Gotta love that Lee Marvin. Such a singing voice.

This seems to be me, though. I love to travel. I love to experience new places and new things. The next few months of my life involve some trips and a few planned adventures. My challenge will be to continue to lose weight (heh. I mean start) while I'm doing them.

We just got back from a trip to see the parentals in northern nevada. It pains me to spend my hard-earned money in a red state, but I comfort myself in knowing that it was barely red and that the redness came from the idiots in Las Vegas, not the wiser and more intelligent northern Nevadans. They were just outnumbered.

Anyhoo, we headed out Thursday night after work. Got on the road about 6:15pm. Drove, drove, and drove some more until we reached Mammoth at 12:30. Too late. That's way past our bedtime. I spent the last hour or so talking to and/or shouting at the bf to keep him awake behind the wheel. Not good. But we made it.

Got up the next morning and headed to the slopes. A gorgeous day. Plenty of snow, especially considering how early in the year it is. They had 6 lifts open, which was plenty to handle the amount of people. We had a great time. It was nice at the base but foggy (low clouds) at the top. Visibility was not great at times. But we'd ski slowly through that, then break out into the bright sun and have a great remainder of the run. I felt really good on my skis. The bits I learned last year have stayed with me, hooray.

We knocked off early in the afternoon and continued our trip up the parents place. Arrived in early evening. Had a nice nap, went out to dinner, chatted and went to bed. It was good to see them again.

Friday morning we got up and headed up to Mt. Rose to ski again. It's a mere 30 minutes from where my parents live. I'd never skiied there before. It, too, was great. They only had 2 lifts open, but the snow was fantastic. Soft, fluffy powder and lots of it. We had a truly wonderful time. I am at last happy with every bit of my equipment. The money has apparently been worth it because I was warm, comfortable, in control, and at one with my skis the entire time. Finally. I am looking forward to this year as being the one that really launches my ski career. Already the blue slopes are fun but too easy. Many of the blacks that I ski feel like blues. Steep but not a big challenge. Maybe I'll actually conquer bumps this year? Maybe. We shall see. Right now I'm very happy with how I'm skiing.

We cut out early and continued on to Lake Tahoe. Ate at the Cal-Neva's lakeview dining room, which was awesome. Pretty lake. Good food.

Later that night we went to a fanastic seafood buffet at one of the casinos with my parents. Lobster and crab galore, oh my.

Saturday my parents had a dinner party, an early Thanksgiving for us since we won't be together on The Day. Mom cooked a turkey breast and made mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing. The invited friends brought dishes. It was very lovely and very tasty.

Today we drove home. 8 hours in the car, oof. We left early and got home this afternoon. Misty is fine. The house is fine. I took Misty for a walk and then lifted weights.

I am severly bloated. Tomorrow (well, now) I start the prudence approach to food. Prudence when not travelling, pleasure during travels. That's my plan.

My Dr. switched my bc pills two months ago, and that resulted in a 5lb weight gain. I didn't like the pills so she switched me again to the patch, which resulted in another 5lb gain. So I am now 10lb more than I weighed two months ago due to nothing other than the hormone changes. ****zu. I feel bloated and it doesn't appear to be leaving any time soon. I'm going to go on SBD Phase I for about a week or two to clear out the excess water from my body. It is very good for that.

I need to lose 20 lbs in the next 2 months. I'm increased the cardio and the weights these past two week but so far have lost zero. Need to do more.

Hi Kilogo, sounds like a great trip. I went to Lake Tahoe & Reno and loved it! I love those buffets at casino ... hey, lobster is seafood = low calorie unless you eat it with cheese ... You should audition for the travel shows since you love travelling so much! I would have to say that you are one of the few americans I know who travels so much and it's not just in America alone.

Hi Chinadoll. Ha, me on a travelling show. I would like to write reviews of places I travel to and send them to travel magazines, though. I guess I could do it now, too. Should.

I know many americans who don't even have passports. America is a vast country with much to offer, scenery-wise, but so does the rest of the world. I want to see it all. I do know many other americans who travel outside the country, though. They are just the minority.

I really knuckled down today and refused to eat a single thing that doesn't fit in with my ultra-healthy, ultra-thin lifestyle. I also made a conscious effort to get up and talk a 15-minute walk 3 times during the day while at work. I need to do this every day. My work is simply too sedentary.

Once home this evening I jogged 20 minutes with Misty. She got fat while we were away. She puts on and takes off weight amazingly quickly. 4 days of being overfed by her sitter and not getting walked made her put on obvious pounds. She'll be back to her svelte self in a week, though.

The jog felt good. I feel good about the upcoming 5K.

Next is dinner (salad with myriad veggies), then weights. A very good day. If I did this every day of my life I'd weigh 110 in no time.

Hey Kilogo, I hear that the magazines pay a good sum of money for contributions .. I plan to submit some to the travel magazines too.

Good sums of money are always a plus. Let me know how it goes with your submissions, ChinaDoll.

I wonder if it'd be enough to quit my day job. One can hope.

The bf flew out of town this morning and lands this evening. He'll be home in about an hour. I am fending for myself with dinner by having some hummus with whole wheat pita. Mmmm.

Today was another extraordinarily good food/exercise day. Loads o' veggies, no junk. Walked a fair amount at work. Walked Misty after work. Lifted weights.

Tomorrow will be another story, though. First we are having a departmental thanksgiving potluck. Then we're meeting friends for dinner at an italian restaurant. Not easy to eat light in either occasion. But I'll do the best I can. No dessert, no bread.

Hey...hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

I am off on a mini road trip myself...talk soon!

mc

Hiya, Kilo, I just stumbled across your new journal! You moved and I didn't recognize the place! :D

That is so great about your ski equipment finally fitting and feeling right. Just awesome. I miss downhill skiing. That was something else I couldn't do anymore when I gained a certain amount of weight. It just made the bottoms of my feet ache severely. Now that I know I can ice skate again, I'll bet I could ski again. But I'm afraid my equipment is ancient and way out-moded. Hm.

I'd certainly love to travel outside the U.S., but can't really afford to travel much even within it. :sigh: I need a big windfall from somewhere! The prudence plan sounds good if you're planning a lot of travel... You can focus on the fun time ahead while you're at home and really work your SBD. How did Thanksgiving go? Did the bf cook you a turkey dinner?

Glad I found you again!

Lisrey :wave:

Hi Lisrey and Mc! I'm glad you found me again, too! The old journal had run its course and the one started during the election was making me too angry. So on to this one.

Where are you going, Mc? Hope you have a great time.

Skiing is great fun, I think. You rarely see heavy people doing it, though. They probably don't even make ski attire in large sizes. Hmm. It'd be great if you got back into it, Lisrey. The equipment has changed quite a bit, but for the better. The right gear has made all the difference for me.

My Thanksgiving was lovely, thanks. Hope you all had a good one, too. We started the day by running in a Turkey Trot. I had a bit of a cold (what is it with me getting sickly just before a run?) and so did the bf, but we got up and did it anyway. We figured if we didn't have the oomphf to run we'd just walk it. It was a gorgeous day. A bit chilly during registration but warmed up nicely by race time. This is a very casual race. They start everyone all at once -- the 5kers, 10kers, walkers, all age groups, all at once. It's a FUN race, not a serious one. Though I've never done a major event like the LA Marathon I imagine this is what it's like. You start off with a cheer and start jogging in place while waiting for the people ahead of you to get going. Once actually moving, you jog at the crowd's pace until it thins out enough for everyone to get a bit of clear air. We ran up the bike path along the beach. You can imagine how narrow that is. Now put 1500 people on it all starting at the same time and headed to the same place. We had people all around us the entire length of the race. But it was a friendly group. Runners, competitors in general actually, can be very rude at race starts. Pushing, shoving, elbowing by slower runners as they try to get ahead and out of the pack early. But in this race, everyone was extremely pleasant. You heard "excuse me" and "pardon me" throughout the race as one person passed another. No elbowing. Lots of cheering each other and cheering from the spectators. Kids ran this race. A guy dressed in a full body chicken costume ran it. There were plenty of walkers. It was much fun.

We did run the whole way. My cold wasn't much of a factor, other than my legs felt like lead most of the way. But my lungs were strong. I am obviously in better condition that I was for the 5K back in October. This is good. I was two minutes slower in this event, but I'll blame that on the cold. Either that or this was a longer 5K. One does wonder how accurate these distances are for races that are for fun and not competition.

Then we went to the bf's sister's place for the Thanksgiving meal. Had a nice time there. Stayed late and talked long with the friends and relatives.

The bf likes to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal, just because he enjoys the cooking. So today he is prepping for the meal he's going to make tomorrow. More turkey and mashed potatoes, but just for us. Mmmmm. After that meal we head over to his uncle's place for a party.

This afternoon we plan to go see Alexander.

It is gorgeous, clear, and warm here today. I may go for a paddle while the bf fusses with his cranberries. I can still feel this cold but it is very mild. Hooray for Zicam. I need to trim my roses back, too. I know nothing about roses, but I guess I am learning. This house came with 4 of them around the entryway. They are still blooming but have gotten far too tall. All of my christmas cactuses are budding. They apparently like the new home, too.

Heh. Results are up. There were 1,647 entrants. I finished 33rd out of 64 in my age class. Everyone after me was probably walking. I really need to work on running just a tad faster. http://www.turkeytrot.us/

Ok, I confess. I didn't do a bloomin' thing today.

Misty and I shared a leftover turkey leg. She got the skin and tendons, I got the dark meat. This pleased us both.

We also went for a walk, during which we set paws on the beach for all of 30 seconds before the evil beach police lept into their beach policing vehicle and sped over towards us. Fortunately, I spotted them from a distance and we quickly scampered off to the dog-friendly and completely legal greenbelt just a few feet off the beach and blended in with the other walkers. No multi-hundred dollar dog-on-beach ticket for us today.

We did not go to see Alexander. The more reviews I read of it the less I want to see it. Three-hour long battle scene? I didn't care for that in Lord of the Rings and I had far more compelling reasons to go see that one.

I am debating whether I want to participate in the inaugural orange county marathon next weekend in some way. They have a 5K race and a 5K walk. You can also walk the half or full marathon. Or I could just go and cheer the runners on. They will have bands, food, entertainment, excitement. Could be fun. The bf will be out of town so I am trying to find a friend who thinks this will be fun, too. So far no luck.

Hey Kil!

Congrats on completing the race, even while you were sick!...You did well!

My DH and I drove up to Onekama Michigan this weekend for a friends wedding...it is about a 5 hour drive from Chicago...we stayed at the Portage Point Inn which lays right in between Portage Lake and Lake Michigan...very nice..."rustic" is the word...we hope to go back in June or early September when the weather is much nicer...I will send you some pic's!

Hope you have a great week!...mc

Hi Kilogo,

Glad you are back with a new journal.

Carol

Hi Mc and Carol! Thanks for this pics, Mc. That looks like a lovely place. Rustic can be a good thing.

