monday 9.14

I am Starbucks. My plan was to come here and catch up on all the blog an internets reading in my queue. So far I have spent 30 minutes on Twitter and and adding to the pile. Really, I should have done the reading this weekend but...

I made the mistake of buying Tetris for the iPhone. Then Ryan wanted it. OK not a big deal. But in order to add it to Ryan's iPod, I had to disable restrictions. I left them off and then he tried to buy an app. "I don't have a password." Uh, no and you won't get one either. Surprising, he went into his bank for the $10 for Madden NFL 10. He did have some trouble in the beginning but is doing better with it now.

I started reading a real live book! It's one I got recently in the bargain section. Unfortunately, it's one I have already read and have on digital. Oops. Yes, I am still reading it. It's a decent book. Yes the outcome is predictable but I am enjoying reading the details again.

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Hmm... the barista at Starbucks is fickle. One day I got a refill for $.54. The next day she gave me one for free. Last week it was full price. So I asked someone else about the policy. OK so technically lattés are not included. Then why did I get such a good deal those 2 days? Perhaps she didn't know either. So now the venti is a better value. But my DCI I Am Not a Paper Cup is only 12 ounces. I guess it's telling me one tall per visit is enough.

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I spent some time reading from Instapaper. At least half are better read on my desktop so I moved them to appropriate folder. But when will I get to them? I need to accept that I can't read it all not view every video that comes my way. How do those who watch TV, have jobs, social lives, etc, do it all?

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It's probably a good thing but all the fruit was gone by today's breakfast. I could not go to Shannon's as they are closed on Mondays. I went to Publix and got some peaches and cantaloupe. I hope they are not bad. (The melon is almost tasteless.) I also remembered to look for Diswasher Magic. They have it for $3.99, way cheaper than my last bottle. They did not have any Evening Primrose Oil which is supposed to be good for brittle nails. To prevent them, I need nothing to cause them. The pharmacist had not even heard of it. I checked google and the closest place is The Vitamin Shoppe at slug mall or Brandon. Hmm... Do I want to spend over $10/month on this? And it will take about 6 weeks to show results.

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friday 9.11

Routines can be good. Until you forget you are meant to be doing something different that day. After Andy left, I went inside and started to update my blog and post photo of the day. Once I was finished, I realized I should have taken a shower so I can leave for the zoo after Ryan gets picked up. Bit I had enough time and showered and dried my hair and now I sit waiting for his bus. His original pick up time is 8:42 but they are usually late.

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The zoo was fun! When was the last time I said that? Oh right, never. I have never gone by myself. I have either been a kid myself with a school group or with my own kids. I could take any shots I wanted and go anywhere. And I did. I only did the Asian and primate areas but took over 800 shots. I am so glad I decided to go back for my battery. I needed it. I am not sure how the long shots will come out. I am too shaky. I tried to brace myself against the railings but... An annual for an adult is only $45 and an additional 10% off if I get one this month. I can see doing this on the way to the chiropractor.

Now I am hungry.

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Lunch was good.

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I stopped to take some photos of the Hamner Fire Tower. I liked the sky behind it. I guess 800 photos from the zoo wasn't enough.

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I thought some more tea might be good. The zoo charges over $5 for a tall tea, no latté. (I was going to take this out once I realized my dyslexia mislead me. The tea is $1.55, not $5.15.) Glad I had gotten one on the way. Yelp! showed no places along my route. So I skipped it. See, being lazy can be good.

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I am glad that Tijuana Flats finally posted the nutritional information. Seeing what the difference in calories the regular cheese and low fat cheese, I may have to make the switch. I might try it next week.

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Andy's new sandals came today. They fit but seem a little hard to get on. I think it is because he has a high arch like his dad. Maybe Tevas might be a better option.

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Saturday 9.12 I have whittled the 825 photos down to 209. Then I whittled some more and found 41 photos that I would like to process. Expect to see some of them next week.

thursday 9.10

These were shot with my iPhone. I know the quality isn't that great but I had to show that Ryan's does cooperate now and again.

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Ack! Make it stop!

I am planning on going to water aerobics this morning. It starts at 10. That gives me an hour to do something. I was thinking about either washing down the cabinet fronts (FlyLady task from Tuesday) or walking. Then, as I sit playing solitaire and my eyes are getting heavy, I am thinking of Starbucks. Starbucks! A year ago it never crossed my mind. I used to shake my head at those who had to know where the closest one was. Now I can't stop thinking about it. What drug do they put in their drinks?

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I did a short walk around the area. I was a little slower this morning. I think I was looking around too much and I stopped a couple times to take some pictures. The cranes barely registered me. The one on the right never looked up. I guess she was relying on her mate.

