Saturday, June 26, 2010

Figureing Out FIT....

My pants fell off today.

Which kind of surprised me, I mean, they had been getting looser, but falling off was a new one.

Well, well, I thought. And went to my next size down, without much hope they were going to FIT. Sure did. Not only that, but they weren't SNUG. Baggy.

I've been questing on this getting FIT for a while, and trying different things, but it finally hit me about 8 weeks ago:

Would I serve this to my Boss?

I cook for him when he is home, and he likes to eat right. Breakfast is porridge, or eggs surrounded by veggies. Fruit and yogurt. A snack in the afternoon might be a couple of brown rice cakes, lightly spread with cream cheese, with tomato or cucumber on top. Dinner, which I generally leave for him, is a huge salad, with some sort of protein either cooked or ready to be. Unless I make up a pot of soup, or Indian.

Nothing processed. Whole grains. Healthy meat. No sweat on FORBIDDEN, or portions, except in a general, sensible way.

And every time he is home, he looses weight.

So for the past 8 weeks or so, when I eat, I try and remember to ask myself:

Would I serve this to my Boss?

Darned if it doesn't seem to be working.

Am I perfect at it? No. Can I tell you how much I have lost, in how long? No. I don't want to know. No scales. No keeping track. No sweating if I fail and have pizza. I don't go to the gym. I walk the dogs and ride my horse. The best drink is water.

(Knowing you are going to meet a dozen or so Roller Derby Girls who have plans to kidnap you and take you skating in the fall is a good motivator as well, if you can manage it.)

But the best one is: my pants fell off today, and the next size down fit more than perfectly.

And I want them to fall off again.

Hope you are there.

Love and FIT,
Lorraine

168 Comments:

At 23:03 Blogger Ticia said...

Thank you for this post. I too have been working on The Fit, but lately stress has had me reaching for comfort foods more than I'd like. I need to remember to be kind to myself and realize that some times will be easier than others. It's all about taking care of myself and feeling good. Although pants falling off would not be a bad thing. :)

At 23:05 Blogger fdhbstephanie said...

Congrats - I've been on the same route until almost three weeks vacation hit! Leaving Madison, hitting the House on the Rock tomorrow (thanks to your boss!) and then back on the veggie/non-processed food wagon. Bellydance also works wonders and is tons of fun ;-)

At 23:08 Blogger Laura B said...

That's wonderful!:)

At 23:21 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Great philosophy, and one I might just employ.

I'm still chuckling about the delight in your words when you say your pants fell off.

At 23:59 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Well, would have been DARN funnier if I had been out, and not at home...

At 00:00 Blogger Cecily said...

That is so Fabulous Lorraine!

I was just talked with the partner today about how we generally eat well, but we don't exercise AT ALL, and if we just did, then we would probably be losing all this excess weight that we have.

You are once again an inspiration!

At 00:00 Blogger Cecily said...

*sigh* tick

At 00:49 Blogger spacedlaw said...

That's great news! And indeed the Neil diet (which is not a diet) is perfect.

At 01:28 Blogger ariandalen said...

YAY! I trust that your pants fell off _before_ you went out of the house. ;) It's really great that the next smaller pair of pants were baggy, too. :)

I fell off the FIT wagon three months ago. Not happy with myself, so I need to do something about it.

Love the picture of Venus, Mim, and Magic grooming each other. Photo here for non-Twitter Fiends. Yay for them getting along together!

Hi, ScarlettSiren and Dee! Welcome to Fiendom! Here are white, buckled jackets of your very own. Look around and you'll find anything you might want to personalize your jacket. :)

At 02:47 Blogger gaypet said...

Congrats on the fit! I need to find some of that...

Thanks for the advise, all. I recommended she go to the county to ask for help. And I offered to help fund raise. Not sure what she is going to do. But she may feel less alone. Thanks again, fiends.

At 04:02 Blogger Marjorie said...

Hurrah for the fit, and for visible results :-)

At 06:20 Blogger Jill said...

Lorraine, thank you for doing this the RIGHT way. I can't tell you how much I loathe those diet-pill commercials: "Hey, want to lose weight but don't want to exercise or eat right? Just take this pill!" Ugh.

Thank you also for not flipping out when you have a treat every now and again. I think the key to a healthy diet is moderation, not complete denial. Some people deny themselves one cookie, and then wind up eating the whole bag later when they snap.

Congrats to you on the fitness!

At 07:26 Blogger MJ Shubert said...

Finding the right combination can be challenging, and the older I get, the more challenging it becomes. So, yeah rah for pants falling off. Gives a better meaning to "pants on the floor".

At 07:53 Blogger DataGoddess said...

You should invest in some pretty underwear in case it happens in public ;-)

Yay for FIT!!

At 08:02 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Morning! Well, I didn't get to sleep till 2 then it wasn't much sleep, so got up at SEVEN, changed the sheets, started laundry, did the cat boxes, and am now badgering the BFF's to get out of bed and go riding with me.

Not sure if I am winning that one. One is on her way to work, the other just laughs.

You know, it just hot me, when you gain weight, you gain maybe 4-5 pounds a month, and you don't stress and jump on the scale every day, and you don't think every little extra will hurt.

Think it has to be the same going DOWN, 4-5 pounds a month, and every little GOOD thing you do makes the difference.

It's whatever works, you can't be miserable for goodness sake. Or take a pill. Or DROP 10 POUNDS IN 2 WEEKS!

Forget about it. Make better choices. Your pants will fall off.

That's our FIT club, PANTS ON THE FLOOR!

At 08:07 Blogger Phiala said...

We had a lovely thunderstorm in the middle of the night. I went back to sleep after, and dreamed about sneaking into a Broadway show through a back door next to a bar with Q and two other people. It was a great deal of fun.

At 08:07 Blogger Phiala said...

And blogger is continuing to be a pain, so this is a tick-collecting comment.

