That's where I was, yesterday. It's the second summons I've received in the last month. When I got to the courthouse, I met several people who had received two or three themselves. How odd. The first one was settled out of court, but this one, I had to stick around and see if I was selected. I wasn't, thank goodness. It was an interesting experience, though and this is how it went:

Wednesday, I appeared at the Second District Court in front of Court Room 4 at 8:30 am. I was the second person to appear and sat with a very nice lady, Carol, who fell into the "typical mormon lady" category. She was a sweet, naive stay-at-home mom who probably allowed her husband to rule the roost, doing everything he says without question. She probably has a college degree, which she's never used, and is probably content never to use it. We sat and chatted watching as the two, potential jurors expanded to about 30 or 40. At around 8:45 am, a balif appeared and ushered us into the courtroom. The room was more calming than I expected...decorated with the State Seal and various copies of documents like the Consititution and the Bill of Rights. As we sat, the room became quiet. I looked up and noticed several cameras situated all around the courtroom. I commented to the gentleman next to me that the attorneys were probably watching us. There was also a television on a stand and as if reading my mind, the balif went over to the t.v. and announced that we would be watching a short film about the need and process of jury duty. From start to end, the film was pure cheese with an old lady ending the film with a happy, "Go for it!" The balif took the t.v. and rolled it into another room. Shortly thereafter, he returned with the court clerk. "All rise. The honorable Judge Garrett Hansen now presiding." The judge was an elderly man with silver hair...very distinguished. He gave us further instructions, telling us that the clerk would be pulling names randomly. Sixteen names were pulled (mine was not included). These 16 were questioned and interviewed to death (some were dismissed and their spots filled, my name never called during this) and then the attorneys selected their jury. The judge then stated that we could either sit and watch the preceedings or leave. He also said that we would be paid a full day's jury pay and also mentioned that it would be enough to probably by an ice cream cone. Lovely!

Things are super intense with my workouts. I'm doing my regular cardio during lunch and now a 50 minute walk at home. I know for some this is really not a whole lot, but for me it's major. I feel different already. I'm much more tired when I go to bed at night (I know that this will pass as I get used to things) and my clothes are doing much better. In fact, hubby bought me a size 8 dress which I fit into with no problem whatsoever. (Now, if I could just get into those capris before the weather goes too cold.)

I still live by the "don't deny yourself" rule and will continue to do so. I don't want to binge because I feel denied. That just causes more grief. I've got to work on the 80% rule again (that's 80% full). I tend to eat till I'm full and then stop. I tend to do much better when it's just 80% and then I find that I don't suffer from indigestion. That should be enough to stop me, but it hasn't for the past few nights. I'll get it together. I have to...those size 7 pants are calling my name.

Thursday, I did end up going home. I felt awful! A total train wreck from the moment I came in. I left at around 9:30 (with the new person still training...how nice). I didn't come in on Friday either. I slept most of the day, but it made all the difference. I felt like my old self by Saturday.

I did a lot of cooking this weekend (trying to get back into the flow of my old, good habits). Unfortunately, it wasn't the healthiest kind of cooking. Well, I guess some of it was. You be the judge:

Friday Evening:

Pad Thai noodles
Crab Cakes

Saturday:
Denny's Grand Slam (gave my bacon away/egg beaters instead of eggs)

McGrilled Chicken Sandwhich (no mayo/put on low-fat mayo at home)
Fries
Minute Maide Light Lemonade

Tempura Vegetables (fried in Vegetable oil) - Yams, carrots, broccoli and mushrooms
Minute White Rice


Sunday:
Walked on treadmill for 50 minutes/burned 314 cals and walked 3 miles

Homemade Waffels (3 w/light syrup)
Canadian bacon (browned in the skillet)

Leftover tempura


McDonald's Double Cheeseburger (totally blew it here)
Fries (2 orders of McValue, mistakenly put in bag. What, you wouldn't have eaten them??)

