Lots going on right now. Need to make a list. Beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed and need to compartmentalize.

Garden: We'll be going to a few nurseries in the area to find plants, hopefully some of them (or all of them?) organic. I got out the Texas gardening books today and need to dig up the websites so we can figure out what we're going to do. I know B is mainly focusing on the vegetable garden, but I really want to fix the front flower bed as well.
Guests: My parents might be here starting this Saturday for a week. They won't know until about mid-week when my mother's coworker is supposed to return to work after surgery.
.
Minnow Minnow Pea: I need to work on cutting out material to have saved up for sewing sessions. I also need to work on a design for a website, finding a graphic for the logo, deciding on a font for the logo, and laying out the pages I want to have. I'm trying to decide if I want to forward the blog there and lock this one down to friends only. If I do that, I'm trying to decide if I should bother putting the recipes over there as well. I will definitely have the crafts blog over there and then just dump ChaCha. I really need to get the tags/labels ordered, too.
Crafts: On a related note, I need to complete the boat blanket for Maddy (one cable panel left, and then whip stitching it together and knitting the border). I also have plenty of bibs to finish. They're just needing snaps. Gifts need to be given!
House: Lots of cleaning I want to get done. Our bedroom still has piles of artwork from when we moved... two years ago. I also want to make a final decision on the color in the bedroom and the dining room. We'll probably paint the dining room next since it's so easy, and I'm pretty sure we're sticking with the brown chip we picked out last year. I thought we had finally decided on red for the bedroom, but now I'm torn. I love the blue in the guest room so much I think I might want that in the room back there. I'm so frustrated now.
Job Hunt: I am still rather beat down about this whole job hunt. I have my fingers crossed on one position, but it isn't even open yet. I also received an email from a recruiter in Georgia for a remote position and I keep forgetting to call him back. I get a few minutes when Sophie is sleeping and my brain just shuts down and I forget about all the other things I need to do until she gets up again. I hate that.
Craigslist: I was able to get a few things sold from the last big listing I did, but not much. I took more pictures of items today and will be posting those soon. This stuff needs to be gone!
Weight Loss: I have been overweight my entire life. I am tired of being overweight. Unfortunately, I like food. My portion control isn't bad, nor are the foods I eat, normally. However, my metabolism is in the toilet and I really need to work on giving it a good jump start. I need to focus on drinking more water, getting better sleep at night, and cutting out the things I eat/drink on a regular basis that are detrimental to my overall health. I also need to figure out an exercise plan that I can manage with Sophie around.
LJ: This is low priority, but still something I want to work on. I changed the layout and it's okay, but I think I'd like to find a different one. I really like the three column layout, so I don't want to give that up. That limits the layouts that work for me, of course. I also really want to work on my user icons and setting up various mood themes. Of course, I'm fairly behind on comments right now, so I'd like to get those cleared up as well.
Future posts: I have a few ideas running around in my head regarding future posts. Some of these are posts I have said I'd be writing for over a year now, some of these are newer. I am horrible about writing these down or actually getting around to writing them. Meh. Some of these ideas include posts on children's books, working from home, various movie and music reviews, various tips and tricks in the kitchen (such as how I store my bacon, exciting I know), as well as the picture and video posts I keep promising.


I think that's about it for now...

I have been very lax lately in the whole exercise and diet routine. I get so frustrated when I don't see any changes and then we get busy and it's easy for me to break the very fragile habit, especially with exercise. I have hated my body with a serious passion since Sophie was born, although I've never been terribly comfortable with it before that.

The wife of one of B's friends at work had a Tummy Tuck done and I have to admit, she looks pretty good. I'm not ready to go that route because I still have to lose weight, but I do have a baby belly I want to eliminate. I'm sure some of you don't care to think about this, but it's there, and I hate it. I'd rather it be gone! If someone has some excellent exercises (other than sit ups) that work to correct this flab, please share!

I have been a serious slacker this week with exercise. I didn't work out on Sunday because B was home and occupying the recliner in the living room when I would have been working out (I hate working out in front of him almost as much as I hate taking the TV away from him). I didn't work out on Monday because I was being lazy (can't think of any other reason). Sophie and I had somewhere to be on Tuesday, so I used that as an excuse. Yesterday, we weren't home. I did walk through the whole zoo, but at a leisurely pace, no aerobic work out for me yesterday.