At 08:14 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

And yes, Data, tho ANY underwear might be a good thing for this Plan, would have been dead awkward in public, lol

At 08:21 Anonymous Sister Tracy said...

Thanks Lorraine, for the 'Would I feed this to my Boss?'. I just realized my husband Jay is eating better than me. I do all the cooking, we eat the same but I eat less. I tend to give him more fruits and veggies along with whatever healthy thing we have. I need to make sure my goal is FIT not skinny!

At 08:25 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Morning Tracy! That's the thing. FIT not Skinny. I think we so tend to treat others better than we do ourselves a lot...SOmething to think on.

HA! Worked, got the BFF up and we are going for a ride! Then lunch. Healthy of course, but satisfying and fun.

(ok, ok, I will stop, don't hit me)

At 08:39 Anonymous Sister Tracy said...

Last week I read an article that said most parents don't see it when their kids are fat. I've come to realize my CATS are fat. One of them obese, actually. They use their Kitty Mind Powers on me to get catfood. Plus they lie and steal and scavenge. So I may be feeding my mate right, but the kitties need some work.
They will hate you for this; but I'm all fired up now!!

At 09:19 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Pants On the Floor is a GREAT name.

At 09:22 Blogger spacedlaw said...

There kitties look like real mischief makers, Phiala. Too cute to be really honest.

At 09:34 Blogger Marjorie said...

Enjoy your ride!

I just got home from a trip to London to see TMBG. as those of you on Twitter may have seen, it didn't start well, what with the almost falling under a train part (I slipped getting into the train, and fell into the coach, with both legs down the Gap)
and irretrievably dropped my copy of 'Neverwhere', although I didn't realise that at first.
The weekend did get better after that, though. And both gigs were great. I shall be blogging it & putting up some pictures later today.

How is everyone's weekend going?

At 10:01 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Eeeps. Marjorie! Don't you go and do an Anna Karenine on us!

At 10:23 Blogger Jane said...

tick

At 10:31 Blogger LihuaEmilyP said...

Glad to know you're feeling really wonderful, Quiche!

At 10:51 Blogger gaypet said...

Yikes, Marjorie! A lost Neverwhere is terrible but I am glad you are OK!

I hope your ride is great, Q.

At 11:08 Blogger Cecily said...

YAY for Lorraine being part of Team Commando! But yeah, if your drawers are dropping, you might want to take a leave of absence from Team Commando for a little while. ;-)

Tracy, most parents can't see when they are making their children into demon spawn brats, so I'm not surprised if they can't see obesity. :-)

At 11:19 Blogger LihuaEmilyP said...

And Marjorie, lost Neverwhere ... most unfortunate, but it will be somewhere in the world ... forever.

...

*_*

Sorry. I just watched the Doctor Who finale.

At 11:28 Blogger spacedlaw said...

How ironic that Neverwhere didn't mind The Gap...

At 11:29 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Ironic and completely fitting.

At 11:35 Blogger Marjorie said...

Nathalie, I prefer to think that it sacrificed itself to The Gap, and that without it's selflessness I might have fallen further...

Happily it was my second-best copy, and not signed or otherwise irreplacable!

At 11:48 Blogger Cecily said...

I was going to say, was I the only one that noticed that it was Neverwear that didn't Mind the Gap, but I am sick got to it late.

I hate this feeling...I can feel Sick coming, and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. Eccinacea has been had, advil has been had, and I have to work. *sigh*

At 12:51 Blogger Hellie said...

Oh Marjorie, that must have been scary! Glad you're ok. Brave Neverwhere.

Having a fairly quiet weekend; a welcome break from house-buying-sorty-out-stuff! Watched the wonderful Dr Who series finale - definately the best episode of the series. Matt Smith may have finally won me over. We just sat through the debacle that was the England v Germany football match.

I'm having a bit of a Fit attempt too, after realising how much weight I've put on since I met boyfriend 5 years ago. I think I've tended to be a bit of a yo yo dieter in the past, an all or nothing approach but am trying the slow & steady approach!

At 12:52 Blogger Hellie said...

ps Feel better Cecily!

At 13:03 Blogger Cecily said...

I spelled Neverwhere wrong...I would feel stupid about this, but considering the amount of brain effort it is taking to type and that the screen in blurry from my head congestion, I'm gonna give myself a pass.

Thanks Hellie! Here's hoping I make it through my work. *sigh*

At 13:19 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Marjorie, send me your address, I think I can, uh, help you out with replacing that Neverwhere, he'll enjoy the story...

At 13:27 Anonymous Jenn said...

Would I Serve This to My Boss.

That's great.

At 13:30 Anonymous Jenn said...

Lorraine, you have friends that don't squeal like fangirls and jump at the chance to ride?

Where do you FIND these people?

Seriously, your riding is a BIG part of your FIT. Amazing how just using muscles makes the body better.

At 13:44 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Actually, these are my Horse Friends. -I- Squee and jump, or would if I wasn't trying to be so cool, at the chance to ride with THEM.

They are the ones who have taught me, helped me, lent me horses and equipment before I had my own.

They barely register what my job is, just that it seems cool. With them, if your heart is kind and you love horses, you're in.

At 13:45 Blogger AletaMay said...

I see a whole line of fiendish products proclaiming WWQFHB!

Marjorie! Yicks! So glad everything turned out well in the end.

At 14:43 Blogger Chantrelle said...

That is flippin' awesome Q! People always ask me how i stay skinny and I say "I don't eat crap!" I have a similar diet to boss. We had frittata this morning! :)

And since I've been getting my CSA box (otherwise known as the huge pile of veggies I can't possibly finish each week) and Ben ALWAYS wanting to play tag (and he's SOOO fast!..or i'm slow) I have noticed I have to sometimes hold on to my waistband to chase him! Undies are good, yes.

You are increasing the list of stuff that makes you awesome.

Now, I'm off to drink wine and eat chocolate. LOL!