No one at the pool yet. There is a sign on the gate. Oh,,, the playground is closed for maintenance. They are adding mulch. C is here in a really bright pareo. Oh and that man with the black speedo and man boobs just walked up. I could go and be social or stay in the car...

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Water aerobics is done and I am so sleepy and hungry. Shower and lunch.

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Once I added in my meals and exercise, I was only at about 100 calories. So guess where I went. I did the drive-thru at Starbucks then went to Shannon's Farm Fresh Produce. It's a nice place. Lots of great looking stuff and I paid attention to the prices. Much better than Publix and only 20 minutes away. (When we lived in Grosse Pointe, we were used to driving 30-40 minutes to go anywhere to shop. The Village was close but not a great selection.)



I was taking photos and the guy asked if I was going to start up my own place. I explained that I was just shooting for me and he kept talking to me. I asked him where he got his produce and he said mostly Tampa Wholesale. He said they were the best place around and worth the costs. He said that Publix has to get their produce from California (??) so their costs are higher and the quality is lower. He was very chatty and showed me all that they throw out each day, about 3-4 30 gallons bins full. He also showed me to reduced table, stuff that needed to be used that day.

The peppers looked so good but I don't really eat peppers unless they are in a soup, stew or such. I filled up my Longaberger market basket for about $11. I would like to make this a weekly trip.

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I am sitting outside waiting for Andy's bus. These darn weaver ants keep crawling up my legs.

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Andy's bus was late. It started raining and I noticed a lot of water coming out through the joint betweet the gutter and the downspout. It wasn't raining hard so I can imagine the load that comes out when it does rain heavy. I've added it my home repair list.

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I made real popcorn. I used a pan with olive oil. I don't think I have ever made it on a gas stove. The rules might be different. I did scorch a few kernels but mostly it was fine. It's more filling and tastier than microwave popcorn. I did melt some butter but once that was gone, the salt alone was fine.

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Waiting for Ryan's bus now and still battling the ants. Rain only makes things more humid.

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wednesday 9.9

Apple is supposed to announce new iPods today. Since I have my iPhone, I am not very interested in iPods. I may have to get a replacement for Andy soon though he doesn't seem bothered by not being able to use it outside of his bedroom. (Edited: Hmm... now that the iPod Nano has video, this might be a good replacement for Andy.)

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I am dressed and ready to walk this morning. No excuses.

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Yes! I walked. Only 2 miles but I am happy with that. Nice to see my pace was still about the same as last spring. I used RunKeeper which is an app for the iPhone. Very cool as it maps your walk/run as well as showing your current pace and other stats. Much better than going home to Map My Walk to map my route to calculate mileage and speed. Map My Walk does have an iPhone app but the reviews were not so good. One review suggested RunKeeper so I checked it out. It does eat up the battery but I did just read you can dim the screen while it is running. (You can't do that with iMapMyRun.)

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Today is 09.09.09. There is Worldwide Moment to keep track of those dates which occur every hundred years with photos. I was walking at 9:09 so I shot a Crape Myrtle bloom with my iPhone. The iPhone camera is OK. It will NOT replace my dSLR but it's nice to have in a pinch. On my way back I noticed what I thought to be broken glass on the sidewalk. Then I stopped and looked again. It was dew so I took a shot. This one only needed a little sharpening.

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Today is the day I go back to using Lose It! Lose It! Is another app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I've blogged about it before (but I can't find the post). I have used iExercise but I might stop as it seems redundant.

Amazing how few calories one consumes when one gives up many of the carbs. For lunch I had salmon and tomatoes with kiwi for dessert. That is only 227 calories including the olive oil. So I can justify the non-fat chai tea latté.

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I tried to be a good and stay home. I really did. But once I got the card done, I kept thinking Starbucks. But I can quit anytime.

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Do you love chairs? Not just to sit in. But to look at. Here is a great collection of chairs at Chair Whore.

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tuesday 9.8

Busy day. I went to the first meet up for the Tampa Photography Forum. I was late and will be since I have to wait until the bus picks up Ryan. No big deal. We met at Café Kili which is a coffee shop run by Kenyans. So my request for a black tea latté threw them off a bit. She ended up steeping black tea in whole milk. Rich!

The meeting was interesting. Moslty new people, a few who go to the NPPF meetings. One guy asked a lot of questions about how to use flash with his camera. I really need to get a flash. A few of us had photos to show. My slideshow went OK. I need to have to pics stay longer before it moves onto the next one. They did say there will be some Monday morning walks. Good. But I hope they are not too early.

