Mare's Journey

Rebel Without a Pause

2011-07-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, instead of eating less, I’m eating more… I think I’m rebelling against myself. You know how you want something but you fight against yourself? I suppose that’s a good definition of addiction. For every thing I don’t bring into the house or eat at work, there’s something else I break down and eat. *sigh*

I keep praying and trying to eat the way I want to eat.

Negatives--screw them. They have no place here!

Positives:
Didn’t buy little 500 calorie apple pies because it’s an American holiday and what better way to celebrate than Hostess apple pie?

Didn’t buy Target popcorn to bring home.

I’ll strive for more positives in the future. What actually worked for me was a habit I got into last fall, around the same time I was reading Bethanny Frankel’s book-here‘s what I was doing:
Breakfast-half a bagel and a schmear of peanut butter for protein 100 calories

Lunch-200 to 300 calorie frozen meal

2PM-100 calorie snack

Dinner-200 to 300 calories

Dessert-fruit and yogurt 200 calories

It was SO doable. I actually started losing weight, then the holidays hit… There have been holidays that I actually lost weight ‘cause I was that damn good. But last year I fell off the wagon and under the wheels… And I’ve been dragged by the wagon ever since.

This month, I turn 55. I’m so sick of this psycho yo yo crap! Am I still going to be shoveling cheese crackers with a Reese’s Piece’s chaser into my face when I’m 90? It’s sad to think that the only vestige of my personality to survive senility would be my eating obsession.

OK, end of rant. Thanks for listening…

If you need a picker upper of a movie, go see Larry Crowne. It’s a chick flik, no doubt about it, complete with fairly simple premise, sweetly eccentric characters (George Takei as a crazy brilliant economics teacher, a scooter gang and Cedric the Entertainer as a neighbor with a perpetual yard sale), lots of flirting, a little porno and the requisite happy ending. I love me some Tom Hanks!!

C’est la vie!

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Finnegan, Begin Again…

2011-06-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Why is it that when you start a weight loss campaign, you immediately gain weight?? I know, I know, I’m impatient… The first time I weighed myself after starting to count calories, I’d gained a dang pound. *sigh*

So, I need to reiterate my first three rules:

1. No eating after 7:30
2. Walking every day
3. Just say no.

I haven’t done badly at the eating after 7:30--maybe some fruit or a couple of hard candies. Walking… I did dig out my walking DVD and did a three mile Thursday night. A good start. The Husband is working late six nights out of the coming 8, so I’ll do it as many times as I can (hopefully six!).

Saying no… I’ve been playing head games with that one. Pie at work--I can have a small piece if I forgo the 100 calorie pudding I brought for a snack. Let’s see--the pie, even a small piece, is probably 300 to 500 calories. But do I run those figures when I’m saying, oh yeah, cut me a slice??

I need to sit down and read through Bethanny Frankel’s Naturally Thin, again. It helped me last year and it can help me again. Her advice is very down to earth and soooo doable. But like anything else that deals with addiction, you need to have it in front of you often, so you don’t forget you have a problem. That’s what AA is based on--constantly reminding yourself that you have a problem so you don’t start acting like you don’t have a problem…

Ah, well… On the creative front, I finished an open round chainmaille bracelet and worked on a new chain necklace. The necklace I have to tweak a little, shortening the length of a couple of strands. But it felt good to be working on jewelry. Lately, I haven’t been very inspired. But learning that open round weave got me working again! And today I took a class at the Bead Society where we made a fabric flower and embellished it with beads, chain and a pendant. Fun!

C’est la vie!

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105 by 12/25!

2011-06-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

105 by 12/25! That’s my new motto.

But to get there, I need to start saying NO! Unfortunately, today that didn’t work… I compared myself to Pavlov’s dog and Woofed on Twitter… Offered cake and ice cream at work, did I stop to think? Did I consider just visiting with co-workers and foregoing the sweets? Huh?? *sigh* This is a process…

C’est la vie!

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Did You Miss Moi??

2011-06-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Yeah, so, ‘k. It’s been a while… And I think all I’ve done since my last post is eat…

I’ve been reading Chris Powell’s AOL blogs and he’s been talking about declaring your SMART goals. They must be measurable and time sensitive. So, here goes: I want to weigh 105 pounds by Christmas. No, I haven’t weighed myself today. I’ve been on vacation and The Husband has been a very bad influence (Yeah, that’s it! Blame The Husband!) I will weigh myself this weekend, in the pathetic hope that I can redeem myself tomorrow and Friday, perhaps losing what I must have gained over the last debauched week…

The Husband also wants to lose weight and be generally healthier, so I’ll chronicle us both but I’ll concentrate on my details mostly. Since I can’t be with him every minute, he’s on the honor system and naturally, responsible for his own eating. I can only try to keep us on the straight and narrow here at home…

Here are our official Before pictures:

Big face, big legs, just big big big!

Big belly is what The Husband needs to work on.

So, here are the first two Carter’s Rules for Healthier Living:

1) No eating after 7:30

Totally doable! We’ve been practicing this for a while (ok, we slipped a bit during vacation, but tomorrow we’re back to it)

2) Walking every day.

We used to walk every day. Some days we’d be up at the crack of dawn, bundled up to our eyeballs, walking at 6:30AM! Hmmm… Somehow got out of that habit and it shows. Back to it!

One thing I’ve been doing lately in the name of healthier eating is substituting Greek Yogurt for mayonnaise. Yum! I use it in tuna salad with relish~it actually gives the flavor a little tang and reduces the fat content by tons. Try it!

So, enough of this healthy stuff! The Husband and I went to see the new Woody Allen movie, Midnight in Paris. Right up my alley, oui?! I loved it! Naturally, the backdrop of Paris is amazing~the first five minutes of the film is a valentine to the city, ambling through the familiar and the common, from day to night. LOVELY! But the story is also wonderful, with the Jazz Age and all it’s wonderful characters, as a lesson in finding our bliss. It’s definitely one I want to own on DVD!

I’ll try to write every day but… You know how that goes. But I do believe that you do what you concentrate on and lately my concentration has been AWOL, in a lot of aspects of my life. And that’s why I’m such a mess lately. So, watch this space and let’s see how I do!

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme 11

2010-09-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Day 11 - A book that disappointed you

Oh, that would have to be The Big Steal by Emyl Jenkins. Her first book was really good and I liked the lead character, Sterling Glass, who is a woman of a certain age. I feel bad dissing this book because the author wrote me a very nice email, telling me that this book was delayed because she'd lost her mother-in-law, who was a dear friend, and she was having a hard time dealing with her loss. But this book, although it had some memorable scenes, seemed to ramble and Sterling didn't have the same verve as in the first book. There wasn't a satisfying ending and we were left with lots of loose ends.

Here's something I should have used for a previous Meme--a plot device I find irritating. Sterling has two gentlemen love interests. Too many books do this (and tv shows) (and movies). Love triangles pretty much are set ups for failure. If a choice is ever actually made, there's always the nagging doubts, which are just plain boring… And sometimes when a choice is made, the writer (be they book, tv or movie) just doesn't know what to do with the characters then. I really do prefer a character in a good relationship from the get go. But I digress.

Anyway, I'm hoping there'll be a third book in this series because I know there's lots of potential for this character and her antiques business. I will definitely be there, cheering her on.

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme 10

2010-09-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Day 10 - A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving

I've gotta talk about two books here.

The first is A.S. Byatt's Possession. It sounded sorta interesting, so I got it on tape at the library. But it turned out to be really enjoyable and I felt I was missing something by not being able to read it for myself. So I eventually picked up a copy of it and enjoyed every word. It deals with two stories of two couples, a century or so apart, and both tales are complicated and fascinating and the look into the world of academic politics is an education in itself.

The other is Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. I think it was the "It" book of that season and I had started reading it with an attitude of seeing what all the fuss was about. Turns out, the thoughtful narrative reveals an emotional story as well as a tense courtroom drama with a hint of mystery and potential betrayal. It takes place just before and after the Second World War and deals with the Japanese internment, first loves and a decision that could ruin lives.

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme 9

2010-09-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Day 09 - Best scene ever

I don't know if this is the Best Scene Ever but it's certainly stuck with me for 35 years!

If memory serves, it takes place in the first few chapters of Stephen King's Salems Lot. Danny Glick's brother died under mysterious circumstances. In his room a few nights later, Danny sees his brother OUTSIDE his bedroom window--ON THE SECOND FLOOR!

'k, this creeped me out when I read it. But now, when I catch a glimpse of myself in a night-darkened window when I'm not expecting to--I jump 3 feet! And the fact that I can still remember the character's name after all these years-yeah, best scene, definitely!

PS-yeah, I know I missed Day 8... It’s coming soon…

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Book Meme 7

2010-09-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise

Had to think a while on this one but lately I’ve been reading some books with truly annoying mother figures--moms, step-moms, etc. I think this counts as plot device. If not, ah well, it’s the only thing I could think of…

The Georgiana Neverall books by Christy Evans ~ a realtor mom who‘s very unhappy with her daughters‘ life choices

The Queen Betsey Vampire series by MaryJanice Davidson ~ a step-mother who hits every Stepmom cliché in the book

The Trash and Treasure mysteries by Barbara Allan ~ a bi-polar mom who has grown on me considerably

The Debutante Dropout Mysteries by Susan McBride ~ a high society mom who has her heartfelt moments lately

The Ministry is Murder Mysteries by Emilie Richards ~ a hippie mom who gets her nose into everything (again, she’s growing on me)

The Crimes of Fashion Mysteries ~ a long distance mom who’s a nosey parker

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme 6

2010-09-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore--It’s not a series but he so often uses the same characters that I’m considering it a legitimate cheat…

Christopher Moore’s greatest talent is combining over the top imagination with heart. A Dirty Job is about young widower, single father and second hand goods shop owner Charlie Asher, a regular guy who becomes Death. Along with Minty Fresh, a big black man who wears light green suits and should be played by Will Smith if this is ever made into a movie, who helps Charlie settle into his new part time job as a collector of souls.

This isn’t the craziest plot Moore has come up with but I picked it as my favorite because it has the most warmth for and among its characters. I read it when it came out a few years ago, so please forgive my non-memory for names… First, there’s his daughter, who everyone loves, including two old ladies in his apartment house who vie for the honor of babysitting. Then there are the hell hounds, sent as guardians for the daughter when Charlie is off on assignment. The Emperor of San Francisco, a homeless man with two sweet dogs, who has made appearances in many of Moore’s books, I think mainly the vampire stories. Everyone loves the Emperor and his “men”.

The subject of death is approached from many different angles in this book--funny, angry, tender. Charlie is an Everyman, struggling to understand (the Great Big Book of Death, which would explain his mission, has been cadged by his shop employee, Goth Girl) and appreciate his new job, while trying to keep his precious daughter safe and sane. In true Moore fashion, it’s never as simple as it seems and Charlie finds himself defending the city against demons and harpies who’ve taken a Gold Rush-era ship buried under the streets of San Francisco as their HQ.

If you’ve never read Christopher Moore, this might be a good one to start with, since it’s got the best of him in one big volume (but I’m hoping for more of Charlie and his daughter). Warning, though. Moore gives nothing and no one a pass--if you are easily offended by sex, religion, race, gender or nationality jokes or really really crazy bad language, his books may not be for you. But if you want a laugh out loud funny (seriously, sometimes I embarrass myself in public reading Moore) while your heart is breaking literary experience, run do not walk to the nearest Christopher Moore bookshelf!

PS--I think I'm going to repeat this meme for movies and maybe even TV...

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme 5

2010-09-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Day 05 - A book or series you hate

Ok, I wouldn’t say hate… But I couldn’t finish The Lace Reader. There was so much violence and brutality that it wasn’t worth it for me to continue. When a book makes me so tense from worrying about the people or animals in it, I just don’t want that kind of bad juju in my life. The world is stressful enough. I read to de-stress and relax. I’m not against a good story with periods of violence or intermittent tension (I enjoyed The Lovely Bones) but when a book is relentless in its darkness, back to the library it goes!

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme 4

2010-09-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever

My favorite book, along with practically the entire population of the earth, is To Kill a Mockingbird.

So, I’ll tell you about my favorite series, the Sharon McCone mysteries, by Marcia Muller.

I discovered Sharon McCone somewhere in the mid-80’s at the Whittier Public Library. I quickly caught up on the series, which started with Edwin of the Iron Shoes, in 1977. To have read a series that 1.) an author has actually written for 30+ years and 2.) that has continued to grow and get better over time is just amazing. I always say that I feel like I’ve grown up with Sharon.

She started out as a young PI, working for a lawyer’s co-op in San Francisco. Over the years, lovers have come and gone, jobs have changed, an already problematic family got more complicated. But there are friends who’ve remained from the early days, mingling with new characters, and deep loyalties abound. Sharon has changed from an idealistic girl to a competent woman who’s seen more than her share of the dark side of the human psyche. She’s someone you want on your side because she’s not going to stop until she solves the puzzle.

I don’t want to give anything away but I was happy when she finally found someone she could depend on and love unconditionally on her own terms. Yeah, I’m a romantic, so sue me… I think what I like best about the McCone series is the supportive people around her. Sometimes female PI’s are written to be too tough and fairly unlovable. Sharon is a mix of tough as she needs to be and as generous as she can be and has a tight circle of people around her as tough and generous as she is.

