We're Back!

I'm a little tired from our 25 hour road trip home from Florida (stopping only for fuel and girl's room breaks), so I'll post some pics with short comments for now so I can get back to napping. We had a great time!

Click on any of the pictures to make them bigger.

View from the bass boat heading out onto Lake Kissimmee

Stopping for a drink

I caught a fish! He was feisty! The fisherman too!

A big Cypress bass or something

Back at Camp Mack

Ybor City - Florida's Latin Quarter

Our gracious host for a day showed us around St. Pete and Ybor City, part of Tampa, which was once the cigar capital of the world.

Billy took me to the Columbia in Ybor for lunch, which just celebrated its 100th year in business


A private function room upstairs

Can't say no to an authentic Cuban mojito!



After our meal, Billy enjoyed a tacita of cafe Cubano for more energy

Ybor City has a Scientology Center. We crossed the street here!

Dolphin Cove at Sea World

Dolphin Cove

Patiently waiting for fish

Like smooth rubber, but nicer

Hungry little...

Sea World

Gators
Looked like a big rock to me, but it's a manatee
Big ol' Shamu
Getting some exercise
Me with some flamingos

Killers...
Or Lovers?
Get a room!

More pics from Florida

Remembering to blog it all - notice the trucks with boat trailers - there were a ton of them!

Big bird

I thought I was stealing an orange, but it was a sour grapefruit. Instant karma for petty theft!

Sneaking off to the mall!

Billy and I had a great time together and we didn't try to kill each other after almost 8 days of nearly non-stop togetherness - travelling 1,400 miles each way and another couple hundred miles travelling to each attraction. After being home almost a day, I even miss him a little!

On Vacation

Motivation

Most of us have seen those motivational/inspirational posters in offices everywhere. Now you can create your own! Click here to try one.

Here's my creation:



My good friend Lisa-Marie has lost over 95 pounds by dieting and exercising. I am so proud of her! Instead of shying away from cameras, she was all about getting her picture taken at her 25th birthday party last month. I am posting this pic with her permission.

My sister and two good friends have lost a significant amount of weight through gastric bypass surgery. I have always said that losing weight is like religion. It doesn't matter what method you take to get there, whether it be Weight Watchers, Atkins, gastric bypass (or Baptist, Mormon, Baha'i), if your chosen method gets you where you need to be, I'm all for it. I'm proud of my sister and Monique and Emily for taking a huge step towards improving their health and well-being.

Some of you know about my transformation as well, but many of you didn't know me when I was at my heaviest. I never weighed myself at my heaviest, but the last time I weighed myself as a heavy person, I was over 200 pounds. I gained weight after that, but I was so disconnected from my body, I'm not sure how much more I weighed at my heaviest.

I was a size 18 in 1996. A few weeks ago, I bought my first size 8. Weight loss and fitness are a lifelong journey. I've found it's been harder to maintain weight loss than it was to lose the initial weight. I don't know what to say when people ask me how long it took. It's as if they think there's a finish line, a point when you can stop working out and eating right and just remain slender. Maybe it's what helps them get started... if they can visualize themselves thin in a year, they can commit to at least a few months. Anyone who's dieted and experienced significant weight loss knows that there is no stopping point if you want to stay healthy and fit.

Someone can eat salads for two years and lose lots of weight. If they get to the point when they think they're slender, they think they can go "off the diet" and resume eating McDonald's and chocolate. I guess we call these people "yo-yo dieters", because they quickly regain fat. If you starved yourself thin, you also lost a lot of muscle. And in doing that, the weight you regain will leave you with a higher percentage of overall bodyfat. Not cute.

I've found it's also an internal journey. We can't lose weight for anyone but ourselves. And you can't truly lose weight without truly wanting it. Sure, everyone WANTS to lose a few pounds, but unless you are no longer willing to accept the weight you're at, permanent weight loss will always be elusive. I truly think if someone is mentally ready and prepared, weight loss can be easy. We all know the tools to use. Eat less, move more. The details, like, "Which diet, what exercise"? are very individual, and to me, like religion in that whatever gets you where you need to be, great. But if we're not ready, the details bog us down and discourage us before we even get started. Once we're ready, the details become less important and we focus on ourselves and how we will change.