I am certainly going to do rustic for my birthday. No electricity. Gravity-led showers. Mosquito netting around the bed. Yeee. At least there is a bathroom in the cabin. Outhouses are no fun.

The bf is the one doing the wandering this weekend. He's off skiing at Breckenridge on his annual boys trip. I am taking advantage of having the house to myself by seriously focusing on my food and fitness. Two good days so far, two to go. I made broccoli soup all by myself yesterday. It's very tasty and I was quite pleased. Low carb, high health. I fired up the NordicTrack and have committed myself to doing 15 minutes of it each moring. I get up for work very early as it is (but not as early as Lutha), but another 15 minutes earlier won't kill me. I miss working out in the mornings but have been resistant to getting up that much earlier to get it done. But 15 minutes I can do. That's not going to cut it as a full cardio program, but I think it'll improve my mornings and start my day off right.

So I've done that for three days now. Twenty one days makes a habit, right?

I've also started wearing a watch during the Misty-walks so I can make sure we walk at least an hour. As it gets darker and colder when I get home from work I noticed that our walks got shorter and shorter. Must combat that with a time goal until the days get longer again.

I spent some time online and got most of my Christmas shopping done. This is good. I'm going to stretch out the lights that we have and see if they are going to work at all at this new house. The should. I am resistant to putting nails in my freshly waterproofed and sealed wood railings, so I guess I shall try affixing them with cable ties.

Long-time readers may remember Friend Jeanne, my friend who smokes and drinks too much. Well, her problems have continued to grow and she's dealing with them by drinking more. She has herself in a huge financial hole. Her father is showing signs of Alzheimer's and is being an utter jerk to her mother. She refuses to divorce her husband, even though they've been separated for several years. I don't know what's going on with that since she won't talk about it.

She got a DUI a few months ago. Part of that is mandatory AA meetings. She gets into arguments with the members there every meeting. They scream at her that she is an alcoholic and she screams back that she's not. She pays her bills and goes to work every day so she can't be one, she says. I see a distinct difference in her personality and in the volume of her alcohol consumption in this past year. I've tried to talk to her about her problems and how drinking can just make them worse, but she doesn't want to hear it. Gets angry, even. She can handle it herself, she says.

Well, now she's decided that I am the enemy. She has a huge problem with this new house. She is jealous of it and of my ability to buy a house on the water like this. Apparently because she has extremely poor money-management skills that means I shouldn't be able to have any money or invest it in any way. She's telling all of our mutual acquaintances what an idiot I am for buying a "disgustingly overpriced fixer-upper."

In the next breath she says she feels like she's inadequate and isn't worthy enough to call me anymore. Geez.

Now she's decided she hates the bf. She doesn't want anything do to with him. Says she wants to get together with me but only if he's not around. WTF? She gives no reason for this, just that she can't deal with him (she says his name with a sneer when she says this). The only thing I can think that since she is separated from her jerk of a husband that means I can't have a good man and a happy life.

Needless to say, I'm disturbed by this. She's far too old (44) to be having such a childish jealously fit. I know that alcohol is clouding her mind and her judgement. She is drunk nightly. I guess that's my answer there. She has no ability to make clear decisions or think things through with sound reasoning. I wish I could help her, but I know that I can't. She won't even admit that she has a problem yet.

Sigh. She says she wants to get together but not at my (sneer) house and not if (sneer)the bf is around. Because I am an adult and I understand her petty jealously, I can overlook that. My terms are that we get together to talk at a place that doesn't involve drinking alcohol. Not her place, not a restaurant or bar. A coffee shop, perhaps. She says that would be fine but declines every time I suggest a time/place. I wonder how long it'll be before she bottoms out and seeks help. Could be years. This makes me very sad.

I just wanted to vent this somewhere. Thanks for listening.

Sorry to hear about your friend, Kilo. Sounds like she is on a very rough path. You are a good friend to overlook the pettiness. I know plenty of people who are petty who are not alcoholics. It's no fun to deal with, and they're not the type of friends I like to have around.

Your Nordic Track mornings & your Misty walks sound good! I wish I had my Chirstmas shopping nearly done...

Have a great weekend!

Lisrey :D

Sorry to hear about your friend...like you mentioned she is definitely jealous and all that alcohol is not helping either...I think that in time she will turn around...well at least I hope she does...it stinks to lose friends you have had for so long...I guess all you can do is try to be supportive in whatever way you see fit...

As I am getting older I am finding out who my true friends are, most of the time I am always making the effort and I am starting to get a little burned out of those who are always too busy or feel that they are the only ones who have problems...etc...etc...I have better things to do with my time...and other friends to spend time with...

Well I am glad you are making more time to workout...I think its time for me to settle back into making better choices and working out again...I have been feeling like crap...don't want to spend my 30's being miserable...

Hope you have a great weekend!...mc :deer:

Thanks for the support, guys. I do appreciate it.

I'm bored. It rained today so I didn't even get out to give Misty her walk. She's going a little bit stir-crazy, too. Plus, it's COLD. I know you people in snowy climates are laughing at me, but i'm sitting here with leggings underneath my sweatpants, a t-shirt underneath my polartec fleece top, my thick ski socks on, a scarf around my neck, and a fleece cap on my head. I am warming my fingers periodically in my armpits to get them warm enough to type.

It doesn't often get this cold here in sunny southern california and the houses just aren't built for it, you see. The heater is woefully inadequate for this kind of cold and the heat just disappears, anyway. We have a fireplace but it is just cosmetic, as far as I can tell. It heats only the area right in front of it, not the whole room.

I was warm this morning while I was on the NordicTrack. I was warm in the shower. I was warm this afternoon while doing a Tae-bo routine. Otherwise, brrr. I guess I just need to continue working out all day long.

Or cooking. The stove is warm. I'm sure the oven would put out some heat if I were to bake something. But what to bake? Can't think of a thing that doesn't involve white flour and/or sugar, plus I'm not hungry, anyway.

I think I shall jump into bed and get warm there soon. I found a heating pad that keeps my feet warm in bed, at least.

The OC Marathon is tomorrow. Rain, wind, and unusual cold are forecast for it. That's too bad. This is the inaugural OC Marathon and they've tried very hard to make it a world-class, successful one. I think they jinxed themselves, though. On their website they are touting what a green, sunny, beautiful place to run it is while the rest of the country is covered in snow. Tsk, tsk, tsk. It isn't always warm and sunny here. It would really suck to do all the training needed for a marathon only to have to run in the rain and wind.

I am planning to go and see the happenings. I'm hoping for some inspiration to run more myself. I shall wear my warm ski stuff underneath my weather-worthy sailing stuff.

Hi Kilogo,

Sorry about your friend. It is so sad that someone that young is struggling with a drinking problem. There are lots of alcoholics that function daily. It is just that they drink till they don't feel pain daily. I have known some functioning alcoholics.

My daughter ran the Boston Marathon in bad weather. She has never run a marathon since. She said she was so cold and wet but determined not to quit so she did finish but was miserable.

I didn't know it got that cold in Southern California.

I have skiied at Breckenridge. I have a cozy that says Breckenridge since that was my maiden name. Not everyone has their own merchandise with their name all over it.

Hope you have a better week. Maybe your friend will have coffee with you some day.

Carol

Hi Carol. That's very cool to have Breckenridge for your maiden name. Are you an heiress, by chance?

I have a friend who is a shrink who says that something like 90% of all alcoholics are functioning alcoholics. I seriously believe most of my former sailing crew fits that description. Heck, at that time of my life I probably could have been classified as that, too. I think that's part of what frustrates me about my friend. Everyone else I know who has gotten into the habit of simply drinking too much too often (and there are a lot of them, the bf and I included) woke up and said, 'this has to end' and did so. Actually, that defines us as drunks, not truly alcoholics. Because we could change our behaviour and now drink occasionally and in moderation. Alcoholics can't do that. It's all or nothing. Maybe it's just a point in time to where there's no turning back. Alcohol consumption does modify your brain chemistry over time, after all.

Scary stuff.

The marathon was indeed cold and rainy. They had forecast thousands of spectators, but I think the weather kept most of them away. There was a crowd, but a small crowd. Lots of runners, though. People valiently wearing their shorts and slinky tops, jumping up and down pre-race to get warm. Loads of people wore a trash bag with a hole cut out for their heads over their bodies. I can attest from experience that this is fine, warming rain gear. It wasn't raining right at the start but it started about an hour into it.

It was inspirational. I want to do a marathon. Slapping myself on the back of the head and reminding myself of just how many consecutive 5K's that is (8), I thought maybe I want to do a half-marathon. Another slap and I've set my focus on a 10K. Anyone else noticed how few 10K's there are any more? It seems like there are marathons, half-marathons, and tons of 5Ks. Few 10ks. So I am going to do the Pacific Shoreline 5K in Feb and then the Seal Beach 10K in April. I shall start training for my 10k now. This week. After it stops raining. But soon.

The roof on my former home has leaked, according to the new owners. They have stated their intention to sue me over this, claiming that I falsified the roof inspection report and applied material to the roof to hide evidence of leakage. I told them they are mistaken in this matter and to take it court as they see fit. It never leaked while I owned the place and I falsified nothing. This guy was a complete whiny, irrational little ****zu during the purchase process so it does rather stand to reason that he'd be a whiny little responsibility-shirker now. Such drama.

The bf returns tomorrow night. His plane lands at 9:55, which is after my bedtime. Waa. I suppose I will manage. But will it affect my morning NordicTrack routine? Nay, can't let it. Tomorrow will be my first NordicTrack morning before work. I must get up at 5:15am to do it. Ooof. Yes, I know I'm a wimp.

On a happy note, I ordered the Bare Escentuals mineral powder makeup and have been using it for a few days. I really like it. I may actually use this stuff regularly. I hate liquid makeup.

I made tremendous progress on the weight-loss front this weekend with the bf gone. 40 days to Tulum, 15 lbs to go. My virtual aunt (the bf's aunt) came over today to drop off a bunch of chocolates she got us from her latest trip to Amsterdam. They are exotic and exquisite, but they tempt me not. Not now. I have a bikini that must fit soon.

Amazon. I ordered a fair number of gifts from Amazon over the weekend. They gave me free shipping, of course, but after I placed my order they said the expected arrival date was Dec 28. WTF? 24 days to ship an order?

Time marched by that day and I discovered more things I needed to order from Amazon. 'Tis the season, you know? So I ordered more, again got free shipping, and these items said they'd arrive Dec. 13. Something was awry here.

So I dug into options on Amazon that I'd never dug into before. Found out one can combine orders, modify orders, change shipping options, etc, even after orders have been placed. I found out that one DVD on my list was backordered, thus holding up the entire shipment. I rearranged my orders such that the gifts will arrive in plenty of time for xmas and the stuff I ordered for me that doesn't have to be here any time soon will arrive whenever that DVD is ready, thus still qualifiying me for free shipping on all. Whoo.