I love that Marcia Muller has been fearless in her story lines. Her last book (this really isn’t a spoiler because the title, Locked In, pretty much tells the story) had Sharon in a waking coma, called locked-in syndrome. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book, coming out in October, to see what’s new with my long time BLFF (Best Literary Friend Forever).

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme 3

2010-09-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Day 03 - The best book you've read in the last 12 months.

This is a tough one. I think I’ll have to say The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of comfortable little cozy mysteries and this book took a total 180 from those.

Mark Genevich is a Boston PI with narcolepsy. He makes his way in the world by doing computer investigations and living in a building owned by his tough/tender momma. When he’s approached by the DA’s daughter, a finalist in a fictional American Idol, he’s thrown into a noir adventure worthy of the finest pulp fiction.

Mark is at once pitiful and determined. He hides his strength behind flip comments and the behavior needed to stay awake at the most crucial moments. Once he’s committed to the daughter’s plight, whether he’s imagined her or not, he’s going to see it to the end, whether that means putting himself into a driver’s seat or getting the crap kicked out of him. His loyalty to the cause he’s chosen reminds me of the late Robert B. Parkers’ Spenser, only without that Boston PI’s street smarts and muscles.

There are a lot of reason’s I’m naming this as my fave in the last 12 months. One may be that it’s such a different vibe than most of what I’ve been reading lately. Darker, more painful. And the writing is full of humor and wordplay and strangely heartfelt. We want to see Mark succeed and not get hurt and stay awake when he needs to. We want to see him clean up his stark apartment and find someone who has the patience to walk with him through his slow-moving life.

I was happy to see that there is at least one more Mark Genevich book (I’ve read it--it’s as good as the first one-No Sleep Til Wonderland) and I’m hoping there’ll be more. Raymond Chandler would be proud.

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme 2

2010-09-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about

This would have to be the Young Wizards Series by Diane Duane. The first book predates Harry Potter and must be where JK found her inspiration for Platform 9 ¾, since the characters in these books depart to different galaxies from a “door” in Grand Central Station…

Kit and Nita find each other as they’re discovering their own magical abilities. Don’t get me wrong~I love Harry Potter~but in Kit and Nita’s world, they are much more autonomous and take on world-saving responsibilities time and again. They are full of emotion and epic epicness. OK, epic epicness just means these kids go through more heartache and stress than most teenage heroes. They have advisors but are mostly on their own, so they form a bond that both strengthens and warps over the course of time and adolescence. And family plays a much bigger and more supportive role in these books, too.

So, start with So You Want to Be a Wizard, read the eight books after that and I’ll bet you’ll be waiting eagerly for the tenth book after that, too!

C’est la vie!

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Book Meme Beginnings

2010-09-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, the weight loss thing pretty much petered out after 20 pounds… I’m still limping along but that’s a story for another day.

One of my bloggy friends, Judy Edmonds over at Sheep Rustling, is doing a meme about books. It’s a series of questions she’s answering day by day, as she has a chance. Since I’m a lifelong reader and my next tattoo will probably be designed around books and the word READ, this meme is right up my literate alley.

So, here’s #1:

Day 01 - A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)

Charlaine Harris (of the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series) had a series featuring Lily Bard, a woman starting a new life after a vicious assault. Lily had moved to a new town called Shakespeare, where she cleaned houses, worked out at a dojo and was pretty much a loner. It was interesting to see her come out of herself and start to trust people and learn to love. She and her lover made a cameo appearance a while ago in one of the Sookie books but I’d love to see more novels featuring Lily.

I’m also hoping Debi Gliori starts writing the Pure Dead Series again. This one is about a Scottish family with Italian roots, who live in a huge house with monsters, a mother who’s trying to be a witch and family members who really are. She’s great with plays on words and she’s just freakin’ clever. Sometimes she’s so funny, I laugh out loud reading in public places. I miss all the assorted characters and wild situations they’d get into. Oh, Debi, put the kids in day care and move back in with the Strega-Borgia’s!!

C’est la vie!

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Back to Basics

2010-07-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Since my weight loss is at a standstill and depressing to blog about, I thought I’d go back to my Paris Dreams roots. While at the Orange County Fair this weekend, I had some Paris inspiration:

Oui, it’s an Eiffel Tower made out of bread!

And this is a table setting with a French theme. I really love the glassware!

I don’t have a picture of it, but The Husband gave me a really cool black and white poster of the Eiffel Tower. It’s taken from a neighborhood near the Tower, which rises in the background. In the foreground is a girl running across the street in a red jacket, the only splash of color on the print, with beautiful buildings on both sides. Maybe I’ll take a picture when we get it framed and hung.

C’est la vie!

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25 Pounds and Counting

2010-06-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

So, a few weeks ago I needed to lose 23 pounds. Let me illustrate why I now need to lose 25... :

Breakfast on our anniversary weekend on Coronado Island (this was the short stack!)

Anniversary dinner

Wedding catering

Even before our anniversary vacation and our friend’s wedding reception, I’d fallen off the tracking wagon. So, here’s the plan:

Change my eating habits so they’re more trackable, mainly in the evenings. I’ve been eating more healthfully but I wasn’t tracking. Now I know I’ll be ok when I get to the point where I can maintain my loss but I have to concentrate on the actual LOSING again… So it’s back to sandwiches and salads that are easier to count points with.

And no snacking. I recently read that French women stay slender by drinking lots of water and no snacking. That sounds like a life plan--just good meals with no eating in between. NO is better than a little bit of this and a tad of that--those bits and tads add up! I’m going to do my best to develop a no snack habit.

So, here’s to a new dedication to reaching my goal. I’m fitting into clothes I haven’t worn in a long time and that’s lovely but there are other clothes (ie, the flirty skirt) that won’t go up over my butt. I WILL be able to wear all the clothes in my closet very soon!

C’est la vie!

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F-word F-word F-word

2010-05-30T21:53:00.001-07:00

The plateau has returned. 'nuff said.

F-word...

C’est la vie!

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Plateau Bustin’!

2010-05-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well, kids, it’s been a while since I blogged. That 2 month plateau was killin’ me. But I think I’ve finally broken through. My total weight loss now is 22 pounds! About half way to my personal goal, 9 pounds to where I can declare my Weight Watcher goal. I guess the switch to counting calories was a good change-up for both my mind and body.

Looking back, I see that I haven’t mentioned finally cracking open my George Foreman grille, purchased with much enthusiasm last fall. LOVE it!! So far, I’ve cooked several packages of chicken, which are then waiting in the fridge to make:

tostada’s, mixed with refried beans and sometimes veggies

rice bowls with frozen Chinese veggies and soy sauce

chicken salads with either a lettuce mix from the store or 2 McDonald’s side salads as a base, with cranberries, walnuts and green onion (and a dash of WW shred cheese)

~*~I am in desperate need of new jeans. The old lady/elastic waist jeans I have are falling off me! Isn’t that great! I don’t know that I’m ready for a zippered pair yet as I’m only halfway to my goal, but I definitely need a pair that I’m not afraid will fall off me as I’m walking. Yippee!

C’est la vie!

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What's Hunger Got to Do with It?

2010-05-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

So, I've been on a plateau for about 6 weeks. I know I’m eating just enough to keep me there. Why??? The eternal question…

Shhh… Don't tell my Weight Watcher leader but today I started counting calories. I needed to do something different because it seems like I'm tired of doing Points. I need to shake myself up a little bit and see how much I've been eating without realizing it. I get bored. I get lazy. I get rebellious. Maybe this will be the wakeup call.

The Husband and I were supposed to start walking this week… I'm still getting in 20-25 minutes a day of exercise but I think my body needs to do something different. The body is willing, the mind is playing tricks…

C’est la vie!

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Almost Back to Square One

2010-05-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

This year, I’ve been down .4 of a pound lighter than I am today. Weight loss this time around is so damn difficult. *big sigh* Do we get less committed as we get older? Less willing to sacrifice the double chocolate covered peanuts for the salad bar? *another big sigh*

Well, this week I really rededicated myself to eating within my points limit and truly tracking what I was eating. And it helped get me back down and took a half inch off my waist. Even when I had cake and ice cream on Friday for a co-workers 25th anniversary, I was aware of what I was eating and ate very lightly the rest of the day.

So, as the new week looms, I’m going for the same goal as last week--track what I’m eating and stick to the allotted points. It’s great when you can pick up something in the grocery store and it has the Weight Watchers points values right on the package--certain Jello products and Healthy Choice come to mind. I wish everything had WW points on the package.

My leader, Cindy, noticed that my monthly pass was a printout from the internet. I told her I almost had to quit due to finances but I felt like it was too important to give up. So as soon as I lose another 9 pounds, I can decide on my goal weight. Once I hit the goal weight, I have to stay at that weight (paying all the while) for six weeks. Then I’m declared Lifetime and can stop paying (as long as I stay within 2 pounds of goal).

I hereby proclaim that I will be Lifetime by the end of September! That’s my goal. YES, I CAN!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Loss and Stuff

2010-04-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Yeah, I know I said I was quitting Weight Watchers due to financial constraints but I decided, sitting in my WW meeting last week, that it’s worth it to keep going. Listening to Cindy, my leader, I was already missing her and the motivation I get when I go to meetings. I’m only half way to my goal and I really want to get to Lifetime again, so I can keep going for free, as long as I’m at goal. I know I’m someone who needs the continual support and stimulus of the weekly meetings and if I quit now, all my good intentions will fall by the wayside.

So, this week, I gained .4... The day before the meeting, I was in LA, walking a lot while drinking very little. That always messes up my system.

We’re trying to eat better. This week, I bought heads of lettuce and some spinach and tore it all up as soon as we got home from the store. Last night, I had a big, honkin’ salad for dinner, with cucumber, orange cranberries and walnuts. Yum! Tonight, I made tostada’s with shells, refried beans, lettuce, guacamole and a tiny bit of cheese. Again, yum! We’re making progress in the dinner department.

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers...

2010-04-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Oops! Forgot to post yesterday. We went to get our taxes done in the morning and got thrown for a small loop. It's just disappointing when the state government screws you and doesn't give you anything in return, not even a damn cigarette!

Anyway, good news and bad news on the weight front.

GOOD-lost another 1.6 pounds, for a total of 21. Now I can get my Golden Spoon gift card!

BAD-This will be my last month of WW. I just can't justify spending the money right now. But The Husband and I are on a good path, wanting to start eating better and be healthier. We're walking again and bringing better food into the house. I'll continue to update here every Sunday. It'll help keep me honest and on track!

C’est la vie!

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Sunday Wishful Thinking

2010-04-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

I wish I'd remembered to wear sunscreen yesterday to the jewelry show I did...

Can you tell I wore a big necklace??

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers 25th Week

2010-04-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Happy Easter! No Weight Watchers this week since they’re not open during the holiday. I could go to a meeting during the week, but I probably won’t.

I was doing good this week until I had some of that new Honey Walnut Shrimp at Panda Express yesterday. Yummy!! But it’s probably highly caloric due to the breading or whatever the shrimp is covered with. Tempura? All I know is that it was really good and I can’t have it very often, same as my beloved Orange Chicken. Normally I get chicken teriyaki because it’s just naked chicken and steamed rice… And I’m usually happy with that but sometimes a girl’s just gotta have something new!

The Easter Bunny made a stop here earlier in the week, in the form of malted eggs and some chocolate, courtesy of a friend at work whose SIL was a bit too generous with the Easter cheer. But all I brought into the house for today was cranberry almond salad mix and one of the new Skinny Cow ice cream cups.

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers 24th Week

2010-03-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Junk out of the house and walking 5 nights out of 7 paid off. Lost 2 pounds! If I lose at least another .6 next week, I’ll be officially 20 pounds down and I can go get my $20 Golden Spoon gift card.

I’ve got another 25 pounds to lose… Sometimes I feel like I’ve gotten nowhere but I know, from the way my clothes fit and the fact that I’ve bought a few pieces lately that fit better than my old clothes, that I’ve made tremendous progress.

I’ve been watching the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution show. He’s really interesting but more than anything, he’s showing us how much we delude ourselves by thinking that what we eat is ok. The town he’s filming in was actually feeding their children pizza for breakfast in the schools!! I mean, really?? Cold pizza for breakfast as a teenager (or older…) was yummy and kinda sinful, but to have it condoned by the folks who should be watching out for kids! Cripes! I’m hoping this show will really inspire me to eat better.

That being said, I splurged this morning on some expensive Weight Watcher snacks, that should last me a couple of weeks.

I really want to start eliminating foods with ingredients I can’t pronounce (see above boxes…). I mean, what the hell is fructooligosaccharides???? Ah, it’s a process. More fruit, less fructooligosaccharides!

Ps--I swear I didn’t make up that long, ridiculous word!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers 23rd Week

2010-03-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I lost .2 pounds. I want to be sarcastic but really, what’s the point? This weight loss thing is much more difficult than when I was younger. And, to be honest, I’ve been throwing little potholes of my own making into my weight loss path, so if there‘s sarcasm, it must be aimed at my own little self.

Two things I’m going to do (or not do) this week:

1. No saltines and cookies in the house. When I was having the stomach problems, I started buying saltines. They are little booby traps! They’re small and seemingly non-caloric and they jump into my mouth by the fistful. And cookies?? ‘Nuff said. They are now banned from the house!

