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This popped up on my Facebook this morning - I can only imagine the comments people left on Reddit when they saw this woman's picture .....
To me, she is inspiring & beautiful ...... https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...74435907_n.jpg After going viral on Reddit’s ‘Funny’ section for being odd-looking with facial hair, the girl above gave the following graceful and fresh response: “Hey, guys. This is Balpreet Kaur, the girl from the picture. I actually didn’t know about this until one of my friends told on facebook. If the OP wanted a picture, they could have just asked and I could have smiled :) However, I’m not embarrased or even humiliated by the attention [negative and positve] that this picture is getting because, it’s who I am. Yes, I’m a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women. However, baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body - it is a gift that has been given to us by the Divine Being [which is genderless, actually] and, must keep it intact as a submission to the divine will. Just as a child doesn’t reject the gift of his/her parents, Sikhs do not reject the body that has been given to us. By crying ‘mine, mine’ and changing this body-tool, we are essentially living in ego and creating a seperateness between ourselves and the divinity within us. By transcending societal views of beauty, I believe that I can focus more on my actions. My attitude and thoughts and actions have more value in them than my body because I recognize that this body is just going to become ash in the end, so why fuss about it? When I die, no one is going to remember what I looked like, heck, my kids will forget my voice, and slowly, all physical memory will fade away. However, my impact and legacy will remain: and, by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can. So, to me, my face isn’t important but the smile and the happiness that lie behind the face are. :-) So, if anyone sees me at OSU, please come up and say hello. I appreciate all of the comments here, both positive and less positive because I’ve gotten a better understanding of myself and others from this. Also, the yoga pants are quite comfortable and the Better Together tshirt is actually from Interfaith Youth Core, an organization that focuses on storytelling and engagement between different faiths. :) I hope this explains everything a bit more, and I apologize for causing such confusion and uttering anything that hurt anyone.” |
According to my food diary, I took in 2180 calories yesterday, which is on track for where I need to be if I want to lose weight (2000-2500 cals/day).
Keeping track of my calorie intake really makes me evaluate what I choose and dont choose at the store more closely. I am making different choices - getting salsa and tortilla chips instead of Ruffles sour cream and cheese chips ... skipping over the cookie mixes that are on sale for $1, etc. I also went and got low fat chocolate milk for my Carnation Instant Breakfast packets instead of whole milk -- and if I'd been at a different store, I would have gotten fat free, but this store only had regular skim milk, not chocolate - but I bought that too so I could try it with the Carnation because it would knock 100 cals off of the mixture. I also got some strawberries, raspberries, and bananas for smoothies - but I want to learn how to make veggie ones and try one or two of those as well -- I really dont like veggies, but maybe if I mix certain fruits AND veggies, maybe I can drink them. I made a meal replacement smoothie just now: 1 cup low fat choco milk, 1 packet of the Carnation, 1/2 a banana, and 1/2 cup of strawberries - it yielded 15g of protein, but also 480 calories (mainly from the milk AND Carnation) -- but that is still less than eating 1/2 of a box of Kraft mac-n-cheese, which is 600 calories. Oh and I think I figured out why I lost that weight over the past few months: popcorn. I was eating popcorn instead of chips (already thinking about changes, even back then) and sometimes even instead of a meal, I would sit down with some popcorn -- I thought that stuff was very high in calories because I get the "movie butter" kind - but apparently, each bag is just 140 calories - and, like I said, I was sometimes replacing meals with that. Also, I am not as hungry as I used to be - not able to eat as much - so I used to eat a whole box of Kraft mac-n-cheese (I am poor, so this was a staple in my life for years and years) as a meal and sometimes I even added something like sausage or hot dogs -- and the mac-n-cheese by itself is 1200 calories a box! So, it will be slow, but I will continue with the food diary and count my calories and make different choices at the store and at home so that I can hopefully lose some weight. I am also trying the green coffee extract on the advice of a friend, so we will see if that helps - I am taking 2 caps a day for a month and I'll see if it works or if it is just another fad "diet." |
I made a really good smoothie this morning but it wasnt filling, so I am thinking that I need to eat an actual breakfast and save the smoothies for snacks later in the day.
The smoothie I had: 1 package of Carnation Instant Breakfast 1/4 cup of low fat chocolate milk 1/4 cup of skim milk 1/2 of a banana ------------------------------------------ = 242 calories & 14g protein Because it wasnt filling, I was tempted, like yesterday, to give in and eat some pasta and meat - but I decided to go to the store instead and get some egg substitutes, baby bella mushrooms, and Kraft American cheese. I was going to get the low fat cheese, but honestly, the difference in calories per slice of regular vs. low fat was minimal, which was surprising, but a nice surprise. So my breakfast was an omelet with fruit on the side: 1 container egg substitute (equal to 2 eggs) 2 slices of cheese 1/4 cup of baby bella mushrooms Sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste with 1/4 cup of strawberries 1/4 of an apple on the side ------------------------------------------ = 238 calories & 22.3g protein I wont always count the protein, but I will at least keep protein in mind when choosing a breakfast and snacks. Also, I dont know if the egg substitute was whole eggs, including the yoke or just egg whites - some said egg whites and some didnt. This was the store brand so it was cheaper, which was why I bought it because I didnt know if I would like it or not. The more expensive (by over $1 for the same amount) stuff specifically said egg whites and had more calories than what I bought -- it had fewer calories per serving (25 vs. 30), but more servings in the containers (2.5 vs. 2) .... of course, I was also looking at protein and sodium - the 2 brands were pretty close in calories, protein, and sodium, so I may just keep buying the cheaper stuff. Of course, breakfast is easy - it's the lunch, dinner, and snacks that can kick my ass because of the pasta or whatever; but I figure as long as I am eating a good, filling, and under 300 calorie breakfast, I am off to a good start. :winky: |
I did really well yesterday - even though I was discouraged because my Wii Fit Plus says I have gained 2.5lbs - I ended the day with 1600 calories consumed.
