November Healthy Lifestyle Chat

[marcy]

OMG! Yesterday was Halloween and in less than 2 months it will be Christmas. We are entering the party time / eating frenzy time of the year. That is far more scary that all the ghost and goblins wandering the streets last night. (Mental note: next year buy only one kind of candy to hand out for trick or treat - then I won't be compelled to "see" if they are okay to hand out to the kiddies. )

This time of year is rough for anyone trying to lose or maintain their weight. It is a rough time of year to keep to your exercise routine - but planning ahead can make a big difference. We can do this! Yes we can.

Sharon, we had a decent summer here and so far we've had only one light snow. Last year by this time we'd had 2 major snow storms. The days are in the 50's now and the nights are just near freezing. Time will tell how much shoveling we'll both be doing soon.

We had a nice weekend. I finished 2 more books and did some shopping. My sister planned a "meal on wheels" excursion yesterday and brought dinner to town for my parents and so my parents, my sisters and our husbands had dinner together yesterday. It was fun and relaxing. My mom is having surgery on her toes today and then her birthday is Wednesday so we were celebrating her birthday. My dad's birthday is in a few weeks so Marty and I will take them out to dinner in a few weeks for their birthdays.

Things might be a little better at work this week - one of our big extra tasks is dying down for awhile. They have a new version of my buggy software for me to try so I will probably spend time today or tomorrow in our test bed trying that.

We got a new crock pot yesterday so I have a pot roast started for supper.

Have a great and healthy day!
Marcy

 

[appletini]

Greetings! I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! I had some sort of activity 27 out of 31 days in October! Today I started the month off right with my Total Body Training class. Although with the time change coming this weekend, I'm worried that November might bring a decrease in activity. With it being dark so early there won't be any walking or walk/jog in the evenings, which is what I prefer to do if I can't work out at lunch. So I guess it will be down to the gym after work on those days.

 

[deegee]

Howdy everyone! I can't believe it's already November. Where did the last 2 weeks of October go? I'm just hoping they stop selling candy corn soon...

marcy - How's your mom? Glad to hear you had a great time with your family. It sounds like you read as much as I do. I grab my kindle as soon as I get home and read until I fall asleep. I used to read one big book and then a "fluff" book, but my last big book (The Pillars of the Earth) did me in for a while, and I've been reading nothing but the Kinsey Millhone detective books by Sue Grafton. They're easy to read and the main character is such a smart a@#. I like her. Sounds like you had a great weekend in Denver for the concert. Was that a good concert? I have some Gorillaz music on my iphone. I love weekends in big cities. We usually stay downtown so that we can walk around - we're used to teeny town living! We're supposed to go to a concert in Cincinnati this month and the hotel is walking distance to the arena - but we may end up not going. Matt's family lives there, and some bad family things are coming to a head and I think he's wanting to avoid them all. We're trying to figure out if it's possible to sneak in and out without anyone knowing!

appletini - I wish I had your dedication to working out! We walk every night, but I need to do more. I can't find anything I can do with my crappy back.

I was off work today due to it being election day. I had a list of errands I wanted to run, but I ended up staying home and reading all day. I needed a break and it felt great to do absolutely nothing. I keep telling Matt that my brain needs a memory upgrade, or at the very least some things need to be deleted to make room for new stuff! Our new code books (state law) came last week, and there were so many changes that my brain officially shut down. Now we're working on changes for the 2011 legislative session. Aaahhh!!! After Matt got home, we went to vote and then eat. I ordered spaghetti, but apparently they ran out of sauce and weren't making any more so I ended up with a plate of noodles and a spoonful of sauce. Afterwards we went to TCBY for some tasty frozen yogurt and are getting ready to walk. Brrrr - it's 35 degrees out! Have a wonderful day tomorrow!!!!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Can I join? I've been pretty unhealthy throughout law school, but now that I'm home and looking for a job, and have plenty of time to spare, I finally joined a gym (and I've been going regularly). It helps that my BFF joined with me and we make each other go. I've been taking Zumba classes 3-4 times a week, and doing some elliptical work before the class (or on days when there is no class), and I feel GREAT. Seriously, so much more energetic, happier, healthier - love it!

 

[appletini]

I was planning to go to yoga during lunch but I was in the zone preparing something for a big manager at work so I needed to maintain my focus. I have a lunch meeting tomorrow, but will try to sneak into the gym after work. We have family in town that we are meeting for dinner.

deegee, Glad to hear you had a great mental health day. Sometimes taking a break from everything can really help to refocus and motivate.

