I just realized....

in addition to our 15th wedding anniversary coming up at the end of the month, it has also been 15 years since I last pulled on a pair of jeans.

Sometime in the first six months of married life I put on too much weight to comfortably fit into my Levi jeans that were a staple in my college wardrobe. So I gave them up and turned to my husband's sweatpants and never looked back.

Huge mistake.

A friend of mine once told me that she never wears sweatpants for the simple reason that she won't allow herself to become that comfortable in a pair of pants.

Since I've lost some weight, I've been thinking more and more about trying out a new pair of jeans.

I just don't know what kind of jean to get.

According to Stacey and Clinton of TLC's "What Not To Wear" I should get a dark-wash, straight-legged, low waisted jean. But I need to know which brand.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

**Remember the days when you were cool if you had a pair of Jordache jeans?**

quick note

Melody, AKJ and Gillian - all three of you lovely ladies can expect a package from Nejyerf via USPS in the next couple of days.

To the rest of you, if I have promised you a package....Patience Grasshopper.

Yikes!!

I'm sorry Cory, but this does NOT make me want to visit Florida anytime soon!!!

promises

It is my solemn vow and promise to blog more this month.

I know I've been MIA.

Life has been incredibly boring and mundane lately.

My sister on the other hand.....her life took an unexpected turn when she got the shock of her life last week.

Literally.

She got hit by lightening and lived to tell about it.

How cool is that?!?!

If I ask her nicely, she might even deign to give us a first hand report on the the after effects.

whoa!!

I just found out that a girl with whom I went to high school is going to be a grandmother.

A grandmother!!!

And the really scary thing?!?! She is actually looking forward becoming a grandmother.

I refuse to believe that any of us who were born in 1972 can possibly be old enough (either mentally or physically) to be grandparents.

a needless experiment

Today I brought my laptop to work. The computer guy was supposed to come and install a new DVD drive.

He didn't show. He says he'll come tomorrow.

Rather than lug the laptop home again, I've decided to leave it at the office overnight.

I'm thinking severe withdrawal pains will hit along about 7 - 7:30.

But I'm a tough girl.

I can work through the pain.

Statement

Oh how I wish life had an undo button!!

 

 

Mental Lap Band

It seems though I have lost my blogging mo-jo or my blo-jo if you prefer.

I think I need a jumpstart.

For those of you who expressed an interest in how I dropped the weight:

1) Falldownthestairsandbreakyourleg

2) Spend two weeks in the hospital/rehab not eating hospital food

3) Spend a another month or so eating whatever food your husband makes

In addition, I also came to the realization that I am indeed a sedentary person, so why was I eating like a weightlifter?

Now this part sounds a little silly, but I was also thinking about how when people have weight loss surgery their stomach is made smaller so that they get fuller quicker and eat less. I never even considered surgery (I was after all, just overweight, not the half-ton woman) so I decided to install a mental lap band. I trained myself to do the following:

My mouth to open less.

My stomach to differentiate between true hunger pangs and cravings.

My eyes to read the label for suggested serving size

My hands to bring no more than the suggested serving to my mouth.

Slowly but surely it worked.

I still eat Oreos but only three instead of six. I still drink soda but only 8oz at a time and not every day. Vegetables are still anathema but I eat them because they are good for me.

Exercising would probably help me lose the last 25lbs I need to get down to the weight I was when I got married. But my stamina/capacity for exercise is limited. So if anybody wants to give me some good exercises I can do sitting in my chair in front of the computer, I'm willing to give it a go.

This is me as of 5/6/09:

That is Laura to my left and Cathe to my right. I'm looking pinched and unhappy because we just came out of the restaurant into the frigid (for May) rainy night.

For a reference point - this is me July 4th of 2005:

The wee bundle of baby is nephew Alex. He is a great, big boy of almost 4 now. We were watching fireworks and he slept through the whole thing. Never even flinched. Nerves of steel, he has.

