A Sensible Dinner - Pearlieq's Journal

[Lesli54]

Good evening, Pearlieq!

Sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your party as much as you had hoped. Sometimes it is so hard to draw the fine line between "entertaining while having fun" and "entertaining is just too much work for such little enjoyment". It sounds like most of the people had a good time and that is always a plus. Maybe if things had been different with your friend, you would feel better about all of it.

It is good to get all of it "off your chest" as you try to figure out the situation. Much better than ignoring it and eating your way through. I sure hope that the rest of the weekend goes much better for you and you can get rid of the "meh's".

Have a good evening.

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi pearlieq!

It was great to meet you and your DH at the WISH Meet! Thanks for posting the picture on the WISH thread. I don't know why I didn't think to bring a camera.

Have a wonderful day today!

 

[Cruise04]

Happy Holidays Pearliq!

Sorry to hear about your friend and your party. At least it's over (the party). I would email her and let her know that you are concerned about how she was acting at the party and hoping that if there is anything you can help with you'd like to (if you would like to). I would also be angry at how she acted, especially in the email. But you do have a good concern if she's suffered from depression in the past. HUGS to you!!!!! Hope you have a good holiday!

Keep on
Chris

 

[pearlieq]

12/22/05

Whew!!! It certainly has been busy around here! I've definitley OD'd on all of the holiday goodies, and have put on about 5 lbs in the past month . Tis the season, I suppose! I know I'm ready to start tackling it.

I enjoy the holidays, but I'm glad they're winding down. It will be nice to get back to real life! I'm done with work for the most part, so I don't really have to think about it again until Tuesday (yay!) and I'm almost done with my shopping. I have to pick up one more thing for DH (ideas, anyone?) and a gift card to somewhere for my grandma. I've even got the bulk of my wrapping done. I just have to decorate and put gift tags on all of them. Mom's coming over for brunch on Christmas morning, then we'll do presents before heading up to my aunt & uncle's house which is 2 miles south of the Wisconsin border. Road trip!!!

Thanks for stopping by, Tracy. It was so much fun meeting you!

Thanks so much for the concern and kind words, Chris. I wound up doing just as you had suggested and sending her an email the morning after the party explaining that I'm really worried and asking what I could do. Unfortunately, she's chosen not to write me back so far, which hurts, but I'm trying to remember that she might not be capable of having an emotional discussion right now. I'm not sure what's going to happen at this point, but I wish things had been better.

I hope enjoys a wonderful holiday season and a very merry Christmas!

 

[eeyore25]

Hi there,

so sorry to hear that things didn't go the way you planned for your party. Just try and be there for your friend.

Hope you are having a wonderful Friday! Keep up the good work

 

[pearlieq]

12/23/05 - Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

Buenos Dias, everyone! DH and I are both off through Tuesday, so I'm hoping we get to have lots of fun together and get some extra time to play with the kitties.

I haven't been that hungry yet this morning, but so far I feel myself kind of naturally coming back around to normal. Maybe I've been through so much junk in the past few weeks that it's just not appealing anymore! My goal over the next few weeks is just to get back to hunger-based eating. Do you know I went probably 3-4 weeks without ever being hungry? I was shoveling down so much, between stress and opportunity, that there was never any real break in between.

DH and I should be able to have a fun day today. I'm hoping to get to the gym and maybe just take a gentle walk around the track. The sad truth is that I've lost some of the strength and stamina I had gained and I'll need to work back into it. There was also talk of going to a movie, and who knows what else!

12:00pm

--1/2 medium Gino's stuffed cheese pizza

Wow! I can't believe I ate my whole half! I usually stop at 3 pieces, and I should have stopped at 3, but I think my logic was that I didn't want to carry the last piece around?!? What's up with that. Anyway, I'm stuffed and I learned my lesson. I am not a human garbage disposal or tupperware container!

After lunch DH spent some quiet time at the library, then came home and went for a walk. We ran into another neighbor who invited us over for tamales tomorrow night. Sounds like fun!!! It was so great to get out for a walk--I haven't gotten fresh air like that in a long time!!!

Now DH and I are relaxing and trying to figure out what to do tonight. I'm sure we'll come up with something...

