Lil' this...Lil' that

Ok, so it’s been roughly 4 months since I’ve updated last…oopsie :o/


When I wrote last, I had written on how I may not partake in PSP 2012 in August. That is still up in the air. I’ve realized that this is mainly Brian’s thing, but I still need to support him in hobbies just as he has supported me in mine. Of course, given his current health status, I may be forced to go anyways. When I last wrote about Brian’s health, the doctors were thinking that he may be having small seizures and that this was the cause of the dizziness that he was experiencing. This is still the train of thought, however, he has also started to have syncopal vasovagal episodes where he passes out when checking his blood sugar. It doesn’t happen every time he checks it, but twice in 1 week is more than enough for me. I think it may reach a point in which I am no longer able to work because I’ll have to keep an eye on him 24/7. I really hope it doesn’t reach that point, but ya never know. The neurologist he sees now thinks that he has sleep apnea on top of everything else, mainly because he awakens in the morning—he’s still tired and not refreshed (not to mention he snores like no other!) Since he’s having these episodes and taking anti-seizure meds, he’s not supposed to be driving (state of Michigan kinda frowns on it I guess), so this means I technically have to drive him wherever he goes. If he’s going someplace close to home, then he’ll drive. Other than that…just call me chauffeur. We go see the sleep specialist next month and we’ll go from there. Speaking of next month, why doesn’t it seem to take so long to get into see a doctor or get a test done? This isn’t Canada for Pete’s sake!

The last four months have seen the birth of Ducktastic Photography, which is my own little on the side photography business. Granted, it’s taken off like a snail in a NASCAR race but it’ll get there in its own time. I’m glad it’s gotten off to a rather slow pace because with everything that’s going on lately, I just don’t have the time to focus on it fulltime. Between working funky hours at work and school and trying to figure out what’s going on with my husband has pretty much consumed all of my time.

Speaking of the first 2 out of those 3, I guess I can update what’s going on with those as well. Work is well…work. There are times in which going there takes every fiber of my being and there are other days where it’s not so bad. Lately, it’s been an even combination of both. Morale is relatively low compared to this time last year, but the economy has taken a turn for the worse and there’s just more coming out of the paycheck than what’s available to take home. Obviously, this makes people really upset-->upset people complain-->continuous complaints drive down morale.

School, like work, is what it is. I’m almost done, just 9 classes to go! I’ve realized the downside of taking online classes—ok, I realized this a while ago but just now decided to admit it—they’re not challenging enough for me. Not in the least bit. The only challenge for me is to actually sit down and read the book/material. The stuff that is presented isn’t anything that I can’t Google myself or research for my own personal knowledge. I think I may do my master’s degree on campus after this experience. My fear in doing that, though, is that I may realize how little I actually learned from my online classes and will become the failure that I have worked so hard to not become.

What a weekend...

This weekend was the infamous Parson Street Pilgrimage (better known as PSP).  Last year it was fun because it was something new and exciting--watching guitars being made from scratch and watching 40 year old men with the giddiness of a child is nothing short of entertaining.

This year was different, however. It coule be simply because nothing has changed since last year--everyone is still the same, everyone pretty much looks the same (there are a few exceptions in every crowd I guess), but it was just different.  I noticed that I was much more grumpy and dare I say---bitchy---this year and I think it was noticed by a few people.  The weather was unbearable (I can tolerate a lot, but when I have to go lay in the car and turn on the A/C, you know its pretty bad!). I pretty much decided that I didn't want to come back next year.  I'm not sure if I'm going to or not, I guess I'll know more come next year, huh?

I did, however, have the opportunity to take some pretty kick ass pictures and even have someone who wants to buy them...how freakin cool is that???

When's it my turn??

There's the old addage that "when it rains, it pours"....lately, its felt like its a torrential downpour for me.  Nothing I do turns out correctly, no matter how hard I try.  It seems like every attempt I made at doing anything just simply blows up in my face.  I try to be nice to people (especially those whom I know don't like me) and they're just snot-nosed bitches to me in return--I get the How dare you even think of speaking in my presence-attitude.  I don't have to put up with it and I refuse to put up with it any longer.  If people want to be asses and bitches to me, they've got another thing coming.  Of course, I say this, but in reality, I'm more like my mom than I'd like to admit--I don't fight back, I just sit there and take it and make myself feel like shit later for letting them talk to me that way. I guess by treating others the way they treat me doesn't make me any better than they are, does it?  Maybe in this case, being the bigger person means sucking it up and dealing with it, hoping they get their just dessert in the end (and considering the fact that I know who I'm talking about--and probably no one else does--this particular individual will not receive any type of consequences for being a bitch to everyone.  I guess that's the advantage of being one of the lead tech's best friends, huh?