Yeah, okay. So, in black and white it's not quite looking like my normal menu, but I do have a plan. I have a pair of 7 pants that I have to get into by the end of October. I figure if I get on the ball again and start loosing like I know I can (whether that be weight or inches), I should have no problem getting into them. So, you send me good vibes and I'll send them to you. The craziness of last week's meeting frenzy is over. Normality is set to return and I can get back into the swing of things. I know I keep saying I'm going to do it and I really am. In fact, this evening will mark the first evening that I work out when I get home. I'll have to figure out something for the little one (prepared snacks or quick meals) but, I will do this. I can't afford to get sick and relapse back into old habits (which can happen when your ill). The best way to stay healthy and not get sick is to not go out with open pores on a cold morning or a wet head. Hubby says I can just get up earlier, but who wants to go to bed at 8:00 so they can get up at 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning during the colder months? "Not I," said the mouse. I will do this! I have to! My approaching size 7 pants and 30th birthday depends on it!!

I feel awful, today. I had a great time at our party last night, but this morning, it feels like I have a hangover or something (and I didn't have anything to "drink"). I don't know. I could have been the bungee jump, or perhaps it was the "tex mex" menu that wasn't so great. It could be that my workout and food schedule are all off kilter. Who, knows. All I know is that I better come up with something for my "person" to do if I should happen to call in sick tomorrow. This is not a good feeling. Not a good feeling at all. Yuck!

On a happier note, the party was a huge success! Everyone had a great time ice skating, hockey shooting, dogeballing and bungee jumping. We had raffles and gave away lots of palm pilots, digital cameras, gift cards and gifts from the oval store. Many people told me that it was so much better than the Christmas party. I'm glad everyone had such a good time.

Hubby and I were talking about getting back on track. It's no longer a want, it's a necessity for both of us. I stepped on the scale to see 164.5 this morning and nearly plotzed! What the hell? I know TOM is here and I know my week is a bit off, but I never expected that number. I'll never get into the 150's if I'm at that ridiculous number. Oh, brother! It's definitely time to pull up the boot straps and get going (after I stop feeling like crap, of course).

Today's the day. We'll be journeying up the road to our yearly, all-staff party. There's 140+ of us, now. When I started in 2001, there were maybe 20 employees. It's amazing! The party is being held at the Olympic Oval. The is the same Olympic Oval where the speed skating took place in 2002. In fact, while our esteemed president is speaking to us about numbers and statistics, the Olympic trainers will be training. I don't think our president will keep our focus for very long.

On the eating front, it's been pretty crazy. Yesterday, we were invited to stay at the faculty lunch. Of course, the faculty lunch was a Mexican buffet. I didn't over due it, but it's hard to keep Mexican food on the lighter fare. Dinners have been okay. Lots of protein (chicken and salmon, mostly). Yesterday, I had a deli chicken sandwich, chips, salsa and oatmeal for dessert (Yes, I said dessert. I happen to like oatmeal, thank you very much). My daughter ending up eating half of my sandwich, so that definitely helps with the reduction of calories, doesn't it?

I will be moving the workouts to the evening next week, like I said. I think it will be better to keep things clipping along. When the warm weather returns, I'll be happy to move my workouts back to the morning. Who knows. Maybe the drastic change in schedule will finally get me into the next bracket (oh Lord, let's hope so!).

My new person starts today and I'm a bit nervous. With so many of our staff away at meetings (including IT) I'm a little nervous that she won't have the tools she needs to really get started. I suppose it will be like the first days of school, you know, where you don't really do anything for the first couple of days. You get acquainted with the people in your class and the things that you'll be doing, but you don't actually do them. I don't know. Maybe I can come up with a paper-based task for her.

My weekend turned out wonderfully! Hubby was off and my daughter went to a friend's house. So, Friday, when I got home, hubby and I showered and dressed for dinner out. We went to Chuck-a-Rama (Up-chuckarama, 'round these parts). It was hubby's choice. We usually love it, but due to our change in eating and diet, it was not what we were expecting. After dinner, we went to a jazz club in the heart of Ogden city called The Wine Cellar. The atmosphere was great, except for the smoke (it's amazing how your lungs react to it when they haven't been exposed in a while. In Nashville, we were around smoke all the time. Utah is a smoke-free state so, the smoke atmosphere is very minimal). So, it was your typical smokey, jazz club with really great atmosphere but, the music? I guess we went on the wrong night because the guy who was playing, basically played variations on the same song. It got really old really fast. We left at around 10:00 (rather early for a club, I'd say). We went back home and had a night cap and great conversation.