Still, such a hassle. But yet far, far better than braving the crowds at the mall. I saved a bundle, too.

I am in a bit of a quandry, foodwise, tonight. I have to pick the bf up in two hours. I am not particularly hungry. There is nothing left in the house to eat, anyway. I suspect I shall be quite hungry in an hour or so, but don't know where to go to pick up something healthy and low-carb. I'm tempted to just not eat dinner tonight but then I think that's dumb andn will cause me to eat anything because I'm so hungry in a few hours.

What to do.

I woke up, bolt upright and wide awake, at 2am this morning. I tossed and turned and fantasized and thought and stayed awake all the rest of the night. I gave up at 4:45 and got up. Did the NordicTrack for 20 minutes, then started a leisurely morning of getting ready for work. Maybe I should get up that early all the time.

Nah. The bf's plane lands at 10pm, as I've mentioned, so we won't be in bed 'til around 11pm, which is way, way past my bedtime. I'll have two nights in a row of inadequate sleep. Po' po' l'il me.

Tomorrow is the company "Holiday Party." The are feeding us "traditional holiday fare." Shall I stick to my low-carb guns or succumb to the temptations of mass-produced pumpkin-esque pie squares? Hmm.

Not if I plan to weigh 120 by Tulum time.

Heh. I just saw my stats. I don't weigh 125 now. Soon, though.

Yay. At my suggestion, John rolled the BFL forum into the Exercise forum. That makes more sense to me.

I am extremely tired today due to getting to bed so late last night. I couldn't force myself out of bed to do the NordicTrack this morning and got up 15 mins late as it was. I've been fighting to keep my eyes open all day long. Two nights of little sleep and I'm wiped out. I must be getting old. Tomorrow, though, I'll be NTracking again.

I did walk the Mistypoo (short one because it's raining) and lifted weights when I got home. Now I'm waiting for dinner to arrive and then it's off to beddy bye. I can't wait.

I was changed to a different bc a few months ago. I didn't like the side-effects at all and it caused me to gain 5lbs of water weight almost immediately. So the dr changed me to a different formulation, and I gained another 5lbs of water. I was up to 139 last week due completely to water retention. I had two choices: go off the bc and in 3 months or so the water would be released, or do Phase I for a while because it is a wonderful diuretic.

So I've been doing SBD Phase I for 6 days now and I've lost 7 lbs. Whoo. A few more and all the excess water will be gone. Then I'll be working on the persistent fat. I can hope that at least one of these pounds lost was fat.

In any event, I have 12 lbs to lose and 36 days to do it in.

Oh, I did have just the turkey, steamed veggies, and salad a the party today. No cake, no spuds, no stuffing. Good me.

Good for you!...You did great girl!

hahaha!

So...how was the BF's trip?

Where did those chocolates go?

How cold is cold in CA?

It's been warmer then usual here...but dark...dreary...and rainy!...This weekend it will be in the 30's...and continue to get colder!...ACK!

I am a bit spoiled now...I generally stay up until midnight (on rare occasions I pass out before 10)...see...I can sleep in as late as 7:30 (7:45 to be honest)...I can leave my place as late as 8:20...since...my school is within 10 mins of my space!...WOOHOO...I hope to buy in the area...I would have to make that commute longer!

Well...I am off to make the DH's lunch for tomorrow...he is already passed out..he was asleep at 8:30...he gets up at 4:45...

Did I mention my DH was in one of those deprivation tanks this pass weekend?...

mc

Ooo, a deprivation tank? Why? I think that would be a very interesting experience.

The chocolates went into the fridge, I guess. I haven't had any.

The bf had a great time. Said it was extremely cold in CO, too. It's been 20 degrees below normal here for the past week. Today, hooray, was warmer. Tomorrow is supposed to get back up to 70, so all is well. I hope it lasts for a while.

I have a raging headache right now. I almost never get headaches, so not sure what this is about.

We had our monthly potluck today. I stuck to the meats and veggies, avoided the donuts, rolls, cakes, etc that were there in abundance. Good for me. The bf is cooking out of the South Beach book all this week. Thank you honey. Those recipes are really good, too. Tonight he's roasting a huge pan of various types of veggies to accompany two small steaks. Mmmm. Last night we had tilapia and salad. This shall be a good weekend.

Check out www.spacetimetanks.com ...

My DH stated that he was a little freaked and felt as though he was in a coffin...but...it was his first time so he is going back this Sunday to see if it reall is a benefit to him...he is attempting to reduce his stress and anxiety...he said besides the coffin feeling it was not too bad...

I need to be making meals out of the SBD cookbook too...oh well soon enough!...

Today was my last day of work...I am off for the next 3 weeks now...lots of cleaning and shopping to do...

Have a great weekend!

mc

Sounds interesting, Mc. Heck, I'd do it for $40, too. I wonder if there are any around here?

Yesterday was a fun day. We went to a warehouse sale and got some fancy duds for cheap. Then I took my car down for its annual detailing. I get a free detail once a year from the dealership for as long as I own this car. Plus, they gave me a loaner car! I like that dealership. It was an utterly gorgeous day. Back up to normal warm temps, even a bit over normal. That's a welcome change. The sun was bright and the ocean sparkly.

That night we watched the boat parade in a harbor south of us. Tonight, the boat parade in our harbor begins. It doesn't come by our house so we're going to take the kayaks out and watch it from the water. Fun!

I'm down another lb. 11 to go before the b-day.

Wow...sounds like fun!

Well...visit www.floatation.com this is how I found the location here in Chicago!

Have a nice night!

I am off to see my friends new house in the burbs...she told me she was going to "attempt" cooking...so this should be fun!...hahaha!

mc

Hey Lady,

Just checking in to say hello for a change. It's been a while, don't you think? Ha ha

Doing better here every day. Getting stronger, and getting about without the cane finally. Still not able to drive. Can't bend the leg sufficiently to work the clutch yet, but it's coming. I can feel it. I work on bending the leg every day. Exercise, exercise!! I can't wait. Having to be driven around everywhere I want to go is driving me nuts. I love having Lew with me, but I prefer to do the driving..........haha I am a stubborn old hag, right?

Anyway, I wanted to stop in and say hello. Hope you are having a great weekend!

Hey, Sandielynne! Thanks for dropping in. I'm so happy to hear that you're healing quickly. This is going to make such a difference for you. Exercise and stretching are good things, no?

Hi Mc. Thanks for the link. How did the attempted dinner go?

Well the bf's bah-humbugs and dragging his feet about decorating and his basic total resistance to doing anything festive for xmas finally got me down and I had to throw a fit this morning. He's always been like this, mind you. He doesn't like to decorate or get a tree or put up lights. I think this is tied to his OCD in that everything is out of place and new, temporary stuff gets strewn around. It upsets his brain's concept of order. But that's not my forking problem. I want holiday festivity in my home, dammit. In years past we've gone to my parent's or brother's place for Christmas so we didn't really have much need to get a tree, but this year my parents are coming here. Plus we're having a small party next weekend, and I want the place to look nice.

So I threw my fit and accused him of ruining the holidays for me and generally being a bah-humbug jerk for no reason whatsoever and to knock it off. Tears were involved. My eyes are still swollen. I hate crying. I still feel like crying.

So we got a living tree in a pot this morning and spent some time decorating it. I have a few boxes of my Christmas things and he has a few boxes of his, never merged because they've never really been out in the five years we've been together. He put on our Rat Pack Christmas Carol CD (very good, it is). He said I should get out my ornaments and put up whatever I wanted on the tree and then he'd follow with his stuff later. I said no, dammit. We are doing this effing together. Geez. We finally decorated together. Strung lights on the tree, picked out ornaments from our collections that were meaningful or especially tree-worthy and hung them. We put trinkets here and there, hung garland, strung lights outside, and generally tried to make the place look festive. I don't think it looks particularly good, but that's another story. Items that were bought for other houses and other living situations aren't working so well here. At least we got our outside lights up so we're not the only dark house on the canal any more.

At least we tried. The bf does get truly festive when he gets into it and enjoyed finding his old christmas stuff and bringing it out. I really don't understand why he fights this so much every year.

Reminds me of how my mother used to try to get us excited for decorating the tree and putting the star on top and such when we were kids but all we ever cared about were the presents. I guess this is payback.

Oh -- the boat parade last night was a bust, too. The fog rolled in thick and cold, so we decided against the kayaks. We walked down the block to a nearby bridge where the parade was supposed to pass, but it never materialized. We stood there in the fog for a long time with no boats. Eventually we walked down to the main channel. Far more people lined the route there. Lots of houses on the parade path had parties going and there was much festivity. But no decorated boats. They were either very disorganized or running very late last night. We gave up and went home. Long into the night we heard boats full of drunken or merely festive revellers putter by the house.

They are supposed to parade again tonight. With luck, no fog will appear and they will parade on schedule and maybe we'll see some effing boats with decorative lights float past.

The boat parade is an interesting concept... I guess it's a warm-locale thing. I remember seeing something like that on a lake in Arizona one year when I was there at holiday time.

I want to get a tree, too. My parents are coming here, so I think we need one. It's gonna be middle of next week before we're able to get one, though, and Sweetie thinks since it's so late it's a waste of money and effort. Sigh. If it were his parents that were coming over it would have to be perfect. I'm not asking for perfect, just for a little festivity, like you... We'll see. Did your bf have some trauma during the holidays as a kid??

Glad your fit did not include overeating -- mine sometimes do! :laugh:

Lisrey :o

Well...my friends home was beautiful...except it looked better on the outside then it looked inside...hahaha...her soon to be hubbie is cheap and refused a lot of upgrades...but a few things would have made the home look much better!

Her menu was quesadillas, taco salad, and tostadas...well...she had nothing prepped or ready when we got there so she started on the quesadillas...she was buttering the tops and putting them in the broiler...then she decided to turn on the burner to start cooking something else...well she pulls the quesadillas out of the broiler (to turn them over and butter the other side) and ends up putting them on the burner...I am thinking...this is odd...I thought maybe now she was cooking them on the stove????...I don't say anything cause I figure she knows what she is doing...a few mins later she looks at us and was like...wow...these quesadillas are so hot they are still cooking...I was like girl...the burner is on under that pan...she freaked...hahaha!... So she burned the first batch...after that it was all good!

Well we have only decorated over here twice and we have had 12 Christmas'...I know when we get our own place we will get back into it!...

OH...my DH was more relaxed this time during his float...he said he actually heard his eyelashes when he blinked...freaky!

Have a great week!

mc

That's funny, Mc. Cooking does take a bit of practice, eh?

There aren't any flotation places nearby. It still sounds like fun, though. Forced meditation, basically.

Hi Lisrey. I did think about using my irritation as an excuse to chow down on some chocolate, but it really didn't tempt me very hard. I was rewarded for my abstinence by being up 3lbs this morning. Fork.

The bf says he's had no childhood holiday trauma. He just considers holiday decorating to be a pain in the neck for little reward.

