There are bees in the tree outside my window at work today.

Thank God Bobby doesn't, lol, Its a shame the smoke gives me a migrain headache, I guess VDO and I will never be together as long as he smokes, Guess that's the only thing keeping us a part, (lol, yeah right)

Thanks - I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know.

I have just comitted the ultimate food sin.. I had a half finished bag of crisps in my bin (not open but sort of rolled up closed off to the other manky bits in the bin, and I actually went in and took it out and at the leftovers!!!!! Sometimes you just have to!!!

Apart from that I just had a chat to one of my mates who just got back from a short holiday in Toronto and agreed to meet another mate for some coffee on Sunday.
The family are fine and I am really looking forward to the weekend... only two more days to work and it looks to be a quiet two days so that's good.

Hope you're not too bored any more??!

Cloggs

I have to wonder if there's any other americans besides me who fully understood everything you just said there.

Believe me when I say there's worse things to have done. My friends told me about this party they had one time, many years ago... It went on for a few days and if you came over you weren't allowed to leave except to go to work. Since they didn't have any money, they had bought a huge pack of chocolate chip cookies to live on. Well a couple days in and everyone was sick of cookies, so there was a Pop-Tart on the kitchen floor... According to the story, everyone at one point or another picked it up, took a bite, thought it was nasty, and put it right back on the floor.

That's one party I'm glad I wasn't at.

hahah sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do! im not too bored right now .. watching "guy" and playing with my dogs

WORD!!!



Better there, than inside with you!



hahaha, chips are my downfall. but I have given them up...I wont even keep them in the house!

Hey tasha, good afternoon!

Hey Kim!!! ...good afternoon to you as well !!!

Ok....
I am also a smoker....I know I shouldnt.....it's my only vent in life.....but I know I shouldnt for my kids and because my Opa died of lung cancer....maybe If I see CIFan70 and Tasha quit....and hearing the storys how everyone else did....maybe it will be easier....I quit during both my pregnancies...but I went right back too it......

And Tasha....dont feel bad.....when I quit the one time....I did the same thing w/ smoking a half butt I found in the ashtray of my can that didnt come out when I cleaned it!!

Don't beat yourselves up. We all know smoking is bad for us and it's very addictive but you'll quit when you're ready. Here's a great quote that I happened to read today:

“It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.” – James Gordon

I quit smoking for 10 years and then started smoking after my mother died of lung cancer. Self destructive or stupid? Probably a little bit of both. Anyway I quit 2 1/2 years ago and I don't miss it but I wouldn't dare take even a puff. I used the patches both times and they helped me a lot. If I had a really bad craving I used to play a little mind game with myself. I would tell myself that I could have a cigarette tomorrow because forever seemed too long LOL Then if I had a craving the next day I would do the same thing. Is that kind of how they do it in AA?

I know you guys won't look down on me but you should see the looks I get here. You guys can't "see" me. You don't see the looks I get. They are nasty.



I will definitey let you know what the doctor gives me and if it works. We'll see what happens.



My long story that will be shrunk to a short story is here in Illinois they banned smoking everywhere, restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, even in cars w/children under 10 years old, which means I can't smoke with my son in the car. I am only smoking on the way to and from work and at home in my basement. That's it. I can't smoke at work. I work for a major health insurance company. They changed their rules and decided we can't smoke on their property whatsoever. They are also charging us $15 a month if we smoke which I think is unfair and discrimination against smokers but that is neither here nor there. Smokers are supposedly higher risk for health care, they say. I guess I am quitting so I don't get that extra charge taken out of my check. $15 is money I can use. Anyway I don't know about other states and there laws. I just know the laws are getting really strict for smokers and I just figure I better do something abut me.

More later, on my way out the door to see "Ironman".

I am addicted to Flat Earth Peach Mango Paradise Crisp, I know I have mentioned this before,

Here is what they say on the package.


Peach Mango Paradise®

Baked Fruit Crisps

• A 1/2 serving of real fruit in every ounce of crisps!
• Naturally baked
• A good source of vitamin C
• 0 grams of trans fat per serving
• Low in sodium
• No artificial flavors or preservatives

So yes it it healthier that potato chips, but just like lays who can eat just one, not me. To try and keep my family on the diet we are on, I have named Saturday free day, you can have your favs on that day, so I had given my Mango chips, sigh, hadn't had any for months, Doctor said they were mostly empty calories. So since everyone was having their Free Sat, I treated myself this past weekend to my bag of chips, I ate the whole thing, then read the side nutrional info.

