today has been great. i slept in and was in bed on my laptop until 1:00 pm. not something i want to make a habit of, mind you, but it’s been nice to relax. i finally just peeled myself from the covers and just got done washing my hair and ate lunch.

i got brave and weighed myself. i hadn’t done this in a while since i have been unable to exercise the last couple of weeks. i have changed my lunches during the week dramatically – usually a grilled chicken sandwich or a salad. i must have done something right because since september 1, i’ve lost 4.3 pounds. whoo hoo! i plan on adding the exercise back in next week, which should hopefull accelerate my results. i’d really like to get to the point where i look in the mirror and go, “oh, yeah…” i’ve got a ways to go, but at least progress has been made despite the various bumps last month.

just killing time in my hotel room before meeting my coworker and the driller downstairs. i’ve been in this town since wednesday. i actually spent about five years of my life in this town so it’s kinda cool to be back on old stomping grounds. slept like crap last night. couldn’t fall asleep and couldn’t stay asleep. heh.

yesterday’s work went well… we’re doing soil samples out in areas that are currently pastures and whatnot. in the morning, it rained, so we made a side trip to get some rain coats, which delayed us. the driller had two heads break on him, poor guy, which further delayed us. he got stuck in the mud later on, and we pulled him out. and then the property owner (who apparently didn’t know we were going to be out there) stopped and talked to us. i told her that i thought that the client had communicated to her what we were going to be up to that day. it was an older lady (sixties, maybe) and she didn’t seem too concerned with that. she pointed to the back of her truck and said, “oh – i’m just taking the dead ones out.” i thought, “what dead ones?” i had to look. there were three dead goats in the back of her truck that had apparently been killed by some animal. the driller looked like he was going to lose it. stuff like that doesn’t bother me. she came out and showed the puncture wounds and marks and whatnot. and then we just chit chatted. so, the day was filled with delays, but we somehow ALMOST finished up the amount of samples we wanted to do within a decent amount of time. i’m hoping that things go smooth today and i can get back home within a reasonable hour.

there were lots of cows yesterday… they kept surrounding the truck because they thought we were bringing them food. those jerks. ha. here are some pics from yesterday…

operation blubber blast has not really been followed through this week. between my knee being out of commission (it’s still a nice multi-colored bruise) and being out of town (which does not always promote healthy eating), i’m dreading weighing myself this weekend. *sigh* sad to say, my guiltless chicken platter at chili’s did not do much in the way of making me feel better.

not much on the radar for this weekend. neo and jeromy are going to jeff foxworthy tonight, so i don’t really know what i’m doing. probably unpack and just chill in my apartment. dad’s birthday is tomorrow, so sometime saturday morning i need to scout out a gift for him. just church stuff on sunday.

on wednesday afternoon, i was out with a coworker that i usually don’t have that much interaction with. we’re both on the united way committee this year for our work’s campaign, just like we were last year. and just like last year, she and i made our way to the costume shop for the purpose of finding costumes for upper management to wear that would mirror our theme (pirates) during the kick off lunch. last year, when we were picking up the costomes, this lady and i had a really long and good converstaion. i was going through my mini crisis in my life, having just left my husband due to his betrayal and in the middle of the overwhelming divorce process. i can’t even remember what was said last year to me, but i remember i left the vehicle feeling better than when i got in. and her words meant a lot to me. well, this year, my coworker is going through a rough time. in the last month, her 24-year old son had gotten shot (road rage – they have yet to catch the person who did it), her mother-in-law died, and her father-in-law is not doing so hot health wise. plus a plethera of all sorts of other logistical burdens (her son left behind daughters, he didn’t have life insurance, etc.). so she and i talked. mainly, i let her talk and vent. i don’t even know how to begin with a situation like hers, but i offered some thoughts. when we arrived to the store, we both paused… and i think we had reverse deja vu. she looked at me and said exactly what i was thinking at that moment, “it’s funny – last year, you were going through your big thing and we were talking about it on the way here. and now it’s my turn.” i nodded in agreement. and maybe it’s not a notable thing that happened, but it just made me feel connected in a way. and it gave me some perspective. there were some dark dark days for me during the late summer/early fall of 2005. and now, when the scene is juxtaposed to present time, it’s just amazing to see the difference. i’m happier than i’ve ever been in some areas of my life. and i’m glad that phases of life change with the seasons. it’s encouraging to think that we really can make things happen. we all have the ability to change and shift and move towards our goals. sometimes the starting points suck, but that’s just how it goes.

i had no original thought for my blog title.  in fact, that’s kinda been the theme for the last week.  nothing has gone on too terribly exciting. 

