Hal--
Yes, those 109 degree temp yoga I think are just trying to be macho. I also hear the instructors are not trained to look out for those it could be very dangerous for. I've had people ask me what yoga tape to start with,a nd I say it really is best to take a class. Afterwards you might go on by yourself.

As far as a health club, we have help with fees from our job--not through the health insurance (that way it's available to people who don't have health insurance) but for all employees.

Re the heart worm medicine--I would check with the vet. I think there is a balance of cost/benefit, but if you live in an area where the heartworm is common, then it's best to give it even if the dog is indoors. (We know skeeters do get in.)

My son changed my printer cartridge. I suppose I must learn some time.

So--I am off to get my hearing aid! Really looking forward to it.

Hello Ladies,

Had a wonderful late party for my niece's graduation (high school). She'll be heading for a Jr. college in San Antonio in a couple of weeks. Of course I was stressed about everything going right and having a good showup. She was very appreciative of me having her party at my house. Of course I ate way to much. My mom makes the best macroni salad. I could probably eat 1/2 of it myself. Luckily my nephew was spending the night so he helped with the cleaning up the patio, stacking the chairs etc. Now I think i'm coming down with a sinus infection. My ear is starting to hurt. Going to try and make a dr. appointment tomorrow.

Hal - oh it's been hot here. I think we're due for some 100 degree weather this week. Blackie is feeling much better. Of course he's on pain medication. In fact earlier he came flying into the living room and jumped over two cushion pillows and landed on the couch, acting as if I didn't see him. What am I to do? He doesn't understand why he's feeling so much better. I loved Million dollar baby... didn't expect the ending... I thinking it won many Oscar's.

Shad - I keep saying on going to start exercising and haven't started yet. But here it is August. You have don't great on your loss. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's a loss. Keep up the good work. OH and what beautiful orchids.

Cat - I too am not very good with fixing computer or printers. I think I would like like to take up yoga. Work is getting very stressful and I think it would benefit me to stretch and relax. Maybe I need to sign up for a meditation class.

Nita, Thin, Mooz - Hope your doing well.
Mitchelez - Drop us a line.

Bored, Bored, Bored
 

Just one day after agreeing to extend the contract I am bored. I have work to do, it is fixing some stuff done by another trainer, who has now left and I am not sure of all the ins and outs of what happens if I change this or that and I need to make sure all the composition and steps are in the right place. There doesn't seem to be anyone who knows anything to help me. I don't mind re recording the thing, but I need to know why it has to be done and what I have to do to avoid the same mistakes again. Is this too much to ask for???

So I sit here drinking coffee and getting more and more annoyed with it all. This has more or less happened to everything I started out to do today. Why did I bother to get out of bed??

Sorry for the rant, but I feel better now.

Not much going on here at the moment. I forgot my pass this morning so have to be let in and out of the building if I want to go anywhere. So silly of me. Sometimes I wonder where my memory went. Other times I get really worried about forgetting things. When your Mother had Alzheimers, you really get paranoic about forgetting things particularly as one gets older.

Dull grey day out there. It would be nice to get some rain, but somehow I don't think it is going to happen. We really, really need rain. Last weekend I cleared out a much neglected garden bed in the front of the house and transplanted some bits and pieces from elsewhere into it. I have to go out and water the plants each night otherwise they will just shrivel up on me. I had some snowflake bushes which had self seeded and were growing on top of one another and also so bird of paradise plants being strangled by jasmine and an old rose bush about to bloom it's last before being overtaken by weeds. They are all now residing in the clean and tidy bed. This weekend I will need to get out and mulch the garden to keep in moisture and prevent the weeds from growing again. I also have to tidy up around the big tree because I see some horrible weeds appearing there as well.

Gym tonight - it's weights time again. Once I get there I am generally okay with it all. Sometimes just getting there is a gigantic effort with lots of self talk and encouragement. I know how hard it is to get started on exercise, but it really is worthwhile. Whether it is gym, riding a bike, walking or doing videos from home - just do it. 45 minutes 4 times a week. It's not too much to ask out of your time is it? And the benefits are great
- you don't have to watch how much you eat so closely, you can eat more!
- you feel more energetic and are more inclined to do something - that is when you've built up the stamina somewhat
- you sleep better and deeper - less chances of hearing those crazy things that go bump in the night ;) :lol:
- it becomes a habit and a fix. You find you really need to go do it.