All the photo talk made me want to go shoot. But where? No one was local to Temple Terrace so no good suggestions. I thought about the Big Top Flea Market but they are only open on Saturdays and Sundays. I turned around to go to Lettuce Lake Park. As I passed the bypass canal, I saw a concrete drainage ditch covered in graffiti. I think it would be a cool spot to shoot with the right light. I added it to my list.

I don't know what I was thinking going to Lettuce Lake Park. I didn't have the time to wander about. So I walked on the boardwalk until I could see the lake then turned back. The lake is overgown and is not continuous. The most exciting thing I saw were squirrels.

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The appointment. We got there early but had to wait. They called us in and we went to get weighed. Andy hesitated since it is one of walk/ride scales. But he let them weigh him. 138. Next was the height. He didn't want the thing to come down so I adjusted it and he went under. 5'-6". He would not allow the nurse to take his blood pressure with the wrist cuff. I did it to show it wouldn't hurt. I was surprised my blood pressure was not high, 117/79. I like that wrist cuff much better than the arm cuff that practically squeezes your arm in two.

Then we waited. And waited. And waited. It was 3:50 when the doctor finally showed up. He listened to Andy's heart and checked his knees. He asked him to touch his toes and stand on one leg, then the other. And we were done. He seems like a really nice doctor. His specialty is rheumatology. The appointment was free!

We were too late to pick up Ryan and I knew he would be upset. We stopped at Wendy's to get fries. OK I got a junior frosty... I was thirsty and didn't want any caffeine.

Ryan was upset but it didn't last long. Whew.

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On the way back from the doctor's office, I saw Shannon's Produce Market. It looks bigger than the other places I have been. I will have to back this week and check it out. Speaking of fruit, I got some great peaches and kiwi from Target. Yeah, I know.

weekend update

Saturday. Not much to blog about today. I wasted a couple of hours in the morning with my eyes unable to open. Only a full bladder made me wake up enough to remove myself from that chair. The rest of the day was more productive. I backed up hard drives and updated software. I made 3 cards and processed my photos from yesterday. On the home front, I did some laundry and made 3 meals. Actually 5 meals if you consider that I don't eat the same breakfast nor dinner as the boys. I ate lots of fruit and vegetables today. Lots. The boys hung out in their rooms most of the day.

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Sunday morning. I got up at 6, grabbed some tea and sat that chair. Then spent the next 90 minutes on my iPhone checking email, reading Twitter and blogs. I looked up to see the sky light and realized that I had missed the sunrise. Nothing new, I miss the sunrise everyday and that is what hit me. I am never just being unless I am asleep. When awake, I am always doing. Reading, eating, creating, working, blogging, shooting, cleaning, washing, driving, walking, shopping... But never just being. I need to work on that. Ironic, I know.

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All I wanted to do today was sleep. I didn't but I wanted to. I made some granola to send to a friend. I made another card and did some laundry. I filled out the form for Andy's physical and read. Not exciting at all.

I think the neighbors had all the excitement. Lots of screeching and wooting coming from the pool. I am glad all is quiet now.

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Keeping it real/TMI... I ate a lot of fruit this weekend. A lot. I wasn't doing any fruit fast of cleanse. I was just enjoying all the fruit I got at the markets last week. However, after this effects of eating a lot of fruit, I know I will never do a fruit fast. And that's all I am going to say.

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It's a good thing Bonnie called or I might have spent the rest of the afternoon semi-conscious in that chair.

I did manage to get potd posted and a slideshow for tomorrow's meet-up. Other than that... I did make dinner though dessert was really sad as there have been no cookies for 2 days. I ate a bowl of mini marshmallows.

I read The Graveyard Book. Very good. A++

friday 9.4

It's foggy this morning. Outside and inside my head. The fog makes everything louder. Including the neighbors 4 houses down who sound like they are in my driveway.

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I am still have bad ankle pain especially in the morning. So I stayed home and I made a couple of cards this morning. I could really get used to be just a housewife again. Can one be a housewife if one is a widow? Am I a housewidow?

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I set up an alltop page thinking it might be better than the blog reader. But I can only see a text brief and no images. I think I'll stick with google reader. But I need to prune some blogs. I can't get through all of it.

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I was trying to figure out what to wear today. I prefer my wrap skirts but I already wore them Wednesday and Thursday and I only have 2. I looked in my wardrobe and found 3 chino skirts I had forgotten about. And they fit!

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Yesterday I got a refill of tea for $.54. Today the refill was free! This make better economic sense that buying a venti.

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I am early to pick up Andy.

Oh man! He gets so excited to leave early and his teacher just eggs him on. The poor boy needs new shoes!