I started with a smoothie at 0630, then an omelet (w/egg substitute, cheese and baby Bella mushrooms) at 0900, then a snack at 1200 of an apple, some chocolate milk, and 1/2 of a regular sized bag of M&Ms, then another snack at 1500 of a bag of popcorn, and at the last minute, I decided on another omelet with smoked sausage instead of pasta and smoked sausage for dinner at 1930 - I went to bed a few hours after that. This morning I skipped the smoothie and just went straight to the omelet (w/egg substitute, cheese, baby Bella mushrooms, and green peppers) and 1/2 of an apple for breakfast. I may have a smoothie later as a snack. I bought some DumDum suckers (20 calories each) because it helps me to not eat if I am chewing (sugarless) gum or sucking on a sucker -- I just need to be mindful of the calories and sugar in the suckers and not eat a ton of them back-to-back each day or it will defeat the purpose! lol I have an appointment at the VA on Friday with the Endocrine docs - they handle all bariatric surgery consults - to discuss my weight and the possibility of bariatric surgery. I may bring in a copy of my food diary to show them what I have been doing to change my eating habits - but also, I will get to see what the VA scales have to say this week. |
I was making out a holiday/Christmas/whatever list for my nieces and nephews - I have 10 nieces and nephews, a great niece, and a great nephew, but because I am poor, I lump the greats in with their mom and dad. lol
Anyway - I like the Kiva thing thedivahrrrself posted about (microloans to people in 3rd world countries who are trying to provide for themselves and their families), so I decided I will do Kiva cards for 4 of my N/Ns and then adopt wolves from Wolf Haven Int'l (<-- turn your volume down if you click that, they have a continuous recording of some of their wolves howling on the front page! :winky:) for 4 other N/Ns. I have 2 nephews who are sons to my little brother - we have been estranged and not spoken for over 10 years and they just moved, so I dont have their address; but one of his sons is on my FB so if I can get their address, I will adopt a wolf for each of them as well. If I cant get their address, I may get an on-line gift card, like Amazon or something and email that to them through FB. My nephew and niece-to-be should have gotten their wedding cake server and knife today - I so wish I could be there for the wedding, but at least this way, I can be there in spirit. I would love to visit them all - especially my mom, who I havent seen since 1999 - for the holidays - maybe in 2013 ..... |
Today's gonna be a high calorie day I think -- I had a hard time sleeping last night and ended up waking up in the middle of the night and just staying up (the puppy is keeping me up - I am just not a cuddler! lol)
I ate a small bowl of left over pasta and I havent gone back to bed since then because I had an appt at the VA and just got back from that; and I have a phone appt at 2pm. Also, I grabbed a quick chicken sandwich at the VA and ate that on the way home - and that was not low cal. lol So far, I am at 1765 for today - I may end up going to bed after my phone appt though so the day might be "over" for me in a few hours. Also, I have done really well, averaging just under 1700 cals/day over this past week (including today) so I am still on track I think. :) I seem to really love the egg substitute omelets, but I usually get on something and eat the hell out of it for a while - I did that with tuna a few weeks ago and then salads a few weeks before that - so this may or may not last long. They make a good breakfast though, so I am trying not to burn myself out on them. :winky: I dont understand how I can being keeping a diary and keeping trck of calories and trying to eat only a certain amount and still be gaining - that is frustrating. When I went to the VA today, they had me at 265 which is still good - their chart said I was 275 back in May, but it is 5lbs more than when I was there last week ..... ugh. Whatever, I am just going to keep on going. They said I am a good candidate for their bariatric surgery because my BMI is 38 and I also have other stuff going on like the diabetes, High BF, high cholesterol, fatty liver, sleep apnea, etc .... listed out like that, I look like a friggin mess! lol But they are still months away from their first candidates for surgery because they are still finalizing how they will work with the chosen outside hospital down in Tacoma, WA. She made it sound like I might be on the short list when it is time though - and she seemed optimistic. She also said I would be a better candidate for gastric bypass instead of lap band, so that's what I would get. In the meantime, I will just keep making any small changes I can to eat better and I will continue with my Wii and Wii Fit Plus - they also gave me a pedometer so I can keep track of how much I walk each day - I am at like 1251 steps over the past 24hrs (1 mile = 2000-2400 steps), lol, so there's that! |
I think I may have perfected my omelet - it took me a couple of tries! It is really filling because of the hash browns (stole that idea from a local diner) so I wont make it this way every time, but it turned out really good. :o)
In a small skillet, I mixed .5 cup of shredded potatoes - I use "Simply Potatoes" from the store (70 cal) with .25 cup of diced white mushrooms (4 cal), .5 TBS of diced green peppers (1 cal), and about a TBS of margarine (60 cal) and browned it all together on medium heat with some pepper, garlic powder, and sea salt. Then when that was done, I added .5 cup of egg substitute (60 cal) in a separate skillet (I use an 8" skillet and it comes out great every time), also on medium heat and as that started to cook, I added 2 slices of Kraft American Cheese (120 cal) to half of the omelet; and when the cheese started to melt and the egg was close to being done, I spread the hash browns with the mushrooms and green pepper onto the whole omelet and let that sit for, what, like 20 seconds, then I flip the no-cheese side over onto the cheese side then let it sit again for about 20 seconds and moved it onto my plate - that's the pic you see there. Total calories for omelet: 315 If I skip the hash browns, I usually add half of an apple on the side (the added hash browns make the omelet too filling for me to add the apple) which replaces the 130 cals of the potatoes and margarine with 26 cals for half of a medium sized apple, for a total of 211 calories. https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...01429453_n.jpg I have been doing really well lately - making pretty good choices and watching what I buy and eat. I did break down last week and get a double Whopper with cheese, but a slip here and there is expected. I hadnt done too badly that day though, so I was still within my 2000-2500 cals/day goal that the VA said I should shoot for. Compared to most other days though, when I average around 1800 cals/day, the 2200+ I took in that day felt like a bit much. Maybe next time, I just get a Jr. instead. lol |
So, small vine tomatoes only have 15 calories? What a nice addition to an omelet without adding a lot of calories. :o)
At some point, I will get tired of these omelets and I'll have to find other things to eat - but for now, this is what my body and taste buds crave the most, so I am having 1-2/day and other meals are other things like pasta, chicken, etc. I had a slice of pepperoni pizza at yesterday's adoption event - such is the peril of being away from home all day - but while it was over 800 calories, I didnt eat much else that day: a couple of low cal snacks and an omelet for breakfast, so it worked out alright. Today, I had some chicken drum sticks and potatoes, which was a huge meal as far as calories, but again, the other things I have eaten havent been many calories, so it evens out at the end of the day. It's kinda difficult to pass up the sweets and treats when I am at the store and the not going out to get fast food because I dont feel like making something at home is hard - but it is easier than it used to be and also as long as I keep counting calories, I can remind myself of what that burger or piece of cake would cost me. lol So far, the changes are working out - of course, I havent weighed myself in a week - maybe I should hop onto my Wii Fit Plus and get a weight and BMI test. lol :winky: |
I hopped onto my Wii Fit Plus today to see where I was and I've lost 5lbs since last time (couple weeks). :)
This is a chart of the past month - so since mid-September. The weight gain was right before I decided to start my food diary and calorie count, which was September 28th - the red dot is me checking my weight and seeing the gain just as I started the food diary. As you can see, I reached my goal - I dont remember what it was though lol. This time, I made my goal 4lbs in a month - but I cant remember if it's 1lb or 2lbs a week that is healthy and a good goal ... I can always change my goal or if I reach it quickly, I can make a different goal for next time, like 8lbs in a month or something. The 28th is also when I started the green coffee extract, so that may or may not be a factor - I've been forgetting to take it 2x/day every day for the last week though - I took it 2x/d 7d/wk for about 10 days, then slacked off because I kept forgetting lol, mostly taking it once a day and then one day I missed both caps - so if anyone is considering taking it, I dont know if that is a contributing factor or not in the weight loss, to be perfectly honest. https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...22551526_n.jpg |
On October 25th, I hopped onto my Wii Fit Plus after noticing 3-4 days earlier that I dropped almost 2 lbs since the week before, but I stopped taking the green coffee extract by then (no side effect problems, just kept forgetting to take it and thought why not stop to see if the weight loss continues w/o it) AND I had that really bad 3100 calorie day filled with fast food ...
