I've Been Bad

I missed the treadmill yesterday because I did my weekly grocery shopping after work. And today, I missed the treadmill because I went to the bank after work and because I'm lazy and wanted to see who was playing on the golf coverage. I did go outside for about 10 minutes and walk. Yesterday we had our employee appreciation luncheon and I ate real food for the first time in months. I had chicken, mashed potatoes, a hot roll with butter and some pasta salad. I had lemonade and chocolate milk to drink. We got all kinds of goodies for employee appreciation and for the team meeting we had today. Yesterday we got a leather notebook thing with a calculator built in and a paperweight that said "Good Job". Today we got to choose a grab bag at our team meeting and in my grab bag was an insulated lunch box, a pen that has both red and black ink, a desk calendar and the bag itself was a tote bag.

Today at the team meeting, the regional manager emphasized that pajamas and full, head to toe camoflage is unacceptable business attire to be worn under the new dress code. She said that she expected us to be mature about the dress code and if we didn't like the new dress code then we could get a new job. That last part she phrased a little bit nicer. So, it will be interesting to see who wears what on Monday. The regional manager said I looked very nice today. It was one of my new outfits. I think she's happy that I started complying with the new dress code a week early.

I've been watching Martha Stewart's daytime show and this week has been pretty entertaining. Conan O'Brien was on and they did a comedy skit. They were riding horses and Conan was dressed as a Fabio-like romance novel cover man. Conan said at one point, "Martha, that long ride has made me hungry. And not for food." And Martha acted like she was swooning. It was hilarious. And today's episode has wild animals from Busch Gardens. Martha's hands-on with the animals and she's not even upset that the animals are eating the plants in her garden set. I think she might be more concerned that the animals might not be eating good plants. And Martha asked the one question that I've never heard any other interviewer ask. She asked where the animals and the woman from Busch Gardens stay when they are in New York. Apparently they are staying all on one floor of the Ritz Carlton. I don't think the zebra is staying there, but I could be wrong. Martha really loves animals. You can tell by watching this episode.

Last night, Alias's first episode of the season aired. We are supposed to believe Michael Vaughn died, but I think Jack and Sydney faked his death so he could heal from the hundreds of gunshot wounds he received when the bad guys tried to kill him. No one ever really dies on Alias so I expect to see Vaughn back at some point.

Treadmill Report

39 minutes; 2.14 miles; 275 calories burned.

Once again Mom and Dad are hounding me about the amount of weight I've lost. You would think after knowing me for over 30 years, they would know that I don't work out because I love it. I will stop eventually because I am inherently lazy.

Treadmill Report

42 minutes, 41 seconds; 2.36 miles; 303 calories burned.

Kevin Sites Has a New Website

Kevin Sites, brave and daring International News Reporter/Correspondent has a new website on Yahoo called Kevin Sites In the Hot Zone. I have added it to the blogs of note section next to his old blog. Check out the new site for news like you've never seen it reported before. Well, I guess you have seen it reported this way before if you've followed Kevin Sites' reporting in the past or read his blog. But anyway, check out his website.

New Beginning

The new dress code at work goes into effect on Oct. 1, which means next Monday, we can't wear our blue jeans. I'm starting a week early though. Thanks to my weight loss efforts, I have shrunk out of my smallest pair of blue jeans, and I don't see any reason to buy a new pair of blue jeans when I can only wear them for a week. So, I bought black pants Thursday night at Walmart. At first, I wasn't sure about them. They seemed really baggy down at the ankles. But then I tried them on tonight with a pair of dress shoes and they looked much better. I have four skirts to wear along with the black pants so I will be wearing dressy clothes this week while I decide whether or not to do additional shopping this weekend. I guess this week will be another week of whining, belly aching co-workers complaining about the new dress code. I got so sick of it Thursday that I was practically counting down the seconds and minutes to the end of the day so I could start my three day weekend.

Treadmill Report

66 minutes, 6 seconds; 3.5 miles; 451 calories burned.

15 minutes walking outside.

Treadmill Reports

Friday:

49 minutes, 24 seconds; 2.70 miles; 348 calories burned. 35 minutes outside walking.

Saturday:

67 minutes, 48 seconds; 3.60 miles; 463 calories burned. 25 minutes extra walking while watching the President's Cup.

