Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Shad, unfortunately the websites for Subway and McDonalds only list the US Nutritional values for their foods. They probably can't do all the conversions and account for possibly different ingredients outside of the states. But if you want a peek to try and make sense of it...
You're right, the Cheesecake Factory serves their food literally on platters, at least 3 meals from one dinner. Many people complain here, make smaller portions and lower the prices. But it falls on deaf ears. It's good to hear your knee is doing a bit better, I really do think the stretching helps. I should talk, the pain is mostly gone in my foot and I have stopped my stretches too which is not good. I will do them tonight before bed though it's better to do them in the morning after a warm shower to have things limber.
Tomorrow I go to get my hair cut off. I really like longer hair on me but I'm finding so much of it on the floor lately that I have to accept that all this tugging and blow drying is stressing it too much. Will probably get it cut to my shoulders with maybe some layers to give it shape and a bit of fullness. My hairdresser is wonderful with thin, baby fine, totally straight hair like mine. Although I have been looking at the guys hair, it's cut so short now it looks like the shiny scalp look is coming into style. I have only had it short like yours Shad once is all of my life. Never again, it's just too limp for a very short style.
I used to have long almost waist length hair many moons ago. It took a lot of upkeep and was so thick that it took almost 2 days to dry naturally. Eventually I got to the point where I was screaming with rage and pain at the knots and tangles in it and the pointless winding on those huge rollers to straighten it out and the lack of sleep because of the rollers. I then took to it with a pair of scissors and it has progressively got shorter and shorter. It is still thick and wiry - unkind people have called it number 8 fencing wire.
Better day today as far as water goes. I even managed to stay away from a lot of the bad lunch food as well. It is very fortunate that they don't provide cheese platters for lunches here.
Sort of a slow bunch this time around. They are not slow because they are dumb, they are slow because they keep trying to anticipate the training material. Everyone considers their branch to be different from everyone else. However everyone asks the same questions in each session. Not much is new under the sun.
Better go sort out this bloke for another hour or so before I take myself off for a swim or a walk and some dinner.
Oh yesterday evening I tried for hours to access my isp to no avail.This morning it worked on try 3. I get so mad popping in and out of the 0nly to get the same error command!OOOH
Good news from this end...but don't get too excited!!I finally got in to our Boots plc and my usual weighing machine is back working and YEE HA! I have finally lost 1 lb and am 11st 7lbs.Not really much to celebrate when I had reached 11st exactly 6 or 7 weeks ago.But there, "1 is 1 and 1 is 1 and evermore shall be so!" Crumbs where on earth did that come from??The diabetes levels are largely all perfect in the morning so perhaps my metabolism has been kicked in to touch again...thank you to cyber freinds encouragement from the u.k. thread...
As for Holly she is fine but I am rather cross with her for not letting me know there was a dying of malnutrition and cirrhosis practically on my back doorstep!! Hee hee she was sulking with me yesterday evening ~cos I cut a few of her toenails before bed..oh the shame of it!...oh the indignity of being bundalled into a duvet so you can't escape! Oh what a load of fuss and nonsense about nothing!
that's all for now so,
bye bye
be good and hear from you soon
Oh good evening and a great big THANK YOU to Shad for her stunning photo album on webshots community.They are FANTASTIC and so far I have only seen the slide show of the England Tour 2003...(sounds just like cricket to me!!hee hee) Gosh I wish I had the patience and the talent to input all my photos like that....come to think of it, I wish my photos were even a smidgen as good as they are.Well done Shad and I can't wait to go through some more...oh by the way...just in case you are ever asked this question on Mastermind or the like....Bury St. Edmunds is spelt with an U not an O.... Typical English language makes simple things not so simple...leave it to us, if we can complicate something, we sure will!!!!
I have not told Holly of her portrait on the web ...I should worry too much that international fame would go straight to her head!!!
Night night from me...oh I suppose that should read "good day"!and its not long now till the weekend
Hi everyone. We've been busy the last two days with a Homecoming football game and 4 basketball games today with the girls. Since we've been home this afternoon I've been cleaning and cooking like crazy to get ready for company. My son has his first "date" tonight. He is taking a girl to the homecoming dance. Her parents are driving and chaperoning and they are all coming here for dessert before the dance. So...it's been a busy day and I think I'm more nervous than my son!
Hi all,
Haven't been able to log on since Friday, every time I tried on Friday I could get the message boards but not the journals. Yesterday I couldn't get on at all. Don't know what happened to the site yesterday. Maybe it was down unders day off or something.
Had a good weekend so far. Yesterday I lounged about the pool and then finally took myself off for a drive up to Lake Placid and the Barron River Gorge. Today I have been to the Crystal Cascades and to Lake Morris and the Copperlode Dam. Now I have been to the markets and got myself some fresh fish and fruit and veges so will have no excuse not to eat in this week. The Fresh markets are interesting to say the least. Most of the fruit and veg looked great. Some looked a bit wizened and wilted so I avoided those bits. Got some jumbo size free range eggs and they taste great too, and I got some mango and some bananas which are grown locally up here. The paw paw (papaya) were too huge and I would never have gotten through it before Thursday when I go home. Now I am about to go back to the Apartment and lounge around the pool with a book for the afternoon.