2. I do some exercise every day but The Husband has been wanting to resume our walks around our neighborhood, so we’ll start again tonight. Hopefully, that will jump start some losing!

So, I’m off to the grocery store to stock up on oranges and yogurt and other good things to set myself up for a GOOD week.

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers 22nd Week

2010-03-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hey!

OK, how did I manage to lose weight last week and gain this week?? The week of the dreaded colonoscopy?? You’d think a day of nothing but water and sparkling laxative would leave a girl pretty skinny… But no. Trust me--I weighed myself the morning of Preparation Day and again the morning of the test and I hadn’t lost an ounce. The Universe is playing a really bad joke on me, I swear…

And I must be having hormonal disharmony since I finally opened the box of Trader Joe Joe Joe’s, their peppermint holiday cookies. Slowly working my way through them. Ahem… It’s also Shamrock Shake time at McD’s. I tell ya, the Universe is stacked agin me right now.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I have to fight it. Ah, the best I can do is only drink a third of the large shake I shared with The Husband… Sometimes, you just have to do the best you can. And exercise. A LOT…

So, I need to establish some goals, with rewards. When I lose 2 more pounds, I’m going to buy myself a $20 Golden Spoon gift card. Their frozen yogurt is a good WW treat. And when I lose 5 pounds after that, I get to go buy a couple of pairs of sandals. I haven’t gotten new sandals in years and my two favorite pair are practically falling off my feet. So now I have something to look forward to.

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers 21st Week

2010-03-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

Hey!

This was a week of challenges: The Husband’s birthday, midnight showing of Alice In Wonderland, an In and Out lunch… And yet, miraculously, I managed to lose another pound!

I did try to eat light on the days I was challenged. We go to an English pub for The Husband’s birthday dinner and I knew I wanted fish and chips. Their fish is cooked with a beer batter and it’s nice and dry, not greasy, so I could eat the fish right out of the batter. And I only had a few chips, but honestly, probably more than I should have. For the midnight showing, I took a bag of those orange sugarful circus peanuts--ate a few just to keep me awake. Uh huh, right! The In and Out foray was at the behest of The Husband, who considered it his birthday weekend… I looked up the hamburger stats before we went and discovered that without cheese and their patented sauce, a hamburger there is only 330 calories! Not bad. And no, I didn’t look up their luscious fries, of which I partook but a few… Again, probably a few too many but I ate very conservatively the rest of the day. And I guess it worked, since I lost another nasty ole pound.

I realized this morning at the WW meeting that I’ve lost almost 20 pounds. I’m honestly amazed at myself. Yeah, I know I’ve been down this road before but I think I just hadn’t really paid attention to the total up till now. Yay me!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers 20thWeek

2010-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Ta da! Another pound down. 17 all together. It must be showing, since I’ve had comments about losing weight this week. Lately I’ve bought a few new tops that aren’t as baggy as what I’ve been wearing. You know how you wear baggy stuff, thinking it’s hiding your bulk? Yeah, that never works but we do it anyway. Then when we buy clothes that fit well, I guess we look all that much better.

It’s Girl Scout cookie time. I bought a box of cranberry oatmeal and I’ve managed not to eat them all in one sitting. But I think next month I’ll be getting a box of Thin Mints and that will be the real test. But I’m up for it! I’ll be strong!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Nineteenth Week

2010-02-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Another week of loss, this time 1.2 pounds! Yay!

And this week I hit my 10% loss of body weight, for which I received this lovely coppery key chain. Show ‘em, Vanna:

So, feeling pretty good right now. No diagnosis yet for the tummy troubles but the medicine I’m on is doing wonders and tests are on the horizon. I’m eating fairly normally again and that’s a Good Thing. Lots of exercise time, too.

Hope you’re all doing well, too!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Eighteenth Week

2010-02-14T13:02:00.000-08:00

Hey!

LOSER! That’s me. 1.8 pounds this week. And that with a luncheon at the Marriott that my company treated us to and a potluck on Friday! Both of those days I didn’t eat dinner and made sure I exercised all week.

Funny thing is, my inches are being quite stubborn. Looks like I either lose weight or inches… Whatever, it’s all good.

Going to the specialist this week to see what’s up with my goofy stomach. I’ll feel much better when I have a diagnosis and can start dealing with whatever it is… Till then,

Do what makes you happy!!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Seventeenth Week

2010-02-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hey!

The tummy is still not well. In the middle of tests and dr. visits… But I lost 2 pounds in the last two weeks, which is a Good Thing.

Here’s something I found that is extremely nom and only 2 points a pack:

The sweet and salty is Excellent!

Do what makes you happy!!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Sixteenth Week

2010-01-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Today, I had a loss of .8 pounds. Yea! But I’m still .2 pounds away from the low I hit a few weeks ago. I’ve been a little less focused on weight loss lately because I’ve been struggling with a stomach problem that I think may be lactose intolerance. I’ve had tests for really bad things, like disintegrating organs, but all of that is fine. So I’m cutting back severely on dairy to see what I can tell the doctor when I see her again. You’d be amazed how many foods include milk and I didn’t realize how much cheese I eat…

Here’s what I had for lunch yesterday:

It’s one of those new Cranberry Apple Walnut salads at Carl’s Jr. Super Nom! Love all the things in the title, plus it had spinach. Really good! But, I did have to dig out the cheese before I dug in and fortunately, they’d lumped it all in one place. This morning, I forgot to eat before weighing in, so I had an Egg McMuffin, without the cheese, which also shaved a few points off the total, which is a Good Thing… Both of these meals replaced my usual frozen yogurt :-(

Cutting out dairy is making me eat healthier. So many of the snacks I like (cookies, cake, ice cream) have milk in them… So, I loaded up on fruit and sorbet, which said it may contain milk byproducts but didn’t have milk in the ingredients list… Something else that was helpful in my quest to reduce dairy is that apparently all labels now have to include a special list of things like milk, wheat, glutten and soy if they’re an ingredient so it’s easy for folks with those allergies/sensitivities to glean that info and slam it back on the shelf.

So, here’s to another week of tracking and eating right. I have a goal of losing three more pounds before Valentine’s Day, which is totally doable. I think I need to be working on small goals to keep myself focused during this weird tummy trouble.

Do what makes you happy!!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Fifteenth Week

2010-01-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hey!

So, I lost 1.2 pounds, which sounds good but still doesn’t take me down to where I was the week before Christmas. This stomach bug has me all screwed up. I’ve been on program, mostly, and at least I didn’t gain.

We’re trying to figure out what’s up with my stomach and the physicians assistant I saw said to cut out dairy while the tests were being run. That’s helped a little. And I brought in a lot of fruit, which is always a good thing.

For a while, with the sinus infection and breathing being somewhat optional, I wasn’t doing a lot of exercise but now I’m at least back to my usual 20-30 minutes a day.

Ahhhh, it’s a process and right now it’s a messed up process but I’m doing what I can and I know, eventually, the things I’m doing right will catch up on the scale. Oh, yeah, my measurements have continued to go down, so I’m grateful for that and figure something’s going right!

Do what makes you happy!!

C’est la vie!

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Sniff, Sniff

2010-01-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to Weight Watchers today. I also didn't get to go to lunch with a group of friends. Blame my stupid sinuses. They've attacked and they're not giving up easily. A big RAZZberry for my sinuses.

According to my scale here at home, I would have lost what I gained last week, plus another pound... Ah, well, next week should show a huge loss and I will happily crow that to the world.

The Husband is off getting me strawberry frozen yogurt with a side of chocolate sprinkles, as I sit here composing and blowing my nose. Thank God for Good Husbands and Buffs Puffs!

Do what makes you happy!!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Fourteenth Week

2010-01-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

Hey!

I’m not gonna tell you how much I gained and you can’t make me! Stupid scale…

My weight went up and down all week. I still have a little stomach bug but I also had a barrel of Poppycock my “thoughtful” husband gave me that I’ve nibbled too much on. Damn!

Today I had a breakfast burrito at Del Taco and a scoop of Baskin Robbins Winter Mint ice cream. One and a half Italian sausage-stuffed peppers is calling my name from the fridge. And all the little Poppycock voices are still calling to me (they get transported to work tomorrow!).

So, it’s time to rededicate myself to this weight loss journey. Back to eating only what I’ve written down and nothing more. Back to saying no to everything but fruit at potlucks at work. Back to remembering that I can’t eat everything I want. Today was controlled cheating with a touch of tick-offed-ness. Sometimes a girl’s just gotta let go. But only for today!

Here’s a cell phone photo of me and Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes poster. We went to see the movie right after WW--I’m sure Conan Doyle prefers Jeremy Brett or Basil Rathbone, but RDJ’s Sherlock is a fun, updated little romp.

So, back to strict program tomorrow. What I need to work on this week is bringing new things to the program. I’ve gotten into a rut and need some new “good” choices.

Do what makes you happy!!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Thirteenth Week

2009-12-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hey!

I can’t believe I lost 1.6 pounds Christmas week! Cindy, our leader, was saying today that we can do everything right but our bodies just chug along, doing what they need to do. Sometimes the body will hold water to fight infections we never even know we have and other odd things we’re unaware of. Then, when the body considers it’s time to let all that go, BAM, you lose the weight you thought should have come off weeks ago!

Also, I was good as I could be this week, starting with Panda, which I told you about last post. We both had only bowls--The Husband didn’t even have spring rolls. Then we walked off the Hot Chocolate/Vanilla’s from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf as we walked around, looking at lights (see my other blog: http://bearchick.blogspot.com/2009/12/bright-lights-big-neighborhood.html )

For the first time in 20+ years, all my co-workers except one (he gave us lotto scratchers) gave food gifts! Chocolate and cookies! Most of it is in my fridge to be eaten a piece at a time as the year goes on and some may even go to work with The Husband. Depends on how good I am… And the Jo-Jo’s (peppermint oreo’s from Trader Joe’s) haven’t even been opened yet! I think The Husband is under the Weight Watcher’s influence now. Also, I threatened to start weighing him once a week after the first of the year…

Hmmm… Christmas Day didn’t go quite as planned… The Husband looked at me at 10AM and said wistfully, I wish McDonald’s was open. And I had to admit that, yes, they actually were. So we got dressed in record time and zipped over to McD’s, heaven help us. I had pancakes without sausage but The Husband went wild with not just the deluxe breakfast but the BIG deluxe breakfast! I don’t know where he put it. Suffice to say, we didn’t eat dinner till after six, the Scottish meatloaves and maple roasted sweet potatoes, as planned, which was lovely and I managed to make The Husbands’ meatloaf bigger than mine, which made me feel less guilty for the evil Christmas Pancakes…

So, 11.2 altogether so far. My flirty skirt is getting closer!!

Do what makes you happy!!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Twelfth Week

2009-12-20T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hey!

I can’t believe I’m down another pound! That’s 9.6 altogether. Wow!

I really wanted to be back at Weight Watchers for the holidays so I could get through them without the ridiculous weight gains of years past. As I mentioned in my last post, work has been somewhat depressing with recent layoffs, etc., and there hasn’t been a whole lot of holiday-centric food around. Ahem, that was made up for this Friday. Kreighton, from Credit, brought in his annual French Toast and maple bacon breakfast. I was late coming in (had to get a fasting blood test) so I missed that but the smells were luscious. Then some vendor brought in bagels and donuts (the kind with frosting and sprinkles, dammit). AND we had a birthday breakfast for one of our co-workers. It was wall to wall food! I had a little bit of the eggs and turkey sausage my boss made (uber-protein, gotta be good, right??) and a lot of fruit. Oh, and about a fifth of one of those evil donuts. Yea, WW kept me on track.

Tomorrow, I have to eat light because in the evening, we’re going to Panda Express for chicken bowls, then we’re picking up hot chocolate (hot vanilla for The Husband) and going to our favorite outrageously lighted neighborhood. I figure walking around a mile or so there will work off the hot chocolate but I want to make sure I don’t over do with the rice…

Christmas was giving me fits about what to have for breakfast. This is awful~what we usually have for breakfast is a whole tube of the Dough Boy’s citrus rolls… That’s gotta be about a million calories. Walking through the grocery store today, I decided on a Weight Watcher loaded breakfast sandwich.

That should please The Husband, since they look full of eggs and other proteins, and I can be somewhat happy that I’ll be eating something less than a million calories… I’m already planning to eat only half my dinner (Scottish meatloaves-meatloaf mix formed around a peeled boiled egg-The Husband likes them on Christmas because he says it’s like opening another present). Not sure what I’ll do for dessert. Maybe something WW or maybe one of the little English mince pies we’ve got here at home. Suppose it will depend on how much exercise I get in that day, watching DVD’s on the tube…

So, Happy Holidays to all!! Do what makes you happy!!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Eleventh Week

2009-12-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Ta da! Down .6. I caught up with last week’s loss on my scale. Hooray! And lost a bit in the measurement department as well.

I’ve worn my new red top twice and felt quite lovely, thank you…

I experienced an unintentional lapse yesterday. After my Bead Society meeting, I went out with my beady friends, Barbara and Marilu, to The Olde Ship in Santa Ana. It’s a British pub style restaurant with the best mashed potatoes in the galaxy. Anyway, I ordered a crab sandwich without asking how it was prepared. I was thinking it would be like a lobster roll, with big chunks of crab. Instead, it was crab salad. Oops! So I ate half, plus the cole slaw, and brought the other half home to an appreciative Husband. I didn’t eat a whole lot the rest of the day--besides being filled with evil salad dressing, the half I ate was huge and filling--and I tried to do a little more exercising than usual. Guess it worked.

