I've been wanting to pick up YOU: On a Diet. It looks pretty interesting. I've been doing the Weight Watchers Core diet lately, which seems to work pretty well for me. (Basically, there's a list of foods that you can eat -- fruits and veggies, beans, whole grains, fat-free dairy, lean meat -- and then you're allowed 35 points per week of whatever else you want. Some weeks, the 35 points works out to little things at each meal -- sugar on my oatmeal, real cheese rather than fat-free in a casserole, a whole wheat roll with dinner -- and sometimes I save it up to cover going out to dinner and drinks on the weekend.)

I've been thinking about trying to learn another foreign language. After being in Italy this winter, I wanted to learn Italian, but I've been thinking that, considering my choice of academic field, German would probably be more practical.

{{Cindy and Ben}} Fever~ma to the munchkin. I hope you all get relief, soon.

{{P-C}} You're doing a great job with your mother, even if it doesn't seem like it. Just the fact that you bring up your wishes and needs with her is a good starting point. The big thing to work on is terminating the conversation when it goes where you don't want it to, in a nice way. If it helps, write down a list of ways to end the conversation amicably, even if she doesn't want to. Eventually, she will get the point. It may take you a while to get to this point, but you are bucking your own upbringing as much as her cultural prejudices. It takes time to get out of old patterns and establish new ones.

Job~ma and stress~ma to Matt, beth.

{{}} to your friend, sj. That's a tough row to hoe.

Cass, get pictures! We don't get enough ass around here and we're counting on you to put out.

Sometimes full face she looks a lot like Emmett at this age.

I think this every time I see a picture of her and Emmett together.

Cindy, you guys will stay in my thoughts today--those kind of high fevers just freak me out, too.

Of course, I'm freaked out by the fact that Steve Burns from Blues Clues has shaved his head, is scruffy of face and is now working on a rock career.

I guess I freak out easily.

Well, I just put YOU: On a Diet on hold. I hadn't really looked at it because I didn't need a diet - I know how to eat/and exercise. I just don't always.But I have come to the conclusion that more info means better choices for me.

I had a long story I was going to tell, but it bored me before I finished. the Summary is this . I was working with a nurse over the phone for awhile - and I came to a conclusion. As far as eating well and exercising enough - I'll be spending my life jumping on and off the wagon. I love food and drink , so there will always be a reason for 'just a taste'. My health issues , my general energy level , etc are going to make it easier not to move . So as long as I don't fall to far - and make it easier to take charge of the eating and moving in my life , the better I am .

I definitely need to be better about not eating just because there's food. Or even just because there's GOOD food--like, on the trip to Minneapolis this week, I ended up in first class on the way out here. And they served dinner. I knew I was going to dinner with my boss when we landed, and eating somewhere yummy. I also wasn't very hungry. But did I end up eating almost all of what was put in front of me, even though it was *airplane food*?!? You bet I did. I so need to be better about that.

it could turn out to be an okay compromise. You can send out the P-Cish biodata after initial contact. It's not the first filter (which would be ideal), but it could be a useful second layer.

Totally what I was thinking--her mom is probably looking at them, and would toss it. And then she'd never get to know that P-C is cool, because she (ideal girl, that is) would never see it. So second layer works--but dont' forget to hold your mom to the promise that you can send the "real" one later!!

And, I just got my frequent flyer points email...and I only need 4,000 more points to go around the world!!!! Which I will totally get in the next month or two. OMG! Do I do it? Spend it on several cool (first or business class) trips, or go around the world economy? And time off! I don't know how much time off I could get in! I had kinda been thinking if I quit my job to go to grad school, but now that won't happen for at least a year...do I just sit on the points until then? ACK!

PC, think of it as your REAL biodata having a chance to get beyond the Matchmaking Firewall.

As everyone else has said.

Ah, Cindy. Wish I could make things better.

Aimee, can you re-link the pics? I caught up offline on the bus, so couldn't click 'em.

Dieting: that last ten pounds really is the hard part! I have to step things up, probably on the exercise front. It will help when the molars are through and I'm getting sleep, though.

Also, OMG, want for Lillian: [link]

Yeah ... those pictures were from December. Her bangs are still horrid from the January cut. Jay of the leaving pills around fame said, "It's a good thing mullets are somewhat back in style."

Aims, you know you've gone horribly awry when I think, "It would be better if Joe did the haircutting."

"Mwahaha! Reverse Mohawk, bay-bee! It's what's for dinner!"

((((Cindy & Ben)))) ((((P-C)))) Fuck it ((((Bitches))))