I have yet another reason to put off mother-hood, and this one may be the icing on the cake.  Brian went to see the neurologist today because everyone up to this point thinks that he has orthostatic hypotension.  The neurologist, Dr. Nahhas, thinks that Brian may be having small seizures when he has these episodes.  She's leaning more towards this than the OH because with the OH, people tend to black out and pass out.  Brian doesn't do that.  He gets really disorientated and confused, he knows what he wants to say but can't seem to say it, and he gets a look of sheer terror in his eye that is downright frightening to me.  He also gets really jittery like his sugar is too high/too low, which causes him to freak out even more.  As of right now, the next step is to do a sleep-deprived 8 hour EEG--this of course, means that I too will be sleep deprived because I'm the one who has to keep him up all night for his test.  He's also spent time with the cardiologist because our PCP wants to make sure that there's nothing going on with his heart as well that could be a potential underlying factor in everything.  AND to top it all off, we recently found out that Brian's pancreas has officially taken a shit on him so he's now a type 1 diabetic.  This means that he's gone from 1 injection/day of insulin to 7--yes, 7 injections/day!  According to the endocrinologist, Brian's immune system simply destroyed the rest of his beta cells (his insulin-producin ones) and he's not producing any insulin on his own.  There's no getting rid of this one via diet/exercise--he's stuck with it for the rest of his life.

I know that having kids is supposed to be the pinnacle of a woman's life (ok, for 99.9% of women, it is anyways), but I can't seem to bring myself to willingly bring a child into this world with all the of the potential medical disasters they may inherit from Brian and myself.  My adrenal issues alone would be sufficient to not even try and I can't willingly subject our child to a life of caring for his/her parents at a young age because they are no longer able to care for themselves due to various health issues. 

I just wish someone would tell me what to think because I'm really tired of trying to figure stuff out on my own.  It hurts too much to think about all of the possible consequences that can result from just one single action.  I guess no matter what way I look at it, I'm pretty much fucked, huh?

Just a minor health scare....

For the second time this year, the paramedics were called to help Brian.  The first time was around Valentine's Day when he was up north with Alicia and became rather intoxicated (both he and John claim that he didn't have that much to drink) and again on Thursday when he became really confused and scared the bejeezers out of his co-workers.  When we got the the ER, I wasn't too terribly happy with the fact that they made me wait in the waiting room for 15mins while they got him registered...granted, he was able to give them the information that they needed, but what if he wasn't able to??

From what Brian was saying, he felt fine one minute and tipsy-drunk the next without any warning.  He tried to get his one co-worker's attention but wasn't able to, and finally put his hand on another co-worker's arm and managed to say that he didn't feel right. His co-workers called paramedics because they thought he was having a stroke of some sort because he was fine one minute and completely out of it and confused the next.  They called me, I met up with them and by that time the paramedics had arrived.  All said and done, they blamed it on Brian's sugar being high, said that he had orthostatic hypotension and sent us home with some anti-dizzy meds.

Here's my question...why is it that whenever a diabetic is ill, it all gets blamed on their blood sugar?  I think that there may be something going  on with Brian's inner ear (possibly a small neuroma??) and that's what has been making him dizzy lately.  Yes, I understand that blood sugar being out of sync can cause a plethora of issues, but not every single one!  I want someone to set aside the fact that he's diabetic and actually examine him as if he weren't.  By doing this, he would at least get a CT or MR of his head where I think the problem actually lies.  The anti-dizzy meds they gave him knock him on his rump (he slept for 11 solid hours yesterday and has practically slept all day today) and really leave him in a fog that neither he or I greatly appreciate. 

Whoo hooo!

I will admit that our medical system nowadays is rather...peculiar?  Most of the time, people go to the doctor's expecting some sort of bad news or some tid-bit of medical advice that both patient and doctor know aren't going to be followed.  For once, however, I actually had a good doctor's appointment :o)

Since I saw the doctor in March for my yearly physical for health insurance (don't even get me started on that one...that's a whole nutter issue in and of itself if you ask me..) I lost 7 lbs (mainly thanks to the braces--I knew they would be good for something!), my blood pressure is good enough that they're taking me off from the 2/day to just 1/day with the medication (yes, I know...I'm too young to be on BP meds, but there's reasons behind that and its not cuz I've got a little extra junk in the trunk) and my cholesterol was down--not as low as what they would like to see, but lower than what it was.