5:00pm

--a silly amount of Maurice Lenell cookies

One of DH's vendors sent him a giant tin of Maurice Lenell cookies. He brought it home for me, thinking I could use it for the cookie exchange, but they really weren't appropriate for that setting. So, I've just been eating them. I finally came to my senses, pulled out a few jelly stars, which are my favorites, and pack the rest up for DH to take back to work. My I'm sure at least 1 lb of my 7lb holiday gain is these cookies!

7:00pm

--broccoli & fried tofu in brown sauce
--1/2 cup white rice
--1 cup veggie fried rice
--1 veggie egg roll w/sweet & sour sauce

This was so yummy, but I was really surprised at the lack of veggie options. The broccoli/tofu thing was good, but I think next time I'll just get the broccoli in brown sauce. Either way, it was nice to get out.

8:00pm - 11:00pm

--mindless snacking

I think I remember there being cookies and a cup of strawberry yogurt. I don't even remember exactly what I ate, except that it was completely unnecessary.

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi Pearlieq!

Stopping by to WISH you and your family a very Happy Holiday season! Hope you have a great weekend!

 

[pearlieq]

12/24/05 - Merry Christmas Eve!!!

9:30am

--1 egg & cheese bagel
--1 egg & cheese biscuit
--1 can real Coke

I had most of a 12 pack of real Coke left over from the party, and I've been enjoying it a can at a time. I really do like it. It's a nice treat.

Today's going to be pretty quiet. We're just going to hang out this morning, then later we're going to a friends for tamales and games before heading to the 11pm service at a local church. I love the Christmas eve service--it's my very favorite of the year.

The kitties are having a fun morning. They're taking turns jumping on our laps and snuggling. When they're not with us, they're climbing up and down their cat tree and romping around in the tissue paper on the living room floor. I don't even remember were the tissue paper came from, but it's been their favorite toy of the week by far!

12:30pm

--1 cup veggie fried rice
--leftover broccoli in brown sauce

So yummy! We're seriously going to have to get Chinese more often!

We've just been lazing around, watching football and talking about IRAs (fun, eh?) It's a happy Christmas eve.

3:30pm

--5 sm meatless tamales
--1/3 cup refried beans
--1 cup Spanish rice
--2 handfuls chips
--several cookies

One of our neighbors makes a huge batch of tamales for Christmas, so we went over there to sample some. Yum! DH and I both really enjoyed them. After eating we played their Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture DVD game, which was a lot of fun, then we played UNO which was very funny! Our last hand must have see sawed for about 45 minutes. At one point all of us were holding 20+ cards in our hands!

Now we're just relaxing a bit before heading to Church. We've got to get up a little early tomorrow morning, mostly just to straighten up and get brunch ready. It shouldn't be too bad.

12:00am

--1 1/2 cups fried rice

Church was really nice. I was super overdressed. The candlelight service at our old church was a fairly formal affair, but this place was mostly sweaters and even some jeans. It was a lovely service though, and a really nice vibe for the church--very humble, plain, and unpretentious. The pastor seemed nice. We may have to check it out again sometime.

 

[eeyore25]

Hi there,

Just wanted to pop in and WISH you and your husband and the kitties a very Merry Chistmas.

 

[pearlieq]

12/25/05 - Merry Christmas!!!

8:15am

--1 nsa applesauce cup

9:15am

--3 servings broccoli cheese bread pudding
--1 piece banana bread w/butter
--1 clementine

I really liked how the egg dish came out this morning. I got the recipe out of last month's Vegetarian Times and I played with it a little bit to come up with this. It was a touch bland, but I think some more onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt would make it fabulous! Plus, I got to use up the extra bread from the cookie exchange, so what's not to like?

We had a fun time exchanging presents. I got lots of nice stuff. I got an Amazon gc from my brother, Avenue and Olive Garden GCs from MIL, books, cooking supplies, linens, GCs, and a hairdryer from my mom, and an XM radio and undercabinet radio from DH. And a giant box of Meltaways...they're so yummy, but yikes!

It was a lot of fun to share gifts this morning. We're going to head out to my aunt & uncle's soon. It looks like a 90 minute drive, which isn't so bad, but it makes the timing of the football game weird. Either we miss half of the game or we get home late. I'm not sure how we're going to handle that...

