State of my ass

Change from beginning of program: -1.4
Goal: 42 to go
Activity: driving 360 miles
Temptation: Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard from Dairy Queen
Fruit and veg: 2

President Obama gave his first State of the Union address tonight. Therefore, I bring you my first annual State of My Ass address.

Sore. Fat.

You were expecting something else? Sorry to disappoint you, my fellow Americans.

Drove to Austin and back today for a meeting. (hence the sore ass)

Didn't eat much (hence the fat ass), but what I did eat was not the most healthy food. That Indian food has taken up permanent residence in my entrails, and not much sounds appealing. But that Blizzard was good! And it soothed the heartburn for a while.

Bellyachin'

Change from beginning of program: -1.4
Goal: 42 to go
Activity: bellyaching - literally, moaning about how my belly is aching
Temptation: Indian food
Fruit and veg: 3

You know how when you don't eat for a day and lose 4 pounds? Yeah, well, as soon as you eat again, 3 of them come back. DAMN!

Saturday, I spent the day in bed with a very upset stomach. Tuesday, I visit the Indian buffet at lunchtime.

No one ever called me brilliant.

The upside? I didn't eat dinner.

OK, y'all. Enough is enough.

Change from beginning of program: -4.4
Goal: 39 LBs to go
Activity: 45 minutes gardening + 35 minutes with the Wii Fit
Temptation: chips
Fruit and veg: 5

Here's a brief summary of the past several days:

Thursday: Attended a funeral (father of a close friend)

Friday: Attended the military funeral of the person mentioned above

Saturday: Did not get out of bed. Food poisoning or a 24 hour bug? Doesn't matter...it was not pretty. And I literally slept all day. And night.

Sunday: Weak from not eating anything on Saturday. Got a call from a friend telling me that his mother had died suddenly. Funeral is Wednesday.

Monday: My brother called to say that he may be having surgery tomorrow (we'll know more tomorrow). Then a friend called to tell me about how he literally saved someone's life after a suicide attempt and how he is now caring for the person's child.

That's enough drama, y'all.

On a more positive note, I was able to clear out some of the tropical foliage that succumbed to the hard freezes we had earlier in the month. I have a long way to go, but I made some progress.

And the bathroom is complete enough that Bigfoot is out of my hair. I still haven't used the deluxe new tub yet, but I'm hoping to do so soon. I would like to get something for the money and time I spent on this never-ending project.

Driving and sitting

Change from beginning of program: ?
Goal: 4? LBs to go
Activity: driving
Temptation: cheese
Fruit and veg: 2

Woke up in Austin. Went to class until noon. Went to a funeral that was between Austin and Houston. Drove home.

Crap for breakfast. Crap with cheese for lunch. Fried crap for dinner.

Guess what - I feel like crap.

Will tomorrow really be the day the contractors finish up in the bathroom? Or are they just giving me false hope?

Out of the house!

Change from beginning of program: -.6
Goal: 43 LBs to go
Activity: sitting
Temptation: beer
Fruit and veg: 5

When I have to go to Austin, I can't stay home with the contractors. The contractors who were supposed to finish up yesterday. And who won't finish up until Friday. If I'm lucky.

Woke up at 5:00 a.m. so that I could drive 150 miles to a class. In the drizzle. And when I stopped to buy gas, the pump wouldn't work. So my hair just got limper and limper while I was fighting the gas pump.

Sat in the class all day. Twelve hours in pantyhose. UGH.

Got to my hotel and realized that I forgot to pack one essential - underwear. Thank gawd for Target. I was able to get underwear and beer on the same trip.

Breakfast: cherries and part of a kolache between Columbus and La Grange

Lunch: salad (lots of veggies), rice and bean and cheese casserole, coleslaw, apple pie

Afternoon snack: part of a lemon bar

Dinner: PF Changs with old friends. Veggie lettuce wraps, steamed veggies, shrimp, scallops, brown rice, beer

Evening snack: beer

Basketball goodness: Dallas won, San Antonio lost, and Houston didn't play. It doesn't get much better than this.