So ladies, no excuses. Just do it!!! :devil:

Gotta run.

Hello Ladies,

Doctor was able to get me in today. Put me on antibotics and another prescription. Hope it kicks in fast. He also wants to draw some blood so i'm stopping by in the morning. (have to fast)

Shad - you are so right. I just need to do it. I am... i'm ready.. i'm on meds so i'm going to just do light walking, but more walking than in a normal day. (make sense) My brother was taking pictures this weekend and I was just dreading him taking them of me.

Thin - Blackie is feeling much better. I think a little to good. Wish we would get some of the rains down here. In fact i think i'm going to run out and set the water on. Our high today was 101. Nothing like where Nita is at. Hope the rains didn't wash all the seeds away.

:tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum:

I think that about sums up how I feel. And it's not work this time.

I came home last night and collapsed in the chair, woke up some hours later and as per normal nothing got done. I really have to do something about this.

It's to do with gym late in the afternoon. I was trying to work out why, when at gym the other day, I got through a workout really easily on the Wednesday I had off last week, but couldn't manage the same one after work.
It is to do with this day fowl, night owl thing.
It to do with food and water.
It's to do with living life as I do.

So it is time to take stock and work out a new plan. New and different food too, since I am becoming bored with just about everything at the moment and really can't be bothered about food when I get home at night.

My plan at the moment is to not go back to the gym until next week. I think I will possibly go to the other gym for the cardio type stuff which is the stuff that gives me problems in the afternoon. This other one opens at 5.30am and is closer to town which means I can work out and still get to work on time. My normal one doesn't open until 6. and I still need an hour or so to get to the station and get the train to the city.

I may stay where I am for the weights which don't worry me so much in the afternoon and........
I will work out some menu plans which involve hot food for lunch. Salads are just not cutting right now. I think I will look at Happy's approach and venture into some hearty soups and maybe a frittata or too. Something I can warm up which will stop me from going downstairs to the cafe and buying things like fish cakes and roasted drumsticks (nice and all as they are).

Meantime, I will go home at night, snuggle with the cat and wait for warmer weather to arrive. It may be the lack of blubber on me right now, but this is the first winter ever I have felt the cold like this. This morning was so hard to get out of bed.

Anyway, that's my moan for the day.

HI~
Just read your post SHAD~~ and i do believe it's your wt.loss making you feel so cold. I remember when i lost my near 40# (and that year we did not have a summer like this one) so i found it very difficult to jump in the lake and swim. It is a spring fed deep water lake so never real warm. this summer must be some kind of record, more weeds growing in it than ever! It definetly is a different body that we have when we lose the poundage :)

And going for a whole new plan sounds great. YGG! The mediterranean (sp?) diet is one to keep you eating alot of proteins and good things. Olive oil, almonds, raspberries, blueberries. I think CAT just wrote about it recently. You can look it up online. The warms soups and fritattas sound great too! Let us know what you end up with.

Where do you work SHAD??

Talk more to all you great chicks later...
:wave: :grouphug: thinlizzie

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1..._they_clim.jpg
Dancing away the winter blues.

Mel is probably right - I have the winter blues. It's an interesting phenomenom over here. The nights are cold - we have got down as far as 4C (about 38F) but the days are reasonably warm - at least they are if you can get out of the August winds and generally it is clear sky and sunshine all the way with no humidity (and few flies). So the days are fine. It's the nights that cause problems for me (apart from being tired that is) and the fact that it is dark by around 1800 and doesn't get light until 0600. So daylight fades and so does this day fowl. Add to that the fact that the house doesn't have much in the way of flooring and fabrics so it gets cool quickly. I really will have to get cracking on fixing the place up and getting the new furnishings in to make life better.