Flat Earth

OMG the whole bag is 780 calories! Needless to say I am back to giving up my Mango chips, even though it did equal 6 servings of fruit.

They are to me better than chocolate.

one of my friends got on a pill to quit and hasnt smoked for a year now!

Not to put you down for smoking but smokers ARE a higher risk for health care, High Blood pressure for one, Lung disease, for second, cancer for third, they get colds more often, it lowers their resistance, They now say children who are exposed to second hand smoke have a higher risk for asthma, $15 a month is pretty cheap to me, Have you seen the difference in life insurance? I wanted to get extra life insurance for my husband, but because he is a smoker we can't affored it. He is on two meds for High blood pressure, the doctor says if he would just quit smoking and exercise and lose 20lbs he could get off those meds, does he? No, I have begged, pleaded, offered to buy the gum, the patches, tried guilt, that me and his daughter need him to stick around, he says he is trying, its been 5 months I don't think he really is, I am at the point of withholding sex like one doctor said on Oprah thats the only power I have left, with the High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholestrol, he is a stroke or heart attack waiting to happen. Sometimes I wonder why I care, if he doesn't, sorry to vent, but I been going through this for 5 months, with him. I wish they would outlaw cigarettes like drugs, its addicting like cocain. I wish other states would follow like your state has, same with High frutose corn syrup, other countries have banned it why not the USA too. Its what is making our children fat, its in everything.

Time to go to my meditation room, sorry for this nurse this is another subject that hits too close too home.

Don't blame all of us.



Keep trying, tasha! I only ever took one puff of a cig and it made me sick, but I need to diet. That's what I should be doing.

Hey I just want a Democrat, I wanted Hillary, but I think it will be Obama in the end. But will America Vote for him? Is America open minded? I will vote Democrat even if Homer Simpson is the Canidate. Sorry to all the Republicans on the Board.

I'm an independent conservative, but I accept your apology.

im doing good .. they say after three days youve been through the hardest times



i am a democrat ::high five::

I second that!

My friend quit on the pill too and its been 14 months!



No offense taken, but I'm proud to be an elephant!

One of my co-workers sent this to everyone. As people come in and check their e-mails, you can hear laughter erupting all around the office!


A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM



Dear Diary, For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear), purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Brad, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.



MONDAY: Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Brad waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Brad gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!Brad was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!



TUESDAY: I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Brad made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Brad's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!! It's a whole new life for me.



WEDNESDAY: The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Brad was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. His voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Brad put me on the stair monster. Why would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Brad told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other crap too.



THURSDAY: Brad was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late; it took me that long to tie my shoes. Brad took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny idiot to find me. Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine—which I sank.



FRIDAY:I hate that Brad more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little punk. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it. Brad wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?



SATURDAY: Brad left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing him made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.



SUNDAY: I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!

I love it!!!!

I think that is what I am looking at and I hope it works. I have heard very good things about it.



Don't worry about putting me down. I have heard it all. I must be the very small percentage that doesn't have the above mentioned happen. I have nothing wrong with me. I have smoked since I was 17 so that would be 20 years. Geez, had to think. The only medication I take is the medicine for my Crohns that was diagnosed 9 years ago and my birth control to regulate my cycle. Nothing wrong with my kids either, other than the normal kid things. I also smoked while pregnant with both of them. My son is ADHD and my daughter is going thru her teenage years. My hubby is the one on all the meds due to his weight. His weight causes his high blood pressure and his other problems he has. We don't need withold sex from each other because ever since he got snipped to fix himself, it hasn't worked so we are both deprived in that area. Hubby quit smoking 9 years ago right after our son was born, cold turkey even, and that's when he doubled his weight and hasn't been able to lose it. This is part of the reason I am afraid to quit. Weight gain. All I do is sit in front of a computer at work and here at home. I don't live in the safest neighborhood to go walking in and gas is waay to expensive to go driving anywhere just to walk for exercise so I don't know what to do.

im in love with your signature .. i sit here and stare for like 15 mins everytime i see ..woops there i go again ::Thud:: im just going to hang here for a while !

You hang around as long as you need to to get your fix.

*wavies* hello everyone! im alive hehe ^__^. school is finally over, and now i have time to come and hang out with you all. ive missed being on the forum, but anyways....did i miss anything? o.O

"Did I miss anything," she asks.....Did she miss anything? Hotaru -- you missed bunches! Your penance is having to go back and read every single thread you missed and writing a 5 page report, typed, single-spaced, front and back of all 5 pages, summarizing everything that happened on the boards while you were gone. j/k -- glad to have you back!