Other than that, just trying to plan out some summer trips so I don't go completely stir crazy at work..here's what I've got so far...

June 25-26th--Grandma Margaret's 90th birthday party at Aunt Betty's house

July---weekend away from Brian?  Granted, I have to work the weekend that he's gone, but maybe I'll put the dog in Camp Bow-wow for those few days and just have the house to myself

August 4th-6th---PSP 4 up in Kalamazoo.  Everyone will get a chance to see Brian's custom-made guitar that's almost done...here's what it looks like so far (or at least the last set of pictures we've gotten of it anyways)



Here's a pic of Brian's guitar after the body was painted...



Answering some suggestions

It was recently brought to my attention that I should make the attempt to make my blog more "positive" rather than using it as a means of venting my pent up anger and frustration.  I'll admit, not every day is filled with discontent--there are actually good points throughout my day.

Today, for example, worked out rather well to my advantage.  I was slated to work a 16hr shift and only had to work technically 12 of it (yes, that means 4 hours comes out of my vacation bank, but ah well).  There were some rather nasty storms making their way across the state and the building I was working in felt that the potential existed for some rather nasty storms and called a Code Black (tornado watch/warning).  Seeing as how I was on the mobile unit that sits outside, they informed us we couldn't scan until the code was cleared.  I personally didn't have any issue with it--I was gettin paid to wait out a storm.  In the meantime, a couple of my patients had shown up and they weren't too terribly pleased when we said we couldn't scan them because of the location of the truck. Not even 10mins after I called my supervisor and got everything taken care of that they decided to clear the code black.  This meant I only had to scan 1 patient and even at that it was only a 20min. exam. 

After work, I drove out to Gregg's house and met up with Brian.  The boys were building more amplifier cabinets and I will admit that these were looking rather pretty.  I meant to take some pictures of them, but I left my phone in the car. 

I think I'm going to start using my blog as more of a photo-journal/online scrapbook rather than my facebook account.  I'm tired of getting all of the apps/games invites and there are some people who are becoming rather childish.  I'll post a link to my blog and people can leave whatever comments they want to--just means I get to figure out who posted them if they leave it as anonymous.  I'll probably start posting spratic pictures with little comments behind them starting tomorrow when I'm a little less tired.

Highlight of my day tomorrow--pretty much nothing but stitching and a DragonBall-Z marathon :o)

The best diet ever

I have, hands down, found the best diet out there for those of you who are struggling to lose those few extra pounds....the name of my diet?  The I Don't Care diet.  Yes, that's right...these three simple words have made quite a difference not only with my battle of the buldge, but with my overall outlook on life as well.

How, do you ask, does this diet work? Just follow a simple mindset and all will be right--it doesn't matter what you look like as long as you are comfortable with yourself at the end of the day.  I've spent too many years and way too much money on this diet and that diet only to end up depressed and fearful of the scale.  Not anymore.  I don't care what other people think of me, I don't care if my pants are a size 16 or if they're a size 8--I'm happy at the end of the day and that's all that matters to me.  Attitude plays a great deal into our everyday lives.  If we go to bed at night unhappy, its going to affect our overall bodily function.  Why deprive yourself of a piece of food that you want?  If you're going to eat, just watch portions, that's all.  You can eat whatever you want, just do it in moderation.  Do you feel better after eating that piece of chocolate cake or that little extra scoop of ice cream? Then do it.  As long as you feel good at the end of the day, who cares what anyone else thinks?  There's always going to be people of all sizes in this world--and not everyone is going to be skinny.  Whatever happened to being happy with yourself and the way genetics blessed you?  I admit, the "fat gene" has shown itself with quite a few members of my family, my rump alone can account for that.  It doesn't matter how big my rump is (or anything else on my body for that matter) because I know and realize that its just the way that I am, so why mess with it?  I wasn't a size 3 when I met my husband...I haven't been a size 3 since I was 8 years old! 