operation blubber blast has improved, with me making it to the gym to work out three times in the last week.  must be a personal record for me or something because i hate exercise.  but i’m really trying to keep with it.  when i go, i either do the elliptical machine (which can be more challenging than it looks i found out) or the good ‘ol treadmill.  i’m not as sore as i thought i would be.  and actually – kinda miss the sore feelings because i guess i like having them as a reminder that i’ve accomplished something.  my calves ache (from the elliptical, i’m sure) and my shoulders ache (from weights last night) and that’s about it.  i really would like to rid myself of my monster thighs, but it’s hard to make them feel like they’re working.  oh well – i’ll just keep at it and hopefully, it’ll all start chipping away.  i’ve been not too horrible on my diet.  granted, i indulged in chik-fil-a last night, but for the rest of the week, i’ve been sticking to grilled chicken, salads, etc.  and lots of water.  i haven’t really felt any results of the last two weeks of my efforts so far, but that’s okay – i know these things take time.  if anything, i know i haven’t felt myself getting bigger, so stopping the trend is a step in the right direction. 

the approaching weekend is going to be super busy.  i’ll be taking bacon to a fundraiser on saturday morning to benefit the north tx basset hound rescue group.  they’re having a “shuffle” in which your dog can walk 1/2 a mile (quite a feat for a basset) and get pledges from people to raise money for the rescued animals.  there’s also supposed to be games and food and such there… so, that will be fun.  i need to get her a bandanna or something to wear to make her feel all special.  apparently, a lot of the bassets show up wearing costumes.  i don’t think my dog has the tolerance required to wear a whole outfit, but i bet she won’t mind if i tie something cute around her neck.  i’ll try to take pics of the event.

on saturday night, i’m having two friends over since it’s their birthday weekend.  i’m attempting a dinner party of some sort and will be cooking (gosh help us all).  so, tonight and tomorrow, i need to get on the ball and get my apartment looking decent and maybe get around to hanging the pictures that never made it up when i moved in over six months ago.  and yes – i know i said i’d do this before, but i think it might actually happen now.

jeromy and i are having lunch with my dad tomorrow just for fun.  mom’s convinced that “something’s up” and that we have some major news to spill or something, but that’s simply not the case.  it’s just lunch.  i’ll be glad to have my two favorite fellas together.

as indicated by my blog title, time is quickly passing by.  i can hardly believe that i met neo around this time last year at a card game at his house.  shortly thereafter, i was introduced to jeromy.  it’s been a fast year.  i know it’s a little premature, but i’m actually excited for christmas.  i love the season and i can’t wait to hear those fun carols on the radio soon.

i was reminded today through the words and experience of another just how much we can touch each other – even within brief periods of time.  this particular someone was talking about a friend of mine and it just really resonated to me how god puts certain people in your path for a reason.  maybe it was just so that you wouldn’t feel lonely for a couple of hours while at an event.  or perhaps someone said “just the right thing at just the right time” when it didn’t pertain to what they were talking about at all.  or a smile.  or an encouraging word.  we all have had it done to us and all have the ability and opportunity to give it back on a daily basis.  it goes against our grain, sometimes, but i guess that’s why it’s called character.  the more i’ve been living this somewhat care-free day-to-day life i’ve been embracing for the last year or so, the more i see that very little is left to chance … if that makes sense.  i know that i need to be better about this.  it’s sometimes hard for me to be aware of things or people or feelings around me.  and trust me… the oblivious state is nowhere connected to any place of malice on my part – i’m just clueless sometimes.  i just kinda go in auto pilot and don’t really think about my fellow neighbor.  but it’s funny – when you pray for experiences and opportunities to be an instrument or to have an affect – they oftentimes come fast.  this topic was in my heart last night and was in my mind this morning.  and this evening, i received a call from a friend that is going through a hard time, but seldom admits such things to me.  and even though i think i helped little in this person’s immediate situation, i still felt joy at the friendship and memories i have with this individual.

i’m still at work right now and just got done with some emails and other tidbits before meetings tomorrow.  i’m off to head home.  when i see the cleaning people, i know i’ve been here too long. 

ghostbusters.

that’s what i’m watching. tonight has turned into another nerd night at neo’s place. so i’m watching ghostbusters on neo’s new obscenely large (50″ plasma) tv he just purchased.

