Remembering the Maine with every Cell Phone

3 Percent Fee On Cell Phones Started 107 Years Ago

Call To Repeal Tax Under Way

UPDATED: 11:53 am EST January 17,2006 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There is a call to repeal a cell phone tax most people probably don't even know they are paying, NewsChannel5 partner ONN reported. Anybody who has ever tried to decipher a cell phone bill knows how tough it can be. One of the charges is a 3 percent fee on every cell phone bill in America. The origin of the tax predates the invention of the cellular phone by nearly a century.Annie Brinkman and her friend, Stacey Lemle, don't know it, but every time they use their cell phones, they are supporting the war effort -- the Spanish-American War.The 1898 war involved Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.The fee began as a luxury tax on phones at the turn of the 19th Century. And we're all still paying for it today. Phone bills don’t specify that the tax originates from the Spanish-American War. It is labeled as the federal excise tax, which amounts to 3 percent of every monthly bill."When you say it's a federal excise tax, you know, most of the time, oh it's the federal excise tax," said Laura Merritt of Verizon Wireless. "And that's just understood that it's a tax you pay. Where exactly those funds go is something that's a mystery to all of us."It's not such a mystery anymore. And now, at least three federal courts have ruled the tax illegal. Many cell phone companies support a repeal of that tax. But they say they are caught in the middle."We're required to continue collecting that tax from our customers until the IRS tells us to stop doing that," said Merritt.Some lawmakers are demanding cell phone companies stop collecting the tax and refund three years worth of fees.But for now, every time you make a cell phone call, you'll continue to pay for a war fought more than 107 years ago.According to the Web site www.mywireless.org, you can ask the IRS for a refund of up to three years of past taxes. You can also contact members of Congress to ask them to repeal the tax altogether.Copyright 2006 by NewsNet5. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I just found out that The Young Riders, a tv show I used to watch as a kid, is being released on DVD! Yay!!! The msrp is about $60.00 though. Hopefully it will be discounted a lot.

I Found a New Blog

Check out Pupparazzi! It's a cute blog about puppies and dogs!!! I've added it to the blogs of note section in the sidebar.

New Channel

Dish Network gave me a new channel! It's the Fine Living Channel and so far I like it. There are a lot of travel shows on there. I like travel shows. It's too bad the Travel Channel would prefer to show poker than places people can travel to.

New Blog

I discovered today that Kari at My Piece of the Net reads my blog and has me linked on hers. So, I thought I would return the favor. I have added her to the blogs of note section. Check her out.

I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 2 pounds in the last three days. I did it by changing my diet slightly. I read in woman's world magazine that by increasing your protein and calcium, you can lose up to 5 pounds in three days. That's not news to anyone, but I'm always inspired by testimonials. So, for Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday, I increased my protein by eating scrambled egg beaters and increased my calcium by taking supplements. Saturday, I ate the turkey meatloaf and took the calcium supplements. You really should eat foods high in calcium, not take supplements, but I can't eat yogurt and cottage cheese. And notice I increased protein by eating healthy protein, not by gnawing on a pepperoni stick all day like the people at work who try Atkins every other week and fail every time.

I worked out this morning and so far my leg is holding up just fine. I might be able to get back on the treadmill later on today.

And I made another diet switch. I've been eating a lot of popcorn lately and I know the body doesn't digest it well. I know this because the doctor told my dad to stop eating so much of it due to a medical problem he's dealing with. So, I decided to try apples instead of popcorn. The apple tasted fine last night, but peeling the apple is how I fell victim to the instrument of death - aka the vegetable peeler.

Well, my leg stopped hurting and I did more pilates today. Didn't get back on the treadmill though.

Instrument of Death

The second time I picked up my vegetable peeler and I get cut by it for the second time. I'm thinking of throwing it away. And someone should sue the manufacturer for making them so sharp.

I worked out this morning. Now my leg's killing me. I did some pilates today which usually helps my leg, but it didn't this time. I went to bed for a while after lunch but Steffi got me up. She doesn't like it when I'm separated from her. I'm hoping to do some more pilates later. I don't think I'll be doing the treadmill again today.

New Recipe

I found a recipe for Turkey Meatloaf in a magazine the other day. It has 25 grams of protein per serving and only 1 gram of fat. So, I thought I would try it. The ground turkey breast I needed was $3.99 a pound and I needed two pounds of it. I also used egg beaters instead of egg whites like the recipe called for. I couldn't see buying whole eggs and throwing away all those yolks. I made the meatloaf today and it smelled like regular meatloaf when it was baking. How was it to taste? It tasted ok. I should have mixed all the ingredients up a little better before I baked it, but that wasn't the fault of the recipe. Bottom line - for about $15.00 I now have 8 meals - less than $2.00 per meal. Not so bad.

Here's the recipe:

2 pounds ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped onions
4 egg whites
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup uncooked oats
1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything except the ketchup in a bowl. Place mixture in a meat loaf pan and cover with ketchup. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Serve. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrients per serving:
calories 122
Fat 1 gram
Carbs 3 grams
Protein 25 grams.

What did I change in this recipe? Egg beaters instead of egg whites (the equivalent of two eggs). Dried chopped onions instead of one cup fresh. No vegetable soup mix ( I added steak seasoning instead and would have added beef boullion powder if I had it). Added Italian seasoning, celery flakes and mustard. And I didn't cover it when I baked it.

Well, I have worked out every day this week. I may take tomorrow morning off from the treadmill. Golf is on tonight and I might stay up late.

We may be getting some snow on Saturday, so I think I'll go to the store tomorrow night after work. The dogs won't like it since that means even longer for them to wait to go outside, but it can't be helped.

The Hunt is On

I have set the mouse trap for the mouse. I got D-Con no see mouse traps at Walmart this morning. I set one and if I'm successful with that, I might set the other one.

I ate a ton of pepperoni rolls tonight. Bad, bad me. But I froze the rest of them so I'm back on the diet tomorrow.

I finally got around to logging my exercise stats onto my spreadsheet. I'm doing better this month at working out than I did last month. I worked out twice today. I don't think I'll be working out tomorrow. I'll be staying up a little later tonight to watch the rest of the golf tournament on tv so I'll sleep in a little tomorrow.

Squeak, Squeak

I have a mouse in the house. Or maybe several. I don't know. I haven't seen the mouse, but I have seen the remains of my high-heat spatula, which apparently, must be very tasty to a mouse. I plan to go to Walmart tomorrow and get the best, no-smell, no let's look at the dead mouse, mouse trap money can buy me that Walmart sells. I have been hearing the pattering of feet on the porch, but I figured it was a cat on the roof. It sounded too loud to be a mouse. So, maybe there's a herd of mice running a marathon somewhere in the house. No matter. Once I get the traps, they will be gone.

Update

It's been a while since I've posted. You can blame the Golf Channel for that. I watch it all the time now that I have it on the satellite dish. It's on now and I'm learning so much about some glove you wear to keep your golf swing in check. Not that I play golf or anything, but I've waited over ten years for access to the golf channel and now that I have it, I'm watching it. LOL!

Anyway, I've been working out and I got back on my diet Monday. I worked out every day except Friday. Friday I went off the diet to eat peanut butter fudge and chocolate cake. The cake didn't have frosting though. This is leftover stuff from Christmas that I froze. I still have some in the freezer and eventually I will get it all eaten.

We've been really blessed so far this winter season with virtually no accumulating snow (knock on wood). Hopefully the rest of the winter will be mild.

I finally found a way to make those fake 'egg product' egg beater things edible as scrambled eggs. I added milk, salt, bacon bits and cheese to them and scrambled them in a little butter. Definitely an improvement. And I don't think I added enough stuff to hurt my diet. Especially since I worked out twice today. And no I still haven't added all my stats to my spreadsheet, and as you can see I haven't posted any here. I might do that again, or I might not. I don't know.