I went shopping tonight and bought some new clothes to get ready for the new dress code. I also bought an INXS Greatest Hits cd this morning and played it all day at work. I can't wait until their new cd comes out at the end of November. Today in the mail I got the Pretender Season 2 dvds. Hopefully I will get to watch some of them at some point. This weekend is the President's Cup golf event. So, I'll be watching that.

From Riambra

You are like Animal


A Crazy, unpredictable, rambling fool who thrives on parties, perversions, caffine and sugar. A welcome guest at any party but not marriage material.

Which sorry excuse of a Muppet are you?

JetBlue Emergency Landing

This was a spectacular event on live tv. The front landing gear wasn't in the right position and the jet had to make an emergency landing. The plane landed perfectly and the landing gear didn't even break off. I've always been fascinated with planes and helicopters and this was something to see.

I stayed up late last night and watched INXS choose their new lead singer. I was quite pleased that they chose JD Fortune. He was my pick from the first time I watched the show. I think he will do great and I do plan to buy the new cd. I may even buy a greatest hits cd if there's one out there.

Tonight the Martha Stewart Apprentice show starts on NBC. If it isn't boring, I plan to watch it every week. I already watch her daily daytime syndicated show.

Treadmill Report

41 minutes, 09 seconds; 2.18 miles; 280 calories burned.

Last night I had to make no-bake cookies for work today so I didn't work out. Today at work, I was only slightly bad with the pot luck lunch. I had small amounts of nachos, tomatoes, carrots, and mashed potatoes and no desserts. I think I did ok.

I got another Alias Calendar from Walmart today. This one was in a cardboard envelope so it didn't get folded, spindled or mutilated. So, my opinion of Walmart has improved. Maybe I will buy stuff from them online again.

I watched some of the Emmys last night. Ellen was funny. It was nice that William Shatner is winning emmys since star trek fans love to gang up on him and criticize him. I liked Donald Trump's performance. Marcia Cross looked good with that red hair and green dress. I didn't care for all the women who wore their hair swept over to one side. Jennifer Garner I'm guessing didn't win an emmy. She should be winning emmys. What does she have to do for goodness sake? She cries, she laughs, she kicks butt and that's just in the first few minutes of an episode. The show Lost won an emmy or two (I don't know how many). I don't know why they did a tribute to Johnny Carson. Has he only been dead for less than a year? I swear these award shows drag up the same old stuff year after year. The movie The Wool Cap I could have sworn was nominated last year.

Dad just gave the dogs some pork chop meat and steffi got choked. He knows better than to give them unapproved food, but he does it anyway. You can't tell him anything. That's just like a man.

Treadmill Report

43 minutes, 59 seconds; 2.35 miles; 302 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

59 minutes, 22 seconds; 3.18 miles; 409 calories burned.

I also walked outside for an hour today.

I've been helping Mom gather up boxes to pack her stuff in. I go buy plastic storage bins and then move all the stuff I have in boxes into those bins which frees up the boxes for mom. So far I have filled four big plastic bins and given Mom 6 or 7 boxes. And before you ask, Mom wants boxes, not storage bins. Boxes are small enough for her to carry. Mom's packed some things, but she and Dad are working on bigger things with the house right now - getting the appliances and carpet that they need. The appliances should be delivered next week. The carpet is supposed to be installed next week too, but I don't know if that's going to happen or what. The saleslady was supposed to call them about something but she hasn't.

I dyed my hair today. It doesn't look all that different. I deliberately chose a color close to mine so if I screwed it up, it wouldn't look so bad. It's only temporary and will wash out within a couple of weeks. But I like it. It's a little bit red. I will have to practice more with it.

I finally got my Alias Calendar from Walmart.com today. The stupid mailman folded it and stuffed it in the mail box. I guess Alias is just jinxed for some reason.

Treadmill Report

61 minutes, 54 seconds; 3.32 miles; 426 calories burned.

I also spent about an hour total outside today walking.

I'll Take You Kenny!

I'm not even that much of a fan, but I'll take Kenny Chesney if Renee doesn't want him! Aside from that police officer and his horse incident, I haven't heard one bad thing about Kenny Chesney. He seems to be a nice guy and he's a very talented performer and writer. He should be treated better than what he's getting right now with all the speculation about what "fraud" could mean. Sounds like a sour grapes claim to me. If she didn't know what she was getting into before saying I Do then she deserves what she gets and she should either make the best of it or file for a no fault divorce. It's not like she was young or naive or anything. She's been around for a while now. And I'm sure there would be no dispute over the assets they each brought to the marriage after only being married for a few months. The annulment probably wasn't the smartest way to go about dissolving the marriage.