I've decided to go back to my chiropractor. I don't have any real problems right now, it just feels good. For a $10 co-pay, I figure why the heck not. It's sort of like a massage and my back will likely be the better for it.

Misty and I ran last night. Running on the street is much harder than on a treadmill. It felt good. I plan to run again tomorrow, after the chiro visit, which is after work.

Tonight we walked. It's nice to see all the neighborhood houses all lit up.

I seem to have stalled out at the usual point in my weight loss efforts, but I am going to continue this program anyway. I like the extra workouts, I'm eating less and even healthier than usual. I have no succumbed to empty holiday food temptations at all. Maybe the bod will release a few more pounds before the big trip, who knows?

My boss continues to do extremely well, though. She's lost around 50lbs since I first started there and is down to 255. She's plugging away, dropping on average a pound a week. She goes to Curves 4 nights a week and is focusing on ending the stress-eating and mindless munching habits she's had her whole life. I am very happy for her. We're in the midst of weight loss challenge #2 and everyone says they want to start #3 as soon as the new year begins. I am not losing weight outside my normal fluctuation zone, as usual, but some people are losing because of me!

WOW...you are awesome getting all those people motivated!

That is so great!

I know you can drop a few more pounds before your trip...

Have a great rest of the week...

Tomorrow I am off to a "Wacky-Tacky" Christmas Party...we have to find the oddest gift (max $10) and bring to exchange...whoever brings the wackiest/tackiest gets a decent gift from the hostess...the best part...good apps and martini's all around...pomegranite martini's...mmm mmm good!

mc

Your party sounds a lot more fun that my work party tomorrow will be. No martinis will be involved in mine.

I succumbed to cheesecake temptation today. Mmmmm, it was good. My boss took the whole group out for lunch and then brought back a whole cheesecake for us. I had a slice. It was delightful.

After work I went to my Chiro. Just like last time, I liked him a lot but was not so thrilled with his office staff. They just irritate me with the appointment scheduling drama, like they don't do it every 15 minutes every day and are just baffled by the process, and their seeming confusion over insurance every single visit. Ah well.

He left me feeling mauled, just as always. But in a good way. I think my body will enjoy him once a week or so.

Then I came home and ran with the Mistypoo for a half hour. Didn't want to, but the cheesecake needed to be burned off. I'm having dinner tonight, either. I finished my leftovers from lunch late and I'm just not hungry.

I do hope for not much damage done today.

So the cheesecake got ya?...I take it was not sugar free on a pecan crust???...hahaha!

Well...the party was good...I ended up with the oddest gift...I should take a pic and send it to you!...hahaha!...My friends house was incredible...she had a 11 foot tree in the entranceway...the house was decorated so nicely...this place was huge!...

Well...I am off for bed...gotta get an early start tomorrow ... gonna get all of my Christmas shopping done...I need about 20 gifts...eeek!

mc

Ha. If it had been sugar-free I wouldn't have touched it. I can't stand artificial crap.

We had our divisional party yesterday. These people do know how to waste time with parties and gatherings and events and such. More turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc. I had some of all but not to excess.

Once home, walked the dog. Hd snapper and a salad for dinner. Watched Van Helsing (sp). Didn't like it.

Today I am down a lb. Makes no sense but in the grand scheme I am still on a losing streak, so that's good. Today will be a very good day, foodwise.

I NordicTracked already this morning. I need to clean this filthy place and get it ready for our party tonight. Guests will begin arriving around 4, I'd think. At 5 we go for a cruise of lights around the harbor, which should be a lot of fun.


Best get after it.

Wowee. Last night was way fun. It started early and lasted into the wee hours of the morning. Barbie and Ken were there, along with a few other couples and two single guys. We got the boat and floated past decorated houses in the harbor. Wine and cheese were consumed. It was pretty.

We took the boat back, then sat around our outdoor fire pit for a while, drinking and chatting. Then we headed off to a restaurant. About this point Ken and Barbie both turned the corner from happily buzzed to plastered. Heh. Barbie becomes quite the profane little plastic figurine when she's drunk.

We went to the bar area of a pretty nice restaurant just down the street from our house. They had live music. Ken seemed to think he was at an arena concert, standing at the bar, pumping both arms overhead, shouting at everyone and everything. Barbie went off on scathing tear against the superficial plastic-boobed bleached blonde never-worked wifeys that make up her neighborhood, which is utterly hilarious because she was talking about herself. Then she noticed how loud and obnoxious Ken was being and decided they had to get out of there. This was good. I was getting a little concerned that they were going to throw all of us out.

The bf walked them back to our house. The rest of us stayed in the now much quieter bar area and had lovely appetizers and more wine. Later, we walked home. Found Barbie passed out in the guest bedroom. Ken and the bf were back out by the fire pit, smoking cigars and drinking brandy. Then found that Misty had gotten a box of See's chocolates off the counter and had eaten what was left of the box.

Ken and Barbie got up around 7:30 this morning. Misty barked at them. Good dog. She seems to have survived her chocolate ordeal. They thanked us for letting them stay and said they had to get home to their dogs. Bye!

This is liable to be a less-than-productive day around here.

Well...for your sake...all the desserts should be sugar free...hahahaha!

Sounds like you had a fun night...your story was fantastic!!!

Well I managed to do all my shopping in 4 hours on Friday...awesome...I am not much in the mood...found out about some family troubles the other day and its truly consuming us all...its one of those "I can't believe this is happening to us" sort of things...oh well...life goes on...

Hope you had a great Sunday!

Congrats on another pound...when do you leave?

I am off 2 more weeks...lovin' it...

Have a great week!

mc

Hey...just stopping in to wish you and your family a "Merry Christmas!"

Guess what I was given for my birthday the other day?...A SBD daily calendar....cute!

Well...have a great rest of the week!

mc

Merry Christmas :)

Beth :peace:

Hi Kilo,

Back again to wish you and the BF a wonderful Xmas Holiday!! Hope all your wishes come true and that happiness is with you always.

How was your Christmas?

mc

Hi everyone! Happy New Year's! Thanks for the Christmas wishes.

Mc -- I got a South Beach Calendar, too. :D It appears to be a lot of paragraphs and recipes from the book, so the bf will read the book in spite of himself throughout the year. I like it. Happy Belated Birthday. Both you and Chum I forgot this year. Bad me.


Hi Beth. Welcome to the journal!

Hi Sandielynne. You are going to have the best year in a long time in 2005, I just know it!

The Christmas was good, thanks. Took the parents to the airport this evening. It was nice to see them and we had a good time. They bought me a new computer for my upcoming 40th, whoo! Thanks, M&D!

Now it's time to get back to reality, tone down the gourmet food intake, and get as bikini-ready as possible in the next two weeks. We leave Jan 13, so I don't have much time. But it is two weeks! A few more lbs gone by then will be nice.

The bf and I are planning to make an after-work gym schedule and force ourselves to do it. He is thin but needs a decent cardio program for his health. Working out together will be nice, I think. So we've decided to do it.

What else? I guess that's it. Tomorrow, back to work. Hope you all had lovely Christmases and are starting the New Year with hope and happiness in your hearts.

Happy New Year and Merry post-Christmas! :deer:

I am just amazed and astonished with your discipline lately -- YOU ATE NO STUFFING? And you've kept up your workouts during a time when everyone just wants to lay down and nap after eating all that stuffing. VERY DOGGONE IMPRESSIVE. (I avoided the stuffing dilemma by not making stuffing. Pfft.)

Ooo a new computer! Your parents did well!! YAY M&D! Did you mention what bf got you for Christmas? I read so much, it is a blur.

So do you think he will stick to the work out plan? I will be curious to see. At least you guys eat healthy.

SIDEBAR: McMarto! Happy belated Birthday!!!!!

Back to Mistress Kill: Are you going to post a photo of you in your bikini on your trip? (Evil Chum) I can't believe you are already almost 40!!!! Oof.

Btw, I know this is late in commenting, but I am so sad for your friend Jeanne. I've been awaiting more bad news on this and I am so sorry she is dealing with this (and by extension, you). You're right, she will probably have to hit rock bottom before she realizes she has a problem. Forcing her through state-mandated AA or other things (though I've heard interventions are good) may just make her more obstinent. You have always been a good friend to her and you are being a hero now b/c it would be SO HARD to just blow off her statements about your house and bf and you are doing it valiantly, while trying to help her. Bravo.

:hug:

Thanks Kil & Chum on the birthday wishes...

It was a rather uneventful day...I babysat my nephew all day then ordered in...

Well...a new computer...that is dynomite!...I found out on the last day of school that we were all getting laptops we can take home...so I was excited about that too...and...we are also getting digital cameras...so...I can hold off on buying one too cause if I need it I can just bring it home!

Wooohooo!

I am going through the "day 2" SBD headache right now...but I think I will be OK...

I definitley want to see some pic's from your upcoming trip...

Terrible about the tsunami's???...The death toll keeps rising!

Well...have a good week...I have to go back to work on the 3rd...I was dreading it but then remembered I was getting my wireless laptop so it won't be that bad!

mc

Hi Kilogo,

Glad you had a good time with M&D. How long were they there?

I wasn't very good over the holidays. I love to cook and cooked what I love. Not a good combination.

We are going camping Thursday to Sunday and after that I am going to get serious about eating healthy and less. I can do so well for a while and then slip. I think I have had all the sugar I want for a while which is good. Next week it is back to a sugarless life.

I hope you have a very Happy New Year.

Carol

Ah the sugarless life. That does go by the wayside during the Holidays despite the best intentions, no? I succumbed this past week and had my fair share of chocolates while the parentals were here. Of course, eating them makes you crave them the next day, so now I'm battling that. Fortunately, I know that battle can be won. Mc -- good job on two days sugar-free! Tomorrow will be better.

Have fun camping, Carol. The parents were here for 5 days. That's a good length of time, I guess.

Well, Chum, you give me too much credit. Jeanne's bitter jealously irritates me because she's wrong and because it fits right in with her martyr complex (which has always irked me but never involved me before. Why do some people like to be victims? I'll never understand). I've realized that I overlooked what she said because I truly don't care what she thinks of me. So much for being a good friend, eh? Maybe 10 years from now she'll be telling people about me in her nightly meeting as one of the friends that wouldn't stand by her through thick and thin. Or maybe she'll count me as one of the ones she drove away with her alcoholism. Gah. Either way, I'm not going down that road.

If she admitted she had a problem or tried to help herself or called out for help or something it might make a difference. But no. She's nowhere close to that yet.

Anyhoo. The bf got me many small delightful and thoughtful gifts, including a very cool pedometer that is truly digital and not one of those irritating clicking pendulum jobs. I got him an evening cooking lesson at a local Italian restaurant, which he is very excited about. We go to that next week.

Pictures of the bday on the beach will be posted, no doubt. I may photoshop my bikini clad body and post it here, heh. Did I mention that this is a clothing-optional place? I didn't know that when I booked it. That's ok. To each their own. I have no desire to expose all of my pallid flesh to the sun, but I don't care if others around me do. Optional is the key word there. Turns out that most beaches in the area are clothing-optional. I guess that makes sense with the whole no-electricity, back to nature theme they have going in that town.

