Busy Saturday

I have lots to do today. I say that as I am sitting on my bed with the computer and not doing all of the things that I have to do. My new big screen TV has turned out to be a problem. I can't seem to get off my ass and away from it but today I will.

I have to go food shopping today. I don't have any good food around so I will go to Publix and stock up. I will buy milk, fruit, veggies, meat for Pat and Morningstar Farms meat substitutes for me. Oh yeah, bread too. I have a problem with bread. I love newly baked, soft, squishy bread. I'll have to keep myself from eating the whole loaf. Toilet paper and paper towels will be in my shopping cart today too. No eating problems there. LOL

I have to dye my hair today. Looking in the mirror yesterday I realized that I looked like an eighty year old lady with all of my gray hair. I'm also going to get a little crazy and buy some highlights. First I'll do my dark brown thing and a few days later I'm going to try a few red highlights. I hope it will turn out well.

I have to do laundry today too. I have a going away party at Tijuana Taxi tonight for one of my very favorite Curves ladies, Angela and I have nothing to wear. She is leaving next week and moving back to Washington DC. Her husband couldn't find a job here but was able to score work in DC. I'll miss the hell out of Angela. She is fun, beautiful and full of life. I'll miss her nightly visits to Curves. I'm sure we will all be drinking Margaritas in Angela's honor. I plan on taking pictures at the party. It should be fun.

I have to do a mini grooming job on Rigby today too. His ears are way too long. They fall into his food dish when he eats and they get all crusty so I'm going to cut them down. If Mac is any indication of my grooming skills Rigby will be funny looking when I am done.

Rigby in need of a haircut

I also have to call my brother Jon today. I need to know if he is planning on coming here for Thanksgiving or going to his new girlfriend's house. I'm good either way. Whatever makes him happy makes me happy. After all Kerry's coming home next week and it's all good from there.

I also hope to get a chance to go to Foot Solutions to get some inserts for my shoes. My heel is still hurting and it really sucks. I wish my foot would get better. If it doesn't get better soon it'll be a visit to my very favorite Dr Berman. I am still unable to exercise and afraid to get on the scale.

See ya soon.

Halloween Memories and Recommedations

When I was growing up in Long Beach I used to go trick or treating with my older brother Jon on Halloween. He is 3 1/2 years older than me and as you might expect he couldn't wait to dump me at every turn. I would follow him around lagging behind, calling his name, crying and being just a general pain in the ass.

We lived around the corner from The Laurel movie theater. It was an huge old style movie theater with high ornate ceilings and a balcony where Long Beach's young people would go to makeout. Jon got stuck taking me to The Laural every Saturday morning and of course, he would dump me as soon as we got there.

The Laurel Movies and Luncheonette

The Laurel would show scary movies around Halloween and most of the time my Mom wouldn't let me go when they were playing. I was prone to nightmares and these movies didn't help things. I remember being really mad at her for not letting me see Gorgo. Gorgo was a Godzilla wannabe and Mom knew that it had all the trappings of a movie that would scare the crap out of me. I wonder why she didn't think this stuff when Thirteen Ghosts showed up playing at The Laurel when I was about 9 or so.

Jon and Little Sister PITA(pain in the ass)

Jon took me to the movies that day and when we got there we were given special glasses on the way in. It was filmed in the old style 3-D and you needed the glasses to see the movie without all the blurring. I remember that it didn't take long for me to get a really uncomfortable and funny feeling in my stomach once the movie started. I started whining to Jon who was partying with our neighbor friend Layne. Just like any older brother he more than didn't want to be bothered with me.

As the movie went on I got more and more scared and as a little girl would do, I started to cry. Well, that was more than Jon could take. It was totally uncool to be stuck with your little sister at the movies but even more so when she was crying. Instead of taking me home or doing some other good brotherly thing he got up, told me he was going to get candy and never came back. There I was absolutely scared out of my wits crying up a storm. A friendly stranger talked me down and when the movie was over I ran home hysterical. Jon got into big trouble with Mom for that one and me? I didn't sleep for weeks. Neither did Mom.

Jon, Me and Layne in our 20's

I was angry with Jon for many years over the Thirteen Ghosts incident and have thrown it in his face often over the fourty plus years since it happened. Of course, all these years Jon has called me a wimp. He remembers it as a stupid movie that was unworthy of the stink that I put up. I remembered it as being the scariest movie I ever saw.

Recently I saw that Thirteen Ghosts was going to be on TV and I decided to watch it to prove to myself that I have actually grown up and would be able to watch it with no fear. I also wanted to prove to myself that I was right and Jon was a crappy brother at the time.

I got my drink, settled in and waited for the movie to start. Once it started it didn't take very long for me to start feeling uncomfortable. I felt the same feeling in the pit of my stomach as I had felt 40 years ago. Well, I lasted about 20 minutes and decided that this time I would not sit and cry. This time I would change the channel.

Jon and I still laugh and joke about Thirteen Ghosts even though I know that I was right and he was wrong. The movie was scary and Jon had been a crappy brother. He has since redeemed himself but little sisters don't forget this stuff.