Sorted through a stack of recipe books last night for soups and stuff that I can bring to work and re heat. LindaT from the journals has some good recipes for lunches too. She wants me to try her pumpkin chilli!!! I'll go check it out shortly. A great many of the recipes I have will need playing around with to get the calorie and fat content down. Some of these grannies made great soups in vast quantities but eggs, cream and salt seem to have featured in a great many of them. I can remember my own grandmothers soup pot on the back of the stove. Anything and everything went into it. It was hot, instantaneous and nourishing. I can remember times when I was in bed sick and my mother would bring me some soup into which she had dropped an egg. The egg gently coddled away with the heat from the soup and the whites set but the yolk was runny. Yummmy. Sometimes I'd like to go backwards through my life. I would give a lot for some of either Mum's or Nana's soup right now.

I thought about vitamins and things. I really do loathe taking tablets, but I took a trip to the chemist and got some multivitamin tablets for the short term (sure as hades, I'll forget them after a short time). They know how to charge for those things as well. Have to save up if I want to buy any more later.

Lizzie, I work for myself. I contract out to companies putting in new computer systems - big ones. I train the workers on how to use their new system and how to adjust to the changes. Mostly I work with SAP but I have used JDEdwards (Peoplesoft) and Baan. And I'm qualified to teach Microsoft as well. Well at least I was. I haven't upgraded to XP certified yet. At the moment I am working for the Office of State Revenue (Queensland Government). Normally I work for private companies which I much prefer. Wheels of Government grind too slow for me. I like to get busy, get involved and get out. However this is the best paying contract I've had in a while and I do need the money if I am to go on a round the world trip next year as well as get the house renovated and save for a new kitchen and some building work to be done.

Anyway. I better go clean the bathroom and fold the washing. Have a good day. Tomorrow is Friday and I'm really grateful for that.

Hello Ladies,

Feeling much better today. I guess my meds have kicked in. There's still a little pressure in my ear, but not as much as before. Looking forward to weekend where I just just rest and relax.

Shad - I'm with you I need sunshine. I notice that in the winter I too get the blues. I thought about buying one of those lamps but don't know if they really work. I keep forgetting where you are at it's winter time. Wish you could send us some of your cold weather.

Just to kick us back up to the top!

Okay, I have done the shopping and hung out the washing. I've put the groceries away and made the first of the soups I'm interested to try that one of LindaT's although I have the idea it may be a bit too chili for me. I'll try it with less first and then build it up to where I can still taste the rest of the stuff but it has a bit of a bite.

I have the planted the garden bed I dug out last weekend. I bought some plants today - blue and white petunias, primula and pansies, blue agapanthas - it already has white snowflake bushes in it and the rose is a peachy gold shade. I'll get some petunias to go around the rose later. So there you have it a blue and white bed with a splash of orange/gold . Should look okay. I'll take pictures as it grows.

Nearly forgot. Take a look at this tomato out of my garden. It's huge. There's about 5 others like it as well. This one fell off the vine when I went to check out the truss of tomatoes. It's called Black Russian.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ianTomato1.jpg

The tomatoes behind it are the orange variety. supposedly less acidic. At least they will be orange when they ripen. Some cat I know knocked the truss off the bush while chasing a butterfly or some such insect. As I have said before it's a good job she's cute.

Time to go make a start on the second soup and then the ceiling. See you.

Good Morning Ladies,

This morning i'm working on my fundraising project. As many of you know i volunteer with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. I help them with the 10k that they have in the fall. So this morning making phone calls and getting some prizes donated.

Shad - what a beautiful tomato. I have not had any luck with the larger ones. Mine always seem to split or the bugs get to them. Of course I'm growing in containers so that might make a difference. But i do have plenty of grape, cherry and roma ones.

Hello to all !

RE: Sum, sum, summer is over...!
 

RE: Say 'soy cheese'!
 

Okay today feels better. A bit more life in me I guess. Don't know what happened yesterday unless.........yes I do........ eating was not so good and so the energy lagged and all I wanted to do was sleep. I was supposed to return to the gym yesterday, had all my gear and stuff, but I left work late. I was working with on of the guys and we just kept on going until it was more or less finished. So no gym. I have my stuff again today so will try once more.