Purging

Change from beginning of program: -.6
Goal: 43 LBs to go
Activity: recycling Christmas cards
Temptation: fried food
Fruit and veg: 2

Even though the contractor assured me that he would finish today, he did not finish. The bathroom is 98% done, but I want that other 2% completed. I am getting super tired of this. And he can't finish until Friday because I am driving to Austin before the crack of dawn tomorrow for a two-day class.

Oh well...

Since September, I have been going through the boxes and boxes and boxes of mementos that I have saved for most of my adult life. This week, I'm onto the Christmas cards. Some of them are from people I don't remember. Some are from people who are no longer with us. Some are from the dentist.

Do I have issues with pack-rattiness? I think so...

Last night, I sorted and separated the fraction of cards I wanted to keep for whatever reason. Tonight, I tore the fronts off the cards I won't be keeping. I'll send those to an organization that reuses them for new cards. Getting these cards out of the house won't give me a lot of extra physical space, but it is mentally cleansing to get through those piles of cards.

I had a crap breakfast and virtually no lunch. For dinner, we went to our favorite seafood restaurant and I had fried stuffed shrimp and French fries. Why? Because fried food tastes just too damn good.

Oh yeah. I purged only the paper - not the fried food (just in case you were wondering).

Day 13 of the bathroom remodel

Change from beginning of program: -1.6
Goal: 42 LBs to go
Activity: nothing
Temptation: none, really
Fruit and veg: 5+

They started installing tile today. I may actually get my bathroom - and sanity - back this year.

I'm more than ready to cut out for a few days to see Pee Wee Herman.

And next week, I'm going to Austin for a two day class...and that means I will spend one night in a hotel. Alone. With no construction.Ahhhh....

Breakfast: pumpernickel with hummus, whole grapefruit, pomegranate juice, 1 Cella

Lunch: baked kale with parmesan cheese, cherries

Dinner: made tacos for Bigfoot, so I had them too. But I had beans in mine instead of beef. Two tacos (beans, shell, lettuce, tomato, cheese). A bit of rice. 3 bites of pecan pie. I have about 4 bites of pie left, and I'm making it last as long as I can.

Once the Cellas and pie are out of the house, I should start losing. Those are two temptations that I cannot resist.

One...singular sensation

Change from beginning of program: -1.4
Goal: 42 LBs to go
Activity: cleaning the pantry
Temptation: sleep (but I did not succumb)
Fruit and veg: 5

I saw "A Chorus Line" for the first time ever tonight at the Broadway Across America series. My season ticket holder partner, a gay man, was appalled that I had not seen it before. After the show, he told me that his current (sorta) boyfriend didn't know the lyrics to "I Hope I Get It," and that said (sorta) boyfriend could not consider himself a "card carrying homo." I said that the only song I had ever heard from the show was "One." He then accused me of not being a "card carrying homo."

Hello!

He said that as many gay friends as I have, I should know these songs.

(He might have a point.)

But still...

The show was good. It made me remember that my lifelong ambition was to be able to show off my body. If only I had ever had a body worthy of showing off... All of the female cast members stood on stage for over 2 hours in body suits. And they looked good. And they could dance. And sing.

So...if I had a great body, and rhythm, and singing talent, I could be in a musical.

Not. Holding. My. Breath. For that to happen.

Breakfast: 2 slices pumpernickel with hummus, 2 Cellas

Lunch: Brussels sprouts, 1 Cella, 1 glass pomegranate juice

Panic alarm: I'm down to 13 Cellas. And then it's cold turkey until November, when they appear on the shelves again.

Dinner: (with friend described above) - grilled salmon over spinach, some delicious fried onions, and broccolini, surrounded by cream sauce, 2 small slices French bread with olive oil, and about 5 bites of a very dark chocolate dessert. 2 glasses of pinot grigio.

After show libations: 3 beers - to help me sleep

Book reviews: more subtitles

While I am stuck at home with the contractors who are remodeling the bathroom, I have time to read.