It’s funny that the topic at WW’s today was lapses. Talking about how you can use a lapse as an excuse to continue out-of-control eating or you can bounce back and get right back to program. Happy to see I chose the latter.

Work is so depressing right now, after the recent layoffs, no one’s mentioned a Christmas potluck. But I have my strategy in place if there is one--in the past, I’ve brought my own sandwich or eaten a frozen meal before going in, so I won’t be tempted to go through the line and fill a plate. We’ll see if anyone has enough holiday spirit to organize one…

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Tenth Week

2009-12-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Can you say Plateau? So disappointed this morning with no loss. But then again, no gain. BUT, my scale said another pound lost and a bit of loss in the inches… So, I guess it’s all good and I shouldn’t kvetch.

I went to a sale at Kohl’s yesterday. Are there any days when there aren’t sales at Kohls?? Anyway, I found a beautiful red knit long sleeved baby doll top that actually fit me and I really loved it, so I got it. It will be great for the holidays. I have to tell ya, though, I was getting discouraged as I roamed around Kohl’s. The really cute things in the fashionable departments aren’t fitting yet and the stuff that did fit was shapeless and made me feel like a freakin’ old lady. So when I found this top and it fit and was on sale to boot, I was pretty happy.

I know I’ve come a long way (9 pounds on mi casa scale…) but I have so much farther to go. *sigh* Think I’ll make me some WW ala Mare pizza to salve my no-loss-this-week wounds.

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Ninth Week

2009-11-29T14:10:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Even with Thanksgiving in the not-so-distant past, I lost .6 of a pound. I tell ya, as long as I’m goin’ down, I’m happy. To be honest, the scale at home and measurements didn’t budge this week, so I’m happy WW is showing a loss.

The Husband always works on T-Day (God bless overtime), so we never eat before 7pm. Who wants a big ole meal that late?! In the past, we’ve usually had a boneless turkey, sweet potatoes, rolls and stuffing, then some billion calorie dessert. This year, as I told Cindy when we were celebrating my 5% total loss at the WW meeting this morning, we had just the turkey and the Maple roasted sweet potatoes from Trader Joe’s. She joked that that was kinda sad but it actually wasn’t. For once, we went to bed not feeling like barfing and look, I had a .6 loss. Who needs stuffing and rolls, anyway??!!

Now, Christmas, that’s gonna be another matter entirely…

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Eighth Week

2009-11-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Ok, my scale said I’d lost a pound… Stupid Weight Watcher scale said I only lost .2... Ah, that’s ok. Maybe next week I’ll have a bigger loss, combining this week and next. A big RAZZZZZBERRY to the WW scale :-) My measurements were also down a bit, so there!

Stayed on program even though it was a tough week at work--another big fat layoff and I’m the one who writes the majority of the final checks. So not fun. But The Husband worked late hours all week and came over to work at lunch so we could walk around the neighborhood and have some face time this week. So that was nice, and healthy.

Today we went to see 2012, which was fun and somewhat scary. On the way into the theatre, we encountered an irresistible photo op:

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Seventh Week

2009-11-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Being on vacation must be good for dieting--lost 1.4 pounds this week! I guess not sitting on my big butt at a desk all day helped.

Stayed on program as much as I could. Ate salads the few times we hit restaurants and another lettuce wrapped chicken sandwich at Carl’s Jr. Making good choices is the key. So happy I’m in a Place of Good Decisions right now.

We didn’t get as much accomplished as we wanted on our stay-cation but we relaxed, did a lot of reading and just hung out, which we haven’t done much of recently. The Husband was very busy during October/Halloween and will be just as busy from now till Christmas with his job at Knott’s Berry Farm. We usually take this time, around the first part of November, to have some time to ourselves between the busi-ness at the end of the year.

What’s on Mare’s Phone

Here’s The Husband with the traditional Thanksgiving Rubber Ducky.

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Sixth Week

2009-11-08T14:55:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Miracle of miracles, I lost another pound! All week, I was on program and my scale showed a little loss but I took a day trip to LA yesterday on a bead buying expedition. My girlfriends and I walked a million blocks (no, really.) and I tend to retain water in those situations. So I was really happy when the uber-sensitive WW scale registered a loss.

This week, I’m on staycation and my plan is to eat as much at home as I can, since I have total control over what I’m eating. But I’m sure there’ll be a restaurant meal or two thrown in there--salads and grilled chicken will be the order of the day. In all honesty, I had a teriyaki chicken bowl at Panda Express this week--still lost that ole pound, though!

Here I am with my friend, Charlie, in LA yesterday in the lobby of the Bradbury Building.

C’est la vie!

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Dinner at Carl’s Jr.

2009-11-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hey!

The Husband and I had some errands to run tonight, so I thought I’d look at the Carl’s Jr. nutrition guide to see if there were any low points alternatives besides salad. Low and behold, the website had an Alternative Options link and showed several things besides the fallback salad, one of which was the lettuce wrapped BBQ chicken sandwich. Hmmm… That sounded pretty good. In & Out has been doing the wraps like that for years with their burgers.

Here’s what it looks like:

And here’s a shot of my lovely, low points dins w/diet lemonade, with The Husband’s billion point chicken taco salad in the background. I couldn’t believe he ate the bowl, which is like the worst thing ever. I mean, the salad and chicken are about 300 calories and the bowl is the rest of the billion! I told him I don’t want him moaning to me about how big his tummy is!

And for dessert, as soon as I post this, a Weight Watchers 3 point ice cream. Not sure whether I’ll have peanut butter cup or cookie dough. Decisions, decisions…

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
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Weight Watchers Fifth Week

2009-11-01T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Didn’t I tell you that if I kept doing the right things, my weight loss would catch up to me? Lost 1.6 pounds this week! I think weight is a funny thing with a life of it’s own. You do all the right things, you lose it but it doesn’t want to go. It clings to you as water weight or something some weeks… Anyway, Buh Bye 1.6 pounds! Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out!

Cindy, my WW leader, is already talking about The Season, which technically starts with Halloween and continues on till New Years. We had an all day pot luck at work (thankfully, the food wasn’t right in my path so I wasn’t constantly tempted) and all I had were two teeny tiny thin miniscule slices of pumpkin pie, my absolutely favorite thing during the holidays. When I went home, I had a 3 point dinner and no dessert (usually yogurt and fruit). Pumpkin’s a fruit, right? Or a veggie… Either way, pie made from fruits or veggies is good food. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

I didn’t use Halloween as an excuse to buy bags of bite sized candy. We haven’t had trick or treater’s since the 90’s, so I know they’ll just be in the house, calling to me. Better someone else buys them and deals with their siren song!

Here’s my favorite crackers of the moment. They are outrageously high in fiber and, unfortunately, cost. I try to catch them on sale but sometimes… The purse suffers… Anyway, they’re very tasty, both the original and Garlic, and one serving (18 crackers) is two points. Sometimes I just do one serving, which is satisfying. And, yes, I stand at my kitchen counter and count out 9 or 18 crackers to take to work. Ahem… Don’t look at me like that--1.6 pounds, remember?!

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
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Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Just wanted to share some cell phone pix of Halloween at the office yesterday.

Teresa is on the left and no, I didn’t do anything to her hair color. That wig is BRIGHT BLUE! She’s an 80’s cartoon character that usually has a guitar… I’m a generic pink Skull Princess. The tiara isn’t really clear in this picture and my earrings have pink skulls.

And here’s my pink skull shoes. They’re actually kids shoes, so I have to clip my nails really short to wear them comfortably! I bought them for a cruise I took with my BFF, Zan, 3 years ago that sailed during Halloween. Ain’t they cute??

WW tomorrow. Hoping for good news, even though I had two ultra-thin slices of punkin pie yesterday. No dessert last night, though… We shall see.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

C’est la vie!

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Weight Watchers Fourth Week

2009-10-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Big sigh… Stayed the same weight this week… At least I didn’t gain…

Definitely going to go to 16 points instead of 17 or 18 and The Husband wants to start walking again. Somehow we let that fall by the wayside. I’ve been doing 25-30 minutes a day of walking in the living room and weights and side to sides but maybe it’s not enough… So, walking we’ll go.

Here’s my weekend lunch~Golden Spoon Pumpkin Pie frozen yogurt. NOM! I love to go get my yo, sit outside and read. It’s my special time on the weekend. The weather has been so lovely and I get so little time to just concentrate on a book. Luv~er~ly.

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

How I’m Eating Pizza

2009-10-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I’m not usually one for taking pictures of my dinner but I thought I’d post about the pizza I’ve been eating most of this week.

I’m calling it four points but this is not based on science… What I’m doing is taking one whole Sandwich Thin by Orowheat for one point, a third cup of Weight Watchers shredded cheese for two points and I figure the small amount of marinara sauce and two slices of ham (6 slices is one point…) as one.

These are totally NOM, IMHO. I hope the pictures look appetizing. I really am edit-challenged…

I feel like I’m doing good this week. My lame-o scale (I have to readjust it every morning) shows a loss and pants I wore today were not putting a strangle hold on my waist. Fingers crossed for a loss this week. And if not, I’ll know I stayed on program and the weight will eventually go the hell away!

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Weight Watchers Third Week

2009-10-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, today I had a loss of .6 pounds, for a total of 3.2. Loss is good, no matter how small!

I’m trying to decide if I should change my eating a little, maybe a point or two less a day, or if I should amp up my exercise with maybe a walk at lunch time. I’m also seeing my gynocologist this week and I’ll ask if weight loss, in her experience with menopausal women, gets harder as we age. But I’m happy with my loss this week and I’ve also been losing inches, so double happy.

Yippee! Golden Spoon has their Pumpkin Pie frozen yogurt!! Love it! Because it’s fat free, it’s low in points but I do miss getting chocolate chip cookie dough chunks to sprinkle on it. SO, I’ve been bringing along a WW Chocolate Chip cookie, at one point, and smooshing that over the delightfully spicy Pumpkin Pie froyo. NOM NOM!

I buy these at Wal-Mart, where they’re way cheaper than the grocery store.

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
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Weight Watchers Second Week

2009-10-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Grrrrrrr…

What does that tell you about this week’s weigh in? Gained 4/10 of a pound. WTH??? I kept to my points, exercised at least 30 minutes a day and, insult to injury, passed up Italian food and cake this week at work. So is menopause responsible for these bodily hi jinks? *sigh*

One good thing is that I’m not upset enough to pacify myself with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Truth be told, my weight has been up and down all week, so it wasn’t surprising that the scale showed less than stellar results, even though I’ve been following the program. So, I’ll continue this week doing what lost me the initial 3 pounds and if I have bad results next week, I’ll talk to our leader, Cindy, to see what I can try~less points (although I’m at the least points the program recommends), even more exercise, whatever…

I know if I keep on program, the weight will eventually come off. I was hoping to be able to feel the loss in how my clothes fit by now but maybe next week…
C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Weight Watchers First Week

2009-10-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, I weighed in today for a loss of 3 pounds! I know the first week is usually pretty high, then it levels off to a pound or two a week. That’s ok, as long as it keeps going down.

My home on Sunday mornings.

One new thing I tried this week was the WW breakfast quesadilla’s--4 points each, filled with egg whites, cheese, turkey bacon and veggies. Very nom and easy to microwave.

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

WW So Far

2009-09-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, I walked home from the Day Job today. The Husband’s van is in the shop and he’s working late, so I took the opportunity for a 45 minute walk home. The weather was cool and perfect for a long walk~that uphill part is a challenge, fer sure. But I enjoyed it.

I’m totally in newbie mode, so I’m being really good. I think, too, that I’m really ready to ignore the cake on the counter at work (Lori is taking a cake decorating class on the weekend, so brings the results to work on Monday) and pass up the Egg McMuffin The Husband had this morning. In fact, it’s almost 8pm and I haven’t had all my points for the day.

Off to nom some yogurt!

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

No Tittering Please!

2009-09-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Tomorrow morning, I’m getting in my car and driving to my first Weight Watchers meeting in far too long. I signed up for the monthly pass (which is on a one month free promotion) tonight. I’m desperate to not be this weight anymore. My bulging tummy and butt are pleading for a bigger size and I refuse to buy bigger clothes. I’ve already broken down and bought some cheap, “until I lose the weight” clothes at Walmart. Do you know what it’s like running around in clothes that are supposed to be temporary? They’re never stylish because, after all, they’re meant to be hiding the bulk. So, if I don’t want to go to work nekked, I gotta get my big butt in gear and start losing.

Losing weight is so wonderful. It’s such a relief to feel your clothes getting loose. I want that feeling again and I think I’m really ready to forgo cake and burgers and anything else with too much fat or sugar. I want to make eating right a way of life. I know, I know, I’ve been this route before but not at this age. I’m reading Second Spring by Dr. Mao and realizing the changes in my body and metabolism is really eye opening.

With this monthly pass, besides going to all the meetings you want to, you also get to use the etools on the Weight Watchers site. I’ve put a lot of my info in and I also signed up for the 30 Minute a Day exercise challenge, which I really need.