I didn't do the treadmill today, but I did walk for about 40 minutes outside today. Today at work, the boss bought us pizza for employee appreciation week. So, I went off the diet, but not by much. It had ham on it, not the other fattening meats. And I skipped dinner tonight.

I've been watching Martha Stewart's show all week this week. I think she's doing great.

I'm saying that I've lost another dress size. I'm skipping the jeans buying part this time so I can't say for certain, but my stats support another dress size lost. That's 4 dress sizes so far.

I still haven't gotten my calendar that I ordered from Walmart.com. When I do finally get it, I plan to send a very terse email to walmart.com commenting on their poor customer service. I didn't get an apology or a refund, discount or anything for them NOT mailing out my purchase for a whole two months. They've had my money for those two months, they should have to pay me interest on that.

Treadmill Report

43 minutes, 06 seconds; 2.29 miles; 294 calories burned.

Of Rabbits and Rascals

Fritz was a rascal today. Apparently he found a way to get to the dead rabbit that mom threw over the fence. Dad said that Fritz had gotten into the rabbit twice today. I complained that he should be watching my dog and Dad said "I can't watch him all the time." Gee, I guess it's hard to pull yourself away from the solitaire game and wake yourself up from naps. I wonder how well he'd watch my niece and nephew if they were visiting. I hope Fritz doesn't get sick again and have to be taken back to the vet. I went out and attempted to dig a hole to bury what was left of the rabbit so Fritz couldn't get to it anymore. The ground was very hard and it was tough to dig that hole. But I managed to dig a small hole and stuff the rabbit head and feet inside. I placed a big rock on top of the covered rabbit so maybe Fritz won't get to it. It was disgusting having that rabbit eye staring at me though. Yuck!

Martha's Second Show

I love how much she loves her dogs! They wore ponchos today. They were so cute. The little black dog nearly made a snack out of Elmo and Martha didn't have anyone on her staff come out to get the dog. And Martha had the daughter of the woman who made the famous poncho on the show. That was good that Martha didn't forget the woman who was so nice to her in prison. Martha and David Spade prepared foods from microwave recipes Martha used in prison and it was fascinating to see how resourceful she and the other inmates were in making due with what they had.

Treadmill Report

36 minutes, 27 seconds; 1.98 miles; 255 calories burned.

Martha Stewart's New Show

Thank you TLC for airing Martha's live daytime show on your network. I can watch it in the evenings without having to record it. I watched it today and it was a pretty good first episode. I think once Martha gets more practice with the live interviews she will really kick butt.

A Real News Story

From WV Metro News

Lincoln Holiday On It's Way Out

Republican state lawmakers aren't at all happy with a bill that eliminates the birthday of former President Abraham Lincoln as a state holiday.

The bill, introduced by the governor, has widespread support in the House of Delegates and State Senate. It would combine the Lincoln and Washington state holidays in February and make the day after Thanksgiving an official state holiday.

Senate Republicans wanted to name the day after Thanksgiving holiday after Lincoln, but were turned back by Senate Democrats. The name of that holiday will be Family Values Day.

Senate Majority Leader Vic Sprouse says the former president is being unfairly targeted by democrats because he was republican. Sprouse says what Lincoln did for the nation, and West Virginia in particular, transcends politics.

Mercer County Senator Don Caruth reminded fellow senators of the Lincoln Walks at Midnight Statue outside the state capitol. "That statue is there to depict the suffering of Abraham Lincoln over the debate about whether West Virginia should have statehood into the union."

Raleigh County Senator Russ Weeks says a vote to eliminate Lincoln's holiday is nothing more than the re-assassination of the popular former president.

The Senate approved the holiday changes on a partisan 21-13 vote.

Treadmill Report

45 minutes, 13 seconds; 2.45 miles; 316 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

58 minutes, 10 seconds; 3.16 miles; 406 calories burned.

Also spent about 50 minutes outside walking.