Saturday morning, I took my hubby to Rivers close to the mouth of Cottonwood canyon. It was lovely and oh, so romantic. We'll have to check it out in the evening, sometime. I had the Grilled Chicken Caesar on a whole wheat wrap, along with Penne Arabiatta. Hubby had the blackened tacos and Spanish rice. Afterwards, we indulged and split a warm apple crumb bar served with vanilla bean ice cream. Yum! I was good until then. Man, you wouldn't think a little ice cream and cake would make you feel bad but I was feeling about 5 months pregnant for several hours after eating. Hubby said it was the sugar and that my body wasn't used to such a vast amount anymore. He's telling me! I was ready to give up sugar forever, after feeling like that. (Umm, just kidding). Anyway, we went shopping at a couple of stores after brunch, then went to the $.99 movie theater to see Anchorman. I haven't laughed so hard in a ages! That one is definitely a keeper. Hubby and I are big Will Ferrell fans, so that probably helped.

We had time on our hands, so we went to see another movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. It was much better than I expected, seeing that I didn't know what to expect after watching the cryptic trailers. The animation was terrific and the storyline very camp, post world war. Another keeper, in my opinion. Hubby fell asleep. After the movies, we went home and picked up dinner on the way. We watched four episodes of the animated incredible hulk series (hubby recently purchased a DVD). They weren't as good as the spider man series, in my opinion, but they were worth watching. Sunday, we went to church and after wards, picked up the babe from my friend's house. As I said, it was a great weekend.

The fall has really hit us here. It's freaking 56 degrees right now and it won't get much warmer. I'm starting to feel the thing I dreaded...fall comfort. The fall comfort feeling makes me not want to work out and eat like it's going out of style. I have to resist. I must resist. I can't put back on this weight I worked so hard to get off. I was thinking about how I can rearrange my schedule, so that I wouldn't make excuses. One thing I can do is move my morning workout to the evenings, before dinner. I may have to set up the dinners the weekend before or in the morning, so that I don't have a lot to prepare (the hang up is that the babe is usually starving, by the time we get home and giving her snacks just zaps her appetite). Moving the morning workout also prevents me from going out with a wet head on a chilly morning.

So, the schedule (starting next week, due to the craziness of this week's marathon meetings) is mid-day workouts (those won't change, but I will need to stay in doors for a bit to allow my pores to close before going out in the cold) then evening treadmill walks before dinner.

The insomnia is gone (I think). I slept so well last night that when my alarm went off, I actually didn't want to throw it across the room. How's that for effective sleeping! I went to the fridge to find a sweet note from my hubby, attached to a lunch he'd prepared for me, "Hope you slept well last night, honey. Have a good day." Too sweet, right?

I had a good breakfast this morning that I didn't finish. It's always hard to do that, but I know how guilty I'll feel if I don't. Not only is the guilt an issue, but it's how I'll feel physically that becomes an issue as well. Too full, and I want to throw up these days. My stomach must be smaller. Amen for that!

No big plans for the weekend, but I'm thrilled none the less. Perhaps I'll catch up on the rest I missed earlier this week or maybe I'll bum around in my underwear, not caring who sees me. Sounds good to me, either way. Oh, and I'm still on the Hot Rox. Some days are better than others. Hubby says that I always have to have some protein after taking these. Sometimes I have protein and sometimes I don't. I can always tell when I don't. The jitters start and I just have a paranoid feeling for the rest of the day. Not good. I'm not sure, yet, if it's doing anything. I'm completely off the L-Carnitine because I didn't know if there was something going on with the two interacting together or not. I didn't want to take the chance, even though hubby said it should be fine.

Monday, my part-timer will be here to train. It will be so great having the help. I still can't get over it (probably because I've been asking for help for nearly a year, with no sign of help coming). I think I'm still in a bit of denial.

