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Hello all, I'm in for another round! This time it is the Working Class Stiff exchange. (WCS's) We will try to make this a work themed exchange in honor of Labor Day. Labor day is September 4th this year so here are the dates. Sign up until July 30th. Send me a PM with your name and address and your job. (nurse, stay at home mom, etc.) Confirmation PM's will go out July 31st. and you will have until August 6th to respond. August 7th you will receive your WCS and have just about a month to get your gifts out. As with the last exchange we will have substitute WCS's and if any one has any ideas or suggestions please let me know. Several people asked me last time h…

Though this might be fun to name some of the crazy and not so crazy diets you've tried. Here's some of my own personal experiences with the diets I've tried: Ayds (the chocolate diet chews of the 70's... lordy they tasted good, ate the entire box in one sitting LOLOL...they didn't work either) The Grapefruit Diet (that makes me pucker just thinking about it) Scarsdale Diet (there we go with the grapefruit again .... ick) Susan Powter (eat carbs until you bust..... yep, thats what happened) Deal-A-Meal (Richard Simmons.... probably the only diet I liked and stuck to...it actually taught me portions) Weight Watchers (joined about 10 times....couldn't wait to g…

Anyone have something happy to share? Any good news is welcome! Anything made you laugh or smile recently? happy things only... Here's one - Anne jumped on her 2-wheel bike today and took off with NO help :clap2: . She was smiling from ear to ear - as well as laughing and singing to the top of her lungs! Big milestone in her little life. Seeing this made me smile - laugh actually. Your turn!

WOW>>>>>I saw Wayne Brady perform tonight (just got back) and he was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! Really, his show is astounding; I don't have the words to express it. It was H I L A R I O U S !!! I had SUCH A GREAT TIME....if anyone has the opportunity to see him perform....don't even think about it...run out and get tickets!!!!!! It was just like the show "Whose Line is it Anyways" but it was just him and his sidekick.....and WAAAAAY funnier!!!! heheh still laughin' from it here!

http://www.mambocats.blogspot.com/

Hey Everyone, I haven't been around much so I just thought I would post an update. I'm still teaching summer intensive courses at Cambridge. I'm exhausted I can't wait until I get vacation in September. In addition my father and mother in law are on vacation until Aug 18th. Which means that DH and I are responsible for the stores until they get back. My day goes something like, getting out of the house around 8 am and only getting home around 8pm. I need another fill I can feel my appetite getting bigger, I've lost 12 kg total , but the doc is on vacation until September and Aug 31 we are leaving to Florida. I can't wait to relax, lay out by the pool, get a …

If you haven't seen The Devil Wears Prada and need a good laugh, ante up for the matinee at least and check this one out. Meryl Streep is an absolute RIOT - much, much better than her last comedy (Prime).

K. Selfless promotion of my offspring. Here is a pic of my kids. Post yours. I want to see how cute your little bugs are.

No, not a Johnny Cash thread. Although... that would be cool! I'm wondering... is it totally abnormal to have some 'burn' whilst ... umm.. releasing the previous days very spicy food ? Ok, ok... burning poops! I always get this when I, say, have some 'hot' salsa the day before, or just anything that's pretty spicy. Is there anything you can eat along with spicy foods or soon after, or something, that will make following bowel movements NOT burn ya, or is this just something that's gotta go along with eating that stuff? Thanks in advance :eek:

Disclaimer: I am likely to delete this later this week. This is not a good thing but it is bothering me to the point that I can't sleep. I don't think it is a good idea for me to call anybody and discuss this so here I go. I have been working out of town, not unusual for me, but I have had several staff with me at different times over the past few weeks that don't regularly travel. Today we worked until 7:30PM and then went back to the hotel. Decided to go to the bar and have a drink. I had one drink and went to my room and ordered dinner from room service, got online checked my e-mail, came here, etc. My telephone in my hotel room rings and it is the wif…

My husband has a problem with anger. He's very pessimistic, seems to always be SO unhappy, never smiles and seldom laughs, gripes/hollers at the kids for the smallest things, keyed up all the time, plus the tension is causing him trouble sleeping, headaches AND HBP. If only he could relax, mellow out, loosen up. Beer helps, he becomes jolly and light, but then he dives down and becomes a bear! He's had these issues for ever, but a couple of years ago he became much worst and his doctor put him on paxil (after several attemps of other meds). It helped... for awhile it was better, but slowly faded in effectivness. Back to the doctor and an increase in paxil. The …