Of course, I'm skipping today's workout because I still am suffering slightly from the headache that steamrolled me. Way to go, me! Because of me getting lazy with the exercise, I really think it's time to step up the diet and not pussyfoot around the thing anymore. I know I haven't lost any weight (and it's not shifting either - clothes fit the same). I will most likely be using My Fitness Pal for my calorie counter and food diary, mostly because it's free (unlike other sites out there). I plan to learn all about the calories I'm taking in, and not just count them. Counting is so boring.

Anyhow, I haven't done a weight check lately, but I only do those in the morning so it will have to wait again. I am so tired of feeling like a blob, seriously.

I am in dire need of whipping this fat body back into a shape other than blob. Now that we've been doing Dream Dinners for a while, I have found we are starting to eat healthier sides for the most part. I have been making an effort to include more fresh fruits and veggies in our diet. Now, it's time to start cutting back on the sugar again (we don't really have much except for when I make muffins or desserts, and that really isn't often), and step up the exercise.

With autumn looming around the corner, the days should be a bit cooler soon, at least in the morning, and I'll be able to start walking with Sophie again. I miss our walks because it got me out of the house, helped us both get fresh air, and gave me a little bit of a workout in the process (I think we did about two miles every day). In order to prepare for these walks, I popped in one of my Leslie Sansone DVDs and walked this morning at home. Holy crap, am I out of shape. I used to be able to do the one mile without breaking a sweat. My legs are so sore now. Yuck.

I have to work really hard to get rid of the baby belly I still have and hate. I'm not looking to get down to a size 6 or 8. That's crazy for me. I would be excited if I could get down to what I was in high school, but I'd even be happy with a size above that, the size I was when B and I first got together.

Hopefully, with a little bit of hard work and some more slight changes in our diet, we can both be healthier. I'm almost embarrassed to put the weight down, but if I don't, I won't feel like I'm being held accountable.

241.4

It's time to get serious.

Edited to add: On 11/24/07 I weighed exactly the same as the day this was originally posted. Yeah.

I love you. Thank you for your Fat Rant!

Today, during my afternoon off, I went to the dentist for a cleaning (complete torture and abuse) and was happy to hear I had no cavities.

After that, I went to the eye doctor again to see if I could find a pair of glasses. Come to find out, the glasses I had considered while I was in there at a previous time had arrived, and were a beautiful gun-metal grey. I asked the girl if they came in a larger size (yes, I have a fat head - do with that remark what you will, since I know you will anyhow), and she told me they told her they didn't. Amazingly enough, "they" were wrong, whoever "they" is (are? were?), and the glasses that came in are, in fact, larger than the original glasses I tried. We agreed the gun-metal grey looked better than the bronze/copperish glasses I had also chosen, and I ordered the glasses (which, even with all the extra crap I get with my glasses, are still less than one contact lens. Yes, you read that correctly - one contact lens, not one pair of lenses. One lens would cost me $400. Due to my astigmatism, lasik really isn't an option right now, either - not that I'd have the courage for that....).

Since there happened to be a Half Price Books in the same parking lot as the eye doctor, I decided to stop. I picked up a few knitting books, but they really didn't have many from which to choose. This surprised me a little, but it didn't surprise me at all that there were no spinning books.

I managed to make it to Happy Nails in time for their little rush. I have no clue how I always manage to get the same girl every time I go in, but I do, and she almost always makes me bleed or hurts me in some way. At least she was only doing my feet and eyebrows this time, and she did a fairly decent job on both. One of the other girls did my nails, and she did a nice job. The only thing I don't like is that they always make the white part so low into my nail, which makes my fingers looking even more sausage-like (I was shocked to see it was possible).

B and I wound up going to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. The food was fairly good, but the restaurant was somewhat smoky. I don't know why we bother with that place. Wingstop is much better.

I'm almost done with my second slightly modified Sophie. I can't wait to felt it. I'm not sure if I want to add pockets to this one or not. If I do, I think they'll be on the inside. I think I might add felted hearts or somesuch to the bag when it's done. I have no idea what's going to go on my needles next, though. I'm feeling a bit in the mood for some felted clogs, I think.

