Ever wonder why women gain weight when they get in a relationship? Me too. What is up with that?

Case in point. I weighed 123 lbs when I met my boyfriend. I was svelt, slim and wearing a size 5. That was a pretty big deal for me since I’d lost about 40 lbs a year earlier. Well, fast forward another year and guess what…I didn’t gain it all back (I won’t let myself) but I did gain 13 lbs!!! WTF! How could I gain 13 friggin’ lbs? Yeah, I know, that only pubs me at 136 lbs, but that’s 11 more than I want.

So to combat this little hike in my weight I’ve implemented some changes in my life. No more eating after nine just because my boyfriend (a martial arts instructor who burns calories like a mad man) wants a late night snack. No more burgers at McDonalds or fried nuggets at Sonic. No more eating 10 million times a day just because he’s always hungry. And no more sitting around working on my computer for hours on end without getting up and doing something physical. It’s time I got my body back.

So, starting Monday I started each morning with a jog/squat thrust ritual. I take a break every few days to go on a brisk walk. Today I weigh 134 lbs. Only 9 more lbs to go till I get to 125 lbs (my ideal weight).

Anyone else experience this annoying phenomena?  

 

On the evening of August 20 I had the pleasure of seeing Barack Obama live at a local high school. When I heard, the day before, that Barack was coming to town I never imagined I’d be one of the lucky few who’d be able to score a ticket. Well, I never imagined such a thing would happen after I got over the fact that he was actually coming to town. What lottery did he lose, I wondered. LOL! Just kidding.

I got the ticket because a good friend of my boyfriend managed to secure two. Her husband didn’t want to go and she knew I wanted to, so she rang me up and invited me to tag along.

I got to the school around 4, Susie was there a little after three. When I arrived I was thunderstruck by how long the line to get in was. It ran down the front of the school and down the sidewalk out front. I figured in about an hour it would be curving around the school’s property. Since Susie had gotten there so early I got to walk to the near front of the line and wait with her.

The mood of everyone there was upbeat and excited. A few McCain supporters were passing out documents comparing the two candidates…which is to be expected. Not long after I arrived, the door opened and people were allowed in.

There was about an hour and a half wait once we were inside, and I couldn’t complain about that. Many people who hadn’t gotten there as early as us weren’t allowed in because the gym was full. When Barack arrived, however, he spent time outside with them.

A funny thing about that evening was how whenever the announcer introduced a speaker, everyone thought that speaker was going to be Obama. Everyone would leap to his/her feet and start cheering, only to be deflated when someone else’s name was announced. It was funny and sort of sad for those who were announced, but they didn’t seem to mind. There was an overall feeling of celebration in the air.

When Barack took to the stage the audience went crazy. With rolled up sleeves and an empty platform he walked and talked with everyone. He spoke for about 40 or 50 minutes then had a 25 minute question period after that. He covered topics like the economy, saying that at the end of President Clinton’s term per family income had risen $6000 but at the end of President Bush’s term people are making $1000 less than they were at the end of Clinton’s term. He reiterated how similar Bush and McCain’s economic and foreign policies are and stated what he would do to make college more affordable for people.

All in all it was a great night. I’m so grateful to Susie for taking me.

Remember that song from the 90’s? I was a huge Extreme fan back in the day. I saw them two times, once down in North Carolina and another time at Hammerjacks in Baltimore (or as Baltimoreans say, Baltmore). Both shows were awesome.

Andy and I are going to see Extreme. This is going to be awesome. I haven’t seen them in years and it’s almost the original line-up. Andy and I are looking forward to it. It’s cool to be with someone who loves to go to shows as much as I do. We’re going to make a weekend of it. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures to post here.

 

According to Forbes Magazine, Will Smith pulled in a cool $80 mill this year! Can you imagine making $80 million?!? I never thought I’d hear myself say this but I think that’s more money than I could spend.

Not doing too bad himself, Johnny Depp pulled in $72mil.

What would I do with that much money? I’d buy a house on a lake or on a beach. My dream house will look just like HGTV’s 2005 Dream House. I LOVE that house. I’d get a recording studio built into the house and a dojo for Andy. I’d have a library and….we’d take really cool vacations. And maybe I’d get a penthouse in Baltimore. Other than charities and investments for my descendants, I can’t think of anything else.

What would you do with $80 Million?