OK. About a month ago we started buying the Costco brand of weight loss shake. I need something in the morning but I run out of time to eat because I have to wait 30 minutes after I take my thyroid med. The shake has been a good substitute. Paul even has taken to it. Good taste. Filling. Curbs appetite. Guess who has lost 4 pounds already? Not me. Paul. That's right. He's been saying the last couple of days how his love handles are shrinking. Then last night he says he's lost 4 pounds! He's at his desired weight. He believes it is the shake every morning. I tell him how happy I am for him only because it was the right thing to say, not because I really felt it. But, I am happy for Paul. And his success gives me hope by association.
Lesson reinforced: Never give up the fight if it's worth winning.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Mean people are mean
So we were having a late breakfast at La Madelines yesterday. Me, Paul, Andrea, Jack and Addie. We are in the serving line and this giant white-haired blowhard (I didn't know he was a blowhard at the time) walks up to the counter area just ahead of us. I look over just as he's shouting "give me my receipt back!" and grabs a receipt out of a server's hand. The server then hands him a dish of something. The super tool then hisses (I have always wondered what it sounded like when someone hisses, now I know), "Assholes... you're all little monkeys." He takes his food and walks off. We're all kinda standing there in disbelief. Over food? This is a guy who obviously doesn't miss a meal. These poor kids behind the counter... one appeared in shock. Color drained. If a white person's color can actually drain as we really don't have color. The other kid, African American, seemed to take it better. hmmm.
Lesson learned: Never, ever take personally name calling or insults coming from a jackass.
Lesson learned: Never, ever take personally name calling or insults coming from a jackass.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Lucky me
My computer's motherboard is sick, it has been for some time now. I couldn't cut and paste something to Jenny via email yesterday. In December, it crashed. I couldn't do anything with it. Nothing. Then, miraculously, it revived itself. Someone turned it on for the 20th time and there it was. So I was investigating those little netbooks yesterday, worried that my motherboard was on its last leg. Found one at Best Buy for $300. Did NOT want to spend money. Paul and I have agreed that we are going to stick to a budget and aggressively pay down debt. He has been shopping at Kroger instead of Costco for his part. For my part, I have stopped buying new clothes. So didn't really want to spend the money, but ...
So Paul comes with to Best Buy and we end up coming home with pretty much the same computer I have been using for 6 plus years: my third Toshiba, updated of course and clean and fast and beautiful. I love my new computer. Oh, and about the netbooks, they are way too small. We ended up paying twice what a netbook would have cost. I am very lucky.
Gotta go. Paul is back from washing his car. I promised him we could go to Costco this morning.
So Paul comes with to Best Buy and we end up coming home with pretty much the same computer I have been using for 6 plus years: my third Toshiba, updated of course and clean and fast and beautiful. I love my new computer. Oh, and about the netbooks, they are way too small. We ended up paying twice what a netbook would have cost. I am very lucky.
Gotta go. Paul is back from washing his car. I promised him we could go to Costco this morning.
Friday, January 22, 2010
2 issues - OK 3 but I can't tell you the third
My first issue today is I think I have lost the temporary crown I got on Wednesday morning. How is it possible I don't know? I wish I could answer that without sounding like an idiot. The real question is: where did it go? Of course I must have swallowed it? Yuk. When? How is it I didn't know? I just left an embarrassing message with my dentist. They won't be back in the office until Monday. Today is Friday. I can live with that.
My second issue is my self-loathing. Self-loathing because last night I ate an entire roll of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. There are 2 rolls in every box. I ate ONE roll. (Like that makes me disciplined). Damn the Girl Scouts. OK. Damn me. Hey, maybe that's when I lost the crown .... when I was in the thin mint cookie haze. The shame. The shame.
Mary
My second issue is my self-loathing. Self-loathing because last night I ate an entire roll of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. There are 2 rolls in every box. I ate ONE roll. (Like that makes me disciplined). Damn the Girl Scouts. OK. Damn me. Hey, maybe that's when I lost the crown .... when I was in the thin mint cookie haze. The shame. The shame.
