bitteroldhag

I'm an English professor and we don't worry too much about slang because it changes so often. I think the use of the present participle is a passing thing that is cool at the moment. We know that language really does change all the time which is good for those of us who teach linguistics. Also we realize that language is slippery and hard to pin down because it's a living thing and grows and changes all the time. We also studied Ebonics or African American English and found that when black folks were brought over as slaves, they kept the basic syntax (sentence structure) of their language and just substituted English words which is why they use "be" in the present tense all the time. That is the way West African languages used the verb form, so it's sort of historical really. Actually we'd just like to get our students to be able to spell, but spelling in the English language makes no sense whatsoever. We don't necessarily spell words like they are pronounced. For example, through really should be thru. Though should be tho. The reason for this is that in the 17th century a bunch of scholars got together in England and standardized the language according to how THEYspoke it. The King James Version of the Bible is in 17th century English and it's hard to read. Anyway, pronunciations changed but the spelling didn't. I blame the English for this. In England, the town of Reading is pronounced redding. Leicester is pronounced lester. Those English people just don't speak English!

Carlene -- You are hilarious. I think I'm going to have to steal your sentences for my Freshman comp. classes. It's good to know that some English professor was successful in getting across the idea of the introduction, body and conclusion, but the sad thing is that only English majors seem to have learned this. Thanks for a good laugh.

Actually I'm a Democrat and I agree with you on most stuff especially the part about politicians not representing the people. I'm also against gun control which is weird for a Democrat, but I figure the people with the guns will be the police and military, not the criminals. I think we need to protect ourselves from the police and the new secret police more than the criminals. In our county of about 50,000 people, we don't have that many criminals, but we have SIX different police forces. I don't know what they do all day. Anyway, I think Republicans and Democrats need to get together and kick all the politicians out and start over. We can't get worse ones.

I collect hats. I love hats. I have about 80 hats and don't know what to do with them, but I love them. It's too bad that we no longer wear hats.

I am a major Demcrat because I am a college professor and have been trained in critical thinking. We understand fallacies like either you are with us or you are a terrorist. But truthfully, I always like an oppositition party in the House and Senate so they are unable to pass useless laws. Currently, the U.S. is pro-torture. This amazes me since I'm almost 60 years old and the U.S. has never been pro-torture. I don't think I live in the country I grew up in.

I eat tons of chicken and eggs. I have scrambled eggs and bacon every morning for Breakfast. That gets a lot of Protein in at the beginning of the day. Then I eat chicken, chicken, chicken. I hate fish, so that is no good. But I can cook chicken about 20 ways. I also eat some carbs because you need carbs to keep the old brain working. I got a French cookbook which is wonderful. I make Fench scalloped potatoes which are heavy on garlic and milk, but taste incredible. I have a lot of trouble eating beef, but I bake pork chops with Water to soften them up and then broil them to brown them, and they are good. I recommend salt, pepper and garlic powder on chicken. I learned the garlic trick from my friend whose mother was French. It makes chicken taste a LOT better. I also make chicken and dressing with Stovetop stuffing. I have to jazz up the stuffing, but it's good and I can eat the stuffing without throwing up. Here's the recipe: Dice up half an onion and 1 stick of celery with additional celery leaves Saute the onion and celery very slowly in real butter until the onions turn brown and the celery is soft Mix up the Stovetop stuffing according to directions. Dump the onions and celery into the Stovetop stuffing and mix up well. Add sage, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste. Put boneless chicken breasts in a greased pan. I use Pam. Put the stuffing around them. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Uncover and let the chicken breasts brown a bit. Eat and enjoy. I sent this recipe to my friend who had lapband surgery the same day as I did. She is going to try it this weekend. Let me know if you like it because I have a lot more recipes for chicken breasts.

If you can afford it, Unjury is the best protein drink. You can only buy it online but it's good. I put it in milk and mix it up with one of those little stick-type blenders from Wal-Mart and it's works wonderfully. I highly recommend it.

Actually I eat quite a lot and still have lost 31 pounds in 5 months. I've been hobbled in weight loss by steroids lately, but I think a person can eat normal stuff and still lose weight because we are eating a whole lot less than before the lapband. My doctor told me to eat beef. He said to avoid sweets and eat protein so I try that though I eat some sweets too. But I always have a lot of meat to eat though it's mostly chicken. I can cook chicken in about 20 ways. Just as long as it's soft, it works. I also eat pizza to get vegetables with some grease so it will go down. The key is having some sort of sauce to make the protein go down. I use mashed potatoes though they are verboten, green beans cooked very soft, apple sauce and gravies. I still throw up quite often but this works pretty well. I have lost enough weight that I'm going to slow down at this point, but I'm still happy. I figure I spent about $385 per pound I've lost, but the idea was to be able to eat and still lose weight. I think a lot of folks have been on so many diets that they think they have to really watch what they eat, but with the lapband, one can eat normal food -- just not as much as you used to. At least, that is what Dr. Rodriguez told me and I'm following his advice.

