Ahh, I remembered!

I remembered what it was that I had wanted to write about… my closet.

Last night, I switched clothes out of my closet. No, not winter for spring but rather the fat for the less fat. I dumped some of my old clothes that I have shrunk out of and replaced them with old friends that have been sequestered in the back of my closet for, um, many years.

Like many women, I have multiple wardrobes. I think most women have three wardrobes: skinny, medium and feelin’ Rubenesque.

Well, I think I have five wardrobes...

1. Really skinny – that was when I was in grad school (round one) and weighed in the 120s. And was in shape. Jogging five miles up and down hills was not a problem for me. So that’s 120-something pounds of muscle. I had pants that were sizes 2, 4 and 6. Nothing larger. I was hot. That was a long time ago. I don’t think I have a shot in hell of ever fitting into those clothes again.

2. The new skinny (a.k.a. “thin”) – that’s what I was when I was a few years older and carried a few extra pounds above “really skinny” but was still thin. Not in as good shape as when I was younger, but basically fit. I think I wore mostly 6s then. I have reverted back to this size several times in my life (although, admittedly, not recently), so I have hopes that I can get back to the new skinny, even at 40. Not holding my breath, but it’s my goal.

3. Average – this wardrobe is harder to define in terms of when I was this size, but it’s basically the transition from thin to putting on the pounds. I think size 8 describes this period. I don’t have too too many size 8 pants, so that just shows you that I blew through “average” on my way to “feelin’ Rubenesque” pretty quickly.

4. Feelin’ Rubenesque – size 10. A true size 10 (as in, walk into any store and know that a size 10 will fit), as opposed to all of those cuts and brands which are vanity-sized. And also that size 10 dresses will fit as well. My top half and my bottom are off by at least one size, so when I gain weight, my upper body outpaces my lower body. I put the weight on across my back, chest and my stomach. Not my butt or thighs. Yes, I am one of those women who looks like a wooden block walking on toothpicks. Solid as a linebacker up top but nice legs. It means that when I gain weight, I can fit into pants longer than I can shirts. It also means I look quite top-heavy and kinda lumpy.

5. Tubby – when I have to buy the “modern” or “low rise” cut pants to ensure that the waist is large enough to fit. Because I have no ass and my legs are thin, this kind of cut fits me well. I can’t just go up a size to get the larger waist because then the butt will just balloon around me. At this size, I am also wearing XL shirts and size 12 or 14 jackets. And I truly look like a linebacker, carrying weight down my back and arms and across my chest. This is a very unhappy size. This is the wardrobe I escaped on this diet. I’ve only been here once before in my life, and I will not be back here again.

Right now, I’m somewhere between Feelin’ Rubenesque and Average. The Tubby pants just got traded out of my wardrobe last night because they look ridiculous on me. I can’t wear them. Not only do I need a belt to keep them from completely sliding off of me, but the legs have so much extra material that they looked like jodhpurs. Out they went (okay, not thrown out, but put away). No point in having them there for me to fit back into.

I also dug up some old jackets, suits, dresses and pants and tried them on. I could easily get into many of them; others, not so easily. And some fit poorly. Still need to take off a few inches to have them fit well. But the good news is that I can fit into some clothes that haven’t been out of the back closet in years. I brought them up to my closet and will start incorporating them into my daily wear. I can put on my interview suits again, but they are a bit snug across the chest (jackets don’t button nicely).

So, that’s real, tangible progress. The fat pants are out. So are the fat jackets. Why feel and look frumpy when I have all sorts of long-neglected clothes waiting in the wings? Yes, I still need to lose more weight, but I’m getting there. Aside from the number on the scale, the wardrobe switcheroo is a tangible benchmark which demonstrates how much I’ve shrunk in girth.

Yay!

I swear...

I swear I had something pithy to post about, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was.

Oh well. I'm sure I'll remember the second I close this browser and try to get some work done.

Mystery solved

Yup. It was an Amazon error. Phew. I didn't want this little cybermessage to be a harbinger of something else, like the plot to a bad movie or something.

Not 4-H but 4-I.