But when I checked, I saw that I lost another 4lbs and had broken through the 250 lbs barrier (247) - at least as far as my Wii Fit Plus is concerned, lol, I have to add about 10 lbs to guess the weight at which the VA scales would weigh me. ----- This morning, I checked again and am up almost 2lbs from last week's check -- now that I am starting to tire of the filling and high protein but low cal omelets, it is getting harder to find inexpensive things that are easy and quick to make, that I like, and that are not high in calories. I am still under 250 (on my WFP, so at the VA I am probably closer to 260), but *just barely* -- maybe I should start the green coffee extract again, since it seems to have helped .... Yesterday, I wanted to get a breakfast sandwich from Jack in the Box (the ultimate, which is egg cheese, ham, bacon on a croissant) but I would usually eat 2 of those and they were over 400 calories each ... ! ... so I backed out of the drive thru and went home. lol ----- This is so hard .... I really want a pizza. :( |
I think my favorite time(s) of the day is just after the packs eats.
Before they eat, things are all hectic - and barky because Sally, the new pup hasnt learn all of her manners yet & she barks at me, demanding her food. It also takes me a while to get them their meals ..... Jack gets anxious so he eats in here (the office) by himself, but Zeke waits with him while I get their meals ready; and Sally is locked in the bedroom because, again, she hasnt learned all of her manners yet, so she tries to eat everyone's food! Of course, the little old man is with me because he is (a) little, (b) old, and (c) disabled. :winky: In the mornings, 2 of them eat kibble and 2 eat dehydrated food, which takes 5 minutes to dehydrate. Jack gets his Prozac, Sally and Zeke get tummy supplements, Sally gets fish oil because she has itchy skin, and they all get vitamins - Max's gets crushed up so he doesnt have to chew it. I also sometimes toss a little pumpkin into their food if I noticed them having poop issues. In the evenings, Max eats dehydrated food again, but the other 3 get kibble. They all also get Brewer's Yeast and garlic supplements and coprophagia chews and Sally, again, gets some fish oil for her itchies. So with everything that needs to be done, it's all kinda crazy getting them all their food. But after they eat and everyone is set free out of their respective rooms, they all go from bowl to bowl sniffing and licking to make sure who ever ate out of that bowl got every last crumb. lol It sounds silly, but it's such a cute moment - especially when more than one of them is trying to clean out the same bowl at the same time (usually Zeke and Sally - they are so alike, those 2) - so I guess it's just one of those little things that makes me stop and smile when I see them doing it - no one's fighting, barking, or acting crazy, they are just quietly eating their food and then cleaning out each other's bowls. :) |
lol, this has kinda become more of a blog than a place to put my writing - but I havent been inspired to write much in a long long time, so I would just be recycling old stuff here and I dont want to do that.
That being said, here's another blog entry about my weight loss efforts. lol ----- I got kinda tired of omelets because I was eating too many of them - like 2-3 a day - I got burned out! But today I felt like an omelet so I made my self one with cheese, mushrooms, orange pepper (thought I'd step away from the green for a minute), and tomatoes - and, of course, I paired it with half of an apple, but got Gala this time and it was such a juicy and sweet apple - so good! :) Anyway, I had been slipping over the past week - instead of taking in an average of 1700 or so cals a day, I was taking in more like 2100 cals a day - which is still below my 2500 max, but above the 2000 I was trying to stick to or under in order to continue to lose weight. Because I thought about it today and this might be too ambitious, but if I can continue on this path of 10 lbs a month, I would ht 200 lbs by my birthday .... It would mean being more diligent about not slipping, but I might be able to do it -- unless these last 20 lbs were a fluke and I will either gain it all back over time or my losses will taper off to 2-3 lbs a month instead of 8-10. I guess we'll see by the end of Nov! |
Galas are good, but you should try a honeycrisp or a sweetie. Super juicy and yummy sweet. Totally worth the cost.
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I'll look for those the next time I'm at the store - thanks. :)
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My baby FMD, Sally loves when I say her name in a kind of sing-song way: "SallyBear! SallyBear! Who's my SallyBear?" lol Also in this vid: Zeke, my 10yo Boxer/Pit - the red & white dog Jack, my 3yo FMD - the black/white dog w/o big black splotches on his back Max, my little old man, an alley dog from Taiwan who's about 8+yo - the little brown dog |
I love your writing, this thread is great, it's like a little glimpse of Parker! Thanks for writing!
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Just a little something I thought important enough to share. :)
Honoring Those Who Served: 11 Ways to Celebrate Veterans Day Posted by Elisa Essner Veterans Day is almost upon us. It’s the one day set aside each November to honor those who have served and continue to serve our nation. The holiday also offers a great opportunity to teach civilians about the sacrifice service members and their families make year-round. How do you plan to celebrate this year? Here are some ideas for activities to try at home, school and work. Civilians can find multiple ways to honor veterans in their lives and communities. Before you get started, you might want to brush up with this brief history of the holiday. At home
At school
At work
Find an event in your community
Honor veterans year-round
Posted by Elisa Essner elisa.essner@veteransunited.com |
So I've been eating this Yoplait yogurt light with all of these dessert flavors .... they make a nice snack but also a pretty good dessert. :)
Red velvet cake = awesome Boston cream pie = awesome Apple turnover = awesome Key lime pie = awesome Banana cream pie = good Strawberry shortcake = good Orange creme = good Raspberry cheesecake = good Lemon cream pie = a little too tart |
The Marsha Norman play 'Night, Mother was on my mind tonight ...
For those who dont know, 'Night, Mother is a play set in real time with no breaks - it is about a woman, Jesse (played my Sissy Spacek in the movie) who has lived with her mama, Thelma (played by Anne Bancroft) for years. She is disabled and cant work (epilepsy if I remember correctly) and she rarely, if ever, leaves the house. Jesse decided to kill herself because her life is nothing and going nowhere. She isnt depressed or anything, she just feels that if this is all there is then she doesnt want to stay. The play is the 2 hours before she kills herself and she is spending that time getting the house in order, making lists, and mostly just explaining to her mama why she is doing what she is doing. It has one of my favorite monologues in it - I actually pieced 2 into 1 to help that last paragraph, which is my favorite, make sense: Mama, I only told you I was going to kill myself so I could explain it, so you wouldn't blame yourself, so you wouldn't feel bad. There wasn't anything you could say to change my mind. I didn't want you to save me. I just wanted you to know. Don't you see, Mama, everything I do winds up like this. How could I think you would understand? How could I think you would want a manicure? That we could hold hands for an hour and then I could go shoot myself? I'm sorry about tonight, Mama, but it's exactly why I'm doing it. I'm not giving up! This is the other thing I'm trying. And I'm sure there are some other things that might work, but might work isn't good enough any more. I need something that will work. This will work. That's why I picked it. |
i understand about the name.. Deborah is mine too.. except when i was a kid i hated it. Anyone outside of my family call me that they wanted a fight on their hands. Now that i am older, i do not mind it, however, unlike You, when i introduce myself to anyone it is always, "Hiya i'm Debbie".
I have thought about changing my name many times... not cause of me being Butch( far from lol), but just cause every mom's aunt's cousin's neighbor is named Deborah, Debra or Debbie... ugh.. I applaud You for choosing a name(s) that fit You and help You be more "You". Maybe one day i will have that courage. |
So for Christmas, I got 4 of my nieces and nephews Kiva cards so they could create an account and find a person to whom they wanted to give a microloan. I thought that would be a nice gift for them so they could feel good about helping someone else to fulfill their dreams of taking care of themselves and their families.