Why is it that most books published in this century have subtitles? Or is it just the books I choose? Either way, here are the ones I finished over the weekend:

• Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid by "Dr." Denis Leary. Denis Leary is a funny guy, and he doesn't care who he offends. And he offends just about everyone (except firefighters and stay-at-home moms). His basic premise is that we have more than any other culture in the world, and yet we want to just whine and take the easy way out. I laughed out loud many times.
• Cooking with Heart & Soul: Making Music in the Kitchen with Family and Friends by the late, great Isaac Hayes. Part autobiography, part cookbook, all entertaining. Isaac grew up dirt poor and became a millionaire, but he never forgot his humble beginnings. I have not tried any of the recipes yet, but several looked good. Isaac believed in the power of healthy eating, and he was a vegetarian for a while. The next time my nephew is in town, we are going to try the recipe for Chocolate Salty Balls.
• Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong by Jen Yates. Is it a picture book or a humor book? Or a humorous picture book? Either way, it is funny...because of the pictures. Here is a great example of a blog leading to a book deal. You know, that's my dream - having a blog that leads to a book deal.
  

Check out these books. You'll be glad you did.

Remodeling is not fun

Change from beginning of program: -1.6
Goal: 42 LBs to go
Activity: none
Temptation: beer
Fruit and veg: 4

Have you ever had one of those days where you are busy all day but you don't get much accomplished?

That was my day today.

It's frustrating to not have something to show for my work at the end of the day.

It's frustrating to have the workers in and out of the house, yet to not know when they will arrive or leave.

It's frustrating to have Bigfoot displaced from his bathroom because he is taking over mine. And we have to share. And he does not do well with things out of his routine. (He has even more of a problem with that than I do, and that's saying a lot.)

Both of us are on edge. It's not pretty.

And this is why I drink.

I didn't eat too much today, which is a positive.

Breakfast: Black bean chili Frito pie, 2 Cellas

Lunch: Brussels sprouts, 3 Cellas. I'm on the last box. Thank gawd these things are available only in November and December. Otherwise, I would be topping the scales around 400.

Snack: Baked kale with parmesan cheese. Yes, baked kale. It is surprisingly tasty.

Dinner: Cherries, tomato, sliver of pecan pie. Only one sliver left.

Tomorrow, I'm going to see "A Chorus Line," which I have never seen before. My friend and I will have a lovely dinner before the show. This means I actually need to fix my hair and put on some makeup tomorrow. With all this working from home, I have enjoyed ponytails and a bare face.

Black bean chili Frito Pie

Change from beginning of program: -.4
Goal: 43 LBs to go
Activity: installing ceiling fan (well, actually...holding the light while Bigfoot did it)
Temptation: Fritos
Fruit and veg: 4

If Elvis had been a vegetarian, he might have liked this dish.

He might also still be alive.

But, alas, he has gone on to that great cafeteria in the sky, where today they are giving him all the jelly donuts, fried peanut butter 'n 'nana samwiches, and bacon he can eat. Probably some Twinkies too.

It's good to be the King.

Regardless of what day it is, it is freakin' cold. I know it's much colder in most places, but we are not set up for freezing weather in Houston. I've got citrus growing in the backyard, forcryin' out loud.

Breakfast: Fiber One Pop Tart, 2 Cellas

Lunch: Black bean chili Frito pie - homemade black bean chili (made with NO fat), ladled over Fritos and topped with cheese. The no-fat chili cancels out the Fritos and cheese - right? I had two bowls of that and 4 Cellas.

Dinner: Black bean chili Frito pie (just one bowl), satsuma, sliver of pecan pie.

I received that pie on December 30, and I still have a quarter of it in the refrigerator. Not too bad.

Looking forward to another weekend with the contractors...fun, fun, fun.

Slow Readers Book Club - and unrelated funny video

While wandering around the Fred Flare site, I found another site where they are starting an online book club.

This is very cool.

I have been wanting to get a book club going at work, but no one wants to commit to anything.

This club looks like just the ticket. We have plenty of time to read the book.

Let's do it!

And check out this video. If I weren't such a spaz, I would embed it. But I don't know how. So click on through.