This meme is from Scooter, who usually indulges me by accepting my memes (but not by email), so I'm happy to snag one from his blog and propagate into cyberspace (oooh, that almost sounds dirty!)...

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. retails sales clerk at Woodies (Woodward & Lothrop, you pervs -- it was a DC-based department store)
2. English teacher
3. civil rights advocate
4. attorney

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. The Sound of Music
3. Star Wars
4. The Hunt for Red October
(okay, I have to admit that the only reason I listed those movies is because I have seen them over and over, usually on television; they aren't actually an indicator of my taste, although I do seem to watch them whenever they're on the tube.)

C) Four places I have lived:
1. Potomac, MD
2. Westfield, NJ
3. Otsu, Shiga, Japan
4. Washington, DC

Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. Project Runway
2. Heroes
3. The Colbert Report
4. Countdown with Keith Olberman

E) Four places I have been:
1. Petra, Jordan
2. Easter Island, Chile
3. Beijing, China
4. Soweto, South Africa

F) People who email me (somewhat frequently):
1. SM
2. my mother
3. my boss
4. the alumni department at Georgetown Law, often looking for money

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. pizza
2. persimmons
3. coffee toffee ice cream
4. sushi

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. upstairs in my bed
2. relaxing on a vacation anywhere that is very different from Washington, DC
(there is no 3 or 4 because I'm actually pretty happy hanging out here on my sofa with SM and Gidget snoozing next to me)

I) Things I am looking forward to this year:
1. our quick vacation to Lisbon and Madrid (three days each city)
2. getting married unionized* on 08.08.08
3. celebrating with friends on 08.10.08
4. the elections (and the end of campaigning, fundraising and all the inane political ads)

Anyone who is so inclined, feel free to snag away!

* I am refraining from using the M word because our ceremony will be purely civil and legal with absolutely no religion or religious components to it.

Um, eeek?

I got this email from Amazon today. It has gotta be a computer glitch. But still, eeek.

The Pudge Report

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Well, today was weigh-in day. And for the first time ever (if I can remember correctly), there was no change. Not up and not down. Still -28.5#s. I guess that's to be expected at this point having lost almost 30 pounds, especially given how variable my diet has been this past week being sick and eating all sorts of carbs. But still, it is a bummer. Oh well.

My challenge for this week is to use the weigh-in as motivation to change that number next week rather than let it demoralize me.

And exercise. Oh yeah, exercise.

Consumer report

Or, a tool for trying to reduce your consumerism, carbon footprint, etc.

I heard about this website on the news. I signed up for it in the hopes of reducing the ridiculous number of catalogs that arrive at my house every week. So far, two companies have refused to honor the request and the rest (another ten or so) are pending.

Which is to say, I don't know if the opt-out, "no-call" for catalogs site will work. It's a great idea, so I'm hopeful. If it does work -- even for one company -- yay. But no results yet. We'll see.

Let's hope the site delivers -- or doesn't!

Monday morning haiku

Flowers, rings, dress, shoes,
Reception, music, cake, booze.
Can’t we just elope?

Yeah, we’re forging ahead with the wedding planning. This weekend entailed a visit to the country club to start discussing the specifics and a trip to a jeweler’s to get the band my grandmother is giving us resized. Or didn’t I mention that? Grandma is giving SM and I her wedding band. It’s platinum with several small diamonds (I’d say “chips” but she probably would disagree with that characterization… but they are easy to miss in the setting). It’s also very narrow and much too small for my hand. The jeweler is a friend of my grandmother’s (dare I say, her personal jeweler?), so we figured she do a good job. And we’d rather she get the money than some shop. Because the band is platinum, it’s going to cost us a few bucks to get it made larger. But, that’s still much cheaper than a new band. And the band is fine. It looks quite old fashioned (which is it), and it’s not necessarily something I would have chosen myself. But I like the tradition of it. I like that I’ll have something that’s been in my family since 1936. And, SM and I have also decided that when we can afford it, after the wedding is paid for, we’ll get another band for me for some anniversary.

