Checking in

I am at the Business Center at the hotel checking work & personal e-mail. I have enough time to give a quick update before I have to check out of my room and head to the conference room for more sessions and breakfast.
So far the off-site has been really good. We have learned a lot of things about each other and are working on resolving issues that need work.
Our session ran late yesterday--so our personal time was really short. I just sat in my room, freshened up and watched a little bit of Paris Hilton on CNN. I know, I know. Don't even say it!
Then we all went out to dinner at E&O Trading. The food was great, the conversations were fun and the place was beautiful. It was a wonderful outing.
When we got back to the hotel I was feeling better (during the day I had started to get achy). So I went to the gym and worked out. It was a nice gym. My elliptical had a TV on it. It was pretty cool.
Our session today ends around 1:30-2 and I am heading home and then to the gym if I feel up to it. And I am taking tomorrow off as a mental health day!
Have a good Thursday.

Fun Tuesday

Just an FYI that I may not be blogging too much this week after today. I have an off-site in the city Wednesday and Thursday. I am looking forward to it. All of us admins are staying at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. Sounds really nice. Should be some good team building. Our group is different--because we are a group, but we all work in different departments. So I think this is important. I wonder if the place will blow up while ALL the admins are out. I think some people will go hungry because they don't know how to order their own lunch. I am lucky that my team is fairly self-sufficient.
Here are some fun items for you:
Curt has recently been playing Redneck Games 2 on the Comedy Central Web site. He seems to get a lot of entertainment out of it.
And check this dog out:













If I remember correctly this dog won the Ugliest Dog Contest this year. Photos courtesy of Mia--well, she e-mailed them to me.

Oh and boooo to Paris already getting out of jail. But at least she did serve some time. I heard that while she was there prisoners got extra bologna and blankets. Wooooooo!

Pride Not Prejudice

I went to San Francisco's Pride Parade yesterday with my friend Mia. We met up with her friend Amber, too.
The Parade was a blast. Kinda long and a little unorganized. But it was so cool to see all the different groups showing support. It made me so happy to see so many people there--all kinds of people: friends, families, gays, straights, etc.
So Mia and I got to the parade about 11:30. Eventually her friend Amber joined us. When the parade was winding down we went to the "party." There were booths to purchase items, food, people dressed up in whatever they felt like or didn't. There were some naked people there--well, I guess they weren't naked, they had shoes on. And these weren't the kind of people you want to see naked. There was one guy with a top hat, some fishnet looking things on his legs and rollerblades and nothing else.
We had lunch at a museum. There was outdoor seating. We basked in the sun, enjoyed our lunch and beers and people watched. It was a great place to sit around and watch.
Afterward we did some more walking around. We went to the "music" areas and danced a little bit. (At one point a guy ran up to me and told me that was his alma mater--I was wearing an Arizona Basketball cap. We chatted a bit. He graduated the same year I did.)
After a little dancing I headed home--I was pooped. Mia and Amber headed to a graduation party.
Here is a link to pics. WARNING: There are scantically clad people in some pics and some butts in some other pics. For the most part the pics are tame. Enjoy!

Yoga

I attended a yoga class at a gym near work with Mia and Terri on Friday after work. (Mia is already a member of the gym. And Terri and I want to join. Onyx has a Wellness Program where they pay you $25 a month to join gym, yoga studio, etc. So joining this gym will be super cheap for me. And they have classes I want to take and I can work out there on the weekends.) Anyway, that yoga class kicked my butt. I enjoyed it while there and then the next 2 days I was sore. I was so sore Saturday. Thank goodness for Aleve.

Saturday

Saturday I hit the gym and did the elliptical. (I have a one-week pass before I sign up for a membership.) Came home, showered, had lunch and ran an errand. Then later that day we attended a barbecue that our friends' Jacob and Aileen were hosting. I brought my own portobello mushroom to grill. Man, it was so good! Curt also got to play Wii bowling. It was pretty cool. At first I didn't get what the big deal is. But after watching it, it is pretty cool. And it gets kids off the couch. What an amazing idea!
Saturday evening we headed to Jim and Jennifer's to see their new place in Alameda. They have a great apartment looking over a lake. It's really cool. We headed to the Sushi House for dinner. I have heard this place is really good. I was so excited. We get there and there are a ton of people waiting. So we stuck around for a couple of minutes and then ended up at Applebee's. It was fine--they have a WW menu so I could easily calculate my points. And the Cajun Lime Tilapia I had was really good. Afterward we headed back to their place for dessert. Jennifer had gotten some SF vanilla ice cream with strawberries and she made a chocolate sauce from the WW cookbook. It was so yummy and low points. I am gonna try the chocolate sauce myself. YUM!

