Signing Off of my blog for awhile

I am going to stop writing my blog for awhile....not sure when I will return....I hope that you will friend me on facebook so I can still stay in touch .......I have some bloggers all ready as friends.....friend me........Ellen Gans........mention your blog name so I know who you are......miss you all and have enjoyed reading ALL of the blogs.......if you do not have facebook please start a page...it is fun...and informative....I have been on facebook longer then blogging and really enjoy that way of communication..........

Best wishes to all of you......

Time for What I learned today

When the dogs come running out of the house and you smell smoke, the pot of farro you left on the stove is probably burning and the fire alarm will go off shortly. Never go outside thinking you will remember to go back in the house and turn the stove off in 20 minutes. Lesson definitely learned

And it was my new wolfgang puck stainless steel 2 quart pan!

Fiddleheads and Ramps

I have been eating many more vegetables since I finished my detox. The variety of these delicious foods is astounding. I made a pledge to myself to try vegetables that have never passed my lips before. So while at the farmers market this Saturday I bought fiddleheads and ramps.

The vendors we kind enough to tell me how to prepare both. The ramps are wild leeks. Garlicky and with a strong onion flavor at the same time. The entire plant is edible. Bulb, stem and leaf. Great for salads, eggs, and fish dishes.

The fiddleheads taste like asparagus and can be grilled, sauteed, steamed and boiled. Delicious with oil and garlic, scrambled in eggs, or sauteed with roasted potatoes and bacon.

Both are only available in the early spring and provide enormous health benefits.

Jenny G and my nephew Eric were brave enough to try the ramps but I was the only one to eat the fiddleheads....to bad for the family that does not taste.....more for me!

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman is my new boyfriend. I saw his butt. And his muscles. I fell in lust.

Finally sleeping through the night

We finally figured out what was wrong with my Cavalier...Belvedere....to many heart medications were making him dehydrated, causing him to release kidney enzymes, which made him vomit.

The solution was so simple. We stopped giving him the water pill. He now sleeps through the night and so do I.

Hooray!!!!!!!!

Learned something new again

Underarmor shirts will retain the stinky sweat smell if you wash them in detergent and dry them using dryer sheets. The solution is to soak the garments in baking soda and water and dry without using dryer sheets. Thank you Underarmour.com for that tidbit of information.

The Detox

I did the 21 day detox that Robin Quivers from the Howard Stern show did "21 pounds in 21 Days"....is doing......I have to say, while it wasn't easy, I was able to follow the program and the benefits so far are good.....I have lost 18 pounds, my skin is radiant, softer....my head is clear.....no foggy brain...no need for coffee pick me up first thing in the morning or at 3pm. I am living on less calories, but still getting nutrition with the food I do eat and the powder drinks.... a green powder for all the veggie nutrients, and a berry powder for all the fruit nutrients I need, a protein powder for the days I do not eat animal protein. The powder drinks can be used forever to ensure I get the nutrients my body needs.

With the weight loss comes energy. With the energy comes activity. Activity leads to calories burned and STUFF getting accomplished. I have cleaned out every cupboard and closet in the house. The clutter hidden for years in those places is now going to be sold at a garage sale or given away to the Salvation Army. All of it is usable, except to me. The clutter was not used for years therefore I do not need or want it.

My workouts are easier. I sleep better. I am not looking for food at night, or snacks during the day. The program insists that some form of nutrients are consumed every two hours, along with 8oz of water and/or herbal tea. My understanding is eating every two hours helps keep hunger at bay and keeps the body metabolism burning. The powder drinks help prevent cravings too.

The program is expensive to do. The powder drinks are $25-$30 per drink, then there are enzymes, colon cleansing, liver cleanse, kidney cleanse items to buy. An enema bag, colonic ( which I did not do), dry brushing ( which I love), bathes with Epsom salts, baking soda, and either lavender or peppermint oil, and juicing with vegetables. If you do not own a juicer the book and author highly recommend purchasing one. That item is very expensive.

I joined an online support group to get through the 21 days of not eating solid food of any kind. The website and the other people that were detoxing were extremely helpful and great at giving advice and suggestions that worked for them. This may not be for everyone but it did work for me so far. I am finished with the detox part and today is my last day of the maintenance.

We shall see what the future brings and if I can continue with the eating pattern I have embraced. Eating as much RAW fresh veggies and fruits, less animal protein, no red meat, more herbal teas, and much smaller portions.

Not that this has happened to me....