As for the reception planning, it’s all going just fine. That’s the great advantage to a country club – there’s a general manager on-site so we don’t have to deal with too many extra vendors. This is the club where my father belongs (and was the president of the rec association), so they know the family well. In fact, the manager said we don’t need to put down a deposit or sign a contract.

Now, that makes me, Ms. Lawyer, nervous. No contract? Eeek. I want it all spelled out in black and white so there is no room for misunderstanding.

SM, on the other hand, finds greater comfort in that arrangement. More friendly, less formalistic. The old-fashioned, seal-it-with-a-handshake kinda agreement.

I don’t think for a second that this event will result in any kind of dispute, so there isn’t really all that much to worry about in terms of contractual rights and recourse (and we will have plenty of "paper" describing the agreement), but ya’ know… I went to law school because I’m like that. You know what I mean.

Anyway, we discussed how things will proceed, the food, the layout, etc. The manager will email us an estimate for the food/service and alcohol. We do have the advantage that he’s willing to buy back any unopened alcohol, so we’ll only have to pay based on consumption. That should save us a ton o’ cash – and we won’t have cases of wine and beer in the basement until the next major event. I feel pretty good about everything. Now I just need to focus on some of the other details, like the guest list, accommodations, who is going to take care of Gidget for the night we’re away, etc. But I have some time for that.

We’ve also decided to do an engagement party in May over the long Memorial Day weekend to include friends who won’t be able to make it for the August event. It will be a low-key BBQ, so hopefully, not too much planning will be necessary… but it’s another thing which pushes up our budget. Oh my.

And last but not least, I’m a little concerned? disappointed? offended? (I don’t know that the right word is to capture my feelings of angst over this) that SM’s family has not offered to help with any aspect of the wedding. Granted, they are out of town, but still, I would expect them to help with something. My family has offered money. My mother is baking the wedding cake itself (for the family dinner, not for the reception). My stepsister is handling the decorations for the reception. Her partner is going to help get a DJ. Everyone is mobilized. I feel like SM’s family isn’t really stepping up to the plate. Am I way off base here? Do most groom’s families stay out of the planning process? Should I thank my lucky stars that no one is interfering with my planning? SM's mother passed away about 15 years ago, so his stepmother is the maternal figure, which makes the situation a little more attenuated, but still. SM is the oldest child and his father's first biological, as opposed to step or adopted, kid to get hitched. I would think they'd want to be involved, but so far, it’s almost like they are going to simply be guests at the events. And that feels wrong.

Or am I wrong?

Now, that's what I'm talking about.

I went to the doctor on Thursday to check out my stomach issues and, of course, had to go through the usual preliminary taking of the vitals... blood pressure (good), pulse (normal), height (shorter than I thought!) and weight.

And that's where the good news comes in. This time, when the nurse -- or physician's assistant or whatever he was -- had me step on the scale, he pushed the weight weight on the bar over to 100. Not 150 or 200. 100.

Yay.

Now, certainly, I don't weigh anything near 100 pounds, but I'm glad he thought I was between 100 and 150 rather over 200.

Much better.

Partner Offers $10K Bounty for Blogger’s Identity

Aside from the "effect" v. "affect" discussion in the comments, this made for some interesting reading.

I agree that the blogger has a right to anonymously express his/her views, which aren't alleged to be slanderous. True, they might have more force if the blogger attached his/her name to them, but if someone wants to maintain a blog under a pseudonym, I support that (obviously!). The attorney in this article says he wants to out him/her because "the blogger should take responsibility for his or her views. Plus, he points out, knowing the identity and affiliations of the blogger likely would affect the way that readers perceive the Troll Tracker's critique."

Yeah, right. I very much doubt that the latter argument is the attorney's true motivation.

If the argument blogger's criticism has merit, it has merit regardless of the speaker. Same if it has no merit. It will win or lose based on its validity.

It's exactly when an arugment has good merit that opponents want to attack the messenger. Classic diversion tactic. Can't refute the argument -- so instead tar the messenger on some collateral issue to undermine his/her credibility with the hope of a spill-over effect on the issue at hand.

I suspect nefarious motives at work here.

