Free-form Friday!

Good morning kidlettes!

Since today is Anything Goes Friday (no cursing please), this post will be a bunch of miscellaneous blather:

1. Wrapping up the weekday portion of week one of my Biggest Loser type contest with friend. We've given ourselves ten weeks (until Nov. 22) to see who can lose the most weight. The winner gets $100 from each of the others (there are three of us in this competition). My official weigh-in on Monday put me at a starting weight of 264 lbs (18 stone 12 lbs, or roughly 120 kg). We shall each 'check in' every Monday, but this morning I was down to 261 lbs (and change, but that's neither here nor there (so then where is it?)), and that's just with eating less. Next week, I plan to add a bit of exercise to the mix in the form of long walks (outside, weather permitting - on the treadmill otherwise). My goal is to lose 40 lbs by the end of this, which, for the mathematically impaired, means that at the finish I'll be a svelte 220-ish. And all just in time for Monkey Chow's big debut show!

I've heard that for every 10 lbs one loses, one goes down a size in jeans. Accounting for comfort, I'd be in size 33 waist. More likely they'd be 34's or 36's but oh-my would that be something!

2. Continuing in my "I'm broke as a joke" trend... I've spent the last week with $7 in my checking account. That is not a typo: Seven Dollars (US). Limited to cash on hand, I've discovered the joys of cigarette rationing, sack lunches, Taco Bell's dollar menu and just staying home and reading. Now don't get me wrong, this is a very good thing. In times past that $7 would, by now, be a negative three digit number so improvements have been made. And as a form of reward for my (financially impaired) ways, my latest gas bill has a credit balance! It seems I sent two payments for the same bill earlier (I REALLY need to start opening my mail, or at least getting them to send my bills on a postcard). So that's less money going out this month which means I may actually show a profit at the end of the month!

3. My mom saw my newest tattoo. After a couple of weeks cleverly hiding it with long sleeved shirts and jackets, I let my guard down during a recent visit and the very bottom peeked out from under my short sleeved shirt. Needless to say, her reaction was disproportionately dramatic.

4. Can you believe I've been at my job almost nine months already? It seems like just the other day I was writing about the dire straits I was in and the bleak outlook of my immediate future. Of course, I did enjoy sleeping until noon.

5. People simply do NOT know how to communicate in writing. It's obvious that the educational system in the USA is a failure.

So what are you lovely lot up to this weekend?