DAy 21

Today is the last day of my detox program. I feel terrific, am 17 pounds lighter, and have a different approach to food that hopefully will last a long time. Throughout this detox I read and researched the need for food and how to look at it as fuel, change my eating behavior, and cooking techniques.

G man has benefited from this research and change all ready. I have been cooking with less oils, less amounts of food, and using better foods. More veggies, fruits, nuts, and whole grains. Less animal protein, mainly red meat, but more fish.

I have yet to eat all the goods foods. The detox program is 30 days....the first 21.... no solid foods are eaten....all nutrition comes from fruit and veggie powders. Herbal teas and distilled water are main sources of fluids. No protein at all, unless no weight loss is desired.

Several days in the beginning were awful, I experienced incredible muscle fatigue and general tiredness.....symptoms that alot of people doing this program felt....then I could feel myself gaining energy, noticed my skin changing for the better, and experienced an overall feeling of relaxation. Today I feel terrific, I have an abundance of energy and am looking forward to ending the program and eating solid foods. I have not had coffee or beer in 21 days...and really do not miss those drinks......

The downside to this program for me was not having the energy to workout......but I will begin again once I have some protein......oh I forgot to mention that the mental clarity I have is incredible I can not explain it really...it is just that I feel no more foggy brain. I feel focused and have the ability to see what I have to do.... rather then walking around looking at projects and wondering how I was going to accomplish them....

For me this program has worked.....it may not be for everyone...but I see the benefits and can call it a success.

Terri the Westie July 1991-April 9 2009

We had to put my sweet furry Westie to sleep last night...it broke my heart but had to be done. She stop eating her food 4 days ago, ate a little bit of burger for a day then stop eating and drinking all together. She was vomiting and urinating on herself too. I called the vet and he said it sounded like her kidneys were shutting down.

G man and I decided we had to prevent any more suffering. Like the vet said we can't get her into hospice care and make her comfortable till she goes on her own. So we did what no animal lover wants to do and had her put to sleep.

She was really my dog. We had a special bond. I understood her communication of barks and pawing, her running around when excited or wanting to play. She understood me. My moods and when I needed a snuggle partner. I'll miss her.

My only regret is that she died stinky and unbathed. I did not want to add to her stress by bathing her after she started vomiting and peeing on herself. She hated baths, terrified of them really. She would tremble and cry and really get stressed when ever I had to bathe her.

After we came home G man and I attempted to de stress in our own ways. I was sitting in my favorite chair thinking. My father in law, who passed away almost 4 years ago, popped into my head. He was wearing a very sharp looking blue suit. ( he always dressed nice) Next to him was my Terri ,my westie, clean and white and sleeping peacefully. He was petting her and with a big smile on his face. My dad ( he died almost 6 years ago) was there too with our other dog Twink ( she died 6 years ago). I know she will be happy where she is now.

The Holidays

Tomorrow night is the beginning of Passover.... I have all ready made the chopped liver..............G Man's grandma Matie's recipe....there is a secret ingredient she shared with me......imagine a shiksa she shared her famous recipe with.......I have made it every year for the past 26.....the same way she made....hand grated chicken livers...sweet onion......finely chopped hard boiled egg and the secret ingredient........I have also mastered the matzo ball...the soup part was easy had that before I married G man........the matzo balls were a process....not even Grandma Matie could make them as light as me......G man's father loved my matzo balls as does G man, the cousins, our kids and most anyone that has eaten them.....I know this is bragging but I don't care.....I really do make great chopped liver and matzo balls....so I toot my horn a little bit...God doesn't care....It is an honor to make the chopped liver.....Matie was special.....a Jewish grandmother I loved.......she wasn't thrilled when G man and I announced we were getting married....but she accepted it....I will never forget her excitement about me being pregnant with Jenny G and her happiness when she held Jenny G for the first time......her kiss and hug given to Jenny G for the first and the tears that flowed.......her caress of my stomach when we told her I was pregnant with Double G......we knew he was going to be a boy......Matie was exuberant with that news....she waited until Double G was born and held him before she died shortly thereafter....I miss her........G Man and I talk about her often... he loved her with all his heart.....she was the best grandma.

