I came across this video link on another blog. Extremely funny (at least to me!)..........

Click Here!

If you like that one, here's more!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

God-damnit, I am such a slug.

I don't know what in the hell happened to me this past week, but I feel emotionally like crap this morning especially after stepping on the scale. (I won't bore you with my inappropriate food choices.) I wasn't even going to weigh myself today because I knew that I was having a crappy week. But, I did it anyway. I needed to make myself accountable for my actions and to prove to myself that I am NOT one of those people who can eat everything not nailed down and still lose weight. I am such an idiot.

Ok, I'm done.

I have my own personal challenge (see sidebar) that I set up for myself and I'm going to participate in the NS Bloggers Challenge. All I want to do is lose a stinkin' 15 lbs by Christmas Eve. Is that too much to ask of myself? Apparently, it was too much to ask this week.

So, I'm thinking that I got it all out of my system and will be back on track. My plan is to stick to the NS food for breakfast and lunch. I want to start incorporating "real food" for dinners. The reason is two-fold. First, like everyone else right now, I'm kind of bored with the NS dinners. And, second, I'm feeling sorry for Chris. Since I have been on NS, during the week he's been eating microwaveable, frozen dinners every night. It's not that he can't cook. He's an awesome cook. He just hates cooking for one. Healthwise, he shouldn't been eating those dinners even if they are the SmartOnes and Healthy Choice ones. Too much sodium for his high blood pressure.

Another habit that I (we) have fallen back into is the weekend dinners out - every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is SO EASY to overeat when I go out to eat. I say that I'm going to exercise portion-control and I do pretty well for awhile and then I hit a skid where I act like it's my last meal ever on this planet. I guess I need to focus on what else is going on in my life when these instances occur. I'm sure that it's an emotional-eating thing.

Exercise is the other bullet on my plan. I quit the gym. I had a membership at a local gym for the past 5 1/2 years, but in the past year, I've only gone a handful of times. It really was a waste of money plus an added stress in my mind (I should go to the gym!) everyday. When I joined, we lived 5 minutes away. We moved and now live 15 minutes away. It doesn't sound like much, but when I go home first (because I hate getting changed at the gym), I just do not feel like leaving again esp during the winter months. It's not really a good reason, but it is my reality. It is what it is.

Last January, I bought an ellipical machine and put it in my basement. I love it. I go down there 2 - 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes. Ok, that's the plan, not the reality.

So, the next project is to clean out the basement and get some weight(s) equipment. Chris wants a weight bench and I'd like to get a set of free weights. He also wants a reclining exercise bike. I'm thinking that if I have a pleasant place to go to every day that is only a flight of stairs away, then I will do it everyday. Maybe not all of it, but some of it.

Sounds do-able.

This is another email that was sent around awhile ago. I edited it for my blog. It gives a little bit of insight into my personality. I also have been wanting to make a 100 List like BobEsq, but have not yet gotten around to it. Perhaps this week I can work on it.

1. First Name? Susan
2. Were you named after anyone? Yes, Susan Hayward (a popular actress from the 50's/60's)
3. Do you wish on stars? No
4. When did you last cry? Last night while watching the big reveal on EM:Home Edition
5. Do you like your handwriting? Yes
6. Any bad habits? Overeating, procrastinating
7. What is your most embarrassing CD on the shelf? Yanni
8. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Yes. I am an awesome friend.
9. Are you a daredevil? No way!
10. Do looks matter? I'd like to say no, but then I would be lying.
11. Where is your second home? Work
12. Do you trust others easily? No
13. What was your favorite toy as a child? Stuffed animals
14. What class in school do you think is totally useless? Chemistry
15. Do you have a journal? Yes - this blog.
16. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes
17. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? No
18. What are your nicknames? Sue
19. Would you bungee jump? Never!
20. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yes
21. Do you think that you are strong willed? Yes, except when it comes to losing weight!
22. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate
23. Shoe Size? 9 or 9 1/2 - it depends on the brand of shoe
24. What are your favorite colors? autumn colors
25. What is your least favorite thing? It's a tie: writing out the bills every month & cleaning
26. How many wisdom teeth do you have? None
27. How many people have a crush on you right now? None, I'm sure.
28. What do you miss most right now? My youth
29. What color pants are you wearing? Denim blue
30. What are you listening to right now? The wind in the trees outside my window
31. Last thing you ate? A piece of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate (I know, I'm sorry)
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Black
33. What is the weather like right now? Beautiful fall day
34. Last person you talked to on the phone? My hubby
35. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Their smile
36. How are you today? Not too bad -- I'm off from work!
37. Favorite drink? Diet Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla
38. Favorite alcoholic drink? A good lager esp Yuengling or Sam Adams
39. Favorite Sport? Football - shortest season and easy to watch - Go EAGLES!
40. Hair color? Natural color: brown with some gray; Dyed: medium ash brown
41. Eye color? Dark brown
42. Do you wear contacts? Yes
43. Siblings? 1 brother
44. Favorite month? October -- leaves changing, cooler weather and Halloween!
45. Favorite food? A good cheeseburger
46. Last movie you watched? Shall We Dance
47. Summer or winter? Summer
48. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
49. Living Arrangements? Me, Hubby, 3 cats and a few dust bunnies!
50. What book/magazine are you reading? Just finished the October issue of Redbook
51. What's on your mouse pad? "go blog urself - rosie.com" I got it for free for registering on Rosie O'Donnell's web-blog.
52. Last thing you watched on TV? Grey's Anatomy (love that show)

Feel free to copy and paste to your own blog, if you so desire.