Feeling pretty dang good

Last night I went out to dinner with some former colleagues, all of whom I haven’t seen in a year.

They greeted me with amazement and compliments on my weight loss.

My friend Laura told me, “Jen, you look as hot as shit!” It filled my heart with gladness and I spent the rest of the evening with a silly grin on my face.

There is nothing like getting affirmation from people who love you!!

At the end of the night, as we were departing the restaurant, my other friend Cathe hugged me good-bye and said ,“At the risk of sounding superficial, you don’t even look like yourself”. As I hugged her back, I told her that the new slightly slimmer Jen looks more like me than that puffy, bloated Jen she’s known for years.

Ask Sanna or Jess or Ginger and they will probably tell you that they barely recognize their formerly slim friend under her layers of avoirdupois.

For the record, I’ve lost approximately 35lbs.

Lupus follow-up

I cannot even begin to describe the feeling of lightness that came over me when I came home yesterday and saw that the 5 bags of clothing and miscellaneous junk was removed from my front porch. The older I get, the more I realize that I don't need all this "stuff" in my life. And as long as the Lupus organization is willing to come and pick it up I'm putting out as much as they can take away.

The thought never even crossed my mind that it might be a scam. So that either makes me very gullible or Melody and Sanna very skeptical. Either way, my stuff is gone and I'm already making a pile for the next time they come around!

lupus

A week or so ago I got a mailing from the Lupus organization. They sent me a plastic bag and asked me to fill the bag with unused clothing and other household items, then I should call or go online to lupuspickup.org and schedule a pick-up, put my bags of stuff out on my front porch by 7:30am on the given day and wait for someone from the Lupus organization to come by and pick it up.

I very nearly threw that mailing away.

birthday recap...again

This will be my final birthday recap.

When I arrived home on Thursday, I found a package waiting for me.

It was from my lovely blog-friend Melody. She sent me among other things, a bag of circus peanuts and a beautiful fabric iPod case.
Witness:



SIL Jenny also sent me a Target gift certificate. Which I'm seriously considering using to buy an iTunes gift card. And finally, Mum and Dad sent me a gift certificate for iTunes as well.

I'm thinking making gift suggestions via a blog post is definitely the way to go!

Birthday recap

I had a lovely birthday yesterday.

The day started out on a high note with an email from my best good friend Sanna. She sent me a gift certificate for iTunes.

The day only continued to get better. In the office we had Pizza Hut pizza for lunch followed by the birthday cake of my choice which was a Pepperidge Farms coconut cake. Delish.

When I arrived home after having gone to the salon for a birthday haircut I was greeted by two pots of pansies at the front steps. Tom had potted me some beautiful purple pansies.

Aunt Benita left a birthday greeting on my voice mail, I spoke to Mum and Dad and had a lengthy phone conversation with my sister.

In the mail I received a birthday card from Grandma and Grandpa Bergman with a gift certifcate for Barnes and Noble. Grandma certainly knows the way to my heart!

All in all I would say it was an excellent 37th birthday.

April 22nd - Fun for everyone

Big day today – not only is it my birthday (which I share with Jack Nicholson), but it is also Earth Day (be nice to the Earth, it’s the only one we’ve got) and Administrative Professionals Day.

In celebration of APD I’ve compiled a list of noteworthy Administrative Professionals:


Mrs. Wiggins


Miss Moneypenny - Although she worked for "M", James was her one true love.


Waylon Smithers - who secretly longs for Mr. Burns


Baldrick - dogsbody for The Black Adder




Jennifer Marlowe - Receptionist for WKRP in Cincinnati - Don't let the blonde hair fool you, she was the smartest one at the station

Who would you have picked?

Belated Easter Tidings

I spent the Easter holiday with my parents out in PA...and before those of you who live in PA start up with the whole "why didn't you come see me", we came in late Saturday and left Sunday afternoon. I wouldn't have had the time to visit each and every one of you. Maybe next time!

