Carlene

I got the stainless steel Barista (couldn't post a photo....there is something wrong with the upload function). It makes espresso identical to what you get at Starbucks. It takes longer for the milk to steam than the $10K commercial machines, but the taste is the same (provided you use Starbucks Espresso Blend coffee). If you buy an espresso machine, you want to get one that extracts via pressure, not steam. That, they tell me, is the big difference. I can't wait to make mocha Cappuccino for my DD, just to see if they pass the taste test. Since I don't drink them myself, how would I know, otherwise? Here, according to one coffeehouse aficionado's blog, is the secret to great creama... See, they have this little gnome grinder in the back by the roaster, and nothing makes mountains of creama like little ground up gnomes. You just gotta watch out for the errant gnome hat or beard that didn't get totally processed.

Clarification needed here....the stuff in the round can is snuff. Chewing tobacco comes in paper pouches - at least where I come from. Brand names might help... Copenhagen and Skoal are snuff; Red Man is chewing tobacco. I am going to give this recipe to my BFF Betsy, who has a big pond in her yard and mosquitoes like you wouldn't believe. The little bastards love me, too.

It must really suck to be Paris Hilton.:faint:

If she were "nobody" they might have let her out early due to crowding, etc but you can bet your booty they would not have released her because she was traumatized by the jail's "harsh" conditions. Sheriffs generally have a pretty unsympathetic philosophy.....if you don't like it, you shouldn't have come.

She wasn't sentenced to jail for DWI; she was sentenced for violating her probation and driving on a suspended license, which were the consequences of her original violation (DWI). How could the judge NOT send her back, after specifically ruling that she would not receive early release? That sheriff might as well have stood on the courthouse steps and flipped the judge the bird.

Go to your local Starbucks. They give away used coffee grounds in big 5-10 pound bags. Scatter the grounds around the base of your tomato plants. It's good organic matter for your soil and the squirrels don't like the smell. They were eating my tomatoes like crazy until we started doing this. We also have bunnies in the bushes...

No one really knows why, but some people do not feel the effects of their fills for days, or even weeks. You are too tight if you can't eat solid food...period. Eventually your body will realize that it can eat around the band and actually gain weight on liquids. Get some of that taken out - enough so you can eat moist chicken, some veggies, and a bit of nice tuna.

Did they learn NOTHING from the Reagans? Geez.....just say "no". How hard is that?

I have never understood this so-called logic. How can anyone's sexual orientation have a negative influence on their ability to serve in the military? It's like saying you shouldn't be allowed in the Army if you're Jewish. Have I missed something? What is the reason the Republicans give for wanting to exclude gays from the military?

Half Price Bookstores ROCKS! I find great stuff on their clearance shelves for $1.00. Also, Sam's Club has all the latest books at much lower prices than Border's or Barnes and Noble.

I joined Lifetime last month and it's the nicest of the 3 clubs I have belonged to - a resort without the room or the umbrella drinks (although there is a grill/snack hut poolside). They offer 20% off the initiation fee to employees of certain companies: IBM, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Health Partners, and others. See if they will give you a "special", even if you don't actually work for any of these. That's what they did for me. Plus, if you know someone who belongs and they refer you, that person gets a free gift: one referral earns you a gym bag or a $25.00 gift certificate, two an iPod shuffle, etc. It is true that you can't bring children other than your own. My BFF Betsy tried to take her grandchildren, but they wouldn't let her. I love the place and never have seen it full, or even really crowded. I worked out today, in fact, and it was almost empty (except for the outdoor pool with the slides). No one seems to enforce the rules, however, and that irritates me a little bit. The big sign can say "12 and over only in the pool" (or spa, or the exercise room) and it will be full of obviously younger kids. The biggie (for me) are the moms who bring boy children into the ladies locker room. Last week, one lady mumbled, "They'll just have to make an exception for you," as she pushed her 5 year old through the door and into a room full of naked women. There is a unisex locker room (which this woman obviously should have used) but it doesn't have as many amenities. The attendant not only didn't stop her, she wished the two of them "good morning"! I drive about 10 minutes to the gym. There are several closer to me, but none that hold a candle to Lifetime. I work out for about 90 minutes, then swim leisurely for 20 minutes or so, and lay out by the pool for another half hour. Then I twirl thru the shower next to the spa, just to cool off, and after about 15 minutes in the spa, I do it again. Next I head for the Eucalyptus scented sauna room, then shower for real. I like the "little things": No towel fee (and the towels are decent size and thick) Plenty of hairdryers Tissue dispensers (never empty) Free help with any of the machines from the staff Cleanliness Special events (pool parties, etc) Huge selection of machines About 20 big screen TVs - tune in your FM radio to the audio portion and you are good to go They keep it cool enough that you don't melt while you are working out It's not over-run with body builders. There will always be someone there who is older, fatter, more out of shape than you.

If it weren't for MapQuest, I would never get where I'm going.

This is such a sad truism....

I married a 17 year old....but I was 17, too. That makes a huge difference. When I said he was "still a boy", I meant compared to really grown up people, like you and your DH. At 20, how many of us have any actual experience under our belts? I thought I knew everything back then, but in retrospect, I realize that the only subjects I knew "everything" about were pretty shallow. PS....I wanted to go to Six Flags Over Texas (theme park) for my first wedding anniversary. Yep....I was sooooooo mature.

