plain

But, the sleeve is technically a foreign object in your body, right? Ok, I went back and looked, and it appears I'm totally wrong. I am confused...

True. If only theory meshed well with reality, it'd be a much more simple world. I am 1000% for less government intervention in private citizen's daily lives (including the chance to make our own choices in all sorts of areas....retirement, healthcare, schooling, everything), but I think this is one of those "hard to get the geenie back in the bottle" sort of things. Once the government is in control of something, they very rarely cede that control. That's why I think it is soooooo uber-important to be extremely careful when thinking about crafting new laws. I guess I'm Ron Paul-esque in that manner.

I have had to take care of the vilest of the vile, sometimes. When (and it is rare, despite my living in the rual south) somebody makes a slur, I usually laugh (kinda over-laugh, if you know what I mean) and say something like "woah there....this is a public hospital....you have to choose your words carefully....all kinds of people work here". I've found that (at least in my experience) just by doing something as simple as not agreeing usually shuts down the racist stuff. Just by nature I am disinclined to confrontation. My size generally keeps anybody from "pushing their luck"...but I prefer to diffuse tense situations by smiling, being nice (sometimes painfully nice) and using humor (self-depricating, if necessary). That's how I handle confrontation.

Has anybody seen the disturbing video footage of the Nawlins police going house to house confiscating guns during the Katrina aftermath? WTF? Those poor people needed their guns more than anybody, what with the diminished police presence and the looters. What a disgrace...

Yeah, the amount of water you have to drink to die (assuming you don't have a pre-existing electrolyte imbalance) is huuuuuuge!! You almost have to be trying to kill yourself.

Yeah, I almost made a snarky comment about your "Go Vols" tagline, when your location says Georgia.....However, your witty, witty comments made me go easy. You got off lucky this time, SNT.....

Hey, I *heart* the USA too! Co-winky-dink?

SNT, those are among the best. commercials. ever.

Ahhhhhhh, but in the NBA the trend is moving towards drafting kids right out of high school. Huge mistake, if you ask me (I know......nobody actually did). Both Juli and Heartfire are both right, IMO. Smart has little enough to do with diction and syntax (a speaker that isn't smart will reveal it by the content). A good example is Roger Clements. I watched his congressional hearings, and while his delivery is good, he is basically an idiot. I think it has more to do with life experience. Pro sports (especially basketball) is a closed clique. The only people they tend to be around (as young men) are often just as "limited" in experiences. As the players get older and they do more things than strictly sport of choice, experience is broadened. I think that's why older players "sound" better. PS- SNT, don't ever EVER speak ill of Peyton Manning!!! LOL

At the risk of sounding flippant, Sounds like your husband will be enjoying this birthday gift too. Odds are, he'll reap some benefits of a rested, pampered wife when he gets home, right? So there's your justification...

I assume you're staying hydrated....drinking enough fluids? Could be a normal function of aging, or something could be off in the prostate department. Probably better to be safe, rather than sorry.

Fenton, here in Texas, Six Flags stays open (on the weekends) up until Thanksgiving. I'll wager that you'll easily be on a coaster by Autumn.

Sounds like you're on the right track, Libby. Keep up the good work...the surgery will be behind you before you know it.

Welcome, Vegasgirl! There is a ton of information floating around on this site, and lots of knowledgable people to help you with support and questions. Good luck on your journey.

Fantastic, boxerlover! Welcome to the forums!

No, of course it's not right. I only posted that because so many (mostly liberal) people want to skewer Bush for "meddling in other countries governments". Of course it's not right.....but Bush wasn't the first prez to do it. Elenation...Ron Paul? Really? That dude's a kook (I mean it as kindly as possible). I understand that some of his policies sound good in theory....but many would just never fly in the real word (such as doing away with the IRS, and reducing the military to 10% of what we have now). I did not expect you to bust out the support for Ron Paul, LOL. Although strangely, in East Texas, Ron Paul has HUGE support.

I think the whole love bug thing is, like, a big cloud of swarming gnats. Is that accurate, Susan or ATD? What you're calling a palomino bug, I think we in the south call a "junebug". Big flying crunchy bug that will creep you the eff out if they land on you. Junebugs are also great for rendering a windshield opaque with bug guts.

He actually only had the 911 operator on the line. And I agree with RSG. If somebody breaks into my hose while I'm there, I will shoot them (I do have a wife and small kids, after all). But if I arrive home and saw somebody running down the driveway with something of mine, I couldn't shoot them in the back. Just not worth it to me.

Agree. The wife and I went to Ohio a couple of years ago, and anytime we had to interact with anybody.....well.....it was a big to-do. I know that my thick, thick (so thick I had to write it twice...my wife tells me that sometimes when I'm speaking unguardedly I tend to say "cain't" instead of "can't") draaaaaaawl makes me appear stupid. But I've found that I can learn a lot of stuff, and that people tend to speak more freely when they think I'm an uneducated hick.

Not entirely.....Your post inspired me to have "turd on a cracker" for dinner. Funny, it didn't taste as good as it sounds...

Sorry paulvic, after the "surprise" 3rd child, I got a vasectomy. I'm a little curious....are you talking sperm count, or the quantity of semen?

Yeah, I'm no expert, Fenton, but I think despite what bodybug is telling you, you continue to kick ass with your loss. I'm kinda of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" camp. BTW, don't even joke about 80's shorts coming back into vogue. My underwear covers more than gigem's shorts!

I'm totally with you, Jenny. That's exactly why I chose the band. You absolutely can lose that amount of weight with the band. There are quite a few bandsters lurking around here that have lost that much. I think there is somebody from Texas that has lost in excess of 200 lbs with the band. The band can work for you. I just think everybody should go into the surgery with their eyes wide open, that's all. Whichever surgery you choose, hang around! There are a ton of cool people on this site that can offer great advice. Let us know what you decide!

CBIC.....I can tell that you're greatly offended! When somebody goes to the trouble of breaking out the inflammatory red typeface, well.....they must feel strongly about something indeed. The thing is, you misunderstand me. I myself am banded. Why would I refer to obesity as a "free ride"? What I was trying to say (and failing miserably for you to take such offense) was that the lapband doesn't let me eat whatever I want and still lose weight. I can't kick back and rely 100% on the band to "fix" me. Even with the band, there is a lot of work involved, both physical and mental, to be done. Do you dispute this, or are we finally on the same page? See, I'm not one of those bandsters that think it's the greatest WLS ever. Nor do I think that Roux-en-Y is the greatest....or the DS....or the sleeve. What I think is that the best WLS is the one that best fits the lifestyle of the individual. You think that too, right? So, when I told girlesmom to do the research, it was heartfelt. She has to be the one to decide which WLS is best for her.

As a Texan, let me say this: He should not have killed those two men. To shoot somebody in the back is......sickening. Having said that, the law in Texas is pretty clear. It does allow for use of deadly force in protecting your property or your neighbor's property. Now, I'm very pro-gun. You can't live in Texas and not be (well, if you live in a rual area like me, anyway). The state of Texas is, in fact, reviewing my application to carry a concealed handgun right now. However, I just can't see that it would be worth it to kill a dude (or two) to save a television set. What would I have done? If I had witnessed the robbery, I probably would have drawn down on the robbers and ordered them to stop (like Joe Horn did). If they had reached for a gun or even made a quick, suspicious move, I might have shot them. But if they turned tail and ran, I would have let them run (unlike Joe Horn). So, legally, what he did was ok. I wouldn't want to be him during the long lonely nights when people sometimes turn introspective, though.