2:00pm

--a few baby carrots
--a few water crackers
--2 servings stuffed rigatoni
--3 dinner rolls w/butter
--green beans
--a few bites sweet potatoes
--1 serving mashed potatoes
--a million, billion cookies
--1" piece amazing brownie caramel chocolate cheesecake

Christmas dinner was fun. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and it was nice to visit. My aunt made her super yummy raspberry bars and frosted sugar cookies. I had tons of each and took the leftovers home. I'm trying to ration them a little bit. We wound up staying for the game and it was a good time--a real nail-biter toward the end. I'm so happy for the Bears this year!!!

9:30pm

--3 raspberry bars
--3 unfrosted sugar cookies

Does this count as rationing? Probably not...

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

 

[pearlieq]

12/26/05

8:30am

--1 med bowl raisin bran w/1% milk
--2 clementines

DH and I are going to have a fun day today. We're having a movie double-feature. I'm seeing Pride & Prejudice again and he's seeing Ringers, then we're going to either Stir Crazy or California Pizza Kitchen before heading back to the theater to see The Producers. It's going to be a lot of fun!

11:00am

--1 kids popcorn
--1 sm cherry coke

The movie was nice to see again. It's still one of my favorites of the year.

12:30pm

--2 pieces sourdough bread w/butter
--1/4 thai crunch salad
--2/3 of tostada pizza

Lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, I was ravenous and wound up overeating. DH seemed to like his movie, Ringers. He said it was very funny. After lunch we headed back over to try and see The Producers, but there was about 45 minutes until the next showing and the theater was getting super crowded. So, DH and I took a pass. Maybe we'll try next weekend.

2:30pm - 5:30pm

--anything that wasn't nailed down

I remember cookies, Cokes, fried rice, banana bread, and Meltaways. Seriously, it wasn't pretty.

6:30pm

--3 pieces stuffed pizza
--meltaways

Because I needed more food...

I was kind of bummed tonight. More and more I've been having this awful, sad feeling that there aren't many good people in the world. Most people I meet seem to be completely self-centered, self-serving, and often just downright mean. I've run into so many people recently that have this atitude that at long as they get more money, more power, or more convenience, the rest of the world can sit and spin.

There's a thread going right now with someone complaining that their SIL asked what her kids wanted and then didn't go out and get the EXACT present she recommended. How much of a sense of entitlement, and general head-up-the-behind-itis, do you have to have to post something like that?!? This just seems to be what I'm running into day after day. It's really killing my faith in my fellow humans.

Plus, I feel completely bewildered and betrayed when I look at the current political situation in the US. Not only can I not believe we got where we are now, but I can't believe that it seems like at least half the nation thinks it's a good thing?!? It just eludes me. For the most part, I don't think the people we have in power are good, decent people with motives beyond their own aggrandizement and the lining of their pockets. And I can't believe this is OK with people.

I've just been really disappointed with the world, and with people's selfishness lately. I need to find a way to see some of the good in people before I completely lose my faith.

 

[Jane E.]

Pearieq, your kitties sound so cute. I can't believe they snuggle with you. Ours does not like to be cuddled at all. I think its from hanging around our 50lb labrador retriever.

Merry Christmas! What a busy schedule you've had. You must be glad you're able to take it easy. I can't wait to see Pride and Prejudice. I hope that its as good as the other two versions that I've seen. Be sure to let us know how you liked The Producers. The reviewer on either GMA or The Today Show panned it. I'd love to be able to see the play. I think it'll be in NY forever with the rave reviews its received.

 

[pearlieq]

12/27/05

9:20am

--1 piece stuffed pizza
--3 meltaways

This has not been my day for technology. My work laptop is acting up, and my personal one seems dead. Not fun, especially because I have critical files on there that would be a big pain to recreate! Hopefully DH can work his magic when he gets home.

Otherwise, it's been a fairly quiet morning. I'm going to try to get the house back in shape. There are still presents everywhere, remnants of Christmas entertaining in my kitchen, and enough laundry to sink a ship! Not exactly a barrel of laughs, but needs to be done.

