Empress-- Sometimes the wheel seems to be inanimate too... Keep throwing as much spaghetti on the wall as you can... something will stick... just keep letting folks know you are looking...

In fact, the day I heard about my new job, I was meeting w/ a friend... If I had just taken over the conversation as I love to do, if I hadn't asked her " so how are things with you?" I would'nt have known there were openings...
This might be one of the biggest lessons I'm learning in this whole job stress
of the past few weeks.... that you never know what you might hear if you just shutup and listen... I don't mean that you talk to much or that you need to shutup... I just mean about myself... in other words, this experience has taught me that if don't change what you've been doing, you won't get different results...

and yes, public speaking is an entirely different animal than privately speaking

I think you would be brillant ...

You can be a guest as many times as you like... and its very inexpenive to belong...

Time for a shower

Hello all!

Note to self.... if you keep drinking water right up till bedtime, expect to make trips to bathroom all night long....

Have no idea how I let that happen... what was I thinking!!

Well, even though no one wants to go to work after a 3 day weekend, the good news is that its Tuesday, a short week, and that much closer to the weekend...


So...time to head out..

*****

Thought of the day :

"Dream not what is tomorrow.
Dream what is now."
---Ron Rathbun


Question of the day :

"Do you wear socks? When?"

***

KETTLE IS ON!

OK, SO IT'S FRESH START TUESDAY AND FRESH START JUNE

Boo Hiss :devil: Demon Scale.

On April 30, I was at 207.8 - On May 1, I was 205
On May 32, I was at 204 - on June 1, I'm at 205.6.
Somewhere in between I was at 202.
Yes, I know it's water retention because I've been eating more salty stuff.
Yes, I know it's :devil: Demon Scale and his evil games. And my "range" had gone down from the 206 - 207.8 (a favorite number for :devil: for some reason) to 202-204 for the month (until today). But durn, I really worked at it this month as vs April's party after party and durn, I was hoping for better.

Good thing, Kaylets, that I had decided NOT to think about onederland.

But it's a new month. And fortunately, I had had three peaceful days by dint of putting all concerns in storage for the weekend (at 4:15 this morning they barged through the door again and wouldn't leave but that's another story). Plus before I weighed in I had spent a quiet peaceful time on the Patio of Inner Peace sipping my slimfast and my tea and putting life into perspective in the foggy, cool (59 degrees) of early morn. Even feeling slim and mentally noting :devil: might be mean enough to put me back at 205 and make me a non-loser for the month. (I never dreamed though that I'd end up a "gainer".)

So though :devil: really whacked at me, he did not undo me. I know I've lost something, I feel it, I look it. Not much, but something. And I WILL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH :lol: . :devil: can play his games all he wants. I am on the path and I will stay the path. I have fairly well conquered my stress/comfort eating and have come far on my wild abandon social eating (still a real challenge). My goal has been to be more healthy - AND I AM.

And a great JUNE to we Royals all!

Thanks for the pep talk, Anagram! Yes, it's a new month-a great time for starting something new. I even have a new food journal to write in and it'd be a shame to go off track and spoil its pages! :)
We made a pigrimage to Wal-Mart yesterday and purchased curtains. The thing about this tale is I've NEVER wanted curtains. I've always thought of them as heavy, dark, fussy, so we've always just had mini-blinds--or in our real hippy days one of those Indian bedspread things flung over. :o We bought some rods with a twiggy-leafy motif and some very simple cotton panels and we love them. It's softened up the harsh edges, and they flutter in the breeze. And when they're closed you can see thru them, but you can't see in from the outside. Anyway, my point is it's always good to try something new and I feel very grown-up! My friends are gonna be floored because I've been so rabidly anti-curtain for 25 years!
Speaking of triceps---I've pulled something there somehow. Not during a workout, but just one of those fluke things. You know how it is when you move a certain way and 'Ouch!' Hoping it'll pass soon, I can't get out there and weed the garden or anything with it like this.

Anagramatic, I, too, thank thee for the pep talk (by pm) this a.m. and the reminder that it's a new month. I put up a June journal thread as soon as I signed off your pm and hope we can all keep on posting our menus for another month.

Eydie, a pulled triceps soundeth not good at all!! Hope thou feeleth better. I can't help but smile at thy curtain story as it soundeth so much like me ... I refuse to have them, but might like them if I gave in. I also refuse to have a carpet in Arizona ... too hot, too dusty, just not me!

