ReneBean

GOOOOOOOO Beth!! Awesome! Only two weeks to your surgery...Yee Haw! Every insurance approval gives me hope for my own. Congrats!

Whether you write anonymously or openly - write to HR - and BE SPECIFIC. Give them facts they can check. If the information is not verifiable, it won't do them any good. If a customer has a valid complaint, note their name and a contact number in your letter. If the company is losing business, then they will act on verifiable, factual information. Also, try to go for an unemotional rational tone in your letter. Specify actions & events, ignore feelings (unless you are noting what a client actually told you about how THEY feel). The more unemotional your letter, the less possibility that HR will view it as "revenge" or something to do with PMS. Slimey bosses are EXPERTS at making the accuser out to be the criminal. Last, EDIT CAREFULLY. Write the letter. Read through it and edit for content. Take out anything that is not absolutely necessary to make your point in a completely non-emotional way. Read through it AGAIN. Edit for spelling and punctuation. Hand it off to someone you trust and have THEM read it and make notations for both of the above. If you are going to write a letter - write a clear, concise, accurate one. Good luck.

I am North of Dallas in Allen TX. There is some speculation that we might experience the edges of the storm - like Category 1 effects - but nothing like what the folks on the gulf are going to get. We'll just hunker down in front of the DVD player and eat popcorn. Glad to hear there are no nasty side effects, Ira. Happy, Happy! Joy, Joy! That 6lb effect is what ever bandster dreams of... I haven't been keeping track of Inameds other body enhancements - and breast implants have certainly NEVER crossed my mind. (yes, behind these huge bazongas I actually have a mind). Is there something special or different about them? I guess I can go to the website and check them out, if I run out of things to do today... Everybody enjoy the day. I.

I can spend HOURS in there. I end up looking at Everything - even crafts that I don't already do. I have been somewhat disciplined in that I have kept my crafting equipment down to only THREE categories. (Well, my husband got stuff to make soap - but that wasn't me...) I always look longingly at the toll painting stuff, the little ceramic figurines, the candle MAKING stuff (OOOOOOOOO - dangerous!) and several other things. *SIGH* So many crafts. So little time. So where is our fair Eileen, today? Check in, Girl!

I'll cross my fingers for a cooperative scale... You know it's only doing that to torment you... lol. Thanks for the kind words & the positive thoughts. IMO We can never get enough of either. So what is everybody up to this fine and glorious day? :]

Ahhh. Fred Meyer. One of the very things I miss about the NW since I moved to TX. Oh Well. Is there a manufacturer or distributor on the label? Maybe I can find it on line.... Thanks!

I'm the one with the guest room. :]

oh yeah. Granny Panties & a black satin bra. How is THAT for contrast. Our model, Irene, is also sporting a lovely industrial-strength black girdle and support stockings by Loves. Lisa - you are one crazy chick. You Rock! :]

I love Candles. It's financially dangerous for me to go into candle stores... I don't burn down buildings or anything - but I must be a slight pyromaniac. I like Michaels - I can get into lots of trouble in there, too. I have been known to cross stitch, crochet & Bead things when properly motivated. I am sort of a social crafter. Get me into a group of people crafting and I am all over it. For the most part, I haven't been a big shopper - its so tiring to tromp all over - but once I get into a store, I can usually find a little harmless trouble. Walmart is fun - just because I can shop for whatever mood I am in - Video games, Girly stuff, shoes - Whatever. **(pretty sad, huh? Walmart is a shopping experience!) Well, if I get my new job, maybe I will be able to afford more exciting stuff. I went ahead and Grabbed for the Gusto. I applied for the Manager position instead of the Worker Bee position. If you don't ask, you don't get... :]

Happy Day, Pam! You are what I hope to be in 1 yr!! Thanks for sharing. Irene

Come on up, Girls. I have a guest room if anybody needs it. I'm in Allen, a little farther north of Dallas.

Hey Ira. Thanks for having us in Ira's World. Are you able to eat regular food? Are you experiencing a high level of PB's? Are you having any major discomfort? If the answer is no, then I THINK you are fine. 6 lbs in 5 days is quick - but not going to cause illness or anything - and the likelihood is that it will not continue at such a dramatic pace for very long. I say, if it aint hurtin' - kick back and enjoy. Eileen - the sound makes ALL the difference. You must try this at home... It's another Glorious Texas day. The sun is shining, the pavement is melting... :]

Oh, Teresa (((HUGS!!))) I have always wanted to Give away clothes because they are too big. Shop at Nordstrom for something other than shoes Get a Wolf Whistle (stupid, huh?) Learn to Dance (Ballroom & Latin) Learn to Waterski Someday...

So, Aneffie - Where do you obtain this "All One Powder"? I have some Viactive, but it would be easier if I could whip it all into my breakfast shake...

