sj, I thought you looked great.

Thanks. I really don't feel great. I'm in pain a lot and hate the way I look right now. I'd ideally like to be a 6/8.

If I could have had my entire wardrobe magically resized to 8 I wouldn't have minded (and I resent now not fitting into the things I did buy then), but I hated the insatiable appetite I had. There was no off switch. It felt awful.

I just want to stay a 12. And maybe take an inch or so off my waist, because that looks better on my mutant short-waisted frame.

My wavering-24 self wonders when I was last a 12. Possibly college 30 years ago.

OK, this is almost counter-intuitive, but this could be a useful tip for some travelers: Pack a Gun to Protect Valuables from Airline Theft or Loss

If you don't like your bags being out of your sight and it makes you uncomfortable to think that airline workers are rifling through your stuff, you can take advantage of the TSA's own security rules by—eek—packing a gun.

Most of the time, travelers are on the short-end of TSA regulations. In this instance, however, you can use travel rules to your advantage. If you're traveling with equipment you would prefer locked up and watched more closely than your run of the mill luggage, you can pack a firearm with the equipment or luggage. Whether or not you own an actual firearm isn't important—the TSA considers a starter pistol a firearm, and it must be checked in and secured properly. Bruce Shneier, on his security and privacy centered blog, highlights how some creative professional photographers have been using this rule to their advantage. One of the photographers writes:

A "weapons" is defined as a rifle, shotgun, pistol, airgun, and STARTER PISTOL. Yes, starter pistols - those little guns that fire blanks at track and swim meets - are considered weapons...and do NOT have to be registered in any state in the United States.

I have a starter pistol for all my cases. All I have to do upon check-in is tell the airline ticket agent that I have a weapon to declare...I'm given a little card to sign, the card is put in the case, the case is given to a TSA official who takes my key and locks the case, and gives my key back to me.

That's the procedure. The case is extra-tracked...TSA does not want to lose a weapons case. This reduces the chance of the case being lost to virtually zero.

It's a great way to travel with camera gear...I've been doing this since Dec 2001 and have had no problems whatsoever.

You can pick up a super basic starter pistol for around $16-20—really nice starter pistols can easily cost $100-200, but you're not concerned about the quality—a rather small sum to ensure that your case of photography equipment or personal effects will be watched more carefully and only opened in your presence.

I always figured 8 was the lowest I could not be skeletal, but I'm actually at a six right now and still carrying a fair load of belly flab. If I was actually in shape I'm not sure where I'd play out. I have no hips or ass to speak of though, so my size really is all about waist measurement.

I think I was a size 12 about 12 years ago...that's kind of neat, kind of not.

Eta: I don't have a mental "right" size for myself - I have approximate measurements in mind from, oh, when I was in high school but I don't rightly no what dress size that is. What I thought of as my size at the time was the size pattern I'd use, and I don't even remember what that was.

I won't lie: I miss the 8/10 I was a couple years ago, but I'd really just be happy to live my life out as a 12.

This is totes me.

I like the Flylady concept, but I can't bear the e-mails; the assumption that you're a mom with a husband; the constant lols; the amount of God; or the general cheeriness.

I like the organization and the baby steps, but all the rest seriously makes me want to take a bazooka to their heteronormative asses. Even though brain bits would get into the perfectly shiny sink.

(Seriously, I did try, and tried to filter out the crap. Until the day when she took the whole day's motivational mailing to answer a perfectly reasonable reader letter with the advice that OF COURSE it's right that it should be the woman's job to do all the housework because men would never do it anyway even if you try to include them and then the children wouldn't feel comfy and at home and anyway didn't you come here because you were dying of the shame of a dirty sink.)

I haven't found anything equivalent for grumpy agnostic single people.

I once had serious thoughts of creating such a thing. But I don't give enough of a shit about the clean house, even though I'd very much prefer to be more on top of things.

I use Flylady. I roll my eyes a lot and translate things. I like that they do have a green aspect, even if it's annoyingly called going purple. It was originally recommended to me by my lesbian GP. I would love a red and black punk version.