I always try to love posts here, or do the laughing reaction. Facebook got me, too.

Hah I do sometimes half try to like a post here.

Weirdly it’s been a week, but the shingles rash has not come, though the skin on my side still hurts. My sister told me it’s sometimes a side effect of the weight loss drugs, which seems weird that it would show up 10-11 months in (and when I went down to a lower dose a month ago!) so I’m not sure what I’m rooting for now! Don’t want weird side effects (some folks online quit the drugs due to it, my sister said she had it happen but it went away in a few days). So just hanging in here while wishing it were warm enough to work topless so I don’t have anything touching my skin.

I keep trying to love posts here, but my muscle memory comes from Tumblr.

Since I still haven’t gotten a rash, it does not seem that I have shingles (and I didn’t fill the prescription) but it’s a week and a half of feeling like my side is badly sunburnt and I don’t like it. Apparently it can be a rare side effect of the weight loss drugs, but I definitely don’t want to go off those. And it might be something else, but investigating seems like an awful lot of potential doctor visits? Ugh. I want it to just go away so I can ignore it some more. (It’s not too bad most of the time but when clothes brush against it, ow).

Does shingles always present with a rash, or can it just be nerve ending touchy? It seems to me that some people don't get a rash with it, just the pain.

I always try to love posts here, or do the laughing reaction. Facebook got me, too.

I accidentally blocked someone because I just clicked on the link next to the post in muscle memory.

What's up, Bitches?! Always a relief when the state is done with their checking for another three months. Because some things are nicer when you linger and make conversation... but that's not one of the things.

Cereal, bitches! I'm late to the party (as per usual) but came in at this:

From the department of randomness: How is it that I've lost 60-70 lbs, yet I'm only down 1 size? I feel like I hear diet commercials with people bragging, "I'm down 30 lbs and 4 dress sizes!" Are non-plus sizes *that* finely tuned? Or are the commercials, as so many commercials are, full of crap?

I think maybe yes? I went from 170/size 14 to 140/size 8 over the last year. So 30 lbs and 6 dress sizes IF you count linearly. In reality, it was just 3 step-down pairs of NYD jeans.

Sadly, I purged my too-small formal wear just a couple years ago in a basement clean-out, which is a bummer because now I could wear my amazing strapless black and purple ball gown from college again! but it is long lost to me and never to be seen again. And I had traded in all my office wear for post-covid sizes so I've been clothes shopping waaaaaay too much the last few months. Bad for the pocket book but good for the self-esteem, I guess. First world problems are my favorite kind of problems.

I can't recommend acid reflux aggravated by hiatal hernia in general, but the side effects make weight loss rather effective. Strict portion control works really well for symptom management, and I find now that eating a "normal" amount results in almost immediate heart burn and nausea so....rapid effective biofeedback. I do miss alcohol. I still drink occasionally, but it hurts every time. Silver lining is that I no longer have to worry about devolving into alcoholism.

Really could have lived without getting two writing rejections today(contest entries) Not sure if I should try to write something else or slam my typing hand in a door really hard until I kill the urge. But I think it's official that "You'll see. Once you have a better attitude and Put Yourself Out There, it'll all happen." is not a part of my life, ever.

I'd do the door-slamming thing if some of y'all on here could come and kiss it better. Hmm, maybe Rebecca Bunch is a bad influence. I loved those stories though...it was easier to shrug off when I was submitting like "What the hell? It could happen." But this time I used time, effort, what really moves me thematically, a little craft... and ended up in the exact. same. spot. (You mean all those after-school specials lied?! I probably should have learned that before, too. Sigh.) More seriously, though, what do you do when your best isn't helping and you used all your "Damn it, I'll show you!1" getting useless diplomas. I think I'm gonna get in trouble passing out my "work" to strangers at the airport.(At least my ideas might escape, even if I don't