That about sums it up, hahahahaa




Welcome back!

Good luck to you on quiting the cigs. In some ways you will feel better. I have smoked most of my adult life, since I was a teenager. I have quit successfuly 3 times. A year or more each time but I always have such a problem with wt gain. I will gain 40 or 50 lbs. I finally just gave up and decided to keep smoking. I wouldn't never want to discourage anyone from quitting. I know it is better not to smoke but there ways to offset the bad effects of cigs. Some form of arobic exercise that will keep your lungs expanded. My exercise of choice is to swim laps and it really seems to work. There is a wonderful inside pool near so I can swim winter and summer. I am only 30 laps away from getting my 50 mi free t shirt. Should get it next week. I talked my brother into going with me a few times this winter. He didn't understand why he could only swim a couple of laps since he has never been a smoker. I told him it takes determination and hard work to build up to long distances.
It would royally piss me off to be charged $15 a month on my job for smoking. I think that is almost an invasion of our rights. Please don't take this as a discouragement to your quitting. I sincerely wish you success, only offering other alternitives if you are not successful. Tasha is so young she probably won't be plagued with the wt. gain problem. I hope you are both successful.
Just have to say this. VDO smokes a lot ,I guess, and we all love him and you and Tasha and everyone else, no matter what bad habits.

This is cute and sooo funny.

Ditto: They could pull a wino in off of the street and I would vote for them. I am disappointed that it doesn't look, as if our girl Hillary is going to get it. I thought the Clinton's did a good job the 1st time and I think they would hve done even better this time. I think Obama will do well. I just worry about his experience. You have to be pretty slick to deal with the Washington insiders. I know there is is an elephant in the room but we love you anyway. My brother is something of an elephant and I love him.

The bees are in the tree again today.

I swear that tree grew more leaves overnight too. This is one of few reasons I really like it here. Life is literally bursting from everywhere. Dave Barry once said that if you leave a toaster on the lawn overnight down here, it will come alive and start preying on smaller appliances.

After a nice rain, the next morning you'll find whole flocks of Ibises prowling the grass for food.
Here's a picture of one, but the flocks are anywhere from 4 to 40 birds in size wandering over the lawns.

OK, I wasn't going to share this because I know I tell long stories. If you want to make a short story long, just have me tell it. But it is so rare that one of my plans works out so perfectly that I just can't resist.

My daughter will be 16 next month and puberty has hit her HARD! And it doesn't help that her mother is the most ignorant, clueless person in the whole world. Anyway, almost 2 years ago I asked a coworker (former coworker now, thank goodness) who has horses about riding lessons for my daughter. She said she would give her lessons and my daughter could work to pay for them. Great deal. And at first it was great. My daughter (not to brag) is a natural and it is really a beautiful sight to see her on a horse. BUT this coworker--I'll call her R--and my daughter became very close very fast.
I just deleted a bunch because it was a VERY long story. So about a year ago, things got out of hand when R didn't bring my daughter home when she was supposed to, she would take her to her house without permission, and then she called the school to excuse an absence. So I decided my daughter couldn't go out there anymore. When I told R, things got ugly. Her husband and son-in-law even threatened my son-in-law when we went to get my daughter's things that she had left there. And R refused to give me the saddle that I bought for my daughter for Christmas. But finally it was over, I thought (silly me).
I knew my daughter was talking to her on the phone, because R supposedly "gave" my daughter one of the horses and my daughter just had to keep track of her, especially since R bred her and she was ready to foal anytime. I have suspected for a while that my daughter was sneaking out there, but didn't have any proof. The horse foaled last week and on Tuesday I found a letter my daughter wrote to R's son that confirmed to me that she had been out there. I thought she might go out there that day after school. One of my coworker's just happens to have binoculars, so she and her boyfriend drove me out there after work and we spied on the ranch. Sure enough, there was my daughter! We went to the cross street so they wouldn't see us and called the Sheriff's dept. and a deputy came out. And I have to throw in that this deputy is BIG--think VDO big, and bald, and was wearing cool sunglasses. I think I'm in love, but he's about 15 years too young and probably married.
While I was standing in the road, talking to the deputy, R and my daughter drove up to the intersection--I guess she was taking her home. My daughter got out and came over to where I was, looking at me totally innocently like "What are you doing?" The deputy went over to talk to R and told her that she is contributing to the delinquency of a minor and that if they get another call from me about any inappropriate contact, she will be arrested. I was really not expecting that! R left and when the deputy told me what he had said to her, my daughter got mad and stomped off down the road. He just looked at her, then at me, and said, "Want me to take her?" He said he would meet us back where I had left my truck, and it took a while--she evidently gave him some attitude. But he said he didn't have to "put" her in the car, he talked her into getting in. Then when she got out of his car, he saw that she had a pack of cigarettes in her backpack (her friend's, she said--I actually believe this story), and made her give them to him--then threw them away. Was she MAD!
Of course that night was a lot of fun as she raged about how I hate her and I'm taking away the only thing that means anything to her and I had no right to read her private mail and as soon as she turns 16 she is getting emancipated (I told her "Good luck with that"). I didn't yell, I didn't argue, I just let her go until she ran out of steam. Then last night when I got home, she had done all her chores and wanted to go to a youth group meeting (she knows I'm a sucker for church things).
Teenagers are so FUN! And yes, this was a long story--sorry.