Ya' know...

For all my suffering from the stomach eruptions since Saturday, I had better lose some weight this week.

I mean, come on! All the pain, discomfort and inconvenience cannot be for naught.

Of wedding garb

So yesterday I had an appointment with the woman who will be sewing my dress. Basically, I brought pictures and the kimono, and she is going to take my design ideas and translate them into material. First, she'll make a pattern in muslin, which I'll try on and discuss and then we'll make any necessary changes based on how it fits, what I like and don't like, etc. Then she'll cut the kimono and sew the dress.

And it's going to cost me about $1200. That's mostly for labor. Ouch. I already bought the kimono (all of $40) and will need to buy an obi for the back and the liner, but um, yeah, material is a minor cost. Ouchy, ouch, ouch. But I think it will be worth it. Here's why. This woman did the wedding dress for a friend of mine, who is also nikkei (Japanese ancestry). See below. I think her dress is just gorgeous. One of a kind. Could be in a designer's book. I love it.




Her dress is made from a traditional Japanese wedding kimono, so the material is basically embroidered tapestry. Mine is crepe silk. But I will be stealing my friend's idea to use the obi as a train of sorts down the back. Although my dress will be cocktail length, I think it can still work. And that's why I'm willing to pay the bucks for the dress. Because I trust that this woman can do it right.

But I also wanted a second dress for the reception. She said she would charge the same price for the second dress, and I just can't see spending another $1200 for the reception dress. Oh well. So I started thinking about my options.

1. I could buy a dress off the rack. Pros: cheaper, convenient. Cons: finding one in a style I like, won't be made out of kimono (which I really want), just dealing with bridal shops/stores in general.
2. I could have something made out of the kimono, but using a pattern. Pros: get something I want which fits me well, less expensive than a custom-made dress. Cons: trouble finding a pattern I like, having to find a seamstress who can do this well at a reasonable cost, more expensive than off the rack, lead time necessary to have it made.
3. wearing something I already have. Pros: cheap, know I like it. Cons: not special.

I think I'm going with option #2. I have my heart set on using the purple kimono. Now I have the leg work of finding a pattern and a seamstress. Ugh.

I did go to a bridal store yesterday to check out a dress that I saw online and liked. Gawd was that a demoralizing experience. First, the dress felt so cheaply made, and the material was generally icky. Second, I, of course, had to take a size about two sizes larger than I usually take. Now, I understand that this is normal, that wedding gowns, etc. are sized smaller than today's vanity sizes in stores -- plus, I have a broad back and am, um, well-endowed -- but it still sucked to have to go up two sizes to accommodate my back, boobs and thick waist. Bleh. And then have the dress look, well, just frumpy on me. I don't want to look frumpy! And all of the dresses were cut way. too. low in the front for me. You're probably wondering how the dress looked frumpy while at the same time showing too much cleavage. Well, it did. Because my hips are on the narrow side, the dress just ballooned out from me and looked frumpy. Because most dresses aren't cut to accommodate big boobs, the top was cut too low. Bleh. I know that sexy dresses are what's popular now, but I don't want my cleavage spilling out, nor do I want a strapless gown.

So that was so. much. fun. Um, NOT.

I know it was only my first try, but it wasn't a happy trip. It definitely left me thinking that I want to have a reception dress made to fit me. I've given up the idea of designing it myself. I think it will be special enough if I have it made out of kimono. I just need someone talented enough to take a pattern which has most of the right elements in it and sew a dress that I want.

So, this whole little adventure has been no fun. First, learning my measurements (a reality I had been denying for a while). And then having to try on dresses that were two sizes up from my normal size. And then, having those dresses look frumpy and ill-fitting on me.

Poop.

And the thing is, the only thing that I really care about for this ceremony/reception is the dress. I don't really care about the decorations or the cake or the music or any of that stuff. I just don't care. But I do care about the dress. And I have the feeling that it's not going to be, pardon the pun, a piece of cake to get something that makes me happy.