People who are really doing it don't talk about it much. We don't hear these people discussing how many cups of cottage cheese they ate this morning, or what they will have for lunch. People who do that are wrapped up in the details, and not focused on themselves and the inner change that occurs. When they stop talking about turkey sandwiches, we know they've gone back to McDonald's. Maybe a daily commentary on their diet helps keep them accountable to the public. People who are doing it are accountable to themselves.

Permanent weight loss is a lifelong journey, and not an easy one. But it is worth it. I'm happy that some of my friends and family are going against the typical American grain and taking charge of their health. It's partially selfish of me, because it may mean they'll be around longer for me to enjoy! For everyone else, part of the journey is getting started and getting ready to get started. If you're thinking about it and wanting it to be a part of your life at some point, you are on your way.

Good health and sexy bodies for 2006!

O RLY? YA RLY

The O RLY owls have been around internet message boards for a while now, and they always make me laugh. I've mentioned it to people in RL (real life) and no one I know has even heard of it! So I'm sharing.

Here's a description of the O RLY phenomenon, as written by urbandictionary.com:
O rly
Internet slang, short for "Oh, really?". Used in the following ways; often sarcastic:

1. In response to someone who has said/pointed out something very obvious

2. In response to someone who has insulted you or has aggressively disagreed with you

3. In response to a boring, nerdy comment you don't understand or care about (i.e. a piece of trivia)

4. In response to a comment that seems hard to believe or a lie

Occasionally some will respond to an "O rly?" comment with "ya rly" or "rly", but this is lame and not recommended (I disagree).

1. A: Dude! Did you see this? There's an eye on the pyramid on the back of all these dollar bills!

B: O rly?

2. A: Yes, but did you all know that the word "catapult" is of Hungarian and French origin and roughly translates to blah blah blah......

B: o rly?

Ya rly
One of the possible answers to o rly. Internet slang, means "yeah, really."
"I know an o rly owl."
"O rly?"
"Ya rly."

Often a response to the question o rly. Meaning, Oh really? To which one would respond, Yeah, really.

O RLY?

YA RLY

Repeat.

Of course there are many bored photoshop experts who have taken the original O RLY owl and ran with the concept.


A well placed O RLY owl in a message board thread can really make me laugh. A lot of people think the original O RLY owl is jusy plain cute, and photoshopped him into some funny scenarios.


You can find a lot more owls at this site.


A few of my favorites:
The Spanish O RLY owl

And the accusatory owl: I See What You Did There!





Not an owl but still funny


Maybe you're someone in my real life who knows the O RLY owls but were afraid to speak up? Fear of being mocked? Maybe tried to sneak in a "YA RLY" when someone in RL said, "Oh really?", but with no recognition? Or maybe it's just me, sitting at my computer tee-heeing whenever I see the owls. If you need more owls to hoot at (HA!), check Year of the Owl here.

A Long Drive

Billy got a Sirius satellite receiver for Christmas from an awesome chick (that would be me). Howard Stern debuted his first satellite show on Monday at 6 a.m. Billy stayed over Sunday night but would need to be in his truck at 6 to listen to the show.

Wanting to join, I set the alarm for 5:45. Time for me to get up, take a lightning quick shower, throw some jeans on and put my hair up, and bounce out to the truck. When the alarm went off, I did just that. Well, except for the truck part. Billy had gone down to warm up the truck and discovered it was actually 4:55, not 5:55 a.m. He called up and asked me what time it was. Oops.

I remembered getting up some time in the night to reset the time on the alarm clock. Something had gotten into my head that the clock was set wrong, so I guess I reset it half-asleep. Oh well. I didn't mind too much because that meant I would have time for eyeliner and lipstick!

We set off around 5:40 a.m. and headed north. It was still dark and it started snowing. Once we got north of Tilton, the Stern show began. We listened for a while and then realized we had driven way past the exit we meant to take. Part of the beauty of spending time with Billy is that it can be very unstructured and changeable. That can be very fun. Where I didn't have to be home until 2 p.m., we had time to make it that way, so I was relaxed and open.