So Sunday we go to my mom for Easter.......my idea...her house is central for all of us....very small....but we manage.......I planned to have a brunch...have my Nephew Jacob help with the cooking and give my mom something to look forward to and participate in........well the event has gone from a brunch to a lunch with ham, scalloped potatoes, salad, asparagus, multiple desserts....deviled eggs.....that was yesterday....today my mom said she wasn't going to make her famous scalloped potatoes, instead she was going to put cut up potatoes put them in the crock pot with butter....no salad either....just carrots sticks and celery sticks with dip.......no asparagus to difficult to make.....wait what???????......it's not the money because I was buying everything at the market on Saturday.....and it is not the work load I am going to her house Saturday to set up the table and do all the prep with the food........I hate it when she gets lazy like this....she just says I hope this is ok it's so much easier........EASIER !!!!!!!! I HATE EASIER.........this is so typical.....make plans amend them then destroy them............I don't know why I involve her...this drives me crazy.....it's not like we do this all the time...Thanksgiving and Easter that's it........Thanksgiving is at my house...so she can't destroy that holiday......uuuughhhhhh I am so frustrated......If I say anything she just gets defensive and sulks.....so I go around her....my sister in law a fabulous cook....will make the potatoes...I will do the asparagus....salad we can do without.....then I will have to listen to her say how much work all the preparing is for me...how she doesn't know how I do it....she is getting to old for this it's to much .........I hate that speech....

Well at least I will see my brothers and their families......my niece The Redhead will be with her dad's family.......I'll suck it up and be a gracious daughter and smile, enjoy the cooking I will do and thoroughly enjoy the Easter egg hunt.

Happy Holidays to all

NYC

G man had a big road trip last week...started Monday and did not end until this Monday.....he is on the road again left yesterday will be home Friday night. The life of a salesman.

The good news is.....I met him in NYC on Thursday last week, we had a great weekend. Although he was on his blackberry for most of Thursday, Friday and part of Saturday we were able to have time here and there for us. (I truly hate that blackberry)

We took the subway, for the very first time. Can you imagine being 50, going to a large city several times a year that has a subway system and never using it? The cabs are very expensive so I decided our mode of transportation was walking and subway. We saved a ton of money and had a pleasant experience using the NYC subway.

We went to the Chelsea Market in the West Village which was a somewhat of a disappointment only because my expectations were completely different then reality. But the food was fabulous and the atmosphere was very big city. The Food Network studios are on the upper floors, but no one can get to them unless you have an electronic key to let you in. The Chelsea Pier was interesting and the surrounding area was residential but still big city.

Central Park proved to be lively on Saturday. Alot of families, bicyclists, rollerbladers, joggers, and strollers.

We did not eat in fancy restaurants instead we ate in local small mom and pop type places. The food was delicious. Our friends did take us to Smith and Wollensky steak house which was nice.

Sunday was our day of departure, as we had to be in Poughkeepsie for a food show. Nasty!!!!! This is another post.

St. Patrick's

West Village

Rockefeller Center

The Lincoln Tunnel

Central Park

Along the Hudson on Route 9 going North

4 am wake up .......

I am the one that usually get sup in the middle of the night to let the dogs out.....so Wednesday morning when I realized G man was up I felt guilty....he had a road trip and should have been up at 6am to get going......I came down stairs and saw G man sitting on the couch with one of the dogs waiting for the others to come in....being the nice loving wife every one knows me to be......I told him to go back to bed.....he didn't say anything just got up and walked around....weird but ok it's 4 am........all the dogs were in, alarm set, Lucy pushed up the stairs, and G man says....."I think you better take me to the hospital, my heart is racing and I can't get it to slow down"......I looked at him, he was dressed in grey undies, and black socks with a yellow towel across his shoulders for warmth. The only thing I said was "OK lets go...let me get dressed" He got dressed too and away we went, but not before I grabbed his meds, a book and my purse.

He wanted to go across town to the hospital his doctor was affiliated with, but I had other plans. The closest hospital and one that his doctor is NOT affiliated with. ( Gman's doctor is another post, just know I think he is a quack.)

We arrived safely, after running a few red lights, and G man was seen immediately, but not before the receptionist asked if we had time to fill out paper work. To which my reply was "hell no he is having heart problems."

Heart rate 101, blood pressure 194/110.......this after he took a second pill for high blood pressure.......hhhhmmmm a little tad high for the pressure and slightly fast for the heart rate......abnormal ekg, no pain, or other typical signs of a heart attack. Possibly iskemia....lack of oxygen to the heart....blood tests......nitro patch, 3 more aspirin, lots of very kind and soft spoken nurses, residents and one attending physician. There were several discussions about the medicine for high blood pressure G man takes.....( another post about our managed care program), we know and the doctors know the FDA took the med off the market, but the new medicine did not arrive so G man had to keep taking the old.