At 15:06 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I generally gain a few pounds in winter (My body wants its layer of blubber) but I don't freak out as I know once the weather is hot my appetite will decrease and I'll lose those pounds with very little effort. In a way it could be considered yo-yoing but it's simply the way my body is.

I remember a few years ago I became aware that I'd lost some more weight than usual when my favorite jeans fit loosely and I decided to continue to see if I could return to the weight of my young adulthood...and I did using portion control and controlled indulgence plus cutting down on sugar and highly processed foods and walking more.

At 15:09 Blogger Fluffy said...

I have often wondered why I was so motivated to eat right when I was pregnant, and to feed my family good food, but was not so concerned about myself. It rather looks as if I love them more!

And I did think of a song lyric:

"Pants on the ground, Pants on the ground, Looking like a Goddess with your pants on the ground!"

Congratulations!!!

At 15:10 Blogger Na said...

Lorraine, thank you for the opportunity to say something I never before imagined uttering: Yay for your pants falling down!

Marjorie - eeek! Glad you're okay, and condolences regarding the book.

My weekend is not near so fun or scary. Yesterday I puttered, bought bus tickets, returned things to the library, got a haircut, mailed a check, and watched Dr. Who with the kids. Also teared up a bit watching the U.S. lose to Ghana, but was truly saddened to learn "our" comic shop is closing in a few days. It has a lovely atmosphere, cool inventory, extremely helpful staff (not a given for some shops I've been in), but especially dear to me was that at least one person working there knew me by name, and I treasured that here in what still feels like exile.

Today I cleaned some more, and in the next little bit I'm going to the local Can't Stop the Serenity event. I aim to misbehave.

Best wishes to the friend of friend, Gayle. Something has to come right, somehow.

At 15:12 Blogger Na said...

Ha ha! Fluffy, that's great.

At 15:34 Blogger Marjorie said...

Thankyou for all the wellwises - It ws more scary once I was sitting down and had time to realise what just heppned. and at least if you start the day that way, it's pretty much certain to get better!
TMBG were awesome, and there wasa Science Festival going on so there were dinosaurs outside, and some amazing "Air Penguins" in the auditorium & foyer - there are pictures and video on my blog and the company has some up on youtube - search for "Festo Air Penguin". They are just increible.

At 16:42 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Fods Marjorie, my heart was in my mouth just reading about The Gap. Bless Neverwhere for self sacrifice.

Cecily - sending healthy vibes.

Hope your ride is wonderful Lorraine.
and now - time for my second cuppa for the day.

Is anyone else finding that they have to sign in twice? Stoopid Blogger.

At 17:20 Anonymous kali_licious said...

Good thing you were at home Lorraine!
But still, GO YOU!

So does this mean the first rule of Fit Club is Pants On the Floor?? (Sorry, reading Fight Club for lit class, couldn't resist.;)

I'm climbing back on the fit wagon just due to having less money to buy food with. Plus taking Yoga through school in the fall.

Marjorie I'm so glad you're ok! And at least it wasn't the best copy that got sacrificed to the gods of the gap. Hopefully they enjoyed it and it was good with ketchup.

At 17:56 Blogger ariandalen said...

Hi, MJ Shubert! You are now a Fiend. As such, you gt your very own white, buckled jacket, which you can personalize any way you wish. :)

At 18:24 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Did everyone just hear my big sigh of relief?
Visit by owner's rep to look at The State Of The House has been postponed, because he is ill.
It will happen, but just not this afternoon...which means I can now relax a little.

At 18:59 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

General membership in the FIT Club is open to anyone with a desire to get more healthy and FIT, in a sane manner, eating in such a way that ones loses about the same rate as one gained, by making healthy choices instead of Bad Ones.

First elite level status in the FIT Club is, yes, Pants On The Floor.

At 19:06 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

My pants aren't falling down, but they are loose. And, they are pants I bought last month. I bought one pair of comfy pants and one pair of sexy pants. I think the sexy pants are slowly becoming comfy pants, and the comfy pants are becoming darned roomy.

I take advantage of produce sales and will probably start shopping at the local farmer's markets soon. I also have cut down on going out for cafe au lait. I bought a coffee pot and frou-frou creamer, and I carefully measure out the creamer when I drink it. When I do go to coffee shops (they help me get my work done) I order unsweetened iced tea.

I'm actually going out dancing tonight. Yesterday I stepped in a big marshy patch of ground and wrenched my knee a little, so I'm going to try to take it easy. But, I think dancing, walking, and keeping to the veggies have kept me on the road to being FIT a lot more than I was in Florida.

At 20:35 Blogger Jess said...

You says, Hope you are there, and I says, I am here. So all is well. Hahahaha! Pants On the Floor. I take it this did not happen in front of anyone, like Visting Dignitaries, then.

Poor Dog Boy. I am keeping all digits crossed for him, and thinking thoughts of sticks. Because I read he likes sticks. Has to help, right?

I am so behind and out of it and what-have-you. Just got back from Columbus where I spent the weekend bench-pressing my friend's wiggly baby. Bench-pressing babies seems like a good way to lose weight. I'm just not sure I want to start a fitness regime by trying to pass something the size of a watermelon through my pelvis. But let's not go there.

Major highlight of my adventure: we went to an all-day outdoor pig roast. Whole pig. Did not see it come out of the smoker, but it was tasty pig. It was also very hot outside, and there were many, many dogs, and a pond with a pedal boat to ride in. I did not ride in the pedal boat, but Mr. Jess did. It rode worryingly low in the water. But he did not fall in and drown, or even get mucky. So that worked out fine.

And that concludes my report. I hope you all are well, and enjoy your impending Pantslessness.

At 22:53 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Thank you for your report Jess, but KINDLY remember, I HATE PIGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kind of a long day tomorrow. I know you aren't buying this but I just got together THREE outfits for tomorrow.