Yes, we do have a lot of people in this world who are focused upon looks and appearances, thinking that this is what attracts our significant others.  If you're fearful that your significant other is going to leave you because you gained a few extra pounds, then they weren't the person for you.  The person who sticks by you no matter what you look like is the one you're meant to spend the rest of your life with and no one else.  I know with all my heart that if I were to gain weight right now that Brian would still be with me no matter what.  Granted,with the way the economy is nowadays, its a lot easier to be married and miserable than divorced and happy--but that's not why he's with me to begin with. We compliment each others personalities and life outlooks and we knew from the beginning that appearances don't matter.  That's what makes our marriage work--we don't focus on appearance.  Our goal is to not only take care of ourselves but of each other as well--its worked for almost 10 years now (almost 5 of which have been married bliss) so why change?

So to get back on track--the I Don't Care "diet" is the outlook that I'm taking with life and I suggest that others take this same approach.  There are going to be so many things in life that you have no control over, so why fret about it?  Don't be ashamed of the booty mother nature gave you--embrace it!

Various updates, but mainly necessary venting

April saw its share of ups and downs for us.  We did make the move to Livonia that would put both Brian and I closer to work and is allowing us to save quite a bit of money. Uncle Doug passed away quite unexpectedly and it really took the family by surprise. As stated before, the move to New York just wasn't meant to be because it just didn't work out.  Didn't work out...that seems to be quite the story of my life.  There's a lot of things I wish I had done, and I admit that I do hold that sharp spear of regret simply because it "didn't work out".  Would I go back and do things over? Probably.  By doing that, however, runs head-on into the butterfly effect theory.  By changing just one minute thing in the past could have ramifications that I had yet to contemplate.  That being said, would I go back and do at least some things over? ABSOLUTELY.

The braces are moving along nicely...just 15 months to go!  The most recent visit saw the installation of a new D-ring bracket around my back molar, a metal powerchain (compared to the plastic/elastic ones I've been wearing) and the infamous rubber bands.  I will openly admit that these little elastic devils have caused more pain than what they're currently worth.  The key word there was currently.  I know that it will be worth it in the end, but right now they're just a tremendous pain in my ass.

I find it funny how some people seem to"know" me simply because they work with me.  Granted, I do spend a great deal of time at work (especially lately since I'm trying to save up for some big purchases).  Simply because I choose not to speak to someone does not make me "crabby" or "bitchy"--I JUST DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU!!  If I have nothing to say to you, why waste the time and energy to create a fake conversation???  It's not only a waste of my time, but also a waste of yours as well.  Apparently, I'm the "loud/happy/perky" person at work.  Trust me, I'm not happy all the time, nor am I perky.  I am allowed to be freakin normal and have a day where I just to want to keep to myself.  And to have someone who has just started in the department inform me that "you not talking just isn't normal--its not you" is nothing short of an insult to me becuase you have no idea who I am! Not to mention, this just proves how ignorant you really are.  Leaves are currently in the process of turning and I suspect that there will be several people who do not like the results.  Does this bother me? Do I lose sleep at night because someone at work thinks I'm a crabby bitch? NOT AT ALL.

Updates and such

Where to begin? When I last wrote, Brian and I were on the verge of moving to New York.  But, it would appear once again that some things just aren't meant to be.  I will admit that I was looking forward to moving out there, but I would have wanted a little more time to find a job, etc. instead of winging-it like we were going to end up doing.  

Braces have been on now for a whole month...I've noticed some significant changes, mainly in my waistline.  I never really realized how much junk food I ate until I couldn't eat it anymore.  Do I miss some of it? At times, sure.  Do I miss having the ability to bite down on food without causing pressure and the occasional shot of pain? Absolutely.  Just 18 more months to go and these are comin off :o)

Tragedy has struck our family this past weekend.  Brian's uncle passed away quite unexpectedly from a massive heart attack and subsequent brain death from the hypoxia that occured as a result.  Brian's dad and sister are taking it quite hard, but not nearly as hard as Brian's other uncle.  Its understandable though, his uncles were twins and literally did everything together their entire lives.  For Uncle Dennis, he not only lost his brother and best friend--he lost a part of himself as well when his brother died.  Rest in peace Uncle Doug.

I realized tonight that it doesn't matter what I know simply because I've been there 4 years longer than some of my other co-workers....it irritates me to no end when I know I am right about something and someone with lesser senority and experience tells me to my face that I'm wrong. Granted, no one really likes to be told that they're wrong about something, but when I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am 100% correct about something (especially policies because I seem to be the reason why they're created in the first place), it makes me want to literally jump down their throat and tell them how wrong and how much of an idiot they really are. 

Why do I bother?

