Checking in - long

That little birdie has been busy and he tweeted in my ear too! There's a few minutes left of my birthday and no better way to spend them then to share them here. The Good News...lost about 5lbs this week. The Bad News...I've been stalled pretty much since November. I'm hoping the 5lbs means I'm back on track now. I have a long-term assignment that's allowed me to work from home and I'm actually finding it harder than when I was on the road. Having to show up at the client's offices and take breaks and lunches on their schedule enforces a certain discipline. Having a gym or workout room as close as the elevator makes it ridiculously easy to get exercise and staring at hotel walls or the TV is plenty of motivation. On the other hand when working from home, I don't have to even get dressed if I don't want to. I have a drawer full of protein bars, shakes, beef jerky and sometimes nuts or soy crisps sneak in there. I used to throw a handful of these in the suitcase Sunday night but now I have to stop myself from grazing all day long. So for my birthday I gave myself a present and decided not to graze at all. Got up from the computer and went downstairs for meals. Said hi to the wife, the cats, the dogs - some of whom didn't recognize me. This weekend, I'm hitting the pavement again and see if I can get 10 - 12 miles in. That should help as well. Fighting off gall stones. The doctors saw a little spike in my bloodwork and had me get a sonogram which turned up some teensy stones. I'm on some new meds to try to fight them off and concentrating on eliminating as much fat as possible from the diet. If that doesn't work, it may mean more surgery. The surgery last year messed up my "utilization rate" (how many hours I bill out of 2080 hours in the year) and I don't want that to happen again this year. Well, that and it being SURGERY are the two main downsides that I can see. The doctor's worried about me getting a gall bladder attack while I'm out of town and I suppose I can see his point. I'm going in for another ultrasound in a week or so and then we'll decide how to proceed. Of course, working from home means I get to bill more of the hours during recovery - provided I'm not stoned on pain meds. Overall, down 140 lbs is not bad but it's still 30 lbs shy of goal. And I was hoping to be at or near goal by my birthday. But I've got two more months before I go back to the same conference I presented at last year and give the same presentation. For *that* I wanted to be at or near goal weight but now I'm hoping just to shave off another 10 - 15 lbs. At least I can wear the shirts they give out this time though, and that counts for something. Other stuff...I'm now writing a regular column for an IBM technical journal and that's been fun but does add to the workload a bit. For the curious, the first one just hit the stands: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/techjournal/0801_mismes/0801_mismes.html?ca=dr s- Yes, boring stuff unless you happen to specialize in that particular software but I've received good feedback from folks in that field so it's rewarding. Also hired out over the holidays to do some remote work for a company in India. It was kinda cool outsourcing a job from there instead of to there for a change. But the folks I worked with thought I had a funny accent and that I worked weird hours. I was actually double-booked during that time and working for different clients on two different shifts. Then for a couple of weeks was double booked working during the week in Charlotte and in Philadelphia on the weekends. Reminds me - I have a photo of me and the Liberty Bell that I need to upload. My client was right across the street from Independence Mall so a visit to the bell was mandatory. Well, that's my story. No real excuse for not checking in more often other than having focused so completely lately on work. It is real cool to see a lot of new (to me anyway) faces on here. I need to go read the boards and profiles and see how all my friends and family here are doing. Can't thank John enough for reaching out and giving me a virtual smack on the back of the head.

First, a very happy birthday!!!!!! The column is great. Yup, being in the computer industry I read that stuff all the time. LOL I forwarded it to hubby/CEO. Great work! In Philly huh. And you didn't get in touch with me? I live a stinking 30 minutes from Philly!!! It's funny though. My husband is going to LA for XChange and I kind of wish I were going so I could meet some OH friends. LOL But, I'll be in Dallas in August for another XChange (this one is for the Women in Technology) so I have some hookups in the planning stages already. I'm really glad John took all that time to "find" our missing family members. Being down 140 pounds is incredible!!! I feel for you with the gallstones. I'm so glad my surgeon automatically takes it with the RNY. I got rid of mine in 1989 and he seemed relieved. He said he hates doing another surgery so he automatically takes it. Smart guy because those gallstones are horrible! Don't be a stranger, T.Rob! We've missed you!!! * Cyndi * 265/147/150....I'm 3 lbs below goal!

HIJACK>>>>>Oh my Cyndi...I love the new picture, you look so tiny and healthy!!!!!! Gayle

Hey Cyndi-- Me & Roxanne live right outside Dallas and we both work in Dallas.........don't forget about us when you visit!!!

Hey there T.Rob, We are glad to have you back. I hit the same roadblock you did in November. I was pounding along and having no issues and then the middle of November I started eating a bit more. Next thing you know, I was in the same stall. Yeah, I still lost about 10 pounds over November and December, but it was a stall compared to what I had been doing in the previous months. I rediscovered the carbs that had been absent and had to learn all over again how to handle those. Anyway, now it seems better and I really seem to be back on track. I'm trying to keep my protein levels up there and also drink the water that will help with those losses. I guess I really needed to connect back up with some of our old friends. What amazed me was that many of us are experiencing some of the same issues and didn't say much until now. Let's all handle things and keep this train moving. We have just 3 months bofore May 1st. I'll be honest, I could be perfectly happy at 205 pounds, but I guess I want more to come off. I know that each day that I eat 1200 or less calories per day, our bodies will keep dropping the weight. Well, my friend, don't stay away so long. We need to hear from you now and then. As one of the few males in this group, I still never feel lonely among all of these lovely roses as they continue to bloom during the Springtime of thier new lives. Have a great February. John