DevilMayKare

Well TOM, The whole system is really a quagmire. I've been a pretty involved parent the past 15 or so years and have found the system has some serious flaws--BUT in some areas it is doing better than we might expect. I can only speak for CA, but the low testing around here is a very direct result of people taking the test who are not proficient English speakers. If you have a whole group that does not speak the language it squews (sp?) the test results for everyone else. I just had one son graduate from a UC and have another starting college in a week. Although there was plenty of stupid stuff, MUCH of their high school education was better than mine. They both were reading FAULKER and DOYSTOYEVSKY in High School English classes. They both did some great Physics projects and field studies in Biology--all in public school. My son John spent his college Junior year in Ireland at the University College Dublin where many Nobel laureates & well-known authors (including James Joyce) have gone and was surprised to find he could not only hold his own, but actually had a better foundation than the Irish and many other exchange students. I was really shocked by that. I always thought the British Isles were more intellectual and the education better than in the US, but evidently not. So don't believe everything you hear about those test scores. There certainly are kids who can't do math, but there are plenty of others who are better prepared than we think.

I'm kind of two minds on this. More taxes do not necessarily equal a better education. I would be happy (well, okay... maybe not HAPPY--but WILLING!) to pay more taxes if I trusted the government to use the funds WISELY. Unfortunately they waste money left and right. The school system in CA is so bogged down with rules and various programs it's ridiculous. And puhleeze DON'T even get me started on the TESTING!!! One of the things I brought up at a district PTA meeting one time is the incredible waste of resources (certainly including teachers' time) they spend to MAIL out progress reports. These are the in-between quarter reports that are mailed out for every single student. They are generally NO REFLECTION on the actual grade because the teachers so often don't have time to have enough things graded every single 6-weeks. Note--all the teachers I have spoken to think these are a waste of time. So okay, you've got about 10,000 kids in the district, take the cost of the printing, the paper and the POSTAGE to send out a worthless piece of paper 2x a year and that adds up to quite a bit. And then add in the quarter and semester reports! That is SIX MAILINGS for every child during the year for JUST grade reports (not even including several other worthless mailings)... it is certainly enough to pay for a PE teacher! That's just one of the many examples of waste I've seen in the system. There are plenty of others.

Well, he's going off to college in a week so not really a kid. I'm not sure if he's got short arms or a long tongue (!). Maybe it's his special talent. I'm not sure what percentage of people can wiggle their ears, but I've seen a couple who could wiggle them a LOT. Maybe it's a genetic thing like that. I'll see if I can get him to let me take a pic later and I'll post it. I sure as heck can't get anyhwere near my elbow!

I'm sorry to comment off topic, but I just have to say WHAT? We shouldn't say FAT?? TOM, you can say whatever you want, but the stuff hanging off my thighs is FAT and I refuse to cave into some sort of political correctness to call it something else. If we all start saying we're "people of weight" (and do the skinny people float?) then that will just come to mean the same thing as fat. On another note, re PE or any other class I heartily recommend contacting the school IN WRITING. A letter sent to a teacher with a copy to the principal can do absolute wonders. Beaurocracies like the school system respond like there's a fire when it's on a piece of paper in the record forever.

Wow. After reading your post that's all I can think of to say, except I'm thinking about you and pulling for you. I'll be checking back soon to hear how you're doing! Be strong girl! There is LIGHT shinning at the end of this tunnel. Love,

Well I was reading out some of these interesting facts to my son (18) while my cat cocked her ear (contracting 18 muscles while flexing 10) and when I got to the "fact" about not being able to lick one's elbow he said, "Yes I CAN" came over and licked his elbow right in front of me. So, who's checking these facts? I can't even get the cat to hold still while I try to count the muscles in her ear.

Drinking hot (or very warm) Water is an Aruveydic practice. I learned about this from a massage therapist who stayed with me for a week and was super into yoga and knew a lot about the healing arts. (She was a glowingly healthy woman.) I thought it was kinda weird, but tried it and now I am absolutely HOOKED on hot water. I usually pop a mug in the micro and drink a cup of hot water while the coffee's making. So I still drink a cup of coffee or two in the morning, but after that I sip hot water all day. I honestly don't know if it does anything physical, but I find it very soothing and it certainly can't hurt. Cheaper & eaier than tea too.

Wow! I don't check in for a week and look what happens! Crystal starts drawing her own blood! (Yuk!) So Crystal, I see it's been a week since your post. I hope you're well into recovery by this time. I'm closing my eyes, gritting my teeth, bearing down and pushing out all the white-light energy I can muster for you! We're all looking for an update and love you dearly,

Oh, sorry Jack. That was a little unclear. I'm doing a LIQUID protein fast (kinda like Optifast). I'm less hungry just drinking the protein shakes than if I try to eat solid proteins with this band. It seems like you and a lot of other people feel "Full" but I don't. Do you get that choking feeling in your sternum and did you just manage to retrain body to a different feeling of fullness? I've been banded a year and a half now. If I haven't figured it out by now I have serious doubts that I ever will.

I read it. It was exhausting. :faint: But Geezer's line was one of the best I've heard in a long, long while. Almost made the reading worth it. Almost. I think I may be having brie farts for a week! TMI???

To be specific here... my main complaint (that really, I try not to make, but since ya asked...) is that the band does NOT make me feel FULL. It makes me feel like I am CHOKING--but while the top part of my tummy will PB with another bite the bottom part of my tummy is HUNGRY. I suppose someone may think it's in my head, but it sure as hell feels like it's in my tummy. When I had "proper" restriction so that 3-5 well-chewed bites were all I could eat at the time I just felt like I was starving. I started living on potato chips and ice cream because that was about the only thing that I could eat enough of to not feel hungry--but not have to throw up. It seems like some people are able to get their bodies to interpret what I feel as choking as fullness. I sure wish I could. That's the basic reason the band diet just isn't working for me. I thought I would feel satiated with less food and I do NOT. That being said I've been on a Protein fast for the past 20 days and have been losing nicely while feeling FULL. I'm really happy that I'm going back down, but this I could have done without the band.