One for riding lesson at 8:00am

One to change to work in (trust me after 2 hours of horses, you don't wear the clothes for anything else)

And one to take me to the vet, where a very scared dog will cling to me, shedding all the while, yet still stay nice as I move directly from vet to fancy concert in the Cities, where I am pretty sure I don't want to LOOK like I am covered in dog.

Didn't want to try that a 6:00am tomorrow.

I so have to sleep.

At 23:03 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Good night sweetie!

At 23:35 Blogger AletaMay said...

I bet I know what concert you are going to! I was so so close to buying tickets for that but Evelyn Evelyn and w00tstock took my entertainment budget for some time to come!

Enjoy and good thoughts will be going out to scared dog.

At 06:04 Blogger vampi said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

At 06:06 Blogger vampi said...

hmm something has gone terribily wrong nd i missed posting a comment. i wondered why it was so quiet.

also i haven't yet fallen asleep. this is not good, as i have to go to work in 5 hours.

comment fail.

so glad the fit is working. they say the best diet is life style change because diets are temporary. so hurrah on you for finding a way to be fit and enjoy it. i bet eventually you won't need the WWBE bracelet (what would boss eat) lol

At 07:11 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Morning.

I think.

Got cheated of sleep, couldn't for the longest time, which was pretty darn odd, then the King Lear Show began about 5:30. If he didn't make me laugh so....

Mab slept with me for a while.

That's all I got, getting ready to ride. Literally.

At 07:33 Blogger Phiala said...

Fare well in your busy, busy day, and scritches for poor scared vet-bound puppy.

At 07:35 Blogger Marjorie said...

Everyone is cheated of sleep today. I was the same- lying in bed, just could not get to slepp until about 1 a.m. Woke up at 5.30.

Grrrr.

Hope riding goes well, and that Scared Cabal is able to settle, and that the concert is fun.

I owbnder whether anyone has ever thought of marketing allover bodystockings for dogs & cats to prevent tham shedding on important occassions? I don't suppose they would be appreciated much by the furry ones...

At 07:39 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Yeah, that bit isn't going to be much fun, and it seems kind of far away at this point, time wise.

I am so going to fall asleep tonight during the show, Bela Fleck, if I forgot to mention who I was going to see. Which will be embarrassing.

At 07:42 Blogger Phiala said...

Nah, Bela Fleck will be so good there's no danger of falling asleep. :)

I slept okay last night, but Nick was up all night so it averages out.

I'm back at work after my trip to the beach, and my mother left this morning -- ending 5 consecutive weekends of houseguests. And we're probably visiting people this weekend.

I'm on a roll, though, having already made it through all my email in under an hour.

At 07:56 Blogger Ticia said...

No sleep for me either. Luckily, I took it pretty easy this weekend and even napped.

Sending calming thoughts Cabals way.

Enjoy your ride.

I'm with Phiala, I think you'll be enjoying Bela Fleck too much to fall asleep.

You might be hurting tomorrow though.

Sending love to all you fiends. May there be magic in your day, somewhere.

At 08:19 Blogger Jane said...

Sounds like it's going to be a long day with ups and downs all the way through.

Bela Fleck is fun - we've seen him twice and love not only his music but watching his personality on the stage.

Thanks for the magic wish, Phiala. I like that.

At 08:34 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Bela Fleck is too good to sleep over it!

This morning, I was serenaded out of bed (at 05:00) by Ansia, who had decided to spend the night out and was trying to claim an early breakfast (nothing like partying all night to develop an appetite, I am told). I retorted that our house wasn't an hotel and was told that the service sucks anyway.
Too think I CHOSE that cat!

At 09:36 Blogger LihuaEmilyP said...

Typing from a library computer. I cannot type properly from my laptop because t loks ike ths. Any idea how to fix sticky laptop keys? I know they are supposed to pop off, and one of them did and I could stick in right back where it belonged. Then I killed the W. (Nah, there's a way to fix it but it's taking me more time than I have).

At 09:39 Blogger Cecily said...

Emily- the best way really is to pop them off and clean under them really well.

Cabal's Humans- Sending lots of love today, you and he are in my thoughts and heart.

At 10:34 Blogger Jess said...

Even this pig, Quiche? He is called Bernard, and he loves you. Pig-hate makes him sad.

Poor Doggy! He'll be okay. He has good dog-doctors.

You can pop the keys out of laptop keyboards? I'm kind of afraid to try.

At 10:39 Blogger vampi said...

i've never successfully popped out all keys on keyboard. it really depends on the keyboard as not all have keys that easily pop in and out. i do you know want to avoid popping out the odd shaped keys like the return and space bar as thy are horrible.

i would try a compressed air can first to try and blast out the gunk under the keys.

At 10:54 Blogger Cecily said...

My youngest just found this picture, and I thought this crowd would appreciate it. :-)

http://ordtolax.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/kittens.jpg

At 11:33 Blogger Na said...

I am kitten, watch me soar.

Feels like it ought to be Tuesday. Oi.

Lovely wish, Ticia.

At the CSTS event last evening, inspired by Sock's promotion of Marian Call, I bid in a silent auction and won one of her CDs. Enjoying it much - so thanks for the recommendation, OSS!

Also learned that there's a local purveyor of things Scottish, a store called "Up Your Kilt." Thought of Paul & Lorraine, natch.

Health to Cabal!

At 12:33 Blogger AletaMay said...

If you do fall asleep listening to Bela Fleck you'll have beautyful dreams!

I'll be thinking of Cabal and his people today. Calming thoughts.

I was in the not sleeping club last night too. Fell asleep for real when it started getting light out. Not right.

At 13:28 Blogger Jess said...

I shall tick the tick box now. Good afternoon, all. How did it get to be 2:30?

At 16:45 Blogger Elyse said...

This blog post adds a lot of context to yesterday's Twitter exchange *lol* clearly I need to do better at keeping up with the blog!

