Wednesday, February 28, 2007

"She's freaky and she knows it ..."


I have officially entered my second youth. Just a warning, is all I'm saying.

The concert last night was UNBELIEVABLE!!! I literally drooled when the man danced. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. He is incredibly talented musically ... and I spent the entire night with a dumb grin on my face, just to be in the same humongous room with him. GAWD. He's hot.

Pink was the opener ... and she was really good. She sang "Stupid Girls", which I love. She also sang "Dear Mr. President" (without the Indigo Girls, unfortunately), and "Get The Party Started". Oh, and "Family Portrait". Good stuff. She ended doing crazy gymnastic stuff on a fabric swing high above the stage ...while she sang. Great opener!

(Timbaland and T.I. also performed ... not that I really knew who they were, before last night. I have to say that the crowd went nuts for T.I., and Timbaland did a really great "intermission" show.)

Then ... Justin. What more can I possibly tell you? He was gorgeous ... he sang ... he danced ... he toasted Atlanta with a shot of tequila, and then had to wipe his eyes because it made them water ... and in the end, he gave the most sincere talk about how grateful he is for his fans and his success and the life he is living. *sigh*

Awesome, awesome night. (Thank you Brandy, for wanting to go with ME!)

Here's some of what we enjoyed last night:

"Senorita"

"What Goes Around"

"My Love"

"Sexy Back"

"Rock Your Body"

"Cry Me A River"

"Love Stoned" ... bad sound quality, but the video is worth the watch. (I'm drooling again.)

Another view of "Love Stoned"

"Like I Love You"

Someday I may decide to be 47 again ... but not today.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

"If I wrote you a symphony ..."

Oh my.


Will they even let 47-year-old women IN? I hope I'm not the most elderly person there tonight.

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Still have no answer about the damn vitamins. The support group schedule said that the surgeon was speaking last night. Instead, the new chef was there, telling us about ... ahh, hell ... I don't know what he was talking about. I was too busy giggling with Jen about how cute he was. And he kept saying things like "boning knife", and that would get us started all over again. (Yes, I'm having my second go-'round in middle school.)

The worst part was afterwards ... I introduced myself to him, and found out he went to high school with my kids. Oy. I'm so incredibly old.

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I got nothing today, y'all.

If you never see me again, assume that I ran away with Justin Timberlake.

Monday, February 26, 2007

"What goes around, goes around, goes around ..."

Welcome to "The Week Of Justin".


Tomorrow night ... Philips Arena ... Atlanta GA ... we're bringin' sexy back. (I think I'm too old for that, but I'm doin' it anyway.)

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The weekend was nice. On Saturday, Adam came over before noon. Brandy was working half a day, and he came to "hang out". Of course he ended up helping his dad. They installed a new CD player in Jimmy's truck, among various other odd jobs. He updated some stuff on my laptop, too. (Thanks, honey.) After Brandy finished working, we headed over to Macaroni Grill, where the consumption of much wine ensued. We had the worst service known to man, but we hardly noticed, thanks to the chianti. (No census-taker-liver or fava beans, though. "Ff-ff-ff-ff.") After the 3-hour meal, we came back here, where Brandy helped me get started on adding some songs to my new-to-me iPod. (Thanks for the iPod, Emilie!) Then we watched "The Departed" ... LOVED it. (It won Best Picture on Sunday ... I had only seen one other nominee, "Little Miss Sunshine", and while that was totally wonderful, I don't think it compared in 'Oscar-worthiness' to "The Departed". So, yay.)

After the movie, I was tired, the night was rainy ... good sleepin', right? Wrong. See above: Too Much Wine. Grrr.

Sunday I worked a little. I talked to a lady in California who told me her name was "Mary Christmas". Yikes. After work, I started on the new iPod addiction. Where will it end? Rehab, I suppose. I added Abba, Garth Brooks, and Aerosmith, among others What! ... my tastes are varied. It kept me so occupied, I completely missed The Oscars. Thank God for online gossip sites or I'd never know who wore what.

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Today is:
~ More work.
~ More iPod obsession.
~ Support Group at Dr. Bour's.
~ Upstate gals meeting after that.

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Speaking of Dr. Bour ... my appointment on Friday was good. I completely forgot to ask him about the damn vitamins. Hopefully I'll remember tonight. He told me I was on track with my weight loss ... I've lost 135 pounds since this time last year, and 114 since my surgery day. He wants me to lose 18 to 25 more before I'm "done". Crazy, huh?!

