Lucy

Thanks, Mindy. I have the super basic version, so I don't think anyone is going to mistake it for a bracelet from Tiffany & Co. Hopefully if I am ever in a situation that requires a medical professional to see the id, they will have the wherewithall to check out my right wrist.

BooBooKitty, like the others here, your post is so hard to read. I hope you can find a way to connect with your husband or find a way out. If my husband didn't speak to me for 3 days except to tell me to get his food, I would take the day off work and have the locks changed. The fact that he says lovely things to you while he thinks you are asleep shows that he has feelings for you, but he obviously doesn't know how to express them. I don't have answers, but I hope that you and he can find a way to get through this and communicate with one another.

Congratulations to Pamela AND Stevee! Woo hoo!

Argh. I have a tattoo on my left arm and I don't wear anything on it. I know the Medic ID is about safety and not accessorizing (and believe me, it certainly is the ugliest piece of "jewelry" I have), but I really don't want to wear it on my left arm.

I agree with you , Faith -- there is no "perfect" person out there for us. That seems to be something we all watched as kids in TV and movies (when will Disney finally come out with a movie where the princess and the prince argue all evening, she didn't feel like shaving her legs, and he's eating dinner on the sofa, watching football?). But there are people that we are more compatable with than others. At least when we start out with them. Part of the problem with life is that we are always changing. If you and your partner don't change together or in the same direction, then what you had 5, 10, however many years ago is not what you have today. Sex IS important in your relationship with your partner, because I think it isn't just about orgasm or fun, but it's also a form of communication. When my husband and I don't have sex for a while it feels like we are missing something because we are. If you and your partner have problems communicating on any level then there are going to be problems in the relationship. I'm not Dr Phil, I'm just typing the thoughts that come into my head. I'm glad that we can talk about these things here. Even if we don't have answers, it's good to discuss.

Are you really supposed to wear them on the left arm? I hadn't heard that before. I've been wearing it on my right.

Thanks, Faith! I will talk to my gyn about it. After 2 years of trying 4 different bcs with no positive changes, she might be more willing to go the IUD route. If not, I'm sure I can find a gyn who will be willing to put it in. Apparently in South America, it's very common to put them in 13 and 14 year olds. Since there are so many doctors of South American descent here (Miami), I'm sure I can find someone who won't think twice about the IUD. My repertoire doesn't extend to fisting, so we shouldn't have any problems with dislodging over here. Of course, if my libido changes drastically with the IUD, who can say what will happen?

Who are these people that have/make the time to come out and protest the pride parade? I mean, I obviously know WHO they are, but seriously, get a life! You don't see me standing outside a church on Sunday morning with a poster that says "I don't like your closed-mindedness".

I think in my case, the bc is definitely to blame -- I'm not on anti-depressants or any other medication and my lack of libido occurred when I started taking bc. I've been trying to convince my gyn to give me an IUD, but she says she won't do it because I've never had children and supposedly my body will reject it. Anyone know anything about this? FaithMD?

Men and their damn football, baseball, basketball, hockey, bowling, fishing, soccer, rugby, tennis, australian rules football, golf, and porn. How are you supposed to do any work? :eek:

I usually tip $5 if I just get a manicure, $10 for a mani/pedi.

I'm still in the mushies, so this will probably change when I can eat real food again: Odwalla Super Protein chocolate Drink Stonyfield Farm Organic Frozen Yogurt A few ounces of hummus Miso Soup -- this is great if I'm craving something salty

Miami Beach

I really appreciate your advice, ladies. I've actually been on 4 different types of birth control in the last 2 years. The only one that really helped my libido return (a little) was ortho tri cyclen lo, but it also turned me into a raving mad PMS monster! Hopefully, as the weight comes off, my libido starts to return again. I used to be obsessed with sex and now I feel completely uninterested in it. I love my husband to death and I am completely attracted to him, but there just isn't any fire inside me anymore. It makes me really sad.

I use a Nike heart rate monitor. They are supposed to be really accurate. It tracks my heart rate during exercise and provides data about how many calories I burned. It was about $100. the Bodybugg sounds amazing, but you are supposed to wear it 24/7 which is not something I'm interesting in doing.

I was shy the first time I had it done, but you soon realize that they wax bikini lines for a living and you're just another customer. They've seen more snatch than Wilt Chamberlain! I would actually like to continue talking about intimacy because I think this is a good thread. All of us have intimacy issues and this is a good place to talk about them. My husband is wonderful -- it's me that has the problems. I've always been insecure about my weight with him, even though he says he thinks I'm beautiful. Ever since I've been on birth control, my libido has disappeared completely and I've been incredibly insecure about how I look around him. I don't want to stop taking bc since I don't want to get pregnant, but I'm starting to wonder if my birth control is working SO well that it's making me not even want to have sex with my husband! Any advice?

The hair should be at least 1/4" long and not too much longer. You should go every 4-5 weeks. After a while, the hair will get thinner and it doesn't hurt as much. And I really should mention that the pain is not that bad. If your waxer is experienced, they will be very quick and the pain will be minimal and fleeting.

I have to chime in here -- I SWEAR by the brazillian bikini wax (on me, not on my husband). It is the best thing in the world. Yes, it hurts for a few moments when they are doing it, but it is totally worth it to be all clean down there (I do have them leave a little landing strip, though, the totally bare thing is a little weird). My waxer is great, very gentle. And if you are embarrassed, don't worry, they've seen it all before. Relating to the intimacy topic, my husband loves when I get waxed. I usually don't tell him, I just get it done and surprise him. But if you and your mate are having real intimacy issues, I don't know if a little hair removal is going to solve your issues. But it's certainly worth a try!

I think as long as you supplement it with your regular exercise habits (assuming they are more than "8 minute abs") it's fine. The 4 minute workout on its own is only going to make your wallet lighter.

Hopefully the 11 year old will learn about parenting from someone other than her own mother.

"My Wife" by The Who (interesting idea for a thread, Derrick)

Musicalmomma, thanks for putting that chart together! I was feeling so lazy earlier today...I just wanted to lay on the sofa and watch bad TV...but I got off my ass and went for a 30 minute walk outside (in the 90 degree heat of Miami Beach, AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!). It wasn't a LONG walk, but I just took a shower and now I feel great. It's the best feeling when you don't want to work out, but you do anyway.

Lucy's Barbecue Sauce 1 large red onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup Laphroaig single malt scotch 10 oz tomato paste 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1 cup honey 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup Dijon mustard 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 cup hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons chili powder 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes In a large saucepan on low heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil for about 12 minutes, sweat the onions, but don't over-saute then. Deglaze with the scotch. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Voila! Mark: multiply everything by 120.

Thank god you are okay, that looks like it was a terrible accident! You must have been freaked out! Seriously, they offered you the meat? I guess I'm too much of a city girl, I have never heard of that before...

When I was a little kid I hated my real name and wanted to change it to Lucy. That didn't happen and as I got older I became more comforatble with my real name. But I still use "Lucy" as my name online.