AVG Anti-virus program

I downloaded this program today. It took half a day to get it done. I even had time for a nap while it was downloading. Unfortunately, after it was done, it screwed up my email. I couldn't use outlook or incredimail. So, I uninstalled AVG. Now I have email. Conclusion: AVG sucks. Good thing it's free. Except for my wasted time, that is.

Today

Today I got back on the diet and exercise program. I worked out and cooked some chicken to eat this week for dinner. I did a lot of other things too. I cleaned the dining room carpet. I hand washed a couple of shirts. I did a load of regular laundry. I took Mom and Dad's share of the cake up to their house. They weren't home.

I have to get all my stuff together for work since I have to go back tomorrow.

The weather people are saying we might get some snow by Thursday. So, I made a grocery list and I guess I'll be going to the store before then.

I downloaded the AVG free anti-virus program from the internet today. Afterward, my computer wouldn't connect to my ISP's email. I don't know if it's because of the AVG thing or something else. I'll give it until tomorrow evening and if I'm still having trouble with the email, then the AVG program is history.

New Year

Today I did a lot of cleaning. I read on the internet that Borax, a laundry detergent, is a superkiller of fleas and flea eggs. So, I got some the other day and sprinkled it into the carpets today. I didn't do the whole house, which is a big no-no of flea treatment, but I did the parts of the house where the dogs are likely to spend a lot of time. I washed their bedding. I put flea drops on the dogs. There aren't too many fleas around this time of year, but I figured I should get an early start on the war.

I also cooked a turkey breast for the dogs, took down the Christmas decorations and did some time on the treadmill. I read on the internet that an overused potty area will contribute to giving dogs worms, and since my dogs seem to have more than their share of that problem, I went out today and raked an area of the lawn to try to make it cleaner.

I baked a cake the other day to try to use some eggs. I had to get them used before they went bad. I plan to give some of the cake to mom and dad but they never get the cake when they are here. They are going to have to start remembering to get the food when they come up. I made french toast and scrambled eggs today to finish up the eggs.

I didn't really make any new year's resolutions. They never seem to work for me. But I do have plans.

After Christmas Sale

I went to Walmart this morning for the After Christmas sale. There weren't too many people there at 9am when I was there. I got some Christmas stuff 50% off. I got a 4ft white tree with mulit-colored lights, a 32 in. fiber optic tree, a small tree with holly, some wrapping paper, some garland and ornaments, a wreath for my mom. I also got a dvd rack that I have to put together, a remote control caddie that was 50% off, clockworks so I could fix my pig clock, two 5 pound dumb bells, change wrappers (I have a bunch of change that needs wrapped up) and a shopping card to buy things from walmart.com. Unfortunately, their online shopping card program is apparently broken - I've tried twice to make a purchase. Walmart people aren't too competent.

I tried to put the dvd rack together, but I need another pair of hands. So, I emailed Mom and I think Dad's going to stop by and help me put it together.

I think I saved about $41.00 or so by getting stuff 50% off. That's pretty good.

Freezers are Wonderful

I have discovered that peanut butter fudge can be frozen for up to 6 months. So, I did freeze the fudge Mom brought to Christmas dinner. And I froze the toll house pan cookies. I need to work out and work off all the eating I've done in the last 10 days. According to my records, which haven't been posted here for a while, the last time I worked out was 12/15/05. I worked out this morning and hopefully, I'll get back on the treadmill later today. And hopefully, I will start posting my stats on here again. Or at least putting them on my spreadsheet. That's been neglected too.

Christmas

Today we celebrated Christmas at my house. Last night I baked an apple pie for Mom and Dad and made the cranberry sauce. This morning, I got up at about ten til six and set out the rolls to rise. Then I made the home made noodles, fed the dogs (Fritz wouldn't eat), vacuumed the living room and dining room, and made up Fritz's and Steffi's stockings. At about 9am I put the turkey breast in the oven.

Mom and Dad came up about 10am or so. They brought coffee for them since I don't have coffee in my house, and they brought toll house pan cookies, peanut butter fudge and peanut clusters.

Before dinner, we dug into the stockings. Fritz got a couple of squeaky toys and some raw hides. Steffi got some doggy treats and some raw hides. Her raw hides will have to be soaked in water though. She can't chew them normally. Mom got an air freshener, a box of thin mints candy, and a wall hanging cloth calender for the kitchen. Dad got an extension cord, a deck of cards in case their computers crash, and a bag of candy.

I made the rest of the Christmas dinner (yams, green beans, mashed potatoes, the noodles, and gravy) and we sat down to dinner about 12:30 or so. Everything was good. After we were done with round one of dinner, I put the leftovers away into gladware for Mom to take home and for me for later. Mom did a nice thing and washed my dishes. Dad took Fritz for a couple of walks out in the woods.

We let dinner settle for a while. Mom and I tried to take a nap on the couch and Dad played some solitaire on the computer. Then Dad woke us up by asking if Mom was ready to leave. It wasn't even 2pm. So, we opened presents. I got a Fannie Farmer cookbook and a greatest hits cd of country music singer Mark Collie. Dad got a mini flash light that is tied around your head, a couple of pairs of gloves, and an amplifier for the receiver of their phone. Mom got a Randy Travis gospel music cd and a desk lamp. Mom and Dad's joint gift was a small floor rug that almost matches the color of their living room carpet. My sister and brother in law's gifts for us are in transit. In fact I did get my gifts from them just a few minutes ago. The mail carrier misdelivered them to the neighbor. My sister and brother in law and niece and nephew got me two books: Alias-Vigilance and Andromeda - The Attitude of Silence.

So, it was a very good Christmas for us. Hopefully, Mom and Dad will get their presents from my sister and her family and they will love their gifts as much as I love mine.

I'm still stuffed from dinner at noon but hopefully, I will find room for some of those cookies later tonight.

Intelligent Design

CNN is reporting that a court has shot down the Intelligent Design theory being taught in Science class. I think this is good. If they want to teach it in social studies classes where they are also providing an overview of all the major religions of the world, then fine. As long as all the major religions are represented then no one is promoting one agenda over another.

Christmas Dinner

Mom and Dad seem excited about having Christmas Dinner at my house this year. I stopped by to see them today and to take them their mail. Mom keeps asking if I want her to bring anything. Either she really wants to contribute, or she's getting senile. So, I told her today she could bring the Allen family traditional Christmas Candy (specifically chocolate covered peanuts) and she offered to bring toll house pan cookies. I wasn't planning to have any desserts I would eat so this will work out well.

I was planning to upgrade to the 180 channel package on my satellite dish after the first of the year, but I think I will do it Friday so Dad will have something to watch Saturday when they come up for dinner. And I will have four days to watch all the new channels.

It looks like the weather may cooperate on Saturday and we won't have any snow or ice. I hope that is still the case on Saturday. The evil weathergirl just said there might be snow in the forcast. Blah, blah, blah. They all call for snow around Christmas time. What is the deal with snow on Christmas Day??? Don't they know Jesus was really born in the spring and there wasn't any snow???

The last few days

Well, here's what happened. Thursday I saw a chihuahua mixbreed dog in the paper. It was at the local animal shelter. So, I adopted him before thinking it through. I have wanted a long haired chihuahua for a while. I brought him home friday evening after his surgery (he had to be neutered). Fritz and Steffi were not happy. Fritz started growling, which he never does even when Jasmine rides him like a horse. Steffi threw up all over the house Friday night. The dog wasn't much of a problem. He yelped a while when I put him in the crate and went to bed friday and Saturday night. He chewed on my fingers, wrist and hand like a puppy even though he was supposed to be a year and a half old. He thought he was a rabbit beagle and took off sniffing and running through the pasture with me on the other end of the leash. Sunday, Steffi bit me because I happened to be in between her and Scrappy (the new dog). Sunday night, Steffi did #2 all over the house. So, I decided Scrappy had to go back to the animal shelter. He's an adorable dog and will no doubt be adopted by a loving family. And I made it easier for him to be adopted by paying for his neutering. It was difficult to take him back, but I couldn't have Steffi sick and upset at her advanced age and Fritz can't adopt that aggressive behavior if my niece and nephew are going to be terrorizing him in the future. Fritz and Steffi were happy when I came back home without Scrappy. So, this is obviously what they wanted. And since they are members of my family, they do get a vote.