The decision is to have G man stay the night, have a stress test, wait for blood work to come back, and send him to the observation unit. Ok good thing I brought a book with me. The overnight did not happen, G eman's blood work came back all normal, and his ekg after second and third opinions was more likely normal for him than abnormal, but the stress test is a must.

By 11:30 am G man and I were in the stress test lab, he was injected with a radioactive dye to help illuminate his heart and away he went on the treadmill.....after the test we went to t he observation unit to wait for results. At 4pm we were on our way home, the stress test came back normal.

The conclusion reached by the doctors is the medicine is not working and uG man has way way way to much stress going on....which he does... in part because he owns his company which is slow due to the economy and because he drives himself crazy with worry about stupid stuff he can not control. He has to slow down on the partying with the 20 year olds, rest more ( ha like that will happen) loose some weight (about 20 lbs)and get the medicine issue resolved.

So far he has been good about following the hospital doctors advice and has decided he may need to get a different doctor. The new medicine arrived, we bought a blood pressure monitor, and G man has been going to bed around midnight instead of 2 am.

Today Friday the 13th

Do You Suffer From Paraskavedekatriaphobia?

I forgot to mention

On my goodness I forgot to mention I went to see The Watchmen..........It was HORRIBLE>>>>>>people were walking out half way thru the movie. I am not sure why my group sat thru the entire movie. All 5 of us said it was the worst movie we had seen in a long time.

Is it wrong for a mom>>>>>

Is it wrong for a mom to be angry with her child over money, work and responsibility when the child is 22.?


A blow out of epic proportions occurred yesterday when I was notified that Jenny G had a parking ticket from early Feb....unpaid. The car is registered in my name so the late notice came to me. The fine had doubled. When I called the college parking bureau to find out if they would waive the fee, she got it the first week of the semester, they said no and that a second ticket was given 5 days ago. The fines are at $75. If the fines go unpaid the car can be towed, and I may not be able to register the car or get my license renewed.


Jenny G has been at school for 8 weeks, she will be starting a great job next week. During the lull of unemployment she refused to take a job in a fast food restaurant to make some money. She claims she put applications in at other places, but not the fast food restaurant that was advertising for help. She has no money now. Her reason for not atking the fast food job is she did not want to work there for a few weeks and then quit if she got this other job. She said it's not right to do that to an employer......so keep both jobs....you are a poor college student.

She is a great kid for the most part. But earning her own money has never been a focus. Her attitude of paying for a hamburger on Thursday that she ate Tuesday is the problem. She thinks that future income will pay her debts and expenses from the past. Where that thinking came from I do not know. If G man and I can't pay cash for something we don't buy it until we can. We thought Jenny G man the same view. Boy were we wrong.

So I really let loose on her over the phone....telling her the princess attitude needs to be gone, that paying with future income for current and past debts is stupid, stop being lazy and park in free lots at school and walk and pay her bills on time. I don't feel to bad for telling her how I see the situation. Her response was that I am right, she's sorry, she doesn't know why she does this....blah blah blah blah.....

AAAGGGHHHHHHH..... I get so angry when this stuff happens. It can be avoided with simple accountability for actions taken or not taken.......why oh why oh why has she not learned this.

Today was the day I learned something new

Eating olive tapenade on triscuits and a bowl of cheerios before working out is not a good idea......

TO

Great just what the Bills needed......T.O. Another wasted season ......

Terrell Owens
#81
Wide Receiver

T.O. shuffling off to Buffalo
AP, Mar 7, 2009
Terrell Owens needed only two days to find another place to play. The Buffalo Bills decided to take a chance on the talented but high-maintenance receiver, signing Owens to a $6.5 million, one-year deal Saturday

The good news just keeps coming

In one of the more bizarre free agent signings in club history, Fitzpatrick is now a member of the Bills, leaving everyone asking why and wanting more.
In terms of experience and chronological age, the former Ram and Bengal hardly fits the bill as someone capable of filling a mentoring role. Fitzpatrick, 26, has started five fewer games than Edwards and he’s less than one year older.
As far as viewing him as an upgrade over Losman, critics are snickering over GM Russ Brandon’s assessment of Fitzpatrick: “Over the course of Ryan’s career, he has been a very productive player and certainly brings many positives to our organization.”
Really?
Compared to Losman, Fitzpatrick has started 18 fewer games, attempted 434 fewer passes, thrown for 3,529 fewer yards and 21 fewer touchdowns, and won seven fewer games.