BEG, Welcome!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone! Marty had to work late tonight so we didn’t get home until about 7 so we bought some tacos on the way home. We had some slow churned ice cream afterwards. I was hungry a little while ago so I had some dry roasted almonds. They also curb my hunger and aren’t too bad for me.
Appletini, that is very impressive to work out so many days in October. You always seem to be diligent about working out during your lunch. I play cards everyday which probably is not a good way to burn calories but still a good way to relieve some stress.
Deegee, lol at candy corn. That stuff is so good. My mom is hurting pretty bad today but mostly because she wasn’t smart enough to stay home today. They went to vote and went out to eat. She didn’t want any pain meds but she said she is reconsidering there. I am sure in a few days she’ll be better. I will have to try one of the Sue Grafton books. I like someone who is a smart a@#. Those Stephanie Plum series are totally cracking me up. I think I’ve read about 16 books now since I got my Kindle. My pink silicone case finally arrived last week too. The concert was marvelous; they sounded great. I hope you can go to your concert and avoid family issues. Sorry to hear they ran out of sauce for your spaghetti but at least you got some tasty TCBY for dessert. I love that stuff.
Welcome BEG! Glad you are enjoying working out at the gym with your friend. We look forward to hearing more from you.
Take care!
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Good evening! Brr - it's cold outside. It's been raining the last 2 days, so Matt and I decided to stop for some comfort food on the way home. We went to Bob Evans for turkey & dressing, mashed potatoes, carrots, and some delicious pumpkin bread. Somehow I managed to stay within my points. It's thundering & lightening outside, so we won't be walking this evening. I thought about doing my step aerobics, but that always seems to make my back swell. Since it's raining and I'm already putting up with rain aches, I decided not to push my luck. If there's a break in the rain before midnight, we'll walk. Lily is bouncing off the walls!

BEG - that's great that you joined a gym with your BFF. It really helps to have someone to go with - and someone to hold you accountable! I think I' too big a klutz for Zumba.

appletini - Matt and I always walk between 9-11 pm, so it's completely dark. In our neighborhood, each driveway has a brick post (which houses the mail and newspaper boxes), and each post has a nice light on top. We have one small section where they're building houses so those are dark, but the rest of our walk is in pretty decent light - for nighttime!

marcy - I like the thoughts of playing cards at lunch. Some of my coworkers walk faithfully during lunch, rain or shine. I use my lunchtime to totally relax. Sometimes we're so sick of being at work that we head out to a restaurant for an hour just to be left alone. If you sit in the lunchroom at work, you get tracked down to take care of something. It's always "I know you're at lunch, but..." I hope you're mom is doing better. I have learned that you always take the prescription for pain pills and get them filled, just in case!

I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday. Have a great day everyone!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Good evening! Brr - it's cold outside. It's been raining the last 2 days, so Matt and I decided to stop for some comfort food on the way home. We went to Bob Evans for turkey & dressing, mashed potatoes, carrots, and some delicious pumpkin bread. Somehow I managed to stay within my points. It's thundering & lightening outside, so we won't be walking this evening. I thought about doing my step aerobics, but that always seems to make my back swell. Since it's raining and I'm already putting up with rain aches, I decided not to push my luck. If there's a break in the rain before midnight, we'll walk. Lily is bouncing off the walls!

BEG - that's great that you joined a gym with your BFF. It really helps to have someone to go with - and someone to hold you accountable! I think I' too big a klutz for Zumba.

appletini - Matt and I always walk between 9-11 pm, so it's completely dark. In our neighborhood, each driveway has a brick post (which houses the mail and newspaper boxes), and each post has a nice light on top. We have one small section where they're building houses so those are dark, but the rest of our walk is in pretty decent light - for nighttime!

marcy - I like the thoughts of playing cards at lunch. Some of my coworkers walk faithfully during lunch, rain or shine. I use my lunchtime to totally relax. Sometimes we're so sick of being at work that we head out to a restaurant for an hour just to be left alone. If you sit in the lunchroom at work, you get tracked down to take care of something. It's always "I know you're at lunch, but..." I hope you're mom is doing better. I have learned that you always take the prescription for pain pills and get them filled, just in case!

I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday. Have a great day everyone!

I think as long as you're willing to try and follow along, you'll be fine! I do love learning steps though - it keeps it interesting. I love salsa steps! Right now, my calves, my butt and my feet are killing me however. My favorite instructor taught the class today and her classes seriously make you WORK. I have lovely blisters on my toes too! It's weird, but I've been working out about 5 days a week, and it feels like my appetite is slightly suppressed. In a good way I mean, in that I don't really crave snacks or anything anymore. I really just want tons and tons of water and fruit!