At 17:40 Blogger Dragonsally said...

But Na, it IS Tuesday! Can't you lot catch up *grin*
Veery cute piggie and kitty pics.
Sending vibes of health to Cabal, and vibes of serenity to his hoomans.

At 17:43 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Also, can I have any spare health vibes that are still around? I appear to have won my BFF's cold.

At 18:12 Blogger Fluffy said...

Oooh, Sally - the gift that keeps on giving. Hope you shake it off right away.

At 18:21 Blogger Na said...

Sally, we're always trying, just never seem to gain any ground...

:D

At 18:31 Blogger Dragonsally said...

when you all reach your Tuesdays, I hope they are nicer than ours. I know its winter, but its freaking cold here. We have a really freezing lazy wind...the apparent temp is 2.2C. Brrrrr.

At 19:08 Blogger Jane said...

Sending all the pet healing forces i can muster your way. What a scary time.

Sally, stay warm!

At 20:57 Blogger Martha W. said...

There must be a lot of us this week with dirty keyboards. I was seeing hair under laptop keys, so I got a can of compressed "air" this morning and tried that. It seemed to get dust out, but not hair. I finally got quite a bit of hair out with a toothpick. The computer person at work told me once that it's tricky to pop the keys off, although he is an expert, so he can do it. I'd blamed the cats for the hair, but it was mostly my own hair, quite a large wad of it. Good for us for cleaning our own keyboards. And I'm really impressed with Quiche for being such a great cook and for the shrinkage. You are making me hungry for sensible cooking.

At 09:49 Blogger Jess said...

Gmrg. Mrfle. Bluh.

How does Mr. Dog fare this morning? Have we heard anything yet?

Poor puppy. He's so sweet. He gave me a nose-bump when we met, and everything. I continue to hope hopeful thoughts in his direction.

What else is going on, peeps? Any one need coffee? I made some.

At 10:09 Blogger Marjorie said...

I need coffee..

I don't think we know what time Cabal's op is, or how long it might take, do we?

I've always beeen more of a cat person than a dog person, but I lost my heart to him a little when we met, and from reading about him here and on Mr Neil's blog.

(Continuing to hope all goes smoothly)

At 10:14 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

We are waiting for Cabal news, he is havign the surgery this morning, won't know anything until later I am thinking...

At 10:16 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

And oh, Bela Fleck last night was ALMOST as cool as my Riding Lesson was last morning.

Almost. Not sure MUCH could be as cool as that riding lesson.

It was good to see him again tho. And the musics was amazing. Of course he was playing with the worlds best bass player and worlds best tabla player. He ain't bad himself..

At 10:22 Blogger Jess said...

And you didn't fall asleep! \o/

Cabal is a Good Boy in good hands. I am sure karma will do its work accordingly.

At 10:42 Blogger Marjorie said...

Good to know you mae it to the concert and didn't fall asleep! Never seen the guy play, but from what I've heard, I'd like to;-)

I keep forgetting about the time difference and how it's still morning for you guys...

At 10:53 Blogger Marjorie said...

OOh! Off topic, but exciting (at least for me!) I just found out that Dave McKean will be at the Bath Festival of Children's Literature on 25th September.

This makes me very happy. (rushes off to book tickets)

At 12:44 Blogger AletaMay said...

When I saw Bela Fleck's movie a few months ago he was there and played one or two songs. That is the only time I've seen him live. I recommend the film btw.

Such a beautiful day here. No clouds. Nice temp. I'm inside of course, for now anyway. I will escape to the lovely sometime this afternoon.

Thinking of Cabal.

At 13:36 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Neil just twitted some good news for Cabal.

At 13:41 Blogger dabbler said...

Hmph. It's Tuesday here...hoping all goes well with Dog's surgery. Slow, sleepy day, but I am cleaning. And having trouble keeping things organized (in the I-just-had-that-important-paper-yesterday sort of way.) Foggy brain...perhaps it is because, for a bit, there is no one home but me. And what I want to do is read, and wander, and think...

Hooray for pants on the floor, and for WWBE

At 13:42 Blogger dabbler said...

Oh, yes...haven't seen Bela Fleck in far too long. Wonderful band...Futureman!

And tick-tac-time

At 13:54 Blogger Marjorie said...

Hurrah for good news!

At 14:00 Blogger Cecily said...

OK I am sure I am going to get a lot of gasps and OMG's but, Who is Bella Fleck? And what do you recommend for me to be introduced to this person?

At 14:07 Blogger dabbler said...

Cecily, no gasp here. Can't learn if you don't ask!

Bela Fleck is a dynamite banjo player who put together a group called the Flecktones, probably nearly 20 years ago, moving the banjo into a much wider range of music than just bluegrass/country. Look for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on something like Pandora....
He also has a bunch of CDs with others..One of my favorites is with Edgar Meyer.

Too lazy to go look at titles...that should get you started. If you run into a wall. let me know and I'll do the title thing.

At 14:09 Blogger Marjorie said...

Here - Bela Fleck

At 14:14 Blogger spacedlaw said...

I also have a nice CD of him playing with Chick Corea.

At 14:51 Blogger Jess said...

Yay good news! #whosagoodboythen

At 16:27 Blogger Jane said...

Yay for good Cabal news!

And I have the Edgar Meyer and Bela Fleck CD, too. Wonderful.

At 16:33 Blogger Cecily said...

Awesome.

At 16:40 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Great news about the handsome boy. Now for a perfect recovery.

Nothing more here - should have breakfast before I comment really

At 02:47 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Did you hear that?

That whooshing noise?

It was the wind blowing through this empty space...where are you all? Its feeling very lonely and echoey.

At 03:53 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Feeling lonely?
I am now sitting in the window of the congress centre in Bergen drinking weak earl grey tea and looking at the rain fall. Low clouds were busy eating the hills of Bergen this morning. It looks like the sun will not entirely rise today.
On the other hand, since I discovered that Antartica had the profile of a shrinking baboon, I am feeling a little depressed.