I eat lots of eggs and meat. I have an egg and a piece of bacon every morning for Breakfast, assuming I can get it down. I have found that coffee, even with lots of milk, causes esophageal spasms and that means I can't eat. I read that hot and cold foods can cause esophageal spasms which leaves lukewarm food for us. But it takes me so long to eat anything that I'm getting used to cold food. Also unjury is good for Protein. I mix it with milk with my handy, dandy little hand blender that I got at Wal-Mart, and it's good. If I'm really having spasms, I drink Unjury. I have found that if I'm eating meat, it helps to have it really soft, so I bake stuff like chicken sealed tin foil and it goes down pretty well. Today we had chicken and dressing (dressed up Stovetop Stuffing), some cranberry jelly and green peas. I was able to eat all but the peas. Of course it took about a hour to eat the chicken and stuffing, and I gave a lot to the dogs but it worked. You might try eating really soft meat. I put a little Water in with chicken and pork chops and stuff and bake it a long time (1-1 1/2 hours) and it works pretty well. A crockpot is really good for this stuff. A friend of mine had 7 ccs in a 10 cc band and was having lots of trouble. She wasn't losing any weight. So she had an unfill to 2 ccs and is feeling much better. I have 5 ccs in my 10 cc band and I have trouble getting stuff down. I think it's best not to overfill the band. We also concluded that you have to eat to lose weight. for the last two weeks, I have been sick as a dog with some sort of mutant ninja cold and couldn't eat much at all. I didn't lose a pound. So eating is good if you want to lose weight. Eggs are a good source of protein and you can scramble them so they are easy to get down. I don't worry at all about fats and stuff like that and I've lost 30 pounds since May. My students are telling me that I'm going to dry up and blow away, but I still have 30 pounds to go. I eat just about anything I want to including Cookies and cheesecake (I found this wonderful creme brulee cheesecake at Wal-Mart) and I'm still losing weight. I try to stick to protein though with a little cheesecake and it seems to work. Good luck to you.

I have been on steroids for a week for bursitis in my hip. I have been eating like a hog. Every time I'm on steroids, I eat a lot. Tonight I ate 5 two-bite brownies, in addition to about 6 oz of steak, a baked potato and green beans, and I can't seem to stop. I'm hungry. Steroids do that to me. Luckily I only have one pill to go and it isn't working anyway. I gained a pound this week which is aggravating. My hip hurts horribly, but I bought an iPod and dance at night for exercise with the help of hydrocodone. I did 20 minutes of dancing and 20 minutes of arm waving directing Malaguena tonight. But I just hate steroids, especially when they don't work. My doctor said if they didn't work, I'd have to have an x-ray like it was the end of the world. Does anyone know what a hip x-ray involves?

I know. I've had zillions of x-rays and none hurt, but she said the word "x-ray" like it was the clap of doom. I just wondered if they give you dye or something for it, but I don't think they do. Anyway, I'm getting better and may try the shot in the bursa. That's scary but hey, I've had fills with LONG needles, so I think I can take it. Thanks for the help.

I see you are having surgery in the U.S. I had mine in Mexico and didn't have to go through all this expense. But after having the band for 4 months, I'm glad I did it. Losing 30 pounds is good. Now if I can just lose the other 30. Good Luck. Keep us posted. I'm not far away in Tahlequah.

Holy Cow, you're in worse shape than I am and that's saying a lot. I hope you recovered well from all those problems. Isn't life better after bypass? Mine has improved. I didn't even know I had a bad heart 13 years ago when I had my bypass. It's really major surgery,but I've felt so much better. Since I lost the 30 pounds (still have 30-40 to go) I have so much more energy. I always heard that people who lose weight have more energy, but I never did when I was on those innumerable diets. But I have energy now. Amazing. Life just may get better in those golden years.

Just thought I'd let you all know that I've lost about 30 pounds since May 11. This band thing is good though all is not perfect. It never is. But I've dropped two sizes and now can wear an 18. I like loose clothes. I hope to get to a 16 within the next year. I think the weight loss slows down as your body gets used to eating very little. It took me 4 fills to get restriction, but now I can't eat a lot. The problem is that what I can eat is fattening. I must get a grip. However, the doctor is making me take steroids for the bursitis in my hip and steroids run your blood sugar up, so I'll be without sweets in the next week. Maybe that will starve off a pound or two.