Hope the rain stops for you!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. I hope you are having a good weekend. We had our “date night” Thursday night; played cards with some friends yesterday and today I ran errands and worked around the house. Marty made us veal parmesan today – I didn’t like it as well as chicken.

I had a really bad day at work yesterday. Without going in to office politics someone with less seniority than me is getting promoted and I am not. My promotion keeps getting kicked back and I was so angry when my boss told me I forgot to ask why. There are 3 departments in our division and we report to one guy. That will make the other 2 departments are run by a manager and I will still be a supervisor. My department runs pretty smoothly and so we don’t need much attention so hence we don’t get much attention. I feel like someone just slapped me in the face and waved a proverbial middle finger at me.

Deegee, sorry it’s been cold and rainy. We’ve had amazingly nice weather recently. Today we were in the 60’s. It was gorgeous out. We might get some rain / snow this week. I hope your aches are doing better. We do enjoy playing cards at lunch. There are 3 to 7 of us that play every day. We play hearts or cribbage. It’s a fun, smart alec group so we have some good laughs. We do have people track us down though since we are there. It is always nice to go out to lunch sometimes.

BEG, craving water and fruit is a good thing.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Good evening!

Marcy - that really stinks about work. Makes you feel really appreciated, huh? I was really upset when they hired a new young guy off the street as manager of one of our small departments and paid him $100 less a year than I make, and I have been at the same place for 10 years and, and it was at the same time that I was doing my old job and my new manager job - which I did for 2 years. He ended up getting fired because he was a huge slacker. I used to sit and stew when I was in meetings with him and I could tell he was a big doofus. I hope your promotion comes through soon. Matt and I used to play cribbage in the evenings, but we haven't done that for a while. We need to get that started back up.

BEG - I noticed when I was in weight loss mode that I really craved fruit & water BAD. I've been in maintenance mode for a year now, and I still crave fresh fruits & veggies over sweets. That's a good thing!

It didn't rain at all today, which nice for a change. I went to the mall to return a bunch of stuff, and couldn't believe how many people were there! Every store was packed, and they were already playing Christmas music. I hate the way November gets taken over by Christmas. I refuse to take my pretty fall wreath down until after Thanksgiving. I have been super busy at work and exhausted in the evenings, so I haven't done a good job of planning meals and we've gotten back in our bad habit of eating out every night. We made it to the grocery store tonight so we can get back on track, and I have pork chops marinading in the fridge for tomorrow night. It's 28 outside, and we're getting ready to head out for our evening walk. We just can't seem to get going any earlier! Have a great day tomorrow!!!

 

[appletini]

Greetings! I've been good about keeping up with some form of activity but lately its been mostly walking. Work meetings have made it difficult to exercise at lunch lately and now that it gets dark super early being outdoors when I get home is not really an option. So today I decided to try the new SLAM trainer for PT sessions on Tuesday evenings so I can get bikini ready for my Belize trip next month. First session is tomorrow. I told him I want to be super sore the next day so we'll see how it goes. Plus there have just been so many "celebrations" lately, birthdays, baby showers, and the holidays are coming up, so I really need to step it up both in the gym and in the kitchen.