At 05:11 Blogger Marjorie said...

I'm at work. My secretary is off with a nasty summer cold/throat infection, and I have a horrible feeling I may have caught it off her, as my throat is feeling very scratchy...

On the plus side, i think I have **finally** managed to send the accountant everthing she will neeed to prepare my tax return, so shoudln't have a mad rush later

At 05:24 Blogger Hellie said...

I hate to say it, but that's exactly how my throat/cold/lurgy started off - it felt like someone was constantly tickling the back of my throat. I've been working from home instead of spreading my germs around the office! Not that my brain is operating too well.

But at least I was at home to take delivery of a lovely pair of blue shoes to match my outfit for my friends' wedding!

At 08:10 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

I think it is just one of those weeks that got long and went longer. I won't catch up. Not this week. It's wearing sometimes.

Other than that tho, lovely day! May have riding at the end of it. BETTER have riding at the end of it.

At 08:43 Blogger Phiala said...

*waves at Sally even though she's in bed by now I think*

I just went to the DMV. It was empty. I don't mean there were a couple of people, I mean there was not a single customer in the entire place, nor in the parking lot.

Weird, but very expeditious.

Now I am drinking coffee and contemplating work. I've gotten into this weird state where I can be wildly productive at home, but as soon as I hit the office I'm useless.

Need to figure out how to fix this!

At 08:46 Blogger Cecily said...

Phiala, that is either a sign of the Apocalypse or the sign of a great day ahead of you...or maybe both.

At 08:54 Blogger Phiala said...

I'm thinking both.

At 09:18 Blogger Hellie said...

I've been a bit like that lately but I put it down to the fact that people in the office seem to have got more chatty, maybe they're less busy but my workload has got heavier! Suddenly it seems harder to get things done there so I'm more focused when I'm working at home, and get distracted less easily..... usually :o)

At 09:51 Blogger Na said...

Phiala, if it hadn't really happened, no one would believe it!

i've been wrangling monsters through the last two days of the school year. paying insurance premiums. took a load of stuff to a thrift store. etc. actually don't have paying work to do right this very moment, which is a shock to my system! i can catch up on all the other things what need doing, so, time to be virtuous. also, play with monsters. although at the moment one is roaring for more cereal.

At 11:29 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

Here are some general tips for good dates I have compiled after a very bad date last night:

If you ask someone to dress up, do not show up in a metal band tshirt and jean shorts.

Not planning out the date is not a "surprise."

Do not pick your date up in a scary rape van.

When your date actually decides to risk life and limb by climbing into your rape van, do not offer to flog them when you are driving 70 miles per hour down the highway.

Do not try to hold your date's hand over and over again on a first date, especially after they repeatedly and pointedly pull their hand away from you.

Do not try to persuade your date to take part in the BDSM lifestyle after they repeatedly state it bores them.

Do not send them a billion text messages the next day asking them about what they put on their toast and other mundane details about their life after you tell them you can see yourself as a friend and nothing more.

At 11:38 Blogger Jess said...

Meanwhile, I got up at 6:00 this morning, and the day still seems to be getting away from me. Argh.

I notice that I never seem to be able to manage being more than one thing in a day. Monday I was a billing and payment specialist. Yesterday I was a writer. Today I am a graphics monkey, and an email answering service. I suspect tomorrow I'll be a maid, and at some point I'll need to go be a gardener, and a laundress, and a Dinner Lady. Who the hell knows what I'll be by the weekend. Possibly a weeping drunk.

When will I be a writer again, which is the thing I actually want? Only when I drop all the other balls. Christ on a bike. You know what I need? Someone to tell me what my priorities are. Daily. And write them in a little book, so I don't forget and end up being something I shouldn't. ARGH.

At 11:42 Blogger Phiala said...

Jess, you didn't ask for advice but I'm throwing my 2 cents in anyway, as someone who manages a rather complicated life.

I'm a huge fan of David Allen's book Getting Things Done. He's got a very commonsense/practical system for managing priorities from the "what do I want to do with my life" to the "what do I want to do this month" scales, and for organizing things to actually, well, get them done without getting overwhelmed.

Here's a good overview.

The getting stuff out of your head part really does work for me, at least as long as I keep up with it.

At 11:43 Blogger Jess said...

Oh Wendy, I shouldn't laugh! Poor you. How awful. I am glad you escaped the van, at least.

Ignore the fucker, that's what I'd do. Deafening, crushing silence.

"Scary rape van". Teheheheheh. :D

At 11:43 Blogger Marjorie said...

Jess, what you need is a Fabulous Assistant...

Wendy - WTF?!?
Doesn't sound like the kind of person you'd want EVEN as a friend. Glad you got home OK

At 12:04 Blogger Jess said...

Friends don't flog friends on the highway!

Phiala - Yep, getting stuff out of my head is a big problem. I've given myself insomnia from being unable to. The stuff just goes round and round in there.

At 12:08 Anonymous kali_licious said...

Yay for good Cabal news!

Wendy - I'm laughing, but only out of a deep sense of sympathy. What a disaster!

Phiala - Maybe you're just reaping the good karma you earned all those times you had to wait (and wait..and wait) at the DMV?:)

Jess I think Marjorie's right, you need a fabulous assistant.

Hope all those suffering from the dread lurgy are feeling better. My throat keeps threatening to turn to lurgy but I'm beating it back with vitamin C.

At 12:45 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

It's okay. It makes it seem more humorous. After the date, I immediately called a Tampa friend, and he laughed at me over the phone. I knew he would appreciate it.

At 16:54 Blogger Dragonsally said...

At least you're laughing about it Wendy. And seriously, turning up for a date in those clothes?
::Warning Will Robinson::

Its the first day of our Financial Year here. Which means absolutely nothing to me. Hang on, yes it does. It means warmer weather is one day closer.