I (heart) Indian food

Change from beginning of program: -.4
Goal: 43 LBs to go
Activity: 45 Wii minutes
Temptation: Indian food
Fruit and veg: 3

I spent 46 minutes on the Wii Fit today and 12 minutes a few days ago, and my Wii age dropped 28 years. Now those are results that I like!

During the three hours of conference calls this morning, I got four sets of notecards made. Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas next year.

Breakfast: black-eyed peas, cherries, 3 Cellas

Lunch: I had planned on eating here while the workers worked on the bathroom. But they were still not here at 11:00, so I met a friend at the Indian buffet. I should avoid buffets, but this one is really good. Lemon rice, pakoras, saag paneer, cabbage, garbanzo beans, naan, soup with a fried non-sweet donut thingy, masala dosa, raita, tamarind sauce

Afternoon snack: 2 Cellas

Dinner: shrimp scampi over angel hair, sliver of pecan pie, beer

Another day down the drain

Change from beginning of program: -.4
Goal: 43 LBs to go
Activity: none, nada, nothing
Temptation: chips and salsa
Fruit and veg: 3

That day and half where I didn't have much to do at work? That's over. I'm behind already. Crap.

Bathroom renovation progress: none. They say they were working on cabinet fronts, but I saw nothing today.

Breakfast: whole grapefruit and 4 Cellas

Lunch: Chuy's with a friend: chips and salsa, mini bean and cheese burrito, some rice, guacamole

Afternoon snack: 2 Cellas

Dinner: shrimp scampi over angel hair, pecan pie

Evening snack: wine (lots), 3 Carr's Table Water Crackers (no flavor whatsover), one Ferrer Rocher

So...another day of eating crap and not exercising. It's only January 6. Will the whole year be like this?

How am I gonna reach that goal with days like this?

The working from home is not working too well. Easy access to food is not a good thing. And I get no exercise. At least when I go to the office I have to walk in from the garage and walk to get water. Here, I stay in a small radius. And I don't bother to wear makeup or decent clothes. I need a routine. I need some discipline. I need to go into the office.

Let's hope the renovation is completed soon. I need for it to be done before I go to LA to see my old pal Pee Wee Herman (next Friday).

Remodeling makes me drink

Change from beginning of program: -.4
Goal: 43 LBs to go
Activity: 30 minutes with the Wii
Temptation: everything in my kitchen
Fruit and veg: 5

Yesterday's grazing caught up with me. Fortunately, I was able to exert a bit more self-control today.

Workers in the house + working from home + a boyfriend who doesn't like workers in the house = antsy Snow.

But we are making progress on the bathroom. And I actually got some work done today.

I got a Listology calendar this year, and I listed my goals for the year:

• Publish the cookbook
• Go to Europe to celebrate the big 5-0
• Make something creative and get it out of the Wii room (formerly known as the junk room) once a week
• Get to my goal weight - and stay there

OK - I wrote them down and now they are on the blog. So I have to make these things happen in 2010. Keep me honest!

A note on getting things out of the Wii room: For years, I have been collecting items and thinking "I can make something with this." Well, the time has come to make something with it. I'm out of room. I'm investing in this house, so I'm not moving to a bigger one. If you have requests for anything made from paper or recycled goods, let me know. My first project is note cards.

Breakfast: black-eyed peas, grapefruit from my tree, 2 Cellas

Lunch: shrimp scampi with spinach over angel hair pasta (an advantage of working from home - I can make a nice lunch), pecan pie

Afternoon snack: satsuma

Dinner: apple, cornbread with butter, 4 chocolate-covered peanuts

Evening snack: white wine

By the way, today's photo has nothing to do with the blog. It's just my nephew cracking me up by wearing my hat.

Why even offer this in sizes S and M?

It's a beer gut shirt, for cryin' out loud.

Grazing...like a cow

Change from beginning of program: -1.8
Goal: 42 LBs to go
Activity: grazing
Temptation: Cellas
Fruit and veg: 2

Working from home is not good for my weight. My well-stocked kitchen calls me. And the Christmas candy is still in there.

Having workers in the house makes me antsy. When I get antsy, I eat.