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone! It is finally winter here – tomorrow I will have to break out my coat. I ordered a new down jacket that matches my car. LOL. At least it was on clearance. We are getting a small amount of snow today and the temps dropped from the 60’s to 30’s. What a shock to the system.
We had a nice weekend. Marty was getting sick so we just stayed home. I made homemade mac and cheese on Sunday so we could have some leftovers for lunch.
I finished two books this weekend so I am still enjoying my Kindle.
Work yesterday was not fun – my stupid new software was not cooperating so I had to make 140 manual edits which took me most of the day. It stinks when imports don’t work. I went in 30 minutes early hoping to leave a bit early and ended up going home 30 minutes late.
Marty had stayed home sick so when I got home I made tacos for supper. I don’t think any of you have been on this thread long enough to remember this but a few summers ago I was always cutting my fingers with a knife – well you guessed it I got a finger pretty good while chopping up tomatoes. Rats. Marty usually cuts things for me so I don’t do that but since he was sick I thought he probably shouldn’t be handling out food. I must cut myself about 4 – 6 times a year. I am such a klutz. I am wearing a Snoopy bandage though so that makes me smile.
Deegee, you are so right; I feel like the red headed stepchild at work. I told Marty both my jobs this year have really given me the big kiss off. How frustrating for you to have someone hired off the street as a manager especially when you’ve been there so long and doing the job. I am glad they finally figured out what a slacker he was. You and Matt should take up cribbage again; I really like that game. I am lucky at games so I do well with cribbage. I hope this week is less hectic for you at work. We are finally catching up with you on cold weather.
Appletini, I hope the new SLAM trainer gave you a great workout.
Take care.
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Howdy! Matt and I just got finished with our walk and it's not even 10pm. We're way ahead of schedule! I should try to get to bed early, but I'm sitting by the fire with my Kindle and I'm halfway through a book so I'm thinking I've got a few more hours in me. We had spaghetti & salad for dinner tonight, and went out for TCBY for dessert. I have chicken boiling on the stove for chicken casserole tomorrow night. I'm thinking I won't have to bake it as long if the chicken is already cooked. I'm usually starving when I get home in the evening, and the faster dinner is done the happier we are! Matt is heading out of town tomorrow morning, but should be back in time for dinner. I made him trade me cars until I get a new one because his is so much more comfortable than my scrunchmobile! We are both tall, and I just can't figure out what possessed me to get such a small car. I think that's what is taking me so long to pick a new one out - I don't want to mess up again.

Marcy - sorry you cut your finger. Finger cuts sometimes are the worst. Matt and I bought our first real knife set after we had been married for 14 years, which is when we started cooking at home. I was really afraid to use them at first because I could see me severing a thumb, but so far so good. No serious accidents yet! Sorry to hear your work is going crappy. I think we both could use a nice, long vacation. I hope Marty is feeling better soon!!

Appletini - I hope your new trainer gave you a good workout. Oooh - a trip to Belize sounds fabulous!

Have a great day tomorrow everyone!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Marcy, oh no! I hope your finger is ok!

We had one cold sleety day yesterday and today it's all gorgeous and sunny again (albeit in the 40s). This in-between weather really screws with the clothes I have

Deegee I love my Kindle! What are you reading now?

Appletini - Belize!!! A friend went a couple years ago and her pictures were gorgeous. I lobbied hard for Belize for last spring break but we ended up going to Costa Rica instead (which was still awesome but still!).

I just got back from an intense gym session. That one hardcore zumba instructor also teaches yoga, and her yoga class is awesome. I used to take Power Yoga in college, which was very intense and really worked all your muscles. You would leave the room with your muscles shaking, it was tough. Well, her class is about the same. That, and then her zumba class an hour later and I feel both energetic and wiped at the same time!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. We are having a snow storm this weekend so we’ve had a lazy day. We had breakfast (I made French toast out of some left over sourdough bread) then went to the grocery store. I am making lasagna tomorrow (woo hoo for leftovers for lunch). We went to the movies this afternoon; we saw RED. It was a very good movie. Typical Bruce Willis style – action and humor.

We took my parents to supper last night for their birthdays. My mom is so cute she was talking to everyone in the restaurant. She is 83 and ditzy but friendly.

Marty made shrimp for his supper; I made a grilled cheese and had some chips with it.

Deegee, that is nice of Matt to switch cars with you. It is a lot of money to buy something you don’t want so I can understand it taking you a long time to decide on your new car. Your dinners sound really good. I picked up some beef ribs today and thought I’d leave them cooking in the crock pot someday this week with BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce and some wine. I love coming home to meals already done. I can leave potatoes in the oven on timed bake then we can have some raw veggies with it and be set. I am glad you’ve done better than me with knives. I swear one of these days when Marty leaves town he is going to fill our knife block with plastic knives. I only needed stitches once but didn’t go in until the next day and it was too late. I couldn’t get it wet for a week so I got out of both cooking and the dishes. Yes, I think we both need a vacation. At least a few days off work would be nice. I have 7 day s to use before the end of the year plus one “personal day” to use or lose. I do need an oil change so that might be a day off adventure.

BEG, my finger is almost back to normal now. This time of year is hard to decide on clothes. I keep sweaters at work in case I don’t dress warm enough. Where I set is facing an outside wall so on cold and windy days my legs and feet get cold. I keep a fleece blanket in my desk. What kind of books do you like to read on your Kindle? I got my about 2 months ago and read every day. Glad to hear you are enjoying your classes at the gym.

Have a great weekend!
Marcy

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Hi guys!