I'm certain I will have to work on Saturday (which gets old, especially when there's no overtime involved). It's really too bad that we have to take PTO for times we're out of the office considering all the extra time so many people put in without extra pay. I suppose all companies are like this though (or would like to think so, so please don't argue with me and ruin my little fantasy world).

There was no working out today, and there will most likely be no working out tomorrow. If I'm able to get in on Saturday, that would mean three times for this week, which is two days less than the doctor ordered per week. Back to my original question about going to a gym: who the heck has time?

Ugh.

• Bad news: I weighed exactly the same today as I did during my doctor visit in February.


• Good news: I weighed exactly the same today as I did during my doctor visit in February.


• Bad news: They had to draw blood today.


• Good news: They only had to draw one vial of blood.


• Bad news: I have been ordered to work out at a miserably disgusting sweaty pace (causing my heart rate to raise to about 170 beats per minute) for roughly 40 minutes a day, at least five days a week (Who the eff has time for this? I mean, really? This isn't just 40 minutes we're talking about here. This turns into at least an hour and a half when taking drive time, time spent waiting for equipment, extra shower time, etc. all into consideration.).


• Good news: These workouts can include the stationary bike and elliptical trainer and do not need to include any weights.


• Bad news: I have to wait three to four weeks for lab results.


• Good news: I actually get the results mailed to me.


• Bad news: I haven't met my deductible for insurance yet.


• Good news: The doctor's office only charges 50% of the bill when the deductible hasn't been met.

I understand I should be working out anyhow. This really is a non-issue. I'd just much rather it be something that could be done at home instead. I may consider looking into buying a used elliptical trainer or stair master or something.

In six weeks I go back in for another check up. I'm going to see if I can possibly change my work schedule to come in a little earlier. I'm not sure when I'll fit this workout in if I don't. I'm also going to check out the workout equipment out at work, and hope most of it is in good condition so I don't have to pay money for this.

I'm slightly annoyed with my doctor since he seems to be rather old school, and thinks I need to weigh 120. I think that's entirely unrealistic for me, even though I'm only 5'3½". My frame is not little, not by any stretch. It's rather large, in fact, and I don't mean because I'm carrying around all this fat on it. He also is acting like there's no way possible that a thyroid condition would cause me to be overweight. In a way, I almost hope it comes back that I do have a thyroid condition, just to prove that it's not like I haven't tried. I have done nothing but gain weight for as long as I can remember. Every time I lose weight, it seems to be water weight, plain and simple. I can't even be on the pill because I retain water so horribly then.

I suppose we'll see how it all breaks down in six weeks.

I have scheduled a doctor appointment for Thursday morning at 8:30. Due to the nature of the tests I'm requesting, I have to begin fasting at 8:30 the previous night. I knew water was ok during the fasting period, but was surprised to learn that unsweetened tea and black coffee were acceptable as well. I thought caffeine had an affect on blood sugar, but what do I know.

I'm nervous, partially because I'll get bad news and partially that I'll be given a clean bill of health and will have absolutely no reason for not being able to lose weight. I am SO tired of being fat... and getting fatter.

I had fun today playing with colors. My original plan was to dye some yarn I have here, but I wasn't feeling that ambitious. I organized the next batch of "stuff" for eBay, although I haven't taken pictures yet (I think my camera is full right now and I need to transfer pictures from it). After that, I decided it was time to get out of the house. I made a trip to my LYS and picked through samples of a particular brand of yarn so I could place an order. The colors I chose are beautiful. I'm so excited and really can't wait for them to arrive. They're for a very special project.

Speaking of special projects, the baby blanket I'm working on (the green one with the evil Red Heart yarn) is moving right along. I'm tempted to tink a bit since I noticed about ten rows back (or so) I made a pretty blatant error. I'm not sure anyone else would notice it, but it's been bothering me since I noticed it yesterday. I hate to think that all my hard work will just be undone and will need to be done again, but I also don't really want to give a gift that has such an obvious (to me) flaw.