We headed out on Route 302. I was starving since I normally eat breakfast first thing in the morning, and I hadn't had a bite. We kept an eye out for a roadside restaurant or diner. We soon came upon the Mount Washington Resort, and to my surprise, Billy suggested we check out their breakfast.

I have to say it was pretty funny valeting a big diesel pick up truck. We got out of the still falling snow and were welcomed by a large fireplace. The hotel was beautifully decorated. The staircases reminded me of the older section of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Magnolia.

We had a lovely breakfast buffet, which included egg white omelettes! I was excited about that. The food was delicious and I felt a little guilty for not being able to eat more. I was pretty stuffed when we left, though!

After breakfast, we looked around the hotel a bit. I browsed through a gift shop and discovered an abalone shell ring with little silver hearts. It was so pretty and simple, and I had to have it. Billy bought it and placed it on my finger. Awww! ;-)

We got back in the truck and continued listening to Stern. We made our way over to North Conway and browsed in a few stores for snow boots. Yep, snow boots. Without a heel. Functional, warm snow boots. Ha ha! We are planning to go snowmobiling this winter, and I suppose I will need to be extra warm and cozy for a day outside in the woods. It occurs to me now more than ever that I've never been involved with a lot of typical NH winter activities. I've never skiied, snowmobiled, snowshoed, snowboarded... none of that. So I have no gear. I still run outside now, but I wait for the sidewalks to be clear of ice and snow before heading out.

I navigated the rest of the drive home, with one huge error. I glanced up when we passed through a rotary and directed which way to go. I think I was busy tuning the Sirius receiver to stations I prefer, and just wasn't paying attention. When I did finally look up a while later, I realized we were heading in the completely wrong direction! That added about 30 minutes onto the trip, but still made it to my place in time for me to leave for work on time.

As I sat at work that afternoon, someone asked how my day was going so far. I started with, "Well, I had breakfast at the Mt. Washington hotel". I glanced down at my new ring and thought how life with Billy is always an adventure, one I hope will continue for a very long time.

Disconnected

I'm feeling rather disconnected. I feel like I need a week off from work to regroup and relax. That's not actually possible, since the company that bought the company I work for (which is actually a company I used to work for) eliminated all personal days and cut back vacations. Not that I would be able to take one if I had any vacation time, due to workload.

So what am I going to do? I don't know. I'm torn between wanting time alone and wanting more time with friends. I can't have both. I'm leaning towards the friends, because I usually feel refreshed and recharged after hanging with some quality friends.

Which brings up Ladies Night. My idea of Ladies Night is dressing up to look HOT, going out with some good girlfriends, and shaking it on a dance floor or say, a mechanical bull, get a handle on your current marketability, have a few cocktails and most of all, LAUGH! So at least a few of those will be done.

I need something to recharge before then. I wish I knew what it would take, because I would do it right now. So for now, I made some sugar free Jell-O, popped a Tylenol PM and am hoping to sack out very soon. It can't hurt.

Say Goodbye to Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme in Medford, MA is closing.

Have you been? Lots of people went when it first opened, stood in line for 45 minutes and drove back to NH with 6 dozen donuts or more, ready to share the warm flaky pastry with the uninitiated.

They were such a desired treat that people would set up roadside displays of several boxes of donuts - just like you see people with the buckets of roses on the sides of roads, ready to make a tidy profit from passersby. Lots of people also used them for school fundraisers. They were hot sellers (pardon the pun)!

But now, the store is closing. Apparently there is one in Dedham, so if you really feel the need, you could go there, I suppose.

Have you tasted a Krispy Kreme? I am one of the few who really doesn't think they're that great (I can almost hear the gasps).

I had my first KK in Las Vegas. A jelly filled. Eh. I had dieted and exercised my ass off to look good in Vegas, and I decided to have the KK donut experience. It was SO not worth the calories and sugar. Blech.