Good Quiz

you are angelina jolie you are going out with brad
pitt well for you i guess thats good you are a
sexy beast OH yeah!!!


Which celebrity are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Wow

I just noticed that I've been blogging for over two years. It really doesn't feel like that long. I am very surprised I stuck with this for that long. I remember thinking I would never keep a blog updated and it would just die away. I guess some people play games online, some do the chat room thing, and I blog.

Birthday Review

Today is my birthday. Mom got me a Martha Stewart Cutting board that's in the shape of a pig. My sister got me something, but I don't know what. It's on its way here from where ever she ordered it. April got me a golf courses wall calendar and an oven mitt that has a brownie mix in it. I will be making the brownies some evening before work so I can take them to work since I'm doing the diet thing. A couple of people gave me birthday cards at work and my former boss who has moved up to regional manager of a different region also wished me a happy birthday. I wished her one too - we share the same birthday. And I got myself something special but I'm not blogging about it yet. I haven't decided when I'm going to tell people (aka family) about it.

I did work out this morning, but as usual, I haven't posted my stats. My stats are in the bedroom with the treadmill and I never can remember to bring them in here to the computer. I don't think the workout matters that much - I ate no bake cookies and candy today at work.

Students Get Pig's-Eye View of History

By LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press WriterSun Dec 11, 2:53 PM ET

Move over, Miss Piggy. Step aside, Porky. It's time to share the swine spotlight with real pigs.

The contributions of an animal that has been reviled, mocked and dined upon for centuries are being recognized in a Xavier University class highlighting American pig history.

"As I was doing research, I found pigs popping up in rather significant settings," said assistant history professor Karim Tiro, who teaches the class.

Few realize that swine sailed to the New World with Columbus, sparked wars between colonists and American Indians and helped pioneer the assembly line, he said.

He covers those and other topics in "A History of the Pig in America with Especial Reference to the City of Cincinnati Otherwise Known as Porkopolis."

The last part of the quirky title refers to a city that has had a love-hate relationship with pigs since its heyday as the center of the U.S. pork-packing industry.

Easy access to river transportation and farmland helped turn Cincinnati into the pork processing capital of the world by the 1840s — and the target of international jokes about its "Porkopolis" image.

Appalled at the sight of pigs being herded or roaming wild through Cincinnati streets in the late 1820s, British author Frances Trollope wrote that she would have liked the city better if the people "had not dealt so very largely with hogs."

"Cincinnati's connection with pigs has always been seen both as a serious economic issue and a point of humor or ridicule," said Dan Hurley, assistant vice president for history for the Cincinnati Museum Center.

The Xavier students say they have learned how pigs and the development of the pork industry reflect broader trends in history. They also have learned to overlook the grins and giggles that often erupt at the mention of their class.

"But when I tell people what we have learned, they don't laugh as much, and they usually think it sounds interesting," said Tara Cleveland, 21.

Virginia DeJohn Anderson, a history professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, taught a class looking at the history of human and animal relationships from antiquity to the present. But she's not aware of any history classes highlighting one animal.

"I don't think many historians in the past have taken animals seriously as historical subjects. That prejudice may be shifting as we are coming to understand how animals have shaped not just the landscape, but also relations among people," Anderson said.

I switched from Alias to The Pretender for treadmill workouts. I was getting tired of Alias. At least with the Pretender, I haven't seen those episodes for a while. I still haven't posted my stats lately. That's because I haven't really felt like I've accomplished anything good with working out. It has to do with the cake and the home made peanut butter cup I made. I ate half of a 9 inch pan of peanut butter cup yesterday. I gave the other half to mom and dad. Hopefully, I can do some good with the workouts and getting back to a good diet this week. Wednesday is the unit Christmas party at work and the following Wednesday is the building Christmas party. Luckily, people there like Ham for christmas so that's one thing I won't eat.

Dad came up today. Mom stayed home. She had a bout of sinus today. Dad changed the oil in their car and fixed my table. He just tightened up all the bolts and stuff. He liked my furniture. I gave him the candy and he took the soda he and mom left behind when they moved out. It was full calorie soda so I'm glad it's gone.

I wrapped their Christmas presents today. I still have to buy Mom something else to make things even, but she won't cooperate and give me hints. I got a present from Mom and Dad in the mail yesterday. It came gift wrapped from walmart.com. Walmart is pretty handy for things like that.

Bo Bice's cd comes out Tuesday. I plan to buy it. I hope it's good. You never know how those things turn out.

Delivery

I got my dining room furniture today. I had to put the table together myself. The delivery boys aren't allowed to assemble them. They said that mine was the third or fourth table today that had to be assembled which was unusual they said because the warehouse usually has them assembled already. So, I put the table together and I think I need to tighten something. The top turns a bit and I don't think it's supposed to. Mom and Dad are coming over tomorrow for a visit, so I will have Dad check it out.

So, we didn't get any snow here at all last night. Yay! But we did have some ice. I had some ice on the driveway. So, I decided to park my car at the main road again and walk up tonight. By the time I got up to the house, I saw that the ice had melted off the driveway, even though the temperature didn't get above freezing all day.

I'm supposed to get my furniture delivered tomorrow between 3 and 6 pm. I can't wait for it to get here. I have some cleaning to do tomorrow.

I'm glad the weekend is here. I have serious day off-itis. It will last until February or March.

I have many, many pets now on the Petz game. My dog had three puppies, and my cat had four kittens not too long ago. I now have 16 pets.

Snow

Well, it looks like we might get some measurable snow here tomorrow night into Friday. I may have to shovel the driveway so I can get my furniture on Saturday.

I went to the store tonight just in case we did get a lot of snow. Hopefully we won't get much.

More on the Buffet

I took a closer look at the dimensions of my furniture I bought. I don't think the buffet is going to fit in the dining room. I could make it fit, but let's just say it's a good thing I've lost all this weight. Otherwise I might not be able to fit between the buffet and the corner of the hallway. I'm still glad I got it, even if I have to put it in another room.

I made Nestle Toll House Pan Cookies tonight. I had two eggs I needed to use before they expired. I think I'll have to take a few to work and freeze much of the rest of them.

I saw INXS on tv tonight. They were on VH1. I think JD was nervous. The cd is good. I'm hoping I'll like more of the songs the more times I play the cd. Right now, I'm watching the Randy Travis concert on the local PBS station. They are having a fund drive.

Shopping

Mom and I went to P-Burg again today to shop for a dining room table/chairs and buffet/hutch for me. The day started out decent enough. I dropped my car off at the mechanic so my back right tire/brake could be fixed. They said they could get to it after 1pm today. Then Mom and I went to P-burg. I drove her car. By the time I got there, I was feeling like I was going to throw up. I don't know if it was a virus or a reaction to the Lutein I had taken this morning, but I was not feeling well at all. We stopped at McDonalds and I got something to eat, hoping that would make me feel better. It didn't. I nearly threw up in Big Sandy. But I continued on because I was not going to waste the trip. I picked out a dining set at Big Sandy but didn't want to make a final decision without checking out Value City Furniture as well. So, Mom and I went there. There was only one real possibility there and it was purposefully distressed. It looked stupid. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I want something that looks new. So, we went back to Big Sandy and I bought a dining room table, chairs, buffet and hutch. It's cherry finish and seats 4 people. It's going to be delivered on Saturday. I told mom and dad that we can now have Christmas dinner at my house, provided it doesn't snow. I told them I didn't know if I would let them eat at the table, given the amount of money I paid for it. LOL!

The car finally got finished at 4:45pm. I had to spend the whole afternoon at my parents' house waiting for it. But I did take a nap or two so the day wasn't a total loss.