Why do I bother making the attempt at being somewhat social anymore? All it does is left me hurt in the end because it *never* works out.  Case in point--I was planning on a day trip with some co-workers..everyone was all fine and ready to go for like the last month and within the last week, everyone has bailed on me.  I give up.  I'm honestly to the point where I just don't care anymore.  I'll be the "tool" at work that just goes in, does my job and leave..no sense in trying to be social with anyone cuz its just pointless in the end.

Brian made it back from New York perfectly fine. We're just waiting to see if they liked him enough to bring him out there and if they're going to be willing to pay him what he thinks he deserves in order to do the job out there. If not, then we move to Livonia and just live the way we have been, only much closer to work.

I decided to cut back on school a little bit and only take 1 class each 6 weeks instead of 1 class the 1st 6-week session and 2 classes the 2nd.  I've realized that I don't really read the material and pretty much BS all of my homework lately. In all honesty, its nothing more than a disservice to myself because I'm paying to learn the material, but I'm not putting forth the effort that it requires. 

Braces are still doing their thing. I kinda scared myself about a week ago when I heard cracking noises coming from my teeth.  What I thought was the glue coming loose was nothing more than the ligaments loosening up and my teeth moving.  I've almost had these on for an entire month already...seems like its been a pretty long month, but with everything that has happened so far, the month has gone by rather quickly.

What a weekend!

All I can say is what a weekend I just had!  Brian was offered a job promotion on Friday that would take us out to New York!  They told him that no formal interview was required--the job was his if he wanted it.  He told them sure, so now we're just waiting for them to give Brian the ok to fly out there to check out the office.  If Brian likes the area, then I'm going to fly out there during my vacation from work to check out the area as well. Brian is pretty excited about it...I'm more terrified than excited really (and become more terrified the more I think about it). Brian has lived in other states before, away from his family--I haven't. My entire family is still here in Michigan and I know I'm going to have one hell of a case of homesickness if we leave.

This, of course, kinda puts a kink into the lead tech spot I wanted to interview for.  I know the position was pretty much created specifically for one of my co-workers who shall remain unnamed, but it was nice that they offered others the chance to interview for it.  I don't think that it would be fair for me to interview for it and obtain the position if there's a fairly good chance that I'd be leaving soon as it was (although I think I would have honestly given this particular co-worker a run for his/her money in regards to qualifications for the position...)

My vacation time is nearing ever so closely...9 whole days off from work!  What am I going to be doing during that time? Packing, cleaning and homework...unless I fly out to NY to check out the area. We have to be out by May 1st anyways, regardless if we're moving to NY or staying here in Michigan.  I just wish that Brian's company would stop dragging their feet and send him out there already!

Oh, the braces countdown continues....2 weeks down, 78 to go!

1 week down...79 to go

Ok, so I haven't officially hit my 1 week mark with my braces, but close enough!  I figured if I'm going to have these for about 20 months, 4 weeks/month...that's 80 weeks of being called metal mouth, titanium cranium, etc...(although my personal favorite right now is Mike's "tile smile"...very creative). 

My various projects are stying to pile up on me again...I've got cross-stitch projects, homework, review books, packing, trying to find a place to move to...you name it, its going on in some way, shape or form.  Can I handle it? Absolutely.  Do I want to? Kinda...  Do I have the energy to? No freakin way.

I decided to dye hair again...adventured out into the great unknown and went with a brown/black combo instead of my usual red variation.  I will admit that I really like it because its a lot closer to my natural hair color of brown.  Kinda have this thing lately of going back to basics, so who knows how long this one will last.

Other than that...nothing really goin on....guess I'll have to find something to do for a little while...

Not so bad after all...

So the braces went on this morning and I'll honestly admit that I was over-thinking and probably freaking out about nothing about the whole idea (I say that now, but I don't know if I'll be saying that tomorrow). I've noticed already that I put a lot of emphasis on my "s" and "c" sounds...not to mention I spit a little when I talk (now I actually have a legitimate reason to do that!)

All in all a good day so far...woke up before my alarm, didn't go to bed until rather late, so sleep was pretty much an option for me and not so much of a requirement...as you can tell by my picture, I'm absolutely fabulous at 6:30am with very little sleep (not to mention I have a lot of junk in my closet...).