Marcy, I hate this in-between weather. I never have anything to wear I'd rather it be freezing so at least I can wear my cute sweaters and Uggs I've been very bad about the gym this week I didn't go on Wed. because of the date, only did yoga on Thur. (although yoga is pretty killer - I looked it up and my yoga class is very similar to power yoga), and then I couldn't go on Fri. because I had to travel out of town to take the GRE. And then I was lazy today. And went shopping in a candy store yesterday. Oops.

I read all sorts! I love my Kindle so much! Right now I'm reading The Fall and scaring myself silly, but I'm in a scary book mood. What about you?

 

[lliang_chi]

Sigh! Hello folks! I've been noticeably absent from the HLT group because mostly work's been really crazy and I just haven't been able to hit the gym much. I went on Friday. And I had all good intentions to go again. I"ll keep trying. YOu guys are still my motivation when I don't have any. Awww....

B.E.G.!!! A belated welcome to the forum. I'm sure you've found all the folks here just as awesome and encouraging as I have.How did the GRE go? I remember taking that (many moons ago)... What program are you planning on applying to? I used to do bikram yoga, which I think is a little hotter than power. I dunno, I can't do it anymore. I've become a wimp...

Marcy, yikes! snow storm. Brrrrr!!! It actually warmed up nicely but it's cooling down again. I'm not looking forward to winter, but I guess we'll just deal. OMG, i hope your finger is OK? I used to cut myself a lot in university but that was back when I had lousy dull knives. Now I keep them so sharp James doesn't like using them.

Apple, Ooooh, Belize trip! Sounds like your PT can totally kick your tooshy into high gear!!! Alright! SLAM-ing bikini body. Ha ha, totally cheesy but I couldn't help myself...

Anyway, for me, I made a promise to myself to leave work at 5:30PM from now on (unless I'm meeting sis at the train station). That way I have time to get home, let the dog out, go to the gym and/or start dinner. This week, we're starting Wine Night again. I'm doing a Pre-Thanskgiving turkey dinner on Weds. I've got a dentist appt that PM so I'm working from home after to get the turkey etc done. 16 ppl over. That's a LOTTA turkey. I actually didn't get the full amount you'd typically need for a 16 ppl dinner, mostly because I kinda don't like turkey. There, I said it. Menu includes: beet & goat cheese salad, turkey, gravy, cornbread + chicken sausage dressing, sauteed green beans, steamed broccoli, sweet potato casserole, wasabi mashed potatoes. Now I need to find a bag big enough to dry brine my turkey. Y'know that's what I originally jumped on my computer to do. How'd I end up on PS?!?

That's all for me!
~Lisa

 

[marcy]

Happy Sunday! My “Batphone” went off at 8 am this morning. My department made a BIG mistake. I had to write a post mortem on it but I said it was entirely our fault because it was. My boss, another manager and me have an 8 am meeting in our directors office over it. Aak! Time to call the troops together for a meeting and remind them “quit IM, texting and chatting while you are working”. I need to be a meaner boss but it’s just not my style.

At least I was angry enough to work out my frustrations on our house. I cleaned most of the day, got out our flannel sheets and washed them before putting them on the bed and worked on laundry. I also got my astronomy club newsletter done for this month.

For breakfast I had a waffle with lite cool whip and strawberries. Marty likes his with butter and syrup. For lunch Marty made us lasagna and even made his sauce. It was marvelous. We each have 3 lunches left over from it as well.

BEG, I am with you on the in between weather. It’s hard to plan for it. I like warm weather clothes too; probably because it is mostly soft and cozy. I hope you did great on your GRE. Mmm to a visit to a candy store. I like scary books; I used to read a lot of Stephen King novels. I’ve been reading the Janet Evanovich series with the character Stephanie Plum. I have 2 left to read.

Lisa, this thread helps keep me motivated or trying – whichever one I need. Our snow storm wasn’t too bad; we just had a few inches. It looks like we’ll get a bit more snow this week but nothing major. Sadly, we do have to put up with winter unless we want to move to the equator. We got new knives a couple of summers ago and they are very sharp; it is more that I am klutzy with them than anything. I cut too close to my fingers. My finger is completely recovered now. Good luck cooking your Thanksgiving dinner for 16 people. Your menu sounds delicious.

Well, my dryer buzzer is whining.
Laters,vv
Marcy

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Hey Lliang! Thanks for the welcome!