The next knitting project on my list is definitely going to be a felted bag. I haven't decided which one, but I think I want to needle felt on the bag when it's done, too.

I think next week I'm going to try to get some spinning in. I have a feeling B's going to put the big kibosh on that since he'll want to start working out at the gym together.

I need to get in and see the doctor soon. I believe the insurance actually started when I started at work, but they didn't make that clear (of course). I have had to fight with our Corporate Benefits department to get answers. I didn't think the questions I've been asking were that difficult. It's not my fault they're not answering all my questions. I find it rather annoying, quite honestly.

I received a phone call from my father about his uncle being in the hospital, which makes me sad. B and I will need to plan a trip to Fort Wayne very soon since I really want him to meet my Uncle Bob before he passes away. B's been out of town since Wednesday afternoon. I miss him. Other than that, last week was good.

I'm learning things at work and feeling slightly more productive, and that makes me feel a little better. I'm not missing POS nearly as much as I was when I first went back to Iberalodiant. My customers are still missing me, though, especially when someone pulls a stunt like changing an IP address at one of the sites (why they did that is a complete mystery to me).

I also received an email from my secret pal last week! I'm so excited!! There's a package on the way and I simply can't wait!

I've decided I will be frogging or tinking that blanket (not sure if I want to risk messing it up if I frog too far), at least up until the point of the mistake. Gah. This is going to drive me mad. I'll just be knitting that much longer with this horrible yarn. Bleh.

Weigh-in days are really starting to depress me hardcore.

225/221.4/160

Today was a much better weigh-in day than last Monday. I have lost most of the weight I had gained in water retention, and will most likely lose even more this week. B wants me to start going to they gym with him, starting two weeks from now. I don't know that I'm ready to face the public in workout clothing, but I promised him I would try. I'm sure it will be better for me than just my walking workouts at home. I just want this extra weight to be gone! I know I'll never be some skinny rail of a thing, but I honestly don't want that. I just want to be able to paint my toenails in comfort. I want to be able to walk up the stairs and not have my knees scream in frustration with each step. I want to be able to fit into the clothes in my closet again. I can do this. I will do this. I will not try. I just simply will.



"No, try not! Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda



225/218.4/160

The good:

• Today, I received a package for the girl I'm gifting. It's beautiful and I hope she loves it. There's another package coming that is similar, and I'm not sure which she'll receive. The one I don't give might be saved for another secret pal. Speaking of which, I need to pack up something for her so I can send it tomorrow. :)


• I received a package from my secret pal today! It's a skein of very beautiful eye lash yarn in "Hip" from Bernat (I think I need to find some "Wink" and "Cool" now - I've always loved Bernat's colors). There is also a pattern for a baby blanket on the card that was included in the package. The blanket is adorable, yes, but I really love the idea of those cards! I need to find some of those!! Thanks RYZN!! :)


• ·


• Working at 5am is nice. Covered parking is nice (heck, any parking is nice). Leaving at 2pm is pure heaven.


• Yarn (any kind) sells fairly well on eBay.

The bad:

• My current boss chose to step into another management roll, thereby leaving me with yet another manager who commutes a great distance (from Tampa, FL to Dallas, TX). This bothers me only slightly, since, from what I've gathered so far, the new manager is a good guy. What bothers me most is the fact that this company continues to do things that amaze me (usually not in a good way). How much money are they spending to have all the people flying back and forth from Atlanta to Dallas (or various other parts of the country)? And now, a look at how greedy I can be: they need to spend less so we get more in our bonuses! ;)


• My other concern about this is, did my manager actually choose this position? I know how this company does things, and they say people make choices when, in reality, there is no choice to be made. This is pure speculation on my part, and since no one else from work except for one person reads my blog, I'm going to voice my concern here. I don't want to cause others to worry or to be the one to spread rumors.

The ugly:

• Last night I went to put on my pajamas, and found that the shorts are a little too small for me right now. I nearly cried.


• Today is a weigh-in day. I'm on my cycle and am bloating like mad. I haven't been working out because last week I was getting up before the crack of dawn and coming home dog tired. I'm paying for all of that in a miserable way today. I weighed in at 222.4. I am so depressed about all of this.