I also went back to Wolf Haven Int'l to adopt wolves for my other 6 nieces and nephews. Wolves hold a special place in my heart and they are endangered so the kids get to know that they are helping to care for and protect an endangered species - an animal for which I care very much. I got the Kiva cards last month and was set to get the wolf adoptions this month (I couldnt afford to do it all in one month); and I cant believe how fast Wolf Haven Int'l sent me the wolf adoption photos and bios - I went online and did all of the wolf adoptions on Tuesday night and yesterday, a large envelope with all of the wolf pics, bios, and adoption info was dropped on my porch - so fast! :) Now all I have to do is write out the cards to go with the wolf stuff, then I can drop it all in the mail to my parents in PA - I asked mom if they would be cool with handing my gifts out to the kids on Christmas or Christmas Eve or whenever their tradition is now. I feel badly that I cant be there - everyone is headed to PA for the holidays and I am the only family member who wont be there :( - but at least my gifts will be there on time and given to them by their grandparents. |
I was watching a movie tonight where this woman took a crack on the head and suddenly, she could no longer recognize anyone's faces - every time she would see them again or close her eyes and re-open them or look away and look back, etc, the face would change.
In fact, in one scene, she was having sex with her bf and every time she closed her eyes and opened them again, he would be a different person. lol This made me realize that I rely more on my ears than my eyes I have noticed that when it comes to the people I see on TV and movies and even with most of the people around me, I recognize their voices most of the time before I ever recognize their faces - which seems weird. Even in this movie, the actors would change back and forth - sometimes we would see what she saw and sometimes we would see the original actor who played the character, but their voices were dubbed so they would always be of the original actors and that was how I was able to pick out the killer (this was a thriller); because he taunted her in the street and so later, when I heard that voice again, even though the face was different, I knew it was him. Turns out, I was right. It's just so interesting how we identify the people around us; e.g., I am horrible with names - I mean, a person can tell me their name at a gathering and literally 30 seconds later, it's gone - out of my head - but I can usually recognize a face and place it with where I know them from: this theatre gig or that friend's party, etc. I just never really thought about how much I rely on what I hear vs. what I see - it makes me wonder if it was something I developed over time - working with actors who can look completely different in their costumes vs. their street clothes or even from one gig to the next, coupled with the fact that my memory for names sucks so bad I wish people would wear name tags all the time lol - maybe my mind developed this way of identifying people's voices to help me recognize people. It's crazy how the mind works, isnt it? Oh, for those interested, the movie is called Faces in the Crowd, with Milla Jovovich and Julian McMahon. I didnt really like the ending too much, but it was still a really good flick, imo. An interesting (to me, at least) side note: this is the second movie I have seen her in with a guy from Charmed. lol |
I'm not very good at facial recognition. There are two great books, memoirs, about this phenomenon, both excellent, that I've read:
"You don't look like anyone I know" by Heather Sellers and "Mistaken Identity" by Van Ryn, Cerak, Tab |
I found a couple of small pieces of lamb in the back of the freezer from when I last made the dogs raw food -- I also saw some Tilapia filet that had been in there for me, but for a very long time -- then tonight when I was getting stew at the store, I saw a pack of chicken tender filet for $5 so I bought that, kept back 3 pieces for 3 of my meals and took the rest of the chicken, along with the lamb and fish and put it all in the oven at about 275 degrees so I could make jerky-type treats out of it all for the pack.
I was going to use my food dehydrator, but I didnt want to make full-on jerky where I marinate it, add a bunch of salt, etc., and then let it sit in there for 6-10 hours. Anyway - that's the fish up front (plus a couple of pieces in the back on the left), the lamb is in the middle-right, and the chicken is in the back. The guy I got this idea from did chicken tender filet cuts at 280 for 2 hours, so I set my oven at 275 and set the timer for an hour so I could check on it all then. I am really curious to see how it turns out - and I figure even if it sucks, it's still fish, chicken, and lamb; and seriously, the dogs want that meat RIGHT NOW, lol, so if it turns out as I hope or not, it will still be good little treats for them. :) https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...46124741_n.jpg |
All this time, I thought there was something wrong with the VA scales because they always weigh me 10+ lbs more than my Wii Fit Plus at home ...
But this morning, I weight myself on the Wii and then I put on all my street clothes - the carpenter jeans, shirt, turtleneck, motorcycle boots, and all of the stuff I carry around on my belt of in my pockets and I weighed myself again .... It was a 13 lb difference! What. :blink: At least now I know - the VA scales are the same as my Wii scale, it is just all of the crap I wear and carry around that is weighing me down! lol ----- I started eating better in October and lost, of about 25-35 lbs, but then I hit a plateau and I havent lost a thing since Thanksgiving - I have in fact gained 4-5 lbs back. I guess I could chalk that up to the holidays, but it makes this whole "eating better" thing that much harder when the results arent there. It makes me want to go eat a tub of Butter Pecan Ice Cream. lol I am still eating 1000-1500 calories less a day than I used to when I weighed and maintained 285 lbs and that is a good thing .... I miss some of the stuff I used to eat - but some of the other stuff actually sounds nasty to me now. lol So I will keep going - but man, this is HARD! :( |
Important stuff is important.
For example ..... Stop Catcalling Me By Kendall Goodwin ~ Thought Catalog Sometimes I get catcalled, and when I say sometimes, I mean pretty regularly. Maybe you’re reading that sentence and thinking “Poor girl, it must be soooo hard to be thought of as attractive and have men compliment you. Let me play a song for you on the world’s smallest violin.” That wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gotten that response: I’ve found that my male friends and acquaintances, even the ones I know would never catcall, are generally pretty forgiving toward men who do catcall, cavalierly waving it away as a compliment that’s simply in poor taste and tsk tsking me for being a humblebragger. But as they forgive I also forgive them, because if they truly understood what it feels like to be catcalled, they would not be so cavalier. This lack of understanding seems to be a function of the simple reality that historically, humankind has not looked on male bodies and female bodies equally, and as a result, the way that men and women relate to their respective bodies is vastly different. I suspect it’s difficult for men to imagine a world in which their bodies have long been inextricably linked to their value as an individual, and that no matter how encouraging your parents were or how many positive female role models you had or how self-confident you feel, there is an ever-present pressure that creeps in from all sides, whispering in your ear that you are your body and your body defines you. A world where, from the time of pubescence on, you can feel the constant and palpable weight of the male gaze, and not just from your male peers but from teachers and sports coaches and the fathers of the children you baby-sit, people you’re supposed to respect and trust and look up to, and that first realization that you are being looked at in that way is the beginning of a self-consciousness that you will be unable to shake for the rest of your life. Even if they are never verbalized, the rules of bodily conduct for females become clear early on: when school administrators reprimand you for the inch of midriff that shows when you lift your hands straight in the air or youth group leaders tell you that the sight of your unintentional cleavage is what causes godly young men to fall, you learn that your body is dangerous and shameful and that it’s your responsibility to cloister it in a way that is acceptable to everyone else. You learn that your body is a topic of public debate that everyone is entitled to weigh in on, from a male classmate telling you that those jeans make your ass look huge to the male-dominated United States Congress dictating the parameters that rape must fall within to be considered legitimate. To be a woman, and to live life in a woman’s body, is to be held to a set of comically paradoxical standards that make you constantly second-guess yourself and jump through a million hoops in pursuit of an impossible perfection. Now that a context has been established, imagine walking down the street, to the grocery store or to meet up with a friend, and hearing a car slowing down as it approaches you from behind. You’ve learned to be intuitive to the sounds that precede a catcall: a car decelerating, the sound that air makes as it passes through an open window at low speeds, and the split second of dead silence just before the whistle or whoop or “Damn, girl” or whatever other asinine sentence fragment gets hurtled at you. If you say nothing and keep your eyes on the ground, it’s over in less than a minute, at which point the car and the catcaller drive away and you continue on your way. Pretty innocuous, right? To begin to understand why this scenario is the opposite of innocuous, one must understand the circumstances surrounding most instances of catcalling. A catcall is not like sexual harassment, an unwelcome encounter that happens in the privacy of an office between a male superior and female subordinate. Catcalls, by and large, come from strangers, and happen in public places that not only lend anonymity to the caller but also make it easy to keep the interaction fleeting. A catcall is something that always seems to happen in passing, whether it be men sticking their heads out of moving cars like dogs to shout at a woman, men calling at a woman as she walks past, or a man calling at a woman as he walks past. If you’re being sexually harassed at your job, you know exactly who the harassment is coming from, and you have the option to ask them to stop and even report them if they don’t, with a decent chance that your complaint will be taken seriously. Because of the inherently transient nature of catcalls, you are not given that same opportunity to air your grievances and draw the caller’s attention to the error of their ways. By the time you’re able to say, “Excuse me, sir, but the way that you’re objectifying me is offensive,” they’re already gone. And even if you could, sometimes you just don’t have it in you to instigate a losing battle when all you wanted was to walk to the grocery store in peace. If you acknowledge your catcaller by speaking to them or engaging them in any way, you’re egging them on and inviting them to continue talking to you and offending you. If you acknowledge them with eye contact, even if no words accompany it, it can be seen as condoning and encouraging. Even for the most outspoken women, catcalls engender a forced passivity that leaves them with no effective means of counteraction except to fix their eyes on the ground and ignore the caller until they’re left alone, which counteracts nothing and leaves women feeling frustrated and silenced. It’s a lose-lose no matter which way you slice it. When a woman realizes that there is nothing she can do after the fact to correct this wrong done to her, she, as women have been socialized to do, starts analyzing herself and tries to figure out what it is that she’s doing that attracts this unwanted attention, so that she can alter her appearance or her behavior and prevent it from continuing to happen. Maybe if I stop wearing dresses? she will ask herself. Or if I move out of the city? Or maybe if I shave my head, I’ll stop being catcalled? This is futile, of course, because catcalls happen regardless of the lengths women go to in order to avoid them and regardless of circumstantial details. I’ve been catcalled as a blonde and as a brunette, with long hair and short hair, in the city and in the country, while wearing dresses and while wearing baggy pants, when I was fifteen pounds heavier and fifteen pounds lighter than I am now, made-up and makeup-less, in the presence of friends (both male and female) and by myself, in the daytime and at night, and while running on the side of the road, my face beet-red and my entire body covered in sweat. This is no humblebrag; this is an embarrassing and maddening reality for women. None of these variables provides immunity from catcalls, and yet, socially, the onus is on women to do whatever is necessary to avoid being catcalled instead of on men to stop catcalling. Again, it’s a lose-lose. Furthermore, it’s deeply upsetting that women are made to feel guilty or ungrateful for not accepting catcalls as compliments. I can’t speak for all women everywhere, and I would never condescend to my sex by claiming to know the experiences of women whose reality is foreign to me, but based on my own experience and the experiences of my female friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances, I think I can safely assert that most women don’t feel like they’re being complimented when they’re catcalled. It’s not the sort of thing that you excitedly recall to your girlfriends, or call your mom about, or secretly hope happens again because it made you feel beautiful. It’s more akin to what I imagine animals at the zoo feel like when humans poke their fat fingers against the glass or make crude animal sounds to try to get their attention and encourage them to do something interesting. There is a reason it’s referred to as a catcall and not a humancall: when you’re catcalled, there’s no consideration of your distinct personhood or even of your humanity because you’re being appraised as an object, a body without a person inside of it. When you want to compliment someone, you approach them as an individual because the point is to make them feel good about being the individual that they are, right? If this is true, then the one-size-fits-all catcall really has nothing to do with being complimentary, and seems to be more about asserting power. When you’re catcalled, you’re caught in a moment of vulnerability: one minute you’re just walking down the street and in complete control of your own life, and the next you’re verbally ambushed by a stranger who forcefully inserts themselves into your life to declare their opinion of your body as if it were definitive, and that feeling of control is gone as quickly as the catcaller. Women are closer than they’ve ever been to living as equals with men in every sphere of life, but when it comes to our bodies, it is still shockingly easy for men to make us feel subjugated, to “put us in our place.” When women are treated as if their bodies don’t serve a functional purpose and are simply on display for the enjoyment and valuation of male eyes, it doesn’t matter how much money you make or what advanced degree you’ve earned or how great a sense of self-worth you hold: you feel powerless. Powerless to prevent it, powerless to counteract it, powerless to transcend your own physiology. I don’t believe that the majority of men who catcall intend to make women feel this way, but because catcalls have been part of our social landscape for, like, ever, the inheritance of values that condone catcalling and view them as harmless and complimentary continues. We as a culture are in need of a serious re-education on the subject of holistic gender equality and the gravity of catcalling, but that re-education may be a long time coming so here is the Cliff Notes version: Catcalls are not compliments. Catcalls are offensive, and, frankly, obnoxious. Men, women do not appreciate or enjoy being catcalled, and catcalling will do nothing to endear you to the woman you fancy. If your intent is to compliment, there are plenty of ways to do so that aren’t offensive and don’t incorporate a whoop or a whistle… be creative. And most importantly, when in doubt, keep it to yourself. |
My Zekie (80 lb Boxer/Pit) is so precious ..... I tried to take his pic so I could share what he did and he refused to look at me, just kept doing the avoidance submission thing that he does. lol
But picture this big man making noises like Chewbacca and wagging his tail like mad - he was playing with Sally (20 lb FMD) and he opened his mouth and put her mouth into his - he could have almost fit her whole head in there lol. He did this twice in the office this morning and it was the cutest thing - as if he was telling her to be quiet. lol Zeke is in the middle there, surrounded by the rest of the pack: Jack (L) and Sally (R) and little old man, Max even made an appearance (top) - they all love their Zeke. :) https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...33395380_n.jpg |
I just made my own laundry soap using a recipe that is supposed to provide enough soap for a year's worth of laundry for a family of 4:
3 Bars of Fels Naptha laundry soap ($.97 ea at Wal-Mart) 1 Box of Borax (76 oz for $3.38 at WM) 1 Box of Washing Soda (55 oz for $3.24 at WM) 1-2 Bottles of Purex Fabric Softener Crystals (I used 2 - 28 oz - for $4.76 at WM) 2 Cups of Baking Soda (I am not seeing this on my rec't, so apparently I got this for free - oops - but the big 4 lb box I got from the laundry section of WM - was something like $3.50 I think) Note #1: I left off the Oxy-Clean that the recipe called for, which was 2 tubs (3 lbs each) because they were something like $8 each and so many people in the comments of this blog said they left the Oxy off, so I skipped it. I figured I could always add it later if I so choose (again, according to the comments in this blog, the dollar store has the tubs for $4 ea, cutting the cost of it in half). Leaving out that 6 lbs of ingredients will undoubtedly shorten how long this will last; but for just me, it should still last a while. Note #2: I didnt realize the Purex was fabric softener - the bottles just say "laundry enhancer" - so I probably could have gotten something else (like Durex) cheaper. Now I know & will check other products if/when I make this again. :winky: FYI, the cost of the Purex also depends on the fragrance you get - I wanted the lavender, but it was twice as much as this tropical splash. Note #3: Back to the comments, several people left off the Purex and Baking Soda as well and just used the Fels Naptha, Washing Soap, and Borax in an effort to keep their laundry as chemical free as possible. I chose to add the Purex because (a) I dont like how the Fels Naptha smells and (b) I like the idea of adding the fabric softener. ----- Enough with the notes, let's move on! The Fels Naptha needs to be grated. I have a small (small as in hand-held small) food processor and I used that - it took a while because I could only run 1/4 of a bar at a time in it and I added Borax to it so the soap wouldnt get all sticky and clumpy on the blades. But as long as it took, it wasnt nearly as long as it would have been if grating by hand! After the Fels Naptha was grated up nice and pretty much a powder, I poured it into a clean trash bag with the rest of the box of Borax, the box of Washing Soap, the 2 bottles of Purex, and the 2 cups of Backing Soda. I rolled the bag around and shook it like shake-n-bake until all the ingredients were thoroughly mixed together and then I poured it into these 2 square plastic jars (1 gal ea for $2.97 ea at WM) - and I will re-use the garbage bag in my laundry room. The idea is to use 2 TBSP per load - some of the people mentioned that they used 1/4 cup (4 TBSP) per load - some people said they could only use it in warm water - others said they had no problems with it dissolving in cold water - and people with high efficiency front loading machines said this worked just fine in those -- so ymmv. I'll probably start off with 2-3 TBSP and my usual cold water and see how that works and then change things up if necessary. What you see pictured here is the final product. https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...85578575_n.jpg I decided to try this instead of the homemade liquid soap because this was one huge batch that would last a long time, while the liquid soap is easy, yes, but made a gallon at a time. Here's the recipe for that: Quote:
Btw, this is all from the "Homemade Solution" section of the One Good Thing by Jillee blog. In it, you can also find other stuff like how to make your own fabric softener crystals, mouthwash, antihistamine, moisturizer, hand sanitizer, etc. ----- eta: if you are prone to allergies - or even if you are not and just want to be all safe as houses - I would recommend wearing a mask while grating and mixing all of this powder. Most, if not all of it says harmful if swallowed, if prolonged skin contact, if in eyes, etc and I inadvertantly breathed some of it in while I was mixing and even after using my neti pot, I have one helluva headache from it. So, yeah - masks. lol :winky: |
Quote:
I am totally digging on this laundry soap that I made ... I am having no problem with it dissolving in cold water, my clothes are clean and SUPER soft, and they smell really nice -- nice as in, I-hung-them-on-the-line-outside-in-the-sun-on-a-warm-spring-day nice. lol :winky: |
As most of the people in my irl world know, I wanted to move back to my home state of IL at the end of May 2013 when my lease was up. I am a disabled vet collecting VA benefits and to supplement that, I decided to *finally* do what everyone kept telling me to do for a few years - file for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
So in August 2011, I filed and of course, was promptly denied just like the other, what 75% of the people who apply. Then I appealed, which basically just means they look at it again and say no, again. lol Then it went to a judge (ALJ hearing) -- this is where I got kinda screwed because most ALJs' approval rates are around 55%, but the judge I got is around 25% ... so of course, he denied me again; and let me tell you, his upteen page decision just basically said I was faking, which sucked all the air out of my balloon man. He not only said he wasnt going to take the VA's decision into consideration (which he cannot do), he said he thought they came to the wrong conclusion and should not have approved me for disability or labeled me as unemployable. Ouch. Anyway, because he did that and also didnt want to hear what my doctor at the VA said, my lawyers think we have good grounds for appeal and that's where I am at now - it can take 6-18 months (the average is just under a year) for them to come to a decision: overturn the judge's decision and grant me SSDI, remand me back to the judge so he can decide again, deny me once and for all (only other thing to do at that point is to file in Federal court), or dismiss my claim, which would mean I was done. My hope, of course, was that I was going to get a favorable decision from the judge so that I could use part of the back pay for SSDI to fund my move back to IL. I picked IL because (a) I had to pick someplace lol and when I visited my sister October 2011, I remembered how much I liked living in the Midwest, (b) I am sincerely tired of the PNW - lovely place, but the traffic and people - ugh, (c) my sister is there, it's a small town, etc etc etc, and (d) the cost of living (especially housing) is significantly lower than here. BUT, unfortunately, right before Thanksgiving, I got the letter from the judge that said "ur faking dont come back haha" - I am paraphrasing, of course. I thought that since my case is in appeals and could be there for over another year that I had to put my move off - because right after that denial letter, I decided fuck the SSA, i will save whatever morsels of cash i can and move my damn self - I can sleep in my truck for the 3 day trip, leave most of my stuff behind, and sleep in my truck when in IL as I look at a few places to live. Finally, I asked the lawyers if I could move or if I should stay while this thing plays out .... not only did they say I could move, they said if the appeals council remands my case back to the ALJ, the hearing can be in IL, which will be better because I wont be in front of that craptastic judge who shot my ass out of the water the first time; plus, the SSA will pay for my lawyers to fly out to IL for the hearing so they can continue handling my case and I dont have to get new lawyers. So my move is BACK ON! I am thinking of staying here a few months after my lease is up (like maybe until the end of July or August) so I can save a little extra money for a hotel for a few days while looking for a place to live in IL -- but I may just show up on my sister's doorstep, talking about, SURPRISE, where's my bed? lol who knows. I also have to buy a trailer for my stuff (no furniture, bed, etc, just totes, etc of "stuff") because (a) I cannot afford a truck with a carrier for my SUV and (b) UHaul wont rent trailers to Ford Explorers - something about being sued for liability when there were rollovers or something. So I am spending as little money as possible and saving as much as I can so I can (a) get a trailer, (b) pay for 2100 miles of gas, (c) pay for a few days worth of food, (d) pay for move-in costs, and possible (e) pay for a hotel while I look at places to rent. I am also considering buying a home since I have a VA home loan certificate, but that is a lot further down the line and I really like renting - sure, it isnt my home and I have to play by someone else's rules, but I dont have to pay for things that break down, etc. :winky: Of course, I would win the Mega Millions tomorrow night and this will all become moot ... :sunglass: |
3 posts in one day! Slow down there, big fella ....
Yesterday morning weigh-in = 236 lbs ... that put me at exactly 101 lbs over my "before age 25" weight (high school/college/Navy) ... I was 135 lbs up until about age 25-26 - which, I agree, was entirely too skinny for me, but I kinda miss being a 29 waist. lol :winky:
I hope I can keep this up and get down to 200 lbs ... or even 175 lbs ... man, 175 lbs would be awesome! :) This kinda makes me want to do that walking for 5-10 mins/day, 3x/wk thing I was supposed to be doing. lol :winky: |
I was in my storage room, which is the garage that was converted into an insulated room with the washer, dryer, and electric water heater - the previous tenants had the cable hooked up in there and used it as an office, so my landlady still calls it that and gets confused when I call it storage and this second bedroom the office - after 4 years, you'd think she'd be used to it, but no. lol
Anyway, I digress - I was in the storage room emptying out these 3 plastic 3-drawer units I am giving away and I started to panic because I looked up and saw my gardening tools, which made me think of all of the lawn care stuff, kerosene, propane, kerosene heater, a/c units, etc etc etc out in the shed that I have to have taken down before I leave because it is damaged and I dont want to leave it for the next tenant. I say started to panic because I have lived here for a long while (for me) and originally, I planned to never leave - so I have a lot of "stuff" tucked here and there and I am leaving in 3 months! I know I can do it - I mean, it is 3 months and I dont have a job, so I can literally sit here all day everyday cleaning, packing, taking things to Goodwill, etc. But for a moment there, I just felt so overwhelmed, like it wasnt going to get done and I was making a mistake ..... I ended up so wired, I stayed up a few hours longer than I meant to and then crashed - and hard. Tonight, I got up and went through all of my candles, candle holders, nick knacks, knives, etc, packing what I wanted to keep, tossing what was no good, and putting the stuff for Goodwill into a box. I am taking a quick break and then I am going to do the same with all of the stuff hanging on my walls - I have a couple of paintings I did a long long time ago that will probably go to Goodwill (unless I just remove the frame backings off of the canvases and roll them up) because I have extra pictures here that I didnt have before and I dont want to take up too many totes for hanged pics, portraits, and paintings. Once I do that, I will feel better -- and then once it gets closer to my move and I give away the lawn mower and take down the shed, I will feel even better. Of course, first things first - I have 2 trailers I am looking at getting: one is a 5'x8' fully enclosed cargo trailer that is made to look like a little house ... might be a little silly looking driving down the road, but it is fairly new and in great shape. The other is a mini travel trailer that has been gutted and used as an enclosed cargo trailer that, most recently, hauled a Harley across the country. It is a little worse for the wear, needs to be scrubbed down, and possibly repainted, but as long as the inside isnt covered in mold, moss, &/or mildew, it wouldnt be a bad choice. I am hoping to purchase one of these by the weekend so that will be one less MAJOR thing to worry about because I will know how big of a trailer I will have and can better plan what I can and cannot take with me. I have done this many many many (to the tune of over 15 times in the last 25 years) times, so I know it will all get done, one way or the other ... and to be honest, I feel like making the decision and moving this quickly is a good thing - I have less time to think, question myself freak out, and a lot less time to lollygag about packing! Speaking of lollygagging, I am hungry and thinking I should make myself a couple of eggs before tackling all of the stuff on the walls. :winky: |
While I was going through the stuff in my "what's hanging on my wall" tote that never made it to my walls, I found an autographed headshot of some singer dude named Lucas Prata.
I was going to say, I dont know why I kept it - I'm not an autograph keeping kind of gal, but honestly, I think I kept it because it is a nice memento of a fun time of my life. I was living in Tulsa, OK so this must have been circa 2001-02 and I was a part of this radio station's contest to find a new producer. I thought that would be a cool job and a stepping stone to a possible career so I entered and ended up being 1 of 3 finalists. It was like a radio reality show where we competed in different things and gained points with each one that we won. One of the things we had to do was find this dude, Lucas Prata, who was on tour and in Tulsa for an upcoming concert. We were supposed to use whatever means necessary to find and contact him at his hotel and I knew a guy who knew a guy who knew .... you get the idea. Anyway, I found the dude within a few hours, shocking the hell out of everyone. Then at the event the station was having for him, he was signing headshots and he asked me if I wanted one - he's a performer, what was I going to do say, "um, no, I dont even know who the hell you are" lol, I can be blunt and forthright, but that would just be rude! :winky: So he breaks out his headshot and signs it - this was before my name change btw: To Deborah, Oh yeah, I lost the contest, so I did not go into radio and instead moved back to IL to get my BS in Theatre Management at ISU. lol |
Dogs, veggies, and "lost" leashes .....
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...73049997_n.jpg
My big boy, Zeke (that's not him pictured, just something I saw on FB that made me want to post about my furbabies) LOVES broccoli! Jack wants it when he sees me giving it to Zeke but I swear, he doesnt even close his mouth around it when I give it to him, he just dips his head down and lets it fall onto the floor. lol Sally will eat it, but only because she sees the other dogs' interest in it and she doesnt want them to have it ... she is a sweetie to me, but she is kind of a bitch to the boys - but then again, Harley was too. lol I read something once about how female dogs never quite fit into the hierarchy of a pack the way that boys do (dominant vs. submissive) because everything and every place is *theirs*. After having had both boys and girls living together, I can kinda see that. lol ----- Also, I went to Petsmart the other day to use a gift card my parents gave me for Christmas to buy a tie-out to use on my trip and also to replace a leash I lost so I would be back up to 3 leashes. It worked out well - I only had to pay like $2 and change for the two items. Then today as I was gathering up all of the various backpacks and duffle bags I have around the house, I found a backpack I hadnt used since Salty Dog Rescue's last adoption event in mid-October, when I brought Sally with me; and wouldnt you know it, I found the 3rd leash that I thought I lost! So I took the other leash back to Petsmart and exchanged it for the same kind of no-slip, "escape-proof" collar that the Taiwan twins have for Zeke so they would all have that same "escape-proof" collar for when I take them out on the road. I only had to shell out $1 and change for that - so thanks to mom and dad, I got a collar and a tie-out for less than $4. :winky: |
Just got back from my eye exam at the VA - my eyes are all dilated (they dilate diabetics' eyes to check our retinas for damage due to our diabetes - mine show no damage, so I'm not going blind, which is pretty awesome). lol I cant read this post, I hope it makes sense! I see black letters on a white screen, but there is like a halo effect and it is all blurry! :blink:
I can see large things and far away things, but I couldnt text or read the price on the clip-on sunglasses at the canteen when I was ordering glasses - which are slightly different from the silver frames I have now - they are gold-ish and a little feminine, but not flowery or anything, they just had some sort of swirly lines or leaves or something on the frame - and they are lighter than these silver ones, which I also got at the VA 2 yrs ago. So 3 weeks from now, I should receive my bifocals in the mail. I have needed bifocals for a long time now, I just didnt realize that taking off my glasses to read stuff meant I should have bifocals. lol It was really irritating when I would watch TV while doing something else like writing out cards or sewing something or whatever - I either had to have my glasses off to do the close-up work and not see the TV clearly and just listen or I had to have my glasses on to see the TV which would make the close-up work blurry ... I usually did the former. Anyway, I got lined bifocals because she said no-line are a bit to get used to, especially if you spend a lot of time on a computer. Something about having to look at just the right spot because there is no line ... I dont know, I stopped listening because I was still trying to deal with that fact that I need bifocals. lol But the best part of my day was the clip-on sunglasses. Anyone who wears those knows they cost anywhere from $15-20 depending on where you get them (they are $20 at the local store here and $15 at Wal-Mart, I think) and they were only $5.50 at the VA's canteen (little retail store)! So I got 2 of them because I am a dropper and a forgetter and I usually need 2 of things like that because the first one will inevitably end up lost or broken. :winky: |
I bought a trailer for my move last week. I cant rent one from UHaul because they wont rent trailers to Ford Explorers (a fact I didnt know when I sold my old Ranger and bought the newer Explorer), so I decided to buy one and have been combing through Craigslist ads for months.
I really wanted an enclosed trailer because (a) it would hold a bit more than an open trailer, (b) then I wouldnt have to worry about strapping down a tarp over my stuff, and (c) I could lock the trailer with my stuff in it; but I didnt think I'd be able to find an enclosed trailer for the same cost as a regular trailer with short or no sides and not enclosed at all. Then I found this couple up north of me selling this cargo trailer that was built to look like a little house, complete with chimney. lol I balked at first because I thought I would need full size tires to haul my stuff 2100 miles and this one had either 8" or 12" tires (couldnt tell from the pics), but it was only $400 and it was enclosed, so I drove up to see it last week and decided to get it. It's a little smaller than I would have liked - the ad said 5'x8' but I think they meant the outside because the inside dimensions are 3'8" W x 7'6" L x 3'9" tall, but a little extra space up top in the middle where the "roof" peaks. This meant I couldnt take *any* furniture, not even my bed or my recliner, but to be honest, most of the rest of the non-enclosed trailers I was looking at were not big enough for my bed and chair either, so I was prepared for that. So because of its size and weight restrictions, I have been going through all of the major amounts of "stuff" I have collected over the past 7 years and I am whittling down the most important 25% of my stuff that is going to come with me while dealing with selling, giving away, and throwing away the other 75% over the next 3 months. This triage process is hard for me because some of the stuff that I probably wont be able to take with me is stuff (candle holders nick knacks, etc) that I have had for years -- on the one hand, some of these things are old and could do to be replaced but on the other hand, some of these things are old and cannot BE replaced - I am talking things I got 10-15 years ago in other states and in stores that do not even exist anymore. But it is also a little cathartic to take a box or bag of stuff to Goodwill and say goodbye to that part of my life ... I will be starting over fresh in IL. Anyway, pics of the trailer are below (the folding chair in the pics are for a size reference) -- if you happen to live near the I-90 in WA, ID, MT, WY, SD, or MN, or if you live in IA (maybe Des Moines, but most likely Waterloo - duh!) or IL and it's the last week of May and you see a white Ford Explorer carrying a butch dyke and 3 dogs while hauling a little red house behind it, wave because that's me! :winky: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...12383004_n.jpg (a "shingle" is missing and I really want to replace it because it bugs my OCD seeing that little blank space lol) https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...24004365_n.jpg (the back door doubles as a ramp) |
That is very cute and definitely a conversation piece, Parker! Besides, you can always sell it yourself once you've settled nicely in IL.
If you can't find a matching shingle, spray paint the spot. That would bug me too, so I get it. |
Ugh ... the woman from the rescue - the one who shorted me when she reimbursed me and then got mad that I wanted the $7+ she shorted me (but never gave it to me even though she said she would) was a complete bitch to me when I dropped Max off this morning at the adoption event (from which I am not picking him up - that was me giving him back to them for good).
I walk in there with Max in one arm, clinging to my neck like a baby, while also holding his bag of stuff in that hand (I even provided them with enough dehydrated food to last Max through the end of the month) and I had Sally on a leash in my other hand. Amy just looks at me and walks away - she wouldnt help me or talk to me - didnt even thank me for the container of food. In short, she acted like a damn child. It's just so awesome when someone screws me over and treats me like crap and then gets mad at me like it was my fault they are such a bitch. But it's done now - I blocked her on FB the instant I got home and now that they have Maxie back, I dont ever have to deal with her or that rescue ever again. Like I said before, I feel really guilty doing it this way, but honestly, unless Max is at her house and she is having to take care of him, she would never find him a home and he was just way too stressed out living here with Sally plus the other 2 and the trip back to IL probably would have sent him right over the edge, poor baby. I'll just morn the loss of the little old man who was with me for over 2 years, cry a bit, and wish him the best in life because he really deserves to be in a home that is right for him and this just wasnt it. Bye Maxie ... :( |
Aside from getting something to sleep on in the SUV, I am also currently shopping for portable DVD players (9") to use while I am unwinding from my drive and about to sleep while on my trip - and also during downtime when I get to IL, while staying in my truck before I find a place to stay.
So far, I am leaning toward a refurbished Phillips that I found at Wal-Mart for just over $80 after taxes. There was a cheaper one with a brand name I didnt recognize, but it didnt include a car charger and, obviously, I will need a car charger. lol I had originally put that and a mattress topper to sleep on into my move budget, so that's where that's coming from - but I also have other "trip" stuff like an electric travel blanket, a car MP3 player, a trailer jack, a box for my TV, batteries, couple of duffle bags, trailer lights, etc - stuff that wasnt budgeted for but that I thought about later as I thought about what I would need while traveling - so I am going to get 1-2 of those items each week until I leave. :winky: I was all set to get a 3.5" Beautyrest mattress topper tonight when the friend of mine who is coming to pick up food, furniture, etc offered to get me a Coleman inflatable mattress built to be in the back of an SUV and an air pump that plugs into the lighter socket. I need to call Coleman first to see if it will carry my weight plus that of my dogs for several nights sleep without losing air ... every ad for it says, "features Coleman's Airtight System, guaranteed not to leak" but you know, when you have 400# of person and dogs on it every night for at least 3 nights of travel and then however many nights it takes me to find a place to live, you never know! Either way, it was very sweet of her to make the offer. :) |
So, way back in 2001, I started working security for a construction company outside of Tulsa, OK. Matrix Services, Inc built these gigantic metal oil storage drums in Cushing, about an hour outside of Tulsa and right after 9-11, they started getting threats, suspicious people hanging around, cars driving by, etc so they erected a fence, build an 8' x 8' shack at the gate, which was about 100 yards away from the site and hired me to be the gatekeeper. lol
Along with my own generator and port-a-potty, they also gave me my own hardhat for when I had to go to the site (complete with a little piece added to cover my neck and ears when it got gold) and I got this jacket - a lined Carhartt jacket with the Matrix logo on the front. This was back when I was about 200 lbs and once I gained too much weight to wear it, it went to the back of the closet to live - I didnt want to sell it, I wanted to fit into it again some day .... And that day is here :) Actually, that day came and went weeks ago, once I hit and stayed around the 340 mark, but I wanted to clean it before wearing it, just in case a critter with 6-8 legs decided to make it their home. lol but this pic is from tonight - I dont know what size it is, but I am guessing it is an XL ... and while it is a bit snug up front (thanks to my big belly and huge ta-tas), it zips up with no problems. :) I was gonna take a pic of my hard hat too, but (a) who cares about a hard hat, really and (b) it is packed up along with my old Navy flight deck helmet and other stuff in one of my totes. https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...90473127_n.jpg |
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