Anagramatic, I've been having that disappointment with :devil: Scale, too, which is why I didn't get on this week. But as thou sayest, he's a trickster and a :devil: and liketh to play with our minds. I never intend to abandon him but have threatened to turn him into a nightlight if he fails me next Sunday. I think threats are the only way to go with his kind ... you might try that!

Yo, :queen: K, sorry thou had a restless night and have to go to work.

I'm hoping I don't ... I told the publisher yesterday that I'd drive up to the paper if a certain person didn't come in to do some cuts she said she'd do for me but that they had to let me know early. So far no one has let me know and I really need to rest in bed a bit today.

QOD: I wear little socklets in my running shoes but not otherwise ... it's too hot here for socks!

Mornin' everyone!

Good to hear everyone had a pretty good weekend. Mine was too, didn't do much, didn't want to! Watched a few movies, rearranged my new home gym and pulled some weeds.

If you all haven't read The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, do. Read it. Today if possible. Life changing book... I read it on Sunday in about 3 hours.

I did something this weekend and I don't know WHY I haven't done before! I cooked up all (and I do mean all) the hamburger and chicken breasts I have - then froze them. If any of you have ever tried to cook for 1, it bites. There are many nights that I would gladly just have a bowl of cereal or bag of popcorn and call it dinner. Why? The trouble and mess to create *1* healthy meal. So, I whipped out the George Foreman and now I have about 2 dozen healthy portions of meats cooked up, just needing defrosting! Protein has always been lacking for me, maybe this will help...

Surprised to find out that I'm down a couple pounds. Then, was hit with a stomach bug over the weekend and I'm so bloated that I was out of breath just walking from my house to my mom's from the pressure in my stomach, etc. pressing up on my lungs. Needless to say, I'll weigh in again after whatever is going on in my innerds has cleared! :dz:

WSW, hang in there! Being stuck at home is the worst when it comes to wanting to eat!

Kaylets, Mega congrats on the new job!!!! :cb: I'm with ya on the crowded movie theaters. I'm going to see Harry Potter on Friday (opening day!) and I'm honestly a little worried about truly enjoying it. I have a feeling a week day matinee will be in my future. :wizard:
Thank you so much for the kind words and advice on my pit-stop in weight loss. I have so (SO) many reasons why, and part of my gain WAS planned (like when my hair started coming out - I found out later it was stress, but still!) but I know she'll be supportive. I just DON'T want to be one of those people - you know, the ones that cause people to whisper "oooh, poor thing, she's gained back all that weight. Again". No. I will NOT be her this time! I miss my clothes. I miss my shape - granted, it still had a way to go, but dammit, I had a waist again! I miss it enough to get my hiney back on the wagon. I may have gained back 20, but it's better than gaining back all 40!

Eydie, I'm so happy you had a special birthday and it beat the snookins out of last year's! What an awesome hubby you've got there... Now, what's this about having issues with curtains?? WalMart is great for that stuff! Your house likes to be all pretty, buy it some more curtains girl!!! You can't go havin' nekkid windows! :lol:

Anagram, loooooove Celtic music. Could just zone out listening to it - must be some engrained past life or gene thing... Guys in kilts huh? :chin:
Thank you too for the pep-talk. I too needed to hear it all.

Amarantha, you too have a 4:30am feline alarm clock? Stella drove me batty all weekend. No sleepin' in for me either... :faint:

Arabella, sending you zippy-ness for your EOM blues!

:wave: to our fly-by Ceara!

Ok, where's Cerise? :mag:

Q o' the day - I wear socks when I wear proper shoes (anything that laces or boots). No socks with my Birkies or my suede "Yetti boots" (lamb wool lined, you can't wear socks or your feet lose a pound each in sweat!)

Must away to work!

Terri

Punkin, I am having a bit of a pit stop in my weight loss as well, but dinna worry, it can be reversed and since thou had a loss this week, sounds like you're already on your way.

Great idea to cook up all the meat in individual servings ... I do that and I swear it's key to weight management success.

Hi, Sword Bearer!!!! Have fun at work :wave:

Sorry this is a fly-by. I have to go out and buy ice as I bought a Smoothie Jr. just now. I used to have the same machine in a bigger size and it was great but it was just too big and I gave it away. Now they have this nifty little two-serving one and I just decided to go for it. I deviate from the recipes, of course, and really only make one serving ... my little hand blender works well but not as well as this machine ... I'm thinking of putting some carrots or something in with some berries ... but I don't have any ice.