Yesterday I met up with a friend from Townsville days. She had an interview for a job down here in Brisbane and we had lunch together. Years ago she had a stomach band put in to help her lose weight. She did lose an awful lot of weight, however now she is at a stage where nothing is moving. The band has not taught her how to eat properly only to eat slowly. Every so often she has fluid put into the band to squeeze the stomach a bit more, and then she gets reflux and has to have water taken out. So it is a catch 22 situation. I doubt whether she will ever get much smaller than she is now, but as she says, she is no longer huge and that is a huge plus. I had chicken and mushroom soup and she had a caesar salad for lunch. Oh it was nice to see her again. I hope she gets a job back in Brisbane and then we can go out for dinners on Fridays like we used to in Townsville. A bit of social life might just do us both some good.

The Italian job (next years holiday) is coming along slowly. I am reading my guide book and checking the 'net for places to go, see and do as well as stay. Trouble is, I want to go, see, do and stay just about everywhere. I would like to do the hilltop walks in Cinqueterre. Apparently there are five villages built in and on the hilltops and hillsides about the coastline in Northern Italy. It's about 14 kilometres from first to last and a relatively easy walking track. Check out the pics of Riomaggiore on the net. I know Chris will not want to walk that far, so it could be a day trip on my own. There are buses which go from town to town as well. Maybe part of it and bus the rest??? Will have to discuss this with her.
Meantime I am still trying to find frequent flyer seats for Japan in October. It's a fairly unrewarding occupation at the moment.

Okay, duty calls. Time to get on with the day. I've included a pic of my African Violets now in bloom. Hope you enjoy them.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anviolets1.jpg

RE: It is suppose to be near 100 degrees here this week!
 

Good Monday Movers and Losers!

OK, today was a full day of preparation for a presentation to be given on Thursday to our faculty and staff. It was fun, and we laughed a lot. That seems to generally be in short supply when anything school related is going on, but not today! I have some more work to do to finish up my part of the presentation and I'll do that tomorrow. I carried home bags of new textbooks as well as the materials for our presentation. It looks like our maintenance dept will be entering my room for the next few days to strip and wax the floors, and then they do the hallway which means we cannot enter any of the rooms in our hall for 2 days! The week before school starts! Things have been helter skelter for the maintenance folks working around outside contrators. Anyway...

Shad: LOVE the pic of the flower. I agree eating poorly will zap our energy. If I eat simple carbs, I may as well plan for a nice nap. We ate out for lunch today and I ordered a cheeseburger, and only ate the veggies (nice slices of tomatoes, lettuce and red onions) and hamburger meat with the cheese. I ordered steamed brocolli in place of the fires. This really works for me, I am satisfied after I finish eating this.

I hope this finds everyone else doing well. NITA where are you? ;)

Have a GREAT week girls!

Shad--beautiful flower! Hope your friend gets to come back near you.

Hal--glad you had fun with the preparation for the presentation. Too bad about the cleaning. I should think you would have more to do to get your rooms ready than, say, the English teacher, so I'm sure that is a problem.

Right now I am working on acu-yoga (it's yoga that is specially planned to stimulate the acupressure points) and Eating Awareness Training. Haven't done it long, and lost 1/2 inch off hips and thighs, tho not waist. I think measuring is healthier than weighing. At least worth a try.

Having trouble with Kitten--she wants to get somewhere, just zooms up my back. Usually she's gone too quickly to do anything, but today I swatted her twice. Not to hurt her, just to let her know not to do it.

Best to all--
Catlover

Hi Ladies,

Sorry I haven't written lately. I have been trying to get my act together. This Sunday I checked out some new furniture for our family room--two great reclining loveseats. I also found a dinette set--a glass table with four chairs on wheels. It has been rather hectic today trying to find someone to haul away the old furniture. However, it looks like this will happen Thursday while I am at work. Tomorrow we are going to have a carpet cleaner come in and do the carpets. Perhaps having these new items will cheer me up and I can get back on my program. Even though it has been rather hot and humid here the last couple of days, I managed to get on my treadmill both days for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

Gene is progressing rather slowly but I am thinking positive that we will hear some good news on Friday from the urologist. Tomorrow is his birthday and I am going to try and take him out for dinner.

Well I had better get moving--I really think I need a nap, and I may just take one!