The GRE went really well actually, especially considering I barely studied. I took 1.5 practice tests and that's about it . Math was meh. Totally expected, not important for me. Verbal was 96th percentile so pretty good. I was applying to PhD programs in English Lit. and M.Ed/MAT programs for secondary teaching, but i think I'm just going to apply to the teaching programs. I would love to get my PhD and teach at the uni-level, but the humanities market is just SO bad and saturated. I don't want to be back in this position looking for a job in 7 years you know? Plus, loan forgiveness in 10 years (under certain conditions) of teaching! I have a LOT of debt from law school....

I love power yoga. Such a great workout. I just invested in my own yoga mat, bag and belt - yay! I love accessorizing - it makes me get into whatever activity more. I can't do bikram yoga - too hot for me!

I love wine nights! Do you drink reds or whites? Meh, I don't like turkey that much either - well I only like dark meat. Same really for chicken. I know white meat is healthier but still!

Marcy - Oh no about the mistake. I hope everything will be ok. I ate the Turkish Delight I bought at the candy store last night and then felt guilty, lol. I've been bad about the gym the last few days - this week I'm back on track (well unless Cute Vet calls again ). I did do yoga at home the other night though - love stretching. You know, for some reason I never really got into Stephen King. The only book of his I love is Eyes of the Dragon, and it's a far cry from his usual style. I wonder why...

I'm jealous you got snow! My goal while I'm home here (in a very outdoorsy western state that gets LOTS of snow) is to embrace all the outdoorsy stuff while I'm here. I've been here for 10 years (well only four living here full-time) but I've never learned to ski, snowboard, go rafting, camping, etc. So this winter my BFF, her husband and I are going snowboarding (she and I are taking lessons first, he is a pretty expert snowboarder) and down to the hot springs, and we're going to try to go every weekend once the season opens. I'm so excited- not the least because I can accessorize and buy stuff We're probably not going until after Thanksgiving so we have a couple weeks in which we are trying to get ourselves in as good a shape as possible so we don't feel like utter crap (from the pain) after our first snowboarding lesson!

I need to go look over my other BFF's statement of purpose. She's applying to clinical psych PhD programs and she's super stressed out. I'm helping out by reading over her essays and stuff.

 

[marcy]

Happy Monday. I spent most of my days in the boss’s office then talking to my employees. Out of the 4 that didn’t catch the mistake 2 of them readily agreed they messed up and want to try and fix it; sadly the other 2 wanted to blame everything and everyone else but themselves. Sigh. My director kept the sign off sheets where they initialed they performed that task. It’s not much more cut and dry than that. We’ll know by Friday is anything happens because of it. I was still getting questions before I left today so it’s not going away any time soon.

I made us some pattie melts for supper. I used the 92% lean hamburger, 40 calorie slices of wheat bread and some low fat cheese. They were very filling but something different. Tomorrow I am leaving ribs in the crock pot and some baked potatoes.

BEG, glad to hear your GRE went well. Mmm wine. I like red and white it just varies. I always think Lisa’s wine night sounds fun. I love to stretch too, I must have been a cat in a former life. I have not read that book by Stephen King, I quit reading his quite awhile ago. I am in Wyoming so we must be close to you. Have fun learning to snowboard. Hot springs would be great after a snowboard outing. Tell your BFF good luck with her applications.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Howdy! Hope this note finds everyone well.

Where is Rod these days?

I have not been to the gym lately, but shovelled a lot of snow today! We got several cms. and more is predicted...bleech. I dislike cold weather and the 'work" associated with it!

I have will get to the pool soon, as I have not booked as much work as in the past 5 months. My tendonitis (right arm) has flared up big time since I mouse (computer) so much at work...very painful.

Keep well!

cheers--Sharon

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. I am so glad this week is over with at work. Woo hoo! We had our astronomy meeting tonight and had a low turnout so Marty and I went to the mall right after the meeting. I had a few things to pick up and we wandered around for awhile then had some TCBY yogurt. It was melting too fast so I didn’t eat much of it because I didn’t want it to drip all over my jacket.

The latest version of software we got at work on Wednesday turned out to be a vast improvement over previous versions so that sure made the rest of our week go a little more smoothly. It’s still has one major bug to fix then a few dozen tweaks. We are getting there.

We might go look at diamonds this weekend. I want to slightly upgrade my center diamond; my enabler husband keeps telling me to get something noticeably bigger and that I should get new wrings too. It’s not like I need encouragement in these things. I want to look at the .80 ct range. My center diamond right now is .53 ct. If nothing else it will be fun to go look. When we were at the mall tonight I tried on a 3/4 ct and a 1 ct Leo diamond solitaire. Marty liked the size of the 1 carat but boy was that diamond cloudy and the cool thing is Marty commented on it first after we left the store. All that diamond and gemstone blathering I do must have sunk in to his brain.

