BJean

There are places that look to me that they could be LB scars. And her diet - shakes and fish and veggies? That's exactly what I was eating for the first 4 months after the band. With approximately the same weight loss. But who would do a LB surgery on a woman with only 50 lbs. to lose? Oh yeah, a Beverly Hills surgeon of course, silly me.

TOM, don't make me come down there! Take a moment (although I know you, like I, love to get a little long-winded in your posts) to tell us that you are still around!!!!!! I miss you dreadfully. Either I had fun agreeing with you or I had fun arguing with you. Either way, you are missed!

Just finished Jeffery Deaver's "The Cold Moon." It gets 2 thumbs up.

You are right. And they will continue to govern us until we wise up and start paying attention to what they are really doing to us and stop buying into the stuff that their talking heads tell us. For intstance, this president is backed by the religious right - even to the point that they have an agenda that is systematically being met the longer the man is in office. They are extreme in their approach to many things and do not operate in the truly Christian way that most mainstream American Christians believe. But because they put the words "Christian" and "moral" and "right" in everything they do, we feel guilty if we don't support them. We need to take a hard look at what the record tells us (for instance, we have been at war, declared by the president without the using the normal governmental provisions for the declaration of war and have continued to be involved in war practically since the man took office and thousands of Americans have died, as a result; we are in debt as a nation deeper than ever; we are thinking about building an 800 mile wall between us an our southern neighbor but we are considering granting most of the millions of illegal aliens from that country amnesty, including gang members; they have fought the right for medical research to use stem cells in finding a cure for deadly illnesses; they are against any gun restrictions; they have decided that it is okay to hold people in prison, without even charging them with a crime which is against the law, if they decide those people could be connected in any way to terrorism, etc., etc., etc.) If we as individuals do not make our voices heard, and unify our votes to get rid of this kind of government, we will continue to be governed by the very rich, who are getting richer every day and not only that, we will continue to lose our precious rights that we thought were protected by our founding fathers.

I have just stayed the same as last week. I'd hoped it was the start of a big loss for me, but not happening. Guess I'll have to have another fill. That and brain surgery.

Green, it's a good thing because you almost can't see out of mine lately. My housekeeper refuses to do windows. She's excellent in every other way. She does the plantation shutters but not the windows. Thank goodness for plantation shutters. I can louver them at an angle and pretend it's foggy outside. Oh Juli: Half decaf doubles over ice, eh? Never tried one of those. You have to be right about Starbucks. How else could they have hooked so many people on paying 3 bucks for a coffee?

Raven I know just what you mean. METALBAND: Your MIL sounds like a seriously messed up person about food and exercise (if she goes twice a day and thinks purging would have been okay if it han't messed up her makeup.) I've been really surprised at my MIL and her daughters - all very skinny women with naturally big boobs, and relatively tall. (It was a curse marrying into their family.) When I lost 40 lbs. within a short amount of time after being banded, they didn't even notice. No one said a thing. It was like, well since I'm still fat, they don't feel there's anything good to be said about it. OR THEY COULDN'T EVEN NOTICE 40 LBS. They don't know I was banded. No telling what they'd say to me if they did. They're not hurtful people, really, but they can't understand why I have gained so much weight since I married her son and their brother. When he and I got married, I weighed 105. I'm sure they think he's been ripped off. :tired

I'm with you all. I didn't tell many people either. But I sure don't look at it as cheating in any way. I couldn't do it on my own and needed some help and I had the guts to go and get it. So much better than the alternative of just growing fatter and sicker by the year. Best wishes to you tomorrow Cblancha!. I think you may be surprised at how quickly you recover. We'll be thinking of you. Let us know how you're doing as soon as you feel like sitting at the computer. (Most people feel like it right away.)

Green, is there any chance you do windows?

What has always floored me (although I guess it shouldn't) is when I make some self-deprecating remark because I'm embarrassed, that whoever is there decides they can go ahead and add their 2 cents by agreeing that I'm fat or old or whatever. Either that or someone will say, "oh don't be so hard on yourself, you're not THAT bad." Yeah, right. Just gotta learn not to put myself down, even when I'm trying to be funny - like in the case of trying to get into an impossible raft while fighting off alligators or snakes or whatever. I'd much prefer someone would just laugh along with me and forget it. I got really hurt one day when a good friend of mine who is 5'10" and probably weighs over at least 190 lbs. and her mother, also a big woman, and I went to lunch. (I am 5'1.5" and at that time weighed 180 lbs.) Anyway her mother, having met me for the first time, and knows that her daughter and I are very good friends, says to me, "What's wrong with you that you'd let yourself get so fat? You'd be very pretty if you'd lose the weight." I mean she and her mother are both overweight and big women. What gave her the right to critscize me? But the one that hurt the most, for some reason (I guess because children don't lie) was when I was with another friend and her grandson visiting from California (home of the beautiful people.) We took him to Disneyworld. My friend is older than I and probably about 35 lbs. overweight. We're walking along enjoying the day when her grandson (about 6 yrs. old) turns to my friend, makes a nasty face and says, "Eeuw, she's fat!" Just out of the blue. I didn't even have on shorts or a sleeveless top, so my fat wasn't exposed, but for some reason he focused on my body and was disgusted. No, that didn't make me lose weight either. Just made me feel sorry for myself.

I did not know that about espresso - thepressure vs. steam thing. My little Krups uses steam. I don't buy Starbucks espresso anyway, so I definitely can't duplicate their taste at home. Which is okay since going there is such a treat. Have you ever tried their zuchhini bread? Trust me, if you haven't, don't!! It is like their coffee, addictive!!! When I first get a fill, I can't eat it for Breakfast so I have to wait until it's time for another fill until I can have it and a latte from Starbucks. I do like "illy" Italian espresso to use with my little machine and skim milk makes the best froth. When the new biz gets us making more money than we can think of ways to spend (they tell you to think big!!) I am going to buy one of those cool machines like yours. Then maybe Green will grace me with her presence as well.