My daughter went to a summer camp girl scout thing this summer in Fl. She apparently had alot of fun because shes asking me to become a girl scout now. I called the Girls Scout phone line and they gave me the number of a contact in my town. The thing is apparently, her group is full and theres a waiting list of 3 girls who want in but none of the other parents want to be a troop leader..She said they all want their kids in Girl Scouts but don't want to be involved themselves... Well, I am Pagan so I didn't think I could be a troop leader. I thought GS were a Christian based group, but apparently that is just the boy Scouts. The girl scouts have said they will no…

Don't worry, I'm not asking for a diagnosis -- just your thoughts. I had a few really bad multi-day headaches in the past month. I totally am not a 'headache person'. Stress gets me in the stomach typically. These headaches don't seem to respond to advil/tylenol. For example, today I've taken 6 tylenol, 2 of which had a decongestant for any possible sinus issues. Nothing, no relief. The pain is mostly on one side but can shift the front or back - still favoring one side. It starts behind one eye socket and goes to the top of my head, with a spiltting feeling. (wow, a splitting headache, I get it.) Then it moves around to the back of my head. Sound and moving around seem…

Hey Bandsters! (Hey VQ!) I know that many of you are currently melting away and rocking your Band, and so, you've shunk out of many of your clothes. Cushies on the other hand... we go the other way. There is a young lady on my Cushing's board that is in desperate need of some new clothes. This young lady has had a really hard go of it, especially since she too was raised by wolves. Let me know if you can help her out Cheers

OMG, you guys SO made me do this. Snorting, crying, dying laughing. Paula, I really, really wanted to post this to your thread, but I didn't want to steal your lil' dumplin's thunder. Anyone else brave enough to show us YOUR dance recital? Penni? HUH?

I got a flyer in the mail on Friday about a warehouse sale at a furniture company. So I went on Saturday afternoon, just to see what they had. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. My husband and I have been married for six years now and we've never had proper bedroom furniture. We bought a really nice Select Comfort bed, so we're comfortable but . . . our bedroom looks sterile. Yuck. Crappy old put-it-together-yourself stuff, of which we each brought several mismatched pieces to our marriage. So back to the warehouse sale. The furniture was great. The prices were great. We found stuff we both like (ok, he probably doesn't even notice the yucky mismatched stuff, b…

Ok, all you seasoned cruisers. I need advice, tips, and help with preparation! I've never been on a cruise before so I have no clue what to plan for. Here are the details. The cruise is in February 07. The cruise starts in San Juan, Puerto Rico and will stop in St. Thomas, Dominica Islands, Barbados, and Aruba. We will be going with world renowned portrait photographer Monte Zucker and a class of about 15 students for a week of one on one instruction but on and off ship. I am so excited! Ok, so here's what I'm already stressing about. In six months I hope to be - scratch that - I WILL be 60 pounds lighter! Where am I going to be able to shop for summer closes in Ja…

The seller just accepted our offer, we should be moving in the first week of August. I LOVE this house!! It's a 5 year old Victorian, 2880sq ft living, over 4000sq ft total, on 2 acres. The outside of the house (That's not the street you see there, it's a circular driveway, the house sits quite a ways back from the road)

Just wanted to say hello, and ask how are you doing? hope life is treating you well! could not find you on the members list. in the begaining of my weight loss,you were always there to help me just wanted to say thanks.JOHN Also doe,s any body know a site to check your ( BMI ). My computer blew up I lost all my stuff. thanks John

I am just curious as to how many of you have or have had ovarian cysts? I thought I had PCOS since I had alot of the symptoms but my OB/GYN said they treat it with birth control which I was going on anyway. I heard that cysts are one of the comorbidities.