At 21:18 Blogger Phiala said...

Here's part of the excitement: my first published piece of fiction!

*bounce*bounce*

At 21:40 Blogger AletaMay said...

Yay Phiala! Great story! Congratulations!

At 21:52 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Hurrah Mistress!!!!!! Published! This is great! We must give you a laurel wreath. I forget why, but we must.

Had an idea for a new post, but just the one and it got lonely and went away while I was in the hot tub.

Might go out on a limb here and go to BED...Actually I am kind of IN bed as up is too Catty to sleep in until it gets cleaned this weekend so I am DOWN with the venus mim and magic on my couch that turns into a bed.

Dangerous for trying to either stay up or get up..

At 21:58 Blogger Chantrelle said...

Congrats phiala! Haven't had time to read it yet though!

Right now I'm waiting for Coco Rosie to take the stage. Odd crowd. Some teeny boppers (probably college), some elaborate makeup and dress and some normal folk.

At 22:08 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Congrats Phiala - great story.

At 22:21 Blogger Jess said...

Oh, hey. Look at that! Congrats, Phiala! That is great, great stuff. You have come such a long way. Well done! \o/

At 22:32 Blogger Cecily said...

I'm feeling very blonde, I click on the link and don't know where the story is....

At 22:35 Blogger Jane said...

Congrats on the story Phiala!

::Runs off to read it::

At 22:43 Blogger Jess said...

Cecily - Just here. She's neglected to reveal her true identity. :D

At 22:45 Blogger Jane said...

OK, sort of spooked by the story and loving that about it.

At 23:33 Blogger ariandalen said...

Well done, Phiala! Love the story!

:)

At 00:24 Blogger spacedlaw said...

Congratulations, Phiala!

At 00:44 Blogger Marjorie said...

Congratulations Phiala ( and Happy Firbday!)
I like it. Understated & a little unsettling.

At 05:52 Blogger Phiala said...

Thank you all! *grin* I'm feeling very pleased with myself, and not at all old even though it is indeed my 40th birthday. And if all goes as I expect, there will be more excitement today!

At 07:03 Blogger dabbler said...

Man, Phiala...

Well done! Nice pacing, there...

And Happy Firbday!

At 09:04 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

Yay! Hurrah for Phiala!

Last night was much better than the night before. I spent my time with friends. Then we went to a naked man club called the corner pocket, where my friend Alicia and I talked to all of the naked men. By the time we left, they knew us by name, and Alicia left with a phone number because the naked man she was talking to was a role player and is looking for a D&D game.

We also got invited to meet some of the naked men at a bar afterwards, but I was the DD, and Alicia was falling over.

Naked Men = 1
Scary Creepy Date = -1

At 09:12 Blogger Jane said...

Wendy! You lead a exciting life! Glad no more scary date...

Yay for Cabal coming home. (from Twitter) What great news.

Off to spend the day with Mom and sister.

At 09:13 Blogger dabbler said...

Wendy, sounds like your life in NOLA s far more interesting than your life in Fla. Laughed at your bad date story, and am glad you not only survived, but clearly triumphed. Hmm. Naked man roleplaying....nope, 'nuff said.

At 09:35 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Naked men????? Not my thing, really, but hey, whatever works for you. I am open minded. I understand some of you go that way, and it's ok with me. You were born that way, it's not a choice. Go for it!

Yeah, I've had tea this morning, been doing the no caffiene thing for a couple weeks, like it, and sure does pack a punch when you indulge, I can tell you that!

Cabal can come home today!!!! I go for him shortly, I think.

WIll do a new post today sometime, or tonight after riding, lots of adventures comeing.

Oh yes: CAMPING this weekend. Fod help me.

At 09:38 Blogger Phiala said...

Camping again? Cool!

Sounds like everyone is doing something fun this weekend.

At 09:45 Blogger Marjorie said...

More camping? Is this with the horses again?
Sounds fun.

Happy Bounce for Cabal coming come.

Wendy - that sounds interesting, in a fun way. I think I'd find the Naked men a bit disconcerting...Not bad, just odd.

At 09:49 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

Apparently, when most women go into the naked men club, they don't spend all of their time talking to the naked men about how they are feeling today and how they both have elf characters they play in role playing games and how they make foam weapons in their spare time.

I think I spend much of my time following Alicia around like a lost puppy, which is bad because she skews straight. But, she is also fun and full of trouble, so that is okay.

It is funny, because last week we spend all night at a girlie dance club, and I met the creepy date guy who didn't know it was the place where girls go to meet girls that just happens to have one of NOLA's only goth nights. This week we went to the girlie dance club first and spent most of our time in the naked man club, where I had more fun TALKING.

It was also fun watching my straight, married, man friend hide under the table.

Also, the best bar I have found in New Orleans so far is called The Dungeon. They have a LIBRARY!

At 09:57 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

FabLo:

I discovered that brewing my own coffee cuts down on my coffee intake. When I buy coffee at a cafe, I feel I need to drink it, and if they offer a refill, I feel I need to drink that too, to get my money's worth. When I make my own, I leave coffee cups all over the house that have 1/4 cup sipped out, and the rest goes down the drain. It's sort of wasteful, but it's a weird compromise that works for me. I do drink a lot of tea with various amounts of caffeine.

Marjorie:

I am not very excited about naked people. I really think clothes are interesting and tell a lot about a person. And, I have a lot of hippie friends from FL who sometimes have naked parties or get naked at campouts. I've gotten used to talking to random naked people somewhat. It helps that the naked men at the naked men bar are wearing undies 99 percent of the time.

However, randomly going to the naked man bar at the spur of the moment is fun and interesting and mixes things up a bit.

At 09:58 Blogger Cecily said...

So much to add!

Ok still haven't read the story, and by some of the comments I am starting to wonder if I should...I don't do well with some versions of creepy...but congrats Phiala on it being published!!!