operation blubber blast was off to a good start early in the week. i was all about grilled chicken and lots of water. salads for lunch – all the good stuff. but then i totally fell off the horse. i was on a site visit for work, which meant lunch with the client (at a mexican buffet). late nights at work resulted in poorly planned dinners and a lack of exercise. so – i only lost one pound (according to jeromy’s mom’s weight watcher’s scale which is digital and has .1 lb accuracy). one pound is not good and is a drop in the bucket when compared to my goal. the news of this has made me motivated to do more. so – tonight, i hit the gym and did 40 minutes of aerobic activity (treadmill and eliptical). i had salad for lunch. and had subway for dinner. i’ve kept up with drinking lots of water – it’s been a change that is easy to make and has been consistent. i have to go pee all of the time now, but that will change once my body gets used to it.

i was at work all week (as mentioned before).  i got to go to an interesting site and while walking through a field, i saw more grasshoppers than i have ever seen in my life.  it was crazy.  there were cows in the field next to us and it just so happens that the ring on my cell phone for a lot of my callers is a “moo” sound.  well… i heard a “moo” and thought it was my cell phone, when it was really just a jerk cow behind me.  it was funnier in real life.

i was really into my work one night and had some ear phones on.  out of the corner of my eye, i saw something go across the top of the cube wall and it scared the boots off of me.  come to find out, the cleaning lady was on the other side of the wall and it was her duster over the top of the wall.  it was insane.

jeromy totally scored a 1 gb pin drive for me today, which rocks my face off.  no major plans for the weekend.  i’m hanging out with a girl (maybe others) from church tomorrow.

……

“are you the gate keeper?”

i had a fantastic night yesterday. i met up with nina at applebees (where i ordered grilled chicken and veggies instead of my usual chicken fingers/fries) and then we headed to dallas for the mae concert (new amsterdams and verdera opened) at the gypsy ballroom. nina and i got lost on the way, but it made for some good laughs.

i am going to take the opportunity to have a short rant about concert ettique. i’ve been to a good number of shows in my lifetime. and i don’t know if the general concert-going population is just getting less aware about matters or if my aging is having an effect on my perceptions, but there were several instances last night where i was stunned by the total lack of consideration of the individuals around me. the most memorable impressions came from these two girls that stood in front of nina and i. nina is a cute little short thing, so we had tried to positions ourselves to allow nina maximum visibility. these two girls came through the crowd and were like, “excuse me… excuse me” while bulldozing their way through the crowd… nina and i had stepped aside, thinking that these two (rather large) girls were on their way to some destination… but no – they just stood in front of us. so after we got over that issue (and poor nina couldn’t see), one of the girls continues to rock back and forth. i understand that at shows, everyone is standing and that you’re bound to be pushed or bumped or touched by people. and that’s fine. but this girl had a huge purse on her that continued to whack me repeatedly when she moved around. and on the other end, her elbow would hit my chest in the more sensitive of areas. it was not pleasant – and i almost said something to her, but refrained b/c i hate conflict. these girls would jabber on and on during and in between the sets. it was insane. nina and i eventually got our places back when the girl left for the restroom. when she came back, she made a remark about “how did these whores get in front of us?” *sigh* i held my tongue. but i looked around and saw several instances of plain rudeness. i saw girls with huge purses everywhere (leave the bags at home, ladies – they only get in the way when you’re in a crowded room). i saw tall guys step in front of a group of small people without a thought or a look back to make sure others could see. it was just nuts. okay – rant over.

the show itself was great. nina and i arrived just as verdera was going on. we were in the bar section for most of that performance. i wasn’t blown away – they were good, but for some reason, bands with chick singers have the tendancy to have all their songs sound the same – and this band followed that trend. i dunno. they weren’t horrible by any means… i was just ready to see the other acts. new amsterdams rocked my face off. of course, most people are probably more familiar with the singer’s role in the get up kids, so when i was listening to his performance, i kept thinking a get up kids song was next. heh. they performed a song from their side band, the terrible twos… it’s basically a band that does little kids songs. but the song they did was super cute and i thoroughly enjoyed it. it was good to see them and their whole set was amazing. mae came on last and i was blown away. their energy and performance was great. i have only gotten into them in the last six months or so, but i really enjoy this band’s sound. it had been too long since i had been to a concert and i always forget how much i enjoy them. i love just feeling the music and the bass and the drums and just watching the performances. ’tis a good thing for the soul in my opinion.

i still haven’t gotten a scale for operation blubber bust – but i did weigh myself at jeromy’s house this morning. his scale is readily available, so for now, it’ll be used to track my progress. hopefully, by this time next week i can say that i’ve lost a couple of pounds. i’ve been good on my reduction of soda and more water intake thus far. i’ve been eating a lot of grilled chicken, too, and staying away from sweets for snacks. i had chicken at mom’s tonight and an apple for dessert.