::grump, grump, grump::

The Pudge Report

H>----------------------------*----------------->G

Minus one pound this week. It would have been more but I've been scarfing down rice and toast and crackers to settle my stomach without a worry as to the dietary impact. The only impact I was concerned about was how hard it would hit my stomach.

So my total is now -28.5 lbs. At this rate, I won't hit 40 pounds down by my 40th birthday, but that's okay. All I care about today is getting my stomach stable. I even took off work because I don't have the energy to get there.

Off now to watch some crappy daytime tv, eat rice and drink tea...

Monday morning haiku

Take time to reflect:
Peace, tolerance, acceptance.
MLK's vision.

Kimono into wedding dress

Here is the kimono that I intend to use for my dress. I say "intend" because it will depend on whether the seamstress thinks we she can do it. I'm confident she can.

My idea is to use the parts with the decorations at the bottom of the dress. I also have some ideas about the design. Actually, some very specific ideas. We'll see...



The reception dress will be purple. I have fewer ideas about that one, but I do want to use this obi somehow. I just love it.

How SS spent her weekend.

Sick. Demonstrably so. And I am not a good sick person. In fact, I'm downright miserable. When I feel miserable, I share the misery with my loved ones. Poor SM. He's gotten snapped at and argued with for no good reason several times this past weekend.

I know I'm being completely obnoxious. I am a lousy sick person. When I suffer, others suffer. I know it's not very grown-up of me. Like I said, I'm just lousy. I know I am.

It's my stomach. It's revolting. It all started relatively mildly on Friday and then accelerated through Saturday. By Saturday evening/night, I was in undeniable pain. Cramping and general flu-y stomach aches. Really, really awful.

The thing which especially sucked about this was that I had to chair a meeting all day Saturday. From ten until about 3:30, which translated to 8:45 until 5:00 with set-up and clean-up. The morning was okay, but as the day wore on, things got worse. And, after lunch, I had to get up and go to the bathroom just about every ten minutes -- or at least, it felt like that. I also ran through the afternoon agenda and had zero patience for the chatty stupid comments that people make. And we had a lot of people at this meeting who made the chatty stupid comments which I usually have little patience for, but had less than none yesterday. Oh well.

And today, we were supposed to go to dim sum and bowling to celebrate a friend's birthday. We had to skip that because I wasn't about to stray more than ten feet from a familiar bathroom. No way. SM didn't mind a bit, though, because he got to see his beloved Patriots win the AFC Championship. Yay, Patriots!

So, he's a happy camper. I'm a not-so-happy cramper.

Today is better, but I still have a tender stomach. Every time I move, my stomach gurgles, and I wonder what I'm in for.

Okay, enough complaining.

But that was my weekend.

Tomorrow, if I continue to improve (because today was infinitely better than yesterday), I have an appointment with the woman who will be making my wedding dress. Have I told you about my wedding dress? I'm having it made. Out of old kimono. It will be cocktail length. And I'm having another made for the reception (which will be the main event for guests). Also out of old kimono. Tomorrow I am having my first meeting to discuss them and get the ball rolling. Yay. I hope my stomach cooperates.

Who is this woman

who has bought all of these bridal magazines? Me? No freakin' way.

Someone must have snuck them into my bag while I wasn't looking. Or something like that.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Took yesterday off

Been working sooooo much lately that I used some comp time and took yesterday off.

Here's what I accomplished...
1. slept until noon, literally
2. tried on some clothes that haven't fit since... um, the start of law school? Still hoping to get into some interview suits (which was a low-weight period for me)
3. shoveled the steps and walk
4. walked Gidget
5. vegged
6. one and a half loads of laundry (wet stuff still in the washer)
7. baked a cake (not from scratch, but from a box)
8. did some work for a meeting this Saturday (non-work)

Notably, no shower. I figured I'd take one after shoveling the snow, but never got there. I'm fermenting right now. I need one desperately and am off to get squeaky clean now.

And then to work.

But only for a half day. Yay!

Not brief

But it's in and done. My brief, that is. It's not the most eloquent thing I've ever written, but it wasn't too bad. I made some good arguments.

