A Year ago today....

I went into Lehigh Valley Hospital for a gastric bypass.
I had to get up at 3:30 AM and be there by 5 AM. It is ironic that I woke up at 3:10 AM today and couldn't get back to sleep, so I got out of bed at 3:30 instead of 4 AM and here I am.

I weighed 334 that morning before the surgery. I had been on a low carb diet for a few weeks as instructed. I had been over 350 at Thanksgiving, and I had my fears about the procedure, but after weighing my options, I went through with it.

I'm glad I did. I had made it down to 226, my goal is 220, but when I weighed myself last night after my workout, the scale said 234.
Considering the stress levels at work lately, and my penchant for snacking on occasion during the holidays, I'm not surprised at the backsliding.

The good news is that it is not the end of the world. The surgeon wanted me down to around 210 by April 2009, when I see him for my next follow up. I can still do that.
The Holidays are over, and I'm over the temptation. I am recommitting myself to my diet and exercise program for the next 90 days. Mostly it is diet. I exercise regularly, but I've gotten away from eating as I should. I need to cut back the crackers in the soup, and knock out the carbs that have been creeping in. Exercise wise, I need to push myself at the gym again. The Elliptical is getting easy, it is time to turn it up a notch. I think I need to add a half hour of biking back to the regimen.

Oh gosh, I better get going, Work Calls.

This just in..

Senator Leader Harry Reid (D- Nevada) announces he won't seat New York Giants suspended Wide receiver Plaxico Burress as the Junior Senator from Illinois either.
"Burris, Burress, I don't give a damn how you spell the name, I'm not seating him in my Senate!"
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was unavailable for comment, but one of his spokesman was quoted as saying: "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

I'm going to call the Bleepin Manager!

It wasn't me saying that, it was a very elderly woman in her car at the drive thru window at a bank I will refer to as 'Fuchovia". I was in "Fuchovia" on personal business waiting patiently in line, when it become hilariously obvious to all in line that the old lady in one of the drive thru lanes was not happy. She also apparently had no idea that every word she uttered came over the speaker for all in line to hear.
She was demanding that the young man acting as her teller send her rolls of coin out thru the tube, and he was adamant that he could not do that.
"You've done it before!" she screamed, and I mean screamed.
Very calmly and quietly, he replied. "I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't do that it is against policy, and I can't. you will have to come in."
Now at this particular "Fuchovia" you can see from the waiting area down towards the cars, and I could see this old lady could barely see over the steering wheel, and God forbid, I would hate to be on the road in her vicinity.
She had to be harmless, right?
Well, when Mr. 20 something teller refused her demand, she let loose with a rant that would make a sailor blush, and had those of us watching and listening while in line also laughing.

"I'm not getting out of the Bleepin car to come in your Bleepin Bank! This Bleepin bank isn't worth a Bleepin Damn! You Bleepin mother Bleepers have been stealing my money for years! I'm bleepin pulling around there and you better Bleepin bring my God damn money out to my car! I'm not bleepin getting out!"

I almost wanted to stick around to see how that worked out, but I finished my business and had things to do, so I hit the road. Though I did hear her scream that she was going to call the manager when she got home, she didn't have Bleepin time to talk to that bleepin bitch right now.
If she knows the manager is a woman, I'll bet the manager has had the pleasure of her company before. I bet they know the Grouchy Granny REAL WELL.

If that old lady has kids, I'll bet they just love having her around on the Holidays. She is still driving herself, so they are spared that torture, huh?

Mark Trail Saves the Swamp!

But I want to know what happens to the REAL bad guys! You know, that evil DEVELOPER!

It's one thing that the writer for Mark Trail scripts predictable story lines, but couldn't he give us some closure occasionally?
The State police are going to pick up "Rabbit" the nefarious but incompetent murder for hire guy who conspired to dump Mark's cold lifeless body somewhere (But I bet his brylcream Hair would have remained in perfect form), and they are going to bust the drug smuggler's Rabbit subcontracted the hit to. But what about Mr Big Developer? What happens to him? He paid for the hit, are the henchmen now in custody going to turn State's evidence and bring him and his multitude of swamp draining, illegal dumping, and polluting shell companies down?

Probably not. The Swamp in the story has had its water flow restored. all is right with the world, just like the incredible shrinking gas prices here in the real world. YAWN.

New Year's memories

This year Mrs C and I were asleep at midnight. She went in at 9:30 and I followed after the news at 10 on Channel 69. It was so cold that the folks in the Trailer Park didn't come out at midnight and shoot of the guns this year. Yippee!
Usually that happens and causes major eruptions of barking, but no guns meant no barking, and it just goes to show that the cold weather had a very positive effect on some.

For New Year's, I hung the new bird feeder my niece gave me for Christmas out in the yard, and filled it with songbird feed. It pleased me today to see it swarmed with small birds. Sally dog sits at the TV room window and watches them. It is simple, quiet moments like this that always seem to stick in my memory. Sally's tale thumping rhythmically as she watched under an overcast sky in a late winter afternoon's light.
This year's New Years memory is one of a happy black Cocker dog watching birds feed.