ANY movie with Paris Hilton in it would be scary, IMHO.

I would love to visit Canada! In fact, I found a New England & Canada cruise that I am trying to talk my DGD into. But she's 14 and holding out for something with a beach.

I read the same thing in Wiki (not a credible source, IMHO). There are many sides to this issue. Dr K was always a little on the edge, from what I can find out, and I'm not entirely comfy with some of his "stunts". On the other hand, consider Percy Bridgman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who, at 79, was entering the final stages of terminal cancer. Wracked with pain and bereft of hope, he got a gun and somehow found courage to pull the trigger, knowing he was condemning others to the agony of discovering his bloody remains. His final note said simply: "It is not decent for society to make a man do this to himself. Probably this is the last day I will be able to do it myself." I have to agree with Dr. Bridgman, and if Jack Kevorkian is the only one on that particular bandwagon, then I'm with him, too.

Interestingly enough, the great-grandfather to whom Paris owes her initial wealth did not intend for his descendants to be "trust babies". Most of Conrad Hilton's assets were willed to the Catholic Church, but his son, Barron, contested the will and won. The net worth of Barron and his descendants then jumped to over $335 million.

I had three girls, ages 14 and 15, at my house yesterday. We got to talking about Paris and her problems. These girls all readily admitted that they would love to be Paris Hilton, because she has so much money and can, seemingly, do whatever she wants to. I thought the "go to jail, do not pass Go" thing was a great lesson for them....in America, when the justice system works as it was intended to, no one is allowed to do "whatever she wants to". Paris Hilton, IMHO, is almost an icon for her generation. They want everything mommy and daddy have, but they don't want to work 25 years for it, like we did. A dream mentality for the credit card companies, no doubt. Our instant media, of course, is what has created celebrities like Paris (famous for being famous). In eras past, wealthy people had over-indulged children, but we did not hear a lot about them because we lacked TV and the Internet. Or perhaps people were simply more dignified back then. As my redneck friend would say, Paris Hilton ain't got no couth.

Green... Don't you DARE call the fill nurse before you get the Mexican thing taken care of!

You are too tight. I know that everyone's dream is to be too tight to eat, forcing us to lose like crazy, but that doesn't happen, over the long haul. Your body is very "smart" and it will teach you how to eat around the band. Creamed Soups, ice cream, and other high calorie liquids will not help you lose weight. Get a small unfill and you will see a big difference, very shortly. For a snack, I had about 6 cherries last night. I was so full, I wasn't even tempted to beg a bite of my DH's chocolate bar. I was too tight and dilated my esophagus. I had to be unfilled, then endure the months-long baby steps routine to good restriction. I gained 20 pounds.....all as a result of being too tight.

I definitely think you need to stay on liquids until you can see your doctor,but you should do that ASAP. You are too tight and your stoma is irritated, to boot. I don't think 6 hours without Water is a good idea, however. Dehydration is a bad thing. Loss of electrolytes is, too. Think about the SOP for stomach flu....plenty of liquids. Try warm, sweet tea or warm Jello water (regular or SF). So-called PBs (I really don't like that term) can be anything from just bending over and it comes up to a horrible, deliberate attempt to get something unstuck. The tighter you are, the easier it is to PB. Sliming is something different. It is exactly what the name implies: spitting up slime - sometimes for hours. For me, sliming was a "newbie" thing. I haven't slimed for ages.....I guess our bodies get used to the band or something. One more thing....do not be lured in by the increased weight loss afforded by a too-tight fill. In the end, it's not worth it. Trust me on this....I am recovering from a dilated esophagus from being too tight. The unfill resulted in a 20 pound GAIN.

I'm a conservative Democrat! Maybe we're the voices of reason....LOL

BJ....you said it all, and soooooooooooo much better! Carlene has been busy at the gym, trying to get in 2 hours 3-4 days a week. Plus I reward myself with some time in their fabulous steam room (love the Eucalyptus in the air) and lounging by the pool. Makes me feel like Paris Hilton, minus the jail thing. Green, dehydration is one of the things that will get you a short but expensive vacation in the hospital. Is that what you want? So........JUST DO IT! Otherwise, I won't feel sorry for you when Nurse Ratchet (aka BJ) shows up on your doorstep, rubber gloves snapping in anticipation.

I think what pissed the judge off in the first place was her attitude at the probation violation hearing. She was just so "above" all us mortals - including the judge. When she said she didn't know her license had been suspended, he told her the state had mailed her a letter,to which Paris replied, "I don't open my own mail. I have people who do that for me." What an idiot. No wonder she dropped out of high school. She doesn't have to use her brain...she has people to do that for her. I agree that a lot of people hate Paris Hilton because she is young and blonde and skinny and beautiful and rich. I'd like to be all those things, too. Heck, I'd settle for rich and young - screw the blonde thing, and I'll buy myself some plastic surgery and a personal trainer. But she is just such a waste of perfectly good oxygen. Famous for being famous....what is THAT all about?????