So, wish me luck and if you’re on the Weight Watchers forums, I’m Bearchick25.

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Mare’s Book Report #2

2009-09-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Well, it's about time for another book report. Lord knows, I read constantly~well, when I'm not making jewelry, working full time, playing with The Husband and The Kitties, sleeping, etc, etc, not necessarily in that order... So, here it is:

Love Mercy by Earlene Fowler

I've been reading Earlene's Benni Harper series for as long as she's been writing it (the 90's?). She has a light style but usually deals with serious issues. Her characters are people you want to meet and know. Last year, outside of Benni's series, she gave us The Saddlemaker's Wife, which I loved. Again, characters you wish would welcome you into their circle.

So, this year we've got Love Mercy, which is a proper name, not some commandment derivative. The action centers around three women and the men they've loved and lost. Sounds like a romance? Well, in the sense that these women loved these men, yes. But, while there is sentiment to this story, it ain't no romance.

13 months after the death of her beloved Cy, Love Mercy's 18 year old granddaughter, whom she hasn't seen since she was 4, shows up on her doorstep with a broken heart and a stolen banjo. Mel, a recent transplant to Morro Bay from Las Vegas, has a secret she's hiding from her friends that will either make or break their friendship. And Love Mercy's father-in-law, August, is falling victim to dementia. Still sounding romantic to ya?

The book is written from three perspectives, Love Mercy's, Mel's and Rett, the granddaughter's. She captures all three personalities and tells a damn good yarn in the process. The story is fraught with dangers and sadness but it's not melodramatic. The characters are so down to earth that their problems are always relatable.

I enjoyed the hell out of this book. Why? I don't usually read "women's books" like this, that don't center around some cozy mystery. But, since I'll follow Earlene anywhere, I went into this book with a positive attitude. I really liked the relationships between all the main characters and there's so much potential for revisiting them. And Benni and her clan make appearances in this book, too, even though her current storylines are set in the 90's and this book is set in 2008, so that was a treat.

If you like a good story centered around strong women, you'll like both this book and last year's Saddlemaker's Wife. And when you're finished with these, run don't walk to find Benni Harpers' quilting mysteries.

Mare’s Scale of Literary Wickedness

Wicked Boring Yawn-don’t bother
Wicked Good Don’t run any red lights getting to the library but worth reading
Wicked Cool Good enough to spend 50 cents for a library hold so you can be the next to read it
Wicked Awesome So damn good, if your library doesn’t have it, get it from Amazon

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
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Mare’s Book Report

2009-08-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hey!

My BFF’s daughter, who shall remain ageless, has been doing Friday Book Club on her blog. I can’t possibly be that organized and stick to a schedule but I can jot a line or two (technically, can jotting be done online??) when I’ve finished a book. So, Ta Da! The first Book Review on Mare’s Journey:

The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato

Now, don’t think for a minute that my desire to see Venice and worship glass at the island of Murano has had any influence on my opinion of this book… I enjoyed it immensely despite all that.

It’s a very quick, light read, about a female artist born in Italy and raised in England by her English mother. To heal from a hurtful divorce, Leonora sells her house and moves impulsively to Venice, with hopes of being hired by a factory on Murano to fulfill her career hopes to create glassworks, like her famous ancestor, Corradino Manin.

Part soap opera, part historical drama, it never plays as soapy or boring. The writing rises above romance novel fodder and the historical elements are fascinating and dangerous. Told as two intertwining stories, Leonora in the present and Corradino several centuries in the past, the action unfolds in many of the same places and Corradino’s work haunts Leonora’s world.

I’m pretty unfocused these days, making jewelry one minute, trying to exercise, clean and work at The Dreaded Day Job, so sometimes I only get to read for a half hour at lunch and in bed for as long as my eyes will stay open. But this book I deliberately made time for. So much is going on in both centuries, I wanted to know what would happen next.

This is Marina Fiorato’s debut novel and I can’t wait for her next one.

Mare’s Scale of Literary Wickedness

Wicked Boring Yawn-don’t bother
Wicked Good Don’t run any red lights getting to the library but worth reading
Wicked Cool Good enough to spend 50 cents for a library hold so you can be the next to read it
Wicked Awesome So damn good, if your library doesn’t have it, get it from Amazon

C’est la vie!

http://www.bearchick.etsy.com/
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www.bearchick.artfire.com

Checking In--Birthday Oopsy

2009-08-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, my birthday weekend totally killed my weight loss. I really didn't think I'd eaten that much but The Husband pointed out that a whole pint of Mission to Marzipan will kill any diet... He's so much smarter than me.

I've been as good as possible the last two weeks and I'm slowly getting back to where I was. Now it's time to get more serious about exercise. I got a Target gift card for my birthday, which I used for a yoga mat and Denise Austin DVD. I tried the DVD Sunday--holy crap, I couldn't get past the first 10 minutes.

In my defense, this DVD has a fat burning theme, so it's not your normal hold-the-pose kind of yoga. She moves fast and I just need to get used to the moves and the speed. I'm familiar with yoga so it's not completely foreign to me ~ I just need to practice. I didn't even look at the leg and abs portions of this thing... I gotta build up to that!

Did you ever see Backdraft? I think it's DeNiro who asks Donald Sutherland what he wants to do with the world and Sutherland replies, Burn it. Well, I just want to eat it. I don't know what it is that makes me want to eat constantly. I've learned to keep only fruit in the house and I'm sure I overindulge in that but it's better than crackers and other carbs and sweets... *struggle struggle*

Still waiting to hit that golden weight I haven't seen in months.

*sigh* Fighting the Good Fight!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
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K-Earth Breakfast

2009-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Just a quicky with a couple of really bad pix.

In LA, K-Earth 101 is the premier oldies station, with DJ Charlie Tuna, a California staple for as long as I’ve been here (70’s). One of my co-workers at The Day Job won breakfast from the radio station, plus Antonio, who serenaded us with his guitar and some oldies but goodies.

First, Lori, the breakfast winner, called the station to record a conversation with Charlie Tuna. 12 or 15 of us stood around her desk. She had a handwritten sign on a file folder that said CLAP. When she held it up, we’d clap and cheer. Charlie asked her if she was in the middle of a coliseum! Pretty funny!

Around 11:45, Antonio and another friendly gentleman arrived with boxes of bagels, muffins and danish. I, the Slim Fast Diva, did not partake. Aren’t I self-satisfied… Did you notice I didn’t blog about weight loss this week? Groan… That’s for another day…

Anyway, Antonio started singing and he does have a lovely voice. People poured into the downstairs lunch room and scarfed all the foodie.

The president of the company happened to be out on the patio and when he came through the lunch room, had his picture taken with Antonio and Lori and declared it really good promotion for the company.

The highlight was a drawing for several free meal vouchers at El Torito restaurant. Here are some of the winners, among them (in the blue) my roommate, Trish.

It’s so much fun to have a break in the workday, especially when morale is so far in the toilet… So thanks to Lori and K-Earth 101 for some laughter, fun and goodies!

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Checking In~One More Down

2009-07-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I kept to the plan this week and managed to lose another pound. I thought I was going to plateau but luckily, I actually lost. That’s the thing about weighing yourself every day. It makes you kind of crazy. Even though I make allowance for retaining water on hot days and my body just perversely holding onto weight for days at a time, it can be discouraging. But now that I’m really doing the weight loss thing, not just “trying”, I like to check in every morning. When I want to kick the scale across the room, I just take a deep breath, remind myself that I’m doing what I should be doing and the weight will eventually come off. Patience!!

I thought it was time this week to start tracking my measurements, so I pulled out the notebook from earlier this year. I was shocked to find that between January and June, I'd gained TEN pounds! Holy crap!!!!

Weight to lose: 42

Losses: Can’t think of anything I really messed up on this week except the half muffin I ate slice by little slice on Friday. Co-Workers brought in muffins, bagels, breakfast burritos and fruit for a birthday celebration for me and another person. I started out with only fruit but those dang muffins were tempting me all day. That’s ok, though, since I had a two mile walk home from work.

Wins: See above. Didn’t have a breakfast burrito, or TWO, like the last birthday celebration. Didn’t even have a bagel--they were as big as my face. I was happy with fruit.

Next weekend is my birthday. I’ve been planning some controlled cheating. Friday, I’m going to have pancakes for breakfast and probably something sweet and cold at the Orange County Fair. Then Saturday, the actual birth day, Panda Express, which is really fairly healthy eating and Cold Stone ice cream. Then Sunday I’ll be back to Slim Fast Divahood.

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Just Had to Share This!

2009-07-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Don't ask me why but this just totally tickled me. You know how you click a link and then another and so on and so on. Well, I clicked a link to a Neil DeGrasse Tyson article on DNA in the Universe from Twitter. (I read his book on Pluto, he's really cool~no, I wasn't on Pluto, should have said about Pluto). Anyhow, this ad was on that website:

There's something about two hearts with eyeglasses that's kept me smiling all day!

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

A Place to Bark

2009-07-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Yes, this is a repeat from my other blog. For all you folks with amazingly great taste who read both my blogs, sorry but this really bears repeating.

Just a quicky to promote a very worthy cause and an amazing artist whose blog inspired this post.

Here’s The Blog of Manon Doyle. She’s a Canadian import to Ohio and her artwork is simply bold, beautiful and brilliant. I’m sure her work is copyrighted so you’ll have to click to see it ;-) http://manondoyle.blogspot.com/

Party Animals, a book contributed to by many mixed media artists and the proceeds go to A Place to Bark. What could be better~a great book with wicked cool artwork that helps dogs in need. You can buy it at Lulu, a books on demand kinda place, where they print to order. http://stores.lulu.com/aplacetobark

A Place to Bark, Bernie Berlin’s animal sanctuary in Tennessee, rescues animals (cats, too) from high kill shelters, nurses them to health and facilitates adoptions. Read her success stories, dry your eyes and do what you can to help! http://aplacetobark.com/index.html

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Checking In~Baby Steps

2009-07-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I felt good about my weight loss plan this week. I think my attitude has changed drastically and I can say no again to things that will put me off track. I hope this lasts a good long while. Maybe, like, forever…

I lost a pound. It sounds like nothing but I have to stay positive and remind myself it was better than zero. And really, a pound a week is a healthy loss. I see these commercials and ads expounding 20 pounds a week, ridiculous stuff like that. It’s so unhealthy! Even if you do lose a lot initially, bam! You gain it right back. So, better slow and steady. Just call me Tortuga!

Weight to lose: 43

Losses: Didn’t keep enough fruit in the house this week and I resorted to opening a box of Cheez-it’s last night The Husband brought into the house so he could send for the Star Trek shirt they’re offering on the back of the box…

Wins: Walked a lot this week. It got wicked hot this weekend but we walked Friday night. The Husband ended up working last night (he’s supposed to be on vacation--don’t get me started...) so I didn’t walk but we will tonight.

The George Foreman grill arrived yesterday. We were supposed to christen it last night… So tonight, we’ll have turkey cutlets. I really missed the old indoor grill we had and I found this one on a really good deal at Amazon. I think we can eat a lot better with a grill in the house. I worship my microwave but mostly use it for pre-packaged foods. I’d like to have more fresh stuff. Oh, I love this new way I’m thinking’!

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Checking In~Progress

2009-07-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I’m sitting at my computer, drinking a vanilla diet shake. Later today, maybe around 11:30, I’ll have a Slim Fast diet bar. Then, as I’m hungry, I’ll have something meal-ish, like a Lean Cuisine or a ham on bagel sandwich, a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich and some other little things to round out around 1000 calories. So far, it’s been easy to maintain. I must truly be ready to do this thing called dieting.

Weight to lose: 44

Losses: I need to do more exercising. It got hot this weekend and, boy howdy, wasn’t that a good excuse to not do my walking DVD. The Husband worked late Friday and Saturday~did I go out to walk around the neighborhood once the day cooled off? Uh, no…

Wins: The Husband loves him some breakfast. It’s his favorite meal and he likes to go out. Me, I had my shake at home and got a Diet Coke at the evil FFR (Fast Food Restaurant).

Notes: I need to be patient. I was hoping for a bigger loss this first week but, honestly, two pounds is great. Hell of a lot better than 0 pounds. More exercise.

My flirty skirt awaits!

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Checking In~Lackluster

2009-06-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, I'm thinking, since my weight loss is non-existent, that I should start a Slim Fast plan. I'm thinking a drink for breakfast, a bar for lunch, a banana in the afternoon, then a reasonable dinner. I’ve already signed up on their website, filled out my little bio and joined a discussion group.

Both The Husband and I are in this weird place lately where eating is what we do. We had donuts at 9PM one night last week! That is disgustingly ridiculous. But we can't figure out what's wrong. General malaise based on the economy? Spousally shared depression? Racing to see who can fit into the biggest underwear??

My whole life seems lackluster lately. Maybe it's menopause. That's it, I'll blame menopause! But really, enthusiasm for anything but jewelry making and eating is at an all time low. *SIGH*

I’ve revised my goal weight from previous postings, so now I need to lose 46 pounds to get into that flirty skirt from Back in the Day. Wish me luck!

Look out, World! Get ready for my size 2 wardrobe!

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Two Great Pix of The Prez

2009-06-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hey!