More importantly, I want to introduce you to "My Precious"


Isn't she a beauty? She is an early birthday present to myself.

We will be friends for life.

general announcements

We are heading into the final days of Lent.  When is over, I'll have been without soda for 40 days.  The first couple of days were very hard. I had to give up my daily Pepsi, which caused me to have massive headaches as the caffeine to which I had become addicted slowly left my body.

 

As part of Lent, in addition to giving up something that I enjoy, I'm also giving up "stuff" in my life.  Not just the clutter that seems to surround me at home, but the clutter that surrounds my heart.  I'm giving up the resentment I've been harboring towards a particular person.  It is not doing me or my marriage any good, so I'm letting it go.

 

For those of you who don't know, April in my birth month.

 

I share this month with other friends and family including but not limited to my mother and my wee niece Verna Mavis.

 

Please note that I'm not trolling for gifts or anything, but should you feel the need to show your love and affection for Nejyerf, I'm going to give you a gift idea.

 

Pay attention Mum!!

 

I would love an iTunes gift card.  As you may or may not know, I got an iPod Touch for Christmas and have been building my music library. But the iPod Touch does more than just play music. I can also download movies and TV episodes and books and music videos.   

 

Just a thought for those interested parties.

 

The time has come to pack away my winter wardrobe and bring out my spring/summer clothes.  Just in time too, considering that the pants I've been wearing all winter are a size too big.  I'm putting all of them in the Good Will bin and will think about shopping for new clothes next fall.

update on the razor blades

I checked on eBay. 

 

They are selling the razor blades for cheap. As well as the baby formula that G Love mentioned. 

 

eBay is the modern-day blackmarket.

 

I don't want to pay the ridiculous prices the stores are asking for these thin pieces of metal, nor do I want to support the thieving bastards. 

 

If only I could talk Tom into using an electric razor or growing a beard.

 

I myself would give up shaving my legs no problem.  Actually,  while we are on the subject, last time I shaved my legs was in October.  You should see them.  They look like men's legs. 

 

Oh yes, I am lovely to cuddle up to on a cold winters night!!

 

What is the longest you have gone without shaving?

razor blades

Last night I went to CVS to get Tom fresh blades for his razor. 

 

Much to my surprise and bewilderment I found that CVS keeps razor blades for the Gillette Mach3 and Mach4 and Fusion etc. under lock and key.

 

I had to get a cashier to unlock the case.

 

When I asked him why they are kept locked, he told me that people steal them.  He pointed to the empty case where the Fusion blades would normally be and said "This case was left unlocked and someone cleaned us out."

 

This begs the question "Why are people stealing razor blades?"

 

Are razor blades locked up in your neck of the woods?

 

Delurk to tell me.  I need to know.  This could keep me up nights!

dreams

If you have been following along at all with my MS related stories, you might recall that I have exceptionally vivid dreams due to the low-dose naltrexone that I've been taking.

 

Sometimes they are about strange things.  For example, I had a dream that I chased Sarah Jessica Parker down a city street and then proceeded to spank her bare bottom with her flip-flop.

 

Most often, they are sex dreams involving my husband which, as I have expressed before, are a big gyp. 

 

Last night I had a dream that involved one of the guys I work with.  In my dream he came up behind me and nuzzled my neck. In my dream I enjoyed it.

 

I awoke from this dream feeling a little naughty. 

 

The dream lingered with me all morning and when I got to work I couldn't even look him in the face.

 

We have been having very brief, stilted conversations all day. 

 

I am also stealing furtive glances over my shoulder to make sure he's not sneaking up behind me.

like, like, like,

Note: Missy....you should be getting a package today.

 

I say "like" entirely too much for a person of my advancing years.

 

Like, do you know what I mean? 

 

Like, I when I try to, like, describe something, I, like, use the word "like", like way too often.

 

You would think I'm, like a high school kid.

 

Help me!!!!