Confused

I am in a frazzle today....my cavalier was up 10 times in 3 1/2 hours last night. I haven't had coffee yet and it's 2:19 pm.....uuuggghhhh. I gotta talk to the vet again...getting up for hours sucks.......the dog is confused I think...he goes outside and sits....looks for a chewy that he left out there and 20 minutes later he is ready to come in.....then he must remember he left another chewy out there or just wants to make sure he has them all and the cycle starts again....sometimes just 5 minutes after I get back in bed......but last night was the worst.....10 times !!!!!!! the little piss ant has the nerve to sleep all day. Thank god I do not have a job that I have to go to in the AM.

I am almost 100% certain he is not sick.......just has his days and nights turned around...

And it's the chewys.......he must have them all....doesn't like to share with the other dogs.........this dog will look for all the chewys...carry them one by one to his bed and sleep on top of them.....if the other dogs take a chewy the cavalier cries and whines until he gets it back....he is very selfish.........

I need coffee....bad

Good Food and dollars

I read an article in a local magazine, appropriately named after our city. Rochester Magazine. The magazine is snooty and is FREE to households over a specific annual income. A 6 figure income. I get it FREE because I use to advertise my store in it. The powers to be at the magazine company must not have updated the database as my store has been closed for 6 months.

Moving on......an article in the magazine has made me aware that I have some sense of what good food is all about and how grateful I am to be able to purchase good food. AND how our government has interfered with farming through subsidies ( our tax dollars) which has allowed for a more cost effective production of food but at the expense of our health via inferior nutrition, chemicals reaping destruction on the environment,and mistreatment of animals.

The article went on to point out that BIG is not always better. (Don't we know it now with all that is going on with Wall Street, big banks, big insurance companies etc.) If we shop our local farm markets, participate in community gardens, plant our own back yard gardens, buy locally grown meats and let our politicians know that this is how we want to get our food, we may be able to shift the subsidies from industrialized food production ( high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils) to sustainable farms that do not use chemicals or inhumane treatment of animals. What a concept! I'm in.

Kodak Moments

I thought some of you might enjoy these kodak moments.......

OUCH! AAAGGGHHHH! OH SHIT THAT HURTS!

At 4AM I was up again letting the dogs out. In a slumbering stupor I smashed my elbow on the corner of the wall at the top of the stairs and cried out. No one came to make sure I was OK. Double G was still out somewhere. G man was sound asleep with his earphones tightly secure inside his ears. Jenny G is away at college. Good thing I did not fall down the stairs, I was on my own.

Once the dogs came back in and I climbed into bed I realized my elbow really hurt and could tell it was swollen. My first aid skills kicked in as best they could at that time of the morning. Instead of getting ice to apply I opted for elevation of the injured limb. Using the extra pillows on the bed I propped my arm up hoping that when I awoke at a reasonable morning hour everything would be fine.

During the few hours of sleep that remained i dreamt about a BURSA SACK that traveled up and down my arm. Don't ask me why i couldn't tell ya. My sleep was not restful.

SO now I am walking around with a bag of frozen blueberries inside a towel tied around my elbow. My arm bends and can straighten, but the elbow has visible bruising and is still swollen.

G man looked at it and made a, what he thought was a funny laugh out loud, comment about not being able to clearly see the damage because of the amount of FAT on my arm. UH huh...and your size 40 pants make you ......what .....slim?

I said BEERS on ME

boy oh boy you guys must really be busy..........I have a post 2 down from this one that mentioned FREE BEER no one took the bait...where are you all?????????????? miss you.....

Today the temperature is going to be around 50....I will be outside cleaning up the 500lbs of poop in the yard.....what will you be doing?

" A man's got to know his limitations"

Did anyone watch Magnum Force last night?

I love Dirty Harry.....tonight The Enforcer is on.......oooohhh yyyeaaahhh!

He said "well that was quick"

I can't believe it......I am out of the basement all ready.....in less then one day....only a few hours ago I was moaning and whining about having to be down there for days. As it turned out I had nothing to worry about.

The stuff is organized, inventoried, the pictures to post on craigslist with descriptions are finished. All of it is priced. I even have the postings on craigslist done. AND have people responding to the ads. I have sold 2 items as of now. WoooohOOOO!!! Beers on me!!!!

OK who is responsible for sprinkling the magic dust?????? Sans was it you? You are Scottish after all (right?). Isn't Scotland the home for magic dust and fairies, and Loch creatures?

G man is amazed. Hopefully all of the stuff will sell and we will be a few dollars richer. Minus the cost of the beers.

