Canary Diamond

True dat!

You're welcome, Bluto! Hey, cool fact - the fictional frat in Animal House was based on my father's chapter (Zeta Xi) at Dartmouth! Should I be proud of that?

How cool! AND 1992 is the year I graduated HS! Which means nothing to you, but.... you're doing awesome! (go pirates.)

Wow, what an exciting milestone! Thank you for sharing!

Wow, what a difference! You were beautiful before but now, whoa, mama! Can you see the difference in your eyes? They look so much brighter and bluer in the close-up after pic than the before. And your tan is amazing - do you live in Florida?

joatsaint - thanks for the singalong! I really hope you're one of my YouTube subscribers....I can tell you will leave awesome comments libearzmom - come to the daaaaaaarrrrrk side... thank you for the congrats. I named him Bob. Because that's what he loved to do *sniffle*

Hey aksmith! It's your birthday! Make your tum-tum! Half its girth-day!

OK so here's what I went with (FA = Future of America, M = Me): FA: Ms. Diamond, how was your surgery? M: I'm feeling fine, thank you! FA: What did you have surgery on? M: Oh, I had some things removed. It's kinda gross and you don't want to know about it. FA: OK. (pause) What did you have removed? Your eyeballs? Can you see us? Are those fake eyeballs? Yeah, I think one's falling out! M: No. FA: But really, what did you have removed? M: My testicles That shut 'em up.

I don't belong in the Men's Room because I don't have a d**k. Same reason I won't engage in a pissing match with you. Thank you, Alex and Susan, for answering my question.

Sheesh, ever think of changing your name to "Don RUDE-olfo". I was just trying to clarify what the situation was (possibly a technical issue), since it seemed to me the expectation had been outlined pretty clearly in the room's description.

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice. Except you, Arts137. Smartass. I'm only with these kiddos for another week (I don't teach with the regular school district anymore), so chances are they won't see any big changes. Also, it's entirely possible they're too wrapped in their ultra-meaningful little lives to even remember to ask me about it.

Check out my latest video for this exciting announcement! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXurQmN6IXE

Why thank you, Teresa! Your expectations of me are clearly too high.

During which week of the post-op diet is foot on the menu? I'm teaching a summer chemistry class to adorable little teenagers. My post-op week we were using small, round candies (not using names - don't want to trigger anyone) to represent atomic particles during radioactive decay. Of course, they could eat whatever they weren't using. At the beginning of class, seeing the HUGE and numerous bags of candy on my demo table, they asked if we were going to be doing something with them for that day's class (they are masters of deduction - watch out, Dr. House!) and I joked that it was all for me. Fast forward to the end of class, as they're cleaning up/inhaling their candy like Dysons. One of them asks if I'm going to have any and I reply, "Nah, I have surgery next week and I'm on a liquid diet." WAY TO GO, BIG MOUTH. Of course, they wanted to know more. I joked that I would tell them about it afterwards. That way If I died on the table they could make up whatever story they wanted ("Did you hear Ms. Diamond had a brain aneurysm and farted out her spleen???"). Well, I didn't die (thanks a lot, Dr. Illan), so now I'm in a pickle. I have no idea what to say if they ask me about it in class today. Do I lie and say I was just trying to crash diet before my beach/wedding/girls' weekend vacation? Or do I go the evasive route and imply it's gross and personal and they wouldn't want to know? I know some of you are wondering why I don't just tell them the truth. I'm sure when I'm 50+ pounds down and everybody's asking, my attitude may be different, but as of now the only people I've told are my immediate family and therapist. Something tells me that revealing my very personal secret to a room full of Tweeting teenagers may not be the best way to maintain an ounce of decorum in this very small town. Any fellow foot-eaters who can offer follow-up advice?

Susan, I don't mean to be a tattle tale, but why are SO MANY women posting in the Man Room? Is the request for us to refrain from posting there no longer in effect, or just not being honored?

It's so easy and so good! Let me know how yours turns out

As mentioned on the soon-to-be-viral video, "Life One Week Post-Op and a Note About Surgeon Selection" Beans (whatever you like!) 1 1/2 boxes chicken or vegetable broth olive oil pinch sea salt chipotle powder to taste one onion, chopped one green pepper , chopped (bell, anaheim, poblano - your choice) 2-4 cloves garlic (depending on your taste) 1-2 small cans diced green chiles jar of salsa 1 can corn niblets (optional) Chipotle Yumm! sauce Drain and RINSE beans using a strainer (this gets rid of the gas-forming stuff!) Put all your beans in a pot with one box of broth and simmer On a separate burner, saute onion, garlic, and fresh pepper in olive oil with a pinch of salt over medium heat until soft. Add salsa, green chiles, chipotle powder, and corn* and let them play with the veggies for a few minutes In batches, blend everything from the saute pan, then add to the beans in broth** Voila! Soup! Serve with a teaspoon of Yumm! sauce, if ya got it! *Corn will make the Soup sweeter, which not everybody digs **If still on full liquids/purees, you can puree the beans too and add extra broth when serving. I puree everything but the beans, then puree individual servings right before I eat them.

Yay for you! BTW - blogs don't always have to be informational to be beneficial to others (or yourself). I've found that sometimes even those blogs that are basically online diaries can be helpful, simply because others can identify with them and feel comforted that they are not alone in their feelings of insecurity, confusion, etc. Looking forward to keeping up with you!

Sounds amazing! Recipes, please!

I know!! I've been bugging him to post some before pics so we can see the transformation. I think it would be very inspirational to our menfolk!

Hey everybody! I just learned how to make a video with my computer and post it on "The Internet". It's very high-tech and I wouldn't want to intimidate any of you technophobes out there. I am just BLAZING into the last quarter of the 20th century! Anyway, I will be chronicling my weight loss journey for all to see. if you'd like to check it out, I'm pretty sure my channel name is "Canary Diamond". I don't know the difference between the member name and channel name, but I'm sure you'll figure it out - you smarty pants, you! Oh, even better. Here's a link (that's short for hyper-link in technology lingo, but again, I don't want to bore you with my exhaustive knowledge of what we early adopters call the "world wide web"): http://www.youtube.c...JUTmAKTCP8BLOwQ Check it out, and subscribe if you like it!

And you look like you could take out that urinal! *batting eyelashes*

Thanks, Susan! I thought it was just me being impaired.

Thank you! I had no idea cottage cheese was so protein dense!

Do stool softeners help with intestinal gas? My business couldn't be much softer, but that gas that won't budge.