Movies and Cooking

A lot of my day was spent working here at home. I cooked a turkey for Steffi, cooked some chicken for me, froze some of the cake I baked yesterday. I did some laundry. Worked out this morning. I'll have to post those totals later. The highlight of my day, I think, was when I watched the dvd Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I thought it was a pretty good movie. Too much action and not enough character development, but it was still a good show. I didn't like the ending all that much. We don't know how exactly they got their respective employers to stop trying to kill them. Hopefully, there will be a sequel and we'll find that part out. My favorite line from the movie was something like "I told you I saw your dad on Fantasy Island."

I'm watching the local news right now. They are reporting on the controversy of calling a Christmas Tree a Christmas Tree rather than a Holiday Tree. They interviewed one customer buying a Christmas tree and she said "We're turning into a country of pacifists. We're trying to pacify everybody." Heaven forbid we have peace at Christmas. Sometimes you just can't make these things up.

Tomorrow, if we don't get any snow accumulation, Mom and I may go back to P-Burg for the dining room table and chairs. Dad has to take my car to the mechanic to get my back brakes fixed and Mom has to get her prescriptions taken care of first. I hope I can find a table and chairs I like on this trip and actually buy them. I'm taking my checkbook with me just in case.

Shopping

Today was a pretty good shopping day. The one disappointment was that I didn't have my checkbook with me. It turns out the dining room table and chairs are probably going to cost me more than my credit card limit. I could get cheaper stuff, but if it's going to last me for 30 years like mom and dad's have lasted them, then I need to pay for a good set. Anyway, I got a couple of things I needed, found a new Diana Palmer book, got a Christmas present for Dad, ate lunch at Ponderosa (waiter guy watched me the whole time. Mom said he dropped the coffee cup because he was watching me instead of the cup and the table - LOL).

After shopping with Mom, I went to the grocery store and Walmart. At walmart I found another Christmas gift for Mom and Dad. They had a sale on chocolate chips at Krogers - a dollar a bag. I stocked up.

Dad was saying today that he needed to start working out. I hope he does. He needs to get healthier.

I got the electric bill today for the first cold month I've had in the house without Dad here burning the wood stove for heat. Using electric only, the bill is $110.00. That's about 35.00 more than what Dad would pay if he was burning the wood stove for heat. So, I don't think it's too bad. I know some people pay a lot more in electric.

Tomorrow Mom and I are going shopping in P-Burg. I don't know what we will buy, but I think Mom mainly just wants to get out without dad and look at stuff. Dad is a typical man who rushes through the store and doesn't stop to look at anything. It's a good thing my credit card payment has hit the card. I might buy a dining room table and chairs set if I can find one I like and have it delivered. I'm very picky though, so I doubt I'll buy one tomorrow.

I'm back down to 125 pounds after a two week feeding frenzy. I seriously went off the diet and exercise program there for a while. Hopefully I can get back on track and stay there. I think it's going to help to work out before work in the mornings.

I bought the dvd "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" the other night. I've only managed to watch the trailers and deleted scenes so far. But I think it's going to be good. I don't know when I'll watch it. I have a bad habit of not watching things I record and even though I bought the Van Helsing movie, I haven't watched it. I did see it at the theater. The ending wasn't the greatest for a person who reads romance novels.

Jennifer Garner had her baby. She had a little girl and reports say Garner has named her Violet. The kid will be one of the most beautiful people on earth with those two parents she's got. Hopefully, Violet will get plenty of WV hospitality and down-home sensibility as she grows up.

Treadmill Report

44 minutes, 20 seconds; 2.34 miles; 300 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

36 minutes, 28 seconds; 1.93 miles, 248 calories burned.

I have changed my routine and I now work out right when I get out of bed in the mornings on work days. I am working the 8:30 to 4:30 hours now and I decided to keep getting up at the same time and just do the treadmill in the mornings. I think it's going to work out well. I will have plenty of time to work out for a full episode of Alias (about 43 minutes).

Treadmill Report

99 minutes, 06 seconds; 5.09 miles; 655 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

I know it seems like I've forgotten the treadmill, but I haven't.

Friday, November 25, 2005: 42 minutes, 43 seconds; 1.71 miles; 220 calories burned.

Today: 152 minutes, 14 seconds; 7.90 miles; 1016 calories burned.

Turkey Day and Beyond

Yesterday I went to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving. I brought them home-made cranberry sauce, home-made noodles, and a home-made berry cobbler. Dinner was good. I ate too much and my diet and exercise program is definitely on a hiatus. My sister and her kids were there. They came up from Florida. Jasmine was excited by the snow. Timmy (aka Buddha) is still a speechless baby. He eats a lot. My sister said "I heard Miranda's voice but didn't see her" alluding to my weightloss. LOL! Brought home leftovers and made a chocolate cake when I got home for my dessert. It's a low-fat cake though.

Today, I put up the Christmas tree. I was going to wait until Jasmine went back to Florida, but I didn't know when I was going to get time to do it after she left. I dyed my hair today (still not happy with the results) and tried to make a curtain out of old blue jeans. It's still a work in progress. But I didn't do so bad for not having a work surface or a sewing machine, or a measuring tape. I also washed the slip covers for the couch and chair and watched UFO Files on the History channel for much of the day and the 2004 Skin Games (golf) for the other half.

Dad called the guys who do our mechanic work to see if they could work on my car, but he didn't get any answer. I guess they are taking the day off for deer hunting. Dad thinks some kind of brake cylinder is leaking and that's what's causing my trouble.

The one thing I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving: I just found out that in England, you have to pay big money for a license to watch tv. Thank goodness Americans aren't that greedy yet. Sony/BMG is the closest by putting that stupid spyware software on your computers without your knowledge. But they are getting sued and I hope they suffer greatly for that. I guess I'll have to bring in a cd player to work so I can listen to cds since I can't be sure any of them will be safe for the computer.

I got my credit card bill in the mail today. Unfortunately, it still doesn't have all my charges on it. I have to remember to stop charging after the 17th of the month so I can finally get off the credit card merry-go-round. I called the 1-800 number today and I have an available balance of $332.00. That's the least I've ever had available on my credit card. I've spent a lot these last couple of months. My mom and I are going shopping in P-Burg next weekend. Hopefully the credit card people will have processed my payment by then. I'm hoping to look around for a dining room table and chairs.

Pre -Turkey Day Post

So, this week has been one long week. But finally, work is done for the week and I can enjoy 4 days off. My car is acting up. Dad put studded tires on it this weekend, but since Monday, the right rear tire has been skidding. It's like it's locking up or something. Dad's going to look at it tomorrow. It only does this when I brake firmly. So, I just have to brake gently and allow for plenty of stopping space. But it's aggravating. I'm almost afraid to back out of my driveway. I have to back down a hill, make a turn, then continue backing up another hill just so I can point my car down the driveway and make it to the road. When I make that turn while backing out, the tire skids and my "low trac" light comes on. It's kind of scary, but I know nothing really bad is happening. I can still stop the car. But I really want it fixed.

I made cranberry sauce for the Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow. We are having dinner at Mom and Dad's new house and my sister and the kids will be there. I'm also bringing home made noodles and a 'mystery' dessert. I want that to be a surprise for my parents. Today it was snowing when I got off work and the ground was white so I parked my car at the road and walked all the way up to the house (about a quarter of a mile).

I'm watching golf right now, but the announce people are getting on my nerves. So, I might surf the channels to see what else is on.

Something Else to Talk About

Finally, WV can be known for someone other than Jack Whittaker. Here's a story about a very successful jewel thief who is a WV native.

Treadmill Report

161 minutes, 23 seconds; 8.21 miles; 1055 calories burned.

Completely Off the Diet

Well, I went off the diet in a big way today. I made something called a Mexican Bundt Cake today. It's a chocolate devil's food cake with cinnamon and orange juice added. It's topped with a drizzle frosting also flavored with orange juice and orange zest. The cake has a half a cup of oil in it and I had more than one piece tonight. It's a very good cake. But it is absolutely not on the diet. So, I will be working out some tomorrow and hopefully I won't gain too much weight while I eat the rest of the cake this week.