I'm worse than just an elephant, I'm a TEXAS REPUBLICAN!!!!!!

I LOVE the military, firmly believe we need to stop the radical, violent Muslim terrorists, and all terrorists, who are threatening our peaceful world and encroaching upon our borders.

I believe we need to STOP illegal immigration before there is nothing left for those of us who built it, earned it, stockpiled it and protected it in the first place.

I believe English should be the OFFICIAL LANGUAGE of our country, men should stand when women come in the room, and ALL hats should be removed when the flag passes by and the National Anthem is played.

I cringe and get angry when I hear people say that "GOD", His likeness, His image and His name should be removed from our money, our Pledge, our Courthouses, our schools, our Constitution, our country.

I believe that we can make America great again, but ONLY if people get off their duffs and WORK, and work hard.

I do not believe it is the responsibility of the government to provide food, clothing, shelter, cars, TVs and health care for our residents. If you don't have those things, get up, get a job, and get those things for yourself.

I do not believe this country can continue to be the great nation of freedom, with liberty and justice for all, if our citizens, residents and inhabitants sit around waiting for the government to come and do it for them. That's not how or why this nation was founded; that was NEVER the intent of the Founding Fathers; and if things don't change SOON, this nation will founder, falter, and fail, forever.

I have to say I can see both sides to your story. My mom liked to snoop in my stuff all the time, even though I really wasn't doing anything. No really! I never went out or had a boyfriend in junior high or high school. So I never told her anything and she wondered why...

On the other hand, R's behavior I think was out of line, especially with the not coming home on time and excusing an absence.

One thing to realize is that your daughter could be angry not only because she feels you're taking away what matters to her, but because she can't find the words and the centered-ness to express it properly. It turns to frustration and then anger because she feels she can't make you understand what she's feeling. Being that age is all about feelings and emotions, not a whole lot of reason and logic. As long as she never felt threatened or endangered directly by R, it will be difficult for her to understand why you saw the situation as wrong. She sees you taking her away from her friend and what she likes to do, not the surrounding factors.

Oh and please don't do what my parents did and shrug off her feelings as meaningless or unimportant. It's hard because it all sounds like overblown drama to most people over 20, but remember that most kids her age see the here and now as THE most important time, where the future past next week is fuzzy, distant, and mostly irrelavent. Things like "You'll understand when you're older," or "This won't mean anything to you a month from now," minimalize the very intense and very real feelings they have right now. Sure, it's mostly going to be true, but steamrollering over those feelings makes them feel like you're not even trying to relate. As adults we can understand the long view, but at 16 the long view is about three weeks long. Hence the common teenage complaints of "You'll never understand me,' and "You don't know what it's like." Technically it would be more correct if they said "You don't remember what it's like."

Ok I'll jump off my soapbox now, and leave you with that I wrote all this based on my memories of parental conflict from when I was younger.

I want to write more on my fanfic, but Mikey keeps making everything into the Sally show...

Yeah, the first few days alsways seem to be the hardest.
I remember once a few years ago I got myself of caffeinated coffee and it was hell!!! I did not think that I drank that much coffee however, I did drink quite a bit. On avarage in one day I would have about 4/5 small cups at work and then in the evening when I got home I had another one or two mugs of coffee as well. I went from that to no caffeine in one day and felt absolutely awful. I got up in the morning and was okay but as the day wore on I got a really bad headache, felt nauseous, I actually had some salad for lunch and had to throw up after I had it!! I did take some paracetemol but still felt drained, tired and a bit feverish. Once I got home after work I just slumped on the sofa with the duvet and felt really bad. Skipped dinner and then dragged me and the duvet off to bed.... that's when it really hit me... I was shivering and sweating for an entire night, pins and needles in my arms, very restless and felt like I had a severe case of the flu.
What was really happening is that I was detoxing from the caffeine that I had been having all these years (been drinking coffe since I was 12) and this was how badly I had addicted myself to it.