Hooray! We've hired our person and she starts on Monday. I couldn't be more excited. I can't believe that, finally, I will have some help. It's just too good to be true. (Can you tell I'm just a bit happy about this?) Yesterday, I had every intention of blogging, but kept getting pulled away. We are in lots of meetings this week and, of course, we were conducting interviews and checking references. All for the greater good, I assure you. Anyway, I hope that things will calm down a bit over the next two days. I could really use the break and also the time to prepare how I will train her. She'll only be here four hours a day.

I've been dealing with a bit of insomnia for a couple of days. I've worked out at 11:00 or so at night to try and calm myself. After my shower, I always fall straight to sleep. I'm not sure if it has to do with hubby not being home at night or if there is something plaguing my mind subconsciously. (Isn't there always something plaguing our minds subconsciously??) I know I've been trying to job hunt more aggressively and that may be bothering me a bit. The person we're hiring to help may actually turn into my replacement (one can only hope!).

I had lunch with a co-worker yesterday who is very unhappy with her manager. It seems no one is really in tune to how low moral is. She suggested that they know, but are afraid to do anything about it. What ever happened to the days when you could discuss issues like this with your manager or HR person? I suppose in some places you still can, but not here. It's libel to be spread all over, once our HR person here's about it (or so, I'm told).

Oh, I was at 160 yesterday. I'm still fluctuating between those two or three pounds. I can't seem to get into the 150's and stay there. I'll be so glad when I do. It's like wearing the same underwear over and over again. After a while, they get old and raggedy. You're just so ready for something new. (Bad analogy, sorry).

We had our interview with our final, top candidate yesterday morning. She was great, except for being about 10 minutes late. When I checked with one of her references, the supervisor confirmed that this isn't out of the ordinary for her. (Hmmm, not sure I want to go there with an "iffy" person, know what I mean?) I'll certainly be glad when this process is over and I can start training, get miserably behind in my work, than magically catch up again. I think it will take about a month to get her used to the processes, whomever "she" may be.

I ordered a great top for my Halloween costume on eBay, not too long ago (yep. I'm already planning. It's best to do these things ahead before everything is gone, I believe). Anyway, it was about ten days ago with no word from the seller. I then wrote to the seller to ask what was going on, well, I wasn't expecting the answer I got. " As it indicates in our description, we ship only twice per week. We were a bit delayed, due to preparations for Ivan, but your item will be shipped tomorrow." Oh, man. Bring on the guilt! There are lots of our students who are preparing for Ivan as well (we're nationwide, so our students are everywhere). Most of them are really worried about not being able to turn in homework and other assignments, if they're evacuated to different locations. Talk about devotion! I think my biggest worry would be, "What the heck am I going to do with my dog/cats/stuff?"

I retouched my roots on Sunday last. Since then, I've gotten all sorts of compliments on the color. It's still not quite the bronze shade I want it. I found a light blonde that may take it up to the correct shade. If not, it's full-on wigs for me again. That might be a bit tricky, seeing as I work out most days and a sweaty wig isn't attractive. I can't see myself pulling it off in the locker room and effectively scaring everyone in there. I suppose I'd just go black if it looks horrible (then watch all of my hair fall out from overprocessing). I'm so positive, ain't I?

I'm having lunch with a friend tomorrow. She's quite a gal, I must say. So different from the locals. A true rebel, that's why I like her I'm sure. It should be a great lunch, I'm just worried will have a large posse invite themselves to go with us. Not that I'm antisocial, but sometimes you just want to be one-on-one with a person. There more likely to open up and not feel restricted to keeping the conversation conservative because of present company. Anyway, I'm anxious to get her insight into some things.

Wow! What a week, I had. Tuesday night, we went to the Usana Amphitheater to see Prince (Musicology Tour). It was amazing! That man is still pulling in the huge crowds, and he's nearing his 50's! The venue is an outdoor one, so we were on the lawn with blankets. It was the Babe's first concert and she had a blast. She entertained all those around us, until Prince took the stage. You would have thought the concert was for her. The night was star-filled and warm...the perfect night for an outdoor concert. Wednesday, I took the day off because I knew I would be no good to anyone, after being up way too late on a Tuesday. Thursday and Friday were spent handling phone and face-to-face interviews for the person who will, eventually, be helping me (we have one this morning too). Consequently, because my schedule was all screwy, so was my eating. I could kick myself for going so overboard with everything, especially with my goal to try and drop another ten pounds in 6-weeks (it's doable, but it will be tough, what with this freaking plateau and all).