This is a great example of why I love Obama. He’s not afraid to show his humanness. Most presidents want to project a political image~Obama wants to highlight his fun, “one of the guys” side. Yeah, yeah, I know he’s a lawyer and politician, but I like him despite that!

Here he is, chillin’ on the White House steps with his equally chill staff (note the sandals, sneakers and untucked shirt).

Indiana Obama!

If you want to keep up with President Obama and more pix and info about the White House and First Family, log onto Flickr HERE

C’est la vie!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Check In ~ Revelation

2009-05-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Weight to lose: 42

Calories Consumed: Maybe not as many as I thought

Minutes of Exercise: 30 walking (I've had sinus issues lately, so hadn't been doing anything, which is unusual for me. I mean, I wasn't even sitting at the computer! Now, when I don't even want to spend time sitting upright at the computer, you know I'm sick!)

Notes: I got on the scale this morning just to torture myself and found my weight much less than I thought it would be. I know I'm not keeping much in the house to nosh mindlessly on and that's helping considerably. Even though I'm not making the best eating choices, I'm aware that if I eat something high calorie, I try to balance it with something low calorie later, instead of just giving up and eating whatever. Baby steps, folks!

Losses: Not really counting calories but aware of my eating patterns

Wins: Trying not to keep any junk in the house. Not eating continuously at night is making a difference!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Still Dreaming of Paris

2009-05-20T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I started this blog talking about my desire to go to Paris. The dream is still alive. Someday, someday…

Anyway, here are two great blogs with Paris in the title that I read every day. I think you’ll like them.

Shelagh Duffett is an artist in Nova Scotia. I love her work--very colorful and cheerful! She writes about all kinds of things, with lots of photos and interesting narrative. Sometimes she even writes about French stuff.

Please remember that this is Shelagh’s copywritten artwork--please be respectful and don’t do anything illegal with it.

http://www.aliceinparislovesartandtea.blogspot.com/

This second blog is so cool--everything Paris, right at your keyboard. Carol Gillott posts almost every day and it’s always something to do with Paris. It truly delights me to read her observations and study the pictures of Parisians, patisserie shops and the streets of Paris.

Again, copywritten! Don’t be tempted to do something bad with Carol’s pic!

http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/

C’est la vie!

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Check In ~ All Shook Up

2009-05-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Damnation, I hate earthquakes! We just had a 5.0, centered in Inglewood, near LA. The house creaks and the chandelier sways and the cats get very big eyes. My heart beats double and I do a controlled freak out. Well, I guess it's better than blizzards...

Weight to lose: Until 20 minutes ago, I was going to title this post "Just Shoot Me". Enough said?

Calories consumed: Too many

Minutes of Exercise: Does walking around Ikea and a craft fair count? It must, I've got a blister on my foot...

Notes: Not for public consumption. I'll get kicked off the internet if I express my dieting mood right now.

Losses: None of your beeswax

Wins: I didn't buy a candy bar at Ikea and I didn't eat the second Funny Bone in the package...

C’est la vie!

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Check In~Patiently Waiting

2009-05-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Weight to lose: 42

Calories consumed: 1010

Minutes of Exercise: 35, Leslie Sansone Walking DVD

Notes: Last night, in planning what I'd do today, I said I would do the 3 mile DVD walk and today, I did. Yea me!

Losses: Probably had too many calories in the salad I had tonight--didn't really count the chicken and corn...

Wins: REALLY WANTED popcorn while watching Frost/Nixon. Considered sharing with The Husband, but that was still too many calories.

C’est la vie!

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Check In~Ho Hum

2009-05-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Weight to lose: 42

Calories consumed: 1050

Minutes of Exercise: 30, walking. Will probably do some weights/stretching

Notes: I actually felt good walking tonight. Since we had let the walking slide for a good part of the winter, when we first started walking again, it was laborious. Now it's getting easier.

Losses: None I can think of...

Wins: Got what I call "gut hungry" (actual hunger as compared to just wanting to fill my face) at work today and ate some Orange Essense Prunes. They're really flavorful and moist. No, really. Weeks ago I would have searched frantically for enough change at the bottom of my purse to buy a candy bar.

C’est la vie!

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Check In ~ Encouraging

2009-05-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Weight to lose: 42 ~ Whew!

Calories consumed: 1000

Minutes of Exercise: Does breathing count? I'll do some weights before I go to bed

Notes: I'm happy to report that I'm not thinking about eating 24/7. I don't crave chocolate at all hours. English muffins are not calling to me at midnight. *big sigh* Yea!

Losses: Didn't get a chance to exercise. Why can't there be 8 more hours in the day? Hell, I'd take 8 more hours in the week!

Wins: Weighed the lunchmeat I had in my dinner sandwich. It's so easy to say, yeah, that looks like two ounces, when it's actually double that...

C’est la vie!

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Check In ~ Frustrated

2009-05-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

Weight to lose: 40 friggin' 4

Calories consumed: 1100

Minutes of Exercise: 25, walking outside

Notes: Ate well today. Still staying at that damn 44, though. So frustrating. Wish I had a job that allowed me more movement. Sitting at a desk blows.

Losses: Crisis of faith. This morning I was really down because the pants I was wearing, some of the biggest I own, felt tight.

Wins: Here's a Mare Factoid: I drink a lot of diet soda, although I have managed to stop buying it to have at home. It's more expensive than gas, for crissake! In the morning, I buy a bottle from a vending machine at work and some days, I buy a second one later in the day. This afternoon, I got a bottle of water and mixed it with citrus Crystal Light (highly recommended, especially if you're not a water drinker, like me. The real deal is good but the Wal-Mart and Target brands are just as good and cheaper). I know water is better than diet soda but the caffeine is a hard habit to break...

C’est la vie!

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Check In ~ Stay the Course

2009-05-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I know, I've been skipping days. Guess that's just gonna happen. So I'll title my check in's instead of numbering them. I couldn't ever remember what number I was up to anyway...

Weight to lose: 44

Calories consumed: 1100

Minutes of Exercise: 25, stair stepper, stretching

Notes: Sometimes you do everything right, or at least right enough not to gain, and you gain anyway... It's been warm here lately so I'm thinking maybe I'm retaining water again. I should take my measurements because sometimes your measurements stay the same but you gain temporarily but I'm just not at that point yet where I want to see the numbers... So, I'll stay the course and I'm sure the weight will go down again soon. I must be ready to lose because a setback of two pounds when I really have not been cheating would have led me to Cold Stone a few weeks ago. Flirty skirt, flirty skirt, flirty skirt!

Losses: Not doing as much exercise as I intend to do. The Husband was having back problems again but that's no excuse for me to sit on my butt...

Wins: Haven't brought anything bad into the house~bad is defined as anything I can eat continuously without thought, such as chips, trail mix or anything sweet.

C’est la vie!

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Inspiration While Saling

2009-05-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

I was out yard saling with The Husband this morning and found this T-shirt. No, it doesn’t actually fit me yet, but it will. I bought it because it’s inspiring. I want to be strong and fit. And I am a girl, so, hey, I’m a third of the way there!

There so many reasons I love yard saling. Here’s a couple:

We got a lot of exercise walking from yard to yard

You meet nice people

We wandered through a really cool community we wouldn’t have known existed had they not advertised in the Pennysaver (yeah, Pennysaver, where I’ve worked for 20+ years).

We met a cat and his person who were pretty fascinating since the cat came when called and apparently wanders around the neighborhood with his person like a dog.

Here’s a pic of the entire yard sale haul (not including the rubber swords and shield The Husband bought for props...). You can find out more about all this stuff at my other blog, bearchick.blogspot.com

C’est la vie!

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Daily Check In #5

2009-05-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Weight to lose: 42

Calories consumed: ??

Minutes of Exercise: Uh...

I ate well during the day, knowing I was going out tonight. The Husbands' Dad passed away last year and today would have been his 84th birthday. He and The Husband (known as The Son in those days) would go to Sizzler every week and those are fond memories. So, to Sizzler in memory of The Dad.

Losses: (I've decided to put losses first so I can end my posts on a positive note) Hardly any exercise today but I'll try to get some in before beddies. The Husband threatened to eat three slices of cheesy bread out of 4 if I only ate one, so I had to eat two (to save him from himself). I could have had veggies with my lemon chicken but I had a baked potato.

Wins: Had grilled chicken~no pasta with alfredo sauce or breaded fish, which would have called to me a week ago. Also, when I was starting to feel full, I asked for a box for one of the grilled chicken breasts, which will make a nice topping for a salad tomorrow.

C’est la vie!

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Daily Check in #4

2009-05-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Weight to lose: 44

Calories consumed: 1100

Minutes of Exercise: 35, repeat... 20 walking, 15 weights & stretching

Wins: Only ate 4 Thin Mints in my despair of being put back to part time at work.

Losses: Oh crap!! I opened the Thin Mints...

C’est la vie!

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Daily Check In #3

2009-05-05T22:11:00.001-07:00

Hey!

Had a pretty good day. Still need some stretching...

Weight to lose: 44

Calories consumed: 1050

Minutes of Exercise: 35~20 minute walk around the neighborhood, 15 weights and stretching

Wins: Good salad for dinner. We tried one of those Sargento salad kits, Bistro Chicken. Low calorie and really flavorful.

Losses: Had a few homemade and somewhat greasy tortilla chips that another department at work had for Cinco de Mayo. But ya gotta have a little grease in your diet or you can't poo...

Happened to catch myself in the mirror naked. Oh lord, I hope that doesn't happen again for a while!

C’est la vie!

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Daily Check in #2

2009-05-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Had a pretty good day. Let's see where I'm at now:

Weight to lose: 45

Must have lost a lot of water. That's never a bad thing, unless you're lost in the desert.

Calories consumed: 1100

Minutes of Exercise: 35

Walked around the block at work, 20 minutes. Too hot, though, so I may switch to evening around where I live. Weights and yoga, 15 minutes

Wins: Oi! I got into work and there was a special birthday breakfast for a co-worker. Honest to God, it looked like a convenience store! Bagels, cream cheese, mini cream cheese pastries, packaged pastry, cupcakes, fruit scones, Del Taco egg burritos. Holy Diet Nightmare, Batman! So what did I have? A plate full of fruit! Yeah, I'm that good.

Losses: Ok, a mini cream cheese pastry accosted me in a weak moment when I was coming in from my walk. And half a fruit scone jumped into my mouth on the way to the restroom.

C’est la vie!

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Daily Check In #1

2009-05-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Weight to lose: 46 lbs

Calories consumed: 1500?

Minutes of Exercise: 50: 35 walking DVD (Leslie Sansone) and 15 weights and yoga

Wins: Using the walking DVD again. The Husbands' back is better, so we'll start walking again tomorrow night and I might walk at work as well.

Losses: Too much junk food still at home calling to me. Didn't really plan out dinner tonight so probably ate too much

Went grocery shopping tonight and got lots of salad fixings and yogurt and waters.

The process continues...

C’est la vie!

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The WW Alternative

2009-05-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hey!

I am dismayed and need to go public with my weight. Normally, I would go to Weight Watchers at this point in my Scale Wars but, the economy being what it is and me not convinced that at some point soon I will not be going back to part time at the Dreaded Day Job, WW is in the Luxury column right now. So, this blog will have to do.

I am a comfort eater and a stress eater and just a joyous, fill my face with food eater, lately. And not much of an exerciser, either, lately. Consequently, I am 46 pounds overweight on a 4’10” frame. My movement is impaired, I get tired easily and I feel generally unhealthy.

So, dear readers, you will be subjected to a Bridget Jones-style diary of the adventures of Mare’s Weight Loss.

Here is my Goal Skirt:

This kicky little skirt is my fave in all the world. I usually wore it with white tights and deep orange suede boots, with a variety of tight tops. I don’t think I can get one thigh in it right now… I’ve hung it in the bedroom to see every day and night.

You wouldn’t think eating less and moving more would be so hard to do. My intentions have been good but obviously the voices are fighting me. The little voice that says, oh, eat. It’s ok. You walk out to the kitchen to get the food-that's burning calories. You’re good! And the other voices, the Girl Scout Cookies voice, saying eat the whole sleeve of Thin Mints. The McD’s voice, whispering The Big Mac isn’t really THAT big. The chorus of foodie voices from my pantry, chanting Eat Me, Eat Me! No earplugs will silence them.

Only my own inner motivation will enable me to ignore the voices, since they will never be silenced. At my thinnest, they were still a little buzz in the back of my brain.

So, welcome to Mare C’s Diary. Here’s what I’ll be reporting each day:

Weight to lose:
Calories consumed:
Minutes of Exercise:
Wins:
Losses:

Maybe this will encourage you to report on your recently unattainable goal, be it weight loss, carving out creative time for yourself, going back to school, whatever.

Here is one of my favorite quotes to get us started:

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow”.

C’est la vie!

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Giving Octomom a Run for Her Money!

2009-04-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Seriously, does one have to be told not to jump into Polar Bear enclosures? Really??!?! This, excuse my French, but there is no better word for this woman, fucktard jumped over a fence and a bunch of thorny greenery, then dived into the polar bear exhibit at a German Zoo. Was she thinking they were just big teddy bears?? Honestly, she’s lucky to still be alive. Anyone with half a brain knows that polar bears are dangerous. They are not sweet little stuffed teddy bears/puppies/kitties. They are predators in the wild and when they see a woman swimming toward them, since they aren’t familiar with the word “fucktard”, they substitute “lunch”…

Get the full, ridiculous story here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/5142098/Woman-survives-polar-bear-mauling-at-Berlin-Zoo.html

C’est la vie!