I came across these quotes in an old email and felt like posting them for others to read and ponder................read them carefully and think about each one for a second or two before moving on the next one. I like that I save emails like these. They give me things to think about and, at times, give me inspiration.

1. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.

2. No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.

3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

4. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

5. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.

6. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.

7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.

8. Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.

9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.

10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

11. There's always going to be people that hurt you, so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.

12. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.

13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.

Well, things went as expected. Not well.

When I arrived at the restaurant (Chili's), Kris was already there as well as Lisa. They were waiting in the foyer. We all greeted warmly and then Kris went back to her "tale" of weight loss to Lisa. (See, while Barb and I knew about Kris' weight loss, Lisa did not). As I stood there like an idiot waiting for Barb to arrive, I noticed that Kris already had a menu in her hands and a print-out from a website -- Dottie's Weight Loss Zone -- where a woman on Weight Watchers apparently has called or otherwise contacted just about every restaurant in the country to get nutritional information, broke down each food item into WW "points" and then posted the results on a webpage for fellow WW's to use as a "guide" for dining out on the plan. (Wish I had that kind of time!) Finally, Barb arrived and our table was ready.

We sit down and the first thing I say to everyone is "I'm sorry, but I would really like to get a beer. Does anyone mind?" Everyone says "no, go ahead". And I did. Sam Adams Light if you please. I already knew what I was going to get before I got there since I didn't want to make a big production out of reading the menu and trying to figure out what would be most sensible choice for me. Unfortunately, Kris did not have the same forsight. We all had to sit there for 15 minutes while she flipped through the menu, then looked at her print-out, then flipped again through the menu, then looked again at her print-out. Then she asks everyone what they are getting. I'm getting Monterey Chicken with double veggies, Barb is getting a bacon cheeseburger w/fries and a beer, Lisa is getting Chicken Tacos (3 to a plate) with beans & rice. Oh, she says quietly. She orders the Chicken Caesar Salad and diet Coke.

After we placed our order, she continued to look at her print-out and recited to all of us how many points there are in various items on the menu - specifically items that we did not order. She ended her presentation by saying "I won't even tell you how many points there are in what you all ordered!!" Bitch. Barb says "good - I don't want to know." Yay - one for the team!

The rest of the meal was pretty tense and quiet. Kris obviously wanted to continue talking about her weight loss and no one else really wanted to. So she got sullen and non-conversational. During our pre-diet get-togethers, we would talk about family, tv shows, travel, etc. This time she had nothing to say. I asked her how her husband and kids were doing. She said fine. (Note: I think she was a bit peeved because I didn't gush over her about her weight loss. I probably should have, but I just did not have it in me. I think it's great -- but I just did not want to give her reason to monopolize the conversation about it.)

Finally the meal was over. Kris mentioned that we probably won't meet again until January. We try to meet every 3 months. We did not set a date. We usually do. Interesting. Hopefully this ship has finally sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

We parted ways in the parking lot among a bunch of well wishes for a happy holiday and glad to see you again. Kris and Lisa went to one end of the lot-- Barb and I went to the other. I ask Barb if she wanted to stop over my house for a little while to hang out and see my new kitten. (Barb and I have been friends for 17 years; we were roommates for 9 years.) She says "well, the Phillies are on and it's a really important game". I say, "Ok, bye." Whatever. I rarely see her, I invite her over since she's already 1/2 way to my house as it is and she picks fucking baseball over a short visit with an old friend. Um, I have tv's. She can watch the game at my house. Whatever.

So, I stopped at the local Target to pick up the new Sheryl Crow CD (only $10) and cat litter and headed home. (I wanted to get cookies too, but I didn't - small NSV for me!) I told Chris when I got home that I am done. I am not going out to dinner with these girls anymore. It's not worth the time or effort. On the drive home, I was thinking back to past dinners and the conversations. 99% of the time, the conversation was all about Kris. Not once could I recall her asking me how my husband was doing or what I have been doing. She never asked Barb or Lisa if they were dating anyone or travelling anywhere fun. The only thing she ever asked me was "Did you bring the new quarters?" (I can get uncirculated State Quarters as each one is released. She is collecting them for her 4 kids.) That's it - that is all she asks.

Whatever. I'm done.

Perhaps I am too harsh. But I need to move forward in my life and these dinners are pulling me backwards. They are not fun and I really do not have anything in common with them anymore. Not even Barb. It is sad. But it is life.

We'll see what happens in January.