Devana

I like the colours, everything seems fresh and bright. I don't mind the girl, she kind of gives a nice welcoming face to the forum. Having to shift to the right all the time drives me nuts, however. By the way, thanks Alex for everything: the site, the changes, your gracious hosting.

Welcome Sonia. Congratulations on your appointment date and I hope your surgery date comes soon. If you go to the top of the main page and click on "UserCP" you'll be able to put in an avatar.

Welcome Marie. Congratulations on your date. If there isn't already a June bandsters thread going, you may want to start one. Good luck!

Welcome Tonya. You may want to go and hang out with the May Bandsters. They have a thread going in the General Lap Band area. Congratulations on your banding!

Welcome lodum! Congratulations on your surgery. Keep reading and posting and remember to follow the bandster rules.

Hi Sherry, welcome and I'm glad you found us. You might want to try hanging out in the "Doctors and Hospitals" threads. I'm sure I remember reading about a surgeon in Colorado who has very reasonable prices. Good luck.

Cayce, congratulations on getting the ball rolling. Please don't get discouraged about the red tape. Basically it's either jump through the hoops or pay for it yourself. I'd rather jump through hoops!

What's a Flow-be? Is that one of those vacuum hair cutting devices?

We are experiencing passport backlog here in Canada as well. I just want to say a bit about passport etiquette. I don't know if you have passport guarantors in the US, I would imagine that you do. I can sign for people, and with the backlog and long waits to receive passports people often come in and need them done right away because they're heading down to stand in line at the passport office or whatever. I always do this gladly, however, sometimes it can be very disruptive in a busy day. It's really nice to get a thankyou card or note for doing this, better yet a bottle of wine or some home baking. (I drink the wine, family eats the baking!)

Paula, I agree with everyone else. Go, even if you find no other family member to go with. You can do this, and get through this with grace and dignity.

I'm dragging up this thread again because there's something bugging the hell out of me. I was up fairly late last night doing a bit of channel surfing and kept coming across the same set of commercials for a phone chat line. They showed young women, with cameras focused on bare midriffs as they were writhing around talking on cordless phones. They looked like they may have been nineteen if you used your imagination. However, when they opened their mouths and talked they were 13 - 14 year olds. I'm around a lot of kids this age and know how they talk and it's not like 19 year olds. I hate this. They likely were of age but were definitely talking younger. It's a creeping tendency to sexualize children.

You're getting married! Congratulations! Maybe you'll post some pictures. I'm adding a couple: Mixed, washed, organic greens that come in those big tubs. Love those! Saves messing around washing and drying lettuce. Also very sharp knives. I hate dull knives. I left a tomato knife at my MIL's place because hers were all so dull. We moved to another town for a couple of years and when we returned I found that she had given it away because she was afraid of it. Give me strength.

Me too! He's coming here in July but it conflicts with the local folk festival so I won't be seeing him.

Way to go, Sheila! They're nuts if they don't hire you!

Yay Jackie!! It shouldn't be long now. A whole new life awaits you!

Who is the young woman at the top? Is she a model or an actual bandster?

In my younger years we all used to celebrate Beethoven's birthday on December 16 by getting naked and going for an icy dip. Loads of fun. However, I was a skinny hippy then and didn't think twice about being naked anywhere.

Brenda, thanks!! I find it interesting that the country can even limit one's travel.

Dang, it didn't work and I can't edit it. This is the first time I've tried this. Sorry!

Abortion in Ireland, an interesting story://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6610957.stm

Mangina.......another thing I had to look up, Wheetsin! Yikes. BJean, I don't like camel meat however it's served or whatever it's mixed with. Nor do I like camel cigarettes. However, I am partial to the odd bit of Old Holborne rolling tobacco when I can get it.

I know. It sounds good. But just think, by the time the device has done it's business the assault will have already occurred. I think it's beauty lies in the possibility of it being a deterrent. "Does she have one or doesn't she?"

Welcome, Jen! Your wedding picture is beautiful. Hope you get through all the insurance hurdles soon.

How did your appt go, Denise?

This is something I read recently: Don't Put Your Penis Where It Isn't Welcome A South African inventor has created a new female condom designed to stop rape by hooking sharp barbs of wire into a man's penis if he tries to sexually assault a woman wearing the device. The "Rapex" is worn like a tampon and will grab hold of a man's penis and attach itself to his dick until he gets to a hospital to have the metal barbs surgically removed. While some detractors of the device have criticized its "vengefulness," inventor Sonette Ehlers has no second thoughts about her contraption. "It's a medieval device for a medieval deed," Elhers says. "If any rapist finds himself hopping with pain as a result...that seems just fine to me. Yes, it's vengeful. Yes, it hurts rapists. Oh well." Get yours at RapeStop.net. Yikes.