Carlene: You must be proud! Those machines are awesome. Which one did you get? I'm one of those addicts who has to have her Starbucks once in a while even if I am trying to cut back on caffeine. We started a new business recently and for our office we made the jump to Keurig. The cool thing about it is that you can make one cup of coffee at a time and it is very fast. I resisted any attempts to change my brew until I started enjoying the coffee my DD had been making for me. You use the little pods and I have a huge selection of coffees, teas and even hot chocolate (if I'm in desparate need of a chocolate fix.) At home I have a large commercial type machine made by Kitchenaide, which was expensive by most standards, but came with a separate hot plate for a second (usually decaf) pot and it's been great when I have guests. Plus I have a small Krups espresso/cappucino machine that makes a surprisingly good cappucino. Almost of the quality that I got hooked on in Montreal. But I've always admired some of those machines in Starbucks. Have you totally mastered the art of the perfect creama? I'll be impressed when you tell me you can swirl it into the shape of a heart, like I saw a girl do on TV.

Wheetsin: Move toward the light.......

Reading your posts is like doing the Tango. Around and around and around we go! Where we stop? Who knows? I guess it will stop when I don't read your posts and respond to them. There's no reasoning with you. Bless your heart honey, you wear me out.

wavy: The argument that the Commander put forth is just plain assinine! How is it any different for heterosexual people (with all of their urges, for heaven's sake) serving side by side than for homosexual people to serve side by side? He's showing his bias big time, and that's the trouble with the, Don't Ask, Don't Tell rule. People can control their urges, whoever they are, or aren't. He's making homosexuals out to be people who have sex like animals - anywhere, anytime the urge strikes them. How patently ignorant.

Fran, you're doing great! Dynamo: Your picture is darling! You're a very pretty lady.

You must not read all my posts or you would know that I do not always take an "attack postition" in my posts. I often disagree with what you post and I imagine that is why you assume I take an "attack position" all the time. You may not like to be opposed by me and that's understandable, but I seldom make my posts personal because I don't feel that makes any sense. I try very hard not to be sarcastic also because I do not think that makes any sense. We had an misunderstanding and I was doing my darned level best to explain why I thought it had happened. I didn't think that an apology was necessary. The misunderstanding had to do with things I posted as well as things you posted. At least that is my take on the issue. On another thread, you posted that you do not respect people who are for a woman's right to choose when it comes to abortion. How can you expect people to respect you when you disrespect others just because their beliefs and opinions are different from yours? One can be decent to people they disagree with and they can respect them as well, even though they do not agree with or respect their beliefs.

Man, you are one super-sarcastic person. Maybe that's why your posts are so hard to understand sometimes. Is that why you asked if what I posted was an apology? So you could take a very little snotty sarcastic jab at me? Nice. Real nice.

Thank you, Butch. Another good post. Sorry if you find my posts unworthy and too focused, but it is difficult to give in to people who are exactly what Mark described. Perhaps I'm too inflexible about the topic too, but I have seen what the country is like for women when something so basic as a woman's right to choose, being taken away from them. It was, in a word, horrible.

Ghetto: So your last post is the one that's correct about the Bible quote? I guess you hadn't read it or forgot the wording when you repremanded me for saying, spare the rod, hate the child. Whatever. The spare the rod, spoil the child thing probably came about because sensible people thought that "hate" is a pretty strong word when it comes to whipping children or not whipping them. Like I said, when my dad used to show us love and affection and assure us that our spankings were for our own good, my sisters and I knew the score. He was feeling guilty for whipping us. Hugging us and telling us he loved us was his way of feeling better about the whole thing and it was an effort to reassure himself that he was a good person and a fine parent. We were not nearly as convinced as he was.

JeninCo and kyethra: I'm pretty much in agreement with both of you. Good to read your posts. Thanks.

Hey! It's Wednesday already and I forgot to post this week. I'm down 1 lb. - finally moving again, I hope!! Karey you have every right to brag! I can't believe your daughter does that. It is amazing. She's the best one, too! That has to be really exciting to see your daughter perform a couple of dances on the side of a building!!! I'd faint for sure. Congratulations. Please keep us posted on her activities. Where was she doing the aerial dance? I mean what town? And how tall was that building, anyway?? That's some exciting stuff!

Oops no, that wasn't meant to have been taken as an apology. If I had meant to apologize for something, I would have said, gadget I am very sorry for.... um, whatever it was that I felt sorry for. The cheese remark was there because I think this thread is doing a slow death. Now that I've said that, I'm pretty sure it will be revived if it is like other aging threads that have been on the verge of death only to be brought back with another gale force of hot air.

HA! You and I agree on one thing, gadget... nobody should be compelled to abort a baby, ever. But we'll never agree that someone can accurately have a clue how many abortions were performed when they were illegal. It does make a difference whether it is a 1500%, a 1000% or a 1300% increase if you are posting something as fact. The real fact is, you have no idea how much of an increase there has been in abortions since they were legalized. You can say that it only makes sense that there has been a huge increase, but you cannot say it with any real proof. If you want to be taken seriously, you shouldn't cite statistics that cannot be proven. It makes it seem that you are willing to exaggerate the numbers to make your case. It is great that your friend is a foster parent. Does she have any idea if and when the baby is going to be adopted? How old is the baby? I'm sure everyone here will be happy to hear that she's being properly cared for.

P.S. Ghetto- if the Bible is mis-quoted, take it up with late.