How UN-fortunate

OK, I’ll be the first to admit it! I was “bad” today. I found out this week that my scale at home is, more than likely, not telling me the truth. So….bottom line with that is, while I HAVE lost weight, I HAVE NOT lost as much as I thought. Time to get a new scale? Oh yes. I’ll get right on that, trust me. I WILL lost this weight.

But, in the mean time, I’m pretty “bummed” about the whole thing. I have not really been motivated to exercise like I should and get absolutely NO other exercise except for my having to walk to and from the bus stop for work (dont’ get me wrong, that’s no short trek on the home side!) so I praise the Lord for at least that bit of exercise. I planned on tracking my steps/day, but the little cheap pedometer I have only works for my wife. It only counts about 1/3 of my steps. The one time she wore it around the house, it counted EVERY step she took. 😦 Believe or not not I have even gotten to how I was so bad yet nor have I really gotten to what my post was “supposed” to be about. 😆 Better do that, huh?

Well, I was bad in that I stopped by Dunkin Donuts today and got a coffee roll AND an apple fritter for breakfast, and since I did not bring my lunch today (ran out of time to make it..) I bought Chinese and had Shrimp and broccoli in garlic sauce (the combo comes with fried rice and an egg roll). Usually the meal would last me for two days. I ate it all! 😦

When I finished my meal I opened my “fortune cookie” (yes, here is the UN-fortunate part) only to find some random statement. Its been that way for quite a few years now. I remember when at least it used to be something that sounded like Confucius said it. These days, it a random generated computer something or other. No that I ever believed in the fortunes, but its another one of those childhood novelties that is just….well…..gone! Oh, and just in-case, they have the Daily Numbers (illegal gambling) and the Lotto Pick six numbers (legal? gambling) for you. Like they’re gonna be winner? I think not! Pardon my English (And yes, we DO homeschool our children), but Fortune Cookies just ain’t what they used to be!

Another one bites the dust!

Drinking all of this water and only 1 – 2 soda’s (when I’m being good) a week is for the birds! But that along with my smaller portions while eating and only having desert a few nights a week have helped. Cutting out the regular late night snacks helps too! Every now and then I cave in, but that’s to be expected. According to the scale,I have shed one more pound!

When I hit 185, I’ll ask my friend (who loves to cook and makes his own ice cream) to make me some strawberry ice cream to celebrate. Yes, I’ll share it and I’ll only eat it a little at a time….and only a couple of times a week! Now, if I could just get myself motivated and get an exercise program going, I think I’ll be doing even better. As it is I walk about 2 miles or more every day just in getting to and from buses to commute to work, but not much of any other exercise to mention. Once I start I’ll be fine. Starting is the problem. Well, I’m heading for 175 so, there’s still work to do yet! I believe the occasional Sugar Daddy is helping some too!

The Right to Homeschool

A seemingly blind judgment by a California state court of appeals is attempting to make it illegal for parents in the state of California to homeschool their children if they do not have the appropriate teaching credentials. If this ruling stands it could be a major blow for homeschoolers all over the nation. The reason for this is that California is looked to as the system to follow in matters of education. If this ruling stands in California, surely other states and jurisdictions will attempt to do the same.

California’s own Governor has decried this ruling and has stated that if the courts will not protect the parents right to educate their children, then the Government will! I have never been a big Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but in this case I say, “Way to go, Arnold!”

I belong to an Organization that helps homeschoolers with legal rights issues that pertain to homeschool matters. The name of the organization is HSLDA. They are heading up an effort to have this ruling depublished. You can partaicipate (whether you are a member or not) by signing the petition that they have setup on their website. CLICK HERE to link directly to the petition. Here’s your chance to stand up an be counted on this issue.

If we let them take away this fundamental right, it is only the beginning. Who knows what they’ll go after next. Please do your part in helping to fight against this lastest legal outrage.

If you want to read the Court Opinion you can CLICK HERE to read the PDF document.