Take care,
Anita

Nita--pat yourself on the back for those treadmill workouts! Hope you and Gene can go out.

Ooooh is it Cat's birthday???
 

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...pyBirthday.gif


and

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...thballoons.gif

Hope it is a great day.

RE: Happy Birthday to Cat, Happy Birthday to Cat...!!!
 

Thank you all. Those are great!

Funny being 60 . . .

Funny being 60???!!!! Well we are all going to get there sooner or later Cat. In my case, it is not that far away.

Not a very interesting day today I'm afraid. I did my work and came home. Didn't go to the gym today as I am feeling a little stiff and sore from yesterday, but I will be back there tomorrow once more never fear. Also for some reason or other I am not feeling 100% and I have noticed that I am getting what looks like a boil or abcess on the lump of flab just above my waist. It's been many a year since I had one of those. I had a look at it and found that there are 3 hard little lumps surrounding it, so it seems that something is happening with the system. I'm thinking that it may be the vitamins. They are the only thing that I'm doing differently this week. I know I have had some strange reactions to vitamins previously - in fact I had a very bad encounter with Vit B some years back and to this day can not take it in any quantity at all.

Tomorrow I go to pick up my new contact lenses and glasses. That will be another blow to the credit card. Not that I worry about it too much, it always gets paid off at the end of the month. But sometimes the totals come as a bit of a shock. Fortunately this will come on the next bill and not this one which should arrive in the next couple of days. There is enough on that as it is - tyres for the car, some wine and a couple of other things which should make it look awful. Ohh well I guess it's only money.

Weight is still being slow. Somedays I see an improvement but it swings around again in the next couple of days and I am back where I started. Painful journey this one.

Today I also bought myself some new trousers (black) and a new bra (pink). I am weeding out all the saggy baggy bits from the wardrobe and ditching them. I may have got smaller everywhere else but the bra size has grown. Don't know how.

Okay, time to move along again. Hope everyone is doing well. Your challenge for this weekend should you choose to accept it, is to take a walk for 30 minutes (try early in the morning before the heat hits) :lol3:

RE: Decades of change...
 

Hi All,

Happy Birthday Cat--you and Gene were born on the same day. I do believe Leo people and I get along very well--I am April 1st--two fire signs! Have a "super" day! I was working on a brief for my attorney this morning and come to find out she has just decided to revamp the whole thing. I guess all my efforts were in vane. However, I still will get paid for my work.

Our new furniture is coming Saturday and today a couple of young men came in and steamcleaned our carpet. Gene thought it was easier on me if we had it done--I totally agree!

In our newspaper today they had an article on the glycemic way to lose weight. I guess I will have to dig out my Volumentics book again and give it a "real" try this time. I was surprised to see cantalope and baked potato were not the best choices--mashed potato outranked the baked ones. The apple definitely outranked banana. I do eat a lot of fiber and I do read ingredients which is very important. If only someone else could do the cooking!

Well ladies, the brief should be coming back any minute. Once again, it's so great to have friends like you!

Take care,
Anita

Gym this morning - did a workout on the cardio stuff. Probably wasn't quite long enough but you do what you can in the time available. There is no other choice.

I had LindaT's soup for lunch again today. Don't think I will need much dinner tonight - that stuff sure sticks to your ribs and lets you know that you don't want anything more for a while. It's good, but next time it will have more pumpkin and veg and less chili. It is so darned thick you could eat it with a knife and fork as well. Biggest problem I find with bringing stuff like this soup to work is that it stains my plastic containers orange. So I guess there will only be a couple of containers that get used for this soup - the rest can be for other things.

I tried to go shopping today for a bedside lamp. I had a pair of touch lamps for each side of the bed. One of them has relocated to DS2's house - it appears to have permanently relocated. The second one - the one in my bedroom got out of sorts the other night and blew it's bulb plus the touch facility. Now it has to be turned on and off at the wall. Am I impressed with this - NO!!!! So I am looking for a new bedside lamp or two if I can find what I like. Mind you, DS2 also has the beside table that the lamp lives on - again I think it is a permanent loan. So I will now have to go find a lighting shop. Nothing here in town has even raised a spark of enthusiasm for any stock on hand.

