Oh and Tonya, I LOVE the name Zeus for a black Lab!! Coooool name!

That is sad. Neighbors are so important. I, too, love standing outside talking to our neighbors, even having a beer at night with them on our porch....that is what life is suppose to be about!

I don't like dog poop in our yard either, I have a hard enough time cleaning up after Zeus let alone another dog, but I have no problems with dogs wandering in our yard, if they are nice. I know people feel really threatened by our dog, but he is the nicest, non threatening dog I know. He just wants you to scratch him behind the ear!! He is well trained too, at 9 months old, he knows his boundaries. He is also my DH"s hunting dog, so when he disobeys he knows he is in some serious trouble with Todd. Sometimes I think he is too harsh on Zeus, but also find he is very well behaved with Todd's training.

Anyway, as you can see I am not working hard today....just putting my time in until lunch!!

BTW ~ My brother and SIL are getting a golden in a few months, they are very excited....

Come out and post everyone, Jen and I need you!!

Jen, I totally feel for you about icky neighbors My parents have some jewels...they took siding off their house 5 years ago and have never replaced it, they called in a noise complaint on my parent's dogs barking (when they were IN my mom and dad's house!!!) when they walked by, and they have just been general pains in the butt. But they still feel entitled to play through on bocce ball when it goes into my mom and dad's yard. So my parents erected a fence on one side of their property only...guess which side?

Tonya you are a walkin' fool. I wish I lived close enough to you to walk with you. My walking buddy goes ot her cabin all the time in summer, so we have basically put our walking together on hold until fall. And I can't seem to get my child to sleep through the night these days, so getting up and running at 5 am isn't an option right now. I am impressed with your OP progress. You are going to turn sideways and we won't see you anymore. BTW, thanks for the progress report on Lisa...I was getting worried that she got laid off along with some of her co-workers.

Laura, one bad meal does not a failure make. It sounds like you did maybe let yourself get too hungry. Four points until dinner is enough to make anyone go psychotic at the sight of pasta. But we live and we learn, and that is one learning experience that is now behind you and benefitting you in the time to come. You rock, you and all your losses, and it will definitely keep rolling on, you've been working so hard at it.

Kier...new clothes!!!! With expensive labels!!! That sounds like a dream come true. Be sure to make the most out of your summer vacation. School will start again in no time and you'll be swamped and wishing for it again. As an alternative to ediets, did you know thta there is a site called myfreediets.com? Check it out before you spend money on ediets, because it seems to be to be exactly the same thing, except less moolah, which is always good.

Lori, enjoy your day off. Get on the internet and find a grant or two to help with your student loans. If you're working at a state-funded clinic, there are private endowments that can help you pay these off. And the state will never volunteer money, you really have to turn them upside down and shake it out of them. Explore these avenues and see what turns up. Good co-workers and being comfortable with clients (in your case, patients, is worth its weight, and I'd hate to have you leave it and be unhappy somewhere else if there's any other way. Good luck!

Deb, thanks for your encouragement. I too have been so off the wagon, and I have to kick myself in the @ss and get myself back on. Let's do it together.

I did the job interview this morning. I think it went well, but you just never know until you find out if you got it or not. I did find out that there was over 100 applicants for this position (!!!) so I am feeling lucky just to have had an interview. We shall see, though. The office for the position is really nice, and it's with what seems to be a really neat group of ladies. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Enough of the novella, I need a nap. Couldn't sleep last night because of stress and sick baby. He's running a fever, I think because of his vaccinations. Poor guy is just miserable.



See you kiddos later!

Ok, just a quick post before I go off to lunch. School is getting to be very busy, even for a relaxing semester in the mountains. Or I guess it's not really being able to check email after dark if you like your ankles in one piece (really dark and overgrown trail to the computer lab). Anyway, I really wanted to say that.....I RAN THREE MILES THIS MORNING. Ok, it was all down the mountain, but I did manage to run some bits up too. There's a guy here who runs the whole thing every morning, and I was out running/walking one morning and he saw me in one of the walking bits and he's all, you have to RUN up. And, then when he gets back, he wanted to know how far down the road I had gone, and then he says, oh, I usually go a few miles further down. In a very challenging sort of way. Well, I decided that dammit, I was going to do six miles as well (although I had no delusions about being able to run the whole thing). So I got up early this morning and ran down, and then maybe a mile back up (the bottom part is kind of flat). And then I started to walk. And who do you think I should run into on his way down? "WHAT IS THIS?". i.e. why the **** aren't you running? So I am going to run this whole mountain eventually. I will will will.