*************************************************
Well, it's been another all day smorgasboard. I really need to grab the reins here. I've had countless Meltaways, pad thai, popcorn, crackers, leftover pizza, and heaven knows what else. For dinner I had broccoli in brown sauce with too much white rice and 2 egg rolls. Ugh.

The only little bit of good news is that I finally went to the gym this evening and DH went with me. I did 12 laps around the track and it was more effort than it should have been, but it still felt good. I think I'll go to yoga tomorrow morning.

The rest of the night should be quiet. NO MORE EATING TONIGHT!!!!!

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

Glad to see you survived the holidays fairly unscathed. What a very hectic time of year. I sure am glad I started this wieght loss journey long before the holidays, aren't you? It sure is "easier" to manage the holiday food this year. Looks like we have both done pretty well.

I hope you get your computer problems solved quickly. Look at it this way, it is an unexpected day off of work. At least your house will be clean now.

Have a great day!

 

[pearlieq]

12/28/05

9:30am

--1/2 cup veggie fried rice
--the rest of the broccoli
--1 clementine

My goal is to go to the 10:30 am yoga class at my gym today. I've really packed on the pounds over the holidays, and the eating patterns that got me there have been making me feel very icky. I want to shake out of this. I've got the cruise coming up, plus I just don't want to spend my life feeling this way!

Luckily the holiday whirlwind is over, though I guess we're having people over for NYE. Hopefully that doesn't get too out of control. I don't think it would be more than 4 or 6 people at the most. Luckily my technology problems seem to have been fixed, but it still should be a very slow week at work, and then I have a 4 day weekend. Yay!!!

12:20pm

--3 eggs
--2 lc tortillas
--2 pieces 2% cheese
--1/4 cup salsa
--sm handful baby carrots
--1 apple
--1/2 can Coke

I made it to yoga this morning. It was very fun and a very hard workout. My favorite part is, of course, the meditation at the end. I've never left an aerobics or step class feeling that good in my whole life!

When I got home I was pretty hungry, so I tucked into some lunch. I feel I made a good compromise with myself. I wanted to soda, but I'm trying to be more conscious about what I eat, so I just poured half of the can into a small glass and will save the other half for later.

I'm really rethinking my soda ban. My goal in all of this is to learn how to eat naturally and intuitively--no artifical constraints, just listening to my body. I like soda. I really, really like it. It's one of my favorite treats, and at 140 calories per can, doesn't pack that bad of a calorie price. Sure, it's pure sugar and has lots of high fructose corn syrup (which by all account is worse for you than heroin) but so far I seem to be able to enjoy it in moderation. I had 10 cans of a 12 pack leftover from my party on 12/16, and I still have 2 left today. It doesn't seem to be driving me crazy. I seem to be able to enjoy it as a treat in moderate portions. I'm not saying I'm going to start sucking down a 6 pack a day, but I'm removing it from the completley verboten list. If I want a can of soda, I'm work it into my life and completely enjoy it!

The bigger problem I need to deal with now is eating for reasons other than hunger. I've been running amok for almost a month now, and I'm really paying for it. Afternoons are turning out to be very hard for me, and I think I need to start getting more creative about how to manage them. It may turn out that I simply need to leave the house. If that's what it takes, so be it. At this point I'll do what I have to do!

2:00pm

--6 wheat crackers
--1 brownie
--the other half of the Coke

OK, starting to feel a like I'm losing it a little...

4:00pm

--the rest of the meltaways (~6)
--the rest of the wheat crackers (~8)
--6 graham crackers (that weren't even good...)
--1 100 cal pack popcorn
--1 cup grapes
--1/2 can Coke

Oops. So my big plan didn't work. At least the early part of today was better than it's been in a long time! I feel pretty sluggish and icky now...

8:00pm

--the rest of my fried rice (~2 cups)

10:00pm

--1 pad thai bowl w/1/2 cup peas
--the rest of the coke
--3 graham crackers (that still weren't good!)

At least I finally threw the crackers out, and I will say that for whatever reason I was honestly hungry when I ate this!

Sigh...ready to try again tomorrow.