Uneventful

I've had a pretty uneventful few days. The potluck lunch on Thursday was pretty good. I actually ate real food. It's gotten cold here, down to 18 degrees. I hate winter. I have a new electric pole. The old one was cracked and bent thanks to an ice storm a few years ago. I was worried it might snap in two this winter so Dad called the power company and had them come out to replace it. The outside cats keep wanting to come into the house. I guess because it's so cold out there. They have beds all over the place out there that they can sleep in. I've been playing with my Petz program. I had a cat there to have kittens, two boys. And now my chihuahua is going to have puppies. Not steffi and fritz, but the computer dog. I've picked out a name for one of the puppies: Vilamoura. It's in Portugal and Sergio Garcia is playing there this week.

Tomorrow I'm going shopping. I'm thinking of buying some boots to go with bootcut pants that I wear to work. And I have to buy some food to get ready for the Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house. I'm making the cranberry sauce and the noodles. I might make dessert too. I have a recipe for a chocolate-mexican type cake that I got from a magazine that I want to try.

Last night I watched Alias and the previews for the next episode are incredible for the simple fact that Rachel meets Sark! Talk about a shock. I can't wait to see it. And Sloane has really disappointed me. But truly, the sneaky side of me thinks Sloane is playing the Prophet 5 people and he will come out on top. He is a lot smarter than the way he's been acting this season. Jack is doing great and last night it was really cute to see him putting together Sydney's crib for the baby. And I love the humor in the show. They've written it to be a lot more funny this season. Probably because it looks like this will be the last season. Hopefully, Alias will continue with either tv movies or films and hopefully Balthazar Getty and Rachel Nichols will be in there.

Well, I didn't work out tonight. We are having a Thanksgiving Pot Luck Lunch tomorrow at work and I had to make no-bake cookies.

Mom and I have made tentative plans to go shopping one day in December. It seems my niece has hinted for a gift that can be found in P-Burg.

The News About Eddie Guerrero

I was very saddened to hear the news of Eddie Guerrero's death. I was a fan of his and his entire family. He was a talent and a phenomenal wrestler with great moves and great personality. I've posted a news article below.

Wrestling fans pay homage to Eddie Guerrero

By Sean L. McCarthy
Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - Updated: 11:05 AM EST

Fans from around the world are mourning the death of World Wrestling Entertainment star Eduardo “Eddie” Guerrero.
WWE champ and West Newbury native John Cena told the crowd during last night’s episode of “Monday Night Raw” that “Eddie was a man of faith, but selfishly, we’ll all miss him.”
USA Network’s “Raw” and UPN’s “Friday Night SmackDown” both pay tribute to the 38-year-old Guerrero, who was found dead in his Minneapolis hotel room Sunday morning before the taping of both shows.
His cause of death remains unknown. A private funeral is planned for Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz., where Guerrero recently moved with his wife and three daughters.
Born into a wrestling family from El Paso, Guerrero became the WWE’s first Mexican-American champ and won over fans with his winning smile even as he performed as a “heel” who worked under the motto of “lie, cheat and steal.”
Fans from Mexico, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and even New Zealand posted to online sites yesterday to honor him.
Last night’s “Raw” on USA included video clips of Guerrero and interviews with wrestlers. “Friday Night SmackDown” on UPN (Ch. 38) will include an appearance by Guerrero’s trademark low-rider car and a bout featuring his nephew, Chavo.
The younger Guerrero said his uncle was celebrating four years of sobriety this week and inspired fans with his recovery.
UPN aired a special last year on Guerrero’s tumultuous life titled, “Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story.”

Treadmill Report

48 minutes, 45 seconds; 2.61 miles; 335 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

54 minutes, 25 seconds; 2.92 miles; 376 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

Saturday's Report: 101 minutes, 10 seconds; 5.17 miles; 664 calories burned.

Today: 144 minutes, 49 seconds; 7.36 miles; 947 calories burned.

Cooking Urge

I had an urge to cook today. I think it's the orange vanilla candle I have melting on the candle warmer in the house. But I made biscuits tonight and a cake. The cake is low fat. I substituted applesauce for most of the oil/butter and used fat free egg beaters instead of real eggs. I also used orange extract instead of vanilla, again thanks to the candle. I made a drizzle frosting for the cake, also orange flavored, out of powdered sugar and water - no fat in there. The trick will be to not eat the whole thing tonight. It was made in a loaf pan and is probably half of a recipe. I guessed at the measurements.

Alias

Well, I put the game on the pc and played with it last night. It's very frustrating because it doesn't tell you how to operate the game. It gives you a few instructions, but basically, it doesn't really help you at all. You'd think they could have a help button on there to tell you what to do for those people who don't have the patience or desire to sit there for hours trying to figure all this stuff out.

Anyway, I am up to disc 5 of Season One while working out on the treadmill. I just finished episode 14 this morning. I'll post a treadmill report later when I'm sure I'm done for the day. I think I'll probably get back on there for another episode today.

This past week's episode of Alias, Solo, was a good episode. Very funny and entertaining. I just wonder how long Sloane will put up with being someone else's puppet. I'd say in the next couple of weeks he will snap and Gordon Dean will suffer. At least I hope he suffers. I don't like him at all. And the new chick on the show, character's name is Rachel Gibson, is great. She brings a lot of humor to the show and I can't wait to see what develops between her and Tom Grace. He's cool too. I like him much better than Vaughn. Not that Vaughn didn't serve a purpose on the show, but Boyscout really was a good call sign for Vaughn. I miss Weiss though. How can a man who gets caught on every field assignment get a job heading White House security?

Today

Today started out with a visit to mom and dad's house. I hooked up their dvd/vcr combo thing to their tv and satellite receiver. Then I installed the cats and dogs computer game onto one of their pc's. Visited for a bit and then went on to do my shopping. I shopped a bit at Dollar General, dropped off some mail at the post office, and then decided it was time for lunch. My parents would be very pleased to know that I actually ate real food today instead of sticking to my diet. I ate at Ponderosa. I had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, a hot roll with butter, a bowl of cheesy potato soup, a bowl of taco salad, and a small bowl of ice cream. After that, I went to Walmart and bought another pair of pants and a couple of sweaters. I also bought a storage bin to store a bunch of summer clothes and all my old jeans in. Someday, I plan to use the jean material for place mats or rugs, or some other creative project, but right now, they are in the box. The pants I bought are supposed to be the same size and style as my favorite pants, just not cords. Strangely though, when I put them on, they are looser than my favorite pants. I think I'm done buying tops for a while. But I would like to lose more of my evil belly so I can buy more pants later. I told mom today that I would be a size 2 if it wasn't for my belly. My waist is already there thanks to the crunches I do every day. After Walmart I went to Krogers to buy some groceries then went home.

Once at home, I let the dogs out for a bit and walked outside while they were running around. I didn't get on the treadmill today. I probably will tomorrow. Tonight I made spaghetti sauce to freeze so I can have individual spaghetti in the evenings after work once I am completely done with the weightloss plan. I ate a little bit of spaghetti tonight just because I always have to try what I've cooked if it's something I'll eat.

Hopefully, this weekend I will get around to installing the Alias game on the computer and playing with it. I need to put Flight Simulator on here too. I'm just not much of a gamer. I do bring the cats and dogs out every night on my catz/dogz game. But that's because the game says my cats and dogs will run away if I don't play with and feed them every day.

Walmarting

I went to Walmart tonight and bought a new pair of blue jeans. Are you ready for this? They are a size 4 and they are loose fitting. These manufacturers have got to review these dress sizes.

I don't think Walmart carries any pants smaller than this, so I might be looking at the end of the weightloss saga. I still have a belly though. I think dress pants are sized more conservatively, so I might be able to lose just a little bit more of the belly.

How Much to Eat

I found a website today that calculates how much you can eat to maintain, lose or gain weight based on your height, weight and activity level. If I wanted to maintain a weight of 125 pounds and stop working out, I would have to eat approximately 1596 calories a day. If I wanted to maintain a weight of 125 pounds and work out 3 to 4 times a week, I could eat 1900 calories a day.