Anyway, it's Monday and it's going to be a full day, so I'm trying to stay positive and be optimistic. It was so hard getting out of bed this morning. My first thought was, "I can't wait till I'm working in my own city so that I don't have to get up at this sin-awful hour anymore" Then I thought, "Man, do I really have to work out? I can just do it this evening" Well, of course I have to work out, so I did. In fact, I'm thinking that doing three workouts today might stave off the damage from last week and this past weekend.

These are the weekends where I know that a vacation would have rejuvenated me for the remainder of the year, but that was not to be. I really am feeling it. I think I was feeling it before but, gosh! What can I do to make this more tolerable? Maybe I can get a better night's sleep or eat better foods (of course, that will make a huge difference, I know). Come on motivation. I need you in spades!

Phew! Hubby has me on full dosage of the Hot Rox now and I am completely racing. Ughh! No caffeine at all, but I feel like I'm about to take off. This is the same feeling I used to get when I took Ripped Fuel (of course, that had ephedra and this doesn't). I can't reach my hubby, but I think I'll go back to have the dose. This is way too out of control a feeling for me.

The day has flown by (perhaps because I'm racing or perhaps because there is just so much to do). In any case, I'm so glad about the fact that the day is almost gone. I'll be off tomorrow and I'm even more thrilled about that.

I did pretty well over the weekend with my eating. The only day that kind of acted as a splurge was Sunday. We had Taco Bell for dinner and I had one of those new value menu, combo burritos. Boy, what a mistake. I found out that one of those suckers has 19 grams of fat and of course, that wasn't all I had. Couple the burrito with a spicy chicken burrito and a krispy kreme donught. A menu for disaster! The next day, I jumped on the treadmill but also shaped up my calories to a minimal 1300. I hope that helps for Wednesday (today has been good too).

Well, I'm off to a meeting. This should help in speeding the day along. I always come back to multiple emails which keep me hoping.

Today, I'm working from home. I got a great deal done in the first few hours, but now I'm seeing that the "catching up" I wanted to do is proving a bit futile. Everyone else is off today, so those people I would be communicating with, in order to catch up, are not available. The babe is napping and hubby just came home from work and working out. He'll be down for the count momentarily. So, here I am. Just me and my computer.

Oh, and I'm not sure if anyone as checked but I did update the movie links to the left last week. Since the update, I've seen a couple more, but I'll wait until next time to enter those reviews. That reminds me, it's about time to update the movie list again. We did some buying and trading a few weeks back and things are completely out of control. Pretty soon, the movies will need their own storage room!

I've been on the hunt for a Lillian Vernon costume for my little one. eBay has them sometimes for a lot cheaper than the retail price. The babe wants to be a cat this year. The costume retails for around $35.00 and I just can't bring myself to spend that much on a costume she'll only wear once. That's the thing with kids - they out grow things at hyperspeed,whereas my costumes will last me forever.

I hear hurricane Frances is breaking up and is looking more like a tropical storm, now. That's terrific for the folks in Florida (including my grandma). I can't imagine the kind of damage they experienced, and just after Charlie, too! What a mess. I hope they recover quickly.

Other than working from home today, all is well. I'll be back in the office tomorrow and will be off on Wednesday. Unfortunately, that's the day the babe's dance classes start up again. She's been anticipating these all summer. So, I'll be driving into town on Wednesday (against my better judgment). Perhaps I can find something to do while she's dancing. Breakfast out? Shopping? A Movie? I guess we'll see...

It's been pouring since early this morning and I love it! Utah never sees enough of the wet stuff so, when a down pour happens, I'm too excited about it. They say we're getting some of the effects of Frances (the hurricane currently pounding Jamaica). My grandmother lives in Daytona, so I quickly called her yesterday to see if all was well. True to form, she was unfazed, "God will take care of me, " she said. They've begun evacuating the southern most part of the state and have moved people from the hopsitals to safer places. This storm is going to be something, especially if we're getting some of it (even way out here!).

Today is my lunch date with my girlfriend. Too excited about the impending carbo fest, I gotta tell yah. I love pasta! Actually, I have an affinity with anything Italian: food, wine, fashion, men....