It is beginning

I am in the basement. Not exactly cleaning...looking at stuff to sell on craigslist......hopefully I will be done in a few days. If you do not hear from my by the end of the week...send a search party in with some beer.

I cleaned the grout on my kitchen floor yesterday. It wasn't exciting but it had to be done. My fingernails were ruined in the process. The back splash behind the stove and kitchen sink were really gross, so I used citrus degreaser to clean those areas.

The pictures I framed of Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, etc are still not displayed. I have no where to hang them. Most of the walls in our house have windows or are to narrow to hang the pictures. I guess I could take down my collection of faces and masks to display the photos. Kinda make the house an art museum of sorts. Every once in a while change collections, pack away the old and bring out the new. Which brings me to the storage problem. Where to store the old stuff.

UUUgghhh....I know what is coming.........cleaning out the basement. Double G needs to help. He has all his beer making crap, that is no longer being used in the basement. The ski equipment, furniture from the store, boxes of documents from the 80's and 90's ( I think there are 10 boxes), kids memorabilia, trophies, old couches (2), camping equipment, and a bunch of old posters all need to be evaluated for keeping or tossing. This project won't go well. No one will help me, and I will toss something that should not have been thrown out, and all hell will break loose.

To bad!

There should be a law

I spent most of today on the telephone trying to get the health insurance company to understand why a refund of the $500.00 premium paid in advance for an employee of G man's company that quit is due to our company.

The health insurance people ( people not person, I spoke to 4 different people) said that the guidelines state no refunds if notification was not made in writing within 30 days, which used to be 60 days but was changed in June of 2008 to 30 days, of employment termination. Well..... when I called no one told me to send a letter. So now I have to get another form, fill in the blanks, write a detailed explaination as to why I did not notify them in writing within 30 days of employment termination, send it to the review committee for review and wait to be notified of the committees decision...........mmmmmm....ok.

So if the committee decides my verbal notification 13 days past the 30 day guideline requirement was not sufficient notification the health insurance company gets to keep our $500.00. Yep, that's correct.

The guidelines are made tooooooooo.......what.......punish small business. Like remembering to write a letter of cancellation is at the top of my things to remember......come on we employ 5 people, we do not have a human resource department that handles all of this stuff.......I am a jack of all things and a master of none...give me a break and just refund the premium.

AND>>>>>>>On to the car repair shop jackasses............. the Passat was involved in a hit and run.....we did not do the hit and run........$6000.00 worth of damages.....the first repair shop G man did not like......so he had the car, after it was taken apart and the estimate was approved by the insurance company, moved to another shop he was more comfortable with. Unknown to us the first shop never sent the license plate that was on the damaged bumper to the second shop. Mysteriously the plate is missing. The first shop has changed their story 3 times about the plate. First they claimed they gave it to the second shop, then it could have been in a box of plates that for some reason the shop keeps.....nope not there......or maybe the plate was left at the scene of the accident....uuuhhhhh no our pictures show the plate attached to the bumper that you threw out, even though you were told not to. Well nothing they can do.

I have to incur the expense of new plates, an extra 2 days of car rental costs, and the aggravation of standing in line at the DMV. They think it is over....HAHAHAHAHa....I will file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and our insurance company which has given Blue Ribbon status to the first shop. ( Blue Ribbon status indicates a shop is recommended by the insurance company), and the city police. The police will be notified because the plate could have been stolen from the first shop.

There should be a law against this kind of customer treatment.


Plus..... NY State Department of Unemployment notified me that we have been OVER paying our premiums since 2006 and we are due $4200.00. BUT.....we may not get the refund because the state budget is F'd up. I need to call back at the end of February to REMIND the state to send the refund check. The reason we over paid is because the new percentage rates were not downloaded properly by the payroll program company we use. Well isn't that just special.

Lunch with mom

My mom and me

Today Jenny G and I took my mom to lunch...for the first time in years....we had a lot of fun at a small local restuarant...La-Tea-Da....part of the fun was dressing up in the old hats and furs....watching the little girls play dress up.......the food was fantastic.

Bread Pudding Jenny G, Judith, and me

Jenny G and grandma
our table

Thin is not always a good thing

First I want all the men to make sure you brush your teeth before you go to the gym.....AND your work out clothes have to be fresh and laundered daily......I can't take the stinky bad breath men at the gym anymore.........what.... you think when breathing hard your neighbor can't smell your nasty stinky breath......it's not like that are miles between machines......so please BRUSH your teeth......I do...I don't want to be the stinky person in class.....and you shouldn't either...AND if you wear the same gym shorts and Tee from the day before make sure it is LAUNDERED......I do not want to smell your stink!!!