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Adding these 2 pics from Em and Jud's Saturday fishin' trip for Michael ... presenting your niece Emilie, the flyfisherwoman:

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And now I'm off to visit my treadmill with Justin. Don't forget what week it is, people.

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9:00 AM Edited to add:

Hello, my name is Dawn, and 30 years later, I'm still a Band Nerd. Last night, I added to my new-to-me iPod the 2001 Clemson drumline's marching cadences, along with the band playing Tiger Rag. I just discovered that I TOTALLY LOVE walking to that on my treadmill! I had to break out the "slow jog" for "Go Go Get'Em Get'Em" though. Heeeee! Would somebody start checking out possible rehab locations, just in case?

Friday, February 23, 2007

"I'm just your ordinary average everyday sane psycho ..."

Yay. Friday.

And it's a miracle ... backhoes and tractors take Fridays off. At least, as of 8:00 AM today, there is no action behind the house. I woke up at 6:45 anyway.

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I tried on bathing suits yesterday. Ouch. Actually, it wasn't nearly as traumatic as it used to be. And the skirted tankinis hid 90% of the melted thighs. I just didn't find anything I wanted to spend $80 on just yet.

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Em sent some pictures last night ... I hope they don't mind me sharing. If they do, I'll remove them, so look quick.


Jud and Emilie practicing their target skills:



A modern day Bonnie and Clyde ... only they shoot at clay. (I'll have to try to get some "fishin' pics" one of these days to make Em's Uncle Michael happy.)


One more set ... this one never fails to make me smile. Jud posed with new puppy, Allie, on his shoulders last fall, soon after she was adopted. To mark her rapid-fire growth, he posed again last night (about 3 months later). I hope his back is OK this morning.



Hee! That is one sweet puppy.

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Doctor's appointment today ... I can't wait to ask him WHEN OH WHEN can I stop with the god-awful chewable vitamins. I've heard he wants us using them for a full year. Gag.

Have a nice weekend, will you?

Thursday, February 22, 2007

"Her face is a map of the world ..."

Another day ... BEEP BEEP BEEP. The weather is supposed to be very nice indeed today, so I'm planning to take a walk to escape from the noise for a bit.

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Tomorrow I have my official 9 Month Appointment with Dr. Bour. When I went in at 6 months, his assistant Katie gave me a tiny bit of grief that I wasn't losing "fast enough". She said I should have lost a certain percentage of my excess body weight by that point, and I hadn't. I was feeling quite crappy after talking with her, because I was feeling pretty good about things until she opened her mouth. When Dr. Bour came in, he did nothing but praise my progress. I asked him if I was losing too slowly, or if I was behind in my progress ... and he said "HELL NO!" So I don't know why Katie gave me such a hard time, but now I'm already dreading seeing her tomorrow.

I've been at the same weight for over a week now ... I really can't remember how long I've seen the same number on the scale every morning. And because I weigh on a different scale in his office, AND with regular clothes on, I always weigh anywhere from 3 to 5 pounds heavier there.

The good news is, according to my scale (and in my nightgown), I have lost 110 pounds since my operation ... and 131 since last February. And if I could ever stop comparing myself to others in my support group, who are younger than me and losing FASTER than me, I could feel 100% of that incredible accomplishment. I'm 22 pounds away from the goal Dr. Bour set for me. My mind can't even wrap around that fact ... that I'm 22 pounds away from "normal". After 27 years of being way above "normal", this is all uncharted territory!

(I would also faint dead away if I ever got a sincere compliment from my husband. He told me a few weeks ago, that he didn't feel he needed to tell me I'm getting smaller, or that I look pretty ... after all, isn't that why I had the surgery? Isn't that what I expected to happen? .... *Is that how ALL engineers think??* I decided, after that little exchange, to stop wishing he'd tell me I look good. Maybe I'll hear it one of these days from a complete stranger.)