Okay, okay, yes, I WISH I was melting away pound wise.... ....but, alas, I am merely refering to this freakin' heat wave we are having. It is just STUPID HOT. I can actually handle STUPID hot...what I can't handle is STUPID hot mixed with STUPID humid..... Just north of Toronto right now it is + 38 degrees.....withOUT the humidty...WITH the humidty it is +46 and climbing. EEEEGADS. Last night at 9:00 pm, it was still +36 For you non-Canucks out there....+46 celsius is approx 122 F.

CHESTNUT TREE (Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive,well-developedsense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times,fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit. From What Tree Did You Fall? Find your birthday below and then find your tree. This is really cool and somewhat accurate. * Dec 23 to Jan 01 - Apple Tree * Jan 01 to Jan 11 - Fir Tree * Jan 12 to Jan 24 - Elm Tree * Jan 25 to Feb 03 - Cypress Tree * Feb 04 to Feb 08 - Poplar Tree * Feb 09 to Feb 18 - Cedar Tree * Feb 19 to Feb 28 - Pine …

Do you ever wonder where some screen names come from? For example, I always think Vinesqueen has one of those cool gardens with a fragrant, beautiful garden with green vines crawling along the house. I picture Darcy with a little white nurse's hat. And I imagine Jammin&loosen doing aerobics till her loose pants fall off so all her clothes must have loosened up since she's jammin and loosen. I still can't figure out why Kelly moos! DeLarla was a name a crush gave me years back. He was this darling bartender where I often caused a little weekend "DeLarla" bad girl trouble. One night he looked at me with his baby blues and said, "your Mamma named you w…

My daughter is currently working with one of our State Senators to get direct to consumer drug advertising banned. You've seen all of the commercials promising a beautiful life, followed by someone talking in a soothing voice about all of the side affects. Most of the time, we aren't even told what the drug is for.. just contact your doctor and ask about <insert drug name here>. Cigarette commercials and billboard ads were stopped years ago. Why not food commercials. Fifty percent of America is now overweight, and I think I read that 30% is obese. Yet try to watch tv without being bombarded by fast food commercials, or Betty Crocker and Pop-n-Fresh tempting you with…

Back in the 1960's, I saw an episode of Star Trek entitled "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" in which Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise come across two humanoids; Bele and Lokai, from the planet Cheron. Each of them is half black and half white, starkly separated down the middle of his body. The only difference is one is black on the right side and white on the left, while the other is exactly the opposite. When I saw the show, I thought of it as a satire of race relations in the USA, but today I thought about it and realized that it might be more fittingly mocking the Jewish/Muslim battle now taking place in the Middle-East. If either Bele or Lokai were…

A guy falls asleep on the beach for several hours and gets a horrible sunburn. He is taken to the hospital by ambulance and is promptly admitted after being diagnosed with second degree burns. With his skin already starting to blister and noting the severe pain he is in, the doctor goes ahead and prescribes continuous intravenous feeding with saline, electrolytes, a sedative and a Viagra pill every four hours. The nurse, who is rather astounded, asks, "What good will Viagra do for him now, Doctor?" "It'll keep the sheets off his legs." :faint: :clap2:

OK, I've heard that vinegar kills the grass that grows inbetween bricks (and doesn't harm pets) and it worked when I tried it. Now THIS is something new to me. Before anyone goes on the offensive, I drink products with aspartame but found this interesting (and yes, a bit distressing). I plan on giving it a try outside the house where I saw carpenter ants. From the June 2006 Idaho Observer: http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20060612.htm</B> Aspartame - The World's Best Ant Poison contributed by Jan Jensen of WELLthy Choices We live in the woods and carpenter ants are a huge problem. We have spent thousands of dollars with Orkin and on ant poisons trying t…

One of my best friends sent this to me from FL....she moved from OH and has lived there for many years now. ENJOY!! ***************************************** "Down South" means Key West "Panhandling" means going to Pensacola. You think no-one over 70 should be allowed to drive. Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church. No, wait, flip flops are good for church too, unless it's Easter or Christmas. Sweet tea can be served at any meal. An alligator once walked through your neighborhood. You smirk when a game show's "Grand Prize" is a trip or cruise to Florida. You measure distance in minutes. …

We recently got pictures of our "family" taken, and I am so proud of my boys. Anyone else want to share??? Here are the people in our neighborhood! White shirt is my partner Erin, then green shirt is me. The guy is one of our staff workers/best friend, Jason. Then the littlest boy is Brandon, the one I am holding is Carlos (his legs are completely off the floor) and the yellow shirt is Roy. Roy and Brandon are half brothers, and Carlos and Roy have lived together for over 10 years, so they are "brothers".