Now that that is out of the way I can write what this post is actually suppose to be about..... I have 4 work out capris.....hardtails....mostly used for yoga...but I like them for working out......I wear them often and I do wash them after each use.......anyway....apprantly one pair is worn more often.....I just happened to be stretching in front of the mirrored portion of a wall.....my backside facing the mirror....bending over reaching the floor and looking between my legs I could see the very wide ass area of my body.....and the extremely THIN and see through back of my yoga capris........my underwear was kinda bunched up in the crack of my ass (normally I do not don under just because of the bunching up issue) and was noticeable as were some of my cheeks back there.......I am not sure I am describing this so you get what I mean....just know THIN areas of material back there is not good........mmmm...it's like black pantyhose....when stretched they are opaque....that is what the back ass crack area was like....still dark just opaque and see through.



I am hoping that while on the machines the capris did not stretch back there so that the people behind me could see my cheeks and contrasting bunched up underwear. I do not want to be the smelly person nor the THIN person.

Something new

Everyday I try to learn something new. Sometimes I realize what I have learned and sometimes not. Today will be remembered.

Never NEVER ever will I eat figs and goat cheese after 4 beers, then hit the sack. It isn't pretty. I will spare you the gross details.

I gave it some time.......

So I gave it some time and nothing is different.........I turned 50 about 2 weeks ago.....nothing has changed. So to all the soon to be 50ers don't be scared..........it doesn't hurt and nothing changes.

BEER!

Part of a Healthy Diet

Drinking one beer per day may be good for your health because it has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Why? Some experts suggest these reasons:
The folate found in beer may help to reduce homocysteine in the blood and lower homocysteine levels mean a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Lab studies have found constituents in beer that lower triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol in mice.
Drinking one beer per day reduces blood clotting so some studies found that cardiovascular patients who drank one beer per day also lived longer. Other studies have found that women who consume one beer each day have improved mental health. Drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages in moderation may also improve bone density.


I am so happy I found this article....there was more to the article but I didn't want to bore anyone with the length, so I will paraphrase. The other part had something to do with moderation and just because one is good doesn't mean.....blah blah blah yada yadyada.......blah blah. 3-4 beers would be good....blah blah blah........The benefits of beer nutrition probably have nothing to do with the alcohol and there are some low-alcohol beers and non-alcohol beers available which.......yadaydayda blah blah.

The good news is beer is part of a healthy diet.

Old fashion words

Does anyone use the word CLOBBER anymore? How about the phrase UP YOURS? What about HUSH?

OR; That's the cats meow, HARK.

I am just wondering.

Not a great commercial....but who cares

It's all about Jason Statham with me....not the car...to bad he didn't take his shirt off.

Realization can be cruel

I started recording my caloric intake.....and really being honest with portions.......the truth is ugly...I have been eating close to 3000 calories a day.......mostly foods that are "healthy".......I have been exercising an hour a day and burning anywhere from 600- 800 calories 4-5 days a week.....according to the calorie counter analyzer I will gain a pound per week if I continue to eat and exercise the way I have been.

No wonder I have not been loosing the weight.......damn those healthy foods! It has to be the guacamole and light beer. Maybe the vodka too. Oh and the 75% fat free cheese with the reduced fat triscuits and/or wheat thins. ( wheat thins my ass!). The chicken sausage probably doesn't help either. I have been such a fool.

So I will return to my salads, more veggies and fruits. Reduce the meat, crackers and cheese and sadly the alcohol. But I am not giving up OLIVES! Instead of guacamole I will slice the avocado thin and use it in place of mayo. No more eating almonds by the handful, just a sprinkle in the salad. Gone is using unmeasured olive oil, the measuring spoons will be out of the drawer and used all the time.

I know what I have to do. Rein in measuring by eye, grabbing handfuls of snacks, eating out of the box, and not sitting down to enjoy my food. I can do it. The rules are simple, just a little difficult to maintain continuously. I know when I fell off the wagon and why. Travel and holidays make over eating so easy, slipping into bad habits not difficult, uuugghhh the agony.

The good news is I did not put all the weight back on that I worked so hard to remove over the last year. And I did not stop working out completely as in past years. Specific vitamins have helped me maintain better moods, which in turn has caused less binge eating due to mood swings. So I believe I have a excellent plan to reduce my weight and increase over all health.