If you are looking for a scary movie to watch for Halloween try the old original Thirteen Ghosts. It's an oldie but a goodie. Another good one is the original movie called The Haunting. I saw that one at The Laural with Jon too. Once again, it scared the crap out of me but this time Jon stayed with me through the whole thing. I guess he felt guilty. Nah....Oh yeah...don't forget The Crawling Eye. It's another great Halloween flick.

Happy Halloween to all and step away from the candy. :)

The True Test

I'm still doing really well even though the scale had gone back up to 146. I'm still feeling that click that I talked about before but the true test is coming. Kerry is going to Gainesville tonight and won't be back until Sunday night. This is the moment of truth.

I am well aware that I am vulnerable to binges when I am alone. I absolutely must have an alternative plan to saying home and eating this weekend. I know that tomorrow I can go see my Brother Jon. It was his birthday the other day so I should probably go to see him to give him a birthday hug.

Me and my Bro

I am also sure that I will be going out to dinner on Saturday night and healthy choices can be made when we hit our usual Saturday night haunt. It's a place called Tijuana Flats. They offer a black bean burrito that I can get "power light" which means they switch out the sour cream and cheese with low fat versions. This item comes in at 288 calories which is great in my mind. It's the chips that are a problem. I will try to take it easy there. Maybe I'll count them out and only eat 10. Yeah...right. :)

Sunday, I don't know yet but I do know that I must make some plans that don't include food. Maybe shopping? Nah...no fun without Kerry. The casino? Oh, I'd love to. Nah....no money. I need a hobby. LOL

current weight-146

A Pep Talk....To Myself

OK Claudia, so today is your last day of being 55. I know that you have been pretty upset lately and thinking to yourself that you don't know why. C'mon, you know why. We both know why. It's because tomorrow is your birthday. I think that being upset about your birthday is something that you learned from Ma. She was always upset on her birthday and maybe that's a way of feeling closer to her now that she is gone. Maybe it's time to really look at things instead of just crawling into a hole as you seem to have been doing over the last few weeks.

Being 56 won't that bad. It could be a lot worse. At least you have things in your life to be happy about. You have a rock solid marriage that has been going strong for over 31 years. Pat lives for you (and golf) and after all this time you still look at him as the only one for you (besides Paul). The two of you are still like a couple of high school kids. It feels good to have someone that you can count on no matter what. Yeah, it feels good.

Kerry is doing really well and how proud of her are you? OMG! She is amazing. She is a loving and caring person and so focused on what she wants out of life. She is working so hard to become a doctor. You know that the world is a better place because she is in it. She is a constant source of happiness and joy for you. She is the best and you are a lucky mom. Yeah, being a lucky mom feels good.


Rigby is there right by your feet. He may not be Mac but he is Rigby and he is your doggy love. So what if he is like a needy boyfriend? You look into his eyes and see his soul. It gives you comfort to know that he needs and loves you. He makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. Yeah, that's a good feeling.

You love your new job at Curves. Even though you will not become Donald Trump at this job it is fun and it feels good to help people reach their goals. The clients all love you and they respond to your upbeat personality. They look forward to coming when you are there. Best of all you get paid to workout. Just like Richard. Yeah, that is good.

Your overall health is good and your weight is steady at 145.5. I know you feel as if you have not been doing very well when it comes to eating and exercising but you are not showing any weight gain. You are going to have to make an effort to get a little more exercise on nonworking days. You also need to start cooking at home more than you have been. Your blood pressure has been a little high lately and I am sure it's because of the salt that is always in restaurant food. You need to make more of an effort to eat more healthy food. Remember what Richard told you oh so long ago. "Cut the crap and just do it". Yeah, that felt good.


You are lucky to have your brother Jon to talk to. He makes you feel as if you are still a Long Beach kid. He always brings you back to Lafayette Blvd and when you talk to him it's almost as if Ma and Irv are still alive. I know you miss Ma but she would want you to continue down the path that you are on and she would be very proud of you. She would be very happy that you and Jon are close and that you have each other to rely on. You have to keep on him about his health. You need him to live a long life with you. Yeah, having an older brother is good.

Cousin Stevie is with you too. Well, where else would he be? Stevie has been by your side from the time you were a little kid. Yeah, he drives you crazy sometimes but he is family and he reminds you that family is what is most important. Yeah, family is good.


You always have Michele too. You call her the sister you never had and the brother that you did. From the first time you met her it was as if you knew her your whole life. You two have gone through everything together including losing our Moms and having kids. You are as close as two peas in a pod. Michele is your Ma replacement. When you need advice from Ma you go to Michele and she always says what Ma would have said. How does she do that? There will always be room in the Winabago for Michele. LOL Yeah, having such a close best friend feels good.

You are part of the Fab Four. How lucky are you to have found these three ladies? They all get you and that is SO unusual. They remind you of what you are capable of and that is a gift in itself. You love them all and they love you too. Yeah, being a member of the Fab Four is good.


So life at 56 won't be so bad. After all, as Ma used to say there is only one alternative.