Jayne- That's too bad about your walking buddy going on vacation. Can you walk with Aaron in a stroller at all? I guess running with a stroller would be a pain, but walking is probably not too bad (although I have very limited experience)

Tonya- Excellent job on the walking! Isn't it great how much better you feel when exercising? I've been hiking and walking a lot more just this past week and I already feel a difference.

Jen-L- That stinks about your neighbors. I can't stand people who go straight up to the police or whatever without asking the cause of the problem to fix it first. Just this morning, this guy who was doing salamander research and staying in the house our group has been assigned left. He'd been very nice to us and we thought he was just great. Well, on his way out, he went and complained to the station director and told him we were trashing the house and were just total pigs. And we have been keeping the house really clean. Anyway, the station secretary and maintenance man went up and did a surprise visit before we knew about this and thought the place looked fine. So yeah, people are nuts sometimes.

Winter- I would definitely say the overeating was because you let yourself get too hungry. I always eat way too much if I am starving beforehand. And if it's my fave food, look out!

Lori- Good luck deciding what to do about the job. Repaying student loans is looking pretty scary to me at the moment. I think life would be alot easier if school were free, don't you?

Ok, gotta go eat!

Cat

Woo-hoo Cat! Running 3 miles - way to go! So cool that you are using that guy as a motivator instead of being offended by his comments.

Jayne - I imagine you did very well in the interview. Your sincerity, compassion, and common sense (important traits for any position that affects children) always come through in your posts - I'm positive they did in your interview.

Alright, I'm going to take a position here that is likely to make me hugely unpopular.

I don't like dogs. Yeah, you heard me right, I don't like dogs. Now, I know that in a lot of people's minds this equates me with serial killers and child molesters, but the fact remains that I'm not a huge canine fan. Nonetheless, I can't imagine that if my neighbor's dogs kept wandering in my yard that I wouldn't go to my neighbor to resolve the issue rather than the cops.

'Nough said on that.

Thx everyone for your comments re: my pigfest of yesterday. Just really needed the reminder that one meal won't make or break an entire week of effort.

Where's Jess?

Later,
Laura

Hey girls my busy day was made less busy
1 we changed my appt till tommorrow
and 2 my ever present fever ahs come back so no gym unless it goes again
so i hjust have pt tonight
but I'm wearing one of my new outfits!
a very nice pair of size 18 capris black gingham that i actually have room in and stmach room at that! So even though I'm feeling craptastic I FEEL GOOD (HOTPANTS) sorry james brown moment
Jen thats insane about your dog they need some intervention or u need a nice high fence to keep their alcoholic football games out of your flowers (now where did i put that case of whoopass)
Cat is the running man attractive b/c it seems to me like you have attracted him mi amiga
and btw you and Tonya are kicking some walking arse
Jayne ( I so love typing your name) I bet you outshone the other 99 candidates you sparkle babes and just remember (and my mom always used to say this to me) You have more pizzazz in your little pinky than they have in their whole bodies.
Laura if all you had all day was 4 pts the dinner probably wasn't that bad on the whole
oooh speaking of food yesterday I went out for Thai with the girls
one of my friends just finished the GRE's I had slept in and bsically when she called i just showered and threw on clothes
so i didnt get breakfast
I had some kind of Pad Thai nd a thai iced coffee
and when i told them that it wa the first time i had eaten all day
I got a lecture
Well if you wnt to lose weight . .
and in the end i was like OK I KNOW IWAS RUNNNG LATE
arg mind u they're both skinny!
They were justbeing good friends i know
but it was like adog with a bone!
anyway gotta go be chef Kiers
I will bbl
MWAH
Kier

Keir... as long as you aren't chef graham kerr.... He bothers me!!!