Couldn't Take Anymore

I suffered through a little more than an hour and a half of the benefit concert but decided I couldn't take anymore of the non-country stuff. Bon Jovi was ok as was U2, but there just wasn't enough in the concert to keep my interest. I am now watching ReDesign with Kenneth Brown on HGTV. Good thing the hurricane victims aren't depending on that concert to get me to donate money.

The Benefit Concert Tonight

So far (8:56 pm Eastern), there's been only one true Country artist to perform: Big and Rich. Kid Rock performed with Lynard Skynard earlier. Where's the country? CMT is participating but so far not too much participation from the artists. And quite frankly, I hardly know anyone else on this show. Rob Thomas sang the Cyndi Lauper song and did a good job. It's a good thing they tell you in the upper right hand corner of the tv who's performing, otherwise I wouldn't know Green Day from Coldplay. Except that the Green Day song was played during PGA golf telecasts last week. I'm guessing Trent Reznor (is that his name?) wrote the Johnny Cash song he's singing?? I think I remember something about that. Still have no clue who this guy is though.

A Charitable Change to the Blog

I have created a permanent list of Hurricane Relief charities over in the sidebar. Yes, there are more pet related charities listed than people ones, but The Red Cross is the big one that everyone on the news is advising people to donate to.

Treadmill Report

59 minutes, 23 seconds; 3.19 miles; 411 calories burned.

I also spent about an hour total outside walking up and down the driveway. Working out outside is a nice change of pace after walking 190 miles total on the treadmill since 6/12/05.

Last night after work I went shopping. Didn't get to watch any golf yesterday. I did buy a few more kitchen utensils that I will need once my parents move out. Today I've been working out and I dipped the dogs again to get rid of fleas. I finally wrote a letter to my oldest friend Jenny. I am very bad about not keeping up with her. I guess I write so much on the blogs that I just never get around to writing a letter. I'm trying my best to lose as much weight as I can before our new dress code goes into effect at work on Oct. 1. I don't think I'll be where I want to be by then but I'll be close. If I could just lose this belly I've got I would stop because everything else is fine. I may need to get some calcium supplements since all the press on calcium says it gets rid of belly fat. I'll do the treadmill report later. I don't know if I'm done with exercise today.

No treadmill tonight

I'm just lazy today.

Help the Displaced Pets

Please donate $ to help the pets stranded and in need due to Katrina:

http://hsus.org/
http://www.noahswish.org/
http://www.petfinder.org/

Treadmill Report

46 minutes, 02 seconds; 2.40 miles; 309 calories burned.

This is an exciting story

Remains of Gold Rush Ship found at Construction Site

Tennis Anyone?

I've been watching the US Open in the evenings. Tonight Maria Sharapova got robbed when the blind as a bat chair umpire didn't see a stray tennis ball bouncing across the court. What good are the lines judges if they don't see what's going on too? That was a disgrace. John McEnroe is quite knowledgeable when it comes to women's tennis. I think that's great. He seems to genuinely be interested in the girls' game. Petrova, Sharapova's opponent, seems to be a bit argumentative. She wins the point and the game and she still complains. She reminds me of Tiger Woods, except Tiger wins more. And lastly, I really like the Andy Roddick Lexus commercials. They play on some suggestion about Roddick's intelligence I think.

Treadmill Report

46 minutes, 54 seconds; 2.58 miles; 332 calories burned.

I was very good today. They had ice cream at work to celebrate the September birthdays for three employees and I didn't have any of it.

Treadmill Report

59 minutes; 3.26 miles; 420 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

59 minutes, 51 seconds; 3.14 miles; 404 calories burned.

I also went back outside today for more walking up and down the driveway. It's a good sunny day here so I figured I should get outside and enjoy the weather.

Dad is once again telling me that I need to stop dieting. *sigh*

Check Out This Blog

Gretchen's Travels

It contains posts regarding the government's actions in the aftermath of the hurricane. And it answers the burning question that has been posed in my office at work for the last few days: Where is Dick Cheney?

Treadmill Report

90 minutes, 02 seconds; 4.74 miles; 610 calories burned.

I also spent a half an hour outside walking up and down part of our steep driveway trying to shape up my legs a little better. The treadmill isn't doing much to make them look good.

What's Up

So, what's been going on in my life lately? We got a new dress code at work. Starting October 1st, we will not be allowed to wear blue denim pants. We can wear any other color, just not blue. So, I'm wondering how much more professional red and yellow checkered pants are. I guess we will find out. If anyone can think of hideous color combinations to wear to work, let me know.