So, it was a good weekend. And now back to work ...

How does our garden grow?

Well, pretty darn well.

That is a shot of our tomato plants. They are probably three times as big as when we bought them. Click here for more pics of our tomato plants and peas.

Our radishes grew like crazy--but we pulled them all up. Unfortunately we only got about 10 radishes we could eat. But we can plant some more. The green onions were a dud. We got about 2-3 good ones and that was it. There are some skinny looking grassy things, and I pulled one up. And it was a tiny green onion. I guess onions do better when you buy them as plants.

Strolling down memory lane

My cousin Jackie (who I am holding in this pic) recently scanned and sent me this. Jackie and Daniel were so little then. I think I was still in high school in this pic. So that means Sarah was in Junior High. Sarah and my brother, John, (not pictured) are just 6 days apart. Jackie and Daniel are about 6 weeks apart. And Mark (also not pictured) and I are about 9 months apart. So we all got to grow up with a cousin.
Jackie is now almost 17 (Daniel already is). Her grandpa on her mom's side of the family calls her Little Sylvia. When Jackie was younger she looked like a mini version of my mom. She still kinda does--tho. Jackie is taller than her Nina (godmother) now.

Yummy dinners

So I have never enjoyed cooking or have been a really good cook. I can follow a recipe as long as it is simple and doesn't have a ton of ingredients (or things I have never heard of).
Now I love pasta. Love it! When I first started WW I pretty much steered clear of it. But I have found ways to eat it fairly often. I have started eating the whole wheat pasta-- 3 pts. a cup vs. 4 pts. for the regular. So the way I look at it, I can eat more pasta with the whole wheat. Yum! I usually have about a cup and a half--it really is plenty.
A couple of weeks ago I decided to make penne pasta for Curt and myself. I sauteed garlic in olive oil along with brocolli and mushrooms. Then put a little extra olive oil on the pasta and added the veggies. So good and so filling. I get my oils in and veggies. (FYI: 1 serving of olive oil is 1 tsp. )
Last night I sauteed garlic with olive oil and added tomatoes. Man, that was REALLY good. The pasta was wheat spaghetti. 1 tsp. of olive oil on the pasta and toss in the sauteed tomatoes.
I also usually have a salad with my dinner and use Wish Bone's Salad Spritzers. I have tried the Red Wine Spritzer, Italian Vinaigrette and the Caesar. All good. And I keep one at work for my salads. If you don't like your salad doused with dressing you should check these out. Great invention!

Now, this is a real bacon cheeseburger

Curt sent me this link. Now, this is just nasty.

WW

I had to attend a meeting off-site today. While on maintenance you have to weigh-in every week for the 6 weeks. And this week is a dark week for WW at work. (New series doesn't start until next Wed.)
I have to say I didn't really enjoy the meeting. It was OK. But I didn't know anyone. And the leader was just not as good as my regular leader, Kimberley. And the leader today--her eyebrows never moved!
So, there are 14 (including myself) people just from Onyx signing up for WW at work. Apparently I have been an inspiration for many. I think we have enough people in our group to get free eTools. This is a really cool feature that I am looking forward to having.

I am maintaining

For the record, I am no longer trying to lose weight. Once you hit goal weight with WW you don't just quit the program. I am now on the 6-week maintenance plan. It is all about trial and error. Every week at weigh-in we find out if I need to alter my point intake. If I gain weight I lose a point, if I lose weight I gain a point.
But I have to stay with the program or I will gain all that weight back. Once I am a Lifetime WW member I will still be counting points. At some point I will feel comfortable enough to not have to count points. But I will still attend meetings and weigh in.
And my weight loss wasn't just about losing weight, but also how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Yes, I can splurge and have fondue one night for dinner and pizza for lunch one day. But every meal can't be that way. As long as I stay within my daily points I can have whatever I want. And when I use a lot and only have a few points left for dinner I make it work.
So don't you all worry, I am not gonna waste away and disappear.