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

I just read your post about all the selfish people in the world, somehow I missed it earlier. You are so right, it really does feel that people have gained this huge sense of entitlement. It kind of goes in along with my "giving kids whatever they want despite the cost" theory that everyone is doing now. Our neighbors got one of their kids a mini ATV (hello, we live in town) and the part that bothers me most is the fact that they are really struggling to make ends meet since their youngest was born with heart problems earlier this year and they medical bills have racked up. I just don't get it. About a week ago, I read where those who are around 30 are further in debt than any other generation before them. They got the credit cards in college, have major student loans, and learned to live beyond their means from their parents who gave them everything. (Of course, there are exceptions, not everyone falls in this group, thank God.) But unfortunately, it looks like society has created this sense of entitlement in people and I see it continuing into the next generations where my children are. That is where I am trying to hard to stay grounded with my kids and unfortunately, it is hardest on them because the kids around them aren't as grounded. But it is better for them in the long run. I guess what I am trying to say (at length), is that there are still some people out there that do care about the state of the world and the state of society and we are still trying to make a difference.

Maybe you can find a church or someone who collects clothing for those in need, or help at a food bank. People like that are still grounded in helping others and are not near as selfish as those you are running into lately.

Now that I have used up space in your journal.........

Time to get moving onto healthier eating. Are you in with me? How about you and I set up a specific amount to lose before our 1 year anniversary with WISH?

Sending you for a much healthier day!

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

It is so great that you got out to get in some exercise. I have never tried yoga, but I can imagine that it could be both hard and relaxing.

It's good that you have learned how to enjoy a bit of soda without going overboard. If you ever need to get out in the afternoon, you can always come for a visits.........well, ok, that is maybe a little longer than just going out for a few hours in the afternoon. Just trying to help you out.

I hope that today is a magical day for you and that you have much success in listening to your body.

 

[pearlieq]

12/29/05

9:00am

--2 eggs
--1 piece 2% cheese
--2 pieces toast
--1 T raspberry jam
--2 clementines

Wow am I feeling the yoga from yesterday! I must have gotten a good upper body workout!

Yesterday wasn't perfect, but it was better and that counts for something! I'm ready to try again today, except I'm seriously leaving the house in the early afternoon and not coming back until dinner time. Maybe I'll go catch up on some of my magazines or cruise the after Christmas sales at the mall. Or maybe I'll show up on your doorstep, Lesli!

Oh, I almost forgot. Strange update to the situation with my old best friend from high school. I still haven't heard a word from her, and I figured she just wasn't interested in being in touch anymore. I was sad, disappointed, and hurt, but I was dealing with it. Then, I checked my mail yesterday and what do I find but an invitation to a jewelry party she's throwing at her house!?!?!

It was hand-adressed and couldn't have been mailed more than a few days ago, so I don't think it was a mistake. What the heck? I sent her a very short email basically asking "what gives?" and I haven't heard back yet (surprise, surprise...). Very, very strange....

12:00pm

--2 Boca burgers
--1/3 cup shredded cheddar
--large handful baby carrots

OK, I'm going to wrap up a few things here, then I'm going to be out the door by 2:30 or so at the latest. DH has got a stressful day at work today, so I want to be there when he gets home. He asked if we could go to the gym tonight, which is fine by me!

1:30pm

--1 garden vegetable lasagna entree

I got hungry again rather quickly. Hopefully this holds! Time to get going...

3:45pm

--1 sm DQ cone

Well, I did a little after-Christmas shoping at Cost Plus and Bath & Body works. Not much was all that appealing, but I did finally treat myself to a couple of the trial sized Tahiti Sweetie lotions that were on sale. On the way out the DQ store was impossible to resist, so I stopped in for a small cone. Yummy!

7:00pm

--2/3 of an nsa ice cream sandwich
--1 cup of the broken tortilla chips you find on the bottom of the bag.

Can you tell I'm starving??? We don't have much food in the house (time to get to the store!) and this is what I wound up eating. We've got heavenly Giordano's stuffed spinach pizza on the way and I can't wait!

I declare the first day of "get the heck out of the house" to be a success! After the mall I stopped by our local library. Do you know our library does not carry an actual copy of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice? Fear not, though, it DOES contain a copy of Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife which is a continuation written in 2004 by a woman who describes herself as a "West-Texas mom".

