Wednesday Morning Weigh-In

I started at 270 pounds in January of 2008. Today, I weight 192. I have lost 78 pounds in the past 21 months – not a speed record. I have 32 to 37 more to go. I wanted to wrap it up this year, but next year looks more realistic.

I briefly visited 191 this weekend. Then Beth and I hit the Fall Flea Markets. I got

• A table with an antique sewing machine bottom - $40. It would be more antique if it had the sewing machine with it, but less usable as a table.
• A metal headboard to use in a “bed” of flowers - $20. Pardon my pun. I’m trying to decide what color to paint it.
• Hand-made, scented soap – cinnamon, lavender and I can’t remember the 3rd.
• Tomatoes and apples. Beth took ½ the apples back to school with her and I’ve been feasting on vine-ripened tomatoes. M-m-m
• Pumpkin-pie fudge. It tastes like pie without crust. I had a little and sent the rest with Beth.
• Skinny onion rings … that will NOT make you skinny! Here’s where I really made a pig of myself.

FINDING a Goal

Weight loss goals. Sales goals. I have a lot of experience with goals. No one gives a damn about the goal someone else picks for them. That’s an assignment, not a commitment. If you dedicate yourself to accomplishing a task, that’s what matters.


OK, there are lightweights with the attention span of insects. They’re full of enthusiasm one minute, and on to something else the next. I’m not talking about them. I mean, if a person of substance focuses on a goal, watch out! You can do anything.


Be aware of what you personally know, and when you should turn to an expert. I’m using the height-weight charts to pick my weight goal, because I’m trying to be healthy. I assume those bench marks will be the healthiest place to land.


Sales goals are a different animal. Where I work, they no longer pay commission. We get a bonus, if the team hits their goal. The whole team. If someone falls short, the rest of us have to make it up or no bonus. We haven’t hit goal in 5 quarters. No one tries. They don't want to make an effort for nothing.


My supervisor has decided that his goal is too high, so he dropped his and raised mine. Now I'm expected to bring in 21% of the goal for an organization with 7 salespeople. Why was I the loser? Because I’m the only one hitting goals. Apparently, if you spend half your day on Facebook and don’t hit your goal, no one expects more of you. But if you work till 7:00 p.m., you’re punished by having a higher goal.

Quote for 10/6/09: Jane Sellman on Working Mothers

The phrase "working mother" is redundant. - Jane Sellman

FUNNY Tuesday: Mermaid or a Whale?

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said: "DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE? A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.


To Whom It May Concern:


Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life. They get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.


Mermaids don’t exist.


If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don’t have a sex life, because they kill men who get close to them. Not to mention, how could they have sex? Just look at them...where is IT? Therefore, they don’t have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?


The choice is perfectly clear to me. I want to be a whale.


(Note from Pat:  Why choose? I want the best of both.)

FAT and the FEMALE Metabolism

Mother Nature hates me.


I’ve noticed that I lose weight differently throughout my cycle. Yes, I’m 55 and still having cycles. See the opening line.


I don’t struggle as much to lose between my period and ovulation as I do in the second half. I assume it’s water retention. (Technically, the title should say weight, not fat.) For the past several weeks, I couldn’t seem to lose at all. Now since last Monday, I’ve gone from 195 to 191. I wish a monitor would pop up and say, “Don’t panic. It’s water.”


Because I’m approaching menopause, it’s more complicated. This last period went on for 3 weeks. Some days were light. Others fell into the “red sea” category. This one was not the worst. Because my last period was in July, I had hoped the end was in sight. Apparently not.


It has to stop sometime. I’m not going to be 90, or even 60 and still having periods. And if I do, I’ll go on Oprah.


Regardless, I’m still going to lose this weight!


My apologies to the guys. I promise not to talk about this stuff very often. But it’s a fact of life for half the population.

Monday's FAVORITE Website: Snopes.com

1. There is no upcoming deadline for cell phone users to register with the Do Not Call list. Really! http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp


2. President Obama has NOT created a stamp to recognize Muslin Holidays. In 2001 during the Bush administration, a stamp was issued for the 2 Muslim holidays - Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. This stamp has been updated and re-issued every year since. W had a number of years to change it, but didn't.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/stamps/eidstamp.asp


3. President Obama did NOT receive financial aid for being a foreign student, because he has born in Hawaii.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthers/occidental.asp


4. Yes, a number of foreigners including Arabs own convenience stores. However, the story about them celebrating after 9/11 and Budweiser pulling beer from their shelves... yeah, that's fiction.
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/budweiser.asp


5. No, you can’t receive free laptops or free anything just because you forwarded an e-mail. Not from Del. Not from AOL. Not from Microsoft. NO one is doing that. Nice try, but no.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/ericsson.asp
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/microsoft-aol.asp


6. No, thousands of Palestinians have not been invited to resettle in the US. Legitimate news media would be all over that if it were true.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/palestinians.asp


7. The government is NOT going to require you to list your guns on your income tax. Again, viral e-mails are NOT a good source of information.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/taxreturns.asp


8. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children has received mountains of viral e-mails about Ashley Flores, but NO actual reports from parents or police. Often, missing children e-mails are hoaxes. However, Reachelle Marie Smith is a real case. The 3-year-old went missing in May of 2006.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/ashleyflores.asp
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/reachelle.asp


9. Dialing #77 on your cell will not connect you to highway dispatchers in any state. The story about Lauren or Lisa or some other name using it to outsmart a rapist is likely to be fiction.
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/fakecop.asp


10. Obama did NOT targeted Chrysler dealerships owned by Republicans for closure. Those cuts were announced in February of 2008, before his election.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/chrysler.asp


How do I know this? Because whenever I get an e-mail like this, I go to the Urban Legends Web site -
http://www.snopes.com/

OK, I have forgotten once or twice. But if people would just do that before pressing forward, our inboxes would be a happier place.

Quote for 10/5/09: Nora Roberts on Life

Life's like one of them batons. You can spin it around your fingers, if you've got the talent for it. You can toss it right up in the air and snatch it back … if you're quick. Or you can let it fly and conk somebody on the head.
from Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts