Octavia Butler: Reconnecting with the reader in me

I read in The Washington Post today that Octavia Butler died last Friday. She was the first recognized and highly acclaimed African American female science fiction writer. It saddens me greatly to hear of her passing because I remember how much I enjoyed reading her books. It also saddens me because it reminds me of how long it's been since I've read a book.

At some point, I don't know when, I just stopped reading books. I tell myself I don't have the time and that my life is too busy, but the truth is that I just don't make the time. I look at my bookshelf full of books that I haven't read in years and I have no desire to pick one up and read it. I've even been toying with the idea of donating my books to the local library, since right now they're just collecting dust. But I guess now with Octavia's passing, I will pick up Kindred, Wild Seed, Parable of the Sower, or Parable of the Talents and reconnect with the stories that I enjoyed so much in the past. Parable of the Sower is a particularly good read. Better yet, maybe I'll go to the book store today and pick up one of Octavia's books that I haven't read. I hear Fledgling is great. I love a good vampire story.

Menu (so far)
Apple oatmeal - 2 pts
Potato chips - 1 pt (I just discovered fat-free Pringles. 15 chips for 1 pt and they taste great!)
Hamburger bun - 1 pt
Boca chick'n patty - 3 pts (Yum!)
Fat free provolone cheese - 1 pt

8 pts (planned so far), 35 weekly flex pts

A loss is a loss, so I'm happy

My scale at home is WAY off...by about 5 pounds. At my weigh in today, my weight was 4.4 pounds less than it was 2 weeks ago, so my total weight loss now is 10.8 pounds. Ok, it's not the 16 pounds I was bragging about a few days ago, but it's a loss and a pretty good one at that, so I'll take it. My pants are still baggy and that shows progress. :)

I also finally got around to completing the painting in my bathroom. I know. I know. It should have been done weeks ago, but anyone who knows me knows that I am a procrastinator. I am always writing up To Do lists and rarely completing them. However, on Friday I made up a list of 14 things to complete and did about 9 of them. That's real progress for me. I added some more items and my current To Do List for This Week (bold text reflects items that were completed today) is as follows:

1. Hang glass shelf in bathroom
2. Get eyebrows waxed
3. Clean out car interior and trunk
4. Do taxes
5. Pay bills
6. Purchase bedding
7. Take measurements of floors
8. Call carpenter to install floors (yeah, I still haven't done this)
9. Look for new job (long story)
10. Join a gym
11. Purchase gym shoes
12. Scan document for work
13. Wash baseboards in house (they are sooo dusty)
14. Get a box to mail Xmas presents to nieces in GA and TX (I told you I'm a procrastinator!!)
15. Clean up paint goofs in the bathroom
16. Put tag validation sticker on license plate (tomorrow is the last day to do this w/o fear of a ticket)
17. Purchase stamps

Menu
Coffee with cream and sweetener - 1 pt
Apple oatmeal - 2 pts
Potato chips - 2 pts
Fettucine alfredo - 6 pts
2 WW chocolate caramel bar - 4 pts
1 Meatball - 4 pts
Boca Chick'n Pattie - 3 pts
Hamburger bun - 1 pt
Fat free provolone cheese - 1 pt
Mayo - 1 pt
Broccoli - 0 pt
Soup - 3 pts

28 pts eaten, 35 weekly flex pts

The Wiggles obsession

What is it with kids and the Wiggles? And what is it with 4 grown men dressed in bright colors, jumping around and singing kiddie songs that make them look less than manly.

Well for some reason my sweet 4-year-old nephew is obsessed with them. It's such a strange obsession because often he will identify a color with the Wiggles character that wears that color (e.g., blue is Anthony, yellow is Greg, purple is Jeff, and red is Murray...now he's got ME obsessed). Weird! Anyway, I will be celebrating his obsession this afternoon at his Wiggles birthday party. Fun. Fun. (note sarcasm)

I was all set to get a gift for him that was not Wiggles related (in protest), until my sister relayed the following conversation she had with her son:

Sister: "Honey, why do you like the Wiggles?" (said with a note of disdain)

Nephew: "I don't know, I just like them." (said in the cutest little baby voice you can imagine)

How can I deny my nephew his happiness? I'm going out right now to buy him a Wiggles comforter set, valance, and toy. I also designed the image above (with help from the Internet) for my nephew's party announcements.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a baby voice.

My lovely lady lumps...are on the decline!

Something is happening. I can actually see that I'm losing weight!

I put on my Torrid jeans (which I haven't worn in about 2 months because they were getting too snug) and they are drooping all over the place EVEN WITH A BELT ON!

I got on the scale at home today and it seemed to reveal that I'd lost 16 pounds since I started on WW 5 weeks ago. YEAH!!! That is sooo fast. That disapproving lady from my meeting is going to be sooo jealous. Now, of course, I won't know for sure until I weigh in on Monday (last Monday was a holiday, so there was no meeting), but so far so good! YEAH!!!

I'm so excited. I'm doing it again! Again, meaning I had lost 50 pounds almost 2 years ago with WW and managed to put most of it, if not all, back on. But now I'm on the decline, and for good this time. I hope to be back in my size 12/14 spring/summer clothes (the ones I was wearing when I lost the weight before) by April. By my birthday in December, I want to be out of the double digits. That's my goal.

Go me! Go me!

My visit to the dentist

I have a confession to make. Before my visit to the dentist yesterday, it had been 6 years since I'd visited a dentist. Six years. I'm so ashamed to even say that, but when you hate something as much as I hate the dentist maybe it's understandable.

My childhood was filled with biweekly visits to the orthodontists to get braces tightened, and oral surgery to have four teeth extracted, so it's not that I've never had to deal with a dentist. It's just that I hate the scraping, the poking, the pinching, the bleeding gums (ugh!), the dribbling saliva, and the total vulnerability of having my mouth wide open while someone sticks tools in there to see what horrible things they can find. Yesterday was no picnic but I was surprised to learn that I had kept my teeth in pretty good shape since my last visit. Two cavities, but other than that the dentist was very surprised that my teeth looked as good as they did for someone my age who hadn't visited the dentist in 6 years. So it's true what they say: brush at least twice a day and floss (which I hate and why I have the two cavities) often.

Menu
Apple oatmeal - 2 pts
Crab cake sandwich - 7 pts
Green beans with olive oil - 1 pt
WW Milk chocolate crunch bar - 2 pts
Chicken fajita - 6 pts
Chips and salsa - 6 pts
Diet Pepsi wild cherry - 0 pt
Strawberry ice cream with whipped cream - 4 pts

28 pts eaten, 35 weekly flex points

My W-2 fiasco

On March 31, 2003, I started employment with the worst company I could have ever been associated with. On my two year anniversary with this company (on the exact date), this company went out of business. So it would figure that when I get my 2005 W-2 form from this company that it would be screwed up.

I called the former president of the company, who was/is/always will be incompetent and borderline stupid, to tell her that the W-2 that she provided me was incorrect because according to TurboTax (which I've used successfully to do my taxes for the past 4 years), the company withheld too much Social Security tax. The only thing she could tell me was that she completed my W-2 according to the information provided by my last paystub. She didn't mention that the company was so broke near the end of its existence that it had to borrow money from another company to pay the employees and that this might be the reason why my W-2 is fucked up. She didn't offer any other explanations or helpful suggestions. She essentially said you're on your own.

I've asked the few people who were still with the company in 2005 if they have had similar experiences with their W-2s but so far none have noticed a problem. Most haven't started to do their taxes, so who knows...

Well, I usually have my taxes done by now and I'm expecting my refund either in the mail or in my account. Now I have to go through the drama of calling the IRS and finding out what I have to do to clear up this mess.

The moral to this story is DON'T EVER WORK FOR A FUCKED UP COMPANY. THEY WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE MISERABLE AND MAKE YOU LIVE TO REGRET IT EVEN AFTER YOU'VE MOVED ON. UGH!!!

Menu (so far)
2 Waffles - 3 pts
Syrup - 1 pt

4 pts so far, 35 weekly flex pts left (yeah, I managed to not use any flex pts this week!)

Laurel's finest in action

I love crime shows: CSI (all except NY), Law & Order (all), Bones, NYPD Blue, etc., etc., etc. My boyfriend loves to tell me that if a show doesn't have DNA evidence like blood, urine, or semen, I'm not watching it. Well I admit it. I love them all.

Today I witnessed real life crime action in progress.

On my way to work this morning, I stopped at an Exxon to gas up and witnessed a man being approached by two police officers with their hands on their guns and very purposeful demeanors. The man was at the pump on the other side of mine, about to pump gas, when these cops (who seemed to come out of nowhere), came up to him and asked him where he lived and what kind of car he was driving. They were saying something to the man about how he was speeding before he arrived at the gas station. Since they didn't ask for his license and registration, I think they suspected him of stealing the car he was driving.

I was like, Oh sh*t!, because they scared ME and I wasn't even the one being approached.

Anyway, he was telling them that he lived up the road and that the car was an Acura. The whole thing was very tense. I was like, "Let me get the hell out of here." So I did.

Anyway, that's the end of my story. No DNA evidence, and I didn't even stay around to see if the guy got arrested. I'm such a chicken. But this event was so out of the ordinary from my routine, everyday, somewhat dull existence that I decided to post it on here anyway.

Menu
Broiled stuffed shrimp (leftovers from last night's dinner...YUM!) - 3 pts
Broccoli - 0 pt
English muffin with fruit spread - 2 pts
WW Lasagna Florentine - 6 pts
Orange - 1 pt
Chocolate - 2 pts
2 Chicken wings - 6 pts
Couscous - 3 pts
Spinach - 0 pt
Diet Coke - 0 pt
Strawberry Ice Cream - 4 pts
Whipped Cream - 0 pt
Fresh Strawberries - 0

27 pts eaten, 35 weekly flex points

V Day

My boyfriend spoiled me this Valentine's Day as usual. He presented me with a dozen roses, a card, balloons, a stuffed puppy with a bow and a heart with XOXO around its neck (because he knows I want a real dog, but am not responsible enough to own one...sigh), perfume that I have already doused myself with (I over spritzed) and a shiatsu massage cushion (ooh la la). He also bought me Hershey kisses (which I'm going to try hard NOT to eat) and strawberries (yum!). Oh yeah, and he's taking me out to dinner tonight as well. Yes, I'm spoiled. Ain't love grand?!

Menu
2 Yogurts - 4 pts
Apple oatmeal - 2 pts
Green tea with 1 sweetener - 0 pt
Broiled stuffed shrimp - 16 pts
Broccoli with light butter - 1 pt
Maryland crab soup - 2 pts
Salad w/ fat free Italian dressing - 1 pt
2 Sesame sticks - 1 pt

27 pts eaten, 35 weekly flex points

I gained :(

Ok, I didn't gain a lot, just .8 pounds. It sure felt a lot better when I lost those 5 pounds last week. Damn sweet and sour chicken! I ate the leftovers the following day. :(

This week I'm committing myself to eating better and exercising EVERYDAY, which means using and not just looking at my Urban Rebounder, walking up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and maybe even going for a walk. I say maybe because there's snow everywhere at the moment.

If I see improvement in my weight loss next week, I'll consider joining a gym. I want to know that I'm truly committed before I make any monetary investment. I've wasted my money in that arena before.

I've been debating whether I should include my food diary at the end of each post as I've seen others do who are writing blogs on their weight loss. With this recent weight gain, I think it will keep me honest. So here it goes:

Menu
Yogurt - 2 pts
Green tea with 1 sweetener - 0 pt
Diet coke - 0 pt
Grilled chicken sandwich - 10 pts
Vegetable soup - 2 pts
Orange - 1 pt
Salad - 2 pts
Chips and salsa - 6 pts
WW chocolate crunch bar - 2 pts

25 pts eaten, 35 weekly flex pts

Sunday snow day

Things I'm doing on this snowy Sunday:

- Watching TV
- Surfing the Internet
- Reading blogs
- Writing in my blog
- Cleaning my house
- Washng and folding clothes
- Um...thinking about exercising

So sad. This is what I do when it's not a snow day. :-(

Bad customer service

My boyfriend and I often talk about the lack of good customer service in the retail industry. Just about everytime we go shopping, we notice that employees fail to greet you, make eye contact, or do anything to make the shopping experience pleasant. Well yesterday, I witnessed the worst case of customer service ever.

As I sat in the waiting room of the tire store, a customer stepped up to the service desk and jokingly asked the salesperson if she could get a discount on her service. The salesperson laughed and said no. No problem. Then a manager, who overhears their exchange, comes over to the customer, asks her to come aside with him so he could talk to her, and proceeds to tell her that her action (asking the salesperson for a discount) was inappropriate and put the salesperson in an awkward position.

:-O Why did he do that?

The customer walked into the waiting room, sat down, pulled out her cell phone, called her friend, and started telling her friend the whole scenario. She got so worked up about it (and a little loud by the way) that the salesperson came over from the service desk to apologize for the manager's behavior.

Have you ever heard of such a thing? A SALESPERSON apologizing for the behavior of a MANAGER?

Well anyway, the customer became so outraged by the insult (because it was insulting) that she got up and left without having any service done to her car, taking her business elsewhere. So retailers, the lesson to be learned in all this: "When you treat your customers like shit, you end up with no customers."

Random thought about pee (yeah, I said it)

I know this is a bit indelicate, but this is one of those things that make you go...hmmm.

Question:

Why is the urge to pee the strongest from the time it takes to get from the car to the front door of the house?

Answer:

It just does, so have the house key ready.

I am a hypocrite

Today a friend of mine who is also following the Weight Watchers diet confessed that she fell off the wagon a bit this week, by chowing down at Popeyes AND Burger King within the same day. She also ate chips and cookies the following day. I proceeded to give her a mini lecture about how important it is to stay on course and keep your focus and blah blah blah. That speech was given TODAY.

What did I have for dinner TONIGHT?

Sweet and sour chicken (ugh...fried food!)
6 TBSP of sweet and sour sauce
Rice
Wonton soup
1/4 cup of fried noodles
Spring roll

Fortunately, I didn't completely blow my 35 Extra Flex Points for the week (WW jargon), but this is the first time in 2 1/2 weeks that I fell victim to a mini binge and used so many of my Extra Flex Points. My stomach is full as I write this and I ate about 45 minutes ago. Umm...can you say hypocrite?! I still have a lot of leftover food but I'm too cheap to just throw it away. What to do. What to do.

Anyway, I gave my friend good advice in my lecture and she really appreciated it. I just wish I had followed my own advice and focused on lower fat options like chicken and broccoli with the sauce on the side. Oh yeah, I should have skipped the spring roll and fried noodles too.

I'm making a vow to get back on track tomorrow...and to start exercising...yeah, exercising. (Ugh)

The return of the flat

I know a tire can deflate a bit in cold weather, but FOUR completely deflated tires within 3 months?! WTF?!!!!! In early December, I had two tires deflate on me in a week. And the third time it happened, I damaged the tire so bad by driving to a gas station for air that I ended up having to buy a new tire. (BTW, burnt rubber smells horrible.) Now today I get another flat. I can't win for losing.

I'm sure I must have jinxed myself earlier today when I mentioned to a coworker that it may be time for me to get a new car. Mine is starting to show it's age. I guess my car didn't like that because now I'm driving on a "donut". UGH!

Sorry

Dear readers (the two or so who are out there),

I apologize for not keeping up with my daily posts. I've been meaning to write but have had difficulty with finding the right words to convey how I feel on certain topics, particularly my daily run-ins with the coworker from hell. More on her later.

In the meantime, I still haven't finished the final touches in my bathroom or hung all of my wall art or retaken the floor measurements for the new flooring.

Oh yeah, and I didn't call that carpenter yet either. I'm a mess. :(

But not a total mess. I lost 5 more pounds at my weigh-in on Monday. I'm now 7.2 pounds lighter than I was when I started my diet on January 23. YEAH!!! :)

(P.S. For my friends and faithful readers, please comment. I like feedback!)

My approach to DIY home renovations

Painting the Bathroom

1. Think about wanting to paint the bathroom
Duration: several weeks
2. Talk about wanting to paint the bathroom
Duration: several more weeks
3. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and purchase paint and paint supplies
Duration: one day
4. Think about using the paint and painting supplies to paint the bathroom
Duration: several weeks
5. Begin cleaning and spackling the bathroom walls to prepare for painting
Duration: one week
6. Paint the bathroom
Duration: after several days of painting, project still incomplete

Hanging Pictures in the Dining Room

1. Think about hanging pictures in the dining room
Duration: several weeks
2. Talk about hanging pictures in the dining room
Duration: several more weeks
3. Go to Burlington Coat Factory to purchase 3 pieces of wall art
Duration: one day
4. Go to Target to purchase laser level
Duration: one day
5. Read instructions for using the laser level
Duration: one day
6. Hang wall art
Duration: after several days of trying to hang the wall art using the UTTERLY USELESS laser level, project is still incomplete

Installing Flooring in Bathrooms

1. Think about installing new flooring in the bathrooms
Duration: several weeks
2. Talk about installing new flooring in the bathrooms
Duration: several more weeks

See a pattern?

3. Use tape measure to measure bathroom floors
Duration: a couple of minutes for each floor
4. Go to Home Depot or Lowes to browse flooring options but forget measurements and end up not being able to order a damn thing
Duration:...

FUCK THIS! I'M CALLING A CARPENTER!

I got nothing

I need to get a life. The only things I can think to write about today are about work and the people at work. Since I refuse to write about that place and how bored I've been there lately, I'll let this go tonight. Hopefully I'll come up with something stimulating tomorrow.