Bad news? The skin. Oy. It's wrinkled. And "hangy". And I can hide the majority of it in clothes, thank God. And the main wrinkled hangy that's on public display at all times ... my turkey waddle ... has almost stopped being an issue for me. I have ALMOST reached an acceptance point with my chin and neck area. Maybe because I can't see it, unless I'm looking in a mirror? And the belly wrinkles, and the ass wrinkles, and the old lady boobs (sorry, kids) ... they can all be hidden under clothes. My one BIG issue is .............. my inner thighs. They look like melted candles. Like elephant skin. Like gravity was just increased 75%. (sigh)

I'm planning a fun trip to Myrtle Beach on my birthday weekend with 7 other Upstate WLS girls ... and we're meeting a bunch of other WLS folks from eastern SC while we're there. For the most part, I'm excited and looking forward to it. I don't think I've ever taken a trip by myself (unless it was to visit family), so this will be a new experience for me. And I really DO want to wear a bathing suit. The hotel we're staying in has a huge indoor pool area with multiple hot tubs, and even an indoor "lazy river" ... which sounds like it would be the perfect place to sip on an all-day cocktail.

So anyway, the bathing suit shopping MUST commence. As much as I dread it, I have to get out there and find something I can live with.

All this, and a shaved head, too. EEEK!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

"I got your hey oh ..."

Oh, HI! I'm a slacker. Did we have January already? Sorry, y'all. I'm really going to try to do better to regularly update you on the tediousness that is my life. I can only imagine how you've suffered not knowing.
In a nutshell, here's what you've missed:
~ I had a hysterectomy. She was supposed to take my ovaries out ... she "forgot". So I'm still half a woman. Yay.
~ Christmas. Yeah. I did too much, the house was crazy, and then it was over.
~ Emilie moved back home. It took a few weeks of "getting used to", on both of our parts. I'm happy with her here now ... she'd still rather be wherever Jud is. Can't say that I blame her.
~ Jimmy finished painting a second bedroom two minutes before Christmas, and has since painted the upstairs hallway area. Look for the first bathroom to be redone sometime in the next decade! New carpet to follow for my 65th birthday!!!
~ We got a DVR. Movin' on up, I tell ya.
~ I got my hair cut. In what is called an "age-appropriate length". Only I decided I don't like being 47, almost 48 ... in my hairstyle, anyway. It may take years, but I'm growing it back, dammit.
~
~ Uh. So yeah, you didn't miss much.
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Shall I just get the bitchin' out of the way first thing? OK.
Reason # 429 on the list of reasons I don't like my house:
When we bought this lot and built the house 18 years ago, there were woods on 2 sides of us. Nice. When the house was built next door, I was sad to see the trees and privacy go, but I dealt with it. Somehow we thought that, since there is a creek behind us, the trees back there would always stay put.
Wrong.
Visually, it makes me cry. That's the view from my bathroom window, which means it's also the view from our deck. I know that when the trees get their leaves, it'll be some better. But not much.
And oh my STARS, the noise. It's pouring rain as I type this, and they are still out there with the tractors and the yelling and the constant BEEP BEEP BEEP of the back-up alarms. It starts every morning just past 7 AM. I know that's when America wakes up, and I'm an ingrate for even wanting to be able to sleep at that hour. But hear me out.
I love my bed. I really like to sleep, too. And I don't HAVE to get up, so I usually don't. Doesn't mean I won't, if I have to. But most days, I'm a spoiled brat who gets to stay in bed until I feel like getting up. And when Bob and Sheri finally stop yakking away in the bathroom while my husband showers every morning from 5:30 to 6:30 AM ... that's when my REM sleep happens!
Not anymore, people. I can only imagine the sound of "quiet" anymore. BEEP BEEP BEEP.
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Bitch #2:
I have a STY. It started innocently enough, about 10 days ago. A tiny swelling on my right eyelid. For the last week, I haven't left the house ... afraid I would frighten small children and adults would be unable to stop staring. I have a huge, red, pulsating STY. For real, I haven't left the house since February 12th. This morning, I'm thinking that it might be a bit smaller, but it's probably just wishful thinking.
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That's all the bitchin' I can think of at the moment. Let's move on, shall we?
In case you missed it ... here's the latest visible evidence of what I like to call "The Crazy":
Bless her heart.
Night before last, I dreamed that I shaved my head, saying "It's already short ... what the hell difference will it make??" Then I got so upset, worried that everyone would think I was trying to be like Britney. "THE CRAZY"!
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Hey! I'm going to see Justin Timberlake in Atlanta with my daughter-in-law next week. How's THAT for "age-appropriate"?! Heeee.