Mary
Monday, January 18, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Going to hell in a hula hoop
Just heard that expression going to hell in a hula hoop. I have no idea why hula hoop, but I like it and think it is appropriate for what's going on. I'm talking about Sarah Palin (again) and her new job with Fox. God help us. Maybe her overexposure will reach the point of saturation and people will finally say no more, enough is enough.
Truth is, I am tired of all of all the talking heads on TV. It's like the Steve Carell moment in Anchorman where he is shouting "loud noises." I wish we could have a moratorium on commentating. Of course that wouldn't set well with the First Amendment. I have initiated my own moratorium and no longer tune into MSNBC. I sometimes watch CNN, listen to BBC on my satellite radio occasionally. I watch local news, PBS and read local newspapers, often online. I never go to the blogisphere, except for my own blog of course.
What I resent most is how most talking heads speak with absolution and authority. As if they drank the truth potion and are all knowing. This most recent spin on terrorist attacks. By just saying there were no attacks during Bush's watch, by just putting it out there, the message becomes truth for so many. It's propaganda at its best - or should that be worst? The loving masses then repeat the propaganda with the same absolution and authority. Yuck.
My hope is that we need to experience this McCarthyism to get to the other side. Run through the muck before we can be cleansed. Who will wash off the dirt? Really smart young people. There are some great kids out there. Those who are doing humanitarian work. Those who are taking the road less traveled. Those who are listening to their own inner voices and tuning out the blather coming from unethical and immoral people seeking fame, fortune and power.
I have hope in the next generation. I have met many of these young people who know the importance of caring about people other than themselves. They will have to be the ones to step up and save us from going to hell in a hoola hoop. I hope. It would be nice to tune into a news talk show without a mention of Sarah Palin.
Mary
Truth is, I am tired of all of all the talking heads on TV. It's like the Steve Carell moment in Anchorman where he is shouting "loud noises." I wish we could have a moratorium on commentating. Of course that wouldn't set well with the First Amendment. I have initiated my own moratorium and no longer tune into MSNBC. I sometimes watch CNN, listen to BBC on my satellite radio occasionally. I watch local news, PBS and read local newspapers, often online. I never go to the blogisphere, except for my own blog of course.
What I resent most is how most talking heads speak with absolution and authority. As if they drank the truth potion and are all knowing. This most recent spin on terrorist attacks. By just saying there were no attacks during Bush's watch, by just putting it out there, the message becomes truth for so many. It's propaganda at its best - or should that be worst? The loving masses then repeat the propaganda with the same absolution and authority. Yuck.
My hope is that we need to experience this McCarthyism to get to the other side. Run through the muck before we can be cleansed. Who will wash off the dirt? Really smart young people. There are some great kids out there. Those who are doing humanitarian work. Those who are taking the road less traveled. Those who are listening to their own inner voices and tuning out the blather coming from unethical and immoral people seeking fame, fortune and power.
I have hope in the next generation. I have met many of these young people who know the importance of caring about people other than themselves. They will have to be the ones to step up and save us from going to hell in a hoola hoop. I hope. It would be nice to tune into a news talk show without a mention of Sarah Palin.
Mary
Monday, January 11, 2010
20-10 or Two Thousand 10?
New decade. Holy cow. Really? Whew. This year's resolutions carry that much more weight. OK here goes:
1. Lose weight by eating better and exercising. Paul has to be on board. I know that it's ultimately up to me and I take full responsibility. These two statements are incongruous but they also are necessary.
2. Read more good literature. How? No computer after 7 p.m. Further, I will enlist my brilliant niece Kara Lochridge to help me with book selection. Also continue to get ideas from my mother Shirley Lochridge, a prolific reader of good books.