So that's my weekend.
Kim, good to hear from you. Hope the son's date goes okay. Daresay you have been telling him what to do and what not to do to keep the lady happy! I think it is a great idea to get the families together for dessert before they go. Sort of gets the party going with the folks as well. How old is this son??
Well best go and do my thing for the rest of the day. Maybe we will hear from the others later or during the week.
Well, the date went well. My son is 14 and the girl is 13. Neither he or the girl talked much at dessert, I think they were nervous! But we had a nice time visiting. They had a good time and were dressed up very nicely. They got there and found several of their friends dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts! My son said that the music wasn't too great as it was a teacher as the DJ and he played 70's & 80's music! I'd have liked that but I guess the kids of today don't like the "oldies".
I had a moment of talking to him about how to treat his date, but he wasn't too interested in hearing. He is definately at the stage where he thinks his parents are not too smart. I've been told that as he gets older we become a lot smarter! We'll see.
Shad, it sounds like you get to enjoy the fresh markets where you are. That is one of the things that my husband and I really miss from living in England. We really enjoyed the markets and the "community" feeling that they inspire. We also really miss the bakeries as american bread is nothing like what we had in Europe.
Well, everyone have a great day. I'm off to take my eldest daughter shopping as she's outgrown everything. I'm 5'3", pudgy and dark haired. God has a sense of humor...he gave me a 13 year old blonde daughter who is naturally long and lean. Most people don't believe she is my child as she towers over me and looks nothing like me! Later..........
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Hi everyone,
Sorry I didn't realize I've been doing more lurking than posting.
Well I've gone and done it. Cut 5 inches off my hair (it's shoulder length now) and had it tinted red with blond highlights. It's nothing outrageous, a nice soft color that brings out the color in my face and goes well with my eyes. Even DH likes it. Makes me feel a bit better about myself too. I just forgot how harsh the chemicals are and have been walking around with an itchy head for 3 days but that will ease up. Red hair takes alot of maintenance, don't know if I will keep up with this every 6 weeks, but we'll see.
Today is one of my favorite days of the year - Daylight Savings time ends and we turn the clocks back an hour so today is actually 25 hours long. You really notice that extra hour and it's nice to have it be earlier than it seems. Bad thing is that it now gets dark an hour earlier which limits my driving since I try not to drive at night - bad night vision.
It's getting progressively colder and grayer as winter is around the corner. They are talking about rain and snow flurries on Tuesday. We had a cool summer this year, hope that doesn't mean a snowy winter. The new furnace we put in this summer is working just fine keeping the house nice and toasty - no more hot and cold spots like before.
I'm still quite busy with school but we're at the half way point now, only 8 more weeks for this semester - can't wait for it to end.
Kim, it's interesting that you say your kids don't like the oldies. I've heard several people comment that their kids are listening to bands like Fleetwood Mac and Aerosmith and are surprised to find out that these people were "our" music. I like some of the music out today but not most of it - especially the rap and techno stuff kids listen to now. How much "fun" it must be for you to introduce your son to the dating world, especially as you say when you and your husband are pretty "dumb" in their eyes. I'm sure it's a challenge, just have to remember how we felt when we were young. I am so glad my mom put up with me!
Shad I am envious of your travels and fresh open markets of delicious foods. We're limited to farmers markets over the summer months and I'm sure it's nothing like the kinds of freshness and foods you're getting.
Well I'm off now to take care of the weekend chores, take care and hellos to Teel and the rest of our lurker friends.
Woohoo, do we get to see a picture of the red head with blonde tints????? Sounds great.
Kim, don't know about you but when I was 14 or so, my folks knew zip, zilch, zero about anything! My Mum was dumber than my Dad too. Then when I got to 21, it was amazing how much they had learnt!
Had a real blue at work this morning. So much so that I am considering handing in my resignation. I've never walked out on a contract before, so this could be a first. Mind you, I have not presented this course before so maybe panic has something to do with it. However the things that don't work are driving me insane. And it doesn't help with the confidence building in the students. Besides which, today I have the Regional Manager as well as a bunch of Branch Managers. It makes things even tougher as I stumble through the material. We will get there no doubt, but it won't be as my normal unflappable self. This last week has taken a lot out of me. I am constantly tired and life is just not as good as it should be. Normally I just love my job as you know and can take the rough (with a few jokes) along with the smooth. Now it begins to get at me easily.
Sorry I didn't mean for this to become a rant. as Teel would say.
Better go. Straighten out a few more messes during the lunch break.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Pictures, eh? You know how camera shy I am. But I'll see what I can do. DH went downtown again today and took more butterfly pictures. Got some new ones. He wore a brightly colored shirt and they were landing all over him.