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Now we are real early for Ryan.

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Crud! I jinxed myself. I add to this post while at Barnes & Noble. The last thing I typed was that it just figures that now I have an iPhone, the wifi works. I went to save my post and the wifi hiccupped and I lost it. I actually thought the whole thing was lost but it turns out it was just the update. OK so...

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Ryan was not let out very early. In fact, just as we got ready to leave, they stuck a stop sign in front of our car. This is to allow the pre-schoolers, walkers and bike-riders extra time to get out. The car loop runs along side the sidewalk and if a kid should slip off the curb... SPLAT! This wait made the boys upset but there wasn't anything I could do. We left soon enough and then got to the salon too early.













We walked around the back by the pond but it was hot in the sun. So we waited inside. It was Dana, her client, and Lori. I set up our appointments for the rest of the year.



Andy saw Dana and said "Welcome you back." Unprompted.

Both boys were apprehensive about getting their hair cut. Ryan did OK but Andy was extra squirmy.



We then made our trips to Wendy's and Chick Fil A then back up the road to Barnes & Noble. I got a chai latté that was very good. I looked through The iPhone Book: How to Do the Most Important, Useful & Fun Stuff with Your iPhone, 2nd Edition since The iPhone Book, Third Edition (Covers iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch) (3rd Edition) is not available until September 11. Huh? I checked amazon and it is available now and I meant to put it in my cart but clicked buy now instead. Oops. Oh well.

Ryan found the new volume of The Complete Peanuts, 1973-1974 and could not wait for it to be shipped. It costs almost $10 more at Barnes & Noble! Good thing Andy opted for a Thomas and Friends: Steam Engine Stories (Thomas & Friends).



There was a bit of thunder while we were in the store. But we made it home through only a few drops. The Service Traction System warning sign came on again. I wonder if it has something to do with the rain. My 2000 Montana had a problem with the oil light coming on when it rained.

thursday 9.3

I decided to make some Moo Cards. I got the size requirements and decided on 100 images. I dragged them into Photoshop and start cropping. First I goofed and put some in the wrong folders when I saved them and then I couldn't find them. Ugh. OK got that fixed. After Ryan was off to school, I decided to only work on this for 30 minutes. I didn't spend much time on each photo, just crop and go! It's amazing how quickly I can work when forced. Some photos just don't work when cropped to that size and I had to ditch them. I had 90 photos done when the timer went off so I just finished. I started the upload of 95 images and went to take a shower.

The upload was done when I come out. I started to look at their crops and realize I didn't get the right dimensions. I was using the bleed. Many photos are OK, some needed adjustment. But quite a few don't work so I deleted them. I get down to 50 to print which gives me 2 of each if I want to save one. Why? I have the original. I am a little disappointed that there is no option for a custom back. You can choose one of their icons and type in up to 6 lines of type. I kept it simple. When I do get to the point where I need more professional business cards, I probably won't be using Moo. I went to checkout and 1password crashes safari. Feck! Back to the upload and ... This time I was able to checkout without a problem.

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I called to make an appointment for Andy with the doctor. I could have gotten in today or tomorrow but times conflicted with bus routes and haircuts. I felt bad saying no. We have an appointment on Tuesday at 3. It may be cutting it close but S assured me she can get me in and out quickly.

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11:00 @ Starbucks. Crowded. I had to sit at a table! Oh a chair has opened up but I am OK. I should leave soon anyway. Someone (a guy) smells good. It's been too long since I have smelled men's cologne.

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I saw two helicopters hovering around the Hillsborough river on the way to the chiropractor. Hmm... Good adjustment and they are always so appreciative of my cookies. (Yeah, I know, but I love the praise.)

I couldn't decide where to go to shoot so I went to Tijuana Flats for lunch. Food was not hot enough and cooled off to quickly. And there were too many noisy kids around.

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A steady rain so I didn't try anywhere to shoot. I went home via Bearss and stopped at the market. Bigger selection. Better photos.

Then I went to Publix and home. Not too many shots taken today. Most of the cloud shots had to be tossed. I don't have anything for perspective. I guess I won't be on theme today.

Just enjoying the quiet until Andy come home. Oh there are the beeps.

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Andy's bus came earlier than expected. I was in the bathroom. I need to readjust the time.

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Ryan came home and did 5-10 minutes of homework. I think it was math since he did it right away. Then he wanted to go out. Dang, it's humid! Ryan snuck back in and I was left out alone. Andy came back out and we saw that our neighbors were out. We went over & visited. T climbed a tree and I took some pictures but they didn't come out. A hawk grabbed a lizard from the driveway and ate him while sitting on my mailbox. I had the wrong lens. Those birds are pretty amazing.

wednesday

I had plans to do some walking and shooting around Seven Oaks this morning. But it rained. It doesn't normally rain in the mornings, grrr.

