Happy New Year bandsters! A new thread start for a new year?

For those struggling, this is a great time to recommit!

Melody

Deb, so sorry you are going through all this. Yes, it will get better. Hang in there. My thoughts are with you ((hug)).

Karen: Congratulations! Enjoy your pregnancy...it's a great time!

Deb: My sympathies on your dad's passing...and big smack of bad karma to the jackass who broke into your house!

Lynn: Love the NSV (re: recuperation time). They just keep coming! Woohoo!

Crystal: How are you doing with the 'hunger' control?

Not much new going on here. Just trying to tweak my WOE so that it's working at optimum to control my blood sugar levels. For any diabetics here, I highly recommend Dr. Bernstein's "Diabetic Solution". His solution for diabetics (Type 1 or 2) is similar to what Atkins recommends for everyone, although there are some slightly different things because Bernstein's goal is to get consistently 'normal' blood sugar readings for both Type 1 and 2 diabetics. So goodbye my lovely tomatoes...which I could have on Atkins but can't according to Bernstein.

For the anti-Atkins (low carb, high fat) folks, Bernstein does a much better job at showing and explaining the science behind why fat is not the problem than Atkins did.

I'm debating about visiting my folks this weekend, but good grief it's more complicated when you have to pack up and take food as well. We'll see if I have the mental energy for that much pre-planning.

Have a good one!

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Hey Everyone.

Deb, so sorry about your dad. It sux. My sis lives in Daytona! I think off of Clyde Morris, I think.

Elcee, should have explained for you!

Still no agreement on a budget, so as of tomorrow afternoon, I will be furloughed until further notice. Once an agreement is reached, I will have a job to go back to. So today and tomorrow are spent doing everything I can think of to be certain that everything is totally caught up before I head out tomorrow. What is too funny, the highest paid employees are considered essential and will report as usual. The lowest paid are not and will be furloughed...ok then.

Karen, congrats! Woohoo!!

Crystl, I hate the E word, it should be stricken from our language!

My hunger control? It's out of control. I have not gained any more weight as of this morning, but wish I could get a fill sooner. Of course my mind starts messing with me ..... do I have a leak? yada yada........ I just think It's been a long time and I need a tweek.

Denise,

My sister-in-law and my daughter-in-law are both federal employees too. Not sure what my sil does, but my daughter-in-law is a social worker with the VA helping returning disabled vets find housing, employment and get into training programs...so I'm sure they'll consider her 'nonessential'. God forbid our government should actually live up to its obligations to our returning soldiers.

I'm thinking if our congressmen and senators would each give up a week or two of their salaries, the people who actually *need* a salary wouldn't have to do without.

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♫♪It's raining, It's pouring...and I'm not complaining because at least it isn't snow!! So no trip to Ohio this weekend. Driving 5 hours in the rain with a headache (from the barometric pressure changing) is not my idea of fun. What to do...hmmm...my youngest has been bugging me about repairing his baby quilt (actually the size of a lap quilt) so he can use it again. I'm not sure what that says when your 3 grown sons cart their 'yaya's' all over with them...including onto the plane. Oh...and so do their wives!! My oldest son's quilt is over 20 years old and *somewhere* inside all of the Patches is his original baby quilt. He actually made me put in a 'trap door' about 3x3" so he could get to the inner original quilt. I have weird sons.

So, off to take some aspirin, relax with a hot cup of tea and Martha Stewart and see where I go from there. Have a good one!

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Denise~So sorry you are going through the whole furlough thing...I have several friends who are caught up in it too...it is interesting how they determine essential vs non-essential personnel.

Melody~Thanks for the book recommendation. I am trying to stay low carb (although not as low as you do) because my weight loss is better and I feel better with this WOE, however my DH is a type 2 diabetic and is just starting to realize that low carb will be help his blood sugars and hopefully keep him from becoming insulin dependent like many of his family members (he has one of those family histories where the doctors have almost said it isn't a matter of "if" he will become insulin dependend but rather "when" and I am hoping that he will start working to prove them wrong).

Deb~So sorry to hear about your father.

Karen~Congrats on your pregnancy...that is such a wonderful time!

Things are fairly calm on my end after a crazy and frustrating time yesterday. My youngest son (13) has Asperger's Syndrome and had a complete meltdown at school yesterday to the point where they couldn't calm him down and I had to go pick him up from school...all of this because he went to class unprepared and refused to sign the detention slip that his teacher gave him. He hasn't had one of these type of meltdowns in several months (I thought we had this under control) so I'll be interested to see what his therapist says about it at his appointment next week. In the meantime, tomorrow is International Day at his school and I have to make Swedish Meatballs (20 servings) and a cake for the cake walk in between getting my actual paying job done so this afternoon will be busy.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hey all. 10pm Eastern time, still no agreement on the budget. I am informed I am essential for shutdown operations, so I have to report next week for as long as it takes to close the offices down. My district manager (who will also be furloughed, my immediate manager will not be) says the shut down will be 3 or 4 days. Hopefully long enough for them to work out a deal and order us fully back to work. Some of my co-workers have already been told not to come in on Monday unless contacted that a budget or another continuing resolution has been signed.