Shad, I know that frustrated place you are at right now with the teaching. Happened to me too and if you are half as upset as I was, can understand the storming out part. I believe you are probably one of the best instructors they have ever seen, because you care about doing a good job (a rare commodity sadly). The powers that be don't care if they hand you a pile of trash and think you'll wave your magic wand and make a rose out of it. They don't have to stand there and smell the stink.
I find myself getting more short tempered too. For me, it's more the ever growing frustration of people not having the values of personal responsibility and accountability in general. I'm getting quite tired of being the only one who cares (or so it seems). Hard to fight that "can't beat them, join them" mentality.
For you it must be much harder. Not only do you have to deal with the frustrations of ill prepared materials, but add to it systems that don't work and the occasional lot of students who don't give a hoot. Being away from home as much as you are would wear thin on me also. I did it for one year back in 1985 and decided I could not continue my life in that manner.
I hope things get better for you and that this is just a blue moment which will pass. Can't tell you what to do since it's your life to decide. All I can offer is my utmost sympathy and a big
It's a good thing that retirement is not 40 years away, but sadly it sure can't come fast enough, can it?
Perhaps you need to look into a new line of work - something that involves working with the footy teams? Team building, body building, how to beat the pants off the opposing teams?
Ohh happy how you can cheer me up. Work with the footy teams. Ogle them more likely. Can't see that I would get a lot of work done.
So we are in for some more butterflies soon are we? Goodo. Yesterday while wandering around the Crystal Cascade I spotted a Ulysses butterfly - similar to your Blue Morph only brighter. I wish DH could have been here to see that. It was huge and such a beautiful blue. Quite made my morning that did. When it landed (not too far away) the bl**dy thing would not unfold it's wings so I couldn't get a photo. Must have been male - unco-operative. It landed on a green leaf, my shirt was green too. Ummm obviously not green enough.
Okay I feel better now. Have managed to get through everything, just took a bit longer. I will know for next time. And regardless or rewardless or whatever, I am not lowering my standards. Thanks for the hugs and nice words. I sure appreciate them.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
It's only 11pm here right now. Prime time for my brain to be working and trying to trudge through 140 pages of reading for my Access DB class. Am avoiding it by occasionally surfing the internet between chapters.
I have figured out a job for you. You can be the official bum checker of the footy teams. It will be your job to observe the legs and backsides and occasionally poke them in the butts to make sure they are keeping themselves in good enough shape to win all their games and the cup at the end of the season. I'm sure you can muster up a stern face to keep them in line, while still remaining their good friend and confidant.
Meant to ask you, since things your way - bugs and flora and fauna - are so much bigger there than here, is it also true of the butterflies? Are they big as dinner plates?
You know your life is stressed when a fresh breeze blowing your face, a beautiful sunrise/sunset, or the sight of a lovely creature flitting about makes you sigh with happiness... Or maybe even a nice ripe mango will do it for you (nicely priced of course)
Haven't seen a dinnerplate sized butterfly yet. Seen some decent sized ones. Many are around the same size as the Blue Morph and the Swallowtail. And we have some really tiny ones here. Dinner plates - er no specially not the size of the ones at Cheesecake factory.
Morning all and it is a lovely morning here in sunny North Queensland.
I'm just waiting for a new class to turn up. No doubt this will happen with all the skill that NQ'ers dedicate to being on time (not). Motto up here is - do not hurry, you will only break out in a sweat.
I'm really looking forward to going home on Thursday night. I am then home for a week or so before going back to Townsville for another week. After that who knows. I have started to update my CV (resume) and will finish that off when I get home. No hurry for a new job, but it is definitely coming. I've more or less decided that enough is enough and I have been here too long already. The travel I can take, the dissention within the ranks I can't, and the problems with the system are too much already. I wish them luck, and they will need it. I think I have run out of passion for this implementation. That's life. Good, bad, ugly, but one needs passion to retain ones enthusiasm and give of ones best. I don't seem to have it anymore.
Okay, coffee time. Have a good day all. I'll be back later to see whats going on in the world.
yesterday evening I tried for hours to access my isp to no avail.This morning it worked on try 3. I get so mad popping in and out of the 
0nly to get the same error command!OOOH
and am 11st 7lbs.Not really much to celebrate when I had reached 11st exactly 6 or 7 weeks ago.But there, "1 is 1 and 1 is 1 and evermore shall be so!" Crumbs where on earth did that come from??The diabetes levels are largely all perfect in the morning so perhaps my metabolism has been kicked in to touch again...thank you to cyber freinds encouragement from the u.k. thread...
dying of malnutrition and cirrhosis practically on my back doorstep!!
Hee hee she was sulking with me yesterday evening ~cos I cut a few of her toenails before bed..oh the shame of it!...oh the indignity of being bundalled into a duvet so you can't escape!
Oh what a load of fuss and nonsense about nothing!
...I should worry too much that international fame would go straight to her head!!!
Later..........
But I'll see what I can do. DH went downtown again today and took more butterfly pictures. Got some new ones. He wore a brightly colored shirt and they were landing all over him. 