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Here's Some Good News for a Change!

2009-04-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

It's getting to the point where I can't watch the news or even read the headlines on AOL. But I'm glad this one caught my eye! See what happened to this lovely girly dog-break out the kleenex!

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25295693-12377,00.html

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Field Trip! Body World in San Diego

2009-03-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, the Body World tickets were The Husband’s birthday present, which was two weeks ago, and today is the 31st anniversary of our first date. Quite a day for us!

Hit some fog and a bit of traffic on our way down to SD but no sweat. I always enjoy the drive down there. Parking was a breeze, since we were at Balboa Park so early (we could have sold our space on the way out, though!). The weather was clear and gorgeous.

For those of you who haven’t heard of Body World, German anatomist Gunther von Hagen created a process, called Plastination, which preserves actual bodies that are willed to him for that purpose. Most are posed without skin, in order to show muscles and the nervous system. Some, like Drawer Man, have sections cut away to show different aspects of the body~in Drawer Man’s case, these sections are pushed out of the body, like a bureau drawer, so you can see them in context. There are also actual organs displayed, some healthy and some in differing states of disease. The “black lung” example was horrifying.

I thought I might absolutely hate this exhibit. I mean, actual bodies--yewwwwww! But most of the exhibits are so awe inspiring, to see what we look like inside. It was amazing but also showed how fragile we are. In light of the passing of Natasha Richardson from a seemingly harmless fall, this is overstatement.

Most of the bodies are, shall I say, anonymous but one in particular had enough skin on the face to give me goosebumps. This particular specimen was cut vertically in at least 8 or 10 pieces as a cutaway to show relationships within the body. There were still very short hairs on his head and you could actually see the wrinkles around his eye holes. Made me realize these really were REAL people, not great big Barbie’s and Ken’s.

The Husband had a goosebumps experience, too. He was examining the kid who’s posed upside down on a skateboard and without meaning to, he looked right into the kid’s eyes. Spooked him, I tell ya!

The only thing I took a miss on was the babies. I took a quick look at the pregnant woman but, sigh, that was tough enough. I’m sure the parents bequeathed their children in the spirit of educating and enlightening people but that was just too sad for me.

They also figured out a way to Plastinate the circulatory system and the nervous system as stand-alone exhibits. I know I bleed wherever I might prick myself but now I know why. I mean, I knew why, really, but to see how the circulatory system is so ubiquitous under our skin, geez louise!

So, if Body World comes to your town, or even a town 100 miles away, this exhibit is worth the drive and the money. It’s so fascinating and makes you think. I turned to The Husband when we were walking around Balboa Park afterwards and said “I know what you look like inside now.” And he said, “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

Go see how your body works!!

C’est la vie!

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Breakfast at Ikea

2009-03-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hey!

So, I guess when you think of Ikea, your first thought is not breakfast. Light Swedish furniture, cheap, colorful kitchen tchotkes, some assembly required bookshelves. But not bacon and eggs.

Well, kids, think again.

The last time we were at Ikea (well, I guess the time before last, actually), we noticed the larger than life poster on the building, touting .99 cent breakfasts. Hmmmm... The Husband and I, who lament that there is no dollar breakfast menu at Mc'D's, were intrigued. So, we arranged our Sunday so that we could present ourselves at the Costa Mesa Ikea at 9:30, when the cafe opened.

Here is the official menu:

Eggs, bacon and fried potatoes .99
Eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and French toast sticks $1.99
Eggs, bacon fried potatoes and Swedish pancakes $2.99

Unofficial menu:

Belgian waffles $?? You must have to use a password to get those since we didn't see them on the menu

I enjoyed my French toast stick meal. The FTS's were, to my delight, not greasy like the ones at Burger King. The bacon was lovely. The eggs and potatoes were good but bland enough to make me reach for the salt shaker, which almost never happens. Also had to equip myself with ketchup for the potatoes, but that's my norm. The Husband, big spender that he is, was not impressed with the pancakes. I took a bite and they're very dense, not fluffy like in the US of A. But they were covered with lingonberries, so they weren't a total loss.

Had to laugh since we went for the .99 breakfast and we both got the more expensive ones. Our small effort to keep the economy going...

As we enjoyed our early morning repast, we were pretty amazed at the number of Ikea breakfast patrons. We came in at a slower time but after we sat down, the line was continuous. They provide your typical cafeteria trays that hold two plates somewhat comfortably but for bigger entourages, there are little wire rolling tables that fit several trays one atop the other. Pretty cute, especially when little kids are pushing them. One older gentleman was following his wife and tiny granddaughter, who was "pushing" the table. He turned to us and said, "You gotta start 'em working young!" Cheap eats and comedy!

Conclusion: If you're at an Ikea early enough for breakfast, give it a try. Where else can you eat at a furniture store? And such a bargain, even for the more "expensive" meals. Skol! (Is that Swedish?)

Other edibles I recommend at Ikea:

Swedish Chocolate! The perfect snack to bring to the movie theatre!

A refreshing frozen yogurt after all that shopping!

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So Much for Getting Anything Done Tonight…

2009-03-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Nothing stops me like book stuff. My BFF’s daughter had this on her Facebook and I have to see how many of these 100 books I’ve read… I will editorialize a bit, I fear.

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.Instructions:1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.3) Tally your total at the bottom.How many have you read?

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien X

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X +++++++++++++++++++++++++

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman Just The Golden Compass--Terrifying and dismaying

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X ++ One of my faves as a kid

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger X

19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy I own it and intend to read it…

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma - Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X ++

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving X

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins But I have read The Moonstone-excellent!

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood X

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons Wonderful movie…

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens X My first literary crush-Sidney Carton

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt X

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas X

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding X ( yes, i have read this -- but not the bible) My BFF’s daughter’s notation, only because she beat me to it

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville Started but it lost me with the descriptions of every kind of whale in the universe. I should have gotten the abridged version.

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker X

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath X

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt X ++ Got this on tape and I was enjoying the beginning so much, I decided to stop the tape and get the book

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens X

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker X

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro8

5 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White X

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De SaintExupery X++++++++++++++++++++++++

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams X

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

25! I feel so smart!

BUT, where are The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phantom of the Opera, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Stand, Camille, Frankenstein, The Martian Chronicles, Childhood's End, Snow Falling on Cedars and my personal favorites, that will never show up on any list as snooty as this, The Cracker Factory and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.

C’est la vie!

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Getting Healthy, Part 2

2009-02-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we're still working on Part 1, which is getting more fruit in our diets. Trouble is, I've been eating the fruit AND the snack bars and other lingering bad things in the house. Once they're gone, no more. In fact, this morning I brought a bunch of S'more snack bars into work to get them out of the house. Good me!

So, Part 2 is cutting out french fries and chips. We know cutting out fast food altogether is just asking way too much of us. So, to cut out the worst of the fast food is what we can handle at this point. The Husband wanted chips to go with his sandwich last night but fought the urge to stop at the gas station to get some. Good him!

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My Mind's Eye

2009-02-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hey!

I've been reading an Italian mystery series for a while now. They're written by Andrea Camilleri and the main character is a grouchy but brilliant Sicilian police officer named Inspector Salvo Montalbano. He gets away with all kinds of things I wouldn't put up with in real life. But he's also got a gruff charm and a soft spot for old ladies and good food, so he's got an odd kind of behavioral balance.

I highly recommend these books, as much for the Sicilian atmosphere as the varied cast of characters in the Vigata police department.

Anyway, you know how you see a character in your mind's eye? Well, I saw a rather grumpy Remington Steele, tall and slender with classical features. Yesterday I found out that the books have been turned into a TV series in Italy (and apparently they're big in Australia...). So I Google Imaged "Inspector Montalbano", expecting to see an Italian derivative of Pierce Brosnan.

But this is what I got!

Yikes! They certainly came up with a much different image of Montalbano than I had.

Just had to share...

ps~his name is Luca Zingaretti and he actually looks quite engaging when he smiles!

C’est la vie!

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My Twitter Dilemma

2009-02-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Twitter, for those of you who don't do the social e-networking thing, is a website where you write little mini-blogs, basically saying what you're doing, dishing with friends, throwing in links to your latest item for sale or blog entry, whatever comes into your mind. It's fun and somewhat addicting, reading the highlights and lowlights of peoples lives and seeing what they're up to in their work lives. I follow Brent Spiner and Levar Burton from Star Trek: Next Generation. Just had to throw that in to impress y'all.

Anyway, here's my dilemma. The best way to Twitter is to be jumping on all day, presenting little bits of your life for the enjoyment of all cyberdom. Then when you throw in the occasional link to something you want people to buy or read so they might be tempted to buy, it doesn't look like you're just there to sell. Also, I understand it's somewhat rude to jump on, write a bunch of twits in a row, then jump back off.

I can do the every once in a while all day thing on the weekends, but my Evil Employer blocks most of the social networking sites, so I'm stuck Twittering in the evening, between cooking dinner, making jewelry, playing with cats and husband, showering, basically doing the LIVING thing. During the week, I get on later in the evening (the first chance I get) and I'll write something, then look at new followers or go to some of my favorite Twitterers and see what they've been doing all day, then go back and write something else, maybe with a link to ArtFire, Etsy or my blogs, piddle around some more, then write a little something else. It's not really the best way to Twitter, I must say. But it's the best I can do at this point. I'm thankful to have a full time job so I really can't complain.

At some point, the Evil Employer may put me back to part time. That was the plan last summer when they bumped me to full time again after smacking me down to part time last spring~I'd be full time during a bunch of projects they needed warm bodies for. The projects are taking longer than expected (yeah, more money in the bank for me!) and there are more projects coming up after those. So I don't know when (or if) I'll be going back to part time. If I do get smacked down again, I promise I'll be a much better Tweeter. But while I can still work full time, I hope my fellow Twits will have patience with me and my limited Tweeting time. Please don't think I'm a hit and run Twitterer! Doin' the best I can here!

Not on Twitter yet? Wanna follow me on Twitter? Here I am:

http://twitter.com/bearchick

C’est la vie!

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A Healthy Start

2009-02-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

Hey!

The Husband and I were lamenting our big bellies this morning, post-huge ass Valentine’s dinner. We both want to eat better but (list excuses here).

So, after talking about the Jack LaLaine theory of not eating anything made by man and deciding our bodies would go into permanent shock if we cut out food in boxes and cans, we decided to start this healthy eating thing one step at a time.

Step One: Start eating only fruit or yogurt for snacks. Of course, we have to eat our way through the “healthy” bars and Valentine candy first… Well, we can throw in a banana during the day and an orange at night. And The Husband is back to drinking fruit juices and vegetable juice with a hit of Tabasco, and, even though whole fruit is the ideal, juices are better than sugar filled soda.

My eventual goal is to cut out foods with ingredients I can’t pronounce. All in good time, my pretty. All in good time!

C’est la vie!

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Mare's Favorite Author/Book Series-Julie Hyzy

2009-02-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Ok, I'm really too discombobulated lately to pick a day of the week for author articles, so I'll just put them out there when I'm inspired.

Julie Hyzy writes the most focused thrillers I've read in a long time. There's no fat on these novels-no distracting romantic diversion, no meddling mom or needy cat. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of cozies, which are rife with lots of sweet characters and diversions not directly related to the plot at hand. But these are thrillers, books of action not comfort (as much as murder mysteries can be comfortable...) and I like changing gears to read her fast paced yet pleasant stories.

Her character, Ollie Paras, a White House chef, somehow always finds herself right in the middle of T-R-O-U-B-L-E. In trying to do the right thing, Ollie ends up in some complicated messes but is compelled to keep digging or talking or thinking, whatever the situation demands. And the White House setting is ripe for all sorts of terrorists, intrigue and gingerbread men, so there should be plenty of plots to come.

I like Ollie. She's got a lot of heart and integrity and she's someone you'd want to befriend, if only she had the time. She has a boyfriend who's a Secret Service agent but with their crazy schedules, their time together consists of quick meetings, missed phone calls and the occasional overnight stay. Most of the people in the White House kitchen are hard working and fun, with a curmudgeonly assistant to keep things from getting, well, too comfortable. Glimpses of the First Family do not resemble the current residents, or even their recent predecessors.

The plotting is complicated and thoughtful, so you're not sitting there thinking you're smarter than they are 'cause you know who did it from the git go. And the "glimpses" of the White House and Camp David feel like history in the making.

You should read this when: you want to spend some time with an intelligent Girl Scout (and I mean that in the nicest way!) who can cook

Sequence (I like to read series in order): State of the Onion, Hail to the Chef

C’est la vie!

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Daily Pills List

2009-02-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

Hey!

I never thought I’d need TWO of those old people’s medicine holders… But here I am, taking 12 pills a day, fighting old age and the creaks and aches thereof.

Here's the supplements I take on a daily basis and why:

AM

Two prescription drugs - don't feel like revealing what they are. I'll just say I'm not having a sex change and leave it at that...

Ginko Biloba to help me remember. I guess it‘s working. I haven’t forgotten anything lately. I don’t think…

Glucosamine and Chondroitin - to keep my joints lubed. I get creaky without it.