Well, gotta go feed the dogs before the thunderstorms get here and knock out the electric.

Treadmill Report

44 minutes, 40 seconds; 2.37 miles; 304 calories burned.

I now weigh 125 pounds. That's a loss of 6 pounds in the last month.

Treadmill Report

Fritz is having a nervous breakdown because of the thunderstorms so I couldn't do the whole 45 minutes tonight.

27 minutes, 16 seconds; 1.42 miles; 182 calories burned.

What's Up with Me

Well, I've had a cold the since Friday, but I'm doing better now. Good enough to get back on the treadmill. I got the Alias PC game and the Petz5 game today in the mail. I'm so excited about the petz game. There's a pig in it. I love pigs. I haven't played the alias game yet. It requires more thought and concentration. And I don't have that to spare tonight. This is the first weekday I've had satellite for a couple of weeks or more.

Hello Old Friend

Back on the treadmill today after three days of a cold.

2.4 miles; 44.43 minutes; 309 calories burned.

Satellite News

I have satellite tv again! Yay!! And for some reason I have the soap opera channel when I shouldn't. Oh well.

Treadmill Report

Yesterday: 9.06 minutes; .5 miles; 64 calories burned.
(walking in place during the Nova episode on PBS: 35 minutes)

Today: 31 minutes, 51 seconds; 1.68 miles; 217 calories burned.

Anti-Spam........ Not

Norton Internet Security once again sucks. The anti-spam program that comes with it has labeled all the email I subscribe to as Spam, but all the viagra email gets through no problem. I turned this off too.

Treadmill Interruptus

Well, I was on the treadmill when my parents showed up. Dad yelled at me until I had to get off of it. He kept yelling about how I was skinny enough. Blah, Blah, Blah. You'd think "moving out" would mean something to him. This just means I'll have to work out more this weekend. I am still determined to work out and lose just a little bit more weight. They need to worry more about their own lives.

Treadmill Report

46 minutes, 08 seconds; 2.49 miles; 320 calories burned.

I also walked outside for probably an hour today.

Treadmill Report

91 minutes, 10 seconds; 4.74 miles; 609 calories burned.

What's up with me

Friday: I had to stay late at work. Someone wanted an explanation of our accounting system. She still doesn't understand it all so I'll have to meet with her again I think. I had wanted to go to the bank Friday after work, but since I got out late, I couldn't. I'll have to wait probably another week before I can go. I may run out of cash by then.

Saturday: Went shopping. Bought a sweater jacket, a shirt, some socks, a printer for my computer, and a bunch of other stuff. Came home and cleaned some around the house, moved some furniture so I could hook up the printer. A leaf came off some vine-like plant Polly gave me, so I planted the leaf in some dirt to see if it will grow. I don't really have luck doing that. I tried with a leaf from my African Violet and it died. But we'll see what happens. Last night I downloaded some updates for the Norton Internet Security program that came with my computer. Well, my computer is so secure now that the only way I can actually do anything on the internet or get my email is if I turn the Norton thing off. So, it's off. Good thing that was free. I watched the first Tomb Raider movie last night. Getting ready for the next Bond movie since the new Bond played Alex West.

Sunday: So far I have cleaned the carpet in the dining room, worked out on the treadmill, washed up a couple of dishes, taken the dogs for a walk. There are some other things I'd like to do before going back to work. But luckily I have Monday off too (I took that day off) so maybe I'll get more done tomorrow.

Observation: my right ankle has been bothering me this weekend. I can't stand on my toes without it hurting. This is the foot that suffered a broken bone a few years back. I think the height of the heels on my shoes is what's causing the problem. I'll have to switch to the flats for a while and see what happens.

Treadmill Report

46 minutes, 15 seconds; 2.48 miles; 319 calories burned.

So Much For Plans

I had planned to get on the treadmill tonight after work, but mom and dad were here when I got home. They were getting mom's computer and the computer desk and another storage cabinet to take to their new place. So I ended up helping dad load and unload the furniture instead of working out.

I did get Season 4 Alias on dvd today in the mail. I've already checked out the bonus features. This dvd rom thing is pretty handy.

And I got another telemarketer call tonight. I think I'll have to just let the answering machine get all the calls. I've named my answering machine Sergio after Sergio Garcia, the golfer. So, if I talk about Sergio taking messages for me, you'll know who it is.

Let's Talk About Computer Manners

It is very rude to send someone a huge attachment when they are on a dial up connection. It blocks the email program and you can't turn it off without having to deal with the huge attachment later on. People should be asked before someone sends them something that could inconvenience them this way.

Dish Saga Continues

Well, I called the 1-800 number and talked to a sales person named Tim. He sounded cute and really nice and friendly and helpful. Which is why he talked me into the 18 month lease/contract thing that I absolutely didn't want. But at least it's done. It is supposed to be installed on November 5th. I hope they can find my house. I will stay by my phone in case they call looking for better instructions.

Now I can get back to the week day workouts and come home after work every day instead of traipsing around town looking for a satellite. The dogs will like me being home sooner too.

Bless the Weatherman

He finally said something I like. He said he thought this winter we would have a snowier, but warmer winter than usual and that we would find it hard to keep snow on the ground for more than a day. Bless him. I hope he's right.

Dish Scam

So, I went to a local dealer in the Dish Network business today. They explained to me that I could buy the receiver and antenna instead of doing the free equipment with an 18 month commitment. But, I have to contract with them for one year's worth of programming and if I cancel during that year, then I have to not only pay the rest of the programming charges for that year, but I also have to forfeit the satellite dish I bought. I can understand paying the rest of the year's worth of programming fees, but giving back something I bought and that I have ownership of is ridiculous and just plain punitive. And I'm betting it's illegal. That's like buying a new GM vehicle and canceling the onstar service before your year's commitment is up. The local car dealership would not seize your $30,000 car because you canceled the onstar service. I'm gonna call the 1-800 number and see what scam the Dish Network people will try to con me into if I buy from them direct.

By the Way

Scarlett and Riambra need to send me email so I can get their addresses in my new email address book :)

Back on the Web

Well, I got my new phone number today. So, I'm back on the web. Going to all the websites I went to on mom's pc is a different experience. Everything looks so different on this new pc. But at least I'm here. Yay!! Unfortunately, I still don't have a satellite dish. I'm getting very frustrated about the dish issue. You would think dad would have told me about three weeks in advance that he was going to take it on a certain day so I would have the time to either find a store in town who would sell me a dish or to order it direct from the company. But no, just like the man he is, he just up and took it.

Yesterday, I downloaded the software for my digital camera on my new pc and got some pictures of deer that were grazing in the back yard.

Back on the Treadmill

Sunday, Oct. 23rd: 72 minutes, 10 seconds; 3.73 miles; 479 calories burned.

Today: 44 minutes, 21 seconds; 2.36 miles; 303 calories burned.

More on the PC

I had some time tonight to check out more about my computer. I found Microsoft Works on there so I don't have to install it. I don't know why they gave me a cd of it if it's already on the computer. Must be a tech geek thing. My computer plays dvds, which is exciting. I set up a workout spreadsheet on the new pc since I don't have corel software on there. And I saved a bunch of pictures from cd's onto my new computer. John at work asked me what my processor was and a bunch of other stuff and I just said "I don't know John. It's number, number, number, dot, number, number something". He likes it when I get all technical. LOL! I also asked John about the phone situation and he said I could either get a different modem (not likely) or find a phone accessory that would give me the extra plug in thing for the phone.

Mom and Dad went to a couple of places today to check into Dish Network for me. One place would only do the free equipment with an 18 month contract thing and the other place would sell equipment but the owner was so busy mom said I might have to actually make an appointment to see her. HAH! I found out that Sears and another place in town also do Dish Network, so I think I might stop by them tomorrow after work and find out more. I was tempted to just order it online, but I think I'd be better off talking to a live person.

