Back in March 2007, I started this little ol’ blog, with much tentativeness and apprehension.
It was The Good Man’s idea for me to become a blogger, and he’s been my biggest supporter all along.
So he made me a deal.
Threw down a gauntlet.
Set a goal for me.
If I could top 100 unique visitors in a single day, he’d buy me dinner.
A *nice* dinner.
Yesterday, I finally achieved that feat.
WHOOO HOOO!!! Dinner! Yeeessss!
In the elevator, on the way down to get frozen yogurt, I read on the Captivate headline streaming network tiny tv thingy in the elevator that doctors are starting to worry because younger generations are exposed to a lot of radiation through their lives due to medical scans, thus raising their risks for cancer. (source)
Which made me think about my once a year dental xrays, two MRI’s, a chest xray, xrayed suspected broken ankle, and my recent mammogram.
Once fro-yo was obtained (of the boysenberry variety), on the way back up in the elevator, I read that, evidently, my thermostat can make me fat. (Funny, I thought it was all the boysenberry fro-yo with crushed cookies on top).
The doors were opening so I dashed out and didn’t get the story.
That’s ok. Scared on the way down. Scared on the way up. Makes me want to eat a vat of fro-yo and hide under the bed.
It’s too much.
Wasn’t it just better when we were blissfully ignorant, eating red meat for lunch with two martinis with a pack of smokes for dessert? Perhaps we weren’t as healthy, but we also weren’t subjected to fear infused crawl headlines warning of “Fire!” or Swine flu!” or “Pestilence!”
Ignorance might really be bliss.
Sure, the information age has been amazing. But it’s been damaging too.
Ok, confessional time. Yes, I’m owning it here, publicly, on my blog.
Here we go
Due to the immense amount of food they provide here at my job, cookies, cakes, lots of candy, full lunches, parties, celebrations, the whole nine yards….
I *might* have maybe, sort of, kind of….gained some weight.
I know. *gasp*
Not a lot. But enough to make most of the clothes in my closet feel tight.
So, I do that thing that women do, “Oh, I’ll lose this. I don’t need to buy new clothes! I’d just buy them and have to give them away, what a waste of money!”
What do I do? I wear the few items that fit over and over. And wear the tight things and sit at my desk with a wince as I get marks on my body from the clothes.
So, I just…I don’t know…gave up. I started dressing like crap. If you know me, you know clothes and style matter to me. So this is REALLY giving up.
I’m not proud of it.
Well, as fate will do, I had a *very* important meeting today, one where I needed to be on my game. And I needed to dress in a businesslike way.
In preparation, I tried on all my current dress pants. Yeah. No luck. Ok, I could get them on and zipped, but they were tight and immediately began pressing into my waist.
This isn’t humorous.
With fear in my heart, a couple days ago, I took to the mall, shopping discount outlets looking for *something* I could make work. Something I could wear and look professional and still be comfortable.
Guys, you have to know. To a woman…shopping for pants is the seventh level of hell. I don’t know why, it just is. Only slightly more appealing than shopping for a swimsuit.
The mall I visited is all broke down and busted (like many malls are these days) and it was a very hot day in the Bay Area. The entire mall had NO air conditioning, so shopping for pants (ugh!) with a sheen of sweat on your brow is not amusing. May I reiterate: NOT!
And being the cheap ass that I am, I wanted something at a low cost.
So. I found a couple things. The quality was only so-so. I wasn’t overjoyed with the items, but ok. I’d have something to wear.
I was depressed.
Then, yesterday I had an inspired idea. There is a store I used to shop at quite a bit, but then drifted away from. Their stuff is good, stylish, but often a little pricey. Their last couple of lines were not attractive at all, so I had moved on.
But I remembered that they usually stock a good range of sizes.
Yesterday after work, I went to this store. And I almost cried. In addition to air conditioning, they had gotten in all their new Fall line and much of it was TOTALLY my style. And sizes! Oh the size choices. I tried on some stuff that was too big! Some too small, but they had the next size.
And their prices were not that bad, actually. Reasonable. They’ve clearly made a shift to help with the economy.
So I stocked UP. I mean, I went a little nuts. I bought good quality clothes that fit and make me feel *good*. I bought a whole new wardrobe!
I walked out smiling. Today I’m wearing one of the new outfits and I am walking so much taller. My pants fit! They don’t bind. My waistline has been spared for the day. My whole outlook has vastly improved.
Ladies! Don’t give in to stuff that cuts and binds! Wear clothes that fit and feel good!
(and yes, I’m cutting back on the feed rations and exercising. Lifelong battle.)
So in trying to feel better physically and mentally, I’ve made the choice to give up most of the sugar in my diet. Caffeine too, including decaf (it has some caffeine).
I’m ok on the caffeine part. That’s no problem, I’ve never really been able to have that much and when I do, I feel like crap.
Oh but giving up the sugar. It’s killing me.
I hear that quitting cigarettes is about the most difficult thing ever. I’ve never been a smoker, so I can’t compare.
But I can say that Demon Sugar is whispering in my ear right now. “Just one cookie. It won’t hurt. You’ll feel so much better! That headache will go away! You’ll have a little lift! Come on! Just one chocolate bar, what can it do?”
Gad, even this image makes me drool.
I gotsa problem!
“The green chile harvest should begin in earnest in the next two to three weeks, said Stephanie Walker, extension vegetable specialist at New Mexico State University.”
“As long as the weather keeps cooperating, we’re going to have an excellent, excellent crop.”
Oh yes.