I couldn't resist thumbing through the book. The first thing I observed was that the book would be better titled Mr. Darcy Takes His Wife (Again and Again) This would serve the dual purpose of conveying both the content of the book and the author's predilliction for parenthetical descriptions instead of actual, you know, exposition. Bonus: How many variations of the word "ambulate" can you use on one page? I found at least 3 on one page while skimming the book.

I've always been amused by the double standard that exists for women's romance novels. If you were to send away for one of those videos that comes wrapped in plain brown paper, pop it in your VCR, and transcribe everything you see, that would be the core content of your basic romance novel. Yet, you can buy the Harlequins at your local drug store and kids can check them out of public libraries. I get a little giggle out of the fact that these novels fly totally under the radar and are viewed as harmless diversions for women when, in reality, they're written porn!

8:00pm

--3 pieces spinach stuffed pizza
--1 can Coke

Cat for sale!!! For some reason this past week the cats have been going through their food faster than usual. This is making the hours before their normal mealtimes a real treat. Magellan is being a huge nuisance tonight--climbing on the counters, jumping in the sink, fighting with his sister, and yowling constantly. I finally had to shut him in the office with DH. I know he's hungry, but I can't reinforce this kind of behavior! Mercifully it's 10 minutes to feeding time and then we'll finally have some peace!

Another update to the whole situation with my old friend: I finally got an email from her tonight, responding to all I had written. She basicallly said she felt out of place at the party and has felt like I haven't made time for her. I need some time to think and digest before I get into hashing this out with her. On the one hand I'm very glad she wrote back, but on the other I'm not quite relishing the process of working this all out.

10:30pm

--2 more pieces spinach stuffed pizza

Going to bed would have been the preferable option, but at least I was hungry when I took these!

 

[pearlieq]

Good morning, Pearlieq!

I just read your post about all the selfish people in the world, somehow I missed it earlier. You are so right, it really does feel that people have gained this huge sense of entitlement. It kind of goes in along with my "giving kids whatever they want despite the cost" theory that everyone is doing now. Our neighbors got one of their kids a mini ATV (hello, we live in town) and the part that bothers me most is the fact that they are really struggling to make ends meet since their youngest was born with heart problems earlier this year and they medical bills have racked up. I just don't get it. About a week ago, I read where those who are around 30 are further in debt than any other generation before them. They got the credit cards in college, have major student loans, and learned to live beyond their means from their parents who gave them everything. (Of course, there are exceptions, not everyone falls in this group, thank God.) But unfortunately, it looks like society has created this sense of entitlement in people and I see it continuing into the next generations where my children are. That is where I am trying to hard to stay grounded with my kids and unfortunately, it is hardest on them because the kids around them aren't as grounded. But it is better for them in the long run. I guess what I am trying to say (at length), is that there are still some people out there that do care about the state of the world and the state of society and we are still trying to make a difference.

Maybe you can find a church or someone who collects clothing for those in need, or help at a food bank. People like that are still grounded in helping others and are not near as selfish as those you are running into lately.

This is exactly what I was talking about! I know what you mean about how hard it is to stay grounded and I can't imagine how difficult it must be to keep the kids grounded in this world! I really admire you for being committed to it--your children sound like wonderful people and you've done the world a service! I was just up at my aunt & uncle's house for Christmas--their 13 year old daughter has her own huge bedroom (with an en-suite) stuffed with her own computer, phone, and giant TV. She has her own cell phone, more clothes than she can fit in her closet, and got another brand new IPOD for Christmas (the old one didn't have enough memory). Was it any wonder she couldn't be bothered to sit with family for 10 minutes and open the gifts that were brought for her? What possible need would she have had to think about anyone but herself?

You make an excellent point about debt as well. A lot of the people I know just consume and consume and consume without any thought to the consequences. One of my neighbors complained several times last year about barely making their house payment and often making them late, and yet they had the biggest holiday trash pile on the block!

I had a conversation with my other neighbor about the outrageous quotes we'd gotten for window treatments and she somehow decided that our not buying $3,200 worth of blinds meant that we weren't "invested in our house" and were probably going to move! When I tried to gently explain to her that no, it's just that I don't want to overpay for window treatments and I wouldn't want to dip into our savings to pay for them, she looked at my like I was discussing aliens or something. She actually asked what DH and I would need to save for?!? This is the same woman who constantly laments about her debt and says it keeps her up nights!