I haven't called to get set up with internet service on my pc yet. I might do that this weekend. If I do that during the day, then I might get a different tech geek who won't be so slow.

ABC sitcoms are much funnier than NBC.

Well, I bought a computer today. It's a Compaq. I think I might have a bit of a problem however. With mom's computer there is a place to plug in the phone line and a place to plug in the phone so that you can use the phone and the computer from one phone cord and one jack. But I don't think my computer has the option of plugging in the phone. I will have to investigate further or set up the computer with easy access so I can plug and unplug the phone line constantly. Mayber there's a phone accessory I can get to make this easier. A jack with two plug-thingys or something. I did get a semi-good deal on the computer. It was originally $592 and I got it for $395. The box had been wet and some of the instructions were destroyed, but I managed to get it all hooked up.

The one thing I am missing is Wordperfect software. I think we got that from my brother in law. I don't know if he left the disk with us or if he kept it. I will have to ask mom if she has a copy. The new computer came with Works so I will have something as soon as I install it.

I tried to sign up for Citynet internet service tonight but the guy on the phone (His name is Chad) was just too confused about the idea of mom, the phone number and the computer moving to a new house. Then we got disconnected. So, I figured it was God's way of saying "Miranda, wait until you get your own phone number and then call them. They are tech geeks, don't expect too much from them." And you could tell he was bored with his job. He ran through the questions at lightning speed as if everyone could understand all the words when they are run together that way. Sure, he may have said the same thing hundreds of times before, but this was the first time I heard the speech so he should have spoken a bit clearer.

Dad took the satellite dish today. So, I'm stuck watching the Biggest Loser right now. At least I have the antenna for local channels and I have dvds. But Mom and Dad are supposed to get me a dish to replace the one they took and I'll probably have to help them hook it up tomorrow. This show is interesting. I applaud the weightloss aspect, but you can tell that it's true that if you lose weight too fast, then you have skin hanging on you that won't shrink back.

Treadmill Report

1.95 miles; 36 minutes, 37 seconds; 251 calories burned.

Today

Well, Mom and Dad have moved into their new house. We spent the last two days moving a bunch of stuff in there. In fact, today I was so busy I didn't get to work out on the treadmill. But I carried a bunch of stuff and was on the move most of the day so I did get exercise. Soon I will be without phone and internet and possibly even sooner, I will be without the satellite dish. So, reports may be few for the next couple of weeks.

I'm off to get some vital information. When Martha is on the local channels since I won't have the dish. Instructions for getting internet service for when I have to sign up for my own service. And Dish Network info that I might need if I have to get my own dish.

Treadmill Report (Belated)

Saturday's result:
80 minutes, 30 seconds; 4.18 miles; 537 calories burned.

Finally!

I have returned to the treadmill. 37 minutes, 57 seconds; 2.06 miles; 265 calories burned.

Well, I haven't worked out since Monday. Yesterday, I got home and there was a bull dozer in the yard, but no people. No parents and no septic tank people. So, I had no idea what was going on and figured I'd better not start working out only to have to stop when someone showed up pounding on the door. But no one did show up. Today, the septic tank people were here working so I figured I'd better not get all sweaty and dirty working out if they were going to have to do something about the water. But they left at 4:30 pm. I don't know what they did or didn't do but when I looked out the window, they were digging a hole. So, tomorrow I think I'm going to go shopping since Alias is on at 8pm and I won't want to work out anyway. I have to buy a bunch of stuff for the house since my parents are getting closer to moving into their new place. And Walmart has some new clothes in I might check out.

Treadmill Report

68 minutes, 43 seconds; 3.69 miles; 475 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

84 minutes, 58 seconds; 4.61 miles; 593 calories burned.

Back On the Treadmill

83 minutes, 7 seconds; 4.46 miles; 574 calories burned.

If It Weren't For Bad Luck........

Today was planned as a shopping day. I woke up to find it was raining. Strike #1. I got ready and got in my car and started down the driveway, only to encounter a tree across the driveway. Strike #2. Dad cleared that tree away and I started off again. Made the sharp turn in the driveway only to find another tree in my way. Strike #3. I got out of the car and cleared some of it away, but couldn't get the bigger stuff. And I got dirty to boot. So, I called Dad on the cell phone and made him come down to get this tree out of the way too. An hour after I first left the house, I finally made it out of the driveway. I was convinced that God did not want me to spend money today and was placing these obstacles in my way to prevent me from shopping. But wait, it gets better. I hit town and decided to stop at the gas station to fill up. It was packed. Consider that strike #4. So, I continued on to the bank, planning to stop at another gas station on the way. It was packed. We're now up to #5. From the bank on, the rain was the biggest challenge. And the old people driving around looking for farmers' markets to crash into. I think the last big disappointment of the day was when I didn't find many clothes to buy. I only bought one shirt. And, at Walmart, one of the silicone pot holders I wanted to buy got sucked under the conveyor belt and no one could find it. That was another little communique from God.

Four Days Off. Alias Tonight. Shopping Tomorrow. Golf This Weekend. Sounds Wonderful To Me :)

I just have a comment on this:

From the New York Post:

PREGNANT GOOF BY MARTHA FOR someone trying to improve her image, Martha Stewart just made a bad boo-boo. The domestic diva is having a baby shower-themed show for actress Jennifer Garner today complete with an audience of expectant mothers. The problem is, her staffers invited more mommies-to-be than they could accommodate. Loads of the infanticipating women were disappointed when they got calls yesterday afternoon telling them they were being dis-invited, due to "high turnout." While they were offered tickets to a future show, one future mom told PAGE SIX, "All ticket holders are pregnant and having babies soon, so another show is not practical." The urbanbaby.com message boards were buzzing with threats to boycott Stewart's products. "I turned down tickets to go to synagogue for Jewish high holidays for this taping," said one. "I've been subscribing to her magazine for more than 10 years, so this really stings," wrote another. After calls from The Post, Stewart's staff reinvited many of the women to watch the show from the green room. A rep for Stewart said, "This was an unfortunate incident. Thanks to PAGE SIX for bringing it to our attention."

Here are my comments: The woman who gave up tickets to the religious celebration: You've disappointed God and your child. I think you should spend more time at that synagogue learning the importance of religion. And the other pregnant woman: sounds like she just wanted the freebies and wasn't a fan of Martha's show, so Martha's better off without her.

Septic Tank Search

Well, they found what was used for the septic tank today. I won't go into details but suffice it to say, if Dad and I had dug just a little deeper on Sunday, we would have found it. So, it's good to know we were on the right track, but even better that I don't have to dig any more. My arms killed me for two days after all that digging. That only proves that even if you work out everyday, you are not in shape. You're just in shape for whatever exercise you're doing. Cross training is not such a bad idea. So, it looks like we will be getting a new septic tank sometime within the next week. Yay!
******************
Also, my uncle from Indiana will be in this weekend, and whether he knows it or not, he will be moving a lot of the heavy furniture from this house into Mom and Dad's new house. What a way to spend a vacation. So, I will be shopping on Friday for the things I will need when the parents move to their new house. It will be nice to finally buy some things off the list I keep writing. I think I've written that list 4 times now.

And I will probably buy some more clothes to wear to work, even though I'm not quite finished losing weight. My supervisor found out today that no matter how freezing cold we are, no one will change the thermostat. So, I need sweaters or jackets or something. Definitely no skirts.

For Janet :)

Janet, a new reader of my blog, has requested more information on my diet and exercise plan. So, I will post the whole shebang below. To answer some of her questions: I don't know how much weight I've lost because for years and years, I never weighed myself so I didn't have a starting point. I honestly didn't think I would lose weight this time when I started working out earlier this year. I mainly started working out because Polly and Scarlett, my friends from work, were partcipating in their office's health fair stuff, and I thought I would work out too. And then when my jeans started getting looser I just decided that this was not something to squander away so I really dedicated myself to following through with it. Chances to actually lose weight come so rarely to me that I was taking full advantage. I can say that I started out a size 14 and now I'm pretty much a size 4. I may have to go to a size 2 to be totally happy (aka to get rid of my fat belly, which I still have even though I am an unbelievable size 4). As of Monday, I weighed 131 pounds at 5ft. 2 inches. So, I've lost 5 dress sizes since early June.