Then I heard that the filled donuts weren't nearly as good as the plain glazed. I had been to the KK in Medford, didn't eat any. They had been brought into work, I didn't eat them. It wasn't until this year that someone brought in many dozens to the job I work at now that I tried one. So I ate one. It was good. Not great, I've had better foods than this, certainly. But people were falling over themselves to have another, to pass them to one another. It was a whole experience for them.

I entered my department and some looked at me expectantly, as if to gasp, "Did you try one??!!" I sat down, someone asked if I had one, I said yes. She waited for me to gush and fawn over a donut. I didn't. She told me the real secret to enjoying a KK donut is to heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Okay. I started to work. She insisted I try another one heated. The usual lines of defense for refusing food weren't working. She actually got up, went to the break room, heated one up, and brought it to my desk. Can you imagine?

It was still okay. I've made donuts before that frankly, tasted exactly the same way. And I didn't have to drive an hour to have one.

Maybe I'm a New England style donut liker. I read somewhere that New Englanders tend to like cake-like donuts as opposed to KK's yeast risen. And we like a little spice in them. Like nutmeg and cinnamon. If I'm going to have a donut, it'll be a Dunkin' Donut. Jelly or chocolate. And Munchkins! Yum!

I Can't Have Lunch, I'm in Vermont Banging a 45 year old

Merry Christmas, y'all.

I had an interesting one. An old friend sold me out for a 45 year old hooker and cost me a whole day of exercise. Hey, if that's where our friendship is at, that's where it's at. I think at a certain age, we begin to place values on our friendships. For me, I value my old friends the most, simply because they've been around for just about everything, and we've seen each other grow. It's hard for me to throw away what I think are quality friendships.

Of course, there's the matter of outgrowing friends, and that is normal. But I still think of them fondly and don't have any ill will against them.

When I'm sold out for random pussy, I don't think it's a matter of outgrowing a friendship. I think it's disrespectful of my time and puts our relationship in a different light. It makes me wonder: Was I on the holiday rounds list because it was thought I was "potential pussy"? Maybe, or maybe not, and sex is sex, especially if you haven't had any in a while, but as I always say, "Bros Before Hoes". You gotta remember who's been there and who listened to you when you were down and who liked you when no one else did (okay, I made the last one up, but it sure sounded good).

And honestly, no matter how "novel" the idea of 45 year old pussy might be, would you drive over 3 hours to get it? While on a tight time schedule of fitting friends and family over your brief holiday stay? I think someone needs the fleshlight if the "needs" are that out of hand.

I'm disappointed in my "friend". By blowing me off, he showed me what he thinks of our friendship. I thought it was more special than that. We've known each other about 8 years and shared good and some sad times. But in the end, the dick prevailed and a 45 year old stranger from Vermont had my lunch with my friend. So Merry Christmas to you, my old friend, and I hope to God you used a condom. The child you produce could grow up right alongside her very own grandchildren. That would be sweet.

Dick.

Call me if you want to apologize.

The 3 Blondes

A good time was had by all at Chen Yang Li Friday night. You wouldn't really know it, judging by the pic, but we did! We heard the Rusty Cadillacs perform, and our own TSM sang lead vocals on one song. Very exciting!


The band received many compliments from the audience and staff. My new friend Dan (well, he was a friend for an hour or so) said he wished he could yell and yelp like the three blondes. We settled on an enthusiastic, "YEAH!" at the end of each song, which he really liked. He joined us in our cheering and added to the fun.

When we were finally asked to leave around 2 a.m., we went outside to check out Kandi's car. It was an icy night, and Kandi was involved in a car accident on her way to Chen's. The poor car is kind of smashed, to say the least. But she was a trooper and drove on, ready for a night of dancing and hooting and hollering (which she did very well!).

Shawn, Sam, Joey and the drummer (I can't remember his name!) will be playing December 23rd at their home club, Slammers, in Bedford. Check them out!

Another Personality Test

Stability results were moderately high which suggests you are relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.

Orderliness results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were medium which suggests you are moderately talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting.