Graham Kerr also creeps me out, as does Gordon Elliot. They are just both, so , well, you know...

Cat, sounds to me like somebody LIKES you. He really went out of his way to notice what you were doing. Is he hot?

Laura, I just want to hug you for saying that encouraging thing...you made my day

Ok, I have a sleeping baby and it's time for my afternoon 15 minutes of solitaire before I do laundry. Isn't my life exciting???

Jayne, a nap right now would be really exciting. I am just exausted. Not sure if this is a good thing or not!!!! And you should be thrilled that out of 100 applicants, you made it to the interviews. Yahooooo... ego booster! And I am sure you did splendid. Let us know how it works out. What would you do with Aaron during the day if you got the job???

Laura... I was wondering where Jess was too.

JESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.... where are you. Hope you aren't still grouting!!

Cat.... mmmmm, mountain boy.... details, do tell!!!

Hi GUYS!!! I want to post desperately, but I keep getting sidetracked @ work. I'm an Aquarius, so it doesn't take much to distract me.

I've printed the posts & I'm going to read through them now.

Unfortunately, my camping weekend has been canceled & postponed because a friends mother passed away & we're all such a little "family" that we'll be going up to atleast one viewing.
So I've decided to work this weekend, and we're rescheduling the trip. The campsite owners are NOT being nice about this. What 's about this. We've been going to the same location for almost 5 years now, w/ about a group of 15-20 people. If they do not accomodate us, THEY will loose out big time. I wonder if they care?

I hit the fridge in the middle of the night last night. Bad, bad me.
I'm back on track today though, and working through it.

Had to get one of my tires fixed. I had a nail in it, and it kept loosing air. Cars are pains in the butts (especially for me).

OK ... I'm going to read through the thread & then post replies.

I miss you guys!!!!

Jen, you know that being so very tired is an excellent sign!!! I'm crossing my fingers for you. If I get the job, they have a daycare for employees. Get this...it's a dollar an hour. Because it is county employees working through the school district and county agencies, they get to use the school district's early childhood daycare. Employees get that beautiful rate. I love it! Not that price is the only factor, but it's quality care too. But he wouldn't be there much anyway, because the schedule is totally flexible, so most of it I would do in the evenings when his daddy is home.

I was thinking about Jess, too...hope she didn't inhale too many shower chemicals and get sick.

BTW, Deb, it seems that Laura may have passed her bad car luck on to you. Careful, because next week you will undoubtedly need a new transmission if this is the case...her car luck was downright nasty for a few weeks there. You tell those campsight owners not to make Miss Jersey Kier come with her whoop@ss!!

hey guys back again I just talked to my new roomate she seems cool yet very serious! color me bubbles i hope we all get along
Yet i do not want to take my place as apartment diplomat and peacemaker as I'll just break out thewhoopass
oh as for graham kerr as the galopping gourmet i'd just laugh at him for being drunk but even tho hes married hes a bit camp and a bit pervy it seems as is gordon elliot KIRSTY any insights?
JEss darling I hope you didnt get swallowed up but a tub of grout
and Deb thos camp bastids should be generous and understanding or else!
KT dearheart I meant to respond to u this AM we all love you and u can post about whatever you cute lil canuck heart desires and if you need someone to lean on feel free to PM The Kier action figure comes with steel shoulders so whenever u need us we're here!
alright my lil darlings I''m off but i'll be back!
Love
Kier

Jayne ... unfortunately my bad car luck is just my OWN bad luck. And don't even TALK about transmissions, both brand new cars I owned had tranny problems within 1 year of having them. What's up with that? So since I have no luck w/ transmissions, I decided to get a standard.
I've been hit w/ in 6 mos of having each new vehicle (the damage to my new truck I just found out is $3,000 - and we're talking BARELY noticable damage, the stupid girls insurance must be through the roof now w/ 3 cars involved!).
And tires, lets talk about tires, seems as though I attract every free nail in the road.
Not to mention road life on the L.I.E. (I-495) w/ all of the rocks & such hitting the windshield & bouncing off of *as it seems to me* only my car.
That's my luck. I'm as lucky as the rabbit who loses it foot.