It's going to be interesting in any event.

Good job on the gadgets from work, Mc! Those are the best kind. Let someone else buy them, configure them, support them, and replace them when they break.

Not a great day today. Back to work blahs, lingering sugar cravings, and a long, sleepless stormy night last night made for a long, boring, exercise-free day today. I did walk Misty in the rain when I got home. She likes that.

Now off to bed. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Eeeeewwwwwwwwwww!

Clothing optional, no thanks!...I can barely look at myself...hahaha!

I am sure you will have some great stories!

Well...its the end of day 3...I actually went to the movies today and out to lunch and made it through!...The headache is long gone and I have not even been thinking of sweets...except when I was packing some stuff up to take to my friends house!

Talk later!

mc

Happy 2005 Year! Here's to reaching your goal weight and more travel!! Where are you planning to travel in 2005?

Hello, ChinaDoll and Mc!

I'm going to the Yucatan Peninsula in a couple of weeks, ChinaD. After that, skiing someplace (tbd) and probably Europe in spring. And wherever else we can!

I just finished the last piece of trip reservations -- transportation. Never an easy topic in Mexico. We finally decided on a rental car instead of the bus/shuttle option. Two round trip shuttle rides from the airport to the hotel would cost more than the rental car for a week. With a car, we can drive to Chichen Itza and get there before the heat and the tourist buses. In general, I think it's a good thing. The cost of full Mexican insurance is more per day than the rental itself, but from everything I've read it's well worth it to go full-coverage no-liability insurance. We're renting a small, probably beat-up, no frills car so temptation to steal it should be minimal.

Just two more weeks and we fly away! I'm so excited.

The bf is cooking ono for dinner, which just blows my mind. Ono? That's a strong, fishy fish. Great for cat food, I'd think, but perhaps no so yummy as a celebratory New Year's dinner. It's an italian delicacy, he says. Mmm. I do hope I am wrong and it turns out to be fantastic.

I've decided to buy a Portable Media Player to complement my super-cool new Media Center tv. Santa brought some Christmas cash, so this'll be what I buy with it. If anyone remembers my desire to be low-tech and disconnected, feel free to slap me now. This device is just too cool to not have.

Time to go read a few more reviews of the various models before I go place my order.

Happy New Year!

Hope you have a nice night!

What is a portable media player...and explain that media center on your tv to me again...gee...I am just hoping to get a DVR added to my cable...pfft!

eyyyyyyyyy!!!

mc

Thanks, Mc. It was a nice night. Weekend.

Basically it is a computer with an adapter card that you can plug your cable into. Yes, the cable that you'd normally plug into your tv from the satellite or cable service or regular old antenna. Then, your computer has software that can receive the tv input, show it on your monitor, record it, play it back, edit it, burn it to cd or dvd. Think of it as Tivo on your computer, but better.

It has other features involving music and movies and home videos and such, but I'm really just interested in the tv right now. Will branch out later.

The portable thing syncs with your computer and allows you to see/hear everything you've tivo'd on your computer, but you can take it with you, watch it on the little screen on the device, or plug that into any tv anywhere and watch it. Portable Tivo.

But I don't have the portable thing yet. It's in transit, should arrive in a day or so.

I am diligently trying to lose a few more lbs before we leave. I didn't lose a bit in the past month. Not surprising, really, considering my history over the many years I've been at DT. But for some funny reason I keep thinking that I really can and will do it this time. Will I ever learn? Or will I ever figure out just how much I need to change to lose these extra few pounds? I dunno. Time will tell, I guess.

Big news of the week: The bf went with me to the gym for the first time yesterday! We've made a commitment to go to the gym right after work Tues and Thurs every week for the month of January, for a start. One day down! He enjoyed it, I enjoyed it. We are doing it again tomorrow. I am very happy about this.

Dinner's ready. Salmon and salad. Bye.

Awesome news about the gym! Glad you both had fun. I think exercising with my Sweetie would be great, but I'm afraid I'll never really know... :sigh:

You can certainly change if you really want to... I have all faith in you!

Lisrey :D

FUN! I love it when the signif one and I run together. Hope things continue on the good (co-working out) course!!

Hi Jessica. Nice to see you! I hope this continues well too, thanks.

Hi Lisrey. I guess the topic of working out with you this year didn't go so well with the sweetie. That's a shame.

This has been a very good week, food and exercise-wise. We went to the gym again tonight. That's twice now! Tues and Thurs. One good thing about the bf is that when he sets a schedule for himself he does it religiously. Unlike me. I am far more willing to trade workout days, juggle my schedule, put things off, change my mind at the last minute, etc. His consistency will no doubt be good for me, even though I exercise far more than he does now.

A week from today we'll be arriving at Cancun airport. Weather looks to be in the mid-80's with the traditional afternoon shower daily. Perfect.

I remember my birthday last year when we went to the Getty. It was 85 here, warm, dry, and gorgeous. How different it is this year. It is supposed to rain yet again this weekend and I have been in sweats and sweatshirts for weeks now. That's southern california for you.

Must go do some yoga now. Body feels tight.

I hope your have fun in Cancun. My daughters and their families were on a Christmas cruise that docked in Cancun. Unfortunately it was rainy there and they could only drive around. They had bad weather the entire week. They were to take "tenders" into Belize but the sea was so high that couldn't go to Belize.

Have fun,

Carol

WOW...I want a portable media player...sounds "fantastic"...well...first I'd like to get the dvr for my tv...I can get it through my cable company for another $10 a month...sheesh...cable is just getting to pricey...I may have to drop my HBO for the dvr!!!

Congrats on setting a gym schedule and sticking to it!

I have yet to really get into the workout mode!

WOW...Mexico in January...perfect!...I'd love to go somewhere in March during my break...but I will have to wait and see...putting the dollars away for a new place...which will hopefully be in March or April!

Well...have a great weekend!

mcmarto

Well the portable player thingie arrived and I'm less than thrilled. It doesn't do all of things I thought it would. You have to go through this long conversion process to get recorded tv off your computer and onto the device. Among other things. I am thinking about sending it back. I am going to keep it for a week and keep trying things on it before I make a decision, though.

New place in March or April, Mc? That's very exciting!

Your daughters' cruise sounds like one I did in the Caribbean many many years ago, Carol. Rainy and cold. Not quite what one has in mind for a cruise. We're just flying into Cancun, we're not staying there. That place is far too touristified for our tastes. We're driving down the coast for a couple hours to a little village. It caters to tourists, too, but it's more of an eco-holistic-spiritual place. I am bringing my warm-weather sailing gear which will keep me dry and happy in any rain. Showers are forecast for at least one day that we're there. That'll be the day we go to Chichen Itza. Rain does wonders for keeping the hordes of tourists away!

It is still raining here. We're having very high tides again, too. The water was up to within about 6 inches of the top of the ramp this morning. That's high enough. The houses that face the open ocean have barricaded themselves in with sandbags in case the tide comes all the way up to their doorsteps. So far, that hasn't happened.

Have a good time. David and I have traveled around in Mexico some. We drove from here to Matzatlan years ago. What a trip. I would like to go to Cancun but since we spend so much time on the Island just haven't justified it yet. We are planning a trip to London in June. I am looking forward to the trip. I have tons of books to check out. We will be staying close to Victoria Station.

Anyway, have a good safe time. I really love Mexico. Not the border or the illegals but the country without all the politics. Reynosa is having some kind of melt down. The drug cartel just killed a very high ranking police executive. The local authorities have issued an unsafe alert for Americans going into Reynosa, which is 10 miles from my house. They were trying to clean up the corrupt police force and the drug lords didn't want it cleaned up.

Carol

Have fun in London, Carol. I'm guessing David is the husband?

We are flooding. The tide came up to within three inches of my flower beds this morning. It has rained most of the day, and now our conversation pit in front of the fireplace is flooded. It is the only part of the house that is below grade. Fortunately, it is a small area. But still. We pulled out the carpeting in there, sucked up the water with a wet vac, and are now watching the pools of water redevelop. It is still raining and I think this water sucking is futile until it stops. It's on bare concrete now. Oh the joys of home ownership.

We bought a number of potential shades of color for the living room areas and have painted swatches throughout to see what we like. So far we are leaning heavily towards a rich gold-ish color for the walls, a dark umberish color for the upstairs loft, and perhaps a dark red for the fireplace. The place is stark white now, so this'll be quite the contrast. I think we will make up our minds for sure and paint after our trip. If we hate it . . . neh. Paint is cheap and we'll try again.

NordicTracked and lifted weights today. No yoga. Walked Misty: waded out into the lake that used to be PCH this morning with her. Water on the sidewalk came halfway up my rubber boots. Misty was belly-deep at some points. She had fun. That was from the extremely high tide we had this morning, not the rain. The water was salty. I do hope these plants can handle some salt water infusion. I think the ground is saturated enough that the salt won't soak in, though, and they should be fine.

David is the husband. We have been together since I was 16. Time flies when you are having fun. We got married in the summer after I graduated from HS. I went on to business college and helped support him through college.

I have been seeing all the damage there in the LA area. Flood water is so nasty. I sure hope it doesn't get any worse.

My office is in a medium gold. Everyone that comes in here loves it. I find it very restful and cheerful.

Carol

Eeek...I did not realize you were having so much rain!

Hope it stops...it would stink leaving to go on your trip wondering if your place is flooding! :(

Those colors you are thinking about sound great...

Well have a good week!

mcmarto

Wow, the walking/wading sounds awful to me. I have been listening to the news about all your rain. Yikes. I hope the waters will recede so things can get back to normal for you.

Your trip sounds so cool. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. The painting sounds great, too! I would love to do another room in my house (I usually do one room a year during the winter), but I haven't made any plans yet. We'll see -- maybe you'll inspire me.

Thanks for joining us in the 5-minute challenge!

Lisrey :mus:

Hi Kilogo,

I hope you are having a HAPPY BIRTHDAY today.

Carol

Did you get my birthday wishes???

I forgot to post some here too!!!...hahaha!


Well I hope you had a great birthday!!!... :hug:

:cake:

mcmarto...wish I had a piece of that cake...hahaha!

Hey...I hope you are having a fantastic time on your vacation!!!

Can't wait to hear all about it!

mc

I'm back! Thanks for all the birthday wishes and email cards, everyone! You're so sweet and thoughtful.

We got back, um, two days ago I think. Landed about 11pm at LAX. By the time we disembarked, got the bags, cleared immigration, customs, agricultural inspection, and drove home it was about 1am. The house was fine, the dog was excited to see us. Big, big stack of mail on the counter and some birthday wishes on the answering machine, which was nice. Went to bed, got up at 5am to get ready for work. Fortunately, I can do this job in my sleep, but I basically went to bed after walking the dog when I got home. Slept well, but woke up with a sore throat yesterday. Worked anyway, attended an office party of sorts after work, then came home and went to bed sick. I have been hitting the Zicam religiously and it seems to be helping. The cold feels pretty mild now.