Wendy, D&D geek + stripper = AWESOME

Phiala, Happy Birthaversary!!! 40! How exciting!!! I love aging and I love birthdays.

Wendy, ummmmm...men trolling for dates at girlie clubs...STAY AWAY...they are hoping for sex alone, and are creepy.

As for being born one way or the other....I got stuck in the middle. :-) Granted I would prefer a girlie club to a mens club, but I just think women are prettier to look at. ;-) Though I wouldn't know for sure, as I am 32 and still have not been to a strip club...

At 10:04 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

I am also in the middle. I date people mainly for their personalities. Although, women intimidate me more. And, I have giant crushes on them more.

I can be so outgoing that male friends think I have crushes on them. When really, I probably have a crush on the girl a few feet away who I can't even muster up the courage to talk to.

At 10:30 Blogger Cecily said...

I have the problem of women being plenty flirty with me, at parties and such, but having no real interest in anything more.

At 10:37 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

I have that problem, too. It's why I instituted my "don't flirt with straight women" rule.

It is strange how straight women will become offended when you refuse to flirt with them or make out with them when they are drunk.

At 11:03 Blogger DataGoddess said...

Wendy - oh, yes. I don't flirt with straight women, either, in general, especially in certain circles where women claim the title of "hetroflexible", which basically means they'll make out with a girl mainly to titillate a man. Ick. In case there are a few straight female Fiends going "wait a minute, she flirts with me!" the answer is yes, I do, but that's because my friends are fun to flirt with :-D

And it's nice to know that the naked men are mostly scantily-clad men. Random naked men just make me giggle, because, well, no offense guys, but male genitalia are just funny looking in general. I mean, I *like* men and their genitalia, but....

I get tongue tied around women I like, too. I think it's related to having been socialized from childhood how to relate to men from a romantic/sexual point of view, but since I didn't figure out that women are just as nice in that capacity until I was in my mid 30s I have a lot less experience. That's probably why I'm involved with 3 different men and no women :-(

At 11:38 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

With me, I think it's because I don't socialize with many women at all. In the real world, I have 98 percent male friends and 2 percent female friends, and the females are usually crazy gamers.

With guys I can punch them on the arm and say, "You're going on a date with me, now."

With girls, I usually just stare at them with big eyes.

At 11:45 Blogger Cecily said...

That's just thing, I am talking about bi or gay women who think I am fun to flirt with but nothing more. It's a mix of being happy that I am appealing enough to flirt with but sad that I am not appealing enough for more than that.

I have also instituted a rule, of if you won't make out with me while you're sober, you sure as hell aren't making out with me when your drunk. It's just insulting that you have to be drunk to want to kiss me. Fuck that noise!

Since my weight gain I have lost confidence, but I didn't used to get tongue tied around women. Quite the opposite actually. I knew I liked women too for as long as I can remember, I just didn't know it was ok until I was in High School. Where I then apparently became a role model for other students who didn't know what to do about their feelings. But I only found out about that in recent years since reconnecting with them through social media places like Facebook. I always just insisted on being me, and me is attracted to girls too. But apparently I was um, boisterous about it...*blush*

At 16:00 Blogger One Sock Short said...

Tick and come back later. I really need to too.

At 17:18 Anonymous Wendy Withers said...

I have the problem (and, it happens a lot) with the heteroflexibles mentioned earlier. I actually dated a girl for about two months, then I found out she was making out with a lot of guys I knew. We had a long talk about it and broke up because she didn't see herself being with a woman without also being with a man at the same time. My first girlfriend, I found out later, was a serial girl dater; she would date girls in between boyfriends, then get mad when the girls she dated would end up serious about her.

I'm surprised I'm not hiding under a rock right now.

At 17:44 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Fods Wendy, I admire you for being so out and about with people like that in your past. Sheesh, the things people think they can get away with.

I love that we can flirt among Fiends, where we feel accepted and safe.

At 18:26 Anonymous kali_licious said...

Wendy they have a bar in NOLA with a Library??? I'm so there!

Wendy, I live across the street from Indy's only naked man club. Never been though..the music is too annoying (oonceoonceoonce) and they must have really strong drinks because everyone that comes out at 2-3 in the am has to yell "WOOOOOOOOOOOOO" really loud before stumbling into a cab. LOL

Ugh. So the term "heteroflexible" should be accurately translated as "narcissistic exhibitionist twits" then? Folks like that make me embarrassed to be straight.

At 19:11 Blogger LihuaEmilyP said...

It's so cool that some of us are gay, some of us are straight, some of us are in between, some of us are pagan, some of us are Jewish, some of us are atheists, some of us are Christian, some of us are a whole bundle of it all ... we're COOL!

At 19:16 Blogger Jess said...

We are the world. We are the children. We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving.

At 19:22 Blogger Phiala said...

It was all good until Jess's comment...

And... I can now tell you all about today's second achievement.

Less than two weeks from being approached by the editor to finishing the copyedits (including doing all the research)... you see why I've been scarce?

At 19:43 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Oh my god Phiala, you have been a busy and productive thing.

At 21:29 Blogger Phiala said...

Sally, it's been kind of insane around here!

At 21:33 Blogger Dragonsally said...

I don't know how you're still upright!

At 21:48 Blogger Phiala said...

Worse, I don't think I get a break until late August. Or maybe September. Wheeee. I may not be upright by then...

At 21:54 Blogger Dragonsally said...

Blimey. I hope your energy reserves last...that is just crazy.

At 22:00 Blogger Laura B said...

Wow, Phiala! That's a lot to work on at once! Congratulations! I liked your story. And the other article was very interesting.:)

At 22:28 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Well, let a girl go to work for a day! You guys RAN with my morning comment!

Cool.

I am so asleep..

Will try for news tomorrow over tea.

Good Night my dears...

At 07:02 Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Morning!!!!

And my new post is UP!

No grass growing under my feet today!

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