This morning, after I took the Rox first thing, I jumped on the treadmill. After about 20 minutes, the weird vision thing happened. Again, only for a second or two, but enough for me to notice. I think too that I noticed a surge in my heart rate, so it must effect the metabolism. Hubby's on the Zantrex and says that it doesn't do that heart-flutter thing he thought it would. He feels awake, alert, revived and regenerated, but not ready to take off into the wild blue yonder. I wonder if their claims are accurate...how can anything be 546% more effective, that's what I'd like to know.

I'm down a pound today...not that I'm complaining and I know that weight fluctuates from day to day, but could it be the rox? I don't know. If it is...hooray for the rox! I'm a believer! I guess I'll have to see what next Wednesday says. If it's significant, than we'll know it's the rox.

Tomorrow I have lunch out with a friend at Buca di Beppo. It's a family style Italian restaurant that I'm told is ultra kitsch (did I spell that right?). I'm excited to go. I haven't had authentic Italian in a long time, but I absolutely love it. It's like carbo heaven in a bowl!

Did anyone catch the VMA's on Sunday? They were quite tame, in my opinion, but I loved the location. I was just thinking about them because that was the timeframe in which they chose to complete the Gap ad, featuring Lenny Kravitz and Sarah Jessica Parker. You know, she's one of those few tiny people that doesn't look like a crack-head (Jada Pinkett is another). They are naturally small and in really good shape. The only thing with Ms. Parker/Broderick is that, even though she's got a rockin' bod, lots of charm and style, she's not the prettiest woman in the world. (And what's with that witch's mole? Am I being petty or what?) I'm also not too crazy about those man-hands she sports. Well, anyway, back to the ad. I think it's really catchy and fun. If I weren't so against the forced marketing of "anyone who's cool, should shop at the Gap" I'd shop there.

I had a long talk with a coworker yesterday about talent agencies and acting. It was fascinating, getting the scoop from her about her experiences and I was glad to have someone to talk about concerning mine (with the babe's career, anyway). If they can, they will gouge the life out of you so it's very important to be careful. Some front at photography agencies, not talent. They'll have you spending your life savings on photos for the next few years of your life (not the way to go). Talent agencies should only make money when you do. A few pictures up front is fine, but hundreds of dollars worth is ridiculous.

We also talked movies, which made me remember that I haven't updated my movie links in a while. I'll try to do that before the end of the week, because I've seen quite a few including Monster, Taking Lives, Godsend, Kill Bill vol. 2.

Today has been pretty good, thus far. I found out about my raise today. Hooray! You know, I'm glad about it but that phrase I heard keeps running through my head, "They don't pay you what your worth, but they give you just enough to keep coming back for more." Ain't it the truth! Still, I know that I have a job and so many others do not. I am grateful.

Take a look to the left...down a pound, despite TOM last week. So glad about that too. I think I'm finally crawling out of my funk. Boy, was it bad this time. Do men endure this kind of thing? Seems like it's only us girls who get to deal with the hormonal flux. What joy!

I'm going to be working from home on Labor Day and taking that Wednesday off. It's a good trade off, considering we will be out late on Tuesday night and I'm sure I won't want to get up and come to work. It also allows me to keep my regular vacation in stock, rather than pilfer away one of my days.

We have reached the season of holidays: Labor Day (September), Columbus Day (October), Thanksgiving and the day after (November), Christmas Eve Day and Christmas Day (December), New Years Day and MLK Day (January), and finally President's Day (February). At least one day off each month until March. I love it! I'll take a couple of days in October, along with Columbus day because my best friend will be flying out here. I'm so happy about that! I didn't get to see her last year (when it was her turn) so, we're a year behind. We try to take turns seeing each other each year. Next summer or fall, it will be my turn (and hopefully, it will be during her wedding, if everything works out).

Suppose I'd better head to the gym. I didn't notice the vertigo thing happen with the Hot Rox this morning. I'll take another one when I come back from the gym. I guess it's working. Who, knows. Maybe I'll take stock at the end of the month to see if it's worth buying more. Oh, and I'm still on the L-Carnitine too.