PM

Vitamin E to keep my boobs smooth and supple. I've always had lumpy boobs.

Black Cohosh to keep away the hot flashes, although it‘s been in the 30‘s lately. Maybe I should cease those till spring…

Women's vitamins since none of the food I eat has any.

Flax Seed Oil to boost my immunity. I can attest to the fact that this stuff works. In the first six months of 2008, I had the flu twice and the rest of the time, I had a cold. Since I started taking the FSO, I've hardly been sick at all.

St. John's Wart is supposed to keep me calm. We shall see. I've only been taking it for a week. Inanimate objects still quake in terror when I pass.

Baby aspirin, chewable, usually orange. Lots of heart conditions in my family, so I figure it can't hurt.

Calcium with Vitamin D for absorption. I'm old. I need to strengthen up dem bones.

Vitamin C for more immune system shoring up, chewable. The ones we have now should be in the shape of comic characters or something, they're so fruity tasting. Hmmmm, vitamins in the shape of Eddie Izzard… That might be a big seller!

C’est la vie!

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Psycho Hair!

2009-02-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Hey!

No, my hair's not psycho. I'm psycho about my hair.

Right now, it's really long. Almost down to my waist. When I get a little crazed with life, the first thing I want to do is cut my hair. Anyone else?? It's the easiest thing to change about myself. Hey presto and you suddenly look so different! Nearly crashing cars, admiring the new 'do in the rearview.

But then reality sets in and my long locks aren't there anymore to throw over my shoulder. I really like my hair long. It feels feminine and rich. So I don't really want to cut it.

But I just don't take good enough care of it. It's lank and doesn't hold a curl for longer than a breath or two. So I stop curling it. It lays along my back like a mess of red/brown jungle fur.

But it's so versatile to have it long--pony tails, pigtails, pull it back, pin it up. Barretts, head bands, scrunchies.

But it's so hot in the summer that I have to wear it back and up off my neck.

But when I get chilly in the winter, it's like a big, warm blanket.

I'd like to let the gray grow out but it's not gray enough. There's just enough gray to make me look old.

But, the last time I colored it, I held up my bangs to see how much gray there was and along the hairline, there's a lot. And it's really light. And I look awful as a blond. So maybe the letting the hair go gray thing needs to be rethunk.

Psycho? You betcha!

C'est la vie!

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Ruminations on Being Fat and Lazy

2009-02-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

Hey!

The Husband and I recently have a running dialog about how lazy and fat we've gotten. If only all this talk burned calories...

My interests have always run to the sedentary--reading, crafting, movies/tv. And I always have exercise equipment in the living room, that I really do use. No, really! But the stress eating of the last year or so has taken it's toll on both of us. The Husband has never been a sweet eater. EX: If I bought two pints of Ben and Jerry's, one for him and one for me, mine would be gone in a weekend (or maybe by Saturday...) and his would be half eaten, covered with those unsavory ice crystals, three months later. But lately, he's succumbing to sweets and salty and everything in between. So we are bad influences on each other.

We used to walk every morning or evening, so we have to get back to that. And I do great when I don't keep munchies in the house. Lately, I've fooled myself into thinking that a sleeve of Saltines a night is ok. They're not sweet so their calories don't count... Right?

This is bad--we're going to our storage space this Sunday to do some cleaning and we've dangled Panda Express as a motivator to get ourselves out there to work. We freely acknowledge that rewarding ourselves with food is BAD. But, we've got a coupon...

I refuse to buy bigger underwear! I've already broken down and bought fat pants--you know, elasticized waists. Feeling like an old lady... I keep praying for will power but all I get is cravings.

And the thing is, I feel like my health is going to start suffering. I don't want to get to that point where I'm borderline diabetic, hauling myself around like I've got a sack of cement on my back, huffing and puffing.

What really kills me is that 5 years ago I lost a lot of weight--my stomach was totally flat, I was wearing short, flirty skirts. I looked better than I did in my 20's. And now I've gained it all back. After I said I'd never put myself in this position again. I hate this! I'm a firm believer that you have to be ready-in your mind and heart-to tackle weight loss. Being this big bothers me every minute of the day. But I'm just not ready yet to make the culinary and lifestyle changes I need to make. I count calories long enough to lose a few pounds. Then I'm off and eating again...

Enough venting. I should take a walk at lunchtime but I'll probably read...

C'est la vie!

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Look Out! Here Comes a Rant!

2009-01-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: This is not intended to belittle actual DMV workers. This is to annihilate the DMV and it's policies. So if you are a DMV worker, please do not take offense.

Hey!

I have to append my previous blog post. The question was What profession would you not want to participate in? My answer was Mortuary Science. My new answer is DMV drone.

And I do mean DRONE. Obviously, the Powers that Wanna Be at the CA DMV give absolutely no power at all to their employees. All they can do is repeat (imagine little robot arms flailing, like the dearly departed robot on Lost in Space intoning, Danger Will Robinson), "That's all I can see on my computer." "That's all I can see on my computer." "That's all I can see on my computer."

Ok, here's my problem~~We've had a VW bus off the road for 5 years. I'm sure at some point I sent in paperwork to indicate that it was non-operational and paid the $5 fee. Now they're claiming we never did that and they want $365 to get a temp registration!!! And all the drone could say was "That's all I can see on my computer." The Husband had to practically drag me from the building!

What's really pissing me off here is that the woman didn't offer any alternatives. She didn't say, "Let me refer you to a supervisor", "Perhaps you could call this number to get this cleared up," even, "Calm the hell down and don't take it out on me." Believe me, in Payroll I do plenty of customer service. And believe me when I say that doing customer service in Payroll means dealing with emotional folks freaking out about their money. I wouldn't think of repeating the same stupid, unhelpful thing over and over like a freakin' android. We have the latitude to help people, by fixing their problem or referring them to someone who can. And when it's a problem that can't be fixed, we at least offer some sympathy in the form of actually showing some personality and compassion. Not just sitting there like our clockworks have run down.

I imagine that the Governator is their ultimate boss, right? Hey, Arnold, give your employees the ability to ease a situation, not throw gasoline on the fire by being so damn useless! At least give them phone numbers to hand out to irate people so they can simulate looking like they're doing something productive and helpful!

And the adventure continues...

C'est la vie!

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Inside the Actor’s Studio Questionnaire

2009-01-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

Hey!

I’ve been fighting a cold, so I’m tired and cranky. I’ve been keeping this blog subject for a rainy, or cranky, day.

On Inside the Actor’s Studio, on Bravo TV, at the end of the celebrity interview, host James Lipton asks these questions, taken from a French interview show. He always says the guys name, but he gives it this French twisty accent and I have no idea how to spell it. Anyway, here’s what my answers would be:

What’s your favorite word?
Possibilities

What’s your least favorite word?
Victim

What turns you on?
Art

What turns you off?
Negativity

What’s your favorite sound or noise?
A cat purring

Least favorite sound or noise?
Sirens

What profession would you like to try?
I’d like to have a bookstore/art gallery/art studio

What profession would you not like to try?
Anything in the Mortuary Sciences

What’s your favorite curse word?
Fucktard (credit to Christopher Moore)

If God exists, what do you want him to say to you at the Pearly Gates?
Yes, Mare, you’re right. Heaven IS a library.

C’est la vie!

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Shelfari-A Book Lovers Haven

2009-01-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

So, The Husband has considered himself a Computer Widower for quite a few years now. Especially with the jewelry business, I spend a lot of time posting and schmoozing and browsing online.

Last night, while reading a fave blog, I happened to notice for the second or third time (this is why you can’t run a print ad just once. It takes several views for people to really notice…) that she had a bookshelf in the right column showing what book she’s currently reading. Now, kind readers, you may not know this about me but the only thing that can stop me faster than a bead store is a book store. I want my ashes scattered over a library, that’s how much books mean to me!

So, I clicked the graphic and zoom, found myself at Shelfari, which I think is run by Amazon. This was very late at night and I was so dazzled that I could look up all these books I’ve read and put them on my “shelf”, that the devil himself could have been the webmaster!

I haven’t really gotten that far into Shelfari yet but I know there are groups you can join and you can write reviews and see what’s coming out. Your book shelf consists of what you’ve read, what you’re reading and what you want to read. Now I have to confess, I have a Word page on my computer where I keep up on the titles I’ve read and what’s coming out when (I read a lot of mystery series) and what looks interesting that I need to find. So this is like Hog Heaven for Mare, let me tell ya!

Here’s my Shelfari bio:

When I learned to read in first grade, I must have made my parents crazy, reading everything as we drove around doing errands. I'd read street signs, billboards, signs in windows, on buses, anything I saw. And my parents, bless 'em, encouraged every letter and word!

Consequently, I'm a compulsive reader. I always have a stack of library books next to my chair, plus magazines and all things paper. If I'm stuck in a waiting room without a book (nightmare of nightmares!), I'll read the same sign about paying for services rendered 100 times...

The last few years, I've been going through what I call my American Cozies phase, light mysteries like John J. Lamb, Fran Rizer, Hailey Lind, well I could go on and on. I also love a very specific kind of vampire fiction--not too brutal or gory. Maryjanice Davidson, Charlane Harris, P.N. Elrod. Also a few children's series, namely Diane Duanes' Young Wizards series (rivals Harry Potter, in my opinion) and Debi Gliori's Pure Dead series. And every once in a while, something non-fiction will creep in, like Crashing Through.

If you’re a reader and a computer person, like me, go check it out. You’ll spend hours! Click the link below or my bookshelf in the right column.

www.shelfari.com

C’est la vie!

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The Tumbleweed Farm

2009-01-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hey!

When you think of tumbleweeds, don’t you think of lonely ghost towns and dusty, empty streets? Well, my Day Job is in a somewhat urban setting, within walking distance of Wal-Mart and industrial parks. But a vacant lot nearby has recently developed into a tumbleweed farm.

I know this first photo blows (well, none of them are Ansel Adams…) but I want to give you the full picture to show the sheer volume of tumbleweeds. They're the dark line that runs horizontally through the middle of the photo.

This second picture gives a little more detail, showing how they jump on top of one another (perhaps this is where baby tumbleweeds come from??). They sort of look like Tribbles… And we know what kind of trouble they were!

And here are a couple of big ass full blown tumbleweeds. Note how they’re almost as high as the chain link fence.

I suppose the city or county will need to call in tumbleweed wranglers soon. Maybe they can relocate them to Calico ghost town…

C’est la vie!

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Weight Loss and TV Obsession

2009-01-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Well, along with everyone else, I want to lose weight. This morning, I brought the space heater into the bathroom, stripped down (don’t visualize or your eyes will pop out of your head and roll under the sofa!) and weighed myself. Perhaps you heard the screaming?? Measured myself, too. I’m a glutton for punishment. The plan now is to cut out sweets, as much for health reasons as calories. No, I don’t think I’m teetering on the edge of diabetes, but I don’t want to be either.

The Husband also is lamenting his non-beer belly and so will encourage not having junk food in the house. More exercise, less eating. Sounds easy, huh? Remains to be seen. I’m a great believer in being ready and I know I haven’t been ready to diet in the last year or two. In fact, I’ve been too willing to keep eating myself into stupors. So, we shall see. I promised my best friend, Zan, I’ll be wearing the too-small-but-shouldn’t-have-been t-shirt she gave me for Christmas by the time we take my mom to Vegas for her 75th birthday in April.

The Husband started watching NCIS in syndication on USA a few months ago and somehow I fell into the web of Naval CIS (I never remember what it stands for) and we both sit half the night watching it (me, making jewelry, naturally). It’s a good mix of characters, with some great plot twists. I like that the ever cute Mark Harmon plays a character that isn’t always likable but is always interesting. We both love Abby, the goth chick/genius of the crime lab. And adding Ilya Kuriaken (late of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), David McCallum, is just a lovely bonus for a couple of Boomers like ourselves. Consequently, a lot of my “How long did it take to make that” references on my Etsy items include many episodes of NCIS!

C’est la vie!

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Hector is Happy!

2008-12-22T22:19:00.001-08:00

The Husband was lamenting our lack of Christmas Spirit tonight. He plays Bob Cratchit from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, making the season merry for his audience but we hadn't made ourselves merry. So after braving the crowds shopping tonight, he went to the shed and brought out the fiber optic tree. So what if Bob Cratchit never cut down a self lighting tree for Tiny Tim?? Hector is Happy!!

Merry Christmas to all!

God Bless Us Every One!

C'est la vie!

Hector is Sad!

2008-12-21T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hey!

Well, dang, it’s been a long time since I wrote here. The Day Job is getting busy and I’ve been running around, just like everybody else, getting ready for Christmas.

However the house is not decorated with one candy cane, stocking or iota of tinsel.

And this is why Hector is sad.

Here is Hector

Hector is a big, furry hand puppet given to me by my best friend, Zan, when I left the East Coast for the Wild West. Hector sat on the front seat of our station wagon, between my mother and I, on our journey to Cali. Ever after, his chief function became as our tree topper at Christmas. Anybody can have a feathery winged angel or shiny star. We have Hector and his Evergreen Enema.

But without a tree this year, Hector is sad.

Think good thoughts for Hector. Maybe he’ll get a tree after all. It’s all the poor little guy wants *sniff*.

C’est la vie!

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