Well, that may be what they're saying but I have developed bursitis in my hip and it hurts a whole lot. Also I have muscle spasms, heart disease, diabetes, and a whole host of other things. If I had ever thought I'd be this old, I'd have definitely taken better care of myself. The bad thing is that I think it gets worse the older you get. So I plan to die early. That's the only way to avoid all those problems. Now if my body will just go along with my plan, everything will be hunky dory. But with my luck, I'll live to be 90.:nervous

White Rabbit -- I have been taking care of my mother for 6 years. We were at the emergency room last night because her bladder is bleeding and she has blood in her catheter. Over the years, I have learned how to live with this stuff, but it isn't easy. I highly recommend you google the eldercare forum. I have belonged to it for about a year and it's wonderful. People there actually know exactly how you feel and what you are talking about. Do that today! Otherwise, I have two words for you HOME HEALTH. I think you may be English, but even so, there should be some sort of home health care you can get for your mother. We got that about 8 months ago when I just wore out. They are wonderful and really help a lot. If they don't do a good job, complain and eventually you'll find someone who is good with your mother. Also you might be able to get away for a few days which can really refresh you. I hope to see you on the eldercareforum soon. I am bitteroldhag there too. Believe me, you'll be glad when you join that forum. I got the lapband for myself after I'd taken care of mother for 5 years. Frankly, my attitude is that I deserve it, and so do you. Hope this helps.:nervous

We watch HGTV all the time and they have a show, "Designed to Sell," where they redo a house to sell it. They never do it in beige or white. They usually go for soft sage green or soft yellows, but sometimes they use very vivid colors. My house is painted in vivid colors and everyone who comes in here says how pretty it is. I plan to either move to the nursing home or die in this house, but if I were going to sell it, I might tone down some of the colors since so many people are afraid of color on the walls. Weird, isn't it? I hope you sell that house and then you can paint the new one any color you want. But I think it's a major mistake to paint a house white to appeal to buyers. They actually like color as long as they can imagine their stuff in there. The last house I sold was a nightmare. My realtor didn't sell the house for ages and ages and then he committed suicide! I had to pay to have all sorts of stuff fixed which wasn't actually broken when I moved out, but my realtor's sister sold that house in 3 weeks. I think a good realtor and a good price can't be beat.

I haven't had the nerve to try rice since I know that it swells in your stomach, but when I got home from my lapband, I decided to drink up the leftover Dr. Pepper. I drank quit a bit and I have to say I will never, never, never do that again. I had gas so bad that my stomach was swollen enormously, and, to say the least, I was not a pleasant person to be around. The worst thing was that it was during the first week of summer school and I had to hold in all that gas for 1 hour and 15 minutes every day lest I drive my students away. It was horrible. I laugh about it now, but at the time, it was awful. Live and learn.

I was reading my email and thought that your attitude is just superior. We need a whole lot more people like you. I really love the "uppity bone." I intend to use that with my students as soon as possible. I'm willing to get along unless someone is rude to me and then I'm willing to say something. People who know me never call me fat to my face because I'll be rude and they know it. But I'm trying to get thinner, not for them-- for me. So unlike you, I'm afraid I'm a selfish, rotten person. But I can try to live up to your ideas in your post and I'll start right now. And Rodney King was right though the young folks today think he was killed by the police.

Gluttony may be one of the 7 deadly sins but so are anger, pride, envy, lust, greed and sloth. I suspect that anyone who is cruel to an overweight person suffers from at least one of these sins. Personally I'd like to suffer from lust, but since menopause, that sin has gone down the drain. Alas.

I've finally gotten up to 4.5 ccs in a 10 cc band and it took 3 fills to do that. Of course, the first fill didn't work at all so I went back the next week and got it filled again. My NP didn't charge me for that one. That lasted about a month and I went and got another 1.5 cc. I'm still not restricted enough so I'll have to drive back up there for another fill. It's a real pain. I figure I'll have to have 7 to 7.5 cc for the lapband to work. Apparently my stomach doesn't swell much from fills because I can eat soft food the next day. In fact, I could probably eat scrambled eggs right after the fill. I'm getting depressed about it, but the NP won't fill it very much for fear of overfilling it. I'm beginning to think we should push the envelope a little. I'm going to see my regular doc pretty soon and I may request a barium xray to see what is going on. If everything is flowing through really fast, I'll ask for a larger fill. I have the Swedish band. I would just like to lose some serious weight.:heh:

It appears that the smaller bands may work better in the beginning but I read the posts on the various bands, and I think I'll just have to get about 2 more fills before it works very well. I'm going to try to get it filled up to 6 cc which may help but most of the folks I've talked to say you need 7 to 7.5 cc on the bigger band. Interestingly, my insurance is paying part of the fill costs. Amazing! They don't pay for anything. But what with my eBay Cadillac and the surgery and all these fills, I'm getting poor pretty quick. I hope to get the band to work soon so I can cut down on the food bill at least. Thanks to all of you for helping me out.

Happy birthday today! I hope all goes well for you. It's nice to know that all of us Leos are taking charge of our lives. Of course, I'd like to be much thinner now, but there's always the future. I hope you can eat some birthday cake. I had an ice cream cake which may be the reason I only lost 1 pound last week.

I can barely remember being 50. I was 59 in July. I hope to be thinner when I'm 60. Good luck to you all.