Hooray for me!

Need Help

Does anyone know the name of the female subway singer that recently had a song on the charts....she is blond and has a guy with her that plays the guitar.....uuuugggggghhhhhh I hate when my memory fails me........

January 2009

I have signed up for an online photography class. Hooray! I know what Fstops are. I will be able to stop using the automatic mode on my camera soon! I framed some of the better pictures from Europe, Bahamas, etc. The only problem is no wall space to hang them on. I might remove them form the frames and put them in a large archival album and place it on the coffee table.......

We moved Jenny G to her new apartment close to the college she will be attending......took us 3 full days....she refused to leave anything behind......hopefully she will get a job within the next week to pay her bills.....she is about a 90 minute drive from home....this is the first time she has been completely on her own......no roommates or friends on campus or near her apartment......

Double G is struggling....... he graduates college this spring......has been attending Hebrew and Talmud studies with an orthodox Rabbi since his return from Israel in December.....broke off with his girlfriend of 4 years because he wants to find a Jewish girl....and has decided that he will be going to Israel for awhile......possibly in the military there..........G man and I are dazed with all of this......and are trying to talk sense into Double G.....go to Israel with Peace Corp or something not the military.....because I am not Jewish, Double G feels he needs to convert to be accepted as a jew....uuggghhhhh.....he is accepted in the reformed Jewish sect but not the orthodox and not some conservative sects.......he made bar mitzvah, went to Saturday and Sunday school.... Hebrew school as well as a child......he is on and off with attending temple....looking for a temple he feels connected with.......he has said and I know it is true that to be Jewish in the USA is to hide being Jewish most of the time.....unless you are with other Jews.......in Israel no one has to hide being Jewish........there are still alot of people here that do not understand Jews, have ideas about how Jews are......money grubbers, penny pincher's, pushy obnoxious personalities, swindlers, and flim flammers. I have heard it and seen it many times and I know Double G has experienced the same.

W did not get the house in Naples.The bank wanted 20k more then we were willing to pay so we walked away. The hunt is still on tho, with a different realtor. The one we were working with wasn't aggressive enough for us. Plus during a conversation G man and the realtor were having over price the Realtor asked what nationality G man is. We didn't like the question so we will not be using him anymore. The ass.

Both my brothers have lost their jobs..... David was fired because he will not keep his mouth shut.... and Matt lost his along with 150 other employees. This sucks for both. David is 47, has chronic bronchitis, is over weight grossly, and no education. I love him and he is a great father to his girls.....but he just can't keep his mouth shut at work.......he has been demoted and fired before......he has not learned from the past...... Matt is educated, a former Marine, and moved to this current job 8 months ago......because he was new he lost his job. He is 44, had a stroke when he was 35 that caused some short term memory loss, but has been doing well and learned to cope with the memory loss. I am not sure what the prospects for a job for either of them are. Matt works in the computer field, and David works in warehouses. UUUggghhh the big sister protector kicks in with me, but there is nothing I can do to ease the incredible stress they are having now.

I turn 50 at the end of the month....the only birthday wish I have is for my hormones to get back in balance ASAP.....the hormone thing is the worst.....at least the vitamins I have been taking have eased the night sweats, and helped with some of the involuntary crying. I do not think I have ever wanted to be a few years older, but 53 or 54 is looking pretty good to me. That is the age of hormonal balance.....or so I have been told.

Roosters and Pelicans of Key West

Roosters run free in Key West. While I was walking around Key West I asked several locals why roosters were so prevalent, why the cocky birds were free to roam and if anyone knew the history of how the birds came to be. No one knew. But all of them told me that half the island population loved the birds and the other half did not. A big controversy exists over what to do with the birds. Some want the birds completely removed, some want the birds destroyed, some want the roosters contained in one area, and some want the current free roaming policy to continue. I did not see any hens. If I did I mistook them for roosters.

The white bird on the fence was crowing and strutting on the fence between two houses. No one seemed to mind. At least it was around 9am and not 5am. I think a 5am wake up call from a rooster could be annoying.

Mr. Pelican was sunning himself and then demonstrated how he would eat me if I came to close. Considering he was sitting on a piling out in the water the chances of me getting to close were none. I guess he did not know that.

I have more pictures of doorways to some of the homes around Key West that are really pretty, some of the harbor on the west side of the island, and a few of the beach area of the hotel, but my favorite is a picture I took of a display of merchandise at a boutiques on Duvall Street.