Trait Snapshot:
rarely irritated, positive, tough, non phobic, fearless, likes the unknown, self reliant, high self control, confident, trusting, strong instincts, prudent, optimistic, willful, likes parties, prefers a specialized career, takes charge, altruistic, strong, high self concept, adventurous, practical, thoughtful

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||||||||| 50% Stability |||||||||||||||| 63% Orderliness |||||||||||||| 56% Accommodation |||||||||||| 50% Interdependence |||||||||| 36% Intellectual |||||||||||| 43% Mystical |||||||||||||||| 70% Artistic |||||||||||| 43% Religious |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Hedonism || 10% Materialism |||||| 30% Narcissism |||||||||||||||| 70% Adventurousness |||||||||||| 50% Work ethic |||||| 30% Self absorbed |||||||||||| 43% Conflict seeking |||||||||||||| 56% Need to dominate |||||||||||| 50% Romantic |||||||||||||| 56% Avoidant |||||| 23% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 43% Wealth |||||| 30% Dependency |||||| 23% Change averse |||||||||| 36% Cautiousness |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Individuality |||||||||| 36% Sexuality |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Peter pan complex || 10% Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Physical Fitness |||||||||||||||||| 77% Histrionic |||| 16% Paranoia |||||||||||||| 56% Vanity |||||||||||||||||| 76% Hypersensitivity |||||||||||| 43% Female cliche |||||||||||||||||||| 83%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Updates

We're all very busy preparing for Christmas. I haven't had the time nor the inclination to write an entertaining blog update, but I will share a few highlights:

I'm going to see James Taylor in concert next Tuesday. My mom bought me tickets for a Christmas gift, and we are going with Billy and his mom. Should be a good time.

Speaking of Billy, the "L" word has been uttered and I couldn't be more happy about it!

Bob Foley made us an incredible turkey dinner yesterday at work. I took home close to ten pounds of salad (no exaggeration). The animals at work dove into the turkey, potatoes and pie, so there was a huge amount of green salad left. Yay! All mine!

Pookie has been back in touch, and he reads my blog on occasion, even though I've removed his name from my email update list. Stalker!

The drunk driving car salesman who I briefly dated (and bought my car from) called. If he had called a few months ago when I was dating law boy, it would have been ON. But he sounded sort of like a dirt bag looking for a hook up. You ever Google someone to see what they've been up to lately? Here's what I found on him. During our conversation, I asked him if he was still fishing from that guy's back yard. He said no. Didn't ask me how I knew about it or anything. Hmm... a little lost in the sauce, perhaps?

TSM is performing with his band tonight at the after work hangout, Chen Yang Li in Bow. THAT will be a good time.

I'd like to welcome my mother to the world of home PC ownership with high speed internet. You can view my blog anytime you want now (although I'm not sure if that's the best thing...)!

I'd also like to welcome my dear friend, Jon, home on leave from Aviano Air Force Base in Italy. I can't wait to see you and hear about your latest adventures! By the way, if you're a hot brunette in your mid-late twenties, single and reading this, and want to meet a hilarious, handsome man, leave a comment and I'll hook you up.


I think that's good for now. Hope you all have a happy and healthy Christmas!

Finally - Something for the Girls

Heidi Fleiss is opening an all-male bordello in Nevada. I think $250 an hour is a fair price to treat a man like the whore he is and not to be called again, don't you? Hee hee.

Urban Dictionary Word of the Day

Where do I go from here?

My blog has mostly covered my sordid and often hilarious dating adventures. Now that I am in a satisfying relationship, I can't help but wonder what direction my blog will take.

I could recount the fun, touching moments Billy and I share, but not only would that make most of my friends puke, it also exploits a bit of our relationship privacy.

I can say that Billy and I are, at last, on the same page, and I am happy with where things are going.

This is a completely new phase in my life. I used to feel more comfortable and more "myself" when single and dating. Now I feel just as comfortable when he's here with me. I've never really felt that way before. I normally enjoyed my time with my men, but there was a little relief when we parted, and I could go days without seeing them again and not really care. When Billy leaves, I miss him a little as soon as he walks out the door. And I wish we could see each other sooner. So far, I'm okay with all that. I never really thought I would feel like this... it's nice though. It's unexpected, but welcome.