Happy Father's Day

Curt and I were lucky enough to spend Father's Day with both of our dads.
Friday night Curt, Ed and I went to the Cards/A's game. The A's kicked major booty. (We also went to the game with Phil and Lisa.) We had fun. And I finally invested in an A's stadium blanket. I still have issues with watching baseball while cold!
Saturday, Curt, Ed and I went to Napa for lunch, scenery and some wine tasting. Ed and I tried an amazing Cab. Sav. It was so smooth. So I bought a bottle--a tad pricey. So it will be saved for a special occasion. Saturday night another Cards/A's game. This time the Cards kicked major booty. And that stadium blanket came in quite handy. After the game we hit Ben and Nick's for one drink before heading home.
Today Dad and Hilda came over to our neighborhood for the afternoon. The 5 of us had lunch outside at Rustica. Gorgeous day!
Afterward we walked around our neighborhood, did a little shopping, window shopping and ended with tea and coffee. After that Curt took Ed to the airport. Dad and Hilda hung out and watched some golf on our lovely HD TV.
It was a really great weekend.
Here are a few pics from this weekend.

Fondue Fun

So before heading home from work yesterday I had to hit the gym. I had to work in some Activity Points to counteract all the cheese I was planning on ingesting.
Curt, Ed and I hit Fondue Fred last night for dinner. We each ordered our own cheese. We all got bread. Ed got potatoes and I got apples. Oh my, was it good! I LOVE cheese. We all had a little of each others. Yum, yum, yum!
Then we had chocolate fondue with fruit and marshmallows for dessert. This was a little tricky. The chocolate was over one little flame. Then there was an open flame to roast our marshmallows. At one point I was reaching toward the chocolate and I realized my hand was very close to the open flame. Well, I cinged a little hair on my hand. We moved the flame so I wouldn't do that again. Well, then Ed cinges the hair on his arm. It's a good thing we hadn't had too much to drink or we may not have realized what was going on. And we could be bald!
Tonight: Cards vs. A's.

I'm still here

I realize my blogging has been much less frequent than the norm lately. (For a while I was blogging almost every day.)
Anyway, nothing really exciting has been going on. I have been crazy busy at work running around like a crazy woman! I have been coming into work early to get stuff done before the craziness begins every day. I will be glad when this week is over!
Ed (Curt's dad) is on a plane right now heading our way. We are having dinner at a fondue place tonight. Tomorrow during the day he is on his own to hang around our neighborhood. Then Friday night and Saturday night we will attend the A's/Cards game. Ed is a Cards fan. Then Sunday we will meet up with Dad and Hilda in our neck of the woods for some eats and hanging out and all that good stuff.
Then Sunday everyone goes home ...

What did you think of the ending?

***SOPRANOS SPOILER ALERT***

Well, last night was the series finale of Sopranos. Believe me, I was super excited. Which is always a bad thing because disappointment usually follows. I figured there was no way Tony was gonna get it in the end. That would be too easy and expected. There was only one whacking, Phil Leotardo. The way he was killed was disgusting and comical--only the way the Sopranos can do it! When there was about 20 mins left of the show I started to think that maybe things would be unresolved (my biggest fear for the finale). The final scene had my heart pounding. I thought for sure the Soprano family was gonna all get whacked in a little diner. The scene kept building up for it. And then ... it just ends. The screen goes black. I remember yelling out, What the H! (Or maybe I used a different word.) I just sat there wondering what the H happened. Then a few seconds later the credits come on. It ended without ending! Argh! I heard that many people called their cable company thinking the cable went out.
I was bummed and then I read Tim Goodman's column with the Chronicle. He says the ending was annoying and perfect. After I read the column and started to think about it more I realized the ending was quite brilliant. But I still like to have questions answered. I am the type who needs closure. But what are ya gonna do?


Magic show and dinner

Part of the old Tucson High gang back together: Ann, Ilysha and Edwin.

An old high school friend (Ilysha) and her husband, Eric, were in town for the weekend. Eric is a magician and had 2 shows at a dinner theater in Martinez (about a 30 min. drive from our house). Martinez is small and cute. And it was way warmer than the city or East Bay.

Eric performed at the California Magic Dinner Theater. The magic was pretty cool. I am still in awe. And Eric is also a comedian. His show was hilarious. At times I was crying.