I was requested to take a pre and post-braces picture. Although the person(ok, people) who requested it may seem like they "guilted" me into it, but trust me...Mike needs to work on his guilt-trip techniques if he thinks he can get to me like that. And just as an FYI, I was going to take pictures anyways and post them here...you think I'm nuts if I'm going to send them via work-email you goof or post them on facebook. So, here for the world to see...my pre and post brace teeth pics

So, as you can see for the most part, those are my braces. The only issue I'm having with them so far is that the one rubber band bracket keeps catching the side of my cheek, which is an easy fix. Other than that...not a whole heck of a lot to say. If you thought I looked young before, the braces make me look ever so much younger :o)

So the journey begins

I was asked by a couple co-workers to start detailing the new journey I'm about to undertake in life. Detailing pregnancy? Oh hell no, that's not going to happen for quite a while for various reasons. I decided that I was going to get braces, and hence the chronicling of this wonderful, painful journey for the next 2 years...

The spacers--8 of them total-- were placed last Tuesday (the 21st). Not the most enjoyable experience having them placed, but it is a necessary evil I guess. Of course, within 2 days, one of them popped out. I had never felt so much relief in my life when that occurred. Granted, that means that I have to have another put in its place, but by golly, the last 5 days without it have been bliss. The only issue I've had with the remaining 7 is the lower jaw pain because they decided to place them on at least 1 tooth that has already had a root canal. Add to the fact that I have sensitive teeth as it is and you've gotten a glimpse into my pain for the last week.

As for the braces themselves, I'm not too terribly worried about it---terrified would be a much better adjective to use here. I hate going to the dentist as it is and usually take the day off if I'm going for a simple filling (I told ya I hate going to the dentist!) So why put myself through this torture? No, its not that I enjoy putting myself through pain (trust me, this is costing me enough and will probably have to spend a few years in therapy to get over this experience!). My parents weren't exactly the firmest believers in going to the dentist, and we never had the extra money growing up to be able to afford going to the orthodontist. I've gotten to the point in my adult life where I hate my smile (ok, hate is an understatement here) and decided to do something about it.

I decided that this year was going to be the year of Tracy. There are things that I want to accomplish in my life and they're not going to get done unless I start working on them. Call it ironic, but one thing that I want to accomplish is to have the respect of my co-workers. We have a lead tech spot open up with the retirement of one of the leaders. I'm completely torn on whether or not to apply for it. I know I'm qualified (if not over qualified) and I know that I can do the job without any problem. So what gives? 1.) There's typically a huge headache involved with the job. I see the current leaders on a daily basis and they make their job look like one enormous stress bundle. I've got enough stress in my life right now that I don't need work to be one of them. 2.) I'd have to interview with the entire MRI leadership team. Its not that these people don't like me (or at least I'm hoping that they do), its just that they know my inner quirks and tendencies that could very well prevent me from obtaining the job to begin with. I honestly think I would have better luck interviewing with an outside facility than landing this spot.

School is school...just 13 classes to go and I'm done. I'm starting to put a lot of thought into my Master's degree and I'm really leaning towards a PA program. Granted,its nothing more than a glorified nurse practitioner, but I'd still get to treat people from a medical standpoint--not to mention that the money is pretty decent too (its a huge pay raise if I do it...its just a matter of doing it). I now it'll be a rough road, but nothing worth having in life comes easy, right?

Weight loss attempt # 5,000...I don't know why I even bother to try anymore. The steroids are going to be one of the biggest obstacles with any attempt in weight loss because steroids cause weight gain--doesn't matter what type or how much you take--YOU WILL ALWAYS GAIN WEIGHT WITH STEROIDS!! I know I may lose a few pounds when the braces go on, but once I get used to them, I'm sure the weight will just come back like that ugly red-headed step-child that won't go away. I have taken smaller steps though towards my goal of being skinny. I've gotten to the point where I've stopped drinking pop and mostly all the junk food. Yes, I'm a chick and there will always be certain times in which I need (and by golly better get) some chocolate--as long as there's no nuts or caramel, I'm fine with regards to the braces. But, I'm not eating nearly as much junk food as I once was. Pala, one of my co-workers, keeps trying to get me to do the stairs with him....climbing 21 flights of stairs doesn't sound all that appealing to me. I may try it eventually, but I doubt it'll be any day soon.

Life since the last update (eek! that was last November) has been decent for the most part. I've learned a lot about myself since then. Am I a better person? Sure, I guess for at least knowing what I know. Does it make certain situations any better? Not really. Don't worry---I won't write about all my dirty laundry on here...I can still keep secrets, even if I keep them from myself.

My currents:
Weight: about 173 (too much if you ask me)
Song: Faithfully by Journey
Movie that I'm thinking of watching...Oliver and Company (yes, I still watch Disney movies...)