not much slated for the rest of the weekend. i picked bacon up and while at mom’s house, i noticed that bacon was moping around the house like she was depressed. i guess dogs get bummed about stuff… but i can’t think of anything she’d be upset over. hopefully some fun time with me over the weekend will put some pep in her step. i’ve got church in the morning, which i’m actually looking forward to. i haven’t been in forever it seems b/c something keeps coming up every weekend. so far, nothing is planned for labor day – which suits me just fine.

just a quick morning entry to start off my day.  yesterday was long – i was at the office for a good 12-13 hours working and it was filled with complications.  i crashed when i got home.  and i’m here early today for a training thing-a-ma-jigger.  i’m just glad there is a three day weekend ahead.

tonight, i’m going to a concert with nina (mae and new amsterdams).  i’m stoked and think it’s going to be a good time. 

operation blubber blast:  it’s day one of my shift in lifestyle to promote a healthier version of me.  i kinda got a slight head start because ever since my last entry a couple of days ago, i’ve been taking mental notes of my food intake.  i’ve drunk way less soda and have increased the water consumption.  i should probably weigh myself today to give myself some type of starting point.  i don’t have a scale … hmm – should probably get one as it would be useful to have to track progress.

RadioShack lays off employees via e-mail

FORT WORTH, Texas – RadioShack Corp. followed through on its announced plans to cut about 400 jobs, but the electronics retailer has been forced on the defensive about its method of notifying laid-off employees by e-mail.

Employees at the Fort Worth headquarters received an e-mail Tuesday morning telling them they were being dismissed immediately.

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Quick-Thinking Cop Said He Was Immediately Suspicious of Warren Jeffs

Aug. 30, 2006 — He evaded authorities for more than a year and became a fixture on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List.

On Monday night, however, Warren Jeffs’ run from the law came to an unexpected end when a Nevada state trooper recognized him during a routine traffic stop.

The polygamist is wanted in Utah and Arizona on charges of arranging two marriages between underage girls and men.

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Waistlines Continue to grow in the U.S.

WASHINGTON – The gravy train — make that the sausage, biscuits and gravy train — just kept on rolling in most of America last year, with 31 states showing an increase in obesity.

…

“Obesity now exceeds 25 percent in 13 states, which should sound some serious alarm bells,” said Dr. Jeff Levi, executive director of the advocacy group.

—————

speaking of waistlines growing, i am afraid that mine has been one of them. i got a wake up call when some pants that had been loose on me in the past were tight. and i realized that i need to get serioius before my problem gets “bigger.” i told this to a coworker (that i usually go out to lunch with) and come to find out, her and her husband are starting nutrisystem. and that’s great b/c now instead of being tempted to go out at lunch, i can just grab a quick salad downstairs (she’s gotta have one with her little meal thing every day anyways) and still enjoy the good company. also, starting next week, she and her husband will be working out in the gym downstairs. and i need to get back into it. i had started going and all but then when i ran on the treadmill, my left ankle was really giving me problems (which i need to go to the doctor about despite the fact that i don’t want to). but that’s no excuse… i need to just do a fast walk and increase the slope i guess. do weights and such. anything to change my form from what it is. jeromy and i eat out all of the time, which is also an obstacle. and i’m not saying that i’m going to stop eating out but i will probably be ordering off of the kids menu more often than not and also trying to make better selections. just little things to get me where i should be. i need to make myself accountable or else i’m not going to follow through. for the last couple of months, i’ve toyed around with the idea of getting in shape but never saw it through. but this week i had a wake up call and i can’t afford to just ignore the problem. so – as an incentive to myself, i’m going to report every friday about my progress on this blog until i get to where i want to be. i’ll report weight loss as well as what i did that week to further/impair my goal. i know i want to get to where i don’t feel completely uncomfortable with my body – but i don’t know what number (in lbs) that correlates to. for now, i’m more concerned about developing healthy habits. the rest will hopefully follow. september 1 will be day 1 (just because i like nice, easy starting points). stay tuned for “operation: blubber blast.”

everything else is going well. i got a lot of stuff done last night – cleaned my apartment, mailed off a rebate that was about to expire, and had the girls from church over. the three of us had a good time – lots of laughing and such. i enjoy their visits immensely. they’re both a lot older than what i thought they were – which rocks b/c now i’m not so worried about turning 24 in a couple of months. i don’t feel like i’m where i need to be in life, but i can kinda cruise for a while. no biggie.

i scored the air pump i need for my car online (kudos for the internet) for only about $320 last night, which is a far better price than the $700 the dealership was going to charge me for the part alone (nevermind the $250 for labor – yikes). it should be in sometime next week. hooray!