"1 Could Get [Me] $100"

I haven't posted here for a while. Why?

First, let's look at why I'm back at it. Life is Risky inspired me. I was cruising around from site to site as we all do . . . somehow I stumbled onto that site and a post entitled “1 could get you $100 -- Postless." I am a lawyer and she did mention cold, hard paycash, after all, so . . .

Where have I been? Well, I felt crummy for quite a while. Through two rounds of Cipro, to be exact. I had a miserable sinus and respiratory infection which impacted my breathing. I was coughing a lot. We had some very refreshing, cool weather but with it came winds and my allergies went into overdrive. Because I was having so much trouble breathing, I missed a few days of water aerobics and that makes me exceedingly grumpy because there is almost nowhere I would rather be than in the pool jogging with my weights, hopping around, swimming some laps and -- my latest favorite thing -- treading.

While all of that was going on, we had my nephew's graduation from high school and his party the following Saturday, in addition to Matthew finishing up the school year, so we had to attend his end-of-the-year awards banquet and cheer for our straight A's boy. #1Son got a ticket and did not make arrangements for traffic school as he was supposed to, so -- you guessed it -- Mama ended up calling and enrolling him. Then we had to get him there on the last possible day, Saturday, June 9, by 8:00 a.m., come back and take him to lunch at 11:30 p.m., return him to class by 12:45 p.m., go to my nephew's party, then pick #1Son up at 4:00 p.m. . . . it seemed like the whole day got away from us.

As if that weren't enough, we had to go shopping because the heap o' crap pickup that I told BigBob not to buy, but he did anyway, died yet again and I said, "NO MORE. I am not putting one more cent into that Monstrosity (that was the nickname I gave it)." Two days after he had it towed home and parked around the corner (I refused to allow him to park it in front of my house lest anything think I owned it or knew who did), his appendix burst and he ended up in the hospital for a week and home recuperating for several more.

Once he felt better and was almost ready to return to work, I put my foot down and insisted that we buy a Toyota Tacoma. No more FORD products which, as you know, stands for Found on Road Dead. (Sorry, Dad, if you are listening in from heaven. I know that you were a Lincoln-Mercury auto mechanic for 27 years, but I'm convinced that if you were alive today, you would approve of my '96 Camry, '04 Camry and now '07 Tacoma.) At first, BigBob resisted, wanting another BIG pickup, but I was having none of it. "Tacoma or you can sleep in the heap out there." Yeah, I know. I'm brutal. But I was offering a brand new, 2007 pickup in the color of his choice and a 100,000 warranty. In the end, he knew I was right and admitted it.

The salesperson asked him what color he wanted. He turned to me and said, "What color should I get?"

I just laughed and told him, "I couldn't care less. Get PAINT. That will be an improvement." The salesperson stared at us quizzically and poor BigBob had to explain that the Monstrosity had only primer.

I told you it was a heap!!

This is what he is happily driving now. Better? Boy howdy! And the Children's Cancer Society is the recipient of the Monstrosity. Hopefully, they can get something out of it. If nothing else, they can melt it down and sell the metal. I'm just delighted that I will never, ever have to see it again.

So how's that for a catalogue of this, that and the other?

As of this moment, the kids are both out of school and just hanging out, although Matthew is going to attend Drivers' Education next week. He wasn't too interested in learning to drive until the above item came home to stay. Now he's thinking driving doesn't sound so bad.

At last, we are into the long days of summer. Life as usual, but at a much slower pace.

I'm back in water aerobics, thankfully. And back on the eating program.

I was having a hard time there for awhile. In addition to not feeling well, I did something really dumb that I knew I shouldn't do, but I gave into the temptation: I went to the doctor's office and got on the scale. Oh, I had my back to the numbers, but I let them tell me that I was down 53 pounds.

Why was that stupid, you ask? As I explained in Get Off That Scale, those numbers took on a life of their own and I fell off the wagon for awhile. I was already vulnerable -- which I should have recognized and dealt with in a constructive fashion -- because I didn't feel well and life was hectic. So I got a little too cocky about what I have accomplished so far and let myself eat more than I should have at some social events, as well as here at home.

Now you have to keep the words "more than I should have" into perspective. In the old days, a binge would have consisted of junk food like Oreos, ice cream, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, etc. These days, my idea of a "pig out" is too many rice cakes and the small piece of chocolate cake I ate at my nephew's graduation party (the first cake I had eaten in nearly a year). I avoided the chips and dip, cookies and all the other enticing but fat-laden choices, instead opting for some lean turkey and cheese (unfortunately not the fat free variety I eat here at home), a couple of deviled eggs, spoonful of macaroni salad. No bread, no mayonnaise or other condiments.

I didn't gain any weight and I think I still managed to lose a couple of pounds. I don't know for sure because I am not getting on that scale again for a long time.

Today I wore a denim skirt to the office that I dug out of the back of my closet after about six or seven years in hibernation. That felt good. I tried on my favorite plaid skirt that serves as my benchmark and I can button it. Actually, I could wear it, but it is still a little tight so I am going to wait. I will try it on again in a couple of weeks.

With everything that was going on logistically and physically, I did not feel like I had anything to say here about my ongoing journey. At least not anything that anyone would want to read. I should recognize by now that, from an emotional standpoint, that is precisely when I need to confront the issues related to my weight and determination to life a healthy lifestyle and should be writing here. I am going to resolve to do better with that in the future.

And I must say "thank you" to Susan at Life Is Risky because she inspired me. So Susan, I am grateful to you for kicking me in the butt!

As for that treading . . . check back! I'm going to post about that soon.