Nowadays I have no caffeine, unless I cannot avoid it, somties if people do not have decaf in the house I will ask them for tea as it does not seem so fierce in the caffeine department. At work I have my lovely fruity teas (Green tea does not agree with me) and I drik instant decaf at home. If I do have caffeinated coffee I make sure it is only one as I get tingles and the shakes in my spine if I have more than one, I get a bit hyped and want to start spring cleaning the house... and that's just not right!

Anyway.... detoxing story over.... back to the randomness: still happy that the sun is still shining in the UK.. probably going to be a sh%tty summer now as the weather is so good now.

Cloggs

Thanks Janx. And that is a good reminder about her feelings. I'm afraid I am guilty of shrugging it off because she can be SO theatrical. I do realize how attached she was to R, and I know how much the horses mean to her. Especially Dixie--the one that R says is hers. Dixie was rescued from a very bad situation, and she has the temperment to prove it. But she and my daughter really bonded--she would come to the fence and whinny every time she heard my daughter's voice. So I realize how hard this is for her. And I kind of overlooked the talking on the phone because I thought eventually she would realize how manipulative R is and that there is no way in the world she is ever going to let my daughter actually take that horse off her ranch. But then things escalated. I know R thinks I'm a lousy mother and neglect my daughter, but I'm hoping that having a BIG Sheriff's deputy talk to her will convince her to stop.

o.o

ack! i thought i was done with my paper writing days for a while! ^__^() lol! but i could start my thesis on the proud culture of non shipping ^__~

that whole story sounded like a tv drama! but teenagers are hard work and theatrical. i hope things work out.

also, its very easy for anyone to get attached to animals. its like having another member of the family. just last week my dog got hit by a car. i was still in school and my mom called me crying. luckly the dog is fine. no broken bones or anything, just road rash. but people can get very attached to animals and its hard to see them in a difficult situation.

I'm going to the Cure concert tomorrow night! I can't wait!

that sounds like a true NoRomo!!!

Your story sure brings back the memories of when mine were teenagers. My best advice is to take each day as it comes and do the best you can. I always tried to instill in my children that no matter how bad it was they could tell me anything. I would listen and try to understand. Here wishing you all the best. You will get thru it and so will your daughter.

and glad to be one! ^__^ it has the best crew and not to mention the hot doctor lol!!

The Swiss aren't too shaby either, mind you.

oh of course not! i was just off on a bit of a rant ^__^() swiss + noromo = awesomeness

My son is going to see them Tues. Hope you have a GREAT time!!!!!

Wow ciaddict R sounds very creepy. Why would someone go behind the back of a GOOD parent like that? I don't quite understand that. I can understand what a strong draw horses can be to a young girl but that woman? Kinda scary not to mention sneaky and not knowing her boundaries. I think it's great that the deputy came out to show your daughter and mainly R that you mean business.

I totally agree with you, jc. We are great, aren't we?

ciaddict - I have to agree that R was totally out of line for what she did, calling in an absense and doing with your daughter whatever she felt she wanted. I have a 17 year old daugher and she is dating a 22 year old guy and we are definitely not happy about it but nothing we can do at this point in time other than talk to her and keep telling her the facts about sex and things and that's it. We can't prove if anything has been done or not. My daughter also loves horses but we can't afford the money for her to have lessons. I know she would be a natural like your daughter is. She is just a natural animal lover and animals love her too.

Your daughter is angry, that's for sure, I have seen it in my own daughter but she will get over it, just give it time. Then they get angry over another thing. Believe me. I am here if you need to talk, I am sure I have been there in some form.

I am a catholic.

See when It comes to politics, really I am Homer Simpson, I don't understand all this I am a liberal, I am a conservative, i am a Mumbo jumbo, . What the hell does that mean? I just know the Republicans have screwed up the last few years, time for new blood, man. We have two choices, Democrat - Republican, well the Bushes Sr. and Jr. were the Republicans, well sorry dudes, you had your turn, you got us in the biggest mess that probably even the Democrats can't get us out of, but hey, lets give them a try and Thats my platform.