Let's hope I didn't fuck up some minor procedural/administrative issue when I made such masterful arguments on the case. As I told SM, this particular case is a stellar example of where we could win on the law but lose on the facts.

I'm taking tomorrow off to sleep in. Ahhh, blissful sleep.

And another thing which made today a double happiness kinda day? Got the brief birthed AND I heard that my promotion is going through next pay period. It amounts to about a 15% raise, which is very happy.

The Pudge Report

H>---------------------------*------------------>G

Only down .5 pounds this week for a total of -27.5. But I'll take it, especially since we had a few major detours from the diet.

I found several calculators on The Biggest Loser website. While, of course, these can't be precise tools for measuring anyone's exact situation, they are interesting guides. For my height, weight, age, etc., it looks like I only need about 1400 calories to just sit and breathe (meaning zero activity) and 1600 or so for my lifestyle (light activity).

Well, I do get some exercise everyday. I do go to the bathrooom, walk back and forth to the metro, climb stairs, channel surf and putter around, so I burn more than that 1400 calories during an average workday.

On my diet, I've been restricted to approximately 1200-1300 calories. So that's why I've been dropping the weight without much exercise. I didn't realize that my caloric intake was so much below my estimated need.

Imagine how well I'd do if I did exercise and built some muscle?

Yeah, yeah. I know. I know. I'm all talk and no action, literally. Gotta get to it.

Meme me!

Work is kicking my ass right now, so I figured I'd meme. This one is snagged from Jami.

Here she goes...

You are in a band. Your band is about to release their first CD. Now, follow these directions to build it. Go to

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The tail (last three or four words) of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use the graphics program of your choice to put them together into your first CD.

Okay, here I go...
Not a very exciting picture, and frankly, I didn't do much with it. I need a decent graphics package, but I'm too cheap to buy one. Anyway, I figure that both Jami and Scooter would appreciate my band's name. I, myself, had no idea what it was, but SM did. Remembered it from college days.

The quote is from a Russian anarchist. Fun.

Monday morning haiku, almost

Huh, imagine that...
Having to do work at work?
No time to haiku!

22.75

That's how many comp hours I've racked up since Sunday. That's 22.75 + the regular 40.

Government lawyers are supposed to be able to go home at 5:30.

And I'll be back here on Sunday because getting citations in proper format takes forever. Crap.

But that's more comp time. Which is good because it takes forever to accrue a week of vacation.

The klutz in me

found this article helpful.

The cheapskate in me appreciated it.

I'm a quick start.

SM is a fact-finder.

He sent me the article. Hmmm. Wonder why?

I guess we can't say we weren't forewarned!

The Pudge Report

H>---------------------------*------------------>G

Minus 2.5 pounds this week!  This, despite friends being over, a chocolate-scarfing incident and some Girl Scout cookies.  Yay!  I'm thinking this will help my somewhat tepid of late motivation to stick with the program.

Total loss since the end of September?  27 pounds.  Holy shit.

AND, the weather yesterday and today was/is just gorgeous.  Like spring.  It's a happy thing just to be outside.  Yay yay yay yay yay yay!

One thing I WON'T be doing for the wedding

is this.

Seriously, who does that? Too, too, too many opportunities for lewd jokes!

"Hi, I'd like to nibble on your boob..."

"Butt for me, thanks!"

"I've always wanted a piece of your ass..!"

and so on.

And, besides, the icing makes her look fat.

Monday morning haiku

So very tired.
Twenty-two hours comp time --
that's just this weekend.

When you work for the federal government, you aren't supposed to log such crazy hours. You don't get paid for the crazy hours. The salary doesn't make up for it. But I do get comp time. I like comp time, especially since I don't have all that much vacation time. But I could use a day off.

Over the past week or so (= writing this brief, which ain't), I've put in about 40 hours of comp time. I was here on New Year's day. I was here all weekend. I was here last weekend too.

Complain, complain.

I'm pooped.

Senators on the subway

Well, at least one socialist senator anyway.

SM and I boarded the metro home yesterday and sat near a couple who looked like any other couple. Older, hair a little disheveled, wearing heavy winter coats, talking politics.  It could have been any DC couple (or non-couple, for that matter) talking about the local sports teams, the Dems and the Repubs.