[ame= ] [/ame] Someone emailed this to me... funny.

Where's Jamie/Jammin & Losin? Her profile says that she hasnt been here in nearly a month. She's crossed my mind several times this weekend... sure hope she's ok.

My son graduated from Air Force boot camp in San Antonio on July 14. It was a wonderful experience...... Enjoy.......... http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=d71b13327d079def2a90f&skin_id=0&utm_sourc e=otm&utm_medium=text_url

I posted earlier in the summer about how my husband left me, deciding that after 20 years he no longer wishes to be married....well, I'm trying to move forward, and would love to have a dog! Problem: I'm a teacher, leaving around 7:30 each morning, returning around 3:45ish. Is that too long to leave a dog? I would LOVE to get a golden retriever puppy, but am thinking that wouldn't work. I am looking at rescue shelters, but not sure of a breed - mutts work too. I'm looking for people's suggestions! I am more than willing to do a big walk each day and each afternoon when I get home........I have no children, so this would be a "doted" on dog, lol...what do you think?…

I work with a bunch of men - as the only woman salesperson in an auto dealership, I see it all. The other day I wrote this while thinking about some of the comments and reactions we get when a "thin" girl comes in. Overlooked Inside I look the same I feel the same I smile the same As the other women the women the men notice the women men talk about. Its funny how women of slighter build get more attention than women of substance. Is the only picture men see the one painted by flesh? How sad how lonely it must be to always overlook the beauty of character. ~~Cindy W. 06-17-2006

For the men http://www.mess.be/pirate-names-male.php For the women http://www.mess.be/pirate-names-female.php Here is mine Arrrrgh me beauty, send the name Amy to davy jones's locker! You will commandeer your ship as Yardarm Mary (Tisn't the prettiest nickname, tis a nickname none the less) ...sounds a little like Typhoid Mary... Can I make you some Soup?

Well, as many of you know I resigned from being a police officer after 6 years and I am going to be teaching 6th grade. I have already made business cards for parents regarding my contact info as well as important school information for them to have handy. I would like to draft an introduction letter for "open house" night. But I really don't know what to say in it. Does anyone have a rockin' intro letter for parents and will share with me???? Hugs! And btw, if you ARE a 6th grade teacher and have lesson plans that you are itching to share.... send them my way!!

I'm not sure which forum this belongs in. I'm looking for some general help. I don't think this is related to the band, but who knows? About 2 months ago, I started having extremley sore back of the neck pain, shoulder and upper arm pain. I went to my PCP and he took me off Lipitor to see if that would help. I had been taking it for a year. I also have a *hot spot* on my neck bone. I had an MRI and the radiologist didn't see much. She only found it because I specifically pointed out the location. Maybe not much to her, but my neck hurts. For the last 3 weeks, this general muscle pain has been spreading down my arms, back, buttocks, thighs and calves. Turning over in b…

This is my first time on this sight and in fact the first time I have ever posted. i am considering having the lap band done in Mexico and I am concerned about getting filled. I live in New York and want to know If any one has had the surgery in Mexico and get thier fills in U.S. Also has anyone heard anything about Dr. Ortiz in Mexico? I am considering using him. Thanks for the help, I am scared to death of this but want to make the change.

OK so I'm desperately trying to come up with things to do rather than finish my essay, but this cracked me up. FOLLOW THESE 14 SIMPLE TESTS BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO HAVE CHILDREN... Test 1 Women: to prepare for maternity, put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag down the front. Leave it there for 9 months. After 9 months remove 5% of the Beans. Men: to prepare for paternity, go to a local chemist, tip the contents of your wallet onto the counter and tell the pharmacist to help himself. Then go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office. Go home. Pick up the newspaper and read it for the last time. Test 2 Find a couple wh…