You would THINK that a woman who insists on stacking a file exactly the same way every time would also insist on eating consistently and correctly - but HAIL no. It's anything goes on the food front. I always figured my OCD at work was in response to my out of control life. I never wanted to try to let work get out of control to see whether the OCD would flip. I couldn't afford to be unemployed... And Lisa - I knew you could be going with the Anal Retentive thing but I wasn't sure which way you were going to flip. One never knows when you will find yourself in the throes of Delarlaism and get WILD. :]

Well, at LAST. Some action. First, My insurance company actually acknowledges that they have the request for pre-approval AND it has gone to a "Medical Director" for review. Yee Haw! Now at least I know that I will get SOME answer from them by next week at the latest. It seems like I have been waiting for months and months. Second, my company has posted for Internal Transfers to my Dream Job. I am all over that. My application for transfer is complete and I am getting references from my close co-workers. I WANT THIS JOB. - mostly because in my current position I am sitting around doing nothing all day. Plus, I am made for this job. Everything about my personality, my experience and my life has made me the perfect candidate. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for positive responses from my insurance company and the upper management at my job! :]

OMG!! These are so stupid they are funny... Check it out. Here's some silliness for you! :] http://www.brawnyman.com/innocentescapes/player.aspx?mID=32

I am 4th of 5. But it wasn't really ever like being part of a "Big Family". The oldest two sibs were my Mom's from a previous marriage (we think she was married - but that's another story) and my folks got divorced when I was about 6. Dee & Ted went to live with Mom, and Mary & Nancy & I lived with Dad at Grandma's house. By the time Mom & Dad got back together Dee had moved out to live on her own and Ted had gone to Military School. Ted picked up a little drug habit in the Navy that eventually killed him - but both parents and all the girls are still with us. But the divorce was the MINOR childhood trauma. Not long after the big D, my Dad got in a serious Motorcycle accident which all but killed him. (DON'T DRINK & BIKE!!!) When he came back from hospital, not only did he look monsterous, but he didn't know us and he couldn't speak. He had to re-learn the basics of life. Mom swears that the only reason he is alive today is that she smuggled milkshakes into the hospital. He wouldn't eat the food, there. But wait, there's more... When I was about 7, my Grandfather disappeared. He was reported as missing and eventually declared dead. Grandpa had Alzheimers - before they called it that - but that's what it was. He wasn't lucid much and he hid shiny things under his mattress. Some folks speculate that perhaps the stress of an Invalid Husband was too much for my Gran on top of the Damaged Son and his Horrid Children. (there were lots of us, and we were spoiled at the time.) There are those that say it is possible that she just dropped him off somewhere far from home. I always thought I heard him shuffle out of the house in his slippers. He used to get up before dawn and walk down to the pond in his pajamas... The police were everywhere, dragging the pond, looking in wells, searching our 40 acre property. Grandma, who was never what you would call an endearing woman, pretty much went over the edge. We children were pretty much stuck in our rooms for the next few years. It was just like a miracle when, after nursing my father back to health, my Mom re-married my Dad and we all went to live together away from the continuing drama at Grandma's house. It all settled down a bit after Grandpa was declared dead - but Grandma was forever bitter and horrid until she died... So, I am a cynical old hag - battle-scarred and weary - but still standing. If you ever read one of my posts and think "That &*%^$ is CRAZY!" - you are probably correct. Sorry to get so heavy, girls. But when you delve into "family" as a topic at my house, it is a deep and perrilous journey. :]

Come on - it was the lure of LBT - ADMIT IT!! It has a hypnotic hold on your soul and now you must sit glued to your computer screen for 12 hours a day... lol. I was up late, too. Dang, I just can't go without my beauty sleep these days. Ahhh, the good ol' days. When 4 hours sleep was enough to keep me bright eyed and bushy tailed. I have vague recollections of pulling "all nighters" in college and 1) not looking like someone has beaten me with a blunt instrument. 2) taking a nap and doing the same thing again. Now, 4 hrs sleep and I am draggin' @$$. How are you, Miss Trish?

Yes - when are these support group meetings? McKinney is practically in the backyard for me and I would like to attend. :]

See if you can rent them at your local video store before you buy them. That way you will know if you like them. I found the first ones that way, and I would bet that some or all of the newer ones are available at the big chains. :]

"you lost weight" makes the same amount of sense as "it just happened" - absolutely none. If you don't want to be married - then don't be married. Don't try to blame it on the other person.

The Genie whipped off his turban and we discovered it was really Divalicious Dee in disguise! She said...

Oh Lisa - That's so hard. I originally discovered the whole lap band process because one day, in desperation in desperation, I decided that any risk was better than weighing 360lbs... I wasn't excited about the idea - but I was desperate enough to take the risk of bypass. Now, I guess it would depend on how long I had been banded, how much I had lost and whether the eating habits were habitual. I think if it happened right up front - I would have to say that I would take the risk of the ByPass. If I was close to goal and had been eating better for 1-2 yrs, I might try to go it alone rather than take that risk.

Wow! Quick recovery. Congrats! Welcome! :]