Oh the joy. I am also told that I will not be paid for work done next week until a budget is passed...this I already knew. Darn, I was looking forward to some time off! I am fortunate that DH and I are not living paycheck to paycheck.

Vicky, my grand-nephew has Asperger's. He's in 2nd grade. It's not easy, is it? I LOVE Swedish Meatballs! Send some this way! Are you in California? I am down in San Diego.

So our neighbors are away this weekend, so we are babysitting Stella, the golden retriever! Butters just loves her so much! And I love Stella therapy! Just what I need for this weekend while being glued to the news.

Denise: you are right, having a child with Aspergers is not easy at all. You never know quite what to expect from day to day. I live in New Orleans...if I was near you I would definitely send some meatballs your way

DOH! Just had to look at your siggy line to see where you are! I am stressed. That's my story and I am sticking to it!

p.s. I am wearing my French Quarter sweatshirt tonight! I was down that way last year for some training. Back when the Govt had money!

Ok, I am apparently going to be paid.

Okay been away for awhile. I don't think I can catch up but will take a quick stab at it: congrats to Karen, welcome to Vicky, glad things went okay Elcee with your son, Melody thanks for the article, sorry about your dad Derby and the break-in but I am glad they left you and your hubby in tack, Denise glad you have a job and hang in there with your MIL. Okay if I missed some folks, sorry

In the band world, my band Phil has gotten suddenly tight the last two days and it is not PMS so I do not know what is going on. Got stuck--I never get stuck unless I am on my period, but just out of the blue, stuck or pain in my shoulder. Thanks to the hectic schedule and three conferences out of time, exercise and eating way off. Slow week and Spring break coming, so may I can get back to a routine.

Really stressed at work. Tons of paperwork due. Pending budget cuts has things in an uproar. I am dreading, if things are as bad as they projecting, having to look in my young teachers' faces and tell them they have no job. I have not been overeating but underrating, which for me, is just as bad--skipping Breakfast, lunch, or both at work and not exercising, four hours of sleep. I have to get back to me so kicks in the rear are deserved from you my fellow bandsters.

Shammah, welcome back! Did I see on FB that you have a sinus thing going? That can explain the tightness. I seem to get tighter when I get sick.

Just recently had a cold and got tighter. Ugh.

Morning ladies (cuz I think that's all that's here now that Bob has disappeared into the sunset). I spent an hour this morning pulling up the dead husks of last year's asparagus and vegie Patches. I think I can call that my 'strenuous' activity since I was out of breath and whooped when I finished even though last night's downpour made the dirt soft and the job 'somewhat' easier. I may still do my hour of Richard Simmons <blech...exercise> since the goal here is to make me more insulin sensitive...but I'm not going to feel guilty if I don't. If the rain holds off I may even go back out and do some hoeing and raking in preparation for planting my gardens again...even if that doesn't happen for another 6 weeks.

So I did step on the scale this morning despite saying I wouldn't and I'm up 2 lb. (haven't changed my ticker yet). The more I read about insulin resistance and how it works and what it does to the body's ability to burn calories, the more I realize how I got to be 330 pounds in the first place...but it still doesn't make it any easier!!

Does anyone know anything about magnesium and/or the dangers of taking too much? One of the things the Diabetes Solution (DS) talks about is that most adults are magnesium deficient...not only because we don't eat enough foods high in magnesium, but because the magnesium content of the foods is entirely dependent on the nutrients in the soil. Studies over the last 10 years show that the nutrient quality of the soil has been steadily declining as a result of corporate farming practices. Anyway, Dr. Bernstein says that they believe one of the causes of insulin resistant (in those genetically programmed for the diabetes gene) is low levels of magnesium and that insulin resistant will cause magnesium levels to drop even lower so it's sort of a vicious cycle.

Several places recommend 900mg of magnesium daily but no mention of whether excess magnesium is potentially a problem. If anyone knows, would love some information on this.

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Shammah, welcome back! Did I see on FB that you have a sinus thing going? That can explain the tightness. I seem to get tighter when I get sick.

Just recently had a cold and got tighter. Ugh.

Yes--I did have sinus problems and I really think that was it!!