• ·


• I can't even go see the doctor yet without paying an arm and an ass because the company hasn't figured out that our PeopleSoft has the wrong insurance listed and sent me the forms to fill out. I mentioned it to our HR chick last week, and she said I should be getting forms this week. I only have 30 days, biznatch!

225/222.4/160

This morning's weigh-in was very depressing. I think it's time for another visit to the doctor to figure out just why it is I'm not losing weight.

225/217.2/160

I stepped on the scale this morning expecting to have gained weight. My expectations were met, but not to the degree I imagined. Thankfully, I only gained 1.2 pounds last week during my low water intake and lack of exercise. I also ate more fruit than I normally would, and made a low-carb cheesecake for dessert Saturday night when we had friends over for dinner. All in all, that's not too bad. This week I start back at Iberalodiant, and am hoping my water intake will increase during work. I should have enough time in the mornings to work out before heading off to work, unless I have a very early schedule, in which case I'll just work out when I get home.

---

I discussed it with B, and he seems to think my next project should be a llama. Unfortunately, since I don't have a pattern for the llamas yet, I won't be starting that as my next project. He said I should make a teddy bear instead.




I'm going to give that a whirl. I'm hopeful that I'll make it through the project with little cussing. Since I've never used DPNs, though, it might be quite the challenge. If I make it to the end of the project with something that actually resembles a bear, I'll be quite pleased. I'm guessing I'll learn a little about knitting in the process.

---

·

---

Yesterday's get-together was quite fun. There was much food, alcohol, and conversation. I didn't succumb to drinking anything other than my Crystal Light Bottled Beverages, and I stayed away from the cakes and chips (thinking all the while that I would just have a slice of the cheesecake left over from the previous night).

I made the mistake of touching a friend's arm, thinking he was B. It didn't dawn on me who it was until I looked at him. I nearly jumped when I realized it. Apparently it freaked him out a bit. I'm not sure if he was freaked out by the fact that I was touching him, or by the fact that a girl was touching him. It's something to ponder...

We watched the new Star Wars. I'm rather happy I didn't bother paying money for it since it pretty much blew chunks. I think the CGI was pretty cool, but the dialogue and most of the acting was pretty bad. Maybe if it comes to the dollar theater I'll go see it. I might even pay to see it at the IMAX. Either way, it's not a high priority for me to see it in the theater now.

---

I'm off now to fight the mound of laundry and work on my eBay listings. I am such the party animal!

---

225/216.4/160

Woohoo!!

Today, I weighed in at 215.2 pounds. I thought for sure that I was headed the wrong direction after last week, but I'm guessing it was due to hormonal reasons. If I could just keep drinking a lot of water, things would be better. I am so excited. This is my lowest weight this time around. I'm hoping to make it under 200 soon, but have a feeling it will be a while before that comes. I don't really care, as long as it keeps coming off and I keep feeling good.

Yay!!

225/215.2/160

I am blessed to be dating a man who loves to cook as much as I do. Because of this, we typically eat fairly well, although sometimes our concoctions leave a little to be desired. We grill quite heavily in the summer, and most of the meats are cooked by B in that arena. I usually handle the side dishes while he's grilling. When we're not grilling, we're frying or baking, and that's usually when I shine. Sometimes he helps, sometimes he stays away. He's smart like that.

I put default on my friends list so I can see the lovely foods he makes. I'm not nearly as creative with my sides, although that's slowly changing (not that there's any evidence of that in this post). We would eat more salads if my Salad Spinner hadn't mysteriously melted (it really keeps a salad fresher for longer!!). I've decided to follow his steps and post pictures of the food we've made. I doubt I'll post nearly as many as he does (this could be the only food post I have), though.

B once asked me why I take pictures of the food. I have a few reasons, I suppose. I think we do a good job in the kitchen and want to remember some of the dishes we've made. I also want to be able to show people who think a low carb diet is boring just how tasty it can be. Then he told me I was a freak.

He might be right.

All of the pictures behind the cut are Atkins friendly. We're currently in OWL, but most of these meals are Induction friendly as well. Some of the recipes (when recipes are required) are from Dana Carpender's 500 Low-Carb Recipes cookbook, some are from our own crazy little brains. Believe it or not, broccoli and green beans are not the only vegetables we eat, although there aren't many others we add to the mix. They just happen to be the easiest (we always have frozen beans and broccoli around - fresh veggies aren't so easy to keep in stock).