3. No computer games after 7 p.m. See resolution #2.
4. Walk Princess. Horrible to admit that she doesn't get to walk as much as the other two dogs, Baxter and Mika. Princess gets so hyper and then she gets loud, which sets off Baxter. So my pledge this year is to walk Princess by herself rather than leave her home when we take the other two.
5. Watch less TV. For some reason I seem to know just about all the TV shows other people are watching. If someone says, did you see ....? I am the one in the room who says yes. Shows I will watch include: Survivor, Glee, Modern Family, Brothers & Sisters and reruns of The West Wing. News and sports don't count (like vegetables and fruits). I can watch (eat) all I want.
6. Set aside meditation/spiritual time each day. I really need to work on this one this year/decade. Breathing, stretching, pray-ishing.
7. Put in 100 percent at work every day. This will be easier than some of the others. I think I pretty much put in 85 percent each day, so another 15 percent should be doable.
8. Live in the moment as much as possible. It's the new thing: mindfulness. Stop feeling bad about the past and less time worrying about the future. Really stop and smell the roses.
9. Write more. I want to step up my game here and the only way to do that is to write just about every day. I don't want it to be one of those things that years from now I kick myself for not doing. It takes discipline, so I guess what I am saying is I want to be more disciplined.
10. Monitor my words. I am a grandmother now so I need to choose my words more carefully. At least practice it this year for when Addison and future progeny can understand the words. Have you seen that commercial where the family is at a restaurant and the dad sends some food flying and says "shit!" So then his two little kids do something goofy and each time they say "shit!" Of course the word is bleeped. So cute. I can totally see that happening.
I also want to monitor my words for content. Be truthful in what I say, so that I become the kind of person that people can trust to know my word is good.
OK people reading this (both of you), it's your turn.
Mary
1. Lose weight by eating better and exercising. Paul has to be on board. I know that it's ultimately up to me and I take full responsibility. These two statements are incongruous but they also are necessary.
2. Read more good literature. How? No computer after 7 p.m. Further, I will enlist my brilliant niece Kara Lochridge to help me with book selection. Also continue to get ideas from my mother Shirley Lochridge, a prolific reader of good books.
3. No computer games after 7 p.m. See resolution #2.
4. Walk Princess. Horrible to admit that she doesn't get to walk as much as the other two dogs, Baxter and Mika. Princess gets so hyper and then she gets loud, which sets off Baxter. So my pledge this year is to walk Princess by herself rather than leave her home when we take the other two.
5. Watch less TV. For some reason I seem to know just about all the TV shows other people are watching. If someone says, did you see ....? I am the one in the room who says yes. Shows I will watch include: Survivor, Glee, Modern Family, Brothers & Sisters and reruns of The West Wing. News and sports don't count (like vegetables and fruits). I can watch (eat) all I want.
6. Set aside meditation/spiritual time each day. I really need to work on this one this year/decade. Breathing, stretching, pray-ishing.
7. Put in 100 percent at work every day. This will be easier than some of the others. I think I pretty much put in 85 percent each day, so another 15 percent should be doable.
8. Live in the moment as much as possible. It's the new thing: mindfulness. Stop feeling bad about the past and less time worrying about the future. Really stop and smell the roses.
9. Write more. I want to step up my game here and the only way to do that is to write just about every day. I don't want it to be one of those things that years from now I kick myself for not doing. It takes discipline, so I guess what I am saying is I want to be more disciplined.
10. Monitor my words. I am a grandmother now so I need to choose my words more carefully. At least practice it this year for when Addison and future progeny can understand the words. Have you seen that commercial where the family is at a restaurant and the dad sends some food flying and says "shit!" So then his two little kids do something goofy and each time they say "shit!" Of course the word is bleeped. So cute. I can totally see that happening.
I also want to monitor my words for content. Be truthful in what I say, so that I become the kind of person that people can trust to know my word is good.
OK people reading this (both of you), it's your turn.
Mary
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