A co-worker told me on Friday that she didn't want me to tell the boss when she isn't doing her job right. Duh. What co-worker does want you to tell the boss when they are screwing up? In fact, this co-worker tried her best to antagonize me into a fight with her. But I ignored her. Which is probably going to tick her of even more. Oh well, I am an expert at giving people exactly what they ask for and letting them find out that it's 10 times worse than what they had before. So, we will see just how much she comes to regret her request. I've already got something in mind for Tuesday when I get back to work.

Walmart still hasn't sent me the Alias wall calendar I ordered back in April. It was a pre-order and I was supposed to have received it by July 31st. But the listing on the website said after I ordered it that the release date was supposed to be Aug. 31st so I waited until September 1st to see if Walmart was going to process the order and ship out my calendar. They didn't. So, I contacted them and asked them when I would be getting the calendar. Their preliminary response was "be patient, we have been disrupted by Hurricane Katrina". I love how the hurricane is being blamed for everything now. I'm betting that co-worker I talked about above will be blaming Katrina for all her screw-ups.

Save some Gas

Got some tips from this website for how to reduce fuel use with your vehicle:

Avoid High Speeds: As your speed increases, your aerodynamic drag increases in an exponential fashion. Driving 62 mph (100 km/h) vs 75 mph (120 km/h) will reduce fuel consumption by about 15%. Do Not Accelerate or Brake Hard: By anticipating the traffic and applying slow steady acceleration and braking, fuel economy may increase by as much as 20%. Keep Tires Properly Inflated: Keep tire air pressure at the level recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. A single tire under inflated by 2 PSI, increases fuel consumption by 1%. Use A/C Sparingly: When the air conditioner is on it puts extra load on the engine forcing more fuel to be used (by about 20%). The defrost position on most vehicles also uses the air conditioner. Keep Windows Closed: Windows open, especially at highway speeds, increase drag and result in decreased fuel economy of up to 10%. Service Vehicle Regularly: Proper maintenance avoids poor fuel economy related to dirty air filters, old spark plugs or low fluid levels. Use Cruise Control: Maintaining a constant speed over long distances often saves gas. Avoid Heavy Loads: Remove the sand bags from your trunk in the spring and pack lightly for long trips. Avoid Long Idles: If you anticipate being stopped for more than 1 minute, shut off the car. Restarting the car uses less fuel than letting it idle for this time. Purchase a Fuel Efficient Vehicle: When buying a new vehicle examine the vehicle's rated fuel efficiency. Usually choosing a small vehicle with a manual transmission will provide you with great fuel economy.

Katrina Blog

Check out Eye of the Storm.

Katrina News

It appears Fidel Castro has offered to help the US.

The phrase 'better late than never' has never seemed more inadequate.

Donations pick up as the news media shine a wider spotlight on the devastation.

NBC's Benefit Show

I just watched NBC's telethon and it was very moving. I'm glad I mailed off some money to the Red Cross today. The one surprising, or maybe not so surprising, part of this show was Kanye West's comments. You could see he was very heart-broken and distraught and he was doing what he could to support the people of New Orleans in his own fashion. NBC cut him off when he started commenting on the Federal Government's lack of response and his opinion on Bush's loyalties. I can understand why NBC would cut him off - the negative tone West's comments were taking could actually turn people off from donating, but still, the honest emotion inspiring West's comments was probably one of the strongest factors motivating people to donate. Hopefully, people can look past the political slant of his comments and see his compassion and his devotion to helping those suffering in the aftermath of the hurricane.

Today I donated money to Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief at Walmart. And I have the mailing address for the American Red Cross and will be mailing a money order to them tomorrow. Everyone should donate to the Red Cross or other official charitable organizations. It's very clear that the US Government is dropping the ball when it comes to providing aid to the victims of this disaster. It shames me to see people dying in the streets in New Orleans while President Bush holds press conferences in the extravagant comfort of the Oval Office while wearing a suit that costs enough to buy probably 1000 gallons of water or more for those victims. I applaud the news organizations for showing the reality of the situation American citizens are facing in the wake of this tragedy. The world needs to know that the current administration is letting down its own citizenry while pouring money and resources into Iraq, a country we shouldn't have been involved in to begin with.

Donate Now!!!

Click here for the Red Cross.