( Not fit for vegetarians.... )



.: cross-posted in atkins_diet and my personal journal :.

( Probably a little too much information for some.... )

225/218/160

I got out of bed on time today and walked another mile. I realized just how much my hips hurt from yesterday's workout while I was working out today. Ow.

I had a difficult time getting B out of bed, which shoves my schedule back a bit, not that I really care.

I wish I didn't have to go to work.

Next week my schedule is supposed to be 6am to 3pm. I don't mind the hours, but driving to Dallas at 5:30 in the morning might be difficult. Between that, and not knowing what the morning person is supposed to do (at all), I think I'd like to just skip next week.

Meh.

I finally sucked it up today and worked out to a Leslie Sansone One Mile Walk. I know a one mile walk is lame, but it's been a while since I've done anything like that and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I don't want to wind up hating it right away, so I'm starting slow and without the weights. I plan on continuing the one mile walk all this week and then adding weights next week. The week after (or possibly sooner, if I feel up to it), I will move on to the two mile walk (with weights for part of the time, probably).

I am going to get rid of this fat, for once and for all (funny story about that little phrase, but I have a feeling it was a "you had to be there" sort of thing, so I won't bother sharing)!!

Eventually (once my schedule allows, that is), I might obtain a membership at the community rec center (only $20 a year) so I can use the elliptical trainer (I love those) as well. I think it would work well to break up the routine a little. I would like to find some place that offers hydrotoning, but that's usually rather difficult to find.

Related Links:

· Leslie Sansone Videos
· Walk Away the Pounds

Right now I feel like I could use a good nap. Unfortunately, it's time for me to get ready for work.

I lost 1.2 pounds this week (maybe more, maybe less). We bought a nice scale on Saturday called a Thinner scale. I love it, and it works a lot better than the other two we have (of which I'll soon be disposing). I'm still losing, so I'm still happy, although my clothes are still a tight fit.

I wound up not exercising at all last week, and had planned on starting this morning but was simply so tired I could barely get myself out of bed. I know I need to start, and I know the sooner the better. I'm going to try to make it to bed early tonight so I won't have any excuses tomorrow morning.

225/216.8/160

I'm down two pounds from last Monday, which isn't much, but is still something. This week, I'm going to try to add exercise back into my day. With a schedule that has me leaving shortly after 9:00 am and returning roughly around 8:00 pm, I should be able to get some workout time in the morning. It's not going to happen today since I was up so late last night (worked until midnight, made it home by 1:00 am, was in bed around 2:00 am), but I would certainly like to start tomorrow. I've only got myself fighting me, so I'm sure I'll win the battle, one way or another. I just hope that I don't continue to make excuses.

A 10-7 shift really stinks for cooking.

Bleh.


225/218/160

Induction is going well. I thought I was over the hump, and it's possible I was, but yesterday I was exhausted. I have a feeling today will be much the same, but I think it's from lack of sleep. Work should not be allowed to intrude on my life.

225/220/160

1. ( Results.... )

2. I've been a cleaning fool the past two days. I still have lots to do, though. I actually bleached in between the tiles on the kitchen counter today. The kitchen looked great, at least until we had dinner.

3. Move along... nothing to see here...

4. I think I've made it past the Atkins hump (either that or I still have yet to hit it, and that scares me). Today I had more energy than I have in a long time. That makes me happy, and somewhat excited.

5. I go back to work tomorrow. I must admit, three days off in a row is nice, especially during the week. I've missed that a little. I was spoiled when I first started Aloha and was able to work 4x10's all the time.

6. We went to the Home Depot tonight. Thank you, AmEx, for the $100 gift card that paid for all my flowers and birdseed. I am so loving our back yard right now. I bought six sets of petunias, two day lilies, a fuchsia, two small cacti of some sort, two kalanchoe (which will need to be kept far from Chui), three African violets, two huge bags of bird seed, a hummingbird feeder, another wild bird feeder, and probably more stuff I'm forgetting. I love the HD almost as much as I love our back yard.