Anyway, time to get on with it again. At least I have something to do at the moment. It won't last long and I'll be haunting the internet again. Roll on Friday night - around 4.30pm.

RE: Back to the reeeel world!
 

Hello Ladies,

Just a quick hello. Planning on going to Austin this weekend, another family party for my niece. This one will be really big. All my cousin live in San Antonio, which is an hour drive from there. So I will get a chance to catch up with all of them. Looking forward to having a relaxing weekend.

Hal - when is your b-day?

we'll need to run... might not log on til sunday night...

RE: Opening Day!
 

Have I told you about the EAting Awareness TRaining? I find I have left part of a chocolate bar in the fridge for a week! Never happens.

Still, she is very strict, and if you haven't followed the steps the first week, you have to do it over. So guess I am not ready to move on to week 2. The hardest part is not reading while eating. Also, I put down my notebook (you write all you eat), and forget to bring it home or to work, then I don't have it. Now I have a very small one, so the temptation to leave it behind is less.

This could work . . .

Saturday
I'm pleased to say that the abcess/ boil/ whatever has gone. It was painful while it lasted, but in true Shad style I gave it the threat, come to a head and I'll get rid of you the easy way, or stay like that and I'll lance you myself. It came to a head and things got a bit messy there for a while, but it is now gone. There do not seem to be anymore around so that is that for the time being.

Seem to have been busy today but what have I achieved?? Well, the laundry is in, folded, put away (almost) and the ironing is ready to do. I've done the shopping and bought loads of veges for soups etc. Made some fish chowder (which I had for tea) and froze a couple of containers of it for lunches. Had a nap, and now am making some of the pumpkin chili stuff and then it will be a case of watching tv - footy is on. My much loved All Blacks are about to take on the Wallabies. Geez, there is some good looking butts and legs among that lot. Probably why I like to watch it.

I should have changed the bed today but it will wait until tomorrow.

It's cold out here. Yesterday was the coldest day on record for over 100 years. We did not even make double figures. This is always the coldest part of the winter - its the time of the State Fair otherwise known as the RNA Exhibition aka 'the Ekka' and during that time the wind always blows and the winter gets a bit nasty. Well this time it outdid itself. Still the wind blew the washing dry in record time.

Sunday
Now lets see, what's going down on the threads? My footy team won. Maybe I should go out early to get the paper and stay indoors for the rest of the day. That should stave off the wrath of the neighbourhood!!! I have to admit that I wasn't impressed with the first 20 mins of the game when they were 13 - 0 down. I was thinking some very unholy thoughts at that stage. But they came through and won 30-13 So todays list consists only of a couple of things - sanding and painting. With a bit of luck I can get a fair amount of preparation done today and a coat of sealer over the lounge ceiling and walls. That will make me very happy.

This cat has gone beserk. She runs from room to room and looks as if she is three parts gone on uppers. I took the brush to her last night as she is dropping fur everywhere. I have the scratch marks to show for it as she figured that I was about to attack her with this thing. So then the clippers came out and she got her claws clipped as well. She's talking to me again now, but wasn't earlier on. Maybe this is the onset of Spring.

Cat - chocolate is not one of my things. Yes I will have a binge on it once in a while but it is not often. When the DS2 was living at home we cleared out the bar fridge and the back room and found chocolate in there which was out of date by 3 years. Neither of us are sweet eaters. Obviously the chocs must have belonged to the ex-dh. My eating problems rest with cheese and dairy products as well as the savoury things like pizza, tacos etc.

I guess it's time for breakfast and then on with the day. I see the journals are still not back. That's fine. Less time spent on the computer. Today is McBusy day.

Hello Ladies,

Back from my weekend getaway. It was a really nice visit. My brother had about 60 guest at his house. My mom and I went over saturday morning to help with some side dishes. By the time the first guest arrived we were ready. Spent the evening visiting my cousin who drove in from San Antonio. (We were all in Austin,TX). Sunday morning drove back home. I'm taking a extra vacation day just to regroup, go grocery shopping. I was going to try and get a massage in, but i did not make an appointment. Tomorrow i'm going to start a somewhat modified version of South Beach, Or i guess it's like Ww Core program. I have got to get off the sweets(processed cookies, cakes, chips, etc).