Many other times I've tried to lose weight through exercise and diet and for some reason it just didn't work. I tried measuring my workouts on the treadmill by distance and time with no results. So, this time, after reading the statistic that there are 3500 calories in one pound, I decided to measure my treadmill workouts by calories burned, since my treadmill counts that. I aim for 300 calories a day on the treadmill. I also read on the internet that there is carryover calorie burn that occurs after you stop working out. That, if you burn 300 calories in your workout, then for the next hour, you'll burn 150 calories, and the hour after that 75 calories. It diminishes by half each hour after your workout ends. I really think measuring calories burned is what did it for me.

As for the diet - I'm a very picky eater. Which means, the only vegetable I eat is a potato. Unfortunately, I've banned potatoes and white bread from my diet. So, my diet is very restrictive and tailored mainly for me. But it's basically the Slimfast plan. I try to eat something every 2 or 3 hours to keep my metabolism up. And I think I added up the calories one day and it's about 1200 to 1400 calories per day. I think. I really believe that you could subsitute Healthy Choice dinners for the Slim Fast stuff and still do this diet. There's no magic in Slim Fast. It's my choice because it has chocolate and sugar in it.

I also keep a spreadsheet that logs my workout stats: distance, time, calories burned. As of today, I've walked a total of 233.66 miles, burned 30,051 calories and walked off 8.59 pounds based on just what the treadmill has calculated. I know I've lost more than 8.59 pounds thanks to the diet, the carryover calorie burn and the extra outside walking I do that isn't included in the stats. I find that when I reach 2 pounds or so with the treadmill stats, then I've lost a dress size.

I caution anyone reading this to check with your doctor before starting any diet and exercise plan. I know if I went to the doctor, he or she would have a heart attack to see this kind of diet. What, no vegetables? LOL!

So, here's the plan in a nutshell:

I mainly just do the treadmill 5 or 6 days a week. I aim to burn 300 calories a day on the treadmill. It takes me about 40 to 45 minutes. On my days off, I switch to weekend warrior mode and double the workouts. And of course there's the slimfast diet. Here's what a typical day looks like:

5:05 AM - 5:30 AM - Pilates workout and 4 pound weights. This is mainly just on work days. Days off I sleep in until about 7:30am and skip this workout.

6AM: Slimfast meal on the go bar, 8 ounces 2%milk, One lunchbox snack-size container of applesauce. Weightsmart Multi-vitamin and 1000 mg of Vitamin C (I take the vitamin C because I believe it might help prevent colds, not so much for diet purposes. Although studies have shown that it revves up the metabolism.)

10:30AM - 4 Reduced fat Triscuits, water

12:30PM - Slimfast meal on the go bar, water

3:45 PM - 5 Reduced Fat Triscuits or a Special K cereal bar, water (I eat right before leaving work because as soon as I get home, I get on the treadmill. I can't work out if I'm hungry so I eat a little something first.)

4:30PM - Treadmill, water

5:15PM - Lean Pocket or homemade dinner*, water

7:00PM - Small bowl of low fat ice cream (Krogers has FMW half gallons for $0.99 each)

8:00PM - 6 Reduced Fat triscuits w/low fat melted cheese, water

9:30PM - one lunchbox snack-size container of mandarin oranges

10:00PM - Bed.

Sometimes I change the evening snacking to low fat popcorn or an 8oz glass of chocolate milk. I try to stay away from the popcorn though because people say your body doesn't break it down well - I don't know if it's an old wives tale but it doesn't hurt to listen to it and vary my snacking options.

* right now dinner is shredded baked chicken and low fat shredded cheese melted between two corn tortillas, but it could be Barilla whole grain pasta (the kind with the omega 3 added in) with low fat italian dressing or spaghetti sauce, or healthy choice dinners. On the weekends, I sometimes switch and eat the dinner for lunch and the slimfast bar for supper. When I'm at home, I tend to munch more so if I put more calories (and more non-sugar calories) in the middle of the day, it might keep me from munching during the day.

Sprinkled throughout the day is the munching of Gobstoppers hard candy or Sweetarts. This doesn't mean a whole box full of candy in one day, however. I get by on one piece now and then.

On the weekends and days off, I try to do more than 300 calories on the treadmill.

And while I drink water with everything - I don't think I get the 8- 8oz glasses a day like they say you're supposed to have. I drink about a liter at work every day and a couple of 8 ounce glasses at home. I do drink caffeine free diet soda on the weekends, but I also try to get in some water if I'm working out.

So, that's what's helping me lose the weight. I hope Janet and anyone else who's interested also have success in their weight loss no matter what plan they decide to use :)

Jennifer on Martha

Jennifer Garner was adorable on Martha's daily show. She really is a big fan of Martha Stewart and apparently has the distinction of being the very first subscriber to the Martha Stewart Living magazine. What would the odds be of that happening? You guys should really check out Martha's show. I didn't think I'd be interested in the Baby Day theme of today's show, but there were some really good ideas and interesting guests. And Martha is doing a really good job of giving away goodies to the live audience.

The Septic Tank Saga (continued.....)

Update on the septic tank: The guy couldn't find one in our yard. So, he was going to check with the health department to see if there was ever one recorded for our property. But it looks like we may be spending about $4000.00 to put one in. Good thing I'll be paying half of that. Dad has about three different things his half could be used for other than this, but it needs to be done. And he is rather philosophical about it. He said that in all 26 years we've lived here, we've never had to do anything about it until now so we really can't complain about the cost.
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Change of subject: Mom and Dad once again harped on my size tonight. So, I broke down and told them how much I weigh. I weighed myself Monday morning because I know I'm nearing the end of the weightloss experience and I need to come up with a target weight to finish with. After I told Mom and Dad how much I weighed, they seemed satisfied that I was still sufficiently fat enough to work out, so hopefully I won't be getting harrassed anymore. Today at work everyone in the kitchen was commenting about my weightloss and they were asking April how I was accomplishing it. I don't take lunch in the kitchen so I missed it all. But poor April had to answer the questions and she doesn't really know what I do on my diet. But then, I always get asked where she is and how she's doing when she's off from work, so it's good that she gets to be my keeper once in a while. LOL! It's funny how the people at work think if you work well with someone that you're each other's best friends and spend all your time together or something. April and I never spend time together outside of work and during her whole broken leg experience, I never had her phone number, home email address or anything. But people would still ask me how she was doing and if I'd heard from her. Funny how offices work that way.

Treadmill Report

42 minutes, 17 seconds; 2.40 miles; 309 calories burned.

Well, yesterday Dad and I went hunting for the septic tank. We didn't find it, but boy are we suffering today - Dad with his shoulder and me with my arms from shoveling all that dirt. Dad tilled up the ground with the garden tiller and I shoveled. Anyway, last night he called some guy who does septic tank work and the guy's going to come out and locate the tank for us and probably dig it up and clean it out. Yay!!

Jennifer Garner is supposed to be on Martha Stewart's daily show tomorrow. I will definitely watch that. There will be plenty of new mommie and baby stuff on the show and it will be cute watching Jennifer learning and participating.

I plan to go shopping Friday for a bunch of stuff. Things I will need once Mom and Dad move out, regular grocery shopping and maybe clothes shopping. I also need to wash and wax my car and do my laundry and on top of that, this weekend is a big golf weekend.

Treadmill Report

43 minutes, 26 seconds; 2.36 miles; 304 calories burned.

Treadmill Report

27 minutes, 42 seconds; 1.45 miles; 187 calories burned.

Also 35 minutes outside walking and a ton of dirt shoveling. We are trying to find our septic tank and not having much luck.

Treadmill Report

35 minutes; 1.63 miles; 209 calories burned.

70 minutes outside walking.