I can imagine it's not too far of a leap between "I can't afford this new car but I want it so I'm going to get it" and "My opinions are the only ones that matter so the rest of the world should be forced to change". And it just goes downhill from there until you get to our current mess.

Thank you for reminding me that there are still sane people in the world. You're very right about seeking out like-minded people. I think that would help a lot!

 

[pearlieq]

12/30/05

9:15 am

--2 pieces spinach stuffed pizza
--1/2 Coke

Well, I've got a hot lunch date with DH today! Yay! He should have the afternoon off afterwards, not that there's anything we really need to do. I've got to write out bills this morning but that's about it. Somewhere in there I need to stop at the store to pick up dinner supplies for tomorrow night. Should be a nice long relaxing weekend!

****************************************************
I just had to update. I just got the following email from a woman who lives across the street. I think I've mentioned her before--she's the one who had the baby earlier this year and has been spinning around in her own little universe since she got pregnant.

*****************************************************
Hi Everyone.

Hope that you all had as good of a Christmas as we did. Wanted to send out a few pictures of Baby. I know that it has been a while....Can you even believe that he is already six months old?? He is sitting up, rolling over and plowing his way thru #2 baby food. He is learning new things everyday, Dad and I are having a hard time keeping up

In order to spare your email accounts, I only sent a few, but I have updated his website www.overexposedbaby.*** , over 120 new pictures for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
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Ugh! This woman can barely be bothered to ask how anyone else is, except in the context of bragging about her own holiday! And it has not exactly "been a while" unless that somehow translates to "less than 2 weeks since I sent you his Christmas pictures"

I talk to her maybe once a month, until I can't stand her dithering on solely about her own life or baby anymore. If DH and I were abducted by aliens, she wouldn't notice until the next holiday when she tried to bring the baby around so she can show off his outfit!

I understand that this is their first baby and that they're excited, but do they really think I lay awake nights waiting for them to send me more unsolicited pictures? I can understand that grandma might want to see all 120 snapshots, but the distribution list on this email must have been over 60 people long! I just would never imagine that anyone else is that interested in my life!

12:45pm

--1 breadstick

So my hot date was kind of a bust. DH and I wound up a different Olive Gardens about 3 towns apart! It was a mess! We were both a little agitated when we got home and it took a while for both of us to simmer down. Still, we did manage to get out and have a nice time.

3:45pm

--3 breadsticks
--large helping salad
--whole wheat linguine in garlic cream sauce w/broccoli
--chocolate lasagna
--2/3 lemon cream cake

Quite a full meal! We did finally have a good time together once we settled down and worked through our miscommunication.

6:30pm

--1 piece spinach pizza
--1/2 Coke

I'm not exactly sure what possessed me to eat this. It's not like I was hungry. It's been a long night. Our satillite TV is completely out and has been for hours and DISH has been less than responsive. I think this is the last straw and we'll be switching back to cable pretty soon, especially since they're offering a great new program for government employees. Our internet has also been out a lot this evening, so DH and I had to get radical and actually find something else to do! Egads!!!

11:00pm

--1 PB&J
--1/2 cup macaroni & cheese
--1 can low carb peaches
--1/2 can Coke

We finally got hungry again, and I'm proud that I resisted the fast food run/pizza call and actually came up with something at home.

Well, tonight seems to be the night for TV issues. I finally caved and let DH get a big screen TV with lots of acronyms I don't understand. He seems happy, though, and we got a really good deal. It's going to go upstairs in our loft which means that we have to rearrange the sectional up there. This sectional is a 9,000 lb fuzzy brown La-Z-Boy monstrosity. DH has already sworn that it gets sold with the house. Should be interesting to move it.

Speaking of home sales, our next door neighbor just put their house on the market. Their other next door neighbor will also be selling this spring, so we should be getting some new faces on the block, which could be good or bad. I'm a strong believer in the axiom that the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know, but I suppose I should stop being so cynical and start looking for good cookie recipies to take over to the new neighbors.