Sharon, bleech to snow is right. Of course by this time last year we already had several feet of snow so I guess this year is an improvement there. I hate to hear your arm flared up; it sounds painful. Are there exercises you can do to help it get better? Rod promised to drop in now and then but we haven’t heard from him for awhile. We sure miss him.

Have a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. I hope you are having a great weekend.

We went to Denver yesterday to look for an upgrade for me. I ended up getting 2 of them. D'oh. You will spend more money after 2 glasses of wine for lunch. Of course you are most interested in the diamond upgrade. I reserved a GIA Excellent cut 0.75 G VS2 but had them order in from another store a 0.84 AGS0 G VS1. The .75 ct is very pretty but I thought I would get a slightly bigger size. They had a .82 ct. AGSO which I ruled out because of a feather in the middle that I worried I would see in direct sunlight but I like the size. The .84 ct will be in for viewing by Tuesday and if it's not a stinker I will get it; if it is I will get the .75. Both score great on the HCA. I should have thought to take a picture of Marty when I was done; he was sound asleep on the couch there.

Then we went shopping to a mall we haven't been to for years and they had an Apple store. I've been drooling over the MacBook Air for awhile now so we looked at the new ones and proceeded to wander the mall. We stumbled upon a Cheesecake Factory and ate lunch where we both had 2 drinks and kept discussing the MacBook Air. Marty has been encouraging me to get one for some time now and of course after 2 drinks we decided to stop on our way back out of the mall. Our company gets a discount with them which essentially pays the taxes so we said what the heck and got one. I am using it now. It is so light weight compared to my Vaio and easier to see than my netbook.

Right as we walked in the door a friend texted me because her boyfriend had been watching football all day and she was bored so she wanted us to ask them over to play cards. We did even though I would rather have played with my new toy. They left a little after midnight and Marty was up really late working on setting up my new PC.

Today we plan to be lazy. I think I will make some homemade biscuits for breakfast and we'll have steak for lunch.

Have a great day.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Happy Monday! I am getting the hang of this Mac. I've got pretty much everything working. Woo hoo!

Marty is making supper for us. He is baking some ranch seasoned potatoes and some filet. I see he has wine out too. Oooh, must resist the alcohol. We had today off so we slept in late, went to breakfast and ran errands.

Have a great evening.
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Marcy - ooohhh! Yay for an upgrade! I hope you get the stone you love. Are you changing your setting too, or just the center stone? A funny thing - I had to go to court today for a work issue. I was listening to the attorneys go at it when I noticed that the lights in the courtroom made my diamond do quite a little light show. I totally got mesmerized in the sparkle - hee hee!! I really like my MacBook, but I hate to admit that I still haven't taken the time to learn to resize pictures. Every time my nieces come to visit, I discover new movies they made on my MacBook and new pictures they've taken with photo booth. The little goofs! I'm glad your week got better last week after it started out so lousy. I have 2 employees who are completely awesome and I can count on them for anything, and I have 1 employee who is either really really good, or really really horrible and I have to stay after him all the time. He wears me out, and he'd never ever admit to a mistake. Instead it's "I was never told I should do be doing it that way..." Drives me nuts.

We've been without internet for the last several days and it's been killing me. Our new router stopped working, and then all of a sudden decided to work again today. It's a good thing I have my kindle. It was a beautiful, warm day today so Matt got started on the outside Christmas decorating while I was at work. We got a good bit up after I got home and we'll finish up tomorrow. I have a rule about putting Christmas stuff up before Thanksgiving, but it was so warm today that we had to take advantage of it. It's going to snow on Friday - boo!!! I had to work today because of the court thing, but I'm off the rest of the week and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm planning to do some serious sleeping in tomorrow. I am so excited to have a day that I don't have to be anywhere or do anything other than what I want to do. I'm just so excited!! Have a great day tomorrow everyone!

 

[marcy]

Hi Deegee, I am very excited for my upgrade. I hope to get it soon. I will probably stick with my current setting but you never know I might try something on and decide to go for it. Too funny you noticed your diamond in the light at court today. I always notice places with good lighting. It’s like “ooh, sparky” and yes that is kind of sad. I have learned quite a few things on my MacBook tonight. I learned how to do a partial screen shot capture - that is import of diamond / jewelry lovers like us. A friend of mine on Facebook was giving me a bad time she has had her Mac for 10 years and she doesn’t know how to do most of the stuff I’ve learned so far. I told her she knows how OCD I am - I must figure something out NOW! Too funny your nieces can do things on your Mac that you can’t. My nieces and nephews are like that too. I know what you mean about some employees wearing you out; it does get very old when “it wasn’t my fault”. Glad to see your internet is working tonight. My Kindle has been ignored for a few days but I think I will try to finish the last Stephanie Plum book this week. I am off from work all week. Great idea to get your Christmas lights up already. We are very cold this week with snow flurries here and there. Enjoy your time off and definitely sleep in.