Nahhhh... it's only an indulgence when ya add the cheese sauce!

Sorry, I typed that message after y'all decided to kill the thread. Someone please PM me the the answers to my questions. Merci beaucoup!

Okay, I could PM you guys to ask what the heck you're talking about but I'm probably not the only one wondering. So once n' for all could you please tell me what happened? Was Lisa banned? When did that happen? Was there a "BANNED" notice that I missed? And if it's the case then I WILL miss her liveliness and entertaining humor, but the moment I read that "Final warning" of Penny's I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. I do wonder about this "banning" in general though. Will people just dissappear and those of us left never know why? Will the banned one's whole profile dissappear or will it have one of those circles with a diaonal line drawn thru their avatar?

Yep, I'm with you Mary and Starwart... the band has been an interesting experience and it gave me the hope I needed at the time, but I'm back to good ol' DIETING now. Except there are a lot of low-cal foods that make me choke. Like asparagus. That brings on a PB instantly. I was self-pay and if I had another $8,000 handy I'd use it to get this thing out. I never go on the "Would you do it again?" Type threads because I really don't want to bring anyone down.

Whoa! I missed that story. Do you remember which thread it's in Crystal? Diane--so glad you recoved from your auto run-in!

Um... I'd like to hear the story on this one! Are you ambidexterous???

Wow... we've led some INTERESTING lives! Lemme see what I can remember... Ran into John Wayne at the bottom of the escalator in Robinsons and spoke the memorable line: "You're John Wayne!" Made my first sale when I was four years old... a fish eye (yellowtail, I believe). Actually, I wasn't trying to sell it, I was just going door-to-door trying to get neighbors to pay a penney to see what I had in the folded papertowel in my hands. Mrs. Mayor was so impressed she bought it for a dime. Was "kissed" by a killer.... whale--Shamoo. (Looks just like a missle coming up thru the water! Interestingly his tongue on my check felt like a giant, GIANT cat's.) Spent 6 mo's sleeping on the ground while camping throughout Europe & the middle East when I was 19 (too long ago). Smuggled Bibles into the USSR (when it existed). Built a giant sandcastle with my boyfriend at the bottom of Grand Canyon. Painted the whole outside of my house. Painted every interior room and surface of the inside of my house a MINIMUM of 4 times (that I can remember). Laid 600 sq ft of Pergo flooring with my younger son when he was 13. Waterskied naked at the Salton Sea. Oh--I experienced the BEST PLACE in the world to make love!! I mean it you guys, it was AMAZING! Being in the throes of passion in a big flood pipe running under a train track--and orgasming WHILE THE TRAIN WAS CROSSING. (Seriously, it was like being f***d by a train!!!) (To this day if I get stuck waiting at some train tracks I am sopping by the time the train has passed.) Learned how to lindyhop and danced up a storm at my bro's wedding last year. Raised two wonderful sons; one of which just graduated from college and the other starting in 3 weeks. And this is probably the most impressive on my list... have travelled thru 19 countries and NEVER BEEN TO VEGAS!

You can write off the expense of surgery in Mexico (including travel) as long as you have a US doctor's recommendation to get it. My gp just wrote out the order on a prescription pad. Psych eval and all that is a good deal IF you WANT it. Nothing but aggravation and a waste of your time if you don't.

Oh comon... of course there's hunting in Oz. Everyone knows they use boomerangs! (heehee)

Well of course the expense of going to MX depends on where you live. I'm in SoCal, so Dr Otiz' office is just a two hour drive. Other than that I went to him because I was "only" 228# when I got banded and it would have been tough to find a US surgeon to do it. I got banded within two weeks of deciding to get lapband surgery. No hoops to jump thru was a BIG factor for me. ... and for those who think 228# is low to be banded, I had been 312 five years before and got down to 150. I started to creep back up after foot surgery and would have done ANYTHING stop. I know a lot of people like all the support US surgeons require, but I didn't want or need that. Everyone has to find their own path on this journey.

More padding!! Honest to God, yesterday I accidently stepped on a National Geographic that was lying on the carpet and did a sideways *SWOOSH!* right on my turkey-plump glute and didn't hurt a thing! A skinny lass woulda bruised a hip for sure!

I tend to jump away from a thread when someone starts listing all the food they cheated with simply because it puts it in my mind and I can start WANTING it. I can go for months (years even) not even thinking about something like a somore and then someone will talk eating one and I'll start craving chocolate and marshmallows. Oh... now you're thinking about that warm, sticky delight too, aren't you????

Gosh--it's amazing that you are 3 years older and look 15 years younger. And those beautiful kids! That little boy of yours looks like a model for a Hummel figurine.

Well, somehow it doesn't surprise me to read that PNut. I will agree that her posts could get out of hand sometimes but part of DeLarla's charm is that she often says what others are thinking and wouldn't dare say aloud. She was always upfront about her difficult, crazy up-bringing and had some really tragic experiences with her band. DeLarla herself would often in a better frame of mind realize she got a bit too emotional & delete postings. There were times it was obvious some of her manic rants were flat-out pain. I'm sorry some people here couldn't see that. Pnut, you and your cohorts went after her in a big way. There was one noteable thread where I swear it was like watching a pack of hyenas tearing into its prey. That's about the time I quit hanging out here much. And I'm sure you don't miss me either. And I'm almost positive later I will think I should've kept my mouth shut, but I just can't let that sentiment stand.