Except that they referred to the candidates by their first names, as in "Have you spoken to Dennis yet?"

Our ears perked up a little.  They were talking about the Iowa caucuses.  Not so unusual a conversation in DC, the day after.

What was unusual was when he said, "He spent all of that money to get .8 percent of the vote. I could have gone up there for two weeks and done better."

SM's guess was confirmed. (I didn't recognize him.) It was Bernie Sanders plus one.

I wonder if Republican senators ride the metro?

SM's aunt in Iowa on caucusing there

This is from an email from SM's aunt who lives in Iowa. You know, the one who was in the campaign mailer for Hillary? I found it interesting to read her observations about the caucusing process, having myself never even been to Iowa, let alone caucused there...

The caucus was interesting last night. I was really surprised at the results. At the caucus I went to Obama had 107 people, Clinton had 70, and Edwards had 35, Biden had one, Richardson had 9, Dodd had 3 and the rest had none. The 13 people that were not viable went Edwards bringing him up to 48. I was surprised at the Obama crowd. I thought there would be a lot of black people there, but there was only about a dozen. His followers were of everyone - young, old, women, men, middle age - it just really surprised me. My first choice was Hillary Clinton and my second choice was John Edwards - both at the bottom of this group. B's youngest son (40 years old) and his wife (37 years old) went to the caucus in [town name deleted] and he said "the brothers were out in force for Obama". I didn't even know [town name deleted] had any black people living there. He said there were 103 there for Obama, 35 for Clinton, and 40 for Edwards. He felt the crowd for Obama was very unprofessional with their chanting for Obama during the caucus, but actually that is the way people try to get others to come to their area of the room by calling out for you to come to their side.

If I had gone to the Republican caucus, I would have chosen Mitt Romney and he came in a far away second place which shows I always seem to choose the ones who lose.

B said he saw a large poster with Aunt E, Mom, and me with Hillary and he and [his wife] asked if they could have it so he is saving it for me. He said it is about 20" high. That picture is really making the rounds as far as advertisement goes. Maybe I'll roll it up, send it to [SM] and see if he can get it signed. If she ever becomes President (or even if she doesn't), someone could take it to the Antique Road Show in 50 years to see if it is worth anything. I don't think I'll still be here in 50 years so it will have to be one of the kids.

It really sounds like it would be very interesting to participate in this process. That's not enough to get me to move or even visit Iowa in the winter, but this DC-er, who is somewhat jaded by the inside-the-beltway scene, found her firsthand observations intriging.

I'm a dork that way.

IA

Today at work, a colleague asked me what I thought the outcome of the Iowa caucuses would be. I said I thought it would be Obama, Clinton and Edwards with Edwards doing better than expected. On the Republican side, I expected Huckabee to win with Romney second and McCain third. Guiliani and Thompson didn't even enter my mind.

Looks like I wasn't too far off.

But what I'd really love to see is a Ron Paul/Lyndon LaRouche ticket. Yeah, I know one is a whack-o pseudo-Republican and one is a whack-o pseudo-Democrat, but they both have that whack-o thing in common. That, and their almost cult-like followings. Might make for a powerhouse ticket.

(Yes, I am kidding about the Paul/LaRouche thing.)

Hmm, I wonder if there is anyone out there named Paul LaRouche? Turns out there is... The most unfortunate names I've found out there recently belong to Alfonso and Alvaro Queda and Alex Kayda -- yes, that would be Al Queda/Kayda. Rough time to have that name. See how my brain works? In tangents. With a stream of consciousness. Can you keep up? Poor SM. He rarely can.

The Pudge Report

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Yeah, so I may have taken a break from my diet, but that doesn't give me license to forgo viewing the consequences... which weren't as bad as I thought they'd be.

Yup, I gained a pound this past week. But only a pound. I'm very okay with that.

Current tally? - 24.5 pounds.

And now back to my regularly-scheduled program...

Happy New Year!

(for an explanation of what this is, read here)