Marcy

 

[deegee]

Hi all! I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I ate WAY too much!!

Marcy - which stone did you end up getting? Sorry if you posted it somewhere else and I didn't see it - I don't check around on PS much anymore. Anyhoo - It looks really pretty in your avatar! Are you leaving it as a solitaire? I noticed yesterday that one of the diamonds has fallen out of my bead set eternity band. Why is it that something so teeny leaves such a gaping hole when it's not there? Even though it's an eternity band and I keep turning the side with the missing stone to the back, it's always front and center when I look at my hand! And about the Mac - this is a really bad thing for me to admit. I just imported a few cd's for the first time a few nights ago, and I got my Mac in September of '09. My iPhone hasn't had any music on it! Shame.... I hope you're still really liking yours. I didn't get the air - I have the MacBook Pro. *** EDIT - found the ring!

We went to Cincinnati for our concert and had a great time. We saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra for probably the 12th or 13th time. We saw it for the first time in a little municipal auditorium, and now it's this huge production. We visited with Matt's parents before the family drama arrived. His brother left his wife of 15 years for another woman, and he decided Thanksgiving dinner would be a great time for us to meet the other woman. NOPE. We had a short visit with his parents and then headed to his other brother's house to spend time with our 5 nephews, his brother and his wife (who were also not going to meet the other woman at Thanksgiving dinner). After that, we headed to KY to visit with my family and have dinner and somehow we ended up bringing home 2 of my nieces for the weekend. We've been hanging out all day playing Rock Band and goofing off. Tomorrow we're going shopping and then I'll send them back home on Sunday. I hope I can get enough walking in tomorrow to make up for all the sweets I ate at dinner last night! Have a wonderful weekend!!!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. Did you venture out for Black Friday shopping today? I was at the mall at 7:30 and got my niece a pair of diamond studs for her college graduation gift. I ventured on to Hallmark and the post office. Most places weren’t too busy that early. The rest of the day was spent reading the last Stephanie Plum book. I guess new ones come out in the summer.

I made homemade mac and cheese for supper. Tomorrow Marty is cooking Thai food and we are having some friends over for dinner.

Deegee, I ate too much for Thanksgiving as well but we had a nice day. The 0.84 ct I ordered in was sold before they put on hold so they ordered me a GIA Excellent FVS1 0.81 ct. We compared it with the .75 ct G I had on layaway and went with the .81 ct. They removed my old diamond from my wedding set and plopped the new one in it and we both decided I needed a new ring. We ended up getting a solitaire and a thinner anniversary band. I am pretty happy with the solitaire and really like the diamond. I hate to hear you lost a diamond out of your eternity band; is it from somewhere they will fix it for you free? I only have music on my iPod touch. I don’t have any music on my phone. I looked at the MacBook Pro for quite awhile but I really wanted something very lightweight. I am getting much better at it too. Sounds like you managed to get away from Matt’s parents in time. That has got to be a difficult situation for all of you. Have fun shopping with your nieces tomorrow.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[somethingshiny]

Hi, Marcy~

I figured I'd be most likely to find you here! I was Stumble-ing online and came across a site that I *think* is called Astronomy Picture of the Day. They had some gorgeous photos and I thought of you. If you're interested, you could google it and probably find the page. I thought I'd remember it, but obviously, I didn't!


Hope you're all doing well! We're trying to get all decorated here. The kids and DH and I are all doing great! I'm even getting DH on the ball a bit! (he's got back problems)

Hugs to you all!!

 

[marcy]

Hi Somethingshiny, yes I tend to hang around this part of PS more than anywhere. I love the Astronomy Picture of the Day website. I have it on my computer and iPod so I am sure to catch it. They have such amazing photos. How fun to get your decorating for the holidays done this weekend. I don't know what we are doing this year. I might opt for outside lights - they can be enjoyed by everyone who goes by and it doesn't mess up the house. I hope your husband's back gets better.

We had some friends over for supper and games tonight. Marty made some Thai food.

I am off to read for awhile. Marty is playing his new PS3 game so I won't be watch TV.