So today is the first day I've really felt "back." Back to normal. I NordicTracked this morning. Got the pictures off the camera and they turned out really good. Will post a link to them once I get them uploaded (don't hold your breath). I've made it through all the emails and am hoping to tackle the snail mail pile today. Also need to unpack, do laundry, all that post-vacation stuff. Having Fridays off is a very good thing.

The trip was great. Our little hut on the beach was cool, the location most gorgeous and interesting. We saw Chichen-Itza, Tulum, and Xel Ha ruins. We snorkeled a cave with an underground river (very cool!). My recent push to learn more Spanish paid off and I was able to understand and converse a lot better than last time I was down there. Still have a long way to go, though.

I may write the whole thing in blow-by-blow like I do. This cold may knock the wind out of that idea, though. We'll see. If the muse hits me soon, I'll write.

The rain left while we were away and it was actually warmer here than in the Yucatan. Go figure. Everything has dried out, the sun is out, and it is lovely here again.

Welcome back.

Carol

Great to have you back, Kilo! Sorry about the cold, but at least it held off until your trip was over! I am excited to hear your blow-by-blow of your adventure. Bet you're happy to have good weather at home again. I can't wait until that happens here. We've probably got a good two months to go... :laugh:

Have a great weekend!

Lisrey :*

WOW...sounds like you had a great time!

When I went to Cancun many years ago...we visited a eco-friendly park where you were not allowed to have on any lotions or suntanning oil...they had one of those caves with an underground river...I quite enjoyed it myself...except when we thought their were fishing biting at our legs...hahaha!

Well...can't wait to hear more about it...

mc

Welcome back Anne,

Glad you enjoyed your time away, but gladder still to have you home again, safe and sound. I'm sure Misty would agree with that also.

Now it's back to the old grind and boring routine, but it's home and that makes it all OK!

Have a great weekend now.

Hi all. Thanks for the welcome back! I do believe that Zicam has made a big difference with this cold. It had all the makings of being a very bad one, but it has progressed rapidly and today I feel pretty good. Viva la Zicam!

You probably went to Xel-Ha, Mc. It's a big water park that is a common stop on the tour bus route. They have showers and locker rooms. You float on inner tubes on the river and in the big cave. They have extra fee attractions like Swim with the Dolphins and Explore the Tide Pool. Sunscreen and bug spray are banned to "preserve the ecosystem." What they don't tell you is that they dynamited out that cave to make it big enough for hordes of people to enter, then they drilled holes from the surface to the cave to allow enough light to enter so you can see. Eco-friendly? Not so much. Mexico is great on buzz-words that appeal to tourists (note all the yellowed-with-age On Sale! Today Only! signs in the stores) but short on any meaning or value behind those words. Mexico's preservation and conservation laws are impressive and nearly poetic, but sadly meaningless. They have come a long way in the past twenty years or so that I've been travelling there, but they still have a long way to go.

Not that the US is perfect in this regard by any means. Not that everyone in Mexico just gives lip-service to eco-friendly holisitic spiritual matters, either. Many of the places in the Tulum area were seriously holistic and spiritual, serving all vegetarian meals, yoga sessions twice a day, had morning and evening meditation, massages, cleansing regimes, etc. Our place offered all of these things but participation was optional.

Our cave-dive was at Hidden Worlds Cenote Park, which advertised itself on billboards and in magazine ads so much that I was convinced it was a tourist trap. But after reading a review in a Yucatan travel guide that praised it highly, we decided to do it. For $40 we explored two caves. We ended up in a group of 8 people, four from Italy, a couple from San Francisco, and ourselves. The Italians spoke no English. Our dive master, Ricardo, loaded us into a big open-air cattle truck/dune buggy contraption and we drove for about 15 minutes into the jungle to the first cave. We were the cattle. We stood in the back of the noisy, swaying beast-vehicle holding onto chest-height cross bars as we 4-wheeled over potholes and rocks in this narrow jungle road and Ricardo shouted tidbits of information over the sound of the engine. First he spoke in Spanish, which the Italians understood, then he repeated himself in English.

At last we arrived at the first cave. It was a hole in the ground with a ladder descending down. Ricardo ran over to a generator and pulled the starter cord a few times before it kicked in. "These are for the lights so we can see down there," he said. "I hope we have enough gas!" I think that was just part of his patter, but I'm not sure.

Down the ladder we went. We were all wearing shortie wetsuits, life jackets, masks and snorkels issued at the front desk. No flippers allowed.

Inside the cave was incredible. A fairly large open chamber awaited us at the bottom of the ladder. A small beach area let us congregate and fuss with our gear, getting ready for the descent into the cool, clear water of the cave. Stalactites and stalagmites were everywhere. Lights had been strung both above water and below, lighting the area nicely. Ricardo gave us the dive lecture: don’t touch the bottom because you’ll stir up sediment. Glide peacefully. Don’t try to swim. Don’t kick, don’t thrash with your arms. Float peacefully and calmly. If you feel your snorkel scrape up against a stalactite, don’t panic and raise your head, you’ll just knock your head on the rock above. Just breath easily and calmly, floating gently with your head in the water.

Ok! This is good advice for any snorkeling situation. Beginning snorkelers do fight the water too much. Relax and enjoy. You won’t sink with a wetsuit and a lifejacket on. You don’t need to kick. Relax and enjoy.

But alas, the Italians did not heed his advice. Ricardo entered the water and told us to follow him in a single-file line. The Italians had trouble with their gear and Ricardo had to stop and help the two Italian women with how to put on the mask and how to use the snorkel. This did not bode well. I wouldn’t recommend a cave dive as a first snorkeling experience for anyone.

He got them going, though. He gave every other person in the group a handheld flashlight, meaning that he gave each man of each couple a light and the women were light-free. He headed off, the Italians close behind, the San Franciscans behind them, and the bf and I taking up the rear. The Italians splashed and thrashed, kicked and sputtered. Obviously inexperienced snorkelers. The San Franciscans held back, giving them plenty of room and allowing the water to settle down before following distantly.

The cave was incredible. We slowly floated through various chambers, viewing bizarre rock formations, beautiful in the perfectly clear water. A few pale fish swam by. This water is part of an underground river system that extends for hundreds of miles throughout the Yucatan. Divers can follow the river through areas that are completely submerged with no air pockets, but the whole river system has not yet been fully explored. Ricardo had told us of the speculations on how this river was formed: the stalagmites on the floor indicated that at one time the cave was dry because these cannot form in water. The melting of the ice age probably filled the caves with water. He said that limestone is very porous and when it is raining you can sit down in the cave and watch as the rain works its way through the soil and drips down the stalactites.

We swam throughout this extended cave system for quite a while. The water was a bit chilly and we definitely appreciated the wetsuits. At last, we worked our way back to the starting point, crawled out, went up the ladder, and into the warm tropical sun. The Italians immediately broke out their cigarettes and had a calming puff. We all agreed that this dive alone was worth the $40.

But we had another one to go. The Italian women said they were cold, done, happy with that dive, and wanted to be taken back to the main office. Ricardo was happy to get rid of them since the second dive was, “a leetle more challenging” and they really weren’t comfortable in the water. He dropped us off at the second dive spot, another hole in the ground with a descending ladder, then drove the two women back to the main office. We found a patch of sun peeking through the jungle and warmed ourselves while we waited for him to return.

He came back quickly and down the ladder we went. This cave was much different. Much, much different! Low ceiling. Little clearance between the water and the ceiling. While the stalactites and mites were large, statuesque figures in the first cave, these were small, bristling little spears of rock everywhere. Ricardo had us walk, bent over, through a couple inches of water for several yards into the cave before finding a little grotto where the water got deeper. “You can take off your lifejackets here if you want,” he said. “we just have to remember to get them wet before we go back to the office. My boss doesn’t like dry lifejackets.” He laughed. We Americans and one of the Italians happily ditched the lifejackets. You truly do not need them with a wetsuit on. Not in this situation. The less experienced Italian man kept his on.

Ricardo cautioned us again to not raise our heads rapidly lest we knock ourselves out on the rock. Off we went through this tight, bristly cave. It was the most amazing and nearly terrifying experience I’ve had in a long time. Air clearance above was minimal. You had a few inches of air for the top of your head and your snorkel, that was it. The cave was tight with stalagmites rising up everywhere. You couldn’t kick or you’d hit your foot or leg on a spear of rock. You couldn’t even breast stroke because there wasn’t enough room to move your arms along your sides. It was obvious now why Ricardo had suggested we ditch the lifejackets. We would have been too bulky to maneuver effectively with them on. I kept my legs still and either pulled myself along by the stalagmite rocks below or stroked with a push-the-water-down-the-front-of-the-body stroke that worked pretty well. The San Franciscans, tired of our inept Italians, had chosen to take the rear of the group, so I was now right behind the poor snorkeling Italian who had kept his life jacket. He was struggling, thrashing, kicking like mad, constantly hitting his feet and head against the rocks. He also wasn’t making progress forward very well. I constantly had to stop myself to keep from getting too close to his thrashing feet. Beginning snorkelers, take note: Be Calm. Relax. Don’t fight it. Relax and float. The sooner you learn that, the happier you will be.

The snorkel was constantly hitting the cave ceiling or various stalactites hanging down. The natural reaction is to raise your head, but to do so is folly. You have to just ignore it and keep your head down, enjoy the view of the incredible formations in the water below, and keep moving. Ricardo led us here and there throughout the labyrinth of this cave. Some areas were so tight we had to turn sideways to get through. At one point we came to a short, narrow tunnel where we had to go underwater completely to get to the other side. Ricardo stopped us in a small chamber just before that where there was enough room to raise our heads fully above water. He said he’d take us through one at a time. He’d be on the other side. He’d put his hand in the water. We were to go down and swim to his hand. He’d put his hand on our head and guide us to the air pocket beyond where we could come up without bonking our heads. Yikes.

He went through the short tunnel and we could see him standing on the other side. The first Italian went and made it through fine. The second tried to go down but kept hitting his lifejacket on the top of the tunnel. After much thrashing, flailing, and kicking, Ricardo got ahold of his life jacket at the chest and pulled him through.

I was next. I put my head down, saw Ricardo’s hand, pushed off the rocks, and glided to him underwater quickly. I heard him say, ‘you’re already through, come up and move down a little bit to give room for the next person.’ The bf and the other two Americans made it through easily, too.

We eventually made it back to the entrance. Everyone came up from the water shouting, ‘holy ****, that was incredible!’ ‘awesome!’ ‘amazing!’ ‘scary!!!’ That was truly an incredible experience.

First picture is Cave 1, second is Cave 2.

WOW...reading it was great...you adding in those pictues was a bonus!...When I saw them I went.......WOWOWOWOWOW!!!...

Well...hope you had a nice weekend...