7. I just stumbled across this site. I'm a little concerned about some of the plants I have now, but I also know that we grew up with cats and dogs around many of the plants listed here and never had any issues. Unfortunately, Chui is the type of dog (the brainless type, that is) who likes to chase after weeds when I'm gardening. He's a strange one. He's been known to chase flowers I've plucked as well as dirt and other such things. I'll have to be more careful with my gardening now.

8. B and I went to the Dallas Auto Show last Saturday. We had a pretty good time. We avoided most of the Ford section, and breezed by Hyundai and most of the Chrysler products. I will have a difficult time decided what I want for my next car, especially now that Saturn has decided to stop making new cars with polymer panels. I can see myself going with a VW, Saab, or maybe even an Acura. Such decisions. I'm rather glad I have nearly two years left on this loan.

9. I have fallen in love with the art of Katie Cook. Check her out. She can draw.


That's about all I've got in my bag other than a mess of yarn and a few pecans Chui dug up in the yard. I don't even have a rock.

Yesterday, I started back on induction.

( Lament and details behind the cut.... )

- I want a Mac Mini... and a 30" flat panel to go with it. ;)

- Today is my last trip for Radiant Systems. Woohoo! I'm in Palm Desert, CA. It's pretty nice here. I wish I had remembered my camera. Oops.

-

- Next Monday I start working for Dave and Buster's. Woohoo!

- B is going to San Francisco for work soon. I'm going to try to break away from work and meet up with him for the weekend.

- My last day at Radiant is on Wednesday, when I go in to turn in all my stuff. They sent me a Word.doc for my exit interview. What a joke.

- Johnie wants me to refinance the car, the car he wanted me to buy in the first place, the car that is currently upside down but with a fairly decent APR. If I do this, I'll have another hit on my credit score and will probably lose the 4.9% financing. This is all because someone who makes $100k doesn't know how to manage his money. Apparently he had to have his wife co-sign with him so they could buy a car for her son. Yeah... sounds like neither of them know how to manage money. I just want my pots and pans back. Damnit.

- B has contacted Kent Childs (a former Friday's/Aloha employee turned realtor) about houses out in the Flower Mound/Lewisville area (I'd rather live in north Dallas, but that's me). I'm pretty excited about the prospect of moving out there. Yay!

- Yesterday we planted many flowers and other plants. B also put out a few more bird feeders and a new bird house. I love spring.

- I love Long Beach Iced Teas. Yum!

- The diet and exercise program is about to start all over again for me (since I'm currently no longer fitting into any of my clothes).

- Everybody wants a rock to tie a piece of string around (but I've already got one in my bag).

I love my doctor, I really do. This man always seems to be genuinely concerned but never overbearing. He amazes me. I will be sad if I ever have to stop having him has my doctor.

Wednesday's appointment went fairly well. I didn't have to wait nearly as long as I expected (maybe ten minutes at most). He told me I had a virus along with 9,000 other people in Arlington (his stats, not mine) and that he was going to give me some big pills to clear it up. He then went on to say that he used to call them horse pills, but one of his patients informed him that horses don't take pills, they get paste. Ick. I was a little concerned I might have an ear infection since they've been bothering me, but he said everything else seemed to be fine (thankfully).

Then, he decided to discuss my weight. I have gained 30 pounds since I saw him last (a little over a year) and am 10 pounds heavier now than I was before I lost the last bit of weight. He's concerned, as am I, but I'm already quite aware of why this has happened and what I need to do to change it. I explained to him that I've been traveling and he agreed that eating in restaurants and weird sleep patterns could certainly be the cause and then asked me what I planned to do about it. I explained I am in the process of trying to change jobs and once that's all settled, I fully plan on buckling down to work on the diet and exercise and would like to come in for blood sugar tests and possibly thyroid tests. He liked my answer, which is good, because that's really my intent. I'm so tired of feeling fat and miserable and lazy. I seriously have no energy lately and I'm sure it's due to my eating/sleeping habits (well, maybe a little of it has to do with being sick). I feel so... blah... and I hate it.

And now that this big (not horse) pill has finally decided to kick in, I'll be returning to bed.