My old buddy, Edwin, also came to the show with his girlfriend, Denise. I have known Edwin since 5th grade. He lives in the city. (He didn't know I lived in the Bay Area--my bad. I told him we have to get together again.)
We had a delicious dinner. Man, it was so good! While eating different guys come around and did some magic for us. It is crazy how they do it and I have no idea how!
Eric's show was amazing, hilarious and a lot of fun. After the show he hung out with us for a bit. Then the 5 of us (minus Eric) found a bar to have another drink before the night ended.
It was so great to see Lysh and Edwin. We reminisced about Tucson and Tucson High. It was a lot of fun. Can't wait to see them again.

Garden

Our garden is growing! We ate our first radishes and one lowly onion. I need to take more pics of the progress. But here is one of Curt with our first veggies.

Back to the slammer little lady!

Paris goes back to jail and rightly so. And now she has to serve her whole sentence.

And yes, I am doing a little jiggity jig! (And yes, I am a little evil.)

NO WAY!

Can you believe Paris is already out of jail??? Only 3 days! She has some sort of mysterious "medical condition." Gimme a break! And now she is on house arrest for her entire sentence. Oh wow, big punishment staying in HER house for 40-some days.

Joey

Joey has become quite famous in the offices. Marilyn, Curt's mom, has this picture of Joey on her computer wallpaper. She has pictures on her desk of her grandchildren and her grandcat--her words.
Today I noticed in my friend and co-worker's (Alex) cube that she has the same pic of Joey hanging in her cube. When I first saw it I said, Awww, you have a picture of Joey hanging in your cube.

Before and After pics

I went through my pictures and found some Before (I lost weight) pics. Yesterday I had Curt take pics of me in the same outfits (After) to show the difference. Losing 3 bags of potatoes is a lot of weight my friends! So here you go.
By the way, I started WW on October 18, 2006 and I made goal weight on May 30, 2007.

Paris checks into jail

Well, I was gonna celebrate tomorrow.

But for some reason Paris checked into jail 2 days early.

I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing she is serving her time like the rest of us shmucks would have had we been in the same situation.

Sopranos

Man, that show gets better and better. I can't believe there is only one epsiode left until it's all over. Sopranos is definitely going out with a bang.

Weekend

Well, Friday we hung out with Jodie and her friends as I posted earlier.

Saturday Curt went with our friends Cyrus and Monica to San Jose to watch soccer (USA vs. China). I did my own thing and watched United 93 and Charlotte's Web. Both good movies and both very different from the other.

When they came back from San Jose they got Becky and then came and got me. We had sushi for dinner. It was good--but not as good as my favorite Sushiya.

Sunday we had an early dinner at Mia's and Todd's. They unveiled the new kitchen and hardwood floors throughout their house. It looks so nice!

We always have a good time with them and their kids, Lexie and Cooper.

Mia is a great cook! Yum!

Happy Monday!

Celebratory lunch

I had said once I hit goal weight I wanted a McDonald's cheeseburger. Even before I started WW I rarely ever ate fast food--I find it rather disgusting. But once in awhile I crave a McDonald's cheeseburger. So yesterday afternoon I picked this up. Man it was good and worth the 12 points! And for those who are wondering. It fit in with my points. I didn't go off "my diet" or what I like to call eating healthy or my lifestyle change. FYI: 7 points for the cheeseburger and 5 for small fries.

Friday night in the city

Curt and I met Jodie and her friends Thuy and Jon on Friday night. The 5 of us hopped on a cable car and headed to North Beach for dinner. Evreything that everyone ordered looked good and it pretty much was all gobbled up. I had this amazing salmon plate. Yum! After dinner we walked back through Chinatown and looked at cheap, fun crap. I love looking at all that stuff. And sometimes buying it, too.

Top photo: Curt, Ann, Jodie, Thuy and Jon at the restaurant. Second two are of Jodie and Ann together at the BART station as the train is arrving.

21 times

For the month of May I worked out 21 times! For someone who doesn't like exercise that is pretty damn good, eh? I still don't enjoy exercise--but it is part of my routine and I just do it. I work out at the gym here in my work building. It is free and easily accessible--hard to make excuses. Plus once I start working out I am totally into it.

I haven't started running again since my knee incident. I kinda hate running. Maybe I will get back into it. I have been doing the elliptical at the gym, which is my favorite machine. And at home I do my toning DVD, Great Body Guaranteed. The name is funny, but the workout is amazing. It focuses on stretching, abs, arms, glutes and thighs. Ten minutes for each section and it is killer and a great workout.