Later ...

Hello all!!

Here I am stopping by as DH is now bowling on Tuesday evenings....

Yes, FRESH START JUNE is a fine, regal way to start the month...

And yes, Anagram... its obvious this gain is a quirk, a spell, something from the tricksters bag of tricks.... Just a another example that we don't have as much control as we think AND.... that the scale is not the only measure of success...
It will happen.. I wish it was this morning too for you but believe me, it will happen... You are doing great, really... After all, didnt you tell us about a pretty blazer you found?? Would that have fit last June?
The patio of peace is exactly the right place!

Punkin-- Thanks for the congrats.... You would think now that the wait is over I'd be in complete control of my appetite... NOPE... now that the Royal Guard is more relaxed, seems like my hands are like calorie seeking missiles...
Even today, where some coworkers keep gum, they had a small bag of cashews.. I had maybe 4... and was happy with my choice... until my hands started moving back again to them.... YIKES I said, and ran to my flavored water.... but still the cashews were calling... singing...
I had to change my name again so I couldnt hear them....
Part of my problem... didnt eat all my lunch... especially the protein part...
hmmmmmmmmmmmm
Very clever about making all those single portions ahead... I like to keep the momentum going... now when you have chicken for dinner and perhaps make yourself a sidedish ( one that will freeze of course)... you could make 4 servings and freeze some... and on and on.... makes all the difference if you ask me...
ITS THE BEST FAST FOOD EVER!



anyway--
Here you go Empress---
Best job vibes for you by special royal express... "YOU MUST HAVE THE EMPRESS! THE EMPRESS IS THE ONLY CHOICE! "

And to you Punkin, " GOOD VIBES< GOOD VIBES< GOOD VIBES"

Anagram " TRICkSTER SCALE WILL BE OVERWHELMED!~ "


And to the rest of us..

"GOOD GOOD< GOOD< GOOD VIBRATIONS!"

Recvd an email from someone I only met on another messageboard but who is too busy to post because of career demands... it was just a "Hi, how are you..." but I realized how much that little phrase meant to me... that someone I had only met online thought enough to check on me...
And in reverse, do we appreciate how much a few words means to someone in our lives??
I know I really have no idea how it affects people in my life... I have been conciously trying the past couple years to greet as many folks as I can with a smile and its very suprising to me how often a glum face is turned around....

I used to work for someone who would often say>" Its up to us to set the tone"... I used to think that only meant the quality of the work...
Now I see a deeper meaning....
"Its up to us to set the tone".....


***Thought of the day
"Patience!
The trees do not change their leaves in a day!"
--Ron Rathburn

Question of the day :

"How much is a pound of butter where you shop?"

****

KETTLE IS ON!

Hi,
I am sheepishly wandering back into the royal palace after two weeks of message board vacation. I hope everyone is doing well. I was a bit glum for a while, but things are going rather well now. No particular strides made in terms of weight loss, but work and home life have both been going well. Aside from the rain, which we have had in buckets. Today it is all sunshine.

Just wanted to give a shout out to y'all and let you know that I will be checking back in to my digs at the royal palace :)

greetings royal ones!

amarantha-massive good career thoughts going out to you---"no one else but empress amarantha will do!"

zadie k.-nice to see you in the royal court.

anagram-sorry that demon scale is playing nasty tricks on you. hang in there. you are doing great!!!

a friend called me last night to ask if i would do him a favor. i had been feeling lousy physically all day and almost didn't pick up the phone, but glad that i did. this is a friend who helped me move and is a good soul all around, so when he said i could do him a favor, i said of course. as it turned out, good egg that he is, it wasn't really for himself. he wanted to see if i would call someone we had both worked with in the past because she is out on medical leave and has been feeling depressed. (i haven't spoken with her yet, but i did leave her a message, inviting her to call if she would like.) my friend has a good heart and it made me smile to think how he touches all the folks he knows----which made me think of how all of you touch my heart. it means a lot to me to see all the good support being sent out from here. you ladies are the best!

i didn't make the best food choices today, but could have been worse and i did my exercising. just wanted to catch up on your posts and check in. have a good evening, all. take care.

You be the best, Wsw! You're friends are lucky to have a friend like you!

Thanks for the career vibes!!! Yowza!