I have gotten through the snowstorm...fortunately it was sunny all day today and it began to melt away...the next 3 days or so promise weather in the upper 30's...perfect for melting the snow!...

Another 4 day week ahead for me!...I am off to count how many days I have before my March break!...hahaha!...

mcmarto

Wow, Kilo! Terrific pictures. The story was awesome, too. I have to say, I think I'd have been a claustrophobic mess, although I would enjoy that sort of scenery. A few years ago Sweetie & I went to Kartchner Caverns in Arizona... quite beautiful and impressive formations there, but you can walk through, don't have to swim! It's a neat place because they're doing all they can to preserve it as a "living" cave, while still allowing limited numbers of tourists access. Have you been there? It's near Tucson.

Thanks for sharing your story -- really enjoyed it! Did you understand Ricardo's Spanish? Did the bf? I know you said you were doing better with your Spanish now.

Lisrey :)

I'm glad you both liked the story and the pictures :) . I have not been to Kartchner Caverns. If I ever find myself in Arizona I'll definitely look for them.

I understood a great deal of Ricardo's Spanish, which was kind of cool. He said a lot that didn't make it into his English translation, mostly jokes like, 'if the truck dies, you all have to push!' and 'don't worry about the snakes, if they get someone in the group we just leave them behind, it won't hold up the rest of us.' He was a lot of fun. The bf understands and speaks some spanish but not much. I kind of got into the habit of translating to him everything I heard that I understood during this trip, and I was doing that this day, too. The two San Franciscans spoke no spanish at all, and soon were leaning in to hear my translations, too. Occasionally Ricardo would forget to repeat himself in English at all, so that came in handy. I'm truly nowhere near fluent, though. I was more picking up enough words to figure out what he said than understanding him completely. He repeated himself a lot, too, which helped.

Talking with the locals was really encouraging, though. It inspired me to continue my studies and improve ever more. The locals spoke far less english in that area than those who live in the border towns I'm used to, so at least a smattering of spanish was pretty necessary. I heard a lot of really, really bad Spanish spoken by gringos there. Wow. The waiters must have the patience of saints to have to listen to that all day long.

I have some other stories, but I think this is the best and most interesting one. What else? Well, I suspect many of you have been to Chichen-Itza and it's highly photographed and publicized, so there's not much point in discussing that. It was definitely worth the two hour drive to see. The road there was straight and smooth. We had no problems driving in Mexico at all.

We snorkeled in the ocean looking for the elusive reef and ended up far out to sea in choppy waters with a mild undercurrent pulling us farther out. We had a long and tiring swim back to shore.

Naked people of all ages and sizes roamed the beaches.

The waiters at the restaurant all signed a birthday card for me, sang to me, and brought out a flan with a torch fashioned from aluminum foil and matches burning brightly atop it. They plied me with tequila straight from the bottle (gah).

Our electricity-free hut on the beach with the mosquito netting around the bed was most interesting, but mostly wildlife free. Our neighbors next door brought bananas into their hut and awakened to find a group of fruit bats happily stripping the banana skins and eating the banana inside during the night.

The water in the shower was a mere dribble, but it was a hot dribble so it was ok. The toilet worked perfectly.

We explored Tulum and Xel Ha ruins. Tulum was $3 to get in and was large, very interesting and beautiful. Xel Ha was also $3 to get in and had very little to see.

I had pork tacos from a guy on the corner selling food from his street cart in Valladolid. He was by the pretty central park across which an ancient stone church was packed with people attending Sunday Services. He called me 'amiga', asked me what I wanted, told me the meat today was pork, that my order was 8 pesos, and to help myself with the salsas on the board. I understood every single word he said, and he understood me! That made me very happy. Those pork tacos were the best I've ever had, too.

We hiked through the jungle, got devoured by mosquitoes, to three different cenotes on different days that were unvisited by other humans while we were there.

Too many places didn't take credit cards and we had to watch our cash situation closely.

I left my uber expensive waterproof breathable light sailing jacket in a clothing store in Playa Del Carmen when I was trying on some pants. The next day we flew out, but had enough time to race back to Playa Del Carmen, find the store again (no easy task), and ask them if they had the jacket. The guy at the counter was different than the girl the day before. He spoke no english, but I was able to convey that I'd left my blue jacket there the day before. "ah," he said, went into the back and brought it out for me. Gracias!

Mexicana didn't bother to mention a stop in Guadalajara on our itinerary, so our trip home was actually Cancun to Mexico City (wow is that an enormous city), Mexico City to Guadalajara, then Guadalajara to LAX. Grr. Mexicana planes are not particularly well maintained, either. My light didn't work on one flight. The bf's seat kept reclining slowly on its own and the attendant kept coming over to tell him to put it upright. The TV on one leg didn't work. I kept trying to not think about what other, more important things, they might not be bothering to maintain. But, the people were nice, the food was good, they were on time. So they slipped in an extra stop on me. Would I fly them again? I kind of doubt it. There other many other options for flying to major Mexican cities.

Ok, enough of the trip. Back to reality!

More terrific stories! Thanks! Questions that came to mind:

Did you wear your bikini?

Did you find or leave any geocaches?

I loved the anecdote about the fruit bats. Did your neighbors wake you up screaming? Or did they not notice the robbery until they woke in the morning?

I think you're lucky that your driving experiences were so good. Sweetie and I drove to Puerto Penasco from Arizona a number of years ago and the road we were taking suddenly became non-existant, construction had apparently begun and then been abandoned, and the road was simply gone for 10 miles or more... There were a number of things about that trip I'll never forget, including the largest cockroach I've seen outside of a zoo! :laugh:

I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself and had fun with your Spanish. Sounds like a wonderful birthday was had!

Lisrey :wave:

Yes I did wear the bikini. Hangin' belly and all, I wore the bikini. We did not go au natural, not really out of opposition to it, but more that we didn't spend much time at all on the beach and had no desire to get sunburned butts, anyway.

No geocaches. I did think about checking to see if any were down there but didn't actually manage to do it. Oops.

Our neighbors awoke screaming, but there wasn't a thing they could do about the bats in their room except shine a flashlight on them and marvel at their efficiency. They are from Michigan. Detroit. The woman decided that the netting around the beds was actually bat netting since we experienced no mosquitoes in the room. The breeze off the ocean kept them away nicely.

I think that the quality of the roads in Mexico depend on which state you're in. Yucatan and Quintana Roo, where we were, are heavily touristed and large tour-bus travelled. It is highly in their interest to keep the roads well maintained, lit, signed, and patrolled. Plus, they have the revenue to spend on roads if they choose to do it. I spent my 25th birthday in Mulege, halfway down the Baja peninsula, (I have spent several birthdays in Mexico now that I think about it. Hmm) and remember the asphalt on the roads there being about a half-inch thick. Potholes abounded. When it rained, sand would wash out from under the road in spots and the asphalt would hang like a piece of stretched bubble gum across the newly formed ditch. First person across got to break the asphalt and land in the ditch. There was a detour around one of these washouts that took us for about a half an hour through the cactus until we finally meandered back to the road. Heh. That was fun.

But the roads in the Yucatan, very good. They aren't wide highways with ample shoulder room like in the US, but they are fine roads.

I am in class all this week, so I had time to NordicTrack this morning before work and lift weights.

Had nearly and hour and a half off for lunch, so I found a nearby bike trail along a stream and walked it for about 45 minutes.

Came home, walked the dog. My throat feels scratchy again. Perhaps I overdid it while still on the tail end of this cold. I hope not.

Sounds like you had a real good time on that trip!

I never made it to Chicen-Itza when I went to Mexico...I think it was too hot and I didn't want to die...I would love to go back...who knows?...I have tons of places written down that I told my DH I had to get to before I even considered having a baby...and...I am not even sure about the baby part!...Now that I am almost debt free...I will be getting out more!...

Well...I had my tooth pulled today...it was terrible...the painkillers are working...I hope I feel better tomorrow!...Luckily my cold is 95% gone...I hope you are able to kick yours completely too!...

Have fun this week!...

mcmarto

The pictures are so beautiful. You almost lost me in your narrative of your dive. I am so claustrophobic. I didn't think Calsbad Caverns was large enough. lol I really got a knot in my stomach when we went there. I would never have been able to dive in a cave. I am a good swimmer but could not dive in a cave.

I am glad you had a good time.

Carol

I asked Ricardo if he ever had anyone panic on him. He said, 'no, if they do I just leave them behind.' Such a joker that Ricardo.

The cold has subsided again today. I slept a good 11 hours last night and woke up feeling much better. I did not NordicTrack in the morning but went straight to class. Did walk for a half hour at lunch, did walk the dog when I got home, did lift weights. No yoga. Will have to start that up again soon. The vacation pudge is coming off quickly, and hooray for that.

We are signed up to do another 5k next weekend. Will I ever do a 5k that I'm prepared for? It appears unlikely.

Tuesday is supposed to gym night and this is our first real opportunity to get back at it. But I don't want to push it and the bf is threatening to come down with this, so we gave ourselves a pass tonight. Thursday, we'll go. If the bf is sick, I'd better go by myself to get at least a 30-minute run in to prep for this race.

Another 5k?...That is great!...

Have you done anymore kayaking...or is the weather to weird?...

Well I am feeling better...gonna have my girls night tomorrow instead of today...and...then my DH and I are doing our movie/dinner date on Friday...We went two weeks ago and saw Sideways...we were the youngest two there...hahaha...we hope to see Million Dollar Baby this Friday...hopefully it won't be too crazy crowded!...

See any movies lately?...

mcmarto

It would be hell to get stuck and have to live down there. Though I suppose it would be a good dieting tool. (Assuming no one brought you food or anything.)

I love love loved your story. Though I got the creepy crawlies at the thought of the claustrophobia I might have felt in the second cave. You never get claustrophobia I take it? I don't usually, but your description gave me the willies and I think I have developed it.

I adored your guide, what a hoot! I think DLIP and I would be the splashing, uncoordinated ones that would annoy the others. hahaha Until a fish swam next to DLIP's skin and he shrieked like a girl and scooted back up that ladder like a fireman on a call!

Your descriptions are so vivid. You rock. (Ooo. A pun. Lisrey will like that.) Although I am a bit disappointed that you didn't frolic brazenly -- yet like innocent young children or Adam and Eve before the apple or something -- in the buff. Ah, we will just have to wait for a trip to Juan les Pins for that story, and the cute little Frenchman who says funny remarks about the brazen American women with humongous breasts and even bigger mouths.

I'm glad you are feeling better, but I hope bf doesn't come down. I am so proud of you Kill -- you are a racing machine. Maybe a marathon is in your future??? (Although you seem much too sane for that.)

And Mc, dammit, you are in every journal I am posting in tonight...

DLIP and I LOVED Sideways but I didn't realize it was a movie for senior citizens. 8-| Pffft.

Oh. But a lightbulb moment. Perhaps that is why the cute 20-somethings in the front row kept looking around the room pointing and laughing and yanking our canes out from under us.