I had to put my cat son "Mouse" to sleep Monday. They just called to tell me I can go pick up his ashes after 2:30pm today. I never cremated a pet before, and I am a bit nervous about going and picking him up in a box. My husband is out of town or I would make him do it. I have only had to bury one of our pets before because my husband was out of town. It was a disaster! I scraped Emmett (cat) up in a shovel (ran over by truck) put him in a plastic bag, then dug a hole under our 300 year old live oak tree for his eternal resting spot. About six months later, we were having a wedding under our tree and was having some landscapping done to make it pretty. The landscaper …

Hello to all, Well, I've been lurking since my daughter had her lap - band surgery on 6/1/06. She is only 19 and so far down 18lbs. We had both hopwed to have it down however the insurance picked up the hospital costs but the surgeon was out of network so I'll wait until next year. I can tell a change in my daughter already. Does anyone know of anyone younger than 19 ???? Well, just wanted to say Hi! and thank you for letting me read all your wonderful posts..... As a mother wanting the best for her teenage daughter this has been a life ..saver....She has approx. 80 more lbs. to go but wow....what a change I see already....She seems so happy again... thanks... …

Well I'm now officially a bandster!!! Yay! I thought this day would never come! I had originally wanted to do in and out surgery meaning to go in and then come home on the same day, well.....that wasn't happening so I'm out now. I'm happy and lucky that I don't have any gas pains but I do have Port pain, that is the only part that hurts the most now. :-( I've been good and have been drinking my water and walking, just not sure what else to do? Any suggestions or is this something that will subside in due time? Thanks for any suggestions and info that can be providded.

My mom just learned that she has 2 of these things -- very painful! She is a diabetic, has HPB and is MO - so the *thought* of back surgery has her in complete freak-out mode! Her Chiro also commented that one of the bulging disk is affecting the nerves that control bladder and bowel functions. *big sigh* With so many health conditions to deal with, I was wondering if anyone had worst case/great outcome stories that I can console her with?

Hi all, I am entering a bandsters team in this years melbourne marathon. We only need 3 more people to enter a group of 6. You will need to be able to run 7 to 9 km on the road by October 9. I have lost 40 kgs and am addicted to running now and am looking for others like me or anyone that needs a challenge. We will organise some training days hopefully once a week between now and then. If you are interested you can check out the website. www.melbournemarathon.com.au If you are keen then email me at spaldo2@hotmail.com or text or call me on 0424 642 019 Andy

Most just sharing as it's interesting I guess, and also finding out if anyone has any experience with this kind of thing. For the last year or so, I've been struggling with upper right quadrant pain. All this time I thought it was my gall bladder, but the first ultrasound last year came back perfectly clean. The pain didn't get any worse so I kind of delt with it a while. A little over a month ago the pain hit really hard, out of no where, so I went to the urgent care, and they took some blood and basically said "go to the ER if it gets worse". The bloodwork they did came back perfect with the minor acception of slight anemia, which is new, but not a big deal. So I…

I have been wearing old lady/old man shoes for the past few years to work. No one really said anything to me because I made the joke before they could. But, I am going into a larger school district with a more strict dress code, and my old lady shoes probably will not go over. I have been wearing Apex Ambulator Diabetic Shoes, SAS shoes, and PW Minor shoes. I am not diabetic, but they make wider shoes with tons of padding, so I can make it thru the day without ending up with foot/back/hip pain. I am on my feet all day, going around in circles helping every kid in the room. Do you have a suggestion on a more fashionable alternative? Or should I stick with my "clow…

...then you'll love this guy! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3133892664245505303

Let me know so we can talk about any issues related to banding... Thanks, GiGi:kiss2:

:happybday2: :happybday2: :happybday2: :happybday2: We don't see you nearly enough around these parts but wanted to let you know you are thought of and that wishes are being sent for you to have a very special B-Day!!!!

A bit of a story... I have a great relationship with my parents, but my mother especially has a lot of baggage around my obesity, for which she blames herself - she wan't there enough, she didn't teach me the right eating habits, she was overweight while I was growing up and was a bad role model, etc.) They came with us to the hospital, in separate cars, and I later learned she cried the whole way because she felt HORRIBLE...as she put it, "I didn't want you to have to go through something as drastic as your first surgery to take control of a problem that's my fault." Basically my mom felt that "My daughter is fat because of me and now she has to undergo something this …