have a dark section in my outside lights right now.

evilwomaniamshe, sounds like a wonderful trip! Way to stay active.

DGAdDawg, I find it really hard to go to the gym when I'm tired. Way to go!

Susan, I forgot yesterday to say congratulations! A grandbaby, how exciting! ~1 1/2 months ago my foot started hurting, swelling and turning red in one spot, and I went to the dr. thinking I had a sports injury. The x-ray showed a sewing needle in my foot instead - I have no idea how or when it go there! I had it surgically removed last week. It's been frustrating b/c I haven't been able to work out very much, but now I'm almost good as new!

Megan, I just woke up on the wrong side of bed, I guess, because I didn't experience anything tragic! I got 5 hours of sleep last night, which is unfortunately typical for me on the week days. My blood sugar was sort of high, which caused my head to hurt. Then, it was FREEZING outside (I could see my breath in the air and my usual hoodie wasn't enough) but I was running too late to go back and get a jacket. If you didn't remember, I ride my bike to work every day.

Then, my hair looked TERRIBLE and I noticed I had three zits all at once on one spot of my face, in addition to huge dark circles under my eyes. I also had one of those days where nothing looked good on me. And I'm bloaty because I'm probably going to start my time of the month this week. I HATE that time of month! GRRR! I don't even need it, it's not like my girlfriend and I are going to reproduce together!

Then, I tried to take a little nap at work - I have a blanket at work because the guys in my office like the room to be SUPER COLD but everyone was TOO LOUD. Grrrrargh.

BUT my day improved because I found out I was meeting up with a web client. I finished creating a small database and got $150. I drank an energy drink before meeting him because I didn't want him to see me all groggy. I also re-styled my hair because I didn't want him to see me all ugly . I think my self esteem may be directly linked to my hair. And I covered up the zits. And now I'm happy again!

Like I said, I am easy to please.

Oooo Oooo! Another reason why I am having a GOOD day now:

I found out I'm on the interview list for the job I wanted most! The one with the AMAZING salary! Apparently, my typing scores blew everyone else out of the water. I guess 92 WPM at 100% accuracy will do that

Congratulations, Shane!

A grandbaby Susan! How wonderful!

Wishing Megan a speedy recovery. Guess you won't go barefoot much any more.

Welcome back Lessismore.

Lily - Gary's right, you sure have the stories. My favorite aunt once too me, you can't have good stories unless you have adventures. Your family's over run with them.

Baffled - when I first read that you "wanted to make an Ethiopian feast, but these friends are VERY anti-dog" all I could picture in my head was when I was in Vietnam and saw three dogs being roasted side by side on three spits and thinking to myself, "I didn't know that Ethiopian's ate dog also!" Until I realized that you meant your friends didn't like dogs as pets. Koreans also eat dogs, but I didn't see any on the menu when I was there.

Libby - 100 lbs is awesome! Here's to the new you!

Congrats Shane on making the interview cut.

Here's some old news - I had it all typed up over the weekend then lost our apartment internet connection, so I saved it in a DOC file.

Saturday night we went to our first holiday party and I behaved myself by eating only cut vegetables and hummus & pita. But I had cool ranch chips for breakfast (even though I don't like them, once I have one, I just can't stop) and a KitKat bar for lunch. Negative nutrition.

On the way home after 2 in the morning, driving on unfamiliar expressways in Queens and across bridges in Brooklyn only to have to fight with the cabs in the un-grided streets of lower Manhattan, I ended up misreading a sign for the Lincoln Tunnel and went down the wrong way on a one way street. I pulled over to the side and made DH drive with his one hand since I had just reached my tolerance level from being told how to drive for the past 3 months since he broke his collarbone.

He still can't drive on toll roads, which are the only way to get north or south in Jersey, or in other words from our apartment to our house or the apartment to the beach, but he can drive locally, or east or west, so he can drive from the beach to the house.

Tonight, if I'm feeling up to it, I might go into the city and do some dancing. There's an online sign up list an lots of people we know have signed up so I know I'll get asked to dance/can ask people to dance. There's still a few people that I'd be afraid to ask cause they're so good and I'm still such a novice in comparison.