Hi girlies,

Yes, another 5K. We're trying to do one every other month or so. Just to give up motivation to keep fit, you know. Fitter.

Kayaking seems to require 80 degree plus weather. We haven't done it in a while. Springtime.

Movies? Hmm. Mmmm. Umm. No, I guess not. We very rarely actually 'go' to a movie and haven't rented or even watched one on tv in a while. Oh wait -- the flight showed an abridged version of some action thriller about a woman who gets kidnapped because her husband filmed some cops killing gang members and she calls a random number from her place of imprisonment and gets a very cute young man on his cell phone. Never did catch the name of it. It was fluff.

Ah Chum, you liked my story. Sniff. I'm touched. I thought you had scoffed at it and moved on. For the record, the sf woman was nearly twice my size and one of the italians was sporting quite the belly, too. They made it through, though one assumes their experience was even tighter than mine. I did have to push claustrophobic feelings out my head a few times during that experience. Push them out, think 'ooh, aahh' thoughts, relax and breathe.

It worked for me, anyway.

Our guide was pretty adorable. And what a day job! Lucky guy.

So the bf has joined me for two weeks of post-vacation New Year SBD Phase I goodness. First time for this. He's cooked plenty of Phase I dinners, but this is the first time he's actually doing Phase I for himself all day long instead of just dinners. He called today, all excited that he'd bought a box of Splenda and made that ricotta dessert tonight.

Sigh. I really didn't want to knock the wind out of his sails, but come on. I tried to explain to him that we don't eat dessert with dinner anyway except on rare occasion, so wtf ADD it to our routine now? Extra calories we don't need. Then there's that artificial sweetener aspect, which as you all know I don't like and avoid whenever possible. Apparently the bf didn't know that. Or didn't think about that.

Well, he'd already made it, and he really likes it. I had a taste. It's ok if you don't mind that chemical aftertaste. I would prefer to do without. Sugar isn't my problem. He says he won't make any more sbd desserts. Just the real, nutritious food. Sugar is HIS problem. Although he's skinny he eats ice cream every day and that isn't doing a thing for his blood sugar. Maybe he should continue the sbd desserts and I'll just pass on them like I always pass on ice cream. Duh.

Feeling good today. Cold is gone. Walked 45 minutes at lunch and then again with the mistypoo after work. Lifted weights. Did yoga. I've lost 4lbs since being back. All is well.

Wow. Crankiness set in this afternoon around 3pm. Lunch was gone, I was hungry and ready to kick a cat if one should be silly enough to wander past right then.

But fortunately, we got out on break, I had my afternoon snack in the fridge (the other half of lunch), and I was ok.

Got home to no bf. That's very rare. I was hungry again and hoping for an early dinner. He called, said he had a work function to attend and he wouldn't be home 'til 7 but he was cooking turkey breasts with avocado salad. Hmm. What would hold me over until he got home?

A tablespoon of peanut butter and a small handful of soy cereal. That did the trick, surprisingly enough. And a bunch of water.

Now I'm going to take a bath with my new smelly "invigorating" salts while I wait for him to come home and cook.

NordicTracked this morning. Walked a half hour at lunch. Lifted weights and did yoga after the peanut butter tonight. Sanity has returned. If I don't overdo it on the avocado salad by the time it finally gets made I'll be fine.

NordicTracked this morning. Class lasted only a half day so I was home by noon. It was raining, so no further outdoor exercise.

Did yoga for a half hour. Lifted weights. Did some ab work, too.

Then took a hot bath and crawled into bed. This is still the sickness household, or is trying to be. The bf came home with a lousy stomach and feels he is coming down with a stomach flu. My nose won't quit running. I feel pretty good, but not 100% yet.

Tomorrow is the bf's cousin's brithday. He is having a major party with a traditional rice table, celebrating the trace of his indonesian heritage. Rice. Not SBD approved. I suspect there will be many tasty things there that I will enjoy eating, though. My challenge is to keep the total calories down, too. Good party food is dangerous stuff.

You said it sister!

I have been having quite a few meals out lately...all SBD friendly...but I know high in calorie...I have been keeping track with my calorie counter cause I want to keep losing!

I hope you two feel better!

Have rice-less fun?

hahaha!

OH...glad you did not kick a cat the other day!...mc

Mmm. Avocado salad. Do give the recipe please. I love love love avocado.

How are things? How was the race? How is work? How is Misty-poo? How? How? How?

Your trip sounds amazing. I want to go! I am actually goign to Mexico in September for a cruise and wedding for a friend of mine. I love kayaking too. I am waiting for the weather to warm up here to explore the mangroves with fiance. His second cousin has a couple kayaks so we're going out sometime in March. Nice, eh? Hope all is well with you and have a good week!!!

Melinda :D

Hi Kilogo!

I'll have to backtrack and read about your trip, but I wanted to say hi. Sounds like it was good though.

Lutha! How delightful to see you posting again! How are you?

And hello Melfi. Welcome to the journal. Mangrove kayaking is great fun! Where in Mexico are you stopping on your cruise?

Hello Mc and Chum. All is fine, all is normal. The bf is NOT doing SBD phase I. Apparently he just said that without any real thought behind what that actually meant. He really hasn't changed his eating habits at all.

Nor are we doing the gym thing on Tues and Thurs as we'd resolved. We are going to get a regular gym routine going, dammit. We both want to. Just need to figure out a schedule that will work for us. Tues and Thurs after work before dinner apparently isn't it.

I finished painting two walls of the living room with our new gold color. It turned out much darker than we anticipated. Instead of gold it's more like pumpkin pie. The official name is "Cider Toddy." At first we thought we'd (I'd) best paint over it with something lighter and try again. But today I finished the job, ie did the second coat all around, trimmed the ceiling line, took off the masking tape, etc. Now that it is finished it looks a lot better. Tomorrow we put the furniture back in place and hang the pictures. Then we'll make a final decision on if we want to stay with it. I think we might. The next decision is if we want to do the other two walls and truly enclose this living room in this dark color. The room is quite large, and one side of it is all glass that faces the harbor, so it's not going to be a dark room at all. Decisions, decisions.

Also hung my ship's bell from my old boat to act as a doorbell outside the front gate. It looks like it belongs there.

The 5K is on Sunday. I am so not ready. But I can always walk part of it, so what the heck. I don't think I have a marathon in me, Chum. I know and have proven that I can walk one -- if I can walk 23 miles in a day I can surely walk 26. I have no desire to walk/jog one because I know I can do that, too, so it's not a challenge. I am pretty sure I can't run one, no matter how much training I do. My sights are on doing a 10K again someday. That's long enough!

NordicTracked for 30 minutes this morning. No weights, no yoga, though painting for hours has made my back and arms sore and tired. Food has been minimal and not very healthy. Too few veggies.

Good luck on your run...

Doesn't sound like fun to me...hahaha...jk!...

mcmarto

Thanks, Mc. It'll be fun for me. Running isn't for everyone, but I like it. Far better than swimming laps (gah). The bf is sickly so we may be walking it instead of running. That's fine with me. His sister, who is about 50lbs overweight and never exercises, is going to do it with her daughter because she wants the daughter to experience fitness events and see others who exercise regularly. They are going to walk it. The daughter is 10 and runs a mile a day in gym class at school.

PCH will be closed because it's part of the marathon route, so we will ride the bikes down the bike path to the start. I thinks it's about 4 miles. Bike down, do the 5K, bike home. That ought to be enough exercise for the day, eh? Then go to the superbowl party and counter all that physical goodness with party food. Though I intend to stick to the healthier options with that. Who's playing this year? No wait, I don't care. I'm just going to this party because it's the thing to do. I'll buy some squares in the pool and thus will care about the score so that I might win some money. Whoo.

Home improvement continues. We still like this color today. This is very good. We removed the stodgy cathedral-length drapes from the windows facing the water and it looks much better without them. Wide open, lots of light. We're going to replace them with the sheer drapes that we have from the old house. Much lighter and airier looking. This involves removing curtain hardware, then spackling, sanding, etc to get the wall ready for paint. The bf has done most of that and is now ready to go back to bed for a while.

I'm going to go cook brunch. Eggs, bacon, cheese, onions, tomatoes, mmmmm.

NordicTracked for 20 minutes this morning. I've been sticking to SBD principles about 95% of the time since our return from Mexico and I've lost 6lbs since then. Yay. The ol' bod is about back to normal and I am expecting progress into new ground soon.

Your paint job sounds interesting...you know I like dark colors, depending on the room. I'll bet it looks great! I can't believe bf is doing home improvement when he is sickly! DLIP doesn't do it when he is feeling perky. Pfft.

Tomorrow sounds like fun...a lot of exercise and a good afternoon. What healthy food will they have at a Superbowl party? Crudites? Maybe in California, healthier foods are more abundant at S parties. When I was living in the Midwest, you always saw chili-related items, lots of chips, cheesy stuff, Mexican food, and beer. Nothing remotely healthy. haha

Hooray for your 6 lb loss! Tonnage removed to the wastelands of history! hoo hoo hoo :lift:

"interesting" is a word often used when wanting to be polite and not say, 'good god.'

That's ok. No one from the outside world has yet seen it but even if we get a universal, 'oh . . . interesting . . .' from everyone we'll still probably keep it this way. Pfft. We like it. I'll post pictures when we're done, perhaps.

The bf just forking refuses to relax. It's most frustrating. The whole reason why he can eat ice cream every day and chow down huge portions at every meal and still be skinny is that he's the energizer bunny. He never, ever stops. Well, rarely. The fact that he took a short nap at all today is a sign of how truly sick he is.

We are taking chili to the party, and it is most healthy in my book. SBD approved. Lean meat, plenty of tomatoes, onions, garlic. Mmmm. I shall avoid the chips, dips, fried things, sugary things, and alcoholic things. I think my options will be very limited at this party, but at least I can eat our own chili. In different groups the options may be more healthy here in California, but the crowd at this party is comprised of mostly fast-food loving overweight smokers. Retired donut-addicted cops and their wives or husbands.

Good people, mind you, but not the healthiest.

You asked me for the avocado salad recipe, Chum. It's outstanding and packed full of health and goodness:

The Salsa:
2 tbsp Olive Oil
4 ripe tomatillos, peeled and cubed
1 medium jicama, peeled and cubed
2 avocados, peeled and cubed
1/2 red onion, sliced
6 red grape tomatoes, halved.

The Lube:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 jalapeno, minced
1/4 lime, juiced
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (optional if you hate it)
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Toss the lube and the salsa together to make the salad.

Hey...

I am forcing myself to exercise daily...even if its just for 15 mins...I am doing a walk/jog to start...unless I get myself to the gym...

I need to continue with this weightloss and stay motivated...it will be 6 weeks on Monday...WOW...

Hope you have a great time tomorrow...I am going to a Superbowl party too...no alcohol or sweets for me...but I asked the hostess and I know she will be having some SBD friendly things...so that is good!...

mcmarto