A Hole in My Sock

As I sat work and realized I had a hole in my sock, I also began to wonder where in the world it came from. Most likely my fault it made it to the drawer because I was helping my wife with the laundry by folding the white load last time. I just hate it when I look down and half of my foot his hanging out. Everyone else is just way too embarrassed to tell you so you’re stuck until you see it yourself. Well, I used to write what I will call a form of poetry when I was younger, but stopped for personal reasons. I’m quite rusty but I was inspired by the whole hole in the sock thing and penned a poem about it and sock eating laundry equipment. Enjoy

Here I sit with a hole in my sock

That I sure didn’t see there before;

Where did it come from I have to wonder…

Perhaps it was from my drawer!

Ah yes, a sock eating whatcha-macall-it must be living there,

Something that I just can’t see.

But then why does it only eat some of the socks

And lets all the other socks be?

Oh I know! It’s the washer! Yeah that must be it,

Those things sure can be pretty mean.

It gobbles up little pieces of socks you know;

When it’s supposed to be making them clean.

Maybe I’ll invent some sort of solution to stop it,

You could add it in with the detergent.

I’d better get right on that, I’m running low on socks—

And that makes the matter quite urgent.

Oh, wait! That old dryer is most likely the culprit,

It eats socks whole but I can never catch it.

When it comes time to get the laundry out of the dryer;

There’s always a lone sock and I can’t match it.

Maybe this time it had eaten so many socks

That by the time it hit this one it was full.

Or perhaps it wasn’t expecting this synthetic blend

And it was holding out for 100% wool!

Then there are the kids who see really tiny holes

And seem to have nothing else to do.

So they play with the hole until, lo and behold,

It is now the size of the shoe.

Then there are those holes that just all of a sudden appear

As if God said, ‘let it be’ and just like that it was there.

None of the usual wear down or the dreaded wear and tear

A whole in the sock created by none other than the air!

Where do those holes come from? We may never know

I’ve seen the holes come, yet not seen them go.

But for now I’ll keep buying my socks by the sack,

Because one thing is certain… The holes will keep coming back!

The Sugar Daddy Dilema

Do you remember those Sugar Daddy Carmel pops that they made when we were growing up ? I would say that I used to love those things, but I can’t because the fact of the matter is that I still like them— a lot. So much so that I shopped online for them all over the place so that I could buy some and have them at home. They also seem to be helpful during my writing sessions. I write so much more and so much better while eating one.

I could find a reasonable price (the lowest one being $9.99) that I was willing to pay, but the big problem was the shipping. In some cases I would have to pay almost as much as the purchase price of the Sugar Daddys, in some cases it would be practically the same price and in a lot of cases it was more or much more! Did I want the them that much? No!

Then My company moved out to Crystal City in the Washington, DC suburb of Arlington, VA. Guess what I found at one of the stores that I like to frequent. You’re good! I found Sugar Daddys! The Problem, they cost 79 cents each. Thats a steep price…..so I have been buying them sparingly. Well, today when I went down to get my usual three, they were not 79 cents!!!!! They were on sale for 3 for a 99 cents! 33 cents each!! Woo Hoo! I decided I’d come back later and see if they would sell me a box.

Well I returned to the store at the end of the day. The store clerk I spoke to had the wonderful talent of only being able to speak 2.7 words of english. With a little help from my past education I was finally able to communicate that I wanted a box of pappa azucar. Bingo! He came back with a box of Suagar Babies. ARRRRRRGH! Then he explained in very broken English there were no more boxes of Sugar Daddys (pappa azucar).

So…. I was half way there. I asked if I could just buy th box that was on the shelf. Believe it or not, he had to go and get the Manager. The Manager’s answer….NO! I could not buy the box, they sell them individually! So, I asked the Manager if I could buy the whole box if I bought them individually and he said Yes. Anybody else see something wrong here?

Anyway….the math worked out. If I got the Sugar Daddys from Rite Aid, I would be paying $7.92 plus .20 tax. No shipping, No handling and I got to take them home. So I spend the total of $8.12 and bought the Sugar Daddys….. and yes she had to ring up each one inidiviually, but I got the whole box. The manager stood right there the whole time. Incredible. Well, I may even share one with my kids. They can divide one and I’ll get the other 23! OK, I’ll let them each have one….but lets not push it!

Anyway, the problem is solved, the Sugar Daddys have been purchased and I am sure that they will be an aid to my dieting plans.