I decided to get some tea, cash, gas and then up to the Lake Jovita Farmer's Market. On Bruce B Downs at Williamsburg, the signal light beam was sitting on the side of the road. I circled around and illegally parked my car and got out. Even with the rain I had to take pictures. When do you ever get a chance to get so close? Man, those are big!

The ATM froze at the bank so I had to circle around and right a check. I didn't feel like waiting in the rain anymore. The gas pump gave me some problems and I finally moved on to another pump. I realized then it was user error. I did get it to work but can someone please explain why you are asked if you want a receipt but when it comes time to get it you are prompted to see the cashier? No, this isn't a one-off. It happens all the time at that Hess. and maybe someday I will learn and click No?

It was a bit sad driving up to San Antonio. The pastures which where short grass and few shade trees is now filling up with scrub since the cows are gone. The produce looked and smelled good but the selection was slim. It's not a true Farmer's Market as the owner goes to Plant City then brings it back. I wonder how much farther it is to Plant City?

I drove back 52 to the interstate. I stopped at Marathon Coach and asked to take some photos of the custom rigs sitting outside. The office manager was hesitant but she asked her boss. He was very nice and said "Sure!"

I went to Tijuana Flats for lunch and it was good. Just a small bean burrito meal with half & half tea. Then I remembered that I had forgotten the cookies for Dana. I thought I had enough time to dash home. I was a few minutes late but then I had to wait a few minutes. I just rattled on and barely let Dana talk. At least I looked I at the baby book so subtly placed on the cabinet in front of the chair. The new salon is nice. There are 4 stylists and each one has her own room.

When I was home to pick up the cookies, I got my prints from MpixPro and my DCI I Am Not a Paper Cup. I went back to Starbucks. I tried the vanilla rooibos since it has no caffeine. It has a different flavor. I might get used to it. Or maybe I should try to get used to the chai? My prints look great. Now I realize I should get some business cards for the meet-ups. A good excuse to get some Moo Cards.

My home wi-fi is acting up again, grrr. This is the 3rd time this week I have had to reboot it.

Andy is home. The bus driver said he did well during the bus evacuation. I had never heard of such a thing. He has also has had 2 fire drills, though one wasn't planned. They don't seem to bother him.

It started raining after Ryan got home. Soon Andy was running and looking for his umbrella. He had seen Ryan out with his and wanted to play. They were in the backyard and I could here thunder in the distance. I was checking to see how close the more intense storms were when they came back inside just as the rain came down in buckets. We got about 2 inches or more and those noisy frogs were at it all night.

Ryan is now able to wash his hair without me, yay!

I follow too many blogs clips too many articles to read. Newspaper? TV? No time!

I am having a hard time staying away from my awesome cookies. At least they are fresh and made from scratch.

stumble trip stumble trip

That is the sound of me trying get back on the right path. Apparently good intentions only go so far.



I should know that the first week of school is always a bit crazy and not to expect a lot of exercise time. But now it's week 2 and I have walked a total of zero times. Good grief! This has got to stop!

Monday I had a good excuse. Mostly. I went to an iPhone workshop at the Apple store. No, I didn't learn a lot but it was fun. What I didn't need to do was go out to lunch at Sinigual. And I didn't need to eat the chips and salsa (I was glad it was a small basket and refused a refill) and I didn't need to order the flan (but I could only eat a third of it before I realized how stuffed I was). In fact, I was so stuffed that I didn't eat the rest of the day. Well, except for a peach around dinner time. And really, the chicken tacos were not big. It must have been the beans.

I should have walked Tuesday but needed to get some cards made and cookies baked. I baked some awesome oatmeal chocolate chip Heath bits cookies. Of course I had to make sure they were good. Tuesday was the first day of Robynn's 30 Day Throw Down and although I did not eat anything overly processed, I didn't eat all that well either. Well, I was fine until I tasted the cookies. A healthy breakfast and healthy lunch were followed by a cookie about every 2 hours. No dinner.

Today? Besides the hurting ankle? I have an appointment to get my haircut. It's been 3 months, no guilt. Well, as long as I eat a healthy lunch. And I had plans to walk around and take some photos. Guess what, it's raining. It supposed to rain in the afternoon and evening not in the morning. Oh that probably explains the ankle. Damn arthritis!

As far as weigh ins go. Well, I am hovering over the next digit. I hate that. One day it's XX0, the next it's XX2. Make up my mind already! So I need to get back into that rhythm so the scale can move down.