I feel more like writing about my running. I'll keep that to the Fitness Blog though, for those of you who snore at the first paragraph starting with, "I ran four miles downtown today".

I'm not sure what direction my blog will take. Maybe I'll take a break and see if some inspiration hits me.

Secrets

I came across this blog the other night: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

As I read through the postcards, I think about my secrets and how big or small they are. I have shared my big secrets with my man, Billy, and with a few friends. I find the more I talk about the big ones, the less power they hold over me.

It's the small secrets that are okay to hold close and keep to ones self, I think. I sort of wonder if those small secrets will gradually unfold as my relationship with Billy grows. He already knows I'm a slob. My co-workers wouldn't know that, since I like to keep a clean and neat workspace. Most of my friends don't know that, because I try to clean my apartment as much as possible before they come over.

Billy knows it because he ended up in my closet trying to put together a sexy outfit for me to model one night. I know that closet is a disaster, and now he knows it. But strangely, I am not all that embarrassed. I thought, "well, he was gonna find out anyway".


What might also be a secret to most people who know me is that I hate and like running. It's hard. I do races to stay motivated. I'm usually not having a great time while running. Usually I am thinking about my level of tiredness and how much further I have to go.

On the other hand, when I reach my mileage, I feel a sense of accomplishment as I huff and puff to catch my breath. When I lay down to stretch, I feel great. Then I might think, "That wasn't so bad". I'm glad I did it. And I don't think about my next run until the next day.

If I could be fit and slim by weightlifting alone, I'd be one buff chick. I LOVE to lift. I could lift all day. Some heavy ass weights, too, not some cute pink dumbbells. I like when people look at me in surprise at the gym when I deadlift. Or when I do bent over rows with 30's. I'm not at the gym to pick up men or look cute. I work my ass off in the gym. And I love it.

If I could ever feel the same way about running as I do lifting, I'd be very happy, and probably look pretty good, too. I run to get through a run. I like that I can run. My body is healthy enough to run 5 miles and not take days to recover. There is no pain, just aches. And since I am healthy enough to do it, I should. So I do. But I don't love it.


Another secret is probably one most everyone has. When I'm at work, I am constantly biting my tongue or feeling exasperated at the level of incompetence and lack of focus I see five days per week. Sometimes it bothers me so much that I feel on edge and ready to go off on the person who can take up to a full 30 seconds (if you don't think that's long, sit and watch a second hand on a watch) to gather their thoughts - AFTER they've gotten my attention - to spit some inane info out that I have already heard twice in as many days. That doesn't count the first five times I heard it when I first started there.

At first I was insulted that this person thinks I have no memory retention, or that I am just an idiot who needs things repeated. Then I realized that this person has no memory retention and is completely incompetent in the job they've been hired to do. It baffled me that any kind of management would think this person is capable of leading anyone or anything, but then came to the conclusion that's exactly what they wanted. I work in a very sick place. But it's entertaining when it's not annoying. Especially on that person's day off.

Some secrets are better kept as such. If I went off on this person each time I came to a boiling point, I'd no longer have a job. And that would mean no more apartment, which would mean no closet for Billy to look through for naughty-wear, which would mean we'd still have a great time, just not in my bedroom with the red light. And that would also be okay, because we can have a great time anywhere together.


A few years ago, a man I was casually seeing (in front of a fireplace, on the floor with many pillows) asked me to tell him a secret. It seemed very forward and for some reason, I went directly to one of my biggest secrets. I could have told him some small, insignificant thing, but I didn't. He listened intently. He seemed to get it. I think he understood the range of emotions I felt. What is better than knowing that someone knows where you're coming from? It's very powerful.

I don't know why I told him one of my big ones. He said it would hold less power over me the more I talked about it. Since that day, after telling a virtual stranger one of my innermost, private secrets, it has become easier to tell. And that may be the reason we met. I didn't see him after that day, but the act was helpful, and the fooling around on the floor was incredible. One of the top 10's. Ha ha!

Must... Own... Someday...