Tomorrow, we'll head home and maybe go to our Wednesday night dance party even though DH will still have to sit it out. It's been 3 months for him and everyone has been asking about him.

Looking forward to a Christmas party and then a dance party both on Saturday night.

Weight's been good.

So true, so true, lol.

Congrats on making the interview cut Shane! I know you'll blow them out of the water.

A COLD day here. Wind chill making it feel like -15F Brrrrr. I'm staying in. Good thing I bring my lunch, eh? I do have to go out this afternoon to pick up my first CSA box - and I'm very excited about it. I'll have to leave it at work (so it doesn't freeze) while I go to a City Council meeting after work. That's the bad news of my day. It's a budget/capital projects meeting destined to last til at least 10 pm. And the department directors get to say nothing unless asked to answer questions. If we're lucky we'll get a chance to justify our requests.

Had what my DH calls a "place holder" workout last night. I went, it's done, but that's about it. Why is it that some days are great, and others, well, are not

I seem to do this same thing every Saturday. I think I've come to the realization that I either don't like an audience or I just can't run in the sun! Seriously~I run at 4:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and often feel like I could run forever. Saturday (and at the Turkey Trot 5k) I ran in the sun (although it is not necessarily that much warmer). My dog gets distracted by other runners/walkers/bikers and other dogs (of course) and I have to deal with him more, but I seem to lose stride so much easier and I give up and usually have a really horrible run.

Hi GALS ~ I am alive and maintaining just fine...keep going up or down 1 pound from 170 every day...miles are less due to work and church meetings.

I am reading the posts....all of you are in my prayers...shout out to THE NEW GRANDMA!!!...maybe the kids will name the baby Barry or Barie just for you....wink.

You may not get that....she will....

Shane, WTG on getting the job interview that you want.

Carolyn, your life seems a lot more exciting than mine. I wish I coud do all those dances that you do.

Yesterday Lacy and Shelbey decided they want to go to Fat Camp next summer. We researched them on the internet. They are pretty much out of our budget at $1000.00 each per week for 8 weeks. I think joining a gym would fit our budget much more nicely. Lacy came laughing into the living room last night to tell me that Shelbey had wrote to Oprah and explained that Lacy and herself are obese and want to go to Fat Camp and can't afford it . OMG, I could just see Oprah wanting to help them and then find out Shelbey is only about 20 lbs. overweight and Lacy isn't even overweight. Sometimes I swear I did not raise these kids. LOL.

I also made a half-hearted attempt on my treadmill tonite. I think watching The Biggest Loser was the only thing that spurred me to get off my butt and even attempt my walk.

Morning everyone!

Gary ... no they don't like that one. She said no to Maurice as well. Go figure.

All is calm, still and hopefully soon bright here. I think I might drive myself to work today.

Morning *YAWN!!!*

Nothing new to say here... just wanted to say hello

Mel - You are SO SO SO SO SO right that clean eating must be CRUCIAL! I practiced clean eating yesterday and was SHOCKED to see what just ONE DAY of clean eating does for my abs! HELLO four pack! THANK YOU for the kick in the pants

Yeah, Carolyn, I agree with Lily! You DO seem to have a pretty awesome, exciting life You're always going to all these parties and dances and gatherings... must be nice

Susan - wow... I actually know a guy named Maurice Gary. What a coincidence!

Lily - WTF FAT CAMP? That is usually for kids who are obese. I can't believe they wrote Oprah. That's a little... silly. I find it funny that they have a great weight loss role model and resource living right with them yet they refuse to ask you for help on doing anything about their own.

It snowed! I am trying to view this as a good thing, lol. The kids have a school delay so it is still quiet here right now. I'm thinking hot cocoa for breakast. Thank goodness for Swiss Miss 25 calorie.

Lily Have they been watching MTV again? I don't think fat camp sounds necessary.

Shane Glad today is better.

Susan Glad all is calm.

Allison I shudder to think what would happen if I ran in the dark with my bonehead puppy.

Gary Up and down a pound is better than just up.

I hear dh shoveling by the door so I'll go get him some coffee.

There is an MTV documentary called Fat Camp. In its soundtrack, there is a guitar riff from a song one of my bands played.

This, by the way, was BEFORE I got fat... otherwise, I might have gotten invited