Hal - Some of our schools started last monday and I think 4 of the major districts started today. My sister is in education and I know she went back last week. I'm sure Rocky is going to miss having you home during the days.

Mooz - I'm sorry to hear that your mom's not doing well. Wishing her a belated birthday. We'll if you ever make it to America you have a place to stay in Texas.

Shad - It's hard to image you having your coldest days there and here we're having our hottest days. Now on your footies team. Is that rugby or soccer? You seem to have so much energy. I know it's from eating healthy and of course exercising.

we'll i guess i need to get going. I do have a small list of things to do today.

Mooz--sorry about your mom. Does she have a walker? I know they can help so much. DMiL has one with a seat on it, so she can (possibly) sit down if she needs to. It gives her more independence, too. Did you ever get set up for respite care so you can go out?

Shad & Patty--yes, we forget about the seasons being reversed. I subscribe to an Australian quarterly, and when I got the "winter" issue I thought it was very late--until it hit me!

I think I have lost weight, but NOT going to WI as that is not the idea with this.

Well, the new dr is coming in to replace my old one, but I already made an appt. somewhere else. Think I will try the other doctor anyway. My old dr's office just has developed terrible customer service skills. Phooey.

See y'all later.

Hello all,
Been sitting here feeling sorry for myself as I am not feeling well today - or yesterday for that matter. No matter, I will survive - as the song goes!

Patty, it is Rugby Union that I watch and follow. Being a New Zealander and it is our national game (along with netball) - there is another type of rugby - Rugby League, similar game and of course footy here in Australia could cover Union, League, AFL (Aussie Rules) or Soccer. But when I talk footy, I mean Rugby and you don't want to be around me or my niece when things go wrong or the referee gets a bit shortsighted (in our humble opinion).

Talking about being a New Zealander, the news of the death of David Lange ONZ hit the news on Saturday. Who was he? Well he was the NZ Prime Minister who took on the wrath of the US Defence Force and Government Agencies when he banned US warships from entered our ports due to his Nuclear Free Zone policies. When they and the Australians threatened us with reaction, he withdrew the country from the ANZUS treaty He was also the Prime Minister who took on the French Government regarding the Mururoa Atoll nuclear testing (he asked the French, if it was so safe to detonate these things, why did they not do it in mainland France?? Among other things he bombarded them with). He really let them have it with a terrorism charge after the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and he was the man who set the terms of imprisonment for the perpetrators of the bombing (4 French Secret Service personnel).
Sadly we do not have politicians with the same sort of standards anymore. A brilliant speaker and a man with a huge sense of humour who could also be bluntly sarcastic. After a long battle with bad health, he passed away. Goodbye Mr Lange. As you might be able to tell, I did admire the man. Didn't always agree with him tho'. Sorry if speaking politics upsets anyone. I normally don't do it. But today I needed to.

Mooz, sorry to hear that your Mum has not been well. She certainly is a remarkable old lady though. I do hope you are getting enough rest and recreation. Taking care of the 'folks' is not an easy occupation.

Cat - what magazine do you subscribe to?? Quarterly? I'm sure it is not the Queensland Country Times!! I hope that you have lost weight - sounds good anyway.

Better go get a bit more done for the day.

RE: Personal rules...
 

Hello Ladies,

Did not start South Beach diet today like I had planned. Last night got lazy and didn't make it to the grocery store. And tonight came straight home, major headache, so I probably won't start tomorrow either. And to top it off it's that TOM so i'm just feeling cranky and tired.

Shad - i'm sure you and your niece feel the same way we do with our referee's here. During football season I think i sometimes hear my neighbors. I hope you get to feeling better.

Cat - What program are you doing? Good luck with your new doctor. I too need to find a new GI one. My old one went back to teaching. I really like him.

Hal - are your gas prices as high as ours. This past weekend when I gas up to go to Ausint I paid 2.34/gal coming home it was 2.57/gal. I think our prices are still lower than other countries. I have noticed a big increases on the train in my morning commute. I know the storms bother Blackie. He barks quite a bit when it's thundering and lighting.

Hope everyone is having a great day!