Today was not a good food day.

Breakfast. Fiber One Pop Tart. Black-eyed peas. 6 Cellas. Pecan pie.

Lunch: Small, but loaded baked potato. 6 Cellas.

Afternoon snack: Parmesan cheese. Cornbread with butter. Apple.

Dinner: Two large slices Pizza Hut Thin and Crispy Veggie Lovers pizza. 2 Cellas. Pecan pie.

They need to finish this work pronto or I won't be able to roll myself to the office.

Book reviews

The latest in my sporadic series of book reviews...

My Amazon reviews are here (if you're interested).

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Wait for the movie. A friend loaned me this book and told me that it was a page-turner. It was indeed a page-turner, but after 500+ pages, I wanted a better ending. The author tied up all the loose ends so, technically, it was a good ending. But I was disappointed by what they found. I was completely surprised by one major twist (good), but I figured out another twist long before it was revealed (bad). It was not a bad book, but it was not the best I have read. A different friend loaned me The DaVinci Code, so I have not ever spent money for a Dan Brown book. I believe that enough other people have spent plenty of money, so I don't feel too bad for the author.

A much more entertaining book was You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs. Full disclosure: I'm a big fan. But even so, this was his best book in a while. His early books were funnier than his more recent works. I like funny. I need funny. This book is funny. And short. And very well written. And I have a signed copy. Check it out.

I need my nap

Change from beginning of program: -1.8
Goal: 42 LBs to go
Activity: napping
Temptation: Mexican food
Fruit and veg: 4

Had to wake up on a Sunday morning to let the contractor into the house to tear up more of the bathroom. My Sunday routine is generally sleep in, eat, nap, eat, go to sleep. I like to stay in my jammies all day.

Not possible today. As I had to get dressed anyway, I actually left the house. My friend and her children just returned from a trip, so we had a chance to catch up over some delicious Mexican food.

Breakfast: whole grapefruit from my tree and a half of a cheese biscuit from Red Lobster

Lunch: chips and salsa, bean and cheese burrito, and salad with creamy jalapeno dressing

I did manage to get in a nap, but it was just over an hour vs. my normal 2-3 hour nap.

Dinner: 2 Cellas and some pecan pie

Yeah, yeah...that dinner was not too healthy. But, hey, it's Sunday and my bathroom is torn up. Gimme a break.

Working from home this week (with the contractors here) is gonna be a challenge. The refrigerator is about 10 steps from my workspace on the kitchen table. Maybe I need to run a few laps around the house when moving from my laptop to the fridge...

Wii Fit Age - 76

Change from beginning of program: -1.2
Goal: 43 LBs to go
Activity: shopping
Temptation: pecan pie
Fruit and veg: 3

Another year, another day of not-the-most-healthy eating.

Got a wake-up shout around 10:00 so that I would drive around town looking for a specific medicine cabinet for the impending bathroom renovation. Spent over an hour driving the truck from Lowe's to Lowe's - with no breakfast and no caffeine. In desperation, I bought a Diet Pepsi (because that's all they had a Lowe's) and remembered how truly nasty Diet Pepsi is.

Lunch: Leftover mac and cheese. 2 Cellas. Black-eyed peas (for luck) and greens (for money). Pecan pie.

I have an entire pecan pie because a wonderful friend sent it to me. I have sent these pies to several people but have never received one. It is truly delicious. And it has 470 calories per piece.

I could have lived my whole life without reading the nutritional info on that pie.

Afternoon activity: Finished reading "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown. After 500+ pages, I was disappointed in what the "secret" was.

Went shopping and found a few too many post-Christmas bargains. I really need to stop spending money like it grows on trees.

Dinner: Chuy's with my brother and his friends. My brother and sister-in-law are in town visiting their friends, and I crashed the party. Ate too many chips (with queso), a chile relleno, and part of a cheese enchilada. And 5 beers (over 3 hours).

Bigfoot hooked up the Wii Fit. It told me that I am obese and that I have the fitness of a 76 year old. OUCH.

My response? I had some more pecan pie.